Isaiah 5:9Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The prophet reveals that individuals are afflicted by an incurable condition without reason or purpose. They are not necessarily discouraged by pain and hardship, but rather by the undeniable awareness that they will not enjoy the fruits of what they have wrongfully gained. He warns them that they will toil and endure suffering, yet find no joy in the outcomes of their sinful actions. The Ever-Watchful Eye, he remarks, does not look upon these matters lightly. By stating, “it is heard of bo,” he conveys not that these deeds have only now come to God's attention, but that judgment is imminent and recompense is on the horizon. “These many houses shall be empty, the large and beautiful shall be without inhabitants.” Such is the nature of greed!

Surely, states the Lord of hosts, He has heard the outcries regarding the unjust domination of the powerful over the weaker. Did He remain silent in the face of this? Did He tolerate it quietly? Did He suppress His wrath? Absolutely not, declares the Lord. The undeniable evidence of this is His nullification of the efforts of those who unjustly covet what belongs to others. For He questions the value of accumulating houses and constructing grand and opulent dwellings if no one is to inhabit them, since warfare will lay waste to both the insignificant and the mighty. What benefit can they gain from the most vast fields when the Lord denies them fruitful yield due to the avarice of their possessors or takers?

If it becomes impractical to claim the property of all one’s neighbors, it is wise to pause and reflect, abandoning the pursuit of wrongdoing. You should find contentment with what you possess and remain grateful for your blessings. Understand that even grand edifices built on unjust foundations may ultimately stand empty, and many fields seized by greed often yield no harvest. The discipline of God frequently acts as a precursor to ultimate judgment, transforming the dwellings acquired through unrighteous means into desolation. Though these homes may once have been filled with numerous inhabitants and abundant prosperity, the Lord has the power to leave them unoccupied. Indeed, we often observe entire families vanish, leaving behind their once-magnificent homes to return to the earth. Symbolically, this serves as a warning to those who intertwine Divine truth with foreign teachings, as they fail to produce the fruits that align with the doctrine they have received.

The words of the Lord of Hosts resonate in my spirit: many magnificent and grand homes will stand vacant, lacking residents. While the original Hebrew translates to "In my ears are these things of the Lord of Hosts," the Septuagint interprets it as "Hear in the ears of the Lord of hosts these things." This does not imply that the prophet directly heard the voice of the Lord, but rather that the intentions of the prophet are audible to the Lord, although a more fitting reading would suggest that the prophet indeed perceived what the Lord communicated. The Lord declared that, following the exile, the splendid and magnificent houses would remain devoid of dwellers.

Alas for those who are greedy and enrich themselves at the expense of their neighbors, for they are admonished in the earlier verses, as their sinful actions have reached the attention of the Lord of hosts. Numerous splendid and grand homes, unlawfully acquired, shall be laid waste by the adversary, and "there shall be no inhabitants therein." Those who reside there will either perish or be dispersed.