Глава 7

1. “And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah” (Isa. 7:1). I have often said and now I will say that in ancient times prophecies were pronounced not so that the Jews would only know the future, but so that, having learned, they would benefit from it, so that from the fear of threats they would become more prudent and from the promise of benefits - more zealous for the fulfillment of virtue, recognizing from both the power of God and His care for them. Truly, for this reason, predictions were made, and so that the Jews would not think that events happen simply and by chance, according to some order of nature and the natural course of affairs, but would know that both happen by a wave from above and by the determination of God; and this greatly contributed to their knowledge of God. But since the prophecies, as I said before, were not fulfilled immediately after their utterance, but the predictions were then spoken, and the events themselves took place after a long time, and some of those who heard often died before and could not judge the consequences of the predictions, then look what God does and arranges. He connects one prophecy with other prophecies, the nearest with the most distant, presenting what happened in their generation as the greatest proof of what should happen after a long time. In the Gospels, He arranges this kind of benefit in a different way: He combines miracles with prophecies and confirms one with the other. So, for example, a leper once approached Christ and was cleansed, and after him the centurion’s youth was healed of a well-known serious illness, and these signs were great; but He did not limit himself to these signs, but also added prophecy. Since the centurion showed wondrous and great faith, for which the boy was healed of his illness, Christ added: “many will come from the east and west and lie down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob... and the sons of the kingdom will be cast out 91” (Matthew 8:11, 12). In these words, He predicts the formation of the Church from the pagans, and the rejection of the Jews, which has now actually been fulfilled and is visible to everyone more clearly than the sun; but then it was still unclear and incredible for non-believers. Для того предварительно и совершено было тогда знамение, чтобы внушить великую веру в то, что имело совершится после, равно как и самое пророчество, исполнившееся ныне на самом деле, служит твердым подтверждением бывшему тогда знамению. Will the unbeliever say that the leper was not cleansed? But let him look at the truth of the prophecy, and from this let him believe in the sign. Would the Jews of that time have said that His predictions were not true? But let them look at the cleansed leper and, after being with him, have no doubts about the future. Thus, for those, the sign served as the greatest guarantee of the truth of the prophecy, and for today, the prophecy served as the greatest guarantee of the validity of the sign. Do you see how one is confirmed by the other? The same can be seen in the Old Testament. So, when Jeroboam was seriously raging and set up golden calves, the prophet who came predicted the future and then performed a sign. So that no one would doubt what was about to happen three hundred years later, he destroyed the altar, shed the fat and withered the hand of the king, through what happened before his eyes clearly confirming what was to happen after a long time (cf. 1 Kings 13). And many such events can be seen in both the Old and New Testaments, since God arranges our salvation differently. It was exactly the same here, and with great advantage; not only was a sign given, but the prophecy was connected to the sign. However, to make what has been said clearer, let us consider the legend itself in detail. “And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah king of Judah, that Rezin king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah king of Israel, went against Jerusalem to conquer it, but they could not conquer it. And it was told to the house of David, and it was said, The Syrians are settled in the land of Ephraim." ("And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rasin the king of Aramel, and Pekah the son of Romeli, king of Israel, went up against Jerusalem, and fought against it, and was not able to destroy it. And it was announced in the house of David, saying: “Aram and Ephraim are in conference” (Isa. 7:1, 2). This is history, a narration of events, but whoever has intelligence and keen vision can receive great benefit from this, knowing the great wisdom of God and His care for the Jews. He did not stop the war at the very beginning, and He did not allow the attacker to take possession of the city, but, having allowed the threat to be made in words, He stopped its execution, rousing and saving the Jews from carelessness, and showing His strength that He could, even when the disasters reach their end, preserve those who were subjected to them unharmed, as if these disasters had never begun. This, as can be seen, He often does, for example, in the cave of Babylon, in the lion’s den, and in countless other cases. So these too came, besieged the city, touched the walls, trembled the minds of the inhabitants, but could do nothing more. 2. From here one can see the iniquity of the ten tribes, in that they not only started an internecine war and took up arms against their brothers, but also united with strangers and foreigners and, being obliged not to even have simple communication with them, called them to their aid, armed themselves with them and rebelled against their city. They prompted the foreigner Rezin to march against their capital city. And the circumstances of the