“(Chapter 28, Verse 1) Woe to the pride of Ephraim's crown, to the fading flower of its glorious splendor, which is at the head of the fertile valley of those who are overcome with wine. See, the Lord has one who is powerful and strong. Like a hailstorm and a destructive wind, like a driving rain and a flooding downpour, he will throw it forcefully to the ground. The proud crown of Ephraim's drunkards will be trampled underfoot. The fading flower of its glorious splendor, which is at the head of the fertile valley, will be like a fig before the fruit harvest, as soon as someone sees it and takes it in hand, they swallow it. LXX: Alas for the crown of the pride of Ephraim's hired mercenaries, the flower that falls from the glory atop the fat mountain, those who are drunk but not with wine. Behold, the strong and fierce anger of the Lord, like hail that falls forcefully, without shelter, which violently falls like a multitude of waters drawing the ground, and making space for itself: the crown of the pride of Ephraim's hired mercenaries will be trampled by hands and feet. And there will be a flower that falls from the hope of glory on the summit of the high mountain, like an early fig, which anyone who sees it before it is ripe will desire to devour it. Let us first speak according to history, then according to allegory, and finally according to prophetical vision. The divine discourse speaks against the ten tribes that were reigning in Samaria, and because of Jeroboam, who was from the tribe of Ephraim, they were called Ephraim. And he calls them the crown of pride: because compared to the two tribes, which were called Judah, they were higher in number and strength. And he says that Ephraim has made them drunk, who do not understand their Creator, but worship golden calves as their Lord in Dan and Bethel. These were once in their prime, lords and in glory, when they were ruled by David and Solomon, and they were worshiping God in the temple of Jerusalem in the twelve tribes, which were in the summit of the fattest valley, which in Hebrew is called Ge Semanim (). It signifies the place where the Lord was delivered; on top of which valley the temple of the Lord was situated. These were intoxicated by the wine of error and madness, which Jeroboam mixed for them. Therefore, the Lord threatens punishment against them, because just as a hailstorm shatters everything in its path, and the force of overwhelming waters sweeps away anything in its way, so may the Assyrian army be destroyed, and whatever remains may be transported to the mountains or cities of Media. He compares the glory of the ten tribes to a crown of various flowers, which had such beauty that just as someone, before the arrival of summer and autumn, sees a precursor fig on a tree and immediately eats it as soon as they hold it in their hand, so may the Assyrians see the ten tribes, destroy and devour them, leaving nothing of the former people in Samaria. Let this be briefly said according to history. Let's move on to the allegory. According to the exposition of the prophet Hosea, in which Ephraim and Joseph and Samaria and the ten tribes, which were separated from the body of the twelve tribes, and the temple of the Lord, we refer to the heretics, who are truly, according to the Septuagint edition, a crown of injustice, blaspheming the Lord, and doing everything for the sake of profit, and falling from the glory of the Lord: they do not follow the meagerness of manna, and the ecclesiastical humility; but they wallow on a fattened mountain, drunk without wine. Therefore, the strong and fierce wrath of the Lord, who is going to punish them, is compared to a swift hailstorm that falls not on roofs, but on the heads of mortals, and to the flooding of many waters, which drags whatever it finds in its path. This is the crown of injustice, they are called mercenaries Ephraim, who, according to the Apostle, have fallen from the flower and hope and glory of their former faith, and are involved in pride, and they are the sweetest food of the devil, who devours them daily (1 Peter 5). According to the prophecy, we can say that the crown of injustice called the Scribes and Pharisees, who blasphemed the Lord. And they were called the hirelings of Ephraim, because of Judas, who from the tribe of Ephraim and from the village of the same tribe, Iscariot, sold the Lord for a price, who truly fell as the flower of apostolic glory upon the most fertile mountain, of which we believe it is said: Jacob ate and drank, and he was satisfied and fattened, and the beloved rebelled (Deut. XXXII, 15). Or according to the Hebrew: above the valley of fatness, that is, Gethsemane: in which also the name of the place is signified, where Judas betrayed the Lord. But the valley of fatness, or of the fat ones, is said because of its fertility, and the Scribes and Pharisees who apprehended the Lord there: of whom it is written in the psalm: Fat bulls have besieged me (Ps. 21:13). This valley of fatness, that is, Gethsemane, is called in this second chapter; and I wonder how the LXX first called it a fat mountain, and later an exalted mountain. But the traitor was drunk not with wine, but with greed and the incurable madness of asps, and the food of the devil, which entered into him after the morsel (John 13), and he was entirely consumed, for his prayer was turned into sin, and even his repentance did not have the fruit of salvation. The Hebrew word Sacchore is ambiguous, and it can mean either drunkards or mercenaries. Hence, Issachar is also interpreted as being wages: and Sachar, μέθυσμα, that is, drunkenness: and the others are drunkards: only the Septuagint translated it as mercenaries.”

“the drunkards of Ephraim who would become intoxicated with the wine of the state of Prugitha, as (the Rabbis) stated (Shabbath 147b): The water of Damascus and the wine of Prugitha robbed away the ten tribes. and the young fruit of an inferior fig is the position of his glory And the position of the planting of his glory - the young fruit of his blossom shall be inferior figs (נֹבֵל) They are the spoiled figs, as we learned in Berachoth (40b): For noveloth. And our Sages explained: Burned by the heat. young fruit (צִיץ) synonymous with נֵץ, as the Targum renders: (Num. 27:13) וַיָּצֵץ צִיץ, “and it produced young fruit,” as וְאָנֵץ נֵץ. which is planted at the head of a valley of fatness That is Kinnereth, whose fruits are sweet, and there they crush themselves with wine. crushed with wine הֲלוּמֵי יַיִן. This may also be interpreted as follows: צבי תפארתו אשר על ראש וכו', (his glorious beauty, which is, etc.): His glorious beauty, which is on the head of the ten tribes, anointed with pride with the best oils, as it is said (Amos 6:6): “With the best oils they anoint themselves.” גֵּיא is an expression of pride, as (supra 16:6): “Moab, they have become very proud.” (And that blossom will be like a wilting blossom) crushed by wine. So he calls them because of their drunkenness, and it is said concerning them (Amos 6:6): “Those who drink with basins of wine.””

“The drunkards of Ephraim. The princes indulged in wine. צבי Beauty. Comp. 4:2. Crown. The royal crown, the king. ראש The best. Comp. ראשי בשמים the chief spices (Song 4:14). ניא שמנים Valley of oil. There was so much of it, that it was like a valley full of oil. Comp. בגיא in the valley (Deut. 3:29). Others compare נֵּיא with נֵּא proud (16:6), and say that the radical ה is omitted. הלומי Overcome. Comp. הלמוני they have smitten me (Prov. 23:35)”

