“He likewise, when mentioning the cup and making the New Testament to be sealed "in his blood," affirms the reality of Christ's body. For no blood can belong to a body that is not a body of flesh. If any sort of body were presented to our view, which is not one of flesh, not being fleshly, it would not possess blood. In order, however, that you might discover how anciently wine is used as a figure for blood, turn to Isaiah, who asks, "Who is this that comes from Edom, from Bosor with garments dyed in red, so glorious in his apparel, in the greatness of his might? Why are your garments red, and your clothing as his who comes from the treading of the full winepress?" The prophetic Spirit contemplates the Lord as if he were already on his way to his passion, clad in his fleshly nature; and as he was to suffer therein, he represents the bleeding condition of his flesh under the metaphor of garments dyed in red, as if reddened in the treading and crushing process of the winepress, from which the laborers descend reddened with the wine juice, like men stained in blood.”

“The angels, too, were in doubt when Christ arose; the powers of heaven were in doubt when they saw that flesh was ascending into heaven. Then they said, "Who is this King of glory?" And yet some said, "Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors! That the King of glory may come in." In Isaiah, too, we find that the powers of heaven doubted.”

“Who is this coming from Edom The prophet prophesies concerning what the Holy One, blessed be He, said that He is destined to wreak vengeance upon Edom, and He, personally, will slay their heavenly prince, like the matter that is said (supra 34:5), “For My sword has become sated in the heaven.” And afterward, (ibid.) “it shall descend upon Edom,” and it is recognizable by the wrath of His face that He has slain [them with] a great massacre, and the prophet is speaking in the expression of the wars of human beings, dressed in clothes, and when they slay a slaying, the blood spatters on their garments, for so is the custom of Scripture; it speaks of the Shechinah anthropomorphically, to convey to the ear what it can hear. Comp. (Ezek. 43:2) “His voice is like the voice of many waters.” The prophet compares His mighty voice to the voice of many waters to convey to the ear according to what it is possible to hear, for one cannot understand and hearken to the magnitude of the mighty of our God to let us hear it as it is. Who is this coming from Edom Israel says, “Who is this, etc.?” And He is coming with soiled garments, colored with blood, and anything repugnant because of its smell and its appearance fits to the expression of חִמּוּץ, soiling. from Bozrah Our Rabbis said (see Makkoth 12a): “The heavenly prince of Edom is destined to commit two errors. He thinks that Bozrah is identical with Bezer in the desert, which was a refuge city. He will also err insofar as it affords refuge only for inadvertent murder, but he killed Israel intentionally.” There is also an Aggadic midrash (see above 34:6) that because Bozrah supplied a king for Edom when its first king died, as in Gen. (36:33), “And Jobab the son of Zerah from Bozrah reigned in his stead,” and Bozrah is of Moab, according to the matter that is stated (Jer. 48:24): “Upon Kerioth and upon Bozrah.” this one who was stately in His attire, צֹעֶה, and girded with the greatness of His strength. And the Holy One, blessed be He, replies to him, ‘It is I, upon Whom the time has come to speak of the righteousness of the Patriarchs, and of the righteousness of the generation of religious persecution, and My righteousness, too, is with them, and I have revealed Myself as being great to save.’ And they say, ‘Why is your clothing red? Why are your garments red?’”

“1095. Who is this. Here he begins to treat the separation of the wicked from the good in the execution of the promised salvation. And this is divided into three parts: in the first, he introduces the judge, as though to distinguish between them; in the second, he sets out a petition, to the judge, where it says, I will remember the tender mercies of the Lord (Isa 63:7); in the third, the judge wisely pronounces the separation: they have sought me (ch. 65). Concerning the first, he does two things: in the first, the question is raised of the person of the judge; in the second, the question of the quality of his clothing: why then is your apparel red? (Isa 63:2). 1096. Concerning the first, he does two things. First, he sets out the question; second, the response: I, that speak justice. And it should be known that all the saints agree in explaining these words as referring to Christ; and the question comes from the angels, who indeed did not fully understand the mystery of the Incarnation of Christ, and therefore they asked as though ignorant, as Jerome says. But Augustine seems to say the opposite of this on Genesis, where he says that from the beginning of their creation the angels knew everything that God was going to do, whether he imparted the seminal virtues of things to the things, or retained to himself alone that they would come to be, although it would inhere in things that they could come to be; and thus, it seems that they did understand the mystery in this way. 1097. To which the Gloss on Ephesians 3:8, to me, the least of all the saints, responds, saying that the greater angels understood the mystery, but the lesser angels, whose voice this is, did not know of it. Nevertheless, Dionysius seems to say otherwise in De Cael. Hier. 7.3; for he thinks that this question belongs to the supreme angels, who receive illuminations immediately from God; thus, God immediately responds to them: I, that speak, although from reverence for Christ, they ask each other, like disciples waiting for the response of their teacher. But although the supreme angels knew mysteries of this kind as to the substance of the deed, nevertheless, they did not know them perfectly as to their particular circumstances; thus, the mystery is seen even better by a superior perfect intellect, namely, the divine intellect, than an angelic intellect: therefore, they seek to be more illuminated above this, that they might understand more perfectly. 1098. They are amazed, however, by three things. First, the coming of the victorious one: who is this that comes, into heaven, from Edom, earth, for "Edom" means "bloody" or "earthly"; with dyed garments from Bosra, hell, formerly fortified by a guard of demons. "Bosra" is sometimes the proper name of a certain city in the land of Moab and is sometimes an appellative name, meaning a fortified land or city: thus, it is frequently used for the land of Idumea, which is fortified by mountains, but here it is used for Jerusalem, or hell. Garments, that is, bodily members, dyed, with the blood of his passion, above: behold it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my slaughter unto judgment (Isa 34:5). Second, they are amazed at the beauty of his appearance: this beautiful (formosus) one, from "formo," hot, and thus someone is "formosus" who is roused up because of heat; or from "form," and thus he is called "formosus" because of his shape, that is, the proper symmetry of his members; in his robe, in the clothing of humanity: on whom the angels desire to look (1 Pet 1:12). Third, they doubt his powerful advance, walking, into heaven, not by angelic help, but by his own power, which was unheard of up to this point: upholding all things by the word of his power (Heb 1:3). 1099. I. Here he sets out the response, and he shows himself to be judge: that speak justice, that is, who have authority to bring forth judgment on the Gentiles, above (Isa 42:1); teacher, above: I am the Lord that speak justice (Isa 45:19); and Savior: I am a defender, against the demons, to save, the human race: the Lord is my strength and my praise, and he is become salvation to me (Exod 15:2); the Lord is as a man of war, Almighty is his name (Exod 15:3). 1100. Note on the words, this beautiful one, that Christ is beautiful first, because he glows with the splendor of divinity: who being the brightness of his glory and the figure of his substance (Heb 1:3); second, because he is fashioned in conformity of union: you are beautiful above the sons of men (Ps 44:3[45:2]); third, because he is distinguished by the diverse color of virtue: my beloved is white and ruddy (Song 5:10); fourth, because he is clothed with honesty of conduct: be glorious, and put on goodly garments (Job 40:5). 1104. This may all also be explained literally, so that the Lord would be introduced metaphorically, as though coming to wipe out the various enemy peoples of the Jews, and especially the Edomites. And he, according to the metaphorical manner of speaking, is clothed, above: he put on justice as a breastplate (Isa 59:17).”

“(Version 2.) Why then is your garment red, and your clothing like one who treads in the winepress? LXX: Why are your garments red, and your clothes like those who tread the winepress, full of trampled grapes? Where it is now spoken of as red, in Hebrew it is read as Edom (). Therefore, even above where Edom is written, it is not a place name, but the name of blood. Again, the Angels inquire and say: We have learned that you are the one who speaks of justice, and salvation for all is established in your judgment. Now we want to know why your clothes are stained as if with wine, or what could have caused the tunic, which is woven from above and cannot be torn, to have such whiteness from the virgin womb, as no fuller could achieve on earth, reddened with bloody blood? For mercy is more fitting for you than cruelty: whiteness is more fitting than blood. To these the Lord responded, not with one verse as before, but with many words, in order to teach all those who are ignorant, so that they may not be compelled to seek again.”

“1101. Why then is your apparel red? Here he sets out the second question, concerning his clothing. And first, he sets out the question: why then, as if to say: it is not the just, but the wicked who usually bear the marks of blood like this, not saviors, but rather murderers; like theirs that tread in the winepress: for there is red wine in that region that dyes clothing like blood: and Jesus was clothed with filthy garments (Zech 3:3). Second, he sets out the answer: I have trodden. And first, he assigns the reason for the redness of his garments; second, he goes through the entire order of the matter: for the day of vengeance is in my heart (Isa 63:4).”

“And does not also the Holy Spirit, speaking in Isaiah, testify the same thing concerning the passion of the Lord, saying, "Why are your vestments red and your garments as from treading the wine press full and well-trodden?" For can water make vestments red, or is it water that is trodden by the feet in the winepress or forced out by the press? The mention of wine is placed there, indeed, that in the wine the blood of the Lord may be known and that which was afterward manifested in the chalice of the Lord might be foretold by the prophets who announced it. The treading and pressing of the winepress are also spoken of, since wine cannot be prepared for drinking in any other way unless the cluster of grapes is first trodden and pressed. Thus, we could not drink the blood of Christ unless Christ had first been trodden on and pressed, and unless he had first drunk the chalice of which he should also give believers to drink.”

“I have trodden, etc. This prophecy refers to the destruction of Edom, and the overthrow of the dominion of his religion. I alone have thus decreed against Edom. ואדרכם And I trod them. The form of the verb seems to indicate the future, but in fact the imperfect is meant. וְיֵז And sprinkled. It is similar in form to וַיֵט and he stretched forth (Ex. 9:23). נצחם Their blood. The blood is called נֶצַח lit. time, because through the blood man lives his time; it is of the same root as נצח for ever (34:10). אגאלתי I stained. The א is here substituted for ה, the characteristic of the Hiphil, or the word is a compound of the past and future; I prefer the latter explanation. As to its meaning I stained, comp. יגאלהו shall stain it (Job 3:5)”

“1102. Concerning the first, he does three things. First, he tells of his victory alone: the winepress, namely, the cross on which he was pressed by the weight of his passion, I have trodden, my enemies, alone, suffering and conquering; and of the Gentiles there is not a man with me, to help me, because everyone fled, abandoning him. And he says expressly, not a man, because of the Blessed Virgin, in whom faith never failed: a cluster of cypress my love is to me, in the vineyards of Engaddi (Song 1:13); the Lord has trodden the winepress for the virgin daughter of Judah (Lam 1:15). Second, he touches on vengeance against his enemies: I have trampled on them, the demons, or the Jews; in my wrath, my enkindled anger: you shall walk upon the asp and the basilisk: and you shall trample under foot the lion and the dragon (Ps 90[91]:13). Third, he deduces, as it were, the cause of the redness of his garments: blood, my own blood, for it comes forth from my body, their blood, for it is given over to their power to pour it out, is sprinkled. He says this in the likeness of a victor, whose garments are stained with gore, above: garment mingled with blood (Isa 9:5); I have stained, in their estimation. 1108. Note on the words, I have trodden the winepress (Isa 63:3), that from the winepress of the cross flowed, first, blood to redeem: you were not redeemed with corruptible things, as gold or silver, from your vain conversation, but with the precious blood of Jesus Christ (1 Pet 1:18–19); second, water to clean: he brought forth water out of the rock (Ps 77[78]:16); I will pour upon you clean water (Ezek 36:25); third, oil to heal: the rock poured me out rivers of oil (Job 29:6); fourth, honey to solidify: that he might suck honey out of the rock (Deut 32:13); fifth, wine to console: your presses shall run over with wine (Prov 3:10).”

“He calls "arm" the power of righteousness, for he guarded spotless and free from sin the nature that he assumed. We who have benefited from this good work and have been delivered from that bitter slavery, let us sing praises to the author of these things. He was the one who underwent the battle and provided us with the gift of victory and peace. Let us hope that we can enjoy this victory until the end, by the grace of the one who has conquered.”

“And I looked, and there was no one helping Israel. and I was astounded An expression of keeping silent, and I have already explained it above (57:16): “And He was astounded for there was no intercessor.” and My fury that supported Me My fury that I have against the heathens (the nations [mss. and K’li Paz]), for I was a little wrath with My people, and they helped to harm them. That strengthened My hand and aroused My heart to mete recompense upon them although Israel is not fit and worthy of redemption.”

“Second, he sets out the necessity of salvation: I looked about, and there was none to help, the human race, who could save it, above: he saw that there is not a man (Isa 59:16); or there was none to help, me on the cross: my brethren have withdrawn from me, and my acquaintance have departed from me (Job 19:13); I looked on my right hand, and beheld, and there was no one that would know me (Ps 141:5[142:4]); they compassed me on every side (Sir 51:10[7]). Third, the completion of salvation: and my own arm, my power, has saved for me, that is, accomplished the salvation of resurrection for me, or the salvation of the human race: his right hand has wrought for him salvation, and his arm is holy (Ps 97[98]:1).”

“Fourth, the exposition of his vengeance: and I have trodden down the people, the Jews, through the Romans, and have made them drunk, filled them with affliction, and have brought down their strength, the Jews and the demons, above: the Lord of hosts has designed it, to pull down the pride of all glory, and bring to disgrace all the glorious ones of the earth (Isa 23:9).”

“(Verse 7) I will remember the mercies of the Lord; I will praise the Lord for all the good things the Lord has done for us, and for the abundance of blessings to the house of Israel that he has bestowed upon them according to his mercy, and according to the multitude of his mercies. LXX: I have remembered the mercies of the Lord, I will remember the virtues of the Lord in all the things he has done for us: The Lord, a good judge to the house of Israel, will repay us according to his mercy, and according to the abundance of his justice. Finished, as we believe at first, as many think at second, with the coming of the Savior, in which is implied the voice of the judge, or rather of the combatant, slaughtering his own people and the adversaries of his people, described as bloody and victorious: another section begins, in which the Prophet speaks from the perspective of the people, recounting the benefits of God upon himself and the hardness of his own heart, because of which Jerusalem was set on fire and Israel was handed over to captivity. What the Jews report about the Babylonian times. However, we have shown in order and reason the present time, in which they serve the Romans, and with Israel excluded, a throng of nations has succeeded. Let us therefore run through each part of the speech, and in order to avoid a long-winded explanation, let us briefly expound on them. Crushed by the weight of evils, I have hope in nothing else but in the mercy of God, who shows mercy to thousands of those who love him, and extends his mercy to those who know him. From this it is shown that the mercy of the Lord comes to those who love and know God. It is not of the one who wants or the one who runs, but of the one who has mercy from God (Rom. IX). Unless the Lord builds the house and watches over the city, the one who builds and watches over it does so in vain (Ps. CXXVI). For He will give strength, so that we may have courage and be able to say: My strength and support, and my refuge in the day of my troubles (Jerem. XVI). In the present context, we should understand virtues not as vices and sins, but as difficulties. As it follows in the Septuagint: I will remember the Lord's virtues in all the things He has rewarded me, which in Hebrew are contained as praises to the Lord, let us understand signs and miracles, for which virtues are often mentioned, as in the following passage: I will not give my glory to another, nor my virtues to idols (Isaiah 42:8). And elsewhere: His virtues will be announced in the islands, or among the nations of the whole world, or among the churches which are firmly founded and are more struck than overthrown. Sometimes virtue is not accepted for fortitude and miracles, but for good conduct, as it is said by the Apostles, Peter: Serve with virtue in your knowledge (1 Peter 1:5); and Paul: Whatever is true, whatever is honorable (Philippians 4:8). According to this, it is also said in another place: Better is sterility with virtue. The first understanding of virtue belongs to God, the second is fitting for humans. However, what we have interpreted is this: Above all that the Lord has given us, which can be taken in both a good and bad way, Symmachus more clearly placed it in the retribution of good, saying: For all the things in which He has done us good, and for the multitude of goodness which He has shown upon the house of Israel. Why did they translate the Seventy: The Lord is a good judge to the house of Israel, he has repaid us according to his mercy, and according to the multitude of his justice. But this can only be said by one who understands justly how to endure what he suffers. Finally, in the seventy-second psalm, whose beginning is: How good is God to Israel, the prophet speaks in the person of those whose hearts are upright, who are disturbed by the judgments of God: But my feet were almost shaken: my steps were almost scattered, seeing the peace of sinners, and so on, until the end of the psalm. Therefore, the holy law is good, and the holy commandment is good, just and good, so that goodness is understood in general, and justice is understood in particular. Therefore he writes to the Romans: For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die (Rom. III. 7).”

“"For the Lord is a good judge to the house of Israel." For he is not harsh but benevolent or good. For the task of a harsh judge takes the way of interrogating those sinners like ones standing accused. The good judge has mercy on them as weak ones. Since the judge is good, he will act according to his mercy, that is, he will temper his anger and will work in mercy in making the complaint. For there is so much justice in him that he will prosecute justice to the letter. Therefore, it is fitting that he will not let Israel go unpunished, but rather he will mingle his wrath with kindness, as I said. For a remnant will be saved.…Now he will save them himself, finding nothing worthwhile in them, but only because he loved them and cared for them. This is a strong visible sign of his unequaled philanthropy and the calmness of divinity. For he saved them from the house of slavery, carried them and raised them up. This is what he was talking about at the beginning of Isaiah, "I have borne and raised sons."”

“I, wretched one, cast myself into the pit and the mud of the abyss of shameful thoughts and deeds, and once I had come there, I fell into the hands of those who were concealed by the darkness. From these neither I alone, nor the whole world gathered into one, could have availed to bring me up from there and deliver me from out of their hands.…Even when I in my senselessness rejoiced in being led astray by them, you could not bear to see me led about and dragged in dishonor, but you did have compassion, O Master, and showed pity on me. It was not an angel or a man whom you sent to me, miserable sinner, but you yourself were moved by your tender goodness.”

“1105. I will remember the tender mercies of the Lord. Here the prophet offers a petition to the judge, who comes to speak and fulfill justice. And first, he inclines him to compassion; second, he offers his petition, O that you wouldst rend the heavens (ch. 64). The first of these is divided into two parts: in the first, he inclines him to compassion by recalling his former benefits, which have passed away; in the second, by recalling the dangers which they met: why have you made us to err? (Isa 63:17). Concerning the first, he does two things. First, he sets out the intention: all the things that the Lord has bestowed upon us, for our merits, as in good things, so, in the evils of punishments; good things, which he gave freely, I remembered your mercy, O Lord (Sir 51:11[8]). Second, he describes the intention.”

“(Verses 8-9) And He said: Yet My people are; sons not denying: and He became a Savior unto them. In all their affliction He was not afflicted, and the Angel of His presence saved them: in His love and in His pity He redeemed them, and He bore them, and carried them all the days of the age. 70: And he said: Not my people, the children will never reject. And he became for them salvation from all their tribulation: not a messenger, nor an angel, but he himself saved them because he loved them, and spared them, he himself redeemed them, and received them, and exalted them all the days of the world. Where we have interpreted: In all their tribulation he was not troubled, which in Hebrew is said Lo, and is a denying adverb, for not, it can also be read itself, so that the meaning is: In all their tribulation he himself is troubled, that is, God: so that he himself might bear not only our sins, but also our tribulations. For he himself carries our weaknesses, and he suffers for us. Moreover, the Seventy put another thing that is not found in Hebrew, not an envoy, nor an angel, but he himself saved them: of which we will speak in its proper place. Therefore God, who is a just judge to the house of Israel, and mitigates the severity of justice with mercy in judging: Indeed, I have begotten sons and exalted them, and they have despised me. However, because they are my people, and once named sons, they will not perish forever; if they stop rejecting and denying me, they will recognize the Savior: because he himself was troubled in all their tribulations. Whether he was not troubled, so that he could temporarily abandon them and force them, stripped of his help, to plead. Indeed, He did not afflict them, but on the contrary, while others pursued them, He was their helper and sent His Angel to deliver them from danger. Or according to the Septuagint, He did not want to save His people through angels and prophets and other holy men; rather, He himself descended to the lost sheep of the house of Israel to carry the sick sheep on His shoulders and to find the lost coin, and joyfully welcome the prodigal son upon his return. For this reason, the Bride says in the Song of Songs: Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth. Not through the patriarchs, Moses, and the prophets, but let him take my body, let him dwell in my flesh, let the Word become flesh, and thus let him kiss me dwelling in me, so that he may be Emmanuel. Therefore, not as a messenger, nor as an angel, but he himself will save those who have received salvation: not by the merit of works, but by the love of God. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

“1106. And first, he recalls the benefits, as to their escape from dangers, recalling his particular election: and he, namely, God, said: surely, although they may be against me, they are children that will not deny, namely, Abraham, or that will not deny, because they at least keep my faith: the Lord is my strength and my praise (Exod 15:2).”

“For the grace of the incarnation is of mercy and good will. Aquila translates, instead of "virtues," "hymns"; Theodotion and Symmachus render it "songs of praise." For "make retribution," Symmachus has "work benefits." But the Septuagint is more accurate in putting "make retribution," since we deserved punishment but received salvation instead of punishment.… He switches us to the opposite, giving us good things in place of bad.… He does not use justice only in judging, but he moderates justice with mercy, or rather good will wins over justice.”

“לא The true meaning of the word is to Him; and לא צר (lit., Unto Him was trouble), he was afflicted, has the same meaning as And His soul was grieved (Jud. 10:16). It is a figurative expression. He was, as it were, in distress, therefore He hastened to deliver them. And the angel of His presence. Comp. And sent an angel, and hath brought us forth out of Egypt (Num. 20:16); this does by no means refer to Moses. וינטלם And he bare them. Comp. ונטל and the weight (Prov. 27:3). It refers to the deliverance of Israel from Egypt. And he carried them in their land. כל ימי עולם All the days of the long period of their stay in their own land.”

“And as to his diligent protection: in all their affliction; and he himself was troubled, from compassion; or he was not troubled, right away, but he delayed even now, that they might be corrected; and the angel of his face, that is, the angel that sees my face, saved them, as their leader in the desert: lead this people whither I have told you: my angel shall go before you (Exod 32:34); he has given his angels charge over you; to keep you in all your ways (Ps 90[91]:11). And as to fatherly love: in his love he redeemed them, from Egypt; he carried them, in the desert; and lifted them up, that is, he exalted them over the others in the promised land: Israel was a child (Hos 11:1).”

