Isaiah 57:8Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

For it was under the shelter of the Almighty, adorned with His glory, feared and unendurable to neighboring nations, possessing the most fervent hope, and overflowing with blessing. It adhered to the Law of Moses and served the one true God, recognizing no other as worthy of worship for a considerable duration. Yet, after being misled by false teachers and wicked leaders, it turned traitor against God, bowing down to the works of its own hands, perhaps under the illusion that disavowing its devotion to God would lead to greater fortune. Thus, He reproaches her, stating, ‘You believed that by departing from me, you would gain something more.’ Yet she was blind to the futility and wretchedness of her hopes. Instead, she found herself enveloped in calamity. In forsaking her noble heritage and disregarding loyalty, she achieved no enhancement in her fortune. What could be more insane than this—giving affection to those who lay with her, increasing her betrayals, and conversing with them as if they were intimate companions? Who were those intimate with her? Might they be deceitful shepherds, those burning within as Paul describes (1 Tim. 4:2), shrouded in the darkness of evil? They led her towards destruction, severing her communion with God, as if implanting the seeds of wickedness and prompting her to yield fruit to Satan's offenses of defiance against the Almighty. We assert that betrayal of God and moral decay proliferates not from a singular vice but emerges from a profound degradation that produces multiple sins—actions deserving of stern rebuke. For instance, the commitment to serve Satan results in a total incapacity to act with wisdom and righteousness, leading instead to a reckless pursuit of impure and disgraceful pleasures. Alongside such vices come other forms of evil—sorcery, divination from the dead, the meaningless tales of omen-seekers, false prophecies, the deceptions of astrologers, and, paramount among them, the observation of days, times, seasons, and years. Thus, He declares, ‘Having multiplied your wickedness, you have engaged in many heinous acts, those who are far from you.’ Who these were deserves further inquiry. Or perhaps He refers to the holy prophets, who, witnessing the ultimate audacity and pervasive wickedness, distanced themselves from her, as if declaring, ‘Let us attempt to heal Babylon, but it cannot be healed; let us abandon her and return each to his own land; for her judgment has risen to heaven and has ascended to the stars’ (Jeremiah 51:9). Babylon is referred to as the land of decay, and Jerusalem similarly suffered from this ailment; thus, the divine prophets fittingly label it Babylon. Alternatively, the phrase ‘Many have you made, already far from you’ might imply that they engaged in the worship of surrounding nations and honored their false gods, invoking them, aligning with them, and serving them—some to one deity, others to another. Hence, God spoke through Jeremiah, asserting that according to the number of your cities were your gods, O Judah, and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem, you have summoned Baal (Jeremiah 2:28). I contend that these words also suggest, ‘And you have sent ambassadors beyond your borders,’ for they were not satisfied with the deities present among them but sought, as previously mentioned, many others according to their desires. The phrase, ‘You have sent messengers beyond your limits,’ signifies that adultery had spread extensively among them, thus rendering the figurative expression a common saying among those who overstepped conventional boundaries in all matters.

Oh soul steeped in sin and corruption, marred and distorted, yet still cherished! Turn back to the One Who embodies Beauty, so that you may reclaim your own. Return and earnestly express to the One you truly need: You bring destruction upon all who forsake You (Ps 72:27). Is the subsequent truth not enough to grasp? Indeed, it is good for me to draw near to God! (Ps 72:28). Therefore, elevate your heart; do not anchor it to the earth, to the lowest treasures, nor in a place of decay. For it is the love of money that is the root of all evil (1 Tim 6:10). In Adam, too, this desire brought forth many misfortunes as he found the provision of God insufficient and sought what was beyond.

Heretics, whose hearts are filled with pride, reject the Church's humility, seeking lofty aspirations and elevating their doctrines to the peak of their fallacies, revealing their deceit to demons. As the prophet states, they have turned away (Isaiah 1:4), resembling Lot's wife, transformed into unyielding salt, void of flavor in themselves: they are cast aside, unworthy of anything but contempt. Thus, the Lord teaches in the Gospel that anyone who puts their hand to the plow must not look back (Luke 9).

You have made yourself naked before me and embraced an adulterer; you have expanded your bed and bartered with them; with an open heart, you have cherished their bed and adorned yourself for a monarch, multiplying your trappings. You have sent your ambassadors far and humbled yourself down to the grave. You thought that by turning away from Me, you could find something greater. You have loved those who rest beside you and increased your infidelities, removing many from your bosom; sending emissaries abroad, you have humbled yourself down to the abyss.

Let us first consider the Hebrew text, which greatly differs from the Septuagint in this instance. As noted earlier, on a high and lofty mountain, you have made your refuge, and are denounced as a harlot, openly displayed at the thresholds of homes and in the shadows outside doors, so that everyone entering might witness the temptations set before them. Now, akin to an unfaithful wife, she is accused of secretly receiving an adulterer while still lying with her husband, widening her bed and negotiating as if entering into a covenant concerning her infidelities. This points out that idol worship was conducted not only in fields and homes but also within the temple itself, where an idol of Baal stood, as Ezekiel describes seeing in the excavated wall (Ezekiel 8). She is unashamed of her sins, openly engaging in her transgressions, and she has adorned herself with lavish offerings, seeking diverse embellishments to entice her lovers by sight and fragrance. The phrase regarding adorning herself for the king with mastic can be interpreted in two ways: either for God, who bestowed upon her the gifts she now flaunts for the idols, or for the idol king of the Ammonites, known as Moloch, interpreted in our texts as Melchom (Zephaniah 1:6).

I sent my emissaries afar to indulge in idols belonging not only to neighboring nations but also to more distant lands. This refers to the deities of Babylon and Egypt. Rather, her humility to descend to the grave is not of the commendable type, nor that which Ammon displayed toward his sister Tamar (2 Chronicles 13:14). The depth of her humiliation is striking, having fallen from illumination and purity into the darkness of corruption and the abyss of lust. As noted elsewhere, it is decreed, "They shall bring you down into the underworld."

The difference in the Septuagint's text suggests: Did you, unfaithful one, suppose that by abandoning Me for your lovers you would gain something greater? God speaks through Ezekiel, "To all who commit fornication, He gave hire, and you, too, engaged in trade, though you had it in you to resist" (Ezekiel 16:33-34). For you have not only received nothing from your lovers but have forfeited what you had from your true love. The subsequent phrase regarding enlarging her bed and bargaining with them does not align with the Septuagint. She has embraced the guardians of the blind and the mentors of the mute, while indulging in dreams that lead her astray. She has multiplied her adulteries, mingling not once with one but repeatedly with many partners. Consequently, she has estranged herself from those who ought to protect her—the angels or the holy ones who distanced themselves from such an unfaithful relationship. This can also be said of heretics, who abandon God to pursue their fallacies, mistakenly believing they gain more while they lose the truth, proliferating their unfaithfulness in various doctrines and driving away the protectors of the churches, the angels. Not satisfied with carnal liaisons, they seek out teachings from beyond their borders, engaging with the delusions of foreign peoples to mislead their hearers with the allure of new teachings.