Thomas Aquinas Commentary Isaiah 52:1-15

"Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean. Shake thyself from the dust; arise, sit [on thy throne], O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bonds of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion. For thus saith Jehovah, Ye were sold for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money. For thus saith the Lord Jehovah, My people went down at the first into Egypt to sojourn there: and the Assyrian hath oppressed them without cause. Now therefore, what do I here, saith Jehovah, seeing that my people is taken away for nought? they that rule over them do howl, saith Jehovah, and my name continually all the day is blasphemed. Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore [they shall know] in that day that I am he that doth speak; behold, it is I. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace, that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation, that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! The voice of thy watchmen! they lift up the voice, together do they sing; for they shall see eye to eye, when Jehovah returneth to Zion. Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem; for Jehovah hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem. Jehovah hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; cleanse yourselves, ye that bear the vessels of Jehovah. For ye shall not go out in haste, neither shall ye go by flight: for Jehovah will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rearward. Behold, my servant shall deal wisely, he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high. Like as many were astonished at thee (his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men), so shall he sprinkle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they understand." — Isaiah 52:1-15 (ASV)

1. Arise, arise. Here the prophet addresses the third obstacle to their liberation, which was their poverty, by promising them a liberation that is freely given. This section is divided into two parts.

   First, he foretells the liberation of the Jews from the Babylonians. Second, he foretells the liberation of the Gentiles from their sins, beginning at, Behold my servant shall understand (Isaiah 52:13).

   Regarding the first part, he does two things. First, he foretells the liberation itself. Second, he describes the order of their liberation, beginning at, The Lord has prepared (Isaiah 52:10).

   Regarding the first of these points, he does three things. First, he promises a liberation that is freely given. Second, he assigns the cause of this liberation, beginning at, for thus says the Lord God (Isaiah 52:4). Third, he proclaims joy to the liberated, beginning at, how beautiful (Isaiah 52:7).

2. Liberation is promised to them in three ways.

   First, it is a liberation from the oppression of their enemies. Regarding the goods they regained, he says, arise from the weakness through which you were not able to resist your enemies. Therefore, he says, put on your strength, O Zion, like weapons of war, for on Zion was the stronghold for the city’s defense. He says, arise from the misery you suffered when your enemies plundered you, and therefore he says, put on the garments of your glory. The glory of a city is the multitude of its citizens, the beauty of its streets, and the richness of its goods. As it is written, Put off, O Jerusalem, the garment of your mourning, and affliction: and put on the beauty, and honor of that everlasting glory which you have from God . Regarding the enemies they escaped, he says, for from now on the uncircumcised and unclean shall no more pass through you as ravagers and rulers. “The uncircumcised” refers to Gentile enemies, and “the unclean” refers to traitors from their own people. This is similar to what was said before: it shall be called the holy way (Isaiah 35:8); there shall not enter into it any thing defiled (Revelation 21:27).

3. Second, he promises liberation from the humiliation of its inhabitants, for some of the poor of the land had been left behind, as it says in 2 Kings 25:12 and Jeremiah 52:16. He says, shake yourself from the dust of humiliation; arise, resisting your adversaries, and then, sit at rest. As it is written, he raises up the needy from the dust (1 Samuel 2:8).

4. Third, he promises liberation from imprisonment by their captors, foretelling the benefit of this freedom: loose the bonds, that is, come out of captivity. As it is written, I have broken the chains of your necks (Leviticus 26:13). He also shows the manner of this liberation: for thus says the Lord: you were sold for nothing. This is to say, those who took you captive provided no benefits to you. And you shall be redeemed from captivity to Babylon by Cyrus, as stated before: he shall let go my captives (Isaiah 45:13). This is also written in the Psalms: you have sold your people for no price (Psalms 44:12).

5. For thus says the Lord. Here he assigns two causes for their liberation: namely, the slander against the people and the blasphemy against God.

   First, he presents the slander: my people went down into Egypt in the beginning, in the time of their forefathers (Genesis 46–47), to be a colonist there. Therefore, the Egyptians had some right to oppress them because of the benefits bestowed on them. And the Assyrian, a term which also includes the Chaldeans, has oppressed them without any cause at all, providing them with no benefits. Therefore, if the Assyrian opposes their liberation, what is this to me? That is, what prevents Me from now freeing Jerusalem?

6. Second, he declares the reason: for my people is taken away from their own land. They that rule over them—that is, the Chaldeans, who have usurped dominion for themselves—do so unjustly. And because my name is continually blasphemed, it is as if I were unable to free My people. As it is written, I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the Gentiles (Ezekiel 36:23). Therefore my people shall know my name in that day of liberation, for I myself that spoke, making the promise, I am here to fulfill My promise. As it is written, afterwards he was seen upon earth, and conversed with men . And also, God, who, at sundry times and in diverse manners, spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets, last of all, in these days, has spoken to us by his Son (Hebrews 1:1–2), if this is explained mystically of the coming of Christ.

7. How beautiful. Here he proclaims joy to the liberated.

   First, he describes their joy regarding the reception of messengers who, coming from Chaldea, announced it to them. Their message was beautiful, for it was beautiful and pleasant for the people to hear them announcing such things. They were upon the mountains, so that many would hear them. They were ones that preaches publicly, announcing peace, restored by Cyrus; good, which is the promise of assistance; and salvation from captivity. They proclaimed, your God shall reign, as though from then on, God alone will reign in you because you will worship Him in the restored temple. As it is written, behold upon the mountains the feet of him that brings good tidings (Nahum 1:15).

8. Second, he describes their joy regarding the sight of their watchmen who saw them returning from there, raising a voice of exultation. The voice of joy will resound: with one accord lifted up their voice to God (Acts 4:24). The reason for their joy is this: for they shall see eye to eye. This is to say, they will see the captives coming with their own eyes, as stated before: your eyes shall see Jerusalem (Isaiah 30:20).

   Third, he describes their joy regarding the arrival of the captives: rejoice, as stated before: the land that was desolate shall be glad, and the wilderness shall rejoice (Isaiah 35:1).

9. Regarding the words, put on the garments (Isaiah 52:1), note that the saints have garments of virtues in which they glory. These are:

   1. For protection, as written below: the Lord has clothed me with the garments of salvation: and with the robe of justice he has covered me (Isaiah 61:10).
   2. For keeping warm: she shall not fear for her house in the cold of snow: for all her domestics are clothed with double garments (Proverbs 31:21).
   3. For ornament: that you may be clothed in white garments (Revelation 3:18).

10. These garments ought to be:

    1. White, representing integrity in one's work: at all times let your garments be white (Ecclesiastes 9:8).
    2. Clean, representing righteousness of intention, as stated before: every garment mingled with blood, shall be burnt (Isaiah 9:5).
    3. Fragrant, representing the spread of a good reputation: the smell of your garments, as the smell of frankincense (Song of Solomon 4:11).

11. Also, regarding the words, loose the bonds (Isaiah 52:2), note that there are bonds from which God sets people free:

    1. Of worldly anxiety: who has sent out the wild ass free, and who has loosed his bonds? (Job 39:5).
    2. Of carnal love: I have found a woman more bitter than death, and her bondsEt vincula eius. Vg.: quae laquaeus venatorum est. DR: “who is the hunter’s snare.” (Ecclesiastes 7:27).
    3. Of perverse action: he brought them out of darkness, and the shadow of death; and broke their bonds in sunder (Psalms 107:14).
    4. Of vicious habit, as stated before: woe to you that draw iniquity to iniquity,Ad iniquitatem. Vg.: in funiculis vanitatis. DR: “with cords of vanity.” and sin as the rope of a cart (Isaiah 5:18).

12. There are also bonds from which God does not set people free:

    1. Of love: I drew them with the cords of loveIn funiculis caritatis traxi eos. Vg.: in funiculis Adam traham eos, in vinculis caritatis. DR: “I will draw them with the cords of Adam, with the bands of love.” (Hosea 11:4).
    2. Of divine law: of old time you have broken my yoke (Jeremiah 2:20).
    3. Of divine instruction: bow down your shoulder, and bear her, and be not grieved with her bands .

13. The Lord has prepared. Here he describes the process of their liberation.

    First, he shows God’s manifest help: his holy arm, namely, His power, which all were able to perceive in this deed. As it is written, all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God (Psalms 98:3).

    Second, he commands the captives to flee: depart, that is, from Babylonia; touch no unclean thing, meaning, do not live among these unclean people. As it is written, go out from her, my people (Revelation 18:4).

    Third, he shows the manner of their flight. Regarding purity: be clean, you priests. Regarding security: for you shall not go out in a tumult, that is, in the chaos of war, as you did from Egypt. As it is written, he brought forth his people (Psalms 105:43). Regarding their leader: for the Lord will go before you as a leader, and the God of Israel will gather you together as a shepherd. As it is written, for I will take you from among the Gentiles, and will gather you together out of all the countries, and will bring you into your own land (Ezekiel 36:24).

14. Behold my servant shall understand. Here he foretells the liberation of the Gentiles from slavery to sin, carried out by the Son of God.

    First, he describes the Liberator regarding the eminence of His grace: my servant shall understand, referring to the fullness of wisdom. The servant is Christ, according to the human nature He assumed: taking the form of a servant (Philippians 2:7). As it is written, a wise servant is acceptable to the king (Proverbs 14:35); and, he that understands shall possess governments (Proverbs 1:5). He shall be exalted, regarding the working of His powers: be you exalted, O Lord, in your own strength (Psalms 21:13). And lifted up, regarding His ascension: for your magnificence is elevated above the heavens (Psalms 8:1); he that descended is the same also that ascended (Ephesians 4:10). And shall be exceeding high, sitting at the right hand of the Father, as stated before: the bud of the Lord shall be in magnificence and glory, and the fruit of the earth shall be high (Isaiah 4:2). And he describes Him regarding the shame of His passion: for as many have been astonished at you—by Your example, miracles, and teachings, for all the multitudes were amazed (Matthew 12:23) at His teaching and the miracles He performed—so shall his visage be inglorious in suffering, and His form—that is, His appearance or beauty—marred: I am a worm, and no man: the reproach of men, and the outcast of the people (Psalms 22:6).

15. Second, he foretells liberation regarding the remission of sins: he shall sprinkle many nations with the sprinkling of His blood (1 Peter 1:2) and the water of baptism: having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with clean water (Hebrews 10:22). He foretells it regarding the reverence shown to Him: kings shall shut their mouth at him, being silent to listen, not presuming to discuss His secrets. As it is written, the princes ceased to speak (Job 29:9). And he foretells it regarding the knowledge of the truth: for they to whom it was not told of him—namely, the Gentiles, by the prophets—have seen in their hearts, and they that heard not Him preaching in person, have understood. As it is written below: behold me, to nations that did not know me and that did not call upon my name (Isaiah 65:1).Ad gentes quae nesciebant me et quae non invocabant nomen meum. Vg.: ad gentem quae non invocabat nomen meum. DR: “to a nation that did not call upon my name.”