返回The six books of the Commentaries on the Prophet Jeremiah by Saint Jerome, the priest from Stridon.
The six books of the Commentaries on the Prophet Jeremiah by Saint Jerome, the priest from Stridon.
The six books of the Commentaries on the Prophet Jeremiah by Saint Jerome, the priest from Stridon.
Latin Text from public domain Migne Editors, Patrologiae Cursus Completus.Translated into English using ChatGPT.
Prologue
We are now sending to you, brother Eusebius, the explanations of the twelve prophets, of Isaiah, Daniel, and Ezekiel, and finally, the explanation of Jeremiah. We dedicate them to you, along with the same little commentaries, so that you may connect the Gospel man, the evangelist Matthew, whom I discussed with you many years ago with clear reasoning, at your urging. And because the volume is very long, and in many places, it covers well-known history, I remind you of your wisdom, that you should not seek a broad explanation of this; especially about those things which have already been said in other prophets and are easily understood on their own. And so I will attempt to write in the handwriting of scribes, so that nothing is lacking in meaning, although much is lacking in words. I will prepare the threads, warp, and weft for you, you yourself create the most beautiful garment, so that you can not only listen to us but also teach others. However, I did not consider it necessary to discuss the spurious Epistle of Jeremiah, which is commonly coupled with the edition of the Seventy, nor is it held among the Hebrews, but rather to rearrange and complete the order of Jeremiah, which has been confused by the error of copyists and contains many things that are missing, from the Hebrew sources: so that you may hold a new and true Prophet from the old and corrupted one: disregarding the rage of detractors, who not only attack the words but also the syllables of our words: thinking that they know something if they detract from the works of others: as just recently an unlearned detractor emerged, who thinks my Commentaries on the Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians should be condemned. He does not understand, the foolish one, the laws of the Commentaries, in which many opinions of various authors are set forth, either silently or explicitly with the names of the authors, so that it is up to the reader to decide what should be chosen or determined: although in the first book of that same work, I have stated that I will speak either in my own words or in the words of others: and that the Commentaries themselves are those of both ancient writers and our own. This Grunnius, not seeing that, once tried to criticize it. I responded to two books, where he presents things as if they are his own, and another person, who was already accusing, has been refuted: not to mention the volumes against Jovinianus, in which he grieves that virginity is preferred to marriage, and that bigamy and polygamy are preferred to monogamy.The most foolish does not remember, and burdened by Scottish porridge, we said in the very work: 'I do not condemn two, indeed not three, and if possible not eight: I will bring something more, even a repentant whore: whatever is allowed in equal measure must be weighed on an equal scale.' Let him read the Defense of the same work, which many years ago he joyfully undertook against his master in Rome: and then he will notice that he blasphemes with other people's words; and to such an extent is he unskilled, that he does not even possess his own curses: but he also uses the rage of enemies long dead against us. But now it is time to begin the proposed work.
Book One
Book One1:1-3
(Chapter 1, Verses 1 onwards) The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah concerning the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin: the word of the Lord that came to him in the days of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. And it came to pass in the days of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the exile of Jerusalem, in the fifth month. The other prophets, such as Isaiah, Hosea, and Joel, were before the captivity of the ten tribes of Israel, or of the two tribes, Judah and Benjamin. Others were after the captivity, such as Daniel, Haggai, and Zechariah. However, Jeremiah and Ezekiel prophesied as the captivity was imminent: one of them in the land of Judah, the other in Babylon. Jeremiah began prophesying when he was still a young boy, in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah, the son of Amon, king of Judah. And he prophesied during his reign for nineteen years, and afterwards under his son Joachim for eleven years, and under Zedekiah, who was the last of the kings of Judah, for eleven years, until the fifth month when Jerusalem was taken by the Babylonians. But the three months of Joachaz and Jehoiachin (one of whom was taken to Egypt and the other was taken with his mother to Babylon) are included in the aforementioned years: thus, from the beginning of his prophecy until the captivity of Jerusalem, in which he himself was also taken captive, he prophesied for forty-one years, except for the time when he was taken to Egypt. Here, he prophesied in Taphnis, as is contained in this very volume. According to the words of Jeremiah, the Septuagint placed, 'The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah' (Jeremiah 43:8), in this sense, that the words of Jeremiah are the word of the LORD. He belonged to the class of priests who lived opposite the north of Jerusalem, in the third mile, and the village of Anathoth. At the same time, there was the wonderful mercy of the LORD, that even with the captivity approaching and the Babylonian army besieging Jerusalem, He still prompts the people to repentance, preferring to save the converted rather than to destroy the sinners. Regarding the transmigration, which all others have translated with a consistent voice, the Seventy have expressed captivity. But after the beginning of Jeremiah's prophecy, in the thirty-fifth year of his prophecy, Ezekiel, who was in Babylon with those who had been captured with him, began to prophesy.1:4-5
(Vers. 4, 5.) And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; and before you came forth out of the womb, I sanctified you: I have made you a prophet to the nations. Not that Jeremiah existed before his conception, as some heresy suspects, but that the Lord foresaw him to be. To whom things not yet made already exist, according to what the Apostle spoke: Who calls those things that are not, as those that are (Rom. IV, 17). But what is sanctified in the womb, we should understand according to the words of the Apostle: But when it pleased him, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace, to reveal his Son in me; that I might preach him among the Gentiles (Galatians 1:15). John the Baptist is also sanctified in the womb, and receives the Holy Spirit, and is stirred in the womb, and speaks through the mouth of his mother (Luke 1). And when it is said, I have made you a prophet to the nations, it means that we are going to read about the prophet in him later, that he prophesied not only in Jerusalem, but also to many nations around.". Some understand this place to be about the Savior, who was specifically the Prophet of the Gentiles; and through the Apostles, he called all nations. For he was truly sanctified in the womb before being formed in the virgin womb, and before coming out of his mother's womb; and he was known to the Father, who is always in the Father, and in whom the Father is always.1:6
(Verse 6.) And I said: Ah, ah, ah, Lord God, behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am a child. LXX: And I said, O Lord God, I do not know how to speak, for I am young. He detests the office that he cannot sustain due to his age, with the same modesty that Moses himself says he has a thin and weak voice (Exodus IV and 6). But he, as if he were seized with great and robust age, is caught up; forgiveness is given to this childhood, which is adorned with modesty and shame.1:7-8
(Vers. 7, 8.) And the Lord said to me: Do not say, I am a boy, for you shall go to all whom I shall send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of their faces: for I am with you to deliver you, saith the Lord. Do not consider your age, says he; for by another prophet speaking, you have learned: The wisdom of a man is in his gray hairs (Wis. 4:9): Let it be only your will that you continue; you will have me as a companion, by whose assistance you will accomplish all things: open your mouth and I will fill it (Psalm 81:10). And do not consider the multitude of those to whom and against whom you are about to speak, but me, who am with you, so that I may rescue you, says the Lord. But the Lord does not deliver in order that the Prophet may be free from persecutions and hardships, for we read of him enduring many things; but rather that he may endure everything with patience and not be overcome by distress.1:9
(Verse 9) And the Lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth: and the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. It is to be noted that here the hand of God is sent, which touches the prophet's mouth, and it is said to him: Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth; but in Isaiah it is written: And one of the seraphims flew unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged (Isaiah 6:6-7). For there, because he was of solid and perfect age, he himself confesses openly that he has unclean lips, and he dwells in the midst of a people with polluted lips. So, one of the Seraphim is sent, who does not touch his mouth with his hand, but with tongs and a burning coal, to take away his iniquities and cleanse his sins. Now, it is the hand of God Himself that is sent, through which all things are accomplished, and which is called the arm in another place: not to take away sins, which he had not committed many in his childhood; but to bestow the grace of speech. Furthermore, Ezekiel devours the book, both inside and outside, containing both divine mysteries and simple history. Jeremiah's mouth is touched, and the words of the Lord are given to him, so that he may receive confidence in preaching. And beautifully, according to the letter, a hand is sent, so that seeing the likeness of human limbs, it does not fear the touch of the hand.1:10
(Verse 10) Behold, I have appointed you today over nations and over kingdoms, to uproot and to destroy, and to scatter, and to demolish, and to build, and to plant. This addition that we have made from Hebrew, 'and to scatter,' is not found in the Septuagint. And it must be considered that two joys follow four sorrows. For good things cannot be built unless evil things are destroyed: and the best things cannot be planted unless the worst things are uprooted. For every plantation that the heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted, and any building that does not have its foundation on the rock but is constructed on sand will be dug up and destroyed by the word of God. But that which Jesus will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy by the coming of His presence, namely all sacrilegious and perverse doctrine, He will utterly destroy forever. Moreover, He will dissipate and overthrow those things that are exalted against the knowledge of God and rely on their own wisdom, which is foolishness before God, so that humble things may be built up and in place of the high things that have been destroyed and uprooted, new things may be constructed and planted that are in accordance with the teachings of the Church. And let that which the Apostle says be fulfilled, 'You are God's building, you are God's field' (2 Corinthians 3:9). Here they understand this place as being above the person of Christ: for Jeremiah interprets high of the Lord, who destroyed the kingdoms of the devil, which he had shown to him on a high mountain: he will destroy the opposing powers, wiping out the handwriting of errors on the cross. Concerning which, in the Psalm, after the truth of the stories, he speaks tropically: Why do the nations rage, and the people meditate on vain things? The kings of the earth stand up, and the princes gather together in one (Psalm 2:1-2). For these things having been uprooted, destroyed, and lost, and having been dragged down into the depths, the Church of God is built and planted. However, there is no doubt concerning the person of Jeremiah. For we read in the following (Ad. cap. XXV) that he should take a cup full of pure wine in his hand; and he is ordered to offer it to all the nations around.1:11-12
(Verse 11, 12.) And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: What do you see, Jeremiah? And I said, I see a watching rod. And the Lord said to me: You have seen well, for I will watch over my word to perform it. For the watching rod, the Septuagint translated it as a nut-stick. Therefore, we must work so that the Latin reader understands the Hebrew etymology briefly. Seced is called a nut: but watching or watch or to watch is called Soced. And in the later [books], the leopard is placed in this position as a vigilant guardian. From this, therefore, because it is called a nut, due to the similarity of the word to the understanding of 'watchful', it alluded to the name: which indeed is also written in Daniel according to Theodotion, so that the dividing and cutting of the trees (namely oak and mastic) is appointed to adulterous priests. Likewise, in the beginning of Genesis, from the man who is called Is (), the woman is called Issa (), as some kind of mannish woman, because she is taken from man. For the nutcracker staff, the vigilant rod, the Eagle and Symmachus; but they transferred the almond to Theodotius. The rod, however, keeps watch, considering all the sins of the people, in order to strike and rebuke the transgressors. Therefore the Apostle writes to the sinners: What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and the spirit of gentleness? (1 Corinthians 4:21). This is the rod, or staff, that David speaks of: Your rod and your staff, they comfort me (Psalm 23:4). Beautifully he placed, they were consoled. For in this way the Lord corrects, so that he may amend. And just as a nut, or an almond, has a very bitter shell, and is surrounded by a very hard shell, so that when the bitter and hard parts are removed, the sweetest fruit is found: in the same way, all correction and the labor of self-restraint seem bitter for the present: but they produce the sweetest fruits. Hence that old saying: The roots of letters are bitter, the fruits are sweet. A certain rod and nut are understood to symbolize the Lord, of whom Isaiah says: 'A rod shall come forth from the root of Jesse' (Isaiah 11:1). Therefore, even the rod of Aaron, which was thought to be dead, is said to have blossomed at the resurrection of the Lord.1:13-14
(Vers. 13, 14.) And the word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying: What do you see? And I said, I see a boiling pot, and its face is from the north. And the Lord said to me: From the north evil will be opened (or kindled) upon all the inhabitants of the land. To some degrees, the torments are given to the sinners, so that they may gradually come to salvation. Those who do not want to be corrected by the striking rod are thrown into the bronze and burning pot, as Ezechiel writes more fully, which is kindled from the face of the north (Ezech. XXIV), signifying the king of Babylon and the city of Jerusalem. And it is beautifully inserted: From the North, evil things will ignite upon all the inhabitants of the earth: either the land of Judah, or certainly the entire earth, about which it is written in the Apocalypse: Woe to all the inhabitants of the earth (Apoc. VIII, 13). For the holy ones are not inhabitants of the earth: but rather strangers and pilgrims, of whom one says: I am a stranger upon the earth; and a pilgrim like all my fathers (Psal. XXXVIII, 13). And another: My days are few and evil, in which I sojourn on the earth (Gen. XLVII, 9). And Peter also writes the Catholic Epistle to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, and Cappadocia (1 Peter 1). And according to mystical interpretations, Solomon speaks of the harsh north wind (Proverbs 25:23), which is called the east wind by those who have lost the warmth of faith due to its coldness.1:15-16
(Verse 15, 16.) For behold, I will gather all the families of the kingdoms of the North, says the Lord, and they shall come and each one shall set their throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, and over all its surrounding walls, and over all the cities of Judah. And I will speak my judgments with them concerning all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and worshiped foreign gods and bowed down to the work of their own hands. Without a doubt, many nations and the kings of each nation were subjected to the Babylonian king, who, besieging Jerusalem, placed their thrones and tents around it, so that none of those who were closed in could escape. And not only Jerusalem, but also all the cities of Judah were surrounded by a similar siege. And when, he says, the city has been captured, then I will speak to them that my judgments were right, and that each one received what they deserved: not for the other vices to which human nature is subject, but especially for idolatry, by which they deserted me and worshipped the works of their own hands. Some interpret this passage in a positive way, namely that those who have been refined in the bronze furnace and purified through torments will afterwards become princes of Jerusalem; and after the Lord has shown compassion to them, then he will rebuke them because, when he deserted them, they worshipped idols. But this is a violent and wicked interpretation: so that an ignorant handler does not commit slander.1:17
(Verse 17.) So gird up your loins and arise, and speak to them all that I command you. And Job is commanded to gird up his loins (Job 4); and to the Apostles (Luke 12), that with girded loins, which Elijah (2 Kings 1) and John the Baptist (Matthew 3) had mortified with haircloth belts, they may hold lamps in their hands, namely for the proclamation of the Gospel. Therefore, whoever is going to speak the words of God must gird up his loins, knowing that all the power of the devil is in the loins (Job 40); and let the righteous man say in the Psalms: My loins are filled with illusions (Psalm 37:8). And when he has girded his loins, let him hear what is written: Arise, you who sleep, and arise from the dead: and Christ shall enlighten you (Ephesians 5:14); that being always vigilant and rising from sleep, he may speak the things that God has commanded him.Do not be afraid of their face: for I will not make their appearance fearful to you. Whether as the Septuagint and other interpreters have: lest I make you afraid. And the sense is according to our translation: Do not be afraid of their face: for with me as your helper, you will not be able to fear them. According to the Septuagint: Do not be afraid of their face, have the confidence of my command. For if you do not offer what you have, in order to stop being afraid, I will abandon you and deliver you to fear, and in a way it will seem that I make you afraid while I abandon you to fear. But this signifies that truth should always be loved: and the multitude of men should not be feared, who, when rebuked, do not endure it; but they lay snares for the one who rebukes them. And what follows in the Septuagint: 'For I am with you to deliver you,' says the Lord, is not found in the Hebrew. And the meaning is: I will deliver you, not so that no one lays snares for you; but so that, enduring the snares, you do not transgress.
1:18-19
(Verse 18, 19) For I have set you today (or Behold I have made you on this day) as a fortified city, and as an iron column, and as a bronze wall over all the earth: to the kings of Judah, to its princes, and to its priests, and to the people of the land. And they will fight against you, but they will not prevail, for I am with you, says the Lord, to deliver you. The divine word describes why the Prophet should not be afraid. I, he says, have set, or made you today, that is, in the present life, until it is called today, as a very strong city: not as one house, nor a tower, or any walls (Matthew 5); but as every city that is situated on a mountain cannot be hidden. About which it is written: Glorious things are said of you, O city of God (Psalm 86:2). And: I am a strong city, a city that is under attack (Isaiah 27:3). And, in a column, it is said of a pillar of iron, about which the Apostle writes: The pillar and foundation of truth (1 Timothy 3:15). Thus Peter and John, who were considered pillars of the Church, gave the right hand of fellowship to Paul and Barnabas. And not only this, but it is said to be a bronze wall, which is not damaged by rust and does not perish when beaten by rain, but becomes stronger with age. But you are such against kings and princes and people, not of any place, but of the land; those who have earthly wisdom and do not know heavenly things, who have the image of the earth and not of the heavenly. These, he says, will fight against you and will not prevail. Why, I ask? What is the cause of such great strength that neither kings, nor princes, nor priests, nor people can prevail against one? It follows: Because I am with you, says the Lord, to deliver you. If at any time the kings of Judah, who are called confessors, and their princes, and the priests, and the people, namely the bishops and presbyters and deacons, and the lowly and ignoble commoners, should rise up against the holy man, let him have firm faith and cease to fear: for with the help of the Lord, he will prevail.2:1
(Chapter 2, Verse 1) And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying. This is not found in the Septuagint, but it was added under asterisks in the edition of Theodotion, who interpreted the Hebrew word Carath () as clama; or praedica, meaning 'read'. And it signifies both reading and crying out and preaching because of its ambiguity. However, we should understand the ears of Jerusalem as the ears of its inhabitants.2:2
(Vers. 2.) Thus says the Lord: I have remembered your youth, the kindness of your betrothal, when you followed me in the desert, in a land that is not sown. LXX: Thus says the Lord: I have remembered the mercy of your youth, and the love of your betrothal. This is said more fully in Ezekiel (Ezek. I), when the Lord joins Jerusalem to himself in marriage, and under the persona of a wife, unites her with his embraces: either to show a more ardent affection, he calls her a girl, a young woman, and betrothed. For what we have not yet obtained, we desire to obtain more. 'When,' he said, 'you followed me in solitude; and, like betrothal and dowry, the adornments of the Law were distributed to you as necklaces of words. And all of this does not refer to his merit, but to his mercy, through which he also obtained charity. This also which we have placed, in the desert, in a land which is not sown, is not found in the Septuagint.'2:3
(Verse 3.) Holy is Israel to the Lord, the first fruits of his harvest: all who devour him shall be guilty; evil shall come upon them, says the Lord. When Israel speaks of the first fruits of the Lord's harvest, it shows that the people are gathered from the nations after the first fruits; according to what is written in another place: Remember your congregation, whom you have possessed from the beginning (Psalm 73:2). However, the first fruits are always owed to the priests, not to the enemies. What follows is this: All those who devour him will sin: evil will come upon them, says the Lord. This is its meaning: Just as those who devour the offerings (Numbers 5) are not from the priestly lineage, they are guilty of a sinful act, so those who defile Israel will be subjected to great evil: as it is written in the twenty-sixth psalm by the holy David: While evil men approach me to consume my flesh, my enemies who trouble me have become weak and fallen (Psalm 26:3-4). For indeed, those who carry out the sentence of God will not be exempt from punishment, and evils come upon them; for scandals must come, but woe to him through whom the scandals come (Mat. XVIII).2:4-5
(Verses 4, 5.) Hear the word of the Lord, house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel. Thus says the Lord: What did your fathers find in me of iniquity, that they went far from me, and went after vanity, and became vain? This meaning is also testified by another prophet: O my people, what have I done to you, and how have I been a burden to you? Answer me: for I brought you out of the land of Egypt, and delivered you from the house of slaves (Micah 6:3-4). However, both names, Jacob and Israel, are used: not according to the twelve tribes, but according to the entire people. For Jacob himself was later called Israel. But the sins of the fathers do not have an effect on their children, although the children, having the likeness of the fathers, may be punished for their own sins and the sins of their parents. We often read that God has mercy on the children because of the holy fathers. However, the fathers of the sinful people have forsaken God, and not for a short time, but for a long time. And they have followed vanity, that is, idols, which are of no benefit to their worshippers. And they have become like them, as it is written: Let them become like those who make and trust in them, and all who trust in them.2:6
(Verse 6) And they did not say, Where is the Lord who led us up out of the land of Egypt, who led us through the desert, through an uninhabited and impassable land, through a land of thirst and the shadow of death, through a land in which no man walks, nor does any man dwell. For son of man, they interpreted as the seventy sons of man; and for the shadow of death, it was added from Theodotion, the shadow of death. And while this is evident according to history, it should be considered in light of the anagoge, that as long as we are in this world and are led out of Egypt, we ascend gradually, and first we pass through the deserts and the uninhabitable land, which the holy one ought not to inhabit, and the impassable land, to show the difficulty of the journey. You are thirsty for the earth, where we always desire greater things and are never content with the present. And it is an image, or rather a shadow of death: for we are always in danger, and everywhere the devil sets his traps. On the earth where no man has walked, who is perfect in Christ. For we will all rise to become perfect men, to the measure of the fullness of Christ's age. Neither does he who is a man of God or the Son of Man ever reside in it, but always hastens to greater things. From this it is clear that there is no perfection in the journey, but in the end of the journey and in the dwelling place that is prepared for the saints in heaven, and about which it is said: Those who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God (Psalm 133:1). Therefore, it is in vain that this new heresy suspects perfection to be here, where there is a battle and a contest, and an uncertain outcome of future events.2:7
(Verse 7) And I led you into the land of Carmel, that you may eat its fruit and its goodness; and when you entered, you polluted my land and made my inheritance an abomination. For the labor of a very hard journey, I gave you abundance of all things. Indeed, Carmel, which is called Chermel in Hebrew, signifies this, and in our language it means the knowledge of circumcision. Just as that people defiled and violated the holy land and the fertile land of all things with idolatry, so we, receiving the knowledge of true circumcision, eat its fruits; and with negligence creeping in, we pollute God's land and make his inheritance abominable.2:8
(Verse 8.) The priests did not say, 'Where is the Lord?' and those who held my Law did not know me, and the shepherds transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied in Baal and followed idols. After so many benefits, they turned the privileges of dignity into contempt, so that the priests would not seek the Lord, so that the teachers of the Law would ignore him whom they should teach, and the shepherds (or rather, preachers) would become transgressors through negligence, and the prophets who dispute among the people would not speak to God, but to idols, and would worship their own creations. But we must use words against the masters of our order, who devour the people of God like bread, and by their evil deeds do not invoke the Lord.2:9
(Verse 9) Therefore I will still contend with you in judgment, says the Lord, and I will reason with your children. So that it may not seem that I strike with power, as if contending with equals in reason; according to what David sings and the Apostle uses: That you may be justified in your words, and may overcome when you are judged (Psalm 50:6; Romans 3:4). And he testifies that he has done this many times in the past, and he demonstrates a similar stubbornness in the children of evildoers. However, it secretly signifies that the ancient denial of God, even their children followed in the coming of the Lord.2:10-11
(Vers. 10, 11.) Go to the islands of Kittim, and see: and send to Kedar, and consider carefully, and see if such a thing has happened: if a nation has changed its gods (or its own gods). And certainly they are not gods: but my people have changed their glory into an idol (or something that will not profit them). He makes a comparison of that which is incomparable, and gives the true God to liars. Go, he says, to the islands of Kittim: which we should understand as either Italy or the Western lands: because the island of Cyprus, which is called by this name, is near the land of Judah. Of which both Zeno and the leader of the Stoics were. But the region of Cedar is one of solitude and of the Ismaelites, who are now called the Saracens: against whom the prophecy of the very Prophet himself is covered in the farthest parts (infra ad cap. XLIX); and of whom David mentions, saying: I have dwelt with those who dwell in Cedar: my soul has traveled much (Psal. CXIX, 5). And the meaning is: Either go to the West, or send into the wilderness, and see if any nation has done what you have done. For they did not despise their gods, neither the wooden and stone ones, nor did they change them in comparison to gold, but following the ancient error, they held onto what they had received from their ancestors. And certainly this is true, since none of their gods exist, but rather they are man-made idols. But my people have exchanged the truth for a lie and have preferred an idol to me, which will not be able to help them in times of need. We can also say this against those who pursue vices with more zeal than virtues, whom the Apostle warns, saying: I speak as a human, because of the weakness of your minds. Just as you presented your members as servants to impurity and lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as servants to righteousness leading to sanctification. (Romans 6:19).2:12-13
(Verses 12, 13.) Be astonished, O heavens, at this, and shudder, be utterly desolate, declares the Lord. For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water. LXX: The heavens were astonished at this, and were greatly alarmed, and the rest likewise. The heavens to whom it was said: Listen, O heavens, and I will speak. (Deut. 32:1): and, Hear, O earth, the words of the Lord (Isaiah 1:2), seeing that the commands of God are trampled upon, it shudders, and cannot hide its astonishment. For every creature groans and laments over the sins of men. But God's people have done two things against Him. First, they have forsaken God who is the source of life, and He gave them a commandment, saying: 'I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt' (Exod. XX, 2). Second, it is written in the same place: 'You shall have no other gods before me'; for this reason they have followed demons, whom He calls broken cisterns, because they are unable to keep God's commandments. And this must be noted, that the fountain is perpetual, and it has life-giving waters. But the cisterns and lakes, either from torrents or from muddy waters, are filled with earth and rain. The gates of heaven are called those, of which it is also written in the twenty-third psalm: Lift up your heads, O gates, and the king of glory will enter. Concerning which the Septuagint translated: Lift up your gates, O princes: of which more will be said in its proper place. And what Aquila and Symmachus interpreted as 'coelos', and LXX and Theodotion as 'coelum', should not be confused. For in Hebrew, 'Samaim' is a common noun, and both the plural and singular forms are referred to as 'coeli' with the same name, just like Thebes, Athens, and Salonae.2:14
(Verse 14) Is the Israelite a servant or a native? I believe that from this place, the Jews who were filled with pride said to the Savior: We are the seed of Abraham and have never served anyone. How do you say, 'You will be free' (John 8:33)? Ignorant that everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin, and each one serves the one by whom they are overcome. Therefore, the ones born from the friend of God, Abraham, by their own vice, became like the sons of Ham, to whom it was said: 'Cursed be Canaan; a servant shall he be to his brothers' (Genesis 9:25).2:15
(v. 15) So why did he become prey? The lions roared against him and gave forth their voice. They made his land a desolation; his cities are burned and no one lives in them. The divine speech asks a question in order to answer it. But indeed, the lions can be understood as the princes of Babylon, who made their land a desolation and destroyed their cities with fire. Or certainly, by way of anagoge, we can understand the lions as adversarial powers or the leaders of heretics, who devastate the land of the Church and lay waste to all her cities with heretical fire, the fire about which it is written: "All of them are adulterers, their hearts are like an oven" (Hosea 7:4). For they truly give their voice, and in this same prophet under the figure of the partridge they cry out: They gather what they have not brought forth: they make riches, but not with judgment (Jerem. XVII, 17). Therefore, her cities have been devastated and destroyed: because they do not have God as an inhabitant, as the Scripture says: And there is no one who dwells in them (Ibid., 4).2:16-17
(Verse 16, 17.) The sons of Memphis and Taphne have defiled you, even to the crown. Is it not because you abandoned the Lord your God at the time when He was leading you along the way? This that we have said, is not found in the Septuagint at the time when He was leading you along the way. However, he names two great cities of Egypt, Memphis and Taphne, and he says that their sons defiled Israel even to the crown, in the sense in which Isaiah expressed it: From the sole of the foot to the crown, there is no soundness in it (Isaiah 1:6). For there was such a great lust among the Egyptians, who are of large bodies, that they spared no member, but defiled everything. Literally, it refers to the idols of the Egyptians; spiritually, to the teachers of a perverse doctrine, who defile the purity of the Church with their filthiness. These things happened to them because they abandoned their Lord God, especially at the time when they should have followed him as their leader.2:18
(Verse 18.) And now, what do you want, on the way of Egypt, to drink the water of Shior? And what do you want on the way of the Assyrians, to drink the water of the river? Concerning Shior, we have interpreted it as turbid, because the Hebrew word signifies that. The common edition has it as Geon. Therefore, because he had previously mentioned the sons of Memphis and Taphnis, who had violated Israel up to the crown: now he more clearly mentions Egypt itself. There is no doubt that the Nile has turbid waters, and it signifies the river of the Assyrians, as Scripture says, that the promised land extends from the river of Egypt to the great river Euphrates. But those who abandon Christ, the source of life, and dig for themselves the pits of heretics who cannot contain the waters of doctrine, must necessarily submit to the lions who reduce their land to a wasteland and destroy all the Churches. They will be polluted even to the top, and drink turbid waters from the streams of the Assyrian river and the North wind, from which evil is kindled upon the earth.2:19
(Verse 19.) Your wickedness will reprove you, and your apostasy will rebuke you. Know and see that it is evil and bitter for you to have forsaken the Lord your God, and that you have no fear of me, says the Lord of hosts. It should be noted that after wickedness or apostasy has fully satisfied the one who commits it, and has come to the point of being nauseating like the quails, it instructs the one who does penance: commanding them to see what they have left behind, and what they have followed; and how, spurning what is good and sweet, they have chosen what is evil and bitter. But all this has happened because he has forsaken his Lord God, and his fear is not with him. For the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Prov. IX): and because he did not have it, he is delivered to evil and bitterness.2:20
(Verse 20.) You have broken my yoke from the age (or your own) and shattered my chains (or yours); and you said, 'I will not serve.' For on every high hill and under every leafy tree, you lay as a prostitute (or were spread out in fornication) there. This is spoken as if to a prostitute, Israel, who has broken the marriage covenant and said, 'I will not serve.' It is understood to mean the Lord, or husband. But on every high hill and under every leafy tree, she has prostrated herself to idolatry. For pleasant and lofty places are always dedicated to idols. This can also be said of those who, originally Christians and educated in sacred Scriptures, afterwards, desiring secular literature, which is signified by the hills, and pleasant eloquence (according to Al. in pleasant eloquence) which is displayed in leafy trees, prostrate themselves before demons, who under the pretense of knowledge and lofty wisdom, pollute the souls of believers and trip up the feet of anyone passing by.2:21
(Verse 21.) But I planted you as a choice vine, all true seed; how have you turned into a corrupt, foreign vine to me? Septuagint: But I planted you as a fruitful vine, all true; how have you turned into a bitter foreign grapevine? For the fruitful vine, or the chosen one, is called Sorec in Hebrew: which is mentioned in the song of Isaiah (Isaiah 5). And it is of the best kind of grapevine: with which branch Israel says that the Lord has planted himself; and he marvels at how the true seed and the chosen vine have turned into bitterness: and therefore has become a foreign vine; and no one is secure, if even the planting of the Lord and the true seed and the vine of Sorec are so changed by their own fault, that they depart from the Lord through bitterness and become a foreign grapevine. And in this we must consider the clemency of the Savior, that he who said in the Gospel, 'I am the true vine' (John 15:1), also gave to his disciples and to the people who believe in him, that they may be chosen or true vine, if they desire to remain in what has been planted.2:22
(Verse 22) If you wash yourself with niter, you will multiply for yourself the herb borith, you are stained in your iniquity before me, says the Lord God. As for the herb borith, which we render in Hebrew, the LXX translated it as 'poan' to signify the herb of fullers, which grows in green and moist places according to the custom of the province of Palestine; and it has the same power for washing away stains as niter. But our niter and the herb of the fuller is repentance. The book of Ecclesiasticus, which also rebukes and rebukes and corrects wrongdoers, has the similarity of sharp nitre. However, one who is stained with light stains of sins is cleansed by lighter admonitions. But serious sins, which lead to death, cannot be diluted by nitre or the herb Borith: but they require more severe torments. For the work of each person will be tested by fire, and it will be revealed in the fire (1 Cor. III). And he added beautifully: You are spotted in your wickedness in my sight: for even if you seem clean to men, you are not clean to me, who know the consciences of each one. Hence it is said in another place: Not every living thing shall be justified in your sight (Psalm 42:2).2:23
(Verse 23) How can you say, 'I am not defiled; I have not gone after the Baals'? Look at your way in the valley; know what you have done - a restless young camel running here and there, (valley in Hebrew is called Ge, which is translated as 'multitude' in our language, and can be referred to as the tomb of the multitude). In vain you have made your plea; you have all the signs of guilt, yet you deny having worshipped the idols of the Baals (below, in verse 19). Look at the valley of the sons of Hinnom, where the waters of Shiloah flow, and there you will see the temple of Baal, whom you have worshipped instead of God. And what is added: know what you have done uncovers the closed eyes of the denier, so that he may see what he is ashamed to look at. According to tropology, we accuse the impudence of those who do not want to confess their own faults by their works. For such people do not walk in the narrow and confined way that leads to life; but in the broad and spacious way, through which many enter, which leads to death (Matthew VII). Therefore it is appropriately named a πολυάνδριον, or according to the history, because a multitude of people were killed and lost there due to the evil of idolatry.2:24
(Verse 24.) The swift courser, unfolding its paths: the wild donkey accustomed to solitude, attracted by the desire of its own soul, drew the wind of its love: none shall turn her away: all who seek her shall not be lacking. In her monthly flow they shall find her. In the evening her voice howled, unfolding her paths over the waters of solitude, carried by the wind of her own soul: she was handed over: who shall turn her back? All who seek her shall not labor: and in her humility they shall find her. In this place, the Septuagint edition differs greatly from the Hebrew truth: nevertheless, both have their own meaning. As stated above, I am not defiled; but as if speaking to a woman who has behaved shamefully, it describes her fornication. How, it says, like a light deer, which we called a runner in common language, and even more significantly, Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion translate it as swift courses, it explains her ways, and she is carried swiftly to her pasture. And just as a wild donkey accustomed to the wilderness draws in the wind or the breath of its own desire (for among the Hebrews, both wind and breath are called the same, Ruah), so Israel, or rather Jerusalem, was carried away with all urgency to the desire of lust, and burned with love for all idols; and there is no one who can turn her away from this impulse by their warnings: not because the incapacity of the Prophets did this, but the wicked malice of the one who desires it. Whoever, he says, seeks it, will not labor greatly. In menstruation and in its impurity they will find it. For which reason Aquila, νεομηνίαν, that is, the kalends, Symmachus, month, and Septuagint and Theodotion, interpreted it as "humility". Moreover, according to the Septuagint, the meaning here is: The harlot Jerusalem, according to that woman who is described in Proverbs, at evening she wailed with her voice, and provoked lovers to lust, opened the ways to the most shameful acts, and spread her legs to every passerby (Prov. V and VI). It was a place having the charm of flowing waters, which becomes more delightful when there is solitude all around, so that no one sees those engaged in sexual acts. In her desire, he said, her soul was filled with a spirited air, either being led by a perverse spirit or seeking the refreshment of love: or certainly she sang songs of her own depravity. She is given over, he said, to her vices and lust: no one can turn her away: all who wish to find her will find her in the lowliness of immorality: so that she can never be satisfied with the love of pleasure.2:25
(Verse 25.) Keep your foot from nakedness, and your throat from thirst. And you said, I have despaired, I will not do it. I have loved strangers, and will follow after them. LXX: Turn your foot away from the rough path, and your throat from thirst. She said, I will act boldly because I have loved strangers, and I will follow after them. They who will celebrate the Passover are commanded to have shoes on their feet (Exodus 12). And the Apostle (Ephesians 6) preaches to have feet shod ready for the Gospel: lest while they walk through the solitude of this world, they be exposed to venomous creatures, which are to be trodden upon and crushed by the Gospel foot. We prevent our throat from being thirsty, when we fulfill the commandments of the Savior saying: Whoever is thirsty, let him come to me and drink (John 7:37). By this despair of evil, she denied that she would do what the Lord commanded, and she explained the reason, saying: I have loved strangers, and I will follow them, thinking that by this impudent confession she could avoid sins. Furthermore, next to the road of sinners there is a rough path, which is turned into a smooth path by the Lord. Let anyone who follows heretics be noted for the praise of this verse; for he said, I have despaired, whether I act boldly in evil, and I will be strengthened in my error. However, it is necessary for someone who follows a different doctrine from the Church to love those who are different and to follow their footsteps, whether they are demons or the leaders of heretics who are alienated from God.2:26-27
(Verse 26, 27.) Just as a thief is ashamed when he is caught, so were the people of Israel and their kings, leaders, priests, and prophets ashamed. Even though the faces of thieves are shameless and bold, they are still embarrassed when caught in the act. And so, when Israel says to a piece of wood, 'You are my father,' and to a stone, 'You have given birth to me,' they are calling their own creations their parents, and they are ashamed when caught in their idolatry. And let us not say this about him of the common people: He sets up kings and princes, and priests, and their prophets. Let us use this testimony against our leaders, and against those who are considered leaders in the Church, when they have been caught in shameful sins.They turned their back to me, and not their face. Those who reject the words of God, turn their back against Him and not their face. For when a master gives a command, the sign of obedience is if the servant listens with head lowered. But if they turn their back, it is a sign of contempt; as it is written in another place: And they turned their shoulder, wanting to go away (Zach. VII, 11). So much have they despised my commands, that they did not even want to hear, but showed their arrogance with their body language.
And in the time of their affliction they will say: Arise, and deliver us. Those who did not perceive through blessings will perceive through torments that God.
2:28
(Verse 28.) Where are your gods, whom you made for yourself? Let them arise and deliver you in the time of your affliction. It is a shameless request to seek help from one whom you have despised in times of peace. And it should be read with the emotion of rebuke: Let your gods deliver you, whom you made for yourself. So that when God, the Creator of mankind, becomes a man, man may make a god, and the necessity may prove what power those whom you worshiped with confidence before possess.According to the number of your cities, your gods were the gods of Judah. Each individual city worshipped either the same gods or different ones, so that they did not seem to have agreement in impiety, but rather, by fighting against each other, superstition followed different errors. And what follows is that, according to the number of roads, they sacrificed to Baal in Jerusalem, as added by the seventy translators.
2:29
(Verse 29) What do you want to contend with me in judgment? You all have forsaken me, says the Lord. Human perversity is inclined to make excuses for itself, so that whatever it rightfully endures, it may seem to endure unjustly; and it may attribute its own fault to the judgment of God. Therefore, in vain, you present complaints, and an unjust cause to the judge, when it is because of your impiety that you suffer. And what follows: And you have all acted unjustly against me, is added by the Septuagint.2:30
(Verse 30) Without cause, I struck your sons: they did not receive discipline. For this reason, you did not receive the 70. And the sense in Hebrew is: Those who were struck did not want to receive discipline. But in the Septuagint: Therefore, I struck your sons so that you may be taught by their death. And lest you say: You did not want to correct sinners, learn from the blows inflicted upon your sons, because I desired to heal you with a more severe remedy.Your sword devoured your prophets. Not mine, but yours: not my sword, but yours, devoured, which you endured for your sins. Moreover, the 70 do not have yours: but they have simply interpreted 'your sword devoured your prophets' to show either an enemy sword or my sword, through which your sins were stabbed.
As a destructive lion is your generation. LXX: As a destructive lion, and you did not fear. The sword, he says, which devoured your prophets; undoubtedly this signifies Baal and the soothsayers of idols, like a lion he ravaged everything: and yet your generation, which should have improved through the punishment of a few, continued in all wickedness. But in the Septuagint the sense is this: The sword of the Lord, which showed the sword of the adversaries, devoured and tore apart your false prophets, like a lion, which fiercely tears apart the prey it finds, and yet you were not able to be converted to better things through the punishment of your prophets.
2:31
(Verse 31.) See the word of the Lord: Am I become a wilderness to Israel, or a barren land? Why then said my people, We are gone, we will come no more at you? LXX: Hear the word of the Lord: thus says the Lord: Am I become a wilderness to Israel, or a land full of darkness? Why do my people say, We will not serve, we will not come to you? And Moses saw the voice of God (Exod. XXXIII), and John the Apostle says that he has seen and touched the word of God (I John I). But he wonders how the people of Israel had treated God as if it were a wilderness, when they followed idols as if they were the bustling city. It is a late land, which does not receive the showers of teachings, nor the discipline of the Gospel; and it is full of thorns, because it had not been cultivated. Therefore, the once people of God are more wicked in that they have turned away from the Lord and do not want to return to their Lord anymore. It is a great offense not to seek to appease the one you have offended.2:32
(Verse 32.) Will the virgin forget her adornment, and the bride her breastplate? My people have forgotten me in countless days. Through these things we learn that Christ is the bridegroom of the virgin Church, which has no blemish or wrinkle. But if he is the bridegroom, his words are, as John the Baptist speaks: He who has the bride is the bridegroom (John 3:29). Therefore, he loses his adornment who departs from the Lord, and loses the understanding of the teachings, which is symbolized in the breastplate. Wherefore also John the Evangelist leaned on the breast of the Lord (John 13), and among other things, the chest of the victims is separated for the priests (Numbers 18). But as the number of times in which we forget the Lord increases, so does the greater punishment of sin, which neither the length of the ages can subdue.2:33-34
(Verse 33, 34) Why do you insist on showing your good path in seeking affection, when you have also taught your wicked ways? And on your wings (or in your hands) the blood of the souls of the poor and innocent is found. I did not find them in ditches (or pits), but in all of these (or under every oak tree). In vain, he says, you desire to defend yourself with the art of words, and to show your works as if they were good, so that you may deserve affection. Moreover, you have also taught others your ways, and you have become an example for all evil works, and on your wings (or in your hands), indeed, the blood of the innocent is found, whom you sacrificed to idols, or whose souls you lost through the likeness of sacrifices. We placed the poor, from Hebrew, who are not found in the Septuagint. However, he says, the poor and innocent ones, I did not find slain in ditches, which is usually the result of the plots of robbers: but in all the things I mentioned above, whether under the oak, which in Hebrew is called Ella (): which indeed also signifies this; so the meaning is: In all these things, whether under the oak or terebinth, under whose shade and foliage you enjoyed yourself as if in pleasant places of idolatrous crimes.2:35-36
(Ver. 35, 36) And you said: I am without sin and innocent: and therefore let your anger turn away from me. Behold, I will contend with you in judgment, because you have said: I have not sinned: how despicable you have become, repeating your ways too much (or how greatly you have despised). This should be used against those who refuse to acknowledge their own sins: but in the time of affliction and distress, they claim to unjustly endure what they endure: and they provoke the wrath of God even more, because the greater sin is not to mourn what they have done, but to offer empty excuses for their sins. He said, 'I will argue with you in court for what you have said, 'I have not sinned': as if this sin is any greater, to have something in one's conscience and to speak it out in one's words. Let the new heresy hear that the wrath of God is even the greatest, not to humbly confess one's sin, but shamelessly boast of righteousness.'2:37
(Verse 37.) And you will be confounded by Egypt, just as you were confounded by Assyria: for you will also go out from there, and your hands will be on your head: because the Lord has broken your confidence (or hope), and you will have nothing prosperous in it. In order to avoid the attack of the Egyptians, they fled to the Assyrians, whose defense was in vain, for we read that they were defeated by the Egyptians. Again, in order to escape the wrath of the Assyrians, they used the help of the Egyptians; whom the Assyrians overcame, as the history tells. Therefore, they are rebuked because, having abandoned hope in the Lord, they rely on the assistance of men, which is totally broken and so destroyed that they cannot find any usefulness in it. Hence it is said: 'And you shall leave this, that is, Egypt, just as you left Assyria; and your hands shall be upon your head, and you shall grieve in vain for having expected help from the Egyptians.' Let us remember the story when Thamar was corrupted and violated by her wicked brother Amnon, and she put her hands sprinkled with ashes on her head, and thus she returned to her house (II Kings XIII).3:1
(Chapter III - Verse 1) It is commonly said (for which the Seventy have translated 'only said'). If a man divorces his wife and she goes and becomes another man's wife, will he return to her again? Will not that woman be considered defiled and polluted? (or that land?) And you have committed adultery with many lovers (or shepherds.) For the word 'Reim' (), which is written with four letters Res, Ain, Yod, Mem, signifies both lovers and shepherds. And if we read Reim, it means lovers; if Roim, it means shepherds.But return to me, says the Lord (or you have returned to me, says the Lord). In Hebrew, even after fornication, he accepts the repentant, and exhorts them to return to him. But in the Septuagint, it does not invite to repentance, but reproaches the impudence of the prostitute who dares to return to her husband after adultery. And what it says: and that woman will be defiled, for which in Hebrew we read the land, provides an example, and speaks more clearly about the land of Israel, which is compared to the adulterous woman. Let us use this testimony against those who abandon the faith of the Lord and, hindered by the errors of heretics, after many fornications and deceptions of souls, pretend to return to the ancient truth: not to remove the venom from their hearts, but to deceive others.
3:2
(Version 2.) Lift up your eyes and see where you have not fallen. On the roads you were sitting, waiting for them like a robber in the wilderness (or like a deserted raven). For it is written in Hebrew, Arabic, and can also mean Arabs, that this people, devoted to robbery, still raids the borders of Palestine today, and they besiege the roads for those descending from Jerusalem to Jericho: of which the Lord also mentions in the Gospel (Luke 10). So lift up your eyes, O Jerusalem, and look around, and see where you are not laid low by fornication. For just as thieves are accustomed to lay traps for travelers in the evening and in deserted places, so you, sitting by the brothel of Proverbs, were sitting in the streets in the evening, in order to destroy the souls of those who commit fornication. Therefore, the whole land is polluted with your fornications. And significantly, next to these who promise to abandon heretical errors, it is commanded that they lift their eyes straight ahead. For unless they begin to see straight, they cannot condemn their former wickedness.3:2-3
(Verse 2, 3.) And you have polluted (or killed) the land with your fornications, and in your evils (Alternative: in malice): therefore the drops of rain have been withheld, and the late rain has not come (or you have had many shepherds to stumble). The land has been killed (or polluted), because of the killing of those who perished in idolatrous fornication. Hence the blessing of all things has been taken away, so that they would suffer the drought of the word of God. Whether they had shepherds through whom they offended God, so that those who should have been teachers, to prevent others from error, became authors of impiety.The forehead of a prostitute has become yours, and you were not ashamed. LXX: The appearance of a prostitute has become yours: you have become without shame towards everyone. Because above (To chapter II, 35) he had said: I have not sinned, and yet he had sinned more by denying his own crimes: therefore now he accuses [you] as if [you were] a shameless and excessively impudent woman: so that [you] do not carry [yourself] with a shameless expression only towards one or two, but [you] are not ashamed before anyone. Let us use this language against the assembly of heretics, who boast in their errors.
3:4-5
(Verse 4, 5.) Therefore, at least from now on, call me, my Father, you are the leader of my virginity: will you be angry forever, or will you persist until the end? Let the heretics be ashamed who do not want to convert to better things, nor return to their Father and Creator, and let them hear: At least from now on, call me, my Father, you are the leader of my virginity. He himself embraces your soul with his affection, and teaches how one should pray and repent. However, the more merciful he who shows the way to salvation after fornication, the more wretched the prostitute who does not want to receive health after wounds.Behold, you have spoken, and you have done evil, and you have been able. For words of repentance, with words of pride you blasphemed: and you fulfilled your evil intention, and you showed your strength against a man, so that you could do what you discussed in speech.
3:6-10
(Verse 6 and following) And the Lord said to me in the days of King Josiah: Have you seen what the adulteress Israel has done? She went upon every high hill and under every leafy tree and committed adultery there. And I said, after she had done all these things: Return to me, but she did not return. And her treacherous sister Judah saw that I had dismissed the adulteress Israel and had given her a bill of divorce. But her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but she also went and committed adultery. She defiled the land with her adulterous acts and committed adultery with stone and wood. And in all this, her treacherous sister Judah did not return to me with her whole heart, but in falsehood, says the Lord. The torments of some are the remedies of others. And when a murderer is punished, he receives indeed what he has done, but others are deterred from the crime. Therefore, when the ten tribes, which were called Israel, were captured by the Assyrians and taken to Media, the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin, which should have feared similar things and turned their whole minds towards God, overcame the crimes of the ten tribes. And they followed idols to such an extent that they placed a statue of Baal in the Temple of God, which is called an idol by Ezekiel, set up for zeal and emulation of the Lord. But it speaks under the figure of two sisters, because from one are generated Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, by the stock, and the former is called the adversary, the latter the rebellious one. For the former completely turned away from God, immediately worshipping golden calves in Dan and Bethel. But the latter, in whose possession was the Temple and the true religion of God, gradually departed from the Lord (3 Kings 12). And for this reason, she is called the rebellious one. According to the spiritual interpretation, prophecy about heretics is this: those who, thinking themselves wise in heretical cunning, ascend the mind of pride with knowledge of a false name; and, defiled by the pleasures of this flesh, expose their fornication under every leafy and pleasant tree. When they are delivered to the devil for the destruction of the flesh, it often happens that the house of Judah, that is, the confession and true faith, is not at all frightened by their example but commits much greater evils. And they contaminate the land of the Church with the ease of their fornication, committing adultery with stone and wood, following the teachings that are against God. But if an ecclesiastical man wishes to correct someone who has gone astray, and to cut away the rotten flesh, and to bring back to repentance those who have followed falsehood: and nonetheless they continue to adhere to the ancient error under the guise of Ecclesiastical truth, it can be said of them: In all these things, her treacherous sister Judah has not turned back to me with her whole heart, but in deceit. But this prophecy was fulfilled during the time of Josiah, a righteous king, under whom Jeremiah began to prophesy.3:11
(Verse 11.) And the Lord said to me: He has justified his soul, the one who turned away from Israel, by the comparison of the one who acted treacherously in Judah. Israel is more just, he said, in comparison to Judah: because she perished immediately in the beginning, while the other could be corrected by her sufferings. Let us observe that the new heresy is compared to the old, in which Israel is said to be justified in comparison to Judah. And it is not surprising that the name of justice is attributed to one sister of a nation, when even Sodom receives the name of justice in comparison to Jerusalem, as the Lord says through Ezekiel: Sodom has been justified by you (Ezek. 16:55): and the tax collector becomes just by comparison to the Pharisee (Luke 18).3:12-13
(Verse 12 onwards) Go, and cry out (or read) these words against the North, and say: Return, O backsliding Israel, declares the Lord, and I will not turn away (or strengthen) my face from you (or against you), for I am holy (or merciful), declares the Lord, and I will not be angry forever. However, know your iniquity, for you have transgressed against the Lord your God (or acted wickedly), and have scattered (or poured out) your ways to strangers under every green tree, and have not listened to my voice, says the Lord. The Hebrew word Carath () signifies 'call, shout, and read'. Hence it was translated by Aquila and Symmachus as 'shout: read the Septuagint and Theodotion'. However, it is directed towards the North, against Babylon and the Assyrians, to the twelve tribes: and their return is preached. And I will not turn my face away from you, he says; or I will not set my face against you, so that I will not receive you with the severity of judgment, but with the countenance of mercy. For I am holy and merciful, so that I may not remember your iniquities anymore, nor recall that you have departed from the Lord and that you have delighted in idols for him, and that you have committed fornication under every shady and leafy tree. Indeed, this can be said about heretics and those negligent in the Church, who are daily called to repentance by ecclesiastical men: and it can properly be applied to them, 'And you did not hear my voice.' But every heretic dwells in the North, and has lost the heat of faith, nor can he hear that of the Apostle: fervent in spirit (Rom. XII, 11). And because he has given himself over to pleasures, he has departed from the Lord, and has scattered his ways with alien doctrines, and has followed pleasure. For no heresy is constructed except for the sake of gluttony and the belly, so as to seduce burdened women with sins, always learning and never coming to the knowledge of truth (II Tim. III), concerning whom it is truly said: who devour my people like bread (Psal. XIII, 8): and those whom Christ points out, devouring the houses of widows (Matth. XII). And when I have mercy on you, do not think that it is just: but remember always your iniquity, and know that you have fornicated against the Lord, and lower the proud neck, so that as you have offended the Lord through arrogance, you may please Him through humility. But what we said above, 'And I will not set My face upon you,' fits with that prophetic saying: 'Turn away your face from my sins, and blot out all of my iniquities.' (Psalm 50:11).3:14-16
(V. 14 seqq.) Turn to me, O sons, returning (or wandering and straying), says the Lord: for I am your husband (or master), and I will take you, one from a city, and two from a family, and bring you to Zion, and I will give you shepherds according to my heart, and they will feed you with knowledge and doctrine. And when you have increased and multiplied in the land, in those days, says the Lord, they will no longer say, the ark of the covenant (or testament) of the Lord: neither will it come to mind, nor will they remember it, nor will it be visited, nor made anymore. The Jews think that this was fulfilled after the return from Babylon under the rule of Cyrus, king of Persia, and to Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel (Isaiah 1). Even if not all returned, this is meant to signify: let one be taken from the city and two from the clan. But it is better understood in the coming of Christ, when the remnant was saved, as the Apostle says and explains: Unless the Lord of Sabaoth had left us seed, we would have been like Sodom and similar to Gomorrah (Romans 9:29); then they were brought into Zion, about which it is written: Glorious things are said of you, O city of God (Psalm 87:2). And there were given shepherds according to his heart, the apostles and apostolic men, and they feed a multitude of believers, not in Jewish ceremonies, but in the knowledge of Christ and doctrine, and by preaching the Gospel spread throughout the whole world, they will not have confidence in the Ark of the Lord, which was the guardian of the Mosaic law, but they themselves will be the temple of God: nor will they follow the wandering Nazarenes, serving abolished sacrifices, but they will follow a spiritual worship. But others interpret this as referring to the end times, when with the coming in of the fullness of the Gentiles, all Israel will be saved (Rom. 11).3:17
(Verse 17) In that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord, and all nations shall gather unto it in the name of the Lord, in Jerusalem, and they shall not walk after the stubbornness of their wicked heart. The Lord shall not sit upon the ark of the Covenant and Cherubim, as was previously said to that people: You who sit upon the Cherubim, manifest (Psalm 79:2): but all who truly believe with perfect mind, shall be the throne of God. Or certainly, it is better understood as the whole Church: when all nations gather together in the name of the Lord in Jerusalem, where the vision of peace is found; and they shall not walk after the stubbornness of their wicked heart, to do what they desire, nor follow their own errors; but they shall say with the Prophet: My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me (Psalm 63:9).3:18
(Verse 18.) In those days, the house of Judah shall go to the house of Israel, and they shall come together from the land of the North to the land that I gave to your fathers. This is fulfilled specifically in the coming of Christ, when the twelve tribes believed in the Gospel together, abandoning the land of the North, the harshest cold, and leaving behind the dominion of the devil. They then received the promised land, which had been promised to their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I recently edited a small book about the promised land.3:19
(Verse 19) But I said: How shall I put you among the children, and give you a desirable land, an excellent heritage of the armies of the nations? And I said, you shall call me father, and you shall not cease to follow me. For the excellent heritage of the armies of the nations, which the Seventy translated, Theodotion more significantly translated as the renowned heritage of the strongest nations, signifying Christ, who is the leader and Lord of all nations, to his name and the belief in his passion. He himself said to Israel: 'You shall call me Father.' And: 'Whoever believes in me, believes in the Father' (John II, 19). He himself promised: 'I will make you into sons: in the number, namely, of my sons, who have believed in me from the people of the nations; and to whom I have given the desirable land.' For as many as received him, he gave them the power to become sons of God (John I).3:20
(Verse 20) But as a woman may despise her lover, so the house of Israel has despised Me, says the Lord. The voice of Christ is near the people of Judah, to whom He said: I will make you as sons, and I will give you a desirable land. And you shall call Me Father, and you shall not cease to go after Me. Just as a woman, he says, despises not her husband, but her lover, if she has once been united with him, seeing him serving her lust, and the law of nature changed in her, by which she was once subject to her husband, with the Lord saying: And her conversion shall be to you. So the house of Israel, that is, the people of Judah, has despised the Lord the Savior to their own destruction.3:21-22
(Verses 21, 22.) A voice was heard in the streets (or on the lips), the weeping and wailing of the children of Israel, for they have done wickedness, they have forgotten the Lord their God. Return, O returning children, and I will heal your turnings (or contritions): for which Symmachus translated as conversions. God willingly receives the penitent, and runs to meet the son who is wasted with want and filth, and immediately clothes him with the former garments, and restores glory to the one who returns: but only if he returns with weeping and wailing. For he has done wrong because of his own fault; and he has forgotten the Lord his God and his Father, to whom he speaks with prophetic words: Return, O returning sons. I call you sons for this reason, because understanding your sins, you return with weeping and wailing to your parent. And when you have returned to the Lord, he will heal all your contritions, whether aversions by which you had gone away from the Lord, or certainly conversions. Although we may return to the Lord of our own volition, yet unless He draws us and strengthens our desire with His protection, we cannot be saved. Let us understand this both in relation to the Jewish people returning to the Lord and to the heretics who have forsaken the Lord.3:23
(Verse 23.) Behold, we come to you: for you are the Lord our God. Truly the hills were deceitful, and the multitude (or strength) of the mountains: truly in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel. Let the penitent say this, forsaking all pride, and the multitude or height of the mountains and hills, by which he exalted himself against God, and being humbled, let him speak: Truly in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel.3:24
(Verse 24.) The confusion devoured the labor of our fathers from our youth: their flocks and herds, their sons and daughters. All the labors of the heretics, of which it is written, They have failed in searching examination (Psalm 63:7), from their youth whom they deceived, their sons and daughters who progressed in heresy or were merely held captive by luxury, our confusion has overwhelmed them. From this they conclude:3:25
(Verse 25) Let us sleep in our confusion, and let our disgrace cover us: for we have sinned against our God, both we and our fathers, from our youth until this day, and we have not listened to the voice of the Lord our God. Let Israel speak this, who has not listened to his Lord: let every heretic who repents speak this; and yet it is a part of salvation to confess one's own sins and to know them. Say, he says, your iniquities first: that you may be justified (Isaiah 43:26). For indeed Israel rejected Christ their Lord God, and sinned against Him, not only at the time when He was seen in the flesh, but even before His coming. Hence they say, both we and our fathers from our youth until this day have not heard the voice of our God speaking to our fathers: If ye believe Moses, ye would believe me also: for of me he wrote (John 5:46).4:1
(Chapter IV, Verse 1) If you return, O Israel, says the Lord, return to me. The Septuagint translates it as: If Israel turns back, says the Lord, it will return to me. And the meaning is, if it returns to me, it will be delivered from captivity. Alternatively: when it offers what it has: For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. (Matthew 25:29). Furthermore, according to the Hebrew text, the meaning here is: If you return to me, O Israel, and once desiring salvation, you confess to having sinned and not heeded the voice of the Lord your God, fully convert and believe in the one you denied, and then there will be complete conversion.If you remove your offenses from my face, you will not be disturbed. When we are moved and say, 'But my feet were almost ready to stumble' (Ps. 73:2), we do not suffer this because of the weakness of our nature, but because we place stumbling blocks and idols against the Lord.
4:2
(Verse 2.) And you shall swear, 'As the Lord lives, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless him, and they themselves shall praise him.' And how does the Gospel forbid us to swear? But here (Matt. 5), to swear is said for confession, and for the condemnation of idols, by which Israel used to swear. Finally, stumbling blocks are removed, and one swears by the Lord. And what is said, 'As the Lord lives,' in the Old Testament it is an oath for the condemnation of the dead, by whom every idol worshiper swears. At the same time, it must be noted that an oath has these companions: truth, judgment, and justice. If these are lacking, the oath will by no means be valid, but rather perjury. And when, he says, Israel does this, and through the Apostles becomes the teacher of the nations, then all nations will bless or be blessed in him, and they will praise him because salvation has come forth from Israel.4:3-4
(Verse 3 and following.) For thus says the Lord to the man of Judah and Jerusalem: Break up your fallow ground, and do not sow among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, and remove the foreskins of your hearts, men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, lest my fury go forth like fire, and burn with none to quench it, because of the evil of your thoughts (or inventions). For we have said, Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, and remove the foreskins of your hearts. Symmachus adds, Purify yourselves to the Lord, and remove the evil of your hearts: understanding circumcision, purification, and the foreskins to be a vice. But this is commanded to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, who follow the true faith and dwell in the Church, that they should not sow upon the thorns which the Gospel speech signifies, which choke the seed of God, but first make the field new and uproot all the brambles, and remove the thistles, so that clean seeds may receive clean fields. This is what is said in another place: Do not cast your pearls before swine, and do not give what is holy to dogs (Matthew 7:6). For how can someone hear the word of God and conceive seeds and bear fruit, whose soul is full of the tribulations of the world? And what follows: Circumcise yourselves to the Lord and remove the foreskins of your hearts. This is commanded to no one else except the man of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, that they may abandon the letter that kills and follow the life-giving spirit. For if you do not do this, my wrath will go forth like fire, and it will be kindled, and there will be no one to extinguish it. Therefore he warns and predicts beforehand so that he is not compelled to act: which we confirm in the case of the Ninevites, to whom the sentence was predicted, so that they would avoid the impending wrath through repentance. However, all these things happen due to the wickedness of your (or our) thoughts or inventions. Where are those who say in their thoughts that there is no sin, when all vices, according to Gospel truth, proceed from the heart (Matthew 15)?4:5-6
(Verse 5, 6.) Announce in Judah, and make it heard in Jerusalem, speak: blow the trumpet in the land, cry aloud, and say: Gather together, and let us enter the fortified cities. Let Judah hear this, let Jerusalem hear this, in which the confession of faith is, and in which the peace of Christ dwells, and to which it was said through Isaiah: Ascend to the high mountain, you who proclaim good news to Zion. Raise your voice, you who proclaim good news to Jerusalem (Isa. 40:9): cry aloud, and thus command: Let us enter the fortified cities. The wars of the heretics are rising: hold fast to the protection of Christ. Raise the sign of the cross on the watchtower, in the loftiness of the Church. Take courage, you who are afraid, do not stand still, but run to the aid of Christ. Evil, he says, I bring from the North and great destruction, truly it is Nebuchadnezzar, who is allowed by me to be in this world, so that your strength and victory may be proven.4:7
(Verse 7) The lion has come up from his den, and the destroyer of the nations has risen; he has left his lair to make your land a desolation. Your cities will be laid waste, with no inhabitant remaining. This is, as we have said, the true Nebuchadnezzar, of whom the blessed Apostle Peter speaks: 'Our adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour' (1 Peter 5:8). But he has also ascended from the abyss, from which he must be bound, and he pleads not to be cast out; and the plunderer or destroyer of the nations has risen, of whom it is said: 'You will rule over all your enemies' (Psalm 9:5), and 'He who boasts in the sight of the Lord: I have gone around and trampled on the whole earth' (Job 2:2). For who is it, indeed, whom the poisons of the devil do not touch, except for he alone who can say: Behold, the prince of this world is coming, and in me he has found nothing (John 14:30)? This person frequently puts the whole earth of the Church in solitude, so that those who have gone out of the Church fight against the Church. Concerning these, John the Evangelist speaks: They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us (1 John 2:19). The cities of the land of Judea are being devastated, and the assemblies of heretics flourish. Therefore, if anyone is a supporter and author of perverse doctrines, it can be said: The lion has come up from his den, and the destroyer of nations has risen!4:8
(Verse 8.) So gird yourselves with sackcloth, weep and howl, for the fierce anger of the Lord's fury has not turned away from us, or as the Septuagint translated, from you. We cannot avoid the lion and the most savage beast unless we repent and turn to the Lord, not only in our minds but also in our actions. For as long as he devastates the Church and the land of Judah, and also ravages Jerusalem, the clear anger of God is evident.4:9
(Verse 9.) And it shall be on that day, says the Lord: the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes, and the priests shall be amazed, and the prophets shall be confounded. While the Church of the Lord is being devastated by the plunderer, and the anger of the Lord remains against us, all help will be useless. The heart of the king, whose heart should be in the hand of God, will perish, and the hearts of the princes, who were thought to be wise. For God has made the wisdom of the world foolish, because through it they did not know God (1 Corinthians 1). Even the priests themselves, who were supposed to teach the law of the Lord and defend their subjects from the fury of the lion, will be infatuated with a certain stupor. For the Septuagint translated it as 'stupor', expressing a loss of mind. And the prophets will be dismayed, or, as Aquila translated the Hebrew word 'Iethmau', they will be insane. For who would not go mad, who would not lose heart, when they see their princes, kings, priests, and prophets being devoured by the lion?4:10
(Verse 10) And I said: Alas, alas, alas: O Lord God (which the LXX translated: O Lord God), have you deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying: There will be peace for you? And behold the sword has reached to the soul. For earlier he had said: At that time they will call Jerusalem the throne of God, and all nations will gather to it on the mountain of the Lord in Jerusalem; and now he says: The heart of the king and the hearts of the leaders will perish, and the priests will be astonished and the prophets will be dismayed. The Prophet is troubled and thinks that God has lied to him. He does not understand that the promise will be fulfilled in the distant future, but this will happen in the near future, as the Apostle also speaks: Has God rejected his people? But it reaches to the soul, when nothing vital is reserved in the soul. And at the same time, it shows this, that unless the sword goes before, which cuts off and purges the vices of the soul, peace and promise do not follow.4:11-12
(Verse 11, 12.) In that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem: A burning wind (or dew) in the ways that are in the desert. The ways of my people's children: not for winnowing, and not for purifying. A spirit full of these will come to me. When the sword reaches to the soul, and the threshing floor is complete: then a burning wind will come from the desert, which will not purify and winnow it, but with the chaff scattered here and there, the grain will be stored in the barns: but a full spirit, not for the people, but for me, will come, so that my wheat may be scattered. The wind and the spirits are called by the same name among the Hebrews, namely 'Rua'. And depending on the context or the place, we should understand it as either wind or spirit. Others have explained this passage as follows: after the area has been cleared, the remaining things are saved. Hence it is also written: 'The Spirit of fullness will come to me,' as the Evangelist says: 'We have all received from his fullness' (John 1:16), and we will receive the grace of the Holy Spirit. As for the burning wind, according to the story, take Nebuchadnezzar, who consumes everything. According to the tropology, the opposing power, which comes from the desert and solitude where there is no hospitality of God, will try to overthrow his Church.And now I will speak my judgments with them. Ἀποσιώπησις is, according to that Virgilian saying (Aeneid. I):
Whom I... but it is better to calm the troubled waves. Therefore, about to speak of prosperity, he holds back and joins sad things with sad. For these are the judgments, by which God once spoke with his people, so that they may know how to justly endure what they endure.
4:13
(Verse 13.) Behold, like a cloud it will ascend, and like a storm its chariots: swifter than eagles are its horses. Woe to us, for we are devastated. It sees what is coming: it describes the army of Babylon, the noise of its chariots and wheels is compared to the fiercest storm, and the swiftness of its horses is joined to that of eagles. When the Prophet had said this and pointed as if to approaching enemies, the people groan, and not foreseeing but already experiencing, they say: Woe to us, for we are devastated. This same thing applies to the Church, just as the army of the true Nebuchadnezzar attacks us daily, and the chariots of Pharaoh, and all his cavalry, surpass the onslaught of eagles. If the Ecclesiasticus man understands, believing in that sentiment: When you have turned, you will groan, then you will be saved, he will say: Woe to us, for we are devastated (Ezech. XXXIII, 11).4:14
(Verse 14.) Wash your heart from wickedness, O Jerusalem, that you may be saved: how long shall evil thoughts dwell in you? To the people who say, 'Woe to us, for we have been devastated,' the Prophet responds, rather through the Prophet God responds: Wash your heart from wickedness, O Jerusalem, with that water about which Isaiah also speaks: 'Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean' (Isaiah 1:16), the water of saving baptism, the water of repentance. But he speaks to the metropolis of the Jews, so that by the city the nations may be understood: How long will you surrender to wicked thoughts that proceed from your heart? However, in the Holy Scriptures, we must accept the heart and soul as the meaning.4:15
(Verse 15) The voice of the messenger from Dan, announcing the idol (or pain) from Mount Ephraim. Near the location of the land of Judah, the divine word now speaks. For Dan, a tribe near Mount Lebanon and the city now called Paneas, looks towards the north: from where Nebuchadnezzar will come. But the idol Bel, or pain or wickedness, is described as coming from Mount Ephraim. After the tribe of Dan, the land of Ephraim follows, through which one reaches Jerusalem. Then judgment is interpreted: Ephraim, abundance. Therefore the judgment of the Lord will come upon the land that has sinned against the Lord, with all the abundance of punishment.4:16-17
(Verse 16, 17.) Say to the nations: Behold, it has been heard in Jerusalem, the watchmen come from a distant land and they have given their voice over the cities of Judah: they have become like watchmen over it all around, because they have provoked me to anger, says the Lord. God wants all the nations around to know our judgment: and Jerusalem, being afflicted, to receive all discipline. It is announced with a famous saying in Jerusalem that the adversaries come from a distant land, and the noise of a roaring army rises against it, who besiege the city and close the city with fortifications so diligently, that you would think they are not adversaries, but rather watchmen over fields and vineyards. But all this was done not by the strength of the enemy, but by the fault of Jerusalem: because it provoked God to anger. For if they do not have power over the strength of their adversaries in pigs, how much more in men, and men who were once citizens of God's city?4:18
(Verse 18.) Your ways and thoughts have brought these things upon you: your wickedness, because it is bitter, has reached your heart. It makes an apostrophe to the city of Jerusalem, that her ways and thoughts, by which she sinned in both deed and word, have caused all these things to come upon her: and her own wickedness, which is inherently bitter, has touched her heart and penetrated her innermost being. Whatever happens to us, happens because of our own fault, as we turn a sweet Lord into bitterness and force Him to be unwillingly harsh.4:19-20
(Verse 19, 20.) My belly, my belly is in pain: the feelings of my heart are troubled within me. I will not be silent because my soul has heard the sound of the trumpet, the cry of battle. Destruction upon destruction is called out, and the whole land is laid waste. Suddenly my tents are destroyed, my curtains in an instant. When we stood by Symmachus, we were troubled, and in Hebrew it is written, Homa (); the Septuagint and Theodotion used the word μαιμάσσει, which I do not know the meaning of to this day. But the eagle puts up with the disturbance, which also means turmoil itself. Let it be said about this word, about which I know there is a great debate among many. The voice of the Prophet, speaking through the Prophet of God, is brought in: that he may grieve over the contrition of his people, and that his inner organs may be torn apart like those of a man. Just as the Savior grieved over the death of Lazarus (John 11): and he wept over Jerusalem, lest he hide his sorrow in silence (Luke 19): and every sound of the trumpet and the noise of battles disturbs his emotion, while evils are multiplied by evils, and the whole land of two tribes is laid waste. While I did not think, he says, my tents and my skins were ravaged by the raging Babylonian army: and my former lodgings have turned into spoils of the enemy. And God himself speaks these same words, when he sees tumults and discords in the Church and in his assemblies crying out day by day like a partridge, and the peace of God turning into war. Hence it follows:4:21
(Verse 21.) How long will I see those fleeing (Vulgate: the one fleeing), hear the sound of the horn? Whether those fleeing from the king of Babylon, or those fleeing from me and departing from my service.4:22
(Verse 22) Because my foolish people did not acknowledge me: they are foolish and senseless children. They are wise to do evil, but do not know how to do good. The cause of their brokenness, devastation, fleeing, and trumpet sound is that the people have become foolish, not by nature, but by their own deliberate choice. And this foolishness is further proven by the fact that they do not know God, and the wise children have become foolish and senseless. For what greater foolishness can there be than, when the ox knows its owner and the donkey the manger of its master, to not know the Lord, the God of Israel, and to despise the present one whom one always desired to see? And it is inferred: They are wise to do evil, but they do not know how to do good. Here wisdom must be understood as wickedness, just as the children of this age are wiser than the children of light: and the steward of iniquity is narrated to have done certain things wisely (Luke 16); and the serpent in paradise is recorded as being wiser than all the beasts (Genesis 3). Therefore true wisdom is that which is joined to the fear of God. Otherwise, where there are plots and evasion, it is not wisdom, but cunning and deceit that should be called. For this reason, as we have said, because my foolish people did not know me, the Seventy translated it as: because the leaders of my people did not know me, so that the blame may be more on the teachers than on the people who do not have knowledge of God.4:23-26
(Verse 23 and following) I looked at the earth, and behold, it was empty and void; and the heavens, and there was no light in them. I saw the mountains, and behold, they were moving; and all the hills were shaken. I looked, and there was no man, and every bird of the sky had fled. I looked, and behold, Carmel was a desert, and all its cities were destroyed before the Lord's face, and before the fierceness of his anger. The prophet sees in spirit what is to come, so that the people, when they hear it, may be terrified, and, having repented, may not endure what they fear. The land is empty, with its inhabitants destroyed. The heavens have no light, and the magnitude of terror prevents people from seeing. The mountains and hills themselves have safe hiding places, but they seem to be shaken and disturbed to an extreme degree. Looking around, the observer saw nothing, not even a bird. For the elements feel the anger of God, and the irrational creatures are filled with fear. The entire world now demonstrates that this is true, as the multitude of humans, and even the birds that usually follow them, have vanished and perished. Also Carmel, which overlooks the great sea, planted with olive trees and vineyards, will come to such a solitude that it will have the desolation of a desert. Likewise, all cities will become deserted, and the cause of all evils is that the anger of the Lord has been provoked by the sin of the guilty people. Whatever we have said about the history of Jerusalem and Judea, let us apply it to the Church of God, when it offends God, and when it is either ruined by vices or persecuted, and where once there was a choir and joy of virtues, there the multitude of sins and sorrows will prevail.4:27-28
(Vers. 27, 28.) For thus says the Lord: The whole earth shall be desolate, but I will not make a complete end. The earth shall mourn and the heavens above shall be sorrowful, because I have spoken ((or thought)). I have planned and will not regret it; I have not turned away from it. The earth is deserted due to the mixture of God's anger and mercy, but there will not be a complete destruction so that those who understand His mercy may exist. The heavens above will also appear sad, and the earth itself will mourn, because the judgment of the Lord has reached its end and He does not regret what He has planned and spoken. But the repentance of God is said to occur when the aforementioned sentence is removed, and the raging wrath does not reach its end. He threatened through Jonah, and the impending sword of tears and sighs was overcome by a multitude (John 3).4:29
(Verse 29.) At the sound of the horseman, and of him who sends forth the arrow (or bends the bow), every city (or region) flees. They have entered the heights and climbed the rocks. And what follows: They have entered the thickets, or caves, which the Seventy have added. But the divine word describes the raging army of Babylon, how at its trembling the entire people have abandoned the city, and have climbed the heights; and yet they could not escape the wrath of the Lord. But whatever, as we said above, is understood in history against Jerusalem, it refers to the Church, when it has offended God, and has been handed over to its adversaries, either in the time of persecution, or certainly because of vices and sins.4:30
(Verse 30.) But what will you do, O devastated one? The word 'devastated' in Hebrew is 'Sadud', which only Aquila has translated, others have translated it as 'miserable and wretched', by their own fault, for they have offended a merciful God. Finally, it follows:When you dress yourself in scarlet and adorn yourself with a golden necklace, and paint your eyes with antimony, you are in vain: your lovers have despised you, they will seek your soul. In the form of an adulterous woman speaks: when you have once offended God, and as if you had abandoned your Creator, you in vain seek ornaments. Your lovers, the demons, have despised you, and not the filth of debauchery, but they will seek the destruction of your soul. This same thing is to be understood spiritually against those who have lost conjugal affections and the modesty of true faith. 'If,' he says, 'you clothe yourself in scarlet, that is, you assume faith in the blood of Christ; if you adorn yourself with a golden necklace, that is, you have the meditation of spiritual senses and understanding; and if you paint your eyes with antimony, that is, you have the study of mysteries and the knowledge of God's secrets, you are in vain adorned. For these things you have also prepared for your lovers; and therefore a narrow bed cannot contain both, nor does God receive the ornaments by which you pleased your lovers before.'
4:31
(Verse 31) For I heard a voice like that of a woman in labor, the anguish (or groaning) of one giving birth. The voice of the daughter of Zion, fading away and stretching out her hands: Woe to me, for my soul is faint because of the slain! Like a woman in labor, that is, one who is giving birth for the first time, she describes the city of Jerusalem lamenting and crying out. For just as a woman in labor, not yet experiencing the pain of childbirth, almost dies and endures anguish, barely able to breathe, with hands spread out, she collapses, so too the daughter of Zion, when she sees her children slain, will burst forth in these words and say (or bursts forth and says): Woe to me, for my soul is faint because of the slain! But two examples have been compared in one chapter, the giving birth of children and the mourning: so that whatever a woman suffers in childbirth, or in the deaths of children, Jerusalem may suffer in the nations.5:1-2
(Chapter 5 - Verse 1, 2) Go around the streets of Jerusalem and look, observe, and search its squares, whether you find a man who does justice and seeks faithfulness. I will be merciful to him. But even if, by the living Lord, they say and falsely swear this. Great is the love of justice, as God did not deliver the city (Genesis 18) according to the request of Abraham and the response of God for the sake of ten righteous men, but if He finds even one in the now perishing Jerusalem who does justice and seeks faithfulness (or, as Symmachus translated, truth), then God will have mercy on Jerusalem. And because it could happen that some would be found among the people who would feign the worship of God and swear by God, this is prevented so that God is not pleased by empty words but by the truth of faith, and He says: I do not love those who swear by me and swear falsely, but rather those whose hearts and lips are in agreement.5:3
(Verse 3) Lord, your eyes look upon faith: you struck them, and they did not hurt; you crushed them, and they refused to accept discipline. They hardened their faces like rock, and they refused to turn back. After the words of the Lord, in which he commanded, saying: Go around the streets of Jerusalem, etc., the Prophet speaks to the Lord: Lord, your eyes look upon faith, which in Hebrew is called Emuna: not the works of the Jews, in which they rejoiced according to the ceremonies of the Law; but the faith of the Christians, through which we have been saved by grace. In this chapter, we learn that punishments are inflicted in order to correct vices. Finally, it says, 'You have struck them, and they have not felt pain; you have crushed them, and they have refused to accept discipline.' Through all the torments and whips, Jerusalem is corrected, and yet they did not even have shame for their vices; but like a stone hardening their foreheads, they refused to be converted to better things.5:4-5
(Vers. 4, 5.) But I said: Perhaps they are poor and foolish (or they were unable) and ignorant of the way of the Lord, the judgment of their God. Therefore, I will go to the noble ones, and I will speak to them: for they have known the way of the Lord, the judgment of their God. Here, the poor and the noble ones, he does not speak of poverty and wealth, but compares the people to the rulers. And the meaning is this: Seeing the stubbornness of the unfaithful people, and that with hardened face, he did not want to receive instruction, this is the reasoning I had with myself: Perhaps the common people, who are ignorant of God, cannot know the teachings, and therefore it is excusable, because due to their lack of knowledge of God, they are unable to know the commandments. Therefore, I will go to the priests and those who preside over the people, and I will speak to them. For they have known the will of the Lord and understand His judgment. However, this is said in the manner of one who is uncertain, according to the Gospel saying: 'I will send my son, perhaps they will respect him' (Matthew 21:37), so that through the ambiguity of the sentence and the suspension of words, the free will of man might be shown.5:6
(Verse 6) And behold, these men have broken the yoke together: they have broken the bonds, therefore the lion from the forest has struck them, the wolf has laid waste to them in the evening, the vigilant leopard is over their cities; everyone who goes out from them will be captured. Because their transgressions have multiplied, their apostasies have become strengthened. Those whom I thought were teachers, have been found to be worse than the disciples, and the greater authority there is in the rich, the greater the insolence of sins. For they have broken the yoke of the Law, as the Apostle says: 'Now therefore, why do you tempt God by imposing a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But by the grace of the Lord Jesus, we believe to be saved, even as they:' (Acts 15:10-11). And they broke the bonds of God's precepts, and not of the Pharisees, of whom it is said in the second Psalm: 'Let us break their bonds asunder, and let us cast away their yoke from us' (Psalm 2:3). Therefore, because they did these things, a lion from the forest struck them, namely the kingdom of Babylon; a wolf ravaged them at evening, signifying the Medes and Persians. For this reason, in the vision of Daniel, a bear is placed, with three rows of teeth in its mouth (Daniel 7): a watchful leopard over their cities, foreshadowing the attack of Alexander, and a swift attack from the West to India. It is called a leopard due to its variety and because it fought against the Medes and Persians with many subject nations. And four, he said, were the heads on the beast, and power was given to it. And because he does not prophesy of the future, but of the past, as if weaving a story about things that are about to happen soon, he is silent about the Roman empire, about which perhaps it is said: Everyone who goes out from them will be captured. And he gives reasons why they have suffered these things: Because their transgressions have multiplied, and they have persisted in their disobedience. Hence it is said: And their aversions have been strengthened. That which we have set forth at the beginning, the Hebrew word Soced, which means 'vigilance', is now revealed in its proper place: for where we have said 'pardus vigilans', it is written in Hebrew Nemer Soced. According to typology, those who are considered great in the Church, because they break the yoke and break the chains, are therefore delivered to the shame of sufferings, so that they do what does not befit them.5:7-9
(Vers. 7 seqq.) How can I be propitious to you? Your sons have forsaken me, and they swear by those who are not gods. I have satisfied them, and they have committed adultery, and they have indulged in the house of a prostitute. They are lovers of horses, and they have become emissaries to me. Each one neighs after his neighbor's wife. Will I not visit them for these things, says the Lord? Will my soul not avenge itself on such a nation? Catalogue of the sins of Jerusalem: while she says that she does not know God, by whom she can be shown mercy. Your sons have forsaken me, she says. Not my sons, but yours: they swear by those who are not gods, I have fed them and they have committed adultery. Let those who received wealth from the Lord listen to this and serve luxury. The lovers of horses have become lovers of women. Concerning emissaries, it is written in Hebrew: Mosechim (), which all translated with a consonant voice, that is, pulling, to show the greatness of the genitals, as in the said Ezekiel: like the flesh of donkeys, their flesh (Ezek. XXIII, 20). This is what is written in another place: They were compared to foolish beasts, and became like them (Psalm 48:13). And it shows such madness of lust, that not only does it call desire for pleasure, but also neighing, that is, the sound of horses, and it preserves the metaphor of raging horses for lust. When you do these things, he says, are you not worthy of punishment? And note that here visitation is used as punishment and torment, according to what is written: I will visit their iniquities with a rod. And in such a nation my soul will not be avenged (Psalm 88:33)? After it is bound by sins, it is not called the people of God, but a nation from which the soul of God has departed, according to what is written: My soul hates your new moons, your Sabbaths and your festivals (Isaiah 1:13). But what is said in the Old Testament for emotion, is written in the New Testament for truth: With the Savior saying: I have the power to lay down my life, and I have the power to take it up again (John 10:18).5:10-11
(Vers. 10, 11.) Ascendite muros ejus (sive propugnacula) et dissipate: consummationem autem nolite facere. Auferte propagines ejus (sive sustentacula) quia non sunt Domini. Praevaricatione enim praevaricata est in me domus Israel, et domus Juda, dicit Dominus. Imperat gentibus, de quibus supra dixerat: Percussit eos leo de silva, lupus vastavit eos, et pardus in civitatibus eorum, ut ascendant muros Jerusalem, sive propugnacula, et dissipent eam: consummationem autem non faciant, ut salventur reliquiae, et sit qui annuntiet in gentibus gloriam Dei, severitatique miscetclementiam. And he commanded that its branches or supports be taken away, all the help that he had lost by his own fault, because it had transgressed against God (or the Lord), the house of Israel, and the house of Judah, signifying the ten tribes and the two. Let the Church hear this, that the walls and defenses of those who have no hope in the Lord and transgress against Him may quickly be destroyed, but let there not be complete destruction because of the mercy of the judge, and not because of the merits of the offenders.5:12-13
(Verse 12, 13.) They denied the Lord and said: He is not (or these things are not), and evil will not come upon us. We will not see sword and famine. The prophets spoke in vain and there was no answer (or response) in them. Therefore, these things will happen to them. Because they denied the Lord or lied to the Lord, and said: He is not, by whose judgment all things are done, but these things happened by chance: and the things that the voices of the prophets threaten us with will not happen, nor will we see the sword, nor will we endure the siege famine, and whatever the prophets said, they spoke in vain, and all their words were in vain, and they did not receive an answer, which means the oracle or word of God was not in them, therefore they will endure what the following passage describes. Let the negligent Church listen to this and refute the providence of God, that it may believe the things that are said, lest it endure both the sword and famine.5:14
(Verse 14) Thus says the Lord God of hosts, because you have spoken these words: behold, I will make my words in your mouth like fire, and this people like wood, and it shall devour them. You said: The prophets have spoken in vain, and their threats will not come to pass: therefore, O prophet, I will make my words in your mouth have the power of fire, and I will turn this people into wood, so that through your words and the disbelief of the prophecy they may be consumed. Thus God is said to be a consuming fire, so that He may consume in us, if we build on the foundation of Christ, wood, hay, straw (Deuteronomy IV).5:15-18
(Verse 15 and following) Behold, I will bring upon you a nation from afar, O house of Israel, says the Lord: a strong nation, an ancient nation, a nation whose language you will not understand, nor will you know what it speaks. Its quiver is like an open tomb, all mighty warriors. And it will devour your crops and your bread; it will devour your sons and daughters; it will devour your flocks and herds; it will devour your vineyards and fig trees; and it will crush your fortified cities, in which you trust, with the sword. However, in those days, says the Lord, I will not make an end of you. Not much later, and not falsely believed, the Prophets will speak to you in vain, but now I will bring upon you the nation of the Babylonians, who will come from afar: a strong nation, as it is written in Hebrew, Ethan (Gen. X), an ancient nation, once ruled by the giant Nimrod. Whose language you will not understand, as it is written in Hebrew: you will not understand what they say: for it is the solace of evil, if you have those enemies whom you can ask, and who understand your prayers. And what follows: Her quiver is like an open grave; it is not referred to as Babylon in the Septuagint edition, but it signifies the armory. There is no doubt that the kingdom of the Assyrians, Babylonians, Medes, and Persians is extremely skilled in archery. And it also describes the devastation of the land of Judah, the slaughter of sheep, the herding away of livestock, the destruction of cities and walls, because they are all captured by the enemy sword, and yet in such great evils He does not destroy them completely; but He preserves the remaining ones, either those who were led into Babylon and sent back to cultivate the land of Judah, or those who, after the heat of persecution, have kept the faith of the Lord through flight or confession.5:19
(Verse 19) But if you shall say: why has the Lord our God done all these things to us? You shall say to them: Just as you have forsaken me and served foreign gods (or foreign deities) in your land, so you shall serve foreigners in a land that is not yours. It is a great folly not to know why they have suffered, since they have sinned so greatly. And a brief response to those who are doubting: just as you have served foreign gods, that is, Baal, or the foreign gods of all the nations in the land of Judah, so you shall serve foreign gods in a land that is not yours, undoubtedly Babylon and Chaldea. For if a foreign religion delights you, why is it necessary to embrace distant error? Dwell with such people, indeed serve those whose gods you worship. This can also be understood about heretics, of whom it is written: They went out from us, but they were not of us. For if they had been of us, they would no doubt have remained with us (1 John 2:19), that the Lord may cast out heretics from the Church, who for a long time under the name of it have worshiped the idols of their lies, so that they may worship outside what they formerly worshiped within, so that the chaff may be separated from the wheat.Book Two
Book TwoAccording to brother Eusebius, in the book of Jeremiah we dictate in swift speech, briefly turning away our ears so that we do not hear the judgment of bloodshed and deplore the souls of the slain, who, by the expectation of virtues, daily fall into arrogance and consider themselves equal to God, so that they may attribute equality to all men, which the impious Arian heresy denies in the Son, and may put their mouth in heaven and leave nothing more for the future blessedness of the Saints. We have responded to the madness of those with whom we were able, and if the Lord grants us life, we will respond more fully. Now the path must be taken up, and the Commentarioli must be dictated: neither burdening the understanding of readers with excessive length, nor depriving them of understanding with immoderate brevity, of which one overloads the senses of those reading, the other hinders the desire of students.
5:20-21
(Verse 20, 21.) Announce this to the house of Jacob, and make it heard in Judah, saying: Hear, foolish people, who have no understanding: who have eyes but do not see, and ears but do not hear. In many ways they sin, turning away from salvation, and he calls the people foolish, who have abandoned the author of wisdom, and he compares them to idols, about which it is written: They have eyes but do not see: they have ears but do not hear. Let them be like those who make them, and all who trust in them (Psalm 115:5, 6). But he speaks specifically to Judah and the house of Jacob, for Israel had long rejoiced in Assyria. And at the same time, he gives the understanding that even without command, we should naturally understand what is right.5:22-24
(Verse 22 onward) So you will not fear, says the Lord, and you will not be in pain before me? (or will you fear?) I have set the sand as a boundary for the sea, an eternal decree that will not pass. And the waves of the sea will be disturbed, and they will not be able to pass through it. This people has become stubborn and rebellious in their heart: they have turned away and gone, and they have not said in their heart: Let us fear the Lord our God, who gives us rain in its season, both the early and the late rains, preserving the harvest for us. He narrates the benefits to accuse the ungrateful. 'Will you not fear me,' he says, 'who have bestowed such great favors upon you? I do not desire the love of the perfect, but the fear of beginners, who have set the shore as a boundary to the sea; who, by my command, have restrained the powerful element and the immense masses of waves, according to what is written: 'He has placed a boundary, and it shall not pass.' (Ps. 148:6) They hear and perceive me, who do not possess the capacity to hear; and my foolish people, having become foolish by their own fault, not only despise me, but also provoke the gentle God. They turned away from me, he said, and they turned their backs on me, and they left quickly; and their conscience did not withhold them, to say in their hearts: Let us fear him, who gives us temporary and late rain. Through all these things it shows the good abundance of the annual harvest, for which the first edition of the Aquila, and Symmachus, have interpreted as weeks. In Hebrew, it is written Sabaoth, which signifies both weeks and abundance due to the ambiguity of the word.5:25
(Verse 25) Your iniquities have turned these things away, and your sins have withholden good things from you. Therefore, if at any time the sea shall pass its bounds, and the rain shall be kept back, verily the hand of the Lord is not shortened, that it cannot do these things: but your sins, being present, have turned away good things from you, that they should not come unto you, but should go to others who have not sinned. And it is said that they have withholden the good things that were coming to us, according to that which is written in the literal sense: I will command the clouds, that they rain not upon it (Isaiah 5:6). But we can receive both the temporary and the late rain, the Law and the Gospel, and various vocations from the first hour until the eleventh, in which the owner of the vineyard promises one reward of eternal life to the workers (Matthew 20).5:26
(Verse 26.) Because there were found among my people wicked ones plotting like bird catchers, setting snares and traps to capture men; like a net full of birds, so is their house full of deceit. Why did a temporary and late rain deviate from them, and all good things not come? The reasons are given: because there were found among his people wicked ones. He did not say, the unjust and sinners (as the new heresy wants), but the wicked. Impiety openly denies God; if it confesses error iniquity and sin, it easily turns God to mercy. And as we said: Insidious like bird-catchers, and it is not found in the Septuagint, Aquila and Symmachus translated Jasir (), like the net of a bird-catcher, so that even he who seems good and upright among them may lay snares like a bird-catcher, while they hunt each other to death, and bring ruin and loss to others, filling their own houses, so that the saying of the philosophers is fulfilled: Every rich person is either unjust or the heir of an unjust person. And if only these things were done by those who seem to be outside, and whom the Lord judges; and not in our gatherings, which are filled by the root of all evils, greed (Colossians III), so that we do not consider the faces of those who come to us, but their hands.5:27-29
(Verse 27 and following) Therefore they have been magnified and enriched: they have become fat and grown thick, and have passed over my words wickedly: they have not judged the cause, the cause of the orphan, so they did not direct the judgment of the poor (or widow). Will I not visit them for these things, says the Lord: or will not my soul take vengeance upon a nation of this kind? If I were to list all the things that have been omitted in the Septuagint edition, it would be a long task. Those who plot, he says, delight in the nudity of others, thus they have been magnified and enriched because they have done superior things. They have become thick and fat, according to what is written: He has grown fat and has become fat, and he kicked. And they have disregarded my words, because with the conscience of wealth they have said about the Gospel: Soul, you have many good things stored up for many years: rest, eat, drink, revel. However, they have gone astray in their wickedness, and they have not set the judgment of God before their eyes, despising all men. They have scorned the orphan and the poor: for which reason the LXX have said, 'widows,' which is not found in the Hebrew; for 'Ebionim' properly signifies the poor, not widows. But what follows, 'Shall I not visit for these things?' says the Lord: 'or shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation?' has already been explained above.5:30-31
(Verse 30, 31.) Astonishment and wonders were done on the earth. The prophets were prophesying falsehood (or wickedness) and the priests were applauding with their hands. And my people loved such things. What then will you do in the end? As it was said before: Shall I go to the nobles and speak to them? Perhaps they knew the way of the Lord, but behold, they have broken the yoke and burst the bonds. Now he describes who the nobles are, namely the prophets and priests: some of whom prophesy future events, and others decree what must be done according to the law. And behold, he said, when they, the false prophets, prophesied falsehood, the priests applauded with their hands. And in order to show that even the people are not without guilt, being led astray by such things, it is written: And my people loved such things: once mine; but after they loved such things, they ceased to be mine. So what will they do when the last time of judgment comes, or the necessity of captivity? Hence the astonishment and marvels, that neither among the rulers nor among the people was there found anyone who understood what is right.6:1
(Chapter 6, Verse 1) Take courage, sons of Benjamin, in the midst of Jerusalem; and in Thecua sound the trumpet; and on Bethacherem raise a sign (or banner), for evil has been seen (or appeared) from the North and great destruction. No one is ignorant of Jerusalem situated in the tribe of Benjamin. We also see Thecua, a village situated on a mountain and separated from Jerusalem by twelve miles, every day with our own eyes. Among these is another village, which is called Bethacherem in the Syriac and Hebrew languages, and it too is situated on a mountain. Therefore, what he says is this: because Nebuchadnezzar is coming soon from the North, and the nearby captivity is imminent, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, seize your weapons, and sound the trumpet in Tekoa; and raise the banner in Beth-cherem, saying, so that you may be able to resist against the enemy. Benjamin means son of the right hand; Tekoa means trumpet; Beth-cherem means vineyard city. Let us apply all these things to the Church: so that if it sins, and the onslaught of persecution comes, it may prepare itself to resist.6:2-3
(Verse 2, 3.) I have likened the daughter of Zion to a beautiful and delicate woman. And the shepherds and their flocks shall come to her. They have pitched their tents around her and each one shall feed those under his hand. Prepare for battle against her. Arise and let us go up at noon. The beauty of Jerusalem is described, which is the same as Zion, indicating that the whole city and the citadel of the city are one and the same. For Zion means a watchtower and it is compared to a beautiful woman; just as lovers come to her, so the shepherds are said to come to her. And in Hebrew, a word that is written with four letters, Resh, Ayin, Yod, Mem, if read as Reim (), it means lovers, if read as Roim (), it means shepherds, so that either, according to a metaphor, lovers of a beautiful woman, or, according to the overthrow of a city, shepherds may be understood: some of whom hasten to defile a prostitute, others to besiege and overthrow a city. Among these shepherds and their flocks, let us discern the princes and the armies of the Chaldeans. But they shall pitch their tents during the siege of the city all around: and each one shall feed those who are under his hand, that is, his troops and numbers. The leaders, or shepherds, shall say to their flocks: Sanctify war upon Jerusalem: for the Lord has command. Rise up, and let us go up to the south: not by night and ambush; but let us fight in full light: for no one can resist us.6:4-5
(Verse 4, 5.) Woe to us, because the day has declined, because the shadows in the evening have become longer (or have failed). Arise and let us ascend in the night, and let us scatter its houses (or its foundations). They say: Arise, and let us ascend at noon, and let us fight in the clear light. Those respond: Woe to us, because the shadows in the evening have become longer. According to that line from Virgil (Eclogue I):And now the tops of the distant villas smoke: And the shadows of the mountains fall higher. And the meaning is: If we suffer these things during the day, what will we suffer at night? And again, those who spoke before, saying: Sanctify war upon it, and rise up, now challenge themselves to fight, saying: Arise, and let us ascend in the night: so that our adversaries may know that victory is not a matter of time, but of strength: and let us scatter the houses, which are vainly fortified by the strength of walls.
6:6
(Verse 6.) Because thus says the Lord of hosts: Cut down the wood (or its woods) and pour out (or carry) it around Jerusalem as a mound. Therefore, they say, we are confident of victory, because it is the command of the Lord who orders the Chaldeans: cut down the trees and carry them to build fortifications. By this it is shown that before the crown comes, the city is not immediately to be captured: but through a long siege, as we read later.6:7
(Verse 7) This is a city of visitation (or falsehood); all slander (or oppression) is in its midst. Just as a well or a lake makes its water cold, so it has made its evil cold. The Lord has commanded that trees be cut down, and that mounds be built all around. For the time of its visitation has come, to receive payment for its sins, the greatest of which is false accusation, to oppress the innocent through slander. Just as a well or a cold pond makes its water cold, so in the midst of Jerusalem, the malice that is in it has lost all the warmth of life. And it should be noted that those who are kindled by the Holy Spirit are called fervent, but evil things are cold. Hence it is written (Matthew 24) that in the last days, when iniquity shall be multiplied, the charity of many shall grow cold. I believe this also sounds like that: I am made like those who go down into the pit (Psalm 28:1). However, let the Latin reader understand, as we have said once, that lacus does not sound like stagnum among the Greeks, but like cisterna, which is called Gubba in the Syriac and Hebrew languages. However, in the present place, instead of lacus, which everyone has similarly translated, it is called Bor in Hebrew.6:8
(Verse 8) Iniquity and devastation will be heard in it before me always, weakness and affliction. Learn, Jerusalem, lest my soul may depart from you, lest I make you deserted, an uninhabitable land. LXX: Impiety and misery will be heard in it before its face. Through every pain and scourge you will be taught, Jerusalem, lest my soul may depart from you: lest I make you an impassable land, a land that is not inhabited. Through these things we learn that the Lord chastises every son whom he receives. And for this reason Jerusalem is chastised with blows and torments, so that it may be corrected, and the soul of God does not depart from it, and it is brought into solitude. Therefore, if at any time we are subjected to frequent trials, let us remember for our consolation this verse: Through all pain and scourge you shall be taught, O Jerusalem.6:9
(Verse 9) Thus says the Lord of hosts, they will gather the remnants of Israel like grapes in a vineyard. Turn your hand like a grape harvester into the basket. LXX: For thus says the Lord of hosts: Gather, gather the remnants of Israel like grapes in a vineyard. Return like a grape harvester to your basket. Some interpret these words in a positive way, others in a negative way. In a positive way, when Jerusalem has been devastated, the remnants will be saved. In such an evil way, not even a single cluster, and a small bunch remains in the vineyard, everything will be gathered: and whatever you find, gather it like a harvester in a basket; so that as he presses the grapes in the winepress: you may likewise drag captives into Babylon.6:10
(Verse 10.) To whom shall I speak, and whom shall I answer, that he may hear? Behold, their (or your) ears are uncircumcised, and they cannot hear. They cannot hear because they have refused to circumcise their ears; yet the impossibility that comes from contempt and unbelief is not without punishment. Therefore, if anyone does not receive the words of God, neither does he have the understanding of His commandments, he has uncircumcised ears. It should also be noted that circumcision is called by three names in the Scriptures: in the foreskin, in the heart, and in the ears. Hence the Lord says: He who has ears to hear, let him hear (Matthew 11:15). Therefore, by our own will, we do not accept the word of God; and thus it becomes a reproach to us, that what was given to us for salvation, is turned by our fault into punishment.6:11
(Verse 11) Therefore I am full of the fury of the Lord, I have labored holding it. LXX: And I have fulfilled my wrath, and have endured: and I have not consumed it. According to the Hebrew, it is spoken from the perspective of the Prophet, who foresees the coming wrath of God, and is full of the fury and anger of the Lord, and cannot bear it anymore: nor does he dare to intercede with the Lord for sinners. According to the LXX, however, a new meaning is given, that the Lord himself has fulfilled it by striking the sinful people: and yet he has restrained it, and has not poured it all out, so that the remnants may be saved: which seems to me to be contradictory to itself. For if he completed his fury, how did he manage not to complete it?6:12
(Verse 12) Pour (or he pours) on the little one outside, and on the assembly of young men together: for a man will be captured with a woman, an elder with one full of days. And their houses will pass on to others, fields and wives alike. Perhaps the Prophet commands, by the Spirit coming to the Chaldeans, to pour out the fury of the Lord on the little ones, and not spare even the innocent age: or certainly, he narrates what happened to the assembly of young men together, who had taken up arms to resist. For when a man is captured with a wife, they together will feel the sweetest names of captivity: an old man with full days. Therefore, old age is not the final age, but of those who are full of days, whom we call in our language the deposited or the decrepit. It follows, And their houses will pass on to others, with the evil of captivity, along with fields and wives: so that the spouse passes over to the enemies and possession. Whatever we understand literally about Jerusalem, let us refer spiritually to the Church, if it has offended God.6:13-14
(Vers. 13 seqq.) For I will stretch out my hand over the inhabitants of the land, declares the Lord. From the least of them to the greatest, they all pursue greed, and from prophet to priest, they all practice deceit. They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, 'Peace, peace,' when there is no peace. In Hebrew, it is said, 'I will stretch out my hand against sinners or the inhabitants of the earth,' but in the Septuagint it is always written, 'I will continuously raise up,' which signifies both the one who strikes and the one who is struck. According to what is written: 'Yet his hand is still stretched out, or lifted up' (Isaiah 5:25). But the inhabitants of the earth are always in sin. Therefore, it is frequently said in the Apocalypse: 'Woe to the inhabitant of the earth' (Revelation 8:13). From the least to the greatest, all strive for greed, according to the saying of the Apostle: 'For the love of money is the root of all evil' (1 Timothy 6:10). And from the prophet to the priest, all practice deceit. Some prophesy lies, others perversely interpret the law of God. For in another place the Prophet says: 'Inquire of the priests for the law' (Jeremiah 18). And they would declare all the good things they did for my people and pretended to care for the wounds and dishonor of my daughter saying: 'Peace, peace' when there was no peace at all. This should be understood specifically of the priests and teachers who promise prosperity to the wealthy and those they see in the highest honor, and proclaim a merciful God, preparing them more for punishment and anger.6:15
(Verse 15.) They are confused because they have committed an abomination; rather, they have not been confused by their confusion, and they have not known how to blush. This should be read with greater precision according to the Hebrew. And when, he says, they have done so much, are they confused? Have they blushed for their sins? Rather, they have increased sin through contempt, and they have not known how to blush. However, here 'nescierunt' is used in place of 'noluerunt': either due to excessive contempt and the vice of accustomed evil, they were not even able to understand.Therefore, they will fall among the fallen: at the time of their visitation they will stumble, says the Lord. For, they say, they have not learned to be ashamed, and they have not only lacked work, but even knowledge and the sense of repentance. Therefore, those who once stood among them will fall, along with those who will fall into their vices, and when the time of their visitation and punishment comes, they will join all the fallen. However, it is a great wickedness, not only not to beware, but also not to want to understand sins, and to have no distinction between good and evil deeds.
6:16-18
(Versed 16 and following) Thus says the Lord: Stand on the roads and see, and inquire about the ancient paths, which is the good way, and walk in it, and you will find refreshment (or purification) for your souls. And they said: we will not walk (or we will not go). And I appointed watchmen over you, listen to the sound of the trumpet. And they said, we will not listen. Therefore hear (or they have heard) O nations: and know (or know) the congregation (or those who feed the flocks): or according to Symmachus, and know (the testimony that is in them) how much I will do to them. Listen, O earth. If the parable of the Gospel is understood, it will provide understanding of this place: in which a good merchant is said to sell all pearls, in order to buy the most precious pearl for its price (Matth. XIII); which, indeed, through the Patriarchs and Prophets, we come to him who says: I am the way (John XIV). Therefore, we must stand in the prophets, and contemplate and inquire diligently about the ancient or eternal paths, which have been trodden by many holy ones, which are more significantly called 'trails' in Greek, which is the good way in the Gospel (Matth. VII), and we must walk in it: and when this way is found, it provides refreshment or purification for the souls of believers. But they replied in opposition, we will not walk in the way of the Gospel: as the Prophet specifically says about the perfidy of the Jews. And immediately he brings forth: And I have set watchmen over you. No doubt that the chorus of the Apostles is indicated, according to Ezekiel: Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel (Ezek. III, 17). And I have commanded you to listen to the sound of the trumpet, or the commandments of the Gospel, or the teachings of the Apostles, according to Isaiah: Go up to the high mountain, herald of good news to Zion; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news (Isai. XL, 9). They said: We will not listen; and when invited to the dinner, they did not want to come: therefore it is said: Hear, O nations. This is what the Apostles followed, when they spoke in Lycaonia: It was necessary for you to speak the word of God first: but because you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life: behold, we turn to the nations (Acts 13:46). And know, congregation, not at all Jewish, but of all nations: whether you who shepherd the flocks, bishops and priests and all the ecclesiastical order: or you know the testimony that is in them. For the testimony of God is faithful, providing wisdom to the little ones (Psalm 18:8). To whom the Lord speaks: Do not be afraid, little flock (Luke 12:31). And: Behold, I and the children whom God has given me (Isaiah 8:18). Therefore, know the great things I will do for the unbelieving people. And it is added: Hear, O earth, the whole world is called to listen: just as we read in the beginning of Isaiah: Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth (ibid., 1); what the Lord will do for the people of Judah.6:19
(Verse 19). Behold, I will bring evil upon this people, the fruit of their thoughts (or turning away): because they have not listened to my words, and have cast aside my law. The evil refers to the punishments and sufferings of those who endure, not upon the nations that are called to the truth of the Gospel, but upon the people who have responded: We will not listen. And they will receive the fruit of their thoughts, or their turning away, as David says: You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands (Psalm 127:2). And it is clear because they did not listen to the words of the Lord and rejected His law.6:20
(Verse 20) Why do you bring me frankincense from Sheba, and the sweet cane from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not accepted, and your sacrifices do not please me. That frankincense from Sheba should come is beyond doubt, as Virgil also says: And a hundred altars glow with Sabean incense (Aeneid, Book I). The cane, which is called "Cane" in Hebrew, is translated as "cinnamon" by the Septuagint and Theodotion and the prophetic speech testifies that it comes from a distant land, so that we understand it to be India, from which many spices come by way of the Red Sea. This type of medicinal pigment is called κασία. And the meaning is this: In vain do you mix sweet-smelling pigments in making ointments, as the Law commands, and burn sacrifices, who do not do my will in the Law, as it is written: They have not heard my words, and have cast away my law. But this properly applies to those who offer sacrifices from the spoils and plundering of the poor, and think they can redeem their sins with unjust alms, as the Scripture says: The ransom of a man's soul are his own riches (Prov. 13:8), which are gathered not from injustice, but from labor and righteousness.6:21
(Verse 21) Therefore, thus says the Lord: Behold, I will bring destruction upon this people, and they shall fall into it (whether weakness, and they shall be weakened by it), fathers and sons together, neighbor and friend, and they shall perish. We see all the things that the Lord has threatened against this people come to pass: for every day they fall into their blasphemies, and they have no strength within them, but every weakness is found among them. The sons follow in their fathers' blasphemies; and every day they receive that imprecation: His blood be upon us and upon our children (Matthew 27:25); and not only they themselves, but also their neighbors and friends, and all who follow the Law and the Prophets according to the letter, and not according to the life-giving spirit, shall likewise perish, for all have sinned together.6:22-23
(Verse 22, 23.) Thus says the Lord: Behold, a people comes from the land of the north, and a great nation will rise from the ends of the earth. They will take hold of the bow and shield (or javelin); they are cruel (or shameless) and will not show mercy. Their voice will sound like the sea, and they will ride on horses, prepared like a man for battle against you, daughter of Zion. This is specifically prophesied about the Babylonians, who will come against the people of Jerusalem, and the entire order of their armament is described, as well as the attack of the fighters, so that, shaken by the terrifying sound, they may repent and please the most merciful God. Finally, the opportunity to ask arises, as it were, against you, daughter of Zion. We can use this testimony during the time of persecution, when the rage of the devil is stirred up against us, and there is no mercy: and like the most violent waves of the sea, they overwhelm those who resist.6:24
(Verse 24.) We have heard his fame: our hands are weak; distress has seized us, like the pain of childbirth. The people responded to the Prophet, or rather, through the Prophet, the Lord has threatened the Babylonians: before they come, they will be overcome with fear, unable to lift their hands, and distress will grip them like the pain of childbirth; in this pain, they affirm that nothing is more severe than what they have experienced.6:25
(Verse 25.) Do not go out to the fields, and do not walk on the road, for the sword of the enemy is all around. The Gospel teaches (Matthew 24) that we should not go out into the field or descend from the height of roofs, but rather listen to this: 'Escape to the mountain to be saved' (Genesis 19:17). We are instructed in Isaiah and Micah (Isaiah 2, Micah 4) to run to and climb to this mountain. According to the literal meaning, we are commanded not to go outside or leave the walls, but to protect ourselves with strong fortifications.6:26
(Verse 26) Daughter of my people, gird yourself with sackcloth and sprinkle yourself with ashes, mourn for the only begotten (or beloved), make for yourself a bitter lament (or miserable), because the devastator (or misery) will come suddenly upon us (or upon you). For he had said before: Do not go out to the fields and do not walk along the road, for the sword of the enemy, panic is all around; and he had also forbidden flight, he teaches what they should do, namely, to repent, and to have this most firm and secure armor. When we say 'luctum unigeniti', it means 'mourning for the only child', which in Hebrew is written as 'Jaid', which sounds more lonely than 'unigenitum'. If it were 'dilectus' or 'amabilis', as the Septuagint translated it, it would have been written as 'Idid', which God also named Solomon. But there is nothing more painful than losing one's only son (II Reg. XII). Also, the phrase we interpreted as 'the devastator will come suddenly', or 'misery will come upon us', the Septuagint translated as 'upon you', but God has said with much more mercy that whatever is to come upon his people, he also testifies will come upon himself. Vastator properly signifies either Nabuchodonosor or the devil.6:27-30
(Verse 27 and following) I have appointed you as a strong tester among my people, and you will know and prove their ways. All these leaders are turning away (or disobedient), walking deceitfully (or perversely). Bronze and iron are all corrupted, the bellows in the fire have failed (which the Greeks more significantly call a 'puffer'), the lead is consumed, the refiner has vainly blown (or the moneylender). For their wickedness is not consumed: call them reprobate silver, for the Lord has rejected them. The prophet is given as a strong proof to an unbelieving people, which is called Mabsar in Hebrew, which either means fortified, according to Aquila, or enclosed and surrounded, according to Symmachus and the Septuagint, like a very strong city, so that it fears no treachery from any people; and when you have proven and understood the way of a sinful people, then you will understand that silver mixed with copper cannot be purged in any way. For just as lead is mixed with metals that are adulterated and corrupted, so that the foreign material can be separated, and if perhaps it has not been purified, all the lead is consumed and reduced to nothing: in the same way, every discourse of teachings and prophetic speech perishes in those who scorn to listen (Psalm 57). Let us speak also about those who, like deaf asps, plug their ears so as not to hear the voices of those who enchant. For the mint worker and the metal smelter have labored in vain: their wickedness has not been consumed. Therefore, they are called not silver, but reprobate silver, because the Lord has rejected them. And the princes are those who turn away from the Lord, who walk perversely and deceitfully.7:1-2
(Chapter 7, Verses 1-2) The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying: Stand in the gate of the house of the Lord, and proclaim (or read) there this word, and say: Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah who enter in through these gates to worship the Lord. This is not found in the LXX edition, but is added from Theodotion's translation from Hebrew. The Prophet is commanded to stand in the gate of the Lord, through which the multitude of the people enters to worship the Lord, so that they may hear what the Lord commands. By which we understand the hardness of the Jewish people, because they regarded the prophets as liars and madmen, while they were compelled by the opportunity and the fame of the place to hear the words of the Lord; and not because the words were from the Lord.7:3
(Verse 3.) Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Make (or direct) your ways and your pursuits (or inventions) good, and I will dwell with you in this place (or make you dwell in this place). The most merciful physician desires to heal all those wounded with medicine. For when he says, 'Make (or correct) your ways good,' he shows that they are perverse and have no good in themselves. And because it is natural for each person to love their homeland alone and have nothing sweeter, rewards are promised to the obedient. 'I will dwell with you,' he says, 'to make you secure in your habitation': either I will establish a stable dwelling for you yourselves, according to Symmachus, who says, 'And I will strengthen you in this place.'7:4-7
(Verse 4 and following) Do not trust in deceitful words, saying: The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord is here. For if you will bless (or direct) your ways and your pursuits, if you will administer justice between a man and his neighbor (or his), if you will not commit injustice (or oppress them) against strangers, orphans, and widows, if you will not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you will not walk after foreign gods to your own harm; then I will dwell with you (or make you dwell) in this place, in the land which I gave to your fathers from the age to age. What the Seventy added to the beginning of this chapter: 'In words of falsehood, which will not benefit you at all,' is not found in the Hebrew. And at that time he commanded both the people of Judah and us who seem to be established in the Church, not to place our trust in the splendor of buildings, in gilded ceilings, and in walls adorned with marble crusts. And let us not say, 'The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.' For that is the temple of the Lord, in which true faith dwells, holy conversation, and the chorus of all virtues. Finally, it brings forth: If you walk in the right paths, and your thoughts do not stray after error, and if you follow justice and do not commit evil, nor shed innocent blood, nor cause the simple to stumble, and if you do not walk after foreign gods and worship perverse doctrines, which you have imagined in your hearts for your own harm; then I will dwell with you in this place, which you call the Temple of God, and in the land that I have given to your fathers, to the Apostles, namely, and to the Apostolic men; or certainly I will make you dwell securely from the beginning to the end. This can apply to those virgins who boast of their chastity and present their chastity with an impudent countenance, when their conscience holds something else and they do not understand the Apostle's definition of virginity: that it should be holy in body and spirit. For what good is the chastity of the body to a mind corrupted, if it does not possess the other virtues described by the prophetic discourse?7:8-10
(Verse 8 and following) Behold, you trust in yourselves with words of falsehood (or lies) which have not benefited you. To steal, to kill, to commit adultery, to swear falsely, to offer sacrifices to Baal, and to follow foreign gods that you do not know. And you have come and stood before me in this house, in which my name is invoked, and you have said: We are delivered (or we have ceased): because we have done all these abominations. They vainly have confidence in the temple, as the following sins show. For what profit is it to boldly enter the threshold of God's house, standing with erect neck: and not only to have a polluted heart, but also hands defiled with theft, homicide, adultery, perjury, sacrilege, and worship of those gods whom you do not know? No one doubts that these things happen spiritually in the Church, when considering the happiness of the present time, they do not consider their own sins: and they think that God is hidden, because punishment does not immediately follow; rather, they break forth into such madness, that they think themselves freed, because they have also turned away from the worship of the Lord after evil deeds.7:11
(Verse 11.) Has this house (or mine) become a den of thieves, as it is written (Vulg. Therefore), in which my name has been invoked in your eyes? I, I am: I have seen, says the Lord. I think this is taken from the Gospel: It is written: My Father's house shall be called a house of prayer: but you have made it a den of thieves (Matthew 21:13); or, as it is written in another Gospel, a house of trade (John 2:16). The Church of God turns into a den of thieves, when thefts, homicides, adulteries, sacrileges, perjuries, the invention of heresies, and all those crimes are committed within it: when the princes are inflamed with the torches of greed, and the once riches of kings possess a cheap or certainly not costly cloak. From this it follows: I, I am, I have seen, says the Lord. My eyes have seen what you think is hidden: the darkness of treasures does not escape my consciousness. He who was rich became poor for us, now he blushes at our wealth (I Cor. VIII), and says: Woe to you, the wealthy, who have your consolation (Luke VI).7:12
(Verse 12.) Go to my place in Shiloh, where my name dwelt from the beginning, and see what I have done to it because of the evil of my people Israel. The present teaches from the past: and to those who say, 'The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord,' and who rejoice in the splendor of the precious house, Shiloh, where the tabernacle of God was first, recalls a history, about which it is written in the psalm: 'And he rejected the tabernacle of Shiloh' (Psalm 78:60). Just as that place collapsed into ruins and ashes, so too shall the Temple collapse, since it was a dwelling place of similar sins. Therefore, just as the destruction of the Temple serves as an example for us, so too shall the Temple, when the time comes for that prophecy to be fulfilled: Do you think, when the Son of Man comes, he will find faith on earth? (Luke 18:8)7:13-15
(Verse 13 onwards) And now because you have done all these works, says the Lord: and I spoke to you rising up early and speaking, and you did not hear: and I called you, and you did not answer: I will do to this house, where my name has been invoked, and in which you have trusted, and to the place which I have given to you and your fathers, as I did to Shiloh: and I will cast you away from my face, just as I cast away all your brothers, the entire offspring of Ephraim (also called Israel). This, which we have set forth, is not found in the Septuagint when one rises in the morning and speaks. However, God rises in the morning, not because there is any time without dawn for Him, but so that after the rest of the night, with the strength of the body restored, the soul of man may be more lively and not occupied by pleasures and the desire for food, and may be able to hear and do what is said. Therefore, we also read this in the psalm: In the morning, you will hear my voice; in the morning, I will stand before you and see (Psalm 5:4-5). And in Isaiah: By night, or at daybreak, my spirit will rise up to you, O God: for your commandments are a light upon the earth (Isaiah 26). Therefore, Paul the apostle also calls the sons of light (Ephesians 5), and not of the night or darkness, nor of those who sleep, as the rest do, who do not perceive the commandments of God. Because God called them, rising up from the night, in order to deliver them from darkness, he threatens to do similar things to them as he did to the Temple in Jerusalem, which he made in the place of Shiloh, where the tabernacle first was: so that similar sins may be punished with the same verdict. And how the Lord rejected the seed of Ephraim, that is, the ten tribes which were called Israel, and had princes because of Jeroboam the son of Nebat from the tribe of Ephraim, which was also called the tribe of Joseph; so also Jerusalem and the tribe of Judah with Benjamin testify that they will be rejected. He rejected Shiloh, intending to reject the Temple as well: he rejected the ten tribes, intending to reject the two as well. Whatever is said to that people, let us understand it also of ourselves, if we do similar things.7:16
(Verse 16.) Therefore, do not pray for this people, nor take on their praise and prayer (or do not ask to obtain mercy for them). And do not resist me, for I will not listen to you. So that it may not seem that the Prophet does not obtain what he asks for, God commands that he not pray for the sinful people who do not repent. And when he says, 'And do not resist me,' he shows that the prayers of the saints can resist God's wrath. And the Lord spoke to Moses: Let me alone, that I may destroy this people: and I will make thee into a great nation (Exod. XXXII, 10). And in the psalms it is written: And Phinehas stood up and appeased him, and the shaking ceased, and it was counted to him for justice (Psal. CV, 30). And Aaron, having taken the censer, stood in the midst between the living and the dead, and the wrath of God ceased. And lest we think that God is cruel, who does not even allow himself to be asked, he gives reasons why he does not listen (Num. XVI), saying:7:17-19
(Verse 17 and following) Don't you see what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? The sons gather wood, the fathers light the fire, and the women knead dough to make cakes for the queen of heaven. They also pour out drink offerings to other gods, provoking me to anger. Do they provoke me to anger?" says the Lord. "Do they not provoke themselves, to their own shame? Therefore thus says the Lord: 'Behold, my anger and my wrath will be poured out on this place, on man and beast, on the trees of the field and the fruit of the ground; it will burn and not be quenched.' They do these things that follow: Both inside and outside, both in the streets and in the exits of Jerusalem, the sons carry wood, and the fathers light the fire, and the women sprinkle fat with flour, in order to make Chauonim, which we have interpreted as pancakes, or preparations, to show all kinds of sacrifices to the queen of heaven, whom we should accept as the moon; or certainly to the army of heaven, so that we understand all the stars. And after this they willingly offer incense to foreign gods: not because they are gods, but because under their names they summon demons, and provoke me to anger by doing these things. The wretched fools do not understand that this dispute does not harm me, whom anger never affects: but it brings upon themselves confusion of their own countenance, and everlasting dishonor. Therefore, whatever we do, we do not harm God, who can never be harmed: but we prepare destruction for ourselves, storing up wrath for the day of wrath. Therefore, He established different duties for sons, fathers, mothers, and even wives, so that no age would dissent from impiety.7:20
(Verse 20) Therefore, thus says the Lord God: Behold, my wrath and my indignation have been poured out (or have dripped) upon this place, upon men and upon animals, upon the trees of the region, and upon the fruits of the earth; and it shall burn and not be extinguished. He who said before: Do they provoke me to anger? How now does he say: Behold, my wrath and my indignation have dripped upon this place? And here is the meaning: I, indeed, naturally do not get angry, but they act in such a way as to provoke me to anger, and I seem to change my nature. Therefore, they try to make me angry as much as they can. And beautifully, he does not say that my anger was poured out on this place, but that it dripped: to signify a moderate punishment. But if in a drop of anger there is such harshness, what will happen if the entire rain pours out? But even a mixed feeling of indignation can be understood in such a way that what he did not want to do for a long time, he is compelled to do because of the multitude of sins. But when God becomes angry, both humans and the things that belong to humans will experience a similar destruction. And it will be set on fire, he says, no doubt because of the rage of the Lord, and it will not be extinguished, because the people do not act in a way that can extinguish it.7:21-23
(Verse 21 onwards) Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices, and eat the flesh. For I did not speak to your fathers, or command them concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. But this is what I commanded them, saying, 'Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.' When He condemns the temple, He consequently condemns the sacrifices as well; and He indirectly accuses them because they offer victims not out of reverence for Him, but out of a desire for feasts. Moreover, when He says, 'I did not speak with your fathers, nor did I command them concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices, it is clearly understood that He first gave the Decalogue on stone tablets, written by the finger of God, and after the offense of idolatry and the worship of the golden calf, He then ordered sacrifices to be made to Him instead of to the demons, thus setting aside the pure worship of God's commandments and allowing the offering of blood and the desire for meat.7:24-25
(Ver. 24, 25.) And they did not listen, nor incline their ear, but they went after their own desires and the wickedness of their evil hearts. They turned backwards, and not forwards, from the day their fathers left the land of Egypt until this day. When I spoke, saying, 'Listen to my voice, and I will be your God,' they did not listen, nor incline their ear, but they followed the desires of their own hearts. And contrary to the opinion of the Apostles, who forgot the past and reached out to the future, they did the opposite: desiring the past and despising the future. And he says that, from the day their fathers left the land of Egypt until this day, they have always been transgressing against the Lord. Hence, the grace of the Gospel was necessary, which preserved them not by their own merit, but by the mercy of the Lord.7:26
(Verse 26) And I sent to you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, 'Turn now everyone from his evil way and amend your doings, and do not go after other gods to serve them, and you shall dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers.' But you have not inclined your ear nor listened to me. Instead, you have stiffened your neck and done worse than your fathers. Therefore, the anger of the Lord was kindled against this people, and it has poured out and not been quenched.'7:27-28
(Verse 27, 28.) And you shall speak to them all these words, and they will not listen to you. And you shall call to them, and they will not respond to you. And you shall say to them: This is a people who has not heard the voice of their Lord God, nor received discipline. Faith has perished and has been taken away from their mouth. Do not doubt, he says, that they have hardened their neck, and have done worse than their fathers. Behold, I give them a place for repentance: and yet I do not speak that they may become, but because they will be, therefore I foretell. Speak now to them with my words, and yet they will not listen to you; and you will call to them, and they will not respond to you. For their pride will be so great that when you call them to hear, no one will deign to respond. And you will say to them: This is a nation that has not heard the voice of their God, nor received discipline. Beautifully, as I have said before, he calls not his people, but a nation. Although this was done in part during the time of the Prophets, and it has preceded in shadow and in image, it is more fully fulfilled in Christ, when they refused to receive discipline and despised the voice of their Lord. Where elegantly is inferred: Faith has perished, which properly belongs to Christians; and it has been taken away from their lips: namely, all confession of the Son of God and of faith.7:29
(Verse 29.) Shave your hair and cast it away, and take up a lamentation upon your lips: for the Lord has cast off and abandoned the generation of his wrath. And when Job heard of the death of his sons and daughters, he tore his garments and shaved his head (Job 1): and among the ancients, it was the custom of mourners to shave their hair. But now, on the contrary, letting one's hair down is a sign of mourning. However, every lamentation and prophetic wailing is undertaken for this reason: because the Lord has cast off and abandoned the generation of his wrath. There is no doubt that it signifies the people of the Jews. And especially this can be referred to the time of Christ, when faith perishes, and the Lord is blasphemed by the people.7:30-31
(Verse 30, 31.) Because the sons of Judah have done evil in my sight, says the Lord: they have set up their stumbling blocks in the house where my name is invoked, to defile it. And they have built the high places (or altar) of Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in fire: which I did not command, nor did it come into my mind. We learn in the beginning of Ezekiel that the sons of Judah put a statue of Baal in the Temple of God. However, the high places, which are called Bamoth in Hebrew, or the altar of Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Sons of Hinnom, signify that place which is watered by the springs of Siloam; and it is pleasant and wooded, and even today offers delights of gardens. However, the error of paganism occupied all the provinces, so that they would sacrifice victims on the tops of mountains and in the most beautiful groves, and all the superstitions of corrupt religion would be observed. Topheth, in the Hebrew language, is interpreted as "width"; and it is reported in the book of Joshua the son of Nun concerning this place, which is in the Valley of the Sons of Hinnom, and in Hebrew it is called Gehenna (γέεννα), for it signifies a gorge, that is, a valley; and Hinnom either signifies a man's name or "favor". And the Hebrews report that this place is called Gehenna, because all the people of the Jews will perish there, offending God. In this place they also consecrated their sons with fire to the idols, or offered them as a burnt offering, which God did not command them, nor did the Law prescribe any such thing. If Jephthah offered his virgin daughter to God, it is not the sacrifice that pleases, but the intention of the offerer. And if a dog, or a donkey, or any unclean animal had come first to meet the father returning from the slaughter of the enemies, he should not have offered it to God.7:32-33
(Verse 32, 33.) Therefore, behold the days are coming, says the Lord, and it shall no longer be called Topheth, or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter; for they will bury in Topheth until there is no more room. The corpses of this people will be food for the birds of the air and the animals of the earth, and there will be no one to frighten them away. The time of the siege is indicated, which they endured from the ninth year of King Zedekiah until the eleventh year (2 Kings 25); and the fact that the valley itself should not be called Gehenna, that is, the Valley of Hinnom or the Valley of the Sons of Hinnom, but rather the Valley of Slaughter due to the killing of many. But there will be such a slaughter, that in the place previously dedicated to religion, countless graves will be buried: and those who could not be buried, will be torn apart by birds and devoured by beasts. And let there be no one to drive them away, fearing the same, and the duties of burying the dead. We hurry through the obvious, so that wherever there is a place, we may dwell in darkness. For the magnitude of the book itself can cause disgust to readers, let alone if it is more extensively discussed by us.7:34
(Verse 34.) And I will cause the cities of Judah to cease, and I will silence in the streets of Jerusalem the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride. For the land shall become a desolation. And when places of idolatry are turned into tombs, the unburied corpses of those who offended God shall lie there, from the once city of Jerusalem and from the other cities that were under its dominion, all joy and mourning and groaning and desolation shall be removed.8:1-3
(Chapter 8, verses 1 and following) In that time, says the Lord, the bones of the king of Judah and the bones of his princes and the bones of the priests and the bones of the prophets and the bones of those who lived in Jerusalem will be thrown out of their tombs. And they will spread them before the sun and the moon and all the host of the heavens, which they loved and served and after which they walked and which they sought and worshiped. They shall not be gathered nor buried; they shall be as dung upon the face of the earth. And all those who remain from this wicked kinship will choose death over life, in all the places that have been abandoned, to which I have cast them out," says the Lord of Hosts. "We witness in our time that everything that the prophetic word describes has happened: not only to Jerusalem, which suffered these things from the Chaldeans and Romans, but to the whole world, so that tears have dried up, and everything is filled with the bones of the dead. And because they used to bury gold and certain ornaments, either of women or men, in tombs according to the ancient custom, greed also broke and dug them up so that they would be exposed to the sky and light. And therefore the bones of the kings of Judah, and its princes, and of the priests and prophets, and of all the people who had been in Jerusalem, were brought forth from the tombs, exposed to the sun and moon, and to the sight of all the stars, so that those whom they had served, abandoning God, would be exposed to their sights, and consumed in dung and ashes. But if anyone were able to escape from the crowd and go to whatever place, he would prefer death to life: and he would think that the destruction of an unfortunate soul is a remedy.8:4
(Verse 4.) And you shall say to them: Thus says the Lord: Shall the one who falls not rise up again? And the one who turns away not return? After so many evils, it provokes those who were able to remain to repentance. Before the things that were threatened come, it exhorts to conversion, and gives place to repentance. But what is written in Hebrew: And the one who turns away not return, it signifies that the one who has turned away from God, if he wishes to turn to better things, can also turn the anger of God to better things and resist the coming and avoid the blows through prayers.8:5
(Verse 5) Therefore, why is this people in Jerusalem turned away with contentious turning away? They have grasped falsehood and did not want to return. As much as I have provoked them to repentance, they have turned away from me, not so much out of a desire to sin, but to overcome me. For they have strongly grasped falsehood, whether idols or every corrupt thing that is contrary to truth and justice, and they did not want to return. It is not said: they were not able; but they have eagerly followed unjust things.8:6
(Verse 6.) I listened and heard: no one speaks what is good. There is no one who repents for his sin, saying: what have I done? All have turned to their own course, like a horse rushing into battle. Called to repentance, they scornfully refuse to listen: and it is not enough for them to have sinned against the Lord and spoken blasphemy, but they all rush like horses, and with fervent speed into battle, not reflecting on their sin, nor saying, what have I done? By these things we understand that either these things are said about the whole human race, because it is prone to vices, or about the time of the Savior, when all together they became useless: there was no one who did good, there was not even one (Psalm 13). Therefore, he himself cries out mystically: Save me, Lord, for the holy one has failed (Psalm 11, 1). But if these things are so, where are those who say that we are free from sin by our own will? No one, he says, speaks what is good (Matt. XI): because we will also be held accountable for idle words on the day of judgment.8:7
(Verse 7) The kite in the sky knows its time: the turtledove and the swallow and the stork keep the time of their arrival. But my people do not know the judgment of the Lord. Regarding the kite, which Symmachus interpreted, the Septuagint and Theodotion used the Hebrew word 'Asida' (). Aquila translated it as 'herodium'. Again, for the swallow, Symmachus translated it as 'cicada', which is called 'Sis' in Hebrew (). But for the stork that we have translated, both Aquila and Symmachus translated it as it is written in Hebrew, 'Agur' (). However, the Septuagint translated it as 'agri passeres'. But it is the same perception, which is also placed at the beginning of Isaiah: The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master's manger; but Israel does not know me, and my people do not understand me (Isaiah 1:3); so even small birds know their seasons, and know when they should avoid the harshness of winter and return to their usual regions in the beginning of spring. But here we should understand "heaven" as the air that is above.8:8
(Verse 8.) How do you say, 'We are wise, and the Law of the Lord is with us'? Truly, the deceitful pen has worked deceit, scribes who boast knowledge of the Law, and the writers write iniquity. And he says:8:9
(Verse 9) The wise are confused, terrified and captured. For they have rejected the word of the Lord, and there is no wisdom in them. Not because they are wise who do these things; but rather, He calls the wise so that they may be condemned under judgment and their wisdom may be proven foolishness, as the Apostle Paul says: 'You who teach others, do you not teach yourself?' (Romans 2:21). And because they have rejected the word of the Lord, therefore there is no wisdom in them. Therefore, those who destroy doctrine with their actions boast in vain of their knowledge of the law.8:10-11
(Verses 10, 11.) Therefore I will give their women (or wives) to foreigners: their fields to their heirs. Because from the least to the greatest, all are eager for greed; from prophet to priest, all practice falsehood (or iniquity). And they healed the brokenness of my people lightly, saying: Peace, peace, when there is no peace. They received the wages of their works: those who rejected the word of the Lord were rejected by him. Their wives, he says, and possessions I will hand over to the enemy. And so that my opinion may not be considered cruel, let the judge hear the reasons: From the least to the greatest, all are devoted to greed (1 Timothy 6). For greed is the root of all evils. From prophet to priest, who should be preventing others from sinning, the first are guilty of crimes: and all either commit injustice by plundering others, or at least lie, so that there is no truth in their mouths. And after these things, as good physicians, they desired to heal the wounds of others with their words, who themselves were afflicted with wounds of all kinds of crimes. We see this every day also in our own people, with the blessed Apostle Paul saying: 'You who preach against stealing, do you steal?' (Rom. II, 21), and so on. When they see sinners and the wealthy, they desire to heal the contrition of the daughter of the people of God, that is, the Church; to the shame either of those who are deceived or of those who deceive others, so that they may say, with every wicked deed concealed: peace, peace, when there is no peace, and war of sins threatens them.8:12
(Verse 12.) They were confused because they committed abominations. However, they were not confused by their confusion, and they did not blush. Questioningly, is this to be read, so that the meaning would be: Did they blush at their crimes and understand the abominations they had committed? By no means, but they burst forth into such madness that they neither desired to correct their vices through confusion, nor to confess their crimes in the hope of forgiveness.They will fall among the fallen (or rushing), at the time of their visitation they will fall, says the Lord. These are the rewards of those who have not known how to be ashamed: whose dignity was higher than the peoples, they will be mixed with the ruins of the people. From the least to the greatest, everyone goes after falsehood, from prophet to priest, all practice deceit: but the time of visitation is coming, a near captivity.
