Isaiah 29:21Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Who do you think you are?" Additionally, we observe the scribes and Pharisees engaging in blasphemous speech, asserting, "He has a demon and is raving: why listen to him? (John 10:20)" Thus, the ungodly were consumed due to their grave iniquity and the magnitude of their corruption. They belonged to those who sin with their words: by leading those under their influence away from reverence for the law, they lured them into transgression by urging them to adhere to their teachings and commandments, positioning these as authoritative. Moreover, what could be more wicked than their willingness to oppose those who correct them among their adversaries? Holy prophets, who delivered heavenly and divine messages, often rebuked the Israelites with courage, openly rather than discreetly, as if addressing the people at the city gates. Yet, when they were called to shepherd the flock and were required to guide those who had strayed from the righteous path, they obstructed these vital admonitions, labeling the prophets as deceivers and falsehoods. Their intent was to distort the authority of truth through acts of wickedness. This, I believe, is expressed in the phrase, "They mislead the righteous through unrighteousness." For instance, when the law commands, "Honor your father and your mother" and declares, "Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must be put to death," they instructed the children to tell their parents that a gift they might desire would free them from the obligation to honor them, thus permitting disrespect toward father and mother. It was for this very reason that Christ admonished them, saying, "You have invalidated the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition" (Matthew 15:4-6).

Let the Jewish people and those who regard only historical facts, who seek not the fruits but merely the leaves and shadows of the message, which quickly fade and perish, respond: How is it that at the arrival of the Savior (the period from Isaiah to the Incarnation is brief compared to eternity), the majestic mountain of Lebanon was altered to become Mount Carmel, Hebrew for Chermel? This mountain lies at the crossroads of Palestine and Phoenician Ptolemais, though another mountain referred to as Carmel in Scripture is where Nabal, a foolish and unrighteous man, lived (1 Sam. 25). He had Abigail as his wife, who later married David after Nabal's demise, since she could not do so while he was alive without being labeled an adulteress. How can Carmel also be regarded as a barren forest? If they cannot explain this, let them understand that Lebanon represents the Gentile nations, who have been cleansed in the Lord, purified from their past impurities, and elevated within the Church, where the Savior himself is also acknowledged, as noted in the Song of Songs: Who is this that rises, washed and leaning on her beloved (Song 8:5)? This people has also turned to Carmel, to a deeper understanding of true spiritual circumcision, intending to replace the Jewish people; while those who refuse to accept Christ shall be like barren wood and fruitless trees, incapable of praising the Lord alongside the fruitful ones. When Lebanon is converted to Carmel and Carmel to a forest, then the formerly deaf, unable to receive the words of the prophetic Scripture (which we previously noted as one book according to Ecclesiastes: the words of the wise are likened to sharp nails and are carefully collected by a singular shepherd; Ecclesiastes 12:11), will hear and speak, with the Savior saying to them: ephphatha, meaning be opened (Mk. 7:34). The translation we have for the blind seeing from darkness and gloom is made clearer in Aquila, Theodotion, and Symmachus, who render it as the eyes of the blind seeing darkness and gloom, indicating that to the Gentile nations who were previously blind, the mysteries of Christ shall be revealed, as captured in these words: dark is the water in the clouds (Psalm 17:12). In that same psalm, it is stated, ‘Thou shalt lay darkness as a canopy’ (v. 12). Proverbs also teaches that ‘A wise man will be made wiser by hearing these things, and a prudent man will obtain guidance, while he will grasp a parable and dark sayings, the words of the wise and their enigmas’ (Proverbs 1:5-6). Ultimately, Moses entered the cloud and darkness to comprehend and witness God (Exodus 20:21), and the psalm states, ‘Darkness is beneath His feet’ (Psalm 17:11). When the blind shall see all mysteries or lift their eyes from the gloom to behold the true light shining upon those dwelling in darkness and the shadow of death, then the meek, of whom it is written, Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth (Matt. 5:5), or the poor, as expressed in the Psalms: This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him (Ps. 34:7), and He judges the afflicted and rescues the destitute (Ps. 71:4), and of whom it is said to the Jews: you have scorned the counsel of the poor (Ps. 13:6), shall rejoice in the Lord. This is a moment when those who boast shall boast in the Lord (2 Cor. 10:17), and people marginalized and scorned by society, who previously lacked knowledge of the law, shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel, who commands: Be holy, for I am holy (Lev. 11:44). All this joy arises from the absence of the one who once had power, the one who mocked and was haughty, claiming, ‘With strength and wisdom, I will achieve my goals, overthrowing the nations and crushing their strength,’ mocking everyone, so that the righteous could also declare, ‘My garments are filled with scorn’ (Psalm 37:8). Those who are absorbed in injustice shall be eradicated, for the vigilance of perdition never rests. They are the ones who led humanity to sin through blasphemous words, rejecting God’s truth and uttering malicious speech against heaven. These represent the demons, who, being abhorrent themselves, caused others to sin through their teachings, placing obstacles before the accuser at the gates, shunning the truth of Him who stands at the gates of Zion, exalted over the gates of death, and condemning those who opposed the messenger at the gates. What we ascribe to the devil and his minions, the Nazarenes interpret as words directed against the scribes and Pharisees, indicating that the era of deceitful interpreters of tradition who previously led the people astray with their malevolent practices has ended, as they watched over the unwise day and night, tempting people to deny Christ, the Son of God.