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and Moabites the Arabian nations around Judea, being hostile and enemies of the God honored among the Jews on account of their extraordinary idolatry, reasonably the word made mention of these by name, as they too would accept the piety to be preached by the apostles. Therefore it says: and they will lay their hands upon Idumea and upon Moab, and it prophesies that the sons of Ammon will obey the preaching. And these are nations of those who inhabit Arabia, formerly being most superstitious, but now having received the word of Christ, wherefore it divinely ordains as a paradoxical thing that they will be subjected to the preachers of the gospel, those who were formerly enemies and adversaries to the piety of the Jews. And according to Symmachus: Edom he says and Moab are the stretching out of their hand. which also was fulfilled through works, when the disciples of our savior extended their own hand and the deeds accomplished by them also to those inhabiting Arabia so as to fill their cities with churches of God as it is said: and first they will lay their hands upon Moab, and again: the sons of Ammon will be the first to obey. It is necessary to know that neither the Hebrew tongue nor the wording of the other interpreters contains the addition that they will be the first to obey, but only this, that the grace of Christ proclaimed by the apostles will be extended also to these. 1.64 The three interpreted it thus in agreement: and the Lord will curse the tongue of the sea of Egypt. And the word is accustomed to call "sea" the multitude of impious men or also the outpouring of evil as if filled with salt waters. And the Lord is said to curse, so that they might no longer strengthen the superstitious error with the Egyptian tongue, but might learn to "speak" the oracles of God and to "swear in the name of the Lord." And it is worthy of note that also in the preceding passages the word mentions our savior "Jesus" according to the Hebrew tongue in this: "behold God my savior, I will trust in him"; for instead of "my savior" the Hebrew word contains "Iesuathi," and again "from the springs of salvation" instead of "of salvation," "Iesua" is said. Just as the word did not idly make mention by name of Idumea and Moab and the sons of Ammon in what came before, but that they were most superstitious nations, and hostile and opposed to the God of the prophets, wherefore it divinely ordains as a paradoxical thing that these very ones should accept the teaching of Christ. In the same manner also he has opportunely included the mention of the idolatry of the Egyptians, as it too would be abolished in the times indicated. But the present word is not about Egypt; for the prophecy concerning it is distinct, circumscribed in its own subject, of which has been pre-written: "the vision of Egypt" but about "the remnant according to election." Since he also divinely ordains these things, teaching, how after the coming among men of him who would come forth "from the root of Jesse" those who have received him, being a "remnant according to election" of Israel, along with the other nations, also fill the land of the Egyptians with the teaching of Christ, with nothing standing in their way. And we have already observed before, that of the prophetic voice some things are rendered literally, not needing tropical allegory, while others force even the unwilling to proceed by an allegorical method. Therefore, just as the word compelled us to interpret tropically "the rod" "from the root of Jesse" and "the flower" and "the stump," but it was no longer right to allegorize Jesse himself, and again it was necessary to transfer what was said as about beasts to such manners of men, but no longer also to interpret tropologically the nations, which he was said to rule. So also in what is at hand it is necessary to confess Egypt as the perceptible land of the Egyptians, but to receive its sea and river allegorically, which things he says will be laid waste according to the

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καὶ Μωαβῖται τὰ περὶ τὴν Ἰουδαίαν Ἀραβικὰ ἔθνη, πολέμια καὶ ἐχθρὰ τυγχάνειν τοῦ παρὰ Ἰουδαίοις τιμωμένου θεοῦ διὰ τὴν ἔκτοπον αὐτῶν εἰδωλολατρίαν εἰκότως τούτων αὐτῶν ὀνομαστὶ μνήμην ὁ λόγος ἐποιήσατο, ὡς καὶ αὐτῶν παραδεξομένων τὴν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀποστόλων κηρυχθησομένην θεοσέβειαν. διό φησι· καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν Ἰδουμαίαν καὶ ἐπὶ Μωὰβ τὰς χεῖρας ἐπιβαλοῦσι, καὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς δὲ Ἀμμὼν ὑπακούσεσθαι τῷ κηρύγματι προφητεύει. ἔθνη δὲ ταῦτά ἐστι τῶν τὴν Ἀραβίαν οἰκούντων πάλαι μὲν ὄντα δεισιδαιμονέστατα, νυνὶ δὲ τὸν Χριστοῦ λόγον ὑποδεδεγμένα, διὸ ὡς παράδοξον θεσπίζει τὸ ὑποταγήσεσθαι τοῖς τοῦ εὐαγγελίου κήρυξι τοὺς πάλαι ἐχθροὺς καὶ ἐναντίους τῇ Ἰουδαίων θεοσεβείᾳ. κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον· Ἐδώμ φησι καὶ Μωὰβ ἔκτασις χειρὸς αὐτῶν. ὃ καὶ αὐτὸ δι' ἔργων ἐπληροῦτο, ὅτε τὴν ἑαυτῶν χεῖρα καὶ τὰς δι' αὐτῶν ἐπιτελεσμένας πράξεις οἱ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν μαθηταὶ καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς τὴν Ἀραβίαν οἰκοῦντας ἐξέτειναν ὡς καὶ τὰς τούτων πόλεις ἐκκλησιῶν πληρῶσαι θεοῦ ἐν τῷ λέγεσθαι· καὶ ἐπὶ Μωὰβ πρῶτον τὰς χεῖρας ἐπιβαλοῦσι, καὶ πάλιν· υἱοὶ Ἀμμὼν πρῶτοι ὑπακούσονται. εἰδέναι χρὴ ὡς οὔτε ἡ Ἑβραϊκὴ φωνὴ οὔτε ἡ τῶν λοιπῶν ἑρμηνευτῶν λέξις τὴν προσθήκην τοῦ πρώτους αὐτοὺς ὑπακούσεσθαι περιέχει, ἀλλὰ αὐτὸ μόνον, ὅτι καὶ ἐπὶ τούτους ἐκταθήσεται ἡ διὰ τῶν ἀποστόλων καταγγελλομένη τοῦ Χριστοῦ χάρις. 1.64 Οἱ τρεῖς συμφώνως οὕτως ἡρμήνευσαν· καὶ ἀναθεματίσει κύριος τὴν γλῶσσαν θαλάσσης Αἰγύπτου. θάλασσαν δὲ εἴωθεν ὁ λόγος καλεῖν τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἀσεβῶν ἀνδρῶν ἢ καὶ τὸ χύμα τῆς κακίας ἁλμυρῶν ὑδάτων ὥσπερ πεπληρωμένης. ἀναθεματίσειν δὲ λέγεται ὁ κύριος, ἵνα μηκέτι τῇ γλώσσῃ τῇ Αἰγυπτίᾳ τὴν δεισιδαίμονα πλάνην κρατύνωσι, μάθωσι δὲ «λαλεῖν» τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγια καὶ «ὀμνύειν ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι κυρίου». ἐπιστῆσαι δὲ ἄξιον ὡς καὶ ἐν τοῖς προκειμένοις τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν «Ἰησοῦ» μέμνηται ὁ λόγος κατὰ τὴν Ἑβραϊκὴν φωνὴν ἐν τῷ· «ἰδοὺ ὁ θεὸς ὁ σωτήρ μου, πεποιθὼς ἔσομαι ἐπ' αὐτῷ»· ἀντὶ γὰρ «τοῦ σωτῆρός μου» ἡ Ἑβραϊκὴ λέξις «ἠσουαθὶ» περιέχει, καὶ πάλιν «ἐκ τῶν πηγῶν τοῦ σωτηρίου» ἀντὶ «τοῦ σωτηρίου», «ἠσουὰ» λέλεκται. ὥσπερ τῆς Ἰδουμαίας καὶ τῆς Μωὰβ καὶ τῶν υἱῶν Ἀμμὼν οὐκ ἀργῶς ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν ὀνομαστὶ ἐμνημόνευσεν ὁ λόγος, ἀλλ' ὅτι δεισιδαιμονέστατα τυγχάνοντα ἔθνη, ἐχθρά τε καὶ ἀντικείμενα τῷ τῶν προφητῶν ὑπῆρχε θεῷ, διὸ ὡς ἐν παραδόξῳ θεσπίζει αὐτὰ ταῦτα τὴν Χριστοῦ διδασκαλίαν παραδέξασθαι. κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ τῆς Αἰγυπτίων εἰδωλολατρίας τὴν μνήμην εὐκαίρως παρείληφεν, ὡς καὶ αὐτῆς καταλυθησομένης κατὰ τοὺς δηλουμένους χρόνους. ἔστι δὲ ὁ παρὼν λόγος οὐ περὶ τῆς Αἰγύπτου· ἰδιάζει γὰρ ἡ περὶ αὐτῆς προφητεία ἐν ὑποθέσει περιγεγραμμένη οἰκείᾳ, ἧς προγέγραπται· «ὅρασις Αἰγύπτου» περὶ δὲ «τοῦ κατ' ἐκλογὴν λείμματος». ἐπεὶ καὶ ταῦτα θεσπίζει διδάσκων, ὅπως μετὰ τὴν πάροδον τὴν εἰς ἀνθρώπους τοῦ «ἐκ ῥίζης Ἰεσσαὶ» προελευσομένου οἱ τοῦτον παραδεδεγμένοι «λεῖμμα κατ' ἐκλογὴν» ὄντες τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἐθνῶν καὶ τὴν Αἰγυπτίων χώραν τῆς Χριστοῦ διδασκαλίας πληροῦσι, μηδενὸς αὐτοῖς ἐμποδὼν ἱσταμένου. τετηρήκαμεν δὲ ἤδη καὶ πρότερον, ὅτι τῆς προφητικῆς φωνῆς τὰ μὲν πρὸς λέξιν ἀποδίδοται οὐ δεόμενα τροπικῆς ἀλληγορίας, τὰ δὲ καὶ μὴ βουλομένους ἐκβιάζεται δι' ἀλληγορικοῦ τρόπου χωρεῖν. ὥσπερ οὖν κατηνάγκαζεν ὁ λόγος τροπικῶς ἑρμηνεύειν «τὴν ῥάβδον» «ἐκ τῆς ῥίζης Ἰεσσαὶ» καὶ «τὸ ἄνθος» καὶ «τὸν κορμόν», οὐκέτι δὲ καὶ τὸν Ἰεσσαὶ δίκαιον ἦν ἀλληγορεῖν, καὶ πάλιν τὰ ὡς περὶ θηρίων λελεγμένα ἀναγκαῖον ἦν μεταφέρειν ἐπὶ τοιούσδε τρόπους ἀνθρώπων, οὐκέτι δὲ καὶ τὰ ἔθνη τροπολογεῖν, ὧν ἐλέγετο ἄρχειν. οὕτω καὶ ἐν τοῖς μετὰ χεῖρα Αἴγυπτον μὲν τὴν αἰσθητὴν τῶν Αἰγυπτίων χώραν ἀναγκαῖον ὁμολογεῖν, θάλασσαν δὲ αὐτῆς καὶ ποταμὸν ἀλληγορικῶς ἐκδέχεσθαι, ἅπερ φησὶν ἐρημωθήσεσθαι κατὰ τοὺς