(Chapter 60—Verse 1 and following) Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. 70: Arise, arise, O Jerusalem, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. Behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples. But the Lord will appear great upon you, and His glory will be seen in you. And nations will walk in your light, and kings in the splendor of your light. Regarding what we think about the restoration of Zion and Jerusalem, and all that is promised to it by prophetic prediction, we have spoken more fully at the end of the previous book, where we have interpreted what that verse meant: Zion's Redeemer will come, and to those who turn away from wickedness in Jacob. Now we must briefly examine what most people think about this place, so that after understanding the mistake, we can more easily accept the truth. The Jews and our half-Jews, who expect a golden and gem-studded Jerusalem to descend from heaven, argue that these things will happen in the thousand-year reign, when all nations will be subject to Israel, and the camels of Midian and Ephah, coming from Sheba, will bring gold and frankincense, and all the flocks of Kedar will be gathered, and the rams of Nebaioth will come to be sacrificed on the altar of the Temple, which will have been built. Also, the daughters of that land, especially the ships of Tarshish, will fly like doves, bringing treasures of gold and silver. And the walls of Jerusalem will be built by foreigners, who will be ruled by kings from foreign nations. The gates of the city will always be open, day and night, to allow the wealth of Jerusalem and the offerings to be brought in. And everything that was once desolate will be rebuilt with cypress, pine, and cedar from Lebanon. The Temple of the Lord, in particular, will be constructed, where there will be eternal joy. It will draw in the milk of nations and consume the treasures of kings. There will be such abundance of all things that bronze will be valued like gold, iron like silver, and wood like bronze, and even stones like iron. Moreover, the princes will enjoy eternal peace, and the bishops will lead the people in righteousness, and the gates will be future symbols. And what is greater than this, the Lord Himself will shine with eternal light, replacing the sun and the moon. And for one man, it will be equal to a thousand mighty warriors, and for the little ones, it will be possessed by the strongest nations. These are the words of those who desire earthly pleasures and seek the beauty of wives and the number of children, for whom God is their belly, and their glory is in their shame (Philippians 3). Those who follow their error confess themselves to be similar to the Jews under the name of Christians. Others, however, assert that all these things were promised to the Jews in a carnal manner, if they had received him who says in the Gospel: I am the light of the world (John 8:12), which enlightens every person coming into the world, so that just as the sacrifices were granted to the people of Israel, not because they were good in themselves, but so that they would not be offered to demons, in the same way the Lord promises these things to the gluttonous Jews, who seek nothing else but bodily pleasures, so that at least for their carnal desires and their abundance of wealth, they would receive the Son of God. Because they did not receive him, the promises also became void. Finally, to the Canaanite woman begging for her daughter: 'I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel' (Matthew 15:24). And to his disciples: 'Do not go into the road of the Gentiles, and do not enter the cities of the Samaritans; instead, go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel' (Matthew 10:5, 6). For this reason, the Apostles first preached the Lord in the synagogues, but when the people did not receive the Gospel, they said to them: 'It was necessary to preach the word to you, but since you did not accept salvation, behold, we turn to the Gentiles' (Acts 13:46). For the light indeed came into the world, but the Jews loved darkness more. Therefore, when the Lord wept over Jerusalem, He added: If you had known, even you, the things that are for your peace (Luke 19:42). Because they did not receive this, He brought upon them: But now the days will come upon you, and your enemies will surround you with a rampart, and hem you in on every side, and will level you to the ground, and your children within you (Ibid., 43). However, according to the previous meaning, let us believe that all these things are said about the Church, which was first gathered from the Jewish people, and the light that had risen upon her was transmitted to the Gentiles through the Apostles. To whom it is said: Rise, shine; so that what has fallen among the unbelievers may rise among the Faithful: what has fallen in the synagogues may rise in the Churches: and once it has risen, may it be illuminated, so that they may have no darkness of error. For behold, your light comes, which all the Prophets promised, which you have awaited continually. And the glory of the Lord, which once was upon his tabernacle and his Temple, has risen upon you: of which it is said: Glorious things are spoken of you, City of God (Ps. 86:2). For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and a mist the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee. The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the LORD. And the nations will walk in your light. We all will walk in the light of the Apostles, which shines in the world, and the darkness did not comprehend it. And the kings, he says, in the splendor of your birth: when you were first born in Christ. This is fulfilled both spiritually and carnally, as kings whose heart is in the hand of the Lord, and in whom sin does not reign in the mortal body (Prov. 21:1), walk in the splendor of the nascent Church, or in him who has risen in the Church, and submit to the yoke of the true king, the faith of Christ (Rom. 6:14). What we see fulfilled every day when the error of idolatry is removed, and the rage of persecution, Roman leaders pass to the faith and tranquility of Christ. There are those who await these things that we remember from the first coming of the Savior until the consummation of the world, both in part completed and fully to be fulfilled in the future, when the fullness of the Gentiles enters and all Israel will be saved (Rom. 11). The opinion of no one should be condemned, as long as it is spiritually fulfilled and not known carnally. Furthermore, the name Jerusalem and the nations, which are placed here by the Septuagint, are not found in Hebrew, and it should be noted with an obelus, against those who claim that everything that is said is said about Jerusalem.
60:4
(Verse 4.) Lift up your eyes all around and see: all these gathered together have come to you. Your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be carried at your side. LXX: Lift up your eyes all around and see: all your sons have gathered together. Your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be carried on shoulders. It is said to the Church, which was first gathered in Zion by the Apostles, of whom we read in the Acts of the Apostles, that religious men from the whole world were in Jerusalem, who received the word of God in their own and foreign tongues, either hearing others speaking or speaking to others themselves (Acts II). And it is commanded that they lift up their eyes around: which the Lord also commanded the Apostles, saying: Lift up your eyes, and see, for the fields are already white for harvest (John 4:35). For out of Zion, and not out of Mount Sinai, shall the law come forth, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And it is commanded that with lifted eyes he see his gathered children, who come from afar. To whom it is also said in another place: Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion, proclaim, O daughter of Jerusalem: Behold, I come, and I will dwell in your midst, says the Lord (Zephaniah 3:17); and, Many nations shall come to the Lord: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God (Zechariah 2:11). But we are the sons who have come from afar to the Lord, once pilgrims from the Testament of God and His promises, having no hope and without God in the world. But what does the Apostle say? You who were once far away, have now been made near (Ephesians 2:13). And what follows: 'And your daughters shall be nursed at your side,' signifies that souls nurturing in Christ, and in the baptism of infants, of whom also the Apostle Peter speaks, 'As newborn babes, desire the genuine milk of the word, that you may grow thereby' (1 Peter 2:2), shall suckle the milk of the Apostles. He spoke to them as little children and infants, saying: My little children, for whom I am in labor again until Christ is formed in you (Galatians 4:19). And in another place: Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, so we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of Christ but also our own lives (1 Thessalonians 2:7-8). It should be noted that the statement in the Septuagint, 'your daughters will be carried on their shoulders,' is especially important. For the sons, who are strong, they themselves come from afar and gather to the faith of the Lord. But the daughters, who are weaker, and because of the fragility of their sex, have not yet come to maturity as women, are carried on the shoulders of the Apostles, in order to be brought into the bosom of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
60:5
(Verse 5) Then you will see, and you will be wealthy, and your heart will be amazed and expanded: when the multitude of the sea turns to you, the strength of the nations will come to you. LXX: Then you will see, and you will be afraid, and you will be astonished in your heart: for the riches of the sea and the nations and the peoples will be transferred to you. When you lift up your eyes and see your sons and daughters coming quickly or being carried on the shoulders of the holy ones, then you will rejoice, and you will be flooded with sudden waters like rivers, and your heart will be amazed and expanded, hearing the Apostle say: My mouth is open to you, O Corinthians. And again: Expand yourselves, and us (2 Corinthians 6:11); lest you not be able to have Christ as a guest in your narrow heart, who says in the Gospel: My Father and I will come and make our dwelling with him (John 14:23). But that which is added in the Septuagint, 'and you shall fear,' is not found in the Hebrew. Unless perhaps after the greatness of joy, fear has entered lest such a great good be lacking. Is it not joy, to see riches and the multitude of the seas transferred and converted to oneself, and the strength of nations coming to oneself, so that whatever is in the world and the earth's orbit is one's own; and with faith strengthened, the nations say: I can do all things in him who strengthens me, Jesus Christ (Philippians 4:13)?
60:6-7
(Verse 6, 7) The flood of camels shall cover you, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah. All those from Sheba shall come, bringing gold and frankincense, and proclaiming the praise of the Lord. All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you; they shall be offered on my acceptable altar, and I will glorify the house of my majesty. LXX: And the herds of camels shall come to you, the camels of Midian and Ephah shall cover you; all those from Sheba shall come, bringing gold and frankincense, and proclaiming the salvation of the Lord. All the flocks of Cedar shall be gathered unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee: they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory. Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows? Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the LORD thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee. And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee. Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought. For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted. The regions of Midian and Ephah are across Arabia, fertile for camels, and the whole province is called Sheba, where the Queen of Sheba was, who came to hear the wisdom of Solomon: and she brought gold and frankincense, bringing many things to the peaceful king, and receiving even greater things from him (3 Kings 10). But the region of the Saracens is called Kedar, who are called Ishmaelites in Scripture. And Nebajoth is one of the sons of Ishmael, from whose names the desert is named, which is lacking in crops but full of cattle. Therefore, through the names of the barbarian peoples who are near Israel, the conversion of the whole world is preached. For Midian, indeed, is interpreted as wickedness in this place. Ephah, loosened, or pouring out. Sheba, conversion, or captivity. Kedar, darkness. Nebaioth, prophecies. Therefore, the flocks of camels, being freed from the bonds of wickedness and pouring out their souls to God, will cover Jerusalem with gifts, and all will come out of captivity, bringing the gold of faith with their conversion, and the incense of sacrifice. And not content with these gifts, they will progress, so that they may preach the salvation of God to others as well. That rich man, who carried the weight of riches like a camel in the Gospel, and a camel he was, did not want to hear the Lord's advice, nor be freed, so that, having thrown off the burden, he could fly to heaven on the wings of a dove; therefore, he went away sad. And about this kind of camel, the Savior speaks: It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 19:24). She proposed the difficulty of the thing, not the impossibility. Finally, your mother of sacred memory, Paula, and your brother Pammachius, through the eye of a needle, that is, through a narrow and tight path that leads to life, passed through the stars of heaven, leaving behind the wide road with burdens, which leads to Tartarus. Indeed, they carried whatever they had as gifts of the Lord, fulfilling what is written: The redemption of a man's soul is his own riches (Prov. XIII, 8). For what is impossible among humans is possible for God (Matthew 19). Having as principal gifts gold, in the sense of the best odor, and incense, and saying: Let my prayer be directed like incense in your sight. And: We are the good odor of Christ in every place (2 Corinthians 2, 15); by the example of his virtue, announcing the salvation of the Lord every day, so that all the sheep of Kedar may be gathered in the Church, and may pass from the darkness of error to the light. The rams of the Prophets, about whom it is sung in Psalm 28: Bring to the Lord, O sons of God, bring to the Lord the sons of rams, let them come and be offered, or according to Theodotion, let them offer themselves as a sacrifice to the Lord, and let them become propitiatory victims, so that the Church of Christ may be glorified. The Savior spoke to his disciples about these kinds of sheep: Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 10:3). And again: My sheep hear my voice (John 10:3). And in Ezekiel more fully: Behold, I will seek my sheep, and I will visit them: as the shepherd visiteth his flock. Thus saith the Lord God: I will require that which is lost, and bring back that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was weak, and that which was strong I will preserve: and I will feed them in judgment (Ezech. XXXIV, 11, 12). And that we may know what those sheep are, He explains more clearly: And they shall know that I am the Lord their God: and you, O my flocks, the flocks of my pasture, are men: and I am the Lord your God (Ibid., 27, 28). If therefore anyone among the Gentiles is wealthy, let him be saved like a camel, not without gifts and offerings, so that he may preach the word of the Lord. If anyone is like the simplicity of sheep and the authority of rams, let him ascend or be offered on the altar of the Lord by those who are in power, so that his house may be glorified. But what we have noted in Hebrew script: The rams of Nabajoth shall minister to you, and they shall offer on my acceptable altar, is properly understood of those who, chosen from among the Gentiles, are ministers of the Savior. But if someone is contentious and disputes these things in a carnal way, let us respond to him: We do not have such a custom, nor does the Church of God (1 Corinthians 11:16). And let us say that even if these things were promised carnally to the Jews, they were still promised conditionally, so that if they had received their own light, which had been sent to them, then they would also have followed these things. Namely, that through desire for gold and the abundance of wealth and carnal things, by which this nation was always captivated, they would receive the sent Son of God to themselves. But because they did not receive him, everything was taken away and the inheritance was spiritually restored to those who receive it.
60:8-9
(Verse 8, 9.) Who are these who fly like clouds, and like doves to their windows? For the coastlands wait for me, and the ships of the sea are in the lead, to bring your sons from afar, with their silver and gold, to the name of the Lord your God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he has glorified you. LXX: Who are these who fly like clouds, and like doves with their young to me? The coastlands have waited for me, and the ships of Tarshish in the first place, to bring your sons from afar, and their silver and gold with them, for the sake of the holy name of the Lord, and because the Holy One of Israel has been glorified. Because the Lord entered Egypt on a light cloud, and through the clouds he commanded the prophets not to rain upon Israel, the Church, to whom the truth of God had come, marvels at the first people gathered for circumcision, that a crowd of Gentiles from the whole world flies to her. And with the wings of the Holy Spirit taken up, they hasten, according to Symmachus and Theodotion, to her windows; according to Aquila, to her waterfalls, that they may enter the Church. Or the teachers with their disciples, that is, doves with their chicks, will fly to the church from the islands of the gentiles, which, according to the prophecies of the prophets, will await the Lord. The ships of Tarshish, that is, of the sea, about which we have spoken more fully in the vision of Tyre, will also bring the children of the Church at the beginning of faith, carrying gold and silver. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Rom. X, 10). In the sixty-seventh psalm, it is written: 'The wings of the dove are silver, and its back is gold in brightness' (Psalm 70:14). And in the seventy-first psalm: 'The kings of Tarshish and the islands shall bring gifts, and the kings of Arabia and Sheba shall offer gifts' (Psalm 71:10). All these things are brought to the name of the Lord God and the Holy One of Israel, who has glorified him.
60:10-12
(Verse 10 and following) And the sons of strangers will build your walls, and their kings will serve you. In my indignation I struck you, but in my mercy I have shown you compassion; and your gates will always be open, never closed day or night, so that the strength of the nations may come to you and their kings may be brought. Indeed, any nation or kingdom that does not serve you will perish, and the nations will be devastated. For because of my anger I struck you, and because of my mercy I have loved you. And your gates shall always be open; they shall not be shut day or night, so that the strength of the nations may come to you, and their kings who are to be brought. For the nations and kings who do not serve you shall perish; the nations shall be devastated in their desolation. Among the many things with which the Church is enriched, and the city of the Savior is built, foreigners and sons of foreigners also build its walls, so that the enemy cannot enter and find a place for treachery. But aliens and foreigners properly signify the people of nations who have truly built the Church of Christ, to such an extent that their kings and princes serve and assist her. This is either understood in a literal sense or in a spiritual sense. If understood literally, we see that the Roman Caesars submit their necks to the yoke of Christ and build churches at public expense, and rely on the laws against the persecutions of the nations and the snares of the heretics. If, spiritually, those who possess self-control, eloquence, holiness, are leaders, and through the power of their souls subjugate the servitude of the flesh, they themselves govern and assist, they come to the aid of him whom he often abandons due to negligence or strikes with the rod of persecutors, so that again, out of his own mercy, he may love him. Or certainly this must be said, that he may reconcile to himself the once afflicted and handed over to captivity among the people of the Jews, in the calling of the Gentiles, so that its gates may always be open, and neither day nor night be closed, and may continually be open to those who desire salvation, that is, that the entrance may not be denied to those who wish to believe in joy and in tribulation. And let strength be brought to her, whether it be the wealth of nations; and let her kings serve her or be led to her as captives. Then you will understand, when you see the most eloquent being brought to the faith of Christ; and the folly of the wisdom of the wise becoming foolish, and the prudence of the prudent being rejected (1 Corinthians 1): so that the wisdom of God may be wiser than men. But the nations and their kings who refuse to serve the Church in good and useful service, in order to be transferred into the Apostolic dignity, will perish in the destruction that is prepared for the wicked, and whatever is in them will be reduced to solitude, for they have refused to receive God as their guest.
60:13-14
(Verses 13, 14.) The glory of Lebanon will come to you, the cypress, the fir tree, and the pine tree together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I will glorify the place of my feet. The descendants of those who oppressed you will come to you bent low, and all who spoke against you will bow down at your feet and call you the city of the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. LXX: The glory of Lebanon will come to you with the cypress, the pine tree, and the cedar tree together to glorify my holy place, and I will glorify the place of my feet. And those who have humiliated you, and have provoked you, will come to you trembling, and they will bow down at your feet, all those who have provoked you; and you will be called the city of the Lord, Zion. Sancti Israel. Many things are missing in the Septuagint, which I have placed under asterisks from the Hebrew, and what they have added, I have marked with an obelus. Mount Lebanon is a mountain in Phoenicia, planted with tall trees, which the Psalmist describes saying: I have seen the wicked exalted and lifted up like the cedars of Lebanon (Ps. 36:35). And in another place: The Lord will shatter the cedars of Lebanon (Ps. 29:5). And many other things that I pass over for the sake of brevity. About this, once King Hiram of Tyre used to send cedars to Solomon in Joppa for the building of the Temple of God (3 Kings 5). Concerning this, Scripture also now promises the fir tree, the box tree, and the pine tree, or according to the Septuagint, the cypress tree and the pine tree, and the cedar tree, or according to Aquila, the fir tree, the thaadaor tree, and the thaassur tree; or according to Theodotion, the Brais tree, the Thadaar tree, and the Theassur tree, should be cut down together, so that the temple of Zion may be built (2 Chronicles 2). But if this is the case, where will the golden and jeweled Jerusalem be? Where will the Lamb's wife be? Where will the twelve gates, distinguished by a variety of precious stones, be? Unless perhaps it will be built with walls adorned with gems, and its foundation, and the Temple, which ought to be more beautiful, will be built with wood. By what means are we compelled to understand all things spiritually, that the fir, cypress, pine, and cedar, once lofty trees of Lebanon, have glorified the Temple of God, and made His holy place illustrious? So that I do not drag out the sense in a lengthy discourse, does not the holy and most eloquent martyr Cyprian, and the confessor Hilary of our time, seem to you to have built the Church of God like once towering trees in the world? And what follows: And they shall come to you bowed down, or returning, the sons of those who humbled you, and they shall adore the steps of your feet, all who detracted from you, we should understand this about those who are Christians not by choice but by necessity, and who, fearing the offense of the rulers, bend with fearful minds. Certainly, what persecutors believed later. Such was also the apostle Paul, who persecuted the Church of God, and later was called a vessel of election (Acts 9). When this has been fulfilled, so that the fullness of the Gentiles may enter, then all Israel will be saved. And it will be truly called the city of the Lord Zion, Holy Israel, which stands on a hill and is gathered from both peoples.
60:15-16
(Verse 15, 16.) Because you were abandoned and hated, with no one to pass by, I will make you a pride for all generations, a joy from generation to generation. You will suck the milk of the nations and nurse at the breast of kings. And you will know that I am the Lord, your Savior and strong Redeemer, Jacob. LXX: Because you were abandoned and hated, with no one to help, I will make you an eternal exultation, a joy for generations to come. And you shall suck the milk of nations, and you shall eat the riches of kings. And you shall know that I am the Lord who saves you, and who redeems you, the God of Jacob. What was previously abandoned and despised, with broken branches because they did not bear fruit, they were broken because there was no one to pass by and provide help there. Concerning them it is said in the psalms: And those who passed by did not say: The Lord's blessing upon you (Ps. 128:8); therefore I will make you an everlasting pride, or a source of joy and gladness for two generations: for the former branches, others inserted from the wild olive tree of nations, which will bring forth fruit contrary to their natural example, not of bitterness, but of sweetness, which they have taken from the root. You will suck the milk of the nations, and the breast of kings you will nurse. We have explained in greater detail the meaning of this place, discussing that verse, 'Your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall nurse at your side.' Or according to the Septuagint, you will eat the riches of kings. These riches, according to the Hebrew truth, are the breasts of kings and doctors, by which the infancy of those born in Christ is educated and nourished. When you have sucked and have come to solid food, so that you also eat the riches of kings of this kind, then you will know that I am your Savior, who redeemed you with my blood, or the mighty God of Jacob.
60:17-18
(Vers. 17 seqq.) I will bring gold instead of bronze, and silver instead of iron, and bronze instead of wood, and iron instead of stones; and I will appoint peace as your overseer, and justice as your ruler. No more shall iniquity be heard in your land, devastation and destruction within your borders; but your walls shall be called Salvation, and your gates Praise. LXX: I will bring gold instead of bronze for you, and silver instead of iron, and bronze instead of wood, and iron instead of stones. And I will give your princes peace, and your bishops justice, and in your land no more iniquity will be heard, nor affliction and misery in your borders; but your walls shall be called Salvation, and your gates Praise. The same thing applies to places, some being foreign, others native. And lest I should seem to say anything about the arts of rhetoric and dialectic, I will give common examples that can instruct the average reader. My son, who resembles me and has my nature, has a son of his own. Let me also say something else: one is greater, the other is lesser. The centurion is greater than the common soldier, but lesser than the tribune. There are few compared to ten: more compared to one. Therefore, in the spiritual restoration of Jerusalem, wood will turn into bronze, and stones will be transformed into iron. That is, once brutish and insensitive men will be transformed into those materials that provide some utility to the city. And brass and iron will be changed into gold and silver through the growth of virtues, so that they may not only have the appearance of usefulness, but also value and beauty. We have often spoken about what gold and silver signify in the Holy Scriptures. 'I will set your rulers in peace, and your bishops in justice,' says the Lord. Concerning this, it is written in Hebrew: 'I will appoint your visitation as peace, and your overseers as justice.' In the Holy Scriptures, the marvelous majesty is evident, as it named the future rulers of the Church as bishops, whose entire visitation is in peace, and the title of their dignity is in justice. So that no partiality is shown in judgment, nor anything wicked is heard in the land of the Church, nor affliction and misfortune in its territories. Wherever there is iniquity and justice is not observed, and peace is lost, all these things will follow. But for these reasons, he says, salvation will occupy all your walls, whether the savior, who is called Jesus in Hebrew, which properly means the name of the Lord. For he is the strength of the walls of the Church, which has gates in praise of the Lord: so that those who enter it may first learn to praise the Lord, and confess his name. And what the Seventy have interpreted for praise as γλύμμα, that is, sculpture, we can say that the gates of the Church should be engraved with virtues, through which we enter it.
60:19-20
(Verse 19, 20.) The sun will no longer be your light by day, nor will the splendor of the moon shine on you; for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. Your sun will never set again, and your moon will not decrease; for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and the days of your mourning will be fulfilled. LXX: And there will be no more sun for you to shine by day, nor will the moon's light shine on you at night; but the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. For the sun will not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. And the Lord will be an everlasting light, and your days of mourning will be ended. From this chapter, we are compelled to refer all that has been said and will be said, to the final time: when the sun and moon cease their function as they pass through heaven and earth. And the Lord Himself will be a perpetual light, so that what the carnal-minded assert to be fulfilled in a thousand years, we may believe will be fulfilled spiritually, in the quality of the promises, not differing in time. To these things it must be briefly answered that if the sun sets at noon for false prophets and sinners, and conversely, the sun of justice rises for those who fear the Lord: why then does the one who says, 'I am the light of the world' (John 8:12), who shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not comprehended him (John 1)? For indeed, the sun does not scorch us during the day, nor does the moon during the night (Psalm 121:6). Because we have the Lord as our perpetual light, and the days of our mourning will be fulfilled, not in the lamentation of the destruction of Jerusalem, but in the rejoicing of the instruction of the Church. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are those who weep, for they will laugh. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied (Matthew 5). After being satisfied with the flesh of the Lord, they will proclaim the word of the Lord and declare their works to the king (Psalm 44).
60:21-22
(Vers. 21, 22.) But your people, all the righteous, will inherit the land forever, the offspring of my planting: the work of my hands for glorification. The least will become a thousand, and the smallest will become a mighty nation. I, the Lord, will do this suddenly in its time. LXX: Your people, all the righteous, will always possess the land: preserving the plantation, the works of their hands for glory. The one who is small will become a thousand, and the least will become a great nation. I, the Lord, will gather them in due time. After the days of mourning and completion, when sadness turns into joy, the people of Zion will be completely righteous, not for a short time, but forever. And because they are righteous, they will possess the gentle land. It is not surprising if the land of the meek and the living holds the good things of the promise, which the Prophet yearns for, saying: I believe to see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living (Ps. 26:13), since it is the offspring of the Lord's planting and the work of His hands to glorify God. For every plant, my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. (Matt. 15). According to the Septuagint, the people who keep God's plantation and the works of the Lord will be saved in the glory of the Creator. God speaks about a good plantation through Jeremiah: I planted you a good and true vine, which is called the vine of Sorec in Isaiah. (Isa. 5). And because Paul, with the consciousness of Christ speaking in him, could say: Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. (1 Cor. 11:1), therefore he spoke to the Corinthians: I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. (1 Cor. 3:6). For they who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God (Psalm 92). Then the one who was small shall become a thousand, and the least shall become a mighty nation, hearing from the Lord: You shall have authority over five or ten cities (Luke 19:17, 19); so that he shall be called a chiliarch. And he who, along with the Apostle, said: To me, the least of all the saints, this grace was given (Ephesians 3:8), shall be a prince of a great nation in the heavens, when the Lord sends his angels at the appointed time, and they gather together to him all the saints, from the highest heaven to the highest of it (Matthew 24): not only from Israel, but also from the people of the Gentiles, whom he was signifying when he said: And I have other sheep that are not of this fold, and it is necessary for me to gather them, so that there shall be one flock and one shepherd (John 10:16). But this will happen suddenly, so that when all things are desperate, then they will gather into the strongest nation. Although we see this being fulfilled in part in the Church every day, it will be more fully completed in the consummation of the world and in the second coming of the Savior.
61:1-2
(Chapter 61—Verse 1 and following) The Spirit of the Lord God (in the Vulgate it is "God") is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me: to bring good news to the meek, He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted (in the Vulgate it is "broken-hearted"), to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to grant to those who mourn in Zion: to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit. LXX: The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, to provide for those who mourn in Zion— to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit. They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, to display his glory. To whom the Psalmist had already said: You have loved righteousness and hated iniquity; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your companions (Ps. 45:7). When "companions" are mentioned, understand the nature of the flesh, because God does not have companions of his own substance. And because it was a spiritual anointing, and by no means of the human body, as it was in the priests of the Jews, therefore it is mentioned that he was anointed above his companions, that is, above the other saints. Whose anointing was completed at that time, when he was baptized in the Jordan, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in the form of a dove, and remained in him (John 1). Of whom this same Prophet also said: A branch shall come forth from the root of Jesse, and a flower shall rise up from his root, and the spirit of God, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and fortitude, the spirit of knowledge and piety, shall rest upon him (Isaiah 11:1, 2). And when the Savior came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, after being baptized in the Jordan, he entered, according to his custom, into the synagogue on the Sabbath day. And when he had risen to read, the book of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. And opening the book, he found the place where it was written: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. When He had rolled up the scroll, He gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. Then He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” And all were speaking well of Him and marveling at the gracious words that were falling from His lips. They were saying, “Is this not Joseph’s son?” He said to them, “No doubt you will quote this proverb to Me: ‘Physician, heal yourself! Do here in Your hometown what we have heard that You did in Capernaum.’” And He continued, “Truly I tell you that no prophet is accepted in his hometown. But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and great famine swept over all the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.” When they heard this, everyone in the synagogue was enraged. They got up, drove Him out of the town, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, in order to throw Him off the cliff. But Jesus passed through the crowd and went on His way. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. He has been anointed with the Holy Spirit to proclaim good news to the poor or meek, saying to them in the Gospel: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. And: Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. And he was sent to heal those who are brokenhearted and say: A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Or according to Symmachus and Theodotion, to preach the remission of sins to captives, the ability for the blind to see, or the opening for the closed, which Symmachus interpreted more clearly as the release of the bound. As it is said above, or rather to whom it is said: Behold, I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out those who are bound, and those who sit in darkness out of the prison house (Isaiah 42:6-7). But understand that the acceptable year and day of retribution, the entirety of his preaching in which he was present in the flesh, refers to a specific time. This is also interpreted by the Apostle Paul in reference to the first coming of the Savior, saying: Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation (1 Corinthians 6:2). We have spoken more fully about this above (Chapter 60). However, if retribution is understood not in the rewards of the good, but in the punishments of sins, then it should be understood in relation to the day of vengeance, which pertains to the Jewish people, upon whom immediately after his passion, the wrath of God came. He consoled all those mourning, saying: Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted (Matt. 5); so that he would console those who mourn for Zion and give them a glorious crown instead of ashes. Among them was also the Apostle Paul who mourned for Zion and said: I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish (Rom. 9): And again: I wished myself to be cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kin according to the flesh, who are Israelites (Ibid., 3). And therefore, mourning and lamenting, they received the oil of joy, seeing that many of the Jews had believed, and received the most pure garment, instead of mourning clothing.
61:3-5
(Verse 3-5) And they shall be called in her strong justices, the plantation of the Lord, to glorify. And they shall build the ancient places that were waste, and shall raise up the desolate cities, that were destroyed for generations and generations. And strangers shall stand and shall feed your flocks: and the sons of strangers shall be your husbandmen and your vinedressers. LXX: And they shall be called the generations of justice: the planting of the Lord to glory. And they shall build everlasting desolate places, which were previously deserted, they shall be raised up and renew deserted cities, desolate in generations, and foreigners shall come, and they shall feed your sheep, and the plowmen and vintners of other nations. After the Apostles, and the apostolic men have taken on the spirit of ashes and mourning, the oil of joy, and the garment, or according to the Septuagint, the robe of glory and praise: then they shall be called the generations of righteousness, the glorious planting of the Lord. Or according to the Hebrew, the strong ones, strong with the justice of God, or (according to Al. ut) the planting of the Lord for glorification: so that when they have been glorified, or they themselves have glorified the Lord, they shall build deserted cities from ancient times, and raise up ancient ruins, both the people of Judah and all the nations, who will have not only the knowledge of building and restoring cities, but they shall also be excellent shepherds, so that the old shepherds, to whom God had spoken through Ezekiel saying: O shepherds of Israel, do the shepherds feed themselves and not the sheep? (Ezek. 34:2) Let them hear with the apostle Peter: 'Feed my sheep' (John 21:17). And in a wondrous way, they shall move from being stone workers and shepherds to being farmers, that is, ploughmen and vintners, so that they may say with the Apostle: 'We are God's building, we are God's farm' (1 Corinthians 3:9). Finally, the Savior asks the scribes and Pharisees, the vintners and farmers of the Jews, what he should do to the evil vintners and farmers. And they answered: 'He will destroy the evil ones and give the vineyard to other farmers' (Matthew 21:41). He said to them: 'The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation that will produce its fruit' (ibid., 43). These matters do not require interpretation. For how many of the leaders of the Churches are from the Jews, not from foreigners and people of foreign nations? They, who formerly served idols and were strangers to the covenant of God and outsiders to his promises, now lead the Churches and tame the stubborn hearts of the gentiles, previously untamed, to bear the fruits of faith; so that they may multiply the sowing of the Lord's teaching through the abundance of good works.