72

I will punish judicially. 27For the dill is not cleaned with harshness, <nor will a wagon wheel pass over the cumin, but the dill is beaten with a rod,> and the cumin with a staff, 28and it will be eaten with bread. He says, I strike you, like dill and cumin, with a rod, but the Assyrians, like spelt and barley, I will grind with a saw by means of a wagon. For I will not be angry with you forever, nor will the voice of my bitterness tread you down. Instead of: just as the Assyrians . The Jews enjoyed this long-suffering, when they were dill and cumin and a "well-branched vine." But since instead of these they sprouted thorns, they themselves were also cast to the Roman wagons. The prophet, however, just as in the case of the punishment of the ten tribes he said that the verdict had been received from the God of all, so also here: 29And these wonders came forth from the Lord Sabaoth. Then he adds a counsel: Take counsel, exalt a vain exhortation. But Symmachus has put it this way: "And this came forth from the Lord of hosts, he made counsel wonderful, he magnified salvation." He says he showed goodness beyond expectation and has given us salvation beyond our worth. But according to the Septuagint |135 b| the word hints at their future utter destruction; for not enduring the prophetic teaching but having gone the opposite way, they were vainly consoled by good promises. From here the prophet moves on to another prophecy and foretells the disasters of the land of Moab; 29 1Woe to Ariel, Ariel, the city that David warred against. Ariel is called Areopolis; this is a famous city of the land of Moab. Gather produce year after year. Festivals will clash; for you will eat with Moab. 2But I will afflict Ariel. Moab he calls Charachmoba. And the word foretells the coming siege. For in these it is especially necessary to have the need for necessities within the walls. And her strength and her wealth will be for me. 3And I will encamp against you like David, and I will cast a rampart against you, and I will set up towers against you. Some say that after the return from Babylon the Jews, having the divine favor as an ally, destroyed the Moabites. And the prophetic word hints at this; For her strength, he says, and her wealth will be for me, that is, it will be brought to my temple. 4And your words will be brought low to the ground, down, and you will be brought low; you will speak into the earth, and your words will sink into the earth, and your voice will be like those who speak from the earth, and your voice will grow weak toward the ground. Since they uttered blasphemies against the God of all—for they considered Chemosh superior and for this reason they ridiculed the Jews who worship the God of all—, he threatens them with slavery and cowardice and obscurity. By "those who speak from the earth" he means the demons who appear in the form of the dead and utter obscure things. To these he compares the voice of the Moabites. And he compares their power and their wealth to the dust of a demolished wall and to dust carried by a whirlwind. 