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of my voice. Daughters, hear my words in hope. Remember the days of a year in pain with hope. The vintage is consumed. The seed has ceased, and will no longer come9. etc. Having spoken concerning the theophany, and of the apostles and the calling of the gentiles, now he addresses the people of the circumcision, urging them to lament, as having fallen from grace through unbelief. Whom, on account of the dissoluteness of their soul, he calls women. That is, they say that their synagogues are thus indicated. But the rest of the interpreters say, prosperous women, instead of rich. For of old they were rich, prospering according to God. And perhaps they also lived luxuriously in bodily wealth. But some say that it is the custom in Scripture to call cities or villages women. And when there is one metropolis, to address the others as its daughters. Thus the divine David: Zion heard, he says, and was glad. And the daughters of Judea rejoiced. And the person of the Savior now counsels the cities of Judea, saying, Hear my voice, calling them back to the evangelical proclamation. And he calls them rich and populous, who will become desolate if they do not obey him who speaks. But "in hope," the others say, means "trusting." And he calls "women" the assemblies among the Jews in ancient times, whom he urges to rise up and hear. And "daughters," the synagogues of the same that were formed after these, whom he wishes to give ear. And he moves both to a keen hearing of the words, to hear with bright hope. And he exhorts them to remember the year in which the Savior made the saving proclamation among men, saying through the prophet: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me." And going on, he says to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. He wishes the aforementioned to remember this with the pain of compunction for what they have dared, but also to have the hope promised to those who repent for what they have done. Therefore, when the house of Israel was the vineyard of the Lord, there was much vintage among them, the whole nation bearing fruit for the temple of God. But now, he says, It is consumed, not so as to be restored again, which happened after the return from the Assyrians. For now, he says, it is no more, but has been cut off once for all. And it shows, some say, that for disobedient Israel the matter will not be without penalty. For 2284 their cities were about to be harvested, as it were, delivered into the hands of the Romans, and to become a habitation of beasts from the desert. He wishes, therefore, that godly sorrow touch them, as they depart from their former unbelief. For godly sorrow produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret. The fruit of which is to strip off the cloak of wealth, and having girded