Jerome

(Verse 8.) And I passed through you, and I saw you: and behold, your time, the time of lovers. And I spread my garment over you, and covered your shame. Septuagint: And I passed through you, and I saw you, and behold, your time, the time of those who divert: and I spread my wings over you, and covered your shame. What mercy! It was not enough to see her trampled in blood once, and to provoke her to repentance: but again he visited the sinner, and because she was naked, and full of confusion, he came and visited her again, and behold, her time, the time of lovers; whether according to the Septuagint, those who divert, or according to the interpretation of Aquila, the second συναλλαγῆς, namely the betrothal and wedding time; according to the first edition of the same and Theodotion, μαστῶν, which means of breasts: for which Symmachus translates ἀγαπῆς, which signifies love. Therefore, that was the time when women could join men and endure marital intercourse. However, merciful God spread His wings, and He took them in and carried them on His shoulders, according to what is written in the Gospel: \"How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing\" (Luke 12:34)? Or rather, He extended His garment as wings; for this is what the term \"pterygium\" means, with which Ruth covered her feet while sleeping at Boaz's feet (Ruth 3). And on the border, that is, on the hem of our garment, we are commanded to attach hyacinth fringes. This was done in order to cover the shame of Jerusalem, revealing the female genitalia under this name. Indeed, according to the Apostle: We surround the dishonorable parts of our body with greater honor (I Cor. XII, 13). Hence, the Psalmist sings: Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven, and whose sins are covered (Ps. XXXI, 1). This is why Ham, because he did not protect his father, is marked with eternal curse (Gen. IX). Let us turn our thoughts on what we said about Jerusalem to our own soul, which, as long as it remains in infancy, is free from sin. But when the time of its adulthood comes, there are many lovers of demons and heretics, and of perverse teachings, who desire to lead it astray. They are repelled by the protection of God, so that it may not receive the satellites of the devil, but rather the ministers of the Savior. For the diversion of lovers, and the abundance, it is expressed in Hebrew as Dodim (), according to the nature of their language, which means everything that has been turned upside down. The time of love, and the abundance of the lovers of God, can be understood in the cases of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: when the Lord promised to them liberation for their people after the slavery in Egypt.

And I swore to you; and I made a covenant with you, says the Lord God. LXX: And I swore to you, and I entered into a covenant with you, says Adonai the Lord. For I spread my cloak, or my wings, over you: and I covered your shame: therefore I swore to you, and I entered into a covenant, or testament, with you: that you would be joined to me rather than others who wanted to turn away from you, according to that, The Lord swore and will not regret it: you are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek (Ps. 110:4; Heb. 6). For the end of every controversy is an oath. And I live, says the Lord: unless the sinner repents of evil rather than death (Ezekiel XVIII). Therefore, at the time of the wedding, Israel receives the oath of God, in place of every dowry gift. And because David had said: Remember, O Lord, David, and all his meekness (Psalm CXXXI, 1): he who swears to the Lord, vows to God Jacob; and the Lord himself swears to him, as the Scripture says: The Lord has sworn truth to David, and he will not deceive him (Ibid., 11).

(V.9) And you became mine, and I washed you with water, and I cleansed your blood from you, and I anointed you with oil. For I spread my wings and covered your shame, and I swore to you, and I entered into a covenant with you; therefore you have become my possession: that which once belonged to another, when you appeared unclean, you began to belong to me, when I established my covenant with you by oath. Or, according to the custom of the prophets, 'You have become mine,' he said, 'insofar as you are united to me by marriage: and I washed you,' he says, 'with the water of saving baptism.' For unless someone is born again of water and the Holy Spirit, they cannot enter the kingdom of God (John 3:5). And elsewhere we read: He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire (Mark 1:8). Concerning this baptism, Isaiah also speaks, saying: The Lord will wash away the filth of the sons and daughters of Zion; and he will cleanse the blood from their midst with the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning (Isaiah 4:4). But when he has washed and cleansed the blood, just as he healed the woman who was bleeding for twelve years by touching the edge of his cloak (Mark 5), it is not enough for him to wash with water and cleanse with blood, unless he also anoints with oil. This is in accordance with what the Samaritan, who is interpreted as a guardian, did: he first soothed wounds with the infusion of oil, and then restrained them with the severity of wine (Luke 10). But our Lord was anointed with another oil, which did not mitigate the pain of wounds, but bestowed joy, as the Holy Spirit said to him: Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your companions (Ps. 44:8). And there are fake strengths that simulate the gentleness of oil, promising sweet things through heretics; which turn into bitterness, and which the prophet detests when he says: But the oil of the sinner will not anoint my head (Ps. 140:5). But if someone is anointed by unction, that is, Christ is called, see how much Jerusalem has advanced: so that she herself, anointed with spiritual oil, has received the name of Christ; according to which we also read in the Psalms about Abraham: Do not touch my Christs, and do not malign my prophets.

(Verse 10.) And you clothed yourself in various colors. LXX: And you adorned yourself with various garments: engaging in the rituals of the law, you abandoned idols. These are the various garments with which Joseph was clothed: and his brothers could not sell him unless they first stripped him of his varied tunic (Gen. XXXVII). And it is said of the bride in the forty-fourth psalm: The queen stood at your right hand in a robe adorned with gold, surrounded by variety (Ps. XLIV, 10). This is the clothing about which the Apostle speaks: Put on the new man, who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of the Creator (Ephesians 4:24). We want to know what are the various garments? Let the same Apostle teach us, writing to the believers: Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering (Colossians 3:12). What is more beautiful than this variety? About which Job also spoke: Who gives to women the wisdom of weaving, or the skill of variety (Job 38:36, Septuagint). And the high priest, once a year, when he offered incense for the people, entered into the Holy of Holies, using various garments (Exodus XXXIX; Hebrews IX). Certainly, if riches made the variety of garments and not holiness, and if diversity of virtues did not exist, then Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar would be recorded as having had these garments, and not Joseph, who, under a foreign and pastoral father, could not have colored or royal garments.

And you put on purple shoes. LXX: And you put on hyacinth shoes ((Al. Hyacinthino)). Aquila and Symmachus, purple; Septuagint and Theodotion, hyacinth. For which it is written in Hebrew Thas (). And because the speech is beautifully directed towards Jerusalem, and under the persona of a woman, all her adornments are described, purple or hyacinth shoes are mentioned, which do not suit male persons. Finally, for those who will observe Passover it is commanded that they should be dressed in plain clothing, with no diversity of color, and have their loins girded and their feet shod. These are the shoes about which the Apostle writes: having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Philo, a very eloquent man among the Jews, compares the hyacinth in the high priest's garments to the air, through which he believes heavenly and celestial things are signified. Jerusalem is not adorned with hyacinth until it is washed with water. Hence, the feet of the Apostles, to whom the Lord had previously commanded to shake off the dust from their feet (Matthew X), are washed by the Savior. And the bride says in the Song of Songs: I have washed my feet, how shall I defile them? (Song of Songs 5:3). And the divine word testifies about both Moses and Joshua (Exodus 3), that they should loosen the strap of their sandals, for the place on which they stand is holy. But once their feet have been washed and cleansed of all dirt, they are adorned with hyacinths or jacinths, which are of a golden and blue color, respectively: so that they may be swept up into the presence of the Lord in the air, and hasten to the heavenly kingdom.


And I have encircled you with fine linen. Jerusalem is adorned not only with various colors and wears hyacinth shoes, but also is girded with fine linen, from which the finest threads are woven into the priest's garment. And the wife in Proverbs, who weaves double garments for her husband, for both the present and future, is said to have made clothing for herself from linen and purple (Prov. XXXI). With this linen, the loins are girded whenever the thick incentives of lust are to be restrained and nothing of gross humor is left in them. And we fulfill the precept of the Apostle who says: Stand therefore, having your loins girded with truth (Ephes. VI, 14); as if he were saying in other words, with linen. And the Lord said to the Apostles: Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning in your hands (Luke 22:35). For unless we shall have bound up the flowing of the loins from rheumatism, we cannot have lamps in our hands. From this the Lord also speaks to Job: Gird up thy loins like a man (Job 38:3). And those who are about to eat the lamb, having their feet shod, holding a staff, standing in the truth of the Gospel, and being prepared for the blood of Christ, are said to have their loins girt (Exodus 12). Elias and John the Baptist also gird themselves with a mortifying girdle around the loins (2 Kings 1; Mark 1). Concerning them, the penitent sighs mournfully, saying: For my loins are filled with illusions (Psalm 37:8).

