“And after that Righteous One was put to death, we flourished as another people, and shot forth as new and prosperous corn; as the prophets said, "And many nations shall betake themselves to the Lord in that day for a people: and they shall dwell in the midst of all the earth." But we are not only a people, but also a holy people, as we have shown already. "And they shall call them the holy people, redeemed by the Lord." Therefore we are not a people to be despised, nor a barbarous race, nor such as the Carian and Phrygian nations; but God has even chosen us and He has become manifest to those who asked not after Him. "Behold, I am God," He says, "to the nation which called not on My name." For this is that nation which God of old promised to Abraham, when He declared that He would make him a father of many nations; not meaning, however, the Arabians, or Egyptians, or Idumaeans, since Ishmael became the father of a mighty nation, and so did Esau; and there is now a great multitude of Ammonites. Noah, moreover, was the father of Abraham, and in fact of all men; and others were the progenitors of others. What larger measure of grace, then, did Christ bestow on Abraham? This, namely, that He called him with His voice by the like calling, telling him to quit the land wherein he dwelt. And He has called all of us by that voice, and we have left already the way of living in which we used to spend our days, passing our time in evil after the fashions of the other inhabitants of the earth; and along with Abraham we shall inherit the holy land, when we shall receive the inheritance for an endless eternity, being children of Abraham through the like faith. For as he believed the voice of God, and it was imputed to him for righteousness, in like manner we having believed God's voice spoken by the apostles of Christ, and promulgated to us by the prophets, have renounced even to death all the things of the world. Accordingly, He promises to him a nation of similar faith, God-fearing, righteous, and delighting the Father; but it is not you, "in whom is no faith."”

“I allowed Myself to be sought by those who did not ask The Holy One, blessed be He, replies to him, It is impossible not to avenge Myself on them, for I allowed Myself to be sought by them by reproving them through My prophets, but they did not ask. I said, “Here I am; here I am!” Return to Me, and I am ready to accept you. to a nation not called by My name That did not wish to be called by My name.”

“I was sought, etc. This is the reply of God to the prayer of the Israelites; He says: Your fathers have provoked me, but ‘ I was sought,’ that is, I offered myself to be found whenever they were in trouble, to them that asked me not, that I should be accessible to them. I said, ‘ Behold me, behold me,’ repeatedly through the prophets. That was not called by my name in those days, but by the name of Baal.”

“They have sought me. Here the judge, namely, God, gives the sentence of the separation of the wicked from the good, in the reception of the promised salvation. And this is divided into two parts: in the first, he pronounces the sentence of separation; in the second, he determines the manner of execution: thus says the Lord (ch. 66). Concerning the first, he does two things. First, he promises a response, showing the opportunity of responding: they have sought me that before asked not for me, as if to say: thus far, you Jews have not sought after me, but idols; because you ask, I will respond. Mystically, this concerns the conversion of the gentiles: I was found by them that did not seek me (Rom 10:20). And he sets out the promise: I said: behold me, behold me, to a nation, I will respond, namely, to the Jews, or I will be turned to the converted gentiles, I to my beloved, and my beloved to me (Song 6:2).”

“(Verse 2) I have stretched out my hands all day long to an unbelieving people, who walk in a way that is not good, following their own thoughts. LXX: I have stretched out my hands all day long to an unbelieving and contradicting people, who have not walked in the good way but after their own sins. This, which is said above, 'I appeared to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me,' the Apostle Paul, writing to the Romans, after he had explained concerning the role of the Gentiles, added: But to Israel he says, 'I have stretched out my hands to an unbelieving and contradicting people' (Rom. 10:21), who, though overcome by the Lord's blessings and witnessing signs beyond human capability, said, 'This man does not cast out demons, except by Beelzebub, the prince of demons' (Luke 11:15). And again: You are a Samaritan and have a demon (John 8:48). And again: Though you are only a man, you make yourself out to be God (John 10:33). And elsewhere: This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath (John 9:10). And many other things that would take too long to tell. Finally, when he stretched out his hands to the unbelieving people from the cross and said, 'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing' (Luke 23:34), those nearby said, 'Bah!' He who destroys the Temple, and in three days builds it up again: let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe him. He saved others, himself he cannot save. (Matt. XXVII, 40) . And Simeon, taking the child in his arms, prophesied about him: Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be spoken against. (Luke II, 34) . In Rome, the Jews speak to Paul: We have heard of this sect, that everywhere it is spoken against. (Acts XXVIII, 41) . We can extend our hands and receive in the generosity of the giver, because he denies nothing to those who ask: but immediately restores health to the leper when he asks (Matth. VIII): and receives eyes to the blind man from birth (John. IX): and the hungry, apart from children and women, were satisfied with thousands of people in the desert (Matth. XIV). They signify extended hands and the mercy of a parent who eagerly receives their children into their embrace. Those who walked in the wrong way and followed their own thoughts. To them the Lord speaks through the Prophet: Turn your foot away from the rough path (Prov. IV, 27). For they loved strangers and, like a prostitute, said: I will go after my lovers (Hos. II, 5). And leaving the good way, which is said in the Gospel: I am the way (John XIV, 6), they walked along the wide and spacious road that leads to death, and followed their own thoughts, which the Prophet, avoiding, implores the Lord: Cleanse me from my hidden sins, O Lord, and spare your servant from strangers. If the dominion had not dominated me, then I will be blameless (Ps. XVIII, 13, 14). And the Apostle teaches that those who did not have knowledge of God should be handed over to a reprobate mind and evil works, so that they do things that do not befit them (Rom. I). But let us, the Psalmist, say with our voice: Lead me in the right way (Ps. CXXXVIII, 24).”

“It is the nations who did not have a prophet sent to them who recognize their maker and benefactor, whereas those who received all sorts of care gained no profit but continued in their sinful habits. The phrase "all day long I have held out my hands" refers to the care for them that he gave for all that time, but the saving suffering of the cross in which he stretched out his hands is also alluded to here.”

“I have spread out my hands, etc. According to R. Moses Hakkohen, the preceding verse refers to all nations, as if God said, Even to nations that are not called by my name, I was accessible, but as regards my people I have spread my hands to receive them. הדרך לא טוב In a way that is not good. Supply דרך way before לא טוב not good; comp. טוב ורע עץ הדעת דעת═עץ הדעת טוב ורע the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:9)”

“Second, he sentences separation: I have spread forth my hands. And first, he sentences the separation of the wicked from the good, because of sins of transgression; second, because of sins of omission: and you, that have forsaken (Isa 65:11). The first of these is divided into two: in the first, he threatens punishment for the wicked; in the second, he promises rewards for the good: thus says the Lord (Isa 65:8). Concerning the first, he does two things: first, he denounces their fault of transgression; second, he threatens punishment: these shall be smoke (Isa 65:5). He denounces their fault from three things. First, from their ungratefulness for his benefits: I have spread forth my hands, giving many benefits, all the day, the whole time since I took them to myself; mystically, I have spread forth my hands, on the cross: every one walks (Jer 16:12) in a way that is not good.”

“(Verse 3.) The people who provoke me to anger are always before my face: they sacrifice in the gardens, and offer incense upon bricks (Exodus XX, 4). LXX: This people who provoke me are always before my eyes, they always sacrifice in the gardens, and offer incense upon bricks to non-gods. ** The Lord says: You shall not make for yourself an idol or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath. And they provoked me with strange gods, and with abominations they provoked me to anger. They sacrificed to devils and not to God (Deut. 32:16, 17). They, by their eagerness to sin, as if they were provoking and challenging God, not only did what was not allowed, but continuously and always sinned in the sight of the Lord, whose eyes see everything, even in his temple, sacrificing victims to idols. So that nothing would indeed be lacking in sacrilege, they would sacrifice in gardens and burn incense on bricks, joining the luxury of idolatry with the pleasure of sacrifices, and instead of one altar built according to God's law from unpolished stones, they would smear cooked bricks and strips of land with the blood of the victims. Let it be said in a literal sense: otherwise, according to spiritual understanding, every heretic provokes the Lord to anger and offers impure sacrifices in the falsehood of their teachings, which are by no means firm and lasting forever, but rather like gardens that quickly wither, providing for the delights of the flesh. To whom it is said: All flesh is grass, and all its glory is like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls: but the word of the Lord, which is preached in the churches, remains forever (Isaiah 40:6-7). Not wanting his vineyard to become gardens, Naboth refuses to them to the impious king Ahab and he sheds blood (1 Kings 21). For it was not fitting for the paternal inheritance to perish: and so that the vineyards, which bring forth the fruit that gladdens the heart of man, would not be replaced with vegetables of virtue, delights, and vices. It is said that the most wise sentiment among the Greeks, rightly celebrated and praised, calls all the pleasures of the world, the pomp of the world and the quickly passing luxury, the gardens of Adonis. The heretics also sacrifice over stones, when they try to strengthen their errors and exquisite lies by the art of dialectic, and to construct them into a square, and to strengthen them with linear necessities, as they say, that is, they cover them with scattered dust and reinforce them with drawn lines. But what is read in the Septuagint, which is not found in Hebrew, is to be understood in the sense that, according to the letter and the spirit, demons do not exist, because they have already fallen from God, who truly is. Nor do heretical sects, which hold no truth, but pass away and perish like shadows. Hence Esther also speaks to the Lord: Do not give your inheritance to those who do not exist. And the saint prays in the psalm: Forgive me, so that I may be refreshed before I depart and no longer exist (Ps. XXXVIII, 14). For whoever, while living in this body, has not obtained the forgiveness of sins, and thus departs from life, perishes to God and ceases to exist, although they may continue to exist in punishment.”

“Second, from the continuity of their sinning: a people that continually provoke me to anger before my face, for all things are naked and open to his eyes (Heb 4:13), or because they placed idols in the temple: they have provoked me with that which was no god (Deut 32:21). Third, from the variety or seriousness of their sins, as to four things. First, as to the worship of idols: that immolate, to idols, in gardens, for they worshipped idols in places of pleasure, upon bricks, upon altars constructed from bricks, so that they could sustain the fire of sacrifice, above: they shall be confounded for their idols (Isa 1:29).”

“But what is read in the Septuagint, namely, "to demons that are not," and is not included in the Hebrew text, must be taken to mean that no demons exist, either in the literal or in the spiritual sense; this because they have already fallen away from God, who truly is. Neither do sects of heretics that retain no truth exist, but they are transitory and die like shadows. For this reason did Esther say to the Lord, "Do not surrender your heritage to those who are not." The holy one also prays in the Psalter: "Know me not, that I may find relief before I depart to exist no longer." For whoever did not obtain the forgiveness of sinners while living in this body, leaving life in such a condition, also perished from God and therefore ceased existing, even though continuing in punishment.…Wrath, therefore, which is desire for retribution, is not the same in God as it is in people, for its material cause lies in our sins, not in God's will. We are the ones who "store up wrath for ourselves on the day of wrath and the day of the revelation of the just judgment of God," so that the thorns and thistles and briars, which we have produced from the seed of God, like the wood, hay and stubble with which we built on Paul's foundation, should be consumed by flames of wisdom. And we read about this perpetual fire in the song of Moses: "A fire is kindled in my fury, and it will burn to the depths of hell and will devour the earth and its produce. It will set the foundations of the mountains ablaze, and my arrows will destroy them." The meaning of this testimony is that the fire and vengeance of God will burn continually against sinners and that he will pursue them to hell.”

“They sit among the graves so that a spirit of defilement of demons should rest upon them. and with corpses Heb. וּבַנְּצוּרִים. They are the bodies of the dead, who are as placed in a siege (מָצוֹר), unable to get out. and broth of abominations Heb. מְרַק, despicable broth. Comp. (Jud. 6:20) “And the broth (הַמָּרָק) pour out.””

“Second, as to their enthusiasm for divinations: that dwell in sepulchers, that they might have answers from the dead; in the temples (delubris), temples of idols so called from diluendo ("washing"), for they thought all things were washed away there; or because of the fonts, which were there for washing the victims and priests; and sleep, upon the hides of the victims for the purpose of divination: your temples shall be destroyed (Ezek 6:6). Third, as to the uncleanness of their food: that eat swine's flesh, and profane broth, from pork, below: they that did eat swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse (Isa 66:17).”

“Here is the power that avenges. It is said that he, hearing these things, is minded to comfort us in our ignorance. For since the memory is maintained for us from writings of actions in the past that encourage us to remember and almost bring to life in our minds those actions of long ago, this is what he teaches. Now all these things are known to God and before they happened. They were already in his mind.”

“So insofar as they say, "Do not touch me, because I am pure," they are like this Pharisee who had invited the Lord and who thought [the Lord] did not know the woman, just because he had not stopped her touching his feet. But in another respect the Pharisee is better, in that while he thought Christ was only a man, he did not believe that sins could be forgiven by a man. So the Jews appear to have a better understanding than the heretics. What did the Jews say? "Who is this who even forgives sins?" Does a mere man have the audacity to claim this for himself?" What … does the heretic say? "I forgive, I cleanse, I sanctify."”

“Which say. They, the unclean, say to the others, that have never eaten swine’s meat, etc. גשה אליך═קרב אליך Stand by thyself. Lit. Go nearer to thyself. קדשתיך I am holier than thou. It is an intransitive verb; as to the suffix, קרשתיך I am holier than thou. comp. יצאוני have gone out of me (Jer. x 20); similarly קדשתיך has the same meaning as קדשתי ממך I am holy, more than thou. אלה עשן באפי These put smoke in my nose.”

“Fourth, as to their contempt for the just: that say, namely, to those who do not adore idols: he is grievous unto us (Wis 2:15); or that say, to God: who say to God: depart from us, we desire not the knowledge of your ways (Job 21:14). These shall be smoke. Here he threatens punishment. And first, the length of the punishment: smoke, that is, like smoke is consumed by fire, so shall they be burned by my anger: a fire is kindled in my wrath, and shall burn even to the lowest hell (Deut 32:22).”

“(Verse 6, 7.) These people will be in my fury, a burning fire all day long. Behold, it is written before me: I will not keep silence, but I will repay and recompense into their bosom your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together, says the Lord, who sacrificed upon the mountains and upon the hills, reproached me, and I will measure their work first into their bosom. LXX: This is the smoke of my fury: a fire burns in it all the days. Behold, it is written before me: I will not be silent until I repay and recompense their sins, and the sins of their fathers, says the Lord, those who burned incense on the mountains and on the hills have reproached me; I will repay their deeds into their bosom. Because of your deeds and your incredible arrogance of mind, thinking that the unclean are clean, you shall be smoke, a burning fire that is kindled by my fury. But we must understand fury, forgetfulness, anger, repentance in God in the same way as we understand feet, hands, eyes, ears, and other bodily members which are said to belong to an incorporeal and invisible God. Not in the sense that these perturbations are open to Him, Who, by His gift of grace, extinguishes them in us, but in the sense that we understand by our words the affection of God toward us. For anger is not defined in God as it is in men, who find its material in our vices rather than in the will of the Lord, Who will heap His anger on us on the day of wrath and of the revelation of His just judgment, to burn up our thistles, thorns, and tares, which we have brought forth instead of the seed of God, and also the wood, hay, and stubble which we have built on the foundation of Paul (I Cor. 3). We read of this perpetual fire in the song of Moses: A fire is kindled in my anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell. It shall consume the earth and its produce, and shall burn the foundations of the mountains, and my arrows shall pierce them (Deut. XXXII, 22). The meaning of this testimony is that the fire of God's wrath always burns against sinners and pursues them even to the depths of hell. Such was also the rich man in the Gospel (Luke XVI), clothed in purple, who, while Lazarus rested in the bosom of Abraham, was tormented by eternal fires. It will also burn the earth, that is, our flesh, and its offspring, that is, the desires of the flesh, with the same flame. And it will destroy the foundations that rise up against the knowledge of God. It will also scatter the arrows of God's mountains, so that humiliated in punishment, they cease to be mountains. Behold, it is written before me. For all our sins are open to the eyes of God, and they are written in these books, as we read in Daniel: Thrones were set up and books were opened (Dan. 7:10). Of these, it is said in another place: Let them be written above the earth (Jerem. XVII, 13). And he who had said previously will by no means remain silent any longer, I was silent: shall I always be silent? says the Lord (Isai. XLII, 14). But he will give to each one according to what he has done in his bosom, that is, in the secret of his heart, so that his own conscience may torment them. About which the prophet Hosea also prophesies: Their leaders will fall by the sword because of the insubordination of their tongue (Hosea VII, 16). This is their deviation within themselves, which proceeds from the heart of each individual. Something similar is written in Proverbs; All things are returned to the wicked in their own deviation. The term 'sinus' is also called 'caput' in another sense, relating to the ruling part of the soul (Greek: ἡγεμονικὸν). Their ways are directed towards their heads. And elsewhere: His pain will turn upon his own head, and his wickedness will descend upon the crown of his head. But there is also a good bosom, which enjoys the sanctity of conscience, of which the Psalmist said: And my prayer will be turned into my bosom (Psalm 34:13). Bosom here refers to any affection and love, such as when speaking to a husband, 'The wife that is in your bosom'; or to a parent, 'Bring your children into your bosom' (Luke 16). Therefore, all who have Abraham as their father and have deserved to be like him in virtues, find rest in his bosom. For we should not accept those fathers, whose injustices and sins are now being repaid to us, from whose seed our bodies are born. Otherwise, Moses himself, who said that the sins of the fathers are to be repaid to the third and fourth generation, interprets his own statement, saying: The children shall not die because of the sins of the fathers, but each one shall die in his own sin. With the approval of the same Ezekiel, it is said that the parable 'The fathers ate sour grapes, and the children's teeth were set on edge' (Ezek. XVIII, 2) should not be spoken in that way, but only the teeth of the one who eats are set on edge, and the sinful soul perishes without expiating external sins. From this we understand, either in a positive or negative sense, that each father to whom one is assigned is to be taken when he has departed from this life. But they sacrificed upon the mountains and hills of Israel, when they set up golden calves in Bethel and Dan. And they reproached God with their commandments, while neglecting His ceremonies, and they gave worship to demons instead of God: the works of which should be restored in their bosom (Hosea 4). And every heretic who despises the simplicity of the Church sacrifices on the mountains and reproaches God, while despising His commandments.”

