“This the second principle part of this book, in which he principally intends the comfort of the people through many promised benefits. And it is divided into two parts: in the first, he leads them to the expectation of promises; in the second, he describes the promise of divine benefits, below: thus says the Lord to my anointed (Isa 45:1). The first of these is divided into three parts: in the first, he comforts them with the power of the one who promises; in the second, with his love: let the islands keep silence (Isa 41:1); in the third, with the weakness of the idols who might be believed to resist: and now hear, O Jacob (Isa 44:1). Concerning the first, he does three things: first, he leads them to comfort; second, he promises the comforter: the voice of one crying in the desert (Isa 40:3); in the third part, he shows the power of God who comforts: who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand? (Isa 40:12). First, he leads the people to comfort: be comforted, in spiritual goods, be comforted, in the temporal goods granted you: he comforted the mourners in Zion (Sir 48:27); and the Lord answered the angel, that spoke in me, good words, comfortable words (Zech 1:13).”

“Observe, you who are our beloved sons, how merciful yet righteous the Lord our God is; how gracious and kind to me. And yet most certainly "he will not acquit the guilty," although he welcomes returning sinners and revives them, leaving no room for suspicion to those who wish to judge sternly and reject offenders entirely, refusing to promise exhortations to them that might otherwise bring them to repentance. In contradiction to people like this, Isaiah says to the bishops, "Comfort, comfort my people, you priests. Speak comfortably to Jerusalem." It therefore behooves you, on hearing those words of his, to encourage those who have offended and lead them to repentance. Give them hope that it is not in vain that you enter into their situation of sin, because you love them. Readily receive those who are penitent and rejoice over them. Judge the sinners with mercy and compassion. For if somebody was walking beside the river and ready to stumble, and you pushed him and threw him into the river, instead of offering him your hand to help, you would be guilty of murdering your brother or sister. Instead, you should lend a helping hand when they're ready to fall. Otherwise they will perish without anyone to help. And you do this so that the people watching are warned and so that the offenders may not utterly perish. It is your duty, O bishop, neither to overlook the sins of the people nor to reject those who are penitent so that you may not unskillfully destroy the Lord's flock or dishonor his new name, which he has imposed on his people. And you yourself should also be above reproach as those ancient pastors were of whom God speaks to Jeremiah and others.”

“How is it that some receive at the Lord's hand double for their sins and the measure of their wickedness is doubly filled up, as in the correction of Israel, while the sins of others are removed by a sevenfold compensation? What is the measure of the Amorites that is not yet full? And how is the sinner either acquitted or chastised again, acquitted perhaps, because reserved for the other world, chastised because healed thereby in this?”

“There is also another type of consolation for those who have paid heavy penalties, as it is written in the book of Isaiah: 'Comfort, comfort my people,' says the Lord. 'Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins.' Even if faith was lacking, punishment was satisfied. The penalties are mitigated for those who are acquitted by commendation of their merits.”

“for she has become full [from] her host Jonathan renders: She is destined to become full from the people of the exiles, as though it would say, “She has become full from her host.” Others interpret צְבָאָה like (Job 7:1), “Is there not a time (צָבָא) for man on the earth?” has been appeased Heb. נִרְצָה, has been appeased. for she has taken etc. [Jonathan paraphrases:] For she has received a cup of consolation from before the Lord as though she has been punished doubly for all her sins. According to its simple meaning, it is possible to explain, ‘for she received double punishment.’ Now if you ask, how is it the standard of the Holy One, blessed be He, to pay back a person double his sin, I will tell you that we find an explicit verse (Jer. 16:18): “And I will pay first the doubling of their iniquity and their sin.””

“דברו על לב Speak ye comfortably. The expression דבר על לב speak to the heart means always to speak kindly, so as to remove sorrow and regret for things which have already past; comp. Gen. 50:21. Jerusalem. The congregation of Israel is meant. צבאה Her time. Comp. צבאי my appointed time (Job 14:14); צבא (ib. vii .1). The commentators generally take it in its usual sense; her host; but the first explanation is the right one. נרצה Is accomplished, that is, is finished and at an end; comp. עד ירצה till he shall accomplish (Job 14:6); תרצה shall accomplish (Levit. 26:34); נרצה עונה has the same meaning as the phrase תם עונן the punishment of thine iniquity is accomplished (Lam. 4:22). Double. Twice as much affliction as other nations had to suffer. בכל For all.”

“He orders the prophets and priests to announce comfort: speak to the heart, namely, by comforting, and call them from sadness, from idolatry: I will lead her into the wilderness: and I will speak to her heart (Hos 2:14). He assigns the reason as to the remission of their fault: for her evil is come to an end, above: and this is all the fruit, that the sin thereof should be taken away (Isa 27:9); as to the end of punishments: she has received; he speaks according to the time after the captivity: with a double destruction (Jer 17:18). On the contrary, it says in Nahum 1:9: there shall not rise a double affliction; and to this is to be said that they are called double as to the punishment of body and soul, as the fault is in both.”

“Since even then by Isaiah it was Christ, the Word and the Spirit of the Creator who prophetically described John as "the voice of one crying in the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord." And [he] was about to come forth for the purpose of terminating from that point onwards the course of the law and the prophets: by their fulfillment and not their extinction.”

“The voice of one crying in the desert. Here he promises the comforter. And concerning this, he does three things: first, he sends ahead the preparation; second, he shows the firmness of the prophecy: the voice of one, saying (Isa 40:6); third, he foretells the coming of the comforter: get you up upon a high mountain (Isa 40:9). Concerning the first, he does three things. First, he orders preparation: the voice of one crying in the desert, namely, the voice of John the Baptist, will be this: prepare, by conversion from evils, in the wilderness, of vices: be prepared to meet your God (Amos 4:12). Some explain these verses thus: the voice, of God, crying, is this: in the desert, prepare, that is, in the land of Judah, formerly a desert, the way of the Lord, namely, for going to the temple; or in the desert, which is between Babylon and Judah.”

“It is said that the valleys are filled, because the Lord has entered the world, and has redeemed all the peoples from the bondage of the devil, and brought them back to the faith and adoration of their Creator and has taught them to hope in eternal salvation. This is also said, because he has filled the deep valleys and the horrible and inhospitable caves with ascetics, who, after abandoning the cares of this world, exclusively devote themselves to honor and praise God.”

“According to the plain teaching of the Lord, the king's highway is easy and smooth, though it may be felt as hard and rough. For those who piously and faithfully serve him, when they have taken on them the yoke of the Lord and have learned of him, that he is meek and lowly of heart, at once [they] somehow or other lay aside the burden of earthly passions and find no labor but rest for their souls, by the gift of the Lord. [To this] he himself testifies by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, "Stand on the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, which is the good way, and walk in it: and you shall find refreshment for your souls." For to them at once "the crooked shall become straight and the rough ways plain"; and they shall "taste and see that the Lord is gracious." And when they hear Christ proclaiming in the Gospel, "Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you," they will lay aside the burden of their sins and realize what follows: "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." The way of the Lord then has refreshment if it is kept according to his law.”

“Every valley shall be raised and the mountain shall be lowered, thus resulting in a smooth, even, and easily traversed road. and the close mountains Heb. רְכָסִים, mountains close to each other, and because of their proximity, the descent between them is steep and it is not slanted, that it should be easy to descend and ascend. ([The word] רְכָסִים is translated by Jonathan as ‘banks,’ an expression of height like the banks of a river.) close mountains Heb. רְכָסִים. Comp. (Ex. 28:28) “And they shall fasten (וְיִרְכְּסוּ) the breastplate.” a champaigne Canpayne in O.F., a smooth and even terrain.”

“Every valley shall be exalted. Every valley that is now low, shall then be exalted. The word גֶּיא valley is not in the construct state as in 22:1, and Ez. 39:11. It is, however, possible that it is in the construct state and some genitive is to be supplied; comp. מִלֵּיל (21:11). העקוב The crooked. It is the opposite of מישור straight; comp. עקוב deceitful (Jer. 17:9). והרכסים And the rough places. Comp. מרכסי from the crookedness of (Ps. 39:21)”

“He foretells the fulfilment: every valley, following the metaphor of the evil way: if it is mountainous, it causes labor, and thus is said, every valley shall be exalted, so that it is made as high as the mountains and everything may be made level; if it is winding, it causes wandering, and as to this he says, the crooked shall become straight; if it is rocky, it causes pain in the feet, and as to this: the rough ways plain; through which is signified that faintheartedness will be turned into security, pride into humility, wickedness into uprightness and cruelty into meekness: direct your heart into the right way (Jer 31:21). Others explain: every valley shall be exalted, by this all hindrances are shown to have been removed, so that the people return freely.”

“He [Christ] was a reproach but at the same time also the majesty of the Lord, as it is written, "And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh together shall see the salvation of God." What had he lost if he had nothing less? He had neither comeliness nor beauty, but he had not ceased to be the power of God. He appeared a man, but the divine majesty and glory of the Father shone on earth.”

“And this is the Lord of glory, and we too have come to know his glory. However, those of old did not see it when he showed himself during the dispensation in which he was made man, equal to God the Father in strength, operation and glory, bearing all things by the word of his power and with great tranquillity performing godly works, enhancing creation, raising the dead and performing other deeds of wonder effortlessly. For the glory of the Lord appeared, and all flesh saw the salvation of God, that is, of the Father. For he has sent us his Son from heaven to salvation and redemption. For the law brings no one to perfection, for the sacrifices in prefigurative form were unable to deal with sin. But we have been perfected in Christ and reconciled from every fault as we have been honored with the spirit of sonship.”

“He shows the utility of the preparation: and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, that is, the Son: I will cure them: and I will reveal to them the prayer of peace (Jer 33:6); all flesh together shall see, that is, he will make himself visible to all, or he speaks of the day of judgment: every eye shall see him: and they also that pierced him (Rev 1:7). Others explain: the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, in the destruction of the Chaldees, through which he will appear glorious.”

“This is the nature of all flesh and of the human who bears the image of the earthly; I mean the body-lover who lives according to the flesh. In like manner the grass of the earth and the beautiful flowers rise up and bloom for a short time, but soon they wither through their unstable nature.… The voice in the desert prophesying about God the Word is John teaching about Christ, as only from then on will it stand forever, and it guards those who stand with it and run with it as those who are becoming models of its salvation.”

“A voice from the Holy One, blessed be He, says to me, “Call!” and it says My spirit says to Him, “What shall I call?” And the voice answers him, “Call this, all flesh is grass. All those who are haughty their greatness shall be turned over and become like grass. ([Manuscripts yield:] All the princes of the kingdom their greatness shall be turned over and shall wither away [lit. shall end] like grass.) and all its kindness is like the blossom of the field For “the kindness of the nations is sin” (Prov. 14:34). [Ed. note: We have inverted the order of Rashi and followed the order of K’li Paz and Parshandatha, to connect the second part of the verse with the first. Rashi’s explanation of the second part follows his first explanation of the first part. In the Lublin edition, the second explanation of the first part of the verse interrupts the sequence.] (Another explanation is: All flesh is grass.) A person’s end is to die; therefore, if he says to do kindness, he is like the blossom of the field, that is cut off and dries, and one must not rely on him, for he has no power to fulfill his promise, perhaps he will die, for, just as the grass dries out and the blossom wilts, so is it that when a man dies, his promise is null, but the word of our God shall last for He is living and existing, and He has the power to fulfill. Therefore, “Upon a lofty mountain ascend and herald, O herald of Zion, for the promise of the tidings emanates from the mouth of Him Who lives forever.””

“The voice said, etc. This verse explains the glory of the Lord to consist in the fact that His word alone is fulfilled, not so the word of man. The voice. The angel. Said unto the prophet. כחציר═חציר Like grass. Comp. כשמש═שמש as sun (Ps. 84:12). As the flower of the field, which flourisheth in the morning and groweth up, but is cut down and withereth in the evening (Ps. 90:6)”

“The voice of one, saying. In this part, he shows the firmness of the prophecy by comparison to the frailty of men. Thus the Lord first orders a cry, which signifies an express and plain announcement: cry, below: cry, cease not (Isa 58:1); second, he orders human frailty to be cried out, with the prophet asking: and I said: what shall I cry, fearing that he will be ordered to cry something against his people, as above (Isa 6:9), and the Lord responding: all flesh is grass: the sun rose with a burning heat and parched the grass (Jas 1:11).”

“The grass withereth, etc. Since he is like grass, he will wither; since he is like the flower, he will fade away; but the word of the Lord shall stand—יעמוד═יקום—and none will frustrate it. רוח ה׳ The wind of the Lord, that is, the wind, which is sent by Him, נשבה בו Bloweth upon it, that is, upon the grass, and it becomes dry.”

“For in the power of the Holy Spirit, by the will of the Father and the Son, Peter stood with the Eleven and, lifting up his voice (according to the text, "Lift up your voice with strength, you who bring good tidings to Jerusalem"), captured in the spiritual net of his words about three thousand souls. So great was the grace that worked in all the apostles together, that, out of the Jews … this great number believed, were baptized in the name of Christ and continued steadfast in the apostles' doctrine and in the prayers.”

“Therefore, let us transcend the works of the world, so that we may be able to see God face to face. Ascend to the mountain that proclaims Zion. If the one who proclaims Zion ascends to the mountain, how much more the one who proclaims Christ and the risen Christ? Perhaps many will see him in the body; for we have known Christ according to the flesh: but now we no longer know him.”

“O herald of Zion Heb. מְבַשֶּׂרֶת. The prophets who herald Zion. [This is the feminine form.] Elsewhere (infra 52:7), he says, “the feet of the herald (מְבַשֵּׂר).” [This is the masculine form.] This denotes that if they are worthy, he will be as swift as a male. If they are not worthy, he will be as weak as a female and will delay his steps until the end.”

“He who wishes to teach well must put his hand to strong things. In the book of Kings it is said: "Enter, for you are a strong man and one announcing good tidings"; and in Isaiah: "Ascend upon a high mountain, you who bring good tidings to Zion." If the arm is weak, even if the sword be strong and good, the blow will not be good. Some are full of words and have little of works.”

“Get you up upon a high mountain. Here he foretells the coming comforter. And concerning this, he does three things: first, the Lord orders the prophet to announce it; in the second part, he determines the promise of his coming: behold your God; in the third, he shows the condition of the one who comes: behold the Lord God shall come with strength (Isa 40:10). Concerning the first, he determines who should announce, to whom, and how he should announce. Who, he determines to be he who has the office: you that bring good tidings: how shall they preach unless they be sent? (Rom 10:15). He designates the manner by three things: by the height of the location, so that he who announces good things will be heard from afar: upon a high mountain, mystically, Christ, or heavenly conversation and contemplation, above: come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord (Isa 2:3); below: they shall cry from the top of the mountains (Isa 42:11); by the cry of the voice: lift up your voice with strength, so that many may hear, by preaching plainly and constantly, below: cry, cease not, lift up your voice (Isa 58:1); by security of heart: lift it up, fear not: be not afraid at their presence (Jer 1:8). He determines to whom it should be announced as to three things: as to the province of the kingdom: say to the cities of Judah; as to the metropolis of the province: you that bring good tidings to Jerusalem; as to the rulers of the city: Zion, where the temple and the royal house were, below: the first shall say to Zion: behold they are here, and to Jerusalem I will give an evangelist (Isa 41:27); to you it behooved us first to speak the word of God (Acts 13:46). Here he sets out the promise of the coming of God: behold, at hand, your God, will come, above: God himself will come (Isa 35:4).”

“We must … be zealous in doing good, for all things are from him. [Isaiah] warns us, "Behold, the Lord comes, and his reward is before his face, to pay each person according to his work." He therefore urges us who believe in him with all our heart not to be lazy or careless in any good work. Let our glorying and our confidence be in him. Let us be subject to his will.”

“Behold the Lord. Here he shows the condition of the one who comes. And first, he shows that he will come strong to liberate: with strength, and his arm, his strength on the day of judgment; or in the first coming of Christ, in the power of his miracles; or in the destruction of Babylon, have you an arm like God? (Job 40:4). Second, that he will come just to reward: behold his reward is with him and his work is before him, because it is in the ease of his will: but the just shall live for evermore: and their reward is with the Lord (Wis 5:16).”

“Of this prophecy also let us observe the fulfillment in the exact way and in truth in the holy Gospels. In the first place, the Lord has said, "I am the good shepherd, and I know my sheep and am known by my own … and [I] lay down my life for the sheep." Moreover, he has likewise gathered the lambs with his arms, [that is to say] by the power of his teachings. For soon he said to the fishermen, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men [people]." Presently he called the publicans and ate with them. Again, another time, he allowed even a woman who had led an evil life to shed tears at his feet. He has likewise comforted pregnant women with the thought that they would give birth for salvation. As they learned of the destruction of death and the hope of the resurrection, they possesed sufficient solace for their pains in the expectation of the benefits that had been announced. Finally, while the holy Virgin still carried him in her womb, he filled Elizabeth, who was with child, with joy.”

“Third, he shows that he will come kind to comfort: like a shepherd; to feed the hungry: he shall feed his flock: I will feed them in the most fruitful pastures (Ezek 34:14): I will give you pastors who shall feed you (Jer 3:15); to gather together the dissenting: with his arm: other sheep I have (John 10:16); to carry the faltering: in his bosom: when he has found it, lay it upon his shoulders, rejoicing (Luke 15:5).”

“[Christ] … is of no reputation in the world but of illustrious fame in heaven, being betrayed by those who are ignorant [of his perfections] to those who know him not, being accounted as a drop from a cask. We, however, [Isaiah] says, are spiritual, who, from the life-giving water of Eu phrates, which flows through the midst of Babylon, choose our own peculiar quality as we pass through the true gate, which is the blessed Jesus.”

“The words "I AM THAT I AM" were clearly an adequate indication of God's infinity. But, in addition, we needed to apprehend the operation of his majesty and power. For while absolute existence is peculiar to him who, abiding eternally, had no beginning in a past however remote, we hear again an utterance worthy of himself issuing from the eternal and holy God, who says, "who holds the heaven in his palm and the earth in his hand," and again, "The heaven is my throne and the earth is the footstool of my feet. What house will you build me or what shall be the place of my rest?" The whole heaven is held in the palm of God, the whole earth grasped in his hand.Now the word of God … reveals a deeper meaning to the patient student.… This heaven that is held in the palm of God is also his throne, and the earth that is grasped in his hand is also the footstool beneath his feet. This was not written that … we should conclude that he has extension in space, as of a body.… It was written that in all born and created things God might be known within them and without, overshadowing and indwelling, surrounding all and interfused through all, since palm and hand, which hold, reveal the might of his external control, while throne and footstool, by their support of a sitter, display the subservience of outward things to One who, himself outside them, encloses all in his grasp.… Being infinite, he is present in all things. In him who is infinite all are included.”

“Who measured etc. He had the power to do all this, and surely He has the power to keep these promises. with his gait Heb. בְּשָׁעֳלוֹ, with his walking, as it is said (Habakkuk 3:15): “You trod with Your horses in the sea.” Comp. (Num. 22:24) “In the path (בְּמִשְׁעוֹל) of the vineyards, a path (for walking).” Another explanation is that שַׁעַל is the name of a receptacle. Comp. (Ezekiel 13:19) “For measures (בְּשַׁעֲלוֹ) of barley.” measured Amolad in O.F., an expression of measure and number. Comp. (Ex. 5:18) “And the number (וְתֹכֶן) of bricks you shall give.” and measured by thirds Heb. בַּשָּׁלִשׁ, and measured by thirds, one third wilderness, one third civilization, and one third seas and rivers. Another interpretation: בַּשָּׁלִשׁ, from the thumb to the middle finger, the third of the fingers. Menahem explains it as the name of a vessel. Comp. (Ps. 80:6) “And You gave them to drink tears with a vessel (שָׁלִישׁ) .” and weighed mountains with a scale Everything according to the earth, a heavy mountain He inserted into hard earth, and the light ones into soft earth.”

“Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and weighed the heavens with his palm? Who hath poised with three fingers the bulk of the earth? This the Word did, through whom all things were made. His hand, by which all things are created, that is, formed or made distinct and adorned, with three fingers lifts and suspends the earth, that is, the ecclesiastic hierarchy which He creates, distinguishes and adorns. This hand measures the waters, this hand holds all things as an object is held in the fist. This is the hand of the eternal Word. This witnessing transcends any judgment by a creature.”

“Who has measured the waters. Here he shows divine power. And first, he establishes it against the errors of idolaters, who detracted from divine power by making the creature equal to the creator: they served the creature rather than the Creator (Rom 1:25); second, against the despair of the Jews, who detracted from divine power by distrust: lift up your eyes on high (Isa 40:26). Concerning the first, he does two things: first, he shows the power of God; second, he excludes error: to whom then have you likened God (Isa 40:18). First, he shows divine power together with divine wisdom in the ease with which he measures and creates all things: for he makes all things in number, as to the multitude of principles; in measure, as to determination of each under its particular being; in weight, as to the inclination of each to its end (Wis 11:21). In the hollow, that is, easily, like what is measured by the hollow, which is a closed hand; with his palm, that is, easily, with the palm, which is an open hand; who has poised with three fingers the bulk of the earth, upon nothing (Job 26:7), for it is supported by nothing outside it, otherwise the repose of the earth would be forced, over the waters (Ps 136:6), as to the place, for it is surrounded by waters, upon its own bases (Ps 104:5), as to the proper cause of its repose, which is its own nature; with three fingers, that is, easily; or, with three properties: weight, dryness, and immobility; weighed, he makes each to be weighed by its proper weight.”

