Commentaria in Isaiam
Allegorically, Achaz is the Jews, Isaias is Christ, Jasub is the Apostles of Christ, who freed many of the Jews from eternal destruction, and converted them to Christ and to salvation.
Anagogically, how one is turned and led from earthly things to heavenly, see in St. Basil.
BY THE WAY OF THE FULLER’S FIELD.—where, because of the neighbouring conduit of the pool, that is, of the upper lake, there were many fullers’ workshops, which could not be in the city for lack of water and space: for fullers need a supply of water to cleanse and dye cloths, and an open place to dry them.
4. SEE THOU BE QUIET.—See that thou be at rest, that thou be of quiet mind, and lie securely upon this my promise and protection, and not fear the Syrians and Samaritans, as if to say: Thou, O Achaz, with thy people art stricken and tremblest at the rumour of the enemies: put away these fears, these waves, be of tranquil mind: I will protect thee with the city. So Cyril, Procopius and Haymo. Hence: “Fear not,” as if to say: Do not despair, and in despair blaspheme God (for Achaz was impious): do not even in alarm think of imploring the help of the Assyrians; but rest confidently in God and in his help which I promise thee.
FEAR NOT THE TWO TAILS OF THESE FIREBRANDS SMOKING. (What the tails of firebrands are he explains, saying:) WITH THE WRATH (for the Hebrew bet, that is in, is often taken for min, that is from) OF THE FURY OF RASIN AND OF THE SON OF ROMELIA.—He likens these two kings, of Syria and of Israel, to two tails, or extremities, of firebrands, which drawn from the fire smoke, but soon are quenched: because in the same way these two kings, kindled by wrath, pride and eagerness to wage war on the Jews, brought the Jews only smoke, that is, trouble, namely some fear; for the fire, that is their force and power, was soon, along with their kingdom, quenched and destroyed by Theglathphalasar king of the Assyrians, 4 Kings 16 and 17.
6. LET US GO UP TO JUDA (to the Jews), AND RAISE IT UP,—let us harass it with war, AND DRAW IT AWAY.—In Hebrew nabkienua, that is, let us split it, or cut it off, namely from Achaz, and from the crown and stock of David, and draw it to us. Secondly, let us split it into two parts, as if they said: Let us divide the kingdom of the Jews between us, that the Syrians may occupy one part, the Samaritans the other.
AND MAKE THE SON OF TABEEL KING IN THE MIDST OF IT.—Tabeel in Hebrew signifies a good and convenient God. Hence some think that “Tabeel” is the name of an idol, or God of the Gentiles, whose epithet is good, or best and greatest, as if they said: Let us set up in the temple of the Jews our god Tabeel, their own God being excluded, that thus they may grow together with us into one kingdom, as also in faith and religion: for it was for this reason that Jeroboam made idols, namely golden calves, to keep the people bound to himself. Secondly, the Chaldean renders, let us set in it a king who will be good and convenient to us. But “son” signifies that Tabeel was a man, not an idol: again, not Tabeel but his son was designated for the kingdom of Juda. Tabeel, then, was the proper name of a man, who either by blood or by close friendship and obligation was joined with the kings Rasin and Phacee, whose son therefore, a vigorous man bound to themselves, they wished to make king of Juda, yet so that he should remain bound to them, for instance subject or a feudatory. So Cyril and others.
7 and 8. THUS SAITH THE LORD: IT SHALL NOT STAND, AND THIS SHALL NOT BE, (as if to say: I, God, will overthrow this counsel of Rasin and Phacee, and cause that) THE HEAD OF SYRIA (of Syria alone) SHALL BE DAMASCUS, AND THE HEAD (that is, the king, of Damascus alone) OF DAMASCUS (namely of Syria, whose metropolis is Damascus) SHALL BE RASIN—as if to say: Rasin shall not subject any of Juda to himself, nor join it to the kingdom of Damascus, but shall rule over Syria and Damascus alone, as he has hitherto. Secondly, Sanchez gathers from these words that Rasin and Phacee had destined this son of Tabeel as their heir and as king of Juda, to rule Juda as well as Syria and Samaria, and wished to make Jerusalem the head of these three kingdoms: whence God says: Not Jerusalem, but Damascus shall be the head of Syria.
