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To the Synagogue: Behold, your house is left to you desolate. "From his height he sent fire." According to his height, he says, so he precisely determined the punishment against me; it also reveals the chastisement brought upon Jerusalem through the Roman war after the Lord's ascension. "In my bones." For it reaches to the joints and marrow, to thoughts and concepts. "He spread a net." The inescapable punishment. "He turned me back." From good things to worse ones. "The Lord gave me over." Instead of, he showed me to be desolate. "All the day." Being continually punished. "It was watched over." Nothing, he says, of my sins was passed over in silence. "In my hands." What I sowed through my deeds, these I also reaped. Because each one bears his own burden. "My strength has failed." I was not able to act against my adversaries. Or also thus: The strength of the synagogue is the law, which was not able to defend it. "Because the Lord gave over." Instead of, he showed that I had done things worthy of pain. "I will not be able." My standing was shaken, that is, my support. "He has removed all." Literally, the rulers and the teachers of the law; but allegorically, the modes of intention, which sin, when it replaces them and prevails, makes to disappear. "He has called against me." He speaks of the time of darkness. For when the intelligible light fails, darkness enters instead. "To crush." So that my every good way might disappear. "He trod a winepress." Instead of. He gathered all my 93.733 sins into one, which having trodden he made into wine; about which the Psalmist says, that a cup is in the hand of the Lord of unmixed wine, that is, of wrath. For sins, when they are examined, and as it were squeezed out, drip with divine wrath, which sinners are made to drink. "My eye has brought down water." The intellectual part of the soul in a way weeps, and groans over sins. "He who restores my soul." Literally, that until now the Jews are afflicted; but allegorically, the way of remembrance of God, which restores the soul from death to life. "My sons have become." The diverse actions of our enemy the devil as he becomes more dominant. "Zion has spread out." From astonishment she held her hands slack, having cast away all good deeds. "There is none to comfort her." No law, no prophet. "The Lord has commanded." The Lord has commanded, he says. That those who afflict you are round about, be sober; but he turned aside to indolence. Or thus: The command of the Lord says: Behold I have set before your face life and death. Since, therefore, Jacob chose death instead of life, those who afflict him were round about him. "As one set apart." Instead of: More than the enemies, in whose midst she happens to be, she has become an abomination. And so after the captivity she remained in her own impurity, not repenting. "For I called my lovers." Her lovers are false prophets, and diviners, and the unclean demons. They are called her lovers, either because she loves their deceit, or because they, pretending to love her, became agents of divine wrath, being able to defend her in nothing. For this is what is meant by, They deceived me. "My priests." These things happened during the siege. But allegorically, the teachers, judged unworthy of the word of God, who did not become faithful stewards of the salvation of the peoples, did not find those being taught, who are their food, since the people slipped along with the impiety of the teachers. "My belly." Instead of, all my inward parts. Belly and heart, according to the laws of tropes, are the nutritive and vital powers of the soul, through which its senses are nourished and exercised. "Abroad the sword has bereaved me." Historically, the Romans killed those who went out from the siege; but allegorically, the assault of the invisible enemies, he says, from without, that is, not being innate to us, destroyed my good reasonings; just as from within the impulse of our will is toward the worse; for this is what death at home signifies. 93.736 "All my enemies." Enemies of the soul are the

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Συναγωγῇ· Ἰδοὺ ἀφίεται ὑμῖν ὁ οἶκος ὑμῶν ἔρημος. "Ἐξ ὕψους αὐτοῦ ἀπέστειλε πῦρ." Κατὰ τὸ ὕψος αὐτοῦ, φησὶν, οὕτως ἐξηκρίβωσε τὴν κατ' ἐμοῦ τιμωρίαν· δηλοῖ δὲ καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἀνάληψιν τοῦ Κυρίου τὴν ἐπενεχθεῖσαν τῇ Ἱερουσαλὴμ κόλασιν διὰ τοῦ Ῥωμαϊκοῦ πολέμου. "Ἐν τοῖς ὀστέοις μου." Ἐφικνεῖται γὰρ ἕως ἁρμῶν τε καὶ μυελῶν, ἐνθυμήσεων τε καὶ ἐννοιῶν. "∆ιεπέτασε." Τὴν ἄφυκτον τιμωρίαν. "Ἀπέστρεψέ με." Ἐκ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἐπὶ τὰ χείρονα. "Ἔδωκέ με Κύριος." Ἀντὶ τοῦ, ἔδειξέ με ἔρημον. "Ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν." ∆ιηνεκῶς κολαζομένην. "Ἐγρηγορήθη." Οὐδὲν, φησὶ, ἐσιωπήθη τῶν ἐμῶν ἁμαρτημάτων. "Ἐν χερσί μου." Ἃ διὰ τῶν πράξεων ἔσπειρα, ταῦτα καὶ ἐθέρισα. ∆ιὰ τὸ ἕκαστον τὸ ἴδιον φορτίον βαστάζειν. "Ἠσθένησε ἡ ἰσχύς μου." Οὐκ ἠδυνήθην ἀντιπρᾶξαι τοῖς ἐναντίοις. Ἢ καὶ οὕτως· Ἰσχὺς τῆς συναγωγῆς ὁ νόμος, οὐ δυνηθεὶς αὐτῇ ἐπαμῦναι. "Ὅτι ἔδωκε Κύριος." Ἀντὶ τοῦ, ἔδειξέν με ὀδύνης ἄξια διαπραξαμένην. "Οὐ δυνήσομαι." Ἐσαλεύθη στάσις μου, τουτέστι στηριγμός μου. "Ἐξῆρε πάντας." Πρὸς μὲν ῥητὸν, τοὺς ἄρχοντας καὶ τοὺς νομοδιδασκάλους· πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν, τοὺς τρόπους τῆς προθέσεως, οὓς ἐξαφανίζει ἀντικαθισταμένη, καὶ ἐπικρατοῦσα ἡ ἁμαρτία. "Ἐκάλεσεν ἐπ' ἐμέ." Καιρόν φησι τὸν τοῦ σκότους. Ἐκλείποντος γὰρ τοῦ νοητοῦ φωτὸς, τὸ σκότος ἀντεισέρχεται. "Τοῦ συντρίψαι." Ὥστε ἀφανισθῆναί μου πάντα τρόπον ἀγαθόν. "Ληνὸν ἐπάτησε." Ἀντὶ τοῦ. Πάντα μου τὰ 93.733 ἁμαρτήματα συνήγαγεν εἰς ἓν, ἅτινα πατήσας ἐποίησεν οἶνον· περὶ οὗ φησιν ὁ Ψαλμῳδὸς, ὅτι Ποτήριον ἐν χειρὶ Κυρίου οἴνου ἀκράτου, τουτέστιν ὀργῆς. Ἐξεταζόμενα γὰρ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, καὶ ὥσπερ ἐκθλιβόμενα, θείαν ὀργὴν ἀποστάζουσιν, ἣν ποτίζονται οἱ ἁμαρτάνοντες. "Ὁ ὀφθαλμός μου κατήγαγεν ὕδωρ." Τὸ διανοητικὸν τῆς ψυχῆς τρόπον τινὰ δακρύει, καὶ ἐπιστενάζει τοῖς ἁμαρτήμασιν. "Ὁ ἐπιστρέφων ψυχήν μου." Πρὸς μὲν τὸ ῥητὸν, ὅτι μέχρι νῦν Ἰουδαῖοι ταλαιπωροῦσι, πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν, ὁ τρόπος τῆς μνήμης τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὁ ἐπιστρέφων τὴν ψυχὴν ἐκ θανάτου εἰς ζωήν. "Ἐγένοντο οἱ υἱοί μου." Αἱ διάφοροι πράξεις τοῦ ἐχθροῦ ἡμῶν διαβόλου ἐπικρατεστέρου γινομένου. "∆ιεπέτασε Σιών." Ὑπὸ ἐκπλήξεως παρειμένας ἔσχε τὰς χεῖρας, πάσας ἀγαθὰς ῥίψασα πράξεις. "Οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ παρακαλῶν αὐτήν." Οὐ νόμος, οὐ προφήτης. "Ἐνετείλατο Κύριος." Παρήγγειλε, φησὶ, Κύριος. Ὅτι κύκλῳ εἰσὶν οἱ θλίβοντές σε, νῆψον· ὁ δὲ εἰς ῥᾳθυμίαν ἐξέκλινεν. Ἢ οὕτως· Ἐντολὴ Κυρίου φησίν· Ἰδοὺ τέθεικα πρὸ προσώπου ὑμῶν τὴν ζωὴν, καὶ τὸν θάνατον. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν ἀνθείλετο τῆς ζωῆς τὸν θάνατον ὁ Ἰακὼβ, ἐγένοντο κύκλῳ αὐτοῦ οἱ θλίβοντες αὐτόν. "Εἰς ἀποκαθημένην." Ἀντὶ τοῦ· Ὑπὲρ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς, ὧν ἐν μέσῳ τυγχάνει, βδελυκτὴ γέγονεν. Καὶ οὕτως μετὰ τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν ἔμεινεν ἐν τῇ ἰδίᾳ ἀκαθαρσίᾳ, μὴ μετανοοῦσα. "Ἐκάλεσα γὰρ τοὺς ἐραστάς μου." Ἐρασταὶ αὐτῆς ψευδοπροφῆται, καὶ τερατοσκόποι, καὶ οἱ ἀκάθαρτοι δαίμονες. Ἐρασταὶ δὲ αὐτῆς καλοῦνται, ἢ ὅτι αὐτὴ ἐρᾷ τῆς αὐτῶν ἀπάτης, ἢ ὅτι αὐτοὶ προσποιούμενοι φιλεῖν αὐτὴν, τῆς θείας ὀργῆς ἐγένοντο πρόξενοι, οὐδὲν αὐτῇ δυνηθέντες ἐπαμῦναι. Τοῦτο γὰρ σημαίνει τὸ, Παρελογίσαντό με. "Οἱ ἱερεῖς μου." Ταῦτα μὲν ἐν τῇ πολιορκίᾳ συνέβη. Πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν, οἱ διδάσκαλοι, οἱ ἀνάξιοι τοῦ λόγου τοῦ Θεοῦ κριθέντες, οἱ τῆς τῶν λαῶν σωτηρίας μὴ πιστοὶ οἰκονόμοι γενόμενοι, οὐχ εὗρον τοὺς διδασκομένους, οἵτινές εἰσιν αὐτῶν βρῶσις, τοῦ λαοῦ συνολισθήσαντος τῇ τῶν διδασκάλων ἀσεβείᾳ. "Ἡ κοιλία μου." Ἀντὶ τοῦ, πάντα τὰ ἐντός μου. Κοιλία δὲ καὶ καρδία, κατὰ τοὺς τροπῆς νόμους, αἱ ἀναδοτικαὶ καὶ ζωτικαὶ τῆς ψυχῆς δυνάμεις, δι' ὧν αὐτῆς τρέφεται καὶ γυμνάζεται τὰ αἰσθητήρια. "Ἔξωθεν ἠτέκνωσέ με μάχαιρα." Πρὸς μὲν ἱστορίαν, τοὺς ἐκ τῆς πολιορκίας ἐξιόντας ἀνῄρουν οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι· πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν, Ἡ τῶν ἀοράτων ἐχθρῶν, φησὶν, ἔφοδος ἔξωθεν, τουτέστιν οὐ συμφυὴς ἡμῖν οὖσα, ἀνεῖλέ μου τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς λογισμούς· ὥσπερ ἔνδοθεν ἡ τῆς προαιρέσεως ἡμῶν ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον ὁρμή· τοῦτο γὰρ δηλοῖ θάνατος ἐν οἴκῳ. 93.736 "Πάντες οἱ ἐχθροί μου." Ἐχθροὶ τῆς ψυχῆς οἱ