will burn it with unquenchable fire. A Christ therefore purchased this intelligible threshing floor for fifty shekels, that is, for no small price. Moreover, the number also declares the remission; for He gave Himself for it, and placed an altar in it. And since He is the High Priest, He also offered Himself as a sacrifice, which the calf slaughtered on the threshing floor represented as a type. And He became a holocaust and a peace offering. For the partition has been removed in Christ. He Himself is our peace, according to the Scriptures.
VERSE 24. *I will buy it from you at a price*, etc. Solomon says: “Honor the Lord with your righteous labors, and give Him of the firstfruits of your righteous harvest.” And on that very field Solomon built the temple. For the history says: “Solomon added to the altar at the end, because it was small at first,” signifying that the Gospel is to be promoted and propagated by the progress of time. For the Church is always expanded from small beginnings, and more are added in succession.
ON THE THIRD BOOK OF KINGS
CHAPTER ONE
VERS. 1. *And King David was very old.* You will inquire whether the term "old" is used by Scripture of a wicked person or of a holy one; and whether it is said [in such a way]; and also whether "old man" and "elder" differ.
VERS. 4. *And she slept with the king.* They considered the prime of the maiden, that with the vigor and heat of her youth she might comfort David's flesh. For it is the nature of garments to conserve the heat of the body and to increase the heat already present, but they confer nothing to a cold body. But warm flesh transmits its own heat, which it possesses, into that which is capable of receiving heat.
VERS. 5. *And Adonias, son of Haggith, [was born to] David.* For he was binominal. D
VERS. 9. *And sheep, and lambs*, etc. Sheep [referring to the yield] from the flock of sheep and goats, but lambs from the flock of sheep, and only those of one age.
*Which was joined to Ain.* He held the feast beside a certain spring gushing forth before the city, beside which the royal garden was planted, for so Josephus writes. Symmachus also interpreted *Ain* as a spring, as the Syrian also calls it.
COMMENTARIES ON THE THIRD BOOK OF KINGS
A VERS. 11. *Nathan came to Bersabee.* Some have foolishly and ineptly suspected that Nathan acted out of impatience and grief because he was not invited to the feast. But the prophet, who was cognizant of the divine decree and counsel—for through him God had revealed to the king: "Thou shalt not build me a house; but behold, a son shall be born to thee, Solomon shall be his name; he shall build a house to my name"—when he saw Ornia seizing the kingdom against the will and counsel of God, he recalled the prophecy of God to the king through Bersabee; afterwards, having entered to the king, he confirmed those words.
VERS. 25. *And lambs, and oxen.* Here, too, he speaks of these differences.
VERS. 33. *And lead him down to Gihon.* Gihon, as Jeremiah says, is the Nile. And now, what hast thou to do with the way of Egypt to drink the water of Gihon? They also called Silo "Gihon." Either, as it were, ironically calling it by that name because it is very small; or because it, too, surges from hidden conduits just as the Nile does. He followed an order, placing first Sadoc the priest, then Nathan the prophet, and after them, Babæam the son of Jodae the captain, together with the slingers and archers, the Cherethi and Phelethi.
B VERS. 47. *Above thy name.* They knew that no one possessed of paternal affection would envy his son. For such men desire to see their sons become even more splendid than themselves. Wherefore David also received with joy and gladness these things which were said by the princes. And since he was prevented by age from rising, he bowed and worshipped God, who had fulfilled His promises.
CAP. II.
VERS. 1. *Thou shalt be strong, and a man of power.* He says these things as if it were in Solomon’s own power to become a man. For he who is to be a man must first acquire strength.
VERS. 2. *To keep his way, and what follows,* up to that which says, "that thou mayest understand." This means: do not dare to transgress even that which seems light or insignificant among the things written.
VERS. 5. *That thou mayest understand.* For unless we keep what is prescribed in our sight, we shall not understand what we ought to do. C VERS. 5. *Thou knowest what Joab did to me.* How did he charge his son to do what he himself did not do? He was afraid to do this himself, because he had been a partner in so many dangers [with Joab], and also fearing for himself, he said, "The sons of Seruia are harder than I." He also saw him supporting Ornia in his usurpation of the kingdom. He feared, therefore, that he might kill the young man, either by feigning friendship in secret, as he did with Abner and Amessa, or by openly inciting the people. Furthermore, he enjoins the youth to kill Semei also, whom he had spared, fearing his tyranny and arrogance. For he knew, as a prophet, that he would not spare even the boy if the opportunity presented itself—as indeed he had disregarded the command of Solomon. D
A And he commanded him, therefore, to observe the man’s wickedness.
*And he was buried in the city of David.* Scripture calls Zion by this name, which was the upper city. But the whole is now called Jerusalem; Josephus says that he, and the kings who came after him, were buried there. He also notes that the monument was near Siloam, having the form of a cave, and manifesting royal magnificence. He also says that much gold was buried in the earth with him by Solomon himself; for Hyrcanus, the high priest, when the city was being besieged by Antiochus, son of Demetrius, opened the monument and took eighty talents. David died when he was seventy years old, having taken the kingdom at the thirtieth year of his age, and reigned for forty years. The expression "he slept" is used here for the first time concerning David, signifying death. You shall observe, however, whether these things were written on account of Christ, who, when he had reclined, slept as a lion, and as a lion’s whelp. Therefore it is said, "I slept and took rest," and so forth.
B *And he killed Adonijah.* Some grow angry with Solomon for killing his brother. But the ways of human life are diverse. For some pursue the highest philosophy; others, what is called civic virtue; others administer a kingdom or military command. Therefore, each must be examined according to his own way of life. Solomon, then, did not possess the prophetic or the civic perfection, but that which is fitting for kings. Having therefore made a trial, he knew that Adonijah was longing for tyranny, and although he had forgiven him at first, hoping he would act with prudence, he now killed him because he had asked for the wife of his father; for this was a path to tyranny and the beginning of civil wars—just as the words of Solomon also declare.
*To Joab, in the tabernacle of the Lord.* According to the law, he orders the murderer, who had fled for refuge to the tabernacle of the Lord, to be killed.
*In place of the first priest, Abiathar.* For he had been a partner in the tyranny of Adonijah, as the words of Solomon also declare. Moreover, Solomon also became a minister of the divine prediction. For God had foretold the dishonor of the family of Eli, not only through Samuel, but also through another prophet.
D *God gave understanding to Solomon, and much wisdom.* By way of parallel, he manifested his wisdom. For this reason, he made mention, in a general way, of the wise men who had existed in ancient times. And he placed the Egyptians first, who were thought by all to be wise. For as the Greeks have recorded, Pherecydes of Syria, Pythagoras of Samos, Anaxagoras of Clazomenae, and Plato of Athens traveled to them for the sake of physics and more accurate theology; wherefore the Scripture says: "And Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians," whom Solomon surpassed, having acquired the gift of wisdom from God. But the Scripture conjoined reproach to these praises, because he took a foreign wife contrary to the law.
COMMENTARIES ON THE THIRD BOOK OF KINGS
CHAPTER III
AVerse 1. *Super elevationes.* The officer of those transporting stones and wood. He calls these "back-bearers" in the book of Chronicles. And *super lateres*. By a tactical part he signified the entire order of the army, which they also call a "frame" (plaision), indicating the quadrangular shape of the formation. This was the same office as he who is now among the Romans the "Master of the Soldiers" guarding the emperor.
Vers. 2. *And the people sacrificed in the high places.* Not to idols, but to God, contrary to the law. For He had commanded that sacrifices be offered in one place; but they obtained forgiveness, in that they did not yet have a temple. From this, then, one must understand what is recorded also of other kings, that they cut down the groves and broke the statues of Baal, yet that they did not remove the high places. And he brought forward the same thing concerning Solomon, that he sacrificed in the high places, but not in the tent before the ark. For if he had sacrificed to idols, God would not have appeared to him.
Vers. 13. *And I have given you what you did not ask for.* It is in agreement with that: "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you."
Vers. 15. *And behold a dream.* That is, remembering the dream, upon departing, he offered thanksgivings to God.
CHAPTER IV
CVers. 4. *Sadok, and Abiathar, priests.* And yet he deposed Abiathar from the position of authority, but not from the priesthood. For this they held not by election, but by legitimate succession.
Vers. 7. *For the king, and for his house.* The supplies provided for the king's table were consumed not only by the attendants, but also by the soldiers guarding him, and the officers.
Vers. 31. *And his wisdom surpassed Ethan.* There were then some men shining in wisdom. Ethan and Heman were of the number of the singers, praising God with lyres, harps, and cymbals.
Vers. 33. *He spoke of trees.* He discoursed on the natures and powers of herbs, trees, and other irrational things. DFrom which it is likely that those who wrote on medicine gathered very many things.
CHAPTER V
Vers. 1. *And Pharao gave them.* Having betrothed, he says, his daughter to Solomon, he gave the cities to him as a dowry for her.
*To anoint Solomon.* He calls his election "anointing." For a foreigner did not anoint the king of Israel. Therefore, as a friend of his father, he gave his approval to the fact that he had succeeded to his paternal kingdom.
*Mechir.* This word *Mechir* is interpreted as a measure; but *Beth*, others interpreted as a "bath." It is a Palestinian measure...
were finished. Moreover, there is the measure of the Palestinians, holding seventy sextarii and four choes (or congius), as Josephus writes.
CAP. VI
VERS. 7. *And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither.* A From such stones he constructed the temple, having found them through divine dispensation, so that there was no need of iron for the most precise joining and composition. But with hewn stones he built the ambulatory of the temple, and the palace, and the walls of the metropolis, and other cities, which he rendered more fortified.
VERS. 17. *And the house, that is, the temple before it, was forty cubits long.* B A short while later, he also makes mention of another twenty cubits for the house of the Holy of Holies, so that the total is sixty cubits. The temple faced toward the east, so that those praying might not worship the rising sun, but the Lord of the sun. He calls the vestibule *Elam*.
VERS. 18. *And for the house he made windows of narrow lights.* The temple had windows that were wide on the inside, but very narrow on the outside, covered with perforated stones. For this is what the passage signifies, as they were not seen from the outside. He calls the chambers *melathra* which surrounded the temple to support it, and so that no one of the Levites might touch the walls of the temple, and so that the vessels of the divine ministry might be stored there. And he calls the Holy of Holies *Dabir*.
VERS. 24. *The nethermost chamber was five cubits broad.* Let no one marvel if the lowest house, placed on the ground, was five cubits; the second story six cubits; and the third story seven cubits. C For the walls were wider at the bottom so as to bear the weight of the building. And as the width was removed and diminished, one cubit was added to the second story, and two cubits to the third. For Josephus says that the temple itself had two stories and that the entire height was 120 cubits, which the book of Chronicles also indicates.
*And there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building.* For the stones of the temple were naturally suited for the building; but he ordered the stones of the surrounding wall to be hewn on the mountain and joined to one another.
D *And the winding stair was in the middle.* For the wall being very wide, it had a spiral ascent to the second and third level, as if they were lofts in the temple. He covered it with cedar boards, and the boards with gold; he called the *imantrides*—that is, the boards—joinings. He says that he provided the fastenings at every five cubits of stone.
VERS. 20. *And before the oracle he made an altar.* For the altar of incense was placed before the veil, having the table on one side and the lampstand on the other.
*The inner court.* Just as the temple was divided into two, so too the open spaces.
was divided; so too were the open spaces. For of these open spaces, one was accessible to all the people; the other, only to the priests and the Levites. A A wall, or fence, that was not high separated them from the others, so that those who were set apart on the outside could behold the celebration of the sacrifices. And he says that by means of three structures he wove together cedar beams which hold the walls.
CAP. VII.
VERS. 16. And two epithemata. Instead of epistylia, that is, the beams which are placed over the columns. And a laquear on both columns. He signifies the epistylon. B VERS. 25. The sea. A bronze laver, which because of its size he called a sea, for the priests to wash themselves in. The sea had the form of a hemisphere, and a diameter of ten cubits; and the circumference, or circle, was thirty-three cubits; and the thickness was a palm. But if two palms, I say, the one from here and the one from there, are counted with the diameter, eleven cubits are found. And when these are tripled, they make thirty-three cubits.
VERS. 26. A lily flower. The lip of the laver was inclined toward the outside, imitating the petals of a lily.
VERS. 27. Ten Mechanoth. The book of Chronicles called the lavers "mechanoth." But Josephus calls them bases. And he says that they were quadrangular, having wheels underneath, similar to the wheels of chariots. C They had upon them images of hands, bearing a ring resembling a crown.
VERS. 38. Ten great pots. Lavers placed upon the bases. In these they washed the sacrificial victims, and the insides of these, and the feet, as it says in the book of Chronicles. And the three hot baths. He calls the heating vessels "thermae," in which we are accustomed to heat water.
Sacred things of David. Which he had hung as spoils deducted from the enemy.
The house of the forest of Lebanon. This he made as a vestibule for the judiciary court; it had 135 cedar columns. D Whence it is probable that it was called the house of the forest of Lebanon. For on account of the multitude of the cedar columns, it resembled the forest of Lebanon.
Forty-five in one row. It was a triple portico, and each portico had forty-five columns; for the fourth portico constituted the vestibule of the judiciary court, which he calls Elam; and the porticos were joined to each other at the ends. And he called the porticos "melathra."
CHAPTER VIII.
VERS. 15. Which Thou hast spoken with Thy mouth, and with Thy hands hast fulfilled. He speaks in a human fashion, that Thou hast put an end to those things which Thou hast said.
VERS. 27. Since if God will truly dwell with men upon the earth. Since Thou art God, he says, of an incomprehensible nature, who at no time, or
in a place you can be circumscribed, you have built a temple made by hand, in which you are not circumscribed, but rather you show and manifest yourself. This is declared by your eyes being open toward this house day and night.
VERS. 32. *And hear from heaven.* By all these things, he clearly shows that God hears each and every person, not in the mode of being on earth, but from heaven; and he confesses that he did not build the temple for God himself, but for his name. For he knew that He is immense and that He fills all things. Isaiah also says: “Thus says the Lord: Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: what house will you build for me, says the Lord, or what is the place of my rest?” B
He said, *that he might dwell in thick darkness.* “Clouds and thick darkness are round about him,” says David. And again: “Thick darkness under his feet.” And again: “And he made darkness his secret place.” Now darkness and thick darkness signify the invisible nature of divinity. He says, therefore, that having placed the sun in heaven so that men might enjoy the light, He himself says that He would dwell in thick darkness, signifying the incomprehensible and the immense in an intelligible sense, but hinting at the temple in a sensible sense; for it had very small windows, since it also had other little chambers round about; therefore he says: “You have said: Build me a house, a house comely for yourself to dwell in, in newness.” For He himself did not stand in need of such a building, but for the utility of men He commanded it to be built.
The form of the temple, the gold, the silver, and the number of the vessels, David gave to Solomon, as is had in the book of Chronicles. For David gave everything in writing or by drawing out of the hand of the Lord to Solomon. He also says that the temple was variously distinguished with marbles. For it had stones of onyx, and stones of filling of great price. And again, precious stone, and Parian stones in great number.
*In the book of the song.* For, as it has been said, many prophetic books existed, and this will be manifested clearly in the books of Chronicles.
VERS. 65. *Seven days, and seven days.* At the feast of Tabernacles he convoked the people: they celebrated the feast, therefore, for fourteen days. Seven days indeed for the feast of the dedication, and seven for the Tabernacles. He calls that the eighth, therefore, which is after the seven last days. C D
CAP. IX.
VERS. 26. *Ergasion Gaber.* Josephus writes that this is called Berenice. It is a maritime city of the Ethiopians, of those who look toward Egypt.
VERS. 28. *In Sophora.* It is a certain region of India, which geographers call Chrysen.
CAP. X.
VERS. 1. *Regina Saba (Queen of Sheba).* It is an Ethiopian nation; they say that it is situated by the Indian Sea. They call them, moreover,
of the Indian region. They call these people the Homeritae; they are opposite the Auxumitae, and the sea is in the middle of them.
A Much well-hewn wood. Perhaps this means smoothed and freed from branches. Josephus, however, calls these pine, saying they are in no way similar to our pine trees. For it is wood of the fig tree, which is whiter, smoother, and firmer.
And nablai and citharae. Each of these instruments has ten sounds. They say the nabla is played with the fingers, but the cithara with a plectrum.
And a ship of gold from Tharsis. Here he calls a certain Indian region by this name. But those who interpreted Ezekiel called Carthaginian, which is adjacent to Libya, by this name.
CHAPTER XI
B VERSE 8. He burned incense and sacrificed to their idols. The meaning is clear: he himself built the shrines for them, while they sacrificed to the idols.
VERSE 12. I will take it from the hand of your son. You, he says, have a father who was an aid to you; he, however, is destitute of paternal help.
VERSE 13. I will give one scepter to your son. I will add, he says, the tribe of Benjamin to the tribe of Judah. And with good reason he joined the two tribes. For the tribe of Judah held the royal line, while that of Benjamin held the divine temple.
That the will, for my servant David. Looking forward from above, he says, at the virtue of David, I chose him, and I was pleased in him. For this is what he calls "will." And I appointed him and his offspring to rule over Jerusalem, in which I willed for my name to be worshipped.
Forty years. But Josephus says Solomon reigned eighty years, and died at the age of ninety-four.
CHAPTER XII
VERSE 10. My littleness is thicker than the loin of my father. In the book of Chronicles it is said more clearly: My little finger is thicker than the loin of my father. So also did the Syrian and Josephus interpret it.
C VERSE 15. Because the turning was from the Lord. Like that saying: "The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh." For when God abandons someone, he is carried about like a ship without a pilot. Having used foolish words, therefore, he caused the prediction of God to be fulfilled.
The daughter of Annan, son of Naas, king of the sons of Ammon. This is significant for confounding the kingdom of the Jews, because they boast of nobility and call those from the nations who have believed in the Savior "aliens." For we see that their royal line also had foreigners.
VERSE 19. And Jeroboam came out of Egypt. The same things twice.
VARIAE LECTIONES. a So it is in the Lavater edition. I, however, think it should be read "fig-tree wood." D
[He] is often compelled to repeat the same things, since he is writing about the two divided kingdoms. And it happens frequently that when he constructs a narrative about one, and makes a transition to the other, he is forced to take up again what was already said, in order to preserve the sequence. A
*Verse 22. To Sameas the Salamite.* How, above, did he say that Achias the Silonite tore the cloak and gave ten pieces to Jeroboam, but here, it is Sameas the Salamite? Both occurred; the former while Solomon was yet alive, wherefore Jeroboam, full of good hope, fled into Egypt; the latter after he had returned from there, [serving to] recall to his memory the divine prediction; so that, having learned that the kingdom was bestowed upon him by God, he might adorn that power with divine laws.
*Verse 29. And he set one in Bethel, and one he gave in Dan.* The boundary of the kingdom of the ten tribes. For Bethel was the boundary from the south, and Dan from the north. [This was] so that these might run to the former, and those to the latter, and because the places were near, they might not be annoyed, but might consider it a benefit that they did not have to go to the metropolis.
*Verse 32. According to the feast, which was in the land of Juda.* On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, they were accustomed, according to the law of the Tabernacles, to celebrate the feast. But he celebrated the festival of the calves on the fifteenth day of the eighth month. B
Chapter XIII
*Verse 11. And another old prophet.* Some consider him a false prophet. But perhaps he was a prophet of God, yet he used false words concerning the man of God; not wishing to harm him, but to partake of the blessing. Therefore, God through him predicted to the man of God what was to happen. And he believed the words spoken concerning Josias, and commanded to be buried with him.
*Verse 18. And he lied to him.* On account of this matter, perhaps he is called a false prophet, having feigned divine voices through a desire for the blessing. C
*Verse 24. And it slew him.* He teaches through the narrative that those who are powerful will be powerfully examined. For it was not right that he who had heard the divine voice should be turned aside by a man in any way, but that he should wait again for the voice of God, releasing those things which He had commanded before. It is likely, moreover, that this punishment befell the prophet for the confirmation of the prophecy concerning the altar of God. For if [God] so severely punishes him who has taken food against the command, how much more does preferring idols, images of irrational animals, to the Creator Himself, deserve punishment? D This sad event for the prophet signifies the resurrection from the dead. For it is manifest that He who, while the man was yet alive, threw him to the beast, but granted honor to him after he was dead—not to the soul, but only to the body—will surely not neglect what has been dissolved and corrupted. He will restore to the soul the instrument through which it worshipped the Creator. But not every man of God is called a prophet, but those who have attained complete virtue, such as Moses, and Elias, and any one like them. This shows that...
the appellation A, as he was far more honorable than the elder prophet. It signifies, therefore, that this man was far more excellent than that prophet.
CHAPTER XIV.
VERS. 10. *And there was a conspiracy in the land.* Thus Jezebel, when she learned B that Joram had been killed and that Joas was reigning, cried out: "Conspiracy," that is to say, defection and violence.
*In Thecoe.* In the Hebrew dictionary, it is interpreted as "pulsation" and "sound of trumpets." From those things, however, which the book of Paralipomenon contains, it seems to signify that these things were given to those who guarded the doors of the royal palace. When the king went forth, some of these went before him, and others ran beside him. But when they came to the temple, the guards who were returning from the temple met them and received these [weapons] from them; and standing before the temple gate, they ensured that these weapons remained before the doors so that those who carried them might worship God with the king. It is probable, also, that there was a house before the doors so that those carrying weapons might deposit the weapons there; and some of the spearmen stood praying before the temple, waiting for the arrival of the king. They also met those escorting the king and, laying hands upon them, took away their weapons as they were about to enter with the king, and set them aside until he should come out again.
CAPUT XV.
VERS. 4. *Because for David’s sake the Lord gave him a remnant in Jerusalem.* He shows the reason for which even impious kings obtained the kingdom; they lasted on account of their father and predecessor. The book of Paralipomenon praised the beginning of the reign of Abia; C its end, however, it censured in the same way as this passage does.
VERS. 14. *But he did not take away the high places.* The altars constructed in the high places.
VERS. 19. *Come, break thy league.* Having abandoned God, he eagerly embraced a military alliance with the Syrians.
*Asa did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.* This is held more clearly in the book of Paralipomenon. For in his sickness, it says, "he did not seek the Lord, but the physicians." And he thus designates those who used incantations and sorcery. Or he shows that he committed himself entirely to the physicians and did not place his hope in God. For from God are the arts and the herbs; and if they are applied with faith in Him, they are useful for the good of those who are His friends; but without that faith, they are useless and superfluous. D
CHAPTER XVI.
VERS. 10. *And Zambri went in and struck him.* For the Lord God punishes the wicked through one another, and hands over the wicked to one more wicked, using them as certain executioners.
*Of the Lord of the mount of Somoron.* The mount was called Somoron from Semer. And from the mount, the city of Samaria, now called Sebaste, derives its name. In which were the kingdoms of the ten tribes.
Samaria, which is now called Sebaste, in which was the royal city of the ten tribes; but when they themselves were snatched away into slavery, and that land had been laid waste, the kings of the Assyrians brought over other inhabitants into these parts, whom they named Samaritans from Samaria.
VERS. 14. *In the book of the words of the days of the kings of Israel.* Both the present historian and the one who wrote the books of Chronicles drew their occasion for writing from those books; for all things were recorded.
*And Josaphat made a pact.* Josaphat contracted an affinity, as it exists in the book of Chronicles.
VERS. 32. *They serve Baal.* This was a god of the Tyrians, as Josephus says; but Astarte was a goddess of the Sidonians. They planted groves for her as well. Astarte is the same as Venus is among the Greeks.
CAP. XVII
VERS. 1. *Before whom I stand today.* He does not measure the present time, but as if instituting a beginning daily, he strove to please God, and to present himself pure in heart, and ready to listen to the will of God.
*Unless through the speech of my mouth, etc.* Those who dare everything said that the voice of Elias was daring and rash. For he was a prophet, and chief among the prophets, and kindled with divine zeal. And he spoke these things by the impulse of the Holy Spirit, whence they also had their outcome. C
VERS. 6. *And the ravens brought him bread.* And how did he not transgress the law by being nourished by an unclean bird? Because the Lawgiver himself brought food to him through the ravens, just as He had promised, teaching that the Law was set in place because of the weakness of the Jews. Wherefore He Himself sometimes commanded things to be done against the Law. As in the siege of Jericho, which was carried out on the Sabbath, and now by feeding Elias through ravens; but at other times He does not reproach those who have transgressed such commands. For Samson was deprived of the grace of God because of drunkenness and immoderate lust; but when he had eaten wild honey from the dead lion, he did not incur reproach, and the demons who approach the saints for a struggle become the cause of intelligible nourishment, while they are strengthened in heart and exercised in habit; of which the solid and athletic nourishment is a part. Which habit D becomes in us after many struggles in the meridional time.
VERS. 9. *Into Sarephtha of Sidon.* And why to a foreigner? This was also for the same reason. For God had forbidden association with foreigners on account of the weakness of the Jews, which He would have permitted to them had they been firm enough to be able to benefit them, just as the prophet Elias did. For He asserts this as the cause in the law of avoiding commerce with foreigners, lest they commit fornication with their gods, or the sons of Israel or their daughters be seduced by marriages contracted with the impious. Moreover, in very deed He also wished to show Elias how needy human nature is of all things, first leading him to the brook itself, and having made it dry; then to the widow for one day.
having sustenance. It is also a type of the Church gathered from the nations, receiving Him with true faith, who was enduring persecution from the Israelites, just as she (the Church) received the apostles. A
Verse 12. *Vivit Dominus Deus tuus.* Well done, great kindness! She did not take it ill that, in such great calamities, food was sought from her. But she merely revealed her extreme poverty, and receiving the promise with firm faith, she brought the food, and did this when she did not know the man; for she was a foreigner, and had received no experience of prophetic power.
*Quid mihi, et tibi, homo Dei?* B When the prophet had been restored with food in abundance, he forgets the calamity of other men. For which reason God approaches him through the lamentations of the widow. He also acknowledged the cause himself; for he says: "Woe is me, O Lord," the witness of the widow, and so forth. But the widow’s words are worthy of admiration. By your light, she says, my hidden transgressions were laid bare; and she did not, as a foreigner, interpret the entrance of the prophet as a bad omen, but attributed the death of the child to her own sins. And thus she reaped fruit from the teaching of the prophet. Perhaps the child died also for the good of the widow, so that, seeing a resurrection contrary to nature, she might receive solid piety and faith. C
*Et inflavit puero ter.* After prayer, having breathed into the boy three times, he called the boy back to life. But this number signifies the adorable Trinity, and the breathing signifies the creation of the soul fashioned in the beginning. However, the prophet, having breathed, did not create another soul, but called back to the body that which had departed from it.
CHAPTER XVIII.
Verse 1. *Abi, et ostende te Achabo.* God, who loves mankind, seeing the human race perishing, and that the prophet was not willing to implore mercy—though He Himself desired to have pity, yet He did not wish to undo the decree against them against His own resolve—the Lord comes as an ambassador to the servant, the Creator to the clay, and persuades him to loosen the tongue that had bound the travail of the clouds. D
Verse 11. *Si est gens, aut regnum.* Since the prophet had said to Achab: "The Lord my God lives, if there shall be rain these years, except by the word of my mouth," and Achab had in reality experienced that the prophet had spoken the truth, driven by necessity, he sought him who had obstructed the heaven, that he might loosen it, or that he might kill him if he did not comply.
Verse 12. *Spiritus Domini feret te.* These are the words of a man meditating on divine things, and knowing the power and virtue of the divine Spirit.
Verse 21. *Usquequo claudicabitis in ambobus poplitibus?* For they were both worshipping God and serving idols. But God, He says, does not want false gods to be worshipped, nor do they want the true God to be worshipped. You, however, by doing both these and those things, keep faith with neither.