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(Verse 13) I will gather them together, says the Lord. There are no grapes on the vines, and there are no figs on the fig tree; the leaf has fallen off, and I have given them what has passed by. The time of visitation, in which the transgressors will fall, is more clearly shown, saying: I will gather them together. Without a doubt, in Jerusalem, so that they will be besieged by the Chaldeans for a long time, and endure the evils of famine. When, he says, the seasons pass by, and summer turns into autumn, and the leaves of the trees fall in winter, you will see everything from afar, and from these things you will not obtain food. For there is no grape on your vines, from which you do not take the fruit (he will take): and there are no figs on the fig-tree, which the oppressed people sees the fruits of their trees devoured by enemies. The leaves, he says, will fall in the summer and autumn. For I have given them things that they would see passing by; and they would lose the abundance of all things with greater pain than they were not allowed to touch.8:14-15
(Vers. 14, 15.) Why are we sitting? Come together, and let us enter the fortified city or cities, and let us remain silent there or be cast out there, for our Lord has made us silent and has given us the drink of gall water. For we have sinned against the Lord, we have waited for peace, and it was not good: a time of healing, and behold, fear. The voice of the people responding is introduced, and confessing its own vices, and encouraging one another, to enter the fortified cities or walled city, or one city, Jerusalem: for the others had already been captured. And let us be silent there, he says, because our Lord has made us silent: for we do not have confidence in praying, whether we are cast there or expelled like refuse. He himself has given us a drink of bitter water: because we have turned sweet into bitterness against God. And the reason is clear why we drink such waters: For we have sinned against the Lord, and we have expected peace, even though we have done no good works: and we thought that the time of healing had come for us, when everything was filled with fear and terror. The change of persons, especially in the Prophets, makes understanding difficult: but if they are restored to their proper places, causes, and times, what seemed obscure will become clear.8:16
(Verse 16.) And a sound of his horses was heard, from the voice of the neighing of his warriors (or cavalry) the whole earth was shaken. And they came and devoured (or they will come and devour) the land and its abundance, the city and its inhabitants. Therefore, as the Septuagint translated above, the people did not say: Let us enter fortified cities, but a fortified city, to signify Jerusalem. Finally, even now he brings forth: the city and its inhabitants. But it is described by Dan, coming through Phoenicia with the army of Nebuchadnezzar, in the place where the river Jordan rises, and it predicts the events that will happen in the future, in Hebrew for the sake of truth.8:17
(Verse 17) Behold, I will send you serpents, rulers (or as the Septuagint translated, deadly ones) with whom there is no enchantment. And they will bite you, says the Lord, incurably, and you will fail with the pain of your heart. Those who come from Dan, whose noise has been heard and who have turned the whole land into a wilderness, are the same ones that the prophetic word indicates under a different figure, calling them deadly serpents or rulers as the Hebrew word Saphphonim (). I do not understand why the second edition of his work, as he says, was intended for spies, unless perhaps because of the similarity of words. To them, he says, there is no enchantment. For they pour out prayers in vain to God against the ancient serpent, the twisted serpent, who have despised the commandments of God. Let us use this passage against those who, by disregarding the words of the Savior, are delivered to hostile powers.8:18
(Verse 18) My sorrow is upon sorrow, my heart is mourning within me. As we have said before, the previous seventy sentences, which were said, were connected in order to establish: 'And they will bite you,' says the Lord, 'incurably: with the pain of your heart, you will faint.' However, in Hebrew, the word for pain, which is translated into Greek as ὀδύνη, is not so much a physical pain as it is a grimace of the mouth, contracted and resembling a laugh. These words must be read emphatically from the perspective of God, mourning the downfall of Jerusalem and not enduring its miseries.8:19
(Verse 19) Behold, the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people from a distant land. She describes weeping and the howling of the city of Jerusalem as the enemies enter.Is not the Lord in Zion, and is not his king in her? Indeed, the Lord himself is the king. Or certainly the Lord refers to the Father, and the king refers to the Son, according to that which is written under the name of Solomon: 'Give your judgment, O God, to the king, and your justice to the king's son' (Psalm 72:1). But why is there a voice of shouting in Jerusalem, and why does the shout come from a far away land? The clear reason is that the Lord is not in her, and her king has departed from her.
Why, then, have they provoked me to anger with their idols and their foreign vanities? The Lord has departed from them, he said, because they provoked me to anger with the worship of idols, even though I, who am their Lord and king, was the one they should have worshipped.
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(Verse 20.) The harvest has passed, the summer is ended: and we are not saved. Once again the people speak, who were besieged in Jerusalem for a long time, because the times have changed, and the cycle of years has come to an end, and all their hope has been in vain, and has passed away.8:21
(Verse 21.) I am crushed with the contrition of the daughter of my people, and I am sorrowful: astonishment has taken hold of me. God replied that he would be seen afflicted in the affliction of Jerusalem, and would be crushed in human likeness by astonishment.8:22
(Ver. 22.) Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people? Not only in this place, but also in many other passages of the Scriptures, we find the balm of Gilead being used as a symbol of repentance and healing. And now we wonder, why have the wounds of Jerusalem not been healed, and why have they not yet covered their skin with scars? This is because there are no prophets or priests to administer the healing balm.9:1
(Chapter IX — Verse 1) Who will give water to my head, and a fountain of tears to my eyes, so that I may weep day and night for the slain daughters of my people? If I could only be turned into weeping, and tears were to flow abundantly like a river, still I would not be able to weep worthy tears for the slain daughters of my people. For their affliction is so great that it surpasses all sorrow. And this can be understood both from the perspective of the Prophet and of the Lord.9:2
(Verse 2.) Who will give me lodging in the solitude of travelers, and I will leave my people and depart from them? LXX: Who will give me a final dwelling place in the solitude, so that I may leave my people and depart from them? It is better, he says, to dwell in extreme solitude than to dwell among such great crimes of men. Hence the Savior spoke in the Gospel: How long shall I bear with you? And in another place it is written: In that time, the one who understands will sit and be silent, for it is a time of great distress (Lamentations 3:28, Micah 2:7).9:3
(Verse 3.) Because they are all adulterers, a gathering of transgressors. And they have stretched out their tongue like a bow of falsehood and not of truth. They have grown strong in the land, for they have gone from evil to evil, and they have not known me, says the Lord. Sinners go from evil to evil, when they exchange idols for idols, and they go from sins to sins, or certainly from the evil of siege to captivity. And indeed, concerning the saints, it is said: They will go from strength to strength (Psalm 83:8). But concerning sinners: They have gone from evil to evil. And the cause of all miseries is that they did not acknowledge the Lord, and there is a gathering of transgressors and their tongues are armed like a drawn bow for blasphemy. And they are comforted on the earth so that they may deserve to hear: You are dust, and to dust you shall return (Gen. III).9:4-6
(Verse 4 and following) Let each person guard themselves from their neighbor, and let them not have trust in any brother, for every brother will deceive and every friend will act deceitfully; and a man will mock his brother, and they will not speak the truth. For they have taught their tongue to speak lies (or their tongue has learned to speak lies), in order to act wickedly, they have labored (or acted unjustly) and have not ceased from turning away. Your dwelling is in the midst of deceit, in deceit (or usury upon usury, and deceit upon deceit); they refused (or did not want) to know me, says the Lord. This place should be used in times of persecution and distress, when either faith is rare or non-existent: when neither brother nor neighbor can be trusted, and the enemies of a man are those of his own household (Mich. 7): when, according to the Gospel, the father will betray the son, and the son the father, and two will be divided into three, and three into two. And what it implies, They have taught their tongue to speak falsehood, or their tongue has learned to speak falsehood (Matt. X), shows that the habit of lying is somehow turned into nature: and they diligently act so that they may do wicked things. And what follows, Your dwelling is in the midst of deceit, in deceit, is specifically directed to the Prophet, that he dwells among a lying people; or as the Seventy translated: Usury upon usury, and deceit upon deceit: and that they increase their crimes daily, and have no remorse for their previous actions, but rather accumulate past offenses with new ones. They do these things, with all zeal, so that they may not know the Lord, who did not command these things to be done.9:7
(Verse 7.) Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will melt (or refine) and test them. For what else shall I do from the face of the daughter of my people (or what shall I do from the face of the malice of the daughter of my people)? As often as we are subject to difficulties, we receive evil from God, and we are tested by persecutions, so that whatever adulterous matter is in us, it is consumed (or burned up) by the fires of tribulations and miseries: For the silver of the Lord is refined by fire, tested by the earth, purified sevenfold (Psalm 11:7).9:8-9
(Verse 8, 9.) The arrow that wounds their tongue speaks deceit: in their mouth they speak peace with their friend but hide traps for them secretly. Will I not visit them for these things, says the Lord, or will not my soul take revenge on a nation such as this? Every heretic who wounds the hearts of those who hear and do not understand the scripture possesses an arrow that wounds, and speaks in deceit. And when he promises peace to his neighbor with his mouth, he secretly sets traps. But in the following verses, in which he says: 'Will I not visit these things? says the Lord: or will not my soul be avenged on a nation like this?' he frequently abuses this as a Prophet, so that when he enumerates the individual works of evil, he may infer that he does what he does justly.9:10
(Ver. 10.) Over the mountains I will lift up weeping and lamentation, and over the beautiful paths of the deserted plains there will be mourning. For they are burned up because there is no man passing through, and they have not heard the voice of the possessor, from the bird of the sky to the livestock they migrate and depart. With the coming of the Babylonian army, and as it devastates everything, the solitude of the province is prophesied, that there will be lamentation on the mountains, weeping in the desert or on the paths of the wilderness, that everything will fail and burn up, and there will be no one who walks the earth, with everyone slain and nothing remaining that can breathe and live. From the word 'possidente' (possessing), seventy substances were transferred, which in Hebrew is called Macne (): and here substance is not taken in the sense of essence, but in the sense of power and wealth. And what it implies is this: They have withdrawn and gone away from the birds of the air to the cattle, which shows what we have often said, that the whole creation feels the anger of God, and not only the birds of the air, but also the fish of the water perish. According to the allegory, we understand weeping upon the mountains, and lamentation upon the beautiful wilderness, when the leaders of the Church sin and nothing of God's substance is found in her, nor is the voice of the Lord who possesses the Church heard through the holy and apostolic men; and from the birds of the air to the cattle, from those who can ascend to the heights to the irrational and simplest creatures who have withdrawn (or have withdrawn) from God's assembly.9:11
(Verse 11) And I will make Jerusalem a heap of sand (or in exile) and a dwelling place of dragons, and I will make the cities of Judah desolate; because there is no inhabitant. When ecclesiastical men and teachers have failed, then Jerusalem is given into exile, or into a heap of sand, so that the heretic's speech prevails in it, and it becomes a dwelling place of dragons, and its cities are reduced to solitude, and there is no habitation of divine discourse in it, and he who says: I will dwell and walk in them, and I will be their God (Leviticus 26:12).9:12-14
(Verse 12 onwards) Who is the wise man who understands this, and to whom is the word of the Lord spoken, that he may declare it: why has the land perished and become scorched like a desert, because there is no one to pass through it? And the Lord said: Because they have forsaken my law that I gave to them, and have not listened to my voice, and have not walked in it, but have followed the stubbornness of their own hearts and after the Baals, which they learned from their fathers. He interrogates the Prophet, if anyone among the wise in Jerusalem is able to find, and those to whom the word of God is spoken, and who are able to announce the will of the Lord, and to provide reasons why Judah has been reduced to a desolation, and with everyone killed, there is no one remaining who can pass through it. And the Lord responds and provides reasons: because they have forsaken His Law that He gave to them, and have not listened to His voice, nor have they done what they should have done; but they have gone after the wickedness of their own hearts. Therefore, it is necessary to confess not according to our will, but in the Lord. For the heart is corrupt in all things. And from our heart come evil thoughts. And after the Baals, they went, as it is said, whom they learned from their fathers. Baal is the idol of the Sidonians, and Baalim is the plural number. Therefore, neither the error of our parents nor of our ancestors should be followed, but rather the authority of the Scriptures and the command of God, who teaches us.9:15-16
(Verses 15, 16.) Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will feed them, this people, with wormwood (or distress), and give them water of gall to drink. I will scatter them among the nations, which neither they nor their fathers have known, and I will send a sword after them until they are consumed. It can also be prophesied about the near future, when they were taken captive by the Chaldeans, and specifically about this time, when they were dispersed among the nations, which they and their fathers had not known, and were divided throughout the entire world, and were fed with wormwood, or with hardships and distress. And they drank a drink of water mixed with gall, which signifies either the magnitude of their evils, or the eternal yoke of captivity: or certainly, because of their ignorance of God's law, they are about to receive Antichrist in place of Christ. But a sword is sent after them, to consume them even to their destruction. Or certainly, a sword that divides them and does not allow them to have agreement in evil, so that they may perish in what is evil.9:17-18
(Verse 17, 18.) Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider (or understand) and call for the mourning women, that they may come; and send for the wise women, that they may hurry, and let them take up a lamentation for us (or for you), and let our (or your) eyes shed tears, and let our (or your) eyelids flow with water; for the voice of lamentation is heard from Zion (or in Zion). Because of the future captivity and destruction of Jerusalem, he orders the mourners to be called, who are accustomed to wailing, striking their chests with a lamenting voice, to provoke the people to tears. For this custom remains in Judaea even to this day, that women with their hair scattered and their breasts exposed, with a melodious voice, stir everyone to weeping. And God joins Himself with compassionate feeling, or the Prophet, so that whatever the people endure, he may declare that he himself endures and feels it. But what follows is: Because the voice of lamentation is heard from Zion, immediately follows what this voice is.9:19
(Verse 19.) How desolate and utterly confused we are! Because we have forsaken the land, for our tents have been abandoned. This is the voice of those lamenting Zion: how desolate and utterly confused we are! And immediately they answer themselves and explain the reasons for their devastation, saying: Because we have forsaken the land, through our own fault and sin, and our tents have been abandoned, which once possessed as if passing by. Let them say this also to the crowds of once believing, in persecution: that they have been devastated and confused because they have abandoned the land of the Lord and have deserted their tents.9:20-21
(Verse 20, 21.) Therefore, listen, women, to the word of the Lord, and let your ears receive the speech of His mouth, and teach your daughters lamentation, and each one her neighbor mourning. For death has entered through our windows, it has come into our houses: to destroy the children from outside, the young men from the streets. In the previous chapter, He had said: call for the mourning women to come, and send for the wise women, and let them hurry: now He speaks as if they were present, in condemnation of the priests and the teachers and all men: so that when they cease from teaching, these women may hear the word of the Lord, and receive the words of His mouth, and teach their daughters and neighbors the causes of mourning and the reasons for tears: For death has entered through our windows, it has come into our houses. Although it can be understood spiritually, because through all the senses death enters the soul's destruction of sins; yet it can also be understood about the attack of the Babylonians: that their strength and swiftness in fighting is so great that they do not wait to unlock doors; but they climb through windows and rooftops, to lay waste to the houses of Jerusalem. And the children who are outside perish, and leave Jerusalem; and the young ones, to whom John also writes, who do not enter through the narrow and restricted path that leads to life; but they walk through the streets, of which it is written: How broad and spacious is the path that leads to death (Matthew 7:13).9:22
(Verse 22.) Speak these things, says the Lord, and the mortality of man (or the corpses of men) will fall like dung on the face of the region (or the field) and like hay behind the reaper, and there is no one to gather. The Hebrew word, which is written with three letters Daleth, Beth, Res (for it does not have vowels in the middle), signifies speech for a consequence and at the discretion of the reader if it is read as Dabar (), it signifies a word; if Deber, it signifies death; if Daber, it signifies speak. And both the Septuagint and Theodotion joined that previous chapter, so that they said, 'They will scatter the little ones outside, and the young men will die in the streets.' But Aquila and Symmachus translated λάλησον, which means 'speak': so that God commands the Prophet to speak what follows: Thus says the Lord, and the rest. And the meaning is: When death ascends through our windows, and enters the houses of Jerusalem, and the little ones and young men outside perish in the streets: then there will be their death, or the corpses of the dead, like dung on the face of the earth, and like straw that is left behind by those who have reaped, and is not collected as useless. He wants to show by these things that such a great slaughter will happen in Jerusalem and around the city that there will be no one to bury the fallen.9:23-24
(Verse 23, 24.) Thus says the Lord: Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, and let not the strong man boast in his strength, and let not the rich man boast in his riches. But let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” All of humanity's pride is removed, as their wisdom, strength, and wealth are considered as nothing. The only true boast is to know and understand that He is the Lord who practices love, justice, and righteousness on the earth. All things are governed by God's providence and justice, and what may seem to lack reason to us is filled with justice and reason. For these things alone please God, and in them is his will. So where are those who say that man can reign according to his own will, and thus the power of free will is given, so that the mercy of God is taken away and justice? Hence the Apostle, taking up this testimony, sets forth an example: Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord (2 Corinthians 10:17).9:25-26
(Vers. 25, 26.) Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will visit everyone who is circumcised and has the foreskin, including Egypt, Judah, Edom, the Ammonites, the Moabites, and all those who have shaved their heads and live in the desert, for all the nations are uncircumcised. But the house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart. Many of the nations, especially those bordering Judea and Palestine, still practice circumcision to this day, particularly the Egyptians, Edomites, Ammonites, Moabites, and all the region of the Saracens who dwell in the wilderness and are said to have shaved heads and live in the desert. Therefore, Judah, who is mixed with the aforementioned Gentiles, should not boast, because he does not have foreskin, but is circumcised according to God's law. For there are others who do these things and do not keep the commandments of the law, and they are ignorant of the God of Israel. Circumcision does not profit, which is given as a sign, unless the commandments of the Lord are fulfilled; just as the hair, which signifies a nation, does not provide strength of body and the might of warriors. And what follows: All nations have foreskin, but all the house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart. This has the meaning that, except for the Egyptians, Edomites, Ammonites, and Moabites, and the Ishmaelites who dwell in the wilderness, most of whom are circumcised, all other nations throughout the world are uncircumcised in flesh; but the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart, not in flesh; and this uncircumcision leads to death. For that is the flesh, this is the spirit.10:1
(Chapter 10, Verse 1) Hear the word that the Lord has spoken to you, O house of Israel. Thus says the Lord: Do not learn the ways of the nations or be dismayed at the signs of the heavens, for the nations are dismayed at them. For the customs of the peoples are vanity. He specifically speaks against those who worship the celestial bodies and use the signs of the years, seasons, months, and days to determine the fate of humankind and to govern earthly matters based on celestial causes. And what he says: Laws, or legal regulations, of the people are empty, it shows that all human wisdom is futile, and has no usefulness in itself.10:3-5
(v. 3-5.) Because it was cut down from the forest, the work of a craftsman with an axe: decorated with silver and gold, fastened with nails and hammers, so that it would not be dissolved (or moved). They are made in the likeness of a palm tree and do not speak: they are carried and brought, because they cannot walk. Therefore, do not fear them, because they cannot do evil, nor can they do good. Description of the idols that the nations worship. He said that he cut down the wood from the forest. Therefore, the material of idols is cheap and perishable: the work of a craftsman's hands. Since the craftsman is mortal, the things he makes are also mortal. He decorated it with silver and gold, to deceive the simple-minded with the splendor of both materials. This error has also passed to us, so that we consider wealth as a religion. He fastened it with nails and hammers, so that it would not be dissolved or moved. The power of these idols, which cannot stand on their own, unless they are fastened together with keys and hammers! They are made to resemble a palm tree, adorned with the beauty of metals and the art of painting: but they do not possess utility, by which they provide any benefits to the craftsman. And they cannot speak. For they have no life within them. Of them it is written: They have mouths, but do not speak; they have ears, but do not hear. They will be carried away (Psalm 115:5-6). He is stronger who carries than those who are carried; indeed, in him there is meaning, in this there is form without meaning. Therefore, do not fear them, because they can neither do good nor evil. For, indeed, many of the gentile demons are accustomed to worship, so as not to harm, and to beseech others to bestow blessings: Whence also that saying of Virgil (Aeneid. I):The dark winter sky, the white sheep with favorable west winds. Whatever we have said about idols, it can be referred to all teachings that are contrary to the truth. For they themselves promise great things and fashion an image of empty worship from their own hearts. They boast of great things and deceive the simple, as if they were dazzling with golden senses and eloquent words, they bind the eyes of the foolish and are exalted by their inventors, in whom there is no usefulness, and whose worship is specific to the nations and those who do not know God.
10:6-10
(Verse 6 and following) There is none like you, O Lord: you are great, and your name is great in power. Who will not fear you, O king of the nations? Yours is the glory among all the wise of the nations, and in all their kingdoms there is none like you. Both fools and wise men will be proved, their teaching is empty as a wooden idol. Silver brought from Tarshish is plated (or brought) and gold from Ophaz, the work of an artist and the hand of a craftsman. Hyacinthus and their purple garment: the work of craftsmen (or wise men) all these things. But the Lord God is true: this God is living and everlasting king. The earth will be moved from his indignation, and the nations will not be able to withstand his threat. These are not found in the Septuagint, but were added in many places from Theodotion's Edition, and although they seem clear according to the letter, they present a great difficulty according to allegory. For there is no one like the true God, of those gods who are fabricated by heretical art. All will fear him, for he is the king of the nations. The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord (Prov. IX, 10): and from it we advance to true charity. 'The glory is yours,' he says. In truth, there is beauty; in falsehood, there is ugliness: although heretics, according to the wisdom of the world, which is destroyed, may seem wise to themselves; nevertheless, in all the kingdoms which they tear the Church in, none are like you, as the divine word says: 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will reject the prudence of the prudent' (I Cor. I, 19). Both the wise and the foolish exist together. Their education, depending on the quality of their intelligence, is either cheap and compared to wood, or similar to silver because of the elegance of their speech. It is brought from Tharsis. Tharsis is either a region of India, as Josephus says, or certainly the entire sea is called Tharsis, and it has a resemblance to the sky; and yet it is wrapped in the artifice of words, or extended. If it wants to deceive, it will not be able to. And gold from Ophaz. Gold is called by seven names among the Hebrews, one of which is called Ophaz, which we can call obryzum, so that it shines on the surface of idols, which internally is wood and of cheap material. They are covered with hyacinth and purple, so that they deceive the eyes with their surface, while promising to themselves the color of the heavens and the kingdoms of the sky; and yet all these things are the work of the wise, who are considered wise in this world; but before God they are foolish. But our Lord God, the true God, is. Therefore, all those things are lies. And He is the living God: therefore, those things that are feigned are dead. And He is the eternal king. The shadows of heretics prevail for a time, but are corrupted over a long time. The earth will be moved from His indignation: those who engage in earthly works and fashion worldly idols. And the nations will not endure, nor the people of the Lord, but the multitude of nations who are unable to bear the threat of God.10:11
(Verse 11) So you shall say to them: The gods who did not make the heavens and the earth, let them perish from the earth and from those things that are under the heavens. These things must be said about false gods and those that are artificially composed. For they neither made the heavens nor the earth. Those who are co-workers of Christ are called gods: and by the teaching of the Church, they assist greatly in building the house.10:12-16
(Verse 12 and following) The one who made the earth in his strength, who established the world in his wisdom, and who stretched out the heavens in his understanding. By his voice, he gives a multitude of waters in the sky, and he lifts up the clouds from the ends of the earth. He made lightning for rain, and he brings forth the wind from his storehouses. Every man has become foolish because of his knowledge; every artisan is put to shame by his idols. For what he has made is false and there is no spirit in them. They are worthless and fit only for ridicule. They will perish at the time of their visitation. It is not like these, the portion of Jacob. For He who formed all things, He is, and Israel is the rod of His inheritance; the Lord of hosts is His name. He who makes the earth by His power, He is God the Father. But He also makes by His power the Lord the Savior. For Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24). He Himself is both wisdom and the one by whom the heavens are stretched out. For He Himself spoke and they were made; He Himself commanded and they were created (Psalm 33:9); speaking to the Son: Let us make man in our image, and according to our likeness (Genesis 1:26). He gives a multitude of waters in the heavens at his voice. For all the doctrine of the Lord flows from the heavens, as David says: You will separate God a voluntary rain for your inheritance, and it was weakened, but you have perfected it. And he raises or brings forth the clouds from the ends of the earth (Psal. 67:10). The clouds, or the clouds by which God commanded that they should not rain a shower upon Israel (Isa. 5), are brought forth from the ends of the earth, of which one cloud spoke: For I think that God has set forth us the apostles last, as men appointed to death, because we are made a spectacle to this world, and to angels, and to men (1 Cor. 4:9). He made lightning into rain. For when the rain of doctrine comes down from heaven and nourishes the parched hearts of men, then you will find flashes and bright flashes of wisdom. And he brings forth winds from his treasuries; in them are all the treasures of hidden wisdom and knowledge. All men have become fools because of knowledge. Though that Paul, though Peter, though Moses, and Abraham may be wise, in comparison to God, all their wisdom will be considered as nothing: hence, even the foolishness of God is wiser than men. Every artist who sculpted images without a heart is confused and what he created is false. But if every person is ignorant of knowledge, everything false that he made is foolish. And there is no spirit in them. It should be noted that in this chapter, wind and spirit are called by one name among the Hebrews, Rûaḥ (); but he calls it the Spirit of sanctification, which cannot be found in the minds of heretics. They are vain and worthy of laughter. For who would not laugh when they see the images of heretics? Either they are rustic and wooden, or they are composed in beautiful language and contain silver, or they are admittedly simulated with their own sense and falsely promise the image of gold. In the time of their visitation, they will perish. Heresy is valuable for a time, so that the chosen ones may be made manifest and proven. But when the visitation of God comes and His foolish eye sees everything, all things fall silent (I Cor. XI). There is no one like these people of Jacob: those who have supplanted the Jews and destroy heretics every day. But the part of God is the Saints: of whom the prophet says: My part, O Lord. For he who formed all things, he is (Psalm 72:26): who made and fashioned all things, both in spirit and in body. And Israel is the rod of his inheritance. Whoever is upright in God or perceives God with understanding, is the scepter of his inheritance. Whose name is the Lord Almighty, or of Hosts, for this means the Lord of Hosts, which is written in Hebrew as the Lord Sabaoth.10:17-18
(Vers. 17, 18.) Gather from the land your confusion, you who dwell in siege; for thus says the Lord: Behold, I will cast far away the inhabitants of the earth this time, and I will afflict them that they may be found. LXX: It has gathered from outside its substance, which dwells in the fortified place. For thus says the Lord: Behold, I will overthrow the inhabitants of this land, and I will afflict them, that they may be found. Jerusalem is commanded to gather whatever substance it has outside into the heavily fortified city, and to prepare provisions for a long siege. For never in the past has it been threatened about the future and long time, but now about the imminent captivity, which is soon to come. Gather, he says, both from outside and from the land, that is, from your fields, your possessions or confusion. For whatever you have, it is worthy of confusion: which, although you may prepare these things, learn the words of the Lord about them. Behold, in this case, at this time, I will cast, or rather throw far away the inhabitants of this land like a sling: for which the Seventy translated 'I will supplant' and 'I will make them fall.' For the Hebrew word Colea (), Aquila and Symmachus interpreted it as σφενδονήσω. And the meaning is: I will cast like a sling with all my might, and thus I will besiege them: and I will distress and constrain them, so that all may be found in the city, and they may not be able to escape the disaster.10:19
(Verse 19.) Woe is me for my brokenness, my grievous wound. LXX: Woe is you for your brokenness, your grievous wound. According to the Hebrew text, Jerusalem itself speaks, expressing that it has been heavily afflicted and endures an incurable wound. However, according to the LXX, it is the Prophet who speaks to Jerusalem and laments over its brokenness and its wound.But I say, truly this is my weakness (or my wound), and I will bear it (or it seizes me). Jerusalem itself speaks: whatever I suffer, I suffer by my own fault: I understand my wound which seizes me, or I will endure the wrath of the Lord, for I have sinned against Him.
10:20
(Verse 20.) My tent has been devastated, all my ropes have been torn (or all my skins have been ripped), my sons have left me (or my sheep), and there is no one left ((Alternatively: remaining)): there is no one to extend my tent any further (or there is no place beyond my tent) and to set up my skins. Jerusalem laments the ease with which its city is overthrown, not by walls and fortifications completely destroyed, but by the removal of tents and tabernacles. The tabernacle, he says, that is, my dwelling, was suddenly taken away. All my cords were broken. He preserves the metaphor of the tabernacle, that is, all my coverings were torn. My sons have left me, that is, my livestock, which is added by the Septuagint, does not fit the story. For in a long siege, how could sheep and livestock be taken away from Jerusalem, which even if they had been there, would have been consumed by famine? And they do not remain, that is, they are not. For they have not been translated into Chaldean, but a great part of them has been completely destroyed and wiped out. There is no one to extend my tent anymore: there is no one to restore me and lay the foundations of my walls, which have been laid down to the ground.10:21
(Verse 21.) Because the shepherds acted foolishly and did not seek the Lord: therefore, they did not understand, and the whole flock was scattered. Through the fault and dispersal of the shepherds and sheep, the culpability and scattering of the people is described. For the princes acted foolishly and did not seek the Lord, whom they should have sought with their whole heart: therefore, they did not see the coming evils, or did not understand the Lord, and the whole multitude of Jerusalem was scattered here and there.10:22
(Verse 22) A voice of the cry, behold it comes, and a great commotion from the land of the North: to make the cities of Judah desolate, a habitation of dragons (or a den of ostriches). And as Symmachus has interpreted, of sirens: for which in Hebrew, Thannim () is put. The words of the prophet: Behold, he says, the noise and the tumult of the Babylonian coming is heard, and great commotion, or earthquake, from the land of the North: to reduce all the cities of Judah, with the inhabitants being killed, into desolation, and to make dragons dwell instead of men, and all venomous creatures, or ostriches, which animal itself is familiar with desolation and is born and nurtured in the wilderness. Certainly, we can understand certain sirens, monsters, and phantoms of demons. All of these things that both past and present speech have described, let us refer them to times of persecution of the Church, when the tabernacles of the Lord are overthrown, and all the dwelling of the Church is reduced to solitude. And in order for all these things to happen, it is the fault of the shepherds, who acted foolishly and did not seek the Lord, nor understand Him, and therefore the whole flock is scattered.10:23
(Verse 23) I know, Lord, that it is not in man to direct his own steps: nor is it in man, to walk and guide his own footsteps. Let the new preachers be ashamed, who say that each one is ruled by his own will, when even the Prophet says: It is not in man to direct his own steps (Psalm 36:23). And let David sing in his lyric song: The steps of man are directed by the Lord, and his way he greatly desires. Whether this is referring to what we suffer from the Babylonians, it is not due to their strength, but to our own merit and your indignation.10:24-25
(Verse 24, 25.) Rebuke me, O Lord, but with justice, not in your anger, lest you reduce me to nothing. Pour out your indignation on the nations that do not know you, and on the provinces (or generations) that have not invoked your name, for they have devoured Jacob and consumed his dwelling place, and they have scattered (or reduced to desolation) his glory (or pasture). We also read this passage in the psalm: O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger; do not discipline me in your wrath (Psalm 6:1; 38:1). And the meaning is this: We indeed deserve all that we endure, and we deserve much greater things than what we suffer. Nevertheless, I beseech you, that you may correct me as a father, not as an adversary: that you may correct me as a son, and not punish me as an enemy (Hebrews 12); for you discipline every son whom you receive, and you correct Jerusalem through every pain and scourge. However, the enemies who do not know you, and the provinces or regions who have not invoked your name, should not feel your judgment, but rather your displeasure (Psalm 88). For you have handed us over to be corrected. But they have made their yoke heavier: they have not spared the elderly, and they have afflicted the little ones: they have eaten us up and completely devoured us, and they have reduced Jerusalem to such desolation that they have plundered both public and private buildings and killed your people.11:1-3
(Chapter 11, verses 1-3) The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord saying: Hear the words of this covenant (or testament), and speak to the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and say to them: Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel. It is not indeed stated in the title under which time, or under which king, and in which year of his, this prophecy was made: but we understand that either this is to be connected with the previous prophecy and time, or certainly after some interval of time the word of the Lord was made to the Prophet in this message. However, it should be noted that the word Berith, in Aquila and Symmachus, is always translated as pact, while in the Septuagint and Theodotion it is translated as testament. Specifically, it now refers to Jerusalem and the men of the tribe of Judah.11:4
(Ver. 4.) Cursed is the man who does not listen to the words of this covenant that I commanded your fathers on the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the iron furnace, saying: Listen to my voice, and do all that I command you, and you shall be my people, and I will be your Lord (or God). Not because of the privileges of lineage, not because of the injury of circumcision, and the rest of the Sabbath, but because of obedience, God becomes the people of Israel, and Israel becomes his people. And here indeed He speaks as if to slaves, so that they may please God. But in the Gospel, the Lord says to His disciples: 'You are my friends,' He says, 'if you do what I command you. I will no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from My Father.' (John 15:14-15). And when they have become My friends, they pass on to being children: For as many as received Him, He gave them the power to become children of God. (John 1:12). Where he instructs his friends and disciples: Be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect (Matthew 5:48); he is commanding likeness, not equality. And there is obedience to the commandments, here is the likeness of God. And when he says: On the day when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the iron furnace, he gives us understanding that the furnace and the iron furnace, and the kindling of tribulation and punishment signify magnitude, not a specific place of punishment, prepared with iron material.11:5
(Verse 5.) In order to fulfill the oath that I swore to your fathers, I will give them a land flowing with milk and honey, just as it is on this day. The fathers seem to receive, as the sons receive; and the promise to Abraham is fulfilled in his descendants. However, we must understand the land flowing with milk and honey metaphorically as representing the abundance of all things, as Virgil says in Eclogue III.Let honey flow for them, let the rough bramble bear cinnamon. And again:
And everywhere he restrained the wines flowing in the rivers. Or certainly, tropologically, let us perceive the Church of Christ as the land flowing with milk and honey, in which we are nurtured as infants and sucklings through faith, so that we may be able to receive solid food.
And I answered and said, Amen, Lord. For which reason the Seventy translated 'Fiat, Domine' as 'Amen' (for this is what 'amen' signifies). The Lord had said, 'I have sworn to give to your fathers a land flowing with milk and honey,' as is confirmed today by the very things themselves (Exod. III). The diligent prophet takes up the voice of the Lord for his people and desires to be true and to endure forever what has been given. Therefore he says, 'Truly, Lord, you have fulfilled what you promised; whether it be done, Lord, or whether it endure forever, this is what you have given.'
11:6
(Version 6.) And the Lord said to me, proclaim (or read) all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying: Listen to the words of this covenant and do them. The most merciful God often predicts the future, so that the hard heart may be softened to believe. He predicts both in the city of Jerusalem and in the field outside, so that the same repentance may apply to both, which is the common distinction of those places.11:7-8
(Verses 7, 8.) For I solemnly warned your fathers on the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, warning them persistently, even to this day, saying, 'Obey my voice.' Yet they did not listen or incline their ear, but everyone walked in the stubbornness of his evil heart. Therefore I brought upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did not do.' Up to this point it is not found in the Septuagint, and what follows is inserted by them, connected with the end of the previous chapter, in which it is written: 'Hear the words of this covenant and do them,' but they did not do. But as for the morning rising, and God frequently speaking to them through the prophets, and leading them out of Egypt, and often admonishing them and saying, 'Listen to my voice'; and that they went astray after the wickedness of their own hearts, and afterwards received what they deserved, as we have already mentioned.11:9-10
(Vers. 9, 10) And the Lord said to me: A conspiracy has been found among the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem have turned back to the iniquities of their former fathers, who refused to listen to my words. And so they went after foreign gods to serve them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant, which I made with their fathers. As for the conspiracy, which we have interpreted according to Symmachus, Aquila, and the Septuagint, Theodotion has translated it as 'connection,' which we can also call 'binding.' And so Athalia, when she discovered that an ambush was being prepared for her in the Temple, spoke the same word: Conspiracy, conspiracy (2 Kings 11:14). The Scripture properly uses this word when it refers not to a sudden and accidental sin, but to a deliberate plot and conspiracy aimed at committing a crime, and when they all have the same mind and intention and work together to despise God's commandments. And it is said that both the fathers and the sons, with one mind and one judgment, neglected God and worshipped idols, both in Israel and in the house of Judah, that is, in the ten tribes as well as in the two tribes whose authority was in Jerusalem, so that, in their contempt for God, the punishment they suffered in captivity was equal.11:11-12
(Verse 11, 12.) Therefore, thus says the Lord: Behold, I am bringing upon them evil from which they cannot escape. They will cry out to me, but I will not listen to them. And the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they offer libations, but they will not save them in their time of distress. God does not listen in the time of necessity and distress because they also refused to listen to the voice of the Lord, just as Saul did. For when he was terrified by the Philistine armies and could not receive the word of the Lord, he turned to the Pythoness in order to learn from idols what he should have obtained through instant prayer and tears from the Lord (1 Kings 21). From this we learn that even if the Lord does not hear, we must by no means give up or turn to demons, who cannot help their worshipers, but to the Lord's help, who is quickly moved to anger and changes his mind if those who angered him are changed. But all that is now said pertains to the tribe of Judah and the city of Jerusalem, against which captivity threatens.11:13
(Verse 13) For according to the number of your cities were your gods, O Judah, and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem you have set up altars of confusion to burn incense to Baal. Let us read the books of Kings and Chronicles (2 Kings 21, 2 Chronicles 33), and we will find that Judah and Jerusalem have done far worse than Israel, so that as many cities as they had, they had just as many idols. And as many squares and street corners as there were in the city of Jerusalem, they had just as many altars of confusion, on which they would sacrifice to the idols of Baal.11:14
(Verse 14.) So you, do not pray for this people, and do not take on praise and prayer for them: for I will not listen to their cry to me, in the time of their affliction. It is commanded to Jeremiah, not to intercede for them to the Lord, for their sentence is already accomplished: lest his prayer appear weak, and not be heard because of their own wickedness. Do not, he says, pray for them, nor take on praise, so that by recalling the kindness of the old story, by which I have always had mercy on them, and by praising, you try to change my judgment. For if you do this, I will not hear those who are forced to ask me in their time of need. From them we learn that it is in vain to ask for someone else when he does not deserve to receive, for whom God is asked.11:15-16
(Vers. 15, 16.) What is it that my beloved has done many wicked deeds in my house? Will the holy flesh take away your malice, in which you have boasted? The Lord called your name a fruitful, beautiful, and pleasant olive tree, but when the great fire of his voice blazed in it, its branches were consumed. He called the people of Judah his beloved and most beloved, who placed idols in his temple and worshiped them, thinking that by offering many sacrifices he could appease God's anger and boasting in the multitude of offerings, which cannot take away the wickedness of sins. But Jerusalem, or rather the whole people of the Jews, is compared to fair and fruitful olive trees, which, exalted by pride, did not act humbly, nor did they understand their Creator and Lord; but, elevated by pride and speaking arrogantly, they were consumed by the fire of the Lord; so that their branches, or rather their orchards, were burned and reduced to nothing, and the entire people of their adversaries were destroyed by the sword. This sense is also found in another place (Chapter II), where it is said to Jerusalem: I planted you as a productive vine, the true vine: how have you turned into a bitter foreign vine? When its walls are destroyed, and a wild boar from the forest devastates it, and all the animals devour its fruits (Psalm 78), let us say this chapter to the princes of the churches: What is it that my beloved has done many crimes in my house? Or surely to the rich, who plunder another's goods and do not take away the malice of their heart, they think they deserve God's mercy: Will holy meats take away your malice from you, in which you have boasted? But now the names of those offering are being publicly recited, and the redemption of sins is turned into praise: they did not remember the widow in the Gospel, who by putting in two small coins surpassed the offerings of all the rich people (Mark 12).11:17
(Verse 17.) And the Lord of hosts, who planted you, spoke evil against you, for the evils of the house of Israel and the house of Judah, who have made themselves a provocation to me by pouring out offerings to the Baals. The Lord your God called you a fruitful and beautiful olive tree, and planted you. But because at the sound of his speaking, a great flame of God descended upon you and consumed all your branches, therefore the one who planted you has now spoken evil against you: not by the injustice of his judgment, nor by a sudden perversity of his speech, but because of the evils that the house of Israel and the house of Judah have done to themselves, and they have diligently made offerings to the Baals in order to provoke me to anger. And since God can do whatever He wants, He gives reasons so that He does not appear to act unjustly, according to what is written: That you may be justified in your words, and win when you are judged (Psalm 50:6).11:18-20
(Verse 18 onwards) But you, Lord, have shown me and I have known: you have revealed to me their desires, and I, like a gentle lamb being led to the sacrifice, did not know that they were plotting against me. Let us cast wood into his bread, and let us wipe him from the land of the living, so that his name may be remembered no more. But you, Lord of hosts, who judge justly and test the heart and the mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for I have revealed my cause to you. This is the consensus of all the churches, that under the person of Jeremiah, these things may be understood to be said by Christ, that the Father has shown him how he ought to speak, and has revealed to him the intentions of the Jews, and that he himself, like a lamb led to the slaughter, has not opened his mouth and has not known, sin being implied; according to what is said by the apostle: He who knew no sin, was made sin for us: and they have said: Let us place wood in his bread, namely the cross in the body of the Savior. For it is he who says: I am the bread that came down from heaven; and we will uproot or crush him from the land of the living (John 6:51). For they have conceived this wickedness in their hearts, that they may erase his name forever. But on the contrary, in accordance with the sacrament of the assumed body, the Son speaks to the Father, and he calls for his judgment, while praising his justice, and invokes God, the observer of the kidneys and the heart, that he may give to the people what they deserve. And he says: Let me see your vengeance upon them, namely, those who persist in wickedness, and not upon those who turn to repentance. He said about them on the cross: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34). And he reveals to the Father and opens his cause: because he was crucified not by any merit of his own, but by the crime of the people, saying: Behold, the prince of this world is coming, and he finds nothing in me (John 14:30). The Jews and our Judaizers understand these things to be said in the person of Jeremiah: they confirm that he endured these things from the people on account of his prophecy of future events and the coming evils of captivity. But I do not know how they can approve that Jeremiah was crucified, since the Scripture does not mention it, unless perhaps they have thought about it and not acted upon it.11:21-23
(v. 21 onward) Therefore, thus says the Lord to the men of Anathoth who seek your life and say: Do not prophesy in the name of the Lord, or you will die by our hand. Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will visit them. The young men shall die by the sword; their sons and daughters shall die by famine, and there shall be no remnant of them. For I will bring disaster upon the men of Anathoth in the year of their visitation. It seems that this contradicts the previous opinions, in which we wanted to approve what was said from the person of Christ, and not from Jeremiah, who resided in the village of Anathoth, which is three miles from Jerusalem. But if we understand the etymology of the town of Anathoth (which means obedience), it will clearly show that the men of Anathoth, who once obeyed the Lord's commands, were all called Jews, and especially the inhabitants of the city of Jerusalem, upon whom the final judgment came, that they would perish in the evils of the siege, by sword, famine, and disease. In order to free ourselves from all the annoyance of interpretation, let us follow this rule: Whatever the prophets have done in the manner of the Lord and Savior, and whatever has been fulfilled in the present time in Jeremiah, let it be prophesied in the future about the Lord.Book Three
Book ThreeThe stories tell of the Lernaean serpent, which is said to have sprouted many snakes from its middle head: and of Scylla, the monster of the Sicilian strait, who had a virgin-like face but was girded with dogs and tore apart the shipwrecks of the unfortunate: and on the same shore, the deadly song of the Sirens, which Ulysses is said to have blocked out by closing his ears, and the unconquerable evil, which he avoided by his wise counsel. When I desired to do this, and to avoid the rage of heretics ((or rather, that I would avoid the rage of heretics)), and near the Ismenian spring, singing to myself and to mine, and pondering that prophetic verse: When the sinners stood against me, I became mute and silent about the good things (Psalm 38, 2, 3), the devil did not allow me to be content with desired peace, to devote myself to the explanation of Holy Scriptures, and to impart to men the knowledge of my language, Hebrew and Greek; but he carries out that plan day and night, openly and through deceit mixing true things with false, indeed wrapping all lies in deceitful honey, so that those who hear the sweetness of his words do not fear the poisons of the heart: he promises peace in order to wage more serious wars: he laughs in order to bite: he offers his hand in order to suddenly kill the innocent Abner (2 Samuel 3). Doubtless this is what the Apostle was talking about: 'For we are not ignorant of his devices' (2 Corinthians 2:11). Here he is silent, elsewhere he accuses: he sends letters throughout the whole world, former ones full of gold, now full of curses, and interprets our patience coming from the humility of Christ as a sign of a guilty conscience. And he himself, mute, barks through the dog Albinus, big and corpulent, who can harm more with his heels than with his teeth. For it has the offspring of the Scottish race, from the vicinity of the Britons: who, according to the fables of the Poets, must be struck like the spiritual Cerberus with a club, so that he may be silent in eternal silence with his master Pluto. But enough of this. Now I will proceed to the third book of Jeremiah, in which, brother Eusebius, I will attempt to confine the very broad fields of explanation in a narrow path of Commentaries.
12:1-2
(Chapter 12 - Verses 1 onwards) Indeed, you are just, O Lord, if I argue with you (or because I want to satisfy you); however, I will speak to you about judgments. What is it that the way of the wicked prospers? It is well for all who break the law and act unjustly. You have planted them and they have taken root, they grow and bear fruit (or they have borne children and produce offspring). You are near their mouths, but far from their hearts. Truly, this is a discussion of all those who act unjustly, and the meaning is summarised in the 72nd Psalm, in which the Prophet says: How good is the God of Israel to those who are upright in heart! But my feet were almost moved; my steps had well nigh slipped. For I was envious of the wicked, seeing the prosperity of sinners, etc. (Psalm 73:1-2). However, this is especially said against heretics, who, though they are impious, prosper in their ways; and they beget children whom they have deceived in their heresy, and they act deceitfully and unjustly, so as to rob the Church. And while they persist in their wickedness of opinion, they boast that they are planted by God, and that they have sent forth roots, and have begotten children and brought forth fruit. But although they often repeat the name of Christ, they do not have God as their dweller, according to that of Isaiah: This people honors me with their lips: but their heart is far from me (Isaiah 29:13).12:3
(Verse 3.) And you, Lord, you know me: you have seen me, and you have tested my heart with you. Gather them together like a flock for the sacrifice, and sanctify them on the day of slaughter. There is no scandal, it is said, that the wicked, or all heretics, flourish for a time: For you, Lord, know me, and you have seen me, and you have tested my heart with you. How does the Father God know his Son this way? For no one knows the Son except the Father: and no one knows the Father, except the Son, and whom the Son wants to reveal (Matt. XI, 17). It is permitted, he says, that they may prosper, that they may generate children, and that heretics may produce fruit, and you may be close to their mouth and far from their kidneys, that is, their conscience: nevertheless, there is some consolation, in that they are fattened like sheep for the slaughter. Gather them in the city of Jerusalem, or in their assemblies: so that they may be slaughtered as if they were victims of death, and then may be sanctified, when they have been beheaded by the sword of the Church: for the killing of heretics is the salvation of those who had been deceived.12:4
(Verse 4) How long will the earth mourn, and all the herbage of the region wither because of the wickedness of those who dwell in it? The animal and the bird have perished because they have said: Our last things will not be seen (or God will not see our ways). Whatever happens in the world, whether good or evil, happens not without the providence and chance of God, but by his judgment. The earth is now barren, the herbage dries up. Do you want to know the reason? Those who dwell in wickedness do this: so that the animals on the earth and the birds of the sky are consumed, because all these creatures were created for the use of humans: who have risen to such blasphemy as to say that God is ignorant of His own ways, and does not know what each individual will suffer. But what he says, 'How long?' signifies the enduring wrath of God, because the hearts of sinners were not inclined to repentance.12:5
(Verse 5) If you have struggled running with foot soldiers, how will you be able to compete with horses? If you have relied on the land of peace, what will you do in the pride or tumult of the Jordan? If, as they say, you have been wearied by the frequent captivities of neighboring nations, the Moabites and Ammonites, the Philistines and Edomites, what will you do in the face of a long captivity that will be led by the Chaldeans all the way? And he compares foot soldiers to horsemen, for in truth both the Persians and the entire Chaldean empire and the armies of those regions take delight in cavalry according to history. But these nations, which I mentioned above, are not so suited for battle because of the difficulty of the terrain, as they are for robbery. And he preserves the metaphor and says: If you became weak with fatigue while running alongside foot soldiers, what will you do if you want to keep up with horses? And if you had any confidence in your own land, what will you do when you cross the Jordan and endure its currents?12:6
(Verse 6.) For even your brothers and the household of your father themselves fought against you, and they cried out after you with a loud voice: do not believe them when they speak good things to you. To such an extent, he says, you will be overwhelmed by the most violent waves of the Jordan, and the multitude of horsemen coming from afar will devastate you, so that even your brothers from the Edomite lineage, and the household of your father, who are descendants of Lot, Moab and Ammon, themselves will fight against you in times of necessity and distress, and will insult you (Genesis 19). Beware of trusting them and having hope in kinship, through which they may rage against you more than your enemies. This can also be understood in reference to Jesus, that his brothers and the household of his father fought against him and cried out loudly, saying: Crucify him, crucify him: we have no king but Caesar (John 19:15).12:7-8
(Vers. 7, 8.) I left my house, I abandoned my inheritance: I gave my beloved soul into the hands of its enemies. My inheritance became like a lion in the forest: it roared against me, therefore I hated it. He who spoke in the Gospel: Rise, let us go from here (John 14:31). And again: Your house will be left desolate (Luke 13:35), here and also in the same prophet he threatens; and he says that he has done what he was going to do. For the inheritance of the Lord is Israel, and his inheritance is as a rope. But when he says: 'I have given my beloved soul into the hand of his enemies,' that means, I have the power to lay down my soul, and I have the power to take it up again (John 10:18). Indeed, the inheritance of the Lord, the people of the Jews, once rebelled against him like a lion in the forest: when they shouted with a loud voice against him in their suffering. And because they raised their voice against him, he therefore hated them, and rejected them, and what was once beloved and cherished is now called hateful.12:9
(Ver. 9.) Is my inheritance like a colorful bird to me? Is it like a bird dyed all over? Come, gather all the beasts of the earth; hurry to devour. LXX: Is the den of the hyena my inheritance? Is there a den all around it, above it? Go, gather all the animals of the field; let them come and eat it. According to the letter, he calls the colorful and fully dyed bird a peacock. He says that Israel had such great beauty and Jerusalem was distinguished by such virtues that there was nothing good that could not be seen in it. Therefore, since an inheritance was once made for me, that is, the people of Israel, like a lion in the forest, and they spoke against me, and I detested them with all hatred: therefore come and gather against them all the beasts of the earth, a multitude of diverse nations, and devour them who have not known their Lord. But if, as the Septuagint and other interpreters have translated, it is read: Is my inheritance to me a den of hyenas, shall we return to the uncleanness of the nocturnal beast, which lives on the corpses of the dead, and is accustomed to dig up bodies from tombs, and there is no filthiness that it does not feed on. Such is Israel offending his Lord, and delivered to the bites of all beasts.12:10
(Verse 10) Many shepherds have destroyed (or disrupted) my vineyard, they have trampled (or polluted) my portion: they have given my desirable portion into a desert wasteland (or uninhabited). They have made (or it has been made) it into a desolation. Let those who want to be leaders of the people hear this, because they will have to give an account not only for themselves, but also for the flocks entrusted to them, on the day of judgment. For because of them, a part of the Lord's dwelling place is trampled and polluted, so that where once there was a hospice, there may now be a dwelling place for beasts. Others, however, understand the leaders of the enemies, who have scattered the vineyard of the Lord, not as being placed over the people and priests.12:11-12
(Vers. 11, 12.) And the earth mourned, desolate it is, because there is no one who thinks in their heart. The devastators have come over all the paths of the desert, for the sword of the Lord has devoured from one end of the earth to the other: there is no peace for all flesh. LXX: Therefore the earth is utterly ruined, and the rest. This that we have set, 'and the earth mourned,' is joined to the previous verse according to the Hebrew, so that the meaning is: They have made it into ruin, that is, my inheritance: And the earth mourned, deprived of my help. But according to the Septuagint, God spoke that because of him the earth is devastated and turned into a wilderness, because there is no one who remembers in their heart, nor any peace for all flesh. For the flesh cannot receive the peace of God. For the wisdom of the flesh is hostile to God; and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. And according to the Hebrew, therefore all of Judaea is desolate, because there is no one who remembers God in their heart, nor is there any survivor who can escape. For through all the ways of solitude came the devastators, that is, a hostile army, and the sword of the Lord devoured from one end to the other; and there was no rest for those fleeing from the city. Hence it is said: There is no peace for all flesh.12:13
(Verse 13) They sowed wheat and harvested thorns: they received an inheritance, but it will not benefit them. LXX: You have sown wheat and harvested thorns: their clergy will not benefit them. They expected better things, but the worst came: they hoped for success, but endured adversity: they received an abundance of all things from the Lord, which will not benefit them. According to the Septuagint, all heretics sow wheat and harvest thorns, while the Lord waits for them to bear fruit, but they do not bring forth judgment, only outcry. But it is said also of Ecclesiastics who scatter the words of the Lord and his doctrine by evil conduct. Concerning them it is inferred: Their clergy shall not profit them. For what can bishops' name and presbyters, or the rest of the Ecclesiastical order, do to help them, when they are burdened more by their own dignities and suffer powerful torments severely, and when more has been entrusted to them, more is required of them (Wisdom 6).12:14-15
(Vers. 14, 15.) You shall be confounded by your fruits (or by your boasting (because of the anger of the fury of the Lord (or by the reproach in the sight of the Lord). Thus says the Lord against all my wicked neighbors, who touch the inheritance which I have distributed to my people Israel: Behold, I will uproot them from their land and uproot the house of Judah (or cast them out) from among them. And when I have uprooted them, I will turn (or return) and have mercy on them, and I will bring them back (or make them dwell) man in his inheritance, and man in his land. It is said to them, to whom their own clergy and ecclesiastical order will not benefit, that they should be confounded by their own boasting and by reproach before the Lord. And it brings forth: against all my wicked neighbors, according to the letter, the neighbors of the holy land are the Edomites, Philistines, Moab, and Ammon. But according to the allegory, all heretics who are considered under the name of Christ are even more neighbors than the inhabitants of the holy land, who touch the inheritance of God and devastate it. And it is said of them that they shall be taken away from the midst of the land, and the house of Judah shall be taken away from their midst. Whoever is uprooted and freed from the jaws of the heretics will obtain the mercy of God, and they will be restored to their inheritance and their land.12:16-17
(Verse 16, 17.) And it shall come to pass, if the learned ones have learned the ways of my people, to swear in my name, as the Lord lives: just as they taught my people to swear by Baal, they shall be built up in the midst of my people. But if they do not listen, I will uproot that nation with destruction and annihilation, says the Lord. If those who have been translated from heresy into the Church have learned the ways of the people of God, and have sworn in the name of the Lord, and not in the name of the idols they themselves imagined, they shall be built up by the Lord, and they shall be a part of his people. But if those who have been translated into the Church hold on to the remnants of perverse doctrines and do not heed the words of the Lord, that people shall be uprooted from the midst of God's people, through perpetual destruction and removal, so that not a single place of repentance is left for them. We see this happening every day, and we have evidence that heretics, in order to deceive the simple-minded, pretend to uphold the truth of the faith, not so that they themselves may convert to the faith, but rather to lead the faithful into disbelief.13:1-11
(Chapter 13, verse 1 onwards) Thus says the Lord to me: Go and acquire for yourself a linen loincloth (or belt) and put it on your loins, and do not bring it into water (or do not pass it through water). So I acquired a loincloth according to the word of the Lord and put it around my loins. Then the word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying: Take the loincloth (or belt) that you acquired, which is around your loins, and go to the Euphrates and hide it there in a hole in the rock. And I went and hid it in the Euphrates, as the Lord had commanded me. And after many days, the Lord said to me: Arise and go to the Euphrates, and take from there the girdle (or belt) that I commanded you to hide there. And I went to the Euphrates, and dug, and took the girdle from the place where I had hidden it, and behold, the girdle had decayed so that it was of no use. And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Thus says the Lord: So will I cause the pride (or injury) of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem and this evil people, who refuse to hear my words and walk in the stubbornness (or direction) of their evil hearts: they have gone after foreign gods to serve them and worship them, and they will be like this useless girdle. For as the waist is joined to the loins of a man, so have I joined to me all the house of Israel, and all the house of Juda, saith the Lord: that they might be my people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear. The girdle, or waistband, which is joined to the loins, is the people of Israel: they who have been taken up from the earth, and have not been softened, nor made white, and yet they have cleaved to God through his mercy. And when he sinned, because linen and a linen apron made of such material is rational, he was led across the Euphrates, that is, into Assyria, and there he was hidden, that is, absorbed in a multitude (or rather, magnitude) of great and innumerable nations, and regarded as nothing. But after a long time, the Prophet himself, as a type of God, freed the people from captivity. However, even after their return, they did not keep God's commandments; but they followed foreign gods, and in the end even laid hands on God's Son and brought about eternal damnation. Moreover, every holy man is a loin cloth of God, who, taken from the earth and from the mud of the earth, is joined in the partnership of God, and covers and surrounds, with greater diligence, those things which appear obscene in His Church, so that they may not be exposed to the bites of the Gentiles and the heretics. And if this loin cloth touches water and crosses the streams of the Euphrates, so that it is soaked with the moisture of the Assyrian region, it loses its original strength and decays, and is dissolved. And although it returns to the use of God, it cannot have its former beauty, not due to the hardness of God, but due to its own fault: because they do not want to hear His words, and they walk in the wickedness of their own heart, doing what seems right to them. But He Himself explains why He has put forth this similitude, saying: Just as the girdle clings to the loins of a man: so I have joined and made to cling to Me the whole house of Israel, and the whole house of Judah, specifically the twelve tribes, so that they would be for Me a people renowned and for praise and for glory; and for all this, they did not listen to Me, but followed their own faults. Therefore, let the one who can say: 'But for me it is good to be close to God' (Psalm 73:28), beware lest he be separated from his reins through negligence and cross the Euphrates and be given into the power of the Assyrian king, and be occupied not in the most solid rock but in the crevice of a corrupted and tainted rock, that is, be occupied with the filth and vices of heretics, and come to such putrefaction that he can no longer return to the service and the belt of the Lord.13:12-14
(Verse 12 onwards) You shall say therefore to them (or to the people) this message. Thus says the Lord God of Israel: Every pitcher (or vessel) shall be filled with wine. And they shall say to you: Do we not know that every pitcher (or vessel) shall be filled with wine? And you shall say to them: Thus says the Lord: Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land, and the kings who sit on David's throne, and the priests and the prophets and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, with drunkenness. And I will scatter them, man from his brother, and fathers and sons together, says the Lord. I will not spare (or show mercy) and I will not relent, nor will I have compassion, so as not to destroy them. The Hebrew word Nebel () has been translated by the Aquila's first edition as 'laguncula', by the second edition as 'nebel' itself, by Symmachus as 'crater', by the LXX as 'utres', and by Theodotion as 'vas'. All of them interpret it as a vessel that is not filled with oil, water, honey, milk, or any other liquid material, but with wine and drunkenness. This shows that we are fragile vessels, as the Apostle says: 'But we have this treasure in earthen vessels' (2 Corinthians 4:7), and that it is impossible for us not to be filled with what is written: 'For no good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh'. And again, I do not do the good that I want, but the evil that I do not want, that is what I practice (Rom. VII, 18). And then, wretched man that I am, who will rescue me from this body of death (Ibid., 19)? But by this drunkenness, where we forget the commandments of God, and every human condition is filled with vice and sin, as the Prophet says: No living being will be justified in your sight (Psal. CXLII, 2), not in comparison to God (as the ancient and new heretics claim, and the supporters of heretics), but in knowledge of Him: for man sees the face, but God sees the heart (I Sam. XVI, 7); and what may appear clean to us, is found filthy in His eyes: not only the common and lowly crowd, but also the kings of the Church, descendants or sons of David, who lie back with their heads raised and stretch their necks, and with outstretched necks, sit upon His throne. The priests themselves, the second in rank in ecclesiastical honor, and the prophets, who are thought to have knowledge of the Scriptures, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, are filled with a variety of sins: whether Jewish, as the Seventy have added. And when they are drunk, they are scattered from the company of their own, and fathers are separated from sons and sons from fathers, so that they are polluted by various heresies, and under the name of Christ they fight among themselves, and they fight against their mother, who gave birth to them, the Church. Where it says: I will not desire them, but I will have them in everlasting hatred: I will not spare, and I will not grant mercy, nor will I show compassion: not out of cruelty of judgment, but out of the truth of justice. For those who have slain my people, they themselves shall perish forever. This can be understood simply according to history, that kings, priests, and prophets, and all the people of Jerusalem must be made drunk with the cup of Babylon, and overwhelmed by the evils of captivity.13:15
(Verse 15.) Hear and perceive with your ears: Do not be lifted up, because the Lord has spoken. Because he said above, every vessel shall be filled with wine: so that even kings, and priests, and prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem may be filled with drunkenness, therefore he joins and says: Hear and perceive with your ears, both externally and internally, both in mind and body; and do not be lifted up with pride, considering your own weakness, and that there is no one who is without this drunkenness according to the extent of their sin. Where he is scattered, and corrupted, and unworthy of God's mercy, lifting himself up against Him through pride.13:16-17
(Verse 16, 17.) Give glory to the Lord your God ((or our)) before it grows dark, and before your feet stumble upon dark (or gloomy) mountains. You will wait for light, but there will be only darkness (or according to the Hebrew, he will put it in darkness and gloom). And if you will not listen, your soul ((or mine)) will weep in secret because of arrogance (or injury). To those to whom the divine discourse had been spoken, saying: 'Listen and perceive with your ears, and do not be exalted', now it calls to repentance, so that before they are led to Babylon, and their feet stumble upon dark or gloomy mountains, they may give glory to God. Hence, it is often said to sinners: 'Give glory to God' (Psalm 67:35). And as for why Babylon and the whole region of the Chaldeans are called dark or gloomy mountains, we read in the beginning of the vision of Isaiah against Babylon, where it is written: 'Raise a signal on a dark mountain' (Isaiah 13:2), which in Hebrew is called Nesepha. Therefore, he commanded them to repent before they are led into captivity and experience the evils of slavery. And while they wait for light, they should sit in darkness. But if, he says, you refuse to listen to me in secret, near the Eagle, in darkness, your soul will weep, or according to the Septuagint, from the face of pride; so that not even a sigh or a cry may be free, so that the eyes of the conquerors may not be offended. But we can interpret this place in the following way: The Savior says: Work while it is day: the night is coming when no one can work (John 9:4). Concerning this time, there is also the prophecy of Isaiah: For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be darkened at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light (Isaiah 13:10). Zephaniah also agrees with these words, saying: A day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness (Zephaniah 1:15). Therefore, before the time of judgement comes, and our feet stumble upon dark mountains, the opposing fortitudes, which are placed in front of us with torments and tortures, let us repent, lest while awaiting the light, we be enveloped in the darkness of night; and let us know that unless we do this, we shall refuse to hear the weeping soul, either of God or of the Prophet, because of our own arrogance. Hence, the Prophet himself also says:Jerusalem will weep, weeping the eye pulls down a tear: for the flock of the Lord has been captured (and I cannot hide my grief with silent groans). But the cause of all torments is that the flock of the Lord has been captured. Let us say to the Jews and to our Judaizers, who only follow a simple and superficial history, unless you hear secretly, that is, in mystery or in darkness, which God has established as His hiding place (Ps. XVII), and according to Solomon, so that they may understand the parable and the obscure discourse, the soul of the Prophet will weep, or rather, their own souls from the face of pride, while they resist God through stubbornness. And so there will be weeping and perpetual tears on the hills, because the flock of the Lord has been captured and corrupted by the true Nebuchadnezzar.
13:18-19
(Verse 18, 19.) Say to the king and the queen (or say to the king and the powerful): Humble yourselves, sit down, for the crown of your glory has been taken off (or has descended) from your head. The cities of the South are closed, and there is no one who will open them. All of Judah has been carried away (or all of Judah has been taken away) in complete exile (or captivity). The prophets are commanded to speak to King Jehoiachin and his mother, whom he addresses as lady and queen, that they should humble themselves and sit in the dust, for they have lost their royal dignity and must be handed over to the Babylonian king. The cities of Austria are closed, that is, the tribes of Judah and Jerusalem, which are turned towards the south near the desert, and there is no one who can open them surrounded by the siege. All of Judah, or all of Judea, has been transferred by complete migration: whether it received what it deserved, and it was fulfilled in it, as the Seventy translated. It is foolish in this place, who understands the king, Christ, and the powerful ones, the angels or apostles, as assuming the body of humility and sitting in the dust, and losing either the king or the powerful from their head the crown; and that the glory of Judah was transferred when it was fulfilled in the passion: All have turned aside, together they have become useless, there is no one who does good, not even one. The Hebrew word Gebira (). Aquila and Symmachus interpreted it as dominatricem et dominam, which the Septuagint believed to be Geburoth (), and they said potentes.13:20-21
(Verse 20, 21.) Lift up your eyes and see those who come from the north: where is the flock that was given to you, your splendid flock? What will you say when they visit you? You have taught them and trained them against you, and it will come upon your own head. The inhabitants of Jerusalem are commanded to lift up their eyes and see the Chaldeans coming from the north: the city itself is questioned and asked: Where is the flock that was given to you, your splendid flock? Where is your people, whom you received from God? Where is that great and illustrious multitude, that you believed the entire province was gathered in one place? What will you say when the Lord visits you with His rod, and hands you over to the enemies of Babylon, whom you, against yourself, either on your own head, or from the very beginning, taught to flee to their help and follow their idols; who, under the pretense of friendship with you, learned by what route they should come to you. Let the Church heed this, that she herself may teach her adversaries how they can capture her in spiritual captivity and tear her flock apart with the cruelty of beasts.13:22
(Verse 22) Do not pains seize you, like a woman in childbirth? And if you say in your heart, why have these things come to me? It is because the shameful things of your iniquity have been revealed, your plants have been defiled (or dishonored). While you do not know, like a woman experiencing sudden labor pains, so will sudden captivity seize you. And if you wish to argue and inquire why you have been handed over to the enemy, hear clearly, this multitude has brought upon you the iniquities of your own doing, so that your shame may be revealed, like that of a prostitute, with your clothes lifted and your public fornications exposed. By these things we learn to act patiently towards the Lord and to await our repentance as long as our sins are minor. But if we should desire to join sins to sins and to accumulate a heap of sins, our shameful things will be revealed and our deeds will be shown to all, either in this present age or in the future. For nothing is hidden that will not be revealed (Matth. X): when that of Daniel will be fulfilled: These will rise to eternal life, and those to everlasting shame and confusion (Dan. XII, 2).13:23
(Verse 23.) If an Ethiopian can change his skin, or a leopard its spots, then you can do good, once you have learned evil. They use this testimony against the Church, those who want to assert different natures; and they say that the darkness or diversity of sins is so great that they cannot pass into whiteness and the beauty of one color: not taking into account what follows: And you can do good, once you have learned evil. For whatever is learned, it is not of nature, but of study and one's own will: which by excessive habit and love is in a certain way turned into nature. But that which is impossible for humans is possible for God (Matthew 19 and Luke 18): so that the Ethiopian and the leopard do not seem to change their own nature; but He who works in the Ethiopian and the leopard, as the Apostle says: I can do all things in Him who strengthens me, Christ (Philippians 4:13). And in a foreign place: Moreover, he says, I have labored more than all of them: not I, but the grace of God which is in me (I Cor. XV, 10). And: I am not living anymore, but Christ is living in me (Galat. II, 20). And again we read: What do you have that you did not receive? And if you have received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it (I Cor. IV, 7)? For these reasons, let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, nor the strong man in his strength, nor the rich man in his riches, nor the virtuous man in his virtue, knowing that in all these things there is the power of Christ, not of those who boast in their own virtues.13:24-25
(Verse 24, 25.) And I will scatter them like chaff that is blown away by the wind in the desert. This is your portion and your measure from me, says the Lord (or also a part of your disobedience against me). Because by excessive habit of evils, they could not change their nature, not by the fault of the creator, but by the inclination towards wickedness, therefore I will scatter them like chaff blown away by the wind into the wilderness, according to what is written elsewhere: Like dust that the wind scatters from the face of the earth (Psalm 1, 4). And it makes an appeal to Jerusalem itself: that this is its fate, and this is the portion that it has chosen for itself, complete and overflowing, or rather, a part of its disobedience, in which it did not want to submit to God. For the measure with which it measures will be measured back to it.13:26
(Verse 26) Because you have forgotten me, and have trusted (or hoped) in lies: therefore I will also uncover your thighs, and your shame will be revealed, your adulteries and your whinings, the wickedness (or alienation) of your fornication: The cause of Jerusalem's dispersion, because she has forgotten God, and has trusted, or hoped, in lies. Whoever trusts in worldly things besides God, forgets God. Where the thighs or buttocks are exposed, so that she may see her own shame: and what should be behind, is placed in front: so that she may observe what she has done, and her shame may be apparent not only to herself, but to everyone. Your adulteries and your lustful neighing not only show desire, but also the madness of desire, like the behavior of mares that are eager for mating, as Virgil said (Georgics III, 280-281).. . . . Hippomanes, which the shepherds call by name, slow virus drips from the loins. Let us pray to Jesus that he may not reveal our thighs ((alternatively, loins)) in the present or in the future age, and our backsides, but that he may erase all our iniquities and not allow all sins to appear.
13:27
(Verse 27) On the hills in the field, I saw your abominations. Woe to you, Jerusalem, you will not be cleansed (or because you have not been cleansed) after me, how much longer? Not only in the midst of the city of Jerusalem, but on every hill and in all the regions, I saw your idols, from which it is said to you: Woe to you, Jerusalem, because you have not been cleansed after me, to boast about following in my footsteps and proclaiming my name, yet you have never been cleansed because you have forgotten me and put your hope in lies. From where does he chastise her and say, How much longer? and what sense, how long will I wait for you? how long will I endure? how much longer will you forget me to the end, and despise my teachings? She commits fornication on the hills and in the fields, and is never cleansed, who with erect neck is not humbled by pride under the powerful hand of God, but trusts in her own sins and vices.14:1
(Chapter XIV—Verse 1) The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah concerning the words of drought. The anger of God is evident in everything. Therefore, the sun sets on sinners at noon, and the moon, stars, and other celestial bodies do not give their light (Amos VIII). It can be assumed that there was no rain during the time of the siege, so that the besieged would suffer from a lack of water. Truly, the city only has one source, the fountain of Siloam, and it does not have a continuous supply. And to this day, the lack of rainfall not only causes a scarcity of crops but also a shortage of drinking water.14:2-4
(Versedio 2 and the following verses.) Judah (or Judea) lamented and its gates collapsed (or became empty), and it was darkened (or obscured) over the land, and the cry of Jerusalem went up. Its elders sent their young ones (or younger ones) to the water: they came to draw (or to the wells) and found no water, they brought back their empty vessels, they were confused and distressed (or ashamed), and they covered their heads because of the desolation of the land (or the works of the land, for they failed), because there was no rain upon the land: the farmers were confused, they covered their heads. In times of drought, when the multitude suffers from hunger for hearing and learning the word of God, Judea mourns, boasting of having the worship of God first, and the confession of true faith, and its gates are either emptied or fall down, which we should attribute to the senses, through which discipline is conceived by souls. Then everything is obscured and wrapped in darkness; and reason and the teaching of doctrine do not reign in Jerusalem, but there is clamor and confusion. Moreover, those who should themselves go to fetch water send the younger ones, in whom there is no wisdom, and therefore they come to the wells and do not find water, which the history narrates that the patriarchs found (Genesis 26). They return with their vessels empty, namely the younger ones: not because there was no water, but because they could not find it. They are confused and afflicted, or they blush and cover their heads; because they could not say with the Apostle: But we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord (1 Corinthians 3:18). Because of the desolation of the land, or rather, because the works of the land have failed, through which we come to know God. And the reason is clear: because, he says, rain has not come upon the earth. For it was commanded to the clouds not to rain down rain upon it. (Isai. V). Also, farmers, of whom one speaks, you are the agriculture of God, you are the building of God. (II Cor. III, 9). And in another place: we are the co-workers of God, they cover their heads, and they are confused, understanding that without the grace and assistance of God, they strive in vain.14:5-6
(Verse 5, 6.) For even the deer (or deer) in the field give birth (or gave birth) and abandon (or abandoned) because there is no grass. And the wild donkeys stood on the cliffs, they drew in the wind like dragons, their eyes failed, because there is no grass (or hay). Great sterility, when even the deer in the field give birth and abandon their offspring, because there is no grass or hay; just as serpents draw out venomous animals from caves with the smell of their nostrils and kill them, they do not use food as a means of gratitude. And also about the wild donkeys it is written in Job: Who has let the wild donkey go free into the wilderness? (Job 39:5) They wander about for food, seeking sustenance in the desert. They live among the rocks and make their home in the cliffs. They cannot run but drag themselves along like serpents. Their eyesight fails, and they cannot see. They survive on sparse vegetation. This drought often happens in the churches, when deer and wild donkeys are found among the people, and there is a scarcity of teachers: there are those who can learn, but there are not those who can teach.If our iniquities answer (or resist) against us, O Lord, do it for your name's sake, because our turnings away (or sins) are many. We have sinned against you, O expectation of Israel: the Savior thereof in time of trouble. If we doubt why the rains do not descend upon the earth, why all things wither with dryness, let us hear. Our iniquities have resisted against us; therefore, O Lord, not according to our works, but according to your holy name, overcome our many turnings away (or sins). For we have sinned against you, whom the secrets of the heart do not deceive, and we wait for you, who are the true hope and expectation of Israel: and you save them in the time of tribulation, according to what is written: I cried to the Lord in my trouble, and he heard me (Psalm 119:1). Let us also say in the time of drought and shortage of water: We have sinned against you, and we have done evil before you (Psalm 50:5), we await your coming, who save Israel, not by their own merit, but by your mercy.
14:9
(Verse 9) Why are you going to be like a tenant on the land, and like a traveler turning to stay? Why are you going to be like a wanderer, or like a strong man who cannot save? Septuagint: Why have you become like a stranger in the land, and like a foreigner turning to stay? Are you going to be like a sleeping man, and like a man who cannot save? The Jews understand this place thus: Why do you separate yourself from your people? And like a traveler seeking shelter for only one hour, you do not care about the quality of the lodging you use, but going on to other things, you do not save your people, and you abandon the once illustrious temple? But they believe that of the future dispensation of Christ it is said that he will be a stranger on earth, and, for a short time, will inhabit the earth as a guest, and, like a passing and robust man, having left Israel, will turn towards the multitude of nations; so that he may pass from place to place, from people to people, from Temple to Church. And what is said according to the Septuagint: Will you be like a sleeping man, and like a man who cannot save? He sets forth a likeness, not the truth of the thing, according to what is written: Arise, why do you sleep, O Lord (Psalm 43:23)? not that the Lord sleeps, of whom it is said: Neither will He sleep, nor slumber who keeps Israel (Psalm 121:4); but because it appears that He sleeps to those whom He forsakes. Moreover, it is not written in the following, a man sleeping who cannot save; but it is written as if it were a man, in both cases subject to human passions.But you are in us, Lord, and your name is invoked upon us, do not forsake us (or do not forget us). You, who are about to become like a stranger and traveler among the Jews, and a wandering man, and who abandon the old dwelling, dwell in us; and your name is invoked upon us (Prov. 31), so that we may be called Christians, therefore do not forsake us, and do not forget us, to whom the mouths of all the Prophets have sung about your future coming.
14:10
(Verse 10.) Thus says the Lord to this people, because they loved (or loved to) move their feet and did not rest (or did not spare (Alternative reading: spared)) and did not please the Lord (or and God did not please (Alternative reading: was pleased)) in them; now their iniquities will be remembered, and their sins will be visited. When the people say: why have you become a stranger, a traveler, and a wanderer, to forsake your own dwelling? The Lord answers his former people: Do you want to know the reason? Listen to what is said: Because the people loved to move their feet, and did not take them off from the shackles of sin, they did not rest, and could not stand: therefore I have forsaken them, and there is no pleasure in them for me. Therefore, those who have delayed for a long time, and have not wanted to punish the sinners through patience, because they have remained in wickedness; He will remember their iniquities; and like those who are sick and do not perceive God, He will visit their sins, so that they may cease to sin any further. But it should be noted in the Holy Scriptures that the feet of sinners are always moved, and it is said to the Saints with Moses: But you stand here with me (Deut. 5:31). And elsewhere it is written: Praise the servants of the Lord, who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God (Psalm 134:1, 2).14:11-12
(Verse 11, 12.) And the Lord said to me: Do not pray for this people for their good. When they fast, I will not listen to their prayers, and if they offer burnt offerings and sacrifices, I will not accept them; for I will consume them by sword, famine, and pestilence. It is foolish to pray for one who has sinned unto death, as John says: There is a sin unto death, I do not say that anyone should pray for him (1 John 5:16). All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not unto death. Fasting, prayers, and offerings and burnt offerings are then effective when we turn away from vices and repent of our ancient sins. But if we remain in wickedness and think that we can redeem ourselves through vows and sacrifices, we are greatly mistaken, for we consider God unfair. For whoever has been appointed once to the sword, hunger, and disease cannot be saved by any prayers. Hence, it is said by the Prophets, let him not pray in vain for what he cannot obtain.14:13-14
(Verses 13, 14.) And I said, ah, ah, ah, Lord God, (or who you are, Lord God) The prophets tell them, you will not see the sword, and there will be no famine among you: but true peace will be given to you in this place. And the Lord said to me: The false prophets prophesy in my name: I have not sent them, nor commanded them, nor spoken to them. They prophesy a false vision, and a fraudulent divination, and the seduction of their own heart to you. Listen to these teachers who promise prosperity to those who persist in their sins and vices, who say to the rich: You will not see the sword of God's torments, and there will be no hunger among you. For you will be satisfied with the words of God; and the Lord will give you true peace in the place of the Church, or Jerusalem. But as he said, according to the Hebrew, three times ah, ah, ah, he responded to the previous (on his own) where the Lord had threatened, saying: I will consume them with the sword, and famine, and pestilence. Because the prophets, or rather the false prophets, had made false promises: therefore the Lord spoke through Jeremiah: Do not listen to the words of false prophets, who were not sent by me, but came of their own accord. The so-called prophets, but rather should be called deceivers, speak seduction to the people. For it is much better to correct sins through fear of punishment than to subject oneself to the hope of favorable divine judgment.14:15-16
(Verse 15, 16) Therefore, the Lord says these things about the prophets who prophesy in my name, whom I did not send, saying: 'Sword and famine will not be in this land; by sword and famine those prophets will be consumed.' And the people to whom they prophesied will be thrown into the streets of Jerusalem, because of famine and sword. And there will be no one to bury them, their wives, their sons, and their daughters. And I will pour out their own evil upon them. Beware of false prophets, who by promising prosperity, deceive the people of God, so that they may perish and the deceived people may be destroyed in a similar way, and may lie in the streets of Jerusalem, trampling on the Lord's commandments, and may perish by hunger and sword, and there will be no one to bury them; nor may their disgrace be covered by the dust of repentance. For both the prophets themselves and the people, their wives and children, and all generations without any propagator will be in the dung heap. How many lie on the streets of Jerusalem! How many we see receiving their own misfortunes unburied, which, as the Lord pours out, they endure!14:17
(Verse 17) And you shall say to them this word: Let my eyes shed tears (or let your eyes shed tears) day and night, and let them not be silent (or let them not cease), for the virgin daughter of my people has been greatly afflicted, a very severe wound. This place can be understood in two ways, either that God himself mourns for his people, and his eyes do not cease to weep, or certainly he commands that the eyes of the peoples flow with tears, and it is no small thing that there is something to mourn; since the virgin daughter of his people has been struck with great affliction and an intolerable wound. Others think that these things are said from the perspective of the Prophet.14:18
(Verse 18) If I go out to the fields, behold the slain with the sword: and if I enter the city, behold those who are weakened by hunger (or by the pain of hunger). The prophet and the priest have also gone to a land they do not know. It is a just cause for mourning, because a virgin has been broken, a daughter has been struck, and the people have been destroyed. For if, he says, I want to go out, I will see the killed; if I enter the city, I will see those who are weakened and barely clinging to their bones, visible due to the necessity of hunger. And what is surprising about saying this about the common people and the lowly crowd? When even the prophets and priests, who prophesied prosperity to others and who were supposed to unveil the commandments of the Law, themselves went to a land they did not know and endured the evil of captivity. Let our prophets and priests hear this, that there is no security either inside or outside because of their negligence: that those who are outside are scandalized and those who are inside perish from hunger; and those who were the authors of sin become associates in torment.14:19
(Verse 19) Have you rejected Judah completely? Has your soul despised Zion? Why have you struck us, so that there is no healing for us? We hoped for peace, but there is no good; for a time of healing, but behold, terror! The prophet is amazed that the Lord has suddenly cast away Judah and Jerusalem, the kingdom of the two tribes where the religion of God and the ceremonies of the Temple were. And He has struck them with such a great plague that no remedy can be applied. We have waited, he said, for peace and a time of healing, and there is no good; but instead, there is turmoil: so that where there was once worship of God and tranquility, there, now everything is filled with seditions and hostile uproar. So if ever our Zion, our Judah is rejected and the soul of God abhors it, let us not be surprised, but rather let us say what follows:14:20
(Verse 20.) We have known, Lord, our impieties and the iniquity of our fathers, for we have sinned against you. And He says, both we and our fathers have neglected the precepts of God with the same folly, and the measure of our ancestors has been fulfilled; so that whatever was lacking to them, may be fulfilled by our accumulation. Therefore, concerning Judah, it is said: Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord, and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out. Let them always be against the Lord: and let their memory be eradicated from the earth (Psalm 108:14).14:21
(Verse 21.) Do not put us to shame because of your name, and do not bring disgrace upon us. Remember your glorious throne; do not invalidate your covenant with us. We consider not only the Temple of Judah, which has often been destroyed, as the seat of your glory, but also every holy place where, as it is written, you threw down his throne to the ground. It is thrown down and destroyed when it offends God with the multitude of its sins. But even one who perishes by his own fault is sustained by the mercy of the Lord, which changes the severity of the sentence if the Lord invalidates his covenant by which he promised that we would be saved.14:22
(Verse 22.) Are there any among the idols of the nations that can make it rain? Or can the heavens themselves give showers? Are you not the Lord our God, whom we have waited for? For you have made all these things. After many and various discourses, he returns to the title of the prophecy, in which it is written: that the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah concerning the words of drought. Therefore, what he says is this: because the idols of demons cannot make it rain, nor can the heavens themselves give their own shower, you, Lord our God, whom we have always waited for, in whom we turn our hopes and desires, give us your rain. For all things are yours; and whatever good exists, without you, to whom it belongs, cannot be given. Let us say this also against the heretics, who cannot bestow the rain of doctrine; and although they promise themselves to be heavens and boast about themselves: The heavens declare the glory of God (Psalm 19:1): yet they cannot give the downpour of doctrine. For God alone is the one who instructs his people and grants different graces to those who await him.15:1
(Chapter 15, Verse 1) And the Lord said to me: If Moses and Samuel stood before me (or against me), my soul would not be for this people. For we read that these men resisted the anger of the Lord for the people and turned away the impending judgment. Although, he says, if they were to stand, either in my presence or against me, to whom God said: Let me alone, and I will destroy this people (Exodus 32:10): yet I will not listen, because the sins of the guilty people have been completed.Drive them (or send them away) from my presence, and let them depart. Sinners do not depart from God by place, but by will: although we read that both Adam and Cain were driven away from the presence of God (Gen. III and VIII).
15:2-3
(Verses 2, 3.) But if they say to you: Where shall we go out? You shall say to them: Thus says the Lord: He who is for death, to death; and he who is for the sword, to the sword; and he who is for famine, to famine; and he who is for captivity, to captivity. And I will visit upon them four kinds, says the Lord: the sword for killing, and dogs for tearing, and birds of the sky and beasts of the earth for devouring and scattering. The four plagues by which the people of the Jews were handed over, as the prophecy of Ezekiel also shows, are the sword, pestilence, famine, beasts, and captivity (Ezek. 14). Among the beasts, dogs and birds are also understood, to whom bodies were given to be torn apart, devoured, and scattered. For it was not possible for the whole creation to rise up against sinners without the Creator being neglected.15:4
(Verse 4.) And I will give them into the heat (or turmoil and distress) of all the kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, for all that he did in Jerusalem. We read in the Book of Days that Manasseh, after captivity and repentance, returned to Jerusalem and reigned (2 Chronicles 33). But how the merits of the saints descend to their descendants, like David and the others, so the scandals of sin, if their children and grandchildren do similar things, reach to their descendants. But when he says, I will give them heat, or commotion, and distress to the whole earth, it was fulfilled under the Babylonians in part, and now it is being fulfilled completely, when the wicked king, who filled Jerusalem with the blood of the righteous from one gate to another, was imitated by the impious people. From this we learn that peoples are often destroyed by the wickedness of kings, princes, and rulers.15:5
(Verse 5.) Who will have pity on you, Jerusalem? Or who will grieve for you? Or who will go to ask for your peace? For no one can, having offended God, ask for forgiveness for the sins; for neither can a creature be as merciful as its creator, nor can it be as distant from foreigners as the Lord is inclined to spare his own people.15:6
(Verse 6.) You have forsaken me, says the Lord: you have gone backward. The reason is given why no one has pity on Jerusalem, nor is she grieved for; nor is she beseeched for the sake of her peace: which, according to the Apostle (Philippians 3), should forget the things that are behind and extend oneself to the things that are before, is on the contrary turned backward, and desires the fleshpots of Egypt.And I will stretch out my hand over you, and I will kill you: I have labored when asked (or asking): for which the Seventy translated: I will by no means let them go any further. The outstretched hand is a sign of striking: the killing of sinners signifies complete anger. But what it brings: I have labored when asked, or asking, has a double meaning, that God may now have failed, frequently forgiving them, and may always be weary, provoking them to salvation.
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(Verse 7.) And I will scatter them with a winnowing fan at the gates of the land (or my people). I have killed and destroyed (Vulgate: scattered and destroyed) my people; yet they have not returned from their wicked ways. What use is it for me to be asked repeatedly, when they do not return from their wicked ways and do not repent? For I have scattered them like chaff, to cleanse my threshing floor. And I scattered them at the gates of the land, to tread upon the thresholds like the depths of hell. And I killed and destroyed my people, so that, compelled by the necessity of evil, they would avoid impending evil.15:8
(Verse 8.) Her widows are multiplied to me above the sand of the sea: I have brought upon them the destroyer at noonday: I have sent troubles suddenly upon the cities. With various medicines God desires to save sinners: so that those who despised His gentle entreaties may fear His threatening. Widows are multiplied above the sand of the sea, with men being killed; mothers, with their children being lost, have felt the destroyer, not in the night and by treachery, but in broad daylight: so that He may show the open force of a stronger adversary. He sent, he says, over the cities, no doubt with the intention of causing sudden terror to Judah, and the sinful people, so that the more sudden the disaster was, the more difficult it would be to escape.15:9
(Verse 9) She has been weakened (or cast aside, or made empty) who gave birth to seven (or many); her soul has failed: the sun has set upon her while it was still day (or midday). She is confused and ashamed: and I will give her remaining ones into the sword in the sight of their enemies, says the Lord. We have often said that the Hebrew word Saba () can mean either seven, or oath, or many. Therefore, there is also a different interpretation: Aquila, the Seventy, and Theodotion translate as seven; Symmachus, as many. Therefore, she who was once wealthy and had children became suddenly bereft and perished in clear light, and she was confused in the solitude of herself. But the remainder, he said, I will deliver to the sword, so that no one may escape the death and wrath of God. Others attribute it to the Synagogue, which was weakened, so that the multitude of the Church might grow; according to what is written: The barren woman has borne seven, or more: and she who had many children was weakened (1 Samuel 2:5). And the sun of justice sets upon him, in whose wings is health (Malachi 4); and therefore it is covered with eternal confusion, destroying its people with a spiritual sword.15:10
(Verse 10) Woe to me, my mother, why did you give birth to me as a man of strife (or judgment), a man of discord (or one who judges), in the whole world? This can be understood συνεκδοχικῶς from Jeremiah, that he was judged not in the entire world, but in the land of Judah. Truly, it belongs to the Lord, the Savior, who speaks in the Gospel: I have come into this world for judgment, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind (John 9:39), of whom it is written: Behold, he is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (Luke 2:34). For who of the philosophers, who of the pagans, who of the heretics does not judge Christ, affirming the laws of his nativity, passion, and resurrection? No wonder, in accordance with the truth of his assumed body, Christ says: Woe to me, my mother; when in another place it clearly pertains to his person what is said: Woe to me, for I have become like one who gathers stubble in the harvest, and like a cluster of grapes in the vineyard, having no ear of grain to eat as the firstfruits. And so that we may not attribute the worthlessness of our groans to the Word of God, who is this one who weeps, it immediately follows: Woe to me, for my soul has perished in returning from the earth: not because we divide the Persons, as the wicked do; but so that the one and the same Son of God may speak now according to the flesh, now according to the Word of God.I have not lent, and no one has lent to me; everyone curses me. In the Septuagint: I have not profited, and no one has profited me. In Theodotion: I have not owed, and no one has owed me. The sense of all these is from the perspective of Christ: No one has offered themselves to receive my debt; and no one has lent to me in supporting the holy and the poor, making me their debtor. Whether I have not profited, and no one has profited me; for no one has desired to receive as much as I have desired to give. No one has been of use to me; for the salvation of the creature is the profit of the Creator. Or certainly no one should have, nor could have, benefitted me: No one has given me as much as I desired to receive, nor made me indebted to them in any way. And this bears repeating: No one should have benefitted me, which means: How could I owe interest to someone who did not deign to receive interest? Everyone, he says, curses me. For who among the heretics and the wanderers does not curse Christ, by believing perverse things and blaspheming even more perversely?
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(Verse 11) The Lord says: If your remnants are not for good, if I do not come to you in the time of affliction and in the time of tribulation and anguish against the enemy. These things can also be understood from the perspective of Jeremiah, who was compelled to prophesy in the worst of times, with captivity imminent, and enduring hardship from an unbelieving people. In response to what he had said before: Woe to me, mother! Why have you birthed me as a man who judges? And I will be distinguished among all the lands and the rest, the Lord answered: Do not consider the present, but the future; for your remnants and last shall be for good. Moreover, in the present when your enemies sought to oppress you, I was with you, and you were protected by my help. This can also be referred to Jeremiah, as well as to the dispensation of the assumed flesh, to the Savior. Because according to the Hebrew interpretation, we have translated it as: All curse me, to the point where it is written, in the time of tribulation against the enemy, in the Vulgate edition it is written as follows: My strength has failed in those who curse me; may it be, O Lord, for those who direct them, if you did not stand by you in their time of affliction, and in their time of tribulation, in good against the enemy. And the meaning is: My strength is weakened in those who curse me. For they do not understand my virtue, which is perfected in weakness, and the more they curse me, the more my strength diminishes in them. And either the Prophet or the Lord joins in, and says: Let it be, Lord ((or Lord)), for those who direct them, that is, let the curses that the enemies speak against me happen to me; and may they be directed to good, if not in the time of their tribulations and distress, when the enemy was ravaging them and hastening to capture them, I stood before you and interceded for them, and I said: Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing (Luke 23:34). But we often find that Jeremiah also prayed for the people in this volume.15:12
(Vers. 12.) Will iron be bound to iron by the North Wind, and bronze? Symmachus, Will iron be harmed by iron by the North Wind, and bronze? LXX and Theodotion, If it recognizes iron and a copper covering? It is clear for the sake of variation: for the word 'Jare' () which is written in this place, depending on the ambiguity of the utterance, it can mean both friendship and malice, but if the letter 'Res' is read as 'Daleth' (which is similar to the letter 'Daleth'), it signifies knowledge and understanding. But what is said must be understood like this: Do not grieve that the people are your enemy; for if you bring them harsh news, those who are harsh cannot love you. Whether it be the Babylonians who come from the North, and are very hard, and resemble unyielding bronze, they will not be able to form a friendship with this more unyielding people. Whether it be that they are as hard as iron, that is, the people of Israel who are unworthy of the knowledge of God, who have reached such great wickedness that they are surrounded by the more unyielding metal of bronze.15:13-14
(Verse 13, 14) I will give your riches and treasures as plunder, freely (or without payment), for all your sins and in all your territories. And I will bring your enemies (or make your enemies serve you) from a land you do not know: for a fire is kindled in my anger, it shall burn upon you. I will deliver all your substance to your enemies without any payment, because of the sins you have committed in all your territories. Therefore I will bring your enemies, or make them serve you in the land of Chaldea, because my fire, once ignited in my fury, will burn in you and cannot be extinguished. For you have provided the material for your own ardor, so that my fire may consume the wood, hay, and straw that are within you. And so, the cause of the ardor is not in the Lord, but in those who have supplied fuel to the fire.15:15-16
(Verse 15, 16.) You know, O Lord, remember me and visit me, and protect me from those who persecute me. Do not take me in your patience, know that I have endured reproach for you. Your words have been found and I have eaten them (or consume them from those who reject your words). And your word has become joy and gladness to my heart, for the name of the Lord God of hosts has been invoked upon me. What we have said, you know, is not found in the Septuagint. But blessed is that conscience which endures reproach for God. Hence he says: Your words were found by me, which you spoke with my mouth. And I ate them, that is, they were turned into food for me; or according to Symmachus: I received them, that they might be turned into joy for me, who had long been in reproach. Hence even the Babylonians confess that what Jeremiah had predicted was fulfilled: Or this is the meaning: I experienced distress: I endured the hardships of a persecuted people; but nevertheless, I rejoiced that I obeyed your commandments: and for the sake of your name, I endured hardships.15:17-18
(Verse 17, 18.) I did not sit in the council of the jesters, and I boasted (or feared) from the face of your hand: I sat alone, for you filled me with bitterness ((Vulgate: threat)). Why has my pain become perpetual (or why do those who distress me, find comfort) and my incurable wound refuse to be healed (or my strong wound, from where shall I be cured)? It has become to me like the falsehood of unfaithful waters (or like water that deceives and lacks faith). The Hebrews believe that these things are said from the perspective of Jerusalem: that she alone sat, and is filled with bitterness, and her pain has become everlasting; and just as waters pass by, so the words of the Prophets, with which they promised themselves prosperity, have passed falsely. But it is better, if we understand these things to be said from the perspective of the Prophet, by the words of a holy man, who did not sit in the assembly or secret gathering of those who mock, because he feared the impending hand of God; or rather, boasted that he did not have fellowship with evil. Alone, he said, I was sitting, according to what is written: I did not sit with the council of vanity, and I will not enter with those who do evil. I hated the congregation of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked (Psalm 26: 4, 5). And in another place, I am solitary until I pass through. On your face, he said, your hands, I was sitting alone (Psalm 140: 10), while I fear you, while I always expect your impending hand. I did not want to sit in the council of jesters, but I swallowed my bitterness, so that I might prepare joy for myself in the future. I had no intervals of pain, but I was constantly weighed down by unceasing misery, expecting no remedies. Those who afflicted me prevailed, and my wound became severe. But in this I had consolation, that it was like deceitful water, passing away. Just as passing waters flow and seem to vanish, so too does every attack of my enemies pass by with your help. May the Lord grant that we do not sit in the council of the mockers, or with those who do not consider the future, nor yield to adversity, but always fear God's judgment and say with the Prophet: I sat alone because I am filled with bitterness. Therefore, let him rejoice in the present time, not in the advice of the wise, but in the secret and hidden amusement of the playful; let it be good for me to adhere to God, to place my hope in God, to be satisfied with reproaches, and to await the judgment of my judge: which when the end shall come, will show by its work that all sadness and bitterness has passed like flowing waters.15:19-21
(Verse 19 onwards) Because of this, the Lord says: If you turn back, I will restore you, and you shall stand before me. And if you separate the precious from the vile, you shall be like my mouth. They will turn to you, but you shall not turn to them. And I will make you to this people a fortified bronze wall; and they will fight against you, but they shall not prevail, for I am with you to save you and deliver you, says the Lord. And I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked, and redeem you from the hand of the strong (or the pestilent). It is clear that the things mentioned do not pertain to Jerusalem, but rather the Prophet said them. To whom the Lord responded, if you turn the people away from sins, I will turn you from tribulation to joy, and you will stand before my face, just as the Angels stand in the presence of God, seeing His face daily. And if you separate the precious from the vile, you will be like my mouth. Do not think, he says, that there is no reward for good works: if you separate even my saints from the number of sinners with your words, you will be like my mouth, and you will be connected to my commandments. For indeed they should be your imitators, and not you theirs. Do not be dismayed, and say: Why has my pain become perpetual, and my wound strong or hopeless, so that I despair of being able to be healed. For I will give you like a wall of bronze, strongest, so that you may resist the adversary with all strength; and you will have me as a helper and I will free you from the hand of the wicked or the pestilence, and I will redeem you, either with my own blood or for now with my help. Let us consider what reward the teaching of a doctor has, if he is able to free someone from error and lead them out of the number of sinners.16:1-4
(Chapter XVI—Verse 1 and following) And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Do not take a wife, and there shall not be sons and daughters for you in this place. For thus says the Lord concerning the sons and daughters who are born in this place, and concerning their mothers who bore them, and concerning their fathers, from whose lineage they were born in this land, they shall die by the deaths of sickness: they shall not be mourned, nor shall they be buried; they shall be like dung on the face of the earth. They shall be consumed by the sword and by famine, and their corpses shall be food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth. If, in the time of impending captivity, the prophet is forbidden to take a wife, so as not to have the affliction of the flesh; and if he is also tormented by the sorrow of his own wife and the miseries of his children, how much more does the Apostle command (I Cor. VII) that, because the time is shortened and the consummation is at hand, even those who have wives should be as if they had none! Hence the superfluous reproach of the new heretics (Jovinians), by which we have taught that bigamy and trigamy do not come from the law, but from indulgence. For it is one thing to do what is good in itself, another to concede something so as not to do worse. For he himself gives the reasons why he wants young widows to marry, saying: For some of them have already gone astray after Satan (I Tim. 5:15). At the same time, as a teacher of self-control and perpetual chastity, he praises three or four marriages, which I will not so much call marriages as comforts for the wretched and the last hope for shipwrecked souls. Unless perhaps he grants indulgence to his Amazons, that they may experience the wars of desire until decrepit old age. But why the Prophet is prevented from taking a wife is clear, because with the nearby siege, pestilence, sword, and famine, all perish, and such is the number of the dying that the duty of burial is surpassed, but the bodies lie like dung to be torn apart by birds and beasts. And it should be noted that to waste away with sickness and long infirmity is the wrath of God. Thus, Joram son of Josaphat is consumed by illness (2 Chronicles 21). And the Apostle teaches that those who violate holy things become sick, waste away, and die (I Cor. XI).16:5-8
(Verse 5 onwards) For thus says the Lord: Do not enter the house of the feast, nor go to mourn, nor console them, for I have taken away my peace from this people, says the Lord, mercy and compassion. And the great and the small shall die in this land, they shall not be buried, nor mourned, nor shall they make a cut in themselves, nor shall there be baldness for them. And they shall not break bread among those who mourn, to console them regarding the dead, and they shall not give them the cup of consolation for their father and mother. And do not enter the house of the feast, so that you may sit with them and eat and drink. The Apostle commands that one should not even eat with those who turn away from God (I Cor. V). Furthermore, you should not even greet such people (II John X). And the Savior prohibits the Apostles from greeting anyone on the journey (Luke X). Therefore, Elisha forbids Gehazi from greeting someone while going to heal a boy (IV Kings IV). But it is customary for those in mourning to bear food and prepare a feast, which the Greeks call 'περίδειπνα' and are commonly known as 'parentalia' by us: because they are celebrated for the parents. Scripture also says elsewhere: 'Give wine to those who are in sorrow' (Prov. XXXI, 6); so that they may forget their sorrow. Therefore, the Prophet is commanded not to console anyone from the people, not to mix with the banquets of God's enemies, and not to celebrate the rites over the funerals of the deceased. For it is one thing to forget by the common law of nature, another thing to kill by the judgement of God. 'I have taken away my peace from that people,' he says, 'and they are unworthy of mercy. I will spare no age, but both the great and the small will perish equally, so that they will even lack a burial.' 'Neither shall they shave their heads,' he says, 'nor shall there be baldness (Al. They shall make no mourning) for them.' This was the custom among the Ancients, and it still persists among some of the Jews today, that they shave their arms and make themselves bald in mourning; and we also read that Job did this (Job. 1 and 22). And it is also said of the prophets, neither shall he break bread among them, nor enter in to mourn, nor give them the cup to drink, nor go into the house of feasting, nor mix with those who are prepared for the word of God. But if this is said of those who are mourning, what will be done with heretics, whose speech spreads like cancer, and who daily lay low in the Church the dead bodies of the deceived?16:9-12
(Verse 9 onwards) For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will remove from this place in your sight and in your days the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride. And when you tell this people all these words, and they say to you, 'Why has the Lord pronounced all this great evil against us? What is our iniquity? What is the sin that we have committed against the Lord our God?' You say to them: 'Because your fathers have forsaken me,' says the Lord, 'and have gone after foreign gods, and have served them, and have worshipped them, and have forsaken me, and have not kept my law. But you have done worse than your fathers. When the Church sins, all joy and gladness are taken away from it, of which the Apostle says: Rejoice, again I say, rejoice (Philippians 4:4): The voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, of which it is written: He who has the bride is the bridegroom (John 3:29).' But if, he says, the people question you, asking why these sufferings are allowed and seeking the reasons for their miseries, you shall reply to them: Because your fathers have forsaken me, says the Lord, who preside over you in the Churches, and have gone after foreign gods, whose god is their belly, and they serve them for the sake of greed and lust, and their glory is in their shame, and they have worshipped them. For whoever is overcome by someone, becomes their servant. And they worshipped them: For each one worships what they love. And they have forsaken me, and have not kept my law. It is the duty of the priests not only to teach, but also to follow the law: so that they may teach by example, not only by words, the people who are subject to them and the entrusted flock. And lest they should say that the judgment is unjust, it brings forward the saying: 'The fathers eat sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge' (Jeremiah 31), and 'The teeth of the sons shall not be set on edge' (Ezekiel 18). But you have done worse than your fathers; so that just punishments should be inflicted on those who have sinned worse than their fathers.16:13
(Verse 13) Behold, everyone walks according to the wickedness of their evil heart, so that they may not hear me. And I will cast you out of this land into a land that you and your fathers do not know, and there you will serve foreign gods day and night, who will not give you rest. Once abandoned by the Lord, they do things that are not fitting, so that they may pursue the desires of their evil heart, from which come wicked thoughts (Matthew 15), and therefore they are separated from the Church, to go into a distant land, which neither they nor their fathers knew before they sinned, to serve foreign gods, who are not gods, but are thought to be by those who worship them in error. But what he introduced: Day and night, he shows the continuous perseverance of sinners in wickedness, while they serve both in days of shame and in nights of lust. 'They will not give you rest,' he says. There is no doubt that he signifies false gods, of whom he said: 'And you will serve foreign gods there.' Therefore, whatever we sin, whatever we do day and night, and whatever evil works we commit, is the dominion of demons, who never give us rest, but always impel us to increase sins with sins, and to make a accumulation of sins.16:14-15
(Vers. 14, 15.) Therefore, behold, days are coming," says the Lord, "and it will no longer be said, 'As the Lord lives, who brought the children of Israel up from the land of Egypt,' but 'As the Lord lives, who brought the children of Israel up from the land of the north and from all the lands where He had banished them.' For I will restore them to their land that I gave to their ancestors. Clearly, the future restoration of the people of Israel is predicted, and after their captivity comes mercy; which, according to the literal sense, was partially fulfilled under Zerubbabel and the high priest Joshua and Ezra; but according to the spiritual understanding, it is more truly and perfectly fulfilled in Christ. The time will come, he says, when it will no longer be said that the people were brought out of Egypt by Moses and Aaron, but that they were brought out of the land of the North, with Cyrus, the king of the Persians, releasing the captives. And concerning all lands, he says, this will not be fulfilled in the time of Cyrus, but at the very end, as the Apostle says: After the fullness of the Gentiles has entered, then all Israel will be saved (Rom. XI, 25, 26). We can also say this about the persecutions that happen to our people, from the days of Nero, about whom the Apostle writes: And I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion (I Tim. IV, 17), up until the times of Maximinus: how the Lord has had mercy on his people and brought them back to their land. Doubtless into the Church, which their fathers received, the Apostles and apostolic men.16:16-18
(Verse 16 onwards) Behold, I will send many fishermen, says the Lord, and they will catch them. And after this, I will send them many hunters, and they will hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and from the clefts of the rocks, for my eyes are upon all their ways. They are not hidden from my sight, and their iniquity was not hidden from my eyes. And I will first repay double their iniquities and sins, for they have defiled my land with the carcasses of their idols, and have filled my inheritance with their abominations. There are different interpretations of this chapter. For the Jews, it is believed to refer to the Chaldeans, who are described under the name of fishermen, and later to the Romans, who are compared to hunters, and who hunted down the unfortunate people in the mountains, hills, and caves of the rocks. But the Lord says that He Himself has done this because He has looked upon their ways and has returned upon them the iniquities with which they have polluted the land by worshipping idols and defiling His inheritance with abominations. But our Prophet thinks more rightly and better that these things are prophesied about the future. For as he had said before: I will bring them back to their land, which I gave to their fathers, now he shows how they are to be brought back, that first he should send Apostles, to whom the Savior said: Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men (Matthew 4:19). And afterwards hunters, whom we can understand as either ecclesiastical men or Angels, who, when the time of completion comes, will hunt down all the holy ones from the mountains of lofty doctrines, and from the hills of good works, and from the caves of rocks, to the Apostles and apostolic men. For not only did Christ give the name Rock to Peter the Apostle (I Cor. X, Matt. XVI). In the senses of which, resting rightly, they are said to be transferred from rock. And it shows either the Apostles or those who came after them, having sins, and receiving their double injustices. For the servant who knows his master's will and does not do it, will be beaten with many blows (Luke XII). And it should be known that in Hebrew it is placed first, and in the Septuagint edition it was omitted. But when he says, 'I will first repay them double for their iniquities and their sins,' he indicates that after they have received evil, they will also receive good. However, those who will be transferred later have defiled the land of the Lord with the corpses of their idols and with their abominations they have filled his inheritance, so that the whole world may be subject to God, and may be preserved not by their own merit, but by his mercy. This we have inserted from the Hebrew: 'They are not hidden from my face,' which is not found in the Septuagint.16:19
(Verse 19) Lord, you are my strength and my refuge in the day of trouble (or evil). All human strength, without the power of God, which is Christ, is considered weak and worthless. Therefore, we must turn to the Lord and say: Lord, you have become our refuge, from generation to generation (Psalm 89:1). And in another place: Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty (Psalm 91:1). But this tribulation, or evil, is to be understood, of which the Apostle says: That he might deliver us from this present wicked world: And, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil (Gal. 1:4).16:20
(Verse 20) To you shall the nations come from the ends of the earth and say: Truly, our fathers have possessed a lie, vanity that has not profited them. Septuagint: To you shall the nations come from the ends of the earth, and say: How have our fathers possessed false idols, and there is no profit in them? After Israel was expelled and carried away by fishermen and hunters, a multitude of nations is subsequently called to faith and confesses that their fathers were involved in prior error. But those who say, 'How did our fathers possess false idols, in which there is no utility?' confess that the things they pass by are true, and supported by every defense.Does a man make gods for himself when they are not gods themselves? And this is what the nations, who came to the Savior from the ends of the earth, speak, or rather are called, as they expose both their own ignorance and that of their ancestors, because they thought that gods were made by man, when it is actually men who make gods.
16:21
(Verse 21.) Therefore behold, I will show them in turn this: I will show them my hand and my power, and they will know that my name is the Lord. The hand of God by which he has accomplished all things, and the power, of which the Apostle said: Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24), is revealed to the Gentiles, through the completion of the Son's passion. And beautifully he said: I will show them in turn this: but I will show them openly, and not as before, in shadow and in image, and in the prophecy of future things, so that after they have known, they may know my name, and hear from the Son: Father, I have manifested your name to men (John 17).17:1
(Chapter 17, Verse 1) The sin of Judah is written with an iron pen, engraved with an adamantium nail, upon the width (or height) of their hearts (or in the depth of their hearts), and upon the horns of their altars (or thrones). Concerning the nations that have turned to the Lord, it has been said: Behold, I will show them in turn, I will show them my hand and my power. Now, speaking of Israel who is rejected: The sin of Judah is written with an iron pen, engraved with an adamantium nail, and so on. Why the Septuagint has been omitted, I do not know; unless perhaps they spared their own people: just as it is clear in Isaiah that they did so: Cease from man, whose breath is in his nostrils; for why should he be esteemed? (Isaiah 2:22); and many similar things, which if I wanted to arrange them all, it would not be a book, but books. Because his mercy is confirmed upon us, and the truth of the Lord remains forever (Psalm 116, 1, 2). And concerning those whom he said to Moses: Let me alone, that I may destroy this people, and make you into a great nation (Exodus 32, 10). But the sin of the Jews is indelible, and, so to speak, cannot be abolished by any means; it is written with an iron stylus on an adamant nail, which in Hebrew is called Samir (); not that there is any nail that is called Samir; but that the adamant stone (which has received this name because it is untamable and unbreakable) has such brilliance and lightness that it can be written on without any impediment with an iron stylus: so that the hard material of iron may write on the harder adamant tablet, and what is written may endure forever. For they themselves said: 'His blood be upon us and upon our children' (Matthew 27). Therefore, it has been written or engraved on the horns of their altars or shrines, so that sacrilegious works may be remembered forever. But if this is the case, where is that which an old woman madly fabricates, that a person can be without sin if they wish, and that God's commandments are easy?17:2-3
(Verse 2, 3.) When their sons remember their altars, and the groves of trees and leafy branches on the high mountains, sacrificing in the field, I will give your strength and all your treasures to plunder. Your lofty places will be destroyed because of your sins in all your borders. And you will be left alone in the inheritance that I gave you, and I will make your enemies serve you in a land that you do not know, because you kindled the fire in my anger, and it will burn forever. And these are not found in the Septuagint, for the same reason (as I believe) that we have mentioned above, namely, lest the eternal sentence should remain against them. 'You shall be left,' He says, 'alone from your inheritance, which I gave you, and I will make you serve your enemies in a land which you do not know, either under the Babylonians or, as is more accurate, under the Romans. For they themselves have kindled the fire and provoked the most merciful Lord to anger, whose fire of fury will burn forever.' I am ashamed of our argument, which disputes the truth of the Hebrews. The Jews read against themselves, and the Church does not know what is in their favor. Thus, we, who are the sons of the Apostles, remember the injustices of the previous people and testify that they suffered justly. However, the high places, which are called Bamoth in Hebrew, can also be understood as a reference to the heretics who have exalted themselves, and their language has spread throughout the land. Those who have burst forth into such great madness, that they have remained alone without the grace of the Holy Spirit, and have lost the inheritance of the Lord, namely the prior truth of faith. Hence, eternal fire is prepared for them, and the servitude of demons, who are enemies and avengers.17:5-6
(Verses 5, 6.) Thus says the Lord: Cursed is the man who trusts (or has hope) in man, and relies on flesh for his strength, and turns his heart away from the Lord. He will be like a shrub in the desert, and will not see when good comes; but he will live in dryness in the desert, in a land of salt and uninhabitable. If every man is cursed who trusts in man, then Paul of Samosata and Photinus, although they proclaim the Savior as holy and surpassing all virtues, still confess him as a man; therefore, they will be cursed for having hope in man. But if it is opposed to us, that we also believe in him who says: Now you seek to kill me, a man who has spoken the truth to you, which I have heard from God, Abraham did not do this: you do the works of your father. (John 8:40) We will respond with that of the Apostles: And if we have known Christ according to the flesh at some time, but now we no longer know him. Finally, the same Apostle writes in the beginning of his letter to the Galatians: Paul, an Apostle, not from men, nor through man, but through Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead, and who are with me all the brethren. (Galatians 1:1-2). For if death was swallowed up in victory (Hosea 13), why did not the lowliness of the flesh, which was assumed for the salvation of mankind, pass into the majesty of divinity, so that it might make both one; and we do not worship the creature, but the Creator, who is blessed forever? Therefore, he is cursed, not only who has hope in man, but who puts his trust in the flesh, that is, his own strength, and whatever he accomplishes, considers it to be not of the mercy of the Lord, but of his own power. For whoever does this, departs from the heart of the Lord, asserting that he can do what he cannot. And he will be like myrtle, which in Hebrew is called Aroer, or as Symmachus interpreted, a fruitless tree in the desert. And he will not see the good things that the multitude of nations will see when they come, but he will dwell in dryness in the desert. This is said of the people of Judah who dwell in the desert, do not bear fruit, and live in a land of salt, which produces no fruit, and is uninhabitable, having no guest of God, nor the protection of angels, nor the grace of the Holy Spirit, nor the knowledge of teachers.17:7-8
(Vers. 7, 8.) Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and the Lord will be his hope (or confidence): and he will be like a tree, which is transplanted (or fruitful) over the waters, which sends its roots to the moisture, and will not fear when heat comes: and its leaves will be green (or its branches flourishing), and in the time of drought it will not be anxious (or will not fear) nor will it ever cease to bear fruit. Let this be said about the Jews and heretics, who have hope in man, namely in their Christ, whom they think to be not the Son of God, but a pure man who is to come. On the other hand, the man of the Church, who has confidence in the Lord, hears this: 'And know that the Lord himself is God' (Psalm 99:3). He has confidence in the Lord, and he will be compared to that tree, about which it is also sung in the first psalm: 'And he will be like a tree, planted near the streams of water, which will bear its fruit in due season, and its leaves will not wither.' But over the waters, the grace of the Holy Spirit, various gifts. He sends his roots to the moisture: so that he may receive abundance from the Lord. But we can also say in another way, that we have been translated from Jewish dryness into the eternal grace of baptism. And he will not fear, he says, when the heat comes, or the time of persecution, or the day of judgment: And its leaf will be green, or there will be leafy branches in it: so that he may never fear dryness, but may bring forth the grace of all virtues. And when the time, or year, of dryness comes, it will not be afraid, when the Lord, angry, commands the clouds not to rain upon Israel (Isaiah 5). And what follows: it will not cease to bear fruit, that place which is written in Mark, when the Lord comes to the fig tree, and does not find fruit in it, because it was not yet the time, and curses it, so that it does not bear fruit forever, can explain (Mark 11). For whoever trusts in the Lord, the Lord is his confidence, even in times of drought he will not fear; but he will always bring forth fruit, believing in him who once died for us and will never die again (Romans VI), and he says: I am the life (John XIV, 6).17:9-10
(Verse 9, 10.) The heart of all is perverse and inscrutable, who can understand it? I am the Lord, searching the heart and testing the kidneys, who gives to each according to their ways and according to the fruit of their inventions. LXX: The heart is deep above all, and man is, who can know him? and so on. The Hebrew word Enos is written with four letters, Aleph and Nun and Vau and Sin. Therefore, if Enos is read, it means 'man', but if Anus, it is inscrutable or desperate, because no human heart can find it. But Symmachus interpreted this passage as follows: Inscrutable is the heart of all: but who is the man that can find it? Some of ours, indeed, with good intentions, but not according to knowledge, use this passage against the Jews, because He is called Lord and Savior, according to the dispensation of the assumed flesh, and no one can know the mystery of His birth, according to what is written: Who shall declare His generation? (Isaiah 53:8) Unless God alone who searches the depths and renders to each according to his works. However, it is better that we simply accept that no one knows the secrets of our thoughts except God alone. For as it was said above: Cursed is the man who has hope in man. And conversely: Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord. Hence, in order for us not to think that the judgment of men is certain, it was introduced that the hearts of almost all are perverse, as the Psalmist says: Cleanse me from my hidden faults, and spare your servant from the faults of others (Psal. 19:13): undoubtedly referring to thoughts. And in Genesis: But God, seeing that the wickedness of men was great on the earth, and that every thought and intent of the heart was inclined towards evil at all times (Gen. 6:5). And again: For the sense and thought of the human heart are prone to evil from their youth (Gen. 8:21). From this we learn that only God knows our thoughts. But if it is said of the Savior: But Jesus, seeing their thoughts (Luke 9:17); and no one can see their thoughts except God alone; therefore Christ is God, who searches the hearts, and tests the kidneys; and rewards each one according to their works (Ps. 7).17:11
(Verse 11.) The partridge hatches (or gathers) what it did not lay. (And as the Septuagint translated: The partridge cried out, it gathered what it did not lay.) It acquired its riches not with justice. In the middle of its days, it will leave them (or in the middle of its days, they will leave it) and in its last days, it will be foolish. Writers of natural history, both of animals and birds, as well as of trees and plants (of whom the Greek leaders are, Aristotle and Theophrastus, and among us, Pliny the Second), say that this is the nature of the partridge, to steal the eggs of another partridge, that is, to steal from another, and to incubate and care for them: and when the offspring grow up, to fly away from them, and leave behind their adoptive parent. Such are the wealthy who plunder others, and without the consideration of God's judgment, amass riches without judgment, which they leave behind in the midst of time, taken away by sudden death, when it is said to them: Fool, this night they will demand your soul from you, what you have prepared, whose will it be? And nothing is more foolish than not to foresee the last things, and to consider the fleeting as eternal. Others, however, interpret the partridge to be the most aggressive and unclean bird both because of the earlier historical account and because of another reason they state, in that it contaminates the defeated, and they interpret the devil under its name, because it has gathered riches for itself, saying to the Lord: All these things I will give to You, if You fall down and worship me (Matthew 4:9). Those riches that were gathered poorly by him will be abandoned, and they will be converted (or rather, restored) to the Lord through the Apostles; and the one who seemed to be the most prudent to himself will be considered foolish by the judgment of all. And what is said by the LXX: The partridge cried out, is to be referred to the person of the heretics, that this partridge, the devil, cried out through the leaders of the heretics, and gathered what it did not bear, and gathered a multitude of those it deceived, which it will later dismiss; and it will be proven most foolish by the judgment of all.17:12-13
(Verse 12, 13.) The throne of glory on high from the beginning, the place of our sanctification. The expectation of Israel, O Lord, all those who forsake you shall be put to shame, those who turn away shall be written (or described) on the earth; for they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain (or source) of living waters. Declare them because of their foolishness, the expectation of Israel, that is, the people of God and believers in the Lord, He is the one who made all things; whose throne is glorious and exalted from the beginning, and the place of sanctification for all believers, so that the Lord is not in a place, but that wherever He is, that place may be sanctified. On the other hand, those who forsake the Lord will be confounded with everlasting confusion, and those who depart from Him or turn away from Him will be written on the ground, deleted from the book of the living. Just as it is written of those who dwell in heaven that our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3), so those who forsake the Lord or turn away from Him will be written on the earth with those who have earthly desires. And the reason is clear why they are written on the earth: because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of life, or the Lord, the fountain of living waters, as spoken in the Gospel: If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink; whoever believes in me, as Scripture says, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. But He said this about the Spirit, whom believers in Him were going to receive (John 7:37, 38).17:14
(Verse 14) Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise. In the Gospel (Matthew 9), many physicians had cured the woman with the issue of blood, who had lost all her substance on them, yet she could not be healed by anyone except by Him who is the true physician, and whose healing is in His wings. Therefore, even now, the Prophet, having suffered reproaches from the people and being constantly surrounded by snares, desires to be healed and saved by Him whose true praise and true medicine He is.17:15-17
(Verse 15 onwards) Look, they say to me: Where is the word of the Lord? Let it come. But I am not troubled, following you as a shepherd (or not laboring, following you), and I have not desired the day of man: you know. What has come out of my lips has been right in your sight (or before your face). Do not be a source of fear to me, you are my hope in the day of affliction (or do not become a stranger to me, sparing me on the worst day). Those who do not believe in the future, speak to the Prophet: Where is the word of the Lord? Let us come: considering the dissimulation of judgment, thinking of delay. But to those, he says, speaking these things, I am not troubled, nor have I labored following you as a shepherd, either entering your footsteps. Nor was I satisfied with this end, but I did not desire the day of man, either a longer life, or the prosperous things of this age. And he calls himself a witness, whom he also calls a judge: You know. He continues: What has come forth from my lips, was right in your sight; that he has never lied, and never spoke against the will of the Lord. Be not to me, he says, a source of fear, my hope in the day of affliction. Which is clear according to the Hebrew. But according to what the Seventy translated, saying: Do not become a stranger to me, sparing me in the day of evil, the meaning is: Do not spare me in the present age, which is evil; but repay me according to my sins, so that I may have eternal rest. For I know it is written: Whom the Lord loves, he chastises; and he scourges every son whom he receives (Hebrews XII, 6). But this day is evil, either the entire age, or the day of judgment, for those who suffer because of their sins.17:18
(Verse 18.) Let those who pursue me be put to shame, while I am not put to shame. Let them fear, while I do not fear. Bring upon them the day of affliction, and crush them with double contrition. The Prophet curses against them, who reproach him with the word of the Lord, and say: Where is the word of the Lord? Let it come, that those who pursue him may be put to shame and may be ashamed and may return to salvation, so that they may fear the liars and not the one who predicts the truth. And when the day of vengeance comes, it will crush them with a twofold affliction, hunger and sword.17:19-20
(Verse 19, 20.) This is what the Lord says to me: Go and stand at the gate (or gates) of the people's children: through which the kings of Judah enter and exit, in all the gates of Jerusalem. And you shall say to them; Listen to the word of the Lord, kings of Judah, and all Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who enter through these gates. Because, he says, they despise hearing your words, and they do not come to you to seek the wisdom of God, you go to the most famous place, either the gate of the temple or the gate of the city, through which the kings and the entire crowd enter and exit, so that they may be compelled by necessity to hear, and you shall proclaim the word of the Lord continuously, whether convenient or inconvenient (1 Timothy 4): and no excuse shall remain among them, that they did not do it because they did not hear.17:20-27
(Verse 20 and following) Thus says the Lord: Guard your souls, and do not carry burdens on the Sabbath day, or bring them through the gates of Jerusalem. And do not cast burdens out of your houses on the Sabbath day, and you shall not do any work, and sanctify the Sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers. But they did not listen, nor inclined their ear, and they stiffened their necks (and what is not found in Hebrew, against their fathers), so that they would not listen to me, and would not receive discipline. And it will be, says the Lord, if you listen to me, that you shall not carry burdens through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, and if you sanctify the Sabbath day and do not do any work on it, then the kings and princes occupying the throne of David shall enter through the gates of this city. They shall arrive in chariots and on horses, along with their princes, the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And this city shall be inhabited forever. And they shall come from the cities of Judah, and from the surrounding of Jerusalem, and from the land of Benjamin, and from the plains, and from the mountains, and from the south, bearing burnt offerings and sacrifices (or incense) and grain offerings (or manna) and frankincense, and they shall bring an offering (or praise) into the house of the Lord. But if you will not listen to me to hallow the Sabbath day, and not to carry burdens, and not to bring them in through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle a fire in its gates, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched. I decided to disregard the commandment of the Sabbath restored through Jeremiah in vain, so that we may understand all at the same time. He who does not carry the burdens of sins on the day of rest and Sabbath guards his soul: nor does he bring them through the gates of Jerusalem, which virtues we should receive. And do not, he says, cast off burdens from your houses. For they are not to be carried, but to be completely cast away. And do not do any work, either servile or that which is written: 'Food for the stomach and the stomach for food,' but God will destroy both this and that (I Cor. VI, 13); but that work must be done, of which the Savior speaks; 'Work for the work that does not perish' (John VI, 27). Sanctify, he says, the Sabbath day, so that we may spend all the time of our life in sanctification, just as our fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did. And when God commanded these things, they did not incline their ear, certainly not their mind, nor their flesh; but they hardened their neck, rejecting the yoke of the Law, and having a likeness to untamed animals by metaphor. Let us see what is the reward of those who do not bear the burdens of the Sabbath day and sanctify it. Kings will enter through the gates of this city, whose heart is in the hand of God, and who reign over their bodies (Prov. 21); and princes sitting on the throne of David, in order to imitate the example of Christ, and those who ride in chariots and on horses, of whom it is written: The chariots of God are ten thousand, even thousands of angels; the Lord is among them as in Sinai, in the holy place (Psalm 68:17). And elsewhere: Your horses are a salvation (Habakkuk 3:8). Every man who confesses God and dwells in Jerusalem, of which it is said: His place is in Salem (or Jerusalem), that is, in peace, and his dwelling is in Zion (Psalm 75:2), and the Church of God will dwell there forever. They will come from the cities of Judah and from around Jerusalem, of which we have already spoken, and from the land of Benjamin, who is the son of strength and the right hand, and from the plains, which in Hebrew is called Sephela, and it signifies a plain understanding of history, and from the mountains, namely the lofty doctrines, and from the South, of which it is written: God will come from the South (Habbakuk 3:3). Where there is heat and full light, and where all cold is expelled: Carrying, he says, holocausts, consecrating themselves to God, and a victim, or incense, so that they may say: 'A sacrifice of a broken spirit, O Lord' (Psalm 50:19). And, we are a sweet odor of Christ in every place (1 Corinthians 2:15). And elsewhere: 'Let my prayer be directed as incense in your sight' (Psalm 140:2). And the sacrifice, for which the 70 translators themselves put down the Hebrew word Manaa, which, by a most wicked custom, indeed the negligence of the scribes, is read as manna in our language. And thus, concerning which it is written: 'Why do you bring me frankincense from Sheba?' (Jeremiah 6:20) And they bring an offering, which in Hebrew is called Thoda, and can be translated into a thanksgiving. And which praise the Septuagint translated. Into the house of David, no doubt into the Church. These are the rewards of those who sanctify the Sabbath and are not burdened with any weight. But if, he says, you do not listen to my commandments, and do what I have not commanded to be done: I will kindle a fire in its gates, that is, in Jerusalem, about which it is said: 'All of them, like a baker's oven, their hearts' (Hosea 7:4): who devour houses or streets of Jerusalem, which the LXX translated as alleys, Aquila and Symmachus as turrets, and are called Armanoth in Hebrew. And this fire will never be extinguished, as the Apostle says: Each one's work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person's work (1 Cor. 3:13). And again: If anyone's work is burned up, they will suffer loss but yet will be saved - even though only as one escaping through the flames (ibid., 15). But if our Judaizing opponents reject this figurative interpretation, they will either be compelled to be Jews and observe the Sabbath and circumcise foreskins, or certainly censure the Savior who commanded the paralyzed man on the Sabbath to take up his bed, as the Evangelist says: Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God (John 5:18).Book Four
Book FourThe devil always threatens good work ((Perhaps he envies it)) and sets traps for those who walk everywhere, as the Prophet narrates about his minions' snares: 'They set a stumbling block for me beside the path' (Psalm 139:6), and the Gospel (Matthew 13, Mark 4, and Luke 8) provides a more complete instruction, explaining that birds of the air snatch and scatter seeds thrown along the way. Brother Eusebius, the following discourse will reveal why I have used this principle. Being occupied with the cares of the multitude converging from all over the globe, as well as with the duties of the Holy Brothers and the monastery, I was dictating commentaries on Jeremiah at intervals, so that what was lacking in leisure might be made up for by industry. However, suddenly the heresy of Pythagoras and Zeno, the apathy and sinlessness, that is, impassibility and impeccability, which was once crushed in Origen and then in his disciples Grunnius, Evagrius Ponticus, and Jovinian, began to revive and not only hissed in the Western, but also in the Eastern parts, and stained many people in certain islands, especially Sicily and Rhodes, and increased day by day, while they teach in secret and deny publicly. Remaining silent for a long time, he swallowed his grief in silence, compelled by his brothers' reproach: yet I have not yet broken out to name the authors, preferring them to be corrected rather than disgraced (or imitated, as Alexander reads). For I am an enemy not of men, but of error: who, to exact retribution on me and to inflict their genuine pain (or sweat, as Alexander reads), concocted slanders against the ancient masters, they were so tongue-tied (or double-tongued) and pitiable that they were not even able to speak ill in their own words. At that time, with the publication of books against them, the nonsense was refuted, which those who wish to read will see clearly that they are like dogs, as Isaiah says, who do not know how to bark: they have the will and rage to lie, but they do not have the skill of pretending and barking (Isa. 56). In brief, I will say this to them: Either the things you teach are good, or they are bad. If they are good, defend them freely; if they are bad, why do you secretly kill the miserable ones with deception, and openly expose those who are simple-minded to deceive them? If it is true, why is it hidden? If it is false, why is it written? I ask, what is this madness? The apostle commands (1 Peter 3) that we be prepared to give a reason to everyone who asks us about the hope that we have within us, and the Prophet declares: I spoke of your testimonies before kings, and I was not ashamed (Psalm 119:46). These people flee from public view and whisper in the corners of the wicked, grieving as if for their own sins, which they fear to confess. And when we have spoken generally against vices and heretics, they complain that they are being attacked; and with hidden malice they pronounce long-lasting indignation. But if we must beware of harming our long-standing relationship, if we cut off the most arrogant heresy with the spiritual sword, then we must endure the crosses of faith that have been handed down to us, and say with the Prophet: I am surrounded by misery, while the thorn is being pierced into me (Psalm 31:4). Rather, let them listen to that Apostolic saying: It is necessary to obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29; Gal. 1). And again: If I were pleasing men, I would not be a servant of Christ. However, we will carry out these things more fully in practice, unless they keep silent. Now let us proceed with the work begun on Jeremiah, and briefly pass over the fourth volume on him, focusing only on those things that were obscure.
18:1-10
(Chapter XVIII — Verses 1 and following) The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying: Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there you shall hear my words. So I went down to the potter's house, and behold, he was working on a wheel (or stones). And the vessel that he was making of clay with his hands was spoiled in his hands; so he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to him to do. Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Can I not do with you, house of Israel, as this potter does? (Vulgate: Can I not, according to the Hebrew?) The Lord says, behold, as clay in the hand of a potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. Suddenly (or at the highest point), I will speak against a nation and against a kingdom, to uproot (or remove) and to destroy, and to utterly destroy it. If that nation turns away from the evil that I have spoken against it, I will relent and not carry out the harm that I planned to do to it. And suddenly (or at the highest point), I will speak about a nation and a kingdom, to build and to plant it. If he does evil in my eyes, so that he does not hear my voice, I will repent of the good that I have spoken to do to him. It is through all the senses that one arrives at the judgment and understanding of the mind, through hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, but it is retained more by the mind, which is seen by the eyes. Hence, the Prophet is commanded to go to the house of the potter and there to hear the commandments of the Lord. And when, he says, I had gone and descended into the house of the potter, he himself was working on the wheel, which, enticed by the ambiguity of the seventy-word, the stones were moved. For by Abanim, that is, the wheel of the potter, is meant the quality and diversity of the place and the pronunciation, and the instrument, that is, the wheel of the potter, and the stones. And when, he said, I saw a vessel being made of clay, suddenly it was dissipated, by the providence of God acting, so that the hand of the craftsman, while unaware, would shape a parable by its own mistake. And that potter, who had lost the vessel made of clay, with the wheel spinning, made another for himself as he saw fit. And immediately the Lord said to the Prophet: If the potter, he said, has the power to make again from the same clay what had been dissipated: I, in you, who as far as is possible in you, seem to have perished, will I not be able to do this? And in order to signify free will, he says that he both announces evil to a nation and kingdom, or to that one, and again good things: yet not that this will actually happen that he himself has predicted; but rather the opposite will occur, so that good things happen to evil people if they have repented, and bad things happen to good people if they have turned to sin after making promises. And we say this, not because God is unaware that this or that nation or kingdom will come into existence, but because he allows a person to follow their own will, so that they may receive rewards or punishments according to their own choice and their own merit. Not immediately will everything that happens be the accomplishment of man, but of his grace who has bestowed all things: so that the freedom of choice must be reserved, in such a way that the grace of the bestower excels in all things, according to that prophetic saying: Unless the Lord builds the house, they labour in vain that build it. Unless the Lord guards the city, he watches in vain who guards it (Psalm 126:1-2). For it is not of the one who wills, nor of the one who runs, but of God who shows mercy (Romans 9).18:11-13
(Vers. 11-13.) Now therefore say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Thus says the Lord: Behold, I am devising evil against you and devising a plan against you. Return everyone from his evil way, and amend your ways and your deeds. But they say, That is in vain! We will follow our own plans, and will every one act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart. Therefore, thus says the Lord: Inquire of the nations, who has heard such dreadful things, which the virgin of Israel has done exceedingly? The Lord fulfills the parable which He had taught by both His words and His appearance, and He says: Behold, I am devising evil against you, like a potter shaping clay. But the evil mentioned by Isaiah, who says, 'Making peace and creating evil' (Isa. 45:7), is not evil in itself, but appears as evil to those who suffer it. And I am pondering a plan against you, that is, to pass judgment according to your deserts. Change your ways, and direct your paths, so that punishment may be changed to prosperity. Those, he said, who have spoken otherwise: We will be strengthened, namely in evil works, or according to Aquila, we have despaired, and according to Symmachus, we have fallen away, both of which offend God; so that either he thinks he cannot be saved at all, or he has fallen away in his mind to appease God. And after our thoughts, he said, we will go. Where then is there free will without the grace of God, and judgment of one's own will, when it is a great offense to follow one's own thoughts and to do the will of an evil heart? Therefore he brings this forward, saying: Inquire of the nations, and all the nations around, who has done this, who has heard of serving idols, what great things the virgin Israel has done? And he calls her a virgin because she has served only one God, as the Prophet says: God is known in Judah, his name is great in Israel (Psalm 75:2).18:14
(Verse 14.) Will the snow of Lebanon's mountain fail from the rock of the field? Or can the rushing, cold waters be removed? Septuagint: Will the breasts fail from the rock, or the snow from Lebanon, or will the violently lifted water decline? It sounds like something similar to Virgil's (Eclogue I, 60 seq.)Therefore, the gentle deer will feed in the sky, and the naked fish will leave the straits on the shore, before her face glides in our breast. And in another place (Aeneid. I, 611 seqq.)
While the rivers flow in the seas, while the shadows traverse the mountains, while the vaulted sky feeds the stars, your honor, name, and praises shall always remain. Just as, he says, the snow cannot fail from the summits of Lebanon; nor can it be overcome by any amount of sunlight so as to melt entirely; and the flowing streams from the mountains, by no means dry up in the fountains: so my name, which is steadfast of its own accord and everlasting, cannot be changed, and yet when all the other things of nature observe their order, my people have forgotten me. Sequitur enim:
18:15
(Verse 15) Because my people have forgotten me, offering sacrifices in vain and stumbling in their ways, in the paths of the world (or eternal) in order to walk through them on an untrodden journey. Whoever forgets God and forsakes him, who says: 'I am the way' (John 14:6); offers sacrifices to foreign gods, stumbles in his own ways, not God's, and forsakes the ancient and eternal paths, which are trodden by the footsteps of all who worship God. But these truly have walked on an untrodden path, and having abandoned the worship of God, they have revered idols, for which the punishment that follows is inflicted.18:16
(Verse 16.) So that their land became a desolation and an eternal hissing, everyone who passes by it will be astonished and shake his head. And because they have forsaken the worship of God and followed the wicked paths of idolatry, therefore their land has been reduced to a wilderness and a wonder of all hissing, so that those who once saw the land and the flourishing city now see it as a desert and a heap of ashes, and they marvel and are astonished, and show the confusion of their souls by the movement of their bodies; for this is to shake the head and demonstrate the astonishment of the mind in silence. That which we understand to be more fully and accurately fulfilled after the coming of the Lord, when no Jew is allowed to enter the land and the holy City by law; but when they come to the earth, they marvel and weep over the prophecies of the Prophets, fulfilled by their deeds.18:17
(Verse 17) Like a burning wind, I will scatter them before the enemy (or enemies); I will show them my back, not my face, on the day of their destruction. Until this day, God's judgment remains on the Jews. They were scattered before the enemy devil or enemy demons throughout the entire world; and as they invoke the name of God in the synagogues of Satan day and night, God shows them his back, not his face, so that they may understand that he is constantly withdrawing and never coming to them. But this is the time of the destruction of the Jews, from the passion of the Savior until the end of the age: so that after the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, then all Israel may be saved (Rom. 11).18:18
(Verse 18) And they said: Come, let us devise schemes against Jeremiah, for the law will not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, let us attack him with the tongue, and let us not pay attention to all his words. These are the thoughts of the Jews against Jeremiah, or the Lord Savior, then and today, of the heretics against his servants, to construct calumnies and preempt the holy men with accusations, not considering what they speak of truth, but what they fabricate in lies. For they boast in their priests, and in their wise men, and in their false prophets, that the law and counsel of God, and the word, will remain, as the Scripture says: Wisdom will not enter a malicious soul.18:19-21
(Verse 19 and following) Attend, O Lord, to me: and hear the voice of my adversaries. Is evil repaid for good, because they have dug a pit for my soul? Remember that I stood in your presence, to speak good for them, and to turn away your wrath from them. Therefore, let their children become a byword, and let them be led into the hands of the sword. May their wives be without children and widows, and may their husbands be killed by death, may their young men be pierced by the sword in battle, may the cry be heard from their houses. Indeed, these things were suffered by the people of Judah under the type of the Savior, which were subsequently fulfilled more fully and perfectly in Christ. And after the coming of the Babylonians, they were devastated. But they were completely fulfilled in Christ, and after the city was destroyed by the Roman sword, they were put to death, not because of idolatry, which was not present at that time, but because of the killing of the Son of God, when the whole people cried out together: Take him away, take him away; we have no king but Caesar (John 19:15). And their curse is a complete eternal damnation; His blood is upon us, and upon our children (Matthew 27:25). For they dug a pit for Christ, and said: Let us remove him from the land of the living (Isaiah 53:8). He showed them such great mercy, that while standing in the presence of the Father, he spoke good things for them, to turn away his anger from them, even saying on the cross: Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing (Luke 23:34). We hasten through the obscure, in order to dwell in the clearer things, by no means interpreting the delusions of certain individuals or the captivity of the celestial Jerusalem, but rather pursuing a clear history and a most evident prophecy, with every confidence in words and meanings.18:22-23
(Vers. 22, 23.) For he brings upon them suddenly a robber, because they dug a pit to capture me, and hid snares for my feet. But you, Lord, know all their counsel against me to bring about my death. Do not forgive their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from your sight. Let them be overthrown (or let them stumble) before you; in the time of your anger, deal with them (or do to them). If we understand this from Jeremiah, let us refer the sudden robber to Nebuchadnezzar; if we understand it from the Savior, which is both truer and better, let us refer it to the Roman army. And so that the sentence of God may not seem unjust, he explains what they did against the Son of God, Christ, and what they suffered. But what he concludes, that you may not show favor to their wickedness, and their sin may not be blotted out from your presence, is by no means contrary to the previous sentence, in which he intercedes for the people to the Father; but after the time for repentance has passed, and they persist in their wickedness, the people and the elders are punished not so much for themselves as for others, so that their unavenged sin may not harm others by example. And what he brings forward: That those who stumble, or fall, in your sight, are similar to that of Isaiah and the Apostle Peter. And you will not stumble like on a stone of offense, and a rock of scandal (Isaiah VIII, 14; I Peter II, 8). The Prophet also mentions this in the Psalms: The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This has been done by the Lord (Psalm CXVII, 22).19:1-3
(Chapter 19, verses 1 and following) Thus says the Lord: Go, and take the potter's earthen bottle, and take of the ancients of the people, and of the ancients of the priests, and go forth into the valley of the son of Ennom, which is by the entry of the earthen gate (or Charsith); and there you shall proclaim (or cry out, or read) the words that I shall speak to you, and you shall say: Hear the word of the Lord, kings of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem. For the potter's bottle, which is called 'Bocboc' in Hebrew, the Septuagint translated it as 'doliolum', and for the earthen gate, Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion put the Hebrew word 'Harsith'. For this, the Septuagint, according to their custom of aspirating the letter 'Heth', added the Greek letter 'Chi', so that they would say 'Charsith' instead of 'Arsith', just as they say 'Chebron' for 'Hebron', and 'Jericho' for 'Jeriho'. But divine Scripture wants to instruct the people not only with their ears, but also with their eyes. For what is seen is more retained in the mind than what is heard: 'Take,' he says, 'your little bottle or earthenware jar as a witness, and go out to the valley of the sons of Hinnom, of which we have spoken before, where there is a temple of Baal, and a grove, and a grove irrigated by Siloam's springs. The valley itself, he says, is next to the gate, which in Hebrew is called Harsith, that is, earthenware.' And you will proclaim, or read there the words that I speak to you: so that they may hear what I am going to say. And as we have already said, you will proclaim, and cry out, and read it, because the Hebrew word Carath (), signifies these three things. And she wants both the kings of Judah to hear, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, that is, both the royal lineage, and the whole people, so that those who refuse to listen may be without excuse.19:4-6
(Verses 4-6.) Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will bring calamity (or evil) upon this place, such that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle, because they have forsaken me and have made this place a foreign land, and have burned incense in it to foreign gods, whom they and their fathers and the kings of Judah did not know. And they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent, and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, something that I did not command (or think), nor did it come into my mind. And certain individuals foolishly refer this place to the heavenly Jerusalem. Lest we always remind, it suffices to have said this only: that this kind of explanation is to be avoided, indeed it is heresy, which clearly subverts and attempts to introduce certain deceits to the Churches of Christ. But there is no doubt that they placed the idol Baal in the Temple of God, whether in the shrine that was in the valley of the son of Hinnom, where the grove of Baal and his altar were located, on which they sacrificed and burned their children. What the Lord neither thought nor spoke, nor did they ascend into his heart. Not that God does not know the future, but because he says that he chooses not to know unworthy things, according to the words of the Gospel: Depart from me, workers of iniquity, I do not know you (Luke 13:27). For the Lord knows those who are his (2 Timothy). And, Whoever is ignorant, let him be ignorant (1 Corinthians 14:38). Or certainly in a human way, and these things must be understood about God, as well as others. But every heretic forsakes God and makes room for the dwelling of God, whom he has defiled by his deceit and offers sacrifices to foreign gods, whom neither he nor his fathers knew, namely the Apostles and apostolic men; but the kings of Judah, that is, the patriarchs of heretics, fill the place of God once with the blood of deceivers and the innocent. For unless he is foolish and simple, he is not quickly overthrown. And they build high places for Baal, while claiming to debate lofty matters. And they burn their sons as an offering to idols, whom they have begotten in their heresy. The Lord says that he is unaware of all these things and that they have never entered his mind.19:6
(Verse 6.) Therefore, behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when this place shall no longer be called Topheth or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter. LXX: Therefore, behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when this place shall no longer be called ruin and πολυάνδριον (multiplicity) of the son of Hinnom, but πολυάνδριον (multiplicity) of slaughter. The valley of the son of Hinnom, which is called Gehenna in Hebrew (), from which it is thought to be named Gehenna, as we have said above. But I wonder what the meaning of the number 70 is for Topheth (), which means the place of ruin, and for the valley, πολυάνδριον, which signifies a multitude of men, unless it is because the people there have fallen and a multitude of men have been slain, either spiritually, in the error of idolatry, or literally, by the Babylonian army, as is more clearly stated in the following passage.19:7-9
(Verse 7 and following) And I will scatter the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place, and I will overthrow them with the sword in the presence of their enemies and those who seek their lives, and I will give their dead bodies as food to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth. And I will make this city a horror, a hissing, and everyone who passes by it will be astonished and hiss because of all its wounds. And I will feed them with the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and everyone shall eat the flesh of his neighbor in the siege and in the distress, with which their enemies and those who seek their lives shall distress them. Although we know that these things also happened to the people in the Babylonian captivity, they are more fully related to the times of the Savior, when they were besieged by Vespasian and Titus, and their city, in the times of Hadrian, collapsed into eternal ashes, so that those who had offered their children to idols were themselves later compelled by the necessity of famine to turn them to the use of food, and the flesh of all creatures of the sky and of the earth was given to them, so that those who had abused the gifts of the Lord into impiety and had sacrificed their own entrails to idols, would make graves of their own children's bellies.19:10-11
(Verse 10, 11.) And you shall break the jar in the eyes of the men who go or come with you. And you shall say to them: Thus says the Lord of hosts: So shall I break this people and this city, as one breaks a potter's vessel, which cannot be restored any longer. Clearly it is spoken not of the Babylonian, but of the Roman captivity. For after the Babylonians, the city was rebuilt, the people brought back to Judah, and the former abundance restored. But after the captivity, which happened under Vespasian and Titus, and later under Hadrian, the ruins of Jerusalem will remain until the end of the world, although the Jews believe that golden and jeweled Jerusalem will be restored to them, and again there will be sacrifices and holy marriages and the kingdom of the Lord Savior on earth. Although we may not follow these beliefs, we cannot condemn them, because many ecclesiastical men and martyrs have spoken of these things. And let each one abound in his own sense, and let all things be reserved for the judgment of the Lord (Rom. XIV). However, just as a clay vessel, once it has been broken, cannot be restored to its former appearance: so too the people of the Jews and Jerusalem, once they have been destroyed, will not have their former condition. Finally, today the name of that city is empty, and it is called Aelia by Aelius Hadrianus, and it has lost its former name along with its former inhabitants, in order to destroy their pride. However, the names of the Holy Cross and Resurrection do not signify a city, but a place: nor the former greatness of riches, by which the Jewish people perished, but the glory of sanctity, which our humble Bethlehem possesses, not having gold and gems, but the bread that was born in it.19:12
(Verse 12.) And they will bury (or be buried) in Topheth, because there is no other place to bury. Thus I will do to this place, says the Lord, and to its inhabitants, and I will make this city like Topheth (or like ruins), and the houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will be like Topheth (or like ruins). But what is inserted in the Septuagint: All the houses of the kings of Judah, like Topheth, is not found in the Hebrew. And it follows:19:13
(Ver. 13.) All the houses are unclean, in whose dwellings (or roofs) they sacrificed to the whole heavenly host, and poured out drink offerings to foreign gods. What he said above. This place will no longer be called Topheth or the Valley of the son ((or sons)) of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter, now he explains more clearly that there will be such a great slaughter in that place, that the people will be buried there in heaps, and the once sacred grove ((or place)) will become a tumult of the dead. Also, let the city that is above this place become like Tophet, for which seventy were destroyed. Let the houses of Jerusalem and the palaces of the kings be turned into similar ruins. And the reason is given, because they were unclean and polluted by the crime of idolatry, because they sacrificed to the sun, moon, and stars of heaven in their houses and on their roofs, and burned incense. And they were not satisfied with this error, but they also sacrificed to demons and poured out libations to foreign gods (Zephaniah 1).19:14-15
(Verse 14, 15) But Jeremiah came from Topheth, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy, and he stood in the court of the house of the Lord and said to all the people: This is what the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, says: Behold, I will bring upon this city and upon all its towns all the evil that I have pronounced against it, because they have stiffened their necks, refusing to hear my words. After breaking a jar or a small bottle in the presence of the elders of the people in Topheth, which Jeremiah had brought with him, he prophesied the words of the Lord to crush the people and the city of Jerusalem. Then he returned and stood in the court of the house of the Lord and spoke to the whole multitude that had not gone to Topheth, warning them that the Lord would bring upon the city of Jerusalem and all its towns all the evil that he had spoken against it. And lest we should think the sentence cruel, he gives the reasons why he will bring evil upon them. 'Because,' he says, 'they have hardened their neck, that they might not hear my words: nor have they done penance for their many wickednesses, desiring to do penance.'20:1-2
(Chapter 20 — Verses 1, 2) And Phasur, the son of Emmer, a priest who was appointed as the chief in the house of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these words. And Phasur struck the prophet Jeremiah and sent him into the stocks that were in the upper Benjamin Gate of the house of the Lord. For Phasur, the Septuagint translated as Phascor, which means "blackness of the mouth," and for the stocks, which we have mentioned, the Septuagint and Theodotion translated as "cataract," Symmachus as "instrument of torture" or "torture device," both of which signify torment. But we have called it by the common name of a nerve, which we also read as a type of torture in the Acts of the Apostles, when the apostles Paul and Silas were placed in prison (Acts XVI). But this man was the high priest of the Temple, and he abused the dignity of the Priesthood for evil purposes, not to teach and correct with words, but to terrify with tortures (John XIX). Therefore, both the Savior and the apostle Paul were beaten by order of the high priest (Acts XVI). It is not surprising if today the servants of God are killed by Phaschor, or sent to prison and held in terrible custody. For this power is given by God, so that the faith of the Prophets may be shown. However, the one who kills is not greater, but the one who is slain is stronger. And the Prophet accepts the judgment of God patiently, without protesting the blows, but considering the one who commands. Emmer () sounds like the word from which darkness is often generated, not by the fault of the parent, but by the wickedness of the degenerating. However, the torment by which the Prophet is afflicted seems to be on the right side, which is interpreted as Benjamin; and in the lofty gate, which indicates not truth, but the unjust power of the pontiff.20:3
(Ver. 3.) And when it dawned on the next day, Phasur brought Jeremiah out of the stocks and Jeremiah said to him: The Lord did not call your name Phasur, but fear from all sides. And here both the name of the high priest and the type of torture are interpreted in the same way as before. However, the name of the high priest is changed, so that it may show the punishment of the future from the name. You will by no means have a blackened face and the unjust rule of power; but you will be led captive to Babylon, for this signifies fear from all sides or all around: that trembling and uncertain of your own safety, you look around here and there, and shrink back at the adversaries coming against you. For fear, which is written in Hebrew as Magur ((Al. Magor)), LXX and Theodotio μέτοικον, that is, a migrant, Aquila's second edition as a foreigner, the first as a watcher, Symmachus as taken away or gathered together.20:4-6
(Vers. 4-6.) Because this is what the Lord says: Behold, I will make you a terror, along with all your friends, and they will fall by the sword of their enemies, and your eyes will see it. And I will give all of Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will carry them away to Babylon, and strike them with the sword. And I will give all the wealth (or strength) of this city, and all its labor, and all its precious things (or glory), and all the treasures of the kings of Judah into the hand of their enemies, and they will plunder them, and take them away, and bring them to Babylon. But as for you, Phasur, and all the inhabitants of your house, you will go into captivity, and you will come to Babylon, and there you will die, and there you will be buried, you and all your friends, to whom you have prophesied falsehood. According to the previous interpretation, in which Phasur (also known as Phaschor) had its name changed to Magur (or Magor), all similarly translated it to signify either terror, or sojourning, or removal and relocation, and congregation. And he is being pursued by his friends, about to be seized and handed over to the enemy's hands, and the whole Jewish population is to be occupied by the hands of the Babylonian king, some to be killed by the sword, and others to be led into captivity, and all the riches of both the city and the royal treasures are to be taken by the enemies. And Phasur himself and his entire family are to be led into captivity, and he is to die in Babylon, because he deceived his people with lies, promising not true and sad things, but prosperous things through deceit. At the same time, the patience and prudence of the Prophet are to be noted, as he remains silent when sent to prison, and through silence, he overcomes the injustice. However, he does not conceal what he knows will come to pass, so that at least in this way, the false prophet, the high priest, may cease to sin and implore the mercy of God.20:7-8
(Verse 7, 8.) You have deceived me, Lord, and I have been deceived (or you have beguiled me, Lord, and I have been beguiled). You were stronger than me and prevailed (or you obtained and were able to). I have become a mockery all day long, everyone mocks me; because now I speak, crying out injustice and devastation (or because with bitter words I will laugh at transgression and call upon misery). The Prophet says he was deceived by the Lord, because from the beginning hearing: I have appointed you as a Prophet to the nations (Jeremiah 1:5). And again: Behold, I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build up, and to plant (Jeremiah, 1:10), thinking that he would say nothing against the people of Judah, but rather against the various nations around. Therefore, he gladly accepted the prophecy; and it happened contrary, that while predicting the captivity of Jerusalem, he endured persecutions and hardships. And he accomplished it. I have become a laughingstock all day long, everyone mocks me, because they think that he has been lying about everything and that all the things he predicted would happen were lies. And the Prophet immediately thought that what the Lord had threatened would come true, and the people thought that it would not come any more because it had not come immediately. And I cry out about the destruction of Babylon and the wickedness of the enemies through which my people will be oppressed. But if we follow the Seventy in what they said, that with bitter words I will laugh at their prevarication and call upon their misery, this is the meaning: I know that present sorrow will be exchanged for future joy, according to what is written: Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted (Matthew 5:5); and therefore I willingly endure misery, wickedness, and affliction, so that I may desire and invoke them, and compensate for the brevity of the injustice with the eternity of happiness.20:9-10
(Verse 9, 10.) Because the word of the Lord has become a reproach to me, and a mockery all day long. And I said: I will not mention him (or I will not call the Lord by name), nor speak any more in his name. But there was as it were a burning fire in my heart, shut up in my bones, and I was weary (or dissolved) in enduring it, and could not bear it. For I heard the reproach of many, and terror on every side (or as they gathered together everywhere), persecute him, and we will persecute him. As I was proclaiming and saying that the Babylonian army was already coming and that all would be plundered by the hostile sword, the word of the Lord came to me as a reproach and mockery, as they considered the delay of the prophecy to be a lie. Therefore, I made up my mind not to speak any longer to the people of God with words, nor to mention His name. But when I was overcome with shame, though timidly and foolishly, it became like a burning fire in my heart, shut up in my bones; and I am weary of holding it in, and I cannot endure it any longer. For the divine word conceived in the mind, not spoken by the mouth, burns in the heart. Therefore, Paul also says: If I preach the Gospel, there is no glory for me. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel! For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if unwillingly, a stewardship is entrusted to me. And when he was in Athens and saw the city given to idolatry, he was stirred up in his spirit and greatly distressed. And shortly after in the same volume we read: 'And when Silas and Timothy were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ.' (Acts 18). But even today, many of the Doctors in the Church endure similar things, hearing the condemnation of many that are gathered together against them, saying: 'Persecute them, and let us pursue them.'20:11
(Verse 11.) All the men, who were peaceful towards me, and guarding my side: if we are deceived in any way, let us prevail against him, and achieve vengeance from him. But the Lord is with me as a strong warrior. When the adversaries rise up, and former friends and peaceful men turn to war, and they want to set traps for us, let us not be greatly concerned; but let us desire to say this which the Prophet speaks: But the Lord is with me as a strong warrior.Therefore those who persecute me will fall and be weak (or because they have persecuted me and could not understand). Let them be greatly ashamed because they did not understand the everlasting disgrace, which will never be destroyed. Because they have persecuted, they could not understand the prophetic word, and intense confusion followed their ignorance, and they did not understand the everlasting disgrace, which will possess them and will not be erased by any forgetfulness. So let them say what they want, those once peaceful men who guarded my side and desired to deceive, as long as a just man and teacher of the Church after such persecution may obtain such vengeance and rewards.
20:12
(Verse 12.) And you, Lord, the tester of the righteous (or the one who tests the righteous), who sees the reins and the heart, may I please see your vengeance from them, for I have revealed my cause to you (Luke 6). The Lord alone is the one who knows how to test righteousness, just as he alone is the one who can see the inner thoughts of the heart. Thus, Jesus, knowing the thoughts of men, is not from advancement, as some may think, but by nature is God. Something similar is also expressed in the Psalms: No one living shall be justified in your sight (Psalm 143:2). If one who lives by virtues will not be justified, how much more so one who is dead because of sins? And even though he knows he has God as his advocate, still in the impatience of human frailty, he desires to see what he knows will come in the future, even now. And he to whom he revealed his cause, who says in another place: Vengeance is mine, and I will repay, says the Lord (Deut. 32:35). But happy is the conscience for whom the cause is revealed to the Lord (Heb. 10:30), as the Apostle says: Everything that is revealed is light (Eph. 5:13).20:13
(Verse 13) Sing to the Lord, praise the Lord, for he has delivered the soul of the poor from the hand of the wicked. The one who is poor in spirit and does not have riches, which have received their consolation in this world, about which Paul also speaks: Only that we should be mindful of the poor (I Cor. 13), when he has obtained vengeance from the Lord, praises the Lord in spirit, and boasts of being delivered from the hand of the wicked. However, all this happens not by our merit, but by the grace of Him who freed the poor, and it does not have the riches of the falling pride, but the humility of the freed poor.20:14-18
(Verse 14 and following) Cursed be the day in which I was born, the day in which my mother bore me, let it not be blessed. Cursed be the man (or person) who brought the news to my father, saying, 'A male child is born to you,' and made him rejoice as if with joy. Let that man be like the cities that the Lord overthrew without regret; let him hear the cry in the morning and the wailing at noonday, because he did not kill me from the womb to be my mother's grave, and her womb forever pregnant. Why did I come forth from the womb to see labor and sorrow, and that my days should be consumed in confusion? Those who consider that the souls were in heavenly things, and were precipitated from a better to a worse state, make use of this and similar testimonies, which indeed imply that it is better to dwell in heavenly things than in earthly things and to assume a body of humility: certain new things, or rather old, seeking arguments for their heresy. But we, on the other hand, reading that of the blessed Job: Cursed be the day wherein I was born; and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived (Job 3:3). And cursed is the man who announced to my father, saying, a boy is born to you, we fit this testimony, namely that it is better not to exist than to live in torments, according to what is written: Death is rest for a man, to whom God has closed his way (Sirach. XXII, 11). And again: Why is light given to the miserable, and life to those who are bitter of soul (Job. III, 20)? And in the Gospel we read a simple statement: It would have been better for him if he had not been born (Matthew XXVI, 24): not that there is anyone who has not been born; but that it is better not to exist than to be in a bad state. For it is one thing to not exist at all, another to exist but suffer without any respite, just as we prefer a peaceful death to a miserable life. Hence Amos refers to it as a day of darkness, a day of affliction (Amos, V). And Jacob, because he had lived in labor and distress, calls the days of his life few and evil (Gen. XLVII). And the Apostle Paul says: Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from the present evil world (Gal. I, 4). And again: Redeeming the time, because the days are evil (Ephes. V, 16). The Hebrews calculate the fifth month, when Jerusalem was captured and the Temple was destroyed, as the birth of Jeremiah, with certain and extraordinary arguments. But if they can prove this, I do not know how they can interpret the testimony of Job, unless perhaps they consider that day as a certain prefiguration and prophecy of the future destruction of the Temple. And I think that the similarity of the destroyed cities to Sodom and Gomorrah is mentioned, and every time is in mourning, so that there is a cry and a wailing in the morning and at midday. But what he brings forward: 'Whoever does not kill me in the womb, they think signifies God.' So that, he says, there would be eternal conception for me, which are all said hyperbolically. Finally, he explains the reasons why he prefers death to life, and indeed that not existing at all is better than existing badly, adding: 'Why did I come forth from the womb to see toil and sorrow, and that my days should be consumed in confusion?'21:1-2
(Chapter 21, verses 1 and following) The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur the son of Malchiah and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, saying, 'Inquire of the Lord for us, for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is making war against us. Perhaps the Lord will deal with us according to all his wonderful deeds and will make him withdraw from us.' Pashhur the priest, the son of Immer, who struck Jeremiah, had a son named Pashhur. But Phasur is the son of Melchiah. This is why, so that no one might think he is the same. And King Zedekiah sends to the Prophet, not wanting either the people or the leaders to know, in order to secretly through messengers inquire, what judgment the Lord has against the city of Jerusalem and the people of Judah. And what he brings forward: Because King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon is making war against us, it is already shown that Jerusalem is besieged, Sedekiah inquires about this from the Prophet. And it should be noted, that in the Prophets, especially in Ezekiel and Jeremiah, the order of kings and times is not followed, but rather in reverse, that which happened later is recounted first, and that which happened earlier is recounted later. For it is one thing to write history, and another to write prophecy: as in this place, Zedekiah, who was captured with the city of Jerusalem, is mentioned sending a letter to Jeremiah, and at the same time when Jerusalem was under siege, and later the history of his brother Jehoiakim is narrated, who was king before him, and Jehoiachin. That is, Jechoniah, who was the son of Joachim, about whom it will be said in the following.21:3-6
(Vers. 3 seqq.) And Jeremiah said to them: Thus shall you say to Zedekiah: Thus saith the Lord God of Israel: Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war (or the weapons of warfare) which are in your hands, wherewith you fight against the king of Babylon, and the Chaldeans that besiege you round about the walls: and I will gather them (or it) together in the midst of this city, and I will fight against you with stretched-out hand, and with a strong arm (or an exalted one), and in fury, and in wrath, and in great indignation. And I will strike the inhabitants of this city: both men and animals will die from a great pestilence. In vain, he says, do you want to resist the Chaldeans who are besieging you, and prepare your weapons of war, of which you will only have use in the middle of the city, so that you seem to be armed. However, against those besieging you, I will conquer you with an outstretched hand and a strong arm, and I will strike you with my fury and indignation: so that both you and everything that breathes may die in the middle of the city from hunger and pestilence. Indeed, we have read that this indeed happened. Without any crown and without any noise of the combatants, such a great city was captured by siege, that they did not have those whom they had conquered, but only those whom they had captured. Better, he says, were those wounded by the sword than those killed by hunger.21:7
(Verse 7) And after these things, the Lord said: I will give Sedecias, king of Judah, and his servants, and his people, and those who have been left in this city from the plague, and the sword, and famine, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those who seek their lives. And he will strike them with the edge of the sword, and he will not show mercy, and he will not spare, and he will not have pity. What we have translated is not found in the Septuagint. And concerning what we have said: He will not be moved, neither will he spare, nor will he have mercy, the Seventy translated: I will not spare, neither will I have mercy. And it is better according to the Hebrew, that the sentence may seem cruel and unyielding, more like that of the Babylonian king than of the Lord. But first it was prophesied concerning the entire city: now it is specifically predicted of Zedekiah and his people, who will remain after the plague, that he is to be captured by the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, and to be killed with his friends by the sword. Nor should he hope for any mercy from him, whom he betrayed his covenant and friendship by perjury.21:8-10
(Verse 8 and following) And to this people you shall say: Thus says the Lord: Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death. Whoever remains in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. But whoever goes out and surrenders to the Chaldeans who are besieging you shall live, and shall have his life as a prize of war. For I have set my face against this city for harm and not for good, declares the Lord. It shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon and he shall burn it with fire. Those who were sent by the king and came to the Prophet to plead with him to inquire of the Lord for them, received an answer concerning the king of Judah and what they should report to him. Now he encourages them to respond to the people and advises them to surrender to the Chaldeans against the king's will, which the Prophet knows was dangerous. Therefore, he curses the day of his birth, saying: 'Cursed be the day on which I was born.' (Jeremiah 20:14). And why did I come out from the womb, to see toil and sorrow (Ibid., 18)? Not because it is a trivial matter, nor yet to give advice to those already captured, that they should willingly submit to captivity, as if a shipwreck were ordered on those about to suffer it, so that, before the shipwreck and the ship being dashed to pieces, they should seize the oars and planks and cast themselves into the waves; but because it is more tolerable to live in whatever way, having been captured, than to be consumed by the sword, famine, and pestilence. There are those who have expounded this passage as follows, according to a metaphorical interpretation: the secular disciplines, and especially philosophy, are better than remaining within that Church in which there is hunger for the word of God, and the entire people die from both a scarcity of doctrine and a heretical plague.21:11-12
(Verse 11, 12.) And to the house of the king of Judah, hear the word of the Lord, O house of David. Thus says the Lord, Judge in the morning, and deliver the oppressed from the hand of the oppressor, lest my indignation goes forth like fire and is kindled with none to quench it, because of the evil of your deeds. The phrase 'because of the evil of your deeds' is not found in the Septuagint. Because above (Al. already above) it had said, And to this people you shall say, Thus says the Lord, subsequently it now adds, and to the house of the king of Judah: so that it is understood, you shall say, thus says the Lord: for both the higher and the lower are connected; so that the meaning is: And to this people you shall say, Thus says the Lord. But a proper speech is made to the royal house, because of whose fault the city is besieged, so that it may correct the error through repentance, and obtain the mercy of the Lord. Judge, he says, justice in the morning, not in the darkness of iniquity, but in the light of justice. And deliver the one oppressed by force, from the hand of the slanderer, so that you do not show favoritism in judgment, but that the authority of God may prevail more among you than the power of the persecutor. And if, he says, you do this, the fire of my anger will not be kindled in you, nor will it find material to consume. In this place the incredible mercy of God is demonstrated, as concerning those of whom it was said before: For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good; it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire, with the judgment of the Lord already approaching, so as to provoke them to seek salvation. Not that he is unaware that the city of Jerusalem is to be taken, but because the free will of man is preserved, so that they may seem to perish not by ignorance of the future, but by their own choice. How did the Savior know that the Apostle would deny him and that he himself would be crucified? Surely he had often foretold this to the Apostles and nevertheless reminded them, desiring to correct them for repentance, so that whatever they would subsequently endure, it would happen to them by their own fault, not because of the severity of the one threatening.21:13-14
(Verse 13, 14.) Behold, I am against you, O inhabitants of the solid and level valley, says the Lord, those who say, who will strike (or terrify) us? And who will enter our houses? And I will visit upon you; and what follows, according to the fruit of your endeavors, says the Lord, is not found in the Septuagint. And I will set fire to its forest, and it will consume all around it. For the inhabitants of the solid and level valley, the Septuagint translated, Behold, I am against you, who dwell in the valley of Sor () the level, for which Symmachus interpreted as a rock besieged, Theodotius as a fortified place; in the first edition of Aquila it is solid, in the second Tyre. For Tyre speaks its language, and the land of the Hebrews, and the area around it, and it sounds like a restricted place. However, it speaks against Jerusalem, which is surrounded by siege, or in the likeness of Tyre, like a vast sea, it is encircled by the Babylonian army and cannot escape. Or certainly, it sees itself as an impregnable and robust rock due to the strength of its walls and their size, and it says: Who can frighten us? And who will enter our house? When God speaks in the opposite way: I will visit you; you will not be able to escape my eye. But I will visit you for destruction, and I will repay you the fruit of your wickedness. And I will kindle a fire in your forest. Not the Babylonians, as you think, not the king of the Chaldeans; but my anger will accomplish all these things. But he calls the forest Jerusalem, and all the surrounding region, which does not have the fruitful trees of good works, because it is prepared for burning. He calls the valley beautiful because it is easily passable by enemies, and not a high mountain that can be difficult to climb, next to which it is also said in Isaiah: The vision of the Valley of Zion (Isa. 22:1). Let us refer whatever is prophesied about the royal house and the metropolis city to the ecclesiastical order and the leaders of the Churches, only those who have surrendered to pride, riches, and indulgence. Not immediately because it is the royal house, it will be saved from destruction, just as those who are of the Davidic lineage, very few have been found who pleased the Lord like David himself, Hezekiah and Josiah, and a great part of the leaders and the royal lineage as a whole provoked the wrath of the Lord against the people.22:1-5
(Chapter XXII - Verses 1 onwards) Thus says the Lord: Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word, and say, Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, who sits on the throne of David, you and your servants and your people who enter by these gates. Thus says the Lord, Do justice and righteousness, and deliver the one who has been robbed from the hand of his oppressor. And do not mistreat or do violence to the stranger, the orphan, or the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place. For if you do this word, then the kings sitting upon the throne of David will enter in by the gates of this house, riding in chariots and on horses, they, and their servants, and their people. But if you will not hear these words, I swear by myself, saith the Lord, that this house shall become a desolation. This vision, or rather this word of the Lord, either happened before the messengers of Sedecias were sent to him, or certainly after they were sent, and before they returned again, Jeremiah is commanded, that he should not speak to the king by messengers, but that he himself should go into the house of the king, and there speak to him. At the same time, we notice the divine wisdom, that through messengers he commands sad news to be announced, mixed with good news, if the king will repent. However, because he is commanded himself to move forward, he does not announce sad news, and the impending captivity; but he warns what he should do to avoid the impending judgment of God. But it is the duty of kings to administer judgment and justice, and to deliver those oppressed by the violence of slanderers, and to provide assistance to foreigners, orphans, and widows (who are more easily oppressed by the powerful). And in order to impose a greater care of the commandments of God upon them, he said: Do not be distressed, so that you not only do not rescue, but also do not even allow others to be distressed through your connivance. And do not shed innocent blood in this place. For punishing murderers, sacrilegious, and poisoners is not the shedding of blood, but the ministry of the laws. If you do these things, O kings of Judah, you will maintain your former power, and you will enter the gates of Jerusalem with ambition. But if you refuse to do so, O royal household, the cruelty will not be so much of the Lord as it will be of your will, so that the whole city will be reduced to desolation. Let the bishops, along with their associates the presbyters and deacons, and all the ecclesiastical order, understand whatever has been said to the royal household, so that if they do what has been commanded and, among other things, do not shed innocent blood, causing offense to the least of these and striking the consciences of each individual, they may obtain the dignity entrusted to them by the Lord. But if they refuse and despise, let them themselves reduce the Church of God to solitude. And they enter by the gates of Jerusalem from the lineage of David, and they sit upon his throne, which is interpreted as strong by hand, and they ascend in chariots and horses, when they restrain both their own and the disturbances of the people, and in an orderly manner they enter the Church, with the chorus of many virtues, and singing in harmony from every side. And to believe that this is true, he swears by himself, because, according to the Apostle, he has no one greater by whom he may swear (Heb. VI).22:6-8
(V. 6,-8.) Because this is what the Lord says about the house (or to the house) of the king of Judah, Gilead, you are to me the head (or the beginning) of Lebanon. If I do not make you a desolation, cities uninhabitable. And I will consecrate (or build) upon you the one who kills men, and his weapons: and they will cut down your chosen cedars, and throw (or send) them into fire, and many nations will pass through this city, and each one will say to his neighbor: Why did the Lord do such to this great city? And they will answer, because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God, and worshiped foreign gods, and served them. Scripture mentions the land of Gilead, which was possessed by half the tribe of Manasseh, beyond the Jordan. On this mountain, Jacob pursued Laban as he fled, and the mountain received the name σωρὸς, which means heap of testimony, because there Jacob and Laban swore an oath, gathering a heap of stones (Genesis 31). But the head, or beginning, of Mount Lebanon, which is entirely composed of cedars, is mentioned next by David when he sings: And the Lord will shake the cedars of Lebanon (Psalm 29:5). And elsewhere: I have seen the wicked exalted, and raised up like the cedars of Lebanon (Psalm 36:35). And in Zechariah we read: Open your doors, O Lebanon, and let the fire consume your cedars (Zechariah 11:1). Therefore, in this present passage, because he was speaking to the royal house, he metaphorically speaks to the Temple, or to the house of the tribe of Judah, either because it itself is on high, or because all the remedies for sins were sought from the Temple and the Sanctuary. Therefore, the same prophet also mentions: Is there no balm in Gilead, or physician there? Why then has there been no healing for the daughter of my people? (Jeremiah 8:21). He threatens therefore the royal household, the city of Jerusalem, and the Temple, which he calls the head of Lebanon, that it shall be reduced to a deserted state along with all its cities, not by the power of the Babylonian king, but by the command of the Lord, who says: I will sanctify over you a destroyer. But Nabuchodonosor is called holy, and all his army, because he carries out the judgement of God. And he will cut down, he says, your chosen cedars: the powerful and the leaders of the city; and they will throw them into the fire, so that the devouring flame consumes everything. And when everything has been destroyed, many nations will pass through the city and the Temple, which they were previously not allowed to enter; and each person will speak to their neighbor, asking why the Lord has caused such a sudden and great destruction to the famous and great city. And those who are questioned will respond and explain the causes of the ruination, saying: because they have forsaken the covenant of their Lord God, and have worshiped idols instead of God. Let the royal house of our city and its princes listen to this, and let the high cedars, which reach up to the heavens, also listen. They speak with arrogance: who will not see? Let them be consumed quickly by the flame of the Lord if they refuse to comply with His commandments. But there is another sanctification (or rather sacrifice) of the murderer and his weapons; and another of the priests and those who serve the Lord.22:10-11
(Verse. 10, 11.) Do not weep for the dead, nor mourn over him; weep rather for him who is departing, for he will not return anymore, nor see the land of his birth. For thus says the Lord concerning Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, king of Judah: He who reigned in place of Josiah his father, who has gone out of this place: he shall not return here anymore, but he shall die in the place where I have transported him, and he shall not see this land anymore. King Josiah had three righteous sons, Joachaz, Jacim, and Sedeciam, of whom the first, Joachaz, the king of Egypt, Pharaoh Necho, led captive into Egypt, where he died, and appointed in his place as king his brother Eliacim (also known as Joachim) (2 Kings 23, 24, 25). When he died, his son Jechoniah reigned, but he was taken into captivity by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, along with his mother and the princes. In his place, his uncle Sedecias reigned, who was taken captive to Babylon after the capture of Jerusalem. Therefore, the question arises, who could be fittingly called the one who should not weep, who should be led into captivity, and will never return again, when three are taken captive and carried away? The Hebrews believe that this applies to all three, that is, to Joachaz, Jechonia, and Zedekiah, who are all called the sons of Josiah, or Sellem, which means completion; this is because the kingdom of Judah ended with them. But it seems to me that this is specifically said about Zedekiah, concerning whom there is a prophecy in the present and past chapter, in which the kingdom of Judah truly ended, and under whom the city was captured and he was led to Babylon, where he is recorded as having died. This is Jehoiachin, that is, the culmination and completion, son of Josiah, king of Judah, who reigned for his father Josiah. However, Jehoiachin was not a son but a grandson of Josiah, the son of Jehoiakim. From the beginning of the vision, when King Zedekiah sent to Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, until this chapter, we understand all that is said to the king and about King Zedekiah.22:12-17
(Verse 12 and following) Woe to him who builds his house with injustice, and his upper rooms without justice. He oppresses his neighbor in vain, and does not pay him his wages. He says, 'I will build for myself a spacious house with large upper rooms.' He opens windows for himself, and makes it with cedar and paints it with vermilion. Are you going to reign because you have luxury? Didn't your father eat and drink, and do judgment and justice when he was prospering? He judged the cause of the poor and needy for their own good: did he not do so because he knew me? says the Lord. But your eyes and heart are set on greed, on shedding innocent blood, on deceit, and on pursuing evil. LXX: O you who build your house without justice, and your upper rooms without judgment! Your neighbor works for him for nothing, and does not receive wages. You built for yourself a small house, upper rooms with open windows, and paneled with cedar, and painted with vermilion. Will you reign because you contend against your father Achaz? They shall not eat, and they shall not drink. It would have been better for you to do judgment and good justice; they have not known, they have not judged the judgment of the humble, nor the judgment of the poor. Is it not to ignore me? says the Lord. Behold, your eyes are not straight, nor is your heart good, but for your greed, and to shed innocent blood, and to wickedness and murder, to do these things. I have presented both editions in their entirety, so that both the Hebrew truth and the difficulty of the Vulgate edition can be more easily understood. This is a discourse against Jehoiakim, the son of King Josiah of Judah, about whom we spoke earlier, whom Neco Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, made ruler in place of his brother Jehoahaz, whom he took captive to Egypt. However, we read in the histories of both Kings and Chronicles (2 Kings 23-24, 2 Chronicles 36) that Jehoiakim reigned in Jerusalem for eleven years, and he reigned cruelly and became impious, and afterwards he died. Yet, the Scripture does not mention his burial, even though it is customary for the holy Scriptures to mention all the kings who died and were buried. But he specifically narrates about this dead and unburied man, about whom we will speak in the later parts. Therefore, the aforementioned king laments because he trusts in injustice and thinks it is his perpetual royal dignity. He makes for himself chambers and oppresses his friends, and he does not give them their due wages for their work, and he believes it is the eternal construction of his palace. Can you, the divine word says, reign forever because you desire to be compared to the lofty cedar, namely your father Josiah, the righteous king? Father, he says, both ate and drank, and enjoyed royal wealth, yet he did not offend God because he had riches, but he pleased Him because he administered justice and righteousness. And therefore, both in the present age and in the future, it went well with him, and will continue to do so. He judged the case of the poor and needy, and for their relief he heard them, and for his own good. But all these things happened to him prosperously because he knew me, says the Lord. But truly, O Joacim, your eyes turn towards greed, and you shed innocent blood, towards slander, and towards the path of evil deeds. However, according to the Septuagint, I cannot understand what meaning they have. For although the other parts somewhat agree with each other, that which is inferred: Will you reign because you strive against your father Achaz? for which in Hebrew it is written 'Araz', and here the word signifies a cedar, it is clear that it has no meaning. Also what follows: They shall not eat and they shall not drink, and the other things that are so scattered and confused among themselves, that they have no understanding without the truth of Hebrew reading. However, we can understand this place against the heretics in a mystical sense, who build for themselves a not great house, and not a very abundant Church, but a small one. However, they build not with righteousness and judgment, desiring to plunder what belongs to others. Where it is said: You have built for yourself a small house, with low-roofed chambers, which are surrounded by every wind of doctrine, and distinguished by windows: for they do not have a permanent structure, nor solid stability. And it is adorned, he says, with cedar. Indeed, they seem to have a most beautiful adornment; but they quickly rot and collapse in rains and storms of persecution. And they are painted with red lead. And they indeed participate in the suffering of the Lord, and they are stained with his blood; but they do not reign forever, because they strive and provoke to anger Araz, that is, their father cedar. For every heretic is born in the Church, but is expelled from the Church, and contends and fights against the parent. And what he brings in is understood to be the Body and Blood of the Savior, and other things similar to these. And he says that every error descends from this, namely, that they have ignored God, and do not have upright eyes, but their heart is inclined to greed so that they may plunder what belongs to others, and shed the blood of the deceived. This is indeed committing murder. The obscure things need to be discussed more extensively.22:18-19
(Verse 18, 19.) Therefore, thus says the Lord to Joachim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah: They shall not mourn for him, woe to the brother and woe to the sister, they shall not lament for him, woe to the Lord and woe to the illustrious one. He shall be buried like a donkey, decomposed and thrown outside the gates of Jerusalem. This, which we have put from Hebrew: they shall not mourn for him, woe to the brother and woe to the sister, is not found in the Septuagint. And it is specifically said against Joachim, king of Judah, and the riddle is opened, which before seemed hidden and ambiguous among the three brothers, so that it is not about Joachaz or Zedekiah, but specifically about Joachim, whom the Hebrew history narrates was killed by the bandits of the Chaldeans, Syrians, Ammonites, and Moabites. And in Malachi it is written that he died and was buried in silence (2 Kings 24). In the book of Chronicles we read that he was bound with chains and taken to Babylon (2 Chronicles 36): and nothing more is mentioned about him. It is said in a beautiful burial of an ass that he should be buried, which means in other words that he should be left unburied, that is, torn apart by beasts and birds. For this is the burial of an ass.22:20-23
(Verse 20 and following) Ascend Lebanon and cry out, and in Bashan give forth your voice, and cry out to the passersby, for all your lovers are crushed. I spoke to you in your abundance, you said: I will not listen. This is your way from your youth, for you have not listened to my voice. The wind will pasture all your shepherds (or lovers), and your lovers (or friends) will go into captivity. And then you will be confounded and ashamed of all your wickedness. Which resides in Lebanon, and nests in cedars, how did you wail when pains came to you like the pains of a woman in labor? The metaphor of Lebanon and Bashan, regions and mountains beyond the Jordan, is directed to Jerusalem, which in vain relied on Egypt, or to King Joacim himself, who was reigning in Jerusalem at that time and had been appointed king by the Egyptians, that in vain she hoped for help from the Egyptians, and that they themselves would also be overcome by the Babylonian king and led into captivity (2 Kings 23). And he said, I have spoken to you, that is, God himself through the Prophets; or, the Prophets have spoken to you, that is, my Prophets; and in your abundance you said, I will not listen: he reproaches her for her pride, and for abusing the greatness of her wealth in contempt of God. And he narrates that not only at this time, but from the beginning when she was brought out of Egypt, she did not listen to the voice of God; therefore all her shepherds and leaders have been scattered here and there, and have submitted their necks to the captivity of Babylon. And it brings forth: You who dwell in Lebanon and nest in the cedars, it marks with a bruise the arrogance that had grown from the abundance of all things, and just as sudden pain and unexpected captivity come to a woman in childbirth. And what we have said: cry out to those passing by, and it is written in Hebrew Meabarim (), the Seventy translated it as "transmarine," Theodotion did likewise. Symmachus, on the other hand, translated it to mean that the voice of the Prophet should reach from Jerusalem to Mount Lebanon, and to Bashan.22:24-27
(Verse 24 and following) I live, says the Lord: Even if Coniah the son of Joachim king of Judah were a signet on my right hand, I would still pluck him (or you) out. And I will give you into the hand of those seeking your life, and into the hand of those you fear their faces, and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon (which is not found in the Septuagint), and into the hand of the Chaldeans. And I will send you (or cast you) and your mother who bore you into a foreign land where you were not born: and there you will die. And to the land (Al. to the land moreover), to which they lift up their soul in order to return, they shall not return there. Above, he had said, to the house of the king of Judah you speak these things: and then, go down to the house of the king of Judah: again: thus says the Lord concerning the house of the king of Judah, and in reverse order, after he spoke of Zedekiah, who was the last of the kings in Jerusalem, he returns to his brother Joachim, who reigned before him. With the fulfillment of this prophecy, now he speaks to the son of Joachim, the grandson of Josiah, king of Jerusalem, Jechoniah, who is also called by another name Joachin, who was captured by Nebuchadnezzar with his mother, princes and craftsmen, and many nobles, and was led into Chaldea, and there he died. Therefore, it is said that if a ring does not depart from the hand of the bearer, and it slips off the finger with difficulty: so it will be in my hand, Jechonias; however, I will uproot him and deliver him to the king of Babylon, and there he will die with his mother and all his allies, and he will not see the land of Judah, which he desires, anymore. Miserable Grunnius, who opened his mouth to slander holy men and taught his tongue to speak falsehood, he interpreted one book of Sextus Pythagoras, a very noble man, into Latin; and he divided it into two volumes and dared to publish it under the name of the holy Martyr Xystus, bishop of the city of Rome: in which book there is no mention of Christ, no mention of the Holy Spirit, no mention of God the Father, no mention of the Patriarchs, Prophets, and Apostles; and with his usual recklessness and madness, he named this book 'The Ring', which is read in many provinces, especially by those who preach atheism and immorality. Therefore, in the same way that the Lord threatens to throw Jeconiah like a ring from his hand and finger, I beg the reader to cast aside this nefarious book; and if he wishes, to read it not as a ecclesiastical volume, but like the other books of philosophers. In my commentaries and explanations, it is customary to present the various opinions of interpreters and mix such discourse: some say this, others think that, some feel this way. Both the wretched Grunnius himself, and after many years the disciples of Jovinian, have slandered me and continue to slander me, attributing their own opinions to other names, which I do out of goodwill so as not to appear to harm anyone specifically. Therefore, since benevolence has turned into slander, I now declare, both to those who are dead and to those who are alive and attempting to revive his heresy, that their teacher Origen refers this passage to Christ, whom, like a ring taken from the hand of God the Father, was sent into the land of captivity, into the valley of tears, and handed over to the cross. And he does not hesitate to mention this, as is evident from what follows: Earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord: Write about this detestable, or barren, man, and the rest, to understand about the Lord of majesty. He writes this so that his disciples may not dare to deny it, in the fifth book of Stromata.22:28
(Verse 28.) Is that man, Chonias (also known as Jechonias), like a broken and useless clay pot? Is he a vessel without any pleasure or usefulness? Why are he and his descendants rejected and thrown onto the ground that they do not know? Because of what we have said, Symmachus translated it as: Is he a vessel for trash, or worthless and discarded rubbish? In the Septuagint, there is nothing on this, but this is the only interpretation: Jechonias is dishonored, like a vessel in which there is no usefulness. And when this is said of Jechoniah, the son of Joachim, someone dares to refer it to the type of Christ; and from this, the Apostle says that the Lord Savior is the image of the invisible God (Colossians I), the firstborn of every creature, that is, wisdom, the Word, truth, life, and righteousness, he is called the ring that is thrown or pulled from the hand of the Lord and given to Nebuchadnezzar to rule. They were cast down, he says, he and his seed, and cast upon the unknown land: which no one doubts was done to Jechoniah. Jechonias is interpreted as the preparation of the Lord, in which in the present place the first syllable, that is, the name of the Lord, is taken away, and it is called Chonias, so that it is understood as prepared for destruction and perdition.22:29-30
(Verse 29, 30.) Earth, earth, earth, listen to the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord: Write down this man as childless, a man who will not prosper in his days. For there will not be a man from his seed who sits on the throne of David and has authority in Judah (or Judea). If I were to note every individual difference, how much the Septuagint may have omitted or changed, it would be lengthy, especially since a diligent reader can consider from both editions what has been changed, added, or subtracted. For in Hebrew it is written, Ariri, which in the first edition of Aquila means sterile, in the second, ἀναύξητον, that is, not increasing, Symmachus, empty, Septuagint and Theodotion, abominable and rejected. And the question arises, how can the prophecy stand, that from his offspring no one will be born who will sit on the throne of David, nor will there be a ruler anymore in Judah, when the Lord and Savior is born from his seed; concerning whose birth Gabriel speaks to Mary: Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He himself will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end (Luke 1:31-33). Therefore, we can say that what is missing in the Septuagint, namely, 'in his days there will be no prosperity or growth', is a question that has been debated by those who are ignorant. For the Seventy translated: Write down this man as a man who is rejected: because no man who descends from him will grow to sit upon the throne of David, a ruler forever in Judah, which is repeated twice in Hebrew; and those who initially wrote it, thinking it was added in the Greek books, removed it. Let us therefore respond that in the days of Jechoniah there will not be a man who will sit upon his throne; but after a long time a descendant of his will be born who will obtain his throne. However, it can also be solved in this way: A man and a human being will not indeed sit upon the throne of David, but God will sit, and his kingdom will not be earthly and short-lived, as David's was, but everlasting and heavenly, as Scripture says: He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end (Luke 1:32). Therefore, he was born of Joachim, who was the son of Jechoniah, who was the son of Salathiel, who was the son of Zerubbabel, and in this way it comes down to Christ. But in the days of Joachim, a son did not succeed him as king, as he himself had succeeded his father, but he and Salathiel and Zerubbabel were in captivity, and until Christ, no one obtained royal power. However, this happened because it is written in Hebrew: in his days and in his time, there will be no man who sits on the throne of David. For all were captives, and no one from the lineage of David thereafter held the principate in the land of Judaea. Hence, Josephus reports that the priestly line and tribe of Levi were leaders, succeeded by Herod Antipater, a proselyte and son, and later under Vespasian, the kingdom of this line, indeed the image of the empire, was utterly destroyed.23:1-4
(Chapter 23, Verse 1 and following) Woe to the shepherds who scatter and tear apart the flock of my pasture, says the Lord. Therefore, thus says the Lord God of Israel to the shepherds who feed my people: You have scattered my flock, driven them away, and have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to the evil of your doings, says the Lord. And I will gather the remnant of my flock from all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their pasture (or I will restore them to their pastures), and they shall increase and multiply. And I will raise up shepherds over them, and they shall feed them. They shall not fear anymore, nor be terrified, nor shall any be missing, says the Lord. The prophetic discourse is directed to the shepherds, or concerning the shepherds. And because we read in the writing about Jechoniah, the second-to-last king of Judah, who was of the lineage of David: 'Earth, earth, earth, hear the words of the Lord, write down this man as childless, as a man who will not have any descendants to sit on the throne of David' (Jeremiah 22:29-30), all hope of the kingdom of Judah had been cut off: it passes on to the leaders of the Church, and the Synagogue is abandoned and condemned with its shepherds, the discourse is directed to the Apostles, of whom it is said: 'And I will raise up shepherds over them, and they shall feed them, they shall not fear anymore, nor be terrified, nor shall any be missing, says the Lord' (Ezekiel 34:24). For the apostles, with confidence and without any fear, will feed the Church's flock, and the remnant of the people of Israel will be saved from all lands and will return to their fields or pastures, and they will grow and multiply. But the Lord will visit the wicked shepherds, the scribes and Pharisees, because of the malice of their studies. And we can understand this in a tropological sense, and apply it to the leaders of the Church, who do not govern the Lord's sheep worthily. In this way, the people who have been rejected and condemned are saved, while those who are deserving will remain and be saved. The shepherds who teach heresy destroy the sheep. Those who create schisms tear apart and scatter. They cast them out, those who separate from the Church against justice. Those who withhold their hand from the repentant do not visit. The Lord will have mercy on all of them, restoring them to their former pastures and removing the wicked shepherds.23:5-6
(Vers. 5, 6.) Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous branch (or a righteous king); and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: The Lord is our righteousness. In Hebrew, it is called Sadecenu. This which is wrongly added in the Septuagint, in the Prophets, must be completely cut off. For another chapter follows, which they have omitted, after which there is the title 'to the Prophets' or 'against the Prophets', about which we will speak in its proper place. Therefore, after casting off the shepherds of the synagogue, namely the Scribes and Pharisees, and saving the remnants of Israel, and establishing the Apostles of the Gospel in place of the former leaders, the shepherd of shepherds is introduced, and the prince of princes, and the king of kings, and the Lord of lords, namely Christ our Savior, who is properly the righteous branch, or the righteous Rising Sun, about whom we read: 'In his days shall justice spring up' (Psalm 71:7). And in another place: Behold the man, his name is Oriens (Zach. VI, 12), and under him it will rise, and he will build a temple to the Lord: just as in Isaiah he is called Emmanuel, which means, God is with us (Isai. VII, 14): so in Jeremiah he will receive the name of our righteousness. Therefore the apostle also speaks: He who became wisdom for us from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption (I Cor. I, 30). Against him is the Antichrist, and his inhabitant the devil, called the foolish shepherd in Zechariah (Zach. XI). And he will execute judgment and justice on the earth, for the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son (John 5:22). In those days, the twelve tribes of Judah and Israel will be saved together. And of the two sticks, according to Ezekiel, one stick will be made (Ezekiel 37). And his name, if according to the Septuagint, the Lord will call him Josedech, which means the Lord is righteous; if according to the Hebrew, those who say his name will call him, it will be said, the Lord is our righteousness. For this signifies Adonai Sadecenu (), for which Symmachus translates, Lord, justify us.23:7-8
(Vers. 7, 8.) Because of this, behold, days are coming, says the Lord. And they shall no longer say, As the Lord lives, who brought the sons of Israel up from the land of Egypt; but they shall say, As the Lord lives, who brought up and led the descendants of the house of Israel from the land of the north and from all the countries where I had driven them, and they shall live on their own soil. This entire chapter is not found in the Septuagint. The meaning here is that the people of God will not be delivered from Egypt by Moses, but by Jesus Christ from all the corners of the earth, to which they had been dispersed. What is now being completed in the world in part will be completed in its entirety when those from the East and the West, the North and the South come and recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Matthew 8). So that after the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, then all Israel will be saved (Romans 11).To the Prophets (or in the Prophets, or against the Prophets). This designation, as we have said above, is placed at the end of the previous chapter in the Septuagint edition, where we read the following script: and this is the name by which the Lord will call him Josedech, in the Prophets. Many ignorant people, not knowing this, invent various delusions of explanation. And it would have been much better to simply confess their ignorance than to make others heirs to their incompetence. But this is a discourse against the prophets, rather, the false prophets of Jerusalem and Samaria, whom he now calls collectively and commonly Prophets, concerning whom it is written in the following passages: And in the prophets of Samaria I saw wickedness; and immediately after: And in the prophets of Jerusalem I saw horrible things. However, when he uses the conjunction 'and', he shows that the previous statements were said by the Lord concerning the prophets themselves, who also turned out to be like false prophets.
23:9
(Verse 9) My heart is broken within me (or within myself), all my bones tremble (or are trembling); I have become like a drunken man, like a man drenched (or overwhelmed) with wine, before the face of the Lord, and before the face of His holy words (or and before the face of the beauty of His glory). When contemplating the countenance of the almighty God, that is, the Father, and when contemplating the countenance of the Son, who according to the Apostle is called the brightness of His glory, and the very image of His substance (Hebrews 1), the Prophet is filled with dread in both mind and body, and understands that he is nothing, as it is also said in another place: "I have become like a beast before you" (Psalm 73:22). Whether it offers to God a victim of conscience and humility, according to that which is read in the Psalms: A sacrifice to God is an afflicted spirit: a contrite and humbled heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. (Psalm 50:19). But let us understand that the shaking or movement of the bones is spoken of, of which the same David sings: All my bones shall say: Lord, who is like to thee? (Psalm 34:10) He was made like a drunken man, and like a wet person: having no understanding, nor sapience. For the Lord knows the thoughts of men, that they are vain (Psalm 93:11) . But if this is so, where are those who preach perfect justice in man? And if they respond that they say this about the saints, not about themselves, certainly I believe there is no one holier than Jeremiah, who is a virgin, a Prophet, and sanctified in the womb, his very name foreshadowing the Lord Savior. For Jeremiah means 'exalted of the Lord.'23:10
(Verse 10) Because the earth is filled with adulterers (or adulteresses), because the face of the earth mourns because of a curse (or oath), the fields (or pastures) of the desert are dried up, and their course is evil, and their strength is dissimilar. This that we have put from Hebrew: because the earth is filled with adulterers, is not found in the Septuagint, who have spoken an oath, instead of a curse. And they give the reasons, that because of adulteries and curses, or excessive oath, or rather perjuries, there has been a result of the sterility of crops. Whatever you understand from the land of Judaea according to the written word, report it to the congregation of believers, because due to adultery, lies, or perjury, the churches are barren of the virtues and gifts of God.23:11-12
(Vers. 11, 12.) For the prophet and the priest have become polluted, and in my house I have found their evils," says the Lord. "Therefore, their way will be like a slippery path in the darkness. They will be pushed and fall in it, for I will bring upon them the year of their visitation," says the Lord. "When evils are found in the Church of God, especially in its leaders, let us know that the prophecy and the priesthood have become polluted. In my house I have found their evils," says the Lord. But the house of Christ is the Church, of which the Apostle writes to Timothy: That you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Tim. III, 15). In the prophet, receive a teacher; in the priest, the dignity of the ministry. If they consent with a perverse mind, their way will be slippery and dark; and they will not have the Lord speaking to them: I am the light of the world; he who believes in me shall not remain in darkness (John XII, 46). Where the Saint says, fleeing all darkness: Signet is upon us the light of your face, O Lord; you have given joy in my heart. But when they are in darkness and on a slippery path, namely the path of heresy, they will be driven to every movement and will fall. And the Lord brings evils upon them, not because evils are theirs, so that the Lord may bring evils, but evils are for those who endure punishment. Otherwise, the same things are both evil and good. Evil, according to those who are tormented; good, according to those who are corrected. And this must be noted, that the year of the Lord's visitation, the correction of sinners is called and the torment, according to that which is written: I will visit their iniquities with a rod, and their sins with stripes: but my mercy I will not scatter away from him (Psalm 88:33-34).23:13
(Verse 13) And in the prophets of Samaria I saw foolishness (or wickedness (Vulgate: foolishness))); they prophesied in Baal and deceived my people Israel. I think that the prophets of Samaria, according to mystical understanding, are properly called heretics, and all who boast of false knowledge. However, just as the prophets of Samaria prophesied in Baal, that is, an idol consecrated to demons, so heretics speak whatever they say in the Church or outside the Church, in order to deceive the people of Israel, who previously beheld God, they speak in demons. And significantly it says: And I have seen foolishness in the Prophets of Samaria (I Cor. I, 24): for they do not possess him of whom it is said, the power of God and the wisdom of God, Christ.23:14
(Verse 14.) And in the prophets of Jerusalem I saw a likeness (or dreadful things), adultery and the path of lies, and they strengthened the hands of the wicked, so that each one would not turn away from their evil ways. They have become to me like Sodom, and its inhabitants like Gomorrah. Not only, he says, are these things found in the assemblies of heretics, but also in the prophets of Jerusalem, that is, the teachers of the Church, I saw similar things, or dreadful things, the adulterating of the word of God and the walking in the way of lies, so that they might acquiesce in the deceits of heretics and strengthen the hands of the wicked, adding their evils to their own sins, and leading those whom they should have corrected to destruction. Let those who have done this not consider themselves unpunished. For they and those who support them will be like Sodom, and all those who dwell with them will not depart from such evil, like Gomorrah. Therefore, let the worst doctrine rejoice as much as it wants, and let the prophets of Jerusalem boast that they have obtained through lies and strengthened the hands of the wicked. Their end will be like Sodom and Gomorrah.23:15
(Verse 15.) Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts to the prophets: Behold, I will feed them wormwood (or sorrow, and according to Symmachus, bitterness) and give them gall to drink (or bitter water), because from the prophets of Jerusalem pollution has gone out into all the land. Let us use this testimony against those who disseminate letters full of lies, deceit, and perjury throughout the world, so that they may defile the ears of those who hear them and harm the reputation of the innocent. Thus, may what is written be fulfilled in them: Pollution has gone out from the prophets of Jerusalem to all the land. For it is not enough for them to devour their own iniquity and harm their neighbors, but they strive to defame those whom they once hated throughout the world, and spread blasphemies everywhere.23:16-17
(Verse 16, 17.) Thus says the Lord of hosts: Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, and deceive you. They speak a vision of their own heart, and not from the mouth of the Lord. They say to those who despise me (or reject my word), the Lord has spoken, you shall have peace. And to everyone who walks according to the stubbornness of his own heart, they say, no evil shall come upon you. So that the people may not think they are innocent if they follow the wicked teachers, do not listen, he says, to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you deceit, and deceive you. For there will be punishment for both the master and the disciple. They do not speak from the Lord's mouth, but rather things they have concocted in their own hearts. They say to those who blaspheme against me, namely heretics and perverted individuals, or those who reject my message: what do they say? The Lord has spoken, there will be peace for you. Do not fear harsh punishments, nor be frightened by empty threats. There will be peace and tranquility for you, and whatever we say and announce to you, the Lord has spoken; nor will any evil come upon you that you fear out of a guilty conscience; but rather the good that the Lord has spoken to you will come.Who indeed was present in the counsel of the Lord, and saw, and heard His word? Who considered His word, and heard it? Where we have interpreted, in the counsel, and in Hebrew it is written Basod (): Aquila, secretum: Symmachus, sermonem: Septuagint and Theodotion, substance or essence. And the sense is: Do not believe, O uninformed crowd, the false prophets who announce to you, saying, 'The Lord has spoken this, peace will be upon you; no evil will come upon you.' For where can the secrets of God be known, or by whom have we learned the counsel of God? How does the word of divine arrangement reach them? Some of our people think they have found this place, where the substance of God is described.
23:19-20
(Verse 19, 20.) Behold, a whirlwind (or a storm, and commotion) of the Lord's indignation will go forth, and a bursting storm will come upon the head of the wicked, and the Lord's fury will not turn back until He has done, and until He has fulfilled the thoughts of His heart. In the latter days, you will understand His plan. Those who previously said, 'The Lord has spoken to us, there will be peace for you,' and those whom He corrected because they could not know the future or understand God's judgment, now He reveals the opposite, that they do not know at all. For the sake of peace and security, the storm will come to Babylon, and it will not come upon just anyone, but upon the heads of the wicked, whether the entire people or those who falsely reported to the people. Not like in past times when God's anger and fury were appeased, but what he foretold and threatened many times must be fulfilled by action, and the thoughts and intentions of the wicked must be proven by punishments. When, he says, the end of captivity comes and the triumphant conqueror takes hold of you, and the hands bind you with the clanking of chains, then you will understand his plan, which you now boast of knowing in vain.23:21-22
(Verses 21, 22). I did not send the prophets, yet they ran; I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied. If they had stood in my council and had made my words known to my people, then they would have turned them from their evil way and from the evil of their actions. This sentiment is explained by the Apostle to the Romans: And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. (Rom. 1:28, 29), and so on. For when false teachers have once surrendered themselves to lies and perjuries and the deaths of the deceived, they do not run slowly, nor with careful steps, but headlong into destruction, both their own and those whom they have deceived. The Lord does not speak to them, but they themselves speak as if from the mouth of the Lord, concerning whom it is also said: If they had stood in my counsel, that is, if they had been willing to acquiesce to my will, and had made my words known to my people, not flattering them and corrupting them with flattery, so that they would say, you have no sins; you possess perfect justice; holiness and chastity and righteousness are found only in you: and I would not have given them over to uncleanness and shame, to do what is not fitting, and to follow their wicked thoughts. Let us consider the heretics, how once despairing of salvation, they surrender themselves to gluttony and pleasures, feast on meats, frequently visit baths, smell of perfume; being adorned with various ointments, they seek bodily beauty. For they do not hope for things to come, nor do they believe in the resurrection. Although they do not speak of these things in words, they show them in their actions. For if they believed, they would not do such things. And in this passage where it is written: if they had stood in my counsel, let Aquila, and Symmachus, and Theodotio, and the Seventy, likewise translated it above.23:23-24
(Ver. 23, 24.) Do you think that I am a God nearby, says the Lord, and not a God from afar? If a man hides himself in hiding places, shall I not see him? says the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? says the Lord. LXX: I am a God who approaches, says the Lord, and not a God from afar. If a man hides himself in hiding places, shall I not see him? says the Lord; do I not fill heaven and earth? The Lord says, 'Am I a God who is near, and not a God who is far away?' Aquila and Symmachus likewise interpreted it: 'Am I a God who is near, and not a God who is far away?' But the Septuagint and Theodotion translated it in the opposite sense, saying: 'I am a God who is approaching,' says the Lord, 'and not a God who is far away.' The latter meaning asserts that God not only knows what is near, but also what is far away; and not only sees what is present, but also what is future. Truly, they consider God to be present everywhere, and there is no place where God is not. For God is close to all, especially the saints, as if a garment were adhering to the skin. But sinners who distance themselves from Him will perish. We read this meaning in the Psalms as well: Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me (Psalm 139:7-10). Amos also agrees with these words, saying: If they descend to the grave, from there my hand will bring them out; and if they ascend to heaven, from there I will bring them down. And if they hide themselves on the top of Carmel, I will search for them and take them away. And if they hide from my eyes in the depths of the sea, there I will command the serpent, and it will bite them (Amos 9:2-3); and again in the previous psalm: For darkness will not hide from you; and night will be as bright as day: as its darkness, so its light (Psalm 139:12). But what is frequently said in the Prophets, 'Thus says the Lord,' is always added, so that the words of the Prophets are not despised, but rather, it is constantly reminded that they are the words of God that they speak.23:25-27
(Verse 25 onwards) I have heard what the prophets have said, prophesying in my name lies and saying: I had a dream (or I saw a vision). How long will this deceit be in the hearts (or minds) of the prophesying prophets, who desire (or think) to make my people forget my name because of their dreams, which each one tells to their neighbor, just as their fathers forgot my name for Baal (or in Baal). Because the previous title is against the Prophets, or to the Prophets, whom we clearly understand to be false prophets (and there are many types of prophesying: one of which is dreams, such as in Daniel), therefore the prophetic discourse is directed towards those who believe in dreams and think that everything they see is a divine revelation, which is properly revealed to the saints and servants of God. And if we read about Pharaoh (Gen. XLI) and Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. II) seeing true dreams, it was not because of their merit that they saw them; but rather so that through their occasion the holy men Joseph and Daniel might shine forth, and the hard and unyielding hearts of the tyrants might feel the majesty of the Lord through their own conscience. Today there are also dreamers in the Church, and especially in our flock, who boast their own errors as the prophecy of the Lord, and frequently insert, 'I dreamed, I dreamed.' These the Lord rebukes, saying, 'How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies, and the prophets of the deceit of their own heart? For they do these things, that, as the ancient people, that came out of Egypt, forgot my name,' However, this prophecy is not in the name of the Lord, but in the name of Baal, which is properly the idol of the Sidonians or Babylonians, and is also called Bel.23:28-29
(Verse 28, 29.) The prophet who has a dream, let him tell the dream, and the one who has my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is straw compared to wheat? says the Lord. Are not my words like fire, says the Lord, and like a hammer (or an axe) shattering rock? It is for them to interpret the dream who are deserving of having the word of God, and to say: Thus says the Lord; to whom the Lord has spoken, in whom there is truth, and not deceitful lies. What do the heretics' chaff have to do with the wheat of the Church? about which John the Baptist speaks more fully (Matt. III), that the Lord may cleanse his threshing floor, and by the winnowing fan scatter the chaff to be burned by the winds, and leave it to be consumed by fire; but may store the wheat in the barns, that it may become heavenly bread; and let each believer say: Taste and see, for the Lord is sweet (Ps. XXXIII, 9). And fittingly is false doctrine compared to chaff, which has no substance, nor can it nourish the people of believers, but it is crushed by empty husks. And because heretics usually promise prosperity and open the kingdoms of heaven to sinners, saying, 'The kingdoms of heaven are prepared for you', you can imitate the majesty of God, so that you may be without sin; for you have received the power of free will and the knowledge of the law, by which you may attain what you desire. And they deceive the wretched with flatteries, especially the women burdened with sins, who go about listening to every wind of doctrine, always learning but never coming to the knowledge of the truth, and they deceive all their hearers with adulation (Ephesians 4); therefore the Lord, comparing his words to the chaff of heretics, says: Are not my words like fire, says the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks the rock? For my part, he said, my speech announces future punishments so as to deter people from sinning; and he threatens the fire of sinners to the chaff, so that the hardened hearts of heretics, like flint, may be crushed by the hammer of his word: taking away a heart of stone, so that he may put in its place a heart of flesh, namely, one that is soft and capable of receiving and understanding God's commands. The Lord speaks of such a thing through Ezekiel as well (Ezek. 13), because false prophets smear the wall with their seductions and without mortar, which is later destroyed by a violent rain and the truth of judgment. And the false prophets may sew pillows under every arm to make sinners rest, and by no means soothe the wrath of God with tears. For a hammer, they have interpreted the axe of the Seventy, which undoubtedly John the Baptist speaks of: Now the axe is laid unto the root of the trees (Matthew 3:10). This axe cuts down unfruitful trees, and this hammer crushes the hardest stones. Therefore, the Prophet Nahum also speaks: His fury, undoubtedly God's, will consume the principalities and the rocks will be crushed by Him (Nahum 1:6). This is against heretics. Moreover, it is written about Ecclesiastical men, that the hammer and axe are not heard in the house of the Lord (3 Kings 6).23:30-32
(Verse 30 and following) Therefore behold, I am against the prophets,' declares the Lord, 'who steal my words from each other (or from their neighbor). Behold, I am against the prophets,' declares the Lord, 'who use their own tongues and say, "declares" (or who sleep and dream). Behold, I am against the prophets who dream lies,' declares the Lord, 'and tell them, and lead astray (or have led astray) my people with their lies and with their miracles (or with their wonders and terrors), when I did not send them or command them; they are of no benefit to this people,' declares the Lord. Always does a lie imitate truth: and unless it has some resemblance to what is right, it cannot deceive the innocent. Therefore, in the olden days, the prophets used to deceive the people and say: Thus says the Lord. And, I saw the Lord; and, the Word of the Lord that came to him, or to her: in the same way, heretics assume testimonies of the Scriptures from the old and new Testaments, and steal the words of the Savior from one another, from the Prophets and Apostles, and the Evangelists: and they use their tongues to pronounce the poison of their hearts, and they sleep a deep sleep, about which it is truly said: They have dozed off, and have found nothing (Psalm 76:5). Or according to the Hebrew: And they say, so that the Lord may be understood, or certainly (alternatively), divine speech. Therefore, the Lord threatens (alternatively, adds now) that He Himself will come against such masters, who deceive His people with their lies and with stupors and miracles. For they promise great and incredible and enormous (alternatively, imperceptible) things, in order to deceive the miserable ones who have done nothing to benefit the people of God. And they fulfill this Apostolic teaching, teaching that it is not necessary for the sake of shameful gain: those who are accustomed to announce prosperity to the wicked and adversity to the righteous.23:33-36
(Verse 33 and following) So if this people, or a prophet, or a priest asks you, saying: what is the burden of God (or what is the assumption of the Lord)? you shall say to them: You are the burden (or assumption). For I will cast (or hurl) you away, says the Lord. And the prophet and the priest and the people, who says the burden (or assumption) of the Lord, I will visit (or avenge) upon that man and upon his house. Each one will say to his friend (nearest in the Vulgate) and to his brother: what did the Lord answer, and what did the Lord speak? And the burden (or assumption) of the Lord will not be remembered anymore, because the burden (or assumption) will be each one's own word (in the Alexandrian version). The Hebrew word massa means burden and weight, as interpreted by Aquila as ἅρμα, that is, burden and weight: Symmachus, Septuagint, and Theodotion translate it as assumption. Therefore, wherever it is heavy, what the Lord threatens, and full of weight and labor, and unendurable, it is also called a burden in the title ἅρμα, that is, weight. Wherever, indeed, the Lord promises prosperity, or after a threat, he promises better things, there the Vision is spoken, or certainly the word of the Lord: and it was clear from the very title of the prophecy of the weight, or vision, and the Word of God, what kind of prediction would follow. Therefore, since the Prophets used to announce sad things and threaten punishments to the sinful people, in order to turn them back to repentance: but the merciful and compassionate Lord delayed his judgment for a long time, the deceived people, led astray by the fraud of false prophets, thought that what the Lord threatened would not come true, and they turned the true matter into a game and a joke; and mocking the prophets, they said: Here again he sees the weight and burden of the Lord. And so it happened that, not at all seriously but as a joke and mockery, the burden and weight were called the Vision. Therefore, the Lord instructed that whether the people, the prophets, or the priests asked Jeremiah what the burden or assumption of the Lord was, he should respond to them and say: You are the burden, and you are the assumption. For I will take you and cast you away, and I will crush you and make you perish. But if anyone thereafter, whether a prophet, a priest, or a member of the people, dares to name the burden and weight of the Lord, I will visit," he said, "upon that man and upon his house; and I will destroy him forever. Therefore let each person say to his neighbor and friend, 'Surely it is not the burden of the Lord?' But what did the Lord respond? And what did the Lord say? You have forgotten the Old: burden and weight, or assumption, should no longer resound in your mouth. For to each person, his own words and deeds will be considered a burden and weight, according to what is written: 'By your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned' (Matthew 15).23:37-40
(Verses 37 onwards) And you pervert the words of the living God: the Lord of hosts, our God. This is what you say to the Prophet: What did the Lord respond to you, and what did the Lord say? But if you say the burden of the Lord. Up to this point, it is not found in the Septuagint, and it continues: Therefore, this is what the Lord says: Because you have said this word, the burden of the Lord, and I have sent to you, saying: Do not say, the burden of the Lord: therefore, behold, I will take you up and cast you and the city that I gave to you and your fathers away from My presence, and I will make you an everlasting reproach and an eternal disgrace, which will never be forgotten. The Lord commanded that the discourse of burden and weight and assumption should never be spoken among the people; but rather the response to the word of God: because the people had scorned to fulfill it, the word itself is interpreted over them, and it says, 'Because you have said that I did not want this, even though I have often sent prophets and commanded you not to say it: therefore I will fulfill your discourse of assumption, burden, and weight in you by action. Indeed, I will assume you and lift you up and carry you, and I will make you stumble and cause you to fall from the heights to the ground.' Not only you, but also your city, which I gave to your fathers. And I will make you a disgrace and eternal ignominy, which will never be erased by forgetfulness. And we know that this happened during the Babylonian captivity; but it is more fully and perfectly fulfilled after the passion and resurrection of the Savior, when the Lord spoke: Your house will be left deserted to you (Luke 13:35): and this sentence will remain until the end. Let us also speak in another way, only according to the Septuagint: the word λῆμμα not only signifies assumption, but also gift and gift. Because the people always promised themselves prosperity, it says that they should not say this anymore. For they are unworthy of God's gifts and favors, rather they should be rejected and completely abandoned by God's help. However, often things are shown from the words and interpretation of names, as in the case of Abraham, Sarah, and Peter, and the names of the sons of Zebedee, where the changing of names signifies a change in circumstances. And in this same prophet, Phasur is said to mean fear, or translation, and colonus, or foreigner. It should be noted that the words 'Dei viventis,' 'Domini exercituum,' 'Dei nostri' are not found in the Latin and Greek manuscripts, and the Hebrews themselves read against this in their volumes, as it properly signifies the mystery of the Trinity.Book Five
Book FiveThe book of Quintus's Commentaries on Jeremiah will have its beginning from two baskets, in which one will demonstrate the sweetness of true faith and the other the bitterness of the perfidy of heretics. Although Ananias, son of Azur, opposes Jeremiah, and Shemaiah, the Nehelamite, desires to send the prophet to prison, and the priest Zephaniah speaks against the words of the false prophets (Jeremiah 28, 29): nevertheless, the truth can be closed and bound, but it cannot be conquered. It is content with its few followers and is not frightened by the multitude of its enemies. Therefore, raise your hands with Moses to the sky, and hang the ancient serpent in the wilderness; immediately Amalek will be destroyed, and venomous bites will not prevail, and the people of the Lord, safe with Jesus, will cross the waters of the Jordan; and after the vast solitude, they will eat the bread that was born in our little Bethlehem. (Exodus 17, Numbers 21).
24:1-10
(Chapter XXIV. - Verse 1ff.) The Lord showed me, and behold, two baskets (or baskets) full of figs, placed before the temple of the Lord. After Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and the princes, the craftsmen, and the captives from Jerusalem to Babylon. One basket had very good figs, like the figs that ripen early, and the other basket had very bad figs, which could not be eaten because they were bad. And the Lord said to me: What do you see, Jeremiah? And I said: I see good figs, very good; and bad figs, very bad, which cannot be eaten, because they are bad. And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Thus says the Lord God of Israel: As these good figs, so will I know the captivity of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans, for good. And I will set my eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them back to this land, and I will build them up, and not tear them down: and I will plant them, and not pluck them up. And I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return to me with their whole heart. And as the fig tree, which cannot be eaten, because it is bad: thus saith the Lord, so will I give (or hand over) Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the remnant of Jerusalem, that remain in this city, and that dwell in the land of Egypt. And I will give them for vexation, affliction (or dispersion) to all the kingdoms of the earth as a reproach, and as a parable, and as a proverb, and as a curse in all places where I have driven them. And I will send upon them the sword, and famine, and the pestilence, until they are consumed from the land that I gave to them and their fathers. The two baskets, or baskets of good and evil (or of good things and evil things), are interpreted in the Law and in the Gospel; the Synagogue and the Church; the Jewish people and the Christians; Gehenna and the Kingdom of Heaven, of which one pertains to the punishment of sins, and the other to the dwelling place of the Saints. But we, knowing according to the Apostle Paul (Rom. VII) that the law is good and holy, and the commandment is good and holy, and that the God of both Testaments is one, or rather let us refer to those who believed and did not believe in the coming of the Lord Savior, who, instigated by the Scribes and priests, cried out, saying: Crucify, crucify such a one (Luc. XXIII, 21), let them be baskets of bad figs; but those who believed after his ascension, let them be referred to as good figs and the best basket and basket. But let us follow a simple and true history, which Jechoniah, who had surrendered himself to the counsel and command of Jeremiah and God, had called the basket of good figs, to whom the Lord also promises prosperity. But of Zedekiah, who went against the advice of God, he was captured, his eyes were blinded, and he was led to Babylon, where he died (2 Kings 25). However, God showed favor to those who obeyed His command and brought them back to their land. He built and did not destroy, planted and did not uproot, and gave them a heart to know Him, so that they would be His people and He would be their God. Even in captivity, God looked upon them and allowed them to work the land, build houses, and plant gardens in the region of Babylon. Daniel, through the signs and miracles, became a ruler suddenly from being a captive (Daniel 5), and the three young men were gloriously delivered from the fiery furnace (Daniel 3). And after seventy years, under Zerubbabel, Joshua the high priest, Ezra, and Nehemiah, a great number of people returned to Jerusalem, which is recorded in the book of Ezra (Ezra 2). It should also be noted that this vision was given to the prophet during the time of Zedekiah, after Jehoiachin was taken into exile. For he did not mention captivity, since he had willingly surrendered himself. However, we should understand the blacksmiths and the enclosers, or the interpreters and teachers of the law, or the craftsmen and enclosers of gold and gems, which art is most precious among barbarian nations. They were interpreted for the jailers as referring to the seventy who were bound, in order to signify the evil of their captivity; and they added something of their own, the wealthy, which is not found in the Hebrew. Moreover, he compares a basket which had good figs, and very good ones, the figs of the first season, which in Greek are called πρώἳμα, namely, those of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and Moses, and Aaron, and Job, and the other holy men, concerning whom one of the twelve Prophets speaks: I found Israel as grapes in the wilderness, and as figs in the fig tree's first season I found your fathers. And we are also called sons of Abraham. And on the contrary, it is said to the Jews: If your father were Abraham, you would do his works (John 8:39). However, these nets, which had good and bad figs, were not outside and outside the Church, but in front of the temple of the Lord, because all of that knowledge is open: nor do these figs outside have such bitterness, as those which have been changed after the confession of faith through transgression. They lack the sweetness of a good fig, which are not in the presence of the temple of God: such were the worldly philosophers, who, though they seemed more to praise than to follow the virtues, recognized the natural good and intelligence of the Creator: how great is the sweetness of the figs that are in the temple of God, of which the Prophets and Apostles were, of whom one fig spoke: I have given you milk, not solid food (I Cor. III, 2). And: My little children, of whom I am in travail again until Christ be formed in you (Galat. IV, 19). Where it is said that in the sight of the temple of God, the good figs were very good; and the bad figs were very bad. And so that we do not think that our interpretation is incorrect, Scripture itself explains. Just as it says, these figs are good: so I will acknowledge the transmigration of Judah, which I sent from this place to the land of the Chaldeans for good: signifying Jeconiah and the princes who were taken captive with him. And, on the contrary, concerning the basket that had the bad figs; and just as the figs, it says, which cannot be eaten because they are bad: so I will give Zedekiah the king of Judah and his princes, and those who fled to Egypt, and those who remained in this city, into vexation and affliction for all the kingdoms of the earth (Jeremiah 42), when they were also taken captive in Egypt, and Nebuchadnezzar set his throne in Tahpanhes, and the Lord sent against them the sword, famine, and pestilence until they were consumed from the land that he gave to their fathers. But what he said about the good figs: I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord, is similar to the Apostle's: It is God who works in you both to will and to do (Philippians 2:13), so that not only our actions, but also our desires rely on the help of God. In this passage, the allegorical interpreter goes astray, always wanting to give a historical meaning to the truth, referring to those captured and taken to Chaldea from the heavenly Jerusalem, and then returning to their original place, like Jeremiah and the other holy prophets; but he says that the others who were sinners will die in this land and in the valley of tears. I placed the entire vision here without any cutting, so as not to divide the meaning in the explanation.25:1
(Chapter 25, Verse 1) The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah. These events took place before the vision because it was during the reign of Zedekiah, after Jehoiachin was deported to Babylon. But this event took place during the reign of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, and the father of Jehoiachin. For the prophets (as I mentioned before) were not concerned with keeping track of the times, which require the laws of history, but rather with writing in a way that would be useful to those hearing or reading it. Some people wrongly seek the order of the history of the psalms in the Psalter, which is not observed in lyrical poetry.25:2
(Verse 2) This is the first year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon (which is not in the LXX. And it follows): What Jeremiah the Prophet spoke to all the people of Judah and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying. In the fourth year of the reign of King Jehoiakim, son of Josiah and father of Jeconiah, Nebuchadnezzar became the ruler in Babylon, and it happened that the year which was the first for Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon was the fourth for King Jehoiakim in Jerusalem. Finally, in the eighth year of his reign, Jechoniah, along with his mother and the princes, was led into captivity, having only reigned for three months after the death of his father, Joachim. However, Joachim was killed in the eleventh year of his reign in Jerusalem (2 Kings 24).25:3
(Version 3.) From the thirteenth year of Josiah, son of Ammon, king of Judah, until this day, which is the twenty-third year, the word of the Lord came to me, and I spoke to you, rising up at night and speaking, but you did not listen. In the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah, who reigned in Jerusalem for thirty-one years, Jeremiah began to prophesy, and he prophesied under him for nineteen years. After him, his son Joahaz became king, but he was immediately taken into captivity by Pharaoh Necho, king of Egypt, and his brother Joachim succeeded to the throne (2 Kings 23). In the fourth year of his reign, this message of the Lord comes to Jeremiah and thus it was the twenty-third year of the prophet Jeremiah, since he began speaking to the people. And he never ceased to preach, but every day, rising at dawn and in the night, he spoke to the people. And you have not listened, he says. But if, as the heretics want from the old things, the law was given once for help, and established precepts which we do or do not do according to our own will; how does the Prophet always thrust himself forward and daily repeat the commands of God, which, certainly once received, were enough for those to whom they were given, unless to show this, that we always need the help of God and can never be sufficient, what was given once, unless it is renewed daily by the reminder of the Lord?And the Lord sent to all of you his servants the Prophets, rising up in the morning and sending them; and you did not listen. Not through one Prophet, but through all his people, God always warned, and as if he himself arose in watchful vigil and stood up in the morning, to warn his people. And you did not listen; so with the more frequent admonition, how much greater have been the sins of those who despise?
25:4-5
(Verse 4, 5.) You did not incline your ears to listen when I said (Vulgate: said): Return to me, each one of you, from your evil ways and from your wicked thoughts. And you will dwell in the land that the Lord gave to you and your fathers from eternity to eternity. The hardness of the people was so great that they would not even assume the habit of listening and incline their ear, particularly when the Lord was warning them to turn each one from their evil ways and from their wicked thoughts. And, O infinite mercy, not to inflict punishment for crime, but to provoke to repentance, both for evil deeds, which the wicked way signifies, and for the worst thoughts, which are considered sin even without action. And He promises a reward, if they do what is commanded, that they may dwell in the land which was given to the fathers, and for the sins of their children to be removed. And He says: From age to age, or, from eternity to eternity, He shows the eternal gifts of God, if those to whom they are given are worthy.25:6-7
(Verse 6, 7.) And do not go after foreign gods, to serve them and worship them; and do not provoke me to anger with the works of your hands, and I will not afflict you. But you did not listen to me, says the Lord, to provoke me to anger with the works of your hands, to your own harm. And this, I said to your forefathers, not to serve and worship foreign gods, and by doing so, provoke me to anger because of the works of your hands, so that I would do what I did not desire, and afflict you, and you did not listen to me. And what follows, says the Lord, that you have provoked me to anger with the works of your hands, for your own harm, is not found in the Septuagint.25:8
(Verse 8.) Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: Because you have not listened to my words, behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, declares the Lord, and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants, and against all these surrounding nations. I will devote them to destruction, and make them a horror, a hissing, and an everlasting desolation. Moreover, I will banish from them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the grinding of the millstones and the light of the lamp. This whole land shall become a ruin and a waste, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. But the Lord sends forth angels to stir up the nations, or certainly moves such tribes, so that they may do the will of the Lord. And he calls his servant Nebuchadnezzar, not called as the prophets and all the saints are called, who truly serve the Lord; but so that in the destruction of Jerusalem, he may serve the will of the Lord: as the Apostle also speaks: Whom I have delivered to Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme (1 Timothy 1:20). There is no doubt that the Chaldeans are located in the northern part, near the site of Jerusalem.25:9
(Verse 9) And I will bring them upon this land and upon its inhabitants and upon all the nations around it. And I will destroy them and make them a horror, and a hissing, and an everlasting desolation. These are the rewards of those who despise and refuse to listen to the words of God. Therefore, whatever evil comes upon us, it is because of our sins. And all the nations were brought against Jerusalem in that way, just as they are brought against the negligent Church today, to destroy them and make them a horror, and a hissing, and an everlasting desolation, so that they may serve as an example and a wonder to all. But the hissing is a sign of a miracle and wonder; and eternal loneliness is found in those who do not have God as their guide.25:10
(Verse 10) And I will destroy from among them the voice of joy, and the voice of gladness; the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride; the sound of the millstone, and the light of the lamp. And the whole land shall be desolation and astonishment, and these things are proven today in the assembly of the wicked; so that their teachers do not teach the word of God, but hiss like a serpent. And the voice of joy and the voice of gladness perish in them, so that they never hear the words of the Apostle: Rejoice, again I say, rejoice (Philippians 4:4). The voice also of the bride, of the Ecclesiastical faith; and the voice of the bridegroom, of the Lord Savior: For he who has a bride, is the bridegroom (John III, 29). The voice of the mill, so that the grains are not crushed in it, and are given to the peoples for nourishment: and the light of the lamp, namely the teaching and knowledge (or, rather, the teaching and knowledge) of the Prophets. Finally, it is also said about John the Baptist: He was a shining lamp (John V, 35). And another Prophet: Your word, Lord, is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my paths (Psalm CXVIII, 105). All, he said, the land of heretics will be as a wasteland and in astonishment, when its final folly has been revealed.25:11-13
(Verse 11 and following) And these nations will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years. And when seventy years have been completed, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, says the Lord, for their iniquities, and the land of the Chaldeans, and I will make it an eternal wasteland. And I will bring upon that land all my words that I have spoken against it, all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah prophesied against all the nations. Just as Jerusalem, after seventy years, received back its former inhabitants and, having completed its punishments because it obeyed the command of God, now enjoys its former happiness; so the king of Babylon, who was lifted up in pride and trusted in his own strength, because he reigned among the nations and not according to the will of the Lord, will be destroyed when the Medes and Persians come. Ultimately, only the remains of the city of Babylon exist to this day. And the Lord placed her in everlasting solitude, and fulfilled all the words that are contained in the volume of this very prophet. For in the following, the sermon of Jeremiah describes the evils that Babylon is to suffer.25:14
(Verse 14) Because many nations and great kings have served them, and I will repay them according to their deeds and according to the works of their hands. This is not found in the Septuagint. However, it signifies that Jeremiah prophesied not only against Babylon, but against the other nations that were in the Babylonian army and fought against the people of the Lord. Finally, it is said in the following verses against Egypt, and the Philistines, and Moab, and Ammon, and Edom, and Damascus, and Kedar, and the kingdoms of Hazor and Elam, and finally against Babylon and the land of Chaldea.25:15-17
(Verse 15 and following) For thus says the Lord God of Israel to me (Vulgate adds 'of hosts, and is silent to me'): take the cup of wine of fury (or strong drink) from my hand, and give it to all the nations to which I send you, and they shall drink it, and become intoxicated (Vulgate says 'disorderly') (or vomit); and they shall become mad because of the sword that I will send among them. And I took the cup from the hand of the Lord, and gave it to all the nations to which the Lord sent me. The drinking of the cup, and the cup of wine, whether unmixed or mixed, which is called ἀκράτου in Greek, is an indication of the Lord's furious wrath, so that all nations who have waged war against God's people may drink from the cup of the Lord's fury, about which Isaiah writes against Jerusalem: 'You have drunk the cup of fury, the chalice of ruin, and have drained it out, therefore arise' (Isa. 51:17). This cup, however, is drunk by all nations so that they may vomit and become insane. That which a certain corrupt interpreter takes in a good sense: so that, like a cathartic potion, it compels whatever bile and phlegm and harmful humor is in the chest to exit and restores its original health. It also takes the Savior for Jeremiah, in that he offered himself to all nations to which he was sent, so that they would abandon idolatry and devote themselves to the worship of God. The following will show that this is contrary to Holy Scripture. For they are offered not for remedy, as he wishes, but for punishment, deservedly served in a bitter cup.25:18
(Verse 18) Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, and its kings, and its princes, to make them a desolation, and an astonishment, and a hissing, and a curse, as it is this day. 'I thought,' he says, 'that I would give this only to the nations, and therefore I gladly offered myself to this ministry; but among all the nations, indeed before all others, I have given it to Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, and its kings, and its princes, to make them a desolation, and an astonishment, and a hissing, and a curse, as is proven by the present example.' And as it is said above: You have seduced me, O Lord, and I have been seduced; you have been strong and have prevailed.25:19
(Verse 19.) To Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and his servants, and his princes, and all his people, and everyone in general. After Jerusalem, Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and his companions drank: the princes and all the people drank, as did everyone who is not Egyptian, but who dwells in his territories: whom the Seventy translated as 'συμμίκτους', that is, mixed, the common people not of the land of Egypt, but foreign and alien.And all the kings of the land of Uz, which is called Us in Hebrew, from which the history also narrates that Job was: There was a certain man in the region of Uz, named Job (Job 1). And yet it should be known that this verse is not found in the Septuagint, and Theodotion interpreted it as an island.
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(v. 20) And to all the kings of the land of the Philistines, and to Ascalon, Gaza, Accaron, and the rest of Azotus. He generally placed the Philistines, that is, the land of the Palestinians, and specifically their cities Ascalon, Gaza, Accaron, and Azotus; he only remained silent about Gath, which is included in the rest. For this is what is written: And the rest of Azotus: for it is near and adjacent to Azotus, which in Hebrew is called Esdod, the region of the city of Gath. But Isaiah writes that the Palestinians were captured and devastated by the Babylonians.25:21
(Verse 21.) Idumea, and Moab, and the sons of Ammon, and all the kings of Tyre, and all the kings of Sidon. Idumea, where the mountains of Seir are, and which is called Edom in Hebrew (): Moab and Ammon, they are the sons of Lot, close to the Dead Sea. Tyre and Sidon are the chief cities on the coast of Phoenicia, which themselves were conquered by the Babylonians when they came, among which Carthage is a colony. Hence the Phoenicians are also called the Phoenicians, their language being for the most part closely related to the Hebrew language.25:22
(Verse 22.) And to the kings of the islands across the sea. He crossed over to Cyprus, and Rhodes, and the islands called the Cyclades. And these were indeed occupied by the Babylonians.25:23
(Verse 23.) And Dedan, and Teman, and Buz, and all who have their hair cut short. These are the nations that live in solitude, near and mixed with the regions of the Ishmaelites, whom they now call Saracens, and of whom it is said: those who have their hair cut short.25:24
(Verse 24) And all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the West, who dwell in the desert. This is not found in the Septuagint. After Dedan, therefore, and Teman, and Buz, and the Ishmaelites, follows the order of the regions.And all the kings of Zamri. This is also not found in the Septuagint.
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(Verse 25.) And all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of the Medes. From this, since Zamri follows Elam and the kings of the Medes, we conclude that Zamri is the region of Persia, unless perhaps because Arabia came before, and these kings should be understood as the kings of the wilderness. Elam, however, is a region of Persia beyond Babylon, from which also the Elamites. Likewise, the Medes and the Persians, by whom Babylon was captured and destroyed. And they themselves were able to drink from the mixed cup, with Alexander, the king of the Macedonians, offering it.And all the kings of the North ((or of Babylon)) from nearby and far away. Because he had listed the regions of Persia and Babylon, Elam and the Medes; now he generally includes all the kings of the North, those who are nearby and those who are far away. For the North, which is called Saphon in Hebrew (), the Septuagint translates it as 'the furthest', which we can call 'Subsolanum'.
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(Verse 26.) To each one against his brother, and to all the kingdoms of the earth that are above its surface. In order not to make it long to enumerate all the regions of the Eastern provinces in detail, he generally placed all the kingdoms of the earth that are mentioned in that land. And that which he said against his brother is implied: I gave them a full measure to make them all rage, vomit, go mad, and fight with each other in mutual battles. And what he brought:And King Sesach will drink after them; and though it is not found in the Septuagint, it has this meaning: All, he says, will be subject to the Babylonian empire, and it will subject everything to its power, so that all the nations that the previous passage mentioned will serve and drink from its cup. Thus, in the vision against Babylon, it is written: Babylon, the golden cup, that intoxicates the whole earth. (Jeremiah 51:7) And finally, the king of Babylon will drink this potion, offered to him by the charioteer of the chariot, consisting of camels and donkeys, Cyrus the king of the Medes and Persians. However, someone who has at least a small knowledge of the Hebrew language will not struggle greatly to understand how Babylon, which is called Babel in Hebrew (), is also understood as Sesach (). Just as in our case the Greek alphabet is read in order up to the last letter, that is, Alpha, Beta, and so on up to Omega: and again for the memory of children we are accustomed to reverse the order of reading and mix the first letters with the last, so that we say Alpha, O, Beta, Psi: similarly among the Hebrews the first is Aleph, the second Beth, the third Ghimel, and so on up to the twenty-second, and the last letter is Thau, with the penultimate being Sin. Therefore, we read Aleph, Thau, Beth, Sin. And when we come to the middle, Lamed, the letter Chaph appears: and as, if we read correctly, we read Babel: thus, with the order changed, we read Sesach. However, the vowel letters are not placed between Beth and Beth, and Lamed, according to the language of the Hebrew tongue in this name. And I think it was wisely hidden by the holy Prophet, so as not to openly provoke the madness of those who were besieging Jerusalem, and were about to take possession of it very soon. We read that the Apostle also acted against the Roman Empire, writing about the Antichrist: 'Do you not remember that when I was still with you, I told you these things? And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time,' the Antichrist is understood. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming (2 Thess. 2:3-8). He who holds it, shows the Roman empire: for unless this be destroyed, taken out of the way, according to the prophecy of Daniel, the antichrist will not come. But if he had wished to state it openly, he would have aroused foolish persecution against the Christians and the Church, which was then just beginning. We have spoken on this chapter at greater length than the brevity of the Commentaries allows, because it is not found in their codices, the Greeks and Latins perhaps despising it. But what profit will it be when the very Prophet himself says concerning these things which follow in this country: How is Sechach taken, and how is the renowned city of the whole earth captured? How is Babylon become a wonder among the nations? Allegorical interpreters refer this whole place to all the nations which the devil has made drunk with the most bitter cup of sins. And this very man himself will also drink torments and tortures, of whom the Apostle writes: Whom the Lord Jesus will destroy with the spirit of his mouth (II Thess. 2:8). And in another place it says: The last enemy to be destroyed is death (1 Corinthians 15:26). This is the power of being able to transfer the words of different nations under their etymologies, and to adapt individual vices to individual names.
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(Verse 27.) And you shall say to them, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Drink and be drunk, and vomit, and fall, and do not rise up (according to the Vulgate, do not rise up) before the sword that I am sending among you. Once you have made all the nations drink, and filled them with the command of the Lord, you shall again give this command in the words of the Lord, and you shall say: Drink and be drunk, and vomit, and fall, and do not rise up. If to drink and become drunk, to vomit, and to fall are signs of health, so that all noxious things are expelled like a cathartic potion: how then does it follow, 'do not rise'? Moreover, what is the potion that causes them to fall forever, he explains more clearly, that is, the face of the sword which I will send among you.25:28
(Verse 28.) And when they refuse to accept the cup from your hand to drink, you shall say to them: Thus says the Lord of hosts: You shall drink! For behold, in the city where my name has been invoked, I will begin to afflict, and you shall be as innocent ones, immune (or you shall be as clean ones, pure)? You shall not be immune (or you shall not be clean). He covertly shows, the command of God, that those who do not wish to do so willingly, will have to do so out of necessity, and shall hear: You shall drink! He says, whether you want it or not, the will of God must be fulfilled. For if the city of Jerusalem, in which the name of God was known, as the Prophet says: 'God is known in Judah; his name is great in Israel' (Psalm 76:1), drinks from the bitter cup of wrath, how much more will you, who worship idols in the name of God, not be pure!25:29
(Verse 29.) For I will call the sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, says the Lord of hosts. This is the most bitter potion, this cup of the Lord's fury, which is not only upon Jerusalem, but upon all the earth, and upon all the surrounding nations. As it was said before: And I will send to Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, my servant, and I will bring him over this land, and over its inhabitants, and over all the nations around it.25:30-31
(Verse 30, 31.) And you shall prophesy to them all these words, and you shall say to them: The Lord will roar from on high (or give a response), and from His holy habitation He will utter His voice. He roars loudly over His glorious place (or responds to His place), His shout resounds like those who trample the earth. The sound (or destruction) reaches to the ends (or above) of the earth: for the Lord has a judgment with the nations: He shall judge all flesh: I have given the wicked (or I gave the wicked) to the sword, says the Lord. First, let us say that the truth of the interpretation is evident. You will prophesy to all nations, he says, and you will declare that the Lord roars from on high, that is, he gives a clear sign of his anger; according to what is written: The lion will roar, and who will not fear? The Lord has spoken, and who will not prophesy? And from his holy dwelling he will make his voice heard, to terrify all who hear it. He will roar over his sanctuary, that is, over the Temple. And when he roars like those treading the winepress, a loud noise will be sung, and during the pouring out of the mutual blood, a mournful song will be chanted: which Symmachus calls a conclusion; Aquila, a remedy. The sound of this singing and song will reach to the ends of the earth, because the judgment of the Lord is with the nations. But if the judgment of the Lord is with the nations, then the merits of the nations are different (Hosea 4). To explain that passage, as some want: Whoever does not believe is already judged (John 3:18). Indeed, he is judged because he did not believe; but those who do not believe among themselves will be subjected to different punishments. He himself is judged with all flesh, so that no one may leave uninjudged. But the ungodly, that is, those who do not believe in the Lord, are handed over to eternal sword. Allegorical interpreters according to the Septuagint explain this passage in such a way that they interpret the Lord's open threat in a positive manner. The Lord, they say, will give a response from on high to those whom he intends to save. And from His holy place He will give His voice, and He will answer with His word in His place. But they, like reapers full of fruit, will respond to His message: Destruction will come upon all the inhabitants of the earth, not upon the whole earth, but upon a part of the earth, namely those who do not believe. Judgment will be among the nations, and He will judge with all flesh. But the wicked will be delivered by the sword.25:32-33
(Verse 32, 33.) Thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, affliction (or evil) will come forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind (or storm) will come forth from the ends of the earth. And those slain (or wounded by the Lord) on that day will be from one end of the earth to the other end. They shall not be lamented, nor shall they be gathered or buried; they shall lie on the surface of the earth like manure. Let those who try to do violence to the Holy Scripture be ashamed, as they interpret those things which are full of threats in a positive way. But concerning this matter, I believe the Lord also said: 'A nation will rise against a nation, and a kingdom against a kingdom' (Luke 21:10), and the other things that are contained in the sentiment of the Gospel. Let us understand these things either according to the historical events themselves, when all the nations around were subjugated by the Babylonian king and felt the cruelty of his empire, or according to the prophecy that will happen long after in the end of the world. They are said to be killed by the Lord, not because the Lord Himself strikes, but so that in the destruction of the wicked, the will and authority of the Lord may be fulfilled.25:34-35
(Verse 34, 35.) Howl (or rejoice) you shepherds, and shout, and sprinkle yourselves with ashes, you noble flock (or lament, you rams of the sheep); for your days are fulfilled that you may be slain, and your dispersions, and you shall fall like precious vessels (or like chosen rams). And flight shall perish from the shepherds, and salvation from the noble ones (or rams) of the flock. It should be noted that only in this place have the Seventy interpreted 'jubilum' in a negative sense: for which reason other interpreters have translated it as 'howl' (as it is written in Hebrew). Between shepherds and rams, or leaders of the flock, there is this distinction: the shepherds are rational beings; but the rams and leaders are referred to the wealthy, who themselves are also called part of the flock. And it brings forth: Your days are complete, that you may be killed: then their days shall be completed, when their sins are fulfilled; and they shall be scattered and fall, like precious vessels, so that when broken they cannot be restored; and the more precious they were before, the greater the damage in their breaking; or like chosen rams, desiring to devour a fat sacrifice. He says that the flight of the shepherds will perish when they do not repent. Finally, it is said to the Pharisees: Offspring of vipers, who has shown you how to escape from the coming wrath (Luke 5:7)? And in the Psalms we read: The flight has perished from me (Psalm 141:5). And salvation, he says, from the best of the flock, or from the rams: in common, it is understood that it will perish.25:36
(Verse 36.) The voice of the shepherds crying out, and the howling of the leaders of the flock (or the jubilation of the rams): because the Lord has laid waste to their pastures. And the fields of peace (or the beautiful ones) have fallen silent before the face of the wrathful fury of the Lord. And here it should be noted that in the Septuagint, jubilation is used instead of howling. However, there is a difference between the shepherds and the rams, in that the shepherds are considered to be in the Church, who oversee the flock with wisdom and knowledge and teaching. But the leaders who seem to be in the crowd, have nothing of teaching and wisdom in themselves, and due to excessive simplicity they are almost neighbors of foolishness. But when we will have peace, and we will not understand either the good or beautiful things of peace, but we will give ourselves to luxury, idleness, and pleasures: then the good things of peace will rest, or rather be silenced, and they will be taken away from us because of the anger of the Lord's fury, and that which is written will be fulfilled: 'When they shall say, peace and security, then sudden destruction shall come upon them' (I Thess. V, 3), and when it comes, everything will be silent.25:37-38
(Verses 37, 38) He has abandoned his shelter (or den) like a lion. (And to be more accurate, his tent: for this is what 'Succho' means in Hebrew.) Because their land has become a desolation (or impassable) from the wrath of the dove (or from the face of the great sword) and from the face of the fury of the Lord. The Lord, of whom it was said above, will roar from on high, and from his holy dwelling he will give forth his voice. Roaring, he will roar over his glory, he himself will abandon his tent, of which it is written: He has made it in peace, or in Salem, that is, his dwelling place, and his habitation in Zion (Psalm 75:2): he himself will abandon his seat, and he will fulfill what he spoke through the same prophet: I have forsaken my house, I have abandoned my inheritance (Jeremiah 12:7). But it left its den like a lion, so that all the beasts have power over its land. For with the lion as their guardian and ruler, no one dares approach it. It has become, he says, their land, undoubtedly to the point that either the Jewish people or certainly all the nations will be desolated and made impassable by the face of the dove's wrath. It is not surprising that the dove of the Lord is understood to be Nebuchadnezzar, who has read himself being called the servant of the Lord above him. For why they have translated Seventy, a great sword. May we receive a dove and in the person of Jerusalem, that he may be angry and sad, having lost the custody of his lion, and his land coming into desolation.26:1-3
(Chapter 26, Verse 1 and following) In the beginning of the reign of Joahim, son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from the Lord, saying: Thus says the Lord: Stand in the court of the house of the Lord, and speak to all the cities of Judah, from which they come to worship in the house of the Lord, all the words that I have commanded you to speak to them. Do not withhold a word, lest they listen and each one turn away from their evil way. And I may repent of the evil (or remain silent about the evil) that I intend to do to them because of the wickedness of their deeds. This prophecy is superior to the previous one: although it was made under the same king. For that one was made in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, but this one at the beginning of the same king, as the Scripture says: In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came from the Lord. Therefore, as we have often said, the order of history should not be woven in the prophets, since at present, the earlier things are spoken afterwards, and the later things, before. But whoever is going to speak the word of the Lord, must stand with Moses (Deut. V), and listen with the Psalmist: Those who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God (Psalm CXXXIV, 2). And it is commanded that he speaks to all the cities of Judah: although the seventy cities did not translate, lest it should appear unseemly to speak in the court of the house of the Lord to cities that were not present: but when he speaks to the people and to the citizens, he speaks to those cities. But it stands beautifully in the atrium and vestibule of the Temple of the Lord, so that by the opportunity of the Lord's prayer and adoration, they are compelled to hear the words of the Prophet. Do not, he says, withhold the word: though it may be sad, though the rage of the listeners may be stirred up against you, nevertheless say what has been commanded to you: not fearing the persecutions of those who are stirred up against you, but the command of the Lord who orders it. Perhaps, he says, they may hear and be converted. An ambiguous word, perhaps, cannot befit the majesty of the Lord, but it speaks to our affection: that man's free will be preserved, so that he is not compelled to do or not to do anything by its foreknowledge, as if by necessity. For it is not because God knows something will happen that it will therefore happen, but because it will happen, God knows it, as if he were prescient of future events. And yet it is to be understood, according to this same Jeremiah: if the Lord predicts evil and the people repent, he will also repent of the punishment he threatened to carry out. And if he has promised prosperity and the people act negligently, God may change his judgement and bring misfortunes instead of blessings. Such a thing is also mentioned in the Gospel: 'I will send my son, perhaps they will respect him' (Luke 20:13). This is indeed spoken from the perspective of almighty God. In fact, he also says this in the present: 'Perhaps they will listen and turn from their evil ways, so that when they have repented and I have relented of the disaster I had planned to bring on them, I will not carry out my plan.' But I think to do [it] because of the wickedness of their studies, which if they are changed, my opinion will be changed. Let us read the story of Jonah and Nineveh.26:4-6
(Vers. 4 seqq.) And you shall say to them: Thus says the Lord: If you do not listen to me and walk in my law, which I have given you, and listen to the words of my servants the prophets whom I have sent to you, rising up early and sending them, and you have not listened: I will make this house like Shiloh and this city a curse to all the nations of the earth. Therefore, it is within our power to do or not to do: provided that whatever good work we desire, strive for, and accomplish, we attribute it to the grace of God, who has given us both the will and the ability to do (Phil. 2). But if it sufficed to walk once in the law, which was given to us by Moses, as a foolish sect suspects, how did he add: 'That you may hear the words of my servants the prophets.' Who, indeed, were sent after the law, and not once, but frequently: not leisurely and without care, but always and with concern. 'I have sent,' he says, 'to you my servants the prophets daily, and rising by night: if you will not listen to them, I will give this house, that is, the temple of God, as Shiloh, where the tabernacle was.' And when the temple will have been destroyed, consequently the city will be cursed by all the nations of the earth. Just as when the temple was built in the area of Ornan, and on Mount Moriah, that is, the place of vision, where it is narrated that Abraham offered his son Isaac, the religion of Shiloh ceased, and no sacrifices were celebrated there afterwards: so when the Church was built, and the spiritual victims were offered in it, the ceremonies of the Law ceased (2 Chronicles 3); and the city of the Jews was given over to curse by all the nations of the earth: from which the Lord has delivered us, as the Apostle says: Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law, being made a curse for us (Galatians 3:13).26:7-9
(Verses 7-9.) And the priests and prophets (or false prophets) and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the Lord. And when Jeremiah had finished speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak to all the people, the priests and prophets (or false prophets) and all the people seized him, saying, 'You shall surely die! Because you have prophesied in the name of the Lord, saying, 'This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate, without inhabitant.' The priests and prophets, whom the LXX have more clearly translated as false prophets, are angry with Jeremiah because he preaches the truth, that the religion will perish with the Temple and the deserted city, and the profits that come from religion; therefore they seize him and, with the consent of the people, condemn him to death. Thus he says in the name of the Lord, just as Shiloh will be this house and the city will be desolate, because there is no inhabitant. Therefore, if at any time the priests, or false prophets, or the deceived people become angry with us because of the commands of the Lord and the truth of faith, let us not care greatly, but let us carry out God's will, considering not present evils but future goods in our minds.26:10
(Verse 10) And all the people gathered against Jeremiah in the house of the Lord, and the leaders of Judah heard these words and came from the king's house to the house of the Lord, and sat at the entrance of the Lord's gate (Vulgate: house of the Lord) new. Jeremiah was prophesying in the temple of the Lord, and he had said: I will make this house like Shiloh, and I will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth. And immediately, a sedition arose among the priests and prophets and the people, and the entire crowd gathered against the Prophet in the Temple, where the Prophet and the priests and prophets and the people were held by force. When the leaders of the city, who were staying in the royal house, heard this, they crossed over or went up from the king's house to the house of the Lord. And it should be noted that going to the house of the Lord was always an ascent. And they sat at the entrance of the new gate of the Lord. For it was the duty of the princes to sit at the gate of the house of the Lord, and there to discern the truth of matters and seditions. And the gate was called new because those who sat in it and presided over judgment resisted the slander of the priests and false prophets.26:11
(Verse 11) And the priests and prophets spoke to the officials and to all the people, saying: This man deserves the punishment of death, for he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your own ears. But the leading men of the city, who had come from the king's palace to the temple, sat in the gateway of the temple and in the new gateway, in order to calm the people and gather them for a meeting. The priests and false prophets accused Jeremiah, and the prophet would have perished if the accusers themselves had the power of judgment. From this, we understand that those who were devoted to religion were seen as more cruel towards the Prophet due to envy of his holiness than those who were in charge of public affairs.26:12-15
(Verse 12 and following) And Jeremiah said to all the leaders and to all the people, saying: The Lord has sent me to prophesy to this house (or over this house) and to this city (or over this city) all the words that you have heard. Therefore, now make your ways and your pursuits good, and listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and the Lord will repent of the evil that He has spoken against you (or the Lord will cease from the evils that He has spoken against you). But behold, I am in your hands: do to me what is good and right in your eyes (or what is expedient for you). However, know and understand that if you kill me, you will bring innocent blood upon yourselves and upon this city and its inhabitants. Truly, the Lord has sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears. While the people were present, the princes sat in the gate of the city and accused Jeremiah the prophet to the priests and the prophets, and they conspired to bring about his death. Jeremiah spoke to the princes and to all the people, whom the faction of priests and false prophets had incited, wisely and humbly, yet steadfastly. Prudently, because he said that he had been sent by the Lord to speak against the temple and the city, and to give advice, that if they would listen to his advice and repent, the Lord would also change His decision. Yet humbly, in what he said: Behold, I am in your hands: do to me what is good and right in your eyes. Furthermore, firmly: The Lord has sent me to you in truth, to speak all these words in your ears. And he speaks in other statements: If you are angry because I have spoken against the temple and the city of the Lord, and you are concerned about the salvation of the city and the temple: why do you increase sins with sins, and make the city and its inhabitants guilty of my blood? Therefore, if and when we need humility due to the constraints of necessity, let us accept it in such a way that we do not abandon truth and steadfastness. For it is one thing to arrogantly insult the judge, which is a sign of foolishness; it is another thing to avoid impending danger in such a way that you do not subtract anything from the truth.26:16
(Verse 16) And the leaders and all the people said to the priests and prophets: This man does not deserve death, for he has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God. The people, who had previously been deceived by the priests and false prophets, join forces with the city's leaders and speak up for Jeremiah, stating that he is not guilty of deserving death, but rather that he has prophesied in the name of the Lord and according to His word. For the uneducated masses easily change their opinion when given a valid reason. But the pain of the accusers, especially of the priests and false prophets, cannot be changed. And therefore, with them accusing and persevering in their accusation, the people are changed: which the Lord had given them hope of mercy, if they would do good in their ways and listen to the voice of the Lord their God, so that the Lord would change his judgment.26:17-19
(Verse 17 onwards) And the men of the elders of the land rose up and spoke to the whole assembly of the people, saying: Micaiah of Moresheth was a prophet in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and he spoke to all the people of Judah, saying: Thus says the Lord of hosts: Zion shall be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps of ruins, and the mountain of the house like the high places of a forest. Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him to death? Did they not fear the Lord and pray to the face of the Lord? And the Lord repented of the evil that he had spoken against them. Therefore, we are doing great evil against our own souls. The leaders of the city and the people understand the truth of judgment. However, the elders, whose duty it was to know the ancient things, recount the history - and the prophecy of Micah from Moresheth, who prophesied during the reign of King Hezekiah, they compare it with the prophecies of Jeremiah, for which he is being threatened with death; and they show that he said more serious things, and yet suffered nothing from the righteous king Hezekiah: but that those who turned to repentance, the sentence of the Lord turned into a good one. For Micah said: Zion shall be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the house a wooded height (Micah 3:12). And Jeremiah further said: I will make this house like Shiloh, and I will make this city a curse for all the nations of the earth (Jeremiah 26:9). And they devised a plan, thinking that what Micah had prophesied would not come to pass, because a long time had passed without it happening due to the people's repentance. And this also, that Jeremiah spoke, it will by no means happen if they follow his counsel in their good ways and pursuits, and listen to the voice of the Lord their God, so that the Lord does not bring upon them the evil that he had threatened. At the same time, they break the fury of the accusers and join with them saying: Therefore, we commit great evil against our own souls: not that they should do so, but because if they do, they will not harm the accused, but their own souls, which they can free through a change of sentence.26:20-24
(Verse 20 onwards) There was also a prophet man in the name of the Lord, Uriah, the son of Shemai from Kiriath-Jearim, and he prophesied against this city and against this land, according to all the words of Jeremiah. And King Jehoiakim and all his powerful men and officials heard these words, and the king sought to put him to death. But Uriah heard about it and was afraid, so he fled and went to Egypt. And what follows: King Jehoiakim sent men to Egypt, including Elnathan son of Achbor, and his men with him, but it is not found in the Septuagint. Your question: And they brought Uriah out of Egypt, and brought him to King Joakim, and he struck him with a sword, and cast his body in the graves of the common people. However, the great Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, so that he would not be handed over to the people to be killed. It is asked why Uriah the son of Shimei from the town of Kiriath-jearim, who prophesied the same things as Jeremiah, was terrified and fled to Egypt, and when he returned, he was killed; and yet Jeremiah was able to escape, even though he certainly did not flee, but boldly persisted in his previous judgment, and was freed from the judgment of both the common people and the rulers, as well as the advice of the elders, against the accusers, the priests, and the false prophets. To briefly respond to this: it is not at all possible to know the judgment of God, since the same cause and the same opinion result in one person being punished and another being set free. Unless, perhaps, we can respond by saying that Uriah was condemned and killed by the accusers and the people, while Jeremiah was reserved for the judgment of God in order to preach to the rest of the unfortunate people and bring them to repentance. This is indeed also read in the Acts of the Apostles, where we learn that the Apostle James (Acts 12) immediately endured the sentence of Herod and was rewarded with martyrdom, while blessed Peter and the other Apostles were reserved for the teaching of the Lord. And the steadfastness of the prophet Uriah is worth noting, as he did not change his opinion even when he was brought back from Egypt, but rather, seeing that death was being planned against him, he still spoke the words that the Lord had commanded. And his fear and flight and entry into Egypt are not signs of unfaithfulness, but rather of prudence: so that we do not offer ourselves to dangers in vain. Otherwise, we also read of the Lord and Savior falling into the hands of those who pursued him (Luke 4, John 8); and he commanded the Apostles: 'When they persecute you in this city, flee to another' (Matthew 10, 23). It is also asked how Joacim, the king of Judah, of small and weakened empire, and already on the verge of perishing, had the power to send to Egypt and bring back Uriah. This is easily solved if we consider that he was appointed a ruler by the king of Egypt, Nechao, and this prophecy was made at the beginning of his reign. Although Jeremiah was freed by the help of the Lord, it is also attributed to Uriah as the one through whom the Lord freed his prophet. This Uriah is, of course, the son of Stephan, as we will read later, when Jeremiah is freed from the danger of death by the advice and assistance of Abdelech the Ethiopian eunuch (Jeremiah 38).27:1
(Chapter 27 - Verse 1) In the beginning of the reign of Joachim, son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying. This is not found in the Septuagint edition. And many think that the beginning of the following chapter should be joined to the previous one, so that whatever is said and done in the beginning of Joachim's reign is believed to have happened. Hence, he had the power to send to Egypt, as to a friendly king. But it seems to me that they have deliberately omitted this title for the following reason, so that they would not appear to be contradicting themselves. For they had already stated at the beginning: In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came from the Lord to Jeremiah, saying.27:2
(Verse 2.) This is what the Lord says to me: Make for yourself chains and shackles. Or κλοιοὺς, which are called Mutoth () in Hebrew, and in the common language they are called Boias.27:3-4
(Verse 3, 4.) And you shall put them on your shoulder, and send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the sons of Ammon, and to the king of Tyre, and to the king of Sidon, by the hand of messengers who came to Jerusalem to King Zedekiah of Judah. And you shall command them to speak to their masters: Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel. You shall say this to your masters. The past vision was given at the beginning to the prophet of the reign of Joachim, son of Josiah, king of Judah. But these things happened under Zedekiah, who was the last ruler of Jerusalem, and under whom the city was captured and destroyed. And Jeremiah was commanded to put chains, or wooden yokes called "Mutoth" in Hebrew, around his neck and send them to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon, through the messengers who had come to Zedekiah. And he was to instruct his messengers to announce that they should serve King Nebuchadnezzar and listen to what the following prophecy says. And so that perhaps the ambassadors and kings of those nations would respond, why do you not command this to your people? It also speaks similar things to King Zedekiah, and to the priests and prophets. This passage is always understood allegorically (by Origen), and fleeing from the truth, it interprets the heavenly Jerusalem, that its inhabitants should willingly take on bodies and descend into Babylon, that is, the confusion of this world which is placed in evil, and serve the Babylonian king, undoubtedly the devil. But if they refuse to do this, they will by no means bear heavy burdens; instead, they will perish by the sword, and by famine, and by pestilence; and they will not become men, but demons. He said this so that his defenders do not accuse us of slander. However, let us follow a simple and true history, so that we are not entangled in certain clouds and deceptions.27:5
(Verse 5.) I made the earth and man, and the animals that are on the face of the earth, by my great strength and by my outstretched arm, and I gave it to him whom it pleased in my eyes. Although this Scripture speaks anthropomorphically, how can we humans speak and understand: nevertheless, the strength of God and his arm is the one about whom the Apostle speaks: Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24). And Isaiah says: Lord, who has believed our report? and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? (Isaiah 53:1) John the Evangelist also writes: All things were made through him, and without him nothing was made. (John 1:3) David also speaks in his song: By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all their host by the breath of his mouth. (Psalm 33:6) And when he says, I have given her to him whom it pleased me, it signifies that all things are given to the human race through the grace of God. I, he says, made the earth, and man, and animals (Psalm 35). The reverse order. In Genesis, indeed, animals are created first, and the last is man (Genesis 1), but here it names man first, and afterwards those things that are subject to man.27:6-7
(Verse 6, 7.) Now therefore I have given all these lands into the hand of my servant Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon: and the beasts of the field I have also given him to serve him. And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son's son. How then is Israel in a state of misery, when compared to him, Nebuchadnezzar, the servant of God? It is written in the Gospel: The world was made through him, and the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. (John 1:10). Therefore, the creator rightly hands over his creation to whom he wishes. Moreover, even the devil, in whose likeness Nebuchadnezzar preceded, confesses: all these things have been handed over to me. And what he has brought in: Moreover, I have also given him the beasts of the field to serve him, or rather we should understand all kinds of animals; for indeed, both man and those things that are subject to them are handed over to them; or certainly, let us accept that wild beasts are also savage tribes, in that they also serve, whereas previously they did not know how to serve. But his son, and the son of his son, according to the Hebrew, is called Belshazzar and Evil-Merodach, about whom Daniel writes.Until the time comes for its land and itself. So that the kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar would not be thought to be everlasting, it is said that it will be taken by the Medes and Persians. For this is what it means: Until the time comes for its land and itself. But this is not included in the Septuagint.
