Isaiah 59:20Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Subsequently, He foretold the mercy and grace that would be extended to them in the latter days, saying, “Vengeance be upon them with your might, and establish them with forgiveness,” thus indicating that the wrath of the Lord will surge upon them, swift and unstoppable. Yet He also speaks of the blessings that will be granted to them in the end times: He shall come to rescue Zion for Zion's sake; since the only begotten Word of God descended from heaven and took on humanity, humbling Himself even unto exhaustion to call forth Israel, and additionally save a multitude of Gentiles. The astute Paul affirms this, stating, “But I say that the minister of Christ Jesus was circumcised in accordance with the truth of God, to affirm the promises made to the patriarchs; and with the tongue inspired by grace, to glorify God” (Rom. 15:8, 9). Furthermore, we recall that Christ Himself proclaimed, “I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24). Therefore, He shall come to deliver us, primarily from sin, death, decay, the malice of the devil, deception, and the dominion of demons.

This covenant from Me, the Lord specifies; what has been ordained by God's will and promised will endure unchanged forever. What covenant, He asks, is of Me? My Spirit and the words I have placed in your mouth shall not fail from this point on to eternity. The clearest evidence of humanity's redemption, and that the Israelites believed before others, is the impartation of the Holy Spirit, through whom the glory of sonship is received and the capacity to declare the word of faith is granted, as the wise Paul states: let it not be said in your heart, “Who will ascend into heaven?” or “Who will descend into the abyss?” But what does the Scripture convey? “The word is near you, even in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith which we proclaim: “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.” For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Rom. 10:6-10). Thus we have been given by God the declaration of faith or confession, which is redemptive and reveals the truth. Consequently, Christ justifies the ungodly, who once proclaimed, “Behold, I have removed your iniquities like a cloud, and your sins like a shadow” (Isaiah 44:22). This word of faith will remain within us forever, not fading from our lips, but we shall pass it on to generation after generation, and our descendants will be justified. For if Christ abides eternally and is our God and Lord, the profession of faith in Him will never falter in those who have witnessed His revelation.

Indeed, the fear of the Lord will manifest in the west and His glorious name will shine at the rising of the sun. The fury of the Lord will flow like a tempestuous river; He shall arrive with wrath to rescue Zion and turn away the wicked from Jacob. This shall be a covenant for them, says the Lord. My Spirit within you and My words in your mouth will remain with you and your offspring, says the Lord, from now and into eternity.

When the Lord dons the armor of righteousness, the helmet of salvation, and the garments of vengeance, coming forth in zeal for battle, to exact vengeance upon His foes and recompense His adversaries, and to uproot their cities and towns, then the nations will gather from the west and from the east to find rest in the embrace of Abraham. Regarding this, it was previously stated that those coming from afar will fear the Lord with a reverence that is the starting point of wisdom.

We find affirmations of this in many places, such as: Blessed is the one who fears the Lord, and: Those who fear Him have no lack, and: The fear of the Lord is both correction and wisdom. It is also written: Come, children, listen to me; I will instruct you in the fear of the Lord. Moreover, blessed is the man who fears the Lord, and: The fear of the Lord prolongs life. Following Israel's rejection, the Gentiles shall take its place, as the prophet Malachi clearly states that the Lord will not accept offerings from the Jews.

Furthermore, from the rising of the sun to its setting, My name will be exalted among the Gentiles. The one responsible for this blessing will arrive like a stormy river moved by the Spirit of the Lord. In this context, the last part of the prophecy, as translated by the Seventy, interprets the Lord’s fury as a tempestuous river, while the Hebrew text lacks any mention of anger. Instead, the focus shifts to a future promise, blessing the faithful and warning those who sin.

Aquila and Theodotion highlight that the Spirit of the Lord, marked in Christ, correlates with the testimony of John when he speaks of the sign from God. It is said that from the root of Jesse will spring forth a shoot, upon whom the Spirit of the Lord will rest. Thus, we declare, O Lord, the light of Your countenance shines upon us. Ezekiel also noted the letter tav marked on the foreheads of those who grieved for sin.

To discover how the Holy Spirit serves as a might river, we look at the book of Acts, which recounts a sudden sound from heaven, like a mighty wind that filled the air where the apostles were gathered, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. The Redeemer of Zion and those returning from sin in Jacob will come, so the Seventy rendered it as coming from Zion to deliver and turn away evil from Jacob.

If one arises from Zion to cleanse Jacob of its sins, we acknowledge that person as born in Zion, established by the Most High, who removes the transgressions of Jacob. If the Redeemer also comes to those who turn from iniquity, it refers to Christ, who redeems Zion through His sacrifice, or as the Hebrew connotes—a kinsman redeemer.

To clarify, He turns from iniquity those who repent, fulfilling the Lord’s words, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Thus, those in Zion shall find redemption, and to the descendants of Jacob He draws near, promising them, “This is my covenant with them.”

The essence of this covenant, described in what follows, is that My Spirit, which is within you and My words in your mouth will never leave your lips, nor the lips of your descendants, from now and forever. This may refer to Isaiah, indicating the everlasting nature of the gospel—My Spirit and My words shall not depart from your lineage, underscoring that the grace given to the prophets persists through the apostles to the believers in Israel.

The phrase “from this time forth and forevermore” resonates with the declaration that though heaven and earth may pass away, My words shall endure. Paul elaborates on this, clarifying that there is no distinction between Jew and Gentile, for the same Lord is sovereign over all who call upon Him. This does not imply that the Gentiles will completely eclipse Israel, for Paul identifies himself as an Israelite.

Thus, he emphasizes that God has preserved a remnant of Israel who have not bowed to false gods. Likewise, he contends that in this time there remains a select group chosen by grace. It is by grace that salvation comes; if there were a basis of works, grace would no longer hold its essence. Israel pursued righteousness, yet did not attain it, while the elect obtained it, and the others were left in darkness. But those who do not persist in unbelief will be reinstated, for God is powerful enough to restore them.

Finally, the word of wisdom is shared: I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, so you are not wise in your own estimation. A partial hardening has occurred in Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles comes in; and thus, all Israel shall be saved. As foretold, “He shall come from Zion to rescue and shall remove sin from Jacob.” This will be their covenant when I remove their transgressions.

We present this account with careful detail so that all the promises made to Zion and Jerusalem are not generalized to all Jews, but specifically to those chosen from Israel through the Apostles.