“(Chapter 44, verse 1 and 2) Now listen, my servant Jacob, and Israel, whom I have chosen. Thus says the Lord, your maker and shaper from the womb, your helper. Do not fear, my servant Jacob, and you, whom I have chosen. LXX: But now hear, Jacob my servant, and Israel whom I have chosen. I am the Lord your God, who created you and formed you from the womb; you will still have my help. Do not fear, my servant Jacob, and beloved Israel whom I have chosen. When the people of Judah are accused of unbelief and blasphemy, they are called by simple names without any dignity: You have not called upon me, O Jacob, neither have you labored about me, O Israel; and again: I have given Jacob to utter destruction, and Israel to reproaches. But when he speaks to the choir of the Apostles, who are from the Jews, the privileges of their names are also joined. Listen, Jacob my servant, and Israel whom I have chosen: that servitude be first, election second. Thus says the Lord, your maker and your creator, who aided you in the womb (Gen. XXV): that even in the womb of your mother you would grasp the heel of your brother. Or who, at the beginning of the nascent Church, preserved you from persecutors. Do not fear their cruelty, my servant Jacob, whom I have chosen. He is also called Israel; Isurun in Hebrew, and the others, the most upright or the straightest. Only the LXX called him the most beloved, combining it with their own, Israel. Specifically, according to the Hebrews and the faith of the scriptures, Israel is called the upright one of God. But a man who sees God is not in the elements, but in the sound of his voice. And the book of Genesis is called εὐθεῖς, that is, the book of the righteous: Abraham, Isaac, and Israel.”

“And now hear, O Jacob. Here, third, he strengthens them from the worthlessness of the idols, lest perhaps they should believe that the divine promises could be impeded by them. And this is divided into two parts: in the first, he excludes fear; in the second, he shows the worthlessness of the idols, where it says, thus says the Lord the king (Isa 44:6). Concerning the first, he does three things. First, he rouses attention: hear, O Jacob whom I have chosen, Esau having been rejected: I have loved Jacob, but have hated Esau (Mal 1:2–3).”

“For "Jeshurun," a Hebrew word, the other translators translate euthytaton or euthē, that is, "most right" and "right," and only the Septuagint had "most loved" and connected it to "Israel." For according to the Hebrew and the faith of the Scriptures, "Israel" means "the sight of God," that is, a person who sees God, not in the natural things but in the sound of his voice.… Isaiah also compares those being reborn in baptism with flourishing plants and with the willow, which rises up near flowing water. Against the nature of things the willow bears fruit, although it was previously barren or became barren because its seed was taken for food.”

“From the womb. With this expression the prophet alludes to Jacob (comp. Hos. 12:4; in my commentary thereon I shall explain it), or metaphorically to the time, when Israel was declared to be the people of the Lord. ישרון Jesurun. It is originally an adjective derived from ישר right; there is no other instance of this form.”

“846. And now hear, O Jacob. Here, third, he strengthens them from the worthlessness of the idols, lest perhaps they should believe that the divine promises could be impeded by them. And this is divided into two parts: in the first, he excludes fear; in the second, he shows the worthlessness of the idols, where it says, thus says the Lord the king (Isa 44:6). 847. Concerning the first, he does three things. First, he rouses attention: hear, O Jacob whom I have chosen, Esau having been rejected: I have loved Jacob, but have hated Esau (Mal 1:2–3). Second, he excludes fear: thus says the Lord that formed you, below: thus says the Lord, that formed me (Isa 49:5); most righteous, because the name "Israel" expresses this, as to its true signification, but, as though by its etymology, it is said to mean "man who sees God": is, "man," rac, "seeing," El, "God."”

“(Chapter 44, verse 3 and following) For I will pour water on the thirsty land and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. They will sprout among the grass, like willows by flowing streams. He will say, 'I am the Lord's,' and another will name himself by the name of Jacob, and another will write on his hand, 'The Lord's,' and adopt the name of Israel. LXX: I will pour water on the thirsty land and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessings on your descendants. And they shall spring up as among the grass, and as willows by the water courses. One shall say, I am the Lord's: and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob: and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord, and surname himself by the name of Israel. Therefore, do not be afraid, Jacob and Israel, for I will pour out water on the thirsty and the dry land, of which it has often been said: 'I will pour out, or I will put my spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing upon your descendants, who will be born again in water and the Holy Spirit in baptism. This promise was also made by the Savior in the Gospel, when he said: 'Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.' And immediately he brings in: Now he said this about the Holy Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive (John 7). He also compares those who are reborn in baptism to evergreen herbs and willows that grow by flowing waters, and he brings forth fruits against nature, which was previously barren, or whose seed, when consumed as food, renders them barren. This is indeed read in the first psalm: And he shall be like a tree planted beside the running waters, which shall yield its fruit in due season, and its leaf shall not fall. Others among the herbs and the growing willows understand a twofold calling: that the people of the nations be in the herbs; in the willows, those who believed from Israel. And at the same time it describes the variety of believers: One will say, 'I am of the Lord', who trusts in the works of righteousness within himself; another will call, it is understood, 'sinners to repentance in the name of Jacob', so that they themselves may uproot vices and sins. Another will write with his own hand, 'I belong to God'. Or as they translated it in the Septuagint, he will write in his hand: I am of God, so that he may boast in the new apprenticeship of the service of Christ. And he will be assimilated in the name of Israel. For not all from Israel, but a great part from the multitude of the Gentiles, will be assimilated in the name of Israel, so that he may receive the Law and the Prophets, and all the graces of the Holy Spirit that were promised to the Israelite people.”

“Third, he sets out a promise, where it says, I will pour out. And first, he promises divine benefit as to temporal things: I will pour out waters, that is, consolations: I will pour upon you clean water (Ezek 36:25); as to spiritual things, I will pour out my spirit; and my blessing upon your stock, as to the multiplication of gifts: I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh (Joel 2:28).”

“For everywhere the divine writings take the willow as the type of chastity, because when its flower is steeped in water, if it is drunk, it extinguishes whatever kindles sensual desires and passions within us, until it renders completely barren and makes every inclination to the begetting of children without effect, as also Homer indicated, for this reason calling the willows destructive of fruit.… For as it is the nature of this tree to bud and grow to maturity when enriched by words, so it is the nature of virginity to blossom and grow to maturity when enriched by words, so that one can hang one's body on it.If, then, the rivers of Babylon are the streams of voluptuousness, as wise people say, which confuse and disturb the soul, then the willows must be chastity, to which we may suspend and draw up the organs of lust that overbalance and weigh down the mind, so that they may not be borne down by the torrents of incontinence and be drawn like worms to impurity and corruption.”

“The willow is a type of saintly and faithful persons. As Isaiah puts it, "There shall spring up, as it were, grass in the midst of water, and the willow in ever-flowing water." So it is on people like these that we hang our instruments, when we bestow them by sharing the grace from reading from the divine Scriptures. Our instruments are the means of bestowing the grace of psalmody and the cause of our joy when it is bestowed on us in turn.”

“And they shall sprout among the grass among Esau (mss. and K’li Paz). [The Jewish nation will grow] through the proselytes who will join them. [The expression,] “among the grass” refers to Esau, for it is stated concerning Edom (supra 34:13): “And it shall be the habitat of jackals, an abode (חָצִיר) for ostriches.” (Editions reading, “Amalek,” are erroneous cf. reference.)”

“We have seen many of the saints themselves latch on to names of certain men. One calls himself Jacob, another Israel, others even call themselves Jeremiah and Isaiah and Daniel. Encouraged by these names, they give themselves over to martyrdom with enthusiasm. "Another will write with his hands, 'the Lord's.' " This signifies the marking that many have on their hands or arms, or it refers to those marked with the sign of the cross or the name of Christ. The portion or the inheritance of the name of God is implied by the use of the name derived from "Jacob" [i.e., "Israel"]. It signifies that those who have acted in a godly way will not be allowed to go to utter ruin, for he does not want to destroy the whole of Israel but turn them totally toward God. And he provides the way of salvation to those who believe in him.He calls himself Lord and God, Creator and Framer—this is intended to show that they were in error when Israel gave the name of "god" to others who were not gods and forgot the one who was from the beginning the creator of humanity. They were honoring their parents as the ones who were responsible in the beginning and ignoring the Maker, as one of the prophets said: "The son gives glory to the father and the slave to his master," and "If I am the Father, then where is my glory?" and "If I am the ruler of all, where is the fear of me?" says the Lord. For [the Son] is the Lord who rules the creation by hand, but the Father is the one who made it.”

“This one shall say, “I am the Lord’s.” These are the perfectly righteous. and this one shall call himself by the name of Jacob. These are the children, the sons of the wicked. and this one shall write [with] his hand, “To the Lord,” These are the repentant. and adopt the name Israel These are the proselytes. So it was taught in Avoth d’Rabbi Nathan (36:1).”

“One shall say, etc. They will be numerous, and the majority of them will be faithful to God, and desirous of returning to His house. And another shall call himself by the name of Jacob, in order to show to all nations, how proud he is of belonging to the holy people. בידו═ידו With his hand. And another shall subscribe unto the Lord, that he is willing to go to the sanctuary of the Lord. יכנה He will surname himself.—Many refer this verse to proselytes; comp. Ten men shall take hold, out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you; for we have heard that God is with you (Zec. 8:23)”

“He also sets out the effect of the spiritual gifts: one shall say: I am the Lord's, for whoever confesses himself to be subject to God, shall write, songs, to the Lord, that is, to the honor of the Lord; or another shall write, the Lord's, namely, I am the Lord's, on his hand, carrying the Scripture, which pertains to the worship of God; he shall be made like in the name of Israel, the foreigner in worshiping God; or he will be vigorous like Jacob: you shall call me father and shall not cease to walk after me (Jer 3:19).”

“For God is one and only and first. But this is not said to the denial of the Son; perish the thought. For he is in that One and First and Only, as being of that One and Only and First the only Word and Wisdom and Radiance. And he too is the First, as the fullness of the godhead of the First and Only, being whole and full God.”

“If we count, we do not add, increasing from one to many. We do not say, "one, two, three," or "first, second, and third." God says, "I am the first, and I am the last." We have never to this present day heard of two gods.… How does one and one not equal two gods? Because we speak of the emperor and the emperor's image—but not two emperors.… The image of the emperor is an image by imitation, but the Son is a natural image.”

“"I am the first, and hereafter am I, and no God was before me, and no God shall be after me." For knowing more perfectly than all others the mystery of the religion of the gospel, this great prophet foretold even that marvelous sign concerning the virgin, and gave us the good tidings of the birth of the Child and clearly pointed out to us that name of the Son. He, in a word, by the Spirit includes in himself all the truth, in order that the characteristic of the divine nature, whereby we discern that which really is from that which came into being, might be made as plain as possible to all. [Isaiah] utters this saying in the person of God: "I am the first, and hereafter am I, and before me no God has been, and after me is none."”

“Thus says the Lord. Here he shows the worthlessness of the idols. And concerning this, he does three things: first, he shows the defect of the idols; second, from this, he recalls them to worship of himself: remember these things (Isa 44:21); third, he promises the benefit of liberation to those who worship him: thus says the Lord your redeemer (Isa 44:24). Concerning the first, he does two things: first, he argues against the idols from divine operation; second, from the formation of the idols, where it says, who has formed a god? (Isa 44:10). Concerning the first, he does two things: first, he sets out the singularity of his own divinity: I am the first, and I am the last: I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end (Rev 1:8); second, he applies a test, who is like to me?”

“Who is like me? Let him call the things that are not as if they are and let him explain the order of my creation, by which reason I have set humans free in motion as I made them on the earth. And this is not all I will to do, but I also seek out for them knowledge of things to come. So you, Israel, whose king and redeemer I am, do not fear idols, which you have learned on Mount Sinai to be nothing.”

“And who will call [that he is] like Me And who will call that he is like Me and tell and arrange for me all that transpired since I placed the ancient people and until now? the ancient people All the creatures. and the signs Marvelous things. and those that will come And those destined to come, let them tell, as I do now, for the Temple has not yet been destroyed, and you have not been exiled, and neither has Cyrus been born, but I am reporting it to you.”

“and be not dismayed Heb. תִּרְהוּ. There is no similar word, and its interpretation according to its context is like תֵּחַתּוּ, be not dismayed from making My name known among the heathens (nations [K’li Paz and mss.]). let you hear from Mount Sinai, and I told you there that there is no God besides Me. and you are My witnesses that I opened for you seven heavens and showed you that there is no other, and you are My witnesses to this thing that there is no God besides Me. and there is no rock I did not know Jonathan renders: And there is no strong one unless he is given strength by Me. I did not know Heb. יָדַעְתִּי. An expression similar to (Exodus 33:17) “And I knew you by name (וָאֵדָעֲךָ)”; (Deut. 2:7) “He knew (יָדַע) your going”; (Hosea 13:5) “I knew you (יְדַעְתִּיךָ) in the desert.””

“אל תרהו Be ye not afraid, תרהו is hap. leg; those that identify it with תראו are wrong, on account of the absence of the radical י — Be not afraid, when those calamities befall Babylon. Have I not told thee of it long ago? Ye are even my witnesses, and you will see whether there is a God beside me; There is no God בל ירעתי whom I know not to be vain and powerless. According to some, whom I chastised not; comp. ויודע and he chastised (Jud. 8:16). I think that the prophet speaks here of the host of heaven.”

“Second, he indicates the sign of his divinity confirmed by witnesses: fear not, as if to say: be not worried for me, as if I would fail in a test of my divinity, below: I have made you to hear new things (Isa 48:6). Third, he deduces the defect of the idols: is there a God besides me, and first, he sets out the question: is there a God besides me, see that I alone am, and there is no other God besides me (Deut 32:39).”

“Isaiah sees that in the ensuing time a very great number of people will arise who all "will be ashamed" and who will cease from their continual error. They will be ashamed and hide their faces. If they persist in their error, however, they will be given over to destruction at the time of judgment. But this word is also for those of us now in the present.”

“They that make a graven image, are all of them vanity. They themselves as well as their images are vanity. וחמוריהם And their delectable things. The objects which they ornament with figures, that they be charming to the eye, namely the idols. And they are their witnesses, to testify that the images see not, nor know. That they may be ashamed. Connect this phrase with they are their witnesses.”

“Second, he shows the unsuitableness of their witnesses: the makers (plastae) of idols, are all of them nothing, of no power, above: all nations are before him as if they had no being at all (Isa 40:17), or because they do not obtain their intention, wishing to form a god with their hands, as the idol also is nothing (1 Cor 8:4), let the companions of him that is not, dwell in his tabernacle (Job 18:15); their best beloved things, the idols, which are either large and greatly to be revered or made from precious materials; third, he shows the falsehood of their testimony: they are their witnesses, that they do not see, namely, of the idols, calling them gods: a false witness shall not be unpunished (Prov 19:5).”

“Who has formed. Here he shows from their formation that they are not gods. And concerning this, he does two things: first, he sets out their formation to exclude their divinity; second, the manner of their formation to show their worthlessness: the smith (Isa 44:12). Concerning the first, he does two things. First, he sets out their formation, intending this reasoning: what it is made by man is not God, etc. Who, as if to say: no one; profitable for nothing else: they themselves that make them, are of no long continuance (Bar 6:46).”

“When, however, the Scripture terms them [gods] which are no gods, it does not, as I have already remarked, declare them as gods in every sense, but with a certain addition and signification, by which they are shown to be no gods at all. As with David: "The gods of the heathen are idols of demons;" and, "Ye shall not follow other gods." For in that he says "the gods of the heathen"—but the heathen are ignorant of the true God—and calls them "other gods," he bars their claim [to be looked upon] as gods at all. But as to what they are in their own person, he speaks concerning them; "for they are," he says, "the idols of demons." And Esaias: "Let them be confounded, all who blaspheme God, and carve useless things; even I am witness, saith God." He removes them from [the category of] gods, but he makes use of the word alone, for this [purpose], that we may know of whom he speaks.”

“How could he fail to pity them in this also, seeing that they worship them that cannot see. In hearing, they pray to them that cannot hear. Born with life and reason, people, as they are, call gods things that do not move at all but do not even have life. Strangest of all, do they serve as their masters beings whom they themselves keep under their own power?”

“[Isaiah] has demonstrated that the production of these so-called gods relies on contributions. Their creator needs the blacksmith to prepare the tools and the whetstone for sharpening them; for his part, the bronzesmith needs coal and fire, while the constructor of the objects needs food and drink! It takes all this to prepare a god who is worshiped by these ignorant people. Isaiah is not finished mocking them. After choosing a log, the artisan immediately measures the so-called god. whereas the true God is immeasurable. He then shapes it with the appropriate tools, whereas the real God has no form or shape.… He does not copy divine characteristics but human ones; he shapes his human image and adores his own image as if it were divine.”

“"He becomes hungry, and his strength fails." The first reason for the making of idols is the need of their makers. They are hungry and thirsty and have no food, and, therefore, they make idols, so that their need may be satisfied, thanks to what they themselves do. According to Henana, it is with regard to the weakness of the idols that the prophet says that they cannot deliver anybody from these needs, when they hunger and thirst, not even the person who makes them and believes he has made a god.”

“The ironsmith a smith of iron. an axe Heb. מַעֲצָָד. That is one of the tools of the blacksmiths. and he works the image. with coal Heb. פֶּחָם, charbon in French. and with sledge hammers Heb. מַקָּבוֹת, marteau in French. he fashions it Heb. יִצְּרֵהוּ, an expression of fashioning. and he made it with his strong arm; yea he is hungry etc. Even he, the fashioner, lacks strength and is weak, for if he becomes hungry he has no strength, or if he does not drink water, he becomes faint immediately. Surely his product has no power to help.”

“The smith. Here he shows their worthlessness, that not only are they not gods, but even worthless things. And first, he sets out the manner of their formation as to idols made from metal: with the strength of his arm, that is, striking strong blows; he shall hunger and faint, as if to say: the god which he is making cannot help him, although it is especially bound to its maker, above: the coppersmith striking with the hammer (Isa 41:7).”

“The carpenter And if he comes to make it of wood, and he is a carpenter, the following is his method. stretched out a line as is the custom of the carpenters, and according to the line, יְתָאֲרֵהוּ בַשֶּׂרֶד, he straightens it with a saw, which they call doloire in French. he beautifies it Heb. יְתָאֲרֵהוּ, he beautifies it. he fixes it with planes Heb. מַקְצֻעוֹת. He smoothes it with a plane and a blade. Jonathan renders מַקְצֻעוֹת as אִיזְמֵלַיָּא, knives or blades. and with a compass he rounds it Heb. יְתָאֳרֵהוּ, an expression similar to (Josh. 15:9): “And the border circled (וְתָאַר).” If he comes to make circular drawings, he draws around it with a compass, compas in French. like the beauty of a man That is a woman, who is the beauty of her husband.”

“The carpenter, etc. After having mentioned the mason and smith, he speaks of the carpenter. The carpenter stretches out his rule, etc. This is just the mode of proceeding of those workmen. יתארהו He forms it or he draws the outlines; comp. ותאר הגבול and the border was drawn (Jos. 15:9). שרד A kind of drug used for dying. The word is hap. leg. יעשהו He finisheth it. מקצעות Rulers. This is the opinion of R. Jonah. מחוגה Compass. Comp. חוג circle (40:22). It is an instrument used for drawing a circle. According to the beauty of a man, that is, the female, according to the opinion of some ; but I think that it is in reality only a repetition of the preceding idea. לשבת בית That it may remain in the house. That it be like a man, who dwells in his house.”

