Isaiah 62

1–3

(Chapter 62, verses 1 and following) For the sake of Zion I will not keep silent, and for the sake of Jerusalem I will not rest, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a burning torch. And the nations shall see your righteousness, and all the kings your glory; and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will name. You shall be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. (Chapter 70) For the sake of Zion I will not keep silent, and for the sake of Jerusalem I will not rest; until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a burning torch. And the nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory, and you will be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD will name. You will be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. This is what the Lord and Savior said, 'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me' (Luke 4:18), until the place where it is written: 'All who see them shall acknowledge, that they are the seed which the Lord has blessed' (Isaiah 61:1). After the promise, the Church responded: Rejoicing, I will rejoice in the Lord, who in the third psalm of the degrees, sung with joy from the perspective of the repentant people, said: I rejoiced at the things that were said to me: We will go into the house of the Lord (Ps. 121:1); now the prophet is introduced as saying: For the sake of Zion, I will not keep silent, and for the sake of Jerusalem, I will not rest. Day and night, he says, I will not close my mouth, and my prayer will never be silent; I will cry out for as long as it takes, and I will join prayers with prayers, until the promised one comes and illuminates the whole world with his splendor. He makes it more clear who this person is that he seeks, whom he desires to come: Until his righteous splendor goes forth, and his savior is kindled like a lamp. Or according to the Septuagint: Until his righteousness goes forth like light, and his salvation is kindled like a lamp. This is what was said in the Gospel: I am the light of the world (John 8:12): when it is kindled in Zion and in Jerusalem, it will not shine only in Judea, but it will be said to her: The light that is in you, is kindled; the one that has come forth from the Father, it begins to burn in your borders, and it will illuminate all nations (Matthew 6). And all kings shall see your famous city, O Jerusalem and Zion: he who was born of your lineage, who was exalted on the cross, drew all people to himself, so that the nations may see his justice, by which he, the Creator of all, showed mercy to the nations; and kings shall see his glory, by which he was glorified on the cross, and he subjected all kingdoms to his authority. Ultimately, Jerusalem and Zion shall no longer be called by their name, but they shall receive a new name which the Lord shall give them, as He said to the Apostle Peter: You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18). The word 'Dominicus' is derived from the name 'Dominus', so that it may be called 'Dominicum'. And the people of that land should not be called by the old name 'Israel', but by a new name, that is, 'Christian'. And it will be like a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and like a diadem of the kingdom in the hand of their God, when the crowd of believers crowns it, and the diadem of the empire, which the Martyrs have distinguished by the variety of their gems, will be in the hand of God to crown their son with victories. Wherefore also the apostle Paul was speaking to the Saints: My joy and crown.

Commentary on Isaiah

1086. For Zion's sake. Here he promises the honor of glory to the people.

And first, the petition of the prophet is set out;

second, the promise of the Lord: the Lord has sworn (Isa 62:8).

Concerning the first, he does two things:

first, he himself asks;

second, he leads others to ask: you that are mindful of the Lord (Isa 62:6).

1087. Concerning the first, he does two things.

First, he himself asks for the birth of a savior: for Zion's sake, namely, for her advantage, or for love of her, I will not hold my peace, from prayers before God; her savior, Cyrus; as brightness, in the glory of his kingdom. Mystically: I will not hold my peace, from the preaching of Christ because of contradiction; Zion, of the king; Jerusalem, of the priests; her savior, Christ: his face as the appearance of lightning (Dan 10:6).

1093. Note on the words, for Zion's sake I will not hold my peace (Isa 62:1), that the saints hold not their peace

first, because of the desire inflamed in them: there came in my heart the word of the Lord as a burning fire (Jer 20:9);

second, because of the truth evident to them: for we cannot but speak the things which we have seen (Acts 4:20);

third, because of the office enjoined on them: for a necessity lies upon me. For woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel (1 Cor 9:16);

fourth, because of the reward expected by them: in doing good, let us not fail. For in due time we shall reap, not failing (Gal 6:9).

