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he has set, since he called him an eagle having many talons. "And he brought them, he says, into the city of Canaan, into a fortified city he set them." By these words he signified Babylon; he named it "the city of Canaan" on account of the similarity of their ways. 5. And he took of the seed of the land, and placed it in a field for sowing, to take the rootage of plants; he set it to be watched over by much water. By this he indicated Zedekiah; for having appointed him king instead of Jechoniah, he departed; he no longer calls Jerusalem Lebanon, but "a field for sowing," because the kingdom had become more humble. And the phrase, "he set it to be watched over by much water," signifies the subjugation, and the tribute imposed upon it. 6. It sprang up, he says, and became a weak vine, and small in size, so that its branches appeared upon it, and its roots were underneath it; and it became a great vine, and made shoots, and stretched out its climbing branches. The last kingdom of the Jews became exceedingly weak; for having already endured siege and enslavement three times, they were driven into poverty, and deprived of their population. For this reason he says that, "It became a weak vine, and small in size, and its branches were upon it." No longer, he says, did it stretch out, according to the prophecy of David, to the sea and to the rivers, nor did its shadow cover the mountains, and its climbing branches the cedars of God; but the phrase, "It stretched out its climbing branch," does not signify size, but the friendship toward the Egyptian. Therefore he added: 81.961 7. 8. And there was another great eagle, with great wings, and many talons, and behold, this vine was entwined upon him, and its roots were toward him, and it sent out its branches to him, to water it with the clod from the stump of its planting. It drinks in a good field, by much water, to produce shoots, and to bear fruit, to be a great vine. He calls the kings eagles on account of their dominion; for the animal is royal, and has obtained dominion over the birds; and by these he alluded to the king of the Egyptians. And this was Apries, and the prophet Jeremiah mentions him; for it was to him that Zedekiah made a treaty, breaking the oaths and the covenants which he had made with Nebuchadnezzar. And the phrase, "It sent out its branches to him," signifies the money sent by Zedekiah to the king of the Egyptians. And he sent, he says, "to water it with the clod," so that, he says, he might fight on behalf of both the king and his subjects; for he called the people a clod, continuing with the metaphor, since he also named the king a vine. And the vine is planted in the earth, and it gives its own roots to it, and draws moisture from it. Therefore, he says, Zedekiah sent money to the king of the Egyptians, so that through his help, both he and the people might enjoy his care, "that it might produce shoots, and bear fruit;" remaining a vine, that is, not casting off the dignity which it had received. 