war were unequal. They had countless armies, and cities, and tribes, and peoples; but here there was nothing like that, but there was only one capital city, so the power of God was revealed with all clarity. While no one here took up arms, came out or fought, their evil plans were destroyed. “But they could not,” says the prophet, “conquer” (“and they were not able to ruin it”). What prevented this? Nothing other than the hand of God, which invisibly reflected them. However, as I said, although God averted war, he did not immediately deliver us from fear. “And it was announced,” he says, “to the house of David, how 92 The Syrians settled in the land of Ephraim; and his heart and the heart of his people were shaken" ("And it was proclaimed in the house of David, that Aram had taken counsel with Ephraim, and his soul and the soul of his people were terrified"). When God intends to do something extraordinary, He does not suddenly perform a miracle, but first allows those to whom it concerns to feel distress, so that when they are delivered from the misfortune they do not turn out to be ungrateful. Since many people, partly through pride, partly through carelessness, forget disasters after being delivered from disasters, or, without forgetting, attribute successes to themselves, God first allows them to be shocked by sorrows, and then frees them from difficult circumstances. He did exactly the same here. He allowed their hearts to tremble, allowed great sorrow to happen, and then sent deliverance. He did the same with the great David. Intending to bring him to the fight and to erect with his hands a glorious trophy, God did not do this at the beginning of the war, but left the Israelites to suffer from fear for forty days, and when they had already despaired of their salvation, when the foreigner uttered countless reproaches, and, despite the fact, no one dared to go out and confront the enemy, then only, precisely when they admitted their defeat and their weakness became obvious, He brought him out to fight the youth and accomplished a wondrous victory. If even after this, after such discovery of their weakness, the saved king, prompted by hatred and envy, plotted against David and, indulging in passion, turned out to be ungrateful to his benefactor, then what would he not have done if the Lord had not in such an obvious way proven the cowardice of both him and the entire army? God did the same thing, as can be seen, in many other cases. This is exactly what is done here. Intending to free the Jews from war and rid them of insults, He first allows them to feel distress. “And his heart and the heart of his people were shaken,” says the prophet, “as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind” (“and his soul and the soul of his people were terrified, as a tree in an oak grove is shaken by the wind”). Prophecy is characterized by revealing the innermost feelings of people. So here too he expresses the state of mind of each of them and, for clarity, gives a comparison to show the power of grief. And, he says, their soul was shaken, their arrogance was humbled; they despaired of their salvation, thought that they were in extremes, did not expect anything good, and each of them was crushed by their own thoughts. What about God? He predicts deliverance and then carries it out, so that they do not again attribute the liberation of the city to someone else, He sends a prophet to announce the future. “And the Lord said to Isaiah: You and your son Shear-jasub go out to meet Ahaz, to the end of the water supply of the upper pond, to the road to the whitewash field, and say to him: watch and be calm; Do not be afraid and do not let your heart be discouraged from the two ends of these smoking brands, from the inflamed anger of Rezin and the Syrians and the son of Remaliah" ("And the Lord spoke to Isaiah: go out to meet Ahaz, you and your remaining son Jasuv, to the font of the mountain path of the village of whitewash, and say to him: beware, be silent, and do not be afraid, so that your soul faints : below be afraid 93 from the two heads of these smoking trees: for when the wrath of my wrath comes, I will again heal” (Isa. 7: 3, 4). What does it mean: “come out to meet” (“go out to meet”)? From fear and grief, the king was not calm and could not stay at home, but, as usually happens with besieged people, he constantly went out, surveyed the walls, approached the gates, gave orders and examined the state of affairs of the enemies. That’s why God says: “come out to meet me.” What does it mean: “you and your son Shear-yasuv” (“you and your remaining son Jasuv”)? "Shear-yasuv" ("Jasuv") in Hebrew means: "conversion" and "activity." That is why Jesse, sending David to his brothers, said: “And Jasuv will take them away” 94, i.e. tell me about their conversion and what they are doing (1 Samuel 17:18). 3. So, here, it seems to me, the prophet is commanded to take the people with him, so that after the events are over, the king cannot remain ungrateful, as if he had not heard anything like this from the prophet. The meaning of the above words is as follows: go out to meet, you and those who treat you, who are left from the people. Do not be surprised that God calls the people his sons - and then the prophet says: “Here I am and the children whom the Lord has given me” (Is. 8:18). Indeed, the saints were instead of fathers and even surpassed all carnal fathers in their love and care for this people. He calls them “remainers” because many were taken away by enemies. “On the road to the Belilnichy field” (“the mountainous path of the Belilnicha village”). And here a considerable difficulty seems to me - how those who were imprisoned and besieged and did not dare to go out appeared outside the gates of the city; after all, this path is now visible outside its walls. How can this confusion be resolved? The fact that in ancient times it was fenced with another wall; this city had two walls, as those who are curious can easily see from another prophet. So, the prophet, having come out, encourages their fallen spirit and inspires hope about the future. Calm down, he says, and don’t be afraid; and calls kings firebrands, expressing both their strength and fragility; That’s why he adds: “smoking”, i.e. close to going out. Then, wanting to show that the attack of the enemies did not occur because of their strength, but by God’s permission, he says: “Syria, Ephraim and the son of Remali are plotting evil against you, saying: let us go against Judah and stir it up, and take possession of it and make the son of Tabeel king in it. But the Lord God says this: this will not take place and will not come true; for the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin; and after sixty-five years Ephraim shall cease to be a nation; and the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you do not believe, it is because you are not convinced" ("When the wrath of my wrath comes, I will heal again. The son of Araml and the son of the Romelievs, as if the evil council Ephraim and the son of the Romelievs conferred, 95 against you, saying: let us go up into Judea, and embitter you 96 and having spoken 97 I will turn away to us and make the son of Taveliev reign in it: this says the Lord of hosts: this advice will not endure, it will come true below, but the head of Aram Damascus, and the head of Damascus Racine: but for another sixty and five years, the kingdom of Ephraim will be impoverished from people, the head of Ephraim is Somoron, and the head of Somoron is the son of Romeli: and if you do not believe, you will understand less” (Is. 7: 5-9). Again the prophet presents the greatest confirmation of prophecy. Since the listeners were struck with fear, and disasters were before their eyes, and the joy was only in hope and even exceeded all expectations, and moreover, they were not very trusting, then look what he does. He gives the greatest sign that what is predicted will come true by revealing the plans of opponents. He reveals with what intention they besieged the city, what they discussed among themselves, on what conditions they proceeded, and shows that either this event is a betrayal (“the one who spoke,” he says, “I will turn them away from us”) or the enemies were mad with great pride, thinking that they did not need to take up arms or enter into struggle and battle in order to take the city. It is enough for us, they said, just to appear and talk, and return, taking everyone prisoner. Then, as usually happens with the proud, they, puffed up with such hope, consult about the election of a king, as if the city had already been taken and it was necessary to install someone as king in the capital. Such, says the prophet, are their plans; but the will of God overthrows all this. Therefore, he continues: “But the Lord God says so” (“this is what the Lord says”) and does not stop there, but adds “Sabaoth,” because when he intends to announce something great, he reminds of the power of God, the highest Kingdom, and His wonderful and wondrous dominion. What does God say? “This will not happen and will not come true; ибо глава Сирии – Дамаск» . His superiors say that his power will be limited to Damascus and will not extend further. “And the head of Damascus is Rezin.” The chief and ruler of Damascus, he says, will be “Rezin”, i.e. he will remain his own and will not increase his power. “And after sixty-five years Ephraim will cease to be a people” (“but in another sixty and five years, the kingdom of Ephraim will be depleted of people”). 4. This is the greatest proof of truth when prophets predict the time of events, leaving it to those who wish to investigate with accuracy the meaning of the prophecy. Now, says the prophet, they will retreat from the city, but after sixty-five years the whole people will perish; enemies will take him and take everyone away; and now, before that captivity, they will not receive anything more than they own. So that the king, hearing that the Israelites will perish in sixty-five years, does not say to himself: what then? - If they take us now and then destroy us, what good will it do us? - the prophet says: do not be afraid for the present; then they will be completely evicted, and now they will not receive anything more than they own. “And the head of Ephraim”, i.e. ten tribes, it will be “Samaria” (because their capital was there) and will not spread further, “and the head of Samaria is the king of Israel.” What he said about Damascus is also expressed here, i.e. they will have nothing more than what they now have. Further, since he spoke about deeds that exceed human understanding and surpass ordinary considerations, and what was said was a prophecy, he rightly added: “if you do not believe, it is because you are not certified.” Don’t ask, he says, how and in what way it will be; God is the Accomplisher, and you only need faith, and you will understand the power of the Accomplisher; you received complete proof of what was said. So the prophet David said: “I believed, and therefore I spoke” (Ps. 116:1). And Paul, repeating this saying, applied it to higher subjects, saying: “But having the same spirit of faith, as it is written: I believed, and therefore I spoke, and we believe, therefore we speak” (2 Cor. 4:13). If the Old Testament, which is as different from the New Testament as earth is from heaven, had a need for faith, then even more so - the knowledge of such lofty dogmas that never even occurred to anyone. The apostle himself expresses this when he says: “But, as it is written, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man the things that God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Cor. 2:9). “And the Lord continued to speak to Ahaz, and said: Ask yourself a sign from the Lord your God: ask either in the depths or on the heights. And Ahaz said, I will not ask, nor will I tempt the Lord. Then Isaiah said: Listen, O house of David! Is it not enough for you to make trouble for people that you want to make it difficult for my God? So the Lord Himself will give you a sign: behold, a virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and they will call His name Immanuel” (Is. 7:10–14). Great is the condescension of God, and great is the ingratitude of the king. Having listened to the prophet, he should not have doubted at all what was said; and if in doubt, then accept the sign and believe, as many of the men of Judah did. Бог, будучи человеколюбивым, часто не отказывал в этом (в знамении) для чувственных, пресмыкающихся долу и привязанных к земле (иудеев), как например сделал при Гедеоне. Since Ahaz was the most imperfect of all and very rude, look how God again condescends to him. He himself attracts him and invites him to ask for a sign, although it was no small sign that He opened his secret thoughts, revealed all his spiritual disposition and exposed all the pretense. Since the prophet said: “Ask yourself a sign,” and the king, pretending to be a complete believer, answered: “I will not ask and I will not tempt the Lord,” then look with what force the prophet strikes him, rightly using the most severe reproof when his pretense is discovered. Therefore, without deigning the king to answer, he turns to the people and says: “Listen, house of David! Is it not enough for you to make trouble for people that you want to make it difficult for my God too?” These words are unclear; therefore, they need to be explained in detail. In them the prophet says the following: are these words mine? – is this my definition? If you do not believe people in vain and without reason, it is cruel and worthy of condemnation, then much more so - in God. So, “to make it difficult” means nothing more than “not to believe.” Is it a small fault, he says, is it a minor offense to not believe people? But if this is cruel, then it is much more not to believe God. 5. He said this so that everyone would know that the prophet was not deceived and did not judge by the words spoken, but pronounced a determination by the thoughts in the soul of Ahaz. This is what Christ often did, according to the Gospels. Before showing any sign, he exposed the malice of the Jews that was hidden in their thoughts, and in this himself showed no small sign, as for example He did when healing the paralytic. When He told him: “Be of good cheer, child! your sins are forgiven you,” and they said to themselves: “He is blaspheming,” then He, before healing the paralytic, said: “Why do you think evil in your hearts?” , presenting the greatest proof of his deity that He knows his innermost thoughts (see Matt. 9: 2-4). “For You alone,” says Scripture, “know the heart of all the sons of men” (“for You alone weigh... the hearts”) (1 Kings 8:39). And David also says: “Thou testest the hearts and the bellies, O righteous God!” (Ps. 7:10). God often communicated this knowledge to the prophets, so that the listeners would know that what they said was not human, but every definition was brought from above, from heaven. Therefore, this most loud Isaiah, having talked with the king very meekly, announcing deliverance from disasters, commanding him not to fear for the present and presenting him with evidence of this by revealing the intentions of the enemies, exposing betrayal, predicting the complete and complete captivity of Israel and setting the time, did not limit himself to this, but goes further and does not expect the king himself to ask for a sign, but offers it to him, who does not want this due to extreme unbelief, and, moreover, not simply, but leaves the choice to his will; does not say: this and such a sign, but: wherever you want. The Lord is rich, His power is omnipotent, His power is indescribable; if you want a sign from heaven, there is no obstacle; whether you want from the ground - and nothing prevents this; This is the meaning of the words: “in the depths, or on the heights.” But when the king was not convinced by this, the prophet did not remain silent even then, but, adding reproof to correct the listener and to show that he did not deceive or deceive with words, reveals a mysterious prophecy that will serve to save the universe and correct everything, and says that this sign is no longer given to Ahaz, but to the entire Jewish people. At first the prophet addressed his speech to him, but when he showed himself unworthy, he addressed the whole people. “So Himself,” he says, “the Lord will give” not to you, but “to you a sign.” “To you” – to whom? To those who were in the house of David: from there came this sign. What sign? “Behold, a virgin will be with child and give birth to a Son, and they will call His name Immanuel.” We must remember, as I said above, that the sign is no longer given to Ahaz, but that this is not a guess, can be seen from the fact that the prophet himself, having said in reproof and reproach: “Is it not enough for you to make trouble for people,” added: “So the Lord Himself will give you a sign: behold, a virgin will receive with child” 99. If it had not been a virgin, there would have been no sign. The sign must come out of the general order of things, surpass the usual order of nature, be wondrous and extraordinary, so that everyone who sees and