And many nations and great kings shall serve him. It is not said, all: for this empire properly belongs to Christ, even though it is not read according to Symmachus: And many nations and great kings shall serve him; but many nations and great kings shall subject themselves to him in servitude, so that he himself may also serve the Medes and Persians, to whom all nations had previously served. This is what we have put from the Hebrew: I have given him that they may serve him, and all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his grandson, until the time of his land and himself come: and in servitude when many nations and great kings shall subject themselves, it is not read in the Septuagint (as we have already said) edition.
27:8
(Verse 8) However, the nation and kingdom that will not serve King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, and whoever will not bend their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I will visit upon that nation with the sword, famine, and plague, declares the Lord, until I have consumed them by his hand. Not only does the Lord subject sinful nations to Nebuchadnezzar, but the Apostle also speaks of sinners: whom I have handed over to Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme (1 Timothy 1:20). And in another place: I have handed over such a person to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved (1 Corinthians 5:5). It also warns to obey the authorities, not only because of wrath but also because of conscience, so that we may not be condemned by them.27:9-11
(Verse 9 and following) So do not listen to your prophets, and diviners, and dreamers, and augurs, and sorcerers, who say to you: 'You will not serve the king of Babylon, for they prophesy lies to you, in order to drive you far from your land and to expel you, and you will perish.' But the nation that puts its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serves him, I will let it stay in its own land, says the Lord; and it will till it and dwell in it. The allegorical interpreter raves at this place and encourages those placed in heaven to not listen to their prophets, diviners, dreamers, and sorcerers, but rather to serve Nebuchadnezzar and take on the body of humility, the cries of infants, and the cradle of little children. For if they do these things, having completed their servitude and the condition of human mortality, they will return to their own land, live there, and do what they did before. And he says that he suspects those who have despised God's commandments will become burdened with human bodies as future demons and unclean spirits, and they will not regain their former abode. But we will simply explain that there are prophets among the nations who pretend to predict the future by divine inspiration. And there are diviners, of whom the common proverb says: The wise claim to divine. And there are dream interpreters who imitate Joseph and Daniel. And there are soothsayers, who interpret the flight and calls of birds and announce what should or should not be done. And there are sorcerers, whom we can call either poisoners or servants of the phantasms of demons, who are called Kasaph in Hebrew. All these, he says, deceive you and undermine you, so that you do not serve the king of Babylon. For it is much better to willingly embrace servitude, to have a friend whom you serve, and to cultivate one's ancestral land, than to serve as a captive by force and necessity.27:12-13
(Verse 12, 13.) And to King Zedekiah of Judah I spoke according to all these words, saying: Submit your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and you shall live. Why will you die, you and your people, by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, as the Lord has spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? Do not listen to the words of the prophets who say to you, 'You shall not serve the king of Babylon,' for they prophesy a lie to you. I have not sent them, says the Lord, but they prophesy falsely in my name, in order to drive you out and make you perish, you and the prophets who are prophesying to you. After all the nations pass over to King Zedekiah of Judah, he speaks with the same nations he threatened, saying: for the nation of Israel does not deserve the privilege, who has sinned either similar or greater than the other nations. Finally, because the rebellious people refused to listen, they were destroyed by sword, famine, and pestilence. It should be noted in the holy Scripture that it refers to false prophets as prophets who prophesy falsely in the name of the Lord. But they, says he, do this, in order that they may cast you out, and bring destruction upon you, as well as upon the prophets who prophesy to you. And therefore the destruction is alike of those who are deceived and of those who deceive. This is what we have put from the Hebrew: Serve under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and you shall live. Why will you die, you and your people, by the sword, and by famine, and by pestilence, as the Lord has spoken concerning the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? Do not listen to the words of the prophets who say to you, 'In the Septuagint it is not found.' And therefore I advise, so that the intelligent reader may understand how much is lacking in each Greek and Latin codex.27:16-17
(Verse 16, 17.) And I spoke to the priests and to this people, saying: thus says the Lord: Do not listen to the words of your prophets who prophesy to you, saying: Behold, the vessels of the Lord will return from Babylon now quickly: for they are prophesying lies to you. This, which we have now set, in the Septuagint is not present: and that which follows, Do not listen to them, but serve the king of Babylon, so that you may live. Why is this city being laid waste? But to the nation and the king, he speaks to the priests and the people, who had already predicted the destruction through the prophets, saying: that I will cast you out and you will perish, both you and the prophets who prophesy to you. He speaks the same things that he had spoken to the king and the nation, so that they do not hear the words of their own prophets and say that the vessels of the Lord's temple should now be brought back, which had been taken away with Jechoniah and his princes and his mother: and he warns that they should serve the king of Babylon and live, and that the city, which voluntarily submitted, should by no means be handed over to fire. And in this the mercy of the Lord is to hand over to a lighter punishment, so that they do not bear a heavier one. ((Al. wants to hand over))27:18
(Verse 18) And if there are prophets, and the word of the Lord is in them, let them come forward. And what follows, 'and we shall be subjected to the end of this chapter,' is not found in the Septuagint.27:19-22
(Verse 19 onwards) O Lord of hosts, let the vessels that were left behind in the house of the Lord, and in the house of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem, and in Babylon, not come back. For thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the pillars, and concerning the sea, and concerning the bases (which are written as Mechonoth in Hebrew) and concerning the remaining vessels that are in this city, which Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, did not take when he took Jeconiah, the son of Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, from Jerusalem to Babylon, along with all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem. Because this is what the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, says about the vessels that have been left behind in the house of the Lord, and in the house of the king of Judah and Jerusalem: They will be carried to Babylon and there they will remain until the day of their visitation, says the Lord. And I will bring them back and restore them to this place. These things, as we have said, are not found in the Septuagint, but have been translated from the Hebrew truth: for they have added something that was not written, saying, 'Thus says the Lord to me: And the rest of the vessels that the king of Babylon did not take when he carried Jeconiah from Jerusalem to Babylon, they will enter, says the Lord,' putting more emphasis on the meaning than on the words, perhaps thinking it irrational that God would speak to columns and to the sea, and to the bases, and to the remaining vessels in Jerusalem, as if we did not read that the Lord rebuked the morning worm and spoke to the sea, saying, 'Be silent and be still.' (Jonah 4). And he says: Let them come to me, whether it be the Lord of armies (Mark 4:39), this shows that a true Prophet can resist the Lord with prayers, just as Moses stood in opposition to the Lord, in order to turn away the anger of his fury. Samuel also did the same (1 Samuel 8). And the Lord said to Moses: Let me alone, he said, that I may strike this people (Exodus 32:10). But when he says, Let me alone, he shows that he can be held back by the prayers of the saints. The prophets, he says, and whatever they predict, should demonstrate their fulfillment through their actions; and then the prophecy will be confirmed by truth. However, we read about the pillars, sea, bases, and other vessels in the book of Malachi and in the final volume of this prophet (2 Kings, chapter 25). And the vessels that were carried away to Babylon are listed, when Zedekiah was captured, the city was burned, and the temple was destroyed.28:1-2
(Chapter 28, Verses 1 onwards) In that year, at the beginning of the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah, in the fourth year, in the fifth month, Ananias son of Azur, a prophet from Gibeon, spoke to me in the house of the Lord, in the presence of the priests and all the people. He said: Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. Within two years, I will bring back all the vessels of the Lord to this place. They interpreted the Hebrew prophets, that is, the Nebeim, as pseudo-prophets in order to make their understanding clearer. Finally, in this place, the prophet is called Nebia, not a pseudo-prophet. And the word of the Lord came to him during the reign of Zedekiah, in the fourth year of his reign, in the fifth month (while the prophet Ezekiel was still prophesying in Babylon to those who had been exiled with Jehoiachin). And he speaks with confidence in the temple of the Lord against the Prophet, because he promises prosperity to the people, and they willingly listen to lies, especially those that promise joy. Jeremiah had also said that the rest of the vessels, whether of the temple or the royal palace, and all the people that Nebuchadnezzar had taken away, were to be transferred to Babylon. But here, on the contrary, he promises that even those things that had been carried away are to be brought back.28:3-4
(Vers. 3, 4.) What Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, brought from this place, he also brought to Babylon. And I will bring back Jehoiachin, the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the exiles of Judah who went to Babylon, to this place, declares the Lord. For I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon. Regarding these matters, the LXX translated: Jehoiachin and the exiles of Judah, for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon, summarizing the meaning of the Hebrew truth rather than giving word-for-word translations. However, Ananias, who at that time seemed to be a prophet to the people, promised not only to bring back the vessels, but also to restore King Jechoniah to Jerusalem, and to break the yoke of the king of Babylon, that is, to destroy his empire. And this would not yet be accomplished for another two years, in order to increase the greatness of the joy and to enhance the nearness of the promised time.28:5-6
(Vers. 5, 6.) And Jeremiah the prophet said to the prophet Ananias, in the eyes of the priests and in the eyes of all the people who stood in the house of the Lord. And Jeremiah the prophet said: Amen, let the Lord do so. May the Lord fulfill your words that you prophesied; so that the vessels may be brought back to the house of the Lord, and all the exile of Babylon to this place. He wishes to become what the false prophet lies about, for this is what Amen signifies: a word that the Lord often uses in the Gospel: Amen, amen I say to you (John 5:19). And he desires, for the prosperity of things, to speak more kindly than strictly. Hence another prophet bears witness, saying: O that I were not a man having the spirit, and spoke rather falsehood (Micah 2:11). On the contrary, Jonah is distressed why he lied, and is reproved by the Lord, that it is more profitable for prophets to speak falsehood than the multitude of such ruin (Jonah 3). And lest he seem to approve the prophecy of a false prophet, he asserts the truth under the example of others lying without injury.28:7-9
(Vers. 7 seqq.) Nevertheless, listen to this word that I speak in your ears and in the ears of all the people: The prophets who were before me and you from the beginning, prophesied about many lands and great kingdoms, about battles, affliction, and famine. The prophet who prophesied peace, when his word comes, the prophet whom the Lord has sent in truth will be known. Jeremiah could have said to Ananiah: You speak falsely, you deceive the people, you are not a prophet but a false prophet. But if he had said so, the false prophet could also have retorted the same against Jeremiah, so he does no wrong. And he is speaking as if to a prophet. Not only, he says, am I a prophet and you, but there were many others before you and me, among whom were Isaiah, Hosea, Joel, and Amos, and the rest. They prophesied, he says, against many lands and not insignificant kingdoms, but great ones, announcing war and adversity to them, and announcing a scarcity of all things. And on the other hand, there were others who promised peace and prosperity. Both opinions, not through flattery or lies, but proven by the outcome of events. Therefore, following the example of others, Ananias speaks of himself, so that when the end of things comes, the truth of the prophets may be revealed. The Lord himself also spoke through Moses (Deut. 23), that the end of prophecy may be shown. And it should be noted that he does not threaten or intimidate, but confidently rebukes the liar with the truth, and postpones it for the future, so that those who hear may await the outcome of events.28:10-11
(Verse 10, 11) And Ananias the prophet took a chain (or a yoke, which in Hebrew is called Mutoth) from the neck of Jeremiah the prophet, and broke it. And Ananias said in the presence of all the people, saying: Thus says the Lord: I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, within two years from the necks of all nations. And Jeremiah went his way (The Vulgate adds prophet). The Seventy did not transfer two years. Moreover, they did not call Ananias a prophet, lest they seem to be calling someone a prophet who was not a prophet. It is as if not many things are said in the holy Scriptures, according to the opinion of that time in which the events are recounted, and not according to what the truth of the matter contained. Finally, even Joseph is called the father of the Lord in the Gospel, and Mary herself, who knew that she had conceived by the Holy Spirit, and she had responded to the angel: 'How will this be, since I do not know a man?' (Luke 1:34). He speaks to the Son: Son, what have you done to us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in sorrow. At the same time, the prudence of Jeremiah, and humility, and patience must be considered. The false prophet does wrong things, and crushes the snatched club from his neck, which he certainly could not do with an iron one. He is silent, and disguises his pain: for the Lord had not yet revealed to him what he should speak. As the holy Scripture shows, prophets do not speak by their own will alone, but by the will of the Lord, especially about the future, of which only God has knowledge. He left, he said, and went on his way, as if defeated, and fulfilling that prophecy: I have become like a deaf man, and like a man who does not have reproofs in his mouth.28:2-4
(Ver. 2 and following) And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah after Ananias the prophet broke the chain (or yoke) from the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying: Go and tell Ananias, this is what the Lord says: You have broken the wooden chains (or yokes), and I will make iron yokes in their place. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I have put an iron yoke on the neck of all these nations, so they will serve Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. And what follows: 'And they shall serve him, and the beasts of the earth I have given to him. But in the present place, according to the Septuagint, Ananias the prophet is not written, and in the following, lest they should seem to call a false prophet a prophet. But what about the Hebrew truth? After Jeremiah the prophet went on his way and swallowed up the injury in silence, the word of the Lord came to him, so that he would not speak in his own words to the false prophet boasting in lies; but he should say: thus says the Lord: even though Ananias, breaking the wooden yoke, spoke with the same authority in the presence of the Lord: thus says the Lord.' For falsehood always imitates the truth. And that which it has brought in: You have shattered wooden forks, and instead of them have made iron chains, shows this, that, rejecting the lesser punishment, it was for the sake of a greater penalty among the people. The allegorical interpreter also raves in this passage, calling the wooden forks and chains, ethereal and airy bodies, namely, of demons and adverse powers. But the wooden forks or iron chains, are our grosser bodies, which are woven together with nerves and bones and flesh and veins, so that those who do not wish to undergo lesser tortures for the quality of their sin may be condemned to the chains of our bodies; and they may endure the wailing of infancy, the bonds of swaddling clothes, and filth; and may serve the devil, the king of Babylon, that is, of this world, as the Scripture says: The world is set in the wicked one (1 John 5:19), with the beasts of the earth, which are linked to the bodies of brute animals. An uneducated handler compelled me, and a follower of Grunnius' slander openly presents the faults of others, which I previously spoke of with pretense, abandoning the discretion of the reader.28:5-17
(Verse 5 onwards) And Jeremiah the prophet said to the prophet Hananiah: Listen, Hananiah: The Lord did not send you, and yet you have made this people trust in a lie. Therefore, thus says the Lord: Behold, I will send (or cast) you away from the face of the earth, you will die this year. And what follows: Because you have spoken against the Lord. And Hananiah the prophet died in that year, in the seventh month, which is not mentioned in the Septuagint. For as much as they have set him forth above: He died in the seventh month. And this Ananias is not spoken of in the Septuagint as a prophet, though the Holy Scripture of the Hebrews calls him a prophet, even though Jeremiah accuses him, saying: Hear, Ananias, the Lord has not sent you, yet thou have prophesied. For how could he call him a prophet, whom he denied to be sent by the Lord? But the truth and order of the history is preserved, as we have said, not according to what it was, but according to what it was thought to be at that time. You deceived, he says, the people with a lie, so that they would not submit to the judgments of God. Therefore, you know that you will die this year. When we die, we are released from the prisons of the body, according to that testimony, which heretics interpret wrongly: Bring my soul out of prison (Ps. 141:8): so how is death now imposed as a punishment on false prophets? But in this place it should be noted that Jeremiah, after suffering injury from a false prophet, and before receiving a direct message from the Lord, remains silent; later, however, sent by the Lord, he boldly accuses the liar and announces his impending death. And that he who usually translates the seventh month is said to rest under this number, perhaps they falsely claim that he died in the seventh month so that he may be freed from the evils of the body, according to what they quote from the writing. Death is rest for a man. But we know that the bodies of believers are temples of God, if indeed the Holy Spirit dwells in them (Sirach 22:11).29:1-7
(Chapter 29, verses 1 and following) These are the words of the book that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the remaining elders of the exile, to the priests, to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon. After King Jeconiah, the queen mother, the eunuchs, the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metal workers had departed from Jerusalem, by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, saying: Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and generate sons and daughters; give your sons wives and give your daughters to husbands, and let them bear sons and daughters, and multiply, and do not be few in number. And seek the peace of the city (or land) to which I have led you, and pray to the Lord for it, for in its peace you will have peace. This letter, or rather book, of Jeremiah the prophet is sent to Babylon by the messengers Sedecias, Ellassa and Gamaria, to those who were transported with Jechoniah and his mother by Nebuchadnezzar: so that, by the opportunity of the royal legation, the Prophet might fulfill his own work and admonish the transplanted people of the things that had been commanded to him by the Lord. He spoke beautifully: Jehoiachin the king, and the queen, and the eunuchs, and the princes of Judah, and the rest went out. And: Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: They shall seem to have been relocated not by the power of the king of Babylon, but by the will of the Lord. And first, the word is directed to the elders, then to the priests, thirdly to the prophets, fourthly to the whole people of God: so that according to the order of age, letters would also reach the prophets who were being instructed. But they should not rely on their own words, but on the Lord's, to build houses and live in them, and to plant gardens, or orchards, and eat their fruit, take wives, and generate sons and daughters, and multiply in the place of their migration, and not be few in number, and seek the peace of the city or land to which the Lord has brought them, and pray for them ((or it)) to the Lord. And giving reasons, he says, because in the peace of that land there will be peace for you. Jeremiah, because after a short time there was going to be captivity for Jerusalem, it is ordered that he should not take a wife or have children. Hence it is said to us by the Apostle: Time is short, it remains, that those who have wives should be as if they had none (I Corinthians VII, 19). If the use of wives is taken away from those who have them due to the narrowness of time, how much more is it commanded that those who do not have them should not take them! But this whole prophecy warns against the false prophets, who were promising them a return to Jerusalem after a short time; but so that they know that they will stay in Babylon for a long time: in such a way that they should take wives, plant orchards, sow gardens, build houses, and have children. And what he added: Seek the peace of the city, or the land. And again: For in its peace there will be peace for you, it will be compared to the Apostolic, in which he commands: I beseech you therefore, first of all, to offer supplications, prayers, petitions, thanksgivings, for all men, for kings and for all that are in high position, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all godliness and honesty (2 Timothy 2:1-2). Furthermore, according to mystical understanding, after we have been cast out from Jerusalem, that is, the Church, because of our sins, and delivered to Nebuchadnezzar, about whom the same Apostle says: I have delivered such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord (I Cor. 5:5). And again: Whom I have delivered to Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme (I Tim. 1:20), we should not be secure, nor be sluggish in idleness, nor completely despair of salvation; but first build houses, not on sand, but on rock, and such houses as the midwives built in Exodus: because they feared the Lord (Exod. 1). Then to plant gardens, or orchards, such as the Lord planted a paradise in Eden, and placed in it the tree of life, of which it is written: The tree of life is to those who lay hold of her; and he that takes hold of her is fortunate (Prov. III, 18). Thirdly, to take wives, of whom one is wisdom, of which Solomon writes: Love her, and she will keep you; embrace her, and she will exalt you (Prov. IV, 6). And in another place: I sought to take this spouse for myself, and I became a lover of her beauty (Wis. VIII, 2). It is not enough for us to have one wise wife, unless we also have the other virtues, courage, moderation, and justice, so that we may generate more children from them. Let us also give our daughters to husbands, so that the truth of faith, which is understood in children, may be connected to good works, which are related to daughters, and let good works be joined to the health of faith. By generating such sons and daughters, may we multiply in number, so that as we demolish what is small, and grow into perfect manhood, we may be worthy to hear: I write to you, fathers: because you have known him, who is from the beginning (1 John 2:13); and let us say with the Apostle to our children: For in Christ Jesus by the Gospel, I have begotten you (1 Corinthians 4:15). Let us also seek peace for the Church, our city, and our land, so that we may be deserving to return to it, from which we have been transferred by the judgment of the Lord, to dwell in the error of confusion. For if it receives us, we have peace. Together with the mercy of the Lord to be considered: He has commanded us to pray for our enemies and to do good to those who persecute us, so that we are not content only with our own salvation, but also seek the salvation of our enemies (Luke VI).29:8-9
(Verse 8, 9) For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets who are among you and your diviners deceive you, nor give heed to your dreams which you dream. For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them, says the Lord. The prophet Ezekiel testifies that there were prophets, or rather false prophets, and diviners and dreamers in Babylon, among those whom Nebuchadnezzar had brought with Jehoiachin and his mother, as he writes against them, to whom Jeremiah also commands not to believe (Ezekiel 13). However, at the time when this Epistle was being directed, Ezechiel had not yet begun to prophesy in Babylon. For this speech is sent in the beginning of the reign of King Sedeciae. But Ezechiel, in the fifth year of the exile of Jechonias, began to prophesy, which was also the same year of the reign of Sedeciae. Furthermore, according to the allegory, we should consider as false prophets those who interpret the words of Scriptures differently than the Holy Spirit sounds. And we should consider as divine those who pronounce their own conjecture and uncertain future events as if they were true, without the authority of divine words. And also the dreamers, who do not heed that writing: Neither give sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids (Prov. VI, 4); of whom the apostle Judas speaks: Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion (Judae 8): whose mind is not awake, but is oppressed by the sleep of arrogance and error, and is surrounded by the horror of night, of whom the apostle Paul speaks: Awake, thou that sleepest? And arise from the dead, and Christ will enlighten you (Ephes. V, 14).29:10-13
(Vers. 10 seqq.) Because this is what the Lord says: When seventy years are completed in Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill my good word to bring you back to this place. For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of affliction, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me, and you will go and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart, and I will be found by you (or I will appear to you), says the Lord. Do not, he says, believe in false prophets, diviners, and dreamers of yours, who promise you the return to Jerusalem soon. For unless seventy years are completed, while Cyrus, the king of the Persians, releases the captives, you will not return to your homeland; and then I will fulfill my promises, to bring you back to this place: For I know the thoughts that I think about you, says the Lord. It is said that we know what he thinks, but they, together with their prophets, gods, and dreamers, are ignorant. The knowledge of the future, therefore, belongs only to God. 'I will give you,' he says, 'an end and patience: the end of captivity and the patience of present struggles, or the hope of the future. Then you will call on me and go to Jerusalem: and you will pray, and I will hear you. Certainly, without the invocation and prayer of the captives, the Lord could fulfill what he promised; but he encourages them to pray, so that they may deserve to receive what was promised. You seek me, and you will find me, when you seek with all your heart; according to that Gospel: Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you (Matt. VII, 7). According to the anagoge, we are immersed in the confusion of this world as long as we merit to receive the rest of the sevenfold number, and having received penance, may God fulfill what He has promised, and may we be restored to our place in the Church. Therefore, the Lord has seemed to strike us in order to heal us: He will give us an end to our labor and patience: and we will call upon Him, and return to the Church, and we will pray, and be heard: we will seek and find Him when we have sought Him with all our heart, and then He will appear to us. Some interpret seventy years according to what is written: The days of our years in them are seventy years (Psalm 89:10), which when completed, we shall return to the Lord with all our heart, and we shall be heard, and the end of our labor and patience shall come: for now we possess all things in shadow and in image.29:14-20
(Verse 14 and following) And I will restore your captivity, and gather you from all the nations and from all the places to which I have driven you, declares the Lord. And I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile. For you have said, 'The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon.' Thus says the Lord concerning the king who sits on the throne of David, and concerning all the people who live in this city, your fellow countrymen who did not go with you into exile. Thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will send against them the sword, famine, and pestilence, and I will make them like rotten figs that cannot be eaten, because they are so bad. And I will pursue them with the sword, famine, and pestilence, and I will give them as a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse, a terror, a hissing, and an object of scorn among all the nations where I have driven them, because they did not listen to my words, declares the Lord, that I persistently sent to them by my servants the prophets, but you would not listen, declares the Lord. So hear the word of the Lord, all the exiles whom I sent from Jerusalem to Babylon. + Up to this point, it is not found in the seventy, which I have marked with asterisks. For the rest, in which either individual verses or a few words have been omitted, I did not want to note, so as not to make the reading tedious. But the Lord promises to those who were in exile that after seventy years of captivity he will make them return from all the nations and from all the places to which he has driven them, and after the captivity has been ended, they will regain their former state and homeland. And when I, says he, shall do these things of my own accord, and shall surely return to you at a certain time, you are being deceived in vain, and you think you have prophets in Babylon who promise you false things. So you should know that you should by no means hope for a return now: but build houses, plant orchards, take wives, and give birth to children, and multiply in number, and wait for the promised time. Hear what the Lord speaks to Zedekiah, who now reigns in Jerusalem, and to all the inhabitants of his city, that is, to your brothers, who did not want to obey my advice, and to migrate to Babylon with you, because they can by no means escape captivity, but will die by sword, and hunger, and pestilence. And I will set them like a basket of bad figs, which Theodotio interpreted as rotten figs: the second worst: Symmachus, the last: which in Hebrew are called Suarim (), but due to the mistake of the scribes, instead of the middle syllable or letter Alpha, the Greek Delta is written: so instead of Suarim, it is read as Sudrim. However, just as a basket or a crate, which had good figs, is said to have had first figs: likewise, the other basket, which had bad figs, is written to have had last figs. And I will pursue, he says, those who now dwell in the city of Jerusalem, with sword, famine, and pestilence: so that as soon as they are able to break through the siege and escape, they may be scattered throughout all lands, and may be an example to all of curse, shame, hissing, and reproach: to whom I will cast out (Ah, you), because they did not listen to my words, says the Lord, which I spoke to them through my servants, rising up early and sending them: and I have never ceased warning them, that they should imitate you who now enjoy peaceful leisure in exile, until the promise of the Lord is fulfilled. But you, who have obeyed my command and handed yourselves over to the Babylonian king, listen to what I have to say. And in this place, a delusional Interpreter dreams of the downfall of heavenly Jerusalem and suspects that the prophecy is directed to those who dwell in the region of Babylon in this world: that they willingly descend into these bodies and build homes in the land of the Chaldeans, plant orchards, take wives, bear children, and through good works be restored after seventy years to their original place and to heavenly Jerusalem. But those who refuse of their own will to descend to earthly matters will suffer these things that the Lord threatens to Zedekiah and his people. Those who refuse to imitate their brothers and come to Babylon will be struck by the sword, famine, and pestilence, that is, a scarcity of all things, and they will be like the worst figs that cannot be eaten; and they will be pursued by an eternal sword, and will be a vexation to all the kingdoms of the earth, so that they will not become humans, but demons, aerial powers, and they will be among all the Angels who preside over each province as a curse, astonishment, hissing, and reproach to all nations. And this they will endure for this reason, because they refused to listen to the words of the Prophets in heavenly Jerusalem, who urged them to descend to earthly things and assume a humble body; and after true Sabbath observance, to possess the original place through acts of repentance. He said these things. When his disciples hear them, and the refuse of the Grunnian family, they think they hear divine mysteries. And we who despise these things are regarded as mere animals and called 'mud people,' because being formed in the mud of this body, we are unable to perceive heavenly things.29:21-23
(Verses 21-23) This is what the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, says to Ahaziah son of Coliah, and to Zedekiah son of Maasiah, who prophesy to you falsely in my name: Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will strike them down before your eyes. And a curse will be taken up against all the exiles from Judah who are in Babylon, saying, 'May the Lord make you like Zedekiah and like Ahaziah, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire, because they have done foolishness (or wickedness) in Israel and have committed adultery with the wives of their friends (or fellow citizens); and they have spoken a false word in my name, which I did not command them. I am the judge and witness, says the Lord.' The Hebrews say that these are the elders who have done foolishness in Israel and have committed adultery with the wives of their neighbors. To one of them, Daniel speaks: Old age of evil days. And to another: The seed of Chan has deceived you, not Judah, and desire has undermined your heart. This is what you did to the daughters of Israel, and they, being afraid, spoke with you; but the daughter of Judah did not endure your wickedness. And what the Prophet now speaks: And they have spoken a word in my name falsely, which I did not command them; they think that it signifies that those wretched women who are carried about by every wind of doctrine have deceived them, by saying to them that because they were of the tribe of Judah, Christ was to be born from their own seed; enticed by desire, they offered their bodies as if they were future mothers of Christ; But what is said at present: whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire, seems to contradict the story of Daniel. For he asserts that they were stoned to death according to the judgment of Daniel by the people: but here it is written, that the king of Babylon cast them into the fire. Hence, by most and almost all Hebrews, it is not received as a true story, nor read in their synagogues, as if it were a fable itself. For, say they, how could it happen that captive princes and their prophets had the power of stoning? And they affirm more strongly that this is true, which Jeremiah writes, that the elders were convicted indeed by Daniel, but that the judgment against them was pronounced by the king of Babylon, who held dominion over the captives as a victor and lord. How many, similar to Ahab and Zedekiah from our flock, prophesy falsehood in the name of the Lord, and commit foolishness in Israel, and commit adultery with the wives of their fellow citizens who were born in the same city of the Church! Those whom the true Nebuchadnezzar freezes in the fire of sin, as the prophet Hosea says: 'All those who commit adultery are like an overheated oven, ignited by the baker' (Hosea 7:4). Blessed is he who takes off the yoke from his youth, and sits alone, because he is filled with bitterness (Lamentations 3); he can say with David: 'I have not sat in the council of the wicked, and I will not enter with the evildoers' (Psalm 26:4). And what the Prophet now declares: 'I am the judge and witness,' says the Lord, has this meaning: 'What I say about the two false prophets, who speak my word falsely in my name, which I did not command them, I did not know by mere opinion, but I know for sure to be true, which no one can hide, nor escape from the truth of my judgment.'29:24-29
(Verse 24 and following) And to Semeias the Nehelamite you shall say. And what follows: Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Since you have sent in your name letters to all the people who are in Jerusalem, and to Sophonias the son of Maasias the priest. And again from the Hebrew: And to all the priests (the Vulgate adds saying). And then the story continues: The Lord made you a priest to Joiada the priest, so that you may be a leader (or teacher and bishop) in the house of the Lord over every man seized and prophesying, to send him into punishment and into prison (or custody) and into the trap, which Symmachus translated as μόχλος, but Aquila put the Hebrew word itself, Sinac.And why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth, who prophesies to you? For he has sent to us in Babylon, saying: 'Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their fruits.' So the priest Zephaniah read this book in the hearing of the prophet Jeremiah. Shemaiah of Nehelam, who was brought to Babylon with King Jehoiachin, also prophesied falsely to the people, saying that they would quickly return to Jerusalem. However, the following words of Jeremiah demonstrate that he was a false prophet: 'Thus says the Lord to Shemaiah of Nehelam, Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, though I did not send him, and has made you trust in a lie, therefore thus says the Lord: Behold, I will punish Shemaiah of Nehelam and his descendants. He shall not have anyone living among this people, and he shall not see the good that I will do to my people, declares the Lord, for he has spoken rebellion against the Lord.' It is evident, then, that Jeremiah sent letters to those who were in Babylon, instructing them to build houses and dwell in them, to plant gardens and eat their produce, to take wives and have sons and daughters, and to seek the welfare of the city where they were in exile. He warned them not to listen to the false prophets among them, who were prophesying lies in the name of the Lord. Jeremiah knew that Shemaiah was one of those false prophets, so he sent a letter to Jerusalem addressed to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, and to the rest of the priests. In the letter, Jeremiah asked why he was not being reprimanded by Zephaniah, whose responsibility it was to distinguish between true prophets and false prophets. Jeremiah requested that Shemaiah be put in prison as a punishment for his lies, so that he would stop deceiving the people and causing more harm. Joiada was a priest who handed over the kingdom to Joash after the death of Athaliah, and he killed the priests of Baal (2 Kings 11; 2 Chronicles 23). This is therefore what it says: Why don't you imitate the priest Joiada and kill the false prophet Jeremiah? The Lord has established you as a successor to Joiada, to take care of the temple, and especially to discern those who speak with the Holy Spirit from those who speak with a demonic spirit. But the discernment of spirits is a gift of divine grace, as the Apostle John mentions (1 John 4). Why, he said, did you not rebuke Jeremiah of Anathoth? And because he himself deserved it as a false prophet, he turns it against the true prophet, and distorts the truth by lies. Thus, the more intelligent ones are considered sons of darkness to the sons of light in this generation. While we, who act with patience and await the salvation of the wretched, are preceded by the heretics, and they call us by their own name, leading the blind blind into the pit. He sent, he said, to us in Babylon, saying: It is far away. This is all that he lamented: why Jeremiah wrote the truth against his own lie, that it was a long way off, and that they would return to Jerusalem after seventy years: from where they should build houses, plant orchards, and eat their fruits, take wives, and have children, as the past speech narrated. When the priest Zephaniah received these letters, which were specifically written to his name, he read them to Jeremiah, rebuking him in a way and reproaching the reading itself, questioning why he dared to write such things in Babylon.
29:30-32
(Verse 30 and following) And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying: Send to all the exiles, saying: Thus says the Lord to Shemaiah of Nehelam: Because Shemaiah prophesied to you, though I did not send him, and made you trust in a lie, therefore thus says the Lord: Behold, I will punish Shemaiah of Nehelam and his descendants. He shall have none of his own people sitting in the midst of this people, and he shall not see the good that I will do to my people, declares the Lord, for he has spoken rebellion against the Lord. The false prophet Semeias, truly a Neelamite, who had taken foreign and turbid waters from the stream, becomes angry because he had written the truth about Jeremiah against his own lie, and he sends letters to the priest Sophonias. He desires that the prophet be imprisoned so that he cannot speak. He also secretly accuses the prophet Sophonias while reading the letter of the liar, and boasts that he has an accusation against him. The more of a crime are those who defend false prophets, and foster lies, and make other people's evil acts their own sins! Let the false prophet hear, let the priest understand what he deserves to hear from him: Thus says the Lord: Behold, I will visit Semeiah. The Lord speaks this, not the prophet, that he might visit Semeiah the Neelamite, not for healing, but for punishment of the liar, according to what is written: I will visit their iniquities with a rod, and their sins with scourges (Psalm 89:33). He not only visits the false prophet himself, but also his followers, whom he has deceived with his error. There will be, he says, no man seated in the midst of this people. Let the wicked brood be erased from the council of the saints, and let him not sit among the quiet ones, who, when he could not stand with those who stand, neither heard this: 'If he had stood in my substance' (Jer. XXIII). And although the Lord promises the perfection of all virtues at the end of a set time, he will not see the good that he claimed for himself in the present time. However, all this will happen because he has spoken rebellion against the Lord, saying that those captured by sins will return to Jerusalem; to whom the Apostle threatens: You are already full, you have already become rich, you have reigned without us; and I wish you would reign, so that we could reign with you (I Cor. IV, 8)!Book Six
Book SixThe length of the book of the prophet Jeremiah exceeds our intention, so that although briefly, we may say many things. Therefore, the present sixth book of Commentaries on Jeremiah will contain mystical promises, which the Jews believe and our Jewish converts believe will be fulfilled at the end of the world, for they are not yet convinced that they have been fulfilled under Zerubbabel. But we, following the authority of the Apostles and Evangelists, and especially the Apostle Paul, show that whatever is promised to the Israelite people in a carnal sense is spiritually fulfilled in us today, and continues to be fulfilled. There is no other contention between Jews and Christians except this: that both they and we believe that Christ, the Son of God, has been promised; and they say that the things which are still future under Christ are to be fulfilled by them, which we say have been fulfilled by us. Therefore, since we already believe that Christ has come, it is necessary that we teach the things that are said to happen under Christ and that we are the children of Abraham, as it is written: God is able to raise up children of Abraham from these stones (Matthew 3:9), to whom the promise was made: And in your seed all nations will be blessed (Genesis 22:18). Teaching that this blessing of the vessel of election is accomplished in Christ: He did not say, he says, seeds, but seed, which is Christ (Galatians 3:16). Therefore, brother Eusebius, let us now, by the same labor and grace of the Spirit, with which we have interpreted the prophecies of other prophets, especially those of Isaiah, be able to explain the prophecies of this prophet as well. For as simple and easy as he seems in his words, he is just as profound in the majesty of his meanings.
30:1-3
(Chapter XXX—Verse 1 and following) This word, which was made to Jeremiah by the Lord, saying: Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, saying: Write for yourself all the words that I have spoken to you, in a book. For behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will turn the conversion of my people Israel and Judah, says the Lord, and I will convert them (or I will cause them to sit) in the land that I gave to their fathers, and they will possess it. For those who sent out false prophets to Babylon, to quickly bring back the people who had been captured with Jechoniah, and Ananiah son of Azur in Jerusalem preaching the same, Jeremiah the prophet affirmed that it would indeed happen, not within two years as they lied, but at the end of seventy years. And then he is commanded to write in a book and hand down to memory what the Lord predicts will come. From where it is clear that the time of the prophecy is not at hand, but many things must be fulfilled after these times, when Israel and Judah return to their land, and that which Ezekiel prophesied is fulfilled: two sticks to be joined together, and David reigning over them, as it is written: And my servant David shall be king over them, and there shall be one shepherd for all of them (Ezek. XXXVII, 24). Therefore, whatever we have said in that prophecy, it should also be understood in the present place, especially since Ezekiel in Babylon and Jeremiah in Jerusalem prophesied at the same time.30:4-6
(Verse 4 and following) And these are the words that the Lord spoke to Israel and Judah, for this is what the Lord says: We have heard the voice of terror (or fear), and there is no peace. Inquire and see if a male gives birth. Why then do I see every man with his hand on his loins like a woman in labor, and all faces have turned pale? First, sadness is announced, so that after the magnitude of evils, joy may follow. Indeed, good health is more pleasant when illness has been driven away; and the magnitude of pain is turned into the magnitude of joys. But what he says is this, that such will be the fear and such the terror, that with peace driven away, everything will be filled with wars and blood, and even men (whose proper role is to fight against enemies) will be overcome by feminine fear: and their hands will not be directed to weapons, but to holding onto their kidneys, as if a woman in labor were holding onto her loins. And so the appearance of all will be turned into rust, the terror of the heart, the paleness of the countenance testifying. Some interpret this place according to tropology, so that they think that testimony: From fear of you, O Lord, we have conceived, and brought forth, and brought forth: we have made the spirit of your salvation upon the earth (Isaiah 26:17-18), and that Apostolic one in which it says: My little children, of whom I am in labor again, until Christ be formed in you (Galatians 4:19), is compared to this example: which is manifestly not to be pertained to terror, but to joy, since the present Scripture denotes the devastation of Israel, and the time of ruin.30:7
(Verse 7) Alas, for that great day, there is no other like it, and it is a time of trouble for Jacob, but he will be saved from it. It predicts a time of misery, so that it may bring a time of joy. When, it says, such great evils have gone before, that the pain of all men may be compared to the pain of a woman in labor: yet the time of trouble for Jacob, that is, the people of God, will be changed into prosperity; and he too will be saved, with the understanding that it will happen in the time about which the prophecy was made. But understand Jacob as the twelve tribes, which by no means were under Zerubbabel, as some falsely think; but they were saved by the Gospel calling.30:8-9
(Verse 8, 9.) And it shall come to pass on that day, says the Lord of hosts, that I will break the yoke from your neck and I will tear apart your chains; and they (or the foreigners) shall no longer have dominion over them (or you), but they (or you) shall serve (or work for) the Lord their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them. This is the David of whom even the Gospel speaks (Luke 1), who will give himself to us, so that, liberated from the hand of our enemies without fear, we may serve him in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our lives. For just as the first Adam and the second Adam are written according to the truth of the body, so too is the Lord and Savior David: because, according to the flesh from David, Mary, who conferred everything holy upon Him, contained whatever was from the seed of David, and He had His origin and conception from the Holy Spirit. And what He says, 'I will break his yoke from your neck, and I will tear apart his chains,' undoubtedly should be understood as a type of the devil from Nebuchadnezzar.30:10-11
(Verse 10, 11) Therefore do not be afraid, my servant Jacob, says the Lord; and do not be terrified, Israel. For behold, I will save you from a distant land, and your descendants from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return and be at rest, and shall enjoy abundant blessings, and there will be no one to fear: for I am with you, says the Lord, to save you. For I will make a complete destruction among all the nations where I have scattered you. But I will not make a complete end of you; I will discipline (or instruct) you in judgment, so that you may not appear innocent to yourself (or I will cleanse you and not leave you unpunished). This passage is not found in the Septuagint, and in many codices of the Vulgate edition it is added under asterisks from Theodotion. However, the divine word promises, and familiarly calls his servant Jacob, and Israel, just as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are called servants of God (Moses also, and other prophets, and the apostle Paul glories in this title at the beginning of his Epistles); so that the twelve tribes may know that they are to be saved from a distant land, and their captivity will be freed, and peace will be restored, and they will be filled with every abundance, according to what is said in the psalm: Let there be peace within your walls, and abundance within your towers (Psalm 122:7). But this will happen when they enjoy the presence of the Lord, when the opposing nations that had captured them will perish, and they will be freed from the nations. And they will be taught not for punishment, but for instruction, so that they may be judged as if they were their own and not be lost as if they were strangers. For whoever does not believe has already been judged (John 3:18), that is, prejudged for destruction. And what he said: 'So that you may not appear innocent to yourself', according to Symmachus, 'and I will not cleanse you who are already clean', or according to Aquila, 'when I have instructed you through judgment, I will not make you innocent in any way', means that the entire world, even if it is impure, is in need of God's mercy, and no one, however holy, can approach the judge with confidence. This goes against the new heresy from the old belief, which believes that in this age and in this mortal flesh, before it puts on this corruptible state of incorruptibility and this mortal state of immortality, there can be perfection in anyone, and that all together can fulfill the virtues of righteousness.30:12-15
(Verse 12 onwards) For thus says the Lord, your fracture is incurable, your wound is grievous. There is no one to judge your judgment for binding, there is no usefulness in your healing. All your lovers have forgotten you, they will not seek you. For the enemy has struck you with a cruel (or strong) punishment because of the multitude of your iniquities, your sins have become severe (or multiplied). Why do you cry out about your contrition? Your pain is incurable, because of the multitude of your wickedness, and because of your stubborn sins I have done this to you. As if speaking to a beautiful woman, to whom he had said before: I will chastise you in judgment, so that you may not appear innocent to yourself, whether male or female; and by metaphor ((Alexander adds speaking)) to Jerusalem, which has been most grievously wounded by the judgment of God, and can be healed by no one else but the one who struck her. There is no one, says the Lord, who can judge your judgment: nor can the Highest heal the wound with the skin of a scar. Wherever you turn, there is no profit for you, because you have offended him who is true, and the only physician. All your lovers have forgotten you, be they priests, or rulers, or surely the protectors of the Angels, by whom you were fortified before you offended the Lord. They will not seek you, acting against the Apostle, who sought believers, and not those things which belonged to the believers (2 Corinthians 12). For the enemy strikes you with a cruel punishment. The friend strikes differently than the enemy: the father strikes differently than the enemy. The former strikes to correct, the latter strikes to kill (Psal. VI). Therefore, the Prophet mournfully says: Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger, nor chastise me in your wrath (Psal. XXXVII, 1). And this has happened because due to the multitude of your wickedness, your sins have become hardened. And what follows: Why do you cry out over your contrition? Your pain is incurable because of the multitude of your iniquities, it is not found in the Septuagint; namely because it is said further on, because of the multitude of your iniquities, and your harsh sins; and those who were writing from the beginning, thought it necessary to add it. And the meaning is: So that I may strike you as an enemy, and beat you with cruel discipline, your multitude of iniquities and your harsh sins, which could not be healed, except by the most biting powder, and burning cauterization, and the sharpest iron, with which I may cut away the rotten flesh and the incurable parts. And yet, because of the multitude of your iniquities and your harsh sins, I have done these things to you, not by my will, but forced by the reasoning of medicine.30:16-17
(Verse 16, 17.) Therefore, all who devour you shall be devoured, and all your enemies shall be carried into captivity; and those who plunder you shall be plundered, and all your plunderers I will give for prey. For I will restore health to you, and your wounds I will heal, declares the Lord, because they have called you an outcast: 'It is Zion, for whom no one cares.' And under Zerubbabel we know that these things happened, when the Babylonians and Chaldeans devastated the Assyrians, and then the Babylonians and Chaldeans, along with the Medes and Persians, captured Babylon and destroyed it. Then Zion began to have the Lord seeking, and the scar of its wounds was covered, and it was healed from its ailments, which is more fully and perfectly accomplished in Christ.30:18-22
(Verse 18 and following) Thus says the Lord: Behold, I will turn the fortunes of the tents of Jacob, and have compassion on their dwellings (or captivity). And the city shall be rebuilt on its mound, and the temple shall be founded according to its order. And praise shall come forth from them, and the voice of those who play. And I will multiply them, and they shall not be few. (And what follows: And I will glorify them, and they shall not be made small, is not found in the Septuagint). And they shall be, says the Lord, His sons as from the beginning, and His congregation shall remain before me, and I will visit all those who trouble him. And his leader shall come forth from him, and the ruler shall be produced from among them. And I will bring him near, and he shall approach me. For who is this who has applied his heart to draw near to me, says the Lord? (And this also is not found in the Septuagint.) And you shall be my people, and I will be your God. Whose image prefigured this in Zerubabel and Ezra, when the people returned and the city began to be built in its exalted state, and the religion of the Temple was observed, and the other things contained in the book of Ezra himself. But it was more fully and completely fulfilled in the Lord Savior and the Apostles, when the city was built on its highest point, of which it is written: A city set on a hill cannot be hidden (Matthew 5:14); and the Temple was established according to its order and ceremonies, so that whatever was done in the former people carnally, would be spiritually fulfilled in the Church. Then praise and thanksgiving came forth. For this means Thoda, as all the Apostles said: Grace to you and peace (1 Corinthians 1:3). And the voice of those who play, not in that game where the people ate and drank and rose up to play (Exodus 32:6), but in that game where David played before the Ark of the Lord (2 Samuel 6). And they were multiplied and not diminished, so that the whole world would believe in the Lord and Savior: and they were glorified, so that what is written would be fulfilled: Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God (Psalm 87:3). And his sons were, that is, the Apostles, just as they were from the beginning, Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, the leaders of the Israelite race. Then the Lord visited all those who troubled the people of God, namely, the opposing powers. And He was their leader from that time: without a doubt, the Lord and Savior according to the flesh came forth from the race of Israel, and the prince arose from their midst. The Father applied Him to Himself, and He approached Him, so that the Son might say: I am in the Father, and the Father in Me (John XIV, 11): for no one can so apply his heart to God, nor be joined to the Father as the Son is. And what he says according to the Septuagint: 'And you shall be my people, and I will be your God', we see fulfilled in part in Israel, and entirely in the multitude of the nations.30:23-24
(Verse 23, 24) Behold, the whirlwind of the Lord's fury going forth, and the rushing storm. It will rest upon the head of the wicked. The Lord will not turn away the anger of His indignation until He has performed and accomplished the thoughts of His heart. In the latter days, you will understand this. The whirlwind of the Lord's fury and the rushing storm and tempest will rest upon their heads, whether they be demons or those who have blasphemed the Son of God. And He will not turn away His anger until He has performed and accomplished the thoughts of His heart. And Jerusalem will be surrounded by armies and utterly destroyed. However, just as an artisan cannot be understood unless their work is complete, and the industry of medicine cannot be understood unless health has been achieved, so when Jerusalem has been destroyed and the rejection of the former people has occurred, then believers will understand that the expulsion of the Jews is an opportunity for our salvation.31:1
(Chapter 31, Verse 1) In that time, says the Lord, I will be the God of all the tribes of Israel (or the people of Israel), and they will be my people. Unless the thought of the Lord is fulfilled and his fury rests upon the head of the wicked, the Lord cannot be the God of all the tribes of Israel. But he says this to the remnant who have been saved. Now if what has been said to us is opposed to us: I will be the God of the people of Israel, or all the tribes of Israel, let us consider the example: If you were children of Abraham, you would do the works of your father (John 8:39). And the Apostle writes: See Israel according to the flesh (I Cor. X, 8). From which he teaches that there is another Israel according to the spirit. Therefore, that Israel is the one who perceives God with the mind, or is the most righteous of the Lord, and such a people will be the people of God.31:2
(Version 2.) Thus says the Lord: The people who remained with the sword found favor in the wilderness, let Israel go to their rest. LXX: Thus says the Lord: I have found warmth in the desert with those who have perished by the sword. Go, and do not kill Israel. The Latin texts in this place are laughed at for their ambiguity in the interpretation of the Greek word. Instead of warmth, they are interpreted as lupine: for the Greek word θερμὸν has both meanings, which is not found in Hebrew. For it is written that Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion translated χάριν as 'grace'. Only the Seventy translated it as 'heat', thinking that the last letter Mem was intended. For if we read Hen as Nun, it means 'grace'; if as Mem, it means 'heat'. But the sense according to the Hebrew is: The people of the Jews, who had remained under the Roman sword, or surely could have escaped the wrath of the Lord in fury, found grace in the desert of the Gentiles, so that they might be saved among the multitude of nations in the Church, to which they will both go and find their rest, Israel which they have always hoped for, as the prophecies of the prophets had promised them. Furthermore, according to the translation of the Septuagint, the understanding is this: the Lord found the chosen ones and living Apostles, and their companions in the desert of the gentiles, among those who had been killed by their own unfaithfulness, they did not possess the warmth of life. Therefore, it is commanded to the Angels and those who are in the service of God, not to kill all, lest Israel be completely destroyed, and it is said to them: Go, and do not kill Israel; otherwise there should be some who live, some who are warmed by the fervor of faith, some who escape the coldness of unfaithfulness and death, whom the Lord finds in the desert.31:3-6
(Versed 3 and following) Far off the Lord appeared to me (or to him): and in everlasting love I loved you: therefore I have drawn you with mercy. And again I will build you, and you shall be built, O virgin Israel: you shall again be adorned (or crowned) with your timbrels, and you shall go forth in the dance of them that make merry. You shall again plant vineyards upon the mountains of Samaria: plant, and you shall enjoy the fruits thereof: for there shall be a day, that the watchmen on mount Ephraim shall call to the shepherds: Arise, and let us go up to Sion to our Lord God. Because Israel had offended the Lord, and had said: We have no king but Caesar (John 19:15). And: Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours (Mark 12:7); and had strayed far from God: therefore the Lord appeared to him after a long time, not in the time of Zerubbabel and Ezra, after they had been taken captive again, but in everlasting love He loved him, which will never be destroyed. And He drew him with His mercy. For he was saved not by merit, but by mercy. And he says again: I will build you up, and you will be built up, O virgin Israel. Let us understand this specifically in the Church. For those who long for golden and jeweled Jerusalem are mad, consecrating their greed for the mystery of the city of the Lord. You will still be adorned with your tambourines, to sing to the Lord in the Churches, with all the flesh of evil works consumed in you. And you will go out in the chorus of those who play, with the crowds of nations, you will plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria. Not in valleys and low places, but in the mountains of Samaria, which were possessed by foreigners after the captivity of the people of Israel, to whom it is said: Plant vineyards and harvest. Then it was the day of the Lord, on which the custodians of the Apostolic faith, and apostolic men on the mountain of Samaria, and on the mountain of Ephraim, of which one signifies guardianship, the other abundance. But what do the custodians of Samaria say, or rather, what do they cry out on the mountain of Ephraim? Arise, you who lie low, abandon lowly things, despise the victims of sacrifice. Let the broken spirit be a sacrifice to the Lord (Psalm 50). Let us ascend to Zion, that is, to the Church, where there is the vision and sight of God. And when we are in Zion, or rather when we ascend to it, let us together ascend to our Lord God.31:7
(Verse 7.) For thus says the Lord: Rejoice with joy, O Jacob, and shout for joy at the head of the nations; proclaim, sing, and say: Save, O Lord, your people, the remnant of Israel. It is significant that not all of Israel is saved, but the remnant of Israel, as the Lord commands and says: Rejoice with joy, you who are of Jacob, and shout for joy, bringing all things back to the head of the nations, because once the tail was turned into the head. Perform, sing, and say. What is it that they are commanded to say? Save, O Lord, your people. Which people? Certainly the remnant of Israel, who have been saved according to election. Concerning whom Paul, taking up the testimony of Isaiah, speaks: Unless the Lord of hosts had left us a seed, we would have become like Sodom, and made like Gomorrah (Isa. 1:9; Rom. 9:29).31:8
(Verse 8) Behold, I will bring them from the land of the North, and gather them from the ends of the earth. What follows: In the solemnity of the Passover, he shall beget many sons, which is not found in Hebrew, but is only read in the Septuagint, for which it is written among the Hebrews:Among them will be the blind, and the lame, and the pregnant, and those giving birth together: the great Church of those returning here. The remaining people of Israel will be gathered by the Apostles and the apostolic men, of whom we read above: The custodians on the mountain will cry out, and to whom it is commanded: Resound, sing, and say, so that the remaining people of Israel may be saved. The Lord himself also promises to bring them back from the land of the North, which is a very harsh wind, but by the name of dexterous is called, from unbelief, from the coldness of the Lord's love; and to gather them from the ends of the earth, not at any other time, but on the solemnity of the Passover, that is, on the feast days of the Lord's passion: when the Lord was crucified, and that which he himself promised in the Gospel was fulfilled. When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all things to myself (John 12:23). Then he generated a great multitude, so that the prophecy of Isaiah might be fulfilled: For a nation has been born once (Isaiah 66:8). For on one day, three thousand believed, and on another day, five thousand men (Acts 2 and 4). And what is written in Hebrew: Among them will be the blind and the lame, and the pregnant and those giving birth together, a great church of those returning here; although it is also fulfilled according to the letter, that the blind will see, and the lame will walk: nevertheless, it can be better understood according to allegory, that those who were previously blind in faith, afterwards believed in the Savior; and those who were lame, to whom Elijah once spoke: How long will you limp on both feet (1 Kings 18:21)? Afterwards, they may have walked (Al. seen). And: The people who sat in darkness and the shadow of death have seen a great light. (Isaiah 9:2); the lame may have run, and the pregnant woman may have given birth to sons, the great Church of those who return to faith. The Jews imagine this to have been fulfilled when, under Ezra, they departed from Babylon after the Passover to return to Jerusalem, in which there was a figure, and not the reality. For in that time, not all the things that we read and are going to read could have been proven to be complete (Al. could have been approved).
31:9
(Verse 9) In their weeping they will come (or go); I will lead them in mercy, and bring them by the torrents of water in a straight path, and they will not stumble (or wander) in it. For I have become the father of Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn. If we read according to the Hebrew, they will come in weeping: for this indicates Job (); we will say that sometimes, the weeping of excessive joy is a sign, according to that: I weep with joy. But according to the Seventy who said: 'He will go out in weeping, and I will lead them in mercy or consolation,' we understand that it is also said in the Psalms: 'They went forth weeping and cast their seeds, but they will come with joy, carrying their bundles' (Ps. 125:6-7). For they wept when they were led away captive, but they received great consolation when they were brought back by the mercy of the Lord. And the Lord brought them through the apostles and apostolic men, full of waters and of a most abundant river, on the straight path, namely the path of faith, not in the deceit of the Jews. And they will not stumble in it, he says, because the blind have ceased to be blind, to whom it was once said: If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now, because you say: we see, your sin remains. We can understand the straight path, and Christ, in which whoever walks will not stumble. I have become, he says, the father of Israel, who has been brought back, and Ephraim is my firstborn. For where sin once abounded, grace has superabounded. But Scripture testifies that Ephraim is a type of the people gathered from the nations. For he was the younger son of Joseph, and he took the birthright from Manasseh, who was by nature the firstborn (Gen. XLVIII); but in the mystery of the cross, with crossed hands, he stood at the left side of Jacob and received the blessing from his right hand. And he who had stood on the right, blessed with the left, was reduced to the second rank. And just as Jacob took the birthright from Esau, so Ephraim took the firstborn position from Manasseh. And the entire people of the ten tribes were called Ephraim, because Jeroboam the son of Nebat, from this tribe, was the first to obtain the kingdom in Samaria (Ibid., 27).31:10-14
(Verse 10 and following) Hear the word of the Lord, O nations, and proclaim it in distant islands, and say: He who scattered Israel will gather him and will watch over him as a shepherd does his flock. For the Lord has redeemed Jacob and delivered him from the hand of the stronger (or the hand of the more powerful). And they will come and praise on Mount Zion, and they will gather to the good things of the Lord, abundant with grain, wine, oil, and the offspring of cattle and sheep. And their soul shall be like a well-watered garden (or like a fruitful tree), and they shall never hunger again. Then the virgin shall rejoice in the dance (or the virgins) and the young men and the old men together, and I will turn their mourning into joy, and I will comfort them and make them rejoice from their sorrow. And I will make the souls of the priests drunk with fatness (or the sons of Levi), and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, says the Lord. Clearly the calling of the nations is shown, with the Scripture saying: Hear the word of the Lord, O nations, and declare it on the islands far away, and say. What do the islands that are far away announce? It is the Lord, who dispersed Israel, who will gather them together. Therefore, it was not by the power of their enemies that they were scattered, but by the will of the Lord. And He will guard them as a shepherd guards his flock. For a good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep (John 10). Because the Lord has redeemed Jacob with the price of His own blood and has liberated him from the hand of the more powerful or stronger one. By these things are shown the stronger opposing powers of the nature of human frailty. And as far as strength is concerned, they are stronger by nature, but we are stronger by faith, if indeed we deserve to be freed from him who can bind the strong and plunder his house. And they will come, he says, without a doubt, that when freed from the hand of the powerful, they will praise their liberator on Mount Zion, that is, in the Church, and they will gather to the good things of the Lord, the abundance of all things, which is felt not in the fruits and food of this flesh, but in the variety of virtues. He said, 'With wheat, and wine, and oil, from which the bread of the Lord is made, and the type of His blood is filled, and the blessing of sanctification is shown, as the Scripture says: 'God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your companions' (Psalm 45:8). And with the offspring of livestock, which are simple in the Church, and with cattle, which are horned, they drive away adversaries. But so that we may know that these blessings pertain not to the body, but to the soul, it follows: 'Their soul will be like a well-watered garden, or like a fruitful tree, which is planted by the flowing waters, and the Lord's paradise in delights' (Psalm 1). And furthermore, he says, you shall not hunger. In no way will you be hungry, of which it is written: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (Matthew 5:6); but that which is changed by satiety, and excludes the scarcity of all things. Then the virgin will rejoice in the choir, of whom the Apostle writes: For I have betrothed you to one husband to present a chaste virgin to Christ (2 Corinthians 11:2). And to the young men, to whom John speaks: I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one; and to the elders, to whom he testifies in mystical language: I write to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning (1 John 2:14). And, he says, I will turn their mourning into joy, so that the cross that had terrified them may bring joy through the resurrection. And I will console them and make them glad from their sorrow, according to what the Lord says: Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. And I will gladden the souls of the Priests, who have knowledge of God, from whose mouths they seek the law of the Lord, those who believe in Him, of whom the Prophet sings: You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek (Psalm 110:4). But what follows according to the Septuagint: Of the sons of Levi, it is not found in Hebrew. And it is clear that it is not said of those priests who are sons of Levi, but of those in whose type Melchizedek preceded. And the drunkenness of the priests is also proven in the Apostles, when they were fervent in faith and were said to be full of must (Acts 2). Hence, the place in which the Lord was apprehended is called Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36), which in our language means the valley of fatness. And when the priests, who are rich with the teachings of the Lord, have been intoxicated at the feast, they will say to Joseph: How splendid is your intoxicating cup (Gen. 43 and 44)! Then this promise of the Lord will also be fulfilled: And my people will be filled with my blessings (Ps. 22:5). All these things are now given in part, but then they will be given in full, when we see face to face, and our humble bodies will be transformed into the glory of resurrection.31:15
(Verse 15.) Thus says the Lord: A voice is heard in the heights, lamentation, weeping, and mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and she refused to be comforted over her children, because they are no more. LXX: Thus says the Lord: A voice is heard in Rama, lamentation, weeping, and mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and she refused to be comforted, because they are no more. Neither according to the Hebrew, nor according to the Seventy, did Matthew take testimony. For we read in it: Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying: A voice in Rama was heard, lamentation and great mourning; Rachel bewailing her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not (Matthew 2:17-18). From which it is clear that the Evangelists and Apostles did not follow the interpretation of any Hebrew, but rather expressed in their own words, as if Hebrews, what they read in Hebrew. Rachel, the mother of Joseph, when she was coming to Bethlehem, suddenly seized with the pain of childbirth, gave birth to a son, whom the midwife, because she was dying in childbirth, called Benoni, that is, the son of my sorrow. But Jacob the father changed the name and called him Benjamin, that is, the son of his right hand (Gen. XXXV, 18). Therefore, it is questioned how the evangelist Matthew transferred the testimony of the Prophet to the killing of the infants: when it is clearly written about the ten tribes, of which Ephratha was not the leader, and it is by no means in the tribe of Ephraim, but in the tribe of Judah: for it is itself, and Bethlehem with two names. And the names of both correspond. Bethlehem is called the house of bread. Ephrata, which we can call fertility. Therefore, since Rachel was buried in Ephrata, that is, in Bethlehem, as both the Holy Scripture and her tombstone testify to this day, it is said that she weeps for the children who were killed nearby and in their own regions. Some Jews interpret this place as meaning that when Jerusalem was captured under Vespasian, countless thousands of captives were sent to Rome through this road, Gaza, and Alexandria. But others, because in the final captivity under Hadrian, when the city of Jerusalem was also destroyed, an innumerable people of various ages and both sexes were sold in the market of Terebinth. And therefore it is detestable for the Jews to visit that renowned market. Let them say whatever they want, we will rightly say that the Evangelist Matthew took testimony for the place where Rachel was buried, so that she mourned the sons of neighboring villages as if they were her own.31:16-17
(Verse 16, 17.) Thus says the Lord: Let your voice be still from weeping, and your eyes from tears: for there is a reward for your work, says the Lord. And the enemies (or of the enemies) will return from the land, and there will be hope for your future, says the Lord: and the children will return to their borders. This has not yet happened literally, for we do not read of the ten tribes who were exiled in the cities of the Medes and Persians returning to the land of Judah: but it has been fulfilled according to the spirit, and in the passion of the Lord, and it continues to be fulfilled: when all Israel is saved from the whole world, and Rachel is said: Let your voice be still from weeping, and your eyes from tears. And there is a sense: Stop weeping, for the Lord has considered your previous works. And your children will return from the land of the enemy, so you may not be held back by present sorrow. For there is hope for your future, says the Lord. And your children will return to their borders, which their fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had. But we understand better concerning little ones, that they shall receive the reward of shedding blood for Christ: and for the land of Herod's enemies, they shall hold the kingdom of heaven: and they shall return to their former dwelling place, when, for the body of humility, they shall receive a glorious body. This is the ultimate hope, when the just will shine like the sun (Wis. III), and once little infants and nursing babies, without any increase in age, and without injury or physical labor, will rise again as fully grown men, to the measure of the fullness of Christ (Eph. IV).31:18-19
(Verse 18, 19.) Hearing, I heard Ephraim passing through (or lamenting); you chastised me, and I was instructed like an untamed heifer (or like a calf, and I did not learn); turn me, and I will be turned; for you are the Lord my God. For after you converted me (or I was captured), I repented. And after I knew (or you showed me), I struck my thigh (or I groaned), I was ashamed and embarrassed (or from the day of confusion, and I saw you), because I endured the reproach of my youth. God speaks, having heard Ephraim speaking and lamenting. There is no doubt that it signifies the ten tribes, over whom Jeroboam son of Nabath first ruled, who also made golden calves in Dan and Bethel, so that, deceived by this error, the people would cease to worship and adore the God of Israel. You have chastised me, he says, and I have been chastised. Every correction leads to salvation, which for the present seems to be sadness; and afterwards it brings forth peaceful fruits. And he says: 'Just as an untamed calf or a young bull, and I have not learned, this signifies that I have been trained with much labor and beatings in order to be converted, and I have not progressed. Convert me,' he says, 'and I will be converted.' Therefore, we cannot fulfill the same thing that we are doing penance for unless we rely on God's help. For after you have converted me and I have been converted to you, then I will know that you are the Lord my God, and my mistakes and sins will not destroy me. And after you converted me, I repented. See how great is the help of God, and how fragile is the human condition: that even this very thing, that we repent, we cannot accomplish unless the Lord converts us beforehand. And after, he says, you showed me, either repentance itself, or knowledge of you, or I recognized you, I struck my thigh. Which is an indication of one who is in pain and lamenting, and weeping over their previous error, that they would strike their thigh with their hand, and confess that they were foolish before. Confucius, he said, I am confused and embarrassed, or from the day of confusion. For what time is not our confusion, if we remember the ancient sins, and all the things we have done wrong, let us recapitulate them? And what LXX said, and I showed you, means that after he groaned and recognized his own sins, he has come to such progress that he has also shown God to others who were ignorant, according to what the repentant David says: I will teach the wicked your ways, and the impious will turn to you (Psalm 50:15). And when he says, 'Because I endured the reproach of my youth,' he confesses that he sinned in his ignorance of youth, so that he may more easily obtain forgiveness, according to what David sings: 'Remember not the sins of my youth and my ignorance' (Psalm 25:7). Therefore, in the following passages, God calls him a little child and full of delights. He says this because of the greatness of the riches and the fertility of the land in which the tribe of Ephraim luxuriates even to this day.31:20
(Vers. 20.) If Ephraim is an honorable son (or beloved) to me: if he is a delicate child, since I spoke of him (or my words about him), I will still remember him; therefore my heart is troubled for him: I will have mercy on him, says the Lord. As Ephraim repents and says: In the beginning you taught me, and I was instructed like a young untamed bull; and in the end: Because you endured the reproach of my youth; the Lord responds, and with a full mind turned towards him, he sustains with the following oracle: Beloved son Ephraim (Gen. XLVIII), whom I have loved so much from the beginning, that I preferred him to Manasseh. The honorable son, who, contrary to the order of nature, has received the honor of the firstborn by the grace of the Lord. A delicate boy, of whom it is written: The sons of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle (Psalm 78:9). Against whom and for whom, the entire book of Hosea is the prophet, whom Jacob blessed. But let us understand delights in this place, according to what is said in the psalm: Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4). In Greek and Hebrew, it is referred to as pleasure. Thus, the paradise in Eden is called the paradise of delights. For, he says, my words were in him, and I will be mindful of him even now. Lest it be thought a gratuitous blessing, and rather a gift of the indulgent giver than a reward for his merit, to whom it was granted, he therefore says: I will remember him, because my words were in him. Not in his mouth, not on his lips, but in the deepest affection of the heart. Because of this, my guts are troubled over it. To whom he speaks, through Hosea: What shall I do with you, Ephraim? What shall I do with you, Israel? I will make you like Adam, and like Seboim (Hos. 6:4; 11:8). My heart is turned within me; my guts are troubled. I will not carry out the fury of my anger, and I will not destroy Ephraim. I will have compassion on him, says the Lord. Truly, my words were in him, and he received all my commands with an eager spirit, and he kept them in his heart; but nevertheless, I will have compassion on him, says the Lord, to show that all human righteousness needs the mercy of God.31:21-22
(Vers. 21, 22.) Set up watchmen for yourself, make for yourself bitternesses: direct your heart to the straight path in which you have walked. Return, O virgin Israel, return to your cities. How long will you indulge in pleasures, wandering daughter? For the Lord has created something new on the earth: a woman will encompass a man. LXX: Set up watchmen for yourself, do penance, put your heart on your shoulders, the way in which you have walked. Return, O virgin Israel, return to your mourning cities. How long will you turn away, despised daughter? For the Lord has created you for salvation in a new plantation: men will surround you in your salvation. Where we say, how long will you dissolve in pleasures, Symmachus set forth, how long will you sink into the depths? But I have presented both editions in their entirety, so that I may show the most obscure passage, containing the sacraments of the Church, either unknown or omitted, from the Septuagint (or anyone else who has interpreted this prophet). The Hebrew word 'Sionim' can be translated as either 'watchers' or 'watchtowers', as Aquila and Symmachus have interpreted. I am puzzled by what the Vulgate edition intended by replacing 'Sionim' with 'Sion', which confuses the reader's understanding, making them think that after Ephraim, suddenly God's word happened to Sion and the tribe of Judah, even though the continuous speech is directed towards Ephraim, as mentioned earlier: 'I have surely heard Ephraim.' And: Son, honorable to me Ephraim, or delicate boy, to whom even now he speaks: Set up for yourself watchtowers, or spies, who may inform you of the coming of such great happiness in all things. And what follows, the bitternesses, which in Hebrew are called Themrurim (), for which Symmachus interpreted, the transformations, this indicates that he should weep either for past sins or for the greatness of joy, and with the whole mind turn to the Lord, and set, or direct, his heart on the path along which it has gone, for from there it will return. And what the Seventy said about this: 'Put your heart on your shoulders', signifies that thoughts should be joined to actions, or contemplate the shoulders of those who bear themselves, from the captivity of those bringing them back. This is more fully expressed by Isaiah in regard to camels, chariots, and dromedaries, stating that they are to be brought back (Isa. 60). 'Return,' he says, 'O virgin of Israel, return to your cities which you have deserted as a captive. How long will you be dissolved in neglect and wander in profound error?' Consider what I am about to say, and carefully consider where such great happiness is to be expected. Listen to what you have never known before. The Lord has created a new thing upon the earth. Without the seed of a man, without any sexual intercourse and conception, a woman will enclose a man in the chamber of her womb, who, as it were, by the cries of infancy and the progress of wisdom and age, will appear to grow in size; but the perfect man will be contained within the female womb for the usual months. Where Symmachus and Aquila have been interpreted according to our edition. However, what the Vulgate edition wanted to convey in this place, I could say, and find some meaning, if it were not sacrilegious to argue about the words of God with a human sense; but Theodotius, following the Vulgate edition itself, has interpreted: The Lord created a new salvation, in which salvation man will go around, using the singular instead of the plural. And at the same time, it should be noted that the nativity of the Savior and the conception of God are called creation.31:23-24
(Verse 23, 24) Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Again they will say this word in the land of Judah and in its cities, when I restore their fortunes: ‘The Lord bless you, O habitation of righteousness, O holy hill!’ And Judah and all its cities shall dwell there together, and the farmers and those who move about with the flocks. According to the Hebrew text, it is clear that upon the return of Israel and the conversion of their captivity, the cities of Judah will be inhabited, and it will be said to them individually: 'May the Lord bless you, who is the true beauty of righteousness and the holy mountain, in which whoever dwells will fear no plots.' And Judah will dwell in its cities without iniquity: there will be farmers and a multitude of livestock, which seems to have been fulfilled in part under Zerubbabel and Ezra. However, the fullness of the prophecy refers to the times of Christ: either in his first coming, when these things were fulfilled spiritually, or in his second coming, when everything will be fulfilled both spiritually, according to the Jews and our carnal-minded judaizers. Moreover, according to the Septuagint, this is the meaning: 'This word will still be spoken in the land of Judah and in its cities when I restore their captivity.' What will be said? 'Blessed is the Lord upon his holy mountain, the mount of Zion.' There is no other mountain that deserves the meaning of justice and holiness except the Savior. However, it is foolish to believe that the mountain, which is irrational and insensible, is just and holy due to Jewish error. He is the one about whom it is written in the following: 'And in every city of his, the Savior is implied.' When the farmer is mentioned, there is no doubt that it signifies the Lord, about whom it is written in the Gospel: 'I am the vine, you are the branches. My Father is the farmer' (John 15:1). And the Apostle also says: You are God's field, you are God's building (1 Corinthians 3:9). And what follows: And he will be exalted in the flock, it shows that the righteous and holy Lord himself is exalted in each flock, and ascends to heights in his servants and believers.31:25-26
Because I have made the weary soul drunk (or because I have made every thirsty soul drunk) and I have satisfied (or filled) every hungry soul: therefore I am awake and I have seen, and my sleep has been sweet to me. The change of persons makes the understanding of the Prophets obscure. The Lord had said, 'Yet they will say this word in the land of Judah and in its cities, when I turn their captivity.' But what will they say? No doubt this follows: May the Lord bless you, the beauty of righteousness, the holy mountain, etc. And again, when they said these things, the Lord responded: Because I have refreshed the weary soul, whether thirsty or hungry, and I have satisfied every hungry soul. And when he said this, the people responded, those who came from captivity: Therefore I awakened and saw, and my sleep was sweet to me. For the Lord refreshes the weary soul, whether thirsty or hungry, and he says in the Gospel: Whoever thirsts, let him come to me and drink (John 7:37). And he said: 'Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from his belly.' (Ibid., 38). And he satisfies every hungry soul and thirsty soul. Regarding this hunger and thirst, the same is testified in the Gospel: 'Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.' (Matthew 5:6). And it should be noted that intoxication is being portrayed positively in this passage, as it is mentioned in the Song of Solomon: 'Eat, friends, drink, and become intoxicated, my beloved.' (Song of Solomon 5:1). Joseph was intoxicated with wine along with his brothers at noon (Gen. XLIII). And being intoxicated and satisfied, those who had been tired and hungry give thanks, responding: I have awakened and seen the Lord, namely raising up and saying: Arise, you who sleep, and rise from the dead, and Christ will enlighten you (Ephes. V, 14). And my sleep, he said, was sweet to me, so that I might imitate the words of my Lord saying: I slept, and was filled with sleep, and I arose, because the Lord will receive me (Psal. III, 6).31:27-30
(Verse 27 and following) Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of men and the seed of animals. And as I have watched over them to uproot, demolish, scatter, and afflict, so I will watch over them to build and plant, says the Lord. In those days, they shall no longer say, 'The fathers ate sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge,' but each one shall die for his own iniquity. Every person who eats a sour grape, their teeth will be stunned. The phrase 'domum et domum' or 'house and house', that is, the house of Israel and the house of Judah, is not found in the Septuagint, but only Israel and Judah, so it says: and I will sow Israel and Judah. And what he brought: we must understand that it refers to the seed of humans and animals, to rational and simple beings. And as it is said in the beginning of Jeremiah: Behold, I have set you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant; and I watched over them to do what I threatened, so, he says, I will now watch over them to build and to plant. For the cultivation of God, for the building up of God (1 Corinthians 3:9). All such promises are thought by the Jews and our Judaizers to be fulfilled in the thousand-year kingdom. But we, as the Apostle says, I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase (Ibid., 6), and as the prophet Isaiah mentions that the Savior is the builder of walls and houses (Isaiah 58), we defend that these were spiritually fulfilled in the first coming of Christ, but only partially fulfilled: for now we see in a mirror, dimly, and we do not know as we ought to know (1 Corinthians 13). But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away with. Or certainly, we believe that in the second coming, when the Lord appears in His majesty and the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, all Israel will be saved, and not partially by individuals, but God will be all in all (Romans 11 and 1 Corinthians 15). And what is implied by: In those days they shall no longer say, the fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge, and so on, we have explained more fully in the explanations of Ezekiel, when we interpreted that passage: Son of man, what do you mean by these proverbs of the children of Israel, saying, the fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge. Thus says the Lord: 'As I live, if there is beyond this parable in Israel, for all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sins, it shall die' (Ezekiel 18:1-4). From this, we learn that it is not death that the Lord does, but sin. For the soul that sins, it shall die. And in this present place, it is said that Israel will by no means be condemned eternally for the sins of their fathers; but through their own merits and faith in Christ, they will be saved after many ages. And it should be noted that vices and sins are called sour grapes, so that the teeth of those who eat them are stunned, and they cannot taste its sweetness, of which it is said: Taste and see, for the Lord is sweet (Psalm 33:9). Whoever does not understand the Scriptures as the truth of the matter has eaten sour grapes. Hence all heretics who believe perverse things cannot eat the bread that comes down from heaven, but their teeth are stunned, not by the harshness of food, but by the vice of their teeth.31:31-32
(Verse 31, 32.) Behold, days are coming, says the Lord, when I will strike (or establish) the house of Israel and the house of Judah with a new covenant (or testament), not like the covenant (or testament) that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. The covenant (or testament) that they broke, though I was their master (or I disregarded them), says the Lord. And ((Vulg. but)) this will be the covenant (or testament) that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach ((Vulg. man and man)) his neighbor, and each his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. The apostle Paul, or someone else, wrote the Epistle to the Hebrews, and all subsequent Ecclesiastical men say that everything was fulfilled in the first coming of the Savior, and that the new Testament, that is, the Gospel, succeeded the old Testament, from which the law of the letter was changed to the law of the spirit, so that all sacrifices, circumcision, and the Sabbath were spiritually fulfilled. But as for the covenant we set forth as Testament, it is of Hebrew truth, although it is correctly called a Testament, because the will and testimony of those who enter into the covenant are contained in it. When Israel was brought out of the land of Egypt, there was such a familiarity with God in that people that it is said that their hand was held and a covenant was made, which they made void, and therefore the Lord neglected them. But now in the Gospel after the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension, he promises to give the covenant not on stone tablets, but on fleshy tablets of the heart. And when it is written that the Testament of the Lord is in the minds of the believers, it means that he is their God and they are his people, so that they should not seek Jewish teachers, traditions, and human commands, but be taught by the Holy Spirit, if they are worthy to listen: You are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God dwells in you (1 Corinthians 3:19). But the Spirit breathes where He wishes, and He has various graces. And the knowledge of one God is the possession of all virtues. And this, He says, will come to pass, because I will be propitious to their iniquity, and I will no longer remember their sins. From which it is clear, according to the understanding of this passage, that the things above are to be understood in the first coming of the Savior, when both peoples, Israel and Judah, were joined together. But if anyone finds difficulty in understanding why He said: I will make a covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, a new covenant, not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers, let him first understand that the Church of Christ came from the Jews, and that the Lord and Savior came to them and said: I came only for the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 15:24); and the apostles themselves confirmed this: It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles (Acts 13:46). For it was not fitting to give the bread of the children to the dogs, but because the sons did not want to receive their father coming to them, He gave power to all, so that those who receive Him may become children of God (Matthew 15; John 1).31:35-36
(Verse 35, 36) Thus says the Lord, who gives the sun for light by day, the order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar: The Lord of hosts is his name. If these laws (or statutes) depart from before me, says the Lord, then the seed of Israel shall also cease from being a nation before me forever. And in the beginning of Genesis, we read that the sun was placed in the sky for light by day, and the moon and stars for light by night (Gen. 1). And in the psalm it says: Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge (Psalm 19:2), meaning that night and day succeed each other. Just as, he says, the order of things, especially the celestial spheres, cannot be changed, and the waves of the sounding sea roll toward the shore, and the terrifying noise of the swelling waves is heard, but it cannot go beyond what is commanded by God, according to that: You set a boundary that they may not pass, so that they might not again cover the earth (Psalm 104:9). Similarly, he says, the offspring and lineage of Israel will be perpetual by the will of the Lord, and will never fail. However, here the laws are not to be understood as Mosaic, but as the constitution and order of nature. Let us ask the Jews, if the heavens will perish, and all will become old like a garment; and to the Lord it is said: But thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail (Ps. CI, 28), how can the seed of Israel be perpetual? For if the heavens perish, the seed of Israel will perish; but if it is perpetual, then the heavens will not perish. But if the Scriptures cannot lie, and the heavens are perishable, then the seed of Israel will perish as well, especially since Jacob speaks to his sons, saying: Come, and I will tell you what will happen in the last days (Gen. XLIX, 1). When it is said, in the last days, therefore the world will cease to exist, and there will be a different arrangement of things (or dispensation). This is against them. Furthermore, the Gospel also shows that this world is not everlasting, saying: Heaven and earth will pass away (Matth. XXIV, 35). And behold, I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world (Matt. XXVIII, 20). Let us also say it differently: As long as this world exists, the seed of Israel and the Jewish nation will remain, not in those who are now unbelievers, but in those who believed with the Apostles and through the Apostles, so that the remnants may be saved.31:37
(Verse 37) Thus says the Lord: If the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth below can be explored, then I will reject all the offspring of Israel for all that they have done, says the Lord. LXX: Thus says the Lord: If the heavens are raised high above and the floor of the earth is humbled below, then I will not reject the nation of Israel, says the Lord, for all that they have done. The Hebrew text in this passage differs greatly from the Vulgate edition. Let us first speak according to the Hebrew: If the heavens above can be measured and their height known, or the foundations of the earth investigated and their outermost limits understood, then I will reject the whole offspring of Israel because of all that they have done, says the Lord. Just as it is impossible for us to know the height of the heavens and the foundations of the earth, so it will also be impossible for me to reject the whole offspring of Israel. But if I reject the entire seed of Israel, the summit of the heavens will be shaken, and the ends of the earth. This syllogism is woven in the Gospel: when the impossible is compared to the impossible: Easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven (Matth. XIX). For just as that ((or: the impossible)) cannot be done, so neither can this be done; but if this is done, then that which was thought to be impossible will be done. Therefore, those who interpret this passage differently, also placing that testimony, that the Son might be able to seek help from the Father and summon twelve legions of angels to His aid. The Septuagint translated this meaning in opposition, saying: 'If heaven is exalted higher and the pavement of the earth is lowered below;', and I, says the Lord, will not reject the seed of Israel because of all they have done. But if that is the case, the Israelite people will be rejected. For just as the sky cannot be higher than what it is, nor the earth lower than what it is, so too the people of Israel will by no means be rejected. If we see the Jews boasting according to this Hebrew testimony, we agree with them that the entire seed of Israel is not cast away. For not all are cast away, but only those who were unbelieving.31:38
(Verse 38) . Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when the city will be rebuilt for the Lord, from the tower of Ananeel (also known as Anamehel) to the corner gate. And the measuring line will extend beyond it, to the hill of Gareb, and will encompass Goatha (or according to the Septuagint, with chosen stones). And the entire valley of ruins (for which Theodotius placed the Hebrew word Phagarim, and ashes, and all Asaremoth, which we better read as Asademoth, for which Aquila interpreted as suburban) will extend to the Kidron Valley, to the corner of the Eastern Horse Gate. The holy place of the Lord will not be rooted up or destroyed forever. Those who receive the kingdom of Christ in the land of Judea, namely the Jews and our Judaizers, try to show the tower of Ananeel and the gate of the corner, and the hill of Gareb, and Goatha, and the valley of Phagarim, and all Asademoth, and the Cedron torrent, and the place of the corner gate of the east horses: and there they say that the sanctuary of the Lord, that is, the temple, is to be built, and will remain forever. Because they cannot show this accomplishment after the captivity during the times of Zorobabel and Ezra, they move on to the times of Christ, whom they say will come at the end of the world, so that he may descend upon Jerusalem adorned with gold and jewels, according to the Book of Revelation, and be built around this land, that is, from that place to this place, in a circuit (Rev. 21). And they take this ring of theirs, because it is situated by the tower of Anathoth, which is now called Jeremiah, three miles separated from Jerusalem, all the way to the Brook of Kidron, which is written in the Gospel (John 18), and is in the valley of Jehoshaphat, where there was a garden, in which Judas the betrayer handed over the Savior, the foundations of the city are laid. We are about to read, they say, that Anameel, the cousin of Sallum, was the son of Jeremiah, who bought the field, and this is the tower of Ananeel, ignorant of the Hebrew truth. For here it is written according to the Hebrew text, from the tower of Ananeel (which means 'grace of God') through Nun, namely the middle letter. There it says: 'Behold, Anameel (which means 'grace of God') the son of Sallum, your cousin, will come to you, through the middle letter Mem.' Therefore, invoking the Lord and Savior, who has the key of David, who opens and no one can shut, who shuts and no one can open; who also opened the sealed book of Isaiah and all the prophets (Isaiah 22); and the twenty-four elders who held harps worshiped (Revelation 3), indicating that only He can reveal the divine mysteries, let us approach the building of the city to which the prophetic word is directed: 'Glorious things are said of you, O city of God' (Psalm 87:3); and 'The streams of the river make glad the city of God' (Psalm 46:4). So the Church is built from the tower of obedience, or grace, and the gifts of God (for this is what Ananeel interprets), up to the gate of the corner, which may seem to have a lofty beginning, as long as we continue in this flesh, we cannot possess the straight line of truth: but we stand in the corner and with broken lines, and go out beyond the measuring line against it, that is, the gate of the corner, over the hill Gareb, which in our language is translated either as sojourning or scabies, to teach us to be strangers and foreigners, and not to easily consent to itching ears and the novelty of the worst dogmas. And Goatha will go around, he says, for which they were interpreted as seventy by a circuit, with chosen stones that roll upon the face of the earth, and are bound with a corner stone, as the apostle Peter says: And you yourselves are built up as living stones into a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices and acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:5). And she will go around, he says, all the valley of Phagarim, which is interpreted as ruins; and ashes, understood, so that although we may seem to be without inhabitants: nevertheless, let us always fear ruins and consider ashes; and in repentance let us say with David: For I have eaten ashes as bread, and mixed my drink with weeping (Psalm 102:10). And it is said to those who lie down: Does one not rise again who falls? says the Lord (Jeremiah VIII, 4). And he says that the whole place, which we translate as the region of death, is divided into two words; Sade (), which means region, and Moth (), which translates as death: for which Aquila translates as suburbs, or fields, and rural areas. The region of death is the region of sins; and the suburbs are the region of pleasures, which goes up to the Brook Kidron, where the Lord was handed over, who is interpreted as darkness (John XVIII). See how many places the Church has, and how that Apostolic saying is fulfilled: That it may be without stain or wrinkle (Ephes. V, 27), and be preserved in the future and in the heavenly realms. You hear of corners, you hear of decay, you hear of ruins and ashes, and the region of death, and darkness, and you boast of your power and sinlessness. Finally, it follows: even up to the corner of the gate. And this corner, so that no true justice, no certain victory, may be shown in this world. Even though it is the eastern corner of the gate from which the light comes out, it is nevertheless called the horses: to teach us that we need to run and compete, and finally deserve to hear with the Lord: You have ascended on high, you have led captivity captive: you have received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them (Psalm 68:18). In the Eastern gate, in the gate of the chariots, is the sanctification of the Lord. And then we may consider ourselves perfect, when we say to the Lord: The chariot of God is ten thousand times ten thousand: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai in the holy place (Psalm 68:17). Such a building, which is built upon the foundation of Christ, of which the Apostle speaks: 'As a wise architect, I have laid the foundation' (I Cor. III, 10), will never be destroyed, but will remain forever. The obscure and difficult matters must be discussed in more detail, so that we may quickly go through the obvious ones.32:1-3
(Chapter XXXII, verse 1 and following). The word that was spoken to Jeremiah by the Lord in the tenth year of King Zedekiah of Judah, was the eighteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar. At that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and the prophet Jeremiah was confined in the courtyard of the prison, which was in the palace of the king of Judah. For King Zedekiah of Judah had locked him up, saying, 'Why do you prophesy, saying, "Thus says the Lord"? Not only the words and deeds of the prophets are an example to us for virtue. Jeremiah could have announced prosperity and enjoyed the friendship of King Zedekiah, but he preferred to obey God rather than men (Acts 5), and he who can destroy both soul and body in hell, rather than he who could only have power over the body (Matthew 10). And it should be noted that it was the tenth year of Zedekiah's reign, with Jerusalem already besieged and consumed by sword, famine, and plague, and captivity imminent. Yet Zedekiah persists in his decision, and to some extent demonstrates his clemency by ordering that he not be confined in a prison, but in the courtyard: a form of free custody, so that he could not escape, as if the entire Jerusalem, closed by fortifications, were not a common prison for its inhabitants. This is the twenty-second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, who in the fourth year of King Jehoiakim's reign took control. However, the reason for the king's anger is that he speaks in the name of God, and he was commanded to do so.32:4-5
(Verses 4, 5) Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it. And King Zedekiah of Judah will not escape from the hand of the Chaldeans, but he will be handed over to the king of Babylon, and they will speak face to face and his eyes will see his eyes. And Zedekiah will be taken to Babylon, and he will stay there until I visit him, says the Lord. But if you fight against the Chaldeans, you will not have success. This was the reason for the anger of the king, that he preferred falsehood over truth and said that both the city of Jerusalem and King Zedekiah would be captured. And what is even worse, he will see the face of the king of Babylon and speak humbly and as a captive, as the most powerful king's madness. For it is a more serious terror to see the one whom you fear, and to be subjected to the verbal accusation before enduring the torment of punishment. And he says that he will lead Zedekiah into Babylon, and he will be there. The Septuagint translates it as "one of whom is unwillingly dragged, the other one signifies willingly going." And he says that he will be there. The word is ambiguous, so as not to seem to prophesy torture and miseries. And what follows is: Until I visit him, says the Lord, and if you fight against the Chaldeans, you will have nothing prosperous, which is not found in the Septuagint. And he wisely moderated his opinion, which can be referred to both the good and the bad. For visitation, as I often said, signifies both consolation and punishment.32:6-7
(Version 6, 7.) And Jeremiah said: The word of the Lord came to me, saying: Behold, Anameel (also known as Anemeel), the son of Sellum (or Sallom), your cousin (which is said in Hebrew as Dodach), is coming to you, saying: Buy my field, which is in Anathoth, for the right of redemption belongs to you. The hidden word of God to Jeremiah was known to no one, except by his revelation to whom it was made: and he is informed that his cousin Anameel will come to him and transfer the ownership of the field that was his; and that the place is in Anathoth, among the suburbs that were given to the priests from each tribe and city according to the law: and it was not allowed for the possession to pass from one tribe to another, nor from one family to another (which is why the daughters of Zelophehad received a portion among their brothers), especially the suburban lands of the priests could not be sold to anyone until the year of remission, except to the one whom blood kinship required. Therefore, his younger brother, the son of his aunt (Alex. brother-in-law and father), came to him and offered to buy what is owed to him by proximity. Helcias and Sellum were blood brothers. The son of Helcias was Jeremiah; Sellum, Anameel. Helcias means 'part of the Lord'; Jeremiah, 'the sublimity of the Lord.' And rightly the height of the Lord is born from the part of the Lord. Sellum, on the other hand, is translated into our language as peace, or peaceful. Anameel means gift or grace of God. We are not surprised that peace is joined with grace, since even the beginning of the Apostolic Epistles says: Grace to you and peace (Rom. I, 7). Therefore, let us first merit the peace of God, and after peace, grace is born in us, which belongs not to the possessor, but to the will of the giver. However, grace gives the value to the one who is placed in high positions by God, so that although he may appear lofty, he still needs the grace of God. That which is often sung in the Song of Songs by the bride: Fratruelis meus, that is, ὅ ἀδελφιδοῦς μου in Hebrew is said Dodi (), therefore it should be called not fratruelis, but πατράδελφος, that is, patruelis. However, Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, bears witness to the beginning of this book.32:8
(Verse 8) And Anameel, the son of my uncle, came to me, according to the Word of the Lord, to the entrance (or courtyard) of the prison, and he said to me: Possess (or buy) my field, which is in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, for the inheritance belongs to you, and you are a close relative to possess (or buy) it. What the word of the Lord had foretold through the prophet, immediately came to pass. Anameel came to me, by the grace of God, the son of my uncle, that is, the son of peace. But he came to the vestibule of the prison, and he said to me the things that the Lord had foretold to him. Now this priestly field, whose purchase and possession belonged to Jeremiah, is in Anathoth, in the land of Benjamin, where the obedience of the former resounds according to the Son of the Right Hand. And consequently, he desires its acquisition, in which the obedience and virtue of the Lord were evident. For this reason, the Seventy interpreted it as 'elder,' that is, 'elderly,' which does not fit in this context.32:9-11
(v. 9 seqq.) But I understood that it was the word of the Lord, and I bought a field from my cousin Anameel, who is in Anathoth, and I weighed out the silver, seven shekels and ten silver coins. And I wrote it in a book, and signed it, and called witnesses, and weighed the silver on a scale. And I received the sealed deed, the terms and conditions, and the external seals. It was indeed difficult and almost absurd, worthy of laughter, for the one who was prophesying the imminent capture of Jerusalem and the captivity of all, to buy a field in Anathoth that he would never possess. But I understood, he said, that it was the word of the Lord and that my purchase should be connected with the argument and prophecy of the Lord; and therefore I obeyed his command to make the purchase; nor was it in vain that God spoke to me about such a matter: and I weighed out seventeen shekels of silver, which we convert into staters. Now a shekel has twenty obols, as it is written in the final volume of Ezekiel (Ezek. 45). And the Prophet bought it for seventeen shekels, a number in which the boy David, servant of the Lord, sang on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul, and said: I will love you, O Lord, my strength; the Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. My God, my helper, and I will hope in Him: my protector, and the horn of my salvation (Psalm XVII, 1). The number ten indicates a mystical number, as shown in the Decalogue which was written on stone tablets by the finger of God, and the days of fasting and propitiation in the seventh month (Exodus XIII). We also prove, with numerous testimonies from the Scriptures, that the number seven, in which true Sabbath and rest exist, is holy. I could have provided at least a few examples, if it were not pointless to teach what is already known. Therefore, in this number, a possession is bought by a prophet and priest, and it is written in a book and signed, and witnesses are brought forth, and silver is carefully weighed out, so that all the rights of sale and purchase are preserved, and there is a certain ownership, confirmed by agreements and promises. Or let those who try to claim false wills, and sometimes even wills with witnesses, listen to this.32:12
(Verse 12.) And I gave the book of possession to Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, in the sight of Anameel my cousin, and in the sight of the witnesses who were written in the book of purchase; in the sight of all the Jews who were sitting in the prison courtyard. Although the possession was to be immediately given up, indeed to be bought back by later generations, and to be bought back by one who did not have children (for he had not taken a wife), nevertheless, obeying the command of the Lord, he duly carried out everything: and Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, gave the sealed book of possession. Baruch is called blessed in our language; he was the son of Neri, which means 'my light', as the Prophet says: 'Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path' (Psalm 119:105). Neri was also the father of Baruch, the son of Maasiah, meaning 'the work and the operation of the Lord'. Let us now consider the great privileges of virtue that the disciple Baruch rendered to Jeremiah, as David says: 'He who walks in the way of integrity, he shall minister to me' (Psalm 101:6). And so, Elisha, the servant of Elijah, pleased God so much that after the translation of his master, he also merited to receive a double spirit (2 Kings 2). I say this as a warning to those who abuse the ministries of evil men and do not dare to reject those whom they know are bound to them by a guilty conscience. And it is handed down that the book of Baruch was sold to such a man, Anemeel, with witnesses who signed, and their names were kept in the book of purchase. And, in the sight, he said, of all the Jews who were sitting in the courtyard of the prison: those who had come either to console the Prophet, or out of a desire to hear the words of the Lord in fear and reverence of God.32:13-15
(Verse 13 and following) And I commanded Baruch before them, saying: Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Take these books, this sealed book, and this open book, and put them in an earthen vessel, that they may last for many days. For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall still be possessed in this land. To all whom the previous message has been told, both those present and those who see it, Baruch, the minister and disciple, is commanded not by the words of a teacher, but by the command of God, to take the books, one sealed and the other open, which have been kept in the custom of purchases, so that he may show the open volume to those who wish to read what the sealed book contains within: both in an earthen vessel, so they may last for many days. Therefore, the firm and long-awaited possession, which was guarded with such great care, so that neither if the books placed outside for sale were exposed to theft, nor if they were buried in the ground, would be destroyed by moisture from the earth. However, all of this was done so that those who saw it would understand once again that Jerusalem should be inhabited and lands should be possessed, which though they should have understood on their own without the words of Jeremiah, they are reminded by the words of the Lord, and it is said to them: The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, says: Houses and fields and vineyards will still be possessed in this land. This is what Jeremiah had previously said: I understood that it was the word of the Lord; and for that reason, he bought a field that he was not going to possess.32:16-19
(Verse 16 and following) And I prayed to the Lord after I had delivered the book of possession to Baruch the son of Neriah, saying: Alas, alas, alas, O Lord God (or who you are, O Lord God). Behold, you have made the heaven and the earth with your great power, and with your outstretched (or exalted) arm nothing will be difficult (or impossible) for you (or according to the Septuagint, nothing is hidden from you). You show mercy to thousands and repay the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them, O mighty, great, powerful (which is said in Hebrew) Gibbor (): The Lord of hosts (or of powers) is your name. Great in counsel and incomprehensible in thought. Whose eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of Adam (or humans), to render to each according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his inventions (Vulgate: his). After the celebration of the lawful purchase of the field, and after the sentence of the Lord, in which he promised houses, fields, and vineyards to be possessed henceforth, the Prophet prays to the Lord and expresses the anguish of his heart with groans, saying: Alas, alas, alas, Lord God: for which the Septuagint translated, ὁ ὢν, that is, who is, Lord God, according to what is said to Moses: Go, speak to the people of Israel: The One who is, has sent me to you (Exod. III, 14). Not that there are no others; but it is one thing for the Creator to exist by His own beneficence, another for Him to exist by the eternity of His nature. He praises the Lord and proclaims the Creator through His creatures. First, with his voice, he extols His power, mercy, and justice towards all of mankind; then he turns to Israel and describes in a famous discourse the great things He has done for them. And after so many blessings, he says that they, being forgetful of His goodness, provoked His mercy to bitterness, so that the city was besieged, and before the enemy broke in, it was consumed by famine, sword, and plague. But he first put forward all these things so that he could subsequently present what seemed to be a reproach to the divine judgment. And you say to me, Lord God, buy a field for silver, and have witnesses, when the city has been given into the hands of the Chaldeans? This portion of the text contains the entirety of this passage. Now let us return to each point individually. You made heaven and earth in your great power. And John says of the Son: All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made (John 1:3). For this is the strength of the Lord, as the Apostle confirms: Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God (1 Cor. I, 24). And in your outstretched or lofty arm, both of which are indications of striking. But what is this arm, of which Isaiah speaks: And the arm of the Lord, to whom it is revealed (Isa. LIII, 1)? No word will be difficult for you. For what is impossible for men is possible for God; to whom nothing is hidden (Mic. XIX), according to the saying of the Psalmist: For the darkness shall not obscure you, and the night shall be as bright as day (Psalm CXXXVIII, 12). You show mercy to thousands; and you repay the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them. The great mercy of the Creator, to extend his mercy to a thousand generations, and to show justice immediately in the next generation, which, however, is also mixed with mercy. For he does not immediately punish the wrongdoer, but waits for repentance, so that if the children imitate the vices of their parents, punishment is delayed for a long time. Most powerful, great, mighty, Lord of hosts, or virtue, is your name. These names indicate the power of the Creator. However, properly speaking, the name of God is Father, which is revealed in the Gospel when the Lord says: Father, I have revealed your name to mankind (John 17:6). Great in counsel. And anyone who presumes to insert themselves secretly into the Lord's affairs and judge his judgments. And incomprehensible in thought. The mind that cannot comprehend him, how can speech comprehend him? Whose eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of Adam. Therefore, in vain does man think he can hide himself from God's knowledge. And this leads to the fact that in order to render to each according to their ways, and according to the fruit of their inventions, this indicates that sometimes, due to excessive patience, his judgments may seem unjust. This place the Apostle further explains to the Romans: Do you not know that the kindness of God is leading you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God (Rom. II, 4, 5). Therefore, the later the punishment of sinners, the more just it is: in the likeness of Pharaoh, who, after being warned by ten plagues, was not punished, and persisting in his hardness, was finally overwhelmed by the waves of the Red Sea (Exodus 14).32:20-23
(Vers. 20 seqq.) You have set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt until this day, both in Israel and among mankind (or among earthlings), and have made a name for yourself, as it is this day. You brought your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, and with great terror. And you gave them this land, which you swore to their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey. And they entered and took possession of it, but they did not obey your voice and did not walk in your law. Everything that you commanded them to do, they did not do, and all these disasters happened to them. From a general overview, it then focuses on what specifically Israel has accomplished. It says, 'You have set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, which have afflicted Egypt until this day, and in Israel and among mankind, whether native-born or foreign.' This that is said, up to this day, must be connected to what follows, so that we may read and understand that your signs are fulfilled both in Israel and in all mortals daily. Alternatively, you not only performed signs and wonders in Egypt, but your power of mercy has also saved your people even until today, and you assist the whole human race as the Creator with your power. And it should be noted that Israel is separated from men and earthborn beings, as it is written: 'My firstborn son is Israel.' And you have made for yourself a name as it is to this day (Exodus IV, 22). Your praises, he says, are celebrated in the language of the whole world. And you have brought your people Israel out of the land of Egypt. It is well said, your people, for at that time when they were brought out, they served under the Lord's command. And you brought them out with signs and wonders, by which Egypt was struck, and with a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terror: when the Red Sea provided a way for the people of Israel to cross over, and it obliterated the Egyptian army: And you have given them this land, which you swore to their fathers to give to them: namely, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Therefore, not by their own merit, but by the virtues of their fathers, they received the land flowing with milk and honey. For they were not yet able to consume solid food, but were nourished with milk and honey in their infancy. Indeed, with the abundance and plenty of all things, milk and honey. And they entered and possessed it. And immediately there was no middle ground between possession and disobedience. For abundance produces security, security produces negligence, negligence produces contempt. And they did not obey, he says, your voice, and they did not walk in your law. Therefore, they promised in vain in the wilderness, saying: We will do everything that the Lord has commanded (Exodus 19:8). For the reward is not in the promise, but in the action: to refute the impudence of those who think that a man can fulfill everything that he has promised. They did not do everything that you commanded them to do, and they certainly promised to do so. And all these evils happened to them. Evils for those who are patient, but according to the judgement of the Lord, good things that give to each person according to their ways.32:24-25
(Verse 24, 25.) Behold, fortifications have been built against the city, in order to take it; and the city has been given into the hands of the Chaldeans, who fight against it with the sword, famine, and pestilence. And whatever you have spoken has happened, as you yourself see; and you say to me, Lord God, buy the field with silver, and have witnesses, when the city has been given into the hands of the Chaldeans? It was the tenth year of King Zedekiah, for thus it is written: The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah: at that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was confined in the court of the prison. And rightly now it is said: Behold, the fortifications are built against the city, so that it may be captured; and the city has been delivered into the hands of the Chaldeans; they have neither whom to conquer nor whom to capture. For now they have been consumed by sword, famine, and pestilence; and we see that whatever you have said has been fulfilled; therefore why do you say to me, Lord: Buy a field for silver, and call witnesses; when the city has been delivered into the hands of the Chaldeans? Therefore, he does not reprimand, but he asks; and he wants to learn not so much for himself as for others, who were sitting in the courtyard of the prison; and perhaps they silently reprimanded, how the same prophet, whom they believed to proclaim the truth, could say that the city is to be captured and buy a field as if he were going to possess it.32:26-29
(Verse 26 and following) And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying: Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too difficult (or impossible) for me? Or will any word be hidden from me? Therefore, thus says the Lord: Behold, I will hand over this city to the Chaldeans and into the hand of the king of Babylon, and they will capture it. And the Chaldeans will come fighting: the Chaldeans will come against this city, and they will set it on fire and burn it, and the houses - in whose homes they sacrificed to Baal and poured out drink offerings to other gods to provoke me - they will burn as well. She joins joy to the sorrowful and promises the return of the captive people after the destruction of Jerusalem. And first she explains the causes of God's offense and righteous fury, so that the greater the guilt of the sinners, the more abundant the mercy of the Creator towards the sinners. I am, she says, the Lord God of all flesh. Not at all of all nations, nor of the people of Israel, or certainly, as He is often called by the holy ones, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, but God said to all flesh, so that it is believed that He made both rational and brute animals Himself. For there are those who confess the providence of the Creator even up to rational beings: but they assert that brute animals either perish or live by chance events. And the prophetic speech declares that there is nothing that escapes the providence and knowledge of God; because some things are created for their own sake, while others are created for the use of humans. Is anything difficult or impossible for me? Or surely, will every word be hidden from me? And as we have said above: The things that are impossible among humans are possible among God. But we must understand the word here and in many other places to mean 'things.' 'What is it,' he says, 'that has happened?' Therefore, he says these things: 'For this reason, thus says the Lord. For, he says, it is my concern to rule everything, to order all things, and to give to each according to its ways. Therefore, I will deliver this city into the hand of the Chaldeans and into the hand of the king of Babylon, and they will capture it.' First, the city is fortified by the army, and while Nebuchadnezzar is absent, Zedekiah is captured and taken to Riblah, where he is handed over to the king. And they will come, he says, the Chaldeans fighting against this city. Aquila translates it better as 'they will come,' because of what is written, 'they will enter,' which means they will enter the city. For they were not absent to come, since they had surrounded Jerusalem, as the Scripture testifies. Then the army of the king of Babylon besieged Jerusalem. And then: Behold, fortifications were built against the city in order to capture it: and the city was given into the hands of the Chaldeans. So how will those who were present come? But those who were besieging the city, he says, will enter and capture it, and they will advance, and they will burn it down even to the ground (for the Hebrew word 'Bau' (which is ambiguous) can mean both 'come' and 'enter'). And they offered sacrifices to the idol Baal in the houses where they lived, and poured out libations to foreign gods to provoke me, not because of religious error, but rather because of a certain rivalry and contempt towards the Creator. However, how the world is going to perish is written, according to what is written: Heaven and earth will pass away (Matthew 24:35), because it is placed in the wicked one: so also the very houses and places in which wickedness is perpetrated are subject to the wrath of God. There are those who contentiously refer what is written: The place where the Lord and Savior was crucified is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt (Revelation 11:8), to those very places. But others believe that under the name of Egypt and Gomorrah, they signify the whole world. For just as Gomorrah was destroyed by divine fire, so also the world will be consumed by the judgment of God.32:30
(Verse 30) For the sons of Judah and the sons of Israel continually (or alone) did evil in my sight from their youth. The Hebrew word 'Ach' (), Aquila interpreted as 'plēn', which signifies a conjunction, however. The first edition of Symmachus, as well as the Seventy, and Theodotion, interpreted it as 'diolon'. We now follow the latter, so that we may say 'continually'. Let us therefore say first according to the Hebrew, the sons of Israel and the sons of Judah continuously doing evil. And ten, he says, and two tribes continuously did evil without ceasing, and perseverance in the worst works was with them. But if there is continuous and always in the whole people, where is eternal justice? Furthermore, according to the LXX, who said: Only those who do evil, a question arises: Did not other nations at that time when Israel and Judah were sinning, also do evil? Which is thus resolved: Whoever has knowledge of God and departs from him, sins alone in the eyes of God; but those who remain unbelievers, as if he does not see and neglects, they commit delinquencies. And so David, a holy man, because he had fallen into sin with the wife of Uriah, Bathsheba, later repented (2 Kings 12), speaks: Against you alone have I sinned, and I have done evil in your sight (Psalm 50:4), that is, in your presence. Finally, it is joined: Those alone who do evil in my eyes, in my presence, from their youth. And what follows: The Israelites who still continue to provoke me in the work of their hands, says the Lord, is not found in the Septuagint, but is added from the Hebrew. Because from their youth until the present day they have continually sinned, therefore the just judgment of God is upon them, and the Scripture rightly covers it.32:31
(Verse 31.) In my fury and indignation, this city has become a ruin from the day it was built until this day when it is taken away from my sight. From the time when the foundations of the city were laid until this day, when it was captured, burned, and taken away from the Lord's presence, it has always been in fault and has provoked the Lord's indignation against itself. Where is the peace of sinners (as we have often said)?32:32
(Verse 32.) He says, because of the wickedness of the children of Israel and the children of Judah, which they have done, provoking me to anger, they themselves, and their kings, and their leaders, their priests, and their prophets, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Because he had said before: In my fury and in my indignation this city has been made for me, from the day when they built it until this day, when it is taken away from my sight; and he had shown that there was no one without sin in general, now he enumerates them individually, and includes kings, and leaders, and priests, and prophets, comprehending everything in one statement: The men of Judah, he says, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And he did not say it beautifully: Their kings, and their rulers, and their priests, and their prophets, but because their kings, and their rulers, and their priests, and their prophets have sinned.And they turned their backs to me, and not their faces. According to what is written elsewhere: And they turned against me the shoulder that was turning away (Zech. 7:11). For the one who prays, bowing down with a bent neck is cast down to the ground; but the one who turns his back, by that bodily gesture indicates his disregard for the one threatening him. And, he says, they were doing this.
32:33
(Verse 33.) When I was teaching them early in the morning, and instructing them, and they were unwilling to listen, in order to receive discipline. When the darkness of errors and all worship of idols had been driven away, my opinion being refuted, I desired daily to illuminate their hearts and teach what is right. And in order to preserve their free will, he adds and says: And they were unwilling to listen in order to receive discipline. It follows:32:34
(Verse 34) And they placed their idols in the house where my name is invoked, to defile it. Not only in that time did Judas place in the Temple of God the statue of the idol, which we read about in the beginning of Ezekiel (Ezek. VIII): but even today in the house of God, which is interpreted as the Church, or in the hearts and souls of believers, an idol is placed when a new doctrine is established, and according to Deuteronomy it is worshipped in secret (Deut. IV): Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you (1 Cor. III, 16).32:35
(Verse 35.) And they built high places (or altars) to Baal, which are in the valley of the sons of Hinnom, to burn their sons and daughters as offerings to the idol Moloch. The word 'initiate' is written in Hebrew as 'Ebir', which Aquila and Symmachus translated as 'offer'. The Seventy and Theodotion interpreted it as 'sacrifice'. We have already spoken more fully about the valley of the sons of Hinnom, which in Hebrew is called Ge-Hinnom, that it lies below the fountains of Siloam and has its own charm, because it is a watered place, which has led the people (some manuscripts add 'of Israel') to indulge in luxury, following the worship of idols. It should also be noted that altars and high places are called Bamoth in Hebrew, because there are doubts among those who read the books of Samuel and Kings about the meaning of this word. Moloch is the idol of the Ammonites, which is turned into a king. The divine Scripture signifies that the people not only served the idol Baal, but also Moloch and all the other demons in that place.Which I did not command them, neither did it come into my heart that they should do this abomination, and lead Judah into sin. Specifically, the tribes of Judah and Benjamin worshipped the idols of Baal and Molech in the temple (3 Kings 12). It is clear that the golden calves in Bethel and Dan, as well as the ten tribes known as Samaria, Joseph and Ephraim, also indulged in this (Alt. wanted). So much evil was done by the people that God testifies He never even considered or thought of the things they did. But all these things are humanly.
And now because of these things, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, to this city, of which you say, 'It shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence.' As those who hope for aid and trust in the strength of the walls, it is prophesied that Jerusalem will be overthrown and the people will soon be captured, and will perish by the sword, famine, and pestilence before captivity. So to those who despair and expect no salvation after the destruction of the city, He promises His aid, so that both confidence and pride may merit just judgment, and despair and humility may merit God's aid.
32:37-40
(Verse 37 and following) Behold, I will gather them from all the lands to which I have driven them in my anger, in my wrath, and in great indignation, and I will bring them back to this place and make them dwell securely. They will be my people, and I will be their God. And I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and for the good of their children after them. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, and I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me. And I will rejoice over them, when I have done good to them (or when I have visited them, to do good to them). And I will plant them in this land in truth (or in faith), with all my heart and with all my soul. Many thought this at the time of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua, the son of Jozadak, the high priest, when Haggai and Zechariah prophesied during the time of the completion of the Temple under the priest Ezra, and the walls were rebuilt under Nehemiah, that those whom He had cast out in anger, wrath, and great indignation from Jerusalem, and had scattered throughout the whole world, He had afterwards made them dwell confidently and be a people of God; and that the Lord had been their God, and the other things that the Scripture contains. But how can this be adapted to that time: That I will make them dwell confidently, and I will strike for them an everlasting covenant, or I will establish for them an eternal testament, cannot be thoroughly approved: indeed, those whom we have read and holy history narrates were often taken captive not only by neighboring nations, but also by the Persians and Macedonians, and by the Egyptians and Romans, and until now they serve. Therefore, all things must be referred to the advent of the Savior: which we see fulfilled in our time of faith, and the election of the remnant has been preserved according to the Apostle (Romans 9). And those who confidently dwell in Christ have been given one heart, according to what is written: Now the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul (Acts IV, 32). And he said, I am the way, the truth, and the life (John XIV, 6). And let them fear me all the days. For the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs IX). To all he said: if it does not fit with the Jews, it must be taken from our people: to whom it was, is, and will be good, not only to themselves, but also to their children after them. For He made an everlasting covenant with us and will not cease to show us kindness. And what follows: “And I will put my fear into their hearts, that they shall not depart from me,” (Jeremiah 32:40) He grants free will to choose, yet the fear that is given remains as a grace from the giver. And when I do good to them, I will rejoice. For He rejoices because He sees His creation saved. Hence, there is joy in heaven among the angels over one sinner doing penance. (Luke 15) And I will plant them, says [the Lord], in this land in truth, or (as the Septuagint translated it) in faith, so that it properly signifies the Christian people whose religion is faith. With all my heart, and with all my soul. If the words of the Savior are true, it is rightly believed that his heart and soul say, in the Gospel: I have the power to lay down my life, and I have the power to take it up again (John 10:18). But if we understand it from the perspective of God the Father, it is to be understood according to that saying: My soul hates your new moons and your sabbaths, and your festivals.32:41-44
(Verse 41 onwards) What does the Lord say about this: just as I brought upon this people all this great evil, so I will bring upon them all the good that I promise to them. And the fields in this land, of which you say it is deserted because no man, nor animal, remains, will be possessed. The fields will be bought with money, and recorded in a book, and sealed with a seal, and witnesses will be present in the land of Benjamin, and around Jerusalem, in the cities of Judah, and in the mountainous cities, and in the cities of the plain (or Shephelah), and in the cities of the Negev (which are to the south). For I will restore their captivity, says the Lord. These things, although they may have happened literally after the return from the Chaldeans, when the people returned to Judaea under the reign of Cyrus the king, are more truly and fully fulfilled spiritually in Christ and the Apostles. Then both men and animals were brought into the Church, according to what is written: 'You will save men and animals, O Lord, both rational and simple.' Then fields were bought with money, so that we could make friends for ourselves with the unjust mammon, who would receive us into eternal tabernacles (Luke 16). And it is written in the book, without doubt concerning the living. And it is imprinted with the sign of the banner of the Cross of the Lord and of Victory; and witnesses have been called, the Martyrs, and the chorus of all the saints. In the land of Benjamin, where the strength of the Lord exists, and in the vicinity of Jerusalem, where the vision of peace and eternal security resides: in the cities of Judah, where the true confession of Christ is found. And in the mountainous cities, of which there is one, about which it is said: a city cannot be hidden, when it is situated on a mountain (Matthew 5). And in the countryside cities, which are called Sephela in Hebrew, so that from the depths and depressions through the equality of the fields we may rise to the highest point. And in the cities that are to the south, which the LXX translated as Nageb, where the noon and the full light of truth are. But when all these things are accomplished, what is written will be fulfilled: I will turn their captivity, says the Lord, of whom it is written: ascending on high, he led captivity captive (Psalm 67:19). He received, or (as the Apostle says) he gave gifts to men (Ephesians 4:8).1 / 1返回