Isaías 10

Jerome · Comentário Patrístico (catena)

Isaías 10:1

"Woe to those who establish unjust laws and write injustice." Most people still believe that these things are said against the ten tribes who lived in Samaria, because they too joined in the previous crimes. But to us it seems that the prophetic word is crying out against the judges of the tribe of Judah and Jerusalem, namely the Scribes and the Pharisees, because they have written unjust laws against God's law and have undermined the truth of justice with their traditions. For God says: Honor your father and mother (Exodus XX, 12); but they, on the contrary, advised children to say to their parents: Whatever gift you might have received from me, it will be helpful to you, so that they would not honor (Al. honor) their father and mother (Matthew XV, 5, 6; Mark VII, 11), and similar things. According to the allegory, every heretic writes injustice. — Commentary on Isaiah

Isaías 10:2

"in order to oppress the poor in judgment and to do violence to the cause of the humble people of my nation, so that widows may be their prey and they may plunder the orphans." Therefore, they wrote wicked laws in order to oppress the poor and lowly people, to plunder widows, and to prey upon orphans. According to the allegory, every heretic writes injustice in order to deceive the poor and humble people, and to plunder widows and orphans. For indeed, the wealthy person, of whom we read: "The redemption of the soul of a man is his own wealth" (Prov. XIII, 8), does not endure threat, nor is he easily captured by them. But the poor person, who is humble and small among the people, is easily scandalized by them. Likewise, the widow who has lost her husband and the orphan who has lost his Creator, of whom it is written: "You have forsaken God who begot you, and have forgotten the God who brought you up" (Deut. XXXII, 18), are easily overthrown. — Commentary on Isaiah

Isaías 10:3

"What will you do on the day of visitation and the calamity that comes from afar? To whom will you flee for help? And where will you leave your glory?" Those who are asked what they will do, when the day of either captivity or judgment comes, and the calamity from afar, which was foretold long before. To whom, he says, will you flee for help, when you offend God, who is the true helper, and where will you leave your glory? For riches will not profit on the day of wrath, lest the Assyrian lead the bound into a hostile land, lest you fall in battle (Proverbs 11:4). So what will [heretics] do on the day of judgment, when they have deceived so many and the calamity from afar is coming? Just as it is said to the righteous man, "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (Rom. X, 8); and in another place: "The kingdom of God is within you" (Luke XVII, 2); so the calamity of the heretics will come from afar, prepared for them in due time. To whom will they flee, when they have a false god? To whom will they give their glory, when everything is feigned? And they will not be able to escape the bond by which they have bound many. Therefore, even in the vision of the valley of Zion, which has been deserted by the height of God and deceived by heretical humility, it is said of the false masters of the name of knowledge: All your leaders have fled, and those who have been captured are tightly bound (Isaiah 22:3). — Commentary on Isaiah

Isaías 10:4

"Do not be bent down under a chain and fall among the slain. His rage is not turned away, but his hand is still stretched out." And finally, just as he had often said against Samaria in the previous episodes: In all these things his anger is not turned away, but still his hand is stretched out, even against Judah, because there is no end to their evil (or malice); even in the enemy territory of the Lord, the sword pursues them. And although [heretics] may fall with each one being killed, and perish in the death of others, and suffer greatly, and the day of visitation will come, there will be no end to their destruction, but they will always tremble at the hand of the Lord that is impending upon them. Until now, there has been a threat from God against ten and a half tribes, that is, against Samaria and Jerusalem, which began during the reign of Achaz. Two and a half tribes were captured under his rule, and the remaining tribes were captured under Hezekiah, who succeeded Achaz as king (2 Kings 16:17). The following prophecy is written against the Assyrians. — Commentary on Isaiah

