The Fathers of The Church A New Translation Volume 116 PDF

THE FATHERS
OF THE CHURCH
A NEW TRANSLATION
VOLUME 116
THE FATHERS
OF THE CHURCH
A NEW TRANSLATION
EDITORIAL BOARD
Thomas P. Halton
The Catholic University of America
Editorial Director
Elizabeth Clark Robert D. Sider

Duke University Dickinson College
Joseph T. Lienhard, S.J. Michael Slusser
Fordham University Duquesne University
David G. Hunter Cynthia White
University of Kentucky The University of Arizona
Kathleen McVey Rebecca Lyman
Princeton Theological Seminary Church Divinity School of the Pacific
David J. McGonagle
Director
The Catholic University of America Press
FORMER EDITORIAL DIRECTORS
Ludwig Schopp, Roy J. Deferrari, Bernard M. Peebles,

Hermigild Dressler, O.F.M.
Carole C. Burnett
Staff Editor
ST. CYRIL OF
ALEXANDRIA
COMMENTARY ON
THE TWELVE PROPHETS
VOLUME 2
Translated by
†ROBERT C. HILL
THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA PRESS

Washington, D.C.
Copyright © 2008
THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA PRESS
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of

the American National Standards for Information Science—Permanence
of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI z39.48–1984.
Library of C o n g r e s s C ata l o g i n g - i n - P u b l i c at i o n D ata

Cyril, Saint, Patriarch of Alexandria, ca. 370-444.
Commentary on the Twelve Prophets / Cyril of Alexandria ;
translated with an introduction by Robert C. Hill.
p. cm. -— (The Fathers of the church ; v. 116)
Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
ISBN 978-0-8132-0116-0 (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Bible. O.T. Prophets—Commentaries. I. Hill, Robert C.
(Robert Charles), 1931– II. Title. III. Series.
BS1505.53.C9713 2007
224´.907—dc22
2007016972
CONTENTS
Abbreviations vii
Select Bibliography ix
COMMENTARY ON THE TWELVE PROPHETS

Commentary on the Prophet Amos
Preface to the Commentary on Amos 5
Commentary on Amos, Chapter One 7
Commentary on Amos, Chapter Two 27
Commentary on Amos, Chapter Three 41
Commentary on Amos, Chapter Four 55
Commentary on Amos, Chapter Five 66
Commentary on Amos, Chapter Six 83
Commentary on Amos, Chapter Seven 97
Commentary on Amos, Chapter Eight 105
Commentary on Amos, Chapter Nine 118
Commentary on the Prophet Obadiah
Preface to the Commentary on Obadiah 135
Commentary on Obadiah 137
Commentary on the Prophet Jonah
Preface to the Commentary on Jonah 147
Commentary on Jonah, Chapter One 151
Commentary on Jonah, Chapter Two 163
Commentary on Jonah, Chapter Three 167
Commentary on Jonah, Chapter Four 173
Commentary on the Prophet Micah
Preface to the Commentary on Micah 181
Commentary on Micah, Chapter One 183
vi CONTENTS
Commentary on Micah, Chapter Two 199

Commentary on Micah, Chapter Three 212
Commentary on Micah, Chapter Four 221
Commentary on Micah, Chapter Five 232
Commentary on Micah, Chapter Six 246
Commentary on Micah, Chapter Seven 257
Commentary on the Prophet Nahum
Preface to the Commentary on Nahum 281
Commentary on Nahum, Chapter One 283
Commentary on Nahum, Chapter Two 306
Commentary on Nahum, Chapter Three 316
Commentary on the Prophet Habakkuk
Preface to the Commentary on Habakkuk 331
Commentary on Habakkuk, Chapter One 333
Commentary on Habakkuk, Chapter Two 348
Commentary on Habakkuk, Chapter Three 366
INDICES
The indices to this volume are combined with the indices to volume 1.
Index of Proper Names 403
Index of Holy Scripture 415
ABBREVIATIONS
AnBib Analecta Biblica, Pontificio Istituto Biblico, Rome.

Aug Augustinianum.
BAC Bible in Ancient Christianity, Leiden and Boston: Brill,
2004–.
Bib Biblica.
CCG Corpus Christianorum series Graeca, Turnhout: Brepols.
CCL Corpus Christianorum series Latina, Turnhout: Brepols.
DBS Dictionnaire de la Bible. Supplément, IV, Paris:
Librairie Letouzey et Ané, 1949.
FOTC The Fathers of the Church, Washington, DC: The Catholic
University of America Press.
GO Göttinger Orientforschungen, Wiesbaden:
Otto Harrassowitz.
HeyJ The Heythrop Journal.
JECS Journal of Early Christian Studies.
LXX Septuagint.
NS New Series.
OTL Old Testament Library.
PG Patrologia Graeca, ed. J.-P. Migne, Paris, 1857–66.
SC Sources Chrétiennes, Paris: Du Cerf.
StudP Studia Patristica.
TRE Theologische Realenzyclopädie, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 1976–.
vii
SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY
Boulnois, M.-O. “The mystery of the Trinity according to Cyril of Alex-

andria: The Deployment of the Triad and its Recapitulation into the
Unity of Divinity.” In T. G. Weinandy and D. A. Keating, eds. The The-
ology of St Cyril of Alexandria. A Critical Appreciation. London and New
York: T&T Clark, 2003. Pp. 75–111.
Daley, B. E. “Apocalypticism in Early Christian Theology.” In B. McGinn,
ed. The Encyclopedia of Apocalypticism 2. New York and London: Con-
tinuum, 2002. Pp. 3–47.
Doutreleau, L., ed. Didyme L’Aveugle. Sur Zacharie. SC 83, 84, 85. Paris: Du
Cerf, 1962.
Fernández Marcos, N. The Septuagint in Context: Introduction to the Greek
Versions of the Bible. Translated by Wilfred G. E. Watson. Boston and
Leiden: Brill, 2001.
Harvey, E. R. “Cyrillus von Alexandria.” TRE 8:254–60.
Hill, R. C. “The Mystery of Christ: Clue to Paul’s Thinking on Wisdom.”
HeyJ 25 (1984): 475–83.
———. “Psalm 45: A locus classicus for Patristic Thinking on Biblical In-
spiration.” StudP 25 (1993): 95–100.
———. Theodoret of Cyrus. Commentary on the Psalms. FOTC 101, 102. Wash-
ington, DC: The Catholic University of America Press, 2000.
———. “Jonah in Antioch.” Pacifica 14 (2001): 245–61.
———. “Theodore of Mopsuestia, Interpreter of the Prophets.” Sacris Er-
udiri 40 (2001): 107–29.
———. Theodore of Mopsuestia. Commentary on the Twelve Prophets. FOTC 108.
Washington, DC: The Catholic University of America Press, 2004.
———. Reading the Old Testament in Antioch. BAC 5. Leiden and Boston:
Brill, 2005.
———. Didymus the Blind. Commentary on Zechariah. FOTC 111. Washing-
ton, DC: The Catholic University of America Press, 2005.
———. Theodoret of Cyrus. Commentary on the Twelve Prophets. Commentar-
ies on the Prophets 3. Brookline, MA: Holy Cross Orthodox Press,
2005.
———. “Zechariah in Alexandria and Antioch.” Aug 46 (2006).
Jouassard, Georges. “L’activité littéraire de saint Cyrille d’Alexandrie
jusqu’à 428: Essai de chronologie et de synthèse.” In Mélanges E. Po-
dechard: Études de sciences religieuses offertes pour son émeritat. Lyon: Facul-
tés Catholiques, 1954. Pp. 159–74.
Kelly, J. N. D. Jerome. His Life, Writings and Controversies. London: Duck-
worth, 1975.
ix
SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY
Kerrigan, A. St. Cyril of Alexandria, Interpreter of the Old Testament. AnBib 2.

Rome: Pontificio Istituto Biblico, 1952.
Olivier, J.-M., ed. Diodori Tarsensis commentarii in Psalmos. I. Commentarii in
Psalmos I-L. CCG 6. Turnhout: Brepols, 1980.
Petersen, D. L. Zechariah 9–14 & Malachi. OTL. London: SCM, 1995.
Pusey, P. E., ed. Sancti patris nostri Cyrilli archiepiscopi Alexandrini in XII
prophetas. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1868.
Redditt, P. L. Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi. New Century Bible Commen-
tary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995.
Russell, N. Cyril of Alexandria. The Early Christian Fathers. London and
New York: Routledge, 2000.
Schäublin, C. Untersuchungen zu Methode und Herkunft der antiochenischen
Exegese. Theophaneia: Beiträge zur Religions- und Kirchengeschichte
des Altertums 23. Cologne and Bonn: Peter Hanstein, 1974.
Smith, R. L. Micah–Malachi. Word Biblical Commentary 32. Waco, TX:
Word Books, 1984.
Sprenger, H. N., ed. Theodori Mopsuesteni commentarius in XII prophetas.
GO. Biblica et Patristica 1. Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, 1977.
Wilken, R. L. “Cyril of Alexandria as Interpreter of the Old Testament.”
In T. G. Weinandy and D. A. Keating, eds. The Theology of St Cyril of
Alexandria. A Critical Appreciation. London and New York: T&T Clark,
2003. Pp. 1–21.
———.“Cyril of Alexandria.” In C. Kannengiesser. Handbook of Patristic
Exegesis 2. BAC 1. Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2005. Pp. 840–69.
Zeigler, J. Duodecim Prophetae. Septuaginta 13. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck
& Ruprecht, 1943.
COMMENTARY ON THE
TWELVE PROPHETS
COMMENTARY ON THE
PROPHET AMOS
PREFACE TO THE
COMMENTAR Y ON AMOS
MOS WAS a goatherd, raised in the ways and norms

of shepherds. He passed his life in the wilderness to
the south of the country of the Jews, which stretched
from the shores of the Indian sea to the land of the Persians,
and where countless barbarian nations grazed their stock. It
was much suited to feeding flocks of sheep, being fertile, spa-
cious, and offering a variety of fodder. Amos was from the town
of Tekoa, at the very edge of the wilderness. Since he was a good
man, practiced in complete simplicity, he was given the rich
grace of the spirit of prophecy, prophesying not in Jerusalem
but among the actual flocks, initially with attention to those
with similar concerns to his own, and then (367)1 going as far as
Bethel. Tekoa, in fact, was subject to the kingdom not of Judah,
but of Ephraim.2
Now, the fact that our statement of this is true you will eas-
ily gather and confirm from his own words; he prophesied in
Bethel, as I said, saying that the altars of laughter would be abol-
ished and the rites of Israel left desolate. He further said, “And
I shall rise against the house of Jeroboam with a sword.” The
priest of Bethel, Amaziah, tried to pull the teeth of the prophet;
he “then sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos has con-
spired against you in the midst of the house of Israel; the land is
not able to bear all his words. For Amos says this: Jeroboam will
die by the sword, and Israel will be deported as a captive from its
land. And Amaziah said to Amos, On your way, O seer. Off with
1. Page numbers of the Pusey edition are included in the text for ease of
reference.
2. Tekoa, in fact, is a town in the hill country of Judah just south of the bor-
der with Israel. Cyril is following Jerome closely here in matters topographical
and linguistic, as well as in the lengthy citation from Am 7.

CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA
you to the land of Judah; live there and prophesy there. Con-
tinue prophesying no further in Bethel, because it is a king’s
sanctuary, and it is a king’s temple. Amos replied to Amaziah, I
was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet; instead, I was
a goatherd, a cutter of mulberries. The Lord took me from the
sheep, and the Lord said to me, Go, prophesy to my people Is-
rael.”3 So he was taken from the flocks, and prophesied in Beth-
el, where Jeroboam son of Nebat first set up a golden heifer.
Now, I think that also the fact is relevant that the father of
Isaiah was a different Amos.4 What (368) his words were in toto,
and in reference to which matters, we shall clarify by addressing
the text in hand.
3. Am 7.9–15.
4. Cyril derives this “relevant” item from Jerome, who proceeds to show its
linguistic basis, that in Heb. (but not in the LXX) there is a considerable differ-
ence in the two names (that of Isaiah’s father Amoz being an otherwise unat-
tested form of Amaziah, in fact).
COMMENTAR Y ON AMOS,
CHAPTER ONE
The words of Amos, which came in Akkarim from Tekoa, which he saw on Jeru-
salem (v.1).
E IS SAYING that these are the words of prophecy

of Amos from Tekoa, which came in Akkarim. Now, it
should be realized that the Hebrew has no knowledge
at all of this reading, in Akkarim, saying only, “The words of Amos
from Tekoa.” For their part the other translators put “cattlemen”
for in Akkarim. So he is saying that these are the words of Amos
from Tekoa, which came at the time when there was still grazing,
and in the actual sheep pens.1 The words on Jerusalem he says
he did not so much hear as see; God made the events obvious to
the holy prophets together with revelations as though they were
actually taking place, the result being that the words even seemed
visible in a way, the vision of the future perhaps being concur-
rent with what God said.
That item is worth questioning, however, of the possibility of
anyone’s believing the words came on Jerusalem only, despite God’s
accusing Judah and Israel in the statement of the same prophet.
He said, remember, “Thus says the Lord: For three (369) trans-
gressions of Judah and for four I shall not turn my back on them,
because they have repudiated the Law of the Lord and have not
observed his commandments. They have deceived themselves
with the futile things they have done, which their fathers adopt-
ed. I shall send fire on Judah, and it will consume the founda-
tions of Jerusalem.” He went on, “Thus says the Lord: For three
transgressions and for four I shall not turn away from him.” He
criticized the forms of sin and threatened dire punishment and
1. Again Jerome supplies the data, which Cyril compresses to suggest that all
three translators offered the one alternative to the misreading by the LXX.

CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA
stated that the message involved the most severe retribution for
both. So how are the words to be understood as then directed at
Jerusalem, despite God’s saying, “I shall send fire on Judah, and
it will consume the foundations of Jerusalem”?2 The form the
explanation will take, therefore, come now, let us examine. We
claim, then, that it is customary with the holy prophets at one
time to refer without distinction to the two tribes in Jerusalem,
Judah and Benjamin, as Israel, and at another to call the ten
tribes in Samaria Israel, or Ephraim. Frequently, however, they
make no such distinction: since they are all of the line of Israel,
this is the name they give to the twelve tribes. If, on the other
hand, they wanted to suggest to us perhaps the whole commu-
nity of the Jews, we would find them no longer using the name
Jerusalem to distinguish them.
The words of the prophecy of Amos, therefore, were deliv-
ered on the whole populace of the Jews, both in Jerusalem and
in Samaria;3 but there is need to explain how it would be on
them. (370) Accordingly the explanation is twofold: on the one
hand, he first introduced the God of all outlining the sins of the
community of the Jews, then forecasting what would happen to
them, and, on the other hand, he proceeded to mention the
kindly manifestations of his clemency and the fact that in due
course there would be generous pardon of them and restora-
tion to their original condition. Amos himself in turn said as
much, in fact, on the part of God: “Except that I shall finally not
remove the house of Jacob, says the Lord. Because, lo, I shall
give the command, and I shall scatter the house of Israel among
all the nations in the way grain is scattered with a winnowing
fan, and no fragment will fall to the ground.”4
Of necessity, however, he also foretells the future redemption
through Christ, and the fact that they would move to a restora-
tion and enjoy the benevolence of a compassionate God. He
spoke further in these terms: “On that day I shall raise up the
tent of David that has fallen, rebuild its breaches, raise up its
2. 2.4–6.
3. Cyril parts company with Jerome, and with the Antiochenes and modern
commentators, who see in the reference to Jerusalem an error of the LXX for
Israel; and he develops and supports his interpretation at length.
4. 9.8–9.
COMMENTAR Y ON AMOS 1
ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old.”5 The words, there-

fore, are on Jerusalem. And in another sense they could be un-
derstood to be on it: Syria, the kings of Damascus, and not a
few of the neighboring nations caused damage to the country
of the Jews, different ones at different times invading and devas-
tating it, driving the people hither and yon, committing crimes
of implacable wrath to the point of reducing it to extreme hard-
ship. The prophet therefore has introduced God threatening
all these people with desolation, and said they would be called
to account for their sacrilegious exploits. So (371) the words of
Amos are on Jerusalem, or on the whole community of the Jews;
we shall grasp this clearly as we traverse the times of the proph-
ecy. It proceeds as follows, in fact.
In the days of Uzziah king of Judah and in the days of Jeroboam king
of Israel two years before the earthquake (v.1). I think someone will
ask, however, what benefit it is to the readers to investigate in
detail the dates of the reign of those just cited, namely, Uzziah
and also Jeroboam.6 In response we claim that it is necessary,
containing as it does, so to speak, the whole of the circumstanc-
es of the prophecy; he threatens destruction, invasions, and
incineration to Syria, Damascus, and the barbarous neighbors
of Judea, and the divine oracles have begun at that point. It is
therefore necessary to learn the reasons for inserting the dates
of the kingdom, what and how great were the achievements in
each case, how they lived, and what was worth hearing in both
cases. After deviating into apostasy, therefore, Israel and Judah
were chastised in various ways; when the leaders of Damascus
and Syria overran them and mounted a siege, they devastated
the country; and when the Moabites and Idumeans, Girgashites
and Elamites, and inhabitants of Ashdod and Ekron did dam-
age to Samaria and as well the kingdom of Judah, venting un-
checked anger and implacable hostility, they went to the ex-
tremes of rage like wild bulls.
We shall find them guilty of this in various ways, for (372) ex-
5. 9.11.
6. While the biblical Word comes by oral/aural transmission, the commen-
tary is read by readers. Cyril finds it necessary to defend an (admitttedly lengthy)
unfolding of the historical background to the prophet’s ministry; not all his fel-
lows, it seems, thought it was required.
10 CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA
ample, when Ahab reigned over Samaria and Israel. It is record-

ed this way in the first book of Kings: “Ben-hadad gathered all
his forces, and went up and besieged Samaria; thirty-two kings
were with him, along with horses and chariots. They went up
and besieged Samaria and waged war on it.”7 Consider, there-
fore, how the king of Damascus—namely, Hadad—enlisted as
allies against Israel thirty-two other leaders of neighboring na-
tions, and thus made war on the land. In the time of Jehoash
king of Judah, Hazael the Syrian made war on Jerusalem. It is
recorded likewise in the second book of Kings, “At that time
Hazael king of Syria went up and made war on Gath, and took
it. Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem. Jehoash king of Ju-
dah took all the holy things dedicated by Jehoshaphat, Jehoram,
and Ahaziah, his ancestors, kings of Judah, his holy things, and
all the gold found in the treasuries of the house of the Lord and
the house of the king, and sent it to Hazael king of Syria, and he
withdrew from Syria.”8 They did such things, in fact, in defiance
of divine wrath, when Israel had offended as a result of their se-
vere decline and baleful involvement in worship of the idols.
In being victorious, however, the foreigners undermined the
glory of God; the wretches believed (373) that the hand aiding
them had grown limp, and they presumed to infringe the glory
of God. The Syrians, for instance, were weak, since Hadad was
besieging Samaria, and they made it an occasion for slander,
saying, “The God of Israel is a God of the mountains, not a God
of the valleys,”9 believing that the people of Israel were victori-
ous because God was able to save them only on the mountains
and on the hills. We were beaten, they said, therefore, because
the God of Israel is a God of the mountains; but if we engaged
them in battle on the level countryside, we would doubtless pre-
vail over them, since the God of Israel is powerless in valleys.
Now, these were the crimes of pagan persiflage, the vile bab-
bling of people who have no knowledge of the one who is God
in truth and by nature. The God who has power over all, there-
7. 1 Kgs 20.1.
8. 2 Kgs 12.17–18. The PG ed. generally abbreviates or omits the lengthy
citations of the biblical text.
9. 1 Kgs 20.23.
COMMENTAR Y ON AMOS 1 11
fore, was angry with the foreigners, and very rightly so, because
in conquering Israel they made thanksgiving offerings to their
own gods, and in their folly they thought they had prevailed
also over its God.
With the passage of time, after the reign of Ahab and some
others in the meantime, there emerged as king over Israel in Sa-
maria a certain Jeroboam different from the first, the son of Ne-
bat, but sharing with him his name, attitude, and impiety. In the
years of his reign, however, the compassionate God then had
mercy on Israel in its depths of adversity, and freed it from hard-
ship by the hand of Jeroboam, despite his being wicked and
unfaithful. He so worsted the foreigners, in fact, as to recover
even cities snatched by them in the time of kings in the past,
to subject them to his own (374) rule, and to bring numerous
troubles on those who were formerly victorious. It is written of
him in the second book of Kings, remember, “In the fifteenth
year of King Amaziah son of Joash of Judah, Jeroboam son of
Jehoash began his reign of forty-one years over Israel in Samaria.
He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not depart
from all the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who caused Israel to
sin. He it was, in fact, who established the border of Israel from
the entrance of Hamath as far as the Sea of Arabah, according
to the word of the Lord God of Israel, which he spoke through
his servant Jonah son of Amittai, who was from Gath-hepher.
Because the Lord saw the very bitter distress of Israel, with very
few survivors remaining, and no one to help Israel. The Lord
had not said he would blot out the offspring of Israel from un-
der heaven; and he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam son of
Jehoash. The rest of the acts of Jeroboam and all that he did,
his might, all his battles, and his recovery for Israel of Damascus
and Hamath from Judah, lo, is it not all written in the book of
the annals of the kings of Israel?”10
See, he clearly says that the people of Israel suffered tribu-
lation, with no one to save them, and that the survivors were
few, though saved through Jeroboam. He said “through” in the
sense of “by”; he was not one to crush Israel, instead fighting
10. 2 Kgs 14.23–28.

for it as its protector, recovering Damascus, extending the bor-

ders of Israel, and performing many mighty deeds. (375) Dur-
ing Jeroboam’s reign Azariah, or Uzziah, was anointed king of
Judah in Jerusalem; he was no less troublesome to the nations,
and was vigorously opposed to those ravaging Judea. While he
was a pious and godly man, and prevailed over the foe with di-
vine permission to conquer, he suffered from arrogance; of his
own volition he attempted to perform priestly functions, even
presuming to ascend the divine altar itself and offer incense.
Immediately, however, God rebuked him: he was struck with
leprosy, a dire and incurable disease, the purpose being for him
to be expelled from Jerusalem by Law as one unclean, and to
cease acting as a priest for God, since priestly functions were un-
lawfully undertaken by him, and cease defiling the divine Tem-
ple. The sacred text speaks this way of him in the second book
of Kings: “In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel,
Azariah son of Amaziah king of Judah came to the throne. He
was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned
fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecoliah of
Jerusalem. He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, just
as Amaziah his father had done. Yet the high places were not
taken away, for the people kept sacrificing and offering incense
on the high places. The Lord struck the king, and he was lep-
rous to the day of his death.”11
Now, while this is the account in Kings, in the second book of
Chronicles (376) there occurs a more succinct version of it, as
follows: “The people of the land took Uzziah, who was sixteen
years old, and made him king to succeed his father Amaziah. It
was he who rebuilt Eloth and restored it to Judah after the king
slept with his ancestors. Uzziah was sixteen years old when he
began to reign, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem; his
mother’s name was Jecoliah of Jerusalem. He did what was right
in the sight of the Lord, just as his father Amaziah had done.
He was a searcher after the Lord in the days of Zechariah, who
was wise in the fear of the Lord; in his days he sought the Lord,
and the Lord made him prosper. He went out and made war on
11. 2 Kgs 15.1–5.

the Philistines, and broke down the walls of Gath, the walls of
Jabneh, and the walls of Ashdod; he built cities in Ashdod, and
the Lord gave him strength among the Philistines, against the
Philistines, against the Arabs dwelling on the rock, and against
the Meunites. The Meunites paid tribute to Uzziah, and his
fame spread even to the entrance to Egypt, for he became very
strong.”12
Then it went on about him, “He offended against the Lord
his God, entering the Temple of the Lord to make an offering
on the altar of incense. The priest Azariah went in after him,
and with him eighty priests of the Lord who were men of valor.
They withstood King Uzziah and said to him, It is not for you,
Uzziah, (377) to make offerings to the Lord, but for the priests,
the descendants of Aaron, who are consecrated to make an of-
fering. Go out of the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful to
the Lord; it will bring you no honor from the Lord God. Uzziah
grew angry; in his hand was the censer to make an offering in
the Temple. When he grew angry with the priests, leprosy broke
out on his forehead in the sight of the priests in the house of
the Lord by the altar of incense. The chief priest and the priests
looked at him and, lo, he was leprous on his forehead; they hur-
ried him out of there, and he himself hurried to get out, be-
cause the Lord had rebuked him.”13
So much for Uzziah’s becoming leprous, therefore. The fact
of his being a mighty warrior, on the other hand, invading the
country of the Philistines, and reaching such a degree of might
as even to build cities in their midst, impose taxes, and subdue
them to his regime despite their being conceited, the sacred
text conveyed adequately. Since the prophetic verse introduced
at the outset the devastation affecting the Philistines, therefore,
it was necessary to mention the reign of both Uzziah and Je-
roboam, for it was by them that they were conquered, as we be-
gan by saying. So we are aware that Damascus was put to the
torch at the hand of the Assyrians, and the Philistines were also
no less devastated. But since one happened before the other,
we shall necessarily address what happened to the Philistines in
12. 2 Chr 26.1–8, with the odd detail in error.

13. 2 Chr 26.16–20.
the time of both Jeroboam and Uzziah,14 and no less to the ac-
tual leaders of the Assyrians. Since the prophet added the fur-
ther detail two years before the earthquake, (378) we should make
mention also of Uzziah’s becoming leprous; when in defiance
of Law he presumed to act as a priest, Jerusalem was hit by an
earthquake, God clearly showing his wrath through this to the
people of the time.15
He said, The Lord gave utterance from Zion, and released his word
from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds withered, and the crest of
Carmel dried up (v.2). By this the whole thrust of the prophecy is
highlighted for us; since the fulfillment, as it were, and discern-
ment of the entire oracle are clouded in considerable obscurity,
the force of the text at hand should be properly understood.
The verse proceeds, in fact, by both simile and metaphor, refer-
ring to what is growing on the well-covered crests of the moun-
tains, or even in the countryside that is sometimes denuded. Al-
though mountains are bedecked with forests and trees, and the
countryside is likewise covered in widespread and thick fodder,
they can unexpectedly dry up when some chance pest or other
contagion in the air affects them. Human affairs, too, likewise
suffer a reverse when sometimes harsh and intolerable misfor-
tunes befall cities and countries, which affect and destroy small
and great; after all, who has been spared the sword of enemies
or pestilence, tell me, which completely strikes down both the
man conspicuous for wealth, reputation, and influence, and the
man who is unknown and abject? A verse couched in terms fa-
miliar to him, therefore, was appropriate for the prophet in this
case; (379) he was a goatherd, remember, and developed imag-
ery from the frequent destruction of the pastures of his herd.16
What is the correct sense, then, of the statement? The Lord
gave utterance from Zion, as from his own place, and from Jerusa-
14. The PG text mentions only Jeroboam here. Although that text does not
reproduce the large slabs of biblical text from Kings and Chronicles appearing
in the Pusey text, nevertheless Cyril has gone to an exorbitant length to make
his point that v.1 of Amos should refer to the reign of the two kings.
15. Cyril would know also from Zec 14.5 that an earthquake occurred in
Uzziah’s reign; Jerome and Theodore encouraged him to see it as punishment
for the king’s effrontery, despite no biblical support.
16. It is Jerome who encourages Cyril to comment on the appropriate use of
imagery by the prophet.
lem, as from a place attributed to him, the incorporeal not oc-

cupying a place. Since that celebrated Temple was in Jerusalem,
the place seemed to be his own in the understanding of the an-
cients, who still had elementary ideas of God. Instead of gave
utterance, the Hebrew has “bellowed” or “roared,” as lions do.
When it happened, the pastures of the flocks withered, by the pastures
of the flocks meaning the foreign races, as though prostrate under
their own leaders, who forced the people under them to com-
ply with everything they wished. They withered, then; that is, they
fell victim to every sorrow and trouble, grief occurring in the
case of the dead. The cause of their misfortunes was God’s roar-
ing and, as it were, threatening ruin; the text says, remember,
“A lion will roar, and who will not be afraid?”17 It was not only
that the pastures of the flocks withered; as well the crest of Carmel dried
up. Now, Jerusalem is the crest of Carmel, he says, Carmel being a
mountain in the country of the Jews, where Elijah the Tishbite
dwelt. Often the whole land of the Jews is indicated by the name
Carmel; there is a similar statement by God to the children of
Israel in another prophet: “I led you to Carmel to eat (380) its
good things and its crops, and you entered and defiled my land,
and made my inheritance an abomination.”18 Since Jerusalem
was more illustrious than the other cities of Judea and known by
name, therefore, he calls it crest of Carmel in the sense of “raised
to prominence,” “pre-eminent,” “more conspicuous” than the
others in having the divine Temple and at times the kings of
the tribe of Judah. Now, it is customary with the holy prophets
deliberately to lend an obscure meaning to words on account of
listeners’ undisciplined reactions; they could not bear to listen
to them when they spoke openly, taken aback at their frankness,
and they warned the holy prophets in the words, “Instead, speak
to us and tell us something different and deceptive.”19
The Lord said, For three transgressions of Damascus and for four I
17. 3.8.
18. Jer 2.7, where the word is used not as a proper name but in the sense of
a garden.
19. Is 30.10. By this citation, is Cyril suggesting that Carmel in the sense of
a privileged site was in the case of the Jews a misleading reference? Chrysostom
had (probably before this) listed this reason—that is, avoiding the risk of the
messenger being shot—for the obscurity of Old Testament works, in his homi-
lies on the subject.
shall not turn my back on them for cutting asunder with iron saws the
pregnant women of Gilead. I shall send fire on the house of Hazael, and
it will consume the foundations of the son Ader. I shall smash the bars of
Damascus, and shall destroy inhabitants from the countryside of Ôn and
cut down a tribe from men of Haran, and a distinguished people of Syria
will be captured, says the Lord (vv.3–5). The divinely inspired Moses
was amazed at God’s goodness and patience, and rightly so; when
Israel made a calf in the desert, and stupidly said, “These are
your gods, Israel, who led you out of the land of (381) Egypt,”
it consequently gave offense. Yet although God had threatened
once and for all to destroy them, Moses then prostrated himself
and earnestly entreated the Creator and persuaded him to for-
give the guilty. He offered songs of thanksgiving: “The Lord God
is compassionate and merciful, long-suffering, rich in mercy and
truthful, keeping steadfast love to the thousandth generation,
forgiving iniquities, wrongs, and sins, not clearing the guilty, vis-
iting the iniquities of the parents on the children and the chil-
dren’s children to the third and fourth generation.”20
The Jewish populace did not correctly understand this, think-
ing that God was so harsh, inexorable, and persistent in his wrath
as to impose the crimes of parents on their children’s children.
They said as much, for instance, in claiming, “The parents ate
sour grapes, and the children’s teeth were set on edge.” Con-
sequently, God said to the prophet Ezekiel, “Son of man, what
do you mean by repeating this proverb in Israel, The parents
ate sour grapes, and the children’s teeth were set on edge? As I
live, says the Lord, let this proverb no more be recited in Israel,
because all lives are mine; the life of the parent as well as the life
of the child are mine. Someone who is righteous shall not die;
the child will not take on his parent’s sin, nor (382) a parent
take on his child’s sin.”21 After all, how could the Lord of all still
be long-suffering, rich in mercy, and truthful if he did not for-
give sins and clear the guilty, but extended his anger to the third
and fourth generation? What is the reasoning, then? While he is
20. Ex 32.4 and 34.6–7.

21. Ezek 18.1–4, 20. Again there is lengthy scriptural documentation for this
time of God’s long-suffering—which arises from the LXX’s version, not Amos’s
point, and dwells on a subtext rather than on the lemma.
patient, as I said, and incomparably good, and does not immedi-

ately inflict punishment on sinners, he postpones it even to the
second generation in the hope that perhaps some repentance
may intervene and terminate the wrath. If this does not happen,
however, and the third generation after the first and the fourth
do likewise, or they are caught up in still worse evils, and are
found to imitate their forbears’ impiety, then and only then does
he impose punishment after having already shown the family
sufficient patience for past sins. This is the meaning of inflicting
sins of parents on the third and fourth generations.
Surely, then, he asks, after having shown long-suffering often
to Damascus, would I not fail to be angry, and rightly so, with
the third and fourth sins? What sins did they commit? Many and
varied.22 They will pay the penalty for extreme cruelty: I shall
not turn my back on them for cutting asunder with iron saws the preg-
nant women of Gilead. Gilead is a small town of Judea situated
on the boundary of Palestine. The Syrians previously occupied
it and reduced it to ruins, cutting asunder with iron saws the preg-
nant women, and along with the babies annihilating women’s im-
mature foetuses. By iron saws he refers to the (383) wheels of
wagons with which the Syrians normally crushed the grain. God
says somewhere in Isaiah, for example, to the community of the
Jews, “Lo, I made you like wheels of a wagon, sharp, new, like
saws.”23 So it is as if he were saying to Damascus, I shall sentence
you for threshing and crushing those in Gilead in such a way as
to show no mercy even on pregnant women, to whom mercy is
due and shown by everyone.
Now, the fact that some of those from Damascus treated the
people of Israel cruelly and savagely you could easily learn from
attending to the words of the prophet Elisha. He arrived in Da-
mascus, remember, and, when he met Hazael while Ben-hadad
was ill, “the man of God wept. Hazael asked, Why does my lord
weep? He replied, Because I know all the evil you will do to the
22. Cyril might have drawn on Theodore to make a note about the semitic
usage employed by the author of numerical synonymous parallelism—though a
modern commentator like Stuart can only remark, “It cannot be taken literally
to indicate a precise number of crimes, but it does connote multiplicity.”
23. Is 41.15.
people of Israel: you will set their fortresses on fire, kill their
finest with the sword, dash in pieces their infants, and rip open
their pregnant women.”24 When Damascus did this to Gilead,
or rather to the whole country of the Jews, he threatened to set
on fire the house of Hazael, and smash the bars of Damascus. This
was done by Uzziah and Jeroboam individually and at different
times (it was they who took Syria and conquered them by force),
and with the passage of time also by the king of Assyria.
He next says, I shall destroy inhabitants from the countryside of
Ôn. By Ôn the prophets refer to Bethel, where the accursed Je-
roboam erected the golden heifer; at that time they normally
called the whole country by that name because on that account
it was all idolatrous (384)—hence the inhabitants from the land
and countryside of Ôn, or the “futile things”—that is, idols—the
version of the other interpreters.25 I shall wipe out and destroy,
he says, and cut down a tribe from men of Haran, a little town quite
close to Damascus occupied by very warlike inhabitants. He also
says the distinguished people of Syria will be captured, by distinguished
meaning either “very celebrated” or “mercenary and allied to
them,” since they paid the neighboring Philistines, as I said, in
campaigning against the country of the Jews. Or distinguished
could mean “called” or “alien”; it should be realized that for
people of Syria the Hebrew has Cyrene, Cyrene being a colony
of Syria. We mentioned that, in the text of the second book of
Kings, Ahaz began to reign in Jerusalem when Pekah and Rezin,
kings of Syria and Damascus, attacked Jerusalem and devastated
the cities subject to Judah. Since Ahaz, who was reigning over
Judah, experienced unbearable fear, he bribed Tiglath-pileser
the Assyrian to give aid. “The Assyrian king listened to him, and
the Assyrian king went up to Damascus and took it, deported its
people, and put Rezin to death.”26
24. 2 Kgs 8.11–12, quoted by Jerome.

25. Jerome had, in fact, listed individual versions, only Aquila offering this
one; with Jerome’s help Cyril had canvassed the issue at Hos 5.8. As Haran does
not appear in the Heb. or in Jerome’s text, Cyril is left to his own devices in
locating it.
26. 2 Kgs 16.1, 9. Cyril has been alerted by Jerome that the LXX has not
done justice to the Heb. in arriving at “distinguished,” the latter saying that the
Heb. term for “Cyrene” has been thus misrepresented, and quoting 2 Kgs 16.9
Thus says the Lord: For three acts of godlessness of Gaza and for
four I shall not shun them, because (385) they took off into captivity
the captivity of Solomon to confine it in Idumea. I shall send fire on the
walls of Gaza, and it will consume its foundations. I shall destroy the
inhabitants of Ashdod, and the tribe from Ashkelon will be eliminated. I
shall put my hand on Ekron, and the remnant of the Philistines will per-
ish, says the Lord (vv.6–8). I think it is necessary before all else to
say that neither the Hebrew nor the other versions make men-
tion of Solomon; the Hebrew says, “Because they took captivity
captive,” while the other translators inserted for Solomon “com-
plete” or “entire.” We for our part, however, shall necessarily fol-
low the text of the Seventy.27 Gaza is rebuked, then—a Philistine
city, which is now Palestinian—for taking off into captivity the cap-
tivity of Solomon to confine it in Idumea. Even if we take it in the
way the other translators render it, they were not responsible
for a casual sacking of Judea; instead, they took a large number
captive and gave them into the hands of the Idumeans. Now, the
Idumeans were of the line of Esau, always hostile to the people
of Israel, and with them were associated and allied the people
of Gath, Ashdod, and Ashkelon, as well as the people of the so-
called Ekron and the other Philistines; they all tried to take the
cities of Judea by force.
If according to the Septuagint, on the other hand, we were
to read it, taking off into captivity the captivity of Solomon, (386)
we would need to interpret it this way. Solomon was a vigorous
and strong king, remember, and he so dominated the neighbor-
ing nations as even to build many cities among them and settle
Israelites in them with the connivance of Hiram. The account
is given in the second book of Chronicles in these terms: “At
the end of twenty years, at the end of which Solomon had built
the house of the Lord and his own house, Solomon rebuilt the
to show that Assyrians deported citizens of Damascus to Cyrene. Cyril misreads

Jerome, and in likewise quoting 2 Kings he omits the term “Cyrene,” which (even
if wrong on Jerome’s part) was the reason for referring to it.
27. Cyril, though benefiting from Jerome’s linguistic skills here, asserts his
commitment to the LXX. Jerome has told him that the alternative versions avoid
the error of the LXX in reading Heb. shalma as Solomon instead of “entire,” a
lead he follows despite his regard for the LXX. This does not prevent his then
trying to rescue the solecism involving Solomon, and again at great length.
cities that Hiram had given him, and settled the people of Is-
rael there. Solomon went to Hamath-zobah and captured it. He
built Tadmor in the wilderness, and he built all the fortified cit-
ies in Hamath.” And a little later, “Whatever Solomon desired to
build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all his kingdom. All the
people who were left of the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizz-
ites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of Israel, from
their descendants who were left in the land after them—these
Solomon conscripted for forced labor, as is still the case today.”28
So the people from Gath and Ashdod and the rest, allied with
those from Idumea, overthrew these cities, which were named
after Solomon, the result being that they no longer fell under
the kingdom of Judah, but were allotted, as it were, to the unho-
ly leaders of the Moabites. Consequently, he says, Gaza would be
consumed by fire along with the others, (387) and the people
of Ashdod and the tribe of Ashkelon would be destroyed, and
fall under the punishing hand of Ekron, and the remnant of the
Philistines would completely perish along with them. Some of the
neighboring barbarians, in fact, probably served as mercenaries
and were called to lend assistance.
There is therefore difficulty and extreme danger clearly in-
volved for those loved by God in wanting to be connected and
allied with wicked people and to persecute the saints. I mean, if
sometimes we were to suffer for our faults and be corrected by
God, he would still not completely scorn those consecrated to
him; after giving them useful correction, he would invest with
the instruments of his wrath those, that is, who vented their
spleen on them. This would be in keeping with that fine state-
ment to Babylon in reference to the children of Israel, “Though
I gave them into your hands, you did not show them mercy.”29
In other words, God is severely outraged and angry with violent
treatment at the hands of those bidden to take action.
Thus says the Lord: for three godless acts of Tyre and for four I shall
not shun it for confining the captivity of Solomon to Idumea and not
remembering the covenant of brethren. I shall send fire upon the walls
of Tyre, and it will consume its foundations (vv.9–10). The Tyrians
28. 2 Chr 8.1–2, 6–8, appearing textually also in the PG ed.

29. Is 47.6.
likewise together with those from Damascus, Ashdod, Gath, and

Ashkelon, as well as those from Ekron, had exceeded the pa-
tience proper to God, and in a fashion surpassed the excesses of
impiety. (388) They would therefore be subjected to wrath, ac-
cording to the drift of the oracle, and suffer the most extreme
punishment of all. Their crime was confining the captivity of Solo-
mon to Idumea and not recalling the covenant of brethren. While the
text has shown us sufficiently what the captivity of Solomon was,
then, there is need to explain how it was confined to Idumea by the
Tyrians. After enslaving a countless horde of the people of Ju-
dah and Israel, in fact, they sold them to the Idumeans. Having
recently, by dint of fighting, given freedom to their brethren, they
subjected them to the harsh yoke of slavery and forced them to
live by pagan norms, as though the wretches were railing vio-
lently against the glory of God, implying that he neither pre-
served the freedom they received from their ancestors nor was
capable of ensuring their enjoyment of a fine state of prosper-
ity. The God of all says through another prophet, for instance,
by way of severe accusation of those who confined the captivity of
Solomon to Idumea, “What are you to me, Tyre and Sidon, and the
whole of Galilee of foreigners? Surely you are not visiting retri-
bution on me, or nourishing a grievance against me? Swiftly and
promptly I shall return your retribution at your heads for your
taking my silver and my gold, for introducing my choice things
of beauty into your temples, for selling the children of Judah
and the children of Israel to the children of the pagans so as
to remove them from (389) their borders.”30 Now, the border,
as it were, of the people of Israel was in a physical sense Judea,
but in a spiritual sense the Law, from which they were removed
by being wrongly sold to the pagans. This is what was done by
the Tyrians along with the others when unmindful of the very
covenant of their brethren.
Now, this could be understood in a threefold way; come now,
let us explain who were the brethren and what was the covenant,
guided by Holy Writ to an understanding of this text. Hiram,
Tyre’s king at the time, was a particular friend of the divinely
30. Jl 3.4–6.
inspired David, and then after him he was loved by Solomon

to the extent of making agreements of fellow-feeling with him,
doing everything in concert with him, and giving him appropri-
ate attention when he was completing the divine Temple. While
he presented him with a great number of gifts, he himself also
gained a greater and more lavish advantage.31 Or his meaning is
that the Tyrians made war on Israel, not remembering the covenant
of love for brethren in which they were linked to such a degree
of benevolence and affection as to seem even to be related by
blood. Or it means that the Idumeans, while being descended
from Esau and being brethren to the people of Israel, made war
on them, scorning the covenant of brethren. Esau, remember, was
hostile to Jacob and treated him like an enemy, offended over
the birthright in the beginning; but when in due course he left
the house of Laban and wanted to return home with his wife and
children, he met him as a brother. They embraced and clung
to one another, spoke in a way appropriate to friends, (390)
put behind them their former differences, and made covenants
of harmony and peace.32 While that was the case with them,
however, the Tyrians by contrast did not remember the covenant of
brethren, set the families against one another, and persuaded the
Idumeans to take their fellows and brothers as slaves, thus ren-
dering them by their complicity much stronger than those who
had prevailed. You might, on the other hand, make the claim
also of the Moabites themselves, who were descendants of Lot,
that the Tyrians transgressed a covenant of brethren, namely, that
between Abraham and Lot; when the shepherds quarreled with
each other, the text says, “Let there be no quarrel between me
and you, and between my shepherds and your shepherds, for
we are kindred.” Consequently, the text was right to say [Tyre]
would be set on fire and overthrown from the very foundations;
the saying, “You shall not follow a majority in wrongdoing,”33 is
universally valid.
31. 1 Kgs 5.1, 12, and 9.10–14. Cyril, despite being informed by Jerome of
the incorrect appearance of Solomon in the lemma, prefers to find an historical
reference to him or to some other incident in the Bible.
32. Gn 33.
33. Gn 13.8; Ex 23.2.
Thus says the Lord: For three godless acts of Idumea and for four I
shall not shun it for pursuing its brother with a sword (v.11). The text
now moves to Idumea itself, that is to say, the descendants of
Esau, saying that they were very properly subjected to the effects
of wrath. They had, you see, made war on (391) Israel, though
he was their brother, and they had no qualms about drawing a
bold and cruel sword against those who were related even by
blood, thinking not in accord with the law of nature, not in ac-
cord with humanity; instead, being accustomed to conquer for-
eigners and bitter enemies with hostility directed at brothers,
their thinking in this case as well was perhaps conceited. So let
them hear from us, “Why does the mighty one boast of wicked-
ness?” It could rightly be said of them, “Their glory is in their
shame.” In other words, since by a malicious decision they show
respect for what it would be better to remove as far as possible
from them, they will likewise hear, “Woe to you who call evil
good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for
darkness, who say bitterness is sweet and sweetness bitter.”34
It violated a womb on the ground (v.11). He helpfully lists the
crimes of the Jews, referring to Esau in person, and presenting
as ignoble those sprung from an unholy father, so that we may
understand what is suggested indirectly in the saying of Isaiah,
“From the seed of serpents will come forth offspring of asps.”35
He recounts, therefore, that Esau, who was their ancestor, vio-
lated, as it were, the good things accruing to him from the womb
and his origins, and threw on the ground the privilege of be-
ing firstborn, according it extremely little value by comparison
with bodily nourishment, which he took in exchange for the
gift of nature. “For this reason,” Scripture says, “he was called
Edom,” that is, “earthy,”36 (392) whence I think his descendants
also were then called Idumeans. He therefore says it violated the
privilege that came from his birth and the womb on the ground,
and exchanged it for an earthly thing.
34. Ps 52.1 (modern numbering for Psalms); Phil 3.19; Is 5.20.

35. Is 14.9. The LXX comes up with “womb” by misreading a similar Heb.
form.
36. Gn 25.30. Cyril is astray in his etymology here (and elsewhere, mislead-
ing Theodoret as well, as on Is 63.1 and Song 5.10), confusing Heb. ‘dama and
Edom.
Now, those who prefer enjoyment of fleshly things to spiri-

tual would be caught up in similar crimes, giving preference to
temporary things over eternal, and to impermanent over stable,
despising glory from God and ill-advisedly giving higher esteem
to what attracts attention from human beings and escapes the
grasp of its possessors like shadows. It was very useful for the di-
vinely inspired Paul also to cry aloud, “See to it that no one be-
comes like Esau, an immoral and loathsome person, who sold
his birthright for a single meal.”37
It snatched its horror in evidence against him (v.11). He proceeds
to mention something else, blaming, as it were, the Idumean for
being always mischievous and evil, malicious and hostile, espe-
cially to his relatives. Accordingly, it is written in Numbers, “Mo-
ses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom, saying,
Thus says your brother Israel, You know all the trouble that has
beset us, how our ancestors went down into Egypt, and we lived
in Egypt a long time. The Egyptians oppressed us and our an-
cestors, and we cried aloud to the Lord, and the Lord heard our
voice, sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt. Now we are
in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your territory; we shall pass by
your land, we shall not pass through fields or vineyards, (393)
nor drink water from your well. We shall travel the king’s high-
way, not turning aside to right or left until we have passed by
your territory. Edom said to him, You are not to pass by me; oth-
erwise, I shall come out to do battle with you as you come. The
people of Israel said, We shall pass by the border; if we drink
your water, I and my livestock, I shall pay you for it, but it is a
matter of no significance—we shall pass by your border. But he
replied, You are not to pass through me; and Edom came out
against them with a large force heavily armed. Edom refused to
allow Israel to pass by its borders, and Israel turned away from
them.”38
Consider likewise in this how dire and quite unreasonable
the crimes of lack of affection: Although Israel was not looking
for water from Edom without paying, the latter took up arms
and deployed forces, resenting even their bypassing, and was
37. Heb 12.16.
38. Nm 20.14–21.
brought to such a degree of knavery as not to stop at bloodshed

unless Israel turned away. Accordingly, It snatched its horror in evi-
dence against him: whereas for fear of doing battle they declined
and withdrew in order to avoid giving the impression of spurn-
ing love for their brethren, the other took the withdrawal or the
dread prompting it (suggested by the term horror) as the occa-
sion of inflexible testimony against them.39 In fact, he openly
threatened that unless they agreed to avoid the borders of the
territory belonging to him, he would come out against them
and then make war. Edom therefore lacked brotherly love, and
was to no slight degree guilty of the crimes of hatred for breth-
ren, and consequently abhorrent to God; “God is love,” after
all, as (394) John says, “and the one who abides in love abides
in God.”40 So the person who opts to live without love is not in
God, instead lying outside of a relationship with God.
It maintained its attack as a victory. I shall send fire on Teman,
and it will consume the foundations of its walls (vv.11–12). This is
the third fault of the descendants of Esau; it maintained its at-
tack—clearly hostile and utterly godless—as a victory, that is, to
the point of conquest and for all time. In fact, they in no way
desisted from their godless exploits, despite Esau’s abandon-
ing that ancient godlessness, as I mentioned before. As well as
not being murderous towards Jacob, he underwent a change to
clemency and brotherly love; he tearfully embraced him as he
left Laban’s home, and was always given to shedding tears of
benevolence. His descendants, on the other hand, were hard-
hearted, exceeding in their knavery even the depravity of their
ancestor. It is true that without a doubt “the ways of the mali-
cious lead to death”;41 hence his saying, I shall send fire on Teman
(which is the capital of Edom) and consume the foundations of its
walls. Teman, in fact, was burnt down when the enemy were in
control, and was destroyed along with the others. (395)
It will therefore meet its end in fire and flames for hating its
brethren and opposing its family, those linked in unity and fel-
39. The obscurity prompting such a lengthy citation and “clarification” is ag-
gravated by the LXX’s seeing “evidence” in a similar Heb. form.
40. 1 Jn 4.16.
41. Prv 12.27 LXX.
low-feeling by a spiritual relationship. Loving behavior, on the

other hand, is immune from such troubles.
Thus says the Lord: For three godless acts of the people of Ammon
and for four I shall not shun them for cutting open the pregnant women
of Gilead in order to extend their boundaries. I shall set fire to the walls
of Rabbah, and consume its foundations with a shout on the day of
war, and it will be shaken on the day of its consummation. Their kings
will go off in captivity, its priests and its rulers likewise, says the Lord
(vv.14–15). The ferocity of Damascus is documented also from
the Ammonites; they, too, personally killed the pregnant women of
Gilead, not to give aid to some others nor to support the wrath
of foreigners, but on their own behalf to ensure a wider sphere
of influence and extend the borders of the kingdom further by the
devastation of the whole land of the Jews and the complete up-
heaval of the people of Israel, as if God were a victim of im-
potence and real weakness despite his promise to save them,
rendered vulnerable to those bent on waging war. After taking
the cities, therefore, (396) they presumed to mock God their
protector, and offered to the false gods thanksgiving and trium-
phal songs. Consequently he says that Rabbah will be set on fire,
the capital of the country of the Ammonites; and he says that it
will be destroyed with a shout when the Babylonians exult over
it by the norms of war, taking it by force when Nebuchadnezzar
invades it. They will go off in captivity, he says, subjects along
with rulers, and those appointed to serve their own gods, gain-
ing no help from them. After all, what could they do, or who
could benefit from a deaf image?
The initiators of heresies also resemble those who cut open
the pregnant women in order to extend their boundaries. In order to
appear to be leaders of many, you see, they do violence to mis-
erable souls, and by their deceptive words they cause the crude
and immature faith, as it were, to abort by communicating to
them twisted notions and spouting the thoughts “of their own
heart and not from the mouth of the Lord.” After all, no one
says, “Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit, or Let Jesus be
cursed,” except by Beelzebul.42
42. Jer 23.16; 1 Cor 12.3. At this stage of his career Cyril does not go into
detail about “initiators of heresies.”
CHAPTER TWO
The Lord says this: For three godless acts of Moab and for four I shall not shun
it for burning to ashes the bones of the king of Idumea. I shall send (397) fire
on Moab, and it will consume the foundation of its cities; Moab will die from
impotence, with noise and with sound of a trumpet. From its midst I shall de-
stroy a judge, and kill all its leaders with it, says the Lord (vv.1–3).
HE MOABITES likewise were guilty of such extreme

impiety as to exceed even the inherent clemency and
patience of the God of all. Their crime was a sin against
a corpse, namely, burning the bones of the king of Idumea, and burn-
ing them in such a way as to reduce them to dust and ashes. What,
then, was the crime? Hatred, inhumanity, and unrestrained feroc-
ity against the people of Israel. Burning the bones of the afore-
mentioned king would seem to be done for no other reason than
that it was against the people of Israel alone.
I shall in brief give a clear explanation of the facts. In the sec-
ond book of Kings it says, “After the death of Ahab, the king of
Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. King Jehoram issued
forth from Samaria at that time and mustered Israel; he ad-
vanced and sent word to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, The king
of Moab has rebelled against me: will you go with me to battle
against Moab? He replied, I shall go up with you; my people
(398) are your people; my horses are your horses. He asked, By
which way shall we march? He answered, By the way of the wil-
derness of Edom. So the king of Israel, the king of Judah, and
the king of Edom set out, and made a roundabout march of
seven days. There was no water for the army or for the animals
that were with them.”1 Consider, then, how the king of Edom,
that is, of Idumea, joined forces with the kings; but since there
1. 2 Kgs 3.5–9.
27
was a shortage of water, they sent for the blessed prophet Elisha
and asked for what they wanted to be given by God. When that
happened, the Moabites were captured.
Further on, the text says, “Israel rose up and attacked Moab,
who fled before them; they entered and struck Moab, destroyed
the cities, and on every good piece of land everyone threw a
stone and covered it, blocked every spring of water, and felled
every tree to the point of leaving the stones of the wall de-
stroyed.”2 The people of Moab were accordingly furious that
the people of Israel had in due course been victorious with the
help and connivance of the king of Edom; and since they could
in no other way do harm to the dead, they sinned against his re-
mains, consuming them by fire, and sparing not even the bones;
as though the people of Israel were destroyed, they added to
them the one who had proved at the time to be their ally. He
therefore says that their cities would be burnt, and they would
perish from impotence, not exhausted by disease or wasted by or-
dinary debility, but with noise and with sound of a (399) trumpet,
that is, by war and fighting, as it were. He threatens that judges
and rulers and all its leaders would perish along with the sub-
jects; after all, they were responsible for counsel and initiative,
and introduced the others to all the impiety.
Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of Judah and for four I
shall not shun them, because they have repudiated the Law of the Lord
and have not observed his commandments, and have deceived them-
selves with the futile things they have done, which their fathers adopted.
I shall send fire on Judah, and it will consume the foundations of Jeru-
salem (vv.4–5). To the lawless nations there has been attached
the one guided by the Law, namely, Judah, the Judge being no
respecter of persons. The fact that he is always tolerant of a sin-
ner and shows long-suffering is indicated by his being moved
2. 2 Kgs 3.24–25. Cyril offers two explanations of Moab’s sin of burning the
bones of the king of Idumea. He first quotes at great length 2 Kgs 3.5–9, 24–25
(omitted by the PG ed.), the story of Israel and Idumea defeating Moab (not
supported by archaeology), but stopping short of the part where the king of
Moab burns his firstborn on the walls of the city. Then he takes a lead from
Jerome to switch to the non-biblical story of the subsequent revenge of the
Moabites against the bones of the king of Idumea. Cyril thus strives to provide
an historical basis for his text.
only by the third or even the fourth sin. While it was necessary
in all probability that he would accord more generous clemency
to the other nations in so far as they did not have the divine
Law, and be more generous in the extent of his pardon, he had
to call Israel to account for its indifference in so far as it had
been raised on the divine commandments and was not ignorant
of the way to its own benefit. Yet he was tolerant of those who
knew the Law as he was of those who did not know it.
When he observed, however, that they had descended to the
excess of depravity and malicious thinking, then it was that he
said that fire would take hold also of Jerusalem itself, (400) and
the splendid and celebrated city would be consumed to its very
foundations. While the crimes of the people of Israel were very
numerous, it was especially for following the errors of their an-
cestors that God accused them; some accorded reverence to a
calf after being victims of the oppression of the Egyptians and
reared in their ways and laws, while others, despite escaping
that burdensome slavery and being guided in many ways by the
divine commandments to the clear knowledge of God’s will,
suffered a relapse, being swept up in their fathers’ deception,
though dreading the ugly fate of encountering the same trou-
bles through worshiping the golden heifers themselves. Now,
what was responsible for such impiety in their case was their
repudiating the Law of the Lord and not choosing to keep his com-
mandments.
How long, therefore, have we been keepers of the Law and
lovers of God, zealous in observing his commands, wise and en-
thusiastic, practiced in every virtue, and what will not be the rich
reward we shall be found to enjoy for this behavior? If, on the
other hand, we had been inclined to indifference and spurned
the divine laws, we would be carried along by every breeze, de-
prived of a noble way of thinking, and would even be “a prey
for jackals,” with the unclean spirits driving us hither and yon.
Rightly and wisely, therefore, to be sure, the divinely inspired
David also sings of every righteous person, “The law of God is in
their hearts, and their steps will not slip.”3
3. Pss 63.10 and 37.31.

Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of Israel and for (401)
four I shall not shun them, for selling the righteous person for silver and
the needy for sandals, while they trample them in the dust of the earth
(vv.6–7). He did not allow Israel, that is, the tribes in Samaria,
to go unpunished; instead, he submitted them to punishment.
Now, the fact that they had also sinned heedlessly, consuming,
as it were, the serenity due from God to the weak, would be
demonstrated by his shunning them for the third and fourth sins,
to which they had to be subjected by suffering a dire fate and be-
ing in trouble of every kind. Accordingly, the divinely inspired
David was also afraid of this, knowing it to be the source of ruin,
and he makes this appeal: “Do not avert your face from me, or
turn from your servant in anger.”4 Without doubt, wrath follows
and, as it were, attends on his shunning us.
Now, he clearly declares what the crimes of the people of Is-
rael were. They sold, he says, the righteous person for silver and the
needy for sandals; that is, they could not bring themselves to say
what was right and just, or deliver a sentence in accordance with
the Law for each of those being judged. Instead, in the case of
a man who was righteous, self-controlled and guileless, measured
and unpretentious—righteous being understood in this way, and
needy as poor in spirit—and was brought to court by one of the
more influential, the latter would sell him to the enemy, despite
the Law’s clear declaration, “You shall not be partial in judg-
ment,” and again, “You shall not put to death the innocent and
righteous.”5 After all, the person entrusted with judgment defi-
nitely sits in the place of God, to whom alone belongs the right
to judge; (402) “there is one lawgiver and judge,” in the state-
ment of the holy one. So the one who twists the meaning of righ-
teous and shows partiality insults the divine office without ques-
tion, and offends God, who says, “Deliver fair judgments, and
show mercy and compassion, each of you to your neighbor.”6
Accordingly, he charges them with selling to the enemy both
the righteous and the needy, and with normally doing this for some
slight profit which would hardly be sufficient even for buying
sandals. It would instead be far better for them to show respect
4. Ps 37.9.
5. Lv 19.15; Ex 23.7.
6. Jas 4.12; Zec 7.9.
for uprightness and God’s will and to be, as it were, inebriated

with the honors coming from him, as well as to enjoy the riches
of a good reputation; Scripture says, “A good name is to be cho-
sen rather than great riches.” Now, it should be understood
that he also says as much in Isaiah to the mother of the Jews,
that is, Jerusalem: “Your silver has become dross; your innkeep-
ers mix water with the wine; your princes are rebels, associates
of thieves, loving bribes and looking for gifts, not defending or-
phans or rendering judgment for widows.” And likewise in Jer-
emiah: “Its leaders gave judgments for gifts.”7 Giving judgments
that are not upright and above board is therefore universally
accursed, in some way hateful and impugned for its inequity.
(403)
They slapped the faces of the poor (v.7). He clearly censures and
blames them for oppression and injustice, for being ungodly
and uncaring; those to whom they should have given care and
respect and been prepared to apply loving assistance they nor-
mally by contrast treated unjustly, abusing them with intolerably
harsh indignities, despite their being burdened with poverty.
Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the other hand, takes what is done
to them as directed at his own person, saying, “Whatever you
did to the least of these, you did to me.” We therefore seriously
offend God in oppressing the weak and “striking the lowly with
our fists,” as Scripture says, aggravating the condition of those
caught up in poverty by our hostility when we are obliged in-
stead to extend to them brotherly love. “Indigence humbles a
man,” remember, “whereas the hands of the brave enrich him.”
The disciple of Christ also writes somewhere, “Religion pure
and undefiled with the God and Father is this: to care for or-
phans and widows in their lowliness, and to keep oneself un-
stained by the world.”8
7. Prv 22.1; Is 1.22–23 (abbreviated in the PG ed.); Mi (not Jer) 3.11. Cyril,
we know, is inclined to speak interchangeably of Israel and Judah, and again
with Amos he is not precise about the northern ministry of a prophet. But in
this case he is awry in seeing Jerusalem in focus when the text speaks of Israel
after having (possibly in a later insertion) already addressed Judah.
8. Mt 25.40; Is 58.4; Prv 10.4 LXX; Jas 1.17 (Cyril perhaps unfamiliar with
the author’s name). Cyril does not moralize; but when a text allows for moral
elaboration (as many prophetic texts do), he can be found accepting the op-
portunity.
And they avoided the way of the lowly (v.7). You can take this two
ways. Either he is saying that they were conceited and reached
such a degree of the arrogance that is hateful to God as to avoid
even their brethren unless they were flush with riches (404)
and were conspicuous for affluence, while being unwilling to
travel the same way as those not addicted to avarice, being lowly,
disengaged from the normal uncertainties of life. Or he means
that, being rulers and leaders of peoples, they direct the way
of weaker people, or the lowly, namely, those who of themselves
do not have a precise knowledge of what is for their good, and
are dependent rather on the directions of their guides. Most
people are in that situation: certain people live simple and un-
troubled lives, relying on the advice and guidance of teachers,
and prefer a way they can easily learn. While some of those ap-
pointed to lead are wise and godly, and point out the straight
and narrow, by which they plan and live a life pleasing to God,
others set little store by the divine law, and direct the way of the
lowly by making it depart from what is truly right and proper.
Jeroboam did that kind of thing, persuading them to worship
the handmade heifers, having shunned the straight and narrow,
namely, that which leads to the one who is by nature in truth
God and Lord.
Those people avoid the way of the lowly who are not averse to
saying to people of immature thinking, “Come with us, have a
taste of unlawful blood.”9 They also avoid the way of the lowly who
twist the probity of church teachings to their own inclinations,
and persuade the mind of simple people to follow the twists and
turns of their path; (405) with them nothing is straightforward,
and there are only twisted and ugly verbiage and conundrums
full of impiety and ignorance.
A son and his father went into the same girl, profaning the name of
their God (v.7). He further accuses them of fevered and punish-
able indulgence, revealing them to be guilty in this one sin of
scorning all decency. It would, in fact, have been better to sub-
due their passions, control sinful indulgence, and excise loath-
some lusts by the habit of checking the movements of the flesh
9. Prv 1.11.
and by persuading the flagrant tendencies in our limbs to be at

rest. Instead, those people had lost sight of such eminent virtue,
and were perhaps overcome by their fleshly passions. Further,
how would it not be wise to opt for the better, at least in vile
pursuits, and to reflect that among the really sinful actions is a
son’s invading his father’s marriage bed, and a father’s wanting in
unholy manner to defile the very couch of his son, which nature
knows is a vile action even apart from the Law of Moses, and
deserving of condemnation by the impulse of wrath? Reuben,
for instance, committed a grave offense by trespassing on his
father’s marriage bed; the divinely inspired Paul was also very
angry with some people for a similar crime—Corinthians they
were—and he said in writing to them, “It is actually reported
that there is sexual immorality among you, (406) and of a kind
that is not found even among the gentiles, for someone to live
with his father’s wife.” This was not the extent of his anger, how-
ever: he handed the culprit over “to Satan for the destruction
of the flesh.”10 Those guilty of such crimes, therefore, profane
the name of their God. We do not say that they inflicted defile-
ment and profanity on the divine nature. How so? Rather, they
caused the God of all to be blasphemed as the ruler of profane
people. He said somewhere to the Jews, “Because of you my
name is everywhere blasphemed among the nations”;11 in other
words, just as those living an upright life are said to cause God
to be hallowed, so those who lead an impure and inglorious way
of life would be considered to profane him.
Binding their garments with ropes, they laid hangings near the altar,
and drank the wine of calumnies in the house of their God (v.8). Our
Lord Jesus Christ taught that divine temples should be built for
no other reason than to glorify the God of all in them and ren-
der worship appropriate to him. So he once upbraided the Jew-
ish merchants who had introduced into the Temple sheep, cat-
tle, and doves, actually “making a whip of cords and expelling
them all from the Temple” with the words, (407), Scripture says,
“My house will be called a house of prayer.” The sacred text in-
10. Gn 49.4; 1 Cor 5.1, 5.

11. Is 52.5.
dicated that “the disciples remembered that it was written, Zeal

for your house will consume me.” The divinely inspired Paul
also rebuked some people for being in the habit of committing
such abuses, writing in these terms: “Surely you are not without
homes to eat and drink in? Or do you show contempt for the
church of God and humiliate those who have nothing?”12
It is therefore a distressing sight to have the divine houses
everywhere treated as though profane and available to everyone
in general. I mean, in what way is the reverence due to God
maintained if we minister to the pleasures of the flesh in his
sight? And how are we conspicuous for the reverence expected
of us if we are ridiculed for descending to disgusting behavior
and choosing to do what is not proper? He does not let people
guilty of this go without blame, and rightly so; instead of rid-
ding the altar of drapes, they fell under them and presumed to
become intoxicated and involved in acts of pleasure, so as to be
clearly told by God, “I am witnessing it, says the Lord.” Yet from
what inappropriate behavior would a drunken man refrain in
his derangement and readiness to commit any evil? The God of
all, remember, surveys even “what is in darkness,” as Scripture
says, and nothing at all escapes him. Now, it seems that what
happens in churches in particular is done by us as though he
were present and observing; and if getting drunk is truly vile
(408) and bears the ultimate condemnation by the Law, how is
it not inconceivable from the point of view of depravity for such
people to be seen behaving this way in the very churches? And,
what is even worse, if money is collected for such excesses from
the proceeds of wrongdoing and vice? Those guilty of this will
hear the Lord saying clearly, “Surely my house is not a den of
thieves?”13
The crimes of others will therefore be of benefit to us, and we
shall become better from sins committed by others if we avoid
theirs. People of self-control would properly be more prudent if
they chose to live by the Law, if they did not elect to imitate the
wicked.
12. Jn 2.15, 17; 1 Cor 11.22.

13. Jer 29.23; Dn 2.22; Jer 7.11.
If, on the other hand, there were reference to Judah, or the

two tribes in Jerusalem, in the verse, Binding their garments with
ropes, they laid hangings near the altar, the interpretation just now
given by us would be appropriate. But if the sin pertains to Is-
rael, I would claim that it was not in the house of the one who
is by nature and in truth God, nor close to the altar, that the
tents were woven of drapes or the drunkenness occurred, but
in the house of their own god—Baal, that is—or some other fig-
ure made on the model of an idol by human imagination. How
then could it be attributed to Israel as a sin to get drunk on wine
or weave tents in the house of an idol or near the loathsome
object itself?14 Because they honored such things, and turned
the temples of their so-called gods into premises, as it were,
for drunkenness and every vile pleasure, (409) despite being
obliged to long rather for pure and holy worship of God, to en-
ter into a truly holy house and treat the altar as venerable. Some
were even anxious to treat as of no importance the objects that
were so venerable and praiseworthy, paying honor to utterly vile
things, presuming to behave drunkenly before their own gods,
consistently trampling on the divine dignity, and heedlessly in-
fringing the glory due to the one who alone is God by nature by
applying it to the false gods and refraining from according him
any importance.
I removed the Amorite from before them, whose height was like the
height of a cedar, and who was as strong as an oak; I removed his fruit
above and his root below (v.9). Do you observe how he now pres-
ents them as sacrilegiously insolent and bent on spurning him,
choosing insanely and ill-advisedly to offend the one whom
they should rather have gladdened with thanksgiving songs
and responsiveness to every demand, as a result of consigning
to oblivion all their benefits because of their extreme perver-
sity? He says, in fact, I removed the Amorite from before them; that is,
I destroyed the barbarian races (suggested perhaps by a single
14. Cyril is admitting to some difficulty in applying this verse to Israel, and
understandably so. He is getting little help from Jerome to realize that the
“ropes” and “calumnies” of the LXX (reading somewhat different forms) do
not quite convey the inequity intended by the Heb. “pledges” and “fines.” It is
not a question of irreverence.
Amorite as someone tough and strong), I was responsible for the

defeat of the one who was so arrogant and bold as to give the
impression of the removal of a cedar in height and resemble a
very strong oak for its might. There was in fact no one but I, he
says, to wither him and strike him to the roots as if even desic-
cating his (410) fruit. You see, since he had spoken of him as
a tree, it made sense for the treatment to continue in a figura-
tive vein, saying that the damage reached the roots, and his fruit
thus disappeared; a tree in the forest would die in no other way
than this. After all, no one would be unaware that Amorites and
Hivites, Girgashites and Jebusites perished when the people of
Israel fought them—that is, with God fighting for them.
It would therefore be an act of malice to show scorn for
Christ, who empowers us “to walk on snakes and scorpions and
on all the might of the foe” that overthrows the weak and sub-
jects the strong. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,
but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cos-
mic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces
of evil in the heavenly places.”15 All of these as well were van-
quished by Christ. If by lapsing into indifference we were likely
to offend our Savior and Redeemer, we would, to be sure, for-
feit any chance and opportunity of being rescued from punish-
ment and fire.
I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and conducted you through
the wilderness for forty years to inherit the land of the Amorites (v.10).
His clear comment is as I said, and the verse looks back, as it
were, indicating briefly the movement from beginning to end:
(411) I rescued you from slavery, he says, and freed you from
the oppression of the Egyptians; I fed you in the wilderness by
sending down manna for you from on high, letting springs of
water flow as only God could do, and regaling you with gush-
ing streams from the split rock. Far from being pointless, the
hardship that their travel involved was for them to inherit the land
of the Amorites, the land promised to their ancestors. But some
descended to such a degree of perversity as perhaps even to be
unaware of my love and kindness towards them.
15. Lk 10.19; Eph 6.12—readings abbreviated in the PG ed.

It is therefore necessary for us who are in Christ through

faith to remember that we were freed from slavery and, as it
were, transferred from Egypt to the wilderness—that is, to an
evangelical way of life that is broad and truly pure, unmixed
with evil. We have been enriched with bread from heaven that
gives life to the world; we are strengthened in Christ, and in the
writings of the holy apostles we have enjoyed springs of uncon-
taminated water, the prophet Isaiah referring to them this way:
“With joy you drew water from the springs of salvation.”16 Some
springs of salvation would definitely be those that flow with the
saving and life-giving word, bringing the good news of the mys-
tery of Christ and initiating the world under heaven.
I took some of your children to be prophets, and some of your young
people for consecration. Is not this so, children of Israel? says the Lord.
You made the consecrated ones drink wine, and you gave the proph-
ets this instruction: Do not prophesy (vv.11–12). A severe reproach
(412) and accusation of every wickedness is that of ingratitude
to God, as it were, who regales us with everything necessary for
reputation and life. Of all the nations throughout the world, in
fact, he made Israel alone his chosen one; God then called and
brought it to such a degree of fame as to dignify with the office
of prophecy some who loved an upright and law-abiding life,
and also took from their midst their young people for consecration,
namely, those with strength of character and a healthy outlook.
There were some called Nazarites, remember, who were conse-
crated by Law, who grew their hair for the Lord, abstained from
wine and what came from it (vinegar, grapes, and raisins), and
kept away from corpses; there is plenty of documentation on
them.17 God showed them honor, and promoted some of them
to be prophets as examples and by consecration. Some people, on
the other hand, were wrongfully anxious to impair their promi-
nence and good reputation; they made the consecrated ones (those
who had taken a vow of consecration) drink wine. In other words,
they convinced them even to lose respect for their consecration,
claiming dogmatically that the Law of God was of no value, and
16. Jn 6.33; Is 12.3.

17. Nm 6.1–8.
that it made no sense to people to want to be consecrated and

fulfill the requirements for it.
In fact, even if the Law was at the level of shadows, it was still
not completely devoid of teachings of truth; in the types the out-
line of piety beams forth.18 On the other hand, to upbraid even
the holy prophets themselves is the action of those completely
undermining the word of God, (413) unwilling to be instructed
by them, and unaware that they are honored, especially if, as
a member of that group, they are called to have a share in the
word with God, as it were. He continued in the middle of the
verse to pose the question, Is not this so, children of Israel? says the
Lord. Surely, he says, you are not denying such blatant behavior?
Surely God will not require witnesses to convict you of being so
guilty of such obvious calumny?
There is thus need to be consecrated and to attend on God
of set purpose without giving admittance to evil attitudes. Scrip-
ture says, remember, “Bad company corrupts good morals,” and
the sentiments of pleasure-lovers spoil sanctification and every
good disposition. In our case, therefore, we shall adhere to the
statements of those who speak well of God, which the Savior
himself confirms in saying, “It is not you who speak, but the
Spirit of your Father speaking through you.”19
For this reason, lo, I shall roll over you in the way a cart full of hay
is rolled (v.13). It was the custom of the ancients to transport
by carts the crops of the fields and all that filled the threshing
floor, and the practice is still preserved by people east and west.
The wheels roll jointly with the axles, the timbers emitting a
loud and unpleasant creaking, complaining, as it were, of the
load imposed on them. For my part, therefore, he is saying, I
the Lord of all shall be like the thing that rolls under the cart,
namely, the axle; as I said, it rotates the wheels jointly with itself,
since they are fixed and attached to it. I shall cry aloud, as it
were, about the wrongdoers, (414) no longer able to bear the
oppression of their sins. In fact, “they have repudiated the Law
of the Lord and have not observed his commandments, and
have deceived themselves with the futile things they have done,
18. That is, the Old Testament, despite its limitations, has its value.
19. 1 Cor 15.33; Mt 10.20.
which their fathers adopted”; they have forgotten me, though

I was the one who “brought them up from the land of Egypt,”
“removed the Amorite from before them,” and took their sons
“to be prophets” and their “young people for consecration.”
But while I showed them honor, they were guilty of such impru-
dence as to “bind their garments with ropes, lay hangings near
the altar, drink the wine of calumnies in the house of their God,”
“make the consecrated ones drink wine, and give the prophets
this instruction: Do not prophesy.”20 As though weighed down
with your awful acts of impiety, therefore, like an axle under a
cart that is full of hay and sheaves, I shall emit the loudest pos-
sible cry. The harm that will ensue from this, and the sufferings
to befall them in turn, he immediately clarifies in what follows.
It is necessary to say that it is a really dreadful thing to pro-
voke God, and then to descend to such a degree of depravity
that our sin proves unbearable to him, despite his being by na-
ture extremely good, kind, and lenient. There is therefore need,
on the one hand, to avoid as far as possible the habit of offend-
ing him, and, on the other, if some human weakness occurs, not
to be seen to delay repenting or to allow our lapses to grow in
number, but instead by the use of holy vigilance to keep them in
check (415) and strive to bring our ailing thoughts to a better
condition. In this way, in fact, God will show long-suffering, and
respond with his mercy, kind as he is.
The runner will be deprived of flight, the strong man will not exercise
his strength, the warrior will not save his life, the archer will not stand
firm, the swift man will not be saved by his feet, the rider will not save
his life, and will find courage among the mighty. The naked will be
pursued on that day, says the Lord (vv.14–16). Nothing will save
offenders in the days of wrath, he is saying: fleetness of foot will
not deliver the fastest runner from troubles, nor good health
the strong, nor warlike skills the tactician renowned for fine ar-
chery and admired for it. Instead, the speed of horses will be of
no use to those employing it, nor even familiarity with cavalry
warfare. Each of these people will find courage among the mighty,
he says—that is, when oppressed by disasters and conceding vic-
20. Am 2.4, 8–12, above.

tory without a blow to those bent on devastation. Then, in fact,

there will be a terrible fate for the people of Israel, and such
dominance by the Babylonians that they will even be able to
pursue the naked, that is, to prevail over armed men, even should
any of the Babylonians not be armor-clad, and the man without
armor or weapons will be able to pursue those fully equipped.
When God reduces to impotence those choosing to do evil,
therefore, (416) nothing would be of any avail. I think this is
the meaning of what is said to us by the psalmist: “His delight
is not in the power of horses, nor his pleasure in the speed of a
runner,” and again, “Unreliable is a horse for salvation; there is
no safety in its great might”; such things are of no help at all un-
less God fights on our side. It is he, after all, who is the Lord of
hosts, the one who gives strength to the weak and heartens the
distressed; with his help “one man will rout thousands, and two
will put tens of thousands to flight,”21 whereas a mighty throng
will be laid low when two or three oppose them unless God as-
sists them. (417)
21. Pss 146.10 and 33.17; Dt 32.30. Cyril’s first tome on Amos concludes at
this point.
CHAPTER THREE
Hear this word that the Lord spoke to you, house of Israel, and against every
tribe that I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying, Only you have I known
from all the tribes of the earth; hence I shall take vengeance on you for all your
sins (vv.1–2).
HE VERSE could be taken as addressed to the whole

of Israel, not citing Judah and Ephraim separately, but
as though addressing a unit comprising every tribe,
since every tribe of Israel was led out of the land of Egypt. With
no one excluded, then, they are bidden to listen to what comes
from God.1 What was it? While the cities and towns throughout
the world under heaven were beyond counting, he says, I made
a choice from all of only you, the people of Israel, clearly mak-
ing you mine by many marvels, rescuing you from harsh and
unbearable slavery, rendering you zealous and thrice-blessed,
guiding you by the Law to what pleases me, fortifying you with
aid, and introducing you even into the land promised to the
ancestors. But since, (418) despite being the only ones out of
them all to be accorded such a splendid favor, you did not cease
offending and transgressing in manifold ways, consequently I
shall now exact an account of your folly, and show no patience
for your continuing to sin and indulging a tendency to it with
impunity.
Despising God, therefore, and spurning the Lord’s wishes
were at that time productive of ruin for those who acknowl-
edged him or who also experienced from him at least a form
of spiritual relationship. Paul in his wisdom, for instance, writes
1. Cyril is unable without help from Jerome, which was not forthcoming, to
see in the oracle against Judah in the previous chapter a possible insertion into
a work from a prophet to the north; thus he continues to think both kingdoms
are in focus.
41
to those who had been called from the nations through faith
and then suffered some debility and were inclined to relapse,
in these words: “Now that you have come to know God, how-
ever, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back to
the weak and beggarly elements of the universe, and want to be
enslaved to them again?”2 The Creator knew them even before
faith, in fact, since he is in no way ignorant of what exists; but
in this passage, as I said, knowledge would quite likely suggest
spiritual relationship.
Will two walk together unless they make each other’s acquaintance?
(v.3) The figure is profound, and the statement obscure; but we
shall give an explanation as far as possible. Israel was accused,
then, of “giving the prophets this instruction: Do not proph-
esy.”3 The reason why they incautiously forbade utterances by
the holy ones it is necessary to declare. You see, since they an-
nounced the disasters that would result from wrath, and the
events that would probably lead the guilty to reform out of fear
of fulfillment of the prophecies, there was an effort to rebut and
oppose them (419) on the part of those who were in the habit
of distracting the will of their flock to what was improper, and
who deceived their subjects. While they upbraided the prophets,
in fact, they commended those they had deceived, saying that
they were following the correct path; hence God says in Isaiah,
“My people, those who compliment you are deceiving you and
confusing the path for your feet.” Amaziah the priest of Bethel
also upbraided Amos the prophet in the words, “On your way,
O seer, off with you to the land of Judah; live there and proph-
esy there. Continue prophesying no further in Bethel.” Now,
those who opposed the prophets as a result of utter knavery and
dire disaffection misrepresented their opposition as seemly, and
claimed, “The Lord has not sent you.”4
Accordingly, he accuses them of denying that the prophets
sent by him were from on high and brought messages from
2. Gal 4.9.
3. 2.12. The verse begins a sustained series of images, bearing on divine
providence, that was notorious, not only for being “profound” and “obscure,”
but (we know from Chrysostom’s homily on Is 45.6–7) for being commonly
cited irresponsibly to justify lack of moral accountability.
4. Is 3.12; Am 7.12; Jer 43.2.
God; they believed instead that they uttered their own views and
spoke what was at variance with the will of the Lord of all. Con-
sequently he means, O stupid and mindless people, surely some
of you will not become friends and take the same path in life
without getting to know one another, that is, without perceiving
that the other shares the same behavior and attitudes? Scripture
says, remember, “Every creature loves its like, and people stick
close to those like themselves.”5 If this is true, how would I ad-
mit the prophets to friendship and love, as it were, holy as I am,
unless they, too, were holy? So why do you persecute the holy
ones, to whom I have also confided my words, and whom I ac-
cepted as good on the grounds that they tread the same way as
I wish? In fact, what I would wish (420) is what they also desire.
To upbraid the prophets, therefore, is nothing other now than
mounting criticism of me.
The Savior also said as much to the holy disciples: “Whoever
receives you receives me; and whoever receives me receives the
one who sent me.” He bade them, when driven out, to shake
the dust from their feet, in the words, “It will be more tolerable
for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for that
city.” It is therefore necessary to welcome those who act as God’s
delegates and convey to us his will, such as the divinely inspired
Paul, who writes in these words: “We are therefore ambassadors
for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us, and we
entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”6
Will a lion roar from the forest if it has no prey? Will a cub utter
any kind of sound from its den if it has not caught something? (v.4)
Those who investigate the habits of wild animals say that, when
in need, the lion aggressively prowls around mountains, glens,
and forests, casting its eye hither and yon in search of some-
thing grazing among the trees. When it espies something suit-
able for food, and then gets close, it makes its attack with a fear-
some and awful roar. If, on the other hand, it brings something
as food to the cubs, and gets close to its den, (421) they leap up
and with a cry seize it and tear it apart. Why, then, blame God
for delivering his threat before the onset of disaster? Why also
5. Sir 13.15–16.
6. Mt 10.40, 15; 2 Cor 5.20.
grind your teeth at the prophets for protesting at your impiety?

