Isaiah 49:24Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

1:21-25), while others served those who inflicted unbearable oppression upon them. This left them as if under the yoke of a merciless master, possessing what should be the natural wisdom of humanity. No one could assist the afflicted, and the proud one boasted in unyielding arrogance: "I will cover the whole universe with my hand like a nest, and like abandoned eggs I will take, and there is no one who will escape me, or who will speak against me" (Is. 10:14). Given this pride of the devil over Earth’s inhabitants, the Savior posed the question: "who will take food from the giant of lucre?" (Lk. 11:21). He remarked on the difficulty of overcoming the strong one, referring to this giant as the formidable adversary, indicating the challenge in claiming what is rightfully God’s. Is it not evident? Such strongholds appear impregnable and can rarely be conquered, except by those possessing an unparalleled divine strength. Yet, He proclaims His intent to remove the burden from the afflicted and to liberate them from their chains, allowing them to bask in the grace of freedom. The righteous judgment of God will indeed bring down Satan, and justice will be served against the wicked for their transgressions against us, as affirmed by the declaration, "Whosoever shall be captive of unrighteousness shall be saved?" This verse must again be interpreted as a query: "shall they be saved?" For the one who wrongfully ensnared innocent souls, plunging them into despair, will not receive salvation, but rather will face punishment for his insolent actions. Therefore, he will be compelled to release those whom he exploited for personal gain and will be held accountable for those who were unjustly under his dominion. Likewise, it is stated in another passage: "As a garment wet with blood shall not be clean, so thou shalt not be clean, because my people thou hast beaten; thou shalt not endure forever" (Isaiah 14:20). Those familiar with Holy Scripture will recall that the Savior Himself alluded to this in His Gospel teachings: "or how can anyone enter the house of the strong and plunder his vessels unless he first binds the strong and then plunders his vessels?" (Matthew 12:29). The house of the strong, referring to Satan, is labeled thus not because it genuinely belongs to him, but because he has seized it unlawfully. Yet, when the incarnate Word entered this realm, He bound the strong one with unfathomable power and claimed His vessels—those who had once aligned their thoughts with the adversary. We refer to the saints as vessels of election (Acts 7:15), while those who yield to the devil's influence, whether willingly or under duress, are called his vessels.

The strong and powerful one is the devil, who subjugates all nations under his authority and boldly proclaimed to the Savior, ‘All these things have been delivered to me, and I will give them to you if you bow down and worship me’ (Matthew 4:9). The world is enveloped in wickedness; no righteous individual can conquer it, nor can they, as Amos suggests, seize the prey from the lion's mouth (Am. 3). Therefore, in response to the claim that no one can overpower the mighty and reclaim what he has taken, the Lord assures us that this will be accomplished at His return. The nations that were held captive by the strong will be liberated, and all his possessions and servants will be handed over to the apostles, fulfilling the scripture that reads, 'The king of the forces of the beloved, by the beauty of the house, will divide the spoils' (Psalm 67:13). It is He who, having ascended on high, led captivity captive, granting gifts to humanity (Ps. 67:13, 19; Eph. 4:8), meaning He restored to life those who were once enslaved by death. Thus, Symmachus translates more clearly: but the captives of the strong will be rescued, and the spoils of the oppressor will be saved, referring to the devil, who is defeated by the might of the Lord. Therefore, the Lord who judges those who have wronged Zion, or who takes up its cause, will free His children held captive by the strong one, delivering them and feeding their adversaries with their own flesh, making them intoxicated like young wine, so that they do not find satisfaction in the demise of others, but in their own demise. Those who are merely flesh, having forsaken the Spirit of God, consume their own flesh. This is echoed by the saint in the Psalms, ‘When evildoers draw near to me, they will stumble and fall’ (Psalm 26:2). It is not the spirit that is devoured, for it is incorporeal, but the flesh which is susceptible to the bite of beasts. Eventually, the Son—or all humanity that witnesses the salvation of God—will declare that his Redeemer and Savior is the one who contended with Jacob, or who was the strength of Jacob, so that when he was overcome in suffering, he blessed those who crucified him, saying, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34).