For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth her seed to shoot forth: so shall the Lord God make justice to spring forth, and praise before all the nations.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon. Here he promises the people gladness. And it is divided into two parts. In the first he promises joy; in the second the people receive the promise and give thanks, there, "Rejoicing I will rejoice in the Lord." Concerning the first, two things. First he receives the office of announcing joy; second he foretells the reason or matter of the joy: "and they shall be called." Concerning the first, two things. First the gift of prophecy is touched upon: "the Spirit of the Lord is upon me" — Isaiah — whom he has anointed, filling him with the office of prophecy. 2 Peter 1: "for prophecy was not brought at any time by the will of man, but the holy men of God spoke, inspired by the Holy Spirit." Or of Christ, of whom above, 11: "the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him." And in Psalm 44: "God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of exultation above your fellows." Luke 4: "This Scripture today." Second, the act of the prophet or of Christ is touched upon, which is twofold: to foretell rewards to the good, "to announce": James 1: "receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls"; and to confer remedies on the wretched. As to those who are cast down by faintheartedness: "that I might heal," by consoling, or by forgiving sins, if this is understood of Christ. Psalm 146: "who heals the contrite of heart, and binds up their bruises." And as to those who were held in captivity, to whom he announces the benefit of liberation: "and that I might preach to the captives," literally; or captive under the Devil, and in their own errors. Above, 49: "that you might say to those who are bound, Go forth." And the time of liberation: "and that I might preach the acceptable year," as to the liberation of the Jews; "of vengeance," as to the Chaldeans. Or the time of grace, in which he took vengeance on the Devil, repressing his power. John 12: "now is the judgment of the world, now shall the prince of this world be cast out." Psalm 64: "you will bless the crown," and Psalm 101: "because the time has come." And as to those who are swallowed up by sorrow, to whom he announces joy: "that I might comfort all," generally; "that I might appoint," specifically. Ecclesiasticus 48: "in a great spirit he saw the last things." And the sign of joy, when the signs of sorrow are turned into signs of gladness, and this is: "and that I might give to them." Above, 28: "in that day the Lord shall be a crown of glory." "And they shall be called." Here he foretells the matter of the joy: and first as to the restoration of the buildings, setting forth the condition of those who rebuild: "they shall be called in it" — namely, in Jerusalem, by the command and permission of Cyrus — "the mighty ones of justice," constant in doing justice, not moved by the threats of adversaries; or the apostles. Ecclesiasticus 39: "like a rose planted." And the restoration of the buildings: "and they shall build," the aforesaid men, or the apostles. Above, 58: "and the deserts of ages shall be built up in you." Second, as to the preservation of possessions: "and strangers shall stand." This could be fulfilled literally, in that some newcomers might be occupied in these lowly services, as with the Gibeonites: Hosea 9: "let them live and to use." Or mystically: the Gentiles — preachers, and afterward the simple of the Church — both guard and cultivate the Church herself by merits and teachings. Note on that word, "he has anointed me," that God the Father anoints Christ: first with the oil of priestly dignity, as a priest for offering sacrifices. Ecclesiasticus 45: "he anointed him with holy oil." Second, with the oil of royal power, as a king for governing. 2 Kings 12: "I have anointed you king and prince of my people." Third, with the oil of immense strength, as a warrior for fighting. 2 Kings 1: "How is the shield of the mighty cast away, the shield of Saul and of Jonathan, as though he were not anointed with oil?" Fourth, with the oil of surpassing gladness, as one generous in showing mercy. Psalm 111: "a pleasant man is he who shows mercy and lends." Psalm 44: "God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows." Likewise the devout servant anoints Christ: first with the tears of compunction. Matthew 6: "anoint your head, and wash your face." Second, with the ointment of devotion. Luke 7: "but she has anointed my feet with ointment." Third, with the oil of pure intention. Ecclesiastes 9: "let your garments be white at all times, and let not oil be lacking from your head." Fourth, with the oil of praise and thanksgiving. Genesis 28: "rising in the morning, Jacob took the stone and set it up as a memorial, and poured oil upon it," et cetera. "But you, priests." Here he foretells the matter of the joy as to the glory of men: and concerning this he does three things. First he shows the perfection of the glory, because they are glorious in spiritual things: "priests," as leading a holy life worthy of the priesthood. As 2 Kings 8, concerning the sons of David; Wisdom 5: "how they are numbered among the sons of God, and their lot is among the saints." Glorious also in temporal things: "strength" — that is, you shall be refreshed, you shall be sustained by the strength of the Persians and the Medes. "You shall glory" — you shall be exalted. Above, 60: "when the multitude of the sea shall be converted to you, the strength of the Gentiles shall come to you." Mystically, the apostles are priests, as teachers of the Gentiles, and delighted by the strength of the martyrs. And he assigns the reason for the perfection: "for confusion" — as if to say: from the lack of spiritual and temporal things you had confusion. "They shall praise" — the neighbors seeing — "the portion," the recompense of double goods made to them by God. Zechariah 9: "today also I declare that I will render double to you." Mystically the Church receives rewards in the goods of soul and body for the double confusion arising from the unbelief of the Gentiles and the Jews. Second, he touches on the duration of the glory: "everlasting joy." This is true as long as they remain in justice, as is explained in Jeremiah 18. Above, 35: "everlasting joy shall be upon their heads, they shall obtain joy and gladness." And he assigns the reason: "because I am the Lord." And the sense is: by the fact that the Lord loves justice, he will grant you to be just, so that thus you may please him; and he will make with you a covenant of everlasting joy. "Hating": Ecclesiasticus 34: "he who offers sacrifice from the substance of the poor is as one who sacrifices his own son in the sight of his own father." "An everlasting covenant." Jeremiah 31: "and I will make with the house of Israel and the house of Judah a new covenant." Third, the spreading abroad of the glory: "and it shall be known," which is to be referred either to the Jews, who were famous for the worship of religion, or to the spiritual seed of the apostles. Ecclesiasticus 44: "even forever." "Rejoicing I will rejoice." Here the people receive the promise and give thanks. And concerning this he does two things. First, in the person of the people, or of the Church, he expresses the joy of the heart: "rejoicing." Habakkuk 3: "but I will rejoice in the Lord, and I will exult in God my Jesus." Second, he confesses the divine benefit: and first under the likeness of garments, inasmuch as divine benefits protect from miseries: "because he has clothed me with the garments of salvation"; above, 52: "put on the garments of your gladness." Second, under the likeness of ornaments, inasmuch as they adorn: "as a bridegroom," mystically as to the perfect in the Church acting in the place of Christ; "as a bride," as to the imperfect. Baruch 5: "I will clothe you round about with a double garment." Third, under the likeness of sprouting plants, as to fruit: "for as the earth." Above, 35: "budding it shall bud."”

“For as the earth bringeth forth her bud,.... Of tender grass in the spring of the year, after a long and cold winter, being well manured: and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth being enclosed, and better taken care of, and well watered, and dunged, and cultivated; seeds sown in such a rich soil spring up freely, strongly, and constantly: so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations; that is, the righteousness and salvation of his people through Christ, by which they shall be justified and saved; and on account of which they shall praise the Lord, and shall be to honour and praise themselves, being interested in those blessings in the sight of all the Christian nations around them. It respects the conversion of the Jews, and their justification and salvation, and the suddenness of it, and the large numbers of them converted, who should rise up at once like the buds of grass out of the earth; and denotes the flourishing condition in which they shall be, like a garden abounding with all manner of flowers and fruit; and suggests how full of joy, thankfulness, and praise to God they should be, and how honourable in the sight of men; and all this will be the Lord's doing, and owing to his efficacious grace. The Targum is, "so the Lord God will reveal the righteousness and praise of Jerusalem before all the people.'' Next: Isaiah Chapter 62”

“Nations, whose conversion is implicitly foretold. All behold the justice which God has treated both his people and their oppressors. (Calmet) Bible Text & Cross-references: The office of Christ: the mission of the apostles: the happiness of their converts. 1 The *spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord hath anointed me: he hath sent me to preach to the meek, to heal the contrite of heart, and to preach a release to the captives, and deliverance to them that are shut up. 2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God: *to comfort all that mourn: 3 To appoint to the mourners of Sion, and to give them a crown for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, a garment of praise for the spirit of grief: and they shall be called in it the mighty ones of justice, the planting of the Lord to glorify him . 4 *And they shall build the places that have been waste from of old, and shall raise up ancient ruins, and shall repair the desolate cities, that were destroyed for generation and generation. 5 And strangers shall stand and shall feed your flocks: and the sons of strangers shall be your husbandmen, and the dressers of your vines. 6 But you shall be called the priests of the Lord: to you it shall be said: Ye ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and you shall pride yourselves in their glory. 7 For your double confusion and shame, they shall praise their part: therefore shall they receive double in their land, everlasting joy shall be unto them. 8 For I am the Lord that love judgment, and hate robbery in a holocaust: and I will make their work in truth, and I will make a perpetual covenant with them. 9 And they shall know their seed among the Gentiles, and their offspring in the midst of peoples: all that shall see them, shall know them, that these are the seed which the Lord hath blessed. 10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, and my soul shall be joyful in my God: for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation: and with the robe of justice he hath covered me, as a bridegroom decked with a crown, and as a bride adorned with her jewels. 11 For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth her seed to shoot forth: so shall the Lord God make justice to spring forth, and praise before all the nations.”