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For so it consumed them, that there were left to them fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand foot-soldiers. But they had often had more than a million. But God pitied them again, and gave them back their own cities. This the writer called repentance, that is, a change from hardship to good fortune. Q. 42. Why did the prophet Jehoahaz, when about to die, signify the coming victory to the son of Joash through a bow and arrow? He did not believe so much in words, as in prophecies through actions. For which reason he commanded him to draw a bow, and to fit the arrow to it. But supposing that 80.777 he would automatically shoot many, he said upon the first one being sent, "An arrow of salvation for the Lord, and an arrow of salvation in Israel, and you will strike Syria in Aphek until its destruction." But since he shot only three, the prophet was very angry, as Syria would only be defeated three times, and not receive utter destruction. And the prophet, even after he died, raised the dead man who came near him; so that this miracle might also testify that he had received a double portion of the grace of his teacher. Q. 43. What does the parable of the thornbush and the cedar mean? Amaziah, having conquered the Idumaeans by the law of war, hoped to conquer the ten tribes as well, and challenged their king to battle. But he replied that the thornbush had declared to the cedar to give its daughter in marriage to his son. But while the talks concerning the marriage were taking place, the wild beasts, passing by, trampled and destroyed the thornbush. And through these words he compared himself to the cedar, and Amaziah to the thornbush. For what follows indicates this: "For having struck," he says, "you struck Idumaea, and your heavy heart has lifted you up; be glorified, be glorified in your house. And why do you provoke trouble? And you will fall, and Judah with you." This advice was arrogant, but beneficial; and the outcome taught as much. For Amaziah, not being persuaded, drew up for battle, but being defeated and taken captive, was forced to lead the enemy into the royal city. And he, having become master of Jerusalem, tore down four hundred cubits of the walls, and having plundered the divine treasures and the royal ones, returned. And he also took the sons of the abominable unions, that is, the priests of the falsely named gods. Q. 44. What city is Ailon? The one they now call Ailan. It is situated at the mouth of the Arabian Gulf, which they call the Red Sea. Q. 45. We do not find the prophecy of Jonah that is contained in the books of Kings in the book of Jonah. In that one he only wrote the things concerning Nineveh; 80.780 for this reason he did not attach another prophecy to those things. Q. 40. Why was king Uzziah struck with leprosy? The book of Chronicles taught the things concerning him more clearly. Therefore, in interpreting that book, we will, with God's help, state the cause. And the phrase, "He dwelt in the house of Aphphusoth," the others have rendered as secretly; that is, inside in a chamber, seen by no one. And Jotham his son governed the kingdom; and this for the fifty-two years Uzziah reigned. And when his father died, he became heir of the kingdom, and he freed the people from the other impiety, and built the high gate of the divine temple. But his praise was not complete; for he did not stop the worship in the high places. But Ahaz his son, by the excess of his impiety, concealed the impiety of the others. Q. 47. How is "He made his sons pass through fire" to be understood? Josephus said that he even offered one of his sons as a whole burnt offering to Baal. But I think the saying alludes to a form of error that has reached even to our times. For I have seen in some cities, once a year, bonfires lit in the public squares, and some people leaping and jumping over them, not only children, but also men; and infants, moreover, being carried through the flame by their mothers. And this seemed to be an averting of evil and a purification. I think that this was also Ahaz's

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Οὕτω γὰρ αὐ τοὺς ἀνήλωσεν, ὡς ἱππεῖς μὲν αὐτοῖς ὑπολειφθῆναι πεντήκοντα, ἅρματα δὲ δέκα, πεζοὺς δὲ μυρίους. Πλείους δὲ πολλάκις τῶν ἑκατὸν ἐσχήκασι μυριάδων. Ἀλλ' ᾤκτειρε πάλιν αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ τὰς οἰκείας αὐτοῖς ἀποδέδωκε πόλεις. Ταύτην ἐκάλεσεν ὁ συγ γραφεὺς μεταμέλειαν, τουτέστιν, ἀπὸ τῆς δυσκληρίας εἰς εὐκληρίαν μεταβολήν. ΕΡΩΤ. ΜΒʹ. Τί δήποτε μέλλων τελευτᾷν ὁ προφήτης Ἰωά χας τῷ τοῦ Ἰωᾶς υἱῷ διὰ τόξου καὶ βέ λους τὴν ἐσομένην ἐμήνυσε νίκην; Οὐχ οὕτως ἐπίστευεν τοῖς λόγοις, ὡς ταῖς δι' ἔργων προῤῥήσεσιν. Οὗ δὴ χάριν καὶ τόξον τεῖναι ἐκέλευσε, καὶ προσαρμόσαι τούτῳ τὸ βέλος. Ὑπολαβὼν δὲ ὡς 80.777 αὐτομάτως ἀφήσει πολλὰ, ἔφη τοῦ πρώτου πεμ φθέντος, "Βέλος σωτηρίας Κυρίῳ, καὶ βέλος σωτη ρίας ἐν Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ πατάξεις τὴν Συρίαν ἐν Ἀφὲκ ἕως συντελείας." Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τρία μόνον ἐξέπεμψεν, ἠχθέσθη λίαν ὁ προφήτης, ὡς τρὶς τῆς Συ ρίας μόνον ἡττωμένης, καὶ πανωλεθρίαν οὐ δεχομέ νης. Ὁ δὲ προφήτης καὶ τελευτήσας τὸν νεκρὸν ἀνέστησε τὸν πελάσαντα· ἵνα καὶ τοῦτο μαρτυρῇ τὸ θαῦμα, ὡς διπλασίαν τοῦ διδασκάλου τὴν χάριν ἐδέ ξατο. ΕΡΩΤ. ΜΓʹ. Τί δηλοῖ ἡ παραβολὴ τοῦ ἄκαν, καὶ τῆς κέδρου; Ὁ Ἀμεσσίας τῶν Ἰδουμαίων πολέμου νόμῳ κρατήσας, ἤλπισε καὶ τὰς δέκα νικήσειν φυλὰς, καὶ τὸν ἐκείνων εἰς μάχην προὐκαλέσατο βασιλέα. Ἐκεῖνος