John Chrysostom, On Isaiah

they might show. For since many people, partly from pride, partly from laziness, forget their troubles after they are delivered from their troubles, or, if they do not forget, wish to credit their successes to themselves, He first allows them to be shaken by sorrows, and then gives them freedom from their afflictions; which is indeed what He has done here. He let their hearts be dismayed, He let them fall into great anguish, and then He brought the deliverance. This He also did in the case of the great David. For when He was about to lead him out to battle and to raise that brilliant trophy through his hands, He did not do this at the very beginning of the war, but allowed them to be worn down by fear for forty days, when they had despaired of their own safety and the barbarian was uttering countless taunts, and even then no one dared to rise up and face the adversary, then indeed, then, when their defeat was acknowledged, and their weakness had become evident, He led the young man to the war and worked that paradoxical victory. For if, even after this and such great proof of their weakness, the king who had been saved, consumed by jealousy and malice, plotted against David, becoming wholly subject to his passion and appearing ungrateful to his benefactor, what would he not have done, if He had not given such a demonstration of his own cowardice and that of the entire army? One might see God doing this very thing in many other places; which indeed is also happening here. For since He is about to end the war and deliver them from their sorrows, He first allows them to feel the terrors. For, it says, his soul was distraught, and the soul of his people, as a tree in the forest is shaken by the wind. And this is a special quality of prophecy, to bring their secrets into the open. For it interprets for us the passion of each one’s mind, and for the sake of clarity it also adds an image, so as to show the intensity of the anguish. For, it says, their soul was shaken, their spirit was crushed, they despaired of salvation, they thought they were in the direst straits, they expected nothing good, each was betrayed by his own thoughts. What then does God do? He foretells the deliverance and then He works it, so that they might not again credit the freedom of the city to anyone else, and He sends the prophet to proclaim in advance the things that are to come. For, it says, the Lord said to Isaiah: Go out to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-jashub your son who is left, to the pool of the upper conduit of the fuller’s field. And you shall say to him: Take care to be quiet, and do not be afraid, nor let your soul be fainthearted; nor be afraid of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands. For when the anger of my wrath has come, I will heal again. What is, 'Go out to meet him'? From fear and anguish the king was not quiet, nor could he bear to remain at home, but, as is the custom for those who are besieged, he continually went out, inspecting the walls, being at the gates, examining and investigating how the enemy’s affairs were situated. For this reason He says: 'Go out to meet him.' But what is: 'You and Shear-jashub your son who is left'? Shear-jashub in the Hebrew language means 'return' and 'way of life.' For this reason Jesse, sending David, said: 'And you shall take their Shear-jashub'; that is, you will report to me their way of life and what they are doing.

7.3 And here therefore, it seems to me, the prophet is commanded to take a multitude with him, so that when what was spoken comes to pass, the king may not be able to be ungrateful, as if he had heard none of these things from the prophet. What he says, therefore, is this: go out to meet him, you and those who are with you, the remnant of the people. But do not be surprised if he calls the people his son; for further on he says: 'Behold, I and the children whom God has given me.' For the saints held the rank of fathers, by their love and concern for that people surpassing all those of nature

