And the people shall be as ashes after a fire, as a bundle of thorns they shall be burnt with fire.
וְהָי֥וּ עַמִּ֖ים מִשְׂרְפ֣וֹת שִׂ֑יד קוֹצִ֥ים כְּסוּחִ֖ים בָּאֵ֥שׁ יִצַּֽתּוּ׃
4 Church Fathers comment on this verse
To avoid the misconception that this is intended solely for the nations, the prophet declared, “And the nations will be like burning lime, like cut thorns; they will be consumed in the fire.” Just as thorns are readily used for fuel, so too are the Jews vulnerable to divine judgment.
The only-begotten Word of God, who bears the likeness and equality of God and the Father, humbled Himself, taking on the form of a servant and appearing as a man. He became obedient even to the point of death, death on a cross (Philippians 2:6-8). After enduring the Cross for the salvation of all, He rose again as God; at that moment, He established a just punishment for those whose wickedness had escalated to a level where they not only refused to heed His call to life but also audaciously subjected Him to mockery, torment, and death, for the unrepentant would perish (Matthew 21:41). When their cities were consumed by fire and the ground lay desolate, they began to recognize the glory of the Suffering One.
Faced with such dire and unavoidable calamities, they realized that their transgressions were not against a mere prophet but against the Savior and Redeemer of all. As a demonstration of the divine judgment soon to befall them, He proclaimed, ‘Now I am risen, saith the Lord.’ For having endured malevolence as God before the honorable cross, He almost rises against His adversaries after suffering on it. Yet He was glorified and exalted, having brought ruin to those who opposed Him in every respect, calling the Gentiles through faith and illuminating those who once dwelled in darkness with heavenly and divine insight. Therefore, I am now glorified; behold and perceive: the strength of your spirit will ultimately amount to nothing, for I will encircle you against your will, and you shall become fuel for fire, akin to how thorns in a field are consumed and scattered. Those who have succumbed to the impetus of divine wrath will be destroyed by an almost all-consuming flame, for, as the blessed Moses reminds us, our God is a consuming fire (Deuteronomy 4:24; cf. Hebrews 12:29).
You will produce thorns and yield stalks in your spirit. This is what the prophet declares concerning the Assyrians. To clarify his statement, he continues: And the Gentiles shall be consumed in lime, like thorns collected for the fire.
The angels of the earth shall lament profoundly. The pathways lie desolate: none traverse the roadways; the covenant has been violated; He has laid waste to the cities and disregarded the inhabitants as if they were not human. The land is troubled and exhausted; Lebanon is filled with shame and has become unresponsive, and Sharon resembles a barren expanse, while Bashan and Carmel tremble. "Now will I arise," says the Lord, "now will I be exalted, now will I be lifted up." You shall ignite flames; you shall yield nothing but chaff; your breath, akin to fire, will consume you. The nations will become like ashes from the flames, and their gathered thorns will be consumed in the fire.
The Jews believe that the Hebrew term avellam—which Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion rendered differently—implies angels, and that following the prophecy of the call to the Gentiles and the abundance of the church, the temple's destruction is prophesied, which will invoke the mourning of angels who do not abide within but emerge from their midst, and those who once declared peace will weep bitterly. Alternatively, this may refer to the apostles themselves, sent forth to announce peace to Jerusalem, whom the Lord addressed with the words, "If thou wouldest understand thine own peace" (Lk. 19:42). The Lord appeared to reassure them, and they will mourn for Jerusalem as it rejected their message, reflecting the desolation of the roads where few walk in righteousness, as noted in the Lamentations of Jeremiah: "the ways of Zion weep, for there is no one who walks by them in the feast" (Lamentations 1:4). The covenant established with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has also been breached; He has decimated the Jewish cities and has not acknowledged those who wished to be shepherded as human beings.
The land is crushed and tired—those who once inhabited it have lost their place. Lebanon stands in shame and becomes unresponsive, clearly indicating the temple, as the prophet Zechariah states: "open, O Lebanon, thy doors, and let the fire girdle thy cedars" (Zech. 11:1). Jerusalem, referred to as Lebanon in Ezekiel, is depicted when the prophet speaks of a magnificent eagle commanded to enter Lebanon (Ezek. 17:3), later clarifying that this eagle represents Nebuchadnezzar's arrival in Jerusalem. Sharon has become desolate, while Bashan and Carmel shake with fear. The Seventy translated the term for Bashan as Galilee, representing a region rather than a single locality. However, Sharon encompasses the entire region around Jonah and Lydda, characterized by its vast, fertile fields. Bashan refers to the area beyond the Jordan River, inhabited by two and a half tribes, and signifies richness and abundance. Carmel has been described similarly. Therefore, the once-fertile regions of Judea have transformed into wastelands, symbolizing the impending loss of wealth and abundance among the Jews. Lebanon's shame, Sharon's barrenness, and the trembling of Bashan and Carmel indicate the people's refusal to heed the apostles' message.
Thus, the Lord declares He will rise—whether from profound patience or from the abode of the dead—and will be exalted among the nations, lifted high upon the cross. He speaks to the Jews directly, saying, "You shall conceive fire, and birth chaff, and your breath will create flames within you, ensuring that what is conceived and born shall be consumed by the devouring fire." The Jewish nations will be akin to the ashes of a fire, signifying the extent of their calamity through the remaining ashes. Their thorns, amassed due to the weight of their sins, shall be utterly consumed by the flames, largely anticipating the ultimate captivity and ruin of Jerusalem. Some assert that this will be fully realized at the time of judgment.
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS