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extending after Damascus, they campaigned together with the Babylonians. And as is likely, he calls Nebrid a valley, because of the hollowness of its position, while the other places lie at a height. It shows that the former will be saved through lamentation. But those having an unrepentant heart, through the plague brought on from the Arabs [will be destroyed], and the Arabs are the western ones. Or perhaps the powers proper to darkness, through which chastening plagues are sent to those who have an unrepentant heart. And the phrase, the cry has reached the border of the land of Moab, indicates filling it all; and since the border of the land of Moab can be both the end of a country and the beginning, now it has taken its name from the beginning. And her wailing has filled everything as far as the well of Elim. And he names both Agalleim, and the well of Elim, as being cities outside 2101, lying at the very borders. And Remmon is said to be very well-watered, but nevertheless even its water will be polluted with the blood of those being slaughtered. And the water of Deebon. Again he says the water means teaching, which he says is full of blood, because the ones who lead badly become liable to death for those being taught; for such are the destructive words that destroy souls. And "I will take away," he says, "the seed of Moab." That which did not change to better things, but remained among those not entering into the Church of the Lord, is the seed of Moab. For Moabites will not enter into the Church of the Lord until the tenth generation, and even for ever; he threatens to remove. Which he also calls the seed of Ariel, which is interpreted as saying. For even the Lord says the mindful are born of the devil, seeing the murderous intent of the Jews against him, saying: "You are of your father the devil, and you do the works of your father." He was a murderer from the beginning. Therefore the seed of Moab are the apostates of the Church. And the seed of Ariel, those who murder their brothers with words, causing death in their souls. Then he says, and the remnant of Adama. And this signifies the virgin earth, from which Adam was formed. CHAP. 10. ae'. 9I will send as reptiles upon the earth. Shall the mountain of Sion be a desolate rock? For you shall be like a bird flying away, a fledgling taken away, O daughter of Moab9, etc. I will send as reptiles upon the earth. That is, the remnant of the men who mind earthly things, through which they have become from their own wickedness reptiles and venomous; reptiles, on the one hand, by having cast off the height, on which they happened to be walking according to their first creation. and venomous, on the other hand, because they are destructive to their companions; the Word says to send them out. Therefore, after the former Moabites, about whom better things have been said, if anyone is left behind in the land, and is likened to the serpent, about which it has been said, that "You will eat earth all your days;" this one is sent forth, as the reptiles. And he who sows to the flesh eats earth, and from the flesh reaps corruption. And the phrase, that the remnant is sent as reptiles, indicates that, being bitter, they will always go into captivity, just like serpents charmed by incantations. And you might also interpret the saying anagogically in this way. A soul fortified by the divine fear, is strong and hard to capture. And rather it conquers principalities and powers. But if it should shake off the commandments of God, it strips itself of all aid, and as if tearing down a wall, it makes it fall easily to the passions. Thus some are handed over to a reprobate mind. For if 2104 he should shut against a man, he says, who will open? after which things he says, Is the mountain of Sion a desolate rock? For long ago Shalmaneser the Assyrian, having campaigned against Samaria, both captured the cities in it, and wronged many of those in Judea in addition. At which things the Moabites, gloating, were calling it a desolate rock, as if imputing weakness to her God. Therefore he speaks to them with a certain tone, as indeed being about to suffer worse things than those for which they were reproaching them, and he compared them to a fledgling stripped of a mother's protection. Thus then useful is the saying, "If your enemy falls, do not rejoice over him, because the Lord will see, and

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Περσίδος μετὰ ∆αμασκὸν παρατείνοντες τοῖς Βαβυλωνίοις συνεστρατεύοντο. Φάραγγα δὲ, κατὰ τὸ εἰκὸς, ὀνομάζει τὴν Νεβρὶδ, διὰ τὸ κοῖλον τῆς θέσεως, τῶν ἄλλων ἐν ὕψει κειμένων. ∆ηλοῖ δὲ ὡς οἱ μὲν πρότεροι διὰ τοῦ κλαυθμοῦ σωθήσονται. Οἱ δὲ τὴν ἀμετανόητον ἔχοντες καρδίαν, διὰ τῆς ἐξ Ἀράβων ἐπαγομένης πληγῆς [ὀλέσονται], Ἄραβες δὲ οἱ ἑσπέριοι. Ἢ τάχα αἱ οἰκεῖαι τῷ σκότῳ δυνάμεις, δι' ὧν ἀποστέλλονται παιδευτικαὶ πληγαὶ τοῖς τὴν ἀμετανόητον καρδίαν ἔχουσιν. Τὸ δὲ, συνῆψεν ἡ βοὴ τὸ ὅριον τῆς Μωαβίτιδος, τὸ πληρῶσαι πᾶσαν δηλοῖ· καὶ ἐπεὶ τὸ αὐτὸ δύναται καὶ πέρας εἶναι χώρας καὶ ἀρχὴ τὸ ὅριον τῆς Μωαβίτιδος, νῦν ἀπὸ τῆς ἀρχῆς τὴν προσηγορίαν εἴληφεν. Καὶ ὀλολυγμὸς αὐτῆς πάντα πεπλήρωκεν ἕως τοῦ φρέατος Ἐλείμ. Ὀνομάζει δὲ τήν τε Ἀγαλλεὶμ, καὶ τὸ φρέαρ τοῦ Ἐλεὶμ, ὡς ἔξω 2101 πόλεις οὔσας, ἐπ' αὐτοῖς κειμένας τέρμασιν. Εὐϋδροτάτην δὲ λόγος εἶναι τὴν Ῥεμμῶν, ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ ταύτης τὸ ὕδωρ τῷ τῶν σφαττομένων αἵματι μολυνθήσεται. Τὸ δὲ ὕδωρ τὸ ∆εηβὼν. Πάλιν τὸ ὕδωρ διδασκαλίαν φησὶν, ὅπερ αἵματος πλῆρες εἶναι λέγει, διὰ τὸ ἐνόχους θανάτου γίνεσθαι τοῖς διδασκομένοις τοὺς κακῶς καθηγουμένους· τοιοῦτοι γὰρ οἱ ἀπολλύντες τὰς ψυχὰς ὀλέθριοι λόγοι. Καὶ ἀρῶ, φησὶ, τὸ σπέρμα Μωάβ. Τὸ μὴ μεταστὰν ἐπὶ τὰ κρείττονα, ἀλλὰ μεῖναν ἐν τοῖς μὴ εἰσερχομένοις εἰς Ἐκκλησίαν Κυρίου, σπέρμα τοῦ Μωάβ. Οὐκ εἰσελεύσονται γὰρ Μωαβῖται εἰς Ἐκκλησίαν Κυρίου ἕως δεκάτης γενεᾶς, καὶ ἕως εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα· ἐξαίρειν ἀπειλεῖ. Ὃ καὶ σπέρμα τοῦ Ἀριὴλ ὀνομάζει, ὅπερ ἑρμηνεύεται λέγων. Τοὺς γὰρ φρονικοὺς καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἐκ τοῦ διαβόλου γεγεννῆσθαί φησιν, ὁρῶν τῶν Ἰουδαίων τὴν κατ' αὐτοῦ φονῶσαν προαίρεσιν λέγων· "Ὑμεῖς ἐκ τοῦ Πατρὸς ὑμῶν τοῦ διαβόλου ἐστὲ, καὶ τὰ ἔργα τοῦ Πατρὸς ὑμῶν ποιεῖτε." Ἐκεῖνος ἀνθρωποκτόνος ἦν ἀπ' ἀρχῆς. Σπέρμα οὖν Μωὰβ οἱ ἀποστάται τῆς Ἐκκλησίας. Σπέρμα δὲ Ἀριὴλ, οἱ κατὰ τῶν ἀδελφῶν φονῶντες ὀλεθρίαν λόγοις ταῖς αὐτῶν ψυχαῖς ἐμποιοῦντες τὸν θάνατον. Εἶτά φησιν, καὶ τὸ κατάλοιπον Ἄδαμα. Τοῦτο δὲ σημαίνει τὴν γῆν τὴν παρθενικὴν, ἀφ' ἧς Ἀδὰμ ἐπλάσθη. ΚΕΦΑΛ. Ιʹ. αεʹ. 9Ἀποστελῶ ὡς ἑρπετὰ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν. Μὴ πέτρα ἔρημος ἔσται, τὸ ὄρος Σιών; ἔσῃ γὰρ ὡς πετεινοῦ ἀνιπταμένου νεοσσὸς ἀφῃρημένος, θύγατερ Μωάβ9, κ.τ.λ. Ἀποστελῶ ὡς ἑρπετὰ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν. Τοῦτ' ἔστι, τὸ κατάλοιπον τῶν ἀνθρώπων τῶν τὰ γήϊνα φρονούντων, δι' οὗ γεγενῆσθαι ἐκ τῆς ἑαυτῶν κακίας ἑρπετὰ καὶ ἰοβόλα· ἑρπετὰ μὲν, τῷ τὸ ὕψος ἀποβαλεῖν, ἐφ' οὗ κατὰ τὴν πρώτην κατασκευὴν βεβηκότες ἐτύγχανον. Ἰοβόλα δὲ, διὰ τὸ φθαρτικὸν τῶν συνόντων τούτους ἐξαποστέλλειν ὁ λόγος φησί. Μετὰ οὖν τοὺς προτέρους Μωαβίτας, περὶ ὧν τὰ κρείττονα εἴρηται, εἴ τις ἐν τῇ γῇ καταλείπεται, καὶ ὁμοιοῦται τῷ ὄφει, περὶ οὗ εἴρηται, ὅτι "Γῆν φαγῇ πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας σου·" οὗτος ἐξαποστέλλεται, ὡς τὰ ἑρπετά. Ἐσθίει δὲ γῆν ὁ σπείρων εἰς τὴν σάρκα, καὶ ἐκ τῆς σαρκὸς θερίζων φθοράν. ∆ηλοῖ δὲ τὸ, ὡς ἑρπετὰ τὸ ὑπολελειμμένον ἀποσταλῆναι, ὅτι πικροὶ ὄντες ἀεὶ βαδιοῦνται εἰς αἰχμαλωσίαν, καθάπερ ὄφεις ἐπῳδαῖς γεγοητευμένοι. Ἀναγάγοις δ' ἂν καὶ οὕτως ἄνωθεν τὸ ῥητόν. Ψυχὴ τῷ θείῳ φόβῳ τετειχισμένη, ἰσχυρὰ καὶ δυσάλωτος. Νικᾷ δὲ μᾶλλον ἀρχάς τε καὶ ἐξουσίας. Εἰ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰς ἐντολὰς ἀποσείσαιτο, ἀπογυμνοῖ πάσης αὑτὴν ἐπικουρίας, καὶ τεῖχος ὥσπερ περιελὼν εὐόλισθον αὐτὴν τοῖς πάθεσιν ἀπεργάζεται. Οὕτω παραδίδονταί τινες εἰς ἀδόκιμον νοῦν. Ἐὰν 2104 γὰρ κλείσῃ κατὰ ἀνθρώπου, φησὶ, τίς ἀνοίξει; μεθ' ἅ φησι, Μὴ πέτρα ἔρημός ἐστι τὸ ὅρος Σιών; πάλαι γὰρ ἐπιστρατεύσας τῇ Σαμαρείᾳ Σαλμανασσὰρ ὁ Ἀσσύριος, εἷλέ τε τὰς ἐν αὐτῇ πόλεις, καὶ τῶν ἐν Ἰουδαίᾳ πολλὰ προσηδίκησεν. Ἐφ' οἷς ἐπεμβαίνοντες οἱ Μωαβῖται, πέτραν αὐτὴν ἠρημωμένην ὠνόμαζον, ἀσθένειαν ὥσπερ ἐπιφέροντες τῷ ταύτης Θεῷ. ∆ιὸ μετά τινος ἤθους πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἀποτείνεται, ὡς δὴ πεισομένους τὰ χείρονα, ὧν ἐκείνοις ὠνείδιζον, νεοσσῷ τε τούτους ἀπείκασεν ἐψιλωμένῳ σκέπης μητρός. Οὕτως ἄρα χρήσιμον τὸ, Ἐὰν πέσῃ ὁ ἐχθρὸς, οὐ μὴ ἐπιχαρῆς αὐτῷ, ὅτι ὄψεται Κύριος, καὶ