“633. Woe to the crown. In this part, he threatens against those who disdain the predictions of the prophets, and first, against those who disdain in the present, second, against those to come in the time of Jeremiah, woe to you, apostate children (ch. 30). The first of these is divided into two parts. In the first, against those from the ten tribes; in the second, against those from the two tribes: but these also (Isa 28:7). 634. Concerning the first, he does three things. First, he denounces the sin of pride: woe to the crown, for they were proud of their multitude, which is the crown or glory of a king (Prov 14:28); second, the sin of gluttony: to the drunkards of Ephraim, Nahum: with glory you have made me drunk, to the fading flower the glory his joy, who were on the head of the fat valley, who, in the time of David and Solomon, coming from the heat, established tents of idolatry in the valley of Gethsemane; staggering with wine, namely, idolatry: the rod has blossomed, the almond tree has budded (Ezek 7:10). 641. Note also on the words, crown of pride (Isa 28:1), that both the wicked and the good are crowned. The wicked are crowned first with the crown of vain joy: let us crown ourselves with roses (Wis 2:8); second, the crown of the things of wealth, above: who has taken this counsel against Tyre, that was formerly crowned? (Isa 23:8); third, of worldly power: he has stripped me of my glory, and has taken the crown from my head (Job 19:9); fourth, of superstitious observances: when the feast of Bacchus was kept, they were compelled to go about crowned with ivy in honor of Bacchus (2 Macc 6:7). 642. The saints are also crowned: first, with a nuptial crown, below: as a bridegroom he has decked with a crown (Isa 61:10); second, a triumphal crown: he will not be crowned, except he strive lawfully (2 Tim 2:5); third, a royal crown, below: you shall be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord (Isa 62:3); you, O Lord, have set on his head a crown of precious stones (Ps 20:4[21:3]); fourth, a priestly crown: and a crown of gold upon his head wherein was engraved holiness (Sir 45:14[12]).”

“חזק Mighty. Attribute to יום day, or חיל host, which is to be supplied. שער קטב. The כ in כזרם refers also to שער: As a destroying wind. קטב Destruction. Comp. קטבך thy destruction (Hos. 13:14). הניח לארץ He cast down to the earth. God sent those storms and caused them to visit the earth. ביד With the hand. With His mighty hand.”

“635. Second, he threatens punishment: behold the Lord is mighty; and concerning this, he does two things. First, he sets out the strength of the enemy: behold, mighty, as to the strength of the enemy, whom he will send in; as a storm of hail, as to their multitude, above: nations shall make a noise like the noise of waters (Isa 17:13).”

“(Verse 5 and following) On that day, the Lord of hosts will be a crown of glory and a diadem of rejoicing to the remnant of his people, and a spirit of judgment to the one who sits in judgment, and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate. But these also reel because of wine and stagger because of strong drink: priest and prophet reel because of strong drink, they are swallowed up by wine, they stagger because of strong drink; they reel while having visions, they totter when rendering judgment. For all the tables were filled with vomit and filth, so that there was no longer any place. LXX: On that day the Lord of hosts will be a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty to the remnant of his people. They shall put away in the spirit of judgment all wickedness and forbid every deed of violence. For they are deceived by wine, they stagger because of strong drink; priest and prophet reel with strong drink, they are confused with wine, they stagger because of strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in giving judgment. All tables are covered with filthy vomit. No place is clean. After the entire land of Samaria, that is, the ten tribes, was destroyed by the flooding Assyrians and trampled underfoot, the crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim, and devoured like a temporary fig tree, then the remaining people of Israel, that is, the two tribes, Judah and Benjamin, will be the crown of victory; and the spirit of judgment will be upon the king who sits in judgment, undoubtedly King Hezekiah of Judah; and their strength, who have avenged all the populated regions and returned from battle, will be their protection within the city. The prophet speaks about what we are going to read in the same passage (below chapter 37), when 185,000 armed soldiers from the Assyrian army were destroyed by an angel striking them. But these people too, that is, Judah and Benjamin, were intoxicated with the wine of idolatry, and having despised the religion of the temple, they worshipped the idols of demons and did not recognize the Lord who sees everything. For all their tables and their whole religion were filled with vomit and filth, so that not only in the temple, but on the top of mountains and in wooded places, they filled everything with the filth of idolatry, and the Lord did not have a place of dwelling in them. Let this be said according to the letter. Furthermore, according to tropology, let us follow the previous understanding and not leave aside the untouched Seventy Interpreters. For the heretics, devoured by the mouth of the devil, who have climbed the mountain of pride, the Lord will be the crown of glory; but for those who dwell in the Church, and compared to the multitude of many wanderers, they are few in number. However, there will be a spirit of judgment over judgment: for the Lord will cleanse the filth of the sons and daughters of Zion with the spirit of judgment. But if anyone has blood, he will be cleansed not by the breath of judgment, but by the fire of purification, and he will be a strength to the people and will prevent them from being killed by those who are intoxicated with the wine of dragons and have gone astray because of their drunkenness. We have often said that wine is made from grapes. But drunkenness refers to any drink that can intoxicate and disturb the mind, which Aquila properly translated as ebriety, whether it is made from wheat, barley, millet, the juice of fruits, the fruit of palm trees, or any other kind. Therefore, the priests and prophets of the heretics lost their minds because of wine, and they were consumed because of alcohol, like Prisca and Maximilla, and their leader Montanus; and they did not know what to say. They are intoxicated by wine when they wrongly understand and distort the holy Scriptures. They are consumed by alcohol when they misuse worldly wisdom and the snares of dialecticians, which should be called not so much chains as phantasms, that is, certain shadows and images that quickly perish and dissolve. Those who believe that profit is piety and do everything out of greed will be cursed. The Apostle spoke about this phantasm, saying: 'Giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils, speaking lies in hypocrisy' (I Tim. IV, 1, 2). The third explanation is that after the Lord destroyed the Scribes and the Pharisees and their companion Judas, who was a thief from the beginning, he personally carried the money of the poor in a small wallet (John XII and XIII): then there is hope and a crown of glory for those who believe in the Lord from among the Jews, undoubtedly signifying the apostles, whom he has reserved for the preaching of the Gospel and has not immediately allowed to shed their blood for Christ. For all the scribes and Pharisees, as we have said above, were drunk with wine and cider, both the priests and the false prophets. But their schemes and traps were in vain, for even Judas himself, who betrayed [Jesus], did it for the sake of money, and the priests who corrupted the betrayer with money did it out of fear of their own lowly status. For he himself, making a whip out of cords, cast out of the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep, and overturned the tables of the money changers, saying to them: It is written, 'My Father's house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a den of thieves (Matthew 21:13). According to that Hebrew interpretation, in which we have said: For all their tables are filled with vomit and filth, so that there is no more room for heretics, scribes, and Pharisees, it can be understood that we say all their doctrine and all their mysteries are filled with vomit and filth, since they do not digest the food of the holy Scriptures, nor do they make it vital for the whole body; but they bring forth unripe and fetid things, so that God finds no place in them. But I wonder what Theodotion meant when he rendered the Hebrew word, Cisoa, which Aquila interpreted as 'vomit of filth,' and Symmachus only as 'vomit.' He said, 'vomit of dysalia,' which word I cannot find in Greek literature, unless he has invented a new term for a new thing. For it is also compounded in the Hebrew language, because vomit is called CI and Soa is filthy (also rendered as filth). Therefore, whatever causes nausea and vomiting can be called δυσαλία.”

“The prophet expounds on the destiny of those in Israel who believed in Christ, because Israel did not perish completely, as the remnant of Israel was saved, according to the prophecy. Quite a number of people believed in Christ, and his apostles were, so to speak, the first fruit. Therefore at that time the Lord of hosts will be as a crown of hope and a diadem of glory to the remnant of his people. The Lord of hosts will crown the believers with hope and glory, that is, with hope of future blessings and with glory because they will reign with him. They will become the recipients of the highest honor and will be worthy of adoration and glory. What glory can be compared with that received in the kingdom of Christ? In another passage Isaiah also says, "You shall also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord and a royal diadem in the hand of your God," since Christ will crown those who believe in him with unending glory and bless them with the most joyous hope. And the remnant of Israel will participate in all of this after the others, the Gentiles, are received in Christ. Realizing their glory in Christ, they cry to their heavenly God and Father, "O Lord, crown us with the shield of your favor." For when it pleased their God and Father, he revealed himself as an unbroken shield and became the Christ who defends us from the arrows of the evil one and keeps his people.”

“636. Third, he sets out the glory of the just, namely, of the just of the two tribes: in that day, namely, in the time of Ezechias, when the ten tribes had been destroyed; as to three things. As to the joy of the people, a crown, which is of gold or silver, in contrast to the crown of pride; a garland, of flowers, in contrast to the fading flower, below: and I will give them a crown for ashes (Isa 61:3).”

“As to the justice of the king: and he, the Lord himself, shall be a spirit of judgment: a king shall reign, and shall be wise: and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth (Jer 23:5). As to the might of their soldiers: and strength, for the Lord will fight for them, above: because you have been my strength (Isa 25:4).”

“In fact, our fathers passed their lives in hunger, thirst and great mortification, by which they acquired purity. Above all they fled the wine habit, which is full of every evil. Troubles, tumults and disorders are caused in our members through the abuse of wine; this is a passion full of sin, it is sterility and the withering of fruit. For sensuality in unquenchable thirst stupefies the understanding, makes conscience overbold and snaps the rein on the tongue. Total joy is when we do not grieve the Holy Spirit, or become deranged by sensuality. As it is said, "The priest and the prophet were deranged by wine." … Therefore, all who have prepared to become disciples of Jesus should abstain from wine and drunkenness.”

“These too who sit in judgment and return the war in this generation, i.e., the best and most esteemed among them, erred because of wine, for now there is no good in them. they erred against the seer They mocked the words of the prophets. Jonathan renders: with eating delicacies, which they saw as a pleasure to them. they caused justice to stumble (פָּקוּ פְּלִילֶיהָ), they caused justice to stumble. פָּקוּ is an expression similar to (Nahum 2:11), “The stumbling (פִּיק) of knees”; (I Sam. 25:31) “A stumbling block (פּוּקָה).””

“They also, etc. There are also some of the men of Judah that have erred through wine, etc. The priest, whose duty it is to teach; the prophets, whose duty it is to exhort the people. בראה In the words of the prophet, who rebukes the people; בדברי הראה ═ בראה. פקו פליליה, they pervert judgment; by the subject they the judges are meant, and the verb פקו has a transitive meaning; or the words of the judgment are unstable, דברי the words of being supplied. I prefer this latter explanation; for פקו is intr.; comp. ופיק ברכים, and the tottering of the knees. (Nahum 2:11.”

“637. But these also. Here he threatens against those among the two tribes who disdain the predictions of the prophets; and first, against the princes, second, against the city or against the people, woe to Ariel (ch. 29). The first of these is divided into two parts. First, he sets out the threat; second, the consolation: give ear (Isa 28:23). Concerning the first, he does two things. First, he denounces the sin and threatens destruction at the same time; second, he excludes remedy: wherefore hear the word of the Lord (Isa 28:14). Concerning the first, he does two things. First, he denounces their lack of knowledge; second, their contempt of teaching: for command (Isa 28:10). 638. Concerning the first of these, he does two things. First, he denounces their fault, first setting out the error of them all together: but these also have been ignorant through wine: wine, and drunkenness (Hos 4:11), make one to fall away from God; second, the fault of their teachers: the priest and the prophet have been ignorant, as to ignorance of what is to be believed; they have gone astray, as to ignorance of what is to be done; him that sees, that is, God who sees all things. Hence the explanation of this can be found in: her priests have despised my law, and have defiled my sanctuaries (Ezek 22:26). 640. Note on the word, drunkenness (Isa 28:7), that the wicked are inebriated on the wine, first, of material liquor: be not drunk with wine, wherein is luxury (Eph 5:18); second, of carnal delight: come, let us be inebriated (Prov 7:18) with wine; third, of spiritual error, above: they have caused Egypt to err in all its works, as a drunken man staggers and vomits (Isa 19:14); fourth, of divine punishment: he has inebriated me with wormwood (Lam 3:15). The saints are also inebriated, first, with the tears of compunction, above: I will inebriate you with my tears (Isa 16:9); second, with the chalice of suffering: your chalice which inebriates me, how goodly is it (Ps 22[23]:5); third, with the incentive of love: eat, O friends, and drink, and be inebriated (Song 5:1); fourth, with a torrent of happy delight: they shall be inebriated with the plenty of your house (Ps 35:9[36:8]).”

“Third, he sets out the manner of their ignorance: for all the tables were full of vomit, for they gorged themselves in their temples until they vomited, as if they were devoted entirely to idols; and filth, namely, of all their shameful vices: as a dog that returns to his vomit (Prov 26:11), and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.”

“Whom shall he teach knowledge Perhaps to babes who know not to understand, since the adults have turned to an evil way? those weaned from milk separated from milk. removed from breasts (עַתִּיקֵי) an expression similar to (Gen. 12:8), “And he removed (וַיַּעְתֵּק) from there.” Alternatively, separated from the Torah, which is called milk, and removed from breasts, removed from before Torah scholars.”

“Whom shall he teach knowledge, etc. When the prophet is about to reprove them, no one understands him; for because of the wine they have not their reason; they are like little children. שמועה Doctrine. A noun. גמולי Those that are weaned. This form can be both the absolute state of the noun as well as the construct; comp. השכוני באהלים they that dwell in tents (Judg. viii., 11). Note 2. עתיקי Drawn. An adjective of the same root as ויעתק and he removed (Gen. xii., 8)”

“"Whom shall he teach knowledge, and whom shall he make to understand the message? Those weaned from milk and drawn away from the breasts." We dispose ourselves to receive the gift of understanding through holiness of life. Milk signifies the sweetness of carnal delights, by which sweetness the carnal and the infantile are nourished, that is, those who follow infantile impulses. And as long as a man is joined to these carnal consolations, he is called a nursing infant and is not fit to receive the solid food of life and understanding. If we wish to bless God and receive this gift, it is necessary that we be drawn away from these consolations and separate ourselves from the milk of concupiscences.”

“639. Second, he threatens the punishment of blindness: whom shall he teach? Hence the question is first set out, whom shall he teach knowledge? As if to say: why have you spurned knowledge? The hearing, namely, what I heard from the Lord. Second, the answer is set out: them that are weaned from the milk, that is, the humble and simple little ones: you have hid these things from the wise and prudent, and have revealed them to little ones (Matt 11:25); or all of the good who are separated from the milk of concupiscence. 643. Note also on the words, them that are weaned from the milk (Isa 28:9), that there is a certain milk that ought to be abandoned, and this is manifold: first, the milk of carnal concupiscence, above: the weaned child shall thrust his hand into the den of the basilisk (Isa 11:8); second, of imperfect justice: the child grew, and was weaned (Gen 21:8); third, of rudimentary doctrine: as unto little ones in Christ, I gave you milk to drink (1 Cor 3:1–2). There is also a milk that ought to be embraced: first, of a pure conscience: whiter than snow, brighter than milk (Lam 4:7), because of its brightness; second, of sound doctrine, because of its sweetness: honey and milk are under her tongue (Song 4:11); third, of eternal glory, because it easy to swallow: possess their land flowing with milk and honey (Lev 20:24).”

