Commentaria in Isaiam
6. “IT SHALL BE VISITED WITH THUNDER AND WITH EARTHQUAKE.” Some refer this to Jerusalem: hence Adamus thinks it is a catachresis, by which is signified only that its destruction will be most cruel; or, as Vatablus and Castrius, that thunders, earthquakes and the like did properly happen at the storming of Jerusalem, though they are not narrated in Scripture. For so Josephus, book 7 of the War, chapter 12, narrates that before the siege of Titus there were seen in the air in Jerusalem battles and chariots of horses, a sword-shaped comet, the voice of Angels saying: “Let us depart hence”; and a very heavy shaking and spontaneous opening of the gate of the temple. But, as I said, these things up to verse 9 regard the Babylonians, not the Jews, as if to say: The Babylonians like dust and ashes will be scattered; because God will shake them as with thunders and take their breath away, and will terrify them with a horrible motion of the earth, will roll them up in a whirlwind and violent storm, and consume them with flame bursting out from above. When and how these things were done, Scripture does not narrate. Wherefore secondly, more certainly and truly, we shall take this by catachresis, to signify only that the stroke of the Chaldeans will be sharp and heavy: for this, whatever it be, Scripture signifies by fire, sword, thunder, earthquake, whirlwind and storm; especially because these are observed in the mind and fancy of afflicted, frightened and astonished men, so that they think themselves struck by every blow from all sides, according to Canon 32.
7. “AND IT SHALL BE AS A DREAM,” as if to say: The Chaldeans, violators of the Jews, will not be enriched, nor will they long rejoice: for like a dream they will vanish, both themselves and their wealth and the spoils which they carried off from the Jews. So also Vespasian and his son Titus, who overthrew Jerusalem, soon perished, as is plain from Dio and Suetonius. So St. Jerome. Hence, in his book On Joseph, chapter 6, from this place he teaches that the goods and delights of this world feed us like a dream: because after they have passed, they leave us hungry, like one who dreams that he has eaten, and after the dream finds himself empty. So Plato and Philo rightly said: “The hopes of mortals are the dreams of waking men.” So the demon often deludes witches, and through their illusions others, so that they think they see wonders, feast wonderfully, are at banquets furnished with every kind of delicacies: but a little after, the illusions with which the demon deludes their fancy ceasing, all vanish, and they find themselves empty and hungry, and see that they have truly not eaten.
9. “BE ASTONISHED.” He returns to the desolation of the Jews: for that these words pertain to the Jews Christ teaches, Matthew chapter 15, verse 8, where from this place of Isaias He reproves the Jews, saying: “This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.” The zealous Prophet rises here to the third tone of his discourse, as if to say: O stupid, staggering, blind, and drunk not with wine but with madness, ye mocking Jews, both modern and future in the time of Christ: God indeed justly punishing you for your sins with this blindness.
10. “FOR THE LORD HATH MINGLED FOR YOU THE SPIRIT OF A DEEP SLEEP.” For “of deep sleep,” first the Chaldean translates, of error; secondly, Theodotion, ecstasy (departure of mind); thirdly, Aquila, heavy sleep. For the Hebrew tardemah signifies the deepest sleep, and as it were a lethargy, which takes from a man the use of eyes and ears and every sense, such as that which was sent upon Adam, so that he did not feel that a rib was drawn from him, of which Eve was formed, Genesis chapter 2, and the sleep sent upon Jonas.
Hence fourthly, the Septuagint translate, compunction (the Greek katanyxis); for they seem to have put it for the word meaning drowsiness, as Leo Castrius will have. Our Interpreter, however, in Romans 11:8, translates, “of compunction,” not of that which pricks the soul and leads to penance, but rather of that which pierces through the mind in evil and fixes it. See what is said there. “Of compunction” therefore, that is, of obstinacy fixed in evil. Hence there follows:
“HE WILL SHUT YOUR EYES, THE PROPHETS AND YOUR PRINCES THAT SEE VISIONS HE WILL COVER,” as if to say: God will blind your hearts, will veil and cover Isaias and the other Prophets for you, so that you may not understand them. So St. Jerome, Cyril and Procopius. See Canon 27. For to cover the Prophets is to hide their meaning, so that, even if you hear or read them, you do not understand, but seem to yourself to read Hebrew things as foreign, or as in a sealed book, as follows. As to what he adds, “your princes,” it is added by accumulation, as is plain from what follows: “that see visions”; for it was frequent among the Jews that the leaders and princes of the people received visions and revelations from God and were Prophets. So Adamus.
