7. "The Voice of the Lord cutting short the flame of fire" (ver. 7). The Voice of the Lord, without any harm to Himself, passing through all the excited ardour of them that persecute Him, or dividing the furious rage of His persecutors, so that some should say, "Is not this haply the very Christ;" others, "Nay; but He deceiveth the people:" and so cutting short their mad tumult, as to pass some over into His love, and leave others in their malice.
Fire. Lightning, which deals destruction around. (Calmet)
The Holy Spirit appeared in the form of parted tongues of fire, to enable the apostles to convert the desert of the Gentile world, and the Jews, represented by the desert of Cades, (Worthington) which was near their country, (Haydock) on the frontiers of Idumea, Numbers xiii. 27. (Calmet)
Holy orders were instituted by Christ, to confer grace to the sacred ministers, according to their different stations or exigencies; (Berthier) or extreme unction, which prepares the soul for her separation from the body, may be here meant, if we follow the usual disposition of the sacraments; as the following sentence may allude to holy orders, which shakes or causes the desert to fructify, (Haydock) unless these words be rather applicable to matrimony. (Berthier)
Shaketh and shakes. St. Jerome has parturire faciens, "making the desert bring forth. "Chaldean, "frightens the serpents. "All nature is alarmed at the sound of thunder. (Haydock)...