“(Verse 10) But they provoked Him to anger, and vexed the spirit of His Holy One; and He turned Himself against them as an enemy, and He fought against them. 70: But they did not believe, and they provoked his Holy Spirit: he turned against them as an enemy, he himself fought against them. But if the perceptive reader answers with silent thought, why are many not saved, if he himself saved them, and loved them, and spared his sons, and redeemed them with his own blood, and received and exalted those who were assumed? The clear reason is inferred. But they did not believe, and they provoked his Holy Spirit, or his holy ones, which in Hebrew is called Cadeso. Therefore, God wanted to save those who desired it, and he provoked them to salvation, so that the will might have its reward; but they did not want to believe. Otherwise, it is written about John: There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came to bear witness to the light, so that all might believe through him (John 1:6). And it is not immediately to be blamed if many did not believe, but the intention of the one coming was that all would believe and be saved. But if anyone shall have provoked and afflicted the Holy Spirit, or His Holy Ones, that is, Christ, he provokes God: the same Holy Spirit is of the same nature as the Father and the Son. Therefore, the Apostle commands: Do not grieve the Holy Spirit, in whom you have been sealed (Ephesians 4:30). The Holy Spirit withdraws from a body subject to sin, and does not enter a perverse soul (Wisdom 1). Therefore, David, in order not to lose the Holy Spirit, prayed saying: And do not take away your Holy Spirit from me (Psalm 51:11). And so, that we may know that anyone who vexes the Holy Spirit offends God, and becomes an enemy and foe of a friend, the Apostle Peter speaks more significantly in the Acts of the Apostles: Why have you agreed to lie to the Holy Spirit? You have not lied to men, but to God (Acts V, 9). This is the Holy Spirit, of whom the Lord said in the Gospel: If you love me, keep my commandments: and I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Comforter, that he may be with you forever, the Spirit of truth (John XIV, 15, 16). We also find this in the Book of Wisdom, which is written under the name of Solomon: For the Holy Spirit of discipline will flee deceit and will withdraw from foolish thoughts (Wisdom I, 5).”

“1107. Second, he touches on the benefits as to the remission of faults. And first, he sets out their fault: but they; his spirit, namely God's, or the spirit of his Holy One, Moses, through their various quarrels: and Moses was afflicted for their sakes, because they exasperated his spirit (Ps 105[106]:32–33). Second, he sets out their punishment: and he, namely, God, was turned to be their enemy: the Lord is become as an enemy (Lam 2:5); you are changed to be cruel toward me (Job 30:21).”

“(Vers. 11 seqq.) And he remembered the days of old, Moses and his people. Where is he who brought them up from the sea with the shepherds of his flock? Where is he who put his holy Spirit in the midst of them? He who caused his glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses, who divided the waters before them to make for himself an everlasting name. He led them through the depths like a horse in the desert, they did not stumble. Like a beast going down into the valley, the Spirit of the Lord was their guide. So you led your people, to make for yourself a glorious name. LXX: And he remembered the days of old, Moses and his people, saying: Where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of his flock? where is he that put in the midst of them the spirit of his Holy One? He led them by the right hand of Moses with his glorious arm, dividing the waters before them, to make himself an everlasting name. He led them through the deep, as a horse in the wilderness, they stumbled not. As a beast goeth down into the valley, the spirit of the Lord caused him to rest: so didst thou lead thy people, to make thyself a glorious name. The Lord, who became the protector of the adversaries of the people of Judah, who provoked his Holy Spirit to anger, and he defeated them: he remembered the ancient days, when Moses interceded for them in the wilderness, saying: Either forgive them this sin, or if you do not, blot me out from the book which you have written (Exodus 32:31-32). So Isaiah, recalling the story of old, says: Where is the Moses who led them out of the Red Sea? Where is the shepherd of the sheep? Where is he who labored with the other shepherds of the flock of the Lord? Who obtained and bestowed the Spirit of God through his prayers and supplications on the flock of the Lord? Or surely should it be understood this way: Where is that mercy of the Lord, by which he once had pity on his people, so that he would also grant them the grace of the Holy Spirit? He who led Moses, his servant, with the arm of his majesty to the right side, not to the left; he who split the waters before them, to make for himself an everlasting name, so that his power would be spoken of even to this day? For He led His people through the immense depths of water, like a horse through a wilderness, and beasts through a plain, and the Spirit of the Lord was their guide, that is, the flock of the Lord. (Exodus 14). Now by this Spirit we must understand the Angel, who was the guide of the people of Israel, according to what is written: He makes His angels spirits, and His ministers a flaming fire (Psalm 104:4). And in the Letter to the Hebrews: Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation? (Hebrews 1:14). Let us consider that which is written in the Acts of the Apostles: The Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, and the eunuch saw him no more (Acts 8:39). Should we understand this as referring to an angel? There are those who testify that it was an angel working through the Holy Spirit. We are exploring the obvious in order to dwell on the obscure.”

“And His people remembered the days of old, [the days of] Moses The prophet laments and says in an expression of supplication, Today in exile, His people remembers the days of old, the days of Moses, and in its trouble, it says, Where is Moses our shepherd, who drew us up from the Reed Sea? [like] a shepherd his flock Compared to a shepherd who brings up his flock. Where is he who placed within Israel the Holy Spirit of the Holy One, blessed be He, and taught us statutes and ordinances?”

“Then he remembered the days of old, the days that have passed. משה עמו The days of Moses and his people. As to the asyndeton משה עמוּ comp. שמש ירח the sun and moon (Hab. 3:11). The word משה, however, may also be taken as a participle, meaning he who brought out, who delivered Israel; but the first explanation is preferable. Where is he that, etc. Where is he, that brought them up, out of the Red Sea? את רעה צאנו With the shepherd of his flock. With Moses who was the shepherd of Israel. That put within him, that put within Moses, the angel of the Lord, or, that put in the midst of Israel.”

“Third, he sets out the remission of the fault: and he remembered, at last, Moses, who prayed for them: either forgive them, or strike me out of the book that you have written (Exod 32:31–32); he has remembered his covenant for ever: the word which he commanded to a thousand generations (Ps 104[105]:8). 1109. Where is he that brought them up? Here he laments the same benefits taken away from them. And first, he laments the lack of benefits: where is he that brought them up out of the sea?, Moses, or God; with the shepherds, Miriam and Aaron: she led them out in the hands of the holy prophet (Wis 11:1). Where is he that put in the midst of them the spirit of his Holy One?, Moses, which is found in Numbers 11.”

