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He does not command not to swear, but if anyone swears, he wishes them not to make idols their oaths. He weaves 'The Lord lives' into the oath, so that in swearing, they may at the same time give glory and give thanks. -For one must not utter the name of God unjustly or without discernment. For a good way of life also becomes a cause of salvation for others. "Be circumcised to your God." For he wishes wickedness to be circumcised, not the flesh. "Announce in Judah." He foretells the evangelical proclamation. "Let us enter into the walled cities." Into the Churches, whose gates of Hades will not prevail against them. "Flee to Zion." Flee to Zion, to the catholic Church; for all the Churches are one; or also to the pious commonwealth. "A lion has come up from his thicket." Figuratively it signifies the presence of the devil; but historically, that of the Babylonian. "The priests will be astounded." At the unexpected disasters. "And the prophets will wonder." The false prophets. "A spirit of wandering in the desert." By the assault of the Babylonians, or Romans, or by that of the consummation, those formerly led astray, whether Jews or the rest of mankind, will know their former error through their own desolation. "A spirit of fullness will come to me." Since a spirit of wandering has led astray the desolate souls, he promises to give a Holy Spirit, turning back the souls that fill his Churches. "How long will they exist?" For even those who consider vain things labor to find what is sought. "Because a voice of one coming up from Dan will come to me." Of him who announces the capture that will take place from Dan, and as far as Beersheba, by the Babylonians, or Romans. Dan is beyond the Jordan, and Mount Ephraim is Samaria. But some say that the adversary will also come from the tribe of Dan. "My curtains were torn asunder, my tents have suffered." Figuratively [he means] the soul, and the soul's sustaining powers; but the prophet's bowels are also stirred with compassion. "The tent has suffered," or the temple, or also at 93.637 the end the whole earth, which we inhabit like a tent, being sojourners. Again he means either the temple, or the coverings of wickedness, as all things are revealed at the end. "How long shall I see fugitives, hearing the sound of trumpets?" Of the Babylonians, or Romans, or also at the end of the diabolical proclamation. He means either the perceptible enemies, or also those who are unable to stand against the devil. Either of the enemies, or also of the strange proclamations. "And to the heaven, and its lights were not." He foretells the darkness that occurred at the cross, or also the removal of the luminaries at the end. Or it signifies that no one acts righteously, or that the earth will be restored to nothing because of the apostasy. "I saw the mountains, and behold they were trembling." He means either the events at the cross, when the rocks were split, or the things concerning the universal consummation, or the opposing powers being shaken, when Christ loosed the prison of Hades. "I looked, and behold there was no man, and all the birds of the air were startled." He speaks of the universal consummation, which also happened at the time of the flood, because of sin. Or the perceptible things when darkness came, or also the holy powers, shuddering at the complete apostasy of men. "I saw, and behold Carmel is a desert." Carmel is interpreted as knowledge of circumcision. When the apostasy occurs, therefore, he says, they do not recognize to cut off evil things. But you can understand these things also concerning the assault of the Babylonians, or also of the Romans. "From the voice of the horseman, and of the bent bow." It signifies either the perceptible, or also the continual battle of the invisible enemies. "They entered into the caves." Into their robber-like ways, apostatizing from God. And the cave, being self-carved, also signifies the free will of the soul. "And they were hidden in the groves." Into dark deeds. "And they went up on the rocks." Into fruitless and uneven practices; but take these things also perceptibly according to history. "But I will not make a full end." The preludes of the

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Οὐκ ὀμνύναι προστάττει, ἀλλ' εἰ ἄρα τις ὀμνύει, βούλεται ἑαυτῶν μὴ τὰ εἴδωλα ὅρκια ποιεῖσθαι. Πλέκει δὲ τὸ, Ζῇ Κύριος, τῷ ὅρκῳ, ἵνα ὀμνύοντες ὁμοῦ, καὶ δοξολογῶσι, καὶ εὐχαριστῶσιν. -Οὐ γὰρ ἀδίκως, ἢ ἀκρίτως, δεῖ προφέρειν τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ ὄνομα. Ἡ γὰρ καλὴ ἀναστροφὴ, καὶ ἑτέροις γίνεται αἰτία σωτηρίας. "Περιτμήθητε τῷ Θεῷ ὑμῶν." Τὴν γὰρ κακίαν, οὐ τὴν σάρκα βούλεται περιτέμνεσθαι. "Ἀναγγείλατε ἐν τῷ Ἰούδᾳ. Τὸ εὐαγγελικὸν κήρυγμα προθεσπίζει. "Εἰσέλθωμεν εἰς τὰς πόλεις τὰς τειχήρεις." Εἰς τὰς Ἐκκλησίας, ὧν αἱ πύλαι τοῦ ᾅδου οὐ κατισχύσουσιν. "Φεύγετε εἰς Σιών." Φεύγετε εἰς Σιὼν, εἰς τὴν καθολικὴν Ἐκκλησίαν· καὶ γὰρ πᾶσαι αἱ Ἐκκλησίαι μία τυγχάνουσιν· ἢ καὶ εἰς τὸ εὐσεβὲς πολίτευμα. "Ἀνέβη λέων ἐκ τῆς μάνδρας αὐτοῦ." Τροπικῶς τὴν παρουσίαν τοῦ διαβόλου σημαίνει· καθ' ἱστορίαν δὲ, τοῦ Βαβυλωνίου. "Οἱ ἱερεῖς ἐκστήσονται." Ἐπὶ ταῖς ἀδοκήτοις συμφοραῖς. "Καὶ οἱ προφῆται θαυμάσονται." Οἱ ψευδοπροφῆται. "Πνεῦμα πλανήσεως ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ." Τῷ τῆς ἐφόδου τῶν Βαβυλωνίων, ἢ Ῥωμαίων, ἢ τῷ τῆς συντελείας, οἱ πρότερον πεπλανημένοι, εἴτε Ἰουδαῖοι, εἴτε οἱ λοιποὶ ἄνθρωποι, διὰ τῆς οἰκείας ἐρημώσεως γνώσονται τὴν προτέραν πλάνην. "Πνεῦμα πληρώσεως ἥξει μοι." Ἐπειδὴ τὰς ἐρήμους ψυχὰς πνεῦμα πλανήσεως ἐπλάνησεν, ὑπισχνεῖται δώσειν Πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἐπιστρέφον τὰς ψυχὰς πληρούσας αὐτοῦ τὰς Ἐκκλησίας. "Ἕως πότε ὑπάρχουσιν;" Καὶ γὰρ οἱ τὰ μάταια διαλογιζόμενοι πονοῦσιν ἐπὶ τὸ εὑρεῖν τὸ ζητούμενον. "∆ιότι φωνὴ ἀναβαίνοντος ἐκ ∆ὰν ἥξει μοι." Τοῦ τὴν ἅλωσιν ἐπαγγέλλοντος γενήσεσθαι ἐκ ∆ὰν, καὶ ἕως Βηρσαβεὲ, ὑπὸ Βαβυλωνίων, ἢ Ῥωμαίων. Ἔστι δὲ ἡ μὲν ∆ὰν πέραν τοῦ Ἰορδάνου, ὄρος δὲ Ἐφραὶμ ἡ Σαμάρεια. Φασὶ δέ τινες, καὶ ἐκ τῆς φυλῆς ∆ὰν ἥξειν τὸν ἀντικείμενον. "∆ιεσπάσθησαν αἱ δέῤῥεις μου, ἐταλαιπώρησαν αἱ σκηναί μου." Τροπικῶς μὲν τὴν ψυχὴν [λέγει], καὶ τὰς ἀναδοτικὰς τῆς ψυχῆς δυνάμεις· ταράσσεται δὲ καὶ τὰ σπλάγχνα ὑπὸ συμπαθείας ὁ προφήτης. "Τεταλαιπώρηκεν ἡ σκηνὴ," ἢ ὁ ναὸς, ἢ καὶ πρὸς 93.637 τῷ τέλει πᾶσα ἡ γῆ, ἣν ὥσπερ σκηνὴν οἰκοῦμεν πάροικοι τυγχάνοντες. Πάλιν ἢ τὸν ναόν φησιν, ἢ τὰ τῆς κακίας ἐπικαλύμματα, πάντων πρὸς τῷ τέλει φανερουμένων. "Ἕως πότε ὅψομαι φεύγοντας, ἀκούων φωνὴν σαλπίγγων;" Τῆς Βαβυλωνίων, ἢ Ῥωμαίων, ἢ καὶ πρὸς τῷ τέλει τοῦ διαβολικοῦ κηρύγματος. Ἢ τοὺς αἰσθητοὺς πολεμίους, ἢ καὶ τοὺς μὴ δυναμένους ἀντιστῆναι τῷ διαβόλῳ φησίν. Ἢ τῶν πολεμίων, ἢ καὶ τῶν ἀλλοκότων κηρυγμάτων. "Καὶ εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν, καὶ οὐκ ἦν τὰ φῶτα αὐτοῦ." Τὸ σκότος τὸ ἐπὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ γεγονὸς προκαταγγέλλει, ἢ καὶ τὴν τῶν φωστήρων πρὸς τῷ τέλει ἀναίρεσιν. Ἢ τὸ μηδένα δικαιοπραγοῦντα σημαίνει, ἢ καὶ τὸ εἰς οὐδὲν ἀποκαταστῆναι τὴν γῆν διὰ τὴν ἀποστασίαν. "Εἶδον τὰ ὄρη, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἦν τρέμοντα." Ἢ τὰ ἐπὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ φησιν, ὅτε αἱ πέτραι ἐσχίσθησαν, ἢ τὰ περὶ τῆς καθόλου συντελείας, ἢ τὰς ἀντικειμένας δυνάμεις κλονουμένας, ὅτε ὁ Χριστὸς ἔλυε τοῦ ᾅδου τὸ δεσμωτήριον. "Ἐπέβλεψα, καὶ ἰδοὺ οὐκ ἦν ἄνθρωπος, καὶ πάντα τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐπτόηντο." Τὴν καθόλου συντέλειάν φησιν, ὅπερ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ κατακλυσμοῦ γέγονε, διὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν. Ἢ τὰ αἰσθητὰ τοῦ σκότους γινομένου, ἢ καὶ αἱ ἅγιαι δυνάμεις, φρίττουσαι ἐπὶ τῇ παντελεῖ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀποστασίᾳ. "Εἶδον, καὶ ἰδοὺ ὁ Κάρμηλος ἔρημος." Κάρμηλος ἐπίγνωσις, περιτομῆς ἑρμηνεύεται. Τῆς οὖν, φησὶν, ἀποστασίας γινομένης, οὐκ ἐπιγινώσκουσιν ἀποτέμνεσθαι τὰ φαῦλα. ∆ύνασαι δὲ ταῦτα νοεῖν καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ἐφόδου τῶν Βαβυλωνίων, ἢ καὶ τῶν Ῥωμαίων. "Ἀπὸ φωνῆς ἱππέως, καὶ ἐντεταμένου τόξου." Ἢ τοῦ αἰσθητοῦ, ἢ καὶ τὴν διηνεκῆ τῶν ἀοράτων πολεμίων μάχην σημαίνει. "Εἰσέδυσαν εἰς τὰ σπήλαια." Εἰς τοὺς λῃστρικοὺς αὐτῶν τρόπους ἀποστατοῦντες Θεοῦ. Τὸ δὲ σπήλαιον αὐτόγλυφον ὂν, σημαίνει καὶ τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτεξούσιον. "Καὶ εἰς τὰ ἄλση ἐκρύβησαν." Εἰς τὰς σκοτεινὰς πράξεις. "Καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς πέτρας ἀνέβησαν." Εἰς τὰ ἄκαρπα, καὶ ἀνώμαλα ἐπιτηδεύματα· ταῦτα δὲ καὶ αἰσθητῶς κατὰ ἱστορίαν λάμβανε. "Συντέλειαν δὲ οὐ μὴ ποιήσω." Τὰ προοίμια τῆς