1094. Note also on the words, till her just one come forth as brightness (Isa 62:1), that Christ shines

first, in the image of the Father: being the brightness of his glory and the figure of his substance (Heb 1:3);

second, in the light of the saints: in the brightness of the saints: from the womb before the day star I begot you (Ps 109[110]:3);

third, in the fullness of glory: his face did shine as the sun (Matt 17:2);

fourth, in rightness of doctrine, above: the Gentiles shall walk in your light, and kings in the brightness of your rising (Isa 60:3).

Commentary on Isaiah

1088. Second, he shows the fruit of the coming of the Savior.

First, as to the glory of the city, promising this glory in three things.

In the dignity of the king: and the Gentiles shall see, admiring and revering, your just one, Christ or Cyrus: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God (Ps 97[98]:3).

In the newness of its name, and you shall be called by a new name, according to the custom of the ancients, who gave new names from new events, and afterwards he will pronounce this name. Mystically, the Church, which was formerly the Synagogue: I will give him a white counter: and in the counter, a new name (Rev 2:17).

Commentary on Isaiah

The new name means the names given to the Christians. For the person baptized into saving baptism is called by another name because he received a total change of condition. But the Jew fought against the new name. For that reason it says in the prophecy of Isaiah, “He put a new name on you.” …A garland is composed from many different flowers, and the diadem of the kingdom denotes the ranks of apostles who led the churches, being Israelites by birth, and whom the new name suited since they were in communion so as to become a people. They are called “will,” those who have done his will, those who are said to love as a young man dwells with a virgin. This does not denote corruption but the blooming of her condition, for in dwelling with the virgin the groom protects her. This indicates the present-day condition of the churches; day and night the people guard God’s commands; the priests teach about God the whole night, and they praise the Lord and remember him.

Fragments on Isaiah

For the crown is really all those of Christ who, being set right through him, receive the diadem of the kingdom—those who sustained the struggle because of him, the holy martyrs whom the Father hand-picked to circle the crown for his son along with the royal “diadem” of honor, which is filled with the great number of those who have been saved by him.

Commentary on Isaiah 2:52

"You will be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord and a royal diadem in the hand of your God." Now this compares both each holy soul and the collective church, that is, the company of the saints, to a garland tied together from many flowers or to a royal diadem, shining with Indian jewels and with a variety of beautiful forms. For many are the noble characteristics of the saints, and there is not one type of distinction but many and various … and Christ himself said about his own sheep or the flock of those believing in him, "No one shall snatch them from the hand of the Father."

Commentary on Isaiah 5:5.62:3-5

In the translators the prophet holds forth like one caught up in delight: “For Zion’s sake I will not keep quiet.” For I will cry to God and ask to see the perfecting of what has been said—a time when “righteousness and the salvation of Jerusalem” will enlighten all. For after this a “light to the nations” will be passed on. For the choir of apostles extended the teaching to all the kingdoms, “and the kingdoms were like a jewel in the hand of God,” and so on. This was the blessing of those who fulfilled the promises first of all, that is, the community among the Jews called Jerusalem. Some call these new, for the apostles of the church were the firstfruits. “And I will not stop,” therefore, until God will fulfill his promises to it, the salvation through Christ for all the earth. For God is not of Israel alone but also of the nations. Some think that the words “my righteousness and my salvation” are actually spoken by the mouth of God promising to fulfill all these things.Christ is righteousness and salvation, just as a light in the world, saying, “When I am in the world, I am the light of the world,” which was formerly discordant in godlessness and all shadows. “Righteousness and glory” are terms that once more name Christ. For we are justified in him, and we are enriched with glory from him. To the newness of life, in place of the synagogue is rendered the name “church” and house and city of God, in which David said, “Glorious things are said of you, city of God.”

