I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.
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Augustine of Hippo
AD 430
7. "I will hearken" (ver. 8). The Prophet spoke: God spoke within in him, and the world made a noise without. Therefore, retiring for a little from the noise of the world, and turning himself back upon himself, and from himself upon Him whose voice he heard within; sealing up his ears, as it were, against the tumultuous disquietude of this life, and against the soul weighed down by the corruptible body, and against the imagination, that through the earthly tabernacle pressing down, thinketh on many things, he saith, "I will hearken what the Lord God speaketh in me;" and he heard, what? "For He shall speak peace unto His people." The voice of Christ, then, the voice of God, is peace: it calleth unto peace. Ho! it saith, whosoever are not yet in peace, love ye peace: for what can ye find better from Me than peace? What is peace? Where there is no war. What is this, where there is no war? Where there is no contradiction, where there is no resistance, nothing to oppose. Consider if we are ...
Hear. Hitherto the prophet had been distracted by the thought of his people's misery. (St. Augustine)
In me, is not expressed in Hebrew.
Heart. Some of the ancients add, "to him. "(Calmet)
The Septuagint seem to have had a copy different from the present Hebrew, "But let them not turn again to folly "(Protestants; Haydock) though the sense is much the same. They may have read lobom lie, "their heart to God "(Berthier) or lobsle, (Calmet) "the heart, Sela "instead of lecisla, "to folly. "(Haydock)
Those Israelites who had given way to idolatry, were little inclined to return to their own country, at the invitation of Cyrus. Though Christ came to save all, only men of good will obtained his peace, Luke ii. 4., and John i. 5. (Calmet)
There is no peace for the wicked, Isaias xlviii. 22., and Philippians iv. 9. (Berthier)
The redemption of the world was here revealed. (Worthington) (Menochius)