“For we are not obliged to accept as parents those whose iniquities and sins now return to us, but only those from whose seed our bodies were born. Elsewhere, Moses, who had said that the sins of the parents shall return to the third and fourth generation of those who hate God, interpreted the verse that we are considering: "It is not on account of the sins of their parents that the children will die, but each one will die for his own sin," with Ezekiel confirming the same interpretation, saying that one should never repeat the proverb, "the parents ate sour grapes and the teeth of their children suffered," but that only the teeth of those who do the eating are affected, meaning that the sinful soul itself dies; it is not punished for sins that it did not commit. From this we understand that when every individual departs this life, he or she must accept the parents who were assigned to them, either for good or otherwise.”

“Third, the multitude of the punishments, because they are for all the sins of their fathers: but I will render: I am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children (Exod 20:5). Who have reproached me, by adoring idols in the high places; and also for the sins of their youth: and I will measure back their first work, as if to say, I will make the punishment commensurate to the fault, above: she has received of the hand of the Lord double (Isa 40:2).”

“Once again the richness of the loving nature of God is shown clearly in this simile. For just as mature wine is found on the vine for whose sake the whole is saved, spared and is not cut off by anyone, so too [God says], "If I find anyone serving me, I will spare them all, just as I swore to Abraham. When I was threatening judgment of Sodom, I showed my compassion even to five people." He says this to establish his goodness.”

“(V. 8) Thus says the Lord: Just as when a grain is found in the cluster, and it is said: do not destroy it, for there is a blessing in it; so I will do for the sake of my servants, that I will not destroy them all. LXX: Thus says the Lord: Just as when a grape is found in the cluster, and it is said: do not touch it, for there is a blessing in it; so I will do for the sake of my servant, that I will not destroy them all. The Lord declared that Israel would perish and all their sins would be revealed before their eyes, and He would repay them according to the works of each individual in their bosom. After this, he presents a similitude and example of comparison, in order to teach that everyone perishes in their own sin, and even if there is a great multitude of sinners, one righteous person does not perish due to the fault of all. If someone, he says, takes a cluster of grapes that could not ripen, and brings fruits that have turned sour, or is corrupted by some fault of the air or earth, they find one intact seed which has the hope of becoming even greater and reaching its usual ripeness. Let them say to another person, do not touch it, but let it grow, because it is the blessing of the Lord that in such a multitude of grapes, only one would escape dryness. Likewise, he says, with the countless multitude of Jews who have offended God, if I find a few righteous ones, I will deliver them from the destruction of the many. And I will do this for the sake of my servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to whom the promise was made, or for the sake of those who serve me among many sinners. We read something similar in Genesis, when from fifty down to ten the righteous are gradually sought after, who could free the city from sin (Gen. XVIII), and only the righteous Lot is saved from Sodom with his daughters (Gen. XIX). This is written about in the Catholic Epistle (II Pet. II), that his soul was tormented by witnessing abominable acts, and that the judgment of his soul demonstrated the character of his body. Enoch also, among the very numerous multitude of sinners, was alone taken up to God (Genesis 5). And Noah, with his children, because he turned away from the servitude of the Lord, could not destroy the Flood (Genesis 7). But Abraham, preserved from the fire of the Chaldeans by the integrity of his faith (Genesis 11). In this sense, the words of Jeremiah, spoken from the perspective of the Lord, agree: 'I have found Israel like a warm desert, with those slain by the sword' (Jeremiah 38:2 in the Septuagint; in the Vulgate, Jeremiah 31:2). For when, he says, the whole world lay wounded by idolatry as if slain by the sword, Israel was found to have the warmth of faith in Abraham, like a physician who, after a battle among the dead bodies, where he perceives some vital signs in the pulsing veins, applies care to the wounds in order to restore health. For it is written, ὡς θερμὸν, that is, like something warm, deceived by the ambiguity of the word, the Latin interpreter translated it as "lupinum," in which even many of the Greeks err. And yet it should be known that in Hebrew it is written as 'Thoda' (), which means grace; namely, that Israel is saved by the grace of God and not by the merit of their own works.”

“As when wine is found in the cluster Jonathan renders: As Noah was found innocent in the generation of the Flood. the wine This is Noah, who was sweet. in the cluster Heb. בָּאֶשְׁכּוֹל. In the bereft (הַמְשֻׁכָּל) generation. This may also be interpreted according to its apparent meaning. for the sake of My servants For the sake of every righteous man found among them.”

“Thus saith the Lord, As the new wine, etc. Although they have sinned, it will, nevertheless, be in those days as when the new wine is found in the cluster and one saith to the other do not destroy it, for a blessing is in it. I shall do the same for the sake of my servants, the righteous men of Israel, during their exile; namely, I shall not utterly destroy them.”

“Thus says the Lord. Here he promises rewards to the good. And first, as to their preservation from evils: as if a grain, of a grape; it is a blessing, that is, it pleases God for it to be reserved for a blessing; for the sake of my servants, your fathers; that I may not destroy the whole, people of the Jews, above: it shall be as when one gathers (Isa 17:5) clusters in the vintage.”

“(Verse 9) And I will bring forth offspring from Jacob, and from Judah those who possess my mountains; my chosen ones will inherit it, and my servants will dwell there. They will pasture their flocks in the open fields and find rest in the valley of Achor, for my people who have sought me. He who above called the grape of the goblet, or the berry, or (as many wills) the cluster, now calls it the seed of Jacob and Judah, who possess the mountains or its mountain. Many understand the seed of Jacob and Judah to mean Christ, of whom it is said in Genesis: Judah, your brothers shall praise you (Gen. XLIX, 8), and so on. For no one doubts that the Savior was born from the lineage of Judah. Others, however, understand it to mean the Apostles, of whom we have often said: A remnant will be saved (Isai. I, 9). And: Unless the Lord of hosts had left us seed, we would have been as Sodom, and we would have been like Gomorrah (Rom. IX, 29). They have possessed the mountain of the Lord conscious of dwelling in Christ, saying: We have come to Mount Zion and the heavenly city of the living God, Jerusalem (Heb. XII, 22). Or its mountains, of which it is sung in the Psalms: Mountains surround it, and the Lord surrounds his people (Psalm CXXIV, 2). And: His foundations are in the holy mountains (Psalm 86:1). But the elect of the Lord shall possess Zion, and they shall dwell in it, his servants. Of whom it is written in the same volume: The seed of Abraham, his servants, the sons of Jacob, his elect (Psalm 105:6). Therefore, whoever is still seed, not yet formed into a son, is a servant of the Lord, to whom he says in the Gospel: I know that you are the seed of Abraham, but you are not yet sons (John 8). For if they were Abraham's seed, they would do the works of Abraham. But the one who is a son, he is also chosen by the Lord. Therefore the chosen one possesses Jerusalem, and the servants dwell in it, and it is said that there is a distinction between the sons and servants: You have not received again the spirit of bondage in fear, but the spirit of adoption (Rom. VIII, 15). And it shall be, he says, fields or forests for sheepfolds. In Hebrew, it is called Sharon for fields. Every region around Lydda, Joppa, and Jamnia is suitable for grazing flocks. Concerning this, it is written in the Acts of the Apostles: 'The wilderness will turn into pastures' (Acts 9), as it is also sung in the psalm: 'The voice of the Lord perfects the stags, and it reveals the pastures' (Psalm 28:9), or the dense forests, so that thieves may cease to lurk there, and venomous beasts and poisonous animals, and the once places of ambush and bloodshed, may be transformed into churches of the Lord, and the flocks may be grazed there by Him who laid down His life for His sheep. Concerning which it is written: He himself shall feed us forever (Psalm 45:15). This voice, fulfilling the deer, and revealing the depths of the forest, cries out through John in the wilderness: Now the axe is laid unto the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bring forth good fruit shall be cut down, and cast into the fire (Matthew 3:10). And again: Every valley shall be filled (Luke 3:5); concerning which it is also said now: and the valley of Achor for a fold of cattle, and for a resting place for my people who sought me. From which, in the book of Joshua son of Nun, we read that Acham, who stole from the ban and the spoils of Jericho, was killed there, along with all his household, because he had troubled the people. The place itself, where it happened, was called Achor, which means the name of trouble and tumult (Jos. VII). Therefore, the Valley of Achor, where there was once a curse and punishment, will be a resting place for cattle. Paul, explaining this, says: Is God concerned about oxen (I Cor. IX, 9)? That truly he speaks concerning us, for it is necessary that he who plows, plow in hope, and he who threshes the threshing floor, thresh in hope, so that he may partake. Concerning this valley, it is mystically written in Hosea: 'I will speak to her heart, undoubtedly Jerusalem; and I will give her vineyards from there, and the Valley of Achor, so that her understanding may be opened.' (Hosea 2:14) For this reason, the Valley of Achor is given as a possession of the cattle of the people of God, and the pastures are turned into sheepfolds, so that understanding may be opened, and the truth of the Lord may be known.”

“The holy Scripture often calls the church "the holy mountain" whose lesser part came from Israel. For if Israel had received the faith that is in our Lord Jesus Christ, they would have formed the greater part of the church's composition, and the multitude of the nations would have been added to them. But because they did not believe, they became the lesser of the two. The nations became greater, while Israel became quite small. For the remnant will be saved. Therefore they inherit a small portion in the holy mountain, that is, the church.”

“Those who have attained the summit of perfection have as their harbor not life, or the resurrection or any of these admirable things but the desired One himself, for whose sake they counted misfortune a delight, and weary toil the sweetest repose, and time spent in the desert more desirable than city life, and poverty fairer than wealth and irksome slavery sweeter than any position of authority. This is the reward awaited by the doers of virtue. "It is an inheritance for those who serve God," as the prophet Isaiah exclaims.”

“Second, as to their advancement in good things. And first, as to the multiplication of their seed: and I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, above: except the Lord of hosts had left us seed, we had been as Sodom (Isa 1:9). Second, as to the restoration of the inheritance of their fathers: and my elect shall inherit it: they shall possess you for their inheritance: and you shall be their inheritance (Ezek 36:12).”

“עמק עכור The valley of Achor. This valley is near Jerusalem; comp. And the valley of Achor for a door of hope (Hos. 2:15). Others render it, Valley of trouble, comparing it with עכר that troublest (1 Kings 18:17). The latter is a forced explanation. For my people that sought me. For He will remember those that seek another besides Him.”

“If a person, because he is too tenacious of life or too weak in the face of suffering, or because of the apparently convincing arguments of such as seek to induce us to accept the evil choice, has denied the one and only God and his Christ and borne testimony to demons or goddesses of fortune, then this person must realize that in doing this he is "setting," as it were, "a table for the demon and offering libations" to Fortune, "forsaking the Lord" and "forgetting his holy mount." He will incur the reproaches written in Isaiah.”

“We have frequently spoken of the Lord's "holy mountain," which the people of Israel are here said to forget, as either the Lord and Savior, who is the mountain of mountains and the saint of all saints, or as Mount Zion and the heavenly Jerusalem, city of the living God. … According to the tropological sense, it must be said that all who desert the church and forget the holy mountain of God and deliver themselves to the spirits of error and to the teachings of demons thereby "prepare a table for Fortune," believing that everything is governed either by the vagaries of fortune or by the course of the stars but nothing by God. Paul rebukes these people, saying, "You cannot share in the table of the Lord and in the table of demons."”

“who forsake the Lord The wicked of Israel who adopted paganism and died in their wickedness. who set a table for Gad The name of a pagan deity on the name of the zodiac, and in the language of the mishnah, (Shabbath 67b) “May my fate be lucky (גָד גַּדִּי) and not fatigued.” for a number Heb. לַמְנִי . According to the number of the computation of the priests, they would fill basins of mingled wine. mingled wine Heb. מִמְסָךְ, wine mingled with water as was customary. Comp. (Prov. 23:30) “To search for mingled wine (מִמְסָךְ).” Also (ibid. 9:2), “She mingled (מָסְכָה) her wine.” Some interpret לַמְנִי, to the pagan deities that you appointed (מִנִּיתֶם) over yourselves, but וּמָנִיתִי אֶתְכֶם, which is not punctuated וּמִנִּיתִי with a ‘dagesh,’ indicates that it is an expression of counting.”

“הַשְׁכֵחִים That forget, (lit., that are forgetful). It is an adjective, similar in form to יְרֵאִים afraid (1 Sam. 23:3). לגד For the host of the heavens. R. Moses Hakkohen says, that גד means the planet Jupiter which forebodes only good things; that in Arabic the word has the same meaning; but that בגל (Gen. 30:11) is different from it. למני For Meni. According to some מני (lit., number) is the name of the Zodiac, because each of its constellations has a certain number of stars. R. Moses Hakkohen says that מני is the name of one star. the moon. ממסך Drink offering. Comp., מסכה she hath mingled (Prov. 9:2)”

“And you, that have forsaken. Here he separates the wicked from the consolation of the good, because of their sins of omission. And first, he threatens punishment for the wicked; second, he promises rewards for the good: because the former distresses are forgotten (Isa 65:16). Concerning the first, he does two things. First, he threatens them because they have abandoned God, and he sets out their fault: and you, Jews; that set for fortune, a god of the Egyptians, a table: he touches upon a ritual in which this god was worshipped, for, at the end of the year, a table was prepared for him, crammed with every food: they forsook God who made them, and departed from God their savior (Deut 32:15).”

“(Verse 12.) Because I called and you did not answer, I spoke and you did not hear. But you did evil in my sight and chose what I did not want. LXX: I called you and you did not hear, I spoke and you despised, and you did evil in my presence and chose what I did not want. You have been handed over to the sword, for not only have you forsaken me and forgotten me, but you have also mixed the cup of fortune. But when I was Emmanuel, that is, God with us, about whom John also writes: The Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14), I called you in the present: Return to me, O returning children (Jeremiah 3:14). And: Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened (Matth. XI, 28), and you did not want to respond. I have spoken in parables, and I have done everything that I should do, and you did not hear me, rather you despised me. For I am the one who said before: I came and there was no man: I called, and there was no one who obeyed (Isai. L, 2). And it was not enough for you to show impiety by despising me while I am present, and to send the heir, sent to you, to be killed; but you did evil in my sight, and you chose what I did not want, and you blasphemed the Son of God, so that you would choose Barabbas the thief, the author of murder and sedition; and yet you dare to say: Why did you make us stray from your way (Isai. LXIII, 17)? If those who did not know me found me, and those who did not call upon me received me, to whom you are worthy of tortures, who rejected me when I was sent to you and saying: I have come only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 15:24), but instead you crucified me? Let us consider what it means when he says: And you chose what I did not want; or what is the will of the Son of God, who speaks in the Gospel: Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven (Matthew 7:21). About which God Himself says: 'I wanted to do Your will' (Ps. 39:9). This is the will about which the Lord Himself spoke: 'I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will' (Acts 13:22). Therefore the saint prays and says: 'Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God' (Ps. 143:10). For all things are lawful, but not all things are expedient. And the Apostle says about virgins that he does not have a command from the Lord, but he still wishes them to be as he is himself (1 Cor. 7). From this he shows that the indulgence of the master should by no means be followed, but rather his will (I Cor. VII); and that we should choose what is profitable, not what is permissible, as is the case with second marriage. I want young women to marry, to bear children, to be mothers of families (I Tim. V, 14). And he sets forth the reasons why he grants these things: For certain things have gone astray in the past after Satan. Therefore, the pure will of the second marriage is not to be belittled by a comparison to fornication.”

“ומניתי And I will number. The repetition of the same root is considered as an elegance in Hebrew. Comp. גד גדוד עודנו Gad, a troop shall overcome him (Gen. 49:19); דן ידין Dan shall judge (ibid. 16). Thus the verb ומניתי is used because of מני at the end of the preceding verse; it means I shall number; comp. מונה that telleth (Jer. 33:13)”

“And he sets out the punishment: I will number you in the sword, as if to say: so that none remain who will not be crushed: they shall fall by the sword, and by the famine (Jer 44:12). Second, because they did not obey when they were called back, and he sets out the fault: because I called and you did not answer: I called, and you refused (Prov 1:24).”

