Theodoret of Cyrus, Interpretation on Jeremiah

having happened, at that time their country became desolate by the enemies; but now they have been completely deprived of their renowned metropolis. "Because there is no man who lays it to heart." Instead of this, they do not use pious reasonings. 12. They came to every outlet of the desert, having suffered hardship in the desert. The Syrian interpreted 'outlet' as 'path'; they filled, he says, the whole desert with paths, suffering hardship, and fleeing the enemy; for it is characteristic of fugitives not to use the customary roads. "For the sword of the Lord shall devour from one end of the land to the other end of the land; there is no peace for all flesh." It speaks of what happened to the Jews, and from one end of the land to the other end of the land of Israel. But it also foretells the things brought upon the nations at different times; concerning which he also prophesies towards the end of the prophecy. 13. You have sown wheat, and you will reap thorns. He exhorts not to be confident in the fruitfulness of the land, 81.584 but in the good conduct of the land; for he who practices evil reaps thorns from it. "Your inheritances will not profit you." Again he called the goodly inheritance 'inheritances', in which he advises not to trust. "You were ashamed of your boasting, of reproach before God." The things you think dignify you, that is, wealth, power, these will fill you with shame when you are judged by God. For having enjoyed the gifts from him, you have repaid with the opposite. 14. Thus says the Lord concerning all the evil neighbors, the shepherds who touch my inheritance, which I divided to my people Israel. The Idumeans, and Moabites, and Ammonites, and Philistines, were always hostile and ill-disposed towards the Jews; therefore they rejoiced when they saw the calamities brought upon them; for this reason he foretells to them the future restoration of the Jews. And he calls their rulers 'shepherds'. Behold, I will pluck them up from their land, and I will cast out the house of Judah from their midst. (15) And it shall be after I cast them out, I will turn, and have mercy on them, and I will settle them each in his inheritance, and each in his land. Through these things, having prophesied the return that happened under Cyrus and Darius, he also foretells the things that will be after these. 16, 17. And it shall be, if they will diligently teach the way of my people, to swear by my name, 'As the Lord lives,' as they taught my people to swear by Baal, then they shall be built in the midst of my people. But if they will not turn, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation, says the Lord. He also spoke of the complete rejection of the nation of the Jews. "For I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation, says the Lord." CHAPTER 13. After these things the prophet is commanded to buy a linen girdle, and having put it on his loins, to hide it by the river Euphrates, and he immediately fulfilled what was commanded. And when many days had passed, he was commanded again to bring the girdle; and he did again what the Lord had commanded him. And taking it in his hands, he found it corrupted, and useless for any purpose. Then he hears the Lord saying: 9, 10. Thus will I mar the pride of Judah, and the pride of Jerusalem, this great pride. 81.585 This evil people; who refuse to hear my words, and who walk in the stubbornness of their evil heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them and to worship them; and they shall be as this girdle, which is good for nothing. By these things he signifies the sojourn in Babylon; for the Euphrates cuts through the middle of it

γεγε νημένα, τότε μὲν ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων ἔρημος αὐτῶν ἡ χώρα ἐγένετο· νῦν δὲ τῆς ἀοιδίμου μητροπόλεως αὐτῶν ἐστέρηνται παντελῶς. "Ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἀνὴρ τιθέμενος ἐπὶ καρδίαν." Ἀντὶ τοῦ, λογισμοῖς εὐσε βέσιν οὐ χρῶνται. ιβʹ. Ἐπὶ πᾶσαν διεκβολὴν τῆς ἐρήμου ἦλθον ταλαιπωρήσαντες ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ. Τὴν διεκβολὴν ἀτραπὸν ὁ Σύρος ἡρμήνευσε· πᾶσαν, φησὶ, τὴν ἔρη μον ἐπλήρωσαν ἀτραπῶν, ταλαιπωροῦντες, καὶ τοὺς πολεμίους ἀποδιδράσκοντες· ἴδιον γὰρ τῶν φευ γόντων μὴ κεχρῆσθαι ταῖς νενομισμέναις ὁδοῖς. "Ὅτι μάχαιρα Κυρίου καταφάγεται ἀπ' ἄκρου τῆς γῆς ἕως ἄκρου τῆς γῆς· οὐκ ἔστιν εἰρήνη πάσῃ σαρκί." Λέγει μὲν καὶ τὰ Ἰουδαίοις συμβάντα, καὶ ἀπ' ἄκρου τῆς γῆς ἕως ἄκρου τῆς γῆς τῆς Ἰσραηλίτιδος. Προ λέγει δὲ καὶ τὰ κατὰ διαφόρους καιροὺς ἐπενεχθέν τα τοῖς ἔθνεσι· καθ' ὧν καὶ περὶ τὸ τέλος τῆς προ φητείας προαγορεύει. ιγʹ. Ἐσπείρατε πυροὺς, καὶ ἀκάνθας θεριεῖ τε. Παρεγγυᾷ μὴ θαῤῥεῖν τῇ τῆς γῆς εὐκαρπίᾳ, 81.584 ἀλλὰ τῇ τῆς γῆς εὐπραξίᾳ· ὁ γὰρ κακίᾳ χρώμενος ἀκάνθας ἐκ ταύτης τρυγᾷ. "Οἱ κλῆροι ὑμῶν οὐκ ὠφελήσουσιν ὑμᾶς." Κλήρους πάλιν τὴν εὐκληρίαν ἐκάλεσεν, ᾗ συμβουλεύει μὴ πεποιθέναι. "Ἠσχύν θητε ἀπὸ καυχήσεως ὑμῶν, ἀπὸ ὀνειδισμοῦ ἐναν τίον τοῦ Θεοῦ." Ἃ νομίζετε σεμνύνειν ὑμᾶς, τουτέστι τὸν πλοῦτον, τὴν δυναστείαν, ταῦτα ὑμᾶς κρινομέ νους παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ αἰσχύνης ἐμπλήσει. Ἀπολαύσαν τες γὰρ τῶν παρ' αὐτοῦ δωρεῶν τοῖς ἐναντίοις ἠμεί ψασθε. ιδʹ. Τάδε λέγει Κύριος περὶ πάντων τῶν γειτό νων τῶν πονηρῶν, τῶν ποιμένων τῶν ἁπτομέ νων τῆς κληρονομίας μου, ἧς ἐμέρισα τῷ λαῷ μου Ἰσραήλ. Ἰδουμαῖοι, καὶ Μωαβῖται, καὶ Ἀμμανῖται, καὶ Ἀλλόφυλοι, ἀπεχθῶς ἀεὶ καὶ δυσμενῶς περὶ Ἰουδαίους διέκειντο· ἐφήσθησαν τοίνυν τὰς ἐπενεχθείσας αὐτοῖς θεασάμενοι συμφοράς· διάτοι τοῦτο προδιδάσκει αὐτοὺς τὴν ἐσομένην τῶν Ἰου δαίων ἀνάκλησιν. Ποιμένας δὲ καλεῖ τοὺς ἐκείνων ἄρχοντας. Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἀνασπῶ αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς αὐτῶν, καὶ τὸν οἶκον Ἰούδα ἐκβαλῶ ἐκ μέσου αὐτῶν. (ιεʹ) Καὶ ἔσται μετὰ τὸ ἐκβαλεῖν με αὐτοὺς, ἐπι στρέψω, καὶ ἐλεήσω αὐτοὺς, καὶ κατοικιῶ αὐ τοὺς ἕκαστον εἰς τὴν κληρονομίαν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἕκαστον εἰς τὴν γῆν αὐτοῦ. ∆ιὰ τούτων τὴν ἐπὶ Κύρου καὶ ∆αρείου γεγενημένην ἐπάνοδον προθεσπί σας, καὶ τὰ μετὰ ταῦτα ἐσόμενα προδιδάσκει. ιϛʹ, ιζʹ. Καὶ ἔσται ἐὰν διδάσκοντες διδάξωσι τὴν ὁδόν μου τὸν λαόν μου, τοῦ ὀμνύειν τῷ ὀνό ματί μου, ζῇ Κύριος, καθὼς ἐδίδαξαν τὸν λαόν μου ὀμνύειν ἐν τῇ Βάαλ, καὶ οἰκοδομηθήσον ται ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ λαοῦ μου. Ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ἐπι στρέψωσιν, ἐξαρῶ τὸ ἔθνος ἐκεῖνο ἐξάρσει καὶ ἀπωλείᾳ, φησὶ Κύριος. Εἶπε καὶ τὴν παντελῆ τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους ἀποβολήν. "Ἐξαρῶ γὰρ τὸ ἔθνος ἐκεῖνο ἐξάρσει καὶ ἀπωλείᾳ, φησὶ Κύριος." ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΙΓʹ. Μετὰ ταῦτα κελεύεται ὁ προφήτης περίζωμα λι νοῦν πριάμενος, καὶ τῇ ὀσφύϊ περιθεὶς, παρὰ τὸν Εὐφράτην ποταμὸν τοῦτο κατακρύψαι, καὶ τὸ κελευ σθὲν παραυτίκα πεπλήρωκεν. Ἡμερῶν δὲ πλείστων διελθουσῶν, προσετάχθη πάλιν κομίσαι τὸ περίζωμα· καὶ πεποίηκε πάλιν, ὅπερ ὁ ∆εσπότης αὐτῷ προσ έταξε. Καὶ λαβὼν ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν αὐτοῦ, εὗρε δι εφθαρμένον, καὶ εἰς πᾶσαν ἄχρηστον χρῆσιν. Εἶτα ἀκούει λέγοντος τοῦ ∆εσπότου· θʹ, ιʹ. Οὕτω φθερῶ τὴν ὕβριν Ἰούδα, καὶ τὴν ὕβριν Ἰερουσαλὴμ, τὴν πολλὴν ταύτην ὕβριν. 81.585 Τὸν λαὸν τοῦτον τὸν πονηρόν· τοὺς μὴ βου λομένους ὑπακούειν τῶν λόγων μου, καὶ πο ρευομένους ἐν τῇ εὐθύτητι τῆς καρδίας αὐτῶν τῆς πονηρᾶς, καὶ πορευομένους ὀπίσω θεῶν ἀλ λοτρίων, τοῦ δουλεύειν αὐτοῖς, καὶ προσ κυνεῖν αὐτοῖς· καὶ ἔσονται ὡς τὸ περίζωμα τοῦτο, ὃ οὐ χρησθήσεται ἔτι εἰς οὐθέν. ∆ιὰ τούτων τὴν ἐν Βαβυλῶνι σημαίνει διατριβήν· ὁ γὰρ Εὐφρά της μέσον ἐκείνην διατέμνει