Jerome

(Verse 7) In that time the gift of the Lord of hosts will be brought by the scattered and torn people, by the terrifying people, after whom there was no other: by the waiting people, waiting and trampled, whose rivers they have plundered, to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts, the mountain of Zion. After the devastation of Egypt and the destruction of its empire, Israel will no longer trust in the vanity of its shadow, but will return to the Lord and bring its gifts to the mountain of Zion, that is, to His temple, and only pray to Him whose true and eternal protection it is. But this was done under Zerubbabel, and Joshua, and Ezra, and Nehemiah. LXX, because we have said: expecting, expecting, and in Hebrew it is written, hoping, hoping, on the contrary they are interpreted as ἀνέλπιστον, that is, not hoping. And for this reason Eusebius gave occasion for understanding this more about the Gentiles, who have neither hope, nor the Testament of God, nor the Prophets, than about the Jews: because gifts are to be sent afterwards by the Church itself, which is established on the watchtower, and spiritual offerings are to be made.

(Verse 1 and following): Behold, the Lord will ascend upon a light cloud, and will enter Egypt, and the idols of Egypt will be moved from before him, and the heart of Egypt will waste away within it. And I will incite the Egyptians against the Egyptians, and they will fight, man against his brother, and man against his friend, city against city, kingdom against kingdom. And the spirit of Egypt will be broken within it, and I will frustrate their plans; and they will consult their idols and their diviners, and the Pythons and fortune-tellers. And I will deliver Egypt into the hands of cruel masters, and a strong king will rule over them, says the Lord God of hosts. I have diligently examined many of the prophecies of Egypt, which Isaiah raised up or saw, in a historical explanation. Therefore, now according to tropology, the most important things are to be taken. The Lord ascends upon a light cloud, the body of the holy Virgin Mary, which is not burdened by the weight of any human seed: or certainly His own body, which was conceived of the Holy Spirit. And he entered into Egypt of this world; and immediately all the Egyptian idols were moved, so that the divinations and all the fraud of idolatry, which possessed and deceived the whole world, felt that it had been broken: to such an extent that the wise men from the East, who were taught by demons, or according to the prophecy of Balaam (Num. XXIV), understanding that the Son of God had been born, who would destroy all the power of their art, came to Bethlehem and, with the star guiding them, adored the child (Matt. II). Then the heart of Egypt trembled, and the Egyptians rose up against the Egyptians, according to that which the Lord speaks in the Gospel: Think not that I am come to send peace upon earth: I came not to send peace, but the sword. For I am come to divide a man against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law (Matt. X, 34 seqq.). At that time also this was fulfilled: The enemies of a man are they of his own household (Micah VII, 6). And a man will fight against his brother, and a man against his friend. For they were separated in one house, two against three, and three against two, and the father was divided against the Son, and the son against the father, city against city, and kingdom against kingdom, those who did not believe against those who believed, or certainly those who believed, desiring to save their closest ones. And the spirit of Egypt was disrupted in their hearts, so that they would not feel equal; but separated by a spiritual sword against themselves, they would recognize that all their plans had been thrown away: and nevertheless, remaining in their previous error, those who had refused to accept the truth of faith would consult idols and their gods, and Pythonesses, and soothsayers. And when they did this, the Lord delivered them into the hands of cruel masters, according to the apostle's saying: Whom I have delivered to Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme (1 Tim. 1:20); being oppressed by the harshest servitude, may they return to the most merciful Lord. And fittingly, he calls the cruel demons their masters, to whom nothing is more cruel. Also, the strong king, who is their Lord, clearly refers to the devil, whom the Lord also calls a fortune in the Gospel, by binding and oppressing whom, the vessels of his house are plundered.

(Chapter 19, Verse 1) The Burden of Egypt. Behold, the Lord will ascend upon a light cloud, and will enter into Egypt, and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst thereof. It is the custom of the Scriptures to connect the clear with the obscure, and to openly declare with a clear voice what was previously expressed in enigmas. Therefore, in the present passage, because He had pronounced woes against Egypt before, saying, 'Woe to the land overshadowed with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia,' and other things which the prophetic discourse has woven together, He now makes the understanding more clear, and threatening Egypt itself, He speaks, not that the Angels, but the Lord Himself, shall come upon a light cloud, that is, a swift one, and shall enter into Egypt, and make the idols of Egypt tremble, and cause the heart of the mighty to melt, and fulfill the prophecy of Ezekiel (or Jeremiah): 'I will destroy the idols, and I will cause the idols of Memphis to cease' (Ezekiel 30:13). Some refer this whole prophecy to the time of the Savior, when he entered upon a light cloud, that is, a human body, which he had assumed from the Virgin, not burdened with any mingling of human seed: or because he was carried on a light cloud, that is, a Virginal body, and at his entrance all the demons trembled, and then the first downfall of idols occurred, unable to bear the presence of the Lord.

(Chapter 19, Verse 1) The Burden of Egypt. Symmachus and Theodotion: The Assumption of Egypt. Septuagint: The Vision of Egypt. Where in Hebrew it is written Massa Mesraim (), which we have interpreted as the Burden or Weight of Egypt: for which Aquila translated ἄρμα Αἰγύπτου, we can say that because the prophet carries and bears the yoke of the Lord, it is fitting for him to carry the burden of Egypt and see or bear the prophecy of Egypt. Hence, I wonder that the Septuagint translated it as Vision in Babylon; and as Word in Philistia, Moab, and Damascus; and now as Version in Egypt; when in Hebrew it is not Word and Vision in all these cases, but Massa (), that is, Burden, weight, that is placed. But what Symmachus and Theodotion have always translated as λῆμμα, that is, assumption, we must understand that the prophet received spiritual grace from the Lord to know the sacraments of Egypt, or to see with the eyes of the mind, as the Septuagint translated. However, this Egypt is not the same as the one the Jews think, as Josephus believed, who relates in the book of Antiquities: that Onias the priest fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah by building a temple in the region of Heliopolis, which the Egyptians call νομὸν, according to the likeness of the Temple of God, and an altar. For let us grant that these things were said about Onias, and about the altar that he built in Egypt, which will be five cities that speak the Canaanite language in Egypt, of which one is called ἀσεδὲκ according to the LXX; according to other interpreters, the city is called Ars or Ares, or city of the sun? And who will be this savior who was sent to the Egyptians to save them, and so that the Egyptians may know the Lord? When they worshiped him with sacrifices and gifts, and fulfilled their vows? When did the Lord strike Egypt and heal it? At what time can we teach that there was a way from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrians entered Egypt and the Egyptians into Assyria; and the Egyptians served Assyria? When Israel was in Egypt for the third time; and among the Assyrians, it was like a blessing in the midst of the land, so that the Lord said: Blessed is my people in Egypt, and the work of my hands in Assyria? It is clear that these things do not pertain to the Egypt that the Jews estimate. Therefore, we can call this place in which we live, and the world which is situated in evil: Egypt, especially because Mizraim, which is called Egypt, is interpreted as ἐκθλίβουσα, that is, troubling or bringing into distress. However, it should be known that many Egyptian burdens or visions pertain to the province of Egypt, which is inhabited and seen even today. But both in this and in other places of Scripture, many things are stated which cannot stand according to history, so that by necessity we are compelled to seek a deeper understanding.

(Version 2.) And I will make the Egyptians fight against the Egyptians, and one man will fight against his brother, and one man against his friend, city against city, and kingdom against kingdom. When the Lord enters Egypt and destroys the most powerful nation with his presence, the first victory will be for the Egyptians to turn against each other and fight in rebellion against themselves: which happened during the times of the Assyrians and King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, with some sitting while others resisted. But what he predicts about the Babylonian captivity, Jeremiah is a witness, saying: The elegant and beautiful heifer Egypt, the stimulator from the North will come to her. And again: The daughter of Egypt is confused and handed over to the hand of the people of the North (Jeremiah 46:20, 24). Ezekiel also, by the authority of the same prophecy, agrees: And I will make the multitude of Egypt cease in the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. And again: I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and I will put my sword in his hand, and I will break the arms of Pharaoh. And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall stretch it out upon the land of Egypt, and I will scatter Egypt among the nations (Ezek. XXX, 10, 24, et seq.). But if we refer to the times of the Savior, let us take that example from the Gospel: Think not that I am come to send peace upon earth: I came not to send peace, but the sword. For I came to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law, and the enemies of a man shall be they of his own household (Matt. X, 34, et seq.). And again in another place: There will be divided two into three, and three into two: father against son, and mother against daughter, and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law (Luke XII, 52, 58).

(Verset 5 et suiv.) And the sea water will dry up, and the river will be deserted and dried up, and the rivers will fail, and the streams of the embankments will be thin and dry up. The reed and the rush will wither, the bed of the river will be exposed from its source, and all irrigated crops will dry up. It will dry up and cease to exist. And the fishermen will mourn, and all those who cast a hook into the river and spread a net over the surface of the water, and they will dry up. And those who work with linen will be confused, weaving and creating delicate fabrics, and their irrigated fields will become dry, all those who make ponds to catch fish. Foolish princes of Tanis, wise counselors gave Pharaoh foolish advice. When a strong and harsh king shall have dominion over Egypt, all learning and beauty of secular eloquence shall wither, and the very source of all rivers, the devil from whom all lies originate, shall cause devastation: so that other rivers and streams, which were filled by the turbid waters of the Nile, shall fail. Even the reed and the rush shall dry up from excessive drought. They made paper from the papyrus reed, which grows in the Greek language, and added their own green ink, which is not found in Hebrew. When I asked the scholars what this meant, I heard that in the Egyptian language, this word refers to everything that grows in the green marsh. The reed, according to metaphor, is a hollow speech, having nothing solid in itself. And the papyrus, while it appears to have a core and is not hollow, is still fragile and quickly withers. Moreover, all the rivers, when the source of the rivers dries up, will also dry up, and whatever was previously irrigated by the waters of Egypt will be dried up, so that the fishermen of Egypt, who are strongly opposed to the fishermen of the Lord, may mourn, and those who cast a hook into the river and spread a net over the surface of the water may lament. They deceive each individual by casting a hook into the muddy waters. But those who deceive many together, so that they speak openly in the synagogues of Satan and lead away the flocks of the people, they cast a net over the Egyptian waters. Even those who worked with linen to make the priests' garments will be confused; twisting and weaving it, which properly belongs to the art of dialectics. For 'subtilibus', the Septuagint translates it as 'byssus', which is also used for the priests' garments. And what follows: 'And its ponds will be stagnant, all those who made fish traps, this signifies that all the traps of the Egyptian fishermen will be destroyed and perish. For the gaps that were made to catch fish, as we have interpreted according to sense, both in Hebrew and in all the interpreters, in the place of the fish, souls are placed, so that we are drawn from the history to the tropology, namely that these fishermen, who made the gaps and pits, did so in order to deceive souls in them. It should be noted that for the gaps the LXX translated ζύθον, which is a type of drink made from grains and water, and is commonly called sabaium in the provinces of Dalmatia and Pannonia in both the native and barbaric language. The Egyptians use this mainly so that they do not attribute pure water to those who drink, but rather turbid water, and similar to mixed feces, so that through this kind of potion the doctrine of heretical depravity is shown. Then the princes of Taneos will be fools, which is interpreted as a humble command. For all heretics teach humility contrary to exaltation, and they bring down to the depths, and they are the princes of humble and abject command. Also, the counselors of Pharaoh, who is the king of Egypt, and rightly a scatterer, and divided, and separated into various parts, are described as foolish for giving counsel when the Lord has scattered the wisdom of the wise, and has rejected the understanding of the prudent (1 Corinthians 1).

(Verses 5-7) And the water of the sea shall dry up, and the river shall be desolate and dry, and the streams shall diminish and dry up the water-courses. The reed and the rush shall wither, the channel of the river shall be laid bare and all the irrigated seed shall dry up, wither, and not exist. It is natural that when captivity comes through the anger of God, his wrath shall be followed by pestilence, and all the elements shall rage against those who offend God. Where it is written in another Prophet (Jer. XII), 'And the birds in the air fail, and the fishes in the waters, so that all things are taken away from human use.' We say this if we want to take the dryness of the Nile river and its streams simply. But if we take it as a metaphor: in the river, we understand the kingdom, and in its streams, the leaders; and in the greenness, and the reed, and the papyrus, all the abundance of Egypt, so that through these things, the wealth of Egypt is described, of which Egypt is most fertile. Let us read Ezekiel, where the king Pharaoh is described as a great dragon dwelling in the rivers, and says: The river is mine, and I have made myself. And it is heard: I will put a bit in your jaws, and I will stick the fish of your rivers to your scales, and I will draw you out from the midst of your rivers, and all your fish will cling to your scales, and I will cast you into the desert (Ezek. XXIX, 3, 4). However, in the coming of Christ, all these things are to be understood figuratively, according to what we read above: The Lord will make the sea of Egypt a desert. And again: the Lord will stretch out His hand over the violent river of Egypt, and He will strike it in seven valleys, so that it can be crossed by foot with shoes on. This means that all the errors of the Egyptian waters and the sorceries with which they deceived the subject peoples will be dried up by the coming of Christ. And when it says that the water from the sea will dry up, we can understand it in a historical sense, not that the great sea is meant, but rather the lake of Mareotis, because Scripture calls all gatherings of water seas. Exaggerated statements can also be understood. And what follows: The channel of the river will be exposed from its source, showing that the river and the spring dry up together.

(v. 8-10) And the fishermen shall mourn, and all those who cast the hook into the river shall lament, and those who spread the net over the face of the water shall wither away. And those who work with flax, twisting and weaving fine fabrics, shall be put to shame; and its pools shall be dried up, and all those who make fishing-gear for catching fish shall mourn. And consider this in two ways: that when Egypt is devastated and the entire province is dried up by drought, the fishermen shall mourn, and those who cast the hook into the river and those who work with nets and traps and weave various types of baskets made from reeds, that is, princes and those of royal blood, and rulers. And also, when Christ comes, all the wicked fishermen of different kinds, who against Apostolic discipline capture men for destruction and weave nets and traps with foolish wisdom to ensnare the condemned, shall be confused, and in the land of Egypt there shall be no such fisherman, or if there is, they shall be rare. In this work we see fulfilled what the triumphs of the Churches rise, and idols have fallen in all of Egypt.

(Vers. 11-13.) The foolish princes of Tanis, the wise counselors of Pharaoh, gave foolish counsel: How can you say to Pharaoh, I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings? Where are your wise men now? Let them tell you and make known what the Lord of hosts has purposed against Egypt. The foolish princes of Tanis have become fools; the princes of Memphis are deceived; they have caused Egypt to stagger, the cornerstone of its peoples. Tanis was the capital of Egypt, as the Psalmist declares, where Moses performed many signs that are described in Exodus: He set his signs in Egypt and his wonders in the field of Tanis (Ps. 78:11). Memphis, also dedicated to magical arts, still shows traces of error from ancient times to the present. And this is briefly indicated, that with the coming of the Babylonian devastation, all the plans of the Magi, and of those who promised knowledge of the future, are proven foolishness, and with the advent of Christ everything is reduced to nothingness, not finding the advice of the Egyptian seers on how to suppress the Christian doctrine. However, the language of the Scriptures is that they place the angle for the kingdom, since it contains the peoples, and is the strongest in the whole house. And Christ, containing the walls of two peoples, is called the cornerstone (Ephesians II). And what he brings in: How will you say to Pharaoh, I am the son of the wise, the son of the ancient kings, signifies that the Egyptians imitate their heroes and gods, namely Horus, Isis, Osiris, and Typhon.

(Verse 12 and following) How can you say to Pharaoh: I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings? Where are your wise men now? Let them tell you and make known what the Lord of hosts has planned against Egypt. The princes of Tanis have become foolish, the princes of Memphis are deluded; the leaders of Egypt have led it astray. The Lord has poured into them a spirit of confusion; they have made Egypt stagger in all its undertakings, as a drunkard staggers and vomits. And Egypt will have no need for one who makes the head and tail bend and restrain. Heretics often say to their king or Pharaoh: We are the sons of the wise ones who from the beginning delivered to us the Apostolic teaching: We are the sons of the ancient kings who are called the kings of the philosophers, and we have knowledge of the Scriptures joined with secular wisdom. He now asks them, whether it be the king of the heretics himself, where are his wise men who despised Ecclesiastical simplicity: and he compels them to answer what the Lord of Sabaoth has thought concerning Egypt of this world, and what he will do in its consummation. The foolish princes of Taneos are approved, who held the lowly command of the heretics. All the princes of Memphis, who boast of polluting eloquence and speech, are confounded. For 'Memphis' signifies 'mouth' or 'from the mouth' and metaphorically means 'speech'. And what follows: They deceived the corner of Egypt, or according to the Septuagint: they will deceive Egypt through tribes, signifies that the kingdom of secular wisdom is shown to be foolish, and the leaders of individual doctrines, who are interpreted as tribes, are shown to have had foolish teachers. For the Lord has mixed for them the spirit of confusion, or errors, according to what is written: And as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, God gave them over to a depraved mind (Rom. I, 24). And just as the holy one, Isaiah, can say: We will make the spirit of your salvation come upon the earth, so the sinner will make the spirit of error, that is, the spirit of malice. This is in accordance with what we read in Jeremiah: Your own wickedness will punish you, and your turning from me will rebuke you (Jerem. II, 19). But if a heretic is scandalized who does not accept the old Testament, which is said to be mixed with the spirit of error or confusion, let him hear the writing in the Apostle, that is, in the new Testament: God gave them up to the desires of their hearts in uncleanness (Rom. I, 24). And again: Therefore, God gave them up to shameful passions. And again: God gave them up to a reprobate sense, to do what is not fitting. But they are delivered up in the desires of their hearts, because they changed the glory of the incorruptible God into the likeness of the image of a corruptible man, and of birds, and of four-footed beasts, and of creeping things. Which indeed is not only read in the Epistle to the Romans, but also in the Epistle to the Thessalonians concerning the Antichrist: Because they receive not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. Therefore God shall send them the operation of error, to believe lying: That all may be judged who have not believed the truth but have consented to iniquity (2 Thess. 2:10). I think the Apostle Paul took this from the present reading of Isaiah, in which he says: The Lord hath mingled for them the spirit of error, and they have erred in all their works, as an intoxicated man staggereth and vomiteth, so also shall Egypt stagger and vomit because of her excess. Joel speaks of those who are drunk: Woe to those who are drunk without wine. And not only drunk, but also vomiting the madness of dragons, and the incurable madness of asps, so that after they vomit up this kind of wine, they understand their drunkenness and recognize that as long as they are drunk, they have neither beginning nor end, that is, neither head nor tail, but a trunk on both sides of the animal. For beginning and end, which both Symmachus and the Septuagint translated, Theodotion added the Hebrew words Chaphphe () and Agmon (), which Aquila interpreted as bent and perverse. In incurvo, senes intelligi volens; in perverso, lascivientes pueros, qui omniaperversa faciant; ac per hoc esse sensum, quod in Aegypto non solum caput desit et cauda, sed et senes et pueri, id est, et principium et finis.

(Verse. 14, 15.) The Lord mixed in its midst the spirit of dizziness: and he caused Egypt to wander in all its work, like a drunkard and a vomiter: and Egypt will have no work that it does, bending and restraining head and tail. First let us speak about the interpretation, and afterwards we will discuss what is written. The spirit of dizziness can also be interpreted as the spirit of error. In addition, in what we have translated as bending and restraining, we can say bending and lascivious, so that we understand old man and child. However, when we swiftly translated the Hebrew word Agmon (), we were deceived by ambiguity, and we said restraining, which Aquila translated more significantly as στρεβλοῦντα, that is, one who does nothing rightly, but everything crooked, in order to signify a child. Therefore, the sense is: The princes of Taneos have become foolish, and the wise counselors have given foolish advice to Pharaoh, and the princes of Mempheos have become bewildered, and they have deceived Egypt, the corner of nations, because the Lord has mixed into them a spirit of error and confusion, causing them to not know what they are speaking and to make Egypt go astray. And just as a drunkard, when he vomits what he has eaten and does not know where it is, but lies in a state of alien mind, so Egypt will have no work or counsel that has a head, or an end, or is suitable for the elders or the children, some of whom are foolish and delirious due to extreme age, while others are ignorant of their own insolence and infancy. But whether you want to receive this in relation to the devastation in Babylon, or in relation to the coming of Christ, and both literally and spiritually, it will have significance.

(Verse 16, 17.) On that day, Egypt will be like women, and it will be astonished and afraid because of the shaking hand of the Lord of hosts, which he will bring down on it. And the land of Judah will be a terror to Egypt; everyone who thinks of it will fear because of the counsel of the Lord of hosts, which he has determined against it. At that time, which is now, as we have frequently mentioned, it signifies the day when the Lord will send the spirit of error and confusion, so that Egypt will vomit out the wine of dragons and the incurable madness of asps, understanding its own error and its former drunkenness. Egypt will be afraid like a woman, not with the usual fear that anyone may experience, whom Egypt does not love but suffocates and kills; but with a feminine fear, for Egypt alone does Pharaoh desire to live. But when the commotion, or raising up, of the hand of the Lord, by which punishments are demonstrated, moves and lifts up, in order to strike Egypt. Then the land of Judah, that is, the knowledge of the Scriptures, the law and the prophets, the Gospels and the Epistles of the Apostles, will be a cause for celebration for Egypt, if they recognize them: or a cause for fear, if by comparing their teachings and truths, they understand that they have held falsehood. All who remember this land will tremble with the fear that leads to life: For the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord (Prov. 9:10). And not only in the consummation of the world, but also in the present time, we can receive this; which, every heretic should fear and be frightened by, as it is a teaching of a man knowledgeable in heavenly doctrines. But he will fear and dread the counsel of the Lord, which he has conceived upon Egypt of this world. We briefly go over each thing, in order to move on to the rest.

(Verse 16, 17.) On that day Egypt will be like women, and they will be astonished and afraid because of the shaking of the hand of the Lord of hosts, which he will bring against them. And the land of Judah will be a terror to Egypt; everyone who mentions it will fear because of the purpose of the Lord of hosts, which he has planned against it. I think it is better to correct one's own mistakes than to persist in error while being embarrassed to admit one's ignorance. In what I have translated, And the land of Judah shall be for Egypt a joy, for a joy is read in Hebrew Hagga (), which can be interpreted as both a festival (hence Haggai is translated as festival) and fear, which is more significantly translated by Aquila as 'shaking', when someone is fearful and trembling and turns their eyes around, and fears the approaching enemy. Therefore, if we want to take it in a positive sense, that the remembrance of Judah being for Egypt is a joy, it is rightly called a festival. But if, as I think, it turns into fear for the festival, let us understand fear or dread, that when Nebuchadnezzar comes, and all the hands of strong men will be loosened like those of women, even the word Judah is a terror to Egypt, because while they wanted to offer help, they have suffered so many evils. No one doubts in our times that, in comparison to Christians, all the pagans are like women, having weak opinions, and whatever they say is turned into foolishness, while they are astonished at such a great conversion of the people, and they marvel and understand the hand of the Lord, and whoever, of those who bear the name of Christians among the Gentiles, remembers the weakness of idolatry, confesses it out of fear.

(Verse 18.) On that day there will be five cities in the land of Egypt speaking the language of Canaan and swearing by the Lord of hosts. One city shall be called the City of the Sun. The raised and shaking hand of the Lord over Egypt greatly benefits, so that the land of Judah may be in fear of Him, and everyone who remembers Him may tremble. At that time, five cities in the land of Egypt will speak the language of Canaan, which our five senses understand: sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. When we see a woman to be desired, our sight speaks in the Egyptian language. When we hear a judgment of blood, with the Lord saying: You shall not entertain a vain hearing (4 Kings 12:21, according to the Septuagint), our hearing speaks in the Egyptian language. When we live in luxury according to the prophet, and lie on ivory beds, and anoint ourselves with the best ointments, our sense of smell speaks in the Egyptian language. When our God is present (Philippians III), our taste speaks the Egyptian language. If we do not hear what the Apostle says: It is good for a man not to touch a woman (I Corinthians VII); but on the contrary, let us join with the harlot, our touch speaks the Egyptian language. But if, on the contrary, we lift up our eyes and see that the fields are already white for harvesting, and we have not bowed down to the ground, but according to the Gospel, with a woman who for eighteen years could not look up to heaven (Luke XIII), we lift up our eyes and say, To you I lift up my eyes, who dwell in heaven (Psalm CXXII, 1), our eye and sight speak the Canaanite language. If we cut off our ears and hear the Lord speaking, those who have ears to hear shall listen (Luke 8:8). Our hearing speaks the language of the Canaanite. Whoever can say to the bridegroom: After you we run for the fragrance of your ointments (Song of Songs 1:3), and: We are the sweet odor of Christ in every place (1 Corinthians 2:15), his sense of smell speaks the language of the Canaanite. The taste is also received in a good manner by the one who eats the bread that came down from heaven, the living and not the dead bread, and hears this: Taste and see how sweet the Lord is (Psalm 34:9), immediately his tongue speaks the language of the Canaanite. But there is also a spiritual touch, of which the Apostle John says: Our hands have touched the Word of life (1 John 1:1); and whoever touches Jesus in faith, so that the Savior can say about him: Someone has touched me, for I know power has gone out from me (Luke 8:46). We have learned how great blessings the elevated hand of the Lord bestows; let us seek why the five cities of Egypt speak not in the Hebrew tongue, but in the language of Canaan. To this, we will attempt to respond as follows: the Hebrew word 'περάτην' means 'transitor', one who travels from one place to another. Therefore, even though we are holy as long as we are in Egypt and surrounded by the darkness of this world, we cannot speak in the Hebrew language, but in the language of Canaan, which is intermediate between Egyptian and Hebrew and closely related to Hebrew. Canaan, in translation, means 'commotion' or 'response.' Therefore, when we depart from Egypt and desire to leave the power of Pharaoh, so that our land and our fearful confession belongs to Egypt, then we are moved and as if we respond to the will of the Lord, and yet because we are still in the present age, we cannot yet speak the Hebrew language. And what follows: swearing by the Lord of hosts five cities, this signifies that even here, placed in no way among demons, but among the rememberers of almighty God. Out of the five cities, while the names of four others are not mentioned, one is called the city of the sun, which seems to me to refer to sight. Just as a city needs the sun and moon to be seen, so our eyes need the sun of righteousness to be enlightened.