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upon her fornication, and she saw men portrayed upon the wall, images of the Chaldeans portrayed with colors in a drawing. Girded with embroidered belts on their loins, and with dyed tiaras upon their heads; the appearance of all of them was threefold, like the sons of Babylon of the Chaldeans, the land of their nativity. And she set her eyes upon them. He has well and very appropriately ridiculed the inactivity of the idols, having taught that they are nothing other than colors, and shapes, and the results of art. The phrase "the appearance of all of them was threefold" signifies their manifold form; 81.1040 but Symmachus interpreted it as, "the appearance of all of them was of spoilers." Having seen these, he says, and perceiving nothing other than images of the painter's art, she lusted for their company; and everywhere it alludes to idolatry. And she sent messengers, he says, to them into the land of the Chaldeans. 17. And the sons of Babylon came to her into the bed of lodging, and they defiled her in their fornication; and she was defiled by them, and her soul was alienated from them. For she, he says, having summoned them for assistance, and having received impiety through her intercourse with them, again fell away from them; and here he speaks not of an apostasy from the demons, but from the Babylonians themselves; for Jehoiakim, and Jeconiah, and Zedekiah transgressed the covenants made with the Babylonians. 18. And she uncovered her fornication, and she uncovered her shamefulness, and my soul was alienated from her, in the same way my soul was alienated from her sister. Having seen, he says, the excess of her impiety, I stripped her of my providence; for again, according to the form of allegory, he has posited 'the soul'; not because the Divine is divided into soul and body; for it is incorporeal and uncompounded; but he makes the discourse in a human manner and as is customary for humans, condescending to the weakness of men. Up to this point, then, he seemed to be addressing his words to the prophet; but from here on, as if coming to remembrance through the narration of what had been dared by her, he turns his speech to her. 19. And you multiplied, he says, your fornication, to bring to remembrance the days of your youth, in which you committed fornication in Egypt. To oblivion, he says, I had delivered your trespasses in Egypt; but you have caused the memory of these to blossom again through your second pursuits. For often the sameness of transgression knows how to recall former sins. Then again allegorically and tropologically he makes the accusation of idolatry. 