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the time of the famine is double. QUES. 23. Why did the prophet, having foretold the death of Ben-hadad to Hazael, arrange to say to him, "You shall surely recover"? The God of all commanded the great Elijah to anoint Elisha as prophet, and Hazael as king of Syria, and Jehu as king of Israel. But he anointed Elisha, as he was commanded, but he did not anoint the kings; for he was taken up beforehand. And Elisha, having received a double portion of his grace, first went away to Damascus, so as to anoint Hazael. So Ben-hadad (for it is one name, son of Hadad), having learned of the prophet's presence, sent Hazael, and lavish and honorable gifts, so as to learn if he would be delivered from his sickness. So when Hazael arrived, the prophet foretold both his own reign, and the death of the one who had sent him. And he told him not to report the death, lest, losing heart, he depart from life. Yet when the prophet saw Hazael, he shed streams of tears; for he foresaw the calamities that would come to Israel through him. For this he had also foretold to him. 80.765 QUES. 24. How is this to be understood: "He took the bed-covering, and dipped it in water, and spread it over his face, and he died?" Josephus has said that Hazael did this, and brought about a violent end for him. For he was impious and bloodthirsty. For he himself has said: "The God of Israel is a God of the hills, and not a God of the valleys;" and having been saved by Ahab, he became ungrateful to his benefactor. And history has taught us the harm of evil kinship; for the other Joram, the king of the tribe of Judah, was born of Jehoshaphat, a pious man; but being led by the words of his wife, he partook of impiety; "For he walked," it says, "in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab did, because the daughter of Ahab was his wife, and he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord." QUES. 25. How is this to be understood: "He struck Edom, and the people surrounding him, and the commanders with their chariots, and the people fled to their tents?" The king of the tribe of Judah ruled the Idumeans; but according to the prophecy of the patriarch Isaac, they shook off the yoke of slavery. "For there shall be," it says, "a time when you will break his yoke from your neck." So having campaigned against them, they killed them, and returned to their own land. But the Idumeans, even though conquered, did not thereafter endure to be ruled. QUES. 26. For what reason did Elisha anoint Jehu through another prophet? It was expedient for this to happen secretly, so that Joram might be killed quickly; for if he had known beforehand, he would have prepared for battle. And in the battle, it was necessary for many to fall on both sides. QUES. 27. Why did he command him to flee immediately after anointing him? Lest, being arrested, he be endangered; for the Lord God wills that we also make use of human plans. For it is fitting for those honored with reason to use reason as needed. QUES. 28. Why did they call the prophet mad? As impious men they insulted the servants of God; and they called them mad, as men who used boldness of speech; but Jehu did not, as if in a drunken fit, name him a babbler, 80.768 but was trying to hide what had been said. But when he saw them pressing him, he revealed it. QUES. 29. What is: "And each man took his garment, and put it under Jehu upon one of the barem?" What follows explains the obscurity of the phrase: "He led him up to one of the steps." And having recognized the divine appointment, they brought honor to him as to a king. And he called the Syrians Arameans; for the Syrians are Aram. And so the others have also interpreted it. QUES. 30. How is this to be understood: "And the driving is the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi, for he drove in madness?" The watchman, seeing from afar that those who were sent did not return, and that the one leading the company seemed to be Jehu (for his appearance indicated this), reported what he had seen. Some of the copies, however, have, "And the one who drove drove Jehu," that is, God. QUES. 31. What is, "And the Lord spoke this burden against him?" Prophecies and visions they used to call

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τοῦ λιμοῦ ὁ χρόνος διπλάσιος. ΕΡΩΤ. ΚΓʹ. Τί δήποτε τοῦ Βαραδὰδ ὁ προφήτης τὴν τελευτὴν προειπὼν τῷ Ἀζαὴλ, παρεσκευάσα το εἰπεῖν αὐτῷ, Ζωῇ ζήσῃ; Ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς Ἠλίᾳ τῷ μεγάλῳ παρεκελεύ σατο χρίσαι μὲν τὸν Ἑλισσαῖον προφήτην, τὸν δὲ Ἀζαὴλ εἰς βασιλέα Συρίας, καὶ τὸν Ἰηοῦ εἰς βασιλέα Ἰσραήλ. Ἀλλὰ τὸν μὲν Ἑλισσαῖον ἔχρισεν, ὡςπροσετάχθη, τοὺς βασιλεῖς δὲ οὐκ ἔχρισεν· ἔφθασε γὰρ ἀναληφθῆναι, Ὁ δὲ Ἑλισσαῖος, διπλῆν τὴν ἐκείνου χάριν δεξάμενος, πρῶτον εἰς τὴν ∆αμασκὸν ἀπελήλυθεν, ὥστε χρίσαι τὸν Ἀζαήλ. Ὁ τοίνυν Βαραδὰδ (ἓν γάρ ἐστιν ὄνομα, υἱὸς Ἄδερ), μαθὼν τοῦ προ φήτου τὴν παρουσίαν, ἀπέστειλε τὸν Ἀζαὴλ, καὶ δῶρα πολυτελῆ καὶ φιλότιμα, ὥστε μαθεῖν εἰ τῆς ἀῤῥω στίας ἀπαλλαγήσεται. Ἀφικομένῳ τοίνυν τῷ Ἀζαὴλ ὁ προφήτης προεῖπε καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ βασιλείαν, καὶ τοῦ πεπομφότος τὸν θάνατον. Εἶπε δὲ αὐτῷ, μὴ μηνῦσαι τὸν θάνατον, ἵνα μὴ ἀθυμῶν ὑπεξέλθῃ τοῦ βίου. Ἰδὼν μέντοι τὸν Ἀζαὴλ ὁ προφήτης, τὰς τῶν δακρύων ἀφῆκε λιβάδας· προεώρα γὰρ τὰς ἐσομένας δι' αὐτοῦ τῷ Ἰσραὴλ συμφοράς. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ αὐτῷ προμεμήνυκεν. 