OT § 121

(Verse 11) The lofty eyes of man will be humbled, and the pride of men will be brought low; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. When the enemies come and the Babylonian or Roman sword devastates every province, and the armies of warriors surround Jerusalem, then neither wealth, nor noble birth, nor the power of dignitaries will be able to defend anyone; but there will be one captivity for all, and only God will be exalted, and no one will be able to escape his wrath. Many understand this about the day of judgment, that every creature is humbled and bowed down in comparison to the divine glory, and feels that it is nothing.

Here he takes away from them confidence in their own power, and concerning this, he does two things: first, he excludes the power of resistance; second, he rejects the precaution of hiding, where it says, "and they shall go into the holes of rocks" (Isa 2:19).

He sets out two things to exclude the power of resistance. First, their lowering, both as to pride of heart, when he says, "the eyes," that is, pride, "of the lofty," that is, of powerful men, "are humbled," that is, they will be humbled: the past tense is used for the future because of the certitude of the prophecy: "a generation, whose eyes are lofty, and their eyelids lifted up on high" (Prov 30:13); "he will look on all that are proud, and confound them, and crush the wicked in their place" (Job 40:7). Then also as to nobility of ancestry; hence he says, "the height of men," that is, their nobility of ancestry: "yet I cast out the Amorrhite before their face: whose height was like the height of cedars" (Amos 2:9).

Second, he places the exaltation of the one who punishes: "the Lord alone shall be exalted," that is he who seemed weak in expectation, will appear high in punishing: "the Lord shall be known when he executes judgments" (Ps 9:16); below: "the Lord of hosts shall be exalted in judgment" (Isa 5:16).

(Verse 12) For the day of the Lord of hosts shall come upon all that is proud and lofty, and upon all that is arrogant; and they shall be brought low. These things are connected to the preceding ones. On that day, he says, the Lord alone shall be exalted, that is, on the day of the Lord's vengeance, the lofty and arrogant, and the high and mighty, shall be subjected to captivity and the sword. However, metaphorically speaking, the discourse pertains to the great and the princes: the more they exalt themselves, the more they shall be humbled. For the Lord resists the proud, and gives grace to the humble (1 Pet. 5). Those who understand the day of judgment believe that the proud and lofty and exalted and arrogant are called the devil. Whoever speaks in pride says: I will set my throne above the stars of heaven; I will sit on the high mountain, above all the lofty mountains to the north; I will ascend above the clouds, I will be like the Highest (Isa. 14:13-14): when praise is perfected from the mouths of infants and nursing babies, so that the enemy and avenger may be destroyed (Ps. 8:3).

Here is set out the manner of fulfillment of the things that have been predicted. And first, as to the lowering of men; second, as to the subtraction of things, where it says, "and upon all" (Isa 2:13).

Thus he says first: therefore this will be which was said, because "the day of the Lord," that is, the time of vengeance, below: "the day of vengeance is in my heart, the year of my redemption is come" (Isa 63:4); "of hosts," that there be no doubt about victory of him, under whom there is such a multitude of servants; he will come as heavy weight to compress, "upon every one that is proud and high-minded," that is, upon him who is raised up more from the great things he has; "and upon every one that is arrogant," who is elevated because of that which he does not have. The arrogant man is he who attributes to himself what he does not have (Gregory). "I hate arrogance, and pride, and every wicked way, and a mouth with a double tongue" (Prov 8:13). "And he shall be humbled": "he that exalts himself shall be humbled" (Luke 14:11).

(Verse 13) And above all the tall and erect cedars of Lebanon, and above all the oaks of Bashan. And in the twenty-eighth psalm it is sung: The voice of the Lord breaking the cedars; the Lord will break the cedars of Lebanon and crush them like the calf of Lebanon (Psalm 28:5). And in the thirty-sixth psalm: I saw the wicked exalted and raised up like the cedars of Lebanon, and I passed by, and he was no more, and I searched for him, and his place was not found (Psalm 6:34). Basan also signifies the oak trees, which Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotio have interpreted as δρύας, as well as the acorns. We know that they bear fruit, but they are food for pigs, not for humans. Basan is a region in Arabia, over which Og ruled, who is called the king of Basan, and it is interpreted as αἰσχύνη, that is, ignominy. If we wanted to translate it into confusion, it would mean σύγχυσιν, that is, Babylon, more than Basan. Therefore, the vengeance of the Lord will rise against all those who rise up in arrogance, engage in ignominious acts, and revel in the filth of lust. But if a discerning reader should ask why cedar wood is placed in the temple of the Lord, and why we read in Psalm 103 according to the Hebrew truth, 'The trees of the Lord shall be satisfied, the cedars of Lebanon, which thou hast planted: there the sparrows shall make their nests' (Psalm 103:18); and among the other trees even the cedars are called to praise the Lord; and in the coming of the Savior, when all the trees and the trees of the field shall clap their hands with their branches, it is written, 'I will set in the dry land a cedar and box tree, and a cypress, and a pine' (Isaiah 41:19, LXX): and now does the prophetic word threaten the day of the Lord upon the cedars of Lebanon? This must be said, that from the same kind of men, some are exalted to the kingdom, others are brought down to punishment, and the cedars of Lebanon, which are crushed because of their pride, are chosen when they have a good fragrance, and when they have said with the Apostle: We are the sweet odor of Christ (I Cor. II, 15).

Here he places the subtraction of things which make for defense. And first, as to things that pertain to preparing machines of war: either because of their height, and thus he says, "upon all the cedars"; or because of their strength, and thus he says, "upon all the oaks": "open your gates, O Libanus, and let fire devour your cedars" (Zech 11:1); and below this: "howl, you oaks of Basan, because the fenced forest is cut down" (Zech 11:2).

(Verse 14.) And above all high mountains, and above all elevated hills. Just as for the variety of virtues, mountains and hills are called good things: so among the impious for the diversity of vices, and especially pride, some are mountains, some are hills, over which the day of the Lord will come, of which it is written in Ezekiel: Thus says the Lord God to the mountains and hills: behold, I will bring a sword upon you, and your high places shall be destroyed, and your altars shall be broken down, and the rest (Ezech. VI, 3).

As to things which pertain to the fortification of places from nature: "and upon all the high mountains": "thus says the Lord God to the mountains, and to the hills, and to the rocks, and the valleys" (Ezek 6:3).

(Verse 15) And over every high tower, and over every fortified wall. Those who refer these times to Vespasian and Adrian, say that the things written have been fulfilled in bodily form, that neither a high tower, nor a strongest wall, nor any multitude of ships and the industry of commerce, were able to prevail against the power of the Roman army; but such fear had come upon the inhabitants of Judea, that they themselves, along with their wives and children, thinking that gold and silver would be of help to them, were submerged in the pits of the earth, and sought the deepest caves. For if the belly of the voracious and luxurious is God, why should gold and silver not be called God? Others refer these things to the times of Babylon. Therefore, according to the laws of tropology, let us go through each individual thing. A tower is built either for the defense of the city or for a lookout, so that the approaching enemy can be seen from afar. Therefore, each one of us must build a tower, after calculating the expenses, lest, according to the Gospel parable (Luke 14), when he cannot complete the work, he be laughed at. This well-constructed tower will persist. But if it is built in pride and does not have a strong foundation, it will fall on the one from whom it was built, just like that tower in Siloam, which killed eighteen men. Therefore, the Lord speaks to those who hear: 'And unless you repent, you will all likewise perish' (Luke 13:3). We will also read in the following that the Lord built a tower in his vineyard and made a winepress, and surrounded it with a wall, but all of these were destroyed and laid waste because they swelled with the empty pride of their arrogance (Isaiah 5). They also build high walls so that the city is not quickly destroyed, so that it is not open to enemies who surround it, fortified by men of great wisdom and by every means, so that no false doctrine prevails over the truth. God speaks about these walls to Jerusalem: 'Behold, I have depicted your walls on my hands, and they are always before me.' (Jeremiah XLV, 16, trans. LXX). But if those who had previously attacked the Church, upon discovering the truth, turn to faith and fight for it, which they had previously attacked, then this will be fulfilled: 'You will quickly be rebuilt by those by whom you were destroyed.' (Ibid., 17). In Leviticus, we also read that a house, which is in walled cities, if it has not been redeemed within a year, shall be confirmed to the buyer as a permanent possession, but if it is in villages and towns that do not have walls, it can always be redeemed, and the price of the buyer may fluctuate (Lev. XXV).

As to things which pertain to the fortification of places from art: "and upon every high tower": "a day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high bulwarks. And I will distress men" (Zeph 1:16–17).

(Verse 16.) And over all the ships of Tarshish, and over everything that is beautiful to see. Regarding Tarshish, which all similarly transferred, only seventy interpreted the sea. The Hebrews believe that the sea of Tarshish is properly called () in their language, but when it is said Iam (), it is not called in the Hebrew language, but in the Syriac language. Josaphat also had ships that he would send to Tarshish (3 Kings 22:49), but they were broken in Asiongaber. Solomon also had ships that went to Tharsis (III Kings X, 22), and they would return after three years, bringing the king silver and gold, ivory and apes. But because both kings had sinned, one being devoted to pleasure and loving foreign women, and the other forming alliances with the king of Samaria, both of these actions are referred to the Gentiles and heretics, in whom there is nothing more than the appearance of eloquence, a sense constructed by the diabolical art, and a dead language that is interpreted in the teeth, and a likeness of human reason that is perceived in the apes. Therefore, in the Psalms, we read, "With a violent spirit, you will shatter the ships of Tharsis" (Psalm XLVII, 8). And concerning these ships, Isaiah also speaks; Woe to the wings of the ships, which are beyond Ethiopia (Below, chapter XVIII, 1, section LXX). But on the other hand, there are also good ships, of which it is said in the same psalms: Those who go down to the sea in ships, and do business in many waters. They have seen the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep (Ps. CVI, 23). For those who are not idle in the waves of this world, but work and carry the Lord's goods, and hasten to come to the harbor of rest, they see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep, when they have reached profound knowledge, and have searched out everything, that is, when they have also beheld the deep things of God and his wonders. Josephus believes that Tharsis is the city of Tarsus in Cilicia, while others think it is a region of India, and they also say that the gemstone called Chrysolithus, which we call Chrysolite, is named after this region because of its similar color to the sea. However, it is better to understand Tharsis as either the sea or the ocean. For Jonah, sailing from Joppa, could not reach India, which cannot be reached by the sea he sailed on; but he simply went out to sea and traveled to any islands. And what follows: And above all that is beautiful to see: or as the LXX translated, And above every aspect of the beauty of ships, to be understood in the same sense, that whatever is beautiful in words and constructed by human reason may be destroyed from the day of the Lord if it rises up against the knowledge of God.

As to things which pertain to abundance of provisions, and thus he says: "and upon all the ships," in which provisions are borne, "of Tharsis," that is, of the sea, below: "howl, you ships of the sea, for the house is destroyed, from whence they were wont to come" (Isa 23:1).

"And upon all that is fair to behold": this pertains to the placating of enemies, or the increase of fighters: "who can despise the people of the Hebrews, who have such beautiful women?" (Jdt 10:18).

Here it is as if he concludes the proposition; and it is entirely the same as what was said before, except that something is added about the destruction of idols, so that he alone may be shown to be the highest.

(Verse 18) And the pride of men shall be humbled, and the lofty heights of men shall be brought low, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day, and all idols shall be utterly crushed. Human discourse seems to have reason as long as it is not compared to divine knowledge. But when falsehood approaches truth like straw to fire, it is quickly consumed and perishes, and all the doctrines of falsity, which are now called idols, because they are feigned and fabricated, shall be utterly crushed.

"And idols shall be utterly destroyed": "your idols shall be broken in pieces and shall be no more, and your temples shall be destroyed" (Ezek 6:6).

(Verse 19) On that day, a man will cast away his silver idols and his gold images that he made for himself to worship moles and bats. He will enter the clefts of the rocks and the crevices of the cliffs, from the terror of the Lord and the splendor of His majesty, when He arises to shake the earth. We have often spoken of silver and gold in a figurative sense, expressing their capacity to speak or feel God, and praise their Creator, since they were given by God to humans for this purpose. However, they misuse this gift by using it to simulate idols, as it is written: I gave them silver and gold, but they used it to make Baal idols (Hosea 2:8). Therefore, when someone, terrified by the fear of the Lord, first places idols in the cave of their heart and hides them in the depths of the earth, not daring to bring forth what they have wrongly conceived, they make progress by throwing away what has been carved and refusing to allow it to exist within themselves. Concerning the moles, which we have interpreted as seventy, the Aquila put stones, Symmachus put unfruitful things, and Theodotion put the Hebrew word Pharpharoth(). Now, the animal is blind, always digging into the earth, excavating the soil, and feeding on roots, harmful to crops: the Greeks call it aspalax. The bat, however, is a nocturnal bird, which received its fitting name νυκτερὶς because it flies at night. It is a small animal, similar to a mouse, not resonating so much with voice and song, as with a shrill sound. Since it appears to be flying, it shuns the light and does not tolerate seeing the sun. Idols have been compared to creatures of this kind, which dwell in blind and dark worship: and all doctrines contrary to truth. When they have been abandoned on the day of the Lord, those who have rejected them will enter into the cracks of rocks and caverns of stones, so that they may not engage in the dust of the earth and cheap mud, but be involved in sound reasoning, and find various openings of virtues through which they may be able to reach the truth. I have briefly described in this anagoge, as best I could, the times and destruction of Jerusalem that the Hebrews refer to in Babylon, when the Lord rose to strike the land of the Jews.

