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the leaders of the king; but Chorri and Raseim as shield-bearers and spear-bearers. Dividing these in three parts, he commanded some to guard the house of the king, others the entrance of the divine temple, and others the other gate. QUES. 37. What does it mean: "Keep the guard of the house of Messae?" The other interpreters have said Messae is from corruption, that is, with all vigilance, so that no harm might happen in the divine house. And, "You have two hands," instead of, you are complete and sound, and able to guard both the house of God and that of the king. He commanded the Levites to be sword-bearers, and to guard the king. And, "Entering into the saderoth he shall die 80.773," the book of Chronicles has it thus: "Entering into the house he shall die." And Josephus has said it thus. And, "From the shoulder of the house on the right, to the shoulder of the house on the left," shows that the Levites, having formed a single line, had their flanks joined to the house, and guarded the king who was in the middle, while the army of arms-bearers stood outside, restraining those attempting to enter. QUES. 38. What is: "He put upon him the sanctification and the testimony?" The book of Chronicles has it thus: "He put upon him the diadem, and the testimony; and they made him king, and Jehoiada and his sons anointed him, and said, 'Long live the king.'" So that it is clear that he called the sanctification an anointing; and the testimony, the royal crown, as declarative of the kingship; and they are accustomed to call the tyranny a "conspiracy." Such was the wickedness of Athaliah, that when she saw the descendant reigning, she both rent her garments and cried out: "Conspiracy, conspiracy." But the most wise priest also commanded the centurions to "kill her outside the sacred precincts." And here the book of Kings has, "outside the saderoth," but that of Chronicles, "outside the house." QUES. 39. How is this to be understood: "Jehoiada the priest made a covenant between the Lord, and between the people, that they should be the Lord's people?" Everywhere the other interpreters have called the covenant an agreement. He has established, he says, both boundaries and laws, both for the king and for the people, so that they might serve the Lord alone, and live according to his laws. And how much a pious teacher benefits, history also teaches: "For Joash did," it says, "what was right in the sight of the Lord all the days that Jehoiada the priest instructed him." But the historiographer taught the incompleteness both of this king and of the people. For he added: "But the high places were not removed; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places." But I think he does not now find fault with their 80.776 worship of falsely-named gods, but with the sacrifices made outside the temple of God, contrary to the Mosaic law. QUES. 40. What is: "Money of the assessment of a man, money of the assessment of souls?" We have declared the meaning of these things when interpreting Deuteronomy. For the Lord commanded those who vow to offer their value to God the Savior how many shekels it is proper to give. King Joash therefore commanded the priests to take all the money that was offered, and to perform the proper care of the temple themselves. For it says this, "They themselves shall strengthen the bedek of the house of the Lord, for all that shall be found there." And bedek he calls the repair of the decayed wood or stones. But the book of Chronicles, instead of "to make the bedek," says, "to repair the house of the Lord," and again, "to restore the house of the Lord." QUES. 41. How is it to be understood: And the Lord repented, and had compassion on them because of his covenant with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob? Jehoahaz the son of Jehu, the king of the ten tribes, having turned to impiety, had the people as partners in the worship of idols. Therefore God, exacting punishment from them, delivered them to Hazael, for whom, when anointing him king of Syria, the great Elisha shed many tears; since he foresaw the destruction which he was about to bring upon the ten tribes.