their loins in a manly fashion, to mourn the desolation of their first vineyard. And in soul, too, the Jews have fallen away from spiritual fruitfulness, producing thorns instead of grapes, according to the voice of the prophet. And another says, "They have sown the wind. And their destruction will receive them. A stalk having no strength to make flour." Therefore, he says, you who before trusted in God, and have changed your mind, lament; for he has let go his vineyard. And he commanded the clouds not to rain upon it. And it has become a delight for wild asses, and pastures for evil shepherds, that is, of unclean spirits. And David also speaks of Israel as of a vine: "The boar from the forest has ravaged it, and a wild solitary beast has devoured it." For just as a desolate field is overlooked [the owner is missing, or something like that], so God does not deem a fruitless soul worthy of his own providence. And instead of "from the fruit of the vine": Aquila says, upon a growing vine; and Symmachus, concerning a fruitful vine, to which he says elsewhere: "I planted you a fruitful vine, wholly true; how have you turned to bitterness, the alien vine?" And instead of, the land of my people, Symmachus says, upon the land of my people. And in harmony with the foregoing, in which he said: "I waited for it to produce grapes, but it produced thorns." And interpreting these, he added: "I waited for it to produce judgment,

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φωνῆς μου. Θυγατέρες, ἐν ἐλπίδι ἀκούσατε λόγους μου. Ἡμέρας ἐνιαυτοῦ μνείαν ποιήσασθε ἐν ὀδύνῃ μετ' ἐλπίδος. Ἀνήλωται ὁ τρυγητός. Πέπαυται ὁ σπόρος, καὶ οὐκέτι μὴ ἔλθῃ9. κ.τ.λ. Περὶ τῆς θεοφανείας, καὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων τῆς τε κλήσεως εἰπὼν τῶν ἐθνῶν, νῦν τῷ ἐκ περιτομῆς προσφωνεῖ λαῷ παρακελευόμενος θρηνεῖν, ὡς ἐκπεπτωκότι τῆς χάριτος ἐξ ἀπιστίας. Οὓς διὰ τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς ἔκλυτον, γυναῖκας καλεῖ. Ἤγουν τὰς αὐτῶν συναγωγὰς οὕτω δηλοῦσθαί φασιν. Οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ τῶν ἑρμηνευτῶν, γυναῖκες εὐθηνοῦσαι, φασὶν, ἀντὶ τοῦ πλούσιαι. Πάλαι γὰρ ἐπλούτουν εὐθηνοῦσαι κατὰ Θεόν. Ἐτρύφων δὲ ἴσως καὶ πλούτῳ σωματικῷ. Τινὲς δέ φασιν, ὡς ἔθος τῇ Γραφῇ γυναῖκας καλεῖν πόλεις, ἢ κώμας. Καὶ μητροπόλεως οὔσης μιᾶς, θυγατέρας αὐτῆς προσαγορεύειν τὰς ἄλλας. Οὕτω ὁ θεῖος ∆αβίδ· Ἤκουσε, φησὶ, καὶ ηὐφράνθη Σιών. Καὶ ἠγαλλιάσαντο αἱ θυγατέρες τῆς Ἰουδαίας. Τοῦ δὲ Σωτῆρος τὸ πρόσωπον ταῖς πόλεσιν Ἰουδαίας τὰ νῦν συμβουλεῦόν φησιν, Ἀκούσατε τῆς φωνῆς μου, πρὸς τὸ εὐαγγελικὸν αὐτὰς ἀνακαλούμενον κήρυγμα. Καὶ, ὡς ἔτι πολυάνδρους πλουσίας καλεῖ, γενησομένας ἐρήμους, εἰ μὴ πείθοιντο λέγοντι. Τὸ δὲ ἐπ' ἐλπίδι, φασὶν οἱ λοιποὶ, πεποιθυῖαι. Γυναῖκας δὲ λέγει τὰς ἐπὶ τῶν παλαιῶν χρόνων παρ' Ἰουδαίοις συνόδους, αἷς διαναστῆναι καὶ ἀκοῦσαι παρακελεύεται. Θυγατέρας δὲ, τὰς μετὰ ταῦτα συστάσας τῶν αὐτῶν Συναγωγὰς, ἃς ἐνωτίσασθαι βούλεται. Ἀμφοτέρας δὲ κινεῖ πρὸς σύντονον ἀκοὴν τῶν λόγων ἀκούειν ἐπ' ἐλπίδι λαμπρᾷ. Ἐνιαυτοῦ δὲ μεμνῆσθαι παρακαλεῖ, καθ' ὃν ὁ Σωτὴρ ἐν ἀνθρώποις τὸ σωτήριον ἐποιήσατο κήρυγμα, παρὰ τῷ προφήτῃ λέγων· "Πνεῦμα Κυρίου ἐπ' ἐμὲ, οὗ εἵνεκεν ἔχρισέν με." Καὶ προϊών φησι καλέσαι ἐνιαυτὸν Κυρίου δεκτόν. Τούτου βούλεται μεμνῆσθαι τὰς προειρημένας μετ' ὀδύνης κατανυττομένας ἐφ' ὃν τετολμήκασιν, ἔχειν δὲ καὶ τὴν ἐπηγγελμένην τοῖς ἐφ' οἷς ἔπραξαν μετανοοῦσιν ἐλπίδα. Ὅτε μὲν οὖν ὑπῆρχεν ἀμπελὼν Κυρίου ὁ οἶκος τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, πολὺς ἦν παρ' αὐτοῖς τρυγητὸς, παντὸς τοῦ ἔθνους τῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ καρποφοροῦντος ναῷ. Νῦν δέ φησιν, Ἀνήλωται, οὐχ ὡς ἀναληφθῆναι πάλιν, ὅπερ γέγονε μετὰ τὴν ἐξ Ἀσσυρίων ἐπάνοδον. Νῦν γὰρ οὐκ ἔτι φησὶν, ἀλλὰ καθάπαξ ἐκτέτμηται. ∆είκνυσι δὲ, φασί τινες, ὡς ἀπειθοῦντι τῷ Ἰσραὴλ οὐκ ἀζήμιον τὸ χρῆμα γενήσεται. Ἤμελλον γὰρ 2284 οἱονεὶ τρυγᾶσθαι τούτων αἱ πόλεις Ῥωμαίων παραδοθεῖσαι χερσὶν, καὶ θηρίων ἐξ ἐρημίας ἐνδιαίτημα γίνεσθαι. Βούλεται τοίνυν τὴν κατὰ Θεὸν αὐτῶν ἅψασθαι λύπην τῆς προτέρας ἀπιστίας ἐξισταμένων. Ἡ γὰρ κατὰ Θεὸν λύπη μετάνοιαν εἰς σωτηρίαν ἀμεταμέλητον ἀπεργάζεται. Ἧς καρπὸς τὸ ἀποδύσασθαι μὲν τὴν τοῦ πλούτου περιβολὴν, ἀνδρικῷ δὲ ζωσαμένας σχήματι τὰς ὀσφῦς, κόψασθαι, τοῦ πρώτου αὐτῶν ἀμπελῶνος τὴν ἐρημίαν. Καὶ κατὰ ψυχὴν δὲ τῆς νοητῆς εὐκαρπίας ἀποπεπτώκασιν Ἰουδαῖοι, ἀντὶ σταφυλῆς ἀκάνθας ποιήσαντες, κατὰ τὴν τοῦ προφήτου φωνήν. Φησὶ δὲ καὶ ἕτερος, "Ἀνεμόφθορα ἔσπειραν. Καὶ ἡ καταστροφὴ αὐτῶν ἐκδέξεται αὐτά. ∆ρᾶγμα οὐκ ἔχον ἰσχὺν τοῦ ποιῆσαι ἄλευρον." ∆ιὸ, φησὶν, αἱ πρὶν ἐπὶ Θεῷ πεποιθυῖαι, καὶ τὴν γνώμην μεταβαλοῦσαι, θρηνήσατε· ἀνῆκε γὰρ τὸν ἀμπελῶνα αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ταῖς νεφέλαις ἐνετείλατο τοῦ μὴ βρέξαι εἰς αὐτόν. Καὶ γέγονεν ὄνων ἀγρίων εὐφροσύνη, καὶ πονηρῶν ποιμένων βοσκήματα, τοῦτ' ἔστιν ἀκαθάρτων πνευμάτων. Καὶ ∆αβὶδ δὲ ὡς περὶ ἀμπέλου λέγει τοῦ Ἰσραήλ· "Ἐλυμήνατο αὐτὴν ὗς ἐκ δρυμοῦ, καὶ μονιὸς ἄγριος κατενεμήσατο αὐτήν." Ὡς γὰρ κεχερσωμένον παρορᾶται χωρίον [λείπ. ὁ κτήτωρ, ἤ τι τοιοῦτον], οὕτω Θεὸς ψυχὴν ἄκαρπον τῆς ἰδίας προνοίας οὐκ ἀξιοῖ. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ ἀπὸ γεννήματος ἀμπέλου· ὁ μὲν Ἀκύλας φησὶν, ἐπὶ ἀμπέλῳ αὐξητικῇ· ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος, περὶ ἀμπέλου πολυφόρου, πρὸς ἥν φησιν ἀλλαχοῦ· "Ἐγώ σε ἐφύτευσα ἄμπελον καρποφόρον, πᾶσαν ἀληθινήν· πῶς ἐστράφης εἰς πικρίαν ἡ ἄμπελος ἡ ἀλλοτρία;" Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, ἡ γῆ τοῦ λαοῦ μου, Σύμμαχος, ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν τοῦ λαοῦ μου, φησί. Συνῳδὰ δὲ τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν, ἐν οἷς ἔλεγεν· "Ἔμεινα ἵνα ποιήσῃ σταφυλὴν, ἐποίησεν δὲ ἀκάνθας." Καὶ ταύτας ἑρμηνεύων ἐπῆγεν· "Ἔμεινα ἵνα ποιήσῃ κρίσιν,