Thomas Aquinas Commentary Isaiah 24

1. Behold the Lord. In this part, the prophet threatens the destruction of the entire earth. This can refer either to the destruction carried out in particular kingdoms and regions, or to the one that is to come on the day of judgment, according to what is said above: this is the counsel, that I have purposed upon all the earth (Isaiah 14:26). However, some explain this as pertaining only to the land of the Jews, Babylon, or the Idumeans.

This section is divided into two parts. In the first, he threatens the inhabitants of the land. In the second, he threatens the rulers of the peoples, which begins at the verse, and it shall come to pass, that in that day (Isaiah 24:21).

Regarding the first part, he sets forth three things:

1. The destruction of humanity.

2. The removal of joys, where it says: the vintage has mourned (Isaiah 24:7).

3. A multitude of dangers, where it says: the prevaricators (Isaiah 24:16).

2. The first point concerns the destruction of humanity. First, he threatens destruction. The Lord shall strip it means He will purge it of its inhabitants. He will lay waste to it, depriving it of those who cultivate it. He will afflict the face of the land—that is, the inhabitants on its surface—with various punishments. And He will scatter abroad its people, dividing them into various regions through captivity, as it is written: I have stripped youNudans spoliavi te. Vg.: nudans spoliavit eam. DR: “he hath stripped it bare.” bare (Joel 1:7).

3. Second, he describes the universality of the destruction regarding those who are punished, equalizing those who differ in rank: as with the people, so with the priest. He shows this equality in social condition (as with the servant so with his master) and in possessions (as with the buyer, so with the seller), for the small and great are there, and the servant is free from his master (Job 3:19).

He also shows this regarding the diversity of punishments. With desolation sets forth the loss of immovable things: the earth shall be laid waste. The loss of movable things is also shown: it shall be spoiled, as in, with desolation is all the land made desolate (Jeremiah 12:11).

Regarding the downfall of power, the earth mourned, and faded away. The prophet uses the past tense for the future, meaning it will fade away, mourning for its weakness. This is expressed as: is weakened, which can be said of the common people. But regarding the powerful, the world—that is, the leaders of the world—faded away, as stated above: I will visit the evils of the world (Isaiah 13:11). Finally, he sets forth the killing of humanity: and the earth is killed, as in, the land was killedInterfecta. Vg.: infecta. DR: “polluted.” (Psalms 106:38).

4. Third, he shows the justice of the punishment by comparing it to their sin. Here he does two things.

First, he sets forth their sin: they have transgressed the laws, whether written or natural; the ordinance of custom; and the covenant of friendship, which is everlasting because it is caused by a likeness of nature. As it is written, they have transgressed my covenant, and have violated my law (Hosea 8:1), and, they have polluted the sanctuary, they have acted unjustly against the law (Zephaniah 3:4).

5. Second, because of this sin, he threatens a fourfold punishment:

1. A divine curse: a curse, for the land has mourned by reason of cursing (Jeremiah 23:10).

2. Divine abandonment: they shall sin, as if the Lord has abandoned them. For example, for this cause, God delivered them up to shameful affections (Romans 1:26), and, he that is filthy, let him be filthy still (Revelation 22:11).

3. They will be made foolish: therefore they shall be mad, for they were turned aside into vanities (Psalms 78:57).

4. A reduction in their numbers: few men shall be left, as in, you shall remain few in number (Deuteronomy 28:62).

6. The vintage has mourned. Here the prophet threatens the removal of joys from the wicked. Second, he sets forth the joys of the good, beginning at: as if a few olives (Isaiah 24:13).

Concerning the first point, he does three things. First, he sets forth the end of joy, which came from three sources:

• The fertility of the land: the vintage has mourned, meaning its failure was a cause of mourning, as stated above: there shall be no rejoicing nor shouting in the vineyards (Isaiah 16:10).

• The playing of games: the mirth of timbrels has ceased, as in, the voice of harpers, harping on their harps (Revelation 14:2).

• The pleasures of feasts: they shall not drink wine with a song, as stated above: the harp, and the lyre, and, the timbrel and the pipe, and wine are in your feasts (Isaiah 5:12).

7. Second, he sets forth the recompense of sorrow. The drink shall be bitter, for in their feasts they will have sadness, which is the opposite of the pleasures of feasts: I will turn your feasts into mourning (Amos 8:10). The city of vanity is broken down stands against the vanity of games, for all things are vanity (Psalms 39:5) and vanity of vanities, and all is vanity (Ecclesiastes 1:2). The city can refer to Babylon or to any soul. There shall be a crying of those lamenting the lack of wine, which stands against fertility: in all vineyards there shall be wailing (Amos 5:17).

8. Third, he concludes with the exchange of joy for sorrow: all mirth is forsaken. As it is written, woe to you that laugh: for you shall weep (Luke 6:25), and, laughter shall be mingled with sorrow (Proverbs 14:13).

9. As if. Here he presents the joys of the good. First, he foretells the praise of those who are to come, whose salvation he predicts: as if a few. Few will be saved in relation to the others, as stated above: the fruit thereof that shall be left upon it, shall be as the shaking of the olive tree, two or three berries in the top of a bough (Isaiah 17:6). Then he presents their praise: these shall give praise; they shall whinny. They will whinny like horses to signify their great joy, as written below: the voice of your watchmen: they have lifted up their voice, they shall praise together (Isaiah 52:8).

10. Second, he introduces praise in the present: therefore. First, he presents the precept: glorify the Lord in instruction, that is, in teaching others. Another translation has, in praises, as in, glorify the Lord as much as ever you can, for he will yet far exceed .

Second, he indicates the fulfillment of the precept: from the ends of the earth we have heard praises, the glory of the just one, that is, Christ, as written below: behold the Lord has made it to be heard in the ends of the earth (Isaiah 62:11).

Third, he speaks of the reward for those who fulfill it: and I said: my secret. This refers to the secret of their reward: eye has not seen, nor ear heard: neither has it entered into the heart of man, what things God has prepared for them that love him (1 Corinthians 2:9). He adds, to myself, meaning, for myself alone. He then says, Woe is me, for I cannot speak of it to others, as Paul wrote, I heard secret words which it is not granted to man to utter (2 Corinthians 12:4). Alternatively, it could refer to the punishments of the damned: woe is me, for I see such great punishments. In this sense, this phrase connects to the following part.

11. The prevaricators. Here he threatens a multitude of dangers, and concerning this, he does two things. First, he denounces the diversity of their sins: prevaricators are those who sin by omission, while transgressors are those who sin by commission. As the Psalm says, I have accounted all the sinners of the earth prevaricators (Psalms 119:119).

Second, he threatens a multitude of dangers. He begins by setting forth this multitude: fear. He speaks in a likeness to those who flee pursuers because of fear, as stated above: they shall fall, and shall be broken in pieces (Isaiah 8:15), and, a voice of terror (Jeremiah 30:5).

12. Second, he shows the impossibility of escape: and it shall come to pass, that he that shall flee from the noise of the fear, shall fall into the pit. This is as if to say that someone trying to avoid Charybdis will fall upon Scylla. As Joel says, that which the palmerworm has left, the bruchus has eaten (Joel 1:4). The prophet gives the reason for this: tribulation will come upon them from both heaven and earth. This is the meaning of the flood-gates, that is, the hidden channels through which water flows, as in, the floodgates of heaven were opened (Genesis 7:11).

13. Third, he shows the impossibility of restoration using a threefold likeness.

• First, the likeness of divided things that cannot be restored: breaking refers to division into large parts, while crushing refers to division into small parts. As it is written, behold the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will crushConteram. DR: “destroy.” it from the face of the earth (Amos 9:8).

• Second, the likeness of shaken things that cannot be made stable: with trembling shall the earth be moved from place to place, and shaken, as if trembling in its own place as a drunken man. This is similar to what was said above: they have caused Egypt to err in all its works, as a drunken man staggers and vomits (Isaiah 19:14).

• Third, the likeness of a traveler’s tent, which is not fixed firmly in one place: as the tent, as written below: my generation is at an end, and it is rolled away from me, as a shepherd’s tent (Isaiah 38:12).

He gives the reason for this final state: and the iniquity thereof shall be heavy upon it, like a heavy weight, so that it cannot rise again. As Sirach asks, what is heavier than lead? . Zechariah says, sin sits on a talent (Zechariah 5:7), and the Psalmist laments, my iniquities are as a heavy burden are become heavy upon me (Psalms 38:4).

14. And it shall come to pass. Here he threatens the rulers of the people, and concerning this he sets forth three things. First, he sets forth their punishment: in that day of judgment, the Lord shall visit upon the host of heaven on high (that is, the demons) and upon the kings of the earth (these same demons). As Jesus said, now shall the prince of this world be cast out (John 12:31). Alternatively, this could refer to wicked human kings. And they shall be gathered together at the same time in hell, which was prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41), as in the gathering of one bundle, as in, bind it into bundles to burn (Matthew 13:30). This is so that those who were alike in sin may be alike in punishment, as John saw: I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies, gathered together (Revelation 19:19).

Alternatively, in that day could mean the day of the destruction of particular kingdoms. In that case, the host of heaven on high would refer to idols, namely, the sun, moon, and other stars, as in, he adored all the host of heaven (2 Kings 21:3). And they shall be gathered together would refer to their destruction, as written below: all the host of the heavens shall pine away (Isaiah 34:4).

15. Second, he indicates the measure of the punishment regarding time: and after many days they shall be visited. This means that after any amount of time in torment, they will still be punished for eternity, as in, go, you cursed, into everlasting fire (Matthew 25:41). Or, it could mean that on the day of judgment, after the judgment has been carried out, they will return to hell immediately. Or, according to another interpretation, it means they will be consoled, for as it is written, after the storm, He makes a calm for all .

16. Third, he describes the glory of the one who punishes. First, he speaks of the glory of the judge: and the moon shall blush. This means its splendor will be considered as nothing in comparison to the splendor of the body of Christ. As Joel says, the sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood: before the great and dreadful day of the Lord doth come (Joel 2:31). Alternatively, this could refer to the worshippers of the sun and moon.

Second, he speaks of the glory of the judge’s assessors: when the Lord of hosts shall reign . . . and shall be glorified in the sight of his ancients. This is similar to what was said above: the Lord will enter into judgment with the senatorsSenatoribus. Vg.: senibus. DR: “ancients.” (Isaiah 3:14).

17. Note on the words, the drink shall be bitter (Isaiah 24:9), that the drink of sin is bitter for four reasons:

1. Because of the remorse of conscience: her end is bitter (Proverbs 5:4).

2. Because of the fear of death: O death, how bitter is the remembrance of you .

3. Because of the lack of divine sweetness: know you, and see that it is an evil and a bitter thing for you, to have left the Lord your God (Jeremiah 2:19).

4. Because of the mourning of penance, as written below: I will recount to you all my years in the bitterness of my soul (Isaiah 38:15).

18. Note on the word, secret (Isaiah 24:16), that the mighty works of God are secret for three reasons:

1. Because of their greatness: not everyone can accept this word (Matthew 19:11), and, if I have spoken to you earthly things, and you believe not: how will you believe, if I shall speak to you heavenly things? (John 3:12).

2. Because of their dignity: to you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 13:11), but to others, it is given in parables.

3. Because of the unsuitability of others: give not that which is holy to dogs (Matthew 7:6).

19. Note on the words, and it shall come to pass, that in that day the Lord shall visit (Isaiah 24:21), that the visitation of the Lord is manifold:

1. For condemnation: in the time of their visitation they shall fall (Jeremiah 8:12).

2. For correction: I will visit their iniquities with a rod (Psalms 89:32).

3. For consolation: the Orient from on high has visited us (Luke 1:78).