Commentaria in Isaiam
First, some explain thus: I have aimed the sword, that is, sharp punishment, at Lucifer and his apostate companions, when I cast them down from heaven: how much more shall I draw my sword against earthly men, who resist me? To this comes the exposition of St. Jerome, who takes this of the sword of the wrath of God, by which he himself in the day of judgment will cast the demons from this airy heaven into hell.
Second, “In heaven,” they say, that is, in the decree and ordinance of God, who dwells in the heavens; as if to say: In his stable and immovable decree God has now decreed to draw his sword against sinners.
Third, others: “In heaven,” that is, from heaven this sword shall descend and rage against Idumea.
Fourth, Adam: “In heaven,” he says, that is, even to heaven; as if to say: So great will be the vengeance at the end of the age that it will reach even to the heavens, that is, it will be the greatest. So it is said, Psalm 35:6: “Lord, thy mercy is in heaven,” that is, reaches even to heaven; as if to say: Thy mercy is most ample and greatest; whence, explaining, he adds: “And thy truth reacheth even to the clouds.”
Fifth, and properly, the Prophet here gives the reason why the heavens and stars shall pine away and flow down at the end of the world: “Because,” he says, “my sword is inebriated in heaven”; that is, because in heaven itself my vengeance will rage to satiety, and as it were to drunkenness, on the very stars, that by this I may punish and terrify sinners on earth, who have abused the stars and heaven for their sins.
Behold it shall come down upon Idumea (my sword), and upon the people of my slaughter.—In Hebrew, cherem, that is, of my anathema; the Septuagint, of perdition; that is, upon the Idumeans destined by me to slaughter, whom I have devoted to my vengeance, says Vatablus, unto judgment, that I may exercise on them just judgment and vengeance. He names the Idumeans before others because they were assiduous and most bitter enemies of the Jews, and, joined with the Babylonians, overthrew Judea: whence they too were smitten by God with grave disaster and destruction through the same Chaldeans, as is plain from Abdias, and from Jeremias, chapter 49, and Ezechiel, chapter 25, finally from Isaias, chapter 21, verse 3, but in passing; wherefore here again he treats of it more fully.
The Prophet therefore touches here superficially on the disaster and destruction of the Idumeans by the Chaldeans: but through it he intends symbolically to signify the disaster and ruin of all the impious in the day of judgment: for this alone suits what is said in verse 10, that it shall burn for ever, and for ever and ever. Of which presently more.
6. It is made thick with fat (the sword of God), with (Vatablus more clearly renders for “with,” and) the blood of lambs and goats.—The knife with which fat sheep are slaughtered is wont to be filled, and as it were thickened, with their fat as well as their blood: by this he signifies that God will pierce the Idumeans through with the sword of the Chaldeans, so that their sword will be bloodied with blood, and thickened with the fat of the Idumeans. By lambs he understands the common people; by goats, leaders and princes; by rams, magistrates and the richer; as if to say: To no age, sex or rank will the hostile sword spare, but will rage promiscuously against all.
For there is a victim of the Lord in Bosra. (“Victim,” or sacrifice, signifies slaughter and carnage: because a sacrifice is not made without slaughter; as if to say: God is about to make slaughter in Bosra, the chief city of Idumea, that he may offer up and immolate the impious in it through the Chaldeans to his divine justice; hence, explaining in the Hebrew manner (which is frequent in the Psalms), he adds): And a great slaughter in the land of Edom.—Bosra, the metropolis of Idumea, is so called in Hebrew both from the abundance of the vintage, as will appear chapter 63, verse 1, and from the firmness of its walls, says St. Jerome; whence Psalm 107:11, for what we have: “Who will lead me into the fortified city?” the Hebrew is: “Who will lead me to Bosra?” Hence from Bosra by metathesis is called Byrsa the very strongly fortified citadel of Carthage, not from the Greek byrsa, that is, hide: for the Carthaginians, sprung from the Phoenicians, spoke not Greek but the Phoenician or Punic tongue, which is akin to Hebrew, as St. Augustine testifies.
Now symbolically, by “Bosra” and “Edom” understand the whole world, gross, earthly, bloody and solidified, which shall perish at the end. For “Edom” signifies red, “Bosra” fortified, says St. Jerome, in the last chapter of Joel, although he explains it otherwise here. For Edom, or Esau, gaped for the blood and death of his brother Jacob. The Jews unfitly take by Idumeans Rome and the Romans, as I said in chapter 21, verse 11. Moreover Arias Montanus took by Bosra (which in Hebrew signifies fortified) heathen Rome, which was the most fortified citadel of the Gentiles. Further he interprets the burning of the Gospel fire, which kindles the hearts of the Romans with faith and love of Christ. The smoke he explains of the uncertain fables, and statues, idols and temples left in the city after the conversion as a memorial. To this comes Alcazar on Apocalypse 14:14, note 5, who by fire understands the vengeance of God, from which as smoke proceeded the praise and glory of God: the vengeance, I say, which God took on the Romans, both on unbelievers, by condemning them to the fires of hell; and on believers, and those who believed in St. Peter, whom he kindled with the fire of charity. But this twofold vengeance is very unlike and contrary; and so, if the former is literal, the latter cannot be literal, nay not even allegorical: for the fire of hell cannot allegorically signify the fire of charity.
7. And the unicorns shall go down, and the bullocks with the mighty.—Unicorns and bullocks he calls the Idumeans strong in might and mighty in arms; the mighty he calls the rich and honored; as if to say: All these shall fall with the unwarlike people, and shall go down to the grave. So Christ suffering prays, Psalm 21: “Save me from the lion’s mouth, and my lowness from the horns of the unicorns”: unicorns he calls the powerful and cruel Pontiffs, Scribes and Pharisees.
8. The year of recompenses of the judgment of Sion—that is, against Sion, say St. Jerome, Cyril, St. Thomas, Hugh, Adam and Forerius. For they think that the Prophet here passes from the disaster of the Idumeans to the disaster of Jerusalem and of the Jews to come by the Romans. But better the Chaldean, Lyranus, Vatablus, Montanus and Sanchez interpret the judgment of Sion as the judgment, that is, the vengeance, which God will exercise for Sion, that is, the Jews, against the Idumeans: for all this regards them. Hence with Vatablus it can also be rendered thus: The year of requitals of the quarrel with Sion, that is, the year in which God will repay retaliation to the Idumeans, who continually quarreled and made war with the Jews.
Symbolically: “The year of recompenses of the judgment of Sion” will be at the end of the world, when God will judge, that is, avenge and punish the injuries done by the impious to Sion, that is, to the Church and the elect Saints of God.
9. And the streams thereof (of Idumea) shall be turned into pitch.—This is a hyperbole, as if to say: Idumea, as much in its torrent beds as in its plains, will be so dried up that it will burn like pitch and sulphur, the Chaldean putting fire into it; that is, it will be wholly laid waste and burned. He alludes to Sodom, neighbor of Idumea both in situation and in crime and disaster, which has a sulphurous soil, and was burned with heavenly fire and sulphur.
Further, symbolically, is signified here that Idumea, that is, the impious world, is to be burned by the fire of the conflagration, which will be so great that there will seem to be everywhere torrents of fire, pitch and sulphur; as if to say: The fire of the conflagration, composed of pitch and sulphur, will fill all things, and will wrap the damned with itself into the burning of Gehenna; “it shall not be quenched for ever.” For this properly suits Gehenna, improperly only Idumea: for this is said to have burned for ever only in this sense, that it burned for a long time.
Morally, learn here that the earth, which with its delights was fertile and for man a luxury, to the same man abusing it is turned into a blazing fire and torment. So Sodom, the most fertile, because of the lust of its inhabitants was turned into the Dead Sea, smoking and most salt.
11. The onocrotalus and the porcupine shall possess it, and the ibis.—This is a catachresis signifying the utmost devastation and desolation of Idumea, that is, of the world, so that, empty of men, it is left to be inhabited by wild beasts, if there be any.