Isaiah 54

Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. [Isaiah 54:1] Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

For all the Gentiles were "desolate" of the true God, serving the works of their hands; but the Jews and Samaritans, having the word of God delivered to them by the prophets, and always expecting the Christ, did not recognise Him when He came, except some few, of whom the Spirit of prophecy by Isaiah had predicted that they should be saved.

The First Apology, Chapter LIII

So when he was not a desert or a land made dry to Israel, he was, with respect to what is particular, a desert and land made dry to the pagan nations. But when he turned away from Israel and became to that Israel like a desert and land made dry, then grace was poured forth on the pagan nations, and Jesus Christ became now to us not a desert but abundance, and not a land made dry but one that bears fruit.

Homilies on Jeremiah 3:3

Who is this who before was “barren” and “desolate”? Clearly it is the church of the Gentiles, which was before deprived of the knowledge of God. Who is “she who has the husband”? Plainly the synagogue. Yet the barren woman surpassed her in the number of her children, for the other embraces one nation, but the children of the church have filled the country of the Greeks and of the barbarians, the earth and the sea, the whole habitable world.

Commentary on Galatians 4

After the birth of the Savior and the sequence of life and miracles, the passion of the cross and the glory of resurrection, when laying down his life he saw his progeny lengthened and as righteous he justified many by his knowledge and divided the spoils of the strong and prayed for transgressors, giving a place for penance; the text then switches to the calling of the nations and describes in plain words those who would believe in him.

Commentary on Isaiah 15:2

(Chapter 54, Verse 1) Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear; break forth and cry aloud, you who have not been in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than the children of her who is married, says the Lord. LXX: Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear; break forth and cry aloud, you who have not been in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than the children of her who has a husband. For the Lord has spoken. Symmachus interpreted this passage as follows: Rejoice, O barren one who did not give birth. Rejoice in exultation, and neigh, you who have not given birth: For more are the children of the desolate than of her who has a husband. Theodotius and Aquila agree with him in most points. After the birth of the Savior, and the order of life and virtues, the passion of the cross, and the glory of the resurrection, when he laid down his life, he saw an everlasting seed, and in his knowledge he himself justified the just, and divided spoils of the mighty, and prayed for transgressors, giving them a place for repentance, he passed on to the calling of the Gentiles, and describes with full words those who will believe in him. The Apostle Paul refers to this place under the names of Sarah and Isaac, in reference to the Church (Galatians IV, 27 et seq.), stating that the former people from Mount Sinai and Hagar serve with their children; but the following book says: Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear; break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than those of the one who has a husband. And immediately after: But we, brothers, are children of the promise, like Isaac. But as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now. But what does the Scripture say? Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman. Now we, brothers, are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman. It is by this freedom that Christ has set us free (Galatians 4:27-31). Therefore, if the vessel of election, citing the testimony of Isaiah which we now have in our hands, refers to the sons of the promise and the Church gathered from the Gentiles or from both peoples, which had been deserted and left behind by the Jews, and which had not had God as its husband, nor received the Law or the Prophets, we are compelled by reason itself to follow the footsteps of our predecessor and declare it deserted, as we read above (Chapter XXXVI): Rejoice, deserted one, and similar things. It is written in Jeremiah, from the perspective of God: The one who gave birth to seven has become empty, her soul has failed. The sun has set for her even in the middle of the day (Jeremiah 15:9). And in the book of Samuel: The barren woman has given birth to seven, but she who had many sons has become weak (1 Samuel 2:5). And in the Psalms: He makes the barren woman dwell in a house, a joyful mother of children (Psalm 113:9). The synagogue is said to have given birth to seven sons, representing the mystery of the week and the Sabbath, to which the previous people were bound. Whether for seven, more should be understood according to the ambiguity of the Hebrew language, by which both the Sabbath and many [days] are signified. About this, more has been said in the book of Hebrew Questions, which we wrote on Genesis. Therefore, as long as she had God as her husband, she produced many sons by God's divine Word and was joined to the Law. But when she received a bill of divorce and refused to answer her calling husband, and heard: You are the daughter of your mother who abandoned your husband (Ezek. 16:15). And again: You have not called me as your Lord, nor as the father and prince of your virginity (Jeremiah 3:4); therefore in this same Prophet it is lamented: How has the faithful city become a harlot, Zion full of judgment; in which righteousness used to dwell, but now there are robbers (Isaiah 1:21). But it should also be noted that when it says: More are the children of the desolate than of her who has a husband, the synagogue is not completely excluded from giving birth; but the multitude of Gentiles is preferred to her. And she herself, in the Apostles and through the Apostles, first gave birth to the people from the Jews. Therefore, the two leaders of the Apostles divided the two groups of believers in Christ, the Circumcision and the Gentiles, in order to first build up Jerusalem, which had been deserted and impoverished by both peoples. And the Hebrew word for joy, 'hinnitum,' signifies the greatness of joy, in the likeness of a neighing horse to victory. More is written about this in the Book of Job (Job 39). The Jews and our Judaizers refer this place and the rest that follows to Jerusalem, which they say will be restored in the kingdom of a thousand years, and that it will be the same as it had before, and afterwards it will cease to have a husband, and will have many more children after being divorced than she had with her husband. Clearly, a comparison is made between two women: one who had a husband and was abandoned, and one who was always without a husband. And it is not surprising about the Jews, whose eyes and ears are closed, if they do not see the open truth. As for the Christians, I do not know what to say, who, as the Apostle says, interpret things allegorically and refer to the two Testaments, the old and the new, with Sarah and Hagar as examples. They give themselves over to the desires of the earth for a thousand years.

Commentary on Isaiah

And through these prophecies, the God of the universe declares that in his overflowing love for human beings he is not only “Lord” and “Father” but that he also calls himself “husband” and “groom.” This prophecy teaches that the woman who was deserted produced more children than the one who had a husband.

Commentary on Isaiah 17:54.1

The church, then, is that sterile city which, because of the bad condition of the waters before the coming of Christ (that is to say, because of the sacrilege of the Gentile peoples), was unable to conceive children for God in its sterility. But when Christ came, taking on a human body like a clay vessel, he cleansed the bad condition of the waters; that is to say, he cut off the sacrileges of the peoples, and immediately the church, which used to be sterile, began to be fruitful.

Sermon 84:4

976. Give praise, O you barren. Here against the dejection of their affairs, he promises the remedy of exaltation.

And first, he promises multitude as a remedy against their fewness in number;

second, restoration of honor against their confusion: fear not (Isa 54:4);

third, prosperity against their former adversity: O poor little one (Isa 54:11).

977. Concerning the first, he does three things.

First, he foretells a multitude of children, declaring the praise of thanksgiving: O you barren, Jerusalem, that bear not, because you are forsaken and desolate, give praise, to God for the benefits granted to you; the joy of those who give praise: sing forth praise, for a song is an exultation of the mind burst forth into voice; and the greatness of their joy: whinny, in the manner of a horse, from greatness of joy, not being able to form speech to express it: rejoice in joy, Jacob, and neigh before the head of the Gentiles (Jer 31:7); to our God be joyful and comely praise (Ps 146[147]:1). And he promises a multitude of children: for many are the children of the desolate, more than of her that has a husband; as if to say, though you may be desolate, your children shall be multiplied more than the children of cities which have men to beget them: so that the barren has borne many: and she that had many children is weakened (1 Sam 2:5).

