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in the camp, and the Egyptians, fighting alongside, were mercilessly killing the Jews. But according to the spiritual meaning, you will understand it thus: Egypt is taken as a hypothesis of sojourning, but the Assyrians, of captivity. Therefore, the sojourning can be understood as the vanity of this age, and Assur as the working of evil things. "Our fathers." For you, says the Lord, are sons of those who murdered the prophets, and so you fill up the measure of your fathers. But according to the spiritual contemplation, the preceding manners are anticipations of sins, the memory of which, after they have passed, is prolonged, tormenting the conscience. "Slaves have ruled over us." The manners, being slaves, preferring sin, rule over the will; for by nature the will is also the mistress of every counsel. But when it is turned to sin, and prefers the opposite of the good, the preferred sin rules over it with its counsels. "There is no one to ransom." For no one is by nature able to ransom, except God alone. "At the peril of our lives." According to history: the besieged, being in peril, would go out secretly from the wall, if perhaps they might find even herbs for food. But according to the spiritual meaning, it signifies the struggle unto death to resist sin. "Because of the sword." According to history, he says the nations that warred against the Jews are desolate, having long been desolate. But according to the spiritual meaning, from the untamed and inhuman sin. "Our skin." For those who are of Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. "They were drawn tight." From a most vehement and intense famine, whether of the sensible according to history, or of the intelligible according to the spiritual contemplation. "Women in Zion." According to history, treating them shamefully; but according to the spiritual meaning, the persecutors of the Church. "Princes by their hands." In the hands of those who write against the truth. "Elders." For when the truth is falsified, the elders also are dishonored with it. "The chosen." Lamenting over what has happened. "And young men." So strong in faith, as even to be crucified for Christ. "And elders." According to history, those sitting in the gates of Jerusalem and provoking the people, in those very places, he says, 93.761 they were slain. But applying the word to the martyrs, you will understand that they ceased from the departure from this age, that is, they were perfected. "The crown has fallen." The Jews say this because of the law, but those of the Church because of those who mock the mystery of the cross. "Because of this they were darkened." For the desolation of the land provided darkness for us out of despondency, as the pleasure-loving beasts increased in its desolation; but it has not become desolate of you, who are present everywhere and watch over all. "Foxes." The most bitter heretics in their cunning. "But you, O Lord, for ever." That is, restore us at some time, as you are eternal. "Why to victory?" Why are you silent that we should be conquered? "Will you abandon us." Prolonging the abandonment. "Turn us." Since we are cast off because of the multitude of sins, the prophet asks for propitiation, through which the return to the Lord eagerly takes place. "And renew us." Inasmuch as you also foreordained the salvation of man according to foreknowledge.

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στρατοπέδῳ, Αἰγύπτιοι δὲ συμπολεμοῦντες ἀνηλεῶς ἀνῄρουν τοὺς Ἰουδαίους. Πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν οὕτω νοήσεις· Αἴγυπτος εἰς ὑπόθεσιν παροικίας λαμβάνεται, Ἀσσύριοι δὲ, αἰχμαλωσίας. ∆ύναται οὖν ἡ μὲν παροικία ἐπὶ τῇ ματαιότητι τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου ἐκλαμβάνεσθαι, ὁ δὲ Ἀσσοὺρ ἐπὶ τῇ ἐξεργασίᾳ τῶν χειρόνων. "Οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν." Ὑμεῖς γὰρ, φησὶν ὁ Κύριος, υἱοί ἐστε τῶν φονευσάντων τοὺς προφήτας, καὶ ὑμεῖς οὖν πληρώσατε τὸ μέρος τῶν πατέρων ὑμῶν. Κατὰ δὲ τὴν θεωρίαν, οἱ προλαβόντες τρόπον εἰσὶ γὰρ προλήψεις ἁμαρτημάτων, ὧν ἡ μνήμη μετὰ τὸ παρελθεῖν αὐτὰς παρεκτείνεται βασανίζουσα τὴν συνείδησιν. "∆οῦλοι ἐκυρίευσαν." Οἱ τρόποι δοῦλοι ὅντες προκρίνοντες τὴν ἁμαρτίαν κυριεύουσι τῆς προαιρέσεως· κατὰ φύσιν γὰρ ἡ προαίρεσις καὶ κυρία πάσης βουλῆς. Ἐπὰν δὲ τραπῇ εἰς ἁμαρτίαν, καὶ προκρίνῃ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ τὸ ἐναντίον, κυριεύει αὐτῆς ἡ προκριθεῖσα ἁμαρτία μετὰ τῶν διαβουλίων αὐτῆς. "Λυτρούμενος οὐκ ἔστιν." Οὐδεὶς γὰρ λυτροῦσθαι πέφυκεν, εἰ μὴ μόνος ὁ Θεός. "Ἐν ταῖς ψυχαῖς." Πρὸς μὲν ἱστορίαν· παρακινδυνεύοντες οἱ πολιορκούμενοι, λάθρα τοῦ τείχους ἐξῄεσαν, εἴπως κἂν βοτανῶν εἰς τροφὴν εὐπορήσωσιν. Πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν, τὸν ἀγῶνα τὸν μέχρι θανάτου σημαίνει τὸ ἀντικαθίστασθαι τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ. "Ἀπὸ προσώπου ῥομφαίας." Κατὰ τὴν ἱστορίαν, ἔρημόν φησι τὰ ἔθνη τὰ πολεμήσαντα τοὺς Ἰουδαίους, πάλαι ὄντα ἔρημον. Πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν, ἀπὸ τῆς ἀνημέρου, καὶ ἀπανθρώπου ἁμαρτίας. "Τὸ δέρμα ἡμῶν." Οἱ γὰρ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, τὴν σάρκα ἐσταύρωσαν σὺν τοῖς παθήμασιν καὶ ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις. "Συνεσπάσθησαν." Ἀπὸ σφοδροτάτου, καὶ ἐπιτεταμένου λιμοῦ, εἴτε τοῦ αἰσθητοῦ κατὰ τὴν ἱστορίαν, εἴτε τοῦ νοητοῦ κατὰ τὴν θεωρίαν. "Γυναῖκες ἐν Σιών." Πρὸς μὲν ἱστορίαν, ἀσχημόνως αὐταῖς κεχρημένοι· πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν, τῆς Ἐκκλησίας οἱ διῶκται. "Ἄρχοντες ἐν χερσίν." Ἐν ταῖς χερσὶ τῶν κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας συγγραφόντων. "Πρεσβύτεροι." Τῆς γὰρ ἀληθείας παραγραφομένης, καὶ οἱ πρεσβύτεροι αὐτῇ συνατιμάζονται. "Ἐκλεκτοί." Ἐπὶ τοῖς συμβεβηκόσιν ὀδυρόμενοι. "Καὶ νεανίσκοι." Οὕτως ἰσχυροὶ τὴν πίστιν, ὡς καὶ σταυρωθῆναι διὰ Χριστόν. "Καὶ πρεσβύται." Κατὰ μὲν τὴν ἱστορίαν, οἱ ἐν ταῖς πύλαις τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ καθεζόμενοι, καὶ παραπικραίνοντες τὸν λαὸν, ἐν αὐτοῖς, φησὶ, τοῖς τόποις 93.761 ἀνῃρέθησαν. Εἰς δὲ τοὺς μάρτυρας ἀνάγων τὸν λόγον νοήσεις, ὅτι ἀπὸ ἐξόδου τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου κατέπαυσαν, τουτέστιν ἐτελειώθησαν. "Ἔπεσεν ὁ στέφανος." Ἰουδαῖοι μὲν τοῦτό φασιν διὰ τὸν νόμον, οἱ δὲ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας διὰ τοὺς διασύροντας τοῦ σταυροῦ τὸ μυστήριον. "Περὶ τούτου ἐσκότασαν." Σκότος γὰρ ἡμῖν ἐξ ἀθυμίας ἡ τῆς χώρας ἐρημία παρείχετο, πλεονασάντων ἐν αὐτῇ τῶν φιληδονούντων ἐρημίᾳ θηρίων· ἀλλ' οὐ σοῦ γέγονεν ἔρημος, τοῦ πανταχοῦ παρόντος καὶ ἐποπτεύοντος. "Ἀλώπεκες." Οἱ ἐν πανουργίᾳ πικρότατοι ἑτερόδοξοι. "Σὺ δὲ, Κύριε, εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα." Ἤγουν, ἀνάκτησαι ἡμᾶς ποτε ὡς ἀΐδιος. "Ἵνα τί εἰς νῖκος;" Ἵνα τί σιωπᾷς εἰς τὸ νικηθῆναι ἡμᾶς; "Καταλείψει ἡμᾶς." Παρεκτείνων τὴν ἐγκατάλειψιν. "Ἐπίστρεψον ἡμᾶς." Ἐπειδὴ διὰ πλῆθος ἁμαρτιῶν ἀποῤῥιπτόμεθα, ἱλασμὸν αἰτεῖ ὁ προφήτης, δι' οὗ ἡ ἐπιστροφὴ προθύμως πρὸς Κύριον γίνεται. "Καὶ ἀνακαίνισον ἡμᾶς." Καθὸ καὶ κατὰ πρόγνωσιν προώρισας τὴν σωτηρίαν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου.