“It is obvious from the very words of Isaiah that he saw God because of God's condescension. He said, "I saw the Lord sitting on a high and lofty throne." But God is not sitting down. Beings with bodies sit. Isaiah also said, "on a throne." But God is not encompassed by a throne, because divinity cannot be contained within boundaries. That said, the seraphim could not endure the condescension of God although they were nearby.… He said, "And the seraphim stood around him," because he wanted to make it clear that although the seraphim are closer to the essence of God than human beings are, they cannot look upon his essence simply because they are closer to it. He is not referring to place in a localized sense. When he speaks of nearness, he is demonstrating that the seraphim are closer to God than we human beings are.”

“In the year of the death i.e., when he was smitten with zaraath. and His lower extremity Heb. וְשׁוּלָיו, comp. (Exodus 28:34) “On the hem (שׁוּלֵי) of the robe,” meaning its lower extremity. I saw Him sitting on His throne in heaven with His feet in the Temple, His footstool in the Sanctuary, to pass judgment on Uzziah, who came to usurp the crown of the priesthood.”

“There is a twofold dimension to the firmament: one concerned with the highest, the other with the lowest; one which makes known the eternal God, the other which reveals God made man. Of these two aspects, Isaiah says, in chapter six, in a vision which was the root of all his other visions: "I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, with the train of his garment filling the temple." And immediately there follows upon this the blinding of the Jews and the enlightenment of the Gentiles. Wherefore Isaiah says "I saw," that is, through the vision of understanding lifted up by faith and stabilized in the height of eternal wisdom, in which there is a twofold light, inflaming and seraphic.”

“204. In the year that king Ozias died. After he denounces the fault of the two tribes, adding the corrective punishment, here he threatens the punishment of final condemnation, namely, the punishment of hardness of heart; and therefore that punishment is foretold in the manner of a sentence and with the solemnity of a judgment. Therefore, this chapter is divided into three parts: in the first, the author of the sentence is described, namely, the judge; in the second, the one who announces the sentence, the minister of the judge, where it says, and I said: woe is me (Isa 6:5); in the third, the sentence itself is set out, where it says, hearing, hear (Isa 6:9). Concerning the first, two things are set out: first, the time of the vision; second, the vision itself, where it says, I saw the Lord sitting. 205. As to the first, he says: in the year that king Ozias died. Ozias, who is called Azaraias in 2 Kings 15:5, was struck with leprosy by the Lord because he wanted to usurp the priestly office, as it says in 2 Chronicles 26:21; but after he was struck, his son Joatham governed the house of the king and the kingdom until his death; but nevertheless, he is not said to have reigned then, but rather to have been the vice-regent of his father; but then he first reigned when his father died. Thus this vision was revealed when Joatham reigned, and the preceding vision, when Ozias reigned. 206. I saw the Lord sitting. Here the vision is set out. And first, he describes the throne of the judge; second, the ministry of his assistants where it says, upon it stood the seraphim (Isa 6:2). Now this vision is said by some to have been imaginary, by others to have been intellectual. And thus the figure is taken up by the prophet himself from something similar, as Dionysius says, in his letter to Titus, that figures are placed around things which the prophets see plainly and without figures in order to guide those who hear the prophecy, who can more easily receive what the prophet has seen plainly through sensible figures. But however it may be, it is necessary to see two things here. First, the imagination of the figure, either seen by the prophet or composed by him; second, the signification of this figure: for sensible figures are introduced in Holy Scripture to signify something spiritually, as Dionysius says, and that will be the literal sense, just as in metaphorical speech the literal sense is not that which is signified by the words, but that which the speaker wishes to signify by the words. 207. Concerning the first, therefore, it should be known that the temple built by Solomon was one-hundred-twenty cubits in height, as is said in 2 Chronicles 3:3–4, and this height was divided into three houses, the highest of which was sixty cubits, while both lower ones were thirty cubits. And of these is said in 1 Kings 6:8: by winding stairs they went up to the middle room, and from the middle to the third. Therefore, he saw the throne of the Lord in the highest room, because of which is said, exalted, that is, high, as it is elevated, above all rooms; and the middle room shines from the brightness of his face, because of which is said, the house was filled with his majesty, that is, his glory; and what was beneath him, that is, the adornments of his throne or also the splendor of his garments, or the ranks of his subjects, filled the lower room, in which the priests entered: because of which he says, the temple. Others say otherwise, that he saw the high throne in the middle room, which is called the house, which was filled with the middle members and arms of the Lord; the lower room, which is called the temple was filled with his feet and legs, but his head and neck stuck up into the third story: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the army of heaven standing by him on the right hand and on the left (1 Kgs 22:19); the king, that sits on the throne of judgment, scatters away all evil with his look (Prov 20:8). 208. Concerning the second, it should be known that the signification of this vision is assigned in three ways by various interpreters. For some say that the sitting on the throne signifies the coming oppression of their captivity; the filling of the house with majesty signifies that their enemies, who were under his direction, were to fill the temple; and the Histories touch on this. Jerome, however, explains, and better, that the seat signifies the majesty of the son of God, because of which it is said in John 12:41: these things said Isaiah, when he saw his glory, and spoke of him; the throne signifies the angels, on whom God sits: you that sit upon the cherubims (Ps 79:2[80:1]); the house signifies the Church triumphant, which is full of his glory; the temple signifies the Church militant, which is full of miracles, or the ranks of angels, like guards. Dionysius explains this otherwise in the Celestial Hierarchy 13.4, and better, as it seems. The throne signifies eminence of the divine nature, and it is called exalted, because of its nobility, elevated, as if raised above others, insofar as it exceeds all things infinitely; and he is said to sit in this because of his immovability; hence Dionysius says in the Divine Names 9.8: what also do we say concerning the divine standing other than that he remains in himself singularly fixed in immovable identity? And the house is said to signify all creation, which is full of his majesty, insofar as it is filled according to its capacity by participation in his goodness; and by the temple he seems to understand the superior creatures, which are filled by those things which are beneath him inasmuch as goods received in them fall short of the goodness of God, which they nevertheless seem to approach. 209. On the contrary, it is objected that, according to Exodus 33:20: for man shall not see me, and live, that is, living in this mortal flesh; and 1 John 4:12: no man has seen God at any time. Therefore, neither did Isaiah see God. To which is to be said that neither interior nor exterior vision is able to see unless it is moved by the visible object; and insofar as it is more perfectly changed by the visible object, it sees better; and then it sees most perfectly when it receives the action of the visible object according to its whole power: and hence it occurs that the same thing is seen differently by different persons, both interiorly and exteriorly, and better by some, and worse by others. Therefore, nothing can see this visible object, which is God, perfectly, except what grasps it whole, and therefore God alone sees himself thus. Hence, according to Chrysostom, the heavenly secret is not seen in its essence without medium by some men who attain to it according to the perfection which they have from the divine light they have received, as by the blessed in heaven and by those who are elevated by rapture to that mode of vision. By those, however, who have a less perfect vision, God is seen according to certain similitudes of his goodness, whether in sensible things or images, or intelligible species: and of this kind is the vision which the prophets saw by the light of prophecy, and which we see by faith, and which is seen by the light of reason and even by philosophers, who know God, as is said in Romans 1:19–20. 210. But then the question remains whether the prophets perceived such a vision immediately from God, or by the mediation of angels. And it seems that it was immediately from his very manner of speaking, for he says, I saw the Lord, and not, I saw an angel. Likewise, of Moses, Exodus 33:11 says, the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man is wont to speak to his friend. Likewise, they saw in the mirror of eternity, as is commonly said: therefore some men have seen God. To which is to be said, according to Dionysius in the Celestial Hierarchy 4.3, that no mere man, neither of the fathers of the New nor the Old Testament, received any revelation from God except by the mediation of angels. And he says that it is an inviolable law that the middle should be restored through the first [and] the lower [through the middle]; and he proves this by an argument from the greater, for even Moses received the law through the mediation of angels, though he saw most excellently; which is proved by that which is said in Galatians 3:19: why then was the law? It was set because of transgressions, until the seed should come to whom he made the promise, being ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator, and Acts 7:53: who have received the law by the disposition of angels and have not kept it. 211. To the first, therefore, is to be said that this reason can be on the part of the end of the vision and on the part of the principle. On the part of the end, because the revealing angel intends to lead man to knowledge of God, and not to knowledge of himself: and therefore he forms a vision of God, just as out of things which are seen figuratively, something of God is understood. On the part of the principle, however, because all power which angelic light has to manifest something comes from God as its author, who is the font of light, just as in matters of demonstration all power of light or manifestation comes from first principles. Hence Gregory, in the Gloss on Exodus 3 says: the angel who is described as having appeared to Moses is sometimes reported as the Lord, sometimes as an angel. An angel, because he serves in speaking outwardly; the Lord, because inwardly the director gives the efficacy of speaking. For since the speaker is directed from within, he is recounted both as an angel from his subservience, and as the Lord from his inspiration. 212. To the second is to be said that this is said because of the eminent manner of clear vision by which Moses, above all the prophets, saw, as is said in Numbers 12:6–8. 213. To the third is to be said that God himself is not called the mirror of eternity, but those species which are in the soul of the prophet; and they are called a mirror insofar as the disposition of eternal wisdom is reflected in them.”

“Let us bring our discourse back to our earlier proposition and let us show that God, even by the accommodation of condescension, cannot be seen by the powers above. Tell me this. Why do the seraphim stretch forth their wings? There is no other reason than the statement made by the apostle: "Who dwells in unapproachable light." And these heavenly virtues, who are showing this by their very actions, are not the only ones. There are powers higher than the seraphim, namely, the cherubim. The seraphim stood near; the cherubim are the throne of God. They are not called this because God has need of a throne but so that you may learn how great is the dignity of these very powers.”

“Seraphim stood above in heaven. for Him i.e., to serve him, and so does Jonathan render: Holy servants are on high before Him. with two he would cover his face so as not to look toward the Shechinah. and with two he would cover his feet for modesty, so as not to bare his entire body before his Creator. And in Tanhuma (Emor 8), I saw that the feet were covered because they are like the sole of the foot of a calf, in order not to remind Israel of the sin of the golden calf. and with two he would fly And with two he would serve [from Targum Jonathan].”

“"Seraphim were stationed above; each of them had six wings: with two they veiled their faces, with two they veiled their feet, with two they hovered aloft." There are two Seraphim established in us through faith. Our intellect enlightened by faith is made to resemble a Seraph, that is, it is enlightened and inflamed through faith. Faith is both toward the eternal God and toward God made man. Faith toward the eternal God contains one explanation of the six wings: in reference to the distinction of the Persons, there are three articles—concerning the unbegotten Father, the only-begotten Son proceeding from the Father only, and the Holy Spirit breathed by both. These are the three wings on the right side, that is, in eternity. Likewise, on the left there are three wings inasmuch as there is diffusion into the creature out of a single essence, power and operation: the one God is the Creator, the Sanctifier and the Retributor. The other Seraph is closer to us and also has six wings: three in the order of descent and three in the order of ascent. These are the three articles concerning the incarnation, crucifixion and descent into hell. Likewise, there are three in the order of ascent: resurrection out of hell into the world, ascension out of the world into heaven, and the coming out of heaven for the judgment. These six wings are the six perfect considerations of God in the three Persons and the three operations; the other six in the second series are the six considerations of God incarnate. In these things, therefore, are contained the twelve articles of faith, of which the twelve apostles were the preachers. For a wing lifts up in order to transcend every human reason. In the absence of this twofold consideration, there is no worshiper of God.”

“214. Stood the seraphim. Here he sets out the office of the ministers. And first, he describes the order of the ministers; second, their praise, and they cried one to another, and said: holy (Isa 6:3). Concerning the first, he sets out three things. First, he sets out the grade of the ministers, saying: upon it, namely the temple, stood the seraphim, because the order of seraphim is supreme among all, as Dionysius says in the Gloss here. Likewise note that "seraphim," written with an "m," is plural in number and masculine in gender and signifies many in that order; written with an "n," however, it is neuter in gender and signifies the whole rank of this order; but "seraph" is singular in number and masculine in gender and signifies only one member of this order. Below: upon your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen all the day, and all the night, they shall never hold their peace (Isa 62:6). And he says they stood, upright in contemplation as if assisting. Second, he sets out the adornment of the ministers, in the number six of their wings: six wings. Third, the use of their wings: with two they covered his face. In Hebrew, this is said ambiguously, and it can be explained that they covered the face of God, and thus Jerome understands it; or that they cover their own face, and thus Dionysius understands it, according to whom the sense is that their head was covered and their feet and the middle of their body, with two they flew, namely, the middle two: every one with two wings covered his body (Ezek 1:23), and below this: and I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of many waters (Ezek 1:24). 215. The signification of this vision is understood in three ways. The Hebrew says that by the twelve wings are understood the twelve kings who were over the people from Ozias, under whom the vision began, and following; only four of whom were just, namely Ozias, Joatham, Ezechias and Josias: and therefore they flew with four wings. The others, however, were ashamed in the sight of God, and therefore they covered their face; four of these possessed the kingdom freely, namely, Achaz, Manasses, Amon and Joatham, because they were made kings by the people; and these are signified by the wings which were on the head. The other four, in truth, possessed the kingdom under the servitude of others; hence also they were made kings by others and not by the people, as Joachin, made king by Pharaoh, Jechonias and Sedecias and Godolias, about whom Jeremiah 41:2 says: Ismahel and the ten men that were with him slew Godolias whom the king of Babylon had made governor over the land. For these last three were made king by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. 216. Jerome says that the seraphim are said to be winged either because they dwell above or because of the swiftness of their ministry; and he understands by the twelve wings the ministry of perfection, which is betokened in the number twelve, as the twelve gems in the crown of the priest, and thus concerning the others. And with two they fly, because they conceal from us those things which were before the world or after the world, and they show the things that happen in the six ages of the world; or because the past and the future are unknown to us, but we know the present: so thus this refers to the act of their ministry, and they stand, in order to assist God. 217. Dionysius explains this otherwise in the Celestial Hierarchy 13 and Ecclesiastical Hierarchy 4, and he says that they are said to be winged because, similar to something that flies, they have deep and free contemplation. Three pairs of wings are described, moreover, because the seraphim see those things which pertain to themselves, who are of the first hierarchy, and those things which pertain to the other two hierarchies more eminently than they who belong to them: so that by one wing is understood their natural capacity, and by the other, the light from God which they participate in, for by these two things they are elevated. Now those things which pertain to the hierarchies come from God as from a beginning and are ordered to God as to an end, and by neither manner can they be perfectly understood by the angels: which the veiling signifies. And they are also in themselves like a medium between the beginning and end, and they have perfect and free knowledge of them in this way, and therefore with the two middle wings they flew.”

