Isaiah 22

If, as I was saying, we are in the church, if we possess the faith of the church, of the apostles, of Christ, the truths of Christian teaching, we are the mountains of Zion. We do not want to be among the valleys of Zion; we want to be mountains of Zion. Zion, indeed, has its valleys; it has plains, too. The sinner is a valley of Zion, not a mountain. Someone may interpose, “You are giving us your own opinion.” Let us call upon the testimony of Isaiah when Zion had fallen into sin, in which after many visions, the prophet mentions one against Idumea, one against Moab, one against Edom and the sons of Ammon, and lastly, “a vision of the valley of Zion.” Because Zion had descended from sublime faith, it fell recklessly from the mountain into the valley.Before all else, then, let us flee from the valleys of Zion and come to the plains; from the plains, let us go to the hills, from the hills up the mountains.

Homilies on the Psalms 45 (psalm 132)

“Gog” is a Greek word translated in Latin by “roof” (tectum) and “magog” by “from the roof” (de tecto). All pride and false knowledge, therefore, that raises itself against the acknowledgment of the truth is indicated by these words. And this is the roof about which Isaiah spoke in his vision against the valley of Zion: “What has happened to you now, that you have all gone up to the empty roof?” We shall understand “roof” to refer to the leaders of heretics and “from the roof” to those who accept their teaching. How beautiful it is, after so many mystical prophecies contained in this volume, to find at last a prophecy against Gog and Magog.

Commentary on Ezekiel 11:38.1-23

(Chapter 22—Verse 1) The burden of the Valley of Vision. Although it is not found in Hebrew, they translated it more clearly as the word "Valley of Zion". For this city is the seedbed of prophets, in which the Temple is built, and the visions of the Lord are multiplied. Therefore, because it is compared to other nations and considered one among many, it is not called a mountain, according to the prophecy: Its foundations are on the holy mountains. The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob (Psalm 87:1); but it is called a valley, because it is humbled. In other words, Jeremiah himself says this: when he received a cup full of wine, he gave it to all the nations, and finally he offered it to Jerusalem to drink, vomit, fall, and go crazy, signifying the destruction of Babylon (Jeremiah 25). The history of the kings and Jeremiah explains this more fully. From this, we understand that the creator of all is equally God, and that he judges and dispenses everything according to his will, as he himself says through Amos: Are you not as the children of the Ethiopians to me, O children of Israel? The Lord says: Did I not bring up Israel from the land of Egypt, and the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir? Behold, the eyes of the Lord are upon the sinful kingdom (Amos 9:7). So the Jews should not think that they have a privilege because they were brought out of Egypt, for God also says that other nations were transferred to other lands by his authority.

What is also your concern, since you have ascended and fully entered the roofs, the city full of clamor, a crowded city, an exulting state? The Hebrew explained to me that the present Vision does not pertain to that time when Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem and led Zedekiah bound and blinded to Babylon, but to the times of Sennacherib when the high priest Sobna betrayed a great part of the city, and only Zion, that is, the citadel and the Temple, remained, as an example of the Roman city, which, while the Gauls were attacking, preserved the patricians and the flower of youth in the citadel. But we can also speak about the Babylonian captivity: although Eusebius refers everything to the coming of Christ and thinks that it was completed in the times of Vespasian and Titus. Let us take each point briefly, touching on the threefold explanation. What about you? What do you have, Zion, that you too have ascended all the roofs? When he says 'you too', he shows that others had already ascended. Have you also been counted among the nations that you are besieged by enemies and ascend the roofs filled with the wailing and lamentation of miserable women, once a royal city?

Commentary on Isaiah

(Chapter 22, Verse 1) The burden of the valley of vision. LXX: The word of the valley of Zion. In the book of Hebrew Names, we have defined Zion as the watchtower that is situated in the heights and contemplates those who come from afar. Therefore, when Zion is referred to in accordance with the laws of tropology, it signifies the Church. This is written in the second psalm from the perspective of the Lord and Savior: 'But I have been set as king by Him upon His holy mountain Zion' (Psalm 2:6); and, 'They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion' (Psalm 125:1); and, 'The Lord loveth the gates of Zion above all the tabernacles of Jacob' (Psalm 86:2); And the Apostle makes it even clearer: 'But ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem' (Hebrews 12:22). Now we inquire why in the present vision, it is called the valley of Zion. And from the very sequence of words, we are led to spiritual understanding so that we may know that all the leaders of perverse doctrines, who have fallen from the sublimity of the sense of the Holy Scriptures and have descended to lowly things, are dwelling in the valley of Zion. I think that Solomon also says something similar in Proverbs, saying: 'The eye that mocks a father, and scorns to obey a mother, will be picked out by the ravens of the valley and eaten by the young eagles.' (Prov. 30:17). For as soon as the heretics mock the Creator Father and despise the old age of the Church mother, they are dug into by filthy and unclean birds, which are drawn to opposing strengths. And they cannot say: I lift up my eyes to the mountains, from where does my help come? (Ps. CXX, 1): but they are cast down like the beasts of the earth.

What is also true for you, because you ascended and you are all in the roofs? LXX: What happened to you now, because you all ascended into empty roofs? This, which is sought next to the interpreters of the LXX in the book of Kings, whether it was said by Elisha (4 Kings 2:14): Where is the God of Elijah Aphpho (), is more clearly stated in the present place, because the Seventy translated it as 'now'; in Hebrew it has Aphpho, which we also interpret as 'now', and Aquila, wishing to preserve the Hebrew idiom, put καίπερτοι, which the Latin language does not explain. But when he says, 'What is it to you also?' he asks why she ascends among others herself, and why she remains with the opinion of the lofty in lowly things. And the meaning is this: when philosophers swell, and all secular wisdom disputes about lofty things, despising the simplicity of the Church, why do you also follow lofty things? which the Seventy have interpreted as more important, 'vain dwellings,' that is, empty roofs, in order to show that there is another roof, from which the Savior prohibits descending (Matthew 24): which yet is not an empty roof. Finally, the apostle Peter at the sixth hour of prayer ascended to the roof (Acts X). Now, however, to demonstrate the great variety of heresies, he mentioned not one roof, but many roofs.

Commentary on Isaiah

The burden of the valley. Here he threatens against those who were joined to the people of God by right of authority and yet were plundering their goods.

And first, as to those to whom pertained authority in temporal affairs;

second, against those to whom pertained authority in spiritual affairs: thus says the Lord (Isa 22:15).

Now, authority in temporal affairs pertains to kings, and therefore in the first part he threatens against Jerusalem, which was the seat of the kingdom; and concerning this, he does two things.