983. Note on the words, give praise, O you barren (Isa 54:1), that there is

first, the barrenness of perverse action: for the congregation of the hypocrite is barren (Job 15:34);

second, of holy contemplation: Rachel was barren (Gen 29:31);

third, of temporal tribulation, above: the children of your barrenness shall still say in your ears (Isa 49:20).

Commentary on Isaiah

2–3

(Vers. 2, 3.) Dilata locum tentorii tui, et pelles tabernaculorum tuorum extende: ne parcas: longos fac funiculos tuos, et clavos tuos consolida. Ad dexteram enim et ad laevam penetrabis, et semen tuum gentes haereditabit, et civitates desertas inhabitabit. LXX: Dilata locum tabernaculi tui, et pelles aulaeorum tuorum fige, ne parcas. Protende funiculos, et clavos tuos conforta adhuc in dextris, et in sinistris dilata, et semen tuum possidebit gentes, et civitates desertas habitare facies. To whom he had said: Praise, O barren one, who does not bear; break the bonds by which you were previously bound, and shout in confession of the Lord, whom you did not have children with, now you are commanded the same as the likeness of the tent of Moses, which he once had (Exodus 36) in the desert, to expand his tent and stretch out his skins; and make longer cords and fix nails, with which the entire tent is formed, so that it may be firmly set and strengthened, lest it be dispersed by the blasts of the wind. And it should extend to both the right and the left, and by no means should it imitate the narrowness of the Jewish tabernacle, which measured one hundred cubits in length and fifty in width, nor should it be constrained by the brevity of the Temple, which had sixty cubits in length and twenty in width. But it should continue to have space on the right and on the left. (Exodus 27). And so that we may not think this can be said in vain concerning the frivolous contention of the Hebrews about Zion, which is to be restored to its ancient state by the Lord, he explains more clearly what was hidden: And your offspring shall inherit the nations. About which we also read in the Gospel: 'He went out who sows to sow' (Matthew XIII, 3); and again: 'Did you not sow good seed in your field?' (Ibid., 27)? This seed will also make deserted cities be inhabited, so that Churches of the nations may rise in the whole world. Or surely the seed must be said to be the Apostles, and the remnants of the Jewish people. About which in this same Prophet it is said: 'Unless the Lord of hosts had left us seed, we would have been like Sodom, and similar to Gomorrah' (Isaiah I, 9). And the Apostle says: 'The remnants were saved' (Rom. II, 5). This refers to the greatness of the Churches, which, starting from one place in Judea and that too very narrow, will extend their boundaries to the whole world. Let us come to spiritual understanding. He who is in a tabernacle does not possess a firm and permanent dwelling; but he always changes places and hastens to go further, saying in the psalm: 'I will pass to the place of the wonderful tabernacle' (Ps. XLI, 5), forgetting the things that are past and extending himself into the future, until he reaches the reward of the heavenly calling. We read about this tabernacle and in another place: How lovely are your dwelling places, O LORD of hosts! My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the LORD (Psalm 84:1). And it continues: Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they will praise you forever and ever (Ibid., 6). For the end of the tabernacles is the possession of the eternal house, which does not change its foundations, nor is it moved from one place to another. For those who are planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God, that they may go from flowers to fruit, and may say: But I am like a fruitful olive tree in the house of God (Psalm 52:10). Finally, the holy man, hastening to pass by the tabernacles and desiring to see the house of God, says that he has one wish, that he never leaves the house of God: One thing I have asked of the Lord, this I will seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life (Ps. 26:1). Therefore, the tabernacle must be enlarged, and curtains and skins must be stretched, and ropes of various and diverse discourses must be extended further, and nails must be firmly fixed on the right and left, so that the seed of the word, that is, the teaching of God, may be able to possess the nations; and to make habitable cities, which he received who doubled the mina. However, the right hand and the left hand in the Holy Scriptures are then interpreted in a good sense, when we understand them both according to the spirit and according to the letter through the weapons of righteousness on the right and on the left (2 Corinthians VI), so that we may embrace the more humble understanding of life's instruction and the examples of our elders, and be transferred from the present to the future in a spiritual and sublime manner. This is what the Lord was speaking to the Pharisees when they asked Him: 'Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's' (Matthew XXII, 21), so that we may be subject to the powers of this world, which rightly hold the sword for the punishment of those who do evil, which is understood as the left hand; and let us render to God the things that are God's, so that we may fear no other, except Him who has power over both soul and body, which is understood as the right hand (Matthew X). Finally, it is said about the wisdom of God, to which nothing precious can be compared, that it has length of life and many years in its right hand; and in its left hand, riches and glory, so that those riches are understood which exist in present knowledge and good works, and the glory which the one who receives it, through whose works God is glorified among the nations, but the length of life and many years signify eternal life, which, neglecting the present, hastens to the future.

Commentary on Isaiah

Here is the spiritual sense. Anyone who is in a tent does not have a secure and everlasting dwelling but is always changing places and hurrying on to the next.… For the end of “living in tents” is the taking possession of the eternal home, whose foundations do not shift nor are moved around. Those planted in the house of God, in his very atrium, flower so that from the blooms they may come to bear fruit and be able to say, “I am like an olive tree bearing fruit in God’s house.”

Commentary on Isaiah 15:3

978. Second, he exhorts them to enlarge their place under the metaphor of a tent: enlarge the place, as to the ground over which the tent is extended; and stretch out the skins, with which it is covered; lengthen your cords, with which the stakes are tied; and strengthen your nails, with which the boards are joined, or the stakes themselves. And we read that these things were in the tabernacle of the covenant (Exod 26 and 36). Because of this great multitude of men it is necessary to seek a dwelling larger than the promised land, above: the children of your barrenness shall still say in your ears: the place is too strait for me, make me room to dwell in (Isa 49:20).

984. Note also on the words: enlarge the place of your tent (Isa 54:2), that the heart is to be enlarged

first, because of the greatness of its guest: do not I fill heaven and earth, says the Lord? (Jer 23:24);

second, because of the multitude of his gifts, below: then shall you see, and abound, and your heart shall be enlarged (Isa 60:5);

third, because of the completion of the way: I have run the way of your commandments, when you didst enlarge my heart (Ps 118[119]:32).

Commentary on Isaiah

He accordingly bids the barren one to fill the world with houses of prayer and to make them left and right, that is to say, in the south and the north. One is not, however, mistaken if one gives the name of “stakes” to the holy prophets, to the apostles and to the martyrs, hidden in the earth, as the tent stakes are; these are the ones who maintain the tabernacle of the church, holding it upright with their doctrines as if with ropes. They are also called “foundations.”

Commentary on Isaiah 17:54.2

979. Third, he foretells their fulfillment of the exhortation: for you shall pass on to the right hand, and to the left, as if to say: you shall increase in every direction. This was fulfilled in the time of the Maccabees, when certain cities of the region of Samaria and other regions were added to the kingdom of the Jews: may your seed possess the gates of their enemies (Gen 24:60).

Commentary on Isaiah

4–5

(Verse 4, 5.) Do not be afraid, for you will not be put to shame; do not be ashamed, for you will not be disgraced. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood. For your Maker is your husband— the LORD Almighty is his name— the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth. LXX: Do not be afraid, for you have been put to shame; do not be disgraced, for you have been reproached. You will forget the shame of your eternal confusion and will no longer remember the reproach of your widowhood. For the LORD who made you is your husband— his name is the LORD Almighty— the God of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth. A question arises, how is it said to the Church gathered from the Gentiles: Rejoice, you barren one who does not bear; and: More are the children of the desolate one than of her who has a husband, that is, she who had no husband, who later had more children, and she who had a husband turned into sterility: how is it now said to her who had no husband: You will no longer remember your widowhood, and the disgrace of your youth you will forget. From which the Jews want to understand that everything that is said is to be said to Jerusalem, which is deserted by God, and to be restored by Him again. Those who are easily repelled, when they are warned, are said to be spoken to in the person of the Lord in Zachariah: 'And I took for myself two staffs: one I called Beauty, and the other I called Cord: and I fed the flock' (Zech. 11:7). We have spoken more fully about this in its proper place, and now it will be partly spoken. The two staffs, each of them is the people, of the Gentiles and of the Jews, of which the former is called the multitude of the Gentiles, who have received the natural law fixed in their hearts, of which Paul, writing to the Romans, argues most forcefully (Rom. 1); by which staff, nothing is more beautiful than that all creatures are equally called to the worship of their Creator. But the second, that is, the people of the Jews, was called a cord: which after the offense of the nations is called the portion of the Lord, and his inheritance is Israel (Deut. XXXII). Finally, after Israel was called in Abraham, the Lord says: I took my rod, which was called beauty: and I cut it off, to make void my covenant which I struck with all the nations (Zach. XI, 10). Therefore, at the coming of Christ, it is said to the rod that had been cut off: Do not be afraid, nor be ashamed, nor blush with shame. For you will never again be confused as you were before, nor will you remember the confusion of your youth, and you will not recall your widowhood, by which you were forsaken by God: for your maker himself will rule over you, whose name is Almighty, who reigns not in one nation of Judah, but in the whole world. Finally, it follows: He who created you, himself redeemed you with his own blood: and God will be called the God of all the earth: for he is the God of all who dwell on earth. From this it is clearly evident that it should not be said of Jerusalem, which has never ruled over the entire world, but of the Church of Christ, whose inheritance is the possession of the world.

Commentary on Isaiah

4–5

We have been justified in Christ, and not from works of righteousness that we have done but according to his mercy. But this is also what the supremely wise Paul has written. For we have been set free from the darkness, deceit and wickedness, which have been inherited from our ancestors.… [Therefore,] do not fear that you will be put to shame. For just as a parent looks after children, the Lord will look after those who fear him. Your sins will be as far removed from you as the east is from the west. How necessary is it, then, that you not stumble again but reject those same sins in fear. Remember the grace of our justifying God, and do not bear malice or demand justice from those who sin against you.

Commentary on Isaiah 5:2.54:4-5

4–5

He makes clear how he makes the shame of widowhood disappear, saying that it is “the Lord who makes you, the Lord of hosts is his name.” He is making you rather than creating you, transferring us into another type of citizenship and beautiful life. For we are being transformed in Christ into the newness of the holy and evangelical life, ascending to his own beautiful form through the Spirit so that others see us as different from the rest [of humanity].

Commentary on Isaiah 5:2.54:4-5

980. Fear not. Here he promises the restoration of their former honor as a remedy against the confusion which they had sustained earlier;

second, he sets out the firmness of the promise: this thing is to me as in the days of Noah (Isa 54:9).

Concerning the first, he does two things.

First, he promises forgetfulness of their former confusion: you shall not be confounded, inwardly, nor blush, outwardly; you shall not be put to shame, from consideration of your disgrace; you shall forget, because the abundance of your glory, the shame of your youth, when you sinned in the desert, and shall remember no more the reproach of your widowhood, when you were separated from God in the captivity of Babylon, above: you shall not be confounded, and you shall not be ashamed (Isa 45:17); in that day you shall not be ashamed for all your doings (Zeph 3:11).

Commentary on Isaiah

981. Second, he promises the restoration of their former honor.

And first, he sets out restoration as to dominion: for he that made you shall rule over you, above: O Lord, other lords besides you have had dominion over us (Isa 26:13).

Commentary on Isaiah

6–7

(Verse 6, 7) Because the Lord has called you, a forsaken and grieving woman, with the Spirit: and said your God to the wife rejected from her youth. For a moment, in a small thing, I have forsaken you: and in great mercies, I will gather you. In a moment of anger, I have hidden my face from you for a little while: and in everlasting mercy, I have shown compassion to you, says your Redeemer, the Lord. LXX: The Lord did not call you a forsaken and timid woman, nor did your God say of you, a woman who is hated from her youth. I have left you for a short time, but with great mercy I will have compassion on you. In a little burst of anger I turned my face away from you, but with everlasting mercy I will have compassion on you, says the Lord who delivered you. These friends of the Jews insult the abandoned woman and the wife despised from her youth, whom the Lord left for a moment and for a little while, saying that Jerusalem is. He who hides his face for a little while will receive her in everlasting mercies and will change her past sorrow into joy. According to the Hebrew, it does not say that she was called a forsaken and despised woman by the Lord, nor like a wife who has been hated since her youth, but rather that He left her for a little while and turned His face away from her in order to have mercy on her forever. So if the Jews and those among us who are Judaizers say that Israel has been forsaken for a little while so that God may have mercy on them in the coming of Christ, and they interpret 'a little while' in comparison to all of eternity, why do they not allow us to say that there is a little while of time in which the Gentiles have been forsaken, so that those who were once of God in their youth may receive eternal mercy in their old age? Especially when, in the calling of Israel, the crowd of Gentiles was never excluded; but the door of return was always open to them through proselytes, so that just as we seem to be temporarily excluded by their calling, so may their perpetual exclusion grant us a return to God. But we said perpetual exclusion, if they do not repent. Otherwise, the Apostle Paul says: God has confined all under sin, so that he may have mercy on all (Galatians 3:22). We, who are gathered from both the Church of the people, are interpreted; and the Jews of Jerusalem receive: who follow only allegory, and in the most difficult places of free debate, they avoid nascent questions, referring them to the sinful soul, which, rejected by God, not out of hatred, but out of dispensation, so that, burdened by the weight of evils, she may return to her original man; and having lost her substance, she may not despair of the mercy of the Father (Luke 15). It is a great mercy to meet a returning son, to extend a ring and a robe, and a kiss, and to say to a blind brother, according to the likeness of another parable, 'Friend, if I am good, why is your eye wicked?' (Matthew 20:15).

Commentary on Isaiah

And as to marriage: for the Lord has called you as a woman forsaken: if a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and marry another man, shall he return to her any more? (Jer 3:1).

Commentary on Isaiah

7–8

I seem, indeed, to hear that voice from him who gathers together those who are broken and welcomes the oppressed.… The measure of his kindness exceeds the measure of his discipline. The former things were owing to our wickedness, the present things to the adorable Trinity, the former for our cleansing, the present for my Glory.

The Last Farewell, Oration 42:7

7–8

It is clear that in no way is this said to Jerusalem, which never ruled over the whole world, but to the church of Christ whose inheritance is the whole world.The Lord left [the church] for a brief moment, momentarily hiding his face; then he took it up in his everlasting mercy and changed its former sadness into joy. This is how it is said in the Hebrew. Yet according to the Septuagint it says that [the church] is not like an abandoned and fainthearted woman summoned by God and is not like a wife despised from her youth, and accordingly he had left her and turned away from her only for a brief period, that he might take pity on her in eternity. If the Jews and those of a Judaizing tendency among us say that here is Israel abandoned for a brief period and that God takes pity on her in the coming of the Messiah, and understand a brief period in comparison with the whole eternity, why do they not allow us to say that the brief period is the time for which the nations were abandoned, who were rejected of God during adolescence, but who later in old age pursued his eternal mercy, especially when in the calling of the time of Israel the crowd of Gentiles were never shut out, but a door of returning was opened to them as proselytes? It appears we are excluded from their calling only for a short time, if by their eternal exclusion we are allowed a return to God. For we have spoken of an eternal exclusion if they do not act penitently.… The sinful soul was rejected by God, not because of God’s hatred, but because of his timing, so that, weighed down with a load of evils she might return to her former husband and not despair of having lost the substance of the father’s kindness.

Commentary on Isaiah 15:4-5

Second, he promises increase of honor as to the great number of honors: said your God, for a small moment, you have suffered in respect of the things which, taking pity, I will grant you: for that which is at present, is momentary (2 Cor 4:17).

985. Note also on the words, with great mercies (Isa 54:7), that the mercies to come are great:

first, because they are interior: for I reckon that the sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come that shall be revealed in us (Rom 8:18);

second, because they are eternal: for the things which are seen are temporal: but the things which are not seen, are eternal (2 Cor 4:18);

third, because they are perfect: for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed (Luke 1:48);

fourth, because they are extended to many: a certain man made a great supper and invited many (Luke 14:16);

fifth, because they are complete: God shall wipe away all tears from the eyes of the saints (Rev 21:4).

Commentary on Isaiah

“And by my eternal mercy I will have mercy on you.” For the season of anger is short and brief in comparison with the measure of the boundless loving-kindness given to us from God. He rescued us out of the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son of his love in light. It is appropriate to think greatly of the mercy that is through Christ, who cleanses us from every stain and takes away the accusation of justice. He restores us to a relationship with him through holinesss and gives the garlands of the glory of sonship to those whom he establishes in the kingdom of heaven.

Commentary on Isaiah 5:2.54:8

And as to their duration, in a moment, as if to say: for a short time you have felt my wrath in respect to the time in which I will have mercy on you, above: hide yourself a little for a moment (Isa 26:20). All these things which have been said are mystically explained of the calling of the gentiles, for heathendom was at first barren, but afterwards gathered many children, according to the Gloss.

Commentary on Isaiah

9–10

(Vers. 9, 10.) As in the days of Noah, this is for me, to whom I swore, that I would not bring the waters of Noah any more over the earth: so have I sworn, not to be angry with you, and not to rebuke you. For the mountains shall be moved, and the hills shall tremble: but my mercy shall not depart from you, and the covenant of my peace shall not be moved, says the Lord, your merciful one. LXX: This is for me from the water that was under Noah: as I swore to him at that time, that the earth will never again be angry with you, nor shall the mountains be moved by your threats, nor shall your hills be moved. So neither will my mercy fail, nor will the testament of my peace be taken away, says the Lord your merciful God. In order that the congregation of saints may believe in the eternal mercy of the Lord, and therefore at this point, and briefly, that they may be deserted, in order to be joined in friendship with God, in an eternal covenant, he presents examples of the ancestors, saying: Just as with the whole world sinning, after all the earth corrupted the way of the Lord, the flood came: and when all sins were deleted with all their authors, and in one man Noah the human race was saved: to whom I swore that the flood would never be brought upon the earth: and my promise has been kept until now, and will never be made void (Gen. 8 and 9); in the same way, I swear to my Church, which I redeemed with my blood, that I will never be angry with those whom I have shown mercy, nor will my clemency be changed by any hardness of reproach. For it is easier for mountains and hills to be moved than for my opinion to be changed. Just as it is said in the Gospel: Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away (Matthew 24:35). This, however, is my mercy, like the covenant of peace by which the world was reconciled to me, preserved not by the merit of those to whom it was given, but by my own clemency. According to the Septuagint, the meaning is confused, and everything is so disturbed that it is difficult to understand what is being said. Not because I am ignorant of what the most prudent man said in this chapter, but because it does not satisfy my mind. For it puts forward the flood, which is interpreted in the baptism of the Savior, gathering together many examples, as it is written: The Lord makes the flood inhabit (Ps. 28:10). And again: The Lord is sweet to those who wait for him in the day of tribulation, and he knows those who fear him, and he makes the consummation of the journey in the flood (Nahum 1:7, according to the Septuagint): namely, that he has washed away all sins in baptism, saying in another place: I am, I am, the one who blots out your iniquities (Isaiah 43:25). For all have turned away; together they have become useless (Psalm 13:3). There was no one who would do mercy, nor truth; nor was there knowledge of God upon the earth. Curse, and falsehood, and murder, and adultery, and theft had taken possession of all things, and they had mixed blood with blood. Therefore, He speaks through the Prophet: Woe to me! for the returning one has perished from the earth. There is no one who does what is right among humans; all are judged in my blood. Each person troubles their neighbor with tribulation, and they prepare their hands for evil (Mich. VII, 2, sec. LXX): and similar things to these. Among which is this: No one is clean from filth, not even if his life is only for one day upon the earth (Job XV, 14). Therefore, the Lord made a flood, who according to the apostle Peter was killed in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit (I Pet. III); and He preached to the spirits in prison, when the patience of God was expected in the days of Noah, bringing a flood upon the wicked. In whose example water cleanses us: not washing away the dirt of the flesh, but the inquiry of a good conscience towards God. But the mountains and hills which were not moved, and those that wavered in such a flood, are to be understood as holy ones, having received the everlasting covenant: those who were moved in the previous flood, and had lost their steadfastness. The mountains, and the demons, and the opposing powers, who saw the daughters of men, that they were good, and wounded by the arrow of love, took for themselves wives from all whom they chose, and lost their former strength: and they will by no means exist in this flood (Gen. VI). He said this, the explanation of which I leave to the reader's discretion.

Commentary on Isaiah

The sense that the Septuagint gives is confused and all things are disordered, so that what is said is hard to understand. It is not that I do not know what that very wise man has said on this chapter but rather that it does not satisfy my mind. For he takes it to be about a figurative flood that means the Savior’s baptism … that in baptism he removed all sins.… In this figure the water cleanses us, not washing away the dirtiness of flesh but by the appeal of a good conscience to God. The mountains and the hills are those saints who were not moved in the flood of this sort, having accepted the eternal covenant, although in the previous flood they were moved, but they left their weakness behind.

Commentary on Isaiah 15:6

He says, “Remember the covenants made with Noah and recognize their truth. I have promised never again to destroy the earth in such a way. Having the first covenant as a pledge, believe that you will always enjoy my love, and I will firmly guard your peace, and I will never dissolve this marriage.”

Commentary on Isaiah 17:54.9-10

982. This thing is to me as in the days of Noah. Here he shows the firmness of the promise.

And first, from a similitude with an earlier promise: to whom I swore, firmly established, if only you remain in my commandments: I will establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you (Gen 9:9); the covenants of the world were made with him, that all flesh should no more be destroyed with the flood (Sir 44:19[18]).

Commentary on Isaiah

Second, from the operation of stable creatures: for the mountains shall be moved, as if to say: it is easier for mountains and hills to be changed than for my words to be made void. Or, by mountains and hills, the powerful of the earth are signified: we will not fear, when the earth shall be troubled (Ps 45:3[46:2]).

