Commentaria in Isaiam
6. WE HAVE HEARD OF THE PRIDE OF MOAB.—This pride overthrew Moab; for it was overthrown because, proud of its arms and brick walls and confident in them, it despised an enemy more powerful than itself. See what was said on Jeremias 48:29.
7. THEREFORE SHALL MOAB HOWL TO MOAB,—as if to say: One shall howl to another, the citizens of one city to the citizens of another. Secondly, “Moab to Moab,” that is, the surviving Moabites shall mourn the slain Moabites, says Vatablus. Otherwise Sanchez: “Moab to Moab,” he says, that is, Moab to itself, or with itself, shall howl, as mourners and the desperate are wont to do.
TO THEM THAT REJOICE UPON THE BRICK WALLS,—upon walls of brick. Secondly, and better, this is the proper name of a city, which in Hebrew is called Kir-charescet, that is, having brick walls. This is clear from 4 Kings 3:25, where, when the writer had said: “So that only the brick walls remained,” he adds:
which words plainly signify that the brick walls are the city already named Kircharescet, to which, as most strongly fortified, the king of Moab fled in the extreme crisis. The sense therefore is, as if to say: Tell the Moabites that Kircharescet, which is their impregnable citadel, in which they take pride, will not protect them, but will be taken by the enemy.
“and he shall sit upon it,” etc. Although these things seem to be said of Ezechias for Israel against the Moabites, let not the Christian reader doubt that they apply more fittingly to Christ the Lord, who was present to his people when they suffered the extreme, who established the kingdom of David, his enemies, sin, death and hell being destroyed, so that we can deservedly mock all our enemies. This passage also tells against avaricious rich men, who are negligent and hard in helping the poor, and in nothing more hesitant than in giving alms, while meanwhile the poor perish of hunger and cold, and so on.
Not long will the poor of Christ endure these things, O rich men; not always will they be your sport: the enemies will fail, groans and tears will cease, and the Lord will judge the poor in justice, etc. (Forerius.)
8. AND THE VINEYARD OF SABAMA.—Scripture is wont to call cities vineyards, both for the offspring of sons and families, and for fertility; as Moab was fertile in vines, wine and crops, to which Jeremias alluded, chapter 48, verse 11. This vineyard therefore, that is, the city Sabama, “the lords of the nations,” that is, the princes, either Sennacherib or rather Nabuchodonosor, have cut down.
ITS BRANCHES REACHED EVEN TO JAZER.—The “branches” of a vineyard or vine are its shoots and curling tendrils, by which the vine fastens itself to a stake or tree and holds itself that it fall not; hence they are also called little keys. By these shoots he metaphorically understands the fugitive people of Moab, who passed over the sea when they were led away to Babylon. So St. Jerome. See what was said on Jeremias 48.
What are the branches of the vine?
9. I WILL WEEP WITH THE WEEPING OF JAZER.—Jazer was the last city of Moab by the Jordan, which seems to have been laid waste before Hesebon and Sabama; for Isaias says that he will weep at the destruction of Sabama, as weeping was made at the destruction of Jazer.
THE VOICE OF THE TREADERS (that is, of the Chaldeans, plundering thy harvest and vintage, and treading and pressing it) IS COME UPON THEE.—Note: The devastation of enemies is rightly compared metaphorically to the treading of grapes and crops. Jeremias expresses all this more fully and clearly in chapter 48.
10. GLADNESS SHALL BE TAKEN AWAY, etc., FROM CARMEL.—Carmel is not in Moab, but in Judea; but, as St. Jerome notes, Scripture is wont proverbially to signify by Carmel any rich and fertile place; for such is the mount Carmel. “From Carmel,” therefore, that is, from the fat and fertile fields of Moab, “gladness shall be taken away”; for vintagers are wont to rejoice and exult in an abundant vintage, and reapers in a plentiful harvest.
I HAVE TAKEN AWAY THE VOICE OF THE TREADERS.—Jeremias has: “The treader of the grapes shall not at all sing the wonted cheer.” See what was said there.
11. THEREFORE MY BELLY SHALL SOUND FOR MOAB LIKE A HARP,—as if to say: My inmost bowels, touched with grief, shall give forth a mournful song and groans for the devastation of the Moabites, though they are our enemies; as a harp, struck with the plectrum, gives forth a funereal sound at a funeral. Jeremias has: “My heart shall sound for Moab like pipes.” Note: Harps and pipes, because they sound something mournful, were once wont to be used at mourning and funerals, as I said on Jeremias.
12. AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS, WHEN IT SHALL APPEAR (as if to say, when Moab, as the enemy approaches, sees that it labours in vain on its high places, in worshipping its altars and idols, and that no help is brought by them) THAT HE SHALL COME TO HIS SANCTUARIES (namely his public temples) (that is, he shall try to enter, to entreat his gods; but) HE SHALL NOT PREVAIL,—partly through fear, weariness and the failing of his strength; partly through the sudden attack of the enemies, who will overwhelm him.
13. THIS IS THE WORD,—as if to say: Thus far I have set forth the oracles and threats against Moab; this is what Jeremias says, chapter 48: “Thus far the judgments of Moab.”
WHICH THE LORD HATH SPOKEN, etc., FROM THAT TIME,—that is, of old, long ago, namely by Amos, who in chapter 2 foretold the same destruction of Moab before Isaias.
14. IN THREE YEARS.—Not that this defeat of Moab was made by Sennacherib, three years after this prophecy; for it was made by Nabuchodonosor, as I said at the beginning of the chapter; but that Nabuchodonosor laid waste Moab three years after he had destroyed Jerusalem, that is, in the fifth year after its devastation: this Josephus plainly teaches, book 10 of the Antiquities, chapter 11; or certainly that within the space of three years he harassed and laid waste Moab. So St. Jerome, Hugh, Pintus, Leo Castrius and others. Hear St. Jerome: “It can also be foretold of the Babylonian captivity, that after the capture of Jerusalem, when three cycles of years had passed, Moab was laid waste by the Chaldeans; or that in the space of three years no rest was given it.”
AS THE YEARS OF A HIRELING.—That is, which (namely the three years just mentioned) are “as the years of a hireling,” that is, fixed, whole and certain, so that nothing can be added to them or taken away. For a fixed time is set for hirelings, to which they allow nothing to be added; nor does he that hires them allow anything to be taken from it. So Vatablus, Forerius, Arias, Osorius and others, indeed St. Cyril.
Thirdly, properly these years of the plundering of Moab are called a hireling’s, because in them, as if for wages for having destroyed Jerusalem and carried out the divine vengeance, Nabuchodonosor was to receive the kingdom and spoils of Moab, says St. Jerome, as the same king, for the captured Tyre, received Egypt as it were as wages from God, Ezechiel 29.
Fourthly, these years are called a hireling’s, that is, laborious and troublesome through the enemy harassing and plundering. For so the hireling spends a toilsome and wretched day, the master ever standing by and urging on the work. So Sanchez and Adam. See Pineda on Job 7:2.
Symbolically, St. Basil, who ends his Commentary on Isaias here, says: Those who do good works to win the people’s glory, their glory shall be turned into ignominy in three years, that is, in every measure of time, namely past, present and future.
UPON ALL THE PEOPLE,—of so numerous a people of Moab, in which it glories, after this defeat very few shall be left, as very few grapes are left after the vintage. Hence some codices read: He shall be left as a little cluster. See here in Moab the vanity of kingdoms and of all pomp and pride. For in a short time, God punishing, their glory is changed into shame, multitude into fewness, power into weakness, wisdom into folly, wealth into poverty, magnificence into squalor, excellence into lowliness, favour into hatred, security into distress, peace into a thousand perils.