Isaiah 57:7Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

This is explicitly revealed by the Almighty through the prophet Jeremiah, who asks, “Have you seen what the house of Israel has done to me? They have gone up to every high hill and under every lush tree, gathering there” (Jeremiah 3:6). They have occupied the summits of the mountains and the most desirable spots, constructing altars and sanctuaries to offer sacrifices and libations to unclean spirits, showing a chilling disregard even for their own children. Thus, Jechoniah sacrificed his son to these imagined deities. Concerning this, God Himself has spoken through the holy prophets, revealing the brutality of those who practiced such acts: “devour men, for the calves are scarce” (Hosea 13:2). Thus, you, he says, who pray to the idol under the leafy tree while burying your children in the thickets among the stones—what will come of this? Such is your inheritance, your destiny. If you have bowed down to empty idols, you shall share the same fate, which is emptiness. Perhaps he hints at a deeper truth: you have sacrificed your children in the wilds, and thus, your fate will be identical to your actions, marked by calamity and destruction. Why? Firstly, because you have become murderers of your own offspring, and secondly, because you have offered libations to unclean spirits and lifeless idols. Hence, he questions: shall I not be incensed over these things? Is not my wrath against you justified, and is there not ample reason for your punishment? On the lofty mountain, there lies your bed, where you have offered your sacrifices; and behind the hedges of your doors, you have placed your memorials. They even slept on the mountains pursuing visions—this is a reminder echoed frequently in the prophetic words. It is noted that the Israelites strayed so far from righteousness that they engraved images of idols on their doors and doorposts, ensuring that whenever they entered or left their homes, they would see and be constantly reminded of them. All of this serves as undeniable evidence of their profound impiety; they referred to various idol images as saviors and helpers.

This misguided belief and terrible ancient practice have entrapped cities across many regions, including Rome itself, where in every corner and household they pay tribute, using lamps to venerate the image of the Guardian, a deity associated with the protection of their buildings, serving as a constant reminder of their entrenched delusion to all who enter and exit. Also, those with heretical beliefs, whose hearts swell with pride and who scorn the humility of the Church, have sought lofty aspirations. They ascend to the heights of their doctrines, laying their beds open to demons. As the prophet declared, they have turned away, resembling Lot's wife, and have become like a statue of salt, appearing as mere ecclesiastical seasonings devoid of flavor, rejected and fit only to be trampled underfoot. Thus, the Lord instructs in the Gospel that whoever takes hold of the plow should not look back.

For near you, you have made yourself bare and accepted an adulterer; you have expanded your bed, engaging in agreements with them; you have loved their bed with an open heart, and adorned yourself with an abundance of finery for the pleasures of kings, multiplying your ornaments. You have sent your messengers far away, lowering yourself to the depths. For you believed that by departing from Me, you would gain something greater. You have cherished those who lie with you, increasing your infidelity, and removed many from your fold; you have dispatched emissaries to far-off lands and humbled yourself to the abyss.

Let us first mention that the Hebrew text at this point differs significantly from the Septuagint. To whom it was stated that on a grand and lofty mountain you have laid your bed, and who was denounced as a harlot—is publicly displayed at the entrances of houses and in shadowy places outside the doors, ensuring that all who wish to enter are faced with this temptation. This one, as an unfaithful wife, is now charged and accused: she, while still in union with her husband, has secretly welcomed an adulterer, uncovered her veil, or rather extended her bed, as if entering into a contract with seducers over dowry. This illustrates that idols were not only honored in fields and homes, but even an idol of Baal was erected in the temple, as Ezekiel noted that he saw it in the excavated wall.

She loved their bed openly, displaying no shame for her sin, and refused to hide the gravity of her unfaithfulness, indulging freely. Moreover, she adorned herself for the king with fragrant myrrh, accumulating her idols. The implication is that you sought various adornments to attract adulterers through sight and scent. The interpretation of the phrase that you adorned yourself for the king with myrrh can be understood in two ways: either as for the King-God, since you beautified yourself with what He bestowed upon you while exposing yourself to idols, or for the idol-king of the Ammonites, known as Moloch, whose name means king, as referred to in other texts according to the Septuagint. I sent ambassadors to far-off lands to engage with idols not only of nearby nations but also distant ones, indicating the deities of Babylon and Egypt. When it says she humbled herself to the depths, this is not the humility that is commendable, nor is it like Ammon’s humiliation of his sister Tamar. There is indeed a great fall, or descent into the depths, from the light and purity into the shadows of decadence and lust.

In another context it is said that they will bring you down into the depths. The meaning behind the difference in the Septuagint's text suggests, did you, unfaithful one, truly believe that by leaving Me and joining your lovers, you would discover something better? God speaks through Ezekiel, addressing her that to all who engage in fornication, He provides compensation, and you, too, have given compensation, while you had the power within you to resist. For not only have you gained nothing from your lovers, you have also forfeited what you received from your husband. What follows is that she expanded her bed and engaged in affairs, which does not align with the Septuagint, as she has chosen the protectors of the blind and the companions of the mute, who dream of empty fantasies. She multiplied her infidelities, mingling not just once but repeatedly with numerous partners. Thus, she has cast many aside—the angels who were her guardians, or holy individuals who withdrew from fellowship with such an unfaithful one.

We can also draw a parallel with heretics, who, abandoning God, follow their own misbeliefs, vainly believing they will gain something greater, only to lose the truth while multiplying their unfaithfulness, not confined to a single doctrine but involving many, thus removing the guardians of the Church, the angels. Unsatisfied with their liaisons among neighbors, they send out messengers beyond their borders to embrace the teachings of the Gentiles and the deceptions of foreign nations, ensnaring their listeners with the novelty of their rhetoric.