First, the inscription is set out: the valley, that is, Jerusalem, not because of the site of the place, which was on a mountain, but because of its baseness, for filth from every direction flowed together to it as to a valley, while they followed the act of the neighboring nations: this is Jerusalem, I have set her in the midst of the nations (Ezek 5:5); or it is called a valley because of the lowest part of the city, which was handed over to Sennacherib by Sobna. Vision, because of the holiness of the temple: for in the temple visions came to the prophets from the Lord; or because of the prominence of the place, for it could be seen from distant places; or because of the name which Abraham gave to the place, as it says in Genesis 22:14: and he called the name of that place, the Lord sees.

Second, the threat itself is set out. And concerning this, he does three things:

first, he denounces the fault;

second, he threatens punishment: your slain (Isa 22:2);

third, he shows the pertinacity of their obstinacy in this punishment: and you have gathered (Isa 22:9).

Concerning the first, he does two things.

First, he denounces a twofold sin:

of idolatry: what ails you also, that you too, who rejoiced in the special act of holy privilege, art gone up to the housetops, to sacrifice to idols: if you play the harlot, O Israel, at least let not Judah offend (Hos 4:15).

Commentary on Isaiah

Now is the time to utter aloud those words of the prophet who said, “Who will give water to my head and a fountain of tears to my eyes, and I will weep for the slain of the daughters of my people?” For, even if deep silence enfolds them and they lie dispossessed once and for all of their senses by the horrible deed (for by the deadly blow they have been deprived already of the very awareness of their condition), still we must not tearlessly disregard so great a fall. For, if Jeremiah judged those whose bodies were smitten in war worthy of innumerable laments, what should be said regarding so terrible a disaster to souls? “Your slain,” it is said, “are not slain by the sword, and your dead are not dead in battle.” But I bewail the sharp sting that causes real death, that is, grievous sin, and the fiery darts of the evil one, barbarously burning soul and body alike.

Letter 46

(Version 2.) Full of cries, a bustling city, a rejoicing community. The city is filled with those crying out, the bustling city is rejoicing. The teaching of the heretics is not in meaning, but in many words and clamor. Therefore, because of the multitude of the deceived, the city is called bustling and rejoicing, because of their pride. For they are inflated and boast that they have found more sacred things.

Those who were killed were not killed by the sword, nor did they die in battle. Seventy: Those who were wounded were not wounded by the sword, nor did your dead die in battle. The majority, without any struggle or disagreement, is taken in by the deceptions of the heretics, and this is the very large crowd. Therefore, those who were killed, or as the Septuagint translated, those wounded in the valley of Zion, were not killed, and those wounded by the sword, but of their own free will, they went over to the heretics, and in comparison to those who were defeated after the battle, he who surrendered willingly was more unfortunate, and he was wounded and killed. How much more in martyrdom is he who, after suffering punishment, gave his hand, a lesser punishment than he who, without any necessity and pain of torment, denied Christ.

Commentary on Isaiah

And the sin of strife: full of clamor, above: I looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes (Isa 5:2).

Second, to add to the weight of their sin, the twofold benefit of God is set out, namely,

the multitude of men: a populous city: how doth the city sit solitary that was full of people (Lam 1:1);

and the fullness of joys: a joyous city, formerly, in the time of Solomon because of its great prosperity: with the joy of the whole earth is mount Zion founded (Ps 47:3[48:2]).

Your slain. Here he sets out the punishment.

And first, he threatens the destruction of men as to the besieged who died by hunger: your slain are not slain by the sword, but by hunger and thirst: it was better with them that were slain by the sword, than with them that died with hunger (Lam 4:9).

Commentary on Isaiah

(V. 3.) Your killed ones were not killed by the sword, nor dead in battle. All your princes fled together: and were severely bound. All those who were found, were bound together: they fled far away. If you refer to the times of Sennacherib, when the city was partly captured, it is rightly said that they were not defeated by the sword, nor killed in battle, but by treachery, while some fled from the city; others, whom the enemy oppressed, were bound in chains. But if we speak of the captivity in Babylon, which is truer: we shall say that they were overcome not by battle, but by siege. But if you wish to interpret it tropologically with respect to the coming of Christ, according to Eusebius: you will say that they were killed not by the sword, but by unfaithfulness, and that all their leaders have turned away from God and have been bound by the cords of sins, and that there was no Pharisee who was not bound by the snares of the devil.

Commentary on Isaiah

(v. 3) All your leaders have fled together and have been harshly bound. In this place, we have followed the Septuagint interpretation, as it does not differ much in meaning from the Hebrew. However, in order to transfer the word from word from Hebrew, it is read among them as follows: All your leaders have migrated together, they have been bound by the bow. This edition has been followed by other interpreters as well. For indeed, all the leaders of the heretics have migrated to the synagogue of Satan from the Church of Christ, and they have passed by together in discord, united in perfidy, and have been bound by the bow, as it is written in the Psalm: Behold, the sinners have drawn the bow, they have prepared their arrows in the quiver, to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart (Psalm 10:2), and to hurl the fiery darts of the devil, which would wound equally and bind together. Therefore they are firmly linked, because they have stopped up their ears like deaf adders, and stopping up their ears, they will not hear the voices of enchanters, nor the wise voices of the enchanters. For this reason, even the Apostle Paul commands that a heretic should be abandoned after one warning, because he is perverted and condemned by his own judgment. And indeed they have gone out from us, but they were not of our number. For if they had been of our number, they would surely have remained with us. Of these fugitive princes, he is the chief whom the same Isaiah calls the fleeing dragon, the twisted serpent, who, when he has whispered deadly words into the ears of the deceived, securely binds them and does not allow them to escape from his chains. About whom the saint rejoiced when he was delivered in the Psalm: My soul hath been delivered as a sparrow out of the snare of the hunters (Ps. CXXIII, 7). And in another place, rejoicing that he has escaped, he speaks; Thou art my protector, and my refuge. My God, I will hope in him. For he himself will deliver me from the snare of hunters, and from the harsh or turbulent word (Ps. 90:23), which specifically signifies the doctrine of heretics.

All who were found in you, they were bound together, they fled far away. 70: And the strong ones fled far away from you. Yet the word of the Prophet is against the valley of Zion, whose inhabitants ascended to empty roofs and cried out with confused noise, and were wounded without battle. All its princes fled, and they were harshly bound, and those who were strong among them fled even further. For as much as one is wiser in heretical perversity, they recede farther from the Lord. But what it says according to the Hebrew: All have been found in you, we must note that even heretics claim to have found those whom they have deceived: but their finding is their destruction. In the end, let them be gathered together and flee far away. Nor do I approve of that explanation, that according to the diversity of heresies, there are different spaces for those who flee, since the holy Scripture says (Luke 11:23): all who are found with the heretics are gathered together and flee far away, with the Lord saying: Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. Where it is said of Moses (Exod. XXIV), Moses alone approached God, but the others did not approach. For God is near to his holy ones, God who draws near, and not from afar, says the Lord.

Commentary on Isaiah

As to fugitives, namely the princes who were taken and bound, as it says in Jeremiah 52; all the princes: her princes are become like rams that find no pastures (Lam 1:6); as to those taken in the city, who were similarly captured: all that were found, they are fled far off, led into captivity to a far off land: the Lord will bring you to a far off nation (Deut 28:49).

Commentary on Isaiah

Remember the compassion of God, how he heals with olive oil and wine. Do not despair of salvation. Recall the memory of what has been written, how he that falls rises again, and he that is turned away turns again, he that has been smitten is healed, he that is caught by wild beasts escapes, and he that confesses is not rejected. The Lord does not wish the death of the sinner, but that he return and live. Be not contemptuous as one who has fallen into the depths of sins.There is still time for patience, time for forbearance, time for healing, time for amendment. Have you slipped? Rise up. Have you sinned? Cease. Do not stand in the way of sinners, but turn aside; for then you will be saved when turning back you bewail your sins. In fact, from labors there is health; for sweat, salvation. So take heed, lest, in wishing to keep your contracts with others, you transgress your covenants with God that you confessed before many witnesses. Do not, therefore, because of certain human considerations, hesitate to come to me. For, receiving my dead, I shall lament; I shall care for him, “I shall weep bitterly for the devastation of the daughter of my people.” All welcome you, all will aid you in your sufferings. Do not lose heart; be mindful of the days of old. There is salvation; there is amendment. Have courage; do not despair. There is no law that passes sentence of death without pity, but grace, exceeding the chastisement, awaits the amendment. Not yet have the doors been closed; the Bridegroom listens; sin is not the master. Again take up the struggle; do not draw back, but pity yourself and all of us in Jesus Christ, our Lord, to whom be glory and might, now and forever, for ages of ages. Amen.

Letter 44

Grief is often capable of refreshing distressed souls and of rendering a burdened conscience light: consider how often women, when they have lost their most beloved children, break their hearts and perish if they are forbidden to mourn and to shed tears. But if they do all which those who are sad are apt to do, they are relieved and receive consolation. And what wonder that this should be the case with women, when you may even see a prophet affected in a similar manner? Therefore he was continually saying, “Leave me alone. I will weep bitterly. Do not try to comfort me over the destruction of the daughter of my people.” So oftentimes sadness is the bearer of consolation; and if it is so with regard to this world, much more with regard to spiritual things.

Homilies Concerning the Statues 18:8

It is, after all, the practice of the prophets and the just to grieve not only for themselves but also for the rest of humankind.

Homilies on Genesis 29:7

(Verse 4.) Therefore I said, depart from me; I will weep bitterly: do not try to console me concerning the devastation of the daughter of my people. If the prophet weeps in the devastation of Babylon with great sorrow, and says: Anguish has taken hold of me, as the anguish of a woman in labor: I fell down when I heard it, I was troubled when I saw it, my heart became faint, darkness stunned me: Babylon, my beloved, has become a wonder to me, how much more now, in the ruin of her city, can she receive no consolation, surrendering herself entirely to mourning!

Commentary on Isaiah

(Verse 4.) Therefore I said: Depart from me, I will weep bitterly: labour not to comfort me, for the devastation of the daughter of my people. LXX: Therefore I said: Let me alone, I will weep bitterly: labour not to comfort me, for the destruction of the daughter of my people. And Samuel wept for Saul (1 Samuel 15), and the Lord and Savior wept for Jerusalem (Luke 19; 2 Corinthians 12:21): and the Apostle wrote to the Corinthians: For if I cause you sorrow, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained? And I wrote as I did, so that when I came I would not be distressed by those who should have made me rejoice. I had confidence in all of you, that you would all share my joy. For I wrote to you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you. (2 Corinthians 2:2-4). So with a compassionate affection, he speaks to others: Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant? (2 Corinthians 11:29)? Therefore, seeing the people once climb the empty rooftops of vain visions, and being in turmoil; and all its leaders fleeing, and being bound by the chains of sins, the Prophet bursts into tears and dismisses the comforters, and with bitter weeping testifies that he weeps not for his sons, but for the daughter of his people, who has lost her dignity of manhood.

Commentary on Isaiah

Second, he sets out the inconsolable compassion of the prophet: depart, you who console the prophet, labor not, in the manner of those who console: who will give water to my head, and a fountain of tears to my eyes that I may weep for the slain of my people (Jer 9:1).

Commentary on Isaiah

(Verse 5.) For it is a day of slaughter, and of trampling, and of weeping to the Lord God of hosts in the Valley of Vision. He reveals the reasons according to triple understanding why he said: Depart from me, I will weep bitterly; because Zion is trodden down, once a mountain of visions, and now a valley of weeping.

Commentary on Isaiah

(Verse 5.) For it is a day of slaughter and treading down, and of weeping from the Lord God of hosts in the valley of vision, searching the wall, and magnifying upon the mountain. LXX: For it is a day of tumult, and of destruction, and of treading down, and of error from the Lord God of hosts in the valley of Zion; they wander about from the least to the greatest: they are wandering upon the mountains. For the Day of Judgment and slaughter and trampling shall never come to Jerusalem, which is interpreted as the vision of peace; but to the ancient name Jebus, which is interpreted as trampling. And also tears or errors, as the Seventy have translated from the Lord of hosts, not that tears and errors are from the Lord; but by the occasion of the holy Scriptures, which the Lord has given to be read, occasions of error are born to those who can say: Why have you made us to err from your ways? (Isa. LXIII, 27). And in another place: The Lord mixed for them the spirit of error (Ibid. XXIX, 10): so that they would not stand on the mountain of Vision, but in the valley of Zion. But this very day, which rises in the valley of Vision from the Lord of hosts, examines the wall of the heretics, which they have constructed against the Church as the strongest defense; and also the magnificent and glorious, that is, their teachers, who boast of standing on the mountain of Christ. We read elsewhere: Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob: and he will instruct us in his ways (Isaiah 2:3). Moreover, what the Seventy translated, they err from the minimum to the maximum, they err over the mountains. We should understand that they are in a greater sin, who are greater, and yet all err from the minimum to the maximum, and err over the mountains: Moses, Jeremiah, and the other prophets, the evangelists and apostles. And when they are in the valley, they wander astonishingly in the mountains.

Commentary on Isaiah

Third, he sets out the manner and order of punishment: a day of slaughter, and concerning this, he sets out three things.

First, the indignation of God: a day of slaughter is imminent; searching, making it to be searched by the enemy; magnificent, making the enemy magnificent: for they trusted in mountains and walls: at that time, I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and will visit upon the men that are settled on their lees (Zeph 1:12).

Commentary on Isaiah

(Verse 6.) Searching the wall, and magnificent upon the mountain: and Elam took the quiver, the chariot of a man on horseback, and uncovered the shield the shield stripped the wall. The army of Babylon is described as entering the city, occupying the temple, and proudly advancing through the streets with chariots. And the fact that it uncovered the golden posts and the walls adorned with marble crusts, the shield that is used to cover others, elegantly resonates in Hebrew, and the meaning is most beautiful, that it did not protect anyone, but uncovered. This is because through the strength of the soldiers all resources have been plundered. But if the Elamites are mentioned in battle, which city is of the Assyrians: it cannot be referred to the times of the Roman overthrow, unless perhaps we interpret everything allegorically.

Commentary on Isaiah

Second, he sets out the conquest by their enemies, and Elam, a Persian city, from which came warriors with Nabuchodonosor, who held the monarchy of the East; the shield, carried against Jerusalem, laid bare the wall, on which it was hung to adorn the house: prepare the shield and buckler (Jer 46:3); or otherwise: the shield, the power of Chaldea, laid bare the wall of the temple of the gold with which it was covered.

Commentary on Isaiah

7–9

(Verses 7-9.) And your chosen valleys will be full of chariots, and the horsemen will set their seats at the gate. And the covering of Judah will be revealed, and on that day you will see the arsenal of the house of the forest, and the breaches of the city of David, for they have multiplied. It clearly describes the captivity that occurred in the eleventh year of King Zedekiah, of which Jeremiah also speaks: Behold, I will summon all the kingdoms of the north, says the Lord, and they will come and each one will set their throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, and on all its surrounding walls (Jeremiah 1:15). So that what was predicted in word and not fulfilled in deed, Jeremiah also says the same: In the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, the city was opened, and all the officials of the king of Babylon entered and sat in the middle gate (Jer. 39:2). Therefore, in the surrounding area of the city of Jerusalem, an innumerable army was spread out, and the Holy of Holies and the armory, which had been planted with groves, were opened due to hostile plundering, and the enemy entered through all parts of the city, divided by walls.

Commentary on Isaiah

7–9

(Verses 7-9.) And he took Elam, the quiver, the chariot of a man, and the shield uncovered the wall. And your chosen valleys will be full of chariots, and horsemen will set their seats at the gate. And the covering of Judah will be revealed, and on that day you will see the arsenal of the house of the forest. And you will see the breaches of the city of David, for they are multiplied. LXX: But the Elamites took quivers, climbers, men upon horses, and a gathering of fighters. And your chosen valleys will be filled with chariots, and horsemen will crowd your gates. And they will reveal the gates of Judah, and on that day they will look upon the chosen houses of the city. And they will reveal the hidden things of the houses of the stronghold of David, and they will see that there are many. Aelam, which is interpreted as their ascent, or the Elamites, as the LXX translated it, whom we turn into despisers, have taken up the quiver, to drive the upright in obscurity, who are the horsemen in the chariot of men, to expose the wall of Zion and the foundations of the Church with their shield and attack. 'But', he says, 'your chosen valleys will be,' and humble teachings, oh valley of Zion, full of chariots, which the Lord submerged with Pharaoh, and their horsemen and climbers will place their thrones at your gates, so that they do not allow the besieged and confined to go out from you. Then Almighty God will reveal the coverings of the Jews through the ecclesiastical men; and all their secrets, who are established in the confession of faith, will be revealed. And then, O Valley of Zion, you will see on that day, and in the clear light of truth, all the armor of the Apostle, and the house of the jump, in which the multitude of the nations stands. Just as it is sung in Psalm 131: Behold, we have heard of it in Ephrata: we have found it in the fields of the forest. But when the veil of the Jews and their secret, which was previously concealed due to mystery, has been revealed, and you see the armor of the Church; then you will understand the divisions of the city of David, which you have multiplied, in order to gather deceived peoples to yourself. These Elamites, according to the edition of the Septuagint, do not have a single quiver, but many; and they are mounted on men who ride on souls; and there is a great multitude preparing for battle against the Church, so that all its valleys are filled; and the horsemen hinder their senses, and by their conflict provoke the Ecclesiastical man, who is called Judas, to contend; so that, as he presents testimonies of the Scriptures and refutes all lies, the heretics will see the houses of the city of David, and know all the previously secret things, how in the stronghold of David, which means the strong hand, that is, of Christ, all the dogmas of truth exist. These are obscure places, not only according to history, but also according to reasoning. Therefore, those who are displeased with ours should present their own, so that we may agree with their explanation if it is true.

Commentary on Isaiah

Third, he sets out the infliction of damage as to four things.

First, as to the destruction of their properties: your choice valleys shall be full of chariots of Babylon: why glory in the valleys? Your valley has flowed away, O delicate daughter (Jer 49:4).

Second, as to the taking of their cities: the horsemen shall place themselves in the gate, lest anyone escape: all the princes of Babylon came in, and sat in the middle gate (Jer 39:3).

Commentary on Isaiah

Third, as to the profanation of holy things: and the covering, that is, the holy things formerly hidden, which no one but the priest was allowed to see, of Judah shall be discovered, that is, laid bare: the gentiles have seen your shame (Lam 1:8).

Fourth, as to the destruction of their armory: you shall see in that day the armory, that is, the house of the forest, in which arms were hidden, overthrown; concerning this building, see 1 Kings 7. The city of David, most strongly, or Jerusalem itself with a strong wall in many places: the tower of David, which is built with bulwarks (Song 4:3).

Commentary on Isaiah

And you have gathered together the waters. Here he sets out the pertinacity of their obstinacy.

And first, he denounces the sin of obstinacy;

second, he sets out the divine sentence against them: and the voice of the Lord of hosts was revealed (Isa 22:14).

Their pertinacity is denounced as to two things.

First, as to divine help, which they did not invoke, trusting in their own men and clever devices: you have gathered together, in one place within the city, through a hidden channel, the waters of the lower pool, which had waters flowing from the earth that nevertheless could be hindered by enemies.

