Commentaria in Isaiam
Chapter 9
Isaias foretells that, as the Assyrians plundered Samaria and Galilee, so Christ will plunder the same spiritually; whence a wonderful light and joy will shine upon them: because a child is born to us, whose name is God, the Mighty, etc. Secondly, in verse 9, he returns to his own times, and foretells to Syria and Samaria, on account of their crimes, disaster and destruction.
1. At the first time the land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthali was lightly touched: and at the last the way of the sea beyond the Jordan of the Galilee of the Gentiles was heavily loaded. 2. The people that walked in darkness, have seen a great light: to them that dwelt in the region of the shadow of death, light is risen. 3. Thou hast multiplied the nation, and hast not increased the joy. They shall rejoice before thee as they that rejoice in the harvest, as conquerors rejoice after taking a prey, when they divide the spoil. 4. For the yoke of their burden, and the rod of their shoulder, and the sceptre of their oppressor thou hast overcome, as in the day of Madian. 5. For every violent taking of spoils is with tumult, and garment mingled with blood: but this shall be with burning, and fuel for the fire. 6. For a child is born to us, and a son is given to us, and the government is upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called, Wonderful, Counsellor, God the Mighty, the Father of the world to come, the Prince of Peace. 7. His empire shall be multiplied, and there shall be no end of peace: he shall sit upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom; to establish it and strengthen it with judgment and with justice, from henceforth and for ever: the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. 8. The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it hath lighted upon Israel. 9. And all the people of Ephraim shall know, and the inhabitants of Samaria, that say in the pride and haughtiness of heart: 10. The bricks are fallen, but we will build with hewn stones: they have cut down the sycamores, but we will change them into cedars. 11. And the Lord shall set up the enemies of Rasin against him, and shall bring his enemies in a crowd: 12. The Syrians from the east, and the Philistines from the west: and they shall devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his wrath is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. 13. And the people have not returned to him that strook them, and they have not sought after the Lord of hosts. 14. And the Lord will destroy out of Israel the head and the tail, him that bows down and him that holds the reins, in one day. 15. The ancient and honourable, he is the head: and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail. 16. And they that call this people blessed, shall cause them to err: and they that are called blessed, shall be thrown down headlong. 17. Therefore the Lord shall not rejoice over their young men, nor have mercy on their fatherless and widows: for every one is a hypocrite and wicked, and every mouth hath spoken folly. For all this his wrath is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. 18. For wickedness is kindled as a fire, it shall devour the brier and the thorn: and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest, and shall be wrapped up in the pride of smoke. 19. By the wrath of the Lord of hosts the land is troubled, and the people shall be as fuel for the fire: no man shall spare his brother. 20. And he shall turn to the right hand, and shall be hungry: and he shall eat on the left hand, and shall not be satisfied: every one shall devour the flesh of his own arm: Manasses Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasses, and they together shall be against Juda. 21. For all this his wrath is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
1. At the first time the land of Zabulon was lightly touched. He continues what he said in the preceding chapter, verse 3, that the child to be born would be a swift plunderer of Samaria, both bodily and spiritually: for he touches upon two bodily devastations of Samaria by the Assyrians, and through them represents the two spiritual plunderings of it made by Christ. Wherefore the Syriac and Arabic versions connect this with the end of the preceding chapter. The sense then is, as if to say: First a part of Samaria was lightened, that is, lightly despoiled, afflicted with a light stroke: namely the tribes of Zabulon and Nephtali (as the outermost, through which the Assyrians had to pass to the other tribes) were taken by Teglathphalasar king of the Assyrians.
And at the last (that is, afterwards, then; for this is the Hebrew acharon) was heavily loaded, that is, the remaining part of Samaria, above all Galilee, which was called Galilee of the Gentiles, was afflicted and laid waste with a heavier disaster by Salmanasar. For Salmanasar overthrew the kingdom of Samaria and carried all the ten tribes captive into Assyria in the sixth year of Ezechias. Whence from the Hebrew you may render more clearly with Vatablus: At first Emmanuel as God lightened or made light, that is, lightly despoiled and afflicted, the land of Zabulon and the land of Nephtali; but afterwards he made heavy, that is, afflicted more heavily, etc., Galilee of the Gentiles. So St. Thomas, Hugh, Vatablus, Adam, Jansenius in chapter 25 of the Concord of the Gospels, and the Hebrews generally.
But the Prophet does not stop here, as many of them would have it, but, hinting at this sense in passing, alluding to it and touching it, he understands by it another far more sublime and more important, as if to say: In like manner, indeed in a far better way, Christ, now born a man and beginning to exercise the name and office of swift plunderer, which I gave him in the preceding chapter, verse 3, will first lighten, that is, lightly plunder, and snatch from the jaws of the devil, of idolatry and of hell, the land of Zabulon and Nephtali: for there Christ first preached (as he was conceived at Nazareth, which belonged to the tribe of Zabulon), and from there he gathered almost all the Apostles, as St. Jerome, Cyril, Basil, Procopius here, and St. Chrysostom in the demonstration that Christ is God teach: hence the Apostles, Psalm 67:28, are called “the princes of Zabulon” and “the princes of Nephtali.” This plundering will therefore be happy and saving to that land and its inhabitants: for by it the heavy yoke of the devil will be shaken off from them. Whence our version has “was lightened.” As Cyril says, you will also first drink the water turned into wine by the first miracle of Christ, at the wedding made in Cana of Galilee; for this belonged For Christ by a light plundering at once lightened it of the burden of unbelief and sins, when he converted many of them to his faith and salvation. Afterwards, however, he plundered it more heavily, above all Galilee of the Gentiles, when preaching there continually (not only himself but also through the Apostles, and working miracles) he converted far more of them. But this plundering was to their advantage, and made it rich in faith and grace. Whence Forerius explains “was heavily loaded” as made heavy with honor and spiritual riches.
That this is the sense is plain, first, from what follows: “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light,” etc. Secondly, from St. Matthew, who explains this place thus; for in chapter 4, verse 13, of Christ beginning to preach he says: “He dwelt in Capharnaum on the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephtali: that it might be fulfilled which was said by Isaias the prophet: Land of Zabulon, and land of Nephtali, the way of the sea beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; the people that sat in darkness, saw great light.” Where he clearly expresses this sense, and therefore omitted “was lightened” and “was heavily loaded,” because these words are obscure.
Thirdly, because according to this sense the type corresponds best to the antitype in all things, namely the plundering of Samaria by the Assyrians to its plundering by Christ: for the Prophet joins both so closely in these three chapters 7, 8, 9, as if they were one and the same; whence he speaks now of one, now of the other, now of both together.
Fourthly, because he compares the preaching of Christ to military spoiling and plundering: for that is why he called him “Make haste to take away the spoils,” as if to say: Christ was the swift plunderer of Samaria and of the kingdom of the devil, because in Zabulon and Nephtali, where the first idolatry of the Hebrews and forgetfulness of the law began, there also by Christ the first preaching of the new law was made, says the Gloss. Therefore also here in verse 3 he says: “They shall rejoice before thee, … as conquerors rejoice after taking a prey, when they divide the spoil.” And again: “The yoke of their burden, and the rod of their shoulder, and the sceptre of their oppressor thou hast overcome, as in the day of Madian.” Where he compares Christ to Gedeon, deliverer of Israel and destroyer of Madian. And again: “For every violent taking of spoils is with tumult.” Soon after, indeed, he explains this plunderer, adding: “For a child is born to us, etc., and the government is upon his shoulder.”