Thomas Aquinas Commentary Isaiah 51:1-23

"Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek Jehovah: look unto the rock whence ye were hewn, and to the hold of the pit whence ye were digged. Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you; for when he was but one I called him, and I blessed him, and made him many. For Jehovah hath comforted Zion; he hath comforted all her waste places, and hath made her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of Jehovah; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody. Attend unto me, O my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law shall go forth from me, and I will establish my justice for a light of the peoples. My righteousness is near, my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the peoples; the isles shall wait for me, and on mine arm shall they trust. Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath; for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment; and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished. Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye dismayed at their revilings. For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool; but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation unto all generations. Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of Jehovah; awake, as in the days of old, the generations of ancient times. Is it not thou that didst cut Rahab in pieces, that didst pierce the monster? Is it not thou that driedst up the sea, the waters of the great deep; that madest the depths of the sea a way for the redeemed to pass over? And the ransomed of Jehovah shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads: they shall obtain gladness and joy; [and] sorrow and sighing shall flee away. I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou art afraid of man that shall die, and of the son of man that shall be made as grass; and hast forgotten Jehovah thy Maker, that stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and fearest continually all the day because of the fury of the oppressor, when he maketh ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor? The captive exile shall speedily be loosed; and he shall not die [and go down] into the pit, neither shall his bread fail. For I am Jehovah thy God, who stirreth up the sea, so that the waves thereof roar: Jehovah of hosts is his name. And I have put my words in thy mouth, and have covered thee in the shadow of my hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people. Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, that hast drunk at the hand of Jehovah the cup of his wrath; thou hast drunken the bowl of the cup of staggering, and drained it. There is none to guide her among all the sons whom she hath brought forth; neither is there any that taketh her by the hand among all the sons that she hath brought up. These two things are befallen thee, who shall bemoan thee? desolation and destruction, and the famine and the sword; how shall I comfort thee? Thy sons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the streets, as an antelope in a net; they are full of the wrath of Jehovah, the rebuke of thy God. Therefore hear now this, thou afflicted, and drunken, but now with wine: Thus saith thy Lord Jehovah, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thy hand the cup of staggering, even the bowl of the cup of my wrath; thou shalt no more drink it again: and I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee, that have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over; and thou hast laid thy back as the ground, and as the street, to them that go over." — Isaiah 51:1-23 (ASV)

1. Give ear to me, you that follow justice. Here he addresses the second obstacle to their liberation, which might be assumed from the oppression and humiliation of the Jews. This is divided into three parts:

   1. First, he removes the obstacle of discouragement due to their small numbers.

   2. Second, he removes discouragement from the power of their oppressors: Hearken to me (Isaiah 51:7).

   3. Third, he removes discouragement from the weight of their punishment: But I am the Lord your God, who troubles the sea (Isaiah 51:15).

2. Regarding the first point, he does three things.

   1. First, he calls for attention, presenting their suitability: you that follow, by good works, and you that seek, by right intention. The rich have wanted and have suffered hunger, but they that seek the Lord shall not be deprived of any good (Psalms 34:10).

   2. Second, he dismisses the fear of being few in number.

   3. Third, he presents the firmness of the promise: Lift up your eyes to heaven (Isaiah 51:6).

3. Regarding the second point, he does three things.

   1. First, he gives an example: Look to the rock, namely, Abraham, because of his old age, from where you are hewn—as if violently, not according to the course of nature—and to the hole of the pit, namely, Sarah, for whom it had ceased to be after the manner of women (Genesis 18:11). Neither did he consider his own body, when it was already dead (Romans 4:19), which shows that God has the power to make fertile. For I called him alone ; Abraham was one (Ezekiel 33:24).

   2. Second, he explains the benefit of divine comfort: The Lord therefore will comfort Zion and, regarding the rebuilding of cities, all her ruins. You are comfortedConsolamini. Vg.: consolabimini. DR: “you shall be comforted.” concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, in all things (Ezekiel 14:22). Regarding the cultivation of fields: And he will make her desert—that is, your land, which was formerly a desert—like Eden. Their soul shall be as a watered garden (Jeremiah 31:12). And regarding the gladness of people: Joy and gladness shall be found in it, as mentioned above: You shall have a song (Isaiah 30:29).

   3. Third, he presents the manner of execution: Hearken to me.

      First, he presents the divine intention: A law, the decree of Cyrus concerning the liberation of the people; my judgment, proclaimed from the justice of the Lord, to be a light of the peoples. This is a comfort, as stated above: To them that dwelt in the region of the shadow of death, light has risen (Isaiah 9:2).

      Second, he presents the nearness of the judgment: My justice is near—namely, Cyrus or Christ; my salvation has gone forth, already present in my foreknowledge. This is referenced above: I have brought my justice near (Isaiah 46:13).

      Third, he presents the benefit of the judgment: My arms shall judge the peoples—that is, powerful men, by my power, such as Cyrus and Darius. The islands shall wait for me, meaning various peoples will hope in me when they see the liberation of my people. This is referenced above: He will set judgment in the earth (Isaiah 42:4).

4. Lift up your eyes to heaven. Here he shows the firmness of the divine promise by comparing it to the changing nature of created things.

   First, he presents the changeability of creation: The heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall grow old like a garment (1 Corinthians 7:31). The same is to be said concerning the others: In the beginning, O Lord, you founded the earth, and the heavens are the works of your hands (Psalms 102:25).

   Second, he presents the firmness of the divine promise: But my salvation shall be forever, because I promise it, or because I will never fail to be ready to save and do justice. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away (Luke 21:33).

5. Hearken to me. Here he removes the obstacle that could be feared from oppression, specifically regarding the power of their oppressors. He does two things concerning this:

   1. First, the Lord's comfort is presented.

   2. Second, the prophet's discourse: Arise (Isaiah 51:9).

   Regarding the first part, he does four things.

   1. First, he calls for attention: You that know what is just, that is, the justice I have revealed in my judgments. He has not done so for any other nation; and his judgments he has not made known to them (Psalms 147:20). My law is in your heart, meaning in your understanding: Let them not depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart (Proverbs 4:21).

   2. Second, he dismisses fear: Fear not the reproach of men, who hold you in contempt while glorying in their own power. But I am a worm and no man, the reproach of men and the outcast of the people (Psalms 22:6).

   3. Third, he shows their fragility: For the moth shall eat them up like a garment. I am like a garment that is moth-eaten (Job 13:28).

   4. Fourth, he shows the firmness of divine help: But my salvation shall be forever, as stated above: Israel is saved in the Lord with an eternal salvation (Isaiah 45:17).

6. Note on the words, He will make her desert as a place of pleasure (Isaiah 51:3), that the saints have two kinds of pleasure.

   First are the pleasures of glory, which consist in:

   1. The full vision of God: Then you shall abound in delights in the Almighty (Job 22:26).

   2. Perfect love.

   3. Abundant refreshment.

   4. Eminent authority.

   Second are the pleasures of grace, which consist in:

   1. The perception of divine light: Night shall be my light in my pleasures (Psalms 139:11).

   2. The intention or concern for good works: He shall not much remember the days of his life (Ecclesiastes 5:20).

   3. The adornment of the virtues: How beautiful you are, and how comely, my dearest, in delights (Song of Solomon 7:6).

   4. Peace of heart, as stated below: You will call the sabbath delightful (Isaiah 58:13).

7. Arise. Here the prophet's discourse with God is presented, as if to say: I have not argued that the enemies of the people are confounded or consumed by any means other than divine strength.

   Thus, first, the prophet's petition is presented; second, the Lord's response: I myself will comfort you (Isaiah 51:12).

8. Regarding the first point, he does two things.

   1. First, he presents his petition, in which he calls upon the arm of divine power: O arm of the Lord, that is, the power of God, arise, as if from sleep: Arise, why do you sleep, O Lord? (Psalms 44:23). Put on strength, as soldiers put on weapons of war to fight our enemies: The Lord is clothed with strength and has girded himself with powerVg. omits “with power.” (Psalms 93:1); And do you have an arm like God? (Job 40:9). He also cites a sign of divine strength in the killing of Pharaoh: Have you not struck the proud one and wounded the dragon?—referring to Pharaoh, about whom it says in Ezekiel 29:3: Behold, I come against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, you great dragon. He also cites the parting of the sea: Have you not dried up the sea? By his power the seas are suddenly gathered together (Job 26:12).

   2. Second, he announces to his people that the Lord has heard his petition: And now, just as it was when they came out of Egypt, they that are redeemed by the Lord shall return from captivity in Babylon. For the Lord will lead them back .

9. I myself will comfort you. Here the Lord's response to the people is presented.

   First, he promises comfort: I will comfort you. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ... the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation (2 Corinthians 1:3–4).

10. Second, he dismisses fear of their enemies by presenting their fragility: Who are you, that you should be afraid of a mortal man, and of the son of man, who shall wither away like grass? This is referenced above: All flesh is grass, and all its glory is like the flower of the field (Isaiah 40:6). He also points to the power of God protecting them: And you have forgotten the Lord your maker? You have forsaken the God that begot you and have forgotten the Lord that created you (Deuteronomy 32:18). He also notes the mockery of the enemy: Where is now the fury of the oppressor?—referring to Nebuchadnezzar or Sennacherib. If your pride mounts up even to heaven (Job 20:6).

11. Third, he shows the order of comfort: He shall quickly come—namely, Cyrus—that is going to open the prison for the captives. And he shall not kill you, unlike the other kings of the Chaldeans, nor shall his bread fail you. This is referenced above: Bread is given him (Isaiah 33:16), and also: And I have given you for a covenant of theVg. omits “my.” DR: “the.” people (Isaiah 42:6).

12. But I am the Lord. Here he removes the obstacle that might be assumed to come from their dejection regarding the greatness of their punishment.

    First, he presents the power of God strengthening them: I am the Lord your God, who troubles the sea, sending tribulation against you because of various sinners. They know that the Lord is just and has loved justice (Psalms 11:7).

    Second, he presents the authority granted to the prophet: I have put my words in your mouth, O Isaiah, that you might plant the heavens—that is, that you might foretell that the great among the people are to be planted—and found the earth, meaning the lowly. Or, that you might plant through your teachings.

    Third, he promises liberation from punishments: Arise. Concerning this, he does two things: first, he shows their past affliction; second, he promises liberation.

13. Regarding the first point, he does three things.

    1. First, he shows the totality of their punishment: You have drunk even to the dregs, as if to say, you have endured to the very end of your punishments. The cup causes sleep, that is, death: In the hand of the Lord there is a cup of strong wine full of mixture (Psalms 74:8).

14. Second, he rules out every human remedy. Regarding defense: There is none to uphold her. Regarding liberation: There is none to take her by the hand. Regarding compassion: These two things have come to you; concerning goods, desolation, the effect of which is famine; and concerning people, destruction, the end of which is the killing sword: Such as are for the sword, to the sword (Jeremiah 15:2). And regarding comfort: Who shall comfort you? There is none to comfort her among all those who were dear to her (Lamentations 1:2); I saw the oppressions that are done under the sun, and the tears of the innocent, and they had no comforter (Ecclesiastes 4:1).

15. Third, he shows the reason for this: Your children are cast forth from their land; they have fainted at the head of every street, resting on the way when they were led into captivity. They are like an oryx in a net. An “oryx” could be an unclean animal like a water mouse; or an animal that sleeps a lot, such as the dormouse; or a certain bird in Africa. It could also be a clean animal similar to a goat . According to the Septuagint, it is like a half-boiled beet, which is a plant that fades quickly in the sun's heat, or a kind of common vegetable. Her young children were dashed in pieces at the top of all the streets (Nahum 3:10).

16. Therefore hear this. Here he promises liberation, and concerning this, he presents two things:

    1. First, their liberation: You that are drunk, but not with wine, but with the bitterness of your punishments. He has filled me with bitterness; he has made me drunk with wormwood (Lamentations 3:15). He is the one who has fought for his people, as in their escape from Egypt: For the Lord will fight for you (Exodus 14:14).

    2. Second, the punishment of their enemies: And I will put it in the hand of those who have oppressed you and have said to your soul, “Bow down,” treating you contemptuously, like mud to be trodden upon. Your people, O Lord, they have brought low, and they have afflicted your inheritance (Psalms 94:5); Behold, they whose judgment was not to drink of the cup shall certainly drink (Jeremiah 49:12).