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of retribution. Therefore I will displace and dry up at once. But according to the Hebrew and the other interpreters, he has added: I will lay waste mountains and hills, and I will dry up all their grass. Allegorically mountains and hills are the rulers of the people, and grass their sins, as Paul says: "But if anyone builds on this foundation with wood, grass, straw, the work of each one will become evident." And above he said: "As grass the people withered;" and having called their legal teachings rivers, "I will place," he says, "on an island." And their 2377 places of stagnant rational waters, so as to be compared to marshes, I will dry up. Having threatened these things, he turns again to the grace given to the Gentiles, saying: I will lead the blind in a way. For he also said before concerning Christ: "I have given you for a covenant of the race, for a light of the nations, to open the eyes of the blind." But the word "way" is rendered in the singular by all, which the Savior indicated when he said: "I am the way," which we formerly did not know. And "paths," obviously the prophetic Scriptures, and the paths of life that are suggested by divine teaching. And he says that our ignorance of God will change into light, and that the long-crooked and unclear oracles of God will become smooth. to which he added, These words I will do for them. And he said precisely, not, "I will speak," but, "I will do." For long ago it had been spoken through the prophets; but now he promises to accomplish it through deeds. From here he turns the discourse to those who long ago remained near God, but have turned back, I mean the Jews. And he shows them, as it were, the conversion of the Gentiles, and what a change they had, having passed from darkness to light, saying reproachfully to the idolaters: Be utterly ashamed, and the rest. Which Symmachus interpreted precisely, saying: They who trust in graven images will be utterly ashamed. But Aquila, "let them be ashamed." But Theodotion,"let them be confounded." For truly when the nations who formerly practiced idolatry converted to the worship of God, the nation of the Jews was ashamed; and now, being ashamed, they ceased when they saw those who were formerly blind enlightened. And he spoke very emphatically concerning them: But they themselves turned away, who were instructed by the divine law, and had known the God of all; for they heard, "The Lord your God, the Lord is one." And, "You shall have no other gods besides me." Having said these things, as if letting out a cry into deaf ears, he exclaims: You deaf, hear. But lest it be thought that the word was spoken concerning the Gentiles (for these things had long been theirs), he specifies, And who is blind, but my children? In place of which Symmachus says: And who is blind, if not my servant? and deaf as my messenger? who is blind, as the perfect one? and deaf as my servant? He calls the people from the circumcision a servant, condemning them as a messenger and a perfect one, because he wished them to be such. But that they blinded and deafened themselves, he shows by saying: You have seen many times and have not kept watch. Your ears were open, and you did not hear. And he also prophesied, "Hearing you will hear, and you will not understand," and the rest. But Symmachus rendered the saying thus: You have seen many things, and you will not keep them. His ears are open, and you will not hear. The Lord wished to justify him, to magnify the 2380 law, and to marvel; clearly showing that the word is concerning the Jews. But they, he says, have the snare within in their reasonings, which they were hiding, conspiring against Christ. That is, they did not consider how I led them out of the house of bondage, and instructed them by the law. For they would have magnified praise, offering me thank-offerings. But now they have turned away to idolatry and all injustice. Therefore he said: "I waited for it to produce grapes, but it produced thorns." Whence he brings them to the remembrance of what happened to their fathers. For I saw their impieties. But they have been plundered for spoil to their enemies. For the snare, he says, is in the storehouses everywhere; and in houses they have hidden them together, that is, the molten images. For the leaders of the people, though openly living according to the law

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ἀνταποδώσεως. ∆ιὸ ἐκστήσω καὶ ξηρανῶ ἅμα. Κατὰ δὲ τὴν Ἑβραΐδα καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἑρμηνευτὰς ἐπενήνοχεν· Ἐρημώσω ὄρη, καὶ βουνοὺς, καὶ πάντα τὸν χόρτον αὐτῶν ξηρανῶ. Ὄρη μὲν καὶ βουνοὺς, τοῦ λαοῦ τοὺς ἄρχοντας αἰνιττόμενος, χόρτον δὲ τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν, Παύλου λέγοντος· "Εἰ δέ τις ἐποικοδομεῖ ἐπὶ τὸν θεμέλιον τοῦτον ξύλα, χόρτον, καλάμην, ἑκάστου τὸ ἔργον φανερὸν γενήσεται." Καὶ ἄνω δὲ ἔλεγεν· "Ὡς χόρτος ὁ λαὸς ἐξηράνθη·" καὶ τὰς παρ' αὐτοῖς δὲ νομικὰς διδασκαλίας ποταμοὺς εἰπὼν, Θήσω, φησὶν, εἰς νῆσον. Καὶ τὰ παρ' αὐτοῖς 2377 δὲ λιμνάζοντα λογικῶν ὑδάτων χωρία, ὡς ἕλεσι παραβάλλεσθαι, ξηρανῶ. Ἀπειλήσας ταῦτα, μεταβαίνει πάλιν ἐπὶ τὴν χάριν τὴν δοθεῖσαν τοῖς ἔθνεσι λέγων· Ἄξω τυφλοὺς ἐν ὁδῷ. Καὶ πρόσθε γὰρ ἔφη περὶ Χριστοῦ· "Ἔδωκά σε εἰς διαθήκην γένους, εἰς φῶς ἐθνῶν ἀνοῖξαι ὀφθαλμοὺς τυφλῶν." Τὸ δὲ ὁδῷ, παρὰ πᾶσιν ἑνικῶς ἐξενήνεκται, ἣν ἐδήλωσεν ὁ Σωτὴρ εἰπών· "Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδὸς," ἣν ἠγνοοῦμεν τὸ πρότερον. Καὶ τρίβους, τὰς προφητικὰς δηλονότι Γραφὰς, καὶ τοῦ βίου τοὺς ὑπὸ τῆς θείας ὑποβαλλομένους διδασκαλίας. Καὶ τὴν ἄγνοιαν τοῦ Θεοῦ μεταβαλεῖν ἡμῖν εἰς φῶς, καὶ τὰ πάλαι σκολιά τε καὶ ἀσαφῆ τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγια γενήσεσθαί φησιν ὁμαλά. ἐφ' οἷς ἐπήνεγκε, Ταῦτα τὰ ῥήματα ποιήσω αὐτοῖς. Ἀκριβῶς δὲ εἶπεν, οὐ, λαλήσω, ἀλλὰ, ποιήσω. Πάλαι μὲν