Commentary on Isaiah 62:1-12

In the defense of divine protection: and you shall be a crown of glory, because your God will glory in you, as a king glories in the crown of his kingdom; in the hand of the Lord, that is, in his protection: they shall receive a kingdom of glory, and a crown of beauty at the hand of the Lord (Wis 5:17). Mystically: the Church is like a crown, with which the Son of God is crowned by the Father.

Commentary on Isaiah

(Verse 4.) You will no longer be called forsaken, and your land will no longer be called desolate; but you will be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land will be inhabited, for the Lord takes pleasure in you; and your land will be married. LXX: And you will never again be called forsaken, and your land will not be called deserted anymore. Indeed, you will be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land will be inhabited. For Zion and Jerusalem, you will be called the Church, and the Lord's: for the Jews, they will be called Christians. Nor will you be content with this end of the words; but what was previously called Azuba in Hebrew, you will be called Epesi-Ba, which means my will in it; and your land, which was previously called Semema, desolate or deserted, will later be called Bula, which Aquila interpreted as formed; Symmachus and Theodotion interpreted it as inhabited; Septuagint as established, which all signify inhabited and possessed. This is indeed a Hebrew custom, that names are always given to things based on their outcomes: like Abram, who was previously called 'father of heights', when he heard the promise: 'And in your seed all the nations shall be blessed' (Gen. XII, 3), was called 'father of many nations', that is, Abraham. And to the Lord the Savior a name is given above: 'Quickly take plunder, swiftly seize spoil' (Isa. VIII, 1). Also, the sons of Zebedee, one of whom could emit the voice of thunder (Mark III): 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God' (John I, 1), were called 'Sons of Thunder', which means 'sons of thunder'. But what follows is omitted by the Septuagint, and it provides reasons why it is called Ephsi and why it is called Bula, because the Lord has been pleased with it in Zion, and has made its land habitable, which was previously deserted due to Jewish error. Whether we apply this to the Church, which was previously possessed by idols and deserted by God.

Commentary on Isaiah

Those who believe in the Lord received a new title; they are not called after Abraham or Israel or Judah but are named after the master, Christ. For they are called Christians by everyone, since they have put on Christ through the most holy baptism.

Commentary on Isaiah 19:62.2

Because she will be adorned and established in incomparable beauty, he adds, “You will be a beautiful garland.” For every holy soul and the whole church must be compared with a garland put together from many flowers and a royal jewel. For David says that the church is adorned in gold-embroidered and multicolored clothing similar to what is said in our text. “In the hand of God” means “under his shelter.” For he says, “Under my hand I will shelter you.” And Christ concerning his own sheep said, “No one can steal them from the Father’s hand.” Some say that the garland of Christ are those corrected by him. And the jewel of his kingdom are those martyrs for his sake, whom in his hand the Father had chosen to put round the Son, garlanding him and placing as a royal jewel, with the fullness of those who have been saved through him and by him. Among these taking a new name, she will no longer be called “she who is left deserted” but “my will,” that is, according to my will. This means that she who was previously deserted will be saved and placed with him, rather than deserted.…He says “will,” meaning those doing his will, those who love him, as a young man loves a virgin.… For he protects and keeps her as virgin, according to the mystery mentioned by Paul when he discusses Christ and the church. He shows the present state of the churches under the guidance of the priests day and night. While the people are unconscious of God, the priests become their defending wall, unconquered and placing a faithful guard against any approach of the devil.

Commentary on Isaiah 62:1-12

“Married,” since on the days of the captivity [your land] had become a widow, without kings or children; now, on the contrary, because of the return, it will be a married woman and a mother of children. “Your land shall be married,” that is, it will be sowed and made fertile, or it will now cooperate in its tilling and germination.

Commentary on Isaiah 62:4

And he excludes disgrace, and in so doing again pronounces a new name, you shall no more be called Forsaken: because they say of you (Ezek 36:13).

Commentary on Isaiah

“For as a young man marries a virgin, so shall your sons marry you.” He calls sons the apostles, the priests and the righteous ones of the church, who constitute the head of the body of the church, as the husband is the head of a woman. These are like husbands to the church through its doctrine and constantly generate spiritual sons to it.

Commentary on Isaiah 62:5

(Verse 5.) For a young man shall dwell with a virgin, and your sons shall dwell in you. And your God will rejoice over you as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride. LXX: And as a young man dwells with a virgin, so shall your sons dwell in you. And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall the Lord rejoice over you. And the Apostle says: Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the Church (Ephesians 5:25). And when he had given an example in another place: For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they shall be two in one flesh, he added, This is a great mystery: but I speak in Christ and in the Church (Ephesians 5:31, 32). If, therefore, due to the brevity of time, which is limited, men ought to have their wives as if they did not have them, how much more holy will be the union between the bridegroom and the bride? This is the bridegroom of whom it is sung in the twelfth psalm: 'And he, like a bridegroom, comes forth from his chamber' (Psalm 18:6). And this is the bride who is frequently mentioned in the Song of Songs, who has no wrinkle or blemish (Song of Songs 4). How Paul desires to offer a chaste virgin to one man, so that she may be holy in body and spirit (I Cor. 7). Concerning her, and under the name of the beloved, the 44th Psalm sings: The queen stood at your right hand, clothed in golden garments, surrounded by variety. (Verse 10). Therefore, just as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride, and a young man with a virgin, in whom there is a holy union: so the Lord will rejoice in her, whose names have been changed.

Commentary on Isaiah

"As a young man marries a virgin." This is said to the church about the time in the beginning when it was constituted from the Jewish tribes. For the godly disciples were Jewish according to their human origin, but they stood out from the others and took the lead since they had apostolic status. Yet they retained a great love and respect for their religion, so that there seemed to be great affection toward it as a man ought to feel toward a young virgin bride when he lies with her.… "The Lord will rejoice over you." … For the only-begotten Word of God came down from heaven to make the church fertile, which he presented to himself as a pure virgin, without spot or stain, wholly blameless. She received from him the seeds of the evangelical citizenship, became pregnant and gave birth, not with blood … but rather as one shaped to the beauty of the truth.

Commentary on Isaiah 5:5.62:3-5

1089. Second, as to the joy of the inhabitants of the city; both as to boys: for the young man shall dwell with the virgin; and as to grown men: and your sons shall dwell in you; and as to married men: and the bridegroom shall rejoice over the bride: there shall be heard again in this place (Jer 33:10). Mystically: the young man shall dwell with the virgin, chastely, as Mary dwelled with Joseph; the bridegroom, Christ; the bride, the Church.

Commentary on Isaiah

6–7

Instead of “there is none like you, until he sets Jerusalem right and makes it a shining example on the earth,” Symmachus has, “do not be silent and do not let him be silent until he prepares and makes Jerusalem to sing on the earth.” … For with the prophetic choir asking such questions, the Holy Spirit is encouraging them and exhorting them to continue in those prayers on behalf of those mentioned. So he says, “Don’t be silent and give no silence, that is, to the Lord who promises these things, until he has prepared and makes Jerusalem to sing on the earth.” He provides for the intercession made by the powers of all the people, that it should not be quiet or ever fall silent, but with shouts and unrestrained cries rouse him. The people’s intercession should never give God peace.

Commentary on Isaiah 2:52

6–7

(Verse 6, 7.) I have set watchmen upon your walls, O Jerusalem, who shall never hold their peace day or night: you who make mention of the Lord, keep not silence, and give him no rest, until he establishes, and until he makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth. LXX: And upon your walls, O Jerusalem, I have set watchmen, who shall never hold their peace day or night, remembering the Lord: there is no one like you, if he corrects you, and he will make Jerusalem rejoice upon the earth. The Prophet said: 'For Zion I will not be silent, and for Jerusalem I will not rest, and so on until that place where the chapter is now completed: The bridegroom will rejoice over the bride; your God will rejoice over you.' And he had promised that he would pray day and night, so that the Savior and the Just One who had been promised would come, and like a lamp illuminate the whole world. After this, the person of God speaking to Jerusalem is introduced, that is, the Church of the early Christians, and the one that was built up in the Apostles and through the Apostles: 'I have set watchmen on your walls, who we can understand to be either angels or apostles, and all its rulers and teachers.' Those who guard the walls of the Church, lest our adversary the devil, who prowls around like a roaring lion, may seize an opportunity to devastate the flock of the Lord. The guardians should not be silent, neither during the day nor at night, neither in times of joy nor in times of sorrow; but should always pray for the mercy of the Lord, so that His flock and the walls of Jerusalem may be guarded and strengthened by His help. Therefore, a speech is directed to the same guardians and teachers: O you who remember the Lord and tirelessly pray for His mercy day and night, be careful never to let prayer be silent in your mouth. Do not give silence to him, I imply, O Lord; but always be annoying, opportune, importune, and imitate the interruption of a harsh judge. For if he has put aside the fierceness of his mind by constant supplication, how much more will the Heavenly Father give good things to those who ask? However, you should pray for a long time, until Jerusalem, which has fallen among the Jews and is both an example and a curse, is praised throughout the whole world. And why did the Seventy wish, because of what is contained in Hebrew, that you do not remain silent about it until she establishes and places praise in Jerusalem on the earth, saying, the meaning of which does not agree with what was said before: For there is no one like you, if she corrects and makes Jerusalem rejoice over the earth. Unless perhaps by this skillful eloquence we may add, that it may be said to the guardians of the Church, that none of them will be like those who have made it through their preaching, so that she may be corrected, and all the earth may rejoice in Jerusalem.

Commentary on Isaiah

6–7

Jerusalem … there is nothing like you; for there is nothing like you among us. Nevertheless, because whatever he has surpasses the human by the excess of glory, God outstrips us by the glory of his divinity in his being good and compassionate.…If you could correct yourself, Jerusalem, that is, if you could change to spiritual worship, if you could … take notice of the things written by Moses, if you would receive God’s grace through faith and make his praise known through the earth, then you would make known the shining glory that is in Christ. This is the glory by which the Lord has sworn, since he has no one better to swear by. He has sworn “by his right arm,” in that those who of old afflicted you with great injustice would no longer get in your way.

Commentary on Isaiah 5:5.62:6-9

6–7

Again, he gives the name Jerusalem to the bride but calls guards those who lead the godly people through city and town, those who night and day sing praises to God and guard the city. If one wants to take these as angels, one would not be far wrong. For it says, “The angel of the Lord will encircle those who are afraid and protect them.”

Commentary on Isaiah 19:62.6

6–7

1091. You that are mindful of the Lord. Here he leads others to make a similar petition: hold not your peace, from prayer; and give him, God, no silence: always rejoice. Pray without ceasing (1 Thess 5:16–18).

Commentary on Isaiah

1090. Third, as to the diligent guarding of the city's buildings, which is expressed in Nehemiah 4:17: with one hand they built, and with the other they fought. Upon your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen all the day, and all the night, they shall never hold their peace. This is spoken according to the likeness of watchmen who guard the city; or by a metaphor it indicates the diligence of the princes, who governed the people, or of preachers in the Church: and they rested not day and night, saying: holy, holy, holy (Rev 4:8).

Commentary on Isaiah

He promises those crying out and who give unceasing praise to the Lord, “While you are still speaking, behold, I am here.” … Now to those who will be worthy of the new age and involved in the things the Lord promises, he will no longer give their fruit to their enemies, but they will profit from these themselves. For they are correcting their lives in the direction of virtue and in godly manner are pursuing righteousness and enjoying their own harvest.

