Jerome

(Verse 18.) On that day there shall be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak the language of Canaan and swear by the Lord of hosts. One of these cities shall be called the city of the sun. Concerning the city of the sun, the LXX translated 'asedec,' not knowing exactly what it meant. Some of our people interpret it as the city of justice, and due to a mistake, they think that it is written in Hebrew as 'Ares,' which means 'land' in other letters. Symmachus translated it better as 'the city of the sun shall be called one,' for 'Ares' is an ambiguous word and is used for both 'clay pot' and 'sun,' because both dry and heat. Not understanding this place, Onias built a temple in Egypt in the city of Heliopolis. Read Josephus' Histories (Joseph. lib. XII, cap. 9). Others want Ares, that is, a shell, that is, a testa, to be understood as the city of Ostracinem, and other cities near Rhinocorura and Casium, which until today it is evident that they speak in Egypt in the Canaanite language, that is, Syrian. And they think that the Syrians and Arabs came from neighboring places to that land under Nabuchodonosor's rule. Moreover, those who speak of the coming of Christ and the Roman empire prophecy, understand either the five cities or the law of the Lord, which was first interpreted in Alexandria, or the five orders of the Church, bishops, presbyters, deacons, believers, catechumens: or certainly the spiritual understanding of the law, of which the Apostle also says: I want to speak five words in the Churches in my understanding, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue (1 Cor. XIV): and that the one city of the five cities is called the city of the sun, namely justice, in whose wings there is healing.

(Verse 19-21) On that day there will be an altar of the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar near its boundary to the Lord. And it will be a sign and a witness to the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt. For they will cry to the Lord because of the oppressor, and he will send them a Savior and a defender to deliver them, and the Lord will be known by Egypt. Accordingly, to what he said above: 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, now it is introduced: There will be an altar of the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, which Onias, according to Josephus (Antiquities of the Jews, Book 13, Chapter 6), mistakenly tried to fulfill. And the title of the Lord containing the passion, in which it is written in Hebrew letters, Greek, and Latin: Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews (John 19), as a sign of the Cross, and as a testimony to all nations, which are now called Egypt. And when the persecution of those who trouble the name of Christians grows, then they will cry out in their hearts: Abba Father (Romans 8). And the Lord of hosts will send the Savior, that is, Jesus, and the Judge, or defender who will deliver them, so that they may know the Lord, and they themselves may be known by the Lord; and where sin abounded, grace may superabound (Romans 5). But the one altar of Egypt, that is, of this world, as we know, all altars that are raised against the Church altar are not of the Lord. Until the end of the vision of Egypt, in the book of Historical Explanation, because it was a clear prophecy, we said that all things are referred to Christ.

[Daniel 11:13-14] "And the king of the North shall return and shall prepare a much greater multitude than before, and in the end of times and years he shall come in haste with a large army and great resources. And in those times many shall rise up against the king of the South." This indicates that Antiochus the Great, who despised the worthlessness of Ptolemy Philopator (for he had fallen desperately in love with a lute-player named Agathoclea and also her brother, retaining Agatho-cles himself as his concubine and afterwards appointing him as general of Egypt), assembled a huge army from the upper regions of Babylon. And since Ptolemy Philopator was now dead, Antiochus broke his treaty and set his army in motion against Philopator's four-year-old son, who was called Epiphanes. For so great was the dissoluteness and arrogancy of Agathoclea, that those provinces which had previously been subjected to Egypt rose up in rebellion, and even Egypt itself was troubled with seditions. Moreover Philip, King of Macedon, and Antiochus the Great made peace with each other and engaged in a common struggle against Agathocles and Ptolemy Eprphanes, on the understanding that each of them should annex to his own dominion those cities of Ptolemy which lay nearest to them. And so this is what is referred to in this passage, which says that many shall rise up against the king of the South, that is, Ptolemy Epiphanes, who was then a mere child.

"Moreover the children of the transgressors of thy people shall lift themselves up, that they may fulfil the vision, and then fall to ruin (Vulgate: and they shall fall to ruin)." During the conflict between Antiochus the Great and the generals of Ptolemy, Judaea, which lay between them, was rent into contrary factions, the one group favoring Antiochus, and the other favoring Ptolemy. Finally the high priest, Onias, fled to Egypt, taking a large number of Jews along with him, and was given by Ptolemy an honorable reception. He then received the region known as Heliopolis, and by a grant of the king, he erected a temple in Egypt like the temple of the Jews, and it remained standing up until the reign of Vespasian, over a period of two hundred and fifty years. But then the city itself, which was known as the City of Onias, was destroyed to the very ground because of the war which the Jews had subsequently waged against the Romans. There is consequently no trace of either city or temple now remaining. But as we were saying, countless multitudes of Jews fled to Egypt on the occasion of Onias's pontificate, and the land was filled with a large number from Cyrene as well. For Onias affirmed that he was fulfilling the prophecy written by Isaiah: "There shall be an altar of the Lord in Egypt, and the name of the Lord shall be found in their territories" (Isaiah 19:19). And so this is the matter referred to in this passage: "The sons of the transgressors of thy people," who forsook the law of the Lord and wished to offer blood-sacrifices to God in another place than what He had commanded. They would be lifted up in pride and would boast that they were fulfilling the vision, that is, the thing which the Lord had enjoined. But they shall fall to ruin, for both temple and city shall be afterwards destroyed. And while Antiochus held Judaea, a leader of the Ptolemaic party called Scopas Aetholus was sent against Antiochus, and after a bold campaign he took Judaea and took the aristocrats of Ptolemy's party back to Egypt with him on his return.

(Verses 19-21.) In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar near its border to the Lord. And it will be for a sign and for a testimony to the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt. For they will cry to the Lord because of the oppressor, and He will send them a Savior and a Champion who will deliver them. And the Lord will make Himself known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know the Lord in that day. They will worship with sacrifices and offerings, and they will make vows to the Lord and fulfill them. From this place to the end of Egypt, both the Jews and we understand it as a vision or prophecy of Christ's coming; but they have different expectations for the future, while we consider it as already fulfilled. However, consider the day for the time being: although Josephus claims that these things happened during the time of Onias, who fled to Egypt and built a temple, an altar, and attempted to fulfill the prophecy of Christ in vain. But it is called one altar, just as there is one faith, one baptism, and one Church. And the title, next to its boundary, undoubtedly signifies the Gospel and the writings of the Apostles. For just as the land of Judea is understood above, according to the tropological understanding, as fearsome, or solemn, or the old Testament: so the title in the boundaries of Egypt is shown to be the history of the Gospels. Finally, it joins: And it shall be a sign and a testimony, namely of the Lord's passion. Then those who have believed, while the Egyptians are coming together against the Egyptians, and a man is fighting against his own brother, and city is fighting against city: when the time of persecution comes, they will implore the mercy of the Lord, and immediately the Savior will come, that is, Jesus, for this is what it means in our language. And the Lord will be known by the Egyptians, and they will recognize Him, whether the persecutors who have been overcome, or the believers who have been freed by His present help. And they shall worship him with sacrifices and gifts, and shall vow vows to the Lord and shall pay them. Let the Jews respond: It is prescribed by law that an altar should not be made except in the one place which the Lord God chooses, and only the sacrifices of the Levite priests should be offered. (Deut. XXVI). Behold, Isaiah clearly teaches that the Egyptians should recognize the Lord, and worship him, and offer sacrifices and gifts, and make vows and fulfill them. If the Egyptians have a priesthood, then the testimony of Paul is also fulfilled in them, which says: If the priesthood is transferred, it is necessary for there to be a transfer of the law. (Heb. VII, 12).

(Verse 20.) And the Egyptians will know the Lord on that day; and they will worship him with sacrifices and offerings, and they will make vows to the Lord and fulfill them. And the Lord will strike Egypt with a plague, and he will heal it; and they will return to the Lord, and he will be appeased by them, and he will heal them. After the Egyptians have come to know the Lord, they will worship him with spiritual sacrifices and offerings; and they will make vows to the Lord and fulfill them; and they will say with David: 'Sacrifice to God a contrite spirit' (Psalm 50:19); and: 'The lifting up of my hands is an evening sacrifice' (Psalm 140:2); when they believe in the Nazarene and themselves become Nazarenes, not drinking wine and strong drink (John 19); and the vinegar that was given to the Lord, and whatever is made from the Sodomite grape. And when they have fulfilled their vows with Abel, and God looks upon them, Cain, the older brother, that is, the people of Circumcision, will envy and shed Christian blood, which will cry out to the Lord (Gen. IV); and therefore he will go forth from the face of God, saying of the Savior: Crucify him, crucify him (Luke XXIII, 11); and: We have no king but Caesar (John XIX, 15). He offers and fulfills his vow to the Lord, who is holy in body and spirit. Zacchaeus also offered a vow and promised to give half of his possessions to the poor (Luke 19). The question arises, if the Savior and defender was sent to Egypt to deliver them from distress, how can it now be said, 'The Lord will strike Egypt with a plague?' But let us consider what follows: 'And he will heal it.' For whom the Lord loves, he chastises (Hebrews 12). And the Savior himself speaks to the Father in Psalm 68: 'For those who you struck, they pursued; and they added to the pain of my wounds.' If, therefore, He has not spared His own Son, but has surrendered Him for us, so that by His bruises and wounds we may be healed (Rom. 8): the Lord also surrendered the martyrs to suffering, but He will restore them in the resurrection, so that the faith of believers may be confirmed by their wounds. Hence, it is also said to Job: Do you think that I have spoken in any other way to you, unless that you might appear just? For He Himself causes pain and restores to former health; He visits His servants with a rod, so that He does not take His mercy away from them. Where are the daughters and daughters-in-law who have greatly sinned and spread their legs to everyone passing by, not visited or rebuked, as the Lord says: 'I will not visit your daughters when they fornicate, or your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery' (Hosea 4:14). Therefore, the Lord strikes the Egyptians, not with fire or sword, but with a rod. For what son is not disciplined by his father? So that once they have been healed, they may return to the Lord, and he may be appeased with them and heal them again. For we always need the mercy of God, and there is no end to His clemency.

(Verse 23) On that day there will be a road from Egypt to Assyria, and Assyria will enter Egypt, and Egypt will enter Assyria; and the Egyptians will serve Assyria. Before the coming of Christ, each nation had its own king, and no one could go from one nation to another; but in the Roman empire, all became one. Let the learned reader review the ancient histories, and from the Euphrates to the Tigris, let them know that the whole region in between was inhabited by the Assyrians. Therefore, what the ancient Assyrians, whom we now call Syrians, called the whole from a part. Now, when it is said that the Egyptians serve the Syrians, it should be understood either that the Roman legions, equipped with Syrian soldiers, guard Egypt, or that there is trade between the two nations, and the cities of Syria benefit from the abundance of Egypt, just as, conversely, Egypt is irrigated by the goods of Palestine and Phoenicia. Some of our people mistakenly refer this to a thousand years and pronounce that it will happen in the manner of the Jews at the end of the world, when the Antichrist, coming from Assyria, will possess Egypt and Ethiopia.

(Verse 23) On that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians. As we have shown, the preceding events have been for the good of the Egyptians. Five cities in their land will speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the Lord of Hosts. They will have an altar to the Lord in their midst, as well as a marker, testimony, sign, and savior to deliver them. The Egyptians will recognize the Lord and offer sacrifices, gifts, and vows. They will be healed and return to the Lord, finding favor and healing once again. Therefore, it should be understood that serving the Assyrians is also for the good of the Egyptians. For the Apostle serves the believers in order to make them gain (1 Corinthians 9). And Esau submits to his brother Jacob (Genesis 33), in order to become a partaker of his blessings. Therefore, those who were saved first from the Gentiles and have the altar of the Lord in themselves, will save those who persist in hardness through their servitude, and through their mixture and association with them, they will go to the Assyrians, so that they may bring the Assyrians to Egypt; and afterwards they may be able to reach the Israelite people. For this reason, I believe that a faithful woman should serve an unfaithful man, in order to gradually draw him from Egypt and Assyria to Judaea.

(Verse 24, 25.) On that day, Israel will be a third, along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth. The Lord Almighty will bless them, saying, 'Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance.' In no way will Israel be a mediator between Egypt and Assyria, now that Antiochus and Demetrius are drawing the kingdom to themselves, now that the Ptolemies are claiming its possession for themselves. But even under Roman rule, and therefore under the rule of Christ, it will be of the same condition as Egypt and Assyria, and it will be blessed in all the earth. Because the law will go forth from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. Then it will be said by the Lord: Blessed is my people of Egypt: when by no means Moses, but Christ the Lord leading the way, the countless thousands of men have filled the wilderness, and with Pharaoh submerged, they have said in the desert: Let us sing to the Lord, for He has been gloriously magnified: He has cast horse and rider into the sea (Exodus 15:1). Then the work of the Lord will also reign in Assyria; for these are the largest nations of monks, Egypt and Mesopotamia, and they contend with each other in equal piety. But the inheritance of Christ is the Israel, that is, the places of his birth, and the cross, and the resurrection, and his ascension, to which people from all over the world gather.

