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of her. And your name shall no longer be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham. Seek the interpretations of the names; for they were named with power by the Holy Spirit; but indeed it is also necessary to know this, that names are indicative of states, and conditions, and qualities; from which it is possible to see the aptitude of the one named. And Abraham said to God: May this Ishmael live before you. Abraham asked for something exceptional concerning Ishmael, not being satisfied with, 'may he live'; wherefore he added: 'before you'. For to live before the Lord belongs to the blessed and to the saints alone. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in days. Perhaps 'advanced in days' is applied only to the righteous. If this is so, no wicked person has advanced. And Abraham drew near and said: Will you destroy the righteous with the wicked? This is a commendation of Abraham. For the steadfastness of his piety is shown, which is why he was able to draw near. But 'to draw near' is not to be understood physically. And Lot was sitting at the gate of Sodom. Lot was not inside Sodom, but at the gate. I myself would say, that in the same way Abraham sat outside his tent, watching for passers-by for the sake of hospitality even at an inopportune time; (for it was midday;) so his kinsman and imitator of his ways sat at the gate, inviting those passing by, as evening was already coming on; knowing especially the wickedness of those in Sodom, and that there was no rest there for strangers. And he constrained them, and they entered his house. Since Lot was not such a man as Abraham, for this reason, hesitating to go in to him, they require constraint. But the men who were at the door of the house they struck with blindness. Those who have used their sight for evil are struck with blindness for a good purpose, and are hindered from sinning by their blindness. And he overthrew all these cities, and all the surrounding country, and all who lived in the cities, and all that grew 12.117 out of the earth. The Lord not only destroys the wicked, but also their food, which was of Sodom and harmful, among which is also the vine, about which it is written: For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and their branches of Gomorrah. And his wife looked behind, and she became a pillar of salt. It profited Lot's wife nothing to have been laid hold of by the angels, even though she came out of Sodom, since she turned to look back. But Abimelech did not touch her. The phrase, 'did not touch,' has emphasis, like, 'it is good for a man not to touch a woman'; which means even without intercourse, in no other passionate way, that is, to look at or to touch a woman. However, God did not permit Abimelech to touch her; and perhaps any who is perfectly sound of mind; for such a thing is a