“(Chapter 26, Verse 1) On that day, this song will be sung in the land of Judah: Our strong city, the Savior will set it as a wall and rampart. In that day, this song will be sung over the land of Judah: Behold, a strong city, our salvation will set up walls and bulwarks. When Moab is humbled and brought to the ground, and all the enemies of Christ are brought low, then this song will be sung in the land of Judah or Judea, which signifies both confession: that just as we have understood Zion and Jerusalem to be the heavenly city, so let us understand the confession of this city's region to be a heavenly confession. Finally, the saints unwilling to sing the song of Judah in a foreign land, say: How can we sing the Lord's song in a foreign land? (Ps. 136:4). I think this is the song that is also commanded to the saints in another place: Sing to the Lord a new song (Ps. 95:1). And this song will be the one that follows: The city of our strength is the Savior (Matthew 5). What city is this? It cannot be hidden, for it is situated on a mountain. It is written about this in another place: The rushing of the river makes glad the city of God (Psalm 46:4); and again: Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God (Psalm 87:2). The founder of this city is the one about whom the Father speaks: he built my city. Indeed, the Savior is the city of our strength, that is, Jesus. And in it will be placed a wall and a bulwark. The wall of good works, and the bulwark of right faith, so that it may be protected on both sides by a double defense. For it is not enough to have a wall of faith, unless that faith is confirmed by good works. This wall and this rampart or surrounding wall are built of living stones, which, according to the prophet, are rolled upon the earth. The term we render 'rampart' Symmachus has interpreted 'firmament,' so that the walls themselves may be surrounded by fortifications and ramparts and trenches and other walls, which in the construction of camps they are accustomed to call breastworks.”

“When Hezekiah, the king of Judah and son of Ahaz, was gravely ill and had learned of his coming death by the prophecy of Isaiah, he turned his face to the wall and wept bitterly. Immediately the Lord in his mercy not only averted the destruction of imminent death but also added fifteen years to the man's life. Then, at last, Hezekiah sang this song. Hezekiah, a holy man who reigned at that time over all of Israel, displayed the Lord's form: clearly he had every movement of body, soul and mind in subjection to himself, and he accepted the consequences of his infirmity and weakness. He knew without doubt through the prophetic message that the end of his life was approaching. For the longer we seem to live, the more indubitably is our future death foreknown to us. And if we turn our face to the wall when struck by the fear of death, that is, if we direct the vision of our hearts to the Savior, who is here represented by the wall because he is elsewhere called "a wall," we will be saved, inasmuch as he saves the faithful who dwell within him from a great many attacks. "In the city of our strength," says Isaiah, "is the Savior established as a wall and a fortress." Behold, the Savior is said to be a wall.”

“597. In that day. In this part, he gives thanks for the justification of the people, and it is divided into two parts: in the first, he foretells the state of the just; in the second, he shows the fruit of justice: the old error (Isa 26:3). Concerning the first, he does two things. For first, he foretells the confidence of the just: in that day, after the return from captivity and the affliction of the Moabites by the Maccabees, or after the coming of Christ; O Zion, the savior, Christ, or Judas Maccabeus, is a city of strength; therein, namely, in protection, a wall and a bulwark shall be set, these only literally in the time of the Maccabees; or a wall, Christ, a bulwark, the prophets. Or otherwise: Zion is the city, the savior, God, or Christ, or Judas Maccabeus, a wall, that is, defending like a wall: the name of the Lord is a strong tower (Prov 18:10); I will be to them, says the Lord, a wall of fire round about (Zech 2:5). 609. Note on the words, the city of our strength (Isa 26:1), that Christ is the city of our strength, because he strengthens us: first, in faith: other foundation no man can lay, but that which is laid: which is Christ Jesus (1 Cor 3:11); second, in hope: we may have the strongest comfort, we who have fled for refuge to hold fast the hope set before us (Heb 6:18); third, in charity: being rooted and founded in charity (Eph 3:17); I am come to cast fire on the earth (Luke 12:49); fourth, in work: it is God who works in you, both to will and to accomplish, according to his good will (Phil 2:13); fifth, in temptation: God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that which you are able (1 Cor 10:13); sixth, in accusation: we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ (1 John 2:1); seventh, in reward: I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God (Rev 3:12).”

“(Vers. 2-4.) Open the gates, and let the just nation enter, guarding the truth. The ancient error has gone away, you shall keep peace: peace, because we have hoped in you. You have hoped in the Lord in eternal ages. LXX: Open the gates, let the nation enter, guarding justice, and guarding truth, holding onto truth, and guarding peace: peace, because they have hoped in you, Lord, forever. This entire chant, which is sung on earth by those who confess and praise the holy ones, suddenly changes personas, and is woven as if through question and answer. The people of God said: 'The city of our strength, the Savior, will be built with a wall and a rampart in it.' The Lord replied, or rather commanded, not those who said this, but the angels who presided over the gates of the Lord's city, to open the gates so that a righteous nation, guarding the truth, may enter through them, or as it is said in Hebrew, Emmunim, which in our language is translated as faith in the plural number, not singular. What are the gates, which are opened by angels, so that the people of Judah, who are rejected, may not enter, but rather the righteous nation, which has received its name from the faith of the faithful? Indeed, those of which the saint speaks: Open to me the gates of righteousness, I will enter through them and give thanks to the Lord (Ps. CXVII, 19). However, no one will be able to enter these gates unless they have been freed from the gates of death; and as the Psalmist says: You who lift me up from the gates of death, that I may declare all your praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion (Ps. IX, 15). For when we have been saved from the gates of death, then at the gates of the daughter of Zion we will be able to sing all the praises of the Lord. And just as I consider the gates of death to be sins, of which it is said to Peter: The gates of hell shall not prevail against you (Matthew 16:18); so the gates of righteousness, all the works of virtue, whoever enters them will find one gate, of which it is said: This is the gate of the Lord, the righteous shall enter it (Psalm 118:19). And how is it that through many pearls one arrives at one pearl: so through many paths and gates we come to Him who says He is the way and the gate, through which we enter to the Father. After the word of God, the people answered in Hebrew 'Jeser Samuch' (which Aquila and Symmachus similarly translated) which means 'our error is removed', or 'our thought is established', which previously wavered between you and idols, so that we are not carried about by every wind of doctrine, but with our whole mind we believe in you, the Lord and Savior. In order for us to have a clearer understanding, we have translated, the old error has gone away. And since our thought has been confirmed, therefore you will keep for us the peace that you promised to the Apostles, saying: My peace I give to you, my peace I leave to you (John 14:27); and not only once, but twice, so that the secure reward that is promised in twofold language may be assured, according to what the Apostle also spoke: Rejoice, I say again, rejoice (Philippians 4:4). But the consequence of this is what is said in Leviticus: 'A man, a man, of the sons of Israel' (Lev. 17). And in the book of Numbers: 'A husband, a husband, whose wife has defiled the marriage bed' (Num. 5:12): so that a double man and a double husband may obtain double peace. And they say, 'We merit peace because we trust in you with our whole mind.' After the words of the people and the response of the Lord, the voice of the Prophet speaks again to the believers: 'You have hoped, or continue to hope, in the Lord, in everlasting ages,' and so on. According to the Septuagint, he enters the gates of the Lord, who guards justice in good works, and preserves or embraces truth in the truth of faith, so that he may attain peace through good works and faith, which surpasses all understanding, and deserve to receive that same peace; for he believed in God who is the dispenser of eternal good works (Philippians 4). Therefore, it is also written in another place: You have desired wisdom, keep the commandments, and the Lord will grant it to you (Ecclesiastes 1:33).”

“Open the gates I.e., open her gates, and let a righteous nation, awaiting, that waited and longed in its exile many days for the faith of the Holy One, blessed be He, that He fulfill His promise through His prophets, to redeem them. awaiting (שֹׁמֵר) waiting. Comp. (Gen. 37:11) “And his father awaited (שָׁמַר) the matter.” Similarly (Deut. 7:12), “And the Lord, your God, shall await (וְשָׁמַר) the covenant for you.””

“598. Second, the Lord foretells their justice, saying to the angels: open the gates, of heaven or of virtue, closed by sins; or, literally: it is not necessary for you to close the gates because of the unfaithful, for they are all just: this is the gate of the Lord, the just shall enter into it (Ps 117[118]:20). 610. Note also on the words, open the gates (Isa 26:2), that we ought to open the gates through meditation, first, on the misery of hell, below: I shall go to the gates of hell (Isa 38:10); second, on the just life: let her works praise her in the gates (Prov 31:31); third, on the glory of heaven: he has strengthened the bolts of your gates (Ps 147:13).”

“599. The old error. Here he sets out the fruit of justice, namely, peace; for which is first set out the petition of the people, which contains three things. For the suitableness of the petitioners is set out: the old error, namely, of idolatry: the old things are passed away (2 Cor 5:17); the benefit of peace is asked for: you will keep peace, of body and soul, below: my people shall sit in the beauty of peace (Isa 32:18); their meriting of peace is alleged: because we have hoped in you: who has hoped in the Lord, and has been confounded? (Sir 2:11). 611. Note also on the word, peace (Isa 26:2), that there are three things that make peace in the present life: first, contempt for temporal riches, below: but the wicked are like the raging sea, which cannot rest (Isa 57:20); second, subjugation of carnal concupiscence. Living at peace in their houses (Sir 44:6); third, contemplation of divine wisdom: his place is in peace: and his abode in Zion (Ps 75:3[76:2]).”

“Trust ye, etc. Therefore fathers will say to their children, Trust in the Lord, etc. ביה In the Lord. ב is a preposition, and has its usual meaning., גיה ,ביה ,איה, and so on. In his commentary on the book of Psalms (68:5), I. E. rejects this opinion, but without giving the explanation which is promised here., גיה ,ביה ,איה, and so on. In his commentary on the book of Psalms (68:5), I. E. rejects this opinion, but without giving the explanation which is promised here., גיה ,ביה ,איה, and so on. In his commentary on the book of Psalms (68:5), I. E. rejects this opinion, but without giving the explanation which is promised here. צור עולמים Everlasting strength. ביה In some books all the letters of the Alphabet are combined with this word (יה), which consists of one-half the number of letters composing the full name of God, in order to form new names for the Divine Being. In the book of Psalms (68:5) I shall explain this.”

“600. Second, the response of the prophet is set out, who is the mediator between the people and God: you have hoped. And this is divided into three parts: in the first, the promise of peace is set out; in the second, the procurement of peace: the way of the just (Isa 26:7); in the third, the announcement of the procured peace: the inhabitants of the world shall learn justice (Isa 26:9). 601. Concerning the first, he does three things. First, he concedes their merit: you have hoped in the Lord for eternal ages, that is, forever: in him has my heart confided, and I have been helped (Ps 27[28]:7). Second, he adds counsel: in the Lord God, that is, hope in the Lord God: he that shall persevere unto the end, he shall be saved (Matt 10:22).”

“(Vers. 5, 6.) In the Lord, the mighty God forever: for He will bring down those who dwell on high; He will humble the lofty city and bring it down to the ground; He will cast it down to the dust. The feet shall trample it, the feet of the poor and the steps of the needy. LXX: O great and eternal God, who have humbled and cast down those who dwell on high, you will destroy strong cities and bring them down to the pavement, and their feet will be trampled by the meek and the humble. And this is what the Prophet speaks, who answered him in the place where he had said above: Hope in the Lord in eternal ages; and he joins to it what we have now proposed: In the Lord God Almighty forever, and so on. For the Lord God Almighty, in Hebrew has three names, Ia () and Adonai () and Sur (), which mean, respectively, invisible, ineffable, and strong, of which the first is placed in the last syllable of Alleluia (). And let the diligent reader observe this, that sometimes we divide the text in the proposition of testimonium: because one edition has one sense from the Septuagint and another has the sense expressed word for word from the Hebrew. Therefore the Prophet says: Hope in the Lord in eternal ages: in the Lord God Almighty forever, whose help is everlasting. For He will bow down those who dwell on high, because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled; those who boasted of having Abraham as their father, and spoke against the Lord: We are not born of fornication (John VIII, 41). He will also humble the lofty city, as the Jews believe, Rome (or rather Jerusalem), which killed the Prophets, and stoned those who were sent to it, and finally killed the son of the master of the house, so that the heir, being killed, the inheritance would perish (Luke XIII). And the city is not called the one [which] is called in Hebrew Ir, but Caria which Aquila translated as πολίχνην, which we can call either a small city or village or town, and frequently in the Scriptures it is referred to by this name Jerusalem. And beautifully, he placed a twofold humility: He will humble, he will humble it, first under the Babylonians, when the temple was destroyed, secondly under Titus and Vespasian, whose ruin continues until the end. It tramples it under foot, and treads upon it, and joins the feet of the poor, without doubt of Christ. Of whom we have already spoken above: He became strength to the poor; the strength of the needy in their tribulation. The steps of the needy, namely the Apostles, who imitating the poverty of the Lord, also obtained the privilege of his virtue; who, not being received, shook off the dust of their feet upon it. And because it is said in the words of the Savior, Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled: and he who humbles himself will be exalted (Luke 14:11), we can apply this not only to men, but also to contrary virtues. According to the Septuagint, the Prophet sings praises to God, because he humiliates all the proud and tears down the fortifications of all cities to the ground, and he treads upon the heads of the holy, the meek, and the humble.”

“Third, he promises the benefit of peace for the destruction of enemies: for he shall bring down them that dwell on high, the high city he shall lay low. He shall bring it down even to the ground, he shall pull it down even to the dust. The Jews say this refers to the Romans, but it can refer to any of their enemies, or, mystically, to the Jews themselves, above: the bulwarks of your high walls shall fall (Isa 25:12).”

“And he adds the condition of those who destroy them: the foot shall tread it down, the feet of the poor, the Jews, who have little; the needy, who need to have many things. Or, if taken mystically, he sets out the Jews' meriting of destruction on account of the poor Christ, of whom it says in Psalm 69:6[70:5]: but I am needy and poor, and also: but I am poor and sorrowful (Ps 68:30[69:29]); the needy, the disciples.”

“(Verses 7-9.) The path of the just is straight, the righteous path is for walking: and on the path of your judgments, O Lord, we have waited for you, your name and your memorial in the desire of our soul: my soul has desired you in the night. LXX: The path of the just is straight, made straight is the path of the just, and prepared. For the path of the Lord is judgment, we have hoped in your name: and in the memorial which our soul desires. Furthermore, the Prophet speaks about Christ, about whom he said above: His foot will trample it, the feet of the poor. Therefore, the path of this just man is straight, or, to use a new word, it is called righteousness, which the Greeks call εὐθύτητας and we can call equities in Latin, and in Hebrew they are called Messarim (). Therefore, in the one path of Christ, all righteousness is found, and for this reason, he trod upon it and crushed it with his foot, so that whoever desires to walk on it may walk without stumbling. In this path of the Lord's judgments, the saints sustained him and hoped in him, for hope does not disappoint. And they had both the name and the memorial in the desire of the soul, saying: My soul hath coveted to long for thy judgments at all times (Ps. CXVIII, 20); and again: My soul hath desired, and hath been consumed with longing for thy salvation (Ibid. 81). But he who has the name of the Lord in desire, desires nothing else. And this should be noted, that the desire of the Lord is not in the flesh, but in the soul, according to what we read in another psalm: My soul hath thirsted after the living God, the strong (Ps. LI, 2). For the flesh desires against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh. For these are opposed to each other, so that you do not do what you want. And what follows: In the night, according to the Septuagint, it is joined to the following chapter, according to the Hebrew to the previous one. But he can say: My soul longed for you in the night, who speaks confidently with the Psalmist: I will wash my bed every night, with tears I will water my couch. Night and darkness can be seen as symbols of tribulation and distress. Therefore, in another psalm, the Prophet sings about the security of the righteous: The sun shall not harm you by day, nor the moon by night (Ps. 121:6), meaning that in both good times and bad, you will never be shaken from your position. But my spirit within me, from the morning I watch for you. LXX: From the night my spirit rises to you, O God, for your judgments are a light upon the earth. We desire to follow the Hebrew and not completely disregard the Vulgate edition, and out of necessity we are compelled to seek different understandings in different order and language. Therefore, what is said, 'from the night,' according to the LXX, is the beginning of this chapter, as we have said, but according to the Hebrew, it is the end of the previous; although it can also be understood at the end of the previous testimony according to the LXX, so that the meaning is: My soul desires you at night; and then begin, from the morning my spirit rises to you, O God. Therefore, in the morning he rises, because your light is precepts upon the earth. For he keeps your commandments, and is enlightened by their light, of which it is said: The commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes (Ps. XVIII, 9). I cannot sleep, but desiring you at all times, I rise to you in spirit. And it should be observed that even when we are still in the night, we should desire the Lord in our minds. However, once our spirit has fully moved itself towards God in our hearts, let us wake up in the morning for him. To express it more clearly, the night and desire belong to the soul, but the morning and watchfulness belong to the spirit. Moreover, the spirit in their innermost being wakes up to God, who can say: Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord (Ps. 130:1).”

“The way of the righteous that is straight A way that is straight for the reception of the reward of the righteous You, O God, Who are an upright God, shall weigh the path of the righteous man, to lead him in that way, that he receive his reward. The righteous man is Jacob and his descendants. We must render in this manner: the straight way for the righteous man. ([Printed editions read:] The way for the righteous man to receive the reward for the upright deeds he performed.) O Upright One You, the Holy One, blessed be He, the path of the feet of the righteous man, You shall weigh that way for him. This weighing is an expression of kontrepajjs in O.F., You counterbalance, equalize. Like a king who sits and thinks and weighs in his mind, which way is better, this one or that one. So, judge with equity to lead him in the way of receiving the reward for performing his deeds before You with propriety.”

“602. The way of the just. Here is set out, as it were, a dispute of the prophet with the Lord, to obtain the petition of the people. And first, he urges him by arguments to punish their enemies; second, he urges him from experience: you have indulged (Isa 26:15). Concerning the first, he does two things: first, he urges him to punish them; second, to detain them in punishment: let not the dead live (Isa 26:14). Concerning the first, he does three things: first, he urges him to justice; second, he excludes mercy: let us have pity (Isa 26:10); third, he determines the punishment: and he shall not see the glory of the Lord (Isa 26:10). 603. Now he provokes him to justice by setting out three things. First, the rightness of justice: the way of the just, that is, of justice: the Lord conducted the just through the right ways (Wis 10:10). 612. Note also on the words, the way of the just (Isa 26:7), that the way of justice is right: first, because of the shortness of its course: we have walked through hard ways (Wis 5:7); second, because of the evenness of its site, whose mean does not vary: knowing that he came from God and goes to God (John 13:3); third, because of its beauty: the Lord bless you, the beauty of justice, the holy mountain (Jer 31:23).”

“Even [for] the way of Your judgments, O Lord, have we hoped for You When we looked forward to receiving benefit from You, likewise we hoped that You would show us the way of the judgments of Your revenge upon the wicked. ([Manuscripts read:] Upon the wicked Esau.) for Your Name and Your remembrance was the desire of [our] soul Our soul longed to see the name You will gain from them, by wreaking vengeance upon Your adversaries.”

“Second, the expectation of the afflicted, setting out three things: the expectation itself, in the way, that is, through the punishment, of your judgments, by which you vindicate and liberate us: your justifications I will never forget: for by them you have given me life (Ps 118[119]:93); the desire of those in expectation: your name: this is the name that they shall call him, the Lord our just one (Jer 33:16).”

“[In monasteries] at the crowing of the rooster their leader comes, and gently touching the sleeper with his foot, rouses them all. For there are none sleeping naked. Then as soon as they have arisen they stand up and sing the prophetic hymns with much harmony and well-composed tunes. And neither harp nor pipe nor other musical instrument utters such sweet melodies as you hear from the singing of these saints in their deep and quiet solitudes. And the songs themselves too are suitable and full of the love of God. "In the night," they say, "lift up your hands to God. With my soul have I desired you in the night; truly with my spirit within me will I seek you early."”

“And now, beloved, I ought to say a word about the antiquity of the tradition and the utility of vigils. It is easier to begin a work if we keep before our eyes how useful it is. The devotion to vigils is very old. It has been a household tradition among the saints. It was the prophet Isaiah who cried out to the Lord: "My soul has yearned for you in the night. Indeed, my spirit within me seeks you early in the morning."”

“[With] my soul I longed for You in my exile, which resembles night, to perform these. even [with] my spirit within me I beseeched you I beseeched You for all this. Why? Because, when Your judgments come to the earth, when you execute justice upon the wicked. the inhabitants of the world learn justification They learn to justify Your judgment and to acknowledge Your standards for they see the sinner punished and the righteous receiving a good reward.”

“נפשי My soul, that is, the thought of my soul, was בלילה אויתיך I have desired Thee in the night; Yea the thought of my spirit within me, was אשחרך I will seek Thee early. Man has נפש soul and רוח spirit, as I explained in Koheleth. When Thy judgments are, etc. When Thy judgments appear on the earth the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness. תבל World. The inhabited part of the earth.”

“The constancy of the desire, for day and night, that is, at all times, or in prosperity and adversity, my soul has desired you: in my bed I sought him whom my soul loves (Song 3:1); O God, my God, to you do I watch at break of day (Ps 62:2[63:1]). Third, he sets out the usefulness of justice: when you shall do your judgments on the earth, the inhabitants of the world shall learn justice: the Lord shall be known when he executes judgments (Ps 9:17[16]).”

“When, by such faith and knowledge, the Lord's people have embraced this true life, they surely receive the joy of heaven. The wicked, on the other hand, since they don't care about the Lord's life, are rightly deprived of its blessings. For, "let the wicked be taken away so that he shall not see the glory of the Lord." In the end they, like everyone else, shall hear the universal proclamation of the promise, "Awake, sleeper, and rise up from the dead." They shall rise and knock on the doors of heaven, saying, "Open to us." The Lord, however, will rebuke them for rejecting knowledge of him and will tell them, "I do not know you."”

“Our Lord Jesus Christ came on this account, too, that we might see not only his glory here but also the glory to come. Therefore he said, "I will that where I am they also may be, in order that they may behold my glory." Now, if this glory here has been so bright and splendid, what could one say of that other? It will not appear on this corrupt earth or while we are in our perishable bodies but in that immortal and everlasting creation, and with so much brightness that it is impossible to put it into words. Oh, blessed, and thrice-blessed, and blessed many times over, they who are deemed worthy to become beholders of that glory! With reference to it the prophet says, "Away with the impious, that he may not behold the glory of the Lord."”

“Shall the wicked be favored who did not learn righteousness Should you favor the wicked Esau, who lived between two righteous men and did not learn righteousness? in the land of uprightness Jerusalem and the Temple, he will deal unjustly, to pillage and spoil and to destroy. and he does not see the pride of the Lord He did not regard Your pride and greatness. The expression, וּבַל יִרְאֶה, (lit., he shall not see,) is an expression of a habitual act, meaning: he did not see, he did not regard. Comp. (Job 1:5) “In this manner, Job was wont to do (יַעֲשֶׂה).””

“יחן Let favour be shewn. A verb ע״ע; it is a form like יוסב is turned (28:27).—God is merciful to the wicked, but they will not learn righteousness; He has patience with them for a long time, they might perhaps improve. In the land of uprightness. In the place where the people are upright, they (the wicked) will do wrong. נבחות Straightforwardness. It is related to נכח before (Ex. 26:35); comp. נכחים right (2 Sam. 15:3). And will not behold, etc. He does not wish to consider the greatness of God.”

“604. Let us have pity. Here he excludes mercy, and concerning this, he does two things. First, the Lord proposes mercy interrogatively: let us have pity: the earth is full of the mercy of the Lord (Ps 32[33]:5). Second, the prophet excludes it, because of its uselessness: but he will not learn: because sentence is not speedily pronounced against the evil, the children of men commit evils without any fear (Eccl 8:11); a horse not broken becomes stubborn, and a child left to himself will become headstrong (Sir 30:8); and because of the gravity of the sin, because it profanes a holy place: in the land of the saints he has done wicked things: O God, the heathens are come into your inheritance, they have defiled your holy temple (Ps 78[79]:1); what is the meaning that my beloved has wrought much wickedness in my house? (Jer 11:15). 605. And he shall not see. Here the dispute to determine the punishment is set out. And first, the Lord asks: and he shall not see the glory of the Lord, as if to say, "should I give this punishment to him because he does not see?" Or forbearingly, "and this suffices for punishment."”

“I know the glittering sword, and the blade made drunk in heaven, bidden to slay, to bring to nothing, to make childless and to spare neither flesh nor marrow nor bones. I know him who, though free from passion, meets us like a bear robbed of her cubs, like a leopard in the way of the Assyrians, not only those of that day, but if anyone now is an Assyrian in wickedness. Nor is it possible to escape the might and speed of his wrath when he watches over our impieties, and his jealousy, which knows to devour his adversaries, pursues his enemies to the death. I know the emptying, the making void, the making waste, the melting of the heart and knocking of the knees together;7 such are the punishments of the ungodly.”

“(Verse 11) Lord, let your hand be exalted, and let them not see: let them see, and let the jealousy of the people be confused, and let the fire devour your enemies. LXX: Lord, your arm is exalted, and they did not know, but those who know will be confounded: jealousy will seize the unlearned people, and now the fire will consume the adversaries. This which was said above, 'and he shall not see the glory of the Lord,' can be understood thus: You ask, O Prophet, that I have no mercy on the wicked, lest if I have mercy on them, they begin to not know righteousness, being the one who has acted unjustly in the land of the saints; I answer you, therefore, will he not see the glory of the Lord? Therefore, should not he see my triumphs, who owes it to me more to see me reigning, so that he may know how much good he lacks? And this must be read more urgently in the voice of one questioning. To which the Prophet responded: Lord, let your hand be exalted, and let it be stretched out to strike, so that the wicked may not see you, and may not even have the light of your glory to repent. To which the Lord responded: Let them see even more and be confounded, whether out of envy of the people or zeal for the people, and let the fire devour and consume your adversaries, that is, the enemies of your people, the saints. But the fire of repentance, which torments their hearts, because they have lost such a Lord. This can also be understood of the Jews, who did not know Christ, the arm of the Lord, and when they see him and recognize him, whom they had crucified, they will be confounded. Then the unlearned people and those ignorant of the law of God will be stirred up by the goads of zeal, when they see that the nations have taken their place, and they will be consumed by the fire of repentance, or the pain of punishment, when they hear that which is written: Go into eternal fire, which is prepared for the devil and his angels (Matt. XXV, 41).”

“O Lord, Your hand has been taken away I have seen many Aggadic Midrashim on the verses of the above section and the following, but they are not appropriate, either because of the grammatical forms of the language or because of the context of the verses. I had to explain it according to its order. There is an Aggadic Midrash that states that the prophet begs that the nations not see the bounty of the Holy One, blessed be He, when He lavishes good upon Israel. The Holy One, blessed be He, replied, “It is better that they see and be ashamed,” (Eliyahu Zuta ch. 21). (The Midrash explains the verse as follows: O Lord, take away Your hand, so that they see not. I.e., the prophet begs that God conceal His might from the nations that they see it not. Thereupon, God replies, “Let them see and be ashamed...”) This does not fit with the language, however, since it does not say, “Raise Your hand.” Moreover, this word differs from all similar words. Every יָד רָמָה is accented on the final syllable, whereas this one is accented on the first syllable. Comp. (Gen. 37:7) “Behold, my sheaf rose (קָמָה).” Comp. also (Ruth 1:9) “Behold your sister in law has returned (שָׁבָה).” All of these are in the past tense. This too is to be explained: The hand of Your might has been taken away from upon Your enemies so that they see not Your might for they have seen that their way has prospered. I beg of You, let them see and be ashamed. the envy of a people Let them see the bounty that You shall lavish upon Your people, Even they themselves shall see the judgment of Your vengeance, that the fire (of envy) shall consume them.”

“רמה ידך בל יחזיון When Thy hand is lifted up they will not see. יחזו ויבשו קנאת עם But they shall see and be ashamed for their envy at the people; let them show their envy of Thy people, and be ashamed, אף אש צריך תאכלם And let the fire devour Thine enemies. Some explain the former phrase thus: Let them see Thy punishment inflicted upon all of them. According to this explanation, the phrase has the same meaning as the words אף אש צריך תאכלם yea, even the fire, which shall devour thine enemies.”

“606. Second, the prophet responds: Lord, let your hand be exalted. 607. Third, the Lord determines the spiritual punishment: let the envious people see, and be confounded: every eye shall see him (Rev 1:7), in the glory of his humanity, not of his divinity; and the bodily punishment: let fire devour your enemies: they were cast alive into the pool of fire (Rev 19:20).”

“When you see a person living in wickedness and enjoying great prosperity without suffering any misfortune, you should mourn particularly for this reason, because although he is afflicted with a very serious disease and ulcer, he aggravates his illness, making himself worse by his luxury and self-indulgence. For punishment is not evil, but sin is evil. The latter separates us from God, but the former leads us toward God and dissolves his anger. How do we know this? Hear what the prophet says, "Comfort, comfort my people, O priests, speak tenderly to Jerusalem … that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins." And elsewhere he says, "O Lord our God, give us peace; for you have given us all our due."”

“(Verse 12) Lord, you will give us peace: for you have accomplished all our works for us. LXX: Lord our God, give us peace: for you have restored all things to us. It is notable that after restoring our works to us, he will give peace, and how he will explain the reasons why he seeks peace. For all the works that have been done on earth, they claim to have endured torments, and it is just that after punishment and torture, they obtain mercy. Or else: Because the end of the world has come, and all the things that you spoke through the prophets have been fulfilled, and you have fulfilled all that you promised, grant us peace that surpasses all understanding.”

“You shall prepare (תִּשְׁפֹּת) you shall prepare. Comp. (II Kings 4:38) “Prepare (שְׁפוֹת) the... pot.” Also (Ps. 22:16), “And for the dust of death You have prepared me (תִּשְׁפְּתֵנִי).” (All) these can (likewise) be interpreted as an expression of placing, (or establishing). You shall establish peace for us. for also the recompense of all our deeds (our) evil (deeds). have You dealt to us commensurate punishment for them we have received from Your hand for all our sins.”

“All our merits are rooted in the merit of Christ, whether satisfactory for punishment or meritorious of eternal life, because we are worthy neither to be absolved from offense against the highest good, nor to gain the immensity of the eternal reward, which is God, except through the merit of the God-man, to whom we can and ought to say: All our works you have wrought in us, O Lord.”

“608. Fourth, the prophet consents rejoicing, setting out two good consequences from these punishments: the peace of the people, therefore, Lord, this having been done, you will give us peace, and we hope for this from you: for all our works: it is God who works in you, both to will and to accomplish (Phil 2:13), you have wrought, the works, that is, the punishments, by which you have sufficiently cleansed us, below: she has received of the hand of the Lord double (Isa 40:2). 613. Note also on the word, peace (Isa 26:12), that there are three things that make peace in the future life: first, the abundance of good things: he has placed peace in your borders (Ps 147:14); second, freedom from evils, below: and my people shall sit in the tabernacles of confidence (Isa 32:18); third, immobility: in peace in the self same I will sleep, and I will rest (Ps 4:9[8]).”

“For the Son of God indeed, being himself the Word, is Lord of all. But we once were subject from the first to the slavery of corruption and the curse of the law. Then by degrees fashioning for ourselves things that were not, we served, as says the blessed apostle, "them which by nature are no gods." Ignorant of the true God, we preferred things that were not to the truth. But afterwards, as the ancient people when oppressed in Egypt groaned, so when we too had the law "engrafted" in us, according to the unutterable sighings of the Spirit made our intercession, "O Lord our God, take possession of us"; then, as "he became a house of refuge" and a "God and defense," so also he became our Lord. Nor did he then begin to be, but we began to have him for our Lord.”

“(Verse 13) Lord our God, we have been possessed by other lords without you; only in you do we remember your name. LXX: Lord our God, possess us: Lord; we know no other besides you, we invoke your name. Therefore, we seek mercy and peace, which must be given after all, because we have been possessed by other masters without you, namely idols or demons sitting on idols: and we ask for nothing else except that we may be worthy to remember your name after many errors. According to the Septuagint, they said: Lord God, possess us, they pray that they may become God's possession after peace is restored to them. Indeed, we read the same about Wisdom, which speaks according to the Hebrew in Proverbs: God possessed me at the beginning of His ways (Prov. VIII, 22), although some copies have the word 'possession' in a wrong way. Finally, it follows: Before all the hills, He has begotten me. For how could the generation of a creature be more suitable to possession? It is written in Deuteronomy: Did not this your father possess you, and make you, and create you (Deut. XXXII, 6)? And it must be noted that it does not say, the Lord or God possessed you, and made you, and created you; but rather father, in order to mitigate the severity of the power with the mercy of the name. And what follows: O Lord, we do not know another besides you, does not exclude the Son, but joins him to the Father, for he did not say 'We do not know another,' but 'We do not know another outside of you.' But when the Son says, 'I am in the Father, and the Father in me,' we do not know the Son outside of the Father, for we know him in the Father. Finally, we also name him by saying in the Lord's Prayer: 'Our Father, who art in heaven.'”

“have possessed us They have become our masters and have oppressed us. other than You In a matter contrary to Your will, to seek other Gods, to transgress Your Torah, but we - only concerning You have we mentioned Godliness, and we will not ascribe the name of His Godliness to another God, only to Him alone. Your name The name of Your Godliness we will mention, saying that our God alone is God.”

“Other lords, besides Thee, have had dominion, etc. For we worshipped Thee even when others became our masters. בעלונו Had dominion over us, were our masters (בעלים); comp. לבעליו unto the owner of them (Ex. 21:34). But by Thee only we make mention of Thy name. Nevertheless we praised Thy name. לבד בך But by Thee. Thou hast helped us, therefore we were able to praise Thee.”

“(Verse 14) Those who are dying shall not live; the giants shall not rise again. Therefore You visited and destroyed them, and wiped out all memory of them. LXX: For the dead shall not see life; nor will physicians bring them back. Therefore You brought in, and destroyed, and took away all their males. Symmachus in a clearer manner: The dead shall not be revived; the giants shall not rise. Therefore You visited and defeated them, and dispersed all memory of them. Let us first say according to the LXX: The question seems to be difficult, how do the dead not see life? The answer is sought: they do not see life as long as they are dead. Just as we say that a blind person does not see light as long as they are blind; but if they regain their health, they will see the light: so too, the one who is dead in iniquity and sins, before being enlivened by righteousness and virtues, through the one who says, I am the life (John 14), cannot live. And so He is called the God of the living, not of the dead (Matt. XXII). For the soul that sins, it shall die (Ezek. XVIII, 4). We read in the Epistle to the Hebrews: Let us not lay again the foundation of repentance from dead works (Heb. VI, 1). But if sins are called dead works, why are virtues not called living works? And what follows, Neither will physicians raise them up, is clear evidence that the fables of the poets, who boast of having raised Virbius from the dead, are condemned. Not only, however, is this to be said about the dead, but about every illness, that without the mercy of God, the art of healing is worth nothing. But how? Unless the Lord builds the house, in vain do they labor who build it: unless the Lord guards the city, in vain does he watch who guards it (Ps. 126, 1, 2). Similarly, unless the Lord heals the sickness, in vain do doctors labor who desire to heal the sick. Unless the Lord guards one's health, they guard in vain, who even eat the precepts of salvation in their own books: and it must always be learned not only in bodily health, but also in the health of the soul: Bless, my soul, the Lord, who heals all your weaknesses (Ps. 102, 1, 3). Moreover, those who persist in the sin of the dead, and cannot receive the health of the soul by any medical skill, they will be dispersed and taken away by the Lord, and whatever is robust in them, which is called masculine, will be completely taken away. And Pharaoh does not want to kill the female sex, which by itself is fragile and can easily die, but every male, if he becomes an adult and reaches manhood, is difficult to kill. According to Symmachus, the dead will not be revived, for the dead in sin cannot revive others, and there is no beautiful praise in the mouth of a sinner. And the giants, that is, the Raphaim, will not raise up others, even though they are called fallen ones according to the book of Genesis. And the Lord visits them, so that the memory of both the dead and the giants is completely wiped out. He alone is the one who raises the dead, of whom it is said: Just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so the Son also gives life to whomever he wishes (John 5:21). We can call the dead the images of dead men, and the giants demons, who sit upon their images. Nor should it frighten us why the Seventy translated it as "man," and the other interpreters translated it as "memory," since both are written in Hebrew with the same three letters: Zayin (ז), Khaf (כ), and Resh (ר). But when we say memoriale, it is read as Zachar; when we say masculum, it is read as Zochor. And they think that Saul was deceived by this ambiguity of the word when he fought against Amalech and killed all their males (I Reg. XV). For by the command of God to destroy all memory of Amalech under heaven, he, not so much by error as by the desire for plunder, interpreted males, ignorant of that of the Apostle: Do not be deceived, God is not mocked (Galat. VI, 7).”

“For hence it is said by the prophet, "The dead shall not live; the giants shall not rise up again." For whom does he call "the dead" except sinners, and whom does he designate "giants" except those who over and above take pride in sin. Now the former do "not live," because by sinning they have forfeited the life of righteousness; these latter too "cannot rise up again" after death because after their transgression they are swollen with pride and do not have recourse to the remedies of penitence.”

“The dead shall not live May it be Your will that these wicked men shall not live in the World to Come, and that these slackers who slackened their hands from Your commandments shall not have restoration. therefore, You visited [upon them] and You destroyed them Have You not already visited upon them and destroyed them with the words of Your mouth, like the matter that is stated (Exodus 17:14): “For I will surely erase the memory of Amalek.””

“614. Let not the dead live. Here the prophet asks that God not free those punished from further punishment. And first, he sets out the petition: let not the dead, sinners, live, in the life of glory, unless they repent; let not the giants, glorying in their own power, rise again, to glory: the wicked shall not rise again in judgment (Ps 1:5); the ancient giants did not obtain pardon for their sins (Sir 16:8[7]); or he asks that their fallen enemies not rise again further to power. Second, he places the answer to the petition: therefore have you visited and destroyed them, and have destroyed all their memory: let their memory perish with a noise (Ps 9:7[6]); in the time of their visitation they shall fall (Jer 8:12).”

“(Verse 15.) You have shown mercy to the nations, Lord, you have shown mercy to the nations. Have you been glorified? You have extended all the ends of the earth. LXX: Add evils to them, Lord, add evils to the glorious ones of the earth: you have made all the ends of the earth far away. The evils that the LXX placed second are not found in Hebrew; but because it had said above, Therefore you have brought and destroyed, and you have taken away all their males, following the same meaning, they added from their own, evils: so that those who are glorious on earth may be oppressed by double evils. Furthermore, according to the Hebrews, the meaning is very different and agrees with the previous discussion. The Lord had said, 'Let us have mercy on the wicked.' The prophet had responded, 'And where is your justice? Especially when you have done such great evils to your holy ones.' To which the Lord said, 'And they shall not see the glory of the Lord.' Again, the prophet said, 'Raise your hand to strike, and let them not see your glory, which they do not deserve to behold.' To which the Lord said, 'Let them see even more and be confounded.' Again the Prophet says: Lord, give us peace and possess us, who remember your name. But let the wicked and proud not live, nor rise again in glory, but crush their every memory. And it renders reasons why he desires them to perish. You have shown mercy to the nations, Lord, you have shown mercy to the nations, have you been glorified? And the meaning is: You have often shown mercy to the nations, that is, to the human race, and you have exercised incredible kindness towards them, have they recognized you? Have they not glorified your name? Have they not, on the contrary, distanced themselves far (or even further) from you? For security produces negligence, and negligence begets contempt.”

“You have added to the nation to Israel (Tan. Pinchas 16) You added to them Torah and greatness and honor, and the more that You added to them, the more You were honored, for they thank You and praise You for all the bounty, unlike the custom of the heathens (var. of Esau). Therefore, You rejected from before You all other ends of the earth, i.e., all distant nations. Behold, in their bounty, in this manner the Israelites bestow praise and honor upon You, and in their straits.”

“615. You have indulged. Here he urges God to the work of justice from experience; and first, from experience among the gentiles, second, among to the Jews: as a woman with child (Isa 26:17). Concerning the first, he does two things. First, he demonstrates from the experience of the uselessness of mercy, both as to the remission of sins: you have indulged, and as to the multiplication of good things: you have removed all the ends of the land far off: they become great and enriched, and they are grown gross and fat: and have most wickedly transgressed my words (Jer 5:27–28); the prosperity of fools shall destroy them (Prov 1:32).”

“(Verse 16.) Lord, in distress they sought you, in tribulation they murmured your teaching. LXX: Lord, in tribulation I remembered you, in small tribulation your teaching was to us. For being indulgent, you have often been despised and not glorified; but on the contrary, all have departed from your knowledge; therefore, Lord, strike them, so that in distress they may seek you, and in tribulation may your teaching be to them: when such a weight of affliction rests upon them that they dare not even cry out confidently, but silently devour their sorrow. According to the Septuagint, in times of tribulation, the Prophet of the Lord remembers what is said in the psalm: In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he answered me and set me free (Psalm 117:5). And in another place: In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me (Psalm 120:1). Therefore, the Apostle speaks: We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair (2 Corinthians 4:8). And in another place: For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18). But if a small tribulation teaches, corrects, and reproves, how much more a great one, when we are reminded of our condition and the power of God!”