(Chapter 20, verses 1 and following) In the year that Tartan came to Ashdod, when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him and he fought against Ashdod and took it, at that time the Lord spoke by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, "Go, and loose the sackcloth from your waist and take off your sandals from your feet," and he did so, walking naked and barefoot. And the Lord said, "As my servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot for three years, as a sign and a portent against Egypt and Cush. Thus the king of Assyria will threaten the captivity of Egypt, and the migration of Ethiopia, both the young and the old, naked and barefoot, with their buttocks uncovered, the shame of Egypt. And they will fear and be ashamed because of Ethiopia, and because of Egypt, their glory. And the inhabitants of this island will say on that day, Is this our hope? To whom did we flee for help, to be delivered from the face of the king of Assyria? And how can we escape? Pro Thartan LXX Thanatan transtulerunt: et pro Sargon, Arna: quod quid interpretetur, scire non possumus. Neque enim falsorum nominum falsas possumus etymologias fingere. Sunt autem nomina non Hebraea, sed Assyria, e quibus sonare cognovimus Thartan, turrem dedit, vel superfluus, sive elongans. Sargon autem princeps horti. Hic rex Assyrius quem supra legimus sensum magnum, habet duces plurimos, quorum unus est Thartan, elatus in superbiam, et longe procedens in scelere,et amplior caeteris: et mittitur ad impugnandam Azotum, quae Hebraice dicitur Asdod (), et interpretatur, ignis generationis; expugnatque dux regis Assyrii eos qui generationi et libidini serviunt. And beautifully the king of the Assyrians, Sargon the prince of gardens, is said to be dedicated to pleasure and luxury. Finally, even Ahab, the king of Israel, desired to turn Naboth's vineyard into a garden, understanding the figurative meaning according to the laws of tropology, he preferred to die rather than to do it, so that his paternal inheritance and ancient possession would not be turned into the delights of an impious king. Moreover, the prophet is commanded to walk naked and barefoot, with his sack and shoes removed, as a sign and wonder to the Egyptians and Ethiopians who persecuted the people of God, and to humble them because of their pride. For Egypt means pursuing or afflicting; the Ethiopians, are humble and dejected; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled. (Luke 14:11). And those who are to be led into captivity and suffer torment for three years, as we read in the Psalms: I considered the days of old and years long past. (Psalm 77:5). These are not small punishments, but ones extended for long periods of time. But in the very captivity and transmigration in Egypt, both young and old, who have been strengthened in evil and have reached the vices of perfect age, will go naked so that all their crimes may be exposed (For nothing is hidden that will not be revealed), and barefoot, because they will not be able to eat the Pascha of the Lord: whoever eats it has his loins girded and holds a staff in his hand and stands with feet shod, so that while passing through the desert of this world he may not be bitten by serpents. Then their buttocks will be exposed, from which excrement is produced, and all the shame of Egypt will be revealed, so that those who had hope in Egypt and Ethiopia will be confounded, and they will see that their glory has been changed into confusion; to such an extent that the inhabitant of this island, that is, of this world, who is not a stranger and foreigner, but desired to have perpetual possession of the world, says in confusion: This is Egypt, and this is Ethiopia, from which we hoped for help, in order that they would free us from the prince of this world. How then can we escape, since those in whom we had hope are captured? And it should be noted that before Azotus is captured, he is clothed in a sackcloth and with feet shod, so that he may indeed bewail those who have been wounded by the burning darts of the devil and serve their lust; but nevertheless, he himself walks shod, so that he may tread upon serpents and scorpions, and walk securely through the wilderness of this world, in which there are serpents and scorpions, and a thirst for good things. But after Ashdod was captured, he walks barefoot and naked as a sign of the captivity of Egypt and the exile of Ethiopia. For he could not stand or walk in the holy land, to which he hurried to go, dressed in a sackcloth and with his feet covered with skins, as the Lord said: Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place you are standing on is holy (Exodus 3:5).

(Chapter 20, Verse 1) In the year that Tharhaka came to Ashdod, when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him and fought against Ashdod and took it. At that time the Lord spoke by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, Go and loose the sackcloth from your waist and take off your sandals from your feet. And he did so, walking naked and barefoot. Then the Lord said, As my servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot for three years as a sign and a portent against Egypt and Cush. Thus the king of Assyria will threaten the captivity of Egypt, and the exile of Ethiopia, the young and old stripped and barefoot, with naked buttocks, the disgrace of Egypt. And they will be afraid and ashamed because of their hope in Ethiopia, and because of their glory in Egypt. And the inhabitants of this island will say on that day: Behold, this was our hope, to whom we fled for help, that he might deliver us from the face of the king of Assyria, and how will we be able to escape? We have set the whole content of this chapter, so that we may discuss each part separately. Azotus, which is called Ashdod in Hebrew, was a very powerful city in Palestine among the five cities. It was captured and held by Sargon, the king of the Assyrians, who is also known by seven names, by sending his general named Tartan. At the time when the neighboring city was captured, Isaiah is commanded to walk naked and barefoot, after taking off his sackcloth garment (for this was the prophetic attire of a people grieving for their sins) and his sandals, which the Greek translation calls caligas, thus symbolizing the captivity of Egypt and Ethiopia, who were allies of the Egyptians. In this way, just as Isaiah walked naked and showed his bare buttocks as a sign of disgrace to those who saw, all of Egypt and Ethiopia would become naked and bare, with nothing remaining on the land, as the Assyrians ravaged the region. Nor let anyone think that this is contrary to the previous happiness promised to the Egyptians, because there they are taught about future bliss after the evils. Here, however, the present captivity is narrated, through which Israel, Damascus, and the Philistines were devastated, and the right way to Egypt was taken, and both the Ethiopians and the Egyptians were conquered. And so that it does not seem ambiguous to anyone, let us consider the testimony of Isaiah himself: But when Sennacherib returned, he found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah, for he had heard that he had departed from Lachish; and he heard about Tirhakah, the king of Ethiopia, saying, 'He has come out to fight against you.' (2 Kings 19:8-9). At the same time, we learn obedience from the prophets, because a noble man (for the Hebrews report that Isaiah was the father-in-law of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, king of Judah) did not hesitate to walk naked; but considering nothing more honorable than God's commands, he removed the sackcloth in which he had been clothed, and being stripped naked, he first had a tunic, and that itself made of haircloth. And when it is said: It shall be a sign and a wonder for three years upon Egypt and upon Ethiopia, it signifies that Egypt and Ethiopia shall be devastated by the Assyrians for three years. Then, he said, the inhabitant of this island, that is Jerusalem, which is battered by the waves of neighboring nations, will say: Is this our hope? And did we flee to them for help, who could not rescue themselves from the evil of captivity? Therefore, this is the order of God's providence, disposing of all human kind with ineffable judgment. In contrast, Israel hoped in Damascus against the wrath of God: let the city be destroyed, which offers assistance to the wicked against His will. Judas hoped in the Egyptians: and let Egypt be destroyed. The Egyptians put their trust in the Ethiopians: let the Ethiopians also be conquered by the Assyrians. The Assyrians became proud, considering victory to be not of God, but of their own strength: and let them be conquered by the Babylonians. Babylon raised its head against God: and let it be overcome by the Medes and Persians. The Persians and Medes persecuted the people of God to some extent, and a fierce ram scattered all peoples to the East and West; let Alexander the goat come and crush him under his feet. And he who is beyond measure upright, let him perish by poison, and let his kingdom be divided into parts; and when over a long period of time they have clashed against each other, with the Roman conquering, let it be plundered. The Roman himself, with teeth and claws of iron, tore the flesh of the saints, and with a bloody mouth, he mutilated: let the stone be cut out from the mountain without hands, and let it crush the first kingdom, most powerful and iron, then fragile and weak, like a potter's vessel (Daniel 2).

(Verse 1, Line 2) Just as whirlwinds come from the South, it comes from the desert, from a dreadful land. A harsh vision has been announced to me. The voice of the Babylonian people is introduced, fearing that it, or rather Babylon itself, may hear that the Medes and the Elamites are preparing an army against them and are coming from the wilderness, and it sets forth an example of comparison. Just as, he says, a violent storm usually comes from the South wind: so to me comes desolation from the wilderness, from a dreadful land, of which I cannot even hear the name without fear. A harsh vision has been announced to me: for what is harder than present captivity?

