John Chrysostom, On Isaiah

for there is no bread in my house, nor a garment. I will not be a ruler of this people. Here it seems to me that he is hinting at either some most difficult siege, which has brought them down into the utmost distress, or, apart from a siege, some unbearable famine and a great scarcity of necessities. And he uses a common expression; and just as many say, "If the entire city happened to be sold for an obol, I would not be able to buy it," indicating extreme poverty; so also the prophet says that if the ruling offices could be bought for a single garment and a loaf of bread alone, there will be no one to buy them; so great will be the scarcity of necessities. Because Jerusalem is given up; that is, it has been forsaken, desolated, stripped of the providence of God. And Judea has collapsed; it is filled, he says, with disturbance and tumult, with confusion and disorder. And their tongues with lawlessness disobey the things of the Lord. Then also the cause of the evils: the intemperance of the tongue. Which Hosea also accuses, saying, "Ephraim came to nothing in the days of reproof; among the tribes of Israel I showed faithful things;" and Malachi saying the same things again, "Those who provoke God in your words; and you said, 'In what have we provoked him?' In your saying, 'Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and in them He is well pleased.' And where is the God of justice?" This indeed he himself accuses, bringing forward a twofold charge, that not only do they disobey, nor only do they transgress the law, but that although they ought at least to be ashamed at this and blush, to be covered and to bow their heads, they even strive against their former deeds, along with not doing the things commanded, also uttering burdensome words; as if some ungrateful servant, abandoning the commands of his master, should also be insolent. Therefore their glory is now humbled, and the shame of their face has stood against them. Again he speaks of future things as past, using the customary rule of prophecy. And he calls the captivity a humbling of glory. For it was no ordinary shame for those who were in the rank of the rulers of the world to be subjected to profane and barbarous men. And here he speaks of shame of face as that which comes from sin. For such was their life. Since, therefore, they had first shamed themselves by what they did, for this reason God cast them out from glory, delivering them to a lesser punishment than that which they had brought upon themselves. For they were not so shameful dwelling in a foreign land, as when, possessing the metropolis, they transgressed the law. For then the things of their wickedness were also checked for them; but in their homeland it was even raised to a greater degree. Therefore the prophet taught them a great doctrine, everywhere persuading them to flee wickedness before the punishment and to be covered and ashamed; not when barbarians taking them lead them away as slaves, but when the tyranny of sin holds them captive. And they proclaimed and made manifest their sin, as that of Sodom. What I have often said, I say also now: that the prophet, showing the philanthropy of God, does not foretell what they are about to suffer, but also what they were worthy to suffer. For their sins were equal to those of Sodom, but the punishments were less. For He did not snatch them up by the roots, nor tear up the city from its foundations, nor destroy the remnants of the race. And the phrase "They proclaimed and made manifest" is spoken in a more human manner. For God does not learn what has happened when it happens (for how could He, who knows all things before their beginning?), but He spoke thus in order to show the magnitude of the vehemence.

