Theodoret of Cyrus — Commentary on Scripture

Jeremiah 38:17

Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; If thou wilt assuredly go forth unto the king of Babylon's princes, then thy soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire; and thou shalt live, and thine house:

He had often spoken these things previously. We must investigate why in the world he promises safety to those who go out of the city but threatens destruction to those who do not go out. When Nebuchadnezzar had elevated Zedekiah to the kingship, the latter had sworn an oath to him that he would pay tribute and maintain a favorable disposition to the one who had appointed him. But when a short time had passed, he violated the terms of the agreement and both did not pay the tribute and appealed to Egypt for help. Since he had taken these oaths not by some idols lacking any souls but by the Creator of all, and yet he had dared to violate them, the Lord God then ordered him to go out to the Chaldeans and in this way to render service for his perjury.

Jeremiah 39:12

Take him, and look well to him, and do him no harm; but do unto him even as he shall say unto thee.

Both Nebuchadnezzar the king and Ebedmelech the Ethiopian increased the condemnation of the Jews. Although they were foreigners, they respected the prophet, but the Jews (who had been raised on the words of the prophets) did not want to pay attention to the divine words, but they subjected the prophets to punishments of every kind. The promise of God surely obtained its fulfillment. When God appointed him a prophet, he promised to make him irresistible and like an iron pillar and a bronze wall because on the one hand they would wage war against him but on the other hand they would not prevail. Nebuzaradan and all the company of rulers summoned Jeremiah from the prison and handed him over to Gedaliah, whom he had ordered to rule over the remnant in Judah. And the prophet thought that it was worth noting that the things spoken beforehand by God concerning Ebedmelech were fulfilled. For with him, nothing is uncared for or lacking reward.

Jeremiah 40:3

Now the LORD hath brought it, and done according as he hath said: because ye have sinned against the LORD, and have not obeyed his voice, therefore this thing is come upon you.

And here it is clear that God chose Israel from the beginning as a kindness to the other nations. For the miracles that took place because of them amazed all and clearly taught that their God alone was the true God. And again their misfortunes accused them of their wickedness and proclaimed the righteous verdict of God. Thus, for example, Nebuzaradan said that the Jews deservedly suffered punishment and God had acted justly.

Jeremiah 42:2

And said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we beseech thee, our supplication be accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the LORD thy God, even for all this remnant; (for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us:)

Their words are full of piety but do not agree with their actions. When ten days had passed, the prophet obtained his reply. But I think that the delay of the response was for the benefit of those who had made the request, so that they might know how God barely received the supplication of the prophet. Accordingly, the prophet says that God had ordered for them to stay in that land. He says, “I will deem you worthy of all care.”

Jeremiah 43:13

He shall break also the images of Bethshemesh, that is in the land of Egypt; and the houses of the gods of the Egyptians shall he burn with fire.

The city had two names. It was called both On and Heliopolis. Exodus also taught this, for it says that the children of Israel built cities for Pharaoh: Pithom, Raamses and On, which is Heliopolis. God calls Nebuchadnezzar his servant, not because he is a servant in appearance or disposition but because he is a servant by nature: creation is the servant of the Creator. At the same time he teaches that Nebuchadnezzar does these things because God permits him to.

Jeremiah 44:21-22 · 2 passages

The incense that ye burned in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, ye, and your fathers, your kings, and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the LORD remember them, and came it not into his mind?

But none of these things struck fear in these wretched, no, three-times wretched individuals, but they all clamored—men and women alike, but especially the Babylonians—“We cannot endure your words.” What is even worse than this is that, although they thought that these words were divine, they openly contradicted them.

He reminds them (as they have it fresh in their memory) of all the evils perpetuated by their ancestors and by their kings and mighty people, and he reminds them of the misfortunes of all kinds brought to bear against them. And he threatens them, calling himself the Lord of hosts and the God of Israel, so that they might hear the greatness of his authority and learn of his care for their ancestors and so that they might show reverence and fear.

Jeremiah 45:2 · 2 passages

Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, unto thee, O Baruch;

The Lord comforts Baruch, who was serving the prophet, writing the oracles, complaining about the hardships and feeling vexed. He commands him to bear nobly his life full of pain. He says, “If I am now uprooting, cutting off and handing over to all sorts of punishments all the people whom I led out of Egypt and planted in this land, are you distraught because you alone are not spending your life in tranquility? But you should not do this. I will still take care of you, and, when I bring punishment on them, I will bring you comfort. And wherever you live, you will have my care.”

Joining this history interwoven with the prophecy, in this way he reminds them of the earlier warning that he was commanded to say to Baruch in the days of Jehoiakim.

Jeremiah 46:2-3

Against Egypt, against the army of Pharaohnecho king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates in Carchemish, which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon smote in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah.

After completing his prophecies concerning the people of Israel, he foretells what will happen to the other nations, teaching that he is Creator, God and Lord of all. First, he recounts those things that pertain to Egypt and teaches the time of this prophecy. The prediction was fulfilled after the death of the pharaoh Neco. Neco killed Josiah by the Euphrates River and was himself killed by the king of the Babylonians.

Jeremiah 46:25

The LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saith; Behold, I will punish the multitude of No, and Pharaoh, and Egypt, with their gods, and their kings; even Pharaoh, and all them that trust in him:

The Egyptians call Zeus Ammon. For this reason it is also called the Ammonian land. They have furnished the largest sacred precinct for this deity. He calls Ammon “Egypt’s son” on the grounds that Ammon was a god created by it, since a statue is something made by human hands. Thus, he threatens to give Ammon and their other gods to the Babylonians, for he says this: “And on Pharaoh and on Egypt and on its gods and those who trust in them, he says that the enemy will overcome them all alike—the king, rulers, idols and bodyguards.” Once Egypt has been given over to the king of the Babylonians, he will recover his earlier dominion.

Jeremiah 47:1-7 · 2 passages

The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet against the Philistines, before that Pharaoh smote Gaza.

Now he directs his prophecy against foreigners. He calls the inhabitants of Ashkelon, Gaza, Azotus, Gath and Ekron “foreigners.” He says that the prediction took place before Pharaoh struck Gaza, and he likens the army of the Babylonians to a flooding river swollen by rain and melted snow. Cities will be overwhelmed by this flood; their inhabitants will be destroyed and lament and be unable to bear the din of the arms and chariots.

He calls Nebuchadnezzar “the sword of the Lord,” for he does those things by God’s permission, and the impious pay the penalty for their ungodliness at one another’s hands.

Jeremiah 49:14

I have heard a rumour from the LORD, and an ambassador is sent unto the heathen, saying, Gather ye together, and come against her, and rise up to the battle.

He used the phrase “he sent messengers to the nations” to mean “command.” It is also likely that by divine command ministering angels stirred up the enemy. Remember that the divine David also says, “He sent forth on them the wrath of his anger; anger, wrath and distress, a dispatch by means of wicked angels.” He calls them “wicked,” not as such by nature but as communicating punishment as a benefit. We, too, are in the habit of calling the calamities that befall us evil. Likewise an angel wiped out the firstborn of the Egyptians. In the same way, other calamities were sent against Israel when David took a census of the people. There are many other such examples you could find in the divine Scripture.

Jeremiah 50:6

My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their restingplace.

Then he likens them to lost sheep. He ascribes the cause for the destruction of the sheep to the shepherds. He calls “shepherds” not only their kings but also their priests. And he saw how they prepared them to wander: “They drove them to the mountains and made them wander; they have gone from mountain to hill and have forgotten their fold.” He calls the shrines of the idols “hills” and “mountains” for in them they worshiped the idols. And he calls the temple of God a “fold” because they had there the enjoyment of good things. This wandering handed them over to the enemy inasmuch as they sinned against the Lord.

Jeremiah 51:25

Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain, saith the LORD, which destroyest all the earth: and I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and roll thee down from the rocks, and will make thee a burnt mountain.

He calls Babylon a mountain because of the preeminence of its power. He calls it corrupt because of its ungodliness and wickedness.

Jeremiah 51:64

And thou shalt say, Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring upon her: and they shall be weary. Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.

The Lord ordered these things to happen to comfort the Judean captives so that, when they had learned about Babylon’s capture and their own freedom, they might have as their consolation the hope of these good things.

Joel 1:2

Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land. Hath this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers?

But these same villains, vessels of wrath fitted for destruction,2 screwed up their noses and poured out, if I may say so, as from a well-head, foul noises through their nostrils and rent the raiment from Christ’s holy virgins, whose conversation gave an exact likeness of saints. They dragged them in triumph, naked as when they were born, through all the town. They made indecent sport of them at their pleasure. Their deeds were barbarous and cruel. Anyone who interfered in pity and was urged to mercy was dismissed with wounds. Ah! Woe is me. Many a virgin underwent brutal violation. Many a maid beaten on the head with clubs lay dumb. Even their bodies were not allowed to be given up for burial. Their grief-stricken parents cannot find their corpses to this day. But why recount woes that seem small when compared with greater? Why linger over these and not hurry on to events more urgent? When you hear them, I know that you will wonder and will stand with us long dumb, amazed at the kindness of the Lord in not bringing all things utterly to an end. At the very altar the impious perpetra…

But these same villains, vessels of wrath fitted for destruction,2 screwed up their noses and poured out, if I may say so, as from a well-head, foul noises through their nostrils and rent the raiment from Christ’s holy virgins, whose conversation gave an exact likeness of saints. They dragged them in triumph, naked as when they were born, through all the town. They made indecent sport of them at their pleasure. Their deeds were barbarous and cruel. Anyone who interfered in pity and was urged to mercy was dismissed with wounds. Ah! Woe is me. Many a virgin underwent brutal violation. Many a maid beaten on the head with clubs lay dumb. Even their bodies were not allowed to be given up for burial. Their grief-stricken parents cannot find their corpses to this day. But why recount woes that seem small when compared with greater? Why linger over these and not hurry on to events more urgent? When you hear them, I know that you will wonder and will stand with us long dumb, amazed at the kindness of the Lord in not bringing all things utterly to an end. At the very altar the impious perpetrated the very things that, as Joel had prophesied, were never heard of and had never happened before in the days of our fathers.

Joel 1:11-12

Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished.

Describing the calamity at greater length to bring to repentance those suffering from indifference, he bids even the produce to lament the failure of the barley and the wheat and the defoliation of the vine, and in general the lack of fruit on olives and figs and the other fruit trees due to their being deprived of moisture. Now it should be understood that he instructs the land and the produce to lament, not as rational creatures but in his attempt to rouse those endowed with reason through the inanimate creatures. To emphasize this, he went on, “because human beings confounded joy,” that is, the cause of the infertility is people’s lawlessness—hence the end of happiness and the onset of depression.

Joel 2:13

And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

“Rend your hearts, not your garments,” that is, have recourse to thoughts of compunction, soften the obduracy of your thinking, accept beneficial advice, abandon the way of vice and travel by that way which leads directly to God. After all, many are the founts of compassion and mercy that flow from him, and in his exercise of longsuffering he is not in the custom of putting his threats into effect. In fact, he indicated as much by saying “repenting of the troubles,” that is, by instilling dread by the threats of punishment, and by the changes in human beings for the better transforming the threats into something pleasant. The God of all, you see, does not intend one thing at one time and another thing at another, or like us repent of what he does. Rather, while making threats he has mercy within himself, and he offers it to those who are sorry for their sins, and while making promises of good things he knows those who are good and those who are unworthy of his gifts, extending them to the former and giving to the latter the opposite of what he promises.