Isaiah 66:11Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

We should rejoice in this reality, for it is filled with promises that transcend understanding: "the eye has not seen, nor the ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, which God has prepared for those who love Him." Undoubtedly, this call to delight speaks to all who belong to her and hold her dear. They support her in various ways through sound doctrine and mourn with her as the Savior said: "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." In this context, mourning represents the noble efforts of those who labor with fruitful zeal, not seeking earthly gain, but rather desiring to be enriched by the gifts of God, filled with everlasting joy. He assures us, "that you may sow and be filled from the abundance of His comfort.” Having depicted the new Zion as a woman, He continues this metaphor, comparing spiritual consolation—specifically from the Holy Spirit—to nurturing and sustenance. The Song of Songs also reflects this truth: "as the good of your breast is more ample than wine." Indeed, those who place their faith in our Lord Jesus Christ are first offered the nourishment suitable for infants, a simple yet profound message of grace. Paul echoes this by saying, "I gave you milk to drink, and not solid food, for you were not yet ready." Moreover, it is not intended that they remain as spiritual infants who have received the word of the covenant but rather grow into maturity, to the fullness of Christ, so they can grasp the comprehensive teachings about Him. This is illustrated with the notion that they may experience the entrance of His glory. “Weaned” signifies having matured beyond infant dependency, thus reaching a stage where one requires substantial nourishment and is ready to behold the entrance of His glory. This glory points to Christ, as expressed in the Psalms: "To bring glory into our land," and the entrance represents the mystery of the Incarnation, where the eternal God became man and entered our world. Those who have internalized the true doctrine about Him, understanding how the glory, which is Christ, manifested in the world, will certainly rejoice. The divine revelation vividly depicts His incarnate presence, where He proclaims: “Behold, I bring upon you like a river of peace and an overflowing stream, the glory of tongues.” The river of peace and abundant stream represents Christ. The divine David also affirms Him, saying, "You have multiplied Your mercy, O God; and the sons of men shall find hope in the blood of Your mercy; they shall drink from the fountain of Your house, and from the river of Your delights I shall drink," and again, "The river makes glad the city of God." However, the glory of the tongues, which refers to all the selected or esteemed among the Gentiles, signifies that not everyone believed and received glorification. As Paul explains, God foreknew them, predestined them to conform to the likeness of His Son, called them, and glorified them. This truth is affirmed by the divine purpose—a path laid out according to the Father's will for the descendants of Israel, as He stated: "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Yet, upon their rejection of faith, He turned to the multitudes of Gentiles and bestowed upon them the comfort of sacred waters, that is, the saving proclamation of the Gospel, by which they acquired peace with Him and were spiritually united with God the Father.

They are to rejoice in the living Church, which is comprised of living stones, moving across the earth like the wheels of the cherubim, directed by the Spirit before them, as opposed to that which will ultimately return to dust. The Lord proclaimed, ‘Amen, amen I say to you, there shall not remain a stone upon a stone... until all these things are fulfilled’ (Matthew 24:2; Matthew 24:34). Therefore, he exhorts those who weep for him to rejoice with joy. Such were Peter and Paul, and all those who awaited the redemption of Israel, to be nourished and filled with his comforts. It is impossible for her who bore the Son, the mother of the delivery, to lack the richness of sustenance necessary to nurture her people and children, providing them not weak and fallen as in Egypt, but pure and standing with the beauty of a virgin, from the two breasts, the Old and the New Testament, for the distribution of the nourishing word. Concerning them, the bridegroom declares, ‘The good of your breast is sweeter than wine’ (Song of Songs 1:1). These are the blessed who are remembered in Scripture: Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted (Matthew 5:4). It is essential to recognize that those who are still infants require the milk of consolation and dwell in the realm of death. However, those who have matured from the milk to solid food partake abundantly in the truth and knowledge of all forms of glory, referred to as ziz in Hebrew. The LXX translated it as "entrance," Simmachus as "multitude," reflecting the ambiguity in the seventy-ninth Psalm, where it mentions, “The ozoba and the veper from the oak tree, and the solitary divi appear” (Psalms 79:14). In contrast to the Greek translations that depict a "solitary wild beast," the Hebrew expresses "ziz sachi," which Aquila rendered as "every kind of country," demonstrating that Israel was ravaged not only by the Romans but by all nations. The magnificent entrance of the Church represents what the Apostle John envisions: “the twelve gates, the twelve pearls, and the streets of the city made of pure gold, clear as glass” (Rev. 21:21). The Lord cautions against casting these pearls before swine (Matthew 7), referring to the pearls acquired by a wise merchant who, upon discovering them in the prophets and apostles, is in search of one exceedingly precious pearl, not discarding the former, but obtaining a more valuable one through them (Matthew 13:45-46).

All that is renowned, influential, and affluent among the nations will find its way into Jerusalem, signifying a connection with the New Testament Jerusalem. To partake in the glory of Jerusalem bestowed by this influx is to experience profound joy in witnessing it.