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unclean demons, who are also called her lovers. For though they are enemies, they pretend to be lovers; who after making her sin also attempt her fall. "You have brought a day." That of punishment. "Woe, woe." The doubling signifies the intensity of the pain. "Let all enter." Let the examination, he says, of those who repay me with evils be [i.e. according to] your truth; for the face of God is truth. "Glean for them." Gleanings are the small bunches of grapes, which often escape the notice even of the grape-harvesters. At any rate, those who glean after the harvest pick these, examining the vines carefully. Just as, therefore, the demons attacked me bitterly; or also as the false teachers and false prophets who deceived me have caused my sins to be examined accurately, so examine them accurately according to your judgment, O Lord. {1ΚΕΦ. Βʹ.}1 "How he has darkened." How, as with a certain darkness, he has delivered her over to the attack of the enemies. "He has cast down from heaven to earth." The heaven-befitting beauty of Jerusalem, he says, he has changed to dishonor, having cast her away from his own perpetual visitation. "And he did not remember." He calls the temple the footstool of God, as the divine visitation from heaven reaches it, or also the Israelite people, who were deemed worthy of the knowledge of God. For heaven is called the throne of God, as God rests upon the most pure rational beings there. And the earth is his footstool, as his knowledge also reaches us according to the proportion befitting us. "All the beautiful things." According to the literal sense, all the legal worship; but according to the spiritual sense, the ways of piety. "He has torn down." Demolition, he says, is the movement from the foundations. "The strongholds." According to the literal sense, the temple, or also the powerful men in it; but according to the spiritual sense, he has cast the invincible virtues to earthly things. "He has profaned her king." According to the literal sense, the powerful men in it; but according to the spiritual sense, he has shown, he says, her preeminent ways to be unclean. "Every horn." According to history, all the tribes, or all the powerful men; but according to contemplation, every triumphant way of the soul. "He has turned back." Or he turned back the right-hand actions of Israel himself to the worse, that is, to the left; for behind the right are the left; or God restrained his power, and did not defend them when they were warred upon by their enemies. "And he kindled." The capture by the Romans. The wrath of God, therefore, like a fire, kindled its testing power against Jacob. 