Justin Martyr, on Isa 1:20

“But if you will not, and will provoke me to wrath: the sword shall devour you because the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.”

“And that expression, "The sword shall devour you," does not mean that the disobedient shall be slain by the sword, but the sword of God is fire, of which they who choose to do wickedly become the fuel. Wherefore He says, "The sword shall devour you: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." And if He had spoken concerning a sword that cuts and at once despatches, He would not have said, shall devour.”

Imported from an open dataset — not yet checked against the printed edition.