:
1 Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. 2 Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat? 3 I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. 4 For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. 5 And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me. 6 And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth. 7 I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the LORD, and the praises of the LORD, according to all that the LORD hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses. 8 For he said, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: so he was their Saviour. 9 In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old. 10 But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them. 11 Then he remembered the days of old, Moses, and his people, saying, Where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of his flock? where is he that put his holy Spirit within him? 12 That led them by the right hand of Moses with his glorious arm, dividing the water before them, to make himself an everlasting name? 13 That led them through the deep, as an horse in the wilderness, that they should not stumble? 14 As a beast goeth down into the valley, the Spirit of the LORD caused him to rest: so didst thou lead thy people, to make thyself a glorious name. 15 Look down from heaven, and behold from the habitation of thy holiness and of thy glory: where is thy zeal and thy strength, the sounding of thy bowels and of thy mercies toward me? are they restrained? 16 Doubtless thou art our father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O LORD, art our father, our redeemer; thy name is from everlasting. 17 O LORD, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants' sake, the tribes of thine inheritance. 18 The people of thy holiness have possessed it but a little while: our adversaries have trodden down thy sanctuary. 19 We are thine: thou never barest rule over them; they were not called by thy name.
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[AD 220] Tertullian on Isaiah 63:1-2
He likewise, when mentioning the cup and making the New Testament to be sealed “in his blood,” affirms the reality of Christ’s body. For no blood can belong to a body that is not a body of flesh. If any sort of body were presented to our view, which is not one of flesh, not being fleshly, it would not possess blood. In order, however, that you might discover how anciently wine is used as a figure for blood, turn to Isaiah, who asks, “Who is this that comes from Edom, from Bosor with garments dyed in red, so glorious in his apparel, in the greatness of his might? Why are your garments red, and your clothing as his who comes from the treading of the full winepress?” The prophetic Spirit contemplates the Lord as if he were already on his way to his passion, clad in his fleshly nature; and as he was to suffer therein, he represents the bleeding condition of his flesh under the metaphor of garments dyed in red, as if reddened in the treading and crushing process of the winepress, from which the laborers descend reddened with the wine juice, like men stained in blood.

Source: AGAINST MARCION 4.40
[AD 397] Ambrose of Milan on Isaiah 63:1-2
The angels, too, were in doubt when Christ arose; the powers of heaven were in doubt when they saw that flesh was ascending into heaven. Then they said, “Who is this King of glory?” And yet some said, “Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors! That the King of glory may come in.” In Isaiah, too, we find that the powers of heaven doubted.

Source: On the Mysteries 7:36
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 63:1
(Chapter 63, Verse 1) Who is this that comes from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? This one is glorious in his apparel, marching in the greatness of his strength. (Chapter 70) Who is this that comes from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? This one is beautiful in his attire, strong and mighty. From the place where it is said in the Septuagint: "Arise, shine, Jerusalem, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you" (Chapter 60, Verse 1), to the present chapter where it says: Who is this that comes from Edom, with dyed garments from Bosrah? Many of our own refer to the end of the world, in which, whether in a physical or spiritual sense (for there are various opinions of many), they strive to fulfill. But we, because we have also read earlier in this same chapter: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor: he has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free (Luke 4:18). And now it is said of the same, that after his passion he ascended to the Father in a bloody manner, we are compelled by necessity to understand all that is said in reference to the first coming of the Savior. For it cannot happen, as many of our people strive to do, that things which are connected in the works should be varied in time; nor do we deny that it requires great effort to unite all these things to be fulfilled in a spiritual way in the consummation, so that we may teach that they have already been accomplished in Christ, both according to the flesh and according to the spirit. Therefore, since the Savior of the daughter of Zion has come, whose reward is with Him, and His work before Him; and the righteous One has gone forth as brightness, and the Savior has been kindled as a lamp, and the bridegroom has rejoiced over his bride the Church, indeed his God has exulted over her, who is Himself both bridegroom and Lord: therefore, according to the assumption of the flesh and the passion of the cross, it is said to Him: Let Your foot be dipped in blood (Ps. 68:24). And under the name Judah in Genesis it is prophesied: Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the necks of your enemies. Your father's sons shall bow down to you. Judah, you have ascended as a lion's cub; you lie down and rest like a lion, and like a lioness; who shall rouse you? And again: He binds his foal to the vine, and his donkey's colt to the choice vine; he washes his garments in wine, and his robe in the blood of grapes. This is the one whom the angelic powers, seeing him ascend to the Father, command the other angels, and they hear from them: Lift up your gates, O princes, and be lifted up, eternal gates, that the King of glory may enter. Who is this King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle (Psalm 24:7-8). And again: The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory (ibid., 10). We have said this as a prelude, so that we may show that this chapter agrees with other testimonies as well. And in the Song of Songs it is said: My beloved is ruddy and white (Song of Songs 5:10); ruddy in passion; white in resurrection. Therefore, the angels ask, terrified by the novelty of the matter (for the mystery of the passion and resurrection of Christ, according to the apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 2), had been unknown to all previous generations). Who is this coming from the land of Edom, with garments stained crimson? Indeed, Edom is expressed in our language as both earthly and bloody. With dyed garments from Bozrah? Many, in their pious error, think that it refers to the flesh of the Lord: that is, Basar (בשר), which word, if it signified flesh, would be written with the middle letter Sin, but is now written with the letter Sade, and is interpreted as firm and fortified: which we either understand as referring to Jerusalem (Psalm 59:11), which was surrounded by very strong walls, in which the Lord suffered; or to hell, of which it is written in Psalm 59:11 and Psalm 107:10: 'Who will bring me into the fortified city?' In which the souls of the dead are closed, and they are surrounded by the strongest custodies. It should also be known that according to the history of Bosra, it is not in Edom but in Moab. It follows: So beautiful in his robe, walking in the multitude of his strength. Of which the forty-fourth psalm also sings: Beautiful in beauty above the sons of men. Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty. With thy comeliness and thy beauty, proceed prosperously and reign (Psalm 44, 3-5). Why they translated the Septuagint, violence with strength. A wise reader will inquire into the meaning.