9. Therefore say, Thus says the Lord Adonai, Shall it prosper? Shall not its tender roots, and its fruit rot, and all its new shoots wither? It will be deceived, he says, in its hope, and will not obtain what it expects; for the watering of the Egyptian will not only bring it no benefit, but will also work rot in its roots, and will wither the shoots growing therefrom; and this also happened through the events themselves. For Zedekiah, trusting in the assistance of the Egyptian, broke the covenants with Nebuchadnezzar. And he marched against him, and took him captive, and enslaved the people, and burned the city. "And not with a great arm, nor with a great multitude, to tear it up from its roots." For the Egyptian, he says, will not send him a great army, and this itself will not only not help him at all, but will also tear him up by the roots. 10. And behold, it is watered, shall it prosper? And for a time, he says, it trusts in the

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τέθεικεν, ἐπειδὴ ἀετὸν προσηγόρευσε πλείστοις ὄνυξι κεχρημένον. "Καὶ εἰσήγαγεν αὐτὰ, φησὶν, εἰς πόλιν Χαναὰν, εἰς πόλιν τετειχισμένην ἔθετο αὐτά." Τὴν Βαβυ λῶνα διὰ τούτων ἐσήμανε· "πόλιν δὲ αὐτὴν Χαναὰν" ὠνόμασε, διὰ τὴν τῶν τρόπων συγγένειαν. εʹ. Καὶ ἔλαβεν ἀπὸ τοῦ σπέρματος τῆς γῆς, καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτὸ εἰς πεδίον σπόριμον, λαβεῖν ῥίζωσιν φυτῶν· ἐν ὕδατι πολλῷ ἐπιβλεπόμενον ἔταξεν αὐτό. Τὸν Σεδεκίαν διὰ τούτου παρεδήλωσε· τοῦτον γὰρ ἀντὶ Ἰεχονίου χειροτονήσας βασιλέα, ἀπῆλθεν· οὐκέτι δὲ τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ Λίβανον ὀνο μάζει, ἀλλὰ "πεδίον σπόριμον," διὰ τὸ ταπεινοτέραν γενέσθαι τὴν βασιλείαν. Τὸ δὲ, "ἐν ὕδατι πολλῷ ἐπιβλεπόμενον ἔταξεν αὐτὸ," τὴν ὑποταγὴν σημαί νει, καὶ τὸν ἐπιτεθέντα αὐτῷ δασμόν. ʹ. Ἀνέτειλε, φησὶ, καὶ ἐγένετο εἰς ἄμπελον ἀσθενοῦσαν, καὶ μικρὰν τῷ μεγέθει, τοῦ ἐπι φαίνεσθαι τὰ κλήματα αὑτῆς ἐπ' αὐτὴν, καὶ αἱ ῥίζαι αὐτῆς ὑποκάτω αὐτῆς ἦσαν· καὶ ἐγέ νετο εἰς ἄμπελον μεγάλην, καὶ ἐποίησεν ἀπ ώρυγας, καὶ ἐξέτεινε τὴν ἀναδενδράδα αὑτῆς. Ἀσθενεστέρα λίαν ἐγένετο ἡ τελευταία τῶν Ἰουδαίων βασιλεία· τρὶς γὰρ ἤδη πολιορκίαν καὶ ἀνδραποδισμὸν ὑπομείναντες, καὶ εἰς πενίαν ἤλασαν, καὶ τοῦ πλή θους ἀπεστερήθησαν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο λέγει, ὅτι "Ἐγέ νετο εἰς ἄμπελον ἀσθενοῦσαν, καὶ μικρὰν τῷ μεγέ θει, καὶ τὰ κλήματα αὐτῆς ἐπ' αὐτήν." Οὐκέτι, φησὶν, ἐξετείνετο, κατὰ τὴν τοῦ ∆αβὶδ προφητείαν, ἕως θαλάσσης καὶ ἕως