Commentary on the Prophet Ezekiel

THE BLESSED THEODORET, BISHOP OF CYRRHUS, INTERPRETATION OF THE PROPHECY OF THE DIVINE EZEKIEL

The physical eyes were created to be judges of shapes and colors; when they are healthy, they judge them rightly and most justly; but when they are weakly affected, they stray from their duty and pervert the standard of rectitude. For either they do not see at all, or, seeing one thing instead of another, they discern the nature of the things seen incorrectly. However, that part of the soul in which the power of seeing resides, and which supplies this same power to the eyes, has also received another faculty from the Creator, by which it judges not only the qualities of shapes, colors, vapors, tastes, and other things of this kind, but it also judges speeches and thoughts. ^B It distinguishes the impious from the pious, recognizes the difference between divine and human matters, and altogether, according to the wise Solomon, understands a parable and a dark speech, the words of the wise and their riddles. But it discerns each of these when it is in a healthy state and free from unbelief. But where such a mist covers it, it undergoes the same thing as the eyes of the body; it sees one thing instead of another, or because the disease prevails, it sees nothing at all. Some who have fallen into a disease of this kind have undertaken to accuse the divine Scripture, and especially the prophetic oracles, as being wrapped in obscurity. To whom the divine Paul would rightly say: "But if our gospel also is hidden, it is hidden to those who are perishing; for we speak wisdom among the perfect." And these things are in agreement with those spoken by

^A our Lord and Savior to the holy apostles: "To you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom," but to those it is not given. And teaching the cause, he immediately adds: "Seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not understand." For they themselves, he says, voluntarily draw over themselves the cloud of ignorance; for if they should turn to the Lord, as the divine Apostle says, the veil is taken away.

Divine things, therefore, are not obscure to all, but only to those who voluntarily labor under blindness; whom it behooved to observe and consider that nothing of value is readily available to men. For the sea hides the pearl in its depths, and likewise the flower of the royal purple; and veins of gold and silver do not appear on the surface of the earth but are hidden in its innermost parts. In our homes, too, we store our most precious ^B possessions inside, placing on the doors locks, bolts, and seals; and we are not accustomed to revealing our more important plans to everyone, but only to our most faithful friends. But divine things are more venerable than all these things mentioned, and as much more excellent as things invisible are than things visible, as things understood by the mind are than things perceived by the senses, and as things that remain are than things that pass away. Therefore, these things deserve to be guarded with greater care, and to speak in the way of the Lord, "give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast your pearls before swine"; for the possession of what is easily obtained is held in contempt, while what is acquired with labor is most desirable and lovely.

Beyond these things, it must be added to what has been said that the oracles of the divine prophets ^C contain both an accusation of the iniquity of the Jews and an announcement of good things to the nations; and it was necessary that the prophecy be as if shadowed, lest the Jews, usually laboring from the disease of envy and daring to plot against goods not their own, should destroy the books signifying these things. And that this is indeed the cause of the apparent obscurity, the facts themselves bear witness. For of old these things happened to be unclear to the Jews, so that the written memory of the blessing for the nations might be preserved. But since the prediction has received its end, and the events have followed the writings, from that time the oracles of the prophets have become clear and manifest; for those who read the prophetic books receive the interpretation from the events themselves.

Let no one, therefore, ^D and especially not those who are nurtured in piety, be bold against the divine Spirit, accusing his words of obscurity; but desiring to understand the holy words, let him cry out with the divine David: "Open my eyes, and I will consider wonderful things out of thy law." For he will certainly obtain his request, praying for the knowledge to be given to him for his profit. This we also

^A offer in supplication to the Lord, who, according to the divine David, makes the blind to see, and according to the blessed Isaiah, illuminates those who walk in darkness and the shadow of death; and let us boldly undertake the interpretation of the divine Ezekiel, and endeavor to search out the deep things of the prophecy as far as it is possible for us, and to propose the profit derived from it as a common benefit to all the pious.

Introduction to the Prophecy of Ezekiel

Come, therefore, before the interpretation, let us run through the subject matter in summary. This prophet began his prophecy in the fifth year of the captivity of Joacim, who is also called Jechonias. This captivity, however, was not the first, as some have thought, but the third for Jerusalem, the fourth for Judah, and the sixth for all Israel. For first, Theglathphalasar took the greater part of the ten tribes captive by force of arms; ^B second, Salmanasar destroyed Samaria and enslaved the cities around it, and departed; third, Sennacherib besieged other cities of Judaea and led many captives into exile. But he attempted to march against Jerusalem with great impiety, and received the rewards of his blasphemy; having lost his army by a divinely inflicted blow, he returned to his own country with a few men. After him, the fourth, Nebuchadnezzar, in the third year of the reign of Joacim the son of Josiah, arrived in Judaea with a great army; and having taken many talents of gold and silver, and many captives from the royal family, and some of the sacred vessels, he departed from there, having imposed a tribute upon the king. But a short time having passed, Joacim refused to pay the appointed tribute, and Nebuchadnezzar, in the eleventh year of his reign and the eighth of his own rule, again marched against Jerusalem; and he killed Joacim, ordered him to be thrown from the wall, and left him unburied for a very long time. And having taken all those who were in office as captives, and having appointed Joacim—who was also called Jechonias, being the son of the former Joacim—as king over the remainder, he returned to Babylon. But three months and a few days having passed, when he learned that he [Jechonias] had stirred up a sedition, he returned again; and having bound him, he led him away captive with no small multitude, and he appointed as king his uncle, the brother of the former Joacim, and son of Josiah, Mathanias, who was also named Zedecias, having taken oaths from him that he would keep good faith toward him and would pay the tribute in due time. But when he too, having violated his oaths, was unwilling to pay the tribute, nor had remained in duty and loyalty, but

^A had fled [to the Egyptians], he gathered a great army and arrived. Having taken the city with all its inhabitants, he burned the palace, the divine temple, and every magnificent house. All those who had escaped the ruin of famine and the carnage of war he led away captive; and even all the vessels, not only those which were made of silver and gold, but also the columns fashioned from bronze, and all other things, he transported to Babylon. The captivity of Jechoniah, therefore, was not the first, as it seemed to some, but the third of Jerusalem. This is taught to us by the fourth book of Kings, the book of Chronicles, and the divine prophet Daniel, who thus begins his prophecy: “In the third year of the reign of Joakim, king of Judah, Nabuchodonosor, king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem and besieged it; and the Lord gave Joakim, king of Judah, into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God.” And a little later: “And the king said,” he remarks, “to Asphanez, his chief eunuch, to bring in some of the children of the captivity of the sons of Israel and of the seed of the kingdom.” The first captivity of Jerusalem, therefore, took place in the third year of the reign of Joakim; and this was the first year of the reign of Nabuchodonosor. And this the same prophet teaches us when he says: “In the second year of the reign of Nabuchodonosor, he dreamed a dream.” The second captivity, as I have said, took place in the eleventh year of the reign of Joakim, and ^B the eighth of the lordship of Nabuchodonosor. The third was in the first year of the reign of Jechoniah, son of Joakim, and the ninth of the lordship of Nabuchodonosor. The blessed prophet Jeremiah clearly teaches us these things, and it is easy for anyone who wishes to gather the times to understand them clearly from that prophet as well. Ezechiel, therefore, began his prophecy in the fifth year of the captivity of Joakim, who was also called Jechoniah; and this fifth year was also the year of the reign of Zedekiah, who had been appointed king of the Jews in place of Jechoniah. Daniel had begun to prophesy twelve years earlier. During the same times, while these were prophesying in Babylon, in Judea were Jeremiah, Zephaniah, and Urias, the son of Samæas. But these again were older than not only Ezechiel, but also Daniel himself; for in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah, the blessed Jeremiah made the beginning of his prophecy, and Zephaniah is also said to have prophesied under king Josiah. Urias, the son of Samæas, when he had prophesied while the aforementioned Joakim was reigning and had foretold future ^C calamities, suffered an unjust death by his hand. Therefore, of those who prophesied at the time of the captivity, the last is the divine prophet Ezechiel. Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi performed the duty of prophesying after the return. This prophet, however, sees the divine revelations

^A filled with dread and trembling; for he predicts not only the destruction of the Jews, but also that of the Tyrians, the Sidonians, and the other foreigners—the Moabites, the Ammonites, and the Idumaeans—and in addition to these, the Egyptians. He also foretells the deliverance of the Jews from captivity, the rebuilding of the divine Temple, and countless other things, which—so that the argument may not become too long—we shall touch upon individually in our commentary. Having therefore besought the God of the prophet through the prophet himself, that He might grant us the gift of understanding, come, let us commence the interpretation.

VOLUME I. BOOK ONE. CHAPTER 1.

^B VERS. 1. *Et factum est anno tricesimo, quarto mense, quinto (die) mensis.* Some have thought this to be the thirtieth year of the Jubilee. The Jews call the number of fifty years the Jubilee. Just as the Romans denote the revolution of time by fifteen years, so do the Jews by fifty. Some have declared that the time of this prophecy was the thirtieth year of these fifty years. But I, having first investigated the time in the annals of history, discovered that the fifth year of the captivity of Jeconiah corresponds not with the thirtieth year of the Jubilee, but with the twenty-fifth year. Then, having noticed that none of the holy prophets had ever indicated this time ^C, I searched and discovered that this was the thirtieth year of the captivity. For a little later this same prophet is commanded to sleep on his right side and to bear the sins of the house of Judah for forty days, if you calculate the day for a year. Since, therefore, I had considered that the Lord in His mercy had fixed the captivity of Judah at seventy years, and ^D that forty...

years out of the seventy were still remaining, I understood that the prophet calls this the thirtieth year of the captivity. But looking back and searching into the time, I find that the captivity took place not thirty years prior, but thirteen years prior. ^A However, as God is good and a lover of mankind, He is accustomed to count the time of correction from His own decree, and not from the outcome of the events themselves. He did this also in the time of the patriarch Abraham. For when He had said, "Your seed will be a sojourner in a land not its own, and they will subject them to servitude, and they will afflict it for four hundred years," [r] He did not permit them to spend all this time with the Egyptians, but He counts the number of the four hundred years from His own decree. And in the time of Noah, too, when He had set a limit of one ^B hundred and twenty years for repentance, having beheld the increase of iniquity, He did not wait for the end of the decree, so that He might check the progression of sin. Thus, here too, we shall find the number of thirty years, if we make the decree of God the beginning of the numbering. For God condemned the Jews to captivity and servitude in the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah. For when Chelcias, the prince of the priests, had found the Mosaic law buried (for the iniquity of the Jews had grown to such a degree that all divine things had been completely consigned to oblivion), and then the king had read it, and had observed that the things ^C dared by the people were openly contrary to the law, and having been struck, for this reason, with no small terror, had ordered the prince of the priests to ensure that God be propitiated; the prince of the priests betook himself to Olda the prophetess, a pious woman and a guardian of the divine laws. She, being moved by divine instinct and filled with the divine Spirit, said to him: "Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Say to the man who sent you to me: Behold, I am bringing evils upon this place, and upon those dwelling in it, all the words of the book which the king of Judah read; ^D because they abandoned me, and sacrificed to foreign gods, so as to provoke me in all the works of their hands; and my wrath shall be kindled in this place, and it shall not be extinguished.’ But to the king of Judah, who also sent you to seek the Lord, you shall say thus: ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel: Because you heard my words, and your heart was pricked, and you were ashamed before my face, as you heard all that I spoke against this place, and against those dwelling

^A therein, that it might be for a desolation, and you tore your garments, and wept before me, and I heard, says the Lord; not so? Behold, I will add you to your fathers, and you shall be brought to your grave in peace, and your eyes shall not see all the evils that I am bringing upon this place, and upon those dwelling in it. The book of Chronicles teaches these things also. These things were done and spoken in the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah; and he reigned for thirty-one years. From the eighteenth, therefore, until the thirty-first year, there are fourteen years. After him, Joachas reigned for three months, which must be added to these years, because the prophecy was given in the eighth month of the eighteenth year. Then, joining those eleven years of Joacim with the previous ones, we shall find twenty-five. But the three months of Jechonia, and a few days, we shall again substitute for the months that were lacking from the eighteenth year. And to the twenty-five years, adding the five of the captivity of Jechonia, we shall find the number of thirty years. Thus, we shall also be able to perceive the truth of the seventy years of the captivity. For from the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah until the first of Cyrus, king of the Persians, in whose reign the first return took place, the seventieth year is completed. But whoever wishes to number the seventy years of the desolation of the temple, he should begin from the eleventh year of Zedekiah (for then the sacred temple of God was burned), and end in the second year of Darius Hystaspis, in whose reign they restored the temple with all diligence, and the work reached its conclusion. Therefore the ^B prophet says: In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, I was in the midst of the captivity by the river Chobar, and the heavens were opened, and I saw a vision of God. (VERS. 2.) In the fifth month: this is the fifth year of the captivity of king Joacim. But he himself has clearly taught us as well, that it is not simply the fifth year of the captivity, but of the captivity of king Joacim. This man, then, as I said, was Jechonia, who reigned for three months and a few days besides. For the father of this man, Joacim, was killed in Jerusalem in the eleventh year of his reign. But he said that the heavens were opened, not truly and in reality, but by spiritual contemplation. "And I saw," he says, "a vision of God,"—not the essence of God, but a vision, a certain revelation, and as it were an expressed image, which could be comprehended by human nature. "And I was in the midst of the captivity," pious with the impious, righteous with the unjust. For such is the kindness of the Lord, that the sins of sinners ^C (are ^D)

causes his servants to be vexed by punishments and calamities.

Ver. 3. *And the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel the son of Buzi the priest, in the land of the Chaldeans, by the river Chobar.* He boasts of two gifts, both priesthood and prophecy (for both are gifts of the Spirit). He also mentions the region and place where he was deemed worthy of the divine revelation, signifying many things through these: first, that the divine nature is uncircumscribed, having authority not only in Jerusalem, nor ruling only the Jews, but being the Creator and Governor of all. This furthermore manifests his ineffable goodness, that he does not neglect those whom he has delivered into captivity, but attends to them with every providence and fitting care. He deems him worthy of this vision by the waters, prefiguring the salvation of all men, and declaring the knowledge of God to be bestowed upon the pious through the regeneration of water. Thus also the divine Daniel beheld those divine visions ^B by the waters; and the lawgiver Moses, cast by the river, attained salvation through water. So again, the very well and water brought about a marriage—which was the case not only with Jacob, but also with Isaac. But let us return to the interpretation, for this is not the present scope of our discourse.

*"And the hand of the Lord was upon me."* He thus called the efficacy of the divine Spirit. For indeed, the divine Paul, chastising the one who resisted him, Elymas, spoke in this way: "Behold the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a season." It was the efficacy of the divine Spirit, as Paul himself says, "in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit of God." "The hand of the Lord," he says, "was upon me."

Ver. 4. *And I saw, and behold, a wind coming from the north, and a great cloud in it, and brightness round about it, and fire flashing.* It is necessary first to explain the cause of the revelation, and then to interpret these things one by one. Many false prophets at that time were contradicting the prophets; this the blessed Jeremiah teaches us especially. ^C For when God had commanded him to wear bonds and to predict the captivity of both the king and all the people, a certain false prophet named Hananias, having broken these and contradicting that which was spoken by the prophet, lied openly and cried out that not only would the city not be destroyed, but that those who had already been taken captive would soon return. Therefore, God, being more indignant, commands that he should put iron bonds upon himself instead of wooden ones, and predict ^D to those who were in Judea the siege and servitude: for

he commands him to write to the captives in Babylon, to build houses, and to plant vineyards; since the sentence of seventy years was true and devoid of falsehood. It was necessary, therefore, not only for Jeremiah to say and write these things in Judea, but also for those who had been led into captivity to learn these things through the prophets who were among them. The prophet, however, sees the total destruction that was to befall Jerusalem. For this is what is meant by, "A whirlwind came from the north," or, as Symmachus says, "rushing with force." The violence of the wind signifies the Babylonian assault; the "great cloud" signifies the inundation of spears, javelins, and all kinds of missiles; the "flashing fire" signifies not only the terror produced, but also the destruction of the city by fire; and the "brightness round about" signifies the glory of God which reveals itself through the punishment. For since they did not enjoy the benefits, nor did they wish to recognize the author of those benefits from them, they obtain knowledge through the punishment. For this reason they even cry out: "After my captivity I repented." And in the midst of it as the appearance of electrum in the midst of the fire, and brightness therein. Thus far, therefore, he has declared the whole revelation to us; next he begins to explain it part by part.

^C VERS. 5. And in the midst as the likeness of four living creatures. That which partakes of reason is called a living creature, both man and angel; but the one is a mortal rational being, and the other an immortal rational being. But who could clearly explain the revelation, when the prophet himself was wearied in his narration of it? For he did not say simply that he had seen four living creatures, nor even the likeness of living creatures, but "as the likeness of four living creatures"; so that it is manifest that the divine prophets did not behold the natures of those things which cannot be seen, but rather certain images and patterns shown to each one for his need by the bountiful Giver. He narrates to us, therefore, the forms of the living creatures seen by him.

For this vision, he says, is of them: the likeness of a man was in them. VERS. 6-8. And every one had four faces, and every one four wings. And their legs were straight, and their feet were winged, and sparks as ^D flashing brass, and their wings were light. And the hand of a man was under their wings on their four sides. He says, therefore, that the form of those things which he beheld was upright, and similar to a man, and that each one was endowed with a four-fold face and four wings.

^A They had the same number of hands as they had wings, and their feet were full of wings. He declares, moreover, by the four-fold number the faces and wings of their power, which indicate the divine figure, the providence regarding all things of the King of God. But that they were furnished with wings signifies the acuteness of their nature; and that they were like to the most brilliant bronze signifies the brightness and the purity of their mind; and that they had hands hidden, signifies their invisible and various efficacy. To these he adds:

VERS. 9. "They did not turn as they walked, each one went before his own face." For, he says, a man indeed, when he wants to go to the northern side, is ^B necessarily compelled to turn, because he is granted only one face. But those who have as many faces as there are parts of the world, for them there is no northern side, but they behold all things everywhere, and with whatever face they wish they walk, and have no need of turning.

VERS. 10. "And the likeness, he says, of their faces: the face of a man, and the face of a lion on the right to the four, and the face of an ox on the left to the four, and the face of an eagle to the four." These, he says, are their faces. But let no man imagine that these images of beasts and irrational creatures have invisible powers; for other things are hinted at by these. By the lion, the kingdom (for it is a royal animal) is signified; by the ox, the priesthood, for the ox was offered for the high priest. By the eagle, the prophecy is declared; for it is an animal that flies ^C on high, and has the sharpest vision. Such is prophecy, having high contemplation, and seeing from afar what is to come. He teaches, therefore, by the things said, that all the nature of men, with its own rulers, is subject to the King of the universe, and that He has endowed the human race with such gifts.

VERS. 11. "And their wings, he says, were extended upwards to the four, each one having two joined to each other, and two covered their bodies." He declares by these that not even to divine powers are all things comprehensible, but some are manifest, and others are hidden; and that they do not transgress the limits set for them—but they extend the two wings, ^D enjoying the contemplation given to them; while with the other two they cover their bodies, longing for the hidden things and struggling to learn what it is not lawful to learn.

VERS. 12. "And each one went before his own face: wherever the spirit was, they went."

^A They did not turn back. It signifies the obedience of all to the invisible powers, and that they did not at all abandon the set path. The divine David also teaches this, saying: "Bless the Lord, all you, his angels, mighty in strength, who do his word, to listen to the voice of his command."

VERS. 13, 14. "And in the midst of the living creatures, a vision like burning coals of fire, like a vision of lamps moving between the living creatures; and from the fire went forth lightning. And the living creatures ran and returned, as the appearance of a flash." Symmachus interpreted this as "the appearance of the flash of lightning." ^B A terrible contemplation, full of dread, and portending punishment. For coals of fire, and lamps moving about, and from there a lightning flash, and a splendor sent forth from the runners, declare future evils. For the blessed David also numbers these among punishments, saying now: "Hail, and coals of fire"; and again: "He rained coals of fire." And in another place: "He multiplied the lightning, and confused them"; and elsewhere: "You will flash forth lightning, and scatter them; send forth your arrows, and you will confuse them."

VERS. 15, 16. "And I looked, and behold, one wheel on the earth next to the four living creatures. And the appearance of the wheels, and their form, was like the appearance of ^C Tarshish. According to Symmachus, however, 'like the vision of hyacinth.'" And the appearance of the four, and their work was one. I contemplate one wheel joined to each living creature, having the likeness of hyacinth: he said that no difference was seen among them, but that the four were plainly similar to one another. For their appearance, he says, and their work was one, just as if it were a wheel within a wheel.

VERS. 17, 18. "They went toward their four parts, and they did not turn back when they moved, nor were their backs. And they had a height, and ^D they were terrible. Just as it calls the living creatures four-faced, and declares that all of them relate to the inspection of God, so also it interprets the species of the wheels. Just as if, he says, it were a wheel within a wheel. It is easy for this wheel to be inspected, if one takes two circles by reason

^A of their being inserted crosswise; for such a figure, even when placed on the same base, admits of movement toward the four parts—I mean the east, the west, the north, and the south. This, then, the blessed prophet says: "As if a wheel were in a wheel, they went upon their four sides, and they did not turn back as they went." For such a figure has no need of turning; for it moves easily from the same base toward each of the climes. And this likewise signifies the presence of God everywhere, these things having been viewed more densely and more corporeally on account of human weakness: "And I saw them," and behold, "their backs were full of eyes, round about the four of them."

VERS. 19-21. "And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them, and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up." Where the cloud was, there the spirit moved to go; "the living creatures went, and the wheels were lifted up with them, because the spirit of life was in the wheels." When they went, they went, and when they stood, they stood, and when they were lifted up from the earth, they were lifted up with them, because the spirit of life ^B was in the wheels. This the blessed Paul clearly teaches us, enumerating the orders of the invisible natures and ranking the Throni along with the other powers. "For in him," he says, "were all things created"—that is, in Christ—"whether visible or invisible, whether Throni, or Dominions, or Angels, or Powers; all things have been created in him and through him." Therefore, the Throni are indeed a rational and incorporeal system; ^C for which reason the prophet also says that the spirit of life was in the wheels, whence their movement was spontaneous and voluntary. For no pole or yoke was laid upon the living creatures; but the cloud led the way, and that violent and vehement wind followed. The divine vehicle ran of itself, the living creatures going before, while the wheels moved of their own accord, and were carried toward the four regions without turning back. For their backs, he says, were full of eyes—that is to say, they were full of knowledge; and this the interpretation of "Cherubim" also declares, for when translated into the Greek tongue, the name signifies a fullness of knowledge.

VERS. 22-25. "And there was a likeness," he says, "over the head of the living creatures as a firmament, as the appearance of terrible crystal, stretched over their heads from above. And under the firmament their wings were stretched out, ^D [stretching] one to another, to each two covering their bodies." And I heard the voice of the wings

as they flapped, as the voice of many waters, as the voice of God Shaddai.

CHAPTER VIII

VERS. 1. *And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the fifth month, on the fifth of the month, I was sitting in my house, and the elders of Judah were sitting before me.* It is clear that the prophet was carried into captivity with Jechoniah, which is why he marks the time itself throughout. He continued, like a certain master and teacher of children, to instruct the captives and bring them to the divine will; this he made clear when he said, "the elders of Judah were sitting before me." Then he adds: *And it came to pass upon me the hand of Adonai the Lord.* He calls the efficacy of the divine Spirit the hand of the Lord.

VERS. 2. *And I saw, and behold the likeness of a man from his loins downward as fire, and from his loins upward as the vision of brightness, as the appearance of electrum.* He whom he had beheld upon the cherubim, he sees here without the cherubim. For sometimes He appears to him as formidable, sometimes as mild, dispensing all things as the need requires. For it was His word: "I have multiplied visions, and in the hands of the prophets have I been fashioned; I have not been seen according to essence." Wherefore the prophet also says that he saw a likeness.

VERS. 3. *And he stretched forth, he says, the likeness of the hand of a man, and took me by the crown of my head, and the Spirit took me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me to Jerusalem in a vision of God, to the vestibules of the inner gate, that looketh toward the north, where was the pillar of the image of jealousy that possesseth.* It must be noted that the prophet said he had seen these things in a vision of God. Therefore it was not a bodily translation, nor was it the contemplation of the carnal eyes; but sitting at home among the elders of Judah, he saw this whole vision, which he makes clear after his narration of it: "For I ascended from my vision," he says, that is, I returned to myself. For since he predicts harsh punishments, he fittingly teaches their causes as well, and he perceives in the sacred temple of God the pillar of the image of jealousy. For an idol was set up there against the law, which he calls jealousy, by a metaphor taken from women who commit adultery and provoke their husbands to jealousy.

^A *From above: and I saw, and from the vision of the loins and downward I saw as the vision of fire, and the brightness thereof round about. As the appearance of the bow, when it shall be in the cloud in a day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about.* Everywhere he adds "the likeness" and "as," instructing us not to stop there, but to know that each of the visions is adapted to the need at hand. For to the patriarch Abraham, the Lord of all appeared as a man, and showed him nothing formidable, since He was about to grant good promises both to him and, through him, to the entire world. For the promise of Isaac contains within it the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ according to the flesh; wherefore the blessing of the nations was also joined to the promise of Isaac. "For in thy seed," he says, "shall all the nations of the earth be blessed." ^B But when He was foretelling to him the servitude of his race, He did not appear to him so kindly, but showed also a smoking furnace and lamps of fire passing between those divisions. Thus, wishing to encourage and console Jacob who feared Esau, He appeared to him as a man. And to Moses, ^C at first He showed terrible things—the fire in the bush, and the bush burning and not being consumed—but after this He converses with him in a gentle manner, showing nothing of those things that could inspire terror. And when He wished to strike fear into Israel and to make His own power known, He showed the whole mountain smoking, and thunderclaps, and sounding trumpets, and a thick darkness, and in short, so terrified them that they begged the prophet to entreat that God should not speak to them, but that he himself should convey the divine commands. He showed this difference in visions also ^D to the great Elijah: first an earthquake, then fire, then a spirit crushing mountains and shattering rocks, and after these a breath of a gentle breeze, and in it the Lord; for He Himself rejoices in goodness, and is willing to order human affairs with patience and gentleness; but great impiety and lawlessness cause Him to make use of those other things. Wherefore He did not say the Lord was in them, but in the gentle breeze; since those former things are not according to His intention, but for the utility of men, while goodness and benevolence are proper to His nature. When, therefore, you hear of diverse visions of God, do not suppose the Divine to be multiform; for He is altogether incorporeal and formless, simple and uncompounded, and without shape, invisible and unviewable, and circumscribed by no boundary; but He shows these appearances, fashioning them according to the need.

After these things He converses mildly, showing nothing of those things which are able to cause terror. And wanting to frighten Israel, and to make His own power known, He shows the whole mountain smoking, and thunders crashing, and trumpets sounding, and much thick darkness, and simply terrified them so much that they brought a petition to the prophet that God should not converse with them, but that he himself should ferry across the divine things. This difference in visions He also showed to the great Elijah: first an earthquake, then fire, then a spirit crushing mountains and grinding rocks, and after these a breath of a soft breeze, and in it the Lord; for He Himself rejoices in goodness, and is long-suffering and mildly wishes to arrange the matters concerning men; but great impiety and lawlessness cause Him to make use of those as well. Therefore in those He said He was not, but in the thin breeze; because those things were not of His own will, but of the need of men; but goodness and philanthropy are properties of His own nature. When, therefore, you hear of different visions of God, do not assume that the Divine is multiform; he calls it heat, and adds: "He has multiplied empty and vain things, and has made a covenant with the Assyrians, and carried oil as merchandise into Egypt." He calls a wicked spirit an evil choice; but the zeal concerning the heat he calls not only fruitless, but even a harmful labor. For, says He, while I was using such a disposition regarding them, living impiously, they erected hills and a multitude of idols; for these He has called empty and vain, which like heat will corrupt all their fruits. In addition to these, having removed themselves from my care, now they begged the Assyrian to preside over them, and now they sought the assistance of the Egyptians. For this he calls the merchandise of oil. He does not condemn the merchandise, but hints at one of two things: either that they offered the oil as a sort of gift to the king of the Egyptians, or that offering gold they requested the mercy from him, begging him to be an aid to them.

v. 2. "And there is a judgment for the Lord against Judah, to take vengeance upon Jacob according to his ways, and according to his practices He will recompense him." But since these things are thus being done by them, I will assemble a judgment-seat; and I will convict the lawlessness of Judah, and I will bring forth a just vote against him, because he did not emulate the virtue of his forefather, but with impiety insulted his ancestor. Then he brings into the midst the matters concerning Jacob the patriarch, by the comparison of the paternal virtue more clearly convicting the lawlessness of these men.

vv. 3, 4. "In the womb he supplanted his brother, and in his own labors he prevailed against God. And he was strengthened with an angel, and he was able." That one, he says, even at the very season of birth, having taken hold of his brother’s heel, came into the light, pre-signifying what he would be, and that through a good deception he would obtain the blessing of the first-born. And as time went on, having reached manhood, he excelled so in the labors of virtue as to draw down divine providence, and once fearing the arrival of Esau, and beseeching God, he did not simply enjoy the assistance from thence, but he also seemed to wrestle throughout the night with Him who had appeared, and to snatch the victory, so that he might cast out the fear from his mind, having reasoned that he who seemed to have overcome God would not be defeated by men. He has called the same both God and angel, because the blessed Moses also placed both names. For our Lord Jesus Christ is also called by Isaiah "mighty God, and Angel of great counsel." "They wept, and they besought me, in the house of On they found me, and there it was spoken to them." This the other interpreters, and Aquila, and Symmachus, and Theodotion, as having been said concerning Jacob, set down as: "He wept, and he besought Him, and in Bethel he found Him."

You have acquired the scales of the mind unjustly. For you continue to dishonor justice, you desire iniquitous power, and you are haughty regarding wealth, and, puffed up with pride, you attribute its collection to yourself. It should be known that the blessed David also makes mention of the unjust scale, saying: "The sons of men are deceitful in the scales, so as to act unjustly." And the things that follow also agree with what was said concerning Ephraim: "Do not hope in injustice, and do not covet rapine; if wealth should flow in, do not set your heart upon it." For both these and those streams proceeded from one Spirit. And that final point, "For You will render to each according to his works," also agrees with the things that follow in this place: "For all his labors shall not be found for him because of the iniquities in which he sinned." For he will be stripped of the goods of affluence, being required to pay just penalties for his lawlessness.

^A Vers. 9. "I, however, am the Lord your God who brought you up from the land of Egypt; I will again make you dwell in tents, as in the days of the feast." Because you were delivered from Egyptian slavery and consigned the benefit to oblivion, you will again dwell in tents, becoming a sojourner in a foreign land, and you will remember the tents that you used to construct while rejoicing on festival days, and you will celebrate the memory of your life in the desert. He signifies the feast of Tabernacles.

Vers. 10. "And I have spoken to the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and I have been assimilated in the hands of the prophets." You justly endure this punishment, since you did not fear when you received these predictions through the prophets, nor did you wish to change your mind; and this was the case not only through words but also through the events of the predictions themselves coming to pass. For such was that which was once done by the inspired Hosea; for, by the divine command, he took a woman, sometimes a harlot, sometimes an adulteress, becoming an image of the God of all, and accusing the lawlessness of the people. ^B Besides this, He declares that He used varied revelations, not to show my nature—for this is invisible—but to adapt the contemplation to the need, just as it applied. For I did not appear to all in like manner; for I appeared otherwise to Daniel, and otherwise to Ezekiel, and in a different way to Isaiah, and not in the same manner to Micah; and before this, I showed myself to Moses and Abraham in various ways.

Vers. 11. "If Gilead is not, then the princes in Galgala were false, those who were sacrificing." You, however, while enjoying these things from me, offer sacrifices to demons in Gilead and Galgala, cities dedicated to idols, with your princes; and this, when you are harvesting the benefits not from them, but from me. For if you were deriving some good from Gilead—that is, from the idols—there would then be some locus for deception. Since, however, you are enjoying my gifts,

thou hast understood my thoughts from afar; my path and my line thou hast traced out, and thou hast foreseen all my ways; behold, O Lord, thou hast known all things, the last and the first." ^A Since he knew their stubbornness exactly, he adds "if perhaps," by these means teaching [us regarding] the free power of the mind, that it is possible for them to be changed if they should wish; similar also is the saying in the Gospel itself from the person of the Father: "I will send my son to the husbandmen; perhaps they will reverence him." For neither is that "perhaps" there a sign of uncertainty, since he knew that they would not reverence him, but he does those things which are consistent with his own justice. For lest any should think his foreknowledge the cause of the outcome of events, he necessarily adds the words of uncertainty, showing the free will of the mind, and reserving for himself a defense at the day of judgment. For this reason, even knowing their contumacy and rebellion beforehand, he moves every device so that those falling away from wickedness might come to their senses. ^B Therefore, he also exclaims through Isaiah the prophet: "What more shall I do for this my vineyard, and I have not done it?" And again through Hosea: "What shall I do for thee, Ephraim? What shall I do for thee, Judah?" Nevertheless, knowing them to be sick with an incurable disease, he applies remedies, so that on the day of judgment the rebels might receive the sentence passed against them without controversy, [the] divine benefits having been brought into the midst. Wherefore the blessed David also cries out: "That thou mightest be justified in thy words, and mightest overcome when thou art judged." For our iniquity, when compared with the divine benefits, justly subjects us to punishments: and he himself, the just judge, receives the verdict of victory even from those who are punished, as one who has omitted no kind of kindness, nor left any way of doing good to men untouched. That therefore, "if perhaps they hear or fear," does not signify ignorance on the part of God, but gives them a place for repentance: since even knowing the contumacy of Pharaoh, God says: "For I know," he says, "that Pharaoh will not let you go, unless by a mighty hand and a high arm"; ^C yet he continued exercising his long-suffering. For if the Lord had brought punishments immediately when he foresaw [the outcome], from what source could the justice of God have been known to those who do not see the end of foreknowledge? For this reason he waits for the end, and then inflicts the punishment. And me, therefore, he says, O prophet, and the things that are spoken by me, do thou, as a messenger, convey to thy kindred, that thou mayest be for them an author of benefit, and that they may learn that thou art a prophet in their midst, a minister of divine words.

VERS. 6. And thou, son of man, do not fear them, nor be dismayed at their face: for ^D (as it is written in the Hebrew, though the Septuagint here is different) they are bitter against thee.

^A And they will gather against thee in a circle, and thou dwellest in the midst of scorpions: fear not their words, nor be dismayed at their face, because it is a bitter house. A sufficient reason for contempt is the wickedness of those who attempt to lay snares; for they are lawless and destitute of divine help. It is not necessary, therefore, he says, to fear such men, even if they wound like scorpions, and even if they utter reckless words, and are carried away with much frenzy and madness—for he hinted at this by the word "bitter" (for the Hebrew conveys a sense of being goaded), using a metaphor from oxen, which the gadfly drives while they are grazing, and often forces to be carried over precipices. It is a kind of fly that goads oxen more violently than any sting. Thus, therefore, he described their madness through a trope. ^B

Vers. 7. And thou, son of man, speak my words to them, if so be they will hear or fear, because it is a bitter house. Again he has added the condition, devising repentance; for it is likely, he says, that they will be terrified by the threat of punishments and fear the outcome of the threats, since they refuse to yield to softer words.

Vers. 8. And thou, son of man, hear him who speaks to thee, and do not be bitter, as the bitter house is; open thy mouth, and eat what I give thee. Do not gainsay, he says, the things which are commanded thee by me, nor follow those who contradict, but fulfill what is commanded. ^C

VERS. 9, 10. And I saw, and behold a hand stretched out to me, and in it were the head of a book. And he unrolled it before me, and in it there were written things behind and before; and there were written in it a lamentation, and a song, and woe.

CHAP. III.

VERS. 1. And he said to me: Son of man, eat this head, and go, and speak to the sons of Israel. Rightly he said above, "if so be they will hear, or fear"; for the things commanded to the prophet are full of terror, "lamentation, and a song, and woe," written on the whole head, within and without. ^D He calls the rolled-up books a "head." For so the ancients preserved the memory of writings. And the Jews, even up to this present time, contain the divine Scriptures in such rolls.

VERS. 2, 3. And he opened my mouth, and fed me with this head. And he said to me: Son of man, thy mouth shall eat, and thy belly shall be filled with this head which is handed over to thee. And I...

^A ate, and it became in my mouth as honey for sweetness. For "how sweet," saith the divine David, "are thy words to my throat! more than honey to my mouth." But sweet, and very pleasant, also is the mourning for sins: "For sadness," he says, "took hold of me because of the sinners who forsake thy law;" and, "I looked upon the unwise, and I pined away, because they kept not thy words." And his son also exhorts, saying: "It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of laughter." Thus, for the prophet, the eating of the scroll became like honey, although it contained nothing pleasant or joyful, but mourning, and lamentation, and woe. But let no one suppose that the eating of the scroll was a sensible and bodily event. For just as he beheld that vision spiritually, so also does he partake of this taste spiritually.

VERS. 4-6. And he said to me: Son of man, go, enter into the house of Israel, and speak my words to them. For thou art not sent to a people of deep lip or heavy tongue, but to the house of Israel. Neither to many peoples of a different voice or a different tongue, nor to those stiff in tongue, whose words thou shouldst not understand. ^B Here he clearly shows the difference between the apostolic and the prophetic labors. For they were entrusted with the care of one nation, and from them they were sprung, and they had the same language; but the apostles were entrusted with the whole world and all nations, according to the Lord’s command: "Go, teach," he says, "all nations," who had a vast number and different tongues, customs, and contrary laws. Yet they, being sent to many nations, with different tongues, and various customs, and all kinds of laws, changed the world for the better; while those who were sent ^C to that wretched people, though they endured many labors, did not harvest the worthy fruits of their labors. The fault, however, is not the sloth of the farmers, but the malice of those they cultivated. Wherefore the Lord himself also says:

And if I had sent thee to such as these, they would have hearkened to thee. ^D VERS. 7. But the house of Israel will not want to listen to thee, for they do not want to listen to me: because all the house of Israel are contentious and hard of heart. By these things he shows the disobedience of the nations, and the stubbornness of the house of Israel. And he interprets also that: "If perhaps they hear," clearly teaching that he is not ignorant, but accurately...

knows their disobedience. He signifies at the same time that this comes from their own purpose, and not from nature. "For the house," he says, "of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, because they do not want to listen to me"—which is to say: do not be pained if they disobey you; for in contradicting you, they are opposing the words offered by you. The cause of this contradiction is a contentious purpose, the stubbornness of their heart, and the boldness of their mind. But do not fear being sent to such people.

8, 9. Behold, for I have made your face strong against their faces, and I will make your strife strong against their strife. And it will be always; I have given your face harder than rock; do not fear them, nor be dismayed by their face, because it is a rebellious house.

10, 11. And he said to me, Son of man, take all the words which I have spoken with you into your heart, and hear with your ears. And go, enter into captivity to the sons of your people, and you shall say to them: Thus says Adonai the Lord: If perhaps they hear, if perhaps they cease.

12. And I received the Spirit, and I heard behind me the voice of a great earthquake, Blessed be the glory of the Lord from his place.

as he [Moses] in his blessedness asked to see God, he [God] said to him: "No man shall see my face and live." Then he adds: "Behold there is a place by me, and I will set you in the cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand, and you shall see my back parts, but my face you shall not see." Not that the Divine Nature is divided into a face and back parts; but by the face is understood the divine essence, and by the back parts, the dispensations and benefits which are many and manifold towards us. He calls his goodness, therefore, his place, by which, though he is uncircumscribed by nature, he becomes as far as possible accessible to those who are worthy. ^A

To urge those who are sick with insensitivity to repentance, he commands even the possessions themselves to mourn, since both the barley and the wheat have failed, and the vine has withered; and, in short, the olives and the figs and the other fruit-bearing trees bear no fruit, because they have been deprived of all the moisture within them. It should be noted that he does not urge the earth and the possessions to mourn as if they were rational, but he attempts to rouse those who are honored with reason through inanimate things; and teaching this, he adds: "Because the children of men have confounded joy." The cause of this unfruitfulness, he says, is the iniquity of men; for because of that, joys have ceased and sorrows of soul have been brought in. Therefore, he says, you too, O priests, put on the garment of mourning, and do not lament only at the altar, but even when sleeping, spread sackcloth under yourselves, because such a scarcity of necessary things has occurred that not even the customary sacrifices can be performed. ^B

VERS. 14. "Sanctify therefore a fast, proclaim a cure, gather the elders," or rather not them only, but also "all the inhabitants of the land into the house of your God." And having gathered together, cry out, saying

VERS. 15. "Woe, woe, for the day!" We are clearly taught by the things that have been said that fasting is a healing medicine for those who are in a bad state of soul, able to heal the passions of sin; which is why he added "cure" to "fasting." "Sanctify," he says, "a fast, proclaim a cure." He used "sanctify" instead of "set apart." For this, he says, set yourselves apart, and perform the fast in a holy and pure manner: and while fasting, cry out: "Woe, woe, for the day!" that is, on account of the expected day of evils. For the day of the Lord is near, and as misery upon misery will it come. (VERS. 16.) "Because food has withered away before your eyes, and joy and gladness from the house of our God." You shall see, he says, evils following upon evils, and these things added upon those. For this he called "misery upon misery."

VERS. 17. The heifers have leaped in their stalls, the storehouses have grown musty from their ointments. ^C He said that the heifers would leap, not acting so from satiety, but destroyed by hunger, and cast upon the ground, and striking their feet upon the earth. And the grain storehouses, he says, have endured mustiness, as having received no grain for a very long time. But even the wine-presses, he says, have been dug up as superfluous, and if anything else was allotted for such uses, it remained neglected as if it were superfluous and useless, since there was nothing to be cast into them. The herds of cattle also have lowed, ^D

and not even those who escaped were to obtain any salvation. For he says, "There shall be no one of them who is saved." By these things he indicated the incursion of the enemy.

VERS. 4, 5. *As the appearance of horses is their appearance, and as horsemen, so shall they pursue. As the voice of chariots on the tops of the mountains they shall leap, and as the voice of a flame of fire devouring stubble, and as a great and strong people prepared for battle.* If we understand these things concerning the Assyrians and Babylonians, let us interpret the word "as" not as a similitude, but as signifying intensity, as in those words of David: "How good is God to Israel!"—that is, *very* good; and in others of his: "How beloved are your tabernacles, O Lord of hosts!"—that is, *very* beloved; and that: "How you have been magnified exceedingly!"—that is, *very* much magnified. Thus, therefore, understanding what is said about the enemies in this place as well, we shall understand by "appearance of horses" that they will use many horses and horsemen, and will come with many chariots, with such skill and art of the charioteers that they direct their course even to the mountain peaks and move through the most difficult places just as if they were on a plain. But if we wish these things to be said of the locust, let us understand this very thing—"As the appearance of horses is their appearance"—by following experience as our teacher in this. For if anyone carefully considers the head of a locust, he will find it very similar to the head of a horse. And it is possible to see it, when it flies, not yielding at all to the horse in speed, easily flying over mountains and fields, and then invading crops like a flame devouring stubble. Furthermore, both when they fly and when they crawl, they are like a multitude prepared for war; for gathered together they do everything, and present the appearance of a certain testudo (shell), and represent a military line of battle.

VERS. 6. *From his face, he says, peoples shall be crushed, and every face shall be as the burning of a pot.* For he will inflict such a calamity upon men that their faces will end up similar to a pot darkened by fire, with famine and destitution bringing this destruction upon them.

VERS. 7, 8. *As fighters they shall run, and as men of war they shall climb upon the walls; each one shall walk in his way, and they shall not decline from their paths. And each one shall not turn away from his brother.* Let us understand these things similarly to what was said above, taking them to apply both to the enemies and to the locusts. For it is possible to see the locust, not otherwise than the enemy, both climbing walls and marching along the roads, and not enduring to be broken up by any force, but making their attack as if by an agreement with one another.

^A For the end of the one is life, but the end of the other is death; therefore, he shall necessarily lose the profit of his former labors, having fallen into the end of the evil way; but his life, which has been lost, I shall require at your hand, and exact from you the penalty for your negligence.

Vers. 21. *But if you warn the righteous not to sin, and he does not sin, the righteous shall live by life, because you warned him, and you shall deliver your own soul.* For you gain a double life: both for yourself and for him. For he, through your instructions, escapes the abyss of destruction and finds a result worthy of the righteous way; and you shall be free from rendering an account, and, by having concern for the salvation of your neighbor, shall escape the greatest danger. ^B And these things suffice to stir us up and impel us, that we might apply complete diligence on behalf of our brothers, and not cease both saying and doing everything that might benefit them, so that we may flee the threatened punishment and attain the promised salvation, in Christ Jesus our Lord, with whom to the Father is glory, with the Holy Spirit, to the ages of ages. Amen.

BOOK TWO

Vers. 22. *And the hand of the Lord was upon me, and he said to me: Arise, and go forth into the field, and there a word shall be spoken with you.* For quietness is suitable for the contemplation of divine things; for the mind, being released from external cares which make it wavering, is no longer distracted here and there, but, turning into itself, is able to perceive divine things more accurately.

Vers. 23, 24. *And I arose, and went forth into the field, and behold, there the glory of the Lord was standing, like the vision, and like the glory which I saw over the river Chobar; and I fell upon my face. And the Spirit came upon me, and set me upon my feet.* He enjoys the vision more frequently, so that he may be rendered more diligent for the ministry of the word. And it is necessary for us to know that not even those revelations, the manner of which human nature can

^A comprehend, were able to be perceived by those who had an exceedingly pure mind; just as this prophet, although he had the experience of vision, yet as soon as he had contemplated it, he fell down, and needed grace to rouse him. "And He spoke to me, and said to me: 'Enter and shut thyself in the midst of thy house.'" By the very things themselves, He commands the prophet to perform his task, and signifies beforehand that the siege of Jerusalem is to be announced through those things which the prophet was ordered to do.

VERS. 25, 26. "And thou, son of man, behold, bonds are given upon thee, and they shall bind thee with them, and thou shalt not go out from the midst of them. And I will bind thy tongue to thy throat, and thou shalt be mute, and shalt not be to them a man that rebuketh, because it is a provoking house." ^B Like a trainer of athletes, the Lord anoints the prophet as if he were a certain athlete, foretelling to him the calamities that are to come, and the vexations that the people will exhibit; yet He commands him to endure and persevere, and to keep silence until He Himself grants him the faculty of speaking. And everywhere He adds, "because it is a provoking house," teaching that one should not fear those who provoke God without fear; for the iniquitous are indeed to be despised.

VERS. 27. "And when I speak to thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them: Thus saith the Lord Adonai: He that heareth, let him hear; and he that disobeyeth, let him disobey, because it is a provoking house." These things also clearly declare the free will of the mind. For, He says, "Thou indeed offer the common teaching to all." And in teaching that obedience is voluntary, He adds to His words, "He that wishes, let him obey; and the one who disobeys, who ^C thinks the contrary, let him argue: for each one shall receive prizes according to the choice of his mind."

CAP. IV.

f Matth. vii, 24, 25.

^A

He shall come upon the clouds, and shall be seen, with those ten thousand times ten thousand going before, and the thousand thousands singing praises, and every knee shall bow to Him of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth. ^B Worthily does he call that day great and illustrious.

VERS. 32. “And it shall be, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” We may opportunely append here that apostolic saying: “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?” ^C For which cause he appositely added: “For in mount Sion, and in Hierosolyma shall be he that is saved, as the Lord hath said, and the heralds, whom the Lord hath called.” For herein he clearly indicated to us the holy apostles, who were commanded to preach the Gospel to every creature, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” He says that he who is saved shall be in mount Sion and in Hierosolyma, showing that it shall come to pass that every one who believes in Him who was crucified there and endured the passion for us, shall attain salvation.

After the prediction of spiritual gifts, the prophecy transferred itself to another subject, prophesying about Gog and Magog, ^D of whom the divine Ezekiel also prophesied, and predicts how, after the return from captivity, they will bring a war against Hierosolyma with very great forces, with the neighboring nations, as is likely, soliciting them to this matter. For since after the return they had become very illustrious and distinguished—because Cyrus (the first king of the Persians), then ruling the world, had sent them away with gifts and all honor, and had ordered the divine temple to be built—burning with envy against them, they gathered together great forces from all sides, hoping that they would capture the city with its inhabitants. But their hope deceived them: because at that very city, the Lord defending and causing the enemies to kill one another, they perished utterly. The Lord, predicting these things through the divine Joel, says:

VERS. 1. “For behold in those days and in that time.” Then, indicating what time, he added: “When I shall turn again the captivity of Judah and Hierosolyma.” For not in the time of spiritual graces, but immediately after the return from Babylon.

VERS. 2. “I will gather,” he says, “all the nations.” This is, I will permit them to be gathered, and I will not prevent their first counsel and onset; for this he says “I will gather”: for He did not lead the unwilling, but did not prevent those who were willing to come. “And I will bring them down into the valley of Josaphat, and—”

^A the remainder of the forty years are completed. And this is possible to deduce not only from the chronological records, but also to learn from the divine Scriptures; for the blessed prophet Jeremiah, and the book of Chronicles teach how in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Joakim, who was also called Jechonias, Evilmerodach lifted up his head, and brought him out of the prison-house in the year of his reign. After him, Balthazar reigned over the Babylonians for no long time; for having acted impiously, he was slain. He reigned for about three years; for in the third year of his reign, Daniel saw one vision. After him, Darius the son of Assuerus, being of the seed of the Medes, received the kingdom, and he too reigned for a short time. And the blessed Daniel teaches us this, having said, in the first year of Darius the son of Assuerus: “In the first year of his reign, I Daniel understood in the books the number of the years, concerning which the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem should be completed in seventy years.” ^B Accordingly, the forty days assigned to Judah signify the number of the remaining forty years, while the one hundred and fifty to Israel indicate the number of one hundred and fifty years, after which time the city was also built and became full of inhabitants, being walled and having received its precincts, and the other cities of both Israel and Judah were restored, having received many inhabitants. This took place in the twentieth year of the reign of Artaxerxes, son of Xerxes, under whom Nehemiah, having become his cupbearer and having asked a favor of the king, came into Judea with great zeal and performed all the aforementioned things. And the writing of Ezra clearly teaches this. But if anyone wishes to learn the number of the years accurately, let him take as the beginning of the number the fifth year of the captivity of Jechonias. ^C For from that time we counted the forty years; for you will find forty as far as the first year of Cyrus the Persian, from there the remaining twenty-nine of Cyrus, then seven of Cambyses, then thirty-five of Darius son of Hystaspes; in addition to these, twenty of Xerxes, and nineteen of Artaxerxes; for in his twentieth year he commanded the walls of the city to be rebuilt. And let no one say that the building of Jerusalem was of no concern to Israel, having long since been separated from the tribe of Judah; for after the return the division did not remain, but all who had attained the return continued in harmony, having Jerusalem as their metropolis.

7. And toward the surrounding of Jerusalem

^A Therefore it behooves you to spend the appointed time on each side, without moving, so that they may learn the sentence brought against them.

VERS. 9, 10. And thou, son of man, take unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and spelt, and cast them into one earthen vessel, and make them into breads for thyself, according to the number of the days that thou sleepest on thy side: one hundred and ninety days shalt thou eat them. And thy food, which thou shalt eat, shall be in weight twenty shekels a day: from time to time shalt thou eat them. The prophet is commanded to do painful things, receiving in himself the type of those being punished, and teaching the people, through what he was ordered to do, the famine that would be in Jerusalem. For this reason he is ordered to make bread not only from wheat, but also from millet, ^B and spelt, and beans; for such food is a sign of scarcity; and the weight also signifies the lack. For, he says, you shall eat twenty shekels once a day, which make three ounces, and a little over, as those who have accurately measured these weights and measures declare.

VERS. 11. And thou shalt drink water by measure, the sixth part hence from time to time shalt thou drink. And this again declares the increase of that scarcity which the siege produced. But this measure among them was such that the sixth part, according to the Syrians, held half a *sextarius*. This measure the prophet is ordered to drink, in order to signify to them the scarcity of the things necessary for life that will befall them from the siege.

VERS. 12. And thou shalt eat it as hearth-cake of barley, and thou shalt hide it with their dung, the dung of a man, before their eyes. Make, he says, ^C bread out of all these seeds, as they were accustomed to make barley bread; and let the material of the bread be human dung, to indicate the pollutions by which they would be defiled among the nations. Therefore he adds:

VERS. 13. So shall the children of Israel eat their bread polluted among the nations, where I will cast them out. For it was necessary that those who were captives, and commingled with pagan nations, should not live according to the law, but should take many opportunities from that association to violate the law.

VERS. 14. And I said: Alas, O Lord God of Israel, behold my soul is not polluted with uncleanness, ^D and I have not eaten of that which dieth of itself, or is torn of beasts, from my youth even until now, neither hath there come into my...

THE INTERPRETATION OF THE BLESSED THEODORET, BISHOP OF CYRUS, UPON THE PROPHET AMOS. ARGUMENT.

He who fashions our hearts individually, and understands all our works, as the divine Scripture says, knowing the hardness and unyielding nature of the heart of Israel, does not dispute with it through a single prophet, but using many and admirable men as ministers, he both brings exhortations and foretells future events, showing the truth of his oracles through the agreement of the many. One of these is the divine Amos; for he lived at the same time as those admirable men, Hosea and Joel, and foretold the same things concerning the Assyrians and Babylonians, and the return from thence, and those things which were to happen after the return. Having first prophesied a few things against the neighboring nations, he thus began his prophecy concerning Israel. He brought very great benefit to the Jews through this proclamation also; for he taught that the Lord of all is able not only to show mercy and chastise them, but all nations as well, since He is the Maker and Creator of all. Besides these things, he also showed how great a care He takes of them, by punishing those who attempt to do them wrong. This, then, is the argument of the prophecy in hand; and from the specific explanation, we shall learn the thought of the divine oracles more accurately.

^A And carcass and what is taken by beasts I have not eaten from my birth until now, nor has any rotten and profane meat entered into my mouth. The prophet, having been constrained, reveals his legitimate manner of life and supplicates the kind Lord that He might abrogate by another command what had been enjoined upon him; and he immediately obtained what he had asked. For the Lord is good, and easily swayed by the prayers of supplicants; and at that time, too, He commanded him to use the dung of oxen for the making of bread. Then He adds:

Vers. 16, 17. Son of man, behold, I break the staff of bread in Jerusalem, and they shall eat bread by weight and in need, and shall drink water by measure and in desolation. That they might become in need of bread and water; and man and his brother shall be destroyed, and they shall pine away in their iniquities. ^B By that preparation of bread two things are signified: by the weight, the famine in Jerusalem, and by the unclean preparation, the way of life among the lawless nations. But the punishment contains justice. For, He says, they shall pine away in their iniquities; that is, He says, they shall pay the penalties for the things they persisted in doing while committing transgressions.

CHAP. V.

Vers. 1. And you, son of man, take for yourself a sharp sword, as a barber's razor, and acquire it for yourself, and you shall bring it over your head and over your beard, and you shall take a pair of scales of weights, and you shall divide them. The sword signifies the power of vengeance; but the removal of the hairs of the head and the beard, the deprivation of dignity; ^C but the scales and weights, the justice of the divine decree; for there is nothing that is not weighed according to His incomprehensible judgments.

Vers. 2. A fourth part you shall burn with fire in the midst of the city, according to the completion of the days of your siege. And you shall take a fourth part, and you shall burn it in the midst of it, and a fourth part you shall cut with the sword in its circuit, and a fourth part you shall scatter to the wind, and I will draw the sword behind them. He interprets these things himself a little later, and calls the fire, the famine and the death; for this reason He commanded two fourth parts to be consigned to the fire, as if this and that should devour men like fire. By the sword He signified the incursion of the enemies and the slaughters they were to commit; ^D but by the scattering, the captivity and the future dissipation of the captives; concerning which He added, "And I will draw the sword behind them"; for even after they were taken in war, they underwent infinite kinds of death.

^A Verses 3, 4. "And you shall take," He says, "a few in number, and shall bind them in your garment. And of these you shall take again, and cast them into the midst of the fire, and shall burn them in the fire; from it shall fire come forth into all the house of Israel." By these things He signifies those who had been left behind, whom Nabuzardan, the captain of the guard, had left with Gedaliah, who in turn were consumed in various ways; at one time being put to death by one another, and at another fleeing into Egypt, and not departing from their impiety. And this the prophecy of Jeremiah clearly teaches us. But the statement, "From it shall fire come forth into all the house of Israel," alludes both to the indignation of the Babylonian which burned at that time, and to the destruction brought upon them in Egypt; and it prefigures also the seditions that arose after the return, during the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes, on account of which they fell into those myriad calamities. But especially does it foretell the frenzy against the Lord Christ, and the total destruction that befell them after the cross, and their dispersion into the whole world. "Having done these things," He says, "declare also the causes of the punishments."

Verses 5, 6. "Thus says the Lord Adonai: This is Jerusalem; I have set her in the midst of the nations, and the countries round about her; and you shall say: She has changed my ordinances into iniquity, out of the nations that are round about her. Because they have rejected my ordinances, and have not walked in my statutes." The God of all chose the Jewish nation, wishing to benefit all men through them; for this reason He gave them a law distinguishing them from all, so that even from this they might have renown. He gave them also a place for a dwelling-place, the center of the world, having Asia to the east and north, Europe joined to it by the sea to the west, and Libya to the south. For into these three parts even the sons of Noah divided the world. "I have set, therefore, Jerusalem," says God, "in the midst of the nations, that they might draw from her the benefit, and learn all piety and true observance of the law. But she has done the exact opposite; for she not only did not share with them the law given by Me, but even became a participant in their impiety."

^D Verses 7, 8. "Therefore thus says the Lord Adonai: Because your manner is from the nations that are round about you, and you have not walked in my statutes, and have not fulfilled my ordinances, but have not even done according to the ordinances of the nations that are round about you. Therefore thus says the Lord Adonai...

^A Behold, I even I am against you, and I will execute judgment in the midst of you in the sight of the nations. Since you have expressed the character of the nations, and have been defiled by their practices, and have despised my ordinances and laws, and in the excess of your lawlessness you have surpassed in ungodliness the very nations themselves, from whom you learned this; for this reason I will judge you openly, while the nations observe the judgment, and listen to the verdict, so that, if they were not benefited by your own good order, they may at least derive some benefit from your punishment.

9. And I will do in you what I have not done, and I will not do anything like it again, because of all your abominations. Then he teaches what those things are of which he accuses them.

10. Therefore fathers shall eat their sons ^B in your midst, and sons shall eat their fathers. This happens in the siege and is brought to pass by the incredible famine, the (city) having committed an unholy deed. And I will execute judgments in you. That is, I will judge you justly. And I will scatter all your remains to every wind. The discourse needs no interpretation, as the thing itself proclaims it.

11. Therefore, as I live, says the Lord Adonai, truly because you have defiled my holy things with all your abominations, and with all your detestable things, and I also will refuse. He calls "holy" not only the ordinances, but even that which is set apart for him, ^C which they defiled by planting idols therein. "Offenses" and "abominations," he calls the idols; "offenses," as being full of abominations; "offenses," as being full of every uncleanness. Such is that which is said by Rebecca: "My soul is vexed for the daughters of Chanaan, if Jacob my son takes a wife from them, why should I live?" That is, I am greatly disgusted by the daughters of the Chanaanites. And again, God says of David: "Therefore he was offended by that generation, and said: They do always err in their heart," that is, I have turned away. And again of the lawless one, the same prophet says: "And wickedness did not offend him," that is, he did not abominate wickedness. ^D "And my eye shall not spare, and I will not have pity." Such is the excess of the lawlessness, that the merciful one does not endure to show mercy, and the lover of mankind does not spare those who are being punished. Then he relates that which has now been interpreted, how he will deliver a fourth part to famine, and the other part again to slaughter by the sword of war, and will deliver the remaining fourth to captivity, and to the vengeance that follows these. And he adds:

^A VERSE 13. *And my fury shall be accomplished, and I will satisfy my wrath upon them, and I will be comforted; and they shall know that I the Lord have spoken in my zeal, in my accomplishing my wrath upon them.* The Divine Nature is impassible and entirely free from wrath, yet it makes use of human terms, thus designating those energies which inflict punishment. The phrase, "My wrath shall be accomplished upon them," means that it shall reach its end. And when they have learned by experience that I am God and Lord, who, having abhorred their wickedness, have brought punishment upon them, I will be comforted; for it was for this end that I brought the punishments.

VERSE 14. *And I will make you a desert, and an opprobrium to those round about you.* This too is sufficient to afflict her bitterly, if those dwelling in the neighboring regions, and those who are continually warring against her, should deride her and mock her desolation. *And the daughters that are round about you in the sight of every passer-by.* He calls the subject cities and regions "daughters."

VERSE 15. *And you shall be full of sighing, a manifest instruction and desolation, and your daughters round about you among the nations that are round about you.* I will make you a byword ^B in evils, he says, so that all who hear of the destruction of both you and the cities and villages subject to you, may sigh and mourn. *When I shall have executed judgments in you in anger and in fury, in the vengeance of wrath, and in rebukes.* Then, showing that what has been said is free from falsehood:

VERSE 16. *I the Lord, he says, have spoken.* For the declaration of the person is sufficient to demonstrate the truth. *When I shall send upon them my arrows of famine, and they shall be for destruction; and I will send them to destroy you, and I will collect famine, and I will break the staff of your bread. (VERSE 17.) And I will send upon you the sword, and evil beasts, and I will punish you; and death and blood shall pass over you, and I will bring the sword upon you round about; I the Lord have spoken.* He says the same things ^C often, wishing to terrify the hearers, so that by the fear of such wretched evils he might bring them over to true piety, and might not be compelled to provide in them an example of the things which he threatens. He called the most cruel Chaldeans "evil beasts," invading like bloodthirsty animals, and slaying some, while taking others alive and carrying them away as prisoners of war.

CHAPTER VI

VERSES 1, 2. *And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, set your face against the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them, and you shall say.*

^A And you shall say. They are not rational, nor animated, but even devoid of sense; yet He speaks to inanimate things for the reproof of the rational, so that He may the more convict those who are endowed with reason. Thus, too, in the time of Jeroboam, the man of God spoke his words against the altar.

VERS. 3, 4. *Mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Adonai Lord. Thus says the Adonai Lord to the mountains, and to the hills, and to the cliffs, and to the valleys: Behold, I bring a sword upon you, and your high places shall be destroyed. And your altars shall be emptied, and your shrines shall be broken in pieces, and I will cast down your wounded before your idols.* Since they had built altars to idols in all these places, He appropriately foretells the coming incursion of enemies, the slaughters that would take place everywhere, and the demolition of the shrines in which the idols were worshipped.

VERS. 5, 6. *And I will give the corpses of the children of Israel before their idols, and I will scatter your bones round about your altars in all your dwelling places.* From inanimate things He turns the discourse to rational beings, and threatens that He will fill the shrines of the idols with corpses, and the altars of the demons with human bones, teaching through this punishment that they had gained nothing from the worship of demons, ^B nor had they received any help or aid from them in the calamities that had been brought upon them. *And the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be made desolate, so that your altars may be utterly destroyed and brought to nought, and they shall be broken in pieces.* Symmachus translated "shall be made desolate" instead of "brought to nought." *And your idols shall cease, and your shrines shall be taken away, and your works shall be blotted out.* He showed the causes of the punishments; for the lover of mankind, the Master, punishes like a physician, so that he may put an end to the path of impiety. "For all these things," He says, "I do, and I will bring about desolation, so that I may extinguish the madness and frenzy by which you have been stirred up to worship idols."

VERS. 7. *And your wounded shall fall in the midst of you, and you shall know that I am the Lord.* Thus, punishment is a teacher of the knowledge of God; wherefore also the blessed David said: *It is good for me that you have humbled me, that I may learn your statutes.* (Ps. cxviii, 71)

VERS. 8. *And I will leave a remnant, that there may be some of you who have escaped the sword among the nations, in your being scattered in the countries.* For since He said, *“You shall know that I am the Lord,”* He necessarily points out those who are to benefit; for those who are ^C

nations, in your being scattered in the countries.* For since He said, *“You shall know that I am the Lord,”* He necessarily points out those who are to benefit; for those who are ^A delivered from among you, [v. 9] *“shall remember Me,”* where they were held captive. The discipline applied by God is useful; for it is the mother of repentance. *“For I have sworn against their heart which goes a-whoring, which departed from Me, and against their eyes which go a-whoring after their own devices, that they shall weep before their own faces for all the evils which they have committed in all their abominations.”* [v. 10] *“And they shall know that I am the Lord; I have not spoken in vain that I would perform all these evils.”* Doubtless, He says, they will feel repentance because, having abandoned Me, they embraced the worship of idols—for he called this “whoredom” in this place—and through experience itself they will learn that they were neither unjustly nor uselessly afflicted by Me with such punishments. For wickedness manifests justice, and repentance manifests utility.

[v. 11] *“Thus says the Lord Adonai: Clap with your hand, and stamp with your foot, and say: Euge, euge,”*—meaning, well done, well done— *“to all the abominations of the evils of the house of Israel; by the sword, and by famine, and by death they shall fall.”* While I, He says, am declaring and decreeing punishments of every kind, you clap and praise the justice of the sentence. [12, 13] Then, having again foretold the same things—namely, that they were about to perish by famine, death, and the slaughter of enemies, and that they would be led away captive, and that it would come to pass that they would perish around the altars dedicated to idol worship and the groves which were objects of worship for them—He says: ^C *“And under a thick oak they gave,”* He says, *“a sweet savor to all their idols.”* He also points out the bounds of the desolation. [v. 14] *“For I will turn the land into desolation and destruction from the wilderness of Deblatha, in all their habitations, and they shall know that I am the Lord.”*

CHAP. VII.

[v. 1-3] *“And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: And you, son of man,”*—thus says the Lord Adonai to the land of Israel—*“The end is come, the end is come upon the four wings of the land. Now the end is come, and the end shall come upon you, you who dwell in the land.”* By the four wings of the land, He does not mean the world, but the land of Israel; that is, your circumstances have reached an end. Do not think ^D

that you will escape the threatened punishments, if you do not use repentance; for destruction will proceed against all of you. “And I will pour out my fury upon you, and I will judge you according to your ways.” Now is the time to say with blessed Paul: “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” He will also render to each according to his works. For here too He says: “And I will judge you according to your ways. And I will place all your abominations upon you,” that is, you will reap what you have sown and will receive the due rewards for your deeds.

^A Vers. 4. “My eye shall not spare you, and I will not have mercy.” For when we have transgressed without measure and have progressed to an incurable disease, we exclude the mercy of God. “For I will give your way upon you, and your abominations shall be upon you, and you shall know that I am the Lord.” The greatest consolation for those being punished is the recognition of the God who is punishing them.

Vers. 5-7. Thus says Adonai the Lord: “An affliction, an affliction, behold, it is coming. The end is come, the end is come; it has awakened against you, behold, the end is come.” The weaving has come upon you who dwell in the land. The ineffable philanthropy of God threatens punishments lest He be compelled to bring them; but when we do not fear the threats, we experience them in practice. This is what happened to these people as well, who heard that the end was coming but did not fear the end. He calls the total destruction that was to be brought upon them “one affliction,” and the bonds of sin “the weaving.” “For each is bound,” he says, “by the chains of his own sins.” And Isaiah says: “Woe to those who draw their sins as with a long rope, and their iniquities as with a leathern thong of a heifer.” The time, he says, is at hand; the day has arrived, not with tumult nor with birth pains. (v. 8.) “Now from close at hand I will pour out my wrath upon you.” There shall be, he says, no delay of the punishment, but the time for it is present and impending. He calls those who are crying out against them, and who claim that the divine oracles are false, and who demand the fulfillment of the prophecies, worthy of lamentation, as they are those who desire to see darkness instead of light. There is no difference, he says, between those who desire to see the end of the prophecy and a man who has fled from a lion that is attacking him, only to then encounter a bear, and then arriving home full of fear, inadvertently—due to the agitation possessing his soul—places his hand against the wall, and is bitten by a most bitter serpent. For just as that man sees darkness and not the light’s radiance on that day, so these will be delivered into the deepest darkness on the day of vengeance.

Vers. 21-23. “I have hated and thrust away your feasts, and I will not smell the savor in your assemblies. And if you offer me your burnt offerings and sacrifices, I will not accept them, and I will not look upon the salvation of your presence. Remove from me the noise of your songs, and I will not hear the psalm of your instruments.” The Lord God has spoken such things as these to them also through Isaiah: “What is the multitude of your sacrifices to me? says the Lord. I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and I do not want the fat of lambs, and the blood of bulls and goats.” And he continues to list all the things offered to Him according to the law, saying that he equally abhors them all. Thus, here too, he says that he hates the feast days and will not accept the sacrifices offered at public celebrations; for he used “I will not smell” in place of “I will not accept.” So also, concerning Noah, blessed Moses said: “The Lord God smelled a sweet savor,” that is, He approved of the intention of those who offered. For God does not need these things, and he says: I will not grant my own presence even to those who offer sacrifices for their own salvation. Therefore desist from singing and from using musical instruments; for I do not take delight in these, even though from the beginning I commanded these to be done so as to lead you from pleasant things to serious ones.

Vers. 24. “Judgment will be rolled along like water, and righteousness like an impassable torrent.” The just sentence issued against you, he says, will bring punishment like a torrent and violent water, and you will not be able to find a way out. (v. 25, 26.) Remember, however, that while you spent forty years in the desert, you did not offer me worship through sacrifices, but even there you displayed the same impiety, having manufactured all kinds of images of idols, and offering every kind of worship to these, and indeed even to certain stars.

^A It was necessary, he says, for them to know that "A man shall not prevail by the eyes of his life." That is to say, events do not wholly follow human expectations; but someone who has hoped to live often finds the opposite end.

14. "Sound with a trumpet, and judge all things, and there is no one going into war, for my wrath is upon all its multitude." Since you think, he says, that the things foretold by me are false, use your own trumpets, and think yourselves better than all; but you will derive no benefit from this; for you will not have those who are able to fight; for I am bringing a panoply of punishment upon all of you in common.

15. "War and the sword from without, and famine and death from within." He who is in the field will die by the sword, while famine and death will finish those in the city. How then, he says, will you be able to fight, being encircled by so many and such great evils? ^B

16. "And those who are saved from them shall be saved, and they shall be upon the mountains like doves given to brood." For those who are mourning and lamenting will be likened to doves given to brood; for the voice of these birds is like a moaning. ^C

Ephraim here refers to the ten tribes. He also named it thus, for Ephraim was the son of Joseph. 7, 8. "Therefore now they shall be captives from the beginning of the powerful, and the neighing of horses shall be taken away from Ephraim. Because the Lord swore by himself, saying, The Lord God of hosts, because I abhor all the insolence of Jacob, and I have hated his lands, and I will take away the city with its inhabitants." Powerful princes, he says, shall take them as prisoners of war, and finally the dominion of Ephraim shall be taken; for He who has passed this sentence against him is truthful and powerful. He passed it, moreover, detesting his arrogance and impiety. ^D

9-11. "And it shall be, if ten men are left in one house, they shall die, and the survivors shall be left behind. And their kinsmen shall take them, and they shall be compelled to carry their bones out of the house: and he will say to those who are in charge of the house, Is there still anyone with you? And he will say, No longer; and he will say, Be silent, for fear of naming the name of the Lord." So great, he says, will be the destruction of those dwelling in the city, that some houses will have all their inhabitants dead, and neighbors, or those related by blood, coming from other houses, will hand over the bodies of the dead for burial; then they will search and ask of one another whether there is not some other unburied one. When those within respond that there is none, they leave, he says, struck with silence, enjoining this upon one another, as the God of all has pronounced this sentence.

12. "Because behold, the Lord commands, and he will strike the great house with ruins, and the small house with fissures." For he will destroy the poor just as he will the powerful.

13, 14. "If horses shall be chased in rocks, if they shall be silent at females, because you have turned judgment into wrath, and the fruit of righteousness into bitterness. You who rejoice over no good word, saying, Did we not get horns by our own strength?" Horses, he says, cannot run on rocks, but the enemies will come against you, having scorned your former height because of the transgression dared by you. And just as horses neigh when they see females, so the enemies will gladly engage in an assault against you, because you have stirred the Judge to wrath against you, and have compelled him to pass a sentence as bitter as it is just. For you do not have cheerfulness over good things, but, being arrogant and strutting in your own power, you attribute your former strength to yourselves. For this reason I, the Lord of every army and power, will deliver you to a powerful nation. That you may not enter into Emath and as far as the torrent of the West; that is, from all the land which

^A you inhabited, you shall be cast out. But since the people of the nations did not know the law, and being unaware of the limits were not able to observe them, for this reason he says, “From Emath to the torrent of the West,” which was the border of Palestine.

On the prophet Amos.

When these things were being said by the prophet, and Amasias, the priest of Bethel, feared that the people, terrified by the divine threats and applying themselves to repentance, ^B might cease to worship the idols and he himself might lose the opportunities for gain, he reported the prophet to the king, mixing slander with the true words.

VERS. 11. “For Amos,” he says, “says that Jeroboam shall fall by the sword, and the people shall be led captive from their land.” Now what he reported concerning the people and the kingdom was true; but what was said concerning the king was an obvious lie. Nevertheless, this did not in the least stir up Jeroboam to outrage against the prophet; nor did it persuade Amasias to keep quiet. But he himself ordered the prophet to withdraw and to spend his life in Judea, and there to foretell the future, as Bethel had been set apart for the kingdom of Israel. But Amos, with boldness, both declares his own calling and reveals the grace given to him from God.

VERS. 14. “For I was not,” he says, “a prophet, nor the son of a prophet, but I was a goatherd, nipping sycamores.” Now as for “nipping sycamores,” Aquila interpreted it as “searching out sycamores,” and Theodotio as “staking out sycamines,” and Symmachus as “having sycamores.” The sycamore is a kind of tree in Palestine; the blessed Luke the Evangelist makes mention of it, when he said that the blessed Zacchaeus climbed into a sycamore tree. Moreover, I heard from someone talking about these things that their fruit does not ripen unless it receives some brief incision beforehand. It is therefore likely that the Seventy understood this and placed “nipping” instead of “staking out” or “harvesting.”

[15, ] “The Lord took me, therefore,” he says, “from the sheep, being concerned with agriculture and shepherding, and commanded me to prophesy. Receive, then, O Amasias, the prediction against yourself, since you forbid me to prophesy to Israel, so that I might not put a stop to your unrighteous gains. [17] Know therefore that you shall see the wife who now lives with you being openly and publicly abused by the enemies, because you, too, urged the people into the licentiousness of idolatry. You shall also see all those born of you being slain; you, however, shall reach the end of your life in a foreign land, and the whole people shall undergo the same punishment as you; and when you have suffered these things, the land having been handed over to others shall be divided.”

VERS. 1, 2. “Thus the Lord showed me, and behold, a vessel of a fowler. And he said to me, ‘What do you see, Amos?’ And I said, ‘A vessel of a fowler.’” This vision signifies the rapid hunting of Israel. For just as birds [alt-version omitted]

^A are trapped in nets, so too the multitude of the crimes of these men ^A shall equal the multitude of the people inhabiting the whole world.

VERS. 24. *And I will bring the wicked of the nations, and they shall possess their houses by inheritance, and I will take away the pride of their strength, and their holy things shall be defiled.* He did not say “my holy things,” but “their holy things,” that is, those which were consecrated to me by them: of which I had no need, but I accepted them on account of the care which I have for them. But again, I shall look on as these same things are defiled and trampled underfoot on account of their own lawlessness.

VERS. 25. *Propitiation shall come, and you shall seek peace, and there shall be none.* He says that when evils grow strong against them, they shall beseech to obtain benevolence and deliverance, but they will obtain nothing.

VERS. 26. *Woe upon woe shall be, and rumor upon rumor.* Evils will follow evils for them, and a saddest rumor will succeed a sad rumor. *And a vision shall be sought from the prophet, and the law shall perish from the priest, and counsel from the elders.* These things hold true even today among them; for neither is the priesthood administered according to the laws among them, and the gift of prophecy has been extinguished.

VERS. 27. *The king shall mourn, and the prince shall be clothed with destruction, and the hands of the people of the land shall be paralyzed.* Jeremiah teaches us this more clearly, recounting the things that happened to Zedekiah, and his flight. *According to their ways I will do to them, and by their judgments I will take vengeance upon them, and they shall know that I am the Lord.* ^B He says: I shall exact these punishments from them, demanding retribution for the sins they have committed against me. Therefore, it behooves us all, having drawn profit from each of these things that have been spoken, not to incite against us vengeance through the wickedness of our crimes, but to heal the wounds of sin with the tears of repentance, lest the bilge-water increasing ^C in the ship should sink us into the depths, according to the just judgments of God; to whom is due glory for ever and ever. Amen.

BOOK THREE

CHAPTER VIII

^A VERSE 1. "And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the fifth month, on the fifth of the month, I was sitting in my house, and the elders of Judah were sitting before me." It is clear that the prophet had been led into captivity with Jeconiah; which is why he everywhere notes the time itself. He persisted, like a kind of master and teacher of children, in instructing the captives and guiding them toward the divine will; and he declared as much by saying: "The elders of Judah were sitting before me." Then he adds: "And the hand of Adonai the Lord came upon me." He calls the efficacy of the Divine Spirit "the hand of the Lord."

VERSE 2. "And I saw, and behold, a likeness of a man from his loins downward was fire, and from his loins upward it was as the vision of brightness, as the appearance of electrum." Him whom he had beheld upon the cherubim, he sees here without the cherubim. For at times He appears to him fearsome, at other times gentle, dispensing all things as the need requires; for it is His utterance: "I have multiplied visions, and in the hands of the prophets I have been made like; I was not seen according to my essence." Wherefore the prophet also says he saw a likeness.

^B VERSE 3. "And He extended," he says, "a likeness of a man's hand, and took me by the crown of my head, and the Spirit took me up between the earth and between the sky, and led me to Jerusalem in a vision of God, to the threshold of the inner gate, which looks toward the north, where was the pillar of the image of jealousy that provoketh to jealousy." It must be noted that the prophet said he saw these things in a vision of God. The physical body was not, therefore, transferred, nor did he behold them with the eyes of the flesh; but sitting at home among the elders of Judah, he saw this entire vision, which he makes clear after his narration of it. "For I was lifted up," he says, "from my vision"; that is, I returned to myself. For since he predicts harsh punishments, he fittingly teaches their causes as well, and he perceives in the sacred temple of God the pillar of the image of jealousy—for an idol was unlawfully placed there, which he calls "jealousy," by a metaphor taken from women who commit adultery and [provoke] their husbands to jealousy. ^C

^A This, indeed, God Himself declared through the great Moses: "They have provoked me to jealousy by that which was not God," and explaining it, he added: "They have angered me with their idols."

VERSES 4, 5. And behold, there was the glory of the Lord God of Israel, according to the vision which I saw in the field. And He said to me: Son of man, lift up your eyes toward the north; and I lifted up my eyes toward the north, ^B toward the gate that looks to the east of the altar, where the image of this jealousy was at its entrance. We have already said that the prophet is taught the just causes for which the Jews are punished; for which reason the just Judge shows him all the wicked deeds they dared to commit.

VERSE 6. And He said to me: Son of man, have you seen what these things are that they are doing, the great iniquities which the house of Israel is doing here, so that they should keep away from My holy things? You see, he says, how they draw punishments upon themselves by their own wickedness? For by acting impiously and despising My service, they will be far from My holy places, according to the prophet David: "For they that distance themselves from Thee shall perish."

VERSES 7–9. And he brought me to the porches of the court, and I looked, and behold, there was a hole in the wall. And He said to me: Son of man, I pray you, dig through the wall; and I dug, and behold, a door was there in the wall. ^C And He said to me: Enter and see the wicked iniquities which they are doing here. When the Lord had shown him that impiety which they dared to commit openly, He likewise shows what was being perpetrated by them in secret.

VERSES 10, 11. For I entered, he says, and saw, and behold, every likeness of creeping things and of beasts, and vain abominations, and all the idols of the house of Israel, depicted on the wall all around. And seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel, and Jezonias the son of Saphan, were standing in their midst, and each one had his censer in his hand, and the vapor of the incense was ascending. Beyond their impiety is a huge excess of folly. For what is more foolish than those who worship the images of venomous creeping things ^D and irrational beasts? The former we are accustomed to kill, as harmful and treacherous; the latter the Lord has assigned for our own servitude and service. "For He," He says, "makes grass to grow upon the mountains, and herbs for the servitude of men." Let us consider...

^A then, how full of folly it is for the servants and slaves to worship images. Whence the Lord, indignant, says to the prophet: "Hast thou seen, son of man, what the elders of the house of Israel do, every man in his secret chamber? For they have said, The Lord seeth us not; the Lord has forsaken the earth." For the cause of impiety is the forgetfulness of God; and having persuaded themselves that God sees nothing of what is done by them, they proceeded to that lawlessness. But by the blessed David we are taught both to think and to say the opposite: "I foresaw," he says, "the Lord always before my face, that He is at my right hand, that I should not be moved" (Ps. xv, 8).

^B Vers. 13, 14. And He said to me: "Thou shalt yet see greater iniquities which these men do." And He brought me into the vestibule of the gate of the house of the Lord, which looks to the north; and behold, women sitting and lamenting for Thammuz. He accuses them not only of impiety, but also of lasciviousness. For Thammuz is Adonis, according to the Greek tongue. The lamentation, therefore, is for the orgies of Aphrodite, for a lascivious demon, and for one who admitted worship on account of incontinence.

Vers. 15, 16. And He said to me: "Son of man, thou shalt yet see greater practices than these." And He brought me into the inner court of the house of the Lord; and at the vestibule of the temple of the Lord, between the ^C *elam* and between the altar, were about twenty-five men; their backs were toward the temple of the Lord, and their faces were opposite toward the east, and they were worshipping the sun toward the east. This is also a most extreme attempt of impiety; for to turn one’s back on the Lord to worship the fellow-servant sun—what excess of madness does this leave behind? And He called the *elam* the porch of the divine temple; for the bronze altar was established before it. He said, therefore, that standing between the *elam* and the altar, they dared to commit that impiety. And rightly, concerning each of the things shown, the Lord, as if offering a defense for the punishment of the Jews to His own servant, says to him:

Vers. 17. "Hast thou seen, son of man? Is it a small thing to the house of Judah to do the iniquities which they have done here? For they have filled the land with iniquity, and they turned to provoke me to anger; and behold, they stretch forth the branch as if mocking me." For I, He says, chose them,

and I will deal with them in fury: my eye will not spare, nor will I have mercy; and they shall cry in my ears with a loud voice, and I will not hearken to them. Just as they themselves propagated wickedness, and caused the harms of their neighbors to grow, so I, sparing nothing, apply to them the cutting, and neither sustain those who call upon me, nor hearken to those who cry out. For it is not mercy to spare them; since it behooves a physician, not the one being cut, to attend to tears and words, but to observe the law of the art.

CHAPTER IX

VERS. 1. And he cried in my ears with a loud voice, saying: The vengeance of the city hath drawn near, and every man held the vessels of extermination in his hand. Then he teaches what they were.

VERS. 2. And behold, six men were coming from the high gate looking toward the north, and each had instruments of destruction in his hand. For since the idol was placed toward the north, and the women were mourning for Thammuz, he rightly finds the entry point for punishment from there. And one must remember what was said above, that he said the fourth part of the city was to be consumed by death. Therefore, he sees the punishing powers prepared for the prescribed punishment. And indeed, although for the thousands of thousands of the Assyrians one angel sufficed, and for the firstborn of the Egyptians one angel was ordered to kill; here, however, for the superabundance of iniquity, the task of punishing the Jews is imposed upon six angels. "And behold, one in the midst of them clothed in a long robe, and a girdle of sapphire upon his loins." The seventh one's form was priestly; for he was not of those punishing, but of those saving the worthy ones. Since he ordered the seventh day to be honored, he rightly shows the seventh to be the most honorable. "And they entered, and stood near the altar of bronze." This was placed in the courtyard before the temple vestibule.

VERS. 3. And the glory of the God of Israel ascended from the Cherubim, which were over them in the subordinate house. For since He is about to pass valid judgment against the city, He does this outside of the holy places. For those are providers of salvation, not of punishment.

INTERPRETATION OF THE PROPHET JONAH, BY THE BLESSED THEODORET, BISHOP OF CYRRHUS

PREFACE

God, the creator of all things, continues to exercise His care for all, even if He was formerly seen to care for the Israelites more; but He did this even then for the common benefit of all mankind. For just as He, taking the appropriate care of Israel, did not hold discourse with each one to show what was to be done, but selecting one individual as the best from all, now the great Moses, now Joshua the son of Nun, at other times Samuel, and at another time Elijah, and through each of these mentioned, either by giving laws, or showing wonders, or offering exhortations, He guided them to salvation; thus, God, having set apart the Israelite people from the other nations, by the care for them, and by frequent appearances, and by ineffable miracles, demonstrated the way to the knowledge of God to the other nations as well. For this is what He taught us also through the divine Hosea: "For the goal, he says, is Ephraim with God, a prophet." For He set forth the people like a certain goal and prophet for the benefit and salvation of other nations. And not otherwise, Egypt also learned through them the ineffable power of the God of the universe. And having spread the report of their destruction to all men, it brought everyone to marvel at the justice of divine providence. Henceforth, Rahab the harlot, having received the gleam of the knowledge of God, said to the spies: "For the fear of you and the dread of you has fallen upon us; for we have heard how the Lord God dried up the Red Sea before you, and brought you through, because the Lord your God is God in heaven above, and on the earth below." And having seen the ark, the Philistines also, long after...

go forth and cut [them] down. Because they defiled the house with idols, the just judge commands this to happen by the slaughter of the lawless. And they went out and struck the city. ^A (8) And it came to pass while they were cutting [them] down, I remained alone, and I fell upon my face, and I cried out and said, "Woe, Adonai Lord! Are you destroying the remnant of Israel in pouring out your wrath upon Jerusalem?" The prophet is a lover of mankind and disposed toward mercy; such was the blessed Paul, praying to be anathema from Christ for the sake of the Jews. But the Master also heals his most loyal servant and teaches him the justice of the punishment. (9) "For the injustice," he says, "of the house of Israel and Judah has been magnified exceedingly, exceedingly." And by duplication he indicated the excess of the intensification. "Because the earth has been filled with many wickednesses, and the city has been filled with injustice and uncleanness, because they said, 'The Lord has abandoned the earth, the Lord does not see.'" This, he says, they dare to do, having convinced themselves that I do not oversee, nor see what is being done.

Chapter 10

(1) And I saw, and behold above the firmament that was over the head of the Cherubim, as it were a sapphire stone;

Volume 3. Chapter 8

(1) And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the fifth month, on the fifth of the month, I was sitting in the house, and the elders of Judah were sitting before me. The prophet is clearly known to have fallen into the captivity along with Jechoniah; on which account he denotes the time everywhere. He continued as a kind of pedagogue for those in the captivity, regulating them and guiding them toward the divine will; and he declared this by saying, "The elders of Judah were sitting before me." Then he adds, "And the hand of Adonai the Lord came upon me." He calls the operation of the divine Spirit the hand of the Lord. (2) And I saw, and behold, a likeness of a man from his loins and downward, fire, and from his loins and upward, as a vision of brightness, as the appearance of electrum. He who he had seen upon the Cherubim, this one he sees without the Cherubim; for sometimes he appears to him with dread, and sometimes with gentleness, conducting everything according to the need; for it is his word, "I multiplied visions, and in the hands of the prophets I was made like." I was not seen according to essence; wherefore the prophet also says he saw a *likeness*. (3) And he stretched forth, he says, a likeness of a man's hand, and he took me by the crown of my head, and the Spirit took me between the earth and the heaven, and led me to Jerusalem in a vision of God, to the thresholds of the inner gate, that which looks toward the north, where was the pillar of the image of jealousy which produces jealousy. One must observe that the prophet said he saw these things in a vision of God. Therefore there was no bodily transfer, nor was it a viewing with the eyes of the flesh, but sitting in the house among the elders of Judah, he saw this whole vision; and after the narration of it, he makes this clear; "For I ascended," he says, "from my vision," that is, I returned to myself. Because he foretells harsh punishments, he necessarily teaches also the causes of these, and he sees in the divine temple the pillar of the image of jealousy—but it was an idol set up there lawlessly; jealousy...

^A defiled the house, and the just judge commands that this be done through the slaughter of those who act lawlessly.

And they went out and began to strike the city. (Vers. 8.) And it came to pass while they were striking, that I was left alone, and I fell upon my face, and I cried out, and said: Woe is me, O Lord Adonai, art thou destroying the survivors of Israel by pouring out thy fury upon Jerusalem? The prophet was human and inclined toward mercy; such was the blessed Paul, who prayed to be anathema from Christ on behalf of the Jews. But the Lord consoles his most beloved servant and teaches the equity of the punishment.

Vers. 9. For the injustice/iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah, he says, is magnified exceedingly, exceedingly. ^B By the doubling of that "exceedingly," he declared the excess of the increase. "For the land is filled with many people, and the city is filled with injustice and uncleanness, because they said: The Lord has forsaken the land, the Lord does not look upon it." Therefore, he says, they dare these things, having persuaded themselves that I do not consider nor see the things that are done.

Chapter X

Vers. 1. And I saw, and behold, above the firmament that was over the head of the Cherubim, as it were a sapphire stone, the likeness of a throne upon it. In this place he at last openly calls the living creatures that he had seen, Cherubim. The name, as I have said, signifies "full of knowledge." ^C

Vers. 2. And he said to the man who was clothed in the garment: Enter into the midst of the wheels which are under the Cherubim. It must be observed that it was not commanded to any of the six men to approach the Cherubim, except to him who was clothed in the garment: for they were obviously not worthy to approach the divine powers, that is, the Cherubim. "And fill your hand with coals of fire which are between the Cherubim, and scatter them over the city." The things seen are full of horror; coals of fire being scattered: these are avenging powers, specifically, encircling the city.

Vers. 4. And the glory of the Lord departed from the Cherubim to the threshold of the house. For because he ordered the coals to be taken up and scattered over the city, he seems in a way ^D to withdraw, giving place to the one who had been ordered to perform the command; for he would have been entirely afraid to approach the divine glory which was borne upon the Cherubim. A very great sound was produced when the wings of the Cherubim were moved, so that it could be thought to be either thunder or a divine voice. For that which is "a voice of God the Almighty," Symmachus and Theodotion interpreted as "the thunder of the great God": that is, you could compare that sound to the thunder of the great and powerful God.

The mention of the heart shows the shadow resembling the truth; by "rivers," he refers to the waves' buffeting. "All thy elevations and thy waves passed over me." (Vers. 5) "And I said, I have been cast out from thy sight." Constrained by the insolence of my evils, and I who but a little while ago was carried aloft by the waves, now being confined as in a prison in the belly of the whale, I realized that I had been stripped of thy providence, and for this reason I endure each of these things. "Shall I again look towards thy holy temple?" (Vers. 6) "Water was poured around me as far as my soul; the lowest abyss surrounded me." For being encompassed by the abyss itself, and having come to be in the midst of such great waters, I hesitate and fear lest I be utterly deprived of the sight of thy temple which is so desirable to me. (Vers. 7) "My head descended to the fissures of the mountains, and I went down to the earth, whose bars are eternal shackles." For I see myself surrounded by certain huge mountains, and enclosed on all sides by certain unbreakable bars; and by these he hints not only at the size of the whale, but also at the inescapability of the evils that held him. It is likely that he also calls them mountains, those which are hidden by the sea's waters, against which ships are sometimes dashed and destroyed, which sailors clearly knowing, strive to avoid the rocks hidden beneath the sea. "And let my life ascend from corruption to thee, O Lord my God." (Vers. 8) "When my soul failed from me, I remembered the Lord, and let my prayer come to thee into thy holy temple." Since, he says, when I was at the very gates of death, I did not endure that forgetfulness of thee should come upon me; having delivered me from this destruction, O Master, restore me to life, so that I may again offer up my customary prayers in the temple dedicated to thee. (Vers. 9) "They that guard vanities and lies, have abandoned their own mercy." Those, he says, who have been taught false and vain things, obeying the lot, mercilessly cast me into the sea. (Vers. 10) "But I with the voice of praise and thanksgiving will sacrifice to thee; whatsoever I have vowed I will render to thee for my salvation to the Lord." For having been delivered from the terrible things that hold me, I will offer thee salvific sacrifices, recounting both the magnificence of thy beneficence and the harm of my flight. Having promised these things, the blessed Jonah both fulfilled his vows and committed everything to writing, so that not only the men of that time, but also those who came after, might learn the things concerning him. And just as the blessed David has left his own sin recorded, both proclaiming the philanthropy of God and showing the medicines of repentance to those who sin, so the wonderful Jonah [both his flight and his punishments...]

were carried along with them. And when they stood, they stood, and when they were raised up, they were raised up with them, for the spirit of life was in them. The wheels, he says, followed the Cherubim in everything, and when they moved, they moved together, and followed as they flew, and when they stood, they stood, not dragged by any force, but each one doing these things of its own accord, because spiritual life had been communicated to them as well.

VERS. 18, 19. And the glory of the Lord went out from the ^B threshold of the house, and ascended over the Cherubim. And the Cherubim took up their wings, and were lifted up from the earth before me when they were raised; and they stood at the vestibules of the gate of the house of the Lord that was opposite, and the glory of the God of Israel was over them from above. For when He commanded the coals to be taken, it seemed in a way to withdraw, so that he who was commanded might dare to approach; but when that was done, it appears to return again and be carried [upon them]. But the Cherubim, he says, were high, and were easily carried through the air, using the motion of their wings instead of feet: and the wheels followed, not separated by even a little. And the glory of God was carried upon them, not God Himself, who is ^C uncircumscribed, and everywhere present, and filling all things, but His glory, which shows itself according to His dispensations.

VERS. 20. This, he says, is the animal that I saw under the God of Israel, by the river Chobar; and I recognized that they were Cherubim. For I had already perceived the vision before, but I learned the name only now. And from this it can be clearly understood that it was not the very essence of the invisible natures that was seen by him, but certain images and shadows. [21, 22] For in the other vision he said that one of the Cherubim had four wings, but here eight. But nature had not admitted this change; rather, the vision was portrayed according to the occasion. For because the prophet received more extensive knowledge from the divine discourse—and the wings indicate the speed of knowledge—in order to signify the increase of knowledge added to him, He shows him the Cherubim with doubled wings, the Greek name for which ^D signifies an abundance of knowledge.

CAPUT XI.

VERS. 1-3. And the Spirit took me up, he says, and led me to the gate of the house of the Lord that was opposite, the one facing the east: and behold, in the vestibules of the gate were about twenty-five men. And I saw in the midst of them Jezonias the son of Jezec, and Phaltias the son of Banæas, the leaders of the people. And the Lord said to me: Son of man, these are the men who think vanity, and devise wicked counsel in this city, saying: Have the houses not been built recently? This is the cauldron, and we are the flesh. He accuses both the leaders, and to them

^A who are subject, resisting God and unwilling to believe that they will be handed over to the enemy, but persuading themselves that they will dwell in the city and there meet the end 745 of life. Recently, they say, houses have been built, and in them we shall dwell, and we shall finish our life. For this cause God is indignant, announcing through the prophet the future invasion of the enemy.

— ^B VERS. 5. *And the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and said to me: Thus saith the Lord.* That is, filled by the grace of the Divine Spirit, I was commanded to speak thus in the person of God.

*Thus speak, O house of Israel; and I know the things which come into your mind.* (vers. 6-8) *You have multiplied your dead in this city, and have filled its ways with the wounded. Therefore thus saith the Lord: Your dead, whom you have struck in the midst of it, these are the flesh, and it is the cauldron, and I will bring you forth out of the midst of it. You fear the sword, and I will bring the sword upon you, saith the Lord God.* You, he says, have declared the city to be a cauldron, and have filled it with countless dead; therefore you shall not enjoy what you hope for, nor shall you attain a life free from trouble; but you shall be handed over immediately to the enemies whom you fear, and shall become the fuel for their swords.

^C VERS. 9. *And I will bring you out of the midst thereof, and will deliver you into the hands of strangers, and will execute judgments among you.* Justly, he says, will I punish you; for since you have killed your kinsmen, you shall be justly handed over to strangers and enemies.

VERS. 10. *In the borders of Israel will I judge you, and you shall know that I am the Lord.* Outside the city, he says, will I execute judgment for the things you have impiously committed, and through experience you shall learn that I am 746 the Lord.

VERS. 11, 12. *This shall not be for you into a cauldron, and you shall not be flesh in the midst of it. In the borders of Israel will I judge you. And you shall know that I am the Lord.* You shall not die, he says, in the city, neither shall you be deemed worthy of burial in it, but far removed from it, you shall be slaughtered; and teaching the causes, *"Because,"* says he, *"you have not walked in my ordinances, and my judgments you have not done, but have done according to the judgments of the nations that are round about you."* ^D The excess of wickedness and the greatest of impiety is this: not only to transgress the divine law, but even to do things more impious than the nations living in impiety.

«And I will draw out in truth, he says, the heart of stone from their flesh, and I will give them a heart of flesh.» No sensible person would suppose that heart of stone refers to the nature of a stone, but rather to a heart that is disobedient, stubborn, and unwilling to yield to God; and again, by a heart of flesh, one that is compliant and obedient. 10. «That they may walk in my commandments, and keep my judgments, and do them; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.» Since their manner of life will henceforth be carried out according to my laws, I shall be called their God, and they shall be reckoned as my people. Having said these things concerning those who had already been taken captive, he again brings the discourse back to those who were at that time inhabiting Jerusalem. 11. «But as for them,» he says, «whose heart went after the heart of their abominations and their iniquities, I have brought their ways upon their heads, says the Lord God.» To these, he says, because they were not brought to their senses by the misfortunes of the others, but continue to be wasted away by impiety, I will bring upon them punishments worthy of their deeds. 12, 13. *Lord from his holy house.* Since he spoke of Samaria and Jerusalem, that the words had been addressed to him by the God of all, he rightly collects not a people, but peoples for an audience. The tribes divided into two kingdoms he calls not a people, but peoples, and urges all who inhabit that land to pay attention, as the Lord God is testifying and speaking from the divine temple. ^C VERS. 3, 4. «For behold, the Lord goes forth from his place, and will descend, and will step upon the high places of the earth. And the mountains shall be moved under him, and the valleys shall melt as wax before the face of the fire, and as water running down a slope.» We learn from the divine Scripture that the God of all is not in a place (for he is incorporeal, uncircumscribed, and carries all things by the word of his power). But because he was manifesting himself in Jerusalem, his place is deservedly called the temple. For so also it is ordered through the great Moses: «It is not permitted for you to keep the Passover in one of your cities, unless it be in the place which the Lord your God shall choose.» ^D From this place the prophet says he goes forth, and treads upon the high places, and shakes the mountains by his presence, and melts the valleys like wax approaching a fire. These things both come to pass as literally stated, as God wills it, and when understood tropologically, they hold the truth. For he calls mountains that are shaken those who are puffed up by power and who fall into calamities; and valleys that are melting, the multitude of the subjects, who as valleys lying beneath the mountains live under the power of the mighty. Similarly, as water, which is carried with force down precipices, he brings punishments upon those who deserve them. And explaining the cause, VERS. 5. «For the impiety of Jacob, he says, all these things (will happen), and for the sin of the house of Israel.» Then, showing the manner of the impiety and the sin, he institutes the accusation by way of question and answer. «What is the impiety of the house of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? And what is the sin of the house of Judah? Is it not Jerusalem?» For they filled Samaria with idols; while those living in Jerusalem, and being instructed in the divine law in the temple, persisted in living in iniquity. One must note that what he called the house of Israel above, he has later called the house of Judah. And the ten tribes he addressed as the house of Jacob, using the natural name; yet he applied the spiritual name, that of Israel, to Judah, because having the divine temple, they had many pious people. VERS. 6. «And I will set Samaria into a hill of the field...»

^A Having thus beheld these things, he says: 24. "And the Spirit took me up, and brought me in the vision by the Spirit of God [into the land of the Chaldeans]." For he says, it is not in truth, bodily, that I was being carried now to Judea and now to the land of the Chaldeans, but in vision, that is, in an apparition; and "in the Spirit of God," instead of "having my mind illuminated by the operation of God, and receiving prophetic eyes, I beheld each of these things." And making this clearer, he added: "And I went up from the vision that I saw." (25.) "And I spoke to the captivity all the words of the Lord, which He showed me." I returned to myself, he says, the spiritual vision having reached its end; and I no longer saw those things, but only the elders who were present, to whom I also recounted each of the things I had seen and heard. But it is time now to say that evangelical utterance: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." For the things related have sufficiently taught us this; for when many were sitting together, the prophet alone enjoyed that spiritual vision.

And he foretold to the tribes of Israel, and he foresaw that the foreigners would rejoice at their evils, he turns his speech toward them, and says: 10. "You of Geth, be not magnified, and you Enakim, do not rebuild; from the house of derision sow the earth toward your own derision." Do not think highly, rejoicing at their calamities, as if you yourselves remain unharmed; but instead of the laughter you have used against the Israelites, sowed with dust, lament your own calamities. And Enakim is not, as some have supposed, some other city besides Geth, but he calls those inhabiting Geth "Enakim" as being descendants of Enak the giant. And this is possible to learn from many places in the divine Scripture.

11. "Of her who dwells well." I will pull down her cities. For nothing will profit you, neither the beauty of the buildings, nor the safety of the places, but your cities will be overturned. "She that dwells in Aenan has not come out; lament the house near her; she shall receive the affliction of pain from you." Because she did not want to sympathize with you, and be chastened by your scourges, she will involuntarily share in the calamity; and Aenan was one of the cities neighboring them.

12. "Who began for her who dwells in good things, [to introduce] pains?" From here he transfers his discourse to Jerusalem; and the construction of the words is tangled and very obscure. It is necessary, therefore, by arranging them thus, to find the meaning: "Who began in good things, to [introduce] to her who dwells [in them] pains?" To her, he says, who was prospering and enjoying peace and much good fortune, who was the cause of the calamities? He wishes to show that not a man, but God Himself, the Lord of all, brings upon her the punishments, exacting a penalty for those things in which she acted impiously. Because of this, he adds: "For evils have descended from the Lord upon the gates of Jerusalem." And showing what these are, he added: 13. "The sound of chariots and horsemen." These things he clearly taught us also through Isaiah the prophet: "Woe to the Assyrians! The rod of my anger is in their hands; I will send my wrath against an unrighteous nation, and I will command my people to make spoil and booty." So here too: "Who began for her who dwells in good things, to [introduce] pains? Because evils have descended from the Lord upon the gates of Jerusalem, the sound of chariots and horsemen." For I, he says, brought pain upon those who were enjoying all kinds of good things, by setting up the multitude of enemies against them. And because Lachish was laid waste before Jerusalem (for Nebuchadnezzar desolated Jerusalem, but Sennacherim desolated Lachish), he turns his discourse toward it. "Dweller of Lachish, she is the prince of sin to the daughter of Sion, because...

was taken up into the heavens, carried by intellectual and invisible powers. What was shown to the prophet was therefore a figure of things to come; and having contemplated these things in this way, he says:

VERS. 24. *Spiritus assumpsit me, et adduxit me in terram Chaldæorum in visione, Spiritu Dei.* He says, it was not in body, in reality, that I was being transported now to Judea ^A and now to the land of the Chaldeans, but by a vision, that is, in a contemplation; and "by the Spirit of God," that is, being enlightened as to my mind by the power and efficacy of God, and having obtained prophetic eyes, I beheld each one of these things. And making this clearer, he added:

*Et ascendi a visione, quam vidi.* (VERS. 25.) *Et locutus sum ad captivitatem omnia verba Domini, quæ ostendit mihi.* I returned to myself, he says, when the end of the spiritual contemplation had come; and I no longer saw those things, but only the elders who were with me, to whom I also related each thing that I had seen and heard. But it is time now to cite that evangelical ^B saying: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." For the things just said have taught us this abundantly; for while many were sitting together, the prophet alone perceived that vision in the Spirit. Let us also strive to attain this purity of heart, and let us supplicate that, being freed from all defilements, we may carry the memory of God in our soul constantly in this present life, and may be deemed worthy to see Him with confidence on the day of His appearing. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen.

BOOK FOUR

CAPUT XII.

VERS. 1, 2. *Et factum est verbum Domini ad me, dicens: Fili hominis, in medio domus exasperantis tu habitas: qui habent oculos ad videndum, et non vident, et aures ad audiendum, et non audiunt, quia domus exasperans est.* ^D The discourse declared the force of the soul in both respects. "For they have eyes," he says, "to see, and do not see, and ears to hear, and do not hear." And teaching that this is not by nature

of these things happening to them, he adds, ^A "That it is a stubborn house." Symmachus translates "stubborn" as contentious, rebellious, and refusing to obey. The Lord foretold that the prophet would say these things, when he was commanded by Him to perform the duty of the prophecy by means of the actual events; and as if excusing himself, because he is forced to enjoin such things due to the stubbornness and disobedience of the people. ^B

VERS. 3. And you, son of man, prepare for yourself baggage for captivity, and be a captive before them by day from your place to another place before their eyes, so that they may see, that it is a stubborn house. And making what he said clearer, he adds:

VERS. 4-6. And you shall bring out your baggage, as baggage for captivity by day, before their eyes; and you shall go out at evening before them, as a captive. Dig for yourself through the wall, and you shall go out through it before them. You shall be lifted upon your shoulders, and you shall go out in darkness: you shall cover your face, and you shall not see the ground: for I have given you as a sign to the house of Israel. ^C He encourages him, he says, to imitate one who is besieged, then, when the city is captured, one who is forced to flee, and one digging through a wall, and devising an exit, and covering his face, so that he might not be known while seeing these things: for I wish for these things to be done so as to signify to those inhabiting Jerusalem the future captivity. The divine Jeremiah teaches us this more clearly, recounting how Zedekiah, when the city was captured, along with his relatives and bodyguards, devised by night an exit through the king's garden. Then the prophet teaches how he brought each of these things to an end, inasmuch as they occurred according to divine will.

VERS. 8-11. The word of the Lord came ^D to me, saying: Son of man, did not the house of Israel, the stubborn house, say to you: What are you doing? Say to them: Thus says Adonai the Lord to the prince and the leader in Jerusalem, and to all the house of Israel who are in the midst of them, Say: I am a sign for you; just as I have done, so it shall be to them, into captivity they shall go. Being asked, he says, by these disobedient and contradictory ones, the cause of the things being done by you, say clearly to them, that I am a sign and a wonder for you, prophesying by means of the actual events, and sketching out in myself what will happen to both the king of Jerusalem and all his princes. 12. For their prince also will be taken up on their shoulders in their midst, and will go out in secret through the wall, and he will dig so as to go out through it: he will cover his face so that he may not be seen with the eyes, and he himself will not see the ground. But yet, even if he makes his flight in this way, and contrives everything so as to escape notice, he will be captured by the enemies. 13. And I will spread, he says, my net over him, and he will be captured in my containment, and I will lead him into Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans, and he will not see it, and there he shall end his life. Through all these stated things, he taught that as having used the enemies as instruments, He will exact justice for the impiety from the king, the princes, and all the subjects. For he called the enemies his "net," and the siege his "containment." He escaped for a little way; but when captured, he first saw the slaughter of his children; then, being deprived of his eyes, he was led away in bonds. And the Lord will be the leader of them; obviously not defending them, but handing them over.

CHAPTER 3. 1-4. And he shall say: Hear now, leaders of Jacob, and you who are left of the house of Israel: is it not for you to know judgment? You who hate good things, and seek evil things: snatching their skins from them, and their flesh from their bones. Just as they ate the flesh of my people, and skinned their skins from them, and shattered their bones, and dismembered them as flesh into a cauldron, and as meat into a pot; thus they shall call to the Lord, and he will not hear them; and he will turn his face away from them in that time, for the things which they did wickedly in their pursuits among them." He directs his discourse to the rulers; for those who were entrusted to judge were trampling upon justice, because he speaks to them by way of interrogation: Did you not have the authority to judge, so as to punish those who commit offenses, but let the innocent go free? How then, having been entrusted to preside over the laws, were you turning away from the deeds of good works, but were passionately inclined toward wicked things? And you exercised such greed against the poor as to strip them of all their possessions. For he made this clear by having said: "Snatching their skins from them, and their flesh from their bones." Having dared these things, therefore, even if you ask for the alliance from me ten thousand times, you will enjoy no assistance. Having threatened the rulers in this way, he transfers the discourse to the prophets.

5. "Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets, who mislead my people, and bite with their teeth, and preach peace over them, and it was not given into their mouth; they sanctified war against him." They prophesy lies, he says, and as if by certain bites, they harmed the people with the flattery of their words, speaking things contrary to my prophets, while promising them peace. But their words indeed had peace, but the events show the war. The cause of the evils arising from the war were those who preached peace, and stood in the way of the people's repentance. The phrase "they sanctified war against him" he put instead of "they separated"; that is, they caused.

6-7. "Therefore night shall be to you from vision, and darkness shall be to you from divination; and the sun shall set upon the prophets, and the day shall grow dark upon them. And those who see dreams shall be ashamed, and the soothsayers shall be mocked, and all these shall speak against them, because there is no listener."

^A regarding the prophecies, and outlining within myself the things that are to happen both to the king of Jerusalem and to all the rulers.

VERS. 12. "For their prince in their midst shall be lifted upon shoulders, and shall go out secretly through the wall, and shall dig so as to go out through it: he shall cover his face, that he may not be seen by eyes, and he himself shall not see the land." Yet, even while making his flight in this way, and having contrived every means to escape notice, he shall be captured by the enemy.

VERS. 13. "And I will spread," he says, "my net over him, and he shall be captured in my siege, and I will lead him into Babylon into the land of the Chaldeans, and he shall not see it, and there he shall die." Through all these things that have been spoken, he taught that it would come to pass that, using the enemies as his instruments, he would exact penalties for the impiety from the king, and from the rulers, and from all the people subject to them. For he called the enemies his "net," and the siege his "stronghold." Both the fourth book of Kings and the blessed Jeremiah clearly teach these things 8*. For Nebuchadnezzar, having sent a cavalry force into the wilderness that is near Jericho, and having seized Zedekiah and those who had fled with him, led them to Riblah; and there, after first killing the sons of Zedekiah and ^B making him a spectator of the slaughter of his sons, he thus put out his eyes, and having placed upon him bonds made of bronze, he led him away to Babylon, having compelled him to dwell in a mill. Therefore the prophecy says, "He shall be led to Babylon, and he shall not see it."

VERS. 14, 15. "And all," he says, "who are around him, his helpers, and all who bring him aid, I will scatter to every wind, and I will draw out a sword after them. And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I have scattered them among the nations, and dispersed them in the regions." As for those who escape the slaughter in battle, I will cause them to be led away as captives, and I will manifest them as exiles and fugitives, so that through the events themselves they may learn that the idols are dumb and altogether inactive, but I am the Lord and Master.

VERS. 16. "And I will leave from them men in number ^C from the sword, and from famine, and from death, so that they may recount all their iniquities among the nations where they have gone, and they shall know that I am the Lord." These very men, he says, who are the remnants of the famine, and of the death, and of the slaughter of war, will be the accusers of their own impiety and iniquity, teaching the nations among whom they live as captives that they are paying the penalties for the things in which they have transgressed against me. ^D

^A

VERS. 17, 18. *And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, eat your bread with pain, and drink your water with torment and distress.* And this is again a sign of the famine that will occur during the siege.

VERS. 19, 20. *And you shall say to the people of the land: Thus says the Lord Adonai to those dwelling in Jerusalem and in the land of Israel: They shall eat their bread in lack, and drink their water in devastation, that the land may be devastated with all that fills it, because of the impiety of all who dwell in it. And their inhabited cities shall be laid waste, and the land shall be a desolation: and you shall know that I am the Lord.* For since you enjoyed the good things from me, and feasted luxuriously on the fruits of the land, you were ignorant of the Giver, and became ungrateful toward your Benefactor; by the deprivation of these goods and the desolation of the cities, you shall learn ^B of my sovereignty. These things the prophet predicted to those in Jerusalem while he was in captivity, as God willed both to comfort those who had already become captives—that they were not the only ones to have suffered such things, but would have others as sharers—and to persuade those still dwelling in Jerusalem, through the fear of the evils predicted by the prophecy, to cease from their wickedness.

Furthermore, because those who dwelt in Jerusalem opposed the words of the divine Jeremiah, and those who lived in Chaldæa likewise opposed those of the admirable Ezechiel, they necessarily confirm one another by prophesying in harmony, and by this agreement demonstrate that the words are divine. For if they had dwelt ^C near to one another, suspicion against the harmony of their words might easily have found a place; but because they were separated by many stations and yet predicted the same things, it is rightly shown that what they say is divine. For this reason Jeremiah writes a letter to those who were in Chaldæa, and Ezechiel to those in Judæa, with God, the Author of all things, providing for the benefit of both these and those.

VERS. 21, 22. *And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, what is this proverb for you in the land of Israel, of those saying: The days are far off, every vision has perished?* Why, he says, are those who dwell in Judæa accustomed to say to the prophets: "You predict things that will happen after ^D a long number of years, mixing lies into your words, and prophesying nothing that is true?"

VERS. 23. *Therefore say to them: Thus says the Lord Adonai: And I will turn away this proverb, and the house of Israel shall no longer say this proverb, because you shall speak to them, saying: The days and the time of every vision have drawn near.* For since they call the long-suffering

^A of the prophecy the end, and the foretold punishment will soon appear on the threshold.

VERSE 24. *For there shall no longer be any false vision, nor any divination of those things which are for favor in the midst of the children of Israel.* For I shall put an end, he says, to your false prophets, who endeavor to preach the opposite to my prophets, and who falsely predict to you the presence of good things.

VERSE 25. *For I will speak my words, and I will perform, and I will not delay anymore, for in your days, O house of Israel that provokes, I will speak a word, and I will perform it, says Adonai the Lord.* Do not, he says, pay mind to my prophets, as though they were speaking without counsel; for I speak through them, and more quickly than a word I shall bring my word to its end, making you yourselves spectators of the truth of my words. [26-28.] Thus, again, by other words he signified the same things, and to those who accused the prophets as if they did not predict things present, but falsely predicted things to happen after many centuries, he threatened ^B the swift truth of the things he had predicted:

VERSE 28. *For all my words which I shall speak shall no longer be prolonged: for I will speak a word, and I will perform, says Adonai the Lord.*

CHAPTER XIII

He turns his speech henceforth against the false prophets.

VERSE 2. *For, son of man, he says, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy.* And lest a homonymy bring any harm to men (for both the true and the false were called prophets), he justly added: *And say to the prophets prophesying out of their own heart.* That is, to those who are entirely destitute of the energy of the Spirit, and who speak lies according to their own cogitations. And you shall prophesy, he says, and say to them: Hear the word of the Lord. (VERSE 3.) *Thus says Adonai the Lord: Woe to those who prophesy out of their own heart, and who walk after their own spirit, and who behold nothing at all.* Grief, he says, will overtake those ^C who are not moved by the divine Spirit, but obey their own counsel. For he called the counsel of the mind their own spirit.

VERSE 4, 5. *As foxes in the deserts are your prophets, O Israel. They did not stand in stability, nor did they gather a flock to the house of Israel: they did not arise as in battle, those who say as in the day of the Lord.* But Symmachus interpreted these things more clearly: *As foxes in ruins are your prophets, ^D*

where are your good words and the promises of peace? Having thus spoken the same things again at greater length, and having threatened the deluge of warlike darts, and the hailstones, and the destruction of the badly built wall down to its foundations, and the refutation of the falsehood of those who predicted good things, he makes the discourse clearer. For he says: I said to you: "The wall is not, nor are those who daub it."

(10). "The prophets of Israel, who prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, saith the Lord Adonai." All things, he says, shall become naught—both the daubing, and the wall, and the prophets who brought the daubing. For a siege, he says, and captivity shall seize Jerusalem in place of the promised peace. Having said these things about the false prophets, he turns his discourse to the false prophetesses. ^A For the adversary of human nature found these also to be instruments, and through them he operated his falsehood; and he set the false prophets against the prophets, and against the women who were deemed worthy of the prophetic grace, he set those who had received the operation of falsehood. And he will find no benefit, neither from the strongest walls, nor from the ditch running around outside. But you shall be delivered from these, not only at that time, when I shall raise up other enemies against them, but also at the present time, when they come against your city using a great array; for now I shall bring upon them an invisible destruction through the ministration of angels.

Having thus given, as pledges of the things that would happen later, the things that occurred then, he transfers the discourse back to those things, and teaches how the holy apostles, having believed in the Lord born in Bethlehem, and those who were appointed with them for the divine preaching, would bring the evangelical teaching to foreign nations. And he speaks thus:

7. "And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations in the midst of many peoples, as dew falling from the Lord, and as lambs upon the grass, that no one may gather, nor stand among the sons of men." ^B By "remnant," he everywhere calls those who have been saved. Thus also elsewhere: "If the number of the sons of Israel should be as the sand of the sea, the remnant shall be saved." So then, he says, those who have believed and are transporting the evangelical preaching to the nations, like dew falling from heaven, will irrigate the inhabited world; and just as hungry lambs consume the grass, so these will easily consume the impiety which, like grass, is springing up in uncultivated souls, so that such a gathering of men is no longer found. Because the demons remained incurably sick, the Holy Spirit rightly made the prediction with a qualification: "That no one may gather, nor stand among the sons of men." So that, he says, no gathering composed of impious men is to be found henceforth. And because he compared them to dew and lambs, and did not sufficiently signify through these the power given to them by God, he adds another likeness to his words.

8. "And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations in the midst of many peoples, as a lion among the beasts of the forest, and as a whelp among the flocks of sheep, in the manner that when he passes through, and dividing, seizes, and there is no one who delivers..." For the beginnings of the holy apostles were like falling dew, and they consumed the grass of impiety as lambs ^C by their teaching and miracles, living as lambs in the midst of wolves, according to the prediction of the Master: "Behold, I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves." But after this, when the inhabited world had received the preaching, and commanders and kings were filling the register of the Church, fear passed over to the enemies of the truth; and they, having become like beasts, are filled with fear and horror, having no one to help them from any quarter.

^A This is what he hinted at when he said: "They distorted the souls of my people, and they would win over souls." By distorting the people and turning them away from God, they prepared them to pay attention to themselves. Then, [he speaks of] the trivial nature of the gain. 19. "And you profaned me among my people, for a handful of barley and for crumbs of bread." For what is more trivial than these? And what is more grievous than the injury brought about thereby? "To kill," he says, "souls that should not die, and to keep alive souls that should not live, in your speaking to a people that listens to vain utterances." For the sake of trivial gain, you would vainly praise some before the people, and declare others worthy of punishment, having abused the fickleness and tractability of the people to a bad end. For, being persuaded by the things said by you, they would unrighteously preserve some, and vainly slaughter others. Having thus exposed the impiety, he threatens punishment. 20, 21. "Therefore thus says the Lord Adonai: Behold, I am against your cushions, upon which you there twist souls, and I will tear them away from your arms, and I will send forth the souls which you distorted, the souls of them for a scattering." ^B Being judged. For because they, being rational, are suffering from irrationality, I shall use inanimate things as judges against the rational ones.

3. "O my people, what have I done to you, or in what have I grieved you, or in what have I been grievous to you? Answer me." Bring forward the cause of the enmity; reprove me if you have been affected by any annoyance from me. And since it was necessary for him to be silent, having nothing to say, he rightly added: "Answer me;" if you have anything that you might say, speak plainly and openly. 4. "For I brought you up out of the land of Egypt, and I redeemed you from the house of slavery; and I sent before your face Moses, and Aaron, and Miriam." Do you, therefore, bring this forward as if an injury had been done to you, that when I had delivered you from the bitter slavery of the Egyptians, and had used Moses and Aaron, marvelous and illustrious men, as ministers, I bestowed upon you solid liberty? Nor did I deprive the women of the care that was appropriate, ^C but I set Miriam over them and filled them with the gift of prophecy. But if you wish to be unmindful of these things, let the matters concerning Balaam come to your mind, and consider the causes, [and] why Balaak had summoned him, and how he, energized by my power, brought upon you not a curse, but a blessing. Yet, when I was doing each of these things, I was not offering you a reward for righteousness, but I was making my own righteousness plain. For since I had made promises to your forefather, I was fulfilling the covenants struck with him.

These things having been said by the prophet as if from the mouth of God, when he saw the stolidity of the people, he himself, in the place of the people, excites thoughts of piety, saying: 6. "With what shall I apprehend the Lord? Shall I lay hold [of] my God Most High?" How shall I requite him who procures for me so many and such great goods? What retributions shall I use? ^D "Shall I apprehend him with holocausts? With yearling calves? 7. Will the Lord receive thousands of rams, or ten thousands of fat he-goats? Shall I give my firstborn for my impiety? The fruit of my belly for the sin of my soul?" Nothing, he says, of human things—not a multitude of calves, not whole flocks, not ten thousands of kids (for he calls yearling kids he-goats), not infants born first, offered to God in sacrifice—suffice to absolve me of the multitude of my sins. But if all these things are not sufficient for the expiation of sins, with what shall I compensate for the divine benefits? After he thus proposed human thoughts, he introduces God responding again. 8. "It has been announced to you, O man, what is good, and what the Lord asks of you: (naught) but that you do judgment, and love mercy, and be ready to walk after the Lord your God."

For since, he says, you were troubling and stirring up ^A the righteous—for so Aquila interpreted it—by predicting grievous things for them, while making the lawless more bold by prophesying good things for them, and both you were doing contrary to my purpose; for this reason I shall deliver you to total destruction, and I will put an end to your false divination, and I will deliver my people from the ruin caused by you. Having thus predicted these things concerning them, he transfers the discourse to another matter.

CHAPTER XIV. AT 1

^A And there came, he says, men from the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before my face. And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying: Son of man, these men have set their thoughts upon their hearts, and the punishment of their iniquities they have placed before their face: shall I answering answer them? Aquila interpreted this more clearly: “But also, though with much labor you cultivate the land, you shall by no means enjoy its fruits.” “And the lawful ordinances of my people shall be destroyed.” And teaching that he is not currently speaking of the divine law here, but of the unlawful ^B manner of life, he added: “And all the works of the house of Ahab.” For since you have emulated that impiety, you shall be delivered over to these evils, so that those who see the calamities that have come upon you may signify their magnitude by a hiss. Having said all these things, the prophet laments, as one who had used many words but labored in vain.

CHAPTER VII. VERSE 1

Woe is me! that I have become as one gathering stubble in the harvest, ^C and as a grape-gleaning in the vintage, there being no cluster: my soul has desired to eat the first-fruits. I am become, he says, like those who gather falling ears of corn, or like those searching for the grape-gleanings overlooked by the vintagers; for neither did I find any cluster of obedience, even though I greatly desired to find something desirable and worthy of the beginning—for this is what he said: “To eat the first-fruits my soul has desired.” For because the first-born were offered to God, he reasonably called that which is desirable “first-fruit.” And wishing to make these things, spoken figuratively, plain, he added: “Woe is me, soul! (v. 2) for the godly has perished from the earth, and there is no one who does what is right among men.” Then ^D he makes a list of the sins. For those who judge, he says, bring an unjust sentence against the innocent, and dare to commit unlawful murders; and each of the rest, longing for more, usurps the things of his neighbor. But he who is entrusted to judge according to the laws does not even wait for those bringing gifts, but he himself asks, following a mind given over to the corruption of bribes. “For the prince,” he says, “asks, and the judge has spoken peaceful words—it is the desire of his soul.” For having received gifts from those who do wrong, he promises them the desired victory. For this reason, he says (v. 4): “I will take away their goods as a moth eating, and walking upon a rule, in the day of thy visitation.” For like a moth crawling inside wood and destroying everything with its teeth, the sentence pronounced against you shall consume you in the day of punishment. For this he called a visitation, that is, the advent of God on that day. Then, the philanthropic Father, like a man correcting, says lamentingly: “Woe, woe, thy acts of vengeance have come! Now shall be their wailing.” When these things occur, he says, neither will a friend stand by a friend, nor will a king care for his subjects, nor will a spouse feel concern for her mate, but each will take care of his own safety, watching for a way to escape the evils, so that neither does a son accord the father the proper honor, nor a daughter render reverence to her mother, nor a daughter-in-law [respect the mother-in-law].

For this reason, the God of all says through the prophet that every man from the house of Israel, while speaking against the divine teachings and obeying only his own reasoning, and while holding in contempt the punishment threatened against the lawless, even if he goes to a false prophet—wishing to fulfill his own desires and making an attempt to see if the predictions match his own reasoning—"I," he says, "will answer him." Since he does not use an upright mind, I will allow the false prophet to confirm his reasonings; for he is worthy of destruction and ruin. For this reason, he says, "That he may turn the house of Israel against their hearts which are alienated from me in their thoughts." For since they set themselves far from my care and delight in the deception of the false prophets, I will allow them to reap the fruits of their own labors. This can also be found to have happened in the case of Ahab. For Zedekiah the false prophet, having made iron horns for himself, said to Ahab; he remembers the cities that were plundered by the Assyrians and Babylonians; he says also which these are, making them clear by their boundaries. "From sea," he says, "even to sea, and from mountain even to mountain." That is, from the Red Sea, which is situated to the east, to the sea that lies to the west, and from the mountain of the Idumeans to Lebanon, all those in between will be delivered to the enemies. For he added this after saying, "A day of water and turbulence." For like water carried along with a roar, the multitude of that army will strike and will cover the land with desolation, and will deliver the inhabitants to slaughter and slavery. And showing the cause, he says, "From the fruits of their own conduct." Having thus prophesied what was to happen to the neighboring nations, he announces the peace after the return to the people. ^B 14. "Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your inheritance." And since he called people sheep metaphorically, he persisted in the metaphor. "Dwellers in the forest alone." The ones, he says, separated from all the nations, and having their own pasture. But "with the staff of your tribe" signifies the tribe of Judah. For that one, after the return, led the others, when the division of the tribes was no longer taking place. Then, teaching that they would possess all the land which they held before the captivity after the return, he added, "They will graze in the forest in the midst of Carmel, in Bashan and Gilead, according to the days of old." (15.) "And according to the days of your going out from the land of Egypt, I will show them marvelous things." For how much land I gave you when you departed from Egypt, he says, so much will I provide for you when you return from Babylon, striking with miracles those who attempt to war against you. For the nations, seeing these things, will be filled with shame, and seeing the weakness of their own power, "They will put their hands upon their mouths, and their ears will be deafened." (16.) "They will lick the dust as serpents dragging along the earth, they will be confounded in their enclosure before the Lord our God; they will be afraid and will fear you." For seeing your suddenly occurring prosperity, and the help granted by me, they will not dare to utter absurd words against you; but like serpents slithering on the ground, they will fall down, daring to do or say nothing. The prophet, having served these words, being struck by the divine kindness, cried out 18. "Who is a God like you, taking away iniquities, and passing over the impiety of the remnant of his inheritance?" For utilizing an ineffable kindness, Master, and one that surpasses all human description, you do not exact from men the penalties for their sins.

^A ...shall strike with a violent wind. He calls the dominion of the pious a "violent wind," through which the shrines of the idols were overturned, and by the laws of this dominion the worship of demons was hindered. "And he shall strike seven valleys." For their kingdom having been destroyed by the Romans, they were divided into seven provinces, and they suppressed their former audacity, and became accessible to the heralds of the truth.

VERS. 16. As in the day when he came out of the land of Egypt. Either because just as he led them out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, so he will again lead them into Egypt with miracles, and through these will lead them also to the truth.

CHAPTER XII

VERS. 1. And thou shalt say in that day: I will give thanks to thee, O Lord. A hymn declares the acknowledgement of a benefit. For those who have received it, having known its author, repay the benefit with whatever they can; and his law is one that clearly declares: "Offer to God the ^B sacrifice of praise," and again: "The sacrifice of praise shall glorify thee." Often, however, a man is dismissed and abandoned because he was once carried away into Egyptian evils, so that he may enjoy his own folly for a time, in order that he may reap what he has badly sown. But when he is not abandoned to the end, but meets with some benefit, he will say: "I will give thanks to thee, O Lord, because thou wast angry with me, and thou didst turn away thy fury, and didst have mercy on me." ^C This is similar to that: "I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me; he will not be angry for ever, nor will he threaten for eternity." But he who says: "I will give thanks to thee, O Lord, because thou wast angry with me, and didst have mercy on me," feeling the benefit of God, will boast in it, and say:

VERS. 2. Behold, God is my Saviour; I will trust in him, and will not fear, because the Lord is my glory and my praise. These things will not be said by those who perform alms before men, ^D nor by those who seek glory from one another, and do not seek the glory which is from God alone, and in general, those who transgress his commandment who says: "Let us not be vainglorious." Since the Lord promises: "Those who glorify me, I will glorify," clearly he who rightly glorifies God is glorified by him. Thus also the face of Moses was glorified, because he knew how to glorify God rightly. And praise is in harmony with glory; so that he who rightly glorifies, will also rightly praise. And let no one of those who have erroneous opinions about God think that they are acceptable—

for He who bears the iniquities of men, knows also how to inflict punishments upon those who do not repent. For this is what it says: "‘[The Lord] will not acquit the guilty’"—that is, the Lord will not leave unpunished him who has committed things worthy of punishment. ^A *“The Lord has His way in the whirlwind and in the storm.”* No longer, he says, will the God of all grant you mercy, but He will bring destruction. Similar to this are the words of the Psalm: *“All the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth”* (Ps. 24:10). For truth contains not only mercy, but also just punishment. Therefore, “way” should be understood here and there as an action. *“And the clouds are the dust of His feet.”* Most fittingly he has added “dust” to the “way.” He wishes to say that He will no longer use long-suffering, but will bring destruction upon you, gathering from everywhere a cloud of evils against you. And teaching that He easily accomplishes whatever He wishes, he subjoined:

VERS. 4. *“He rebukes the sea, and dries it up, and makes all the rivers desert places.”* For if He should decide that all the water of the sea and the rivers is to be utterly exhausted, He will be able to do this in a moment; and he proved this from those things which had already happened. *“Basanitis is diminished, and Carmel, and all that flourished in Libanus have failed.”* For when I wished to exact penalties from those who inhabit Basanitis, Carmel, and Libanus, I delivered them to you. But you, devastating their fields, and storming their cities, and leading the inhabitants into captivity, have surrendered them to complete desolation.

VERS. 5. *“The mountains were shaken by Him, and the hills trembled; and the whole earth was contracted from His face, and all who dwell in it.”* Because some imagined that He was the God of the Jews only, not without reason does the prophet teach that He shakes the mountains and hills, and the whole earth with its inhabitants by His nod alone. As for the phrase, *“and the earth was contracted,”* Aquila said “shuddered,” while Symmachus said “was moved.”

VERS. 6. *“Who shall withstand the appearance of His wrath? And who shall resist the anger of His fury? His fury consumes principalities, and the rocks were crushed by Him.”* For if He very easily crushes and destroys those who pride themselves because of their principalities and imagine themselves to have the strength of rocks, who will be able to resist the correction brought from Him? ^B But as He easily destroys the proud, so the Lord is good to those who wait for Him in the day of tribulation, and He knows those who fear Him. Having shown, however, how God is disposed towards those who endure the inflicted corrections and say nothing absurd (against God), he again sets forth the punishments established against the impious.

^A For he says: Even if I bring death upon that land, or an uprising of beasts, or an incursion of enemies, and those three men are found in their midst, they will not be able to save even their own sons or daughters, but they alone will attain salvation. Now it is clear that those who are devoid of repentance will derive no benefit from the righteous; for that salvation follows repentance is witnessed by the divine Scripture, which teaches this everywhere. For the Ninevites, having neither Noah, nor Job, nor Daniel, but Jonah—who was not interceding for them, but wishing to speak the truth—found salvation through repentance. The prophetic discourse therefore teaches that those living in lawlessness, who are unwilling to practice repentance, and who pride themselves on dwelling with the righteous, ^B will have no excuse. In addition to these things, the God of all wishes to show that what He has not done for any other nation, He has done for Israel. For He says:

VERS. 21, 22. *Thus says the Lord Adonai: If I also send my four evil vengeances* (interpreting "evil" as grievous) — *sword, and famine, and evil beasts, and death—upon Jerusalem, to cut off from it man and beast. And behold, those left in it shall be saved out of it, who shall bring out their sons and daughters; behold, they shall come out to you, and you shall see their ways.* By "death" He calls sudden demise, by "sword" slaughter, by "famine" clearly destitution, by "evil beasts" those who cruelly enslave, and by "evil vengeances" He means grievous and bitter ones. Having brought these punishments upon Israel, He says, I leave behind some who are saved from them, sons and daughters, so that all may learn their great impiety ^C and wicked practices, and may acknowledge the justice of the punishment. And you, their own kinsmen, shall not accuse the cruelty of the punishment, having beheld their wickedness. And declaring this, He added: *And you shall repent for the evils which I brought upon Jerusalem, for all the evils which I brought upon it. (Ver. 23.) And they shall comfort you, because you shall see their ways, and their thoughts, and you shall know that I have not done in vain all that I have done in it, says the Lord Adonai.* For this reason, He says, I will not destroy all by utter ruin, but I will leave some of them who are saved, so that through them all may know the justice of the punishment brought upon them.

CHAPTER XV

VERS. 1–4. *And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: And you, son of man, what will the wood of the vine become from among all the trees of the branches which are in the woods*

Therefore, because all that was written beforehand was written for our benefit, that through the patience and encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope, let us not become wood, and grass, and stubble, which are fuel for the fire, but gold and precious stones, material for the royal diadem, that we may reign together with Christ, to whom with the Father glory is due, together with the Holy Spirit, unto the ages of ages. Amen.

VOLUME V. CHAPTER X.

VERS. 1, 2. *And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, testify to Jerusalem of her sins.* Good is the reproof of sins, and it comes about for our benefit. For to those suffering from insensibility it imparts perception, and brings to memory their own transgressions. For it is painful, and very severe, to be ill, but much more severe to be ignorant of the illness itself; for which reason, often even the children of physicians teach those who are so disposed, those who do not wish to receive any sense of their maladies, the gravity of the disease, so that, becoming sensible, they may cease to provide fuel for the disease through disorder, and may follow the laws of the medical art. ^A [You used to] frighten your subjects with torches and lightnings; but in the assault of the enemies, fear will seize you instead of bravery. For this is what he declared through the things that follow.

VERS. 5. *For they will remember, he says, their nobles, and they will flee by day, and will be weak in their journey; they will hasten to the walls, and will prepare their outposts.* For those who in the past were greatly conceited about their power will try every path to escape; and failing in this, they will again ascend the walls, and will attend to the guarding of the city; ^B VERS. 6. nevertheless, the gates will be opened, and the palace will fall under the enemies, and the treasures within the palace will be captured. For he demonstrated this when he said: *The substance has been revealed.* That is, those things which were once hidden, and secured by many bars, became clear to all. *And she was ascending.* He means Nineveh; for it is about her that he prophesies.

VERS. 7. *And her maidservants were being led, and like doves, speaking in their hearts.* The subject cities and villages will share in her captivity, groaning in their minds, and imitating the sound of doves.

VERS. 8. *And Nineveh, her waters were like the waters of a pool, and they, fleeing, did not stand, and there was no one looking back.* For those who inhabited that city were so numerous that she could be likened to a pool of water filled and overflowing; yet everyone looked toward flight, not daring to turn back to the rear. ^C Then he sets forth their former injustice.

VERS. 9. *They were plundering the silver, they were plundering the gold, and there was no end of her ornament.* But those things which she gathered iniquitously will be handed over to others. *For they have been weighed down above all her desirable vessels.* For the multitude of enemies, he says, will invade their treasures. He speaks of future things as if they had already occurred, according to the characteristic idiom of Scripture.

VERS. 10. *Shaking, and re-shaking, and bubbling, and trembling of the heart, and loosening of the knees, and pains upon every loin, and the faces of all like the charring of a pot.* Those things which are wont to happen in earthquakes, when the earth is shaken and heaving, these he has placed on the assault of the enemies; ^D because when hearts are struck with fear, the joints of the knees will also be loosened, and they will be in pain similar to those giving birth, and their faces, with the blood congealed, will turn livid, so as to resemble that part of the pot which is accustomed to be in contact with the fire.

VERS. 11. *Where is the dwelling-place of the lions, and the pasture which was for the cubs?* He calls the dwelling-place...

and stubble, which are food for the fire, but gold and precious stones, the material of the royal diadem, that we may reign with Christ, with whom glory befits the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, unto the ages of ages. Amen.

VOLUME FIVE

BOOK FIFTH

CHAPTER XVI

VERS. 1, 2. *And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, testify to Jerusalem her sins.* Excellent is the rebuke of sinners, and it is applied for the sake of utility. For it brings consciousness to those laboring under stupor, and recalls their own transgressions to their memory. For it is sad and extremely grievous to suffer from a disease, but it is far more grievous not to recognize the disease itself. For which cause, physicians also very often teach those who do not wish to perceive the sense of their sickness the gravity of the disease, so that, having perceived the sense of it, they may cease from providing the material for the causes of the disease by their own offenses, and may obey the laws of the medical art. The Maker of all things, God, constantly continues to do this also toward those who sin and are so affected that they do not grasp the sense of their sickness. For He says to the sinner through David: *I will rebuke you, and I will set your sins before your face;* and to Jerusalem herself through Jeremiah: *Know that you have acted impiously toward the Lord your God;* and again: *See your ways in the polyandrium, and know what you have done.* And it is possible to find infinite other things of this kind. This, therefore, is also commanded to be done here by the prophet Ezekiel. *Testify, indeed, to Jerusalem, he says, her iniquities.* Show, he says, her wounds, demonstrate her ulcers, so that she may not think the punishment is excessive severity; but, understanding that the incision is of such a kind that it heals, she may give thanks to the Physician. Then he recounts the transgressions one by one.

VERS. 3. *And you shall say: Thus says Adonai the Lord to Jerusalem. Ubiquity*—the doubling [of the name]—*teaches the true lordship.* *Your root and your generation are from the land of Chanaan; your father was an Amorite, and your mother a Hittite.* The Jews boasted greatly because of their kinship with Abraham; for which reason they also said to the Lord in the holy Gospels: *We are the seed of Abraham, and*

we have never served anyone.* ^A This arrogance also the blessed John the Baptist suppresses, when he says: *Brood of vipers, who has shown you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say within yourselves: We have Abraham as our father; for I say to you, God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.* Just as this divine man, therefore, compared those who were beast-like and living in wickedness to poisonous wild beasts, so also ^B the Lord God here calls through the prophet their root Canaanite, the father an Amorite, and the mother a Hittite, and speaks of their generation as altogether foreign. For those whose impiety they had emulated, they had rightly contracted kinship with; and because of their habits they had obtained a common lot with this race. It was enough, however, to terrify them greatly, not only because of those very nations whose iniquities were flourishing, but also because of the ignominy which they were reporting had been received from their ancestors. For it is said that Canaan was liable to curses, and was condemned to servitude by his grandfather Noah. He is, he says, a descendant of this one, and has no kinship with Abraham and Shem; for having denied piety, he had also destroyed that kinship, and was completely stripped of that nobility. Thus, by recounting their kinship with the Canaanites and their own lawlessness, he relates his own benefit.

VERS. 4. *Nor was your navel cut,* he says, *nor were you washed with water for health.* ^C You did not receive, he says, the salt of instruction, nor the swaddling clothes offered to you through the law, which are provided for infants so that, if any of their limbs should happen to be turned aside in the pains of birth, it might be straightened and receive its proper shape.

v. 5. *And my eye did not spare you to do one of all these things, to have any pity on you; and you were cast out from the face of the field in the crookedness of your soul, on the day you were born.* For immediately, he says, upon being born, and having escaped from Egypt, and having been instructed by me in the equality of the law, you turned aside, always loving things crooked and perverse. For here he foretold equality by the term "field." I, he says, in Egypt, offered you no law, nor the ^D salt of the commandments, nor the circumcision of the navel, nor the arrangement of the limbs through swaddling clothes; but after the departure from there, I deemed you worthy of every kind of care. Wherefore he adds:

v. 6, 7. *And I passed by you and saw you wallowing in your blood; and I said to you, In your blood, live; and I said to you: With your blood, live.* [alt-version omitted] ... [innumerable wealth, which you have gathered from all sides, the enemy shall take. The bruchus has rushed in and flown away. (v. 17.) Your mixed multitude has leapt away like a locust: like a locust which climbs over a hedge on a day of frost. The sun has risen, and it has leapt away, and its place is not known.] Just as a locust, he says, and a bruchus, and creatures like these, sit upon the shrubs while the dew is present, not being able to fly away; but when the sun’s ray strikes, they rise, and spread their wings, and move to another place: so, those who came to your aid, when they see the assault of the enemies, will take thought for their own safety, and taking to flight, will leave you alone. Then with a sympathetic feeling, he says: Woe to them! (v. 18.) *Your shepherds have slumbered; the King of Assyria has lulled your mighty ones to sleep; your people have departed to the mountains, and there was no one to sustain them.* From these things it is also clear that the divine Scripture calls the Babylonian, 'Assyrian.' And so also, writers outside the faith call him such. For he says that the kings of Nineveh slumbered—and he calls death a sleep. For thus also the blessed David says: *From your rebuke, O God of Jacob, they who mounted the horses have slumbered.* But he has said that these kings were lulled to sleep by the Assyrian King: *The King of Assyria has lulled your mighty ones to sleep.* And when these were destroyed, your people departed into the mountains, taking flight, and there was no one to accept them, nor anyone able to resist. Then, indicating the incurable nature of the evils, v. 19: *There is no healing for your contrition.* Because he has set down "contrition" and "healing" figuratively, he added similarly: *Your wound has inflamed.* Unto incurable evils, he says, they have been delivered. *All who have heard the report about you, shall clap their hands over you, because against whom has your malice not gone always?* Remembering, he says, those evil things which were done to them by you, they will rejoice that you are suffering these things, and will clap their hands. Knowing, therefore, the justice of the Judge, let us fear the tribunal, that we may escape the judgment delivered from thence against those who act lawlessly, and may enjoy eternal goods by the grace and philanthropy of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father is the glory, together with the Holy Spirit, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

On the Prophet Habakkuk

^AAnd he calls the breasts the discernment of the rational faculty (for the breasts cover the heart), and the hair the order that comes from perfection. "And you were," he says, "naked and unseemly." For you had not yet received the veil of the law.

8. "And I passed by you, and saw you; and behold, your time, and the time of those who destroy; and I spread my wings over you, and covered your unseemliness, and I swore to you, and I entered into a covenant with you, says Adonai the Lord." For once I saw you now ready to receive the communion with me through the law, I extended the teaching of the saving commandments, as if they were certain wings, and covered the nakedness of your lawlessness; and the marriage contract was accompanied by a dowry. "For I entered," he says, "into a covenant with you." And since it was necessary for an oath to be inserted into the document, I did not refuse to do this either; but being trustworthy and promising by word alone, I also added an oath to the word. It is easy for one who wishes to study the letters of the law to learn this; for he will find even in the song of the blessed Moses, the God of all saying that one should follow His laws; for by doing this, I shall not be bereft of His care.

That he has posed the aforementioned questions, not as one wavering himself, but describing the reasonings of men, the very prologue of the Psalm shows: "For God," it says, "is good to Israel, to those who are upright in heart." And one who has confessed that God is good, it is manifest that he also confesses Him to be the dispenser of good things. We find many such things in other Psalms and among other prophets. To these the prophecy of the inspired Habakkuk also appears similar. For he seems to be in doubt as to why the more audacious are more prosperous than the more moderate, and why is it that punishment does not follow criminals immediately. That he has not posed the reasonings familiar to us, but in shaping the prophecy into inquiry and resolution as a curative medicine for those who are sick, the very prologue itself bears witness.

CHAPTER ONE

1. For having said, "The burden which the prophet Habakkuk saw," he immediately added: 2, 3. "How long, O Lord, shall I cry, and you will not hear? I shall shout to you being wronged, and you will not save? Why have you shown me labors and toils? To look upon misery and impiety?" And he calls the capture of the mind a "burden," and the transition from human affairs to the divine revelation. If, therefore, he uttered the aforementioned things from spiritual energy, it is evident that he did not suffer the passion himself, but lays bare the wound of those who are so disposed and applies the medicine. Wherefore he adds to what has been said and says: "Opposite to me judgment has become, and the judge receives." For, he says, the judges sell justice for money and take no thought for the keeping of the laws. For he indicated this by what he added: 4. "Therefore the law has been dissipated, and judgment is not carried through to the end: because the impious oppresses the just; for this reason, judgment will go forth perverted." These things he went through concerning those acting lawlessly in Jerusalem; for Israel, having already been enslaved by the Assyrians, was dwelling in a foreign land. Having thus set forth the words of the person who is struggling, he performs the healing through the divine response. 5. "See, O you contemptuous ones, and look, and marvel, and see wonders, and be vanished: because a work I am performing in your days, which you will not believe, even if one should recount it." He calls those who are boldly breaking the law and suffering from insensibility "contemptuous." He commands these to attend to the prophecy.

VERS. 8. *And I passed by thee, and saw thee; and behold, thy time was the time of them that turn, and I spread my wings over thee, and covered thy shame, and I swore unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith Adonai the Lord.* For when I had looked upon thee and saw that thou wast fit at last to enter into fellowship with me through the law, I spread out, as it were, wings—the teaching of the saving commandments—and I covered the nakedness of thy iniquity. And this marriage was also followed by a dowry writ. *For I entered,* he says, *into a covenant with thee.* And because it was necessary for an oath to be added to the writ, I did not refuse to do this either; but although I was trustworthy even making a promise by word alone, nevertheless I added an oath to my word. And it is easy for one who wishes to go through the Scriptures of the law to understand this. For he will find in the song of the blessed Moses, the Author of all things, God himself saying: *I will lift up my hand to heaven, and I will swear by my right hand, and I will say: I live for ever.* ^B And, *Thou becamest mine,* he says. That is, thou wast joined to me, and the marriage was consummated.

VERS. 9, 10. *And I washed thee with water, and thoroughly washed away thy blood, and I anointed thee with oil. And I clothed thee with broidered work, and shod thee with hyacinth, and I girded thee with fine linen, and I clothed thee with fine hair.* He recounted his benefits one by one. For first, he says, by the water of teaching I washed thee, and I provided both purifications and sprinklings. Then, *I anointed thee with oil.* Here he mentions the types of the priesthood. For the priests were anointed with holy oil, and they themselves were clothed in a garment of fine linen and hyacinth. ^C He also hints at the riches that accrued to that people through his providence, both in respect to the spirit and the body. *And I clothed thee with fine hair (trichapton).* This was a net made of hair, which was placed upon the heads of women. Therefore, by a metaphor, he declared the beauty imposed upon them by his manifold care. But he also hints, as I suppose, at the tabernacle made of goats' hair, in which both sacrifices for sin and for perfection were offered, and divine revelations were made from the propitiatory, with God speaking to the high priest.

VERS. 11, 12. *And I adorned thee with ornament, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain about thy neck. And I gave an earring for thy nose, and rings for thy ears, and a crown of glory upon thy head.* And it is fitting to understand each of these in a tropical sense. *Bracelets* placed upon the hands signify the virtue which stirs us to action; the *chain* about the neck... ^D

signify the yoke of the law; the *ring* inserted into the nostril signifies the turning away from vice, a comparison taken from bulls, which receive a brazen ring in their nostrils, and through it are led here and there. That their insolence is compared to oxen, the prophet Hosea is witness, speaking in the person of the Lord: *As a heifer that is goaded, so Ephraim grew mad.* ^B And the *earrings* offered to the ears signify good doctrine, offering an ornament to the ears through obedience; and the *crown* placed upon the head signifies the glory which is offered through piety, and through observance of the law, and from all goods.

Verse 13. And thou wast adorned with gold and silver, and thy garments were fine linen, and woven with threads, and variegated.

Verse 14. And thy name went forth among the nations in thy beauty.

Verse 15. And thou didst trust in thy beauty.

^A and [bringing it] into a turbid overturning, and intoxicating [them] that he may look into their caves. And [thou shalt have] satiety of ignominy instead of glory. Drink also thou, and be shaken, and be moved. Since, indeed, thou didst pour out for others punishment as a kind of turbid draught, seeking out buried treasures, receive also thou the cup which thou didst mix; and having drunk it, cast away thy former splendor, and clothed with ignominy, lament the sudden change. The cup of the right hand of the Lord has encircled thee, and ignominy has been gathered upon thy glory. A just punishment from God has overtaken thee. For he calls punishment a cup and wine, as we have often said.

For the impiety of Libanus shall cover thee, and the misery of beasts shall terrify thee, because of the blood of men, and the impieties of the land, and the city, and all that dwell in it. Thou shalt pay, he says, the penalty for what thou hast dared to do against Jerusalem; for he called it Libanus; and thou shalt be delivered to the enemies as if to certain wild beasts, being required to pay the penalties for all thy manifold evils.

Vers. 18. What does a carved image profit, because they have carved it? They fashioned it a molten image, a false imagination; because the fashioner trusts in his own fashioning, to make dumb idols. What is more foolish than those who worship man-made idols? Who, although they see both the material and the craft, stupidly offer divine worship to them as to gods.

Vers. 19. Woe to him who says to the tree: Awake, and arise; and to the stone: Be lifted up. And it itself is an image, and it is a production of gold and silver, and there is no spirit at all in them. Who would not justly lament those who do not doubt to offer prayers to gods made of gold and silver? For they are not ashamed to awaken them as if they were sleeping; and this though they know that they are utterly soulless, unable to act through any visible senses.

VERS. 20. But the Lord is in his holy temple; and let all the earth revere him from his face. ^B For the idols are indeed dumb, and destitute of all power; but our own Master possesses the heaven as a kind of temple, and he also has in the earth the place consecrated in Jerusalem; and for all [his creatures] it is just and right to receive worship from all creation. And these things also are clearly said regarding the Babylonian, who had despised the true God, and had delivered his divine temple to the fire, but had bestowed all service upon idols made by human hand. ^C When the blessed prophet had thus fashioned the character of the discourse, and had formed it into interrogation and answer, into the setting-forth and solution of the questions, and had shown the justice of God, and how he [punished] the Jews through the Babylonians, [and]— ^D

for thou hast dared to perform the deeds of a woman who has scraped away the modesty of her brow and shamelessly and openly pursues incontinence. ^A “And thou hast played the harlot three times among thy daughters.” He says thy lawlessness in the cities that are subject to thee is threefold, and that thou, who oughtst to have become a teacher of piety, didst prove to be an archetype of every kind of impiety.

31. In telling thee, “In that thou didst build thy brothel at the beginning of every way, and didst make thy public exposure in every street,” he says that thou didst not act as a harlot who collects wages. For the need of necessities did not lead thee to this incontinence; for since thou wast enjoying all good things and luxuriating in my gifts, thou wert offering to those [others] what was given to thee by me. Therefore, thou art like a woman who is joined to a husband but yields her beauty to adulterers, carrying away the things of her husband and providing them to her lovers.

32. “For a woman,” he says, “and one who commits adultery under her husband to strangers is like thee—she who receives wages from the man who is her husband and gives wages to all who commit fornication with her.” And he dwells on the same thing more broadly in order to expose [her] absurdity clearly. 33. [He shows] the truth, but also by the power of his miraculous working he stirred every tongue to marvel; he did both things because he loved the human nature exceedingly. This is what the Lord himself also said in the holy Gospels: “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” And: “Greater love than this can no one show, that one should lay down his life for his friends.” He called “horns” [strength/power], because these are the weapons of the animals that possess them. Such is the thing said by the blessed David: “By thee we will push our enemies with the horn.”

5. “Word shall go before his face, and he shall go forth into discipline at his heels.” For the Word leads the works, and by foretelling the things that are to be, he thus brings about the events, which [are] in great agreement with the words. And the phrase “into discipline” some of the manuscripts have with the *nu*, and it indicates that the God of all has used both the words and the works for the discipline and instruction of men; others have it without the *nu*, and it signifies that the events run with great ease, as in a chariot-driven plain, following the prophecies.

6. “He stopped, and the earth was shaken; he looked, and the nations melted away; the mountains were violently crushed, the eternal hills melted, at his eternal paths.” By all the things mentioned, he has taught us of the inexplicable power of God; for to his will the act immediately follows, and when he merely purposes it (for this is what he said, *he stopped and he looked*), he shakes the earth, dissolves the nature of men, breaks the mountains, and melts the hills like wax. These things and those of this kind he has continued to do for the benefit of men. For he calls his works “paths.” And he signifies by the things said also the cross that bubbled forth salvation for all men, upon which the Master Christ stood, and he shook the earth, and by shaking the mountains he split them asunder, and he struck with awe the races of demons, and he dismantled the shrines situated on mountains and hills. These things he had determined from above, and before the constitution of the world, and he fulfilled them at the end of the days.

7. “Instead of the gardens I saw, the tabernacles of the Ethiopians shall be terrified, and the tents of the land of Midian.” But truly, after the saving passions, I saw the race of demons prostrate—those who, by imitating in their own choice the natural color of the Ethiopians, deceive the souls of men. But if someone wishes to understand these things as referring to men, he will not fall from the scope of divine Scripture; for after the saving cross, and the passion, and the resurrection of the Master, the divine [apostle] having been filled with spiritual grace…

thus having stripped bare her lawlessness, he attaches the designation based on her deeds, and says: 35. Therefore, O harlot, hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith Adonai the Lord: Because thou hast poured out thy brass, and thy shame shall be revealed in thy fornication towards thy lovers and into all the thoughts of thine iniquities, and in the blood of thy children, which thou hast given to them. "Brass" implies money that is unacceptable and has received an admixture of other materials. Since, then, he says, thou hast mixed not a little lawlessness with my laws, but hast poured out much brass, so that the nature of the gold no longer appears, but thy whole coinage is seen to be of brass, I shall hereafter strip thee of my providence and fill thee with shame, exacting from thee the penalties for all thy manifold lawlessness, and in particular for the unjust slaughter of thy children, which thou didst offer to the bloodthirsty demons. 36 [sic, actually 37]. Therefore, behold I gather all thy lovers with whom thou hast mingled, and all whom thou didst love, together with all whom thou didst hate, and I will gather them against thee round about. By these, thy very lovers, he says, I will punish thee. ^A For the sea produces a great sound and noise, when the waves of the sea obstruct and hold back the invasion; so, as the divine apostles were traversing the nations and conveying the message of salvation, clamors were stirred up against them, and seditions of the faithless who opposed them and attempted to quench the flame of their teaching. This is what the history of the Acts plainly teaches us. For in Ephesus, Demetrius the silversmith stirred up a disturbance against the apostles; ^B in Corinth, others were exclaiming, "Those who have turned the world upside down are present here also." In Jerusalem, the Jews moved the whole city against the divine Paul and finally delivered him to the Romans. And one can find thousands of other such instances. "Into the light thy arrows shall go; into the splendor of the coruscation of thy weapons. (Ver. 12.) In threatening thou shalt trample the earth, and in wrath thou shalt strike the nations." And while these things are happening to those sent by thee as heralds to the nations, thou bearest [them] with patience, he says, though thou art possessed of an inexplicable power, and aboundest in all kinds of punishing weapons, and couldst destroy the whole earth together with its inhabitants by the mere expression of threats. But thou hast used this divine patience, since ^C Ver. 13. "Thou camest forth for the salvation of thy people, to save thy christs." And these things are similar to what is said by our Savior in the sacred Gospels: "The Son of man came into the world, not to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him." He calls "christs" [anointed ones] those who have been deemed worthy of the calling and have faithfully received the proclamation and enjoyed the grace of the divine Spirit. "Thou didst cast death onto the heads of the lawless, thou didst raise up bonds unto the neck in the end." To those, then, who have believed, thou hast held out salvation; ^D but those who have remained faithless to the end thou hast delivered to death, having put upon them the bonds of this [death]. 14. "Thou didst divide in stupor the heads of the powerful; they will be moved in it; they will open their reins, as a poor man eating in secret." Thy power having become manifest to all men, even those who were invested with great powers will be in such fear as not to utter opposing arguments with boldness, but in secret and furtively; such as one might reasonably compare to a certain beggar who does not dare to take food openly, but with his mouth remaining closed, makes it smaller within. 15. "And thou didst make thy horses climb into the sea, troubling many waters." Above, he said that there would be a churning when the rivers flowed into the sea; but here, those he called rivers, he calls horses again; as they traverse the nations,

^A And they shall bring up multitudes against you, and shall stone you with stones, and shall slaughter you with their swords; and they shall burn your houses with fire, and shall execute judgments upon you before many women. These things refer to the time of the captivity; but he describes them metaphorically as if regarding an adulterous woman who is being stoned, slaughtered, and burned. Because of this, staying with the metaphor, he added: "And they shall execute judgments upon you before many women." He does not, however, call the women "women," but rather he calls the cities by this name metaphorically, since he brings her herself, being a city, into the courthouse as if she were a woman. Then he hints at the benefit from the punishment: "And I will turn you away from fornication, and you shall no longer offer wages." For having been stripped of your success and abandoned to captivity, you will no longer have the material for that wicked provision, and your penury will become for you a cause of profit.

42. And I will let loose my wrath upon you, and my jealousy shall be removed from you, and I shall rest, and I shall no longer be anxious. Metaphorically again, he said these things as if regarding a husband jealous of his wife's adultery. ^B "Fruitful in the house of God, I have hoped in the mercy of my God for ever." He calls "unfruitful fields" those who are subjects under these leaders, to whom Jeremiah also cries out: "Fallow your ground for yourselves, and do not sow upon thorns." He also calls those who are ruled "sheep," to whom he threatens famine: "For behold, he says, I will bring a famine upon the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the word of the Lord." He calls the priests "oxen," not those existing at the mangers, whose altars, formerly much-celebrated, have remained desolate; for just as oxen cultivate the land, so the priests used to cultivate the souls of the people, receiving from them a kind of food as the things offered to the divine altars like mangers. Regarding these, the blessed Paul also said: "You shall not muzzle an ox that is treading out the grain." And again: "Those who serve at the altar share in the altar." But these men will encounter such misfortunes.

18, 19. ^C But I will exult in the Lord; I will rejoice in the God my Savior. The Lord my God is my strength, and he will set my feet as those of a deer, and he gives me to the heights, that I may win in his song. For even if I was filled with despondency and fear because of those men, yet because of the glory of my God, which will become clearly manifest to all men, I rejoice and am glad. For he will strengthen the weakness of my nature, and like a deer he will prepare me to tread upon the serpents and scorpions and the spiritual forces of wickedness, until, having attained the height of virtue, I may sing the song of victory to the Savior and Creator. ^D Now I know that some, having understood the entire prayer of Habakkuk historically, have said that the Prophet predicted these things concerning the return from Babylon; but I, if anyone wishes that these things be predicted typically concerning them, I will not differ; for such a meaning also aligns with what has been interpreted by us, if indeed the ancient things are truly a manifest type of the new. But I thought it absurd, while the truth prevails and the shadow is hidden by the body, to refer the prophecy to other things that do not harmonize with them at all. But if anyone wishes to learn accurately, let him search out the prophecy, and he will see that most of it does not at all harmonize with the types. But regarding these things, let each one judge as he wishes; I, however, exhort those who encounter this to collect the benefit from the interpretations and, aided by divine power, to complete the course and desire the victorious crowns, of which the Master Christ is the giver, to whom is due all glory for ever and ever. Amen.

and they shall take thy garments of glory, and they shall leave thee naked and disgraced.” By these words, He indicated the plundering and the enslavement.

^A Vers. 40, 41. “And they brought up against thee a multitude, and they shall stone thee with stones, and they shall slay thee with their swords; and they shall burn thy houses with fire, and they shall execute judgments upon thee before many women.” These things will happen at the time of the captivity; but figuratively, as if concerning an adulterous woman who is being stoned, slaughtered, and burned, He described them. Wherefore, continuing the metaphor, He added: “And they shall execute judgments upon thee before many women.” He does not call women "women," but figuratively designates the cities as such, since He brings the city itself to trial after the manner of a woman. Then He intimates the benefit resulting from the punishment. “And I will turn thee from thy fornication, and thou shalt no longer give rewards.” For, having been despoiled of thy prosperity and led away captive into bondage, thou shalt no longer have the occasion for that wicked bounty; rather, indigence shall be the cause of benefit for thee. ^B

Vers. 42. “And I will let loose my fury upon thee, and my jealousy shall be removed from thee, and I will be at rest, and I will be troubled no more.” Again, figuratively, just as if it were a husband jealous of his wife's adultery, He said these things. For, He says, by using the punishment, I will suppress thy lewdness, and I will be set free and released from the concern I have for thee; for thy lovers will no longer stir Me to jealousy. And I will bring this punishment upon thee:

Vers. 43. “Because thou didst not remember the day of thy youth, and didst provoke Me in all these things; and behold, I have brought thy ways upon thy head, saith Adonai the Lord.” Thou, He says, hast drawn upon thyself such a flood of these evils, since thou didst not wish to take into thy mind the fact of what, from what sort of state, thou hast become, and how, though thou wert lowly, small, and altogether obscure, I made thee famous and very illustrious. ^C “And so I have not done according to all thy impiety in all thy iniquities.” Thou endurest, He says, nothing worthy of thy sins; for the punishment is small when compared with the impiety.

Vers. 44. “These are all things that they said against thee in a parable, saying: As is the mother, so is the daughter.” The proverb that is current, He says, fits thee: that the daughter is like the mother—now He had previously called her mother the Hittite.

Vers. 45. “Thou art the daughter of thy mother, who cast off her husband and her children; and the sister of thy sisters, who cast away their husbands and their children.” ^D By these things He shows that He is not the God of the Judeans only, but also of the nations; for He was called their God of old, before they were affected by this ruin,

and before they offered worship to idols. Wherefore He says that they too, together with that man, have pushed away God and sacrificed their children to demons. Then He makes His discourse manifest.

(VERS. 46.) Your mother was Heth, and your father an Amorite.

^B (VERS. 47.) And not even in their ways did you walk, nor did you act according to their iniquities; you were a little short, and you surpassed them in all your ways. You have increased, He says, the evil practices of those people, and you are in danger of receiving the wages of impiety.

(VERS. 48.) As I live, says the Lord Adonai, if your sister Sodom and her daughters have done as you have done, you and your daughters. Then He shows the difference.

(VERS. 49, 50.) Nevertheless, the iniquity of Sodom was in pride, and in fullness of bread and abundance, she and her daughters; this was in her, and they did not hold the hand of the needy and the poor, and they were haughty. And they committed iniquities before me, and I took them away, as I saw. They excelled, He says, in the abundance of goods; they were puffed up by pride and arrogance, and living in complete luxury, they lapsed into extreme licentiousness; whence they fell into the ultimate debauchery and underwent the punishments worthy of their impiety.

(VERS. 51.) And Samaria did not sin by half of your sins, but you have multiplied your iniquities more than them, and you have justified your sisters in all your iniquities which you have…

^A committed. By this, as it were, he does not make the comparison merely according to the quality of the sin, but according to the quality of the providence. For although Samaria had sinned, and had dared to commit infinite wickednesses, yet she was far removed from the temple of God, and possessed at least some small portion of pardon, in that she lived under another king, and could not perform the lawful rites in the divine temple. Sodom, however, possessed neither prophet nor lawgiver, but enjoyed only the teaching of the natural law. But you, having the law, and the priests, and the prophets, and the divine temple, and the lawful worship, have imitated their impiety: wherefore you show them to be worthy of pardon.

VERS. 52. And you, bear your torment, because you have corrupted your sisters in your sins, in which you have acted more wickedly than they, and have justified them above yourself. He did not say simply "you have justified," but "above yourself." For since you have imitated the iniquity of those others, you have no excuse by which to defend yourself, being aided neither by the law nor by the prophets. These others, however, because of their impiety, wish to obtain ^B pardon. Receive, therefore, the punishment of your own practices, by which you have also brought harm upon them. "And you, be confounded and bear your ignominy, because you have justified your sisters." Whoever is placed in honor and does not understand it, feels the sense of his former honor by being afflicted with ignominy. Jerusalem, therefore, not recognizing the honor given to her by God, once she had come to know her God after the siege and captivity, and instructed by the blessed David, exclaims: "My shame has covered my face, from the voice of him that reproaches and slanders me, from the face of the enemy and persecutor."

VERS. 53. And I will turn, he says, the turning of them, the turning of Sodom and her daughters, and I will turn the turning of Samaria and her daughters. It is necessary to know the idioms of Scripture. For its counsel cannot be perceived in any other way. This idiom, therefore, in addition to many other things, has this: that it narrates as things to come that which is to come as though it were already fulfilled. It narrates these things in like manner as things performed. Aversion, he says, is [to come] to Sodom and the cities subject to her, and in like manner to the cities subject to Samaria: and I also have been turned away, and I have exacted the punishments of that which was sinned.

And yours again, likewise, I will turn the turning in the midst of them. (VERS. 54.) "That you may bear your torment, and be disgraced for all that you have done, when you provoke me to anger." In the same way, he says, you

^A satisfy for what you have done, and for the sins you have committed against me.

(VERS. 55.) "And your sister Sodom and her daughters shall be restored as they were from the beginning, and you and your daughters shall be restored as you were from the beginning." He does not here call this restoration a change for the better, but for the worse. For by custom of this sort of Scriptural idiom, that which pertains to the reproof of the guilty is wont to be expressed as an opposition to Sodom. Now what it says is of this kind: ^B Just as Sodom, when it was famous and most populous, was restored to its ancient form—meaning that it was so thoroughly emptied of its inhabitants, such as it was before it was built—so I will take away all your splendor, and prepare you to return to your former state.

(VERS. 56, 57.) "And if Sodom your sister was not in your hearing and in your mouth in the days of your pride, before your malice was revealed, as now you are a reproach to the daughters of Syria and all those around you, and to the daughters of the foreigners who surround you on every side." If you had not learned of the punishment of Sodom, he says, and if it had not been discussed in your mouth, and that total destruction, just as now it is in the cities of Syria and Palestine, what greater evil could you have committed? You have not taken their misfortune as a pattern! But knowing both what was dared by them, and the evils brought upon them, you have none the less persisted in your transgressions. Therefore ^C,

(VERS. 58, 59.) "Your impiety and your iniquities, you have borne them, says the Lord. Thus says Adonai the Lord: And I will do to you as you have done, as you despised the oath, to violate my covenant." The law had a curse for those who violated it; it commanded this to be recited by six tribes standing on Mount Gebal, and that all the people should respond "Amen," as if subscribing to the curse, and consenting to it. Since therefore, he says, you were not afraid even of the curse, but without fear violated my covenant, receive the fruits of your seeds. Then he promises also the goods that come after the punishments.

(VERS. 60.) "And I will remember my covenant with you in the days of your infancy, and I will establish for you an everlasting covenant." ^D You indeed, he says, have trampled upon those agreements made with me, even though I will not abandon you entirely, but will correct you through discipline, and teach you gratitude, reminding you of those covenants which I long ago made with you when you were still an infant. Thus he calls that time when you were dwelling in the desert. "And I will establish my covenant, an everlasting covenant." Not that of the Law, but that of grace; not through Moses, but through the apostles; for the one has a temporary duration, the other...

^A is eternal. This promise he confirmed, as he also promised to do through the prophet Jeremiah: "For I will establish," he says, "with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah a new covenant, not according to the covenant which I established with their fathers, in the day that I took hold of their hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; for they did not continue in my covenant, and I disregarded them; but I will establish with them a new covenant, giving my laws into their mind, and upon their hearts I will write them." Here, too, he promises this same covenant.

Vers. 61. And thou shalt remember, he says, thy ways, and thou shalt be covered with shame when thou receivest thy sisters, those older than thee, with those younger than thee. For through the punishment, coming to a sense of your own ways, and seeing the ignominy cast upon you, you shall recognize your own Master. You shall also see these sisters of yours, partaking with you of this covenant, or rather, you yourself being found among them. "For I will give them," he says, "to you for an edification, and not because of thy covenant." For it is not they who will receive benefit through you, but you through them—not by this covenant according to which you now conduct your life, which mediates this communion, but by that eternal one which will be granted to you afterwards. By Sodom and Samaria, he hints at the piety that will come to all the nations and the Jews alike, and the faith in one God mediated by the New Covenant. ^B

Vers. 62. And I will establish, he says, my covenant with you, and you shall know that I am the Lord. For first the Gospel was preached to the Jews, then to all the nations; but it will be preached again through the great Elijah before the consummation of the world. I, therefore, he says, will do everything, providing for your benefit; for from these things you shall know what kind of things have proceeded from you toward me, and what kind of goods have come to you from me. Therefore he added:

Vers. 63. So that you may remember and be filled with shame, and there be no longer occasion for you to open your mouth because of the face of your ignominy, when I have propitiated you for all that you have done, says Adonai the Lord. The three children in the furnace also used these words. For since they attributed the sins of the people to themselves, as they prayed, they said: "And now it is not permitted for us to open our mouth; we have become a confusion and a reproach to thy servants, and to those who fear thee." And the divine ^C Daniel likewise, praying in the captivity, exclaims: "To you, Lord, is

^A justice, and to us confusion of face, as at this day, and to our kings, and to our princes, and to our fathers." And in expressing the cause, they added deservedly: "Because we have sinned against thee." This prophecy, therefore, has also reached its end; for He who inspires the prophets is free from falsehood. It is necessary, then, that we also, examining our own affairs and making an accurate investigation of our conduct, and comparing divine benefits with our own transgressions, should use these words in our prayers, and by the shame of sins previously committed, avoid that practice which is productive of shame, and illuminate the soul with the divine memory. For thus shall we be able to be far from the machinations of sin, and to draw near to God, and to enjoy His grace, in Christ Jesus our Lord, with whom glory is due to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, unto the ages of ages. Amen.

BOOK SIX

CHAPTER XVII

VERS. 1-3. "And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, tell a story, and speak a parable to the house of Israel. And you shall say: Thus saith the Lord Adonai." He is commanded to make the prophecy to them enigmatically, so that those who hear, not understanding what is said, may apply greater diligence to investigate these matters, and through questioning may receive the interpretation from the prophet. "A great eagle, great of wings, long in extent, full of claws." By these he indicated Nabuchodonosor, whom he named great because he was most renowned; ^C and ^D "great of wings," because he extended his kingdom to the greatest degree; and "long in extent," as prideful and arrogant; and he called him "full of claws," as having a great army, both cavalry and infantry, light-armed and heavy-armed. For the claws of a king are his soldiers, who occupy the furthest part of the body, because they are subject to their leaders, and are swift and powerful in striking,

^A in the field of the good, it shall drink of much water, to produce branches, and to bear fruit, that it may be as a great vine. He calls kings eagles because of their pre-eminence; for the animal is royal, and has obtained the sovereignty over birds; and by these he hinted at the king of the Egyptians. This was Hophra, and Jeremiah the prophet makes mention of him; for Zedekiah made a league with him, violating the oaths and the covenants which he had made with Nebuchadnezzar. And the words, “She sent forth her branches unto him,” signify the money sent by Zedekiah to the king of the Egyptians. He sent them, he says, “to water it with the soil,” in order, he says, that he might fight on behalf of both the king and the subjects; for he called the people a "soil," keeping to the metaphor, since he also called the king a vine. And the vine, being planted in the earth, both gives it its own roots, and draws moisture from it.

On the Prophecy of Haggai

^B He commands them after a little while to examine both what preceded the building and what followed after it, so that they might learn by experience in what great penury of necessities they were while they put off the care of the temple, and with how many good things they abounded when they had undertaken this zeal. And the phrase, "By the hand of the prophet," we should understand as if it said, through Haggai. ^C Speak to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, of the tribe of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech the high priest, saying: (Vers. 2-4.) Thus saith the Lord Almighty: This people say: The time has not yet come for the house of the Lord to be built. And the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, saying: Is it time for you to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies desolate? It is the custom of divine Scripture to call the prince of the priests the high priest. Joshua therefore being the high priest, and Zerubbabel the leader of the people, the Lord, using them as judges, as it were, makes an accusation against the people through the prophet. For see, He says, what great and what kind of care they bestow upon their own houses; for they not only build, but also decorate them: yet they do not wish to build the divine house, through which all enjoy common salvation, asserting that the time is not suitable for building.

VERS. 5. And now thus saith the Lord Almighty: Set your hearts upon your ways. ^D Use a correct judgment, and become just judges of your own pursuits, and know the difference between zeal for divine things and negligence. Then He says that although they had sown much, they had gathered very little fruit, so that they were always hungering and thirsting, and in no way satisfied, but were living in poverty and misery, so that they were even in need of necessary clothing. "For you have clothed yourselves," He says, "and have not been warmed: and he that earned wages earned them into a bag with holes." For both the owners themselves and the laborers accustomed to hire out their services, and to gather up wages, obtained no benefit from their many labors, as what was gathered was scattered. Then again He commands them to use a prudent judgment, and to place the care of the divine temple before all things, and to go to the high mountains and cut wood suitable for the building: promising that He would assist them in this matter, and would make them illustrious. He also recalls them to the memory of their former penury, so that they might learn what the rewards of sloth are.

VERS. 9. "For you looked for much, and it came to little: and it was brought into the house, and I blew upon it." When you had hoped to gather many fruits, He adds

^A VERS. 7, 8. And there was another great eagle, with great wings, and many claws: and behold this vine, entangled with him, and its roots toward him, and it sent forth its branches to him, that he might water it with the clod from the trunk of its planting. In a beautiful field, by much water, it shall drink, to make sprouts, and to bear fruit, so that it may be a great vine. He calls kings "eagles" because of their dominion; for that animal is royal, and has obtained dominion over the birds. And by these he hinted at the king of the Egyptians. This was Vaphres, whom the prophet Jeremiah mentions. For Sedecias made a treaty with him, violating the oaths and the covenants which he had made with Nabuchodonosor. But the expression, "it sent forth its branches to him," signifies the money sent by Sedecias to the king of the Egyptians. "He sent," he says, "that he might water it with the clod," in order, he says, that he might fight for both the king and his subjects; for he designated the people as the "clod," maintaining the metaphor, since he also named the king the "vine." The vine, being planted in the earth, gives its own roots to it, and drinks the moisture from it. Therefore, he says, Sedecias sent money to the king of the Egyptians, so that through his help, both he and his people might enjoy protection, "to make sprouts, and to bear fruit." The "remaining vine" is that which has not lost the dignity ^B which it received.

VERS. 9. Therefore say: "Thus says the Lord Adonai, shall it prosper? Shall not the roots of its softness, and its fruit, rot, and shall not all its sprouts that preceded it wither?" It shall be disappointed, he says, of its hope, and shall not obtain what it expects; for the irrigation of the Egyptian will not only bring it no profit, but will even work rot in the roots, and will wither the sprouts growing from them. And this also came to pass through the events themselves. For Sedecias, having trusted in the help of the Egyptian, violated the covenants with Nabuchodonosor. But he, having marched against him, took both him captive, and enslaved the people, and burned the city. "And not with a great arm, nor with a large people, to pluck it up from its roots." ^C For the Egyptian, he says, will not send a large army to him, and that very army will not only not help him at all, but will even pluck him up by the roots.

VERS. 10. And behold, it drinks, will it prosper? Meanwhile, he says, he trusts in the help, but he will not enjoy it for long. "Shall it not, as soon as the burning wind shall touch it, wither with drought? Will it not wither along with the clod of its sprouting?" For immediately, he says, when the king of the Babylonians

^A shall have arrived, both the king and all the common people will be reduced to slavery. Again, here he has called the people a clod, and the army of the king of Babylon a scorching wind. For just as the vine is the king, and the clod the people (for it was planted in it), so he calls the irrigation of Egypt the assistance, but the invasion of the Babylonian the scorching wind.

VERS. 11, 12. *And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, speak to the rebellious house: Know you not what these things are? Say to them: Behold the king of Babylon comes to Jerusalem, and he shall take its king, and its princes, and shall lead them away to himself to Babylon.* For the "Behold he comes" is in the present tense, but he has substituted "behold he comes" for the past tense. For he is recounting things that had already happened, and he has gone through these things regarding Jechonia *according to his own idiom*, since he does not speak of things that have not yet occurred as if they already had: because he speaks about Jechonia as already being in the sixth year of his captivity, teaching what follows according to the prophet's own instruction.

VERS. 13, 14. *And he shall take, he says, of the seed of the kingdom, and shall make a covenant with him, and shall bring him under a curse, and shall take the princes of the land, that it may be a kingdom that is weak, and not exalt itself, but that it may keep his covenant and observe it.* This refers to Zedekiah, ^B and these things had happened years before. Therefore, "and he shall take," and "he shall make a covenant," and "he shall bring him" are meant as "he took," and "made a covenant," and "brought him." For having entered into a covenant with Zedekiah, he exacted from him a most horrible oath, that he would not violate the agreements imposed upon him; but he immediately trampled upon the oath. But by "establishing him as king," he says, "he shall take all the princes of the land into slavery." That this is what he means, the fourth book of Kings, and the second of Paralipomenon, and also the blessed prophet Jeremiah, have taught. And these things, he says, the Babylonian contrives, making the kingdom weak, so that it may obey perpetually, and that there may be no occasion for sedition.

VERS. 15. *And he shall revolt from him, and send his messengers to Egypt, that they may give him horses and much people.* What he said above through images and similitude, here he has taught openly. Then by interrogation he adds: *Shall he prosper, or shall he that does such things escape? Shall he break the covenant and yet escape?* To you, he says, I use as judges, whether it is just that, when he has violated oaths and covenants, he should encounter the punishments for one who flees? Since you answer nothing, I will deliver the sentence. ^C

^A Ver. 23. *And I will subvert the throne of kings, and will destroy the strength of the kings of nations, and I will subvert the chariots and those who ride them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, everyone by the sword against his brother.* I will grant you the victory, he says, with no effort. For afflicting them with madness and derangement, I will arm them against one another, so that they all perish completely together with their horses. But what he says, "Yet once more I move the heaven, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land," he did not state without cause, but he renews the memory of the benefit conferred at the time of Sennacherib. For when he had brought upon them a sudden destruction, he filled all the earth and sea with the narration of that terrible deed.

VERS. 24. *In that day, says the Lord almighty, I will take you, O Zorobabel, the son of Salathiel, my servant, says the Lord, and I will place you as a seal, because I have chosen you, says the Lord almighty.* In this place, he made no mention of Joshua, but only of Zorobabel, because the discourse was about wars and their administration; for this man alone was managing the military situation. He says, therefore, "In that day, those nations having been slain, I will render you, Zorobabel, whom I have chosen for my obedience and ministry, illustrious and renowned, and through you I will provide every safety for the people, using you as a sort of seal: for a seal, when placed upon doors and chests, protects and guards all that is stored within." And the prophecy has already reached its end. But I marvel at the madness of Apollinarius, who attempted to bring a contrary understanding to these clearly prophesied things, saying that the expedition of Gog and Magog has not yet occurred, but will be at the consummation of this age. And he did not pay attention to the sequence of the prophecy: that after the prediction of their slaughter, the prophet immediately added: *"In that day, says the Lord almighty, I will take you, O Zorobabel, my servant, says the Lord," and what follows.* But if he invents some other Zorobabel in those fabulous narrations of his who is to be at that time, he will invent a perfect fable for us. But if this is the only Zorobabel, who presided over the people after the return, under him the army of those nations was routed, and after their destruction, Zorobabel became famous and renowned. But he ought to have considered this also, that for those meditating upon the delay of the building due to poverty, the Lord of all promised that he would gather these nations, and would contribute their wealth toward the expenses of the building; wherefore he also added: *"Mine is the silver, and mine is the gold, and the glory of this latter house shall be greater than the former."* But may the Lord rebuke him in his delirium.

^A And the evils that befell the Jews from that rabid fury. But lest I weary the readers of this commentary with too great a length of argument, I shall come to the explanation of the words themselves.

CHAPTER FIRST.

VERS. 1. *In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the Lord unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying.* ^B In one and the same year did the most divine Haggai and the godlike Zechariah begin their prophecy; but the former in the sixth month, the latter in the eighth, so that it is clear that the former preceded the latter in prophecy by two months. They make mention of the times in order to declare the time of the return, and to teach us clearly that at that time no Hebrew king was reigning. In addition to this, they also demonstrate the truth of the prophets who had prophesied before the captivity; for they had foretold not only the siege of Jerusalem, and its destruction and enslavement, but also the time of the captivity and the return from Babylon. Since, therefore, all things had reached their end, and the time appointed for them had passed away, and they had attained their freedom according to the predictions, the blessed Haggai and Zechariah rightly recorded the second year of the reign of Darius the Persian. For in this year the seventieth year of the devastation of the city was completed, and this can be easily learned from the prophecy itself. ^C He teaches moreover from which father he was born, and who was that man's father, because many false prophets at that time were proclaiming lies, and it happened, as is likely, that some were even of the same name as the prophets. Therefore, lest the community of names should harm the truth, and things falsely stated be presented to all indiscriminately as if they were truly foretold, the prophet provided knowledge of himself from his lineage. Then he narrates what he was ordered to say.

VERS. 2. *The Lord hath been sore displeased with your fathers.* The prologue of the prophecy is full of wisdom and appropriate for those of that time who were being instructed in divine things. For having a fresh memory of the things that had happened to their fathers, and learning that the cause of those unspeakable calamities was the righteous movement of God's wrath, they were eager, as was fitting, both to say and to do those things which would make the humane Lord propitious and procure for them an abundance of blessings. And that this is the scope of what was said, the following verses testify. ^D For he says:

VERS. 3, 4. *And thou shalt say unto them: Thus saith the Lord...*

THEODORETI EPISCOPI CYRENSIS

(VERS. 22, 23.) ^A *Thus says the Lord Adonai: I myself will take from the elect of the high cedar from its top, and I will give from the head of its branches, from the heart of its top I will pluck, and I will plant it upon a high mountain. And I will suspend it on the high mountain of Israel, and I will plant it, and it will send forth a shoot, and it will produce fruit, and it will be a great cedar, and every bird will rest under it, and every winged creature will rest under its shadow, and its branches will be restored. Truly a provoking house is Israel, and they have eyes and do not see, and they have ears and do not hear.* But if these things are not so, let them show us who this is, taken from the elect of the high cedar from the heart of its top, and first planted on a high mountain, then suspended on the high mountain of Israel, who after he was suspended brought forth a shoot and produced fruit, and became a great cedar, so that every bird and every winged creature—not quadrupeds, nor reptiles, but every bird and winged creature—rested under its shadow. For if they should assert that these things were said concerning Zorobabel, let them show on what mountain Zorobabel was suspended, or that all the birds and winged creatures rested under his shadow. For Zorobabel only reigned over the people who had returned from captivity with him; but the other nations not only did not obey him, but even continuously waged war against him, for which reason not even the building of the divine temple received a prompt conclusion. If, then, these things in no way fit Zorobabel, they could hardly fit anyone else. ^C But if they attempt to refer this prophecy to the Maccabees, their falsehood will be easily refuted. For they were not of the royal, but of the priestly tribe; but here he calls the royal race a cedar. For concerning Jechonias he said thus: *The great eagle, great-winged, plucked the tender parts of the cedar, and carried them to Babylon,* that is, the royal race. If, therefore, what is said fits neither Zorobabel nor the Maccabees, it is clear that these things were foretold concerning our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who derived his lineage according to the flesh from David, not having his ancestors from some offshoots of the kingdom, but from the very succession of kings. ^D And the blessed Matthew teaches us this accurately; for when he has mentioned Solomon as the son of David, and Roboam as his son, then having gone through all the genealogies in order as far as the Babylonian exile, he adds: *And after the Babylonian exile, Jechonias begat Salathiel* (this is he who was the captive). And Salathiel begat Zorobabel; and this is he who ruled the people after the return. From these the Lord Christ derives His lineage according to the flesh. Therefore He says: *I will take from the elect of the high cedar from the top,* that is, from the royal stock itself. And again signifying the same thing: *And I will give from the head of its branches.*

from the heart of its top. Now the Babylonian plucked away the captives, but the flesh which the Master took, He Himself plucked away, as we have said before; for He built the human temple for Himself. And I will plant it upon a high mountain, not the Babylonian. By "high mountain," He calls the renown of the Church; for thus both Isaiah and Micah prophesied: And it shall be, He says, in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord shall be conspicuous, and the house of God upon the summits of the mountains, and so on. ^A Having thus shown His distinction through miracles and through preachings, He also predicts the Passion: And I will hang Him on the mountain of Israel. For it was by His permission that the Passion was brought to completion. The Lord Himself made this clear while conversing with Pilate; for when that man was boasting as if he had the power both to punish and to release, the Lord said: You would have no power, unless it had been given to you from above. Thus He called the permission the efficient cause. And I will hang Him on the high mountain of Israel. The high mountain is Golgotha, where the saving cross was fixed. Then He predicts the resurrection after the Passion, and the spread of the Gospel: And I will plant Him, and He will put forth a shoot, and will make fruit, which the whole world, harvesting and feeding, hopes for eternal life. And every bird shall rest beneath it; then more clearly, and every winged creature shall rest under its shadow. No beast of burden, nor crawling thing, nor anything abject upon the ground, but anything that is winged, and air-faring, and having an impulse toward things above. For such are the foster-children of the faith, sending the mind upward, contemplating heavenly things, and sitting under the shadow of the greatest cedar. ^B He called Him a cedar according to His humanity, since He also named the Davidic kingdom a cedar; and the cedar has the quality of not rotting, just as the Master, even according to His humanity, possessed the quality of being unable to sin. And its branches, He says, shall be restored. He added this because of the desolation of Jerusalem that was to come; that is: Do not look at the desolation of the city which is to be after the captivity; for this eternal King, springing from there, shall reign, and from it He shall take branches; and He signifies the apostolic choir. Therefore, He says, the kingdom shall be restored to the Davidic tribe, according to the covenants made by God with David. Then He adds: ^C 24. And all the trees of the field shall know that I am the Lord, who humbles the high tree, and exalts the low tree, and dries up the green tree, and

for the trees were planted in the mountains. "And he shall not lift up his eyes to the desires of the house of Israel." Meaning, unless he follows the evil desires—and by these words, likewise, he pointed out both impiety and lawlessness. "And he shall not defile his neighbor’s wife, nor shall he approach a woman who is in her period of impurity." It is fitting, he says, that he should neither plunder another's bed nor approach one who has a flow of blood; for this too was forbidden by the Law. 7. "And he shall not oppress any man, and he shall return the pledge to the debtor, and he shall not commit robbery." He meant this to signify that he should be seen as one free from all covetousness. Then the intensification of virtue: "He shall give his bread to the hungry, and he shall clothe the naked." For it does not suffice merely to refrain from robbery; one must also take the needy as partakers of one's own possessions. 8. "He shall not give his money at usury, and he shall not take increase." For these too are forms of covetousness. "He shall turn back his hand from injustice." He briefly forbade lawlessness.

^A "O ye who dwell in the daughter of Babylon." Having these promises, be confident not only you who have already returned, but also you who still reside in Babylon by your own will—for when you were permitted to return, you delayed—hasten to come to your own fatherland, which I shall shortly restore to its former prosperity.

VERS. 8, 9. ^B "For thus saith the Lord Almighty: After the glory he hath sent me unto the nations that spoiled you, because he that toucheth you is as one that toucheth the pupil of his eye. For behold, I will bring my hand upon them, and they shall be spoils to those who served them, and you shall know that the Lord Almighty hath sent me." With so much care, he says, the God of the universe will provide for your affairs, that whoever approaches to do you harm, he considers him to be approaching the pupil of his eye; not that He has a body and is divided into limbs—for the God of all is bodiless and uncircumscribed—but he reveals, in human fashion, the disposition He has. ^C The blessed David also asks this care of Him, saying: "Keep me, O Lord, as the pupil of the eye." For this reason, he says, I will deliver all those who have robbed and spoiled you into the hands of those they subjected, and they shall suffer from them such things as they inflicted upon you; and by the very events themselves, you shall learn the truth of the divine oracles. These things happened to them typologically, but the truth of the prophecy had a more precise fulfillment in us. ^D For the demons who spoiled us, and claimed our mind for themselves, and enslaved all the members of our body, were prostrated by Christ the Lord, who rendered them subject to His holy servants. And this he made clearer by crying out through the divine Isaiah: "Those whom you feared shall fear you; messengers shall be sent to ask for peace, weeping bitterly; for their paths shall be made desolate." Thus the demons cried out: "What have we to do with thee, Jesus, Son of God? Hast thou come to torment us before the time?" And again: "I adjure thee, do not torment me." Thus the pythoness in Philippi cried out: "These men are servants of the most high God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation." So too, even before the victorious martyrs and down to this day, they cry out, and against their will acknowledge their victory and expose their own weakness. Those, therefore, who of old despoiled us, the One sent after the glory delivered as a kind of spoil to those who had been despoiled, in order that our nature might recover that ancient glory which the progenitor Adam lost having been deceived, and that we might recognize our benefactor and Savior of our souls, and the Father who sent Him according to His own kindness. He was sent, however, not as God, but as man.

^A And he declared in this same way both impiety and wickedness: “And he shall not defile his neighbor’s wife, and he shall not approach a woman who is in her uncleanness.” It, therefore, behooves him, he says, neither to plunder another’s bed, nor to approach one who is by nature of blood (in her menstrual flux); for this also was forbidden by the Law.

7. “And he shall not oppress a man, and he shall restore the pledge of the debtor, and he shall not commit robbery.” If, he says, he should be seen to be free from all greed. Then follows the increase of virtue: “He shall give his bread to the hungry, and he shall clothe the naked with a garment.” For it does not suffice not to rob; it is also necessary that the needy be taken into the partnership of one's possessions.

8. “His silver he shall not give for usury, and he shall not take an increase.” For these also are forms of greed. “He shall turn his hand away from injustice.” Briefly, he forbade iniquity. “And he shall execute judgment between a man and his neighbor.” If he should prove to be a just judge, not bringing forth his verdict out of favor or hatred; then briefly—

9. “And he has walked in My commandments, and has kept My ordinances to do them; he is just, he shall surely live, says Adonai the Lord.” He who has performed all the things mentioned, he says, and is free from all things forbidden, shall be honored by the title of "just," and shall harvest the fruits of life.

10. “And if he beget a ruinous son, who sheds blood, and does sins.” Then briefly: “In the way of his just father he does not walk.” But he has performed each of the already forbidden things, and has walked a contrary path; this man, he says, has committed iniquity.

13. “He shall not live with life; he has done all these iniquities; he shall surely die, his blood shall be upon him.” Nothing, he says, will the wicked man profit from his father’s virtue, since he chooses a life contrary to that one; but he shall reap the fruits of his own seeds.

14. “But when,” he says, “he begets a son, and he sees all the sins of his father which he did, and he fears, and does not do according to these.” Then in order he says: That he freed himself from the worship of idols, and has not shared in the iniquity of the house of Israel, and has not plotted against the marriages of others, ^D and has hated every kind of greed, and has brought the possible relief to the needy—driving away hunger from some, clothing others and freeing them from nakedness—and has observed all the commandments together.

^A I am so far, he says, from exacting the penalty of one on behalf of another, that I will welcome even the transgressor of the Law himself, if he changes, exercises repentance, and chooses the path of justice, and I will deem him worthy of life; and then he reveals his own goodness.

23. Will I desire the death of the lawless man, says the Lord Adonai, rather than that he turn from his evil way and live?

Neither must the eyes be understood as eyes, nor the number seven as a literal number. For he called the operation of divine grace "eyes"; and he named them seven, signifying by these its abundance and greatness. Thus also Anna says: "The barren hath borne seven" (1 Kings II, 5), not stating a fixed number, but signifying abundance. And the blessed David: "Render unto our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom" (Ps. LXXVIII, 12), that is, let them pay a manifold penalty for the evils with which they have injured us. He calls him a "stone" because of his firmness and inexpugnability; and besides, he was a type of the Lord Christ, ^B who has been called a stone in many places in divine Scripture. For the most divine David said: "The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner" (Ps. CXVII, 22). Through the mouth of the divine Isaiah, the God of all says: "Behold I lay in Sion a precious, elect, corner stone, honorable, for the foundations thereof, and he that believeth in him shall not be confounded" (Isa. XXVIII, 16). Thus also the blessed Daniel saw a stone cut out of a mountain without hands, and striking the image and bruising all its materials, becoming a great mountain and filling the whole earth. Taught these things, the blessed Paul cries out: "And they drank of the spiritual rock that followed them: and the rock was Christ" (1 Cor. X, 4). And again: "For other foundation no man can lay, but that which is laid, which is Christ Jesus" (1 Cor. III, 11). Bearing this stone within himself, Zorobabel (for from him according to the flesh the Savior of the world has sprung), ^C is rightly called a stone himself, shining forth with all kinds of gifts. Thus, having indicated the divinely-given grace of Zorobabel, he also predicts the trophies of his illustrious military administration: "Behold I am digging a pit, says the Lord Almighty, and I will examine all the iniquity of that land in one day." He foretold these things concerning Gog and Magog, upon whom he brought total destruction in one day; and he delivered everyone according to him to death, which he called a "pit" metaphorically. When this has come to pass, he says, all those campaigning under Zorobabel, as indeed having become victors, will from then on feast securely under the vines and fig trees, inviting one another to banquets, fearing no incursion of the enemy. Having heard these things, and having been in the vision of so many and such great revelations, the prophet stood outside of human affairs, and having his mind fixed on those things, he appeared like someone ^D extremely overcome and held fast by sleep; for which reason the holy angel, the one who protects the people and who had guided him through all the visions, aroused him.

^A and to bring about their destruction, so that he may fulfill and bring to equality with heavenly grace that which is lacking in human strength. [3-9] Know, therefore, that the hands of Zorobabel have founded this house, and his hands shall complete it; and by the events themselves you shall learn that I, serving the divine oracles, have interpreted this prophecy to you.

VERS. 10. *For who hath despised the day of small things?* This is similar to the words of God which are found in Deuteronomy: "I will kill, and I will make to live; I will strike, and I will heal." For this also shows here that, just as I despised Jerusalem for many days, and condemned it to a seventy-year desolation, so it is very easy for me to restore it to its former prosperity. "But they who see these things," he says, "shall rejoice, and they shall see the tin stone in the hand of Zorobabel." They shall know by experience, he says, that the God who is now despised by them, He himself shall bring victory through Zorobabel. Here he uses "tin" to signify worthlessness. Since the divine temple had been burned, and the people had been led into slavery, and the city had been leveled, and everyone suspected that these things had all happened not because of the iniquity of the people, but because of the weakness of the God worshiped by them, he called the divine help a "tin stone," according to their opinion, teaching that this which was considered worthless and weak by the unfaithful, would show its own power through one man, Zorobabel. Whence he immediately added: "These are the seven eyes of the Lord, which look upon all the earth." For the overseer and ruler of all, who sees all things and hears all things, He himself shall protect Zorobabel. ^B [11-14] These things having been said, the prophet inquires about the olive trees flourishing on either side of the candelabrum, and questions about the two branches reaching to the lamps themselves. And he learns that these are the two sons of oil, who stand by the Lord of the whole earth. He designates Joshua the high priest and Zorobabel the ruler, the one springing from the royal, the other from the priestly, lineage.

CHAPTER V

[1-2] After he confirmed the words concerning the kingdom and the priesthood with these various visions, and foretold the completion of the building of the divine temple, he terrifies the hearers with the threat of punishment, turning them away from wickedness and inciting them to virtue; and he shows the prophet a very great sickle suspended and flying through the air, ten cubits in breadth and twenty in length. 3 And we are taught that this is the curse which goes forth upon the face of all the earth. For every thief shall from this [place] unto death be pu—

punished, ^A and the sinner again using repentance, and choosing to walk through all virtue, shall harvest life from his change of mind.

VERS. 29. *But these things, he says, seeing the house of Israel says: Is not the way of the Lord straight? Is not the way of the Lord straight, O house of Israel? Is not your way not straight?* The things themselves, he says, cry out that my judgments are straight and just, but that your course is full of wickedness.

VERS. 30. *Therefore I will judge each one of you according to his way, O house of Israel, says Adonai the Lord.* Having thus threatened, and having set forth the just sentence, he turns his discourse to admonition.

VERS. 31. *Turn and return from all your impieties, and they shall not be a torment of iniquity for you. Cast away from yourselves all your impieties, which you have impiously committed against me, and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit; for why will you die, O house of Israel?* Relinquish, he says, the way of impiety, and adopt another mind, and turn to my laws, that you may not reap death from your wickedness. For he called the turning of the soul to better things a new heart and a new spirit. Then he also manifests his own goodness.

VERS. 32. *For I do not desire the death of the one who dies, says Adonai the Lord, as [I desire] his turning from his way, and his soul to live, says Adonai the Lord; return therefore and you shall live.* Knowing, he says, that I do not desire the punishment, but the repentance of the sinner, repent and harvest the fruits of life. This medicine is also suitable ^B for us. *For God is not only of the Jews, but also of the Gentiles, and the same Lord of all, rich unto all who call upon him.* Let us therefore relinquish the way of wickedness, whose end is destruction and perdition, and let us at last learn the divine path, which leads to the heavens, and which provides us with boldness, so that we may trust in God; which may we attain in Christ Jesus our Lord, with whom glory is due to the Father with the holy Spirit, unto the ages of ages. Amen.

BOOK SEVENTH

CHAPTER XIX

VERS. 1, 2. *And you, take up a lamentation for the prince of Israel. And you shall say: Why was your mother a lioness?*

^A She lay down among the lions; she reared her whelps in the midst of young lions. The things which are to happen, he says, to the king of Israel, prophesy them by lamenting over him. He does not speak of the king who was sitting in Samaria — for that kingdom had perished long before — but of him who was reigning in Jerusalem. For he makes it clear that he was king over all who were left at the time; this is taught to us by the fourth book of Kings and the second of Chronicles. He called that city Jerusalem, for from thence the kings proceeded. And he calls her a lioness, not only for the nobility of the city, but also for the audacity of her customs. *In the midst of the lions she lay down,* he says. *In a circle,* he says, *she exhibited the king in her manner.* *In the midst of the lions, she multiplied her whelps.* He signifies the things that happened after Josiah; for four kings ruled Jerusalem in a short time: Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jeconiah, and Zedekiah.

VERS. 3, 4. *And one of her whelps jumped up; he became a lion, and he learned to tear prey; he devoured men. And the nations heard of him; he was caught in their corruption, and they brought him into the land of Egypt in chains.* He speaks of Jehoahaz, who, having succeeded his parent Josiah, became impious toward God and unjust toward his own subjects. But Pharaoh Necho, the king of the Egyptians, having taken him prisoner in battle and bound him in chains, brought him into Egypt, where he underwent the punishment for his lawlessness. This is what he signified by saying, *He was caught in their corruption.* Then he adds:

VERS. 5-7. *And he saw that he had been cast away from her, and his hope had perished, and he took another of her whelps; he set him up as a lion. And he walked in the midst of the lions; he became a lion, and learned to tear prey, and devoured men. And he made desolate their cities, and laid waste the land and its fullness by the sound of his roaring.* He hints at Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah; for, regarding the events that befell those who were taken captive and those who met their end in a foreign land, he speaks his word. Therefore, for the present, he leaves aside the memory of Jehoiakim; for this man, in Jerusalem, suffered slaughter. Briefly, then, he recounts the wickedness of Jeconiah, who, having reigned for three months and a few days, filled the city with unjust slaughters. And that it is not Jehoiakim, but Jeconiah, whom he indicates through these things, the following verses testify, for he says:

VERS. 8, 9. *And the nations from the surrounding regions set upon him, and spread their nets over him, and he was caught in their corruption.*

The city was completely desolate, or rather all of Judea, with its walls torn down, the houses burnt, and the majority of the inhabitants handed over to slaughter and captivity. Therefore he says: "And now they have planted it in the desert." But not even in this way, he says, will it remain; its remnants too will meet with destruction.

VERS. 14. *For fire, he says, shall go forth from its chosen rods and consume it.* For Ishmael, being of royal lineage, and envious of Gedaliah, while pretending to a faked friendship toward him, secretly plotted against him and slew the greater part of those who were with him; but fearing what had been done, he fled; and all the rest, fearing the wrath of the Chaldeans, took refuge in Egypt with the prophet Jeremiah. He signified this by saying: "And fire shall go forth from its chosen rods and shall consume it. And there shall not be in it a rod of strength, a scepter for ruling; it is for a parable of lamentations, ^A and it shall be for a lamentation." It is clear that he is speaking of the time before the return; for then it was lamented by its own people, and to strangers, it became a proverb of lamentation; ^B *Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," shall enter into the kingdom of God.* For these men also, living in wickedness and unwilling to be healed by the medicines of repentance, sought to question the Master, not in order to do what was commanded, but to learn if the divine oracles agreed with their own designs. This Zedekiah also did many times; and having sworn Jeremiah to clearly foretell to him what seemed good to God, ^C when he had learned what was commanded, he practiced the opposite of these things; and those who entered into Egypt after the captivity dared to do this very same thing. For this reason the God of all does not wish to answer them; for He Himself knows, according to the teaching of the holy Gospels, what is in man. Therefore, He even commands the prophet to disregard them and to offer no supplication on their behalf. For he signified this by having said: ^D "If thou wilt execute judgment, if thou wilt execute judgment upon them, son of man;" that is to say, do not have any regard for them, as one who is their guardian; do not admit their questioning.

VERS. 5, 6. *And make known to them the iniquities of their fathers. And you shall say to them: Thus says the Lord Adonai: From the day I chose the house of Israel, and was made known to the seed of the house of Jacob, and was made known to them in the land of Egypt, and I took hold of their hand, saying, I am the Lord your God. In that day I took hold of them with my hand, to lead them out of the land of Egypt, into the land which I prepared for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, it is a honeycomb above all the land.*

Show these men, he says, O prophet, those who have come to you, My benefits, and recount the lawlessness of their fathers; and relate how I appeared in Egypt to their fathers who were still acting impiously and worshipping the idols of the Egyptians, and I taught them that I am both God and Master. And I used these words, wishing to deliver them from slavery, to fulfill the promises, and to bestow the promised land, which is a mother of ten thousand goods, and which brings forth all kinds of fruits for those who dwell in it; and one would not be wrong in declaring it better than all the earth, and calling it the work of bees; for he signified this by having said: "It is a honeycomb above all the land." Thus he addressed the honeycombs filled with honey.

VERS. 7. *And I said, he says, to them: Let each one cast away the abominations of his eyes, and do not be polluted by the practices of Egypt, I am the Lord your God.* I admonished them, he says, to flee the communion of the impiety of the Egyptians, and to recognize My lordship, which I had made known to them through signs and miracles. But they in no way...

^A sought to be healed by the remedies of repentance, but attempted to question the Master, not so that they might by all means do what was commanded, but so that they might learn if the divine oracles agreed with their own designs. Zedekiah did this many times, and after putting Jeremiah on oath to reveal clearly to him what was pleasing to God, when he learned what was commanded, he acted in opposition to it; and those who entered Egypt after the captivity dared to do this very same thing. For this reason the God of all is unwilling to answer them; for He knows, according to the teaching of the holy Gospels, what is in man. Wherefore He also commands the prophet to despise them, and to offer no supplication on their behalf. For this is what He meant by saying: «If with vengeance you will take vengeance, O son of man, if you will take vengeance on them;» which is to say: Do not care for them, as though you were their guardian; do not receive their questioning. ^B

Having thus encouraged them, He again exhorts them to virtue and explains what must be done.

Take courage: (verse 16.)

refusing to question the Lord, they attempted ^A to inquire, not so that they might fully do what was commanded them, but so that they might learn if the divine oracles agreed with their own notions. This Sedecias also did often, and having adjured Jeremias to declare openly to him what seemed good to God, when he had learned what was commanded, he performed the opposite of these things; and those who went down into Egypt after the captivity dared to do this same thing. Therefore, God, the author of all things, does not wish to answer them; for He Himself knows, according to the teaching of the holy Gospels, what is in man. Therefore, He also commands the prophet to disregard them and to offer no prayer on their behalf. This is what He signified when He said: «If thou wilt avenge ^B them with vengeance, O son of man, if thou wilt avenge them;» that is, Have no regard for them, as one who is their curator: do not admit their questioning.

VERS. 5, 6. But, he says, testify to them the iniquities of their fathers. And thou shalt say to them: Thus saith Adonai the Lord: From the day that I chose the house of Israel, and was known to the seed of the house of Jacob, and was known to them in the land of Egypt, and I took hold of their hand, saying, I am the Lord your God. In that day I took hold of them with My hand, to lead them out of the land of Egypt into the land which I prepared for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, a honeycomb above all the ^C land. To these, O prophet, He says, who have come to thee, show both My benefits and recount the crimes of their parents; and narrate how I revealed Myself in Egypt to their fathers who were still living impiously and worshipping the idols of the Egyptians, and how I taught them that I am God and Lord. I used these words, wishing both to deliver them from servitude and to fulfill what I had promised, and to hand over to them the land that had been promised, the mother of infinite goods and bearing all kinds of fruits for its inhabitants; and no one would err in declaring it to be superior to every region, and calling it the work of bees. For this He declared when He said: «A honeycomb is above all ^D the land.» Thus He designated the honeycombs filled with honey.

VERS. 7. And He said, he says, to them: Let each one throw away the abominations from his eyes and do not be polluted by the institutions of Egypt; I am the Lord your God. For I exhorted them, he says, to flee from the fellowship of the impiety of the Egyptians, and to acknowledge My own dominion, which I had taught them through signs and wonders. But they by no means...

^A instructions were willing to heed. Which signifies this, he added:

Ver. 8. *And they departed from me, and would not obey me: every man did not cast away the abominations of their eyes, nor did they forsake the customs of Egypt.* Then he teaches the justice of his wrath: *And I said to pour out my fury upon them to fulfill my wrath in the midst of Egypt.* Afterwards he teaches the philanthropy and long-suffering which he used to govern human nature.

Ver. 9. *And I acted, that my name should not be altogether profaned before the nations in whose midst they were, in whose sight I was made known to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt.* He says that I wished to punish those who disobeyed immediately, but since my people is named after me, I did not exact penalties from them for their wicked deeds, so that my name might not be altogether profaned before the nations among whom they dwelt, ^B lest the punishment of their blasphemy against me become the cause of a greater one. For I desired to change their minds through the benefits conferred upon them. This is taught to us more clearly by the book of Exodus. The blessed Moses relates how the whole people attributed the divine words he relayed to Pharaoh to himself; in this way, he says, by using long-suffering.

Ver. 10-12. *And I led them out of the land of Egypt. And I brought them into the desert. And I gave them my commandments, and made known my judgments to them, which if a man do, he shall live in them. And I gave them my Sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them.* Having liberated them, he says, from that bitter slavery, as if in a wrestling school, I was training them in the desert with good and useful laws, contriving life for them through the keeping of these; for the laws were conducive to life. And he called them commandments and judgments. For the commandments are not different from the judgments, but the same things are called by different names. For they are commandments, as written by God and the Master and commanded to be kept; but judgments, not only as justly written and possessing justice, but also as being able to justify the one who performs them. It is necessary to note that he separated the Sabbaths from these commandments and judgments that were able to provide life to those who keep them. For having said, *“I gave them my commandments, and made known my judgments to them,”* and having declared the profit from these: *“which if a man do, he shall live in them;”* he then added the rest. ^C And the prophetic word foretold: *“And he shall rule from sea to sea, and from the rivers to the ends of the earth.”* But I marvel at the dullness of the Jews, who dare to interpret this most shamelessly as referring to Zerubbabel. For that Zerubbabel did not hold the whole of Palestine, but only Judea, they themselves would agree; but the prophet said that he who rides upon the foal would rule the whole inhabited world. Besides, we know that the Lord used a foal, but no one among those who have written of divine things has said until this day that Zerubbabel did this. If, therefore, the Master Christ used the foal according to the prophecy, and held the inhabited world, and is believed and preached as true God, and destroyed the kingdom of Ephraim and Israel, the prophet foretold these things concerning Him, and the prophecy clearly reached its end. And the following things also agree with these.

Ver. 11. *“And you in the blood of thy covenant have sent forth your prisoners out of the pit having no water.”* For those, he says, whom you redeemed and liberated with your precious blood, these you have sent forth with the saving covenants, so that they might preach liberty to all, delivering them from the pit that does not have water. And if anyone wishes to understand this pit as either eternal death or the error of idols, he will not miss the truth. For thus also the God of all says through Jeremiah: *“My people have done two evils; they have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and they have dug for themselves broken cisterns, which cannot hold water.”* Thus he designated the laborious and useless worship of idols. For those in distress by the service of these things reaped no profit from them, but were deprived of the true life. ^D The Master Christ, having unbound and drawn out men who were prisoners in this pit, and having gifted them freedom with His precious blood, sent them forth into the way of life, having given them the new covenant. Again he says to them:

Ver. 12. *“You shall sit in a fortification, prisoners of the congregation, and for one day of your sojourn, I will repay you double.”* For instead of those harsh bonds, I have clothed you with other most sweet bonds of my love, exhorting you to attend to me, and to be educated in my laws, and to be guarded by my strong providence, and instead of your former captivity, to enjoy at once both liberty and life. For concerning these things, he said, I will repay you double.

Ver. 13. *“Because I bent you to myself, O Judah, as a bow...”*

^A And my judgments did I make known to them, and the gain of these he declared: *“Which if a man do, he shall live in them.”* Then he added, *“And my Sabbaths I gave to them.”* And he did not say, “That by keeping them they might live in them,” but, *“That it might be for a sign between me and between them, and to know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them.”* For I legislated for them the rest of the Sabbaths, not because it could afford them life, but that this peculiar rule of life might both separate them from the customs of the nations and bring my benefits to their memory. For by the rest from carnal works, and by their constant attendance on God and hearing of the divine oracles, they received the gain, learning from the divine oracles that God is both Creator and benefactor. Therefore, it is not the rest itself that is life-giving, but the attendance upon God. And he says, I spoke to the house of Israel in the desert: *“Walk in my commandments.”*

Ver. 13. *“And the house of Israel provoked me in the desert; in my commandments they walked not, and my justifications they cast away, which if a man do, he shall live in them, and my Sabbaths they polluted ^B greatly.”* Again here he mentioned the Sabbaths separately, not linking them with the other justifications. For these are not life-giving as those are, but they contain a certain peculiar character of a rule of life. For as to that, *“You shall not commit adultery, you shall not kill, you shall not steal,”* and the others joined to these, the law of nature taught other men as well; but of the keeping of the Sabbath, nature is not the teacher, but the enactment of the law. In other things, therefore, they were joined in communion with others, but in the keeping of the Sabbath, they seemed to possess a certain peculiar rule of life. For no other nation observed this rest. Nor did circumcision so distinguish them from others as the Sabbath did; for indeed the Idumeans all had circumcision, tracing their race from Esau, and the Ishmaelites likewise; and the Egyptians also, having learned it from the Jews, were diligent to observe it. And this God declared through the prophet Jeremiah, saying: *“And I will visit upon all the circumcised in their foreskin, upon Egypt, and upon Edom,”* and the rest. But the keeping of the Sabbath the nation of the Jews alone observed. Therefore God said that, *“My Sabbaths I gave to them, to be for a sign between me and between them, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them.”* Having then recounted their stubbornness in Egypt and his own long-suffering, he again brought to mind the legislation and exhortations in the wilderness, ^C and their contradiction and transgression. Afterwards, he teaches both his just anger and his unspeakable goodness. ^D

Finally, he says, even the kingdom of Egypt shall be taken, and the pride of the Assyrians shall be extinguished; and these very men, who were formerly slaves to them, will become illustrious and famous among all men through my help.

CHAPTER XIV. 1, 2. Open, O Lebanon, thy doors, and let fire devour thy cedars. Howl, O pine, because the cedar is fallen.

^A desire to exact the penalties of their impiety, and to permit some to be led into slavery and others to be put to the sword. For he signified this when he said:

VER. 23. *And I lifted up my hand over them in the desert, that I might scatter them among the nations, and disperse them in the countries.* But that no detriment should happen from this to the Egyptians and Canaanites, this, he says, I did not do, but:

VER. 25. *And I gave them precepts not good, and justifications in which they shall not live.* Some, therefore, have understood these things as referring to the cult of idols, taking "I gave" to mean "I permitted": but it is clear that they have not at all grasped the meaning of what was said. For no one who thinks rightly would call the impious religion of idols "not good," but rather extremely evil. The fountain of wisdom, therefore, the lawgiver of piety, the accuser of impiety, did not call the most extreme impiety "not good," which he terms the limit of malice. The discourse, therefore, hints at something else. For when I had given them, he says, justifications "which if a man do, he shall live in them" (and by these he understands the ten words of the law), but they departed from these and persisted in despising them without any fear, I bound and attached them with other precepts, which, while they can impart no life to them, yet in their observance and in the occupation with them, they cease from violating those necessary laws. By these, however, he hints at the precepts concerning leprosy, concerning the bones of a corpse, concerning that which dies of itself, concerning him who labored under a flux of seed, and others of this kind, and the frequent purifications on account of these, and the sacrifices which are offered for them. For occupied in observing these, they could no longer despise those necessary and useful laws. Therefore he did not say that he had given them evil precepts, but "not good." For they neither taught vice, nor did they of themselves produce virtue; but they forced them to frequent the holy temple of God ^B and to be present before God. For he who believed himself to be defiled would hasten to purification; and when he had arrived at it, he would return to the memory of God, and this very memory would banish the impious intention and persuade them to keep the divine laws. Therefore they were not good in themselves, because they did not harmonize with the divine purpose, but they were suited to the weakness of those ^C upon whom the law was imposed: yet they were not beautiful, nor necessary, but they led to what was good and necessary. To these he adds:

VER. 26. *And I will pollute them in their gifts, when I shall pass over every opening of the maternal womb, that I may destroy them, that they may know that I am the Lord.* This is similar to that which was spoken by God through the blessed David: *And I cast them off according to the desires of their heart.*

^A Since I saw that they received no benefit from my exhortations, I left them to their own inclinations, and I did not restrain them as they followed their own reasonings. This he also signifies here by saying: *And I gave them over to their own affections.* But Aquila interpreted this more clearly, saying: *And I permitted them in their dogmas.* For when I translated "they were defiled in their own dogmas," I meant that I permitted them to become defiled by their own institutions, so that they might lead their sons, and offer their first-born children to demons, and thereafter pay the penalties due to them.

27, 28. *Therefore, speak to the house of Israel, son of man, and you shall say to them: Thus says the Lord Adonai: Hitherto also your fathers have provoked me in their transgressions, in which they transgressed against me. And I brought them into the land which I lifted up my hand to give them; and they saw every high hill, and every shady tree, and sacrificed there to their gods, and offered there the wrath of their gifts, and set there the fragrance of their sweetness, and poured there their libations.* They did not desist, he says, from the contradictions in Egypt, and from the iniquities in the wilderness, but having entered the land that was promised, they filled it with much impiety, building altars on all the hills and in the forests, and setting up idols, and offering them various sacrifices and libations. The words *and they offered there the wrath of their gifts* mean: "To those lawless gifts of theirs, they stirred up my wrath."

29. *And I said to them: What is Abama* (or as Symmachus says, *what is Bama*), *that you go in there? And they called its name Bama until this present day.* This place became famous from the impiety done towards the idols. Therefore he says to them: "What gain do you receive from thence, that you have made it so famous that its name has remained fixed until the present time?"

30, 31. *Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord Adonai: If you are defiled in the iniquities of your fathers, and you go after their abominations, and in the first-fruits of your works, and in your separations in the passing of your children through the fire you are defiled, and in all your imaginations even to this day, and shall I answer you, house of Israel, if I will answer you, and if this shall go up upon your spirit?* He says, "Do you hope—when your paternal lawlessness and impiety rule in you, and all these things which I have detailed are dared by you—to receive any answer from me? ^B Do not deceive yourselves; for it is among the impossibilities that I should answer your inquiries, while such impiety is dared by you." He convinces them through facts to cast away such a hope; for this he signified by saying, *And if this shall go up upon your spirit.*

32. *It shall not be entirely set straight, and it shall devour the flesh of the elect, and it shall pervert their heels.* These ^C harsh and grievous reports the Lord also foretells in the holy Gospels: *"For there shall be great tribulation," He says, "such as has not been from the beginning of the age, nor shall ever be; and unless those days had been shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the sake of my elect those days shall be shortened."* The Prophet also says this: *And it shall devour the flesh of the elect, and it shall pervert their heels*, signifying the magnitude of the evils through these words. He calls their shepherd "inexperienced," or "foolish," according to other interpreters, as one deceived by the diabolical operation, and one who is ignorant of their appointed destruction; for the divine Scripture is accustomed to call the impious person "foolish" as well. *For he said, in his heart: There is no God.* Having shown, therefore, the beastly mind of this man, the Prophet also indicates his coming total destruction.

17. *O you who pasture vanities, and have left the sheep!* Having said these things to those who obey him, and mourned them because they have left the communion of the sheep, and preferred the vain and destructive honor given by him, he discourses ^D on the things concerning him. *A sword upon his arm, and upon his right eye.* For the one leads those who obey him to eternal destruction, but the other delivers those who contradict him to the slaughter. For he has placed the "arm" for the slaughter, and the "eye" for the deception; but nevertheless, the arm of him wilting will be wilted, and the right eye of him being blinded will be blinded. For a divinely-inflicted wound will seize him. So also the Apostle says: *"Whom the Lord Jesus will consume with the spirit of His mouth, and will destroy by the manifestation of His coming; whose coming is according to the operation of Satan, in all signs and lying wonders."* Some of those who have interpreted this prophet have adapted these things to Antiochus Epiphanes, saying that he was called the "inexperienced shepherd." Therefore, they apply much more fittingly to this one, since that one was a type of this one. For just as that one undertook the war against God, raising an altar of demons in the temple, and forcing those who were consecrated to God to sacrifice to demons, so also this one will command the pious to deny the Lord Christ, and will deliver those who do not obey to all kinds of torments. If, therefore, the prophecy fits Antiochus, it will surely also fit this one; for this one will dare greater things than that one, inasmuch as he wages war against stronger ones. Since, therefore, the Jews believe this one and have denied the Savior and Lord, the Holy Spirit through the prophet...

themselves, wandering hither and thither, so that the leaders of the Jews, having taken heart, might say to one another: "Jerusalem will be filled with inhabitants by the help and favor of God."

VERS. 6. "In that day I will make the chieftains of Judah like a firebrand of fire among wood, and like a torch of fire in stubble, and they shall devour all the peoples round about on the right hand and on the left." For as, he says, a firebrand ignites wood, and a flame consumes stubble, so will these destroy the enemies invading them from all sides. "And Jerusalem shall inhabit still in herself," that is, she shall dwell apart from the nations according to the law. This gift, however, she enjoyed until she raged against the Savior.

VERS. 7. "And the Lord shall save the tabernacles of Judah as at the beginning, that the glory of the house of David and the pride of the inhabitants of Jerusalem may not be magnified over Judah." For by experience they shall know that without the divine nod they were able to accomplish nothing illustrious. And when they have understood this, they will neither take to themselves lifted spirits from royal power, nor will they trust in the magnitude of the walls.

VERS. 8. "And it shall be in that day, the Lord will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is weak among them in that day shall be as the house of David; and the house of David as the house of God, as the angel of the Lord in their sight." Their hope also will depend upon divine providence. Therefore, the Lord will protect them with every aid, and will fill them with such strength that every weakest one among them shall be compared to the royal house (for this he called the house of David); and the house of David shall imitate the inviolable sanctity of the divine house, so that all may take refuge to it as to a divine temple, or become more confident as though an angel were sent for their salvation. For Judas and Jonathan gathered such glory from their victory that those dwelling nearby, and neighbors, and borderers, most greedily joined themselves to these as allies; and not only the neighbors, but even those who lived at a journey of many days' distance, both the Romans dwelling in the western coasts and the Spartans, embraced their alliance with the greatest eagerness.

VERS. 9, 10. "And it shall be in that day, I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem a Spirit of grace and mercy." But I heaped them with so many and such great benefits; on one hand, delivering the enemies who were making war upon them to various kinds of death; on the other hand, opening to them the fountains of mercy, and filling them with every grace: yet they, when I came to them, rewarded me with contrary deeds, and having fixed me to the cross with nails, they pierced my side with a military lance, and did not cease their mockery.

^A I will likewise inflict punishment upon you. He has made this clearer by means of the things he adds, saying:

VERS. 37, 38. And I will cause you to pass under my staff, and I will bring you into the number of the covenant. And I will choose out from among you the impious, and those who have revolted. For the impious, and those who have abandoned my legislation, I will disperse, using [them as] a rod; but those who are worthy of the number, and have become keepers of my covenant, I will bring in, and will deem [them] worthy of my providence. ^B By these words, he signified the apostolic choir and those who believed in the divine proclamation through them. Then, persisting in the threat against the wicked, he adds: "Because I will bring them out of the land of their sojourning, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel; and you shall know that I am the Lord." For he says that, having brought them back from the captivity, these same ones who had used impious ways I will again disperse among all the nations. This received its fulfillment after the cross of our Savior; for the Romans, having enslaved them, scattered them into all the inhabited world, and drove them out of their royal city. Having thus foretold the sorrowful things, the Lover of Mankind offers them once again exhortation and counsel; for he remembers his own promises. He said, moreover, that he does not desire the death of the sinner, as that he should turn and live. He says, therefore:

VERS. 39, 40. And you, O house of Israel, thus says Adonai the Lord: Let each one put away his ^C practices, and after this, if you will hear me, and no longer profane my holy name with your gifts and your practices. For on my holy mountain, on the high mountain of Israel, says Adonai the Lord, there shall all the house of Israel serve me to the end upon the land, and there I will receive them, and there I will look upon your first-fruits, and the first-fruits of your offerings, in all your holy things. For if, he says, you are willing to be persuaded and cease to profane my holy name (for [while being] called by me, and living lawlessly, and offering gifts to idols, you smear upon me the blasphemy of impiety), you shall return to your ancestral land, and shall enjoy the accustomed providence, offering gratefully the first-fruits of the good things you receive, and seeing Me graciously accepting them.

VERS. 41, 42. For in an odor of sweet fragrance, he says, I will receive you, ^D when I bring you out from the nations, and gather you from the regions in which you were scattered, and I shall be sanctified in you before the eyes of the nations. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I bring you...

into the land of Israel, into the land concerning which I lifted up my hand, to give it to your fathers. Regarding the phrase "I shall be sanctified" in place of "I shall be glorified," he has substituted this because all who see both my good deeds and your gratitude will gain great profit, discerning the weakness of those whom they themselves call gods, and contemplating my power through the good deeds bestowed upon you. ^B

VERS. 43. And you shall remember there your ways, and all your institutions, in which you were polluted; and you shall smite your faces in all your malice which you have done. For the recognition of sin is the beginning of shame. Therefore, we are accustomed to strike our foreheads when the conscience stings. He signified this here as well. For having departed, he says, from your former lawlessness, and having embraced my service, and obtaining my providence, you shall come to a realization of your former impieties, and you shall smite your faces, calculating in how many evils you were wallowing. ^C

VERS. 44. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I act thus toward you, so that my name may not be profaned; not according to your evil ways, nor according to your corrupt institutions, O house of Israel, says Adonai the Lord. By this care, he says, I shall deem you worthy, desiring also to bring all other men to the knowledge of me through the benefit bestowed upon you. For you are not worthy of clemency or forgiveness, having been brought up in impious institutions. Since, therefore, we have learned how impious it is to profane the name of the Lord, let us beware lest we assail the Lord with revilings. For those who have been deemed worthy of his very name, yet live a life unworthy of that appellation, incite the tongues of the foolish to blasphemy against him. This is what God also said concerning the Jews: "And you profaned my name among the nations, when it was said to you, 'These are the people of the Lord, and they have gone out of his land.'" We, however, have obtained the very surname of the Master; for we are named from Christ. Therefore, it behooves us all, according to the apostolic law, "whether we eat, or drink, or do anything else, to do all for the glory of God," and to be without offense both to the Jews and to the Gentiles, and to the Church of God, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. ^D

VOLUME VIII. BOOK EIGHT.

^A Ver. 45, 46. *And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face toward Theman, and look toward Darum, and prophesy against the forest of the south* (Nageb). Theman in the Greek tongue is the south, and Darum signifies the southwest, and Nageb the south. Thus also Symmachus interpreted it: "Son of man, set thy face toward the way of the south, and prophesy concerning the forest of the southern country." By all these things he pointed to Jerusalem; for Jerusalem has its position to the south and meridian and southwest of Babylon. And because it is not situated directly to the south, but inclines a little toward the west, he necessarily added the southwest, which has such a position. He called Jerusalem a "forest" because of its sterility—for such is a forest—and because of the hardness of the mind—for such is the nature of the oak; and in addition to these, because the trees in a forest are not planted in order, ^B but there is much disorder among them; and furthermore, because a forest is a habitation for wild beasts. And all these things could easily be found at that time to have been in Jerusalem.

Ver. 47. *And thou shalt say to the forest of Nageb: Hear the word of the Lord: Thus saith the Lord Adonai: Behold, I kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree; the flame that is kindled shall not be quenched.* He continued the metaphor, and since he called Jerusalem a forest, he rightly calls the army of the enemies the fire, and the trees that are burned those who were killed by them, and both the green tree and the dry tree, those who are puffed up with riches and those who live in poverty. Then he teaches that the nations also located in between will be participants ^C in the calamity. For he says:

Ver. 48. *And every face shall be burned therein from the east even to the north. And all flesh shall know that I the Lord have kindled it, and it shall not be quenched.* That [phrase] "from the east," Symmachus again interpreted as "from the south." And he teaches that from the land of the Chaldeans as far as Jerusalem he will apply the fire of the army, and will consume the nations lying in between: so that, at least instructed by the calamity,

all may learn that He Himself is the one who rules over the whole world. ^A

VERS. 49. *And I said: Not so, Adonai Lord: they say to me, Is this not a parable that is being spoken?* Having spoken thus, I say, I reported to the Lord the incredulity of the people, saying that they consider the things spoken to be a parable and not reality; but then the Lord Himself commanded me to speak more clearly the things that had been spoken parabolically. And He says thus:

CHAPTER XXI

VERS. 1, 2. *And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Therefore, son of man, set thy face against Jerusalem, and look toward their holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel.* Since, he says, they assume that the things spoken are merely a parable and not reality, show them clearly that the "Nageb," that is, the southern and meridional [region], is Jerusalem itself. ^B

VERS. 3. *And thou shalt say to the land of Israel: Thus saith Adonai the Lord, Behold I am against thee, and I will draw my sword out of its sheath, and I will exterminate from thee the unjust and the wicked.* It is clear that by "sword" he signifies the punishment, and by the "sheath," that is, the case of the sword, he names [God’s] long-suffering, which, when He ceases to employ it, the punishment is immediately brought upon those who have deserved it. And demonstrating the justice of the punishment, he has rightly added: "I will exterminate from thee the unjust and the wicked." Then he teaches also what will happen at that time to the other nations situated in between. ^C

VERS. 4, 5. *Because, he says, I will exterminate from thee the unjust and the wicked, so shall my sword go forth out of its sheath and shall return no more. For because of thy transgressions, he says, as if drawing a certain sword from its sheath—the army of the Chaldeans—I will afflict with the same punishments those also who are situated between thee and the Chaldeans, and I shall cause all to know by experience that all things are placed in my power, and that I have justly cast them into such a calamity.* ^D

VERS. 6. *And thou, son of man, groan with the breaking of thy loins, and with sorrows shalt thou groan before their eyes.* Let there follow, he says, the things which are spoken, your company in the sorrow, and teach them by your groans that the things spoken are true.

VERS. 7. *And it shall be, if they say to thee, For what cause dost thou groan? and thou shalt say, Upon the report, because it cometh, and every heart shall be wounded, and all hands shall be relaxed, and all flesh and every spirit shall grow cold, and all thighs shall be polluted with moisture: behold it cometh, and it shall be, saith Adonai the Lord.* You, he says, groaning—

it is necessary that they shall ask, desiring to know the cause of the suffering. To those asking, therefore, he answers: Because the one who foresees future evils, and the messengers of the unhappy news, and the terror cast upon all from this, sighs and deplores the calamities of my kinsmen. ^B

Vers. 8-10. And it came to pass the word of the Lord unto me, saying: Son of man, prophesy, and thou shalt say: Thus saith Adonai the Lord: Say, a sword, a sword is sharpened and also enraged: that it may slaughter a sharp slaughter, that it may be for splendor, ready for dissolution; slaughter, despise, abandon every tree. By the sword he again figuratively calls the punishment brought upon the Babylonians, and the Jews, and the other nations lying between them. It seems to me that it is he himself who is ordered to be sharpened, and to be made bright, and to smite, and to uproot every tree from the root, teaching that with his permission these things are to happen, and that it is not by the power of the Babylonian, nor by his own force, that each of these things is accomplished. Such is that which was said by God himself in Deuteronomy: “If I sharpen my sword like lightning, and my hand takes hold of judgment, and I will render vengeance to my enemies, and I will repay them that hate me: I will make my arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh.” ^C For in these words he has called the sword and arrows a faculty of punishment, exacting debts from the guilty. Then he adds:

Vers. 11. And he gave it to be ready, that he might hold his hand: it is sharpened, the sword is ready, to give it into the hands of the slayers. For this “ready sword,” he says, he has entrusted to those who are fit to punish, and he signifies the Chaldeans. Similar to this is that which was said by God in Isaiah concerning the Babylonian, or the Assyrian: “Shall the axe boast itself against him that cutteth therewith? or shall the saw exalt itself against him that draweth it? as if a rod should wield itself, or a staff, or wood.” And again: “Woe to the Assyrian, the rod of my anger and my wrath is in their hands.” The rod of correction, therefore, and the axe, and the saw, instruments for the destruction of plants, he called ^D a sword there; but here he has called it a sword, which is becoming both bright and shining from the punishment of those being punished, just as it is entrusted to the Chaldeans as ministers. He also calls the punishment above “fire,” wishing to terrify them with many labels and to lead to repentance those who are completely addicted to impiety. To these he adds:

^A Ver. 12. "Exclaim and howl, son of man, for this has come upon the people, upon all the princes of Israel, who dwelt near me and have been given over to the sword with my people." What goodness is comparable to this? He punishes justly and commands the prophet to mourn. For He does not punish willingly, but is compelled by the transgressions of the people. He enjoins the prophet to marvel, as a woman would, because not only the people but also their rulers were delivered to the sword. And, most grievous of all, He says: "They who dwelt near me have been given over to the sword with my people." For the priests, having been participants in the sins of the people, were also participants in the punishment. He called them "those who dwelt near" because they lived inside the holy temple of God and had been entrusted with the ministration of the sacrifices.

Ver. 13. "Therefore strike your hand, for it is justified; and what if even the tribe be rejected? It shall not be, says the Lord Adonai." By the clapping of hands, He says, signify the excess of the calamity, and marvel at the justice of the punishment. For the benefit that will accrue to those left behind by this punishment will be no small matter; for it shall be established as the beginning of their justification. For even if the tribe separated from the other nations (and by this He signifies the entire Jewish people) is now rejected, yet it shall be again, and it shall obtain restoration. For it is sufficient for the confirmation of what is said that the Lord and Master Himself says these things.

^B Ver. 14. "And you, son of man, prophesy and strike hand upon hand, and double the sword; the third sword is of the slain, the sword of the slain, the great one." He calls the campaign that took place against Jerusalem in the ninth year of the reign of Zedekiah the "third sword," although in number it was the fourth. But because the expedition that took place during the reign of Jechoniah was bloodless—for the king voluntarily went out to Nebuchadnezzar with his mother, wife, and princes, and was thus carried off captive to Babylon—he deservedly calls the one that occurred under Zedekiah the third sword, counting the collisions and the battles, but not simply the hostile incursions. Therefore he also says: "The third sword of the slain is the great one." Then he teaches why he is commanded to clap his hands.

Ver. 15. "And you shall make them astonished, that their heart may be broken, and many may be made faint at every gate of theirs; they are delivered to the slaughter of the sword." Do, He says, and say all things capable of striking terror into them, so that their hearts may be broken; this—

^A is so that their adversary’s contention of heart might be softened and as it were crushed by the prediction of the calamities. But it is enough to terrify them when He says that they shall be put to the sword, and that all the gates shall be full of the slain. Then, by way of a prosopopoeia, He signifies that these things happen by His permission.

"Well-sharpened was it for the slaughter, well-polished for the bright gleaming, as lightning going forth." (v. 16.) "Sharpen, from the right and from the left, wherever thy face is set." A two-edged sword, he says, sharpened on both sides; very well whetted to a point, emitting splendors like lightning. Wherefore, he says, turn to whichever part you wish, whether to the right or to the left; for you shall have me also bringing aid to you. This he manifested when he added:

^B v. 17. "And I will also strike hand against hand, and I will let loose my fury; I the Lord have spoken it." For this reason also the blessed Jeremiah said: "I know, O Lord, that man’s way is not his own, nor shall a man walk and direct his own steps" (Jer. x, 23), teaching that nothing of this sort happens without the providence of God from above or His permission; for He brings about those things which are fitting, but permits other things in another manner of His administration, granting freedom to the will of men, and in this way exacting penalties for sins.

v. 18-20. "And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: And thou, son of man, set thee two ways, that the sword of the king of Babylon may enter. Out of one land shall the two beginnings go forth: prepare a hand, gripping/piercing, at the beginning of the way of each city. Thou shalt establish ^C as piercing at the beginning of the way, that the sword may enter against Rabbath of the sons of Ammon, and against Judah in Jerusalem." As in an image, he says, describe one way divided into two parts, and let one be carried straight toward Jerusalem, and let the other stretch toward Rabbath of the sons of Ammon; for because Nebuchadnezzar, starting from Babylon, led an army both against Judea and against the Ammonites, God predicts these things through the prophet. He said "Rabbath of the sons of Ammon," because there is also another namesake, that of Ammon; and some say that this one of Ammon is the city now called Philadelphia in Arabia, which even to the present time ^D is called Amman in the local tongue. To these he adds:

v. 21. "Therefore shall the king of Babylon stand in the ancient way, at the beginning of the two ways, to divine a divination, to shake the rods, and to inquire of the graven things, and to examine the liver." Occupied

he says, with the road divided in two, one path of which leads to Judea and the other to Rabbath, he will employ divination by using rods, and likewise by inspecting the entrails of the victims, desiring to learn where he ought to march first. And when these things, he says, were being done by him—

^A Ver. 22. "His right hand was the divination over Jerusalem, to set up the battering ram, to open the mouth in a cry, and to lift up the voice with the shouting of the trumpet, to set up the battering rams against its gates, and to cast up a mount, and to build siege towers." It is fitting to know that demons know nothing of things that are to come; but taking a conjecture from the circumstances, they attempt to predict, and sometimes they are correctly led, but more often they err. And this can be understood not only from the things themselves, but we have also been taught by divine Scripture. For when they had predicted the victory of Ahab through the false prophet Zedekiah, they fell short of the truth; for he was not only defeated in battle, but was also killed. But here, knowing the law given to Israel and seeing them living otherwise than should have been prescribed for them by the law, and furthermore hearing the prophetic predictions, they were taught the divine indignation on all sides. Therefore, through these divinations, they indicated to the impious king that it was necessary first to march with the army against Jerusalem, and to use trenches and mounds and all other siege engines. But these things, he says, which are done by him, those who are being besieged despise, not relying on virtue, but suffering from the disease of insensibility. And teaching this, he said—

^B Ver. 23. "And he himself is divining divinations before them, celebrating weeks for them." They are thus affected, he says, as if the divinations indicate good things for them; for he hints at this by the word "before them," that is, as if the divinations were done for their sake, and they spend their time as if celebrating a week of weeks. Now this was one of the three greatest festivals for them. But things, he says, will not follow their opinions. "For he is," he says, "reminding them of their injustice, so that they may be taken." For the memory of their lawlessness will be the cause of their capture.

^C Ver. 24. "Therefore thus says the Adonai Lord: Because you have remembered your injustices, when your impieties were revealed, so that your sins were seen in all your iniquities, and in all your pursuits, because you have remembered them in these, you shall be taken in them." You, he says, have been the authors both of the enemies' confidence and of the demons' truth. For the wickedness of your pursuits...

and the excess of your impiety, have deprived you of my grace and have caused you to fall under the power of your enemies, who, by making their attacks upon you through divination, see the facts respond to their divinations. Since, therefore, you have become the cause of their veracity, you will deservedly be captured and handed over to punishment. From there he moves on to the princes, both the king and the priests, and says:

^A VERS. 25, 26. "And you, O profane and wicked leader of Israel, whose day has come in the time of the end of iniquity; thus says Adonai the Lord: Take away the turban, and remove the crown; this shall not be the same." You, he says, O priest, because of your lawlessness, have been stripped of the priestly turban; and you, O king, having lived in impiety, have deprived yourself of the crown. Let both powers, therefore, lay aside their respective symbols. For this siege, he says, is not like the former ones; for the kingdom that was yours has reached its end. And teaching the reason: "You have humbled," he says, "the high, and exalted the low in iniquity." For having taken injustice as your ally, you have depressed that which was high because of its virtue, and you have extolled that which was low because of its ^B injustice, corrupting the law. Therefore he says:

VERS. 27. "Iniquity, iniquity I will make it." For this reason, he says, I will exact from you the penalties for this iniquity. Then he adds: "And this shall not be the same until he comes to whom it belongs, and I will deliver it to him." For this siege, he says, will be more grievous than the previous ones; yet, he says, I will not completely extinguish the spark of the royal lineage until he comes to whom it belongs, and to whom it is fitting, and I will deliver the kingdom to him. The blessed Paul says this same thing: "Until the seed should come to whom it was promised, having been ordained through angels in the hand of a Mediator." ^C And Jacob the patriarch, blessing Judah, said: "A prince shall not fail from Judah, and a leader from his loins, until he comes for whom it is reserved, and he is the expectation of the nations." Here, therefore, too, he hinted at the kingdom of the Lord Christ, having said: "And this shall not be the same until he comes to whom it belongs, and I will deliver it to him." For even if Jerusalem endured a siege and destruction by Nebuchadnezzar, it was not the same as that which it suffered from the Romans after the saving Cross. For after the first capture, once seventy years had passed, it was rebuilt again and regained its former prosperity; but after the saving Cross it underwent extreme desolation, and the Jews themselves do not even dare to ^D step onto those borders, being prevented by law. For this reason he said: "And this shall not be the same," that is, it will not be like that which is to come; for I will preserve the race,

^A until he comes to whom it belongs, and I will deliver it to him." For when that one appears, he says, to whom the promises refer, then, having delivered the kingdom to him, I will exterminate these people. Hence he turns the prophecy against the Ammonites, who, being ill-disposed toward the Jews, insulted them in their calamities.

VERS. 28, 29. *And thou, son of man, prophesy, and say: Thus saith the Lord Adonai to the children of Ammon, and to their reproach; and thou shalt say: A sword, a sword drawn for slaughter, and unsheathed for consumption; arise, that thou mayest glitter in thy vain vision, and in divining lies.* Now it was not the sword that prophesied, but those who used it. And he called the prophecy and the vision false, as being alien to the truth. For although it did indeed pre-signify what was true at that time, yet since the divine prophets had already announced the divine sentence, it appeared that it was merely revealing what it had heard from them. For the most wicked demons, addicted to malice, kept reporting to Nebuchadnezzar, through the divinations they had received from the prophets, and declaring the opposite to the Jews through the false prophets, promising them peace and the flight of their enemies, so that they, not being obedient to God, and resisting him, and being deprived of the usual providence, might be delivered by justice itself to their enemies, and the truth of their oracles might be made manifest. Since, therefore, he had commanded the sword to be placed upon the necks of those who had lived unjustly and impiously, as if their end and finish had arrived, he commands these things ^B to that same sword.

VERS. 30. *Return into thy sheath, do not tarry in this place where thou hast been: I will judge thee in thy own land.* But you, he says, O Babylonians, whom I call the sword, who have done these things that I commanded, not here, but in your own land, I will exact from you the penalties for your impiety.

VERS. 31. *And I will pour out upon thee my anger; in the fire of my wrath I will blow upon thee.* By these things, he declared that all things are easy to divine power. For just as, he says, it is easy to blow, so it is just as quick and very easy to subject you to every kind of punishment. ^C

*And I will deliver thee into the hands of barbarians who fashion destruction.* (VERS. 32.) *Thou shalt be fuel for the fire; thy blood shall be in the midst of thy land; there shall be no memory of thee, for I the Lord have spoken.* By these words, he alludes to the invasion of Babylon by the Medes and Persians, who brought every sort of engine against the walls they were besieging; and at night, during the feast itself, having entered within the city, they not only overcame the entire city, but burned the greater part of it, and filled both the houses and all the streets with blood. ^D

CHAPTER XXII

^A Verses 1–3. *And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying: Do you judge the city of blood? And will you show her all her iniquities? And you shall say, Thus says the Lord Adonai.* He again turns the discourse to Jerusalem and commands the prophet, after the manner of a judge, to rebuke the crimes which she audaciously committed in defiance of the law; and he calls it the city of blood, as one that has committed many unjust slaughters. Wherefore he again uses the same terms and cries out with these words: *O city that sheds blood in the midst of herself, so that her time may come, and making thoughts against herself, to defile herself.* You, he says, draw down calamities upon yourself, O city, having employed evil meditations and brought them into action, and through these you are maddened and filled with unjust blood. And he called the calamity "time."

Verse 4. *In your blood which you have shed you have transgressed, and in your thoughts which you have made you have been defiled; and you have made your days draw near, and have brought the time of your years.* For an iniquity that becomes greater contracts the limitation of time that is measured out according to divine long-suffering; something that may also be seen to have happened in the time of Noah. For although he had granted a period of one hundred and twenty years to the people who were living at that time for repentance, when he saw their impiety increasing, he cut short the set time and brought the punishment by the flood in the one hundredth year. He signifies this here as well, saying: *And you have made your days draw near, and have brought the time of your years.* Then he recounts the fruits of this lawlessness.

*Therefore I have given you unto reproach to the nations, and unto mockery to all the lands* (v. 5) *that are near to you, and to those that are far from you.* For this reason, he says, I will make you an object of joy and ridicule to all your neighbors and those living nearby, and furthermore to those who live far away. *And they shall mock you,* and they will cry out against you, *“O unclean one, you who are renowned, and great in your iniquities.”* For they will exult over your miseries and will call you unclean, lawless, and distinguished in wickedness. Then he enumerates the species of the evil.

Verse 6. *Behold, the princes of the house of Israel, every one according to his kinsmen, have been engaged in you, that they might shed blood.* He began the accusation ^D from the princes, since the subjects follow the princes. For the head being in an ill state, the body must necessarily participate in its ailment. He says, therefore, that they did not abstain from their own kinsmen, but even confounded the rights of kinship, committing unjust slaughters. Furthermore,

Verse 7. In you they have reviled father and mother.

Verse 8. You have despised my holy things, and have profaned my Sabbaths within you.

Verse 9. Men of thieves were in you, in order to shed blood; upon the mountains they ate within you.

Verse 10. They have uncovered the shame of the father within you, and have humbled her who was sitting in her uncleanness within you.

Verse 11. Everyone treated his neighbor's wife unjustly, and everyone defiled his daughter-in-law in impiety.

Verse 12. Gifts they were taking within you, in order to shed blood.^D

They persisted, he says, in selling justice, and for money, they sold the slaughter of the innocent; then, finally, he places upon these evils a sort of finishing stroke: "Interest and usury you were taking in you." And if this had not been placed last as though it were the most grievous, but had been associated with the things already mentioned, it was sufficient to deter those who were practicing it, and to persuade them to flee this form of greed, as it was joined to the most impious and lawless people; for it was numbered with murderers, idolaters, and the most lecherous and intemperate people. Having thus described the kinds of wickedness, he proceeds to teach them of the punishment to come.

And ^B I will consummate the consummation of your malice, to those who have been oppressed; but you have forgotten me, says Adonai the Lord. (Verses 13, 14). Behold, therefore, I will strike my hand against my hand because of the things in which you have been consumed, and because of the things you have done, and because of your blood that has been shed in your midst. Will your heart endure, or will your hands prevail in the days in which I act upon you? Like a Lord and a judge, he says he will strike his hands, showing his wrath; for since, he says, you forgot me, and did not wish to take thought of my benefits or my laws, I will bring such terrible things upon you, he says, that your hands will be unstrung, and your heart, filled with every kind of confusion, will despair of salvation. Then, showing that what has been said is free from falsehood, he says: ^C "I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will do it." The authority of the one who spoke, he says, confirms the things said; for it is enough for you, having learned who it is who has spoken, to place faith in what has been said.

Verse 15. And I will scatter you among the nations, and I will disperse you in the lands. Then he teaches what utility arises from this. And your uncleanness will depart from you. (Verse 16). And I will have an inheritance in you before the eyes of the nations, because I am the Lord. For when, he says, you become captives and exiles, then by experience you will learn to be wise, and ceasing from your former lawlessness, you will learn that I am your God and Lord, and you will be called my inheritance, and the nations among whom you dwell will learn through you of my dignity and power.

Verses 17, 18. And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, ^D behold, the house of Israel has become to me all mixed with bronze, and tin, and iron, and lead; they have been mixed in the midst of a furnace of silver. This people, he says, O prophet, is like counterfeit silver, which has much admixture of bronze, and iron, and tin, and lead. This is also what God says through the prophet Jeremiah: "Call them rejected silver, because the Lord God has rejected them." And through the matter of these things that have been said,

^A he revealed the various kinds of wickedness. And this again one can learn through the prophet Jeremiah, who, bringing this accusation against the Jews, himself said: "The bellows have failed by the fire, the lead has failed, the silversmith melts the silver in vain, their wickedness is not melted." Hence he added: "Call them rejected silver, because the Lord God has rejected them." He called the divine efficacy the "bellows," and the "fire" sometimes the teaching that instructs and purges, and sometimes the punishment that is applied to the things themselves. For the divine power uses both to accomplish something. He called the prophetic teaching the "silversmith" again, and the "punishment" lead; for because lead is cast into the silver being melted, so that the adulterated [part] in it might be consumed, so also punishment is brought upon those who deserve it, so that they may appear pure from sin. He threatens here that he will do this as well.

^B VERS. 19-22. Therefore say: Thus says Adonai the Lord: Because you have all become one mixture, therefore behold I will receive you into the midst of Jerusalem. As silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin are received into the midst of a furnace, in order to blow fire into it, to melt it, so will I receive you in my wrath, and in my fury, and I will bring [you] in, and I will let [you] go. And I will melt you, and I will blow upon you in the fire of my wrath, and you shall be melted in the midst of it. As silver is melted in the midst of a furnace, so shall you be melted in the midst of it, and you shall know that I the Lord have poured out my fury upon you. Since, he says, you have received a commixture of wickedness, and being like rejected silver, you have appeared counterfeit through every kind of evil, I will establish Jerusalem itself as a furnace for you, and like charcoal I will cast in your enemies; and my power and will, like some kind of bellows, I will move, and at the same time I will melt you, so that those who have labored under an incurable sickness I may consume just like other matter, but those who admit healing I may render like some kind of purified silver.

VERS. 23, 24. And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, say to her: You are a land not watered, neither has rain descended upon you in the day of wrath. And [she is] uncultivated from war, and neither receiving rain nor plow. ^C And yet he was offering to her the rain of doctrine through his holy prophets; but because they did not receive it, but pushed it away, like some rock not offering an entrance to the shower of rain, he rightfully named her a land not watered. Then again he accuses the rulers. ^D

^A Ver. 25. "Whose rulers in the midst of it are like roaring lions, snatching prey, devouring souls in their power, taking wealth and honors; they multiplied her widows in the midst of her." For when the men were being slain, it is clear that widowhood was finding a place. From this point he transfers the accusatory discourse to the priests.

Ver. 26. "And her priests have despised my law." But this is the greatest lawlessness: for those who ought to have been guides to others, these continued to be blind. "And they profaned my holy things." They were performing the services, he says, unlawfully; then he lists the types of lawlessness. "They did not distinguish between the holy and the profane, and they did not distinguish between the clean and the unclean." They did not distinguish, he says, nor did they teach what was holy and divine, and what was profane and human. For he does not call the "profane" here the impious, but that which is common and separated from divine things. And "clean and unclean" are those things separated according to the law, and again those forbidden according to the law; he speaks not only of foods and sacrifices, but also of garments, and other things that occur both by intent and beyond intent—flow of semen, and those suffering from menstruation, and the touch of leprosy, and the touch of a corpse, and cases of animals dying of themselves, and those caught by a beast, and all the other things which the law prescribes. To these he adds: "And they hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I was profaned in the midst of them." For, seeing the day of the sabbaths ^B openly treated with insult, and unlawful work being performed on the day of rest, they were unwilling to rebuke those who dared to act lawlessly, but, as if closing their eyes, they pretended not to see the things which they were continually seeing. Returning again to the rulers, he says:

Ver. 27. "Her rulers in the midst of her are like wolves snatching prey, to shed blood, to destroy souls, so that they might gain more by greed." Those who had obtained the lot to rule, he says, were making unjust slaughters an opportunity for gain, and those who ought to have been champions of the injured, they became the parties of those who were doing the injury. From this point he moves on to the prophets, saying:

Ver. 28. "And her prophets smearing them." He also said this above, when he taught that the wall badly built by the people had been even more badly smeared by the false prophets. He says that those who were called prophets were confirming the things done wrongly by the rulers, using flattering words, and having been taught to serve the authorities. Then he teaches their punishment: "They shall fall, seeing vain things, and divining lies, saying: 'Thus says the Lord Adonai,' and"

non est locutus. ^A Imitating the true prophets, they attributed their false oracles to the person of God and ascribed their lies to the fountain of truth. These things, he says, they were saying:

VERS. 29. *Oppressing the people of the land with injustice, and snatching up loot, oppressing the beggar and the poor, and not returning to the sojourner with judgment.* They were using lies, he says, and were prophesying according to the will of the princes, eager to secure safety for themselves against the poor and making lies an opportunity for profit.

VERS. 30. *And I sought from among them a man walking uprightly, and standing in the breach of the hedge before my face for the time of the land, that I might not utterly destroy it, and I did not find one.* This he also teaches through Jeremiah, when he says: "Traverse the streets of Jerusalem, and see, and seek in her broad places, if you find one who performs judgment and seeks faithfulness, and I will be propitious to her." ^B Accordingly, he says here too, that from among the princes, from among the priests, and from among all the others, I was seeking at least one man, able to stand in the breach of the hedge—that is, able to restrain the inflicted punishments by his own righteousness, and able to close and obstruct that breach which had been made on account of iniquity and the entrance of the punishments—and I did not find one. Therefore,

VERS. 31. *I have poured out, he says, my fury upon it in the heat of my anger, to consume them.* And showing that the punishments were just, he added: *Their ways I have rendered upon their heads, says Adonai the Lord.* For because they walked perversely and iniquitously, they found the fruit congruent to their way. From this it is possible to perceive not only the superabundance of divine goodness ^C but also the impiety of the Jews. For concerning Sodom, he had promised that if he found five righteous men, he would preserve the whole city unharmed by punishment; but here, having sought for one, he did not find him. On account of this, he saw to it that it was delivered to the enemies to be overthrown. It befits us, therefore, to whom it has been discovered that divine mercy is joined with judgment—"For mercy and judgment," he says, "I will sing to you, O Lord" ^D—not to linger in the practices of sins, nor to contemn the long-suffering of God, nor to store up for ourselves wrath against the day of wrath, and of revelation, and of the just judgment of God, who will render to each according to his works: to him be glory to the ages of ages. Amen.

VOLUME IX. LIBER NONUS. EZECHIELIS CHAPTER XXIII.

^A VERS. 1-3. *And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying: Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother. And they committed fornication in Egypt.* In what we have already interpreted, he called the whole people one harlot. For there was but one people from the beginning; but when, in the reign of Rehoboam, the division occurred, and some were called Ephraim and Israel, while others were called Judah, he rightly employs the parabolic and tropical form according to that division. He calls them by their metropolises: the ten tribes by Samaria, and Judah and Benjamin by Jerusalem. He asserts that they were of one mother, not only because of their one root of lineage, but also because, regarding their impiety, they had one mother: Egypt. For previously, through a metaphor, he called their mother a Hittite, and their father an Amorite. These, therefore, he says, "committed fornication in Egypt." Then he also reveals the time: "In their youth they committed fornication; there their breasts were pressed, and there they were deflowered." For their fathers—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—shone in piety, and the sons of Jacob remained uninitiated into the mysteries of idolatry; but those who were born from them, when they dwelt in Egypt, learned impiety. ^B By "youth," he designates the beginning of their increase in number; and by "corruption" and the "pressing of breasts," the learning of impious dogmas. For just as flaccidity follows the loss of maidenhood in the breasts, so to the falling away from God follows the collapse of that which holds the rule within us; for the breasts are, as it were, its coverings and projections. Since he metaphorically named them women, he also imposes upon them the names of certain Egyptian women who were noted for their intemperance, and he says:

^C VERS. 4. *And their names are Oolla the elder, and Ooliba the younger, her sister.* Having spoken the former things enigmatically, he brought his speech to what is clearer, and made mention of those harlot women, amplifying the accusation, as he desires to instill in them a sense of their impiety through the example. Then he recounts the benefit that had come to them by him.

^A *And they were mine, and they bore me sons and daughters, and their names are Samaria, Oolla, and Jerusalem, Ooliba.* By "custom and fellowship" he designates the agreement that had come about through the Law; for he was the one who gave the laws, while they promised to observe the laws that were given. But the phrase, *they bore me sons and daughters*, declares that, while living under the Law for some time, they had trained their children in piety. Up to this point, therefore, he has accused both of them collectively; but from this point on, after the division of the tribes had occurred, he accuses Samaria first, whom he named Oolla; for she was the first to collapse into the impiety of the calves, when the kingdom was divided into two.

^B VERSE 5. *And Oolla, he says, played the harlot away from me, and attached herself to her lovers.* As if speaking of a woman, he has used the name of "lovers"; but he implies and signifies the demons, whom she persevered in worshipping. Then he also teaches the kinds of her impiety.

*And, he says, the Assyrians, those approaching her.* (VERS. 6, 7.) *Clothed in hyacinth, princes and leaders, all of them chosen youths, riders on horses.* *And she gave her fornication upon them, upon all the chosen sons of the Assyrians, upon whom she attached herself; she was polluted in all her desires.* By the riddle, *chosen youths clothed in hyacinth*, he calls the idols, thus painted and figured by them. For all those of antiquity who were given to impiety were accustomed to clothe their gods in the costumes used in their own state. The Greeks and Romans, for instance, arm Mars according to the form of their own attire; the Persians do so according to their own; and the Indians do so one way, the Ethiopians another, and likewise each of the nations that is named. ^C Nevertheless, he teaches also that they themselves were the first to call the Assyrians to their aid, having despised the fellowship of God. For having summoned Phul (this was the king of the Assyrians) for aid against the Syrians, they promised to pay him tribute and taxes; from then on, the social interaction introduced the impiety. Then he adds:

VERSE 8. *And she did not abandon her fornication from Egypt, because they slept with her in her youth, and they deflowered her, and poured their fornication upon her.* Having been joined with the Assyrians, he says, and having been infused with their superstition, she did not even neglect the Egyptian disciplines; rather, she preserved them very diligently. Having thus recounted the kinds of her impiety, he also demonstrates the justice of the punishment.

^D VERSE 9. *Therefore I delivered her into the hands of her lovers, into the hands of the sons of the Assyrians, upon whom she attached herself.*

^A For since she did not keep my laws, but while dedicated to me, she loved others, I deprived her of my providence and delivered her to those whom she preferred to my company.

VERS. 10. *They, he says, uncovered her shame; they took her sons and her daughters and slew her with the sword, and she became a subject of speech among women, and they wrought judgments upon her.* ^B Thus, he says, cast off by me, she learned by experience what my company is and what the wickedness of her lovers is. For immediately, having taken her into their power, first they exposed her fornication with punishment, then they slaughtered her most cruelly and without any mercy; and they carried off her sons and daughters as captives of war, and every city speaks of what befell her. For he again called the cities "women" figuratively. Nor did they show this cruelty toward her alone, but also toward her daughters; and he means the cities and villages subject to her. These things, then, the ten tribes endured, first under Theglathphalasar, then under Salmanasar, who were kings of the Assyrians. Having thus narrated things pertaining to Samaria, he transfers the discourse to Jerusalem, and says:

VERS. 11, 12. *And her sister Ooliba saw, and she corrupted her outreach* (but Aquila interpreted "outreach" as "desire") *above her, and she multiplied her fornication above the fornication of her sister. She attached herself to the sons of the Assyrians, the governors and commanders who were near her, and those clothed in blue, horsemen riding on horses, all of them choice young men.* ^C Jerusalem, he says, did these same things as Samaria, and similarly, having trampled upon the covenants with me, she preferred the gods of the Syrians; for she relied on their alliance and despised my aid. For by "governors and commanders," he hinted at the alliance made with them.

VERS. 13. *And I saw, he says, that the way of the two was polluted. Their practices, he says, were similar and rival one another.*

VERS. 14-16. *And she added to her fornication, and she saw men depicted on the wall, images of the Chaldeans depicted in colors with a stylus. ^D Girded with variegated garments upon their loins, and dyed tiaras upon their heads: the appearance of all was triple, similar to the sons of Babylon, of the Chaldeans, the land of their nativity. And she attached herself to them by the vision of her eyes.*

He rightly and very appropriately mocks the feebleness of the idols, teaching that they are nothing else than colors, and shapes, and products of art. And the *appearance of all was triple* signifies their many forms. Symmachus, indeed, [original-script column: see facsimile]

^A interpreted it as the "appearance of spoilers of all." These, he says, having seen, and seeing nothing else but the images of the painter’s art, she fell in love with their company; for everywhere he hints at the worship of idols.

"And he sent," he says, "messengers to them into the land of the Chaldeans." 17. "And the sons of Babylon came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their whoredom, and she was defiled with them, and her soul was alienated from them." She, he says, having summoned them for help, and having contracted impiety from her association with them, again departed from them. But he does not here speak of a turning away from the demons, but from the Babylonians themselves; for Joacim, and Jechonias, and Sedecias violated the covenants which they had made with the Babylonians. ^B

18. "And she revealed her whoredom, and uncovered her nakedness, and my soul was alienated from her, as my soul was alienated from her sister." Having seen, he says, the excess of her impiety, I stripped her of my providence. For again, according to the mode of allegory, he has posited a soul—not because the Divine is divided into soul and body, for It is incorporeal and simple—but he uses discourse in a human fashion and according to the custom of men, accommodating himself to the weakness of men. Up to this point, therefore, he seemed to be speaking with the prophet; but from here on, as if brought to memory through the narration of the things which she herself dared, he transfers the discourse to her.

19. "And thou hast multiplied," he says, "thy whoredom, to remember the days of thy youth, in which thou playedst the whore in Egypt." I had consigned to forgetfulness, he says, the offenses you committed in Egypt; but you have made the memory of these to bloom again through your later practices. For the identity of lawlessness often knows how to bring to mind former sins. Then again, allegorically and figuratively, he makes his accusation of the worship of idols. ^C

20, 21. "And thou didst dote upon the Chaldeans, whose flesh is as the flesh of asses, and whose members are as the members of horses. And thou didst visit the iniquity of thy youth, which thou didst in Egypt in thy lodging, where the breasts of thy youth were bruised." And with the Chaldeans, he says, being joined, you did not neglect even your Egyptian practices; but you worshipped both their gods and those of the others. And he compared their great godlessness and their polytheism to the members of horses and asses: because he also calls the worship of idols whoredom. For souls that have been joined and dedicated to God, when they subsequently leave Him and embrace the company of the demons, are deservedly termed adulteresses. ^D

^A VERS. 22-24. *Therefore thus saith Adonai the Lord: Behold I will raise up thy lovers against thee, from whom thy soul departed, and I will bring them against thee round about.* The sons of Babylon, and all the Chaldeans, Phacud, and Sud, and Cud, and all the sons of the Assyrians with them, choice young men, leaders and commanders, all of them picked men, and men of renown, riding upon horses. And they shall come against thee, all from the north with weapons, and chariots, and wheels, and a multitude of peoples; and they shall set on thee breastplates, and shields, and helmets, and they shall cast upon thee a watch round about. By these, He says, you shall learn from the events who I am, and who your lovers are; for I, having been despised by you, continued to act with long-suffering; but these, as soon as they learned of your defection, shall arrive with all manner of panoply, using horses and chariots, and bringing along all their subjects, and they shall block up your entrances with ^B trenches and embankments. For this is what He indicated by saying: *And they shall cast a watch upon thee round about.* Then He adds:

*And I will give judgment before their face, and they shall judge thee according to their judgments.* (VERS. 25.) *And I will give my jealousy in thee, and they shall act with thee in the wrath of my fury.* Because you preferred them to My providence, I will through those very same people exact from you the penalties for the transgressions you committed against Me, and I will deliver you to their tribunals. He also recounts the types of punishment:

*They shall take away thy nose and thy ears, and the rest of thee shall fall by the sword: they shall take thy sons and thy daughters, and the rest of thee shall be devoured by fire.* (VERS. 26.) *And they shall strip thee of thy garments, and shall take away the vessels of thy glory.* Some, He says, they will carry off as captives of war, others they will strike down in battle, others they will mutilate with ferocity and cruelty; and all your possessions they will plunder, and will deliver the most of your things to the fire. He also demonstrates the benefit that will arise from the punishment.

^C VERS. 27. *And I will turn away thy impieties from thee, and thy fornication from the land of Egypt thou shalt no more remember.* For when you are engaged in those evils, you will perceive your own transgression, and you will greatly detest those things which became the cause of this calamity to you.

VERS. 28, 29. *Because thus saith Adonai the Lord: Behold I deliver thee into the hands of those whom thou hatest, from whom thy soul departed.* (VERS. 29.) *And they shall act with thee in hatred, and shall take all thy toils and thy fatigues, and thou shalt be naked and shameful, and shall be revealed* [thy shame...]

and the shame of thy fornication and of thy impiety. Having fallen in love, he says, with the Chaldeans, you hated them in turn, but I shall deliver you to them, and through them I shall exact from you the penalties of punishment, and through that punishment I shall lay bare the whole of your impiety. For those who behold your calamities shall learn that the cause of these was your own wickedness. Wherefore he justly adds:

VERS. 30. *Thy fornication has done this to thee, while thou didst walk after the nations, and didst pollute thyself with their imaginations.* You followed, he says, the practices of the nations, which, relying on their own reasoning, devised impiety. And you did not only, he says, imitate the *B* impiety of other nations, but also:

VERS. 31. *Thou hast walked in the way of thy sister, and I will give her cup into thy hands.* Whatever Samaria has suffered, he says, you also shall suffer; for he called the punishment a cup, as it causes heaviness and drunkenness to those who drink it.

VERS. 32-34. *Thus saith the Lord Adonai: Thou shalt drink thy sister's cup, which is deep and wide, and it shall be for laughter and for derision in abundance. Thou shalt be filled with drunkenness and dissolution, the cup of perdition and destruction, the cup of thy sister Samaria. And thou shalt drink it, and shalt drain it to the dregs, and shalt devour its shards, and shalt tear thy breasts.* He called the cup deep because of the magnitude of the calamity; and wide, on account of the time of the seventy years. He named it a cup of destruction on account of the desolation that had occupied the city: and he added, "thou shalt drain the dregs," because it endured the final ^C siege; and he spoke of the devouring of the shards on account of the extreme evils into which it fell; and the tearing of the breasts on account of the repentance that they would bring forth. *And thy feasts, he says, and thy new moons I will turn away, because I have spoken, saith the Lord Adonai.* Every public assembly of thine, and every joy I will extinguish, and I will put an end to my words; for I am a true and guileless Master.

VERS. 35. *Therefore thus saith the Lord Adonai: Because thou hast forgotten me, and cast me behind thy back, take thou also thine impiety, and thy fornication.* Since you have preferred the pleasures of the body to my service, receive, he says, the rewards of intemperance. Through these things, however, he implies that wickedness was the foundation of impiety: for those who were enslaved to pleasures slipped away into the worship of idols. *D*

^B VERSES 36, 37. And the Lord said to me, Son of man, will you judge Oollah and Oolibah, and announce to them their crimes? Because they were committing adultery, and blood is on their hands, and in their thoughts they were committing adultery, and their children, whom they bore for me, they led through the fire. "Will you judge?" Other interpreters have rendered this as "be a judge." He says: "Assume my role, O prophet, and pass judgment on Samaria and Jerusalem, and refute their transgressions, as to how they, abandoning me, were mingled with idols; and how they offered the children provided to them by me as a sacrifice to those idols, scorning my laws and profaning my Sabbaths." For he subjoined this:

VERS. 38. Even while they were doing these things to me, they were polluting my holy things on that day, and profaning my Sabbaths.

VERS. 39. And when they slaughtered their children to their idols, and entered into my holy places on that day, they profaned them.

VERS. 40, 41. And you sent to men coming from afar, to whom you sent messengers, and as soon as they came, immediately you washed, and painted your eyes with stibium, and adorned yourself with ornament. And you sat on an adorned bed, and a table prepared before it.

VERS. 42. And they rejoiced in them.

^A coming from the multitude of men drunken from the wilderness," for what is more desolate than those who worship idols? "From those," he says, "desolate souls you received the teachings of impiety, and you accepted them with musical instruments resounding with a sweet sound. And you gave them bracelets upon their hands, and a crown of glory upon their heads." For those who choose to worship idols receive nothing from them; rather, they offer to them the gifts bestowed by God, adorning them with every kind of ^B ornament.

VERS. 43. And I said: "Do they not commit adultery in these, and are these not harlotries, and she herself has played the harlot?" For I was saying, he says, using the prophets as instruments, that your adultery is boldly committed with inanimate objects, and such practices are for you the practices of a harlot.

VERS. 44. And they used to enter unto her, just as they enter unto a harlot woman, so they used to enter unto Oollah and Oolibah, the wicked women, to commit iniquity. For having obtained license from their wickedness, as if toward ^C harlots and women exposed to all, they thus entered unto Samaria and Jerusalem—both the demons who are the subverters of souls, and the Chaldeans who had been taught their worship. He therefore transfers the discourse to these, and says:

VERS. 45. And these are righteous men. He has applied the epithet "righteous," not bearing witness to their righteousness—for they were most unjust, most iniquitous, and exceedingly impious—but he has applied "righteous" by comparison with the impious deeds of this [woman]; that is to say, if they are compared with you, they are righteous. He also did this earlier when speaking of Jerusalem, ^D for he said: "And you have justified your sisters in your sins, and in all your iniquities which you have committed." And here also he says, "These are righteous men," that is, compared to you. "And they shall execute upon them the vengeance of adulteresses, and judgment of those who shed blood, because they are adulteresses, and blood is on their hands." Of homicide, he says, and of adultery they shall pay the penalty, having obtained their paramours as judges, and they shall suffer those things which adulterous women and murderers justly endure. And so, having finished the enigmatic narrative, he pronounces the sentence against them.

VERS. 46, 47. Thus says the Lord Adonai: Bring upon them multitudes, and give them over to perturbation and plunder. And let them be stoned with the stones of the crowds, and pierce them with their swords; their sons and

daughters they shall kill, and their houses they shall burn with fire. Then He shows the utility that will result from this.

^B Verse 48. "And I will remove impiety from the land, and all women shall be instructed, and shall not do according to your impieties." For, he says, as they undergo these things, and are given over to stones, and swords, and fire, every city will reap a benefit, learning what are the rewards of impiety. And here again he has called the cities "women."

Verse 49. "And your impiety shall be given upon you, and you shall receive all the sins of your desires, and you shall know that I am the Lord." You shall bear, he says, the fruits of your impiety; for you did not receive it by necessity, but by will and desire. But from the punishment itself you shall harvest the greatest benefit, through which you shall acknowledge Me as Lord. May we obtain this acknowledgment, not by being taught through the experience of evils, but by perceiving the divine benefits, and by abominating an ungrateful mind, and by constantly renewing ourselves each day in the remembrance of God, and by being inflamed with the love of God through the operation of the all-holy Spirit, and by awaiting the epiphany of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father is the glory, with the Holy Spirit, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

VOLUME X. TENTH BOOK. CHAPTER XXIV.

Verses 1, 2. "And the word of the Lord came to me in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth of the month, saying: Son of man, write for yourself the name of this day, from which the king of Babylon was confirmed against Jerusalem, from this day forward." He taught us the time at which the Babylonian set out against Jerusalem with his army. While he was besieging the city, the prophet signifies to those who had already been taken in war the evils that were imminent. Therefore, the Lord, also showing the truth of the prophecy, commands to note down the day on which the enemy began to attack the city, so that both from the time and from the event of the things, both those who had already been reduced to servitude and those who were being besieged might learn that God had predicted these things concerning them from the beginning, and not because of the enemies'

' strength were they defeated, but by paying the penalty for their own sins.

VER. 3. *And say to the house that provokes to anger, a parable.* After having noted the time, the prophet is commanded to teach metaphorically and enigmatically concerning what will happen to the city, so that through the obscurity of what is said, the more studious listeners might be made to inquire, and might understand the divine oracles more accurately.

And you shall say to them: *Thus says the Lord Adonai: Set on a pot, set it on, and pour water into it, and put into it the pieces, every good piece, the thigh and the shoulder, having separated the flesh from the bones.* He calls the city a pot; the poured water, calamities of every kind; and the pieces—the legs and shoulders from the choice animals—the princes and leaders and priests who are wealthy in resources, riches, and power, and who are surrendered to these same calamities. The bones being burnt are those who were previously paupers and are now surrendered to the Babylonians and their battle-line. He adds: *It has boiled, it has fermented, and the bones have been burnt in the midst of it.* He says that when the fire was brought in, the bones were burnt and consumed. For the famine has consumed those who provided the sustenance of life, and they have arrived at the summit of evils, undergoing the sieges of those besieging them.

VER. 6. *Therefore thus says the Lord Adonai: Woe to the city of blood, the pot in which is rust, and the rust has not gone out of it; limb by limb it has brought it out, lot has not fallen upon it.* He has taught us here that he also earlier called the city a pot, and he calls sin the rust of the pot. And the accusation is greatest, that not even so great a fire of calamities has consumed the rust of the pot. But the phrase, *limb by limb it has brought it out, lot has not fallen upon it,* declares that no one escaped the calamities brought upon it, nor were some chosen by lot for destruction and others for salvation, just as had already happened in past calamities: but all were handed over to common calamities, and without distinction—some were surrendered to famine, others to plague; some were killed fighting, or, having been captured during the siege, they were led into servitude. He also teaches the cause of the evils.

VER. 7. *For the blood, he says, was in the midst of it.* These, he says, endure the penalty for paying for excessive bloodguilt.

