Chapter 4
Lecture 1
4:1 And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying: we will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let your name be called upon us take away our reproach.
133 . And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man . After he denounces the calumny of the oppressors in chapters 2 and 3, in this chapter, the prophet sets out the consolation of the oppressed. And this is divided into two parts:
in the first, he consoles them against the oppression of women;
in the second, against the oppression of tyrants, where it says, in that day (Isa 4:2).
134 . Now women are accustomed to be troublesome to men in three matters, namely, in contempt of men, and as to this, he says: and in that day seven women shall take hold : which the Gloss explains literally, that it could have been that after the captivity, many men having been killed, there remained more women than men, so that seven women sought to have one man, below: a man shall be more precious than gold, yea a man than the finest of gold (Isa 13:12).
Second, they were accustomed to be troublesome in superfluous food and clothing, and as to this he says: we will eat our own bread , as if to say: it will not be necessary that he give expenses to them: she is like the merchant’s ship, she brings her bread from afar. She has sought wool and flax, and has wrought by the counsel of her hands (Prov 31:13–14).
Third, they are troublesome in the haughtiness of pride, and as to this he says: only let your name be called upon us , that we may be called your wives, take away our reproach , namely, of barrenness. No one shall be barren among you of either sex, neither of men nor cattle (Deut 7:14).
135 . But from this it seems that it may be lawful to have many wives, because the Lord never consoles through something unlawful. Moreover, every sin is unnatural; but for one man to have many wives is natural, because one man can impregnate many women.
To this is to be said that, as the Philosopher says, the joining of male and female among men is not only for the sake of generation, as in brute animals, but also for advantage of life: hence male and female have different operations, by which they give help to each other. Therefore, as far as something is otherwise ordered to these ends, so far is it otherwise called natural or unnatural. For that which in no manner can stand with the stated end is entirely unnatural, and never can be good, as the vice of sodomy, and as when one woman has many husbands, since one woman cannot be impregnated by many men, and as regards civil life, because one woman is not ruled by many men, but the contrary. However, something can, considered in itself, stand indifferently in relation to the stated end; and this can be determined in various times in various ways according to various cases by a lawgiver: and it will be the positive just, as with the degrees of consanguinity.
136 . There is, however, something through which someone can pursue the end, but which nevertheless impedes the end in the majority of cases. And this is, of itself, unnatural, but it can be lawful according to the dispensation of a lawgiver attending to special cases. And such is it for one man may have wives: for one man can rule many women according to civil life, and one man can impregnate many women; but, nevertheless, something presents an impediment to generation, since it is necessary for the seed of a man to be prepared, and this cannot happen with those engaging frequently in intercourse, because of which such men are frequently sterile. And yet more does it impede common life, because the perfect friendship of the sort which exists between a man and his wife, for whom man even leaves his father and mother (Gen 2:24), cannot be had with many wives.
Lecture 2
4:2 In that day the bud of the Lord shall be in magnificence and glory, and the fruit of the earth shall be high, and a great joy to them that shall have escaped of Israel.
4:3 And it shall come to pass, that every one that shall be left in Zion, and that shall remain in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, every one that is written in life in Jerusalem.
4:4 If the Lord shall wash away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall wash away the blood of Jerusalem out of the midst thereof, by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.
4:5 And the Lord created upon every place of mount Zion, and where he is called upon, a cloud by day, and a smoke and the brightness of a flaming fire in the night: for over all the glory shall be a protection.
4:6 And there shall be a tabernacle for a shade in the daytime from the heat, and for a security and covert from the whirlwind, and from rain.
137 . In that day . Here he promises exaltation against the oppression of tyrants.
And first, as to prosperity in temporal things;
second, as to holiness in spiritual things, where it says, and it shall come to pass, that every one (Isa 4:3);
third, as to security from enemies, where it says, and the Lord created (Isa 4:5).
And he promises prosperity in three things.
First, as to the honor of men, when he says, in that day , namely, after the return from captivity, the bud of the Lord , that is, the sons of Judah, of whom it says, below: the men of Judah, his pleasant plant (Isa 5:7); shall be in magnificence , as to the great things which they will do, and especially in the time of the Maccabees, and glory , as to the honor which they will receive: he saw the glory of Simon and his magnificence in gold, and silver, and his great equipage, and he was astonished (1 Macc 15:32).
Second, as to abundance of fruits: and the fruit of the earth shall be high , that is, products of the soil in abundance: the ploughman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that sows seed: and the mountains shall drop sweetness (Amos 9:13); our earth shall yield her fruit (Ps 84:13[85:12]).
Third, as to joyfulness of hearts, and a great joy to them that shall have escaped , returning from captivity, below: joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of praise (Isa 51:3).
138 . And it shall come to pass, that every one . Here he promises holiness in spiritual things, and concerning this he does three things.
First, he promises to spread among the people the name of holiness, which to a greater extent drew those desiring glory; hence he says, and it shall come to pass , this which follows, in those times, every one that shall be left in Zion , in life, and that shall remain , of those conquered by death, shall be called holy , below: you shall be called the priests of the Lord: to you it shall be said: you ministers of our God (Isa 61:6); below: that which shall stand therein, shall be a holy seed (Isa 6:13).
Second, he places the sign of those made holy: every one that is written in life in Jerusalem , that is, all whose procession of life and generation from their parents was written in the annals, as we read in Ezra 2:59–63 concerning some who usurped an office to themselves, and whose genealogy was not enumerated.
Third, the manner of sanctification: if the Lord shall wash away , that is, if yet before he shall wash away, the filth , of vices, and the blood , of the prophets poured out, out of the midst thereof , not in a corner, by which the public nature of their sin is noted, by the spirit of judgment , as to the equity of the punishment, and by the spirit of burning , that is, of tribulation as to its harshness. By the spirit , that is, the wind, metaphorically, by which an area is purged: a burning wind is in the ways that are in the desert of the way of the daughter of my people (Jer 4:11), supply: to fan and to cleanse.
139 . And the Lord created . Here he shows their security from enemies, and he continues the metaphor: for because he had compared tribulation to burning, he compares security to a cloud and to a tabernacle, by which one is defended from the burning heat. And this is divided into two parts.
First, he promises divine protection, under the similitude of a cloud;
in the second, under the similitude of a tabernacle, where it says, and there shall be a tabernacle (Isa 4:6).
140 . Concerning the first, he does three things.
First, he places the reason for their protection, and the Lord created , already in his foreknowledge, or because of the certitude of the prophecy, he uses the past tense for the future; and he says created because he promoted them from the basest state into such glory, just as what is created is made from nothing; upon every place of mount Zion , that is, Jerusalem, which lies below the stronghold of Zion and the temple, where he is called upon : behold the reason for their protection: but you, O Lord, are among us, and your name is called upon by us (Jer 14:9).
Second, the protection itself is set out: a cloud ; and it is set out according to a comparison to the benefit furnished when the sons of Israel came forth from Egypt, about which it is said in Exodus 13:22: there never failed the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, before the people . And therefore he sets out here a cloud by day , as to the first, and a smoke , as to the second, because of the twofold benefit of fire: namely, of heat against the cold, and as to this, he says, smoke , in which is noted the flame, which is smoke set on fire, or because it is the effect of heat; and of brightness against the darkness, and as to this, he says, and the brightness , below: and the light of Israel shall be as a fire, and the Holy One thereof as a flame (Isa 10:17).
Third, he places the magnitude of their protection: over all the glory , because the protection which protects them is God, it will be over all the glory previously presented to you as if exceeding it: great shall be the glory of this last house more than of the first (Hag 2:10).
141 . And there shall be a tabernacle . Here he describes the same benefit through the metaphor of a tabernacle. Hence he places the things for which a tabernacle is useful: for it protects against the heat by its shade, and as to this, he says, for a shade in the daytime from the heat , that is, in the day; second, it protects against the attack of the storm, providing security, and as to this he says, and for a security . . . from the whirlwind : for a whirlwind arises from a certain wrestling of winds; third, it protects against the falling of the rains by giving cover, and as to this, he says, and for a covert . . . from rain .
And according to these three things persecution is designated according to the different degrees of its kind, below: and a man shall be as when one is hid from the wind, and hides himself from a storm (Isa 32:2).
142 . The Gloss, however, touches on a twofold mystery. Some explain the seven women (Isa 4:1) as churches, and according to this, this chapter is divided into three parts:
first is placed the espousal;
second, the exaltation of the bridegroom, where it says, in that day (Isa 4:2);
third, the government of the bridegroom, where it says, and it shall come to pass (Isa 4:3).
Now the espousal is through faith: I will espouse you to me in faith (Hos 2:20). Hence he puts forth three things.
First, the communication of faith, seven women (Isa 4:1), the seven churches, of which Revelation 1:4 says: John to the seven churches which are in Asia , in which are contained all churches according to the fifth rule of Tyconius, shall take hold , through faith; one man , that is, Christ: I will take hold of you, and bring you into my mother’s house, and into the chamber of her that bore me (Song 8:2).
Second, the manifestation of hope, which is from receiving the sacrament: we will eat our own bread , the body of Christ given to us: the bread that I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world (John 6:52); and which is from receiving the gift of virtue: we will wear our own apparel , that is, the virtues: I clothed you with embroidery, and shod you with violet colored shoes: . . . and clothed you with fine garments, and I decked you also with ornaments (Ezek 16:10–11).
Third, the desire or the petition of charity, which is from the attainment of the name Christian: only let your name be called upon us , as from Christ we are called Christians: there is no other name under heaven . . . whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12); and from the removal of guilt: take away our reproach , which we suffer from the Jews, who say we are without the law: this day have I taken away from you the reproach of Egypt (Josh 5:9).
143 . Note on words, we will eat our own bread (Isa 4:1). That bread gives pardon for our faults: give us this day our supersubstantial bread, and forgive us our debts (Matt 6:11–12); it gives us the life of grace: the bread that I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world (John 6:52); it strengthens us for battle: bread strengthens man’s heart (Ps 103[104]:15); it strengthens us for the journey: he walked in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights (1 Kgs 19:8); it gives us a foretaste of glory itself: you gave them bread from heaven, prepared without labor; having in it all that is delicious, and the sweetness of every taste (Wis 16:20).
144 . According to other glosses, it is divided thus:
in the first part is noted the fullness of grace;
in the second, the exaltation of grace, in that day (Isa 4:2);
in the third, the good government of subjects is set out, where it says, and it shall come to pass (Isa 4:3).
Concerning the first, he does three things.
First, he places the abundance of gifts, seven women (Isa 4:1), that is, the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, which are called women because, through them, one is begotten and nourished in God; one man , that is, Christ singularly, who alone is without sin: we saw him as it were of the only begotten, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).
Second, the sufficiency of the gifts in perfect enjoyment: we will eat our own bread , namely, of heaven, which the Holy Spirit, to whom the gifts belong, enjoys perfectly, just as the Son does: my meat is to do the will of him that sent me (John 4:34); in the testimony of the Scriptures: and we will wear our own apparel , that is, the word of God, by whom the gifts are furnished.
Third, the perfection of the gifts through Christ as to the conferring of salvation: let your name , that is, the thing signified by your name, namely, salvation, be called upon us , that is, upon those—us—who have been filled up, for of his fullness we all have received: grace for grace (John 1:16); for before Christ, the gifts did not lead to the kingdom. As to the removal of errors: take away our reproach , which we suffer from false virtues, which steal our good name: the night is passed and the day is at hand. Let us, therefore cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light (Rom 13:12); catch us the little foxes that destroy the vines (Song 2:15); or the reproach which we suffer in the rejection of men, who, in sinning, reject us. For the Holy Spirit of discipline will flee from the deceitful (Wis 1:5), and added to this, he shall not abide when iniquity comes in .
145 . In that day (Isa 4:2). Here the exaltation is set out.
And first, as to the working of miracles: in magnificence : magnificent in holiness, terrible and praise-worthy, doing wonders (Exod 15:11);
second, as to his glorious resurrection, and glory , below: arise, arise, put on your strength, O Zion (Isa 52:1);
third, as to his ascension: and the fruit of the earth , that is, the son of the virgin, shall be high , below: behold my servant shall understand, he shall be exalted, and extolled, and shall be exceeding high (Isa 52:13);
as to the veneration of the whole world, about which Philippians 2:10 says: that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth . And a great joy , below: they shall rejoice before you, as they that rejoice in the harvest, as conquerors rejoice after taking a prey (Isa 9:3).
146 . And it shall come to pass (Isa 4:3). Here the government is set out:
and first, as to sanctification;
second, as to the order of sanctification, where it says, if the Lord shall wash away (Isa 4:4);
third, he sets out the protection of those who are sanctified: and the Lord created (Isa 4:5).
147 . Three things are required for someone’s sanctity.
First, distinction with faith; and as to this, he says: that shall be left , cast out from the unbelieving, as distinct, in Zion , which is a looking-glass, because faith sees through a glass and in a dark manner (1 Cor 13:12), below: in truth, the remnant shall be converted, the remnant, I say, of Jacob, to the mighty God. If your people, O Israel, shall be as the sand of the sea, a remnant of them shall be converted (Isa 10:20–22).
Second, tranquility for peace: that shall remain , as if resting, in Jerusalem , which is a vision of peace, below: Jerusalem, the city of the Holy One (Isa 52:1).
Third, predestination for glory: every one that is written : rejoice in this, that your names are written in heaven (Luke 10:20). I will not blot out his name out of the book of life (Rev 3:5).
148 . If the Lord shall wash away (Isa 4:4). Here the order of sanctification is set out.
And first, through the washing of baptism: the filth , of actual faults, and the blood , of original sin; or the filth , of venial sins, the blood , of mortal sins: I washed you with water, and cleansed away your blood from you (Ezek 16:9).
Through the distinction of penance: the spirit of judgment : but if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged [by the Lord] (1 Cor 11:31); but by his loving passion: the spirit of burning , that is, of his love, which none is greater than: greater love than this no man has, that a man lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13); for this is my blood of the new testament, which shall be shed for many unto remission of sins (Matt 26:28).
149 . And the Lord created (Isa 4:5). Here the protection of the sanctified is set out. And he sets out universality of the protection as to those protected: hence, upon every ; diversity as to the things protecting them, a cloud ; and authority as to the things afflicting them: hence, by day . But there are three things in those who are protected: eminence of contemplation in the heart: mount Zion : they that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion: he shall not be moved for ever that dwells in Jerusalem (Ps 124[125]:1–2); praises of confession in the mouth, he is called upon : whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Rom 10:13); honesty of conduct in work, glory : our glory is this: the testimony of our conscience (2 Cor 1:12).
150 . Furthermore, he protects through four things: through his overshadowing Spirit: a cloud : the power of the Most High shall overshadow you (Luke 1:35); through humbling compunction: a smoke : I will show wonders in heaven; and in earth, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke (Joel 2:30); through illuminating truth: brightness : a light to the revelation of the Gentiles and the glory of your people Israel (Luke 2:32); through the living Church: a tabernacle : behold the tabernacle of God with men: and he will dwell with them (Rev 21:3).
151 . There are three things that oppose: prosperity that elevates: day ; adversity that breaks constancy: night : the sun shall not burn you by day: nor the moon by night (Ps 120[121]:6); persecution that afflicts: heat , through affliction: and the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun (Rev 16:8); and following this, and it was given unto him to afflict men with heat and fire . The whirlwind , through assault, below: as whirlwinds come from the south, it comes from the desert from a terrible land (Isa 21:1). From rain , because of its multitude: the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and they beat upon that house, and it fell (Matt 7:27).