3.5 For just as elsewhere he says, "The cry of their wickedness has come up to me," not settling God somewhere far away and enclosing him in heaven does he say these things, but indicating the magnitude of the sin; so indeed also here, he says "They proclaimed," indicating the excess of their wickedness. For since the lesser sins might also escape notice, but the excessive and great ones are known and manifest to all, even if there is no one to accuse or to convict. For they themselves

γάρ ἐστιν ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ μου ἄρτος, οὐδὲ ἱμάτιον. Οὐκ ἔσομαι ἀρχηγὸς τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου. Ἐνταῦθά μοι δοκεῖ ἢ πολιορκίαν τινὰ χαλεπωτάτην αἰνίττεσθαι, εἰς τὴν ἐσχάτην στενοχωρίαν αὐτοὺς κατενεγκοῦσαν, ἢ χωρὶς πολιορκίας λιμόν τινα ἀφόρητον καὶ πολλὴν τῶν ἀναγκαίων σπάνιν. Κέχρηται δὲ κοινῇ συνηθείᾳ· καὶ ὥσπερ πολλοί φασιν, εἰ συνέβη τὴν πόλιν ἅπασαν ὀβολοῦ πωλεῖσθαι, οὐκ ἂν σχοίην αὐτὴν πρίασθαι, τὴν ἐσχάτην πενίαν ἐνδεικνύμενοι· οὕτω καὶ ὁ προφήτης φησίν, ὅτι εἰ ἱματίου ἑνὸς καὶ ἄρτου μόνου γένοιντ' ἂν αἱ ἀρχαὶ ὠνηταί, οὐδεὶς ἔσται ὁ ὠνούμενος· τοσαύτη σπάνις ἔσται τῶν ἀναγκαίων. Ὅτι ἀνεῖται Ἱερουσαλήμ· τουτέστιν ἐγκαταλέλειπται, ἠρήμωται, τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ προνοίας γεγύμνωται. Καὶ ἡ Ἰουδαία συμπέπτωκε· ταραχῆς, φησίν, ἐμπέπλησται καὶ θορύβου, συγχύσεως καὶ ἀταξίας. Καὶ αἱ γλῶσσαι αὐτῶν μετὰ ἀνομίας τὰ πρὸς τὸν Κύριον ἀπειθοῦσιν. Εἶτα καὶ ἡ αἰτία τῶν κακῶν, τῆς γλώττης ἡ ἀκρασία. Ὃ καὶ Ὠσηὲ ἐγκαλεῖ λέγων· Ἐφραῒμ εἰςἀφανισμὸν ἐγένοντο ἐν ἡμέραις ἐλέγχου· ἐν ταῖς φυλαῖς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἔδειξα πιστά· καὶ ὁ Μαλαχίας τὰ αὐτὰ πάλιν λέγων· Οἱ παροξύνοντες τὸν Θεὸν ἐν τοῖς λόγοις ὑμῶν· καὶ εἴπατε· ἐν τίνι παρωξύναμεν αὐτόν; Ἐν τῷ λέγειν ὑμᾶς· πᾶς ποιῶν πονηρὸν καλὸν ἐνώπιον Κυρίου καὶ ἐν αὐτοῖς αὐτὸς εὐδόκησε. Καὶ ποῦ ἔστιν ὁ Θεὸς τῆς δικαιοσύνης; Τοῦτο δὴ καὶ αὐτὸς αἰτιᾶται, διπλοῦν προφέρων ἔγκλημα, ὅτι οὐ μόνον ἀπειθοῦσιν, οὐδὲ οὐ μόνον παραβαίνουσι τὸν νόμον, ἀλλ' ὅτι ὀφείλοντες γοῦν αἰσχύνεσθαι ἐπὶ τούτῳ καὶ ἐρυθριᾷν, ἐγκαλύπτεσθαι καὶ κάτω κύπτειν, οἱ δὲ καὶ ἐπαγωνίζονται τοῖς προτέροις, μετὰ τοῦ μὴ ποιεῖν τὰ ἐπιτεταγμένα καὶ φορτικὰ φθεγγόμενοι ῥήματα· Ὡσανεὶ οἰκέτης τις ἀγνώμων ἐγκατα λιμπάνων τὰ ἐπιτάγματα τοῦ δεσπότου, ἔτι καὶ θρασύνοιτο. ∆ιὸ νῦν ἐταπεινώθη ἡ δόξα αὐτῶν, καὶ ἡ αἰσχύνη τοῦ προσώπου αὐτῶν ἀντέστη αὐτοῖς. Πάλιν τὰ μέλλοντα ὡς παρεληλυθότα λέγει, τῷ συνήθει κεχρημένος νόμῳ τῆς προφητείας. Ταπείνωσιν δὲ δόξης τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν καλεῖ. Οὐ γὰρ τῆς τυχούσης αἰσχύνης ἦν, τοὺς ἐν τάξει τῶν βασιλευόντων τῆς οἰκουμένης ὄντας, τούτους ἀνθρώποις βεβήλοις καὶ βαρβάροις ὑποτετάχθαι. Αἰσχύνην δὲ προσώπου ἐνταῦθα τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἐγγινομένην φησί. Τοιοῦτος γὰρ ἦν αὐτῶν ὁ βίος. Ἐπεὶ οὖν προλαβόντες ἑαυτοὺς κατῄσχυναν, δι' ὧν ἔπραττον, διὰ δὴ τοῦτο ὁ Θεὸς τῆς δόξης αὐτοὺς ἐξέβαλεν, ἐλάττονι παραδιδοὺς τιμωρίᾳ τῆς ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἐπενεχθείσης αὐτοῖς. Οὐ γὰρ οὕτως ἦσαν ἐπονείδιστοι τὴν ἀλλοτρίαν οἰκοῦντες, ὡς ὅτε τὴν μητρόπολιν ἔχοντες παρηνόμουν. Τότε μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἐνεκόπτετο αὐτοῖς τὰ τῆς κακίας· ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς πατρίδος καὶ πρὸς τὸ μεῖζον ᾔρετο. Μέγα τοίνυν αὐτοὺς ὁ προφήτης ἐπαίδευε δόγμα, πανταχοῦ πείθων πρὸ τῆς κολάσεως τὴν πονηρίαν φεύγειν καὶ ἐγκαλύπτεσθαι καὶ αἰσχύνεσθαι· οὐχ ὅταν βάρβαροι λαβόντες δούλους ἀπαγάγωσιν, ἀλλ' ὅταν ἡ τῆς ἁμαρτίας τυραννὶς αἰχμαλώτους ἔχῃ. Τὴν δὲ ἁμαρτίαν αὐτῶν, ὡς Σοδόμων, ἀνήγγειλαν καὶ ἐνεφάνισαν. Ὃ πολλάκις εἶπον, λέγω καὶ νῦν· ὅτι δεικνὺς τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν ὁ προφήτης, οὐχ ἃ μέλλουσι πάσχειν προλέγει, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἃ παθεῖν ἦσαν ἄξιοι. Τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἡμαρτημένα αὐτοῖς ἴσα Σοδόμοις ἦν, τὰ δὲ τῆς τιμωρίας καταδεέστερα. Οὐ γὰρ προρρίζους αὐτοὺς ἀνήρπασεν, οὐδὲ ἐκ βάθρων τὴν πόλιν ἀνέσπασεν, οὐδὲ τὰ λείψανα τοῦ γένους ἠφανίσεν. Τὸ δὲ Ἀνήγγειλαν καὶ ἐνεφάνισαν, ἀνθρωπινώτερον εἴρηται. Οὐ γὰρ τότε μανθάνει ὁ Θεὸς τὰ γεγενημένα ὅταν γένηται (πῶς γάρ, ὁ πάντα εἰδὼς πρὶν γενέσεως αὐτῶν;), ἀλλ' ἵνα δείξῃ τὸ μέγεθος τῆς σφοδρότητος οὕτως εἶπεν.

3.5 Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἀλλαχοῦ φησιν· Ἀνέβη ἡ κραυγὴ τῆς κακίας αὐτῶν πρός με, οὐχὶ τὸν Θεὸν ἀποικίζων που πόρρω καὶ εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν περικλείων, ταῦτά φησιν, ἀλλὰ τὸ μέγεθος τῆς ἁμαρτίας δηλῶν· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα, τὸ Ἀνήγγειλαν, τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τῆς πονηρίας ἐνδεικνύμενος λέγει. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τὰ μὲν καταδεέστερα τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων καὶ λαθεῖν δύναιτ' ἄν· τὰ δὲ ὑπερβάλλοντα καὶ μεγάλα πᾶσίν ἐστι γνώριμα καὶ καταφανῆ, κἂν μηδεὶς ὁ κατηγορῶν ᾖ, μηδὲ ἐλέγχων. Αὐτὰ γὰρ ἑαυτὰ