Whoever is unbelieving, acts unfaithfully; and whoever is a destroyer, devastates. It can be read in Hebrew as follows: If you kill, kill; and if you devastate, devastate, so that the prophecy of Elamite and Median, encouraging him to fulfill what he has begun, may be directed to him, daring to ascend without fear, to besiege the most powerful city. But if it is read as we have translated, as if it is said from a third person perspective, "Whoever is unbelieving, acts unfaithfully; and whoever is a destroyer, devastates," it must be connected with the previous statements, in which Babylon declares a harsh vision revealed to her.


Rise up, O Elam, besiege the Medes: I have caused all their groaning to cease. Do not be afraid, says the Persian and the Mede, of the multitude of Babylon, nor be in awe of its former power: I have caused all their groaning and the weight with which it used to press you to cease: either because no one now laments and grieves under the power of Babylon, or because Babylon itself is so oppressed by such great evils that it does not even have free groaning.

(Chapter 21, Verse 1) The burden of the desert of the sea. Unless I were to read the following in the subsequent part of this chapter: Babylon has become a beloved wonder to me. And again: Babylon has fallen, has fallen, and all the carved images of her gods are shattered on the ground. And above: Go up, O Elam, lay siege, O Media: I would doubt that this weight, which is imposed on the deserted sea, is what is meant. Therefore, it is clear that the deserted sea is called Babylon, as Jeremiah says on behalf of God: I will make her sea a desert, and I will dry up her land, and Babylon will become heaps of sand (Jeremiah 51:36, 37). But the sea is called such because of the multitude of creatures living in it. Therefore, above, the multitude of Egypt is compared to the sea. The Lord will make the sea of Egypt a desert. And as for the Medes and Persians warring against Babylon, and overthrowing it, we read in the aforementioned Jeremiah: Sharpen the arrows, fill the quivers. The Lord will raise up the spirit of the kings of the Medes against Babylon, and his thoughts will be against her, to destroy her, for it is the vengeance of the Lord, the vengeance of his Temple. Raise a banner on the walls of Babylon, increase the guard, elevate the watchmen, prepare ambushes; for the Lord has planned and done what he spoke against the inhabitants of Babylon. And again: Raise a signal on the earth, blow the trumpet among the nations, consecrate the nations against her, announce to the kings of Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz; summon against her the kings of Media, bring up horses like bristling locusts. Sanctify against her the nations, the kings of Media, their leaders and all their officials, and the whole land under their dominion. The earth will quake and tremble, for the Lord has a plan against Babylon to make it a desolation, a place where no one lives (Jeremiah 51:11, following).

(Chapter 21—Verse 1 and following) The burden of the desert of the sea. As hurricanes come from the south, it comes from the desert, from a fearful land. A harsh vision has been revealed to me: he who is unbelieving acts unfaithfully, and he who is a plunderer lays waste. Rise up, Elam, besiege Media: I have caused all their groaning to cease. Therefore my loins are filled with pain: distress has gripped me, like the distress of a woman in labor. 70: Vision of the desert of the sea. Just as a storm passes through the desert, coming from the desert. A vision of horror has been announced to me from the land of distress: the transgressor transgresses, and the unjust acts unjustly. The Elamites are against me, and the messengers of Persia come: now I groan and console myself: therefore my loins are filled with anguish, sorrows have seized me, like a woman in labor. What seems to us according to History we have said briefly: now let us grasp the summary of tropologies. A vision, or a burden against this world, is seen as the sea: and it is seen by the Prophet, how great temptations this world is full of. However, as to why the sea is called a world (not to mention many other things), I am content with one testimony from the Psalms: Those who go down to the sea in ships, who do business on great waters, they have seen the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep (Psalm 107:23). For those who work in this world do the work of God, and with the Prophet they say: Come into the deep sea, they themselves see his wonders in the deep; and having been delivered from temptations and distress, they say they have heard a terrible and harsh vision. But this very storm comes from the desert, in which the Lord was tempted (Matthew IV), and Israel suffered from the bites of serpents and the stings of scorpions (Numbers XXI). And when it comes, it passes through and goes by; and then he who endures understands that only the transgressor transgresses and only the wicked acts wickedly. Therefore, if we are overwhelmed by the waves of the sea and if a fierce storm overtakes us, it is because of our own vice, for we were transgressors and wicked before the storm. And what he says is this: Against me the Elamites and the ambassadors of the Persians come, here the meaning is: the Elamites interpret with contempt, the Persians try. Therefore, let those come who are accustomed to despise, to scorn, and to try; but I will lament, and my groaning will be my consolation. But even my loins are filled with distress, and I have been seized by pains like a woman in labor, so that I may conceive and give birth from the fear of the Lord, and make his spirit of salvation come upon the earth. But according to the Hebrew, the whirlwinds and storms come from the desert and from the dreadful land, where there is no inhabitant, God is not present, and everything is earthly. And whoever is unbelieving acts in accordance with his unbelief, and the devastator lays waste. Therefore, he speaks boldly against his adversaries, saying, 'Ascend, Elam; lay siege to the Medes!' I have caused every groaning of the desert sea and the dreadful land, and the harshest vision that was announced to cease. Because my loins are filled with repentance, not with pleasure as before, but with sorrow, and I will say no more: My loins are filled with illusions. (Ps. XXXVII, 7). For anguish and tribulation have taken hold of me, as it is wont to hold a woman in labor. The Vulgate edition and the Hebrew text differ greatly in this place; therefore, we will briefly examine both, lest we leave ourselves an opportunity for captious fault-finding.

(Verse 3, 4.) Therefore my loins are filled with pain: anguish has taken hold of me, like the anguish of a woman in labor: I am bowed down when I hear it, I am troubled when I see it. My heart is faint, darkness has overwhelmed me. Babylon, my beloved, has become a wonder to me. The prophets are therefore obscured, because many individuals are changed in them. Therefore now the voice of Isaiah is introduced mourning for Babylon in a prophetic spirit, because such great evils are about to come upon her, that the one who narrates, overcome by fear, is unable to burst forth into words, seeing the bloodshed of such a multitude: and moved by the affection of mercy (for indeed he speaks of humans), he grieves no less than a woman wailing in childbirth; but he is troubled and fearful, and falling to the ground, with dim eyes he knows not what he is saying. But for the name that we translate as Babylon, in Hebrew it is read Neseph Esci (); and it is the very word that we placed at the beginning of the Babylonian Oneris, on the dark mountain: for it is written Neseph for dark or gloomy. And this city is specifically called thus, because of its height and the erect summit of pride reaching up to heaven.

(Vers. 4, 5.) I fell down when I heard, I was troubled when I saw: my heart grew faint, darkness overwhelmed me: Babylon, my beloved, has become a wonder to me. Set the table, watch those who eat and drink: rise up, princes, take the shield. LXX: I acted unjustly so that I would not hear, I hastened so that I would not see, my heart went astray: iniquity has flooded over me; my soul is filled with fear. Set the table, watch the watchtower: eat, drink: rise up, princes, prepare the shields. Before hearing and seeing the harshest things that the Prophet foresaw about the desert sea, he says that he fell and was troubled, and with almost blinded eyes and a bewildered mind, he did not know what he was seeing. For that Babylon (about which Aquila and Theodotius interpreted as darkness, to signify this world, which is in the evil (1 John 5), and whose rulers are according to the Apostle Paul (Ephesians 6), the rulers of these darkness), which once was either loved by the Prophets or by God, has become marvelous in its downfall. Where the Prophets are commanded that, partaking of the table of the Lord and being satisfied with His food, they may more diligently contemplate the things that are to come to the world; and through him it is said to all believers that, by partaking of and drinking the body and blood of the Lord, they may become princes of the Church, etc., and listen to the Apostles when they say, “Arise; take up the shield of faith from the armor of the Apostle Paul” (Ephesians 6), in which they can extinguish the fiery darts of the devil. According to the Hebrew, and the interpretation begun on the world. Let us move on to the Septuagint edition, which differs greatly from the previous ones. The Prophet corrects himself, or rather confesses the error of others under his own person, who following the literal letter, despise the life-giving spirit; and he says that he has acted unjustly, so as not to hear the law spiritually: but on the contrary, he hastened not to perceive the sacraments of God, nor did he say with David: Open my eyes, and I will consider the wonders of your law (Ps. 118:18). Therefore, his heart wanders and is filled with Jewish superstition, not remaining in the love of God, but in fear, so that he may have a spirit of slavery in fear, and not the spirit of adoption, in which we cry out, Abba Father (Rom. VIII). Therefore, it is commanded to him to approach the table of spiritual food, and all who follow his example shall eat from it and drink. And with the old error despised, let them rise up in the spirit which lay in the letter, and let them become princes, and let them say with the Prophet: O Lord, you have crowned us with the shield of your goodwill (Ps. V, 15).