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he called it an "outer garment". The events concerning Abimelech and the Shechemites teach us that a wicked agreement brings utter destruction upon those 302 who make it, ending in discord. For after jointly slaying the sons of Gideon, they were destroyed by one another. XVIII What is: "he sowed it with salt"? This signifies barrenness; for nothing grows from salt. But it must be noted that, enjoying a small respite, they immediately served idols; "for it says, the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they served the Baalim and the Ashtaroth, and the gods of Sidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines." But when God, being angry, set the king of the Ammonites against them, they cried out to God the savior and accused themselves, because having forsaken their benefactor, and true God and Lord, they served false-named ones; Then the philanthropic Lord, having reproved their ungrateful disposition—for having often enjoyed much care, they preferred the worship of idols—and having threatened that He would deem them worthy of no care. "For He says, I will no longer save you; go and cry to the gods whom you have chosen for yourselves; let them save you in the time of your affliction." Therefore, since they both confessed their own transgressions and removed the foreign gods from their midst, and served the Lord, they enjoyed His help. XIX What is: "Say now the password"? 303 The tribe of Ephraim marched against Jephthah, being angry because they did not share in the victory against the Ammonites; then, faring badly, they fled. But Jephthah, sending a detachment of his fellow soldiers, prevented them from crossing the river. Then, as they were attempting to deceive and saying that they were from the other tribes, he commanded that they be asked a certain word, which brought about their exposure through their tongue. For just as the Osroenes and Syrians and Euphratesians and Palestinians and Phoenicians use the Syriac language, yet the dialect has much difference, so the twelve tribes were Hebrews, but likely had certain idioms, as this one certainly did. For as the Syrian says, while the others called an ear of corn *sembla*, those of Ephraim from some custom said *sembelo*; Jephthah, knowing this, commanded them to say it, and as they were exposed, he slew them; XX Why did the Lord God permit Jephthah's daughter to be slain? Jephthah's promise was very foolish. For he should have considered that, as was likely, a dog or a donkey might meet him first, things unclean according to the law. Therefore, the Lord God, teaching others through him to make their promises with understanding and knowledge, did not prevent the slaughter. For