Isaiah 33

Woe to you who plunder: will you not yourself be plundered? And you who despise: will you not yourself be despised? When you have finished plundering, you will be plundered: when, wearied, you have ceased to scorn, you will be scorned. LXX: Woe to those who make you wretched: for no one makes you wretched. And those who reject you do not reject you: those who reject will be taken, and will be handed over, and like a moth in a garment so will they be overcome. He had spoken of the Apostles and of the teachers of the churches: Blessed are those who sow upon every water, where the ox and the ass tread: now he directs a curse at their persecutors, nay, at their prince, who possesses the hearts of the impious: that whatever they have done they may receive back, and their present power may be the material of future torments. Hence according to the LXX it is said: Woe to those who make you wretched: for no one makes you wretched. And the sense is: as far as lies in them, when they persecute you and afflict you with various tortures, they think you wretched once you have been killed and tortured. But no one can make you wretched, for they have power not over the soul, but over the body. And he who rejects you does not reject you, but him who sent you, according to what the Savior says to the disciples: He who rejects you rejects me: and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me (Luke 10:16). The persecutors, therefore, will be taken, and will be handed over to eternal fires. And as a moth consumes a garment, so will the perpetual flame consume them. This is also written at the end of this prophecy: Their worm will not die, and their fire will not be quenched.

715. Woe to you that spoils. In this part, he begins to foretell the destruction of their enemies;

and first, the destruction;

second, the effect of the destruction: the land that was desolate and impassable shall be glad (ch. 35).

The first of these is divided into two parts:

in the first, he foretells the destruction of their principle enemy, namely, the Assyrians;

in the second, that of the other enemies who were helping them: come near (ch. 34).

Concerning the first, he does two things:

first, he foretells the destruction of the Assyrians;

in the second part, that of the ungrateful Jews: your tacklings are loosed (Isa 33:23).

Concerning the first, he does two things:

first, he foretells the destruction of the Assyrians;

second, he invites all to the consideration of such a fact: hear (Isa 33:13).

Concerning the first, he does two things:

first, he foretells the punishment which Assyria received from God;

second, that which they themselves inflicted: behold they that see (Isa 33:7).

716. Concerning the first, he does three things.

First, he threatens the destruction of the Assyrians, setting out a question: shall not you yourself also be spoiled, and the answer: when you shall have made an end, you shall be spoiled: being wearied; as if to say: affected by tedium from so many victories: with what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again (Matt 7:2); he that shall kill by the sword (Rev 13:10), shall be killed by the sword.

O Lord, have mercy on us: for we have waited for you: be their arm in the morning, and our salvation in the time of tribulation. At the voice of the Angel the peoples fled, at your exaltation the nations were scattered. And your spoils will be gathered as the young locust is collected, as when the ditches are full of it. The Lord is magnified, for he has dwelt on high: he has filled Zion with judgment and righteousness. And there will be faith in your times: the riches of salvation are wisdom and knowledge: the fear of the Lord is itself his treasure. LXX: O Lord, have mercy on us, for we trust in you: the seed of the unbelieving has come to perdition, but our salvation is in the time of tribulation: because of the voice of fear the peoples were astonished at the fear of you, and the nations were scattered. But now your spoils will be gathered, small and great: as if someone were gathering locusts, so will they mock you: holy is God who dwells on high. Zion is filled with judgment and righteousness; they will be handed over in the law; in treasures is our salvation: wisdom has come, and discipline, and piety from the Lord; these are the treasures of righteousness. The Hebrews think that the preceding section, in which we read: Woe to you who plunder: will you not yourself be plundered? and the rest to the end, was spoken against Sennacherib king of the Assyrians: that after he had overthrown the cities of the ten tribes, which were called Israel, and had also taken the cities of Judea, except Jerusalem, he himself would be overcome, and his army would be destroyed when the Angel struck. Hence they contend that the things contained in the present section are now spoken in the person of the people giving thanks to God and saying: O Lord, have mercy on us, we have waited for you: that he himself was the arm and the strength of the people hemmed in by the siege, in the morning time, and their salvation in need and distress. For at the voice of the Angel, which Symmachus rendered just as it is written in the Hebrew, AMUN (המון), and whom the Hebrews hold to be Gabriel and to have the etymology of people, the Assyrian fled, and at the exaltation of God the nations that were with him were scattered this way and that. As they fled, the spoils were gathered by the Jews, as a multitude of young locusts and of locusts is usually gathered when they have been heaped up in ditches. In their victory the Lord was magnified, and Zion was filled with judgment and righteousness, and the faith of the besieged people was proven; and they had all their riches in wisdom, and in the knowledge of God and the fear of the Lord, who alone was their treasure. These things they may say according to the history, striving by every means to overthrow the mysteries of Christ and of his Apostles. But we, after the blessedness of the Apostles, of whom it was said above (cf. Isa 32:20): Blessed are those who sow upon every water, where the ox and the ass tread, and after the lamentation and wailing of those who persecuted them, of whom it is said in what follows: Woe to those who make you wretched; but no one makes you wretched: and as a moth in a garment, so will they be worn away, prove that these things are spoken in the person of the same Apostles and of all believers. And the sense is: Lord, we have hoped in your help, and we trust in you: the seed of the unbelieving has perished for ever, and our salvation has appeared in the time of tribulation. For when you gave help, the whole multitude of the nations was scattered, and became a prey and a mockery to the victors. And this came about because the holy Lord dwells on high, and Zion is filled with judgment and righteousness, of which it was written above: Judgment and righteousness will rest in the desert. This, then, is Zion, which before was called the desert; and whoever dwells in her, to him will be handed over the law of the Gospel, in whose treasure is our salvation, and the wisdom of believers, and discipline and piety, or faith, which properly belongs to Christians, and the fear of the Lord, in which the treasures of wisdom are contained.

The master of the church has many names: being called the Father, the way, the life, the light, the arm, the propitiation, the foundation, the door, the sinless one, the treasure, Lord, God, Son, the only begotten, the form of God, the image of God. So it is with the church itself. Does one name suffice to present the whole truth? By no means. But for this reason there are countless names, that we may learn something concerning God, though it is but a small part.

717. Second, in the person of the people, he asks for confirmation of the threat from God: O Lord, have mercy on us: glorify your hand and extend your arm (Sir 36:7); give us, O Lord, help from trouble (Ps 59:13[60:11]).

718. Third, he sets out the fulfillment of this petition, first, setting out the destruction of the Assyrians as to the dispersion of their army: at the voice of the angel, killing many, the people, the Assyrians who were left remaining, above: and his princes fleeing shall be afraid (Isa 31:9).

As to the plundering of their spoils: and, you, O Assyrians, your spoils shall be gathered together, by the Jews, above: they shall rejoice before you, as they that rejoice in taking a prey, when they divide the spoils (Isa 9:3).

Second, the fruit of the destruction, namely, the glory of God: the Lord is magnified: your mercy is magnified even to the heavens: and your truth unto the clouds (Ps 56:11[57:10]); and the grace of men in rectitude of action, he, namely, the Lord, has filled Zion with judgment, which is the execution of justice.

But "true wealth" signifies either the joy of eternal life itself, concerning which it is written, "the riches of his inheritance in the saints," or those spiritual virtues with which the fullness of life is attained, about which Isaiah said, "the riches of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the fear of the Lord himself is its treasure.""And if you are unfaithful with goods that are not yours, who will give you something of your own?" The resources of this world are alien to us, that is, external to the nature of our habitat, "for we brought nothing into this world and we are without doubt unable to take anything from it." Our possession is the kingdom of heaven, our life is Christ, and our wealth consists in the fruitfulness of spiritual works, about which Solomon said, "The redemption of a man's soul is his wealth."

It must follow that any one solidly established in the perfection of this love will rise to that more excellent and more sublime stage that is the fear derived from love. This is not a terror in the face of punishment or a desire for reward. Rather it is something that comes from the very greatness of love. It is the mixture of respect and affection that a son has for a very indulgent father, a brother for a brother, a friend for a friend, a wife for a husband. This is the fear whose splendor has been elegantly described by one of the prophets. "Wisdom and knowledge are the riches of salvation, but its treasure is the fear of the Lord." He could not have more clearly described the dignity and the merit of this fear when he said that the riches of our salvation, namely, true wisdom and the knowledge of God, cannot be preserved except by the fear of the Lord. This is the fear to which saints, and not sinners, are invited by the prophetic oracles.… Someone holding to this fear of the Lord is certain to lack no perfection.

But, since there are many kinds of treasures and different grounds for joy, each one's treasure corresponds to the movement of their desire. If it is an appetite for earthly things, it makes those who share in it not happy but wretched. Those who "savor the things above, not what is on earth," and are not eager for what perishes but for what is eternal, have hidden, incorruptible resources, in that about which the prophet says, "In your treasure is our salvation. There wisdom and knowledge and holiness are from the Lord. These are the treasures of his justice."Through them, with God's grace helping us, even earthly goods are transformed into heavenly, as long as many use their wealth, either left them by law or otherwise acquired, as instruments of goodness. When they distribute, from what they can count as overabundance, to the support of the poor, they collect for themselves riches that cannot be lost, so that what they have withdrawn for alms cannot be credited to expense, and they properly keep their heart where they have "their treasure." It is most blessed to use wealth of this kind that it may grow, and not fear lest it be destroyed.

