Jerome

(Vers. 14 seqq.) And the Lord will scatter from Israel the head and the tail, the bend and the corrupt in one day. The venerable and honorable, he is the head; and the Prophet teaching falsehood, he is the tail. And there will be those who call this people blessed, deceiving, and those who are called blessed, being cast down. Therefore, the Lord will not rejoice over his young men, and will not have mercy on his orphans and widows, for every hypocrite is wicked, and every mouth has spoken foolishness. In all these things his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. For wickedness is kindled as a fire: it shall devour the brier and the thorn, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest, and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke. Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts is the land darkened, and the people shall be as the fuel of the fire: no man shall spare his brother. And he shall snatch on the right hand, and be hungry; and he shall eat on the left hand, and they shall not be satisfied: they shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm. Manasses Ephraim, and Ephraim Manassen, together they are against Judah. In all these things, his fury is not turned away, but his hand is still stretched out. Not only will the Lord raise up adversaries against him, and turn his enemies into turmoil, Syria from the East and the Philistines from the West, to devour Israel with their whole mouth, but because he has not turned back to the one striking him, nor has he sought the Lord of hosts, he will extend his hand to strike, to destroy the head and the tail, the one perverting what is right (Jeremiah 2). He himself, the long-lived and honorable one, has interpreted who is the head. And he says that the tail is the Prophet who teaches falsehood, that is, the false prophet. He spoke about the rulers and now he joins together the nobles and the common people, so that both the teachers and the disciples, the learned and the ignorant masses, should equally obey. For those who called the people blessed are deceivers; and those who were called blessed, not because of their virtue, but because of their gifts, will be thrown into death. And above, we read: My people, who call you blessed, deceive you and overthrow the paths of your feet (Isa. III, 12). In such a people, God will have no mercy on anyone: not the orphans, not the widows, because every hypocrite is one who pretends one thing and does another: promising chastity and living luxuriously, preferring poverty and filling their pockets. From where he connects and says: And the whole mouth has spoken foolishness. Because of all these things, the Lord does not cease to be angry, but still raises His hand to strike. And because they have done these things, impiety will be kindled like fire, so that it devours not the cultivated field, but thorns and thistles; not fruitful trees, but a barren wilderness, in which beasts dwell, and the consuming flame snatches away. Therefore, it is said that the density of the wilderness, with fire placed underneath, is twisted by the smoke of pride and height. For everything that is exalted and rises high can be called proud. For unknowingly desiring something, the seventy translated: and it will devour all things around the hills. From hence, the earth trembled at the anger of the Lord, and the people became fuel for the fire, because there was such cruelty in them, that they spared not even the dearest name of brotherhood, but forsaking and despising the right hand, they were satiated with the things that were on the left: while enduring hunger for pleasures and evils, and always desiring to join worse things with bad ones. Moreover, Manasseh and Ephraim, who were born of the same mother and from the same parent, erupted into such rage that they clashed with each other in hostile hatred. Let us read the volumes of Kings and Chronicles, and we will find civil wars among the people of Samaria, as they fought for different kings, and how, with their own kings killed, they surrendered to the conquest of Judah. According to the allegory, the Lord will remove both the head and the tail, the greater and the lesser. Calling them tails, not humans, but beasts, reveals that heretics use this member to protect their excrement and to repel small animals. And it joins together and distorts the head and the tail, which subvert the precepts of the law and pervert the straight way. It will also destroy the long-lived one, because it is the head, and the false prophet who is placed in the tail, and both teachers and disciples; some who praise sinners for their gifts: others who do not feel their own evils praised, nor do they repent. Because of this, the Lord will not rejoice in their youths. Woe to the city whose king is a youth! And those who have lost the true God the Father or Lord will not obtain mercy. For every heretic is a hypocrite, doing one thing and pretending another, and whatever he speaks, although it may seem to be wisdom, is foolishness. Because of these things, He stretches out His hand to punish, and like a voracious flame, He will consume all their impieties, like thorns. And words without virtues, which are compared to a fruitless jump, will be enveloped in the smoke of pride. For their punishment, the whole earth will quake, and the deceived peoples will be handed over to eternal fires, because for the sake of shameful gain, they do not spare even their own, but eagerly seize plunder from the deceived peoples, leaving behind their possessions and dwelling in the worst things. And although they always find the left path, they are never satisfied with their own errors, devouring the flesh of their own arm and fighting against the Church with equal zeal. Because of luxury and pleasures and the pursuit of wealth, people among themselves have discord, so that from one heresy two are made, and again they themselves are divided into factions, to lead away their own flocks and devour the homes of widows and sinful women, always learning but never coming to the knowledge of the truth (2 Timothy 3). In all these things, the wrath of the Lord does not turn away, consuming vices and overturning; but as much as they excel in sinning, so much more does He extend His hand for punishment.

(Chapter X—1 onwards) — Woe to those who establish unjust laws and write injustice, in order to oppress the poor in judgment and to do violence to the cause of the humble people of my nation, so that widows may be their prey and they may plunder the orphans. What will you do on the day of visitation and the calamity that comes from afar? To whom will you flee for help? And where will you leave your glory? Do not be bent down under a chain and fall among the slain. His rage is not turned away, but his hand is still stretched out. Most people still believe that these things are said against the ten tribes who lived in Samaria, because they too joined in the previous crimes. But to us it seems that the prophetic word is crying out against the judges of the tribe of Judah and Jerusalem, namely the Scribes and the Pharisees, because they have written unjust laws against God's law and have undermined the truth of justice with their traditions. For God says: Honor your father and mother (Exodus XX, 12); but they, on the contrary, advised children to say to their parents: Whatever gift you might have received from me, it will be helpful to you, so that they would not honor (Al. honor) their father and mother (Matthew XV, 5, 6; Mark VII, 11), and similar things. Therefore, they wrote wicked laws in order to oppress the poor and lowly people, to plunder widows, and to prey upon orphans. Those who are asked what they will do, when the day of either captivity or judgment comes, and the calamity from afar, which was foretold long before. To whom, he says, will you flee for help, when you offend God, who is the true helper, and where will you leave your glory? For riches will not profit on the day of wrath, lest the Assyrian lead the bound into a hostile land, lest you fall in battle (Proverbs 11:4). And finally, just as he had often said against Samaria in the previous episodes: In all these things his anger is not turned away, but still his hand is stretched out, even against Judah, because there is no end to their evil (or malice); even in the enemy territory of the Lord, the sword pursues them. According to the allegory, every heretic writes injustice in order to deceive the poor and humble people, and to plunder widows and orphans. For indeed, the wealthy person, of whom we read: 'The redemption of the soul of a man is his own wealth' (Prov. XIII, 8), does not endure threat, nor is he easily captured by them. But the poor person, who is humble and small among the people, is easily scandalized by them. Likewise, the widow who has lost her husband and the orphan who has lost his Creator, of whom it is written: 'You have forsaken God who begot you, and have forgotten the God who brought you up' (Deut. XXXII, 18), are easily overthrown. So what will they do on the day of judgment, when they have deceived so many and the calamity from afar is coming? Just as it is said to the righteous man, 'The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart' (Rom. X, 8); and in another place: 'The kingdom of God is within you' (Luke XVII, 2); so the calamity of the heretics will come from afar, prepared for them in due time. To whom will they flee, when they have a false god? To whom will they give their glory, when everything is feigned? And they will not be able to escape the bond by which they have bound many. Therefore, even in the vision of the valley of Zion, which has been deserted by the height of God and deceived by heretical humility, it is said of the false masters of the name of knowledge: All your leaders have fled, and those who have been captured are tightly bound (Isaiah 22:3). And although they may fall with each one being killed, and perish in the death of others, and suffer greatly, and the day of visitation will come, there will be no end to their destruction, but they will always tremble at the hand of the Lord that is impending upon them. Until now, there has been a threat from God against ten and a half tribes, that is, against Samaria and Jerusalem, which began during the reign of Achaz. Two and a half tribes were captured under his rule, and the remaining tribes were captured under Hezekiah, who succeeded Achaz as king (2 Kings 16:17). The following prophecy is written against the Assyrians.

(Verse 5 and following) Woe to Assyria, the rod of my anger, and the staff in their hands is my fury. I will send him against a deceitful nation, and I will command him against the people of my wrath, to take the spoil and seize the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. But he does not understand this, and his heart does not take it to heart, but his purpose is to destroy and cut off nations. For my princes are not also kings? Is not Charcamis like Chalanno, and Arphad like Emath? Is not Damascus like Samaria? Just as my hand found the kingdoms of idols, so too their images from Jerusalem and Samaria. Shall I not do to Jerusalem and its idols what I did to Samaria and its idols? Let us put here the translation of the Septuagint, which differs in many ways from the Hebrew. LXX: Woe to the Assyrians: the rod of my anger is in their hands, I will send my wrath against a wicked nation, and I will command my people to plunder and loot, and to trample down cities and reduce them to dust. But he did not think so, and did not intend it that way; rather, his purpose is to destroy, and to annihilate many nations. And if they say to him: You alone are the ruler, he will reply: I did not conquer the region above Babylon, and Chalane, where the tower was built. But I came to Arabia, and Damascus, and Samaria: just as I brought these, so I will take all the kingdoms. Howl, statues in Jerusalem and Samaria; for just as I did to Samaria and its idols, so I will do to Jerusalem and its images. First, it must be known that in Hebrew there is no 'Chalane,' but 'Chalanno' (). For the last letter of this name is not 'Iod,' as they believed, but 'Vau,' which letters differ in size only. However, the tower was built in the plain of Shinar, where there were Erech, Akkad, and Calneh, and Babylon, which received its name from the confusion of languages (Genesis 11). However, in Hebrew, Arabia is not mentioned, but rather Hamath, which the Syrians still call Epiphania. They also added idols in Jerusalem of their own accord. And that which is written above: If they say to him, 'You alone are the prince,' he will answer, 'I did not take that region, and that one, but I took Arabia, and Damascus, and Samaria.' This suggests the meaning: When, he says, the Assyrians who were captured say, 'You are the prince of all,' he, still feeling weak, will answer, 'How do you call me prince, when I have only taken Arabia, and Damascus, and Samaria, and the distant nations beyond Babylon have not yet submitted to my rule?' But just as I captured Arabia, Damascus, and Samaria, I will subdue all kingdoms to me. Let us now turn to Hebrew and write down briefly what we think. Woe to the Assyrians, that is, Sennacherib, for he is the rod and staff of my fury. In his hand is my indignation, and through him I will strike down the deceitful nation that has always cowered between me and idols, that has lied about obeying my commands. I will command him against my furious people, to plunder and loot them, and to reduce them to dust and trample them like mud in the streets. That is, to strike them but not kill them, to wound them but not take their lives. But he extended the scope of my anger and not only raged against Israel, against whom it had been directed, but he also ravaged many nations, so that he wore out all the kingdoms around, and his sword raged even against the destruction of many nations. For he rose up in pride, and dared to say: My commanders are the kings of other nations, and they are subject to me, they will rule over all nations. Just as I took (conquered) Carcamis, so I also took (conquered) Chalanne; just as I obtained Arphad, so I also obtained Emath; just as I took (conquered) Damascus, so I also subjugated Samaria. Just as I have conquered the other kingdoms that worshiped idols, I will also bring Jerusalem and Samaria, where the same idols are worshiped, under my control. Just as I have taken Samaria with its idols, I will also capture Jerusalem, because they worship the same gods. Additionally, we have added 70 cities from the region beyond Babylon, including Chalane where the tower was built, completely abandoning Arphad. According to their translation and tropology, as long as it is pious, we can infer freedom from the fact that he says, 'And I will command my people to take the spoils and the plunder, and to trample on cities and reduce them to dust.' We can also interpret this to mean that every day the Lord commands his people to reduce to dust the cities of the adversaries that rise up against the knowledge of God and have been built by the excessive labor of heretics, and to demonstrate that they are nothing. One who understands the weakness of the human heart, and that being encompassed by mortal flesh, cannot have perfect victory over virtues, nor can all nations accept it, even though others may admire and say: You alone are the leader, will respond to them: There are many things which I must destroy, and yet I have not been able to destroy them: I know that I do not know. And although I have overcome many arguments of adversaries, there are still many that must be overcome. At the same time, with hope for the future, he promises himself victory from the things he has overcome and also from the others. The idols of Jerusalem and Samaria are ordered to howl, not the ones that are fake, but those who made them, metaphorically those who made them, through the things that were made, so that not only those who fabricated idols in heresies, but also those who defend falsehood in the Church out of ignorance, may testify that they have erred with howling and repentance.

(Verses 12-14.) And it shall come to pass, when the Lord has completed all his works on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, that I will visit the fruit of the noble heart of the king of Assyria, and upon the glory of the height of his eyes. For he said, 'By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom I have understood it. I have removed the boundaries of the peoples, and have plundered their princes. I have brought down the inhabitants as if they were mighty. My hand has found the wealth of the peoples, as one gathers eggs that are abandoned. I have gathered the whole earth, and there was no one who moved a wing or opened his mouth to chirp.' They have interpreted the LXX for profit, meaning, or great understanding. After the captivity of Samaria and the victory of the Assyrians, and the threat against Jerusalem, because they imitated the idols of Samaria, they should be punished with a similar sentence; now against Assyria itself, which has become proud and thought its own strength was what led to victory, the Prophet speaks. For the Assyrian, boasting with swelling pride, said that with the strength of his hands he has conquered all nations and has possessed the borders with incredible wisdom. And according to the LXX, he was of such great power, that he completely destroyed cities of warlike men, and seized the entire world as if it were a nest, and he turned the abandoned eggs from their mothers into his prey. And since he had once taken the metaphor from birds, nests, and eggs, he kept it in the rest, saying: There was no one who would move a feather, and open their mouth, and squawk. Such was the terror of my strength and victory, that even the conquered could not freely reveal their weeping and groaning. There are those who generally believe that these things are said against the kingdom of the Assyrians because after the Lord completes all his works on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, that is, after Jerusalem has been overthrown, the empire of the Assyrians will be destroyed. However, from what follows, the threat seems to be specifically against King Sennacherib of Assyria. When it says, 'After the Lord completes all his works on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,' it does not signify the destruction of the city, but rather the siege, when the commander Rabsaces came with Sennacherib, and did those things which the same Prophet recounts later on (Isai. XXXVII, 17). According to tropology, when Samaria and Jerusalem endure the anger of the Lord and realize that they have erred in the making of idols, then great understanding will be destroyed, the Assyrian, who is swollen with such pride against the Lord, thinking that all things will yield to his wisdom, and that every lofty doctrine and fortified dialectical art must be shaken and utterly destroyed; to such an extent that they are unable to rise up high like the fledglings of birds, and are not yet animate, but rather inanimate and sluggish, as the example of eggs demonstrates, not even able to chirp or move their tongues against the reason and strength of their speech.

