The Lord expresses that He acted because He observed their ways and recompensed them for the iniquities that defiled the land, honoring idols and corrupting His inheritance with idolatries. However, it seems more accurate to suggest that the prophet is prophesying about the future. Given that he previously noted, I will return them to their land, which I gave to their ancestors, he now illustrates their return: first He sends the apostles, to whom the Savior said, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men (Matt. 4:19), and then the hunters, which can refer to either the faithful of the Church or angels, who, when the end of time arrives, will gather the chosen saints from the mountains of lofty doctrines and from the hills of virtuous deeds, as well as from the rocky gorges, encompassing the apostles and their successors. For Christ is indeed a rock, and the Apostle Peter was also designated as such (1 Cor. 10; Mt. 16), and those who steadfastly adhere to his teachings are fittingly called those taken from the rock. It is worth noting that both the apostles and their successors experienced sins and faced consequences for their iniquities; for the servant who is aware of his master’s will but does not act on it will face severe punishment (Lk. 12). It is important to observe that the Hebrew version places this statement first, while the LXX translation omits it. When He states, I will first repay them for their iniquities and sins, He implies that upon recognizing the evil, they will also come to understand the good. Yet, having been taken away, they polluted the Lord’s land with the remnants of their idols and filled His inheritance with their abominations, that the entire world might stand accountable to God and attain salvation, not through their own merits, but through His grace. The phrase we reference here from the Hebrew, it is not hidden from My face, does not appear in the LXX.
THEOSIS