that He condemns such sacrifices, the blessed David is a witness, crying out: "And they sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons; and they shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed to the graven images of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood," and so on. And the Lord God himself says through Ezekiel the prophet: "And you took your sons and your daughters, whom you bore to me, and you offered them to your lovers; 304 this was in addition to all your harlotry." And showing the excess of impiety, He added: "which I did not command, nor did it enter into my heart." And wishing to test Abraham's love for God, He commanded him to sacrifice his son; but having shown the disposition of the just man, He forbade the slaughter. The subsequent actions of Jephthah also show his imperfection. For having promised to offer as a sacrifice whatever first met him, then seeing his child do this, he both tore his clothes and lamented bitterly and first allowed her to mourn, and then he sacrificed her. But his daughter was much better than he; "For she says, if you have opened your mouth to the Lord on my account, do to me as has gone forth from your mouth, in return for the vengeance the Lord has brought for you upon your enemies, from the sons of Ammon." Therefore, teaching, the

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" ἐπένδυμα " αὐτὸ κέκληκεν. τὰ δὲ κατὰ τὸν Ἀβιμέλεχ καὶ τοὺς σικημίταις διδάσκει ἡμᾶς, ὡς ἡ πονηρὰ συμφωνία τοῖς 302 χρωμένοις ἐπάγει πανωλεθρίαν εἰς διχόνοιαν τελευτῶσα. κοινῇ γὰρ τοῦ Γεδεὼν ἀνελόντες τοὺς παῖδας ὑπ' ἀλλήλων διώλοντο. XVIII Τί ἐστιν· " ἔσπειρεν αὐτὴν ἅλας "; Τὴν ἀκαρπίαν τοῦτο δηλοῖ· οὐδὲν γὰρ ἐξ ἁλῶν φύεται. ἐπισημήνασθαι δὲ δεῖ, ὅτι μικρᾶς ἀνακωχῆς ἀπολαύοντες εὐθὺς τοῖς εἰδώλοις ἐλάτρευον· " προσέθεντο, γάρ φησιν, οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ ποιῆσαι τὸ πονηρὸν ἔναντι Κυρίου, καὶ ἐλάτρευσαν τοῖς Βααλεὶμ καὶ τοῖς Ἀσταρὼθ καὶ τοῖς θεοῖς Σιδῶνος καὶ τοῖς θεοῖς Μωὰβ καὶ τοῖς θεοῖς Ἀμμὼν καὶ τοῖς θεοῖς τῶν ἀλλοφύλων ". ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὀργισθεὶς ὁ Θεὸς ἐπέστησεν αὐτοῖς τὸν τῶν ἀμμανιτῶν βασιλέα, ἐβόησαν μὲν πρὸς τὸν σωτῆρα Θεὸν καὶ σφῶν αὐτῶν κατηγόρησαν, ὅτι τὸν εὐεργέτην κα ταλιπόντες, καὶ ἀληθινὸν Θεόν τε καὶ Κύριον, τοῖς ψευδωνύμοις ἐλάτρευ σαν· εἶτα διελέγξας αὐτῶν ὁ φιλάνθρωπος Κύριος τὴν ἀχάριστον γνώμην, πολλῆς γὰρ πολλάκις ἀπολαύσαντες κηδεμονίας, τὴν τῶν εἰδώλων προ ετίμησαν θεραπείαν· καὶ ἀπειλήσας ὡς οὐδεμιᾶς αὐτοὺς ἀξιώσει κηδε μονίας. " οὐ προσθήσω, γάρ φησιν, ἔτι σῶσαι ὑμᾶς, βαδίζετε καὶ βοᾶτε πρὸς τοὺς θεοὺς οὓς ἐξελέ ξασθε ἑαυτοῖς, καὶ αὐτοὶ σωσάτωσαν ὑμᾶς ἐν καιρῷ θλίψεως ὑμῶν ". ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν καὶ τὰς οἰκείας ὡμο λόγησαν παρανομίας καὶ μετέστησαν τοὺς θεοὺς τοὺς ἀλλοτρίους ἐκ μέσου αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐλάτρευσαν Κυρίῳ, τῆς παρ' αὐτοῦ βοηθείας ἀπήλαυσαν. XIX Τί ἐστιν· " εἴπατε δὴ σύνθημα "; 303 Οἱ τῆς Ἐφραῒμ φυλῆς ἐπεστράτευσαν τῷ Ἰεφθάε χαλεπαίνοντες ὅτι δὴ τῆς κατὰ τῶν ἀμμανιτῶν οὐκ ἐκοινώνησαν νίκης· εἶτα δυσπραγήσαντες ἔφυγον. ἀλλὰ λόχον τινὰ τῶν συστρατευομένων ἀποστείλας ὁ Ἰεφθάε διαβῆναι τὸν ποταμὸν αὐτοὺς διεκώλυσεν. ἔπειτα πειρωμένους ἐξαπα τῆσαι, καὶ λέγοντας ἐκ τῶν ἄλλων εἶναι φυλῶν, ἐκέλευσεν ἐπερωτᾶσθαί τινα λόγον, ὃς ἐπέφερε διὰ τῆς γλώττης τὸν ἔλεγχον. ὥσπερ γὰρ ὀσροη νοὶ καὶ σύροι καὶ εὐφρατήσιοι καὶ παλαιστῖνοι καὶ φοίνικες τῇ σύρων χρῶνται φωνῇ, πολλὴν δὲ ὅμως ἡ διάλεξις ἔχει διαφοράν, οὕτως ἑβραῖοι μὲν ἦσαν αἱ δυοκαίδεκα φυλαί, εἶχον δέ τινα ὡς εἰκὸς ἰδιώματα, ὥσπερ ἀμέλει καὶ αὕτη. ὡς γὰρ ὁ σύρος φησί, τῶν ἄλλων τὸν ἄσταχυν σεμβλὰ καλούντων, οἱ τοῦ Ἐφραῒμ ἔκ τινος συνηθείας σεμβελὼ ἔλεγον, τοῦτο γινώσκων ὁ Ἰεφθάε λέγειν ἐκέλευσε, καὶ διελεγχομένους ἀνῄρει· XX Τί δήποτε συνεχώρησεν ὁ δεσπότης Θεὸς τοῦ Ἰεφθάε σφαγῆναι τὴν θυγατέρα; Ἀνόητος ἄγαν ἡ τοῦ Ἰεφθάε ὑπόσχεσις. ἔδει γὰρ αὐτὸν συνιδεῖν, ὡς εἰκός, κύνα πρῶτον ἢ ὄνον συναντῆσαι, τὰ κατὰ τὸν νόμον ἀκάθαρτα. παιδεύων τοίνυν δι' ἐκείνου τοὺς ἄλλους ὁ δεσπότης Θεός, ὥστε μετὰ συνέσεώς τε καὶ γνώσεως ποιεῖσθαι τὰς ὑποσχέσεις, οὐκ ἐκώλυσε τὴν σφαγήν. ὅτι γὰρ τῶν τοιούτων θυμάτων κατηγορεῖ, μάρτυς ὁ μακάριος ∆αβὶδ βοῶν· " καὶ ἔθυσαν τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτῶν, καὶ τὰς θυγατέ ρας αὐτῶν τοῖς δαιμονίοις· καὶ ἐξέχεαν αἷμα ἀθῷον, αἷμα υἱῶν αὐτῶν καὶ θυγατέρων, ὧν ἔθυ σαν τοῖς γλυπτοῖς Χαναάν, καὶ ἐφονοκτονήθη ἡ γῆ ἐν τοῖς αἵμασι ", καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ δεσπότης Θεὸς δι' Ἰεζεκιὴλ τοῦ προφήτου φησί· " καὶ ἔλαβες τοὺς υἱούς σου καὶ τὰς θυγατέρας σου, οὓς ἐγέννησάς μοι, καὶ προσήνεγκας αὐτοὺς τοῖς ἐρασταῖς σου· 304 τοῦτο παρὰ πᾶσαν τὴν πορνείαν σου ". καὶ δεικνὺς τὴν τῆς ἀσεβείας ὑπερβολὴν προσέθηκεν· " ὃ οὐκ ἐνεθυμήθην, οὐδὲ ἀνέβη εἰς τὴν καρδίαν μου ". καὶ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ δὲ γυμνᾶσαι τὸ φιλόθεον βουληθεὶς προσέταξε μὲν τὸν υἱὸν ἱερεῦσαι· δείξας δὲ τοῦ δικαίου τὴν γνώμην, ἐκώλυσε τὴν σφαγήν. δηλοῖ δὲ καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς τοῦ Ἰεφθάε τὸ ἀτελές. ὑποσχόμενος γὰρ πᾶν πρῶτον ὑπαντῶν εἰς θυσίαν προσοίσειν, εἶτα τὴν παῖδα τοῦτο δράσασαν θεασάμενος, καὶ τὴν ἐσθῆτα διέρρηξε καὶ πικρῶς ὠλοφύρατο καὶ θρηνῆσαι αὐτῇ συνε χώρησε πρότερον, εἶθ' οὕτω κατέθυσεν. ἀμείνων δὲ αὐτοῦ ἡ θυγάτηρ πολλῷ· " εἰ ἐν ἐμοί, γάρ φησιν, ἤνοιξας τὸ στόμα σου πρὸς Κύριον, ποίει μοι ὃν τρόπον ἐξῆλθεν ἐκ τοῦ στόματός σου, ἀνθ' ὧν ἐποίησέ σοι Κύριος ἐκδί κησιν ἐκ τῶν ἐχθρῶν σου, ἐκ τῶν υἱῶν Ἀμμών ". διδάσκων τοίνυν ὁ