I am like a lion, he says, that normally cries out before catch-
ing its prey as if to give warning in advance of its attack, while
the prophets are like cubs in imitating my behavior, protesting
at those given to impious behavior, as I said. Just as with animals
in the mountains, however, the savage creature’s warning is not
without benefit in that it prompts them to flee before perhaps
being taken, so, too, with sinners the threat and prediction be-
fore the disaster is most helpful, moving them to repentance
and avoidance of their exploits. God therefore compares him-
self to a lion that does not attack and inflict on some people the
effects of wrath before threatening in advance, his purpose be-
ing for them to repent and be saved by taking the prediction of
the future before the onset of disaster as a saving remedy.
Will a bird fall to the ground if there is no hunter? Will a trap be
sprung if there is nothing to catch? (v.5) In this case, too, the verse
is presented figuratively on the basis of similarity. Hunters, you
see, pull down some of the sparrows skillfully nesting in bushes,
and some of them then strike the one caught in the trap. In this
case the verse probably refers by sparrows (422) to people given
to conceit, with arrogant and self-important ideas, who cannot
bear to accommodate themselves to the lowly; they are lovers
of earthly things caught in snares, seeking only what is fleshly
and opulent. God this time compares himself to a hunter and
a snare, bringing down to earth the haughty, and striking, as it
were, and catching for punishment those whose minds are fixed
solely on the earth. Now, the people of Israel were arrogant, de-
spising God, rejecting prophets, and showing no respect for the
Law. They were no less greedy for things of this world, inter-
ested only in earthly concerns, for which they were the victim of
improper desires, not attending to the word of God, but offer-
ing opposition to those who called them to virtue; to the holy
prophets they said, “Instead, tell us and announce to us some-
thing else that is deceitful.”7 If I am the one, he says, therefore,
who, in the manner of a hunter, brings down the haughty, and,
like someone in the role of a snare, is accustomed to strike the
7. Is 30.10.
one who like a fox or a mouse is greedy for the things of this
world, why do you persecute to no purpose the holy ones for
transmitting only my words to you, when I am discharging the
effects of wrath directed at the impious?
Will a trumpet sound in a city if there are no people to be alarmed?
Is there evil in a city if the Lord is not responsible for it? (v.6) While
I inflict the effects of wrath, he is saying, the prophets also are
helpful mediators only of my words, (423) transmitting to you
whatever I command them through the Spirit. But you perhaps
ignore or severely resent receiving only the words that some-
times come from them. What on earth, tell me, do you gain by
this? What fear grips you? Or what change for the better do you
experience? After all, if a trumpet sounds in a city announcing the
outbreak of war waged by the foe, who would be so unrespon-
sive as in no way to be struck by fear of the approaching trou-
bles? Now, my trumpets are not remiss in giving prior warning
of the future. But instead of gaining any benefit, on learning
that you are to be wasted by the foe, you are so diverted at the
extent of the threats as even perhaps to ridicule the prediction
as something idle and to raise that well-worn and hackneyed cry
of the foolish, “The vision that he sees is for many years ahead,
and his prophecy is for distant times.”8 So why do you treat as
a nuisance the trumpeters, as it were, if you treat the words as
worthless? Perhaps your reply is that the outcome of the events
distresses you considerably. Surely, then, there is no evil in a city
if the Lord is not responsible for it? It would be like saying, Surely
there is no human being capable of causing trouble to a city by
disease, siege, spoiling crops, or anything of the sort?
Now, if no human being would do such things, and it de-
pends rather on the decision and power of God, why shoot the
messenger? Actually, there is an obligation to repent, and by ef-
forts in that direction to appease the one who is offended and is
able to bring trouble on the (424) guilty. By evil in the text that
is caused by God in cities, therefore, we shall understand not
depravity—perish the thought!—but rather harassment, or any
wrathful response that he would make to sinners with the inten-
8. Ezek 12.27.
tion of converting them to what is more seemly. Scripture says,

after all, “Keep their jaws under muzzle and tight rein if they
do not come near you.” Since he is kind, remember, and “wants
everyone to be saved and come to the knowledge of truth,”9 in a
way he exercises pressure towards the better through the effects
of wrath, and sometimes forcefully changes by means of terrors
and threats those who are not persuaded by words and the guid-
ance of what is for their good.
For the Lord God will do nothing without revealing his correction
through his servants the prophets. A lion will roar, and who will not be
afraid? The Lord God has spoken, and who will not prophesy? (vv.7–8)
Do not the prophets, he asks, inflict the effects of wrath? How
so? While they, too, are human in nature like you, they have
been given the privilege by God of knowing whatever he wants
to carry out, inflicting on cities and countries either good things
or what is calculated to distress. Perhaps your response to this
would be, Let them learn if that is decided, let them receive the
gift from you of knowledge of the future, let all mysteries be re-
vealed to them, but let them say nothing to anybody nor drum
any of it into the ears of those who rebuff them.
What is God’s response to this, then? (425) A lion will roar,
and who will not be afraid? In other words, he is saying, if by the
roaring of the lion, the strongest of wild beasts, a person would
not be so unfeeling and insolent as not to feel the impact of
terror, how could it be that when God speaks in his great might
and bids them proclaim what they have been told, they would
not be in fear of the bidder? Unlike us, you see, they are not
contemptuous and perverse, setting at naught the will of the
Lord of all. Accordingly, he protects the holy ones, and defends
the prophets against the harm coming from those bent on abus-
ing them. Now, this was nothing else than the gift of appropri-
ate care; how would removal of physicians from our midst be
anything other than depriving the infirm of assistance? He fore-
tells as much also in the statement of the blessed David, “Lay no
9. Ps 32.9; 1 Tm 2.4. Chrysostom in his homily on Is 45.6–7 cited Am 3.6 as

a text that people commonly cited to justify moral irresponsibility. Theodoret,
too, saw the paradox involved, and to offset the improper application of the
verse, like Cyril he took kakia, “evil,” in the sense of kaka, “troubles” (Cyril’s
kakôsis, justified “harassment”).
hand on my anointed, nor abuse my prophets,” and to them he

says somewhere, “The one touching you is like the one touching
the apple of his eye.”10 In other words, the person who gnashes
his teeth at the heads of the saints, assails them sacrilegiously,
and does not even desist from maltreating them, does consider-
able harm to their own soul.
Proclaim to districts in Assyria and to the districts of Egypt, and
say, Gather on Mount Samaria, and see many wonders in its midst
and oppression (426) in it. It did not know what would happen in its
sight, says the Lord; those storing up iniquity and hardship in their dis-
tricts [did not know]. Hence the Lord God says this: Tyre and your land
round about will be devastated; it will rob you of your strength, and your
districts will be plundered (vv.9–11). He threatens once more to in-
flict on them what would be the likely suffering and fate of those
who had reached such a degree of depravity as even to upbraid
God, to censure prophets, and to ignore completely the oracles
given through Moses. Now, it should be realized that in this pas-
sage as well there are different readings in the Hebrew and the
text of the Seventy: the Hebrew reads, “Proclaim to districts in
Ashdod and to the districts of Egypt,” while the Seventy reads,
Proclaim to districts in Assyria and to the districts of Egypt. Ashdod is
a close neighbor of the country of the Jews, whereas the district
of the Assyrians—that is, the Persians and Medes—is situated at
their eastern border, as it were. Our view, then, is that there is
no difficulty in the reference being to either Ashdod or Assyria;
the text of the divinely inspired Scripture will be true in both
cases, as we shall demonstrate in clarifying the contents of the
passage.11
What is suggested recalls the facts in the second book of
Kings and in the second book of Chronicles; I shall give a very
brief précis to avoid the impression of being verbose.12 There
10. Ps 105.15; Zec 2.8.

11. While Cyril owes to Jerome the detection of the discrepancy, and the
latter admits he can see no reason for the departure by the LXX, Cyril is again
committed to upholding its validity. It is also typical of him to sanction indis-
criminate use of Assyrians, Persians, and Medes.
12. Cyril is sensitive to charges of makrêgorein, but launches into extensive
documentation (appearing this time also in the PG ed.) that seems attributable
only to his desire to uphold the version of the LXX referring to Assyria and to
Tyre (instead of the Heb. “adversary”).
came to the throne in Jerusalem at a certain time Manasseh,

who was son of Hezekiah but utterly different in his ways from
(427) his father’s piety; he was an evil man, very disposed to any
form of wrongdoing, profane and idolatrous, and deeply devot-
ed to the deceits of the demons. He erected altars and shrines
to Baal, worshiped all the host of heaven, made his children
pass through fire, and organized soothsayers and those interest-
ed in false prophecy, who thought they had vital knowledge but
in fact knew nothing, speaking rather from their own hearts.
There was perhaps no form of extreme depravity that was not
followed at his whim. During his reign God said somewhere
through the prophets about Jerusalem and all the country of
the Jews, “Lo, I am bringing such troubles on this people that
the ears of everyone hearing of them will ring.” When Manasseh
died, his son Amon succeeded to the throne, who fell in no way
short of his father’s depravity, cultivating all that his father had;
but he lived only two years.13
Then after him, however, his son Josiah was anointed king,
a wise and shrewd man, and particularly godly. The man of
God on coming to Bethel gave advance notice of him when Je-
roboam was standing at the altar and inaugurating the festival
of the heifers; he said, “O altar, altar, thus says the Lord: Lo, a
son is born to the house of David, Josiah by name, and he will
sacrifice on you the priests of the high places sacrificing on you,
and he will burn people’s bones on you.” On becoming king, in
fact, Josiah destroyed the shrines of the idols, overturned (428)
the altars, demolished the groves, burnt the chariot of the sun,
slaughtered the priests of the high places in Bethel, incinerated
people’s bones on the altar of the heifers, drove out the seers—
false prophets, I mean, visionaries and ventriloquists—and gave
orders for the oracles of the wise Moses to be observed and in
force in Israel; in his time they sacrificed the lamb and celebrat-
ed Passover in Jerusalem.14
Now, since he was a good man and sincere in his dealings
with God, he sent to the prophetess Hulda in his desire to find
out if the Lord of all would desist from his wrath, if Israel would
13. 2 Kgs 21.1–6, 19–20; Jer 19.3.

14. 2 Kgs 22.2; 1 Kgs 13.1–2; 2 Kgs 23.
enjoy a high level of prosperity, and if what had been proph-

esied against it through the prophets would now not apply. She
replied to them, however, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Is-
rael: Tell the man who sent you to me, Thus says the Lord: Lo,
I am sending troubles on this place and on its inhabitants—all
the words of the book that the king of Judah has read. Because
they have abandoned me and sacrificed to other gods, so that
they have provoked me to anger with the works of their hands,
my wrath will be enkindled in this place and not be quenched.
But as to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of the Lord,
you shall say to him, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Re-
garding my words that you have heard, because your heart was
penitent and you humbled yourself before the Lord when you
heard what I said against this place and against its inhabitants,
that they should become a desolation and a curse, and because
you have torn your garments and wept before me, I also have
heard you, says the Lord. It will not be like this; lo, I shall gather
you to your ancestors, (429) and you will be gathered to your
grave in peace; your eyes will not see all the troubles that I am
inflicting on this place and on its inhabitants.”15
The promise was fulfilled: the Lord of all postponed his wrath
in the period of his kingship, which lasted thirty-one years. At
the end of this period, however, Pharaoh Neco, leader of the
Egyptians, campaigned against the Babylonians, and left his
own country with all his forces. Since Josiah suspected that he
was coming to devastate Judea, he equipped himself for war and
was bent on opposing him. The other bade him to withdraw,
claiming he was heading for the river Euphrates and proceed-
ing against the land of the Assyrians. When his ensuing opposi-
tion proved fruitless, he was struck down in battle; at his death
he was brought home to Jerusalem by his own people. His son
Jehoahaz was anointed king; he had lasted only three months
when Pharaoh Neco removed him from the throne, bound
him, and had him kept in Egypt. At the cost of a heavy tribute
he finally allowed Eliakim, or Jehoiakim, who was also Josiah’s
son, to reign in Jerusalem. He brought such pressure to bear
on Israel (by which I mean both those in Samaria and those in
15. 2 Kgs 22.15–20.

Jerusalem) that they imposed tribute on everyone throughout

the land and exacted taxes from everyone.16
In this situation, when Jehoiakim was conducting his reign,
Nebuchadnezzar attacked, gaining such power over Jerusalem
(430) as to take Jehoiakim captive, force him to pay tribute,
and, in short, devastate the whole city. Far from confining to
this the disaster visited upon the perpetrators of sacrilegious
deeds, God proceeded to add some further and more onerous
burden; bands of brigands from all the neighboring lands and
countries—namely, Syria, Tyre, Ashdod, Idumea, and Moab—
invaded the land of the Jews, place by place, and ravaged it. The
description is as follows in Chronicles: “At that time the land
began to pay tribute to Pharaoh, each one being obliged by the
king of the land to pay silver and gold according to his ability
to Pharaoh Neco. Jehoiakim was twenty-five when he began to
reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem; his mother’s
name was Zebidah daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. He did what
was evil in the sight of the Lord as his fathers had done in every-
thing. It was in his time that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon
came to the land, and he was enslaved to him for three years,
when he rebelled against him. The Lord sent against him the
Chaldeans, robber bands of Syrians, robber bands of Moabites,
and people of Ammon and Samaria.”17 This fate completely be-
fell Israel for its insolence against the glory of God and its sac-
rilegious corruption in the direction of choosing to adore “the
works of their hands,” as Scripture says.18 (431)
Now that the facts have been sufficiently exposed to you,
therefore, come now, let us touch lightly on the verse and say
what has to be said. Proclaim to districts in Assyria and to districts
in Egypt, and say, Gather on Mount Samaria, and see many wonders
in its midst and oppression in it, as if to say, Let someone quickly
tell the Egyptians and Assyrians when people in force are in-
vading the mountains of Samaria, or the land itself, which they
say is mountainous. Now, when they come, they will see many
16. 2 Kgs 23.29–35. Cyril continues to be unclear about the fall of the north-
ern kingdom and deportation of its people a century before.
17. A conflation of 2 Chr 36.4–6 and 2 Kgs 23.36–24.2.
18. Jer 1.16.
wonders in its midst and unexpected oppression; the former victors

will be pitiable and enslaved, he is saying, looking askance at
all the nations, so to speak, and will be desperate and in abject
submission to the enemy, suffering such awful oppression as to
consider it a boon to survive, live in slavery, and pay tribute to
the conquerors. But Samaria did not know what would happen in
its sight, that is, what would befall it. Next, where now are those
storing up iniquity and hardship in their districts? In other words,
what use is greed and their accumulation of sins through their
lack of desire to know what is due to God? Surely, then, the fate
awaiting the offenders will not be deferred until the attack of
the Assyrians and Egyptians? Hence the Lord God says this: Tyre
and your land round about will be devastated; it will rob you of your
strength, and your districts will be plundered. Now, you should take
the phrase Tyre and [land] round about this way: the countryside
of Tyre and your environs will be devastated (432) when the
rampaging robber bands invade it, as I said. Then it is, in fact,
that they will rob you of your strength; that is, all your might will be
crushed as if sapped and exhausted.
If by chance the Hebrew text should read, “Tell the country
in Ashdod,” and if the Septuagint has in Assyria, the meaning in
both cases is true; it was not only the Assyrians that pillaged, but
also people advancing in numbers from Syria and Ashdod to do
harm to Israel in the manner of brigands.19
The Lord says this: In the way a shepherd pulls from the mouth of
the lion two legs or an ear lobe, so will the children of Israel be rescued
who live in Samaria opposite a tribe and in Damascus (v.12). Be ever
on the alert, and you will be full of admiration for the close
observation of the prophecy. I mean, since Israel did not com-
pletely perish, a “remnant” surviving, as Isaiah says,20 in case
truth should be proven false, he contributes to the prophecies
of calamities a merciful act of clemency. So he is saying, just as
a lion is sated after savaging a straggler, with barely a couple of
remnants left, perhaps two legs or part of an ear, and in tears the
herdsmen collect them, so will it be for the children of Israel in Sa-
19. Theodoret will avoid this massive excursus aimed at justifying a patent
misreading by the LXX.
20. Is 10.22.
maria who live opposite a tribe, that is, those ever hostile (433) in
attitude and opposed to the tribe of Judah. The inhabitants of
Samaria, in fact, were taken by force, ravaged by foes, and with
war consuming everyone, as it were, only very few were saved.
The survivors remained in the country, or in another sense they
were pulled from the mouth of the lion; they were deported to As-
syria, and though eventually released from captivity, very few of
those deported survived. Now, the fact that the Assyrian Tiglath-
pileser once took Damascus and deported it to his own country
is quite clear, in my view; in the second book of Kings he was
called on by Uzziah king of Judah to lend assistance when Pe-
kah son of Remaliah and also Rezin king of Syria were waging
war on him. On his arrival he killed Rezin and took Damascus
itself.21
If, on the other hand, you prefer to apply the sense of the
verse to all human beings, you would not miss its thrust; you
would be right in thinking that Satan seized and wasted people
on earth like an animal that is taken. But “the good shepherd
who lays down his life for the sheep” came on the scene and
cried aloud; he pulled us free when we were survivors among
living beings and as good as dead. As the blessed psalmist says,
in fact, “The Lord smashed the lions’ teeth,” (434) and as Paul
says, “He died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both
the dead and the living.”22
O priests, hear and testify to the house of Israel, says the Lord God
almighty, that on the day when I shall take vengeance on Israel for its
impiety and take vengeance on the altars of Bethel, the horns of the altar
will be overturned and fall to the ground. I shall smash and strike the
winged house on the summer house; the ivory houses will perish, and
many other houses will be done away with, says the Lord (vv.13–15).
Once again he returns to giving a clear account of the fate of
the impious, clarifying the same message as he often does for
the benefit of the listeners. In his realization that such a proce-
dure is not without use, in my view, the divinely inspired Paul
also says in writing to certain people, “To write the same things
21. 2 Kgs 16.5–9, Ahaz (not Uzziah) the king of Judah at the time. Cyril out-
does the Antiochenes in giving the verse a precise historical referent.
22. Jn 10.11; Ps 58.6; Rom 14.9.
to you is not troublesome to me, and for you it is a safeguard.”23

By raising his own voice, therefore, he bids the sacred ministers,
as it were, to adjure Israel to foretell clearly all of the things due
to befall them.
And who are we to understand or claim to be the ones bid-
den to utter a piercing cry—the priests of the heifers, or those
of the idols in another shrine? This is unconvincing, however,
in my view: they were not the ones to protest the deception that
they and the others had committed. So who were the priests bid-
den at that time to do so? Those of the bloodline of Levi; not all
(435) had been involved with the people deceived in Samaria,
or brought themselves to serve the idols; instead, they conse-
quently abandoned the religion of the Samaritans and returned
to Jerusalem. There is reference to them in the second book of
Chronicles; while the account deals with Jeroboam,24 therefore,
it then describes the power attaching to him: “He held Judah
and Benjamin. The Levites and the priests who were in all Is-
rael presented themselves to him from all the territories. The
Levites had left the dwellings on their holdings, and had come
to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons had ex-
pelled them from service of the Lord. He appointed his own
priests for the high places, the idols, futile objects, and heifers
made by Jeroboam. He expelled those from the tribes of Israel
who had set their hearts on seeking the Lord the God of Israel,
and they came to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the Lord the God of
their ancestors. They strengthened the kingdom of Judah.”
Since those referred to in the passage were in fact very badly
treated, driven out from kindred, property, and even priestly
service when Jeroboam expelled them, consequently it is they
whom he bids proclaim the sacking of their idols and Samaria’s,
to console them, as it were, and to inform them that by choos-
23. Phil 3.1.

24. The following verses, 2 Chr 11.12–17, begin in fact with reference to
Rehoboam. The mention of “priests” in v.13 of the Amos text rightly poses a
question for Cyril; it has evidently occurred as a result of a transliteration, at
the end of v.12, of the unusual Heb. word for “couch,” heres, as hieres, which was
then copied as hiereis. Perhaps as a result of his commitment to upholding the
LXX text, Cyril has ignored Jerome’s clear recognition of the faulty reading,
and so launches into another of his lengthy textual citations.
ing God’s way of thinking and by loving the Lord of all, they
would not perish along with the others, but would escape the
divine wrath. In other words, he is saying, when I assault (436)
the people of Israel for their sins, then I shall take vengeance on
the altars of Bethel; the horns of the altar will be overturned and fall to
the ground. Surely, then, the sacking of Samaria will not extend
to them, or be confined only to destroying the shrines by those
ordered to ravage them and overturn altars? Not at all: I shall
smash and strike the winged house on the summer house. What that
means is something like this: the people of Samaria were very
fond of luxury and very affluent, making summer and winter
houses for themselves. The winter house they called winged, as
if to imply that they were surrounded on all sides by wings or
walls so as to be inaccessible to the onset of winter, as it were,
whereas the summer one was flimsy and exposed to the wind cur-
rents. He therefore says, I shall smash the altars overturned and
at the same time strike the winter and summer houses. And the
ivory houses will perish; we recall that when Ahab was king, he
made that kind of house in Samaria.25 Many other houses will be
done away with, the text says, that is, those belonging to inferior
and less prominent people, or the vulgar masses. At any rate,
the whole of Samaria at that time perished as one, with every
house collapsing.
What, then, shall we once more learn from this if we opt for
sound thinking? That for people of worldly splendor there will
be no benefit from wealth, importance, or anything else that
contributes to luxury if the love of God is lacking and if righ-
teousness is in no way respected by them. Scripture says, re-
member, “Treasures will not benefit the lawless, (437) whereas
righteousness rescues from death.”26 It would therefore be bet-
ter to have a deep love for righteousness, store up treasure in
heaven, desire what is on high, and come to rely on hope in
God. Things of this world, in fact, are insignificant and tem-
porary, and are no stable guarantee of security, whereas those
latter things abide forever without perishing, and are equal in
permanence to the unending ages.
25. 1 Kgs 22.39, to which Jerome has referred Cyril, as he had also suggested
the meaning of “winged” houses.
26. Prv 10.2.
CHAPTER FOUR
Listen to this word, cows of Bashan, who are on Mount Samaria, oppressing
the poor, trampling on the needy, saying to their masters, Give us something to
drink. The Lord swears by his holy ones that, lo, days are coming upon you, and
they will take you with weapons, and burning pestilences will cast those with
you into heated kettles. You will be led out naked, husbands and wives in the
sight of each other, and you will be cast out to Mount Harmon, says the Lord
(vv.1–3).
HE PEOPLE of Samaria were conspicuous for ex-

treme arrogance and luxury, surpassing all others for
the abundance of their wealth; as I said, they built
themselves fine and lavish houses suited to the seasons—I mean
winter and summer—which the oracle announced in advance
would completely and utterly perish. (438) It is therefore to
these people who owned their own houses and were devoted
to spoiling themselves with fading luxury he refers as cows of
Bashan. Now, the country of Bashan was wooded and leafy, very
suited to being able to provide abundant fodder to whatever
grazed there. God therefore compares to cows of Bashan pros-
perous and well-nourished people concerned for fine living.
He accuses them of oppressing the poor and, as it were, with their
own feet trampling on the needy; as Scripture says, “The poor are
feeding grounds for the rich.” He proceeds to say, They say to
their masters, Give us something to drink, showing that they are lack-
ing in submission and unwilling to yield to those in charge of
them in respect of royal power; instead, in extreme arrogance
they then allot the role of servant to their own masters, since
the presumption of saying to one’s superiors and overlords Give
us something to drink is a mark rather of those anxious “to be
served” than “to serve.”1
1. Sir 13.19; Mk 10.45.
55
What, then, will happen to those who have now reached such
a degree of folly? The Lord swears by his holy ones, it says (or by
what is sanctified, or the mysteries, meaning himself, since he
has nothing greater to swear by), that times and days will come
when, despite your luxurious living and habits of riotous be-
havior, the fear of suffering will cause you to be involved in the
hardships of war and to take up arms. Nevertheless, despite your
being armed this way, they will take you, he says, along with wives,
loved ones, and retinue, who were always in your company flat-
tering you with incessant compliments and calling you (439)
thrice-blessed, since tribes of flatterers always acclaim those
who feed them. Nevertheless, whereas they will be burning, for
they are pestilences and in receipt of nothing more, admiring the
vile and sinful, you by contrast will be stripped of importance,
removed from all enjoyment, deprived of that former prosper-
ity, now deported as slaves and captives, and cast out to Mount
Harmon. It is in Armenia, situated at the extreme frontiers of
the land of the Persians, the countries being neighboring and
adjacent.2
Accordingly, it is possible to see from this that the desires of
the lovers of luxury will come to a bitter end, in keeping with
the Savior’s statement, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they
will be comforted.” In other words, while luxurious living will
finish in tears, the end of hardship is respite, as is confirmed by
someone’s statement, “The fruit of good labors is renowned.”3
It is not implausible to take cows of Bashan as the women in Sa-
maria, who were given to luxury, delicacies, and cosmetics, and
to titivating their bodily charms, and who oppressed the poor
and trampled on the needy, inciting, as it were, to wrongful plea-
sures the weak and those in spiritual need, who lack the wealth
of strength from on high and whose heart is enervated by the
onset of the passions. So it is the cows who say to their masters, Give
us something to drink; women are ever on the lookout for part-
ners, and, as it were, tease with their excessive blandishments
those in their clutches. (440) Even if they had them as masters,
they would be seen to be victims of enjoyment, and they easily
2. This datum Cyril gains from Jerome.

3. Mt 5.4; Wis 3.15.
persuade them to do their bidding in every way. But you, O cows,

he says, they will take you with weapons; that is to say, they will not
be in the role of lovers when they flatter, beguile, and spoil you
as a result of being in the grip of lust after you. Instead, cruelly,
savagely, and by the norms of war they will set fire to those very
lovers who lived in luxury with you; stripped of those wrongful
adornments, you will be cast out to Mount Harmon.
You went into Bethel and committed sin, into Gilgal and extended
your godless behavior (v.4). He immediately parallels the sins with
the penalties, and helpfully gives a clear proof of their sacrile-
gious behavior in association with the accounts of the disasters,
in case anyone should mock or blame God for being obliged to
impose a harsh punishment on the people of Israel. Such-and-
such will befall you, he says; and in response to their claiming
that it will come in the meantime, he cries out, You went into
Bethel and committed sin, the place where the profane Jeroboam
set up the golden heifer; you were caught there committing
dire and heinous sins. He had legislated, remember, through
the wise Moses, “You shall not make gold and silver gods for
yourself,” and (441) “You shall worship the Lord your God, and
serve him alone.” But in mockery of my Law, he says, you wor-
shiped the works of your hands; and on seeing a golden heif-
er made of lifeless materials, you had no objections when the
originator of the deception said, “These are your gods, Israel,
who led you out of the land of Egypt.”4 You committed the worst
possible impiety in Gilgal, a city across the river Jordan, deeply
involved in the apostasy. The God of all says of it, for example,
“All their wickedness began in Gilgal, because it was there I hat-
ed them for their evil pursuits.” Hence the author of Proverbs
says, “A man’s ways are under the eyes of God, and he examines
all their paths”;5 while he accepts those intent on following the
right way, he rejects the one who strays from the straight and
narrow, and who is bent on traveling where he should not.
You offered your sacrifices in the morning, and your tithes every three
days. They read out a law in public, and invoked an agreement. Pro-
claim that the children of Israel loved these things, says the Lord God
4. Ex 20.23; Dt 6.13–14; 1 Kgs 12.28.

5. Hos 9.15; Prv 5.21.
(vv.4–5). It is a truly dreadful and extraordinarily impious act

to presume to counterfeit God’s glory, which is due to him and
only to him, and to apply it to the honor of the idols. Those
in the habit of doing so, in fact, as far as they can manage, dis-
lodge the divine and heavenly nature from the throne that be-
longs to it and only to it, and dismiss it from the sacred seat,
installing on it, as it were, the unclean demons. It is these so
frightening crimes, then, that we shall see Israel guilty of in
its madness. The God of all, in fact, issued a decree through
Moses that they had to sacrifice two lambs each day in the holy
tabernacle, one in the morning, and the other in the afternoon,
thus suggesting obscurely and in type the church’s constant and
unfailing fragrance—of a spiritual kind, that is. He proceeded
to require as well, “Three times a year every male shall appear
before me.” At these three separate occasions by Law, they of-
fered tithes, first-fruits of the fields, sacrifices, and thanksgiving
offerings; as Scripture says, “They shall not appear before me
empty-handed.”6
What was thus duly prescribed by the wise Moses, however,
they transferred to the glory of idols by offering in their shrines
sacrifices in the morning, and bringing as well their tithes every three
days. By every three days he means the three days a year when, as
I said, every male had to appear before God. Far from this be-
ing the limit of the impiety of the people of Israel, however, they
read out a law in public; that is, they showed respect for the law of
foreigners, according scarcely any regard to the one from God.
They made the offerings in the (443) shrines of the idols at set
times, in fact, and observed as precisely as possible the custom-
ary festivals for them. Hence his saying, They applied my Law
to the idols, offering them sacrifices in the morning and devot-
ing to them tithes every three days. They invoked an agreement, by in-
voked meaning “prayed over,” that is, “promised,” and agreements
meaning “votive offerings by Law,” what someone would offer
God voluntarily.
He next tells the priests to proclaim and testify that the children
of Israel loved these things, that is, that they did not commit it only
once, but even loved it—that is, hating God. They were obliged
6. Ex 29.39 and 23.17, 15.

