Isaiah 40:10Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The qualities that the divine disciples wished for themselves are reflected in their prayer: ‘And now, O Lord, look upon their threats, and grant thy servants to speak thy word with all boldness’ (Acts 4:29). Therefore, he exhorts them to lift up their voices without fear, saying, ‘Declare unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God, behold, the Lord comes with might, and His arm with power.’ He implies that the anticipation of the Lord’s coming is imminent, indicating that the Redeemer is close at hand. He commanded them to extend their hands and point to Him who was foretold. It is revealed that He would not appear as one of the holy prophets or as a mere minister, but would embody the power, strength, and dominion unique to God, as illustrated by the declaration: ‘He goes forth with strength, and His arm is powerful.’ While the divine prophets petitioned God and belonged to His people, the Savior of all, as the true Son, dispensed the Father’s blessings to those who had faith in Him, accomplishing all through His own power and authority. The sacrament of building His house shall bear fruit for Him who took on our likeness and endured the cross and death, as indicated by the phrase: ‘Behold, His reward is with Him, and His work is before Him.’ The fruits of His death in the flesh are referred to as ‘a recompense,’ as He proclaimed, ‘Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit’ (John 12:24). Furthermore, He stated, ‘If I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself’ (John 12:32). Likewise, Paul also affirms that He ‘endured the cross, disregarding the shame’ (Heb. 12:2); as a result, God exalted Him and bestowed upon Him a name above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Col. 2:9-11). Foreseeing this by the Spirit, the divine David proclaims, ‘All the nations shall come and worship before Thee, O Lord’ (Psalm 85:9). Therefore, the work of the Lord was not without reward or fruitful outcome; those who followed Him were gathered like sheep under the watchful eye of their shepherd, and with His strong arm, He drew the lambs to Himself. Those who believed in Him were like newborn lambs, granted new life from above through the Spirit. Initially, like infants, they craved the spiritual milk of the word, but they later grew into the fullness of Christ’s maturity. Thus, the lambs were nurtured, and others, symbolizing those who were expectant, found comfort. The lambs represent those from the Gentiles who came to believe in Christ, while those described as expectant signify those who, amidst their afflictions, carry within them the word manifested through the teachings of the law and prophetic messages. Indeed, Christ’s mission extended beyond the Gentiles alone to include the children of Israel, to whom He was primarily sent. Firmly established in faith, they found consolation in the profound understanding of the divine mystery.

The Hebrew text and various translations emphasize the feminine form, referring to the messenger of Zion and the messenger of Jerusalem. This term bears dual meanings, according to the Greek interpreters—the one who announces or the one who receives the announcement. Thus, whether the word of God and the deliverance of the Lord are proclaimed from Zion and Jerusalem, or the apostles share this message with them, they are to rise to the heights. It is notable that although Zion is described as a mountain, as Scripture states, ‘This mountain is Zion, where You dwell’ (Psalms 73:2), the call is to ascend an even higher mountain, from which the ruler of Tyre was cast down (Ezekiel 28:16). Given that many ideas opposed the apostles’ teachings, and they faced judgment from authorities, it is stated, “Stand firm, fear not; announce to the cities of Judah,” that is, to the synagogues and the people of Judah, to whom the Lord declared, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel’ (Matthew 15:24). The Apostle Paul affirmed, ‘It was necessary that the word of God first be spoken to you’ (Acts 13:46). What are they commanded to declare? ‘Behold your God, whom you have long awaited: behold the Lord God, whom you rejected, who came in humility, now coming in power.’ His might, He who once took the form of a servant and was obedient unto death (Philippians 2:7-8), shall reign. This is His reward with Him, and His work is before Him (Isaiah 40:10, Isaiah 62:11). As such, He asserts in the Gospel, ‘For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father, and then He will reward each according to his works’ (Matthew 16:27). As the good shepherd, He tends His flock. He, who will later arrive in glory, first embodies the image of a shepherd, declaring: ‘I am the good shepherd; I know My sheep, and My sheep know Me. I lay down My life for the sheep’ (John 10:14-15). The Father stated to Zechariah, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered’ (Zechariah 13:7). He affirms that with His hand, He will gather the lambs—these are the tender and newly born ones in Christ, freshly baptized, concerning whom the Lord instructed Peter, ‘Feed My lambs’ (John 21:15). Therefore, it is also written in Ezekiel: ‘I will appoint one shepherd over them, My servant David, and he shall feed them; I the Lord will be their God, and My servant David shall be their prince’ (Ezekiel 34:23-25). Here, it is essential to note His promise that after many ages, He will raise up David our Lord from the lineage of David, who will gather the lambs and carry them close to His heart. It is written in the Gospel that when a sheep wanders away from the fold, He brings it back on His shoulders (Luke 15:3-7). The pregnant sheep may represent the apostles and all teachers of the Church who bring forth salvational life and echo the Apostle’s words: ‘My children, for whom I again suffer birth pains until Christ is formed in you’ (Galatians 4:19). The Jews maintain, without a doubt, that in their language, the Holy Spirit is signified by a feminine term, Rua Godsa. Psalm sixty-seven conveys: ‘The Lord gives the word; the heralds are a great host’ (Psalm 67:12), expressing that the Lord empowers those sharing the good news. Likewise, in the phrase: ‘As the eyes of a servant look to the hand of her mistress’ (Psalms 122:2), the servant symbolizes the soul, and the mistress represents the Holy Spirit. Moreover, in the Gospel of the Hebrews, embraced by the Nazarenes, the Lord affirms, ‘My mother, the Holy Spirit, has recently given Me birth.’ It is essential not to be distracted by the gender attributed to the Spirit in different languages—feminine in Hebrew, masculine in our tongue, and neuter in Greek—because in the Divine Essence, gender distinctions do not exist. Thus, the Spirit is referred to in these three forms across the key languages reflecting the inscriptions of the Lord's suffering, revealing the transcendence in the divine nature.