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seeing that his words bring them to conviction, and work in them a godly grief, a repentance that leads to salvation without regret. For those who weep over their evil deeds and their evil thoughts will no longer go down, nor will they enter into the lowest parts of the earth; but they will go up, using godly grief as a kind of guidance for their elevation upward. But a shattering and a shaking cry out. For the word that has convicted and rebuked shatters the wicked mindset and produces a kind of agitation in the thoughts that are badly ingrained, so that some may be uprooted, and wholesome words may be brought in instead. For this reason, a broken and humbled heart God will not despise. For as long as the habit of sinning is established and not yet shaken, sinners will neither weep nor will they ascend upward; but when the wicked disposition is shattered, and the soul has suffered a kind of shaking and agitation regarding its wicked doctrines, the cry becomes audible, for the benefit of those who hear. 15.300 The water of Nebrim shall be desolate. The water of false opinion, which previously flowed abundantly and copiously to the harm of those who received it, will disappear (he says) and will be desolate. But if it were possible to know the meaning of the name, some starting point would have been gained for better grasping the thought of the prophetic mind, and for applying the meanings of the names to the matters at hand. Except that this water is the opposite of the water of rest, by which the Lord nourishes those who are shepherded by him; and of the water, which the Lord gives to those who believe in him, of which he who is deemed worthy to drink has in himself a spring of water welling up to eternal life. So worthless and good-for-nothing is this water, that it nourishes nothing other than grass, which itself also will not exist. That is, the souls that have been instructed in this temporary and quickly fading glory of the world will quickly wither, when the word that, as it were, waters them has been made desolate. Is she not also to be saved in this way? The word shows that the Moabitess, being about to be saved, will be saved by certain ways and methods, and will be led by the more laborious disciplines, and will be led by the more laborious disciplines to salvation. For the phrase, *The Moabitess shall perish*, and *By night she shall perish*, and whatever else has been said, has reference to this, that these things happen so that she might be saved. For I will bring Arabs upon the valley. For the former will be saved through weeping, but the latter, having an unrepentant heart, through the plague brought on by the Arabs. And Arabs are the Westerners. Or perhaps the powers