Глава 6

1–4. The call of the prophet Isaiah to prophetic ministry: a) Epiphany, 5–7. sanctification of the prophet, 8–13. his message for the sermon Isa.6:1–4. Isaiah, like Moses, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, was called to his high service by a particularly solemn Epiphany. He saw God as the king of the universe, solemnly seated in his church-palace. He was surrounded by the highest angelic spirits - seraphim, loudly confessing the holiness of the Most High and His great glory, before which even they covered themselves with wings. Isa.6:1. In the year of the death of King Uzziah, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and exalted, and the edges of His robe filled the whole church. In the year of the death of King Uzziah, i.e. 740. According to the legend reported by Saint Ephraim the Syrian, Isaiah was extremely saddened by the insolence of King Uzziah in relation to the church, where the king dared to enter to burn incense. The prophet put on sackcloth - a sign of sadness - and wore it until the death of King Uzziah; in the year of the death of this king, Isaiah was called to serve by a solemn vision (Works of the Holy Fathers in the river. Per. vol. 20 pp. 237–238). Eusebius of Caesarea says even more directly that only with the death of Uzziah, who angered God, could the prophet receive a revelation from God, who until then, for the sin of the king, had turned His face away from the Jewish people (Collectio setecta Ecclesiae Patrum Caillaut 24 pp. 28 and 29). Blessed Theodoret, for his part, adds that the Lord, in particular, was angry with Isaiah himself, who was silent at the time when Uzziah allowed himself such insolence towards the church. The newest interpreters (for example, Negelsbach in Lange Bibellwek vol. XIV pp. 84 and 85) explain the matter in a simpler way, saying that Isaiah was needed precisely at that time. Why does the prophet speak about his calling after the prophecies placed in chapters 1–5? It is very likely that Isaiah wanted to paint a picture of the life of the contemporary Jewish people in the first five chapters so that his message would come out quite clearly motivated. Isaiah saw God, of course, not with the eyes of the body, but with the eyes of the spirit, being in a state of prophetic admiration (ecstasy). “Isaiah hears the voice of the Lord,” says Saint Basil the Great, whose words are also related to the vision of Isaiah, “although nothing struck his bodily hearing” (Works of the Holy Fathers in the translation of the volume b pp. 253 and 260). “Lords” – in Hebrew. magnified Adonaj Lord of the world, the universe. 8 Prophet in v. 5 says that his eyes saw the Lord of hosts (from Hebrew, the Lord of hosts, i.e., God the Father). The church in which Isaiah saw the Lord could be both an earthly temple, Jerusalem, and a church in heaven (cf. 1 Kings 22:19). Since the prophet does not explain what kind of church he means, it is most natural to see in his words an indication of the well-known Jerusalem temple, especially since some accessories of the Jerusalem temple are mentioned here (the incense altar and tongs v. 6). But since the prophet was in ecstasy, the Jerusalem temple seemed to him to have a wider capacity. “Edges of robe” translated from Hebrew. hem of the robe. The Jehovah King appears to the prophet dressed, like the king of the earth, in a long, wide robe. 9 Isa.6:2. The Seraphim stood around Him; each of them had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. "Seraphim". The word seraphim appears only once in the Bible only here and therefore it is quite difficult to interpret its meaning. Some recognize this name as the same as the name of the snakes mentioned in the book. Numbers (Num. 21 hanne chaschim hasseraphim) and they say that in appearance they resembled snakes or flying dragons, which, according to the beliefs of the ancients, stood guard over divine treasures. But it is incredible that the servants of God - the Angels - appeared to the prophet in the form of snakes, which the true worshipers of the Lord considered to be a completely unsuitable object for worship, as can be seen from the fact that King Hezekiah destroyed the image of the copper serpent. (2 Kings 18:4). In addition, in the book. The word saraph is an adjective (meaning burning), and here it is a noun. Other interpreters derive this word from the verb saraph (to burn or burn) and see in it an indication of the fiery nature of the seraphim, due to which they “scorch”, “burn” what they come into contact with. Finally, others, more likely, argue that seraphim are carriers of the divine fire of love, burning all uncleanness and purifying people. Others also derive this name from the Arabic word scharufa - to be a boss and see here an indication of the especially high position of the seraphim among the Angels. Some see in this