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she conceived, and who is the son born from the prophetess, to whom the Lord himself has given the name “Make speed to the spoil, hasten to the prey,” and what is the reason for such a name for the one who was born. 7.1.113 And let them show the meaning of “before the child knows how to call ‘father’ or ‘mother,’ he shall take the power of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria before the king of the Assyrians.” For we, having taken these things both literally and figuratively, show that they were fulfilled at the birth of our Savior, establishing that one must apply the prophecies sometimes literally according to the ready meaning, and sometimes figuratively. 7.1.114 Immediately after the aforesaid words, it is said again through riddles: “And the Lord spoke to me again, saying, ‘Because this people refuses the water of Siloam that flows gently, and prefers to have Rezin and the son of Remaliah, therefore, behold, the Lord is bringing up against you the water of the river, strong and mighty, the king of the Assyrians and all his glory; and it will come up over all your channels, and go over all your walls, and will take away from Judea a man who will be able to lift up his head or be able to accomplish anything; and his camp will be so as to fill the breadth of your land. God is with us. Know, O nations, and be vanquished; listen, to the end of the earth.’” 7.1.115 For clearly these things preserve their meaning in no other way than with a contemplation that is solely according to a figurative sense. At any rate, these things indicate, through the water of Siloam that flows gently, the evangelical teaching of the saving Word; for Siloam is interpreted as “sent.” 7.1.116 This would be the God Word sent to us from the Father, concerning whom Moses also says: “A ruler shall not fail from Judah, nor a leader from his thighs, until he comes for whom it is laid up, and he shall be the expectation of the nations.” For instead of “for whom it is laid up,” the Hebrew contains Siloam, with the word there indicating the Siloam here, that is, the one who was sent. 7.1.117 But Rezin was again king of the idolatrous nations in Damascus, just as the son of Remaliah was of those in Samaria who had apostatized from the ancestral religion of the Jewish nation. 7.1.118 Therefore God threatens those who have not accepted Siloam, that is, the sent one, Emmanuel, and the son born of the prophetess, his potable and life-giving word, but who have refused him, though he comes meekly and gently, and have chosen against themselves either the ruler of the idolatrous nations or the ruler of the apostasy of the people of God, that he will bring upon them “the water of the river, strong and mighty,” which water the prophetic word itself interprets, saying it is “the king of the Assyrians,” thus signifying again, either in meaning the ruler of this age, or the now prevailing rule of the Romans, to which were also handed over those who refused the aforementioned water of Siloam “that flows gently” and had subjected themselves to the doctrines that are contrary and hostile to the right word. 7.1.119 At any rate, immediately and not long after they had not accepted the gospel of our Savior, and had refused the drink of Siloam “that flows gently,” the Roman army, directed by God, came upon them and went up “over every channel” of theirs, and went over “every wall” of theirs, and took away “from Judea a man who will be able to lift up his head or be able to accomplish anything,” and the “encampment” of the aforementioned one became so great “as to fill the breadth” of all Judea. 7.1.120 And this has been literally fulfilled thus upon them. If you wish to learn for what reason, listen: because “God is with us,” Emmanuel, the one born of the virgin, but he was not with them, since if they had him, they would not have suffered these things. 7.1.121 Wherefore, the word next cries out Emmanuel to the nations, saying: “God is with us; know, O nations, and be vanquished.” And these things for us

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συνέλαβεν, καὶ τίς ὁ ἐκ τῆς προφήτιδος ἀποτεχθεὶς υἱός, ᾧ αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος ἐπιτέθειται ὄνομα «ταχέως σκύλευσον, ὀξέως προνόμευσον», καὶ τίς ἡ αἰτία τῆς τοιᾶσδε τοῦ τεχθέντος προσηγορίας. 7.1.113 δεικνύτωσαν δὲ καὶ τὸ «πρὶν ἢ γνῶναι τὸ παιδίον καλεῖν πατέρα ἢ μητέρα, τὴν δύναμιν εἰληφότα ∆αμασκοῦ καὶ τὰ σκῦλα Σαμαρείας ἔναντι βασιλέως Ἀσσυρίων». ἡμεῖς γὰρ ταῦτα καὶ πρὸς λέξιν καὶ τροπικῶς ἐξειληφότες, πεπληρῶσθαι αὐτὰ δείκνυμεν ἐπὶ τῆς τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν γενέσεως, παριστῶντες τοτὲ μὲν ῥητῶς κατὰ τὴν πρόχειρον διάνοιαν τοτὲ δὲ τροπικῶς δεῖν ἐπιβάλλειν ταῖς προφητείαις. 7.1.114 Αὐτίκα ἑξῆς ταῖς προειρημέναις φωναῖς δι' αἰνιγμάτων αὖθις ἐπιλέγεται· «καὶ προσέθετο κύριος λαλῆσαί μοι ἔτι, διὰ τὸ μὴ βούλεσθαι τὸν λαὸν τοῦτον τὸ ὕδωρ τοῦ Σιλωὰμ τὸ πορευόμενον ἡσυχῆ, ἀλλὰ βούλεσθαι ἔχειν τὸν Ῥαασὶμ καὶ τὸν υἱὸν Ῥομελίου, διὰ τοῦτο ἰδοὺ κύριος ἀνάγει ἐφ' ὑμᾶς τὸ ὕδωρ τοῦ ποταμοῦ τὸ ἰσχυρὸν καὶ τὸ πολύ, τὸν βασιλέα τῶν Ἀσσυρίων, καὶ τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἀναβήσεται ἐπὶ πᾶσαν φάραγγα ὑμῶν, καὶ περιπατήσει ἐπὶ πᾶν τεῖχος ὑμῶν, καὶ ἀφελεῖ ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰουδαίας ἄνθρωπον ὃς δυνήσεται κεφαλὴν ἆραι, εἰ δυνατὸν συντελέσασθαί τι· καὶ ἔσται ἡ παρεμβολὴ αὐτοῦ ὥστε πληρῶσαι τὸ πλάτος τῆς χώρας σου. μεθ' ἡμῶν ὁ θεός. γνῶτε ἔθνη καὶ ἡττᾶσθε, ἐπακούσατε ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς.» 7.1.115 Σαφῶς γὰρ ταῦτα οὐδὲ ἄλλως ἢ μετὰ θεωρίας τῆς κατὰ μόνην τροπολογίαν τὴν διάνοιαν σῴζει. δηλοῖ γοῦν καὶ αὐτὰ διὰ μὲν τοῦ ὕδατος τοῦ Σιλωὰμ τοῦ ἡσυχῇ πορευομένου τὴν εὐαγγελικὴν τοῦ σωτηρίου λόγου διδασκαλίαν· ἑρμηνεύεται γὰρ Σιλωὰμ «ἀπεσταλμένος». 