to assist God the creator, going into latrines. Therefore we must bury impurities, Because the Lord walks in the camp. For Christ dwells in us and walks among us. CHAP. 24. Verse 2. You shall not take a millstone in pledge, nor an upper millstone, because he thus takes a life in pledge. On the same, otherwise. A millstone or an upper millstone is not a soul, but contributes to the making of bread, by which men especially live. It should be noted for the blood. For it was said concerning it: That the blood of the body is the soul. Therefore these things must be understood improperly. For neither the blood nor the millstone is a soul, but things contributing to life. CHAP. 27. Verse 15. And he shall place it in a secret place. Since it was likely that some, for fear of punishment, would strive to be hidden, and to practice impiety in a corner and secretly; for greater fear and threat of those doing these things, he also subjects to curses those who commit sin without a witness. Such are those who feign a counterfeit piety, but bury their passions within, and in the movement of their thought are driven to madness toward every kind of absurdity. These are they who place idols in a secret place. Verse 17. Cursed is he who moves his neighbor's boundaries. He also moves his neighbor's boundaries who shakes the one found within from the true knowledge of God and from the divine way of life. And what is brought on makes this clear. Verse 18. Cursed is he who leads a blind person astray on the road. Of the same. Such also are those from idolatry and those who draw the circumcised to abominable heresies. For they deceive and lead them astray, being blind and not yet having the light of truth and the knowledge of God, by showing them another way instead of the apostolic way. Verse 19. Cursed is he who perverts the judgment of the sojourner, the orphan, and the widow. He places under the same curse those who likewise pervert the judgment of the sojourner, the orphan, and the widow, saying the same thing again in another way. For if the literal sense has its benefit, the spiritual interpretation has what is higher. For proselytes are those from the nations who enter the holy Church of God. And the orphans are properly those who have renounced their own father Satan, but have not yet put on Jesus, but are still numbered among the catechumens. And likewise these are widows, having turned away from the one who sows in them the seeds of destruction; but not yet betrothed to Christ as a pure virgin, according to the divine Apostle. Therefore, those who pervert the judgment of these, and do not hand down to them the unadulterated mystery of piety, are under a curse. And someone going through the other things diligently will be able to contemplate them spiritually, while preserving the interpretation. Verse 20. Cursed is every man who does not abide in all the words of the law. The phrase, "in all," found in the Septuagint, is confirmed by the Samaritan copy, in which we found "chol," which is "in all" or "all things," being used. With which the Apostle also agrees, saying: "For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse." Whence those of the circumcision are convicted of being under a curse, for not doing all things. CHAP. 33. Verse 2. Let Reuben live, and not die. Since Jacob when dying cursed Reuben, saying: "Like water, do not boil over." Moses, blessing, says: "Let Reuben live, and not die." Both are well said. For the father cursed him for going in to his concubine, teaching and frightening those who follow; and Moses justly blesses after these things; since he alone spared Joseph, when his brothers wanted to kill him. And it was absurd for a curse to proceed against one who had sinned, but for a blessing not to be given to one who had done right.

ἐπαμύνειν τοῦ πεποιηκότος Θεοῦ εἰς ἐφεδρῶνας ἰόντες. ∆εῖ οὖν ἡμᾶς καταχωννύειν ἀκαθαρσίας, Ὅτι Κύριος περιπατεῖ ἐν τῇ παρεμβολῇ. Ἐνοικεῖ γὰρ ἡμῖν καὶ ἐμπεριπατεῖ Χριστός. ΚΕΦ. Κ∆ʹ. Στίχ. ʹ. Οὐκ ἐνεχυράσεις μύλον, οὐδὲ ἐπι μύλιον, ὅτι ψυχὴν οὕτως ἐνεχυράζει. Εἰς τὸ αὐτὸ ἄλλως. Οὐκ ἔστι μύλος οὐδὲ ἐπιμύλιον ψυχῇ, ἀλλὰ πρὸς ἐργασίαν συντελεῖ ἄρτου, δι' οὗ μάλιστα ζῶσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι. Σημειωτέον αὐτὸν διὰ τὸ αἷμα. Καὶ γὰρ περὶ αὐτοῦ ἐλέχθη· Ὅτι τοῦ σώ ματος τὸ αἷμα ψυχή ἐστιν. Καταχρηστικῶς οὖν ταῦτα νοητέον. Οὔτε γὰρ τὸ αἷμα, οὔτε ὁ μύλος ψυχὴ, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸ ζῇν συμβαλλόμενα. ΚΕΦ. ΚΖʹ. Στίχ. ιεʹ. Καὶ θήσει αὐτὸ ἐν ἀποκρύφῳ. Ἐπειδὴ εἰκὸς ἦν, τινὰς φόβῳ τῆς τιμωρίας σπου δάζειν λανθάνειν, καὶ ἐν παραβύστῳ καὶ λανθανόν τως τὴν ἀσέβειαν ἐπιτηδεύειν· πρὸς μείζονα φόβον καὶ ἀπειλὴν τῶν ταῦτα ποιούντων, καὶ ἀραῖς ὑπο βάλλει τοὺς ἀμάρτυρον τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐργαζομένους. Τοιοῦτοί εἰσιν οἱ εὐλάβειαν ἐπίπλαστον ὑποκρινόμε νοι, ἔνδον δὲ τὰ πάθη κατορύττοντες, καὶ ἐν τῷ τῆς διανοίας κινήματι πρὸς πᾶν εἶδος ἀτοπίας ἐκβακχευό μενοι. Οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ ἐν ἀποκρύφῳ τιθέντες τὰ εἴδωλα. Στίχ. ιζʹ. Ἐπικατάρατος ὁ μετατιθεὶς ὅρια τοῦ πλησίον. Ὅρια τοῦ πλησίον μετατίθησι καὶ ὁ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀλη θοῦς θεογνωσίας, καὶ τῆς ἐνθέου πολιτείας παρασα λεύων τὸν ἐντὸς εὑρισκόμενον. Καὶ δηλοῖ τὰ ἐπαγό μενα. Στίχ. ιηʹ. Ἐπικατάρατος ὁ πλανῶν τυφλὸν ἐν ὁδῷ. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Τοιοῦτοί εἰσι καὶ οἱ ἀπὸ εἰδωλολατρείας καὶ τοὺς ἐκ περιτομῆς ἐπὶ μυσαρὰς αἱρέσεις ἐφελ κόμενοι. Τυφλοὺς γὰρ ὄντας αὐτοὺς καὶ μήπω τὸ φῶς τῆς ἀληθείας ἐσχηκότας καὶ θεογνωσίας, ἀπατῶσι δὲ καὶ πλανῶσιν, ἑτέραν ἀντὶ τῆς ἀποστολικῆς παρα δεικνύντες ὁδόν. Στίχ. ιθʹ. Ἐπικατάρατος ὃς ἂν ἐκκλίνῃ κρί σιν προσηλύτου καὶ ὀρφανοῦ καὶ χήρας. Ὑπὸ τὴν αὐτὴν ἀρὰν τίθησι τοὺς ὡσαύτως ἐκκλί νοντας κρίσιν προσηλύτου καὶ ὀρφανοῦ καὶ χήρας, ἄλλως πως πάλιν τὸ αὐτὸ εἰπών. Εἰ γὰρ τὸ ῥητὸν ἔχει τὸ ὀφέλειμον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ θεωρία τὸ ὑψηλό τερον. Προσήλυτοι γάρ εἰσιν οἱ ἐξ ἐθνῶν εἰσιόντες τῇ ἁγίᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ Ἐκκλησίᾳ. Οἱ δὲ ὀρφανοὶ κυρίως εἰ σὶν οἱ ἀποταξάμενοι μὲν τῷ ἑαυτῶν πατρὶ τῷ Σατα νᾷ, μηδέπω δὲ τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἐνδυσάμενοι, ἀλλ' ἔτι καὶ κατηχουμένοις ἐνάριθμοι. Ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ οὗτοι χῆραί εἰσιν, ἀποστραφεῖσαι μὲν τὸν ἐγκατασπείροντα αὐ 17.36 τοῖς τὰ τῆς ἀπωλείας σπέρματα· οὔπω δὲ τῷ Χριστῷ ἁρμοσθέντες, ὡς ἁγνὴ παρθένος, κατὰ τὸν θεῖον Ἀπόστολον. Οἱ οὖν ἐκκλίνοντες τὴν κρίσιν τούτων, καὶ μὴ παραδιδόντες αὐτοῖς ἀνόθευτον τὸ τῆς εὐσεβείας μυστήριον, ὑπὸ κατάραν εἰσίν. Καὶ τὰ ἄλλα δέ τις φι λοπόνως ἐπεξιὼν, δυνήσεται πνευματικῶς θεωρεῖν, σωζομένης τῆς ἑρμηνείας. Στίχ. κʹ. Ἐπικατάρατος πᾶς ἄνθρωπος, ὃς οὐκ ἐμμένει ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς λόγοις τοῦ νόμου. Τὸ, ἐν πᾶσι, κείμενον παρὰ τοῖς Ἑβδομήκοντα, κυροῦται ἀπὸ τοῦ Σαμαρειτικοῦ ἀντιγράφου, ἐν ᾧ τὸ χὸλ, ὅπερ ἐστὶ πᾶσιν ἢ πάντα, φερόμενον εὕρο-μεν. Οἷς συνᾴδει καὶ ὁ Ἀπόστολος λέγων· Ὅσοι γὰρ ἐξ ἔργων νόμου εἰσὶν, ὑπὸ κατάραν εἰσίν. Ὅθεν οἱ ἐκ περιτομῆς ἐλέγχονται ὑπὸ κατάραν ὄντες, τὸ μὴ πάντα ποιεῖν. ΚΕΦ. ΛΓʹ. Στίχ. ʹ. Ζήτω Ῥουβὶμ, καὶ μὴ ἀποθανέτω. Ἐπειδὴ Ἰακὼβ ἀποθνήσκων κατηράσατο τῷ Ῥουβὶμ λέγων· Ὡς ὕδωρ μὴ ἐκζέσῃς. Ὁ Μωϋσῆς εὐλογῶν φησι· Ζήτω Ῥουβὶμ, καὶ μὴ ἀποθανέτω. Ἀμφότερα καλῶς Ὅ τε γὰρ πατὴρ κατήραται αὐτῷ ὡς τῇ παλλακῇ συνελθόντι, τὰ ἑξῆς παιδεύων καὶ φοβῶν· καὶ Μωϋσῆς δικαίως εὐλογεῖ μετὰ ταῦτα· ἐπειδὴ μόνος ἐφείσατο τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ, ὅτε ἀνελεῖν αὐτὸν ἐβούλοντο οἱ ἀδελφοὶ αὐτοῦ. Ἄτοπον δὲ ἦν κατάραν μὲν προχωρῆσαι κατὰ ἡμαρτηκότος, εὐλογίαν δὲ μὴ δοθῆναι κατορθώσαντι.