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the affection; "for his hunt was food for him"; but service is sufficient to soothe even the most savage, if indeed a father and a loving father; and one might find the divine apostle repaying with very many blessings those who had ministered to him. LXXX Whence did Rebecca have the courage, that Jacob would indeed obtain the blessing; and had such courage as to say: "Upon me be your curse, my child, only obey my voice"? She had foreknown from the God of all, that "the elder shall serve the younger"; believing in that prophecy, she used every means, so that Jacob might receive the paternal blessing. LXXXI Why then did God not reveal his own will to Isaac? So that God's care for Jacob might become clear; and this it shows, that Isaac was eager to bless Esau; but that divine grace, even against the will of Isaac, drew the blessing to Jacob. And Isaac himself understood this, for as he used every means and sent Esau to the hunt, and when Jacob had brought the food, he asked many times if he himself were Esau the firstborn; and 74 not only did he ask but he also brought his hands to the body. then when Esau had entered, being astonished at what had happened, he was not angry as having been deceived by a child, but he knew the divine purpose and confirmed the blessing which he had given. LXXXII Then does it not seem that Jacob lied, saying, "I am Esau your firstborn"? He had bought the rights of the firstborn. Therefore speaking the truth he called himself firstborn. LXXXIII And what is the interpretation of the blessing? The Lord Christ was to spring from him according to the flesh, the expectation of the nations, both savior and lord of the whole world; foreseeing these things the patriarch says: "Behold, the smell of my son is as the smell of a full field which the Lord has blessed." And that the divine scripture often calls the world a field, the Lord is witness in the holy gospels, interpreting the parable; "For the field," he says, "is the world; and he who sows the good seed is the Son of Man." See therefore in Jacob the salvation of the whole world; wherefore he prays for him for the dew of heaven and the fatness of the earth; which according to the ready and superficial meaning of the letter, denotes the grace from above and the abundance of good things from the earth; but according to the interpretation of the field, it signifies of the Lord Christ through the dew, his divinity, and through the fatness of the earth, his humanity from us. For the blessed David, foretelling these things, said: "He shall come down like 75 rain upon a fleece, and as drops that fall upon the earth." For just as the dew comes down invisibly, but becomes visible when it settles below, so God the Word, being invisible, appeared on earth through the flesh and conversed with men and "was made manifest in the flesh," according to the divine apostle. And the grain and the wine are a riddle of the divine mysteries; with this account the following also agrees: "And let nations serve you; for," it says, "all the nations will serve him," as says the divine David; "and rulers will worship; for," it says, "the kings of Tharsis and the isles shall bring presents; the kings of the Arabians and of Saba shall offer gifts, and all the kings of the earth shall worship him." He confirmed this blessing also when he sent him into Mesopotamia; "for," it says, "you shall be for gatherings of nations, and may the Lord give you the blessing of Abraham your father." And what the blessing is, is easy for one who wishes to understand; for to Abraham the God of all said: "In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed." LXXXIV Why ever did Jacob, having received so many blessings, flee from his brother, and go abroad alone, deprived of necessities? More clearly in apparent misfortunes the care of God is shown; for those who are in prosperity do not so know how many good things they enjoy; for this reason he flees and goes abroad alone, so that with much

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τὸ φίλ τρον· " ἡ γὰρ θήρα αὐτοῦ βρῶσις αὐτῷ "· ἱκανὴ δὲ ἡ θεραπεία καὶ τοὺς ὠμοτάτους μειλίχεσθαι εἴ που γε δὴ πατέρα καὶ πα τέρα φιλόστοργον· εὕροι δ' ἄν τις καὶ τὸν θεῖον ἀπόστολον πλείσταις ὅσαις εὐλογίαις τοὺς τεθεραπευκότας αὐτὸν ἀμειψάμενον. LXXX Πόθεν ἡ Ῥεβέκκα τεθάρρηκεν, ὅτι δὴ τεύξεται τῆς εὐλογίας ὁ Ἰακώβ·καὶ οὕτω τεθάρρηκεν ὡς εἰπεῖν· " ἐπ' ἐμὲ ἡ κατάρα σου, τέκ νον, μόνον ἐπάκουσον τῆς φωνῆς μου "; Προεγνώκει παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων, ὅτι " ὁ μείζων δουλεύσει τῷ ἐλάσσονι "· ἐκείνῃ τῇ προρρήσει πιστεύουσα, πάντα ἐκίνησεν πόρον, ὥστε τὸν Ἰακὼβ τὴν πατρικὴν εὐλογίαν λαβεῖν. LXXXI Τί δήποτε τῷ Ἰσαὰκ τὸ βούλημα τὸ οἰκεῖον οὐκ ἀπεκάλυψεν ὁ Θεός; Ἵνα ἐναργὴς γένηται ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ περὶ τὸν Ἰακὼβ κηδεμονία· δείκνυσι δὲ τοῦτο, τὸ μὲν Ἰσαὰκ ἐσπουδακέναι τὸν Ἡσαῦ εὐλογῆσαι· τὴν δὲ θείαν χάριν καὶ παρὰ γνώμην τοῦ Ἰσαάκ, ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰακὼβ ἑλκῦσαι τὴν εὐλογίαν. τοῦτο δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς συνῆκεν ὁ Ἰσαάκ, ὡς γὰρ πάντα πόρον ἐκίνησε καὶ ἀπέστειλε τὸν Ἡσαῦ ἐπὶ τὴν θήραν, καὶ τοῦ Ἰακὼβ τὴν τροφὴν προσενηνοχότος, πολλάκις ἤρετο εἰ αὐτὸς εἴη Ἡσαῦ ὁ πρωτότοκος· καὶ 74 οὐ μόνον ἤρετο ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς χεῖρας τῷ σώματι προσενήνοχεν. εἶτα τοῦ Ἡσαῦ εἰσεληλυθότος, τὸ γεγενημένον καταπλαγείς, οὐκ ἐχαλέπηνεν ὡς παρὰ παιδὸς ἐξαπατηθείς, ἀλλὰ τὸν θεῖον ἔγνω σκοπὸν καὶ ἣν ἔδωκεν ἐβεβαίωσεν εὐλογίαν. LXXXII Εἶτα οὐ δοκεῖ ἐψεῦσθαι ὁ Ἰακὼβ εἰπών, " ἐγώ εἰμι Ἡσαῦ ὁπρωτότοκός σου; Πριάμενος ἦν τὰ τῶν προτοτοκίων πρεσβεῖα. ἀληθεύων τοιγαροῦν ἑαυ τὸν ἀπεκάλει πρωτότοκον. LXXXIII Τίς δὲ τῆς εὐλογίας ἡ ἑρμηνεία; Ἔμελλεν ἐξ αὐτοῦ κατὰ σάρκα βλαστήσειν ὁ δεσπότης Χριστός, ἡ τῶν ἐθνῶν προσδοκία, ὁ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἁπάσης καὶ σωτὴρ καὶ δεσπότης· ταῦτα προορῶν ὁ πατριάρχης φησίν· " ἰδοὺ ὀσμὴ τοῦ υἱοῦ μου, ὡς ὀσμὴ ἀγροῦ πλήρους ὃν εὐλόγησε Κύ ριος ". ὅτι δὲ πολλάκις ἀγρὸν τὸν κόσμον ἡ θεία καλεῖ γραφὴ μάρτυς ὁ Κύριος ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς εὐαγγελίοις τὴν παραβολὴν ἑρμηνεύων· " ἀγρὸς γάρ φησιν, ἔστιν ὁ κόσμος· ὁ δὲ σπείρων τὸ καλὸν σπέρμα ἐστὶν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ". ὅρα τοιγαροῦν ἐν τῷ Ἰακὼβ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἁπάσης τὴν σωτηρίαν· διὸ ἐπεύχεται αὐτῷ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τὴν δρόσον καὶ τῆς γῆς τὴν πιότητα· ἃ κατὰ μὲν τὸ πρό χειρον καὶ ἐπιπόλαιον τοῦ γράμματος νόημα, δηλοῖ τὴν ἄνωθεν χάριν καὶ τῶν ἀπὸ γῆς ἀγαθῶν τὴν ἀφθονίαν· κατὰ δὲ τὴν τοῦ ἀγροῦ ἑρμη νείαν, αἰνίττεται τοῦ δεσπότου Χριστοῦ διὰ τῆς δρόσου μὲν τὴν θεότητα, διὰ δὲ τῆς πιότητος τῆς γῆς τὴν ἐξ ἡμῶν ἀνθρωπότητα. καὶ γὰρ ὁ μα κάριος ∆αβὶδ ταῦτα προαγορεύων ἔφη· " καταβήσεται ὡς 75 ὑετὸς ἐπὶ πόκον, καὶ ὡσεὶ σταγόνες στάζου σαι ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ". ὥσπερ γὰρ ἡ δρόσος ἀοράτως μὲν κά τεισι, κάτω δὲ συνισταμένη γίνεται δήλη, οὕτως ἀόρατος ὢν ὁ Θεὸς λόγος διὰ τῆς σαρκὸς ἐπὶ γῆς ὤφθη καὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις συνανεστράφη καὶ " ἐφανερώθη ἐν σαρκί ", κατὰ τὸν θεῖον ἀπόστολον. καὶ ὁ σῖτος δὲ καὶ ὁ οἶνος τῶν θείων ἐστὶ μυστηρίων αἴνιγμα· τούτῳ συμ φωνεῖ τῷ λόγῳ καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· " καὶ δουλευσάτωσάν σοι ἔθ νη· πάντα, γάρ φησιν, τὰ ἔθνη δουλεύσουσιν αὐτῷ " ᾗ φησὶν ὁ θεῖος ∆αβίδ· " καὶ προσκυνήσουσιν οἱ ἄρχοντες· βασιλεῖς, γάρ φησι, Θαρσεῖς καὶ νῆσοι δῶρα προ σοίσουσι· βασιλεῖς ἀράβων καὶ Σαβὰ δῶρα προσάξουσι καὶ προσκυνήσουσιν αὐτῷ πάντες οἱ βασιλεῖς τῆς γῆς ". ταύτην ἐκράτυνε τὴν εὐλογίαν καὶ ἡνίκα αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν Μεσοποταμίαν ἐξέπεμψεν· " ἔσῃ, γάρ φησιν, εἰς συναγωγὰς ἐθνῶν, καὶ δῴη σοι Κύριος τὴν εὐλογίαν Ἀβραὰμ τοῦ πατρός σου ". τίς δὲ ἡ εὐλο γία, ῥᾴδιον τῷ βουλομένῳ καταμαθεῖν· τῷ γὰρ Ἀβραὰμ ὁ τῶν ὅλων ἔφη Θεός· " ἐν τῷ σπέρματί σου εὐλογηθήσεται πάντα τὰ ἔθνη τῆς γῆς ". LXXXIV Τί δήποτε τοσαύτας εὐλογίας λαβὼν ὁ Ἰακὼβ ἀποδιδράσκει τὸν ἀδελφόν, καὶ μόνος ἀποδημεῖ τῶν ἀναγκαίων ἐστερημένος; Ἐναργέστερον ἐν ταῖς δοκούσαις κακοπραγίαις ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ κηδεμονία δηλοῦται· οἱ γὰρ ἐν εὐκληρίᾳ ὄντες οὐχ οὕτως ἴσασιν ὅσων ἀγαθῶν ἀπο λαύουσι· τούτου χάριν ἀποδιδράσκει καὶ μόνος ἀποδημεῖ, ἵνα μετὰ πολ λῆς