They have cut down at once the gates thereof, with axe and hatchet they have brought it down.
ועת וְ֭עַתָּה פִּתּוּחֶ֣יהָ יָּ֑חַד בְּכַשִּׁ֥יל וְ֝כֵֽילַפֹּ֗ת יַהֲלֹמֽוּן׃
5 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Let us quickly turn to the passages that follow the devastation of Jerusalem, as the connection is clear, and I do not wish to postpone addressing even its adversaries. Like a grove of trees being felled, they swiftly dismantled its gates; with tools in hand, they brought it to ruin. This reflects their collusion, determined and resolute, as they orchestrated its downfall.
Although in departure above See v. 4 4. Just as the timber of the oak is hewn with axes. You shall bring down its gates with mourning and scorn. After employing the tools of lumberjacks and craftsmen, and breaking through the walls, and slicing through the entrances of the dwellings, just as the oak was felled, all that was crafted with skill and beauty was laid to waste.
The following shall occur: the oak tree represents a forest of timber situated among the mountains; indeed, the oak is a woodland grove nestled between the peaks. The Romans, as it is said, hewed the gates of Jerusalem with axes, treating them as mere wood, and with crowbars, they dismantled the rooftops and gates of the city, along with every structure made of timber. They further breached the city walls with knives and chisels; the chisel serves as a tool for stonemasons, essential for shaping stone, demolishing walls, and overcoming strongholds.
In the most profound sense, when adversaries conspire against you, it is as if you offer them axes at your threshold, scattering thoughts before your master’s mind, so that when they fall, they may grasp the spiritual armor upon which you have relied (in Nikita).
The faithful recount the horrific acts committed by their adversaries in Jerusalem, asserting that the only actions taken were akin to those of robbers and marauders. Armed with wooden and iron weapons, they shattered the city’s walls, hewed down the temple doors with axes, and marred all that had been exquisitely crafted, causing devastation akin to a ravaged forest. Yet their insatiable wrath did not stop there; they escalated their violence to the point where the most glorious temple in the entire world, dedicated to the name of the Lord, was set ablaze. To illustrate the enemies' brutality more vividly, the Prophet depicts them urging one another to spare nothing—summarizing his lament that their ferocity left nothing unscathed.
The term feasts refers to the sacred gatherings established in the Synagogues, not merely for the reading and understanding of the Prophets, but also for the worship of God and calling upon His name. This indicates that the wicked employed every effort to obliterate the worship of God in Judah.
Ultimately, in Christ the Fulfillment of all that is good, celebrated in expressions of gratitude, and exalted for eternity. This Psalm, inspired by the Holy Spirit to David and conveyed to Asaph, the leader of the singers, was intended to proclaim a message of joy to the Jewish people regarding the impending victory over Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, representing the triumph of the Holy Church over all her adversaries, bestowed by God through our Lord Jesus Christ. It is worth noting that the Holy Spirit has woven together the truths of the Christian faith with Jewish history, thereby offering comfort to the Jew who interprets these words in a straightforward manner and joy to the Christian who perceives their deeper significance.
THEOSIS