THEOSISJerome of Stridon
You distort the message of the living God, the Sovereign Lord, our God. Therefore, ask the prophet: ‘What was the response from the Lord?’ and ‘What did the Lord communicate?’ If you also insist that it is ‘from the Lord,’ note that up to this point, the Septuagint has not acknowledged this. Thus, the Lord declares: since you have claimed this phrase, ‘A burden from the Lord,’ although I instructed you to say, ‘Do not claim it is a burden from the Lord,’ consider this: I will lift you up and cast you, along with the city that I assigned to you and your ancestors, away from My presence. You will be turned into a source of everlasting shame and infamy that will never be forgotten.
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The Lord commands that the term ‘burden’ or ‘heaviness’ is not to be uttered among the people; instead, they should proclaim ‘the answer’ or ‘the word of God.’ Since the people failed to comply with this directive, He now interprets their actions against them, stating, ‘Despite my repeated sending of prophets to instruct you not to speak this word, you have disregarded my commands: therefore, I will manifest the word ‘burden’ in reality. I will take you up, and lift you high, only to crush you and cast you down to the earth, along with the city that I granted to your forebears. I will deliver you into shame and everlasting disgrace that will never fade away. This prophecy came to pass during the Babylonian exile; however, it reached a fuller realization following the suffering and resurrection of the Savior when the Lord proclaimed, ‘Your house is left to you desolate’ (Luke 13:35). We may interpret this differently, consistent with the rendition of the Septuagint. The Greek term λήμμα signifies not only acceptance but also gift or present. Thus, since the people consistently anticipated blessings, it is stated that they should no longer declare such expectations, for they would not only be unworthy of God’s blessings and gifts but would also be abandoned and completely deprived of His assistance. Often, through the meanings of names and terms, indications of the actual circumstances are provided, as seen with the changed names of Abraham, Sarah, Peter, and the sons of Zebedee, which signify transformations in their conditions, as exemplified by the prophet Phasur (Jer. 20), suggesting terror, migration, or sojourner. Additionally, it’s notable that the phrases 'The living God, the Lord of Hosts, our God' are absent from the Latin and Greek manuscripts; the Hebrews in their texts read these words with a self-reflective interpretation, accurately pointing to the mystery of the Trinity.