hears notices it. That is why it is called a sign, because it contains something significant; but it would not be significant if it did not come out of the general order of other things. Так и здесь, – если бы шла речь о жене, рождающей по закону природы, то для чего пророк назвал бы знамением то, что бывает ежедневно? Therefore, at the very beginning of the prophecy, he did not say: “behold, the Virgin” (παρθένος), but: ή παρθένος, by adding a member, indicating to us some special, unique Virgin. And that such an addition expresses precisely this can be seen from the Gospels. When the Jews sent to John to ask: “Who are you?”, they did not say: “Are you the Christ” (Χριστός), but: “Are you ό X ριστός”; и не говорили: «ты ли пророк» ( προφήτης ), но: «ты ли ό προφήτης » ( Иоан. 1:19, 25 )? Each of these expressions meant something special. Therefore, at the beginning of the Gospel, John did not say: “in the beginning was the Word” (λόγος), but: “in the beginning was ό λόγος,” “and the Word (ό λόγος) was with God” (John 1:1). So exactly here the prophet did not say: “behold παρθένος,” but: “behold ή παρθένος “, and with the dignity characteristic of a prophet: “behold,” because he almost saw these events, imagining them and having complete confidence regarding what was said. Prophets saw the invisible more clearly than our eyes. Feelings tend to be deceived; and the grace of the Spirit communicated an immutable decision. 6. But why, you say, did he not add that the birth will be from the Holy Spirit? What was said was a prophecy, and therefore, as I have often said, it was necessary to proclaim it in secret, due to the ingratitude of the listeners, so that, having learned everything clearly, they would not burn all the books. If they did not spare the prophets, then much less would they spare their writings. And that what I said is not a guess can be seen from the fact that another king, under Jeremiah, took the books themselves, cut them up and put them on fire (Jer. 36:23). Do you see the unbearable madness? Do you see the reckless anger? He was not content with erasing the writings, but also burned the books, wanting to satisfy his insane passion. However, although this wondrous prophet spoke secretly, he expressed everything. A virgin, remaining a virgin, how else could she conceive if not from the Holy Spirit? No one else could surpass the law of nature except the Creator of nature. Thus, by saying that a virgin will give birth, he expressed everything. Having announced the birth, the prophet also names the name of the Born One, not the one that was given to Him, but which befits Him according to His deeds. And he calls Jerusalem “the city of righteousness,” although it was never called the city of righteousness, but was awarded such a name by deeds, due to a significant change for the better and the defense of justice. If the prophet calls it “the harlot” not because this city ever had such a name, but ascribes this name to it because of its depravity, then even after that he calls it “the city of righteousness” for virtue (see Isa. 1:21, 26). The same must be said about Christ, i.e. that the prophet ascribed to Him the name according to works. Indeed, then God was especially with us when He appeared on earth, interacted with people and showed great care for us. It was not an angel or an archangel who was with us, but the Lord Himself descended and took upon Himself to correct everything, talked with harlots, sat with tax collectors, entered the houses of sinners, gave hope of salvation to robbers, attracted the wise men, surveyed and corrected everything, and united nature itself with Himself. The prophet predicted all this, announcing both the birth and the ineffable and boundless fruits of this birth. When God is with people, we should no longer fear or tremble at anything, but be confident about everything that it has truly come true. Ancient and immovable crimes have been resolved, the condemnation of the entire human race has been destroyed, the forces of sin have been crushed, the power of the devil has ceased, paradise, which was inaccessible to everyone, was opened first for the murderer and the robber, the vaults of heaven were opened, man united with the angels, our nature ascended to the royal throne, the prison of hell became idle, death in name remained, but in the essence of the matter was destroyed, hosts of martyrs and wives crushed the sting of hell. Seeing all this, the prophet rejoiced and admired, and in one word he depicted this to us, foretelling Emmanuel to us. “He will eat milk and honey until he understands... This Child will understand to reject the bad and choose the good” (“...before he understands 100 He will reject good or evil, he will reject the evil one, and choose what is good” - the Child goes on in the text) (Is. 7:15, 16). Since the born Youth was not a simple man, and not only God, but God in man, the prophet rightly diversifies his speech, expressing one thing or another, setting forth the marvelous and not allowing people to believe in the economy of God, but in the extraordinary nature of the miracle. When he said that “the Virgin will give birth” - and this was above nature - and that the one born will be called Emmanuel - and this was also above understanding - so that anyone, hearing about Emmanuel, would not fall into the heresy of Marcion and the illness of Valentinus regarding the economy, he separately adds the clearest proof of the economy, pointing to food. What exactly is he saying? "He will eat milk and honey." And this is not characteristic of the Divine, but of our nature. Therefore, He not only moved into man, created by Him, but was conceived, carried in the womb for nine months, endured birth, and swaddling clothes, and food suitable for the first age, in order with all this to stop the mouths of those who dare to reject the economy (the incarnation of God). Thus, the prophet, foreseeing this from afar, speaks not only about conception and a wondrous birth, but also about the food of the first age, which Christ ate in swaddling clothes and which did not differ at all from the food of other people and had nothing special in comparison with it. He did not have everything different from us, and not everything was in common with us. The fact that He was born of a woman is common to us; and that He was born of a Virgin is above us. The fact that He took food according to the ordinary law of nature and the same for other people is common with us; and that this church was inaccessible to sin, and did not experience sin, this is extraordinary and marvelous and characteristic only of Him alone. That is why the prophet spoke about both. Not after the experience of evil, he says, He abandoned evil, but even before, and from the very beginning He demonstrated all virtue. Christ himself spoke about this: “Which of you will convict Me of unrighteousness?” And again: “For the prince of this world comes and has nothing in Me” (John 8:46, 14:30). 7. And this same prophet further says: “for He committed no sin, and no lie was found in His mouth” (Is. 53:9). He says the same thing here, i.e. Before the Youth is able to recognize or distinguish evil, from the very inexperienced age in evil, from birth He will begin to demonstrate virtue and will have nothing to do with vice. “For before this Child will understand, reject the bad and choose the good.” Again, with the same words, the prophet expresses the same thought and dwells on this subject. Since what he said was very high, by repeating the explanation he certifies its truth. What he said above in the words: “until he understands” or “rejects the bad,” he further expresses in the words: “before this Child understands” and adds again the same expressions: “reject the bad and choose the good.” This was especially characteristic of Him alone. That is why Paul constantly repeats the same thing and John, who saw Him, exclaimed these words: “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). And whoever took upon himself the sins of others was even more sinless. And Paul, as I said above, constantly repeats the same thing. Since Christ had to die, so that any of the unbelievers would not think that He was punished for his own sins, the apostle constantly puts on display His sinlessness, wanting to show that His death is atonement for our sins. That’s why he says: “Christ, having risen from the dead, dies no more... for because He died, He died once to sin” (“... For even if I die, I die to sin”) (Rom. 6:9, 10). And he suffered this death, he says, not as a guilty person, not for his own sin, but for the common sin of all. If He was not previously subject to death for any of His sins, then it is quite obvious that He will no longer die. “The land that you fear will be abandoned by both of its kings” (“and the land that you fear will be abandoned on behalf of the two kings”). What the prophet often does, he does the same here: after the prophecy, he turns to historical events. This is what he did in the tale of the seraphim, as we have clearly shown; did the same here. Having spoken about the blessings prepared for the universe, he now turns his speech to the king. That’s why he continues: “the land... will be abandoned.” What does "abandoned" mean? She will be inviolable, she will be free, she will not experience anything unpleasant, she will not be subjected to the disasters of war. “The land that you fear will be abandoned,” for which you fear, for which you tremble, “by both its kings,” i.e. "Damascus" and "Israeli". Further, so that the king does not become more careless from the prediction of good things and does not become more careless as a result of the world, the prophet again stirs up his soul, saying: “But the Lord will bring on you and on your people and on your father’s house days that have not come since the fall of Ephraim from Judah, he will bring the king of Assyria” (Is. 7:17). With these words, he announces the invasion of foreigners who destroyed the city to the ground and, taking the inhabitants captive, left; He proclaims not so that this will happen, but so that they, having come to their senses with fear, will turn away from themselves the threatening disaster. But since they did not become better from the benefits that they did not use according to their dignity (and that they really did not use them according to their dignity is evident from the king’s spiritual disposition and his extreme disbelief), nor from the threats of terrible events, they did not improve, but stubbornly resisted both this and that useful medicine, the prophet finally uses the deepest section to destroy the rotten wound and cut off the incurably diseased members. What does it mean: “from the time Ephraim fell away from Judah, he will bring in the king of Assyria”? The foreigners made an attack to take them all away; but then, leaving Judah and the two tribes, they turned against Israel. Thus, his words mean the following: from the day when the ten tribes attract an army of foreigners to themselves, having distracted them from you, due to their extremely great sins, and, having attracted them to themselves, are taken away, from that day you will also need to fear and be afraid. Extending further, they will attack you if you do not correct yourself. “From that time,” he says, “the Lord will guide” them. Not at the same time that the Israelites were taken away, these were taken, but after a little time. 8. Thus, according to the meaning of the words of the prophet, God would have brought these days at that time, but He delayed and was patient, although their sins, due to their importance, then demanded the same punishment, as He often does, i.e. delays and delays when the appointed day arrives. This serves, on the one hand, as the greatest evidence of His love for mankind, and on the other, as the clearest proof of the ingratitude of those who do not want to make proper use of His love for mankind. So here the prophet says that even then the decree was established, even then there was the wrath of God, so that, imagining the proximity of punishment, it would incite repentance. Make them the best, and after taking ten tribes, bring the remaining two into despondency, so that they do not become more careless, after the captivity of some and the escape of captivity by others. “And it will come to pass in that day that the Lord will give a sign to the fly that is at the mouth of the river of Egypt.” Do you see how it was not in vain that I said that, wanting to increase fear in them, he uttered a threat from that very day? This is proven by the following words, with which he increases fear, presenting them with troops that were very scary for them, explaining the ease of invasion of enemies, which could extremely touch them, and pointing out the multitude of troops, which especially amazed their minds. He expressed all this in the following words: “And it will come to pass,” he says, “on that day: the Lord will give a sign to the fly” (“And it will come to pass on that day that the Lord will call the flies”). Here he called the Egyptians flies because of their impudence and shamelessness, because they, being constantly driven away, constantly attacked again and did not give the slightest rest, but often caused a lot of trouble to the Jews, constantly pestering them during misfortune, like flies to wounds. God will bring them, he says. However, he did not say: he will lead, but: “he will give a sign” (“he will show”), expressing the ease of their invasion and the invincibility of the power of God, for which one moment is enough and everything is accomplished. The prophet rightly threatens them in advance with such enemies as they have already experienced attack. “And the bee that is in the land of Assyria” (in St. I. Evil, “bees” are plural). The Syriac and Hebrew text is said to say not "bees" but "wasps" (σφή x ας). Since they have not yet experienced these enemies very well, by comparison with such an insect the prophet instills great fear in them, expressing with the name of this insect their strength, swiftness, vindictiveness, the severity of wounds, the speed of arrival, the difficulty of beingware of them. “And they will all fly and sit in the desert valleys and in the clefts of the rocks, and in all the thorny bushes, and in all the trees” (“and they will all come and rest in the wilds of the country, and in caves of stone, and in dens, and in every cleft, and in every tree”) (Is. 7:19). Having said how terrible those nations are and how fast their army is, he now speaks of their multitude. He did not say: they will take up arms, but: “they will sit down” (“will rest”), as if not having arrived in the enemy’s country, but enjoying their own, and as if not preparing for fatigue and labor, but setting out for a clear victory and collecting ready-made booty. That’s why he says: “they will fly in and sit down” (“they will come and rest”), which is typical of those who have won, erected a trophy and after many exploits and murders rest. They will rest not only in the fields, but, due to their countless number, the country will not be sufficient to accommodate their bodies, and therefore the abysses, and rocks, and mountains, and forests, and everything will be covered with the bodies of foreigners. If they had not been so strong and not so fast, their numbers would have been enough to defeat the Jews; but when both are united, and such a multitude and such strength, and, what is most difficult of all, when the wrath of God presides over them, then what hope remains for salvation? However, the expression: “in all the thorny bushes, and in all the trees” (“in every crevice, and in every tree”) is exaggerated. Of course, they will not rest on trees, but here, as I said, the prophet allows for exaggeration. And together the comparison with wasps continues. “In that day the Lord will shave with a hired razor” (Isa. 7:20). Having instilled strong fear through the enemy troops, the prophet strengthens it even more by turning to heaven and showing that it is not some foreigners, Egyptians and Persians, but God who is waging war against the Jews. “Razor” here he calls the unbearable wrath of God, against which no one can resist, which easily overtakes and destroys. Just as the hairs on the body cannot withstand the edge of a razor, but immediately give way and fall, so, he says, the affairs of the Jews cannot withstand the wrath of God. 9. Thus, the “hired razor” shows us the strong, complete wrath of God, His final determination. And the expression: “on the other side of the river, by the king of Assyria” means: on the other side of the Euphrates, because Judea and all of Palestine from Persia lay on the other side of this river. All this, says the prophet, the Lord will completely “take away.” And by naming the head, hair, beard and legs, He names the whole country in the form of a comparison with the body, embracing with the word their whole country, as he said at the beginning: “The whole head is full of sores, and the whole heart is spent. From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there is no healthy place” (Isa. 1:5, 6), meaning not just one person, but comparing the whole country with one body. He says the same thing here, i.e. that the whole earth will suffer a severe punishment. He expressed one by “a razor”, and the other by the likeness of a body, explaining that the threatening determination of God, heavier than any razor, would destroy both the people and the products of the earth, and leave it naked and deserted. Further, he depicts this desolation with another comparison, and does this so that fear remains always alive in them, and grief does not weaken from the duration of the speech. It seems to inattentive people that the following words contain a promise of certain benefits; but those who delve into it in detail know that they depict great desolation. Really, what is he saying? “And it shall come to pass in that day, that he that keepeth a cow and two sheep, according to the abundance of milk which they yield, shall eat butter; All who remain in the land will eat butter and honey” (Isa. 7:21, 22). Here, as I said above, great desolation is depicted. The land that produces wheat and barley, when devoid of people, will provide abundant pasture for sheep, and so abundant that, with an abundance of fodder, even two sheep and one heifer will be able to supply the owner with their sources of milk. Thus, the excess of food for the dumb is the greatest proof of the lack of people. Honey also means the same: bees usually like to live in deserts, where they find abundant food and where no one bothers them. And so that you are convinced that great desolation is depicted here, further words serve. “And it will be in that day 101 where there grew a thousand vines for a thousand pieces of silver, there will be thorns and thorns. They will go there with arrows and bows, for all the land will be thorns and thorny bushes” (Isa. 7:23, 24). And this serves as a sign of great disaster, that not only mountains and forests, but also arable and carefully cultivated land brings thorns. It was not in vain that the Prophet indicated the price of grapes, but to show both the properties of the land and the great diligence of farmers. Meanwhile, he says, this land, so fertile and cultivated by the hands of landowners, God will turn into such a desert that it will produce thorns instead of grapes and inspire such fear in those passing by that no one will dare to enter it naked and unarmed. He says this wanting to show both the desolation of the place and the many animals living there. Having thus shaken the minds of the listeners and created strong fear in them, the prophet again somewhat softens the speech, adding both pleasant things and changes for the better, so that they would know the power of God from both. But he dwells on the terrible for a long time, and, having said something pleasant, immediately leaves it. Why? Because they then especially needed the healing of threat; That’s why, having outlined it at length, he then, wanting to give them some rest and thus again call them to virtue, adds something pleasant: “and every mountain,” he says, “will be restored” (Is. 7:25). Just as during the wrath of God the fertile land will become desert, so on the contrary, after His propitiation, the rough land will show the properties of the rich land, accepting the plow and seeds. And when this is accomplished, then everything that follows from here will be - peace and security, confidence and fearlessness, as it was before. “You will not go, afraid of the thorns and thorny bushes: they will drive the oxen there, and the small livestock will trample them” (“they will not find it,” he says, “there is fear: it will be from the ice and the thorns that the sheep will be grazed and the ox will be trampled under foot”). By this he again points to well-being, as he further says: “Blessed is he who sows 102 by all the waters, and those who send there the ox and the donkey” (“in all the waters, where the ox and the ass trample”) (Is. 32:20). Just as when he wants to depict desolation, he represents in his speech the “Sirin ov” and “Onocentaur ov” (Is. 13:21, 22), so when he wants to depict peace and security, he always imagines meek, tame animals and helping us in agriculture, expressing through them what comes from them - cultivating the land and their other services. St. I. Zl. reads: έ κ βληθήσονται έξω “they will be cast out” (“they will be cast out”), but in all Greek. sp. lane LXX reads: έ κ βλ έίς τό σ x ότος τό έξώτερον “they will be cast out into outer darkness.” Οτι “as” (as), whereas above, in accordance with the Greek. sp. trans. LXX, used: λεγόντων, “said” (“verb”) (vat. λέγων). Μηδέ φοβηθής “fear below” is read here only in St. I. Zlat., friend. Greek sp. absent (compare ts.-sl.). καί τό Ιασούβ αύτών λήφη . In Slavic: “and if they demand great ones, hang them.” The words: Ἐφραι κ αί ό ύιός τοϋ Ρωμελίου are absent in al. code., and therefore not translated. and in ts.-sl. Καί κ α κ ώσομεν άυτήν “we will embitter you” are read only in St. I. Evil, but absent in each other. Greek sp. After the word συλλαλήσαντες “conversed”, in Vat. code. stands αυτοίς in c.-sl. “with them” unreadable St. I. Zl. here, but read below. Καλεσουσι. In Slavic: “call” (cf. Matt. 1:23). Here St. I. Zl. uses the expression έξει, as in al. code., and above – λήφετοι, as in Vat. V. ev. (Matthew 2:23), in relation to which St. I. Zl. quotes these words, reads έξει. έ x λέξεται τό άγαθόν , but in ts.-sl.: “before you know whether he will deceive evil or choose good” (compare t. Compl. polygl. πρίν ή γνώνι αύτόν προελέσθαι πονηρά, ή έ x λέξασθαι τό άγαθόν ). The following are further in Greek. sp. words: πάς τόπος, “every place” from St. I. Zl. are not readable. In c.-sl., according to Alex. and wat. code: “Blessed are those who sow.” You might be interested in: