Chapter 57
57:1 The just perishes, and no man lays it to heart, and men of mercy are taken away, because there is none that understands; for the just man is taken away from before the face of evil.
57:2 Let peace come, let him rest in his bed that has walked in his uprightness.
57:3 But draw near hither, you sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer, and of the harlot.
57:4 Upon whom have you jested? Upon whom have you opened your mouth wide, and put out your tongue? Are not you wicked children, a false seed,
57:5 Who seek your comfort in idols under every green tree, sacrificing children in the torrents, under the high rocks?
57:6 In the parts of the torrent is your portion, this is your lot: and you have poured out libations to them, you have offered sacrifice. Shall I not be angry at these things?
57:7 Upon a high and lofty mountain you have laid your bed, and have gone up thither to offer victims.
57:8 And behind the door, and behind the post you have set up your remembrance: for you have discovered yourself near me, and have received an adulterer: you have enlarged your bed, and made a covenant with them: you have loved their bed with open hand.
57:9 And you have adorned yourself for the king with ointment, and have multiplied your perfumes. You have sent your messengers far off, and were debased even to hell.
57:10 You have been wearied in the multitude of your ways: yet you said not: I will rest: you have found life of your hand, therefore you have not asked.
57:11 For whom have you been solicitous and afraid, that you have lied, and have not been mindful of me, nor thought on me in your heart? For I am silent, and as one that sees not, and you have forgotten me.
57:12 I will declare your justice, and your works shall not profit you.
57:13 When you shall cry, let your companies deliver you, but the wind shall carry them all off, a breeze shall take them away, but he that puts his trust in me, shall inherit the land, and shall possess my holy mount.
57:14 And I will say: make a way: give free passage, turn out of the path, take away the stumbling blocks out of the way of my people.
57:15 For thus says the High and the Eminent that inhabits eternity: and his name is Holy, who dwells in the high and holy place, and with a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite.
57:16 For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be angry unto the end: because the spirit shall go forth from my face, and breathings I will make.
57:17 For the iniquity of his covetousness I was angry, and I struck him: I hid my face from you, and was angry: and he went away wandering in his own heart.
57:18 I saw his ways, and I healed him, and brought him back, and restored comforts to him, and to them that mourn for him.
57:19 I created the fruit of the lips, peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, said the Lord, and I healed him.
57:20 But the wicked are like the raging sea, which cannot rest, and the waves thereof cast up dirt and mire.
57:21 There is no peace to the wicked, says the Lord God.
1006 . The just perishes . Here he shows the difference between those who obey divine counsels and those who do not obey, as to deliverance from dangers.
And first, he assigns the difference,
second, he sets out the confirmation of each part: but he that puts his trust in me (Isa 57:13).
Concerning the first, he does two things:
first, he promises rest from dangers to the just;
second, he takes away from the impious hope of deliverance: but draw near hither (Isa 57:3).
1007 . Concerning the first, he does two things.
First, he sets out the tribulation of the just, because they are killed without any reckoning: men of mercy are taken away , from the present life and from their land they are taken captive as if they were not just, from before the face of evil , that is, from the presence of the wicked: why look you upon the scorners, and hold your peace when the wicked devours the man that is more just than himself? (Hab 1:13); or, from before the face of evil , that is, lest they be changed to evil: he was taken away, lest wickedness should alter his understanding (Wis 4:11).
Second, he promises them rest: let peace come, let him rest in his bed , that is, he will be secure in his own home, or in the repose of his own heart: you shall know that your tabernacle is in peace (Job 5:24).
1008 . But draw near hither . Here he takes away from the unjust hope of deliverance.
And first, he alleges their sin;
second, he takes away their confidence of deliverance: I will declare your justice (Isa 57:12).
Concerning the first, he does two things:
first, he alleges the perversity of their sin,
second, their obstinacy in sin: you have labored in the multitude of your ways (Isa 57:10).
Concerning the first, he does two things.
First, he accuses them of blasphemy, setting out the custom of sin, inasmuch as they imitate their fathers in this: you sons of the sorceress , who tended to auguries against my commandment, the seed of the adulterer , inasmuch as they abandoned me and adhered to idols: judge your mother, judge her (Hos 2:2). He also sets out the species of sin: upon whom have you jested? As if to say: upon God, blaspheming him, above: whom have you reproached? (Isa 37:23).
1009 . Second, he accuses them of idolatry.
And first, he sets out the custom: are not you wicked children , above: woe to the sinful nation, a wicked people, ungracious children (Isa 1:4);
second, he sets out the species of sin: who seek your comfort in idols .
And he adds to the weight of their sin of idolatry from three things:
first, from the variety of places;
second, from the violation of the divine covenant: you have discovered yourself near me (Isa 57:8);
third, from their eagerness for sinning: you have loved their bed (Isa 57:8).
Now the variety of places in which they sacrificed is shown in three ways:
first, as to pleasant places;
second, as to lofty places: upon a high and lofty mountain (Isa 57:7);
third, as to familiar places: and behind the door (Isa 57:8).
1010 . Concerning the first, he does four things.
First, he describes the pleasantness of the places, either from the shade of trees, who seek your comfort in idols under every green tree : for on every high hill, and under every green tree you didst prostitute yourself (Jer 2:20); or from the abundance of waters: sacrificing children in the torrents , that is, sacrificing your own children: you have taken your sons, and your daughters, whom you have borne to me: and have sacrificed the same to them to be devoured (Ezek 16:20); they shed innocent blood (Ps 105[106]:38).
Second, their love of sin: in the parts of the torrent is your portion , as if to say: you have reckoned this to be your lot: let none of us go without his part in luxury: let us every where leave tokens of joy: for this is our portion, and this our lot (Wis 2:9).
Third, their offering of sacrifice: and you have poured out libations , as to moist things, you have offered sacrifice , as to dry things, above: you shall be confounded for [your] idols (Isa 1:29).
Fourth, the just anger of God: shall I not be angry at these things? Shall I not visit for these things, says the Lord? (Jer 5:9).
1011 . Upon a high and lofty mountain . Here he sets out the lofty places in which they sacrificed: your bed ; he says this in likeness to a harlot, who prostitutes herself to lovers: they made them statues (2 Kgs 17:10) and committed fornication in them.
1012 . And behind the door . Here he designates familiar places, for they would place idols next to the entrance of their houses, so that they might better hold them in memory: he brought me in the vision of God into Jerusalem, near the inner gate, that looked toward the north, where was set the idol of jealousy to provoke to jealousy (Ezek 8:3).
1013 . For you have discovered yourself near me . Here he adds to the weight of their sin from their violation of the divine covenant, by which they were joined to God like a bride. And he says this under the likeness of an adulteress, who enlarges her bed to receive an adulterer along with her husband, and makes an agreement to marry him when her husband has been sent away; in this is signified that they worshipped idols in the temple: you were as an adulteress, that brings in strangers over her husband (Ezek 16:32).
1014 . You have loved their bed . Here he adds to the weight of their sin from their eagerness to sin.
And first, as to their propensity to sin: with open hand , that is, without any hindrance: you had a harlot’s forehead, you wouldst not blush (Jer 3:3); you were not yet satisfied (Ezek 16:28).
Second, as to eagerness to please, because they adorned themselves: and you have adorned yourself for the king with ointment, and have multiplied your perfumes , that is, using my incense for worshipping them: I have perfumed your bed with incense (Prov 7:17).
Third, as to eagerness to invite: you have sent your messengers far off , for they brought in various idols even from far off lands, and thus you were debased even to hell , that is, to the depths of sin: she doted upon them (Ezek 23:16).
1015 . You have been wearied in the multitude of your ways . Here he shows their obstinacy in sin.
First, because they were not recalled by the labor of sin: you have been wearied in the multitude of your ways , that is, in the manifold cult of idols: we wearied ourselves in the way of iniquity and destruction (Wis 5:7).
Second, because they were not recalled by temporal prosperity: you have found life of your hand , that is, you had at hand what you needed to be able to live, and therefore you have not asked me, but have been solicitous , for your riches, and afraid of your idols, having forgotten me: they spend their days in wealth, and in a moment they go down to hell (Job 21:13).
Third, because you were not recalled by divine awaiting: nor thought on me in your heart ; for I am silent , overlooking your sins, waiting for you, to show you mercy: you overlook the sins of men for the sake of repentance (Wis 11:24), above: I have always held my peace, I have kept silence (Isa 42:14).
1016 . I will declare your justice , which you do, or which you ought to receive; your works , idols: the works of those who trust in idols shall not profit them. Your companies , gathered from various nations: let them arise and help you, and protect you in your distress (Deut 32:38).
1017 . But he that puts his trust in me . Here he confirms the difference between the just and the unjust.
And first, as to the just;
second, as to the unjust, but the wicked are like the raging sea (Isa 57:20).
He confirms the deliverance of the good from dangers from three things.
First, from divine gentleness, promising deliverance as to the restoration of their homeland: the promised land : but the meek shall inherit the land (Ps 36[37]:11). And as to the expediting of their way: and I will say , namely, to the princes of the Medes: make a way , freeing them, give free passage , giving them liberty to return to their land, turn out of the path , so that you will not impede us, take away the stumbling blocks , so that others will not do so either: take the stones out of the way (Jer 50:26). Who dwells in the high and holy place : but you dwell in the holy place, the praise of Israel (Ps 21:4[22:3]). And as to divine love: and with a contrite and humble spirit : a contrite and humbled heart, O God, you will not despise (Ps 50:19[51:17]).
1018 . Second, he assigns the reason from the purification of sin, promising forgiveness: for I will not contend for ever : he will not always be angry: nor will he threaten for ever (Ps 102[103]:9). And he adds the reason, setting out justice fulfilled in punishing: for the iniquity of his covetousness I was angry, and I struck him : I hid my face , that I might not give help, and he went away wandering , like a sheep without a shepherd: shall he reprove you for fear, and come with you into judgment, and not for your manifold wickedness and your infinite iniquities? (Job 22:4–5). And he promises mercy in saving them, I saw his ways , with eyes of mercy, and restored comforts to him , as to the princes, and to them that mourn for him , as to the people; or to him , as to the Jews, or as to foreigners joined to them; or as to the land and its inhabitants: who forgives all your iniquities: who heals all your diseases (Ps 102[103]:3).
1019 . Third, he confirms their deliverance from the predictions of the prophets: I created , as though restoring them from nothing; the fruit of the lips , of the prophets who foretold these things, peace to him that is far off , dispersed in captivity: and coming, he preached peace to them that were nigh: and to them that were afar off (Eph 2:17).
1020 . But the wicked are like the raging sea . Here he confirms what he had said about the wicked through a certain similitude.
And first, he sets out the similitude itself: raging , that is, always fluctuating; and the waves thereof cast up dirt and mire , to the shore, where they make mire and are trampled: he shall make the deep sea to boil like a pot (Job 41:22).
And he deduces a proposition: there is no peace to the wicked , namely, that they may be saved, above (Isa 48:22) has the same.
1021 . Note on the words, the just perishes, and no man lays it to heart (Isa 57:1), that in the passion of Christ, man ought to lay to heart
first, love, so as to love him in return: put me as a seal upon your heart (Song 8:6);
second, bitterness, so as to sympathize with him: remember my poverty, and transgression, the wormwood and the gall (Lam 3:19);
third, fortitude, so as to suffer bravely: for think diligently upon him that endured for you such opposition from sinners against himself that you be not wearied, fainting in your minds (Heb 12:3);
fourth, its benefit, so as to give thanks: I will go up into the palm tree, and will take hold of the fruit thereof (Song 7:8).