I have raised up one from the north, and he shall come from the rising of the sun: he shall call upon my name, and he shall make princes to be as dirt, and as the potter treading clay.
הַעִיר֤וֹתִי מִצָּפוֹן֙ וַיַּ֔את מִמִּזְרַח־שֶׁ֖מֶשׁ יִקְרָ֣א בִשְׁמִ֑י וְיָבֹ֤א סְגָנִים֙ כְּמוֹ־חֹ֔מֶר וּכְמ֥וֹ יוֹצֵ֖ר יִרְמָס־טִֽיט׃
5 Church Fathers comment on this verse
In demonstrating their frailty, God simultaneously displays His might - I have summoned him from the north, and he will arrive; from the east he will invoke my name and crush the rulers as if they were mere dust, molding them like a potter shapes clay, specifically during their return from exile, hesitant to withdraw them from Babylon.
But I will gather those from the north and those from the east of the sun; they shall be called by my name. A multitude of defiling idols, mere wood and stone, have led the misled astray and rendered me of no effect, being incapable of good or evil; yet I, declares the Lord, being a good God who desires all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4), have redeemed the heavens and awakened many who lay like the dead. And who are these? He instructs us, saying, "Those from the north and those from the east of the sun," referring to the Gentiles, as in relation to the Jewish land, the Gentile regions lie to the north or to the east.
Hence, those from the north and the east of the sun signifies the Gentile nations called by Christ's name: for we are summoned and are called Christians; He has redeemed us by His blood; we are bought with a price (1 Cor. 6:20) and do not belong to ourselves (1 Cor. 6:13) because He died for all, so that those who live would no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose on their behalf (2 Cor. 5:15). Therefore, we address Him as our Savior and Redeemer, saying, “We find no other name for you; we call you by your name” (Isaiah 26:18). Thus, we are indeed called by His name. Is this not what the prophet declared, “And to those who serve me, a new name will be given that shall be blessed in the land” (Is. 65:15-16)? He seems to refer to Christ, for it is written, Behold, the man whose name is the East (Zech. 6:12), and God, our Father, declared of Him, Who has raised righteousness from the east (Isa. 41:2)? Indeed, Christ has become our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption (1 Cor. 1:30).
I will gather those from the north and bring them from the east, where the sun rises. This includes Zerubbabel, Jesus the priest, the son of Josedech, the high priest, along with others. Let the leaders and the priests come, representing the people of Gog and the Greeks.
I have raised him from the north, and he shall come from where the sun rises. He will call upon my name and will bring forth leaders like clay, as a potter shapes the earth. Who has declared from the beginning so that we may recognize, and from the foundation so that we may affirm, ‘He is true’? No one proclaims, foretells, or hears your words. He will be the first to declare to Zion, ‘Look, they are here, and I will send an evangelist to Jerusalem.’ And I observed, and there was no one offering guidance, and the one consulted would respond with a single word. Thus he speaks against idols and those who, after the coming of Christ, refused to abandon them. Because they remain in error, he declares that he has raised up a multitude of nations from the north.
For disaster emerges from the north upon all inhabitants of the earth, and we read in Jeremiah, “What do you see, Jeremiah? And I will say, ‘A boiling pot, tilted away from the north’” (Jeremiah 1:13). They are raised from the north so that they may believe in Him who comes from where the sun rises. Concerning Him, we read, “Who has arisen, the righteous one from the east,” and elsewhere, “Behold, a man, whose name is the East” (Zech. 6:12). He will call them by my name, so they may abandon idols and worship the one true God. For He Himself states in the Gospel, “I come in my Father's name, and you will not receive me; yet if anyone comes in his own name, you will receive him” (John 5:43). He will crush rulers and dignitaries along with worldly pride, and they shall be subject to Him as clay is to a potter, to form a vessel for honor or for dishonor (Rom. 9:21). What I describe as completed, I do so in the manner customary among the prophets, as if it is already past, or according to Symmachus, a promise as fulfilled; none of the demons or idols can predict this. Consequently, all oracles have fallen silent; there is no one to proclaim it, no one to listen, as the hearts of the Gentiles, once oblivious, have recognized their folly and forsaken false prophecies. The Lord will first address Zion, that is, His Church, and will proclaim, “These are your children, whom I have given you through my faith.” He refers to the apostles who preached the Gospel to all nations. Zion and Jerusalem may differ in name, but as the city is one, so too is the Church. Therefore, let us challenge all nations caught in the delusion of idolatry to respond about their source. Their response will reveal that they all pursue vanity and wind, worshiping the creations of their hands. Everything we have discussed regarding idols and nations can similarly apply to erroneous teachings and their leaders, the heresiarchs. For while Christ offers peace to the Church and reveals the path of truth, they embrace error, like the wind and the whirlwind. The Hebrews, in referencing those raised from the north and the east, signify the Assyrians and Persians, who entered Jerusalem and overthrew all its rulers, while none of the idols they worshipped foresaw this, except the Lord alone, who repaid them for their transgressions.
The obliteration of idols is a divine warning against idol worship. From the east, God proclaims the risen truth He had previously mentioned: "Who hath raised up from the east the truth?" (Isaiah 41:2). Those from the north represent the Church of the nations, to whom the One from Theman will arrive, or as some interpreters suggest, ‘from the south-west.’ Indeed, God approaches from Theman (Habakkuk 3:3), signifying the south. When the Lord Christ came from this direction, He discovered her scattered due to the deceptions of idols, and by shedding the warmth of His presence upon her, He restored her to life. Many idols were crushed by her as well as by her leaders, priests, and teachers.
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS