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1 Send ye the lamb to the ruler of the land from Sela to the wilderness, unto the mount of the daughter of Zion. 2 For it shall be, that, as a wandering bird cast out of the nest, so the daughters of Moab shall be at the fords of Arnon. 3 Take counsel, execute judgment; make thy shadow as the night in the midst of the noonday; hide the outcasts; bewray not him that wandereth. 4 Let mine outcasts dwell with thee, Moab; be thou a covert to them from the face of the spoiler: for the extortioner is at an end, the spoiler ceaseth, the oppressors are consumed out of the land. 5 And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness. 6 We have heard of the pride of Moab; he is very proud: even of his haughtiness, and his pride, and his wrath: but his lies shall not be so. 7 Therefore shall Moab howl for Moab, every one shall howl: for the foundations of Kir-hareseth shall ye mourn; surely they are stricken. 8 For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah: the lords of the heathen have broken down the principal plants thereof, they are come even unto Jazer, they wandered through the wilderness: her branches are stretched out, they are gone over the sea. 9 Therefore I will bewail with the weeping of Jazer the vine of Sibmah: I will water thee with my tears, O Heshbon, and Elealeh: for the shouting for thy summer fruits and for thy harvest is fallen. 10 And gladness is taken away, and joy out of the plentiful field; and in the vineyards there shall be no singing, neither shall there be shouting: the treaders shall tread out no wine in their presses; I have made their vintage shouting to cease. 11 Wherefore my bowels shall sound like an harp for Moab, and mine inward parts for Kir-haresh. 12 And it shall come to pass, when it is seen that Moab is weary on the high place, that he shall come to his sanctuary to pray; but he shall not prevail. 13 This is the word that the LORD hath spoken concerning Moab since that time. 14 But now the LORD hath spoken, saying, Within three years, as the years of an hireling, and the glory of Moab shall be contemned, with all that great multitude; and the remnant shall be very small and feeble.
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[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 16:1
(Chapter 16, Verse 1) Send forth the Lamb, the ruler of the earth, from the desert rock to the mountain of the daughter of Zion. This, we interpret, is not history, but prophecy. However, every prophecy is wrapped in riddles and, with interrupted sentences, while speaking of one thing, goes on to another: lest if it preserves the order of Scripture, it be not a prophecy, but a narrative. And the meaning is: O Moab, over whom the lion will rage, and from whom not even remnants will be able to be saved, take solace in this: The Immaculate Lamb will come forth from you, who will take away the sins of the world, who will rule over the whole earth. From the rock of the desert, that is, from Ruth, who, widowed by the death of her husband, bore Obed and from Obed, Jesse, and from Jesse, David, and from David, Christ. But by the mountain of the daughters of Zion, we shall interpret either the city itself, Jerusalem, or according to the sacred understanding, the Church, which is established on the summit of virtues.

Source: Commentary on Isaiah
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 16:1
(Chapter XVI—Verse 1) Send forth the lamb, the ruler of the earth, from the rock of the desert, to the mountain of the daughter of Zion. And it shall be like a flying bird, and the chicks flying from the nest. So shall the daughters of Moab be in the crossing of the Arnon. Plan a counsel, gather a counsel, place your shadow like the night at midday. Hide the fugitives, and do not betray the wanderers. My outcasts shall dwell with you, Moab shall be their shelter from the face of the devastator. For the dust is ended, the wretched one is consumed, the one who trampled the earth has ceased. And a throne will be established in mercy: and he will sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David: judging and seeking judgment; and quickly rendering what is just. This is what we have interpreted from the Hebrew: send forth the lamb, the ruler of the earth, it can be read as follows: send forth the lamb to the ruler of the earth, in which case the lamb himself is not the ruler of the earth, as we have interpreted according to the history, but the lamb is to be sacrificed to the ruler of the earth. Therefore, this lamb, who either is the ruler of the earth or is sacrificed to the ruler of the earth, is from the nation of the Moabites, and from those who fled from Moab, and deserve to have the Prince be a lion. But Ruth, from whom Christ is born (Matt. 1:5), signifies the rock of the desert, because according to God's command, the Moabites and Ammonites do not enter the Church of God until the tenth generation, and not forever (Deut. 1). But whoever flees from the desert of Moab, so that we may return from prophecy to anagoge, and having disregarded falsehood, stands on the mountain of truth, will be like a flying bird; and like young birds flying from the nest, lest they be devoured by Moabite serpents. Thus, he says, all the daughters, that is, the Moabite souls, will be in the crossing of the Arnon, which is interpreted as their enlightenment: when they have abandoned errors and transcended to the knowledge of truth. Therefore, it is said to Moab itself, or to one who has escaped from Moab: Do nothing without counsel (Prov. XIII): Do not be carried about by every wind of doctrine, but follow him who is the great counselor Angel (Ephes. IV): And gather a council, so that out of the wanderers and strays you may make the Church of God. But your shadow and tent, in which you used to believe you found rest, which was of the night and darkness, put in the midday, that is, in the brightest light, in which you should hide those who flee from error, and not reveal the wanderers anymore. O Moab, my fugitive ones, who abandoned me, who had left the Church, and rejecting the teaching of the Holy Spirit, followed their own understanding; or those who had dwelt among you, when the devouring devil began to persecute them, you offer them refuge turned toward the fear of the Lord with your whole heart: and know that after the coming of the Lamb, who arose from the rock of the desert, the ruler of the whole earth; and He came to the mountain of the daughter of Zion, all the power of the devil, which is compared to dust, will come to an end. And the wretched one who made many wretched has been consumed, and the one who trampled on all the earth has fallen, those who became worldly. But with him consumed and reduced to nothingness, and completely depleted, a throne and eternal kingdom will be prepared. First in mercy (for we are all under sin: and we need the grace of God); and he will sit in the tabernacle of David, which had fallen and was raised up, who will judge after mercy, and seek justice, and render to each according to their works. Let us consider at the beginning either the burden or the discourse of Moab, in which it is said: 'In the night Ar Moab is laid waste' and so on until this place; and we will see how, by gradual steps and in order of repentance, the Moabites become Israelites: and they will flee like birds and fly like fledglings from the nest, to go beyond the Arnon and dwell on the mountain of the daughter of Zion: and with every power of the devil or Antichrist crushed, Christ will reign in them, and may He establish His throne for those who are saved by mercy and justice. For the Father does not judge anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son (John 5).

Source: Commentary on Isaiah
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 16:2
Send forth the lamb, the ruler of the earth, from the rock of the desert to the mount of the daughter of Zion.” The interpretation that we provide is not history but prophecy. For every prophecy is enveloped in enigmas and precise statements; while it is speaking of one thing, it moves to another, for if it were to preserve the written order it would be a narrative, not a prophecy. This then is the meaning: O Moab, in whom the lion is about to rage and from whom no one who remains can be saved, take consolation in this: the immaculate Lamb who will take away the sins of the world, he who shall rule the world, will come forth from you. From the rock of the desert—that is, from Ruth, who was widowed when her husband died—Obed was begotten from Boaz and Jesse from Obed and David from Jesse and Christ from David. We will interpret the mount of the daughter of Zion to be either the city of Jerusalem herself or, according to a holy understanding, the church which should be established at the summit of the virtues.

Source: COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 5:16.1
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 16:2
Then, as for Job, that pattern of patience, what mysteries are there not contained in his discourses? Commencing in prose the book soon glides into verse and at the end once more reverts to prose. By the way in which it lays down propositions, assumes postulates, adduces proofs and draws inferences, it illustrates all the laws of logic. Single words occurring in the book are full of meaning. To say nothing of other topics, it prophesies the resurrection of humankind’s bodies at once with more clearness and with more caution than anyone has yet shown. “I know,” Job says, “that my redeemer lives, and that at the last day I shall rise again from the earth; and I shall be clothed again with my skin, and in my flesh shall I see God. Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another. This my hope is stored up in my own bosom.” I will pass on to Joshua, son of Nun3—a type of the Lord in name as well as in deed—who crossed over Jordan, subdued hostile kingdoms, divided the land among the conquering people and who, in every city, village, mountain, river, hill-torrent and boundary which he dealt with, marked out the spiritual realms of the heavenly Jerusalem, that is, of the church. In the book of Judges every one of the popular leaders is a type. Ruth the Moabite fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah: “Send you a lamb, O Lord, as ruler of the land from the rock of the wilderness to the mount of the daughter of Zion.” Under the figures of Eli’s death and the slaying of Saul, Samuel shows the abolition of the old law. Again in Zadok and in David he bears witness to the mysteries of the new priesthood and of the new royalty. The third and fourth books of Kings called in Hebrew Malachim give the history of the kingdom of Judah from Solomon to Jeconiah, and of that of Israel from Jeroboam the son of Nebat to Hosea, who was carried away into Assyria. If you merely regard the narrative, the words are simple enough, but if you look beneath the surface at the hidden meaning of it, you find a description of the small numbers of the church and of the wars that the heretics wage against it. The twelve prophets whose writings are compressed within the narrow limits of a single volume have typical meanings far different from their literal ones. Hosea speaks many times of Ephraim, of Samaria, of Joseph, of Jezreel, of a wife of whoredoms and of children of whoredoms, of an adulteress shut up within the chamber of her husband, sitting for a long time in widowhood and in the garb of mourning, awaiting the time when her husband will return to her. Joel the son of Pethuel describes the land of the twelve tribes as spoiled and devastated by the palmerworm, the cankerworm, the locust and the blight. He predicts that after the overthrow of the former people the Holy Spirit shall be poured out upon God’s servants and handmaids;8 the same spirit, that is, which was to be poured out in the upper chamber at Zion upon the 120 believers. These believers rising by gradual and regular gradations from one to fifteen form the steps to which there is a mystical allusion in the “psalms of degrees.” Amos, although he is only “a herdsman” from the country, “a gatherer of sycamore fruit,” cannot be explained in a few words.

Source: LETTER 53.8
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 16:2
(Verse 2) And it shall be, like a flying bird, and like young birds flying from the nest, so shall the daughters of Moab be in the crossing of the Arnon. They will return to the order they had taken: When I have set, it says, those who fled from Moab, and the remnants of the land, against the fiercest lion, who will break their limbs and bones, then the fearful shall fly away, and all the daughters, that is, the towns and cities of the province of Moab, shall migrate in the crossing of the Arnon, which is the boundary of the Amorites and the Moabites. However, transcensum et hic ponens, captivitatem significat.

Source: Commentary on Isaiah
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 16:3-4
(Verse 3,4) This is a plan, gather a council: place your shadow as if it were night in the middle of the day, hide those who are fleeing, and do not disclose the wanderers. My outcasts will dwell with you: Moab, be their hiding place from the face of the destroyer, for the dust is at an end, the wretched one is consumed, the one who trampled on the earth has ceased. Instead of 'wretched' in Hebrew, 'Sod' is read, which can also be understood as 'destroyer'. It speaks to Moab, so that it may find a plan for salvation, and to the gathered elders, so that it may gather a council of salvation. He said, 'Will I see, and be saved, and earn God's mercy? In the bright light, and the open flight of my people, you should be like night and shadow, accept those fleeing, and do not betray the wanderers.' And immediately he explains why he said this: 'My refugees will dwell with you. For Jerusalem has been devastated, and all of Judaea that borders on Moab, my people will migrate to you. Therefore, be their refuge, and do not fear the attack of the destroyer, for he will pass quickly like dust: and the one who trampled the entire land and subjected it under his feet will be wiped away by a blowing breeze.' Some interpret this place wrongly about the Antichrist, thinking that the Saints at that time will pass to the Arabs because of the proximity of the city of Jerusalem, and now they are being warned not to betray those who are fleeing to them.

