(5) "And the Lord will come, and the whole place of Mount Zion will be overshadowed, and all that is round about it will be covered with a cloud in the days, and like smoke and light burning in the night, it will be covered with all glory." (6) "And it shall be in the shade of the heat, and in the covering, and in the shelter of hardness and rain."

The prophet says that after cleansing in the font and after cleansing by repentance, the time will come when every place will be settled with Mount Zion, that is, it will become high and be counted worthy to be a place of sight of heavenly things; after "seven wives shall be taken for a husband" and "the Lord shall shine forth with glory in counsel," the "remnant of Israel" will be exalted and glorified. When, after the cleansing of the filth of the "daughters of Zion" and the cleansing of the blood "from among them, they shall be called holy," then the environs of Jerusalem "will be overshadowed by a cloud in days," so that it will bring shade from the heat and a veil from "hardness and rain." And the night will be dispelled by a burning light, and glory will be like smoke, covering everything. I think that all this is promised to those who are worthy of repose. Since "many mansions are in the house of the Father" (cf. John 14:2) and various lots are appointed in the land of inheritance, which "the meek will inherit" (cf. Matt. 5:5), it is evident that some will rest in the brightness of God's appearance, and others under the protection of the heavenly powers, while others will be covered in the glory of light as if by smoke. Or perhaps light will shine on Zion itself, and a "cloud of days" will shine around Zion, proceeding not from anything else, but from the light itself. As smoke comes from fire, so this cloud is made up of light. Those who dwell under it will enjoy great glory, as illuminated by the very cloud which spreads over their heads in the heat and gives a pleasant coolness by its overshadowing, and when the fierce rains fall, it replaces the impenetrable veils, sufficiently covers those who require shelter, and by its thickness blocks the eyes. Such was the "cloud of light" that surrounded the disciples at the transfiguration of the Lord (cf. Matt. 17:5). Since the standing and solidification of the cloud serve as a sign of silence in the air, the steadfastness of the cloud cover indicates the serenity of the state of mind at that time. In order to see more clearly what it means to be "hidden" than the veil, let us explain this by the following example. Someone is sought by enemies, and his own guards him in a house that is difficult to find. It is necessary to imagine that something similar happens to a saint when this divine cloud covers him, so that he does not fall into the hands of his enemies. Thus much has been said, that we may more clearly understand what help will be gained in the vicinity of Zion, because by day a cloud overshadows them to protect them from the heat, and by night a light of fire burns for them, illuminating them, and by day and by night it makes them safe from evildoers.

Commentary on Chapter 5

(1) "I will sing now to the Beloved the song of my Beloved to my vineyard."

It seems that all songs have a content of a particularly joyful state of affairs. Thus, the song in the Book of Exodus: "We sing to the Lord, for glorious is thou glorified" (Exodus 15:1) is a song of victory; The Song of Songs is a marriage song, composed in a hypothetical way. And here the word contains a threat, proclaimed to the grapes by the righteous judgment of God. But can not even the most formidable be decently introduced into the song, as soon as it has a good end in mind? The person who proclaims this hymn is the Holy Spirit; He sings a song to the "beloved grapes"; but this song is also the song of the beloved. Who is the beloved by nature? Who else but the Only-begotten is this primordial Goodness, to which all things aspire, and to Whom love is naturally and ineffably impressed in the souls of all rational beings? Thus, since, according to the word of the Lord, the Comforter receives and declares to us all things from the Only-begotten (John 15:26; 16:14), He also calls this song the song of the Beloved, as borrowed from Him. For the vine, once beloved and repentant, one and the same thing is a song, but for the one who abides in sin it becomes weeping and grief, as we see in Ezekiel that in the same book are written "and song" (pity) "and weeping and woe" (cf. Ezekiel 2:10). And the word of the Lord, calling for eternal life and for the enjoyment of heavenly blessings, was a song that aroused souls to measured and harmonious movements of virtuous activity; and John's preaching, which converted the disobedient to repentance, was a lamentation, which produces unfailing sorrow unto salvation (cf. 2 Corinthians 7:10). But there were Jews who, through hardness of heart and condescending words, did not turn to life and were not brought to repentance by strict words. In the same way, the present hymn contains both the praise of their ancient nobility and God's providence for them, and at the same time the denunciation of real vices and the threat of calamities that will befall them. However, the former does not restore this disobedient people to its proper dignity, and the latter cannot tame it and make it more chaste.

The song begins with praises of ancient nobility. "The grapes were in the rose of the beloved, in the place of fat." The Prophet calls the people of Israel grapes, for it is said: "Thou hast brought grapes out of Egypt" (Psalm 79:9). And in Jeremiah, the people represented under the same image are reproached: "And I have planted thee a fruitful vine, all true; How hast Thou been turned into sorrow, O strange vineyard?" (Jeremiah 2:21). "In a rose, in a place of fatness." The prophet speaks of the land which Israel possessed, and which was given to their fathers by the promise of God. "In a rose, in a place of fatness." Great praise in a few words! The horn is the most elevated and hard part of the whole body; it gives the head an ornament and at the same time serves as a defensive weapon; but it is dry and painless, which is why the children of horned animals do not rush to the horn of their mother, but, not taught by anyone, they seek the nipple, a place moist and fat. Why did the prophetic word, showing that the land of Judah was sufficient for both, both for protection from enemies and for the nourishment of the inhabitants, combined the two: "in a rose, in a place of fatness," that is, in a strong and nourishing country. And some, in explaining this saying, extend to a deeper meaning. Just as the head of horned animals is the first to be shown at birth, and the last reaches full maturity and is very late adorned in the growing horns, so Israel, the first of all nations to be called into an attribute with God (for it is said: "The people of the Lord were a part of Him, and Israel is already His inheritance" [cf. Deuteronomy 32:9]), after all nations will be counted worthy of perfection. For when "the fulfillment of tongues shall come in," then "all Israel shall be saved" (Romans 11:25, 26).

There is a legend, preserved in the Church from unwritten memory, that Judea had Adam as its first inhabitant, who, after being expelled from paradise, was settled in this country to console himself in his losses. That is why she was the first to receive a dead man, when Adam was condemned. To those who lived at that time, this sight seemed new – a head bone on which the flesh had disintegrated, and they, placing the skull in that place, called it the "frontal" place (cf. Matt. 27:33). Probably, Noah was not unaware of the tomb of the leader of all men, and therefore after the flood this rumor was betrayed to them. Why did the Lord, having found the beginnings of human death, accept suffering on the so-called place of the skull, so that the life of the Kingdom would begin in the same place where the corruption of people began, and so that death would become strong in Adam, so it would become weak in the death of Christ? That is why "in the rose," as in the Cross of Christ that has a defense against the enemy, and "in a place of fatness," as in the one who was honored after paradise with primacy in all the sunflowers.

(2) "And with the enclosures and the trenches, and planted the vine of Sorich," (the chosen, the fruitful one), "made a pillar in the midst thereof, and made the forerunners in it."

The course of speech does not quite follow the natural course of affairs, for they plant before digging, if only by trenches we mean supports that support the fruit of the vine above the ground. Or perhaps the prudent farmer, except for the first preparation, has arranged everything in advance, and then proceeds to plant? Therefore, first he fences, then digs, and then plants grapes. And the grapes are not any kind of grapes, but "Sorich", of which Symmachus made the "chosen". Therefore, what kind of fence is this if not the commandments that God gave to the people before the introduction into the "land of obsession" (cf. Lev. 25:24)? Then God gave them the power to overcome their opponents and eradicate the peoples who had previously lived there. This the Prophet called trenches, because it made them high and famous, lifted up the fruits, so that they would not fall and would not be accessible to everyone. This is followed by the planting of the "elect," because they are descended from the seed of God's elect—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And the "pillar" created "in the midst" is evidently a temple erected in the midst of Judea; the "forerunners" are the Jewish Synagogue itself, because the winepress in the proper sense is the Church of God, made up of people gathered from everywhere; for it the Psalmist also sang songs about "winepresses" (Psalm 8 and 80); "Foreseeing" is both preparation with the help of the law and preliminary instruction in piety. And because it leads to unity, it is a winepress; and since it serves as a preparation for the most perfect, it is a pre-emption.

"And wait for him to make a cluster, and make thorns."

With the planting of the chosen grapes and with so much care, it would be necessary that sweet fruits should be brought, for the works of Abraham are also required of the children of Abraham (John 8:39). But instead of the expected "Make clusters of thorns," that is, instead of rejoicing and calming, I am ready to wound, tear, and bloody those who approach. For which of the prophets did they not kill, according to what is said in the Gospel parable (cf. Matt. 21:35)? I think that it is not only for murder that they are accused of having created thorns, but also because, having ceased to be God-loving, they preferred to be voluptuous, and the cares of life have choked their minds like thorns. As thorns do not bring grapes, so the vine does not bring thorns. That is why the Lord says: "Do they encompass the food from the thorns of the grapes?" (Matt. 7:16). However, the Jews bring thorns instead of bunches.

(3) "And now, you who dwell in Jerusalem and the men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard."

If the vine of the Lord is the house of Israel, and the man of Judah,

"Judge," he says, "between Me and My vineyard," and tell me, what has not yet been done to help it to be fruitful?