Behold all you that kindle a fire, encompassed with dames, walk in the light of your fire, and in the dames which you have kindled: this is done to you by my hand, you shall sleep in sorrows.

“One light alone let us shun: that which is the offspring of the terrible fire. Let us not walk in the light of our own fire and in the very flame we have kindled. For I know of a cleansing fire that Christ came to send on the earth, and that he himself is anagogically called a fire. This Fire takes away whatever is material and of evil habit. This he desires to kindle with all speed, for he longs for speed in doing us good, since he gives us even coals of fire to help us. I know also a fire that is not cleansing but avenging; either that fire of Sodom, which he pours down on all sinners, mingled with brimstone and storms, or that which is prepared for the devil and his angels.”

“Behold all of you who do not hearken to the voice of His prophets. who kindle fire of His wrath upon yourselves. and give power to flames Who strengthen the flames; they are sparks and burning coals that are cast up with a slingshot. It has a cognate in the Aramaic tongue, זִיקוּקִין דְּנוּר, flames of fire (Ber. 58b), so many slingers (זִיקָתָא) are assigned to us (Baba Mezia 94a) [frondeles in O.F., sling]. go in the flame of your fire According to your way, you will be punished. from My hand shall this retribution come to you.”

“זיקות Sparks. The meaning of the word must be found from the context. מאזרי Who compass yourselves. This. This decree. למעצבה תשכבון Ye shall lie down in sorrow. You shall die in sorrow. Comp. וישכב דוד and David slept, that is, and David died (1 Kings 2:10); there are, besides, a great many instances of the use of the verb שכב in this sense.”

“Thus says the Lord: Who is this, etc. Here he begins to remove the impediments to liberation: and first he removes the impediments; second he applies remedies, chapter 53: Who has believed the report, etc. Concerning the first he removes three impediments. First, the lack of divine benefits; second, the rejection of persons, chapter 51: Hear me, you who follow, etc.; third, the poverty of things, chapter 52: Arise, arise, etc. Concerning the first, three things. First he excludes the impediment; second he sets himself forth as an example: The Lord has given me, etc.; third he concludes with wholesome counsel: Who among you that fears, etc. Concerning the first, two things. First he excludes the lack of divine benefits on the part of the divine will, second on the part of the divine power: Is it shortened, etc. Concerning the first, three things. First he excludes a defect of the divine will, as though God of himself did not wish to do good, excluding a twofold manner of alienation: namely, the manner of putting away a wife, which was by a bill of divorce, as is said in Deuteronomy 24, which indeed was permitted to them on account of the hardness of their heart, Matthew 19: Who is this, etc. But against this, Jeremiah 3: because she had committed adultery, etc. And it must be said that the Lord, as far as is in himself, did not repudiate them; but they, through their own sins, forsook God. He also excludes the manner of alienating a possession: Or who is the creditor, etc., as if to say: you who are my inheritance. Above, 19: I should have sold to him, not having anything else to pay — whence it is clear that, since I have not alienated you from my lordship, I am prepared to do good as far as it is in me. Second, he shows the sin of the human will: For behold, in iniquities — Romans 7: For I am a carnal man, sold under sin. Third, he sets forth an argument: because I came, through inspiration; I called, through the prophets. Proverbs 1: I called, and you refused. Is it shortened? Here he excludes the defect on the part of the divine power, excluding first a defect of power: shortened, as though I could not even subject those far off to myself; small, against powers. Below, 59: Behold, the hand of the Lord is not shortened. Second, he sets forth a sign of the divine power: Behold. First in the waters: in rebuke, that is, at command, I will do it, if I will, just as I did at the going out of Israel from Egypt, Exodus 14; I will make rivers, as the Arnon, Numbers 21, and the Jordan, Joshua 4; they will rot, as in Exodus 7, when the waters were turned into blood. Psalm 105: He rebuked the Red Sea, and it was dried up. Second, he shows signs of his power in the heavens: I will clothe the heavens — the airy ones — with darkness, as in Egypt, Exodus 10. Psalm 146: Who covers the heaven with clouds. The Lord has given. Here he sets himself forth as an example: and first as to the grace of the benefit received; then as to eloquence — a learned tongue, to sustain, with encouragements: Job 4: they strengthened the wavering; then also as to wisdom — he raises up, to attend, in the morning, from the beginning of my preaching, or from the beginning of my age. Or because at that time he was accustomed to pray, Psalm 62: In the mornings I will meditate on you. He has opened, for understanding, Psalm 84: I will hear what the Lord God speaks in me. Matthew 23: One is your master, Christ. Second, he sets himself forth as an example as to obedience, setting forth perfect obedience: But I do not contradict — rather I receive, and I accept his inspiration; I did not go backward, from a good purpose. Above, 45: Woe to him who contradicts his maker. He also sets forth the constancy of obeying, because he did not give up obedience for any danger: I have given my body; that is, I exposed myself to suffer such things. Or perhaps he suffered these things literally; but it was fully fulfilled in Christ, Matthew 26 and 27. Jeremiah 12: I have given my beloved soul into the hands of enemies. Third, he sets himself forth as an example as to the confidence which he had in God, first setting forth a ready defense: The Lord God is a helper — Jeremiah 20: The Lord is with me like a strong warrior. Second, the security of that confidence: and he set me, that I might not be moved by fear or shame. Ezekiel 3: I have made you like adamant and flint. Third, he assigns the reason for the security from the power of the one helping: Near is he who justifies, namely, God. Who will contradict? By words. Let us stand together. Job 17: Set me, Lord, next to you, and let anyone's hand fight against me. Adversary — by deeds. Let him condemn — by false judgments. Romans 8: God who justifies, who is it that condemns? Again, from the weakness of the one attacking: Behold, all of them like a garment — by old age, in which there is a natural defect; the moth, in which there is violence. Job 13: who am to be consumed like rottenness, and like a garment that is eaten by a moth. As if he were to say: from all these things, just as I, after having received benefits, obey God and trust in him, so also you. Who among you? Here he concludes, from his own example, a wholesome counsel: and first he sets forth the counsel; second he sets forth the contempt of the counsel: Behold, all of you. Now he gives counsel that they should trust in God: whence he does three things. First he requires the fitness of those who trust, which is from fear and obedience — servant, of Isaiah, or of whatever other. Psalm 24: Who is the man who fears the Lord? Second he shows the necessity of confidence: who has walked in darkness — of error, or of adversity. John 11: He who walks in the night stumbles. Third he sets forth the counsel itself: let him hope in the name; above, 10: the remnant of Israel, etc. Behold, all. Here he sets forth the contempt of the counsel, setting forth three things. First the fault: kindling — by your sins — a fire, meriting it for yourselves; girded — as though bound in your sins, or made ready for sin. Above, 1: your strength shall be as the ash of tow. Second he sets forth the punishment: walk — as if he were to say, receive the punishment. Psalm 9: The sinner is caught in the labors of his own hands. Third he sets forth the power of the one punishing: from the hand, namely, of the power of God. You shall sleep — the sleep of death. Note, on that word, you are sold in iniquities, that man sells many things for sin. First, the virtue of the soul: Lamentations 1: They gave up all their precious things for a vile price. Second, the heavenly inheritance: 3 Kings 21: The Lord be merciful to me, that I should not sell the inheritance of my fathers. Third, the liberty of the soul: Ecclesiasticus 10: Nothing is more wicked than to love money. Fourth, the honor of divine love: Hosea 3: the Lord loves. Also, on that word, But I do not contradict, note that men contradict God: first, the unfaithful contradict the divine truth. Ecclesiasticus 4: Do not contradict the word of truth. Second, the impatient contradict the divine correction. Job 9: who contradicts him? etc. Third, the impenitent contradict the divine goodness. Above, 41: and they shall be as if they were not. Fourth, the disobedient contradict the divine authority. Hosea 4: your people. Also, on that word, you shall sleep in sorrows, that sinners grieve in death. First, on account of the loss of bodily things: Job 27: When the rich man shall sleep, he shall carry nothing with him. Second, on account of the contradiction of conscience: Wisdom 5: doing penance, and groaning for anguish of spirit. Third, on account of despair of future glory: Lamentations, last chapter: The crown has fallen from our head. Woe to us, for we have sinned. Fourth, on account of fear of punishment: Psalm 47: There sorrows as of a woman in labor, etc.”