“"Who has known the mind of the Lord or who rather has been his counselor?" This passage is not merely a rhetorical question. If it were, "who" could not possibly refer to anyone. Rather, the use of "who" indicates a rare personage.… All these questions … have the same answer: "For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing."”

“"Yet to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we to him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we through him." … The apostle says according to the prophecy of Isaiah, "Who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?" And he added, "For him and through him and in him are all things," which Isaiah said of the artificer of all, as you have it. "Who has measured the water with his hand, and the heaven with his palm?" And the apostle has added, "For of him and through him and in him are all things." What is "of him"? That the nature of all things is of his will, and he is the author of all things that come into existence. "Through him" means what? That establishment and continuance are seen to have been bestowed on all things through him. "In him" means what? That all things by a certain wonderful desire and ineffable love look on the Author of their lives and the minister of their graces and functions, according to what is written: "The eyes of all hope in you," and "You open your hand and fill every living creature with your good pleasure."”

“Who meted the Holy Spirit in the mouth of the prophets? The Lord prepared it, and He is worthy of belief. and His adviser who informs Him [and the one with whom He takes counsel He informs] of His spirit. So did Jonathan render it. [Who meted out the spirit? The Lord, and the one with whom He takes counsel He informs him, i.e., the righteous in whom God confides, He informs of His plans for the future.] But, according to its context, וְאִישׁ עֲצָתוֹ refers back to the beginning of the verse. Who meted out His spirit and who is His adviser who informs the Holy One, blessed be He, of counsel?”

“רוח יי The spirit of the Lord. The Gaon says that תוח the wind (air) has not yet been mentioned with the other three elements in the preceding verse, and that יי the Lord is the answer given to the question, and the meaning of the phrase is: Who has directed the wind? The Lord. I do not agree with this explanation, because it is said את רוח, and besides, the second half of the verse has no sense at all if this explanation be adopted. I explain the verse thus: Who has directed the spirit of the Lord: רוח is in the construct state; comp. אלהים רוח (Gen. 1:2); the interrogative pronoun מי who, is to be supplied before the second part of the verse: And who is the man, to whom God communicated His counsel, why He created things in such and such a manner.”

“Second, he shows the sufficiency of his power, that he needs no helper: who has forwarded, against the philosophers who posit that the last creatures were created by the mediation of the first creatures; of his wisdom, that he needs no counsel: or who has been his counsellor, that he would give the Lord counsel. The Spirit of the Lord is helped not in creation, but in justification, Augustine: he who created you without you, will not justify you without you. By preaching: for we are God's coadjutors (1 Cor 3:9); by preparation: draw nigh to God: and he will draw nigh to you (Jas 4:8); by cooperation: looking diligently, lest any man be wanting to the grace of God (Heb 12:15).”

“With whom did He take counsel and give him to understand With which of the heathens ([mss., K’li Paz:] nations) did He take counsel, as He took counsel with the prophets, as it is said concerning Abraham (Gen. 18:17): “Do I conceal from Abraham...?” and give him to understand, and teach him in the way of justice With which one of the heathens ([mss., K’li Paz:] nations) did He do so, that He taught him wisdom as He did to Abraham, to whom He gave a heart to recognize Him by himself and to understand the Torah, as it is said (ibid. 26:5): “And he kept My charge,” and Scripture states further (ibid. 18:19), “For he commands etc.” And his kidneys would pour forth wisdom to him, as it is said (Ps. 16:7): “Even at night my kidneys chastised me.” (With whom did He take counsel and who gave Him to understand [With which man did He take counsel and which] man gave the Holy One, blessed be He, [to understand?] Behold all the nations are like a drop in a bucket, and how could they teach Him?)”

“With whom has he consulted, that the Lord would ask counsel of him; who has instructed him, of the form of his work; the path of natural justice, which he set before all things, so that nothing exceeds the bounds of its nature; knowledge, of the knowledge of created things, both universals and particulars, against the philosophers; the way of understanding, as to the government of the world: whose helper are you? Is it of him that is weak? And dost you hold up the arm of him that has no strength? (Job 26:2).”

“(Verse 15) Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust. LXX: Behold, all the nations are as a drop in a bucket and are accounted as the dust on the scales. All peoples who did not know their Creator or the whole human race in comparison to God are like a drop from a bucket and like a speck of dust on a scale that tilts lightly to one side. And just as if a small drop falls from a bucket, it is ignored by the one carrying it; so too the entire multitude of nations, compared to the divine ministries and the multitude of angels, is considered as nothing. Even islands are considered like spit, or as Symmachus and Theodotion place it in their Hebrew translation, as 'leptos (a little thing)' which falls off, for which Aquila translated as 'leptos ballōmenon (a tiny thing thrown).' But the Hebrews say that this word signifies the finest dust, which, being carried by the wind, is often thrown into the eyes and is felt rather than seen. Therefore, the tiniest particles of dust, almost invisible, are called by this word: which perhaps Democritus, with his atom, calls them with Epicurus. There are many names which are read (or understood) in Greek in the same way as they are in Hebrew, because of the difficulty of interpretation, and for the comparison of the poverty of the Hebrew language, both in Greek and in Latin speech.”

“Behold the nations are like a drop from a bucket And are not worthy to Him to appoint some of them as prophets to reveal His secret. like a drop from a bucket Heb. כְּמַר, like a bitter drop that drips from the bottom of the bucket, bitter from the putrid water that is embedded in the bucket and the decay of the wood, limonede in O.F. and like the dust of a balance for the copper corrodes and wears off. like fine fine dust. that blows away [lit. that will be taken.] Like dust that is picked up and goes up through the wind, like fine dust that is carried away.”

“כמר מדלי As a drop of a bucket, as a drop that falls from the bucket. מר drop is hap. leg. וכשחק And as the small dust. Comp. ושחקת and thou shalt beat (Ex. 30:36).—Since all people are vain before Him, with whom could he have taken counsel? יטול He throweth; comp. ויטילו and cast Him forth (Jon. 1:5), though of a different root. According to R. Jonah ימול is Niphal, but that is very improbable; it can also be explained He taketh up and compared with נוטל carrying (Mishnah Shab. 17:2). is carried away; but ימול being taken as the Kal of נטל requires no such supplement.”

“And just as all things compared to the divine power can do virtually nothing, so all things compared to the divine essence are virtually the least. Whence in respect to the divine being this entire world is as something minimal. And this is what is said in Wisdom eleven: For as a grain in the balance, so is the whole world before you, and as a drop of morning dew that falls upon the earth: and in Isaiah forty: Behold, the nations are as a drop from a bucket and are accounted as a grain in the balance: and afterward: All nations are as though they were not, so are they before him, and they are accounted as nothing and emptiness.”

“Third, he shows its excellence, that it exceeds all the multitude of nations: behold the Gentiles are as a drop, a little spot, of a bucket, falling from a bucket, which is a vessel of water fit for the thirsty, which is accounted as nothing; the smallest grain, which is between the arms of a balance and is easily inclined to either: seeing we have heard scarce a little drop of his word, who shall be able to behold the thunder of his greatness? (Job 26:14).”

