Isaiah 16:6Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

While the holy prophets openly acknowledged their knowledge of Moab's disdain, the Lord responds, indicating that He will remove pride, signifying that not only has He permitted Moab's arrogance, but He has orchestrated its downfall through action; for He wages war against the haughty and contends with those who harbor inflated self-views, oblivious to their inherent frailty. Scripture asserts, "the Lord resists the proud" (Proverbs 3:34). In this context, He teaches that His judgments are just and not without purpose, condemning Moab for their excessive arrogance. The predictions of your soothsayers will be proven false. I have stripped away your pride, He states; I have uprooted Moab, contrary to what your diviners foretold. They falsely assured you that you would prevail over others in battles, effortlessly conquer your foes, remain invulnerable to your adversaries, and mock those you defeat. However, this shall not come to pass; the reality will be entirely contrary to your expectations. Therefore, it is perilous and ultimately detrimental to heed the mockery of those who scoff and to be swayed by the words of those whose prophecies will not align with your desires.

After extolling the virtues of God, affirming that He lifts up those who stumble and provides sustenance at the right moment, the Psalmist continues: The Lord safeguards all who love Him, but He will destroy all wrongdoers (cf. Ps. 144:9, 14, 15, 20). Here again, following expressions of great kindness toward the repentant, the tone shifts with a new discourse that depicts the sorrowful. Consider the reproach directed at Moab. This addresses the ruler of this world, who was the pioneer of rebellion, elevating himself in pride against the Creator, leading others into offense, and oppressing them through his shameful arrogance. He maligns those belonging to the Church, viewing them as if they were mere slaves, indistinguishable from the unlearned. He provokes one and all to dishonor; he incites leaders of various heresies to speak wickedness in prominent positions (cf. Psalm 72:8), and when they agree to delve into matters, he instructs them not to seek truth but rather to deride those who might expose the folly of his teachings. Consequently, once the Lord has healed him, he proclaims, I shall remove his arrogance. The removal of the harmful vice of pride resembles the cure of an illness, and encompasses also his reproach and his fury. These weaknesses belong to Moab. Moab possesses wretched inheritances: dishonor, aimed at belittling others, and wrath, characterized by ongoing irritation. The prophet continues, Your sorcery is ineffective, nor is it so. The Prophet criticizes Moab for its historical schemes, reminding that the incantations of Balaam held no power over Israel, as the Lord God turned his voice from speaking curses to uttering blessings. ‘Not so,’ asserts the prophet, ‘your sorcery will accomplish nothing. For Balak, son of Zippor, king of Moab, summoned Balaam, the soothsayer, who held magic arts, and demanded, ‘Curse these men for me.’ Yet the wise man did not comply, for Balaam responded, How can I curse whom the Lord has not cursed? Or how can I denounce whom God does not denounce? (Num. 23:8).

Thus, we shall adhere to the Hebrew rendition. The Scriptures often uplift human spirits from despair through glad tidings while also warning the indifferent and unrepentant to avoid hardening hearts due to divine goodness. For instance, Psalm 144 states, "The Lord is good to all, and His bounty is upon all His works" (Psalm 144:9). Later, it further assures, "The Lord upholds all who fall and raises up all who are bowed down; the eyes of all look to Thee, O Lord, and Thou givest them their food in due season" (Psalm 144:14-15). Yet, after declaring, "The Lord preserves all who love Him," the Psalmist adds, "And all the wicked He will destroy" (Psalm 144:20) to prevent complacency among listeners. Thus, he prophesied that following the downfall of Antichrist and his father, the devil, who would tread upon the earth, a throne of mercy would be established, and one would occupy a seat in David's tabernacle. In light of the saints saved from Moab, who learned from his presumption, the prophet states, "We have heard of the pride of Moab" or "of injustice," as the LXX renders. For which heretic is not filled with pride? Rejecting ecclesiastical simplicity, he percieves the Church's faithful as ignorant creatures, becoming so filled with arrogance and injustice that he dares to turn his mouth against the Creator Himself. He maligns His prophets, using the Gospel testimony where the Saviour declares, "All who came before Me are thieves and robbers" (John 10:8). Thus, even Moses, a servant of God, is branded a murderer; Joshua, the son of Nun, who commanded the sun and moon to stand still, is derided as a man of bloodshed; and David, from whom Christ descended (Matthew 1), is condemned as a murderer and adulterer, despite his repentance and humility, for which he is compared to the mercy of God. Though proud and haughty, he exhibits a boldness that outstrips his capability. Consequently, Moab will cry out to one another; this signifies that all heretics and the wise of this age will wail against each other when they face torment. Therefore, those who instruct in the Church, or those rescued from the error of Moab, should proclaim your injuries caused by the arrows of heretics to others whose foundations lack strength, unlike the solid stones of God's temple. Their plans, represented by Heshbon, do not belong to the dwelling place of the Lord's hail, of which it is written, "The river's aspiration cheereth the hail of God" (Psalm 45:5). Instead, they are mere facades, appearing to connect with the Lord's habitation but devoid of divine protection, consumed by heavenly fire, particularly the vineyard of Sabam, which symbolizes those who elevate themselves, attempting to build the tower of their pride up to heaven. The Hebrew text of the LXX does not include "put to the inhabitants of Deseph," but instead references "ares," meaning a tile or burnt brick.

The fields surrounding Heshbon are desolate, also the vineyard of Sabam. The distance between Heshbon and Sabam is merely five hundred paces, signifying through the metaphor of the vineyard the widespread desolation of the region. The rulers of nations have cut down his vines. Continuing the metaphor, the kings of the nations devastated Moab, leaving ruins of its villages and fortifications. They reached Jazer, wandered in the wilderness, and his shoots were left behind, crossing over the sea. The vines and shoots symbolize the people and their exiles, with crossing over the sea indicating their captivity in Babylon, as we will later read: the burden of the desert by the seaside.