*H In the year that king Ozias died, I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne high and elevated: and his train filled the temple.
Ver. 1. Died. Either a natural (C.) or a civil death, by means of the leprosy. Chal. Tostat. 7. — This and the former chapters relate to the commencement of Joathan's reign, whether before or after the death of Ozias. C. — Many think that this was the first prediction of Isaias. Orig. S. Jer. ad Dam. — I saw. By a prophetic vision, as if I had been present at the dedication of the temple. 3 K. viii. 10. C. — Lord. Not the Father, as some have asserted, but the Son. Jo. xii. 40. S. Jer. ad Dam. C. — Neither Moses nor any other saw the substance of God; but only a shadow. Yet Manasses hence took a pretext to have Isaias slain. Orig. S. Jer. Trad. Paral. W.
*H Upon it stood the seraphims: the one had six wings, and the other had six wings: with two they covered his face, and with two they covered his feet, and with two they flew.
Ver. 2. The two Seraphims "burning." They are supposed to constitute the highest order of angels. Num. xxi. 6. — His. God's or their own face. Heb. and Sept. are ambiguous. Out of respect, (C.) they looked not at the divine majesty. M.
*H And they cried one to another, and said: Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God of hosts, all the earth is full of his glory,
Ver. 3. Glory. By no means of the Incarnation. The unity and Trinity are insinuated. S. Jer. S. Greg. Mor. xxix. 16.
* Footnote * Apocalypse 4 : 8
And the four living creatures had each of them six wings: and round about and within they are full of eyes. And they rested not day and night, saying: Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.*H And the lintels of the doors were moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
Ver. 4. Of him. Sept. "them," (H.) the Seraphim signifying that the veil was removed by the death of Christ, (Theod.) or that the people should be led into captivity, as a Jew explained it to S. Jerom.
*H And I said: Woe is me, because I have held my peace; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people that hath unclean lips, and I have seen with my eyes the King the Lord of hosts.
Ver. 5. Peace. It is proper for sinners to do so. Eccli. xv. 9. The prophet was grieved that he was unworthy to join in the acclamation of the Seraphim, and had reason to fear death. Gen. xvi. 13. Ex. xxxiii. 20. He finds himself less able to speak than before, like Moses. Ex. iv. 10. and vi. 12.
*H And one of the seraphims flew to me, and in his hand was a live coal, which he had taken with the tongs off the altar.
Ver. 6. Coal. "Carbuncle," (Sept.) the word of God, (S. Basil) spirit of prophecy, (S. Jer. 142. ad Dam.) &c.
*H And he touched my mouth, and said: Behold this hath touched thy lips, and thy iniquities shall be taken away, and thy sin shall be cleansed.
Ver. 7. Sin. Impediment in speech. All defects were attributed to some sin, (Jo. ix. 2.) as Job's friends maintained.
* Footnote * Jeremias 1 : 9
And the Lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth: and the Lord said to me: Behold I have given my words in thy mouth:*H And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: Whom shall I send? and who shall go for us? And I said: Lo, here am I, send me.
Ver. 8. For us. Hence arises a proof of the plurality of persons. C. — Send me. Thus Isaias was an evangelical and apostolical prophet. S. Jer. W.
* Footnote * Matthew 13 : 14
And the prophecy of Isaias is fulfilled in them, who saith: By hearing you shall hear, and shall not understand: and seeing you shall see, and shall not perceive.* Footnote * Mark 4 : 12
That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.* Footnote * Luke 8 : 10
To whom he said: To you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to the rest in parables, that seeing they may not see and hearing may not understand.* Footnote * John 12 : 40
He hath blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart and be converted: and I should heal them.* Footnote * Acts 28 : 26
Saying: Go to this people and say to them: With the ear you shall hear and shall not understand: and seeing you shall see and shall not perceive.* Footnote * Romans 11 : 8
As it is written: God hath given them the spirit of insensibility; eyes that they should not see and ears that they should not hear, until this present day.*H Blind the heart of this people, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes: lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted and I heal them.
Ver. 10. Blind. The prophets are said to do what they denounce. S. Tho. 1. q. xxiv. 3. Sanct. — Sept. "heavy or gross is the heart," &c. The authors of the New Testament quote it thus less harshly. — Them. Is God unwilling to heal? Why then does he send his prophet? C. — He intimates that all the graces offered would be rendered useless by the hardened Jews. S. Isid. Pelus. 2. ep. 270. — Heb. may be, "surely they will not see," &c. C.
*H And I said: How long, O Lord? And he said: Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land shall be left desolate.
Ver. 11. Desolate. By means of Nabuchodonosor, (S. Chrys.) and the Romans, (Eus. &c.) or even till the end of the world, their obstinacy will continue.
*H And the Lord shall remove men far away, and she shall be multiplied that was left in the midst of the earth.
Ver. 12. Earth. After the captivity, the people shall be more docile. But this was more fully verified by the preaching of the gospel.
*H And there shall be still a tithing therein, and she shall turn, and shall be made a show as a turpentine tree, and as an oak that spreadeth its branches: that which shall stand therein, shall be a holy seed.
Ver. 13. Tithing. The land shall produce its fruits, and people shall bring their tithes. Ezec. xx. 40. There shall be some left; (c. i. 9. and iv. 3. C.) though only a tenth part will embrace Christianity. S. Bas. — Made. Sept. "ravaged." They shall be exposed to many persecutions under Epiphanes, and few shall escape the arms of the Romans, (C.) those particularly (H.) who shall be a holy seed. C. — The apostles were of Jewish extraction, (H.) and spread the gospel throughout the world. M.