Instead of what was stated, Seventy has translated: I decisively crushed, which should be read in conjunction with the preceding text rather than as a continuation. Among the nations, there was no one with Me, and I inflicted My fury upon them, shattering them as dust, spilling their blood to the ground, and staining all My garments. The day of reckoning has arrived for them, and the year of salvation is here. I looked, and there was no helper; I deliberated, and found no one to assist; My strength saved them, My anger fell upon them, I trampled them in My wrath, pouring their blood upon the ground.
Theodotion used the Hebrew term for sharpening, which is 'geth' in Hebrew. However, Simmachus' translation is preferable here, which we have also adopted. The Hebrew word signifies both a sharpening vessel and more commonly, a wine vessel. It should be interpreted as a winepress, which in Scripture often symbolizes vengeance and punishment for sins. It is also a metaphor for the gathering of new fruit. At times, it represents punishment and woe, as seen in Jeremiah's Lamentations lamenting Jerusalem’s desolation, where it states, ‘The Lord hath trodden down the winepress of the virgin daughter of Judah; for these I weep’ (Lamentations 1:15).
The Psalms also depict this concept positively regarding the sinks, which will be discussed in their respective contexts if granted the chance. This press, where the Saviour endures both the punishment of the wicked and the rewards for the righteous, He alone has trod without any aid. Neither angels, archangels, nor any heavenly beings took upon themselves a human body or suffered for us, nor did they crush the powers of darkness, except for Him who declared in the Psalm, ‘Save me, O Lord, for the wretchedness of the godly’ (Psalm 11:1). So powerful was the fear that even Peter, the steadfast apostle in faith, fled in terror and denied the Lord (Matthew 26).
The imagery of sprinkling clothes with blood and staining garments should not be taken literally to suggest demons or opposing forces possessing blood; rather, it is a figurative expression indicating how the most gracious God, desiring to teach His people and liberate them from bondage, is compelled to execute judgment against His enemies. The Lord declares, ‘the day of vengeance is in My heart; the year of My deliverance has come.’ This concept mirrors what was previously noted: the proclamation of the Lord’s favorable year, alongside the day of vengeance for our God (Isaiah 61:2), reflecting the duality of the narrative. The reason for vengeance lies in My heart, whereas the promise of salvation embodies the year of redemption, ensuring that when the adversaries are punished, God’s people will be freed, redeemed by the precious blood of the Lamb, known in John’s Revelation as the slain.
Moses similarly prophesied of this day of reckoning by the Holy Spirit, declaring that He would avenge His foes and repay His haters (Deuteronomy 32). I looked around, and there was no helper; I sought, and there was no one - He, who also spoke in the Psalm, ‘I waited for the mourner, and there was none, and for those who comforted me, and I found none’ (Psalm 68:21). For He, being the very image of God, did not consider it a thing to be grasped to be equal with God, but emptied Himself (Philippians 2:6), taking the form of a servant, and was obedient to the Father even unto death, the death of the cross. Thus, He was given a name above all names, so that He could save those who trust in Him with His mighty hand, allowing His wrath towards His adversaries to bring deliverance to His people. In this manner, He has liberated the faithful with His arm, no longer delaying His fury, pouring their blood upon the earth, whether it be that of demons or, perhaps, referring to the blood of the Jews, which other translators have rendered as effort, for they sought diligently to liberate the captives.
THEOSIS