“There can be no doubt that in refusing the accompaniment of an angel Moses was inviting God to lead them himself. God was making this promise, "This word that you have just spoken I shall accomplish, since you have found favor with me and I know you in preference to all the others." It is also said in Isaiah, "the one who made the shepherd of the sheep to ascend the earth? Where is he who put the Holy Spirit in their midst, who led Moses by his right hand?" … At that time God promised to lead the people himself, and now he promises to send, no longer an angel but the Spirit who is above the angels. It is he who becomes the guide of the people. He thereby shows that the Spirit is neither from among the creatures nor even an angel, but he is superior to creation, united to the divinity of the Father.”

“Where is he who put in them the Holy Spirit, that is, he who established the divine and saving Spirit in them? For the Spirit descended from the Lord and guided them, saying, "David divinely uttered, 'Send forth your word and heal us.' " For the Lord is the Spirit; he works through the Spirit that is of the same nature. Where then is he? For they forgot him and did not seek him, when they clearly should have remembered him and loved him. Where is he who led Moses by the right hand? Moses was great, famous and lofty in dignity. And this is shown in that it says [Moses] led them, working through [the Spirit] who is the right hand of God.”

“"Like cattle that go down into the valley, the Spirit of the Lord gave them rest. So you did lead your people." Through all these words that the prophet speaks about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, he leads the mind back to the wonders that God performed by means of his servant Moses, whom he called the shepherd of his flock, and through whose right hand, which moved the staff, he divided the sea. The staff, therefore, prefigured the cross of Christ, who is the hidden arm of the glory of the Father.”

“As animals that spread in the valley, and a valley is a smooth land, where there is no obstacle, campagne in French, open country. spread out Heb. תֵרֵד, spread out. Comp. (supra 45:1) “to flatten (לְרַד) nations before him.” So did the spirit of the Lord guide them to the deep and make therein a paved road. so You guided Your people So was everything as we said; You guided Your people.”

“As a beast goeth down, etc. After their departure from the sea, God led them through the wilderness as gently as a beast goes down into the valley; thus the spirit of the Lord תניחנו led them that is, Israel; תניחם═תניחנו. The suffix (ו) of the third person singular may however more accurately be referred to Moses, because of the words which follow, So didst Thou lead Thy people; the prophet speaking both of Moses and the Israelites.”

“(Verse 15) Look down from heaven and see, from your holy and glorious habitation. Where is your zeal and your might? The stirring of your inner parts and your compassion are held back from me. LXX: Return from heaven and see, from your holy dwelling and your glory. Where is your zeal and your might? Where is the multitude of your mercies and the compassions you have shown us? You have granted such great things to the people, as the higher discourse has related, that you might lead us worthy of your spirit's companionship. Now also, pay attention from heaven and see our works, if indeed they are worthy of you. Why do you turn your face away from us? But heaven is called the holy dwelling place, and the house of his glory (Psalm 43), according to this: Heaven is my throne: and the earth is my footstool (Isaiah 66:1); and in another place: He who dwells in the heavens shall laugh at them; and: Unto you I lift up my eyes, O you who dwell in heaven (Psalm 113:1). Not that the omnipotent God, who holds heaven in the palm of his hand and the earth in his fist, is confined to any place; but rather that those things which are holier may be said to be his place and dwelling. Finally, Solomon, who built the house of God, speaks to him in prayer, 'The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain you' (Sirach 16:18). And in the Lord's Prayer it is said, 'Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven' (Matthew 6:10). Therefore, wherever God's will is done, that is His dwelling place and the house of God. As for what follows, 'Where is your zeal and your might?' We can explain this with the testimony of God through Ezekiel to Jerusalem, which had followed her lovers: 'I will no longer be angry with you, for my jealousy has turned away from you' (Ezekiel 16:42). And the meaning is this: Because we have sinned and you have begun to hate us, your zeal has departed from us, which does not depart when speaking through Zachariah: I am zealous for Zion and Jerusalem with great zeal (Zech. I, 14). Therefore, in the following, he says: And I will be angry with the nations that have gathered against it all around. But as zeal departs, so does the strength of God, and the affection of the father's womb is overcome, while the incredible mercy of God is defeated by the greatness of sins, so that it may hold itself above my help, who could not see me overwhelmed.”

“Here onwards the prophet prays for every nation, and in the person of the Israelites he presents his supplication. He prays that God will withhold his wrath from them and cease rebuking them and in a forgiving manner subdue Israel's desertion; for there was no one on earth for them other than the true God, one having a glorious home in heaven, their father. Although God is said to dwell in heaven, this should not be thought of him in physical terms. For we say that God is not in a place or to be circumscribed; he is simple, and without a body he fills all things.”

“where are Your zeal Your early zeal. the yearning of Your heart [Lit. the stirring of Your innards,] that were wont to stir concerning us, like the matter that was stated (Jer. 31:19), “Therefore, My heart yearns for him.” And the stirring of your first mercies toward us have been restrained now. They have been restrained from stirring over us as from then. are restrained Heb. הִתְאַפָּקוּ. Comp. (Gen. 43:31) “And he restrained himself and said, Put down food.” He restrained himself, and they did not recognize that his mercies were stirred toward his brother.”

“Look down, etc. The prophet repeats here the prayer of the intelligent portion of those referred to in ver. 10. מזבול From the habitation. Comp. יזבלני will dwell with me (Gen. 30:21). It is a repetition of the preceding idea in other words. התאפקו They are restrained at present. Comp. להתאפק to refrain himself (Gen. 45:1)”

“1110. Second, he inclines the judge to affection. And first, he seeks a hearing: look down from heaven: you will hear from your holy heaven (1 Kgs 8:32). Second, he provokes him to mercy: where is your zeal with which you loved us. Lord, where are your ancient mercies? (Ps 88:50[89:49]); if he withhold the waters, all things shall be dried up (Job 12:15).”

“For Thou art our Father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Sarah travailed not with us, need we inquire further on this point? And if the Psalmist says, Let them be troubled from His countenance, the Father of the fatherless, and Judge of the widows, is it not manifest to all, that when God is called the Father of orphans who have lately lost their own fathers, He is so named not as begetting them of Himself, but as caring for them and shielding them. But whereas God, as we have said, is in an improper sense the Father of men, of Christ alone He is the Father by nature, not by adoption: and the Father of men in time, but of Christ before all time, as He saith, And now, O Father, glorify Thou Me with Thine own self, with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was.”

“(Verse 16) For you are our Father, though Abraham does not know us, and Israel does not acknowledge us. You, O Lord, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is your name. LXX: For you are our Father, because Abraham does not know us, and Israel does not acknowledge us. But you, Lord our Father, free us: from the beginning your name is upon us. For you are our father, the creator of all, says he. Neither Abraham knows us, nor does Israel recognize us, because we have offended you, nor do they know the children who they understand are not loved by their God. A sudden question arises, why did Abraham and Israel, that is, Jacob, receive their names, while Isaac's name remained silent (Gen. XXXII)? To which we will respond, with the beginning and end stated, even the middle shall be named. Or thus: Abraham, called from the Gentiles to faith, underwent a change in his name according to the quality of the preceding and succeeding condition. Jacob, too, worked hard to be called Israel. Hence Abraham had three wives and Jacob had four. But Isaac, from the beginning to the end, possessed an ancient name, indicating the chastity of the Church, content with one wife. Therefore, those who pray for sinners, assume their semblance, to whom joy followed after sorrow. However, this is everything they request, that because He is their father, and He has dignified them with this name, He does not forget His children; lest through them the name of God be blasphemed among the nations.”

“For You are our father and it is incumbent upon You to look and see our troubles. for Abraham did not know us in the trouble of Egypt. neither did Israel recognize us in the desert, for they had already passed away from the world. but You, O Lord, are our father In all of them, You became our father. And our Rabbis expounded this as they expounded in Tractate Shabbath (89b).”

“Thou art our father, and we are Thy children; Thou art a father that is always existing. Though Abraham be ignorant of us, etc. Abraham is mentioned, as having been the first with whom God made a covenant to be a God unto him and his children; Jacob is also mentioned as the last of the patriarchs, and the founder of our nation exclusively. יכירָנו Acknowledge us. Comp. יבדילני instead of יבדילֵני hath separated me (56:3)”

“Third, he sets out a cause for having mercy: for you are our father, and Abraham has not known us, when he was still alive, because we did not then exist; or, even now, he is unwilling to pray for us, because we do not call upon him; or, according to Augustine, because the dead, even the saints, do not know what is to be done for the living: but this is to be understood as to the power of human knowledge, not as to the illumination of divine light: he is your father, that has possessed you, and made you, and created you (Deut 32:6).”

“Your great tolerance encouraged our shamelessness. When you did not punish our sins, we remained transgressors, disregarding your laws. In the same sense, God said to the blessed Moses, "I will harden Pharaoh's heart." He used his great forbearance and tolerance and punishes Pharaoh only with frogs and locusts and flies to begin with, and Pharaoh thought that God could not increase the level of punishment.… You have been patient for a long time; you have not disciplined us, seeing us transgressing without a care; we have accordingly hardened our hearts and as a consequence left the straight path.”

“למה תתענו Why dost thou make us to err. Because God is the highest, first cause of everything, therefore He is mentioned as the cause of this erring. Others take it in a sense similar to that of the Rabbinical phrase לעשות תשובה אין מספיקין בידו he is not permitted to repent (Mishnah Aboth, 5:18). Some are of opinion that this is only the imagination of man; others, again, say that this refers to those duties only which we cannot perform during our exile. the commandments introduced by a formula like When ye be come into the land; the commandments concerning the temple and the service therein. תקשיח Thou removest. Comp. הקשיח He hath removed (Job 39:16). Thy servants, the patriarchs. The tribes of thine inheritance. The twelve tribes of Israel.”

“1111. Why have you made us to err? Here he sets out the evils which they met. And first, as to the evils of their fault: you made us to err, permitting, not sending grace and not correcting, from your ways, commands; you hardened, permitted: he has mercy on whom he will. And whom he will, he hardens (Rom 9:18). 1112. Second, he sets out the evils of their punishment. And first, he asks for mercy: return, from wrath to mercy, for the sake of your servants, our fathers: return, O Lord, how long? And be entreated in favor of your servants (Ps 89[90]:13); convert us, O Lord, to you, and we shall be converted: renew our days, as from the beginning (Lam 5:21).”

“(Verse 18, 19.) Why have you made us err, O Lord, from your ways: you have hardened our heart, so that we would not fear you? Turn again for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your inheritance. Your holy people have possessed nothing: our enemies have trampled upon your sanctuary. We have become like in the beginning: when you did not rule over us, neither was your name invoked upon us. LXX: Why have you led us astray, O Lord, from your holy way: you have hardened our hearts, so that we would not fear you? Convert for the sake of your servants, for the sake of your inheritance, so that we may possess a little of your holy mountain: our adversaries have trampled your sanctuary: we have become as those who were not ruled by you from the beginning: nor has your name been invoked upon us. The letter that Paul writes to the Corinthians, when it is written to the people of a certain city, by reason of the diversity of its inhabitants, that is, of saints and sinners, now praises them, now corrects them, now teaches them, now rebukes them, provokes them to continence; he does not refuse marriage; he refrains from idolatry; he instructs them about the resurrection; he extends his hand to the divorced, so that he does not give a place to fornication. We have said this, so that we may understand that the present chapter, which is entirely covered by the prayer of the people, may be understood either as of the just or of sinners: and now to praise the Lord, now to bring a question to the Lord, and to attribute one's own guilt to God. Hence, even afterwards they speak of this: Why have you made us err, O Lord, from your ways, or have led us astray from your path: you have hardened our heart that we should not fear you? Not that God is the cause of error and hardness, but so that his patience, waiting for our salvation, may seem to be the cause of error and hardness by not punishing the wrongdoers. Being extremely angry with certain people, he refrained from striking them and said: 'I will not visit your daughters when they have committed fornication, and your wives when they have committed adultery' (Hosea IV, 14). He chastises every son whom he receives, and he strikes in order to correct (Hebrews XII). Finally, regarding those who have not lost the title of children but are drawn back to repentance through punishment, he says about them: 'I will visit their iniquities with a rod, and their sins with stripes; but I will not take away my mercy from them' (Psalm LXXXIX, 33). For there is a sorrow that leads to life, and there is a sorrow that leads to death. Hence the sinner speaks in the psalm: You have made our paths turn away from your way, and you have humbled us in a place of affliction (Psalm 44:19). And for forty years the people wander in the desert, so that they may not find the former way, nor return to the Egyptians (Numbers 32). Also in Hosea, the paths of Jerusalem are separated and closed with thorns, so that she may not follow her lovers, and being compelled by need, she may return to her former husband (Hosea 2). And it is said that the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, so that he would not let his people go, and that he would be afflicted with ten plagues (Exodus IV). This question was discussed in great detail by Paul to the Romans (Romans IX). And we have briefly addressed it in a certain work. Turn, O Lord, or turn us on account of your servants, Abraham and Israel, who do not know us, or whom we believe to be among the people. For our adversaries have possessed your holy people as if it were nothing and without any effort. Whether convert us, so that according to the Septuagint, we may possess a little of your holy mountain, because we cannot possess your whole mountain, so that when we have a part, we may come to its fullness and contemplate the glory of the Only Begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1). Concerning this, it is said in the same prophet: In the last days, the mountain of the Lord shall be revealed (Isaiah 2:2). But concerning what is stated above: Why have you made us stray (Isaiah 63:17)? Jeremiah teaches in the fullest sense in what meaning it is to be understood: You have seduced me, Lord, and I have been seduced: you have taken hold of me, and you have been able to ((Al. you have placed)) (Jeremiah 20:7). For while you promise me mercy, and as a merciful father you hide your severity, and as a skilled doctor you hide the sharpest iron, lest you frighten the sick before you cure them, you have made me negligent; therefore, God says about Jerusalem: Behold, I will seduce her, and I will make her like a desert, and I will lay her waste like a land without water, and I will speak to her heart: and I will give her belongings from there, and the valley of Achor for opening understanding (Hosea 1:14, 15). Let us consider the order of these things: he seduces her and makes her a deserted and without water, so that she suffers from thirst for virtues. After she has said: My soul thirsts for you, how greatly my flesh longs for you (Psalm 41:2), then he will speak to her heart and console her in mourning. And he will give her possession, that is, of repentance and sorrow that works salvation. And the humility of her troubled heart (for this is what the valley of Achor signifies) opens understanding, so that she may not ignore her Creator. The enemy, he says, have trampled upon your sanctuary. There is no doubt that it signifies the Temple, which the victorious Romans trod upon. And we have become as in the beginning before we were called in Abraham, and while we were in Egypt, having neither God, nor kings, nor princes, nor prophets, nor the Law of God's commandments (Ose. III), all of which were completed after the passion of the Lord, and are fulfilled even to this day. For when they said: His blood be upon us and upon our children (Matth. XXVII, 25), there remains an everlasting curse, and their God does not reign, nor is his name invoked above, since he is not at all called the people of God.”

“למצער A little while. למצער ידשו עם קדשך The people of thy holiness have possessed the holy land but for a little while, and now the enemies have trodden down, etc. Some explain the verse thus: The people of Thy holiness has been dispossessed (by the enemy) for a small thing, or for a short time, and this latter explanation is right.”

“Second, he sets out their misery as to slavery: they have possessed your holy people as nothing, that is, without resistance, above: O Lord our God, other lords besides you have had dominion over us (Isa 26:13); as to the profanation of their holy places: our enemies have trodden down your sanctuary: the holy places are come into the hands of strangers (1 Macc 2:8).”

“And you did this on account of our turning away from you. For we are now a desert untended by your careful attention. We are now like we were in the beginning. For there was a time when we had neither prophet nor priest not king nor any of your gifts of grace—in like manner we have now come back to the desert. Such were we in Egypt frittering away time before Moses took us out of there. Neither did we have your name to adorn us when we were not called your people, and we did not have a share in your inheritance. And now we have arrived at a similar point. It is right to refer these words to the season after the arrival of our Savior, by whom all those things will in the end be put behind them, through what was dared by our Savior for them.”

“The church is often called "the holy mountain" in the sacred Scriptures, and those from Israel are only a small part of it. For if they had demonstrated faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the company of the faith would have sprung from them for the most part and the Gentiles would have been added in to complete the number. But because of the serious disobedience of the Jews, the people of the church were consequently largely drawn from the nations, and these provided the majority; the former people were few in number (for a remnant shall be saved), so only in small measure will they be called on to the holy mountain, that is, into the church.”

“היינו מעולם וגו' We are like men, over whom Thou hast never ruled. לוא קרעת שמים Some refer this phrase to the revelation on Mount Sinai, and render it As if Thou hadst not rent the heavens; but it is more correct to take לוּ═לוּא in its usual meaning if; (comp. Ps. 84:13), and to explain the sentence thus: If Thou wouldst rend the heavens and come down, that is, if Thou wouldst send forth Thy decrees, then, the mountains, that is, the kings who sit in safety, would flow down at Thy presence. נָזֹלּוּ Would flow down. The Dagesh in the ל is caused by the pause; נָזֹלּוּ is in form similar to יָכֹלוּ they could (Ex. 8:14).”