80.765 ΕΡΩΤ. Κ∆ʹ. Πῶς νοητέον τό· "Ἔλαβε τὸ στρῶμα, καὶ ἔβαψεν αὐτὸ ὕδατι, καὶ ἐπέβαλεν ἐπὶ τὸ πρόσ ωπον αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀπέθανεν;" Ὁ Ἰώσηπος τὸν Ἀζαὴλ εἴρηκε τοῦτο πεποιηκέναι, καὶ βιαίαν ἐπενεγκεῖν αὐτῷ τελευτήν. ∆υσσεβὴς γὰρ ἦν καὶ μιαιφόνος. Αὐτὸς γὰρ εἴρηκε· "Θεὸς ὀρέων ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ οὐ Θεὸς κοιλάδων·" καὶ σωθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἀχαὰβ ἀχάριστος περὶ τὸν εὐεργέτην ἐγένετο. Ἐδίδαξε δὲ ἡμᾶς ἡ ἱστορία τῆς κακῆς συγγενείας τὴν βλάβην· ὁ γὰρ ἕτερος Ἰω ρὰμ, ὁ τῆς Ἰούδα φυλῆς βασιλεὺς, ἔφυ μὲν ἐκ τοῦ Ἰωσαφὰτ ἀνδρὸς εὐσεβοῦς· τοῖς δὲ τῆς ὁμοζύγου ὑπαχθεὶς λόγοις, τῆς ἀσεβείας μετέλαχεν· "Ἐπο ρεύθη γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐν ὁδῷ τῶν βασιλέων Ἰσραὴλ, καθὼς ἐποίησεν ὁ οἶκος Ἀχαὰβ, ὅτι θυγάτηρ Ἀχαὰβ ἦν αὐτῷ εἰς γυναῖκα, καὶ ἐποίει τὸ πονηρὸν ἔναντι Κυρίου." ΕΡΩΤ. ΚΕʹ. Πῶς νοητέον τό· "Ἐπάταξε τὸν Ἐδὼμ, καὶ τὸν λαὸν τὸν κυκλοῦντα αὐτὸν, καὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας μετὰ τῶν ἁρμάτων, καὶ ἔφυγεν ὁ λαὸς εἰς τὰ σκηνώματα αὑτοῦ;" Ἦρχε τῶν Ἰδουμαίων ὁ τῆς Ἰούδα φυλῆς βασιλεύς· ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὴν τοῦ πατριάρχου Ἰσαὰκ προφη τείαν, τὴν τῆς δουλείας ἀπεσείσαντο ζεύγλην. "Ἔσται γὰρ, φησὶ, καιρὸς, ἡνίκα ἂν καθέλῃς τὸν ζυγὸν αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τοῦ τραχήλου σου." Στρατεύ σαντες τοίνυν κατ' αὐτῶν, ἐκείνους μὲν ἀνεῖλον, καὶ εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν ἐπανῆλθον γῆν. Οἱ δὲ Ἰδουμαῖοι καὶ νικηθέντες ἄρχεσθαι λοιπὸν οὐκ ἠνέσχοντο. ΕΡΩΤ. Κʹ. Τίνος χάριν δι' ἄλλου προφήτου τὸν Ἰηοῦ κέ χρικεν ὁ Ἑλισσαιέ; Λάθρα τοῦτο γενέσθαι συνέφερεν, ὥστε συντόμως ἀναιρεθῆναι τὸν Ἰωράμ· εἰ γὰρ προῄσθετο, παρ ετάξατο ἄν. Ἐν δὲ τῇ παρατάξει, καὶ πολλοὺς ἦν ἀνάγκη πεσεῖν ἑκατέρωθεν. ΕΡΩΤ. ΚΖʹ. ∆ιατί δὲ χρίσαντα φυγεῖν εὐθὺς παρηγγύησεν; Ἵνα μὴ συλληφθεὶς κινδυνεύσῃ· βούλεται γὰρ ἡμᾶς ∆εσπότης Θεὸς καὶ ἀνθρωπίναις οἰκονομίαις κεχρῆσθαι. Τοὺς γὰρ λόγῳ τιμηθέντας εἰς δέον προσήκει κεχρῆσθαι τῷ λόγῳ. ΕΡΩΤ. ΚΗʹ. ∆ιατί ἐπίληπτον τὸν προφήτην ἐκάλεσαν; Ὡς δυσσεβοῦντες ὕβριζον τοὺς θεράποντας τοῦ Θεοῦ· καὶ μαινομένους ἐκάλουν, ὡς παῤῥησίᾳ χρω μένους· ὁ δὲ Ἰηοῦ οὐχ ὡς παροινῶν ἀδολέσχην ὠνό 80.768 μασεν, ἀλλὰ κρύψαι τὰ εἰρημένα πειρώμενος. Ἐπεὶ δὲ εἶδεν ἐπικειμένους, ἐμήνυσεν. ΕΡΩΤ. ΚΘʹ. Τί ἐστί· "Καὶ ἔλαβεν ἀνὴρ τὸ ἱμάτιον αὑ τοῦ, καὶ ἔθηκεν ὑποκάτωθεν Ἰηοῦ ἐφ' ἓν τῶν γαρείμ;" Τὰ ἑξῆς ἑρμηνεύει τοῦ λόγου τὸ ἀσαφές· "Ἐπ ήγαγεν ἐπὶ μίαν τῶν ἀναβαθμίδων." Γνόντες δὲ τὴν θείαν χειροτονίαν, ὡς βασιλεῖ προσήνεγκαν τὴν τιμήν. Ἀραμεὶν δὲ τοὺς Σύρους ἐκάλεσεν· Ἀραμὰ γὰρ οἱ Σύροι. Οὕτω δὲ καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι ἡρμήνευσαν. ΕΡΩΤ. Λʹ. Πῶς νοητέον· "Καὶ ἡ ἀγωγὴ, ἀγωγὴ Ἰηοῦ υἱοῦ Ναμεσῆ, διότι ἡ παραλλαγὴ ἦγεν;" Πόῤῥωθεν ὁ σκοπὸς θεασάμενος, ὡς οἱ μὲν ἀποστα λέντες οὐκ ἀνέστρεψαν, ὁ δὲ τοῦ πλήθους ἡγούμενος ἐῴκει εἶναι Ἰηοῦ (τοῦτο γὰρ τὸ σχῆμα ἐδήλου), ἐμήνυσεν ὅπερ ἑώρακεν. Ἔνια μέντοι τῶν ἀντι γράφων ἔχει, "Καὶ ὁ ἄγων ἦγε τὸν Ἰηοῦ", τουτέστιν ὁ Θεός. ΕΡΩΤ. ΛΑʹ. Τί ἐστι, "Καὶ Κύριος ἐλάλησεν ἐπ' αὐτὸν τὸ λῆμμα τοῦτο;" Τὰς προφητείας καὶ ὁράσεις ἐκάλουν