5

the remnant of Israel." Those who could not be, not even by the scourge, healed. "Behold their ears are uncircumcised." Not turning away from useless hearings. Note what kind of circumcision God seeks. "Saying, Peace, peace." They did not allow them to perceive the scourges, promising them peace. "And not even so ... And they did not know their dishonor." For those who are disciplined neither by word nor by scourge remain in their fall. "Therefore they shall fall... and in the time of their visitation they shall perish." Even if I call them back, he says, from their perceptible enemies, and I visit them, persisting [alt. they who persist] in their sins they will be handed over to eternal punishment. "Stand in the ways." Stand in the ways, and see both that of life, and that of death; and the life of each is also called a way. The paths of the Lord are his commandments. "Hear the voice of the trumpet." Those who preached the prophetic or even the evangelical word. Of the trumpet, of the teaching. "Behold a people comes from the north." The Babylonian, or also the adversary. "They shall take hold of bow and spear." A bow for those far off, a spear for those near. For they strike those who are near 93.644 with deeds, and those from afar with words. "Do not go out into the field." In addition to the history, understand "field" as worldly affairs. "And do not walk in the ways." In the many paths of wickedness; for there is one way, the Lord himself. "For the sword of the enemy sojourns round about." The death-bringing sin, for the ungodly walk in a circle. "Bronze and iron." Bronze and iron, unmixed with one another, having no love. "The bellows failed from the fire." A teaching word or also a disciplinary scourge. "The lead failed." The lead, being mixed with the silver, cleanses its own impurity; so he says this, that every purifying method was brought upon them, and they were not cleansed. CHAP. 7. "Hear the word of the Lord, all Judah." After the history, it is fitting to understand that Judah is every soul approaching godliness. For Judah is interpreted as "confessing." "And burn incense to Baal." They called every idol Baal. And Baal is interpreted as the higher evils. And the head of sin is idolatry. "Is my house a den of robbers?" The cave is without a door, and is open to everyone for entry. He therefore blames them, for entering into the holy places indiscriminately. "All the seed of Ephraim." The royal tribe ruling the twelve tribes. "Their sons gather wood." They sin according to their ability. "They kindle fire." Sin is called fire in many places of Scripture. For this reason it becomes the cause of eternal fire for those who sin. "To make cakes." They perform foreign rites. And he says "chabonas" are certain cakes. "And eat meat." You yourselves, he says, eat it; for I do not need sacrifices. "By day and early." It signifies the unceasingness of the prophetic exhortation. "Faith has failed from their mouth." He accuses their unbelief, or also their falsehood. CHAP. 8. "In that time they shall open." Josiah the pious king did this, burning the remains of the idolaters. "And they were overcome in their choice." For man has free will. "There is not a man who repents." Do not say, he says, that there is no repentance, for there is. "Like a sweating horse in his neighing." A horse runs on a long road [alt. a great distance] and neighs, signifying its labor; and while a horse ceases from running, these work wickedness unswervingly [alt. without turning back] 93.645 "And the stork in the heaven knew her time." Aquila has rendered it "heron"; but the asida is an Indian species of bird. The turtledove and swallow, the sparrows of the field, observed their seasons. "In vain was the false pen made for the scribes." The pen, he says, that is, the lot of the scribes, which they received for teaching, has become vain, on account of their practicing a certain private wisdom, and misinterpreting the divine laws. For this shows: What wisdom is in them? "What wisdom is in them?" For there is no wisdom in such men. But only an abundance of wickedness ending [alt. leading to] in folly. "There is not

5

κατάλοιπα τοῦ Ἰσραήλ." Τοὺς μὴ δυνηθέντας, μηδὲ διὰ μάστιγος ἰαθῆναι. "Ἰδοὺ ἀπερίτμητα τὰ ὦτα αὐτῶν." Οὐκ ἀποστρεφόμενα τὰς ἀνωφελεῖς ἀκροάσεις. Σημείωσαι ποίαν περιτομὴν ζητεῖ ὁ Θεός. "Λέγοντες, Εἰρήνη, εἰρήνη." Οὐκ εἴων τῶν μαστίγων ἐπαισθάνεσθαι εἰρήνην αὐτοῖς ἐπαγγελλόμενοι. "Καὶ οὐδ' ὡς ... Καὶ τὴν ἀτιμίαν αὐτῶν οὐκ ἔγνωσαν." Οἱ γὰρ μήτε λόγῳ, μήτε μάστιγι παιδευόμενοι, ἐναπομένουσι τῷ πτώματι. "∆ιὰ τοῦτο πεσοῦνται ... καὶ ἐν καιρῷ ἐπισκοπῆς αὑτῶν ἀπολοῦνται." Κἂν ἀνακαλέσωμαι, φησὶν, αὐτοὺς, ἐκ τῶν αἰσθητῶν πολεμίων, καὶ ἐπισκέψωμαι αὐτοὺς, ἐπιμένοντας [ἄλλ. ἐπιμένοντες] ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις αἰωνίᾳ κολάσει παραδοθήσονται. "Στῆτε ἐπὶ ταῖς ὁδοῖς." Στῆτε ἐπὶ ταῖς ὁδοῖς, καὶ ἴδετε τῆς τε ζωῆς, καὶ τοῦ θανάτου· ὁδὸς δὲ καὶ ἑκάστου βίος καλεῖται. Τρίβοι Κυρίου τὰ αὐτοῦ παραγγέλματα. "Ἀκούσατε τῆς φωνῆς τῆς σάλπιγγος." Τοὺς τὸν προφητικὸν, ἢ καὶ τὸν εὐαγγελικὸν κηρύξαντας λόγον. Σάλπιγγος, τῆς διδασκαλίας. "Ἰδοὺ λαὸς ἔρχεται ἀπὸ βοῤῥᾶ." Τοῦ Βαβυλωνίου, ἢ καὶ τοῦ ἀντικειμένου. "Τόξον καὶ ζιβύνην κρατήσουσι." Τόξον τοῖς μακρὰν, ζιβύνην τοῖς ἐγγύς. Τοὺς μὲν γὰρ πλησιάζον 93.644 τας, ἔργοις, τοὺς δὲ μακρόθεν λόγοις βάλλουσιν. "Μὴ ἐκπορεύεσθε εἰς ἀγρόν." Πρὸς τῇ ἱστορίᾳ, ἀγρὸν νόει τὰ κοσμικὰ πράγματα. "Καὶ ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς μὴ βαδίζετε." Ταῖς τῆς κακίας πολυοδίαις· μία γάρ ἐστιν ὁδὸς, αὐτὸς ὁ Κύριος. "Ὅτι ῥομφαία τῶν ἐχθρῶν παροικεῖ κυκλόθεν." Ἡ θανατηφόρος ἁμαρτία, κύκλῳ γὰρ οἱ ἀσεβεῖς περιπατοῦσιν. "Χαλκὸς καὶ σίδηρος." Χαλκὸς καὶ σίδηρος ἀλλήλοις ἀμιγεῖς, ἀγάπην μὴ ἔχοντες. "Ἐξέλιπε φυσητὴρ ἀπὸ πυρός." Λόγος διδασκαλικὸς ἢ καὶ μάστιξ παιδευτική. "Ἐξέλιπε μόλιβδος." Τῷ ἀργυρίῳ μιγνύμενος ὁ μόλιβδος καθαίρει αὑτοῦ τὴν κακίαν· τοῦτο οὖν φησιν, ὅτι πᾶς τρόπος καθαρτικὸς ἐπηνέχθη αὐτοῖς, καὶ οὐκ ἐκαθάρθησαν. ΚΕΦ. Ζʹ. "Ἀκούσατε λόγον Κυρίου, πᾶσα Ἰουδαία." Μετὰ τὴν ἱστορίαν προσήκει νοεῖν, ὡς Ἰουδαία ἐστὶ πᾶσα ψυχὴ ἐγγίζουσα τῇ θεοσεβείᾳ. Ἰούδας γὰρ ἐξομολογούμενος ἑρμηνεύεται. "Καὶ θυμιᾶτε τῇ Βάαλ." Βάαλ ἐκάλουν πᾶν εἴδωλον. Βάαλ δὲ ἑρμηνεύετε τὰ ἀνώτερα κακά. Κεφαλὴ δὲ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἡ εἰδωλολατρεία. "Μὴ σπήλαιον λῃστῶν, ὁ οἶκός μου;" Τὸ σπήλαιον ἀθύρωτον, καὶ παντὶ προκείμενον εἰς τὴν εἴσοδον. Μέμφεται οὖν αὐτοῖς, ὡς ἀδιαφόρως εἰσιοῦσιν εἰς τὰ ἅγια. "Πᾶν τὸ σπέρμα Ἐφραΐμ." Ἡ βασιλικὴ φυλὴ ἄρχουσα τῶν δώδεκα φυλῶν. "Οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτῶν συλλέγουσι ξύλα." Κατὰ δύναμιν ἁμαρτάνουσιν. "Καίουσι πῦρ." Πῦρ ἡ ἁμαρτία πολλαχοῦ τῆς Γραφῆς ὠνόμασται. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πυρὸς αἰωνίου αἰτία τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσι γίνεται. "Τοῦ ποιῆσαι χαβῶνας." Ξένας τελετὰς ἐπιτελοῦσι. Χαβῶνας δέ φησι πέμματά τινα. "Καὶ φάγετε κρέα." Ὑμεῖς αὐτὰ, φησὶ, φάγετε· ἐγὼ γὰρ θυσιῶν οὐ χρῄζω. "Ἡμέρας καὶ ὄρθρου." Τὸ ἀδιάλειπτον τῆς προφητικὴς παραινέσεως σημαίνει. "Ἐξέλιπεν ἡ πίστις ἐκ στόματος αὐτῶν." Ἀπιστίαν αὐτῶν κατηγορεῖ, ἢ καὶ ψευδολογίαν. ΚΕΦ. Ηʹ. "Ἐν τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ ἀνοίξουσι." Ἐποίησε τοῦτο Ἰωσίας ὁ εὐσεβὴς βασιλεὺς, κατακαύσας τῶν εἰδωλολατρησάντων τὰ λείψανα. "Καὶ κατεκρατήθησαν ἐν τῇ προαιρέσει αὐτῶν." Αὐτεξούσιος γὰρ ὁ ἄνθρωπος. "Οὐκ ἔστιν ἄνθρωπος ὁ μετανοῶν." Μὴ λέγετε, φησὶν, Οὐκ ἔστιν μετάνοια, ἔστι γάρ. "Ὡς ἵππος κάθιδρος ἐν χρεμετισμῷ αὐτοῦ." Ἵππος ἐν μακρόδῳ [ἄλλ. μακροδίᾳ] τρέχει, καὶ χρεμετίζει, σημαίνων τὸν κόπον· καὶ ἵππος μὲν διαλιμπάνει τρέχων, οὗτοι δὲ ἀμετάστρεπτον [ἄλλ. ἀμεταστρεπτὶ] τὴν κακίαν ἐργάζονται 93.645 "Καὶ ἡ ἀσίδα ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ἔγνω τὸν καιρὸν αὐτῆς." Ἀκύλας μὲν τὸν ἐρωδιὸν ἐκδέδωκεν· ἰνδικὸν δέ ἐστιν γένος ὀρνέου ἡ ἀσίδα. Τρυγὼν καὶ χελιδὼν, ἀγροῦ στρουθία, ἐφύλαξαν καιρούς. "Εἰς μάτην ἐγενήθη σχοῖνος ψευδὴς γραμματεῦσιν." Ἡ σχοῖνος, φησὶ, τοῦτ' ἔστιν ὁ κλῆρος τῶν γραμματέων, ὃν ἔλαχον ἐπὶ τὸ διδάσκειν, μάταιος γέγονε, διὰ τὸ ἰδικήν τινα σοφίαν ἐπιτηδεύειν, καὶ παρεξηγεῖσθαι τὰ θεῖα νόμιμα. Τοῦτο γὰρ δειλοῖ τό· Σοφία τίς ἐν αὐτοῖς; "Σοφία τίς ἐστὶν ἐν αὐτοῖς;" Οὐδεμία γὰρ ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις σοφία. Κακίας δὲ μόνον περιουσία τελευτῶσα [ἄλλ. πρὸς] εἰς ἄνοιαν. "Οὐκ ἔστι