resembling darkness are called Arabs here, through whom the chastening plagues are sent to those who have an unrepentant heart. For the cry has reached the border of the Moabitess of Gallim, and her wailing. The border of the Moabitess is named Gallim. However, it is interpreted as 'ram-like', named after the ruling and leading animal. Since, therefore, the same thing can be both the end of a country and the beginning, the border of the Moabitess has now taken its name from the beginning. And her wailing has filled everything. 15.301 Again, he says the water is teaching, which he says is full of blood, because those who lead badly become liable to death for those who are taught. So that you will sometimes appropriately use the prophetic saying concerning destructive words that destroy souls, which says: But the water of Dibon will be filled with blood; for I will bring Arabs upon Dibon, and I will take away the seed of Moab, that which does not change to better things, but remains among those not entering the Church of the Lord. Seed of Moab. For Moabites shall not enter the Church of the Lord until the tenth generation and even forever. The word threatens to remove that which it names the seed of Ariel. But Ariel is interpreted as 'lion' by the Hebrews. Therefore, the Lord also says that the murderous are born of the devil, in his discourse with the Jews, seeing their disposition against him

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ὁρῶν εἰς συναίσθησιν ἄγοντας τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ λόγους, καὶ ἐνεργαζομένους αὐτοῖς τὴν κατὰ Θεὸν λύπην μετάνοιαν εἰς σωτηρίαν ἀμεταμέλητον. Οἱ γὰρ κλαίοντες ἐπὶ τοῖς κακοῖς ἔργοις καὶ ταῖς κακαῖς αὐτῶν διανοίαις, οὐκέτι μὲν καταβήσονται, οὐδὲ εἰσελεύσονται εἰς τὰ κατώ τατα τῆς γῆς· ἀναβήσονται δὲ οἱονεὶ χειραγωγίᾳ τῇ πρὸς τὸ ἄνω ὑψώσει τῇ κατὰ Θεὸν λύπῃ κεχρημένοι. Βοᾷ δὲ σύντριμμα καὶ συσσεισμός. Ὁ γὰρ διελέγξας καὶ καθαψάμενος λόγος συντρίβει τὸ πονηρὸν φρόνημα καὶ οἷον σάλον τινὰ τοῖς λογισμοῖς τοῖς κακῶς ἐμπεφυκόσιν ἐμποιεῖ, πρὸς τὸ τοὺς μὲν ἐκριζωθῆναι, τοὺς δὲ ὑγιεῖς λόγους ἀντεισ αχθῆναι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καρδίαν συντετριμμένην καὶ τεταπεινω μένην ὁ Θεὸς οὐκ ἐξουδενώσει. Συνεστηκυίας μὲν γὰρ καὶ μηδέπω διασαλευομένης τῆς ἐν τῷ ἁμαρτάνειν ἕξεως, οὔτε κλαύσονται ἁμαρτάνοντες, οὔτε ἀναβήσονται πρὸς τὸ ἄνω· συντετριμμένης δὲ τῆς μοχθηρᾶς διαθέσεως, καὶ οἱονεὶ σει σμόν τινα καὶ κλόνον ἐπὶ τοῖς πονηροῖς δόγμασι τῆς ψυχῆς παθούσης, ἀκουστὴ γίνεται ἡ βοὴ, ἐπ' ὠφελείᾳ τῶν ἀκουο μένων. 