Source: Commentary on Isaiah
[AD 339] Eusebius of Caesarea on Isaiah 16:5
According to Aquila, “his throne will be established in mercy,” or according to Theodotion, “the throne will be established with mercy.” Who will establish the throne? Or how is Christ born from the posterity of David? The throne will be established by the Moabites, according to the text; and Christ who is born from the tent (tabernacle) of David will sit upon the throne. By “the tent of David” the prophet means the church of God. David himself is called christ because from his posterity Christ is born according to flesh. Therefore, the tent (tabernacle) of David is the church, and the throne belongs to the head of the church. It refers to the humanity of Christ. Therefore, one should contemplate on the mystery of Christ revealed in the prophecy only in the Holy Spirit; and in such a cautious contemplation curiosity and speculation must be tamed.

Source: COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 16:1-5
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 16:5
“And a throne will be prepared in mercy, and on it will sit in truth, in the tabernacle of David, one who judges and seeks judgment and quickly renders what is just.” The Hebrews interpret this to mean that Hezekiah, a just man, after having expelled the Assyrians, will retain the throne of David and rule Judah, adjudging the people of God to be subject to himself in truth. Others understand that it is about Christ. With the antichrist reduced to dust and with the oppressor who had trampled all the earth removed, Christ the King will come and sit in the tabernacle of David and render to each person according to his works on the day of judgment. Neither is there any doubt that this chapter prophesies of Christ. But we are also able to understand the same thing in the first advent and to demonstrate in the tabernacle of the church that the surging victories of the churches of Moab in all the earth testify to the dominion of Christ.

Source: COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 5:16.5
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 16:5
(Verse 5) And a throne shall be prepared in mercy, and he shall sit upon it in truth, in the tabernacle of David, judging and seeking judgment, and quickly rendering what is just. The Hebrews interpret this place as follows: After the Assyrian is driven away, the just man Ezechias shall reign over Judah, and he shall retain the throne of David, ruling over the people of God in truth. Others understand it as referring to Christ. After the dust and destroyer of the Antichrist are removed, who trampled upon the whole earth, Christ the king shall come, who shall sit in the tabernacle of David, and on the day of judgment he shall render to all according to their works. And there is no doubt that this chapter predicts about Christ. But we can understand the same thing in his first coming, and show in the Church's tabernacle, that in all the land of Moab the trophies of the Churches rising up testify to the kingdom of Christ.

Source: Commentary on Isaiah
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 16:6-8
(Verse 6 and following) We have heard the pride of Moab: he is very proud. His pride, and his arrogance, and his indignation, are greater than his strength. Therefore Moab shall wail unto Moab, every one shall wail: to them that rejoice on the walls of the cooked brick, speak concerning his wounds: for the suburbs of Heshbon are desolate, the vine of Sibmah. LXX: We have heard the insolence of Moab: he is very contemptuous: his pride, and his insult, and his fury are not like your divine prophecy: Moab will not wail like this: indeed everyone in Moab will wail: concerning the inhabitants of Dibon you will meditate: and you will not be confounded: the fields of Heshbon will mourn for the vine of Sibmah. It is clear from the obscurities in this passage, as it can hardly be read, how involved it is according to the Septuagint interpreters. Let us therefore speak according to the Hebrew, which is the custom of the Scriptures, that after they have relieved the despair of the human mind with glad news, they may again warn and deter those who are negligent and unwilling to repent with the threat of punishment, lest the goodness of God harden our hearts. Let us present just one example of this matter. In the 144th Psalm we read: The Lord is sweet to all, and his mercy is upon all his works. And after a little while: The Lord sustains all who fall, and raises up all who are cast down. The eyes of all look to you, O Lord, and you give them food in due season. And when he had finished, the Lord kept all who loved him; lest he make the listener negligent, he added: And he will destroy all sinners. Therefore, after the Antichrist and his parent, the devil, who trampled upon the whole earth, have been consumed, it is prophesied that a throne is to be prepared in mercy, and he who will sit in the tabernacle of David, from the person of the saints who have been saved from Moab, and through their experience have learned his pride, the prophet speaks: You have heard the pride of Moab, or rather, the injury, as the Septuagint translated. For who among heretics is not arrogant? They despise the simplicity of the Church and treat its people like brute animals. They are so filled with pride and arrogance that they arm themselves against the Creator, attacking His prophets as if they were challenging the authority of the Gospel. In which the Savior says, 'All who came before me were thieves and robbers' (John 10:8). They even dare to call Moses, the servant of God, a murderer, and they slander Joshua, the son of Nun, as if he were a bloodthirsty man, despite his great holiness that caused the sun and moon to stand still at his command. They also call David, from whose lineage Christ was born (Matthew 1), a murderer and adulterer, without considering his repentance and gentleness which are compared to the mercy of God. But although he may be proud and arrogant, and although he may rejoice in his madness: nevertheless he dares more than his strength allows. Therefore Moab shall howl unto Moab, that is to say, one shall cry out against another: all the diversities, of heretics and of secular wisdom, shall roar against themselves, when they shall be in torments (III Kings VI). For this reason, those who have walls built not with squared stones, from which the Temple was built; and so polished, that the sound of hammer and axe has not been heard in the house of God, O masters of the Church, or you who have been saved from the error of Moab, announce your wounds, with which you have been wounded by the javelins of heretics. For all their thoughts, which Esebon signifies, do not pertain to the habitation of the Lord's city, of which it is written: The streams of the river make the city of God glad (Ps. 45:5); but they are suburban, so that they may be thought to pertain to the city of the Lord: these suburbs are deserted, without divine protection, or burned by divine fire, especially the vineyard of Sabama, which signifies raising up to a height, because it strives to rise up high and build its tower of pride up to heaven. However, what is stated in the Septuagint is not found in the Hebrew text of the inhabitants of Deseth; but instead it is read as Ares (), which means a tile or a fired brick.

Source: Commentary on Isaiah
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 16:6-7
(Vers. 6, 7.) We have heard of the pride of Moab, he is exceeding proud: his pride, and his arrogancy, and his indignation, is more than his strength. Therefore shall Moab howl for Moab, every one shall howl: for the foundations of Kirhareseth shall ye mourn; surely they are stricken. For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah: the lords of the heathen have broken down the principal plants thereof, they are come even unto Jazer, they wandered through the wilderness: her branches are stretched out, they are gone over the sea. Therefore I will bewail with the weeping of Jazer the vine of Sibmah: I will water thee with my tears, O Heshbon, and Elealeh: for the shouting for thy summer fruits and for thy harvest is fallen. And gladness is taken away, and joy out of the plentiful field; and in the vineyards there shall be no singing, neither shall there be shouting: the treaders shall tread out no wine in their presses; I have made their vintage shouting to cease. Wherefore my bowels shall sound like an harp for Moab, and mine inward parts for Kirharesh. But through these [events] it shows both the power of former happiness and the blows of sudden overthrow.

Source: Commentary on Isaiah
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 16:8
(Verse 8.) Since the suburbs of Heshbon are deserted: a vineyard of Sibmah. Between Heshbon and Sibmah, there are barely five hundred steps, and by way of metaphor, the vineyard signifies the desolation of the entire province.

The scourges of the Lord against the nations have fallen. He keeps the translation that he had begun, showing the kings of the nations who had devastated Moab, all the villages and castles laid waste.

They came as far as Jazer: they wandered in the desert: its branches were left behind: they crossed the sea. Understand the scourge and branches of its people, the fugitives: and the crossing of the sea, the captivity in Babylon, of which we will read later, the burden of the desert sea.

Source: Commentary on Isaiah
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 16:9
(Verse 9) Over this I will weep, in lamentation for Jazer, the vineyard of Sabama: my tears will make you drunk, O Esebon and Eleale. The voice of the weeping Prophet, and the greatness of the desolation, testifying with the greatness of tears, weeping for the vineyard of Jazer, and Sabama, and Esebon, and Eleale, once powerful cities, which the Assyrian believed to be cut down.

Since the voice of those treading on your vintage and your harvest has come rushing upon you. Understand, you gatherers of grapes and the joy of the harvest, the army of enemies, and that the time of captivity will come in the very time of joy.

Source: Commentary on Isaiah
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 16:9-10
(Verses 9, 10.) The scourges of the Lord have fallen upon the nations: they have reached even to Jazer. They have wandered in the desert: their branches have been left behind: they have crossed the sea. Therefore, I will weep over the vineyard of Sabama with weeping: I will drench you with my tears, O Heshbon and Eleale: for on your harvest and on your crop the voice of the treaders has fallen. Joy and gladness will be taken away from Carmel: there will be no rejoicing or jubilation in the vineyards: the one who used to tread the wine in the winepress will not tread it anymore: I have taken away the sound of the treaders. The suburban areas of Esebon, which we mentioned earlier, are deserted, and the vineyard of Sabama, which can be interpreted not only as a lofty elevation but also as some kind of conversion, because it seems that in the region of Moab, it wants to be partially converted to the service of the Lord. Therefore, the Apostles and apostolic men, servants of the Lord of nations, completely cut off the scourges and offshoots of this vine of Sabama, so that no other heresies would arise from other heresies, and a boundless multitude of the erring would not be made. And not only did the branches of Sabama fall, but they reached as far as Jazer, which is interpreted as their strength: that is, to the most powerful teachings of the heretics, and constructed with dialectic art, in which the strength of their error seemed to reside; and to such an extent was their sword brandished, that in the end they wandered in the wilderness and had no one to kill. And although those lashes were cut off, nevertheless, due to the fault of the rotten root, some branches remained. But the lords of the nations have passed over the sea, that is to say, the temptations of this world, of which we read in the psalm: Come into the depths of the sea, and the tempest shall swallow me up (Ps. 68: 3); and in another place: They that go down to the sea in ships, doing business in the great waters: these have seen the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep (Ps. 106: 23). Therefore, these have passed over the sea, in order to behold the works of the Lord and his wonders in the depths of temptations, while they are delivered from them. Therefore, the prophetic discourse laments the strength of the heretics, that is, Jazer and the vineyard of Sabama, which exalts itself against the knowledge of God. And I will intoxicate you with my tears, Esebon, the thoughts of the wise, and Eleale, who ascend to lofty heights. But why does he lament Jazer and intoxicate Esebon and Eleale with his tears? So that while he himself weeps, he may teach them to weep. For, he says, the voice of those who trample upon your harvest and your crop resounds. The vineyard of the Moabites is such because of the proximity of the place, just like the vineyard of the Sodomites, of which it is said: 'For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah' (Deut. 32:31). And in the seventy-seventh psalm, we read about the Egyptian vineyard that God struck with hail. The Moabite harvests also grow in the valleys called Raphaim: but its vintage is false, of which it is said above: 'The rods of those who lifted it up have been broken' (Num. 24:8). For they crush the most bitter grapes and trample on them with their feet, so that the venom of the dragon may not be squeezed out of them and all who drink may be killed. Also, the joy and exultation of the heretics will be taken away, which they used to enjoy before, so that after they have repented they may deserve to hear this: Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted (Matthew 5:5). And what he added about Carmel means this: not that the heretics truly have Carmel, that is, the knowledge of spiritual circumcision; but that they boast falsely of having it. And when the vines have been cut down and the joy and exuberance have been taken away because of false knowledge of their name, then there will be no more of the former grape treaders, who used to tread the grapes before, and their voice will be silenced in eternal silence.

Source: Commentary on Isaiah
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 16:10
(Verse 10) And joy and gladness shall be taken away from Carmel. It is the language of the Scriptures that always compares Mount Carmel, which overlooks Ptolemais and contains abundant forests, where Elijah prayed, to fertility and abundance, and thus signifies that all joy and fertility shall be taken away from once prosperous cities.

And in the vineyards there will be no rejoicing or jubilation. It is understood that the previous grape harvester, that is, the colonist of the Moabite province, will not be there. Finally, he immediately added:

Wine will not be pressed in the winepress by the one who was accustomed to tread it: I have taken away the voice of the treaders. The joyful grape harvester will by no means sing a song of celebration in the vineyard, but everywhere there will be the devastation of the enemy, and the cry of the victorious will arise.

Source: Commentary on Isaiah
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 16:11-13
(Verse 11 onward) Upon this, my belly will sound like a lyre to Moab: and my bowels will be like a wall of baked bricks. And when it becomes clear that Moab has labored in vain, he will enter his sanctuaries to pray, but he will not prevail. This is the word that the Lord spoke to Moab from that time on. The error of Moab has been destroyed; indeed, false joy has turned into mourning and tears. My belly, the prophet, who is composed like a lyre with musical skill, and who, conceived in the fear of God, has produced many children, so that there is no string that does not produce its sound, will resonate the lament of Moab, who is repenting: and all my bowels will be like a wall of baked bricks, as Theodotius interpreted it as a wall scattered. For all the defenses of opposites, in which they previously trusted, will be destroyed and will fall. These, however, are the bowels and inner parts of the prophet, about which David also said in the Psalm: Bless the Lord, O my soul, and let all my innards proclaim his holy name (Psalm 102, 1). For just as a lyre does not emit a vocal sound and harmonious, if at least one string is broken; similarly, the spiritual belly of the prophet, if one string of virtues is lacking in it, will not be able to resound sweet melody; nor proclaim with all its innards against the brick wall. It is also the opinion of the philosophers to cling to virtues; and the Apostle James says that if one is lacking one virtue, all virtues are lacking in that person. But when he realizes that he has labored in vain in the lofty doctrines which he once believed, he will enter into his own holy things, not those things which are inherently holy, but those things which he erroneously thought were holy, and he will not be able to find help. Perhaps, in the desert of error and falsehood, he will attempt to enter into the holy Church, to make it his own, and to pray and beseech, but he will not prevail. For we cannot immediately, as we wish, attain perfect virtue. And this is what it means: That word which the Lord spoke to Moab from that time, with the introductory statement in which he said, the word against Moab, or the burden, let us understand it as the conclusion, so that what he began there, he may complete here. From that time, however, we should understand from when he began to speak to him, that everything he said is one word of God, that is, one sentence. Moreover, according to the Septuagint version, we can explain the prophet's innermost thoughts being renewed by God, and him being ashamed, that is, Moab, and entering into the altars, and the things that are made by hand, so that we may say that the prophet's innermost thoughts are always renewed, and made stronger by God, so that their adversaries may be confounded, and they may understand that the things made by human hand are useless, and do not contribute to salvation.

Source: Commentary on Isaiah
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 16:11
(Verse 11) On this account, my belly will sound like a lyre for Moab, and my inward parts like a wall of cooked bricks. It is not to be understood as a chant of joy for the prophet, through which he rejoices that the enemies of the people of Israel have been made captive, but rather, he says, with affection and deep sorrow of heart, that he mourns the formerly mighty city that has been destroyed.

Source: Commentary on Isaiah
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 16:12
(Verse 12) And it will be, when it appears that Moab has labored in vain for his heights, he will enter his holy places to seek guidance, but he will not prevail. It is the ultimate misery, to not have support from those whom he has always revered. 'Deserted,' he says, 'are your strengths, and with all defenders slain, you will turn to idols, you will worship shrines, but you will not find help in them, as the devastation that is common with you arrives.'

Source: Commentary on Isaiah
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 16:13
(Verse 13.) This is the word that the Lord spoke to Moab from that time. From when do you think? Obviously from the time that Moab was created. And the Lord says: The Moabites and Ammonites shall not enter into the Church of God (Deut. XXIII, 3). Whether we understand it from that time as referring to ancient times, which long ago this divine sentence was decreed, not that the foreknowledge of God brought about the cause of the devastation; but that the future devastation was foreknown to the majesty of God.

Source: Commentary on Isaiah
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 16:14
(Verse 14.) And now the Lord has spoken, saying: In three years, like the years of a hired worker, the glory of Moab will be taken away from all the multitude of people, and only a few will be left, small and insignificant. This prophecy, as we have said before, is directed against the Moabites after the death of Ahaz, during the reign of Hezekiah, when the ten tribes were taken into captivity by Sennacherib, the king of Assyria. Therefore, just as a hired worker eagerly awaits the end of the day and night to receive his predetermined wage, so after three years, when the Assyrians come, Moab will be destroyed and only a few will be left in the land to rebuild the ruined cities and cultivate the deserted fields. It is also possible to predict about the Babylonian captivity, that after the capture of Jerusalem and the passage of three years, Moab will be devastated by the Chaldeans, either because no rest will be given to them within a period of three years.

Source: Commentary on Isaiah
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 16:14
(Verse 14) And now the Lord has spoken, saying: In three years, like the years of a hired worker, the glory of Moab will be taken away from all its people, and only a few will be left, not many. The three years, in which the glory of Moab will be taken away from all its people, whether many in number or rich in wealth, as translated by the LXX, are to be understood mystically. For just as the mercy of the Lord is in weights and measures, so too do the torments and punishments have their measure. After these three years have passed, in which only a few will be left, not many, then the ingloriousness will cease. And this should be noted, that according to the prophecy of Ezekiel, when the days are counted for years for the Israelites (Ezek. IV), that is, the ten tribes which had sinned grievously, they are reckoned as three hundred and ninety years, as it is written in Hebrew, not one hundred and ninety years, as the Vulgate edition has it: and for the Jews, in which there was the Temple of God, forty years. For he who is small deserves mercy, but the powerful endure torment forcefully (Wis. VI). And the servant who knows his master's will and does not do it, will be beaten severely (Luke XII). Therefore Moab, because he was a foreigner, not of the people of God, but having turned away from error, will be left small and humble, and inglorious, not for many years, but only for three. These are the years that we read about elsewhere: Remember the days of old (Isaiah XLVI), and again: I have considered the days of old, and have kept the eternal years in mind (Psalm LXXVI, 6). For if he served the shadows and copies according to the flesh of Israel, and all their solemnity was a type of future things, why do not the present times of this year also foreshadow future times? Concerning which, we read in another place: What will you do in the days of the assembly, and in the days of the feast of the Lord? And what is joined, Like the days of a hireling (Hosea 9:5), shows that false teaching does everything for profit and gain. For every hireling, and he that is not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep, and flees: and the wolf snatches them, and scatters the sheep: and the hireling flees, because he is a hireling: and has no care for the sheep (John 10). Therefore, I think that strangers and hirelings should not eat of the saints, nor be partakers of the servants of the saints. For they do all things not out of love for the Lord, but for reward, who devour the houses of widows, and bring their own flocks to be clothed in their wool, and milk them (Matthew 23). Let us apply what we have said about teaching for hire to other things. If I give alms in order to be praised by men, I have received my reward, and I am to be called a hireling. If I pretend to be chaste, but have something else in my conscience, I have not the glory of a hireling, but the punishments of a sinner. And in comparing two evils, it is a lesser evil to openly sin than to feign and pretend sanctity. Indeed, in this respect, Moab has made progress, so that one who previously had many companions in his error is reduced to few; or one who previously had much wealth in the sins, after repentance becomes small and poor in wickedness.

Source: Commentary on Isaiah