Isaiah 59:4Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

In our explanation of this prophecy, we stated that they resisted the statutes of the wise Moses and completely disregarded a righteous life; instead, they acted according to their habits, remaining unchanged in their sinful ways, which were detestable to God. When adversity arose, they resorted to fasting, mistakenly believing that mere abstinence from food, either individually or collectively, could appease the Judge. However, upon realizing their expectation was unfulfilled, they began to grumble, asking, 'Why do we fast, and you do not perceive? Have we humbled ourselves, and you have not taken notice?' Notice how the prophet, out of great zeal for God, chastises them, declaring, 'Is the hand of the Lord unable to save? Or has his ear become dull, that he cannot hear? No, he asserts, the Lord’s powerful right hand is not diminished, nor is his hearing obstructed, but your iniquities have formed a barrier between you and Him. Therefore, whosoever removes this separation caused by sin, which acts like an impediment to the knowledge of God, will find that the Savior is not far off and will surely receive the pleas of the suffering. For it is unique to Him to be both all-powerful and to hear the cries of the downtrodden.

He continues by indicating the sins that create distance between God and the descendants of Israel, stating, 'Your hands are stained with blood, your fingers with iniquity; your mouth speaks falsehood, and your tongue teaches deceit: for they killed the holy prophets sent by God; they even accused Him.' Hence Jeremiah lamented, 'My strength is weakened by those who oppose me' (Jeremiah 15:10). Furthermore, He now reproaches them for their evil deeds against Christ by stating, ‘Your hands are bloodied,’ for they became murderers of the Lord, their mouths spoke falsehoods, and their tongues promulgated unrighteousness. They harbored constant hostility toward Christ, slandering and belittling Him, denouncing His divine signs, fabricating lies against His majesty, and condemned Him with shouts of 'Crucify Him!' Consequently, when Christ was unjustly sentenced, the prophet boldly proclaimed, 'No one speaks with justice; there is no true judgment; they trust in falsehoods and speak empty words.' What constitutes their empty hopes? They believed that by extinguishing the Heir among the living, they would seize his inheritance. Sharing these vacant thoughts with one another, they, in their wretchedness, acted wickedly against Him. Thus, this prophetic message either indicts the descendants of Israel for their misdeeds against Christ or accuses them of lacking goodness in any regard; their hands are stained with blood, their mouths and tongues preoccupied solely with wickedness and deceit. Above all, their judges have become corrupt, taking bribes and indulging in disgraceful profits. As expressed elsewhere: 'How has the faithful city, Zion, become a harlot? Righteousness used to dwell in her, but now she is filled with murderers; your silver has become dross, your merchants mix wine with water. Your princes are rebellious, companions of thieves; they all love bribes and pursue rewards; they do not defend the fatherless, nor do they uphold the cause of the widow' (Isaiah 1:21-23).

Although they did not physically harm the Lord Savior, they collectively condemned Him in their wickedness, exclaiming, “His blood be on us and on our children” (Matthew 27:25), thereby making themselves culpable for His death and carrying defiled hands. The same prophet further affirms, “When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood” (Isaiah 1:15). Their speech, too, is filled with unrighteousness and falsehood, as they hope for Antichrist instead of Christ, and no one calls for truth or judges righteously, nor do they, as the Hebrew expresses, act in faith—meaning they do not believe in Christ but rather cling to emptiness and speak of vanities. Thus, the apostle urges us to disregard Jewish myths and human commandments that deviate from the truth (Titus 1). In reality, they depend on worthless ideas and pursue nothingness, fulfilling the Lord’s declaration: “I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, you will receive him” (John 5:43).