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ἡγουμένους τοῦ βασιλέως· Χοῤῥὶ δὲ καὶ Ῥα σεὶμ ἀσπιδηφόρους καὶ δορυφόρους. Τούτους τριχῆ διελὼν, τοὺς μὲν ἐκέλευσε φυλάσσειν τοῦ βασιλέως τὸν οἶκον, τοὺς δὲ τὴν εἴσοδον τοῦ θείου ναοῦ, τοὺς δὲ τὴν πύλην τὴν ἑτέραν. ΕΡΩΤ. ΛΖʹ. Τί σημαίνει τό· "Φυλάξατε τὴν φυλακὴν τοῦ οἴκου μεσσαέ;" Τὸ μεσσαὲ οἱ λοιποὶ ἑρμηνευταὶ ἀπὸ διαφθορᾶς εἰρήκασι, τουτέστι μετὰ πάσης φυλακῆς, ὥστε μηδεμίαν γίνεσθαι βλάβην ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τῷ θείῳ. Τὸ δὲ, "∆ύο χεῖρες ὑμῖν," ἀντὶ τοῦ, ἄρτιοί ἐστε καὶ ὑγιεῖς, καὶ ἱκανοὶ φυλάξαι καὶ τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τὸν τοῦ βασιλέως. Ἐκέλευσε δὲ τοὺς Λευΐτας μαχαιροφόρους εἶναι, καὶ τὸν βασιλέα φρουρεῖν. Τὸ δὲ, "Εἰσερχόμενος εἰς τὰ σαδηρὼθ ἀποθανεῖ 80.773 ται," τῶν Παραλειπομένων ἡ βίβλος οὕτως ἔχει· "Εἰσπορευόμενος εἰς τὸν οἶκον ἀποθανεῖται." Οὕτω δὲ καὶ ὁ Ἰώσηπος εἴρηκε. Τὸ δὲ, "Ἀπὸ τῆς ὠμίας τοῦ οἴκου τῆς δεξιᾶς, ἕως ὠμίας τοῦ οἴκου τῆς ἀριστερᾶς," δηλοῖ ὡς μονοειδὲς σχῆμα οἱ Λευῗται πεποιηκότες, τὰ κέρατα εἶχον συνημμένα τῷ οἴκῳ, καὶ ἐν μέσῳ δὲ ὄντα τὸν βασιλέα ἐφρούρουν, ὁ δὲ στρατὸς ὁπλοφόρων ἔξω εἱστήκει, τοὺς εἰσιέναι πειρωμένους ἐπέχων. ΕΡΩΤ. ΛΗʹ. Τί ἐστιν· "Ἔδωκεν ἐπ' αὐτὸν τὸ ἁγίασμα καὶ τὸ μαρτύριον;" Ἡ βίβλος τῶν Παραλειπομένων οὕτως ἔχει· "Ἔδωκεν ἐπ' αὐτὸν τὸ βασίλειον, καὶ τὸ μαρτύριον· καὶ ἐβασίλευσαν αὐτὸν, καὶ ἔχρισαν αὐτὸν Ἰωδαὲ καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἶπον, Ζήτω ὁ βασιλεύς." Ὡς εἶναι δῆλον, ὅτι τὸ μὲν ἁγίασμα χρίσμα ἐκάλεσε· μαρ τύριον δὲ τὸν βασιλικὸν στέφανον, ὡς τῆς βασιλείας δηλωτικόν· σύνδεσμον δὲ τὴν τυραννίδα εἰώθασιν ὀνομάζειν. Τοιαύτη δὲ ἦν τῆς Γοθολίας ἡ πονη ρία, ὅτι τὸν ἔκγονον βεβασιλευκότα θεασαμένη, καὶ τὴν ἐσθῆτα διέῤῥηξε, καὶ ἐβόησε· "Σύνδεσμος, σύν δεσμος." Ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἑκατοντάρχοις ἐκέλευσεν ὁ σοφώτατος ἱερεὺς "ἔξω τῶν ἱερῶν ἀνελεῖν αὐτὴν περιβόλων." Κἀνταῦθα δὲ ἡ μὲν τῶν Βασιλειῶν βί βλος, "ἔξωθεν τῶν σαδηρὼθ," ἔχει, τῶν δὲ Παρα λειπομένων, "ἐκτὸς τοῦ οἴκου." ΕΡΩΤ. ΛΘʹ. Πῶς νοητέον τό· "∆ιέθετο Ἰωδαὲ ὁ ἱερεὺς δια θήκην ἀναμέσον Κυρίου, καὶ ἀναμέσον τοῦ λαοῦ, τοῦ εἶναι εἰς λαὸν Κυρίου;" Τὴν διαθήκην πανταχοῦ οἱ ἄλλοι ἑρμηνευταὶ συν θήκην εἰρήκασι. Τέθεικε, φησὶ, καὶ ὅρους καὶ νόμους, καὶ τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ τῷ λαῷ, ὥστε μόνῳ τῷ Κυρίῳ δουλεύειν, καὶ κατὰ τοὺς αὐτοῦ πολιτεύεσθαι νόμους. Ὅσον δὲ ὀνίνησι διδάσκαλος εὐσεβὴς, καὶ ἡ ἱστορία διδάσκει· "Ἐποίησε γὰρ, φησὶ, Ἰωὰς τὸ εὐθὲς ἐνώπιον Κυρίου πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας, ἃς ἐφώτισεν αὐ τὸν Ἰωδαὲ ὁ ἱερεύς." Τὸ δὲ ἀτελὲς καὶ τοῦδε τοῦ βα σιλέως, καὶ τοῦ λαοῦ, ὁ ἱστοριογράφος ἐδίδαξεν. Ἐπήγαγε γάρ· "Πλὴν τῶν ὑψηλῶν οὐκ ἀπέστη σαν· ἔτι ὁ λαὸς ἐθυσίαζον καὶ ἐθυμίων ἐν τοῖς μετεώροις." Οἶμαι δὲ νῦν μὴ τῶν ψευδωνύμων αὐ 80.776 τοῖς θεῶν ἐπιμέμφεσθαι λατρείαν, ἀλλὰ τὰς παρὰ τὸν Μωσαϊκὸν νόμον ἔξω τοῦ Θεοῦ νεὼ γεγενημέ νας θυσίας. ΕΡΩΤ. Μʹ. Τί ἐστι· "Ἀργύριον συντιμήσεως ἀνδρὸς, ἀργύ ριον συντιμήσεως ψυχῶν;" Τούτων τὸν νοῦν τὸ ∆ευτερονόμιον ἑρμηνεύοντες δεδηλώκαμεν. Προσέταξε γὰρ ὁ ∆εσπότης τοὺς ὑπ ισχνουμένους τὴν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν τιμὴν προσφέρειν τῷ Σωτῆρι Θεῷ πόσους σίκλους προσήκει διδόναι. Ἐκέλευσε τοίνυν ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἰωὰς ἅπαν τὸ προσφερόμενον ἀργύριον τοὺς ἱερέας κομίσασθαι, καὶ αὐτοὺς ποιεῖσθαι τὴν προσήκουσαν θεραπείαν τοῦ νεώ. Τοῦτο γὰρ λέγει, "Αὐτοὶ κραταιώσουσι τὸ βεδὲκ οἴκου Κυρίου, εἰς πάντα οὗ ἐὰν εὑρεθῇ ἐκεῖ." Βε δὲκ δὲ καλεῖ τῶν ἐφθαρμένων ξύλων ἢ λίθων τὴν θεραπείαν. Ἡ δὲ τῶν Παραλειπομένων βίβλος ἀντὶ τοῦ "ποιῆσαι τὸ βεδὲκ," "ἐπισκευάσαι τὸν οἶκον Κυρίου," λέγει, καὶ πάλιν, "τοῦ θεραπεῦσαι τὸν οἶκον Κυρίου." ΕΡΩΤ. ΜΑʹ. Πῶς νοητέον· Καὶ μετεμελήθη Κύριος, καὶ ᾤκτει ρεν αὐτοὺς διὰ τὴν διαθήκην αὐτοῦ πρὸς Ἀβραὰμ, καὶ Ἰσαὰκ, καὶ Ἰακώβ; Ἰωάχας ὁ τοῦ Ἰηοῦ υἱὸς, ὁ τῶν δέκα φυλῶν βασι λεὺς, εἰς ἀσέβειαν ἀποκλίνας, κοινωνὸν ἔσχε τὸν λαὸν τῆς τῶν εἰδώλων λατρείας. ∆ίκας τοίνυν αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεὸς εἰσπραττόμενος, τῷ Ἀζαὴλ παρέδωκεν ὃν χειροτονῶν βασιλέα Συρίας Ἑλισσαῖος ὁ μέγας πλεῖστα ἐξέχεε δάκρυα· ἅτε δὴ προβλέπων τὸν ὄλεθρον, ὃν ἔμελλεν ποιήσων ταῖς δέκα φυλαῖς.