THEOSISCyrill of Alexandria
Egypt will face destruction, and Edom will lie in devastation due to the iniquity of Judah's descendants, who have shed innocent blood in their land. Yet Judah will endure eternally, and Jerusalem shall be inhabited for generations. I will demand their blood and will not overlook it, for the Lord shall reside in Zion. Historically, these words have indeed come to pass, as Egypt faced punishment and lost its sovereignty when Cambyses, Cyrus's son, overthrew it; likewise, Idumea lay in ruins, as the circumstances reveal. However, the prophetic language here hints at the concealed acknowledgment made by the Only-Begotten as He entered humanity. Sacred Scripture often likens to hardened idolaters the legions of demons and persistent adversaries of the saints.
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Thus, all adversarial forces, like the Egyptians and Idumeans, will perish; for Christ promises that "the gates of hell will not prevail against" His Church (Matthew 16:18). The malignant powers will face retribution for their wrongs against humanity, targeting anyone who misleads others through secular errors or leads "a debased mind" (Romans 1:28) into moral corruption. This is clearly affirmed by the declaration that those who oppose Zion will fall, "for they have shed righteous blood," committing grave offenses against the sons of Judah—the saints, the children of confession, given that Judah signifies confession. The divinely inspired David does not forget the unrighteously slain, stating, "for he that seeketh their blood I will remember" (Psalms 9:13). To Satan, represented by Assur, it is said, "As a garment wet in blood shall not be clean, so thou shalt not be clean: for my land thou hast destroyed, and my people thou hast beaten: thou shalt not abide forever" (Isaiah 14:20). Therefore, the enemies of Zion shall indeed be annihilated, "but Judah shall be inhabited forever," and Jerusalem for generations, not referring to the desolate and burned city (for the Lord and God, being truth, cannot utter falsehood), but to the spiritual, heavenly, exalted Jerusalem, and divine Zion, the splendid and beautiful city, crafted and constructed by God, through which we may enter by Christ.