“Let us earnestly endeavor, therefore, to flee every crooked and tortuous act, and let us keep our mind and the judgment of our soul as straight as a rule, in order that the praise of the Lord may be permitted to us since we are upright. In the same way the serpent, which is the author of sin, is called crooked, and the sword of God is drawn against the dragon, the crooked serpent, which makes many twists and turns in its progress.… Therefore one who follows the serpent shows that his life is crooked, uneven and filled with contrarieties; but one who follows after the Lord makes his paths straight and his footprints right.”

“(Chapter 27 - Verse 1) On that day the Lord will visit with His hard, great, and strong sword Leviathan, the twisted serpent, and Leviathan, the fleeing serpent, and He will slay the sea monster that is in the sea. LXX: On that day God will bring forth His holy, great, and strong sword against the fleeing dragon, against the twisted dragon, and He will slay the dragon that is in the sea. The Hebrews understand the devil, that is, the accuser, whose Greek name is Satan (), to be called in Hebrew Satan (), which means adversary. And in Zachariah it is said: Satan stood at his right hand, to resist him (Zech. III, 1). And he is also called Belial (), that is, apostate, transgressor, and without yoke. And so the Apostle says: What fellowship hath Christ with Belial? (2 Cor. VI, 15). And wherever the LXX translate the sons of iniquity, in the Hebrew it is written, sons of Belial. And that which is sung in the psalm about the mystery of the Savior: The son of iniquity shall not afflict him (Ps. LXXXVIII, 23), in the Hebrew it is said, son of Belial. And it is called by other names, as it is written in another psalm: You shall walk upon the asp and the basilisk, and you shall trample the lion and the dragon (Psalm 90, 13). This dragon is properly called Leviathan in the Hebrew language. It is the great sea monster, of which, that it must be caught by Christ, is mystically narrated in the book of Job: He who will capture the great sea monster (Job 40, 20); for there, Leviathan is also used instead of sea monster; and again: You will draw out the dragon with a hook, you will encircle his jaws with a bridle; And immediately: This is the beginning of the creation of the Lord, which was made to be played with by his angels. And in the psalm: This great and spacious sea: there are creatures without number: small creatures with the great ones. This dragon that you formed to mock him (Ps. CIII, 25, 26). John also writes about this in the Apocalypse: A battle took place in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels, and they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven (Apoc. XII, 7 et seqq.). And the great dragon was thrown down, the old serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, 'Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.' (Revelation 12:9-10). It should be noted that in the psalm and in Job, the dragon is called Leviathan, to mock him by the angels. And so the Apostles receive power, that they may tread upon serpents and scorpions and upon all the might of the enemy (Luke 10). Therefore, from that place where it is written: Behold the Lord will lay waste the earth and make it desolate (Isaiah 24:1); or according to the Septuagint: Behold the Lord will destroy the world and lay it waste, until the present chapter, the judgment against the world at the consummation of the age has been preached, and the final enemy death will be destroyed (1 Corinthians 15): therefore, against the devil the ultimate sentence is that he be attacked with a holy, great, and strong sword, or according to the Hebrew and other interpreters, a harsh sword. For it is not as the Seventy perceived Cadesa, which, if it were, would sound holy; but Casa, which properly means hard. Hence also Saul, the father of Cis, is called hard. And some of our people understand the holy or hard sword to be the Word of God, because of its sense which it endures, of which the Apostle says: 'For the word of God is living and effectual, and more piercing than any two-edged sword' (Hebrews 4:12). And in another place we read about the double-edged sword of the Savior coming forth from his mouth (Apoc. XIX). But at the end of the world, against Leviathan, who is called the most cunning serpent in the beginning of Genesis, the holy and strong sword will be brought forth, which will flee from the one who has never been accustomed to fleeing, not knowing that written: Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? (Ps. CXXXVIII, 7)? A certain poet beautifully describes in the Gigantomachia about Enceladus: Where are you fleeing, Enceladus? Wherever you may go, you will always be under God. But that fleeing serpent Leviathan is called Bari in Hebrew, which the Eagle interpreted as a bolt, Symmachus as a lock, and Theodotion as strong. I think it is called a bolt or a lock because it has locked many in its prison and subjected them to its power, and it does not possess anything straight within itself, and for this reason it is called tortuous, and it cannot imitate the rod of the Lord, of which it is written: A rod of direction, a rod of your kingdom (Psalm 44). Whom the Lord will kill with the breath of his mouth (2 Thess. 2), the former inhabitant of the sea, the false and bitter waves. Those who say that the devil will repent and obtain forgiveness, let them explain to us how they understand this, which is written: And he will kill the dragon who is in the sea, or the whale. For in the second place, in the present chapter, in Hebrew it is not called Leviathan, but Thannin (), which properly means whale. The Hebrews believe that Leviathan dwells under the earth and in the heavens, while the sea monsters dwell in the sea, which is a Jewish fable. And what is said at the end of this chapter is connected by Eusebius to the previous chapter, so that the following prophecy is not related to this time. However, the Hebrews and other commentators explain the following, which we are now going to set forth.”