*Upon a dry rock I have placed it, I have not poured it upon the earth to cover it.* ^{A B C D} “And I will multiply the wood,” meaning, I shall provide many occasions and materials for this fire of evils, in order that I might ignite this, “and the pieces of meat that are to be boiled,” that is, the men in the city, I shall cause them to be broken down; and some shall be consumed by famine, burning away like bones, while others shall be scorched by calamities of every kind, just as meat being boiled. And by the intense application of fire, the broth also shall be consumed, and every necessary provision and pretext for solace, so that finally the cauldron itself, coming into contact with the fire, shall be melted down and consumed along with its rust. For when those fighting in defense of the city were defeated, it was captured, laid waste, and handed over to fire; but nevertheless, he says, even though such great evils fell upon it, it was not rid of its rust, but the inclination toward sinning remained within it. Therefore he adds: *Its rust is great; its rust shall be put to shame.* (13) *In your uncleanness is burning.* You, he says, in your lawlessness, have ignited this boiling and the flame of the fire; for you possessed a great rust of sins, which in the present is stripped bare and shall be filled with shame.

^A That you were defiled, and you have not been cleansed from your impurity, and you shall not be cleansed anymore until I fulfill my fury in you. For since you did not wish to heal your wounds through repentance, you shall not obtain forgiveness, nor shall you enjoy cleansing until you have paid the penalty for those things in which you acted lawlessly; then he shows the truth of these things by the quality of the person.

14. I the Lord have spoken. And that which remains in it is the propensity to sin. Therefore ^{B C D}

^A *And it shall come, and I will act; I will not refrain, neither will I spare, nor will I have compassion.* For I will not leave some and deliver others, but I will deliver all of them to the evils with which I have threatened them. And he also points out the justice of the punishment. *According to your ways, and according to your thoughts I will judge you, says the Lord Adonai.* And he states the same thing more fully: *Therefore, behold, I will judge you according to your thoughts, and according to your blood, I will judge you, O polluted, O famous, and great in provoking.* ^B You have become famous, he says, for your wickedness; and the cause of your lawlessness is your following of wicked designs; and this he indicated by saying: *According to your thoughts, and according to your blood, I will judge you.* For first we design, whether good or evil, and then we add the deed to the thoughts. From here he transfers the prophecy to another form, and says:

VERS. 15-17. *And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, behold, I take away from you the desire of your eyes: you shall not lament, nor shall you weep, neither shall tears come to you. Groan in silence, the groaning is a mourning of blood in the loins.* The "desires," or "thoughts ^C of the eyes" (for so some of the manuscripts have it), he calls the wife; upon whose death, the prophet is commanded neither to weep nor to lament, but to groan in silence, and that in the context of the mourning being "in the loins." For by the loins he declared the desire for procreation. Thus also the divine Apostle, speaking of Levi, said: *For he was still in the loins of his father when Melchisedech met him, and blessed him.* Therefore we are also commanded to gird our loins, so that we may restrain and check the impulses of desire. When, therefore, he wished to indicate the greatness of the affliction, he rightly said, *The groaning is a mourning of blood in the loins*—that is, the groaning and the mourning ^D concerning the death is in the loins. Nevertheless, though the calamity was such, he is commanded not to lament: *For you shall not make a human mourning.* Then he also teaches the manner: *Your hair shall be braided upon you, and your shoes upon your feet, and you shall not be comforted by their lips, and you shall not eat the bread of men.* Do not, he says, venture to do any of those things which those who mourn are accustomed to do: neither have your hair cut, nor walk with bare feet, nor receive any consolation through the so-called funeral feasts. It appears, moreover, that the prophet was also a Nazirite. *For your hair,* he says, *shall be braided upon you.* And previously likewise…

he was commanded to drink not wine, but water; and both of these are characteristic of Nazirites.

Ver. 18. *And I spoke to the people in the morning, as he had commanded me; and my wife died in the evening, and I did in the morning as I was commanded.* The prophet perfectly expresses a certain type of God, the author of all things. For since the Israelite people had been joined to the Lord as a bride, and was then to be handed over to enslavement and slaughter, and the divine temple was to be burned, the prophet provides a certain type of the things to come: with his wife dying suddenly, he is commanded neither to lament, nor to weep, nor to assume a mournful habit, nor to partake of a table prepared for the sake of consolation, but to groan in silence; showing that he himself will count those who were joined to him worthy of no clemency, yet will inflict punishment upon them against his own will: *For he does not desire the death of the sinner, so much as that he should turn and live.* ^B For this reason, he also commands the prophet to groan in silence; by this very thing signifying that he also bears the calamities brought upon the people against his will, both possessing great goodness, and by reason of this inclining toward clemency, yet compelled to punish because of the excess of their lawlessness.

Vers. 19-24. *And my people said, he says, to me: Will you not announce to us what these things are which you do? And I said to them: The word of the Lord came to me, saying: Say to the house of Israel: Thus says the Lord Adonai: Behold, I am profaning my sanctuary, the pride of your strength, the desires of your eyes, and that for which your souls spare themselves; and your sons and your daughters, whom you left behind, shall fall by the sword. And you shall do as I have done; you shall not be consoled by their mouth, and you shall not eat the bread of men. ^C And your hair shall be upon your head, and your sandals upon your feet: you shall neither howl, nor weep; and you shall pine away in your hearts, and you shall not console one another, each his brother. And Ezekiel shall be a portent to you; according to all that he has done, you shall do, when these things come, and you shall know that I am the Lord Adonai.* By means of the very events, he says, I showed you the prophecy, and in my own person I sketched out the things that were to happen to you. For just as I, when my consort received the end of life, did none of the things accustomed to be performed for the dead—no lamentation, no tear, no mournful habit—so also you, when your sons and your daughters are slaughtered, and the holy temple is profaned by the entry of the impious barbarians, upon which ^D

^B you will not even have permission to mourn, nor to perform the customary rites, neither to shave your head, nor to bare your feet of sandals, nor to unburden the weight of your grief with lachrymal streams, nor to enjoy a table of consolation, nor to perform any other of the things that are customary. And you shall be reminded of the things that were done by the prophet, and you shall learn through the outcome of events that the prophet became for you a kind of portent and sign, having brought to you through these very events the prediction of things to come.

VERS. 25-27. And thou, son of man, shall it not be in the day when I take from them their strength, the exaltation of their glory, the desires of their eyes, and the exaltation of their soul, their sons and their daughters? In that day he who is saved shall come to thee, in order to report it to thy ears. In that day thy mouth shall be opened to the one who is saved, and thou shalt speak, and thou shalt be silent no more, and thou shalt be a portent to them, and they shall know that I am the Adonai Lord. You will not only teach them these things in the present, but also when the prediction has been confirmed by the event, and when those things which are holy have been delivered to the impious barbarians, and their sons and daughters have been delivered to the slaughter, and someone arrives from there to teach of the things that have happened, you, recalling the predictions to them, will not be able to remain silent, so that they may learn that it has happened as I willed and permitted, and that they have paid the penalty for their impious crimes; and that it was not because of the strength of the enemy, but because of my just wrath that they suffered what they endured. From here, then, he turns the prophecy toward those who were living as neighbors to Israel and who rejoiced over them, and he brings first into the midst the sons of Ammon.

CHAPTER XXV

VERS. 1-5. And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, set thy face against the sons of Ammon, and prophesy against them. And thou shalt say to the sons of ^C Ammon: Hear the word of the Adonai Lord; thus says the Adonai Lord: Because you rejoiced over my sanctuary, because it was profaned, and over the land of Israel, because it was made desolate, and over the house of Judah, because it went into captivity: therefore, behold, I deliver you to the sons of Kedem for an inheritance, and they shall fix their tents with their baggage in thee, and they shall place their tabernacles in thee, and they shall eat thy fruits, and they shall drink thy fatness. And I will make the city of Ammon a pasture for camels, and the sons of Ammon a pasture for sheep, and you shall know that I am the Adonai Lord. Other interpreters translate "sons of Kedem" as "sons of the East"; these are they who trace their lineage from Ishmael. Therefore, the Author of all things, God, says through the prophet to the sons of Ammon: Since you rejoiced, dedicated...

to me trodden underfoot by base and wicked men, and the land of Israel laid waste, and the tribe of Judah taken captive, I will deliver you into the hands of those who are much ^A inferior and weaker than the Babylonians; these will overwhelm you with many calamities, pitching their tents in your cities, grazing their herds of camels in your lands, and making you yourselves into shepherds of sheep. When these things, then, happen to you, you will learn that it was not because of my weakness that my people suffered what they suffered, but because of their own transgression.

6, 7. Therefore, thus says Adonai the Lord: Because you clapped your hand, and stamped your foot, and rejoiced with all your soul ^B over the land of Israel, therefore, behold, I will stretch out my hand over you, and I will give you as a spoil to the nations, and I will destroy you from the peoples, and I will perish you from the lands in destruction, and you shall know that I am Adonai the Lord. Since, he says, you were rejoicing and exulting over the evils of my people, and were clapping with your hands, and making a noise with your feet, leaping and dancing, for this reason you will suffer more grievous things, and through the very events you will learn of my lordship. From there he transfers the prophecy to Moab, who was a brother to Ammon, and a neighbor.

8-11. Thus says Adonai the Lord: Because Moab and Seir said, ^C "Behold, in the same way as all the nations, the house of Israel and Judah," therefore, behold, I will loosen the shoulder of Moab from his cities, from his borders, the chosen land, the house of Beth-iesimoth, above the fountain of the city by the sea, Baelmon and Cariathaim. The sons of Kedem I have given as an inheritance along with the sons of Ammon, and I will give it up for an abolition, so that there may be no memory of the sons of Ammon among the nations. And upon Moab I will execute vengeance, and you shall know that I am the Lord. He joined Seir with Moab since it also belonged to the neighboring peoples; and "Seir" he calls those who trace their ^D lineage from Esau. He was also called Edom, meaning "the tawny" or "the red"; while "Seir" means "the thick" or "hairy." Both of these names belonged to Esau, the brother of Jacob. "For he came out," he says, "the first, red; he was entirely like a hide, hairy." The patriarch Jacob also says regarding him to his mother: "Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man." Since, therefore, he says, Seir and Moab, insulting the evils of my people, dared to say that there is nothing different between my peo-

and other nations, and this curse has been cast upon me, since just like the idols of other nations I was unable through weakness to aid my people: for this reason, 'I loose the shoulder of Moab from his cities,' that is to say, I will destroy their strength; and I will take care to overturn not only those situated on the promontories, but also his maritime cities. He calls those situated by the Dead Sea ^A maritime; for the Moabites lived far from any other sea. He also brings forward the names of the cities, of which until the present time a few remains exist, and some belong to this Arabia, others to that. And he adds that he will deliver these also to the same enemies to whom he had also delivered their brothers, the sons of Ammon, and that by experience they will perceive that I am the powerful Lord, who is able to bring aid, but because of the crimes of the people refuses to do so. Therefore he added: 'And they shall know that I am the Lord.' Having thus foretold what is to befall Moab, he transfers his discourse to Seir, which is the same as Edom, ^B transferring the discourse.

VERS. 12-14. Thus says the Lord Adonai: For what Idumea has done by taking vengeance for them with vengeance in anger against the house of Judah, and they have harbored resentment, and have taken vengeance upon them: therefore thus says the Lord Adonai: And I will stretch out my hand over Idumea, and I will cut off from it man and beast, and I will make it a desert, and from Thæman and Dædan those who sustain persecution shall fall by the sword. And I will give my vengeance upon Idumea in the hand of my people Israel, and they shall do in Idumea according to my wrath, and they shall know my vengeance, says the Lord Adonai.

For since they not only rejoiced like the Moabites and Ammonites, but also made their wickedness known by their deeds, preserving that ancient wrath: 'For Esau was angry,' he says, 'at Jacob for the blessing with which his father blessed him'; for this reason I will not deliver them to other enemies, but to my own people who have been wronged by them, so that through total desolation they may learn the power of my dominion. Now Thæman is a city of Idumea, and ^C Dædan likewise, of those who were born to the patriarch Abraham by Chettura, and they received their names from their founders. Dædan was near to Idumea, and agreed with her. Thus, having foretold what pertains to these, he transfers the prediction to the aliens. For the Idumeans, since they are sprung from Isaac, are not aliens: nor are the Ammonites or Moabites, who trace their race from Lot. Therefore the Tyrians and Sidonians, and all others who were neighbors of these, were aliens: ^D but the divine Scripture especially calls the Ascalonites, and Gazæans, and Geththæans, and Acaronites, and Azotians aliens, because Judæ

Judæ ^A a tribe, they possessed land conjoined, and were very close neighbors and borderers. He declares, therefore, also those things which were to happen to them.

Verses 15–17: *Thus saith Adonai the Lord: Because the aliens have acted in anger, and have stirred up vengeance, rejoicing with their whole soul, to destroy because of ancient hatred. Therefore thus saith Adonai the Lord: Behold I will stretch out my hands upon the aliens, and I will exterminate the Cretans, and I will destroy the remnants that inhabit the seacoast.* And I will execute upon them great vengeance in the rebuke of my wrath, and they shall know that I am Adonai the Lord, when I shall have given my vengeance upon them.

^B He brings the same charge of wrath against the Idumæans as well. For, having kept alive their grudge against my people, he says, as if against one who had been victorious and had secured his own kingdom, they turned the time of calamity into a time of vengeance; and rising up, they inflicted myriad evils upon them. On this account, I shall exact from them the penalties for their hatred, and I shall divinely inflict upon them stripes; and along with their princes, I shall destroy those subject to them, and I shall hand them over to inescapable evils, so that by those things which they endure, they may learn the power of my sovereignty.

But let us not wait to learn who our Lord is through the experience of evils; but rather, having received knowledge through his eternal gifts, let us be thankful for his benefits, and avoid the desire for vengeance, having learned of its pernicious fruits; and let us observe the apostolic command, not waiting for the sun to go down upon mutual offenses, but before its setting let us extinguish (our) anger. For so shall we mitigate the anger of the just Judge against us, and we shall enjoy that beloved and most desired benevolence, of which may we all be partakers by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father is glory, together with the Holy Spirit, ^C unto the ages of ages. Amen.

VOLUME XI

BOOK ELEVENTH

CHAPTER XXVI

Verses 1, 2. *And it came to pass in the eleventh year, on the first of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying:*

^A *Son of man, because Tyre said of Jerusalem, Aha, she is broken, she is perished; the nations have turned to me, I shall be filled.* In the eleventh year of the captivity of Jeconiah, and in the reign of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, Jerusalem was taken by the Babylonians. A few days, therefore, before its capture, the prophet is commanded to speak prophetic words against Tyre. For Tyre is called Sor in the language of its inhabitants. It had rejoiced at the siege of Jerusalem, ^B imagining that, once that most illustrious city was overthrown, it would itself rise to power over all the surrounding nations.

Verses 3-6. *Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I bring upon thee, O Tyre, and I will bring upon thee many nations, as the sea rises with its waves, and they shall cast down thy walls. And they shall dig down thy towers, and I will scrape her dust from her, and I will make her like a bare rock. It shall be a drying place for fishnets in the midst of the sea, for I have spoken, saith the Lord God, and it shall be for a spoil to the nations. And her daughters that are in the field shall be slain by the sword, and they shall know that I am the Lord.* By these things he threatens them with the campaign of the Babylonians; and he says that its walls also will be destroyed, and that it will become a wilderness, so that it will resemble certain smooth rocks upon which ^C fishermen are accustomed to spread their nets. He says also that its subject cities and villages will be desolated; for these he calls her daughters. He signifies, moreover, the profit that will arise from the calamities, when he says: *They shall know that I am the Lord.*

Verses 7, 8. *For thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will bring upon thee, O Tyre, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, from the north; he is the king of kings, with horses, and chariots, and horsemen, and a great multitude of many nations. He shall slay thy daughters that are in the field with the sword, and he shall set over thee a siege-fort, and he shall build a wall against thee, and he shall cast up a trench for thee, and he shall build a wall round about thee, and a setting of arms, and he shall give his spears before thee.* By "siege-fort" he calls the strongholds which invading ^D enemies are accustomed to build, so that they may both plunder what is outside and destroy those who are besieged through the lack of necessities; and by "he shall build a wall" he designates the fortifications built from the outside by the enemies. He will add, he says, to this encirclement, trenches, and mounds, so that no one may dare to come out, and so that missiles of all kinds may be easily thrown from there. Then he adds:

^A Verses 9-14: *He will destroy your walls and your towers with his weapons. Because of the multitude of his horses, their dust will cover you; at the sound of his horsemen and the wheels of his chariots, your walls will shake, as he enters your gates as one entering a city from the plain. With the hooves of his horses he will trample all your streets; he will slay your people with the sword, and the substance of your strength he will bring down to the ground. He will plunder your power and spoil your goods, and he will destroy your walls, and he will tear down your desirable houses; and your stones, and your timbers, and your dust he will cast into the midst of the sea. And he will dissolve the multitude of your musicians, and the voice of your harps will be heard no more. And I will make you a smooth rock; you will be a drying-place for nets, and you will not be built again, for I have spoken, says Adonai the Lord.*

Everything, he says, that is foretold by me is true. Receive, therefore, the prediction as free from falsehood; for the Babylonians will tear down your walls, and by pulling down your houses that are near them, they will fill them with stones; and so great will be the noise of the horses and chariots that the city will seem to be shaken by some earthquake. And they will plunder your possessions, and reduce your inhabitants to slavery; and such a desolation will seize you that fishermen will dry their wet nets upon you, and what they are accustomed to do on smooth rocks near the sea, that ^B they will do upon you because of the great desolation.

But as to the phrase, *You will not be built again*, we shall learn its meaning from the prophecy of the blessed prophet Isaiah. For that prophet likewise foretold calamities for Tyre, but he circumscribed the miseries within a definite time. *For Tyre will be forsaken*, he says, *for seventy years, as the time of one king, as the time of man. And it will be, after seventy years, that God will visit Tyre, and it will be restored again to its ancient state, and it will be an emporium for all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of all the earth; and its merchandise will be holy to the Lord*, and what follows.

The phrase, therefore, *You will not be built again*, hints at a transformation of ways; for it will not be rebuilt according to its former impiety, but will receive another and directly opposite building, which, according to the prophet Isaiah, will be holy to the Lord. And facts bear witness to this, as does the piety that now prevails. For, having turned from its former superstition and error regarding idols toward God, it has received the light of the knowledge of God.

^C Verses 15, 16: *For thus says the Lord to Tyre: Shall you not shake at the sound of your fall, when the wounded groan, when slaughter is made in your midst?*

^A The islands shall tremble, and all the princes of the nations of the sea shall descend from their thrones, and they shall take off their miters from their heads, and they shall strip off their embroidered garments; they shall be struck with astonishment, they shall sit upon the ground, and they shall fear for their own destruction, and shall groan over you. Tyre was illustrious from the beginning, not only in Asia, but also in Europe; it was necessary, therefore, that the calamity which befell her should become known. Having learned of this, he says, those who inhabit the islands will be terrified, and their kings, out of despondency and grief, will even bare their heads of their diadems (for he called these things miters), and having cast off their sumptuous garments, they will assume a mourning habit, expecting that they themselves will suffer the same things; this is what he signaled when he said, "And they shall fear for their own destruction." And the news of your evils will so torment them that they will even perform a lamentation over you and will say:

Verses 17, 18: *How have you perished and been overthrown from the sea, O laudable city, which was strong in the sea, you and your inhabitants, who brought fear of yourself upon all who dwelt in it? And the islands shall fear from the day of your ruin, and the islands shall be troubled by your power in the sea.* Recalling, he says, your former power, and viewing the calamity that has now seized you, they will indeed follow you, who were once a most noble and celebrated city, with lamentations; but they will be anxious about their own affairs, fearing lest they fall into the same evils.

Verses 19, 20: *For thus says the Lord Adonai: When I make you a desolate city, like cities that shall not be inhabited, when I bring the abyss up over you, and many waters cover you; and I shall bring you down to those who descend into the pit, to the people of the age, and I will place you in the depths of the earth, as an eternal solitude, with those who descend into the pit, so that you may not be inhabited, nor rise again upon the land of the living.* He called the army of the Babylonian the "abyss" because of its multitude. Since the city itself is also encompassed by water, and is a large island, and is situated entirely within the sea, possessing only one entrance from the land, the usage of the metaphor is fitting, calling the host of enemies "many waters" and an "abyss." ^D As for the phrase, "I will bring you down to those who descend into the pit, to the people of the age," it signifies death, to which all who have departed this life in this age have been subject. Therefore, he named the dead the "people of the age." And that which is said, "nor rise again upon the land of the living," declares that which is held in the psalms: "Therefore the ungodly shall not rise in judgment, nor sinners [in the council of the righteous]."

^A And those, too, who at that time inhabited Tyre, having been ungodly, shall not arise in the land of the living; for this is what the blessed David names the region of the living. "For," he says, "he hath delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from slipping, that I may be well-pleasing before the Lord in the land of the living." And the Lord in the holy Gospels makes this same division: "These shall rise," he says, "to eternal life, and these to eternal punishment and disgrace." He threatens, therefore, those impious ones who were then inhabiting Tyre, while living in impiety, not only with the coming of the Babylonian and the destruction occurring through him, but also with bitter and grievous things in the life to come. For what is more grievous than not to rise upon the land of the living? To these he adds:

^B VERSE 21. "I will give thee over to destruction, and thou shalt be no more, and thou shalt be sought, and shalt not be found for ever, saith Adonai the Lord." All the divine prophets and holy apostles were accounted worthy of the same Spirit; therefore, they do not utter things contrary to one another, for the Spirit of truth is the Holy Spirit. And if the divine prophets were accounted worthy of the same Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth, the oracles of the blessed prophets are in agreement. And although we find the desolation of Tyre limited in the prophet Isaiah, and we hear the prophet Ezekiel saying to Tyre: "Thou shalt be sought, and shalt not be found for ever, saith Adonai the Lord," we shall not say that the prophets contradict one another, but we shall resolve the question according to the idioms of Scripture. For it is customary for the divine Scripture to call even a short time an "age" [sæculum]. ^C Such is that which was said by the blessed David: "Our age [sæculum] is in the illumination of thy countenance." And furthermore, the same says: "The days of our years in them are seventy years, but if they should be in power, eighty years, and the greater part of them is labor and sorrow." Having known human life to be so much, therefore, he named it an "age." That, then, "thou shalt not be found for ever" [in the age], means: for the age of desolation determined for thee; and a seventy-year period for it was determined through the prophet Isaiah.

But if anyone should wish to understand the passage more spiritually, he will find the prophecy true in this way as well. If anyone seeks Tyre, he will not find that former one; for that one was impious; but the one that blossomed and sprouted after that which had been deserted is seen to be pious, illuminated by the light of the knowledge of God. ^D Whether, therefore, one wishes to understand the prophecy according to the literal sense, he will find the term "age" referring to the time determined for her; or if, towards the

^A depth one wishes to descend, he will again find the Tyre that is, not that Tyre, but the one utterly contrary to it.

CHAPTER XXVII

Verses 1-3. *And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: And thou, O son of man, take up a lamentation upon Tyre. And thou shalt say to Tyre, that dwelleth at the entering in of the sea, which is the mart of the people for many isles.* These things that are spoken signify the superabundance of the kindness and goodness of God. For this discourse also teaches us that if we apply any correction to those who sin, we should do so not having utilized any ill-will or enmity, but while sympathizing and being exceedingly grieved. For indeed He himself, judging righteously and most justly, commands the prophet to lament for the city being punished, manifesting the disposition with which He was using as He punished it.

Thus saith Adonai the Lord to Tyre: *Thou hast said: I have clothed myself with my beauty.* (Verse 4.) *In the heart of the sea, to Beelim.* By these things He refutes her ungrateful and proud soul; for having received from God the occasions of beauty, she became ungrateful toward the Giver of good things, and ascribed the abundance of goods that came to her to her own wisdom and strength, which she also attributed to Beelim; and thus the divine Scripture denominates the idols. Therefore her impiety was twofold; for she not only ignored the Giver of blessings, but she dared to assign their provision even to those who are utterly powerless and cannot even clothe themselves with the beauty that is perceived by the senses. Then He narrates how many and what kind of gifts she received, and from how many nations the occasions for her abundance were brought to her.

Verses 5, 6. *Thy sons have clothed thee with beauty. A cedar from Sanir was built for thee; boards of cypress were taken from Libanus. To make fir masts, they made thy oars from Basanitis.* These mountains are the generators of different woods. He enumerates, therefore, the things being brought to her from all sides; and he says that she was transporting masts hewn from Libanus, and oars from Basanitis, and buildings from Sanir. To these he adds: *They made thy shrines of ivory, woodland houses from the isles of Chettiim.* For "thy shrines," other interpreters have placed "thy horn," so that it might correspond to the things mentioned before; for to the mast and the oars, the horn also follows. And if it were said regarding the idols, it is not absurd. For he says she fashioned ivory idols, and "woodland houses," that is, covered with boards; for so also Aquila interpreted it. Manifesting, moreover, how precious those woods were, he also indicated their places; for you were bringing these, he says, from the isles of Chettiim. For he calls the Greek isles Chettiim. Indeed, through Jeremiah, God says: *Pass over to the isles of Chet

Chettiim, and see, and send unto Kedar, and consider diligently, if there has been such a thing, if the gentiles change their gods, and they themselves are not gods.* ^A And by Kedar he signifies the nations situated to the East; but by Chettiim, those to the West. Now, Cittium is a small city in Cyprus, and it is called by such a name even to this present time, which, when aspirated according to the Hebrew idiom, shows its relationship with Chettiim. And Cyprus held imperial sway over the isles at that time. Therefore, he calls the Greek isles Chettiim. From these isles, he says, precious woods were brought to you. To these he adds:

VERS. 7. *Byssus with embroidery from Egypt was made as a covering for you to place glory around you, and to clothe you; hyacinth and purple from the isles of Elisa were your garments.* Egypt, he says, was bringing you variegated and manifold coverings; by this he indicates tapestries and other things carried from there. But Greece was sending you garments of every kind, some purple, others dyed with a hyacinthine color; for he calls Greece Elisa.

η'. *And your princes who inhabit Sidon, and the Aradians, were your rowers.* The text of the Hebrews and the Syrians does not have "your princes," but "your neighbors." ^B But so that we might also understand the interpretation of the Seventy, let us accept it thus: that your former princes, the Sidonians, now, together with those who inhabit Aradus, fill up your naval fleet, rowing your ships; and those among you who are skilled fulfill the office of the helmsman.

For your wise men, he says, O Tyre, who were in you, these were your helmsmen. (VERS. 9.) *The elders of Byblos, and their wise men, who were in you, these were strengthening your counsel.* They were not strengthening their own city, but were offering you the best advice and counsel. *And all the ships of the sea, and their rowers, were in you, exchanging in your commerce, and they were made for you to the west of the west.* ^C From everywhere, he says, merchants were converging, both selling and buying; for this is what "exchanging in your commerce" signifies. And not only were your neighbors docking at your ports, but also those who inhabit the very extremities of the west. For the phrase "to the west of the west" declares this: because not only those, he says, who dwell to the west of you, but also those who live even further to the sunset than they do. ^D

^A

Interpretation of the prophecy of Ezekiel

Vers. 10, 11. Persians, and Libyans, and Lydians were in your army, your warriors, who hung shields and helmets upon you; these gave you your glory. The sons of Arvad, and your army, were on the walls in a circle. But also the Medes were guards in your towers; they hung their quivers upon your shoulders in a circle; these perfected your beauty.

Having spoken of the diversity of woods, the varieties of garments, the sailors, the pilots, the counselors who pointed out what needed to be done, and the merchants arriving from everywhere, he also reviews the military contingent, which had advanced from diverse nations and those instructed in civil institutions—the Persians, and the Lydians, and the Libyans, and the Aradians, and the Medes. He also commemorates the types of all armor: quivers, and shields, and helmets. A *pelta* is a small shield which soldiers of light armor carry in wars; those who dance the pyrrhic dance also use it.

Vers. 12. Carthaginian merchants from the multitude of all your power gave silver, and gold, and bronze, and iron, and tin, and lead ^B to your market. Both the Syrian and the Hebrew call Carthage (this is the metropolis of the region which was formerly called Libya, and now Africa) Tharsis; and by the metropolis, he indicated the trade of goods crafted from multiple materials found there, which were brought from all regions.

Vers. 13. All Greece, and those things pertaining to it, was trading in you with the souls of men, and they gave bronze vessels to your market. Slaves, he says, and bronze vessels were brought to you from Greece and the neighboring regions.

Vers. 14. From the house of Togarmah, they gave horses, and horsemen, and mules to your market. Phrygia, he says, was sending you horses, and those who ride them, and mules; for so they interpret the house of Togarmah.

Vers. 15. The sons of the Rhodians, your merchants from the islands, multiplied your trade, [giving] horns and elephant tusks. Symmachus interpreted "horns" as ebony, from which those things that are called ebony are made. These, he says, the Rhodians, crossing the sea, brought to you, and supplied your use of them.

And to those who were introduced, you repaid your wages. (Vers. 16.) Men of your trade, from the multitude ^C of your mixed people. All these things, he says, you, receiving them, repaid to those bringing them [with] slaves, since you had very many colonists; for he called these "the mixed," having come from other gentile peoples, but with

them to inhabit ^A you do not refuse. Stacte, and purple, and varied garments, and byssus from Tarshish, and Raamoth, and Choth gave your market.

You had also, beyond what I have already mentioned, other goods from Carthage: not only did they adorn you with garments and clothe you in varied apparel, but they also brought you much in the way of fragrant spices. For he calls "stacte" what is named balsam; and Choth [they call] the gem, and Raamoth the other aromatics.

Ver. 17. *Judas and Israel, these were your merchants in the sale of wheat, and ointment, and cassia; and your first-rate oil and resin they gave to your market.* For there was, he says, so much abundance brought from the Judaean trade, that it both provided for you, and the strangers and colonists who were brought in enjoyed many goods, some using them for food, others for the delights of perfume.

Ver. 18. *Damascus was your merchant in the multitude of your works, and in the multitude of all your power.* What was produced ^B among you, he says, Damascus bought. You traded, therefore, with it as well, selling to it things that were in abundant supply for you, and gathering gold from it.

*Fine wine from Chelbon, and shining wool from Miletus, and Ion, and Muezell, gave to your market.—* He calls Ionia "Ion"; and Dedan he calls a city of Idumaea; and Chelbon was a village adjacent to ^C these. From everywhere, he says, goods were brought to you; sweet and fragrant wine from this nation, and the finest wool from Miletus. This city, however, was formerly in Ionia, but now in Caria; Chelbon, Symmachus interpreted as Chalcis.

Ver. 19. *Asel, wrought iron, and wheels were in your market. (Vers. 20, 21.) Dedan was your merchant with choice cattle for chariots. Arabia, and all the princes of Cedar, these were your merchants by your hands: camels, and rams, and lambs, in which they trade with you.* Some, he says, brought wrought iron, others mules and horses for chariots, while others [brought] camels, ^D and rams, and lambs; and these you used for food and clothing. Cedar, he calls the descendants of Ishmael; Dedan, a city of Idumaea, as we have already said. For so we find it likewise in Jeremiah, and in Ezekiel himself, in the vision against Idumaea, where Theman is joined to Dedan; but some have supposed Asel to be Asia, which has the best craftsmen of iron, and constructs iron implements very well.

Ver. 22. *The merchants of Saba and Rhegma, and they themselves were your merchants with the best spices, and precious stones, who also gave gold to your market.* Saba and Rhegma derive their race from Chous; for Chous is the firstborn of Cham. These are, therefore, Ethiopian and Indian nations; the things brought from there—precious stones, and gold, and spices—make this clear.

Ver. 23. *Charran, and Chalan, and Dedan, these were your merchants.* Charran is Carrhae, and Chalan is Chalane, where the tower was built. As for Dedan, we have often interpreted it. *Saba, and Assur, and Charman were your merchants; (ver. 24.) Bringing trade in Machalim, and in Galima; hyacinth, and variety, and choice treasures stored in *magozoi*, bound in ropes, and in cypress ships, in these was your trade.* He names Saba an Indian nation;

^B for we find this name also in the genealogy of Shem. Assur he calls the Assyrian, and Charman is what is called Carmaene. And the passage, "In Machalim and in Galima, hyacinth, and variety, and choice treasures stored in *magozoi*," Aquila interpreted thus: "With constructed wrappings of hyacinth and variety, and in *magozois* stored." The word *magozois* he Hellenized from the Hebrew; it signifies "in recondite vessels." For thus also the Syrian, having understood it, translated it: "Your garment, he says, is sumptuous, and various, covered with precious wrappings, and stored in vessels perfectly fashioned, and bound with ropes, [and] was brought to you."

VER. 25. *Ships of the Carthaginians in your trade in the multitude of your commerce.* She made use also of the ships of the Carthaginians for trade, having an infinite multitude not only of domestic [goods], but also of imported [ones]. ^C And you were filled, and were weighed down exceedingly in the hearts of the seas. (VER. 26.) *In much water your rowers have brought you.* Satiety, he says, led you to exult, and having perceived good things, you did not recognize the author of the blessings. With this name he also accused Israel. "For Jacob ate," he says, "and was filled, and kicked, the beloved one." ^D Since no utility [was gained] from Jerem. xxv, 23; according to the LXX, xxxii, 23. x Deut. xxxii, 15.

the prosperity that you enjoyed, I will teach you to come to your senses through the opposite experience. "For the spirit of the south," he says, "has crushed you in the heart of the sea." By a trope, he thus designated the Babylonian; since the south wind is by nature wont to stir up the greatest waves and to raise a grievous storm against those sailing, therefore, by a trope, as if against a maritime city, he calls the incursion of enemies the "south wind." Then he says, so that we do not dwell on the same points, that: "Both you, and your inhabitants, and the rowers, and the pilots, and the counselors, and the merchants, and those who fill out the military register, shall be overtaken by total destruction." For this is what he signified having said: "They shall fall in the midst of the heart of the seas." He adds, moreover, that with the siege and the capture having taken place, the pilots of yours dwelling far off will be seized with great fear and will turn to flight; and the sailors, together with those who command at the prow, will do the same things, and having abandoned the vessels, weeping and lamenting, they will take to the land; and they will sprinkle their heads with earth, and they will lie down upon the very soil, shaking off the dust from it; and they will strip their heads of the elegance of their hair, and having put on sackcloth, they will continue weeping and mourning. Then he also relates the lamentation that is to be made by them: "Who is like Tyre, which has been silenced in the midst of the sea?" In tranquility, he says, and in peace you have spent all this time, during which no one dared to stir up a disturbance for you. ^B

Vers. 33. "How great a wage have you found for yourself from the sea?" This is sufficient to teach all men not to be puffed up with pride over their apparent prosperity, because of the change that follows. For this he also says to Tyre herself: "What have you gained in such a long time from your much merchandise?" And yet, he says: "And by your mixture and your intermingling you have enriched all the kings of the earth." (Vers. 34-35.) "But now you have been crushed in the sea, in the depth of the water; your mixture and all your congregation have fallen in your midst, and all your rowers. Those who dwell in the islands shall be grieved over you, and their kings shall be struck with amazement, and their faces shall weep. Merchants from the nations shall hiss over you; you have become a destruction, and you shall exist no longer forever." Observe, he says, how the labor of your trade and the coming together of all the nations profited you nothing. For, like a sunken ship, you have been covered over by the deformity of your evils, having received, as it were distinct waves, the storms of enemy legions. Therefore, all the islanders and the coastal peoples, along with their own [people], lament you, having beheld a city once most noble suddenly destroyed and reduced to nothing, marveling ^{C D}

^A at the change to the uttermost desolation that has come upon you, they will signify the astonishment of their minds by hissing. As for the words, "You shall be no more forever," we shall understand them according to the interpretation already brought forward by us. And if another [interpretation] also must be added to what has been said, we shall not be reluctant. We heard the God of all things saying through Jeremiah the prophet: "I will speak at the end concerning a nation and a kingdom, to root them out, and to pull down, and to destroy; and if that nation turns from their evil ways, I will repent of the evils which I thought to do to them. And I will speak at the end concerning a nation and a kingdom, to build it up and to plant it; and if they do evil things before me, so as not to hear my voice, I will repent of the good things which I spoke to do to them." Thus, the Lord passes judgment, and yet rescinds the judgments passed, and the truth does not lie. For He passes judgment against those who do not use repentance; but in the case of those who have received the remedies of repentance, the decree of punishment has no place. This also occurred in the time of the Ninevites, whom He had condemned to destruction, saying: ^B "Yet three days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown." But He accepted them as they repented, and dissolved the sentence. And so here, too, the change of the descendants has dissolved the sentence of long-standing punishment.

CHAPTER XXVIII

VERS. 1, 2. "And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: And you, son of man, say to the prince of Tyre: Thus says the Lord Adonai: Because your heart has been exalted, and you have said: I am God, I have dwelt in the habitation of God in the heart of the seas; yet you are a man and not God, and have given your heart as the heart of God." ^C Detestable, indeed, are all kinds of sins, but most detestable of all is pride. "For every haughty one," He says, "is an abomination before the Lord"; and, "God opposes the proud"; and the divine Apostle: "Not a novice, he says, lest, being puffed up, he fall into the judgment of the devil." The prince of Tyre suffered from this disease—both he who was visible and he who could not be seen. For we who are pious are ruled properly and truly by God, the author of all things; and we are ruled also by men endowed with piety. And so Tyre, now indeed, just as we, has God as King, and the men to whom the kingdom has been entrusted by Him. But of old, laboring as if with a disease from the ignorance of God, and enslaved to impiety, it had as prince and king the author and teacher of wickedness and impiety, the devil; ^D and it had also a visible prince who was evilly influenced by him and enslaved to impiety.

slavery to impiety. The discourse, therefore, pertains to both, but not everything is appropriate for this one or that; rather, some things apply to both, some to one or the other, and those which have just been read apply to both. ^A For the devil slipped into that insanity and, goaded by rage, called himself God, and persuaded men to offer this worship to him. And he who was seen as the prince of the Tyrians, suffering from this pride, and looking toward his great prosperity, supposed that he was God. Therefore, God says to him: "But you are a man, and not God." And by way of comparison:

v. 3. "Are you wiser than Daniel? ^B Wise men have not instructed you in their knowledge." I am so far, he says, from comparing your affairs with the divine nature, that I shall show you to be far inferior even to wise men. For Daniel was both endowed with divine wisdom and added to it the knowledge of the Chaldeans; but you are both deprived of divine grace and have not even received knowledge from wise men. Then comes the refutation from the facts themselves:

vv. 4, 5. "Have you by your knowledge, or by your understanding, made for yourself power, and gathered gold and silver in your treasuries? Or in your great knowledge and your trade have you increased your power, and your heart has been lifted up in your power?" Learn, he says, from these very things, that it was not by your wisdom, but by my provision, that you had this trade and the abundance of goods. ^C For if I wish, I shall immediately strip you of all these things, and I shall set experience itself as your teacher concerning these matters. For if you had acquired this possession by your own wisdom, then by using that same wisdom you would not have been deprived of what you had acquired; but, being stripped and rendered empty of all these things, cast away your insane thoughts and acknowledge that I am the one who gave you these things, and who has taken them back. For since you did not acknowledge me when you were receiving them, you shall learn of me when you have been stripped of them.

vv. 6-10. "Therefore thus says Adonai the Lord: Since you have set your heart as the heart of God, ^D for this reason, behold, I bring upon you alien scourges from the nations, and they shall draw their swords against you, and against the beauty of your knowledge, and they shall cast your beauty down to destruction. And they shall bring you down, and you shall die the death of those wounded in the heart of the sea. Will you say as you speak: 'I am God,' before those who are slaying you? But you are a man, and not God, in the hand of those who deal you wounds. You shall die the deaths of the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers, for I have spoken, says Adonai the Lord." When, he says, those hostile forces sent by me against you have stripped you of royal power and proceed to kill you, will you—fuming and in insolent arrogance—still call yourself God, as though these were God's

^A title? But this cannot happen; for the change in circumstances will bring about a change in your disposition, and you will learn that you are a man and not God, as you are wounded, killed, and perish similarly to the uncircumcised subjects under your authority. For my decree is powerful and irresistible; this is what it signified when it said: "Because I have spoken, says the Lord Adonai."

This also applies to the wicked demon who had been working his malice within the prince of the Tyrians as he was seen. Therefore, he threatens him with destruction by the hands of foreigners, pestilences, and nations. Such, however, were those of old who, through the evangelical proclamation, received the conversion that leads to the knowledge of God. Therefore the divine Apostle also says: "For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another." ^B And God himself, through the great Moses, says: "They, he says, provoked me with what is no god, they exasperated me with their idols; and I will provoke them with what is no nation, with a foolish nation will I exasperate them." Through these, then, who were once senseless, foolish, led astray, hateful, pestilential, foreign, and heathens, the prophetic word foretells the destruction of the devil.

It is also possible to find the name of "foreigners" applied to those pious ones who have believed. "For you," he says, "who were once far off, have become near." He says that these, by their own swords, will destroy the beauty of the devil’s wisdom and bring it to nothing: that is, they will destroy your machines, and suppress the traps you have devised against men, and will tear down from their foundations the shrines constructed for you by those very men, and will deliver you to oblivion as if to death, having received the power "to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all your power." And by the very events you will learn that you persuaded men in vain that you are God. And you will suffer these things because you held an uncircumcised mind, and never once circumcised the grievous disease of your arrogance.

VERS. 11-15. And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, raise a lamentation over the prince of Tyre. And say to him: Thus says the Lord Adonai: You are a seal of likeness, ^C full of wisdom, and a crown of beauty. You were in the delights of the paradise of God; you were adorned with every precious stone, the sardius, and the topaz, and the emerald, and the hyacinth, and the carbuncle, and the sapphire, and the jasper, and silver, and gold, and the ligure, and the agate, and the amethyst, and the chrysolite, and the beryl...

and the onyx, and you have filled your treasures and your storehouses with gold within you, from the day you were created. ^A If anyone wishes to urge these words, he might accept them as spoken of the prince of Tyre who was seen; yet they belong properly and truly to the destructive demon who was exercising his power in him. If, therefore, we accept these things concerning the prince of Tyre who was seen, we shall understand it thus: "You are a signet of likeness." For man was fashioned according to the divine image, full of wisdom; being rational, and honored with reason, and a crown of beauty; for he is superior to all those devoid of reason, both those that walk, and the winged, and those in the water, and the amphibious. "And you were in the delights of the paradise of God." For you trace your lineage from the first ancestor, who, as soon as he was created, was placed in the paradise of delights, that he might work it and keep it. ^B It is fitting, moreover, that he calls Jerusalem—the city named holy and divine—a paradise, as it possesses the trees of God’s prophecy and high priesthood, which provide life and salvation. Formerly, there existed a friendship between the king of the Tyrians and the king of the Israelites, and there was a certain mutual commerce between them, which is easy to learn from the Books of Kings. But that expression, "You have been covered with every precious stone," is clear if understood according to the letter and received as spoken of a king. For I have adorned you with countless good things, and I have provided for you from all sides materials of every kind, from which you made diadems and crowns, brooches and belts, and rings; yet, having been filled with these, because of their abundance and splendor, you persisted in thinking contrary thoughts. But if these things be referred to the devil, they must not be understood in this way; rather, the statement, "You are a signet of likeness," we shall take as referring to the kingdom and authority long ago entrusted to him. For the divine Apostle says: ^C "According to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that now works in the sons of disobedience." [i] As it is clear that in ancient times the administration of this air had been entrusted to him, but, having fallen from his principality because of arrogance, he displays his own operation in those who do not believe the word of the proclamation. "Full of wisdom and a crown of beauty, and you were in the delights of the paradise of God." Through these words, he suggests his former virtue. For, he says, "God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good." [j] And this one, too, was one of those things that were made, not yet having received the change of mind for the worse. By the aforementioned stones, he signifies his wisdom and knowledge of every kind. For the prince of priests ^D [*] wore the breastplate of judgment, in which were placed...

carrying these stones, bearing them upon his breast, entered into the Holy of Holies; for the breast is, as it were, a treasury and fortress of the heart. And all the things that follow relate not to the prince of Tyre, who was visible, but to him who cannot be seen. ^B

VERS. 14. *You were prepared, he says, with the Cherub; you were anointed by God in the tabernacle of the one dwelling [there].* For you were deemed worthy, along with those holy and august powers, of both being created and of being anointed; and in this place he calls "anointing" sanctification, which is supplied by the divine Spirit to those who are without bodies and to the holy powers. *And I set you in the holy mount of God; you were in the midst of the stones of fire.* He calls the height of knowledge the holy mount of God, and the most holy powers "stones of fire"; for they contain what is precious, and they are endowed with the power of illuminating; and divine Scripture is accustomed often to call holy men "holy stones" as well. "For holy stones," he says, "are rolled upon the earth." But these are holy, yet not fiery. Regarding the higher powers, let us hear divine David speaking: *"Who makes his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire."* None of these things apply to the prince of the Tyrians, who was visible, even if some contentious men should argue a thousand times that the Jews are the "stones of fire," and that the commerce of the Tyrians was with them. For the Jews are not "stones of fire." And if someone were to call the prophets who were among them "stones of fire," not even in this way would the sense hold; for the Tyrians had no communion with the prophets, living as they did in impiety; but they carried on commercial ^C dealings with the base and lowly of the Jews, whom no one of sound mind would dare to call "stones of fire," [as they were] violating the divine law and, contrary to its decree, establishing commercial dealings with Gentiles. Nor, indeed, can that which is said, "I set you in the holy mount of God," be seen to fit him. For he did not reside in Jerusalem, so that we might concede that these things are said about Mount Sion; and the matters that follow clearly show this.

VERS. 15. *You walked, he says, blameless in your days, from the day you were created until iniquities were found in you.* For such was the devil before the fall. But concerning men, we have heard: *"No one is pure from filth, not even if his life upon the earth should be one day."* But this one, since he was without a body, was blameless from the beginning; but when he used his inclination toward the worse path, he walked along the path that was diametrically opposite.

VERS. 16. *For from the multitude of your surroundings, you filled your cellars with iniquity, and you sinned, and ^D you were wounded...*

^A. For not content with the wisdom and power given to you, but incited by the desire for greater things, you became full of lawlessness, and you received the wounds of sin. This is what the prophet Isaiah says [Isa. XIV, 12.] concerning him: *“How has the day-star, which rose in the morning, fallen from heaven? The one who was sending to all the nations has been crushed to the ground!”* For having everyone as subjects, he was cast out of his tyranny through the saving Cross. Then he narrates his former madness and his exceeding arrogance: *“But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will set my throne above the stars of heaven, I will sit on a high mountain, upon the high mountains toward the north; I will ascend above the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’”* He calls the “mountains toward the north” the occasions of wickedness. For from the north, according to the prophet, “evils shall be kindled upon all who inhabit the earth” [Isa. XIV, 15.]. Having thus laid bare his pride, he predicts also his ruin: *“But now you shall descend into Hades, into the foundations of the earth.”* This too the divine Ezekiel is taught to say by God: *“For from the mount of God,”* he says, *“the Cherub brought you down, the overshadowing one, from the midst of the stones of fire.”* At that time, therefore, the Cherub, which was considered worthy to carry the divine glory, separated him from the holy powers, which are also called fiery; but now those who are worthy of the divine ascent by reason of the purity of their soul—in whose hearts are the ascents of God, according to the divine prophet—have received the power to trample him under their feet.

^C VERS. 17. *Your heart was lifted up at your beauty.* You thought great things, he says, when you saw the goods granted to you by me. *“Your knowledge was corrupted along with your beauty.”* You were stripped of everything, he says, when you abandoned the order assigned to you. *“Because of the multitude of your sins, I cast you to the ground; I gave you before kings to be made an example.”* Having used much wickedness, he says, you fell from the order above, and were cast down, to be mocked by those who guard the order assigned to them, and who know well how to rule over the passions within them.

VERS. 18. *Because of the multitude of your sins and the iniquities of your trade, you profaned your holiness.* Let those who dispute it say what holiness the impious king of Tyre had; but they will not be able to show it. But this one, of whom the discourse now speaks, when he was one of the holy archangels, was a participant in all holiness; but he himself profaned the holiness by using his “trade” for evil, and by desiring more, he also fell from those things granted to him.

^A And he prepared mankind to suffer the same. For he too was made according to the image of God, and having been seduced by the wiles of the enemy, and desiring to become God, he lost that which was the image of God. “And I will bring forth fire from the midst of you.” This is fitting for both, both for the one who practiced the evil and for the one in whom it was practiced, the king of the Tyrians; for the one brought upon both the punishment and the causes of it. Such is what is said by the prophet Isaiah to the Jews: “Behold, all you kindle a fire, and strengthen the flame; walk in the light of your fire, and in the flame which you have kindled.” ^B And here, therefore, it says: “I will bring forth fire from the midst of you. This shall devour you.” That is to say, I shall use your own transgressions as materials for your punishments. “And I will give you as ashes upon the earth, in the sight of all who see you.” This is also fitting for both. For man, having fallen in his own land, became dust, and the devil, who thought he ruled the world, having been destroyed by God and our Savior, is trodden underfoot by the pious after the fashion of ashes.

Verse 19. "And all who know you among the nations shall lament over you." ^C For those who are still waiting upon your slavery, seeing the cessation of the idols and the temples of these entirely destroyed, live in dejection and faint-heartedness, and are perpetually distressed. "You have become a destruction, and you shall exist no more forever." By these words, he declared his complete destruction. Having thus fulfilled the lamentation over Tyre, he moves on to Sidon, being adjacent to it, and he concisely foretells that which shall happen to it as well.

Verses 20–23. "And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, set your face against Sidon, and prophesy against it. And say: Thus says the Adonai Lord: Behold, I am against you, O Sidon, and I will be glorified in you, and you shall know that I am the Lord, when I execute judgments in you, and I shall be sanctified in you. And I will send death into you, and blood in your streets, and the slain shall fall in the midst of you with the sword in you, and in your surroundings, and you shall know that I am the Lord." ^D Since, he says, you lived in prosperity and were ignorant of me, O Sidon, I will wrap you in many and diverse calamities, with famine, and with the slaughters of enemies, so that through these misfortunes you may learn of my lordship.

Verse 24. "And there shall no longer be a thorn of bitterness for the house of Israel, and a brier of pain, from all who are in their surroundings, who have treated them with ignominy, and they shall know that I am the Adonai Lord." This, he says, both to Tyre and to the foreigners, and to all...

^A who dwell in the neighboring areas, so that my people may neither have before them an example of impiety, nor enemies constantly attacking them and continuously tormenting them. Having thus foretold the calamities, he prophesies good things for Israel, increasing the miseries for those others; for those who were ill-disposed toward them made the prosperity of Israel an occasion for their own grief.

Vers. 25, 26. "Thus saith the Adonai Lord: And I will gather the house of Israel from the nations in which they have been scattered, and I will be sanctified in them before the peoples and the nations; and they shall dwell in their land, which I gave to my servant Jacob. And they shall dwell in it in hope, and they shall build houses, and they shall plant vineyards, and they shall dwell in hope, when I shall have wrought judgments upon all ^B who have treated them with ignominy in their surroundings; and they shall know that I am the Lord their God, and the God of their fathers." God, the Creator of all things, does not chastise all sinners in the same way, but applies healing, in the manner of a physician, to those who are close to him, while dealing with others in the manner of a judge, with condemnation. Hence, the prophet also, in his prayer, said: "Chastise us, O Lord, but with judgment, and not in thy wrath." The blessed David sought the same thing: "O Lord, rebuke me not in thy fury, nor chastise me in thy wrath." This distinction can be seen also in the passages we have just interpreted. For to the others he promised no good at all; but to Israel he promised a recall and restoration to their homeland, the ^C building of houses, the cultivation of the land, the planting of trees, the hope of good things, and the head of all good things, the divine knowledge. For when these things shall have come to pass, he says, "they shall know that I am their Lord and the God of their fathers." May it be granted to us also to possess this knowledge continuously, so that we may love him with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our strength, and with all our might, not dividing our affection, but bestowing it entirely upon him, so that we may breathe him in, and carry around an unextinguishable memory of him, whether sitting, or rising, or sleeping, or walking in the way; for in this way we shall also continuously enjoy his providence, and attain the promised good things, in Christ Jesus our Lord, with whom be glory to the Father, ^D with the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

BOOK TWELVE

^A 921 CHAPTER XXIX. VERS. 1, 2. *In the tenth year, in the twelfth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, set your face against the king of Egypt, and prophesy concerning him, and speak concerning all Egypt.* Having put an end to the prophecies concerning Tyre, he transfers his discourse to Egypt.

VERS. 3. *And say: Thus says the Lord Adonai: Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh, king of Egypt, the great dragon sitting in the midst of the rivers, and saying: The rivers are mine, and I have made them.* Some of the interpreters rendered this in the singular, "the river," but the Seventy used the plural number; and both are true, for the Nile is indeed one, but its canals are very many, and every canal is called a river by the inhabitants. He therefore rebukes the arrogance of Pharaoh, and shows him to be boasting about the rivers, as if they had been made by him. He calls him a "dragon" because of his tyrannical and God-opposing nature. For the divine Scripture addresses the devil in the same way: "For on that day," it says, "God will bring the holy, and great, and strong sword upon the dragon, the serpent," ^B and what follows.

VERS. 4-6. *And I will put a bridle in your jaws, and I will glue the fish of the river to your wings, and I will draw you out from the midst of your river, and all the fish of your river shall be glued to your scales. And I will cast you into the desert, and all the fish of the river, and I will throw you down quickly, and all the fish of your river. You shall fall upon the face of the field, and you shall not be gathered, and you shall not be collected; to the beasts of the earth and the birds of the sky have I given you for food. And all who inhabit Egypt shall know that I am the Lord.* The things threatened are terrible and full of horror; for he threatened to give not only him, but also his subjects to the slaughter; for he called the "fish" glued [to him] his subjects. ^C And just as, when speaking of Tyre, he derived the occasions for his metaphor from the sea (for it was a maritime city), so here, by a metaphor taken from the river

^A he makes use of the figure. He called its scales and wings the sovereignty and power, in which those subject to the king necessarily shared the punishment. And he sufficiently alluded through the bridle to the prancings before the bridle. He threatened that some he would send into a desert land and leave as food for the beasts. He also subjoins the cause:

“Because you have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel.”

(Vers. 8, 9)

“Therefore thus says Adonai Lord: Behold, I am bringing a sword upon you, and will destroy both men and cattle from you. And Egypt shall be for destruction and desolation, and they shall know that I am the Lord.”

“For you said,”

Verses 10, 12. *Therefore behold, I am against thee and against all thy rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt into a desert, and a sword and desolation, from Migdol and Syene even to the borders of the Ethiopians. No foot of man and foot of beast shall pass through it, and it shall not be inhabited for forty years. And I will make its land into a desolation in the midst of a desolate land, and its cities shall vanish in the midst of desolate cities for forty years: and I will scatter Egypt among the nations, and fan them in the countries.* The ineffable clemency of God brings upon us punishments by measure and weight, and again heals the one He has struck. For His word is that: "I will kill and I will make live, I will strike and I will heal." ^A And here, therefore, He threatens the Egyptians with captivity, and dispersion, and desolation, which He nonetheless limits to a short time. Forty years, he says, it shall be impassable, and not the whole of Egypt, but from Migdol and Syene to the borders of the Ethiopians; and immediately He promises that they will be called back again.

Verses 13, 14. *For after forty years, he says, I will gather the Egyptians from the nations among whom they were dispersed. And I will turn back the captivity of the Egyptians, and I will settle them in the land of Pathros, in the land where they were captured.* So, having promised relief from captivity, He predicts also the future lowliness of that kingdom.

^B Verse 15. *For it will be a humble principality, he says, more than all other principalities: and it will be the most humble, so that it will be lifted up no more over the nations. And I will make them few, that they may not be more numerous than the nations.* The facts witness to the truth of the prophecy. For the kingdom of the Egyptians was razed by Nebuchadnezzar, and it flourished again under the ruling Persian: but it did not recover its former power in the least. For after much time had intervened, Cambyses, the son of Cyrus, having again overthrown that kingdom, reduced it to his own power, and compelled it to pay tribute; then later it also received the Macedonians as kings, the Egyptians having completely ceased to have any of their own.

^C Verse 16. *And they shall no longer be to the house of Israel for a hope that brings to remembrance iniquity, when they follow after them, and they shall know that I am the Lord.* For so, he says, I will lower the kingdom of the Egyptians, so that the people will no longer trust in their aid, and take occasions for impiety from them, but will seek my providence, for they shall perceive that I am the Lord.

^D And it came to pass in the twenty-seventh year, in the first of the first month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon enslaved his army with great servitude against Tyre. Every head was made bald, and every shoulder peeled; and there was no wage for him, and for his army, against Tyre, and for the servitude which he served against it. This he had predicted in the tenth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin, or the twelfth; for so both the Hebrew and the Syrian say; but these things [came to pass] in the twenty-seventh year after the capture of Tyre and the long siege, on account of which he says that every head was made bald, and every shoulder peeled. For living out in the open is accustomed to cause such things, the heat frequently stripping the skin from the exposed parts of the body. And He promises to give Egypt to Nebuchadrezzar as a wage for the labors that occurred during the siege of Tyre.

^B It is not because he acted with the intention of serving the divine will—for he marched his army against all these nations using his own impulse—but by these things He declares that nothing will come to pass against His will. For He says, "Two sparrows are sold for an assarion, and not one of them will fall without your Father who is in heaven." ^C For nothing that happens escapes His notice; but some things He Himself directs, while others He permits to happen, sometimes yielding to the free will of men, and sometimes allowing those who are worthy to be punished by others. Wishing, therefore, to show that it was by His permission that Nebuchadrezzar obtained this power, He promises also to give him the servitude of the Egyptians as a wage for the siege of the Tyrians.

Vers. 19, 20. Thus says Adonai the Lord: Behold, I give to Nebuchadrezzar, the king of Babylon, the land of Egypt, and he shall take its multitude, and shall plunder its plunder, and shall spoil its spoil; and it shall be a wage for his army. For his service, with which he served against Tyre, I have given him the land of Egypt, instead of all the things that he has done. He has stated the same things again, confirming the prediction by repetition and iteration.

Thus says Adonai the Lord: ^D (Ver. 21.) In that day a horn shall sprout for all the house of Israel, and I will give thee an opened mouth in their midst, and they shall know that I am the Lord. The divine Scripture sometimes calls piety a "horn," sometimes power, and sometimes a kingdom. It has used the expression, "A horn shall sprout," by way of a metaphor taken from calves, which, before the growth of horns, are weak.

but once they have grown, they gain much power. When Egypt, therefore, is destroyed, He says, My people shall flourish, and shall obtain piety, and they shall no longer have a teacher of wickedness, for they shall heed the prophetic words, and shall have learned My sovereignty. For He made this clear, saying, "And I will open thy mouth in their midst ^A; for by means of Ezekiel He signified the whole prophetic choir.

CHAPTER XXX.

VERS. 1-3. *And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying: Son of man, prophesy, and say: Thus saith Adonai Lord: Howl, O woe, O day! For the day of the Lord is near, and [the] day ^B of a cloud, and it shall be a time of the nations.* By all that has been said He inspires fear, ordering them to lament and mourn. He calls it a time of punishment; but the cloud signifies the darkness that befell the souls, and He called it a time of punishment brought upon the nations. He says that not only My people shall stumble into these evils, but the nations also shall pay the penalty for their impiety.

VERS. 4, 5. *And the sword shall come upon the Egyptians, and there shall be perturbation in Ethiopia, and the wounded shall fall in Egypt, and its multitude shall be taken, and its foundations shall fall. And the Persians, and Cretes, and Libyans, and Ethiopia, and the Lydians, and all Arabia, and all the mixed people, and the sons of my covenant with it, shall fall by the sword.* He says that Egypt, being distraught, will also cause perturbation for Ethiopia; for being a neighbor, it will suffer the same things. Then He recounts that the auxiliaries of the Egyptians were slaughtered with the Egyptians, the Cretes, and the Libyans, and the Ethiopians, and the Lydians, and the ^C Arabians. And the histories of the Greeks teach the kinship of the Lydians and the Egyptians. But by Persians, He does not mean those who had come from Persia to their aid—for how was it possible, while the Assyrians and Chaldeans were warring against them, for them to have Persians as allies?—but rather those who had been colonized from there long ago, and had become settlers in Egypt. Some say ^D that the Egyptian Babylon was for this reason named after the Persian one, because Persians had inhabited it. He calls the Jews "the sons of his covenant," who, after the siege of Jerusalem, went down into Egypt, taking the prophet Jeremiah with them. To them also He threatens punishment likewise, because, contrary to His purpose, they had abandoned Judea and arrived in Egypt. These things were also spoken through the prophet Jeremiah: "For all the remnant of Judah," He says, "that are sojourning in the land of Egypt shall know whose word shall stand, Mine or theirs; and this shall be the sign unto you, saith the Lord."

^A Behold, I give Pharaoh Hophra, king of Egypt, into the hands of those who seek his life, as I gave Zedekiah, king of Judah, into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, his enemy, and who seeks his life. The divine prophets, therefore, agree with one another in what they have foretold; for the words are from one Spirit. Thus, having again spoken beforehand of the desolation of Egypt, and having termed the king of Assyria the fire, He adds:

^B VER. 9. "In that day shall messengers go forth from before Me in ships, to make the Ethiopian afraid." Ethiopia is called "hope" because of the Egyptians who rely on their help. But "Ship" in the Greek language signifies strength. These things, He says, mean that when the Egyptians are disturbed, their supporters, the Ethiopians, will be disturbed not only because of the evils that have come upon the Egyptians, but also because of the disasters that are about to fall upon themselves, by some messengers sent by Me and hastening to fulfill what has been commanded.

VER. 10-12. "Thus saith the Lord God: And I will destroy the multitude of the Egyptians by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. He and his people with him—pestilences of the nations—sent to destroy the land; and they shall empty their swords upon Egypt, and the land shall be filled with the slain. And I will make their rivers desert, and I will deliver the land into the hands of the wicked, and I will destroy the land and the fullness thereof by the hands of strangers; I the Lord have spoken." ^C To the Babylonians, who are the most cruel of all the nations, He says, I will deliver Egypt, so that their whole land may be filled with slaughter, and the rivers may become deserted of those who dwell by them. Moreover, "I will deliver the land into the hands of the wicked" is put for "I will hand it over." This also fits with what was said before; for He said He would give to Nebuchadnezzar the enslavement of Egypt as wages for the toils he had endured in the siege of Tyre. Then He predicts that their abominations, that is, the idols full of abomination, will be destroyed by the enemy.

13. "And the princes of Memphis shall cease." Those who at that time were entrusted with the reins of Egypt. ^D

^A And fear shall fall upon all the Egyptians, with Tanis being burned and Diospolis suffering complete destruction, and the most powerful city of Sais falling into the gravest calamities; and, simply put, the enemies shall consume the whole of Egypt like fire, so that even Syene, situated in its innermost parts, shall receive the panic from these events. And he has sufficiently indicated the suddenness of the incursion, saying: "There shall be wars in Memphis on the same day," for the battle shall occur at the very same time as the report. But where it says, "In Diospolis there shall be a breach, and the waters shall be poured out," it hinted at the demolition of the walls, and the entrance of the enemies like rushing waters, which spread into all its streets and houses. To these things he added:

Vers. 17. "That the young men also of Heliopolis and Bubastis shall fall by the sword." It is clear that they also boasted greatly in these men, as being valiant and powerful; but, he says, "the women shall go into captivity." Then he adds:

Vers. 18. "That also in Taphnis the day shall be darkened," signifying the darkness resulting from the calamities. And he indicated this same thing again, saying: "And a cloud shall cover it." For those who fall into evils do not see the light in the same way, but think the day to be darker than any darkness. Then he declared the purpose of the things coming to pass:

Vers. 19. "And I will execute judgments in Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord." For these things, he says, I will allow to come to pass, so that the Egyptians too may learn not to boast in themselves, but to acknowledge my sovereignty.

Vers. 20. "And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first month, on the seventh day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying." This manner of speaking is also found in the prophet Jeremiah; for he too sets down the times sporadically, and having placed first those things that happened in the reign of Zedekiah, who reigned last, he recounts again the things pertaining to Jehoiakim, who administered the kingdom before him. The reason for this is that they are not simply writing history, but prophecies that occurred at particular times. And he has now mentioned this time essentially and very reasonably. For since he threatened Egypt with such a cloud of calamities in the twenty-seventh year, he teaches us the justice of the punishment.

"For in the eleventh year," he says, "the Lord said to me:" (Vers. 21.) "Son of man, I have broken the arms of Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and behold, it is not bound up, to give it healing, to put on it a poultice, to bind it and make it strong, and that it may take hold of the sword,"

^A I have brought upon him, he says, a moderate punishment, yet he did not wish to make use of the remedies of repentance, so that he might again recover his former power.

Verses 22-24. "Therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and I will break his arms, both the strong and the stretched-out, ^B and the broken ones, and I will cast his sword from his hand. And I will scatter Egypt among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries. And I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon." Since he did not wish to be corrected by moderate chastisements, I will subject him to the greatest punishments, and I will strip him of all his power, so that he may not even be able to use the instruments of war, and I will fill the Babylonian with all power and strength. For through the arms, speaking both of the Egyptian and the Babylonian, he indicated their forces, since it is by arms that military matters are accomplished. "And I will give," he says, "my sword into his hand, and he shall bring it upon Egypt, and he shall plunder its plunder, and despoil its spoils." I, he says, will entrust to him the power of taking vengeance, so that he may do to Egypt all the things that have been foretold. He added these things again, confirming by repetition what had been said before. For this reason, as these things are clear and evident from what we have explained before, I have left them uninterpreted.

CHAPTER XXXI

Verses 1, 2. "And it came to pass in the tenth year, in the third month, on the first day of the month, that the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, say to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and to his multitude: To whom have you likened yourself in your height?" Since he did not wish to make use of forbearance when there was need, but persisted in insolence with haughtiness and pride, he speaks with him by way of questioning. Tell me, he says, O king of Egypt, to whom do you compare yourself? And to which of the kings do you think you are similar, that you make use of such pride? Then he subjoins:

Verse 3. "Behold, Assur was a cypress in Lebanon, with beautiful branches, and high in stature, and thick in covering, and its beginning was in the midst of the clouds." He has used a figurative character again, and says that the king of the Assyrians was similar to the cypress grown in Lebanon, both in the size of his height, and in the density and breadth of his subjects, and in the splendor of his prefects and generals; for he called these "branches." But the phrase, "its beginning was in the midst of the clouds," he has employed not only hyperbolically according to the idiom of men (for most people are accustomed to say, "such a one is exalted even to the clouds"), but he also revealed the arrogance of his thoughts. For his ^D

-^Avine voice says: "I will ascend above the clouds, I will set my throne above the stars of heaven"; and this may be learned from every part of the divine Scripture. For Sennacherib cried out, saying: "The Lord shall by no means deliver Jerusalem from my hand"; and Nebuchadnezzar, having made a golden image, commanded all his subjects—both princes and the parents of princes—to worship it. Here, therefore, it also revealed his proud mindset through enigmas. To these he adds:

VERS. 4. "Water nurtured it, the abyss exalted it; it led its rivers in a circuit around its plants, and sent forth its gatherings to all the trees of the field." By water and the abyss, he meant the infinite nations reduced to slavery by him, which, as if it were a certain kind of irrigation, brought tribute and taxes to his army, nurtured it like certain trees, and caused its gatherings—that is, its military orders—to be sent out ^B to "all the trees of the field," that is, to those who had not yet been subdued or reduced to servitude, so that they too might be subjected.

VERS. 5. "On account of this, its magnitude was exalted above all the trees of the field, and from thence its branches were spread, and its offshoots were exalted by much water when it extended itself." This, he says, was the cause of his arrogance and pride: for, receiving irrigation from infinite nations, it grew along with its offshoots ^C.

VERS. 6. "In its offshoots," he says, "all the birds of the sky built their nests." By this, he indicated the more prudent men, and those who as it were fly with their minds. "And under its branches all the beasts of the field were brought forth." By these, he signified the savage nations, those that are beast-like and have lowly sentiments; and this he himself also interpreted, saying: "In its shadow dwelt all the multitude of the nations." And what he said above separately and figuratively, he here added commonly and openly. And he called its shadow, and offshoots, and branches, not only ^D governors and leaders, but also the satraps ruling over the nations, to whom the subject peoples were subservient. Nebuchadnezzar himself also saw these things in a dream, and the blessed Daniel interpreted the dream of the tree.

VERS. 7. "And there was," he says, "beauty in its height on account of the multitude of its branches." But the blessed Daniel teaches us about this multitude (of branches),

saying that Darius had one hundred and twenty satraps, he who succeeded Baltasar in the kingdom. Then he also teaches the cause of the multitude: "Because its roots became much water." For everywhere, he says, by extending its roots and receiving much irrigation, it nourished these branches. And continuing the metaphor,

VERS. 8. "The cypresses," he says, "did not exalt themselves in the paradise of God." For no one, he says, of those who at that time were reigning throughout the inhabited world became more illustrious than he; for here he called the inhabited world a paradise, since he is speaking of all things metaphorically for the time being. "And the pines," he says, "were not like its branches, and the firs were not equal to its offshoots." Not only, he says, did he himself become more illustrious than other kings, but even his branches and offshoots surpassed the kings of other nations by a great measure, both in height and thickness. And by the pines and firs ^B he figuratively called the kings of the lesser nations, to whom he appointed satraps, who compelled them to obey. He states, therefore, that he was greater than the greatest kings; and that not only he, but even his governors, were more powerful and more illustrious than those of the lesser nations. Then, in summary:

"Every tree in the paradise of God was not likened to it in its beauty," ^C (VERS. 9.) "on account of the multitude of its branches." He refers to that beauty which is seen in the ornamentation of the body—purple robes, crowns, thrones inlaid with stones, spear-bearers, shield-bearers, and all other things that are accustomed to adorn kings in the sight of those who behold them. He asserts, therefore, that no one who reigned over the earth at that time was equal to him; and he adds that he was of such a kind that all others envied him. "For all the trees of the delights of the paradise of God envied it," he says. Then he lays bare the arrogance of his soul:

VERS. 10, 11. "Therefore, thus says Adonai the Lord: Because he became great in size, and gave his principality into the midst of the clouds, and his heart was exalted in his height, and I saw when he exalted himself. And I gave him into the hands of the prince of the nations, ^D and he wrought his destruction according to his impiety." For because, he says, he was not satisfied with the dominion over men, but also used arrogance against me, "I gave him," he says, "into the hands of a prince of the nations." And he refers to Cyrus; for he was a Mede from his mother's side, and a Persian from his father's side, and came from two nations, having destroyed the kingdom of the Assyrians and Babylonians.

according to his impiety." For he suffered punishments worthy of what he had committed. Therefore, according to history, these things happened to Nebuchadnezzar, who was suffering from the disease of such great cruelty, pride, and impiety.

But if one should wish to look into this more accurately, he will discern that the common plague of mankind, the devil, who is hostile and an enemy to God, is indicated through these things. For he, having been crafted rightly and beautifully, being equal to the ruling powers and more noble than those that are inferior (for by the laws of allegory, he called the incorporeal natures the paradise of delight and the trees within it), flared up as if with rabies against his Creator, from whom he had received such beauty and power, and meditating on tyranny, and having dreamt that he would be God, he fell.

The blessed Paul also hints at this, saying: "Not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride, he fall into the judgment of the devil." For not knowing how to use honor as he should, he will suffer things similar to those which the devil suffered, who made the honor given to him an occasion for pride and arrogance. He says that this one will be delivered to the prince of the nations. ^B And who is this prince of the nations, if not the only-begotten Word of God, Christ the Lord, to whom the prophet says: "Who shall not fear thee, O King of the nations?" And the blessed Jacob: "A ruler shall not fail from Judah, nor a leader from his loins, until he comes to whom it is laid up, and he is the expectation of the nations." Isaiah also exclaims these things: "For there shall be," he says, "the root of Jesse, and he who rises up to be ruler of the nations, in him shall the nations hope." And the Father says to him: "I have given thee for a covenant of the race, for a light of the nations, that thou mayest be for salvation unto the end of the earth." And the same prophet says to him again: "Egypt hath labored, and the merchandise of the Ethiopians, and the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over to thee, and they shall be thy servants; they shall follow after thee bound in fetters, and in thee they shall pray, because God is in thee, and there is no God besides thee," ^C and the rest. And he himself also says through the blessed David: "A people whom I have not known, have served me."

And it is possible to find countless other testimonies teaching this same thing. Therefore, he asserts that the common plague and enemy has been delivered to him, and that by him his destruction has come to pass according to his impiety.

To these he adds: "And I cast him out." (Ver. 12.) "And alien pestilences from the nations have destroyed him, and cast him upon the mountains." For the Lord having conquered him, and having cast him down from his sovereignty and tyranny, those who were formerly pestilences ^D and alien to God from among the nations, and who believed in the divine proclamation, these have utterly destroyed him

and rooted up his tyranny, and cast him down upon the mountains, where he previously had his sacred precincts and altars, having erected columns of philosophy. ^A And in all the ravines his branches have fallen, and his trunks have been shattered in every field of the earth. He called his branches and trunks temples of every kind of idol, which from him had received the occasion to be erected, and which were entirely wiped out from the mountains and the plains by those from the nations who were once pestilential, but were afterwards converted to the faith. And all the peoples of the earth descended from his shade and leveled him. For having recognized his deception, they not only fled his dominion, but even cast him down unto the very ground, fulfilling the Dominical command which says: «Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and upon all the power of the enemy.» ^B

13. On his ruin all the birds of the heaven have rested, and all the beasts of the field were upon his trunks. For if anyone, he says, is winged, and has the eye of his mind toward heaven, he rejoices, contemplating his destruction and the stripping bare of his impiety. And those who formerly lived in a beastly manner will invade his branches, and with their own hands will tear up the sacred precincts of the idols; for these he called trunks.

14. So that all the trees that are in the water may not be exalted by their magnitude, and may not give their principality in the midst of the clouds, and those who drink water may not stand in their height toward him. The destruction of this one, he says, and the overthrow of his power, will be a benefit to others, and an occasion of safety; for seeing the things that have happened to this one, they will not endure to act with a mindset beyond their own merit, nor will they attempt to seize a principality that in no way belongs to them, taking as an aid for tyranny, as if it were a certain irrigation, the honor bestowed upon them by me. «For all have been given unto death.» For not only the devil himself, but also the demons who participated in his tyranny, have undergone total destruction. But it is time again to return to the history; for what has been said is sufficient to teach that not only were the preceding things spoken concerning Nebuchadnezzar, but also concerning him who acted in him and instructed him in his own arrogance. ^C He says, therefore, that Nebuchadnezzar himself and those with him will be delivered to death, having suffered the same things as other men. «Into the land of the depths,» he says, «in the midst of the sons of men, who are led down into the pit.» To these he adds: ^D

VERS. 15. *Thus saith the Lord Adonai: In the day when he was brought down to hell/Sheol, the abyss mourned for him, it covered and restrained his rivers, it withheld the multitude of waters.* ^A By the "abyss" he means those subject nations which were discharging military duties along with him, and were grieving, not for his slaughter, but for their own destruction and ruin. That they did not mourn for him, he has sufficiently declared by saying, "It withheld the multitude of waters," that is, It will no longer endure to send you tribute. *And Lebanon was darkened over him, and all the trees of the field were loosened over him.* ^B By "Lebanon" he does not denote the mountain, but the denseness of the kingdom; and by "the trees of the field," the princes who were inferior in rank to the prefects, and cultivated as it were in a field. By the prefects and commanders he understands the satraps; but by those planted in Lebanon, the greater princes. Just as, therefore, we do not here understand Lebanon to be Lebanon, nor the field the field, nor the trees the trees, so neither do we understand the Paradise of delights to be that which is called the Paradise of God; rather, if we accept it as spoken of Nebuchadnezzar, it refers to the kingdoms of the world; but if of the devil, to those intelligent and incorporeal powers.

VERS. 16. *At the voice of his ruin, he says, the nations were shaken, when I brought him down to hell/Sheol with those descending into the pit.* ^C This happened in both cases. For upon the king of the Babylonians being slain, the report which had spread round about him perturbed the subject nations; and the devil being overthrown, the nations were shaken, and migrated from their former deception to the truth of the saving dogmas. For the blessed Paul also calls this movement a "transfer." *And all the trees of delights were consoling him, and the chosen and the most beautiful of Lebanon, all that drink water.* (VERS. 17.) *For they too were brought down with him into hell/Sheol, together with those wounded by the sword.* ^D By "lowest earth," and "pit," and "ditch," when he speaks of Nebuchadnezzar, he refers to death; but when of the devil, to the ultimate state of dejection. He says, therefore, that those who reigned with him will be sharers in the destruction of these and those; for when a kingdom is overturned, it is necessary that the magistracies which exist under it should also undergo change. But that expression, "they shall console him," is taken from the things that happen among us; for the communion of calamities is accustomed in a certain way to bring some measure of consolation to those who have lost heart. Not only, he says, will those princes chosen by him be overthrown, but also—

^A his seed, those who dwell under his shadow, have perished in the midst of their life. For Balthasar, being the seed and son of Nebuchadnezzar, was not permitted, on account of his great impiety, to reach old age, but while he was already in the midst of the time allotted to human life, he was delivered to the slaughter. Regarding the devil, it is appropriate to understand by "seed" the teaching of impiety sown by him; for this too shall be utterly destroyed, as shall those who struggle to fight on its behalf. Then he turns his discourse toward him.

^B 18. To whom art thou likened in power, and in glory, and in greatness among the trees of delight? Descend, and be brought down with the trees of delight into the depths of the earth. Since, he says, you did not wish to be made like unto the trees that were planted together with you, but rather to the planter, I command that you be cast down with these very trees—those who have thought the same things as you—into the depth of the earth. And this, therefore, applies to both. To these he adds: ^C Thou shalt sleep in the midst of the uncircumcised with them that are slain by the sword. By "uncircumcised," he speaks not of the body, but of the heart; for not only the New, but also the Old Scripture knows of the circumcision of the heart, which God says through the prophet: "For all the nations are uncircumcised in flesh, but the house of Israel is uncircumcised in their heart." Since, therefore, you were unwilling to circumcise your pride, but the residue of pride remained in you, you shall suffer the same things as those who have done these things. Then he completes the thought: ^D Thus Pharaoh, and all the multitude of his strength, says the Lord Adonai. For having said above, "To whom have you likened yourself in your height?" and having recounted the things concerning the Assyrian, or rather the Babylonian, he added: "Thus Pharaoh, and all the multitude of his strength." For if he, he says, who is much greater and more illustrious than you, shall suffer these things, do you also expect the same punishment, possessing as you do the same impiety.

CHAPTER XXXII

1, 2. And it came to pass in the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, on the first of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Egypt, and thou shalt say to him: Thou art likened to a lion of the nations, and as a dragon in the sea; and thou didst trouble the waters with thy feet, and didst trample thy rivers. And again he accuses his arrogance and haughtiness, and says that he emulated the pride of the dragon that is in the sea. We have been taught that this is the devil, who once long ago dwelt among the nations while they were still in an evil state. And Isaiah...

^A adds that God will bring his holy sword upon the dragon that is in the sea; and he says that it attempted to compare itself to a lion, but we have learned that it is the Lord who reigns over the nations as a lion. "For having lain down, he rested," he says, "as a lion and as the lion's whelp; who shall rouse him?" He says, therefore: Because you attempted to compare yourself to the lion of the nations, in a manner similar to the dragon that is in the sea, and received a proud spirit against the God of all, trusting in the river and its canals, as if you had no need of clouds, nor rain, nor of providence and care from above, but using your own feet, and disturbing the water, and leading it off in trenches for irrigation; for this reason, he says:

VER. 3. "I will cast my net over you in the assembly of many peoples, and I will draw you up in my hook." ^B Appropriately and very fittingly has he made mention of a hook and net in connection with the river; and he interpreted these, saying: "In the assembly of many peoples." For it is as if by a certain net—the army of the enemy—and as if by a certain hook—my own will—that I will hunt you and capture you, like a fish.

VERS. 4-6. "And I will stretch you out," he says, "upon the earth, and the fields shall be filled with you, and I will cause all the birds of the sky to settle upon you, and I will fill all the wild beasts of the earth from you. And I will give your flesh upon the mountains, and I will fill the fields with your blood. And the earth will be watered from your overflowings upon the mountains, and I will fill the ravines with you." When, he says, you are captured ^C and killed by the enemies, you will remain unburied, and you will fill the bellies of the beasts and the birds; and the channels of blood, and the humors of the rot—for he has called these "overflowings"—will fill both the fields and the mountains.

VERS. 7, 8. "And I will cover the sky when you are quenched, and I will darken its stars; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not show her light. All the lights of the sky I will darken over you, and I will give darkness upon your land, says the Lord Adonai." He does not say that these things happened by nature, but because of the disposition of those who were being afflicted; for those who are in calamities suppose the day to be darker than the night. And ^D teaching this, he said: "And I will give darkness upon your land," not upon all the earth. And if someone says that darkness actually occurred in Egypt during the time of the war, with God himself showing that he made use of the Babylonians for the punishment of the Egyptians, he will not go astray from a pious understanding.

^A Ver. 9, 10. "And I will provoke the heart of many peoples, when I shall lead thy captivity into the nations, upon a land which thou hast not known. And many nations shall be astonished at thee, and their kings shall be terrified with amazement, when my sword shall be drawn before their faces, expecting their own ruin from the day of thy fall." When thou art captured, he says, some, remembering thy former audacity, will show themselves harsh toward thee and without mercy; but others will lament and be grieved, inferring from the things that have befallen thee the evils that will overtake them. Then he teaches that the army of the Babylonians will come, having certain champions as their front-rank soldiers; for these he called giants. ^B And since they are fiercer than all other nations, they will exact from thee, O Egypt, he says, the penalty for thy pride; for this he called contumely (for the arrogant man is a contumelious person). He says, moreover, that they will destroy their power and lead them away as captives, and will plunder their cattle, and for a long time the channel of the river will remain unruffled, with neither beast nor man disturbing it, because of the desolation that has come about as a result of the captivity; and because the irrigation canals, having ceased to be diverted hither and thither, will flow, he says, like oil, that is to say, quietly and gently, with nothing to hinder them. These things, he says, shall come to pass when desolation has seized upon it, and its inhabitants have been led away as prisoners of war. "And they shall know," he says, "that I am the Lord." For through the experience of evils they shall be taught their own insignificance, and shall acknowledge my sovereignty.

Then he also says:

^C Ver. 16. "The daughters of the nations [he means the cities and the villages] shall lament him, over Egypt and over all her power shall they lament him, saith the Lord God." Not only, he says, will the Egyptian nation lament, but the cities of other nations will also lament their king, contemplating his former prosperity and beholding the sudden change that has occurred.

Ver. 17, 18. "And it came to pass in the twelfth year, in the first month, in the fifteenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, lament over the power of Egypt, and cast him down." By the word of prophecy, he says, decline him from his station, and draw him down and cast him from the royal thrones. "And they shall bring down her daughters [the nations], dead into the depth of the earth, unto those that go down into the pit." ^D Again he calls the cities and villages "daughters," which he says will be delivered up to death; for he called death a "pit," deriving the name from the grave.

VERS. 19. *From fair waters descend, and sleep with the uncircumcised.* ^A Since, he says, you formerly delighted in the river waters, and received beauty from the fruits that grew in them, and did not circumcise your heart, share in the slaughter with those who are like you. Then again he brings forward the same things.

VERS. 21. *And the giants, who are in the deep pit, shall say to you, "Who are you better than? Descend, and sleep with the uncircumcised in the midst of the slain by the sword."* This is what blessed Isaiah says about the Babylonian: ^B *"And the princes who are from of old will say to you: And you are taken, as are we, we are numbered among us: you have descended into hades, both your glory, and your great joy, shall lie beneath you with the moth, and your covering shall be worms."* Here also, he says: "They will say to you, those who were illustrious in power, and were formerly dead" (for he called these giants) — "Are you anything better, you who attempt to become immortal? Descend, therefore, and accept the end of life, and with those who dared the same things, accept a similar slaughter." Then he mentions those who were illustrious in power.

VERS. 22, 23. *There is Assur, and all his congregation, all his wounded have been surrendered there. And his congregation is in the circuit of his tomb. Who, he says, was so famous, as the king of the Assyrians? But nevertheless, he says, he obtained the end of life, and all his army was a participant in that death. "All the wounded who fell by the sword, who gave their sepulchers in the thighs of the pit."* ^C He called the form of the sepulchers thus: for they are long sepulchers, and similar to thighs. *“And his congregation was made in the circuit of his sepulcher, all the wounded falling by the sword.”* For just as the king himself, so too those who were killed under him, and with him, suffered. *“Who have seen their terror in the land of the living.”* But surely all those who terrified others and were terrified, will receive, he says, their shame, since they are being led down into the pit. For indeed that glory ends in private shame: they all finish life by the same slaughter with which they themselves killed others. Then he commemorates the monuments of the individual nations.

VERS. 24. *There is Elam, and all his power in the circuit of his tomb, and all his multitude, and all the wounded who fell by the sword, and have descended uncircumcised into the depth of the earth.* It was a custom in wars among the nations for monuments to be made; for the fellow-tribesmen, gathering their kin, handed them over to a single burial; this, therefore, he has here indicated that the Elamite nation had done; and this borders on the Assyrians. He teaches that even ^D the uncircumcised received death, in no way delivered from their impiety. Then again, having said that those who were formerly terrible to all received their own punishment, and died similarly to the others, he brought forward:

VERS. 25. *To each one the burial is in the circuit, all of them uncircumcised, wounded by the sword.* He speaks of the other nations who received this slaughter.

VERS. 26. *There were given Mosoch and Thobel.* Now the Iberians are called Thobel, and the Cappadocians are called Mosoch. Having again said the same things which he also said about the Elamites, he brought forward:

VERS. 27. *And they placed their swords under their heads.* For their weapons are superfluous, those who used them having been destroyed. He also tells the cause of the slaughter:

And their iniquities shall be upon their bones.* They paid, he says, the penalty for their impiety. Then he also makes clear the kind of impiety: *Because they terrified the giants in their life, and were a terror to those who rule in the land of the living.* For, he says, they used such cruelty and boldness that they instilled fear in everyone, not only in the lowly, but also in those who boasted of their strength and power. Therefore, he says, you who were slain by the sword have also received a slaughter like that. The other nations also endured these things.

^C VERS. 29. *For there is Edom, and all her kings, and all her princes, who gave their strength to the wounds of the sword.* That is, those who abused their strength for murder. And having shown that these too were likewise slain, he likewise adds:

VERS. 30. *There are all the princes of the North, all the captains of Assur, who were brought down with the wounded together with their fear.* *For his spirit shall go forth, and he shall return to his earth,* as the divine David says; *in that day all his thoughts shall perish.* This is also what God says here: *Who were brought down with the wounded together with their fear;* for with death, the fear of their power was also destroyed. Having been defeated, he says, by their own strength, ^D that is, stripped and destitute of

^A power, they have become such. "And the uncircumcised slept," for nothing fills one so much with shame as the accusation of an evil conscience. He calls them uncircumcised again because they do not remove the filth of sin. Then, having said that "they have taken their torment with those who descend into the pit," that is, their punishment, he added:

Vers. 31, 32. "Pharaoh shall see them, and shall be comforted over all their strength, the slain of the sword of Pharaoh, and all his host, says Adonai the Lord. For he gave his fear upon the land of the living, and he shall sleep in the midst of the uncircumcised slain by the sword of Pharaoh, and all his multitude, says Adonai the Lord."

Looking at them, he says, Pharaoh—who was once greater and far more powerful—will find some consolation, as will his subjects with him. Yet he shall pay the penalty for his impiety, because, while having struck much fear into his subjects, he himself did not accept my law, but left his soul uncircumcised. For which reason ^B he himself will also be slaughtered, along with such as these, and those who have felt the same as he did, and those who have lived in the same way he did. Having learned these things, then, and having come to know through the divine oracles what kind of punishments those who do not circumcise their soul will pay, let us accept, I urge you, the circumcision of the most holy Spirit, which is not made by hand, of which the blessed Paul says: "And circumcision of the heart in the spirit, not in the letter, whose praise is not from men but from God." We are taught that circumcision of the heart is the removal of sin and the excision of the evil movements of the mind. The Lord taught this when He said: "If your right eye causes you to stumble, pluck it ^C out, and throw it from you." And He said the same thing concerning the hand and the foot, and He added: "It is profitable for you that one of your members should perish, and not that your whole body should be thrown into hell." By members in this place, He called the activities of the members, which it is necessary to circumcise and excise, and to cleanse the rational part, and to dedicate and consecrate the whole to divine laws. For thus we will be rendered foreign to the communion of the adversary, and we will receive as an inhabitant within us our Lord, who is the author of our benefits, to whom is due glory ^D unto the ages of ages. Amen.

VOLUME XIII. BOOK THE TENTH.

CHAPTER XXXIII.

^A Verses 1, 2. *And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, speak to the sons of thy people.* God, being benevolent, calls the people "his own people"; but because of their transgressions, having turned away from them, he no longer uses that name which implies domestic intimacy. This can be seen to have happened as well in the time of the great Moses. For before the transgression, he said to Pharaoh, "Send away my people, that they may serve me." But after the worship of the calf, he says to Moses: "Make haste, go down quickly from hence; thy people has sinned." Thus, therefore, here too, he calls them not his own people, but the prophet's people.

And thou shalt say to them: *The land, upon which I bring the sword, and the people of the land take one man from among them, and give him to themselves as a watchman;* (Verses 3-5.) *and he sees the sword coming upon the land, and sounds with the trumpet, and signifies it to the people; and he that hearth the trumpet hears, and does not observe, and the sword comes and takes him, his blood shall be upon his own head.* Because having heard the voice of the trumpet he did not observe, his blood shall be upon him. He calls the sword "war," and the watchman "the scout." The discourse teaches us that God himself provides peace to men because of his goodness, but permits war to happen because of the transgressions of men, who draw calamities upon themselves. ^B If, therefore, he says, war having arisen against some city, those upon whom the war is brought appoint a watchman upon some hill, and then he, having seen the army approaching, gives a signal with the trumpet, and neither contemns nor neglects those who placed him there for this cause, he himself, he says, will be innocent, having fulfilled the work committed to him. But he who does not wish to take heed and to care for his own salvation will procure for himself both slaughter and captivity. Therefore he says, "His blood shall be upon him"; to himself, he says, let him attribute the causes of the slaughter. "But he, because he observed, delivered his own soul." But if, he says, he observes, he will be the author of his own salvation.

6. *And if the watchman see the sword coming, and does not sound with the trumpet, and does not signify to the po-

people, and the people does not watch, and the sword coming takes a soul from among them, that soul is indeed taken for its own iniquity, but I will require its blood at the hand of the watchman.* If, he says, the watchman appointed, through negligence, does not signify to the people the arrival of the enemy, those who are destroyed will pay the penalty for the sins they have committed, but the watchman himself will bear the responsibility for the betrayal that has occurred. He said this to make the prophet more attentive and diligent in the ministry of the Word. Therefore he adds: ^B

VERS. 7. *And thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: and thou shalt hear the word from my mouth, and shalt warn them from me.* What a watchman is accustomed to do regarding the observation of enemies, this, O prophet, it behooves you to do, and to convey what is spoken by me with all alacrity of mind.

VERS. 8. *When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die, and thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that he may turn from his way to live; that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.* If, he says, I condemn someone to death, and you do not make known to him the sentence passed against him, so that he might avert the sentence through repentance, he indeed will find an end worthy of his life, but I will exact from you the penalties for his destruction. ^C But if, he says, you make known everything that has been decreed by me to the one living impiously, and he despises your words and persists in his own evil, he indeed will undergo the just punishment, but you will free yourself from the penalties.

VERS. 10. *And thou, son of man, say unto the house of Israel: Thus ye speak, saying, Our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, and how should we then live?* While I, he says, am planning everything for the salvation of Israel, and do not wish them to despair, they themselves use words of despair and think it impossible that they should obtain salvation through repentance, asserting that the very heavy burden of their sins is laid upon them, and that even today they are bound by wickedness and iniquity; and they say that those who are so affected cannot obtain salvation through repentance. ^D

VERS. 11. *Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live.* Who could admire the goodness of the Lord as it deserves? For when he is neglected by those whom he has favored with benefits, and who are quite ungrateful to him, he nevertheless cares for the most ungrateful of all, and with all...

^A providence follows them, desiring to see their conversion. Therefore, he adds a fatherly admonition, full of benevolence: "By conversion turn you from your evil way, and why will you die, O house of Israel?" The doubling is an idiom of the Hebrew language, and it declares the sincerity of the conversion.

VERS. 12. "And thou, son of man, say to the children of thy people: The justice of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day he strayeth, and the iniquity of the wicked shall not kill him in the day he turneth from his iniquity." Wishing to persuade us that he receives the repentance of the sinner, he shows this from the opposite. For, he says, just as if one of those who have lived in virtue were to abandon this path and prefer the other one of vice, it is necessary that he should find an end worthy of that path; so, if one who has been reared in transgressions should wish to return to the path of virtue, he will be completely freed from the punishment assigned to the wicked.

VERS. 13-15. "When I say to the just, that he shall surely live, and he, trusting in his justice, shall commit iniquity, all his justices shall be forgotten, and in his iniquity which he hath committed, he shall die. And when I say to the wicked, Thou shalt surely die, and he shall turn from his iniquity, and do judgment and justice, and restore the pledge to the debtor, and return the rapine, the wicked hath walked in the commandments of life, that he may do no unjust thing: he shall surely live, and shall not die." Neither, he says, shall the promise of good things made by me profit the just man, if he does not persevere in the practice of good things, but he shall pay a penalty worthy of those things which he did in his life; nor shall the sentence of punishment harm the sinner who does not refuse to use the remedies of repentance, and who departs from every wicked transgression, and exercises kindness toward him who is his neighbor, and who sets himself to observe absolutely those things which have been commanded by me; for by his conversion he will break the sentence, and shall enjoy life. And that which is most lovable of all,

VERS. 16. "All," he says, "his sins, which he hath sinned, shall not be remembered to him, because he hath done judgment and justice: in them he shall live." Thus, having shown his own goodness, he refutes the crime of the ungrateful and wicked people.

VERS. 17. "And the children of thy people say: The way of the Lord is not right, and this way of theirs is not right." Such great goodness and clemency, he says, having been proposed by me, they dare to accuse my ways of governing as not being right. And yet they ought to have understood from the facts themselves that my ways are all right

^A and just, but their own are perverted. Then he says the same more clearly by way of interrogation:

VERS. 18. *Hear, O house of Israel: Is it not my way that is right? Are your ways not right?* Then, repeating what was said, he says that the righteous man who chooses to pursue wickedness shall be punished, 19 and the sinner who returns to righteousness shall attain salvation; but to you, he says, this did not seem just. Therefore he added:

VERS. 20. *And this is what you said: The way of the Lord is not right.* Then he says positively: *Each one according to your ways I will judge you, O house of Israel.* This is sufficient to persuade even those who are as hard as adamant to abandon their sins and embrace a change of life for the better.

VERS. 21, 22. *And it came to pass in the twelfth year, in the tenth month, on the fifth of the month of our captivity, that he who had escaped came to me from Jerusalem, saying, The city is taken.* *And the hand of the Lord was upon me in the evening, before he who had escaped came, and he opened my mouth, until he came to me in the morning, and my mouth was opened, and I held my peace no more.* The Syrian says: “In the eleventh year and the twelfth month,” and this seems more appropriate, ^B for in the eleventh year the city was taken. He asserts, however, that at that time someone arrived announcing the capture of Jerusalem, but the Lord, having anticipated him in the evening, set upon me the words of prophecy; and when that man appeared in the morning and brought the news, He no longer permitted me to keep the prophetic words in silence, but ordered and prepared me to utter them unceasingly; for the Lord knows the time for silence and for speech better than all.

VERS. 23, 24. *And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man, the inhabitants of these desolate places in the land of Israel are saying, saying: Abraham was one, and he possessed the land, and we are many; to us the land is given for a possession.* They labor under a disease of stupor to such a degree that nothing further can be imagined; for, being still rash after so many and such great punishments, and seeing the desolation of Judea, they dare to say, “If Abraham, being alone, possessed this land, much more shall we, being many, be masters of it.” ^C Yet they ought to have looked at both the virtue of Abraham and their own wickedness, and not trust in their numbers, but seek after righteousness. Wherefore the Lord also applies this correction to them:

VERS. 25, 26. *Therefore say to them: Thus says Adonai the Lord: Because you eat with the blood, and eyes...* ^D

of yours you lift up to your idols, and blood you shed, shall you possess the land by inheritance? You have relied on your sword, you have committed abominations, and every one your neighbor's wife you have defiled, and shall you possess the land by inheritance?* You hope, he says, to gain the ancestral land by trusting in your own works, and yet your life is wicked; for you perform those things which were forbidden you by the law: you eat blood, which I forbid when imposing the law upon Noah, and which I commanded through Moses to be poured out upon the ground; you hold the worship of idols in high esteem, and you continue to commit murders and adulteries. Do not, therefore, while daring such things, hope to possess the land by inheritance.

Verses 27, 28. *Thus says Adonai the Lord: As I live, if they that are in the deserts shall not fall by the sword, and they that are upon the face of the field shall be given to the beasts of the field for food, and those in the walled cities, and those in the caves, I will kill with death. And I will make the land a desert.* The seal of what has been said is the phrase, *As I live*; ^B he asserts that those who inhabited the walled cities, and those in the caves, and those in the desolate places, would pay the aforesaid penalties. And, showing the cause, he adds: *And the pride of her strength shall perish, and the mountains of Israel shall be made desolate, because there is no one passing through.* (Vers. 29) *And they shall know that I am the Lord, and I will make their land a desert, and it shall be made desolate because of all their abominations which they have done.* By all these things, both they and we who live wickedly have been taught not to trust even in many and countless thousands of men, but solely in the remedies of repentance, which the Lord had previously shown.

Verses 30, 31. *And you, son of man, the sons of your people shall speak about you by the walls, and in the doors of the houses; and they shall speak every one to his neighbor, and every one to his brother, saying: Let us come together, and let us hear what is the word that goes forth from the Lord. And they come to you, as the people goes forth, and my people sits before you, and they hear your words, and they will not do them.* Now all the things previously said were spoken concerning those who were in Judea; but these words refer to those already carried away captive and inhabiting Babylon, who indeed were eager to hear the oracles of the prophets, but were not eager to obey the things being said; but in their own councils they encouraged one another to run to the prophet ^D and learn the things commanded by God, yet they persisted in resisting. Therefore he says: *And they will not do them. Because there is a lie in their mouth.* The tongue, he says, does not agree with the heart.

^A *For their heart goes after their pollutions.* For they hear the word for its pleasure alone, and not for its benefit. Hence he fittingly added:

^B VERSE 32. *And thou art to them as a voice of a sweet-sounding and harmonious psaltery.* Just as, he says, those who hear some instrument producing a harmonious sound derive pleasure from it, but do not perceive the instruction of the notes, so also your words, O prophet, delight only their hearing, but do not soothe the soul that lives in wickedness. For this reason he added: *And they will hear thy words, and they will not do them, because there is a lie in their mouth.* But now, he says, though they do not believe, when they see the outcome, they will believe through experience.

VERSE 33. *For when they come, he says, they will say: Behold it arrives, and they will know that a prophet was in their midst.* For they will believe through the events themselves those whom they now disbelieve, and then they will understand the prophetic power. From here he transfers the discourse to the shepherds; and he calls those who are shepherds not only the kings, but also the priests, and he accuses them of impudence, of sloth, and of the betrayal of the sheep.

CHAPTER XXXIV.

VERSE 2. *For, son of man, he says, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to the shepherds: Thus says the Lord Adonai: O shepherds of Israel, do the shepherds not feed themselves? Is it not the sheep that shepherds feed?* Say, he says, you yourselves: what is the proper task of a shepherd? To feed himself, or to feed the sheep?

VERSE 3. *Behold, you were eating the milk, and clothing yourselves with the wool, and were slaughtering the fat one, and you did not feed my sheep.* ^C He speaks everything in a figurative sense. You, the priests, were taking the firstfruits, the tithes, and the portions of the sacrifices taken from the victims; and you, the kings, exacting tribute and taxes, were not at all content with these, but by slaughtering the wealthier people, you were enjoying their riches; and neither your priests nor you were taking any care for the tending of the sheep. Then he recounts their inept procedure in detail.

VERSE 4. *The weak you did not strengthen, and the sick you did not heal, and the broken you did not bind up, and that which was unwell you did not restore, and the wandering you did not bring back, and that which was lost you did not seek* (and what is the most serious of all), the strong ^D

you have oppressed with toil, and ^B by force you have instructed them, and in jest. For you did not only fail to provide the due healing to the infirm, but you also heaped many labors upon the healthy. And this it is easy to see through history. For the wicked shepherds refused to heal those who worshipped idols and lived in lawlessness, and to turn them back to God, but they constantly scourged and imprisoned the divine prophets who possessed the strength of virtue, and subjected them to countless pains; and while doing these things, they mocked them, ridiculing what was said by them. Therefore he says: "And by force you have instructed them, and in jest," showing that at the same time they brought painful things upon the holy ones, but they themselves considered what was happening to be a game and a joke.

VERS. 5. Because of these wicked shepherds, he says, my sheep were scattered, and became food for all the beasts of the field. By a metaphor he has again called them beasts, since he has also called the sheep by this same name. He calls "beasts" those possessed of intelligence, the demons, the executioners of souls, and those merely sensitive, the wild animals, the enemies rushing upon them from every side.

VERS. 6. And my sheep were scattered and wandered on every mountain, and upon every high hill, and upon the face of all the earth ^C my sheep were scattered, and there was no one seeking, nor turning them back. — By mountains and hills and the other things he mentioned, he signified the idolatrous worship that took place in them; for on mountains and hills, and in every place, they established temples of idols, with neither kings nor indeed priests preventing the impiety. For which reason he said: "And there was no one seeking, nor turning them back." Having thus completed his accusation, he threatens the shepherds with punishment, and says: Since through laziness and neglect my sheep have become prey to beasts, and have enjoyed no care or providence from you—for you have cared only for your own pleasure and bodily comfort—

VERS. 9, 10. Therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says Adonai Lord: Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will seek my sheep out of their hands, ^D and I will cause them to cease from pasturing my sheep, and the shepherds shall no longer pasture them; and I will deliver my sheep from their mouth, and they shall no longer be for them as food. Through these words he signified the end of both the kingdom of the Jews and the priesthood. For I will deliver my sheep, he says, from the evil care of those who never governed them with any providence, but only

remained to devour them. Then, through the Lord and our Savior, he promises salvation. ^A

VERS. 11, 12. Quia hæc dicit Adonai Dominus: Ecce ego requiram oves meas, et visitabo eas; sicut visitat pastor gregem suum interdiu, quando fuerit caligo et nubes in medio ovium ipsius separatarum, ita requiram oves meas, et eruam eas ex omni loco, ubi dispersæ fuerunt die nubis et caliginis. Here he called the darkness of ignorance cloud and gloom, which had been poured out over the whole world before God and our Savior became man. He says, therefore: Just as a diligent shepherd who takes the greatest care of his own sheep, when he sees a mist hanging over them—which provides an opportunity for wolves and thieves—takes care of his own sheep, and gathers them together when they have been scattered, and makes those who were separated into one flock; such is the Church gathered from the Jews and from the Gentiles. Then he doubles the prophecy. For that which falls under the eyes is fitting for the Jews alone; but that which is as a hidden mystery belongs to all men, especially since the things that happened to the Jews are a type of our own affairs. For our return from the devil to God, and our liberation from that tyrannical slavery, corresponds to the revocation of their exile and their release from captivity. ^B

VERS. 13, 14. Et educam eos de gentibus, et congregabo eos de regionibus, et introducam eos in terram ipsorum, et pascam eos in montibus Israelis, et in vallibus, et in omni habitatione terræ. In pascuo bono pascam eos. And yet, the law is good, and the commandment is, according to the Apostle, holy, and just, and good; but he promises them other food, for they already had the legal pasture. What then is this good pasture that is beyond the legal one? Is it not clear that he is hinting here at the teaching of the divine Gospels, by feeding upon which the sheep of God are nourished, and fattened, and attain salvation? Declaring this more clearly: “In the high mountain of Israel,” he says, “shall be their splendor.” And yet he had made mention of many mountains and valleys; nevertheless, he especially mentions a certain high mountain, in which he foretells the coming splendor of those who are fed. The blessed David also mentions this mountain, when he says: “The mountain of God is a mountain of fatness, a mountain ^C of cheese, a mountain of fatness.” Then, as the mountains of the Israelites look with envy upon this very mountain, he says: “Why do you look askance / at the mountains of mountain peaks?” ^D

The mountain in which God has taken pleasure to dwell therein; for the Lord will dwell in it forever. In vain, he says, do you look with envy upon this mountain, since God has taken pleasure in dwelling in it, for He will do so forever. And other interpreters have taught us to understand it in this way: Aquila has said, "Why do you strive, O mountains of mountain peaks?" and Theodotion, "Why do you litigate concerning this mountain?" And Isaiah cries out, and Micah likewise: “And it shall come to pass in the last days that the mountain of the Lord shall be manifest, and the house of the Lord on the top of the mountains, and all nations shall come to it,” and the rest. And the Lord says in the holy Gospels: “A city cannot be hidden that is set on a mountain.” Therefore, he has named here also the high and conspicuous mountain of the evangelical teaching, in which he promised that the adornment of the sheep would come to pass. Then he adds: “And their folds shall be there.” This pertains directly to us, and not to the Jews; for they had one fold, which was the temple in Jerusalem, whereas we have countless churches throughout the ^B whole world.

Vers. 15. *And they shall sleep, and rest there, and in good delights and in fat pasture shall they be fed upon the mountains of Israel. And I will feed my sheep.* The divine oracles designate good and fat things as delights: “Delight thyself also in the Lord, and He shall give thee the petitions of thy heart;” but he calls the prophetic books the mountains of Israel, in which we are fed in turn, having through them a certain approach to the greatest mountain. For through the prophetic oracles we are led to the evangelical teaching, which they attest. Moreover, we have as our shepherd the Master and Lord Himself, proclaiming: “I am the good shepherd.” Predicting this also in this place, He said: “And I will feed my sheep. And I will make them to rest, and they shall know that I am the Lord.” For being fed by Him, and resting as if in some pasture in His teaching, we recognize His lordship.

Vers. 16. *Thus saith the Lord Adonai: That which was lost I will seek, and that which was gone astray I will bring back,* as Paul and those like him; *“and that which was bruised I will bind up,”* as the publican, and the harlot, and the thief, and those like them; *“and that which was weak I will strengthen,”* as Peter who denied; *“and that which was fat and strong I will keep,”* as the holy apostles, and those who have chosen for themselves a life like theirs; *“and I will feed them with judgment,”*—good sub^CD

ministering, and when there is need, instructing. Having concluded the speech against the wicked shepherds, and the prediction of His future care, He transfers the speech to the sheep, teaching that the foolish behavior of the shepherds provides no defense for the sheep; for the sheep are endowed with reason and possess the power of discernment, and are able to flee from evil and choose what is good. Therefore He says:

^A VERS. 17. *And you, my sheep,* He says, *thus says Adonai the Lord: Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and goats.* For just as, He says, I judge between shepherds and sheep, so too will I be the judge of the sheep, and I will punish those who act unjustly.

VERS. 18, 19. *And was it not enough for you that you fed on good pasture, and trampled with your feet the remains of your pasture, and drank the standing water, and troubled the rest with your feet? And my sheep fed on the tramplings of your feet, and drank the water troubled by your feet?* This speech is directed against the wealthy, who abused their riches for wantonness, and not only took from them what was of use to themselves, but also went beyond the limits of what they needed. And this one might see happening even in our own time by some. The parable of Lazarus also bears witness to this, having shown that that rich man did not even share the crumbs falling from the table with the poor man. ^B But the phrase, *You trampled the remains with your feet,* is spoken metaphorically as of sheep, which eat the grass, and trample what remains, and first drink the water, and then muddy it with their feet.

VERS. 20. *Therefore thus says Adonai the Lord: Behold, I am against you, and I will judge between the strong sheep and the weak sheep.* Then he recounts the audacity of the strong.

VERS. 21, 22. *Because you pushed with your sides and shoulders, and butted with your horns, and afflicted all that were failing, until you drove them out, and my sheep were scattered to every passerby. And I will save my sheep, and they shall no longer be for a prey.* All these things He has spoken as if concerning sheep, mentioning shoulders, ^C and horns, and sides; and through all these things, He censures the unjust power of those who were established in authority; nevertheless, He promises security to the sheep. *And I will judge between sheep and sheep, and between ram and ram.* I will judge, He says, and I will not neglect those who have been treated with injury, but from those who have harmed them ^D I shall exact…

penalties. Then follows the promise of the common salvation of all.

^A Ver. 23. *And I will set up one shepherd over them, who will feed them, my servant David; he himself will feed them, and he himself will cause them to rest, and he will be their shepherd.* Having said above, "I will feed," here He says that David will be their shepherd, whom He also calls servant. But who is this? Is it not clear that it is the Lord Christ, born of the seed of David according to the flesh? Therefore, even as a man, He is a servant, and this according to nature, not according to dignity; for if those who have believed in Him are not servants, but sons, much more is He, through whom the servants were vindicated into liberty, not a servant, but a Son. This, too, the blessed Paul asserts, saying: *"Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant."* And Isaiah also exclaims in His person, saying: *"Thus says the Lord, who formed me from the womb as a servant to Himself, to gather Jacob unto Him; and Israel shall be gathered unto Him: Behold, I have given Thee for a covenant of the race, for a light of the nations, that Thou mayest be for salvation unto the end of the earth."* And in [Isaiah] XLII, 1: *"Jacob is my child, I will take hold of him."* In the Hebrew it is set down: *"My servant."* And the divine evangelist also referred this testimony to our Lord Jesus. He is called a servant, therefore, as a man; and this, as I said, not according to dignity, but according to nature, for He took the form of a servant. ^B That there is one shepherd of the sheep, the Lord also said in the Gospels: *"And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one flock, one shepherd."* Then He adds:

Ver. 24. *And I the Lord will be to them for God, and my servant David a prince in their midst.* And He shows that the things which were said are free from falsehood by the things that follow: *"I the Lord have spoken."* For the authority of the one who said them is sufficient for the confirmation of the words.

Ver. 25. *And I will make a covenant of peace with David.* Paul is the interpreter of this: for he cries out concerning Christ: *"He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of the partition."* This He also said above: *"And I will set up one shepherd over them."* For ^C One feeds both those who have believed from the nations and those who have believed from the Jews. *"And I will destroy evil beasts from the earth."* And the troops of evil demons, and those men suffering from the disease of ferocity, by partly changing them from their way of thinking and bringing them to reason, and

by delivering them completely from being beasts, or by ending them through death. ^A *And they shall dwell in the desert confidently, and sleep in the woods.* Both are unfruitful. But he says that they will both possess and cultivate the desert of the nations, and in the wood of the Jews they will find rest and healing. And earlier, when he wished to show the barrenness of Jerusalem: *Prophesy, son of man, against the wood of the South [Nageb],* which means the south, as we have said before.

VER. 26. *And I will give a blessing round about my mountain, and I will bring down the rain to you in its season; there shall be showers of blessing.* For such are the teachings of the divine apostles, bringing to the souls of believers an irrigation full of blessing. That the divine Scripture often calls teaching "rain," the prophet Isaiah is witness, threatening the old vineyard on behalf of God: *It shall not be pruned, nor shall it be dug; and I will command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it ^B.*

VER. 27. *And the trees in the field shall give their fruit, and the land shall give its strength.* For those who are earthly in soul, that is, those who have come from the nations, as well as the Jews who were unfruitful like wild trees, when they approach the faith and enjoy such irrigation, will yield to me the fruit of piety. *And they shall dwell in their land in the hope of peace.* He did not say "in peace," but "in the hope of peace." For to those who believed in Him, the Lord said: *In the world you have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world m.* And the divine Apostle also says: *For in hope we were saved; but hope that is seen is not hope; for what a man sees, why does he also hope for? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait through patience n.* And again: *And not only that, but we ourselves also, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we groan within ourselves, waiting for our adoption as sons of God, the redemption of our body ^C.* Then, that which is the greatest gain of all: *And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I have broken the chains of their yoke, and I will deliver them from the hand of those who enslaved them. (VER. 28.) And they shall no longer be a prey to the nations, and the beasts of the earth shall no longer devour them.* I have already said that the prophecy is twofold; for one part pertains to the Jews, and the other to all men. For He both delivered the Jews from the Babylonian captivity, and He has freed us all from the tyranny of the devil. He called the chains of the yoke the necessity ^D of servitude; and he calls the nations and

the beasts ^A — if we refer these things to the Jews — ferocious enemies, but if to us ourselves, the various legions of demons who, like unto wild beasts, attack men. Then he also shows the invincible shield, hope, I mean, in Him: "And they shall dwell in hope, and there shall be none to frighten them." For it is good to hope in the Lord, rather than to hope in man; for he who has this hope cries out: "All nations have compassed me about, and in the name of the Lord I have revenged myself upon them."

Verse 29. "And I will raise up for them a plant of peace into a name." This also the prophet Isaiah predicts: "There shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a flower shall rise out of his root, and the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him," and the rest. And again: "There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise up to rule the Gentiles, in him the Gentiles shall hope, and his rest shall be honor." Explaining this, the Lord said: "I am the true vine, you are the branches." And in the Canticle of Canticles we find the bride saying: "As the apple tree among the trees of the woods, so is my beloved among the sons." Therefore here too he says, "I will raise up for them a plant of peace into a name," that is, most renowned, glorious, and ^B celebrated. And perhaps the discourse also hints at something else, namely, that they would derive their name from the plant; for from Christ, all the pious are called Christians. "And they shall no more be few in number in the earth." That is to say, the pious; for they were very few before the coming of Christ. "And they shall no more be perishing with hunger in the land." They shall enjoy, he says, every spiritual nourishment; for here he calls "famine" the lack of the word, which God threatened through the prophets: "I will send forth," he says, "not a famine of bread, nor a thirst of water, but a famine of hearing the word of the Lord." "And they shall no more bear the reproach of the Gentiles." And this again is fitting both for us and for the Jews; for we, having increased into a multitude and filled the whole world, are no longer reproached by those who have remained in impiety, but rather we are envied, and others are jealous of us; and the Jews, after the return from Babylon, liberated from captivity, recovered their own self-respect.

Verse 30. "And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, and that they are my people, the house of Israel, saith the Lord Adonai." It is necessary to call to mind the words of the Apostle, that "Not all who are from Jerusalem are Israel, nor because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children." And it is necessary further ^C

^A that these things—which were spoken by the divine John the Baptist to the Pharisees, that "God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham"—are applied here. From which it is clear that all who believe, and who see through faith, as far as it is possible to see, the God of all things, are called Israel; for the name signifies this. And while this happened to them after the return, the prophecy is more properly and truly suited to us, since our things are not a figure, but the truth. ^B

VERS. 31. "And you are my sheep," he says, "and the sheep of my pasture." And showing that the discourse is not only to Israel, but to the entire human race, he added necessarily: "You are [human] men, and I am the Lord your God, says Adonai the Lord." For you, having been delivered from savagery, have acquired the understanding proper to the nature of men; and I will be your God and Lord, providing for you every providence and care. This, then, is the meaning of the prophecy.

Now, as for the Jews, I consider it nothing new that they usually play the fool; but I am astonished that there are some among our own people who dare to take all these things as referring to Zerubbabel, not understanding that most of the things said are directly contrary to the things that were done by him. For the passages: "I will establish with David a covenant of peace, and I will destroy evil beasts from the land, and they shall dwell in the desert confidently, and shall sleep in the woods," ^C and, "They shall dwell in hope, and there shall be none to terrify them, and I will raise up for them a plant of peace for a name, and they shall no longer be perishing from hunger in the land, and they shall no longer bear the reproach of the nations," are entirely contrary to the history that is related about him. For he, having returned from Babylon, and having begun to rebuild the divine temple, was prevented by the neighboring nations from bringing the work to an end. Wherefore, when six and forty years had passed, both according to the ancient history and according to the testimony of the Gospels, only the temple was recently constructed; but after another two and eighty years, the city recovered its walls, which Nehemiah raised up in the thirty-second year of the reign of Artaxerxes. ^D And the history of Ezra teaches us that such fear had seized the builders that they were forced when building to be armed, and at the same time to bring stones and to cast weapons at the enemies. How, then, does it apply to such men that "There shall be none to terrify them," or, "I will raise up for them a plant of peace," or, "They shall not be few in number"? And Ezra teaches us again

^A that Nehemiah, having used much toil, could hardly persuade the priests to leave their life in the fields and go to dwell in the city. And it is equally easy for those who love learning to apply the other things to history, and to understand the discrepancy. Therefore, some things befit those [events], but most befit the salvation of the world. Leaving, then, those Jews to their nonsense—those who transferred to the soul the weakness of the bodily eyes of their own mother, I mean Leah, and do not wish to see the truth—we exhort those who are faithful with us to test everything, and to hold fast what is good, according to the divine Apostle [b]; and [we urge them] that what we are accustomed to do with food, preferring the sweet to the unpleasant, and indeed preferring the even sweeter to the sweet, they should also do with the divine oracles. For the mind, as Job says [c], discerns words, but the throat tastes food; and wisdom is found in much time, and knowledge in a long and ^B long life; for accurate experience is a teacher, having taken as a helper the revelation from above; enjoying which 60, and being illuminated by its brightness, we shall never miss the truth, in Christ Jesus our Lord, with whom be glory to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, now and always, and for ever and ever. Amen.

VOLUME XIV

BOOK FOURTEENTH

CHAPTER XXXV

^A Ver. 1-4. *And the word of the Lord came unto me saying: Son of man, set thy face against mount Seir, and prophesy against it, and say unto it: Thus saith the Lord Adonai: Behold, I am against thee, O mount Seir, and I will stretch out my hand upon thee, and I will make thee a desert and thou shalt be desolate. And I will make thy cities a desert, and thou shalt be a desert, and thou shalt know that I am the Lord.* ^B Mount Seir is of Idumea, as we have already said; the Idumeans, having their lineage from Esau, were disposed most hatefully and hostilely toward the Jews, for which reason they even rejoiced at the calamities brought upon them. To these, God, the author of all things, threatens extreme desolation. ^C And the phrase, "I will stretch out my hand upon thee," He has set down as a metaphor taken from those who strike with their hands, showing the vehemence of [His] wrath. ^D We know

^A however, that the divine nature is free from every passion, and that words of this kind are to be measured by the capacity of the hearers. Thus, having threatened punishment, He also appends the cause.

VERS. 5. Because there was in thee perpetual enmity, and thou hast lain in wait for the house of Israel with deceit, in the hand of enemies, with the sword in the time of their tribulation, and in the time of extreme iniquity. He rebukes the Idumaeans and charges them with the memory of their injuries, and accuses them of the plots which they had secretly devised against Israel. For these [things] he has indicated by saying: "And thou hast lain in wait for the house of Israel with deceit, in the hand of enemies, with the sword in the time of their tribulation," that is, when enemies invaded them, thou didst obstruct their paths with ambushes and snares, not allowing them even the opportunity of fleeing. For so also did ^B other interpreters interpret: "And thou didst shut up, he says, the children of Israel into the hand of the sword, in the time of their tribulation, in the time of iniquity before me." For when the house of Israel was paying the penalties for iniquity—or, as the Septuagint has it, for the injustice perpetrated against me—it suffered a multiplication of calamities by thy deceits and thy plots with the enemies. Therefore, the prophetic discourse teaches us not to insult those who are being punished on account of their sins, but, according to the apostolic admonition, to weep with those who weep.

VERS. 6. Therefore, As I live, saith Adonai the Lord, surely in blood thou hast sinned, and blood shall pursue thee: for thou hast hated blood, [and] blood shall pursue thee. — But by "blood," in this place, he does not mean war, but kinship. For when, he says, thou hast brought war upon thy race, thou shalt deservedly be warred upon by it, and I will stir up against thee as enemies the kin whom thou hast hated. Now the kin of the Idumaeans are the Jews. For they derive their race ^C from two brothers: those from Edom, who is also called Esau, and those from Jacob, who is also called Israel.

VERS. 7. And I will make Mount Seir a wilderness and a desolation. Then he describes the manner of the desolation: "And I will cut off from it man and beast, and him that passeth through and returneth." These [words] declare the excess of the solitude, that it shall not only despoil it of its inhabitants but also of travelers passing through, and he predicts in what manner he will destroy the inhabitants.

VERS. 8, 9. And I will fill thy hills, and thy valleys, and all thy fields with thy ^D wounded: for they that are wounded by the sword shall fall in thee. And I will make thee a perpetual desolation, and thy cities shall not be inhabited anymore,

^A and thou shalt know that I am the Lord. Again, “everlasting desolation,” and “they shall not be inhabited any more,” he has set down according to the idiom of Scripture. Therefore, from those things which we have already stated while speaking of the desolation of Tyre, we shall understand these things also. Thus, having threatened punishment, he again exposes their wickedness.

VERS. 10. *Propterea quod dixeris tu: Duæ gentes, et duæ regiones meæ erunt et hæreditate possidebo eas, et Dominus ibi est.* Or according to other interpreters, “and the Lord is there.” Now this does not only refute their insatiable greed and avarice, but it also shows the excess of their impiety; and these things are similar to the insolent and arrogant words of Sennacherib. For he was saying: “Shall the Lord in any wise deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?” And similarly the Idumaeans spoke rashly, saying: “Even if the Lord should be in Jerusalem, we shall possess both countries.” And yet the God ^B who is the author of all things, when He had led Israel out of Egypt, did not permit him to wage war against the Idumaeans. “For thou shalt not fight against them,” He said, “because they are thy brethren.” Therefore, even being excluded from the road, they circled around the mountain and the wilderness, as they had been commanded. And regarding all that land, God said to Israel: “I will not give it to thee; for I have given it unto the sons of Esau for an inheritance.” Nevertheless, the Idumaeans, not being content with the good things granted to them by God, hoped that they would also obtain the region of the Judaeans as an inheritance. Wherefore, the God who is the author of all things deservedly threatens punishments and confirms His sentence with an oath.

VERS. 11. *Propterea enim, Vivo, inquit, ego dicit Adonai Dominus, et faciam tibi secundum inimicitiam tuam, et secundum zelum tuum, quem fecisti cum tu odisses eos.* You will suffer things worthy of envy and hatred, he says.

*Et notus ero tibi, cum judicabo te.* (VERS. 12.) *Et cognosces me esse Dominum.* Having brought punishments upon you, he says, I will make myself manifest unto you, so that you might not imagine that the calamities befell you from some other source, but that, when you have known that I am the Lord, you may reap profit from that knowledge.

I have heard the voice of all thy blasphemies, which thou didst speak concerning the mountains of Israel, saying: The mountains of Israel are high, eternal, they are given to us for a possession. (VERS. 13.) And ^C thou hast spoken ^D magnificently against me with thy mouth, and hast multiplied thy words against me, which I have heard. He does not even endure to recount the blasphemous words, teaching us not to utter the curses of others by repeating them with our tongue, but to remember that prophetic saying: “That my mouth may not speak the works of men.”

^A Through all this, He showed not only their enmity and desire for revenge, but also their arrogance and their madness and frenzy against God. And very profitably He added: “You have multiplied words against me, which I have heard,” teaching us that there is nothing of what is said or done by us that can escape His power to see or to hear.

VERS. 14, 15. *Thus says Adonai the Lord: When all the earth rejoices, I will make you a desolate waste. As you rejoiced over the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was laid waste, so will I do to you; mount Seir, and all Idumaea, shall be consumed, and they shall know that I am the Lord their God.* He threatened them with such a punishment that no remedy could be applied to it. For as everyone, ^B he says, lives in peace and tranquility of soul, I shall wrap you in calamities, so that you may not be able to find consolation even from those who are your partners in evil—the sort of solace that Israel had when Nabuchodonosor had invaded not only them, but also the Tyrians, the Sidonians, the Philistines, and the Egyptians. Yet, in addition to these punishments, He promises a benefit: “For they shall know,” He says, “that I am the Lord their God.” Discipline, therefore, brings utility, which, according to the prophet Isaiah, “opens our ears,” and makes us acknowledge our proper Master, who strikes and heals.

CHAPTER XXXVI

VERS. 1-3. *And you, son of man, prophesy over the mountains of Israel, and say, Hear the word of the Lord. Thus says Adonai the Lord: Because the enemy has said over you, Aha, the eternal solitudes have now become our possession; therefore prophesy, and say: Thus says Adonai the Lord: Because you were made a desolation to all the nations round about, and because you were disgraced by all who are round about you, that you became a possession to the rest of the nations, and you have risen up in the speech of the tongue upon the lips, and for a reproach to the nations.* Having predicted ^C sad and sorrowful things to the Idumaeans, He transfers His word to the mountains of Israel, and offers them a promise of good things, and encourages them to be of good courage, since the words spoken by the enemies are false and vain. For the desolation, He says, will not remain for long, but I will rebuke the reproaches of the nations that are neighbors to you, and I will suppress their boldness against you, so that they may no longer recount your calamities, nor spread abroad your evils. To this He adds:

"I will speak concerning a nation and a kingdom, to build it up and to plant it; and they shall do evil in my sight, that they may not obey my voice; and I will repent of the good things which I spoke to do for them." The Jews, therefore, were the cause of their not obtaining the good things promised through the prophecy. 18. "And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying: Son of man, the house of Israel dwelt upon their own land, and defiled it by their way, and by their idols, and by their uncleannesses; their way was before me as the uncleanness of a woman who is set apart. And I poured out my fury upon them." These things themselves, He says, bear witness to the justice of the punishment; for they did not merely continue to worship all kinds of idols, but they also practiced every form of lawlessness, so as to be filled with every abomination and hatred; and because, according to the Law, a woman who is set apart is considered very unclean—that is, one in an issue of blood—He likens their abomination to that discharge of lawlessness. Then, again, persisting in the accusation:

^A And I will multiply men upon you, the whole house of Israel, even to the end, and the cities shall be inhabited and the deserts shall be built. And I will multiply men upon you, and cattle, and they shall be increased and multiplied, and I will cause you to inhabit as in your beginning, and I will do better unto you than in your former years; and ye shall know that I am the Lord. It is not the mountains that shall know, but those who dwell in the mountains. These things reached their fulfillment after the return from Babylon, and the facts themselves bear witness; for the cities of Palestine are filled with inhabitants, and all of them have been restored so as to shine with splendor. That one alone has remained a desert, in which the Jews, driven by madness against the Lord and Savior, committed the daring crime of the cross, contriving salvation for all men indeed, but for themselves destruction. Moreover, that the whole of Israel might attain its return, the Lord both promised it and kept His promise. For He moved Cyrus to grant the return to everyone; but they, suffering from their habitual disease of stubbornness, resisted the commands given and preferred a foreign land to their own.

VERS. 13-15. Thus saith Adonai the Lord: Because they said to you: You are a land that devours men, and you have been bereaved of your nation. Therefore you shall no longer eat men, and your nation you shall no longer bereave, saith the Lord. And the侮shame of the nations shall no longer be heard upon you, and you shall no longer bear reproaches, and your nation shall no longer be bereaved of its children, saith Adonai the Lord. These things likewise would have attained their fulfillment had ^C the Jews been willing; but because, like rabid dogs, they raged against the Lord, they themselves were the authors of the fact that what the prophecy predicted was not fulfilled—and thus the prediction is free from falsehood. For the God of the universe had declared beforehand through Jeremiah the prophet: «I shall speak at last concerning a nation and a kingdom, that it may be rebuilt and planted, and they will do evil before me so as not to hear my voice, and I will repent of the good things which I spoke to do to them.» The Jews, therefore, were themselves the cause of their not obtaining the good things promised through the prophecy.

VERS. 16-18. And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, the house of Israel has dwelt in its own land, and they have polluted it by their way and by their idols and by their uncleannesses; according to the uncleanness of one who is set apart, their way has become before my face. And I poured out my wrath upon them. The events themselves, he says, bear witness that ^D the punishment is just. For neither...

not only did they persist in worshipping those all-devouring idols, but they also practiced every kind of lawlessness, so as to be filled with every abomination and hatred; and since, according to the Law, a menstruating woman—that is, one who is in her flow of blood—was considered very unclean, he compares the abomination to that filth of lawlessness. ^A Then, dwelling again on the accusation: "For they shed blood upon the land, and with their idols they polluted it." ^B And again he shows the justice of the punishment: "According to their way and according to their practices I judged them." They reaped, he says, the fruits of what they had sown. He calls "blood" here not only other murders, but also the sacrifices of children, which they offered to pitiless and wicked demons; for they were not satisfied, he says, with the lawlessness before the captivity, but even when they had become captives and strangers, they remained in the same evils.

"And they entered the nations, into whom they entered there, and they profaned my holy name, when it was said to them, 'These are the people of the Lord, and it is from his land that they have gone out.'" By living in wickedness, he says, they became the cause of blasphemies against me. For first, the nations supposed that they were defeated and brought under the power of the enemy because of my weakness; then, having learned by experience of their wickedness, they heaped blasphemy against me, as one who delighted in such practices and who had named such wicked men as my own people; but yet, having regard for them themselves, ^C "I spared them for my holy name, which the house of Israel profaned, where they entered there." Wishing, he says, to teach them my power, I will rescue these from the impending evils.

"Therefore say to the house of Israel: Thus saith the Lord Adonai: I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for my holy name, which you profaned in the nations, where you entered there. And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the nations, which you profaned in the midst of them, and the nations will know that I am the Lord, saith the Lord Adonai, when I am sanctified in you before their eyes." It is not you, he says, who are worthy of salvation, but it befits the nations, who received from you the occasion for blasphemy against me, to obtain a remedy; and this ^D blasphemy of theirs will be suppressed by your salvation, through which my power will be made manifest. For when...

^A they have learned how great my name is, and that it is sufficient for the aid of those who belong to me, they will glorify my sovereignty and sing its praises. For He made this clear by saying: "And the nations shall know that I am the Lord God, when I am sanctified in you before their eyes." (VERS. 24.) "And I will take you from the nations, and gather you from all generations, and will bring you into your own land." This applies to all who returned; for those who desired to return obtained their return. But the things that follow do not apply to all, but only to those who chose to give faith to the evangelical preaching. For He says:

VERS. 25. "And I will sprinkle upon you clean water, and you shall be cleansed from all your uncleanness, and from all your idols I will cleanse you." He called the water of regeneration "clean water," in which, having been baptized, we received the remission of sins. And the things that follow confirm what has been said.

VERS. 26. "And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will give you." By these words He signified a change of mind: for, He says, your heart will incline toward better things, no longer having the propensity toward worse things according to its former habit. But the "I will give" does not in the least harm free will: for by words, and works, and infinite miracles, He persuaded, He did not coerce, not only those [people], but also all the nations, to approach piety; and yet, although He did not coerce, but persuaded, He says that He Himself gave to their souls the inclination toward better things, inasmuch as He Himself became the author of the matter, both by what He said and by what He did. ^B

"And I will take away the stony heart from your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh." (VERS. 27.) "And I will give my spirit within you." Nor did these things happen before the advent of the Lord Christ. For since they had only three prophets after the return—Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi—immediately after them they were stripped of the prophetic gift; but after God our Savior became man and ascended into heaven, the Holy Spirit fell upon the holy apostles, ^C through whom the grace was provided not to the Jews alone, but also to all those from the nations who have come to the faith. He calls the "stony" heart the adversary and rebellious one, but the "fleshly" one the obedient and compliant one, and that which is able to receive the figures of the divine Scriptures. "And I will make you to walk in my justifications, and you shall keep my judgments, and do them." This is proper to the grace of the Spirit; for it, by assisting our free will, causes the things that have been said to be successfully accomplished. ^D

^A

VERS. 28. *And you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers.* He returns again to the general topic, and transfers the discourse from spiritual matters to those of the body. *And you shall be My people, and I will be your God.* (VERS. 29, 30.) *And I will cleanse you from all your sins, and I will call for the corn, and will multiply it, and will lay no famine upon you. And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that you may not bear the reproach of famine among the nations.* I know, indeed, that it is possible to interpret each of these things spiritually; nevertheless, I believe that the prophetic discourse is here promising physical things to the Jews. For since great desolation held the land at that time, He promises them an abundance of all kinds of fruits, and foretells the benefit that will result from this.

VERS. 31. *And you shall remember,* He says, *your evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and you shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations.* Enjoying these good things, He says, and learning how great are the fruits that justice brings forth, you shall remember your former wickedness and the punishment brought upon you on account of it, and you shall intensely hate your former lawlessness. For He used "you shall loathe" instead of "you shall abhor." Such is that which was said by David concerning the wicked: *He hath stood in every way not good, but malice he has not hated* (Ps. xxxv, 5), that is, he did not abhor ^B malice. Thus, having promised them good things, He again humbles their pride, saying:

VERS. 32. *Not for your sake will I do this, O house of Israel,* says Adonai the Lord; *be it known to you, O house of Israel.* It is not you, He says, who are worthy of the promised good things, but I do that which is fitting to My own nature. Then, admonishing and rebuking at the same time: *Be ashamed, and be confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel.* Do not, He says, bear your various punishments stupidly or insensibly, but at least, having finally taken into your mind the wickedness of your own doings, blush for the things you have dared to do.

VERS. 33, 34. *Thus says Adonai the Lord: In the day that I shall cleanse you from all your iniquities, and shall cause the cities to be inhabited, and the desolate places shall be built. And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it was desolate in the eyes of all that passed by.* When, He says, I shall grant you remission of sins, and by forgiving you wash you clean, then both the buildings of the cities and

the plantations of the land I shall provide, and instead of the former desolation, which all the passersby beheld, I shall cause them to be inhabited.

Ver. 35. *And they shall say: This land that was desolate is become as a garden of pleasure; and the cities that were desert and desolate and broken down, are walled up and inhabited.* For just as, He says, everyone formerly carried your desolation on their tongues, so now you shall be much-talked-of, and shall provide an object of wonder to all, with your desert land being likened to a garden of pleasure, and your cities—which were uninhabited and lay in ruins—being walled about with strong enclosures.

Ver. 36. *And the nations, that shall be left round about you, shall know that I the Lord have built up what was destroyed, and planted what was desolate: I the Lord have spoken and will do it.* The neighboring nations shall learn that it is I who provide both the things that were formerly grievous and now the things that are joyful, and that the certainty of what has been spoken is derived from the trustworthiness of Him who spoke it. "I the Lord have spoken and will do it." For being Lord, and being able to fulfill it, I shall bring to completion the things I have said.

Ver. 37. *Thus saith the Lord God: Moreover in this shall the house of Israel find me, that I may do it for them.* In place of "find me," Symmachus said "I shall be found." In addition to the former benefits, He says, I shall add this one also, and I shall deem them worthy of restoration. *And I will multiply them as a holy flock.* For since I have separated them unto my own protection like sheep, I shall impart to them the care of a shepherd.

Ver. 38. *As the holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts, so shall the waste cities be full of flocks of men: and THEY shall know that I the Lord am.* For just as, He says, before the siege occurred, Jerusalem was filled with flocks during their greatest public festivals, so shall I fill all their cities with men and flocks and other good things; and by these very events they shall learn that I am the Lord and God, killing and making alive, striking and healing. Having known, therefore, the goodness and power of our Lord, let us love Him for the former, but let us fear Him on account of the latter; so that, both loving and fearing, we may become observers of His commandments and attain the promised goods, in Christ Jesus our Lord, with whom be glory to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, unto the ages of ages. Amen.

BOOK FIFTEEN

CHAPTER XXXVII

^A VERS. 1. *And the hand of the Lord was upon me.* He calls the divine energy a "hand" again. *And he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me in the midst of the plain.* This is again a spiritual contemplation; for he did not see the things that were being shown to him with the eyes of the body, but he was receiving the revelation of the all-holy Spirit. *And it was full of men's bones.* (VERS. 2.) *And he led me round about them, and behold they were very many upon the face of the plain.* He receives revelations corresponding to the events. For since those Jews who had been carried away captive from Judea had, on account of the unbelief from which they were suffering, abandoned better hopes, the God of all reveals to them His own power, and demonstrates to the prophet a resurrection of dead bodies—which is far more difficult than that restoration of theirs—and through him teaches the whole people that all things are easy to Him, if He so wills. Consequently, through this, He taught the Jews and the other Israelites that it is very easy for God, if He wills it, to restore those who have been reduced to slavery to their former liberty; and to us, and to all without exception who have accepted the evangelical proclamation with faith, He demonstrates the ease of the resurrection of our bodies, and that nature obeys the divine word and nod.

^C *And he said to me: (VERS. 3.) Son of man, shall these bones live? And I said: O Lord God, thou knowest these things.* The prophet did not doubt, but he deferred to God for the more accurate knowledge, since he knew indeed precisely the power of God, but was ignorant of His will.

(VERS. 4-6.) *And he said to me: Prophesy upon these bones, prophesy, O son of man, and thou shalt say to them: These dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith Adonai the Lord to these bones: Behold, I will bring into you the spirit of life. And I will give you nerves, and I will bring flesh upon you, and I will stretch skin over you, and I will give my spirit into you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.* He used the prophet as a minister, and as it were an instrument of the resurrection in the vision, and his tongue for those inanimate and ^D

e, and you shall know that I am the Lord.* He used the prophet as a minister, and as it were an instrument of the resurrection in the vision, and his tongue for those inanimate and simply dead bones to command them to bring forth flesh, and nerves, and skin, and to receive a vital spirit. And these things took place not only as a type of the recall of the Jews, but also of the resurrection of all men. “For the trumpet shall sound,” says the holy Apostle, “and the dead shall rise incorruptible.” [B ]

VERS. 7. *And I prophesied as the Lord had commanded me, and there was a voice, as I was prophesying, and behold a shaking, and the bones drew near, bone to his bone, each to its fitting joint.* The prophet, serving the divine command, uttered the words he had been ordered to speak, but after the words, the work followed; and the shaking declared the divine advent, while the voice represented the function of the angels who minister to the divine will. And the bones, he says, I saw rushing and taking hold of their own proper commissure, and attaining the composition which they had received from the beginning. [C ]

VERS. 8. *And I beheld, and lo, the nerves were coming upon them, and the flesh was being born, and was ascending upon them, and skin was standing round them from above, and the spirit was not in them.* The second restoration follows the primary workmanship. Just as the body of the first parent, Adam, was fashioned first, and then the soul was breathed into it, so here too, both came together according to their proper structure. For the flesh and nerves were produced, and they were covered with skin; but they lay breathless and motionless, though they might once again attain life and sensation through the divine will. [D ]

VERS. 9. *And he said to me: Prophesy to the spirit, prophesy, son of man, and say to the spirit: Thus says Adonai the Lord, Come from the four winds, O spirit, and breathe into these dead, and let them live.* This speech teaches us how easy all things are for the divine power, and that all things are in his hand. “For in his hand,” he says, “is the soul of every living thing.”* Therefore he commands the prophet to order all the souls, wherever they may be, to return and re-inhabit their own bodies.

VERS. 10. *And I prophesied as he had commanded me, and the spirit entered into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, a very great congregation.* Having pronounced the divine command at my word, he says, the knit-together bodies came back to life and attained resurrection, and there was, he says, a very great multitude of those who rose.

Having thus beheld the revelation, he is taught the interpretation.

^A Ver. 11. *And the Lord spoke unto me, saying: Son of man, these bones are the house of Israel; and they themselves say, Our bones are become dry, our hope is perished, we have suffered.* This, says He, is a figure of Israel, O prophet; but while they have cast away hope concerning themselves, this figure manifests the hope of good things.

Ver. 12-14. *Therefore prophesy, son of man, and say unto them: Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves, O my people, and I will bring you up out of your sepulchres, and I will bring you into the land of Israel.* And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your ^B graves so as to bring you up out of your sepulchres, O my people. And I will put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I will place you in your own land: and ye shall know that I the Lord have spoken and will do it, saith the Lord God. If I have shown that what seemed to you much more difficult is very easily accomplished by me, it is transparently clear that I shall do this also most easily and with no trouble, I who will bring you out from the bonds of captivity, as if from certain sepulchres, and restore you to your own country; for falsehood is foreign to truth. Having thus promised the return, he predicts the harmony of the tribes after the return.

Ver. 15-17. *And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying: Son of man, take thee one rod, and write upon it for Judah, ^C and for the children of Israel his companions; and take another rod, and write upon it for Joseph, the rod of Ephraim, and for all the children of Israel his companions. And thou shalt join them one to another into one rod for thyself, that thou mayest bind them, and they shall be together in thine hand.* During the reign of Rehoboam, the tribes were divided, and the ten, having joined themselves together in one of the cities of Ephraim, Samaria, took care to establish their kingdom there. But the tribe of Judah ruled over itself and the tribe of Benjamin. Yet after the return, all were under one sovereignty. For this reason, God commanded the prophet to take two rods, and to write upon the one "of Ephraim," and to add also the tribes subject to it; and upon the other, "of Judah," and of those who agreed with him; then to join the rods to each other, as though any division had now ceased and unity were to follow. Then He commands the prophet, if the people should inquire and wish to know the ^D interpretation, to declare it openly. *Behold, I will take the tribe of Joseph by the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel joined unto him, and I will place them under the tribe of Judah, and they shall be in one rod.*

upienti, interpretationem aperte renuntiet. *Ecce ego capiam tribum Josephi per manum Ephraim, et tribus Israel appositas ad ipsum, et dabo eas sub tribum Judæ, et erunt in virgam* unam in manu Judæ.* ^A He says that those who long ago separated themselves from the kingdom of Judah, I will cause to acknowledge his dominion again; I will put an end to the division that has occurred, and I will cause all the tribes to obey Judah by common consent. Again, he interprets the same thing more clearly: *Behold, I am taking all the house of Israel from the midst of the nations where they have entered, and I will gather them into the land of Israel. (Ver. 22.) And I will make them one nation in my land, and upon the mountains of Israel, and one prince shall be king over all of them.* These things have reached their fulfillment, typically in Zerubbabel, but accurately and truly in the Lord Christ; for Zerubbabel was not a king, but a leader and commander of the people.

*And they shall no longer be for two nations, nor shall they be divided anymore into two kings.* (Ver. 23, 24.) *So that they may no longer be polluted by their idols, and by their abominations, and by all their impieties; and I will deliver them from all their impieties in which they have sinned, and I will cleanse them, and they shall be my people, and I will be their God. And my servant David shall be prince in their midst, and there shall be one shepherd for them all.* These things also correspond to what was said by the Lord Christ in the holy Gospels: *And I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold, one shepherd.* ^B Now, David calls the Lord Christ "David," as having his lineage from David according to the flesh, but "servant" because of his human nature. *For when he was in the form of God, he took the form of a servant.* Therefore, to show the nature that was assumed, he called him a servant, since he was born from a servile nature according to the flesh. For the Only-Begotten, the Lord of all, is not a servant; for he is not named "David" in so far as he is God, but he is called "David" in so far as he is from David, and he is a servant according to the assumption. But if even from a servant the Word of God, having become man, assumed this nature, he did not lose what he was, but by the union with the divine nature he rendered our humanity glorious. ^C The prophetic discourse, therefore, teaches that impiety and the error of idol-worship will be extinguished, and that the division of kingdoms will at last be terminated by one empire, under which those living, and shepherded by one shepherd, will come to know their own God and Lord.

*And they shall walk in my commandments, and they shall keep my judgments, and they shall do them.* (Ver. 25.) *And they shall dwell upon the land* ^D

^A which I gave to my servant Jacob, in which their fathers dwelt, and there they shall dwell, they and their children, and their children’s children forever; and David my servant shall be their prince forever. Let the Jews tell us who this eternal king of theirs is, who is called David. For they themselves would agree that such titles by no means befit Zerubbabel; for, in the first place, he did not rule as king, but served as a leader of the people, and moreover, that very leadership was ended by death. But if they interpret this eternal David as belonging to the Davidic lineage, let them show the lineage of David reigning. If, however, besides the kingdom, the very lineage of David itself is uncertain, it is necessary in the present case to choose between two things: either to believe the prophecy to be false, or to worship the kingdom of the Lord Christ, who was born of David according to the flesh. And they themselves would admit that the prophecy is free from falsehood; but if it is true, as it is, and we see no other kingdom of the Jews, nor is the lineage of David itself clear and manifest, but he rules, being from David according to the flesh, but Son of God according to his divinity, and holds an eternal dominion—their delusion and perfidy are clear and manifest, as is our knowledge of God. For what follows confirms what has been said. For he says: ^B

(Ver. 26.) *And I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them.* Let them show us, then, either the covenant of peace or the eternal one; but they cannot, for they are deprived of both, whereas the Lord has given both to us. For he has promised us eternal goods, and has granted us the means to be reconciled with him. For he himself is our peace, as the divine Apostle says. And again: *One mediator also, God and man, Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all.* And the things that follow after these also correspond to what has been said.

I will order them, he says, and I will multiply them, and I will set my holy things in the middle of them forever. (Ver. 27.) *And my tabernacle shall be in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.* Yet the temple is desolate, and the things that were holy of old are gone. ^C How, then, did he promise to set his holy things in the midst of them forever, and his tabernacle in them? Since, therefore, we do not see the outcome of these things according to the opinion of the Jews, but having known the truth of the spiritual words, we shall understand these things in accordance with what we have previously interpreted; for we have the testimony of the very facts themselves ^D that agrees. For not only are the holy houses of God—

but even the divine altars, gifted to all men: and not only to those out of the nations, but also to those who have believed out of the Jews; and one and the same is named the God of both these and those. ^A For He says, The same is Lord of all, being rich unto all who call upon Him. Rightly did He add: ^B

Vers. 28. *And the nations shall know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them, when My holy things shall be in the midst of them for ever.* For in truth, through those who believed out of the Jews, the nations also received the light of the knowledge of God; for out of the Jews were the divine apostles, and the first disciples of the apostles, and from the prophetic books which were guarded among the Jews, the nations, learning the things pertaining to our Savior Christ, have believed the divine proclamation. For which reason the divine Apostle also said that those who believe from the nations are grafted ^C into the pious root of the Jews, and that those who do not believe out of the Jews are broken off and separated from this root. Since, therefore, salvation was first supplied to the Jews, the nations shall know, He says, that I am the Lord who sanctifies them; for out of the Jews is the Lord Christ according to the flesh, among the Jews were the cross, the tomb, the resurrection; out of the Jews were the apostles and the first heralds. Rightly, therefore, do the nations through them attain salvation.

CHAPTER XXXVIII

Vers. 1, 2. *And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, set thy face upon Gog, and the land of Magog, the prince of Rhos, Mosoch, and Thobel.* ^D Gog and Magog are Scythian nations; but they say that Mosoch are the Cappadocians, and Thobel the Iberians; and *Rhos* in the Hebrew tongue signifies 'head'. And Aquila likewise interpreted *Rhos* as the head of Mosoch.

Vers. 3, 4. *And say to them: Thus saith Adonai Lord: Behold, I am against thee, Gog and Magog, prince of Rhos, Mosoch, and Thobel. And I will turn thee about, and put a bridle in thy jaw: and I will gather thee and all thy army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with breastplates, a great congregation, with bucklers and helmets, and swords, and all of them having shields.* By the things that have been said, He taught us the power of the divine efficacy, and that nothing of such things happens without the divine will, but either by His ordering for the good, or by His permitting sorrows to happen on account of the sins committed beforehand. Therefore, that which says: «I will put a bridle in thy jaws, and I will gather thee,» not a bridle

^A understood as being physically inserted, but rather we understand that He leads Gog and Magog, and all who were with him, whose nations he enumerates, by His divine nod.

VERS. 5. For he says, the Persians and the Ethiopians, and the Lydians, and the Libyans, and Phut with them. This one also was from the sons of Ham, becoming the first parent of the Libyans dwelling in the west. «All with helmets and shields.» All these having shields, and helmets, and peltas.

VERS. 6. Gomer, and all these around him. He calls the Galatians thus. The house of Thogarma - he says these are the Phrygians. «From the uttermost north, and all his supports, and many nations with him.» He calls supports the peoples subject to him, ^B who sustain and direct the kingdom.

VERS. 7, 8. Prepare, prepare thyself, thou, and all thy congregation, that is gathered unto thee, and thou shalt be in my protection. After many days thou shalt be prepared, and in the end of the years thou shalt come into the land that is turned back from the sword, gathered from many peoples unto the land of Israel, which was made entirely desolate. After the return from Babylon, those who were the teachers of the Church in their time say that these nations marched against Judea; and the interpretation corresponds to the prophecy. For it says: «Thou shalt come into the ^C land that is turned back from the sword,» that is, liberated from enemies and delivered from servitude into freedom. And it adds: «Gathered from many peoples unto the land of Israel, which was made entirely desolate.» They say, moreover, that when Zorobabel was the leader of the army, these nations were slain, and from their spoils the holy temple of God was constructed. For poor men and captives did not abound in money; but it is likely also that the neighboring peoples, envying the prosperity of the Jews, hired these nations against them. For that they prevented the building, sometimes deceiving the governors, and sometimes the kings of the Persians, ^D the writing of Ezra is witness. To these he adds: «And they themselves have gone forth from the nations, and they all dwell in peace.» And it is evident from these things that immediately after the return, the incursion of these nations took place; for he says that «And they themselves have gone forth from the nations, and they dwell in peace.» (VERS. 9.) And thou shalt ascend like rain, and shalt come as

a storm, and as ^A a cloud to cover the land: and thou shalt fall, and all that are around thee, and many nations with thee. Thou expectest one thing, he says, but thou shalt suffer another, and hoping for victory, thou shalt perish in destruction. Next, he describes his own thoughts as well.

VERS. 10-12. Ascendent, he says, thoughts into thy heart, and thou shalt devise evil cogitations, and shalt say: I will ascend upon the land that is cast away. I will come upon a people at rest, dwelling in quiet confidence, land in which there is no wall, nor doors. Neither are there bars to plunder spoils, and to take their prey, that I may turn my hand upon the desolate land, which has been inhabited, ^B and upon a nation gathered from many peoples, which have made possession and substance for those who dwell upon the navel of the earth. All these things also teach us that this happened after the captivity, when the cities of Judea had neither walls, nor gates, nor bars, according to the prophecy, wherefore the aforementioned nations dared to invade it with an army. But the Israelite people became illustrious after the return, having attained the return by divine grace; and just as the departure from Egypt brought them great fame, so the return from Babylon made them illustrious and conspicuous: wherefore these nations dared to march against them with an army. And let no one think the prophecy lacks credibility, by considering what the distance is between the Scythian nations and Judea. But let him consider how even in our own times this nation has occupied the whole East, and departed after having enslaved a very great number of men. And ^C he says that Phrygians and Galatians, Iberians and Persians, and Ethiopians campaigned with him, not as if they were obedient to him, but as being joined to him in various ways—partly those who defected to him and served voluntarily, and partly those who were taken in war and forced to fight together. To these the divine Word adds also the depiction of their character from the person of the other nations, when it says:

VεRS. 13. Saba and Dædan, the merchants of Tharsis, and all their villages, shall say to thee: Art thou come to plunder a plundering, and to spoil spoils? Hast thou gathered thy people, to take silver and gold, and to carry off possession and substance, that thou mightest spoil great spoils? Saba, in fact, as I have already said, is an ^D Ethiopian and Indian nation; but Dædan is adjacent to Idumæa; there is also another Ethiopian one; and Tharsis itself is Carthage. All these nations, he says, when they shall see that thou hast invaded, will [ask about] the money.

VERS. 14-16. *Therefore, prophesy, son of man, and say to Gog: Thus saith the Lord Adonai: In that day, when my people Israel shall dwell in peace, shalt thou not know it and be aroused? And thou shalt come from thy place from the extreme North, thou and many nations with thee, all of them riders of horses, a great gathering, and a vast army. And thou shalt ascend upon my people Israel as a cloud, to cover the land.* It shall be in the last days, that is, after the return of Israel; for he also said above: *When my people Israel shall dwell in peace, thou shalt know it and be aroused.* ^B Such also is that which was said by the blessed Moses: *I will show them what shall come to pass in the last of the days, because it is a perverse generation;* and he calls the "last of the days" not the consummation, but the time in which their dispersion occurred. *And I will bring thee upon my land, that all the nations may know me when I am sanctified in thee before them, O Gog.* The nations now do not need Gog for the instruction of the God of all; for through Christ the Lord they have received this knowledge. But of old, before the Lord became man, they had need of such miracles. For when Sennacherib had lost those many thousands in Judea, the nations recognized the God of all through that miracle. Wherefore the blessed David also cries out: *God is known in Judea, great in Israel is his name.* And when these nations had been destroyed in Judea, all of them, having learned the power ^C of the God of all, moved their tongues to sing hymns to Him. Therefore he says: *That all the nations may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee.* That is to say, when I shall be glorified, my power having become manifest.

VERS. 17. *Thus saith the Lord Adonai to Gog: Art thou he of whom I spoke in former days by the hand of my servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied in those days and years that I would bring thee upon them?* Both Joel, and Hosea, and Micah, and the other prophets prophesied concerning these nations. For Hosea indeed says: *And I will make a covenant for them in that day, with the beasts of the field, and with the birds of the sky, and with the reptiles of the earth; and I will break the bow, and the sword, ^D and war from the earth, and I will make thee dwell in hope.* And Joel [says]: *Behold, he says, I, in those days, and in that time, when I shall return the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, will gather all the nations, and I will bring them down into the valley of Josaphat, and I will judge [them].*

Micah ^A also says this: "Be in pain, and work hard, O daughter of Sion, as one bringing forth; for now you shall go forth from the city, and shall dwell in the field, and shall come to Babylon; there the Lord your God shall deliver you from the hand of your enemies. And now many nations are gathered together against you, saying, 'We shall rejoice, and our eyes shall look upon Sion.' But they did not know the purpose of the Lord, nor did they understand His counsel, that He gathered them as sheaves of the threshing-floor. Arise and thresh them, O daughter of Sion; for I will make your horns iron, and I will make your hoofs bronze; and you shall utterly destroy many nations, and you shall dedicate to the Lord their abundance, and their strength to the Lord of all the earth." Also ^B Zechariah says: "This is the word of the Lord to Zorobabel, saying: Not by great power, nor by might, but by My Spirit, says the Lord Almighty. Who are you, O great mountain, before the face of Zorobabel, to set it straight?" From these things it is manifest that after the return, these nations campaigned, and were destroyed by the divine hand.

VER. 18, 19. And it shall be in that day, in the day that Gog shall come upon the land of Israel, says Adonai the Lord, My fury shall rise up in My wrath. And My zeal, in the fire of My anger, I have spoken to you; in that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. He calls the greatness of the matter an "earthquake." For just as we all perceive the sensation of an earthquake with fear, so also [do we perceive] the realization of great miracles. And it is not ^C inconsistent that an actual commotion took place when punishment was being inflicted upon the impious and savage ones. We shall understand the fury, and the wrath, and the zeal, and the fire of wrath in a manner becoming to God. For He set them forth in the human fashion, declaring the punishments. [20] He says, moreover, that through fear of the things which shall have happened, not only men, but also the fish, and the birds, and the reptiles, and the beasts shall be moved, and the mountains shall be rent asunder, and the valleys shall be filled, and the walls shall be torn down. From which it is clear that ^D he truly called the earthquake an earthquake. For the earthquake strikes terror not only into those endowed with reason, but also into those without reason, and breaks apart the mountains, so that the valleys are blocked up by the parts which are severed. And it tears down walls, and reduces cities to dust; and in short, experience is the teacher of this matter.

VER. 21. And I will summon against him the fear of the sword upon all My mountains, says Adonai the Lord. With the earthquake, he says, leading the way, fear [was] imparted to them.

^A I will inflict the fear of enemies, so that in taking to flight they may not even know one another, and may destroy each other in mutual slaughter. For he made this clear by saying: *The sword of a man shall be against his brother.* (v. 22.) *And I will judge him with death and blood.* And not only will they be destroyed by one another, but I will also war against them from above. *With an overflowing rain and hailstones, and fire and brimstone I will rain upon him, and upon all those who are with him,* ^B *and I will be magnified, and I will be glorified, and I will be sanctified, and I will be known before many nations, and they shall know that I am the Lord.* For when these have been given over to destruction, those who previously were ignorant of Me will come to know My power and will worship My dominion.

CHAPTER XXXIX

VERS. 3, 4. *For I will shake,* he says, *your bow from your left hand, and your arrows from your right hand. And I will cast you down upon the mountains of Israel, and you shall fall, and you and all who are about you, and many nations with you.* I will destroy your strength, he says, so that the weapons you carried in your hands will fall out. To these he adds that he will be delivered as food for the birds of the sky and the raw-flesh-eating beasts. And that:

VERS. 6. *And I will send fire upon Gog, and the islands shall be inhabited in peace, and they shall know that My name is the Lord,* declares that after Gog has perished utterly in such a destruction, it will come about that not only those who inhabit the continent, but also the islanders will be of good courage; since they had been terrified having heard of the arrival of those with their forces.

VERS. 7. *And My name,* he says, *the holy one, shall be known in the midst of Israel, and My holy name shall no longer be profaned.* And he teaches the reason: *And the nations shall know that I am the Lord, the holy one in the midst of Israel.* For once the nations have learned the power of My providence, and how I defend the people who are called Mine, they will no longer accuse Me of weakness, ^D nor will they imagine that due to My inability My people had been reduced to their former captivity. Then he shows the certainty of the things that have been said.

^A *Ver. 8. Behold it comes, and thou shalt know, for it shall be, says the Lord Adonai.* Consider these things, he says, to have already happened, and hold an indubitable faith as if they were things that have already occurred; for whatever has been predicted by Me will certainly come to pass. *This is the day of which I have spoken.* Of this day, he says, I have often foretold. And he calls the time of the punishment of Gog "the day." [9, 10] Then he teaches that all Israel, instead of wood, will use their arms—spears, bows, arrows, shields, bucklers, and staves—and that they will have no need to cut wood, but that the aforementioned arms will suffice for their needs for seven years. By these things he declares their great number, and he also predicts the future monument of Gog.

*Ver. 11. For it shall be in that day, I will give to Gog a famous place, the monument of Israel, the common grave ^B of those who came from the east of the sea.* Where they buried those, he says, who invaded them from the eastern parts, there they will also bury him. By this he reminds them of the slaughter of the Assyrians that took place in the time of Sennacherim, because at that time also they enjoyed His aid, and thereafter they will obtain His providence. But because of the multitude of the dead, he says, "They will build the brink of the valley, and they will bury there Gog and all his multitude, and the valley shall be called the sepulcher of Gog." For so great, he says, will be the supply of the slain that no ditch made by hand could contain them, but the deepest valley will become a sepulcher for them, built around on both sides ^C and covered up from above. And the time of seven months, he says, will be spent on this burial, and they will make the day of his total destruction famous. "For it shall be," he says, "a name for them, the day in which I shall be glorified, says the Lord Adonai." Moreover, he says, they will also set apart men to travel around the land and commit to burial those who fell while fleeing and received death.

*Ver. 15. And every one passing through the land and going along, when he sees a man’s bone, he will build a sign next to it, until they bury it, those whose task it is to bury, in the valley of the sepulcher of Gog.* For a long time, he says, they will go around, consigning the unburied to the grave; and even travelers, if they find a bone anywhere, will heap up stones ^D upon it and make it known to those who have been entrusted with the task of burying, so that they may collect those also and grant them the customary rites.

*Ver. 16. And the name of the place shall be called Ruin, and...*

the land shall be cleansed.* ^A Having thus predicted these things, he commands the birds and the beasts to come as if to a banquet and feast, inasmuch as many and infinite bodies have been cast out. Yet he does not enjoin this as upon rational beings, but rather persuades them, as if these things were occurring by his own permission, even for them. Now, the phrase, "Eat the flesh of calves, and of rams, and of lambs, and of he-goats, and of bulls, all of them fatlings," he said metaphorically, having designated their kings, and princes, and valiant men by the names of calves, and rams, and he-goats, and bulls. And by the lambs, he indicated the subject peoples. And he called their slaughter, which took place by his will, his own sacrifice.

Ver. 20. And you shall be filled, he says, at my table, that is, at the food brought to you by me. And showing what this is, he added: "The horse and the rider, and the giant, and every man of war, says Adonai the Lord." By these he interpreted the rams, and the bulls, and the he-goats.

Ver. 21. And I will give my glory among you, and all the nations shall see my judgment which I have executed, and my hand which I have brought upon them. ^B When the slaughter has occurred, he says, and such a banquet has been set before you, all the nations shall perceive both the power of my providence and the justice of the judgment. But even the house of Israel, he says, will learn from these very events that I am their Lord and Master. And the phrase, "From this day and henceforth," accuses their former ignorance.

Ver. 23, 24. And all the nations shall know that for their sins the house of Israel was carried captive, because they acted lawlessly against me, and I turned my face away from them, and delivered them into the hands of their enemies, and they all fell by the sword. According to their uncleannesses and according to their iniquities I have done to them, and turned my face ^C away from them. Beholding, he says, the ruin brought upon Gog, the nations shall know that I could have brought that same punishment upon the Babylonians; but in order to exact penalties from Israel for impiety and lawlessness, I allowed them to be enslaved, deeming them unworthy of any help. And this clearly teaches us that immediately after their return, that uprising of these nations occurred. "For all the nations shall know," he says, "that for their sins the whole house of Israel was carried captive." For all, seeing their sudden destruction, if they use sound reasoning, will understand that they endured that captivity while paying the penalties for their sins. And the things which follow testify to this. ^D

^A

VERS. 25-27. *Therefore thus saith the Lord Adonai: Now will I bring back the captivity of Jacob, and will have mercy on the house of Israel, and will be zealous for my holy name.* And they shall bear their ignominy, and all their injustices which they have unjustly committed against me, when they shall have dwelt in their land in peace, and there shall be none to make them afraid. When I shall have brought them back from the nations, and gathered them out of the lands of their enemies. ^B That he says, *they shall bear their ignominy, and all their injustices which they have unjustly committed against me,* is the same as saying that they will reflect in their minds that, on account of the calamities they endured, they were the authors of them to themselves, and that injustice was the cause of their ignominy. These things, he says, they will consider having returned to their own land, and having been delivered from these grievous enemies. For then, *I shall be sanctified in them in the sight of the nations.* This is: my power having been made manifest, I shall receive worship from all, because of the providence which I have exercised towards them.

VERS. 28. *And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, when I have appeared to them in the nations.* For through my providence they will be delivered even from the Babylonian dominion, and they will see the destruction of the Scythian nations. *And I will gather them into their own land, and will leave no more any of them there.* For this, so far as depended on divine providence, has been accomplished; but those who were accustomed to resist the divine laws did not wish to return, but the majority preferred the foreign land to their fatherland. ^C

VERS. 29. *And I will no more turn away my face from them, for that I have poured out my fury upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord Adonai.* This also follows upon human will: for it is situated in us to bring good promises to their fulfillment. Thus, the Lord has promised the kingdom of heaven also to us: but we shall by no means attain it if we show ourselves unworthy of it in our manner of life. But if we zealously and with all alacrity observe the divine laws, we shall fully enjoy all the promised blessings. Thus also he had promised to the Jews that he would not turn his face away from them—namely, to those who believed in him and observed the divine laws. And history is a witness that these things are so. ^D For when he had led the people out of Egypt, he promised that he would lead them into the promised land; but when they persisted in living impiously, opposing the divine decrees, he slew them all in the desert, and saved the promise for two only of those who had received the promises. Here, therefore, likewise, those who have believed and have received the saving proclamation have a firm promise; for he has not turned away...

his face from them. But those who commit things contrary to the divine will are far removed from his sight and enjoy no benefit of his providence; but, walking, according to the prophet Isaiah, by the light of their fire and the flame which they have kindled, they shall also walk, ^A according to the divine David, “in their own devices.” We have been taught by the divine Scripture to understand these things in this way.

But I wonder not only at the folly of the Jews, but also at some who possess the Christian name, yet pay attention to Jewish fables and say that the rebellion of Gog and Magog has not yet taken place, but expect it to happen. They ought to have understood, first, that this prophecy is joined with the recall from Babylon; next, that through these events it was said the nations would learn the power of God. For let them say, what instruction do the nations now require for the recognition of divine power, they who have been taught to believe in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and have learned to glorify and worship the divine nature, and have been released from the error of idols? And what such instruction could the destruction of Gog provide, compared to that which the preaching of the holy apostles contains? For this teaches all men things concerning the Trinity and the unity, and that in the one nature we contemplate the three properties; and in addition to these, the resurrection of the dead, and judgment, and the recompense of both good and evil, the kingdom of heaven, the punishment in hell, the lessons of virtue, the teachings of philosophy, and the other things which the divine Gospel and the sacred writings of the apostles contain. But the destruction of Gog only taught the nations that the God of the Jews possesses ^B greatest power, and that it was not because of his own weakness that they were under the Babylonians, but because of their own transgression.

If, therefore, the things concerning Gog have not yet happened, but will happen in the last days, and through that event the nations will learn to worship the God of all, then the events concerning Gog are greater than the saving cross and the death that destroyed death, and [greater than] the divine apostles who illuminated the world with the light of the knowledge of God. For these, indeed, were not able to teach the nations about the God of all, but the destruction of Gog alone will make him manifest to all! So clearly do they Judaize who romance in this way.

We, however, obeying the divine Scripture, have made the aforementioned interpretation, having taught that this one has come and the things concerning him have reached their end. And then, indeed, the nations learned that the Jews did not undergo captivity because of divine weakness, but because of their own transgression; ^C but in the present time, through the Lord's death and resurrection, ^D

the nations have received the rays of the knowledge of God, and, having been delivered from their ancestral impiety, we have learned to worship the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. To Him belongs glory, forever and ever. Amen. ^A

VOLUME XIII. BOOK SIXTEEN. CHAPTER XL. [XLI. XLII.]

^B 1. And it came to pass in the five and twentieth year of our captivity, in the beginning of the year, in the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after that the city was smitten. From this it is also clear that the prophet was a companion in captivity to King Jeconiah, after whom Zedekiah reigned for eleven years, save for a few months; for in the eleventh year of the reign of Zedekiah the city was taken. Rightly, therefore, he said that the year in which the city was taken was the fourteenth, and the five and twentieth of their captivity.

2. On this day was the hand of the Lord upon me. And He brought me there in the vision of God, and led me into the land of Israel, and set me upon a very high mountain, and upon it was as it were the building of a city, facing me. God, the Author of all things, having previously prophesied to them the return from captivity, and having demonstrated His own power through the resurrection of those dry bones, now foretells also the building of the city and the temple. And He does not use words only, but also reveals such a vision to the prophet, having illuminated the sight of his mind through the efficacy of the divine Spirit. ^C But, lest we weary the students of this book by interpreting each detail and making the discourse too long, we have decided to provide a summary paraphrase of the things shown in the divine Spirit to the inspired prophet. He says, therefore, "In a vision of God"—that is, in a spiritual, not bodily, vision—his mind was led into the land of Israel, and he saw on a certain high mountain a building, and someone standing there, possessing indeed a human form, but with the color of most brilliant and beautiful bronze, ^D and bringing with him a measuring reed and a measuring line, suitable for the purpose of building, and commanding me to behold the things being shown and to hear the things being said. For the cause of his coming...

he stated to be in order both to show and to teach. ^A "So that you too," he says, "may report these things to the house of Israel." Then, measuring with the reed, he shows me all the measurements of the building, and first the measurements of the gates, and of what are called the thresholds, and the lintels, and the doorposts. For he calls the doorpost *aelam* in the singular, and *aelamoth* in the plural; and again *thee* for the threshold and the lintel, and *theeim* for the same things in the plural. For thus I found the interpretation of these terms in the Syriac. He says that he saw not only the outer, but also the inner gates, and again the courts between them, and those further within. For some had been set apart for the priests, while others were accessible ^B to all the Israelites. The divine temple had a surrounding enclosure that was very large and very high; and inside, behind it, the entire open space was delimited by other walls. And these things were assigned to all the people, but the inner ones, which were near the temple itself, were dedicated to the priests alone. He says, therefore, that he saw in the inner court *pastophoria* (chambers) and thirty pillared porticoes; the Syrian called the *pastophoria* "exedrae." These, too, had been set apart for the priests, as the prophet himself teaches. For the Lord says to the divine Isaiah: "Go into the *pastophorium* to Somnas the scribe." He says that a width of one hundred cubits was assigned to the outer courts—that to the north, that to the south, and likewise that which faced the rising sun—while for the inner courts the length was twenty-five cubits and the width fifty cubits. He says also that the gates resembled one another in every respect, both in their measurements and in the carvings of the palm trees; and the projections, or moldings, on either side of the entrance—which he calls *aleu*—he said had palm tree figures carved upon them. He says he also observed tables placed on either side of the gates, ^C upon which the priests placed the sacrificial animals and slaughtered them, as well as the burnt offerings and the sacrifices brought for sin and for ignorance; and he said that a kind of conduit was near, receiving the blood of the sacrifices and carrying it off to a completely isolated place. He says the tables also had roofs covering them from above, keeping off the impact of both rain and sun. After this he ^D relates that he saw two exedrae, one looking to the north and the other to the south; both of them were built in the inner courts. And he said that the one looking to the south was assigned to the priests who guarded the divine temple, while the one looking to the north was for those who guarded the outer altar. He said, moreover, that both these and those were descended from the lineage of Sadok; for of old the

[...S]aid that those who were descended from Sadoc [held the priesthood]; for God, the author of all things, had of old removed the lineage of Abiathar from the priesthood, according to the sentence passed against Heli the high priest. ^A [47-49] He also says that the inner court, which faced toward the rising sun, had one hundred cubits of length from the vestibule of the divine temple to the gate, and likewise as many in width; and over against the temple was the altar. The vestibule of the temple had twenty cubits in length and fourteen in width; and its gate likewise had a width of fourteen, and the supports or columns on either side of it, up to the angle, were three cubits each. For thus the measure of twenty cubits is completed, the gate taking fourteen, and the columns on either side (for these he called shoulders) the remaining six, three on this side and three on that. ^B He said also that the gate of the temple itself had a width of ten cubits, and the columns on either side five cubits, so that the twenty cubits are again completed. He measured, he says, the temple itself as well, and pointed out to me forty cubits of length and twenty of width, equal to the measure of the vestibule. [3, 4] I saw, he says, another gate further inward, having a width of six cubits, and columns on either side of seven cubits. Thus, to those six cubits, the fourteen added make twenty. He affirms, moreover, that he saw the doors separating the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place, the width of which he said was equal to the measure of the temple—that is, twenty cubits—but the height forty cubits. But when I inquired both from the Syrian and the Hebrew concerning the measures, I found the height also equal to the width; for both, the Syrian and the Hebrew, agreed by saying twenty cubits for both the width and the height. ^C He also says that he saw a double building around the temple, and other walls constructed outside the roof, and between the two walls on every side a portico and passage. And he brings forward the cause of this building: "So that no one," he says, "may approach the walls of the temple." [7-11] And this same narrow circuit, he said, was divided into flat spaces and upper stories, and had windows narrow on the outside and wider on the inside, which we are wont to call oblique. And, he says, I saw two other halls on either side of the divine temple, one facing the north, the other toward the south; he called this "prayer," since it is the custom for Jews inhabiting the parts of Jerusalem that ^D incline more toward the north, when they pray, to face toward the south, according to the situation of the city. [12-14] And he says that between the temple of God and the so-called hall, five cubits are set apart, and from the western wall to the hall itself is seventy cubits, and the width is ninety. The divine temple was in the middle, he says, covered entirely with planks, not only the walls, but also the floor and the ceiling. It also had windows...

that were reticulated, that is, perforated like a net. [17-20] And the carvings on the walls and the lintels contained images of cherubim and palm trees; and each of the cherubim had two faces, one of a lion and one of a man, and the one looked toward this palm tree and the other toward that one. He saw two faces carved instead of four, since it was not possible to carve four accurately on the planks. [21, 22] He adds also that he saw the altar before the sanctuary, and its height, he says, was three cubits, and the length was two, and the width likewise, that is, a square with equal sides. And I was taught by Him who showed me these things that this was the table before the Lord. ^B It is necessary to observe that he called the table, which received the loaves of proposition, an altar, whereas the great Moses had called it only a table. Therefore, a door is opened wide to our people through the prophecy. The door of the sanctuary, he says, was not double, but quadruple, so that when they were opened, they folded back upon themselves; and they also had the same carvings. He says also that he saw other chambers situated in the outer court, and before the chambers a portico ten cubits wide and one hundred long. He calls the light of the portico what is named among us a "light-stand." ^C And he says that these also were set apart for the priests for the sake of consuming the sanctified food, and that he who showed me these things enjoined that no one should share with the priests in the entry to those places, nor indeed that the priests themselves, clothed in the priestly garment and performing the divine liturgy, should go out into the outer court. For it is not lawful for any of the people to touch them when they are clothed in the priestly garment; wherefore it is necessary in those houses to strip off the garment dedicated to the liturgies, and to put on another, and thus to go out to the people. He pointed out to me also the surrounding area, having used a measure, and he taught, having measured, that each of the four sides—the eastern, the western, the southern, and the northern—had five hundred cubits, so that the circuit, being quadrupled, amounted to two thousand cubits.

CHAPTER XLIII

[1, 2] And he brought me, he says, to the gate that looked toward the east, and he brought me out. And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming by the way toward the east, and ^D the voice of the camp was as the voice of many people crying out together. In the Hebrew and in the Syriac I found: "As the voice of many waters. And the earth shone as lightning from His glory round about."

^A VER. 3. *And the vision which I saw, brought back the appearance of that which I had seen when I was entering to anoint the city.* Here again, both in the Syriac and in the Hebrew, I found: "When I entered to destroy the city." He declares the second vision, in which he contemplated both those who were carrying the axes and were cutting down the city, and him who scattered the coals throughout the whole city, at which time he also saw that sign imposed upon those who were bewailing the transgressions of the people. And it is likely that the Seventy, attending to the sense, called the marking of the foreheads an "anointing," that is to say, of those who had been delivered from the punishments of the executioners. *And the vision of the chariot was like the vision which I saw by the river Chobar.* But immediately upon beholding he says: I fell.

VER. 4. *And the glory of the Lord went into the house by the way of the gate looking towards the east.* He did not say that the Lord had entered—for the divine nature cannot be circumscribed—but the glory of the Lord, that is, the vision that was seen.

VERS. 5, 6. *And the Spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court, and behold, the house of the Lord was full of glory. And I stood, and behold, a voice from the house of one speaking to me.* For just as when the blessed Moses pitched the tabernacle, the glory of the Lord filled it, and when Solomon, having completed the building of the temple, celebrated the feast of the dedication, the same glory of the Lord filled the house again, so too with this building having been shown, ^C the Lord appears and fills the house with His own glory, showing that it shall not only be built, but shall also be filled with divine power. *And the man stood near me.* He shows that it was an angel who measured and pointed out the building, and it is likely that he himself was Saint Michael, for to him the care of the people had been entrusted.

VER. 7. *And he said to me* (not the angel, but the Lord): *You have seen, son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet.* Thus also the blessed David calls the divine temple the footstool of God. *For worship, he says, at his footstool, for it is holy.* And he called this the place of his throne, as though he were resting upon it. To these he adds: *Where my name shall dwell in the midst of the house of Israel forever.* He did not say, "it dwelt," but *shall dwell*; and it shall dwell forever in the midst of the saints, and of those who are truly called Israel, and who are able to see him,

^A in such a way as is possible for man to see—not in a figure, but in truth. For those things were a figure of the heavenly things. "See," he says, "that you make everything according to the pattern shown to you on the mountain." The promise, therefore, is devoid of falsehood; for the Lord Christ, confirming this to the holy apostles, said: "In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you, for I am going to prepare a place for you. I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am, you may be also." Consequently, God has not dwelt—nor will he dwell—in the figure forever, for he condemned them, saying: "Behold, your house is left to you desolate." ^B It is fitting, therefore, to ascend from the figures to the truth, and to await that habitation of God. And what follows agrees with the interpretation just stated. "And those who are of the house of Israel," he says, "shall no longer profane my holy name, they and their rulers, by their fornication and by the ruins of their rulers in their midst." If anyone were to take this simply regarding Israel, he would find it to be false; for Ezra and the history of the Maccabees accuse them of much impiety even after the return, and not only the other Israelites, but also the priests and the high priests. And to what excess of impiety does the madness against the Lord leave room? Nor do these things pertain only to Israel, but also to those who are endowed with a pure eye of the mind, and are able to see God, and who embrace spiritual worship.

VERS. 8. When they set my threshold, ^C he says, by their thresholds, and my doorposts beside their doorposts, and placed my wall as something between me and them, and defiled my holy name by the iniquities which they committed.

with whom he dwells for eternity, receiving fruits from them in due season. ^A Then he commands the prophet to show the people the building of the temple, so that, moved by the magnitude of the benefit and the prospect of reinstatement, they might be ashamed and cease from sinning and acting impiously. He was commanded not only to sketch and describe the building to the people roughly, but also to point out its ^B ordinances and lawful requirements, that by observing these they might render service to the Master. He says that he also beheld the altar of incense, whose height was two cubits, its length one, and its breadth was of the same measure. He says he also saw two propitiatories, not of equal measure, but one smaller and the other larger. It is necessary to inquire why, when the blessed Moses had made one propitiatory according to the divine command, the prophet here sees two. I think that the small one is a type of the greater; for the Old [Testament] was a type of the New, and that propitiatory was a type of our propitiatory—and Christ is our propitiatory, as the divine Apostle says, "Whom God set forth as a propitiation by his blood, to demonstrate his righteousness." He also says that there are four cubits between the two propitiatories, equal in number to the divine Gospels; for between the law and the hoped-for good things, the grace of the Gospels was given to men.

^C VERSE 16. "And the Ariel," he says, "is twelve cubits in length and twelve in breadth, equal in measure." The word Ariel in the Hebrew tongue signifies "mountain of God," or, according to another interpretation, "light of God." I believe that by this he refers to the base of the altar. This number of cubits also corresponds to the holy apostles, who became the bases and foundations of divine grace, and the grounds and support of the Church. "For you are Peter," said the Lord, "and on this rock I will build my Church." And again: "You are the light of the world." He says that the propitiatory itself is two cubits larger than the Ariel in both length and breadth; for not only in divinity, but also in the assumed humanity, the Master is greater than the servants by an infinite measure. ^D Then God, the author of all things, commands the prophet to instruct the priests in the laws concerning the sacrifices, and how it is necessary to bring the calf for sin, and to sacrifice it, and where one ought to terminate [the rite]; and likewise how one must sprinkle the horns of the altar and the corners of the propitiatory; then, to bring the goats for sin, which are free from every blemish; and again, in the same way, one must sprinkle the altar with the blood. And thus, he says,

they shall perform such sacrifices for seven days; and from the eighth day and beyond, they shall offer such sacrifices, that I may not run through each one individually. ^A

Chapter XLIV

[1, 2] He also showed me the gate that looks toward the east, shut; and he commanded that it be kept constantly shut, and be assigned to the Lord, the Maker of all things—not because the gate is needed by him who is everywhere present and stands by all, wishing to enter. For how could he have entered while it was shut, if he were accustomed to enter through gates? But, accommodating himself to weaker ears, he designates these things. And it is likely that by these things is indicated to us the Virginal womb, through which no one else has entered or exited save the Lord himself alone. [3] He also commanded that the leader—that is, the high priest—should partake of food by this very gate, and pass through the vestibule both in departing and in approaching; for this he called the ^B *Ailam*. And, these things having been thus spoken and shown, he again beholds the glory of God at the gate which is towards the north, and he is commanded to speak to the provoking people, or the contentious and quarrelsome one (for so the other interpreters also have interpreted), that they should be contented with their former lawlessness which they dared to continue, by introducing aliens and uncircumcised persons into the divine temple; and, which is the greatest of crimes, that they not only had uncircumcised flesh, but also, beyond the flesh, an uncircumcised ^C mind. Thus it is evident that the circumcision of the heart is the perfection of justice, while the circumcision of the flesh is a sign and seal of that circumcision which is of the mind. [9-16] Therefore, God, the Author of all, commands that those who are uncircumcised in soul, and strangers and aliens in body, remain far from the divine enclosures; but as for the Levites who participated in the lawlessness of the people and embraced the worship of idols, that they be removed from their own order, and neither perform the duty of doorkeepers, nor slaughter the holocaust, ^D nor the sacrifice for sin, nor, moreover, approach the holy things, but receive ignominy as the fruit of their impiety; but that the family of Sadoc, which preserved the ancestral piety, alone should minister and hold guard and perform all the other duties of the priests. [17–25] And it is fitting for them, he says, by no means to use garments woven from wool, but to be clothed only in linen garments at the time of ministry, and let each one put a turban upon his head and gird themselves with undergarments within, and, when going out to

^A the people, let them put off the garments of their ministry and put on others before they go out through the gates; for it is not permitted for one who is a stranger to the priesthood to approach in priestly garments. And they shall not shave their heads, for this was a custom practiced by the priests of idols: « And they shall not bald their heads. » The Hebrew and the Syrian, however, said "they shall not nourish [long hair]." For they say it is proper for them neither to be shaved nor to grow long hair, but to desire a medium in their tonsure; for he meant this when he said: « Covering, they shall cover their heads. » It is necessary for them also, at the time when they are to perform the priestly office, to abstain from wine-drinking; and if they wish to enter into marriage, they must take neither a widow nor a divorced woman, but a virgin. But even if a woman who was a priest's wife has been left a widow, and someone desires to marry her, not even such a marriage is forbidden by the law; for the lineage of the priesthood remains inviolate if the woman who was joined to a priest is reunited with a priest. These men must also instruct the people and teach them the distinction between common things and sacred things. They themselves should also judge cases involving homicide, and settle other disputes, everywhere honoring what is just. And let them perform the festivals according to the Law, and let them honor the Sabbaths with rest and other observances. « And they shall not enter into a human soul to be defiled, » that is to say, on account of a corpse (for so both the Hebrew and the Syrian said); « but only, he says, on account of a father, and mother, and son, and daughter, and brother, and a sister who has not yet married. » Then he gives instructions ^C on how the unclean man must be purified, and thus approach the priestly office: not that it was in reality abominable to look upon the dead (for if this were truly harmful, the sight of a deceased father, or mother, or brother would have harmed him as well); but by these things he desires to show that the priest should be held in greater reverence among the Jews, who had learned to glorify small things. Then he commands the priest also to offer a sacrifice for himself when he is about to enter into the holy places; and that he should not receive a portion with the children of Israel in the distribution of the land. « For I, he says, am their inheritance and their possession. » For I gave to them to enjoy the first-born things and the first-fruits offered to me, and the parts taken from the sacrifices I assigned to them in return. For I am in need of nothing. ^D

CHAPTER XLV

He also orders that a certain territory in the suburbs be set apart for the priests: from the rising of the sun to the setting, ten thousand cubits; and from the north to the south, twenty-five thousand; so that, he says, possessing the tithes, and the first-fruits, and the first-born, and the portions separated from the sacrifices, and the sustenance from the land, they may embrace what is just, and not covet anything more, nor do any injury to the people, since they enjoy that which is sufficient for them. Therefore, he added:

^A “Let it be enough for you, O princes of Israel: put away injustice and oppression, and execute judgment and justice, and remove oppression from the people,” says the Lord God. ^B Afterward, he legislates concerning balances, weights, and measures, and says that these too should be valued with equality and justice, and he commands that there be one measure for entrance and exit. He teaches us that the cor holds ten omers, and each omer ten choinikes, so that the cor is one hundred choinikes. And he also says that the ephah has the same measure as the choinix. He commands the mina to have fifty shekels, and each shekel twenty obols; he also calls the ten cotylae of oil an omer, which he had said was a tenth part of a cor. ^C He also commands that the first-fruits offered from both wheat and barley contain a sixth part of an omer, which is called an emimedimnon among us. Since the cor is thirty medimnoi, and the omer is called the tenth part of the cor, the omer must be three medimnoi, and the sixth part of the three medimnoi is a semimedimnon. He also commanded that one cotyle be offered out of the ten cotylae, and likewise the tithes of the sheep. All these things, he says, the people will give to the leader for the needs of the sacrifices, so that both in the feasts and in the new moons, and on the Sabbaths, the sacred rites may be fulfilled by him, and God may be propitiated for the people. After that, he teaches what it is appropriate to do on the new moon of the tenth month, and what on the fourteenth, and again what in the seventh month. He calls the fine flour being offered a sacrifice: “For a sacrifice,” he says, “you shall make a cake for the calf, and a cake for the ram, and one hin of oil for the cake.” I have found “hemina” in the Syriac for this.

CHAPTER XLVI

they might come in and go out in order, and offer their worship to God without any disturbance; and let the high priest also be present while these things are being done, so that the worship may be performed with the greater reverence. ^A And he commanded the gate facing the east to be opened for all the people on the Sabbaths and other feast days; but for if the high priest wishes to offer a voluntary sacrifice out of his abundance to God, he says it shall be permitted him to open the gate on whatever day he may wish to perform the sacrifice. For, he says, the sacrifice offered by him shall be like the sacrifice of the Sabbaths. And if he wishes to give to any of his sons from the land set apart for him, he says that the one who receives it shall have the ownership of it in perpetuity; but if it be given to a servant, the servant shall have the ownership until the year of release, and in the year which is called the septennial year he shall return the inheritance to the high priest; for this lot is set apart for the priestly race alone. For it is not fitting that those who have been deprived and despoiled of their paternal inheritance should proceed to the injuries of the people, with another land being set apart again for the priests in compensation. Let the family, therefore, be the heir of the land set apart for the priests. ^B And he showed me, he says, another place situated toward the west, near the northern chambers, and said that this is set apart for the priests for boiling, so that they might boil there [the sacrifices] for ignorance and for sin, and might boil the manna there. For it is not lawful, he says, to make those things which have once been set apart and sanctified common by carrying them outside. And I saw other courts smaller than that one, situated around the greatest court; and each one had a length of thirty cubits, and a breadth of forty; and by them were built houses, which he called chambers, in which he commanded that the sacrifices of the people be boiled.

CHAPTER XLVII

passion and the darkness that occurred: "For it is not day," he says, "and not night, and that day is known to the Lord; for it is neither full day," he says, "nor full night, for at midday darkness came to pass." He added: "In that day living water shall go forth from Jerusalem; half of it to the last sea, and half of it to the former sea." By these things he declares the east and the west, by which the whole inhabited world is understood. He also speaks of the time of the gushing forth: "In summer," he says, "and in spring it shall be so." This the Lord also says to the Samaritan woman: "Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst; but the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." And elsewhere: "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.'" This water the divine Ezekiel saw gushing forth from the threshold of the house—for through the law and the prophets our good things were foretold—and coming through the altar; for it used only the path through the Jews. But since they, having disbelieved, did not wish to yield the fruits of faith, it passed to the nations, and it irrigates the greatest and most beautiful paradise of the Churches.

^B He then says that he saw someone who measured a thousand in a measure, and passed through as far as the ankles; and again measured the same quantity, and passed through as far as the knees; and for a third time applied the measure, and passed through as far as the loins. But when he fulfilled the fourth number, he says, "A torrent was made, the greatest, which one could not pass through, because the water was boiling up, like the rushing of a torrent, which no one shall pass through." He taught us through these things that at first the evangelical preaching will bring a few to salvation; then it will double them, and triple them; and after these things it will fill the inhabited world, according to the prophecy which says: "The whole earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as much water covers the seas." And it is appropriate to note that he measured four times, and applied a number of measures equal to the divine Gospels. I believe that the fourth measure of the divine John signifies the Gospel, which contains a theology inaccessible to men and impassable. ^C For what mind could there be beyond the "In the beginning"? Or what could surpass the "Was"? Therefore he said it went forth boiling up, like the rushing of a torrent that no one shall pass through. And immediately, he says, and on the spot, he showed me by the bank of the water trees of every kind bringing forth fruit. And these trees were on either bank; for not only faith in God, but also action according to God, this water, as...

it were, has caused to sprout forth in men. ^A And he said to me, he says: The water of the river that goes forth into Galilee toward the east, and descends into the uncultivated land, and comes even unto the sea, upon the water of the outlet of the sea. And these things indeed it is possible to find accurately in history. For first the saving proclamation ran into Galilee; and from there it proceeded into the uncultivated land and the region of the nations, a desert of piety. And it reached even to the surging sea, the tribes of the barbarians; and he adds that it shall also sanctify the waters; for it shall cause the Greek and mythical teachings to minister to the divine proclamation, and those diseased waters, being sanctified by these waters, shall be productive of health.

VERS. 9. And it shall be, that every soul of the living creatures that swarm, upon all things to which the river shall come there, shall live. For everyone, he says, who enjoys the saving waters shall obtain salvation. And he asserts that this water shall be full of fish, and that it shall have many fishermen; for many are they who are caught for salvation through these waters, and many also are they who have been entrusted to hunt this catch. And that, "from Engaddi even unto Enaglim," signifies the joy sprung from temptations and afflictions. For Engaddi signifies "the trial of the eyes"; ^B but Enaglim signifies the eye of a calf offered for sacrifice, and undoing sin, or drawn under the yoke, and entrusted with the tilling of the earth. But the drying of the nets signifies not only frequency, but also diligence and care. For they will not cease to fish, he says, but there they shall rest; for he called the rest the drying of the nets, since fishermen, when they cease fishing, are accustomed to spread out the nets and dry them. "It shall be by itself," he says, that is, separated from impiety is the soul that is saved; and he says that the multitude of the fish is not like to a river, but to the greatest sea. For neither is the new people equal in number to the former people, but likened to the sea of the nations, and filling the inhabited world. To these he adds:

VERS. 11. And in its outlet, and in its turning, and in its swelling, its marshes shall not be healed, they shall be given to salt. And this we see to have happened in the present time, ^C for having grown into a multitude, we have slipped into sloth. ^D And the Lord also predicted things in harmony with this: "For when," he says, "iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall grow cold." Those therefore who dwell on the surface, and are instructed in the proclamation only, such as most of us are, he calls marshes; for indeed marshes

^A do not possess deep water, but have it from the surface. Those who are thus disposed, he says, do not obtain a remedy. But even so, he says, they are not useless to the rest; for when chastised, they will become a pretext for the benefit of others. On account of which he said, "they shall be given to salt." He knows how to instruct us in a sense, and to fill us with benefit, not only through the teaching word, but also through the punishment brought on for sin. Thus, having foretold the things regarding the slothful, he again narrates the fruits of the zealous and the holy, and that there is nothing fruitless among them, but all things are edible. And regarding the fruit, he says: ^B

VERS. 12. "And its leaf shall not fall, nor shall it grow old upon it, nor shall its fruit fail, in its newness, in its months: it shall bring forth first-fruits, because their waters go forth from the holy [places], and their fruit shall be for food, and their offshoot for healing." All these trees, he says, shall bear this edible fruit continuously. For not once in the year, but every month—since the saints do not live piously only at festivals, but continuously observe the keeping of the divine laws. Moreover, "The leaves," he says, "shall not fall from them." For they have the joy of soul that follows the practice of virtue. "And their fruit [shall be] ^C all for food." For we are accustomed to admire the athletes of virtue. "And their offshoot for healing." For when we consider how great a good is a life composed according to the will of God, we reap the benefit from this, and we obtain the healing that is according to God.

Thence the prophet is taught what the boundaries of Israel are. From the north, he says, the way is Emath through the borders of Damascus. They call Emath Epiphaniia, and some call it Emesa. For the divine Scripture knows two of the same name; for it says: "To Emath the great." And from the rising of the sun he calls the Jordan the boundary, and the palm grove which is toward the east; but from ^D the south, as far as the waters of contradiction; for thus the Syrian interpreted Marimoth; and from the west he says the sea is the boundary. And he commanded this to be distributed not only to those who trace their lineage from Israel, but also to the proselytes dwelling in their midst, "who," he says, "have begotten sons in your midst." And he says that the proselytes dwelling in each tribe shall take an inheritance with that same tribe.

CHAPTER XLVIII

Then he commands that the tribe of Dan should take the first [portion] from the north, the second Aser, the third Nephthalim, the fourth Manasseh, the fifth Ephraim, the sixth Reuben, the seventh Juda; then the one set apart for the priests, having a width of five and twenty thousand, and a length of ten thousand; and he commands that the inheritance of this [land] be set around the city.

^A “For my sanctification,” he says, “shall be in their midst,” for the priests who are sanctified, the sons of Zadok, who keep the charges of the house. Then he again divides five hundred cubits of the temple through the middle of the city. And he says that while the city is being built, the fruits of this land shall be set apart for those performing the construction. Then, after this, he commands Benjamin to take his inheritance, and after him Simeon, then Issachar, and Zabulon after him, and Gad last of all. He also says that there will be twelve gates to the city, three in each part; and he said the entire circuit would be eighteen thousand cubits.

^B VERSE 35. The name of the city, he says, from the day it comes to be, shall be its name. Not that it received another name after the building (for it was called Jerusalem even after Zorobabel), but he hinted by these things that it would become famous again. For Scripture often knows how to call glory a "name," just as the same prophet says to Jerusalem from the person of God: “And a name came to be for you.” This building of the city was carried out first by Zorobabel after the return from Babylon, a long time being consumed in the construction of the temple because of the war with the neighbors; but Nehemiah raised the walls, eighty years having intervened after the completion of the temple's construction. And again in the time of the Maccabees, it enjoyed much prosperity and renewal, and after them Herod made it more noble again.

^C But Apollinarius, who delights in mythological tales and in no way differs from old women who tell fables, promises us another building of Jerusalem, and a cult established according to the law of the Jews, and faith in the Lord besides the observance of the law; then again, churches mutually opposed to one another, the one consisting of Gentiles living outside the law, and the one from the Jews ordering its own commonwealth according to the law. But the most wise man did not perceive the truth of the divine pronouncements. For regarding the Jews, He said that: “He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.” And again: “I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.”

^D And regarding the temple, He says first: “There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” Then: “Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.” And Isaiah also cries out: “The city of the ungodly shall not be built for ever.” And: “The house of Israel has fallen, it shall not rise again.”

^A He did not hear, as it seems, even the doctrine of Paul, which he brought to the Galatians, saying: “You who are justified in the law, you have fallen from grace.” And again: “Because by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified, but through the faith of Jesus Christ.” “For the law works wraith; for where there is no law, there is also no transgression.” And again: “For what was impossible for the law, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” And elsewhere: “Being justified therefore by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” And he also said openly before all to Peter, who had feigned the observance of the law on account of the weakness of the disciples: “If thou, being a Jew, livest in the manner of the Gentiles, and not as the Jews, why dost thou compel the Gentiles to judaize?” Then he adds: “We are by nature Jews, and not sinners of the Gentiles. But knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the hearing of faith, we also have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” Thus he calls the Galatians, who endured to be circumcised after the faith, senseless. And writing to the Philippians, and accusing those who taught these things, he calls them dogs, saying: “Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. For we are the circumcision, who serve God in the spirit, and have no confidence in the flesh.” And lest any one might suppose that he relied on the spiritual things, as being devoid of the carnal ^B ones, he reasonably added: “Though I also have confidence in the flesh. If any other thinketh to have confidence in the flesh, I more.” And he recounts the things in which the Jews boasted: “Circumcised the eighth day.” According to the law, he says, I received circumcision. And because it happened that the sons of proselytes were also circumcised according to this number of days, he necessarily added: “Of the stock of Israel.” And he is not content with the appellation of the patriarch, but he also mentions the name of the tribe, showing his distinction, “of the tribe of Benjamin.” For of Rachel, he says, the beloved, am I descended. For not only am I not of those who are half-slaves, but I am even ahead of the free, ^C as being descended from her who was first betrothed and highly beloved. And hence to the older lineage ^D

^A he ascends, saying, "A Hebrew of Hebrews," for the Hebrews were so called from Eber. But he says also that he was of the finest sect, "as concerning the law, a Pharisee." Nor did he possess merely the name of piety, but he was eager to be adorned with the reality also; "for concerning zeal," he says, "persecuting the Church" 35. Having thus recounted all things that seemed honorable, he added, "But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ; and I count all things to be dung, that I may gain Christ." But these things which the blessed Paul called loss and dung, when compared with spiritual things, the most wise Apollinarius said would be preached to the Jews by Elijah, and would be confirmed by the Lord Christ Himself. For what reason, let him say, will He give to those who shall be from among the Jews a way of life according to the law, as if faith were unable to provide salvation? And for what reason did He provide this same thing to all of us Gentiles, so that He might provide them with perfect salvation? And if, as faith being sufficient to bring to salvation and to procure the kingdom of heaven, He abrogated the observance of the law, for what reason will He again impose upon the Jews the law which is unable to save? For that the greatest part of it provides no righteousness to those who observe it, God Himself taught us through this prophet: "For I gave to them," He says, "precepts that were not good, and ordinances in which they shall not live." How, therefore, will He again impose upon the Jews things that are not good, and which are unable to provide life, since He wishes to save them, and not to destroy them? And from another angle it is easy to perceive the folly of one expecting these things. For if the ^C affairs of the Jews were a figure of our own—for he himself confesses this, and does not contradict it—where is the need for the yearling lamb after the sacrifice of the spotless Lamb, Who took away the sin of the world? And what is the utility of unleavened bread after the heavenly bread, or of a typical Passover after the spiritual one? But he does not listen to the divine Apostle saying: "Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us." Nor does he listen to the Lord teaching His own disciples and saying: "This is my body, which is broken for you; this do in remembrance of me." And, "This is my blood which is shed for you for the remission of sins; this do in remembrance of me." And elsewhere, when He had said to the Jews: "Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead," He added: "This is the bread of life, that if anyone eat of it, he shall not die." To omit other things which are infinite, even now in

^A Jerusalem, both the church of the cross, and the resurrection, and the ascension, and the church in Sion, and sacred Bethlehem, and ten thousand other places of prayer. If the temple of the Jews be rebuilt, will these be destroyed, or will they too remain held in honor? And if they remain in their former honor, will they be honored by the Jews, or will they be treated with contumely? If, then, they treat them with contumely and remain in their former madness, they will derive no benefit from the preaching of the great Elias. But if they honor them, which of the places of prayer will they esteem more? That of the cross, or of the resurrection, or that which is to be built? For if they prefer the latter, they will do so as not being endowed with perfect knowledge. But if they prefer these (former ones), that building will be superfluous. If, however, they bestow equal honor upon these and that one, they will offer sacrifices there, but here they will partake of the sacred mysteries. And how is it possible for them to partake of the divine mysteries together with those who have believed from among the Gentiles, when the Law forbids any social intercourse with the Gentiles? It remains, therefore, that in the same temple both the evangelical and the legal (rites) must be performed at the same time; and there must again be fighting and strife, we indeed living according to our own laws, and they preferring worship according to the Law. And how does Paul speak the truth when he says: "Christ is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of partition, the enmity in his flesh, having abolished the law of commandments by decrees, so that he might create in himself the two, that is, the Gentile and the Jewish, into one new man, and reconcile both in one Spirit unto the Father"? And again: "There is neither Jew nor Greek." And in another place: "Where there is neither Jew nor Greek, circumcision and uncircumcision, but all things and in all, Christ." Yes, says the most wise one, even at the time when the apostles were preaching, the Jews who had believed in Jerusalem observed the worship according to the Law, while the other Churches lived outside the observance of the Law. But he does not understand that the holy apostles, accommodating themselves to their weakness, permitted this to be done at that time, but they themselves did not freely observe the Law, which they would by no means have dared to violate if they had known the observance of the Law to be necessary. But they themselves, knowing the life according to the Law to be superfluous, led the evangelical life; but to those who were more weakly disposed, they granted the observance of the Law, gradually leading them to more perfect things. Thus the blessed Paul circumcised Timothy as an evan-

ordained as a master of the evangelical republic. But perhaps we too have become participants in Apollinaris's nonsense, having attempted to refute not only his false, but also his unpleasant myth-making; against whom the blessed Paul might rightly say: "I wish those who unsettle you would even cut themselves off!" ^A Having thus brought this discourse to a close, we shall exhort those who read this book to do this: if they find anything among what we have interpreted worthy of study, let them praise the Lord of all, who for the common benefit of mankind has granted the revelation of hidden things. But if the gain is less than they had hoped, and the fruit not equal to the labors, let them grant indulgence to the weakness of nature, yet acknowledge the readiness of our spirit, and compensate for our labors with prayers, asking for us from the Savior of all the forgiveness of sins; with whom to the Father be glory, with the Holy Spirit, now and always, and unto the unending ages of ages. Amen. ^B

BY THE BLESSED THEODORET, BISHOP OF CYRRHUS: COMMENTARY ON THE VISIONS OF THE PROPHET DANIEL

COMMENTARY ON THE VISIONS OF THE PROPHET DANIEL, BY THE BLESSED THEODORET, BISHOP OF CYRRHUS

PREFACE

^A obtain understanding. But since, although we have all received one nature, we have not all received an equal measure of knowledge (“For to each one,” he says, “is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good; to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith in the same Spirit,” and all the rest is distributed in accordance with this division), I think I do nothing unreasonable if I impart in writing the doctrine of these divine records to those who are ignorant of them, having been nurtured in them from childhood and having gleaned a certain modest knowledge from many pious writers. For the divine law itself commands us to teach to our descendants what we have learned from our ancestors. ^B “For you shall teach them,” it says, “to your sons and to your sons’ sons.” For this reason, the great teacher David also says: “Attend, O my people, to my law; incline your ear to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter dark sayings from the beginning.” Then, showing whence he learned these things, he says: “As many things as we have heard and known, and our fathers have related to us, they were not hidden from their children unto another generation.” And teaching the cause of this knowledge, he says: “He established a law in Israel, as many things as He commanded our fathers, to make them known to their children, that another generation might know them, even the sons who shall be born; and they shall arise and declare them to their children.” And showing the benefit that comes from this instruction, he adds: ^C “That they might set their hope on God and not forget the works of God, and might search out His commandments.” This instruction, therefore, received from our ancestors, we owe as a just debt to those who have come after us and to those who shall be, and it is fitting that we should pay this debt with a grateful heart. And not only does the divine law urge us, but many of our distinguished acquaintances also, having fervently entreated us, have constrained us to boldly undertake this struggle. Come, then, let us make the prophecy of the most blessed Daniel as clear as possible to those who are ignorant of it. And perhaps this labor of ours will not be useless even to those who have been granted the faculty of understanding; for they will either find more than they had thought, or, finding their own views in ours, they will confirm with a common consensus what they themselves have hunted out; for the agreement of the majority is accustomed in a way to strengthen what has been understood. ^D We shall attempt, therefore, to interpret this prophet at present, not as if despising the others—heaven forbid! for we know that all are instruments of the divine Spirit—but first

Preface to Daniel

because those who are accustomed ^A to us have requested the interpretation of this one, and we thought it proper to grant the favor we were asked for to those who asked. Moreover, the folly and shamelessness of the Jews compel us to leave the others aside for the present and to lay bare and make clear this man’s predictions; for they have reached such a pitch of effrontery as to separate him from the choir of the prophets and to deprive him of the very title of prophet. This is indeed a shameless device of theirs, but not one unconnected with their purpose. For since he predicted the arrival of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ much more clearly than all the others, having not only mentioned in advance what He would do, but also having signified the time beforehand and inscribed the number of years that were to elapse until His arrival, and having clearly cataloged all the grievous things that were to befall them after the commitment of their crime of perfidy, it is natural that, as ^B enemies of God and of the truth, they should shamelessly dare to say that he is not a prophet who uttered these and countless other oracles, deeming their own assertion sufficient for the confirmation of their falsehood. Yet it is no wonder if those who have raved with such frenzy against the Only-Begotten should slander the Lord’s well-disposed ministers; for the latter matches the former. Therefore the Lord Himself also says: "If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you." And again: "If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more his household?" But that we may refute their shamelessness in superabundance, let us ask them thus: What do you say is the defining characteristic of a prophet? Why, they would perhaps reply, it is to foreknow and to proclaim future events. Let us see, therefore, whether the blessed Daniel has not foreknown and proclaimed these very things. And let us, for the time being, leave aside his discourse concerning the Lord Christ ^C and bring his other prophecies into the middle. We find, then, that he foretold many things concerning the kingdom of the Babylonians, many concerning that of the Persians and Macedonians, and many also concerning that of the Romans; and what it is that the king of the Babylonians will suffer, and how the Persians will take over his kingdom, then that the Macedonian, having destroyed them, will die as quickly as possible, and four will inherit the kingdom in place of one; and that from one of these will spring a man who will inflict countless evils upon the Jews, and that, having enjoyed divine aid, they will be delivered from his ferocity. Then, moving on from there, he foretells the power of the Romans, and that, having conquered all kingdoms, they will ^D exact tribute from all. For what need is there to speak of what follows regarding the Egyptians and the

^A Syrians, and the terrible things they would do to one another, and the subsequent treaties of peace, and the marriages and alliances, and then again the implacable wars after the reconciliation had been made? How, then, is it not impious and unholy to exclude from the chorus of the prophets one who foreknew and foretold all these things, and left their record committed to writing? For if these things are alien to prophecy, what are the characteristics of prophecy? But if they say that he is excluded from the prophetic chorus because he does not prefix his own words with "Thus saith the Lord," let them tell us what such thing did Abraham the patriarch say, who was called a prophet by God, the Creator of all? For concerning Abraham it was said: ^B "Now therefore restore the man's wife; for he is a prophet, and he will pray for thee, and thou shalt live, and all thy house." And the blessed David says indeed concerning him, and his son, and his grandson, that "He rebuked kings for their sake, saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm." And the greatest prophet, Samuel, the temple-servant from childhood, does not have the form of prophecy like the other prophets, but he too was gifted with the office of foreknowledge, understanding, and prediction, whether through dreams or through certain divine revelations by day. Contend openly, therefore, against them as well, and cast them clearly out of the assembly of the prophets. But if you shrink from such insolence toward them, beware also of bringing calumny against this man. For he is a prophet, and a prophet who attained the knowledge of future things with the greatest zeal and desire, taught the things to come by sweat and labors, by fasting and affliction; and one who not only foreknew and foretold what would befall the Jews alone, ^C but also the dispensation of the common affairs of the whole world. Consider, therefore, whether it is not exceedingly unjust to list Abdias among the number of the prophets—who only foretold the evils that would seize the Idumeans—and Jonas, and Nahum, who prophesied about one city, Nineveh; but to deprive the blessed Daniel of the prophetic title and call him alien to the grace of the divine Spirit, when he foretold not about one city, nor about a small nation, but about the greatest kingdoms—Chaldaic, Persian, Macedonian, Roman—and about the things that happened in detail under them. And yet, even if you are most unjust judges, you ought to have been overcome by some shame on account of that impious Nabuchodonosor, ^D

that beastly man, that barbarian, that man uninitiated into divine mysteries, who exclaims regarding Daniel and says: "That the holy Spirit of God is in him." For it was truly the gift of the divine Spirit both to recount the dream which another had beheld but could not remember, and to offer an accurate and true interpretation of it. But you cannot be persuaded, even by this, to cease from your madness against the prophet; instead, through the prophet you war against the prophet’s Master. But the prophet will not be harmed in any way by your machinations; for divine writ shows him to be a prophet, and the event confirms the foreknowledge of his prediction. But we, seeing the actual things now, understand those ancient oracles, and being guided by the things themselves, we easily grasp the outcome of events; you, however, declare your own madness even through these things. And now we have refuted your shamelessness in summary; ^B but the detailed explanation will refute your folly more clearly. Come, then, having made a sufficient defense for ourselves and accusation of the Jews, let us first set forth the argument of the prophecy, and then let us apply ourselves to the word-for-word explanation. After Josiah (for this man became a pious king), his son Joachaz reigned over Judea for three full months and a few days. Now this man had a double name; for in the books of Kings and Chronicles he is called Joachaz, but the blessed prophet Jeremiah calls him Selim. ^C This man, the King of Egypt, Pharaoh Necho, captured in battle and led off as a captive into Egypt; and he appointed in his stead his brother Eliakim as king, and named him Joakim. This man reigned for eleven years and a few months. In the third year of his reign, Nabuchodonosor, the king of the Babylonians, having marched forth with an army, captured not a few of those who were distinguished by the nobility of their lineage; he also seized some of the sacred vessels dedicated only to divine worship; and having imposed a tribute upon Joakim, he returned to Babylon. Afterwards, when he (Joakim) was unwilling to pay the commanded tribute, he marched again against Jerusalem, and having taken the city and killed him, he established as king in his place his son, called Joakim by the Jews ^D but, with his name changed, again called Eliakim. And this man the blessed prophet Jeremiah names Jechonias. "As I live, says the Lord, if Jechonias, the son of Joakim the king of Judah, shall be a signet on my hand..."

and from thence I will pluck thee, and deliver thee into the hands of them that seek thy soul, of whom thou art afraid before their face, even into the hands of the Chaldeans." ^A And when he had administered the kingdom for three months and a few days, then again Nebuchadnezzar, the king of the Babylonians, having sent an army and a general, led him away captive to Babylon. And he entrusted the kingdom to Zedekiah, his uncle on his father's side. And when he had reigned for eleven years and thereafter failed to pay the tribute imposed upon him, the king of the Babylonians advanced upon Jerusalem with a great force; then, having laid siege and using famine as an ally against them, and having brought engines to the walls, he breached the wall, slew the majority, and reduced the rest to slavery and led them away as prisoners of war, having delivered both the city and the temple to the fire.