And I clothed you in fine linen. LXX: And I surrounded you with triple-threaded fabric. For which Aquila used the Hebrew word 'Messe' (meaning 'flourishing' or 'palpable'): Symmachus, with clothing: Theodotio. And when I diligently inquired about the meaning of the word 'triple-threaded', which the LXX translated, and since I could not find its use or etymology in any Greek sources, I finally learned from the LXX that it is a compound (for new things, new names must be created) and that it was clothing of such great delicacy that it is believed to have the thinness of hair and thread. And I, wishing to express the thinness of the garment, translated it as 'subtilibus', because it was woven with a fine thread and a covering. And fittingly to those, about whom he had said, 'This people's heart has become fat, and Jacob ate and drank, and was satisfied and became fat, and kicked, and abandoned his God, their Maker' (Deut. XXXII, 15), now the thinness of clothing is pardoned. For also in the Book of Wisdom, which is inscribed by some as Solomon's, the spirit of wisdom, the only-begotten and manifold, is called 'tenuis' and 'mutabilis' (Sap. VII). And manna, of which it is written, 'Man ate the bread of angels' (Ps. LXXVII, 25), is said to have been as fine as hoarfrost and have resembled coriander seed (Exod. XVI). According to the interpretation of the second edition of Aquila, who translated it floridly, we can understand it as a metaphor for the abundance of the land of Judah or the beauty of divine worship.

(Verse 11.) And I adorned you with ornaments. Now he lists the ornaments in general, which he enumerates in the following sections: bracelets and necklaces, earrings and crown, and other ornaments which he gave to Jerusalem, and it is said in Isaiah that she lost everything due to her own fault. For it is written: Because they were lifted up, that is, the daughters of Jerusalem became proud and walked with a haughty neck (Isa. III, 16, 17), and the rest: instead of a belt, they were girded with ropes, and instead of a head ornament, they were disfigured with baldness, and instead of beautiful and soft garments, they were surrounded with the roughness of sackcloth.


And I gave bracelets into your hands. LXX: And I surrounded your hands with bracelets. When God gives us good works, He surrounds our hands with bracelets. Hence it is said that it is likened to the hands of the prophets (Hosea 13), and we often read in the hand of Haggai or Jeremiah and the rest (Haggai 1). In Job, the lip of the dragon is pierced by a bracelet, and all his venomous hisses, which are understood in perverse doctrines, are pierced by the circle of good works (Job 40).


And a chain around your neck. Regarding the chain, which we have interpreted according to the second edition of Aquila and Symmachus, the Septuagint and Theodotion translated it as κάθεμα, which is written not only here but also in Isaiah: The Lord will take away the glory of their garments, their hairnets, their bangles, their crescent ornaments, and their κάθεμα (Isaiah 3:18). But I believe κάθεμα is said by them to refer to various gems descending from the necklace on the chest of women, which is also a most beautiful adornment of women.

(Verse 12.) And I placed a jewel above the mouth or nostrils. The Hebrew word 'Nezem' (except for Symmachus, who interpreted it as 'ἐπιῤῥίνιον') is translated by all as 'jewel'. Not that the jewels are placed in the nostrils that are called earrings because they hang from the ears, but so that the circles made in the likeness of earrings are called by the same name, and even today among other ornaments of women, golden circles are accustomed to hang from the front of the mouth and hang over the nostrils. We then understand them according to mystical understanding, when we can say with the Apostle: We are the good odor of Christ to those who are saved and to those who perish. To some, we are the odor of death leading to death; to others, we are the odor of life leading to life (II Cor. II, 15). When we live and it can be said of us, the dead shall not praise you, O Lord, but we who live (Psal. CXIII, 17), then God smells the fragrance of our good sacrifice, and we have a golden circle of senses and divine doctrines in our nostrils. When we are truly dead and are turned into mud and in the filth of vices, we have that ring in our nostrils, of which Solomon wrote: Like a gold ring in a pig's snout, so is the beauty of a woman who is ill-tempered.