“"My conscience is at rest, and I know that it is not from any fault of mine that I am suffering; moreover affliction in this world is a ground for expecting a reward hereafter." When the enemy was more than usually forward and ventured to reproach her to her face, she used to chant the words of the Psalter.… When she felt herself tempted, she dwelt upon the words of Deuteronomy.… In tribulations and afflictions she turned to the splendid language of Isaiah: "You that are weaned from the milk and drawn from the breasts, look for tribulation upon tribulation, for hope also upon hope. Yet a little while must these things be by reason of the malice of the lips and by reason of a spiteful tongue." This passage of Scripture she explained for her own consolation as meaning that the weaned, that is, those who have come to full age, must endure tribulation upon tribulation that they may be accounted worthy to receive hope upon hope.”

“For a precept for a precept, a precept for a precept The prophet commands them from the Holy One, blessed be He, but they - they have a precept of the idols, equal to this precept, and the prophet repeatedly admonishes them, and they always say, “We have a precept for the precept.” Ours is superior to yours. a line for a line They have a plumb-line of wicked judgments equal to the plumb- line of justice. a little there, a little there The prophet says to them, “In a short time evil will come upon you,” and they say, “A little there, let Him hurry, let Him hasten His deeds in a short time.””

“For precept must be upon precept, etc. One must speak to them in the same way as the father speaks to his little child, that does not yet know much. צו לצו Precept after precept, or precept joined to precept. קו לקו Line after line. This is just the way how writing is taught. Here a little and there a little. Little by little, gradually.”

“644. For command. Here he sets out their contempt of teaching, and first, through the blasphemy by which they derided the prophets, saying, command, for they used these words in threatening, above: I will command the army of heaven: I will command the clouds (Jer 3); expect, here, in promising: if it make any delay, wait for it: for it shall surely come (Hab 2:3).”

“They spoke with strange tongues and not those of their native land; and the wonder was great, a language spoken by those who had not learned it. And the sign is to them that do not believe, not to them that believe, that it may be an accusation of the unbelievers, as it is written, "With other tongues and other lips will I speak to this people, and not even so will they listen to me, says the Lord." But they heard. Here stop a little and raise a question. How are you to divide the words? For the expression has an ambiguity, which is to be determined by the punctuation. Did they each hear in their own dialect so that if I may so say, one sound was uttered but many were heard; the air being thus beaten and, so to speak, sounds being produced more clear than the original sound? Or are we to put the stop after "they heard" and then to add "them speaking in their own languages" to what follows, so that it would be speaking in the hearers' own languages, which would be foreign to the speakers? I prefer to put it this latter way; for on the other plan the miracle would be rather of the hearers than of the speakers; whereas in this it would be on the speakers' side. And it was they who were reproached for drunkenness, evidently because they by the Spirit wrought a miracle in the matter of the tongues.”

“Someone might well ask how the apostles drew to themselves all these people. How did men who spoke only the language of the Jews win over the Scythian, the Indian, the Sarmatian and the Thracian? Because they received the gift of tongues through the Holy Spirit. Not only did the apostles say this but also the prophets when they made both these facts clear, namely, that the apostles received the gift of tongues and that they failed to win over the Jews. Hear how the prophet showed this when he said, " 'In foreign tongues and with other lips I shall speak to this people, and in this way they shall not hear me,' says the Lord."”

“And he adds the punishment: for with the speech of lips, and with another tongue, that is, you shall so lack understanding of the prophets as if someone were speaking to you, with only the movement of the lips, and in a foreign tongue; or right away he will inflict wounds on you. And of this kind of speaking: let us examine him by outrages and tortures (Wis 2:19).”

“These gifts were first bestowed on us the apostles when we were about to preach the Gospel to every creature, and afterwards were of necessity afforded to those who had by our means believed; not for the advantage of those who perform them, but for the conviction of the unbelievers, that those whom the word did not persuade, the power of signs might put to shame: for signs are not for us who believe, but for the unbelievers, both for the Jews and Gentiles. For neither is it any profit to us to cast out demons, but to those who are so cleansed by the power of the Lord; as the Lord Himself somewhere instructs us, and shows, saying: "Rejoice not because the spirits are subject unto you; but rejoice, because your names are written in heaven." [Luke 10:20] Since the former is done by His power, but this by our good disposition and diligence, yet (it is manifest) by His assistance. It is not therefore necessary that every one of the faithful should cast out demons, or raise the dead, or speak with tongues; but such a one only who is vouchsafed this gift, for some cause which may be advantage to the salvation of the unbelievers, who are often put to shame, not with the demonstration of the world, but by the power of the signs; that is, such as are worthy of salvation: for all the ungodly are not affected by wonders; and hereof God Himself is a witness, as when He says in the law: "With other tongues will I speak to this people, and with other lips, and yet will they by no means believe." [Isaiah 28:11; 1 Corinthians 14:21] For neither did the Egyptians believe in God, when Moses had done so many signs and wonders; nor did the multitude of the Jews believe in Christ, as they believed Moses, who yet had healed every sickness and every disease among them.”

“He said. The prophet said. This is the rest, etc. Jerusalem is the place of your rest; there procure rest for the weary; he shall not take refuge in Assyria or Egypt. המרנעה The refreshing. Comp. מרגוע rest (Job 6:16); both words are substantives. According to the grammarian of Jerusalem מרגעה is a participle. אבו ═ אבוא They would. Comp. ההלכו ═ ההלכוא who went (Jos. 10:24)”

“645. Second, as to disobedience, to whom he said. Hence he first sets out the precept, this is my rest, refresh the weary: because you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me (Matt 25:40); second, their contempt, and they would not hear: but the house of Israel will not hearken to you: because they will not hearken to me (Ezek 3:7).”

“And the word of the Lord shall be, etc. According to their measure, He shall mete out to them; He shall decree upon them with His word upon them, a precept of the nations that enslave them, upon a precept, a command upon a command, labor upon labor; a line of retribution commensurate with the line of sins that they committed (lit., in their hand); קַו לָקָו, derived from קוה, a hope instead of a hope; they will hope for light, and behold, there will be darkness. a little there, a little there In a short time, it shall come upon them, and they shall become few there in the land of their enemies.”

“What, then, are the burdens that he censures? None but those which they were accumulating of their own accord, when they taught for commandments the doctrines of men; for the sake of private advantage joining house to house, so as to deprive their neighbor of his own; cajoling the people, loving gifts, pursuing rewards, robbing the poor of the right of judgment, that they might have the widow for a prey and the fatherless for a spoil. Of these Isaiah also says, "woe to them that are strong in Jerusalem!"”

“We made a treaty with death that it come not upon us. we have made a limit a boundary that it should not cross. Comp. (Ps. 117:30) “the boundary (מְחוֹז) of their desire,” similarly (I Kings 7:4), “An edge opposite an edge (מֶחֱזָה אֶל מֶחֱזָה). They are all an expression of a boundary and an extremity of a thing, asomajjl in O.F. an overflowing scourge a scourge that travels throughout the land. it shall not come upon us (יְבוֹאֵנוּ), the usual form for a transitive verb with a direct object. It shall not come upon us. we have made lies We have made idolatry. our shelter (מַחְסֵנוּ) our shelter. and in falsehood have we hidden ourselves We have hoped in idols to conceal us.”

