Titus 2:13 to Isaiah 40:5

NT Text: Titus 2:13

OT Source(s):

• Isaiah 40:5 ("And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed")
• Isaiah 60:1-2 ("Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you")
• Isaiah 35:4 ("Behold, your God will come... he will come and save you")
• Malachi 3:1 ("the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple")
• Zechariah 14:5 ("Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with him")
• Exodus 16:7 ("in the morning you shall see the glory of the LORD")
• Exodus 24:16-17 (the glory of the LORD dwelt on Mount Sinai)

Source: No public domain commentary confirmation available

Reference Type: Allusion

Connection Method(s): Promise-Fulfillment

Anchor Text: Isa 40:3 — A Voice Crying in the Wilderness

Significance: Paul's description of Christ's return as "the appearing of the glory" employs language the OT reserved for Yahweh's visible manifestation. Isaiah 40:5 promises "the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together," while Isaiah 60:1-2 envisions God's glory rising upon Zion in the last days. Throughout the OT, "the glory of the LORD" signifies God's visible, powerful presence—in the wilderness (Exodus 16:7, 10; 24:16-17), in the tabernacle (Exodus 40:34-35), in the temple (1 Kings 8:11). The prophets anticipated a future day when God's glory would be universally revealed in judgment and salvation (Isaiah 35:4; Malachi 3:1-2; Zechariah 14:5). Paul's transfer of this "glory" language to Jesus Christ's return reveals his high Christology: Jesus shares in the divine identity such that his parousia fulfills OT promises of Yahweh's coming. The phrase "our great God and Savior Jesus Christ" (grammatically most likely referring to one person, Jesus) makes this explicit—Paul ascribes to Jesus both deity ("great God") and the saving role ("Savior") that the OT attributes to Yahweh alone. The "blessed hope" is not merely for improved circumstances but for the consummation of redemption when the glory hidden in Christ's first appearing will be fully revealed. This eschatological tension—living between grace's appearing and glory's appearing—shapes Christian ethics in 2:12 ("training us to renounce ungodliness").