Isaiah 24:10Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

He proclaimed: “And the Lord of hosts called that day weeping and lamentation, and shornness and girding themselves in sackcloth; yet they made joy and gladness, killing calves and eating sheep, saying, Let us eat and drink, for in the morning we shall die” (Isaiah 22:12, 13). Through another prophet, He remarked: “They that lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall ... they that drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments; but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph” (Am. 6:4, 6). Having therefore plunged into profound wickedness, they reveled in luxury at a time when they should have filled their hands with uncontrollable tears and sought forgiveness for their sins. Consequently, the calamity of war justly befell them, and those who once indulged in comforts faced overwhelming disasters. The grapes mourned—not the vine itself, but those who partake of its fruit; they who once delighted their souls will now wail, and lamentation will be their constant activity, for the joy of the drums has ceased, and the pride and wealth of the wicked have ended. He refers to arrogance as excessive pride, which has been eradicated, along with wealth and the music of harps, while the once sweet wine now tastes bitter for those who indulged in luxury: the cities and homes lie desolate, as all earthly pleasure has been extinguished. Yet if anyone grasps the true conclusion of the age, when judgment is to come, they will understand that all worldly pleasures will vanish; instead, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth for those condemned to hell. Wealth will offer no help to those who possess it; all enjoyment will fade, and all material things will come to an end. The desires of the flesh, once sought after, will lead to a harrowing conclusion for those ensnared by sin, as they must give account to the Sovereign Judge, as the wise Paul states: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10).

Woe to you that laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.” The joyous sounds of celebration have ceased, the revelers’ voices have been silenced, and the melodious tunes of the harp are gone: Therefore, when the resurrection of the righteous occurs and the day of judgment arrives, the vineyard and the wine will mourn, as Moses declares concerning them, “For their grapes are the grapes of Sodom, and their clusters are bitter. Their wine is the poison of serpents, and the cruel venom of asps is unhealed” (Deuteronomy 32:33). The sweet will no longer accompany their wine; instead, it will be bitter to those who partake. Each drink, often referred to as seker, which clouds reasoning and prevents awakening, will turn into bitterness, deceptively presented as sweetness, yet being more bitter than bile. All joyous melodies of merrymakers and the harmonious sounds of musical instruments will transform into cries of grief. This serves as a reminder to those who indulge at feasts, not just in sweet pleasures and intoxication, but also in the auditory delights, causing the soul's strength to diminish through every sense.

The city of folly lies in ruins, every home is bolted shut, leaving none to enter. The city of folly will be destroyed—be it any city or spiritual Babylon, seated in luxury upon seven hills, about which we read of judgments in the Revelation of John (Rev. 18). He articulately refers to it as the city of folly; indeed, if everything earthly is deemed vanity, as Solomon proclaims, “Vanity of vanities; all is vanity” (Eccl. 1:2), how much more so can this be said of a single city, a mere fragment of the world? The dwellings, now adorned with ornate ceilings, their walls inlaid with marble and shining with intricate ivory designs, will find their silence broken only by the cries for wine in the streets, devoid of joy and the mirth of the land. While the impoverished suffer from cold without shelter, these lavish homes will stand abandoned. There will be wailing in the streets for wine—not on the narrow path that leads to life but on the wide road heading to destruction (Matthew 7). The intoxication and delusion of the slumbering rich will yield nothing in their grasp (Ps. 75:6). Desolation shall blanket the city, and anguish shall overcome the gates; for the joy of the earth will be lifted to the heavens, leaving behind ruin in what once was a renowned city, with its multitudinous entrances oppressed under the burden of its residents’ despair. Thus, the proclamation of the world’s end becomes evident.