Thomas Aquinas Commentary Isaiah 8:1-3

"And Jehovah said unto me, Take thee a great tablet, and write upon it with the pen of a man, For Maher-shalal-hash-baz; and I will take unto me faithful witnesses to record, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah. And I went unto the prophetess; and she conceived, and bare a son. Then said Jehovah unto me, Call his name Maher-shalal-hash-baz." — Isaiah 8:1-3 (ASV)

1. And the Lord said to me: take for yourself a great book. Here he foretells the destruction of the ten tribes, insofar as it pertains to their punishment. This was carried out by the Assyrians: first, in the reign of Pekah, by Tiglath-pileser, who captured the two and a half tribes that were across the Jordan, and many people from the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali (2 Kings 15); afterward, by Shalmaneser, who reduced the remaining tribes to captivity (2 Kings 18:9–12). However, the two tribes also shared in this tribulation, for they were afflicted by Tiglath-pileser, as is stated in 2 Chronicles 28:20, and by Sennacherib, as is stated below in chapter 36. Nevertheless, they were not entirely subjugated. This prophecy is divided into two parts:

1. First, he foretells the tribulation.

2. Second, he foretells its manner and sequence: at the first time the land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephtali was lightly touched (Isaiah 9:1).

2. This chapter, moreover, is divided into three parts:

1. First, he threatens the ten tribes with destruction by the Assyrians.

2. Second, he foretells the affliction of the two tribes in this, where it says, and shall pass through Judah, overflowing (Isaiah 8:8).

3. Third, he strengthens them with their future liberation, where it says, gather yourselves (Isaiah 8:9).

Regarding the first part, he does two things:

• First, the sign of destruction is presented.

• Second, the event itself is described, where it says, and the Lord spoke to me again (Isaiah 8:5).

Regarding the presentation of the sign, he does two things:

• First, he presents the prefiguration of the punishment.

• Second, he gives the explanation of the sign, where it says, for before the child knows (Isaiah 8:4).

The Jews, however, interpret this sign literally as the son of Isaiah, by whose name the Lord wished to signify the destruction of the ten tribes. According to this view, the sign was confirmed in three ways:

1. Through writing.

2. Through testimony, where it says, and I took (Isaiah 8:2).

3. Through the event itself, where it says, and I went (Isaiah 8:3).

3. Regarding the first point, the writing, he specifies three things:

1. What it is to be written on: a great book. Literally, the scroll is large to signify the magnitude of the tribulation: take for yourself a scroll of a book, and you shall write in it all that I have spoken to you against Israel and Judah (Jeremiah 36:2).

2. What it is to be written with: with a man’s pen, that is, plainly, so that it may be understood and so that what is written will remain: write the vision, and make it plain upon tables: that he who reads it may run (Habakkuk 2:2).

3. What is to be written, namely, the name of the one who will lay waste, briefly signifying the future destruction: take away the spoils with speed, quickly take the prey, that is, to plunder. These may be the Lord's words spoken to the prophet, and so they are taken literally; or they are spoken to the enemies, and thus, symbolically, as below: and I will give him a charge against the people of my wrath, to take away the spoils, and to lay hold on the prey (Isaiah 10:6).

4. Regarding the second point, the sign is confirmed by testimony: faithful witnesses. In the mouth of two or three witnesses let every word be established (Deuteronomy 19:15).

5. Regarding the third point, it is confirmed by the event itself, for sometimes the prophets also announced a future event by their own actions, as below: go, and loose the sackcloth from off your loins, and take off your shoes from your feet. And he did so, and went naked, and barefoot (Isaiah 20:2). Therefore, this is understood literally: that he went to his wife. On this point, two things are presented:

1. The begetting of the child: and I went.

2. The naming of the begotten child: call his name, hasten, as if to say: make haste to do it; take away the spoils,Detrahe spolia. as above (Isaiah 8:1). Or, according to another of Jerome's translations: hasten, the spoils take away;Spolia detrahe. and this is better, since, in this version, the name contains nothing more than what was written in the scroll.

6. Against this literal interpretation, some raise several objections:

1. First, since the words commanded to be written are few, it is not necessary for the scroll to be large.

2. Second, it is not probable that the prophet, a respectable man, would have brought in witnesses when he went to his wife.

3. Third, because Uriah made an altar for idols like the altar of Damascus in the temple of the Lord (2 Kings 16:15–16), and therefore he was not a faithful witness.

4. Fourth, because Zechariah was not alive then, for Zechariah the son of Jehoiada had been killed long before by Joash, king of Judah (2 Chronicles 24:22). Another man is called Zechariah, who was one of the twelve prophets, and he lived long after, during the return of the people from captivity, as is clear from Zechariah 1:1 and throughout the whole book. Therefore, the prophet could not have taken Zechariah as a witness. Moreover, a similar objection remains as with the first sign,See above on 7:14. that the child himself was born before the death of Pekah. Therefore, as was proven above, he was at least nineteen years old at the capture of Samaria, and so what is said in Isaiah 8:4 is false: before the child knows how to call his father and his mother.

7. And so, they hold that this should be understood only of Christ, just like the first sign. In this view, the great book signifies Sacred Scripture, about which it says in Baruch 4:1: this is the book of the commandments of God, and the law, that is for ever. The man’s pen signifies the nature of prophecy, in that it is not entirely clear to everyone, but only to the rational, who can understand things signified through figures: I have multiplied visions, and I have used similitudes by the ministry of the prophets (Hosea 12:10).

Take away the spoils with speed is a circumlocution for the name of Christ, because Jesus is savior. He took away spoils—that is, sinners—from the power of the devil, and plundered hell, about which it says below: therefore will I distribute to him very many, and he shall divide the spoils of the strong (Isaiah 53:12).

Uriah, which means “light of the Lord,” signifies the law: because the commandment is a lamp, and the law a light (Proverbs 6:23). Zechariah, which means “memory of the Lord,” the son of Berechiah, which means “blessing of the Lord,” signifies prophecy, for the prophets received divine knowledge through the blessing of a divine gift. And these—namely, the Law and the Prophets—are the witnesses of the Incarnation of Christ: all things must be fulfilled which are written in the law of Moses and in the prophets and in the psalms, concerning me (Luke 24:44).

The prophetess, moreover, is the blessed Virgin, who prophesied, saying, My soul magnifies the Lord (Luke 1:46), to whom the prophet went through prophetic understanding and faith. Alternatively, the prophetess is said to be the Holy Spirit, who is the source of all prophecy: for prophecy came not by the will of man at any time: but the holy men of God spoke, inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21). For in Hebrew, the word for “spirit,” namely, ruah, is feminine in gender. According to this, she conceived means the Spirit caused Mary to conceive: for that which is conceived in her, is of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:20). Call his name, O Isaiah, means to foretell his name, as above.

8. This interpretation, however, does not have the same authority as the one for Isaiah 7:14 concerning the other sign, because it is more forced and does not have authority from the Scriptures, as the other does from Matthew 1:22–23. Therefore, some say that it is not unreasonable to understand this literally, in such a way, however, that this child may be a figure of Christ, as is also stated above in a certain gloss on Isaiah 7:14: behold a virgin.

Therefore, according to this view, a reply can be made to the initial objections.

To the first objection, it should be said that the scroll was large, not because the writing required it, but to signify the magnitude of the tribulation.

To the second, it can be understood that the witnesses were brought for the writing, as is done for official documents, and not for his going to his wife. Even if they were brought for this, it would not seem to be any more against decency than bringing in witnesses for fornication, as in Hosea 1:2–3, a passage many also interpret literally.

To the third, it should be said that Uriah is called “faithful” because of the authority of his priesthood and not because of the goodness of his life, or because he was considered trustworthy by the king.

To the fourth, it should be said that this Zechariah was neither of the ones mentioned. For it is a custom among the Hebrews, as among many peoples, to give sons names from their relatives, as is said in Luke 1:61 about John: No one in your family is called by this name. Thus, this Zechariah could have been a descendant of the one who had been killed earlier. It is also a custom among the Hebrews, as Jerome says, to often use a proper noun as a common noun, just as they often use “Bozrah,” the name of a fortified city, for any fortified city. And so, because that other Zechariah was a faithful prophet and had a great reputation among the people, this man is also called Zechariah, who was perhaps similarly trustworthy to the people of that place.

To the fifth, it should be said that this is not a similar objection, because what is said above in Isaiah 7:16 must be understood only of the destruction, since it says, the land shall be forsaken. But Isaiah 8:4 can be understood of the persecution carried out by Tiglath-pileser, who destroyed Damascus (2 Kings 16:9) and plundered the kingdom of Samaria (2 Kings 15:19–20). Therefore, he says expressly: the strength of Damascus, and the spoils of Samaria shall be taken away, and this event was near enough.

9. It should be noted regarding the words, a great book (Isaiah 8:1), that the Sacred Page is a book that is said to be:

1. First, great, regarding the greatness of its content: hear me,Vg. omits “me.” for I will speak of great things: and my lips shall be opened to preach right things (Proverbs 8:6).

2. Second, it is sealed, regarding vision, as below: and the vision of all shall be unto you as the words of a book that is sealed (Isaiah 29:11).

3. Third, it is rolled up because of its multiple meanings: and I looked, and behold, a hand was sent to me, wherein was a book rolled up (Ezekiel 2:9).

4. Fourth, it is bitter because of the labor of study: and I took the book from the hand of the angel and ate it up: and it was in my mouth, sweet as honey. And when I had eaten it, my belly was bitter (Revelation 10:10); those who seek me early will find me (Proverbs 8:17).

5. Fifth, it is sweet, regarding its effect: eat this book: and I did eat it: and it was sweet as honey in my mouth (Ezekiel 3:1–3).

6. Sixth, it is flying, regarding its meaning: I saw, and behold a volume flying (Zechariah 5:1); will the eagle mount up at your command, and make her nest in high places? (Job 39:27).

7. Seventh, it is life-giving, regarding its fruit: all these things are the book of life, and the covenant of the Most High, and the knowledge of truth ; he who finds me finds life (Proverbs 8:35).