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For they have truly become strong in insolence, not only having killed the prophets, and shamelessly saying to the disciples who were advising the best things, 'Speak other things to us, and announce to us another deceit,' but also whetting their tongue against Christ himself, upon whom God will bring the sharpest wrath, cutting them off from the priesthood, which he called a sword. And one might also say the sword of the enemies that advanced against them. But Lebanon also, he says, will fall with its lofty ones, thus indicating the temple with its proud priests. And Scripture is accustomed to call Jerusalem Lebanon. To which Zechariah says: 'Open, O Lebanon. your doors, and let fire devour your cedars. Wail, O pine, for the cedar has fallen. Wail, O oaks of Bashan, for your dense forest has been torn down.' But according to the former explanation, representing the deposition of the kings according to the nation, and of the very people living according to the law, he connects the time in which these things will be, speaking of the coming of Christ to men. For it was necessary for him, having already taught the things concerning the birth from the Virgin, and the manner of the birth, and the eponymous appellations of the powers conceived in him, to say consequently from what family, of what tribe he would be, and what things his descent to men was to accomplish, among which is also the depo 2040 sition of the local rulers, both visible and invisible, who were working the error of idolatry for them. And he often named the lofty ones, whose system he likens to Lebanon and its cedars, because of their height, in agreement with, 'I have seen the wicked man exalting himself above the cedars of Lebanon.' And again, 'The voice of the Lord breaking the cedars; the Lord will break the cedars of Lebanon, and will make them fine as the calf of Lebanon,' and signifying Jerusalem with the priests and the teachers of the law in it, he says: But Lebanon will fall with its lofty ones. CHAPTER 11. 1. 9And a rod shall come forth from the root of Jesse, and a flower shall grow up from the root. The spirit of God will rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and understanding, a spirit of counsel and might9, etc. And how this will be, he shows, saying that a rod will come forth from the root of Jesse, which will crush all the lofty ones. But instead of 'from the root,' the others have consistently translated 'from a stump.' For the tribe and family from which Christ came was like a stump, no longer having branches, since the kings from the succession of David had failed after the capture by the Assyrians. And the rod, Aquila rendered as a little rod, indicating the moderate and humble nature of Christ according to the flesh. And it was said to David: 'Of the fruit of your loins I will set upon your throne.' In agreement with which