Isaiah 46:13Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

I have drawn my righteousness close; it is not distant, and my salvation will arrive without delay. He equates truth with mercy, recognizing that where there is mercy, there is also truth, and where truth exists, mercy abounds. This is reflected in the proclamation, I will sing of mercy and judgment unto Thee, O Lord (Psalms 100:1), and once more, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy (Exodus 33:19), and there is purpose behind this. Can you perceive the connection between truth and mercy? At times, He disciplines them, but after what duration? If you observe, you will see that whether His discipline is delayed or immediate, mercy is ever-present. He reprimanded Cain, yet nothing was more compassionate than such a rebuke, steering him toward repentance.

Listen to me, you who are troubled in spirit and distant from the truth. I will bring my righteousness close, and I will not withdraw; the salvation that comes from me will not be taken away. I will grant salvation to Israel in Zion for the purpose of glorification. God reiterates His offer of salvation and encourages them not to lose heart, lest they become burdened with deep sorrow and despair of their salvation, should they choose to repent. Those who are lost lack understanding, and the reality of their condition is evident. How foolish are they to worship trees and stones, attributing divine honor to them and seeking deliverance from such idols? Yet even in their misguided ways, God remains patient and compassionate toward those who have strayed, extending mercy to the fallen.

Pay attention, you obstinate ones, you who stray from the truth. I have drawn near my righteousness: it will not be distant, and my salvation will not be delayed: I will provide salvation in Zion and my glory in Israel. To those He previously addressed, "Hearken unto Me, ye house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel," and again, "Return, ye backsliders, to the heart," He now extends a call for their disbelief. In the Hebrew text, they are referred to as hard-hearted, while the Seventy translations depict them as ruined in heart and mind.

God does not abandon those He has chosen from Israel; rather, He has prepared a means of salvation for them, akin to a precise surgical procedure carried out by skilled healers. Every act of discipline serves this purpose. Through a particular instance of salvation, He illustrates a broader truth. The deliverance through Cyrus was specific, whereas the redemption through Christ encompasses all. I will not hesitate (Is 46:13) like others: in just a little while it will arrive, and it will not be delayed (Hab 2:3). We interpret Zion as the Church, where we receive salvation in glory, thus fully participating in spiritual Israel, which allows us to attain the mindset that, by beholding God, transforms us into sons in fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham.