Isaiah 51:13Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Yet, He admonishes Israel, saying you have feared Me while disregarding and neglecting the One who invites you to life: you instead have feared mortals, the son of man, who is like grass. You have forgotten the God who created you, who established the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, and you have feared the countenance of man who oppresses you. In this context, God holds the Jewish leaders accountable for their persistent dismissal of the Savior's glory, striving to diminish its significance. Despite His numerous miracles, they hurled scornful accusations at His wondrous divine deeds, claiming He expelled demons by the power of Beelzebub, the lord of demons (Matthew 12:24). His profound legal interpretations often delighted those who listened, yet their impious nature led them to rebuke those who exalted Him, declaring, "He has a demon and is mad; why do you listen to him?" (John 10:20). Consequently, they feared the treachery of the Pharisees, as the blessed Evangelist records that even the leaders recognized Him as the Christ but refrained from confessing Him due to the Pharisees' influence (John 12:42), for it was already conspired among the Jews that anyone acknowledging Christ would be expelled from the synagogue (John 9:22). The Savior sternly confronts the law scholars, pronouncing, "Woe to you lawyers, for you have taken away the key of knowledge: you did not enter yourselves, and those who were entering you hindered" (Luke 11:46, 52). This accusation highlights the folly of the Jews in scornfully neglecting the One true and living God, who created the heavens and the earth with a mere word, in favor of fleeting human respect and heeding the voices of those who fade like grass. He certifies the punishment for those who instilled in the people this shameful fear, leading them away from reverence for the savior, by asserting, "How will He take you, and where is the rage of Him who reproves you?" The animosity of the scribes and Pharisees was temporary, ultimately culminating in their ruin and destruction while those who trusted in Christ rejoiced in salvation and were liberated from divine wrath. In contrast, those who opposed Him faced swift judgment, evident when all Judea was ravaged, the temple was consumed by fire, and Jerusalem, along with its inhabitants, was laid waste.

While you were consumed by their threats, you overlooked the Lord, your Creator. If My remembrance had continually dwelt in your heart, you would not have feared men, who will inevitably return to dust. Whom have you overlooked? It is God, the One who established the heavens with immense power and laid the foundations of the earth on an unshakeable base. You have feared your opponents not just for a moment—which might be somewhat excusable—but persistently and day after day, allowing the darkness of anxiety to overshadow the light of your faith, thinking you would meet ruin. Therefore, I ask you, where is the arrogance of the persecutors now? What has become of their worldly strength that they used to assail you with such fury? My Son is arriving soon, coming to trample your enemies underfoot and forge a path for your victory, not to destroy those ensnared by hell, but to seek the salvation of those turning to Him.

Ultimately, His nourishing truth—interpreted through the gospel's affirmation—will never be absent; it will remain accessible to all who seek it for their spiritual sustenance. At the same time, the Father makes a declaration about the Son, indicating that He will soon arrive, emphasizing that His sustenance is perpetual, as He is the Lord God who stirs the sea and raises its waves, allowing the pride of adversaries to rise against His servants, but, with divine assistance, calming them once more. He emphasizes that He has placed His words in His Son's mouth, for everything the Son articulates reflects the Father's words. He has enveloped Him with the shadow of His hand to establish new heavens and create a new earth, proclaiming to Zion, which represents the Church, "You are My people." Thus, Zion is indeed the people of God. Simmachus translates: "He that comes to open will not bring ruin," suggesting that hell will soon be opened but will not face destruction, referring to Christ, who in the fifteenth Psalm declares, "Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt Thou suffer Thy Holy One to see corruption" (Psalm 15:10).

In the place where we read from the Hebrew text, “I have put My words into Thy mouth, and have covered Thee with the shadow of My hand, that Thou mightest plant the heavens and found the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art My people,” the translation reads, "I will put My words into Thy mouth, and will cover Thee with the shadow of My hand, whereby Thou hast planted the heavens and founded the earth, and let Me say to Zion, Thou art My people." According to the Septuagint, this message is directed at every believer's soul, which, created in the image and likeness of God, often fails to recognize its own dignity, succumbing to the fear of man and the mortal, who can only kill the body, forgetting its immortality. The believer has not echoed the words of the Psalms: "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 26:1). Furthermore, the Scripture states: "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear what man shall do to me" (Psalm 117:6-7). The nature of humanity is further illustrated in another verse: "I have trusted in God; I will not fear what flesh can do to me" (Psalm 55:5).

Consequently, it is declared: you have been afraid of fallen humans, of the son of man, who are as transient as grass, whose glory fades away like the flower of the field (Isaiah 40:6). In fearing the judgment of men, you have forgotten that your true advocate is He who created the heavens and the earth and everything visible, along with the heavens that reflect the divine image, and the earth that produces the Lord's harvest. The previous statement, "And shall not see decay, and His bread shall not fail," is recorded in Theodotion's version from the Hebrew text. "He stirs up the sea and causes its waves to murmur." The Psalms affirm, "Thou rulest the raging of the sea; when the waves thereof arise, Thou stillest them" (Psalms 88:10). And it is written in Jeremiah, "Will ye not fear Me, saith the Lord? Will ye not tremble at My presence, which hath placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it?" (Jeremiah 5:22). The seas were troubled when the Lord's net drew in a multitude of fish (Matthew 13:47).

The Lord has placed His words in the mouths of believers and covered them with the shadow of His hand. In the Gospel, He instructs, "When you are brought before the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to say, for it will be given to you in that hour what you shall speak, for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you" (Matthew 10:19-20). He also assures the righteous: "Open thy mouth, and I will fill it" and admonishes, "Open your mouth for the word of God; for the Lord will grant utterance to those who proclaim the gospel with great power" (Psalm 67:12). Thus, to Jeremiah’s inner being, God touched his mouth and said, "Behold, I have put My words in your mouth" (Jer. 1:9). Jeremiah could rejoice with the Psalmist, "Put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God" (Psalm 39:4). Who accomplished all this if not the Lord and Redeemer, who created heaven and earth, and says to Zion, "You are My people," which pertains to the Church gathered from the nations? In Hosea, He promises to the faithful, "I will say to those who were not My people, 'You are My people,' and they shall respond, 'You are our God'" (Hosea 2:23).

Yet daily, you live in dread of the wrath of the oppressor, as if he were poised to annihilate you (Is 51:13). Essentially, this means you have assisted your foes and fulfilled their plans out of fear, forgetting Me, the Creator of all, who has granted you countless assurances of strength. You have feared transient and perishable humanity, neglecting your own dignity and failing to seek My aid.