Isaiah 24:16Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Lord God of Israel, from the cries of anguish of the earth we have witnessed great marvels; hope for the righteous. In these verses, the prophet presents those who persist on the earth, rejoicing in the glory of the Lord, residing in the islands— I refer to the congregations— who extol the God of all and proclaim, "Out of the depths of the earth you shall hear wonders." They simultaneously hold fast to the belief that the righteous shall possess a sure hope of justification through Him and partake richly in His mercy. The faithful remnants of the earth, as the prophets would describe, are regarded as the holy guardians of mystery, whose teachings, akin to being sprinkled with wisdom, elevate us from worldly matters.

For this reason, individuals everywhere will exalt the Lord. From the lament of the earth, we have heard the praise, specifically from Jerusalem, where we have received the declaration of the just God, who proclaims, "My secret, my secret," referring to the revelation given by God to the prophet regarding the salvation that the Lord would grant to His people. Woe to me, for the wicked are indeed wicked. They perceive the Lord, the Sovereign of all, as no more than helpless idols and aspire to live without fear, refusing to be deterred from committing wrongdoing by the threat of retribution.

From the farthest reaches of the earth, we have heard the exaltation and glory of the Just One, and I uttered, "My secret to myself, my secret to myself: woe is me." The phrase "my secret to myself" does not appear in the Septuagint but is included in the Greek text derived from Theodotion's translation. Furthermore, rather than connecting woe to the subsequent verse, the Hebrew expression is oi 1i, which more accurately conveys woe to me. Instead of the word "ends," which we have translated to clarify the meaning, the Hebrew term mecchenaph signifies wing, not end.

From the furthest corners of the earth, we hear a melody proclaiming, "Glory to the Just!" The Spirit of the Lord has permeated the cosmos; it is said that this came to pass so that when the pride of the wicked is subdued, the stature of the righteous might be exalted. As prophesied by Isaiah, from all corners of the earth, we hear hymns of praise extolling the Righteous One. Therefore, it is believed that the Righteous One possesses seven horns and encompasses all creation, within which the multifaceted grace of the Spirit thrives. This is in light of His remarkable sevenfold actions, about which He refers to eyes, recalling the words of Zechariah: "The eyes of the Lord are seven, which see throughout the whole earth."