Jerome
Patristic
c. A.D. 347–420
“(Verse 11.) Thus says the Lord God: Strike your hand, and stamp your foot, and say: Alas! for all the abominations of the evil house of Israel. The prophet is commanded to show the magnitude of sins with his hands, feet, and words, so that he may display through the movement of his body and the indignation of his voice, the appearance of one amazed and astonished, weeping and lamenting. For just as when we see something new and marvelous, we tremble both in body and mind, so that we clap our hands and stamp our feet on the ground, and bow our voice to weeping; in the same way, now the prophet, seeing with the eyes of his soul the coming punishments, speaks of all the abominations of the evil house of Israel that follow. We strike spiritually with our hand, when we separate ourselves from evil works. We stomp our foot, when we do not proceed on the path of sin. We weep and cry, when we are displeased with what is happening. What is shown in words, alas. For which Aquila interpreted as ἂ ἂ, Symmachus σχετλίασον, which means to lament or weep. LXX and Theodotion εὖγε, which is more of an insult than a lament. Those who are going to perish by the sword, famine, and plague. This is indeed the cause of weeping, because the inhabitants of the mountains and the worshippers of altars and idols are going to perish by the sword, famine, and plague. Those who are led astray by various errors, and change their faith daily, are tossed about by every wind of doctrine: they are killed by the sword and divided into factions, abandoning the unity of the Catholic faith. But whoever does not have spiritual food dies of hunger, not knowing him who said: I am the life (John XIV, 6). Moreover, those who are devoted to either single or multiple vices cannot be separated from them, as if once they fell from an ancient pestilence, or rather a certain uterine pestilence.”