Isaiah 49:25Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Following this, He further liberated them by encouraging those who were under the sway of the adversary to desire to serve the one true God, aligning with His ways, and willingly pursuing the pathway to salvation.

Once Christ triumphed, He bestowed that victory upon us, not independent of Him, for He embodies the praise of the saints' strength, as noted by the Psalmist (Psalm 88:18). The Apostle Paul affirms this by stating, ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me’ (Phil 4:13). Thus, He has granted us the capacity to conquer the mighty, specifically Satan. The declaration holds that he who conquers a giant shall take a prize; for when we rise above the stronghold of the devil and bravely resist the enemy’s onslaught, with Christ as our instrument of goodwill, we subdue the evil one, reclaiming from him a decisive victory and prevailing over his inherent malice and deception.

However, it is evident that the ability to triumph is granted to those who possess the courage imparted by Christ, as indicated by the statement that ‘he who takes away from the strong shall be saved.’ If He endows us with the strength to rise above the dragon that brings death, we will not only plunder but, in doing so, will find salvation, as this victory leads to eternal life, glory, praise, and the heavenly kingdom. Christ, who vanquished Satan and provided believers a clear and accessible route to triumph, proclaimed: ‘Behold, I give unto you power to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you’ (Luke 10:19). Therefore, it is certain that by taking from the mighty, who is the Lord of strength, we find salvation and victory. Additionally, one may plunder Satan indirectly by guiding those who stray under his influence towards the illuminating truth of God and directing them from wickedness to a sanctified life.

The formidable enemy is the devil, who has subjected all nations to his dominion and boldly claimed to the Savior, ‘All these things have been handed over to me, and I will give them to you if you bow down to worship me’ (Matthew 4:9). The world is ensnared in wickedness; none among the righteous could prevail against it, and as Amos states, rescue the prey from the lion’s mouth (Am. 3). Therefore, in response to the inquiry that no one can conquer the strong and the mighty and reclaim what he has seized, the Lord assures that this will be fulfilled upon His return, specifically that the nations previously held captive by the giant will be liberated, and all his instruments and servants will be entrusted to the apostles, following the completion of what is inscribed: ‘The king of the armies of the beloved, by the splendor of the house, the spoils will be apportioned’ (Psalm 67:13). For He, upon ascending to the heights, led captivity captive, offering gifts to mankind (Ps. 67:13, 19; Eph. 4:8); that is, He restored to life those who had been previously enslaved by death. Thus, Symmachus more clearly translates: but the captives of the strong shall be taken from the strong, and the spoil of the fierce shall be redeemed; by the fierce he refers to the devil, who is vanquished by the power of the Lord. Hence, the Lord, who judges those who have oppressed Zion and addresses their injustices, will rescue His children who are held captive by the giant, saving them and causing their adversaries to consume their own flesh, making them drunk as with new wine, so that they may thirst not for the death of others but for their own demise. Those who are devoid of spirit, as individuals lacking the Holy Spirit, feed upon their own flesh. This is echoed by the psalmist: ‘When the wicked draw near to me, I will destroy my flesh’ (Psalm 26:2). It is not the spirit, which is incorporeal, that is devoured, but rather the flesh, which is subject to the attacks of wild beasts. Then, the Son, or all flesh that witnesses the salvation of God, will proclaim that his Redeemer and Savior is He who struggled with Jacob or assisted Jacob’s strength, so that when He was afflicted, He blessed those who crucified Him, saying, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34).