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tongue. "I will rejoice, and I will divide Shechem, and I will measure out the valley of the tents." Shechem, the city left to Joseph by Jacob. And in this city Ephraim, after the division of the tribes, established a kingdom; and by the valley of the tents he means the land of the Israelites, as it had become desolate, and at that time had received shepherds' tents. The God of all, therefore, promises to bring back those who have become captives of war, and to distribute their ancestral land to them; and to fill it with inhabitants in such a way that the dwellers would even contend about measures; and using this, they would make the distribution of the land. 9. "Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine, and Ephraim is the strength of my head." Gilead is not the [name] of a tribe, but of a place; but Manasseh is the eponym of a tribe. And he had from the beginning inherited the land of Gilead. He therefore calls both the tribe and his land his own, foretelling both their return, and the habitation of those places; and to Ephraim he promises to restore his former strength. But instead of "of my head," Symmachus put "of my rule"; instead of, "I will make him a champion as of old." "Judah is my king." For since after the return the tribes have remained undivided; and they only had Zerubbabel of the tribe of Judah as a leader and king; he reasonably called Ephraim the strength of his head, or of his rule, but Judah his king. And "my king," instead of, "the king appointed by me, and ruling my people." Thus also in Isaiah: "Thus says the Lord: To my anointed, to Cyrus," that is, to the one anointed [and appointed] by me. 10. "Moab is the cauldron of my hope." Aquila translated this thus: Moab is the cauldron of my bath. 80.1321 But the Syrian, the bucket of my washing. For since in such vessels we are accustomed to wash our feet, and to wash off the garment soiled on the feet, he signified the subjection of Moab through the bucket of washing. And the cauldron also is used for punishment in the divine Scripture. Thus also the blessed Ezekiel teaches, having been ordered to call Jerusalem a cauldron, its inhabitants meat, the Babylonian fire, and the necessary food broth. When this ran out, the meat was burned. Thus also the blessed Jeremiah saw a cauldron being heated; and its face was from the face of the north. He says, therefore, that Manasseh will receive his own land; and Ephraim will regain his former power; and Judah will be proclaimed king of all; and the Moabites will be subjected to them, seeing their invincible strength. Not only they, but also the Idumaeans, and the foreigners. "Upon Idumaea I will stretch out my sandal. Foreigners have been subjected to me." [And one would not err who considered the cauldron to be the divine font, punishing and burning up and making sin disappear, but rekindling with the divine Spirit and remolding and rubbing off the filth, or rather the stain of transgressions of those being renewed through it. And the phrase, "Upon Idumaea I will stretch out my sandal," not only will I walk, says the Lord of glory from David, upon Idumaea, but as if through my sandals, through the divine apostles, I will preach the Gospel of grace; not in it alone, but also in all the nations.] For besides the Moabites, I will also enslave the Idumaeans, and I will compel the foreigners to be subjected. The divine Scripture, however, calls the Palestinians foreigners, not as if the other nations were of the same race, but because while the others were distant, these were not only neighbors, but also lived in their midst. Thus the Jebusites inhabited Jerusalem for a very long time; thus the Gibeonites inhabited Gibeon; and the Gazans, and the Ashkelonites, and the others lived nearby. And the histories teach these things more clearly. Having been thus taught these things by the God of all, the prophet desires to see the good fortune of the people after the return; and he says: 11, 12. "Who will bring me

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γλώττῃ. "Ἀγαλλιάσομαι, καὶ διαμεριῶ Σίκιμμα, καὶ τὴν κοιλάδα τῶν σκηνῶν διαμετρήσω." Σίκιμμα, ἡ τοῦ τῷ Ἰωσὴφ ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἰακὼβ καταλειφθεῖσα πόλις. Ἐνταύτῃ δὲ ὁ Ἐφραῒμ, μετὰ τὴν διαίρεσιν τῶν φυ λῶν, ἐπήξατο βασιλείαν· Κοιλάδα δὲ σκηνῶν τὴν τῶν Ἰσραηλιτῶν λέγει χώραν, ὡς ἔρημον γεγε νημένην, καὶ ποιμενικὰς τηνικαῦτα σκηνὰς δεξαμέ νην. Ὑπισχνεῖται τοίνυν ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς, ἐπαν άγειν τοὺς γεγενημένους δορυαλώτους, καὶ τὴν πα τρῴαν αὐτοῖς διανέμειν γῆν· καὶ οὕτως αὐτὴν οἰ κητόρων πληρώσειν, ὡς καὶ περὶ μέτρων τοὺς ἐνοικοῦντας φιλονεικεῖν· καὶ τούτῳ κεχρημένους, τὴν τῆς γῆς ποιεῖσθαι διανομήν. θʹ. "Ἐμός ἐστι Γαλαὰδ, καὶ ἐμός ἐστι Μανασ σὴς, καὶ Ἐφραῒμ κραταίωσις τῆς κεφαλῆς μου." Γαλαὰδ οὐ φυλῆς [ὄνομα], ἀλλὰ τόπου· ὁ Μανασ σὴς δὲ φυλῆς ἐπώνυμος. Τὴν δὲ Γαλααδῖτιν ἄνω θεν ἐκληρώσατο γῆν. Οἰκείαν τοίνυν λέγει καὶ τὴν φυλὴν, καὶ τὴν τούτου γῆν, καὶ τὴν ἐπάνοδον προ μηνύων, καὶ τῶν χωρίων ἐκείνων τὴν οἴκησιν· καὶ τῷ Ἐφραῒμ δὲ ὑπισχνεῖται τὴν προτέραν ἀποδώ σειν ἰσχύν. Ἀντὶ δὲ τῆς κεφαλῆς μου, ὁ Σύμ μαχος ἀρχῆς μου τέθεικε· ἀντὶ τοῦ, πρόμαχον αὐτὸν ὡς πάλαι καταστήσω. "Ἰούδας βασιλεύς μου." Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ μετὰ τὴν ἐπάνοδον ἀδιαίρε τοι μεμενήκασιν αἱ φυλαί· μόνον δὲ τὸν ἐξ Ἰούδα Ζοροβάβελ εἶχον ἡγεμόνα καὶ βασιλέα· εἰκότως τὸν μὲν Ἐφραῒμ κραταίωσιν κεφαλῆς, ἢ τῆς ἀρχῆς προσηγόρευσε, τὸν δὲ Ἰούδαν βασιλέα. Τὸ δὲ βα σιλεύς μου, ἀντὶ τοῦ, ὑπ' ἐμοῦ χειροτονούμενος βα σιλεὺς, καὶ τοῦ ἐμοῦ βασιλεύων λαοῦ. Οὕτω καὶ παρὰ τῷ Ἡσαΐᾳ· "Τάδε λέγει Κύριος· Τῷ χριστῷ μου Κύρῳ," τουτέστι, τῷ ὑπ' ἐμοῦ κεχρισμένῳ [καὶ κεχειροτονημένῳ]. ιʹ. "Μωὰβ λέβης τῆς ἐλπίδος μου." Τοῦτο ὁ Ἀκύλας οὕτως ἡρμήνευσε· Μωὰβ λέβης τοῦ λουτροῦ μου. 80.1321 Ὁ δὲ Σύρος, κάδος τῆς πλύσεώς μου. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις σκεύεσι, καὶ τοὺς πόδας ἀπονί πτειν, καὶ τὴν τοῖς ποσὶν ἐῤῥυπωμένην ἐσθῆτα ἀποῤ ῥύπτειν εἰώθαμεν, τὴν ὑποταγὴν τοῦ Μωὰβ διὰ τοῦ κάδου τῆς πλύσεως παρεδήλωσε. Καὶ ὁ λέβης δὲ ἐπὶ τιμωρίᾳ κεῖται παρὰ τῇ θείᾳ Γραφῇ. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ μακάριος Ἰεζεκιὴλ διδάσκει, λέβητα προσταχθεὶς καλέσαι τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, κρέας δὲ τοὺς ἐνοικοῦντας, πῦρ δὲ τὸν Βαβυλώνιον, ζωμὸν δὲ τὴν ἀναγκαίαν τροφήν. Οὗ ἐπιλελοιπότος κατεκαίετο τὰ κρέα. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ μακάριος Ἱερεμίας λέβητα ὑποκαιόμενον εἶ δεν· καὶ τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ προσώπου βοῤῥᾶ. Λέγει τοίνυν, ὅτι καὶ Μανασσὴς τὴν οἰκείαν ἀπο λήψεται γῆν· καὶ ὁ Ἐφραῒμ τὴν προτέραν ἀνακτή σεται δύναμιν· καὶ ὁ Ἰούδας πάντων ἀναγορευθήσε ται βασιλεύς· Μωαβῖται δὲ αὐτοῖς ὑποταγήσονται, τὴν ἄμαχον αὐτῶν θεώμενοι ῥώμην. Οὐ μόνον δὲ ἐκεῖνοι, ἀλλὰ καὶ Ἰδουμαῖοι, καὶ ἀλλόφυλοι. "Ἐπὶ τὴν Ἰδουμαίαν ἐκτενῶ τὸ ὑπόδημά μου. Ἐμοὶ ἀλλόφυλοι ὑπετάγησαν." [Οὐκ ἂν δὲ διαμάρτοι τις θεωρήσας λέβητα μὲν τὴν θείαν κολυμβήθραν τιμω ροῦσαν μὲν καὶ καταφλέγουσαν καὶ ἐξαφανίζουσαν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, ἀναζωπυροῦσαν δὲ τῷ θείῳ Πνεύματι καὶ ἀναπλάττουσαν καὶ ἀποτρίβουσαν τὸν βρότον, εἴ τ' οὖν τὸν ῥύπον τῶν πλημμελειῶν τῶν δι' αὐτῆς ἀνακαινιζομένων. Καὶ τὸ, "Ἐπὶ τὴν Ἰδουμαίαν ἐκτενῶ τὸ ὑπόδημά μου," Οὐ μόνον βαδίσω, φησὶ ὁ ἐκ ∆αβὶδ Κύριος τῆς δόξης, ἐπὶ τὴν Ἰδουμαίαν, ἀλλ' ὡσανεὶ δι' ὑποδημάτων ἐμῶν διὰ τῶν θείων ἀπο στόλων τὸ τῆς χάριτος Εὐαγγέλιον κηρύξω· οὐκ ἐν αὐτῇ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσιν.] Πρὸς γὰρ τοῖς Μωαβίταις, καὶ τοὺς Ἰδουμαίους δουλώσο μαι, καὶ τοὺς ἀλλοφύλους ὑποταγῆναι καταναγκά σω. Ἀλλοφύλους μέντοι καλεῖ τοὺς Παλαιστι νοὺς ἡ θεία Γραφὴ, οὐχ ὡς τῶν ἄλλων ἐθνῶν ὁμοφύ λων ὄντων, ἀλλ' ὡς τῶν ἄλλων μὲν ἀφεστηκότων, τούτων δὲ οὐ μόνον ὁμόρων ὄντων, ἀλλὰ καὶ με ταξὺ κατοικούντων. Οὕτως Ἰεβουσαῖοι τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ᾤκησαν ἐπὶ πλεῖστον· οὕτως Γαβαωνῖται τὴν Γαβαώ· καὶ Γαζαῖοι δὲ, καὶ Ἀσκαλωνῖται, καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι πλησίον ᾤκουν. Καὶ ταῦτα σαφέστερον αἱ ἱστορίαι διδάσκουσιν. Οὕτω ταῦτα ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων διδαχθεὶς ὁ προφήτης, ἰδεῖν ἐφίεται τοῦ λαοῦ τὴν μετὰ τὴν ἐπάνοδον εὐκληρίαν· καί φησιν· ιαʹ, ιβʹ. "Τίς ἀπάξει