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I abstained from wrath. He did not say, that It will be, but it will not punish, but, Nor will it appear; therefore sin delivered it up, not weakness 64.1033 How was it broken together? Did you see how he presented its strength? how the unbearable blow? Then everywhere he says, Because it stood against the Lord, it sinned; and the manner of the sin, As it did, it will be done to it. Repay it. And the longsuffering, because its time has come. So he also awaited the time, and nothing more happened. Thus says the Lord. They did not wish to release them. Or he says this, that they would not have released those whom they held of their own will, but they resisted God, just like the Egyptian Pharaoh. As he overthrew. What then, is it not inhabited? Therefore, just as this is of hyperbole, so also when he says; As I swore, by the water upon Noah out of hyperbole; then he constantly dwells on the same words. For what reason? Since what was said was unbelievable and paradoxical, that Babylon will be captured, he has used a swifter manner, extending its capture. Behold, a people comes from the North, and a great nation, and kings will be raised up from the end of the earth, having a bow and a dagger. That is, a shield; for the dagger means this, because it is carried in the hand. Behold, like a lion he will come up from the pride of the Jordan to the place of Etham. He compared the Mede to a lion. And the phrase, from the pride of the Jordan to the place of Etham, is as if lions were accustomed to appear there. And Etham is a city bordering the Jordan.

CHAPTER 51.

A golden cup, Babylon. If it is a golden cup in the hand of the Lord, for what reason

is it punished? Because it punished more greatly, and took vengeance, therefore it was also strong through me. And I will make you a burnt mountain. That is, as dust, so that it might say; Being strong, I will work you into nothing. And he took this from the metaphor of the stones being burned into quicklime. Command against it the kingdoms of Ararat, from me. They say they are the Carduchians, and by the Aschenazians, he means those from Pontus. A pursuer will be pursued to an encounter with a pursuer. That is, one fleeing will meet an enemy, and he will be pursued, so that he is captured. *And Babylon shall be for destruction, and a dwelling place for dragons, and for lairs. According to the Greek it signifies that it will become a thorny desolation; for by lairs he means the thickets. But the Hebrew translates it as cavities. For Thoon is the cavity, which he translated as lairs into the Greek. 64.1036 All at once, their young men will roar like lions. Some indeed took this to refer to those who were struck, of the Babylonians, as if crying out audibly from the blow, just like a roaring lion. But it is better to take this to refer to the Medes, as they are fearsome, the divine Scripture is accustomed to use the example of the lion. * How was Sisoch captured? They say Sisoch is the name of a king, and that it signifies the Ethiopians; and that it is interpreted from Cush, from whom the Ethiopians came; therefore, as these were allies to the Babylonian in the war against the Medes, and were defeated, they say the prophet mentioned them. And I will take vengeance on Bel in Babylon, and I will bring out what he has swallowed from his mouth, and the nations shall no longer be gathered to him. According to the context, this is to be understood of the Babylonians, that with the idols, I will also tear down all their power. But according to the literal sense it is about the idols. But some understood the phrase, I will bring out what he has swallowed, in this way, that is, I will remove the oracle of Bel, so that it will be contemptible to all. Parable upon parable. That is, narrative upon narrative, so that it might say, They will be one after another

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ὀργῆς ἀπέστην ἐγώ. Οὐκ εἶπεν, ὅτι Ἔσται μὲν, οὐ τιμωρήσεται δὲ, ἀλλ', Οὐδὲ φανεῖται αὐτή· ἄρα τὰ ἁμαρτήματα αὐτὴν παρέδωκεν, οὐκ ἀσθένεια 64.1033 Πῶς συνεκλάσθη; Εἶδες πῶς παρέστησεν αὐτῆς τὴν ἰσχύν; πῶς τὴν πληγὴν τὴν ἀφόρητον; Εἶτα πανταχοῦ φησιν, Ὅτι τῷ Κυρίῳ ἀντέστη, ἥμαρτε· καὶ τὸν τρόπον τῆς ἁμαρτίας, Καθὼς ἐποίησε, ποιηθήσεται αὐτῇ. Ἀνταπόδοτε αὐτῇ. Καὶ τὴν μακροθυμίαν, ὅτι ἥκει ὁ καιρὸς αὐτῆς. Ὥστε καὶ τὸν καιρὸν ἀνέμεινε, καὶ οὐδὲν πλέον ἐγένετο. Τάδε λέγει Κύριος. Οὐκ ἠθέλησαν ἀπολῦσαι αὐτούς. Ἢ τοῦτό φησιν, ὅτι οὐκ ἂν ἀπέλυσαν οὕσπερ κατεῖχον αὐτοπροαιρέτως, ἀλλ' ἀνθίσταντο τῷ Θεῷ, καθάπερ ὁ Αἰγύπτιος Φαραώ. Καθὼς κατέστρεψε. Τί οὖν, οὐ κατοικεῖται; Ὥσπερ οὖν τοῦτο τῆς ὑπερβολῆς, οὕτω καὶ ὅταν λέγῃ· Καθὼς ὤμοσα, ἐν τῷ ὕδατι τῷ ἐπὶ Νῶε ἐξ ὑπερβολῆς· εἶτα συνεχῶς ἐνδιατρίβει τοῖς αὐτοῖς λόγοις. Τίνος ἕνεκεν; Ἐπειδὴ ἄπιστον ἦν καὶ παράδοξον τὸ λεγόμενον, ὅτι Βαβυλὼν ἁλώσεται, ταχυτέρῳ κέχρηται τρόπῳ, ἐκτείνας τὴν ἅλωσιν αὐτῆς. Ἰδοὺ λαὸς ἔρχεται ἀπὸ Βοῤῥᾶ, καὶ ἔθνος μέγα, καὶ βασιλεῖς ἐξεγερθήσονται ἀπ' ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς, τόξον καὶ ἐγχειρίδιον ἔχοντες. Τουτέστιν, ἀσπίδα· τοῦτο γὰρ ἑρμηνεύει τὸ ἐγχειρίδιον, τῷ περὶ τὸ ἐν τῇ χειρὶ φέρεσθαι. Ἰδοὺ ὡς λέων ἀναβήσεται ἀπὸ φρυάγματος τοῦ Ἰορδάνου εἰς τόπον Ἐθάμ. Λέοντι παρείκασε τὸν Μῆδον. Τὸ δὲ, ἀπὸ φρυάγματος τοῦ Ἰορδάνου εἰς τόπον Ἐθὰμ, ὡσανεὶ αὐτόθι τῶν λεόντων εἰωθότων φαίνεσθαι. Ἐθὰμ δὲ πόλις ἐστὶν ὅμορος τοῦ Ἰορδάνου.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΝΑʹ.