the prophets also speak, so that what happened may be believed, being witnessed from all sides; looking to which Paul also says, 'Which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures concerning his Son, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh.' And the rod signifies either the royal dignity of the one prophesied (for the rod is a sign of royalty), or his all-powerful might, by which he sustains the universe. Or by which he supports the weakness of men; according to, 'Your rod and your staff, they have comforted me.' For the Lord upholds the righteous, according to what is written. And through the voice of prophets he is named a glorious rod, a rod of majesty. And in another sense a rod, since he is a good shepherd; to whom a certain prophet says: 'Shepherd your people with your rod, the tribe of your inheritance, the sheep of your heritage.' And, as a judge he might be called a rod, rendering to each according to his works; to whom it was said concerning the disobedient of Israel, 'You will shepherd them with a rod of iron.' Of whom also the rod of Aaron, which budded with nuts, was taken as a type; and they say this is a symbol of the Savior's short sleep in death. For the tree 2041 is productive of sleeplessness, by which divine and intelligible rod, Moses, working wonders, led Israel out to freedom;

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Ἰσχυροὶ γὰρ ὄντως τῇ ὕβρει γεγόνασιν, οὐ προφήτας μόνον ἀπεκτονότες, καὶ τοῖς τὰ βέλτιστα συμβουλεύουσι μαθηταῖς λέγοντες ἀναιδῶς, Ἄλλα ἡμῖν λαλεῖτε, καὶ ἀναγγέλλετε ἡμῖν ἑτέραν πλάνησιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτῷ τὴν γλῶτταν ἐπιθήγοντες τῷ Χριστῷ, οἷς ὀξυτάτην τὸν Θεὸν ἐποίσειν ὀργὴν τῆς ἱερωσύνης τούτους ἐκτέμνουσαν ἢν ἐκάλεσε μάχαιραν. Εἴποι δ' ἂν καὶ τῶν πολεμίων τὴν ἐπ' αὐτοὺς χωρήσασαν μάχαιραν. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ Λίβανος, φησὶ, σὺν τοῖς ὑψηλοῖς πεσεῖται, οὕτω τὸν νεὼν μετὰ τῶν ἐπηρμένων ἱερέων δηλῶν. Λίβανον δὲ καὶ τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ οἱ δὲ καλεῖν ἡ Γραφή. Πρὸς ἣν ὁ Ζαχαρίας φησί· "∆ιάνοιξον, ὁ Λίβανος. τὰς θύρας σου, καὶ καταφαγέτω πῦρ τὰς κέδρους σου. Ὀλολυξάτω, πίτυς, ὅτι πέπτωκε κέδρος. Ὀλολύξατε, δρύες τῆς Βασανίτιδος, ὅτι κατεσπάσθη ὁ δρυμός σου ὁ σύμφυτος." Κατὰ δὲ τὴν προτέραν ἐξήγησιν, τὴν τῶν κατ' ἔθνος βασιλέων, καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ κατὰ τὸν νόμον ζῶντος λαοῦ παριστῶν τὴν καθαίρεσιν, τὸν χρόνον καθ' ὃν ἔσται ταῦτα συνάπτει, τὴν εἰς ἀνθρώπους λέγων πάροδον τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Ἔδει γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὰ περὶ τῆς ἐκ Παρθένου γενέσεως ἤδη διδάξαντα, καὶ τὸν τρόπον τῆς γενέσεως, τάς τε ἐπωνύμους προσηγορίας τῶν ἐπινοουμένων ἐν αὐτῷ δυνάμεων, ἀκολούθως συνειπεῖν, ἐξ ὁποίου γένους, ὁποίας ἔσται φυλῆς, οἷά τε κατορθώσειν αὐτοῦ ἡ εἰς ἀνθρώπους ἤμελλε κάθοδος, ἐν οἷς ἐστι καὶ ἡ τῶν κατὰ τόπον ἀρχόντων