Cornelius a Lapide
Table of Contents
Synopsis of the Chapter
He promises the Jews freedom from the Babylonian captivity, both because they were His people and were being treated unjustly and unworthily by the Chaldeans, and lest the name of God, as though abandoning His own, be blasphemed. But under this He understands and promises freedom from the yoke of sin and the devil, which Christ brings to the whole world. Whence secondly, leaving the Jews behind, He passes and flies to Christ and the Apostles, verse 7, saying: Behold, I am here. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who announces peace, etc.; and He says that Christ will be the arm and the salvation of God, which all the nations will see and enjoy. Hence thirdly, verse 11, He commands the Apostles to go out from Judea and go to preach among all the nations, among whom He predicts that the name of Christ will be as glorious as He Himself was inglorious among the Jews, especially in His passion and cross; for from that He would win for Himself glory in the whole world.
Vulgate Text: Isaiah 52:1-15
1. Arise, arise, put on your strength, O Zion, put on the garments of your glory, O Jerusalem, city of the Holy One: for the uncircumcised and the unclean shall no more pass through you. 2. Shake yourself from the dust, arise, sit down, O Jerusalem: loose the bonds of your neck, O captive daughter of Zion. 3. For thus says the Lord: You were sold for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money. 4. For thus says the Lord God: My people went down into Egypt in the beginning, to sojourn there: and the Assyrian oppressed them without any cause. 5. And now what have I here, says the Lord, seeing that My people is taken away for nothing? Their rulers act unjustly, says the Lord, and continually all day long My name is blasphemed. 6. Therefore My people shall know My name in that day: for I Myself who spoke, behold, I am here. 7. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who announces and preaches peace; who announces good, who preaches salvation, who says to Zion: Your God shall reign! 8. The voice of your watchmen: they have lifted up their voice, together they shall praise: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall convert Zion. 9. Rejoice, and praise together, O deserted Jerusalem: for the Lord has consoled His people, He has redeemed Jerusalem. 10. The Lord has prepared His holy arm in the sight of all the nations: and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. 11. Depart, depart, go out from there, touch no unclean thing: go out from the midst of her, be clean you who bear the vessels of the Lord. 12. For you shall not go out in tumult, nor shall you go in haste: for the Lord shall go before you, and the God of Israel shall gather you. 13. Behold, My servant shall understand, He shall be exalted, and lifted up, and shall be exceedingly high. 14. As many were astonished at You, so shall His appearance be inglorious among men, and His form among the sons of men. 15. He shall sprinkle many nations, kings shall shut their mouth at Him: for they to whom it was not told of Him, have seen; and they who had not heard, have contemplated.
Verse 1
1. Arise, arise. — From the preceding it is clear that these words pertain, first, to the liberation of the Jews from the Babylonian captivity: for he described this captivity, its devastation, and its afflictions in the preceding chapter, verse 17 and following. Therefore these words must be joined and continued with those. Whence he promises the Jews that henceforth the uncircumcised shall not pass through Jerusalem to devastate and subjugate it. He speaks therefore of the time when the law of circumcision was in force; and this was the time of the Babylonian captivity, not the Roman: for then circumcision was abolished by God, and Christ's baptism was substituted for it. So say St. Thomas, Hugo, Sanchez, and others.
Secondly, under this type of Jerusalem, he looks higher, namely at the antitype of Zion, that is, the restoration and institution of the Church through Christ, in Judea and Jerusalem: for he gradually rises to the Church and Christ, and returns, as will clearly appear in verse 7. See what was said on the preceding chapter, verse 17.
Note: By the word arise God admonishes Jerusalem: first, that lying on the ground in filth and sorrow, she should raise herself up, resume courage, and show herself; secondly, that in this liberation she should shake off torpor and sloth, and cooperate with God leading her forth, both from Babylon and from the yoke of sin and the devil, and follow Him going before her: for the gifts of God do not come to the sleeping and the sluggish, but to the watchful and to those who rouse themselves at God's calling and labor together with Him.
City of the Holy One. — For Jerusalem was a city dedicated to God and to the worship of God, and God had in it His temple as a palace, in which He seemed to reside, and to rule the city and His people.
More truly the "city of the Holy One" is the Church of Christ, in which God dwells and presides, both spiritually through grace, and bodily in the Eucharist. Add that in the Church there are the holy Sacraments, the holy Gospel, holy Doctors, Pastors, and faithful, who serve the holy God in a holy manner.
For the uncircumcised shall no more pass through you. — From this passage Pellicanus and Calvin infer that sinners are not in the Church, but only the just and saints; but wrongly, for the word "no more" contradicts this. For the sense is, as if to say: Hitherto the unclean has passed through you, O Jerusalem; but henceforth he shall not pass through; but now according to Calvin, Pellicanus, and other heretics, the Church has always, even before the coming of Christ, consisted of only the just and saints, and sinners were never in it: for it is, they say, and always has been the spouse of God. Therefore according to them, this statement of the Prophet is false, which asserts that previously the unclean passed through the Church, but henceforth shall not pass through. I say therefore that the sense is, first, as if to say: O Jerusalem, the Babylonians and other uncircumcised and unclean nations trampled you and ruled over you, "and they said to your soul: Bow down, that we may pass over," preceding chapter, verse 23, that is, they treated you as a slave and oppressed you utterly; but they shall not do this any more, that is, for many cycles of years. For although afterward Antiochus and Titus devastated Jerusalem, that was nevertheless in another age and era, as it were. For the word "no more" is often taken strictly, referring to the present age, or the lifetime of those who were then living: for after their death a new age and generation follows, which is as if of another reckoning and order, so that it does not enter into the account.
Secondly, under Jerusalem he understands the Church, as if to say: You, O Jerusalem, O Synagogue, the Chaldeans and the uncircumcised devastated; but when you shall have passed over and been transformed into the Church of Christ, no uncircumcised one, that is, no faithless and unclean person, shall devastate or overthrow you any more; but your integrity and beauty shall endure, and the redemption and liberty gained for you through Christ shall last forever; and no gates of the enemy, not even of the underworld, shall ever prevail against you; but your king, defender, and protector shall be Christ, the Holy of Holies, who will preserve you clean and holy in faith and morals; although there may be in you some faithless, unclean, and sinful members, for the denomination of a thing is taken from its head and its better part. Thus therefore the Church is called holy, not because all in it are holy, but because Christ, its head, and many in it are holy: for these are its principal and worthier members.
St. Jerome adds that by the uncircumcised and the unclean, sinners are not meant, but infidels: for such were the Chaldeans, the destroyers of Jerusalem; and these are not in the Church, nor do they belong to it. Therefore St. Jerome thinks that the same thing is said here by Isaiah as is said by Paul, 2 Corinthians 6:15: "What concord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has the believer with the unbeliever?"
Finally, St. Cyril and Procopius understand by the uncircumcised and the unclean the demon, as if to say: The demon, to whom you were hitherto sold, as follows, and whom you served, shall be expelled from you through Christ; but this sense seems too narrow and remote.
Verse 2
2. Shake yourself from the dust. — In which you lay as a captive and conquered one, namely when the enemy said to you, lying prostrate on the ground: "Bow down, that we may pass over;" therefore, now liberated, she is commanded, first, to shake herself from the dust; secondly, to arise; thirdly, to sit on her former royal throne; fourthly, to loose the bonds and yoke of the Chaldeans, so that she may reign as a free woman and queen.
Conversely, all these things are transferred to her enemy, namely Babylon, to be devastated by Cyrus, chapter 47, verse 1, to whom it is said: "Come down, sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground: there is no throne for the daughter of the Chaldeans." These things represent the state and dignity of the Church and of the soul that has shaken off the yoke of sin and the devil, trampled the flesh and the world, and joined itself to Christ and the heavenly ones, and it is easy to apply them to it.
Verse 3
3. You were sold for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money. — "For nothing," that is, without a price you were handed over to the Chaldeans; because having been captured by them in war, you shall again be redeemed without a price by Cyrus: for Cyrus did not receive money from the Jews, but rather gave it for the construction of the temple, 1 Ezra chapter 6. Whence St. Augustine, Book of Questions on the Book of Judges, Question 17, vol. 4: "Sold, he says, without a price, that is, you were given away." In the same way, the Gentile world and every soul, when it sinned, sold itself for nothing, that is, without a price, that is, it freely surrendered itself to the devil, and is redeemed by Christ for nothing, that is, without any price that it offers to God or Christ. For although the devil offers the sinning soul pleasures, honors, and profits as a price and reward, just as he sometimes gives money to witches; yet these earthly, brief, deceitful, trifling things are nothing in comparison with the soul and of no value: and so he repays it with nothing worthy except eternal punishments and torments. For even one soul, because it was created in the image of God, is so noble a creature that all gold and silver, all the heavens and elements, and the whole world cannot equal its price; indeed, no other fitting price could be found for it than the blood and life of the Son of God. Place therefore on the scales, on one side the soul, on the other Christ, and you will balance the weight and price of the soul. Let this excite in us a zeal for souls: for even if we undergo all labors and sufferings for the conversion of one little soul, it is of such great worth that all labor and suffering should be esteemed as nothing in comparison with it: for on its behalf Christ endured all His labors and sufferings, spent and, as it were, expended His entire humanity and divinity. Therefore every soul cost Christ dearly in the flesh, even though to the soul itself this redemption and salvation comes without price and freely: because "you were redeemed not with corruptible gold or silver from the vain manner of your life received from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish," says St. Peter, epistle 1, chapter 1, verse 18. So says St. Jerome.
Secondly, God sells the sinner, that is, He consigns him to the devil, because the devil of himself has no right over man, even a sinner; but God consigns him, as a most vile slave and as one guilty of offending the divine Majesty, to the devil as to a torturer, to be punished and tormented.
Verse 4
4. My people went down into Egypt (with the patriarch Jacob, Genesis 46), and the Assyrian oppressed them without any cause. — By Assur, Adamus understands Shalmaneser, who carried away the ten tribes into Assyria, around this time of Isaiah. Whence the Septuagint translates: And they were violently taken away to the Assyrians; or certainly Sennacherib, who ravaged Judea in the time of Hezekiah. So say St. Jerome, Cyril, Procopius, Vatablus, Arias, and Leo Castrius.
Secondly, others understand by Assur Nebuchadnezzar who, although he was a Chaldean, is nevertheless called Assur, because he ruled over the Assyrians as well as other nations; and so they think that the Babylonian captivity is signified here, and the Egyptian captivity by the preceding words: for by aposiopesis (a breaking off of speech) the oppression of the Jews under Pharaoh in Egypt is passed over in silence, as being known to all. So say Sanchez, Vatablus, and many others.
Thirdly, and more plainly, Assur is the name given to Pharaoh, on account of his power and cruelty: for the Assyrians in Scripture, because they often harassed and afflicted the Jews, are hence a type of tyranny; thus Pharaoh is called Assur, Ezekiel 31:3. See what was said on chapter 8, verse 4. For Assur here pertains to Egypt; for by this interpretation the former statement about Egypt is completed, which otherwise is imperfect, gaping, and left hanging. So says Forerius. Cajetan adds, commenting on Exodus 1, that the Pharaoh who afflicted the Hebrews in Egypt was not an Egyptian, for he would have known Joseph and his benefits conferred upon Egypt, but an Assyrian: for Scripture everywhere here and elsewhere emphasizes the Egyptian captivity, as being the most grievous and longest, and because its liberation was miraculous through so many plagues inflicted by Moses and through the crossing of the Red Sea with Pharaoh drowned; and finally because this captivity and liberation was a vivid image of the human captivity under sin, and of its liberation through Christ: for the tyrant Assur signifies the devil, and his ministers the unfaithful and heretics, and all persecutors, as teach St. Jerome, Augustine, Gregory, and from them Bede and Rupert.
Oppressed. — In Hebrew עשק asaq, that is, he afflicted and oppressed by force and unjust accusation.
Verse 5
5. And now what have I here, says the Lord, — as if to say: Formerly My people were badly treated by the Egyptians and by cruel Pharaoh; but I vindicated him from there and brought him out, and now he is being pressed with equal tyranny by the Chaldeans and Nebuchadnezzar; why then do I delay to free him? Again, in the antitypical sense, the entire human race is pressed far more heavily, like an ensnared antelope, and groans under the yoke of sin and the devil: why do I delay? Shall I allow the human race, dear to Me, sold for nothing, to serve My enemy? I will not bear it: therefore My great name, which I revealed in Egypt to Moses and the Hebrews, I will reveal again, and I will show that I am the LORD, that is, the God and Redeemer of Israel, that is, of My faithful people through Christ, whom I will send as their Vindicator.
Their rulers. — The Chaldeans, and then the Romans; likewise the Scribes, Pharisees, and Chief Priests of the Jews, in the time of Christ: these oppressed the people, extracting their wealth under the pretext of religion, and teaching their Pharisaical traditions and superstitions in place of the law of God, and by these things they turned the people away from Christ, and even pushed them to cry out against Him: "Crucify, crucify." So says St. Jerome. For "act unjustly" in Hebrew is יהילילו helilu, that is, they howl like ravenous wolves, lusting after the prey of the people; or they cause to howl, namely the people, whom they thus oppress. So say Vatablus and Forerius.
My name is blasphemed, — both by the Gentiles, as the Septuagint adds, and from them St. Paul, Romans 2:24, namely by the Chaldeans: for they cast in the face of the Jews the weakness of their God, that He could not, or cannot, deliver them from the hand of Nebuchadnezzar; and also by the Jews themselves, who murmur against God because He allowed them to be captured and permits them to be held in captivity; and therefore some of them defect from the true God to Baal and the idols of the Chaldeans, as being more powerful, as Jeremiah predicted in chapter 16, verse 13. God shows that He is touched not only by the care of His people, but also by the care of His name: and so, to vindicate it from infamy and blasphemy, He will immediately send Cyrus, who will liberate His people from Babylon.
Again, under Titus the Romans blasphemed the God of the Jews; the Scribes themselves and the Jews also blasphemed God and His Christ, and were the cause of the people blaspheming, as I have already said. What then? I will come, says the Lord, and I will beat back this blasphemy, by liberating My people, that is, those Jews who are willing to believe in Christ: for I will bestow upon them Christian and true liberty, I will spread and exalt them, for I will cause their faith, Church, and Christianity to be proclaimed, honored, and celebrated among all nations, and thus I will bring it about that blasphemies are converted into praises and glory. So say St. Jerome, Cyril, and Eusebius, book 6 of his Demonstration, chapter 24.
Morally, in the same way the name of God is blasphemed by heretics, Turks, and Pagans, when they see Christians, especially ecclesiastics, living impurely and wickedly: for they say: Their God is either not so holy, so pure, so much a hater of lust as they boast, for how could his servants, worshippers, and imitators be so impure, unchaste, and wicked? Or certainly he is not omnipotent, nor an avenger of crimes, for how would he tolerate such unworthy things from his own people, and not rather avenge them with a thunderbolt? Woe to those through whom this scandal comes, so that the holy name of God is blasphemed!
Verse 6
6. My people shall know My name in that day: for I Myself who spoke, behold, I am here. — "In that day," namely first, the day foretold and appointed by Jeremiah, chapter 25:12, on which after 70 years I will liberate him from Babylon; secondly and more especially, the day on which, after the 70 weeks foretold by Daniel, chapter 9:24, I Myself will assume flesh, and will redeem all men from sin, death, and hell: for then I Myself, whom you hear speaking here through the Prophets and promising salvation, will come in person and become man, and will say: "Behold, I am here," not through My envoys and Prophets, not merely through help and assistance, but through substance and real presence, "I am here," I say, in person, to rescue you from the power of darkness, more powerfully than Moses rescued his people from Egypt: for He alludes to him. This is what Paul says, Hebrews 1:1: "God, who at sundry times and in diverse manners spoke in times past to the fathers through the Prophets: in these last days has spoken to us in His Son."
You will ask, what does "shall know My name" mean? I answer first, the name of God is Jehovah, as if to say: My people shall know that I am Jehovah, that is, God and the most mighty and omnipotent Lord. Again, Jehovah, that is, the Crusher and Conqueror of the Egyptians and Chaldeans, as well as of demons, tyrants, and all my enemies and those of My Christ: for He alludes to Moses, who bore the name Jehovah at the head of his mission, and through it inflicted all the plagues on Egypt, and defeated and slew Pharaoh. See what was said on Exodus 3:14, and chapter 6, verse 3.
Moreover the Jews explain this passage thus: they say that the last person who pronounced the tetragrammaton name of God, Jehovah, was Simeon the Just, whence its pronunciation has now fallen into disuse and is unknown; but when the Messiah comes, He will teach how it is to be pronounced. Galatinus thus relates this little fable, book 2, chapter 12.
Secondly, the name of God is God's power, holiness, faithfulness, fame, and glory: for by displaying these to the whole world, God has crushed all the blasphemies against His name.
Thirdly, the name of God, namely of the Son of God, is "Jesus Christ," as if to say: Behold, I will be present, men shall see Me clothed in flesh, and they shall know My name; and by it they shall address Me, worship Me, and invoke Me, saying: "Jesus Christ, save us." The word "shall know" signifies not bare knowledge, but love, worship, and veneration; thus says Paul, 2 Timothy 2:19: "The Lord knows who are His:" He knows, that is, He loves, cares for, and cherishes. Thus conversely, Christ will say to the reprobate: "I do not know you:" and Pharaoh and other impious ones said: "I do not know the Lord," that is, I do not care for, I do not worship, I do not fear your God, Exodus chapter 5, 2.
Verse 7
7. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who announces and preaches peace! — The Arabic of Antioch translates, how beautiful is he who announces peace! The Alexandrian, how comely, or illustrious, are the feet of those who announce good and salvation! namely the feet of the Apostles, announcing and preaching, as St. Paul explains, Romans 10:15; or, as St. Jerome says (which amounts to the same thing), of Christ speaking, announcing, and preaching through His Apostles "peace," namely peace with God, who had hitherto been angry with men, a peace accomplished through Christ. Again, "peace," that is, all things favorable and prosperous, every good. Whence explaining, he adds: "Announcing good, preaching salvation." Leo Castrius, from Procopius and Eusebius, translates from the Hebrew, preaching Jesus: for He is the God and King of Zion, as follows: although the Hebrew ישועה ieshuah properly signifies salvation, not the Savior or Jesus, except by that figure by which abstract terms are often put for concrete ones. Origen agrees, commenting on Romans chapter 10, verse 15, who understands by "good" Jesus: "announcing, he says, Jesus;" and adds: "Let no one wonder if we have explained the word 'goods' in the plural number as: Announcing Jesus: for you will easily understand how Jesus is many goods; life is a good, Jesus is life; resurrection is a good, Jesus is resurrection; the light of the world is a good, Jesus is the true light, truth, way, wisdom, power, and finally the treasure of all goods, is Jesus."
Some, like St. Thomas and Hugo, continue to expound these words of the joyful news of liberation and exodus from Babylon, brought to the Jews dwelling either in Babylon or in Jerusalem; but even if he alludes to that and briefly touches upon it, nevertheless he speaks properly and in himself of the Gospel of Christ, and of the Apostles preaching it, and its grace, salvation, and peace to the whole world, as is clear from what follows, which is too sublime to apply to the Jews. And likewise from the Apostle, Romans 10:15, who explains these words of the Apostles. The Apostles therefore evangelized these three things, namely peace, good, and eternal salvation of soul and body. Moreover, he says this joyful Gospel message is to be preached "upon the mountains," both to signify that it must be preached everywhere to all nations, flocking together in crowds, for then it is necessary that the preacher ascend to an elevated place, for example a mountain, so that he may be heard by all the crowds, as Christ did, Matthew 5:1, and after Him the Apostles and apostolic men even today: and also to signify that the Apostles would press on eagerly and courageously through rocks and mountains, and through all difficulties, to preach the Gospel everywhere. He alludes to Zion, which was situated on a mountain, and had watchtowers (whence Zion in Hebrew means the same as watchtower) and watchmen on the neighboring mountains, says Forerius, who would report to it what they saw, running swiftly through the mountains. And this fits the mystery: for upon the mountains of Judea were proclaimed all those things which had happened at the conception and birth of John the Baptist, Christ's forerunner, Luke 1:56.
Mystically, the feet and the mouths of those Evangelists are not beautiful who are not "upon the mountains," but pursue lowly and base things; this is what Christ said to the Apostles: "You are the light of the world, a city set on a mountain cannot be hidden," etc. For this strikes the eyes of all around, so that they may glorify the Father, who gave such beautiful and radiant Apostles to the world for its salvation. For "beautiful" the Septuagint translates ωρα, which signifies time, beauty, care, and solicitude, says St. Jerome, although in one codex it reads ισπαια, as it is also in Romans chapter 10, verse 15: therefore Tertullian, book 5 Against Marcion, chapter 2, from the Septuagint reads: How timely the feet of those evangelizing peace. St. Cyril: How vernal (that is, like spring after winter, cheerful, blooming, and pleasant) the feet of those evangelizing peace! Others: How desirable the feet of those announcing peace! See what was said on Romans 10:15. Let the Apostles of Holland, England, Japan, China, and the Indies hear this and rejoice; let this trumpet of Isaiah continually sound in their ears, and sound the charge for them to eagerly overcome all hardships.
Feet. — Because Paul and the Apostles, out of modesty and love of poverty, traveled the world mostly on foot and leaning on a staff (I have seen here in the church of St. Paul, the staff of St. Paul on which he leaned as he entered Rome; it is usually displayed and shown on the feast and at the altar of his Conversion), fulfilling that saying of Christ, Luke 9:3: "Take nothing for the journey. And whoever does not receive you, when you leave that city, shake even the dust from your feet." Hence also He commanded them to go "shod with sandals," Mark 6:9. Whence also the Psalmist sings of them: "Going they went, and wept, sowing their seed." And from this, says Forerius, arose the rite of washing the feet of the Apostles and Saints coming from abroad, in the primitive Church, which St. Paul mentions, 1 Timothy 5:10, and which is still observed in some Religious Orders.
Announcing. — In Hebrew it is baser, which alludes to בשר basar, that is, flesh, because the Gospel announces soft and sweet things, namely, that "the Word was made flesh"; whence also the Gospel of St. Matthew is inscribed in Hebrew מבורת כתי bisrat Mathai, that is, the Gospel of St. Matthew, namely his joyful and sweet message about the incarnate Word.
Saying to Zion (to Zion, that is, to the Church): Your God shall reign, — not the demon, not sin, not death, not hell, not the Chaldeans as hitherto, not even a king or a monarch, not Moses, not Joshua, not Samuel, not David, not an Angel, not Cherubim, not Seraphim; but "your God" Himself, namely the Messiah, who is your wisdom, justice, and sanctification: this is "the great mystery of godliness, which was manifested in the flesh, justified in the spirit," etc., 1 Timothy 3:16.
Verse 8
8. The voice of your watchmen, — namely, shall be heard, and it shall be that which I have already related, namely: "Your God shall reign;" and that which follows: "Rejoice and praise together, O deserted Jerusalem." Thus of John the Baptist it was said in chapter 40, verse 3: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness." See what was said there. The sense therefore is, as if to say: Your watchmen and Prophets, O Zion, namely the Apostles, with a voice not timid, not whispering, not thin and subdued, but bold, ardent, resounding, and stentorian, such as is usually given from mountains, shall evangelize Christ, and at the same time shall break forth into jubilation with joy, and shall praise God, the author of such a joyful message, because they will not be reporting things heard and uncertain, but things seen and certain: for "eye to eye" (Theodotion translates, they will see eye in eyes) they shall see Christ Himself, they shall dwell with Him familiarly, they shall deal and converse with Him. They shall see Him born, preaching, suffering, crucified, risen, and ascending into the heavens: this is what St. John says, epistle 1, chapter 1, verse 1, that he announces the word which he saw with his eyes, and which his hands handled. Such was the voice and ardor of the Apostles preaching at Pentecost; such is even today the voice and ardor of apostolic men, who pour forth not words but spirit and fire; these rouse sluggish sinners and convert them, set the cold ablaze, and are like torches setting everything on fire.
Verse 10
10. The Lord has prepared His holy arm, — namely, as Simeon sings, whom the Lord first "consoled" with this consolation and embrace of Christ, Luke 2:31: "Your salvation," O Lord! "which You have prepared before the face of all peoples," namely Christ, who is the arm and strength of the Lord, as I said on the preceding chapter, verse 5, and will say on the following chapter, verse 1: for Simeon took and composed his canticle, "Now You dismiss Your servant," etc., from this passage of Isaiah, as is clear to anyone comparing the words in both places.
For "prepared" the Hebrew has חשף chashoph, that is, He bared, that is, He prepared, by catachresis: for we are accustomed to bare the arm when we begin some difficult and demanding work, and we prepare ourselves for it, so that we may be unencumbered. Again, He bared, that is, He revealed His arm, namely Christ, who, as Simeon sings, was "a light for the revelation of the nations:" therefore He bared Him to the whole world, that is, the Father showed Him naked and pure, both in the manger and on the cross.
Verse 11
11. Depart, depart, go out from there. — The Hebrews, St. Thomas, and Hugo think that here the Jews are commanded, once permission has been given by Cyrus, to hasten to go out of Babylon, and that the Levites, who are to carry with them the sacred vessels, should take care not to touch anything unclean according to the law, by which they would be defiled, or if they have touched it, to cleanse and purify themselves before handling the sacred vessels. But although he alludes to this, nevertheless the Prophet does not here fix his needle, I mean the point of his mind and his meaning: for from verse 6 and onward he does not treat of Babylon, but of Jerusalem and the Church. The sense therefore is, as if to say: I said that "all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God." Therefore, O Apostles, so that through you this may be fulfilled, and so that you may evangelize the same to all nations, "depart and go out" from faithless, polluted, and blasphemous Jerusalem, soon to be devastated by the Romans. Go and preach throughout the whole world, "you who bear the vessels of the Lord," that is, first, you who as sacred ministers handle and administer the holy Scriptures and the holy Sacraments: therefore you yourselves also be pure and holy, so that you may handle holy things in a holy manner. So say St. Jerome, Cyril, Haymo, Procopius, Adamus, and Tertullian, book 3 Against Marcion, chapter 22. Therefore aptly does the Apostle cite this passage, 2 Corinthians 6:17, and from it he proves and commands that the faithful should avoid excessive dealings with infidels, such as marriages.
Secondly, St. Cyril, Forerius, and Dionysius understand by "vessels of the Lord" the faithful themselves and their bodies, as if to say: These were formerly sewers of gluttony and lust; but now they are vessels of God, indeed temples of the Holy Spirit; therefore they must be cleansed from every filth. Whence the Apostle commands, 1 Thessalonians 4:4: "That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor; not in the passion of desire;" and again, 1 Corinthians 6:19: "Do you not know that your members are the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you have been bought at a great price... Glorify and bear God in your body." He therefore commands us to be clean, as Levites of this temple and ministers of the divine worship which we must perform within ourselves. This sense is pious, but mystical.
Such is also the interpretation of St. Gregory, Part 2 of the Pastoral, chapter 2, who understands by "vessels of the Lord" souls: "Those bear the vessels of the Lord, he says, who take up the souls of their neighbors to be led to the eternal sanctuary, by the faith of their own manner of life. Let them therefore see within themselves how much they need to be purified, who carry living vessels in the bosom of their own pledge to the temple of eternity."
These, I say, are mystical interpretations: for literally, when the Prophet had foreseen in spirit that Jerusalem itself would be contaminated by faithlessness, impiety, and every crime, he addresses those Israelites who constituted the true Zion, namely the few Apostles and believers in Christ, that they should go out from it and beware of the leaven, that is, the doctrine of the Scribes and Pharisees, and of the impiety of Jerusalem: yet he did not wish to name it, lest he offend his fellow countrymen and citizens. Therefore with equal right, from this passage, St. Clement teaches, book 6 of the Apostolic Constitutions, chapter 4, that heretics and schismatics are to be avoided, lest we become partakers of their impiety.
Touch no unclean thing. — He alludes to the old law, according to which whoever touched unclean things, such as corpses, a menstruating woman, flesh torn by wild beasts, etc., was considered unclean and had to be purified; all of which things signified the uncleanness of sin, which the Prophet understands here. Whence he says: "Be clean" and "depart." Here Leo Castrius, from Cyril and Origen, homily 11 on Leviticus chapter 20, notes that "holy" in Greek is said ἅγιος, as if to say: Outside the earth, outside the world: for ἄρης is said as if ἄραιος, that is, without earth, for α is privative, γῆ or γαῖα is earth. For he is holy who walks above the earth, who is superior to the world, who has his conversation in the heavens: although others more correctly think that ἅγιος is said as if ἄζιος, that is, worthy of worship and reverence.
Such indeed it is fitting that priests and apostolic men should be, so that they may freely and effectively teach, correct, and amend carnal men and sinners. Whence St. Augustine, sermon 18 On the Words of the Lord, treating this passage of Isaiah, teaches that we must withdraw from the impious and from impiety: first, by dissent, taking care not to agree with them; secondly, by correction, reproving their crimes. How clean priests should be, I have shown more fully in Leviticus chapter 8, and chapter 21, at the end.
Verse 12
12. For you shall not go out in tumult. — He alludes to the Hebrews going out of Egypt, who, with the Egyptians pressing them because of the slaying of the firstborn, went out fearfully, hastily, and in disorder, as if fleeing, so that they did not have time to leaven the mass of flour from which they were going to bake bread. And conversely he alludes to the Hebrews going out of Babylon: for those, with Cyrus favoring, indeed commanding, prepared themselves for departure peacefully, gradually, and comfortably, and had leisure to purify themselves and the Levites, if any had touched anything unclean, as was said before, for the word "for" refers to this. Indeed, St. Thomas and Hugo think this is the literal sense, but it is more true that it is only alluded to. For the literal sense is about the Apostles, as if to say: I said, O Apostles, go out from impious Jerusalem, go to the Gentiles, but first be cleansed, because you will have leisure to cleanse yourselves and to prepare yourselves in a holy manner for the holy office of preaching: for you shall not go out in disorder, as though defeated or fleeing and fearful, as the Jews from Egypt, but as victors, eager and fearless, inasmuch as you will have overcome and laughed at the threats and blows of the Jews, as is clear from Acts chapter 4, chapter 5 and following. He adds the reason, because God will be your leader, "the Lord shall go before you," and will protect and direct you.
(1) Isaiah refers to the custom of placing watchmen in towers, or on mountain lookout points, who would watch for those approaching, and would warn by signal or voice of their arrival, or would watch for and announce the rising of the new moon.
Verse 13
13. Behold, My servant shall understand. — Here he clearly treats of Christ. Whence St. Augustine, book 18 of the City of God, chapter 29; Justin, Against Trypho; Origen, book 1 Against Celsus, begin chapter 53 here. First, these are the words of the Father about His Son Christ. "My servant" therefore, that is Christ, "shall understand," in Hebrew ישכיל iaskil, that is, He shall act prudently and vigorously, and shall carry out and accomplish the work of human redemption. He alludes to David, who, sent by Saul against the enemies of Israel, conducted himself prudently in all things, 1 Samuel 18:5: for David was a type and ancestor of Christ. So say Cyril, Forerius, Pagninus, and Vatablus.
Secondly, Sanchez: Christ, he says, "shall understand" the will and commands of the Father, that is, He shall obey Him and observe them. Thus it is said in Psalm 118:95: "I have understood Your testimonies," that is, I have observed them; and Psalm 40:1: "Blessed is he who understands concerning the needy and the poor:" "understands," that is, he studies and devotes himself to relieving the misery of the needy and the poor: for the knowledge and understanding of God's commandments, in those who are docile and obedient, as Christ was, and His followers, is practical, effective, and operative.
He shall be exalted — Christ, through His heavenly doctrine, effective sermons, divine miracles, and every grace which He will show to all; so much so that the people will receive Him as the Messiah, and will introduce Him into Jerusalem with palm branches, as a triumphing king, and will, as it were, inaugurate Him. So say St. Jerome, Cyril, and Chrysostom, in the Demonstration that Christ is God.
Verse 14
14. As many were astonished at You, so shall His appearance be inglorious among men (that is, more than other men, for this is the Hebrew מן min, comparative) His appearance. — There is an enallage of person, for he passes from the second to the third, namely from "You" to "His." See Canon 16. Thus also the Septuagint translates, as if to say: Christ, while He lives, will be an object of astonishment or admiration, and also of contempt; Christ will be glorious, and also inglorious. For just as the people at first admired Christ's miracles, doctrine, and life; so soon, seeing Him inglorious, namely captured, condemned, bruised, bloody, spat upon, disfigured, and crucified, they despised Him; and with the same mouth with which shortly before they had cried out: "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord," they will soon cry: "Crucify, crucify Him:" so fickle is the crowd! So say St. Cyril and Chrysostom already cited. That this is the sense is clear from the following chapter, verse 1: for the Prophet gradually shifts to Christ's passion. Whence for "inglorious" the Hebrew has משחת maschit, that is, cut off, destroyed, corrupted. Forerius and the Hebrews now read for maschit, mischat, that is, anointing; whence they translate conversely: as many were astonished, or hissed (for this is what the Hebrew שמם schamam signifies, which is commonly taken in a bad sense) at You many (seeing You crucified); so the anointing of His appearance above men, and His form above the sons of men: anointing, that is, grace, beauty, joy, as if to say: Through the cross, Christ appeared deformed, and as a prodigy and portent, exposed to the mockery and hissing of all. But through it He became more beautiful than the sons of men, to such a degree that Christians, even kings and princes, behold and contemplate no other form more beautiful, or with greater delight, than the form of Christ crucified: this sense corresponds very well to the modern Hebrew, and our Latin version could be adapted to it, if instead of "inglorious" one read "in glory." But "inglorious" is the reading found generally in the Latin Bibles and the Septuagint.
Vatablus however translates thus: As many in amazement were astonished that His appearance was more deformed than any man's, and His form more so than the sons of men, so that it did not seem to be human, but that of a slaughtered sheep or ox; so He will make many nations drip, that is, so likewise He will give the nations occasion to speak of Him, because He willed to suffer so much for their salvation: moreover, kings shall shut their mouth before Him. This sense also fits the Hebrew and what precedes and follows: for he sets the praise and glory of Christ against His reproach, namely, against the hissing of many he sets the silence and veneration of kings. And according to this sense our Latin version could be understood in this way: "As many were astonished," that is, shall be astonished, "at You many," that "so" (that is, so much) "inglorious shall His appearance be among men," etc., so "He shall sprinkle many nations," etc. Nevertheless the first sense is the plainest and easiest, according to both our version and the Septuagint.
Verse 15
15. He shall sprinkle many nations. — He shall sprinkle them, namely, both with His blood to redeem them, and with the water of baptism to wash away their sins. He alludes to the Mosaic lustrations and sprinklings of expiatory water, made from the ashes of the red heifer. See Hebrews chapter 9, verse 13. So says St. Jerome.
Kings shall shut their mouth at Him, — as if to say: Kings, conquered by the wisdom, holiness, and miracles of Christ and the Apostles, shall not dare to open their mouth against Christ, or to speak ill of Him; but they shall be silent, and shall yield to Christ, and silently and reverently shall venerate Him: for silence signifies deference, as when youths in the presence of elders, students in the presence of teachers, children in the presence of parents are silent out of reverence. So says St. Jerome: for just as to open the mouth is a symbol of boldness, forwardness, and shamelessness; so to close the mouth is a sign of modesty, submission, penitence, deference, and sometimes of admiration, says Forerius.
For they to whom it was not told of Him (that is, the Gentiles, Heathens, and Pagans) have seen, — the divine wisdom, grace, and glory of Christ and the Gospel. So say St. Jerome and Augustine, book 1 On the Harmony of the Evangelists, chapter 31; indeed the Apostle himself, Romans chapter 15:21. Therefore let us not be disturbed by the deformity, abjection, and ignominy of the cross of Christ and of Christians: for these have their own beauty and grace, on account of that happiness and eternal glory which will come afterward.