Isaiah 50:2Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Look, by My command I cause the sea to dry up, and transform rivers into wastelands; the fish within them perish from lack of water and die from thirst. Others proclaim, I will make the sea desolate. Aquila interprets it as dried up. How is this made known? It is revealed through the occurrences that previously unfolded in Egypt. I transform rivers into a barren land; the fish in them shall perish. Aquila states, Their fish shall rot; Symmachus adds, Their fish shall die. This was foretold through the sign given by the Jordan.

They refused to acknowledge the Redeemer and Giver of salvation, who justifies the unrighteous and frees those burdened by human frailties.

Thus, He said, I came, meaning I took on humanity and appeared to the Israelites, yet among them, no one was found who had the insight to recognize the time of salvation. I called out, and there was no response, for as the prophet Isaiah spoke on behalf of Christ, our Savior: I was revealed to those who sought Me not; I was found by those who did not ask for Me; I said, Behold, I am here—to a people who did not call on My name. All day long I have stretched out My hands to a disobedient and obstinate people (Isaiah 65:1-2). In the Gospel, we frequently see the Lord inviting the Jewish people to faith: Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28). Moreover, He declared: He that follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life (John 8:12). Highlighting that true faith brings forth fruitful results, He proclaimed: Truly, I say unto you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life (John 6:47). Many more similar sayings could be gathered by anyone wishing to elaborate.

Therefore, He states, I will call, yet there is none to hear. Those who have fallen into such profound foolishness, possessing hard and unyielding hearts, might argue that His hand cannot save the heavenly realms. However, such reasoning is deeply flawed. For the Word, though divine, took on our human form and was born of a woman. Those who grasp this truth and remain steadfast in His divine mysteries understand that God, by His very nature, can accomplish all things and is the One who redeems the heavenly domains.

The unbelieving and ignorant viewed Him as simply another man, even accusing Him, saying: We do not stone You for Your good works, but for blasphemy because You, being a man, make Yourself equal with God (John 10:33). Such individuals presume that His hand is impotent in aiding those on earth, or rescuing those who are defeated by sin and the devil. Yet, if you contemplate this, realize something greater: that I am not merely a man like you, but God incarnate, who was manifested in human form to rescue you from death and sin. I, who speak, once performed miracles through Moses, parting the Red Sea with unfathomable power. The waters stood as a wall, enabling those who were liberated to pass through and break free from Egyptian oppression. When I say I will make the sea desolate, it means I have rendered it dry. Similarly, the rivers will become desolate; for I halted the flow of the Jordan, making it dry when Joshua led Israel into the promised land. And if it is stated that the fish in the water shall dry up, understand that this is a figurative expression of the Jordan being completely drained. This miraculous event, great and glorious, was also noted by the divine David: What ails you, O sea, that you flee? And you, O Jordan, that you turn back? (Psalm 113:5). Again, he said: The waters saw You, O God; the waters saw You and were afraid; the depths trembled; the waters roared (Psalm 76:17). Concerning the Jordan, it is also said: You dried up the rivers of Etham (Psalms 73:15).

Furthermore, since He declared previously, I came and there was no one; I called and no one answered, we can affirm that the One who performed such wonders and who commands heaven, earth, and sea to fulfill His will could also have evaded the cross, as He states in the Gospel: or do you think that I cannot entreat My Father, and He will send Me more than twelve legions of angels (Matthew 26:53).

In a symbolic interpretation, the sea is emptied through the Lord's intercession when all the bitterness of this world is removed, leaving the rivers about which the spiritual serpent declared in Egypt, 'My rivers are mine, and I have made them' (Ezekiel 29:2), and concerning which we read elsewhere: 'What is that to you, or the path of the Assyrian, that you should drink from the river' (Jeremiah 2:18). Additionally, the fish, which are separated from the good catch, become tangled when the net is cast into the sea. Moreover, when I say, I will cover the heavens with darkness and as if I would make a veil to hide it, we can understand the heavens as encompassing all that is above us, just as the birds that soar through the air are termed celestial, with the opposing forces lurking between heaven and earth also referred to as heavenly. Alternatively, the heavens are enshrouded in darkness when overcast with clouds, as stated: He covers the heavens with clouds, He prepares rain for the earth (Psalms 146:8). In threatening drought, God proclaims, ‘The heavens shall be like brass and the earth like iron’ (Deuteronomy 28:33) – this does not imply a change in the elements' nature but signals the severity of afflictions indicated by brass and iron. Philosophers claim that clouds ascend no more than ten stadia above the earth, obscuring the splendor of the sun. Thus, it is not the heavens themselves that are covered, but rather, when the celestial light is hidden, the air beneath it is shrouded in the shadow of the clouds. We can interpret the heavens covered in darkness or veiled in this manner, recognizing that all are under sin and even the saints are in need of God’s mercy.

Yet, if interpreted by the Seventy as a reference to the future, the meaning remains intact, for the illustration of remarkable acts serves to remind us that God is capable of even greater feats; He asserts that if He could effortlessly drain the sea and stop the river, it would be far simpler for Him to annihilate the army that has risen against you.