And circles in your ears. LXX: And wheels upon your ears. Who shuts his ears, so as not to hear the judgment of blood, and encloses them with thorns, so as not to become a partner to the envious and detractors, of whom it is written: Do not associate with detractors, for suddenly their destruction will come, and who knows the ruin of both (Prov. XXIV, 21, 22)? Both the one who detracts and the one who willingly listens to them have these circles and wheels in their ears, not the wheels that follow the Cherubim (for those are of angelic strength), but diminutive wheels that correspond to human frailty. Therefore it is said also to God: The voice of your thunder is in the wheel (Psalm 76:19). For in those who pass through earthly things and barely touch the earth with their small footsteps, of whom it is written: Holy stones are rolled upon the earth (Zachariah 9:16), the voice of the Lord's thunder resounds, and the sound of lofty teachings is heard. But those who are led astray by human errors and do not have solid footsteps, but are carried about by every wind of doctrine (Ephesians 2), and are expelled from the paradise of stability, dwell in the region of Naid, which means fluctuation, and deserve to bear the judgment of the deceitful tongue, which inflames the wheel of our birth (Genesis 4).


And a crown of beauty on your head. LXX: And a crown of glory upon your head. We have interpreted 'decor' as 'elegance' according to Symmachus for the sake of the senses. Otherwise, in Hebrew it is called 'Thopherth', and in other translations 'καύχησις' or 'gloriation'. The other ornamentations belong to each individual member. The ornamentation of the head is the dignity of the whole body. But the crown is called a diadem for women, with which the hair is bound and ambition is adorned. We want to know what is the crown of beauty on the head of Jerusalem, let us turn to Exodus, in which it is written: And he made a golden plate, and wrote on it the letters deformed with the seal of the sanctification of the Lord, and put it on the head of Aaron (Exod. XXXIX, 29). The sign of the Lord's sanctification, the name of the almighty God, is written with four Hebrew letters (), and among them it is called ineffable, because his name cannot be spoken. Whose majesty even the pagans do not ignore, and the altar of the Athenians testifies to the unknown God. Hence the Apostle says: Him whom you worship as unknown, Him we proclaim to you (Acts 17:23). I believe this crown is the one of which the psalmist speaks: You have put a shine on us in the light of your face, O Lord (Psalm 4:7). And the Apostle said: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on, there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the righteous judge will give to me (2 Timothy 4:7, 8). And in another place to the Believers: My joy and my crown (Phil. 4:1). For the glory of the fathers is the children. And in Solomon it is written: The crown of glory is old age (Prov. 12:6); namely, those who have destroyed those things that belong to children, and after reaching maturity, have come to old age and the names of the fathers, of whom John writes after the children (1 John 2), and the young men who can say: When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I understood like a child, I thought like a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things (1 Cor. 13:11).

(Verse 13.) And you are adorned with gold and silver. We have often said that gold pertains to the mind, and silver to eloquence. May the Lord grant us to receive divine understanding and wisdom, and to bring forth with eloquence what we conceive in our minds, and by no means to make an idol out of them as heretics do, of whom it is written: 'I gave them silver and gold, but they made a Baal out of silver and gold' (Hosea 2:8). And this, according to spiritual understanding, is more suited to the adornment of women. Otherwise, silver, a cheaper material, is suitable for the adornment of rustic and poor maidservants, which does not befit Jerusalem, which is said to have advanced to being a queen.

And you are dressed in fine linen and embroidered cloth and many colors, 70: And your clothing is made of fine linen, embroidered with multicolored thread. The Hebrew word "Mesi" here, Theodotion has translated as "bysso" above, Aquila has translated it as "ἄνθιμον," Symmachus as "polymitum." But we have said above that "polymitum" is similar to Symmachus' translation, meaning fine linen. The LXX has translated it as "trichapta," preserving the previous interpretation, in order to show a similarity to fine hair in the clothing. But all the adornment of women is described, such as bathing, cleaning, anointing with oil, and dressing in colorful garments, wearing hyacinth on their feet, girding themselves with fine linen, wearing fine and delicate clothes, wearing bracelets and a golden necklace, hanging circles on their ears, and small wheels, wearing a diadem on their head, decorated with gold and silver. Even though silver is a cheaper material and is brought in last. You are dressed in fine linen and multicolored clothes; or, as the Septuagint translated, with a cloak and a mantle, for these things signify not only that she was adorned in her physical appearance and had all the jewelry of women, but also that she was attentive to her bed and couch with marital diligence, so that after fulfilling these things, she would come to the delights of food, and not allow anything to be lacking even in these things. We will adapt all these things according to the higher explanation of spiritual intelligence: so that they may be covered with a fine fabric and delicate, so as not to burden the delicate limbs of the spouse with a heavy load of garments, but also to provide both utility and beauty.

You have eaten both honey and oil, and you have become exceedingly beautiful. After clothing, she takes care of food, so that she may eat the honey and oil, or in parts, as many believe, or in a mixture of the three, sweeter bread, which is the bread that descended from heaven (John 6); and under three names, as some think, it indicates the sacrament of the Trinity: not that there is a different substance for each; but so that through the different names of honey, oil, and flour, the unity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit may be shown. And it should be noted that in many sacrifices, fine flour is offered, the purest part of the wheat, as it is written: And he fed them with the fat of wheat (Psalm 80:17): not barley or bran, which are only offered when the husband is moved by a spirit of jealousy. In the Book of Judges we read about Deborah (Judges 4), who is interpreted as a bee, whose prophecies are the sweetest honey, and she is related to the Holy Spirit, who is called by the Hebrews in the feminine gender, Rua. In the Gospel of the Hebrews, which the Nazarenes read, the Savior is presented speaking: 'My mother, the Holy Spirit, has taken me just now.' Furthermore, the wheat that is made into dough is related to the Lord, who says about himself, 'Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it yields much fruit' (John 12:24). And the oil, which sustains and refreshes the limbs of the weary, and is the nourishment of light, and with which the constant light of the lamp is kindled in the tabernacle of God, is said to symbolize the Father. All of these bestow grace on those who believe, as the Apostle says: There are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all (1 Corinthians 12:4-5). Whoever eats this food, and that most sweet and delightful bread, and is nourished and fed by the splendor of the oil, will be transformed into beauty and become exceedingly beautiful, not once, but repeatedly, excessively, exceedingly. For indeed, the repeated adverb adds weight to the speech: so much so that nothing can be added beyond the greatness of beauty.

And you have succeeded in the kingdom. This is not found in the Septuagint, which perhaps those in Alexandria who were translating the Scriptures from Hebrew to Greek out of fear of offending the king of Egypt did not include, while they were stating that Jerusalem was the rightful kingdom from God. Although learned men attest that they have translated only the five books of Moses (See above, chapter V). After an abundant display of ornaments, after a crown, after an abundance of gold and silver, after beautiful garments and robes, after incredible splendor, he advances to be queen, because she is the city of a great king, of whom it is written: Give your judgment to the king, and your justice to the king's son (Psalm 17:1). And in the Apocalypse of John, Jerusalem is described as a bride adorned and prepared for her husband (Rev. 21). In the Psalms also, it is said of the same: The queen stood at your right hand in a golden robe, adorned with various decorations (Ps. 44:10). But everything we say about Jerusalem, so as not to dwell on individual details and not to make the size of the books tedious for readers, let us refer to the Church. For if Jerusalem, according to the Apostle (Gal. 4), is our mother; and our mother is the Church: therefore, Jerusalem is the Church, the mother of the primitive ones who are described in heaven.

(Verse 14) And your name went out among the nations because of your beauty, for you were perfect in my splendor which I had placed upon you, says the Lord God. LXX: And your name went out among the nations in your beauty, for it was complete in the beauty which I had placed upon you, says the Lord God. Symmachus interpreted this passage more clearly: And your name went out among the nations, which was perfect because of my dignity, which I had placed upon you, says the Lord God. And this is the meaning: By my favors and my incredible generosity, you have obtained the title of queen, so that the speech of all nations would speak of you, and you would not be praised for your own merits and virtues, but for my perfect generosity. For unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain (Ps. CXXVI, 1, 2). For neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth (1 Cor. III). For it is not the one who wills or the one who runs, but the mercy of God that makes a difference (Rom. IX, 16): so that after we have done everything we are commanded to do, we may say: We are worthless servants; we have only done what we ought to have done (Luke XVII, 10). Not that by the generosity of God, free will is taken away from man, but rather that freedom itself should have the Lord as its helper.