ποταμῶν, οὐδὲ ἐκάλυψεν ὄρη ἡ σκιὰ αὐτῆς, καὶ αἱ ἀναδενδράδες αὐτῆς τὰς κέδρους τοῦ Θεοῦ· τὸ δὲ, "Ἐξέτεινε τὴν ἀναδενδράδα αὑτῆς," οὐ τὸ μέγεθος σημαίνει, ἀλλὰ τὴν πρὸς τὸν Αἰγύ πτιον φιλίαν. ∆ιὸ ἐπήγαγεν· 81.961 ζʹ. ηʹ. Καὶ ἐγένετο ἀετὸς ἕτερος μέγας, μεγα λοπτέρυγος, καὶ πολὺς ὄνυξι, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἡ ἄμπε λος αὕτη περιπλεκομένη ἐπ' αὐτὸν, καὶ αἱ ῥίζαι αὐτῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν, καὶ τὰ κλήματα αὑτῆς ἐξ απέστειλεν αὐτῷ, τοῦ ποτίσαι αὐτὴν σὺν τῷ βώλῳ ἀπὸ τοῦ πρέμνου τῆς φυτείας αὑτῆς. Εἰς πεδίον καλὸν, ἐφ' ὕδατι πολλῷ αὕτη πίεται, τοῦ ποιῆσαι βλαστοὺς, καὶ φέρειν καρπὸν, τοῦ εἶναι εἰς ἄμπελον μεγάλην. Ἀετοὺς καλεῖ τοὺς βασιλέας διὰ τὴν ἡγεμονίαν· βασιλικὸν γὰρ τὸ ζῶον, καὶ τὴν κατὰ τῶν ὀρνέων ἡγεμονίαν λαχόν· διὰ δὲ τούτων τὸν τῶν Αἰγυπτίων ᾐνίξατο βασιλέα. Οὐάφρης δὲ οὗτος ἦν, καὶ μέμνηται αὐτοῦ Ἱερεμίας ὁ προφήτης· πρὸς γὰρ τοῦτον ὁ Σεδεκίας ἐσπείσατο τοὺς ὅρκους παραβὰς, καὶ τὰς συνθήκας, ἃς πρὸς τὸν Ναβουχοδονόσορ ἐποιήσατο. Τὸ δὲ, "Ἐξαπέστειλεν αὐτῷ τὰ κλήματα αὑτῆς," τὰ χρήματα σημαίνει τὰ παρὰ τοῦ Σεδεκίου τῷ βασιλεῖ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων πεμ φθέντα. Ἔπεμψε δὲ, φησὶ, "τοῦ ποτίσαι αὐτὴν σὺν τῷ βώλῳ," ἵνα, φησὶ, καὶ τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ τῶν ὑπ ηκόων ὑπερμαχήσῃ· βῶλον γὰρ προσηγόρευσε τὸν λαὸν, ἐπιμείνας τῇ τροπῇ, ἐπειδὴ καὶ τὸν βασιλέα ἄμπελον ὠνόμασεν. Ἡ δὲ ἄμπελος ἐν τῇ γῇ πεφυ τευμένη, καὶ τὰς οἰκείας αὐτῇ δίδωσι ῥίζας, καὶ τὴν νοτίδα παρὰ ταύτης ἀρύεται. Ἔπεμψε τοίνυν, φησὶ, χρήματα τῶν Αἰγυπτίων τῷ βασιλεῖ ὁ Σεδεκίας, ὥστε διὰ τῆς ἐκείνου βοηθείας, καὶ αὐτὸν καὶ τὸν λαὸν ἀπολαῦσαι κηδεμονίας, "ἵνα ποιήσῃ βλαστοὺς, καὶ φέρῃ καρπόν·" ἄμπελος δὲ μείνασα, ἀντὶ τοῦ, μὴ ἀποβαλοῦσα τὴν ἀξίαν, ἣν ἔλαβε. θʹ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο εἰπὲ Τάδε, λέγει Ἀδωναῒ Κύριος, Εἰ κατευθυνεῖ; Οὐχὶ αἱ ῥίζαι τῆς ἁπαλότητος, καὶ ὁ καρπὸς αὐτῆς σαπήσεται, καὶ ξηρανθήσεται πάντα τὰ προανατέλλοντα αὐτῆς; Ψευσθήσεται, φησὶ, τῆς ἐλπίδος, καὶ οὐ τεύξεται ὧν προσδοκᾷ· ἡ γὰρ τοῦ Αἰγυπτίου ἀρδεία, οὐ μόνον οὐδεμίαν ὠφέλειαν αὐτῇ προσοίσει, ἀλλὰ καὶ σηπεδόνα ταῖς ῥίζαις ἐργάσεται, καὶ τοὺς ἐκεῖθεν φυομένους ξηρανεῖ βλαστούς· τοῦτο δὲ καὶ δι' αὐτῶν συνέβη τῶν πρα γμάτων. Θαῤῥήσας γὰρ ὁ Σεδεκίας τῇ τοῦ Αἰγυ πτίου ἐπικουρίᾳ, παρέβη τὰς πρὸς τὸν Ναβουχοδονό σορ συνθήκας. Ὁ δὲ ἐπιστρατεύσας, καὶ αὐτὸν αἰχμάλωτον ἔλαβε, καὶ τὸν λαὸν ἐξηνδραπόδισε, καὶ τὴν πόλιν ἐνέπρησε. "Καὶ οὐκ ἐν βραχίονι μεγάλῳ, οὐδὲ ἐν λαῷ πολλῷ, τοῦ ἐκσπάσαι αὐτὴν ἐκ ῥιζῶν αὐτῆς." Οὐδὲ γὰρ πολλὴν, φησὶν, ὁ Αἰγύπτιος πέμψει αὐτῷ στρατείαν, καὶ αὐτὴ δὲ αὕτη οὐ μόνον αὐτὸν οὐδὲν ὀνήσει, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκ ῥιζῶν ἀνα σπάσει. ιʹ. Καὶ ἰδοὺ πίεται, μὴ κατευθυνεῖ; Καὶ τέως, φησὶ, θαῤῥεῖ τῇ