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of the king." Perhaps God threatens to bring them back after they have departed and begun to run away. CHAPTER 35. "A chamber." A chamber, that is, a treasury. "We and our wives." Note the obedience of children and wives in observing such great exactness. "Will you not receive instruction?" Are you not ashamed, then, and do you turn to hear my words? CHAPTER 30. "Take for yourself a scroll of a book." A paper of a book, or a paper book, or in ancient times they also wrote in volumes, and used volumes instead of books. "All the evils." The painful things, the afflicting things; the 93.697 things that through discipline call them to correction. "He shall have no one to sit on the throne." And above he threatened Jehoiakim: 'He shall be buried with the burial of a donkey'; and now he threatens him because he burned the scroll. "And many more words were added to it." Since Jehoiakim thought to destroy the prophecy by burning the book, God commands that the first words be written, and he adds others. CHAPTER 37. "And if you should strike." Not that this has happened, but by examples he foretells to them the complete hopelessness of being able to escape. "To buy there." Either to buy a place for a dwelling, or to buy instead of, to go to the market, and to prophesy in the marketplace; or to risk danger there also, and by one's own dangers to purchase the salvation of those being saved. "Let mercy fall." That is, Be merciful to me. "And he commanded." This means that dirty bread, other than what was baked for the free, so as to mean that which was provided to the servants, or even to the dogs; or since there was a famine as in the war, and each person was receiving a manifest portion, the king sent secretly to the prophet, so that no one might meet with him; for they feared his teaching. CHAPTER 38. "For the king could not do anything against them." Instead of, to gain his soul. It is clear, then, that he wishes the prophet not to be killed, just as Pilate did not wish for Jesus, the Lord of the prophets. "And they let him down into the cistern." The prophet becomes a type of the mystery of Christ, who was given into the hands of the Jews by Pilate, who descended to the ill-omened and most unpleasant Hades, and who rose from the dead; just as indeed the prophet also came up again from the cistern; for Scripture often calls Hades a cistern. "You have done evil in what you have done." Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, wishing to save Jeremiah, blames the king, saying: You did not counsel well to kill the man in the cistern. For he should have endured with us the most pitiful death by famine. "As the Lord lives." A sign from this also, that the soul is created. "I have a word." Some of the Jews who deserted to the Chaldeans promised Zedekiah that they would not allow the enemies to capture him; and