THEOSISJerome of Stridon
The sovereign will grieve, and the noble shall be troubled, or, as the Septuagint indicates, shall perish, having omitted what we translated from the Hebrew text: the sovereign shall grieve. Scripture recounts that Zedekiah mourned, and all the leaders of Judah were filled with sorrow. However, can we, albeit it may appear sacrilegious at first glance, refer to Christ, who laments in the Psalms, ‘What good is my blood, when I go down to decay’ (Psalms 29:10), as a sovereign lamenting over our failings and sins? As He drew near to Jerusalem, He wept over it and exclaimed: ‘Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to you, how often would I have gathered your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling’ (Mt. 23:37)?
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Furthermore, the apostles mourning for sinners will act as princes when they reflect benevolently, or conversely—those addressed as, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, you princes of Sodom’ (Isaiah 1:11). According to the Septuagint, he who dons the armor of God but does not wear Christ shall face destruction. For whoever is baptized into Christ is clothed with Him (Gal. 3:27). The hands of the earthly people will be in turmoil, or, per the Septuagint, downcast. In the absence of prophetic vision and a lack of law among the priests, with no counsel from the elders, the sovereign laments, and the noble is in despair or ruin, leading to disarray among the people who have lost their rightful order, or who will collapse, devoid of their former strength. Thus, the people whose hands are disordered, lacking citizenship in heaven, are not considered God’s people but rather the people of the earth, of whom it is stated, ‘They that depart from Thee in the earth shall be written’ (Jeremiah 17:13). I will address them according to their ways and judge them according to their acts, or, as the LXX states, I will avenge them. God administers justice to sinners based on their actions, ensuring that judgment is fair. Conversely, regarding the saints, He surpasses the bounds of goodness. For the sufferings of the present time are insignificant compared to the glory that is to be revealed in us (Rom. 8:18). The wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23), which the sinner reaps according to his actions and deeds. Yet, the righteousness of the just enjoys the Lord’s generosity, as Paul declares: the gift of God is eternal life (Rom. 6:23). In respect of the addition, ‘according to their judgments I will judge them,’ the gospel conveys: ‘If you judge others, you will be judged’ (Matt. 7:1), and the apostolic teaching states: ‘If you judge your friend in this way, you condemn yourself; for you judge by the same measure’ (Rom. 2:1). They will realize that I am the Lord. This brief verse is frequently reiterated by this prophet, for after punishment and suffering comes the knowledge of God; those who did not understand Him through blessings will come to know Him through trials.