Thirdly, and best, Cyril repeats by zeugma in all these clauses the verb “shall cease” which follows, in this way: this their arrogant counsel shall not stand: but on the contrary the head of Syria, Damascus, shall cease and fall, and the head, that is the king, of Damascus, Rasin, shall cease, and Ephraim shall cease to be a people; and the head, that is the metropolis, of Ephraim, namely Samaria, shall cease; and the head, that is the king, of Samaria, the son of Romelia, shall cease. This sense is the plainest and most apt. For the proud brow of the two kings, with which they were planning the destruction of Juda, he turns back upon their own heads, and threatens themselves with the same destruction and ruin, and explains this clearly in the following chapter, verse 4, and so it is plain it actually came to pass: for Theglathphalasar and the Assyrians laid waste and subdued both Syria and Samaria, 4 Kings chaps. 16, 17 and 18.
8. WITHIN THREESCORE AND FIVE YEARS EPHRAIM SHALL CEASE TO BE A PEOPLE.—The Hebrews relate in Seder Olam, chap. 19, and from them St. Jerome, Haymo, St. Thomas, Procopius, Hugo and Dionysius, that these 65 years are to be reckoned not from Achaz, under whom Isaias prophesied these things, but from the prophecy of Amos, chap. 5, verse 27, and chap. 7, Juda, two years before the earthquake, which happened in the 27th year of Ozias. For if you count from the 25th year of Ozias, there will remain of the years of Ozias (who reigned 52 years) 27 years. Add to these 16 years of Joatham, and 16 of Achaz, and finally 6 of Ezechias (for in his 6th year Samaria was taken), and you will find 65 years; as if to say: I, Isaias, repeat and confirm the prophecy of Amos, which is commonly known and trite, namely that from the beginning of that prophecy, after 65 years Samaria shall be laid waste.
You will say: That earthquake, before which Amos prophesied, happened under Ozias, as is clear from Zacharias 14:5, and under Jeroboam, as is clear from Amos 1:1. But Ozias began to reign in the 27th year of Jeroboam, as is clear from 4 Kings 15:1. Moreover Jeroboam reigned 41 years: therefore Ozias reigned with Jeroboam only fourteen years, to which the prophecy of Amos is to be assigned, since it happened under both: therefore not in the 27th, but at most in the 14th year of Ozias did Amos prophesy, and from then these 65 years must be begun. I answer that Ozias began to reign in the 27th year of Jeroboam, namely of Jeroboam reigning with his father, which year of Jeroboam’s reign, as sole king after his father, was the 14th, as is gathered from 4 Kings 14:23 compared with 2 Paralipomenon 25, where it is said that Amasias, father of Ozias, reigned 29 years, and in his 15th year Jeroboam began to reign. Therefore Amasias reigned 14 years with Jeroboam, and then died, and Ozias his son at once succeeded him in the same 14th year, from which until the 41st of Jeroboam 27 years are counted, in which Ozias or Azarias reigned with Jeroboam. So Cajetan and others.
Moreover, what some add, that Ozias was struck with leprosy at the time when the earthquake happened (for both these punishments of his sacrilege), has a difficulty: for thus he would have been a leper for 25 years, and therefore separated from the people, and consequently for as many years the kingdom for him would have been administered by his son Joatham; but this is false: for Joatham, when his father Ozias died, was only 25 years old, as is clear from 2 Paralipomenon 27, unless you say that the nobles administered the kingdom for Ozias and the boy Joatham until Joatham grew to the age at which he could administer it himself. ‸
Secondly, Vatablus and Forerius count these years a little differently, namely from the 17th year of Jeroboam son of Joas; for in that year Amos prophesied these things; therefore of the reign of Jeroboam (who reigned 41 years) 24 years remain: add to these ten of Manahem, 2 of Phaceia, 20 of Phacee, and 9 of Osee (for in his ninth year Samaria was taken), and you will have the 65 years we seek. But this computation does not agree with the common computation of the Hebrews, which I have already given: for the 27th year of Ozias, from which the Hebrews begin these 65 years, falls not in the 17th year of Jeroboam. Thirdly, Sanchez thinks that these 65 years look not to the future but to the past, and the sense is, as if to say: “Yet,” that is, from now 65 years ago, the devastation of Samaria was foretold by Amos, and it will truly befall it as was foretold. But the words yet and shall cease usually signify the future, not the past; nor could 65 years have elapsed from Amos to Isaias, as is clear from what has been said.
9. IF YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE (namely that by my help you will be freed from the destruction which Rasin and Phacee threaten you with, and that I will punish and overturn them with their kingdoms), YOU SHALL NOT CONTINUE—in your kingdom, but like them you shall be led away captive with the ten tribes your brethren, bearing the punishment of those whose unbelief you followed. So St. Jerome, Haymo, St. Thomas, Rupert and others.