Chapter 64

^64:1^ O that you wouldst rend the heavens, and wouldst come down: the mountains would melt away at your presence.

^64:2^ They would melt as at the burning of fire, the waters would burn with fire, that your name might be made known to your enemies: that the nations might tremble at your presence.

^64:3^ When you shall do wonderful things, we shall not bear them: you didst come down, and at your presence the mountains melted away.

^64:4^ From the beginning of the world they have not heard, nor perceived with the ears: the eye has not seen, O God, besides you, what things you have prepared for them that wait for you.

^64:5^ You have met him that rejoices, and doth justice: in your ways they shall remember you: behold you are angry, and we have sinned: in them we have been always, and we shall be saved.

^64:6^ And we are all become as one unclean, and all our justices as the rag of a menstruous woman: and we have all fallen as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

^64:7^ There is none that calls upon your name: that rises up, and takes hold of you: you have hid your face from us, and have crushed us in the hand of our iniquity.

^64:8^ And now, O Lord, you are our father, and we are clay: and you are our maker, and we all are the works of your hands.

^64:9^ Be not angry enough, (Ne irascaris, Domine, satis. DR: “be not very angry, O Lord.”) O Lord, and remember no longer our iniquity: behold, see we are all your people.

^64:10^ The city of your sanctuary is become a desert, Zion is made a desert, Jerusalem is desolate.

^64:11^ The house of our holiness, and of our glory, where our fathers praised you, is burnt with fire, and all our lovely things are turned into ruins.

^64:12^ Wilt you refrain yourself, O Lord, upon these things, will you hold your peace, and afflict us vehemently?

1113. O that you wouldst rend. Here he offers a petition.

And first, he asks for the presence of the judge;

second, he asks for mercy: behold you are angry (Isa 64:5).

Concerning the first, he does two things.

First, he sets out the petition;

second, the fulfillment of the petition: you didst come down (Isa 64:3).

Concerning the first of these, he does two things.

First, he asks for the coming of the judge: O that you wouldst rend the heavens. He speaks figuratively, as though to one living above the heavens; or: that you would empty yourself, putting aside your majesty, and would assume flesh: bow down your heavens and descend (Ps 143[144]:5).

1114. Second, he sets out the effect of the coming of the judge

[first,] in insensible creatures, namely in the mountains: the mountains would melt away at your presence, as if to say: they would not endure your presence, if it pleased you; or the mountains, the powerful and the proud, above: the mountains shall be melted (Isa 34:3) with their strength. In the waters: the waters would burn with fire, because you are all fiery, if you should wish: at another time the fire, above its own power, burnt in the midst of water (Wis 16:19); or, by the waters are signified peoples: the many waters are many peoples (Rev 17:15).

Second, the effect on men,

and first, on the gentiles: that the nations might tremble at your presence: the Gentiles shall be troubled (Ps 64:8–9[65:7–8]); literally, they will be shaken; or this refers to the conversion of the gentiles after the coming of Christ.

Second, the effect on the Jews: when you shall do wonderful things, we shall not bear, that is, we, who are accustomed to see and hear, because of our stupor, as they were terrified in Exodus 20:18, thus: they that had excused themselves (Heb 12:19); or we shall not bear his coming, even having seen his miracles.

1115. You didst come down. Here he sets out the fulfillment of the petition.

And first, as to his coming: you didst come down, to judge us: using the past tense for the future; or, into the womb of the virgin. Or better, according to the literal sense, he sets out the proof of the effect, as if to say: if you should come down now, the same things would happen, which happened when you came down to free your people from Egypt (Exod 4); he bowed the heavens, and came down, and darkness was under his feet (Ps 17:10[18:9]).

1116. Second, as to the effect.

First, in wonders: at your presence the mountains, the rocks of Arnon, melted away, Numbers 21:14–15; the mountains skipped (Ps 113[114]:4); mystically: the Jews, or the demons.

Second, in benefits,

and first, he sets out the greatness of his benefits: from the beginning of the world they have not heard, for never has anything been seen or heard, like what God did for the Jews, and will do for the saints in glory: eye has not seen, nor ear heard: neither has it entered into the heart of man, what things God has prepared for them that love him (1 Cor 2:9).

Second, as to the promptness of his benefitting them: you have met him that rejoices, to help him, while he was still petitioning or coming to you; him that rejoices, in you: wisdom goes about seeking such as are worthy of her (Wis 6:17). Mystically: Simeon (Luke 2).

1117. Behold you are angry. Here he sets out mercy.

And first, he shows the need of the petitioner;

second, he offers the petition: and now, O Lord (Isa 64:8).

Concerning the first, he does two things.

First, he shows his need from the eminence of evil, as to their fault; then from the committing of evils: behold you are angry, and we have sinned: the order is reversed: for this reason you are angry, because we have sinned, and, nevertheless, we shall be saved, by your mercy, above: our wicked doings are with us (Isa 59:12).

And as to the imperfection of their good deeds: and we are all become as one unclean, and all our justices, because they are wrapped up in other sins: if I be washed, as it were, with snow waters, and my hands shall shine ever clean, yet you shall plunge me in filth, and my garments shall abhor me (Job 9:30–31).

And as to their punishment: and we have all fallen, killed, or from our state of worthiness; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away, from our land: against a leaf, that is carried away with the wind, you show your power (Job 13:25).

1118. Second, he shows the need of the petitioner as to lack of help.

And first, lack of human help: there is none that calls upon and takes hold of you, with prayers: I held him: and I will not let him go (Song 3:4);

second, lack of divine help: you have hid your face, of your mercy, and have crushed us in the hand, that is, the work, of our iniquity; according to what it says in Proverbs 18:21: I will hide my face from them (Deut 32:20).

1119. And now, O Lord. Here he sets out mercy. And concerning this, he does two things.

First, he asks for mercy, assigning the reason: you are our father: as clay is in the hand of the potter, so are we (Nos. Vg.: vos.) in the hand of God (Manu Dei. Vg.: manu mea.) (Jer 18:6); remember, I beseech you, that you have made me as the clay (Job 10:9). And he offers the petition: be not angry enough, that is, exceedingly, or according to what our merits demand: remember not our former iniquities: let your mercies speedily prevent us (Ps 78[79]:8).

Second, he sets out their misery: behold, Lord, see we are all. The city of your sanctuary (sancti), that is, the sanctuary of the temple, namely, Jerusalem: the enemy has put out his hand to all her desirable things (Lam 1:10). And he wonders at his patience: will you refrain yourself, O Lord, upon these things? Why look you upon our iniquities? (Iniquitates nostras. Vg.: iniqua agentes. DR: “them that do unjust things.”) (Hab 1:13).

1120. Note on the words, what things you have prepared for them that love (Diligentibus. Vg.: exspectantibus. DR: “wait for.”) thee (Isa 64:4), that God prepares for the saints,

first, a place of eternal rest: if not, I would have told you: because I go to prepare a place for you (John 14:2);

second, a kingdom of eternal dignity: come, you blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world (Matt 25:34);

third, a table of divine refreshment: you have prepared a table before me (Ps 22[23]:5);

fourth, a lamp of eternal light: I have prepared a lamp for my anointed (Ps 131[132]:17).

1121. Note also on the words, all our justices as the rag of a menstruous woman (Isa 64:4), that a work of justice is defiled by filth,

first, of mortal stain: you have stained your glory (Sir 47:22[20]);

second, of negligence committed: cursed be he that doth the work of the Lord negligently (Negligenter. Vg.: fraudulenter. DR: “deceitfully.”) (Jer 48:10);

third, of perverse intention: if your eye scandalize you (Matt 5:29);

fourth, of rising pride, above: the wind shall carry them all off (Isa 57:13).