Faith, which is the foundation of justice, above: Zion shall be redeemed in judgment (Isa 1:27); I will espouse you to me in justice, and in faith (Hos 2:19-20). As to the perfection of intellect: riches of salvation, wisdom, in divine things, and knowledge, in human things: wisdom is more precious than all riches (Prov 3:15). As to the ordering of the affections: the fear of the Lord: the fear of the Lord blots out sin (Sir 1:27).

719. Note on the words, riches of salvation, that we have riches,

first, in God: in him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge of God (Col 2:3);

second, in himself: wisdom is more precious than all riches (Prov 3:15);

third, in the fellowship of the saints, above: a man shall be more precious than gold, yea a man than the finest of gold (Isa 13:12).

But if you want to see that the ancient prophets were terribly sad and aggrieved about the future blinding of their nation, which was the cause of our illumination, listen to Isaiah, for when he was sent to announce beforehand the grace of the Lord's coming, saying that "a light has arisen upon those who dwell in the region of the shadow of death," he responded immediately to the advent of the same light, saying "you have enlarged the nation; you have not increased its joy." And elsewhere, while commemorating the despondency of this people, Isaiah said, among other things, "the messengers of peace will weep bitterly, referring to the prophetic heralds of the divine word."

Behold, those who see will cry outside: the Angels of peace will weep bitterly. The ways are laid waste, the one who passed along the path has ceased, the covenant has been made void, he has cast off the cities, he has not regarded men. The earth has mourned and languished, Lebanon is confounded and has become deaf, and Sharon has become like a desert, and Bashan and Carmel are shaken. Now I will rise up, says the Lord: now I will be exalted, now I will be lifted up. You will conceive burning heat, you will bring forth stubble; your spirit, like fire, will devour you. And the peoples will be like ashes from a burning: thorns gathered together will be burned with fire. The Hebrew word ARELLAM (אראלם), for which Aquila and Symmachus and Theodotion translated I will appear to them, dividing the last syllable and reading ARE LAHEM (ארא להם), the Hebrews think signifies Angels, and that this is a prophecy, after the calling of the nations and the riches of the Church, of the overthrow of the Temple: that the Angels will weep, no longer dwelling within, but going outside; and those who before were messengers of peace will weep bitterly. Or the Apostles themselves, who had been sent to announce peace to Jerusalem, to which the Lord said: If you too had known the things that belong to your peace (Luke 19:42), and to whom the Lord appeared, to strengthen them by his sight, will weep for Jerusalem, because it did not receive their preaching, because the ways are laid waste, and the one who passed along the righteous path has ceased, according to what is said in the Lamentations of Jeremiah: The ways of Zion mourn, because there are none who come to the solemnity (Lam 1:4). The covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob has also been made void: He has cast off the cities of Judea: he has not regarded men, who by their own fault chose to be beasts.

720. Behold they that see shall cry. Here he sets out the punishment which Assyria inflicted on others.

And first, he describes the punishment inflicted by them as to the disturbance of men: they that see the magnitude of the army shall cry without, they who live in the suburbs, angels of peace, envoys of Ezechias to Rabsaces, below (Isa 36:3). Behold the voice of the daughter of my people from a far country (Jer 8:19).

As to the loneliness of the ways: the ways are made desolate: the ways of Zion mourn, because there are none that come to the solemn feast (Lam 1:4); as to the breaking of covenants: the covenant is made void, namely, the covenant by which Sennacherib had insured Ezechias, and therefore, he has rejected, as if despising their friendship, he has not regarded, because of the pride of his heart: he swallows the ground, neither doth he regard when the noise of the trumpet sounds (Job 39:24).

The earth has mourned and languished for those who dwelt in the land (Gen 15 and 22). Lebanon is confounded and has become deaf: without doubt it signifies the Temple, of which we read in Zechariah: Open your gates, O Lebanon, that fire may devour your cedars (Zech 11:1). Or Jerusalem, which in Ezekiel is called Lebanon, when the Prophet says: A great eagle with great wings, which has the design of entering into Lebanon (Ezek 17:3); which the divine word afterward interprets: when, it says, Nebuchadnezzar came to Jerusalem; plainly explaining the Eagle as the king of Babylon, and Lebanon as Jerusalem. Sharon has become like a desert, and Bashan and Carmel are shaken. For Bashan, the LXX translated Galilee, the province in place of one place of the province. Sharon, moreover, is the name of the whole region around Joppa and Lydda, in which very broad and fertile plains stretch out. Bashan too is a region beyond the Jordan, which the two and a half tribes possessed, and which means most fruitful and fat (Deut 3); and Carmel, of which we spoke above. The once fertile places of Judea, then, will be turned into a wilderness, by which it is shown μεταφορικῶς that all the opulence of the Jews is to be exchanged for want and poverty. Since, then, they would not receive the word of the Apostles, Lebanon is confounded, and Sharon is turned into a wilderness, and Bashan and Carmel are shaken.

As to the destruction of regions: the land has mourned, and languished, and he names especially fertile regions; above (Isa 24:4, 7) has the same thing.

Therefore the Lord says that he will rise up, either from his very great patience, or from the underworld, and will be exalted among the nations, and lifted up on the cross.

721. Second, he sets out divine resistance to his efforts: now will I rise up. And concerning this, he sets out three things.

On the part of God, the intention of resisting: now, namely, after he has done such evils, will I rise up, against him: by reason of the misery of the needy, and the groans of the poor, now will I arise, says the Lord (Ps 11:6[12:5]).

And he turns in apostrophe to the Jews themselves: You will conceive burning heat, and you will bring forth stubble, and your spirit will kindle a fire for you, so that the devouring flame may consume what was conceived and brought forth.

Second, he sets out the frustrated counsel of the Assyrians: you shall conceive heat, that is, you shall think that others burn; you shall bring forth stubble, that is, it shall follow that you yourself shall be burned; your breath, that is, your indignation, shall devour, namely, the flesh under your hide: he has opened a pit and dug it: and he is fallen into the hole he made (Ps 7:16[15]).

726. Note on the words, your breath as fire (Isa 33:11), that God is said to be fire:

first, purging: he shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire (Matt 3:11);

second, inflaming: I am come to cast fire on the earth (Luke 12:49);

third, condemning: a fire is kindled in my wrath, and shall burn even to the lowest hell (Deut 32:22).

And the peoples of the Jews, he says, will be like ashes from a burning, showing the greatness of their misfortune by the remnants of the embers. For their thorns, which have been gathered together by the multitude of their sins, will be devoured by the burning; which most refer to the last captivity and overthrow of Jerusalem. Others affirm that it will come about more fully and perfectly at the time of judgment.

Third, he sets out the manner of the resistance or of the punishment: and the people shall be as ashes after a fire, because their bodies were literally reduced to ashes; thorns, that is, the Assyrians, because they were tearing others: you shall tread down the wicked when they shall be ashes under the sole of your feet (Mal 4:3).

He speaks moreover concerning our ears, how He hath circumcised both them and our heart. The Lord saith in the prophet, "In the hearing of the ear they obeyed me." And again He saith, "By hearing, those shall hear who are afar off; they shall know what I have done." And, "Be ye circumcised in your hearts, saith the Lord." ... Therefore He hath circumcised our ears, that we might hear His word and believe.

Hear, you who are far off, what I have done, and you who are near, know my strength. The sinners in Zion are terrified, trembling has seized the hypocrites. Who of you can dwell with devouring fire? Who of you will dwell with everlasting burnings? He who walks in acts of righteousness, and speaks truths, who casts away avarice from calumny, and shakes his hands free of every bribe, who stops his ears lest he hear blood, and shuts his eyes lest he see evil. He will dwell on high; fortresses of rocks are his height: bread has been given him, his waters are faithful. His eyes will see the king in his beauty: they will behold the land from afar. Your heart will meditate fear. Where is the scribe? Where is he who weighs the words of the law? Where is the teacher of little ones? You will not see the imprudent people, the people of deep speech, so that you cannot understand the eloquence of its tongue, in which there is no wisdom. LXX: Those who are far off will hear what they have done: those who draw near will know my strength. The lawless who were in Zion have departed; trembling will seize the impious. Who will announce to you that fire is burning? Who will announce to you the eternal place? He who walks in righteousness, and speaks the right way, and hates impiety and iniquity, and shakes his hands free of gifts, and stops his ears so as not to hear the judgment of blood, and shuts his eyes so that they may not see iniquity, he will dwell in a lofty cave of a very strong rock. Bread will be given him, and his water will be faithful: your eyes will see the king with glory, they will see the land from afar; your soul will meditate fear. Where are the grammarians? Where are the counselors? Where is he who numbers those who nourish both the small and the great people? To whom he did not give counsel: nor did he know his deep voice, so that the despised people did not hear, and there is no understanding for the one who hears. Since the ways are laid waste, the one who passed along the paths has ceased, the covenant with the people of the Jews has been made void, God has cast off their cities and has not counted them among men; therefore you who are far off, hear what I have done, and draw near, that you may know my strength.

722. Hear. Here he invites to the consideration of such a fact;

and first, to the consideration of the magnitude of the liberating divine power;

second, to the consideration of the fitness of the liberated, who, namely, were fit to be thus liberated by the Lord, where it says, which of you (Isa 33:14);

third, to the consideration of the worthiness of the liberated city: look upon Zion the city of our solemnity (Isa 33:20).

Concerning the first, he does two things.

First, he invites to the consideration of the Lord's power: hear . . . know my strength, below: give ear, you islands, and hearken, you people from afar (Isa 49:1).