“I am not ignorant of how great a diversity of opinions exists among humans. I am not speaking of the mystery of the Trinity, the correct confession of which is ignorance of knowledge, but of other ecclesiastical doctrines, namely, the Resurrection and the state of souls and human flesh, the promises of the future, how they should be understood, and how the Revelation of John should be understood, which, if taken literally, requires us to be Judaizers; if interpreted spiritually, as it is written, we will appear to be opposing the opinions of many ancient authorities: of the Latins, Tertullian, Victorinus, Lactantius; of the Greeks, to pass over the others, I will mention only Irenaeus, the bishop of Lyon, against whom the most eloquent man, Dionysius, the bishop of the Church of Alexandria, wrote an elegant book, mocking the fables of a thousand years, the golden and gem-studded Jerusalem on earth, the restoration of the Temple, the blood of sacrifices, the Sabbath rest, the injury of circumcision, marriages, childbirth, the education of children, the delights of banquets, and the slavery of all nations; and again, wars, armies, triumphs, and the deaths of conquerors and the hundred-year-old sinner. To whom did Apollinarius respond with two volumes, whom not only the people of his own sect, but also a very large number of our own followers in this matter, follow eagerly, so that I can already foresee with a prescient mind how great the rage against me will be incited by them. I do not envy them, if they love the earth so much that they desire earthly things in the kingdom of Christ; and after an abundance of food and the gluttony of the throat, they seek those things that are under the belly. Concerning these, the apostle Paul says: 'Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food' (I Cor. VI, 13). And 'The kingdom of God does not consist in food and drink' (Rom. XIV, 17). And the Lord and Savior said, 'You are wrong, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection, people neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven (Matthew 22:29-30).' And in saying this, I do not take away the truth of the body, which will rise again incorruptible and immortal: it will change in glory, not in substance. And so we must walk the straight path, neither leaning to the left nor to the right, that is, we must not follow Jewish or heretical error. Some of those who are of the flesh, love only the things of the flesh: others, ungrateful for God's blessings, refuse to have what Christ had both in his birth and in his resurrection. For when the apostles thought he was a spirit, or according to the Gospel which the Nazaraeans, who are Hebrews, read, a disembodied demon, he said to them: Why are you troubled, and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet, for I myself am he: touch me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have. And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet (Luke 24:38, 39). And again he spoke to Thomas, who was doubting: Put your finger here and see my hands; and put out your hand and place it in my side; do not be unbelieving, but believing (John 20:27). Finally, to prove the reality of his body, it is written that he ate food, which is also ordered to be given to the daughter of the ruler of the synagogue, whom he raised from the dead. And Lazarus, so that his resurrection would not be considered a phantom, is reported to have had a meal with the Savior (Mark 5; Luke 13; John 12). Not that after the resurrection we eat and drink, as our adversaries the Millenarians would have it, and that immortal and incorruptible bodies need earthly nourishment to sustain them; otherwise, where there is food, diseases follow; where there are diseases, doctors are necessary; where there are doctors, there is often death; and then, there is resurrection again, and a new way of life; but rather, the consumption of food proves the faith in the resurrection.”

“In all these things, whatever has been predicted only, not promised, pertains to the persons of the wicked. Nor should that which because of the merit of wickedness, severity threatens to be inflicted, be said to have been promised by the generosity of goodness. If there are things that pertain to the persons of those who serve God, these have been both predicted and promised.This is also the point of the words of our Savior where he says, "And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." He predicted and promised the reward that the just would enjoy, but he did not promise but predicted the torments with which the unjust would be punished. Not so he predestined the saints to receive justice, because the "merciful and just Lord" could freely deliver from depravity whomever he wished. But he was never the doer of the depravity, because no one was ever depraved except insofar as he went away from God. Nor did God predestine anyone to go away, even though by divine knowledge he foreknew that he would go away.”

“These things are predicted to warn those not fearing the Lord and who do not turn to him, whereas those who serve me will not only weave another kind of outcome, but just as with the patriarchs, they will receive a name and on account of their deeds new names. When the Jews were unrepentant, this name was given to the Gentiles, a name that will stand forever, that is, the name of Christians. They no longer glorify idols, singing hymns to them as if to gods. Now they sing to God, their creator. They worship him and enjoy his blessings.”

“But even if we are clearly something new, and this truly recent name of Christians has only recently been known among all the nations, our life and manner of conduct in accordance with the very teachings of our religion have not been recently fashioned by us, but, as it were, from the first creation of humanity have been established by the natural concepts of the God-favored people of old.… And by deeds more manifest than words is Abraham's manner of religion shown to be practiced at present among Christians alone.”

“Third, in difference of name, and first, he sets out the sort of name the impious shall have: and you shall leave your name for an oath to my elect, that they might confirm their words thus: if it is not so, so shall it happen to me as happened to them: by the sword, and by the famine shall they die: and they shall be for an oath, and for a wonder, and for a curse, and for a reproach (Jer 44:12). And next he sets out the sort of name the good shall have: and call his servants; in which, namely, in which name, the name is Jesus; amen, faithfully, above: you shall be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name (Isa 62:2).”

“For "abundance," which is sabaa in Hebrew, others translate "oath." But the word has many meanings, which vary in accordance with where the accent is placed, for it can be understood as "oath" or "abundance" or "sufficiency" or "plurality" or "seven," concerning which we already indicated that in the book of Genesis, as well as in the current book, seven women take one man. Again, for that which the Septuagint translates as "true" and the Hebrew as "amen," Aquila renders pepistōmenōs, that is, "faithfully." But this is what it says: "Your name will be a curse for the benefit of my chosen who will follow in your place, that they may have you as an example of evil consequences and may detest enduring such things, and, therefore, swear this oath: 'I will not suffer what the Jewish people suffered.' " Or, perhaps your name will be "abundant," in as much as it will be spoken so frequently that the memory or mention of it will become odious to them and engorge them on it, such that they will grow nauseated.…And there will be blessing, insofar as whoever is called by that name will be blessed by the Lord and will receive a sign of true circumcision: "amen," which the Lord often uses to indicate approval in the Gospel: "Amen, amen, I say to you." But neither this new name nor another name is anything unless derived from the name of Christ, so that the people of God would never be called Jacob, Judas, Israel, Ephraim or Joseph, but "Christian." For "whoever swears in the land" does so not by idols or by false gods but by God, as is confirmed by the "amen" at the end of the sentence. Furthermore, the Septuagint translates "true God" in place of "amen," so that the true God may be blessed and that those "who swear in the land" would swear by the true God. But we do not follow the error of the Arians in referring this "true God" to the person of God the Father alone, of whom it is written, "that they may know you the one true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." But we refer also to the Son, who is himself the true God, as John the Evangelist testifies: "The Son of God came to give us understanding, that we would know the true one and exist in his true Son, Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life."”

“For whoever blesses himself on the earth For My fear shall be over all of them, and the earth shall be full of knowledge, and whoever praises himself or lauds himself on the earth, will bless himself by the true God, he will praise himself that he is a servant of the true God, the God of truth, Who realized and observed this, His promise. for the first troubles have been forgotten Therefore, they shall call Me the true God.”

“המתברך He who blesseth himself. This word is not like ונברכו and shall be blessed (Gen. 18:18); there is a difference between the two words. באלהי אמן In the God whom all the world will acknowledge to be the true God, and that there is none besides Him. אמן is an adjective of the same root as אמונה truth (25:1); יתברך ונו׳ Shall bless himself, etc. He shall thankfully acknowledge that this is true, or wish and pray that it may become true. Because the former troubles, etc., are hid from mine eyes. The troubles which have befallen the righteous, the servants of the Lord, have been intensified by the circumstance that the wicked used to mock at the pious and their piety, when the latter were afflicted with calamities”

“Isaiah also, declaring prophetically that there will be a new heaven and a new earth, undoubtedly suggests a similar view. For this renewal of heaven and earth, and this transformation of the form of the present world and this changing of the heavens will undoubtedly be prepared for those who are walking along and are tending to that goal of happiness to which, it is said, even enemies themselves are to be subjected and in which God is said to be "all in all." And if anyone imagines that at the end, material, that is, bodily nature will be entirely destroyed, he cannot in any respect meet my view, how beings so numerous and powerful are able to live and to exist without bodies, since it is an attribute of the divine nature alone.… Another, perhaps, may say that in the end every bodily substance will be so pure and refined as to be like the ether and of a celestial purity and clearness. How things will be, however, is known with certainty to God alone and to those who are his friends through Christ and the Holy Spirit.”

“"For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth." These words point to the church, referring to the heavenly and spiritual gifts that have been granted to it. Indeed, if the Lord took care of the Israelites for the earthly things promised to them, how much more will he provide for the church, thanks to the joy that peoples have experienced in their conversion to it. Therefore, he also calls new heavens and new earth the new and spiritual life granted to the church by the advent of Christ.”

“new heavens The princes above shall be renewed, and the princes of Israel shall be the upper princes and the princes of the heathens (the nations [Parshandatha]) will be lower, and so on the earth. ([K’li Paz reads:] The princes above shall be renewed, to raise up the humble and to humble the high ones, and so on the earth.) And some say that there will actually be new heavens, and that is correct, for Scripture proves it (infra 66:22): “For as the new heavens, etc.””

“בי הנני בורא שמים חדשים וגו׳ For behold, I create new heavens, etc. Some explain this verse thus: Behold, it will be as if I created, etc. The grammarian, R. Jehudah, says, that by the new heavens the creatures in heaven and earth are meant. The right explanation, however, is, that by heavens the atmosphere over the earth is meant, and the meaning of the whole sentence is: God will create a new good atmosphere, that people will be healthy and enjoy a long life; He will likewise increase the productive power of the earth, that it will be as though it were new. Those that refer the passage to the future life of man, are wrong; for it cannot thus agree with the context of the chapter, since in the future life there is neither eating nor drinking, as our sages have taught us, and this idea concerning the future life is the only true one. The former. The former troubles, as some quite correctly explain; others supply heaven and earth; but there is no sense in their explanation, as may be proved from the next verse.”

“Neither would it be congruous that in the city of Jerusalem and among the people of God, who will receive an eternal creation of exaltation and joy, there be heard any longer the voice of weeping and wailing, now that pain, sorrow and moaning have departed, for incompatible realities are surely unable to exist together.… In such a city, there is no difference in ages, as between the infant and the elderly, the young and the "old man who does not fulfill his days." Instead, like children of the resurrection, all "attain to the perfect person, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ," such that none will either lack or exceed the life span, nor will it be the case that some persons retain their strength while others fail with age and cease to be what they were. Everyone, moreover, will reach one hundred years of age, as did Abraham, who received the promise that he would have his son Isaac at one hundred. It is not necessary to recount the many praises of this particular number, lest our argument run too long. This alone will we say, that ten decades are squared and square forms possess strength.”

“Instead of the former affliction, the prophet says, "they shall find in her joy and exultation." To what does "in her" refer? Without a doubt it can be said that it refers to the church of Christ. It must be noted that some commentators refer this passage not to the period of our earthly life but to the one that is to come after this present age. For the prophet says that the just will find joy and gladness and will enjoy endless delight, that is, spiritual delight, when this creation had been transformed and renewed. For one of the holy apostles said: "The day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and the works that are upon it will be burned up. But according to his promise we wait for new heaven and a new earth." Choose, therefore, whichever of these interpretations appeals to you, the former or the latter. For one should not reject what brings benefit to us.”

“(Verse 19.) For behold, I am creating Jerusalem as a rejoicing, and her people as a joy; and I will rejoice in Jerusalem and delight in my people. Septuagint: For behold, I am making Jerusalem a rejoicing, and my people a gladness; and I will rejoice over Jerusalem and be glad over my people. You should rejoice and exult with everlasting joy in the creation of new heavens and a new earth, and not remember the former things. Let no remembrance of past sorrows arise in you; for I will not only create new heavens and a new earth, but also Jerusalem in rejoicing, and her people in joy. There is no doubt that the joy which was once exclusive to one nation is now a source of happiness for all nations. The rejoicing and joy over the city and the people of God will be so great that even I, their creator, will rejoice and be glad over Jerusalem and over my people who will eat, drink, and be joyful, and will rejoice in it, and those who are called by a new name.”

“(Verse 20) And there shall no longer be heard in her (in him) the voice of weeping, and the voice of crying. There shall no longer be an infant of days, nor an old man who has not filled his days. For the child shall die at a hundred years old, and the sinner at a hundred years old shall be accursed. LXX: And there shall no longer be heard in her the voice of weeping, and the voice of crying. Neither shall there be any more premature and old person who does not fulfill their time. For there shall be a child of a hundred years, and a sinner who dies at a hundred years old shall be cursed. For it will not be fitting that in the city of Jerusalem, the people of God, who will receive the eternal creature of exultation and joy, should any longer hear the voice of weeping and shouting; when pain, sorrow, and groaning have departed. For indeed, opposites cannot be present at the same time. And where there is exultation and joy, which are the fruits of the Holy Spirit, there can be no weeping and lamentation, which are suitable for those who lament and mourn, especially the shouting, which Paul expels from the Church of believers, so that we do not make a clamor resembling that of the Jews (Ephesians 4). In such a city, there will be no diverse ages: infant and old, small and great, who do not fulfill their days; but like children of the resurrection, all will reach perfect adulthood, to the measure of the fullness of Christ's age, so that no one lacks the span of years, nor exceeds it, and one who does not yet have solid strength may cease to be what he was, and with advanced age may wither away; and all will reach the number of one hundred years, such as Abraham was, who received the promise of his son Isaac at this age (Gen. XXI). Of the praises of which number, it is not necessary to mention many, lest the discussion be superfluous. We only say this, that the tens have equal sides and possess the firmness of square shapes. Also, in the promises for the things which we have consumed (rather despised), the Lord promises us a hundredfold, and falling into good soil for sowing, it first has the number of abundant crops, a hundredfold. Finally, Isaac also sowed one seed of faith, and his works were multiplied by this number of his labor. Therefore, at that time, when the age of all will be one, both the holy and the sinner will be perfected by a similar resurrection, and they will not be subject to change in time; but one will be drawn to rewards, another to punishment: and in that the sinner will be cursed, because he will suffer eternal punishment in an incorruptible body. Moreover, what we read in the Book of Revelation by John (Chapter 20), that after the resurrection the presence of the judge will show differences not of age, but of merits, for the small and the great. For whoever is small according to the opinion of Solomon is worthy of mercy: but the powerful endure torments powerfully (Wisdom of Solomon 6:7). The words of the Lord also agree with this sentiment: The servant who knows the will of his master and does not do it will be beaten with many blows (Luke 12:47). But the one who does not know and still does worthy things of punishment will be beaten with few blows. Blessed Apostle Paul, speaking of the Old Testament as Christ spoke to him, asserts that Abraham, the patriarch, is not only the father of circumcision but also of those without circumcision (Romans 4). That is, two peoples were generated from him, and the one who was born according to the flesh, at the age of a hundred because of Christ, who was born from the descendants of Abraham, to whom he extended his hand, will be subject to perpetual curse. The gospels teach this story (Mark 5), in which it is reported that a woman suffering from hemorrhage started when the daughter of the ruler of the synagogue was born, and when the woman was immediately healed, the daughter died. And within the same period of years, a new people persists in their youth, and the old people dies in disbelief, and is cursed. We have said this according to the Septuagint interpreters, whose edition is widely known throughout the world, so that we may not seem to resort to the fortress of the Hebrew language. Whether after the resurrection you understand in the second coming of the Savior, or after baptism in the first resurrection, it does not contradict the faith of the Church. The Hebrews argue that these things will happen before the resurrection in a kingdom of a thousand years on earth, and such long spaces of future life are promised that a hundred years are considered infancy; but a sinner will die in his hundredth year of age, so that he may not enjoy his accumulated wealth, but may know himself to be cursed because of his sin. But if this is so, where will perfect happiness be, which is violated and corrupted by sin, and sin is punished with premature death?”

“"For the child shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed." Some authors understand these words as referring to the time after the return from exile. For a hundred years their prosperity lasted, and then the Macedonian kings rose against them. This is clearly explained in the book of the Maccabees.”

“a youth Heb. עוּל יָמִים, a youth. Comp. (Lam. 2:11) “young children (עוֹלֵל).” [Hence,] עוּל יָמִים means young in years. who is one hundred years old shall die He shall be subject to punishments to be liable to death for a capital sin. So it is explained in Gen. Rabbah (26:2). shall be cursed for a sin requiring an anathema.”

“Second, as to length of life: there shall no more be an infant of days there, nor an old man that shall not fill up his days, dying before his time, but the child shall die a hundred years old, that is, when he will have reached such an age; and, if he be a sinner, although he will have lived to such an age, he shall be subject to a curse: Abraham died in a good old age (Gen 25:8). Mystically, in the heavenly Jerusalem, all will fill up their days, for none will die; the child shall die a hundred years old, that is, he who lived to old age childishly shall die, in eternal death: for venerable old age is not that of long time, nor counted by the number of years (Wis 4:8).”

“(Ver. 21. 22.) And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat. LXX likewise. Concerning these houses, the prophetic psalm in the sixty-eighth chapter promises, saying: Because God will save Zion: and the cities of Judah shall be built, and they shall dwell there, and inherit it, and the seed of his servants shall possess it: and those who love his name shall dwell in it. All these things the Jews understand in a carnal manner, so that Jerusalem and the cities of Judaea may be restored to their former state. And if we were to give them this, they would not only hear that Jerusalem is promised, but also Sodom, as Ezekiel says: 'Sodom shall be restored to its former state.' Therefore, the houses in which those who build them will dwell must either be understood as virtues, or as various dwelling places with the Father, which whoever builds them will possess forever. In Exodus, those who are said to have built for themselves and were midwives were called obstetricians, who feared God: although it is written in Hebrew that God built houses for them because they feared Him (Exod. I). And Jacob, because he was simple, or as it is said in Greek ἄπλαστος, that is, not at all artificial; not like those condemned in Peter's Epistle, of whom he says: 'In covetousness they will make merchandise of you with fictitious words' (II Pet. II, 3); therefore they lived in a house that Esau, who delighted in wild beasts and forests, could not possess. Such words describe the house of the Savior in the Gospel: Everyone who comes to me, and hears my words, and does them, will be like a wise man who built his house upon a rock, (Matthew 7:24), and so on. Otherwise, according to the letter, many saints build houses and do not inhabit them, either due to pilgrimage, or the theft of another, or death. Such was Job, who, though rich in flesh and spirit, was brought to such poverty that he sat in the dung heap outside the city gate (Job 2). On the contrary, that rich man in the Gospel was clothed in purple and built a house, and he dwelt in it, of whom it could rightly be said: Fool, this night they will take your soul from you; and the things which you have prepared, whose shall they be (Luke XII, 20)? However, not only does He say that they will build houses and dwell in them, but they will also plant vineyards and they themselves will eat their fruit. According to what is said in Micah: Each one will rest under his own vine and under his own fig tree, and there will be no one to make him afraid (Micah IV, 4). This is the vine that spoke in the Gospel: I am the vine, and you are the branches, and My Father is the vinedresser (John 15:5). Every branch that does not bear fruit will be cut off and thrown into the fire (Matthew 3:10). Its fruits are eaten and drank, and they gladden the heart of man and intoxicates the friends of the bridegroom, and they are drank daily in the kingdom of God. But it rests under a fig tree and fears no one's treachery, who enjoys the sweetness of the Holy Spirit and is satisfied with its fruits: love, joy, peace, faith, continence, and patience. It is said about the planter: Whoever plants a fig tree, will eat its fruits (Amos 9:14). Whoever builds such houses and plants vineyards, about whom the Apostle also speaks: I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase (1 Corinthians 3:6), will eat the labor of his hands (Psalm 127); and sowing in the Spirit, will reap eternal life from the Spirit (John 4), and will not be thwarted by the tricks of the devil and his minions.”

“If, however, as in the Septuagint, we read "the days of the tree of life," which makes more sense than the Hebrew text, we should understand that it refers to the tree of life that was located in paradise, from which place Adam was expelled so that he would be unable to extend his hand to the tree and thus live. Paradise was then put under the custody of the cherubim, that is, "abundance of knowledge," and a flaming sword was established to guard the way to the tree of life, lest sinful Adam, not yet recognizing his sin, eat of the tree and die the ultimate death in a desperate state of impenitence. Solomon offered an especially lucid interpretation of this tree of life when, speaking from the wisdom of God, he said, "The tree of life is for all who approach it and rely on it as upon the sure foundation who is the Lord." Neither is there any doubt whom the Word of God signifies, who is Life and Wisdom himself, as he said: "I am the Life." …And does it not seem to you that their works daily grow old who press ahead into the future while forgetting the past? For this reason, both the Old and the New Testaments say that it is not the old that perishes but that on which nothing new succeeds.”

“"As in the days of the tree of life, so shall be the days of my people." Now, anyone who has ever opened the Scriptures knows where God planted the "tree of life." It was from the fruit of this tree that God excluded Adam and Eve.…Of course, it might be argued that those "days of the tree of life" mentioned by Isaiah are the days that are now being spent by Christ's church, since the "tree of life" is simply a prophetic figure for Christ, for that Wisdom of God that Solomon had in mind when he said that Wisdom is "a tree of life to them that laid hold on it."”

“As the days of the tree that lives for a long time, as the Carob and similar trees. And mine elect shall outlive the work of their hands. Many works of man retain still their new appearance, while man has already become old, as e.g. a building, a book. The pronoun their refers to mine elect, the subject of the sentence.”

“(Verse 23) For according to the days of a tree, the days of my people will be, and the work of their hands will grow old with my chosen. They will not labor in vain, nor bring forth children in trouble, for they are the offspring of the blessed of the Lord, and their descendants will be with them. LXX: For as the days of a tree, so shall be the days of my people: and the works of their hands shall be multiplied. My chosen ones shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth children for a curse: for they are the seed blessed by the Lord, and their offspring with them. The dwelling and plantation of the righteous will be eternal, so that the days of the life of my people may be compared to the days of the life of the tree, about which it is said in the Psalms: The righteous will flourish like a palm tree (Psalm 92:13), triumphing over their adversaries daily and displaying the emblem of victory. However, if we read it according to the Septuagint, we understand 'the days of the life of the tree,' which conveys more the meaning from the Hebrew rather than the words, and we understand it as the tree of life that was situated in paradise. So that Adam would not extend his hand to live, he was driven out of paradise (Genesis, III). In the custody of which, Cherubim, that is, a multitude of knowledge, and a fiery sword was placed to guard the way of the tree of life, so that Adam, who was in sin and not yet aware of his sins, would not eat from it and die from the death of impenitence, desperation, and pride. Solomon explains more clearly what this tree of life is, who, discussing the wisdom of God, says: The tree of life is for all who approach it, and who rely on it, as a firm foundation on the Lord (Proverbs III, 18); there is no doubt that it signifies the Word of God, who himself is the way and wisdom, and speaks of himself: I am the life (John XI, 25). And as the Prophet sings: You have made everything in wisdom: the earth is full of your creatures (Psalm 104:24); and the Apostle Paul: Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24). The works of the people of God will also not grow old, but will be renewed daily, so that they do not walk in the oldness of the letter, but in the newness of the spirit (Romans 7). Just as through the disobedience of one man, many were made sinners, so through the obedience of one man, many will be made righteous. Certainly, this must be said, that the works of those whose house is founded upon rock endure forever, and those who build upon the foundation of Christ with gold, silver, and precious stones (1 Corinthians 3): and on the contrary, the works of those whose house is founded upon sand perish in a sudden tempest; and those who build upon the foundation of Christ with wood, hay, and straw. Does it not seem to you that their works grow old every day, who, forgetting the past, extend into the future? Both the old and the new are called the Testament: not that the old one perishes, but that the new one does not succeed it. This can also be said in accordance with the Hebrew, that the works of the people and of those who believe in Christ are the fruits of the Apostles, that is, of the elect of God, and are stored in their treasuries. For many are called, but few are chosen (Matthew 20). These people will not labor in vain, as the Jews once labored; but they will eat the labors of their hands. They will not generate in confusion or in curse, and, as is more expressly put in Hebrew, into non-existence, which in their language is called Labala ( Al. Labaala), that is, that they should cease to be and have an end to their substance: for which reason Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion interpreted it as hastening: so that they should not believe without reason, but imitate Nathanael, who was praised by the voice of the Lord, Behold a true Israelite, in whom there is no deceit (John 1:47), who sought Christ by the authority of the Scriptures and desired to know about the prophets, saying, Can anything good come out of Nazareth? And the meaning is: How do you bring the Messiah to me from Galilee and Nazareth, when I know that he was promised to come from Bethlehem in Judah? Therefore, the apostles and apostolic men will generate children in such a way that they instruct them from the Holy Scriptures, so that they do not imitate the curse of the Jews, but rather say with the Prophet: From your fear, Lord, we have conceived in the womb, and have given birth and brought forth (Isaiah 26:18). For it was said of them: Blessed shall be the offspring of your womb (Deuteronomy 28:4). These are the sons of Abraham, who do his works: and in the old history they are called the sons of the Prophets (John VIII): such as in the new Testament the apostles begot (Acts XVI), Paul begot Timothy, Luke, and Titus, and many others; Peter begot Mark the evangelist, and the others, whose blessed seed is, and thus far blessed, and the sons remain of their sons. Concerning whom the Prophet says: Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, he will greatly desire his commandments. His descendants will be mighty on the earth; the generation of the upright will be blessed. (Psalm 112:1-2) And elsewhere: Your children will be like olive shoots around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord. (Psalm 128:4-5) On the contrary, it is said of Judas, the traitor, and all who are like him, Let his children be orphans, and his wife a widow. Let his children wander and beg; let them be driven out of their ruined homes. (Psalm 109:9-10) For the end of a wicked generation is the worst. They conceive sorrow and give birth to iniquity. Concerning them it is written: Behold, he travailed with injustice, he has conceived sorrow, and has brought forth iniquity (Psalm 7:15). But if this is said of the wicked, how then did Samuel, a blessed and righteous man, beget wicked sons who did not walk in their father's ways (1 Samuel 8)? And David, from whose seed Christ was born, begot two sons, Amnon and Absalom, one of whom became the murderer of his brother and the other the murderer of his father (2 Samuel 13, 15, and 16)? From all these things we learn that sons and grandsons should be understood according to what we have said. Therefore, Paul also begets sons until Christ is formed in them, and Onesimus is begotten in chains (Gal. IV).”

