John Chrysostom, On Isaiah

fathers. And he says "left behind," because many had been carried away by the enemies. In the way of the fuller's field. This also seems to me to be a great difficulty, if indeed those who were shut in and besieged and did not even dare to peek out, appeared outside the gates. For indeed this way now appears to be outside the walls. What then is the solution to this difficulty? That in ancient times another wall surrounded it; for the city had double walls; and this is easy to perceive from another prophet for those willing to pay attention. Therefore, going out, he raises up their fallen spirits and bids them to be of good courage about the things to come. For "Be quiet," he says, "and do not be afraid." And he calls the kings "firebrands of wood," indicating at once their fierceness, and at once their vulnerability. For he also added "smoking" for this reason, that is, they are now near to being extinguished. Then, showing that the attack was not of their power, but of His permission, he says: "For when the anger of my wrath comes, I will heal again." And the son of Aram and the son of Remaliah, because they have taken evil counsel, Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, saying against you: "We will go up to Judea and afflict it, and speaking together we will turn them to ourselves, and we will make the son of Tabeel king of it." Thus says the Lord of Sabaoth: "This counsel shall not stand, nor shall it be; but the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin." And yet sixty-five years and the kingdom of Ephraim will cease from being a people. And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. And if you do not believe, neither shall you understand. Again the prophet provides the greatest proof of the prophecy. For since fear had shaken them and the terrible things were before their eyes, while the good things were in hopes and surpassing all expectation, and the listeners were not very faithful, see what he does. He gives a very great sign of the things that will come to pass, bringing the counsels of the enemies into the open. For he tells their intention with which they marched against the city, and what they said to one another, and with what agreement they returned, and he shows that the matter was either treason (for, he says, "Speaking together with them, we will turn them to ourselves") or that they were drunk with much folly, and thinking they needed neither arms, nor battle array, nor engagement to take the city. For it is enough for us just to appear, he says, and to speak, and to depart having taken all as captives. Then, as boasters are wont to do, puffed up by this hope, they even counsel about a king, as if the city were already captured, and whom it is necessary to set over the metropolis. And their things are such, he says; but the things of God are destructive of all those things. Therefore he also added: "Thus says the Lord;" and he did not stop, but added, "of Sabaoth." For whenever he is about to announce something great, he reminds of the power of God, and of the kingdom above, and of that marvelous and extraordinary rule. What then does God say? "This counsel shall not stand, nor shall it be; but the head of Aram is Damascus." His rule, he says, his authority, will be established in Damascus and will not proceed further. And the head of Damascus is Rezin. And the ruler of Damascus, he says, and the one ruling will be Rezin; that is, he will remain in his own things and will not add more power to himself. And yet sixty-five years and the kingdom of Ephraim will cease from being a people.

7.4 And the greatest proof of the truth is, when the prophets also foretell the times, providing for those who wish to examine with precision the power of the prophecy. For now, he says, they will depart from the city; but after sixty-five years, the entire nation will perish, and the kingdom of Israel will be gone, and the enemies, taking them, will drive them all out. Now, however, before that capture, they will take nothing more than their own. For lest the king, hearing that they will perish after sixty-five years, say to himself, "What then? if they take us now, and perish then, what is the benefit to us?" "Take courage," he says, "also concerning the present things."

πατέρας. Καταλειφθέντας δέ φησι, διὰ τὸ πολλοὺς ἀπενηνέχθαι ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων. Ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ τοῦ ἀγροῦ τοῦ κναφέως. Πολλῆς μοι καὶ τοῦτο ἀπορίας εἶναι δοκεῖ, εἴ γε οἱ συγκεκλεισμένοι καὶ πολιορκούμενοι καὶ μηδὲ προκῦψαι τολμῶντες, ἔξω πυλῶν ἐφαίνοντο. Καὶ γὰρ ἔξω τειχῶν ἡ ὁδὸς αὕτη φαίνεται νῦν οὖσα. Τίς οὖν ἡ λύσις τῆς ἀπορίας ταύτης; Ὅτι τὸ παλαιὸν ἕτερον περιεβέβλητο τεῖχος· καὶ γὰρ διπλᾶ τῇ πόλει τὰ τείχη ἦν· καὶ τοῦτο ῥᾴδιον ἐξ ἑτέρου προφήτου κατιδεῖν ἐστι τοῖς βουλομένοις προσέχειν. Ἐξελθὼν τοίνυν ἀνίστησιν αὐτῶν τὰ φρονήματα καταπεπτωκότα καὶ κελεύει θαρσεῖν ὑπὲρ τῶν μελλόντων. Ἡσύχασον γάρ, φησί, καὶ μὴ φοβοῦ· καὶ δαλοὺς ξύλων καλεῖ τοὺς βασιλέας, ὁμοῦ μὲν αὐτῶν τὸ σφοδρόν, ὁμοῦ δὲ τὸ εὐχείρωτον ἐνδεικνύμενος. Καὶ γὰρ τὸ Καπνιζομένων, διὰ τοῦτο προστέθεικε, τουτέστιν, ἐγγὺς ὄντων τοῦ σβεσθῆναι λοιπόν. Εἶτα δηλῶν, ὡς οὐ τῆς ἐκείνων δυνάμεως, ἀλλὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ συγχωρήσεως ἡ ἔφοδος ἦν, φησίν· Ὅταν γὰρ ὀργὴ τοῦ θυμοῦ μου γένηται, πάλιν ἰάσομαι. Καὶ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ Ἀρὰμ καὶ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ Ῥωμελίου, ὅτι ἐβουλεύσαντο βουλὴν πονηράν, Ἐφραῒμ καὶ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ Ῥωμελίου κατὰ σοῦ λέγοντες· Ἀναβησόμεθα εἰς τὴν Ἰουδαίαν καὶ κακώσομεν αὐτὴν καὶ συλλαλήσαντες ἀποστρέψομεν αὐτοὺς πρὸς ἡμᾶς καὶ βασιλεύσομεν αὐτῆς τὸν υἱὸν Ταβεήλ. Τάδε λέγει Κύριος Σαβαώθ· Οὐ μὴ μείνῃ ἡ βουλὴ αὕτη, οὐδὲ ἔσται· ἀλλ' ἡ κεφαλὴ Ἀρὰμ ∆αμασκὸς καὶ ἡ κεφαλὴ ∆αμασκοῦ Ῥασίν. Καὶ ἔτι ἑξήκοντα καὶ πέντε ἔτη καὶ ἐκλείψει ἡ βασιλεία Ἐφραῒμ ἀπὸ λαοῦ. Καὶ ἡ κεφαλὴ Ἐφραῒμ Σομόρων καὶ ἡ κεφαλὴ Σομόρων ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ Ῥωμελίου. Καὶ ἐὰν μὴ πιστεύσητε, οὐδὲ μὴ συνῆτε. Πάλιν ὁ προφήτης μεγίστην ἀπόδειξιν παρέχεται τῆς προφητείας. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὁ φόβος κατέσεισε καὶ πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν ἦν τὰ δεινά, τὰ δὲ χρηστὰ ἐν ἐλπίσι καὶ προσδοκίαν ὑπερβαίνοντα πᾶσαν καὶ οἱ ἀκροώμενοι οὐ σφόδρα πιστοί, ὅρα τί ποιεῖ. ∆ίδωσι σημεῖον μέγιστον τῶν ἐκβησομένων, τὰ βουλεύματα τῶν πολεμίων εἰς μέσον ἐκφέρων. Λέγει γὰρ αὐτῶν τὴν γνώμην, μεθ' ἧς ἐπεστράτευσαν τῇ πόλει καὶ τί πρὸς ἀλλήλους διελέχθησαν καὶ τί συνθέντες ἐπανῆλθον καὶ δείκνυσιν ἢ προδοσίαν τὸ πρᾶγμα ὂν (Συλλαλήσαντες γάρ, φησίν, αὐτοῖς, ἀποστρέψομεν αὐτοὺς πρὸς ἡμᾶς) ἢ πολλῇ τῇ ἀπονοίᾳ μεθύοντας καὶ νομίζοντας μηδὲ ὅπλων αὐτοῖς δεῖν, μηδὲ παρατάξεως καὶ συμβολῆς εἰς τὸ τὴν πόλιν λαβεῖν. Ἀρκεῖ γὰρ ἡμῖν φανῆναι, φησί, μόνον καὶ διαλεχθῆναι, καὶ πάντας αἰχμαλώτους λαβόντας ἀπελθεῖν. Εἶτα, ὅπερ πάσχουσιν οἱ ἀλαζόνες, ὑπὸ τῆς ἐλπίδος ταύτης φυσηθέντες καὶ περὶ βασιλέως βουλεύονται, ὡς ἤδη τῆς πόλεως ἁλούσης, καὶ τίνα ἐπιστῆσαι δεῖ τῇ μητροπόλει. Καὶ τὰ μὲν ἐκείνων τοιαῦτα, φησί· τὰ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ πάντων ἐκείνων ἀναιρετικά. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐπήγαγε· Τάδε λέγει Κύριος· καὶ οὐκ ἔστη, ἀλλὰ προσέθηκε, Σαβαώθ. Ὅταν γάρ τι μέγα ἀπαγγέλλειν μέλλῃ, τῆς δυνάμεως ἀναμιμνῄσκει τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τῆς βασιλείας τῆς ἄνω καὶ τῆς θαυμαστῆς ἐκείνης ἀρχῆς καὶ παραδόξου. Τί οὖν φησιν ὁ Θεός; Οὐ μὴ μείνῃ ἡ βουλὴ αὕτη, οὐδὲ ἔσται· ἀλλ' ἡ κεφαλὴ Ἀρὰμ ∆αμασκός. Ἡ ἀρχὴ αὐτοῦ, φησίν, ἡ ἐξουσία αὐτοῦ ἐν ∆αμασκῷ στήσεται καὶ περαιτέρω οὐ προβήσεται. Καὶ ἡ κεφαλὴ ∆αμασκοῦ Ῥασήν. Καὶ ὁ ἄρχων ∆αμασκοῦ, φησί, καὶ ὁ κρατῶν Ῥασὴν ἔσται· τουτέστιν, ἐν τοῖς αὐτοῦ μενεῖ καὶ πλείονα οὐ προσθήσει δύναμιν αὐτῷ. Καὶ ἔτι ἑξήκοντα καὶ πέντε ἔτη καὶ ἐκλείψει ἡ βασιλεία Ἐφραῒμ ἀπὸ λαοῦ.

7.4 Μεγίστη δὲ τῆς ἀληθείας ἀπόδειξις, ὅταν καὶ τοὺς καιροὺς προλέγωσιν οἱ προφῆται, παρέχοντες τοῖς βουλομένοις ἐξετάζειν μετὰ ἀκριβείας τῆς προφητείας τὴν δύναμιν. Νῦν μὲν γάρ, φησίν, ἀποστήσονται τῆς πόλεως· μετὰ δὲ πέντε καὶ ἑξήκοντα ἔτη ὁλόκληρον ἀπολεῖται τὸ ἔθνος καὶ ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ οἰχήσεται καὶ οἱ πολέμιοι λαβόντες αὐτοὺς ἀπελάσονται πάντας. Νῦν μέντοι πρὸ τῆς ἁλώσεως ἐκείνης οὐδὲν πλέον τῶν οἰκείων λήψονται. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ ἀκούσας ὁ βασιλεὺς ὅτι μετὰ ἑξήκοντα πέντε ἔτη ἀπολοῦνται, λέγῃ πρὸς ἑαυτόν, τί οὖν; ἐὰν νῦν ἡμᾶς λαβόντες, τότε ἀπολοῦνται, τί τὸ ὄφελος ἡμῖν; θάρρει, φησί, καὶ περὶ τῶν παρόντων.