“In trouble. In their trouble. צקון They poured out. The נ is paragogic, as in ידעון they knew (Deut. 8:3); the word is besides irregular; the regular form is יצקו; the first radical is dropped in צקון; comp. ירד═רד he went down (Judg. 19:11). As to the phrase they poured out a prayer, comp. he will pour out his prayer (Ps. 102:1). מוסרך למו Thy chastening upon them. They mention in their prayer the punishment which thou hast inflicted upon them.”

“(Verse 17,18.) Just as she who conceives, when she approaches childbirth, cries out in her pain: so have we become because of your presence, Lord. We have conceived and, as it were, given birth, and brought forth the spirit. LXX: And as a woman in labor draws near to childbirth, in her pain she cries out: so have we become ÷ your beloved, because of your fear, Lord. In the womb we have received, and as if giving birth, we have brought forth the spirit of your salvation, which we have made upon the earth. Just as a woman approaching childbirth is compelled to cry out in pain: thus do we seek you in distress, and from the face of your dread we conceive, and labor, and bring forth, not fleshly children, but spirits: so that with our whole mind we may believe in you, whom we have not experienced through blessings, but through trials. This which the LXX added, thus have we become your beloved; for this reason others have turned away, thus have we become from your face, O Lord, a mark to be noted. However, we can receive the beloved of the Lord, Christ, because of whose fear we conceive, and bear, and bring forth, and make the spirit of salvation upon the earth. This can also be said by the apostolic man, when he instructs and imitates the peoples like the apostle Paul: My little children, whom I bear again until Christ be formed in you (Galatians IV, 19). Is there any doubt that the apostle Paul made the spirit of salvation upon the earth, who preached the Gospel from Jerusalem to Illyricum (Romans XV), and like a wise architect, laid the foundation, outside of which no one can lay, which is Christ Jesus (I Corinthians III)? Therefore, whether we read it, O Lord, because of your fear, we received it in the womb; or according to the Hebrew, we conceived it from your face, O Lord, and received it in the womb; both pertain to the fact that we conceive the word of God from the fear and remembrance of the Lord, and our heart is illuminated, saying: The light of your face, O Lord, is signed upon us (Psalm 4:7). And show your face, and we shall be saved (Psalm 79:4). We did not make greetings on earth, therefore the inhabitants of the world did not fall. LXX: We will not fall, but the inhabitants of the earth will fall. A different interpretation is necessary in order to have a different meaning. According to the Hebrew, it is said: Because we have not done anything worthy of your mercy, therefore the wicked have not fallen, but they still prevail and possess the land. However, the LXX asserts that by doing the work of the Holy Spirit of salvation on earth, the inhabitants of the earth will fall, though there is much diversity between the world, which is called in Hebrew 'Thebel' and in Greek 'οἰκουμένη', and the land. Therefore, those who have surrendered themselves to the inhabitation of the earth will fall, and those who have been firmly rooted in earthly works will fall. But those who sit in the world and rest in the Church, which is the dwelling place of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, will not fall.”

“616. As a woman with child. Here he demonstrates the same thing from the experience among the Jews. And first, he sets out the scourge of tribulation: as a woman with child: a woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow (John 16:21); there were pains as of a woman in labor (Ps 47:7[48:6]). Second, the fruit of amendment: so are we become in your presence: now all chastisement for the present indeed seems not to bring with it joy, but sorrow: but afterwards it will yield to them that are exercised by it the most peaceable fruit of justice (Heb 12:11).”

“Let us talk about how "mercy is put in the balance" as holy Isaiah declares, for goodness is not without discernment, as the first laborers in the vineyard fancied, because they could not perceive any distinction between those who were paid alike. And [let us talk about] how anger, which is called "the cup in the hand of the Lord" and "the cup of falling which is drained," is in proportion to transgressions, even though he abates to all somewhat of what is their due and dilutes with compassion the unmixed draught of his wrath. For he inclines from severity to indulgence toward those who accept chastisement with fear and who after a slight affliction conceived and are in pain with conversion and bring forth the perfect spirit of salvation. But nevertheless he reserves the dregs, the last drop of his anger, that he may pour it out entire upon those who, instead of being healed by his kindness, grow obdurate, like the hard-hearted Pharaoh, that bitter taskmaster, who is set forth as an example of the power of God over the ungodly.”

“Nature provides woman with a womb in which a living person is brought to birth in the course of time. Such too is that characteristic of the soul which is ready to receive in its womblike recesses the seeds of our thoughts, to cherish them and to bring them forth as a woman gives birth to a child. This and no other is the meaning of the words of Isaiah: "We have conceived and brought forth the spirit of salvation."”

“We conceived, we shuddered a shudder like a woman giving birth, as though we had given birth, as though we were close to being redeemed, yet it was wind and no salvation. we wreak no salvation [in] the land We have suffered everything, and our troubles (sic) we do not understand for ourselves a salvation.[Rashi in Nach Lublin] ([Warsaw edition reads:] With all our suffering and our trouble, we do not prepare salvation for ourselves.) ([K’li Paz reads:] with all our pains and our troubles, we do not bring salvation for ourselves.) ([Some manuscripts read:] Throughout our troubles we do not see any salvation.) ([Others read:] We do not recognize any salvation.) ([Others read:] We cannot prepare for ourselves any salvation.) neither do the inhabitants of the world fall The nations (var. the children of Esau), who are the inhabitants of the world, since they conquered and filled the earth, do not fall. And Jonathan rendered יִפְּלוּ as an expression related to (Ex. 33:16): “And wonders shall be wrought (וְנִפְלִינוּ) for me and Your people.” The inhabitants of the world cannot perform a wonder.”

“We have conceived, we have been in pain with, as we have brought forth, wind. We have conceived, and we have been in pain with wind, and so we have also brought forth wind. We had no strength to deliver ourselves; this is the meaning of the following ישועות בל נעשה we have not wrought any deliverance. We were not able to bring any deliverance. ארץ In the earth. Supply ב; comp. בששת═ששת (Ex. 20:11). ובל יפלו Some say, that א is omitted, as in ויפלו (Neh. 6:16); but the latter has its usual meaning (and they fell), as will be explained by me. I explain בל יפלו we could not help their falling.”

“617. We have not wrought justice. Here he announces the procured peace, and concerning this, he does three things. First, the reason for the delay is shown: we have not wrought justice, so that he alludes to what is said in Deuteronomy 28:7: the Lord shall cause your enemies, that rise up against you, to fall down before your face.”

“Unquestionably, if the people were indulging in figurative murmurs that their bones were become dry and that their hope had perished—plaintive at the consequences of their dispersion—then God might fairly enough seem to have consoled their figurative despair with a figurative promise. Since, however, no injury had as yet alighted on the people from their dispersion, although the hope of the resurrection had very frequently failed among them, it is manifest that it was owing to the perishing condition of their bodies that their faith in the resurrection was shaken. God, therefore, was rebuilding the faith that the people were pulling down. But even if it were true that Israel was depressed at some shock in their existing circumstances, we must not on that account suppose that the purpose of revelation could have rested in a parable. Its aim must have been to testify a resurrection, in order to raise the nation's hope to even an eternal salvation and an indispensable restoration and thereby turn off their minds from brooding over their present affairs. This indeed is the aim of other prophets likewise. "You shall go forth," [says Malachi], "from your tombs, as young calves let loose from their bonds, and you shall tread down your enemies." And again [Isaiah says], "Your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall spring up like the grass," because the grass also is renewed by the dissolution and corruption of the seed. In a word, if it is contended that the figure of the rising bones refers properly to the state of Israel, why is the same hope announced to all nations, instead of being limited to Israel only, of reinvesting those bony remains with bodily substance and vital breath and of raising up their dead out of the grave? For the language is universal: "The dead shall arise and come forth from their graves; for the dew which comes from you is medicine to their bones." In another passage it is written: "All flesh shall come to worship before me, says the Lord." When? When the fashion of this world shall begin to pass away. For he said before, "As the new heaven and the new earth, which I make, remain before me, says the Lord, so shall your seed remain." Then also shall be fulfilled what is written afterwards: "And they shall go forth" [namely, from their graves] "and shall see the carcasses of those who have transgressed: for their worm shall never die, nor shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be a spectacle to all flesh," even to that which, being raised again from the dead and brought out from the grave, shall adore the Lord for his great grace.”

“May Your dead live Above (v. 14) he prayed that the wicked should not live, and here he prayed that the righteous should live. I beseech You that those who were slain for Your sake come to life. May a royal edict emanate from You saying, “My corpses shall rise.” The corpses of My people who made themselves corpses for My sake, they shall be raised up. This is the opposite of what is written above (v. 14): “Slackers shall not rise.” These, however, shall rise. awaken and sing All this the Holy One, blessed be He, shall say to them. “Awaken and sing,” is an imperative form. for a dew of lights is Your dew For it is fitting for You to do so, that the dew of Your Torah and Your commandments shall be to them dew of light. and [to the] earth You shall cast the slackers And to the earth and to the dust You shall cast the land of (sic) the slackers who slackened their hands from Your Torah. You shall cast the slackers Since he stated (v. 18) “Neither do the inhabitants of the world fall,” he repeats, “You cast them down, for our merits do not suffice to cast them down.””

“Thy dead men shall live. Only Thy dead men shall live; God is addressed. Generally, it is believed, that this phrase contains some reference to the resurrection of the dead. Some explain it as a contrast to They are dead, they will not live, (ver. 14), they, that is, our masters, are dead, but we, who were considered as dead, are living. My dead body. The first person refers to the prophet, who is one of the Israelites, that are considered as dead. Let Thy dead men live, and let the dead of my people rise, as if they heard the cry: Awake, etc. טל אורות A dew of light. A dew acccompanied by light. Thy dew. God is addressed in these words. According to others, אורות means herbs; comp. 2 Kings 4:39; it signifies a kind of herb, which turns toward the sun and moon. וְהָאָרֶץ ═ וָאָרֶץ. And the earth Shall cast out the dead, out of itself. תפיל Shall cast out, shall bear; comp. כנפל אשח As the untimely birth of a woman (Psalm 58:9). Others explain, Thou alone hast given life to Thy dead; for it is the nature of the earth to throw the dead into its midst.”

“618. Second, the promise of restoration of the people through resurrection is set out, either bodily resurrection on the last day or resurrection from the misery of captivity. Hence resurrection is promised: your dead men shall live, the voice of the prophet to the Lord (Ezek 37); the thanksgiving of the resurrected is announced: awake, and give praise: many of those that sleep in the dust of the earth, shall awake (Dan 12:2); and the cause, or reason, of the resurrection is assigned: for your dew is the dew of the light, namely, of divine kindness (Hos 6:3). 619. Third, the destruction of their enemies is shown, and first, he sets out the destruction itself: the land of the giants, that is, of the proud and powerful, above: it shall be as a ruinous heap of stones (Isa 17:1).”

“All the generations from Adam to this day have passed away; but those who were made perfect in charity by the grace of God live among the saints; and they shall be made manifest at the judgment of the kingdom of Christ. For it is written, "Enter into your chamber a little while, until my wrath and anger pass, and I remember the good day and will raise you up out of your graves."”

“When we read, "Go, my people, enter into your closets for a little while, until my anger passes away," we have in the closets graves, in which they will have to rest for a little while, who shall have at the end of the world departed this life in the last furious onset of the power of Antichrist. Why else did he use the expression closets in preference to some other receptacle, if it were not that the flesh is kept in these closets or cellars salted and reserved for use, to be drawn out thence on a suitable occasion? It is on a similar principle that embalmed corpses are set aside for burial in mausoleums and sepulchers, in order that they may be removed from there when the Master shall order it. Since, therefore, there is consistency in thus understanding the passage (for what refuge of little closets could possibly shelter us from the wrath of God?), it appears that by the very phrase which he uses, "until his anger passes away," which shall extinguish Antichrist, he in fact shows that after that indignation the flesh will come forth from the sepulcher, in which it had been deposited previous to the bursting out of the anger. Now out of the closets nothing else is brought than that which had been put into them, and after the extirpation of Antichrist shall be busily transacted the great process of the resurrection.”

“Go, My people, come into your chambers This reply they replied to the prophet, “Go, My people, come into your chambers,” into the synagogues and the study houses. Alternatively, think about your deeds, in the chambers of your heart. In this manner Rabbi Tanhuma expounded it. close your door about you Jonathan renders: Do good deeds that will protect you. Rabbi Tanhuma, however, expounded: Close the doors of your mouth so as not to question the divine standard of justice. hide Hide a little until the wrath passes, for indeed I will visit upon your enemies.”

“Come, my people, etc. R. Moses Hakkohen explains this verse to mean that the people shall shut themselves in Jerusalem, because of Sennacherib. חבי Some explain this word as a regular form of a verb (חבה) ל״ה; the feminine form חבי is used, because עם is sometimes feminine; comp. וחטאת עמך And thy people sinneth (Ex. 5:16). R. Jehudah, the Grammarian, says, חבה. that חבי is a noun like שבי captivity. The first explanation is the right one.”

“Second, the immunity of the people of God: go, my people; enter into your chambers, tombs, or literally, the fortifications in which they sometimes carefully kept themselves, below: in a moment of indignation have I hid my face a little while from you, but with everlasting kindness have I had mercy on you (Isa 54:8); and it was said to them that they should rest for a little time till the number of their brethren should be filled up (Rev 6:11).”

“Third, he sets out the order of destruction, for it comes through judgment; hence he sets out the coming of the judge: for behold the Lord will come: behold the Lord will come forth (Mic 1:3), and all the angels with him; and the revealing of their crimes: and the earth shall disclose her blood: O earth, cover not you my blood, neither let my cry find a hiding place in you (Job 16:19).”