I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these [things].
Ver. 7. I form the light, and create darkness,] sc., By withdrawing the light whence darkness succeedeth; so doth misery when God withholdeth mercy. But what an odd, or rather mad conceit was that of the Manichees, that there were two beginnings of things - a good one, and an evil! that the latter was the God of the Old Testament, and the former of the New! that the God of the Old Testament did good by accident and occasionally, but created evil of himself, even evil of sin! for so they mistook this text, which is to be understood as evil of punishment only, see Amos 3:6 Lam 3:38 which he inflicteth on evildoers for the manifestation of his justice and power, ac propterea recte, et non male eo pacto quo per nos mala male flunt. a
I make peace, and create evil.] Evil, that is, war, by a specialty, and κατ αντονομασιαν, Omega nostrorum Mors est, Mars Alpha malorum. Sin, Satan, and war have all one name; evil is the best of them. The best of sin is deformity, of Satan enmity, of war misery.
a Vide Aug. contra Julian., lib. iii. cap. 8.