“We make mention also of the seraphim, whom Isaiah in the Holy Spirit saw standing around the throne of God, and with two of their wings veiling their face, and with two their feet, while with two they flew, crying, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts." For the reason of our reciting this confession of God, delivered down to us from the seraphim, is this, that so we may be partakers with the hosts of the world above in their hymn of praise.”

“And one called to the other They would take permission from one another so that one would not commence before [his fellows] and be guilty of [a sin punishable by] burning, unless they all commenced simultaneously. This is what was established in [the blessing commencing:] “...Who formed light,” “the declaration of holiness, they all respond as one...” This is a Midrash Aggadah of the account of the Merkavah. And so did Jonathan render this. Holy, holy, holy Three times, as the Targum renders.”

“218. And they cried one to another. Here he sets out their praise: and concerning this, he does three things. First, he sets out the manner of praising as to their devotion, for they cried from the greatness of their affection; as to their concord, for both cry out; and as to their order, for they cry out one to another: for one receives from the other, as Dionysius holds. Where were you . . . when the morning stars praised me together, and all the sons of God made a joyful melody? (Job 38:4, 7). 219. Second, he sets out their song of praise, where it says, holy, holy, holy. And they praise three things: the Trinity of persons: holy, holy, holy; the unity of majesty: the Lord God of hosts, who is before all things: holy, holy, holy, Lord God almighty, who was and who is and who is to come (Rev 4:8); the liberality of his providence: all the earth is full of his glory, for he also extends the diffusion of his goodness to the last creature, which is understood by the earth: do not I fill heaven and earth, says the Lord? (Jer 23:24). And this is according to Dionysius in the Celestial Hierarchy 7.4. Jerome: all the earth is full, through the knowledge of faith. Sirach 42:16–17: full of the glory of the Lord is his work. Has not the Lord made the saints to declare all his wonderful works, which the Lord almighty has firmly settled to be established for his glory?”

“(Verse 4) And the doorposts of the cardinal's palace were shaken by the voice of the one who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. The seraphim cried out, and throughout the whole earth they proclaimed the mystery of the Trinity, when the entire earth learned of the passion of the Lord and Savior. Immediately, the threshold of the Temple was either raised or lifted up, and all its hinges fell down, fulfilling the Savior's threat, saying: Your house will be left to you desolate (Matthew 23:38). And what a beautiful arrangement of words. After the earth is filled with the glory of the Lord of hosts, the Temple of the Jews is filled with the darkness of ignorance, and with darkness, and with smoke, which is harmful to the eyes. Or certainly through the smoke of the Temple the fire is revealed. For first the Gospel of the Savior was preached throughout the whole world, and after forty-two years from the Lord's passion, Jerusalem was captured, and the Temple was set on fire. The Jews believe that the Temple was filled with smoke, which signifies incense, and through this the coming of the divine majesty.”

“And the doorposts quaked [Jonathan renders:] אֵילְוַת סִפֵּי, they are the doorposts of the entrance, which are measured with the measurements of cubits in the height and in the width, and they are the doorposts of the Temple. from the voice of him who called [i.e.,] from the voice of the angels calling. This took place on the day of the earthquake, about which it is stated (Zechariah 14:5): “And you shall flee as you fled on the day of the earthquake in the days of Uzziah.” On the day that Uzziah stood, ready to burn incense in the Temple, the heavens quaked, [attempting] to burn him, as if to say that his punishment should be by burning, as it is said (Num. 16:35): “And it consumed the two hundred and fifty men.” For this reason, Scripture calls them seraphim, for they attempted to burn him. The earth quaked, attempting to swallow him up, thinking that his punishment should be that he be swallowed up like Korah, who contested the priesthood. Thereupon, a heavenly voice emanated and said (ibid. 17: 5), “And there shall not be” another man contesting the priesthood “like Korah” to be swallowed up, “and like his assembly” to be burnt, but, “as the Lord spoke by the hand of Moses,” in the thornbush (Exodus 4:6), “Now bring your hand into your bosom,” and he took it out, stricken with zaraath like snow, here too, the zaraath shone on his forehead.” and the House became filled with smoke Was filled with smoke [i.e., even though the future tense is used, the past is meant].”

“And the posts of the threshold moved. It was as if the threshold would move away from its place. אמות Posts. About the meaning of the word there is no question; in this sense, it is, according to some, hapax legomenon. ההמון הקורא מקול ═ מקול הקורא At the voice of the multitude that cried. The verse begins with the past וינועו, and continues with the future ימלא, because the Hebrew language has no special form for the imperfect tense; past and future are therefore used for it promiscuously.”

“220. Third, where it says, and the lintels, he sets out the effect of their praise, namely, the punishment of sinners, below: behold my servants shall eat, and you shall be hungry: behold my servants shall drink, and you shall be thirsty . . . Behold my servants shall praise for joyfulness of heart, and you shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for grief of spirit (Isa 65:13–14). And the destruction of the temple is signified: the lintels of the hinges were moved: strike the hinges, and let the lintels be shook (Amos 9:1); and the burning of the temple: and the house was filled with smoke of burning by the Romans after the faith of Christ was known. Or by smoke the infidelity of the Jews is signified; by the movement of the hinges, the removal of their legal observances or ceremonies, which were like shadows enclosing the entrance to the truth.”