“Behold, all ye that kindle a fire,.... To enlighten and warm yourselves; who, rejecting Christ the Light of the world, and despising the glorious light of his Gospel, and loving darkness rather than light, set up the light of nature and reason as the rule of faith and practice; or the traditions and doctrines of men to be guided by; or their own righteousness for their justification before God, and acceptance with him: that compass yourselves about with sparks, that fly out of the fire kindled, or are struck out of a flint, which have little light and no heat, and are soon out; which may denote the short lived pleasures and comforts which are had from the creature, or from anything of a man's own: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled; an ironical expression, bidding them take all the comfort and satisfaction they could in their own works and doings, and get all the light and heat they could from thence: this shall ye have of mine hand; which you may depend upon receiving from me, for rejecting me and my righteousness, and trusting in your own: ye shall lie down in sorrow; instead of being justified hereby, and having peace with God, and entering into heaven, ye shall be pressed down with sore distress, die in your sins, and enter into an everlasting state of condemnation and death; see Mar 16:16. This was the case and state of the Jews, Rom 9:31. This is one of the passages the Jews (g) say is repeated by the company of angels, which meet a wicked man at death. (g) T. Bab. Cetubot, fol. 104. 1. Next: Isaiah Chapter 51”

“P. "Sparks." a God ordains that sinners be scorched by the flames which they enkindle. They sleep in pain, suffer- ing the effects of their own imprudence. St. Jerome refers this passage to the calamities which the Jews brought on themselves by rejecting Christ The destruction of their city and temple by the Romans was the consequence of their infidelity.”

“In contrast to the godly (Isa 50:10), the wicked, in times of darkness, instead of trusting in God, trust in themselves (kindle a light for themselves to walk by) (Ecc 11:9). The image is continued from Isa 50:10, "darkness"; human devices for salvation (Pro 19:21; Pro 16:9, Pro 16:25) are like the spark that goes out in an instant in darkness (compare Job 18:6; Job 21:17, with Psa 18:28). sparks--not a steady light, but blazing sparks extinguished in a moment. walk--not a command, but implying that as surely as they would do so, they should lie down in sorrow (Jer 3:25). In exact proportion to mystic Babylon's previous "glorifying" of herself shall be her sorrow (Mat 25:30; Mat 8:12; Rev 18:7). Next: Isaiah Chapter 51”