gift from God. And Abraham said to his young men: Sit here with the donkey; and I and the lad will go yonder, and worship, and we will return to you. He said these things, having reasoned that God is able even to raise from the dead. And Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering, and laid it on Isaac his son. For bearing His own cross on his shoulder Christ suffered outside the gate, not forced into the passion by human strength, but from His own will, and by the counsel of God the Father. Behold, Milcah also has borne sons to Nahor your brother, Uz his firstborn, and the rest. They interpret Milcah as kingdom; Uz as counseling; Nahor as rest of light; Buz as despised; Kemuel as resurrection of God; Syrian as lofty; Hazo as falsehood; Azau as seeing; Pildash as fall of the needy, or fall of poverty; Jidlaph as abundance of the hand, or take the hand; Bethuel as dweller of God, or daughter of God; Rebekah as patience; Reumah as expected vision; Tebah as ruminating; Tahash as silence; Maacah as empty bowel. Behold, I am standing by the spring of water. Therefore one must strive to stand by the spring, so that the saying may not also apply to us, 'They have forsaken me, the spring of living water'. And let it be that the virgin to whom I shall say, Incline 12.120 your pitcher, and the rest. Becoming is the

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αὐτῆς. Καὶ οὐ κληθήσεται ἔτι τὸ ὄνομά σου Ἀβρὰμ, ἀλλ' ἔσται τὸ ὄνομά σου Ἀβραάμ. Τὰς ἑρμη νείας τῶν ὀνομάτων ζήτει· δυνάμει γὰρ ὠνομά σθησαν ὑπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος· ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ τοῦτο χρὴ εἰδέναι, ὅτι τὰ ὀνόματα ἕξεών ἐστι, καὶ καταστάσεων, καὶ ποιοτήτων δηλωτικά· ἐξ ὧν ἔστιν ἰδεῖν τὴν ἐπιτηδειότητα τοῦ ὀνομαζο μένου. Εἶπε δὲ Ἀβραὰμ πρὸς τὸν Θεόν· Ἰσμαὴλ οὗτος ζήτω ἐναντίον σοῦ. Ἐξαίρετόν τι ἠξίου περὶ τοῦ Ἰσμαὴλ ὁ Ἀβραὰμ, οὐκ ἀρκούμενος τῷ, ζήτω· διὸ προσέθηκεν· ἐναντίον σοῦ. Τὸ γὰρ ζῇν ἐναντίον Κυρίου μακαρίων ἐστὶ καὶ τῶν ἁγίων μόνων. Ἀβραὰμ δὲ καὶ Σάῤῥα πρεσβύτεροι προβε βηκότες ἡμερῶν. Μήποτε ἐπὶ δικαίων μόνων τὸ, προβεβηκότες ἡμερῶν, τέτακται. Ὅπερ ἐὰν οὕ τως ἔχει, οὐδεὶς φαῦλος προβέβηκε. Καὶ ἐγγίσας Ἀβραὰμ εἶπε· Μὴ συναπολέσῃς δίκαιον μετὰ ἀσεβοῦς. Ἐγκώμιον τοῦτο τοῦ Ἀβραάμ. ∆ηλοῦται γὰρ τὸ βέβαιον τῆς εὐσεβείας αὐτοῦ, διὸ καὶ ἐγγίσαι δεδύνηται. Τὸ δὲ ἐγγίσαι οὐ σωματικῶς νοητέον. Λὼτ δὲ ἐκάθητο παρὰ τὴν πύλην Σοδόμων. Οὐκ ἦν ἔνδον Σοδόμων Λὼτ, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὴν πύλην. Εἴποιμι δ' ἂν αὐτὸς, ὃν τρόπον ἔξω τῆς σκη νῆς ὁ Ἀβραὰμ ἐκάθητο ἐπιτηρῶν διὰ φιλοξενίαν καὶ παρὰ καιρὸν τοὺς διοδεύοντας· (μεσημβρία γὰρ ἦν·) οὕτως ὁ ἐκείνου συγγενὴς καὶ μιμητὴς τῶν τρόπων ἐκαθέζετο παρὰ τῇ πύλῃ, προτρεπόμενος τοὺς παρ ιόντας, καὶ ἑσπέρας ἤδη καταλαβούσης· εἰδὼς μά λιστα τῶν ἐν Σοδόμοις τὴν ἀσέβειαν, καὶ ὡς οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκεῖσε τοῖς ξένοις ἀνάπαυσις. Καὶ κατεβιάσατο αὐτοὺς, καὶ εἰσῆλθον εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ. Ἐπειδὴ μὴ τοιοῦτος ἦν ὁ Λὼτ οἷος ὁ Ἀβραὰμ, διὰ τοῦτο, ὀκνοῦντες διελθεῖν πρὸς αὐτὸν, βίας χρῄζουσιν. Τοὺς δὲ ἄνδρας τοὺς ὄντας ἐπὶ τῆς θύρας τοῦ οἴκου ἐπάταξαν ἀορασίᾳ. Ἐπ' ἀγαθῷ πατάσ σονται ἀορασίᾳ οἱ κακῶς τῇ ὁράσει χρησάμενοι, καὶ εἰς τὸ ἁμαρτάνειν ἐμποδιζόμενοι ὑπὸ τῆς ἀορασίας. Καὶ κατέστρεψε πάσας τὰς πόλεις ταύτας, καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν περίχωρον, καὶ πάντας τοὺς κατοι κοῦντας ἐν ταῖς πόλεσι, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἀνατέλ 12.117 λοντα ἐκ τῆς γῆς. Ὁ Κύριος οὐ μόνον τοὺς ἀσεβεῖς ἀπόλλυσι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς τροφὰς αὐτῶν, οὔσας Σοδομιτικὰς καὶ ἐπιβλαβεῖς, ἐν αἷς ἐστι καὶ ἄμπε λος, περὶ ἧς γέγραπται· Ἐκ γὰρ ἀμπέλου Σοδόμων ἡ ἄμπελος αὐτῶν, καὶ ἡ κληματὶς αὐτῶν ἐκ Γο μόῤῥας. Καὶ ἐπέβλεψεν ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω, καὶ ἐγένετο στήλη ἁλός. Οὐδὲν ὤνησε τὴν γυ ναῖκα Λὼτ τὸ κεκρατῆσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν ἀγγέλων, εἰ καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ἔξω Σοδόμων, ἐπείπερ ἐστράφη εἰς τοὐπίσω. Ἀβιμέλεχ δὲ οὐχ ἥψατο αὐτῆς. Ἔμφασιν ἔχει τὸ, οὐχ ἥψατο, ὡς τὸ, καλὸν ἀνθρώπῳ γυναικὸς μὴ ἅπτεσθαι· ὅπερ ἐστὶ καὶ χωρὶς μίξεως κατὰ μηδὲν ἄλλο παθητικῶς, ἤτοι ἐνιδεῖν, ἢ ἅψασθαι γυ ναικός. Ὁ Θεὸς μέντοι οὐκ ἀφῆκεν ἅψασθαι τὸν Ἀβιμέλεχ αὐτῆς· τάχα καὶ πάντα τὸν ἄκρως συμφρο νοῦντα· θεόσδοτον γὰρ τὸ τοιοῦτον. Καὶ εἶπεν Ἀβραὰμ τοῖς παισὶν αὐτοῦ· Καθίσατε αὐτοῦ μετὰ τῆς ὄνου· ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ τὸ παιδάριον διελευσόμεθα ἕως ὧδε, καὶ προσκυνήσαντες ὑπο στρέψομεν πρὸς ὑμᾶς. Ταῦτα εἶπε λογισά μενος, ὅτι καὶ ἐκ νεκρῶν ἐγείρειν δυνατὸς ὁ Θεός. Ἔλαβε καὶ Ἀβραὰμ τὰ ξύλα τῆς ὁλοκαρπώ σεως, καὶ ἐπέθηκεν Ἰσαὰκ τῷ υἱῷ αὐτοῦ. Ἐπωμάδιον γὰρ ἔχων τὸν οἰκεῖον σταυρὸν ἔξω τῆς πύλης ἔπαθεν ὁ Χριστὸς, οὐκ ἐξ ἀνθρωπίνης ἰσχύος βεβιασμένος εἰς τὸ πάθος, ἀλλ' ἐκ θελήματος οἰκείου, καὶ βουλήσει τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρός. Ἰδοὺ τέτοκε Μελχὰ καὶ αὐτὴ υἱοὺς Ναχὼρ τῷ ἀδελφῷ σου, τὸν Ὢζ πρωτότοκον, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Μελχὰ ἑρμηνεύουσι βασιλείαν· Ὢζ βουλευόμενον· Ναχὼρ ἀνάπαυσιν φωτός· Βαὺζ ἐξουδενωμέ νον· Καμουὴλ ἀνάστασιν Θεοῦ· Σύρων μετέωρον· Χαζὰδ ψεῦδος· Ἀζαῦ ὁρῶντα· Φάλδακ πτῶσιν ἐνδεοῦς, ἢ πτῶσιν πτωχείας· Ἰεδλὰφ χειρὸς περισ σείαν, ἢ χεῖρα λάβε· Βαθουὴλ ἔνοικον Θεοῦ, ἢ θυγα τέρα Θεοῦ· Ῥεβέκκα ὑπομονήν· Ῥεέμα ὅρασιν προσδοκωμένην· Ταὰμ, διαμηρυκώμενον· Τοχὼς σιγήν· Μωχὰν ἔντερον κενόν. Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἕστηκα ἐπὶ τῆς πηγῆς τοῦ ὕδατος. ∆ιὸ φιλοτιμητέον ἑστηκέναι ἐπὶ τῆς πηγῆς, ἵνα μὴ καὶ ἐφ' ἡμῶν ἁρμόσῃ τὸ, Ἐμὲ ἐγκατέλιπον πη γὴν ὕδατος ζῶντος. Καὶ ἔσται ἡ παρθένος, ᾗ ἂν ἐγὼ εἴπω, Ἐπίκλι 12.120 νον τὴν ὑδρίαν σου, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Πρέπουσα ἡ