Chapter 10

Chapter Nine

¹ Rejoice not, O Israel, and be not glad like the peoples, because you played the harlot, departing from the Lord your God. I sentence sorrows upon you, he says, and I ordain that there be in you no occasion of gladness and joy, but that you, beyond all the peoples, should grieve. Why? Because those peoples were never mine; for neither did they receive a law, nor were they taught through prophets; but you, being mine, played the harlot. You ought not, therefore, to be among good things, but among evils, whence it comes about that you neither rejoice nor are glad, according to the saying, There is no rejoicing for the impious; for to every sinner mourning is fitting. Thus also Paul blames the Corinthians, that they did not mourn over the one who had committed fornication.

² You loved gifts upon every threshing-floor of wheat. Reaping my good things, you gave gifts to the idols, dedicating to them the firstfruits of the threshing-floor.

³ The threshing-floor and the winepress did not know them, and the wine deceived them. Since, he says, you dedicate the fruits to the idols, you shall no longer cultivate anything, neither wheat nor wine; but you shall indeed see the vines flourishing, yet at the time of the vintage you shall be deceived of your hopes.

⁴ They who dwelt in the land of the Lord — Ephraim dwelt in Egypt. For they did not live lawfully, as in a land consecrated to God, but they performed every lawlessness, like those dwelling in the lands of the nations. Therefore, having emulated the Egyptian impiety, they are said to dwell in Egypt. But indeed they dwelt in Egypt also in this way, as was said above, having gone over to the Egyptians as friends.

⁵ And among the Assyrians they shall eat unclean things. Either because, having fled to the Assyrians as helpers, they shall eat unclean things with them, sharing a table with them as friends with friends; or because, taken captive by them, they share in the uncleanness of their foods, as slaves with masters. And from the foods understand also the rest of the kinds of uncleanness. For since in the land of promise they lived uncleanly, let them be in an unclean land, let them live in uncleanness. And he who does not dedicate to God even the firstfruits of the fruits, by sharing them with the needy and making alms from them, gives these to the demons, by holding them back and storing them up. Therefore either the threshing-floor and the winepress in heaven shall not know them; for they shall not bring fruit there. But also the gladness — the wine, that is, which they seem to have here — shall deceive them, nor shall they dwell in it, the land of the meek; but the outer darkness, which he prepared for the demons, and their unclean works — that is, the fruits of their works — they shall eat then, having been settled in the portion of the demons, whom we have often understood as the Assyrians. We must therefore believe that the bread which strengthens our heart, Christ, is from God, even as he said: I came forth from God and am here; and we must receive him, and dwell in the land of the Lord, the catholic Church, and not in the conventicles of the heretics, which are indeed a land of Assyrians and an Egypt, in which whoever enters shall eat their unclean doctrines and mysteries.

⁶ They poured out no wine to the Lord, and they were not sweet to him. That is, They offered no sweet things by way of incense, but offered them to the idols.

⁷ Their sacrifices are as the bread of mourning. It was a law that he who touched a corpse should be reckoned unclean. Therefore whatever the mourners for the dead ate, or drank, or simply whatever they touched, seemed unclean, on account of the defilement reckoned to come from the dead. Their sacrifices, then, shall be unclean, like the loaves of mourning. He adds, therefore:

⁸ All who eat them shall be defiled, because their loaves, for their souls, shall not enter into the house of the Lord. That is, they shall be useful and edible to themselves alone; for God will not accept these, just as neither did he accept the sacrifices of those who crucified the Lord at that Passover, nor their loaves of the shewbread. Nor were their drink-offerings of wine brought to the Lord, nor the sweet things of incense, because they were not offered as he willed. And if the things offered to God out of injustice may most aptly be called bread of mourning — inasmuch as those defrauded mourn over the wrongs done them — the Lord lays down a law for us, not to bring such things into his house; for they are unclean. And if those who eat them are defiled, how are the defiling things to be brought to God? But to defiled souls the polluted things are proper.

⁹ What will you do in the day of assembly, and in the day of the feast of the Lord? For, being compelled to be slaves and to live under other laws, you will not be able to perform the divine assemblies according to the Mosaic legislation. But some understood the time of the war, and of the vengeance taken in it, as a day of assembly and feast of the Lord, as though the Lord rejoiced and kept festival at their destruction. And it might be said also to those who were about to crucify the Lord, the prophet as it were complaining indignantly: O what a deed you are about to do in the day of the Passover! And that time was indeed an assembly, as the whole people was gathered together, and truly a feast of the Lord. For he himself constituted these things, being sacrificed for us; for our Passover also, Christ, was sacrificed for us. And it might be said also to those who here neglect the works of virtue: What will you do in the day of that future assembly, when we shall all stand before the judgment-seat of Christ? Surely nothing; for now you can do something, but then nothing. And such a day and feast is of the Lord, when God becomes himself all things to all.

¹⁰ Therefore, behold, they shall go forth from the misery of Egypt, and Memphis shall receive them, and Machmas shall bury them. And when Samaria was taken, those who were left fled away into Egypt; and later, when Jerusalem was burned by Nabuzaradan, those who had slain Gedaliah fled into Egypt, and that though Jeremiah forbade them. The Babylonians, then, being provoked because they took courage in the Egyptians, turned against them, and, coming upon them and the Egyptians, conquered them without toil. Then, therefore, those who escaped this misery and defeat in Egypt ran up to Memphis, as being more strongly fortified, because the royal palaces were in it; but they also fled for refuge to Machmas, which was neighbor to Memphis, and there they died, having returned toward Judea.

¹¹ Destruction shall inherit their silver. Because, having received it from God, they spent it on the making of idols. Or because, whatever gifts they gave to the Egyptians to have them as helpers, shall prove profitless to them.

¹² Thorns shall be in their tents.[1] That is, Their land shall be waterless and turned to waste, so as to put forth thorns. Or because they shall seem indeed, having encamped in Egypt, to enjoy rest; but it shall not be so, but, like thorns pricking them, the calamities shall be; and all who flee for refuge to Egypt — the gloomy and persecuting sin — even if they have a speech bright as silver, destruction shall inherit them. For unto greater condemnation, and unto a more bitter destruction, shall the speech be to them, and they shall have the thorns of conscience in their tents — that is, in their bodies. For conscience pricks us, like a thorn dwelling with us. And these things will fit also the rich, who have silver and tents — that is, splendid houses. And the Lord altogether hinted that the thorns are cares, which — how many they are in the tents of the rich — no one is ignorant.

¹³ The days of vengeance have come, the days of your recompense have come. Since the false prophets slandered the divine prophets, teaching the people that the things the prophets say would come to pass after long times, and from this made the many careless and impenitent, God says: Even now the days of your affliction have come, and your calamities shall not be put off into the far distance. Therefore Paul says, Now is the acceptable time; and the Lord, Watch, for you know not in what hour the thief comes; and, Let your loins be girded, and your lamps burning; and be you like men awaiting their lord.

¹⁴ And Israel shall be afflicted like the prophet, the man that stands by, the spirit-bearer. So great a derangement of mind, he says, shall seize Israel, fallen into calamities and afflictions, that he shall resemble a false prophet driven out of his wits by the evil demon dwelling in him, beside himself, and borne hither and thither. For so also Israel, being utterly at a loss, shall flee hither and thither; so that not only shall Israel suffer the afflictions, but the false prophets also shall fall into the like tribulations.

¹⁵ By the multitude of your iniquities your madness was multiplied.[2] By madness he means the ecstasy and perplexity which they had in their calamities. This madness, then, vehement and great, came upon you because of your many iniquities, with which you wronged even me, sacrificing to the idols, and wronged your neighbors, oppressing them. Or by madness he means the false prophecy; for those who were the underlings of the evil spirits resembled madmen. And he says: Just as you had many gods, wronging my honor (for you had the golden heifers, and Beelphegor, and Chamos the abomination of the Sidonians, and Bel, and Astarte), so also you multiplied raving false prophets. And one prophesied through birds, another through sacrifices, another through the dead, and another in some other manner.

¹⁶ Ephraim a watchman, a prophet with God; a crooked snare upon all his ways.[3] I indeed, he says, having given you a law, and instructed you how one ought to live, set you forth as a kind of watchman and prophet prophesying with God to all the nations, that through your knowledge of God and your virtuous life you might guide the others also into the knowledge of me and the earnest life. But I found a crooked snare upon all the ways of your life; for from every side the souls of those who looked to you were harmed and ensnared, both by your idolatry and by the conduct of the rest of your life. But some understood it thus: For Ephraim, who had many gods, a watchman and prophet was appointed with each god; for some were of Astarte, and others of Chamos, and others of another idol. Therefore the snare is crooked upon all his ways — that is, for this cause he was led astray, and lost the straight path both of the knowledge of God and of virtue. And the Pharisees, appointed watchmen to Israel, had indeed the outward forms of prophets of God, but ensnared the people, being crooked, and becoming now one thing, now another; who also attempted to ensnare the Lord with a crooked word, and did not come to him in straightforwardness. And if all authority is ordained by God, let every ruler consider how he too shall be a watchman and a prophet of God. And he shall be such, if, while he announces what is just to the others in his judgments, he himself also keeps this in his actions; but if not, he shall be a snare, and that a crooked one, because of the form of his underhandedness.

¹⁷ They fixed madness in the house of the Lord. Not only in the other cities, he says, did they set up idols, but also in the temple of God they fixed abominations; for these he called madness, as being done out of derangement and madness and ecstasy. Or by madness, as was said above, he means the false prophecy, which they fixed in the house of the Lord — that is, in the people — and set up firm and abiding; for they did not cease from having false prophets. And the house of the Lord is also the God-bearing flesh, in which those who crucified him, when he suffered for us in the flesh, fixed their madness. And the house of the Lord is also our mind, in which we fix madness, when we look toward vanities and false ravings, raging about this vain life. Madness is erotic love, madness is wrath, madness is the impulse toward each several pleasure.

¹⁸ They were corrupted according to the days of the hill; he will remember their iniquities, he will avenge their sins. From the time, indeed, that they gave heed to the hills, and loved the sacrifices made there, they were corrupted in their souls. And for a while God was long-suffering; but now he will take vengeance, exacting the penalties of all those days. Or he also reminds us of an older history. For Gibeah was a city of Benjamin, which is interpreted “hill.” In it, when a certain Levite, a traveler, had lodged, the lawless men of that city gathered together, and, taking his wife, abused her through the whole night. At last she died there, in that night; and her husband, dividing her corpse into limbs, sent them to the tribes, showing them the outrage. And they, being moved to zeal, went up against the tribe of Benjamin in Gibeah, that is, the hill; and meeting them once and twice, they were defeated, and were afraid — God helping Benjamin, as having done well? Far from it; but rather showing to the people of the other tribes that they themselves were worthy of chastisement, and for this cause were given over to death, because, being lawless, they made a pretense of avenging lawlessness. At last, however, when they had wept before God, they prevailed and overcame those in Benjamin. He says, then, that just as on the hill of Gibeah both these and those were corrupted, so shall both the two tribes of Judah and the ten of Ephraim be corrupted, joined in conflict with one another. And these things came to pass when Joash, king of the ten tribes, came against Amaziah king of Judah, and tore down part of the wall of Jerusalem.

¹⁹ As a grape-cluster in a wilderness I found Israel, and as an early fig on a fig tree I beheld their fathers. They themselves went in to Beelphegor, and were estranged unto shame, and the beloved became as the abominated.[4] He shows that he justly gives them over to corruption. For I, he says, just as if someone in a desert land, utterly bereft of plants, should find a grape-cluster, or an early fig on a fig tree, and plucks them with much delight, so I too, when the rest of men were living in impiety, finding the virtues of Abraham and of the patriarchs sprung from him, chose them out. But these men, sprung from those, in no way emulated them, but, forgetting my benefits, served Beelphegor, and were estranged — that is, flew away — from me, unto their shame. For such a god, Beelphegor, was in truth their shame and reproach. Therefore those who were of old beloved by me on account of their fathers became, on account of their own impiety, like the abominated Moabites; for they served the idol of these. And he names the early fig a “watchman,” which all look out for, as appearing first. And the God-slayers too, who were before beloved of God on account of the fathers, became abominable, because they were estranged both from the fathers, not emulating their virtue, and from God, and they framed the cross unto the shame of Christ; because they went in to the ruler of abomination, becoming wholly his, and gaining intimacy with him; for such is the meaning of “to go in.” And in every case the Lord, who wills not the death of the sinner, in a soul desolate of every good fruit finds some Israelite and noble reasoning, worthy to behold divine things, as a grape-cluster, the offspring of the true vine, which, pressed out through the narrow way, shall beget the wine of compunction. And in the fig tree — I mean this pleasure-loving life — there is found for God someone who becomes an early watchman before that last day, looking out for the things to come, and preparing himself for them, and becoming a father to others and a leader of a more divine life. But he must take heed to himself, lest he be ever consecrated to Beelphegor and to the demon of uncleanness, and, pursuing the works of shame, be estranged from God, and the one before beloved become as the abominated — those, namely, who played the harlot at that time, when Phinehas pierced through the Israelite together with the Midianite woman. For those too, as the Scripture says, were consecrated to Beelphegor.

²⁰ Ephraim flew away like a bird. Swiftly, he says, he flew away from me, not emulating those fathers. Or because he shall quickly be led away into captivity.

²¹ Their glories are from births and pangs and conceptions; because even if they rear their children, they shall be made childless among men; because, moreover, woe is to them.[5] They shall be made childless, he says, quickly, because they did not wish to be glorified in me and in my help; but they considered their many children a glory, supposing that they prevail by multitude. But in vain did they hope such things; for even when they rear their children, and have already brought them up to maturity, the war, coming upon them, shall make them childless, and to no purpose shall they undergo the toils of child-rearing. And why shall these things be to them? Because I cast upon them the woe. And this came to pass because I forsook them, and, being forsaken, they wrought things worthy of the woe. But when I consider how we men conceive all things, and undergo all toils and the pangs of cares, for the sake of the perishing glory of the world, I think these things are said about us too. Therefore whatever works we rear up as children, looking to human glory, we do not enjoy them, but destroy them, receiving our reward here. And perhaps we have the woe also, as despisers of the commandment which bids us do nothing for human glory.

²² My flesh is from them.[6] These things seem to be said as from the Only-begotten. For since he said, They shall be made childless, he says, I will not utterly destroy them, because my flesh, which I shall assume, shall be from them. Whence Paul also said, Of whom is Christ according to the flesh. Or understand it thus also: The prophet, having heard the threats of God against Israel, prays that neither he himself, nor his kinsmen according to the flesh, may share in the wrath with them. Therefore he says, My flesh is from them — that is, May I too be outside them, and far from them, both I and my flesh, that is, my kinsmen. For the Apostle too knows kinsmen as “flesh,” when he says, If by any means I may provoke to jealousy my flesh — that is, my kinsmen according to the flesh, the Hebrews — and save some of them. And David says something similar: Destroy not my soul together with the impious, nor my life with men of blood.

²³ Ephraim — in the manner I saw — set their children for a prey; and Ephraim, to lead forth his children to slaughter.[7] These things too are said as in the person of the prophet. For as I see, he says, O Lord, from the wrongs and impieties which Ephraim committed, he all but himself set forth his children for a prey — that is, captivity — and for slaughter, that is, for butchery. For some were taken captive, and others were slaughtered by the enemies; so that let him blame no other for his childlessness, but himself. For having provoked God by his impieties, he himself brought the enemies upon himself, just as did those who slew the Lord. Or also because he sacrificed his children to the idols, and set them forth for a prey and for slaughter; therefore with reason shall he be made childless, being justly deprived of these whom he himself unjustly sent forth to the idols for butchery, as a kind of prey and catch, even as I myself also saw; and this is by no means false. To these things David also bears witness, saying, They poured out the blood of their sons and daughters, which they sacrificed to the graven images of Canaan. And the teacher of evil doctrines, begetting many through his word, sets forth the souls of such children for slaughter; first, however, for a prey; for the teachers of the Church, attempting to take these in the hunt, if they fail, then pierce them through, dividing them from the Church with the spear of anathema.

²⁴ Give to them, O Lord. What will you give them? A childless womb, and dry breasts. Since, he says, they trust in their many children, as those who shall prevail over their enemies by multitude, and on this account despise your succor, let the women among them not bear at all. And if they do bear, let them not give suck, but let the children be consumed before their time; for thus, having fallen from their hopes in their children, they shall call upon you as helper. And the prophet prays these things, both caring for them, as a lover of his brethren, that they may not bear and rear impious children, and being zealous for the divine glory, as a lover of God. There is also for every sinner a womb, in which he is conceived in iniquities, according to the saying, The sinners are estranged from the womb. And what is this? The first occasion of each sin: of fornication, the gazing; of murder, the being angered. And the breasts that rear up the evil offspring are the reasonings and words that plead for the sin, through which it is brought to maturity. A prayer, then, worthy of a prophetic soul is this: that such wombs should not bear, nor such breasts gush forth. And for the God-slayers too the womb is childless — the legislation of the letter — and the prophetic words are dry.

²⁵ All their wickednesses are in Galgal, because there I hated them on account of the wickednesses of their practices. Out of my house I will cast them. Since in Galgala they were especially impious, he makes mention of these things, and says: On account of the things done there, I hated them. Therefore I will cast them out of my house — either out of Palestine, which they had as a house given to them by me, or out of my temple; for I will remove them to another dwelling.

²⁶ And I will by no means continue to love them. It was not these whom I brought up, but their descendants; just as he promised to give the land of promise to those in Egypt, but since, having come out, they murmured, they themselves perished in the wilderness, and their children received it. Yet even if he loved these same men, it would be no wonder. For if you examine, you will find the prophecy full of threats, and again of good promises. For, as has been said in the prologue, God threatens for this cause, that those who hear may be made better, and, when they are made better, the threatened things are not brought upon them; but if they are not made better, they are certainly brought. These things plainly fit the God-slayers also; for they too have been cast out of the house: in part, because the Lord cast out of the temple those who made the house of his Father a place of merchandise; and wholly, all of them afterward, when he destroyed the temple, and God no longer continued to love them. For the wrath came upon them to the uttermost, and bowed down their back forever, having given them over to slavery, because all their wickednesses were measured out against Christ, whom they said, in insult, to have been born of Galilee. For search, he says, and see, that a prophet has not arisen out of Galilee. And since Galgal is interpreted “a rolling-down,” observe that when we are rolled down to the things below, not minding the things above, where Christ is, then we are hated, and cast out of heaven, which is the house of God, justly suffering this, because we did not even look toward heaven.

²⁷ All their rulers are disobedient. If only those under authority, he says, were impious, perhaps I would have spared them, on account of the virtue of the rulers, just as for Moses’ sake I again spared the Israelites. But now the rulers too are disobedient, and not one or two, but all. How then shall I spare them? Who shall stand as mediator on behalf of the people?

²⁸ Ephraim has been afflicted in his roots, and was dried up. He shall no longer bear fruit at all. By “roots” he means the kingdom; for, having first accused the rulers, he now says that the root itself, the kingdom, was afflicted — that is, became rotten and dry, having fallen away from my fatness and help, and shall no longer bear fruit at all. For after the ten tribes were enslaved by the Babylonian Salmanasar, no longer was a king set up for Ephraim. Or by “root” he simply means the strength of the ten tribes, which, being dried up, because God was angered against them, no longer brought forth vigorous children.

²⁹ Because, even if they bear, I will slay the desired things of their womb. Most of all, he says, their whole root and strength was dried up, and they shall no longer bring forth children able to fight on their behalf. And whomever they do bear, I will slay, giving them over to the enemies in war, although they are desired by them and beloved. For in themselves they are not worthy to be desired and loved; but as being the offspring of those very men, they are desired by them.

³⁰ God will reject them, because they did not hearken to him; they shall be wanderers among the nations. God, having rejected them from Palestine, will make them wanderers, taken captive, because, when he foretold to them what they would suffer, and sought their amendment, they did not hearken. And who does not see the synagogue of the Jews also, now together with its teachers withering away, and not standing upon the root of the fathers, but broken off, and dried up, bearing no fruit — neither prophet nor teacher — but, whatever they beget and conceive, being desires of the belly? For they sound forth the things from the belly, and not the things from the mouth of the Lord God Almighty. And these things are slain, as conceived according to the letter, which is dead and not living. And he makes them themselves wanderers among the nations, not only as changing place for place, but also as wandering the wandering according to the soul, which is shown especially among the nations. For, the nations having been received, while they themselves do not enter in, they are found most evidently to be wanderers. But let us, having been appointed rulers by him (For you shall appoint them, he says, rulers over all the earth), and, as Paul says, having delivered an unshaken foundation, not be disobedient to him. They are told: Take my yoke upon you; and let not our roots be dried up, which we received through baptism, having received the Holy Spirit, which gives us the fatness for the bearing of fruit; for everyone baptized has a holy gift, by which he is strengthened to accomplish the commandments. It is best of all, then, not to have the desires of the belly, whether being agitated about foods, or any other offspring of human reasonings. But if we should have them, God benefits us, slaying this through his word coming to be in us, which is living, and effectual beyond every two-edged sword. And he too wanders among the nations who gives heed to the customs of the nations, and to divinations, and bird-augury, and follows their other usages.