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he punishes. For he adds: And he who goes forth. Who would not have chosen to approach, seeing the disease so divinely sent? for if such terrible things awaited even those who remained, and they had to perish completely, for what reason did they not approach? It is clear from their not believing. House of David. He did not simply remind them of David, but so that they might be ashamed by the virtue of their forefather. If for no other reason, that they might cease being wicked. Hear the word. Not because it has great strength; not because there is no one stronger; not for this reason, but because of your practices. For your sins will be food for this fire. Behold, I am against you, inhabitant of the valley of Sor, the plain, says the Lord, you who say, Who will terrify us, or who will enter our dwelling? and so on. Sor is not well translated in the Greek version; 64.937 for in the Hebrew it is Sour; which is translated as rock. It refers to Jerusalem, which happens to be in the rock of a valley. He called it the rock of a valley because of the place's position; as the places around Jerusalem are contained by rocks, but there is also a plain in a circle. Behold, I. He prophesies terrible things for Tyre, and Ezekiel and Isaiah also say many things about Tyre, that it was lifted up, that having the way of teaching from the neighboring Jews, it bore no fruit. For this reason he first touches upon these nations, because Jerusalem was near them; and as you proceed, you hear how he also touches upon Babylon and all the rest, and you see his universal providence.

CHAPTER 22.

That thus says the Lord against the house of the king of Judah, Gilead, you are to me the head of Lebanon; surely I will make you a desert, cities that will not be inhabited. He now calls Jerusalem Gilead, to show its splendor, since Gilead is also renowned. The meaning is obscure; but he wished to speak about it by way of example. Therefore he wishes to signify this, that just as Gilead is the beginning of Lebanon; for it is renowned beyond all the cities situated near Lebanon; so you also rule the other cities. But nevertheless, he says, since you have been ungrateful towards me, I cast my vote against you. *Do not weep for the one who has died, nor mourn for him; weep with weeping for the one who is going forth, because he will not return again, nor will he see the land of his fatherland. Jehoiakim the father of Jeconiah suffered a harsh death; for having been captured by the Babylonian, he was first bound in bronze fetters, then slaughtered, he was thrown before the walls, not even deemed worthy of burial by the Barbarian. And after this, after the Babylonian departed from the city, they gathered his remains and laid them at the place of his death. Therefore God foretells through the prophet that the living one will suffer worse things because of his lawlessness. Therefore, "Do not weep for the one who has died, nor mourn for him," he says concerning Jehoiakim. And, "Weep with weeping for the one who is going forth, because he will not return again," he says concerning Jeconiah; for after he had reigned for three months, Nebuchadnezzar deported him to his own land. Perhaps he says this concerning Josiah; for he suffered nothing terrible, having had a good life, and having been snatched away beforehand from those who were to serve and die in a foreign land. Because thus says the Lord concerning Shallum son of Josiah king of Judah, who reigned in place of Josiah his father. He calls Jeconiah Shallum; for so they called him. And it is translated as Peaceful. For since 64.940 the Babylonian took captive Jehoiakim, his father, who had been established by the Egyptian, and Jeconiah became king, he names him Peaceful, as if the land would no longer be plundered

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τιμωρεῖται. Ἐπάγει γοῦν· Καὶ ὁ ἐκπορευόμενος. Τίς οὐκ ἂν εἵλετο προσχωρῆσαι, θεήλατον οὕτω τὴν νόσον ὁρῶν; εἰ γὰρ καὶ τοὺς ἀπομένοντας τοιαῦτα ἔμενε δεινὰ, καὶ πάντως ἀπολέσθαι ἐχρῆν, τίνος ἕνεκεν οὐ προσεχώρουν; ἦ δῆλον ἐκ τοῦ μὴ πιστεύειν. Οἶκος ∆αυΐδ. Οὐχ ἁπλῶς αὐτοὺς ἀνέμνησε τοῦ ∆αβὶδ, ἀλλ' ἵνα τὴν ἀρετὴν τοῦ προγόνου αἰσχυνθῶσιν. Εἰ καὶ μηδὲν ἕτερον, παύσωνται ὄντες πονηροί. Ἀκούσατε λόγον. Οὐ διὰ τὸ ἰσχὺν ἔχειν μεγάλην· οὐ διὰ τὸ μηδένα εἶναι τὸν ἰσχυρότερον· οὐ διὰ τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὰ ὑμέτερα ἐπιτηδεύματα. Τροφὴ γὰρ ἔσται τῷ πυρὶ τούτῳ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα τὰ ὑμέτερα. Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ πρὸς σὲ τὸν κατοικοῦντα τὴν κοιλάδα Σὼρ, τὴν πεδινὴν, φησὶ Κύριος, τοὺς λέγοντας· Τίς πτοήσει ἡμᾶς, ἢ τίς εἰσελεύσεται εἰς τὸ κατοικητήριον; καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Οὐ καλῶς Σὼρ ἡρμήνευται παρὰ τῷ Ἑλληνικῷ· 64.937 παρὰ γὰρ τῷ Ἑβραίῳ Σοὺρ κεῖται· ἑρμηνεύεται δὲ πέτρα. Μηνύει δὲ τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ἥτις ἐν τῇ πέτρᾳ κοιλάδος τυγχάνει. Πέτραν δὲ κοιλάδος ἐκάλεσε, διὰ τὴν τοῦ τόπου θέσιν· ὡς τῶν μὲν περὶ τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ τόπων ὑπὸ πετρῶν συνεχομένων, οὔσης δὲ καὶ πεδιάδος ἐν κύκλῳ. Ἰδοὺ ἐγώ. Προφητεύει τῇ Τύρῳ δεινὰ, πολλὰ δὲ καὶ Ἰεζεκιὴλ, καὶ Ἡσαΐας περὶ τῆς Τύρου φησὶν, ὅτι ἐπῆρτο, ὅτι ἔχουσα διδασκαλίας ὁδὸν τοὺς ἐκ γειτόνων Ἰουδαίους, οὐδὲν ἐκαρπώσατο. ∆ιὰ γάρ τοι τοῦτο πρῶτον ἅπτεται τῶν ἐθνῶν τούτων, ὅτι τὰ Ἱεροσόλυμα πλησίον αὐτῶν ἦν· ἀκούεις δὲ προϊὼν, πῶς καὶ Βαβυλῶνος ἅπτεται καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ἁπάντων, καὶ ὁρᾷς αὐτοῦ τὴν καθόλου πρόνοιαν.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΚΒʹ.

