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signifies those who were lifted up, who were besieged by the Babylonian and cut off from their own land; whom it was likely would rejoice at the fall of the one being indicated. And they were filled, it says, at your destruction, saying: Since you have been laid to rest, the one who cuts us down has not come up. Those, therefore, who are on the earth will say these things, but those who have exchanged human life and have been left as if in bonds in the regions of Hades, they too, rejoicing at the destruction of the same, will say what follows. But Hades, anticipating all those there, and the power presiding over the souls of the dead, like some guard of a prison, will rise up against you from below, from the dark recesses, with wrath and anger. And when this one, as if a ruler and one holding power there, was aroused from his own throne, all the rest of the giants, or according to the other interpreters: the Rephaim rose up together. And who these were, it interprets, saying: the rulers of the earth who have raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations, and who did the same things as the accused king of Babylon, who, seeing the soul of the one who once reigned over Babylon naked and bereft of its body, will say to it: Has death become stronger than you, so as to prove you to be like us? So then, life above the earth was nothing, nor wealth, nor glory, nor such great power, if indeed the end of all those things will be succeeded by “earth and ashes,” and worms and the decay of flesh. But we did not consider you mortal, but being deceived by the glory surrounding you, we compared you to the brightest luminary in heaven, the one called before the sun, the morning star. But you thought even greater things of yourself, and exulting and boasting in a madness of mind, you imagined yourself as comparing yourself to the most high God and setting your throne above the heavenly vaults. These things we thought about you, being deceived by mortal reasonings, and such things you also thought of yourself in an ecstasy of mind. But time, in which you were captured, was the proof of your end; not even having had a death similar to other men. For some paid the debt quietly, gently and calmly at their own hearth, but you, your life having been taken by the sword of the enemy, will be cast out, a corpse unburied, exposed as food for beasts and birds. It should be known that up to this point came the seventeenth volume of Origen's exegetical works on the prophet. But Symmachus interpreted the meaning of what was said in this way: You also were wounded like us, and you were compared to us. And your pride was brought down to Hades, your mouth was put to death, corruption will be spread under you, and your covering a worm. How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the ground, you who wounded the nations. But you said in your heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will raise my throne above the stars of heaven and I will sit on the mount of the covenant in the sides of the north, I will ascend upon a high cloud, I will be made like the Most High. But you will be brought down to Hades, to the depths of the pit. Those who see you will stoop down, they will consider concerning you, Is this the man who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble? who made the world like the desert and overthrew its cities, who did not release his prisoners to their home. All the kings of the nations slept in honor, each in his own house. But you will be cast from your tomb like a detested abortion, clothed with the slain who are weighted down by the sword, going down to the foundations of the pit. Following these things, according to the Seventy it has been said: in the way that a garment stained with blood will not be clean, so you also will not be clean, because you have destroyed my land and killed my people and the things that follow these. In place of which Symmachus published it thus: as a foul-smelling body you will not have fellowship with them in burial, because you have corrupted your land, you have killed your people; seed will not be called for ever

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ἐπηρμένους σημαίνει, ὑπὸ τοῦ Βαβυλωνίου πολιορκηθέντας καὶ τῆς οἰκείας ἀποκοπέντας χώρας· οὓς εἰκὸς ἦν ἐπιχαρῆναι τῇ πτώσει τοῦ δηλουμένου. Καὶ ἐνεπλήσθησάν φησιν ἐπὶ τῇ σῇ ἀπωλείᾳ λέγοντες· Ἀφ' οὗ σὺ κεκοίμησαι, οὐκ ἀνέβη ὁ κόπτων ἡμᾶς. οἱ μὲν οὖν ἐπὶ γῆς ὄντες ταῦτα φήσουσιν, οἱ δὲ τὸν ἀνθρώπινον μεταλλάξαντες βίον καὶ ὥσπερ ἐν δεσμοῖς τοῖς τοῦ ᾅδου χωρίοις ἀπολειφθέντες ἐπιχαίροντες καὶ αὐτοὶ τῇ ἀπωλείᾳ τοῦ αὐτοῦ λέξουσι τὰ ἐπιφερόμενα. φθάσας δὲ τοὺς ἐκεῖ πάντας ὁ ᾅδης καὶ ἡ ἐφεστῶσα ταῖς τῶν τεθνηκότων ψυχαῖς δύναμις, ὥσπερ τις δεσμωτηρίου τυγχάνουσα φρουρὸς κάτωθεν ἐκ τῶν σκοτεινῶν μυχῶν μετὰ θυμοῦ καὶ ὀργῆς ἐπαναστήσεταί σοι. τούτου δὲ ὡσπερεὶ ἄρχοντος καὶ τῶν ἐκεῖ κρατοῦντος τοῦ οἰκείου διεγερθέντος θρόνου, καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ πάντες γίγαντες, ἢ κατὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἑρμηνευτάς· οἱ ῥαφαεὶμ συνανέστησαν. τίνες δὲ ἦσαν οὗτοι, διερμηνεύει λέγων· οἱ ἄρξαντες τῆς γῆς οἱ ἐγείραντες ἐκ τῶν θρόνων αὐτῶν πάντας βασιλεῖς ἐθνῶν, καὶ τὰ αὐτὰ τῷ κατηγορουμένῳ βασιλεῖ Βαβυλῶνος πράξαντες, οἳ καὶ γυμνὴν καὶ ἔρημον τοῦ σώματος τὴν τοῦ ποτε βασιλεύσαντος τῆς Βαβυλῶνος ψυχὴν ὁρῶντες φήσουσιν αὐτῇ· Καὶ σοῦ κρείττων γέγονε θάνατος, ὡς καὶ σὲ ὅμοιον ἡμῖν ἀπελέγξαι; οὐδὲν ἄρα ἦν ὁ ὑπὲρ γῆς βίος καὶ ὁ πλοῦτος καὶ ἡ δόξα καὶ ἡ τοσαύτη δυναστεία, εἰ δὴ τὸ πάντων ἐκείνων πέρας «γῆ καὶ σποδὸς» διαδέξεται, σκώληκές τε καὶ σαρκῶν σῆψις. ἡμεῖς δὲ σὲ οὐ θνητὸν ἐνομίζομεν, ἀπατώμενοι δὲ τῇ περὶ σὲ δόξῃ τῷ κατ' οὐρανὸν λαμπροτάτῳ φωστῆρι τῷ τὸν ἥλιον προσκαλουμένῳ ἑωσφόρῳ ἀπεικάζομεν. σὺ δὲ ἐπὶ σαυτῷ καὶ μείζονα τούτων ἐφρόνεις καὶ γαυριῶν καὶ μανίᾳ φρενῶν ἀλαζονευόμενος ὡς σαυτὸν τῷ ὑψίστῳ θεῷ παραβάλλειν καὶ ὑπὲρ τὰς οὐρανίους ἁψῖδας τὸν σαυτοῦ θρόνον θήσειν φαντάζεσθαι. ταῦτα μὲν ἡμεῖς περὶ σοῦ θνητοῖς λογισμοῖς ἀπατώμενοι διενοούμεθα, τοιαῦτα δὲ καὶ σὺ φρενῶν ἐκστάσει ἐπὶ σαυτῷ ἐφρόνεις. ἦν δ' ἄρα καὶ τοῦ περὶ σὲ τέλους ἔλεγχος ὁ χρόνος, καθ' ὃν ἑάλως· οὐδὲ τοῖς λοιποῖς ἀνθρώποις ὁμοίαν ἐσχηκὼς τελευτήν. οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἐπ' ἡσυχίας ἠρέμα καὶ πράως ἐπὶ τῆς ἑαυτῶν ἑστίας τὸ χρέων ἀπέδοσαν, σὺ δὲ τῇ τῶν πολεμίων μαχαίρᾳ τὴν ζωὴν ἀφαιρεθείς, νεκρὸς ἄταφος ῥιφήσῃ θηρσὶ βορὰ καὶ οἰωνοῖς ἐκκείμενος. ἰστέον δ' ὡς μέχρι τούτων Ὠριγένει προῆλθεν ὁ ἑπτακαιδέκατος τῶν εἰς τὸν προφήτην ἐξηγητικῶν τόμος. τὴν δὲ τῶν εἰρημένων διάνοιαν ὁ Σύμμαχος τοῦτον ἡρμήνευσε τὸν τρόπον· καὶ σὺ ἐτρώθης ὡς ἡμεῖς, ἐν ἡμῖν δὲ παρεβλήθης. κατηνέχθη δὲ εἰς ᾅδην ἡ ὑπερηφανία σου, ἐθανατώθη τὸ στόμα σου, ὑποκάτω σου στρωθήσεται ἔξερψις καὶ τὸ περιβόλαιόν σου σκώληξ. πῶς ἔπεσες ἐξ οὐρανοῦ ὁ ἑωσφόρος ὁ ὀρθρινός; ἐξεκόπης εἰς γῆν ὁ τιτρώσκων ἔθνη. σὺ δὲ εἶπας ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου Εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀναβήσομαι, ἐπάνω τῶν ἀστέρων τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐπαρῶ τὸν θρόνον μου καὶ καθιῶ ἐν ὄρει συνταγῆς ἐν μηροῖς βορρᾶ, ἀναβήσομαι ἐπὶ ὑψηλῇ νεφέλῃ, ὁμοιωθήσομαι τῷ ὑψίστῳ. ἀλλ' εἰς ᾅδην κατενεχθήσῃ, εἰς βάθη λάκκου. οἱ ὁρῶντές σε κατακύψουσι, περὶ σοῦ ἐννοήσουσιν Οὗτος ὁ ἀνὴρ ὁ ταράξας τὴν γῆν καὶ συσσείσας βασιλείας; ὁ τάξας τὴν οἰκουμένην ὡς τὴν ἔρημον καὶ τὰς πόλεις αὐτοῦ καθελών, τοὺς δεσμίους αὐτοῦ μὴ ἀπολύσας εἰς οἰκίαν. πάντες οἱ βασιλεῖς τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐκοιμήθησαν ἐν τιμῇ, ἕκαστος ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ. σὺ δὲ ῥιφήσῃ ἀπὸ τοῦ τάφου σου ὡς ἔκτρωμα ἐβδελυγμένος, ἐνδεδυμένος ἀνῃρημένους βεβαρημένους μαχαίρᾳ καταβαίνοντας ἐπὶ θεμελίους λάκκου. τούτοις ἑξῆς κατὰ μὲν τοὺς Ἑβδομήκοντα λέλεκται· ὃν τρόπον ἱμάτιον ἐν αἵματι πεφυρμένον οὐκ ἔσται καθαρόν, οὕτως οὐδὲ σὺ ἔσῃ καθαρός, διότι τὴν γῆν μου ἀπώλεσας καὶ τὸν λαόν μου ἀπέκτεινας καὶ τὰ τούτοις ἑξῆς. ἀνθ' οὗ ὁ Σύμμαχος ὧδέ πως ἐξέδωκεν· ὡς σῶμα δυσῶδες οὐ κοινωνήσεις αὐτοῖς ἐν ταφῇ, ὅτι τὴν γῆν σου διέφθειρας, τὸν λαόν σου ἀπέκτεινας· οὐ κληθήσεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα σπέρμα