93.737 "He has bent his bow." He speaks of the complete turning away of God; when this happens, timely blows are inflicted by the enemies. "And he killed." According to the literal sense, their sons, and daughters, and any precious living thing among them; but according to the spiritual sense, the better desires of the soul. For this is what the turning away of God does. For his visitation happens to be life. "In the tent of the daughter of Zion." According to history, in the temple where they were murdered; but according to the spiritual sense, in the rests of the soul. "The Lord has become." Since they made themselves enemies of God through their transgressions against him; for God does not hate. "He has destroyed the." According to the literal sense, he means the walls, and the temple, and the houses; but according to the spiritual sense, the good thoughts that fence in the soul. [And otherwise;] That no longer among the Jews after the audacity against Christ is there a prophet, nor a revelation, nor a lawful sacred rite. "Humbled." After the history, he means those who are captured by sin. "And he spread out like a vine." Or he means this, that he handed over to the enemies the Synagogue that was formerly stretched out like a vine; or thus, that he spread it out to those who plunder it like an uncovered vine. "He has destroyed his festival." Of Jerusalem, the legal festivals; of the soul, the joy in what is better. "The Lord has forgotten." He has despised, he says, even his own legislation, which commands to celebrate festivals and keep the sabbath. "And he has provoked." He allowed them to be afflicted further, either being provoked himself, or also himself provoking at the prosperity of the enemies. "He has cast off

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ἀκάθαρτοι δαίμονες, οἵτινες καὶ ἐρασταὶ αὐτῆς λέγονται. Καὶ γὰρ ἐχθροὶ ὄντες, ἐρᾷν προσποιοῦνται· οἵτινες μετὰ τὸ ποιῆσαι ἁμαρτάνειν καὶ ἐπιχειροῦσι τῇ αὐτῆς πτώσει. "Ἐπήγαγες ἡμέραν." Τὴν τῆς κολάσεως. "Οἴμοι, οἴμοι." Ὁ διπλασιασμὸς τὸ ἐπιτεταμένον τῆς ὀδύνης σημαίνει. "Εἰσέλθοι πᾶσα." Γένοιτο, φησὶν, ἡ ἐξέτασις τῶν ἀμυνομένων με κακὰ [ἴσ. κατὰ] τὴν ἀλήθειάν σου· τὸ γὰρ πρόσωπον τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡ ἀλήθεια. "Ἐπιφύλλισσον αὐτοῖς." Ἐπιφυλλίδες εἰσὶ τὰ μικρὰ βοτρύδια, ἃ πολλάκις καὶ τοὺς τρυγῶντας λανθάνουσιν. Οἱ γοῦν καλαμώμενοι ταῦτα ἐκλέγονται, ἀκριβῶς τὰς ἀμπέλους ἐξετάζοντες. Ὥσπερ οὖν πικρῶς ἐπέθεντό μοι οἱ δαίμονες· ἢ καὶ ὥσπερ ἀκριβῶς ἐξετασθῆναι πεποιήκασι τὰ ἁμαρτήματά μου οἱ ψευδοδιδάσκαλοι καὶ ψευδοπροφῆται ἀπατήσαντές με, οὕτως ἀκριβῶς ἔτασον αὐτοὺς κατὰ τὸ σὸν κρίμα, Κύριε. {1ΚΕΦ. Βʹ.}1 "Πῶς ἐγνόφωσεν." Πῶς, ὥσπερ τινὶ γνόφῳ, τῇ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἐφόδῳ παραδέδωκεν. "Κατέῤῥιψεν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ εἰς γῆν." Τὴν οὐρανοπρεπῆ, φησὶν, εὐπρέπειαν τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ εἰς ἀτιμίαν μετέστησεν, ἀπωσάμενος αὐτὴν ἐκ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ διηνεκοῦς ἐπισκέψεως. "Καὶ οὐκ ἐμνήσθη." Ὑποπόδιόν φησι Θεοῦ τὸν ναὸν, ὡς φθανούσης εἰς αὐτὸν ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τῆς θείας ἐπιφοιτήσεως, ἢ καὶ τὸν Ἰσραηλιτικὸν λαὸν, τὸν ἠξιωμένον τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ. Θρόνος μὲν γὰρ Θεοῦ καλεῖται ὁ οὐρανὸς, ὡς τοῖς ἐκεῖ καθαρωτάτοις λογικοῖς ἐπαναπαυομένου τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ὑποπόδιον δὲ αὐτοῦ ἡ γῆ, ὡς καὶ εἰς ἡμᾶς φθανούσης κατὰ τὴν ἐπιβάλλουσαν ἡμῖν ἀναλογίαν τῆς αὐτοῦ γνώσεως. "Πάντα τὰ ὡραῖα." Πρὸς μὲν τὸ ῥητὸν, τὴν νομικὴν πᾶσαν λατρείαν· πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν, τοὺς τῆς εὐσεβείας τρόπους. "Καθεῖλεν." Καθαίρεσίν φησιν τὴν ἐκ θεμελίων κίνησιν. "Τὰ ὀχυρώματα." Πρὸς μὲν ῥητὸν, τὸν ναὸν, ἢ καὶ τοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ δυνατούς· πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν, τὰς ἀκαταμαχήτους ἀρετὰς τοῖς γηΐνοις ἀπέῤῥιψεν. "Ἐβεβήλωσεν βασιλέα αὐτῆς." Πρὸς μὲν ῥητὸν, τοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ δυνατούς· πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν, ἀκαθάρτους, φησὶν, ἀπέδειξε τοὺς κατ' ἐξοχὴν αὐτῆς τρόπους. "Πᾶν κέρας." Καθ' ἱστορίαν μὲν, πάσας τὰς φυλὰς, ἢ πάντας τοὺς δυνατούς· πρὸς δὲ θεωρίαν, πάντα ἐπινίκιον τῆς ψυχῆς τρόπον. "Ἀπέστρεψεν." Ἢ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ τὰς δεξιὰς πράξεις εἰς τὸ ἧττον ἀπέστρεψεν, τουτέστιν εἰς τὰ ἀριστερά· ὀπίσω γὰρ τῶν δεξιῶν τὰ ἀριστερά· ἢ ὁ Θεὸς τὴν αὐτοῦ δύναμιν ἐπέσχεν, καὶ οὐκ ἐπήμυνεν αὐτοῖς πολεμουμένοις ὑπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν. "Καὶ ἀνῆψεν." Τὴν διὰ Ῥωμαίων ἅλωσιν. Ἡ ὀργὴ οὖν τοῦ Θεοῦ ὡς πῦρ ἀνῆψεν κατὰ τοῦ Ἰακὼβ τὴν ἐταστικὴν αὐτῆς δύναμιν. 93.737 "Ἐνέτεινε τόξον αὐτοῦ." Τὴν παντελῆ ἀποστροφὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ λέγει· ἧς γινομένης καιρίαι παρὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἐπιφέρονται πληγαί. "Καὶ ἀπέκτεινεν." Πρὸς μὲν ῥητὸν τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτῶν, καὶ τὰς θυγατέρας, καὶ εἴ τι παρ' αὐτοῖς ζῶον τίμιον· πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν, τὰς κρείττονας τῆς ψυχῆς ὀρέξεις. Τοῦτο γὰρ ποιεῖ ἡ ἀποστροφὴ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἡ γὰρ ἐπίσκεψις αὐτοῦ ζωὴ τυγχάνει. "Σκηνῇ θυγατρὸς Σιών." Καθ' ἱστορίαν μὲν, ἐν τῷ ναῷ ᾧ ἐφονεύθησαν· πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν, ἐν ταῖς τῆς ψυχῆς ἀναπαύσεσιν. "Ἐγενήθη Κύριος." Αὐτῶν ἑαυτοὺς καταστησάντων ἐχθροὺς τοῦ Θεοῦ διὰ τῶν εἰς αὐτὸν παρανομιῶν· Θεὸς γὰρ οὐ μισεῖ. "∆ιέφθειρε τά." Πρὸς μὲν ῥητὸν, τὰ τείχη, καὶ τὸν ναὸν, καὶ τὰς οἰκίας φησί· πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν, τοὺς περιφράττοντας τὴν ψυχὴν ἀγαθοὺς λογισμούς. [Καὶ ἄλλως·] Ὅτι οὐκέτι παρὰ Ἰουδαίοις μετὰ τὴν κατὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ τόλμαν οὐ προφήτης, οὐκ ἀποκάλυψις, οὐκ ἔννομος ἱερουργία. "Ταπεινούμενα." Μετὰ τὴν ἱστορίαν, τοὺς ὑπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἁλισκομένους φησίν. "Καὶ διεπέτασεν ὡς ἄμπελον." Ἢ τοῦτό φησι, ὅτι τὴν πρώην ὡς ἄμπελον ἐκταθεῖσαν Συναγωγὴν παρέδωκε τοῖς ἐχθροῖς· ἢ οὕτως, ὅτι αὐτὴν ἥπλωσεν τοῖς διαρπάζουσιν ὡς ἄμπελον ἀσκέπαστον. "∆ιέφθειρεν ἑορτὴν αὐτοῦ." Τῆς μὲν Ἱερουσαλὴμ τὰς νομικὰς ἑορτάς· τῆς δὲ ψυχῆς τὴν ἐπὶ τῷ κρείττονι χαρμονήν. "Ἐπελάθετο Κύριος." Κατεφρόνησε, φησὶ, καὶ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ νομοθεσίας, τῆς παρακελευομένης ἑορτάζειν καὶ σαββατίζειν. "Καὶ παρώξυνεν." Ἐπιπλέον ἐκθλίβεσθαι αὐτοὺς συνεχώρησεν, ἢ αὐτὸς παροξυνόμενος, ἢ καὶ αὐτὸς παροξύνων ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν ἐχθρῶν εὐθηνίᾳ. "Ἀπώσατο