Isaiah 1:21Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

In one instance, a person may be degraded, yet in this case, God is disregarded. The prophets frequently utilize this term because God regards such individuals with the affection of a husband, demonstrating His profound love for them. Therefore, they often speak in terms of marital relationships, not to reduce the discourse to base human actions, but to guide listeners towards understanding God's love by comparing it with ordinary experiences, while simultaneously invoking the shameful term. Faithful, or devout, connotes a fullness of virtue; hence, it becomes evident that by fornication, the prophet is not referring to physical lewdness; otherwise, he would have described a chaste city in contrast to a harlot. By emphasizing fornication as wickedness, he juxtaposes faith against it. Filled with justice signifies a commitment to truth. Thus, the strongest condemnation emerges: they did not merely surrender themselves entirely to sin but also completely renounced virtue, abruptly discarding all their noble attributes and plummeting into the depths of wickedness. Truth resided within her; it was, as he describes, planted, rooted, and actively pursued by all the citizens. He continues to reflect on previous commendations to both intensify the reproach concerning their change and to instill hope, illustrating the possibility of their restoration. Now concerning the murderers, meaning those who take the lives of others.

Eventually, she lost all these qualities, especially the ancient piety that once characterized her life, choosing to act irrationally and disregarding her reverence and love for God. Prior to the Savior’s coming, she turned to worship false gods, greatly insulting the one true God through her unfaithfulness, acting as a disreputable and unfaithful wife by engaging in various immoral practices. At times, she surrendered herself to foreign leaders who led her away from God. For this, the Almighty denounces her through the prophet Jeremiah, asking: "Have you seen what the house of Israel has done to me? They have gone to every high mountain and under every leafy tree and have forsaken me" (Jeremiah 3:6). Furthermore, He poses a question to her: "If a husband divorces his wife and she becomes another man's, can she return to him again? Would not that former husband be blameless and undefiled? But you have committed adultery with many shepherds and have returned to me, says the Lord. You have lifted your eyes to righteousness, yet you remain unashamed in your transgressions; you have sat in the paths of deceit and defiled the land through your immoral actions" (Jeremiah 3:1-3). Thus, as I mentioned, in forsaking the service of God, she became unfaithful, surrendering herself to unclean spirits, idol-serving leaders, and false teachers. These were the transgressions of the synagogue of Judah leading up to the arrival of our Savior. Yet when Christ illuminated the earth, as it is written that the Lord God revealed Himself to us, she failed to adhere to the true Teacher but placed great importance on the commands of men, turning away from the Good Shepherd who could guide her to all that is virtuous, instead aligning herself with the religious authorities, scribes, and Pharisees. Therefore, she committed spiritual adultery, despite the law and the prophets foretelling the coming of Christ and revealing His mysteries. Who asks, "The harlot is a faithful city; Zion is filled with justice"? This indicates the various opportunities she had for healing, yet she possessed an abundance of spiritual remedies which she neglected. How could it be that she, once faithful and committed to the truth, where the truth of the law resided, fell into betrayal? Instead of being a dwelling for righteousness, it has become a residence for murderers. Listen, then, for in addition to other grievances, she is charged with the sin of murder. They brought upon themselves the precious blood of Christ, declaring to Pilate, "His blood be upon us and upon our children" (Matthew 27:25). They also put to death the holy prophets, a charge echoed by the blessed Stephen, who said, "You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? As your fathers did, so do you" (Acts 7:51-52).

The astonishment is heightened, and the absurdity amplified, by the fact that as Truth was revealed, injustice surged. This transformation occurred in a city that had failed to grasp the true doctrine of righteousness, as implied by the term full of judgment. It warrants mentioning that disbelief is the root of immorality. For one who recognizes that God is omnipresent, overseeing every event and action, and perceiving the intentions of the heart, would he indulge in negative thoughts or evil actions? Conversely, if one presumes that God is either indifferent or oblivious to their deeds, individuals rush into malfeasance. Yet, it is often remarked about the Church (may it not solely refer to our own community), how did the unfaithful harlot of Zion arise?—when she, having forsaken the word of faith that initially informed her, as per the teachings of the Fathers, who presented her to her sole Beloved, the pure Virgin (2 Cor. 11:2), now receives various seeds of the word from those who have corrupted the sanctity of the sacraments and from those propagating the doctrines of wickedness that lead to the ruin of souls. Regarding her, it can justly be stated, how has the harlot become the faithful city of Zion? For the holy angels, assigned to protect the Churches, who know of past events and observe the present, will marvel and ask: What is the unfaithfulness of the city that once stood steadfast, which through its immorality has amassed murderers—murderers not of bodies, but of souls, who, through deceit and trickery, rob the lives of common people, inflicting grave injuries upon souls with words that are sharp as swords, assisted by worldly wisdom skillfully crafted to appear plausible? Following this, the reasons for the once faithful city’s transformation into a harlot are elaborated.

Zion refers to the mountain upon which Jerusalem was founded, which, after being captured by David, gained the title of the city of David. I have no doubt there were righteous individuals within it when God's tabernacle resided there, and subsequently, when the temple was erected. It was during this time that prophets such as Nathan and Gad ministered, along with Asaph, Edithum, and Heman, all of whom led the choirs, described more fully in the book of Days. The worship gradually transitioned from sacrificial offerings to the exaltation of the Lord (1 Chronicles 25:1). Thus, the city that once brimmed with justice and where truth resided is now consumed by those who commit murder, including the persecution of prophets and the Lord Himself. The infidelity of Jerusalem, illustrated as spreading itself to any who passed by, is metaphorically represented by Ezekiel as Oolibah, meaning "my tabernacle in it," symbolizing the presence of truth that once dwelled there. In Hebrew, the term for righteousness is "sedec," which conveys a sense of being more than just righteous, indicating that the Lord once found rest among them, reflected in the scriptures contemplating what a righteous person should do given the Lord's holiness: "The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord's throne is in heaven" (Psalm 10:3-4). All of this may be viewed allegorically in regard to the soul of an individual who was once sanctified, representing a soul in which God's truth previously dwelled; yet, if it later succumbs to sin, it replaces divine rest with human killers—demons.

Throughout the Old Testament, the idolatry of the Israelites is often likened to infidelity (Exodus 34:15, Judges 8:33), depicting the relationship between God and His chosen people as akin to that of a husband and wife. In the New Testament, this analogy extends to Christ's relationship with the Church, which is likened to a bride (2 Cor. 11:2), with Christ serving as her Head to whom the Church must yield, and who loves the Church as a husband loves his wife (Eph. 5:24-25). The faltering of loyalty to the God of their ancestors is also associated with injustices against their neighbors. Once, Jerusalem was characterized by justice and truth. During David’s reign, he not only cherished and celebrated mercy and justice but also committed himself to removing wickedness from the city of the Lord (Psalm 100:1, 8). Under Jehoshaphat, he appointed judges throughout his kingdom, emphasizing the need for them to act with integrity and devoid of corruption (2 Chronicles 19:5-7). However, the situation has deteriorated, and now wicked men are rampant in Jerusalem, exploiting the favor of corrupt judges to oppress and rob the citizens without fear of consequence.