name a reproduction of the name of the fire god Nergyal - Sarapu (burner) or the Egyptian seref - the name of the dragon who guarded the tombs. Thus, philology does not provide enough guidance to determine the essence of the seraphim. The text of Isaiah itself is therefore a more reliable source. From this source we learn that the seraphim speak, sing a song of praise to God in turn, fulfill the commands of God - therefore, these are intelligent, spiritual beings, Angels. They have wings that indicate in them the beings of the heavenly world or the height, strength, and power of the divine, as can be seen from the fact that the ancient peoples - the Babylonians and Persians attached several pairs of wings to the images of their kings in order to indicate that these kings were equal to the gods (see Weisser. Picture atlas of world history - image of Cyrus). However, the wings also served the seraphim to cover their bodies before the majesty of God. Since they stand before the Lord and around Him, from ancient times they were recognized as the highest rank in the heavenly army (cherubim only bear the throne of God). The purpose of the seraphim, according to the text of the book of Isaiah, is to serve God, which they perform with fiery zeal. Their difference from other Angels is that they are not sent to earth, like other Angels, but belong exclusively to the immediate sphere of the Divine. Isa.6:3. And they called to each other and said: Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts! the whole earth is full of His glory! "And they called." Apparently, the seraphim were divided into two faces and choirs, which alternately proclaimed praise to God. “Holy,” that is, distant from everything sinful, from all imperfection. This definition, for the highest strengthening, is repeated three times, just as in Ezekiel, for example, the word is repeated three times: I will overthrow (Ezek. 21:27; cf. Jer. 7:4). But besides this interpretation of the threefold repetition of the word holy, there is another explanation, very ancient, according to which the seraphim here depicted the mystery of the Holy Trinity (St. Ephraim the Syrian, Blessed Jerome). It is in the prophet Isaiah that there is a place that proves the faith of the contemporary Old Testament Church in the Trinity of persons of the Divine. This place is 63 ch. Art. 9 et seq., where it is mentioned especially about God, especially about the Angel of His face or about the Son of God, and especially about the Holy Spirit. It follows that even in repeating the word holy three times, Isaiah could point to this great mystery. 10. Isa.6:4. And the tops of the gates shook at the voice of those shouting, and the house was filled with incense. “And the tops of the gates were shaken.” - According to the meaning of the Hebrew. The text here indicates the shock of those recesses in the wall into which both halves of the church doors are embedded. Condamin translates: “the doors shook on their hooks.” This shock came from the loud cries of the seraphim. The prophet, in all likelihood, saw smoke rising from the altar of incense. According to the connection of speech, this smoke could mean the prayers of the seraphim to the Lord: the smoke rising to heaven from the earthly altar when the priests laid incense had the same meaning. Ephraim the Syrian considers this smoke a sign of the presence of the glory of the Lord in the church, since in the Old Testament the Lord appeared in darkness and darkness, so that weak people could not be blinded by the radiance of His glory (1 Kings 8:10–12). Isa.6:5–7. The prophet, hearing the seraphim's singing, seeing the trembling doors and smelling the smoke, falls into mortal fear: he saw what the eye of a mortal is unworthy to see, the sight of which a sinful person is not able to bear. Isaiah feels with particular bitterness the uncleanness of his lips, which could not take part in the praise of the seraphim. That is why his lips are first of all cleansed with sacred fire from the altar. But, in addition, it is the lips that are cleansed in view of the fact that Isaiah will actually serve God with them. Isa.6:5. And I said: Woe is me! I'm dead! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people also of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. The fear of a sinful person before meeting the Divine permeates all religions. Jacob, who wrestled with God at night, says with surprise that he saw God face to face and that nevertheless his soul was preserved - he remained alive (Gen. 32:30; cf. Exod. 30:20). “Save us,” says Ovid in his prayer to Pales, from the sight of the Dryads, or the bathing Diana, or the Faun, when he walks through the fields in the middle of the day (Fast. IV, 761). Semele's mortal body could not bear the appearance of Jupiter and burned, as the same poet reports. Isa.6:6. Then one of the Seraphim flew to me, and in his hand he had a burning coal, which he took with tongs from the altar, According to the interpretation of our church hymns, the fiery coal was a prototype of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the tongs were the hands of the Most Holy Theotokos. “You carry fire, pure one; I’m afraid to accept the Child of God into the arms.” So in the 2nd troparion of the 5th song of the canon for the Presentation, says Simeon the God-Receiver. Further, in the 3rd troparion, the same old man says to the Blessed Virgin: “You enlighten me, giving me with your hands, as if with tongs, what you carry.” Isa.6:7. and he touched my mouth and said, Behold, this has touched your mouth, and your iniquity is taken away from you, and your sin is cleansed. A burning coal was supposed to have a cleansing effect, like a coal taken from the altar of God. Here, in a figurative sense, the cleansing power of God's grace was indicated; which burns, like fire, everything unclean in a person. “Lawlessness... and sin” are your sins. Isaiah 6:8–13. Feeling clean, Isaiah willingly volunteers to serve the work of preaching when he hears the Almighty’s question about who wants to go to the Jewish people. God condescends to his desire and sends him as a preacher to the people, but at the same time predicts the failure of his prophetic activity. His word will not turn the people to the true path, but will harden them even more in sin. To the prophet’s question, how long will the people remain in this state, God answers that salvation will be given to the people not before they experience all the horrors of an enemy invasion and even captivity, being taken to a foreign land. The last tithe of the people will be destroyed until the proud oak, that is, the people of Israel, is completely lost. Isa.6:8. And I heard the voice of the Lord saying: Whom shall I send? and who will go for Us? And I said: here I am, send me. With His question, the Lord challenges and encourages Isaiah to declare his readiness to serve the Lord. For us, that is, “for Me and for those around Me,” as almost all new Western interpreters explain this expression on the basis of 1 Kings 22 and Ps.88:7. 11 Some ancient church writers saw in this expression an allusion to the Trinity of Persons in the Divinity (Blessed Jerome), but in their interpretation it is incomprehensible that God first speaks in the singular (whom will I send?), and then in the plural (for us). 12. Meanwhile, in the first interpretation, God alone is truly the sender, as the Lord, and the prophet will act in the face of everyone who has appeared to him, whose interests are identical with the goals that God has. Isa.6:9. And He said: Go and tell this people: You will hear with your ears and will not understand, and with your eyes you will see and will not see. Isa.6:10. For the heart of this people is hardened, and their ears are hard of hearing, and they have closed their eyes, lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted, that I might heal them. The mission of the prophet Isaiah seems very difficult and hopeless if you read verse 10, according to the Jewish Masoretic text, like this: “harden the heart of this people, make their ears deaf, close their eyes, so that...”, etc., and understand all these expressions strictly literally. But if we take into account the Semitic way of expressing thoughts, then the mission of the prophet will not seem so terrible either for him or for the people. True, the verbs used in Article 10 are in the form hiphil, which generally means to cause something. But on the other hand, there is no doubt that this form has different assessments of meaning. So the verb to justify in Hebrew. language (form hiphil) can mean both to justify someone in reality, and to declare righteous (in the eyes of people). Or the verb to give life, to revive can simply mean: to leave alive when it is possible to kill. In addition, hiphil indicates an action for which only a reason is given. In the latter sense, undoubtedly, this form is used here. The preaching of Isaiah, in view of the bad mood of his listeners, will give them a reason for bitterness, for resistance to the will of God, which the people had partly shown before. Our Russian Synodal translation, in agreement with the LXX and Slavic, misunderstands this hardening of the heart as having already reached fullness - it would be better to render the verbs found in the 10th article in the future tense. “Heart” here is taken as the ability to comprehend the moral tasks of human life (cf. Hos. 4:11). “Coarseness” is a fattening of the heart where it becomes unable to move and unresponsive. This passage is cited twice in the New Testament - on two occasions as a passage that serves to explain the insensitivity of the Jews to this sermon (Matthew 13:15; Acts 