“on leviathan the barlike serpent Jonathan renders: On the king who aggrandized himself like Pharaoh the first king, and upon a king who was as haughty as Sennacherib the second king. בָּרִיחַ is an expression of ‘straight’ like a bar, since he is the first. (The matter of simplicity is related to oneness. Since Pharaoh was the first great king, he is referred to as ‘the barlike serpent,’ a straight, penetrating serpent, that does not coil.) crooked An expression of ‘double,’ since he is the second one. (I.e. the bend in the serpent indicates duality, thus the number two.) And I say that these are three important nations: Egypt, Assyria, and Edom. He, therefore, stated concerning these as he said at the end of the section (v. 13), “And those lost in the land of Assyria shall come, as well as those lost in the land of Egypt,” and since the nations are likened to serpents that bite. leviathan the barlike serpent That is Egypt. leviathan the crooked serpent That is Assyria. and He shall slay the dragon that is in the sea That is Tzor that is the head of the children of Esau, and it is situated in the heart of the seas, and so Kittim are called the islands of the sea, and they are the Romans [according to certain manuscripts]. ([Some editions read:] They are the Greeks.)”

“ביום ההוא In those days. The Lord shall visit. As mentioned in the preceding verse. Leviathan. The Theli ; (תלי) it has the epithet בריח stretching, because it stretches from one end to the other. [I think it is a sea monster]. Even Leviathan, that crooked serpent. This is likewise an animal that lives in the sea; it is like a serpent, for there are also serpent-like animals in the sea. עקלתון Crooked. It is an adjective. And the dragon that is in the sea. That is, The great dragon in the sea. (Ez. 29:3). Some are of opinion that the Leviathan, the stretching serpent, and the Leviathan, the crooked serpent, are both land animals, and are used figuratively for the kings of the land; while the dragon that is in the sea, is used for the king of Egypt (Comp. Ez. 29:3), or as others believe, for the king of Tyre. R. Moses Hakkohen thinks, that this verse refers to the élite of soldiers, princes, and nobles.”

“620. In that day. In this part he recalls divine and paternal correction, and first, by foreign scourges, second, by their own scourges: in that day (Isa 27:2); hence it said in Wisdom 11:11: for you didst admonish and try them as a father. Concerning the first, he sets out the scourge of Babylon: with his sword, namely, vengeance; Leviathan, namely, Nabuchodonosor, because of the addition to his kingdom that he subjugated to himself; the serpent, because of his poisonous tyranny; bar, because of the correction of the people by God, above: woe to the Assyrian, he is the rod of my anger (Isa 10:5); crooked, because of their infidelity: behold, he will drink up a river, and not wonder (Job 40:18); the whale: I sit in the heart of the sea (Ezek 28:2). 630. Note on the words, the Lord with his sword shall visit (Isa 27:1), that the vengeance of God is called a sword that is: first, hard because of the harshness of punishment; second, great, because of the universality of those who are punished: a great sword was given to him (Rev 6:4); third, strong, because of the power of the one who punishes: flee from the face of the sword (Job 19:29); fourth, sharp, because it is piercing, even to the soul: the word of God is living and effectual and more piercing than any two edged sword (Heb 4:12); fifth, shining, because of its evident fairness: you shall perish by the sword, it shall devour you like the bruchus (Nah 3:15). 631. Also on the word, Leviathan (Isa 27:1), note that the devil is called Leviathan, because he adds, first, to human wickedness: add you iniquity upon their iniquity (Ps 68:28[69:27]); second, to his own power: all these will I give you, if falling down you will adore me (Matt 4:9); third, to divine justice: my iniquity is greater than that I may deserve pardon (Gen 4:13); fourth, to divine mercy: whereas she was sad, he comforted her with sweet words (Gen 34:3). 632. Note also on the word, serpent (Isa 27:1), that the devil is called a serpent, first, because of his ability to renew himself: Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14); second, because of his manner of going about: I have gone round about the earth, and walked through it (Job 1:7); third, because of his poisonous bite: in the end, it will bite like a snake (Prov 23:32); fourth, because of his manner of enveloping: he sets up his tail like a cedar, the sinews of his testicles are wrapped together (Job 40:12).”

“(Verse 2, 3.) On that day, the vineyard of wine will sing for him. I am the Lord who tends it, and I will suddenly water it, lest anyone harm it. LXX: On that day, her desire will be a good vineyard, that she may be a prince. I am a strong city, a city that is besieged: in vain will I give her drink. For they will be captured at night, but the wall will fall during the day. There is much disagreement between the Hebrew and the LXX edition in this passage, therefore we will discuss each one separately. The vineyard about which Isaiah speaks: The vineyard has become a beloved one in a fertile place, which should be understood, let us learn from the Teacher himself (or, rather, let us say): For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel (Isaiah 5:1), of which it is sung in the psalm: You have brought the vineyard out of Egypt, etc. (Psalm 80:8). To this vineyard also, through Jeremiah, the most bitter cup is given (Jeremiah 25). For when he had sent him to intoxicate all the nations, and the Prophet had willingly offered himself for this task, he is first ordered to make Jerusalem drunk. Where it says: You have deceived me, O Lord, and I was deceived (Jeremiah 20:7). Therefore, Jerusalem will drink and be made to drink a bitter potion, so that she may learn lamentation and weeping. And the Lord says that He has kept her for a long time and given her a place for repentance, but because she refused to return, she will suddenly be made drunk. For the Scripture says that the Lord has acted in this way day and night, always preserving her with His help. And the same beautiful vineyard is called the Seventy by the LXX, in which there was the Law and the Prophets, the priesthood and the pontificate, and the knowledge of God, as the Scripture says: God is known in Judah, His name is great in Israel (Psalm 75:1). What others think, according to their edition, pertains to the Church, which is nothing more beautiful. And of which it is said: Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God (Ps. LXXXVI, 3): which is the mother of her offspring, and says in the Song of Songs: The sons of my mother fought against me (Cant. I, 5). And he speaks: I am a firm city, a city that is besieged. He said that it is beautifully besieged, not conquered. And immediately he connects it with the Synagogue, which has been turned from head to tail: In vain do I impart the drink of my teachings to her, for she will be taken in the darkness of her error. And because it does not receive clear light, its wall collapses during the day, that is, everything that it believed to be help for itself, and there will be no opponent who does not understand that we must grasp power from opposites.”

“621. In that day. Here correction by their own scourges is set out. Hence he first describes the chastisement; second, the consolation: and it shall come to pass, that in that day (Isa 27:13). Concerning the first, he does two things: first, he foretells the chastisement; second, the manner is examined: there is no indignation in me (Isa 27:4). Concerning the first, he does three things. First, he foretells the song of sorrow: the vineyard, formerly, in the prophets and patriarchs, of pure wine, above: for the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel (Isa 5:7).”

“I, the Lord, guard it in the time of exile. every moment I water it Little by little I water it with the cup of retribution that comes upon it, lest I visit upon it at once and I destroy it. Therefore, night and day I ponder about it. Jonathan renders: Were it not that I visit upon them the iniquities that they are accustomed to commit before Me, I would guard it day and night.”

“I, the Lord, do keep it, that is to say, the Divine glory remains in Zion. I will water it every moment. The prophecy will not cease. פן יפקד. R. Jonah, the Grammarian, says, that לא ═ פן, and פן יפקד עליה ;אפקד ═ יפקד means accordingly, I will not punish her (though I shall punish all other nations). Comp. פן תפלס Do not ponder. R. Isaak ben Saul compares יפקד with נפקד there lacketh (Num. 31:49), and joins this with the preceding phrase in this way, I will water it every moment, lest its leaves drop. עליה Its leaves. Each of its leaves. Comp. 1:30. R. Moses Hakkohen explains it thus, I shall guard it day and night, lest the enemy hurt it. I think that this explanation is the right one.”

“Second, he sets out the intention of the one who punishes: I am the Lord that keep it, below: you have drunk at the hand of the Lord the cup of his wrath (Isa 51:17). Third, he sets out the benefit, for which they were ungrateful: lest any hurt come to it, I keep it night and day: your word, O Lord, which heals all things (Wis 16:12).”

“(Verse 4, 5.) Indignation is not mine: who will give me a thorn and a thistle in battle? I will march over it: I will set it on fire together. Or rather, shall I hold onto my strength? It will bring me peace, it will bring me peace. LXX: There is nothing that does not seize it. Who will appoint me as a keeper of the straw in the field? Because of this adversary, I have repelled it. Therefore, the Lord has done all that He has planned: I am consumed; its inhabitants will say, we will make peace with it: we will make peace with him. According to the Hebrew, the meaning here is: I who, day and night, have always kept my vineyard, so that the boar from the forest would not destroy it, nor the beasts devour it. Do I not have indignation? And do I not know how to strike the sinner and give to each what he deserves? Where the eagle placed a thorn and a bramble, in Hebrew it is written 'Samir' and 'Saith', which means adamant and places full of thorns. Therefore, he says: Who will teach me to be firm and overcome my mercy, and to proceed fiercely in battle: so that I may walk over the vineyard which I kept, and burn it down which I enclosed with my wall? Or should my courage rather do this, that I postpone anger and save those who are not saved by the authority of the Law, with the mercy of the Gospel? But emphatically, according to the Hebrew reading, it is said: Who will make me hard and cruel, that I may overcome my nature? This is indeed signified in the desert and in thorns: that I may crush and burn it as if in battle, which I have always kept guarded by my diligence. Or should I hold onto my courage, which is undoubtedly Christ, and of which we read: Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24), so that it may itself make peace for me and reconcile the world? According to the Septuagint, here is the meaning: Let us understand it from the perspective of the Church: I am a strong city, a city surrounded by many enemies, to whom I have given in vain the cups of my enemy, the Synagogue. For she will be captured at night, and her wall will fall, and there will be no power of adversaries that will not seize her. Again I will say: What profit is it for me to guard her, which has straw in herself, not grain: which is so uncultivated, that it is full of disgrace and thorns, which I wanted to save? But because she treats me hostilely, I have departed from her. And the Apostles born in me and from me have said: Indeed, it was necessary for you to speak the word of God first, but since you have rejected it and deemed yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles (Acts 13:46). Therefore, the Lord will do what He has threatened, so that all may burn in it surrounded by Roman fire. Or certainly let them burn with vices and sins, lest they be able to extinguish the burning darts of the devil. For all those who commit adultery are like an oven whose hearts are burning. And those who formerly dwelled in it, after they cry out, the city is captured and burned, and they leave it, and reconciling the world (or unclean) to God, they say: Let us make peace to her, let us make peace to Him, which is Christ, always writing in their Letters: Grace be with you and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord (1 Corinthians 1:3). Of whom we read in this same Prophet: How beautiful are the feet of those who announce peace (Isaiah 52:7)! Some refer this place to the Churches, because they are indeed guarded by God; but many of them do not bear fruit; and therefore the fervor of a good teacher should succeed, so that they may proclaim and confess their error, and afterwards make peace with God, who are truly called the children of Jacob.”

“I have no wrath I have no mouth (var. excuse) to arouse My wrath on the nations, for Israel sins as well, and the standard of justice accuses. would that I were thorns and briers against [the objects of My] war Against those with whom I wage war, namely Ishmael (ms. Esau). Would that I could visit upon them and the standard of justice would not be able to protest, i.e., that Israel would repent, and that would give Me thorns and briers against the enemies! I would tread upon the standard of justice and I would visit upon them even more and additional punishment over their iniquity, and I would ignite them together. Jonathan rendered it in this manner, as referring to the nations. Our Sages of blessed memory explained it concerning Israel, and it refers back to the vineyard, as follows: I have no wrath Despite all the angers with which this vineyard has provoked Me, I cannot pour out My wrath to destroy it because of the oath I swore to their forefathers. If only it were like days long past! Were it not for the oath, I would be thorns and briers and I would tread upon the vineyard, and I would ignite it together.”

“Fury is not in me, etc. Some say that this verse is the continuation of the words of the Lord. Fury is not in me, that is, great fury is not in me. Who would set, etc. Anthropomorphism. Supply ב before שמיר brier, comp. בששח═ששח in six, (Ex. 20:11). The meaning of the sentence is, Who would set me against the brier and thorn of the vineyard, that is, against the wicked people; and in the day of my war against the vineyard, אפשעה בה I would go through it;—comp. כפשע but a step (1 Sam. 20:3)— אציתנה I would burn it;—comp. הציתו they have burnt (2 Sam. 14:35)”

“622. There is no indignation in me. Here he examines the manner of punishment, and first, the deliberation of the judge is set out; second, the execution of the result of deliberation: for the strong city shall be desolate (Isa 27:10). Concerning the first, he does three things. First, he sets out severe judgment, setting out the wrath of rage: there is no indignation in me, as if to say: indeed, I am justly indignant, for they are ungrateful for my benefits, below: full of the indignation of the Lord (Isa 51:20); and out of wrath he determines a severe punishment: who shall give to me a thorn and a brier, as to the preceding difficulties that arose together among them, above: briers and thorns shall come up over it (Isa 5:6); in battle, as to the attack of the enemy: I myself will fight against you (Jer 21:5–6); shall I set it on fire, as to the destruction of homes and cities: my indignation goes forth like a fire (Jer 21:12).”

“If they would grasp My fortress (אוֹ), lit., or they would grasp My fortress,) an expression of ‘if.’ Comp. “(Ex. 21:36) If (אוֹ) it was known that he was a goring ox.” If My people grasp My fortress, i.e., My Torah, that they seek no other fortress but My fortress, then they shall grant Me peace, to calm My thoughts and My ire which trouble Me because I do not avenge Myself upon My adversaries, and I will, indeed, take revenge from them. they would make peace for Me from the standard of justice, so that it will be unable to accuse and to say, “Why are these different from those?” (I.e., Why are the Jews different from the other nations?)”

“Or let him take hold, etc. Or let the Israelites take hold of my strength, then I shall not have war with them—comp. the Lord hath been like an enemy (Lam. 2:5)— nor with other nations, for the sake of Israel; this double peace is indicated by the repetition of the words he will make peace unto me. R. Moses Hakkohen explains these two verses in the following way: Fury is not in me, what I am going to say, I shall not say with fury. מי יתנני וגו׳ Who would give me—comp. נתתני thou hast given me (Judges 1:15)—the briers and thorns of the vineyard! I would go through them, etc.; that is, if they do not remove the wicked men of Israel, I will slay them all; or let him take hold of my strength, etc., then Jacob shall take root.— I think that God is not represented as speaking in these two verses, as is the case in many passages of this book—we need only refer to the preceding chapter, verses 18 and 19—but the men of Judah, after having heard God’s promise, I the Lord will keep it, lest he visit it, are introduced, saying, We do not declare with fury, that if the enemy should come to turn the vineyard into a place of briers and thorns, we should kill ourselves. Comp. And Ezekiel shall be, instead of And I shall be (Ez. 25:24), And Samuel, instead of And myself (1 Sam. 12:11); As he hath done, instead of As I have done (Lev. 8:34); במלחמה in war, is to be joined with מי יתנני who would turn me in this way: If one should come to turn me by war into a place of briers and thorns, etc. או יחזק Or if He would strengthen my stronghold, etc., to give me the strengthening promise that He will be in peace with me, and so should the enemy be, then Jacob would take root, etc. I am compelled to explain in this way by the phrase, He will make peace unto me, because it is God alone that maketh peace.”

“623. Second, he sets out the moderation of the sentence: or rather shall I take hold of my strength? As if to say: I will restrain my wrath; by way of contrast: the Lord will not turn away the wrath of his indignation (Jer 30:24). And he sets out the fruit of the moderation of the sentence as to the good, which all will bear in relation to God: shall it make peace with me, as if to say: will he make peace with me by good works? Below: the work of justice shall be peace (Isa 32:17).”

“(Verse 6) Those who come out from the root of Jacob will flourish and grow Israel: and they will fill the face of the world with their offspring. LXX: The sons of Jacob who come: Israel will flourish and bloom, and its fruits will fill the earth. After the Apostles, preaching the Gospel in the whole world, have said: We will make peace for Christ, peace will be made for you, those who come from the seed of Jacob and have reached the Apostolic dignity will be called sons of Jacob. Then Israel will sprout and flourish, seeing that the teachings of its children have filled the entire world, and have brought forth abundant fruits that it had not brought while remaining in Judaea.”

“In relation to himself, Israel shall blossom, in faith, or in good intention, and bud, in completion of the work, below: Jerusalem shall flourish like the lily (Isa 35:1); and in relation to his neighbor: they shall fill the face of the world with seed, who shall rush in, namely, the Apostles, above: the law shall come forth from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem (Isa 2:3); their sound has gone forth into all the earth: and their words unto the ends of the world (Ps 18:5[19:4]).”

“(Verse 7.) Did he strike him according to the blow of the one striking himself: or as he killed his killers, so was he killed? This place is understood in two ways. Either against Jerusalem, so that he may say that she was not struck by God in the same way that she struck Christ and his Apostles: or against the multitude of the Gentiles, so that the Apostles and apostolic men, despite being persecuted and shedding Christian blood, nevertheless had care for their salvation and reconciled them to God.”

“Like the smiting of him who smote him did He smite him Have you seen My might, that like the smiting of the one who smote Jacob, I smote him. They drowned them in the water, and I drowned them in the water. There are some other rhetorical questions that warrant an affirmative answer, e.g. (I Sam. 2:27), “Did I appear to the house of your father?” Also (Ezek. 8:6), “Do you see what they are doing?” like the slaying of Israel, who were the slain ones of Pharaoh, were Pharaoh and his people slain?”

“Hath he smitten him, etc. This prophecy refers to the fall of Samaria, to which alone the expression אשרים groves can be applied. Those that smote him. The Assyrians. Of them that are slain by him. Of the Canaanites that were slain when the Israelites conquered their country. God did not smite the Israelites in the same way as he smote the Canaanites.”

“(Verse 8) When it has measured out against the measure, you shall judge it. LXX: He will send them out, quarreling and reproaching. According to the Hebrew sense here: As Jerusalem has done, so she will receive, and according to the measure with which she has measured, it will be measured to her in return. And then she will receive a full measure, when the time of judgment comes and God has rejected her. According to the LXX, it depends on what was said earlier. For Israel will not be struck as she has struck, nor will she be killed as she has killed. He argued against the Apostles, and reproached his teachers, and commanded them not to speak in the name of Christ. Therefore the Lord will reject them and cast them out from his flock. He meditated in his hard spirit during the heat of the day. LXX: Were you not the one who meditated on destroying them with a hard spirit, with a spirit of fury? According to the Hebrew, it is said, 'In the measure that the table is, Jerusalem will receive.' Therefore, God meditated in his hard and vehement spirit, whether speaking against her during the heat of the day, that is, in the time of persecution, when there is a more intense day of indignation and punishment. According to the Septuagint, it is said of Jerusalem, or of Israel: Were you not the one who in your most stubborn and cruel spirit, and in the fury of your blasphemies, desired to kill the Apostles of the Lord and the teachers?”

“In that measure (בְּסַאסְּאָה) in that measure. when they sent them out, it strove with it When Egypt sent Israel out, it strove with it, the seah of the measure with its seah. He spoke with His harsh wind (הָגָה) He spoke with His harsh speech. on the day of the east wind On the day (concerning which Scripture states) (Ex. 14:21): “And the Lord led the sea with a strong east wind.””

“בסאסאה. In measure. According to most commentators בסאסאה is a reduplication of סאה measure, like ירקרק green (Lev. 13:49); מטלטלך Will carry thee away (22:17). Thou wilt debate with it, with Samaria; comp. the defenced city (ver. 10). בשלחה According to some: with its sword. The meaning of the sentence accordingly is: Samaria destroyed itself with its own instruments of war. Comp. השלח the sword (Joel 2:8). More correctly, however, it may be compared with שלחיך thy plants (Song 4:13), especially because of the words: on the day of the east wind. Samaria was punished with her own measure, she had quarrelled even with the people of her own villages,—which may be considered as her plants (שלחה)—therefore. הגה the Lord removed her; comp. הוגה he was removed (2 Sam. 20:13); ה replaces the radical י; as in ידה═הדה he stretched forth (11:8). קדים East wind.”

“In measure: here he threatens judgment adequate to their sin; when it shall be cast off, from the worship of God through faithlessness, not believing in Christ: according to the measure of the sin shall the measure also of the stripes be (Deut 25:2); he has meditated: here he shows the support of the sentence, with his severe spirit, because it cannot be placated, above: cease therefore from the man, whose breath is in his nostrils (Isa 2:22).”

“(Verse 9) Therefore, because of this, the iniquity of the house of Jacob will be forgiven, and all this fruit will be removed, so that its sin may be taken away. For they have set up all the stones of the altar like scattered ashes; neither the lights nor the shrines will stand. LXX: Therefore, the iniquity of Jacob will be taken away, and this will be his blessing when I remove his sin, when I set up all the stones of the altars shattered like crushed ash, and their trees and idols will not endure. The reason why they suffer no harm even after the Jews laid hands upon the Lord is that they may obtain forgiveness if they choose to repent, so that the prayer of the Savior may be fulfilled: Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34). Therefore, it is said, the iniquity of the house of Jacob will be pardoned, and its sin will be taken away, so that it may deserve the blessing of God, which had been cursed upon it when it said: His blood be upon us, and upon our children (Matthew 27:25). Because through the Apostles, the Gospel will be sown from the stock of Israel throughout the whole world, and idolatry will be destroyed, and altars will be crushed to dust, lights will be cut down, temples will fall, and the knowledge of the one God under the mystery of the Trinity will be proclaimed.”

“Therefore Now, too, with this, Jacob’s iniquity would be atoned for, to merit to be redeemed as then. and this is all the fruit that is best for Me to remove his sin, if he makes all the altar stones of his high places, like crushed chalk-stones. מְנֻפָּצוֹת means crushed. Comp. (Ps. 137:9) “And crushes (וְנִפֵּץ) your babies.” Comp. (Jer. 13:14) “And I will crush them (וְנִפַּצְתִּים) one against the other.” גִּיר is a kind of dye. asherim and sun images shall not rise So that they shall not retain their idolatry.”

“By this, therefore, shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged, etc. That is, no evil shall befall him—for the iniquity of Jacob (עון יעקב) is the source of all his evils—and the decree shall be rescinded, if they abolish idolatry. הסר To take away. Infinitive. The altar of Baal. גיר Chalk. מנפצות Beaten in sunder. Comp. תנפצם Thou shalt break them (Ps. 2:9). לא יקמו Shall not stand. Shall not remain.”

“625. Third, he explains the motive for moderating the punishment, so that he would not destroy them entirely at that time, namely, because Christ and the Apostles were to descend from that people, and through their preaching the worship of idols was to be abandoned; and this is what is meant by, when he shall have made all the stones of the altar, as burnt stones broken in pieces, above: man shall bow down himself to his Maker, and his eyes shall look to the Holy One of Israel (Isa 17:7).”

“(Verse 10) The fortified city will be deserted; the beautiful city will be abandoned and left like a wilderness. There the calf will graze, and there it will lie down and consume its branches. Their idols will be cut down like groves, and the flock that dwells far away will be left like a deserted flock, and it will be a long time in the pasture, and there the flocks will rest, and after a long time there will be no green in it, for it is dried up. Jerusalem, once a strong and fortified city, because it did not receive its masters but said: Come, let us kill him, for this is the heir and our inheritance (Matthew 21:38), will be deserted. And that which was once beautiful, of which it is said in Ezekiel: You ate fine flour, honey, and oil, and you became exceedingly beautiful (Ezek. 16:13), and in which dwells He of whom it is written: You are fairer than the sons of men (Ps. 45:3), will be left and abandoned like a desert, as the Lord says to the Apostles: Arise, let us go from here (John 14:31). There the calf, the Roman army, will graze, of which it is also said in another place under the name of boar: The boar from the forest will ravage it, and the singular wild beast has grazed on it (Ps. 80:14). And there he will lie down and consume its branches under the metaphor of a vine and its shoots, so that nothing green remains in it, nothing of the branches, but the enemy consumes everything. According to the Septuagint, because they did not receive a good shepherd: therefore they will be like a forsaken flock, and will be open to the bites of beasts; and nothing green will remain in them, because drought will possess everything.”

“For a fortified city is solitary For, when they do this, a fortified city of Ishmael (ms. Esau) will be solitary and the dwelling will be forsaken by its inhabitants and abandoned like a pasture. there a calf shall graze Ephraim shall inherit it, for he is called a calf, as it is said (Jer. 31:17): “Like an untamed calf.” and shall consume its branches (סְעִיפֶיהָ) its branches.”

“626. The strong city, namely, Jerusalem: how doth the city sit solitary that was full of people? (Lam 1:1); as to the power of the enemy: there the calf, the army of the enemy, shall feed, as though resting without fear; branches, metaphorically, that is, ears of wheat, which signify princes, above: wild beasts shall rest there (Isa 13:21); or literally, it may be a sign of desolation: they saw the chambers joining to the temple thrown down (1 Macc 4:38).”

“The women, returning from the sepulcher and from this vision of the angels, were foreseen by Isaiah, when he says, "Come, you women, who return from the vision," that is, "come" to report the resurrection of the Lord. It was well, however, that the unbelief of the disciples was so persistent, in order that to the last we might consistently maintain that Jesus revealed himself to the disciples as none other than the Christ of the prophets.”

“When its branches dry out The branches of its roots. Comp. (Ps. 80:12) “It sent forth its branches (קְצִירֶיהָ).” Also (Job 14:9): “And produce branches (קָצִיר).” I.e., when the little merit that Edom has for honoring his father, is depleted, then its branches shall be broken. women shall come and ignite it A people weak as women shall ignite them. Jonathan renders in this manner. מְאִירוֹת means ‘ignite.’ Comp. (Mal. 1:10) “And you shall not light (תָּאִירוּ) My altar in vain.” Dunash too interpreted it in this manner, for since the wood will be dry, it will be easy to ignite. Menahem, however, interpreted it to mean ‘gather.’ Comp. (Song 5:1) “I gathered (אָרִיתִי) my myrrh.” Also (Ps. 80:13): “All passersby gathered from it (וְאָרוּהָ).” (Machbereth Menahem p. 32) Dunash replied, “Does it not say, ‘When its branches dry out’? And with dry grapes, no one gathers fruit.” (Teshuvoth Dunash p. 45)] Likewise, our Sages, who prohibited accepting charity from them because of this reason, for they stated in Baba Bathra ch. 1, (10b,) “Does he not believe, ‘When its branches dry out, they shall be broken?’””

“קצירה The bough thereof. Comp. בקצירי In my branch (Job. 29:19). They shall be broken off. The pronoun they refers to פארות the smaller branches, while קציר signifies the large branch. מאירות Some explain: Collect; comp. אריתי I have gathered (Song 5:1). Even the women that have no strength will break and gather them. Others: Set on fire. The branches will be used as fuel. This is the right explanation. Comp. תאירו ye kindle fire (Mal. 1:10)”

“And the destruction of men: its harvest shall be destroyed with drought; this is a metaphor: that is, as ears of wheat are crushed in the drought of summer; women shall come and teach it, by whom the people were thrown greatly into sin, above: as for my people, their oppressors have stripped them, and women have ruled over them (Isa 3:12); or because the women themselves taught them, as Deborah (Judg 4), and Holda (2 Kgs 22:14). 627. Second, he sets out the fairness of the punishment in relation to their guilt: for it is not a wise people, above: therefore is my people led away captive, because they had not knowledge (Isa 5:13).”

“(Verse 12) And it shall be on that day, the Lord shall strike from the channel of the river to the torrent of Egypt. LXX: And it shall be on that day, the Lord shall shut off from the channel of the river to Rhinocorura. If it had not joined together, on that day, through which we are taught, the things that are to be connected with the things that were said earlier, we could have explained it as the proper sense of this chapter; but now all things must be referred back to the earlier ones. For the fortified city shall be desolate, and the beautiful city shall be forsaken like a desert, and there the calf shall lie down, and it shall devour the branches of the vine, and all things shall become dry, because there is no people who have understanding, and because of their foolishness, they have not obtained any mercy from their Creator. Therefore, the Lord will strike or close off from the channel or stream of the river to the torrent of Egypt, so that in all of Judaea, which was once the promised land, no teaching may be found, no knowledge of the Scriptures, of which the Apostle speaks: In order that we may not pay attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth (Titus 1:14); and again: For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers, and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision (Ibid., 10). But the riverbed, or the stream of the river, next to the Euphrates, we can call it, as it is written in the seventy-first psalm: He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth (Psalm 71:8). Others think it is the Jordan. And it should be noted that in the borders of Judea, it is called a river; in the borders of Egypt, a torrent, which has turbid waters and is not permanent. Instead of the torrent of Egypt, the seventy translators translated it as Rhinocorura, which is a town on the border of Egypt and Palestine, expressing not so much the words of the Scriptures as the meaning of the words. But what we said, he will strike, for which the LXX translated συμφράξει as concludet: Aquila and Theodotion interpreted as ῥαβδήσει, which can be understood as either he will strike with a rod or he will count the number of his flock with a rod, so that it is not taken in a bad but in a good sense. And you shall be gathered one by one, O sons of Israel. LXX: But you, gather together one by one, O sons of Israel. O sons of Israel, for whom Symmachus has interpreted, the house of Israel: striking your enemies from the river stream, even to the river of Egypt, that is, from the Euphrates to the Nile, you yourselves shall be gathered to the faith of the Lord one by one, because the crowd of Jews did not believe, by which it signifies that only a few of the Jews will believe in the Savior Lord. Certainly, O Apostles and apostolic men, when the multitude of Jews did not believe, you, from the whole world, whom you were able, bring back like sick sheep to the folds of the Lord, and gather them with the people of the nations, so that what the Apostle Paul and Barnabas speak to the Jews may be fulfilled: For it was necessary for the word of God to be announced to you first; but since you judged yourselves unworthy of salvation, behold, we turn to the Gentiles (Acts 13:46).”

“that the Lord shall gather יַחְבֹּט, lit., shall beat. Jonathan renders: shall fall dead. I.e., the nations from the banks of the Euphrates to the stream of Egypt. I say, however, that these two expressions, (viz.) beating and gathering, coincide with one another, like one who bears his olive trees and goes back and gathers them and (ms. or) others gather them from the ground, so will the Holy One, blessed be He, commence the gathering, as it is said: A great shofar shall be sounded. from the flood of the river These are those lost in the land of Assyria. to the stream of Egypt Those are the ones exiled in the land of Egypt. the river Euphrates. They are those in Assyria who live by the Euphrates. to the stream of Egypt These are those who live in Egypt, He shall gather them like one who gathers olives. and you shall be gathered from the exiles. one and one Whoever finds one of you will bring him as an offering.”

“628. Third, the magnitude of the destruction, both as to universality of place: and it shall come to pass, that in that day the Lord will strike from the channel of the river even to the torrent of Egypt, that is, from one end to the other, above: from the sole of the foot unto the top of the head, there is no soundness therein (Isa 1:6); and as to the small number of men who will remain: and you shall be gathered together one by one: you shall remain few in number (Deut 28:62).”

“(Verse 13) And it shall be in that day: the great trumpet shall sound, and those who were lost from the land of Assyria and those who were cast out into the land of Egypt shall come, and they shall worship the Lord on the holy mountain in Jerusalem. LXX: And it shall be in that day, a great trumpet shall sound; and those who perished in the region of Assyria and those who perished in Egypt shall come; and they shall worship the Lord on the holy mountain in Jerusalem. In this place, the Jews make empty vows to themselves, that at the end of the world, when their Antichrist, as it is said, shall come, the dispersed people from Assyria and the land of Egypt shall gather together and come to Jerusalem, and having built the temple, worship the Lord their God. That which cannot stand completely according to the letter. For it does not only refer to the Assyrians and Egyptians, but to the whole world, which will believe in Christ. Therefore, this signifies that in the last trumpet, according to the Apostle Paul (1 Cor. XV), all those who perished in Assyria and Egypt will come to the Lord. He did not say all the children of Israel, but all those who perished, indicating the multitude of the Gentiles, who, bound by idolatry, magic, and the arts of philosophy, will come to the faith of Christ and worship Him in the Church. The great trumpet can be understood as the Gospel message, of which we also read in the same Prophet: Ascend to the high mountain, you who bring good news to Zion; lift up your voice with strength, you who bring good news to Jerusalem (Isaiah 40:9). Therefore, that mountain is holy and that Jerusalem is the one of which we have often spoken: You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven (Hebrews 12:22). Up to this point, we have spoken about the end of the world starting from the place where we began: Behold, the Lord will scatter the earth and make it bare (Above, XXIV, 1), which is contained in the present volume. Now, with the help, or rather inspiration, of Christ, let us move on to the ninth, which will have the beginning of another prophecy.”