Isaiah 46:3Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

This message could have greatly benefitted those present, had some among them been attentive and seeking to understand. Regardless of how dire the foretold events might seem, individuals might evade their implications by eliminating their causes. Yet how can one escape that which has already transpired, as if it has already collapsed? Hence, he refers to them as a remnant, declaring that if they continue in their disgraceful ways, they will face destruction by war and fall victim to barbaric cruelty. The text reflects that the hearts of the Jewish people were resistant to guidance, making adherence to the Law seem in vain, as it states, "They were carried from the womb with punishment from childhood even unto old age." Despite being taught the sacred and divine Scriptures throughout their lives, they gained no spiritual benefit; they have fallen away from God as though they had not received any teaching at all. Nevertheless, he declares, despite the long period of your unresponsiveness and the rudeness I observe in you, I will not depart from my goodwill; I appear to you and declare clearly: I am I, meaning I live and exist eternally, without an origin or knowledge of an end—unchanging and constant in my being. When you arrive at old age, I will remain the same; my existence does not age as yours does, for I am living and all-powerful. The calamities of war have come upon you as a result of righteous judgment, a consequence against those who have disregarded My glory. Yet I will carry you, releasing you from your burdens, and I will bring restoration to those who are weary through my forgiveness. I will uplift you and bring salvation. For I, who once permitted you to fall into the hands of your enemies, will once again accept you into fellowship with Myself and free you from bondage. Thus, through threats and promises of healing, as if applying a multi-faceted remedy, He mends the hearts of those who have acted with insensitivity towards Him and who have strayed into unrighteousness due to their profound rudeness. For His aim is to rescue the lost and to reclaim them from the grasp of the enemy.

Do you not possess ears in your heart, as the Lord proclaimed, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Luke 8:8)? Do you not have eyes in your heart, as the apostle remarks, “They are the eyes of your heart” (cf. Eph. 1:18)? Return to the heart and discover there what you may truly feel about God, for within lies the divine image.

He does not refer to them merely as Jacob or Israel; that title alone, without the addition of “servant” or “chosen one,” is a reproach to the people. It is far worse to be called the house of Jacob and the remnant of Israel, as they have a shared lineage, resembling the lowliest of the remnant. God teaches them that He carried them out of Egypt, just as a mother carries her child. This imagery does not suggest that the ineffable and incomprehensible majesty of God possesses a physical form; rather, it is to help us comprehend God's love through our own expressions.

Similarly, in Psalm 109, it is said on behalf of God, where the Seventy translates it as, “Out of the womb before the day” (Psalms 109:3), while the Hebrew text uses “merehem,” which translates to “from the womb.” However, in this context, it not only states “from the womb,” but also includes the prefix “menni,” meaning “from my womb.” This indicates: I, who have nurtured you from your earliest days will protect you into your old age—not my old age, but yours—to illustrate that divine mercy grants salvation. The Creator, in His compassion, cares for His creations, and the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. Conversely, the hired hand, who does not own the sheep, flees when he sees danger (John 10). Therefore, since I have created and nurtured you, I will bear and support you. According to the Seventy, who declare that I carry you from the womb and instruct you from childhood to old age, it implies that those ignorant of God who honor images made by human hands are taught God’s law in vain, night and day, thus requiring prophetic correction, as God questions: To whom will you liken me, or whom will you compare me? They have poured out gold and silver and commissioned sculptors to create idols, worshiping creations of their own invention, which they lift upon their shoulders, but these idols, unable to move or aid those who revere them, stand powerless. We examine the evident realities so that, through the mercy of Christ, the hidden truths may be revealed.