“He teaches, therefore, that all of this service through blood and sacrifice is no longer appropriate for God. Neither someone offering all the four-footed creatures of the earth nor all of Lebanon and all the matter produced in it as sacrifices would be worthy before God. "All the nations are as nothing, and are reckoned as nothing." What kind of clinging to idolatrous straying did God not know about?”

“(Verse 16) And Lebanon is not enough to burn, and its animals are not enough for a burnt offering. LXX: Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor all the animals enough for a burnt offering. At the same time, as he gradually withdraws people from idolatry, he abolishes the ceremonies of sacrifices; and he teaches that all the trees of Lebanon and the cattle that feed on them are not sufficient for his burnt offerings.”

“And Lebanon is not sufficient, etc. God does not want burnt offerings; Lebanon would not suffice for fuel, if He wanted offerings. Lebanon is mentioned by the prophet simply as an example which his hearers can understand ; in reality, however, he refers to all the woods of the earth. The same remark applies to the words and the beasts thereof.”

“(Verse 17) All nations are as nothing before him, they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness. LXX: All the nations are as nothing in his sight, and they are counted as worthless. But if all nations are in his sight as if they were not, and are considered as nothing and empty (though in all nations and in Israel also), therefore he himself is also as if he were not, and is considered as nothing and empty. We say this, so that his pride may be broken, and so that he may know that he is like the other nations.”

“And the Prophet said, "He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers;" and again, "He looketh on the earth and it trembleth; He rebuketh the mountains, and they smoke." And again the prophet Isaiah saith, "All the nations are accounted as nothing by Him." Now these things the Spirit of God spake concerning the power of God, that those things which were not He called to come into existence, and that what did exist He called and changed into nothing. To this power also He compareth faith.”

“And just as all things compared to the divine power can do virtually nothing, so all things compared to the divine essence are virtually the least. Whence in respect to the divine being this entire world is as something minimal. And this is what is said in Wisdom eleven: For as a grain in the balance, so is the whole world before you, and as a drop of morning dew that falls upon the earth: and in Isaiah forty: Behold, the nations are as a drop from a bucket and are accounted as a grain in the balance: and afterward: All nations are as though they were not, so are they before him, and they are accounted as nothing and emptiness.”

“He also shows that it exceeds every perfection of creation: both natural, for the being of creatures is, in respect to God, non being; for Dionysius says, in his book on Divine Names 12.4, that so far as the participants surpass non-participants, and the participations surpass the participants, to such an extent, he who is the principle of the participants exceeds both the participations and the participants: all nations are before him as if they had no being at all; and as to superadded perfections, which are fulfilling in a certain way: and are counted to him as nothing. I beheld the earth, and lo it was void, and nothing (Jer 4:23).”

“(Verse 18 and following) To whom then will you liken God, or what image will you set before Him? Can the craftsman make a graven image, or the goldsmith overlay it with gold, and the silversmith spread silver plates upon it? Or perhaps the skilled craftsman chooses a piece of wood that will not rot and seeks out a proficient artisan to fashion an image that will not move. Having described the greatness of God and shown His power in part, and having compared the nations and islands to a drop from a bucket and a speck of dust on the scales, and having refuted the use of ashes and sacrificial ceremonies, he teaches those who follow that all the nations before Him are as nothing and are counted by Him as less than nothing. To whom then will you liken God, or what image will you set before Him, who is a Spirit, who is in all things and is everywhere present, and who holds the earth in His hand as if it were a small container? At the same time, he derides the foolishness of nations, because the artisan, whether a blacksmith or a goldsmith or a silversmith, makes their own god and fastens it with nails and firmly establishes it so that it is not blown away by the gusts of wind. And this is what he introduces: a wise artisan has chosen a strong and incorruptible wood, which is called Amsuchan in Hebrew; this type of wood is incorruptible and is used especially for making idols. However, he says this so that, rejecting idols, the way of the Gospel may be followed, and all wrongs may be made right; the valleys may be lifted up, and the hills may be brought low; and the glory of the Lord may be revealed, so that all flesh may see the salvation of God. According to the tropology, we can say that the leaders of the heretics are rebuked for inventing diverse idols from their own hearts; either by the charm of eloquence, which is interpreted as silver; or by the brilliance of gold, which appeals to the senses; or by the incorruptibility of wood, which represents the baser doctrines: and they are considered permanent by the inventors, and are supported by dialectical skill, so that they may not be moved or fall, but may stand firm on a solid root.”

“Here he excludes the error of the idolaters. And first, he mocks this error as to the intention of the worker, that they wished to make a god: then, consequently, he is so powerful, to whom have you likened God, he speaks according to the error of those who thought the likenesses themselves were gods, or what image, as to those who thought the things of which they were likenesses were gods, as the sun or the moon: who is like to you, among the strong, O Lord? (Exod 15:11).”

“According to the moral sense we can say that the leaders of the heretics flourish, inventing different idols from their heart or by the charm of speech, which is what silver means, or by the splendor of gold, which appeals to the senses, or by the fine wood—these are the more vile teachings and are thought everlasting by those who invent them and are strengthened by dialectical skill lest they move and decay. Instead, they "stand fast" with a solid root.”

“At the moment when he gave the law, the God of the universe transmitted his commands in these terms: "You shall not make for yourself an image or likeness of any thing, whether of things in the heaven above, and in the earth beneath, and in the waters under the earth … for I am the Lord your God." That is to say, of the God whose appearance you have not seen. Here also the prophetic text, while denouncing the lack of sense of those who fabricate idols and who worship them, strives to show the infinite character of divine capacity; but in [Isaiah's] inability to teach people another way, he sets out the creation to indicate [its] extraordinary measure; that which, he says, is a drop in the bucket, a turning of a balance, or spittle, so much is all the human race in relation to that ineffable and unlimited power. Then [Isaiah] teaches that the collection of all kinds of beasts is a small thing and not enough for an offering in honor of the divine magnificence, and that [even] all the forests of Lebanon are incapable of satisfying the fire lit [on the altar of sacrifice]. What image could you, therefore, fashion that would be equivalent in nature?”

“On the subject of the God of the universe, [Isaiah] has expressed himself in the following manner: "Lebanon is not enough to burn," while here, to mock the feebleness of idols, he makes it obvious that the artisan has a need for wood to give form to the pretended god. Not only, [Isaiah] says, does he borrow its essence and its appearance from an outside source, but he even calls for much artfulness in order to obtain an image and to keep it from being moved.”

“He who is accustomed to select הַמְסֻכָּן תְּרוּמָה. Or, if he comes to make it of wood, one who is accustomed to discern between a durable tree and other trees, chooses a tree that does not decay quickly. He who is accustomed Heb. הַמְסֻכָּן. Comp. (Num. 22:30) “Have I been accustomed (הַהַסְכֵּן הִסְכַּנְתִּי)?” to select Heb. תְּרוּמָה, separation, selection of the trees.”

“המסכן תרומה Some explain מסכן to be identical with סוכן treasurer (22:15), and supply מסכן: the treasurer, namely, the treasurer of the oblation. According to others מסכן is an adjective; That which is stored up, namely the oblation, of which to make an image ; the third person in יבחר he chooseth is explained by them to refer to the owner of the oblation. To prepare a graven image that shall not be moved. To fasten it with nails.”