The Creator ought to be known even by the light of nature, for he may be understood from his works and may thereby become the object of a more widely spread knowledge. To him, therefore, does it appertain to punish such as do not know God, for none ought to be ignorant of him. In the apostle's phrase, "From the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power," he uses the words of Isaiah, who for that same reason attests the very same Lord as arising "to shake terribly the earth."

Here he places the precaution of hiding; and it is the same as before, except that here it is foretold as in the future, because he had also explained by foretelling and not by calling down that their power was to be thrown down; "they shall go into the lower parts of the earth: they shall be delivered into the hands of the sword, they shall be the portions of foxes" (Ps 63:9–10).

(Verse 20.) Therefore cease from man, whose breath is in his nostrils; for he is considered high. This was omitted by the LXX, and in the Greek copies it was added under asterisks by Origen from the edition of Aquila, which reads in Hebrew: Hedalu LachemMen Aadam Aser Nasama Baaphpho Chi Bama Nesab Hu. Where we said, he is considered high: Aquila interpreted it as, in whom he is considered high. The Hebrew word Bama (), or ὕψωμα in Greek, means 'high place' or 'exalted', which we read in both the Books of Kings and in Ezekiel. It is also written with the same letters as the Hebrew word Beth, Mem, He, and depending on the context, it can be read as Bamma, meaning 'high place', or Bama, meaning 'exalted'. Therefore, the Jews, understanding that it was a prophecy about Christ, interpreted the ambiguous word in a negative way, so that they would not appear to be praising Christ, but rather disregarding Him. For what is the consequence of words, and what is the order of reason and meaning, so that we may say: Since these things are so, and the day of the Lord is coming, when the whole Judaean state will be destroyed, and everything will be demolished: I warn and command you to refrain from a man who breathes and lives like this, for he is considered nothing. Let no one praise any man in such a way as to say: Beware lest he offend him, who is indeed nothing at all. Therefore, on the contrary, understand it in this way: Since all these things are about to happen to you and are being proclaimed by the prophetic spirit, I warn and command you to abstain from him who, according to the flesh, is indeed a man, and has a soul, and breathes in this way, and draws breath through his nostrils, just as we humans breathe and live. But according to the divine majesty, he is both exalted, esteemed, and believed. Considering silently in my mind, I cannot find a reason why they did not want to translate such a clear prophecy about Christ into Greek. For the others, indeed, who translated [the text], brought forth an ambiguous meaning towards impiety, it is not surprising why they were interpreted badly, nor did they want to say something glorious about Christ, in whom they did not believe: namely, the Jews or Semijews, that is, the Ebionites. But that Christ is exalted and highest, who is called in another language among the Hebrews, Elion (), we read in the 86th Psalm: Shall Zion say, 'This man was born in it', and the Highest himself hath founded it (Psalm 86:5)? And in the Gospel: And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High (Luke 1:76). And so that I don't go on a long rope (for in the interpretation of sacred Scriptures we should follow the truth, not contention), in this place 'Bama' among the Hebrews is not said to be lofty, but high, that is, the very height and sublimity: as if we were to say of someone, they are not divine, but divination: they are not a stream, but a fountain: they are not a man, but humanity itself. Origen interpreted this passage as follows: Because it is said singularly of one man, it can also be referred to the Lord Savior: as the Prophet commands, that they may rest from him who is esteemed in something great; although for the time being he appears as a man, and has the breath in his nostrils, just as other human beings breathe.

Here he removes the third, namely confidence in idols. And first, he takes away their help; "to adore": "And I went in and saw, and behold every form of creeping things, and of living creatures, the abominations, and all the idols of the house of Israel, were painted" (Ezek 8:10). Below: "in that day a man shall cast away his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which your hands have made for you to sin" (Isa 31:7).

Second, he returns to the protection of hiding, where it says, "and he shall go into the clefts of rocks": "every bondman and every freeman hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of mountains" (Rev 6:15).