“When God sees in us some beginnings of a good will, he at once enlightens it and strengthens it and urges it on toward salvation, increasing that which he himself implanted or which he sees to have arisen from our own efforts. In his goodness, not only does he inspire us with holy desires, but actually creates occasions for life and opportunities for good results, and shows to those in error the way of salvation.”

“(Verse 24) And before they call, I will answer; while they are still speaking, I will hear. LXX: And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer them: while they are yet speaking, I will hear. When they cry out, they are immediately heard, and when they speak, the Lord will say, 'Here I am.' All these things we also see fulfilled according to the letter in the Acts of the Apostles. For all the nations could not have believed in such a short time unless their faith had been somehow forced out by the miracles of signs. For while the Apostles and apostolic men were speaking and shouting out, the Lord would respond with the greatness of signs, such as when Dorcas rose up at the prayers of Peter (Acts 9), when the father of Publius on the island of Melita, who was suffering from fevers and dysentery, which are diseases that are contrary to each other, was healed by the prayers of Paul (Acts 28), and when the whole world declared that gods were walking among men (Acts 28).”

“This is a prediction Isaiah made previously after having announced the growth from the stem of Jesse. Now, we see the fulfillment of this prophecy as rulers and ruled, kings and servants, wise and foolish will share a common table—that is, the teaching of the Spirit. For he calls those who live in moderation lambs, whereas those with high ambitions are wolves. The lion is the one exalted to royal status, cattle are those worthy of the priesthood, and straw is the food of cattle. The lion will no longer be a carnivore but shall share the food of the cattle.”

“The earth will freely give its produce, and all evil will be removed, just as Isaiah said … for God has refashioned such a world in his kingdom just as it had been made in the beginning before the first-made human being ruined it, who after he had disobeyed the word of God all things were spoiled and ruined and cursed by God's word: "the earth will be cursed in your works." The former shape of this world will become the kingdom of the saints and the liberation of the creatures.”

“The elders who saw John, the disciple of the Lord, related that they had heard from him how the Lord used to teach in regard to these times, and say: The days will come, in which vines shall grow, each having ten thousand branches, and in each branch ten thousand twigs, and in each true twig ten thousand shoots, and in each one of the shoots ten thousand clusters, and on every one of the clusters ten thousand grapes, and every grape when pressed will give five and twenty metretes of wine. And when any one of the saints shall lay hold of a cluster, another shall cry out, "I am a better cluster, take me; bless the Lord through me." In like manner [the Lord declared] that a grain of wheat would produce ten thousand ears, and that every ear should have ten thousand grains, and every grain would yield ten pounds (quinque bilibres) of clear, pure, fine flour; and that all other fruit-bearing trees, and seeds and grass, would produce in similar proportions (secundum congruentiam iis consequentem); and that all animals feeding [only] on the productions of the earth, should [in those days] become peaceful and harmonious among each other, and be in perfect subjection to man... Now these things are credible to believers... When the traitor Judas did not give credit to them, and put the question, 'How then can things about to bring forth so abundantly be wrought by the Lord.' the Lord declared, 'They who shall come to these [times] shall see.'”

“The predicted blessing, therefore, belongs unquestionably to the times of the kingdom, when the righteous shall bear rule upon their rising from the dead; when also the creation, having been renovated and set free, shall fructify with an abundance of all kinds of food, from the dew of heaven, and from the fertility of the earth: as the elders who saw John, the disciple of the Lord, related that they had heard from him how the Lord used to teach in regard to these times, and say: The days will come, in which vines shall grow, each having ten thousand branches, and in each branch ten thousand twigs, and in each true twig ten thousand shoots, and in each one of the shoots ten thousand clusters, and on every one of the clusters ten thousand grapes, and every grape when pressed will give five and twenty metretes of wine. And when any one of the saints shall lay hold of a cluster, another shall cry out, "I am a better cluster, take me; bless the Lord through me." In like manner [the Lord declared] that a grain of wheat would produce ten thousand ears, and that every ear should have ten thousand grains, and every grain would yield ten pounds (quinque bilibres) of clear, pure, fine flour; and that all other fruit-bearing trees, and seeds and grass, would produce in similar proportions (secundum congruentiam iis consequentem); and that all animals feeding [only] on the productions of the earth, should [in those days] become peaceful and harmonious among each other, and be in perfect subjection to man. And these things are borne witness to in writing by Papias, the hearer of John, and a companion of Polycarp, in his fourth book; for there were five books compiled (συντεταγμένα) by him. And he says in addition, "Now these things are credible to believers." And he says that, "when the traitor Judas did not give credit to them, and put the question, 'How then can things about to bring forth so abundantly be wrought by the Lord.' the Lord declared, 'They who shall come to these [times] shall see.' " When prophesying of these times, therefore, Esaias says: "The wolf also shall feed with the lamb, and the leopard shall take his rest with the kid; the calf also, and the bull, and the lion shall eat together; and a little boy shall lead them. The ox and the bear shall feed together, and their young ones shall agree together; and the lion shall eat straw as well as the ox. And the infant boy shall thrust his hand into the asp's den, into the nest also of the adder's brood; and they shall do no harm, nor have power to hurt anything in my holy mountain." And again he says, in recapitulation, "Wolves and lambs shall then browse together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and the serpent earth as if it were bread; and they shall neither hurt nor annoy anything in my holy mountain, says the Lord." [Isaiah 40:6, etc.] I am quite aware that some persons endeavour to refer these words to the case of savage men, both of different nations and various habits, who come to believe, and when they have believed, act in harmony with the righteous. But although this is [true] now with regard to some men coming from various nations to the harmony of the faith, nevertheless in the resurrection of the just [the words shall also apply] to those animals mentioned. For God is rich in all things. And it is right that when the creation is restored, all the animals should obey and be in subjection to man, and revert to the food originally given by God (for they had been originally subjected in obedience to Adam), that is, the productions of the earth. But some other occasion, and not the present, is [to be sought] for showing that the lion shall [then] feed on straw. And this indicates the large size and rich quality of the fruits. For if that animal, the lion, feeds upon straw [at that period], of what a quality must the wheat itself be whose straw shall serve as suitable food for lions?”

“shall eat straw and will not have to destroy animals. and a serpent Indeed, dust is his food, which is always available for him. And the Midrash Aggadah explains: And a lion, like cattle, shall eat straw. Since we find that Esau will fall into the hands of the sons of Joseph, as it is said (Obadiah 18): “The house of Esau shall become stubble, and the house of Joseph a flame etc.” But [that they should fall] into the hands of the remaining tribes, who were compared to beasts, we do not find. It is, therefore, stated: “And a lion, like cattle, shall eat straw.” Those tribes that were compared to a lion, such as Judah and Dan, like Joseph, who was compared to an ox, shall devour Esau who was compared to straw.”

“The wolf and the lamb shall feed together. This is a figurative expression for peace will be established. Many imagine this to be done in such a way, that God will deprive the wolf of its natural voracity, as indicated by the words, And the lion shall eat straw like the bullock. And dust shall be the serpent’s meat, as is its nature; and it will eat nothing else. The meaning of this passage is: it will do no harm. In all my holy mountain. All these prophecies refer only to Palestine, for it is distinctly said, in all my holy mountain.”