Commentary on Isaiah 2:52

8–9

(Vers. 8, 9.) The Lord has sworn by his right hand and by the strength of his arm: If I give your wheat beyond food to your enemies, and if the sons of aliens drink your wine, in which you have labored: for those who gather it will eat it and praise the Lord, and those who carry it will drink it in my holy courts. LXX: The Lord has sworn by his right hand and by the strength of his arm: If I give my wheat beyond food to your enemies, and if the sons of aliens drink your wine, in which you have labored: but those who gather it will eat it and praise the Lord, and those who gather it will drink it in my holy courts. Almighty God, who said to the Church, 'I have set watchmen on your walls who shall never hold their peace day nor night. You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent, and give Him no rest till He establishes and till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.' Now He swears by His right hand and by the arm of His strength. Concerning whom we frequently say that He is our Lord and Savior, who, according to the Apostle, is the power of God and the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1). He swears that the grain and wine of Jerusalem shall never be given as food to the enemies, nor shall aliens devour the labor of it; but those who sow in tears shall reap in joy, and those who reap, with joyful shouting, and with the chaff removed, they shall gather the pure grain into the barns. They themselves shall eat the labor of their hands, and shall lift up the Lord with eternal praise, and shall drink wine in His holy courts. Because either we understand many dwellings with the Father, if we accept them as the future blessedness in the kingdom of heaven, or certainly the Churches divided throughout the whole world, in which we are planted, and afterwards we will flourish in the house of the Lord. But when He says: I will no longer give your wheat to your enemies, and foreigners will not drink your wine, in which you have labored, He shows the previous labor of the Jews, and that all their works were possessed by demons when they were wavering between God and idols, when Elijah said to them: How long will you limp with both feet? if the Lord is God, follow him (III Kings XVIII, 21). And according to the typical history narrated in the book of Judges, the Midianites came and devastated their crops as far as Gaza, so that the food of men was turned into fodder for animals (Judges VI). This is the wheat and this is the wine that they will not eat unless they praise the Lord, and they will not drink unless in his holy courts, of which the Lord said during his passion: Amen, amen I say to you, I will not drink from the fruit of this vine until I drink it new in the kingdom of my Father (Mark XIV, 25). Which part of the Church is fulfilled when the Lord says to His disciples: Drink, my friends, and be intoxicated, my brothers, for wine gladdens the human heart (Psalm 104). And it is drunk in broad daylight by Joseph and his brothers (Genesis 44). And it will be fulfilled more fully when the earth is intoxicated with the blessings of the Lord. The wheat from which the heavenly bread is made, that is what the Lord speaks of: My flesh is truly food. And again regarding wine: And my blood truly is drink (John VI).

Commentary on Isaiah

As you battle courageously, I will lead from the front. Since there is no one else better by whom one should swear, then by my own glory and by my own power I swear, since I will guard your harvest for you and stop those who are perpetual thieves, while you will profit from your own labors. Wheat and wine and food, spiritually speaking, signify the harvest of righteousness.

Commentary on Isaiah 19:62.8-9

1092. The Lord has sworn by his right hand. Here the Lord promises to fulfill the petition.

And first, as to driving back their enemies: if, supply: you do not trust in me, I will give your corn to be meat for your enemies: he that tills his ground (Prov 28:19), and eats not the fruit from it.

Commentary on Isaiah

“They will eat and drink in the courts of my sanctuary.” These are the many mansions with the Father. He mentions “courts,” or “dwellings” as some prefer, and so consequently mentions the temple. He says, “Go out through my gates,” meaning the heavenly city with its mansions and gates, which will be revealed to the saints in the future, in the place of those called. For no one will enter who is crippled by hate, or anyone who seeks to enter under false pretences. No demon will enter, or anyone who has obstructed the kingdom. “Make a road for my people,” he says to the angelic powers. But some take these powers to signify the churches of the world, and that the stones in that road are snares laid by the enemy. But the guards (that is, the disciples) are told to keep those who enter on the way free from harm. For the Jews … like to dwell in legal figures, while Greeks stumble against the strange teaching. For they refer to words that the Jewish scribes have written. But the spiritual leaders cut down the wild thickets of scandalous unclarity and remove every obstacle to the knowledge of God. Therefore, Paul says to those from the circumcision, “There is neither circumcision nor uncircumcision” but only the keeping of God’s commands.

Commentary on Isaiah 62:1-12

10–12

(Vers. 10-12.) Go through, go through the gates, prepare the way for the people, make the road smooth, and choose stones, raise a signal for the people. Behold, the Lord has made his message heard to the ends of the earth: say to the daughter of Zion, Behold, your Savior comes: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. And they shall call them the holy people, redeemed by the Lord. But you shall be called a sought-after city, and not forsaken. LXX: Go through my gates and make a way for my people. Cast stones out of the way. Lift up a sign among the nations. For behold, the Lord has made his hearing reach to the ends of the earth. Say to the daughters of Zion: Behold, your Savior comes, having his reward with him, and his work before his face. And he will call them a holy people, redeemed by the Lord. But you will be called a sought-after city, and not forsaken. He commanded the keepers of the walls of Jerusalem, to whom he had previously commanded not to keep silent, not to cease praying, so that they may pass through the gates of Jerusalem and make a way for the people. The statement argues that in the last days, when Israel is to be saved after the fullness of the Gentiles, the semi-Jews believe that they will return to the Lord. However, others think that it will be fulfilled in the kingdom of heaven, when there will be true joy and each person will receive according to their merit. They will not see the Lord in humility, but will feel His judgment when He comes on the clouds with a multitude of angels to render to each person according to their works. But according to the explanation given, we can understand these things at the first coming, so that we may say that the Apostles and the men who succeeded them, should enter and pass through the gates which hell cannot prevail against, and remove all obstacles from the path, so that the people may enter the Church of the Savior without any stumbling block. Therefore, John cried out in the wilderness: I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, as Isaiah said: Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths: every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be brought low (John 1:23, Isaiah 40:3-4). And in other words, the man of the Church has chosen stones that soften the hardness of the hearts of the believers. Of these stones, John the Baptist said: God is able to raise up children of Abraham from these stones (Matthew 3:9). Or according to the Septuagint, he throws stones from the path that separate the unbelievers from the believers. So that the Jews would not think that this is about them, it is added: Raise a sign to the nations, and to the peoples of the nations, so that the narrowness of salvation is not provoked only in the land of Judea, but let it be heard in the ends of the earth, so that the whole world may hear the passion of the Creator. Say, he says, to the daughter of Zion. She is called the daughter of Zion because she was first born from the Jews, as it says in the Song of Songs: The sons of my mother fought against me (Song of Songs 1:5); or certainly because she received the name of daughter from God through adoption. For as many as received him, he gave them power to become children of God (John 1). But what is it that the teachers and doctors of the daughter of Zion are commanded to announce? Behold, your Savior comes, who is called Jesus in Hebrew. Thus Gabriel said to Joseph: And you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins (Matt. 1:21). This Savior is the judge of all believers, to render to each according to their works: rewards to the righteous, and eternal punishments to the sinners (Matt. 16). And he shall call them Lord and Savior himself. Or, according to the Hebrew, the Apostles and Apostolic men shall call them, the holy and redeemed people of the Lord, who are redeemed by the blood of Christ. Moreover, the city itself will not be called abandoned, as it had been previously, either among the Jews due to commerce, or among the Gentiles due to idolatry, but rather sought after, as it is said in Hebrew, Drusa (); so that for the increase and variety of virtues, they always receive new names.

Commentary on Isaiah

“And salvation, along the way of his steps.” Note the exact words, “his steps,” where there are no rocks, where there are no thorns or thistles, where the path is even, where he may walk, where he cannot stumble. Let us, therefore, make way for the Lord in our heart, that way for which John [the Baptist] was giving his life’s effort.… Although formerly we faced obstacles of thorns and thistles, although we had stones, he declares to us in Isaiah, “clear the highway of stones.” He proclaims this, furthermore, lest he stumble on them when he is ready to walk in the way of our heart. Now the stones that he bids us to throw out from our way are our sins. Christ does not walk in our heart if there is any sin there. He stumbles at once against these stones. “And salvation along the way of his steps.” Let us prepare the way, and Jesus will set his steps in it.

Homilies on the Psalms 17 (psalm 85)

Second, as to the liberation of captives, as to the preparation of the way: go through, you messengers of Cyrus and Darius; pick out the stones, impediments: take the stones out of the way (Jer 50:26); or you, watchmen of the walls: preachers. As to the granting of joy: lift up the sign, the decree of Cyrus that all the captives could return, or the sign, of the cross, above: he shall set up a sign unto the nations (Isa 11:12).

Commentary on Isaiah

This forecasts the coming of the Savior and our redemption by his coming. It also foretells the granting of riches to those who believe in him.… Concerning that which is new, that is, the church, it may be fittingly said that it is the daughter of Zion.… For whom does he order to proclaim good news to Zion? Those holy spiritual guides, of course, who took on the leadership role in the church and whose job it was to open the gates and to remove the stones from their midst. And what were they to announce? “That the Savior has come bringing his own reward and his work before his face.” Two points are made, that which relates to his godhead and that which is a reward for us. Through both the Savior’s glory becomes apparent.

Commentary on Isaiah 5:5.62:11-12

Thus, what God has indicated to the ends of the earth is not the reconstruction of Jerusalem but the cross, the passion, the resurrection, the ascension of the Master to the heavens, the coming of the Holy Spirit and the hope of future benefits. He commands the heralds to prepare the road and to make it level … by removing difficulties. For he calls obstacles “stones.” … Then, once the route has been arranged, he ordains the heralds to say to the daughter of Zion, that is, to the church extended throughout the world, “Behold, your Savior has come to you, having his reward and his work before his face.”

Commentary on Isaiah 19:62.10-11

And as to the retribution of justice: tell the daughter of Zion, the people of the Jews, behold your Savior, God, or Cyrus; behold his reward is with him, that he might repay good things to you and evil things to your enemies. Mystically, this refers to the coming of Christ to judge, above (Isa 40:9–10) has the same thing.

Commentary on Isaiah

Our adversaries argue against us who defend the purity of the church that it will have mixed within it at the same time good and bad up to the end of the age. For this reason we demonstrate that the church of the Lord is called nearly everywhere in the divine Scriptures “holy” and “without spot.” In Isaiah, “say to the daughter of Zion, behold, your Savior comes bringing his reward and work with him, and he will call that people holy and redeemed by the Lord; and you will be called a desired city and not an abandoned one.” … For Paul clearly shows this: “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for it that he might sanctify it, washing it in the water of the word and joining it to himself, not having a spot or stain or anything like that, but holy and spotless.”

Acts of the Council of Carthage (411) 3:258

He rewarded the confession of the thief on the cross when he said, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” “He comes” to those who believed “and will call a people who have been ransomed by the Lord.” For it was not an elder or an angel but the Lord himself who has saved us. He says “the city shall be called ‘sought out,’ that is, worthy of memory. For it was formerly abandoned. So Jeremiah says, “I have abandoned my house and lost my inheritance.” And the Savior says, “Behold, your house will be left deserted.”

Commentary on Isaiah 62:1-12

Third, where it says, and they shall call them, he sets out the honor of the liberated people, who had a great reputation of holiness, because of the benefits given to them, above: after this you shall be called the city of the just, a faithful city (Isa 1:26). Mystically, this refers to the Church and the Christian people.

Commentary on Isaiah