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being saved. And the phrase, *From when Ephraim took away from Judah*, some have represented thus: *From when Ephraim departed from Judah, in the days of Jeroboam*; from that time, therefore, such days have not come upon the house of David as the Lord will bring. But what days does he mean? I mean the king of the Assyrians. ιηκεʹ. 9And it shall be in that day, the Lord shall hiss for the flies, which rule a part of the river 1968 of Egypt; and for the bee that is in the land of the Assyrians. And they shall come, and shall all rest in the valleys of the land, and in the holes of the rocks9, etc. Through these he indicates an invasion of Egyptians, calling them myriads, because of their delight in the gore and blood associated with idolatry; or because of their multitude, and the not-too-pleasant sound of their voice. And he shows those who advanced upon Judea by a nod from God, being called as if by a hiss from God, not from all, but from a part of Egypt. And he says that Assyrians will also come, whom he compared to bees, because they used a warlike sting, and at that time held power over the other nations. Or, because the bee is variegated and colorful. Such were the Assyrians in their garments, who, having come into Judea, would occupy every secret place, not to mention the cities themselves, that is, as when speaking of flies he persisted in the trope, indicating at the same time that they will search out their entire land, so that nothing hidden can escape notice. Whom one must fear, he says, but not these two smoking firebrands. And these things happened literally, when Pharaoh Necho against the lands of the Assyrians, killed Josiah who was hindering him, and taking his son Jehoahaz captive, and appointing Eliakim to rule, he made these Judeans tributaries, after whom Jeconiah ruled, then Zedekiah, in whose time Nebuchadnezzar came against Judea, and conquered it, and having enslaved nearly everyone, he sent Assyrian inhabitants out into the land. They, with the cities having been destroyed, inhabited caves and ravines and glens. After which, accordingly, he also prophesies the destruction of the Assyrians, who extended their rule over all of Asia, and Egypt and Libya, for about one thousand and three hundred years. But since after taking Jerusalem, and burning the temple, they dedicated the sacred vessels to idols, not long after they were destroyed by the Medes. And Cyrus was the first of the Persians to rule as king, who, releasing the captives, ordered the temple to be rebuilt, and gave back the sacred vessels again. Therefore he says: *In that day, the Lord shall shave the king of the Assyrians not only the head that was formerly long-haired*, when they ruled the world, *but also the hair of the feet*, that is, the manly form, or the numerous and common people, *and the beard*, that is, the ornament naturally fitting for men, namely the symbols of manliness. And this manner was judged to be the ultimate dishonor, to shave the head and beard. For some also do this, dishonoring themselves over the dead. Which the law of Moses forbade for the priests; 1969 and Jeremiah also says, when Jerusalem was sacked by Nebuchadnezzar, "men came up from Shechem and from Shiloh and Samaria, eighty men, with their beards shaved and their clothes torn, and cutting themselves." And these things indicate mourning and dishonor. He says, therefore, that the kingdom of the Assyrians is shown to be humble and unmanly and unseemly. And he says with a drunken razor, with the sword that shears unsparingly and is filled with the blood of the fallen. But some (as the text, they say, has "with a hired razor") indicate a certain mercenary power, which is destined to strip the kingdom of the Assyrians bare. Therefore after the fall of Jerusalem, the word indicates an exceeding poverty for those who remained. For it says that one scarcely possesses herds of oxen or a flock of sheep, but one heifer, and two sheep. And being fed with butter and honey indicates a famine of bread. And the milk from these will seem most plentiful, because of the very few being fed. Thus those who disobey God will be wasted away by a lack of spiritual goods, having become few in number, and lacking the bread that knows how to nourish to spiritual well-being, to a man

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σωζομένην. Καὶ τὸ, Ἀφ' οὗ ἀφεῖλεν Ἐφραῒμ ἀπὸ Ἰούδα, τινὲς οὕτωςπαρέστησαν· Ἀφ' οὗ ἀπέστη Ἐφραῒμ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἰούδα,ἐν ἡμέραις Ἰεροβοάμ· ἀπ' ἐκείνου τοίνυν οὐχ ἥκασιν ἡμέραι τοιαῦται τῷ οἴκῳ ∆αβὶδ, οἵας ἐπάξει Κύριος. Ποίας δέ φησιν ἡμέρας; λέγω τὸν βασιλέα τῶν Ἀσσυρίων. ιηκεʹ. 9Καὶ ἔσται ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, συριεῖ Κύριος μυίαις, αἳ κυριεύουσι μέρος ποταμοῦ 1968 Αἰγύπτου· καὶ τῇ μελίσσῃ, ἤ ἐστιν ἐν χώρᾳ Ἀσσυρίων. Καὶ ἐλεύσονται, καὶ ἀναπαύσονται πάντες ἐν ταῖς φάραγξι τῆς χώρας, καὶ ἐν ταῖς τρώγλαις τῶν πετρῶν9, κ.τ.λ. Αἰγυπτίων ἔφοδον διὰ τούτων δηλοῖ μυρίας αὐτοὺς εἰπὼν, διὰ τὸ χαίρειν λύθροις καὶ αἵμασι τοῖς κατὰ τὴν εἰδωλολατρείαν· ἢ διὰ τὸ πλῆθος, καὶ τὸ μὴ λίαν εὔηχες τῆς φωνῆς. Θεοῦ δὲ νεύματι δείκνυσι τοὺς ἐπὶ τὴν Ἰουδαίαν χωρήσαντας, οἱονεὶ συρίγματι καλουμένους Θεοῦ, οὐκ ἀπὸ πάσης, ἐκ δὲ μέρους Αἰγύπτου. Ἥξειν δὲ καὶ Ἀσσυρίους φησὶν, οὓς μελίτταις ἀπείκασεν, διὰ τὸ πολεμικῷ κέντρῳ κεχρῆσθαι, καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ἐθνῶν τότε κρατεῖν. Ἢ, ὅτι ποικίλη καὶ εὔχρως ἡ μέλιττα. Τοιοῦτοι δὲ τὰς ἐσθῆτας Ἀσσύριοι, οὓς ἐλθόντας εἰς Ἰουδαίαν, πάντα τόπον καθέξειν ἀπόῤῥητον, μήτι γε τὰς πόλεις αὐτὰς, ἤγουν, ὡς περὶ μυιῶν λέγων ἐπέμεινε τῇ τροπῇ, δηλῶν ἅμα, ὡς πᾶσαν αὐτῶν ἐρευνήσουσι τὴν χώραν, ὡς μὴ δύνασθαί τι τῶν κεκρυμμένων λαθεῖν. Οὓς χρὴ δεδιέναι, φησὶν, ἀλλ' οὐ τοὺς δύο τούτους καπνιζομένους δαλούς. Γέγονε δὲ ταῦτα πρὸς λέξιν, ὅτε Νεχαὼ Φαραὼ κατὰ τῶν Ἀσσυρίων χώρων, κωλύοντα τὸν Ἰωσίαν ἀπέκτεινεν, καὶ τὸν Ἰωαχὰζ αἰχμάλωτον τὸν τούτου παῖδα λαβὼν, Ἐλιακεὶμ καταστήσας ἄρχειν, Ἰουδαίων ὑποφόρους τούτους ἐποίησε, μεθ' ὂν Ἰεχονίας ἐκράτησεν, εἶτα Σεδεκίας, ἐφ' οὗ Ναβουχοδονόσωρ κατὰ τῆς Ἰουδαίας ἐλθὼν, ἐχειρώσατο, μικροῦ τε πάντας ἀνδραποδισάμενος Ἀσσυρίους οἰκήτορας εἰς τὴν χώραν ἐξέπεμψεν. Οἳ καθῃρημένων τῶν πόλεων σπήλαιά τε καὶ φάραγγας καὶ νάπας κατῴκησαν. Μεθ' ἃ λοιπὸν ἀκολούθως, καὶ τὴν Ἀσσυρίων προφητεύει καθαίρεσιν, οἳ παρέτειναν ἄρχοντες τῆς Ἀσίας ἀπάσης, Αἰγύπτου τε καὶ Λιβύης ἐφ' ὅλης ἔτεσιν χιλίοις που καὶ τριακοσίοις. Ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ λαβόντες Ἱεροσόλυμα, καὶ τὸν νεὼν ἐμπρήσαντες, τὰ σκεύη τὰ ἱερὰ τοῖς εἰδώλοις ἀνέθηκαν, οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν ὑπὸ Μήδων καθῄρηνται. Περσῶν τε πρῶτος ἐβασίλευσεν Κῦρος, ὃς τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους ἀνεὶς, οἰκοδομηθῆναι προσέταξε τὸν ναὸν, τὰ ἱερά τε πάλιν ἀπέδωκε σκεύη. ∆ιό φησιν· Ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, ξυρήσει Κύριος τοῦ βασιλέως Ἀσσυρίων οὐ τὴν κεφαλὴν μόνην τὴν πάλαι κομῶσαν, ὅτε τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐκράτουν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς τρίχας τῶν ποδῶν, δηλαδὴ τὸ ἀνδρεῖον σχῆμα, ἢ τὸν πολὺν καὶ χυδαῖον λαὸν, καὶ τὸν πώγωνα, τοῦτ' ἔστιν τὸν κατὰ φύσιν ἀνθρώποις πρέποντα κόσμον, ἤγουν τῆς ἀνδρείας τὰ σύμβολα. Τῆς ἐσχάτης δὲ ἀτιμίας ὁ τρόπος οὗτος ἐκρίνετο, κεφαλὴν ξυρεῖσθαι καὶ πώγωνα. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ἐκδρῶν τινὲς ἐπὶ νεκροῖς ἑαυτοὺς ἀτιμάζοντες. Ὃ τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν ὁ τοῦ Μωϋσέως ἀπηγόρευσε νό 1969 μος· φησὶ δὲ καὶ Ἱερεμίας, πεπορθημένων δὲ τῶν Ἱεροσολύμων ὑπὸ τοῦ Ναβουχοδονόσωρ, "Ἀνέβησαν ἄνδρες ἀπὸ Συχὲμ καὶ ἀπὸ Σαλὴμ καὶ Σαμαρείας ὀγδοήκοντα ἄνδρες, ἐξυρημένοι πώγωνας καὶ διεῤῥωγότες τὰ ἱμάτια καὶ κοπτόμενοι." Ταῦτα δὲ τὸ πένθος καὶ τὴν ἀτιμίαν δηλοῖ. Φησὶν οὖν τὴν βασιλείαν Ἀσσυρίων ταπεινὴν ἀποδεῖξαι καὶ ἄνανδρον καὶ ἀσχήμονα. Μεμεθυσμένῳ δὲ λέγει ξυρῷ, τῇ μαχαίρᾳ ἀφειδῶς τε κειρούσῃ καὶ πληρουμένῃ τῶν πιπτόντων τοῦ αἴματος. Τινὲς δὲ (ὡς τοῦ ῥητοῦ, φασὶ, μεμισθωμένῳ ἔχοντος) δύναμίν τινα μισθοφορικὴν ἀποδείκνυσι, τὴν μέλλουσαν τῶν Ἀσσυρίων βασιλείαν ψιλοῦν. Μετὰ δ' οὖν τὴν ἅλωσιν Ἱερουσαλὴμ πτωχείαν ὑπερβάλλουσαν τοῖς ἀπομείνασιν ὁ λόγος δηλοῖ. Οὐ βοῶν γὰρ ἀγέλας, οὐ δὲ ποίμνιον προβάτων, μίαν δὲ δάμαλιν, καὶ πρόβατα δύο κεκτῆσθαι μόλις λέγει τινά. Καὶ τῷ βουτύρῳ δὲ καὶ μέλιτι τρέφεσθαι, λιμὸν παρίστησιν ἄρτου. Τὸ ἀπὸ τούτων δὲ γάλα πλεῖστον εἶναι δόξει, διὰ τὸ τῶν τρεφομένων ἐλάχιστον. Οὕτως οἱ ἀπειθοῦντες Θεῷ τῇ τῶν πνευματικῶν ἀγαθῶν ἐνδείᾳ κατατακήσονται γεγονότες ὀλιγοστοὶ, καὶ ἀποροῦντες ἄρτου τρέφειν εἰδότος εἰς εὐεξίαν τὴν νοητὴν, εἰς ἄνδρα