Commentary on Isaiah

We should understand all these things of which Isaiah speaks as worthy and precious souls, with whom God commits himself to build the heavenly citizenry. He compares them with sapphire on the grounds of its likeness to the color of heaven. Their intercourse is heavenly and angelic, as Paul teaches, saying, “Our citizenship is in heaven.” In Ezekiel the place under the throne of God is said to be like sapphire.… And the parapets of this new Jerusalem would be of jasper or, in Symmachus’s translation, karchēdonion, a special, shining stone. This means those who belong to the church, whom in a spiritual manner strengthen their faith and are like the battlements of the heavenly citizenry, destroy “every obstacle raised against the knowledge of God” and refute any false opinion contrary to the truth. Since parapets are designed to resist the enemy, those who in the church are equipped with wisdom may be rightly called “parapets.” Alongside these others is a comparison drawn with crystals, with which he foretells that the gates of the city will be built and denotes the clarity and purity of sure faith of those who believed the foundational and elementary doctrine. Isaiah also declares that the wall of the new city of God will be made from special stone. Such are they who through their prayers surround and confirm, just like an enclosure, the city’s edifice and its great, precious and worthy building.

Commentary on Isaiah 2:43

11–12

(Verse 11, 12.) The poor thing, torn apart by the storm without consolation. Behold, I will lay your stones in order: and I will lay your foundations in sapphires. And I will make your battlements of jasper, and your gates of carved stones, and all your boundaries of desirable stones. I will make all your children taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children. And you shall be founded in righteousness. LXX: Humble and unstable without consolation. Behold, I will prepare for you your carbuncle gem and your foundations sapphire. And I will set your battlements with jasper, and your gates with crystal stones, and your walls with chosen stones. And all your children shall be disciples of God, and there shall be much peace for your sons, and you shall be built in righteousness. When we said: I will lay your stones in order, it is written in Hebrew, 'Baphphuch,' which all others translated similarly to 'I will lay your stones in stibium,' in the likeness of a adorned woman, who paints her eyes with stibium, to symbolize the beauty of the city. And when we said above that the jasper, following the LXX, has the Hebrew word Chodchod (), which only Symmachus translated as χαλκηδόνιον (chalcedony). For the crystal too, in the place where it is read among the Hebrews as Ecda (), Symmachus and Theodotion put sculpting, that is, γλυφῆς (glyphēs), and Aquila put τρυπανισμοῦ (trupanismou) which means the sense of bore and engraving of gemstones. We have spoken about the diversity of translations, let us come to the meaning. Still speaking to the Church, previously humble and poor, which did not have the Law, nor the Prophets, nor the word of God, and was convulsed or unstable by the storm, which had endured many whirlwinds of ages and fluctuated among various errors of idols, which had no comforter, and in vain lost all its substance in physicians; He Himself should come, should descend, and should build in the earth the heavenly Jerusalem, which is called bride and wife of the Lamb in the Apocalypse of John, having a light similar to a precious stone, such as jasper and crystal, and a great wall, and twelve gates inscribed with the names of the tribes of Israel, of which three were from the East, and three from the North, and three from the South, and three from the West of the sun (Apoc. XXI): and the wall supported by twelve foundations, and its entire construction of jasper stone, and each foundation of the walls had individual stones, the first jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius ((Al. sardius)), the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst; which as we read, we exclaim and say: O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? (Romans 11:33-34) And again: Who is wise and will understand these things, prudent and will know them? (Hosea 14:10) Let the lovers of western letters answer, those who prepare exquisite foods for their gluttony and luxury in a thousand years, whose god is their belly and whose glory is in their shame. (Philippians 3) They hope for marriage after the second coming of the Savior, and for children of one hundred years, and for the injury of circumcision, and for the blood of sacrifices, and for the perpetual Sabbath. They say with Israel in a perverse way: Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall reign. What is this heavenly Jerusalem, to which it is now said: Behold, I will lay your stones in order, or according to the Septuagint Version: Behold, I will prepare a carbuncle for you, your stone, so that the whole city will be filled with carbuncles, and will have sapphire foundations and jasper ramparts, or chalcedony, and crystal gates, or engravings, and a wall encircling it with precious stones. And all its children will not have human teachers, but God, and they will be called disciples of God. And let there be in it everlasting peace, and the building up of justice. From this it is clear that under the occasion of justice, which is the name of virtue, we ought to seek the other virtues for the building up of the Church and not to follow Jewish delusions. For let them explain what is meant by that which is said in Proverbs about wisdom: 'She is more precious than all precious things' (Prov. 3:15). For if Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God (1 Cor. 1:24), it is foolish to compare Christ to insensible stones. And again we read about the judgments of God: The judgments of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: more to be desired than gold and much precious stone (Psalms 19:10-11). From which it is clear that this stone is compared to other stones, about which it is said earlier in the same Psalm, speaking in the person of God: Behold, I will lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste (Isaiah 28:16). The builders rejected this stone (Psalm 118), namely, the scribes, Pharisees, and Jewish leaders, which has become the cornerstone (Matthew 21). Concerning this, the Apostle Peter says: Therefore, to us who believe, it is an honor, a precious and chosen stone. But to those who do not believe, it is a stumbling stone and a rock of offense (1 Peter 2:7-8). He also speaks to the chief priests in the Acts of the Apostles, saying: This is the chosen, precious stone which you rejected (Acts 4:18), which has become the cornerstone and embraces two peoples, the Gentiles and Israel. He built a city, of which God is the architect and creator. Concerning this, the Apostle writes to the Corinthians: You are God's building. And: Like a wise architect, I have laid the foundation, and another builds upon it. But let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 3:9-10). Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done (I Corinthians 3:12-13). Concerning this foundation, he also speaks in another letter: built on the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20); and again: You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (I Peter 2:5). Concerning these stones, it is said mystically: Holy stones roll upon the earth (Zech. IX, 16), by which Christ builds the Church upon the rock, saying in the Gospel: Upon this rock I will build my Church (Matt. XVI, 18). The one who is worthy to enter this city speaks joyfully to the Lord: As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God: God has established it forever (Ps. XLVII, 9). The great builder of this city, and in another place it is said: 'He shall build my city and bring back the captivity of my people' (Isaiah 45:13). But it is not for this time to speak of the nature of twelve stones and gems, since many Greeks and Latins have written about it. Of these, I will mention only two: the man of holy and venerable memory, the bishop Epiphanius, who left us a remarkable volume of his genius and erudition, which he titled 'On Stones'; and also Pliny the Elder, the same esteemed as an orator and philosopher among the Latins, who completed in his most beautiful work of natural history the thirty-seventh book, which is also the last, with a discussion on stones and gems. Hello, twelve stones are written in order in Exodus and in Ezekiel, that is in the treasury of the high priest, and in the crown and diadem of the prince of Tyre. Let's first talk about Exodus: Four woven orders of stones were there (Exod. XXVIII). The first order had the stone sardius, topaz, emerald. The second order, carbuncle, sapphire, jasper. The third order, ligure, agate, amethyst. The fourth order, chrysolite, beryl, onyx, surrounded by gold; and they were inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. In which it should be noted that the second order of stones is also mentioned in the present Scripture, carbuncle, sapphire, and jasper. For we have not yet attained perfection, nor have we reached the beginning, because now we see through a glass, darkly. Moreover, in Ezekiel it is written as follows: You are the seal of semblance and the crown of beauty, in the delights of God's paradise you were. You were adorned with every first stone, sardius, topaz, and emerald, carbuncle and sapphire and jasper, also with silver, gold and onyx, and agate, and amethyst, and chrysolite, and beryl, and chrysoprase, and onyx; and you filled your treasures and your vaults with gold as well. From the day you were created, when I placed you with the cherubim on my holy mountain, you were in the midst of fiery stones. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, until iniquity was found in you. (Ezekiel 28:12 et seqq.). For who is so foolish and of such a dull mind to think that in the paradise of God, the prince of Tyre, whoever he may be, was placed, and conversed among the cherubim and the fiery stones (which undoubtedly we understand to be the celestial angels and virtues), and that he was made with earthly stones and had resemblance and sign? Therefore, it is not the time to speak about the nature of all stones and each part of them; for not everything must always be said. Now let us discuss only about the carbuncle, sapphire, and jasper. The carbuncle, which is obtained or placed in order, appears to me as the fiery speech of doctrine, which, by dispelling the darkness of error, illuminates the hearts of believers. This is the one that was taken by one of the Seraphim with a pair of tongs, to purify Isaiah's lips (Isa. VI): who is born, according to the faith of Genesis, in the land of Havilah, where the finest gold (Gen. II) and the carbuncle and the emerald are. Moreover, the sapphire, which is placed in the foundations, has a resemblance to the sky, and is above the air: such that it can say that Aristophanic phrase with Socrates: Ἀεροβατῶ καὶ περιφρονῶ τὸν ἥλιον; which we can translate into Latin as: Scando aerem, solemque despicio (See Suidas in περιφρονεῖν). Or as Paul the Apostle said: Nostra autem conversatio in coelis est (Philipp. III, 20). The Scripture of Ezekiel also mentions that the place where the throne of God is located has a resemblance to sapphires, and the glory of the Lord is in this color, which carries the image of the heavenly above us. But even the fortresses of the city of God, that is, the walls, are strengthened with jasper, which can destroy and prove false every height that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and subject falsehood to truth (Ezekiel 1; 1 Corinthians 15). Therefore, the strongest in disputing and bolstered by the testimonies of the Holy Scriptures, is the fortress of the Church. There are many kinds of jasper: for there is another kind called emerald, which is found in the springs of the river Thermodon, and is called 'Grammarian,' by which they believe that all phantasms are driven away. Another greener man, and tinted as if with flowers; it is said to be born on Mount Ida in Phrygia, and in its deepest caves. Another, however, is found near the Iberians, the Hyrcanians, and the Caspian Sea, and especially near the lake Neusin. There is also another jasper that is similar to snow and the foam of sea waves, and it sparkles like mixed blood. We have said this so that we may recognize all spiritual graces in the defenses of the Church; whoever has them drives away vain fears and can say with the bride: 'My brother is white and ruddy' (Song of Songs 5:10). But the gates of this city are made of crystal stone, which is carved in various ways, and with this stone nothing is purer. Finally, they say that water freezes into crystal in the strongest cold of the Alps and in inaccessible caves: and the touch is stone, but the sight is water. By this it is shown that those who are at the gates of the Church should not be stained by any impurity, but should have the purest faith and say with the prophet: From your commandments I have gained understanding (Ps. 119:104). And this to hear: Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God (Matt. V, 8). But the walls of the city, or the boundaries and enclosure, are built with chosen stones, which we can understand as the remaining stones, and all his children are taught, or disciples of God: which testimony the Lord uses in the Gospel of John, saying: No one can come to me, unless the Father who sent me draws him, and everyone who hears and learns from the Father, comes to me (John VI, 44, 45). And after a little while, it is written in the prophets: They will all be taught by God. He also speaks through Jeremiah, saying: I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. And they will no longer teach each other, saying: Know the Lord. For they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more (Jeremiah 31:33-34). But the doctrine of the disciples of God has a multitude of peace, which has been abandoned by the Lord: and the building up of the most beautiful city is completed through justice; so that God may not be of one nation, but of the entire world, calling His servants and children, Greeks and Barbarians, the rich and the poor, the noble and the lowly, men and women, children and the elderly, and all things that appear to be contrary in the world (John XIV). We have exceeded the limit of brevity, which is useful in everything that needs to be said: by no means are we seeking the city of God on earth, as the Hebrews and our Semijudaeos (( Al. by seeking)), but rather in heaven, which cannot be hidden on the mountain of Christ.

Commentary on Isaiah

“I will place you as a carbon stone.” It is fitting to want to signify Jesus through this stone that was set, the Scriptures say, as the foundation of Zion. If anyone trusts in this foundation, he will not be ashamed. He calls him a foundation stone among them. And he is also mentioned by the holy prophets. For he says through the voice of Amos, “Look, I am setting a diamond in the middle of my people Israel.” And through the voice of Zechariah, “Behold, I will bring my servant the sunrise.” “I have placed a stone before the face of Jesus; on the one stone there are seven eyes.” For the all-seeing one is Christ who is able to survey all things everywhere. For the carbon is placed to be a stone and a fixed foundation of the holy city. On it are the stones of sapphire, which perhaps signify the ranks of the apostles who are set. For they were very close to Christ, and when they followed him they became foundations in the earthly realm.

Commentary on Isaiah 5:2.54:11-13

Some think that Jesus is here called “coal” since he was placed as a foundation in Zion and those who believe in him will not be ashamed. Similarly Amos calls him “adamantine” in these words, “I will place adamantine in the middle of the people of Israel.” And Zachariah, “Look, I will give the dawn over my servant. And the stone that I will give before the face of Joshua, on that stone there are seven eyes.” For Christ is the all-seeing one. This coal, he says, is also the support and the foundation stone, to which, since they approximate to it, the apostles, too, are here called “foundations” and are spoken of as marked out by the name of sapphire, as in the seventeenth psalm, which says, “The springs of waters are uncovered and the foundations of the earth are revealed at your chastisement and from the breath of your Spirit, O Lord.” For those in Israel were shaken by what the apostles dared to do through Christ, when purification through water first appeared. The disciples of the Savior receive this title, but the prophets are also called foundation, as Paul says, “building on the foundation of the apostles and prophets.” Sapphire is the color of heaven, and again Paul tells us that this denotes the citizenship of heaven. … But “anthracite” [coal], according to another interpretation that has been handed down, refers to stones that adorn, just as the sainted martyrs who have been tested by fire adorn with stimei [a type of eyeliner] the eyes of the bridegroom of Christ.

Commentary on Isaiah 54:1-17

“Behold, I will transform your stones into beryl,” that is, the place is stony, and God will transform the ordinary stones into beryl, both in reality and for the fact that this is imagined as a consequence of their great joy.

Commentary on Isaiah 54:11

11–12

986. O poor little one. Here he promises prosperity as a remedy against adversity.

And first, he recalls their former adversity: O poor little one, Jerusalem despoiled of goods; tossed with tempest, of adversity, above: to a nation rent and torn in pieces (Isa 18:2). I will send you.

Second, he promises future prosperity.

First, as to abundance of goods, setting out a metaphor: behold I will lay, as though in a pavement, your stones, precious stones, signifying men eminent in the virtues, in order, with each one in its order: the gates of Jerusalem shall be built of sapphire, and of emerald, and all the walls thereof round about of precious stones (Tob 13:21).

