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threatened. 10. For this reason fathers will eat children in your midst, and children will eat fathers. And this happened both in the siege of the Babylonians and in that of the Romans, as the excess of famine brought about the unholy act. "And I will execute judgments in you." That is, I will judge you justly. "And I will scatter all your remnants to every wind." The saying needs no interpretation, as the facts cry out. 11. Therefore, as I live, says the Lord Adonai, surely because you defiled my holy things with all your offenses and with all your abominations, I too will cast you away. He calls "holy things" not only the ordinances, but also the temple set apart for him, which they profaned by the stationing of idols; and he names the idols "offenses" and "abominations," "abominations" as being full of loathsomeness, "offenses" as being filled with all disgust. Such is that which was said by Rebecca: "I am weary of my life because of the daughters of the Canaanites; if Jacob my son takes a wife from them, why should I live?" that is, I greatly loathe the daughters of the Canaanites. And again God through David, "Therefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, 'They always go astray in their heart'; that is, I loathed them. And again concerning the lawless one, the same prophet says, "But he was not grieved by wickedness," that is, he did not loathe wickedness. "My eye will not spare, nor will I have pity." So great is the excess of lawlessness, that the merciful one does not endure to show mercy, and the lover of mankind does not spare those who are punished. Then he relates what has already been interpreted, how he will deliver the fourth part to famine, and another portion again to death; then another to slaughter by war, and the remaining fourth to captivity, with punishment again following these also. And he adds: 81.868 13. And my anger will be accomplished, and my wrath upon them, and I will be comforted, and they will know that I the Lord have spoken in my zeal, when I have accomplished my wrath upon them. The Divine is without passion, and completely without anger, but it uses human terms, thus naming the punitive actions. And the phrase, "My wrath will be accomplished upon them," is instead of, it will receive an end. And when they have learned by experience that I am God, and Master, that having loathed their lawlessness I brought on the punishment, I will be comforted; for to this end I also brought on the punishments. 14. And I will make you a desolate place, and a reproach among those around you. This too is enough to cause bitter grief, that those who dwell in the neighborhood, and are continually at war, should mock and gloat over the desolation. "And your daughters that are round about you in the sight of every passer-by." He calls the subject cities and villages "daughters". 15. And you will be lamented, and an example of instruction and of destruction, and your daughters round about you among the nations that are round about you. I will make you conspicuous, he says, in evils, so that all who hear of your destruction, and of the cities and villages subject to you, will groan and lament. "When I execute judgments in you in anger and in wrath, in the vengeance of wrath, and in reproofs." Then, showing the truthfulness of what was said, 16. I the Lord, he says, have spoken. For the declaration of the person is sufficient to show the truth. When I send my arrows of famine upon them, and they will be for ruin; and I will send them to destroy you, and I will command a famine, and I will break your staff of bread. (17) And I will send upon you the sword, and evil beasts, and I will punish you, and death and blood will pass through you, and I will bring a sword upon you from every side; I the Lord have spoken. He says the same things many times, wishing to frighten the hearers, so that by the fear of painful things he may turn them to piety, and not bring upon them the experience of the threat. And he named the most savage Chaldeans "evil beasts," who come on like flesh-devouring beasts, slaughtering some, and taking others alive and as captives of war.

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ἠπειλημένα. ιʹ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πατέρες φάγονται τέκνα ἀναμέ σον σου, καὶ τέκνα φάγονται πατέρας. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἐν τῇ Βαβυλωνίων, καὶ ἐν τῇ Ῥωμαίων πο λιορκίᾳ γεγένηται, τῆς ὑπερβολῆς τοῦ λιμοῦ τὴν ἀνοσιουργίαν ἐργασαμένης. "Καὶ ποιήσω ἐν σοὶ κρίματα." Τουτέστι, δικαίως σοι δικάσω. "Καὶ δια σπερῶ πάντας τοὺς καταλοίπους σου εἰς πάντα ἄνεμον." Οὐ δεῖται ἑρμηνείας λόγος, τῶν πραγμά των βοώντων. ιαʹ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο, Ζῶ ἐγὼ, λέγει Ἀδωναῒ Κύριος, ἦ μὴν ἀνθ' ὧν τὰ ἅγιά μου ἐμίανας ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς προσοχθίσμασί σου, καὶ ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς βδελύγμασί σου, κἀγὼ ἀπώσομαί σε. Ἅγια καλεῖ οὐ μόνον τὰ νόμιμα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν ἀφορισθέντα αὐτῷ ναὸν, ὃν τῇ τῶν εἰδώλων ἐβεβήλωσαν στάσει· προσοχθίσματα δὲ καὶ βδελύγματα, τὰ εἴδωλα ὀνομάζει, βδελύ γματα μὲν ὡς βδελυγμίας μεστὰ, προσοχθίσματα τὰ ἀηδίας πάσης ἀνάμεστα. Τοιοῦτόν ἐστι τὸ ὑπὸ τῆς Ῥεβέκκας λεγόμενον· "Προσώχθικα τῇ ψυχῇ μου διὰ τὰς θυγατέρας τῶν Χαναναίων, εἰ λήψεται Ἰακὼβ ὁ υἱός μου ἐξ αὐτῶν γυναῖκα, ἱνατί μοι ζῇν;" τουτέστι, Βδελύττομαι σφόδρα τὰς θυγατέρας τῶν Χαναναίων. Καὶ πάλιν ὁ Θεὸς διὰ τοῦ ∆αβὶδ, "∆ιὸ προσώχθισα τῇ γενεᾷ ἐκείνῃ, καὶ εἶπον· Ἀεὶ πλα νῶνται τῇ καρδίᾳ· τουτέστιν, Ἐβδελυξάμην. Καὶ πά λιν περὶ τοῦ παρανόμου, φησὶν ὁ αὐτὸς προφήτης "Κακίᾳ δὲ οὐ προσώχθισε", τουτέστιν, οὐκ ἐβδε λύξατο τὴν κακίαν. "Οὐ φείσεται ὀφθαλμός μου, καὶ οὐκ ἐλεήσω ἐγώ." Τοσαύτη ἡ τῆς παρανομίας ὑπερβολὴ, ὅτι ὁ ἐλεήμων ἐλεεῖν οὐκ ἀνέχεται, καὶ ὁ φιλάνθρωπος τῶν κολαζομένων οὐ φείδεται. Εἶτα διηγεῖται τὰ ἤδη ἡρμηνευμένα, ὅπως λιμῷ μὲν πα ραδώσει τὸ τέταρτον, καὶ θανάτῳ πάλιν τὴν ἄλλην μοῖραν· εἶτα τὴν ἄλλην τῇ διὰ τοῦ πολέμου σφαγῇ, καὶ τὸ λειπόμενον τέταρτον αἰχμαλωσίᾳ, τῆς τιμω ρίας πάλιν καὶ τούτοις ἀκολουθούσης. Καὶ ἐπάγει· 81.868 ιγʹ. Καὶ συντελεσθήσεται ὁ θυμός μου, καὶ ἡ ὀργή μου ἐπ' αὐτοὺς, καὶ παρακληθήσομαι, καὶ ἐπιγνώσονται, διότι ἐγὼ Κύριος λελάληκα ἐν τῷ ζήλῳ μου, ἐν τῷ συντελέσαι με τὴν ὀργήν μου ἐπ' αὐτούς. Ἀπαθὲς τὸ Θεῖον, καὶ παντελῶς ἀόργητον, τοῖς δὲ ἀνθρωπίνοις ὀνόμασι κέχρηται, τὰς τιμωρητικὰς ἐνεργείας οὕτω προσαγορεύων. Τὸ δὲ, "Συντελεσθήσεται ἡ ὀργή μου ἐπ' αὐτοὺς", ἀντὶ τοῦ, πέρας λήψεται. Μαθόντων δὲ αὐτῶν διὰ τῆς πείρας, ὅτι Θεός εἰμι, καὶ ∆εσπότης, ὅτι τὴν παρανομίαν αὐτῶν βδελυξάμενος τὴν τιμωρίαν ἐπήγαγον, παρα κληθήσομαι· ἐπὶ τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ τὰς κολάσεις ἐπ ήγαγον. ιδʹ. Καὶ θήσομαί σε εἰς ἔρημον, καὶ εἰς ὄνει δος τοῖς κύκλῳ σου. Ἱκανὸν καὶ τοῦτο πικρῶς ἀνιᾶσαι, τὸ τοὺς ἐκ γειτόνων οἰκοῦντας, καὶ διηνεκῶς ἐκπεπολεμωμένους, ἐπιγελᾷν, καὶ τῇ ἐρημίᾳ ἐπεντρυφᾷν. "Καὶ τὰς θυγατέρας τὰς κύκλῳ σου ἐνώπιον παντὸς διοδεύοντος." Θυγατέρας καλεῖ τὰς ὑποκειμένας πόλεις καὶ κώμας. ιεʹ. Καὶ ἔσῃ στενακτὴ, καὶ δήλη παιδείᾳ καὶ ἀφανισμοῖς, καὶ αἱ θυγατέρες σου κύκλῳ σου ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι τοῖς κύκλῳ σου. Ἐπίσημόν σε, φη σὶν, ἐν τοῖς κακοῖς ποιήσω, ὥστε πάντας τοὺς ἀκούοντας τὸν ἀφανισμόν σου, καὶ τῶν ὑποκειμένων σοι πόλεων καὶ κωμῶν, στένειν καὶ ὀδύρεσθαι. "Ἐν τῷ ποιῆσαί με ἐν σοὶ κρίματα ἐν ὀργῇ καὶ ἐν θυμῷ, ἐν ἐκδικήσει θυμοῦ, καὶ ἐλέγχοις." Εἶτα τὸ ἀψευδὲς δεικνὺς τῶν εἰρημένων, ι ϛʹ. Ἐγὼ Κύριος, φησὶ, λελάληκα. Ἱκανὴ γὰρ ἡ τοῦ προσώπου δήλωσις τὴν ἀλήθειαν δεῖξαι. Ἐν τῷ ἐξαποστεῖλαι με τὰς βολίδας μου τοῦ λιμοῦ ἐπ' αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἔσονται εἰς ἔκλειψιν· καὶ ἀποστελῶ αὐτὰς διαφθεῖραι ὑμᾶς, καὶ λιμὸν συντάξω, καὶ συντρίψω στήριγμα ἄρτου σου. (ιζʹ) Καὶ ἐξαποστελῶ ἐπὶ σὲ ῥομφαίαν, καὶ θηρία πονηρὰ, καὶ τιμωρήσομαί σε, καὶ θάνατος καὶ αἷμα διελεύσεται ἐπὶ σὲ, καὶ ῥομφαίαν ἐπάξω ἐπὶ σὲ κυκλόθεν· ἐγὼ Κύριος λελάληκα. Τὰ αὐτὰ πολλάκις λέγει, δεδίξασθαι βουλόμενος τοὺς ἀκούον τας, ἵνα τῷ φόβῳ τῶν ἀλγεινῶν εἰς εὐσέβειαν μετα βάλῃ, καὶ τῆς ἀπειλῆς μὴ ἐπαγάγῃ τὴν πεῖραν. Θηρία δὲ πονηρὰ τοὺς ὠμοτάτους Χαλδαίους ὠνό μασεν, δίκην θηρίων ὠμοβόρων ἐπιόντας, καὶ τοὺς μὲν κατασφάττοντας, τοὺς δὲ ζωγροῦντας καὶ δορυ αλώτους λαμβάνοντας.