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The interpretation timeline

Isa 51:11

How this passage has been read — the sources, oldest to newest.

From the early Church Fathers to now.

1 Patristic · 2 Jewish · 1 Catholic

Isa 51:11 · Douay-Rheims
“And now they that are redeemed by the Lord, shall return, and shall come into Sion singing praises, and joy everlasting shall be upon their heads, they shall obtain joy and gladness, sorrow and mourning shall flee away.”
Patristic before A.D. 750
457
A.D.
Theodoret of Cyrus Patristic
c. A.D. 393–457
“"They will be gathered by the Lord, and they will arrive in Zion full of joy and an eternal cheerfulness; and on their head praise and joy will take hold of them; sadness, pain and grief will have gone." He has declared in advance the return of cheerfulness and joy, which take hold of believers after the coming as man of our Savior.… Then by the expression of the face he inspires confidence.… It is the Lord who strengthens him, the One who worked these paradoxes in former times, who delivered Pharaoh with his army into the sea, who killed the many thousands of Assyrians through one angel. … He says, "You have worked with the enemies and have carried out their aims—you were afraid of them and forgot me who am the Creator of all things, among whom he gave a thousand pledges of power. Yet you feared a mortal and corruptible man while you have not paid attention to your own dignity and you have not sought my help."”
Source
648 years pass — nothing from this stretch is hosted yet
Scholastic c. 1100 – 1500
1105
A.D.
Rashi Jewish
1040–1105
“And the redeemed of the Lord shall return This is an expression of prayer, and it is connected to “Awaken, awaken.””
Source
1167
A.D.
Ibn Ezra Jewish
1089–1167
“And the redeemed, etc. The connection between this and the preceding verses is: Awake, O arm, etc., and then, when this is the case, the redeemed of the Lord shall return. I have explained this already (35:10)”
Source
1274
A.D.
Thomas Aquinas Catholic
1225–1274
“931. Second, he announces to his people that the Lord has heard his petition: and now, as it was when they came forth from Egypt, they that are redeemed, from captivity in Babylon: for the Lord will lead them back (Bar 4:23).”
Source
Modern · 1953 →

The in-app commentary runs from the Fathers to the early-modern record, then stops — that's where the public-domain sources end, not where the reading does. For the modern reading, follow the sources directly.