For the crown is really all those of Christ who, being set right through him, receive the diadem of the kingdom—those who sustained the struggle because of him, the holy martyrs whom the Father hand-picked to circle the crown for his son along with the royal diadem of honor, which is filled with the great number of those who have been saved by him.

In the translators the prophet holds forth like one caught up in delight: For Zion’s sake I will not keep quiet. For I will cry to God and ask to see the perfecting of what has been said—a time when righteousness and the salvation of Jerusalem will enlighten all. For after this a light to the nations will be passed on. For the choir of apostles extended the teaching to all the kingdoms, and the kingdoms were like a jewel in the hand of God, and so on. This was the blessing of those who fulfilled the promises first of all, that is, the community among the Jews called Jerusalem. Some call these new, for the apostles of the church were the firstfruits. And I will not stop, therefore, until God will fulfill his promises to it, the salvation through Christ for all the earth. For God is not of Israel alone but also of the nations. Some think that the words my righteousness and my salvation are actually spoken by the mouth of God promising to fulfill all these things.

Christ is righteousness and salvation, just as a light in the world, saying, When I am in the world, I am the light of the world,^[1] which was formerly discordant in godlessness and all shadows. Righteousness and glory are terms that once more name Christ. For we are justified in him, and we are enriched with glory from him.

To the newness of life, in place of the synagogue is rendered the name church and house and city of God, in which David said, Glorious things are said of you, city of God.^[2]

You will be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. Now this compares both each holy soul and the collective church, that is, the company of the saints, to a garland tied together from many flowers or to a royal diadem, shining with Indian jewels and with a variety of beautiful forms. For many are the noble characteristics of the saints, and there is not one type of distinction but many and various . . . and Christ himself said about his own sheep or the flock of those believing in him, No one shall snatch them from the hand of the Father.^[1] . . .

As a young man marries a virgin. This is said to the church about the time in the beginning when it was constituted from the Jewish tribes. For the godly disciples were Jewish according to their human origin, but they stood out from the others and took the lead since they had apostolic status. Yet they retained a great love and respect for their religion, so that there seemed to be great affection toward it as a man ought to feel toward a young virgin bride when he lies with her. . . .

The Lord will rejoice over you. . . . For the only-begotten Word of God came down from heaven to make the church fertile, which he presented to himself as a pure virgin, without spot or stain, wholly blameless.^[2] She received from him the seeds of the evangelical citizenship, became pregnant and gave birth, not with blood . . . but rather as one shaped to the beauty of the truth.

The new name means the names given to the Christians. For the person baptized into saving baptism is called by another name because he received a total change of condition. But the Jew fought against the new name. For that reason it says in the prophecy of Isaiah, He put a new name on you.. . .

A garland is composed from many different flowers, and the diadem of the kingdom denotes the ranks of apostles who led the churches, being Israelites by birth, and whom the new name suited since they were in communion so as to become a people. They are called will, those who have done his will, those who are said to love as a young man dwells with a virgin. This does not denote corruption but the blooming of her condition, for in dwelling with the virgin the groom protects her.

This indicates the present-day condition of the churches; day and night the people guard God’s commands; the priests teach about God the whole night, and they praise the Lord and remember him.

Because she will be adorned and established in incomparable beauty, he adds, You will be a beautiful garland.^[1] For every holy soul and the whole church must be compared with a garland put together from many flowers and a royal jewel. For David says that the church is adorned in gold-embroidered and multicolored clothing similar to what is said in our text. In the hand of God means under his shelter. For he says, Under my hand I will shelter you. And Christ concerning his own sheep said, No one can steal them from the Father’s hand.^[2] Some say that the garland of Christ are those corrected by him. And the jewel of his kingdom are those martyrs for his sake,^[3] whom in his hand the Father had chosen to put round the Son, garlanding him and placing as a royal jewel, with the fullness of those who have been saved through him and by him. Among these taking a new name, she will no longer be called she who is left deserted but my will, that is, according to my will. This means that she who was previously deserted^[4] will be saved and placed with him, rather than deserted. . . .

He says will, meaning those doing his will, those who love him, as a young man loves a virgin. . . . For he protects and keeps her as virgin, according to the mystery mentioned by Paul when he discusses Christ and the church.^[5] He shows the present state of the churches under the guidance of the priests day and night. While the people are unconscious of God, the priests become their defending wall, unconquered and placing a faithful guard against any approach of the devil.

Those who believe in the Lord received a new title; they are not called after Abraham or Israel or Judah but are named after the master, Christ. For they are called Christians by everyone, since they have put on Christ through the most holy baptism. ^[1] ISRAEL’S NEW FERTILITY. ISHO‘DAD OF MERV: Married, since on the days of the captivity [your land] had become a widow, without kings or children; now, on the contrary, because of the return, it will be a married woman and a mother of children. Your land shall be married, that is, it will be sowed and made fertile, or it will now cooperate in its tilling and germination. ^[1]

For as a young man marries a virgin, so shall your sons marry you. He calls sons the apostles, the priests and the righteous ones of the church, who constitute the head of the body of the church, as the husband is the head of a woman.^[1] These are like husbands to the church through its doctrine and constantly generate spiritual sons to it.

Instead of there is none like you, until he sets Jerusalem right and makes it a shining example on the earth, Symmachus has, do not be silent and do not let him be silent until he prepares and makes Jerusalem to sing on the earth.. . . For with the prophetic choir asking such questions, the Holy Spirit is encouraging them and exhorting them to continue in those prayers on behalf of those mentioned. So he says, Don’t be silent and give no silence, that is, to the Lord who promises these things, until he has prepared and makes Jerusalem to sing on the earth. He provides for the intercession made by the powers of all the people, that it should not be quiet or ever fall silent, but with shouts and unrestrained cries rouse him. The people’s intercession should never give God peace.

Jerusalem . . . there is nothing like you; for there is nothing like you among us. Nevertheless, because whatever he has surpasses the human by the excess of glory, God outstrips us by the glory of his divinity in his being good and compassionate. . . .

If you could correct yourself, Jerusalem, that is, if you could change to spiritual worship, if you could . . . take notice of the things written by Moses, if you would receive God’s grace through faith and make his praise known through the earth, then you would make known the shining glory that is in Christ. This is the glory by which the Lord has sworn, since he has no one better to swear by. He has sworn by his right arm, in that those who of old afflicted you with great injustice would no longer get in your way.

Again, he gives the name Jerusalem to the bride but calls guards those who lead the godly people through city and town, those who night and day sing praises to God and guard the city. If one wants to take these as angels, one would not be far wrong. For it says, The angel of the Lord will encircle those who are afraid and protect them.^[1]

He promises those crying out and who give unceasing praise to the Lord, While you are still speaking, behold, I am here.^[1] . . . Now to those who will be worthy of the new age and involved in the things the Lord promises, he will no longer give their fruit to their enemies, but they will profit from these themselves. For they are correcting their lives in the direction of virtue and in godly manner are pursuing righteousness and enjoying their own harvest.

As you battle courageously, I will lead from the front. Since there is no one else better by whom one should swear, then by my own glory and by my own power I swear, since I will guard your harvest for you and stop those who are perpetual thieves, while you will profit from your own labors. Wheat and wine and food, spiritually speaking, signify the harvest of righteousness.

They will eat and drink in the courts of my sanctuary.^[1] These are the many mansions with the Father.^[2] He mentions courts, or dwellings as some prefer, and so consequently mentions the temple. He says, Go out through my gates, meaning the heavenly city with its mansions and gates, which will be revealed to the saints in the future, in the place of those called. For no one will enter who is crippled by hate, or anyone who seeks to enter under false pretences. No demon will enter, or anyone who has obstructed the kingdom. Make a road for my people, he says to the angelic powers. But some take these powers to signify the churches of the world, and that the stones in that road are snares laid by the enemy. But the guards (that is, the disciples) are told to keep those who enter on the way free from harm. For the Jews . . . like to dwell in legal figures, while Greeks stumble against the strange teaching. For they refer to words that the Jewish scribes have written. But the spiritual leaders cut down the wild thickets of scandalous unclarity and remove every obstacle to the knowledge of God. Therefore, Paul says to those from the circumcision, There is neither circumcision nor uncircumcision^[3] but only the keeping of God’s commands.

And salvation, along the way of his steps. Note the exact words, his steps, where there are no rocks, where there are no thorns or thistles, where the path is even, where he may walk, where he cannot stumble. Let us, therefore, make way for the Lord in our heart, that way for which John [the Baptist] was giving his life’s effort. . . . Although formerly we faced obstacles of thorns and thistles, although we had stones, he declares to us in Isaiah, clear the highway of stones. He proclaims this, furthermore, lest he stumble on them when he is ready to walk in the way of our heart. Now the stones that he bids us to throw out from our way are our sins. Christ does not walk in our heart if there is any sin there. He stumbles at once against these stones. And salvation along the way of his steps. Let us prepare the way, and Jesus will set his steps in it.

This forecasts the coming of the Savior and our redemption by his coming. It also foretells the granting of riches to those who believe in him. . . . Concerning that which is new, that is, the church, it may be fittingly said that it is the daughter of Zion. . . . For whom does he order to proclaim good news to Zion? Those holy spiritual guides, of course, who took on the leadership role in the church and whose job it was to open the gates and to remove the stones from their midst. And what were they to announce? That the Savior has come bringing his own reward and his work before his face.^[1] Two points are made, that which relates to his godhead and that which is a reward for us. Through both the Savior’s glory becomes apparent.

Thus, what God has indicated to the ends of the earth is not the reconstruction of Jerusalem but the cross, the passion, the resurrection, the ascension of the Master to the heavens, the coming of the Holy Spirit and the hope of future benefits. He commands the heralds to prepare the road and to make it level . . . by removing difficulties. For he calls obstacles stones. . . . Then, once the route has been arranged, he ordains the heralds to say to the daughter of Zion, that is, to the church extended throughout the world, Behold, your Savior has come to you, having his reward and his work before his face. ^[1] THE CHURCH IS CALLED TO BE HOLY. COUNCIL OF CARTHAGE 411: Our adversaries argue against us who defend the purity of the church that it will have mixed within it at the same time good and bad up to the end of the age. For this reason we demonstrate that the church of the Lord is called nearly everywhere in the divine Scriptures holy and without spot. In Isaiah, say to the daughter of Zion, behold, your Savior comes bringing his reward and work with him, and he will call that people holy and redeemed by the Lord; and you will be called a desired city and not an abandoned one. . . . For Paul clearly shows this: Christ loved the church and gave himself up for it that he might sanctify it, washing it in the water of the word and joining it to himself, not having a spot or stain or anything like that, but holy and spotless.^{[1] [2]}

He rewarded the confession of the thief on the cross when he said, Today you will be with me in paradise.^[1] He comes to those who believed and will call a people who have been ransomed by the Lord. For it was not an elder or an angel but the Lord himself who has saved us. He says the city shall be called ‘sought out,’ that is, worthy of memory. For it was formerly abandoned. So Jeremiah says, I have abandoned my house and lost my inheritance.^[2] And the Savior says, Behold, your house will be left deserted.^[3]