Bede

"In his days, Hiel of Bethel built Jericho." [1 Kings 16:34] What is written about the times of Ahab's reign: 'In his days, Hiel of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundations with Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates with Segub his youngest,' the sense is clear: when the stated builder of the city began to lay its foundations, his firstborn, named Abiram, died; and when, with the city built, he tried to fortify its gates, he lost his youngest son named Segub. This was foretold by Joshua, who, when dedicating the destroyed and cursed city Jericho, predicted it with an imprecation: 'Cursed before the Lord is the man who rises up and rebuilds this city Jericho. He shall lay its foundation at the cost of his firstborn, and at the cost of his youngest he shall set up its gates' (Joshua 6). That Ahiel, living for God, interpreted as Bethel which means house of God, restores the walls of Jericho that were destroyed and cursed by Joshua, is evident when one among those who have assumed the habit of religion in the Church returns to commit the crimes that the Lord Jesus forgave him on the day of his baptism, and those pomps of the devil which he himself anathema-tized, he returns to by living luxuriously; when he prefers the dogmas of heretics or the fables of pagans to the churchly truth in which he was imbued, it is as if, departing from Bethel, he resurrects the ruins of Jericho. And rightly is such a person cursed before the Lord, and loses both the first of his sons in the foundation of the wicked city and the youngest in the setting up of its gates. Because he loses the foundations of faith with which he should have begun good buildings, and the house of good action with which he should have finished. These things I have expounded in an allegorical sense, to remind you how true is the word of the apostle, who says that all these things happened to them as examples, and were written down for our instruction (1 Corinthians 10).

"May the gods do so to me, and more also, etc." [1 Kings 20:10] What Benhadad king of Syria, besieging and beginning to assault Samaria said: 'May the gods do so to me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria will be enough to fill the hands of all the people who follow me,' has this sense: Samaria, like other cities, had earth inside near the walls, almost equal to the walls, lest the walls standing without the support of the adjacent earth, should be frequently struck down by the assaulting hand with the battering ram." From the outside, the height of the walls far exceeded the surface of the ground, especially since, as Scripture relates, the city itself had been set on the summit of a mountain. Therefore, the haughty king, threatening the besieged city, said that he had such a multitude of troops with him that even if each of his soldiers brought only one stone, or clod, or log to construct a rampart against the city, such a high rampart could rise from it that the surface of the city itself, which was within the walls, would seem equal, so that they might fight on an equal footing against the city, sending missiles or torches. The king of Israel, restraining the king of Syria's arrogance with a modest utterance, said, "Say to him: Let not him who girds on his armor boast as he who takes it off." There is a difference between a man who is girded, a man who is ungirded, and a man who is not girded. A man who is girded is one who walks about with a belt; an ungirded man is one who recently took off his belt, for example, to enter a bath, or to get into bed, or perhaps to put on another tunic; a man who is not girded is one who, having recently put on a tunic, has not yet fortified himself with the addition of a belt. Thus, one who is in a military expedition can rightly be called girded, that is, armed. One who has returned home victoriously from a battle, having laid down his arms, is rightly called ungirded, because he wields the repose of peace longed for. One who has not yet begun to fight, nor begun to prepare for the contest, is rightly called not girded. Therefore, the king of Israel said to the king of Syria, boasting that he had already captured Samaria, which he had begun to besiege, "Let not him who girds on his armor boast as he who takes it off." As if to say plainly: Do not boast as if you were already the victor of war's peril, who, still set in the field, do not yet know whom victory will favor. And indeed he spoke the truth. For soon after the battle commenced, Benadab, not triumphing over the conquered adversaries, but with his army defeated, fled home.

That the proof of your faith may be much more precious than gold, etc. And the book of Wisdom compares the sufferings of the saints to gold that is tested by fire, saying of the Lord: As gold in the furnace he has tried them, and received them as a burnt offering (Wis. III). Indeed, those whom He has found faithful in the furnace of tribulation, these He will take up in the joy of reward as a pleasing sacrifice to Himself. And well is the patience of the saints likened to gold, for just as among metals there is nothing more precious than gold, so this is most worthy of praise before God. Hence it is written: Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints (Psalm CXV). For as gold enclosed in the furnace is tested by fire, but when brought out it will show what brilliance it has, so the constancy of the faithful appears contemptible and foolish among the oppressions of the unfaithful; but when the time of retribution comes, after the contest of tribulations is ended, then it is shown how much glory and progress in the flames of passion their virtue has acquired. Hence it is aptly added: