Isaiah 27:2Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

He states that when they reject their faith in Christ, they become like a choice vine, envy among others, and a fierce hailstorm, suggesting that he will be a destructive force for Jerusalem. The prophet presents God, declaring on His behalf, I will drink it in vain; for, despite Israel being a flourishing vine—as Jeremiah indicates—they turned it into a bramble, failing to learn from the teachings of the Law. Thus, even if they had received the message of the Gospel, it would not have brought them benefit. What consequence follows such actions? They shall be taken captive by night, while in the daylight, the wall shall come crashing down. After referring to the city as strong yet besieged, he continues his thought by stating it will be captured, asserting that its wall will collapse. The phrases about being taken captive at night and the fall of the wall during the day suggest a similar reality: the city was overtaken and laid waste in a state of despair for not accepting Christ, who cautioned, ‘Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you’ (John 12:35). Since they ignored His warning, they fell into sorrow, ensnared in darkness as sin governed them, leading Christ to say, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you believe that I am, you will die in your sins’ (John 8:24). Thus, they found themselves imprisoned by sin and remained in it, while the wall fell, stripped of God’s protection. The blessed Isaiah alludes to this early in his book, saying, The vineyard of the Lord of hosts, the house of Israel is the cherished garden. I anticipated good fruit, yet it yielded wild grapes. He continues, ‘Now I will declare what I intend to do to my vineyard: I will remove its hedge, which will lead to its plunder; I will dismantle its wall and it shall be devastated. I will forsake my vineyard; it shall not be pruned or tended, and briars and thorns will grow up around it, and I will instruct the clouds not to rain upon it’ (Isa. 5:5-7). Observe the truth in His words, that is, in vain will I provide water. He withheld spiritual nourishment from the Israelites, dismantling both its hedge and wall. The hedge could symbolize angelic assistance, while the wall represents the steadfast and powerful protection of His presence, as He declares that the mountains surround it, and the Lord surrounds His people (Psalm 124:2). The term ‘it fell’ signifies not a mere relocation but rather a destruction, as Israel was left defenseless and wholly devoid of divine mercy and love.

However, no one is able to pass through this gate except the one who has been liberated from the grip of death, as the psalmist exclaims, "You brought me up from the grave, O Lord; You spared me from going down to the pit" (Psalm 9:10). For it is only when we are rescued from the clutches of death that we can offer our praises to the Lord within the gates of Zion. Just as through the gates of mortality I become aware of sins, of which it is affirmed, "The gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matt. 16:18), so through the gates of righteousness I acknowledge all virtuous deeds. He who enters will discover a single door, of which it is stated, "This is the gate of the Lord, the righteous shall enter it" (Psalm 117:20).