(Verse 15) And having confidence in your beauty: you have fornicated in your name, and you have exposed your fornication to everyone passing by, so that they might become like you. A great danger, not to trust in the mercy of God, but in one's own beauty. And the higher one is, the more they should fear lest they fall and fornicate in their own name. Indeed, the adversaries despise ordinary food and desire foreign nourishment. Thus it is said of the devil: His food is choice (Habakkuk I, 16). He does not want to deceive anyone. Saul, the king chosen by the Lord, hastens to supplant Judas the apostle. Therefore, let us not trust in our own beauty, nor consider God's generosity to be our own virtue; but rather let us hear: Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring (Prov. 27:1). And in another place: Brothers, if a man is overtaken in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness, keeping watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted (Gal. 6:1). Let us not expose or pour out our fornication to every passerby, so that we may not become not of God, in whom we believe, but of the one by whom we are polluted. He who welcomes all vices, and receives into his bosom the spirit of various sins as they pass by, and spreads his legs to every passerby, he pours out his fornication, and begins to endure the dominion of the one whose guest he has become.

(Verse 16.) And taking from your garments, you made for yourself lofty things sewn on here and there, and you fornicated upon them, as it has not been done, nor will it be in the future. LXX: And you took from your garments, and you made for yourself sewn idols, and you fornicated upon them, and you will not enter, nor will it happen. Symmachus interpreted this passage as follows: And when you took from your garments, you made for yourself lofty multicolored things, and you fornicated in them, things that have not been done nor will be in the future. Pro consutis et versicoloribus et excelsis, sive idolis, Aquila et Theodotio ἐμβολίσματα transtulerunt, quod significat diversos pannos hinc inde consutos, et instar emplastri factum idolum, quasi πολύῤῥαφον vestimentum. Vestivi, inquit, te versicoloribus, et induta es bysso, et polymito, et multarum varietate formarum. Tu autem vestimenta tua quibus mealargitate donata es, tulisti: et fecisti tibi idola, vel excelsa, quae Hebraice dicuntur Bamoth (), quod numquam ante factum est, neque fiet; ut quae acceperis ad ornatum, transtuleris ad injuriam donatoris. What can be understood literally about the above Jerusalem is that it has assigned all the precepts of the Law and the abundance of riches and all things to idols, which no other nation has done or will do. For all the nations that have served idols from the beginning are not guilty of such a great crime. But our Jerusalem, which is interpreted as the vision of peace, is divided by heretics when they, taking one and another testimony of the Scriptures from their own places, try to attach them to those things with which they cannot be joined. To whom and above we read in the same prophet: Woe to those who consume pillows under every elbow hand, and make coverings over the head of the whole age (cf. XIII, 18): the Lord, prohibiting this from happening, speaks in the Gospel: No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear becomes worse. Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins (cf. Matthew IX, 16, 17). There are Nazarenes who strive to adapt the observance of the old Law to the grace of the Gospel. And all heretics attempt to impose an interpretation that agrees with their own ideas, while the Domincan tunic, which is woven throughout, cannot be torn apart, but woven by the Holy Spirit it receives no division. What is said according to the LXX, 'You shall not enter, nor shall it exist,' signifies this: when you make idols of perverse doctrines, which you consider superior, and you commit fornication with them, believing in what you yourself have fabricated, you will not be able to enter the temple of God. And your idols shall not have substance, nor shall they endure forever, as the Apostle says: For we know that there is no idol in the world (I Cor. VIII, 4).

(Verse 17) And you took the vessels of your adornment from my gold and silver, which I gave to you; and you made for yourself male images, and you committed fornication with them. According to the letter of the Lord's Law, it was commanded that incense burners, vases, candlesticks, the Ark of the Covenant, and all things golden or gilded, and other things made of silver, were to be made. All of these were made in Jerusalem and turned into idols of Baal, Baalim, Chemosh, Ashtaroth, and Milcom. According to spiritual understanding, we make idols out of gold and silver from the Holy Scriptures when we corrupt the grace of perception and eloquence with heretical perversity, and we set our mouth in heaven, while our tongue reaches to the earth. The images in which every heresy commits fornication are called masculine, because each one thinks they are worshipping the most powerful and possessing what they have imagined, and that it cannot be subverted by any attack. These are the images that we have created in our hearts, and which are to be destroyed in the heavenly Jerusalem, of which the Prophet pronounces: Lord, in your city you will scatter their image (Ps. LXXII, 20). For whoever is a man and has lost the name of God, it is said of him: Nevertheless, man walks in an image, nevertheless he is troubled in vain (Ps. XXXVIII, 7). But we have one man, and we worship one image, which is the image of the invisible and omnipotent God.

(Verse 18) And you took your multicolored garments and covered them: masculine images are understood: so that every form that he had received for use, he would turn into blasphemy. But we do this whenever we surround heretical depravity with prudence, temperance, fortitude, justice, and all virtues, and under the guise of these, we deceive even the simple; so that seeing the sweet honey of virtues, they do not beware of the poison of vices.


And you have set my oil and my incense before them. And you have set my bread (or as the Septuagint translated, my loaves) which I gave to you; fine flour, and oil, and honey, with which I nourished you, you have set them before them as a sweet-smelling aroma. The oil of which we have spoken above, and the incense, or the offering, of which the Psalmist proclaims: Let my prayer be directed as incense before you (Ps. 140:2); and the bread of the Presence, which we are commanded to offer to God: also the fine flour, the purest meaning of the Scriptures, and the honey, which Jonathan tasted, and his eyes were opened and he was strengthened (1 Sam. 14), miserable Jerusalem set before idols, or before male images, so that they might be for them a sweet-smelling aroma, which by their nature are sweetest and most pleasant: but while they are offered to idols and false doctrines, they are turned into bitterness.

(Vers. 20 seqq.) And it came to pass, says the Lord God, that you took your sons and your daughters, whom you bore to me, and you sacrificed them to be devoured. Is your fornication of little consequence, sacrificing my sons? And you gave them to consecrate them. And after all your abominations and fornications, you did not remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and full of confusion, trampled in your own blood. LXX: And it came to pass after these things, says the Lord God, that you took your sons and your daughters, whom you have borne, and sacrificed them to be consumed, as though you have acted like a whore in doing so. And you killed your sons and offered them up to them, that is, above all your whorings and abominations, and you did not remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and exposed; you lived in your own blood. That their sons and daughters of Jerusalem, of whom it is written, 'I have begotten and exalted sons,' they themselves have despised me (Isa. I, 2); the holy Scripture recounts that they have sacrificed their sons and daughters to idols (Ps. CV, 37). And again: 'They have shed innocent blood' (Ibid., 38), the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan (Exod. IV, 22). But he calls them according to the Hebrew. For he himself had said of them: My firstborn son Israel. Or according to the Seventy, your offspring which you conceived through fornication. But in that place where we have placed them, and you have given them by consecrating them, for which the Seventy have translated, and you have given them to appease, or to atone, Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion have placed, you have translated and led them: because the pagans either cause their children to pass through fire, or compel them to cross over, whether they are infants or adults. When you do these things, she said, you do not remember your infancy, when I carried you covered in blood and washed you, and after many things that prophetic speech narrated, I united myself to you. Also, our Jerusalem, if it is supplanted by heretical deception, takes away her sons, who are stronger in faith, and daughters who do not have such great strength of faith. Or indeed sons, who know mystical things: daughters who follow a simple history; and delivers them to be devoured by demons, and when she kills them, she believes she is giving them life, and appeasing the idols, with whose slaughter they are satiated. And what is said according to the Septuagint, that is, over all your fornication and abominations, it signifies that the doctrine of demons is worse than all sins and fornications: indeed, it will kill the ones whom it had begotten for God either with much effort or had made them its own sons, whom it had generated in fornication.