28:27). Isa.6:11. And I said: How long, Lord? He said: until the cities are desolate, and there are no inhabitants, and the houses are left without people, and until this land is completely desolate. Isa.6:12. And the Lord will remove the people, and there will be great desolation on this earth. God's verdict on the Jewish people sounds decisive and harsh, but the prophet, out of love for his people, cannot allow the thought that the people will remain in bitterness and, therefore, in rejection from God forever. The Lord responds to this that both the cities and lands of Judea must completely lose their inhabitants, who will be taken into captivity. It is difficult to say which era should be understood here. In all likelihood, God points to the prophet all of His subsequent judgments over the chosen people, which ended with the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, as Saint Basil the Great and Eusebius of Caesarea interpret this prophecy. Isa.6:13. And if a tenth still remains on it and returns, and it will be ruined again; but as from terebinth and as from an oak, when they are cut down, their root remains, so the holy seed will be its root. This verse indicates such a terrible devastation of Judea, after which no more than a tenth of the inhabitants will remain in it. This could only refer to the time of the capture of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans under Nebuchadnezzar. “And will return” - this expression should be replaced with the words: in turn (will be destroyed). “But as from terebinth” translated from Hebrew: “like an oak or terebinth (disappears) whose trunk is cut down.” In the entire verse there is thus one thought: that the Jewish people, as a political whole, will eventually completely cease to exist and will lose their land. Only then—this is how one can express the main idea of ​​God’s entire conversation with Isaiah—only then will the people’s bitterness begin to soften and their turn to God will become possible. At the same time, the prophet points to the Holy Seed (i.e., the Messiah) as the support (according to the glorious standing) for the further existence of the people of Israel. The Messiah has not yet come, therefore, and the people from whose midst He must come must preserve their existence. The sixth chapter is generally recognized by critics as genuine. If Marti indicates that in verses 12 and 13 the Lord speaks of Himself in the third person, then such a turn of phrase is not anything unusual in the book of Isaiah (cf. Is. 13:13). Reuss sees a prose work in this chapter, but others also find poetic sections here, namely, firstly, in the vocabulary of the seraphim, and then in verses 7 and the following (excluding interpolated remarks: I heard, I said, etc.) The sixth chapter should be read as a paremia for the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, because, as can be seen from the church hymns (5 irmos of the canon for the Presentation, 1st troparion, 5th song of the canon, 3rd troparion and 2nd hymn of the same canon), the Church sees here a prediction of the incarnation of the Son of God and of His bringing to the church (the pincers are the hands of the Most Holy Virgin holding the Infant of God). In Lopukhin’s interpretation of Genesis, the phrase Adonaj is interpreted as the Supreme and Just Judge - from the root word dan - judge. Note ed. In the Slavic translation from LXX, this verse is translated as follows: “And it came to pass in the summer, when King Uzziah died, that he saw the Lord sitting on the throne, high and exalted, and the house of his glory was filled.” Note ed. In the Slavic translation from LXX, the text of Isaiah 63:9 is stated as follows: “Not an intercessor, less than an angel, but the Lord himself saved them, loves them and spares them: he himself delivered them and accepted them and exalted them all the days of the world.” As indicated above, the exclusion from the Synodal translation of the words about the Supreme Council, the messenger of which is the Messiah, which are in the Greek translation of the LXX and the Slavic translation, the down-to-earthness of his (the Messiah) essence (fruit of the earth, instead of the seed of heaven), led to the oblivion of many obvious indications of the Trinity essence of the Most High. Note ed. It is groundless to assume that the Lord could have grounds to equate the heavenly ranks around him with himself. The word “Us” implies the same hierarchical dependence. Note ed. Jerome's interpretation is fully understandable by virtue of the Orthodox Creed - I believe in one God the Father... And in the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from the Father, I worship with the Father and the Son... Again, this is quite understandable when mentioning the Messiah - the messenger of the Supreme Council. Note ed. You might be interested in: