2 Chronicles 32:33Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Christ, as the cornerstone, is the Head of this Body (Colossians 1:18). The name "David" suggests “humiliation,” for the Lord, being the Word of God and the Son of God, took on "the form of a servant" (Phil. 2:7) for our sake, becoming "the reproach of men" who do not accept the Truth and "the humiliation of men" (Psalms 21:7) laden with sin, yet "the good shepherd, laying down His life for the sheep" (John 10:11), which includes all of us. He overcame the lion and the bear (1 Sam. 17:36), signifying His expulsion of rage and lust from human nature, which afflicts the divine image within us. He is metaphorically "scarlet," representing the suffering of humanity, yet with "good eyes" (1 Sam. 16:12), indicating His possession of the glory of divine Providence and Judgment—the eyes of the Word through which the Lord, for our sake, ensures oversight of all creation. He struck down the spiritual Goliath, the devil, towering five cubits high—representing the five passions of our senses, which are exacerbated by the devil's malice, thereby inflating our capacity for feeling through passionate external stimuli. He reigns as the King of the true Israel, the Israel that perceives God, although Saul, symbolizing the old nation bound to the law of Moses, is consumed by madness and jealousy, devastated by the loss of fleeting honor.

David, my King, even in the midst of persecution, retrieved the spear and the water jug (1 Sam. 26:1-12) from Saul, representing the power of active virtue and the grace of contemplative wisdom, which He takes not for Himself, but to impart to those Jews who turn to Him in faith, destined to inherit salvation by accepting the proclamation of the kingdom of God. In the cave, David severed the corner of Saul's garment, who was seated in need, depicting moral goodness and the elevated understanding of the symbols and allegories in the law. For he understood that "all things decay from use" (Col. 2:22), and thus the Jewish people, huddled in the cave of the present age amidst the shadows of the written law, were entirely fixated on earthly and corporeal existence, confined to corruptible things while neglecting the divine promises of the incorruptible. They should not justly possess the spiritual provisions of the law’s precepts, seen in a symbolic sense, akin to the edge of a garment. This embodies the spiritual David, the true Shepherd and King, who dismantles the powers that plead for their influence. He shepherds those who still adhere to moral integrity and explore the field of natural understanding; He is King of those who, through spiritual laws and teachings, revive the splendor of the original image bestowed upon humanity, as they draw near to the great King of Ages in the direct vision of their intellect, reflecting, as in a mirror, the unapproachable Beauty.

The offspring of this David are all the saints throughout the ages, born of Him through the Spirit. Their coffins represent the memories of their lives lived according to God on earth. The “ascension” of the tombs reflects the height of their divine existence and love for God—where "all Judah and they that dwell in Jerusalem" extend funeral honors. It is a place where the noble monastic life aligned with spiritual endeavor finds its residence, and the logos of knowledge associated with true contemplation thrives. They lay to rest the intellect, which is reverently dead to all temporalities; it dies to sensual things by renouncing all carnal engagements and to spiritual matters by ceasing all spiritual activity. They honored Hezekiah, whose name means "the might of God," burying a mind empowered by spiritual labor and characterized by majestic conduct that voluntarily departs from all else, turning to Him who transcends all things. He is buried by "all Judah and those who dwell in Jerusalem," signifying work aligned with virtue and genuine contemplation consistent with knowledge. "At the rising of the sepulchres of the sons of David," illustrates the elevation of the memory of all saints throughout eternity; "and glory and honour were given to him"—glory as one who, through spiritual knowledge, surpasses all logos of creation, and honor as one purified from all passions, having received an experience unbounded by the natural laws governing existence. It might be noted that "glory" signifies the highest beauty "in the image," while "honour" represents the fullest reflection "in the likeness." The former, that is "image," aligns with the true contemplation of spiritual logos, while the latter, "likeness," is found in the exact and complete observance of divine commandments. The illustrious Hezekiah, who encompassed both, was interred "at the rising of the sepulchres of the children of David." Thus, to clarify the meaning of the narrative, we might interpret the phrase "they buried him in the ascending tombs of the sons of David" as "they erected a monument to Hezekiah on the height of the memory of the saints from ages past."

Moreover, it is worth contemplating why it is phrased as "at the rising of the sepulchres of David" rather than simply "in the sepulchres of David." The essence and manner of the Lord's life in the flesh is utterly unique and incomparable to any other beings—not merely to humankind but even to angels, and His divine nature is beyond all human comprehension. While the grandeur of "in the sepulchres of the sons of David" appeals to the understanding of many, the more fitting expression remains "in the ascending sepulchres of the sons of David." The Scriptures provide no accounts of any being entombed in the sepulchres of David, much less "at the rising of the sepulchres of David." Indeed, the life of the Lord God and our Savior according to the flesh has no parallel among created beings. For it is written, "The heavens have covered the heavens with His virtue" (Hab. 3:3), suggesting that the very righteousness expressed through Christ's humanity, revealed through the flesh, with its excellence and abundance, surpasses even the heavenly powers. He was not merely a man but God incarnate, who became man to restore the nature of humanity, which had grown old and corrupted, thus transforming it into a community of divine nature. In doing this, human nature shed all corruption and change, through which it was previously swayed by passions overpowering reason. To God be the glory forever and ever. Amen.