Isaiah 28:17Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

I have mentioned that when the holy prophets announced the future to the Israelites, revealing divine anger as though it were already upon them, these individuals, consumed by hubris to an extreme degree, reasoned among themselves that, although such events might occur, they were far off and would not happen immediately; the duration of our lives would elapse, and these misfortunes would befall those after us. In reasoning this way, they appeared to have forged a pact with death and placed their trust in hell. Thus, it is said to them, 'You who have believed in falsehood, that the storm shall not overtake you, be wary that the covenant of death may be taken from you, and your expectation of doom will not fade away. Indeed, the Creator of all humanity understands fully—the hearts, the wombs, and the depths of the soul's intentions—and if you hold such hope, then will not He who perceives your innermost thoughts dismantle this agreement between you and death? How will He do this? When His wrath descends, meaning the storm, it will not be someone else after you, but you yourselves who will be trampled. And it will come swiftly, not in a far-off time, but as if in the early morning. There will be no reprieve from calamity; both day and night will bear the burden of despair, suggesting that you will be perpetually weary with the anticipation of misfortune. For when God intends to send tribulations, who can stay the impending disaster, or who can stand against divine retribution?

Yet, His transition from justice to mercy is reserved for those who learn through reverence; from minor trials, they find repentance and experience spiritual birth pangs that yield a complete spirit of salvation. Conversely, He attentively observes and generously dispenses the leaven—representing ultimate judgment—upon those unresponsive to His grace, remaining obstinate like the pharaoh, whose oppressive actions serve as a testament to God's dominion over the unrighteous.

I have spoken to you, hear the words of the Lord, you ridiculers, or timid leaders of my people—make no partnerships with death, nor agreements with the grave, you who, turning away from my commandments, have extinguished hope, you who, in boasting or perhaps despair, say, let us be shrouded in falsehoods. Therefore, the compassionate and gracious Lord, patient and enduring, declares that against your wishes He will lay in Zion a chosen and tested stone, precious and a cornerstone, as the apostle states: “According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:10-11). This stone is indeed called a stone for a reason, as man is referred to twice in the book of Leviticus, and it is a cornerstone because He brought together the nations of both the circumcised and the Gentiles. The Psalm also reflects this: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone” (Psalm 118:22). The builders are those scornful men, the leaders of the people in Jerusalem.

In the book of Daniel, we read that this stone was hewn from a mountain without human hands and filled the earth (Daniel 2), indicating that the work of the divine seed assumed a human body, and the fullness of Deity dwelled within it bodily. Upon this rock, also referred to as the rock, Christ built His Church, establishing it, according to the Hebrew text, on a firm foundation, ensuring that the believer will not be ashamed, or, in keeping with the Hebrew, will not be in haste, for the return of Christ should not appear to him as immediate. For if, as Habakkuk suggests, it seems delayed, no one should despair, for He will come and fulfill His promises (Habakkuk 2).

God counters with His judgment of righteousness: the Father does not judge anyone, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son (John 5:22), and He will balance truth and mercy in Him as a measure, rewarding everyone according to their deeds, uniting truth and mercy, as noted in the Psalms: “Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other” (Psalm 85:10). Your hope, He declares, and your falsehoods—representing the devil, the father of lies—shall be destroyed by the hail of My punishment. The shelter you believed would protect you shall be shattered by a fierce tempest and torrential waters, forever ending the alliance and covenant you had with death and the grave; that is, with the devil.

And concerning the scourge, which you claimed would not affect you when it comes, it will surely arrive, and you shall find yourselves opposed to it; you will endure all the sufferings you thought you would escape in your state of despair. This storm will continuously assail you, for in both joy and sorrow you will experience the wrath of God, and fierce death will bring devastation upon you. What can we say about punishment? The fear of punishment and the dread of torment alone will lead you toward salvation and reveal your wickedness. When you are in distress, then you will recognize that my prophets spoke truthfully.

The declaration that the bed is too small for another to share it, and that a short cover cannot cover both signifies the message from the Apostle: “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons” (1 Corinthians 10:20-21), and further, “What partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols?” (2 Corinthians 6:14-16).

Using the metaphor of a faithful spouse addressing an unfaithful wife, he conveys that a single bed cannot unite me with an adulterer, nor can a short covering shelter both the husband and the adulterer together. Thus, O Jerusalem, to whom Ezekiel addresses as an unfaithful spouse (Ezekiel 16:21), and which in the opening of the book of Hosea God refers to as a harlot and an adulteress (Hosea 3)—O Jerusalem, if you wish to be embraced by Me, forsake your idols; if you serve idols, you cannot be mine. As applied to the Hebrew text. The LXX mentions: “Learn to listen, you who are distressed: we cannot fight, we are weak, to gather together,” the meaning of which and its fit with what has been stated previously remains unclear. Could it be that the Divine message is addressing the leaders of the people, urging them to place their hope in God rather than in death and the grave, and to heed the prophets' warnings, while the leaders respond that due to their weak strength, they are unable to stand against opposing forces and come together with the people of God?

In a similar manner, the mercy of God is distributed, granting forgiveness and grace in alignment with an individual's character: someone who is wholly repentant is entirely forgiven, while one who shows only partial contrition receives partial forgiveness. This principle holds true for the one who loves as well.

They may face punishment, yet within such discipline, they will perceive the loving-kindness of a father towards them.

In contrast to a trust in God, the dire outcomes of relying solely on human authority are further warned. Those who depend on it are trusting in nothing more than falsehoods. They harbor illusions that they will remain untouched by the onslaught of enemy forces and that their pact with death will not be disturbed—that their confidence in escaping untimely death will remain unshaken. They find it inconceivable that their hope of evading hell's grasp might not materialize. However, these aspirations are mere illusions. What actually transpires will be the total opposite of their dreams: the enemy will surge through the land like a storm, laying waste to all in its path, and those who believed they could avoid the tempest will be overtaken by it. The devastation will halt only at the walls of Jerusalem, which will remain the sole city unscathed.

It is supremely precious because ‘we have seen His glory, glory as of the only begotten of the Father’ (John 1:14). This stone is ‘well-founded’: it is firmly established by the Lord for eternity, as it supports that ‘house not made with hands, eternal’ (2 Cor. 5:1), which will be our eternal home according to the Lord's promise (Jn. 14:3). ‘He who believes in Him’ (the One represented by the rock), ‘shall not be put to shame.’ The final expression, as interpreted by the Ebraists, should be understood not merely as shame, but rather as disquiet or haste. Those who place their trust in God will not experience disquietude or rush in trepidation. Thus, we must associate this passage with the concepts of blasphemy and unbelief that the unfaithful dared to articulate, as referenced by Isaiah (Is. 5:19). The rulers of Israel boldly proclaimed concerning the Lord God: ‘let him make haste.... that we may see.’ In establishing the sacred Stone as the foundation of Zion, the Lord simultaneously establishes justice and righteousness. By referring to the Messianic Psalms, such as Psalm 44 or Psalm 71, we can see that the Messiah’s first action is to bring forth truth and righteousness. The words of Isaiah in verse 17 regarding judgment and truth offer comfort to the faithful while serving as a warning to blasphemers. Bishop Peter provides this interpretation of verse 17: ‘Judgment according to rule or measure, and justice according to response,’ explaining that the Lord will enact His judgment with strictness. Thus, the implications of verses 16 and 17 clearly indicate the exaltation of the Messiah, under whom the anticipated era of truth will arise, leading to the destruction of the ‘refuge of lies and place of concealment.’ The hail and great waters that engulf the hidden places can be understood in two respects. The lies and hiddenness refer to the distorted mindset and heart that has corrupted the lives of the people, making them, ‘with the exception of a remnant’, unable to grasp the truth of higher doctrines. The hail and waters symbolize both Nebuchadnezzar's assault and the annihilation of Jerusalem under Vespasian. The Lord eradicates the corrupt environment that prevents souls from ascending toward heaven; thus, the holy community shaped by Christ is essential for spiritual growth. The prophet continues his admonition to the leaders of the people: ‘And your alliance with death shall be dismantled, and your pact with the grave shall not endure. When the all-consuming scourge goes out, you will be trampled upon.’