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a man, and a man worshipped. If the most honorable among rational beings after the angels, honored with the image of God, fell before an idol as if it had the power to save, bowing to the earth, and not even worthy to look up to the heavens, because of the sin against Him. Therefore he was humbled, it says, as one having fallen from so great a height, who has Christ as head, and the greatest of the shame is that he is also a man. Therefore, when after so many transgressions they descended into idolatry, He declared: I will not let them go, as they have both shamed themselves, and attributed the worth of God to idols, and to not let go is a divine benefit. For forbearance is an occasion for licentiousness. But affliction brings about the remembrance of God. It should be known, however, that the other interpreters, instead of (for he let go his people), turned the saying towards God. Aquila, for his part, said, having permitted; but Symmachus, you have rejected. And Theodotion, you have let go. They also indicate that certain foreigners were to inhabit Judea at the prophesied times, namely the Romans, who rejoice in wealth and divination, and in horses, and in the idolatry of things which they will fashion with their own hands. But these things befell the Jews who did not receive the Savior, having disobeyed the prophet who said: Come and let us walk in the 1884 light of the Lord; and at the things being done by the foreigners the prophet, being indignant, said to the Lord, you have let go your people Jacob. And he set forth as proof of the letting go the things being done by the foreigners. And after this he says: And do not forgive them; for instead of, I will not let them go, Aquila translated, you shall not let them go. And Symmachus, and do not forgive them. Which would not make sense to be said about the Jews (for how would the prophet curse his own people?), but about the nations that have settled Judea. Therefore in the preceding passages, he mentioned neither the nation nor the people, but the country and land, as being about to be filled with foreign inhabitants. And this happened after the coming of the Savior. For before this it does not appear that foreigners inhabited Judea. For before they were led away to Babylon, those from David reigned; but during the captivity it was completely desolate; after which the Jews again inhabited it until the siege of the Romans. After which the city became inaccessible to them. For settlers brought by the Romans took possession of the places. The things to come. I. 21. 9And now enter into the rocks, and hide yourselves in the earth from the face of the fear of the Lord, and from the glory of his strength, when he arises to shatter the earth9, etc. ................. ................. finally they will cast them away for fear of the Lord who shatters the earth; which indeed also happened in part at the first coming. the gods formerly so considered having been refuted. For they have not been able to help themselves. Therefore their worshippers are humbled, but the Lord of all is exalted. And fearing the removal of the costly material of the images, they hid these according to the prophecy in dark places, trying to escape the notice of the king’s men. But that which is not found in the Septuagint, cease for yourselves from man, seems to be added consistently with what came before. However, since many things have been said before about the proud and lofty, the word now exhorts not to pay attention to them, nor to hope in any mortal, who has all his life in his nostrils. And perhaps it also commands the invisible 1885 powers, which it tropically called bats, to refrain henceforth from plotting against men, who are weak in the flesh, but honorable, and have nothing unexamined by God. But some interpret the preceding saying differently from the beginning, saying, this is another exhortation to the house of Jacob, exhorting to what is beneficial. For just as, come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord; and as, come and let us walk in the light of the Lord; so also, enter into the rocks, and hide yourselves in the earth, from the face of the fear of the Lord. And who will dare to slander the Scripture, as advising from the face of the fear of the Lord

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ἄνθρωπος, καὶ προσεκύνησεν ἀνήρ. Εἰ τὸ τιμιώτατον μετ' ἀγγέλους ἐν λογικοῖς, εἰκόνι τε τιμηθὲν Θεοῦ ὑπέπεσεν εἰδώλῳ καθάπερ σώζειν ἰσχύοντι εἰς γῆν κεκυφὼς, καὶ μηδὲ ἄξιος ἀνανεύειν εἰς οὐρανοὺς, διὰ τὴν εἰς αὐτὸν ἁμαρτίαν. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐταπεινώθη φησὶν, ὡς ἐξ ὕψους τοσούτου πεσὼν ὁ Χριστὸν ἔχων κεφαλὴν, καὶ τὸ μέγιστον τῆς αἰσχύνης, ὅτι καὶ ἀνήρ· διὸ καὶ, ὅτε μετὰ τοσαύτας παρανομίας εἰς εἰδωλολατρείαν κατήντησαν, ἐπήνεγκεν· οὐ μὴ ἀνήσω αὐτοῖς, ὡς ἑαυτούς τε καταισχύνασι, καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ἀξίαν προσενέγκουσιν εἰδώλοις, καὶ τὸ μὴ ἀνεῖναι δὲ θείας εὐεργεσίας. Ἡ γὰρ ἄνεσις ἀκολασίας ἐστὶν ἀφορμή. Θεοῦ δὲ μνήμην ἡ θλῖψις ἐργάζεται. Ἰστέον μέντοι ὡς οἱ λοιποὶ ἑρμηνευταὶ, ἀντὶ τοῦ (ἀνῆκε γὰρ τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ) πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν τὸν λόγον ἀπέστρεψαν. Ἀκύλας μὲν, εἰάσας εἰπών· ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος, ἀπέῤῥιψας. Ὁ δὲ Θεοδοτίων, ἀνῆκας. Οἳ καὶ ἐμφαίνουσιν ἀλλοφύλους τινὰς κατὰ τοὺς προφητευομένους χρόνους μέλλειν οἰκῆσαι τὴν Ἰουδαίαν, δηλαδὴ τοὺς Ῥωμαίους πλούτῳ χαίροντας κληδονισμῷ τε, καὶ ἵπποις, καὶ τῇ τῶν εἰδωλολατρείᾳ, ἃ χερσὶν ἰδίαις κατασκευάσονται. Ταῦτα δὲ τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις τὸν Σωτῆρα μὴ δεξαμένοις ἀπήντηκεν ἀπειθήσασι τῷ λέοντι προφήτῃ· ∆εῦτε καὶ πορευθῶμεν τῷ 1884 φωτὶ Κυρίου, ἐπὶ δὲ τοῖς ἐκ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων γινομένοις ὁ προφήτης ἀγανακτῶν, πρὸς Κύριον ἔλεγεν ἀνῆκας τὸν λαόν σου τὸν Ἰακώβ. Καὶ τεκμήριον τῆς ἀνέσεως ἐξέθετο, τὰ παρὰ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων γινόμενα. Καὶ μετὰ ταῦτά φησι· Καὶ μὴ ἀφῇς αὐτοῖς· ἀντὶ γὰρ τοῦ, οὐ μὴ ἀνήσω αὐτοὺς, ὁ μὲν Ἀκύλας, οὐ μὴ ἀνῇς αὐτοῖς ἑρμήνευσεν. Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος, καὶ μὴ ἀφῇς αὐτοῖς. Ὅπερ οὐκ ἂν ἔχοι λόγον περὶ Ἰουδαίων εἰρῆσθαι (πῶς γὰρ ἂν ὁ προφήτης κατηύξατο τοῦ ἰδίου λαοῦ;) ἀλλὰ τῶν ἐπῳκηκότων τὴν Ἰουδαίαν ἐθνῶν. Τοιγαροῦν ἐν τοῖς προκειμένοις, οὔτε τοῦ ἔθνους, οὔτε τοῦ λαοῦ ἐμνημόνευσεν· ἀλλὰ τῆς χώρας, καὶ γῆς, ὡς μελλούσης ξένων οἰκητόρων πληροῦσθαι. Τοῦτο δὲ μετὰ τὴν τοῦ Σωτῆρος παρουσίαν ἐγένετο. Πρότερον δὲ οὐ φαίνονται ἀλλόφυλοι τὴν Ἰουδαίαν οἰκήσαντες. Πρὶν μὲν γὰρ ἀπαχθῶσιν εἰς Βαβυλῶνα οἱ ἀπὸ τοῦ ∆αβὶδ ἐβασίλευον· κατὰ δὲ τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν ἔρημος ἦν παντελῶς· μεθ' ὃ πάλιν Ἰουδαῖοι ταύτην κατῴκησαν μέχρι τῆς Ῥωμαίων πολιορκίας. Μεθ' ἣν ἄβατος αὐτοῖς ἡ πόλις ἐγένετο. Μέτοικοι γὰρ ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων ἀχθέντες τῶν τόπων ἐκράτησαν. Τὰ δὲ μέλλοντα. ι.καʹ. 9Καὶ νῦν εἰσέλθετε εἰς τὰς πέτρας, καὶ κρύπτεσθε εἰς τὴν γῆν ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ φόβου Κυρίου, καὶ ἀπὸ δόξης τῆς ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ, ὅταν ἀναστῇ θραῦσαι τὴν γῆν9, κ.τ.λ ................. ................. τέλος αὐτὰς ἀποῤῥίψουσι φόβῳ τοῦ θραύοντος Κυρίου τὴν γῆν· ἃ δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς πρώτης παρουσίας ἐκ μέρους γεγένηται. ἐληλεγμένων τῶν πάλαι νομιζομένων θεῶν. Ἑαυτοῖς γὰρ ἐπικουρεῖν οὐ δεδύνηνται. ∆ιὸ τεταπείνωνται μὲν οἱ τούτων προσκυνηταί· ὁ δὲ τῶν ὅλων ὕψωται Κύριος. Καὶ δεδιότες τὴν τῆς πολυτελοῦς ὕλης τῶν ζοάνων ἀφαίρεσιν, ταῦτα κατὰ τὴν προφητείαν ἀπέκρυπτον ἐν ἀφεγγέσι χωρίοις, τοὺς βασιλικοὺς ἄνδρας λανθάνειν πειρώμενοι. Τὸ δὲ μὴ κείμενον παρὰ τοῖς ἑβδομήκοντα, παύσασθε ὑμῖν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, δοκεῖ μὲν ἀνακολούθως τοῖς πρόσθεν ἐπάγεσθαι. Πλὴν ἐπειδὴ πολλὰ περὶ τῶν ὑπερηφάνων καὶ μετεώρων προλέλεκται, παραινεῖ νῦν ὁ λόγος μὴ προσέχειν ἐκείνοις, μηδ' εἰς θνητὸν ἐλπίζειν τινὰ, καὶ τὴν πᾶσαν ἐν τοῖς μυκτῆρσι κεκτημένον ζωήν. Ἴσως δὲ καὶ ταῖς ἀοράτοις 1885 προστάσσει δυνάμεσιν, ἃς νυκτερίδας ὠνόμασε τροπικῶς, ἀπέχεσθαι λοιπὸν τῆς ἀνθρώπων ἐπιβουλῆς ἀσθενῶν μὲν ὄντων κατὰ τὴν σάρκα, τιμίων δὲ, καὶ μηδὲν ἀζήτητον ἐχόντων παρὰ Θεοῦ. Τὴν δὲ προκειμένην ῥῆσιν ἄλλως ἄνωθέν τινες ἐκλαμβάνουσι λέγοντες, ἄλλη παράκλησις αὐτὴ πρὸς τὸν οἶκον Ἰακὼβ, ἐπὶ τὸ συμφέρον παρακαλοῦσα. Ὡς γὰρ ἡ, δεῦτε καὶ ἀναβῶμεν εἰς τὸ ὄρος Κυρίου· καὶ ὡς ἡ, δεῦτε καὶ πορευθῶμεν τῷ φωτὶ Κυρίου· οὕτω καὶ τὸ, εἰσέλθετε εἰς τὰς πέτρας, καὶ κρύπτεσθε εἰς τὴν γῆν, ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ φόβου Κυρίου. Τίς δὲ τολμήσει συκοφαντεῖν τὴν Γραφὴν, ὡς συμβουλεύουσαν ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ φόβου Κυρίου