Isaiah 22:6Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Some believe that these horsemen are Saracens—skilled mounted archers known for their cruelty, mercilessness, and lack of compassion. Their great numbers are suggested by the description of your chosen wildernesses brimming with chariots, and the horses packed with warriors who will obstruct your gates, signifying a vast crowd ready to attack. When they invade, they will thoroughly inspect every magnificent house and breach the inner sanctums of the fortress of David, that is, the treasures of kings. For the kings descended from the tribe of Judah, to which the blessed David also belonged. Here lies a deeper message: When the human mind is besieged by a throng of irrational thoughts or sinful desires resembling soldiers, they seize it like a conquered city, ravaging its spiritual treasures, driving out piety, and robbing it of virtuous deeds. Therefore, sacred Scripture advises: If the spirit of the angry one rises against you, do not abandon your place; for healing can alleviate great transgressions (Ecclesiastes 10:4). For such passions, when contained, lose their strength and vigilance, aiding those who manage to keep them in check; but if they are allowed to run wild, constantly veering toward the worst, they will bring down those devoted to spiritual lethargy.

For the day of ruin, trampling, and sorrow has come from the Lord God of Hosts in the valley of vision. His explanation reflects why he lamented, "Leave me; I shall weep bitterly," for Zion, once a place of visions, has been trampled and transformed into a locale of mourning. He who tests the wall and endures, advances toward the mountain. Elam wielded a quiver, and I observed the chariot of the rider as the shield laid bare the wall. The Babylonian forces are depicted as entering the city, seizing the temple, and marching proudly in four-horse chariots through the streets. In the Hebrew text, it is vividly depicted that the shield, typically used for protection, revealed the ornate cornices and marbled interiors, symbolizing how the shield failed to shield anyone but rather stripped away the treasures due to the might of the soldiers.

If those from the Assyrian city of Elam are referenced as taking part in the battle, this is not to be linked to the time of the Roman conquest unless viewed allegorically.

Therefore, I proclaimed, "Depart from me; I will weep bitterly; do not try to console me for the brokenness of the daughter of my people, for it is a day of chaos and destruction from the Lord God of Hosts." Even as Samuel mourned for Saul (1 Sam. 15), and the Lord and Savior wept for Jerusalem (Luke 19), the Apostle communicates to the Corinthians, "May my God humble me again among you, and weep for many who have sinned and not repented" (2 Cor. 12:21). With empathy, he observes, "Whoever is weary, I am not weary; whoever is tempted, I am not tempted" (2 Cor. 11:29). Thus, the prophet notices that the nation, once a people of visions, has turned to empty pursuits, surrendering to confusion, with all its leaders fleeing, entangled in sin's shackles. He begins to weep, rejecting all comfort, declaring that his tears are not for the sons, but for the daughters of his people, who have lost their dignity. The impending day of judgment, destruction, and trampling shall not solely be for Jerusalem—the vision of the world—but, in accordance with its ancient name, for Jebus, which denotes trampling. For it shall be a day of weeping or confusion from the Lord of Hosts—not that weeping and confusion come from the Lord, but that the sacred scriptures, meant for guidance, serve as a means by which some could utter, "Why have you led us astray, O Lord?" (Is. 68:28), while in another passage it is said, "The Lord has stirred up among them a spirit of delusion" (Is. 29:10), causing them to stand not on the mountain of vision but rather in the valley of Zion.

On this very day, revealed by the Lord of Hosts in the valley of vision, the deeds of each individual are displayed, testing the walls erected by heretics as a formidable stronghold against the Church. It examines the proud and grand, those teachers who brag of standing on the mountain—Christ. As it is written, "Come, let us ascend to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, and He will instruct us in His ways" (Is. 2:3). LXX expresses, "They wander from the least to the greatest, roaming the mountains," indicating that while those greater in stature are in greater error, all, from the least to the greatest, wander across the mountains. This includes Moses, Jeremiah, the other prophets, as well as the Evangelists and the Apostles, all of whom find themselves in the valley, traversing the mountains in bewildering ways.