The sinners, or the impious, who were in Zion are terrified, or have departed, and trembling has seized the hypocrites, to whom the Lord said in the Gospel: Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites (Matt 23:14)! Who of you can dwell with him who is a devouring fire? Who will dwell with everlasting burnings? Or according to the LXX: Who will announce to you that the eternal fire is burning, which God has prepared for the devil and his angels?

The Scripture itself … expressly distinguishes between Abraham's bosom, where the poor man dwells, and the infernal place of torment. "Hell" (I take it) means one thing, and "Abraham's bosom" another. "A great gulf" is said to separate those regions and to hinder a passage from one to the other. Besides, the rich man could not have "lifted up his eyes," and from a distance too, except to a superior height, and from the said distance all up through the vast immensity of height and depth.… There is some determinate place called Abraham's bosom, and it is designed for the reception of souls of Abraham's children, even from among the Gentiles (since he is "the father of many nations," which must be classed amongst his family), and of the same faith as that with which he himself believed God, without the yoke of the law and the sign of circumcision. This region, therefore, I call Abraham's bosom. Although it is not in heaven, it is yet higher than hell, and it is appointed to afford an interval of rest to the souls of the righteous, until the consummation of all things shall complete the resurrections of all people with the "full recompense of their reward." This consummation will then be manifested in heavenly promises.… Amos, however, tells us of "those stories towards heaven" which Christ "builds"—of course for his people. There also is that everlasting abode of which Isaiah asks, "Who shall declare to you the eternal place, but he (that is, of course, Christ) who walks in righteousness, speaks of the straight path, and hates injustice and iniquity?" Now, although this everlasting abode is promised, and the ascending stories (or steps) to heaven are built by the Creator, who further promises that the seed of Abraham shall be even as the stars of heaven, by virtue certainly of the heavenly promise, why may it not be possible, without any injury to that promise, that by Abraham's bosom is meant some temporary receptacle of faithful souls, wherein is even now delineated an image of the future and where is given some foresight of the glory of both judgments?

Second, he shows the sign of his power, the sinners, namely, the Assyrians, are broken: I will break this people, and this city, as the potter's vessel is broken (Jer 19:11).

723. Which of you can. Here he invites to consider the fitness of him that lives with God, that he may be always inviolate, protected by him.

And first, he examines the fit,

second, he excludes the unworthy: where is the learned (Isa 33:18).

Concerning the first, he does three things.

First, he sets out the question: which of you can dwell with devouring fire, namely, with God, that he not be devoured by him, like the Assyrians: the Lord your God is a consuming fire (Deut 4:24).

"He looked upon them, and the nations shook and the mountains quickly scattered." The sight of the Lord shattered what was hardened and melted what was tightly compact, so that the truth expressed by Isaiah might be evident, for God is a living fire who advances to purify, not to kill: "Who among you can dwell with the devouring fire, or who among you can walk with eternal flames?" Whomever he looks upon, therefore, and touches with his warmth, he melts on the spot. Consequently, when he will later look upon the nations with mercy and judge them to be most worthy of redemption through his Christ, immediately their hardness will be shattered.

There are some who indeed do not receive rewards of money from ordination, yet bestow sacred orders for human favor, and from that very generosity seek only the recompense of praise. These certainly do not bestow freely what was freely received, because from the service of holiness they have rendered, they seek the coin of favor. Hence the prophet spoke well when describing the just man, saying: Who shakes his hands free from every gift. For he does not say: Who shakes his hands from a gift, but added from every, because one thing is a gift from service, another a gift from the hand, another a gift from the tongue. A gift from service is deference unduly rendered, a gift from the hand is money, a gift from the tongue is favor. Therefore he who bestows sacred orders shakes his hands free from every gift when in divine matters he seeks not only no money, but also no human favor.

We must bear in mind too that there are three ways in which deceit itself is practised, in that, surely, the object aimed at in it is either the secret interest of our fellow creatures' feelings, or the breath of applause, or some outward advantage; contrary to which it is rightly said of the righteous man by the prophet, "Blessed is he that shaketh his hands clear of every favour." For as deceit does not consist only in the receiving of money; so, no doubt, a favour is not confined to one thing, but there are three ways of receiving favours after which deceit goeth in haste. For a favour from the heart, is interest solicited in the opinion, a favour from the mouth is glory from applause, a favour from the head a reward by gift. Now every righteous man 'shaketh his hands clear of every favour,' in that in whatever he does aright, he neither aims to win vainglory from the affections of his fellow creatures, nor applause from their lips, nor a gift from their hands. And so he alone is not guilty of deceit in doing God's work, who while he is energetic in studying right conduct, neither pants after the rewards of earthly substance, nor after words of applause, nor after favour in man's judgment. Therefore because our very good actions themselves cannot escape the sword of ambushed sin, unless they be guarded every day by anxious fear, it is rightly said in this place by the holy man, I was afraid of all my works.

Taking bribes is a violation of the truth. Therefore, it is said of the just man: "He who cleanses his hands of every gift will live on the heights."

Who, then, will be able to dwell with God, or to announce the punishments to come? Everyone who is such as the prophetic word describes: who walks in many acts of righteousness, and loves acts of righteousness not once but always, and speaks truths not on one occasion but continually; who casts away avarice, which is the mother of calumny. For money is not heaped up for one man except with another's loss and harm. And he shakes his hands free of every bribe; for bribes blind the eyes even of the wise. He stops his ears lest he hear the judgment of blood. All iniquity and oppression and injustice is a judgment of blood: and though one does not kill with the sword, yet he slays by his will. And he shuts his eyes lest he see evil. Happy the conscience that neither hears nor beholds evil.

724. Second, he shows fitness, removing three things to which the Jews were prone, namely, avarice as to things taken away unjustly: that casts away avarice by oppression, and as to things received illiberally, and shakes his hands from all bribes; second, as to cruelty in homicide: that stops his ears lest he hear blood; third, as to lust: and shuts his eyes that he may see no evil.

By the name of bread the teaching of perfection is shown, as Paul attests, who, rousing the weak to conversion, says: "I gave you milk to drink, not solid food. For you were not yet able, nor are you yet able." For if milk belongs to little ones, bread belongs to none but the perfect. Whence also it is said of the strength of the perfect man: "He shall dwell on high, the fortifications of rocks shall be his loftiness, bread has been given to him." Therefore in the house of bread a king is sought for anointing, because those are profitably advanced who are nourished in the order of perfect conduct. For he is able to make others strong who has not been nourished in lax and negligent conduct.

He, then, who is such will dwell on high, that is, in the kingdom of heaven, or in a lofty cave of a very strong rock, in Christ Jesus: the rock that followed the people of Israel, that they might drink from it and be protected by its strength. Bread will be given him, and his waters are faithful: which the fables of the Gentiles understand as ambrosia and nectar. But we shall interpret the bread and the most faithful waters as the law of God.

He shall dwell on high, namely, with God: who shall dwell in your tabernacle? (Ps 14[15]:1).

725. Third, he shows the usefulness of this dwelling as to four things.

And first, as to secure height, which nevertheless is contrary to the normal experience of height: the fortifications of rocks shall be his highness: she abides among the rocks (Job 39:28).

Second, as to full satiety: bread: Aser, his bread shall be fat (Gen 49:20).

727. Note also on the words, he shall dwell on high (Isa 33:16), that the saints live with God:

first, through purity of action: my eyes were upon the faithful of the earth, to sit with me (Ps 100[101]:6);

second, through the indwelling of love: if any one love me, he will keep my word (John 14:23);

third, through the eminence of contemplation: our conversation is in heaven (Phil 3:20);

fourth, through the glory of enjoyment: blessed are they that dwell in your house, O Lord (Ps 83:5[84:4]).

But it also must be noted that the Savior's tomb, above which a memorial canopy is often seen, can properly be called a cave or a den. Clearly, then, it was about the Lord Jesus Christ in the tomb that the prophet prophesied, "He lived in a high cave of fortified rocks," and shortly thereafter added, with regard to the apostles rejoicing at the resurrection of the Lord: "You will see the king in his glory."

Whosoever loves humility shall be heir in the land of life. Whosoever wishes to make peace shall be one of the sons of God. Whosoever knows the will of his Lord, let him do that will, that he may not be beaten much. Whosoever cleanses his heart from deceits, "his eyes shall behold the King in his beauty." Whosoever receives the Spirit of Christ, let him adorn his inner man. Whosoever is called the temple of God, let him purify his body from all uncleanness.

Through the sacraments of his humanity with which we have been imbued, we may be able to attain the contemplation of the glory of his divinity, that contemplation which he himself in his faithful benevolence pledged to his faithful servants when he said, "One who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. One who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him." He says, "I will manifest myself"—that is, "Not in such a way that everyone can look at me, or in such a way that even the unfaithful can see me and crucify me, but in such a way that only the pure eyes of the saints can see 'the King of ages in his beauty.' " In this way I will show myself to those who love me, so as to reward them for their love. Therefore let us hope, as we have said, that through the visible nature of his humanity we may be able to ascend to see the beauty of his divinity, if we keep these sacraments as we have received them, unblemished in the worthy honor of justice and holiness and truth, if we follow his example in his human way of life, and if we humbly follow the words of the teaching which he ministered to us through his humanity.

The disciples indeed saw him coming in his kingdom, for on the mountain they saw him shining in that brightness with which he will be seen in his kingdom by all the saints when the judgment has been brought to completion. But since the eyes of the disciples were still mortal and corruptible, they were then unable to sustain what the whole church of the saints will have the power to look upon when she has become incorruptible through resurrection. Concerning this it is written, "Their eye will see the king in his beauty."

Two advents of our Lord and Savior are indicated in the Scriptures. The one [is] his first advent in the flesh, which took place without honor by reason of his being set at nothing, as Isaiah spoke of him in the past, saying, "We saw him, and he had no form nor comeliness, but his form was despised (and) rejected above all men; a man smitten and familiar with bearing infirmity (for his face was turned away); he was despised, and esteemed not." But his second advent is announced as glorious, when he shall come from heaven with the host of angels and the glory of his Father, as the prophet says, "You shall see the King in glory"; and, "I saw one like the Son of man coming with the clouds of heaven; and he came to the Ancient of Days, and he was brought to him. And there were given him dominion, and honor, and glory, and the kingdom; all tribes and languages shall serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away."

He, then, who is such will behold Christ the king in his brightness, of whom it is said above (cf. Isa 32:1): Behold, a righteous king will reign, and princes will rule in judgment. And his eyes will see from afar the land which they had long desired, the land of the meek and gentle, of which it is written in the Gospel: Blessed are the meek, for they will possess the land (Matt 5:4); or, set in heaven, they will look down on earthly things.

Third, as to the vision of God: his eyes shall see the king, that is, God: go forth, you daughters of Zion, and see the king Solomon (Song 3:11).

Fourth, as to holy affection, namely, contempt for earthly things: they shall see the land far off, as if far off beneath them, namely, in dignity. And these things can be explained either as to those who live with God in the present Church or also in the Church triumphant. Or otherwise: the land, namely, of the living: I believe to see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living (Ps 26[27]:13); far off, as if far above the dignity of nature or the fitness of many, now in hope, in the future in reality; and thus, this belongs with the third.

Your heart will meditate fear: so that when you have attained all things, you may say with the Apostle: I who am not worthy to be called an Apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God (1 Cor 15:9). For the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. Where is the scribe? Where is he who weighs the words of the law? Where is the teacher of little ones? (Prov 9:1). Where, he says, are the scribes and Pharisees, who, weighing the words of the Law in the balance, deceived the unhappy people? whom the Scripture now calls little ones: little in sense, little in understanding.

And if you want all these thoughts to diminish in you and not to have power over you, then recite in your heart without ceasing every fruit that is written in the Scriptures, having in yourself the resolution to walk in them, as it is written in Isaiah, "Your heart shall meditate on the fear"of the Lord, and all these things shall cease from you, little by little.

And as to divine subjection: your heart shall meditate filial fear: the fear of the Lord shall delight the heart (Sir 1:12).

728. Where is the learned? Here he excludes the unworthy as to those who seem especially worthy.

And first, the eminent in wisdom: where is the learned, educated in philosophy; where is he that pondered the words of the law, educated in divine knowledge; the teacher, instructing others in the elements of either: where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the learned? (1 Cor 1:20).

And when the eyes of the believer have beheld the king in his majesty, and his heart has meditated fear, then he will not see the imprudent people, the people of the Jews, or of the philosophers and orators of the world, who applaud themselves for secular learning and eloquence, of whom he now says: A people of deep speech, so that you cannot understand the eloquence of its tongue; whose whole adornment is in words, who have only the leaves and the shade of speech, and do not possess the fruit of truth. Then there follows: In which there is no wisdom; of whom it is also said in another place: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the understanding of the prudent I will reject (1 Cor 1:19). Why? Because God has made foolish the wisdom of this world.

Second, those who are eminent in eloquence, but not in wisdom: the people of profound speech: behold I will bring upon you a nation whose language you shall not know (Jer 5:15).

Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnity: your eyes will see Jerusalem, a wealthy habitation: a tabernacle that can by no means be moved, nor will its pegs be taken away for ever, and none of its cords will be broken. For only there is our Lord magnificent: a place of rivers, streams very broad and open; no ship with oars will pass through it, nor will a great trireme cross it. For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he himself will save us. Your cords are loosened, and will not hold: so will your mast be, that you cannot spread out the ensign. Then the spoils of many preys will be divided: the lame will seize the plunder. Nor will the neighbor say, I am faint: the people that dwells in it, iniquity will be taken away from it. LXX: Behold Zion, the city, our salvation: your eyes will see Jerusalem, a rich city, tabernacles that will not be moved: nor will the stakes of its tabernacle be taken away for ever, and its cords will not be torn apart: for the name of the Lord is great to you: your place will be rivers and streams very broad and spacious: no ship driven by oars will go in through it: for my God is great: the Lord will not pass me by, our judge, the Lord our prince, the Lord our king, the Lord himself will save us. Your cords are broken because they did not hold: your mast is bent, so that it lets the sails go: it will not raise the ensign until it is given over to devastation. Many lame, therefore, will take spoils: and they will not say, I shall labor; the people that dwells in them, their sin will be forgiven them. O righteous one, to whom it was said above: your heart will meditate fear; and, the imprudent people you will not see; and who had heard before, your eyes will see the king in his beauty: look upon Zion, the city of our solemnity, see the Church of Christ, in which is the true solemnity: your eyes will behold the vision of peace, and riches beyond hope, which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have they entered into the heart of man, and the tabernacle that can by no means be moved. For the former tabernacle, which the people of the Jews had, was moved and taken away. Nor will its pegs be moved for ever, and all its cords will be firm; so that the Lord dwells in it, which is the place of all the rivers and running streams, through which no one of the opposing side will be able to sail: nor a great trireme, which is interpreted as the devil, will be able to cross it: because the Lord himself is our judge, and prince, and king, and Savior, and under his protection we shall fear the snares of no one. These things are said of Zion, the city of our solemnity, and of Jerusalem, the richest habitation, which the Lord himself will surround and fortify with his rivers.

729. Look upon Zion. Here he leads to consideration of the worthiness of the liberated city.

And first, as to its abundance of goods, setting out four things which are in the heavenly or the militant Church, namely,

joy of heart: the city of our solemnity, above: as in the voice of the sanctified solemnity, and joy of heart (Isa 30:29).

Wealth of goods: your eyes shall see Jerusalem, a rich habitation, above: and my people shall sit in the beauty of peace, and in the tabernacles of confidence, and in wealthy rest (Isa 32:18).

The grace of immovability: a tabernacle that cannot be removed; nails: this is said according to the likeness of a tabernacle fastened with nails and cords, which are loosed when it must be moved: his power is an everlasting power that shall not be taken away: and his kingdom that shall not be destroyed (Dan 7:14). And he assigns the reason for this: because only the Lord, who has the power to move it, and others cannot: great is the Lord, and exceedingly to be praised (Ps 47:2[48:1]).

For the plainly spoken words of these interpreting have made the sentences of the ancient Fathers henceforth clear to us. Hence the Prophet Isaiah viewing the words plain by the interpretation of Holy Church, not obscured by the darkness of allegories, exclaimed, saying, "The place of rivers, the broadest and open streams." For the sayings of the Old Testament were as narrow and close streams, which bound up the sentences of their lore in the darkest gathering together. But on the other hand the teaching of Holy Church are 'streams both broad and open,' because her declarations are at once many in number to those that find them, and plain to those that seek.

Abundance of waters: a place of rivers, that is, of divine admonitions; streams, diverse modes of participation: the stream of the river makes the city of God joyful (Ps 45:5).

Nonetheless, the Jews fabulously refer all this to the golden age of Jerusalem.

730. Second, as to its freedom from evils: no ship with oars, belonging to any of their enemies, who were accustomed to harass the promised land by way of the sea, has passed by it, using the past tense for the future; the great galley (trieris), a ship having three rows of oars.

And he assigns the cause: for the Lord is our judge, judging us by our adversaries: behold your king comes to you, meek (Zech 9:9).

But now he speaks to the earthly Jerusalem: that the cords of its tabernacle are loosened, and could not hold up the tent, and its mast, on which the most beautiful sails once hung, has fallen with its ropes broken, so that it is useless not only for sailing but also for an ensign. And after their ship has been broken up and the tabernacle scattered, so that the cords are torn apart on both sides, the plunder will be divided among the victors: who will be so weak in their own strength that they are called lame; and nonetheless, since the wrath of God gives them strength, they will feel no weakness, nor will they say: I have labored. For whoever is among them, iniquity and sin will be taken away from him, because he has carried out the will of God.

731. Your tacklings are loosed. Here he foretells the destruction of the ungrateful Jews, carried out afterwards by the Romans, and he sets out three things.

First, their powerlessness to resist: your tacklings are loosed, that is, prepared, that you may defend yourself against the Romans. This is said according to a likeness of a ship which is prepared for the same. Your mast (malus), the mast (arbor) of the ship, that is, the temple, in which the precious vessels and veils are known to have been: the Lord has delivered me into a hand, out of which I am not able to flee (Lam 1:14).

732. Second, the plundering of spoils by enemies: then shall the spoils of much prey be divided, by the Romans; the lame shall take the spoil, as if to say: none will be so powerless among them that they will not be able to plunder your spoils: let the weak say: I am strong (Joel 3:10).

733. Third, the remission of the sins of their enemies: the people, namely, the Romans, will be justified in comparison with the wickedness of the Jews: you have justified your sisters by all your abominations which you have done (Ezek 16:51). Or this is said against the Idumeans, who were not able to prevail against the Jews, but rather were plundered by them in the time of the Maccabees; and the sin of the Jewish people was remitted, below: her evil is come to an end (Isa 40:2).