Isaiah 17:14Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Consequently, it is stated, "There will be weeping in the evening, but by morning, joy," indicating that tears will cease and vanish along with the dread of disaster, for the Lord is a refuge who swiftly dismantles the enemy’s ranks and drives their leader from the land of Judah. This is also affirmed by the blessed David, who proclaims, "In the evening there shall be weeping, and in the morning, joy" (Psalm 30:5). He refers to the plight of those forces that have taken you captive and see you merely as their spoils. In doing so, he admonishes the Israelites for bringing upon themselves a fate that could rightfully lead to their total destruction. Yet, in His mercy, He punishes those who have despoiled His chosen people; for as it is said, when the Most High scattered the nations, He established their boundaries according to the number of the angels of God. And the Lord’s portion was His people, Jacob, a recognized inheritance, Israel (Deuteronomy 32:8-9).

Furthermore, pay close attention to this teaching, transitioning from historical events to profound truth. When evil and opposing forces relentlessly assail the faithful mind, akin to a mighty torrent threatening to overwhelm the soul with external trials or inherent temptations, let no one in a position of faith succumb to weakness. Instead, they should anchor their hope in God and rise above all anxieties. For how can one question the assurance of divine assistance? The Lord knows how to rescue the righteous from trials. The blessed Apostle Paul writes: "God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work" (2 Corinthians 9:8; 1 Corinthians 10:13). As the Psalmist states, "The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and delivers them" (Psalm 34:7).

Furthermore, when heretics, who are oblivious to the sacred truths, arise against the worshippers of the faith with relentless hostility—whether by instigating wars and persecutions or by multiplying sorrows and the fear of death—they will not diminish in fierceness compared to those who are worn down. Indeed, as it is recorded, the Lord has dealt with Amalek from generation to generation.

Compared to the vastness of the world and its nations, only a small segment of the Christian flock has believed; as noted in the scriptures, the remnant of Syria shall be as the glory of the children of Israel, for many are called, but few are chosen (Matt. 22:14), and not all possess faith (2 Thess. 3:2). Thus, rather than lamentation, these nations deserve sorrow for their refusal to believe and their persecution of the Christian community. They are likened to rushing waves and tumultuous seas, attempting to overwhelm and seize everything within reach. These nations make a clamor at the spectacles of immorality in theaters, at the brutality of the arena, and at the chaos of the circus, creating the uproar of a torrent, blaspheming in unison and demanding that Christians be cast to the beasts and subjected to similar fates. Yet, when their rage resembles that of the sea, the Lord will rise against the source of their commotion, casting it away from among His people. As dust is raised from the mountains, carried high by the wind, and swept away by a tempest, so shall the one caught in this turmoil be separated from the flock of God, fleeing to avoid being cast into the abyss. On the day of their destruction, symbolized by evening, panic will ensue due to their awareness of sin. At the dawn of resurrection, in the morning, they will not endure, as translated in the LXX. And if they do not endure, what will those say who propose repentance for the devil and perhaps promise him the height of an archangel? Such is the fate of those who have devastated us, and this applies either to the Christian community or to the prophet speaking on behalf of the faithful, as they face eternal ruin and unending punishment from those who have inflicted exile, imprisonment, and loss of property upon them.

Furthermore, those who connect this passage to the conquest of Damascus by the Romans refer to the era of Christ and the Apostles, recalling the scriptures: A man shall direct his gaze toward his Creator, and his eyes shall be fixed on the Holy One of Israel. Next: You shall plant a faithless garden with faithless seeds; on the very day you plant it, it will be corrupted—interpreting this as a reference to Jewish unbelief. This section can further relate to the Gentile persecutors of the Church, signifying that when He threatened them, they fled far away—understood allegorically as pertaining to the devil, with desolation symbolizing the ruin of both persecutors and demons. We maintain the original flow while covering the historical context. Woe, it is proclaimed, to all the nations that have waged war against my people, whose assault is so fierce that it can be likened to crashing waves of the sea. However, when they surge forth in wrath to flood my land, their chief Sennacherib will flee due to God’s threat; like dust scattered by wind and a whirlwind rising in a storm, so shall he, despite surrounding Jerusalem, be smitten by an angel. Morning will arrive, revealing his mighty army laid waste. Thus shall be the fate of those who seek our ruin. The prophet conveys this message on behalf of his people or aligns himself with them. Then we read: And it came to pass during the night that the angel of the Lord descended and struck down one hundred eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When morning broke, they found all the dead. Sennacherib, king of Assyria, arose, departed, and returned to dwell in Nineveh (4 Kings 19:35-36).

She has a bow pointing east and a stern facing west, with her keel set towards noon; the two rudders represent the two covenants, and the ropes which encircle her are none other than the love of Christ that unites the Church. She bears the bilge, signifying the ‘bath of renewal,’ which rejuvenates the faithful. She is also adorned with the transparent veil, representing the Spirit from heaven, through which believers are marked for God. The iron anchors that accompany her are the holy commandments of Christ Himself, strong and steadfast as iron. Additionally, she has shipmasters on both sides—holy angels who serve and uphold the Church continuously. The ladder ascending to the mast symbolizes the sign of Christ’s sufferings, enticing the faithful to rise to heaven. The sails on the upper masts are the ranks of prophets, martyrs, and apostles, who rest in Christ's kingdom.