(Verse 15.) Will the axe boast against the one who hews with it, or the saw exalt itself against the one who draws it? As if a rod should raise itself against the one who lifts it, or a staff should exalt itself, which is only wood. In response to Sennacherib, or as many believe, Nebuchadnezzar, boasting and saying: 'By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom, for I have understanding,' the holy Prophet replied: 'O most foolish of mortals, do you think God's wrath is your wisdom, and His command is your strength?' How can an axe boast against the one who wields it, or a saw against the one who draws it? And let them say, all the works done by the axe and the saw are perfected by their own skill. And if someone lifts a staff and raises a stick to strike whoever they desire, and that staff and stick boast, saying that they themselves have struck the one who was struck: in the same way, when you are an instrument of God's will, you elevate yourself in pride and glory in everything that is done as your own virtue. But whatever is said to be Assyrian can also be referred to the pride of heretics and to the devil, who is called an axe, a saw, and a rod in the Scriptures, because through him unfruitful trees are cut down and divided, and the hardness of unbelievers is sawn, and those who do not receive discipline are struck with a rod. The heretics, whose mouth is set against heaven and whose tongue stretches to the ground, twist the meaning they have received from God in a good way and use it for the opposite and perverse, so that they speak against the one by whom they were created, and they turn the ministry of tongues, by which the Lord is to be praised, into blasphemy (Psalm 72).

(Verse 16 and following) Therefore, the Lord of hosts will send wasting sickness among his fat ones, and under his glory a burning will be kindled like the burning of fire. And the light of Israel will become a fire, and his Holy One a flame, and it will burn and devour his thorns and briers in one day. The glory of his forest and of his fruitful land the Lord will destroy, both soul and body, and it will be as when a sick man wastes away. And the remaining trees of his forest will be so few that a child can write them down. Because you have done these things and have spoken what I have told you above, therefore the Lord will send His Angel, and in one night one hundred eighty-five thousand of your army will die, so that the most powerful ones, whom He calls fat, will be reduced to thinness and nothingness. And as the Hebrews relate, the bodies of the Assyrians, with their untouched clothing, will be consumed by hidden fire. Then the light of Israel and the holy one, that is, the angel, will be in fire and flame, and all the thorns and brambles of the Assyrians, that is, their wickedness, will be consumed, not over a long time, but in one day and moment. And just as the forest-covered mountain of Carmel, which is located in Galilee, quickly burns when fire is placed underneath it, so too will all the glory of the Assyrians be consumed, from humans to animals. Then the plundered army will flee, as the Prophet testifies in what follows, and from such an innumerable multitude that was compared to Carmel and the forest, it will come to such a small number that even a little child will be able to count and describe them. For the Hebrews report that only ten of his army remained; some of ours say that this king is a type of hostile strength. And just as in the book of Daniel (Chapter X) we read about the rulers of the Persian kingdom, and the kingdom of the Medes, and the kingdom of the Greeks, so there is also a ruler of the Assyrians, who is called the great prince because of the pride of his understanding, and on the day of judgment he will be delivered to the fires of Gehenna, which are prepared for the devil and his angels. And the light of Israel, which is the Lord himself, will set fire to the thorns and thistles of Assyria, and will reduce all its power and countless people to nothingness. Then, terrified by this, they will want to avoid the imminent punishment like a twisted and fleeing snake. However, those who can escape from his leap and confusion, and from the burning wood, are considered worthy to be numbered and described by the boy whose authority is on his shoulders. This itself can also be referred to the heretics: that after the Church's teaching has shone forth, and all their disciples have been exposed, then they come to such great solitude, that only a few remain who follow their error, from the jump and unfruitful trees and their countless multitude, which they deceived by heretical fraud. Because what we translate, the Lord will send thinness in her fatness, LXX translated, the Lord will send dishonor in your honor. And because we have said: and his saints in the flame, they have turned: and he will sanctify him in fire: by which some understand that punishments and torments are applied to sinners, in order to be purged by the divine fire. And what we have said: And the glory of his forest, and of his Carmel: they have interpreted: The mountains, and hills, and forests shall be extinguished, by which all the glory, pride, and multitude of the Assyrians shall be humbled and extinguished.

(Verse 20 onwards) And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel shall no more stay upon him that smote them, but shall stay upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God. For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return: the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness. For the Lord God of hosts will make a consummation and an abbreviation in the midst of all the land. As it is said in Greek: The remnant of Jacob will return to the mighty God, for the mighty God, in Hebrew it is written El Gibbor (), two names out of the six names by which we read the little child and son, who is given to us, is called. And because it is written: The remnant will return, in Hebrew it is said in the singular number, that which is left will return, that is, τὸ ὑπόλειμμα ἐπιστρέψει, in Hebrew it is written Sar Jasub (). And from this occasion of conversation, they believe that the son of Isaiah, named Jasub, preceded as a sign of salvation for the people of Israel. Therefore, when the light of Israel, and the holy forest of Carmel, and the thorn bush are consumed, and the Assyrian king flees with a few, then the remaining people of Israel, who were besieged in Jerusalem with King Hezekiah as their leader, will by no means rely on the Assyrian king, as they now do under King Ahaz, who sent messengers to the king of Assyria saying, 'I am your servant, go up and free me from the hand of the king of Syria and from the hand of the king of Israel, who have risen against me' (2 Kings 16:7). When he brought gold and silver, which were found in the treasuries of the house of the Lord and in the royal palace, and sent gifts to the king of Assyria, he listened to him and went to Damascus, captured it, and deported Rasin. But having been freed from the Assyrian oppressor, who had previously been a friend and later an enemy, let them rely and have confidence in the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, not falsely as they did under previous kings, but in truth. What we read about under Hezekiah: that, having abandoned idols, they turned to the worship of God. And because he had said that the remnants must be saved, he moves on to later times and says that full salvation will come under Christ. This is also what the apostle Paul, understanding this, writes to the Romans: But Isaiah cries out for Israel: If the number of the children of Israel is like the sand of the sea, the remnants will be saved. For the word is consuming and shortening in righteousness, because the Lord will make a short word upon the earth (Rom. IX, 27). And as Isaiah said: Unless the Lord of hosts had left us seed, we would have been made like Sodom, and we would have been like Gomorrah (Isaiah 1:9). Therefore, when such great authority precedes, let all other interpretation cease. And truly, if we read Josephus (Book X, Chapter 2), and consider how great was the multitude of people in Jerusalem and in Judea when the Lord suffered, we understand that only a few among the Apostles and Apostolic men were saved from the Jews. But the Gospel is an abbreviated and perfected discourse, which, instead of all the burdensome ceremonies of the Law, gave a very brief precept of love and faith, that we should not do to others what we would not want done to us. Hence, the Lord in the Gospel said: 'On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets' (Matthew 22:40). Some refer this chapter to the time when a certain part of the people returned to Judah under Zerubbabel son of Salatiel, and Joshua son of Josedech, and Ezra, and Nehemiah. We will respond to those by not preserving the order of history, especially since what follows is not against the Babylonians, whose king was Nebuchadnezzar, but against Sennacherib, king of the Assyrians.