5And it will be as an instant 6from the Lord Sabaoth. In a moment, he says, and swiftly it will receive destruction. For its visitation will be with thunder and earthquake and a loud voice and a rushing tempest and a flame of devouring fire. This God has done against other nations as well, and the ancient histories clearly teach us. Then he compares to a dream the power of all the nations that campaigned against Jerusalem; 8For they will be, he says, like those who drink and eat in their sleep, and when they awake their dream is vain; and in the way that a thirsty man dreams that he is drinking and when he awakes he is still thirsty, and his soul has hoped in vain, so shall be the wealth of all the nations that have campaigned against Jerusalem and against Mount Zion. He connects to the prophecy against the Moabites also the events concerning Sennacherib; for he too, having hoped without effort to make Jerusalem desolate, not only did not do what he had hoped but also

72

δικαστικῶς κολάσω. 27Οὐ γὰρ μετὰ σκληρότητος καθαίρεται τὸ μελάνθιον, <οὐδὲ τροχὸς ἁμάξης περιάξει ἐπὶ τὸ κύμινον, ἀλλὰ ῥάβδῳ τινάσσεται τὸ μελάνθιον,> τὸ δὲ κύμινον βακτηρίᾳ, 28καὶ μετὰ ἄρτου βρωθήσεται. Ὑμᾶς φησι δίκην μελανθίου καὶ κυμίνου ῥάβδῳ παίω, τοὺς δὲ Ἀσσυρίους ὡς ζειὰς καὶ κριθὰς πρίονι δι' ἁμάξης λεπτυνῶ. Οὐ γὰρ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ὑμῖν ὀργισθήσομαι, οὐδὲ φωνὴ τῆς πικρίας μου καταπα τήσει ὑμᾶς. Ἀντὶ τοῦ· ὥσπερ τοὺς Ἀσσυρίους . Ταύτης δὲ ἀπέλαυον τῆς μακροθυμίας Ἰουδαῖοι, ἡνίκα ἦσαν μελάν θιον καὶ κύμινον καὶ «ἄμπελος εὐκληματοῦσα». Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀντὶ τούτων ἀκάνθας ἐβλάστησαν, ταῖς Ῥωμαϊκαῖς καὶ αὐτοὶ παρ εβλήθησαν ἁ μάξαις. Ὁ μέντοι προφήτης, ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τῆς τιμωρίας τῶν δέκα φυλῶν εἴρηκε παρ ὰ τοῦ θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων δεδέχθαι τὴν ψῆφον, οὕτω κἀνταῦθα· 29Καὶ ταῦτα παρὰ κυρίου Σαβαὼθ ἐξῆλθε τὰ τέρατα. Εἶτα συμβουλὴν ἐπάγει· Βουλεύσασθε, ὑψώσατε ματαίαν παράκλησιν. Τοῦτο δὲ ὁ Σύμμαχος οὕτω τέθεικεν· «Καὶ τοῦτο παρὰ κυρίου δυνάμεων ἐξῆλθε, παρεδόξασε βουλήν, ἐμεγάλυνε σωτηρίαν.» Παρὰ δόξαν φησὶν ἔδειξεν ἀγαθότητα καὶ παρ' ἀξίαν ἡμῖν δέδωκε σωτηρίαν. Κατὰ δὲ τοὺς Ἑβδομήκοντα |135 b| αἰνίττεται ὁ λόγος τὴν ἐσομένην αὐτῶν πανωλεθρίαν· οὐκ ἀνεχόμενοι γὰρ τῆς προφητικῆς διδασ καλί ας ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐναντίαν ὁδεύσαντες μάτην ἐψυχαγωγοῦντο ταῖς ἀγαθαῖς ὑποσχέσεσιν. Ἐφ' ἑτέραν