he was persuaded more by them than by God who said that he must follow the Babylonian. But God said this, wishing them to be saved; for if they had lived by following the enemy, having known the God who 93.700 had delivered them up, they would have repented, and gained their own souls. "The men of your peace." Instead of, your friends. "And they will prevail against you." That is, They were strong enough to turn you from the straight path; they will prevail. CHAPTER 39. "And in the tenth year of Zedekiah." After besieging Jerusalem for a time, the Babylonians took it, and bringing Jeremiah out of the prison, they handed him over to Gedaliah, and set him in the midst of the people. "And they brought out." Perhaps the Chaldeans, having heard from the deserters that Jeremiah foretold to the Jews not to resist them, honored him. "And to Jeremiah." Having spoken of the capture of the city, since it was necessary to mention how God honored Ebed-melech, and promised him through the prophet not to deliver him into the hands of enemies, since he himself had taken care of the prophet, he ran back to the events before the capture. "Go." God does not command the prophet to move from place to place; for he was in prison; but 'Go,' here, is instead of, 'Minister to my words, and announce these things to the

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βασιλέως." Ἴσως ἀναζεύξαντας αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἀρξαμένους ἀποτρέχειν, ἀπειλεῖ Θεὸς ἐπιστρέφειν. ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΛΕʹ. "Παστοφόριον." Παστοφόριον, ἤγουν γαζοφυλάκιον. "Ἡμεῖς καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες ἡμῶν." Σημείωσαι ὑπακοὴν τέκνων καὶ γυναικῶν ἐπὶ παραφυλακῇ τοσαύτης ἀκριβείας. "Οὐ μὴ λάβητε παιδείαν." Οὐκ ἐντρέπεσθε λοιπὸν, καὶ μεταπορεύεσθε εἰς τὸ ἀκούειν τῶν λόγων μου; ΚΕΦΑΛ. Λʹ. "Λάβε σεαυτῷ χαρτίον βιβλίου." Χάρτην βιβλίου, ἢ βιβλίον χάρτινον, ἢ καὶ ἐν τόμοις ἔγραφον τὸ παλαιὸν, καὶ τοῖς τόμοις ἀντὶ τῶν βιβλίων ἐχρῶντο. "Πάντα τὰ κακά." Τὰ ἐπίπονα, τὰ κακωτικά· τὰ 93.697 διὰ τῆς παιδείας προσκαλούμενα αὐτοὺς εἰς διόρθωσιν. "Οὐκ ἔσται αὐτῷ καθήμενος ἐπὶ θρόνου." Καὶ ἀνωτέρω μὲν ἠπείλησε τῷ Ἰωακείμ· Ταφὴν ὄνου ταφήσεται· καὶ νῦν δὲ αὐτῷ ἀπειλεῖ, ὅτι τὸν χάρτην κατέκαυσεν. "Καὶ προσετέθησαν αὐτῷ λόγοι πλείονες." Ἐπειδὴ ἐνόμισεν ὁ Ἰωακεὶμ ἐξαφανίζειν τὴν προφητείαν διὰ τοῦ ἐμπρησμοῦ τοῦ βιβλίου, κελεύει Θεὸς καὶ τὰ πρῶτα γραφῆναι, καὶ ἕτερα προστίθησι. ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΛΖʹ. "Καὶ ἐὰν πατάξητε." Οὐχ ὅτι τοῦτο γέγονεν, ἀλλ' ἐκ δειγμάτων αὐτοῖς τὴν παντελῆ ἀνελπιστίαν τοῦ δυνηθῆναι διαφυγεῖν προλέγει. "Τοῦ ἀγοράσαι ἐκεῖ." Ἢ ἀγοράσαι τόπον εἰς οἴκησιν, ἢ ἀγοράσαι ἀντὶ τοῦ, ἀγοράσαι, καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ἀγορᾶς προφητεῦσαι· ἢ κἀκεῖ παρακινδυνεῦσαι, καὶ τοῖς οἰκείοις κινδύνοις ὠνήσασθαι τὴν σωτηρίαν τῶν σωζομένων. "Πεσέτω τὸ ἔλεος." Ὅτι Γενοῦ ἐλεήμων εἰς ἐμέ. "Καὶ συνέταξεν." Τοῦτο λέγει, ὅτι ῥυπαρὸν ἄρτον ἔξωθεν τοῦ πεττομένου τοῖς ἐλευθέροις, ἵνα εἴπῃ τὸν τοῖς οἰκέταις παρεχόμενον, ἢ καὶ τοῖς κυσίν· ἢ ἐπειδὴ σιτοδεία ἦν ὡς ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ, καὶ ἕκαστος φανερόν τι ἐλάμβανεν, λάθρα ἔπεμπεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τῷ προφήτῃ, ἵνα μή τις αὐτῷ συντύχῃ· ἐφοβοῦντο γὰρ τὴν αὐτοῦ διδασκαλίαν. ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΛΗʹ. "Ὅτι οὐκ ἠδύνατο ὁ βασιλεὺς πρὸς αὐτού." Ἀντὶ τοῦ, κερδᾶναι τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ. ∆ῆλος οὖν ἐστι θέλων μὴ ἀναιρεθῆναι τὸν προφήτην, ὡς οὐδὲ Πιλάτος τὸν προφητῶν Κύριον Ἰησοῦν. "Καὶ ἐχάλασαν αὐτὸν εἰς τὸν λάκκον." Γίνεται τύπος ὁ προφήτης τοῦ κατὰ Χριστὸν μυστηρίου, τοῦ δεδομένου μὲν εἰς χεῖρας Ἰουδαίων ὑπὸ Πιλάτου, κατελθόντος δὲ πρὸς τὸν δυσώνυμον καὶ ἀηδέστατον ᾄδην, καὶ ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν ἀναστάντος· ὥσπερ ἀμέλει καὶ ὁ προφήτης ἐκ τοῦ λάκκου πάλιν ἀνέβη· λάκκον δὲ ἡ Γραφὴ πολλαχοῦ τὸν ᾅδην καλεῖ. "Ἐπονηρεύσω ἃ ἐποίησας." Ἀβδεμελὲχ ὁ Αἰθίοψ βουλόμενος σῶσαι τὸν Ἱερεμίαν μέμφεται τῷ βασιλεῖ λέγων· Οὐ καλῶς ἐβουλεύσω ἀποκτεῖναι τὸν ἄνδρα ἐν τῷ λάκκῳ. Ἔδει γὰρ αὐτὸν, τὸν οἴκτιστον σὺν ἡμῖν ὑπομεῖναι θάνατον τὸν διὰ τοῦ λιμοῦ. "Ζῇ Κύριος." Σημεῖον καὶ ἐντεῦθεν, ὅτι κτιστὴ ἡ ψυχή. "Ἐγὼ λόγον ἔχω." Τῶν Ἰουδαίων τινὲς πρὸς τοὺς Χαλδαίους αὐτομολήσαντες, ὑπισχνοῦντο τῷ Σεδεκίᾳ, μὴ συγχωρήσειν τοὺς πολεμίους συλλαβεῖν αὐτόν· καὶ ἐπείθετο μᾶλλον τούτοις, ἢ Θεῷ λέγοντι, δεῖν ἀκολουθῆσαι τῷ Βαβυλωνίῳ. Ἔλεγε δὲ τοῦτο Θεὸς, βουλόμενος αὐτοὺς σωθῆναι· εἰ γὰρ ἔζησαν ἀκολουθήσαντες τῷ πολεμίῳ, γνόντες τὸν παραδόντα 93.700 Θεὸν, μετενόουν, καὶ τὰς αὑτῶν ἐκέρδαινον ψυχάς. "Ἄνδρες εἰρηνικοί σου." Ἀντὶ τοῦ, οἱ φίλοι σου. "Καὶ δυνήσονταί σοι." Τουτέστιν, Ἴσχυσαν παρατρέψαι σε τῆς εὐθείας ὁδοῦ· κατισχύσουσιν. ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΛΘʹ. "Καὶ ἐν τῷ δεκάτῳ ἔτει τοῦ Σεδεκία." Πολιορκήσαντες ἐπὶ χρόνον οἱ Βαβυλώνιοι τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ εἷλον, καὶ ἐξαγαγόντες ἐκ τῆς φυλακῆς τὸν Ἱερεμίαν παραδεδώκασι τῷ Γοδολίᾳ, καὶ ἐκάθισαν αὐτὸν ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ λαοῦ. "Καὶ ἐξήγαγον." Ἴσως ἀκούσαντες παρὰ τῶν αὐτομολησάντων οἱ Χαλδαῖοι, ὅτι προὔλεγε τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις μὴ ἀντιστῆναι αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἱερεμίας, ἐτίμησαν αὐτόν. "Καὶ πρὸς Ἱερεμίαν." Εἰπὼν τῆς πόλεως τὴν ἅλωσιν, ἐπειδὴ ἀναγκαῖον ἦν μνημονεῦσαι, ὡς ἐτίμησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν Ἀβδεμέλεχ, καὶ ὑπέσχετο αὐτῷ διὰ τοῦ προφήτου μὴ παραδώσειν αὐτὸν εἰς χεῖρας ἐχθρῶν, ἐπειδὴ καὶ αὐτὸς τὸν προφήτην περιεποιήσατο, ἀνέδραμεν εἰς τὰ πρὸ τῆς ἁλώσεως. "Πορεύου." Οὐκ ἀπὸ τόπου εἰς τόπον κελεύει ὁ Θεὸς μεταβῆναι τῷ προφήτῃ· ἐν φυλακῇ γὰρ ἦν· ἀλλὰ τὸ, Πορεύου, ἐνταῦθα ἀντὶ τοῦ, ∆ιακόνησον τοῖς ἐμοῖς λόγοις, καὶ μήνυσον ταῦτα τῷ