(v. 24 seqq.) Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts: Do not fear, my people who dwell in Zion, from Assyria, who shall strike you with a rod and lift up his staff against you, as the Egyptians did. For yet a little while and my indignation will be fulfilled and my anger will be directed towards their wickedness. And the Lord of hosts will raise a whip against them, as he did against Midian at the rock of Oreb, and his staff against the sea, and he will lift it up in the manner of the Egyptians. And it shall come to pass in that day: his burden shall be taken away from your shoulder, and his yoke from your neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing oil. Regarding the stone, which in Hebrew is interpreted as Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion put the Hebrew word Sur Oreb. Regarding this, the LXX interpreted as the place of tribulation, about which we will say in its proper place. It seems difficult to you, O inhabitant of Zion, that while all the surrounding nations are subjugated by the Assyrians, you alone would be liberated from their hands. Listen to what I say: do not be afraid, my people, because you will be captured by Assyria when it conquers. For in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah's reign (2 Kings 18), Sennacherib, the Assyrian king, will come to attack all the fortified cities of Judah and capture them. He will send his commander-in-chief, Rabshakeh, to terrify the besieged people of Jerusalem. However, you should know that he will not strike you with a sword, but with a rod. He will march against King Tirhakah of Ethiopia, the Egyptians, and the Red Sea by way of Egypt. He will only raise his staff against you, and he will not be able to strike you. For a little while longer, I will return from Egypt with an infinite multitude of army and wishing to besiege you, I will immediately strike with my indignation, and I will raise that whip, which once I used against the Midianites under Gideon (Judges 7), who was also called Jerubbaal. When Oreb and Zebah, the leaders of the Midianites, were killed on a very hard rock, that is, flint, which is called Sur in Hebrew, so that from the rock and from the king who was killed on it, the place received the name Rock of Oreb. So he shall lift up his rod over the Red Sea, going against the Ethiopians, and he shall lift it up again on his return to you by the way of Egypt; but as soon as he comes from Egypt, the burden shall be taken away from your shoulders and the yoke of his rule shall be removed, and you shall cease to serve. This yoke, that is, the power of the Assyrians, will decay in the presence of oil, that is, the mercy of God. We can also understand what he said: 'He shall strike you with a rod and shall lift up his staff over you on the way to Egypt.' And again: 'He shall lift up his rod over the sea and he shall lift it up on the way to Egypt.' This can also be understood as why he struck many from the tribe of Judah and captured cities around the kingdom of Jerusalem, because they had put their trust not in God, but in the Egyptians. Then Rabsaces taunts them, saying: Behold thou trustest upon the reed upon Egypt; upon which if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it. (IV Kings 18:21) So is Pharao king of Egypt to all that trust in him. The history also of the Madianites is written in the book of Judges (Judges 7), which we read also in the psalm: Make their princes like Oreb, and Zeb, and Zebbee, and Salmana (Psalm 82:11-12). Therefore those who believe that it signifies the time when in the book of Numbers (Chap. 25) the Midianites killed by Israel are referred to from the desert of Sur to the mountain of God, Horeb, with which time they were not on Mount Horeb, but in the desert of Shittim. According to the anagoge, it is commanded to the people dwelling in the Church not to fear their adversaries, who are always ready for battle, and have overturned many souls with their disputes. For this reason, they can receive only a little power against the people of God, and not strike with a sword, but with a rod, that is, not to kill, but to threaten, because they have walked in the way of Egypt and have not trusted in the Lord. But when they have returned to God and have left the path of Egypt, then the scourge of God is to be raised up by judgment against the adversaries. For Midian is interpreted as meaning 'by judgment,' so that with the breath of his mouth and the oil of mercy the yoke of the enemies may decay.

(Verse 28 and following) He will come to Aiath, he will pass through Migron: at Machmas he will deposit his baggage. They went with haste to Geba, our city (or as we find elsewhere written: they stayed at the lodging place); Ramah was astonished, Gibeah of Saul fled. Cry out with your voice, daughter of Gallim; listen, Laishah, poor Anathoth: Medemena has taken flight; the inhabitants of Gebim, gather yourselves together. There is still a day, to stand at Nob: he will shake his hand against the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem. LXX: For He will come into the city of Aggai, and will pass through Mageddo: and in Machmas He will set His vessels: and He will pass through the valley, and will come into Aggai. Fear shall seize Rama, the city of Saul: the daughter of Gallim shall flee: listen, O Laisa: there shall be heard in Anathot: Medemena will be astonished, and the inhabitants of Gebim. Comfort yourselves today along the way, that He may remain: comfort the mountain of the daughter of Zion, and the hill of Jerusalem. In this place, the LXX differs greatly from the Hebrew: for this reason, we have included both editions, so that, with the inspiration of Christ, we may express what seems to us in each. He is describing the prophetic speech of the Assyrian about his journey and return from Egypt to Jerusalem, and how he will come with great noise and speed to attack the city. And first, he says, he will come to Aiath, where, due to excessive haste, he will not want to stay and will pass through to Magron, and he will have such confidence in capturing the city that he will leave his luggage at Machmas, as if he will quickly return after the city is destroyed. After leaving his luggage, he will pass through quickly and will have a resting place in Geba, where he will stay for a short time to revive his tired army, and the nearby city of Ramah will be terrified, and the city of Gibeah, once the city of Saul, will flee. Then both Gallim's daughter, who is called Beth Gallim in Hebrew, will wail so loudly that you would think it is the neighing of horses. Therefore, oh Laisa, whether you are poor or obedient, or humble Anathoth (for it can be interpreted in three ways), pay close attention and declare the approaching onslaught, if you can; for the city of Medemena has already migrated from its dwelling places. But you who dwell in the hills, which are interpreted as Gebim, be reassured by the safety of your elevated location, that is, take up arms. So far, only the end of the day remained, as he stood in the small town of Nob, overlooking the city of Jerusalem. He waved his hand and shook it over Mount Zion, either looking down on it with disdain and contempt, or insulting and threatening it, and marveling that such a small city would dare to resist his power, with the entire East under his control. These things, according to the Hebrews, as they have been handed down to us, we have briefly described. Now let us present what the Ecclesiastical men of the Seventy have to say about this passage. When the yoke of Assyria, or as some wrongly believe, the Babylonians, is removed from your shoulders and corrupted, the Assyrian Sennacherib, fleeing with a few remnants, will come to Aggai, which is not found in Hebrew. And there will be such trembling of the fugitive that he will not dare to stay there, but will pass through to Mageddo, which is not mentioned in Scripture itself. And because he will not be able to flee more quickly burdened with his baggage, he will deposit his vessels in Machmas and swiftly pass through the valley, which the Hebrew language does not even mention; and he will come again to Aggai, which is mentioned twice in this place and is not found in Hebrew. At the sound of his flight, Rama, the city of Saul, will tremble, which is clearly false. For the city of Saul is called Gaba, as is stated in Hebrew. Then he will come to Gallim; Laisa will hear, Anathoth will hear, Medemena will tremble. But the inhabitants of Gebim and the hills, which are in Jerusalem, that is, the lofty and mighty men, will be stirred up to console Jerusalem: not long afterwards, but at present, and on the same day while the Assyrian is on the way; so they may remain in their places, and, disturbed by fear, in no way flee. This word for word. However, some in this place, when they cannot find false names according to the etymology of the Septuagint, nor can they find themselves in the book of Hebrew Names, send us to uncertainty, so that they say that in the end of the world and in the consummation of this age, with impending punishments, the great meaning, the prince of the Assyrians, will flee; and desiring to escape from the anger of God, they will travel through different places and various destinations. And when he flees, let the inhabitants of Gebim, that is, the lofty virtues, be urged by prophetic speech to console the one fleeing and to teach them not to flee but to stay on the path and await the mercy of God; and not only to console the one fleeing or to recall the daughter of Zion from mourning and to provoke her to the salvation of repentance, but also to be these hills in Jerusalem of which we read in the later part of this prophet: Comfort, comfort my people, says the priests; speak to the heart of Jerusalem (Isa. XL, 1). He said this because he was bound by the truth of the matter and had nothing else to say.

Behold the Lord of hosts will break the jar in terror, and the lofty stature will be cut down, and the exalted will be brought low, and the dense forests will be destroyed by the sword, and Lebanon with its heights will fall. Some people think that this passage is still speaking of the Assyrians, and that when they are crushed, all the nations around them that were subject to their rule will be cut down and humbled, and the dense forests will be destroyed. They understand this metaphorically as referring to the people and rulers. Moreover, even Lebanon with its lofty cedars can fall, so that no power of Assyria remains at all. But others want this place to be about Christ, especially since what follows, and we ourselves, and the Circumcision Scriptures, testify about him. Above, it was mentioned that the name of the child to be born of a Virgin would be called Emmanuel; and later the prophetess in her conception in the womb would proclaim, 'Hurry, plunder, hasten to prey' (Isa. 8:3), and he himself would be a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense to the two houses of Israel; his dominion would be on his shoulder, and he would be called by six names: Wonderful, Counselor, God, Strong, Father of the future age, and Prince of peace; and his empire would multiply, and there would be no end to peace. Now in the prologue of his coming, before it is said that he will be born of the descendants of Jesse and David, the passion of him is demonstrated through the symbol of the broken vessel: that, by the will of God, his flesh was handed over to death so that the pride of the Jews may be destroyed and those who were once lofty may fall to the ground; and Lebanon with its cedars may be cut down, of which we read in Zachariah: Open your gates, O Lebanon, and let fire devour your cedars; wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen, because the noble have been devastated (Zach. XI, 1, 2). But that he is said to be contrite and struck by the Father, and that is indicated by this: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered (Zech. XIII, 7). And another testimony: For they have persecuted him whom you have struck (Ps. LXVIII, 2). The Hebrew word פורע (Phura), which Aquila has interpreted as κεραμεῖον, and Theodotion and Symmachus translated as ληνὸν, that is, winepress, which also signifies the Lord's Passion according to the inscription of three psalms, with the Lord himself saying in Isaiah: I have trodden the winepress alone, and no man of the nations was with me (Isa. LXIII, 3). However, they interpreted LXX as meaning 'for the wine press,' introducing a new sense.

What Scripture once said cryptically, however, it now expresses more clearly: “for the glorious trees are ruined.” I want to know what is meant by the cedars of Lebanon that burned, the firs that wailed and the pines that fell. “The glorious trees,” it says, “are ruined.” “Wail, oaks of Bashan,” that is, of confusion and shame, for the thickest forest, which in Hebrew is called besor and is translated by the Septuagint as “densely wooded” [nemorosus], has been felled. In other words, wail because the temple, which had grown to unassailable strength, having been constructed by many different kings and rulers and later by Herod, was demolished by the invading Romans.Certain persons not familiar with this locale believe that Lebanon and the firs, pines and oaks, as well as Bashan and the dense or fortified forests, signify the competing powers of which Ezekiel had spoken under the names of Assyria and Pharaoh. “Behold, Assyria is a cedar in Lebanon, with strong branches and dense foliage, of great height, with its top reaching to the clouds; the waters nourished it and the abyss exalted it,” etc. They think that Assyria and the Pharaoh represent either competing powers or the proud or rulers, about which we read also in the psalms. “The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars, the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon,” and in another place, “For the Lord of hosts has a day against all that is proud and lofty, against all that is lifted up and high,” and shortly further “against all the cedars of Lebanon, lofty and lifted up.” They claim that it was to this, the nation of Lebanon, that it was prophesied: “Lebanon with its majestic trees will fall.”
We, however, hold to the first interpretation, primarily because it corresponds with what follows: “The voice of the shepherds wails because their glory is ruined; the voice of the lions roars because the pride of Jordan is ruined.” According to the Septuagint’s translation, “The voice of the shepherds mourns because their glory has been made wretched; the voice of the lions roars because Jordan’s groaning is despondent.” The whole of the chapter is contained in these short verses. What the text once called cedars, firs, pines and the oaks of Bashan, what it called trees, as in “for the glorious trees are ruined,” it now, through the use of another metaphor, calls shepherds, that is, rulers and teachers. These, the leaders of the people, ought to weep and grieve because their glory and majesty and beauty are ruined and destroyed, clearly referring to the temple in which they gloried.

Until the beginning of the vision, or the burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amos saw, his entire prophecy was about Christ, a prophecy that we want to explain piecemeal lest the ideas and discussions thereof together confuse the reader’s memory. The Jews interpreted the branch and the flower from the root of Jesse to be the Lord himself because the power of his governance is demonstrated in the branch and his beauty in the flower. But we understand the branch from the root of Jesse to be the holy Virgin Mary, who had no shoot connatural to herself. About her we read above: “Behold, a virgin will conceive and bear a son.” And the flower is the Lord our Savior, who said in the Song of Songs, “I am the flower of the field and the lily of the valleys.” In place of “root,” which only the Septuagint translated, the Hebrew text has geza, which Aquila and Symmachus and Theodotus interpret as kormon, that is, “stem.” And they translated “flower,” which the Hebrew text calls nēṣer, as “bud” to show that after a long time in Babylonian captivity, no longer possessing any glory from the sprout of the old kingdom of David, Christ would rise from Mary as though from her stem. The educated of the Hebrews believe that what all the ecclesiastics sought in the Gospel of Matthew but could not find, where it was written “Because he will be called a Nazarene,” was taken from this place. But it should be noted that nēṣer was written here with the [Hebrew] letter ṣade [צ], the peculiar sound of which—somewhere between z and s—the Latin language does not express.

Chapter XI - Verses 1, 2. And there shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a flower shall rise up out of his root. And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: the spirit of wisdom, and of understanding, the spirit of counsel, and of fortitude, the spirit of knowledge, and of godliness. And he shall be filled with the spirit of the fear of the Lord. Up to the beginning of the Vision or the weight of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amos saw, all this prophecy is about Christ, which we wish to explain in parts so as not to confuse the reader's memory by presenting and discussing it all at once. The rod and the flower from the root of Jesse are interpreted as the Lord Himself of the Jews: so that in the rod, the power of the reigning one may be shown, and in the flower, the beauty. But we understand the rod from the root of Jesse to be the holy Virgin Mary, who had no fruit cohering to herself; of whom we also read above: Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son (Isa. VII, 14). And the flower is the Lord and Savior, who says in the Song of Solomon: I am the flower of the field and the lily of the valleys (Cant. II, 1). Concerning the root which alone the LXX translators turned into Hebrew script, it has (in Geza) which Aquila and Symmachus and Theodotio interpreted as κορμὸν, that is, trunk. And concerning the flower which is called (in Hebrew) Neser, they translated it as germ to show that much later after the Babylonian captivity, with no one from the line of David possessing the glory of the ancient kingdom, Christ arose as if from the trunk of Mary, and from Mary Christ was born. That which in the Gospel of Matthew everyone seeks the words of the Ecclesiastics, and does not find where it is written, 'He shall be called a Nazarene' (Matt. 2:23), the learned Hebrews think is taken from this place. But it should be known that here 'Nazarene' is written with the letter 'Sade', which the Latin language does not express the sound and property of between 'z' and 's'. It is, in fact, a strident sound and is barely pronounced with the tongue against the teeth: from which the city of Zion is also written. Moreover, the Nazarenes, whom the Seventy sanctified, whom Symmachus separated, transferred, pronounce 'Zain' (the letter element is always written). Therefore, upon this flower, who will suddenly rise from the trunk and root of Jesse through the Virgin Mary, the spirit of the Lord will rest, because in him it pleased all the fullness of divinity to dwell bodily: not by parts, as with the other saints; but according to the Gospel that the Nazarenes read, which was written in the Hebrew language: 'Upon him descends every source of the Holy Spirit.' Now, the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17). In the same volume of Matthew, we read that which is written in the following: Behold, my servant whom I have chosen: my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him: he shall show judgment to the Gentiles (Matt. XII, 18). This is understood to refer to the understanding of the Savior, in whom the Spirit of the Lord rested, that is, he remained in eternal habitation: not so as to fly away and descend to him again; but according to the testimony of John the Baptist, he would continually remain, who said: I saw the Spirit descending as a dove from heaven, and remaining upon him, and I did not know him: but he who sent me to baptize in water, said to me: He upon whom you shall see the Spirit descending, and remaining upon him, he it is who baptizes in the Holy Spirit (John. XXXII, 33). Furthermore, in the Gospel, of which we have mentioned above, we find these writings: And it came to pass, when the Lord was ascended out of the water, the whole fountain of the Holy Spirit descended and rested upon him, and said to him: My son, in all the prophets I have expected thee, that thou shouldst come, and that I might rest in thee. For thou art my rest, thou art my first begotten Son, who reignest in eternity. Who is called the Spirit of the Lord and the Spirit of wisdom; for all things were made by him, and without him was made nothing that was made (John 1:3). And in the Psalms it is sung: How great are your works, O Lord! You have made all things in wisdom (Ps. XCI, 24). And the Apostle writes: Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God (I Cor. I). And in Proverbs it is read: By his wisdom, God founded the earth, and by his prudence, he prepared the heavens (Prov. III, 19). And just as the Word of God is called light, and life, and resurrection, so the spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord is named: not because it is different according to the differences of names, but because it is the one and same source and beginning of all virtues. Therefore, without Christ, no one can be wise, intelligent, wise counsel, strong, learned, pious, or full of the fear of God. And it should be noted that the Spirit of the Lord, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, counsel and fortitude, knowledge and piety, and the fear of the Lord, that is, the number seven, which is said to be the seven eyes on one stone in Zechariah (Chapter 3), may rest upon the rod and flower, who rose from the root of Jesse, and therefore from the line of David. But the Spirit of the fear of the Lord has filled him because of those who lack the fear of the Lord: for they are little ones, whom perfect love casts out. For whoever fears, has punishment, and is not perfect (1 John 4:18). Therefore, the Apostle speaks to the believers: For you have not received the spirit of bondage again in fear: but you have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father (Romans 8:15). And in Malachi we read: If I am a father, where is my glory? And if I am the Lord, where is my fear? (Malachi 1:6). Concerning this fear, it is sung in the Psalm: Come, children, listen to me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord (Psalm 34:11).

(Verse 3 and following) He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears. But he will judge the poor with justice, and decide with fairness for the humble of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and kill the wicked with the breath of his lips. Righteousness will be his belt, and faithfulness the sash around his waist. These words refer to the first coming of the Savior; the Jews argue about the future at the end of the world. Moreover, they translated: He will not judge according to glory, nor argue according to speech: but he will judge with humble judgment, and argue the humble of the earth. For he shows no partiality in judgment: but he speaks to the scribes, Pharisees and rulers: Woe to you, hypocrites: And, the kingdom of God will be taken from you, and given to the nation producing its fruits (Matthew 23:13, and 21:43). And he does not rebuke according to words and the hearing of the ears. For when they said to Him, 'Master, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth, and do not care about anyone's opinion, for You do not regard the appearance of men' (Matthew 22:16), knowing their malice, He answered, 'Why do you test me, you hypocrites?' and so on with similar things. He judged in righteousness the poor in spirit, to whom belongs the kingdom of God, and he rebuked in fairness the meek and humble of the earth, saying to the Apostles, 'Are you still foolish?' And again: Do you not yet understand or comprehend? And to Peter specifically: O you of little faith, why did you doubt? (Mark 8:17). Or certainly for the humble and meek he argued for others who sought to oppress them (Matthew 14:31). He also struck down all earthly works with a rod, or as the Septuagint translated, with the word of his mouth, speaking in the Gospel: Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. And with the breath of his lips he will kill the wicked (Mat. X, 34, and Luc. XII, 51): of whom we read in the ninth psalm: Thou hast rebuked the Gentiles, and the wicked one hath perished: thou hast put out their name for ever and ever (Ps. IX, 6). And the Apostle Paul writes: Whom the Lord Jesus will slay with the breath of his mouth (II Thess. II, 8; Ephes. VI). But when the wicked man is struck, the Lord is girded with justice and truth and faith. For he has made Himself to us wisdom from God, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption (1 Corinthians 1), who also speaks in the Gospel: I am the light, and the life, and the truth (John 8:6 and 14). And it is said in the Psalms: Truth has risen from the earth: and justice has looked down from heaven (Psalm 84:2). Therefore, the Apostle also exhorts the Ephesians: Stand therefore, having your loins girded with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness (Ephesians 6:14). But if faith is read for truth, it must be said that the belt of the Lord, with which Jeremiah was girded (Jeremiah 13), is the faith of believers.

The others are easy to understand according to the vivifying spirit. For Paul the wolf, who first persecuted and lacerated the church, about whom it was said, “Benjamin is a rapacious wolf,” lived with a lamb—that is, either with Ananias, by whom he was baptized, or with the apostle Peter, to whom it was said, “Feed my lambs.” And the leopard, which first did not change its spots, once it was washed in the fountain of the Lord lay down with the kid—not the goat on the left but the one that is sacrificed at the pasch of the Lord. It is also to be noted that the lamb and the kid will not dwell and recline with the wolf and the leopard, but the wolf and the leopard will imitate the innocence of the lamb and the kid.The lion, previously most ferocious, and the sheep and the calf lingered together. We also see in the church today that the rich and the poor, the powerful and the humble, kings and peasants, remain together and are ruled in the church by small children, whom we understand to be the apostles and apostolic men, men who are unskilled in rhetoric but not in knowledge. When they are federated among themselves by the discipline of the Lord, such that their families also are united, then the saying will be implemented: “Their young will lie down together.” The lion, moreover, will not eat meat but hay, because it feeds on simple food. Observe also that the cow will not eat meat, but the lion will eat hay. I believe that “hay” in sacred Scripture is understood to be simple words, as is “wheat,” the inner marrow, the meaning which is found in the letter. And it frequently happens that secular men unacquainted with the mysteries are fed by a simple reading of the Scriptures.
The infant also, who is a child with respect to evil, places his hand in the hole of the asp and demons flee from the besieged bodies of men. One who is weaned no longer takes nourishment from the milk of infants but now feeds on solid food. He puts his hand in the den of the serpent, that is, the habitation of Satan himself, and extracts him from it. Hence the apostles were given power to tread on serpents and scorpions and every strength of the enemy. And venomous beasts were previously unable to harm or to kill those who will have lived on God’s holy mountain, which means the church, about which it is said in the Gospel, “A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.”

(Verse 6 and following) The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat; the calf, the lion, and the sheep will all stay together, and a small child will lead them. The calf and the bear will graze together; their young ones will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like an ox. The infant will play near the cobra's den, and the young child will put his hand into the viper's nest. They will not cause harm or destroy on my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. This also the Jews and our Jewish followers contend will happen literally, that in the glory of Christ, whom they believe will come at the end of the world, all beasts will be tamed, and the former ferocity, the wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the other things with the others, which we now see as contrary to each other. We should ask those who accept everything in the present text as it is written, and do not relate to spiritual understanding, according to the saying of the Apostle, who says: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:3), therefore, the root, and the branch, and the flower should not be understood literally: and when it is said that the earth was struck by the word of God, and the wicked were killed by the breath of his lips, they should be understood as written: and they should be compelled to teach how the Lord's loins are surrounded by incorporeal things with righteousness and truth. But let us also ask them what is worthy of the majesty of the Lord, that the wolf and the lamb may feed together, and the leopard may lie down with the young goat, and the lion may eat straw like the ox, and a small child may put his hand into the hole of the venomous snake? Unless, perhaps, according to the fables of the poets, they will restore to us the golden age of Saturn, in which wolves and lambs will feed together, and rivers will flow with sweet wine, and the sweetest honey will drip from the leaves of trees, and everything will be filled with milk from the fountains. But if they respond that for the happiness of the times these things are to come, so that without anyone's harm, men may enjoy all good things, let them hear from us that nothing is good except virtue, and nothing is evil except vice, as the Psalmist says: Who is the man that desires life, and loves to see good days? Restrain your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit. Turn away from evil, and do good. (Psalm 34:14; 31:27). But riches, and bodily health, and abundance of all things, and their contraries, poverty, weakness, and lack, even among the philosophers of the world, are neither reckoned among good things nor among bad things, but are called indifferent. And the Stoics also, who agree in most respects with our doctrine, consider nothing to be good except honesty and virtue alone, and nothing to be evil except shamefulness. We have briefly stated these things in order to convincingly refute those who Judaize while in a deep sleep. However, through the life-giving spirit, understanding is easy. For Paul, formerly a persecutor and destroyer of the Church, is like a wolf, of whom it is said: Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; he dwelt with the lamb, or like Ananias, by whom he was baptized (Gen. XLIX, 27; Acts VIII), or like the Apostle Peter, to whom it was said: Feed my lambs (John XXI). And the leopard, who previously did not change its spots, lies down in the fountain of the Lord with the kid, not the one on the left, but the one sacrificed on the Lord's Passover. And this must be noted, that neither the lamb nor the kid dwell and lie down with the wolf and the leopard, but the wolf and the leopard imitate the innocence of the lamb and the kid. The lion also will dwell together with the most ferocious, and the sheep, and the calf. This we see daily in the Church, the rich and the poor, the powerful and the humble, kings and commoners dwelling together, and being ruled in the Church by little children, whom we understand to be the Apostles, and by Apostolic men, unskilled in language, but not in knowledge. When those who are bound together in the discipline of the Lord are united among themselves, so that their families are also joined, then this will be fulfilled: their young ones will rest together. The lion will also not eat meat, but straw, so that it may feed on simple food. And here it must be observed that it is not the ox that eats meat, but the lion that eats straw. I think that in Holy Scriptures, straw is understood as simple words. However, wheat and the inner marrow represent the meaning that is found in the letter: and it often happens that people of the world, who are ignorant of the mysteries, feed on simple reading of the Scriptures. The infant, who is small in wickedness, also puts his hand into the snake's hole and drives away the demons from the bodies of those possessed. But the child who is weaned is no longer nourished by milk but now eats solid food. He puts his hand into the cave of the ruler, that is, into the dwelling place of Satan himself, and from there he pulls him out. Hence, the power was given to the Apostles to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy (Luke 10). However, poisonous animals will never be able to harm or kill those who dwell in the holy mountain of God, which is interpreted as the Church, as it is said in the Gospel: A city set on a hill cannot be hidden (Matt. 5:14). But lest we think that this is said about Mount Zion according to the error of the Hebrews, the following verse of the Gospel preaching shows the sacraments: For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord (Isaiah 11:9). This is what was said above more obscurely: The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid (Isaiah 11:6). And according to their custom, the words of the prophets are revealed at the end: As the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14). Just as the depths of the sea are covered by the waters of the sea, that is, the land covered by the waves, so the knowledge of the Lord will fill the whole earth. The blessed Apostle Peter also testifies to the diverse conjunction of previous manners in the linen cloth (Acts 10), which was sent down from heaven, having four elements, which we understand as representing the four regions of the world, so that we may know the earth filled with the knowledge of God: in this vessel there were quadrupeds, and serpents, and wild beasts, and birds of the sky, so that just as the Ark did in the Flood, the Church may provide in the world.


On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious. LXX: On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall seek him out, and his dwelling shall be honored. For his resting place has been chosen in Hebrew, Mnuatho (), which all have likewise translated. And for his honor, in Hebrew it is read as Chabod (), which clearly signifies glory. And the meaning is: his death will be glorious, so that what the Savior prays for in the Gospel may be fulfilled: Father, glorify me with the glory which I had before the world was with you (John 17:5). It has been said about his birth, it has been said about the others in the midst of the Sacraments: he came to death, which is not called by the usual name of mortals, but because eternal life was in Christ, it is called rest. But we, in order to make the meaning clear to the reader, translate it as dormition and rest, with another word but the same meaning, we turn it into a tomb. Therefore, in that time, when the Gospel of Christ will shine forth throughout the whole world, and the knowledge of the Lord will fill all the earth like the waters cover the sea, the root of Jesse will be and the one who will rise from his lineage as a sign for all peoples, so that the nations may see the sign of the Son of Man in heaven (Matt. 24). He will have horns in his hands, in which his strength will be hidden, so that when exalted, he may draw all things to himself (Hab. 3). As the Septuagint translated, he will rise from the dead to be the prince of all nations, and all peoples will hope in him. This is also testified by Jacob in a mystical message about the tribe of Judah: The prince will not fail from Judah, nor the leader from his loins, until he comes to whom it belongs, and he will be the expectation of the nations. And in that day, the Lord will stretch out his hand a second time to possess the remnant of his people, which will be left behind by the Assyrians, and by Egypt, and by Phut, and by Ethiopia, and by Elam, and by Shinar, and by Hamath, and by the islands of the sea. And He will lift up a signal for the nations, and will gather the outcasts of Israel, and assemble the scattered ones of Judah from the four corners of the earth. The jealousy of Ephraim will depart, and the enemies of Judah will be destroyed. Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah, and Judah will not fight against Ephraim. They will swoop down on the Philistines' shoulder through the sea, together they will plunder the sons of the East. And Edom and Moab will be under their control, and the sons of Ammon will obey them. In that day, which is the time mentioned before, when the Root of Jesse rises as a signal for the peoples, in order to rule over the nations, the Lord will stretch out His hand a second time, so that not according to our Jewish understanding at the end of the world, when the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, then all Israel will be saved (Rom. XI); but let us understand all these things in relation to His first coming. For we cannot, when the same day is said both now and above, refer it to the first coming, and the one below to the second: lest by these things which follow, and those which precede, Christ whom the Jews contend has not yet come but is to come, should be referred to him. After the calling of the Gentiles, therefore, which were formerly reckoned in the tail, Israel shall be reckoned in the tail, in order that the Lord may again put forth his hand a second time, and possess the remnant of his people, of whom we have read above, not all Israel, but the remnants are to be saved, which shall be left by the Assyrians and by Egypt, and by the various nations around. For first the Twelve Apostles, and seventy, and one hundred twenty souls, and five hundred, who were gathered together, the Lord appeared to them, then three thousand, and five thousand Jews believed in the Lord. James also speaks to the apostle Paul, who himself was among the others: See, brother, how many thousands there are of believing Jews? all of these are zealous for the law (Acts 21:20). And in the same volume we read: Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven, who were amazed and said: Are not all these Galileans, and how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome, both Jews and converts to Judaism; Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues! (Acts 2:9-11) From all these nations, people from Israel, through the apostles, will be saved. The Ecclesiastical Histories report that the apostles preached the Gospel in the whole world, in such a way that some reached Persia and India, and Ethiopia extended its hands to God, and gifts for Christ were brought from across the rivers of Ethiopia. So that it may not seem to signify only the eastern peoples, it also includes the rest: And from the islands of the sea. However, the islands of the sea signify the western region, which is enclosed by the circuit of the ocean. Therefore, the sign of the Cross will be raised among all nations, and first it will gather the people of Israel from the synagogues, in order to fulfill the command of the Savior given to the Apostles, who said: Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 10:6). Finally, Paul also speaks to the unbelievers among the Jews, saying: It was necessary for the word of God to be spoken to you first; but since you have rejected it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles, as the Lord has commanded us (Acts 13:46-47). But the four cardinal directions, east and west, south and north, signify, as by these the calling of the world is demonstrated. In that time, Isaiah says, Ephraim and Judah, who now, as prophesied by me, dissent with hostile hatred between themselves, will not be enemies, but according to the prophecy of Ezekiel, two rods will be joined into one rod, and they will be joined in the Church of Christ, who were previously separated (Ezek. VII), so that they may work together in the nations and willingly bear the burden of the Philistines on their shoulders across the sea, that is, they may first preach to the coastal Palestinians and swiftly proceed by sea to the other nations. Or according to the Seventy Interpreters: they will fly in the ships of foreigners, they will plunder the sea together; from which let us understand the example of the apostle Paul, who was carried by ships of foreigners through Pamphylia, and Asia, and Macedonia, and Achaia, and various islands and provinces, even to Italy (Acts 28), and as he himself writes, to Spain also (Romans 15). Therefore, Ephraim and Judah, that is, those who believed in Christ from the twelve tribes of the Jews, will plunder the East together, and extend their hands in Idumea and Moab, according to what Christ speaks mystically in the person of David: I will stretch out my shoe to Idumea: to me foreigners will serve (Psalm 59:10). For at that time when Isaiah prophesied, these nations were adversaries to the people of Judah, and therefore he now says that after the root of Jesse rises, to reign over the nations, and the banner of the Cross for the salvation of the whole world is raised up, then even Idumea, Moab, and the sons of Ammon, in fact, the entire extent of Arabia, will give their hands to the Apostles, and in the places of idolatry the Church of Christ will be raised up.

And the Lord will dry up the tongue of the sea of Egypt, and he will lift his hand over the river with the strength of his spirit, and he will strike it in the seven streams, so that people can cross it in sandals. And there will be a highway for the remnant of my people who are left from Assyria, just as there was for Israel on the day when they came up from the land of Egypt. Just as Edom and Moab, and the sons of Ammon will submit their hands to the Apostles, so that they may obey the preaching of the Gospel, in the same way the Lord himself, who fulfilled those things in his Apostles, will dry up not the sea according to the Septuagint, but according to the Hebrews, the tongue of the sea of Egypt, which previously blasphemed against the Lord and presided over the Egyptian superstition. And in the Psalms we read: This great and spacious sea, wherein are reptiles without number (Psalm 10:25-26). It is said of them: This dragon, whom you have made to mock at him. Therefore, he shall desolate, that is, put under a curse, as Theodotion, Aquila, and Symmachus translated it, the tongue of the Egyptian sea, and he shall lift up his hand over the rivers of Egypt in the strength of his spirit, or his most violent spirit, which we understand to be the kingdom of the Romans. For when Caesar Augustus was reigning (Luke 2), when the flower of Jesse's root ascended, and the first census was made in the Roman world, the most powerful kingdom of the Egyptians, which lasted for many generations, was destroyed by the death of Cleopatra, and the Egyptian river was struck into seven streams, or into seven valleys. For the Nile, which previously flowed in one channel and was impassable, was divided and cut into seven very humble valleys and streams, so that it could be crossed on foot. However, this symbolically signifies that the nation of the Egyptians, given over to such great idolatry and worthless superstition, consecrated hawks, owls, dogs, goats, and donkeys with divine names, in order to distribute the infinite power of the kingdom through individual judges of the Roman empire, so that Thebes has one judge, Libya has another, Pentapolis has another, Egypt has another, Alexandria has another, and various regions, which the Egyptians call 'laws'. Therefore, under the metaphor, the Nile is divided into parts and cut into streams, so that the Evangelical word can flow freely and reach the farthest people of Egypt without any hindrance. And just as in the time of Moses the Red Sea was dried up so that the people could flee from Egypt, in contrast, the rivers of Egypt will dry up so that the remaining people of God, who will be saved from the Assyrians and various nations, can pass into Egypt, not fleeing from it, but entering and treading on it with their own feet. A wise and Christian reader should have this rule of the promises of the prophets, that we may teach spiritually things which the Jews, and not only our, rather not our Judaizers, contend carnally will happen in the future, lest we be compelled to judaize by the occasion of such fables and inextricable questions, according to the Apostle (II Tim. II).

“And I will strike for you a covenant on that day with the beasts of the field, the birds of the air and with what crawls on the ground; and I will destroy the bow, the sword and war from the earth; and I will make them sleep in safety.” According to the Septuagint, “And I will arrange for them a covenant on that day with the beasts of the field, the birds of the air and with what crawls on the ground; and I will destroy war from the earth; and I will make them live in hope.” When all talk of false religion is removed from the people who confess the Lord and, he said, when they call me “my husband,” no longer daring to cry to “Baal” (which means “my idol”), then I will strike for them a covenant and an agreement with the beasts of the field and with the birds of the sky and with what crawls on the ground. Of this moment Isaiah also speaks: “The wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the kid, and the calf, the lion and the lamb will remain together, and a small child will lead them.” The cow and the bear will feed together and relax with their young; and the lion will eat hay like the ox, no longer desiring to eat flesh and blood at all, but enjoying its food with the pure and simple. To enable him to receive Cornelius from the Gentiles, it was revealed and commanded to Peter that he could eat any animal and that he should consider nothing to be unclean when, after being seized with thanksgiving, he later heard: “What God has purified, you must not call common.” At the coming of the Lord our Savior, therefore, after the triumph of his resurrection and ascension to the Father, two walls will be joined at the cornerstone by him who “made both one.” He called her “pitied” who was once called “not pitied,” and he called them his people who was once called “not my people.” And the bow, the sword and war will be destroyed, granting peace to all. For instruments of war are unnecessary when there is no one to wage war. Israel will be joined to the Gentiles, and what was said in Deuteronomy will be fulfilled: “Rejoice, Gentiles, with his people.” For “God is known in Judah, his name is great in Israel.”