“(Vers. 21 seqq.) Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been announced to you from the beginning? Have you not understood the foundations of the earth? He sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like locusts. He spreads out the heavens like nothing, and expands them as a tent to dwell in. He makes secret things known as if they were not. He has made the rulers of the earth as nothing. They are not planted, nor are they sown, nor do their roots take hold in the earth. He blows on them and they wither, and the whirlwind carries them away like stubble. And to whom have you compared me and made me equal? says the Lord. Lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these things: he who brings out their host by number, and calls them all by name. Because of his great power and strength, and because his power has no end. LXX: Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told to you from the beginning? Have you not understood the foundation of the earth? He who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers. He who sets the heavens like a tent and stretches them like a dwelling place. He who makes princes rule for nothing, and reduces the earth to nothing. For they shall not be planted, nor shall they be sown, nor shall their root be established in the earth. He blows upon them, and they wither, and the storm carries them away like straw. So now to whom will you compare me? Or how am I equal? says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who leads according to his ordered number, he will call all by name, from much glory and in the strength of fortitude: nothing escapes you. From the beginning, he said, I have taught you by the natural law, and afterwards I have testified through the written law of Moses, what idols are nothing, and that the Creator of the world himself is God, who has founded such a great mass of land upon the seas, and has placed it upon the rivers: so that the heaviest element hangs by the will of God upon the thin waters, who sits as a king upon the circumference of the earth: from which some contend that it is like a dot and a globe, and its inhabitants like locusts. For if we consider the various nations in the whole world, from the Ocean to the Ocean, that is, from the Indian sea to the British, and from the Atlantic to the harshness of the North, where the waters freeze and beautiful amber grows, we see that the entire human race dwells in the middle like locusts. So why does the earth and ash boast? Because the heavens, indeed, as I will use the authority of the Scriptures, are stretched out like a chamber; or, as it is contained in Hebrew, like a tent, of which we have spoken above: for which the LXX interpreted it as saliva there: and one word now translated as spit, now as chamber, that is, a vault; and its width extends above them like a tent and a canopy, so as to cover people like a roof and make them dwell as if in a very large house. Why should we be surprised if the small bodies of humans are considered like locusts and tiny creatures? Again, in this place, they argue that the semicircle is close to the earth (or rather, the heavens), and they claim that the sky is similar to a sphere. They use the term 'arch' because the middle part of the sphere covers the earth: when in Hebrew, we read not 'arch' but 'dust', that is, very fine powder. For the saliva that is thrown onto the ground and mixes with the dust and disappears, shows that the magnitude of all bodies should be regarded as nothing. But he who stretched out the heavens and spread them out, so that either above could dwell the multitude of angels, or below could dwell human beings, and as if he created a great house for reasonable creatures, he himself established princes according to the quality of the times, whether as secret scrutineers, so that they may be as if they are not; and he made judges of the earth as if they were nothing. For this reason, the Seventy translated it, but they translated the earth as if it were nothing; indeed, in the beginning of Genesis where it is written, 'But the earth was invisible and unfinished' (Gen. 1:1), others translated it as, 'But the earth was empty and nothing.' How many kings, both Greek and Barbarian, does Roman history narrate! Where is that countless army of Xerxes? Where is the multitude of Israel in the desert? Where is the incredible power of kings? What about the ancient ones? Let present examples teach us, that princes are considered as nothing, and rulers of the earth as empty. Those princes and rulers of the earth (or, as others suspect, of heaven) are neither satisfied, nor established, nor firmly rooted, and by the sudden command of God they are taken away and perish, as straw is carried away by the whirlwind and storm; according to what is written: 'I passed by, and he was not there; I sought him, and his place was not found' (Ps. XXXVI, 36). So with such great power and majesty of the Creator, how can you compare God to the likeness of a creature? And do you not rather understand the Creator from the magnitude of the creatures? If you do not believe in words, believe at least in your own eyes; and consider the power of the Lord from the service of the heavens and all the elements. He summons their army, that is, the heavens, in number; and he calls them all by name, and it is understood, the stars. Of which it is also sung in the Psalms: He counts the multitude of the stars: and he calls them all by name (Ps. 46:4). Whether we interpret the hosts of heaven as the army of angels and all the heavenly hosts of which Daniel speaks: Thousands of thousands ministered to Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him (Dan. VII, 10). Hence the Lord of hosts is called, which in our language is called the Lord of armies and forces, or powers. He brings forth his host according to the number of the heavens: so that the sun, and the moon, and the other stars, which Abraham could not number, are numbered by Him, and serve the assigned function (Gen. XV): while the same course of the heavens is completed by the sun in one year, by the morning star and the evening star in two years, by the moon in each month, and all the stars follow their appointed times, and some of them are called wandering, and we see their movements with our eyes, not with our minds, nor do we understand them as much as we marvel at them. For the magnitude of God's strength makes all things serve in its own order. Whether according to the Seventy, by the multitude of his glory and the power of his virtue, nothing can escape him; but he knows all the ways, plans, and courses of the Creator by his majesty.”

“The divinely inspired Scripture was not silent. For the knowledge of the truth from above was veiled through the patriarchs, through the law and the prophets. But this was not the case when the only-begotten Word of God came among us as a man to illuminate those on the earth. This was the last days when the leader of those who oppose spiritual deception came. It was the first of the attacks on idolatry. For the choir of the saints never stops attacking such deception, showing how loathsome it is while at the same time making known the [true] Maker and Lord of the universe.”

“הלא תדעו Have ye not known by your own common sense, which is the most important source of knowledge ; הלא תשמעו have you not heard; have you not been informed by others; הלא הגד מראש לכם hath it not been told you from the beginning, this is the lowest degree of knowledge. From the beginning. From the first day of your existence; and even if you have no knowledge at all, have you not considered the foundations of the earth? etc.”

“Second, he convicts the one who errs. And first, from the natural law, which prescribes: do you not know, by natural reason, that idols are not gods?; and from the written law, which prohibits: has it not been told you? Have they not heard? (Rom 10:18). He convicts also from the consideration of terrestrial creatures, as to their creation: have you not understood the foundations of the earth, to have been founded by him? That is, that part of the earth that is next to the center: when he balanced the foundations of the earth (Prov 8:29).”

“"He that stretches out the heavens as a vaulted ceiling." These same thoughts, let us also recommend to ourselves concerning the earth, not to be curious about what its substance is; or to wear ourselves out by reasoning, seeking its very foundation; or to search for some nature destitute of qualities, existing without quality of itself; but to realize well that all that is seen around it is related to the reason of its existence, forming an essential part of its substance.”

“Therefore, it is enough to mention the qualities and substance of the heavens that we find in the writings of Isaiah, who expressed the nature of the celestial sphere in ordinary and familiar language, saying that God has made the heavens firm like smoke, not wanting to reveal its subtle and immaterial nature. And he also speaks of its appearance, saying that God has made the heavens like a vault, within which all things in the sea and on land are enclosed. It is similarly signified when it is read: Because the Lord has stretched out the heavens. For it is extended like a skin to the dwellings and abodes of the saints; or like a book, so that the names of many who have deserved the grace of Christ by faith and devotion may be written, to whom it is said: Rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.”

