Isaiah 57:13Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The holy city referenced here seems to signify the highest realm, the heavenly Jerusalem, the splendid city of the saints. The divine David composed the inquiry, "Who shall ascend to the mountain of the Lord? Or who shall stand in His holy place?" (Psalm 28:3, 4) declaring the necessity of purity in hands and heart. Therefore, for those who remain faithful to God, the land that is sacred and the glorious mountain will constitute their inheritance. This also appears to encompass those in the Jewish nation who believed in Him, with the divine disciples being the first, characterized by their profound love, unwavering faith, complete obedience, and relentless affection for Him. Thus it is written, "Who shall separate us from the love of God? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?" (Rom. 8:35). They became heirs of the kingdom of heaven, securing the highest land reserved for the meek. The title "meek" is fitting for those who lead a life aligned with the Gospel; these are the individuals to whom Christ instructed not to harbor anger, nor seek vengeance against those who have wronged them, but rather, to strive to do good to their adversaries: "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you," and "if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also" (Matthew 5:39, 44). All of this serves as a remarkable testament to their enduring patience and humility. To those who have been given the land and the holy mountain, it will be said, as if in promise and anticipation: "Prepare the ways before Him," which clearly aligns with: "Make straight in the desert a highway for our God" (Isaiah 40:3). He elaborated on how to accomplish this, declaring, "Remove the stumbling blocks from the way of my people," that is, create a clear and accessible route to salvation through faith for all who dwell on earth; there should be no roughness or obstruction encountered. The law of Moses provided no forgiveness and was challenging to uphold; we all fall short, and none among us is free from the ability to fulfill it flawlessly. Thus, the divine disciples admonished those who sought to revert to the law after coming to faith, saying, "Now why do you tempt God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?" (Acts 15:10). Paul noted that the law was instituted because of transgressions, as it serves to highlight sin, and those who violate it are subject to judgment. The struggle to adhere to the law became a barrier to its fulfillment. However, God declared, "Let there be a way shown from the midst," highlighting the empowering life of the Gospel that guides toward true service. In another passage, God instructed the keepers of sacred mysteries, "Go through the gates, prepare the way for the people; build up, build up the highway; remove the stones, lift up a banner for the peoples" (Isaiah 62:10), meaning to clear every hindrance on the path that leads to God through authentic and joyful worship in faith.

It is essential first to understand which inheritance is being promised, as expressed by the prophet David, who famously states, "Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living" (Ps 141:5). <...> The mountain symbolizes the Church. <...> Likewise, we too will be lifted up and transformed into the holy mountain of God. Those who are devoted to the Lord reside on this mountain, and those who trust in Me shall inherit the earth and possess My holy mountain (Is 57:13); that is to say, they will never depart from the Church.

Therefore, if you ever find yourself in trouble and begin to reach out, not to the idols you have honored, but to heaven, praying to God for assistance, then let those whom you have revered during your times of peace answer you and save you from peril.' This sentiment is echoed by God in Jeremiah, where He asks, Where are your gods which you have made? Let them arise and save you in the time of your anger (Jeremiah 2:28). Instead of the Seventy’s translation, Let them deliver you in your distress, and what we expressed as Let your assembled ones deliver you, Symmachus rendered it as Let your synagogues deliver you. Thus, it specifically addresses the Jews, indicating that their synagogues cannot rescue them during the siege. All of those will be blown away like chaff, scattered by a breeze. Yet, those who place their trust in Me shall inherit the earth and will possess My holy city. I declare, Prepare a path, make a way, clear the route, remove barriers from the path of My people. LXX: For all will be scattered by the wind and swept away like refuse. But those who place their hope in Me will possess the land and inherit My holy mountain and will say, Clear the paths before Him, and remove the hindrances from the way of My people. The Jews believe this refers to the Babylonians, asserting that when they are defeated by divine power, the people will return to Judah, reclaim Zion, and have all obstacles removed, without fear of ambush; for the Lord will prepare the way for His people. It is claimed that this came to pass under Zerubbabel and Ezra. However, we connect these words with the preceding ones, asserting that all idols incapable of delivering them are carried away by the tempest and reduced to dust, swept away by the wind from the surface of the earth. But those who trust in the Lord will inherit the earth, about which we read in the same prophet, He will raise you up to the good things of the earth. This makes it evident that this land is not below but above. To it, if the Lord uplifts the righteous, they shall ascend — the land spoken of when we often say, Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5), and I believe I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living (Psalm 26:13). By the holy city of God, we refer to that of which the author of the epistle to the Hebrews notes: You have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God, to the myriad of angels and the church of the firstborn enrolled in heaven (Hebrews 12:22). Below the earth and the mountain of the Lord, which the saints shall possess, we may also interpret the sacred Scriptures, which the Lord warns will be taken from the Jews: The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation producing its fruits (Matthew 21:43), so they may discover in them that mountain of which we read in the same prophet and in Micah: the mountain of the Lord will be revealed in the last days (Isaiah 2:2; Micah 4:1). The Lord Himself commanded the apostles and all the church’s teachers to clarify any matters that seemed uneven or challenging through their teachings, preparing the way for understanding and removing all temptations so that God’s people might grasp what they read effortlessly and flourish in the fear of the Lord. John the Baptist spoke of these paths, declaring: Prepare the way of the Lord, etc. (Matthew 3:3). In what we attribute to the name of God, the LXX states: and they will say, meaning those who will inherit the land and receive the holy mountain of God. For they will not only seek their own salvation but will also invite other nations to learn from them. Symmachus translates this passage: But he who trusts in Me shall possess the land and inherit My holy mountain and shall say, Make straight the way, teaching others to prepare the Lord’s path.