Commentary on Isaiah

10–11

(Vers. 10, 11.) And you gathered the waters of the lower pool, and you counted the houses of Jerusalem, and you destroyed houses to fortify the wall. And you made a reservoir between the two walls, and the water of the Old Pool. And you did not look to the One who made it, and you did not see the One who fashioned it from afar. It tells how they prepared the city for siege, and transferred the waters of the lower pool to the upper fortification, and after destroying the houses, they built walls, and through each family, they counted the amount of water that each house should receive, and they made a cistern between the two walls, and restored the old pool to preserve the water. And they did not call upon the help of God, who is the creator of the city and the Lord of the pool; as if God had said in other words: You trusted in man and not in God, who is the maker of man. Certain people, according to a mystical understanding, understand the old pool to be a shadow of the Law, and between two walls, namely the new and old Testament, they see a lake built by the Pharisees' traditions and commands, which cannot contain water: and they did not look to the Son of God, nor did they believe in His presence, whom they had never seen before, because they have always been incredulous to God's precepts.

Commentary on Isaiah

10–11

(Vers. 10, 11.) And you gathered the waters of the lower pool, and you numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and you destroyed houses to build a wall. And you made a reservoir between two walls, and the water of the old pool. And you did not look to Him who made it, and the worker of it from afar you did not see. LXX: And they turned the water of the old pool into the city, and they destroyed the houses of Jerusalem to strengthen the city wall. And you made water between two walls within the old pool, and you did not look to Him who made it from the beginning, and you did not see its creator. You who know the divisions of the city of David, that is, the Church, will see or have seen, which have multiplied throughout the world; you who have gathered the waters of your pool and your doctrine, not of the higher, but of the lower, and have counted the houses of Jerusalem, whether you have destroyed them to fortify your wall, you have not dug wells that would have had life-giving and eternal water, but broken cisterns that cannot hold water. And you have made them between the two walls of the old and new covenant, and you have neglected the water of the old pool, and you have not considered the giver of the law, God, and you have completely neglected the operator of the world. This is according to the Hebrew. Moreover, according to the Septuagint, the heretics considered themselves many, and with this confidence, they turned the teaching of the old Testament away from the city of God, which is the Church, and destroyed the houses of Jerusalem, in order to build meeting places of the wicked; and while they reject the old Testament, they have not followed the new, because the new is confirmed by the testimonies of the old Testament. Therefore, between the two walls of the old and the new, they have made for themselves new waters, which they think are interior and contain greater mysteries than those contained in the old Testament; and they have not respected God, who is the creator of the old Testament, and they did not even want to see his maker from afar.

Commentary on Isaiah

And have numbered the houses of Jerusalem, that water may be dispensed by number and measure; and have broken down houses which were next to the wall, so that they wouldn't impede the defenders.

Commentary on Isaiah

And you made a lake, of the lower pool, to flow between the two walls, which encircled the city, and the water, namely, you have restored; nor regarded him, namely, God, that wrought it, the water: they have not called upon God (Ps 13:5[14:4]).

Commentary on Isaiah

12–14

(Verse 12-14) And the Lord God of hosts shall call in that day to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth. And behold joy and gladness, killing calves, and slaying sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we shall die. And it was revealed in my ears by the Lord of hosts, Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord God of hosts. In the present captivity and siege of Jerusalem, when the city was being pressed by sword, famine, and thirst, Jeremiah called the people to repentance (Jeremiah 34). On the other hand, kings, princes, and the miserable populace, in their desperate state, devoted themselves to feasting. However, nothing offends God more than a neck raised after sins, and being despised out of desperation. This is also spoken by Amos: I will not turn away from him for three or four transgressions; because he has thought and done them and has not repented, moreover he has taught evil. Wherefore now it is said: If this iniquity remain unpunished to you, until ye die. (Amos I, 4). Allegorical interpreters say it is about the passion of Christ, that God has called even after the crucifixion of the Lord and Saviour an unfaithful people to repentance, and nevertheless that people has delivered itself to despair and pleasure. The beginning of this vision, where it says: Full of outcry, a populous city, a joyful town, refers to that time when the people, instigated by the Pharisees, echoed with the same voice against Jesus: Crucify, crucify such a one: we have no king but Caesar. (John XIX, 6, 7). The Apostle also made use of this testimony, writing to the Corinthians about the resurrection: If the dead do not rise again, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall die (I Cor. XV, 32).

Commentary on Isaiah

12–14

(Verse 12 and following) And on that day the Lord God of hosts will call for weeping and mourning, for baldness and the wearing of sackcloth; and behold, joy and gladness, killing calves and slaughtering rams, eating meat and drinking wine: 'Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.' And it was revealed in my ears by the Lord of hosts: 'Surely this iniquity will not be forgiven you until you die,' says the Lord God of hosts. Every day the Lord God of hosts invites heretics to repentance, who, despising the water of the old pool between two walls, dig a pit for themselves and gather the water of the lower pool, which does not have water from heaven but from the earth; and He calls them to weeping; Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted (Matthew 5:5). And to lamentation, lest they hear afterwards: We have mourned to you, and you have not lamented (Matthew 11:17). And for baldness, so that they may shave off all the works of death and rid their bodies of anything that does not live in the body. And for the belt of the robe, so that they may not be bound with a rope around their waist near Jerusalem. But on the contrary, for weeping and lamentation, baldness and sackcloth, they had joy and gladness, and as if everything were ending in death, they slaughtered calves and lambs, so that they could eat meat and drink wine, and they spoke words of blasphemy. While we are in the present age, we abound in delights. For tomorrow, which is the future time, will be without meaning. When they were saying these things, the Lord heard words of blasphemy and threatened that He would not let go of this wickedness until they either die and perish in sin and vices, or drag themselves down to the underworld with their own faults. And this can be understood not only of heretics, but of every sinner who, neglecting his sins, becomes worse through despair; and ensnared by pleasures, combines blasphemy with sin, thinking that all sense of living things ends in death, saying that statement of Epicurus: 'After death, there is nothing, and death itself is nothing.' »

Commentary on Isaiah

Second, as to divine counsel, which they held in contempt: and he shall call. And concerning this, he sets out three things.

First, the counsel itself: to weeping, of the eyes; to beating, of the hands; to baldness, according to the custom of the ancients, who did these things in sadness: be converted to me with all your heart, in fasting, and in weeping, and beating (Joel 2:12).

Commentary on Isaiah

Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith, all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all. Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead? And why stand we in jeopardy every hour? I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die. [Isaiah 22:13] Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.

That too great lust of food is not to be desired. In Isaiah: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall die. This sin shall not be atoned for to you, even until you die.” Also in Exodus: “And the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” Paul, in the first [letter] to the Corinthians: “Food does not commend us to God; neither if we eat shall we abound, nor if we do not eat shall we lack.” And again: “When you come together to eat, wait one for another. If any is hungry, let him eat at home, that you may not come together for judgment.” Also to the Romans: “The kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.” In the Gospel according to John: “I have food of which you don’t know. My food is that I should do his will who sent me and should finish his work.”