Ὅτι τάδε λέγει Κύριος κατὰ τοῦ οἴκου βασιλέως Ἰούδα, Γαλαὰδ, σύ μοι ἄρχῃ τοῦ Λιβάνου, ἐὰν μὴ θήσω σε εἰς ἔρημον, πόλεις μὴ κατοικισθησομένας. Τὴν Γαλαὰδ νῦν λέγει τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ἵνα τὸ φαιδρὸν αὐτῆς παραστήσῃ, ἐπειδὴ ἐπίδοξος καὶ ἡ Γαλαάδ. Ἀσαφῶς δὲ κεῖται τὸ νόημα· παραδείγματι δὲ ἐβουλήθη τὰ περὶ αὐτῆς εἰπεῖν. Τοῦτο οὖν βούλεται σημᾶναι, ὅτι ὥσπερ ἡ Γαλαὰδ ἀρχή ἐστι τοῦ Λιβάνου· ἐπίδοξος γὰρ αὕτη παρὰ πάσας τὰς παρὰ τὸν Λίβανον πόλεις κειμένας· οὕτω καὶ σὺ τῶν λοιπῶν πόλεων ἄρχεις. Ἀλλ' ὅμως, φησὶν, ἐπειδὴ ἀγνώμων ἐγένου περὶ ἐμὲ, τὴν ψῆφον ἐκφέρω κατὰ σοῦ. *Μὴ κλαίετε τὸν τεθνηκότα, μηδὲ θρηνεῖτε αὐτόν· κλαύσατε κλαυθμῷ τὸν ἐκπορευόμενον, ὅτι οὐκ ἐπιστρέψει ἔτι, οὐδὲ ὄψεται τὴν γῆν πατρίδος αὐτοῦ. Χαλεπὸν ὑπέστη τὸν θάνατον ὁ Ἰωακεὶμ ὁ τοῦ Ἰεχωνίου πατήρ· ἁλοὺς γὰρ ὑπὸ τοῦ Βαβυλωνίου, πρῶτον μὲν ἐδέθη πέδαις χαλκαῖς, εἶτα ἀποσφαγεὶς, ἐῤῥίφη πρὸ τῶν τειχῶν, οὐδὲ ταφῆς ἀξιωθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ Βαρβάρου. Καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα μετὰ τὸ τῆς πόλεως ἀποστῆναι τὸν Βαβυλώνιον, συναγαγόντες αὐτοῦ τὰ λείψανα, κατέθεντο ἐπὶ τῷ τόπῳ τοῦ θανάτου. Ὁ τοίνυν Θεὸς διὰ τοῦ προφήτου προλέγει χείρονα πείσεσθαι τὸν ζῶντα διὰ τὴν παρανομίαν. Τὸ οὖν, Μὴ κλαίετε τὸν τεθνηκότα, μηδὲ θρηνεῖτε αὐτὸν, περὶ τοῦ Ἰωακεὶμ λέγει. Τὸ δὲ, Κλαύσατε κλαυθμῷ τὸν ἐκπορευόμενον, ὅτι οὐκ ἐπιστρέψει ἔτι, περὶ τοῦ Ἰεχονίου λέγει· τρίμηνον γὰρ αὐτὸν βασιλεύσαντα μετῴκισε εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γῆν ὁ Ναβουχοδονόσορ. Μήποτε διὰ τὸν Ἰωσίαν φησίν· οὐδὲν γὰρ δεινὸν πέπονθεν, βίον μὲν ἐσχηκὼς ἀγαθὸν, προανηρπασμένος δὲ τῶν μελλόντων ἐν ἀλλοτρίᾳ γῇ δουλεύειν καὶ τελευτᾷν. ∆ιότι τάδε λέγει Κύριος ἐπὶ Σελλοὺμ υἱὸν Ἰωσίου τοῦ βασιλέως Ἰούδα, τὸν βασιλεύοντα ἀντὶ Ἰωσίου τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ. Σελλοὺμ λέγει τὸν Ἰεχονίαν· οὕτω γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐκάλουν. Ἑρμηνεύεται δὲ Εἰρηνικός. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ 64.940 τὸν Ἰωακεὶμ τὸν τούτου πατέρα καταστάντα ὑπὸ τοῦ Αἰγυπτίου αἰχμάλωτον εἷλεν ὁ Βαβυλώνιος, καὶ ἐβασίλευσεν Ἰεχονίας, εἰρηνικὸν αὐτὸν ὀνομάζει, ὡσανεὶ τῆς γῆς οὐκ ἔτι πορθησομένης