20, 21. And you doted upon the Chaldeans, whose flesh is as the flesh of donkeys, and whose genitals are as the genitals of horses. And you looked back on the iniquity of your youth, what you did in Egypt in your lodging, where the breasts of your youth fell. And while mixing with the Chaldeans, he says, you did not neglect the Egyptian practices; but you served the gods of these, and of those. And he compared their great godlessness and polytheism to the genitals of horses and donkeys; since he also calls idolatry fornication; for souls that are united and dedicated to God, then forsake him, and embrace the company of demons, are rightly called adulteresses. 81.1041 22-24. Therefore thus says the Lord Adonai: Behold, I will raise up your lovers against you, from whom your soul has been alienated, and I will bring them against you from every side. The sons of Babylon, and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, and Shoa, and Koa, and all the sons of the Assyrians with them, choice young men, governors and commanders; all of them captains and renowned men, riding upon horses. And they shall all come upon you from the north with weapons, and chariots, and wheels, and a multitude of peoples; and they shall put on breastplates, and shields, and helmets against you, and they shall set a guard against you round about. Through these things, he says, you shall learn from the events who I am, and who your lovers are; for I, having been despised by you, have continued to be long-suffering; these

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ἐπὶ τὴν πορνείαν αὑτῆς, καὶ εἶδεν ἄνδρας ἐζωγραφημένους ἐπὶ τοῦ τοίχου, εἰκόνας Χαλδαίων ἐζωγραφημένους ἐν χρώμασιν ἐν γραφίδι. ∆ιεζωσμένους ποικίλματα ἐπὶ τὰς ὀσφύας αὐτῶν, καὶ τιάραι βαπταὶ ἐπὶ τῶν κε φαλῶν αὐτῶν· ὄψις τρισσὴ πάντων, ὁμοία υἱῶν Βαβυλῶνος Χαλδαίων γῆς πατρίδος αὐ τῶν. Καὶ ἐπέθετο ἐπ' αὐτοὺς τῇ ὁράσει ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτῶν. Καλῶς καὶ λίαν ἁρμοδίως τὸ τῶν εἰδώλων ἀδρανὲς ἐκωμῴδησε, διδάξας, οὐδὲν ἕτερον ὄντα ἢ χρώματα, καὶ σχήματα, καὶ τέχνης ἀποτελέσματα. Τὸ δὲ "ὄψις πάντων τρισσὴ" τὸ πολύμορφον αὐτῶν 81.1040 σημαίνει· ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος, "ὄψις σκυλευτῶν πάν των" ἡρμήνευσεν. Τούτους, φησὶ, θεασαμένη, καὶ οὐδὲν ἕτερον ὁρῶσα ἢ γραφικῆς τέχνης ἰνδάλματα, τῆς τούτων ἠράσθη συνουσίας· πανταχοῦ δὲ τὴν εἰ δωλολατρείαν αἰνίττεται. Καὶ ἐξαπέστειλεν ἀγγέλους, φησὶ, πρὸς αὐτοὺς εἰς γῆν Χαλδαίων. ιζʹ. Καὶ ἦλθον πρὸς αὐτὴν υἱοὶ Βαβυλῶνος εἰς κοίτην καταλυόντων, καὶ ἐμίαναν αὐτὴν ἐν τῇ πορνείᾳ αὑτῶν· καὶ ἐμιάνθη ἐν αὐτοῖς, καὶ ἀπέστη ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτῆς ἀπ' αὐτῶν. Αὕτη γὰρ, φησὶν, εἰς ἐπικουρίαν αὐτοὺς μεταπεμψαμένη, καὶ διὰ τῆς πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐπιμιξίας τὴν ἀσέβειαν δεξαμένη, πάλιν αὐτῶν ἀπέστη· ἀπόστασιν δὲ ἐνταῦθα οὐ τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν δαιμόνων λέγει, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀπ' αὐτῶν τῶν Βαβυ λωνίων· καὶ γὰρ Ἰωακεὶμ, καὶ Ἰεχονίας, καὶ Σεδεκίας τὰς γενομένας αὐτοῖς πρὸς τοὺς Βαβυλωνίους συνθήκας παρέβησαν. ιηʹ. Καὶ ἀπεκάλυψε τὴν πορνείαν αὑτῆς, καὶ ἀπεκάλυψε τὴν ἀσχημοσύνην αὑτῆς, καὶ ἀπέστη ἡ ψυχή· μου ἀπ' αὐτῆς, ὃν τρόπον ἀπέστη ἡ ψυχή μου ἀπὸ τῆς ἀδελφῆς αὐτῆς. Θεασάμενος, φησὶ, τὴν τῆς ἀσεβείας αὐτῆς ὑπερβολὴν, τῆς ἐμῆς αὐτὴν προνοίας ἐγύμνωσα· πάλιν γὰρ κατὰ τὸ τῆς ἀλλη γορίας εἶδος τὴν ψυχὴν τέθεικεν· οὐκ ἐπειδὴ εἰς ψυχὴν καὶ σῶμα τὸ Θεῖον διῄρηται· ἀσώματον γὰρ καὶ ἀσύνθετον· ἀνθρωπίνως δὲ καὶ τοῖς ἀνθρωπίνοις συνήθως ποιεῖται τὴν διάλεξιν, τῇ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀσθενείᾳ συγκαταβαίνων. Μέχρι μὲν οὖν τούτων πρὸς τὸν προφήτην ἐδόκει ποιεῖσθαι τοὺς λόγους· ἐντεῦ θεν δὲ λοιπὸν, ὥσπερ εἰς μνήμην ἐλθὼν διὰ τῆς δι ηγήσεως τῶν ὑπ' αὐτῆς τετολμημένων, πρὸς αὐτὴν μεταφέρει τὸν λόγον. ιθʹ. Καὶ ἐπλήθυνας, φησὶ, τὴν πορνείαν σου, τοῦ ἀναμνῆσαι ἡμέρας νεότητός σου, ἐν αἷς ἐπόρνευσας ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ. Λήθῃ, φησὶν, παρεδεδώκειν τὰς ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ σου πλημμελείας· ἀλλὰ τούτων τὴν μνήμην διὰ τῶν δευτέρων ἐπιτηδευμάτων ἀνθῆσαι πεποίηκας. Οἶδε γὰρ πολλάκις προτέρων ἀναμιμνή σκειν ἁμαρτημάτων ἡ τῆς παρανομίας ταυτότης. Εἶτα πάλιν ἀλληγορικῶς καὶ τροπικῶς τὴν τῆς εἰδω λολατρείας ποιεῖται κατηγορίαν. κʹ, καʹ. Καὶ ἐπέθου ἐπὶ τοὺς Χαλδαίους, ὧν ὡς σάρκες ὄνων αἱ σάρκες αὐτῶν, καὶ αἰδοῖα ἵππων τὰ αἰδοῖα αὐτῶν. Καὶ ἐπεσκέψω τὴν ἀνο μίαν τῆς νεότητός σου, ἃ ἐποίεις ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ ἐν τῷ καταλύματί σου, οὗ μαστοὶ τῆς νεότητός σου ἔπεσον. Καὶ τοῖς Χαλδαίοις, φησὶ, μιγνυμένη, οὐδὲ τῶν Αἰγυπτιακῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων ἠμέλεις· ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς τούτων, καὶ τοὺς ἐκείνων θεοὺς ἐθεράπευες. Τὴν δὲ πολλὴν αὐτῶν ἀθεΐαν τε καὶ πολυθεΐαν αἰ δοίοις ἵππων καὶ ὄνων ἀπείκασεν· ἐπειδὴ καὶ πορ νείαν τὴν εἰδωλολατρείαν καλεῖ· αἱ γὰρ Θεῷ συνημ μέναι καὶ ἀνακείμεναι ψυχαὶ, εἶτα τοῦτον καταλιμ πάνουσαι, καὶ τὴν τῶν δαιμόνων ἀσπαζόμεναι συν ουσίαν, εἰκότως μοιχεύτριαι χρηματίζουσι. 81.1041 κβʹ- κδʹ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τάδε λέγει Ἀδωναῒ Κύριος· Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐξεγείρω τοὺς ἐραστάς σου ἐπὶ σὲ, ἀφ' ὧν ἀπέστη ἡ ψυχή σου ἀπ' αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐπάξω αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ σὲ κυκλόθεν. Τοὺς υἱοὺς Βαβυλῶνος, καὶ πάντας τοὺς Χαλδαίους, Φακοὺμ, καὶ Σοὺδ, καὶ Κοὺδ, καὶ πάντας υἱοὺς Ἀσσυρίων μετ' αὐ τῶν, νεανίσκους ἐπιλέκτους, ἡγουμένους καὶ στρατηγούς· πάντας τριστάτας καὶ ὀνομαστοὺς, ἱππεύοντας ἐφ' ἵππων. Καὶ ἥξουσιν ἐπὶ σὲ πάν τες ἀπὸ βοῤῥᾷ μεθ' ὅπλων, καὶ ἁρμάτων, καὶ τροχῶν, καὶ πλήθους λαῶν· καὶ θώρακας, καὶ ἀσπίδας, καὶ περικεφαλαίας περιθήσονται ἐπὶ σὲ, καὶ βαλοῦσιν ἐπὶ σὲ φυλακὴν κύκλῳ. ∆ι' αὐ τῶν, φησὶ, μαθήσῃ τῶν πραγμάτων, τίς μὲν ἐγὼ, τίνες δὲ οἱ ἐρασταί σου· ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ καταφρονηθεὶς ὑπὸ σοῦ μακροθυμῶν διετέλεσα· οὗτοι