“We have made a covenant with death. We shall not die now. חזה An agreement. R. Moses Hakkohen says that חזות (ver. 18) signifies a kind of prophecy; but how can he apply this explanation to the phrase ?עשינו חזה I think that חזה means prophet, and explain עשינו חזה to be the same as עשינו ברית חזה We have made a prophet’s covenant, a covenant like that made by divine inspiration. שוט שוטף An overflowing scourge, that is, famine; or better, the scourge of an overflowing stream; שוט נחל שוטף ═שוט שוטף. כי Although. Comp. Ps. 41:5”

“One in which they trusted, namely, a covenant with idols; hence he places the covenant: we have entered into a league with death, that is, with the devil: will he make a covenant with you, and will you take him to be a servant for ever? (Job 40:23); and the fruit of the covenant: the overflowing scourge, that is, persecution; we have placed our hope in lies, that is, in idols, because you prophets tell lies: they are not in the labor of men: neither shall they be scourged like other men (Ps 72[73]:5).”

“And if in reading the Scripture you stumble on a good thought that is a "stumbling stone and a rock of offense," blame yourself. For do not despair that this "stumbling stone and rock of offense" have meanings so as to fulfill the saying, "And the one who believes will not be put to shame." Believe first, and you will discover much holy aid beneath the supposed offense. For if we ourselves receive the commandment not to speak a "careless word as we will render an account of it on the day of judgment," and if we earnestly aspire, as far as possible, to make it so that every word coming out of our mouth works both on us who speak it and on those who hear it, what else is there need to understand about the prophets than that every word spoken through their mouth was one which works? And do not be amazed if every word spoken by the prophets works a work which is fitting for a word. For I think that every extraordinary letter written in the words of God works, and there is not "an iota or one dot" written in the Scripture which does not work in those who know to use the power of the Scriptures.”

“Behold, I have laid a foundation This is the past tense. Comp. (Esther 1:8) “For so had the king established (יִסַּד).” And so must it be interpreted: Behold, I am He Who has already laid [a stone in Zion. Already] a decree has been decreed before Me, and I have set up the King Messiah, who shall be in Zion as an אֶבֶן בּוֹחֵן, a fortress stone, an expression of a fortress and strength. Comp. (infra 32:14) “A tower and a fortress (וּבֹחֵן).” Comp. also (supra 23:13) “They erected its towers (בַּחוּנָיו).” a foundation well founded (מוּסַד מוּסָּד). The first one is voweled with a pattah because it is in the construct state, a foundation of a foundation, which is a solid foundation. the believer shall not hasten Whoever believes this word shall not hasten it. He shall not say, “If it is true, let it come quickly.””

“Christ is the foundation of this faith. For other foundation no one can lay, but that which has been laid, which is Christ Jesus. For He is the cornerstone of which Isaiah and Peter speak: See, I am laying a stone in Sion, a stone that has been tested, a precious cornerstone as a sure foundation. And the Apostle: You are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone.”

“Second is the remedy which God prepares for the saints, namely Christ: behold I will lay a stone in the foundations of Zion: the stone which the builders rejected; the same is become the head of the corner (Ps 117[118]:22); he that believes, let him not hasten, but wait for it: if it make any delay, wait for it (Hab 2:3), and this against the blasphemies of the wicked.”

“And again the prophet says, "Since as a mighty stone He is laid for crushing, behold I cast down for the foundations of Zion a stone, precious, elect, a corner-stone, honourable." Next, what says He? "And he who shall trust in it shall live for ever." Is our hope, then, upon a stone? Far from it. But [the language is used] inasmuch as He laid his flesh [as a foundation] with power; for He says, "And He placed me as a firm rock."”

“The Judge wishes to have mercy on you and to share his own compassion, but on condition that he finds you humble after sin, contrite, lamenting much for your evil deeds, announcing publicly without shame sins committed secretly, begging the brothers to labor with you in reparation. In short, if he sees that you are worthy of pity, he provides his mercy for you ungrudgingly. But if he sees your heart unrepentant, your mind proud, your disbelief of the future life and your fearlessness of the judgment, then he desires the judgment for you. [This is like] a reasonable and kind doctor [who] tries at first with hot applications and soft poultices to reduce a tumor. But, when he sees that the mass is rigidly and obstinately resisting, casting away the olive oil and the gentle method of treatment, he prefers henceforth the use of the knife. Therefore [God] loves mercy in the case of those repenting, but he also loves judgment in the case of the unyielding. Isaiah says some such thing, too, to God: "Your mercy in measure." For he compares the mercy with the judgment of him who gives compensation by scale and number and weight according to the deserts of each.”

“Discourse awhile on our present heavy blow, about the just judgments of God, whether we grasp their meaning or are ignorant of their great depth. How again "mercy is put in the balance," as holy Isaiah declares. For goodness is not without discernment, as the first laborers in the vineyard fancied, because they could not perceive any distinction between those who were paid alike. [Perceive] how anger, which is called "the cup in the hand of the Lord" and "the cup of falling which is drained," is in proportion to transgressions, even though he shows mercy to every one according to what they are due and dilutes with compassion the unmixed draught of his wrath. For he inclines from severity to indulgence toward those who accept chastisement with fear, and who after a slight affliction conceive and are in pain with conversion, and bring forth the perfect spirit of salvation. But nevertheless he reserves the dregs, the last drop of his anger, that he may pour it out entire upon those who, instead of being healed by his kindness, grow obdurate, like the hard-hearted Pharaoh, that bitter taskmaster, who is set forth as an example of the power of God over the ungodly.”

“And I will make justice the line Before the advent of that king, I will bring decrees upon you to end the transgressors among you, and I will make the judgment of chastening to the line; i.e., I will make the line the standard of chastening (var. the line of My standard, chastening), to bring upon you, and righteousness I will make that it should be the plummet that straightens the building of walls, i.e. that righteousness shall go before them and straighten their ways, that the transgressors shall be destroyed and the righteous shall remain. and hail shall sweep away the shelter of lies That covering that you said, “For we have made lies our shelter,” I will bring hail and it shall sweep it away. (וְיָעָה) is an expression of sweeping. Comp. (I Kings 7:40) “the shovels (הַיָּעִים)” with which they scoop up the ashes from the stoves. the hiding place concerning which you said, “And in falsehood have we hidden ourselves,” the water shall flood it, i.e. I will bring a multitude of nations that will break your monuments and your graven images. The expression of מִשְׁפָּט mentioned here is jostise (justice) in O.F.”

“To the line, to the plummet. The figure, taken from the line and plummet of the builders, is used because of the words I will lay the foundation. Some are of opinion that Hezekiah is meant by the tried stone. ויעה ברד And the hail shall sweep away. Comp. היעים the shovels. ברד the hail is the subject to יעה, which is a transitive verb; by hail the King of Assyria is here meant. וסתר מים ישטפו. Repeat כזב falsehood after וסתר; And the waters shall overflow the hiding-place of falsehood; or supply אלה these: And the waters will overflow the unstable hiding-place.”

“647. And I will set. Here he excludes both of these remedies, and first, the first remedy, second, the second remedy: for the bed is straitened (Isa 28:20). Concerning the first, he does three things: first, he sets out the just judgment of exclusion: I will set judgment in weight: you have made all things in number and measure (Wis 11:21); second, he excludes the covenant, and hail, of tribulation, shall overturn the hope of falsehood; and he sets out four things against all that had been mentioned above: the hope of the hypocrite shall perish (Job 8:13).”

“And your treaty with death shall be nullified The treaty about which you said, “We have made a treaty with death,” shall be nullified. Every expression of כַּפָּרָה, atonement, is really an expression of wiping or removing something. Compare (Gen. 32:21): “I shall appease (אֲכַפְּרָה) his anger,” (lit., I will wipe away his anger.) and your limit which you said, “With the grave we set a limit.” an overflowing scourge which you said, “will not come upon us,” you shall be trampled by it.”

“Every time is suitable for your ablution, since any time may be your death. With Paul I shout to you with that loud voice, "Behold now is the accepted time; behold now is the day of salvation";56 and that now does not point to any one time but is every present moment. And again "Awake, you that sleep, and Christ shall give you light," dispelling the darkness of sin. For as Isaiah says, "In the night hope is evil," and it is more profitable to be received in the morning.”

“(Verse 19). When it passes by, it will seize you; for it will pass through in the morning, in the day and at night, and its vexation will only give understanding to the ear. LXX: When it passes, it will lift you up in the morning, it will pass in the morning; day and night there will be the worst of hope. Learn to listen, you who are in tribulation: we cannot fight, for we ourselves are weak to be gathered. For always the wrath of the Lord will fall upon you, and you will feel it both in times of prosperity and adversity, and cruel death will ravage you. What shall I say about punishments? Fear of punishments alone and the dread of torments will correct you for salvation, and will make you understand your evils. And when you have been tormented, then you will know that my Prophets have spoken the truth. According to the Hebrew. Furthermore, as for what is read in the LXX: Learn to hear, you who are troubled: we cannot fight, but we ourselves are weak so that we may gather together. I completely do not know the meaning of this, and how it is connected to the previous context. Unless perhaps the divine speech speaks to the leaders of the people and encourages them to have hope in God, and not in death and hell, and teaches them to listen to the prophecies of the prophets, and they respond that they cannot fight against opposing powers due to the weakness of their strength, nor gather among the people of God.”

“That it goeth forth. That the overflowing river goeth forth. זועה Vexation. It is not the same as זעוה (Deut. 28:25), with transposition of letters, as many think; but it is derived from זוע to tremble, to move; comp. ולא זע and he moved not (Est. 5:9); the ו in the middle is analogous to the ו of מָוֶת death. The meaning of the whole phrase is: Whoever hears of you, of what has befallen you, will be afraid.”

“"The glory of the God of Israel was there" not to delight the neighborhood but to annihilate the "idol of jealousy" and the temple by his very presence. Hence the destruction of the city and the temple followed shortly thereafter. It is also written in Isaiah that "a narrow bed cannot hold two persons, nor can a short blanket cover both," prefiguring that saying of the apostle: "What does Christ have in common with Belial, or the temple of God with an idol?"”

“For the bed is too short for one to stretch When I bring the enemy upon you, he shall press you so that you will not be able to supply his work. When he spreads out his bed upon you, it will be too short for the one who lies on it to stretch. to stretch (מֵהִשְׂתָּרֵעַ) to lengthen one’s limbs, estandejlejjr in O.F. and the ruler it shall be narrow (וְהַמַּסֵּכָה) The prince who will rule over you - your place will be cramped for him when he enters it. Our Rabbis, however, expounded it as referring to the idol that Manasseh brought into the heichal, (the Temple proper) (II Chron. 33:7). This bed is too short מֵהִשְׂתָּרֵעַ, for two friends to rule over it. I explained it according to its simple meaning, and in this manner Jonathan rendered it. The Midrashic interpretation of our Rabbis, however, can be reconciled with the context. I.e., why do I bring this retribution upon you? Because the bed is too narrow for Me alone to stretch out on it, as it is said (I Kings 8:27): “Behold the heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You.” Surely, when you bring in a molten image with Me, so to speak, the place is too narrow for us.”

“המצע The mattress, which is underneath in the bed. מהשתרע than that a man can stretch himself on it. Comp. שרוע superfluous too long (Lev. 22:23). המכסה═המסכה The covering. בהתכנס It is Infinitive of כנס to assemble; comp. כנוס gather together (Est. 4:16); and means When many gather together under it. The figure refers to the people and its rulers.”

“648. For the bed is straitened. Here he excludes the second remedy. And first, he sets out the impediment, which makes it so that the remedy will not profit them: straitened; he speaks according the likeness of an adulteress, who cannot have her husband and her lover in the same bed; just so, they cannot maintain the worship of idols and obtain divine help: you cannot be partakers of the table of the Lord and of the table of devils (1 Cor 10:21).”

“(Verse 21, 22.) For just as the Lord will stand on the mountain of divisions, and will be angry in the valley of Gibeon, to do his work, his strange work, to carry out his task, his alien task. And now do not mock: lest perhaps your chains be tightened. For I have heard from the Lord God of hosts a conclusion and an abbreviation over all the earth. LXX: As the mountain of the wicked rises, the Lord will arise, and it will be in the valley of Gibeon, when he does his work with fury, the work of bitterness and his fury he will use as if it were alien: and his bitterness as if it were foreign. And do not rejoice, neither let your bonds be strengthened, for I have heard from the Lord God of Hosts that the things which he will do upon the whole earth are consummated and abbreviated. The Lord has promised to place a precious stone in the foundations of Zion, in order to overturn falsehood and the hope of the wicked; and to abolish the covenant with death and the agreement with hell by a powerful storm. Because the princes did not want to accept Him, just as in the past against the Allophyli, when David reigned on the mountain of divisions, which in Hebrew is called Pharasim, the Lord brought down his adversaries, from where the place also received its name. And as in the valley of Gibeon, under the leadership of Joshua, when the confidence of the inhabitants in themselves spoke to God: Sun, stand still in Gibeon, and moon, in the valley of Aijalon ((or Elon)) (Joshua 10:12); and the sun stood still for the space of a whole day; and many of the foreign invaders perished: so the Lord will be angry with the wicked and the mockers, in order to accomplish His work. For it is not the work of the Lord to destroy those whom He has created; but to perform a work that belongs more to cruelty than to clemency. And again the same thing is repeated in other words, so that it may accomplish its work. It is not his task to punish sinners, but the stranger, and alien from him, that he may punish who is the Savior. Therefore, since the Lord is about to rise again from his patience, and will not spare: just as he did not spare on Mount Pharasim, and in the valley of Gibeon: I warn you, O mocking men, that you should not at all laugh at my prophets, and that you should not think that the things they proclaim are not going to happen, lest if you persist in mocking, the bonds of your sins may be tightened (For by the cords of his own sins each one is bound (Prov. V, 22), or lest the time of captivity may come upon you. Indeed, what the Lord delayed in time, the bonds, captivity, and punishments, or the final day of judgment, He is now about to fulfill, accomplish, and shorten. Therefore, as a prophet, I announce to you the things that I have known from the Lord God Almighty that will happen over the whole earth, so that you may prevent the impending wrath with repentance. According to the Septuagint, the Lord Himself is said to rise like a mountain of the wicked and to be present in the valley of Gibeon, in order to perform His works, which are all one work of bitterness: which should by no means be seen as blasphemous. For the Lord does not say that the mountain of the wicked will come, but that it is like a mountain, which appears to be very heavy to the wicked and those who endure them. Just as if one careless son and another sick son, the father and the doctor could be cruel if they restore them to health with beatings and cauterization. For the Lord will rise and will be in the valley of Gibeon, on account of those who, because of their sins, remain in a humble place, and because of the swelling of their souls, are raised up in pride. For Gabaon, the hill interprets: that it may do its works, which are works of bitterness; when forced to change mercy, it becomes bitter instead of sweet. Therefore, you who are about to suffer these things, do not now rejoice in that joy in which he rejoiced and was richly clothed in purple at the feast, while neglecting Lazarus the poor (Luke 16): lest your chains become stronger. For what the Lord is going to do and how he will fulfill his judgement, these things I have both heard and announced to you. And what it means: According to history, understand it as referring to the borders of Judea extending over all the land; according to allegory, understand it as referring to the entire world.”

“Hence Isaiah, contemplating our salvation and [Christ's] passion, well said: "That he may do his work, his strange work; that he may perform his work, his work is strange to him." For the work of God is to gather the souls that he created and call them back to the joys of the eternal light. But it is not the work [of] God in his essence to be flogged, to be smeared with spittle, to be crucified, to die and to be buried, but this is the work of a sinful person who deserved all these things for his sins. But [Jesus] himself bore our sins in his own body on the tree. And he who in his own nature always remains incomprehensible deigned to be comprehended in our nature and to be flogged, because if he had not assumed the attributes of our weakness he could never have raised us to the power of his fortitude.… And he does his strange work that he might do his proper work, because insofar as he bore our sins in infirmity he led us who are his creatures to the glory of his fortitude in which he lives and reigns with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, through ages of ages. Amen.”

“For like the mountain of breaches Jonathan paraphrases: For, just as the mountains quaked when the glory of the Lord was revealed on the day of King Uzziah, (supra. 6:4,) and as the miracles He performed for Joshua in the valley of Gibeon (Jos. 10:12f) (to punish the wicked who transgressed His word,) so shall He be revealed to punish those who perform (strange deeds, strange are their deeds, and those who worship pagan deities, strange is their worship). strange is His deed He will seem to you as a stranger, for He will bring upon them ([all other editions:] upon you) harsh retribution. and to perform His work (וְלַעֲבֹד עֲבֹדָתוֹ) like work of the soil, ‘laborer’ in O.F.”

“As in mount Perazim, known by the wars of David (2 Sam. 5:20); the place was called בעל פרצים place of breaches, because the Philistines were suddenly defeated there in a miraculous way. As in the valley of Gibeon (Jos. 10:12), where sun and moon stood still. That He may do His work, His strange work. In the same way God will make a strange war against Israel, such as was never heard of before. And bring to pass His act, His strange act. A mere repetition of the preceding idea, not an exceptional instance.”

“Second, he sets out the coming of the liberator, as in the mountain of divisions. He refers to the history which is found in 2 Kings 5; as in the valley, Joshua 10. Third, he excludes the help of mercy: that he may do his work, that is, that he may have mercy on us, as he did then, spoken interrogatively; and he responds: strange work: his tender mercies are over all his works (Ps 144[145]:9).”

“They do not understand that God grants to each period of time what is appropriate. As he commanded marriage in the law, so in the gospel does he recommend virginity. In the law, an eye is to be offered for an eye, but in the gospel, the other side of the cheek is to be offered to one's assailant. The former arrangement was for a weak people, whereas the latter is for the perfect. Nevertheless each order was adapted to its proper time. Yet it is not to be believed on the basis of this change that God is mutable. Instead, it should be proclaimed a miracle that while remaining immutable himself, God gave to each era its own distinctly appropriate order.Sins were of lesser guilt under the Old Testament because only a shadow of the truth, not truth itself, was present therein. For the higher precepts of the New Testament reveal that we are to forsake some of those things to which the people of the shadow of truth were bound. Previously, for instance, fornication and the taking of retribution for injuries were permitted without punishment. In the New Testament, however, they are condemned with severe punishments. The creed and the Lord's Prayer replace the whole law in sufficing to obtain the kingdom of heaven for the little ones of the church. For the entire breadth of Scripture is contained briefly in the Lord's Prayer and the creed. Thus does the prophet Isaiah say, "I heard from the Lord God of hosts about an abbreviation upon all the earth."”

“649. And now do not mock. Here he draws, as a conclusion, sound and wholesome counsel, and first, he prohibits mocking: do not mock; bonds, of captivity: he shall scorn the scorners (Prov 3:34); and he assigns the reason: for I have heard of the Lord the God of hosts a consumption and a cutting short upon all the earth.”

“(Vers. 23 seqq.) Pay attention and listen to my voice: listen and hear my speech. Does the plowman plow all day to sow, break up the soil, and harrow it? When he has leveled its surface, does he not sow dill, scatter cumin, plant wheat in rows, barley, millet, and rye in their proper place? For his God instructs him and teaches him the right way. For dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge, nor is a cartwheel rolled over cumin; but dill is beaten out with a stick and cumin with a rod, and the wheat for bread is crushed. But he will not crush him forever, nor will the wheel of his cart bruise him, nor will he grind him with his hoofs. This also comes forth from the LORD of hosts, who is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working. Listen and hear my voice; pay attention and hear my words. Does the plowman keep plowing all day to sow? Does he keep turning the soil and breaking the clods? When he has leveled its surface, does he not sow the black cumin and scatter the cumin seed? He plants wheat in rows, barley in its designated place, and spelt along its borders, for he instructs him with judgment, and teaches him knowledge. For it is not when gith is cleansed by hardness, nor when the wheel of a cart goes over the cumin; but the gith is shaken off, and the cumin is eaten with bread. For I will not be angry with you forever, nor will the voice of my bitterness trample you, and these wonders have come from the Lord. Come, consult, exalt empty consolation. Now he even speaks to the same ones to whom he said before: Hear the word of God, you scoffers, who rule over my people who are in Jerusalem: and he commands them to hear his voice, and to carefully attend to his discourse. He says, 'Does the farmer always plow so that he may scatter the seed? Will he not first break up the soil and turn over the furrows with a plow, and break up the clods with a rake and a hoe, so that when he has leveled the surface of the earth and softened the previously hard fields, then he may spread spelt or cumin and sow wheat, barley, millet, and spelt in his fields, according to the variation of the soil and the seasons; for not all things are sown at the same time.' Some understand by farre what the Greeks call ζέαν. And God, by His natural judgment, teaches the farmer, that is, the sower, and instructs him to know what cultivation he should apply to each seed. Finally, when the time for harvesting comes, barley and cumin, which are weaker seeds, are not crushed by the wheels of carts, which are turned and pulled like sawmills over the harvested crops; but they are beaten out with a stick and a staff, which are commonly called flails. But bread, that is, wheat from which bread is made, is ground with iron wheels, and all its chaff is crushed into straw. However, it is not always ground and crushed by the nails of the wheels; for this reason, it is said in Hebrew with their horses: so that because he had mentioned the nails of the wheels, he would maintain the metaphor in the rest. Some want it to be shown from the fact that he mentioned nails and horses, the herds of mares, which are usually sent into the threshing floors for grinding wheat: but the Scripture could not say that the province of Judea did not have them. However, this, that is, that the branches of gith and cumin are shaken off with a stick: the grain of barley and far, perhaps also millet, is crushed with iron wheels, is not a perpetual judgment of God, who in all things shows his wonderful counsel, and shows the greatness of his justice in all things. We have said these things paraphrastically, so that we may more easily understand the meaning for which these things are said. God dispenses the human race in various ways, now punishing, now having mercy: now rebuking, now defending; that is, now he plows, now he sows, now he harvests the ripe fruits, and threshes them in the barns, and governs his own world as he pleases. He who knew the will of his Lord, and did not do it, will be beaten with many stripes (Luke 12:47); and in another place it is written: The mighty shall suffer mighty tortures (Wisdom 6:7). But they will not be tormented forever. For it is one thing to be impious, another thing to be a sinner. What we have interpreted concerning the nations and the Jews, others explain as referring to the people and the priests, so that the ignorant multitude will be chastised like a reed and cumin with a rod; but the priests who have the key of knowledge will be tormented with great punishments. And may this be done by the judgment of the Lord, who reveals his wonderful counsel and the truth of justice in all things, so that those who have received more will be required to give more. As for what we have translated: 'On a rod the gith will be shaken, and cumin on a staff.' I do not know why the LXX translators chose to translate it this way, but cumin is actually eaten with bread. And indeed, even the ancient Greek translators, discussing the Hebrew text, remained silent about this passage, perhaps because they did not know what to say. But what we have placed according to the Hebrew is: 'He will not continually thresh him, nor will a wagon wheel drive over him, nor will his hooves crush him.' The LXX translators interpreted it not according to the exact words, but according to the meaning: 'For I will not be angry with you forever, nor will the voice of my bitterness trample you.' They were showing future blessings to sinners after torment, and that these things were like wonders and miracles that have come from the Lord. Where it is commanded to sinners who are about to be punished, that they should seek counsel and raise up their consolation, not in any way vain, as it is added by the Seventy, but absolutely consolation. For God would never command them to raise up their vain consolation, which would not be profitable for them.”

“I praise wedlock, I praise marriage, but it is because they give me virgins. I gather the rose from the thorns, the gold from the earth, the pearl from the shell. "Does the plowman plow all day to sow?" Shall he not also enjoy the fruit of his labor? Wedlock is the more honored, the more what is born of it is loved. Why, mother, do you grudge your daughter her virginity? She has been reared on your milk, she has come from your womb, she has grown up in your bosom. Your watchful affection has kept her a virgin. Are you angry with her because she chooses to be a king's wife and not a soldier's? She has conferred on you a high privilege; you are now the mother-in-law of God.”

“all day This is the interrogative. Therefore, it is voweled with a hataf pattah. shall...plow One who plows to sow - does the one who plows to sow plow forever? If so, what does he accomplish? Similarly, the prophets admonish you to bring you back to do good deeds. Shall they admonish forever and not accomplish? Shall he open and harrow his soil? Shall he never sow but always open the soil with plowshares and plowing implements? יְשַׂדֵּד is an expression of work of the field. Shall he open and harrow? First he makes wide furrows and later he makes small furrows. This we learned in the Midrash of Rabbi Tanhuma.”

“Is it not so that the plowman, as soon as he plows, smooths the surface of the soil and afterwards sows. he scatters the black cumin If he comes to sow black cumin, he sows it by scattering it, and if he comes to sow cumin, he sows it by casting it. קצח is a kind of food. and he places the prominent wheat, and the barley for a sign, and the spelt on its borders And if he comes to sow grain, this is his custom. He sows the wheat in the middle of the furrow, and the barley he sows around it for a sign, and the spelt he sows on the borders of the field [and its boundaries]. שׂוֹרָה is an expression of ruling (שְׂרָרָה). He sows it in the center, and it appears ([printed editions] is found) to rule over the barley and the spelt.”

“שוה He hath made plain. Derived from שוה equal; comp. נשתוה alike (Prov. 27:15). קצח A kind of cummin, but smaller and black. שורה According to some, good; according to others, with measure; comp. במשורה with the measure (Lev. 19:35), and this is right. ושערה And barley. It is well known. נסמן Marked. Comp. סימן sign. נבלתו In its place. Comp. מגבלות measured (Ex. 28:14)”

“And He shall chasten him justly Likewise, he whose God directs him, He shall not send prophets forever to admonish him. Since he does not heed admonition, He shall chasten him with judgments of chastening in order that the toil of His admonition will help, like the one who smoothes the surface of the earth to sow, in order that the toil of his plowing that he plowed shall succeed.”

“with a grooved [implement] That is a wooden implement, made with grooves, and its name is מוֹרַג, a threshing-board, and one cuts the straw with it to be straw fodder. For not with a grooved [implement] do they thresh the black cumin, for its seed is easily extracted from within its straw, and, likewise, on cumin they do not turn the wheel of a wagon to thresh it, because the black cumin is easily beaten with a staff and the cumin with a rod.”

“Bread grain is crushed And whom (sic) do they crush with harsh implements? The bread of grain (sic), because it is not easily beaten. but it is not threshed forever This כִּי is used in the sense of ‘but.’ But they do not crush it forever, [because they will not crush the seed kernels forever for them to be threshed to be crushed through the threshing-board and the wagon wheel]. and the wheel of his wagon shall break and its separators And when they turn the wagon wheels over to crush it and thresh it, even the wheel breaks, and the remaining implements of the wagon with it, that separate the grain from its straw, he will not crush it, and the wheat is not crushed to be ground. be threshed (אָדוֹשׁ יְדוּשֶׁנּוּ. The repetition is peculiar.) Comp. (Ezekiel 31:11) “He will deal (עָשׂה יַעֲשֶׂה),” also (supra 22:18): “He shall wind you around (צָנוֹף יִצְנָפְךָ).” And this ‘alef’ comes instead of a ‘heh’. Comp. (II Chron. 20:35) “And afterwards Jehoshaphat joined (אִתְחַבֵּר),” like הִתְחַבֵּר. Here too, אָדוֹשׁ[is like] הִדּוֹשׁ, and Menahem classified it in this manner (Machbereth p. 68).”

“Bread corn is bruised. It is customary for bread corn to be bruised. אדוש To thresh. The א is prosthetic, as in אזרועך thine arm (Jer. 32:21). והמם And he turneth, etc. And when he turns the wheel of his cart to till the field, his horsemen will then not break it (the corn), for God has appointed every thing for its proper season; therefore the prophet continues This also cometh from the Lord, namely, that he shall not bruise it always.”

“This too, etc. This too, like the custom of threshers of grain and those who flail black cumin and cumin, comes forth from the Holy One, blessed be He. He gave marvelous counsel to show you hints in the manner of riddles and with an allegory, marvelous and obscure, for, just as with the cumin and the black cumin, with which they do not deal harshly by overthreshing them because they are easily flailed, so, if you would hasten to accept reproof, He would not bear heavily upon you with decrees, but since you are hard to accept reproof, like the grain that is hard to thresh, therefore, He will mete out heavy punishment upon you ([printed editions] - He will make it very heavy for you), but He will not strive and smite forever, ([certain editions]He will not strive and crush forever to destroy) just as one does not thresh forever, and His arrows and His blows shall terminate but you shall not terminate, in the manner that the wagon wheel breaks, but the wheat is not crushed. [If, however, you were easily destroyed, he would not test you with harsh afflictions, like the flax merchant, when he knows that his flax is of high quality, he beats it.]”

“הפליא עצה Who is wonderful in counsel. תושיה הגדיל Who is great in wisdom. R. Moses Hakkohen derives הושיה from יש substance.—The nature of the earth and the seeds is better than the character of man, who hears the words of the prophet without any profit The reverse is expressed by a similar figure: Let my doctrine drop like rain, as I explained (Deut. 32:2)”