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they may fall from their senses and hand over their soul as a captive to the wicked tyranny of drunkenness, just as a ship unballasted and deprived of its pilot and sailors, is carried simply and randomly, driven everywhere by the disorderly rush of the waters; in the same way, these people also become submerged by drunkenness. Therefore he says: Woe to those who rise early in the morning and pursue strong drink. For they were not fulfilling a need, nor did they wait for a desire to arise to satisfy their want, but they made it their work and practice to be continually drunk. Therefore he says: Those who pursue strong drink. And here by 'sikera' he means the juice of palms, which they were accustomed, by crushing and pressing the fruit, to transform into the nature of wine. And such a thing is soporific and productive of drunkenness. But they were suspicious of none of these things, pursuing pleasure alone everywhere. Those who tarry late. For the wine will inflame them. For such is the nature of drunkenness: as it progresses, it increases, and makes the thirst more difficult. Then he adds another charge no less than the former, saying: For they drink wine with the harp and psaltery and timbrels and flutes. This another prophet also charges, saying: Those who drink strained wine and anoint themselves with the best ointments, who clap to the sound of instruments. They reckoned it as something standing still and not as something fleeting. For this is a sign of extreme insensibility and a dissolute soul, to make one's own house a theater and to give oneself over to such songs. For what drunkenness does by darkening the mind, this music does by softening its vigor and breaking the soul's manliness and leading it out to greater licentiousness. But they do not look upon the works of God, and the works of his hands they do not consider. He means either His miracles, or the contemplation of creation. How could they become spectators, when they make the day into night, and at night are in no better condition than the dead? how will they be able to see the rising sun and the brilliant beauty of the sky and the varied chorus of the stars in the evening and the other good order and service of creation, being deprived of their eyes both outer and inner? Therefore, they have been wronged in no small matter, to depart from the present life without seeing the wonders of God, having been buried all their time in the darkness of drunkenness. Therefore my people became captive, because they did not know the Lord. Again he announces what is to come as though it has already happened and brings a punishment upon this transgression. For drunkenness itself is sufficient to be a punishment for everything, creating disturbances in the soul, filling the mind with gloom, making it captive, filling them with countless diseases both internal and external. Paul also knows this, that wickedness becomes a punishment for itself; therefore he says: And receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. But since this too is part of their insensibility, to be punished and not even feel it, to be sick and not even know that they are sick, he brings on also the external punishment, saying: Therefore my people became captive, because they did not know the Lord. And a multitude of them became dead through famine and thirst for water. See in the punishment also great admonition and that the deepest cut is not brought on all at once. For He did not bring on the captivity immediately, but first famine and drought, so that by remaining at home they might become better, and not, by being incurably sick, draw upon themselves the army of the barbarians. But since they did not yield, nor gain anything from this, he then brings on them the final punishment. But nevertheless, before those things he raises up and exaggerates in his speech this matter of the famine, saying: Hades has enlarged its soul; not as though Hades has a soul, but he personifies the threat, wishing to make his speech more emphatic and to deposit a keen fear in the minds of the listeners. Therefore he also persists in saying: And it opened its mouth, so as not to cease; as if narrating about some beast and near them

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ἐκπέσωσι φρενῶν καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν αἰχμάλωτον τῇ πονηρᾷ τῆς μέθης παραδῶσι τυραννίδι, καθάπερ πλοῖον ἀνερμάτιστον καὶ κυβερνήτου καὶ ναυτῶν ἀπεστερημένον, ἁπλῶς καὶ εἰκῆ φέρεται, τῇ τῶν ὑδάτων ἀτάκτῳ ῥύμῃ πανταχοῦ περιαγόμενον· τὸν αὐτὸν δὴ τρόπον καὶ οὗτοι ὑπὸ τῆς μέθης ὑποβρύχιοι γενόμενοι. ∆ιό φησιν· Οὐαὶ οἱ ἐγειρόμενοι τὸ πρωῒ καὶ τὸ σίκερα διώκοντες. Οὐ γὰρ τὴν χρείαν ἐπλήρουν, οὐδὲ ἀνέμενον ἐπιθυμίας γενομένης πληρῶσαι τὴν ἔνδειαν, ἀλλ' ἔργον ἐποιοῦντο τοῦτο καὶ μελέτην, τὸ διηνεκῶς μεθύειν. ∆ιό φησιν· Οἱ διώκοντες τὸ σίκερα. Σίκερα δὲ ἐνταῦθά φησι τῶν φοινίκων τὸν ὀπόν, ὃν ἐπετήδευον, συντρίβοντες τὸν καρπὸν καὶ καταθλῶντες, εἰς οἴνου μετασχηματίζειν φύσιν. Καρωτικὸν δέ ἐστι τὸ τοιοῦτον καὶ μέθης ἐργαστικόν. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν ὑφωρῶντο τούτων ἐκεῖνοι, τὴν ἡδονὴν πανταχοῦ διώκοντες μόνον. Οἱ μένοντες τὸ ὀψέ. Ὁ γὰρ οἶνος αὐτοὺς συγκαύσει. Τοιαύτη γὰρ τῆς μέθης ἡ φύσις· προϊοῦσα αὔξεται, καὶ χαλεπώτερον τὸ δίψος ποιεῖ. Εἶτα καὶ ἕτερον οὐκ ἔλαττον ἔγκλημα τοῦ προτέρου προστίθησι, λέγων· Μετὰ γὰρ κιθάρας καὶ ψαλτηρίου καὶ τυμπάνων καὶ αὐλῶν τὸν οἶνον πίνουσι. Τοῦτο καὶ ἕτερος ἐγκαλεῖ προφήτης λέγων· Οἱ πίνοντες τὸν διυλισμένον οἶνον καὶ τὰ πρῶτα μύρα χριόμενοι, οἱ κροτοῦντες πρὸς τὴν φωνὴν τῶν ὀργάνων. Ὡς ἑστῶτα ἐλογίσαντο καὶ οὐχ ὡς φεύγοντα. Καὶ γὰρ ἐσχάτης ἀναλγησίας τοῦτο σημεῖον καὶ ψυχῆς ἐκλελυμένης, τὸ θέατρον ποιεῖν τὴν οἰκίαν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τοιούτοις ᾄσμασιν ἑαυτοὺς ἐκδιδόναι. Ὅπερ γὰρ ἡ μέθη ποιεῖ σκοτοῦσα, τοῦτο ἡ μουσικὴ μαλάττουσα τὸ εὔτονον τῆς διανοίας καὶ κατακλῶσα τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν ἀνδρείαν καὶ ἐπὶ μείζονας ἐξάγουσα ἀσελγείας. Τὰ δὲ ἔργα τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐκ ἐμβλέπουσι καὶ τὰ ἔργα τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ οὐ κατανοοῦσιν. Ἢ τὰ θαύματα αὐτοῦ φησιν, ἢ τῆς κτίσεως τὴν θεωρίαν. Πῶς δ' ἂν δύναιντο γενέσθαι θεαταί, τὴν μὲν ἡμέραν νύκτα ἐργαζόμενοι, τὴν δὲ νύκτα τῶν νεκρῶν οὐδὲν ἄμεινον διακείμενοι; πῶς δυνήσονται ἥλιον ἰδεῖν ἀνατέλλοντα καὶ οὐρανοῦ κάλλος λάμπρον καὶ τὸν ποικίλον τῶν ἄστρων ἐν ἑσπέρᾳ χορὸν καὶ τὴν ἄλλην τῆς κτίσεως εὐταξίαν τε καὶ διακονίαν, τῶν ἔξωθεν καὶ τῶν ἔνδοθεν ὀφθαλμῶν ἀπεστερημένοι; Οὐ μικρὸν οὖν τοῦτο ἠδίκηνται, τὸ ἀθέατοι τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ θαυμάτων ἐκ τοῦ παρόντος ἀπελθεῖν βίου, πάντα τὸν χρόνον ἐν τῷ σκότει τῆς μέθης κατορωρυγμένοι. Τοίνυν αἰχμάλωτος ἐγενήθη ὁ λαός μου, διὰ τὸ μὴ εἰδέναι αὐτοὺς τὸν Κύριον. Πάλιν τὸ μέλλον ὡς γεγενημένον ἀπαγγέλλει καὶ τιμωρίαν ἐπάγει τῇ πλημμελείᾳ ταύτῃ. Ἱκανὴ μὲν γὰρ καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ μέθη ἀντὶ πάσης γενέσθαι κολάσεως, θορύβους ἐμποιοῦσα τῇ ψυχῇ, ζόφου πληροῦσα τὴν διάνοιαν, αἰχμάλωτον καθιστῶσα αὐτήν, μυρίων αὐτοὺς ἐμπιπλῶσα νοσημάτων τῶν ἔνδοθεν, τῶν ἔξωθεν. Οἶδε τοῦτο καὶ Παῦλος ὅτι κακία ἀντὶ τιμωρίας γίνεται· διό φησι· Καὶ τὴν ἀντιμισθίαν, ἣν ἔδει, τῆς πλάνης αὐτῶν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ἀπολαμβάνοντες. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ καὶ τοῦτο τῆς ἀναισθησίας αὐτῶν, τὸ κολάζεσθαι καὶ μηδὲ αἰσθάνεσθαι, τὸ νοσεῖν καὶ μηδὲ εἰδέναι ὅτι νοσοῦσιν, ἐπάγει καὶ τὴν ἔξωθεν τιμωρίαν λέγων· Τοίνυν αἰχμάλωτος ἐγενήθη ὁ λαός μου, διὰ τὸ μὴ εἰδέναι αὐτοὺς τὸν Κύριον. Καὶ πλῆθος ἐγενήθη νεκρῶν διὰ λιμὸν καὶ δίψαν ὕδατος. Ὅρα καὶ ἐν τῇ τιμωρίᾳ πολλὴν τὴν νουθεσίαν καὶ οὐκ ἀθρόον τὴν βαθυτάτην ἐπαγομένην τομήν. Οὐ γὰρ εὐθέως τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν ἐπήγαγεν, ἀλλὰ λιμὸν πρότερον καὶ αὐχμόν, ἵνα οἴκοι μένοντες γένωνται βελτίους, μηδὲ ἀνίατα νοσοῦντες ἐφελκύσωνται τὸ τῶν βαρβάρων στρατόπεδον. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὐκ εἶξαν, οὐδὲ ἐκέρδαναν ἐντεῦθεν, ἐπάγει λοιπὸν τὴν ἐσχάτην τιμωρίαν αὐτοῖς. Ἀλλ' ὅμως πρὸ ἐκείνων ταύτην ἐπαίρει καὶ ἐξογκοῖ τῷ λόγῳ τὴν τοῦ λιμοῦ, λέγων· Ἐπλάτυνεν ὁ ᾅδης τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ· οὐχ ὡς ψυχὴν τοῦ ᾅδου ἔχοντος, ἀλλὰ προσωποποιεῖ τὴν ἀπειλήν, ἐμφατικώτερον τὸν λόγον ποιῆσαι βουλόμενος καὶ τὸν φόβον ἀκμάζοντα ἐναποθέσθαι τῇ διανοίᾳ τῶν ἀκουόντων. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐπιμένει λέγων· Καὶ διήνοιξε τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ, τοῦ μὴ διαλιπεῖν· ὡς περὶ θηρίου τινὸς διηγούμενος καὶ ἐγγὺς αὐτῶν