“According to the Hebrew, Isaiah cries out in anguish and says, "Woe is me because I have held my peace, because I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people that has unclean lips, and I have seen with my eyes the Lord of hosts!" Because of his virtues, he deserved to enjoy the sight of God, and, because of his awareness of his sins, he confessed that his lips were unclean. Not because he had said anything that was contrary to the will of God, but because he had held his peace, deterred either by fear or modesty, and because he had not exercised the prerogative of a prophet, of condemning a sinful nation. When we, who flatter the rich and accept sinful persons, rebuke sinners, is it for the sake of base gain? Unless, perhaps, we speak with complete frankness to those whose wealth we stand in need of. We may act otherwise; we may refrain from every type of sin, but, if we keep silent about the truth, we are certainly committing a sin.”

“for I am lost I will die, for I was not worthy of seeing the Countenance of the Shechinah. We find a similar statement made by Manoah (Judges 13:22): “We shall surely die, for we have seen God.” I am lost Heb. נִדְמֵיתִי, comp. (Zephaniah 1:11): “The entire people of Canaan is broken (נִדְמֶה).” people of unclean lips that are defiled with sins [from Jonathan].”

“נדמיתי I am undone. I am cut off from the company of the holy ones; comp. ודמיתי And I will destroy (Hos. 4:5). Some compare it with דׂמִּי Be silent (Ps. 62:6). This view also may be correct. A man of unclean lips. The prophet was a man of unclean lips, I think, because he grew up with the Israelities, that were unclean in deeds and words, and he learnt their way of speaking; comp. And he warned me not to go the way of this people (8:11); therefore he says, And in the midst of a people of unclean lips I am dwelling. For mine eyes have seen the king, who is holy, and whom I was afraid to anctify because of the uncleanness of my lips. Although he says, Mine eyes have seen, etc., it is but in a prophetical vision that he saw Him.”

“221. And I said. Here the announcer of the sentence is set out. And first, his humility is shown; second, his purity: and one of the seraphim flew to me (Isa 6:6); third, his authority: and I heard (Isa 6:8). His humility shown in confession of sin. And he confesses a threefold sin. In his speech, sin of omission: woe is me, because I have held my peace, in not denouncing Ozias the king, and thus he laments the fault; I have held my peace, from praising God, and thus he laments the harm, below: his watchmen are all blind, they are all ignorant: dumb dogs not able to bark, seeing vain things, sleeping and loving dreams (Isa 56:10). Praise is not seemly in the mouth of a sinner (Sir 15:9); sin of commission: because I am a man of unclean lips: let not your mouth be accustomed to indiscreet speech: for therein is the word of sin (Sir 23:17[13]). Second, the sin of association with wicked men: and I dwell in the midst of a people that has unclean lips: evil communications corrupt good manners (1 Cor 15:33). Third, the sin of presumption: I have seen with my eyes the King the Lord of hosts, as if to say: he who is impure cannot enter the Lord's temple; how much more can he not see the Lord himself? We shall certainly die, because we have seen God (Judg 13:22); and this was from reverence. But Jacob said: I have seen the Lord face to face, and my soul has been saved (Gen 32:30); and this is from confidence. Jerome: happy conscience which has sinned in speech, not by his own vice, but only of a people that has unclean lips.”

“(Verse 6) And one of the Seraphim flew to me, and in his hand was a live coal which he had taken with tongs from the altar, and he touched my mouth, and said: Behold, this has touched your lips, and your iniquity shall be taken away, and your sin be cleansed. He flew, or rather, one of the Seraphim was sent, the name of which means burning, in order to cleanse the impure lips of the Prophet with a fiery coal which he had taken from the altar. However, many believe that there are two Seraphim, because one was calling to the other, even though each individual could call out to the others; and the Septuagint edition suggests that there were actually many, who were interpreted as Seraphim, standing around him. And if it were spoken about two things, they would not have spoken in a circle, but they would have spoken from both sides. And this applies to the multitude of angels, which is prepared for the ministry of God. But the Seraphim are called in the plural number, and in the singular, Seraph; just as the Cherubim are called Cherub. But as for the altar under which the souls of the martyrs are seen in heaven, John speaks of it in the Apocalypse (Rev. 6); and this stone, which is interpreted as 'LXX coals of fire,' that is, a carbuncle, may not signify coal or charcoal, as many think, but a carbuncular stone, which is called fiery because of its flame-like color. From this we understand that the altar of God is filled with carbuncles, that is, fiery stones and embers, which cleanse sins. Hence we read in the Scriptures about God: Coals were kindled by Him (Psalm 18:9). And it is said of the Lord Himself that He is a consuming fire. And the Savior in the Gospel says: I have come to cast fire upon the earth (Luke 12:49), to baptize in the Holy Spirit and fire. For the fire will test the quality of each one's work (1 Corinthians 3). And he who is to be saved will be saved as if he passed through fire. And it should be noted that to Jeremiah, to whom it was said: Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, and before you were born, I sanctified you (Jeremiah 1:5), because he did not have unclean lips, but had only said: I do not know how to speak, because I am young, the Lord himself stretched out his hand, and touched his mouth, and said: Behold, I have put my words in your mouth. Moreover, to Isaiah who said, 'I am a man with unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people with unclean lips,' the hand of God is not extended, but a Seraphim is sent by God, or flies of its own accord, because it is entrusted with this task. And in its hand it holds a coal, which according to the Septuagint and Theodotion, is grasped with tongs; according to Aquila and Symmachus, who have followed the Hebrew, with forceps it grasps, that is, 'he cleanses his iniquities,' so that it may touch his mouth and purify his ancient sins. However, it is the hand that is sent from God and the Seraphim, so that the Prophet, seeing a member of his own body, is not frightened by external touch. Some of our people consider the forceps, with which a stone is grasped, to be the two Testaments, which are united by the union of the Holy Spirit. But because the Lord is introduced as sitting, and sitting in the Temple, and the house is filled with smoke, as the Jews think, of incense; consequently, forceps are also mentioned, which we read about in the priestly ministry (Exodus 37).”

“Let our lips be touched by the divine coal, which burns away out sins and consumes the filth of our transgressions. Moreover, it makes us zealous by the Spirit. By saying "taken from the altar with tongs," Isaiah means that we receive faith in and knowledge of Christ from the teachings or announcements in the law and the prophets, in which the word of the holy apostles confirms the truth. By quoting from the law and the prophets, the apostles convince their hearers and "touch their lips with the burning coal" in order to lead them to confess faith in Christ.”

“a glowing coal Heb. רִצְפָּה, a coal, and similarly, (I Kings 19:6) “a cake baked on hot coals (עֻגַּת רְצָפִים),” like עֻגַּת רְשָׁפִים. In regards to Isaiah and Elijah, however, it is written with a ‘zadi,’ רִצְפָּה, because they spoke ill of Israel. This one [Isaiah] called them a people of unclean lips, and this one [Elijah] said, (ibid. 10) “For...have forsaken Your covenant.” Said the Holy One, blessed be He, to the angel, “Break the mouth (רְצוֹץ פֶּה) that spoke ill of My children.” with tongs Heb. (בְּמֶלְקֳחַיִם) with tongs. he had taken it from upon the altar that was in the forecourt.”

“ויעׇף Then flew. As written here, with a short kamez under ע, it is derived from עוף to fly; but ויעַף (Jud. 4:21), where the ע has a pathah, is derived from עיף to be weary. רצפה A live coal. Comp. רצפים coals (1 Kings 19:6). With tongs. As men use to do. From off the altar. Where the fire is holy, where there is no strange fire.”

“222. And one of the seraphim flew to me. Here he shows his purity from the cleansing of his sins. And concerning this he sets out three things. The minister of the cleansing: one of the seraphim flew to me. The instrument of cleansing: and in his hand was a live coal . . . off the altar of holocausts. The inner altar was made of earth as is said in Exodus 20:24: you shall make an altar of earth unto me; all around, however, was made of stone, where the fires of sacrifice were assembled; from these he took the coal. With the tongs, that is, with an instrument having two arms, by which receptive virtue may be signified, and by the altar, divine light itself or goodness, and by the coal, the gift received for the office of cleansing. Or by the fire tribulation may be signified; by the seraphim, Christ; by the tongs, the two testaments; by the coal, charity, which is in his hand, that is, his works. 223. But against this it is objected that Dionysius says, that those who belong to the higher orders are not sent in service; but it is certain that the seraphim are the highest; therefore it does not seem true that they came to cleanse the prophet. To which is to be said that Gregory touches on this question in a certain homily concerning the hundred sheep, and he leaves it in doubt. Dionysius, however, expressly holds that only the inferior orders are sent to us; and he says this is by the order of divine law that lower things are restored through the middle. But he explains what is said here in two ways. In one way, he says that this cleansing angel is called a seraph equivocally, not from his order, but from the act which he was then carrying out, because he cleansed with fire, and "seraph" means "fire"; in another way, he explains it saying that he is called a seraph properly because he is of this order, and he is said to cleanse, not because he himself immediately cleanses, but because by his authority, or by an illumination received from him, a lower angel cleansed; and he gives an example: it is just as a bishop is said to absolve when another absolves by his authority. And therefore because of reverence, the lower angel, who formed the vision, restores to God first, and to the seraph second, as if he were saying: "I cleanse you by light received from God, by the mediation of a seraph." In verse 6, instead of live coal, the Septuagint has carbuncle, because of their similarity to fire, for they have a flaming color.”

“We read also in Isaiah that the prophet is purified with fire by "one of the seraphim which was sent to him, when he took with a pair of tongs one coal from those which were upon the altar; and he touched the lips of the prophet and said, Behold, I have taken away your iniquities." These appear to me to be mystical and to indicate that the coals are put on the members of each in proportion to his sins, if he is worthy to be purified. For since the prophet says here, "I have unclean lips; also I dwell in the midst of a people who have unclean lips." For this reason, "a coal taken up with a pair of tongs" by the seraphim cleanses his lips.… The cleansing of his lips indicates that Isaiah's sin continually would be found only in words, but he would not have sinned in any act or deed. Otherwise, he would have said since I have an unclean body or I have unclean eyes, if he had sinned in desiring what belongs to something other than his lips. He would have said I have unclean hands, if he had polluted these with unjust deeds. But now since possibly he was aware of his transgression in word alone, about which the Lord says, "Likewise, you will give an account for every useless word on the day of judgment"; because it is difficult even for the perfect to escape the fault of the word, the prophet was likewise in need only of a purification of his lips.”

“Tell me, then, whoever you are who deny the divinity of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit could not be liable to sin, who rather forgives sin. Does an angel forgive? Does an archangel? Certainly not, but the Father alone, the Son alone and the Holy Spirit alone [can forgive sins]. Now one is obviously able to avoid that which he has power to forgive.But perhaps someone will say that the seraph said to Isaiah, "Behold, this has touched your lips and shall take away your iniquities and purge away your sins." Shall take away, he says, and shall purge, not I will take away, but that fire from the altar of God, that is, the grace of the Spirit. For what else can we piously understand to be on the altar of God but the grace of the Spirit? Certainly not the wood of the forests or the soot and coals. Or what is so in accordance with piety as to understand according to the mystery that it was revealed by the mouth of Isaiah that everyone should be cleansed by the passion of Christ, who as a coal according to the flesh burnt up our sins, as you read in Zechariah: "Is not this a brand snatched from the fire? Now Joshua was clothed in filthy garments."”

“And he caused it to touch my mouth... “...and your iniquity shall be removed” This is to cause pain, to atone for your iniquity that you degraded Israel. And his strength was great, for the angel was afraid to take it without tongs, yet he caused it to touch the prophet’s lip, and he [the prophet] was not injured. [This is found] in Tanhuma (ibid.) This is [the meaning] of what Scripture states (Joel 2: 11): “For His camp is very great,” these are the angels; “and stronger” than they “are those who fulfill His word”these are the prophets (Tanhuma ibid.). Jonathan renders: “And in his hand was a glowing coal,” to mean, “And in his mouth was speech.” The expression רִצְפָּה: [means a thing refined in the mouth and with the tongue] (רָצוּף בְּפֶּה). “From upon the altar,” he received the speech from the mouth of the Holy One, blessed be he, from His throne in Heaven, which was directed opposite the altar that was in the Temple.”

“222 [cont.]. Third, the manner of cleansing: and he touched my mouth, and said, just as in the sacraments there is an action and a form of words; behold this has touched your lips, he expresses the act, and your iniquities, against men, shall be taken away, and your sin, against God. And he does not say, "I shall take away," for to forgive sins belongs to God alone, below: I am he that blot out your iniquities for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins (Isa 43:25). Concerning all these things, Daniel 9:21–22 says: behold the man, Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, flying swiftly, touched me at the time of the evening sacrifice. And he instructed me, and spoke to me.”

“When Isaiah had seen the Lord seated high upon a lofty throne, what does he say? "Woe is me, because I am in sorrow; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people that has unclean lips." Pay attention to his exact words: Woe is me because of my unclean lips. After that, what does he tell us? Because his lips are soiled, one of the seraphim is sent to him, and the seraph taking a burning coal from the altar touches with it Isaiah's lips and tongue and purifies his mouth. Then what does the seraph say? "See," he said, "now that this has touched your lips, your tongue is cleansed." Then immediately, what does the Lord say? "Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?" O divine secrets of Scripture! As long as Isaiah's tongue was treacherous and his lips unclean, the Lord does not say to him, Whom shall I send, and who shall go? His lips are cleansed, and immediately he is appointed the Lord's spokesman; hence it is true that the person with unclean lips cannot prophesy, nor can he be sent in obedient service to God. "With fiery coals of the desert." Would to heaven this solitude were granted us, that it would clear away all wickedness from our tongue, so that where there are thorns, where there are brambles, where there are nettles, the fire of the Lord may come and burn all of it and make it a desert place, the solitude of Christ.”

“Whom shall I send to admonish Israel? I sent Amos, and they called him, ‘Pesilus,’ because he was tongue tied, [’Pesilus’ being the Greek word for tongue-tied.] He prophesied two years before the earthquake, and the Israelites would say, The Holy One, blessed be He, left over the whole world and caused His Shechinah to rest on this tongue-tied one, as is stated in Pesikta.”

“224. And I heard the voice of the Lord. Here the authority of the minister is shown from his charge of office, and concerning this he does three things. First, the consent of the one to be sent is sought; hence he says, whom shall I send, in which the authority on the part of the sender is noted: and how shall they preach unless they be sent? (Rom 10:15). And who shall go? The will of the one who is sent, for us, acquisitively, that he may not seek vain honor and may not seek profit; conversely: for all seek the things that are their own not the things that are Jesus Christ's (Phil 2:21). I send, in which the unity of essence is noted, for us, in which the plurality of persons is noted. 225. Second, the subservience offered by the prophet is set out: and I said: lo, here am I, send me, below: and I do not resist: I have not gone back (Isa 50:5). But it seems that this would be presumptuous, because Moses declined his office: who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? (Exod 3:11); and I said: ah, ah, ah, Lord God: behold, I cannot speak, for I am a child (Jer 1:6). And to this is to be said, as Gregory says in his Book of Pastoral Rule (and in the Gloss at the beginning of Jeremiah): each arose from the root of charity: for the one [Jeremiah] for the love of God did not wish to lose the solace of contemplation; the other [Isaiah] for the love of neighbor wished to be sent that he might be useful; and nevertheless, the one did not decline the command pertinaciously, nor did the other offer himself until he was cleansed and sought for.”

“(Verse 9 and following) And he said: Go, and say to this people: Hearing, you shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing, you shall see, and shall not perceive. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. The Septuagint translates this passage as follows, as the evangelist Luke placed it in the Acts of the Apostles: And when they did not agree with one another, it is certain that the Jews departed, as Paul said one word: Because the Holy Spirit has spoken well through Isaiah the prophet to our fathers, saying: Go to this people, and say: Hearing, you shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing, you shall see, and shall not perceive; for the heart of this people has grown fat, and they have heavily heard with their ears, and have shut their eyes, lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted, and I heal them (Acts 28:25 and following). But as for the time when this prophecy was fulfilled, the Apostle Paul himself speaks in the following words: Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen. (Acts 28:28) Hence, in the same Acts of the Apostles, we read that Paul and Barnabas, when the Jews refused to believe, said: It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. But since you reject it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. (Acts 13:46, 47) For thus the Lord commanded us: I have set you as a light for the Gentiles, that you may be for salvation to the ends of the earth (Isaiah 49:6). Therefore, according to the easy interpretation of the Septuagint, Isaiah the prophet declares what the people will do by the command of the Lord. In Hebrew, there is a difficulty in how God Himself commands the people to hear but not understand, to see but not perceive, and then the prophet comes and prays to the Lord and says: Blind the heart of this people, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted, and be healed (Isaiah 6:10). First of all, the question that can be posed to us must be answered: why did the apostle Paul, when disputing with the Hebrews, speak not according to the Hebrew that he knew to be correct, but according to the Septuagint? The ancient commentators of the Church claim that the evangelist Luke was extremely knowledgeable in the medical arts and had a greater understanding of Greek letters than Hebrew. Hence, his language in both the Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles is more polished and reminiscent of secular eloquence, and he makes greater use of Greek testimonies than Hebrew ones. But Matthew and John, of whom one wrote the Gospel in Hebrew and the other in Greek, cite testimonies from the Hebrew, such as: 'Out of Egypt I have called my Son' (Hosea II, 1). And: 'He shall be called a Nazarene' (Matthew II, 23). And: 'Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water' (John VII, 38). And: 'They shall look upon him whom they have pierced' (Zechariah XII, 10; John XIX, 37), and others similar to these. Moreover, it can be objected that the Epistle to the Hebrews is not Paul's because in writing to the Hebrews, he uses testimonies that are not found in Hebrew volumes. But if someone were to say that the Hebrew books were later falsified by the Jews, let them hear what Origen responds to this question in the eighth volume of his Explanations of Isaiah, namely that the Lord and the Apostles, who accuse the scribes and Pharisees of other crimes, would not have remained silent about this greatest crime. But if they were to say that the Hebrew books were falsified after the coming of the Lord Savior and the preaching of the Apostles, I cannot help but laugh, because the Savior, the Evangelists, and the Apostles presented their testimonies in such a way that the Jews would later falsify them. However, in the present place, it must be said that it is in vain for us to resort to the Septuagint translation, lest it seem blasphemous that what is said in Hebrew, Hear and you shall not understand, and see the vision, and you shall not know, we also find such testimonies in the Seventy Interpreters, as is the case in Exodus where it is said to Pharaoh: For this very reason have I raised you up, that I may show my power in you. But if he Himself raised up and hardened the heart of Pharaoh, that he should not believe: and of others it is said: God hath given them the spirit of insensibility, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear (Rom. XI, 8); and in the Psalms: Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumbling block, and a recompense unto them: let their eyes be darkened that they may not see, and their back bend thou down always (Ps. LXVIII, 23, 24): they are not to be blamed who do not see, but He who gave eyes that they should not see. Therefore, even without this testimony that we are now trying to explain, the same question remains in the churches, and either with these things being resolved along with the others, or with the others being resolved and this one remaining unsolvable. The blessed apostle Paul explains this matter more fully in his letter to the Romans, and what he has almost entirely discussed throughout the letter, we make unnecessary if we wish to summarize it in a short speech. For he says after many things: God has concluded all in unbelief, that he may have mercy upon all (Rom. 11:32). And admiring the sacraments of the Lord, he exclaimed: O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! And again, speaking about the incredulity of the Jews, he says: Have they then stumbled that they should fall? God forbid; but by their offense salvation is come to the Gentiles, that they may be provoked to emulation. And after a little while: For if the loss of them be the reconciliation of the world, what shall the receiving of them be? Is not life from the dead? And again: I don't want you to be unaware, brothers, of this mystery, so that you may not be wise in your own sight, for a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles comes in. And then all Israel will be saved. And in a little while (Rom. XI, 25): According to the Gospel, they are enemies for your sake, but according to election, they are beloved for the sake of the fathers: for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. For just as you, he says, at one time did not believe in God but now have attained mercy due to their disbelief, so too these individuals now have not believed in your mercy, in order that they may also attain mercy. For God has concluded all under sin, so that he may have mercy on all. Therefore, it is not cruelty on God's part, but mercy, for one nation to perish so that all may be saved: that the part of the Jews may not be seen, so that the whole world may be seen. And the Lord Himself in the Gospel turns the miracle of the blind man from birth, who had received his sight, into a Tropology, and He says: 'For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind.' (John 9:39). And in another place, Simeon speaks: 'Behold, this child is set for the fall and the rising of many.' (Luke 2:34). Therefore, while they do not see, we see; while they fall, we rise. The Prophet, understanding in a certain way, says in other words: O Lord, you command me to speak to the people of Judah, so that they may hear and not understand the Savior, and see him, and not recognize him. If you want your command to be fulfilled, and the whole world to be saved, which I also desire, blind the heart of this people and make their ears heavy, and close their eyes, so that they may not understand, hear, or see. For if they see, and are converted, and understand, and are healed, the whole world will not receive healing. From this, we understand that although sin is grave, if someone converts, they can be healed. And at the same time, it must be understood that for the magnitude of the crime, they are deemed unworthy of repentance. As the Lord Himself said to Jerusalem: How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing (Matthew 23:37).”

“But he appeared not so much for the eyes of human beings as for their salvation, for even though he was first seen by fleshly eyes when he was born of the virgin, still he did not appear because the eye of faith did not as yet recognize his power. Hence it is said to the Jews by the prophet: "Seeing you will see and will not see"; that is, the Savior whom they discerned with their fleshly eyes they did not see in a spiritual light.”

“Hear ye, indeed, etc. Some assert that God does not accept the repentance of the sinner, when his earthly punishment is already decreed, to cancel the sentence. R. Moses Hakkohen is of opinion that this passage describes the benefit the people will derive from listening to the good advice of the prophet; that they will be delivered from their afflictions. This is, however, contradicted by Lest they return and be healed. The first explanation is the right one.”

“226. Third, the office is enjoined on him; as to the double act he foretells to discuss: and he said: go: behold I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves (Matt 10:16); and you shall say to this people: and you will separate the precious from the vile, you shall be as my mouth (Jer 15:19). 227. Hearing, hear. Here the sentence is set out. And first, the sentence of hardness of heart is set out; he does not, however, harden hearts by sending malice into them, but by not imparting grace, and this is because they do not wish to be converted to grace. Second, the length of the sentence is sought, where it says, and I said: how long, O Lord? (Isa 6:11). Concerning the first, he does three things. First, the pronouncement of the sentence by the Lord is set out, as to the two senses that produce knowledge: namely hearing, which serves instruction; hence he says hear, with the outer ears, hearing, Christ, or another who preaches, and understand not, as if to say: because you do not wish it, you do not understand. This is permissive. And as to sight, which serves discovery: and see the vision, Christ, corporeally, or the mighty works of God; and know it not; this is permissive and not imperative, below: who is blind, but my servant? (Isa 42:19).”

“Behold mercy and judgment: mercy upon the elect, who have obtained the justice of God, but judgment upon the others who have been blinded. And yet the former have believed, because they have willed, while the latter have not believed, because they have not willed. Hence mercy and judgment were brought about in their own wills. Clearly this election is through grace, not at all through merits.”

“This people’s heart is becoming fat [This structure] הַשְׁמֵן resembles (Exodus 8:11), “And making his heart heavy (הַכְבֵּד),” an expression of a continuous action. Their heart continuously becomes fatter, angrajjsant in O.F., and his ears are becoming heavier and heavier, [i.e., harder and harder] of hearing. and his eyes are becoming sealed Plastered, comp. (infra 44:18) “For their eyes are plastered from seeing.” הִטּוֹחַ (Leviticus 14:43) is translated into Aramaic as דְאִתְשַׁע. We, thereby, equate the two words הָשַׁע and טָח. lest he see with his eyes They intended not to hearken to the words of the prophets, for they fear lest His words please them, and they will understand with their heart, and return to Me, and this will be their cure.”

“השמן Make fat. According to some it is infinitive, like הקטר To burn incense (1 Sam. 3:16); and הׇשַׁע likewise, like הׇרַע To do evil (Lev. 5:4); but this cannot be so, because of the conjunction פן lest. They are all rather imperative forms. We know that the prophet cannot make the heart fat; he shall only declare their heart to be so; there are many instances like it. הׇשַׁע Shut. Comp. תשעינה Will be shut (32:3). In Chaldee, this word שעה has the same meaning. The imperative Hiphil ought to be הֶשֶׁע like הֶרֶף, but the guttural letter ע causes the alteration; the form הָשַׁע can also be derived from a verb (שעע) ע״ע”

“228. Second, the acceptance of the sentence is set out. And these are the words of prophet; hence he says: O Lord, from that by which the Gentiles shall come in, strike Israel with blindness (Rom 11:25): blind the heart, inwardly, and make their ears heavy, lest they perceive, and shut their eyes, lest they understand: for judgment I am come into this world: that they who see not may see; and they who see may become blind (John 9:39). Or these are the words of the Lord, and the sense is: blind, that is, proclaim them blind. Third, the reason for their blindness is set out: lest, for the sake of goods, they be converted and I heal them, when they are unworthy of health: but if the wicked do penance for all his sins which he has committed, and keep all my commandments, and do judgment, and justice, living he shall live, and shall not die. I will not remember all his iniquities (Ezek 18:21–22), below: if you return and be quiet, you shall be saved (Isa 30:15).”

“See here that the rest of the earth is desolate, and those who remain on the earth alone are said to multiply. These must be the disciples of the Savior, going forth from the Hebrews to all people. Like a seed left behind they have brought forth much fruit, which are the churches of the Gentiles in every dwelling place. In addition, when he says that only those who remain from the falling away of the Jews will multiply, he also says that the Jews themselves are desolate. For he says of them, "Their land shall be left desolate." And this was said to them before by the same prophet, saying, "Your land is completely desolate, your cities burned with fire, before you strangers will devour your country."When was this fulfilled other than in the time of our Savior? Before they dared to do evil things to him, their land was not desolate, their cities not burned with fire, and strangers did not devour their country. Our Savior and Lord predicted what was to happen to them through that prophetic announcement, saying, "Your house is left to you desolate." It was not long from the prediction of that moment that the Romans laid siege to them and brought them to desolation. The prophetic word gives the reason for the desolation by showing the cause of their fall, making the understanding of it clear. When they heard our Savior teaching among them but would not listen with the ear of the mind and did not understand who he was, seeing him with their eyes and not with the eyes of their spirit, "they hardened their heart, closed the eyes of their mind, and made their ears heavy." As the prophecy says, their cities would become desolate such that no one would live in them because of this. In addition, their land would become desolate, and only a few would remain, being kept like fruitful seed who would proceed to all people and multiply on the earth.”

“(Verse 11-13.) And I said, how long, Lord? And he answered, until the cities are desolate and without inhabitant, and the houses are without people, and the land is left empty. And the Lord will remove men far away, and what was abandoned in the midst of the land will be multiplied. And even in it there will be a tenth, and it will be turned again to destruction, like a terebinth tree, and like an oak tree that sheds its leaves, the holy seed will be the stump that remains in it. The Lord said: Go, and tell this people, Hearing you shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing you shall see, and shall not perceive. For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them (Deut. XXXII). The prophet responds, anxiously questioning about his people: How long, Lord, will this message endure, that they hear but do not understand; and see but do not perceive? To whom the Lord responded, for so long will not hear, and will not see, and will have a blind heart, until the cities of Judea are completely destroyed by Vespasian and Titus fighting, to the extent that not even the original name remains, and if there are any houses left; they will be without inhabitants, and the land will be reduced to a wilderness; and either by fleeing or by captivity, the Jewish people will be dispersed throughout the entire world: and the Jewish people will multiply not in Judea, as before, but in all the nations. But when I say that it will multiply, the misery of the remaining people will be so great that compared to the previous multitude, hardly a tenth part will remain. And even in the land itself there will be desolation (for this place can be understood in two ways: that hardly a tenth part will remain in the whole world, and that hardly a small part of the people will be reserved in Judea). Again, the remaining people will be for plundering, when after nearly fifty years Adrian will come and completely plunder the land of Judea, to such an extent that it will be compared to a terebinth and an oak tree that has lost its acorns. Finally, after the ultimate devastation, even the laws of the state were suspended, and the Jews were prohibited from entering the land from which they had been expelled. But if anyone believes in Christ, and the fulfillment of what we have read above: 'Unless the Lord of hosts had left us offspring, we would have become like Sodom and become like Gomorrah' (Isaiah 1:9); as the Apostle also says (Romans 9), the remnant will be saved; this holy offspring will be, and from the seed of the apostles all the churches will sprout forth. What we have said, the holy seed will be that which remains in her, or next to the eagle, the holy seed will be its offspring; it is not found in the Seventy Interpreters, but added by Origen from the Hebrew and Theodotion's edition; in the copies of the Church, it is stated that after the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, then all Israel will be saved; and this word of the Lord will also be fulfilled, saying: 'I will kill, and I will make alive; I will wound, and I will heal' (Deuteronomy 32:39).”

“229. And I said. Here the length of the sentence is set out. And first, the question of the prophet is set out: how long will they be blinded? How long shall the vision . . . be trodden under foot? (Dan 8:13); second, the answer of the Lord: and he said. And a twofold ending is set out: first, as to the punishment of the wicked, second as to the holiness of the good, where it says, a holy seed (Isa 6:13), as if to say: how long will those who are in filth be filthy? He that hurts, let him hurt still: and he that is filthy, let him be filthy still (Rev 22:11). And he touches on a threefold punishment. First, as to subjugation, which is designated in the desolation of their cities: until the cities be wasted: they have changed my delightful portion into a desolate wilderness (Jer 12:10); he has made me desolate, wasted with sorrow all the day long (Lam 1:13); as to the cultivation of their fields: the land shall be left desolate, above: your land is desolate, your cities are burnt with fire (Isa 1:7).”

“229 [cont.]. As to the exile of men: and the Lord shall remove men far away: and I will send you, and your mother that bore you, into a strange country, in which you were not born, and there you shall die (Jer 22:26). And I will pick out from among you the transgressors, and the wicked, and will bring them out of the land where they sojourn (Ezek 20:38). 230. Second, as to the length of their captivity: and she shall be multiplied, that people, that was left in the midst of the land, in which she will be held captive: thus says the Lord of hosts the God of Israel, to all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon: build houses, and dwell in them (Jer 29:4–5), and below this: and be multiplied there, and be not few in number. And seek the peace of the city, to which I have caused you to be carried away (Jer 29:6–7).”

“And when there is yet a tenth [And when they are diminished to one out of ten (Rashi ms.)] even upon this remnant will I return My hand as a purge after a purge, and it will be purged until only completely righteous men will remain, who will repent wholeheartedly. like the terebinth and like the oak which, at the time of their casting, when they cast off their leaves during the fall, one casting after another casting, until nothing is left in it except the trunk, they too, the holy seed found in its midst, adhering to their holiness, they will be to Me as the trunk; another explanation of מַצַּבְתָּהּ is: its planting. Therefore, I will not destroy them, for I planted them as holy seed. Some explain that there was a Shallecheth Gate in Jerusalem, as it is stated in Ezra (I Chron. 26:16, written by Ezra), and there, terebinths and oaks were planted.”

“ועוד בה וגו׳ And yet in it shall be, etc. According to some: Ten more kings will rule over Judah before the exile, and then ושבה והיתה לבער it shall again be removed: comp. ובערת And thou shalt put away (Deuter. 21:21); others compare לבער with תבערו You shall kindle (Exod. 35:3)—and the number of kings from that time, Uzziah included, was really ten. Some explain, the tenth part will be left in the land. Grammatically, עשיריה is an adjective, the tenth; but different from עשירית the tenth part; comp. שלישיה (19:24) the third. It is, therefore, clear that עשיריה refers to the number of kings. אשר בשלכת Which were in Shalecheth. Two trees were in the gate Shalecheth, which were exceedingly strong. Those that take לשכת ═ שלכת are wrong, as well as those that derive it from השליך he cast; for whoever is able to say such things has no knowledge of grammar. מצבת בם Substance is in them. They will still remain and stand firmly for ever; the comparison of the people with a tree is by no means uncommon; comp. for as the days of a tree, etc. (65:22). Holy seed will be the substance thereof. Holy seed will they be that will remain after that. Those that would come back from the Babylonian exile are here hinted at.”

“231. Third, as to repeated persecution: and first, he places their small number: and there shall be still a tithing therein, that is, barely a tenth will be left by Titus in the land of Judea, or in the whole world, because of the Jews killed: and you shall remain few in number, who before were as the stars of heaven for multitude (Deut 28:62); second, repeated destruction: and she shall turn, again subjugation shall overcome you, under the emperor Hadrian, above: for after this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still (Isa 5:25); third, their baseness and contempt or dispersion: and shall be made a show, of derision, as a turpentine tree; a certain tree, which is large in the regions of Damascus and small in Greece, and as an oak that spreads its branches: in which their dispersion is signified: I have stretched out my branches as the turpentine tree (Sir 24:22). 232. A holy seed. Here he sets out the ending as to the holiness of the good. Hence he says: a holy seed, that is, of grown men, who obey the divine vision, and of other saints of the Jews; which shall stand, not falling through infidelity, below: for as the new heavens, and the new earth, which I will make to stand before me, says the Lord: so shall your seed stand, and your name (Isa 66:22). Others explain this to their good: and she shall be multiplied (Isa 6:12), after her return from captivity, in the midst of her own land (Isa 6:13); and there shall be still a tithing therein, who will be left for the worship of God after the murder of many, and she shall turn, to God, and shall be made a show, of glory.”