1 The oracle on Damascus,—Lo! Damascus, is to be removed from being a city, And shall become 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 Forsaken, are the desolate cities,—For flocks, shall they serve, Which shall lie down and have none to make 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 Then shall the fortress cease from Ephraim, And the kingdom from Damascus and the remnant of Syria,—Like the glory of the sons of Israel, shall they be,—Declareth Yahweh 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 shall come to pass in that day, That the glory of Jacob, shall be diminished, And, the fatness of his flesh, shall be wasted;
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 shall come to pass—That, as the harvestman gathereth standing corn, And with his arm—the ears, he reapeth, Yea it shall come to pass—That, so, shall he be who gleaneth ears, in the vale 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 Yet shall there be left therein, a gleaning. As in the beating of an olive-tree,—Two-three berries in the head of the tree-top,—Four—five, among her fruitful boughs, Declareth Yahweh 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, shall the son of earth look to him that made him,—And his eyes unto the Holy One of Israel, be turned;
Jerome · AD 420 (Verse 7, 8). On that day, man will bow down to his maker and his eyes will look to the Holy One of Israel. And he will not bow down to the altars that his hands have made, nor to the things that his fingers have worked on; 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 he shall not look unto the altars the work of his own hands,—Nor to what his own fingers have made, shall his eye be turned, Whether Sacred Stems or Sun-pillars.
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, shall his fortified cities become Like a neglected bough and a topmost branch, Which they neglected because of the sons of Israel,—So shall there be 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 Because thou didst forget the God of thy salvation, And thy Rock of refuge, thou didst not remember, For this cause, shalt thou plant very pleasant plants, And, the slip of a stranger, shalt thou set:
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 when thou plantest, fence thou in, And in the morning, cause thou, thy slip, to blossom,—A harvest will have waved in the day of destiny, and mortal 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 Alas! the booming of many peoples, Like the booming of the seas, shall they boom,—And the rushing of nations! Like the rushing of mighty waters, shall they rush.
Jerome · AD 420 (Verse 12) Woe to the multitude of many peoples, as the sound of the roaring sea: and the tumult of nations, like the sound of many waters. Those who consider the captivity of Damascus inflicted by the Romans, and this which is written: Man shall bow down to his Maker, and his eyes shall look to the Holy One of Israel, refer to the times of Christ and the Apostles.
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 Though nations like the rushing of many waters, shall rush, Yet shall one rebuke him, And he shall flee far away,—And be chased As the chaff of the mountains before a wind, And as whirling stubble before a storm!
Jerome · AD 420 (Verse 13) But when raging warriors come and inundate my land, then their prince Sennacherib will flee from them, rebuked, and they will be scattered like dust in a plundering storm. As the top of a whirl-wind revolves, so will he be struck by an angel when he approaches Jerusalem to besiege her.
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 eventide, lo! terror, Before morning, he is not! This, is the portion of them who plunder us, And the lot of them who make of us a prey.
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).