I am the one who speaks of justice, and I am a champion for salvation. LXX: I am the one who speaks of justice, and the judgment of salvation. The Lord replied to the questioning Angels: Do you ask who I am, who will ascend to the bloody heavens, and the blood with which I am covered will not give me ugliness, but beauty? I am the one to whom the Father has entrusted all judgment (John 5). Of whom the Psalmist also said: Grant your judgment to the king, O God, and your justice to the king's son (Psalm 72:1). I speak justice: to give evil to the wicked, and to repay good to the righteous; to come and fight against opposing powers, and to preach freedom to the captives, and to release those in prison, so that both adversaries may feel punishment and captives may experience freedom.

Source: Commentary on Isaiah
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 63:1-2
Similarly, in Isaiah, “who is this that comes from Edom, in radiant garments?” Notice what the angels do; they proclaim his beauty but are silent about his essence.

Source: HOMILIES ON THE PSALMS, ALTERNATE SERIES 69 (PSALM 91)
[AD 444] Cyril of Alexandria on Isaiah 63:1-2
The only-begotten Word of God ascended in the heavens with his flesh united to him, and this was a new sight in the heavens. The multitude of holy angels was astounded seeing the king of glory and the Lord of hosts in a form similar to ours. And they said, “Who is this that comes from Edom [that is, from earth], in crimsoned garments, from Bosor.” But “Bosor” is to be interpreted as “flesh” or “anguish and affliction.”

Source: LETTER 41:17
[AD 444] Cyril of Alexandria on Isaiah 63:1-2
For he appeared to the powers above not only in the form in which he came for us, that is, as a human, but also showing the signs of his passion. Thus, we say that after his resurrection from the dead the marks of the nails and the other things of his wounds were marked on the holy flesh.… So that the angels asking each other might say, “Who is this?” He considers and replies to them, “I speak justice and the judgment of salvation.” He calls “justice” the divine and good news-bearing message or every just word that the Lord speaks. And the judgment of salvation refers to the judgment we receive. He indicated the world also to Satan, who was accusing it, and he saved those burdened by terrible greed. And he expelled the rebel and foreign usurper from among them, saying, “Now is the judgment of this world.”

Source: COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 5:5.63:1-7
[AD 850] Ishodad of Merv on Isaiah 63:1-2
“Who is this that comes from Edom?” It seems that the prophet sees God under the aspect of a warrior who marches at the head of his people, and, after destroying the Edomites, has come back and arrives; and the prophet asks who is this that comes from Edom and Bozrah, their royal cities.

Source: COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 63:1
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 63:2
(Version 2.) Why then is your garment red, and your clothing like one who treads in the winepress? LXX: Why are your garments red, and your clothes like those who tread the winepress, full of trampled grapes? Where it is now spoken of as red, in Hebrew it is read as Edom (). Therefore, even above where Edom is written, it is not a place name, but the name of blood. Again, the Angels inquire and say: We have learned that you are the one who speaks of justice, and salvation for all is established in your judgment. Now we want to know why your clothes are stained as if with wine, or what could have caused the tunic, which is woven from above and cannot be torn, to have such whiteness from the virgin womb, as no fuller could achieve on earth, reddened with bloody blood? For mercy is more fitting for you than cruelty: whiteness is more fitting than blood. To these the Lord responded, not with one verse as before, but with many words, in order to teach all those who are ignorant, so that they may not be compelled to seek again.

Source: Commentary on Isaiah
[AD 258] Cyprian on Isaiah 63:3
And does not also the Holy Spirit, speaking in Isaiah, testify the same thing concerning the passion of the Lord, saying, “Why are your vestments red and your garments as from treading the wine press full and well-trodden?” For can water make vestments red, or is it water that is trodden by the feet in the winepress or forced out by the press? The mention of wine is placed there, indeed, that in the wine the blood of the Lord may be known and that which was afterward manifested in the chalice of the Lord might be foretold by the prophets who announced it. The treading and pressing of the winepress are also spoken of, since wine cannot be prepared for drinking in any other way unless the cluster of grapes is first trodden and pressed. Thus, we could not drink the blood of Christ unless Christ had first been trodden on and pressed, and unless he had first drunk the chalice of which he should also give believers to drink.

Source: Epistle LXII:7
[AD 386] Cyril of Jerusalem on Isaiah 63:3
Who is that who for shame is clothed in scarlet? For Bosra among the Hebrews has such a meaning.

Source: Catechetical Lecture 13:27
[AD 390] Gregory of Nazianzus on Isaiah 63:3
And, if they marvel and say, as in Isaiah’s drama, “Who is this that comes from Edom and from the things of the earth?” or “How are the garments red when he is without blood or body, as of one that treads in the full winepress?”—if they say this, then set forth the beauty of the array of the body that suffered, adorned by the passion and made splendid by the Godhead. Nothing can be lovelier or more beautiful than that.… Will you think little of him because he humbled himself for your sake?… Do you conceive of him as less because he girds himself with a towel and washes his disciples and shows that humiliation is the best road to exaltation?