Commentary on Isaiah

It seems to me also that that fancy of Plato, that those stones that we call precious stones which derive their luster from a reflection, as it were, of the stones in that better land, is taken from the words of Isaiah in describing the city of God: “I will make your battlements of jasper, your stones shall be crystal and your borders of precious stones.”

Against Celsus 7:30

All except the Septuagint translate, “I will cover your stones in eye paint,” in the likeness of an adorned woman who paints her eyes with mascara, thus signifying the beauty of the city … inducing him to come and descend in person and build on earth the heavenly Jerusalem, which in the Apocalypse of John is called “the bride and wife of the lamb,” containing light like a precious stone such as jasper and crystal and a great wall.… “O the depth of the wisdom and knowledge of God.” … From which it is clear under the dispensation of righteousness that we ought to seek the name of virtue and also the other virtues in the building up of the church.… For these words illustrate that which is said in Proverbs, “More precious than all most precious stones.” For if Christ is the virtue of God and the wisdom of God, then it is stupid to have Christ compared with inanimate stones … for God is the builder and founder of the city.… Many Greek and Latin authors have written on the nature of the twelve stones and gems. From these I will name only two, bishop Epiphanius of holy and venerable memory … and Pliny the Younger.… Coal that is prepared or is spread out in an orderly manner seems to me to be the word of doctrine that ignites, which when error is dispelled enlightens the hearts of those who believe … sapphire, which is put in foundations, resembles the sky and the air above us.… The bulwarks of the Lord’s city, that is, the pinnacles of the walls, are strengthened with jasper; these are able to destroy all pretension that raises itself against God’s knowledge, to convince it and subject falsehood to truth. In such disputation the strongest bulwark of the church is reinforced with the testimonies of the holy Scriptures.… We should be acquainted with the worldwide spiritual graces in the church, with which he who has them puts empty fears to flight and can say with the bride, “My kinsman is white and red.” … This city is to be sought not on earth but in heaven, which, situated on the mountain that is Christ, cannot be hidden.

Commentary on Isaiah 15:7

The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven? Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me. [Isaiah 54:13] Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

And the surest sign that you have been taught of God is that you put into practice what you have been taught. Of that character are all who are called according to God’s purpose, as it is written in the prophets, “They shall be all taught of God.” The person, however, who has learned what ought to be done but does not do it, has not yet been “taught of God” according to grace but only according to the law, not according to the Spirit but only according to the letter. There are many who appear to do what the law commands through fear of punishment, not through love of righteousness, and such righteousness as this apostle calls “his own which is after the law”—a thing as it were commanded, not given.… When the free person keeps a commandment, he does it readily. And whosoever learns his duty in this spirit does everything that he has learned ought to be done.

On Original Sin 1:14

Symmachus translated, “The Lord who takes pity on you says, lowly one, who has not been comforted, I have mercy for you. For I have seen you wandering aimlessly, as if surrounded by the spirits of deceit that have restless thoughts.” … He calls godly public behavior a “city.” The marks of the saints are various. But all are equally pleasing in God’s sight. For that reason he calls them all precious stones, even if they have various characters. By coal is symbolized God’s burning love. Sapphire represents the person who hides his virtue, for the hue of sapphire is a deep one. By “jasper” … is designated, I think, the luster of miracle working.… Then Isaiah leaves the figurative way of speaking to put things more clearly: “All your sons shall be taught of the Lord.” He has called figuratively “stones,” the appearance of virtue. The peace of God is here promised. Paul refers to this construction when he says, “Like a skilled architect I laid the foundation.”

Commentary on Isaiah 17:54.11-14

In the same way He wrote through the prophets, for “He put His laws into their minds and He wrote them on their hearts,” so that they should all be “taught of God.”If we now set aright our disgraceful lives with the aid of writings on account of the rationality that our nature received from the beginning, how much shall we turn aside from God if we show contempt for the natural book of the heart, the book written by Moses and the prophets, and the light of our Savior’s Gospel of life! Hence we shall bring capital punishment upon ourselves if we gain no help from the hidden book, or from the visible one, or from the Gospel of the life-giving commandments of our Lord Jesus Christ. Not even the man who toils and exerts himself in prayer, reading, divine vision, and insight, will make progress in the truth and gain an illumined intellect, unless he aims the intention of his mind toward the strength of what is written by the Spirit on the book of his heart. The veil of the passions that overlays our heart prevents us from truly beholding that which is written on our heart by the Spirit. When we pray, read, and sing praises, we float over the surface of our heart without truly perceiving what lies within. But if we raise the veil of the passions by observing the commandments, then with the eye of the spirit we shall see the truth that is imprinted in our heart.

Book of Grace 5:74-77

And he explains the metaphor as to the teaching of divine knowledge, all your children shall be taught of the Lord: I will give my law in their bowels, and I will write it in their heart (Jer 31:33); as to abundance of peace, and great shall be the peace of your children: much peace have they that love your law (Ps 118[119]:165).

Commentary on Isaiah

I promised to you by grace beforehand—if you no longer struggle with these promises—that no fear of attack by war would touch you. Therefore rejoice in my commandments, for if you do so, these kinds of fears will not affect you—unless you do not guard the commandments and fall into the fear of human reproach. And so, I testify to you and say, “You will be far from oppression, and you will not fear. Terror shall not come near you.” Rather, you will remain close to me and will act in a godly way according to the following words of Isaiah: “the proselytes will come to you.” But they will not come apart from my will, for it says they also will come “through me.”

Commentary on Isaiah 2:43

(Verse 14.) Stay away from slander, for you will not be afraid; and from fear, for it will not come near you. LXX: Depart from evil, and you will not be afraid, and trembling will not come near you. Most beautiful order. He had comforted the poor and humble, promising them spiritual favors. Now he teaches what he should do if he does not want to fear the attacks of his adversaries. And the meaning is: If you do not want to fear your enemies, do what I say: Stay away from slander, or from wickedness: because all wickedness and plunder springs from slander; and you will not be afraid, trembling and fear will not come near you, so that you may fear not men, but God, saying with Moses: I am trembling and fearful (Deut. 9:19); and with one of Job's friends: Horror and trembling have come upon me; and my bones have greatly shaken (Job 4:14); and with the prophet: At the voice of my prayer, trembling entered into my bones (Psalm 66:2); and: On whom will the Lord rest, if not on the humble and quiet, and on him who trembles at his words (Prov. 10)? Moreover, there is another trembling of the wicked, which is born out of fear of punishment. Of this it is written: Trembling seizes the wicked (Psalm 47:7).

Commentary on Isaiah

And then Isaiah adds, “and you will be built up in righteousness.” For with the utmost rightness the architect and builder of the whole is the wisdom of God, fitting the living and smooth stones to the building. Some he uses for towers, others for foundations and others for walls; some for the building of the temple of the city and others for the surrounding area. And with the rest he builds up the rest of the city, not in the human way by discriminating between types of people or evaluating them, but allowing all in, free and slave, poor and rich, so that they whose lives were unknown receive honor. And then God promises that he will give the church further orders, to step back from evil so that terror shall not come near. He instructs them in the mystery. Formerly the bride was encouraged by the prophets to advance to communion, summoning her through holiness and righteousness. By the kisses of Christ’s mouth we have been kissed. He has appeared in the flesh, speaking mouth to mouth to us. He says that no enemy will prevail against [the church] if it cultivates righteousness.

Commentary on Isaiah 54:1-17

And as to justice of works, and you shall be founded in justice, above: Zion shall be redeemed in judgment, and they shall bring her back in justice (Isa 1:27).