Isaías 10:5-11

(Verse 5 and following) Woe to Assyria, the rod of my anger, and the staff in their hands is my fury. I will send him against a deceitful nation, and I will command him against the people of my wrath, to take the spoil and seize the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. But he does not understand this, and his heart does not take it to heart, but his purpose is to destroy and cut off nations. For my princes are not also kings? Is not Charcamis like Chalanno, and Arphad like Emath? Is not Damascus like Samaria? Just as my hand found the kingdoms of idols, so too their images from Jerusalem and Samaria. Shall I not do to Jerusalem and its idols what I did to Samaria and its idols? Let us put here the translation of the Septuagint, which differs in many ways from the Hebrew. LXX: Woe to the Assyrians: the rod of my anger is in their hands, I will send my wrath against a wicked nation, and I will command my people to plunder and loot, and to trample down cities and reduce them to dust. But he did not think so, and did not intend it that way; rather, his purpose is to destroy, and to annihilate many nations. And if they say to him: You alone are the ruler, he will reply: I did not conquer the region above Babylon, and Chalane, where the tower was built. But I came to Arabia, and Damascus, and Samaria: just as I brought these, so I will take all the kingdoms. Howl, statues in Jerusalem and Samaria; for just as I did to Samaria and its idols, so I will do to Jerusalem and its images. First, it must be known that in Hebrew there is no 'Chalane,' but 'Chalanno' (). For the last letter of this name is not 'Iod,' as they believed, but 'Vau,' which letters differ in size only. However, the tower was built in the plain of Shinar, where there were Erech, Akkad, and Calneh, and Babylon, which received its name from the confusion of languages (Genesis 11). However, in Hebrew, Arabia is not mentioned, but rather Hamath, which the Syrians still call Epiphania. They also added idols in Jerusalem of their own accord. And that which is written above: If they say to him, 'You alone are the prince,' he will answer, 'I did not take that region, and that one, but I took Arabia, and Damascus, and Samaria.' This suggests the meaning: When, he says, the Assyrians who were captured say, 'You are the prince of all,' he, still feeling weak, will answer, 'How do you call me prince, when I have only taken Arabia, and Damascus, and Samaria, and the distant nations beyond Babylon have not yet submitted to my rule?' But just as I captured Arabia, Damascus, and Samaria, I will subdue all kingdoms to me. Let us now turn to Hebrew and write down briefly what we think. Woe to the Assyrians, that is, Sennacherib, for he is the rod and staff of my fury. In his hand is my indignation, and through him I will strike down the deceitful nation that has always cowered between me and idols, that has lied about obeying my commands. I will command him against my furious people, to plunder and loot them, and to reduce them to dust and trample them like mud in the streets. That is, to strike them but not kill them, to wound them but not take their lives. But he extended the scope of my anger and not only raged against Israel, against whom it had been directed, but he also ravaged many nations, so that he wore out all the kingdoms around, and his sword raged even against the destruction of many nations. For he rose up in pride, and dared to say: My commanders are the kings of other nations, and they are subject to me, they will rule over all nations. Just as I took (conquered) Carcamis, so I also took (conquered) Chalanne; just as I obtained Arphad, so I also obtained Emath; just as I took (conquered) Damascus, so I also subjugated Samaria. Just as I have conquered the other kingdoms that worshiped idols, I will also bring Jerusalem and Samaria, where the same idols are worshiped, under my control. Just as I have taken Samaria with its idols, I will also capture Jerusalem, because they worship the same gods. Additionally, we have added 70 cities from the region beyond Babylon, including Chalane where the tower was built, completely abandoning Arphad. According to their translation and tropology, as long as it is pious, we can infer freedom from the fact that he says, 'And I will command my people to take the spoils and the plunder, and to trample on cities and reduce them to dust.' We can also interpret this to mean that every day the Lord commands his people to reduce to dust the cities of the adversaries that rise up against the knowledge of God and have been built by the excessive labor of heretics, and to demonstrate that they are nothing. One who understands the weakness of the human heart, and that being encompassed by mortal flesh, cannot have perfect victory over virtues, nor can all nations accept it, even though others may admire and say: You alone are the leader, will respond to them: There are many things which I must destroy, and yet I have not been able to destroy them: I know that I do not know. And although I have overcome many arguments of adversaries, there are still many that must be overcome. At the same time, with hope for the future, he promises himself victory from the things he has overcome and also from the others. The idols of Jerusalem and Samaria are ordered to howl, not the ones that are fake, but those who made them, metaphorically those who made them, through the things that were made, so that not only those who fabricated idols in heresies, but also those who defend falsehood in the Church out of ignorance, may testify that they have erred with howling and repentance. — Commentary on Isaiah

Isaías 10:12

"And it shall come to pass, when the Lord has completed all his works on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, that I will visit the fruit of the noble heart of the king of Assyria, and upon the glory of the height of his eyes." After the captivity of Samaria and the victory of the Assyrians, and the threat against Jerusalem, because they imitated the idols of Samaria, they should be punished with a similar sentence; now against Assyria itself, which has become proud and thought its own strength was what led to victory, the Prophet speaks. There are those who generally believe that these things are said against the kingdom of the Assyrians because after the Lord completes all his works on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, that is, after Jerusalem has been overthrown, the empire of the Assyrians will be destroyed. However, from what follows, the threat seems to be specifically against King Sennacherib of Assyria. When it says, "After the Lord completes all his works on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem," it does not signify the destruction of the city, but rather the siege, when the commander Rabsaces came with Sennacherib, and did those things which the same Prophet recounts later on (Isai. XXXVII, 17). — Commentary on Isaiah

Isaías 10:13

All sins must be avoided, to be sure, because all sins are contrary to God, but they vary in degree. The proud, for example, are God's enemies. "God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble." The devil is the prince of the proud. "Lest he be puffed up with pride," says holy Scripture, "and incur the condemnation passed on the devil," for everyone who glorifies himself in his heart is partner to the devil, who used to say, "By my own power I have done it, and by my wisdom, for I am shrewd. I have moved the boundaries of peoples." … All other failings deserve the mercy of the Lord because, in humility, they are submitted to the tribunal of God; pride alone, because it honors itself beyond its power, resists God. The adulterer or the fornicator does not dare to raise his eyes to heaven; in defection of soul, he looks for God's mercy; yet this one whom conscience bows down and humbles to the ground, it also elevates to heaven. When pride and inordinate desire for glory raise up a person, they at the same time abase him, for by his sin they make him an enemy of God. — HOMILIES ON THE PSALMS, ALTERNATE SERIES, PSALM 93

Isaías 10:13

"For he said, 'By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom I have understood it. I have removed the boundaries of the peoples, and have plundered their princes. I have brought down the inhabitants as if they were mighty.'" They have interpreted the LXX for profit, meaning, or great understanding. For the Assyrian, boasting with swelling pride, said that with the strength of his hands he has conquered all nations and has possessed the borders with incredible wisdom. — Commentary on Isaiah

Isaías 10:14

"My hand has found the wealth of the peoples, as one gathers eggs that are abandoned. I have gathered the whole earth, and there was no one who moved a wing or opened his mouth to chirp." And according to the LXX, he was of such great power, that he completely destroyed cities of warlike men, and seized the entire world as if it were a nest, and he turned the abandoned eggs from their mothers into his prey. And since he had once taken the metaphor from birds, nests, and eggs, he kept it in the rest, saying: There was no one who would move a feather, and open their mouth, and squawk. Such was the terror of my strength and victory, that even the conquered could not freely reveal their weeping and groaning. According to tropology, when Samaria and Jerusalem endure the anger of the Lord and realize that they have erred in the making of idols, then great understanding will be destroyed, the Assyrian, who is swollen with such pride against the Lord, thinking that all things will yield to his wisdom, and that every lofty doctrine and fortified dialectical art must be shaken and utterly destroyed; to such an extent that they are unable to rise up high like the fledglings of birds, and are not yet animate, but rather inanimate and sluggish, as the example of eggs demonstrates, not even able to chirp or move their tongues against the reason and strength of their speech. — Commentary on Isaiah