Treatise XII. Three Books of Testimonies Against the Jews 3:60

Now we say that the wicked are dead, but not in an ascetic life opposed to sin; nor do they, like the saints, bear about dying in their bodies. But it is the soul which they bury in sins and follies, drawing near to the dead and satisfying it with dead nourishment. [They are] like young eagles which, from high places, fly upon the carcasses of the dead, and which the law prohibited, commanding figuratively, “You are not to eat the eagle or any other bird that feeds on a dead carcass.” And it pronounced unclean any other animal that eats the dead, for these kill the soul with lusts and say nothing but “let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”

Festal Letter 7:2

Second, he sets out their contempt for this counsel: and behold joy, above: the harp, and the lyre are in your feasts (Isa 5:12).

Third, the intention to hold it in contempt: let us eat and drink, 1 Corinthians 15:32, Wisdom 2:5: our time is as the passing of a shadow.

Commentary on Isaiah

And the voice of the Lord of hosts was revealed. Here the sentence is set out. And it may be read as in the person of the Lord: this blasphemy of yours was revealed in my ears, that is, I heard it; surely this iniquity shall not be forgiven, as if to say: should you not believe, above: therefore forgive them not (Isa 2:9); or it may be read in the person of the prophet: this voice of the Lord was revealed in my ears. And all these things that have been said pertain to the captivity carried out at the command of Nabuchodonosor.

Commentary on Isaiah

15–25

(Verse 15 onward) Thus says the Lord God of hosts: Go, go into him who dwells in the tabernacle, to Shebna, the overseer of the Temple, and say to him: What are you doing here? Or who are you here, because you have dug for yourself here a tomb? You have dug your memorial on high, diligently in the rock you have made a dwelling for yourself. Behold, the Lord will carry you away: like the lifting of a rooster or like a garment he will lift you up. He will surely overthrow you and throw you into a wide and spacious land: there you shall die, and there shall be the chariots of your glory; the disgrace of your Lord's house. And I will drive you out from your office, and I will remove you from your position. And on that day, I will call my servant Eliakim son of Hilkiah. And I will clothe him with your robe, and I will strengthen him with your sash, and I will give your authority into his hand. And he will be like a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. And I will place the key of the house of David on his shoulder, and he will open, and no one shall shut; and he will shut, and no one shall open. And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father's house. And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father's house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels of flagons. In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off: for the Lord hath spoken it. We have already mentioned that Shebna was a high priest who betrayed the city to the Assyrians. But because this is a Hebrew tradition and Scripture does not speak of it, let us understand him to be proud, arrogant, and indulgent, trampling on nations with his own feet. And because he did everything the Prophet describes, his priesthood was transferred to Eliakim son of Hilkiah, so that he would be expelled and a new high priest would be made. From this we understand that we must avoid pride with all diligence, which offends God, and even the privilege of the high priesthood cannot be considered secure. This is Shebna (as some think) and Eliakim, of whom the same Prophet says: The king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem to King Hezekiah with a heavy hand; and he stood near the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Fuller's Field. Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the palace, came out to him, as did the court secretary Shebna and the royal historian Joah son of Asaph (Isaiah 36:2-3). Therefore, the Prophet is ordered to go to the high priest, who lived, according to the Septuagint, in the sanctuary; according to Aquila, in the tabernacle. For this, Theodotion, following the Hebrew truth, says: Go to this Shebna, which can be interpreted as just and right (so that he may be understood in the opposite sense, as unjust and wicked), to the high priest of the temple, and say to him: You who live in the house of God, where wickedness is rampant in the whole city, why are you so secure in your works, as if you do not fear captivity? You have carved for yourself a tomb in a rock, and you have built so proudly that your ambition follows you even in death? Listen to what is the Lord's message to you: just as a rooster carrying a hen on its shoulder is taken away, and each of the men lifts his cloak on his shoulder, so will your easy capture be. You will have a crown not of gold sheets and the sanctification of the Lord, but of tribulation and distress. For just as a ball, if thrown on a slope, cannot stand, but rolls with swift speed, so will you be led to the broadest land, which we understand as either the fields of Egypt or Babylon, and there you will die. And there will be chariots of glory, all power and wealth, with which you now walk supported. There you will experience the shame of the house of your Lord: because of your evil deeds, and the violation of the Temple of your God, you will suffer these things. I will remove you from your position, and I will cast you out from the office of the priesthood, and I will clothe my servant Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, with your garments, and I will adorn him with your sash, just as Eleazar was clothed in the garments of his father Aaron. I will give the authority of the Temple to him, who shall have a people not subject to him as a servant, but who loves him as a son. He himself will receive the key to my house, and he will carry it on his shoulder; he will have the authority over all the ceremonies. And just as a peg is fixed on the wall of the Temple, and placed in a secure place, all the vessels of the priests and Levites, both those necessary for sacrifices and all kinds of musical instruments, are suspended on it: so the entire people will depend on the authority of my servant Eliakim. But what he says: On that day the peg that was fixed in the faithful place will be removed, and it will be broken, and it will fall, and everything that was hanging on it will perish, because the Lord has spoken it, many attribute it to Shebna, that Eliakim, having fixed the peg, caused the previous peg to fall. But because it follows: And what hung on it will perish: we understand this to be said, that with Sobna deposed, it was by no means fulfilled, that Eliacim, who overturned the dignity of the priesthood, received the pontificate, and in the succession of Eliacim, which means God arising, the sacraments of the evangelical cult are shown: so that what follows may be understood: On that day, says the Lord of hosts, the peg that was firmly fastened in a secure place will be removed, broken and fallen, to the ruin of the former people. But there is no doubt, both according to history and according to allegory, that the flag, so to speak, signifies the suspension of vessels of different kinds; and that when the former are broken, others are suspended in their place.

Commentary on Isaiah

15–25

(Verse 15, 16, etc.) Thus says the Lord, the God of hosts: Go, enter to him who dwells in the tabernacle, to Shebna, the overseer of the temple, and say to him: What are you doing here? or who are you here? for you have carved out a sepulchre here for yourself. You have carved out a lofty memorial for yourself diligently in the rock for your tent. Behold, the Lord will cast you down as one is cast down, like a cockerel; and he will lift you up like a cloak. The one who crowns will crown you with tribulation: he will throw you like a ball onto a vast and spacious land. There you will die, and there will be the chariot of your glory, the disgrace of the house of your Lord. I will remove you from your position and take away your authority. And on that day, I will call my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah, and clothe him with your robe and strengthen him with your belt. I will give him your authority, and he will be like a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the house of Judah. And I will place the key of the house of David upon his shoulder; and he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. And I will fasten him as a peg in a sure place, and he shall be for a throne of glory to his father's house. And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father's house, diverse kinds of vessels, from the smallest to the largest. In that day, says the Lord of hosts, the peg that was fastened in a sure place shall be removed; and it shall be cut down and fall, and the burden that was upon it shall be removed; for the Lord has spoken. LXX: Thus says the Lord of hosts: Go to the treasurer in Somna's temple and say to him, What are you doing here? Or what have you gained here? For you have dug a grave for yourself and made a memorial for yourself on high; you have carved out a dwelling place for yourself in the ground. Behold, the Lord of hosts will cast you out and bring low the man, and he will take away your glorious robe and crown, and throw you into a vast and measureless place, and there you will die. And he will bring your finest chariot to shame, and the house of your prince to trampling. And you shall be removed from your office, and from your position. And it shall be on that day, I will call my servant Eliakim son of Hilkiah, and I will clothe him with your robe, and I will strengthen him with your belt, and I will give your authority into his hand. And he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. And I will place the glory of the house of David on him, and he will rule as prince, and there will be no one to oppose him. And I will give him the key of the house of David; he will open, and no one will shut; he will shut, and no one will open. And I will appoint him as a faithful ruler, and on the throne of glory in the house of his father. And every glorious one will have confidence in him, from the least to the greatest, in the house of his father. All vessels, from the smallest to the largest, will hang upon him. In that day, says the Lord of hosts, the man who was firmly established in a faithful place will be shaken and removed, and he will fall, and the glory that was in him will perish, because the Lord has spoken. The prophet Isaiah is commanded to enter into the one who dwells in the tabernacle, which in Hebrew is called Sochen, to Sobna, the overseer of the temple, or as the Septuagint translated, the treasurer, that is, the treasurer and steward of the treasures of the house of God. But Sochen interprets either tabernacle or pastophorion, that is, a chamber, in which the overseer of the temple dwells. But who else dwelt in the tabernacle of the Jews and in the former house of God, if not the word and reason of the Jewish law, which is revealed in the reading of the Old Testament? So it is said to this tradition and teaching: what are you doing here? Why do you want to build a house with the letter O in the west, and to fix your tent, which does not have a foundation, on a solid rock, which should not be called a tent or a house, but rather a tomb and a memory? Therefore, I tell you not to labor in the excavation of a tomb, because the Lord will transfer your priesthood; just as Geber (), which all men have interpreted, is usually transferred. But the Hebrew, who instructed us in the reading of the Old Testament, translated the rooster to be a chicken. Just as, he says, a rooster is transferred from one place to another on the shoulder of a porter, so the Lord will lightly take you from your place. And those who once had the crown of the high priest, and the sanctification in the golden plate, on which the name of God was written (Exodus 28), you will be crowned with tribulation and distress. And just as if a ball is thrown on a sloping and spacious place, it cannot stand, but rolls into the vastness: so all your people will be scattered to the ends of the earth. There you will die with your letter, and all your glory, and the chariots by which you were previously renowned; and the splendor of the house of God will be turned into ignominy. For the Lord will remove you from your position and from your ministry, that is, the ceremonies of the sacrifices, so that that which is written to the Hebrews may be fulfilled: For a change of the priesthood necessitates a change of the law (Hebrews 7:12). But when you are expelled from your ministry, I will call my servant Eliakim, to whom I have said also in another place: It is a great thing for you to be called my servant (Isaiah 49:6, according to the Septuagint). Eliacim is interpreted as God rising, or the resurrection of God. Therefore, this rising God, who is the son of Helcia, that is, a part of the Lord, will assume your place and will be clothed with your robe, and he will be strengthened by your belt, so that what you had in the letter, he may possess in the spirit, and he will be the father of those dwelling in Jerusalem, that is, in the vision of peace, which is interpreted as the Church, and of the house of Judah, where true faith is confessed. Where He Himself speaks to the Apostles: Little children, I am with you for a little while longer (John 13:33). And to another: Son, your sins are forgiven (Matthew 9:2). And to another: Daughter, your faith has saved you (Luke 7:50). I will give, He says, the key of the house of David, which opens and no one shuts; who shuts and no one opens (Revelation 3). And this same key will be upon His shoulder, that is, in His passion, according to what is written in another place: His dominion is upon His shoulder (Isaiah 9:6). For whatever he has loosed in his suffering, it cannot be closed; and whatever he has closed in the ceremonies of the Jews, it will be opened by no other. For I will fix the standard in a faithful place, where the assembly of the faithful is. Hence believers in Christ are called faithful. And he will be on the throne of the glory of his father's house, that is, the Church; and they will hang all the glory of his father's house upon him. Hence it is written in the Gospel: All the people were hanging upon him (Luke 19). And indeed, this was not done only at that time, but is fulfilled even to this day, so that different vessels of God, wisdom and justice, and everything by which Christ is called, hang from him. Different kinds of vessels, for which Aquila interpreted as Sasaim and Sephoth, which Symmachus translates as grandsons and mixed: so that both the Apostles and all believers, that is, the sons of sons, and mixed from all the nations, hang upon him. From the vessels of the craterae, which Theodotius Aganoth set up, both small and great are believed to be in the Lord. And I think that the craterae are the Apostles, full of vital waters. Of which it is said: Bless God from the fountains of Israel (Ps. 67:27), in which fountains He mixed His wisdom with wine. And everything, he says, musical, of those who at all times sing praises to God. What follows seems to be contrary to our understanding, how this peg, which had been fixed in a faithful place, is removed and broken, and falls and perishes what had depended on it, and this happens because the Lord has spoken. This can be solved if we read that Gospel, which in the last days the charity of many shall wax cold (Matt. 24); and the Lord Himself says: 'When the Son of man cometh, think you that he shall find faith on earth?' (Luke 18:8) Therefore, the pillar will not be broken and fall and perish, which is impious to say, but the pillar will be taken away from a faithful place, that is, from the Church, through the impiety that grows daily, and those who had previously hung on it with faith will afterwards be broken by unfaithfulness and fall and perish. But this will happen in the last days, because the Lord has spoken. As for the sparrow, which is called Jathed in Hebrew, and is pronounced the same by everyone, the Seventy above all have interpreted it as referring to a person. And what almost passed us by in the haste of dictation, Sobnas interprets as meaning conversion now, or turning back. Therefore, it is said to the leader of the Jews to convert from the Law to the Gospel: and forsaking the images of victims, to turn to the truth of spiritual sacrifice.

Commentary on Isaiah

Thus says the Lord God of hosts. Here the threat against those to whom pertained authority in spiritual affairs is set out,

and first, against the priest at that time;

second, against the entire priestly order: in that day, says the Lord of hosts (Isa 22:25).

Concerning the first, he does two things:

first, he foretells the deposition of him who, shaken by fear, handed the city over to Sennacherib, that is, the lower part of the city;

second, the substitution of another: and it shall come to pass in that day (Isa 22:20).

Concerning the first, he does three things.

First, he describes the person from his office: him that dwells in the tabernacle; for it belonged to the priests to keep watch in the tabernacle, as it says in Numbers 1:53; who is over, the highest over ten.

Note on the words, him that dwells in the tabernacle (Isa 22:15), that the tabernacle is manifold:

first, of carnal concupiscence, which belongs to swine: we have an altar whereof they have no power to eat who serve the tabernacle (Heb 13:10);

second, of temporal and natural life, which belongs to men: for I am assured that the laying away of this my tabernacle is at hand (2 Pet 1:14);

third, of the Church militant, which belongs to warriors, above: there shall be a tabernacle for a shade in the daytime from the heat (Isa 4:6);

fourth, of contemplative wisdom, which belongs to those who rest: we will go into his tabernacle: we will adore in the place where his feet stood (Ps 131[132]:7);

fifth, of eternal vision or our heavenly homeland, which belongs to all the blessed, below: your eyes shall see Jerusalem, a rich habitation, a tabernacle that cannot be removed (Isa 33:20).

Commentary on Isaiah

Second, he denounces a threefold sin: of unworthy dwelling: what dost you here, in my house, unworthy of such a dwelling: what is the meaning that my beloved has wrought much wickedness in my house? (Jer 11:15); of proud presumption concerning himself: or as if you wert somebody here, you think of yourself as if you were of some value, when you are nothing: O shepherd, and idol (Zech 11:17); of building an elaborate tomb: you have hewed out, here in Jerusalem next to the temple, a monument, that is, an epitaph, in a high place, that is, in the highest place of the tomb; or literally, he had set up his tomb in a high place as his monument, as in 1 Maccabees 13:25–30.

Commentary on Isaiah

17–23

For all these things will work for your destruction [i.e., Shebna’s], since you have been deposed and rejected from the high priesthood, of which you showed yourself unworthy, God being a just judge who gives to each according to his worth. On you, then, he will bring these things; but on the other, Eliakim, whom he has assessed as his good servant and slave, he will invest with your robe and will honor by placing on him the crown of the high priesthood, whose ministry you had hitherto been entrusted with. For he is a man worthy of it. And since he has been promoted by God, unlike you he will not be proud and boastful. He will hold the place of a father toward all those who are going to be governed by him. Therefore, as to one who is soothing and gentle, [God] will give the glory of David, the most just and gentle king, in order to rule the people with great authority, so that none will gainsay his deeds. He will be rooted, established and placed securely at his ministry, so that no glorious member of the people shall contend or contrive envy, nor shall jealousy ever come into being on his account, but they shall “trust in him as in a father.”

Commentary on Isaiah 148:6-20

Third, he threatens a threefold punishment: behold the Lord.

First, of subjugation: as a cock, which raises chicks like a hen, being castrated, called a capon, is carried away, bound, and without struggle; and he will lift you up and as a garment, easily lifted over the shoulder: you Phassur, and all that dwell in your house, shall go into captivity, and you shall go to Babylon, and there you shall die, and there you shall be buried, you and all your friends (Jer 20:6).

Commentary on Isaiah

Second, of confusion: he will crown you with a crown of tribulation, that is, in place of the crown which you used in pontifical worship, you will have tribulation; like a ball, which finds no high station; the chariot of your glory, which bore you gloriously, is turned into your confusion; the shame of the house of your Lord, that is, the glory which you had in the house of the Lord, is turned for you into ignominy: I will change their glory into shame (Hos 4:7).

Commentary on Isaiah

Third, the punishment of deposition, and I will drive you out from your station: so Solomon cast out Abiathar from being the priest of the Lord (1 Kgs 2:27).

Commentary on Isaiah

When he says, "I will call my servant Eliakim" (the name Eliakim means resurrection of God), then everyone who is glorious in the house of his father will trust in him [Eliakim]. Yet what is the house of Christ's Father if not the church? And who are glorious there? Those who put their trust in Christ, and they are not just those who are glorious according to the judgment of this world. On the opposite they may be very small people according to that judgment. But God is just and unprejudiced. He repays everyone according to the measure of their spiritual age [maturity], as in that respect some are fathers yet others are still toddlers, babies and teenagers.

Commentary on Isaiah 22:10-14

And it shall come to pass in that day. Here he sets out the substitution of another, and concerning this he sets out three things.

His election: I will call, one of the twenty-four mentioned in 1 Chronicles 25; I will raise me up a faithful priest, who shall do according to my heart (1 Sam 2:35).

Commentary on Isaiah

Second, his consecration: and I will clothe him, for they were consecrated with pontifical garments, as is evident from Leviticus 18, concerning these garments, and Exodus 28.

Third, he confers jurisdiction on him: and I will give your power into his hand.

And first, as to the power which he had among the people, he sets out power: and your power, namely, I will give: may his days be few: and his bishopric let another take (Ps 108[109]:8); and he shall be as a father: I will give you pastors according to my own heart, and they shall feed you with knowledge and doctrine (Jer 3:15).

Commentary on Isaiah

And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; [Isaiah 22:22] I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Second, as to the power which he had regarding the temple: and I will lay the key, which was of gold, of the house of David, that is, of the temple, for the building of which David prepared the materials, as is evident from 1 Chronicles 29, upon his shoulder, that is, his government, or because the key was used as a kind of adornment; he shall open, for it was allowed to him to enter into the holy of holies once per year, as it says in Hebrews 9:7.

Commentary on Isaiah

23–24

Third, as to the power which he had over the whole order of ministers: and I will fasten him as a peg, the diminutive form of palum (stake): for as various vessels are hung on a certain stake, so various offices, which had use of various vessels in the ministries of the house of the Lord, pertained to his care; in the place of the faithful, namely, the temple. Concerning this power, see Numbers 2 and 24.

Commentary on Isaiah

In that day. Here he sets out the threat against the whole priesthood, which was destroyed in the time of Sedecias, when Nabuchodonosor took them captive; for what was said above of Sobna pertains to the time of Sennacherib. And here the priesthood itself, which ceased in the time of captivity, is called a peg: the children of Israel shall sit many days without king, and without prince, and without sacrifice, and without altar, and without ephod, and without theraphim (Hos 3:4).

Commentary on Isaiah