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Having prophesied in the recent interpretations the things concerning Jerusalem and having foretold the preaching of the holy apostles, he foretells the things that will happen to the ten tribes: 281Woe to the crown of pride, the hirelings of Ephraim. By hirelings of Ephraim he means the auxiliaries, Damascus and the other Syrians; for they were always hiring them against Jerusalem. And he calls their arrogant kingdom the crown of pride; for they both apostatized from God and were greatly proud against their brothers. And so Symmachus said: "Woe, crown of arrogance." The flower that is fallen from glory upon the top of the fat mountain, those who are drunk without wine. He called the flower fallen from glory the change from <εὐ>prosperity to misfortune, and I think the Assyrian is called the top of the fat mountain on account of both the height of his kingdom and the fatness of his heart, and drunkenness without wine, the madness for idols. 2Behold, the Lord's wrath and anger is strong and harsh from the Lord, like hail coming down that has no shelter, coming down with force, like a great mass of water dragging along the land, it will make a rest on the earth with the hands 3and with the feet. He compares the wrath of God to a most violent hail coming down upon some who have no shelter, and to a great torrent flooding and sweeping away the adjacent land, and not allowing those who fall in either to stand on their feet or to swim with their hands. And the crown of pride, the hirelings of Ephraim, will be trodden underfoot. That is, his auxiliaries, in whom he took great pride. 4And the flower that is fallen from the hope of his glory on the top of the high mountain will be like an early fig; which when a man sees it, before he takes it into his hand, he will want to swallow it. When Shalmaneser came against the ten tribes, and indeed Sennacherib later, some escaped enslavement by hiding in the mountains, and after the withdrawal of the enemies they dwelled in a certain part of their own land. Of this was Galilee also; for it belonged to the ten tribes: for it says, "Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, Galilee of the nations." From this land was the holy choir of the apostles. He foretells, therefore, that they will be desirable to all, like an early fig, which is exceedingly desirable to those who see it. 5In that day the Lord of Sabaoth will be the crown of hope, the woven crown of glory, to the remnant of his people. Having pointed out the apostolic choir, he points out their master; for he says that this one, having destroyed the crown of pride, will himself be a crown of glory to the remnant of his people. For the greatest glory of the Jews who have believed is that the Lord sprang from them according to the flesh. 6For they will be left in a spirit of judgment for judgment, and he will prevent strength from being destroyed. For he himself, having prevented all from being destroyed, preserved some, foreseeing all things as God and judging righteously. But the phrase, 'in a spirit of judgment for judgment,' has this meaning: he says that he then judged to save them, and again he preserves them by another judgment. 7For these have been led astray by wine; they were led astray because of strong drink, priest and prophet are out of their minds because of strong drink, they were swallowed up because of wine, they were shaken from the drunkenness of strong drink, they were led astray; this is the vision. He accuses them of luxury and debauchery and to these he assigns the cause of their other evils; and what is most grievous is that the priests also received this disease. And he calls the false prophets "prophets." But the Other Interpreters have rendered *sikera* as 'intoxicating drink'; but I do not think that the drink made from palm trees is now called *sikera*, but rather wine mixed with sweeteners. However, Theodotion interpreted *phasma* thus: "They were ignorant in their drunkenness, they were exceedingly debauched"; and the Seventy also, through the word *phasma*, indicated that they were raving from drunkenness. 8A curse will devour this counsel; for this counsel is for the sake of greed. He called the choice of opinion 'counsel', and the punishment 'a curse'. 9To whom have we announced evils, or to whom |134 b| have we announced
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Ἐν τοῖς ἔναγχος ἑρμηνευθεῖσι τὰ κατὰ τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ προθεσπίσας καὶ τῶν ἱερῶν ἀποστόλων προαγορεύσας τὸ κήρυγμα, τὰ συμβησόμενα ταῖς δέκα προλέγει φυλαῖς· 281Οὐαὶ τῷ στεφάνῳ τῆς ὕβρεως, οἱ μισθωτοὶ Ἐφραίμ. Μισθωτοὺς Ἐφραὶμ τοὺς ἐπικούρους λέγει, τὴν ∆αμασκὸν καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους Σύρους· τούτους γὰρ ἀεὶ κατὰ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐμισθοῦντο. Στέφανον δὲ ὕβρεως τὴν ἀλαζονικὴν καλεῖ αὐτῶν βασιλείαν· καὶ τοῦ θεοῦ γὰρ ἀπέστησαν καὶ κατὰ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἐφρόνουν μέγα. Οὕτω δὲ καὶ ὁ Σύμμαχος ἔφη· «Οὐαὶ στέφανος ὑπερηφανίας.» Τὸ ἄνθος τὸ ἐκπεσὸν τῆς δόξης ἐπὶ τῆς κορυφῆς τοῦ ὄρους τοῦ παχέος, οἱ με θύοντες ἄνευ οἴνου. Ἄνθος δόξης ἐκπεσὸν τὴν ἐξ <εὐ>ημε ρίας εἰς κακοπραγίαν μεταβολὴν ὠνόμασεν, κορυφὴν δὲ ὄρους παχέος τὸν Ἀσσύριον ἡγοῦμαι καλεῖσθαι διά τε τὸ ὕψος τῆς βασιλείας καὶ τὴν τῆς καρδίας παχύτητα, μέθην δὲ ἄνευ οἴνου τὴν τῶν εἰδώλων μανίαν. 2Ἰδοὺ ἰσχυρὸν καὶ σκληρὸν παρὰ κυρίου ὁ θυμὸς κυρίου καὶ ὀργὴ ὡς χάλαζα καταφερομένη οὐκ ἔχουσα σκέπην, βίᾳ καταφερομένη, ὡς ὕδατος πολλοῦ πλῆθος σῦρον χώραν, τῇ γῇ ποιήσει ἀνάπαυσιν ταῖς χερσὶ 3καὶ τοῖς ποσίν. Τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν ὀργὴν ἀπεικάζει χαλάζῃ σφο δρο τάτῃ κατά τινων φερομένῃ σκέπην οὐδεμίαν ἐχόντων καὶ χειμάρρῳ μεγίστῳ πλημμυροῦντι καὶ τὴν παρακειμένην παρασύροντι γῆν καὶ μὴ συγχωροῦντι μήτε τοῖς ποσὶ τῶν ἐμπιπτόντων στῆναι μήτε ταῖς χερσὶ διαν ή ξασθαι. Καὶ καταπατηθήσεται ὁ στέφανος τῆς ὕβρεως, οἱ μισθωτοὶ Ἐφραίμ. Τουτέστιν οἱ ἐπίκουροι αὐτοῦ, ἐφ' οἷς ἐφρόνει μέγα. 4Καὶ ἔσται τὸ ἄνθος τὸ ἐκπεσὸν τῆς ἐλπίδος τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ ἐπ' ἄκρου τοῦ ὄρους τοῦ ὑψηλοῦ ὡς πρόδρομον σύκου· ὃ ὁ ἰδὼν αὐτό, πρὶν ἢ εἰς τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ λαβεῖν αὐτό, θελήσει αὐτὸ καταπιεῖν. Τοῦ Σαλμανάσαρ ἐπελθόντος ταῖς δέκα φυλαῖς καὶ μέντοι καὶ τοῦ Σεναχηρὶμ ὕστερον, διέφυγόν τινες τὸν ἀνδραποδισμὸν ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσι λαθόντες, μετὰ δὲ τὴν τῶν πολεμίων ἀναχώρησιν ἐν μέρει τινὶ τῆς οἰκείας ᾤκησαν χώρας. Ταύτης ἦν καὶ ἡ Γαλιλαία· τῶν δέκα γὰρ ἦν αὕτη φυλῶν· «Χώρα» γάρ φησι «Ζαβουλὼν καὶ γῆ Νεφθαλίμ, Γαλιλαία τῶν ἐθνῶν.» Ἐκ ταύτης ἦν τῆς χώρας ὁ ἱερὸς τῶν ἀποστόλων χορός. Προλέγει τοίνυν ὡς ἀξιέραστοι πᾶσιν ἔσονται ὡς σῦκον πρώιμον ὅπερ λίαν ἐστὶ τοῖς θεωμένοις ἐπέραστον. 5Τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἔσται κύριος Σαβαὼθ ὁ στέφανος τῆς ἐλπίδος ὁ πλακεὶς τῆς δόξης τῷ καταλειφθέντι τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ. Τὸν ἀποστολικὸν ὑποδείξας χορὸν τὸν τούτων ὑποδείκνυσι δεσπότην· οὗτος γάρ φησι τὸν τῆς ὕβρεως στέφανον καταλύσας αὐτὸς ἔσται στέφανος δόξης τοῖς καταλειφθεῖσι τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ. ∆όξα γὰρ τῶν πεπιστευκότων Ἰουδαίων μεγίστη τὸ ἐξ αὐτῶν βλαστῆσαι κατὰ σάρκα τὸν κύριον. 6Καταλειφθήσονται γὰρ ἐν πνεύματι κρίσεως ἐπὶ κρίσιν, καὶ ἰσχὺν κωλύων ἀνελεῖν. Αὐτὸς γὰρ κωλύσας ἀναιρεθῆναι πάντας, ἐνίους ἐφύλαξε προορῶν ἅπαντα ὡς θεὸς καὶ κρίνων δικαίως. Τὸ δέ· ἐν πνεύματι κρίσεως ἐπὶ κρίσιν, ταύτην ἔχει τὴν διάνοιαν· καὶ τότε φησὶν ἔκρινεν αὐτοὺς σῶσαι καὶ πάλιν αὐτοὺς ἑτέρᾳ κρίσει φυλάττει. 7Οὗτοι γὰρ οἴνῳ πεπλανημένοι εἰσίν· ἐπλανήθησαν διὰ τὸ σίκερα, ἱερεὺς καὶ προφήτης ἐξέστησαν διὰ τὸ σίκερα, κατεπόθησαν διὰ τὸν οἶνον, ἐσείσθησαν ἀπὸ τῆς μέθης τοῦ σίκερα, ἐπλανήθησαν· τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ φάσμα. Τρυφὴν αὐτῶν καὶ ἀσωτίαν κατηγορεῖ καὶ ταύταις τῶν ἄλλων κακῶν ἀνατίθησι τὴν αἰτίαν· τὸ δὲ καὶ χαλεπώτατον, ὅτι καὶ οἱ ἱερεῖς ταύτην τὴν νόσον ἐδέξαντο. Προφήτας δὲ τοὺς ψευδοπροφήτας καλεῖ. Σίκερα δὲ οἱ Λοιποὶ Ἑρμηνευ ταὶ «μέθυσμα» εἰρήκασιν· ἐγὼ δὲ οὐχ ἡγοῦμαι τὸ ἀπὸ τῶν φοινίκων κατασκευαζόμενον πό μα νῦν ὀνομάζεσθαι σίκερα ἀλλὰ τὸν ἡδύσμασι κεκραμένον οἶνον. Τὸ μέντοι φάσμα οὕτως ὁ Θεοδοτίων ἡρμήνευσεν· «Ἠγνόησαν ἐν τῇ μέθῃ, ἠσωτεύθησαν ὑπερόγκως»· καὶ οἱ Ἑβδομήκοντα δὲ διὰ τοῦ φάσματος παραπ αίοντας αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς μέθης ὑπέδειξαν. 8Ἀρὰ ἔδεται τὴν βουλὴν ταύτην· αὕτη γὰρ ἡ βουλὴ ἕνεκεν πλεονεξίας. Βουλὴν τὴν αἵρεσιν τῆς γνώμης ἐκάλεσεν, ἀρὰν δὲ τὴν τιμωρίαν. 9Τίνι ἀνηγγείλαμεν κακὰ ἢ τίνι |134 b| ἀνηγγείλαμεν