γὰρ διὰ προφητῶν ἐλελάλητο· νῦν δὲ δι' ἔργων ἐπιτελεῖν ἐπαγγέλλεται. Ἐντεῦθεν ἐπιστρέφει τὸν λόγον ἐπὶ τοὺς πάλαι μένοντας πλησίον Θεοῦ, ἀποστραφέντας δὲ εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω, τοὺς Ἰουδαίους φημί. ∆είκνυσι δὲ ὥσπερ αὐτοῖς τῶν ἐθνῶν τὴν ἐπιστροφὴν, καὶ οἵαν ἔσχον μεταβολὴν εἰς φῶς ἐκ σκότους χωρήσαντες, ὀνειδιστικῶς πρὸς τοὺς εἰδωλολάτρας λέγων· Αἰσχύνθητε αἰσχύνην, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Ὅπερ ἀκριβῶς ἑρμήνευσε Σύμμαχος εἰπών· Αἰσχυνθήσονται αἰσχύνην οἱ πεποιθότες τοῖς γλυπτοῖς. Ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας, αἰσχυνθήτωσαν. Ὁ δὲ Θεοδοτίων,καταισχυνθήτωσαν. Καὶ γὰρ ἀληθῶς τῶν πρὶν εἰδωλολατρούντων ἐθνῶν μεταβάντων εἰς θεοσέβειαν, τὸ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνος ᾐσχύνθη· καὶ νῦν αἰσχυνθέντες ἐπαύσαντο τοὺς πάλαι τυφλοὺς φωτισθέντας ἰδόντες. Ἐμφατικῶς δὲ λίαν ἔφη περὶ αὐτῶν· Αὐτοὶ δὲ ἀπεστράφησαν οἱ νόμῳ θείῳ παιδαγωγούμενοι, καὶ τὸν τῶν ὅλων ἐγνωκότες Θεόν· ἤκουον γὰρ, "Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου, Κύριος εἷς ἐστιν." Καὶ, "Οὐκ ἔσονταί σοι θεοὶ πλὴν ἐμοῦ." Ταῦτα εἰπὼν, ὡς εἰς κωφῶν ὦτα κραυγὴν ἀφιεὶς ἐπιβοᾷ· Οἱ κωφοὶ, ἀκούσατε. Ὡς ἂν δὲ μὴ νομισθῇ περὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν ὁ λόγος εἰρῆσθαι (πάλαι γὰρ ἐκείνοις ταῦτα προσῆν), διορίζεται, Καὶ τίς τυφλὸς ἀλλ' ἢ οἱ παῖδές μου; Ἀνθ' οὗ Σύμμαχός φησι· Καὶ τίς τυφλὸς, εἰ μὴ ὁ δοῦλός μου; καὶ κωφὸς ὡς ὁ ἄγγελός μου; τίς τυφλὸς, ὡς ὁ τέλειος; καὶ κωφὸς ὡς ὁ δοῦλός μου; ∆οῦλον τὸν ἐκ περιτομῆς καλεῖ λαὸν, ἄγγελόν τε καὶ τέλειον κατακρίνων, ὅτι τοιούτους ὑπάρχειν ἠβούλετο. Ὅτι δὲ ἑαυτοὺς ἐτύφλωσάν τε καὶ κωφοὺς ἀπειργάσαντο, παρίστησι λέγων· Ἴδετε πολλάκις καὶ οὐκ ἐφυλάξασθε. Ἠνοιγμένα τὰ ὦτα, καὶ οὐκ ἠκούσατε. Προέφη δὲ καὶ τὸ, "Ἀκοῇ ἀκούσητε, καὶ οὐ μὴ συνῆτε," καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Τὸ δὲ ῥητὸν οὕτως ἐξέδωκε Σύμμαχος· Εἶδες πολλὰ, καὶ οὐ φυλάξεις. Ἀνεῳγμένα τὰ ὦτα αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀκούσεις. Κύριος ἠθέλησεν ἵνα δικαιώσῃ αὐτὸν μεγαλῦναι 2380 νόμον, καὶ θαυμάσαι· σαφῶς δηλῶν ὡς περὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ὁ λόγος Ἀλλ' αὐτοὶ, φησὶν, ἔνδον ἔχουσι τὴν παγῖδα ἐν τοῖς λογισμοῖς, οὓς ἔκρυπτον κατὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ βουλευόμενοι. Ἤγουν οὐκ ἐλογίσαντο πῶς ἐξήγαγον αὐτοὺς ἐξ οἴκου δουλείας, καὶ νόμῳ πεπαιδαγώγηκα. Ἢ γὰρ ἂν ἐμεγάλυνον αἴνεσιν, προσάγοντές μοι τὰ χαριστήρια. Νῦν δὲ πρὸς εἰδωλολατρείαν καὶ πᾶσαν ἀδικίαν ἀπέστησαν. ∆ιόπερ ἔλεγεν· "Ὑπέμεινα τοῦ ποιῆσαι σταφυλὴν, ἐποίησεν δὲ ἀκάνθας." Ὅθεν αὐτοὺς εἰς ἀνάμνησιν φέρει τῶν τοῖς πατράσι συμβεβηκότων. Ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ εἶδον τὰς ἀσεβείας αὐτῶν. Αὐτοὶ δὲ διηρπασμένοι γεγόνασι εἴς τε προνομὴν τοῖς ἐχθροῖς. Ἡ γὰρ παγὶς, φησὶν, ἐν τοῖς ταμιείοις πανταχοῦ· καὶ ἐν οἴκοις ἅμα ἔκρυψαν αὐτοὺς, δηλονότι τοὺς χωνευτούς. Οἱ γὰρ ἡγούμενοι τοῦ λαοῦ φανερῶς μὲν ζῇν κατὰ τὸν νόμον