15.300 Τὸ ὕδωρ τῆς Νεβρὶμ ἔρημον ἔσται. Τὸ τῆς ψευδοδοξίας ὕδωρ, πρότερον ἀφθόνως καὶ πολὺ ῥέον ἐπὶ βλάβῃ τῶν δεχομένων, ἀφανισθήσεται (φησὶ) καὶ ἔρημον ἔσται. Εἰ δὲ ἦν εἰδέναι τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ ὀνόματος, ἐλήφθη ἄν τις ἀφορμὴ πρὸς τὸ μᾶλλον καθικέσθαι τῆς διανοίας τοῦ προφητικοῦ νοῦ, καὶ ἐφαρμόζεσθαι τοῖς πράγμασι τὰ ἐν τοῖς ὀνόμασι σημαινόμενα. Πλὴν ὅτι ἐναντίον ἐστὶ τὸ ὕδωρ τοῦτο τοῦ ὕδατος τῆς ἀναπαύσεως, ἐφ' οὗ ἐκτρέφει ὁ Κύριος τοὺς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ποιμαινομένους· καὶ τοῦ ὕδατος, οὗ δίδωσιν ὁ Κύριος τοῖς πιστεύουσιν εἰς αὐτὸν, οὗ ὁ καταξιωθεὶς πιεῖν, ἔχει ἐν ἑαυτῷ πηγὴν ὕδατος ἁλλομένου εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον. Οὕτω δὲ φαῦλον καὶ οὐδενὸς ἄξιον τὸ ὕδωρ τοῦτο, ὅτι οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἢ χόρτον ἐκτρέφει, ὃς καὶ αὐτὸς οὐκ ἔσται. Τουτέστιν αἱ ψυχαὶ, αἱ τὴν πρόσκαιρον ταύτην καὶ ταχὺ μαραινομένην τοῦ κόσμου δόξαν πεπαιδευμέναι, ταχὺ ἀπανθήσουσι, τοῦ οἱονεὶ ἄρδοντος αὐτὰς λόγου ἐρημωθέντος. Μὴ καὶ οὕτω μέλλει σωθῆναι; ∆είκνυσιν ὁ λόγος, ὅτι μέλλουσα σώζεσθαι ἡ Μωαβῖτις, ὁδοῖς τισι καὶ ἀγωγαῖς σωθήσεται, καὶ τοῖς ἐπιπονωτέροις παιδεύμασιν ἐναχθήσεται, καὶ τοῖς ἐπιπονωτέροις παιδεύμασιν ἐναχθήσεται εἰς σωτη ρίαν. Τὸ γὰρ Ἀπολεῖται ἡ Μωαβῖτις, καὶ Νυκτὸς ἀπο λεῖται, καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα εἴρηται, πρὸς τοῦτο ἔχει τὴν ἀναφορὰν, ὅτι ταῦτα γίνεται πρὸς τὸ σωθῆναι αὐτήν. Ἐπάξω γὰρ ἐπὶ τὴν φάραγγα Ἄραβας. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ πρότεροι διὰ κλαυθ μοῦ σωθήσονται, οἱ δὲ, τὴν ἀμετανόητον καρδίαν ἔχοντες, διὰ τῆς ἐκ τῶν Ἀράβων ἐπαγομένης πληγῆς. Ἄραβες δὲ, οἱ Ἑσπέριοι. Ἢ τάχα αἱ ἐοικυῖαι τῷ σκότῳ δυνάμεις Ἄραβεςἐνταῦθα προσαγορεύονται, δι' ὧν ἀποστέλλονται αἱ παιδευ τικαὶ πληγαὶ τοῖς τὴν ἀμετανόητον καρδίαν ἔχουσι. Συνῆψε γὰρ ἡ βοὴ τὸ ὅριον τῆς Μωαβίτιδος τῆς Γαλ λὶμ, καὶ ὀλολυγμὸς αὐτῆς. Τὸ ὅριον τῆς Μωαβίτιδος Γαλλὶμ ὠνόμασται. Ὅμως ἑρμηνεύεται κεκριωμένον, ἐπώνυμον τῷ ἡγεμονικῷ ζώῳ καὶ ἀρχικῷ. Ἐπεὶ οὖν τὸ αὐτὸ δύναται καὶ πέρας εἶναι χώρας καὶ ἀρχὴ, τὸ ὅριον τῆς Μωαβίτιδος νῦν ἀπὸ τῆς ἀρχῆς τὴν προσηγορίαν εἴληφε. Καὶ ὀλολυγμὸς αὐτῆς πάντα πεπλήρωκεν. 15.301 Πάλιν τὸ ὕδωρ διδασκαλίαν λέγει, ὅπερ αἵματος εἶναι πλῆρές φησι, διὰ τὸ ἐνόχους θανάτου γίνεσθαι τοῖς διδασκομένοις, τοὺς κακῶς καθηγουμένους. Ὥστε εὐκαίρως περὶ τῶν ὀλεθρίων λόγων καὶ ἀπολλύντων τὰς ψυχὰς χρήσῃ ποτὲ τῷ προφητικῷ ῥητῷ τῷ λέγοντι· Τὸ δὲ ὕδωρ τὸ ∆εη βὼν πλησθήσεται αἵματος· ἐπάξω γὰρ ἐπὶ ∆εηβὼν Ἄρα βας, καὶ ἀρῶ τὸ σπέρμα Μωὰβ, τὸ μὴ μεταβαῖνον ἐπὶ τὰ κρείττονα, ἀλλὰ μεῖναν ἐν τοῖς μὴ εἰσερχομένοις εἰς Ἐκκλη σίαν Κυρίου. Σπέρμα τοῦ Μωάβ. Οὐκ εἰσελεύσονται γὰρ Μωαβῖται εἰς Ἐκκλησίαν Κυρίου ἕως δεκάτης γενεᾶς καὶ ἕως εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Ἐξαίρειν ὁ λόγος ἀπειλεῖ, ὅπερ σπέρμα τοῦ Ἀριὴλ ὀνομάζει. Ἀριὴλ δὲ ὁ λέων ἑρμηνεύεται παρ' Ἑβραίοις. Τοὺς οὖν φονικοὺς καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἐκ τοῦ διαβόλου γεγε νῆσθαι λέγει, ἐν οἷς πρὸς Ἰουδαίους διαλέγεται, ὁρῶν αὐτῶν τὴν κατ' αὐτοῦ