7.1.116 οὗτος δ' ἂν εἴη ὁ ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῖν ἀπεσταλμένος θεὸς λόγος, περὶ οὗ καὶ Μωσῆς φησιν· «οὐκ ἐκλείψει ἄρχων ἐξ Ἰούδα, οὐδὲ ἡγούμενος ἐκ τῶν μηρῶν αὐτοῦ, ἕως ἂν ἔλθῃ ᾧ ἀπόκειται, καὶ αὐτὸς ἔσται προσδοκία ἐθνῶν». ἀντὶ γὰρ τοῦ «ᾧ ἀπόκειται» τὸ Ἑβραϊκὸν Σιλωὰμ περιέχει, τὸν ἐνταῦθα Σιλωάμ, τοῦτ' ἔστιν τὸν ἀπεσταλμένον, κἀκεῖ δηλοῦντος τοῦ λόγου. 7.1.117 ὁ δὲ Ῥαασὶμ βασιλεὺς ἦν πάλιν τῶν ἐν ∆αμασκῷ εἰδωλολατρῶν ἐθνῶν, ὡς καὶ ὁ υἱὸς Ῥομελίου τῶν ἐν Σαμαρείᾳ τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους ἀποστάντων τῆς πατρίου θρησκείας. 7.1.118 ἀπειλεῖ τοιγαροῦν ὁ θεὸς τοῖς μὴ τὸν Σιλωάμ, τοῦτ' ἔστιν τὸν ἀπεσταλμένον Ἐμμανουήλ, καὶ τὸν ἐκ τῆς προφήτιδος γεγεννημένον υἱὸν τόν τε πότιμον καὶ γόνιμον αὐτοῦ λόγον παραδεξαμένοις, ἀλλὰ τοῦτον μὲν καίτοι πράως καὶ ἡσυχῆ φερόμενον παραιτουμένοις, καθ' ἑαυτῶν δὲ ἤτοι τὸν τῶν εἰδωλολατρῶν ἐθνῶν ἄρχοντα ἢ τὸν τῆς ἀποστασίας τοῦ λαοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ ἑλομένοις, ἐπάξειν «τὸ ὕδωρ τοῦ ποταμοῦ τὸ ἰσχυρὸν καὶ τὸ πολύ», ὅπερ ὕδωρ αὐτὸς ὁ τῆς προφητείας λόγος ἑρμηνεύει, λέγων αὐτὸν εἶναι «τὸν βασιλέα τῶν Ἀσσυρίων», οὕτω πάλιν ἤτοι κατὰ διάνοιαν σημαίνων τὸν ἄρχοντα τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου, ἢ τὴν νῦν ἐπικρατοῦσαν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχήν, ᾗ καὶ παρεδόθησαν οἱ τὸ μὲν δηλωθὲν τοῦ Σιλωὰμ ὕδωρ «τὸ πορευόμενον ἡσυχῆ» παραιτησάμενοι τοῖς δὲ ἐναντίοις καὶ πολεμίοις τοῦ ὀρθοῦ λόγου δόγμασιν ἑαυτοὺς ὑποβεβληκότες. 7.1.119 αὐτίκα γοῦν καὶ οὐκ εἰς μακρὸν μὴ παραδεξαμένοις αὐτοῖς τὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν εὐαγγέλιον, παραιτησαμένοις δὲ τὸ τοῦ Σιλωὰμ ποτὸν «τὸ πορευόμενον ἡσυχῆ», ἐπελθὼν ὁ ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ κατευθυνόμενος Ῥωμαίων στρατὸς ἀνελήλυθεν «ἐπὶ πᾶσαν φάραγγα» αὐτῶν, καὶ περιεπάτησεν «ἐπὶ πᾶν τεῖχος» αὐτῶν, καὶ ἀφεῖλεν «ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰουδαίας ἄνθρωπον ὃς δυνήσεται κεφαλὴν ἆραι ἢ δυνατὸν συντελέσασθαί τι», καὶ γέγονεν «ἡ παρεμβολὴ» τοῦ δηλωθέντος τοσαύτη «ὥστε πληρῶσαι τὸ πλάτος» τῆς Ἰουδαίας ἁπάσης. 7.1.120 Καὶ τοῦτό γε πρὸς λέξιν οὕτως εἰς ἐκείνους ἐκπεπλήρωται. διὰ ποίαν αἰτίαν εἰ δὴ μαθεῖν ἐθέλεις, ἄκουε· ὅτι «μεθ' ἡμῶν ὁ θεὸς» Ἐμμανουήλ, ὁ ἐκ τῆς παρθένου γεγεννημένος, ἀλλ' οὐ καὶ μετ' αὐτῶν ἦν, ὡς εἴ γε εἶχον αὐτόν, οὐκ ἂν ταῦτα πεπόνθεισαν. 7.1.121 διὸ δὴ ἑξῆς ὁ λόγος τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἐπιβοᾶται τὸν Ἐμμανουήλ, λέγων· «μεθ' ἡμῶν ὁ θεός· γνῶτε ἔθνη καὶ ἡττᾶσθε». καὶ ταῦτα δ' ἡμῖν