The LXX renders it: Thus says the Lord, With a strong hand they have strayed from the path of this people, saying, Let them not say, ‘This is burdensome’: for all that this people considers burdensome should not instill fear or dismay in you. You shall honor the Lord of Hosts, and He shall be your reverence; if you trust in Him, He will be your sanctification, and you will not be ensnared like a stumbling stone or a rock of offense. The house of Jacob will be a snare and a low point for those residing in Jerusalem; thus many shall be weak and fall, breaking and being caught near the valley.
The populace in the fortress must be distinguished by an obelisk. Given the significant differences between the Hebrew text and the Vulgate, both interpretations have been presented. First, let’s consider the Hebrew. The Lord says to me, He who, for the sake of good works and the grace bestowed upon me, has illuminated and directed me with His strong hand, instructing me not to follow the errors of this people but to depart from their wrongful ways. He commanded me: Do not fear the schemes of the two kings; instead, remember that whatever this people accuses me of is a conspiracy akin to rebellion, according to Symmachus.
But you, O prophet, along with your companions, ought to disregard the deceptive plots of the people. Instead, cherish the fear of the Lord, for the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 1:7; Psalm 110:9). For believers, He will serve as their sanctification, while for the unbelievers, specifically the two houses of Judah and Israel, He becomes a stone of offense and a stumbling block; particularly, He will be a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, leading many to stumble and fall, broken by their sins, and taken into captivity.
The two houses of the Nazarenes—those who embrace Christ without abandoning the fulfillment of the Old Testament law—refer to the families of Shammai and Hillel, whose teachings gave rise to the scribes and Pharisees, later succeeded by Akiba, known as the teacher of the proselyte Akilah, followed by Meir and others. Shammai and Hillel emerged in Judah not long before the Lord’s birth, with the former signifying a waste and the latter being unclean, as their traditions and secondary laws distorted the commandments of the Law. They represent the two houses that did not accept the Savior, who thus became their downfall and temptation.
As noted in the LXX, with a strong hand, the people rejected the divine will, claiming the Lord's commands are burdensome, mirroring the Gospel where it states: ‘This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?’ (John 6:60). Consequently, they are called to heed the Lord and solely fear Him. If they place their hope in Him, He will be their sanctification, and they will not stumble as over a rock of offense or a stone of falling. From this scripture, the Apostle draws the conclusion that Christ is a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles (1 Cor. 1:23). Moreover, Israel pursued the law of righteousness but did not attain it, for it stemmed not from faith but from the works of the law, stumbling over the stone of offense, as it is written: I lay in Zion a stone of offense and a rock of temptation; and whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame (Rom. 9:31-33). Therefore, those who did not receive Immanuel, who became a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, will face destruction and captivity. The saying, ‘And the house of Jacob shall be a net and a low point for those who dwell in Jerusalem,’ signifies their lack of residence in the mountains or heights of Scripture, leading them to remain wise in humble matters while compounding sins and ensnaring themselves in a web of vices.
THEOSIS