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Ebed-melech. Understand, therefore, the apostolic ministry. "Because you have trusted." For the honor to the prophet has its reference to God, and trusting in God, he honored the man of God. CHAPTER 40. "Nebuzaradan." He was the commander-in-chief, without whom no one was put to death; wherefore he is also called chief cook, as being in charge of the executions. "All good things." That is, do what is pleasing to you. "And they heard." I, he says, prevent them from doing any of you harm. "And you, gather wine." Enjoy the good things of peace, and offer the first fruits to God the giver of these things. CHAPTER 41. "Eighty men, with their beards shaven." Mourning for the destruction of the temple. "For we have treasures in a field." That is, Take what we have, and do not kill us. CHAPTER 42. "For I have relented concerning the evil." That is, My wrath against you has been fulfilled. "For we will go into the land of Egypt." Those who run to sin think they are escaping the toils of life, not wanting to hear of wars. But they are ignorant of the wrath that will later overtake them. 93.701 "And the famine." Of which you make a great account, fearing it. "As it dripped." That is, was let loose. "Do not enter." Jeremiah, foreseeing by the prophetic spirit the things in the heart of the Jews, before they answered, says to them, that you will not listen to God. "For you have acted deceitfully in your souls." Having decided other things in your minds, you sent me to ask God, tempting him. CHAPTER 43. "That you may give us into the hands of the Chaldeans." Perhaps they suspected Baruch, as having been sent before by the king of the Jews to bring gifts to the Babylonian, and having become his friend. For they use this as a pretext to disobey God. For wickedness is not lacking a pretext. "Saying in Tahpanhes." And this was a royal city of the Egyptians. "Those for death." By authority, he says, he will do what he wishes. "As one delouses." In the temples of the demons. He will search thoroughly. "And he will break the pillars of Heliopolis." There is Heliopolis, in which was a famous temple, a haunt of all demons. CHAPTER 44. "I set my face against you for evil." The Jews, having gone down to Egypt, again sacrificed to idols. Therefore God again foretells to them through the prophet, that you should remind yourselves of the evils brought upon Jerusalem and upon Judea. "And that you may become a curse." For the gentiles, reproaching some, cursing, would say, May it be to you as it was to the Israelites. "They shall not return." Those in Babylon, and those who were saved scattered in whatever places. "To burn incense to the queen of heaven." This they probably supposed to be the one called Aphrodite, whom the abominable ones also called Selene and Hecate. "And we were filled with bread." The words are from women; not even while being in evils themselves, do they perceive the evils. "And we became prosperous." He calls prosperous also certain ones who are well-fed, and thriving, and cheerful. "And Jeremiah said." They all say in agreement: We have chosen to sacrifice to idols. "If my name is any more in the mouth." Here he openly rejected all of them at once along with the gentiles. "And they will know." The poor and the old, whom the enemies do not deign to kill, but are left behind so that they may become messengers of the disasters. "Those who have settled." Those who chose to dwell in Egypt. CHAPTER 45. "Thus said the Lord." To the despairing [caring much] and groaning Baruch, God says through Jere 93.704 miah, that I will save your soul in every place. But do not seek, being a man, to be delivered from labors. The experts in the law, he says, he granted for all venerable things. Those with Zedekiah, fleeing to Arabia, to what is now called Daphne. "And you will seek." Do not seek; for the great and admirable things are not here, but in the age to come. CHAPTER 40. "At Carchemish." Charchemish is a city in Mesopotamia. "Therefore they themselves are terrified." The prophet says, that those preparing for war against Egypt [perhaps, Egyptians], are themselves terrified. "Who

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Ἀβδεμέλεχ. Τὴν ἀποστολικὴν οὖν διακονίαν νόει. "Ὅτι ἐπεποίθεις." Ἡ γὰρ εἰς τὸν προφήτην τιμὴ, εἰς τὸν Θεὸν ἔχει τὴν ἀναφορὰν, καὶ Θεῷ πιστεύων, τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἄνθρωπον ἐτίμα. ΚΕΦΑΛ. Μʹ. "Ναβουζαρδάν." Ἀρχιστράτηγος ἦν, οὗ ἐκτὸς οὐδεὶς ἀνῃρεῖτο· διὸ καὶ ἀρχιμάγειρος καλεῖται, ὡς ἐπὶ τῶν φόνων. "Ἅπαντα τὰ ἀγαθά." Ἀντὶ τοῦ, ὃ ἡδύ σοί ἐστι, τοῦτο πρᾶξον. "Καὶ ἤκουσαν." Ἐγὼ, φησὶν, ἀποκωλύω αὐτοὺς, τοῦ ἐπηρεάσαι τινὰ ὑμῶν. "Καὶ ὑμεῖς συνάγετε οἶνον." Ἀπολαύσατε τῶν τῆς εἰρήνης ἀγαθῶν, καὶ Θεῷ τῷ δοτῆρι τούτων προσκομίσατε τὰς ἀπαρχάς. ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΜΑʹ. "Ὀγδοήκοντα ἄνδρες, ἐξυρημένοι πώγωνας." Πενθοῦντες ἐπὶ τῇ καθαιρέσει τοῦ ναοῦ. "Ὅτι εἰσὶν ἡμῖν θησαυροὶ ἐν ἀγρῷ." Ἀντὶ τοῦ, Λάβε ὅσα ἔχομεν, καὶ μὴ ἀνέλῃς ἡμᾶς. ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΜΒʹ. "Ὅτι ἀναπέπαυμαι ἐπὶ τοῖς κακοῖς." Ἀντὶ τοῦ, Ἐπληρώθη μου ἡ καθ' ὑμῶν ὀργή. "Ὅτι εἰς γῆν Αἰγύπτου εἰσελευσόμεθα." Οἱ τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ προστρέχοντες, νομίζουσιν ἐκφεύγειν τοῦ βίου τὰ ἐπίπονα, οὐ θέλοντες ἀκούειν πολέμους. Ἀγνοοῦσι δὲ τὴν ὕστερον αὐτοὺς καταληψομένην ὀργήν. 93.701 "Καὶ ὁ λιμός." Οὗ πολὺν ποιεῖσθε λόγον δεδοικότες αὐτόν. "Καθὼς ἔσταξεν." Ἀντὶ τοῦ, ἀφείθη. "Μὴ εἰσέλθητε." Προβλέπων τὰ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ τῶν Ἰουδαίων τῷ προφητικῷ πνεύματι ὁ Ἱερεμίας, πρὶν ἐκείνους ἀποκρίνασθαι, φησὶ πρὸς αὐτοὺς, ὅτι Οὐκ ἀκούσεσθε τοῦ Θεοῦ. "Ὅτι ἐπονηρεύσασθε ἐν ψυχαῖς ὑμῶν." Ἕτερα ἐν ταῖς διανοίαις ὑμῶν κεκρικότες, ἀπεστείλατέ με ἐρωτῆσαι Θεὸν πειράζοντες αὐτόν. ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΜΓʹ. "Ἵνα δῷς ἡμᾶς εἰς χεῖρας τῶν Χαλδαίων." Ἴσως ὑπώπτευσαν τὸν Βαροὺχ, ὡς πρότερον πεμφθέντα ὑπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως τῶν Ἰουδαίων δῶρα κομίσαι τῷ Βαβυλωνίῳ, καὶ φίλον αὐτῷ γεγενημένον. Προφασίζονται γὰρ τοῦτο εἰς τὸ παρακοῦσαι Θεοῦ. Τῇ γὰρ κακίᾳ οὐ λείπει πρόφασις. "Ἐν Τάφναις λέγων." Καὶ αὕτη βασιλικὴ πόλις τῶν Αἰγυπτίων ἐτύγχανεν. "Οὓς εἰς θάνατον." Κατ' ἐξουσίαν, φησὶν, ὃ θέλει διαπράξεται. "Ὥσπερ φθειρίζει." Ἐν τοῖς τῶν δαιμόνων ἱεροῖς. Ἀκριβῶς ἐξερευνήσει. "Καὶ συντρίψει τοὺς στύλους Ἡλιουπόλεως." Ἔστιν Ἡλιούπολις, ἐν ᾗ περιφανὲς ἦν τὸ ἱερὸν, πάντων δαιμόνων καταγώγιον. ΚΕΦΑΛ. Μ∆ʹ. "Ἐφίστημι τὸ πρόσωπόν μου ἐφ' ὑμᾶς εἰς κακά." Κατελθόντες οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ, πάλιν εἰδώλοις ἔθυον. Προλέγει οὖν αὐτοῖς πάλιν Θεὸς διὰ τοῦ προφήτου, ὅτι Ἀναμνήσατε ἑαυτοὺς τῶν ἐπενεχθέντων κακῶν τῇ Ἱερουσαλὴμ καὶ τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ. "Καὶ ἵνα γένησθε εἰς κατάραν." Οἱ γὰρ ἐθνικοὶ ὀνειδίζοντές τισι, καταρώμενοι, ἔλεγον, Οὕτως γενέσθω σοι ὡς Ἰσραηλίταις. "Οὐ μὴ ἐπιστρέψωσι." Οἱ ἐν Βαβυλῶνι, καὶ οἱ σποράδην καθ' οἱουσδήποτε τόπους σωθέντες. "Θυμιᾷν τῇ βασιλίσσῃ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ." Ταύτην δὲ ἴσως τὴν καλουμένην Ἀφροδίτην ὑπενόουν εἶναι, ἣν καὶ Σελήνην, καὶ Ἑκάτην ἐκάλουν οἱ βδελυροί. "Καὶ ἐπλήσθημεν ἄρτων." Ἀπὸ γυναικῶν οἱ λόγοι· οὐδὲ ἐν αὐτοῖς οὖσαι τοῖς κακοῖς, τῶν κακῶν ἐπαισθάνονται. "Καὶ ἐγενόμεθα χρηστοί." Χρηστοὺς λέγει καὶ εὐτραφεῖς τινας, καὶ εὐθηνουμένους, καὶ ἱλαρούς. "Καὶ εἶπεν Ἱερεμίας." Συμφώνως φασὶν ἅπαντες· Εἱλόμεθα τὸ θύειν εἰδώλοις. "Ἐὰν γένηται ἔτι ὄνομά μου ἐν τῷ στόματι." Ἐνταῦθα φανερῶς πάντας εἰσάπαξ μετὰ τῶν ἐθνικῶν ἀπέῤῥιψεν. "Καὶ γνώσονται." Πένητες καὶ γέροντες, οὓς οὐκ ἀξιοῦσιν ἀνελεῖν οἱ πολέμιοι, ὑπολιμπάνονται δὲ ἵνα μηνυταὶ γένωνται τῶν συμφορῶν. "Οἱ καταστάντες." Οἱ ἑλόμενοι οἰκῆσαι ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ. ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΜΕʹ. "Οὕτως εἶπε Κύριος." Ὀλιγωροῦντι [πολυωροῦντι] καὶ στένοντι τῷ Βαροὺχ, φησὶ διὰ τοῦ Ἱερε 93.704 μίου ὁ Θεὸς, ὅτι Περισώσω σου τὴν ψυχὴν ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ. Μὴ ζήτει δὲ, ἄνθρωπος ὢν, ἀπαλλαγῆναι πόνων. Τοὺς νομομαθεῖς, φησὶν, εἰς πάντα σεμνὰ ἐχαρίσατο. Ἐπὶ τὴν Ἀραβίαν φεύγοντες οἱ ἀμφὶ τὸν Σεδεκίαν, εἰς τὴν νῦν καλουμένην ∆άφνην. "Καὶ σὺ ζητήσεις." Μὴ ζητήσῃς· τὰ γὰρ μεγάλα καὶ ἀξιάγαστα οὐκ ἐνταῦθα, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι αἰῶνι. ΚΕΦΑΛ. Μʹ. "Ἐν Χαρμεῖς." Πόλις ἐστὶν ἡ Χαρμὶς ἐν τῇ Μεσοποταμίᾳ. "∆ιὰ τοῦτο αὐτοὶ πτοοῦνται." Ὁ προφήτης φησὶν, ὅτι οἱ παρασκευαζόμενοι εἰς πόλεμον Αἰγύπτου [ἴσ. Αἰγύπτιοι], αὐτοὶ πτοοῦνται. "Τίς