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ally, and the exarch, upon the 64.1021 same they both fell; that it might say, No one was left of those with Necho. Up to this point the things of old are related, and henceforth he begins the vision against the Egyptians. The clear sign of the calamity is that they were weakened in the battle line. Attend, and prepare yourself, for the sword has devoured your smilax. That is, your power, or your security; but he used a metaphor. For smilax is a thorn that extends for a long way, which those who make fences use especially in the fields, because it employs many entanglements, and makes the fence secure. For the sword has devoured your smilax; it is an herb that consumes all things. Why did your chosen calf flee? He speaks as to the Jews. And he calls the Egyptian a calf, as being strong. Since they had such an opinion about him. Then the cause: He did not remain, because the Lord paralyzed him. For he could not stand against the decision of God. Your king, or more truly the god of the Egyptians, Apis; for thus they called the calf, being a straw-eater and considered a God. Each spoke to his neighbor, and they said: Let us arise, and let us return to our people from the face of the Hellenic sword. The word, each, that is, of the allies. That it might say: They knew then that they were helping the Egyptian in vain. But the phrase, from the face of the Hellenic sword, is not otherwise i.e. not well translated. For the Hebrew has it thus: From a sharp and vehement sword. And here too the change of interpretation is from the eponym. For Ioannan means Greeks, since from this comes Ionians. But iona means the sharp and cutting. Therefore, from the similarity, instead of, of a sharp sword, they translated, of a Hellenic sword. See? how he describes all things accurately, and dwells on it from being very confident. Call the name of Pharaoh king of Egypt, Sanoe, Ebere, Elmoeth, the time has come. These words are indeed Hebrew. But the interpretation of the words seems to be somehow: The time is past. For Saon means sound, as it were, the renowned, and famous. But Eber, you have passed by. And Elmoeth, has arrived. So that it might say, that Pharaoh, renowned, and proclaimed everywhere for his glory, he fell from his present honor, and the time of the sentence against him arrived. And the phrase, Call his name, according to the idiom of divine Scripture, he took the name instead of the thing. The time has come, a sound with tumult, produced, that is, he says he has become unmindful of the covenants. As Tabor is among the mountains, and as 64.1024 Carmel is in the sea, so he will come, so he will be great, he says, and unconquerable. As I live, says the Lord, King of hosts is his name, that as Tabor is among the borders, and as Carmel is in the sea, so he will come. By an example he signified the multitude of the calamity. For he wishes to say, that as Tabor is between the mountains, and Carmel is surrounded by the sea, so you also will be surrounded i.e. you will be encompassed by evils. Make for yourself vessels of exile, O dwelling of the daughter of Egypt. That is, Cease warring, and taking the vessels of relocation; follow the conquerors; that it might say, that you will become a sojourner. No one can allege weakness of body, or smallness of number. You were as fatted calves, you were armed; the war is not in our city. You came first, you were as a locust. *A fair heifer, beautifully adorned, most beautiful Egypt, a detachment from the north came upon her. According to the Greek it is clear what he says, that the strong and beautifully adorned captive will be led away by the Babylonians. But the Hebrew has a certain clearer meaning. For instead of, A detachment from the north will come upon her, it has this: A gadfly will come upon you. And this is a kind of animal that strikes cattle, and drives them to madness. Since, therefore, he compared Egypt to a very noble heifer

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σύμμαχος, καὶ ὁ ἔξαρχος, ἐπὶ τὸ 64.1021 αὐτὸ ἔπεσον ἀμφότεροι· ἵνα εἴπῃ, Οὐδεὶς περιελείφθη τῶν μετὰ τοῦ Νεχαώ. Ἕως τούτου τὰ πάλαι διηγητὰ, καὶ λοιπὸν ἄρχεται τῆς κατ' Αἰγυπτίων ὁράσεως. Τὸ διάδηλον τῆς συμφορᾶς, ὅτι ἠσθένησαν ἐν τῇ παρατάξει. Ἐπίστηθι, καὶ ἑτοίμασον σεαυτῇ, ὅτι κατέφαγε μάχαιρα τὴν σμίλακά σου. Τουτέστι, τὴν δύναμίν σου, ἢ τὴν ἀσφάλειαν· ἐχρήσατο δὲ μεταφορᾷ. Σμίλαξ γὰρ ἄκανθά ἐστιν ἐπὶ πολὺ ἐκτεινομένη, ᾗ κέχρηνται μάλιστα ἐν τοῖς ἀγροῖς, οἱ φραγμοὺς ποιοῦντες, διὰ τὸ περιπλοκαῖς κεχρῆσθαι πολλαῖς, καὶ ἀσφαλῆ τὸν φραγμὸν ἐργάζεσθαι. Ὅτι κατέφαγε μάχαιρα τὴν σμίλακά σου· βοτάνη ἐστὶ πάντα κατατρώγουσα. ∆ιατί ἔφυγεν ὁ μόσχος σου ὁ ἐκλεκτός; Ὡς πρὸς Ἰουδαίους λέγει. Μόσχον δὲ λέγει τὸν Αἰγύπτιον, ὡς ἰσχυρόν. Ἐπειδὴ τοιαύτην περὶ αὐτοῦ τὴν ὑπόληψιν εἶχον. Εἶτα ἡ αἰτία· Οὐκ ἔμεινεν, ὅτι Κύριος παρέλυσεν αὐτόν. Οὐ γὰρ τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀποφάσει ἠδύνατο ἀντιστῆναι. Ὁ βασιλεύς σου, ἀληθέστερον δὲ ὁ θεὸς Αἰγυπτίων, ὁ Ἄπις· οὕτω γὰρ ἐκάλουν τὸν μόσχον, ἀχυροφάγον ὄντα καὶ Θεὸν νομιζόμενον. Ἕκαστος πρὸς τὸν πλησίον αὐτοῦ ἐλάλουν, καὶ εἶπον· Ἀναστῶμεν, καὶ ἀναστρέψωμεν πρὸς τὸν λαὸν ἡμῶν ἀπὸ προσώπου μαχαίρας Ἑλληνικῆς. Τὸ, ἕκαστος, τουτέστι, τῶν συμμάχων. Ἵνα εἴπῃ· Ἔγνωσαν τότε μάτην ἐπικουροῦντες τῷ Αἰγυπτίῳ. Τὸ δὲ, ἀπὸ προσώπου μαχαίρας Ἑλληνικῆς, οὐκ ἄλλως ἴσ. οὐ καλῶς ἡρμήνευται. Ὁ γὰρ Ἑβραῖος οὕτως ἔχει· Ἀπὸ μαχαίρας ὀξείας καὶ σφοδρᾶς. Ἔστιν δὲ κἀνταῦθα ἀπὸ τῆς ἐπωνυμίας ἡ ἐναλλαγὴ τῆς ἑρμηνείας. Τὸ γὰρ Ἰωάνναν σημαίνει Ἕλληνες, ἐπειδὴ ἀπὸ τούτου Ἴωνες. Τὸ δὲ ἰῶνα σημαίνει τὸ ὀξὺ καὶ τμητικόν. Ἀπὸ οὖν τῆς ὁμοιότητος, ἀντὶ τοῦ, Μαχαίρας ὀξείας, Μαχαίρας Ἑλληνικῆς ἡρμήνευσαν. Ὅρα; πῶς πάντα ἀκριβῶς διαγράφει, καὶ ἐνδιατρίβει ἀπὸ τοῦ σφόδρα θαῤῥεῖν. Καλέσατε τὸ ὄνομα Φαραὼ βασιλέως Αἰγύπτου, Σανωὲ, Ἐβηρὲ, Ἐλμοὴθ, καιρὸς παρεγένετο. Αἱ λέξεις αὗται εἰσὶ μὲν Ἑβραϊκαί. Ἑρμηνεία δέ πως εἶναι δοκεῖ τῶν λέξεων τό· Καιρὸς ἀπεγένετο. Τὸ γὰρ Σαὸν, ἦχον σημαίνει, οἱονεὶ, τὸ ἐξάκουστον, καὶ περίφημον. Τὸ δὲ Ἐβῆρ, παρῆλθες. Τὸ δὲ Ἐλμοὴθ, παραγέγονεν. Ἵνα οὖν εἴπῃ, ὅτι ὁ Φαραὼ ἐξάκουστος, καὶ πανταχοῦ τῇ δόξῃ βοώμενος, οὗτος τῆς προσούσης ἐξέπεσε τιμῆς, καὶ ἧκε τῆς κατ' αὐτοῦ ἀποφάσεως ὁ καιρός. Τὸ δὲ, Καλέσατε τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, κατὰ τὸ τῆς θείας Γραφῆς ἰδίωμα, τὸ ὄνομα ἀντὶ πράγματος ἔλαβεν. Καιρὸς παρεγένετο, σὺν ταραχῇ ἦχος, παραχθέντα, ἤτοι περὶ συνθήκας ἀγνώμονα αὐτόν φησι γεγενῆσθαι. Ὥσπερ ἐστὶν ὁ Θαβὼρ ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσι, καὶ ὡς 64.1024 ὁ Κάρμηλος ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ, οὕτως ἥξει, οὕτως ἔσται μέγας, φησὶ, καὶ ἀχείρωτος. Ζῶ ἐγὼ, λέγει Κύριος, Βασιλεὺς τῶν δυνάμεων ὄνομα αὐτῷ, ὅτι ὥσπερ ἐστὶν ὁ Θαβὼρ ἐν τοῖς ὁρίοις, καὶ ὡς Κάρμηλος ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ, οὕτως ἥξει. Παραδείγματι τῆς συμφορᾶς τὸ πλῆθος ἐσήμανε. Βούλεται γὰρ εἰπεῖν, ὅτι ὡς ὁ Θαβώρ ἐστι μεταξὺ τῶν ὀρέων, καὶ ὁ Κάρμηλος περιέχεται ὑπὸ θαλάσσης, οὕτω καὶ ὑμεῖς περισχησθήσετε ἴσ. περισχεθήσεσθε τοῖς κακοῖς. Σκεύη ἀποικισμοῦ ποίησον σεαυτῇ κατοικίας θυγατρὸς Αἰγύπτου. Τουτέστι, Παῦσαι πολεμοῦσα, καὶ μετοικίας λαβοῦσα σκεύη· ἀκολούθει τοῖς κρατοῦσιν· ἵνα εἴπῃ, ὅτι Μέτοικος γενήσῃ. Οὐκ ἔχει τις οὐ σώματος ἀσθένειαν, οὐκ ὀλιγότητα αἰτιάσασθαι. Ὡς μόσχοι σιτευτοὶ ἦτε, καθωπλίσθητε· οὐκ ἐν τῇ πόλει ἡμῶν ὁ πόλεμος. Πρότεροι ἐπήλθετε, ὡς ἀκρὶς ἦτε. *∆άμαλις καλὴ, κεκαλλωπισμένη, καλλίστη Αἴγυπτος, ἀπόσπασμα ἀπὸ βοῤῥᾶ ἦλθεν ἐπ' αὐτήν. Κατὰ μὲν τὸ Ἑλληνικὸν δῆλον ὃ λέγει, ὅτι Ἡ ἰσχυρὰ καὶ κεκαλλωπισμένη αἰχμάλωτος ἀπαχθήσεται ὑπὸ Βαβυλωνίων. Ἔχει δέ τίνα ἐναργεστέραν τὴν ἔννοιαν ὁ Ἑβραῖος. Ἀντὶ γὰρ τοῦ, Ἀπόσπασμα ἀπὸ βοῤῥᾶ ἥξει ἐπ' αὐτὴν, οὕτως ἔχει· Οἶστρος ἥξει ἐπὶ σέ. Εἶδος δὲ τοῦτό ἐστι ζώου πλήττοντος βοῦς, καὶ εἰς μανίαν ἄγοντος. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν δαμάλει παρείκασε τὴν Αἴγυπτον σφόδρα γενναίᾳ