καθαί 2040 ρεσις αἰσθητῶν τε καὶ ἀοράτων, οἳ τὴν πλάνην αὐτοῖς τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας εἰργάζοντο. Τοὺς δὲ ὑψηλοὺς πολλάκις ὠνόμασεν, ὧν τὸ σύστημα τῷ Λιβάνῳ καὶ ταῖς ἐν αὐτῷ κέδροις, διὰ τὸ ὕψος ἀφομοιοῖ, συμφώνως τὸ, "Εἶδον τὸν ἀσεβῆ ἐπαιρόμενον ὑπὲρ τὰς κέδρους τοῦ Λιβάνου." Καὶ πάλιν, "Φωνὴ Κυρίου συντρίβοντος κέδρους· συντρίψει Κύριος τὰς κέδρους τοῦ Λιβάνου, καὶ λεπτυνεῖ αὐτὰς ὡς τὸν μόσχον τὸν Λίβανον," καὶ τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ δὲ μετὰ τῶν ἱερέων καὶ τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ νομοδιδασκάλων σημαίνων φησίν· Ὁ δὲ Λίβανος σὺν τοῖς ὑψηλοῖς πεσεῖται. ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΙΑʹ. αιʹ. 9Καὶ ἐξελεύσεται ῥάβδος ἐκτῆς ῥίζης Ἰεσσαὶ, καὶ ἄνθος ἐκ τῆς ῥίζης ἀναβήσεται. Ἀναπαύσεται ἐπ' αὐτὸν πνεῦμα τοῦ Θεοῦ. πνεῦμα σοφίας καὶ συνέσεως, πνεῦμα βουλῆς καὶ ἰσχύοσ9, κ.τ.λ. Πῶς δὲ τοῦτο ἔσται, παρίστησιν, ἐκ ῥίζης Ἰεσσαὶ ῥάβδον εἰπὼν ἐξελεύσεσθαι, ἣ πάντας συντρίψει τοὺς ὑψηλούς. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ ἐκ ῥίζης, ἀπὸ κορμοῦ συμφώνως ἑρμήνευσαν οἱ λοιποί. Καὶ γὰρ ἦν ἡ φυλὴ, καὶ πάτρια, ἐξ ἧς ἦν ὁ Χριστὸς, ὥσπερ τις κορμὸς, οὐκέτι κλάδους ἔχων, τῶν ἐκ διαδοχῆς τοῦ ∆αβὶδ βασιλέων ἐκλελοιπότων μετὰ τὴν ἅλωσιν τὴν ὑπὸ τῶν Ἀσσυρίων. Τὴν δὲ ῥάβδον, ῥαβδίον Ἀκύλας ἐξέδωκε, τοῦ Χριστοῦ δηλῶν τὸ κατὰ σάρκα μέτριόν τε καὶ ταπεινόν. Εἴρητο δὲ πρὸς ∆αβίδ· "Ἐκ καρποῦ τῆς ὀσφύος σου θήσομαι ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου σου." Οἷς δὴ σύμφωνα καὶ οἱ προφῆταί φασιν, ὡς ἂν πανταχόθεν μαρτυρούμενον πιστεύηται γεγονός· πρὸς ἃ δὴ βλέπων καὶ ὁ Παῦλός φησιν, "Ὃ προεπηγγείλατο διὰ τῶν προφητῶν αὐτοῦ ἐν Γραφαῖς ἁγίαις περὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ τοῦ γενομένου ἐκ σπέρματος ∆αβὶδ κατὰ σάρκα." ∆ηλοῖ δὲ ἡ ῥάβδος, ἢ τὸ βασιλικὸν ἀξίωμα τοῦ προφητευομένου (σύνθημα γὰρ βασιλείας ἡ ῥάβδος), ἢ τὴν παντοκρατορικὴν αὐτοῦ δύναμιν, δι' ἧς ἀνέχει τὸ πᾶν. Ἢ δι' ἧς ἀνέχει τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀσθένειαν· κατὰ τὸ, "Ἡ ῥάβδος σου καὶ ἡ βακτηρία σου, αὗταί με παρεκάλεσαν." Ὑποστηρίζει γὰρ δικαίους ὁ Κύριος, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον. Ὠνόμασται δὲ διὰ φωνῆς προφητῶν ῥάβδος εὐκλεὴς, ῥάβδος μεγαλοσύνης. Ῥάβδος δὲ καὶ ἑτέρως, ἐπείπερ ἐστὶ ποιμὴν ἀγαθός· πρὸς ὅν φησί τις προφήτης· "Ποίμαινε λαόν σου ἐν ῥάβδῳ φυλήν σου, πρόβατα κληρονομίας σου." Καὶ, ὡς κριτὴς δὲ λέγοιτο ῥάβδος, ἀποδιδοὺς ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ· πρὸς ὃν εἴρηται περὶ τῶν ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ ἀπειθῶν, "Ποιμανεῖς αὐτοὺς ἐν ῥάβδῳ σιδηρᾷ." Οὗπερ εἰς τύπον ἐλήφθη καὶ ἡ ῥάβδος Ἀαρὼν, ἡ βλαστήσασα κάρυα· σύμβολον δέ φασιν τοῦτο τῆς πρὸς ὀλίγον τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἐν τῷ θανάτῳ κοιμήσεως. Ἀϋπνίας γὰρ εἶναι τὸ δένδρον 2041 ποιητικὸν, δι' ἧς ῥάβδου θείας ὄντως καὶ νοητῆς, Μωϋσῆς θαυματουργῶν εἰς ἐλευθερίαν ἐξῆγε τὸν Ἰσραήλ·