δὲ ἀντεδήλωσεν, ὡς ὁ ἄκαν τῇ κέδρῳ δεδήλωκε κατ εγγυῆσαι τῷ παιδὶ τὴν θυγατέρα. Τῶν δὲ περὶ τοῦ γάμου γινομένων λόγων, τὰ θηρία διελθόντα συνεπά τησε τὸν ἄκαν καὶ διέφθειρε. ∆ιὰ δὲ τούτων τῶν λό γων ἀπείκασεν ἑαυτὸν μὲν τῇ κέδρῳ, τὸν δὲ Ἀμεσσίαν τῷ ἄκαν. Τοῦτο γὰρ δηλοῖ τὰ ἑξῆς· "Πα τάξας γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐπάταξας τὴν Ἰδουμαίαν, καὶ ἐπῆρέ σε ἡ καρδία σου ἡ βαρεῖα· ἐνδοξάσθη τι, ἐνδοξάσθητι ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ σου. Καὶ ἵνα τί ἐρίζεις ἐν κακίᾳ; Καὶ πεσῇ σὺ, καὶ ὁ Ἰούδας μετὰ σοῦ." Αὕτη δὲ ἡ παραίνεσις ἀλαζονικὴ μὲν, συμφέρουσα δέ· καὶ τὸ τέλος ἐδίδαξε. Μὴ πεισθεὶς γὰρ ὁ Ἀμεσσίας παρετάξατο μὲν, ἡττηθεὶς δὲ καὶ δορυάλωτος γε νόμενος, εἰσαγαγεῖν τὸν πολέμιον εἰς τὴν πόλιν τὴν βασιλικὴν ἠναγκάσθη. Ὁ δὲ τῶν Ἱεροσολύμων γενόμενος ἐγκρατὴς, τετρακοσίους πήχεις τῶν περιβό λων κατέλυσε, καὶ τοὺς θείους θησαυροὺς, καὶ τοὺς βασιλικοὺς συλήσας ἀνέστρεψεν. Ἔλαβε δὲ καὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν συμμίξεων τῶν βδελυγμάτων, τουτέστι τοὺς τῶν ψευδωνύμων θεῶν ἱερέας. ΕΡΩΤ. Μ∆ʹ. Ποία πόλις Αἰλών; Ἣν νῦν ὀνομάζουσιν Αἰλάν. Κεῖται δὲ ἐν τῷ στό ματι τοῦ Ἀραβικοῦ κόλπου, ὃν Ἐρυθρὰν προσαγορεύουσι θάλασσαν. ΕΡΩΤ. ΜΕʹ. Τὴν ταῖς Βασιλείαις ἐγκειμένην προφητείαν τοῦ Ἰωνᾶ οὐχ εὕρομεν ἐν τῇ βίβλῳ τοῦ Ἰωνᾶ. Τὰ κατὰ τὴν Νινευὴ ἐν ἐκείνῃ μόνα συνέγραψε· 80.780 τούτου χάριν ἑτέραν οὐ συνῆψε προφητείαν ἐκεί νοις. ΕΡΩΤ. Μʹ. ∆ιατί Ὀζίας ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐλεπρώθη· Σαφέστερον τὰ κατὰ τοῦτον ἡ τῶν Παραλειπομένων ἐδίδαξε βίβλος. Ἐκείνην τοίνυν ἑρμηνεύοντες, σὺν Θεῷ φάναι, τὴν αἰτίαν ἐροῦμεν. Τὸ δὲ, "Ἐκάθητο ἐν οἴκῳ Ἀφφουσὼθ," κρυφαίως οἱ λοιποὶ ἐκδεδώ κασι· τουτέστιν, ἔνδον ἐν θαλάμῳ ὑπ' οὐδενὸς ὁρώ μενος. Ἴθυνε δὲ τὴν βασιλείαν Ἰωαθὰμ ὁ τούτου υἱός· καὶ ταῦτα δύο καὶ πεντήκοντα τοῦ Ὀζίου βα σιλεύσαντος ἔτη. Καὶ τοῦ πατρὸς δὲ τελευτήσαντος, αὐτὸς τῆς βασιλείας ἐγένετο κληρονόμος, καὶ τῆς μὲν ἄλλης ἀσεβείας τὸν λαὸν ἠλευθέρωσε, καὶ τοῦ θείου νεὼ τὴν πύλην τὴν ὑψηλὴν ᾠκοδόμησε. Τελείαν δὲ οὐκ εἶχε τὴν εὐφημίαν· τὴν γὰρ ἐν τοῖς ὑψηλοῖς λα τρείαν οὐκ ἔπαυσεν. Ἄχαζ δὲ ὁ τούτου υἱὸς τῇ τῆς δυσσεβείας ὑπερβολῇ τῶν ἄλλων ἀπέκρυψε τὴν ἀσέβειαν. ΕΡΩΤ. ΜΖʹ Πῶς νοητέον τὸ, "∆ιῆγε τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτοῦ ἐν πυρί;" Ὁ μὲν Ἰώσηπος ἔφη, καὶ τὸν ἕνα αὐτῶν τῶν υἱέων ὁλοκαυτῶσαι τῷ Βάαλ. Ἐγὼ δὲ οἶμαι τὸ μέ χρις ἡμῶν φθάσαν τῆς πλάνης εἶδος τὸν λόγον αἰ νίττεσθαι. Εἶδον γὰρ ἔν τισι πόλεσιν ἅπαξ τοῦ ἔτους ἐν ταῖς πλατείαις ἁπτομένας πυρὰς, καὶ ταύτας τινὰς ὑπεραλλομένους, καὶ πηδῶντας, οὐ μόνον παῖ δας, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄνδρας· τὰ δέ γε βρέφη παρὰ τῶν μητέρων παραφερόμενα διὰ τῆς φλογός. Ἐδόκει δὲ τοῦτο ἀποτροπιασμὸς εἶναι καὶ κάθαρσις. Ταύτην οἶμαι καὶ τοῦ Ἄχαζ γεγενῆσθαι τὴν