Isaiah 32:7Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Consequently, they will not place their confidence in humans; rather, they will open their ears to hear the Savior’s word, and the hearts of the weary will finally gain strength to understand and listen. The tongues of the unlearned, those who previously lacked the ability to speak rightly—since illiteracy reflects a failure to glorify God by their words, choosing instead to babble about false gods—will learn to proclaim peace. Speaking peace means to testify of Christ and His works, for He is our peace, as the Scriptures affirm (Eph. 2:14).

The failure of the Israelites lies in their reluctance to proclaim the mystery of Christ, preferring to focus continually on the law, its shadows, and the teachings of the current leaders. Yet this too shall come to an end, as all their discourse will eventually center around Christ. The prophecy that they will no longer tolerate ancient teachers indicates this. The foolish ones refer to those learned in Greek wisdom, for the wisdom of this world has been obscured (1 Cor. 1:20). Likewise, the foolish Jewish instructors and teachers have not grasped the essence of the law or understood the words of the holy prophets. Thus, they fail to instruct the foolish to acknowledge their folly, and even the servants of the foolish refrain from silencing those who follow them. Speaking in the name of Beelzebub, the esteemed thinkers of this world propagated empty, cold, and ungodly teachings. Anyone who sought to challenge their nonsensical claims would face hostility from those aligned with these wise men, who urged them to refrain from opposing their views, wishing for their beliefs to go unchallenged.

For instance, among Pythagoras' disciples, who occasionally uttered trivial nonsense, it became customary to silence dissenters with the phrase, “he himself said,” meaning they were expected to accept the doctrine without question. Thus, the prophet does not instruct your servants to remain silent. Regardless, the fool will continue to speak, and his heart will understand nothing, driven solely by a desire to engage in wrongdoing and to speak against the Lord. The nonsensical ideas devised by the Greeks aim to distort the glory of God, leading the greedy into vanity and emptiness. Some individuals may yearn for knowledge; however, they approach these wise men without discernment and gain no real benefit despite their eagerness for teachings that would aid their souls' salvation. The counsel of the wicked leads to the corruption of souls through unrighteous rhetoric, scattering the humble words when judgment comes. Lovers of worldly wisdom and defenders of perverse ideas actively oppose the teachings of the holy mystery proclaimed by those the prophet describes as humble, making concerted efforts to undermine their words, which are offered wisely and with divine understanding. This understanding is emphasized in the declaration that they shall converse in humility, and that counsel will endure. The clamor of worldly wise men has dissipated, for the counsel of the godly, that is, the divine teaching, has triumphed. Those we regard as godly are those who serve the Divine and Gospel message to all inhabitants of the Earth.