ἐπιδείξωνται. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οἱ πολλοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, τὰ μὲν ὑπὸ τύφου, τὰ δὲ ὑπὸ ῥᾳθυμίας ἐπιλανθάνονται τῶν δεινῶν μετὰ τὴν ἀπαλλαγὴν τῶν δεινῶν ἢ μὴ ἐπιλανθανόμενοι ἑαυτοῖς λογίζεσθαι βούλονται τὰ κατορθώματα, πρότερον ἀφεὶς αὐτοὺς ὑπὸ τῶν λυπηρῶν κατασείεσθαι, τότε τὴν ἐλευθερίαν δίδωσι τῶν ἐνοχλούντων· ὃ δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα πεποίηκεν. Ἀφῆκεν αὐτῶν τὰς καρδίας ἐκστῆναι, ἀφῆκεν εἰς ἀγωνίαν γενέσθαι πολλὴν καὶ τότε τὴν λύσιν ἐπήγαγε. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ μεγάλου πεποίηκε ∆αυΐδ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἔμελλεν αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν παράταξιν ἐξαγαγεῖν καὶ τὸ λαμπρὸν ἐκεῖνο τρόπαιον ἐγείρειν διὰ τῶν ἐκείνου χειρῶν, οὐκ ἐκ προοιμίων τοῦ πολέμου τοῦτο ἐποίησεν, ἀλλ' ἀφεὶς τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέρας αὐτοὺς κατεργασθῆναι τῷ φόβῳ, ὅτε τὴν οἰκείαν ἀπέγνωσαν σωτηρίαν καὶ μυρία ὀνειδίζοντος τοῦ βαρβάρου, οὐδὲ οὕτω τις ἐτόλμησε διεγερθῆναι καὶ δέξασθαι τὸν ἀντίπαλον, τότε δή, τότε τῆς ἥττης αὐτῶν ὁμολογηθείσης, καὶ τῆς ἀσθενείας φανερᾶς γενομένης, ἤγαγε τὸ μειράκιον ἐπὶ τὸν πόλεμον καὶ τὴν παράδοξον ἐκείνην νίκην εἰργάσατο. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα καὶ τὴν τοσαύτην τῆς ἀσθενείας αὐτῶν ἀπόδειξιν ὁ σωθεὶς βασιλεύς, ὑπὸ φθόνου καὶ βασκανίας τηκόμενος, ἐπεβούλευε τῷ ∆αυΐδ, τοῦ πάθους γενόμενος ὅλος, καὶ ἀγνώμων περὶ τὸν εὐεργέτην ἐφάνη, εἰ μὴ τοσοῦτον ἔδωκεν ἔλεγχον καὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ καὶ τοῦ στρατοπέδου παντὸς ἀνανδρείας, τί οὐκ ἂν ἐποίησε; Τοῦτο αὐτὸ καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ πολλαχοῦ τὸν Θεὸν ποιοῦντα ἴδοι τις ἄν· ὃ δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα γίνεται. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ μέλλει λύειν τὸν πόλεμον καὶ ἀπαλλάττειν αὐτοὺς τῶν λυπηρῶν, ἀφίησι πρότερον τῶν δεινῶν αἰσθέσθαι. Ἐξέστη γάρ, φησίν, ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ, ὃν τρόπον ἐν δρυμῷ ξύλον ὑπὸ πνεύματος σαλευθῇ. Καὶ τοῦτο προφητείας ἴδιον, τὸ τὰ ἀπόρρητα αὐτῶν εἰς μέσον ἐξαγαγεῖν. Τὸ γὰρ πάθος ἡμῖν ἑρμηνεύει τῆς ἑκάστου διανοίας καὶ σαφηνείας ἕνεκεν καὶ εἰκόνα προστίθησιν καὶ ὥστε δεῖξαι τὴν ἐπίτασιν τῆς ἀγωνίας. ∆ιεσείσθη γὰρ αὐτῶν, φησίν, ἡ ψυχή, κατεβλήθη τὸ φρόνημα, ἀπέγνωσαν τῆς σωτηρίας, ἐν ἐσχάτοις ἐνόμιζον εἶναι, οὐδὲν χρηστὸν προσεδόκων, ἕκαστος ὑπὸ τῶν οἰκείων λογισμῶν προδεδομένος ἦν. Τί οὖν ὁ Θεός; Προλέγει τὴν ἀπαλλαγὴν καὶ τότε αὐτὴν ἐργάζεται, ἵνα μὴ ἄλλῳ τινὶ λογίσωνται πάλιν τὴν τῆς πόλεως ἐλευθερίαν, καὶ πέμπει τὸν προφήτην προαναφωνοῦντα τὰ μέλλοντα. Εἶπε γάρ, φησί, Κύριος πρὸς Ἡσαΐαν· Ἔξελθε εἰς συνάντησιν τοῦ Ἄχαζ, σὺ καὶ ὁ καταλειφθεὶς Ἰασοὺβ ὁ υἱός σου, πρὸς τῇ κολυμβήθρᾳ τῆς ἀνόδου τοῦ ἀγροῦ τοῦ κναφέως. Καὶ ἐρεῖς αὐτῷ· φύλαξαι τοῦ ἡσυχάσαι καὶ μὴ φοβοῦ, μηδὲ ἡ ψυχή σου ἀσθενείτω· μηδὲ φοβηθῇς ἀπὸ τῶν δύο ξύλων τῶν δαλῶν τῶν καπνιζομένων τούτων. Ὅταν γὰρ ὀργὴ τοῦ θυμοῦ μου γένηται, πάλιν ἰάσομαι. Τί ἐστιν, Ἔξελθε εἰς συνάντησιν; Ἀπὸ τοῦ φόβου καὶ τῆς ἀγωνίας οὐχ ἡσύχαζεν ὁ βασιλεύς, οὐδὲ οἴκοι μένειν ἠνείχετο, ἀλλ' ὅπερ ἔθος τοῖς πολιορκουμένοις ὑπομένειν, συνεχῶς ἐξῄει, τὰ τείχη περισκοπῶν, πρὸς ταῖς πύλαις γινόμενος, περιεργαζόμενος καὶ πολυπραγμονῶν, πῶς τὰ τῶν πολεμίων διάκειται πράγματα. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησιν· Ἔξελθε εἰς συνάντησιν. Τί δέ ἐστι· Σὺ καὶ ὁ καταλειφθεὶς Ἰασοὺβ ὁ υἱός σου; Ἰασοὺβ τῇ Ἑβραίων γλώττῃ ἡ ἀναστροφὴ λέγεται καὶ ἡ διαγωγή. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Ἰεσσαὶ πέμπων τὸν ∆αυῒδ ἔλεγε· Καὶ τὸ Ἰασοὺβ αὐτῶν λήψῃ· τουτέστι, τὴν ἀναστροφὴν αὐτῶν ἀπαγγελεῖς μοι καὶ τί διάγουσι πράττοντες.

7.3 Καὶ ἐνταῦθα τοίνυν, ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ, ὁ προφήτης κελεύεται πλῆθος μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ λαβεῖν, ἵν' ὅταν ἐκβῇ τὰ γεγενημένα, μὴ ἔχῃ ἀγνωμονεῖν ὁ βασιλεύς, ὡς οὐδὲν τούτων ἀκηκοὼς παρὰ τοῦ προφήτου. Ὃ οὖν φησι, τοῦτό ἐστιν· ἔξελθε εἰς συνάντησιν, σὺ καὶ οἱ ἀναστρεφόμενοι μετὰ σοῦ, οἱ καταλειφθέντες τοῦ λαοῦ. Μὴ θαυμάσῃς δὲ εἰ υἱὸν αὐτοῦ καλεῖ τὸν λαόν· καὶ γὰρ προϊών φησιν· Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ καὶ τὰ παιδία, ἅ μοι ἔδωκεν ὁ Θεός. Καὶ γὰρ πατέρων τάξιν ἐπεῖχον οἱ ἅγιοι, τῇ ἀγάπῃ καὶ τῇ κηδεμονίᾳ τῇ περὶ τὸν δῆμον ἐκεῖνον πάντας τοὺς τῆς φύσεως ἀποκρύπτοντες