Ποτήριον χρυσοῦν Βαβυλών. Εἰ ποτήριον χρυσοῦν ἐν χειρὶ Κυρίου, τίνος ἕνεκεν

κολάζεται; Ὅτι μειζόνως ἐκόλασε, καὶ ἐτιμωρήσατο, ἄρα καὶ ἴσχυσε δι' ἐμοῦ. Καὶ δώσω σε εἰς ὄρος ἐμπεπυρισμένον. Τουτέστιν, ὡς κόνιν, ἵνα εἴπῃ· Ἰσχυρόν σε ὄντα εἰς οὐδὲν ἐργάσομαι. Ἔλαβε δὲ αὐτὸ ἐκ μεταφορᾶς τῶν καιομένων λίθων εἰς ἄσβεστον. Παραγγείλατε ἐπ' αὐτῇ βασιλείαις Ἀραρὰθ, παρ' ἐμοῦ. Καρδαουΐνους εἶναί φασι, καὶ τοῖς Ἀχαναζαίοις, τοὺς ἀπὸ Πόντου λέγει. ∆ιώκων εἰς ἀπάντησιν διώκοντος διώξεται. Τουτέστι, φεύγων ἀπαντήσει πολεμίῳ, κἀκεῖνος διώξεται, ὥστε αὐτὸν ἁλῶναι. *Καὶ ἔσται Βαβυλὼν εἰς ἀφανισμὸν, καὶ εἰς κατοικίαν δρακόντων, καὶ εἰς θήνας. Κατὰ μὲν τὸν Ἑλληνικὸν μηνύει ὅτι εἰς ἐρημίαν ἔσται ἀκανθώδη· θῆνας γὰρ λέγει τὰς θάμνους. Ὁ δὲ Ἑβραῖος εἰς κοιλότητας ἑρμηνεύει. Θωὸν γάρ ἐστιν ἡ κοιλότης, ὅπερ θῆνας ἡρμήνευσεν εἰς τὸν Ἑλληνικόν. 64.1036 Ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ, ὡς λέοντες ἐρεύξονται οἱ νεανίσκοι αὐτῶν. Τινὲς μὲν ἐπὶ τῶν πληττομένων αὐτὸ ἔλαβον τῶν Βαβυλωνίων, ὡσανεὶ ἀναβοώντων ἀπὸ τῆς πληγῆς ἐξάκουστον, καθάπερ λέων βρύχων. Ἄμεινον δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν Μήδων αὐτὸ λαβεῖν, ὡς φοβερῶν αὐτῶν ὄντων, τῷ τοῦ λέοντος παραδείγματι εἴωθε χρῆσθαι ἡ θεία Γραφή. * Πῶς ἑάλω Σισόχ; Ὄνομα βασιλέως εἶναί φασι τὸ Σισὸχ, μηνύειν δὲ τοὺς Αἰθίοπας· ἑρμηνεύεσθαι δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ Χοῦς, ἀφ' οὗ Αἰθίοπες γεγόνασιν· ὡς οὖν τούτων συμμαχούντων τῷ Βαβυλωνίῳ ἐν τῷ πρὸς τοὺς Μήδους πολέμῳ, καὶ ἡττωμένων φασὶ τὸν προφήτην αὐτῶν μνημονεῦσαι. Καὶ ἐκδικήσω ἐπὶ τὸν Βὴλ ἐν Βαβυλῶνι, καὶ ἐξοίσω ἃ κατέπιεν ἐκ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐ μὴ συναχθήσεται ἔτι πρὸς αὐτὸν τὰ ἔθνη. Κατὰ μὲν τὰ πρὸς τὴν ἀκολουθίαν, ἐπὶ τῶν Βαβυλωνίων τοῦτ' ἔστιν ἐκλαβεῖν, ὅτι μετὰ τῶν εἰδώλων, καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν δυναστείαν αὐτῶν καθελῶ. Κατὰ δὲ τὸ ῥητὸν ὡς ἐπὶ τῶν εἰδώλων. Τινὲς δὲ οὕτως ἐνόησαν τὸ, Ἐξοίσω ἃ κατέπιε, τουτέστιν, Ἐξαρῶ τὸ μαντεῖον τοῦ Βὴλ, ὥστε αὐτὸν τοῖς πᾶσιν εἶναι εὐκαταφρόνητον. Παραβολὴ ἐπὶ παραβολήν. Τουτέστι, διήγημα ἐπὶ διήγημα, ἵνα εἴπῃ, Ἀλλεπάλληλα ἔσται