Babylon is evidently identified as a coastal desolation, as the prophet Jeremiah speaks in the voice of the Lord, “And I will transform her sea into a desert and dry up her land, and Babylon shall be a heap of sand.” It is referred to as a sea due to the vast number of its dwellers, similar to how the multitude of Egypt was compared to a sea: “God will turn the sea of Egypt into a wasteland.” Regarding the conflict waged by the Medes and Persians against Babylon, we find in Jeremiah’s account: “Sharpen your arrows, fill your quivers. The Lord has stirred the spirit of the kings of Midian, intending to destroy Babylon; this is the vengeance of the Lord, a reckoning for His temple. Lift a banner over the walls of Babylon, strengthen the sentinels, set the watchmen high, prepare, for the Lord has planned and carried out all He has declared against the people of Babylon,” and again, “Lift a banner in the land, sound the trumpet among the nations, consecrate the nations against her, proclaim it to the kings of Ararat, Minya, and Askenes, assemble the nations against her, deploy the horses like a swarm of locusts. Prepare the nations against her, the kings of Midian, her nobles, and all her officials, throughout her entire domain. The earth will tremble and shake, for the design of the Lord is against Babylon, to make her land desolate and void of life.” Like tempestuous winds that originate from the southwest, a dreadful vision has been revealed to me, echoing the terrified words of Babylon, or Babylon itself, as the Midians and Elamites muster their armies against her, advancing from the wilderness. Just as a powerful storm arises from the southwest, so comes this devastation from the desert, from a fearsome land that evokes horror at its name. For what can be more dreadful than impending captivity? The unfaithful betray, and the destroyer brings desolation. In Hebrew, it may be rendered, “You who kill, kill; and you who devastate, devastate,” as if the prophecy is directed toward the Elamite and Midianite themselves, encouraging them to fulfill what they have commenced, to boldly ascend and besiege the great city. Alternatively, if rendered in the third person, as “Whoever is unfaithful acts treacherously, and whoever exterminates brings desolation,” it is linked to the prior declaration where Babylon confesses that an ominous vision has been presented to it. “Ascend, Elam, besiege, O Midian, I have ended your lamentation.” Fear not, O Persian and Midian, the multitude of Babylon, nor be daunted by its former might; I have terminated all its groaning and the yoke under which it once oppressed you, implying either that none shall lament beneath Babylon's dominion, or that Babylon herself shall suffer such calamities that she cannot even bear to groan.
From this I was filled with sorrow, anguish gripping me like the pangs of childbirth; I fell when I heard, and I trembled at the sight. My heart grew faint, and a dreadful shadow engulfed me. Babylon, my beloved, is now a wonder to me. The prophets are obscured, having many shifting aspects. Thus, the words of Isaiah are introduced, mourning over Babylon in prophetic spirit, foretelling such immense calamities that the narrator, overwhelmed with horror, can scarcely articulate; he witnesses the bloodshed of many and, moved by compassion, grieves no less than a woman in labor, trembling and bewildered, collapsing to the ground, not knowing how to express what he sees. Instead of what we have translated, “Babylon, my beloved,” in Hebrew it reads “neseph esci”—the same term we previously translated as “On the mountain of darkness,” for “neseph” signifies dark or gloomy. This city is aptly named so due to its inflated self-regard and extreme arrogance, which ascended to the heavens.
Set the table, spread the cloths—eat, drink. “Arise, princes, paint the shields!” That Babylon fell amid feasting is unmistakably reported by Isaiah, urging a response: “Babylon, my beloved, has become a wonder to me. Set the table; observe from the watchtower those who eat and drink; arise, O princes, take up your shields.” This passage can be interpreted in two manners: either addressed to the Medians and Elamites, telling them to prepare, eat, and steel themselves for the approaching battle so that they will not be weary when the time comes, or as a directive to Babylon itself, bidding her to prepare a feast for Belshazzar, son of Elmerodach, grandson of Nebuchadnezzar, and to witness what transpires after this banquet, wherein he serves wine in sacred vessels to grasping revelers. The princes reclining with the king (those referred to as the Medians and Persians) should rise and take up arms against the king, as detailed further in the Book of Daniel.
The oracle regarding the desert of the seaside. Like whirlwinds rushing from the southwest, it comes from the wilderness, the land of terror. An alarming vision has been delivered to me: the unfaithful betray, and the destroyer brings desolation. “Ascend, Elam, besiege, O Midian; I have silenced all their lamentations.” Consequently, I was filled with anguish: the grief seized me like that of a woman giving birth. According to the LXX: A vision from the coastal wilderness. As a storm moves through the wilderness, emerging from the desert, from the land of dread, a dreadful vision was announced to me: the faithless are faithless, and the wicked are wicked. The Elamites and envoys from the Persians approach me: I will now be humiliated and comforted; hence, I am filled with weariness, as anguish seizes me like the pangs of childbirth. What we perceive as historical, we have briefly outlined; let us now present the deeper allegorical interpretation. The vision or burden is directed against the sea of this age, wherein the prophet discerns the numerous temptations saturating this world. The sea signifies the world; to illustrate this, I shall reference a single testimonial from the Psalms: “They that go down into the sea in ships, they who work in the multitude of waters, these have seen the works of the Lord and His wonders in the deep.” Those who serve God in this world, declaring with the prophet, “I have sunk into the depths of the sea,” witness His marvels in the deep and, liberated from trials and tribulations, assert that they have heard a menacing and foreboding vision. Yet this storm arises from the wilderness where the Lord was tempted and where Israel endured serpent bites and scorpion stings. When it arrives, it sweeps away: then, the one who perseveres will understand that only the faithless betray and that only the wicked act wickedly. Therefore, should we be tossed by the surging waves and battered by a fierce storm, it is due to our own transgressions, for prior to the tempest, we were faithless and wicked. The phrase “The Elamites and the ambassadors of the Persians come against me” conveys this notion: the Elamites symbolize contempt, and the Persians signify temptation. Let those who despise, despise, and those who tempt, tempt; yet I will groan, and my lament will be my solace. Nevertheless, my loins shall be filled with sorrow, and pains will encircle me like those of one giving birth, so that I may conceive and bear through reverence for God and manifest the spirit of His salvation upon the earth. And rightly, according to the Hebrew text, the whirlwinds and storms emerge from the wilderness and from the land of dread, where God neither resides, and all things are worldly, where every unbeliever acts according to his own disbelief, and the desolator brings desolation. Thus, boldly does he call upon his adversaries, “Ascend, Elam, besiege, O Midian; I have silenced all lamentations from the coastal wilderness, that fearful land, and the grievous vision proclaimed.” For my loins, through repentance, were filled not with pleasure as before but with sorrow, so that I could no longer state, “My loins are filled with shame.” I was seized with anguish and distress, akin to the pangs of labor. The Vulgate version and the Hebrew text significantly diverge in this context; hence, we present both briefly, providing no opportunity for those who seek to accuse us. I collapsed upon hearing, troubled by the sight; my heart grew faint, a terrible darkness engulfed me; my cherished Babylon has become a marvel to me. Prepare the table, look from the watchtower upon those who eat and drink; arise, O princes, take your shields. LXX: “I have acted unjustly, lest I hear; hasten, lest I see; my heart wanders; iniquity has overshadowed me; my soul is filled with fear.” Set the table, survey from the watchtower; eat, drink; arise, O princes, ready your shields. The prophet indicates that upon hearing the vision, which he perceived as emerging from the desert by the seashore, he fell and was troubled, nearly blinded and bewildered, unable to comprehend what he witnessed. That Babylon, which, in place of which Aquila and Theodotion interpreted as darkness to signify this world steeped in evil, governed by princes described by the apostle Paul as rulers of this darkness (Eph. 6), which was once cherished by the prophet or by God, has now become remarkable in its ruin. Thus, it is commanded of the prophet, when he has partaken of the Lord’s feast and is filled with His sustenance, to remain ever watchful concerning what is to befall the world; and through him it is conveyed to all believers that as they partake of the body and blood of the Lord, they ought to be transformed into the princes of the Church, heeding with the apostles the call to “Arise,” and to take up the shield of faith from the armor described by the apostle Paul, so they may resist the fiery darts of the evil one. This interpretation aligns with both the Hebrew text and the preceding explanation pertaining to the world. We now turn to the LXX translation, which diverges significantly from the others. The prophet admonishes himself, or reveals the folly of others on his behalf, who, clinging to the dead letter, overlook the life-giving spirit. He confesses the error of neglecting spiritual law, instead striving to avoid divine mysteries, failing to utter with David, “Open my eyes, that I may behold the wonders of Your law.” Hence, his heart wanders, overwhelmed with Judaic superstition, dwelling not in the love of God but in fear, governed by a spirit of servility rather than the spirit of adoption, by which we cry, “Abba, Father.” Thus, he is exhorted to begin consuming and sharing spiritual sustenance, that those who have followed his example may reject previous error, transcend from the spirit, from the flesh, and arise, becoming princes, proclaiming with the prophet, “O Lord, as with a weapon of grace, You have crowned us.”
THEOSIS