Isaiah 32:16Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Tongues appearing as flames divided and rested on each individual, who began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them.

Thus, when the Spirit of God descends upon you, dear believers, it signifies that the desolate places will flourish like Hermel. Hermel, or Carmel, is a magnificent mountain in Judea, lush with thick forests. This transformation likens Jerusalem and its surroundings to a land teeming with life. However, he foretells that there will also be a wilderness, referred to as oak wood. This imagery represents a wild forest, fit only for burning, where the wild trees are hewn down and consumed by the flames. Once Hermel has been felled and reduced to the wild, judgment will settle in this barren land.

The prophet Isaiah, in another context, speaks of the land of the Gentiles, saying, "Rejoice, thirsty wilderness; let the wilderness be glad; let it bloom like a rose." He refers to barren lands, bleak and stripped of all vegetation, yet spiritual richness is present as Christ resides there. Similarly, Isaiah proclaims, "I will create water in the wilderness, and rivers in the dry land; I will plant cedar, acacia, myrtle, and cypress" (Isaiah 41:18, 19). This signifies the souls that have honored their faith in Him and ascended to the heights of diverse virtues. Judgment will rest in the wilderness, and righteousness will abide in Carmel, rather than saying good things will dwell in both the wilderness and Carmel. Hermel and Carmel are merely different designations for the same majestic mountain. How can it be both a desert and an oak forest, yet contain truth?

We assert that Israel has not completely severed its relationship with God; a remnant still believes and is united with those from the Gentiles, where Christ, embodying truth and judgment, resides. We are justified in Him, for sin has been eradicated and Satan rendered powerless through righteous judgment. Therefore, what Christ—who embodies truth—achieves in the wilderness becomes clear; he states that there will be deeds of righteousness and peace. When our Lord Jesus Christ arrived, as Paul states, He preached peace to those who were far and to those who were near (Eph. 2:17), addressing both Gentiles and Jews. The truth has granted us rest, for through our reconciliation with God and the destruction of enmity, we now inhabit cities of rest and eternal joy. Trusting in Him forever, we dwell in the city of peace, the church of the living God, where Christ, our peace, abides. We find ourselves enriched, for previously we lacked every good and virtuous thing, lost in our ungodliness and without hope (Eph. 2:12), but through Christ, we have become rich and will continue to receive an abundance of divine gifts.