987. Second, as to freedom from evils, first, promising deliverance from dangers: depart, that is, you shall depart, for you shall not suffer calumny: he shall humble the calumniators (Ps 71[72]:4).

Commentary on Isaiah

(Verse 15.) Behold, a resident will come, who was not with me; your former stranger will be joined to you. LXX: Behold, proselytes will come to you through me, and they will be your settlers, and they will flee to you. And the Jews believe that this is said about Jerusalem, that many from the Gentiles will become proselytes and accept the law of Moses and its ceremonies. This, according to our interpretation made in reference to the Church, which is gathered by the apostles from both peoples, which has no blemish or wrinkle, which is free, and the mother of all believers (Ephesians 5; Galatians 4). The Lord sent his disciples to gather the lost, converts, and strangers, saying: Teach all nations (Matthew 28:19), so that they may seek refuge in the Gospel and receive the new Law, that former inhabitants of idolatry may become members of the Church. Concerning them, it is said in the Psalms: The Lord makes the wise blind. Or as it is read in Latin manuscripts: The Lord enlightens the blind, The Lord loves strangers (Psalm 146:8-9): so that after the blind receive the light of truth and fools learn wisdom, then those who come to the Church are loved by the Lord, and they hear through the prophet: I will call not my people, my people (Hosea 2:24); with the entrance of these individuals into the Temple of God, zeal seizes the unlearned people.

Commentary on Isaiah

Second, the adherence of strangers: behold, an inhabitant shall come, for many from the gentiles adhered to them when they came out of captivity, below: let not the son of the stranger, that adheres to the Lord, speak, saying: the Lord will divide and separate me from his people (Isa 56:3).

Commentary on Isaiah

“Behold, I have created the blacksmith, who made the vases in his work,” that is, I elected the apostles and the disciples of the apostles, who perfectly instruct the peoples through the doctrine of truth. “I have also created the destroyer.” I did not prevent the liars and the persecutors from rising against the church at the time of the apostles.

Commentary on Isaiah 54:16

16–17

(Verse 16, 17.) Behold, I have created the blacksmith who blows the coals in the fire, and brings forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the destroyer to destroy. Every weapon formed against you shall not prosper, and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from me, says the Lord. LXX: Behold, I have created you not as a blacksmith blowing the coals in the fire and bringing forth an instrument for work. But I have created you not to destroy: every vessel that is made against you will not prosper: and every voice that rises against you in judgment, you will overcome and they will be subject to you. This is the inheritance of the servants of the Lord, and you will be righteous to me, says the Lord. Let us first say in Hebrew: If you want to not be afraid, and to be far from fear, do what the previous word has narrated; for I am the one through whom you will have proselytes. I am the one who created the blacksmith blowing on the embers in the fire, that is, the devil, the artisan of all evil, not by necessity of nature, but by the decision of the mind. I who kindled fires, and will bring forth vessels against you: such as Simon and Elymas were, resisting Peter and Paul (Acts 13). I created the destroyer of those who will become unbelievers. Not that I am the cause of their perdition, but that the created adversary may engage in battle, and for the defeated, there may be destruction, and for the victors, the cause may be rewards. And all those who have been fashioned against you by the blowing of a blacksmith's bellows will not be directed, but they will feel both present and future punishments. And what was previously hidden will be said more clearly in the consequences: And you will judge every language resisting you in judgment, destroying the wisdom of the wise, and rejecting the prudence of the prudent. And you will condemn all the leaders of heretics and the teachers of the Jews and the philosophers of the world, whom that blacksmith had fashioned, by your judgment. How Queen Sheba and the Ninevites condemned the unbelievers, and on the other hand, Sodom will be justified by the comparison with Jerusalem's worse state (Matthew 12). After this, it is explained what the rewards of the future are, so that they do not think that their struggle is in vain and that it ends with death. This is the inheritance of the servants of the Lord, that is, the kingdom of heaven, eternal life, and the retribution of their labor, which eye has not seen, ear has not heard, and it has not entered into the heart of man, that which God has prepared for those who love him (2 Corinthians 2). But if you love, therefore also serve those who have no other Lord except God. And this is the justice of those who are before God, says the Lord, that present tribulation may be compensated with future joy. Moreover, according to the Septuagint, this seems to me to be the meaning: I, your Creator, did not make you like the devil, the worst craftsman who molds vessels of iniquity with an unclean spirit and brings them to destruction, and who should know that such vessels do not have a successful journey, but are broken in the middle of the course. He explains what the vessels are in the following discourse; And every voice that rises against you in judgment, you shall overcome them all. The vessels of iniquity have a voice, which voice rises against the Church, when heretics put their mouth high, and their tongue passes through the earth. And what follows: And they shall be subject to you, we have marked with a note that it seems to have been added not so much by the LXX as by evil writers. But when the Church has overcome every voice rising against it, then to those who serve the Lord and obey, there will be an inheritance, an eternal possession. And in Jeremiah it is said in other words: There is a reward for your works (Jeremiah 31:36). And the inhabitants of the Church will be righteous before the Lord. For everyone who practices righteousness is born of God. To whom the Lord speaks: Be holy, for I am holy (Leviticus 20:26).

Commentary on Isaiah

“I, who created the smith who blows the fire of coals, that is, the devil of all evil arts, was not forced by nature to create him but freely chose to do so. I created the Adversary, not to cause people’s ruin but in order to provide a moral struggle. Those who lose that struggle lie in ruins, but I reward those who triumph in the struggle.” … Now the following seems to be the sense as the Septuagint has it: “I your creator have not made you in the way that the devil, that most evil craftsman with an unclean spirit, fills vessels of iniquity and carries them into perdition.” It should be known that vessels of this kind do not have a prosperous road ahead but are destroyed en route.… But the inhabitants of the church will be righteous to the Lord. For everyone who does right is born of God. To them the Lord says, “Be holy, since I am holy.”

Commentary on Isaiah 15:10

This the Lord has taught in turn in the holy Gospels: “Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundations of the world.” He gives it to those who provide proof of the righteousness that he has established by his laws: “For I was hungry,” he says, “and you gave me food; I was thirsty, and you gave me drink” and the rest.

Commentary on Isaiah 17:54.17

Therefore, it is good for us if we flee to the mercy of him whose justice we are incapable of escaping. The justice of God is such that it condemns those who turn away and saves those who turn to him. So he says, “Be converted to me, and I will save you.” [God] is always delighted by our conversion, nor has he set a time for a human being, so long as he is in this life, at which time he cannot be merciful to the one who turns to him; on the contrary, the whole time of the present life is known to have been destined for our conversion. For the blessed Peter says, “The Lord does not delay his promise as some regard ‘delay,’ but he is patient with you, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”

Letter 13

Third, he promises the destruction of their enemies: behold, I.

And first, he shows the power of the one who promises, setting out a similitude: I have created the smith, the persecutor, who blows in the fire of tribulation, instruments, adversaries, according to his own will: his breath kindles coals (Job 41:12[21]); and he explains this: I have created the killer to destroy: the Lord kills and makes alive (1 Sam 2:6).

Commentary on Isaiah

Second, he sets out the promise: no vessel that is formed against you shall prosper, that is, he will scatter everything formed, as to those attacking with deeds, and every tongue, as to those attacking with words, above: they shall be as nothing (Isa 41:11).

Commentary on Isaiah