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was signified by "thickets." 2.9 Therefore, the prophecy proclaims good news to this desert also through the things that follow, after the things said before "about the deer," saying: Rejoice, thirsty desert. But many other things are also said about this desert through the subsequent passages in the same prophecy, through which it is said: "Rejoice, barren one who does not bear; break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor; for the children of the desolate one are many more than of her who has a husband." This, therefore, would be a different desert from the aforementioned Zion, in which it was said that "hedgehogs and ibises and ravens," and "demons and onocentaurs would dwell," and that "its valleys" would be filled "with pitch and sulfur." Since these things have been said about Zion and about Jerusalem, it is time to understand that the present text is spoken about another desert. But this was a thicket "of the deer" and the land of the foreign nations, where the Lord distributed "the lots" "to the" assigned "deer," the word proclaims good news, saying: Rejoice, thirsty desert, let the desert be glad and blossom like a lily. For this desert was formerly thirsty, deprived of heavenly water, but the word commands it to rejoice and be glad because of the things that follow, and also to blossom like a lily, so as to say: "We are the aroma of Christ to God in every place." But it also says that it will put forth new shoots and beautiful "flowers," about which it is said in the Song of Songs: "the flowers have appeared in the land," "the mandrakes have given forth fragrance." And what desert it recounts, it clarifies by saying: and the deserts of the Jordan will be glad, it presents the evangelical scripture. For it was "in the Jordan river" that John first preached the kingdom of heaven, and when the worship performed in Jerusalem according to the law of Moses was no longer in effect, the same prophet delivered "the baptism of repentance" and "the washing of regeneration" "in" the "Jordan river" itself. when our savior and lord, Jesus the Christ of God, set his seal upon the preaching of John "by being baptized in the Jordan" by him and confirming through himself the mystery of regeneration. And the formerly desert and waterless and fruitless land, I mean the church of God, through the cleansing of "the washing of regeneration" of the Jordan, was accomplished by baptizing and at the same time proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. This the church, which was once God's desert, keeps throughout the whole world. Therefore the word exhorts it to rejoice and be glad, and to blossom forth like a fragrant lily. And to this has been given the glory of Lebanon and the honor of Carmel. For Lebanon, even in the preceding passages, signified the altar and the temple, in which "the sacrifices with their frankincense" and the worship according to the law were offered in the oblations. And Carmel has often been shown to allude to the people of the circumcision. Therefore, the honor of the ancient people and the glory of the temple in Jerusalem are prophesied to be given to the former desert, I mean to the church from the nations. Then it adds: and my people, no longer Israel, but he says my people shall see the glory of the Lord, with the word providing this promise to the new people, since it would accept the first coming of the savior. Therefore it will also see his second and glorious appearance, and it will behold his majesty. Following these things, it proclaims good news to those who will be freed from the passions of the soul through the illumination of the savior, saying: Be strong, you weak hands and feeble knees; be encouraged, you of little soul in mind. But according to Symmachus: Strengthen the weak hands and the feeble knees; take courage, say to the foolish, Be strong, do not be afraid. And Aquila and Theodotion translated similarly, with the word exhorting the disciples and apostles of our savior to strengthen the weakened souls among the nations and the knees of the infirm

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«δρυμῶν» ἐδηλοῦτο. 2.9 Ταύτην τοίνυν τὴν ἔρημον καὶ διὰ τῶν μετὰ χεῖρας εὐαγγελίζεται ἡ προφητεία μετὰ τὰ προλεχθέντα «περὶ τῶν ἐλάφων» φάσκουσα· Εὐφράνθητι, ἔρημος διψῶσα· πολλὰ δὲ καὶ ἄλλα περὶ τῆς ἐρήμου ταύτης εἴρηται καὶ διὰ τῶν ἑξῆς ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ προφητείᾳ φερομένων, δι' ὧν εἴρηται· «Εὐφράνθητι, στεῖρα ἡ οὐ τίκτουσα, ῥῆξον καὶ βόησον, ἡ οὐκ ὠδίνουσα, ὅτι πολλὰ τὰ τέκνα τῆς ἐρήμου μᾶλλον ἢ τῆς ἐχούσης τὸν ἄνδρα». εἴη ἂν τοίνυν αὕτη ἑτέρα ἔρημος παρὰ τὴν προλεχθεῖσαν Σιών, ἐν ᾗ «ἐχίνους καὶ ἴβεις καὶ κόρακας», «δαιμόνιά τε καὶ ὀνοκενταύρους οἰκήσειν» ἐλέγετο, «πίσσης τε αὐτῆς καὶ θείου» πληρωθήσεσθαι «τὰς φάραγγας». τούτων δὲ περὶ τῆς Σιὼν καὶ περὶ τῆς Ἰερουσαλὴμ εἰρημένων ὥρα τὰ προκείμενα περὶ ἑτέρας ἐρήμου λέγεσθαι νοεῖν. ἦν δὲ αὕτη δρυμὸς «τῶν ἐλάφων» καὶ ἡ χώρα τῶν ἀλλοφύλων ἐθνῶν, ἔνθα «τοὺς κλήρους» διένειμε «ταῖς» ἀποδοθείσαις «ἐλάφοις» ὁ κύριος εὐαγγελίζεται φάσκων ὁ λόγος· Εὐφράνθητι, ἔρημος διψῶσα, ἀγαλλιάσθω ἔρημος καὶ ἀνθείτω ὡς κρίνον· διψῶσα γὰρ αὕτη πρότερον ἔρημος ἐστερημένη νάματος οὐρανίου, ἀλλὰ χαίρειν αὐτῇ καὶ εὐφραίνεσθαι ὁ λόγος προστάττει διὰ τὰ ἐπιλεγόμενα, ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἀνθεῖν ὡς κρίνον, ὥστε λέγειν· «Χριστοῦ εὐωδία ἐσμὲν τῷ θεῷ ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ». ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐξανθήσει φησὶ νεαρὰ βλαστήματα καὶ «ἄνθη» ὡραῖα, περὶ ὧν εἴρηται ἐν Ἄισματι τῶν Ἀισμάτων· «τὰ ἄνθη ὤφθη ἐν τῇ γῇ», «οἱ μανδραγόραι ἔδωκαν ὀσμήν». ποίαν δὲ ἔρημον ἱστορεῖ, διασαφεῖ λέγων· καὶ ἀγαλλιάσεται τὰ ἔρημα τοῦ Ἰορδάνου, τὴν εὐαγγελικὴν γραφὴν παρίστησιν· «ἐν» γὰρ «τῷ Ἰορδάνῃ ποταμῷ» πρῶτος Ἰωάννης ἐκήρυσσε τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν καὶ μηκέτ' ἐνεργούσης ἐν τῇ Ἰερουσαλὴμ τῆς κατὰ τὸν Μωσέως νόμον ἐπιτελουμένης λατρείας «βάπτισμα μετανοίας» καὶ «τὸ τῆς παλιγγενεσίας λουτρὸν» «ἐν» αὐτῷ «τῷ Ἰορδάνῃ ποταμῷ» ὁ αὐτὸς παρεδίδου προφήτης· ὅτε σωτὴρ καὶ κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς ὁ Χριστὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπεσφραγίσατο τὸ Ἰωάννου κήρυγμα «ἐν τῷ Ἰορδάνῃ βαπτισθεὶς» ὑπ' αὐτοῦ καὶ βεβαιώσας δι' ἑαυτοῦ τὸ τῆς παλιγγενεσίας μυστήριον. καὶ ἡ πάλαι δὲ ἔρημος καὶ ἄνυδρος καὶ ἄκαρπος, λέγω δὲ ἡ ἐκκλησία τοῦ θεοῦ διὰ τῆς καθάρσεως «τοῦ τῆς παλιγγενεσίας λουτροῦ» τὴν τοῦ Ἰορδάνου διεπράττετο βαπτίζων ἅμα καὶ εὐαγγελιζόμενος τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ βασιλείαν. τοῦτο καθ' ὅλης τῆς οἰκουμένης ἥ ποτε τοῦ θεοῦ ἔρημος ἐκκλησία φυλάττει. διὸ εὐφραίνεσθαι αὐτὴν καὶ ἀγαλλιᾶν ὁ λόγος παρακελεύεται, δίκην τε κρίνου εὐώδους ἐξανθεῖν. ταύτῃ δὲ καὶ ἡ δόξα τοῦ Λιβάνου καὶ ἡ τιμὴ τοῦ Καρμήλου δέδοται. ὁ μὲν οὖν Λίβανος καὶ διὰ τῶν ἔμπροσθεν ἐδήλου τὸ θυσιαστήριον καὶ τὸν νεών, ἐν ᾧ «αἵ τε θυσίαι σὺν αὐτῷ λιβάνῳ» καὶ ἡ κατὰ τὸν νόμον λατρεία ἐν ταῖς ἀναφοραῖς προσεφέρετο· ὁ δὲ Κάρμηλος τὸν ἐκ περιτομῆς λαὸν αἰνιττόμενος ἀποδέδεικται πολλάκις. τοῦ λαοῦ τοίνυν τοῦ παλαιοῦ ἡ τιμὴ καὶ τοῦ ναοῦ τοῦ ἐν τῇ Ἰερουσαλὴμ ἡ δόξα τῇ πάλαι ἐρήμῳ, λέγω δὲ τῇ ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἐκκλησίᾳ δοθήσεσθαι προφητεύεται. εἶτ' ἐπιλέγει· καὶ ὁ λαός μου, οὐκέτι ὁ Ἰσραήλ, ἀλλ' ὁ ἐμός φησι λαὸς ὄψεται τὴν δόξαν κυρίου, ταύτην τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν τοῦ λόγου παρέχοντος τῷ νέῳ λαῷ, ἅτε παραδεξομένῳ τὴν πρώτην τοῦ σωτῆρος παρουσίαν. διὸ καὶ τὴν δευτέραν καὶ ἔνδοξον αὐτοῦ θέαν ὄψεται, τό τε ὕψος αὐτοῦ θεωρήσει. Τούτοις ἑξῆς εὐαγγελίζεται τοὺς διὰ τῆς ἐπιλάμψεως τοῦ σωτῆρος τῶν τῆς ψυχῆς παθῶν ἀπαλλαγησομένων λέγων· ἰσχύσατε, χεῖρες ἀνειμέναι καὶ γόνατα παραλελυμένα· παρακαλέσατε, οἱ ὀλιγόψυχοι τῇ διανοίᾳ· κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον· ἐνισχύσατε, χεῖρες ἀνειμέναι καὶ γόνατα ἀσθενοῦντα· κρατύνατε, εἴπατε τοῖς ἀνοήτοις Ἰσχύετε, μὴ φοβεῖσθε. παραπλησίως δὲ καὶ ὁ Ἀκύλας καὶ ὁ Θεοδοτίων ὁμοίως ἡρμήνευσαν τοῦ λόγου παρακελευομένου τοῖς τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν μαθηταῖς τε καὶ ἀποστόλοις ἐνισχύειν τὰς παρειμένας ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι ψυχὰς καὶ τὰ τῶν ἠσθενηκότων γόνατα