The Burden against Damascus 1 An oracle of Damascus. See, Damascus is removed from being a city, and it will be a heap of ruins.
Jerome · AD 420 (Chapter 17, Verse 1) The burden of Damascus: Behold, Damascus will cease to be a city, and it will become a heap of ruins. The cities of Aroer will be deserted for the flocks, and they will have rest with none to make them afraid.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 The burden of Damascus. Here he begins to threaten against those who prepared an occasion of sin for the people of God when, through trust in their help, they cared not to trust in God.
2 The cities of Aroer are forsaken; they will be for flocks, and they will lie down with none making them afraid.
Jerome · AD 420 (Verse 2) The deserted cities will be for flocks, and they will rest there, and there will be no one to frighten them away. The deserted cities, Aroer, that is, Myrhae, will be for the Ecclesiastical flocks, so that we may inhabit those which the Jews deserted: whether the destroyed idolatry will be rebuilt as the Gospel.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 Second, as to the neighboring region: of Aroer, that is, of that region of Syria, in which there are many cities; or Aroer, which is Hebrew for "tamarisk," as if to say: as places where tamarisks abound are barren and abandoned to pasturage for sheep, so will the cities of Syria be; there shall be none to make them afraid, for, because of their solitude, there will not even be…
3 And the fortress will cease from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus, and the remnant of Aram; they will be like the glory of the sons of Israel — the utterance of the LORD of hosts.
Jerome · AD 420 (Verse 3) The help from Ephraim will cease, and the kingdom from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria will be like the glory of the children of Israel, declares the Lord of hosts.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 And aid shall cease. Here the effect of the destruction is set out, and first, the effect on the ten tribes: from Ephraim; second, the effect as to the royal city: and the kingdom from Damascus shall cease, and it will no longer be the head of the kingdom; third, as to the entire region: and the remnant of Syria shall be as the glory of the children of Israel, ironically: that…
4 And it will be, in that day, that the glory of Jacob will be brought low, and the fatness of his flesh will grow lean.
Eusebius of Caesarea · AD 339 By this it is clearly promised that the glory of Israel and all her riches will be taken away, and only a few, who like the few berries on an olive branch can be counted easily, will be left. These are the ones who believe in the Lord. Just after this there is a prophecy of the entire human race turning away from the error of idolatry and recognizing the God of Israel.
Jerome · AD 420 (Verse 4) And in that day, the glory of Jacob shall fade, and the fat of his flesh shall waste away. After the remnants of Syria had been, just as once had been the glory of the sons of Israel, and their salvation had been given to the nations by their transgression, then all the glory of the Jews will be diminished, with which they were glorious in the entire world, and their…
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 And it shall come to pass in that day. Here he threatens the destruction of the ten tribes, who trust in the help of the Syrians, and first, as to the oppression of their people; second, as to the destruction of their cities: in that day his strong cities (Isa 17:9); third, as to the barrenness of their fields: therefore shall you plant (Isa 17:10).
5 And it will be as when the harvester gathers standing grain and his arm reaps the ears; and it will be like one gleaning ears in the Valley of Rephaim.
Jerome · AD 420 (Verse 5, 6.) And it shall be like one gathering in the harvest what remains, and his arm shall gather the ears: and it shall be like one seeking the ears in the Valley of Raphaim.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 As to the first, he sets out scarcity of ears of corn after the harvest, which are gathered by the harvester himself, and thus, the scarcity of the remnant of the ten tribes, shall be as when someone gathers in the harvest that which remains from the first reaping, and, from those gathered, his arm shall pick out the ears of corn, that is, collect them.
6 And gleanings will be left in it, as at the beating of an olive tree — two, three berries at the top of the highest bough; four, five on its fruitful branches — the utterance of the LORD, the God of Israel.
Jerome · AD 420 (Verse 6) And he shall be left like a cluster of grapes, like the shaking of an olive tree, with two or three berries on the top of the branch, or four or five on its fruitful branches, says the Lord God of Israel.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 Against abundance of wine, he sets out scarcity of grapes after the grape harvest: and the fruit thereof that shall be left upon it, shall be as one cluster of grapes: woe is me, for I am become as one that gleans in autumn the grapes of the vintage (Mic 7:1). Against abundance of oil, he sets out scarcity of olives after the shaking of the olive.
7 In that day humankind will look to its Maker, and its eyes will see the Holy One of Israel.
Jerome · AD 420 (Verse 7, 8) On that day, a man will turn towards his Maker, and his eyes will look to the Holy One of Israel. He will not turn towards the altars that his hands have made, nor towards the works of his fingers. He will not look to the groves and shrines.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 In that day. Here he sets out the fruit of the punishment: man, any who fled from the ten tribes to Ezechias, shall bow down himself to his Maker, giving the due service of worship; his eyes shall look to the Holy One of Israel, expecting some help.
8 And it will not look to the altars, the work of his hands; and what his fingers have made it will not see — the sacred poles and the incense stands.
John Damascene · AD 749 Those who trust in idols are foolish. Idols are their own creations, things they made with their own hands, but they turn around and say, "These idols are our creators." How can these people say that something they made is their creator? Moreover, they guard their idols, so that they will not be stolen by thieves. What foolishness!
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 Temples (delubra), temples in which there were fonts, as though for washing, below: in that day a man shall cast away his idols of silver (Isa 31:7).
9 In that day his fortified cities will be like the forsaken places of the wood and of the height, which they forsook before the sons of Israel; and it will be a desolation.
Jerome · AD 420 (Verses 9, 10.) On that day your fortified cities will be deserted like plowed fields and cornfields that have been deserted by the children of Israel. And it will be desolate, because you have forgotten your God, your Savior, and have not remembered your strong helper.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 In that day. Here he threatens the desolation of their cities, and first, he threatens the desolation itself: as the ploughs. This touches on what is found in Joshua 6 and 7, how the Amorrhites fled at the coming of the sons of Israel, leaving behind everything in the fields, above: your land is desolate, your cities are burnt with fire (Isa 1:7).
10 For you have forgotten the God of your salvation, and the rock of your refuge you have not remembered. Therefore you plant pleasant plantings and set them with a foreign vine-shoot;
Jerome · AD 420 (Verse 10.) Because you have forgotten your God and have not remembered your powerful helper. These things, he says, you will endure, O Israel, because you have forsaken your God, who has freed you from Egypt, who has subjected enemy nations to you; and you have not remembered your helper. Therefore you will plant a faithful plantation, and you will sow a foreign seed.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 Second, the reason for the desolation is set out: and you shall be desolate because you have forgotten God your savior: you have forsaken the God that begot you, and have forgotten the Lord that created you (Deut 32:18). Therefore shall you plant. Here he threatens barrenness of fruit, and concerning this, he does three things.
11 in the day of your planting you make it grow, and in the morning you make your seed blossom — and the harvest flees away in a day of sickness and incurable pain.
Jerome · AD 420 (Verse 11.) Therefore, you will plant a faithful plantation and sow a foreign seed. On the day of your planting, your grapevine will be in bloom, and in the morning your seed will sprout; the harvest has been taken away on the day of inheritance, and there will be great sorrow.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 Second, as to the ruin of the fruit: in the day of your planting, that is, when you ought to have taken up the fruit from your planting, and this as to the vineyards; as to the fields, in the morning your seed shall flourish, that is, it will be beautiful at first, that you may mourn more, or because it will flower before the proper season and be useless: the inheritance gotten…
12 Ah, the roar of many peoples — like the roaring of the seas they roar; and the uproar of nations — like the uproar of mighty waters they thunder.
Jerome · AD 420 (Verse 12) Those who believe that the captivity of Damascus discussed above was inflicted by the Romans also refer what is written here to the time of Christ and the apostles: "People will bow to their Creator, and their eyes will look to the holy one of Israel." They further think that what follows, namely, "You will plant faithful plants, and you will sow strange seeds; in th…
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 Woe to the multitude. Here he threatens the destruction of the Assyrians, and concerning this he sets out three things. And first, he describes the multitude of the army as to the noise of their marching, woe to the multitude of people, coming with Sennacherib; as to the tumult of their speaking, the tumult, which is confused speech, especially of a multitude.
13 Nations thunder like the uproar of many waters — and he rebukes it, and it flees far off, and is chased like chaff of the mountains before a wind, and like whirling dust before a storm.
Jerome · AD 420 (Verse 13) But to them, like raging seas, the Lord will rebuke the instigator of their sedition, and He will drive him away from His people.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 As to the shout of their fighting, nations shall make a noise, in battle, above: behold the Lord will bring upon them the waters of the river strong and many (Isa 8:7); their voice shall roar like the sea (Jer 6:23); many waters, many peoples (Rev 17). Second, he threatens destruction.
14 At the time of evening — and see, terror! Before morning, he is no more. This is the portion of those who plunder us, and the lot of those who despoil us.
Jerome · AD 420 (Verse 14) He will come in the morning, and he will see his army destroyed, the power of his might gone. And this will be the portion of those who devastated us. The Prophet speaks either on behalf of the people or joins himself to his own nation (IV Kings XIX, 35, 36).
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 Third, the completion of the destruction is set out: and he shall not be, for he himself was killed: you are brought to nothing (Ezek 28:19).