Isaiah 28:5Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

They, who are honored with the highest dignity, will deserve admiration and praise; what honor can rival the glory bestowed upon those who hope for the crown of the kingdom in Christ? Elsewhere, the prophet Isaiah proclaims, “And thou shalt be a crown of goodness, and a diadem of the kingdom in the hand of thy God” (Isaiah 62:3); for Christ will adorn believers with eternal glory and fill them with profound hope. The remnant, described as His people, refers particularly to a faithful segment among the Jews, who will share in these divine gifts alongside another group—namely, the Gentiles—who, aware of their significance in Christ, call out to their Heavenly Father, declaring, "Lord, as a weapon of favour hath crowned us" (Psalms 5:13). When God the Father expressed His pleasure towards us, Christ emerged as our invincible shield, standing against the arrows of the adversary to protect His people from harm. It seems that He may be referencing those who remain—the justified by faith—whom He preserves as a stronghold against those intent on destruction. Previously, the adversary had sought to ruin humanity, plunging them into sin, as the Psalmist notes, "All have gone astray, all have been consumed together: there is none that doeth good, no, not even one" (Psalm 52:4). However, when the only-begotten Word of the Father took on human form, He enacted judgment, both upon us and against the prince of darkness who had dominion over us, thereby orchestrating his demise and liberating those he had ensnared. He taught this by stating: "Now is the judgement of this world: now the prince of this world shall be cast out: and if I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all things unto myself" (John 12:31, 32), clearly indicating: "For God did not send His Son into the world, that He might judge the world, but that the world might be saved by Him" (John 3:17). How is it, then, that He speaks of the judgment being of this world? We often cried out through the prophets, "Arise, O Lord, and cry out my judgement, O my God and my Lord, to my people" (Psalm 34:23). After the execution of righteous judgment upon us, we respond in gratitude, proclaiming, "Let us confess to thee, O Lord, with all my heart; let us sing all thy wonders; let us sing to thy name above" (Psalm 9:2, 3). For what reason do we do this? Because Thou hast rendered my judgment and my plea; Thou hast sat upon the throne, judging righteously. With Your word, the wicked have perished (Ps. 9:5, 6). The legions of demons faced judgment, and together with them, the wicked, that is, Satan, was doomed. Thus, it remains that those who are preserved by the spirit of judgment, in the light of divine justice and strength—righteous judgment and divine authority—are safeguarded from destruction, as I have noted, because He judges and justifies those who place their faith in Him.

Then, the Lord Himself will become the triumphant crown for the remnant of Israel, specifically the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin. He will also bring wisdom to the judges, particularly for Hezekiah, the king of Judah, and serve as a refuge for those retreating to the city after the country was laid waste. This is evident in the prophetic narrative when the angel struck down one hundred and eighty-five thousand warriors of the Assyrian camp. Yet, Judah and Benjamin were intoxicated by the wine of idolatry, disregarding true temple worship and revering the images of demons, oblivious to the Lord who observes everything.

Their tables and spiritual practices were filled with filth and impurity, corrupting every location, from the temple to the mountaintops and forested areas. Thus, the Lord found no place among them. This interpretation is to be understood literally. In an allegorical context, we maintain our previous interpretation while also considering the perspectives of the Septuagint translators.

When the adversary has consumed those heretics who have ascended the lofty mountain of pride, the Lord will be a glorious crown for those faithful within the Church, who are but a small number in comparison to those who have strayed. He will embody wisdom when rendering judgment, purifying the sons and daughters of Zion with a spirit of discernment. However, anyone burdened with bloodshed cannot be cleansed by this spirit but only through fire. He will be a stronghold for the people, protecting them from those intoxicated by the venomous wine of serpents and led astray by falsehood.

We have often noted that wine is made from grapes while 'sikera,' which Aquila translates as intoxication, refers to any alcoholic drink that clouds the mind, made from wheat, barley, millet, fruit juices, date palm, or other substances. Thus, the priests and prophets of the heretics fell into madness due to their intoxication, much like Iriska, Maximilla, and their leader Montanus, who spoke foolishly. Wine represents misunderstanding and distortion of Holy Scripture, while 'sikera' signifies reliance on secular knowledge and dialectical traps that are ephemeral and illusory.

Such actions will bring a curse upon those who refuse to pursue godliness and are driven by greed. The Apostle warns of this deceit: 'The Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons' (1 Tim. 4:1). A further interpretation arises when the Lord dismantles the scribes, Pharisees, and Judas, the traitor, who from the outset was a thief stealing from the poor (John 12:6, John 13:29). In doing so, He will become the hope and glorious crown for the Jews who believe in Him, particularly the apostles, whom He will safeguard to evangelize and protect from immediate martyrdom.

The scribes, Pharisees, and false prophets were intoxicated with the same wine and sackcloth discussed previously. Their conspiracies bore no fruit, as even Judas betrayed Jesus for money, and the priests resorted to bribery out of fear of being ousted. The Lord, using a whip of cords, drove out the merchants and livestock sellers from the temple and overturned the tables of the dove sellers, declaring, 'It is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer; but you have made it a den of robbers' (Matt. 21:13, John 2:16).

In the esoteric interpretation of the Hebrew text where it claims, 'For all their tables are full of vomit and uncleanness, so that there is no more room,' this may relate to the heretics and the scribes and Pharisees, whose doctrines and commandments are filled with filth and impurity. Their teachings are devoid of life and serve only to exacerbate spiritual decay, leaving no room for God. I wonder why Theodotion, instead of the Hebrew term for 'vomit of uncleanness,' utilized the phrase that translates as 'vomit of worthlessness.' I could not find a source that corroborates this translation unless it was a new term coined for a novel concept, as the Hebrew root implies both vomit and impurity. Thus, anything that induces nausea or disgust might aptly be called 'worthless vomit.'