But the God of all, who permitted the Jews to suffer these things because of their many transgressions, did not, even while punishing them, completely strip them of his own care; but for those in Judea he gave as it were certain guardians, namely Uriah the son of Semaiah, and Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, a man resplendent in priesthood and prophecy. And to those carried away as prisoners of war in the first captivity to Babylon, he sent along with the blessed Daniel, Ezekiel ^B, and Ananias, and Azarias, and Misael, so that having accurate teachers of the legal way of life, they might not receive much damage from the intermingling with the barbarians, but might have archetypes to remind them of the virtue and philosophy of their ancestors. So much providence does the God of all exercise toward sinners, that he allowed those who served him with goodwill, and who were eager to worship him at all times, to be led away captive for their own benefit, and to endure harsh slavery, and to fall into many dangers, and to pass their life through waves and storms. For thus also through Hosea the prophet he says, "I slew your prophets with the word of my mouth." Thus, managing the salvation of the world, he allowed the holy apostles to suffer those recorded passions. Exercising this providence toward the Jews, he also arranged for the blessed Daniel to reach Babylon along with them, who, being yet a youth ^C as he was,

^A shone brilliant, and having been reared in the palace with those God-loving youths, and from childhood having possessed the divine grace blossoming within him, and having become full of all kinds of wisdom and understanding, he acquired great influence with the ruler; and having preached the word of piety, he became the cause of profit ^B even to him—and not to him alone, but also to all his subjects; for what he learned through his teaching, he transmitted to his subjects, having established a law explicitly exhorting all those under his rule to worship the God proclaimed by this man. Now, both that this illustrious prophet was carried off to Babylon, and for what reason, and of how many good things he became the cause, ^C not only for his own kin but also for the barbarians, we have briefly stated; but we shall treat the power of his prophecy more accurately through our detailed interpretation. Calling upon divine grace, therefore, as a fellow-worker for clarity, let us begin.

VOLUME I. BOOK ONE.

CHAPTER I.

VERS. 1. « In the third year of the reign of Joakim, king of Judah, came Nabuchodonosor, king of Babylon, to Jerusalem, and besieged it. » ^D Appropriately and before all other things, he has mentioned both the king who was then reigning and informed us of the time, so that the time of the first captivity might be clearly known by us. For in the third year of the reign of Joakim, who was also called Eliakim, and who reigned after Joachas (but he was the father of Joachas, he who was also called Joakim and Jechonias), the first capture of Jerusalem occurred.

And from this, that he remembers the kings who were then and the times, the prophetic character is indicated. For we find that other prophets also did this. « For the vision, » he says, « which Isaias the son of Amos saw in the days of Ozias, and Joatham, and Achaz, and Ezechias, who reigned over Judea. » And: « The word of the Lord came to Jeremias in the days of Josias, the son of Amos, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. » And Ezechiel, and all the other prophets, for the most part, used this prologue of prophecy. And

it is sufficient ^A for this to convict the iniquity of the Jews, and to teach us the prophet who is truly a prophet.

2. « And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God. » This also demonstrates his spiritual grace. For it is not given to all to understand the divine dispensations; but this man, having been thought worthy of the divine Spirit, both clearly perceived and teaches others that, by the permission of God, the author of all things, on account of the iniquity of the people and the king, and ^B their great impiety, the city was taken, and some of the sacred vessels came under the power of the enemies. And he has very necessarily added: « The Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, » so that no one might suppose that Nebuchadnezzar, by his own power, used the city dedicated to God to prevail; but that all might learn, and that accurately, that because God had delivered it up, and had removed the grace that had formerly guarded the city, for this reason it became subject to the enemies. This the author of all things, God Himself, also makes clear through the prophet Isaiah, saying: « Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? Or shall the saw magnify itself against him by whom it is drawn? » By these things ^C He teaches us that He Himself brings punishments upon men, and uses instruments suitable for this purpose. « And he brought them, » he says, « into the land of Shinar, into the house of his god, and brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god. » And perhaps someone might say: Why, when men have sinned, were the holy vessels dedicated to God delivered to impious men? But those who are ignorant of the goal of divine dispensations say these things. « For the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him; but the spiritual man judgeth all things, » according to the divine Apostle. And he is persuaded that nothing is managed in vain by divine providence; and being illuminated by the divine Spirit, he learns the causes: just as, indeed, ^D he who chooses to understand spiritually can clearly comprehend what is now being inquired into. For from this, great profit has accrued not only to the Jews, but also to the barbarians themselves. For first, the Jews were taught the self-sufficiency of the divine nature; for God, the author of all things, does not receive what is offered by men as though He were in need, but to teach them gratitude, and to provide them an occasion for worshipping Him and for rendering thanks. For how else could we, for the benefits we have received, be able to reward God, the benefactor who has merited well of us, according to our ability, if we did not...

accept these small and lowly things from those who offer them? Wishing, therefore, to persuade the Jews that he did not accept the sacrifices offered by them to fulfill his own need, but by condescending to their weakness, he rightly turned away from them and handed them over into captivity, and gave over to captivity with them those vessels which they thought they were using to serve him. For why ^A should he, who had handed over rational men to punishment, spare inanimate vessels? By the very things themselves, he teaches them that the Babylonians—those barbarians, those impious ones—differ in no way from them; for they act with impiety just as those do, or rather, even more so than they. For the former, having received neither the law nor enjoying the guidance of prophets, were held fast in ignorance; but the latter, enlightened by myriads of old and new prophets, and having become eyewitnesses of myriads of miracles, despised the God of all, and continued to serve inanimate idols. ^B He handed over the vessels, therefore, to the barbarians, all but saying by the very facts themselves: "There is no difference between you and the barbarians; for you, too, pollute them with your transgressions in the same way, and it is right that both you and the Babylonians possess them; for impiety rules both you and them." This was sufficient to convince and educate the Jews, and to manage no small benefit for them. As for the Babylonians, while they held the vessels in honor, as they supposed, and did not apply them to human uses, having dedicated them to the gods they themselves worshipped, they experienced no evils at all. ^C But when King Baltasar dared to use them at a banquet, he was immediately punished and paid the penalty that was due, and by his own punishment, he taught everyone how great was the power of the God to whom these vessels belonged, and that He had not been unwillingly deprived of His own possessions, but had willingly handed them over because of the great transgressions of the people. ^D He also did this long ago with the ark. For after Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of the priest Eli, both impious and detestable, took it with them and went out to bring help to their kinsmen, God reproved their impiety, granting them no providence and caring for them to be slaughtered as they deserved, but handed over the ark to the aliens, again educating and reminding Israel that He had no need of the ark, but had constructed it for their sake, and that its use was superfluous for those who, without fear, violated the divine law and chose to live impiously. And so that the aliens, puffed up with pride, might not boast as if they had overcome God (thinking the ark itself to be the God of the Jews, making a conjecture from the construction of their own idols), and so that they might not

^A suffer harm, as if they had captured the God of the Jews and dedicated him as a kind of trophy to their own gods. For He causes Dagon, the idol worshipped by them, to fall and be shattered before the ark, to display the posture of adoration, and to confess his defeat through the very facts, and to show the slavery of the demon dwelling within him; and this not once, but twice and often. He also inflicts various plagues upon them, until they returned the ark and dedicated offerings that signified their punishment. Thus, both at that time and in the time of Nebuchadnezzar, a double benefit was obtained; for that which was permitted by God for a short time profited not only the Jews but also the barbarians.

VERS. 3, 4.

^A VERS. 5, 6.

Commentary on the Verses

^B VERS. 7. “And the chief eunuch gave them names: to Daniel, Baltasar; and to Ananias, Sidrach; and to Misael, Misach; and to Azarias, Abdenago.” And this right of dominion is established among some as a custom, for those who buy servants change their names, so that by the alteration of the name they may recognize their servitude. And this likewise was done here by the chief eunuch; for having removed the Hebrew names, he imposed Chaldean ones upon them, since the king had also instructed the youths to learn the language of the Chaldeans.

VERS. 8. “And Daniel established in his heart that he would not be polluted by the king’s table, and by the wine of his drink; and he asked the chief eunuch that he might not be polluted.” For godly men do not seek God, who is over all, in a place, but wherever they may arrive, they offer the same worship to Him, and even when they are afflicted by adverse circumstances, they worship their own Creator in the same way. And here it is possible to find a great and exceptional miracle. For the boys, reared among the Jews and taught that God must be worshipped in a certain place, then inhabiting a foreign land and compelled to serve at a very youthful age, and forced to live under other laws, strive diligently to retain their ancestral piety. And because they saw that the Babylonians were polluting the victuals by the invocation of idols, and defiling the wine with libations, they ^C disregarded the health that meets the eye, and having trampled upon the pleasure of the royal banquet filled with every kind of food, they beseech the chief eunuch to permit them to abstain from the royal foods.

^A

VERS. 9. *And God gave Daniel favor and compassion before the chief eunuch.* For divine providence follows upon intentions, and as soon as they chose divine things, they enjoyed divine aid. We find that this also happened in the case of Joseph: *For the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man, and he poured out mercy upon him, and gave him favor before the keeper of the prison* (Gen. xxxix, 21). We are taught, therefore, from this as well, that God has never in any way neglected or abandoned any of those who have believed in Him. Wherefore another prophet also cries out: *Inquire of the generations that were before you, who has trusted in the Lord and was put to shame?* (Eccli. 11, 11).

VERS. 10. *And the chief eunuch said to Daniel: I fear my lord the king, who appointed your food and your drink, lest he see your faces sadder than the children who are your own age, and you condemn my head before the king.* The fear of the chief eunuch was not irrational; for he was a man who had in no way tasted of spiritual grace, but considering human things in a human manner, and thinking that bodies are nourished and flourish solely by the food of sumptuous meals, he feared that while others were being sumptuously fed, and these men were living ascetically, some discrepancy ^B might appear in their faces, and he might be subjected to the ultimate punishment by the king, who had commanded the contrary. But when blessed Daniel saw him fearing, he transferred his entreaty to Amelasar, whom the chief eunuch had set as the overseer of him and of Ananias, and Azarias, and Misael, and said:

VERS. 12, 13. *Tempt, I beseech you, your servants for ten days, and let them give us of the seeds, and let us eat, and let us drink water. And let our countenances appear before you, and the countenances of the children who eat from the king's table; and as you shall see, do with your servants.* There is nothing stronger than faith in God; and this can be learned from many other places, but not least from these words of the divine Daniel. For that he believed and trusted that he would be relieved by divine help—even if he did not eat with those who were eating and living delicately and enjoying royal luxury—and that he would appear more handsome and far more beautiful, and indeed even greater, what remains of piety for anyone? He also rightly mingled prayer with persuasion: *For tempt, he says, your servants for ten days, and let them give us of the seeds, and let us come...* ^C

and do you be the judge of our countenances; and if you find any harm occurring to our bodies from such food, you shall command what seems right to you, and we shall not resist.* Such care for the divine laws and such faith in the Lawgiver did this divine man possess from his childhood. And while he said these things, the other accepted the request. ^B

Vers. 14, 15. *And he listened to them, he says, in this word, and tested them for ten days. And after the end of the ten days their countenances appeared good, and they themselves were stronger in their flesh than the boys who were eating from the royal table.* For this divine prophet attained what he desired, and proved his promises to be true to the one to whom their care had been entrusted; for, having enjoyed divine grace, they appeared far better than those who were enjoying the royal table.

VERS. 16. *And it happened that Amelasar was taking away their dinner, and the wine of their drink, and was giving them seeds.* And he reaped a double gain: first, he learned that it is possible even for someone who uses fasting to acquire bodily strength and comeliness; and then, by taking for himself the food that was provided them, he more readily provided them with the seeds they craved. Furthermore, because (Daniel) spoke only of himself, he necessarily calls his companions in piety into the midst, and says: ^C

VERS. 17. *And to these four boys God gave understanding and wisdom in all written learning and wisdom.* For not the instruction of the Chaldeans, he says, made them understanding and filled them with all wisdom, but, having been deemed worthy of divine grace and understanding and wisdom and all knowledge, they were shown to be better than everyone. *And Daniel,* he says, *understood in every vision and dream.* For from his childhood he saw divine revelations, not only in sleep, but also while awake; and he was able to interpret what was revealed to others; for the word "understood" indicates this. We are taught from this, too, that the God of all knows no difference of age, but seeks only piety and the love of God; and if He finds this in a young person, He prefers him to many who are ^D older. We find that He did the same thing regarding Joseph, and also regarding Samuel the prophet; for to him, while he was a child quite young, He both appeared and commanded him to predict the punishments against the elder, so as to convict the one worn out by age, and to demonstrate the grace flourishing in the lad.

^A VERS. 18-20. "And after the end of the days, which the king said to bring them in, the chief eunuch brought them in before Nabuchodonosor. And the king spoke with them, and there were not found from among them all any like Daniel, Ananias, Azarias, and Misael; and they stood before the king. And in every word of wisdom and understanding for which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times greater than all the enchanters and magi who were in his kingdom." But Melzar knew the difference in the foods, and he had learned by all means the power of divine grace; the king, however, perhaps knew nothing of these things. For how could he have learned, when the food was provided by him in like manner, but was being consumed by Melzar? Nevertheless, he also received no small profit, having found them improved compared to all those who had been selected from other nations, excelling in beauty and magnitude of body, and in wisdom and understanding of soul, and in the rhythm of their words and in all rational science. He did not make the comparisons simply, but by putting forward certain questions, he took experience as the teacher of truth, and he found them not merely superior, but ten degrees better; and by then he learned that the Jews are wiser than all other nations. Having stated these things, he added:

^B VERS. 21. "And Daniel was even to the first year of Cyrus the king." He did not add this without cause, but because he wished to indicate the time of the whole prophecy. For this reason he taught us both the beginning of the prophecy and added its end, so that by counting the years of the kings who intervened, we might learn the entire time of the prophecy. Moreover, he teaches us that he also beheld Cyrus, who dismissed the captives, and that he was consoled in the present life by the freedom of his own kin, which he himself saw; for in that very first year of his reign, Cyrus ordered whoever of the Jews wished to return to Judea, and he raised up the divine temple, having been taught the prediction of the prophet Isaiah by the blessed Daniel himself. For he was openly exclaiming with these words: "Saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and ^C to the cities of Judea, Ye shall be inhabited; saying to Cyrus to be wise and to do all my wills. — Thus saith the Lord to my anointed Cyrus, whose right hand I have taken hold of, so that nations should obey him, and cities will not be locked. For I will go before thy face, and I will level the mountains; I will shatter the bronze gates, and I will break in pieces the iron bars; I will open to thee ^D the dark, hidden, and concealed treasures." Having understood these things, Cyrus granted the Jews who wished it the return to their fatherland.

VARIAE LECTIONES

and the book of Chronicles also teaches us the time. "For in the first year," it says, "of Cyrus the king of the Persians, after the word of the Lord was fulfilled by the mouth of Jeremiah, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, king of the Persians, and Cyrus proclaimed in all his kingdom in the words of Scripture, saying: Thus saith Cyrus king of the Persians: The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he himself commanded me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judea. Who is there among you of all his people? The Lord his God shall be with him, and let him go up." ^A For this reason, the blessed Daniel also, teaching the time of the prophecy, has inscribed in the books of the Jews: "Daniel was even unto the first year of Cyrus the king." ^B But let us, having rested the hearer here, hymn the good Master, who smiteth and healeth, scourgeth and cureth, using both punishment and philanthropy; to Him be the glory unto the ages of ages. Amen.

VOLUME II

BOOK TWO

CHAPTER II

^C VERS. 1. "In the second year of the reign of Nabuchodonosor, he dreamed a dream, and his spirit was astonished, and his sleep departed from him." ^D Hence we learn that immediately, as soon as he had begun to reign, he marched with an army into Judea in the third year of the reign of Joacim: and when he had imposed a tribute upon him, he departed, having taken captives into the region of the Assyrians. The prophet Jeremiah also bears witness to these times, thus speaking: "The word that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning all the people of Judea, in the fourth year of Joacim the son of Josias, king of Judea; the same is the first year of Nabuchodonosor, king of Babylon." We find, therefore, that after the third year of the reign of Joacim had passed, King Nabuchodonosor [advanced] against

the Jews. At the beginning of the fourth year, the prophet Jeremiah, offering an exhortation to the people, said that this was the first year of King Nabuchodonosor. And the blessed Daniel, having related that the first captivity of the Jews occurred in the third year of the reign of Joacim, king of Judah, adds now: "In the second year of the reign of Nabuchodonosor, he dreamed a dream." He has not added these things without cause, but so that we might truly understand the time. For this reason, the divine prophets, when mentioning kings, also record the number of the years.

"In the second year, therefore, of the reign of Nabuchodonosor, he dreamed a dream, and his spirit was troubled, and the dream departed from him." (Vers. 2.) "And the king said to summon the enchanters, and the magi, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, that they might reveal to the king his dream." The providence of God, then, is manifest to those who are of sound mind; for since He wished to make the dream known to His own prophet, so that he might receive good and saving exhortations from it, He terrified him with the dream and removed the memory of the dream from him. But just as the providence of the God of all is manifest, so too is the madness of the king known to all the pious. For how is it not the height of madness to seek the memory of a dream from others? Nevertheless, it says, they were called, and they came, and stood before the king. ^B

Vers. 3, 4. "And the king said to them: I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled so that I might know the dream." And the Chaldeans spoke to the king in Syriac, and said: "King, live for ever; tell the dream to your servants, and we will relate its interpretation." And what they asked for was indeed reasonable for the situation, but their promise was arrogant: for it was not within human understanding to interpret divine revelations without aid from above. And the Chaldeans spoke in Syriac, as those who, having been gathered from different nations and each having their own language, used the language of the Syrians in common, desiring to show that they were responding appropriately. But not even thus did they persuade the arrogant king not to demand of men things that are beyond nature. ^C

Vers. 5, 6. "For the king answered immediately and said to the Chaldeans: The word has departed from me; if, therefore, you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you shall be destroyed, and your houses shall be plundered. If au-

your dream and its interpretation, you shall receive gifts and rewards and great honor from me; only tell me the dream and its interpretation." ^A These words indicate not only his rashness and ferocity, but also his extreme foolishness. For it is the height of folly to imagine that either by the threat of evils or by the promise of good things, greater knowledge would be generated for the Chaldeans. 7 Immediately, therefore, they said to him, "Tell your dream to your servants, and we shall tell its interpretation." For we acknowledge our servitude, they say, but we also know the powers of human wit. And we shall be able to interpret the dream if we learn it; but we can by no means remember it ourselves, as it was shown to you and then consigned to oblivion. But the vain man nonetheless insisted on seeking the recollection of the dream. For the king answered, he says, and said: 8 "In truth I know that you are buying time, because you see that the word has departed from me. 9 If, therefore, you will not tell me the dream, there is one sentence for you, and I know that you have conspired to speak a lying and corrupt word before me until the time passes. Tell me my dream, and I shall know that you will also tell me its interpretation." These words are indeed a bold and insane demand, but the accusation is very true. For you wish, he says, to learn the dream so that, having commonly concocted some false interpretation, you might deceive me in your customary manner, drawing to your aid the length of time, and waiting for the moment of the outcome. Having heard this, the Chaldeans (for it seems they had more freedom of speech with him than the others) speak with him decisively from then on, and utterly refuse to be able to recollect the dream. 10 "For there is no man on earth," they said, "who can declare that word to the king, because no great king or prince interrogates a magician and Chaldean with such a word. 11 Because the matter which the king interrogates is grave, and there is no one who will declare it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with any flesh." Wherefore it is not permitted to happen as you think. Require from us human things, they say, not those which are above nature. For it is most of all fitting for kings to govern their kingdom justly, and to require from their subjects what can be done; but what you now require, you do not require justly; for it is not [the lot] of men who are clothed in flesh to have such knowledge, but

of that incorporeal nature which knows all things perfectly. ^A These things, then, were said by the Chaldæans, and the manifestation of Daniel himself was being prepared. For when they had said that it was not for men, but for gods, to know these things, the divine Daniel reminds the king of the dream and interprets it most accurately and clearly; he teaches the king that such knowledge belongs not to men who walk upon the earth, nor indeed to gods that do not exist, but to God who created all things. But we shall interpret each of these in its proper place.

Verses 12, 13. « Then, he says, the king in great fury and anger said to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. And the decree went forth, and the wise men were being killed, and they sought Daniel and his friends to kill them. » ^B Tyrannical, and not royal, is the undertaking, manifestly unjust and devoid of justice; for arrogance and pride, having obtained power, devise destruction for the subject Jews. However, the most holy Daniel, having beheld this unjust slaughter, inquires of Arioch, to whom this most cruel execution had been committed, saying: « O prince of the king, for what cause has this shameless decree gone forth from the face of the king? » ^C For he was ignorant, as it seems, insofar as he had not been called into the assembly of the wise men of Babylon; for the three years had not yet passed during which the king of the Babylonians had ordered them, after being nourished on royal food, to be introduced to him at an appointed time thereafter. But if he related beforehand that they had entered and had been preferred to others, as having been seen to be more excellent, let no one wonder. For when he wished to complete that narration, he clearly taught all the things that happened at that time: then he returns again to relate the things that were done after an interval of time. For the ignorance of the unjust slaughter testifies that he had not yet obtained the liberty of speaking before the king when he gathered together the wise men of Babylon. For, ignorant of this cause, he was questioning Arioch. ^D And when he learned [it], he spoke boldly with the king, and sought from him a brief space of time to be granted for investigating the dream and searching out its interpretation. Then he teaches us the manner in which he found them, not out of a desire for glory, but by inciting us to a similar zeal.

Verses 17, 18. « For Daniel, he says, went into his house, and signaled the matter to Ananias, and Azarias, and Misael, his friends. And they sought mercies from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, that Daniel and his friends might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. » Between truth and false-

falsehood there is indeed a great difference. For the workers of falsehood are bereft of divine alliance, and relying solely on human reasonings devoid of piety, they both say and do everything to deceive men; but the foster-children of truth do not undertake to speak or act without help from above. They fasten their own petitions to the providence that oversees all things, and they stand unmoved, not tossed about or swayed hither and thither, but remaining safe from the tempest of human calculations. ^B Witness to this is the divine Daniel, who, having asked for a little time to be granted to him to discover the dream, did not waste the time in vain reasoning, but spent it in entreaty and prayer, not trusting in himself alone, but also taking his companions in the same way of life into the fellowship of his supplication; and he was not disappointed in his hope.

VERS. 19-22. « Then, he says, the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night, and Daniel blessed the God of heaven. And he said: Blessed be the name of the Lord God from everlasting and to everlasting, for wisdom and understanding are his. And he changes times and years, he appoints kings and deposes them, giving wisdom to the wise and understanding to those with knowledge. He reveals deep and hidden things, knowing what is in the darkness, and the light is with him. » ^C In all these things he manifests the integrity of a grateful soul, and he weaves his hymn not simply, but makes the discovery of the dream the subject of that weaving. For it is fitting, he says, to continually celebrate the eternal and everlasting God, the fount of wisdom and understanding, who rightly and well moderates all things, and who through the changes of events convicts the instability of human tranquility, and openly declares His own power to all: for while He creates kings, He easily abdicates them again from their kingdom, and while He grants authority, He takes it away when He wills. He Himself supplies wisdom and prudence; yet He does not grant this recklessly, but to those who are held by the desire to know Him, He reveals as He wills those things which nowhere appear, but are hidden as it were in a certain depth, since they have not yet come to pass; and since He is light perceivable by the mind, dwelling in inaccessible light, ^D He perfectly knows everything that is done in the darkness.

VERS. 23. « Therefore I confess to you, O God of my fathers, and I praise you, because you have given me wisdom and might, and now you have made known to me what we asked of you, because you have made known to me the vision of the king. »

^A Such are the souls of the pious, knowing God even in their needs as the provider, and running to His harbors, and after the provision of good things, not enduring to consign the memory of these gifts to oblivion, but rather repaying the benevolent God with hymns. It is worthy to note the modesty of this divine man; for even when offering his prayer, he took as partners those like-minded in supplication, and when weaving the hymn for what he had received, he again made mention of them. For he did not say, "You have revealed to me what I asked of You," but, "what we asked of You." Having thus concluded the divine hymn:

Ver. 24. « And immediately, » he says, « Daniel came to Arioch, whom the king had established to destroy the wise men of Babylon, and said to him: Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; lead me instead into the presence of the king, and I will announce the interpretation of the vision to the king. » This mercy also becomes the prophet; for he did not wish to save only himself and his friends from the unjust slaughter, but he also works for the safety of the Chaldeans, hoping that by this miracle he would both deliver them from their impiety and lead them to the God of all things. ^B After these things were heard,

Ver. 25. « Arioch, with haste, brought Daniel into the presence of the king, and said to him: I have found a man from the sons of the captivity of Judea, who will announce the interpretation to the king. » From this it again becomes clear to us that the king had not yet made any test of the virtue of Daniel. For if he had been known, Arioch would not have spoken indefinitely: « I have found a man from the sons of the captivity of Judea, who will announce the interpretation to the king. »

Ver. 26. « But the king, having become exceedingly joyful, said to Daniel, whose name was Baltasar: Are you able to announce to me the dream which I saw, and its interpretation? » It is necessary to observe also this, that he does not always address him as Baltasar, but only when he is conversing with the king, who had imposed this name upon him. ^C But when asked whether he could also announce the dream and the interpretation to the king, he answered saying:

Ver. 27. « The mystery which the king asks is not for the wise men, magicians, enchanters, or soothsayers to announce to the king. (Ver. 28.) But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. » He began the instruction amazingly; for having cast out that choir of foolish ones, and having exposed their weakness, he declared God to be the teacher of the revelation of mysteries; and he added, « in heaven, » having cast out those gods who are beneath and are worshipped. ^D And with the unique name of gods... [index: entries preserved]

^A he casts out the multitude of those who are not gods; and by that dwelling in heaven, he demonstrates that those who appear below are not gods, but a deceit having the craft of men as its source. « This God made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what must come to pass in the last days. » Having begun thus, he again draws the hearing of the king toward benevolence with a salutation: « O King, » he says, « live forever. » For since he is about to speak of the dream, and to bring forward the interpretation, and to foretell to him the destruction of the kingdom, he prefaces it: « It is my prayer, » he says, « that you live perpetually; do not, therefore, ascribe to me that which is signified by the dream. » Then he says: « Your dream, and the visions of your head upon your bed, this is it, O king. » That is to say: What you saw by night, these are the things. ^B

Vers. 29. « Your thoughts upon your bed arose, concerning what must come to pass after these things. » You were thinking, he says, as you lay upon your couch, whether you would live forever, or whether you would die according to the law of human nature; yet you desired to know those things which had not yet come to pass. And He who reveals secrets made known to you what must come to pass. And everywhere he proclaims the one God, casting out the error of polytheism; then he also demonstrates the modesty of his own mind.

Vers. 30. « For to me, » he says, « not in the wisdom which is in me beyond all those who live, has this mystery been revealed, but in order that I might indicate the interpretation to the king, and that you might know the thoughts of your heart. » I have attained, he says, to the revelation of this, not because I am wiser than all men, but so that you might learn what you desired to learn; and God used me, as His servant, ^C as a minister of this knowledge. He begins, therefore, the explanation, and he relates first the dream itself.

Vers. 31-35. « You, O King, were watching, and behold one image, much, that image great, and its appearance elevated, standing before your face, and its vision terrible. The image, whose head was of pure gold; its hands, and chest, and its arms were of silver; and its belly and its thighs were of bronze. Its legs were of iron, its feet part of iron, and part of earthenware. » By the things previously mentioned, he signified four materials: gold, silver, bronze, iron; for he did not speak of the earthenware by itself, but mixed with the iron. And through these he declares the greatest and most universal kingdoms, which, having succeeded one another, obtained the greatest part of the world. For ^D that other kingdoms have existed, and even at the present time exist, is clear; yet it is permissible to see that authority not in all or in most, but in only one or two nations. Therefore, the first of all...

the hegemonies to have come into existence, he says, is that of the Assyrians, which is the same as that of the Babylonians; for these are the same as those, but they had their royal seat at one time in Nineveh, which is called Ninive among the Hebrews, and at another time in Babylon. ^A That the kingdom of these and those is one, the prophet himself also testifies, for in interpreting the dream, he says: "You are the golden head, O king." And the blessed prophet Jeremiah also says: "Babylon is a golden cup in the Lord's hand, inebriating all the earth; the nations drank of its wine, therefore they were shaken, and suddenly Babylon fell and was broken." If there were another kingdom of the Assyrians before this one, what material could one call it? The most holy Moses also ^B testifies that these things are so; for when, in the creation of the world, he had spoken about Nimrod, saying that he was a giant hunter before the Lord, he added: "And the beginning of his kingdom was Babylon, Orech, and Chalane." ^C Also, writers from outside call the Babylonians Assyrians, and to this day the Persians name it Assyria. Therefore, the first material, which is gold, signifies the kingdom of the Assyrians and Babylonians; and he calls it the head, as having come into being first. The second, which is silver, is that of the Persians and Medes. For Cyrus, setting out from both sides, being sprung from the Medes on his mother's side and from the Persians on his father's side, overthrew the kingdom of the Assyrians, or rather the Babylonians, and transferred the kingdom to the Persians. He called it the chest and arms, in order to show his kinship with two nations; for by the right hand he signifies his paternal lineage, and by the left his maternal, the connection of which is entrusted to the chest, containing the storehouse of reason, for by reason marriage contracts are also ^D completed. He designated the brazen kingdom as the Macedonian, which appeared after the Persian and in like manner ruled over all. He assigned to it the belly and the thighs, signifying by the belly the monarchy of Alexander alone, and by the thighs the division of the kingdom that occurred after his death. He called the Roman kingdom iron; this succeeded the Macedonian. He assigned to it the shins, as being near the end of the whole body and able to carry the whole body; and the bases of the feet, which are also of iron, but mingled with earthenware. By this he does not hint at another kingdom, but the same one, which will be weaker than itself, and mixed with the weakness of the earthenware. He also applied the difference of materials, not to show a difference of honor, but of strength; for gold is denser than silver, silver is more solid than bronze, but iron is much firmer even than bronze itself. The difference, therefore, consists not in honor, but in strength and power. But it is necessary to ask for what reason in the image

^A of these materials he observed the agreement; for nothing is revealed by the Creator of all things without cause or in vain. The image has appearances, but not the things themselves. Such, too, is the present life, having nothing perpetual or stable; wherefore the blessed Paul also exclaimed: "The fashion of this world passes away." And in another place, instructing us, he says: "Do not be conformed to this world." And the blessed David, chiding the vanity of human prosperity, says: "Surely, altogether vanity is every man living." Yet indeed, man walks in an image, he gathers treasures, and he does not know for whom he shall gather them. Since, therefore, the present life also has very swift changes (for all things that are seen are mortal, fleeting, and fragile), and the image does not contain the power of the realities, but shows only the appearances of kings, and princes, and those subject to them, and since even this appearance itself ^B can be dissolved most easily, rightly did God, the Creator of all things, wishing to teach that arrogant king the vanity of human pride, and to teach that human affairs possess the easiest mutability, set an image before him in a dream, and distinguish its parts with manifold material, teaching the frequent and successive successions of kings, and persuading all men that He alone possesses power continuously, unoriginated and unending, and altogether eternally holds the kingdom. After this, the blessed Daniel proceeds with the rest of this dream.

VERS. 34, 35. "You were watching until a stone was cut out from a mountain without hands, and it struck the image upon the feet of iron and clay, and crushed them completely. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were all crushed together, and became as dust from a summer threshing floor, and a multitude of wind carried them away, and no place ^C was found for them; and the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled all the earth." Such is the end of the dream; but it is fitting for us to begin the interpretation from the end. Let us ask, therefore, first, who is this who is called a stone, and who, though appearing small at first, later proved to be very great and covered the inhabited world. Let us hear, then, God Himself through Isaiah the prophet, saying: "Behold, I place in Zion a precious stone, a cornerstone, honorable, elect, into its foundations, and everyone who believes in Him shall not be confounded." Let us hear also the blessed David

^A foretelling and crying out: "The stone which the builders rejected, this became the head of the corner." And our Lord Christ Himself offered this testimony to the Jews in the holy Gospels, saying: "Have you not read: 'The stone which the builders rejected, this became the head of the corner; this was from the Lord, and it is wonderful in our eyes'?" And the blessed Peter, preaching among the Jews and bringing forward the prophecy of the Lord, says: "This is the stone which was rejected by you the builders, which became the head of the corner." And the blessed Paul also says: "Built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the chief cornerstone." And elsewhere he says: "No man can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." And again: "They drank, he says, from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ." We are taught, therefore, by both the Old and New Testaments that our Lord Jesus Christ has been called the stone. For He was cut from the mountain without hands, having been born of a Virgin without nuptial intercourse; and divine Scripture is accustomed often to call a preternatural birth the cutting of a stone. For Isaiah, reminding the Jews of the procreation of children granted to Abraham contrary to nature, said: "Look unto the solid rock from which you were hewn." Therefore, the mountain is the Davidic tribe, but the stone is Christ, who, as to His humanity, was not cut ^B according to the law of nature. But this One, appearing small long ago on account of the nature He had put on, was suddenly shown to be a huge mountain, having filled the whole world. "For the whole earth was filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as much water as covered the seas." This One will strike the image upon the feet of clay and iron, that is to say, He will also put an end to the last kingdom, and will make it vanish and disappear. For no other kingdom will succeed this one, but He will strip it bare and reveal it to all, and will blot out the very memory of all those kingdoms like dust, which, being raised from the threshing floor, is scattered by the wind. Having related the whole dream to the king, he added: ^C

vv. 36, 37. "This is the dream, and we will tell the interpretation of it before the king. You, O king, are a king of kings." He did not say this in flattery, but [having used] the customary address; ^D for he [Daniel] had been informed [alt-version omitted]

that God holds dominion over all those who were then ruling over the nations and were called kings. "You, O king," he says, "are a king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given a strong, mighty, and honorable kingdom in every place." He says that you have not overcome everything by human strength, but that God, who holds the heavenly kingdom, has granted this authority to you, so that you might govern and reign over all men in every place wherever the sons of men dwell. He has given both the beasts of the field and the birds of the air into your hand, and has appointed you master of all. By "beasts" he refers to the barbarians who live in a more beast-like manner, and by "birds" to those endowed with wisdom and who are superior to other men, and who are "winged" in their intellect. Of all these, he says, He has declared you king. "You, therefore, are the head of gold," that is, your kingdom. For he speaks not of the person, but of the kingdom itself; indeed, after his death, Evil-Merodach obtained the Babylonian kingdom, and Belshazzar succeeded him. But if what he said about the person—"You are the head of gold"—meant the person, how are we to understand the statement: "After you, another kingdom, inferior to you, shall arise"? For he does not indicate the kingdom of his sons, but the Persian one. Therefore, the head of gold is not Nabuchodonosor himself, but the entire kingdom of the Assyrians, or the Babylonians. ^B

VERS. 39. "And after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to you." The Persian [kingdom] indeed; and he calls it "inferior" not as being weaker, but as being second. "And a third kingdom, which is bronze, which shall rule over all the earth." He means the Macedonian [kingdom]. Alexander, the son of Philip, ruled over all the earth, having brought all men into subjection during the twelve years of his reign.

VERS. 40. "And the fourth kingdom shall be strong, as iron; just as iron crushes and tames everything, so it shall crush and tame." He speaks of the Roman kingdom, which was most robust and overcame all nations, as one might say, and exacted tribute and revenue from everyone. For he added that it "shall crush" in order to signify this, and "it shall tame" regarding obedience, order, and legitimate government of the commonwealth. ^C

VERS. 41. "And whereas you saw the feet and the toes, partly of iron and partly of clay, the kingdom shall be divided, and it shall be of the root of iron, just as you saw the iron mixed with earthen clay." He did not say "another" according to race, but according to the quality of its strength. For if he meant according to [the] race... ^D

he would have called it a fifth, just as he had earlier mentioned a third and a fourth. But because he knew that the ends of the iron kingdom would be weaker, he set another because of the weakness, and did so very reasonably. For he had shown it above to be most strong; for such were its beginnings. Nevertheless, he does not say that its final parts will be completely weak. "For from the root of the iron," he says, "it will be in it, in the manner in which you saw the iron mixed with earthen clay." (Vers. 42.) "And the toes of the feet, a part of iron, and a part of clay." This does not even require our interpretation; for the Prophet himself interpreting, says: "A part of the kingdom will be strong, and from it, it will be broken." To these he adds: (Vers. 43.) "And because you saw the iron mixed with earthen clay, they will be mingled in the seed of men." And this especially indicates that this kingdom is not other than the iron kingdom, but the same one in a weaker state, and that a part of it will be robust and a part weak; yet the law of kinship will join the weak part with the strong. For the phrase, "They will be mingled in the ^B seed of men," signifies this. There will be, he says, a certain commingling and intermarriage between these and those, but yet discord will destroy the rights of kinship. For they will not be, he says, clinging to one another, just as iron is not mixed with clay. We, therefore, have understood the interpretation of the divine Daniel in this way, but it is proper to bring into the middle the opinions of some of those who interpreted before us; for thus the truth will be shown more clearly. Some, therefore, of the writers said that the fourth kingdom, that is, the iron, was Alexander the Macedonian; and the feet and the toes of the feet composed of iron and clay were the Macedonians who reigned after him, the Ptolemies, and Seleucids, and Antiochians, and Demetrii, some of whom held the empire weakly, and others very manfully, and who made alliances and embraced each other's ^C kinship. But they ought to have observed, first of all, that he said the gold head was Nebuchadnezzar himself, that is, the kingdom of the Babylonians, or rather the Assyrians; and the kingdom of the Persians and Medes succeeded it at once; for Cyrus was sprung from both nations, and ruling over these and those, having overthrown the kingdom of the Babylonians, he became master of the Persians; and Alexander the Macedonian overthrew the kingdom of the Persians, being the second, and the blessed Daniel said that he became lord of the whole earth. This kingdom he named third; and no other took its place, but that of the Romans. It behooved them, therefore, first of all, from the number and the ^D matters...

^A indicated, to understand and learn that the third is the kingdom of the Macedonians, which is the bronze; and the fourth is that of the Romans, which is the iron. But if those things seemed to them altogether more obscure, they should, at any rate, have discerned the whole prophecy from the end; for immediately after showing the weak and earthen end of the iron kingdom, he added:

VERS. 44. “And in the days of those kings.” That is, of those who had the commixture of the earthen and the iron, and who embraced a mutual affinity, yet had no harmony even because of the kinship.

“The God of heaven will raise up a kingdom, which will not be destroyed for the ages, and his kingdom will not be left to another people. It will crush and winnow all kingdoms, and it itself will stand for the ages. (VERS. 45.) In the manner thou hast seen, that a stone was cut from a mountain without hands, and it crushed the clay, and the iron, the bronze, the silver, the gold.” These things, however, clearly show the end of present ^B affairs, but the endlessness of the kingdom of the heavens. For when the iron kingdom has been weakly disposed, and has taken on the commixture of the clay, the stone cut without hands will appear, and will crush the clay, the iron, and the bronze, the silver, the gold, and will make them altogether as nothing, and will provide an eternal and unending kingdom to those who are worthy of it. “For it will not be destroyed in the ages,” he says, “and it will not be left to another people; and it will crush and will tame all kingdoms, and it itself will stand for the ages.” But if anyone is contentious and does not wish for these things to be so, let him show what among human things is eternal, and what kingdom of men will not receive an end. For it is foolish and highly insane both to expect the end ^C of the present age, and to say that some kingdom in the present life will be endless. If, however, it seems good also to them that the kingdom to be given by God to the worthy is signified by these words, then he did not call the Macedonian kingdom iron; for not while that was prevailing did the present life receive an end, but the Roman, having overturned the Macedonian, holds the helm of the inhabited world. But if they assert that the first coming of the Lord is signified by these words, let them show the Roman dominion to have perished immediately after the manifestation of our Savior. For one can find completely the opposite: that it flourished, and did not perish with the rising of the Savior; for while Augustus was reigning, the Lord was brought into the light. The latter ^D was indeed the second to reign, but he subjected all men, so to speak, to his rule, and registered the whole world, as the Gospels testify,

and decreed that tribute should be paid. Under him, the Roman Empire, having been established, has endured even until now. If, therefore, the first birth of the Lord did not dissolve the Roman dominion, it remains for us to understand his second manifestation. For the stone, which was previously cut out without hands, and became a great mountain, and covered the inhabited world, this one at the second coming will strike the image on its feet of clay—that is, it will appear at the very end of the iron kingdom, which by then will have become weak—and it will destroy all dominions and consign them to oblivion, and will grant his own everlasting kingdom to those who are worthy. Having interpreted these things thus, Daniel necessarily added: «The great God has made known to the king what must come to pass after these things. And the dream is true, and the interpretation thereof is faithful.» ^B It is worth admiring the providence of the God of all regarding all men. For he does not deprive even those who live in impiety of his own providence, but deems even them worthy of every care; just as, indeed, he did not abandon nor neglect that barbarian, savage, and impious man, but first, through the revelations, showed him the ephemeral nature of the present life and the instability of the kingdom itself, and that nothing of human prosperity is permanent, which like flowers or lilies withers and is extinguished. And these things sufficed to lower his arrogant and pride-swollen brow, and to persuade him to think as a human and to await the end of both his life and kingdom. First, therefore, he shows his care for him through these things; then, by the forgetting of the dream, he exposes the falsehood of the magi and Chaldeans, and shows the truth of his own servants; and through the wisdom of those by whom he is worshipped, he declares his divine power and draws the ignorant toward worshipping him; or rather, he compels those who demand worship from everyone to worship his holy servants. And history teaches us this. ^C

46. «For then,» he says, «the king Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, and bowed down to Daniel, and commanded that manaa and incense be offered to him.» Consider, moreover, how great a thing it is: that arrogant man, afflicted with the disease of madness, who had even thought himself to be God—to whom, through another prophet, God said: «But you are man, and not God»—who had subjected all men to his rule, was brought to this, that he bowed down to the captive Jew, who was relegated to the rank of a slave, and persuaded himself that through him he was worshipping his own God. For this is the reason ^D

^A that he commanded that a sweet-smelling offering be made to him, that is to say, that frankincense and incense be offered. By these things, the history hints that he commissioned those who were considered to be priests to do this. For the man who had offered worship would certainly have also brought the sweet-smelling offering, had he been accustomed to discharge the priestly office. But since this was by no means fitting for others, he did not himself attempt to do things that were less than seemly, but commanded those who were accustomed to do so to perform the rite. And so that he might not appear to be worshipping a man in vain, he says to Daniel: "Of a truth your God is the God of gods, and the Lord of kings, and the revealer of mysteries, since you were able to reveal this mystery." Such is the benefit that the Governor of all things brought to him, both through the dream and through the forgetting of the dream. For first he recognized his own worthlessness, then he learned the weakness of the gods he worshipped, and in addition to these things, he was taught the power of the One who is truly God. For this reason he exclaims: "Of a truth your God is the God of gods, and the Lord of kings, and the revealer of mysteries." He calls Him "God of gods," however, not in accordance with the meaning of divine Scripture; for divine Scripture designates those who have been deemed worthy of the priesthood as gods: "For you shall not revile the gods," it says, "nor curse the ruler of your people." ^B Yet this man called the idols gods; for he had not yet been able to understand their utter weakness. He did, however, learn the difference, and for this reason he addresses the Creator of all things as God of gods and Lord of kings. Having confessed these things in this way:

^C VERS. 48. "Then the king promoted Daniel, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over all the province of Babylon, and chief of the governors, and over all the wise men of Babylon." This too is characteristic of divine care. The piety of a ruler brings the greatest benefit to his subjects; the Lord also did this in the time of Joseph. Concerning whom the blessed David, speaking in brief summary of the things that befell him and celebrating the divine providence, says: "He sent a man before them; Joseph was sold into slavery." Then, after having recounted the hardships that befell him, and made mention of the prison and the fetters, he added: "The king sent and released him, even the ruler of the people, and let him go, and made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his substance; to instruct his princes like himself, and to teach his elders wisdom." The Governor of all things has acted in this way here also. For when [he had made] ^D the ruler of the governors and of the

wise men of Babylon, he put him forward as an archetype of piety and every other virtue. Yet the prophet did not endure to enjoy this honor alone, but took his companions in prayer to be also his associates in this honor.

VERS. 49. "For he requested, he says, of the king, and he appointed over all the works of the region of Babylon Sidrach, Misach, and Abdenago; and Daniel was in the court of the king." These things also accord with the teaching of the Apostle: "For now, he says, abides faith, hope, charity; these three, but the greatest of all is charity." For indeed, this divine prophet loved God with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his strength, and with all his power; and having loved him fervently, he believed sincerely, and having believed sincerely, he hoped ^B to obtain help from him. And having obtained what he hoped for, he showed love toward his neighbor, and made his own tribesmen participants in the things he had received. "For whatever was written before, was written for our instruction, that through patience and through the consolation of the Scriptures we might have hope, in Christ Jesus," with whom to the Father be glory, with the holy Spirit, unto the ages of ages. Amen.

BOOK THREE

^C CAPUT III. VERS. 1. "In the eighteenth year, Nabuchodonosor the king made a golden image, and set it up in the plain of Deira, in the region of Babylon." Our good and philanthropic Lord, as Creator and Maker, wills that "all men be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth." And, "He does not desire the death of the sinner, but that he should repent and live." For which reason he manages all things for our salvation. But those who suffer from foolishness, and serve the incurable disease of arrogance, find no profit from the divine remedies.

^A, but are like certain sick people who turn away from the treatment offered them by the medical art, and through lack of self-restraint and great intemperance, they increase the illness that weighs upon them day by day. Such was that proud king, who, when the God of all things had used immense clemency toward him, and after countless transgressions and impieties had offered him a remedy, and had pointed out both the fragility and vanity of his present prosperity and the excellence and splendor of virtue—which makes even those taken in war and forced to bear the yoke of slavery appear radiant—he immediately admired the prophet’s wisdom and confessed that his God was the God of all things. But a short time having passed, he returned to his own nature, just as a dog to its own vomit, as the divine Scripture says, and he constructs a golden image, having a height of sixty cubits and a width of six. And having set this in a level field so that it might equally tower over all and be seen equally by all, he commands it to be worshiped by all of his subjects. ^B This manner of arrogance, however, was not simple, but openly defiant of God and hateful to God. For because God had shown him in a dream a very great image made of four materials, through which He had revealed to him the successions of the four kingdoms, he, setting his own pride in opposition to God, himself also constructs an image, giving to it as much magnitude as human art was able to provide. And he prepares it no longer of gold, silver, bronze, and iron, but makes it of one material, gold; the wretch thinking that he would prove God’s predictions false. And because the blessed Daniel, interpreting the dream, said that he himself was the golden head—that is, the kingdom of the Babylonians or Assyrians—while the other parts of the image, which followed the head, were of other, multiple materials, he himself fashions the whole image out of gold. ^C

VERS. 2. *And he gathered,* he says, *all the satraps, the prefects, and the commanders, and the toparchs, the governors, and the tyrants, and those who were in positions of authority, and all the rulers of the regions, to come to the dedication of the image which King Nabuchodonosor had set up.*

And each of these things declares his extreme arrogance. For he did not summon merely some of his subjects to the solemnity of the image, but the toparchs and the prefects to whom the command of the prefectures had been entrusted, and whatever other species of authority was held among them. And immediately, while the [initial] call was simple, ^D

it was thought to be a certain kind of gathering; but later, through that gathering, ^A a tyrannical power was revealed. For when all had assembled, the herald, he says, cried out in strength (that is, using a very loud voice): "To you it is said, O nations, peoples, languages; at what hour you hear the sound of the trumpet, and of the pipe, and of the harp, and of the sambuca, and of the psaltery, and of the symphony, and of every kind of musical instrument, falling down you worship the golden image which Nabuchodonosor the king has set up. And whoever does not fall down and worship, in that same hour he shall be cast into the burning furnace of fire."

Thus the wretch usurped, as he thought, divine honor; and it did not satisfy him to be worshipped by the peoples subject to him, but ^B he also decreed by law that this same worship should be offered to the image. He strikes everyone with fear through the material, the artistry, and the magnitude of the image, while he placates and charms them with the varied sound of the musical instruments. But those who were neither struck with awe by the magnitude of the image, nor charmed by the song and pleasure of the musical instruments, he intimidates with the threat of the furnace. In all other respects he did not miss his mark, for he saw that everyone was doing what was commanded, being accustomed to serve through both fear and pleasure; but only those thrice-blessed youths, protecting their ancestral nobility undefiled even in slavery—Ananias, and Azarias, and Misael—refused the worship. They did not, however, escape the notice of the impious Chaldeans, who desired to have everyone as participants in their own impiety. Immediately, therefore, they approach the king and remind him of the established law, which explicitly instructed all subjects to worship the image, and threatened the furnace to those refusing to do so; they accuse those holy men with these words, saying, ^C

"There are Jewish men whom you have set over the works of the province of Babylon, Sidrach, Misach, and Abdenago; these men, O king, have not obeyed your decree." By these words they both reveal their own envy and inflame the king's anger, hinting and all but saying: "Look whom you have preferred over us, to whom you have entrusted the rule of the Babylonians, who have not been willing even to consider in their minds the excellence of the honor bestowed upon them, nor to show themselves grateful to the one by whom they were favored with this honor; nay, they have used the magnitude of the honor as an occasion for dishonor, openly contradicting your laws, and refusing to carry out your decrees." Nor can the tyrannical and ungrateful spirit of these men be discerned from this alone, but it is possible to perceive it also from other matters, because they perform none of the things that befit subjects: for those whom you consider to be gods, they do not consider to be such, nor ^D do they offer them worship suitable to the gods who are adored by you.

they themselves worship. And as for the image, to which all subjects had been gathered for the purpose of adoration, they openly refused to worship ^A it. [13, 14] Having heard these things, that king, bereft of his senses and having forgotten what he had said to Daniel: "In truth, your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings," brings the men into the center and inquires whether they really do not wish to be partakers with him in the worship of those gods, and whether they refuse to worship the image. Then he gives orders and counsels them to do so, frightening them with the threat of fire. [15] "For if you do not worship," he says, "at that very hour you shall be cast into the burning fiery furnace." Then he dares to utter that impious and beastly blasphemy: "And who is the God that shall deliver you out of my hands?" So quickly did he blaspheme Him whom he had confessed; and He whom he had called the God of gods, he supposed to be weaker than a man; and Him whom he had called the Lord of kings, he, a wretched man, boastfully claimed in youthful folly to conquer. ^B Yet he shared such audacious attempts with his ancestors. For that Sennacherib, who had brought the greatest forces against Jerusalem, speaking through messengers, uttered such things to Hezekiah: "Let not your God, in whom you trust, deceive you, saying that He will deliver Jerusalem out of my hands. Have the gods of the nations delivered, each of them, their own land from my hand? Where is the god of Hamath, and where is the god of Arphad, and where is the god of the city of Sepharvaim? Have they been able to deliver Samaria from my hand? Shall the Lord deliver Jerusalem from my hand?" But immediately and straightway he received the reward of his blasphemy, and those many thousands were slain by one angel. And he himself, when he had betaken himself to flight ^C and returned to his own country, was slain by those whom he had begotten. For because he did not restrain his tongue against the Creator, he is killed by the men he had brought forth. But not even this example curbed the tongue of Nebuchadnezzar, nor did that dream, which showed the successions of kings, teach him to be wise, but he persisted in raging with fury against his Maker. Against him God arrays, as if in battle, not an angel (as He had done in the case of that Sennacherib), but three captive youths, compelled to dwell in a foreign land, who were pressed by the yoke of slavery, leading a youthful life, being in the very spring ^D of their years. [16] For as soon as they heard that rage and insane curse, stirred with anger and indignation, they answered the king thus: "We have no need to answer you concerning this matter." Your questioning, they say, which is addressed to us by you, is superfluous; for what we thought before, we think even now, and we shall not be changed in the least by your threats.

^A

VERSE 17. "For our God is in heaven, whom we serve, is able to deliver us from the furnace of burning fire, and He will deliver us from your hands, O king."

Who would not justly be struck with wonder, admiring the fortitude, wisdom, piety, justice toward the laws, and temperance in all things of these blessed youths? For the fact that they were not terrified by that great tyrant, who had arrayed himself against them with almost all men, nor by that immense pyre—proposed for terror not merely in threatening words, but seen in reality—bears witness to a fortitude in them firmer than adamant. And that they preferred the divine laws to the present life, what more is left for any excellence of justice to achieve? Further, their temperance is proclaimed by the fact that they neither used bold words against the king nor, conversely, disgraced their race through cowardice; while their prudence and wisdom were shown by the piety they set against his impious and blasphemous words. For he said, "Who is the God who will deliver you from my hands?" But they cried out, "Our God is in heaven, whom we serve, is able to deliver us from the furnace of burning fire, and He will deliver us from your hands, O king." For do not think that our God is like your gods. For you rightly despise those, which have their being from matter and craft; but our God, the Creator of heaven and earth and of all things, possesses a power which all visible things demonstrate. For the power that is above these is not easily seen by those not initiated into divine mysteries; we, worshipping Him, await help from Him. For He is able to deliver us both from your hands and ^B from the furnace of fire which you have prepared. And what was said after this leaves no surplus of fortitude and love of God to be desired. For after they had said, "Our God is in heaven, whom we serve, is able to deliver us from the furnace of burning fire, and He will deliver us from your hands, O king," they immediately added:

VERSE 18. "But if not, let it be known to thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, and we will not worship the golden image which thou hast set up."

For we do not serve our Master for a reward, but, spurred by love and desire, we prefer the worship of our God above all things together. On account of which, we do not even ask for deliverance from these evils in an undefined way, but we cherish the Lord's governance and providence; and, ignorant of what is to come that will be profitable, we yield to the Pilot to steer as He wishes. For that He is able to deliver us from the threatened evils, we know clearly. But whether He wills to do this, we do not know; yet we yield to Him who is wise, as He is the Governor, and we accept His decision, believing that it is for our benefit. Whether, therefore, He delivers us or not, we shun your image and your gods. ^{C D}

^A With such souls you have to contend: strive in whatever way you wish, you will neither allure them by honors, nor terrify them by threats; for to us God is the most beloved and the most fearsome of all. Can anything be more sublime than these words? To them it is fitting to apply that apostolic saying: "For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought." [Rom. viii, 26].

But the savage and most insane tyrant, becoming filled with fury, so that he even displayed the disturbance of his soul in his countenance, ordered the furnace to be heated more intensely; and he commanded the holy men to be fettered, and—so that there might be no delay in the punishment—he ordered that, while their garments and shoes were removed, they were to be cast into the pyre along with them, that is, along with their *sarabarae*, and tiaras, and leggings. Now, *sarabarae* are types of Persian garments; tiaras are head coverings; and by leggings he refers to what are called *anaxyrides*, or those leathern things on the outside, or the leathern shoes.

Thus fettered, the holy men were cast into the fire. And he indeed commanded them to be thus burned for the sake of speed and brevity; but divine grace was ordaining a different mystery thereby. For the iron chains cast upon them, which the nature of fire would by custom dissolve, it did dissolve, yet it preserved their garments, which were quite easy to burn, intact and unharmed; and it consumed the accusers of the holy men and the ministers of the impious command who were standing outside, ^B but could not approach the saints themselves; rather, turning its back to those who were inside, it advanced against its own worshipers, as if exacting penalties from them on behalf of the servants of the Lord. And the heralds of piety, while worshiping God inside, enjoyed such security that they walked upon the burning coals as if upon certain roses.

VERS. 23. "They were walking," he says, "in the midst of the flame, praising God, and blessing the Lord." And these things also give an indication of their extreme philosophy; for they did not ask, he says, to be delivered from their troubles, but rather lauded with praises Him who had thus governed their affairs and deemed them worthy of this beautiful confession. It is permitted, moreover, to see things ancient reflected in recent ones. For indeed the blessed apostles Peter and John, having been scourged by the cohort of the Pharisees, went out rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for the name of Jesus [Acts v, 41]. And the most blessed Paul and Silas, after those stripes inflicted upon them in Philippi ^C by the magistrates, while living in prison and bound in stocks, at midnight, he says, "praying, they praised God" [Acts xvi, 25]. Thus, also, did these blessed youths dance in the furnace ^D

^A and continue to weave the divine hymn. And first, Azarias, becoming the common mouth for them all, and being surrounded by the waves of the flame, "Opening," he says, "his mouth in the midst of the fire, he said: (VERS. 26.) Blessed art thou, O Lord God of our fathers, and thy name is praiseworthy and glorified for ever." Who could praise the wisdom of this proem according to its dignity? For he was not placed in happiness or tranquility, nor in a prosperous course of life, but in such a furnace as this he was celebrating God, the creator of all things, and calling Him the God of his fathers; showing both the modesty of his mind and proclaiming the virtue of his fathers. For we praise thee, he says, O Master, we who have those fathers whose God thou didst wish to be called. For thou didst say to thy servant Moses: "I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob" [Exod. iii, 6]. This thy name is praiseworthy and glorified, not in any defined or prescribed time, but for all ages.

VERS. 27. "Because thou art just in all that thou hast done to us." But we praise thee, he says, by recognizing thy just judgment; for thy sentence pronounced against us was right and just, and thou didst command that we be reduced to slavery and taken captive far from our fatherland.

"And all thy works, he says, are true, and thy ways are right. (VERS. 28.) And thou hast done all thy judgments in truth, according to all that thou hast brought upon us and upon the holy city of our fathers, Jerusalem, because in truth and judgment thou hast brought all these things upon us for our sins." All that has been said has the same meaning; yet he has stated it in various ways, celebrating the just judgment of God and leaving no place for the vice of an ungrateful mind. Therefore, when he had made mention of Jerusalem, and had called it "holy," and had named it the city of those chosen fathers of theirs, he immediately added the cause of the punishments: "All these things, he says, thou hast brought upon us for our sins. (VERS. 29.) For we have sinned and have acted iniquitously in departing from thee." For not in vain, he says, didst thou abandon and deliver up the city to the enemies, and allow us to be taken captive, but "because we have sinned and have acted iniquitously in departing from thee." But the phrase "from thee" carries much emphasis, as if to say, from thee, the Creator and Maker, the good Master, the nourisher and guardian, who delivered us from the servitude of the Egyptians, who didst cut the sea, who didst lead us through the abyss, who from the dry rock ^B—

you commanded, and provided us with all other goods written down. We have sinned, therefore, by departing from you: “And we have done wrong in all things.” For we have not transgressed this or that, but all your commandments.

VERS. 30. “And we have not listened to the commands of your law, nor kept them, nor done as you commanded us, so that it might go well with us.” Here again he shows the excellence of piety and wisdom. The observance of laws and commandments, he says, provided nothing for you, the lawgiver, but it procured for us an abundance of good things. For this reason, therefore, you had also established those laws, granting us the means of salvation. Since, therefore, he says, we have transgressed,

^B VERS. 31. “Everything that you brought upon us, and everything that you have done for us, you have done in true judgment.” For punishment is worthy of sin. Then, showing this, he adds:

VERS. 32. “And you delivered us into the hands of lawless, most hateful rebels, and to an unjust king, and the most wicked over all the earth you delivered us.” Since we did not serve you, our King, but despised your goodness, you rightly compelled us to serve a most cruel, most hostile, and totally ignorant king of justice—a king whose subjects concur in the king’s wickedness. ^C But nevertheless, being in such great evils, we have lost all freedom of speech, and because of shame we are prevented from praying to you; for this is what it signifies when he says:

VERS. 33. “And now we cannot open our mouth; we have become a confusion and a reproach to your servants, and to those who worship you.” The multitude of transgressions, he says, stops our mouth; but although we have become liable to reproaches, and ridiculous, and such as are mocked by our enemies, we who are called your servants entreat you—because of that name of your lordship that is placed upon us—to show your power to our adversaries, and not to abandon us ^D completely from your providence.

VERS. 34. “For do not deliver us, he says, forever because of your name, and do not make your covenant depart, and do not scatter your mercy away from us.” We dare, he says, to say these things, having many pledges of your goodness: first, the very name of your Lordship; then, the immeasurable mercy by which you govern the universe; and in addition to these, the covenants which you entered into with our fathers; for you promised them that you would make their generation illustrious and glorious. Then he also mentions the names of the fathers, so that by the memory of the just, he may provoke the good Lord to mercy.

^A

Verses 35, 36. “For the sake of Abraham, he says, your beloved, and for the sake of Isaac your servant, and Israel your holy one, to whom you spoke saying: ‘I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sand beside the lip of the sea.’” These things, he says, you promised to them, O Lord, whom you loved and made celebrated, so that their race might be compared to the sand in number, and might be like to the stars, brilliant, high, and illustrious. Then he compares the outcome with the promises.

Verse 37. “For, Lord, he says, we have been diminished beyond all nations, and we are humble in all the earth today.” And lest he should argue that the promises were false, he immediately adds the cause, saying: “For our sins.” For you, he says, O Lord, have not lied concerning the promises, but we have transgressed the covenants; and although we were many according to the promise, and surpassed number, because of our sins we have been diminished. For he hinted at this by saying: “We have been diminished.” For he did not say: “We are small and few beyond all nations,” but, “We have been diminished,” which is to say: We were indeed beyond number according to your promise, but having transgressed your commandments, we have become few instead of many. Then he shows to God the calamity that was holding them—not as one teaching the unknowing, but by the remembrance of their sorrows, provoking Him to philanthropy. ^B

Verse 38. “And there is not, he says, in this time, a prince, and a prophet, and a leader.” For we have been deprived, he says, of kingdom, of prophecy, of priesthood, of your divine and great gifts, by which we were continually governed. “Neither a whole burnt offering, nor a sacrifice, nor an oblation, nor incense.” And showing the reason why it is impossible to sacrifice, he consequently added: “Nor a place to offer before you, and to find mercy.” For your law confined the ministry of sacrifices to one place, and it is a clear violation of the law to sacrifice to you in another place. The Jews are unwilling to hear these things, but closing their eyes, and stopping their ears, they dare to do everything against the law. But these holy youths, knowing the purpose of the law, were saying that there was no place to offer before Him, and to find mercy; and since, he says, it is impossible to obtain this, being far from that holy city, we have found a certain method of worship, O Lord. ^C

Verses 39, 40. “For with a contrite soul and a spirit of humility, we offer to you our supplication, and we entreat you to receive it. As with whole burnt offerings of rams and bulls, and as with ten thousands ^D