Commentaria in Isaiam
Chapter Twenty-four
Synopsis of the Chapter
First, Theodoret, Eusebius, and from them Leo Castrius and Vatablus, think that this chapter treats of the devastation brought upon the Jews after and on account of Christ crucified. Secondly, Cyril and Procopius think that here is recapitulated what has been said of the destruction of Babylon, Moab, Damascus, Egypt, Idumea and Jerusalem. Thirdly and genuinely, St. Jerome, and finely St. Ambrose, On Elias and Fasting, chapter 21, and others commonly hold that Isaias here, after the burdens and destructions of other nations, with which he has dealt from chapter 13 up to here for eleven chapters, and by name after the burden of Tyre, which was as it were a microcosm, as I said in the preceding chapter, passes as is his way to the burden of the whole world and the day of judgment, that we may know by the examples of various nations that the whole world is to suffer what Tyre, Babylon, Jerusalem and other kingdoms suffered, whose destruction and burning was a type and shadow of the so great conflagration of the world, and of eternal fire: so Christ from the destruction of the city of Jerusalem passes to the destruction of the world, Matthew 24:29. See here how aptly the New Testament answers to the Old, and Christ to Isaias, and how exactly Isaias prefigured Christ. In this chapter, therefore, the Prophet pathetically describes that same thing, namely first, its horrible appearance. Secondly, verse 5, its cause: namely the impiety and crimes of men, with which they have defiled the earth. Thirdly, verse 13, he foretells the few who are to be saved and blessed thence, and their exultation. Fourthly, verse 17, he describes the straits and terrors of that destruction, and finally, verse 22, the torments of eternal hell. This chapter, therefore, up to chapter 28, is the fourth section of this part, which foretells the burden of the whole world, the hell of the reprobate and of the devil, and the glory of the Blessed.
1. Behold the Lord shall lay waste the earth, and shall strip it, and shall afflict the face thereof, and scatter abroad the inhabitants thereof. 2. And it shall be as with the people, so with the priest: and as with the servant, so with his master: As the handmaid, so her mistress: as the buyer, so he that selleth: as the lender, so he that borroweth: as he that requireth, so he that oweth. 3. With waste shall the earth be laid waste, and with spoil shall it be spoiled: for the Lord hath spoken this word. 4. The earth mourned and faded away, and is weakened: the world faded away, the height of the people of the earth is weakened. 5. And the earth is infected by the inhabitants thereof: because they have transgressed the laws, they have changed the right, they have broken the everlasting covenant. 6. Therefore shall a curse devour the earth, and the inhabitants thereof shall sin: and therefore they that dwell therein shall be mad, and few men shall be left. 7. The vintage hath mourned, the vine hath languished, all the merry-hearted have sighed. 8. The mirth of timbrels is ceased, the noise of them that rejoice is ended, the melody of the harp is silent. 9. They shall not drink wine with a song: the drink shall be bitter to them that drink it. 10. The city of vanity is broken down, every house is shut up, no man cometh in. 11. There shall be a crying for wine in the streets: all mirth is forsaken: the joy of the earth is gone away. 12. Desolation is left in the city, and calamity shall oppress the gates. 13. For it shall be thus in the midst of the earth, in the midst of the people, as if a few olives that remain should be shaken from the olive tree, or grapes when the vintage is ended. 14. These shall lift up their voice, and shall give praise: when the Lord shall be glorified, they shall make a joyful cry from the sea. 15. Therefore glorify ye the Lord in instruction: the name of the Lord God of Israel in the islands of the sea. 16. From the ends of the earth we have heard praises, the glory of the just one. And I said: My secret to myself, my secret to myself, woe is me: the transgressors have transgressed, and with the transgression of the transgressors they have transgressed. 17. Fear, and the pit, and the snare are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth. 18. And it shall come to pass, that he that shall flee from the noise of the fear, shall fall into the pit: and he that shall rid himself out of the pit, shall be taken in the snare: for the flood-gates from on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth shall be shaken. 19. With breaking shall the earth be broken, with crushing shall the earth be crushed, with shaking shall the earth be shaken. 20. With shaking shall the earth be shaken as a drunken man, and shall be removed as the tent of one night: and the iniquity thereof is heavy upon it, and it shall fall, and not rise again. 21. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall visit upon the host of heaven on high, and upon the kings of the earth, who are on the earth. 22. And they shall be gathered together as in the gathering of one bundle into the pit, and they shall be shut up there in prison: and after many days they shall be visited. 23. And the moon shall blush, and the sun shall be ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Sion, and in Jerusalem, and shall be glorified in the sight of his ancients.
1. Behold the Lord shall lay waste (the Hebrew boqeq, that is, he will make empty and void) the earth (whence in the place cited he says: “He will make the earth like an empty stadium, the athletes at rest”):
And shall strip it,—both of men and of animals and of its other ornaments. And shall afflict the face thereof.—He will burn up the surface of the earth with the fire of the conflagration, 2 Peter 3:10.
And scatter abroad the inhabitants thereof.—As in the destruction of a city the inhabitants are wont to be scattered while they try to flee, but often do not escape, for they fall into death or captivity; so at the end of the world many will escape the plagues that precede the destruction, but the fire itself and the destruction no one will escape.
2. And it shall be as with the people, so with the priest.—In the same common disaster of the world all will be involved, priests as well as laymen, nobles as well as plebeians, servants as well as masters, creditors as well as debtors: there will then be no difference of rank and dignity: no mitre, wealth or sceptre will protect: for these regard men, not God.
Morally, St. Bernard in his Declamations pathetically applies this to priests who lead the life of laymen.
3. And with spoil shall it be spoiled.—This doubling has an intensifying force, as if to say: Altogether shall the earth be plundered and laid waste by the fire already mentioned.
4. The earth mourned and faded away.—In the Hebrew there is a paronomasia: habela nabela, which the Interpreter aptly imitated by rendering luxit et defluxit, that is, the earth will mourn and fade away, or fall, that is, the houses of the earth, citadels, towns, likewise columns, pyramids, mausoleums, nay trees and woods.
The height (that is, the strength or excellence, namely the princes and nobles) of the people of the earth is weakened.
5. And the earth is infected—with sins (whence the Chaldee and Septuagint render, hath sinned), as well as with paint and hypocrisy; for this is the Hebrew chanepha; this is what the Church prays: “There are many things smeared with paint, which may be purged by thy light.” For truly in this life men are full of paint, many are masked, many have an outward and feigned holiness, chastity, friendship; within they are full of pride, anger, lust, hatred, envy. Each is filled with the paint of his passions and desires: these paints God will lay open in the judgment, and show to the whole world, nay burn with fire. The covenant made with men is called everlasting, because the law of God, especially the natural law, is eternal and will last for ever, as if to say: God will cut off the world, because men, its inhabitants, have violated the covenant, namely the laws and rights of God.
Others distinguish these three. First, Forerius takes by laws the judicial precepts, by right the ceremonial, by covenant the decalogue. But the first two bound not all men but only the Jews. Secondly, St. Thomas takes by laws the written law, by right customs, by covenant agreements. Thirdly, Hugo takes by right the natural law, by laws the positive laws, by covenant friendship.
6. Therefore shall a curse devour the earth.—For curse the Hebrew has ala: which first, with the Chaldee and Vatablus, can be rendered perjury, as if to say: The perjury by which men violated the covenant and the laws of God, which they had sworn to keep, that is, had holily promised, shall be the cause and fault why this disaster devours the world: so an oath is taken for a promise, Psalm 118:106: “I have sworn and am determined (that is, firmly determined, as if I had sworn) to keep the judgments of thy justice.” It is a catachresis.
Secondly and better, ala can be rendered execration, malediction, that is, the extreme calamity due to such great crimes, shall devour the earth, that is, all the delights, wealth and filth that the luxury and sins of men have brought into it.
And the inhabitants thereof shall sin.—“And” is causal, meaning because; hence the Septuagint render: because men have sinned.