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they shall lay waste the land. And, "your loaves," means, "and they shall consume your stores." And it shall be when you say, "For what reason?" For this too is a sign of great insensibility, to say after suffering, "For what reason has he done this?" But nevertheless, the word will have its time then. For this reason he says, "That you may serve foreign gods in a land that is not yours," he threatens this again. Declare these things to the house of Jacob. Again he reminds them of their forefathers, so that they might thus be ashamed. Again he brings forward that patriarch, that wonderful and great man, speaking of the house of Jacob and the house of Judah, 64.816 that you may learn how great is the power of God; how through one tribal leader, or ruler, he established whole cities, and peoples, and nations. Hear ye these things, O people. For what reason does he introduce the word insultingly? He wishes to raise up the fallen through insult; nothing is worse than this punishment, to be ignorant of God. They have eyes, and they do not see; they have ears, and they do not hear. He mentions only these senses, which more than the others lead to the knowledge of God, which we especially need. Will you not fear me, says the Lord, who set the sand as a boundary for the sea? He did not say, "I made the sea," but, "I," he says, "bridled it." For he wishes to be seen not only from his creation, but also from his ordering of it. It is not possible to say, he says, that suffering no violence, it is thus calm, and is submissive; but even with much force pushing it outwards, and enduring the utmost violence, so as to be exhausted, it remains bearing the violence, so as not to transgress the commandment of God. But perhaps someone might say to this, that These things are arranged by nature and by law; but I have the inclination for either side, so that if I wish, I remain on the better side. For what will you say? That an evil spirit and desires push the soul out? But oppose them with the commandment of God. Is nature weak? For so is the sand, but it becomes exceedingly strong by divine law. So also you by the fear of God. There is nothing so weak, nothing so impossible, which does not display a nature beyond its own through the fear of God. And after other things: Why did he not bring forward another element as an example, but the sea? Since his discourse was about war and battle, and the assault of soldiers, who were about to cover the whole city like a cloud, and like the sea. Wishing, therefore, to show that the war comes not from their own strength, nor power, but from his permission, he brings forward the sea; showing that he who is able to always bridle with fine sand such an element, great, and immense, and unbearable in its violence, raging, and wild, will be much more able to restrain your enemies, so that they neither arrive, nor harm anything of yours. And they did not say: Him who gives us rain. So be it. You did not wish it because of me; was it not necessary because of what is from me, not only for giving rain, but also for giving it in season? For that was a demonstration only, that I am able to send rain. But this is of great providence and affection. At the time of the fulfillment of the command of harvest. This is said obscurely; but what he says is this: Just now, he says, having gathered the produce of the earth from the threshing floor, and having the storehouses full, we enjoy 64.817 rain. For he does not wait to give it when they are spent; but as soon as the harvest has ceased, and we have not even begun to consume what has been stored up, and before the former things have been consumed, the rain comes down, commanding us to sow other seeds. For since human nature is faint-hearted, and short-sighted, and not only in want, but also in abundance it trembles and fears the future; God, healing this sickness, brings down the rain for us in full, so that the hopes of new things may cast out the fear concerning the future consumption of what has been stored up. This, then, he hinted at, "At the time of the fulfillment of the command of harvest"; of the harvest when the fruits are being stored up

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δῃώσουσι τὴν γῆν. Τὸ δὲ, τοὺς ἄρτους ὑμῶν, ἀντὶ τοῦ, καὶ τὰ ἀπόθετα ἀναλώσουσιν. Καὶ ἔσται ὅταν εἴπητε, Τίνος ἕνεκεν. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο ἀναισθησίας πολλῆς, μετὰ τὸ παθεῖν λέγειν· Ἕνεκεν τίνος ἐποίησεν; Ἀλλ' ὅμως τότε καιρὸν ὁ λόγος ἕξει. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησιν· Ἵνα δουλεύσητε ἐν γῇ οὐχ ὑμετέρᾳ ἀλλοτρίοις θεοῖς, τοῦτο ἀπειλεῖ πάλιν. Ἀναγγείλατε ταῦτα εἰς οἶκον Ἰακώβ. Πάλιν ἀναμιμνήσκει τῶν προγόνων, ἵνα κἂν οὕτως ἐντραπῶσι. Πάλιν τὸν πατριάρχην ἐκεῖνον, καὶ θαυμαστὸν ἄνδρα, καὶ μέγαν εἰς μέσον παράγει, τὸν οἶκον Ἰακὼβ, καὶ τὸν οἶκον Ἰούδα λέγων, 64.816 ἵνα μάθῃς ὅση τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡ δύναμις· πῶς δι' ἑνὸς φυλάρχου ἄλλ. φιλάρχου πόλεις ὁλοκλήρους, καὶ δήμους, καὶ ἔθνη συνεστήσατο. Ἀκούσατε δὴ ταῦτα, λαός. Τίνος ἕνεκεν ὑβριστικῶς προσάγει τὸν λόγον; διαναστῆσαι βούλεται πεπτωκότας διὰ τῆς ὕβρεως· οὐδὲν ταύτης τῆς τιμωρίας χεῖρον, τοῦ, τὸν Θεὸν ἀγνοεῖν. Ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῖς, καὶ οὐ βλέπουσιν· ὦτα αὐτοῖς, καὶ οὐκ ἀκούουσιν. Ταύτας δὲ μόνον λέγει τὰς αἰσθήσεις, αἳ μάλιστα τῶν ἄλλων πρὸς θεογνωσίαν ἄγουσιν, ὧν μάλιστα δεόμεθα. Μὴ ἐμὲ οὐ φοβηθήσεσθε, λέγει Κύριος, τὸν τάξαντα ἄμμον ὅριον τῇ θαλάσσῃ; Οὐκ εἶπεν· Ἐγὼ τὴν θάλασσαν ἐποίησα, ἀλλ', Ἐγὼ, φησὶν, ἐχαλίνωσα. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ μόνον ἀπὸ τῆς δημιουργίας φαίνεσθαι βούλεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς διατυπώσεως. Οὐκ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν, φησὶν, ὅτι μηδεμίαν πάσχουσα βίαν, οὕτως ἠρεμεῖ, καὶ ὑποτάσσεται· ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλῆς αὐτὴν ἀνάγκης πρὸς τὰ ἔξω ὠθούσης, καὶ βίαν ὑπομενούσης τὴν ἐσχάτην, ὥστε ἐξαντληθῆναι, ἐμμένει φέρουσα τὴν βίαν, ὥστε μὴ ὑπερβῆναι τὸ πρόσταγμα τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἀλλ' ἴσως πρὸς τοῦτο εἴποι τις ἂν, ὅτι Ταῦτα φύσει καὶ νόμῳ διατέτακται· ἐγὼ δὲ ἔχω τὴν ἐφ' ἑκάτερα ῥοπὴν, ὡς εἰ θέλω μένω ἐπὶ τοῦ κρείττονος. Τί γὰρ ἐρεῖς; ὅτι πνεῦμα καὶ ἐπιθυμίαι πονηραὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ἐξωθοῦσιν; ἀλλ' ἀντίστησον αὐτοῖς τὸ πρόσταγμα τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἀσθενὴς ἡ φύσις; καὶ γὰρ ἡ ψάμμος, ἀλλ' ὑπερισχυρὰ αὐτὴ γίνεται νόμῳ θείῳ. Οὕτω καὶ σὺ φόβῳ Θεοῦ. Οὐδὲν οὕτως ἀσθενὲς, οὐδὲν οὕτως ἀδύνατον, ὃ μὴ τὰ ὑπὲρ οἰκείαν ἐπιδείκνυται φύσιν διὰ τὸν φόβον τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καὶ μεθ' ἕτερα· ∆ιατί μὴ ἤγαγεν ἕτερον στοιχεῖον εἰς ὑπόδειγμα, ἀλλ' ἢ τὴν θάλασσαν; ἐπεὶ περὶ πολέμου καὶ μάχης ὁ λόγος ἦν αὐτῷ, καὶ στρατιωτῶν ἐφόδου, νεφέλης δίκην, καὶ πελάγους ἐπέχειν μελλόντων τὴν πόλιν πᾶσαν. ∆εῖξαι τοίνυν βουλόμενος, ὡς οὐκ ἐξ οἰκείας ἰσχύος, οὐδὲ δυνάμεως, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῆς αὐτοῦ συγχωρήσεως ὁ πόλεμος γίνεται, τὴν θάλασσαν εἰς μέσον παράγει· δεικνὺς, ὅτι ὁ τοιοῦτο στοιχεῖον, μέγα, καὶ ὑπέρογκον, καὶ τῇ βίᾳ ἀφόρητον, μαινόμενον, καὶ ἀγριαῖνον, ψάμμῳ λεπτῇ διὰ παντὸς χαλινῶσαι δυνάμενος, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἰσχύσει ἐπισχεῖν τοὺς πολεμίους τοὺς ὑμετέρους, ὥστε μήτε παραγενέσθαι, μήτε λυμήνασθαί τι τῶν ὑμετέρων. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπον· Τὸν διδόντα ἡμῖν ὑετόν. Ἔστω. Οὐκ ἐβούλεσθε δι' ἐμέ· διὰ τὰ παρ' ἐμοῦ οὐκ ἔδει, οὐ διὰ τὸ δοῦναι μόνον ὑετὸν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ κατὰ καιρόν; Ἐκεῖνο γὰρ ἐπιδείξεως ἦν μόνον, ὅτι δύναμαι ὕειν. Τοῦτο δὲ προνοίας μεγάλης καὶ φιλοστοργίας. Κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν πληρώσεως προστάγματος θερισμοῦ. Ἀσαφῶς τοῦτο εἴρηται· ὃ δὲ λέγει τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· Ἄρτι, φησὶν, ἐκ τῆς ἅλω συλλέξαντες τὰ γεννήματα τῆς γῆς, καὶ πλήρη τὰ ταμεῖα ἔχοντες, ἀπολαύομεν 64.817 ὑετῶν. Οὐ γὰρ μένει, δαπανηθέντων αὐτῶν τότε δοῦναι· ἀλλ' ὁμοῦ τε ὁ θερισμὸς ἐπαύσατο, καὶ οὐδὲ ἀρχὴν εἰς ἀνάλωσιν τῶν ἐναποτεθέντων ἐβάλομεν, καὶ μήπω τῶν προτέρων ἀναλωμένων, κάτεισιν ὑετὸς, κελεύων ἕτερα καταβάλλειν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ μικρόψυχος ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη φύσις, καὶ βραχυμέριμνος, καὶ οὐχὶ μόνον ἐν ἐνδείᾳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν ἀφθονίᾳ τρέμει, καὶ δέδοικε τὸ μέλλον· τοῦτο ἰώμενος τὸ νόσημα ὁ Θεὸς, πλήρη κατάγει ἡμῖν τὸν ὑετὸν, ἵνα τὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς μελλούσης ἀναλώσεως τῶν ἀποτεθέντων φόβον αἱ τῶν νέων ἐλπίδες ἐκβάλωσι. Τοῦτο οὖν ᾐνίξατο, Κατὰ καιρὸν πληρώσεως προστάγματος θερισμοῦ· θερισμοῦ ἐναποτιθεμένων τῶν καρπῶν