VERS. 25. *And let them choose for themselves one.* Why did he permit the priests of Baal A to select a fat ox and to offer sacrifice first? It is manifest that He who is truly God has need of none of these things. But they would have been ready to say that Baal did not accept the sacrifice because he was angry at not being preferred to another.
VERS. 32. *And he built an altar.* How, when the Law commands that sacrifices should be offered in one single place, did Elijah build an altar on Carmel? "The law is not laid down for the just," according to the divine Apostle, "but for the lawless and disobedient," such as the Israelites happened to be, who would have sacrificed everywhere, had they obtained impunity, and would even have worshipped demons. But the prophet, wishing to demonstrate not only the virtue and power of God, but also the weakness of the demons—since, because the kingdom was divided, he was unable to lead those who B were present to the temple in Jerusalem—was compelled by necessity and came to Carmel, where he conducted many disputations.
VERS. 32. *He made a trench.* Josephus [says] a canal.
VERS. 34. *Do so the third time.* Again, he indicates the number of the adorable Trinity.
VERS. 38. *And the fire licked up the stones and the dust.* Lest the altar of God be subjected to disgrace, when those impious men were offering sacrifices to demons.
CAP. XIX.
VERS. 3. *And Elijah was afraid.* How, when he possessed such great power and virtue? Because he was not only a prophet, but also a man. Furthermore, this fear was part of the divine dispensation. For lest the magnitude of the miraculous work should make him arrogant, the grace of God instilled C fear in him, so that he might acknowledge his own weakness.
VERS. 11. *Behold, the Lord will pass by.* He taught Elijah that He has chosen to govern the race of men with meekness and long-suffering. And that it was easy for Him both to send down thunderbolts, and to shake the earth, and to show it as an immediate grave to the impious, and to destroy the whole by the force of spirits. But, He says, "long-suffering is pleasing to Me." But the malice of men draws each of the others. That the God of the Old Testament is not simply fire, Elijah is taught, and through him all of us. But neither [is He strictly] a thin breeze. Yet He is said to be present by means of a thin breeze. For since He appeared to the children of Israel in a dark cloud and fire, finding Elijah D capable of higher things, He led him to the perception of the incorporeal, from the earthquake, and the wind, and the fire, to the thin breeze. Which would be close to the voice of the Savior: "God is a Spirit."
VERS. 19. *He cast his mantle upon him.* Why, when commanded to anoint Hazael, and Jehu, and Elisha, did he anoint only the prophet? Therefore, by the spiritual grace with which he anointed him, and which he bestowed upon him, he also [enabled him to anoint] others.
and to him he imparted grace, and anointed the others. For having received prophetic grace from him, he brought them the anointing, and imparted to them the royal grace.
CHAPTER XX [XXI]
AVER. 3. *And Naboth praised God.* He spoke euphemistically instead of "he blasphemed." He commanded a fast to be proclaimed, so that by it he might show the killing to be just. And through this he ordered him to be deemed worthy of the customary honor, and to preside over the others, and only then [for the people] to undergo the writing [of the accusation].
*And he tore his garments.* Being light-headed, Ahab was always easily swayed; from which Jezebel brought him to such impiety. Therefore the history says: Ahab was sold for nothing, to do evil in the sight of the Lord, as Jezebel stirred him up, and the rest. Wherefore, having coveted the vineyard, he felt sorrow at the death of Naboth.
BVER. 26. *According to all that the Amorite did.* Now he does not mean the Indian nation, but all the Canaanites. For "Amorite" in the Hebrew tongue is also named "inhabitant." But the compassionate God, because of the murder, threatened total destruction, but because he lamented the murder, He granted a remission of the punishment out of grace.
CHAPTER XXI [XX]
VER. 10. *If the dust of Samaria shall suffice for the handfuls.* They were saying these things as they threatened to build up the mounds for the siege.
VER. 13. *Hast thou seen all the sound?* He properly called the pride of the threatening words the "sound"; for it was quickly dissolved and broken by the divine nod.
VER. 14. *By the servants of the princes of the province.* I have no need of a multitude, he says, for with a few C boys, and those inexperienced and ignorant of wars, I will destroy that very great army. There were, says the Scripture, two hundred and thirty-two, through whom the almighty Lord destroyed the army of the thirty-two kings.
VER. 28. *God of mountains, God of Israel.* Because they supposed their own gods to be such, they thought that the true God and Creator of all was only the God of a part. But He demonstrated His own strength to both his own people and to foreigners. For the battle having taken place on the plain, Israel struck down and killed twelve myriads of their opponents. But that they might also know that this defeat was sent upon them by God, when those who had escaped through flight had taken refuge in the city of Aphek, D the wall fell down and crushed twenty-seven myriads of men.
VER. 35. *Strike me, I pray thee, in the word of the Lord.* I do not command you, he says, but the Spirit that is in me. And therefore upon him who gainsaid it, He brought destruction through the lion.
VER. 37. *And he wounded.* That is, he injured.
VERS. 38. *And he bound his eyes with a fillet.* A The prophets, using parables, bring forth divine prophecies, so that those who hear these words, unknowing that they are passing judgment against themselves, might judge rightly. For we perceive sins differently in ourselves than we do in others. Nathan did this when dealing with David, and the prophet now does the same.
VERS. 42. *Because thou hast let go a pernicious man.* Achab paid the penalty for an unjust and preposterous humanity; for one must preserve justice in the exercise of humanity. Yet he himself acted with extreme cruelty toward the prophets, wanting to destroy them all utterly, and those he captured, he killed; yet toward the enemy of the Israelites he showed gentleness. That he often sinned because of that laxity and readiness of spirit, the following events bear witness.
*Into his house, troubled.* For when he had experienced the truth of the divine prophecies in reality (since he had conquered twice according to the oracles of God), he feared the threat presented by the prophet, but he immediately returned to his customary impiety. B
Chapter XXII.
VERS. 5. *As thou art, so am I. I will do the same things as you,* he says; *as you shall arrange the line of battle, so I shall arrange my line; my people fight, and yours.* The Scripture shows his piety, although the friendship and kinship of Achab, as is read in the book of Paralipomenon, defiled and corrupted it. C
VERS. 15. *Ascend, and the Lord will give success.* He waited until he was bound by an oath, that then at last he might bring forth the truth. For since Achab supposed that the prophet was predicting sad and unhappy things out of hatred, he first said things that were pleasing, but afterward, being compelled by an oath, he revealed the things that had been divinely manifested to him.
VERS. 17. *As sheep which have no shepherd.* By these words he shows that they were to suffer defeat on account of the king's wickedness. For if they had obtained a pious and religious shepherd, they would have powerfully conquered and routed the enemies.
VERS. 18. *He does not prophesy good things for me, but evil.* Josephus writes that he was that same Micaiah who previously had used the fillet and predicted sad things to Achab: he conjectures this from the fact that Achab says: "I hate him, for he does not speak good of me, but evil." D
VERS. 20. *And the Lord said: Who shall deceive Achab?* It is a prosopopeia, teaching and showing the divine permission; for the Lord, who is truthful and the teacher of truth, did not command that Achab be deceived, he who said through the prophet: "Is not the Lord God with these? Let each man return to his own house in peace." By these things, therefore, the prophet taught that the spirit of deception, using impious men as organs and instruments, falsely promises victory. But this happens with God permitting it;
for A though he had the power to hinder it, he did not hinder it, because Ahab was unworthy of divine protection. Similar to this is what is said by Paul: "God will send them a working of error, that they should believe a lie, who did not receive the love of the truth." Furthermore, visions are explanations of God’s counsel—not that he reveals what he himself is (for he expresses this through bodily figures and human-style speech, describing God's dispensation), but as God himself says: "I have multiplied visions, and by the hand of the prophets I was made like." It is not he who appears, but he multiplies visions and presents a likeness to the prophets: of a kingdom, when they see him sitting on a throne with the heavenly host around him; of a judgment, when they see him as an old man, adorned with white garments, because of the wisdom and purity of judgment. Zechariah also sees the winds using a human voice and saying: "Let us go round the earth, and behold, all the earth is inhabited." Just as painters in pictures represent war and peace, victory and friendship, and all other things, shaping them into images of human bodies, and by such likenesses show their design more plainly; so also the Holy Spirit manifests to the prophets and apostles the will of God, and B his glory, and his dispensation, and the curse against the perjurers, and other things—animate or inanimate—and what God wishes to fulfill, and what the army of God subsequently fulfills, or whatever Satan dares to attempt through treachery, which God permits, sets forth, and expresses through visions, as in the case of Job. For visions, and the words in visions, are a certain part of God’s condescension, by which he lowers himself to our capacity. For neither is the Holy Spirit a dove, nor must we understand these words—"Who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us"—as they are said; as if God were in a place and stood in need of the Only-begotten Son’s intercession on our behalf. By the same reasoning, neither were the visions and voices of the prophets what they represented; rather, they signified the will of God, or his permission, and the obedience of those who obey, and the attempt of those who dare. Just as the lying spirit [did] through the mouth of the false prophets, God permitting it; and the devil, who tempted Job, God not preventing it. Through this, the Scripture taught us that he [the devil] is of God’s creation and is under his dominion, standing before the Creator of all C as Lord, not by a purpose of obedience, but by a certain compulsion of his created nature, alienated in mind, but in a certain way a participant in the essence of God. D "And Josaphat the king of Juda with him." He went forth one