Source: ON HOLY EASTER, ORATION 45:25-26
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 63:3-6
(Verse 3 and following) I have trodden the winepress alone, and of the peoples there was no man with me. I have trodden them in my anger, and trampled them in my fury: and their blood has stained my garments, and all my clothing is polluted. For the day of vengeance is in my heart, and the year of my redemption has come. I looked around, and there was no helper: I sought, and there was no one to assist. So my own arm brought salvation to me, and my own wrath supported me. And I have trampled upon the peoples in my anger, and I have made them drunk in my indignation, and I have brought down their strength to the earth. Seventy times because of what we said, I alone have trampled the winepress, they have interpreted, a full trampling, which is more to be read with the previous chapter than as the beginning of the following one. The rest they have translated thus. And there is no one among the nations with me, and I have trampled upon them in my anger, and I have crushed them like the ground, and I have poured out their blood upon the earth, and I have defiled all my garments. For the day of vengeance is in my heart, and the year of my redemption has come. I looked, but there was no one to help; I was appalled, but there was no one to uphold; so my own arm brought me salvation, and my wrath upheld me. I trampled down the peoples in my anger; I made them drunk in my wrath, and I poured out their lifeblood on the earth. For the press is called Geth in Hebrew, as Theodotion has translated the Hebrew word in Greek. But Symmachus, whom we also follow, renders it better in this place. For the word Phura is ambiguous, and usually signifies both a winepress and a jug. It must be said, therefore, about the winepress, that according to the custom of Holy Scripture, sometimes it is used for vengeance and punishments of sins, sometimes for the gathering of new fruits. It is used for punishments and torments, when Jeremiah, lamenting the destruction of Jerusalem, speaks: The Lord has trodden the virgin daughter of Judah with the winepress, therefore I mourn (Lam. 1:15-16). The psalms for those who are assigned to the winepresses are written in a favorable light in the eighth and eighty-third. Concerning them, if life accompanies them, with the Lord's help, they will be said. This winepress, in which both punishments for the wicked and rewards for the good are trampled on by the Savior himself, he alone trampled on, and he had no helper. For neither an Angel, nor an Archangel, Thrones, Dominions, or any celestial powers assumed a human body and suffered for us, and he trampled on opposing forces and shattered them, except for the one who speaks in the psalm: Save me, O Lord, for the holy one has failed (Psalm 11:1); to such an extent that even the most confident and firmly established in the truth of faith, the apostle Peter, afraid, fled, rather denied the Lord (Matthew 27). And what follows: And their blood was sprinkled upon my garments, and all my raiments are defiled, should not be understood in such a way that we believe that demons and adversarial powers have blood. But everything should be understood tropologically, when the most merciful God is compelled to strike enemies in order to instruct His people and liberate them from the bonds of captivity. For He says: "The day of vengeance is in my heart, the year of my redemption has come. About which we also read above (In chapter LXI), to preach in a favorable way the accepted year of the Lord, and the day of retribution to our God; both now in the bad and in the good. In the bad: For the day of vengeance is in my heart. In the good: The year of my redemption has come; so that at the time when the adversaries are punished, the people of God may be liberated, or rather redeemed by the precious blood of the lamb who is said to be slain in the Apocalypse of John. Moses prophesied about this day of retribution by the Holy Spirit: And he will repay vengeance to his enemies, and will restore to those who hate him. I looked around, and there was no helper; I sought, and there was no one to assist. (Deuteronomy XXXII, 41). He also said in the psalm: And I waited for one who would grieve, but there was none; and for one who would comfort, but I found none. (Psalm LXVIII, 21). For even though he was in the form of God, he did not consider equality with God as something to be seized, but emptied himself (Philippians II), taking the form of a servant, and being obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. And because of this, God exalted him and gave him the name above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Whether he extirpated believers in his arm, and did not delay his fury beyond: and he led their blood unto the ground, whether in a figurative sense of demons, or certainly the blood of the Jews: for this reason, other interpreters have transferred the dispute; who were exerting every effort to release the captive people.

Source: Commentary on Isaiah
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 63:3
Edom is by interpretation either “earthy” or “bloody”; Bosor either “flesh” or “in tribulation.” In a few words, [Isaiah] shows the whole mystery of the resurrection, that is, the reality of the flesh and the growth in glory. And the meaning is, Who is he that comes up from the earth, comes up from blood? According to the prophecy of Jacob, he has bound his foal to the vine and has trodden the winepress alone, and his garments are red with new wine from Bosor, that is, from flesh or from the tribulation of the world, for he himself has conquered the world. And, therefore, his garments are red and shining, because he is beautiful in form, more than the sons of humankind, and on account of the glory of his triumph they have been changed into a white robe; and then, in truth, as concerns Christ’s flesh, were fulfilled the words, “Who is this who is coming up all in white, leaning upon her beloved?” And there is also that which is written in the same book, “My beloved is white and ruddy.”

Source: AGAINST JOHN OF JERUSALEM 34
[AD 430] Augustine of Hippo on Isaiah 63:3
Each quality, though, that is both beauty and strength, had been seen and understood by Isaiah, when he said, “Who is this who is arriving from Edom, the crimson of his garments from Bozrah, so handsome in the robe of his garment with strength?” So this prophet, who called him both handsome and strong, knew him as bridegroom and giant.

Source: SERMON 372:2
[AD 458] Theodoret of Cyrus on Isaiah 63:4-6
They call the red land “Edom,” and “Bosor” to the flesh; they were amazed at the ineffable beauty of the one wrapped in earthly and fleshly apparel, such as to drive those who looked to love. The blessed David is mindful of this beauty: “Fair and beautiful among the sons of humankind.” That Edom means flame-colored is affirmed in the Song of Songs by the bride, who cries, “My beloved is red and white.” Christ’s nature is twofold. Therefore, white means the inaccessible light of divinity, red the human appearance.…For this is the time for these who were brazen to receive retribution and for those unjustly enslaved by them to get their freedom.…
He calls “arm” the power of righteousness, for he guarded spotless and free from sin the nature that he assumed.… We who have benefited from this good work and have been delivered from that bitter slavery, let us sing praises to the author of these things. He was the one who underwent the battle and provided us with the gift of victory and peace. Let us hope that we can enjoy this victory until the end, by the grace of the one who has conquered.

Source: COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 19:63.1-6
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 63:7
(Verse 7) I will remember the mercies of the Lord; I will praise the Lord for all the good things the Lord has done for us, and for the abundance of blessings to the house of Israel that he has bestowed upon them according to his mercy, and according to the multitude of his mercies. LXX: I have remembered the mercies of the Lord, I will remember the virtues of the Lord in all the things he has done for us: The Lord, a good judge to the house of Israel, will repay us according to his mercy, and according to the abundance of his justice. Finished, as we believe at first, as many think at second, with the coming of the Savior, in which is implied the voice of the judge, or rather of the combatant, slaughtering his own people and the adversaries of his people, described as bloody and victorious: another section begins, in which the Prophet speaks from the perspective of the people, recounting the benefits of God upon himself and the hardness of his own heart, because of which Jerusalem was set on fire and Israel was handed over to captivity. What the Jews report about the Babylonian times. However, we have shown in order and reason the present time, in which they serve the Romans, and with Israel excluded, a throng of nations has succeeded. Let us therefore run through each part of the speech, and in order to avoid a long-winded explanation, let us briefly expound on them. Crushed by the weight of evils, I have hope in nothing else but in the mercy of God, who shows mercy to thousands of those who love him, and extends his mercy to those who know him. From this it is shown that the mercy of the Lord comes to those who love and know God. It is not of the one who wants or the one who runs, but of the one who has mercy from God (Rom. IX). Unless the Lord builds the house and watches over the city, the one who builds and watches over it does so in vain (Ps. CXXVI). For He will give strength, so that we may have courage and be able to say: My strength and support, and my refuge in the day of my troubles (Jerem. XVI). In the present context, we should understand virtues not as vices and sins, but as difficulties. As it follows in the Septuagint: I will remember the Lord's virtues in all the things He has rewarded me, which in Hebrew are contained as praises to the Lord, let us understand signs and miracles, for which virtues are often mentioned, as in the following passage: I will not give my glory to another, nor my virtues to idols (Isaiah 42:8). And elsewhere: His virtues will be announced in the islands, or among the nations of the whole world, or among the churches which are firmly founded and are more struck than overthrown. Sometimes virtue is not accepted for fortitude and miracles, but for good conduct, as it is said by the Apostles, Peter: Serve with virtue in your knowledge (1 Peter 1:5); and Paul: Whatever is true, whatever is honorable (Philippians 4:8). According to this, it is also said in another place: Better is sterility with virtue. The first understanding of virtue belongs to God, the second is fitting for humans. However, what we have interpreted is this: Above all that the Lord has given us, which can be taken in both a good and bad way, Symmachus more clearly placed it in the retribution of good, saying: For all the things in which He has done us good, and for the multitude of goodness which He has shown upon the house of Israel. Why did they translate the Seventy: The Lord is a good judge to the house of Israel, he has repaid us according to his mercy, and according to the multitude of his justice. But this can only be said by one who understands justly how to endure what he suffers. Finally, in the seventy-second psalm, whose beginning is: How good is God to Israel, the prophet speaks in the person of those whose hearts are upright, who are disturbed by the judgments of God: But my feet were almost shaken: my steps were almost scattered, seeing the peace of sinners, and so on, until the end of the psalm. Therefore, the holy law is good, and the holy commandment is good, just and good, so that goodness is understood in general, and justice is understood in particular. Therefore he writes to the Romans: For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die (Rom. III. 7).

Source: Commentary on Isaiah
[AD 444] Cyril of Alexandria on Isaiah 63:7
“For the Lord is a good judge to the house of Israel.” For he is not harsh but benevolent or good. For the task of a harsh judge takes the way of interrogating those sinners like ones standing accused. The good judge has mercy on them as weak ones. Since the judge is good, he will act according to his mercy, that is, he will temper his anger and will work in mercy in making the complaint. For there is so much justice in him that he will prosecute justice to the letter. Therefore, it is fitting that he will not let Israel go unpunished, but rather he will mingle his wrath with kindness, as I said. For a remnant will be saved.…Now he will save them himself, finding nothing worthwhile in them, but only because he loved them and cared for them. This is a strong visible sign of his unequaled philanthropy and the calmness of divinity. For he saved them from the house of slavery, carried them and raised them up. This is what he was talking about at the beginning of Isaiah, “I have borne and raised sons.”

Source: COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 5:5.63:7-10
[AD 1022] Symeon the New Theologian on Isaiah 63:7
I, wretched one, cast myself into the pit and the mud of the abyss of shameful thoughts and deeds, and once I had come there, I fell into the hands of those who were concealed by the darkness. From these neither I alone, nor the whole world gathered into one, could have availed to bring me up from there and deliver me from out of their hands.…Even when I in my senselessness rejoiced in being led astray by them, you could not bear to see me led about and dragged in dishonor, but you did have compassion, O Master, and showed pity on me. It was not an angel or a man whom you sent to me, miserable sinner, but you yourself were moved by your tender goodness.

Source: DISCOURSE 36:2-3
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 63:8-10
(Vrs. 8 seqq.) And He said: Yet My people are; sons not denying: and He became a Savior unto them. In all their affliction He was not afflicted, and the Angel of His presence saved them: in His love and in His pity He redeemed them, and He bore them, and carried them all the days of the age. But they provoked Him to anger, and vexed the spirit of His Holy One; and He turned Himself against them as an enemy, and He fought against them. 70: And he said: Not my people, the children will never reject. And he became for them salvation from all their tribulation: not a messenger, nor an angel, but he himself saved them because he loved them, and spared them, he himself redeemed them, and received them, and exalted them all the days of the world. But they did not believe, and they provoked his Holy Spirit: he turned against them as an enemy, he himself fought against them. Where we have interpreted: In all their tribulation he was not troubled, which in Hebrew is said Lo, and is a denying adverb, for not, it can also be read itself, so that the meaning is: In all their tribulation he himself is troubled, that is, God: so that he himself might bear not only our sins, but also our tribulations. For he himself carries our weaknesses, and he suffers for us. Moreover, the Seventy put another thing that is not found in Hebrew, not an envoy, nor an angel, but he himself saved them: of which we will speak in its proper place. Therefore God, who is a just judge to the house of Israel, and mitigates the severity of justice with mercy in judging: Indeed, I have begotten sons and exalted them, and they have despised me. However, because they are my people, and once named sons, they will not perish forever; if they stop rejecting and denying me, they will recognize the Savior: because he himself was troubled in all their tribulations. Whether he was not troubled, so that he could temporarily abandon them and force them, stripped of his help, to plead. Indeed, He did not afflict them, but on the contrary, while others pursued them, He was their helper and sent His Angel to deliver them from danger. Or according to the Septuagint, He did not want to save His people through angels and prophets and other holy men; rather, He himself descended to the lost sheep of the house of Israel to carry the sick sheep on His shoulders and to find the lost coin, and joyfully welcome the prodigal son upon his return. For this reason, the Bride says in the Song of Songs: Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth. Not through the patriarchs, Moses, and the prophets, but let him take my body, let him dwell in my flesh, let the Word become flesh, and thus let him kiss me dwelling in me, so that he may be Emmanuel. Therefore, not as a messenger, nor as an angel, but he himself will save those who have received salvation: not by the merit of works, but by the love of God. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. But if the perceptive reader answers with silent thought, why are many not saved, if he himself saved them, and loved them, and spared his sons, and redeemed them with his own blood, and received and exalted those who were assumed? The clear reason is inferred. But they did not believe, and they provoked his Holy Spirit, or his holy ones, which in Hebrew is called Cadeso. Therefore, God wanted to save those who desired it, and he provoked them to salvation, so that the will might have its reward; but they did not want to believe. Otherwise, it is written about John: There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came to bear witness to the light, so that all might believe through him (John 1:6). And it is not immediately to be blamed if many did not believe, but the intention of the one coming was that all would believe and be saved. But if anyone shall have provoked and afflicted the Holy Spirit, or His Holy Ones, that is, Christ, he provokes God: the same Holy Spirit is of the same nature as the Father and the Son. Therefore, the Apostle commands: Do not grieve the Holy Spirit, in whom you have been sealed (Ephesians 4:30). The Holy Spirit withdraws from a body subject to sin, and does not enter a perverse soul (Wisdom 1). Therefore, David, in order not to lose the Holy Spirit, prayed saying: And do not take away your Holy Spirit from me (Psalm 51:11). And so, that we may know that anyone who vexes the Holy Spirit offends God, and becomes an enemy and foe of a friend, the Apostle Peter speaks more significantly in the Acts of the Apostles: Why have you agreed to lie to the Holy Spirit? You have not lied to men, but to God (Acts V, 9). This is the Holy Spirit, of whom the Lord said in the Gospel: If you love me, keep my commandments: and I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Comforter, that he may be with you forever, the Spirit of truth (John XIV, 15, 16). We also find this in the Book of Wisdom, which is written under the name of Solomon: For the Holy Spirit of discipline will flee deceit and will withdraw from foolish thoughts (Wisdom I, 5).

Source: Commentary on Isaiah
[AD 444] Cyril of Alexandria on Isaiah 63:9
We say that these human things are his by an economic appropriation, along with the flesh all the things belonging to it. We recognize no other Son apart from him, for the Lord has saved us, giving his own blood as a ransom for the life of all.

Source: ON THE UNITY OF CHRIST
[AD 458] Theodoret of Cyrus on Isaiah 63:9
For the grace of the incarnation is of mercy and good will. Aquila translates, instead of “virtues,” “hymns”; Theodotion and Symmachus render it “songs of praise.” For “make retribution,” Symmachus has “work benefits.” But the Septuagint is more accurate in putting “make retribution,” since we deserved punishment but received salvation instead of punishment.… He switches us to the opposite, giving us good things in place of bad.… He does not use justice only in judging, but he moderates justice with mercy, or rather good will wins over justice.

Source: COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 20:63.7
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 63:11-14
(Vers. 11 seqq.) And he remembered the days of old, Moses and his people. Where is he who brought them up from the sea with the shepherds of his flock? Where is he who put his holy Spirit in the midst of them? He who caused his glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses, who divided the waters before them to make for himself an everlasting name. He led them through the depths like a horse in the desert, they did not stumble. Like a beast going down into the valley, the Spirit of the Lord was their guide. So you led your people, to make for yourself a glorious name. LXX: And he remembered the days of old, Moses and his people, saying: Where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of his flock? where is he that put in the midst of them the spirit of his Holy One? He led them by the right hand of Moses with his glorious arm, dividing the waters before them, to make himself an everlasting name. He led them through the deep, as a horse in the wilderness, they stumbled not. As a beast goeth down into the valley, the spirit of the Lord caused him to rest: so didst thou lead thy people, to make thyself a glorious name. The Lord, who became the protector of the adversaries of the people of Judah, who provoked his Holy Spirit to anger, and he defeated them: he remembered the ancient days, when Moses interceded for them in the wilderness, saying: Either forgive them this sin, or if you do not, blot me out from the book which you have written (Exodus 32:31-32). So Isaiah, recalling the story of old, says: Where is the Moses who led them out of the Red Sea? Where is the shepherd of the sheep? Where is he who labored with the other shepherds of the flock of the Lord? Who obtained and bestowed the Spirit of God through his prayers and supplications on the flock of the Lord? Or surely should it be understood this way: Where is that mercy of the Lord, by which he once had pity on his people, so that he would also grant them the grace of the Holy Spirit? He who led Moses, his servant, with the arm of his majesty to the right side, not to the left; he who split the waters before them, to make for himself an everlasting name, so that his power would be spoken of even to this day? For He led His people through the immense depths of water, like a horse through a wilderness, and beasts through a plain, and the Spirit of the Lord was their guide, that is, the flock of the Lord. (Exodus 14). Now by this Spirit we must understand the Angel, who was the guide of the people of Israel, according to what is written: He makes His angels spirits, and His ministers a flaming fire (Psalm 104:4). And in the Letter to the Hebrews: Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation? (Hebrews 1:14). Let us consider that which is written in the Acts of the Apostles: The Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, and the eunuch saw him no more (Acts 8:39). Should we understand this as referring to an angel? There are those who testify that it was an angel working through the Holy Spirit. We are exploring the obvious in order to dwell on the obscure.

Source: Commentary on Isaiah
[AD 373] Athanasius of Alexandria on Isaiah 63:13
There can be no doubt that in refusing the accompaniment of an angel Moses was inviting God to lead them himself. God was making this promise, “This word that you have just spoken I shall accomplish, since you have found favor with me and I know you in preference to all the others.” It is also said in Isaiah, “the one who made the shepherd of the sheep to ascend the earth? Where is he who put the Holy Spirit in their midst, who led Moses by his right hand?” … At that time God promised to lead the people himself, and now he promises to send, no longer an angel but the Spirit who is above the angels. It is he who becomes the guide of the people. He thereby shows that the Spirit is neither from among the creatures nor even an angel, but he is superior to creation, united to the divinity of the Father.

Source: LETTER TO SERAPION 1:12
[AD 444] Cyril of Alexandria on Isaiah 63:13
Where is he who put in them the Holy Spirit, that is, he who established the divine and saving Spirit in them? For the Spirit descended from the Lord and guided them, saying, “David divinely uttered, ‘Send forth your word and heal us.’ ”

Source: For the Lord is the Spirit; he works through the Spirit that is of the same nature. Where then is he? For they forgot him and did not seek him, when they clearly should have remembered him and loved him. Where is he who led Moses by the right hand? Moses was great, famous and lofty in dignity. And this is shown in that it says [Moses] led them, working through [the Spirit] who is the right hand of God. COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 5:5. 63:11-14
[AD 444] Cyril of Alexandria on Isaiah 63:13
Indeed just as the Lord and the Son are one, the Lord is the Father. For they come together, and the Holy Spirit both is and can be understood to be in both, and he makes sharp the straight way of truth whenever the mind of believers lacks correct thinking. On account of this being the case, the Spirit is Lord and God, as the Scriptures declare, with the great Isaiah speaking concerning the race of Israel, “The Spirit came down from the Lord and led them.”

Source: ON THE HOLY AND CONSUBSTANTIAL TRINITY 7
[AD 444] Cyril of Alexandria on Isaiah 63:13
It seems that Isaiah is making mention here of the resurrection of Christ, the Savior of us all. “He who has gone up” is said in place of “he who has risen”—from the earth—the chief shepherd of all, not just that he was rising up from the dead, but in the sense that he was clearly distinct among human beings. For he became like one of us, undergoing birth from a woman according to the flesh—he who was the only-begotten Word of the Father.

Source: COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 5:5.63:11-14
[AD 458] Theodoret of Cyrus on Isaiah 63:13
Just as with Pharaoh and the Egyptians chasing them, the people led by Moses crossed the sea, so, too, as the devil and the demons were waging war, Christ the master shattered the gates of death, was first to go through them and took with him human nature in its entirety!

Source: COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 20:63.11-12
[AD 373] Ephrem the Syrian on Isaiah 63:14
“Like cattle that go down into the valley, the Spirit of the Lord gave them rest. So you did lead your people.” Through all these words that the prophet speaks about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, he leads the mind back to the wonders that God performed by means of his servant Moses, whom he called the shepherd of his flock, and through whose right hand, which moved the staff, he divided the sea. The staff, therefore, prefigured the cross of Christ, who is the hidden arm of the glory of the Father.

Source: COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 63:14
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 63:15-17
(Verse 15 and following) Look down from heaven and see, from your holy and glorious habitation. Where is your zeal and your might? The stirring of your inner parts and your compassion are held back from me. For you are our Father, though Abraham does not know us, and Israel does not acknowledge us. You, O Lord, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is your name. LXX: Return from heaven and see, from your holy dwelling and your glory. Where is your zeal and your might? Where is the multitude of your mercies and the compassions you have shown us? For you are our Father, because Abraham does not know us, and Israel does not acknowledge us. But you, Lord our Father, free us: from the beginning your name is upon us. You have granted such great things to the people, as the higher discourse has related, that you might lead us worthy of your spirit's companionship. Now also, pay attention from heaven and see our works, if indeed they are worthy of you. Why do you turn your face away from us? But heaven is called the holy dwelling place, and the house of his glory (Psalm 43), according to this: Heaven is my throne: and the earth is my footstool (Isaiah 66:1); and in another place: He who dwells in the heavens shall laugh at them; and: Unto you I lift up my eyes, O you who dwell in heaven (Psalm 113:1). Not that the omnipotent God, who holds heaven in the palm of his hand and the earth in his fist, is confined to any place; but rather that those things which are holier may be said to be his place and dwelling. Finally, Solomon, who built the house of God, speaks to him in prayer, 'The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain you' (Sirach 16:18). And in the Lord's Prayer it is said, 'Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven' (Matthew 6:10). Therefore, wherever God's will is done, that is His dwelling place and the house of God. As for what follows, 'Where is your zeal and your might?' We can explain this with the testimony of God through Ezekiel to Jerusalem, which had followed her lovers: 'I will no longer be angry with you, for my jealousy has turned away from you' (Ezekiel 16:42). And the meaning is this: Because we have sinned and you have begun to hate us, your zeal has departed from us, which does not depart when speaking through Zachariah: I am zealous for Zion and Jerusalem with great zeal (Zech. I, 14). Therefore, in the following, he says: And I will be angry with the nations that have gathered against it all around. But as zeal departs, so does the strength of God, and the affection of the father's womb is overcome, while the incredible mercy of God is defeated by the greatness of sins, so that it may hold itself above my help, who could not see me overwhelmed. For you are our father, the creator of all, says he. Neither Abraham knows us, nor does Israel recognize us, because we have offended you, nor do they know the children who they understand are not loved by their God. A sudden question arises, why did Abraham and Israel, that is, Jacob, receive their names, while Isaac's name remained silent (Gen. XXXII)? To which we will respond, with the beginning and end stated, even the middle shall be named. Or thus: Abraham, called from the Gentiles to faith, underwent a change in his name according to the quality of the preceding and succeeding condition. Jacob, too, worked hard to be called Israel. Hence Abraham had three wives and Jacob had four. But Isaac, from the beginning to the end, possessed an ancient name, indicating the chastity of the Church, content with one wife. Therefore, those who pray for sinners, assume their semblance, to whom joy followed after sorrow. However, this is everything they request, that because He is their father, and He has dignified them with this name, He does not forget His children; lest through them the name of God be blasphemed among the nations.

Source: Commentary on Isaiah
[AD 444] Cyril of Alexandria on Isaiah 63:15
Here onwards the prophet prays for every nation, and in the person of the Israelites he presents his supplication. He prays that God will withhold his wrath from them and cease rebuking them and in a forgiving manner subdue Israel’s desertion; for there was no one on earth for them other than the true God, one having a glorious home in heaven, their father. Although God is said to dwell in heaven, this should not be thought of him in physical terms. For we say that God is not in a place or to be circumscribed; he is simple, and without a body he fills all things.

Source: COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 5:5.63:15-17
[AD 386] Cyril of Jerusalem on Isaiah 63:16
our Father: God is so named not as begetting them of Himself, but as caring for them and shielding them. But whereas God, as we have said, is in an improper sense the Father of men, of Christ alone He is the Father by nature, not by adoption: and the Father of men in time, but of Christ before all time.
[AD 430] Augustine of Hippo on Isaiah 63:17
Is not sin also punishment for sin?… We can recount many other events clearly showing that perversity of heart comes from a hidden judgment of God, with the result that a refusal to hear the truth leads to commission of sin, and this sin is also punishment for preceding sin.

Source: AGAINST JULIAN 5:3.12
[AD 458] Theodoret of Cyrus on Isaiah 63:17
Your great tolerance encouraged our shamelessness. When you did not punish our sins, we remained transgressors, disregarding your laws. In the same sense, God said to the blessed Moses, “I will harden Pharaoh’s heart.” He used his great forbearance and tolerance and punishes Pharaoh only with frogs and locusts and flies to begin with, and Pharaoh thought that God could not increase the level of punishment.… You have been patient for a long time; you have not disciplined us, seeing us transgressing without a care; we have accordingly hardened our hearts and as a consequence left the straight path.

Source: COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 20:63.17
[AD 542] Caesarius of Arles on Isaiah 63:17
Behold how a person is hardened if he does not merit to be chastised by the Lord for his correction? Moreover, what is written concerning those whom God’s mercy does not even allow to become hardened? “God scourges every child whom he receives”; … and again, “For whom God loves he reproves.” Concerning this hardening the prophet also exclaims to the Lord in the person of the people, “Why do you harden our hearts that we fear you not?” Surely this is nothing else than, You have abandoned our heart, that we should be converted to you.

Source: SERMON 101:3
[AD 636] Isidore of Seville on Isaiah 63:17
The punishment for previous sins is called “hardening” that comes from the divine righteousness.… While those who are righteous are in no way driven by God to become evil, nevertheless, when they are evil they are hardened so that they become worse, as the apostle says, “Since they did not receive the love of God’s truth that they might be saved, God sent them a spirit of error.” So God made them sin. But in these cases there was so much sin that came before that they deserved to become worse.… Some sins come from God’s anger which are balanced against the merit of other sins.

Source: THREE BOOKS OF THOUGHTS 2:19.5-6
[AD 1274] Thomas Aquinas on Isaiah 63:17
God does not bestow on some the help for avoiding sin which He bestows on others. This help is not merely the infusion of grace, but also an exterior guardianship, whereby the occasions of sin are providentially removed from a man’s path. God also aids man against sin by the natural light of reason, and other natural goods that He bestows on man. When then He withdraws these aids from some, as their conduct deserves that he should, according to the exigency of His justice, He is said to harden them, or to blind them. (St. Thomas Aquinas On God and His Creaure 3.163.4)
[AD 420] Jerome on Isaiah 63:18-19
(Verse 18, 19.) Why have you made us err, O Lord, from your ways: you have hardened our heart, so that we would not fear you? Turn again for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your inheritance. Your holy people have possessed nothing: our enemies have trampled upon your sanctuary. We have become like in the beginning: when you did not rule over us, neither was your name invoked upon us. LXX: Why have you led us astray, O Lord, from your holy way: you have hardened our hearts, so that we would not fear you? Convert for the sake of your servants, for the sake of your inheritance, so that we may possess a little of your holy mountain: our adversaries have trampled your sanctuary: we have become as those who were not ruled by you from the beginning: nor has your name been invoked upon us. The letter that Paul writes to the Corinthians, when it is written to the people of a certain city, by reason of the diversity of its inhabitants, that is, of saints and sinners, now praises them, now corrects them, now teaches them, now rebukes them, provokes them to continence; he does not refuse marriage; he refrains from idolatry; he instructs them about the resurrection; he extends his hand to the divorced, so that he does not give a place to fornication. We have said this, so that we may understand that the present chapter, which is entirely covered by the prayer of the people, may be understood either as of the just or of sinners: and now to praise the Lord, now to bring a question to the Lord, and to attribute one's own guilt to God. Hence, even afterwards they speak of this: Why have you made us err, O Lord, from your ways, or have led us astray from your path: you have hardened our heart that we should not fear you? Not that God is the cause of error and hardness, but so that his patience, waiting for our salvation, may seem to be the cause of error and hardness by not punishing the wrongdoers. Being extremely angry with certain people, he refrained from striking them and said: 'I will not visit your daughters when they have committed fornication, and your wives when they have committed adultery' (Hosea IV, 14). He chastises every son whom he receives, and he strikes in order to correct (Hebrews XII). Finally, regarding those who have not lost the title of children but are drawn back to repentance through punishment, he says about them: 'I will visit their iniquities with a rod, and their sins with stripes; but I will not take away my mercy from them' (Psalm LXXXIX, 33). For there is a sorrow that leads to life, and there is a sorrow that leads to death. Hence the sinner speaks in the psalm: You have made our paths turn away from your way, and you have humbled us in a place of affliction (Psalm 44:19). And for forty years the people wander in the desert, so that they may not find the former way, nor return to the Egyptians (Numbers 32). Also in Hosea, the paths of Jerusalem are separated and closed with thorns, so that she may not follow her lovers, and being compelled by need, she may return to her former husband (Hosea 2). And it is said that the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, so that he would not let his people go, and that he would be afflicted with ten plagues (Exodus IV). This question was discussed in great detail by Paul to the Romans (Romans IX). And we have briefly addressed it in a certain work. Turn, O Lord, or turn us on account of your servants, Abraham and Israel, who do not know us, or whom we believe to be among the people. For our adversaries have possessed your holy people as if it were nothing and without any effort. Whether convert us, so that according to the Septuagint, we may possess a little of your holy mountain, because we cannot possess your whole mountain, so that when we have a part, we may come to its fullness and contemplate the glory of the Only Begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1). Concerning this, it is said in the same prophet: In the last days, the mountain of the Lord shall be revealed (Isaiah 2:2). But concerning what is stated above: Why have you made us stray (Isaiah 63:17)? Jeremiah teaches in the fullest sense in what meaning it is to be understood: You have seduced me, Lord, and I have been seduced: you have taken hold of me, and you have been able to ((Al. you have placed)) (Jeremiah 20:7). For while you promise me mercy, and as a merciful father you hide your severity, and as a skilled doctor you hide the sharpest iron, lest you frighten the sick before you cure them, you have made me negligent; therefore, God says about Jerusalem: Behold, I will seduce her, and I will make her like a desert, and I will lay her waste like a land without water, and I will speak to her heart: and I will give her belongings from there, and the valley of Achor for opening understanding (Hosea 1:14, 15). Let us consider the order of these things: he seduces her and makes her a deserted and without water, so that she suffers from thirst for virtues. After she has said: My soul thirsts for you, how greatly my flesh longs for you (Psalm 41:2), then he will speak to her heart and console her in mourning. And he will give her possession, that is, of repentance and sorrow that works salvation. And the humility of her troubled heart (for this is what the valley of Achor signifies) opens understanding, so that she may not ignore her Creator. The enemy, he says, have trampled upon your sanctuary. There is no doubt that it signifies the Temple, which the victorious Romans trod upon. And we have become as in the beginning before we were called in Abraham, and while we were in Egypt, having neither God, nor kings, nor princes, nor prophets, nor the Law of God's commandments (Ose. III), all of which were completed after the passion of the Lord, and are fulfilled even to this day. For when they said: His blood be upon us and upon our children (Matth. XXVII, 25), there remains an everlasting curse, and their God does not reign, nor is his name invoked above, since he is not at all called the people of God.

Source: Commentary on Isaiah
[AD 339] Eusebius of Caesarea on Isaiah 63:19
And you did this on account of our turning away from you. For we are now a desert untended by your careful attention. We are now like we were in the beginning. For there was a time when we had neither prophet nor priest not king nor any of your gifts of grace—in like manner we have now come back to the desert. Such were we in Egypt frittering away time before Moses took us out of there. Neither did we have your name to adorn us when we were not called your people, and we did not have a share in your inheritance. And now we have arrived at a similar point. It is right to refer these words to the season after the arrival of our Savior, by whom all those things will in the end be put behind them, through what was dared by our Savior for them.

Source: COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 2:54
[AD 444] Cyril of Alexandria on Isaiah 63:19
The church is often called “the holy mountain” in the sacred Scriptures, and those from Israel are only a small part of it. For if they had demonstrated faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the company of the faith would have sprung from them for the most part and the Gentiles would have been added in to complete the number. But because of the serious disobedience of the Jews, the people of the church were consequently largely drawn from the nations, and these provided the majority; the former people were few in number (for a remnant shall be saved), so only in small measure will they be called on to the holy mountain, that is, into the church.

Source: COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 5:5.63:18-19
[AD 458] Theodoret of Cyrus on Isaiah 63:19
The holy of holies of the sanctuary, which it was forbidden to touch and to which access was reserved for priests alone, has been despoiled and trampled by impious enemies. For the Babylonians were not the only impious ones; the Macedonians and the Romans were also, when they devastated Jerusalem.… We have resembled our ancestors who, in the time of slavery in Egypt, had not yet received the title of “your people.”

Source: COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 20:63.17-19