Isaiah 8:11Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

For the omnipotent, unyielding, and sovereign hand of God the Father—the Son, through whom all things exist and in whom all things are held together—has abolished death and vanquished Satan, has seized hell, bestows immortality upon those ensnared by corruption, and restores all things to their primordial state. Likewise, the Psalmist proclaims through the mouth of the redeemed in Christ, The right hand of the Lord has lifted me up; the right hand of the Lord has empowered me. It is also sung, Your right hand, O Lord, is exalted in might; Your right hand, O Lord, shatters the foes. They have sunk into such depths of ungodliness, coupled with a degraded mindset, that they have treated lightly the necessity of submitting to the mighty hand that delivers, regarding it as insignificant. They do not turn from the practices of these individuals, as He symbolizes them in His very person, saying clearly: God is with us. But what characterizes the walk of these people? It is that of those who have Immanuel, who trust in Him and live according to the Gospel, dismissing a life bound by the law as mere shadow. Yet they do not turn from the path of these individuals, insisting, "Let not your hearts be troubled by the assertion that it is harsh," for all that these individuals proclaim seems harsh. The words of the holy Apostles appeared somewhat severe to the Jews, as they upheld the shadow when it was needed but did not allow them to live according to the Law of Moses; instead, they urged living in accordance with the Gospel and its spiritual truths.

The Septuagint translates this as: Thus says the Lord, With a strong hand they have turned away from the paths of this people, insisting, Let them not claim, ‘This is grievous’—for all that they express is grievous—but do not fear, nor let their terror dismay you. You shall set apart the Lord of Hosts; He shall be your reverence, and if you place your trust in Him, He shall be your sanctification, and you will not stumble into an offense. The house of Jacob will become a trap and a valley for those dwelling in Jerusalem; thus many will be weakened among them, fall, break, draw near, and be ensnared.

The following pertains to the people within the fortress—they must be marked by an obelisk. The Hebrew text differs significantly from the Vulgate, and thus both translations have been presented. First, let us consider the Hebrew: Thus says the Lord to me. He who, for the sake of righteous deeds and the grace I have received through them, or He who by His mighty hand has enlightened and guided me, has directed me not to adopt the ways of this people or fall into the same error, instructed me: Do not fear the conspiracy of the two kings, but rather remember that whatever this people speak against me is in fact a conspiracy, and according to Symmachus, they have risen up against me as rebels. Yet you, O prophet, and all who are with you, must not fear the deceitful schemes of the people; instead, let your fear be of the Lord. For the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord, as stated in Proverbs 1:7 and Psalm 111:10. He will be sanctification for the faithful, but for the faithless—namely, the two houses of Judah and Israel—He will be a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense; especially will He serve as a net and a snare for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, with many stumbling and falling, shattering against Him, ensnared by the bonds of their sins, leading them into captivity.

The two houses of the Nazarenes—who accept Christ while also fulfilling the Old Testament law—refer to the families of Shammai and Hillel, from which the scribes and Pharisees emerged. Their teachings were later adopted by Akiba, seen as the teacher of the proselyte Akilah, followed by Meir, Johanan son of Zechariah, Eliezer, Telfon, and then Joseph of Galilee. Just prior to the captivity of Jerusalem, Josue appeared. Shammai and Hillel emerged in Judah shortly before the Lord’s birth, where Shammai signifies a destroyer and Hillel represents uncleanness, as through their traditions and interpretations, they corrupted and profaned the commandments of the Law. They are the two houses that rejected the Savior, who became their ruin and temptation. According to the Septuagint, with a strong hand the people resisted God’s will and claimed that all commands from the Lord were burdensome, as echoed in the Gospel: ‘This teaching is hard; who can accept it?’ (John 6:60). Therefore, they are urged to heed the Lord and to fear Him alone. If they place their hope in Him, He will be their sanctification, and they will not stumble as if caught against a rock of temptation or a stone of offense. From this passage, the Apostle asserts that for the Jews, Christ was a stumbling block, and for the Gentiles, foolishness (1 Cor. 1:23). Again, Israel pursued the law of righteousness but failed to attain it because it stemmed not from faith, but from the works of the law, stumbling at the stone of offense. As it is written, Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of offense, a rock of stumbling, and whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame (Rom. 9:31-33). Therefore, those who did not accept Immanuel, who became a stumbling stone and a rock of offense, will find themselves shattered and taken into exile. Moreover, the statement, ‘And the house of Jacob shall be a net and a valley for those who dwell in Jerusalem,’ signifies that they will not reside in the heights or mountains of the Scriptures, but will focus on lowly things, compounding sin upon sin, ensnared in the net of vices.