“Second, as to idols which are made from wood: the carpenter. And first, he shows the worthlessness of the idol, setting out its efficient cause with his tools: his rule, for making the wood straight; a plane, an instrument curved back from the side for hollowing out wood; with corners, that is, four-sided in shape, or this is the name of a tool for making shapes of this kind; the compass, that is, the lathe; as to its formal cause: and he has made the image.”

“ilex and an oak kinds of non-fruit-producing trees. and he reinforced it with forest trees He makes for it types of reinforcements, either for strength or for beauty, with types of trees, one different from the other in their appearance. he planted a sapling When he finds a branch or a sapling that is fit for that, he plants it for that and the rain makes it grow. a sapling Heb. אֹרֶן, a young sapling, ploncon in O.F.”

“He heweth him down cedars, etc. Some cut the idols out of cedar wood, others of. תרזה cypress. It is the name of a tree. ויאמץ לו And he planted it. אורן It is either the name of a tree, or it means root. וגשם And the stem. Lit., the substance comp. גשמא in Chaldee, and in Arabic body. According to others: rain ; the meaning of וגשם יגדל is then, and the rain will cause it to grow.”

“And neither do we honour with many sacrifices and garlands of flowers such deities as men have formed and set in shrines and called gods; since we see that these are soulless and dead, and have not the form of God (for we do not consider that God has such a form as some say that they imitate to His honour), but have the names and forms of those wicked demons which have appeared. For why need we tell you who already know, into what forms the craftsmen, carving and cutting, casting and hammering, fashion the materials? And often out of vessels of dishonour, by merely changing the form, and making an image of the requisite shape, they make what they call a god; which we consider not only senseless, but to be even insulting to God, who, having ineffable glory and form, thus gets His name attached to things that are corruptible, and require constant service.”

“What do you think of them, and what is the nature of those who make gods from inanimate statues? For it is easy to see in the latter that they are works of artisans, prepared by axes and drills and such tools, the invention of skillful and industrious people, who through a need of food have found an instrument of leisurely falsehood. What do you think of the nature of God and about whether God needs our sacrifices and whether God is weak, as if according to Symmachus he is hungry and weak and feeble and cannot even drink water. The statement that God cannot drink water implies that he desperately needs liquid, while in fact God shares in no such thing, as though he were a dumb creature.”

“Whatever is said about idols can also be referred to the leaders of heresies, who form likenesses of their teachings with a heart of deceitful artifice and worship those things that they know to be facsimiles … and abusing the untrained minds of the common people with dialectical skill, just as with axes and files, with lines and planes they form their gods. The sweet talkers beat with a hammer and embellish with the fineness of their speech.”

“The wise and eloquent people among the pagans are full of admiration for a well-turned phrase. One of their main preoccupations is with elegance of expression. They are filled with the greatest enthusiasm for good style and take great pride in verbal dexterity. The base material of their poets is merely lies fashioned in rhythms and meters for grace and harmony, but for truth they have little if any regard. I would say that they are sick from the lack of any true or proper notion of the nature and reality of God.… And God said of them through the voice of Isaiah, "Know that their hearts are dust and that they have erred." … As for the inventors of impure heresies, those profaners and apostates who have opened their mouths against the divine glory, "those who have uttered perverted things," we could accuse them of having slipped in their madness as low as the foolish pagans; perhaps they have slipped even lower, for it would have been better never to have known the way of sacred truth than once to have known it, to have turned away from the sacred commandment that was handed on to them.”

“לא ידעו ולא יבינו They have not known nor understood. The seat of knowledge (רעת) is in those cavities of the brain that are nearer to the forehead; the understanding (בינה) is in the middle one, that is also in the middle of the head. טח He hath shut. Comp. וטח and he shall plaister (Lev, 14:42); it is a transitive verb; the Lord is understood as the subject to it. עיניהם Their eyes. The eye of each of them; this construction is not at all rare.”

“If it is a god, [Isaiah] says, the whole of the wood should be divine. Why, therefore, do you burn leftover parts of the wood and avail yourself of the fire to provide for your food, since at one time you bake bread, at another you boil and roast meat, and both eat and warm yourself and enjoy its light? Is not the wood that is put into the fire of the same kind as that which you worship? How, therefore, can you cast aside the one and adore the other?”

“Foolishness has mastered them; they have lost the faculty of reasoning and are slaves to folly. This is why I will put my Spirit on your descendants, so that they will be delivered from error, for in no other way can they receive the truth. "See, you will not say, There is a lie in my right hand." The other interpreters join this passage to the one that precedes: "[Know] that no one is able to deliver his soul and no one says, is it a lie that you have in your right hand?" [Isaiah] has, therefore, said about the people who are in error that they do not recognize as a lie that which they are holding. But according to the Septuagint, this phrase, which is put into the mouth of God, should be understood thus: "Are my works," he says, "like those of a whetstone? Has a human made me? Am I an idol? Am I fabricated by cutting wood or stones of gold or silver?"”

“[To] a provider [made] of ashes, a deceived heart has perverted him His heart, which was deceived, turned him aside to make for himself a provider of ashes. The image, half of which was burned and made into ashes, this fool says that it is his provider and patron. Another explanation: רוֹעֶה אֵפֶר is an expression of companionship. One who worships idols associates himself with the idol, which is ash. and he shall not save [i.e.,] the misled one shall not save his soul, saying, “Is there not falsehood in my right hand?” and separate from it.”

“He feedeth on ashes. He is like a man who feedeth on ashes, that hurt and do no good. It may also be compared with Ephraim feedeth on wind (Hos. 12:2). הותל Foolish. It is an adjective; the form of adjectives is not constant. The form of הותל is like that of מועדת out of joint (Prov.xxv. 19). לב הותל הטהו A foolish heart hath turned him aside. The verb הטה is always used in an unfavorable sense: to turn from the right way. As to the phrase אחרי רבים להטות (Ex. 23:2) I have given my opinion. used in a bad sense (לגנאי). These words are only brought in connection with that rule לזכר, as a mnemonicon.”

“(Vers. 21) Remember these things, Jacob, and Israel, for you are my servant: I have formed you, you are my servant, O Israel, do not forget me. LXX: Remember these things, Jacob and Israel; for you are my servant: I have formed you, my servant: and you, Israel, do not forget me. When these things are thus, and know that idols of men are figments, O Jacob and my Israel, do not forget your Creator, and do not do injury to yourself, so that you bow down to the work of your hands.”

“Remember these, those which I have done, when thou wast in thy land. For thou art my servant. Since thou hast been my servant, confess thy former sins; I am desirous to keep thee as my servant. אתה Thou. Thou alone. V., I have formed thee, thou art my servant. תנשני is Niphal, and I think that the meaning of לא תנשני is: Thou shalt not be forgotten of me. The meaning of the verse is: Remember me, and I will remember thee.”

“Remember these things. Here he calls them back to worship of him. And first, he assigns the reason, setting out the duty of servitude: remember these things, that is, consider the worthlessness of idols; my servant: the portion of Jacob is not like them: for he that made all things he it is, and Israel is the scepter of his inheritance (Jer 51:19).”

“It is as though a malicious painter brought together colors to paint an image of the earthly that God did not make in you. So you must now beg God, as the prophet says, "Blot out your iniquities as a cloud, and your sins as a mist." And when [God] has blotted out all those colors in you which have been taken up from the reddish hues of malice, then that image that was created by God will shine brightly in you. You see, therefore, how the divine Scriptures bring in forms and figures by which the soul may be instructed toward knowledge and cleansing of the soul.”

“(Vers. 22) I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud, and your sins like a mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you. LXX: Behold, I have blotted out your iniquities as a cloud, and your sins as a mist. Return to me, and I will redeem you. Because these things are completely destroyed in the coming of my chosen child, therefore with all the eagerness of your mind, understand that just as a cloud and darkness, and mist, either dissolve in the heat of the sun, or are weakened by the wind that carries them away: so I will dissolve your iniquities and all the sins by which you have previously offended me. Just return to me and repent, for you are to be redeemed by precious blood.”

“(Vers. 23) Praise, O heavens, for the Lord has shown mercy: rejoice, O ends of the earth, let the mountains resound with praise, the forests and every tree in it: for the Lord has redeemed Jacob, and Israel will be glorified. LXX: Rejoice, heavens, for the God of Israel has shown mercy. Sound the trumpet, foundations of the earth, cry out, mountains, with joy: hills and all the trees in them, for God has redeemed Jacob: and Israel will be glorious. If you do this, know that in your salvation, the heavens and the earth will rejoice, and all the elements will harmonize. Whether it be the angels who reside in the heavens, and other powers that support the foundations of the earth. Or certainly the Apostles and Prophets, of whom the Apostle spoke: 'Built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets' (Ephes. II, 20). The mountains and forests, or hills, which, for the variety of their virtues, possessed the first and middle and last places, are commanded to rejoice and sound the trumpet, knowing that the Lord has redeemed Jacob, and in Israel there is joy in the conversion, or that Israel himself, having turned from error, may become illustrious.”

“Again, the prophetic text has made use of a personification. Just as when [Isaiah] accuses Israel, he has invited the heavens and the earth to serve as witness, so also when he announces benefits, he invites creation anew to partake in the joy; it is not as though the elements are animate, but when we are depressed, they seem somber to us, and when we are happy, they naturally seem more radiant. It is not the elements that have changed, but it is to us that they present this appearance. If, however, one desires to apprehend the celestial powers by the phrase "the heavens" and the holy prophets by "the foundations of the earth," with the thought that they are the ones who sustain [the benefits], one will not be far from the truth. For the Lord has said, "There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." One can understand the mountains, hills and the woods in a similar fashion. After the return of Israel, they flourished again because they were cultivated and were the source of rejoicing on the mountains.”

“And when the prophet says concerning the creation, "That stretches forth the heavens alone," and when God says, "I only stretch out the heavens," it is made plain to everyone that in the "Only" is signified also the Word of the Only, in whom "all things were made" and without whom "was made not one thing." Therefore, if they were made through the Word, and yet he says, "Only," and together with that Only is understood the Son, through whom the heavens were made, so also then, if it is said, "One God," and "I Only," and "I the First," in that "One" and "Only" and "First" is understood the Word co-existing, as in the Light the Radiance. And this can be understood of no other than the Word alone. For all other things subsisted out of nothing through the Son and are greatly different in nature, but the Son himself is natural and true offspring from the Father. And thus the very passage that these insensate have thought fit to adduce, "I the First," in defense of their heresy, does rather expose their perverse spirit. For God says, "I the first, and I the last"; if then, as though ranked with the things after him, he is said to be first of them, so that they come next to him, then certainly you will have shown that he himself precedes the works in time only; which, to go no further, is extreme irreligion. But if it is in order to prove that he is not from any, nor any before him, but that he is Origin and Cause of all things and to destroy the Gentile fables that he has said, "I the first," it is plain also that when the Son is called firstborn, this is done not for the sake of ranking him with the creation but to prove the framing and adoption of all things through the Son. For as the Father is first, so also is [the Son] both first, as image of the First, and because the First is in him, and also offspring from the Father, in whom the whole creation is created and adopted into sonship.”

“(Verse 24) Thus says the Lord, your redeemer, and your creator from the womb: I am the Lord, the maker of all things, stretching out the heavens alone, establishing the earth, with no one beside me. LXX: Thus says the Lord who redeemed you, and formed you from the womb. I am the Lord, who fills all things: I alone stretched out the heavens, and established the earth. With the idols and injustices of Israel destroyed, and sins cleansed, when every creature will rejoice together; and according to the faith of the Gospel (Luke 15), the Angels will rejoice in heaven for the repentance of sinners, the power of God is described, that it is not great for him to redeem Jacob, and to restore Israel, whom he formed from the womb. And if this seems significant to someone, let it not be difficult for them who alone stretches out the heavens. As it is written elsewhere: He who stretches out the heavens like a skin (Ps. CIII, 2). Not that the Son is excluded from the stretching out of the heavens: For all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made (John I, 3), but so that, as we have often said, idols may be excluded by this understanding. For even in the Proverbs of Solomon, from the person of Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God is said: When he established the heavens, I was with him (Prov. VIII, 27). For he himself spoke, and they were made; he himself commanded, and they were created (Psalm 148:5; Psalm 33:9). And: By the word of the Lord the heavens were established, and all the power of them by the breath of his mouth (Psalm 33:6). We frequently proclaim these things so that no occasion is given to the heretics to blaspheme Christ. In the stability of the earth, when he was establishing its foundations, there was no one with God except him who was in it.”

“That maketh all things, which I desire; you may infer it from the fact, that I, by myself, stretch forth the heaven. מאתי By myself. Lit., from myself, that is, by my strength; for God is incorporeal. It is written in two words, מי אתי. who is with me, which is the same as I alone. Consider well the words of the text: who stretcheth forth the heavens and spreadeth abroad the earth ; they teach us that it is God who is continually keeping heaven and earth in existence.”

“Thus says the Lord. Here he promises the benefit of liberation to those who return to him. And concerning this he does two things. First, he shows the power of the liberator through the benefit which he conferred on them: your redeemer, from evils, and your maker, in good things, below: thus says the Lord, that formed me from the womb (Isa 49:5); as to the creatures, which he made: I am the Lord, that make all things: he makes the earth by his power (Jer 10:12).”

“Remember that the "heart of humanity is ashes," according to the estimate of God, and that "the very wisdom of the world is foolishness." … Then, if the heretic seeks refuge in the depraved thoughts of the vulgar or the imaginations of the world, I must say to him, "Part company with the heathen, O heretic!" For although you are all agreed in imagining a God, yet while you do so in the name of Christ, so long as you deem yourself a Christian, you are a different person from a heathen. So give the nonbeliever back his own view of things, since he does not himself learn from yours. Why lean on a blind guide, if you have eyes of your own? Why be clothed by one who is naked, if you have put on Christ?”

“(Verse 25) Making the signs of the diviners void, and driving the soothsayers mad; turning the wise men backward, and making their knowledge foolish. LXX: Who else has dispersed the signs of the pythons, and the divinations from the heart? Who turns wise men backward, and makes their counsel foolish. Therefore, when the appointed time of the predetermined mystery arrives, so that all idols are destroyed and the knowledge of the one true God is preached in the world, he will destroy and overthrow all the prophecies of the divine, the pythonesses, and the soothsayers, along with the signs and wonders by which they have deceived the human race. And he will show that the wisdom of the philosophers, which is itself the greatest part of error, is foolish, since by no means can human thoughts comprehend the wisdom of God.”

“Who stretched forth the heavens alone...Who frustrates the signs of imposters Since I stretched forth the heavens, I can, therefore, frustrate their signs. imposters Heb. בַּדִּים. They are stargazers, who predict the future through signs of the heavens, and since many times they lie, they are called בַּדִּים, imposters, for I change the heavenly princes, and these who ask of them err, and since the astrologers of Babylon were stargazers, as Scripture states (infra 47:13), “Let them stand now, and let the gazers into the heavens save you.” He, therefore, states that He will frustrate the signs of their imposters, for I am He Who frustrated the signs of the imposters of Egypt.”

“בדים Liars. Comp. בדיך thy lies (Job 11:3). More probably בדים is connected with בדד alone, and signifies such, persons as pretend to be able to emancipate their souls from, the influence of the body, which some in reality can do. וקוסמים And astrologers. Lit., men that decide by reason, and say that and that will happen; while בדים foretell the future not by reasonable means. Wise men. Persons, who divine from the liver or shoulder, and soothsayers.”

“As to the wise, whom has made fools, some of whom professed to know divine things: that make void the tokens of diviners: a sword upon her diviners, and they shall be foolish (Jer 50:36); some of whom professed to know things of the world: that turn the wise backward: has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? (1 Cor 1:20).”

“(Verse 26) Fulfilling the word of my servant, and performing the counsel of my messengers. I say to Jerusalem: you shall be inhabited, and to the cities of Judah: you shall be rebuilt, and its desolate places I will restore. LXX: And I establish the word of my son, and I approve the true counsel of the Angels. I say to Jerusalem, you will be inhabited: and to the cities of Judah: you will be built, and its desolate places will be restored. And furthermore, the word of the boy, or his servant, about whom we spoke earlier, and the advice of his messengers, will accomplish these things: namely, the Apostles and all the teachers, who will proclaim the will of their master to the nations. Therefore, he himself, who will accomplish such great things, whose power I have described in a few words, also says to Jerusalem, which will be destroyed by the Babylonians, before it is destroyed, that it will be inhabited again by the people, and to the cities of Judea, that they will be restored, and he will raise up its desolations, so that all may be filled with cultivators.”

“Here he calls "servant" the very prophet who is exercising the ministry of these words. "And verifying the counsel of his messengers." Not only of this messenger, he says, but also that of all the others who transmit the divine word. Thus, it is not without forethought that he has made this declaration here but to give force to what is going to be said, for he prophesies in the next passage the royalty of Cyrus, who was the first to reign over the Persians, and the return of the people, the reconstruction of Jerusalem and the total defeat of Babylon. This is why he has prefaced it with "And confirming the word of his servant." "Who says to Jerusalem, you shall be inhabited; and to the cities of Judea, you shall be built, and its desert places shall spring forth." The text has shown the tremendous power of the Creator: I only have to speak, he says, and my will is accomplished; for it is by a word that I likewise effected the creation.”

“Yet there will be a time when all things will be burned up by fire, as Isaiah says when he addresses the God of the universe: [You] "who say to the deep, 'Be thou desolate, and I will dry up all your rivers.' " Casting aside, therefore, the wisdom that has been turned into foolishness, receive with us the teaching of truth, homely in speech but infallible in doctrine.”

“And he who attacks Jerusalem and destroys Babylon, says also to Cyrus the king of the Persians, who first destroyed Babylon and the Chaldeans, "You are my shepherd," or as the Septuagint translates, "that you might be wise." The cause of this difficulty is clear. For the Hebrew word ro'i, if we read a letter res (r), means "my shepherd," if with a letter daleth (d), then "knowing or understanding," whose similarity is only distinguished by a little apex, and on account of this the two words are often confused. It is written at the start of Ezra, the prophet, that at the edict of Cyrus, the king of the Persians and Medes, the captivity of the people of Israel was ended and those who wanted to return were sent back to Jerusalem under Zerubabel son of Salathihel and Hiesu the son of Iosdech the high priest. The Lord inspired Cyrus to do his will and carry out his orders.”

“That saith to Cyrus, etc. This verse proves that Jerusalem was built in the days of Cyrus; the words thy foundation shall be laid contain an allusion to the fact, that Cyrus ordered the temple to be built, but after its foundation had been laid by Zerubbabel, prohibited its further restoration; it is therefore clear, that Daniel made no mistake in his calculations, as I have already explained.”

“Third, as to the exaltation of the liberator: who say to Cyrus: you are my shepherd, feeding my sheep: he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd (Ezek 34:23). Fourth, as to the reestablishment of the temple: who say to Jerusalem; your foundations shall be laid, for in the time of Cyrus, only the foundations of the temple remained standing: Jerusalem will be built up again (Jer 30:18).”