Isaiah 9

Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, and the rest. These were the first to hear the Lord preaching, so that where Israel's first captivity at the hands of the Assyrians had been, there the proclamation of the Redeemer should arise.

At the first time the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali was lightened: and at the last the way of the sea beyond the Jordan, of Galilee of the nations, was made heavy. The people that walked in darkness has seen a great light: to those dwelling in the region of the shadow of death, light has risen upon them. LXX: Drink this first, act quickly, region of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, and the rest of you who are by the sea beyond the Jordan, of Galilee of the nations. The people that walked in darkness has seen a great light: you who dwell in the region and shadow of death, light shall rise upon you. We have set down the double edition because the testimony is well known and was used by the Evangelist Matthew: so that either the difference of the translation or the likeness may be recognized. And first it must be noted that the Evangelist Matthew set down this testimony not according to the Seventy but according to the Hebrews. For the Gospel word says: Now when Jesus heard that John had been delivered up, he withdrew into Galilee, and leaving Nazareth he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea in the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali: that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, saying: The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations: the people that sat in darkness has seen a great light; to those sitting in the region of the shadow of death, light has risen upon them. From that time Jesus began to preach and to say: The kingdom of heaven has drawn near (Matt 4:13ff.). And John the Evangelist relates that Jesus, invited with his disciples to a wedding at Cana of Galilee, did his first sign there, turning water into wine: This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee: and he manifested his glory: and his disciples believed in him (John 2:11). Hence too it is said in the Seventy: Drink this first, act quickly: because the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali first saw the miracles of Christ: so that the land which had first seen the Lord doing signs might first drink the draught of faith. And according to the Hebrew it is said to have been lightened at the first time of the burden of sins: because the Savior first preached the Gospel in the regions of the two tribes. Hence too it is said in the sixty-seventh Psalm: Bless the Lord from the fountains of Israel. There is Benjamin the younger (Ps 67 [68]:27-28; Acts 9); Paul the apostle, in ecstasy of mind, who also said elsewhere: whether we are beside ourselves, it is for God (2 Cor 5:13): The princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali, their leaders; because in these tribes were the little villages from which our leaders the Apostles believed. And they believed, according to Symmachus, swiftly, so that, hearing: Come, and I will make you fishers of men (Matt 4:19), they at once left both their father and their boat. But at the last time their faith was made heavy, since very many of the Jews remained in error. And here he calls the sea the lake of Gennesaret, which is formed by the inflowing Jordan; on whose shore Capernaum and Tiberias and Bethsaida and Chorazin are situated: in which region above all the Lord stayed; so that the people which either sat or walked in darkness saw a light, by no means a small one, like that of the other prophets, but a great one, like that of him who says in the Gospel: I am the light of the world (John 8:12). And those who dwelt in the region of the shadow of death, light has risen upon them. Between death and the shadow of death I think the difference is this: that death belongs to those who have gone down to the underworld with dead works: For the soul that sins, it shall die (Ezek 18:20); but the shadow of death belongs to those who, while they sin, have not yet departed from this life: for they can, if they will, do penance. For Galilee of the nations Aquila translated θῖνας of the nations, Symmachus borders of the nations; and by θῖνας we understand mounds of sand, which are either on the shores or on the banks. The Hebrews who believe in Christ set out this place thus: At the first time these two tribes, Zebulun and Naphtali, were captured by the Assyrians and led into the enemy's land; and Galilee was deserted (2 Kgs 15), which the prophet now says was lightened, because it bore the sins of the people. But afterward not only the two tribes, but also the rest, who dwelt beyond the Jordan and in Samaria, were led into captivity (2 Kgs 17 and 18). And this, they say, is what the Scripture now says: that the region whose people was the first to be led into captivity and began to serve the Babylonians, and which before was moving in the darkness of error, itself first saw the light of Christ preaching, and from it the Gospel was sown into all the nations. The Nazaraeans, whose opinion I set down above, try to explain this place thus: When Christ came and his preaching flashed forth, the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali was the first to be freed from the errors of the Scribes and Pharisees, and shook off from its neck the most heavy yoke of the Jewish traditions. But afterward, through the Gospel of the Apostle Paul, who was the last of all the Apostles, the preaching was made heavy, that is, multiplied; and the Gospel of Christ shone into the borders of the nations and the way of the whole sea. Finally, the whole world, which before walked or sat in darkness and was held by the chains of idolatry and of death, beheld the clear light of the Gospel.

Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee; And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. [Isaiah 9:1-2] From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

297. At the first time the land of Zabulon. Here he sets out the mode and order of destruction:

and first, according to the diversity of punishers;

second according to the diversity of punishments, where it says, the Lord sent (Isa 9:8).

The first of these is divided into three, according to the three persecutions made by the Assyrians into the land of the promise.

298. For first, Theglathphalasar, in the reign of Phacee in Samaria, captured the two and half tribes which were across the Jordan in respect to Jerusalem, and from the tribes of Zabulon and Nephtali, which were on the near side of the Jordan, only what could equal a half tribe. And as to this he says, at the first time, that is, at the time of the first captivity, the land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephtali was lightly touched, that is, was reduced in its inhabitants, which was perhaps not too grave for those who remained because more possessions remained for them. And this is spoken of in 2 Kings 15:29.

299. Second, Salmanasar came in the ninth year of Osee and captured the rest of the ten tribes, who were on the near side of the Jordan in respect to Judaea. And as to this he says, at the last, that is, at the last general captivity of the ten tribes, the way of the sea, that is, the region through which one goes to the sea of Genesareth; of the Galilee, that is, which is in Galilee, of the Gentiles, which is across the Jordan, in respect to the Assyrians, although on the near side in respect to Judaea; was heavily loaded, that is, pressed by the heavy weight of tribulation. Now Galilee is divided in two: one part in the tribe of Zabulon, the other in the tribe of Nephtali, near Tyre, and it is said to be of the Gentiles, either because of the many gentiles which lived there, or because it was ruled by gentiles, for Solomon had given it to the king of Tyre (2 Kings 17).

Therefore, he had the pledge of immortality: but being placed in the shadow of life, he could not see and grasp the hidden life with Christ in God by some common touch and sight. And if not yet a sinner, certainly not of an incorruptible and inviolable nature; for he who has fallen into sin is not yet a sinner. Indeed, he was in the shadow of life; but those who are sinners are in the shadow of death. For the people of sinners, as Isaiah teaches (Isaiah 9:2), sat in the shadow of death, until the light arose through the grace of God, not through their own merit. Therefore, there is no distinction between the breath of God and the food of the tree of life. No man can claim to possess more than what has been bestowed upon him by divine generosity.

Although he filled all things with his invisible majesty, [Christ] came, nevertheless, to those who had not known him, as if from a very remote and deep seclusion. At that time, he took away the blindness of ignorance, as it has been written: "For those sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death, a light has risen."

Now the expression darkness will likewise be used to refer to two corresponding concepts. The statement "And God called the light day, and the darkness he called night" is an example of the more common meaning. An example of the spiritual meaning occurs in the statement "The people who sat in darkness … and in the shadow of death, light has dawned on them."

300. Third, Sennacherib came and took the cities of Judah and besieged Jerusalem, as is said in 2 Kings 18:13, 17. And the prophet speaks here of this third persecution saying, the people, and he promises salvation to the Jews. Hence he does two things:

first, he promises the grace of salvation,

second, he assigns the cause: the zeal of the Lord of hosts (Isa 9:7).

Concerning the first, he does three things:

first, he promises salvation;

second, he describes the order of salvation, where it says, you have multiplied (Isa 9:3);

third, he describes the savior himself, where it says, for a child is born to us (Isa 9:6).

301. And he promises them salvation from two things:

from confusion, and as to this he says: the people, of Judaea, that walked, that is, that proceeded in their affairs, in darkness, of doubt, have seen a great light, the day of comfort;

and from gravity of punishment: to them that dwelt in the region of the shadow of death, that is, Judaea, which because of grave persecution was a similitude of death, light is risen, of divine comfort, below: arise, be enlightened, O Jerusalem: for your light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you (Isa 60:1).

Whatever is said in the Bible of the sun shedding light, or of other diffusions, or of banquets, is said of His bounty. Hence, in the Psalm: "The household shall divide the spoils." And in Isaiah: "They rejoice before You as men make merry when dividing spoils." These are the gifts of Christ's lavishness.

You have multiplied the nation, you have not magnified the joy: they shall rejoice before you, as they rejoice in the harvest, as victors exult when the prey is taken, when they divide the spoils. For the yoke of its burden, and the rod of its shoulder, and the scepter of its oppressor you have overcome, as in the day of Midian. For every violent plundering is with tumult: and the garment mixed with blood shall be for burning and food for the fire. LXX: The greatest part of the people you have led down in your joy: and they shall rejoice in your sight, as they are wont to rejoice in the harvest, and as those who divide the spoils: because the yoke that was set upon them has been taken away, and the rod from their neck. For the rod of the oppressors shall be scattered, as in the day of Midian. For every robe gathered by deceit, and the garment of exchange, they shall restore: and they shall wish that they had been burned with fire. In obscure places we set down both editions, so that the diligent reader may recognize how far the common translation differs from the other editions and from the Hebrew truth. An apostrophe is made to the light itself, which appeared to the people set in darkness, that is, to the Lord and Savior. And it is said to him: You have multiplied the nation, that is, you have filled all the nations with the knowledge of you; but you have not magnified the joy. In accordance with which the Apostle says that he has unceasing sorrow for his brothers who are Israelites (Rom 9). And Jonah is saddened that the Ninevites were saved in such a way that the gourd, or CICEION (קיקיון), withered (Jonah 4). And the Lord himself says in the Gospel: I did not come except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matt 15:24). And in the passion: Father, if it be possible, he says, let this cup pass from me (Matt 26:39). This place has this sense: If it can be that the multitude of the nations believe without the destruction of the Jews, I refuse the passion. But if they are to be blinded so that all nations may see, Father, let your will be done. So when Christ has come, and the nation of Christians has been gathered from all nations, then the Apostles will rejoice as reapers rejoice in the harvest, of whom the Lord spoke: The harvest indeed is great, but the laborers are few (Matt 9:37). And as victors exult who divide the captured prey. For when the strong man has been captured and bound, all his house is plundered and the spoils are divided (Matt 12).

The Seventy signify that not all but a certain part of the people believed: although for what they said, you have led down in joy, others have interpreted you have magnified. And while in the rest they hold the same sense, they add that he, that is, the devil, will restore the robe gathered by deceit and the exchanged garment: namely, that he is going to restore with their former ornaments all the souls which he had stripped of God's help; and not he alone, but also his satellites, the demons: who, if the choice were given them, would rather choose to perish in flames than to lose their prey.

302. You have multiplied the nation. Here he sets out the process and order of salvation as to four things.

First, as to the frustration of the enemy, and as to this he says, you have multiplied the nation, in the army of Sennacherib, and have not increased, in them, the joy, that they might complete what they had proposed: he disappoints the counsels of the wicked (Job 5:13).

Second, the plundering of the enemy, which happened when the people went out to collect their spoils after they had been killed by the angel, as is said below (Isa 37:36); hence they are compared to harvesters and victors: they shall rejoice, below: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and mourning shall flee away from them (Isa 35:10).

In the mystery of the establishment of judges, Christ is symbolized by Gedeon, of whom Isaiah speaks: "As on the day of Madian."

But you, O Lord and Savior, have pulled from their shoulders the yoke of his burden, that is, of the devil, who before exulted in the world, who ruled over all nations, who pressed down the necks of all with the most heavy yoke of slavery; and the rod with which he struck all men and compelled them to render him their sins as a kind of tribute; and you have made those freed serve you, without any army and without shedding of blood, by a hidden hand: as once under Gideon you gave the people of Israel victory over the Midianites (Judg 7).

Third, the liberation of slaves: for tyrants burden with precepts, and as to this he says, for the yoke of their burden, that which Sennacherib laid on them; they afflict with punishments, and as to this he says, and the rod of their shoulder, that is, with which they beat their shoulders; they plunder goods, and therefore he says, the scepter of their exactor, below: how is the exactor come to nothing, the tribute has ceased? (Isa 14:4); this may happen so easily, as in the day of Madian, that is, as Gideon overthrew the Madianites (Judg 7:19–22).

For just as a garment that has been bloodied with human blood cannot be washed, but, stained with blood, is burned with fire, so that the stains of the foul gore perish along with the garment: so the violent plundering of the devil, and the tumult and crowds by which he had subjected the human race to himself, have been assigned to the fires of Gehenna.

Fourth, as to the punishment of the enemy: and these things happen, for every violent taking of spoils, with tumult, that is, violent despoilers, as to the damage which they inflict on goods, and garment mingled with blood, of those whom they killed, as to damage inflicted on persons, shall be burnt, for, literally, they were burnt, below: and under his glory shall be kindled a burning, as it were the burning of a fire (Isa 10:16).

So we have in another place: "A child is born to us, and a son is given to us." In the term child there is an indication of age; in the term son a reference to the fullness of Godhead. He was made of his mother and born of the Father, but as the same person he was born and given. Do not think of two but of one. For the Son of God is one person, born of the Father and sprung from the virgin. The names differ in order but unite in one, just as the scriptural lesson just read teaches: "Man was made in her, and the Highest himself has founded her." He was man indeed in body, but the Highest in power. And while he is God and man through diversity of nature, he is the same person, not two persons, though being God and man. He has, therefore, something peculiar to his own nature and something in common with us, but in both cases he is one and in both he is perfect.

And not only did the Father send the Son but also gave him, as the Son himself gave himself. For we read, "Grace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins." If they think that the Son was subjected to God because he was sent, they cannot deny that it was of grace that he was given. But he was given by the Father, as Isaiah said: "Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given." But he was given by the Spirit and was sent by the Spirit. For since the prophet has not defined by whom he was given, he shows that he was given by the grace of the Trinity; and inasmuch as the Son himself gave himself, he could not be subject to himself according to his Godhead. Therefore that he was given could not be a sign of subjection in the Godhead.

Therefore, in order to call the Gentiles to the grace of his resurrection (for it is indeed a rich and fertile land that produces eternal fruits, fruits a hundred and sixty times over), he subjected his shoulder to work, subjecting himself to the cross, in order to carry our sins. And so the Prophet says: His authority is on his shoulder (Isaiah 9:6), that is, the power of divinity over the bodily passion, or the cross surpassing the body. Therefore, he placed his shoulder on the plow, enduring all insults, subjected to labor in such a way that he was wounded because of our iniquities, and weakened because of our sins.

Christ, then, is the beginning of our virtue. He is the beginning of purity, who taught maidens not to look for the embraces of humanity but to yield the purity of their bodies and minds to the service of the Holy Spirit rather than to a husband. Christ is the beginning of frugality, for he became poor, though he was rich. Christ is the beginning of patience, for when he was reviled, he reviled not again. When he was struck, he did not strike back. Christ is the beginning of humility, for he took the form of a servant, though in the majesty of his power he was equal with God the Father. From him each various virtue has taken its origin.For this cause, then, that we might learn these different virtues, "a son was given us, whose beginning was upon his shoulder." That "beginning" is the Lord's cross—the beginning of strong courage, wherewith a way has been opened for the holy martyrs to enter the sufferings of the holy war.

Furthermore, we must prove that this Jesus was beforehand promised from ancient times in the prophets and was called the Son of God. David said, "You are my son; today I have begotten you." Again he said, "In the glories of holiness, from the womb, from of old, I have begotten you, a child." And Isaiah said, "Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and his government was upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful, and Counselor, and mighty God of the ages, and Prince of peace. And to the increase of his government and to his peace there is no end." Therefore tell me, O wise teacher of Israel, who is he that was born and whose name was called "child" and "son" and "Wonderful" and "Counselor," the "mighty God of the ages," and "Prince of peace," "to the increase of" whose government and to whose "peace [he said], there is no end?" For if we call Christ the Son of God, David taught us [this]; and that we call him God, this we learned from Isaiah. "And his government was laid upon his shoulder"; for he bore his cross and went out from Jerusalem. And that he "was born as a child," Isaiah again said, "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear; and his name shall be called Immanuel, which is, our God with us."

We read, "A child is born to us," because we see him in the nature of a servant, which he had because the Virgin conceived and brought forth a son. However, because it was the Word of God who became flesh in order to dwell among us, and because he remains what he was (that is, really God hidden in the flesh), we use the words of the angel Gabriel and call "his name Emmanuel." He is properly called God with us to avoid thinking of God as one person and the humanity [in Christ] as another.

The fact that the one who talked to Moses is called both the angel of the Lord and the Lord raises a big problem, which calls not for hasty assertion but for careful investigation. There are two opinions that can be put forward about it, of which either may be true, since they both fit the faith. When I say that either may be true, I mean whichever of them was intended by the writer. When we are searching the Scriptures, we may of course understand them in a way in which the writer perhaps did not; but what we should never do is understand them in a way which does not square with the rule of faith, with the rule of truth, with the rule of piety. So I am offering you both opinions. There may be yet a third that escapes me. Anyway, of these two propositions, choose whichever you like. Some people say that the reason why he is called both the angel of the Lord and the Lord is that he was in fact Christ, of whom the prophet says plainly that he is "the angel of great counsel." "Angel" is a word signifying function, not nature. "Angel" is Greek for the Latin nuntius. So "Messenger" is the name of an action: you are called a messenger for doing something, namely, for bringing some message. Now who would deny that Christ brought us a message about the kingdom of heaven? And then an angel, that is to say, a messenger, is sent by the one who wants to give a message by him. And who would deny that Christ was sent? So often did he say, "I did not come to do my own will but the will of him who sent me," that he of all people is the one who was sent. After all, that pool at Siloam "means Sent." That is why he told the man whose eyes he anointed with mud to wash his face there. No one's eyes are opened except those of the person who is cleansed by Christ. So then, the angel and the Lord are one and the same.

Surely the entire divinely arranged plan of our Redeemer's [coming] in the flesh is the reconciliation of the world—it was for this purpose that he became incarnate, for this he suffered, for this he was raised from the dead—that he might lead us, who had incurred God's anger by sinning, back to God's peace by his act of reconciliation. Hence he was rightly given the name "Father of the world to come" and "Prince of peace" by the prophet; and the apostle, writing about him to those from among the nations who had believed, said, "And coming, he brought the good news of peace to you who were from far off and peace to those who were near, since through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father."

Clothed in flesh, [Christ] descended into the water as "an angel of great counsel," that is, as a herald of the Father's will to Jewish people. By his deeds and his teaching he moved sinners, so that he would be killed—he who, by his bodily death, was able not only to heal those who were ailing spiritually but also to bring the dead back to life. The movement of the water, then, suggests the Lord's passion, which occurred by the Jewish nation being moved and stirred up.

"Which will be to all people," not to all the people of the Jews, nor to all the people of the nations, but to all the people who, either from the Jews or from the nations of the whole world, are brought together in one flock to one confession of Christ. From one and the same partaking of the mysteries of Christ they are called "Christian." …The light of life rose for those of us dwelling in the region of the shadow of death.

But who is the good counselor? Certainly that one of whom it is said: 'His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, God, the Mighty, the Father of the world to come, the Prince of Peace.' He is the Angel of great counsel: this is he to whom we ought to attend with a pure heart. Ecclesiasticus says: 'Before all works let a true word precede you, and before every act a stable counsel.' The true word, which can neither be deceived nor deceive, is the only-begotten Son of God and his doctrine and his life. Let this word precede you and this stable counsel. Stable counsel is none other than that of my God; 'the counsel of the Lord remains forever.'

Supposing I wanted to know how the Word of God can be the Restorer: Isaiah speaks of it: "A child is born to us, a son is given us; upon His shoulder dominion rests. They name Him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace." He it is who restored the hierarchy of heaven, and that below heaven which had totally fallen. Hence He must needs have touched both heaven and earth. This Hierarch had to be preeminent, endowed with awareness, acceptable to God, victorious, most generous, and just. He is called "Wonder" because He had to be preeminent in power, showing the miracle of miracles in His own Person, the plurality of natures. He is called "Counselor" because He was the best Counselor and the most wise, and from Him come forth documents of the greatest certainty. He is called "God" because He was acceptable to God, not only because in the form of God, but as God. He is called "Strong" because He overcame the world, despoiled Hades, and restored Paradise. He is called "Father of the age to come" because He is the Principle of those influences by which we will live in the future. He is called "Prince of Peace" because of the manifold character of a justice making infallible inquiries, irreproachable distinctions, and irrevocable judgments.

When Isaac himself carried the wood for the sacrifice of himself, in this, too, he prefigured Christ our Lord, who carried his own cross to the place of his passion. Of this mystery much had already been foretold by the prophets: "And his government shall be upon his shoulders." Christ, then, had the government upon his shoulders when he carried his cross with wonderful humility. Not unfittingly does Christ's cross signify government: by it the devil is conquered and the whole world recalled to the knowledge and grace of Christ.

We often find the Lord Christ described as a child because of the purity of his innocence. The simplicity of youth bestows on a child the blessing of aversion from vices and from the malice of the world. As Christ himself attested, "Of such is the kingdom of heaven." "Child" is used in the text: "Behold my child whom I have chosen, my beloved in which my soul delights," and in another passage: "A child is born to us, and a son bestowed on us."

In the holy Scripture Christ is often called a child because of his innocence of mind. As Isaiah says, "For a child has been born to us, and a son has been given to us."

Today was born the child, and his name was called Wonderful! For a wonder it is that God should reveal himself as a baby.

For we too say plainly, that the prophet, wishing to make manifest to men the mystery concerning Christ, called the Self-Existent "Angel," that the meaning of the words might not be referred to the Father, as it would have been if the title of "Existent" alone had been found throughout the discourse. But just as our word is the revealer and messenger (or "angel") of the movements of the mind, even so we affirm that the true Word that was in the beginning, when He announces the will of His own Father, is styled "Angel" (or "Messenger"), a title given to Him on account of the operation of conveying the message. And as the sublime John, having previously called Him "Word," so introduces the further truth that the Word was God, that our thoughts might not at once turn to the Father, as they would have done if the title of God had been put first, so too does the mighty Moses, after first calling Him "Angel," teach us in the words that follow that He is none other than the Self-Existent Himself, that the mystery concerning the Christ might be foreshown, by the Scripture assuring us by the name "Angel," that the Word is the interpreter of the Father's will, and, by the title of the "Self-Existent," of the closeness of relation subsisting between the Son and the Father. And if he should bring forward Isaiah also as calling Him "the Angel of mighty counsel," not even so will he overthrow our argument. For there, in clear and uncontrovertible terms, there is indicated by the prophecy the dispensation of His Humanity; for "unto us," he says, "a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name is called the Angel of mighty counsel." And it is with an eye to this, I suppose, that David describes the establishment of His kingdom, not as though He were not a King, but in the view that the humiliation to the estate of a servant to which the Lord submitted by way of dispensation, was taken up and absorbed into the majesty of His Kingdom. For he says, "I was established King by Him on His holy hill of Sion, declaring the ordinance of the Lord." Accordingly, He Who through Himself reveals the goodness of the Father is called "Angel" and "Word," "Seal" and "Image," and all similar titles with the same intention. For as the "Angel" (or "Messenger") gives information from some one, even so the Word reveals the thought within, the Seal shows by Its own stamp the original mould, and the Image by Itself interprets the beauty of that whereof It is the image, so that in their signification all these terms are equivalent to one another. For this reason the title "Angel" is placed before that of the "Self-Existent," the Son being termed "Angel" as the exponent of His Father's will, and the "Existent" as having no name that could possibly give a knowledge of His essence, but transcending all the power of names to express.

For a little child is born to us, a son is given to us: and the government is upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, God, Mighty, Father of the age to come, Prince of peace. His dominion shall be multiplied, and of peace there shall be no end: upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to establish it and strengthen it in judgment and righteousness, from henceforth and for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. LXX: For a little child is born to us, a son is given to us, whose government is upon his shoulder: and his name is called messenger of great counsel. For I will bring peace upon the princes, and his health: great is his government, and of peace there is no bound, upon the throne of David and his kingdom: to set it right and to help in judgment and righteousness: from this time now and for ever. The zeal of the Lord Sabaoth will do these things. Therefore the devil, and all his violent plundering, by which he had oppressed the human race and mingled blood with blood, will be for burning and food of the eternal fire: because a child is born to us of a Virgin, of whom it was said above: Before the child knows to refuse evil and to choose good (Isa 7:16); and afterward, in the begetting by the Prophetess: Before the child knows how to call his father and his mother (Isa 8:4). This child, then, who was born of the Virgin, is called Emmanuel, that is, God with us; and, begotten of the Prophetess, that is, of the Holy Spirit, he was named Make haste, strip the spoils, hasten to take the prey: now he is called by many names. And although from what he had said above, Emmanuel, that is, God with us, he showed that he is God; yet now he says that his government was set upon his shoulder, either because he himself carried his cross, or, by the shoulder, showing the strength of his arm, as the same Isaiah says: The Lord God has revealed his holy arm to all the nations (Isa 52:10). And again: Lord, who has believed our report: and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed (Isa 53:1)? So after two names he will be called by six other names: Wonderful, Counselor, God, Mighty, Father of the age to come, Prince of peace. For not, as most think, are the names to be joined in pairs, so that we read Wonderful counselor, and again, Mighty God; but Wonderful is to be read separately, which in Hebrew is said PHELE (פלא); and Counselor apart, who in their tongue is called IOES (יועץ); and God separately, who in Hebrew is said EL (אל). Indeed, in what follows, where we read: For you are God, and we did not know; and again: I am God, and there is no other besides me (Isa 45:5), and many things like these: in place of what is said in Latin, God, in the Hebrew EL is written. And what follows, Mighty, is called in Hebrew GIBBOR (גבור). Hence too in the place where the same prophet records: They shall trust upon God, the holy one of Israel, in truth: and what is left of Jacob upon the mighty God (Isa 10), for mighty God the Hebrew has written EL GIBBOR. And the Father of the age to come and of the resurrection, which is fulfilled in our calling; and the prince of peace, who said to the Apostles: My peace I give to you, my peace I leave to you (John 14:27): no one will doubt this who has read, according to the apostle Paul, that the Savior is our peace. Terrified by this majesty of names, I think, the Seventy did not dare to say of a child that he was openly to be called God, and the rest; but in place of these six names they set what is not found in the Hebrew, Angel of great counsel, and I will bring peace upon the princes, and his health. Which seems to me to have this sense: He is the Angel of great counsel who announced to us that Israel was to be cast off for a time and the nations to be saved; and he gave peace to his princes, the Apostles and apostolic men, and left the health of his teachings to believers.

When Scripture wishes to show that God needs no one, it says that he has no counselor. When it wishes to show the equal honor of the Only Begotten, it calls the Son of God his counselor.

"'Messenger' of great counsel," the Son of God is called, because of the other things which He taught, and principally because He announced the Father to men, as also now He saith, "I have manifested Thy Name unto the men." For after having said, "I have finished Thy work," He next explaineth it in detail, telling what sort of work. Now the Name indeed was well known. For Esaias said, "Ye shall swear by the true God." But what I have often told you I tell you now, that though it was known, yet it was so only to Jews, and not to all of these: but now He speaketh concerning the Gentiles. Nor doth He declare this merely, but also that they knew Him as the Father. For it is not the same thing to learn that He is Creator, and that He hath a Son.

Come now, and let me show you that the Son is called God. "Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall give birth to a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel, which means, 'God is with us.' " Did you see how both the name Lord is given to the Father and the name God is given to the Son? In the psalm, the sacred writer said, "Let them know that Lord is your name." Here Isaiah says, "They shall call his name Immanuel." And again, he says, "A child is born to us, and a son is given to us; and his name shall be called Angel of Great Counsel, God the Strong, the Mighty One."

"Unto us a child is born, and unto us a young man is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulders;" which is significant of the power of the cross, for to it, when He was crucified, He applied His shoulders, as shall be more clearly made out in the ensuing discourse.

And when Isaiah calls Him the Angel of mighty counsel, did he not foretell Him to be the Teacher of those truths which He did teach when He came [to earth]? For He alone taught openly those mighty counsels which the Father designed both for all those who have been and shall be well-pleasing to Him, and also for those who have rebelled against His will, whether men or angels.

[Eutyches] might have read the words of the same prophet: "A child is born to us, and a son is given to us, and the government is upon his shoulders: and they shall call his name, angel of the Great Counsel, God the Mighty, the Prince of peace, Father of the world to come." And he would not speak nonsense, saying that the Word was made flesh in such a way that Christ, born from the Virgin's womb, had a man's form yet did not have the reality of his mother's body.

For this reason the apostles are told, "unless you change and become like this child." He does not say "like these children" but "like this child." He chooses one; he proposes one. Let us see, then, who he might be, who is proposed to the disciples to be imitated. I do not think that he is from the people, nor from the ordinary crowd, nor from the vast multitude—this one who was given, through the apostles, as an example of holiness to the entire world. I do not think, I say, that he is from the ordinary crowd but from heaven. For he is the child from heaven about whom the prophet Isaiah says, "A child is born to us, a son is given to us." Clearly he is the child who, like an innocent, did not curse when he was cursed, did not strike back when he was struck, but rather in his very suffering prayed for his enemies, saying, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." Thus simplicity, which nature has given to infants, the Lord augmented with the virtue of mercy.

Because he is of God, he is rightly called God, since he is the Son of God; and because he is subject to the Father and herald of the Father's will, he is proclaimed "Angel of Great Counsel." … The title [angel] does, however, suit the person of Christ, since he is not only God, inasmuch as he is the Son of God, but also a messenger, inasmuch as he is the herald of the Father's economy of salvation. Heretics must realize that they are acting contrary to the Scriptures when they say they believe that Christ was also an angel but do not want to admit that he is also the God who they read came frequently to visit the human race in the Old Testament.

The title of angel is also appropriate to Christ because he was made "the Angel of Great Counsel." He is an angel because he lays bare the heart of the Father, as John declares. For if John says that this Word, who lays bare the bosom of the Father, was also made flesh, so that he could lay bare the heart of the Father, it follows that Christ is not only man but also an angel. And the Scriptures show not only that he is an angel but also that he is God. This is what we too believe. For, if we will not admit that it was Christ who then spoke to Hagar, we must either make an angel God or reckon God the Almighty Father among the angels.

Likewise Isaiah also says, "For unto us a child is born." But what is there unusual in this, unless he speaks of the Son of God? "To us is given he whose government is upon his shoulder." Now, what king is there who bears the ensign of his dominion upon his shoulder, and not rather upon his head as a diadem, or in his hand as a scepter, or else as a mark in some royal apparel? But the one new King of the new ages, Jesus Christ, carried on his shoulder both the power and the excellence of his new glory, even his cross; so that, according to our former prophecy, he might thenceforth reign from the tree as Lord.

But the prophet who predicted the Emmanuel has written of him a little further on that "unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulders; and his name is called angel of great counsel, wonderful, counselor, mighty God, powerful, Prince of peace, Father of the age to come." Now if the baby born of the virgin is styled "Mighty God," then it is only with reason that the mother is called "mother of God." For the mother shares the honor of her offspring, and the Virgin is both mother of the Lord Christ as man and again is his servant as Lord and Creator and God.

303. For a child is born to us. Here he describes the Savior.

And first, as to his reception;

second, as to his naming, where it says, and his name shall be called (Isa 9:6);

third, as to his power, where it says, his empire shall be multiplied (Isa 9:7).

For we receive him in our nature in his birth: for a child is born to us: I bring you good tidings of great joy that shall be to all the people: for, this day is born to you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David (Luke 2:10–11).

We receive him in our knowledge in the testimony of the Father: this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: hear him (Matt 17:5). Bernard: lightly the boy is pleased, easily he pardons: we are poor and can give little; nevertheless for that child we can be reconciled to Christ the child if we wish. And a son is given.

We receive him also in divine reverence through his passion, that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth (Phil 2:10). And the government is upon his shoulder, that is, the cross, through which he is raised up into government: and bearing his own cross, he went forth to the place which is called Calvary (John 19:17).

304. And his name shall be called. Here he sets out his naming,

and first, a name expressing divine wisdom: wonderful: your knowledge is become wonderful to me (Ps 138[139]:6); hence all his works were wonderful, and especially in the union of natures in one person; as to human wisdom: counsellor, adding counsels to precepts: let one of a thousand be your counsellor (Sir 6:6).

Expressing divine power: God: below, verily you are a hidden God (Isa 45:15); human power: mighty, in power: he is wise in heart, and mighty in strength (Job 9:4).

Third, a name expressing abundance of goodness as to his divine nature: father of the world to come, that is, begetting sons into glory: for it became him for whom are all things and by whom are all things, who had brought many children into glory, to perfect the author of their salvation, by his passion (Heb 2:10); below: and he shall be as a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem (Isa 22:21); as to his human nature, prince of peace, inasmuch as he is mediator: for he is our peace, who has made both one (Eph 2:14); you are a prince of God among us (Gen 23:6).

308. It is to be noted on the words, a child is born to us (Isa 9:6), that Christ is called a child,

first, in birth, because of his age: entering into the house, they found the child with Mary his mother (Matt 2:11);

second, in possessions, because of his poverty: you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that being rich he became poor for your sakes (2 Cor 8:9);

third, in heart, because of his humility: learn of me, because I am meek, and humble of heart (Matt 11:29);

fourth, in death, because of the baseness of his death: let us condemn him to a most shameful death (Wis 2:20).

309. It is to be noted on the words, is given to us (Isa 9:6), that Christ is given to us

first, as a brother: who shall give you to me for my brother, sucking the breasts of my mother? (Song 8:1);

second, as a teacher: O children of Zion, rejoice, and be joyful in the Lord your God: because he has given you a teacher of justice (Joel 2:23);

third, as a watchman: O son of man, I have made you a watchman to the house of Israel (Ezek 33:7);

fourth, as a defender, below: he shall send them a Savior and a defender to deliver them (Isa 19:20);

fifth, as a shepherd: and I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them (Ezek 34:23);

sixth, as an example of action: for I have given you an example, that as I have done to you, so you do also (John 13:15);

seventh, as food for the journey: the bread that I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world (John 6:52);

eighth, as the price of redemption: the Son of man is not come to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give his life a redemption for many (Matt 20:28);

ninth, as a reward: to him that overcomes I will give to eat the hidden manna (Rev 2:17).

310. Likewise, it is to be noted on the words, upon his shoulder (Isa 9:6), that God laid upon the shoulder of Christ

first, sins, as upon one who makes satisfaction: the Lord has laid upon him the iniquity of us all (Isa 53:6);

second, a key, as upon a priest: and I will lay the key of the house of David upon his shoulder: and he shall open, and none shall shut (Isa 22:22);

third, the government, as upon a ruler: the government is upon his shoulder (Isa 9:6);

fourth, glory, as upon a conqueror: and I shall hang upon him all the glory of his father's house (Isa 22:24).

When Israel had been saved through the apostles, all the world flocked to the threshold of truth and of the peacemaker Solomon, of whom it was said, "His dominion will be increased and there will be no end of peace." For he [Christ] is "the stone broken off from the mountain," and in his earthly reign of faith, as he falls upon his enemy, he alone possesses a peaceful dominion throughout the earth.

And, indeed, just as in his divinity the Mediator between God and human beings foresaw the mother of whom he willed to be born when he should so will, so also in his humanity he chose the time that he wished for his nativity. Moreover, he himself granted that that [time] should be such as he willed, namely, that in a calm among the storm of wars a singular tranquility of unusual peace should cover the whole world.… He chose a time of utmost peace as the time when he would be born because this was the reason for his being born in the world, that he might lead the human race back to the gifts of heavenly peace.… Our Lord was born in a time of peace, so that even by the circumstance of the time he might teach that he was the very one of whom the prophecy sent before [him] spoke: "His sovereignty will be multiplied, and there will be no end of peace." … The very author of peace and the Maker of time sent before him a time of peace, and thus when he appeared in the flesh he opened an approach to light and proclaimed the joys of eternal peace first to the house of Jacob (that is, the Israelite people), and then to all the nations which came streaming to him. And we must not pass over the fact that the serenity of that earthly peace, at the time when the heavenly king was born, not only offered testimony to his grace but also provided a service, since it bestowed on the preachers of his word the capability of traveling over the world and spreading abroad the grace of the gospel wherever they wished.

All these things, as the apostle teaches, "were done as an example for us" and were written down for us, and so we must scrutinize them carefully for their spiritual meaning. King Solomon, whose name means "peaceful," typologically designates our Redeemer himself, of whom Isaiah says, "His sovereignty will be increased, and there will be no end of peace." The temple that he built is his catholic church, which he gathers into the one structure of his faith and charity from all the believers throughout the world, as it were from living stones.

This voice of repentance is that of the Jewish people and of all who found in Christ access to the salvation for which they were searching. I now know with certainty that you are the one concerning whom it was said "his government will be increased and there will be no end to peace" and that you govern the kingdom in which the pure of heart will see God with unceasing happiness. I beg you, therefore, to strengthen and increase the faith that you imparted to me through the bestowal of your sacraments and heavenly gifts. Thus, having received the pledge of the Spirit, may I remain confident that you will forevermore preserve from destruction the generation of works which were begotten by my heart after the washing of my body and that you will never remove my name from the heavenly home which you deigned to grant to my fathers who, through the law, faithfully and devoutly awaited your coming.

What does the spiritual house or temple that King Solomon made for the Lord in Jerusalem signify? Solomon himself, whose name means "peaceful," is a fitting symbol of the one about whom the prophet sang, "His government will be increased, and there will be no end to peace." [This is] the same one concerning whom the apostle also wrote to the church of the Gentiles, "and he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near, for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father."That it took Solomon seven years to build the temple, which he completed and dedicated in the eighth year, was a sign that for seven years, or the entire span of the present age, the Lord would build the church as a heavenly dwelling for the gathered faithful. In the future life, however, when he appears in the glory of the resurrection, he will complete and perfect the church and raise it forevermore to the joy of life immortal in the vision of his beauty. Our resurrection, then, is rightly signified by the number eight, since the just will be raised from the dead on the eighth day, that is, after the seventh of the sabbath.

In this verse, Solomon signifies the everlasting light by "length of days," the survival of death by "years of life" and the state of happiness to be discovered by "growth in peace." Isaiah refers to the same reality when he says, "His government will be increased, and there will be no end to peace." For when the people of God are obedient to God's law, both historically and at the present time, they are enabled to live for a long time in the repose of peace.

Solomon gave the name "parables" or "metaphors" to this book [Proverbs] because he wanted us to understand it profoundly, not just according to the literal sense. He prefigures the Lord in this respect, who would speak to the crowds through parables. For just as Solomon's own name and peaceful reign foretold the enduring kingdom of Christ and of the church, concerning which it is written "his government will be increased, and there will be no end to peace upon the throne of David and his kingdom," so also did his construction and dedication of the temple artfully refer to the building of holy church, which will be dedicated for all eternity at the resurrection. The testimony of the crowds of people who greeted Christ with palm branches and praises at his entry into Jerusalem also declares him to be the son of David and the spiritual king of Israel.

Isaiah said, "His government will be increased, and there will be no end to peace upon the throne of David and his kingdom, to confirm and strengthen it in right judgment and justice."He did not say "to acquire the glory of worldly riches" or "to have victory over many peoples and cities" or "to conquer the powerful," but "to confirm it in right judgment and justice." For it is through this that the church is strengthened and the kingdom of Christ is extended both within each of the faithful and throughout the entire world.

And what follows: His dominion shall be multiplied, and of peace there shall be no end, in place of which the Seventy translated: Great is his government: we ought to know that the Hebrew word MESRA (משרה), both here and above, the Seventy interpreted ἀρχὴν, that is, government. In place of which we rendered government above, here dominion. But Aquila, deceived by the ambiguity of the word, interpreted μέτρον, that is, measure, which is called by the same name in Hebrew and in Latin. Nor can anyone doubt about the manifold dominion of the Savior and his peace, which has no end, who has read in the Psalms: Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession (Ps 2:8); and again: And abundance of peace, until the moon be taken away (Ps 71 [72]:7), that is, until the consummation of the age. And his government and dominion will be upon the throne and kingdom of David, which after the Babylonian captivity had been broken up, to establish it and strengthen it, and to teach that it is perpetual (lest the promise of God should seem empty), from the time of the Incarnation and for ever. And the zeal, that is, the jealousy, of the Lord of hosts did this for this reason, because they provoked him to jealousy with those who were not gods, and he provoked them to jealousy with a nation that was not a nation (Deut 32). The prophecy of Emmanuel and of the child to be born of a Virgin, begun at the place where it is said to Ahaz: Ask for yourself a sign from the Lord your God, is ended with this little verse, in which is added: The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this (Isa 7:11). Now let us pass on to the rest.

Surely the coming of God in the flesh could not remain hidden from humanity, since the prophet had openly said about him, as though to the whole human race: "behold your God," and "this is your God," and again "the mighty God, Father of the coming world, Prince of peace," and "of his kingdom there will be no end." Once God had come, however, did his coming remain hidden from those who openly confessed? Was Peter ignorant of the advent of God when he said, "You are Christ, the Son of the living God"? Did Martha not know the one in whom she believed or the meaning of what she was saying when she declared, "Lord, I believe that you are Christ, the Son of the living God who has come into the world"? Finally, was not everyone who asked him to heal diseases or to replace lost limbs or to raise the dead petitioning God's omnipotence rather than humanity's weakness?

Listen to how Isaiah predicted this long beforehand when he said, "and his name shall be called Messenger of Great Counsel, Wonderful Counselor, God the Strong, the Mighty One, the Prince of peace, Father of the world to come."No one could say this of a mere man, as is obvious even to those who are very eager to show how stubborn they can be. No man from the beginning of time has been called God the Mighty or Father of the world to come or the Prince of peace. For Isaiah said, "There is no end of his peace." And what did happen makes it clear that this peace has spread over the whole earth and sea, over the world where people dwell and where no one lives, over mountains, woodlands and hills, starting from that day on which he was going to leave his disciples and said to them, "My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you." Why did Christ speak in this way? Because the peace which comes from a human being is easily destroyed and subject to many changes. But Christ's peace is strong, unshaken, firm, fixed, steadfast, immune to death and unending.

305. His empire shall be multiplied. Here he describes his power,

and first, as to the magnitude of his kingdom;

second, as to the nobility of his kingdom: he shall sit upon the throne;

third, as to its eternity: from henceforth and for ever.

Concerning the first, he sets out two things.

First, the magnitude of his kingdom: his empire shall be multiplied: and all kings shall serve him, and shall obey him (Dan 7:27); as to the quiet of peace: and there shall be no end of peace, below: you will keep peace: peace, because we have hoped in you (Isa 26:3).

306. Upon the throne of David. Here he describes the nobility of his kingdom. Upon the throne of David, that is, upon the Church, which is signified by the kingdom of David: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father (Luke 1:32); as to the effect of his kingdom: to establish it, for resistance, and strengthen it, also for fighting, in judgment, that is, through judgment: a king shall reign, and shall be wise: and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth (Jer 23:5); as to the eternity of his kingdom, from henceforth, that is, from the time of the Incarnation, and for ever: his power is an everlasting power that shall not be taken away: and his kingdom that shall not be destroyed (Dan 7:14).

307. Finally, he places the motive for giving this, the zeal, that is, the love, of the Lord, the Father: God so loved the world, as to give his only begotten Son (John 3:16). The Jews interpret this as Ezechias. But clearly his kingdom was not made strong eternally, nor do the names in 9:6, which signify divine eminence, fit him. Because of this, the Septuagint omits these names and puts in their place, angel of the great council.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN THAT DEATH WAS SENT INTO JACOB AND CAME INTO ISRAEL, WHEN JACOB HIMSELF IS CALLED ISRAEL? — He gave two names to one people, so that from the names their merits might be understood. For the one who was surnamed Israel was previously called Jacob. Wrestling with the Savior, he realized that the one whom he saw in bodily form was God; and therefore he was called "the man seeing God" (Gen. 32:24–28). Therefore the people whom he calls Jacob, in this passage and for this reason, signifies the carnal people, in the way that names are given by parents to their offspring. But these, that is, the Jews, because of their evil deeds were not called Israelites, since they sacrificed to calves and lights in Samaria, by the zeal and command of King Jeroboam. The people, however, who in Jerusalem offered sacrifices in the temple of the Lord through the priests of God, were called Israel. Samaria therefore, because of its wickedness, was handed over to captivity and death; but Jerusalem was spared, because it had kings who loved God. Yet when Jerusalem itself followed the wickedness of Samaria, the sentence that was given against Samaria also encompassed it. Therefore it is said, "God sent death into Jacob," (Isa. 9:8) that is, into the people of Samaria, who lived carnally, as we said above; "and it came into Israel," that is, into the people of Jerusalem, because it followed idolatry, imitating Samaria, so that in like manner it might be led into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar, just as Samaria was by Shalmaneser, king of the Assyrians. This is plain: the sentence pronounced against the wicked also finds the good, once they cease to be righteous. For death, once sent into Jacob, as was shown above, came into Israel, not passing over Samaria, but when the cause for which it was sent into Samaria was found in Jerusalem, being sent there it also came into the place where the same situation existed. For vengeance follows the cause, not discerning the person.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN THAT DEATH WAS SENT INTO JACOB, THAT IT HAS COME INTO ISRAEL, SINCE JACOB HIMSELF IS ISRAEL? — He gave two names to one people. For the one who was first called Jacob later received the name Israel, when he wrestled with the Son of God and saw Him through understanding, "the man seeing God." (Isa.9:8) Therefore the people whom he calls Jacob, in this passage and for this reason, is understood as not seeing God, but is regarded as carnal, because of its evil works: so that, just as Jacob, before he saw God Christ, was not called Israelite, so these, while they are called the people Jacob, are signified as not seeing God. Israel, however, he calls the people who, by the works of God, are made worthy to see God. Therefore the people Jacob, because it relied on carnal help, despairing of the assistance of God (for it loved idols), is given over to death, when the king of Assyria is stirred up against them. This is understood of Samaria in what was said by the prophet Isaiah, which was the first to do evil before God, establishing calves for sacrifice, having invented new priesthoods through Jeroboam. Therefore death was sent to them: for they were the first to be taken and deported by Shalmaneser, king of the Assyrians, so that by their example the people of Judah and Benjamin and Levi, those two tribes that remained, and the half tribe in Jerusalem under Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, who in the temple of the Lord offered sacrifices through the priests of the Lord, might be warned. These he calls the people Israel because of the tribes of Judah and Levi, who themselves, though they ought to have acted rightly, frightened by the example of Samaria, behaved wickedly, serving idols. Yet there were some kings in Jerusalem who, after the passing of Solomon and his son Rehoboam, followed the way of David, walking rightly in the sight of God. But all the kings of Samaria acted wickedly in the sight of the Lord until their deportation. And therefore they are called by the carnal name. And because Jerusalem followed their wickedness, it too is given over to captivity by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon; and this is "to have sent death into Jacob and to have come into Israel." It was sent to Samaria; but when the cause for which it was sent to Samaria was found in Jerusalem, being sent there it also came into the place where the same situation existed. For vengeance does not follow the place, but the cause.

And Isaiah shows this: "The Lord has sent word against Jacob, it falls upon Israel." He has sent word against Jacob. Jacob is a name of nature, for He was of his seed; but it falls upon Israel: Israel is a spiritual name. We are the sons of Israel and the sons of Abraham according to the promise, for we are the imitators of Abraham's faith.

For it is written, "The Lord sent a Word into Jacob, and it hath fallen upon Israel." For Jacob means one that overthrows another, and Israel, one that sees God. And what is signified by Jacob but the Jewish people, and by Israel but the Gentile world? For in that very One Whom Jacob aimed to overthrow by the death of the flesh, the Gentile world, by the eyes of faith, beheld God. And thus the Word, that was sent to Jacob, lighted upon Israel; for Him whom the Jewish people rejected when He came to them, the Gentile world at once owned and found.

The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it fell upon Israel. And all the people of Ephraim shall know it, and those who dwell in Samaria, saying in pride and greatness of heart: The bricks have fallen, but we will build with squared stones; they have cut down the sycamores, but we will change them for cedars. And the Lord shall raise up the enemies of Rezin against him, and shall turn his foes into tumult, Syria from the East, and the Philistines from the West, and they shall devour Israel with whole mouth. For all this his fury is not turned away, but his hand is still stretched out, and the people has not returned to him who strikes it, and they have not sought the Lord of hosts. We read above (2 Kgs 16) that in the days of Ahaz son of Jotham, son of Uzziah king of Judah, Rezin king of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel went up to Jerusalem to take it by storm. And (Isa 7) that Isaiah the prophet was sent to meet Ahaz with Jasub his son, to tell him not to fear, and that his heart should not be afraid of the two tails of smoking firebrands, because in them the rule of Syria and of Israel was to be brought to an end. When he did not believe, because of the greatness of the matter and the present danger, he is bidden to ask a sign for himself. And because he was an idolater, he refused to do even this: therefore the Lord gives a sign, not to the king himself, but to the house of David, the sign of his Son who was to be born of the Virgin, at whose invocation they were to be freed from the imminent danger, and the rest, which we have interpreted up to the present place. So, many mysteries having been set in between, he now returns to what he had begun, and prophesies the overthrow of Rezin and Ephraim, that is, of Syria and Samaria: A word, he says, the Lord sent into Jacob, and it fell upon Israel. Among the Hebrews DABAR (דבר), which is written with three consonant letters, DALETH, BETH and RES, according to the nature of the passage signifies word if it is read DABAR, and if DEBER, death and pestilence. For this reason many, deceived by the ambiguity of the term, say that not a word was sent, but death. So the Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it fell upon Israel. He willed that Judah should reign, as Jacob prophesies in Genesis (ch. 49); and Israel, that is, the ten tribes, claimed the rule for themselves, of whom it was said: They have reigned, and not through me (Hos 8:4). So the dignity of rule, which had begun in David at Samuel's anointing after Saul was cast off, sent into Jacob, that is, into the twelve tribes, which were once called Jacob, fell upon Israel: not, as the Seventy translated, came: for what had been appointed and directed to the saints fell among the wicked.

According to the anagogy, our writers expound this passage thus: God sent his Son to Jacob, that is, to the Jews; and he came to Israel, that is, to the people of the nations, whom the Apostle too says are called Israel (Rom 9). Others, however, thus: The Lord sent his Word to the Church, which supplanted the former people, and it fell upon Israel, that is, upon the heretics, who boast that they see God.

The Fifth edition and Aquila: where are your words?, for in Hebrew it is written dabarach; they read dabar, that is, word, in place of deber, which is interpreted death, according to what we read in Isaiah: The Lord sent death into Jacob, and it came into Israel, that is, deber, in place of which we translated: The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it came into Israel, that is, dabar.

We read in Isaiah, at least according to the Seventy translators — otherwise the Hebrew has it differently —: I sent death upon Jacob, and it came upon Israel. Jacob is the name of the body being born; Israel, a name of blessing. For because he wrestled all night and conquered in the struggle, and at the rising of the morning star could say with the Apostle: The night is far spent, the day has drawn near, for this reason he received the name Israel, of one seeing God. Death, therefore, is first sent upon Jacob, so that we may mortify our members which are upon the earth, and through the mortification of the bodily members may come to the death of Israel, so that all the incitements of the passions in us may die.

311. The Lord sent a word into Jacob. Here he describes the order of punishment according to the diversity of punishments.

And first, he recalls the fault,

second, he describes the punishment: and the Lord shall set up (Isa 9:11).

And he denounces the fault in them in two ways.

First, as to the transgression of divine precept; hence he says, the Lord sent a word into Jacob, that is, into Judah, or into the whole people, as the leaders were appointed from Judah: the scepter shall not be taken away from Judah, nor a ruler from his thigh (Gen 49:10; cf. Judg 9; 1 Sam 15). And it has lighted upon Israel, that is, it was frustrated in Israel, that is, in the ten tribes, who rejected the house of David (1 Kgs 12:19–20). Or the word of the law universally: if you play the harlot, O Israel, at least let not Judah offend (Hos 4:15).

So the people of Ephraim and those who dwell in Samaria shall know, who because of their multitude are lifted up into pride and say: The kingdom of Judah is small, and in comparison with ours most worthless. So, while they collapse like bricks, let us build ourselves a house of squared stone. When their sycamores, which are cheap wood, have been cut down by hostile incursion, we will build up our rule with cedars, which do not rot, so that they may signify an everlasting kingdom.

So let their leaders know, and all who dwell in Samaria, that is, who say that they keep the law of God, and are in an abundance of virtues, and bear the fruits of righteousness (for this is what Ephraim means), who in the pride of their heart despise the Church, and, thinking its simplicity to be want of skill, say: In place of its bricks we will build our churches with squared and very strong stones, and in place of unfruitful trees, soon to perish, we will raise up the loftiest cedars; cedars which the Lord will crush, and which the righteous man, in the person of the wicked, relates that he saw, and their place was not found (Ps 36 [37]).

312. Second, as to the excusing of the deed, inasmuch as they said that they had done well, being blinded by pride, for swelling of the mind is an obstacle to the truth, and therefore he says, and all the people of Ephraim, that is, the ten tribes, and the inhabitants of Samaria, as to the princes of the people, shall know, that is, they shall recollect themselves and their fault in the punishment, for punishment opens the eyes which fault closes. That say in the pride and haughtiness of their heart, inasmuch as in their heart they supposed that they were above others, and haughtiness, as to the presumption of the great things they proposed.

Because the prophet recognized that the Jewish people would perish from the faith and because he foresaw that there would arise within the church holy apostles, through whom many of the Gentiles would be established in the strength of faith and life, he spoke with great encouragement, saying, "The stones have fallen, but we will build with square stones." Having foreseen the rise of the apostles, martyrs and doctors of the holy church, he was less troubled by the fall of the stones, which represents the judgment of the Jews, because he also saw the work of Almighty God, which is the holy church built from square stones.Four tables were built from the square stones, therefore, inasmuch as faith, life, patience and kindness were given from the lives of the saints as an example for the people to follow, that they might already have a foretaste of the table. That is, the people might know the virtues through which they can offer a sacrifice of prayer to Almighty God on the altars of their hearts. Whatever good the faithful people of the holy church have done or continue to do, then, they first received from the exemplary lives of their preachers. For how could they have acquired this foretaste of the table if they had not found the square stones? Let's look briefly at each of them, dearest brothers. Do you want to see an instance of faith? "For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." Would you like to know what life is like? "The world is crucified to me and I to the world." Do you want to hear what patience sounds like? "To the present hour we hunger, we are buffeted and homeless, and we labor, working with our hands. We are cursed and we bless, we are persecuted and we endure, we are slandered and we implore."

So the Lord says that Rezin, which means worldly wisdom, whose help Ephraim used, will be turned against him, and all his enemies will fight against him, and he will be assailed both from the East and from the West, and they will devour Israel with whole mouth. In place of which the Seventy translated: And let us build ourselves a tower: and God will dash down those who rise up against mount Zion, and will scatter his enemies. For they desire to build themselves a temple in Samaria too, in the likeness of the Temple of God; but although they have moved their feet from the East and said: Come, let us build a tower, and make ourselves a name before we are scattered (Gen 11:4), with the Lord fighting against them their agreement will be dissolved and scattered, and their tongues will be divided against one another, lest by agreeing they become worse; rather they will be destroyed by one another. And when they have been so struck and devoured by their enemies, still they will not return to the Lord; but his hand is still ready to strike, according to what we read in Jeremiah: In vain have I struck your sons: you have not received discipline (Jer 2:30).

Whoever offers God his choicest goods is likened to Abel's works, while the one who brings cheap things is likened to the works of Cain or to the one who laughed at his father and went to tell his two brothers, or again to the one who decided to build a tower in the plain of Shinar, forgetting the one who had piloted him on the boat and had saved him from the water of the flood and blessed his fathers. Now he said, fleeing, "Come, let us dress stones and cut sycamores and cedars, and let us build a tower for ourselves."

The bricks, that is, the kings of Judah, who were weak, are fallen down, away from us, but we will build our kingdom with square stones, that is, strong kings from among ourselves. They, namely, our enemies, as the Syrians, have cut down the sycamores, that is, the unfruitful kings of Judah; we will change them, that is, set up in their place, cedars, that is, lofty men from among ourselves, above: and make the son of Tabeel king in the midst thereof (Isa 7:6). On their pride, below: woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim (Isa 28:1).

Let all the people of Ephraim, then, and those who dwell in Samaria know this: that the Syrian, who is now its help, will go over to the enemy. Or certainly, that against the Syrian himself sudden wars of adversaries arise, and all are turned into tumult: so that against Israel Syria moves from the East, and the Philistines, that is, the Palestinians, from the West, and together they devour Israel. And when they have done these things, my hand is nonetheless stretched out, or lifted high, over Israel, and does not cease to strike them. And struck by God they will not return to him who strikes them, nor will they seek the Lord of hosts, worshiping golden calves in place of God.

313. And the Lord shall set up. Here he describes the diversity of punishments as to three things which they trusted in.

First, he threatens against the alliance of neighbors;

second, against the use of persons whom they suppose that they have: and the Lord shall destroy (Isa 9:14);

third, against the multitude of peoples: for wickedness is kindled (Isa 9:18).

Concerning the first, he does two things.

First, the punishment is set out;

second, the preparation of further punishment: for all this (Isa 9:12).

And he threatens two things:

first, future destruction: and the Lord shall set up the enemies of Rasin, that is, the Assyrians, in a crowd, of war, concerning which, see 2 Kings 16:9.

Second, the attack of persecution: and the Lord will lead the Syrians, who were friends, from the east, according to the location of their land, and the Philistines from the west, who attacked Judah, and they shall devour Israel, they shall destroy, with their whole mouth, that is, all their affections: their joy was like that of him that devours the poor man in secret (Hab 3:14).

314. For all this his indignation is not turned away. Here the preparation of the punishment is set out,

and second, the reason is assigned: and the people (Isa 9:13).

Now the preparation is placed in the will: his indignation is not turned away: but yet the Lord turned not away from the wrath of his great indignation, wherewith his anger was kindled against Judah (2 Kgs 23:26); and as to his power: his hand; he speaks in a human manner, above: and I will turn my hand to you, and I will clean purge away your dross (Isa 1:25).

It is better to turn again when we err than to be free from correction when we stumble. For whom the Lord loves he chastens, and a rebuke is a fatherly action. Every soul that is not chastised is not healed. Is not then freedom from chastisement a hard thing? But to fail to be corrected by the chastisement is still harder.

Against them the prophet complains to the Lord, saying, "You have bruised them, and they have refused to receive correction." … Hence again the Lord says, "The people are not returned to him who has struck them." … Hence the Lord reproaches the people of Israel, captive yet not converted from their iniquity, saying, "The house of Israel is become dross to me; all these are brass, and tin, and iron and lead, in the midst of the furnace." This is as though he said unmistakably, "I wished to purify them in the fire of tribulation, and I wanted them to become silver or gold. But they have turned from me in the furnace into brass, and tin, and iron and lead, because even in tribulation they have rushed forward not to virtue but to vices." When brass is struck, it gives off a greater sound than do other metals. He … who when chastised breaks forth into sounds of murmuring has turned to brass in the midst of the furnace. Tin, however, when skillfully treated, presents the deceptive appearance of silver. He therefore who is not free from the vice of pretence in the midst of tribulation has become tin in the furnace. But he uses iron who plots against the life of the neighbor, and he is iron in the furnace when he does not put away in his tribulations the wickedness of doing harm to neighbors. Lead, again, is heavier than the other metals. He then is found to be lead in the furnace who is so weighed down by the burden of his sin that even in tribulation he is not raised above earthly desires.

The reason for adding punishment to punishment is the incorrigibility of the people, and this is what he says, and the people are not returned to him who has struck them: in vain have I struck your children, they have not received correction (Jer 2:30).

He who may have been at the head of the flock of Christ is now made the tail of another flock, as God declared through Isaiah: "The prophet who teaches lies is the tail." Everyone among the people who is of right faith, even though he may hold a lower position or office, is beyond doubt at the head of the people by virtue of his right faith. But if he were to depart from the head, great though he may seem among the heretics, he becomes the tail by teaching lies. No longer a lamb who hears the voice of the Lord, he is now made like a wandering goat by following in the footsteps of the evil flock.

Where the head and the tail are said through the prophet to be destroyed, it is clear that priests are designated by the head and prophets by the tail. The crown, therefore, is removed from the head when those who are seen to preside over the body of the church abandon the rewards of heavenly compensation. Once its leaders fall, normally, the army that follows them also succumbs. Hence, soon after the condemnation of the leaders, Job comments on the manifold afflictions of the church: "He destroyed me on every side, and I perish; and he has removed my hope like uprooting a tree." For the church is destroyed on every side and perishes in the persons of its sick members when those who seem to be its strength are corrupted, that is, when the crown is removed from the head because its leaders have abandoned their pursuit of eternal rewards. It is in reference to the sick who have fallen that Job then adds, fittingly: "and he removed my hope like uprooting a tree." A tree is felled by a gust of wind. And what is more similar to a person who falls into unrighteousness as a result of being terrorized with threats than a tree that loses its straightness because of the wind?

And the Lord will destroy from Israel head and tail, bending and perverting, in one day. The aged and honorable, he is the head; and the prophet who teaches falsehood, he is the tail. And those who call this people blessed shall be leading it astray, and those who are called blessed shall be cast headlong. Therefore the Lord will not rejoice over its young men, and he will not have mercy on its orphans and widows, because every one is a hypocrite and wicked, and every mouth has spoken folly. For all this his fury is not turned away, but his hand is still stretched out. For impiety is kindled like a fire: it shall devour brier and thorn, and shall be kindled in the thicket of the forest, and shall be rolled together in the pride of smoke. In the wrath of the Lord of hosts the earth has trembled, and the people shall be like food for the fire. A man will not spare his brother, and he will turn aside to the right and be hungry, and he will eat on the left and not be filled: each one will devour the flesh of his own arm. Manasseh Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh, and they together against Judah. For all this his fury is not turned away, but his hand is still stretched out. Not only will the Lord raise up the enemies of Rezin against him, and turn his foes into tumult, Syria from the East and the Philistines from the West, so that they devour Israel with whole mouth; but because it has not returned to him who strikes it, nor sought the Lord of hosts, he will stretch out his hand to strike, so as to destroy from Israel the head, and the tail bending and perverting, namely him who perverts what is right (Jer 2).

According to tropology, the Lord will take away head and tail, the greater and the lesser alike. By naming the tail, he shows that the heretics are not men but beasts of burden, which use this member to cover their dung and to keep off small creatures. And after the head he adds the tail bending and perverting, because they overturn the precepts of the law and pervert the right way.

Remember what is written in Isaiah: "The elder and honored man is the head, and the prophet who teaches lies is the tail, and there will be some who delight my people while deceiving them, and those who are delighted will be cast headlong." Thus it is clear that some desire to master those domains which all the saints and teachers of the truth are zealous to avoid, namely, worldly glory and the deception of harmful preaching. The power in their tails, therefore, extends back into this life for five months, where the lie is able to marshal the wicked or temporarily to torture the spiritual.

315. The Lord shall destroy. Here he threatens against trust in the use of persons;

and first, the punishment is set out;

second, the preparation of further punishment: for all this (Isa 9:17).

Now persons seemed useful either for defense, and against these he threatens first;

or for provoking divine mercy, and he threatens against these where it says, therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men (Isa 9:17).

Concerning the first, he does three things.

First, their dignity is set out and their fault, and the fault under a metaphor, him that bends down, as to the prince, against the rectitude of justice, and him that corrupts or holds back, namely, the prophet: and they violated me among my people (Ezek 13:19).

Who the head is, he himself has interpreted: the aged and honorable. And who the tail is: The prophet, he says, who teaches falsehood, that is, the false prophet.

He will also destroy the aged man, because he is the head, and the false prophet, who is set in the tail, both teachers and disciples alike: the one sort who for gifts praise sinners, the other who, being praised, do not perceive their own evils nor do penance.

Second, he explains the metaphor: the aged, that teaches lies: and her prophets have daubed them without tempering the mortar, seeing vain things, and divining lies unto them (Ezek 22:28).

He [Paul] lived not to himself but to Christ and his preaching. He crucified the world to himself, and being crucified to the world and the things which are seen, he thought all things little and too small to be desired. [He thought this] even though from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum he had fully preached the gospel, even though he had been prematurely caught up to the third heaven, and had had a vision of Paradise, and had heard unspeakable words. Such was Paul, and everyone of similar spirit with him. But we fear that in comparison with them, we may be foolish princes of Zoan, or extortionists who exact the fruits of the ground or falsely bless the people.

He has spoken of the leaders; now he joins the people as well to the nobles, because teachers and disciples, the learned and the unlearned crowd, will perish alike. For those who called the people blessed are seducers; and those who were called blessed, not for virtue but for gifts, will be cast headlong into death. Hence also we read above: My people, those who call you blessed lead you astray, and trip up the paths of your feet (Isa 3:12).

Third, he sets out the punishment: and they that call this people blessed, shall cause them to err, and those who are led astray, that are called blessed, shall be thrown down, above: O my people, they that call you blessed, the same deceive you (Isa 3:12). You shall fall today, and the prophet also shall fall with you (Hos 4:5).

In such a people God will have mercy on no person: not on the orphan, not on the widow, because every one is a hypocrite, pretending one thing and doing another: promising chastity and living luxuriously, making a show of poverty and filling the purse. Hence he adds and says: And every mouth has spoken folly. For all these things the Lord does not cease to be angry, but still raises his hand to strike.

Therefore the Lord will not rejoice in their young men: For woe to the city whose king is a youth (Eccl 10:16). And those who have lost God as Father, or the true Lord, will not obtain mercy. For every heretic is a hypocrite, doing one thing and pretending another, and whatever he says, though it may seem to be wisdom, is nevertheless folly. For these things he stretches out his hand to punish, and the devouring flame will consume all their impieties like thorns. And words without virtues, which are compared to an unfruitful forest, will be wrapped in the pride of smoke.

316. Therefore. Here he threatens against persons who are useful for provoking mercy, either because of integrity of the flesh: their young, namely, virgins; or because of age: their orphans; or because of weakness, widows.

And first, the punishment is set out: neither shall he have mercy;

second, the reason is set out as to dissimulation in works: for every one is a hypocrite; as to malice in the heart: and wicked; as to falsehood in the mouth: and every mouth has spoken folly: the hope of the hypocrite shall perish (Job 8:13).

317. For all this: as explained above.

Mary said to him, "How can this be, since no man has known me?" He said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you." Why did he not mention the Father's name but instead the name of his Power and the name of the Holy Spirit? Because it was fitting that the Architect of the works [of creation] should come and raise up the house that had fallen and that the hovering Spirit should sanctify the buildings that were unclean. Thus, if the Progenitor entrusted the judgment that is to come to his [Son], it is clear that he accomplished the creation of humanity and its restoration through him as well. He was the live coal that had come to kindle the briars and thorns. He dwelt in the womb and cleansed it and sanctified the place of the birth pangs and the curses.

And because they have done these things, impiety will be kindled like fire, so that the ravening flame devours not the tilled field but briers and thorns, and consumes not fruit-bearing trees but the unfruitful forest in which wild beasts dwell. For this reason it is said that the thicket of the forest, when fire is set beneath it, is rolled together in the pride and height of the smoke. For everything that is lofty and rises up on high can be called proud. In place of which the Seventy, meaning I know not what, translated: and it will devour all things round about the hills.

318. For wickedness is kindled. Here, against trust in the multitude of the people, he threatens dissension,

then the preparation of further punishment: after all these things (Isa 9:21).

Concerning the first, he does two things:

first, the metaphor of fire is set out;

second, of famine: and he shall turn to the right hand (Isa 9:20).

Concerning the first, he does two things:

first, he sets out the metaphor;

second, the explanation: by the wrath of the Lord (Isa 9:19).

319. He threatens the punishment of dissension under the metaphor of burning;

hence, he first sets out the efficient cause of the burning: for wickedness is kindled, as if to say: your impiety is like a fire kindled to burn you up, below: behold all you that kindle a fire, encompassed with flames, walk in the light of your fire (Isa 50:11);

second, the material cause: it shall devour the briar, that is, a vicious people, above: briers and thorns shall come up over it (Isa 5:6).

Second, the burning itself: it shall kindle in the thicket of the forest, that is, in the woods in which there are many trees, signifying the multitude of the people; and the effect: and it shall be wrapped up in the pride, that is, the height, of smoke: for smoke ascending from fire enwraps the tops of trees, and the tribulation of dissension darkens the vision of men: fire has devoured the beautiful places of the wilderness: and the flame has burnt all the trees of the country (Joel 1:19).

Hence also at the wrath of the Lord the earth trembled, and the people became fodder for the fire, because there was such cruelty in it that it did not spare even the dearest name of brotherhood, but, deserting and despising the right, it was sated with the things that were on the left, while it hungers for pleasures and evils, and always longs to join worse things to evil ones.

At their punishment all the ground will tremble, and the deceived peoples will be handed over to everlasting burnings, because for the sake of shameful gain they do not spare even their own, but vie with one another in taking plunder from the peoples they have deceived, leaving good things and lingering in the worst. And though they always find what is on the left, yet they are never sated with their errors, devouring the flesh of their own arm, and fighting against the Church with equal zeal. On account of luxury and pleasures and gains from the peoples they have discord among themselves, so that from one heresy two arise, and these in turn are divided into parts, so that they may lead away flocks of their own and devour the houses of widows and of sinful women, always learning and never coming to the knowledge of the truth (2 Tim 3). In all these things the fury of the Lord will not be turned away, consuming and overthrowing vices; but the more they advance in sinning, the more he stretches out his hand for punishment.

By the wrath of the Lord, which is like fire: his indignation is poured out like fire (Nah 1:6); and the people shall be as fuel for the fire, below: walk in the light of your fire (Isa 50:11); no man shall spare his brother: this is explained as to the burning itself.

320. And he shall turn to the right hand. Here he threatens the same punishment under the metaphor of famine.

And first, he sets out the metaphor, and he shall turn, as if his deeds are seen, to the right hand, by which friends are signified, and shall be hungry, to do evil still; on the left hand, enemies; the flesh of his own arm, kinsmen.