He shall cast death down headlong for ever: and the Lord God shall wipe away tears from every face, and the reproach of his people he shall take away from off the whole earth: for the Lord hath spoken it.

“Now the laws of love summoned him even as far as death and the dead themselves, so that he might summon the souls of those who were long time dead. And so because he cared for the salvation of all for ages past and that "he might bring to nothing him that has the power of death," as Scripture teaches, here again he underwent the dispensation in his mingled natures: as man, he left his body to the usual burial, while as God he departed from it. For he cried with a loud cry, and said to the Father, "I commend my spirit," and departed from the body free, in no way waiting for death, who was lagging as it were in fear to come to him. No, rather, he pursued him from behind and drove him on, trodden under his feet and fleeing, and he burst the eternal gates of his dark realms and made a road of return back again to life for the dead there bound with the bonds of death. Thus too, his own body was raised up, and many bodies of the sleeping saints arose and came together with him into the holy and real city of heaven, as rightly is said by the holy words: "Death has prevailed and swallowed people up; but again the Lord God has taken away every tear from every face." And the Savior of the universe, our Lord, the Christ of God, called Victor, is represented in the prophetic predictions as reviling death and releasing the souls that are bound there, by whom he raises the hymn of victory.”

“For eternal rest lies before those who have struggled through the present life observant of the laws, a rest not given in payment for a debt owed for their works but provided as a grace of the munificent God for those who have hoped in him. Then, before he describes the good things there, telling in detail the escape from the troubles of the world, he gives thanks for them to the liberator of souls, who has delivered him from the varied and inexorable slavery of the passions. But what are these good things?"For he has delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from falling." God describes the future rest by a comparison with things here. Here, he says, the sorrows of death have compassed me, but there he has delivered my soul from death. Here the eyes pour forth tears because of trouble, but there, no longer is there a tear to darken the eyes of those who are rejoicing in the contemplation of the beauty of the glory of God. "For God has wiped away every tear from every face."”

“The apostle said, "With the mind I serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin," not by giving my members over to committing iniquities but only by feeling lust, without however giving a hand to unlawful lust. So when he said, "With the mind I serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin," he went on to add, "There is therefore no condemnation now for those who are in Christ Jesus." For those who are in the flesh there is condemnation; for those who are in Christ Jesus no condemnation. In case you should assume this is going to be the case after becoming a Christian, that is why he added "now."What you must look forward to afterward is not even to have any lust in you which you have to contend with, which you have to combat, which you must not consent to, which you have to curb and tame; look forward to its simply not being there afterward. I mean to say, if what is now contending with us from its base in this mortal body is going to be there afterward, the taunt "Where, death, is your striving?" will be untrue. So let us be quite clear about what it is going to be like afterward. Then, you see, will come about the word that is written: "Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, death, is your striving? Where, death, is your sting? For the sting of death is sin; but the power of sin, the law." Because desire was increased, not extinguished, by being forbidden. The law gave sin power by simply commanding through the letter without assisting through the spirit.”

“O Lord God. Here the giving of thanks is set forth: and first, concerning the exaltation of the people; second, concerning their justification: ch. 26: in that day; third, concerning the Father's correction: ch. 27: in that day. The first is divided into two. In the first, the giving of thanks is set forth: I will exalt you, in preaching you loftily among others; I will confess, in giving thanks within myself. Ps. 9: I will confess to you, Lord, with my whole heart. Second, the matter of the thanksgiving is set forth: for you have done. And first, in general, as to the greatness of the deeds: wonders. Job 9: who does great things, etc. As to the fulfillment of the promises: faithful. Ecclus. 36: give a reward, Lord, to those who wait for you, that your prophets may be found faithful. Amen, that is, truly. Second, in particular: for you have made; and first, the works that pertain to the putting down of evils; second, those that pertain to the exaltation of good things: and the Lord will make. Concerning the first, three things. First he threatens the scourge of punishment; second, the fruit of the punishment: upon this; third, the manner of the punishment: as. He says therefore first: the city. Of Jerusalem; of strangers, estranged from God, namely of the Jews; it shall not be rebuilt forever: for neither afterward in the same place, above, 17: behold, Damascus shall cease to be a city. Micah 3: Zion shall be as a field. Ezek. 27: you have been brought to nothing. Or, of Babylon, or of any other city of the Gentiles opposing them. Upon this. Here he sets forth the fruit, in the subjection of men to God. And first he sets forth two signs of subjection. Praise: the strong shall praise you, however much subject to you; or, the Gentile people, strong in sufferings. Fear: whatever city shall fear you. Below, 60: the strength of the nations shall come to you. Second, he assigns the reason, which he first sets forth: for you have been made; to the poor, who has little though sufficient for himself; to the needy, who is in want. Ps. 93: the Lord has become for me a refuge, and my God the help of my hope. Second, he sets forth a comparison: hope, of defense, from the whirlwind, on account of the violence of the persecutor; a shelter, of consolation, from the heat, on account of the affliction of persecution. Below, 32: a man shall be as. Third, he sets forth the exposition. Spirit, that is, indignation and pride. Above, 21: as whirlwinds come from the south, it comes from the desert, from a terrible land. As the heat. Here he sets forth the manner of the punishment as to affliction: as heat in thirst, it afflicts. Tumult, proud clamor, as to barrenness. And as heat under a cloud, gathered from the south wind, by which also sometimes, on account of excessive heat, the fruits of the vine are destroyed. James 1: the sun arose with burning heat, and dried up the grass, and its flower fell. And the Lord will make. Here he sets forth the things that pertain to the exaltation of the good: and this in three ways. First, as to the abundance of honor, which he describes under the metaphor of a feast, which is prepared from fat animals and refined wine, on this mountain, because there Christ suffered, whence all good things have come to us; or because there he will judge, as is said, Matt. 22: behold, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and fatlings are killed. Second, as to the removal of evils: and he will cast down, as to the punishment of death, which he calls a bond insofar as we are bound to it by sin, and (the web) insofar as it is ordained by the just sentence of God. 1 Cor. 15: death is swallowed up in victory. Hosea 13: I will be your death, O death; your bite, O Hell. The sadness of sorrow, and he will take away. Rev. 21: God will wipe away every tear from the eyes of the saints. The shame of confusion: and reproach. Above, 4: take away, etc. Some refer this to the judgment rendered in the death of Holofernes, who came against all nations; and likewise concerning the feast. And he sets forth the giving of thanks. And they shall say: we have waited, expecting patiently. Ecclus. 2: you who fear the Lord, wait for his mercy. And he sets forth the reason: for he shall rest, with whom no evil can be. Ps. 131: this is my rest for ever and ever. Third, as to the oppression of enemies, namely of the Moabites, who on account of sleep were especially hostile to them. And first he sets forth their affliction: it shall be threshed. Amos 1: they threshed Gilead with iron wagons. Second, their complete subjection: he will stretch out his hands, as one prostrate, and seeking mercy or aid. Below, 49: he shall come; and the destruction of the fortifications, and the fortresses, concerning which see above, 16. Note, on that word, I will confess to the name, that confession is manifold. The first, of humility. James, last chapter: confess your sins to one another. The second, of truth. Rom. 10: with the heart one believes unto righteousness, but with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. The third, of praise. Ps. 32: confess to the Lord on the harp. The fourth, of thanksgiving. Above, 12: I will confess to you, Lord, for you were angry with me: your fury is turned away, and you have comforted me. Also, note on that word, amen, that amen is Hebrew: and sometimes it is a verb, that is, let it be done. Deut. 27: and all the people shall say, amen. Sometimes an adverb, that is, truly. John 6: amen, amen, I say to you. Sometimes a noun, that is, truth. Rev. 3: these things says the Amen. Sometimes it is Greek, without defect, from a, which is without, and mene, which is defect. Rom. 9: who is God blessed forever, amen. Note on that word, a feast of fat things, that there is a threefold feast. The first, the household feast of the Church militant: in which he sets forth three things. First, the bitterness of the passion. Exod. 12: you shall eat it with wild lettuce. 1 Cor. 11: as often as you shall eat this bread, and drink the cup, you shall proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes. Second, the sweetness of love. Wis. 16: you provided them bread from heaven without labor, having in itself every delight, and the sweetness of every taste. Third, fatness, as to its effect. Ps. 22: you have made my head fat with oil. The second is the private feast of the soul: in which he sets forth three things. First, the wine of love. Song 1: your breasts are better than wine. Second, the honey of contemplation. Ps. 118: how sweet are your words to my palate. More than honey to my mouth. Third, the milk of purification, and this for growing unto perfection. 1 Pet. 2: as rational ones, without guile, desire milk. The third is the solemn feast of the heavenly court; in which he sets forth three things. First, wine unto inebriation. Song 5: eat, friends, and drink, and be inebriated. Second, honey unto satiety. Ps. 16: I shall be satisfied when your glory shall appear. Third, milk unto the perfection of body and soul. Song 5: your eyes are as doves.”

“He will swallow up death in victory,.... Or, "for ever" (g). This is to be understood, not of a spiritual death, which is swallowed up in conversion, and of which those that are quickened shall never die more; nor of the conversion of the Jews, which will be as life from the dead; nor of the civil death of the witnesses, and of their rising, who afterwards will never die more, in that sense; but of a corporeal death: this Christ has swallowed up in victory, by dying on the cross, both with respect to himself, who will never die more, and with respect to his people, from whom he has abolished it as a penal evil; but it chiefly respects the resurrection state, or the personal coming of Christ, when the dead in him shall rise first, and shall never die more, there will be no more death, neither corporeal, spiritual, nor eternal to them; on them death shall have no power, in any shape: and then will this saying be brought about or fulfilled, as the apostle has interpreted it, Co1 15:54 so the Jews (h) interpret it of the future state, when those that live again shall die no more, and there will be no death; and of the days of the Messiah, when the dead will be raised (i): and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; there are many things now that cause tears to fall from the saints, as their own sins, indwelling sin, unbelief, carnality, leanness, backslidings, &c. and the sins of others, the temptations of Satan, the hiding of God's face, afflictions of various sorts, and the persecutions of men; but these will be no more in the New Jerusalem state; and therefore God is said to wipe them away, having removed the cause of them, Rev 7:17, Rev 21:4 the allusion is to a tender parent, that takes a handkerchief, and wipes the face of its child, when it has been crying, and quiets and comforts it: and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth; all the reproaches and calumnies which have been cast upon them, and all misrepresentations of them, shall be taken away from them everywhere, and they will no longer lie under them, but stand clear of all false charges and accusations: or all persecution shall now cease; there shall be none to hurt them in all the holy mountain, Isa 11:9, for the Lord hath spoken it; and it shall be done. The Targum is, "for by the word of the Lord it is so decreed.'' (g) "in sempiternum", Munster, Pagninus, Montanus; "in aeternum", Piscator. (h) Gloss. in T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 94. Misna, Moed Katon, c. 3. sect. 9. Midrash Kohelet, fol. 61. 2. (i) Zohar in Gen. fol. 73. 1. Shemot Rabba, sect. 20. fol. 131. 4.”