“חוג Circle. Comp. מחוגה compass (44:13), the instrument, which is used to describe a circle.—Here it is stated that the earth is round and not square, though no verse is required for the support of this statement; for it is known by convincing proofs. He who sitteth upon the circle of the earth. He whose glory fills the whole earth. כדוק As a curtain. Resembling the form of a tent.—The heavens mentioned here are not the Ofanim. וימתחם And spreadeth them out, as a tent to dwell under them.—The meaning of the whole passage is: The Lord is He who sitteth, etc.”

“And as to their creator: it is he that sits upon the globe of the earth, for it is spherical, as though governing it, and the inhabitants thereof are as locusts, in respect to the magnitude of the earth, or of God himself; also from the creation of heavenly creatures: he that stretches out, as to the magnitude of heaven, as nothing, as to the subtlety of its substance, as a tent, for himself, as that in which his power first shines out among corporeal things, as to power; or as in the dwelling of the angels and saints, as to dignity; or also of the whole lower creation, as to their brightness: he prepares the world by his wisdom (Jer 10:3).”

“Even [as though] they were not planted They are even as though they were not planted. even [as though] they were not sown And still more than this, that they shall be uprooted and plucked out, as if they were not sown. Sowing is less than planting. their trunk is not rooted in the earth When they will be plucked out, the trunk will not take root in the ground that it will grow up anew. Every שֹׁרֶשׁ, root, in Scripture is accented on the first letter, and the ‘reish’ is vowelized with a ‘pattah’ [segol]. This one, however, is accented on the latter syllable and it is vowelized with a ‘kamatz katan’ [tzeireh] because it is a verb, present tense, [enracinant in French] being rooted.”

“God is one thing, and what belongs to God is another thing.… How will you employ in a comparison with God an object as your example, [such as a king] which fails in all the purposes that belong to a comparison? Why, when supreme power among kings cannot evidently be varied but only unique and singular, is an exception made in the case of him (of all others) who is King of kings, and (from the exceeding greatness of his power and the subjection of all other ranks to him) the very summit, as it were, of dominion?”

“To whom then will you liken me, etc. The prophet addresses the idolatrous people, saying, Are there men more honoured by you than princes and judges? and yet you see that God destroys them in a moment. ואשוה That I be equal to him. The holy. God is too holy to be compared with one of His creatures, much less with the products of His creatures.”

“In many places in scripture is the phrase "Lift up your eyes" set forth by the divine word, urging us to elevate and raise our thoughts and our vision, which is cast down and stooped, unable to fully look up and to rise on high; just as in Isaiah: "Lift up your eyes on high and see: who has created these things?" And the Savior, when about to proclaim the Beatitudes to those gathered on the plain, lifted up his eyes to his disciples and said, "Blessed are they" and so forth; for no true disciple of Jesus is below, just as neither is the one resting in Abraham's bosom. Thus the rich man, being in torments, lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham and Lazarus in his bosom. Moreover, the woman "bowed together and could in no wise lift up herself" was straightened by Jesus so that she might lift up her eyes. And no one involuntarily afflicted or attached to the flesh or immersed in material things has kept the commandment that says, "Lift up your eyes," whence such a one shall not see the fields even if they are "already white to harvest." Yet again, no one working the deeds of the flesh has lifted up their eyes.”

“Since so great is the power and majesty of the Creator, to which likeness do you compare God, thus failing to understand the founder from the greatness of creation? If you do not believe the words, at least believe your eyes and recognize the power of the Lord from the service all heavens and elements give him, who "leads out their army by number," that is, the heavens, about which in the psalms it says, "Who numbers the host of stars and calls them all by name." Or we can call the army of heaven angels and all the companies of heaven.… For the greatness of the strength of God made all to serve him in order … but he knows their way and reasons and course in his majesty as the Creator.”

“Who hath created these, these creatures that are here; and who is it, that bringeth out their host with number every day. This phrase refers to the daily apparent coming and going of the stars. It may also refer to the planets, each of which has its circuit defined by a number, which is known to the Almighty, but unknown hitherto to the wise men of the East and to all astronomers. It is, however, possible, that the prophet refers to the number of stars in the highest sphere, which no man, however wise, is able to tell. By the greatness of might, which He possesses; and for that He is strong in power, not one faileth to be numbered, or to preserve its substance; for no star is ever annihilated. איש signifies here an individual; comp. והאיש גבריאל (Dan. 9:21).”

“Lift up your eyes. Here he establishes the same divine power against those who despair. And first, he establishes divine majesty from the creation of things: who has created these things, namely, heavenly things: he spoke, and they were made (Ps 148:5); from the perfection of his knowledge: who brings out, to fulfill his will, in number, determined in his knowledge, their host, namely, the stars or angels of the heavens, and calls them all by their names, determining for each its proper nature, from which it can be named: who tells the number of the stars: and calls them all by their names (Ps 147:4); from the fullness of his dominion: by the greatness of his might, for fighting, and strength, for resisting, and power, for working; not one of them was missing, from his dominion: is there any numbering of his soldiers? (Job 25:3).”

“(Verse 27 and following) Why do you say, Jacob, and speak, Israel: My way is hidden from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over by my God? Do you not know, or have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, does not faint, neither is He weary, and there is no searching of His understanding. He gives power to the faint, and to them that have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall. But those who hope in the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall take wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. LXX: Do not say, Jacob, and what you spoke, Israel: My way is hidden from the Lord, and my judgment is disregarded by my God, and now you do not know, and have not heard? The eternal God, the God who created the ends of the earth: he shall not hunger, nor shall he labor, nor is there any finding of his understanding. He gives strength to the hungry: and does not grieve the sorrowful. For the young will hunger, and the adolescents will labor, and the chosen ones will be weak. But those who wait for God will change their strength. They will take wings like eagles: they will run, and will not labor: they will walk, and will not hunger. The greatness of the Almighty God is so vast that nothing escapes him, and everything is governed by his will. So why do you say Jacob, that is, the two tribes that were called Judah; and you speak of Israel, the other ten tribes in Samaria, who have already been led captive into Assyria: My way is hidden from the Lord: and my just judgment will pass by my God? And this is the meaning: You say that earthly things do not pertain to God, nor does He consider what each of us does. Hence we are unjustly oppressed by our enemies, and, like the beasts and the fish, we are scattered without any governor, according to Habakkuk. To this God responds: Do you not know? Have the words of the preceding Scriptures not taught you, or do you not know according to the Septuagint, because you have not heard that the eternal God and Creator of all things knows all things, contains all things, and governs all things with His majesty? Does it not fail at any time, nor does it labor; so that it does not understand your judgement, and your ways are hidden from it? There is no investigation of his wisdom, about which place I think that saying of the Apostle is taken: His judgments are incomprehensible, and his ways are investigable (perhaps 'unsearchable') (Rom. XI, 33); or, as the LXX translated, he does not hunger, and he does not labor. For where there is food, there is often hunger if you remove the food: and where there is hunger, there is also labor. But since these things are not in God, why do you attribute human passions to him? Rather, he gives strength to the hungry and weary, and he multiplies virtue and strength to those who seem to be nothing in the world. According to the Septuagint, it is he who gives sorrow to those who do not grieve, for it is sadness that leads to death, and it is sadness that leads to life. Therefore, to those who have a hardened heart, he gives sadness so that they may understand their sins. And because many take pleasure in bodily health, and consider youth and childhood to be perpetual, he joins this and says that the flourishing age quickly falls, and strong bodies wither. But those who have confidence not in their own strength, but in God, and always await His mercy, let them change their strength and go from virtue to virtue: and let them take wings like eagles, and hear: Your youth will be renewed like the eagle's (Psalm 103:5); let them run to the Lord, and not grow weary of desiring Him; let them walk, and never grow faint. We have frequently said that the eagles' old age is rejuvenated by a change of feathers, and only those eagles can look upon the sun's rays and behold the splendor of its shining with sparkling eyes: and they should prove their noble offspring, by means of this experiment. And so even the saints are made young again, and with an immortal body, they do not feel the toil of mortals, but are caught up in the clouds to meet Christ, and never go hungry according to the LXX, because they have the Lord himself as food.”

“Why should you say My people ([K’li Paz, mss.:] the people of) Jacob, and speak in exile. My way has been hidden from the Lord He hid from before His eyes all that we served Him, and gave those who did not know Him, dominion over us. and from my God, my judgment passes? He ignores the judgment of the good reward He should have paid our forefathers and us.”

“He excludes their error. And first, he sets out the error: why say you: my way is hid from the Lord, he does not see what evils I suffer, otherwise, he would defend me; judgment, that is, the power to judge, which he formerly had: say not: I shall be hidden from God (Sir 16:17); they have said: the Lord has forsaken the earth, and the Lord sees not (Ezek 9:9).”

“If they shall assign the toil of making all things as the reason why God only made the Son, the whole creation will cry out against them as saying unworthy things of God; and Isaiah, too, who has said in Scripture, "The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, does not faint, neither is he weary: there is no searching of his understanding." And if God made the Son alone, as not lowering himself to make the rest but committed them to the Son as an assistant, this on the other hand is unworthy of God, for in him there is no pride. No, the Lord reproves the thought when he says, "Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing?" … If then it is not unworthy of God to exercise his providence, even down to things so small, a hair of the head and a sparrow and the grass of the field, also it was not unworthy of him to make them. For what things are the subjects of his providence, of those he is Maker through his proper Word. No, a worse absurdity lies before the people who speak this way; for they distinguish between the creatures and the framing and consider the latter the work of the Father, the creatures the work of the Son; whereas either all things must be brought to be with the Son, or if all that is originate comes to be through the Son, we must not call him one of the originated things.”

“Then he recalls the truths that he has often taught: "[I am an] eternal God." This is what the blessed Moses has also said: "I AM WHO I AM." As for the blessed David, he in his turn addresses himself to him in these terms: "But you, Lord, endure forever, and your remembrance to generation and generation." Or again: "But you are the same, and your years shall not fail."”

“הלא ידעת Hast thou not known by common sense; for he who is thinking can attain a knowledge of his Creator by convincing proofs. אם לא שמעת Hast thou not heard, and learnt from others, who have studied. The everlasting God. As He was, so He will always be, without alteration. בורא Creator. I have explained already (Gen. 1:1), that ברא literally means to cut. The ends of the earth. The horizon, which is, according to the opinion of scientific men, no real line. Since God is eternal,—the earth can testify it, which he keeps continually in the midst of the spheres, although it rests on nothing— He fainteth not, neither is He weary, and there is no searching of His understanding; consequently, His might and wisdom will never depart from Him. Some say, that the phrase my way is hid, refers to the troubles which the Israelites have to suffer, and which they imagine to be either unknown to the Almighty, or of such a nature, that even if He knew them, He could not remove them.”

“He sets out the reproof of the error; and first, the confirmation of the proof from the law: know you not, from the natural law, or have you not heard, from the written law, these things which follow? He sets out the reproof, first, showing the greatness of God from the things which he has in himself, namely, the eternity of his dominion: everlasting God; the Lord shall reign for ever and ever (Exod 15:18); unfailing power: he shall not faint, that he could not do all things, nor labor, that he could do them with difficulty: his power is an everlasting power (Dan 7:14); the incomprehensibility of his knowledge, neither is there any searching out of his wisdom: O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God! How incomprehensible are his judgments, and how unsearchable his ways (Rom 11:33).”

“Second, by the great things which he does in others. And first, in those whom he strengthens, he shows their original weakness: it is he that gives strength, as to him who first had been strong and then weakened; to them that are not, as to those who were not strong, above: you have been a strength to the poor (Isa 25:4); he calls those things that are not (Rom 4:17); the weak things of the world has God chosen (1 Cor 1:27).”

“We have said that the old age of eagles is revived by a change of their wings and that they alone who see the brilliance of the sun and the radiance of its splendor are able to gaze with gleaming eyes; and they test their young ones to see whether they are of noble birth by this same test. In the same way the saints are made young again as they put on their immortal bodies so that they no longer feel the toil of mortals but are taken up into the clouds before the face of Christ, and in no way (following the Septuagint) do they hunger, since they have the Lord present to them as food.”

“The second disposition for the inflowing of the gift of fortitude is through the imperturbable consolation of hope. "Those who hope in the Lord shall renew their strength: they shall take wings as eagles, they shall run and not labor: they shall walk and not grow faint." A man would gladly bear a great burden for a mark of gold. If a fly refreshes so much, then you ought greatly to be moved to endure for the hope of a future and eternal reward. In God we ought to trust, because he "gives strength to the weary."”

“The greatness of the strength given by God: but they that hope in the Lord shall change their strength, namely, from natural to divine, so that they are not tired in ascending: they shall take wings: they shall make themselves wings like those of an eagle (Prov 23:5); nor in swift progress: they shall run; nor in continuous advancing: they shall walk, above: there is none that shall faint, nor labor (Isa 5:27). The saints are compared to eagles, because of the height of their flight: will the eagle mount up at your command, and make her nest in high places? (Job 39:27); in which is signified eminence of contemplation, above: his eyes shall see the king in his beauty (Isa 33:17); because of the subtlety of their odor: wheresoever the body shall be, thither will the eagles also be gathered together (Luke 17:37); in which is signified the fervor of love: we will run after you to the odor of your ointments (Song 1:3); because of the loftiness of their place: three things are hard to me, and the fourth I am utterly ignorant of. The way of an eagle in the air (Prov 30:18–19); in which is signified zeal for heavenly conversation: but our conversation is in heaven (Phil 3:20); because of the swiftness of their motion: our persecutors were swifter than the eagles of the air (Lam 4:19); in which is signified promptness of good works: have you seen a man swift in his work? (Prov 22:29); because of their renewal: your youth shall be renewed like the eagle's (Ps 103:5); in which is signified zeal for amendment and progress: though our outward man is corrupted, yet the inward man is renewed day by day (2 Cor 4:16); because of the beauty of their members: a large eagle with great wings, long-limbed, full of feathers, and of variety, came to Libanus (Ezek 17:3); in which is signified the beauty of the virtues: you are all fair, O my love (Song 4:7); because of their solicitude for their children: as the eagle enticing her young to fly, and hovering over them, he spread his wings (Deut 32:11); in which is signified solicitude for the saints: who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is scandalized, and I am not on fire? (2 Cor 11:29).”