ἐν τεῦθεν ὁ προφήτης πρόρρησιν μεταβαίνει καὶ τῆς Μωαβίτιδος προλέγει τὰς συμφοράς· 291Οὐαὶ Ἀριὴλ Ἀριὴλ πόλις ἣν ∆αυὶδ ἐπολέμησεν. Ἀριὴλ ἡἈρεόπολις καλεῖται· τῆς δὲ Μωαβίτιδός ἐστιν αὕτη πόλ ις ἐπίσημος. Συναγάγετε γενήματα ἐνιαυτὸν ἐπὶ ἐνιαυ τόν. Ἑορταὶ συγκρουσθήσονται· φάγεσθε γὰρ σὺν Μωάβ. 2Ἐκθλίψω δὲ Ἀριήλ. Μωὰβ τὴν Χαραχμωβὰν καλεῖ. Προμηνύει δὲ ὁ λόγος τὴν ἐσομένην πολιορκίαν. Ἐν ταύταις γὰρ χρὴ διαφερόντως ἔνδον ἔχειν τῶν περιβόλων τῶν ἀναγκαίων τὴν χρείαν. Καὶ ἔσται αὐτῆς ἡ ἰσχὺς καὶ ὁ πλοῦ τος ἐμοί. 3Καὶ κυκλώσω ὡς ∆αυὶδ ἐπὶ σὲ καὶ βαλῶ ἐπὶ σὲ χάρακα καὶ θήσω ἐπὶ σὲ πύργους. Φασί τινες μετὰ τὴν ἀπὸ Βαβυλῶνος ἐπάνοδον τοὺς Ἰουδαίους σύμμαχον ἔχοντας τὴν θείαν ῥοπὴν καταλῦσαι τοὺς Μω αβίτ ας. Καὶ ὁ προφη τικὸς δὲ τοῦτο αἰνίττεται λόγος· Ἔσται γὰρ αὐτῆς φησιν ἡ ἰσχὺς καὶ ὁ πλοῦτος ἐμοί, τουτέστιν εἰς τὸν ἐμὸν κομισθή σεται ναόν. 4Καὶ ταπεινωθήσονται εἰς τὴν γῆν οἱ λόγοι σου κάτω, καὶ ταπεινωθήσῃ· εἰς τὴν γῆν λαλήσεις, καὶ εἰς τὴν γῆν οἱ λόγοι σου καταδύσονται, καὶ ἔσται ὡς οἱ φωνοῦντες ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἡ φωνή σου, καὶ πρὸς τὸ ἔδαφος ἡ φωνή σου ἀσθενήσει. Ἐπειδὴ βλάσφημα κατὰ τοῦ θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων ἐφθέγγοντο-τὸν Χαμὼς γὰρ ἐνόμι ζον κρείττονα καὶ διὰ τοῦτο κατεγέλων τῶν Ἰουδαίων τὸν τῶν ὅλων προσκυ νούντων θεόν-, ἀπειλεῖ αὐτοῖς δουλείαν καὶ δει λίαν καὶ ἀφάνειαν. Τοὺς δὲ ἐκ τῆς γῆς φωνοῦντας τοὺς δαίμονας λέγει τοὺς ἐν τύπῳ νεκρῶν φαινομένους καὶ φαι ὰ φθεγγο μένους. Τούτοις ἀπεικάζει τῶν Μωαβιτῶν τὴν φωνήν. Ἀπεικάζει δὲ αὐτῶν καὶ τὴν δυναστείαν καὶ τὴν εὐπορίαν κονιορτῷ τοίχου καταλυομένου καὶ κόνει ὑπὸ λαίλαπος φερομένῃ. 5Καὶ ἔσται ὡς στιγμὴ 6παρὰ κυρίου Σαβαώθ. Ἐν ἀκαρεῖ φησι καὶ συντόμως τὸν ὄλεθρον δέξεται. Ἐπισκοπὴ γὰρ ἔσται αὐτῆς μετὰ βροντῆς καὶ σεισμοῦ καὶ φωνῆς μεγάλης καὶ καταιγίδος φερομένης καὶ φλογὸς πυρὸς κατεσθιούσης. Τοῦτο καὶ κατ' ἄλλων ἐθνῶν πεποίηκεν ὁ θεός, καὶ σαφῶς ἡμᾶς αἱ παλαιαὶ διδάσκουσιν ἱστορίαι. Εἶτα ὀνείρῳ ἀπ εικάζει τῶν ἐθνῶν ἁπάντων τὴν δυνα στείαν τῶν κατὰ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ στρατευσάντων· 8Ἔσονται γάρ φησιν ὡς οἱ ἐν τῷ ὕπνῳ πίνοντες καὶ ἐσθίοντες, καὶ ἐξαναστάντων μάταιον τὸ ἐνύπνιον αὐτῶν· καὶ ὃν τρόπον ἐνυπνιάζεται ὁ διψῶν ὡς ὁ πίνων καὶ ἐξαναστὰς ἔτι διψᾷ, ἡ δὲ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ εἰς κενὸν ἤλπισεν, οὕτως ἔσται ὁ πλοῦτος ἁπάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν, ὅσοι ἐπεστράτευσαν ἐπὶ Ἱερουσαλὴμ καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος Σιών. Συνάπτει τῇ κατὰ τῶν Μω αβιτ ῶν προρρήσει καὶ τὰ κατὰ τοῦ Σενναχηρὶμ συμβεβηκότα· καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος ἀπόνως ἐλπίσας ἀνά στ ατον ποιήσειν τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ οὐ μόνον οὐ δέδρακεν ἅπερ ἤλπισεν ἀλλὰ καὶ