Secondly, Forerius thinks it is an apposition, and by “your eyes” are understood “your Prophets and princes.” For the Prophets are, he says, the eyes of the people, through which it sees: as the sun is called “the eye of the world, through which the earth sees all things.” It is therefore a sign of an angry God, as is often said in Scripture, to take away the Prophets, and make the people lack a teacher; and this ought to be no less grievous to men than to be deprived of the eyes of the body. So for “princes” the Hebrew is “your heads,” because princes look ahead for the whole people as heads, and govern it. He said also “he will cover,” persisting in the metaphor of the head: for those who have the whole head wrapped see nothing. Therefore for the sins of the people, Prelates and princes are blinded, that they may not understand what it behoves to provide for the whole body, that is, the commonwealth. Those therefore who note the errors of princes and disparage them would act more wisely if they bewailed their own sins, from which the darkening of princes often has its origin. So far Forerius; so also Vatablus.
Thirdly, others take this of the false prophets: for God covers their eyes, that from a spirit of error and lying they may prophesy falsely.
But the first sense is the genuine one: for he speaks of the true Prophets, who had a covering or veil, so that, when they were read by the Jews, they were not understood: for this is what follows:
11 and 12. “AND THE VISION OF ALL SHALL BE UNTO YOU AS THE WORDS OF A SEALED BOOK” (as if to say: The writings and oracles of the Prophets will be to you so obscure, hidden and not understood, as if they were the words of a sealed, folded and closed book, which when they deliver to those who profess knowledge of the law, namely Scribes, Pharisees and Rabbis, and say): “Read this” (and interpret to us the prophecies of this book and Prophet, they will answer): “I CANNOT, FOR IT IS SEALED” (but if they give it to one who knows not letters, that is, to the unlearned and rude people, to read, he will answer): “I KNOW NOT LETTERS”; as if to say: The oracles here will be hidden and unknown to the wise as to the foolish. Secondly, “sealed,” that is, written in secret marks, characters and signs, so that it can be read only by him who is skilled in the secret art of marks, in the manner in which the ancient Roman notaries wrote by ciphers and other signs all the sayings of Martyrs and torturers. So Pineda, book 5, On the Things of Solomon, chapter 12. Of these signs Martial says, book 14, epigram 208: “Let the words run, the hand is quicker than they: the tongue has not yet finished its work, when the right hand has.”
13. “FORASMUCH AS THIS PEOPLE DRAWETH NEAR” (He here gives the cause of the blinding of the Jews; because namely they named God and honoured Him with the mouth only, but in heart were far from Him; for to fear God is to revere and worship God) “ME,” not according to what has been commanded by me, but according to the traditions of men and of their Scribes, partly futile, partly perverse, and contrary to my law, as when they taught children to say to needy parents, Corban, Mark 7:11.
Heretics therefore have nothing here to oppose to the traditions of the Church: for these are commands not of men but of Christ, who either by Himself or by the Apostles and their successors (of whom He said: “He that heareth you heareth me, and he that despiseth you despiseth me”) ordained them and delivered them to the Church.
Note that these mockers are fittingly and justly punished: for as they gave God only their lips, praising with the mouth, but gave their heart to vanity and the world: so God in turn gave them letters only, namely the sounds and bark of the Scriptures, as the killing letter; but the marrow, the soul, spirit and sense of them He took from them, that they might not taste it. So aptly Sanchez.
Observe: the Septuagint, whom Christ follows in Matthew 15:9, add “in vain,” without cause, because this is understood, or rather is read, in the Hebrew. For although they now read, “and their fear of me shall be a commandment of men taught,” yet these words seem inconsistent and to lack sense, unless “without cause” be added, on which the force of Christ’s argument rests. Therefore with the Septuagint and Christ, a single letter yod being drawn out into the neighbouring vav, with other points, it is to be read thus: tohu yir’atam oti mitsvot anashim melummadah, that is, and in vain have you feared (that is, worshipped) me with the commandments and doctrine of men.
14. “ADMIRATION.” In Chaldee, “a smiting.”
“FOR... SHALL PERISH.” The Septuagint, and from them St. Paul, translate: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the prudence of the prudent I will reject. This is the miracle he spoke of: for wisdom belongs to the wise; therefore it is a kind of miracle to separate and tear whiteness from the swan, or to tear sweetness from sugar, especially if you were to transfer these to other and contrary things, for example if you were to place sweetness in wormwood, whiteness in a raven, sight in a stone: this God did here: for He transferred this wisdom from the wise Jews to the foolish, blind and deaf Gentiles, as is said in verse 18. He will take away wisdom and knowledge, so that the masters of the Jews, who above others seemed to be wise, become unwise and foolishly dote, while they substitute their own doctrines and the commandments of men for the doctrine and law of God. Paul extends this same thing to the wisdom of the Gentiles, for example Stoic, Platonic or Epicurean: for this is vain: it cannot make a man good, or lead him to beatitude: for this is placed in the Gospel and in Christ crucified, where therefore alone the true and Christian wisdom is to be found, as St. Paul teaches.