Isaías 10:15

(Verse 15.) Will the axe boast against the one who hews with it, or the saw exalt itself against the one who draws it? As if a rod should raise itself against the one who lifts it, or a staff should exalt itself, which is only wood. In response to Sennacherib, or as many believe, Nebuchadnezzar, boasting and saying: 'By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom, for I have understanding,' the holy Prophet replied: 'O most foolish of mortals, do you think God's wrath is your wisdom, and His command is your strength?' How can an axe boast against the one who wields it, or a saw against the one who draws it? And let them say, all the works done by the axe and the saw are perfected by their own skill. And if someone lifts a staff and raises a stick to strike whoever they desire, and that staff and stick boast, saying that they themselves have struck the one who was struck: in the same way, when you are an instrument of God's will, you elevate yourself in pride and glory in everything that is done as your own virtue. But whatever is said to be Assyrian can also be referred to the pride of heretics and to the devil, who is called an axe, a saw, and a rod in the Scriptures, because through him unfruitful trees are cut down and divided, and the hardness of unbelievers is sawn, and those who do not receive discipline are struck with a rod. The heretics, whose mouth is set against heaven and whose tongue stretches to the ground, twist the meaning they have received from God in a good way and use it for the opposite and perverse, so that they speak against the one by whom they were created, and they turn the ministry of tongues, by which the Lord is to be praised, into blasphemy (Psalm 72). — Commentary on Isaiah

Isaías 10:16-19

(Verse 16 and following) Therefore, the Lord of hosts will send wasting sickness among his fat ones, and under his glory a burning will be kindled like the burning of fire. And the light of Israel will become a fire, and his Holy One a flame, and it will burn and devour his thorns and briers in one day. The glory of his forest and of his fruitful land the Lord will destroy, both soul and body, and it will be as when a sick man wastes away. And the remaining trees of his forest will be so few that a child can write them down. Because you have done these things and have spoken what I have told you above, therefore the Lord will send His Angel, and in one night one hundred eighty-five thousand of your army will die, so that the most powerful ones, whom He calls fat, will be reduced to thinness and nothingness. And as the Hebrews relate, the bodies of the Assyrians, with their untouched clothing, will be consumed by hidden fire. Then the light of Israel and the holy one, that is, the angel, will be in fire and flame, and all the thorns and brambles of the Assyrians, that is, their wickedness, will be consumed, not over a long time, but in one day and moment. And just as the forest-covered mountain of Carmel, which is located in Galilee, quickly burns when fire is placed underneath it, so too will all the glory of the Assyrians be consumed, from humans to animals. Then the plundered army will flee, as the Prophet testifies in what follows, and from such an innumerable multitude that was compared to Carmel and the forest, it will come to such a small number that even a little child will be able to count and describe them. For the Hebrews report that only ten of his army remained; some of ours say that this king is a type of hostile strength. And just as in the book of Daniel (Chapter X) we read about the rulers of the Persian kingdom, and the kingdom of the Medes, and the kingdom of the Greeks, so there is also a ruler of the Assyrians, who is called the great prince because of the pride of his understanding, and on the day of judgment he will be delivered to the fires of Gehenna, which are prepared for the devil and his angels. And the light of Israel, which is the Lord himself, will set fire to the thorns and thistles of Assyria, and will reduce all its power and countless people to nothingness. Then, terrified by this, they will want to avoid the imminent punishment like a twisted and fleeing snake. However, those who can escape from his leap and confusion, and from the burning wood, are considered worthy to be numbered and described by the boy whose authority is on his shoulders. This itself can also be referred to the heretics: that after the Church's teaching has shone forth, and all their disciples have been exposed, then they come to such great solitude, that only a few remain who follow their error, from the jump and unfruitful trees and their countless multitude, which they deceived by heretical fraud. Because what we translate, the Lord will send thinness in her fatness, LXX translated, the Lord will send dishonor in your honor. And because we have said: and his saints in the flame, they have turned: and he will sanctify him in fire: by which some understand that punishments and torments are applied to sinners, in order to be purged by the divine fire. And what we have said: And the glory of his forest, and of his Carmel: they have interpreted: The mountains, and hills, and forests shall be extinguished, by which all the glory, pride, and multitude of the Assyrians shall be humbled and extinguished. — Commentary on Isaiah

Isaías 10:20-23

(Verse 20 onwards) And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel shall no more stay upon him that smote them, but shall stay upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God. For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return: the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness. For the Lord God of hosts will make a consummation and an abbreviation in the midst of all the land. As it is said in Greek: The remnant of Jacob will return to the mighty God, for the mighty God, in Hebrew it is written El Gibbor (), two names out of the six names by which we read the little child and son, who is given to us, is called. And because it is written: The remnant will return, in Hebrew it is said in the singular number, that which is left will return, that is, τὸ ὑπόλειμμα ἐπιστρέψει, in Hebrew it is written Sar Jasub (). And from this occasion of conversation, they believe that the son of Isaiah, named Jasub, preceded as a sign of salvation for the people of Israel. Therefore, when the light of Israel, and the holy forest of Carmel, and the thorn bush are consumed, and the Assyrian king flees with a few, then the remaining people of Israel, who were besieged in Jerusalem with King Hezekiah as their leader, will by no means rely on the Assyrian king, as they now do under King Ahaz, who sent messengers to the king of Assyria saying, 'I am your servant, go up and free me from the hand of the king of Syria and from the hand of the king of Israel, who have risen against me' (2 Kings 16:7). When he brought gold and silver, which were found in the treasuries of the house of the Lord and in the royal palace, and sent gifts to the king of Assyria, he listened to him and went to Damascus, captured it, and deported Rasin. But having been freed from the Assyrian oppressor, who had previously been a friend and later an enemy, let them rely and have confidence in the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, not falsely as they did under previous kings, but in truth. What we read about under Hezekiah: that, having abandoned idols, they turned to the worship of God. And because he had said that the remnants must be saved, he moves on to later times and says that full salvation will come under Christ. This is also what the apostle Paul, understanding this, writes to the Romans: But Isaiah cries out for Israel: If the number of the children of Israel is like the sand of the sea, the remnants will be saved. For the word is consuming and shortening in righteousness, because the Lord will make a short word upon the earth (Rom. IX, 27). And as Isaiah said: Unless the Lord of hosts had left us seed, we would have been made like Sodom, and we would have been like Gomorrah (Isaiah 1:9). Therefore, when such great authority precedes, let all other interpretation cease. And truly, if we read Josephus (Book X, Chapter 2), and consider how great was the multitude of people in Jerusalem and in Judea when the Lord suffered, we understand that only a few among the Apostles and Apostolic men were saved from the Jews. But the Gospel is an abbreviated and perfected discourse, which, instead of all the burdensome ceremonies of the Law, gave a very brief precept of love and faith, that we should not do to others what we would not want done to us. Hence, the Lord in the Gospel said: 'On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets' (Matthew 22:40). Some refer this chapter to the time when a certain part of the people returned to Judah under Zerubbabel son of Salatiel, and Joshua son of Josedech, and Ezra, and Nehemiah. We will respond to those by not preserving the order of history, especially since what follows is not against the Babylonians, whose king was Nebuchadnezzar, but against Sennacherib, king of the Assyrians. — Commentary on Isaiah

Isaías 10:24-27

(v. 24 seqq.) Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts: Do not fear, my people who dwell in Zion, from Assyria, who shall strike you with a rod and lift up his staff against you, as the Egyptians did. For yet a little while and my indignation will be fulfilled and my anger will be directed towards their wickedness. And the Lord of hosts will raise a whip against them, as he did against Midian at the rock of Oreb, and his staff against the sea, and he will lift it up in the manner of the Egyptians. And it shall come to pass in that day: his burden shall be taken away from your shoulder, and his yoke from your neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing oil. Regarding the stone, which in Hebrew is interpreted as Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion put the Hebrew word Sur Oreb. Regarding this, the LXX interpreted as the place of tribulation, about which we will say in its proper place. It seems difficult to you, O inhabitant of Zion, that while all the surrounding nations are subjugated by the Assyrians, you alone would be liberated from their hands. Listen to what I say: do not be afraid, my people, because you will be captured by Assyria when it conquers. For in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah's reign (2 Kings 18), Sennacherib, the Assyrian king, will come to attack all the fortified cities of Judah and capture them. He will send his commander-in-chief, Rabshakeh, to terrify the besieged people of Jerusalem. However, you should know that he will not strike you with a sword, but with a rod. He will march against King Tirhakah of Ethiopia, the Egyptians, and the Red Sea by way of Egypt. He will only raise his staff against you, and he will not be able to strike you. For a little while longer, I will return from Egypt with an infinite multitude of army and wishing to besiege you, I will immediately strike with my indignation, and I will raise that whip, which once I used against the Midianites under Gideon (Judges 7), who was also called Jerubbaal. When Oreb and Zebah, the leaders of the Midianites, were killed on a very hard rock, that is, flint, which is called Sur in Hebrew, so that from the rock and from the king who was killed on it, the place received the name Rock of Oreb. So he shall lift up his rod over the Red Sea, going against the Ethiopians, and he shall lift it up again on his return to you by the way of Egypt; but as soon as he comes from Egypt, the burden shall be taken away from your shoulders and the yoke of his rule shall be removed, and you shall cease to serve. This yoke, that is, the power of the Assyrians, will decay in the presence of oil, that is, the mercy of God. We can also understand what he said: 'He shall strike you with a rod and shall lift up his staff over you on the way to Egypt.' And again: 'He shall lift up his rod over the sea and he shall lift it up on the way to Egypt.' This can also be understood as why he struck many from the tribe of Judah and captured cities around the kingdom of Jerusalem, because they had put their trust not in God, but in the Egyptians. Then Rabsaces taunts them, saying: Behold thou trustest upon the reed upon Egypt; upon which if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it. (IV Kings 18:21) So is Pharao king of Egypt to all that trust in him. The history also of the Madianites is written in the book of Judges (Judges 7), which we read also in the psalm: Make their princes like Oreb, and Zeb, and Zebbee, and Salmana (Psalm 82:11-12). Therefore those who believe that it signifies the time when in the book of Numbers (Chap. 25) the Midianites killed by Israel are referred to from the desert of Sur to the mountain of God, Horeb, with which time they were not on Mount Horeb, but in the desert of Shittim. According to the anagoge, it is commanded to the people dwelling in the Church not to fear their adversaries, who are always ready for battle, and have overturned many souls with their disputes. For this reason, they can receive only a little power against the people of God, and not strike with a sword, but with a rod, that is, not to kill, but to threaten, because they have walked in the way of Egypt and have not trusted in the Lord. But when they have returned to God and have left the path of Egypt, then the scourge of God is to be raised up by judgment against the adversaries. For Midian is interpreted as meaning 'by judgment,' so that with the breath of his mouth and the oil of mercy the yoke of the enemies may decay. — Commentary on Isaiah

Isaías 10:28-32

(Verse 28 and following) He will come to Aiath, he will pass through Migron: at Machmas he will deposit his baggage. They went with haste to Geba, our city (or as we find elsewhere written: they stayed at the lodging place); Ramah was astonished, Gibeah of Saul fled. Cry out with your voice, daughter of Gallim; listen, Laishah, poor Anathoth: Medemena has taken flight; the inhabitants of Gebim, gather yourselves together. There is still a day, to stand at Nob: he will shake his hand against the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem. LXX: For He will come into the city of Aggai, and will pass through Mageddo: and in Machmas He will set His vessels: and He will pass through the valley, and will come into Aggai. Fear shall seize Rama, the city of Saul: the daughter of Gallim shall flee: listen, O Laisa: there shall be heard in Anathot: Medemena will be astonished, and the inhabitants of Gebim. Comfort yourselves today along the way, that He may remain: comfort the mountain of the daughter of Zion, and the hill of Jerusalem. In this place, the LXX differs greatly from the Hebrew: for this reason, we have included both editions, so that, with the inspiration of Christ, we may express what seems to us in each. He is describing the prophetic speech of the Assyrian about his journey and return from Egypt to Jerusalem, and how he will come with great noise and speed to attack the city. And first, he says, he will come to Aiath, where, due to excessive haste, he will not want to stay and will pass through to Magron, and he will have such confidence in capturing the city that he will leave his luggage at Machmas, as if he will quickly return after the city is destroyed. After leaving his luggage, he will pass through quickly and will have a resting place in Geba, where he will stay for a short time to revive his tired army, and the nearby city of Ramah will be terrified, and the city of Gibeah, once the city of Saul, will flee. Then both Gallim's daughter, who is called Beth Gallim in Hebrew, will wail so loudly that you would think it is the neighing of horses. Therefore, oh Laisa, whether you are poor or obedient, or humble Anathoth (for it can be interpreted in three ways), pay close attention and declare the approaching onslaught, if you can; for the city of Medemena has already migrated from its dwelling places. But you who dwell in the hills, which are interpreted as Gebim, be reassured by the safety of your elevated location, that is, take up arms. So far, only the end of the day remained, as he stood in the small town of Nob, overlooking the city of Jerusalem. He waved his hand and shook it over Mount Zion, either looking down on it with disdain and contempt, or insulting and threatening it, and marveling that such a small city would dare to resist his power, with the entire East under his control. These things, according to the Hebrews, as they have been handed down to us, we have briefly described. Now let us present what the Ecclesiastical men of the Seventy have to say about this passage. When the yoke of Assyria, or as some wrongly believe, the Babylonians, is removed from your shoulders and corrupted, the Assyrian Sennacherib, fleeing with a few remnants, will come to Aggai, which is not found in Hebrew. And there will be such trembling of the fugitive that he will not dare to stay there, but will pass through to Mageddo, which is not mentioned in Scripture itself. And because he will not be able to flee more quickly burdened with his baggage, he will deposit his vessels in Machmas and swiftly pass through the valley, which the Hebrew language does not even mention; and he will come again to Aggai, which is mentioned twice in this place and is not found in Hebrew. At the sound of his flight, Rama, the city of Saul, will tremble, which is clearly false. For the city of Saul is called Gaba, as is stated in Hebrew. Then he will come to Gallim; Laisa will hear, Anathoth will hear, Medemena will tremble. But the inhabitants of Gebim and the hills, which are in Jerusalem, that is, the lofty and mighty men, will be stirred up to console Jerusalem: not long afterwards, but at present, and on the same day while the Assyrian is on the way; so they may remain in their places, and, disturbed by fear, in no way flee. This word for word. However, some in this place, when they cannot find false names according to the etymology of the Septuagint, nor can they find themselves in the book of Hebrew Names, send us to uncertainty, so that they say that in the end of the world and in the consummation of this age, with impending punishments, the great meaning, the prince of the Assyrians, will flee; and desiring to escape from the anger of God, they will travel through different places and various destinations. And when he flees, let the inhabitants of Gebim, that is, the lofty virtues, be urged by prophetic speech to console the one fleeing and to teach them not to flee but to stay on the path and await the mercy of God; and not only to console the one fleeing or to recall the daughter of Zion from mourning and to provoke her to the salvation of repentance, but also to be these hills in Jerusalem of which we read in the later part of this prophet: Comfort, comfort my people, says the priests; speak to the heart of Jerusalem (Isa. XL, 1). He said this because he was bound by the truth of the matter and had nothing else to say. — Commentary on Isaiah

Isaías 10:33-34

Behold the Lord of hosts will break the jar in terror, and the lofty stature will be cut down, and the exalted will be brought low, and the dense forests will be destroyed by the sword, and Lebanon with its heights will fall. Some people think that this passage is still speaking of the Assyrians, and that when they are crushed, all the nations around them that were subject to their rule will be cut down and humbled, and the dense forests will be destroyed. They understand this metaphorically as referring to the people and rulers. Moreover, even Lebanon with its lofty cedars can fall, so that no power of Assyria remains at all. But others want this place to be about Christ, especially since what follows, and we ourselves, and the Circumcision Scriptures, testify about him. Above, it was mentioned that the name of the child to be born of a Virgin would be called Emmanuel; and later the prophetess in her conception in the womb would proclaim, 'Hurry, plunder, hasten to prey' (Isa. 8:3), and he himself would be a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense to the two houses of Israel; his dominion would be on his shoulder, and he would be called by six names: Wonderful, Counselor, God, Strong, Father of the future age, and Prince of peace; and his empire would multiply, and there would be no end to peace. Now in the prologue of his coming, before it is said that he will be born of the descendants of Jesse and David, the passion of him is demonstrated through the symbol of the broken vessel: that, by the will of God, his flesh was handed over to death so that the pride of the Jews may be destroyed and those who were once lofty may fall to the ground; and Lebanon with its cedars may be cut down, of which we read in Zachariah: Open your gates, O Lebanon, and let fire devour your cedars; wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen, because the noble have been devastated (Zach. XI, 1, 2). But that he is said to be contrite and struck by the Father, and that is indicated by this: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered (Zech. XIII, 7). And another testimony: For they have persecuted him whom you have struck (Ps. LXVIII, 2). The Hebrew word פורע (Phura), which Aquila has interpreted as κεραμεῖον, and Theodotion and Symmachus translated as ληνὸν, that is, winepress, which also signifies the Lord's Passion according to the inscription of three psalms, with the Lord himself saying in Isaiah: I have trodden the winepress alone, and no man of the nations was with me (Isa. LXIII, 3). However, they interpreted LXX as meaning 'for the wine press,' introducing a new sense. — Commentary on Isaiah

Isaías 10:34

What Scripture once said cryptically, however, it now expresses more clearly: "for the glorious trees are ruined." I want to know what is meant by the cedars of Lebanon that burned, the firs that wailed and the pines that fell. "The glorious trees," it says, "are ruined." "Wail, oaks of Bashan," that is, of confusion and shame, for the thickest forest, which in Hebrew is called besor and is translated by the Septuagint as "densely wooded" [nemorosus], has been felled. In other words, wail because the temple, which had grown to unassailable strength, having been constructed by many different kings and rulers and later by Herod, was demolished by the invading Romans.Certain persons not familiar with this locale believe that Lebanon and the firs, pines and oaks, as well as Bashan and the dense or fortified forests, signify the competing powers of which Ezekiel had spoken under the names of Assyria and Pharaoh. "Behold, Assyria is a cedar in Lebanon, with strong branches and dense foliage, of great height, with its top reaching to the clouds; the waters nourished it and the abyss exalted it," etc. They think that Assyria and the Pharaoh represent either competing powers or the proud or rulers, about which we read also in the psalms. "The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars, the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon," and in another place, "For the Lord of hosts has a day against all that is proud and lofty, against all that is lifted up and high," and shortly further "against all the cedars of Lebanon, lofty and lifted up." They claim that it was to this, the nation of Lebanon, that it was prophesied: "Lebanon with its majestic trees will fall." We, however, hold to the first interpretation, primarily because it corresponds with what follows: "The voice of the shepherds wails because their glory is ruined; the voice of the lions roars because the pride of Jordan is ruined." According to the Septuagint's translation, "The voice of the shepherds mourns because their glory has been made wretched; the voice of the lions roars because Jordan's groaning is despondent." The whole of the chapter is contained in these short verses. What the text once called cedars, firs, pines and the oaks of Bashan, what it called trees, as in "for the glorious trees are ruined," it now, through the use of another metaphor, calls shepherds, that is, rulers and teachers. These, the leaders of the people, ought to weep and grieve because their glory and majesty and beauty are ruined and destroyed, clearly referring to the temple in which they gloried. — COMMENTARY ON ZECHARIAH 3:11.1-3