to be exclusive, in fact, and, striving to proceed on one foot

or the other, aroused strong disapproval from God; the Savior
himself confirms this in saying, “No one can serve two masters:
either he will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one
and despise the other.”7 It is an awful offense to direct to an-
other what is meant for the glory of God, and to accord others
the honor due to him; what is peculiar and special to him is not
properly given to someone else—only to him alone.
I shall give you grinding of teeth in all your cities, and lack of bread
in all your places, and you did not turn back to me, says the Lord. I
withheld rain from you for three months before vintage; I shall send rain
on one city, and no rain on another city; on one part there will be rain,
and another on which there will be no rain will dry up. Two or three cit-
ies will gather at one city to drink water and will not be filled, and you
did not turn back to me, says the Lord (vv.6–8). The passage once
again responds to those in the habit of finding fault and, on
the basis of extreme folly, of ill-advisedly disparaging the calm-
ness inherent in God.8 You see, some people may possibly ask,
Why does he inflict on the people of Israel such an immoderate
and intolerable punishment while as God he is by nature kind-
ly? So in this he mounts a kind of defense, and then presents
them as in the grip of relentless wrath. By this he brings out
that he strikes sinners more mildly in the beginning, not exact-
ing a penalty but in his natural loving-kindness converting them
to himself and, as it were, bringing them by “both scourge and
hardship”9 to opt for the better. Since they were guilty of what
I mentioned, and their offenses were no longer bearable, he
instructed them with grinding of teeth and even lack of bread, that
is, by hunger. You did not turn back to me, says the Lord. I withheld
rain from you for three months before vintage, or, as the Hebrew put
it more appropriately, for “three months before harvest,” when
there is particular need for watering of the crops, which is vital
for (445) a good yield.10
7. Mt 6.24.
8. In place of “calmness” another manuscript speaks of God’s “goodness.”
9. Jer 6.7 LXX.
10. For the textual note Cyril is indebted to Jerome, who notes that if the
months of May to July are indicated, rain is unlikely in those parts in any case, as
he knows from personal experience.
Now, there was such shortage of water, he says, that by the

judgment and verdict of God, who knows everything, there is
rain on one city but lack of it on another; again, two or three cities
will gather at one city, and even so will still thirst. And you did not
turn back to me, says the Lord. Now, such a fate befell the people
of Israel in actual fact and also in a spiritual sense; as the Sav-
ior’s disciple said, “Elijah was a human being like us, and he
prayed fervently that it might not rain on the earth, and it did
not rain for three years and six months.” Such a severe famine
occurred in Samaria that the head of an ass was sold for many
denarii.11 In the time of the prophecy of Jeremiah as well, the
God of all withheld rain; for example, he made the following
statement about the lack of rain: “Judea mourned and her gates
were empty; they were in darkness on the ground; the cry of
Jerusalem arose. Their nobles sent their young ones for water;
they came to the wells, found no water, and returned with their
vessels empty. Working the land was fruitless because there was
no rain; the farmers were ashamed; they uncovered their heads.
Hinds gave birth to young in the fields and abandoned them
because there was no grass. Wild asses stood in the glens, pant-
ing for air; their eyes failed because there was no hay as a result
of the people’s iniquity.”12
Since the people of Israel acted with extreme impiety, there-
fore, God withheld rain and gave them grinding of teeth and lack
of bread in all its cities. (446) As I said just now, however, we shall
find them suffering the same fate in a spiritual sense:13 while
earthly bodies require food and drink, the produce of the land
and water for the senses, a person’s soul is nourished on divine
and heavenly words. It needs the spiritual draught, a spring that
brings it spiritual water that is the divinely inspired Scripture
speaking of the mystery of Christ. Just as in the case of teeth that
suffer grinding, however, of which only the strongest would be
able to masticate and chew food, so too a human spirit that is re-
duced to infirmity and undergoing the ailment of torpor would
11. Jas 5.17; 2 Kgs 6.25. Again a statement of Cyril’s bifocal hermeneutic:
historikôs and pneumatikôs.
12. Jer 14.2–7.
13. “In a spiritual sense”: the hermeneutical term here is noêtôs.
be unable to achieve spiritual knowledge or succeed in con-

cocting anything on the basis of dull insights. Israel’s heart was
thus deadened, with no understanding of the mystery of Christ;
consequently, they had a lack of spiritual bread and a shortage of
water, since they did not have the Word that came down from
heaven and gives life to the world to nourish them by irrigating
souls with the grace of the Spirit, the living spring, the Son of
the God and Father, the comfort of Law and Prophets. As the
prophet Isaiah in fact says, “He directed the clouds not to rain
on him.”14
I struck you with mildew and blight. You multiplied your gardens,
your vineyards, your fig trees, and your olive trees, which the locust con-
sumed, yet even so you did not turn back to me, says the Lord. I sent
death upon you in the way of Egypt, (447) and I killed with the sword
your young men with the capture of your horses. In my wrath I put your
camps to the torch, yet even so you did not turn back to me, says the
Lord (vv.9–10). There would be no way of arousing those imper-
vious to the effects of wrath befalling them, supine victims of
such indifference as never to entertain even the idea of repen-
tance; instead, they outdo one another in proceeding to a worse
state of distress. Since correction by the lack of food and drink
scarcely moved the people of Israel to reform, therefore, some
worse form of suffering than that was inflicted, bodily weakness,
as happens with mildew and blight. We shall find this stated also in
Jeremiah: “Thus says the Lord: Lo, I am imposing weakness on
this people, and fathers together with sons will be weak from it,
their neighbor and familiar will perish.”15 Since they were guilty
also of base gain, greatly attached to bribery, and consequently
multiplying gardens, vineyards, fig trees, and olive trees, God touched
as well what was a probable cause of their severe indifference to-
ward returning to a sound mind and opting for benefit instead
of harm, (448) his intention being to heap troubles on them
with a view to their being saved by being struck from all sides.
Because this was of little help, however, he proceeded to ap-
ply something worse. Since you showed no respect for my hand,
14. Is 5.6.
15. Jer 6.21.
he says, in fact, classing as weak, as it were, the God who can do

all things, you followed the way to Egypt, preferring the “flesh
of horses” to care from me, giving pride of place to the “Egyp-
tian man.”16 Then it was that your most warlike class was con-
sumed by the sword of the Babylonians. All of your cavalry was
captured when God unnerved even those with the skill to prove
themselves, to whom victory in battle was not unfamiliar. You
can, however, take the verse I sent death upon you in the way of
Egypt in another fashion. When Josiah was king of Judah, Pha-
raoh Neco ruler of Egypt campaigned against Babylon. As he
had need to pass through the land of the Jews, however, Josiah
thought the trip to Babylon only an excuse and that Egypt was
armed against him, and rashly opposed him; Israel was beaten.17
So he says, I sent death upon you in the way of Egypt, that is, as in
the Egyptians’ bypassing you; then it was that I put your camps to
the torch, meaning, I utterly overthrew your walled and fortified
cities. Now, he said as much also in the beginning: “Israel went
to Assyrians, and Judah made fortified cities. I shall send fire
on his cities, and it will consume their foundations.”18 So he is
saying, I threw down your fortified camps to their very founda-
tions, yet even so you did not turn back to me, says the Lord. (449)
I overthrew you as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you
became like a brand snatched from a fire, yet even so you did not turn
back to me, says the Lord (v.11). Perceiving no reform occurring in
them, he is saying, I augmented the afflictions with others worse
than these, and rendered my anger with them more ardent: I
overthrew you like Sodom and Gomorrah, and you did not turn back to
me. In this he was probably suggesting to us the eventual sacking
that happened in the time of Jeremiah by the hand of Nebu-
chadnezzar, who took the whole of Judea, set fire even to Jerusa-
lem itself and its neighboring cities and towns, pulled down the
divine Temple, took captive the survivors from the fighting, and
as a glorious conqueror went back home with the captives, who
16. Is 31.3.
17. 2 Kgs 23.29.
18. Hos 5.13 and 8.14. Cyril now sees The Twelve as one work—in Theo-
doret’s phrase, “the book of The Twelve”—though initially treating Hosea as a
distinct book; see FOTC 115, 27 n. 1.
finally returned to Judea at the completion of the period of sev-

enty years. It was in fact Cyrus, as I said, who took Babylon and
released the captives who were left as survivors from the people
of Israel. For this reason, he says, you became like a brand snatched
from a fire, like a burning brand left among the few remnants.
When God corrects us, therefore, it is pure malice to be un-
responsive; but what will be the cause of still more oppressive
troubles in the case of the indifferent is to continue on an un-
interrupted course of doing and thinking what is forbidden. In
other words, it is like those struck down with bodily ailments,
who (450) have the skill to be able to cure them, cleanse the
wounds of offensive matter by means of hot and sharp treat-
ment, diminish the intensity of the infection lodged in them,
and induce them to yield to the medical procedures. In similar
fashion, too, the God who knows everything afflicts those who
are unresponsive to minor prompting with still more severe cor-
rection, the onset of which someone of wisdom and sense would
properly avoid before actual experience.
For this reason I shall treat you this way, Israel (v.12). Despite my
doing the former, he says, proceeding to the latter, and, as it
were, applying every form of affliction and hardship, I observed
and learned from experience that you are unmoved. Conse-
quently I shall treat you this way as well. In what way? Since initial
measures did not suffice, I proceeded to an overthrow similar
to the Sodomites’; this was the kind of thing, as I said, that was
inflicted on them by divine wrath.
But because I shall treat you this way, prepare to call on your God, Is-
rael (v.12). If you want, however, he says, to discover the reason
why I shall treat you this way, you will definitely learn when you
are punished and I cry out and say to you, Prepare to call on your
God, Israel. By prepare he means “hasten,” that is, to be enthusi-
astic and ardent in calling on no (451) foreign or false god but
your God, Israel, that is, the one whom you know through actual
experience to be God by nature and in truth, not devised by
some people’s artifice, like those made from sticks and stones.
Hence, lo, I am the one who establishes thunder, creates wind, and
announces to people his anointed, making dawn and dark, and mount-
ing lofty places of the earth; Lord God almighty is his name (v.13). By
comparison with what is eminent, it is easy to establish what is

presumed to be inferior. With the intention, therefore, of high-
lighting the impotence of the idols for those who believe on the
basis of extreme stupidity that they are gods and deserve to be
adored, the God of all makes himself very clear to us and intro-
duces the Maker and Creator of all things, possessing author-
ity over our situation, and a kind of governor of human affairs,
superior to all height and eminence, and controller, as it were,
of the whole of creation. God’s nature, in fact, surpasses every-
thing, not by local altitude but by the pre-eminence of glory,
and excels by his incomparable power the measure of every-
thing that is brought into being.
Accordingly, he says, Call on your God, Israel, in the knowledge
of his authority and the degree of his pre-eminence. I and no
other, he says, am the one who establishes thunder, that is, who con-
ceals the sky in cloud, sends down rain, (452) creates wind, who
is likewise Maker of winds. Announces to people his anointed, as if
to say, “Through me kings reign, and through me tyrants rule
the earth.” Here, you see, anointed does not mean Emmanuel,
but the one anointed as king, and likewise wind not the divine
and holy Spirit—even if some of those bent on distorting cor-
rect doctrines are deranged—but what is part of the cosmos and
in the sky, to which the Savior himself also refers: “The wind
blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you
do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with
everyone who is born of the Spirit.” He is saying, therefore, I am
the one who assembles clouds and establishes thunder, and “draws
winds from their storehouses,”19 who gives prominence to the
one whom I choose to adorn with the kingly throne. Therefore,
as King of kings and Lord of lords, by nature God, I am the one
who makes the dawn, that is, day or daylight; I am the one who
makes dark, that is, darkness or night; I am the one who mounts
lofty places of the earth, who is superior and above everything lift-
ed up and elevated, with a name fitting and very appropriate to
his glory, that of Lord almighty.
19. Prv 8.15–16; Jn 3.8; Ps 135.7. We cannot be sure whether Cyril noted Je-
rome’s reference to the faulty version of the Heb. in “thunder” and “anointed,”
and still upheld the reading of the LXX.
Observe, therefore, the great clemency and loving-kindness

the God of all shows us; after delivering threats, and announc-
ing what has already occurred and what is still to be, he calls us
to knowledge, guides the one who is called, and brings to un-
derstanding the one caught up in ignorance. To those who do
not know the one who is by nature and in truth Lord on the ba-
sis of his ability to achieve everything and (453) rule over all, he
clearly reveals himself. This is the mark of the one who brings
people to their senses “by hardship and scourging,”20 bringing
them, as it were, against their will to conversion by correction,
and helpfully applying the means by which they would be likely
to learn a better frame of mind.
20. Jer 6.7 LXX.

C OMMENTAR Y ON AMOS,
CHAPTER FIVE
Hear this word of the Lord that I adopt in lamentation over you: the house of
Israel has fallen; it will no longer rise. The virgin of Israel has been cast down
on her land; there is no one to raise her up (vv.1–2).
N LEARNING in advance of the troubles befalling

some people, the blessed prophets were filled with ter-
ror at the prospect and grieved bitterly for them as
brethren; sometimes they delivered their reproof ardently, as
if moved by love to weeping, and prompting them to alertness
by prediction of all that had yet to occur. This is the process
the prophet follows in this case, too, speaking as if on his own
part, not, however, from his own understanding, but on the
basis of divine oracles. Consequently he says, Hear this word of
the Lord that I adopt in lamentation over you: it is the God of all
who has spoken in me, and my lamentation has been composed
over you for forsaking him. What in fact is the lamentable song?
What the lament? What is my weeping for? The dire and un-
imaginable disaster: the house of Israel has fallen. While God was
honored and loved, in fact, it stood firm, but now it has fallen
(454) when he was provoked by the folly of the deceived.
Next, who is there to raise up the one fallen by divine de-
cree? The virgin has been cast down; that is, she has lost her vir-
ginity. Who is she? Definitely Israel once more, or the assembly
of the Jews, to whom it was said by God, “Did you not refer to
me as house, father, master of your virginity?”1 So the one who
was given God as master of her virginity has been cast down on
her land, that is, she has inexcusably lost her virginity; she lost
it in one case in Egypt, but she was not in her own land, being
subject to the laws of those in power, perhaps unwillingly forced
1. Jer 3.4.
66
to observe their ways, with ancestral piety necessarily forsaken.

Now, on the contrary, there is no wantonness brought to bear;
she is in her own land where she has the Law as guide, leading
her to the one who is by nature and in truth God, and the way
to every good pursuit is completely unfettered, free, and blame-
less. What form of excuse would be available to her in this case,
then? In fact, she was unfaithful without being forced. How so?
She acted voluntarily. Consequently, she has been cast down; there
is no one to raise her up.
Let it therefore be clearly said by us as well to God, who is
able to do all things, “You are fearsome: who will resist you in
your wrath?”2 The mass of the Jews has fallen in another way as
well, driven to ruin through their frenzy against Christ, and now
left with no one to help them, awaiting only the further grace
of the compassionate one—I mean Christ. (455) Even they, in
fact, will be called to knowledge through faith in the last days of
this age.
Thus says the Lord: The city whence a thousand issued forth, a hun-
dred will be left, and whence a hundred issued forth, ten will be left
in the house of Israel (v.3). In this he makes very clear the way it
will fall: the cities will remain depopulated when war consumes
those in them, and their wretchedness reaches such a degree
that scarcely a tenth part remains in them. You see, since they
provoked God by offering to the unclean demons tithes every
three days, scarcely a tenth part of them would be left, as if God
were taking compensation for the sin and exacting a penalty
commensurate with their impious behavior. It is therefore sure-
ly a fearsome thing to be corrected by anger; consequently, the
prophet also implores God in the words, “Correct us, O Lord,
but with justice, and not in anger, lest you reduce us to a few.”3
Hence the Lord says this to the house of Israel: Seek me out, and you
will live. Do not seek out Bethel, do not go off to Gilgal, and do not go
up to the well of the oath, because Gilgal will surely be captured, and
Bethel will be nonexistent. Seek the Lord and live, (456) lest the house
of Joseph light up like fire, and it will devour it, and there will be no one
2. Ps 76.7.
3. 4.4; Jer 10.24.
to extinguish it for the house of Israel (vv.4–6). Once again he does

not allow the sinners to get caught up in despair, despite be-
ing involved in dire and intolerable sins. He also conveys God’s
promises so as to land them as a catch for repentance. He also
presented him here as necessarily promising to forgive their sins
and free them from both the penalty and the terrors associated
with it. The Creator, after all, is kind, “long-suffering and rich
in mercy, and repenting of the troubles,” as it is written, and as
he himself says in Ezekiel, “He does not wish the death of the
dying so much as to convert him from his wicked path and have
him live.”4 If, therefore, you set great store by being alive, which
seems desirable for you to be, desist from deception, abandon
such longstanding ignorance, and seek me out, he is saying—that
is, serve me, the one who is by nature God, the Life-giver, the
one able to save, rescuing from every trouble those who rever-
ence me. It is necessary, however, he says, to cleanse yourselves
in advance, removing the stain of apostasy from your soul, ut-
terly canceling the stain of being deceived, and then cleaving to
God in his goodness.
Now, what those needed to do who opted for repentance he
makes clear in the words, Do not seek out Bethel, do not go off to
Gilgal, and do not go up to the well of the oath. By the well of the oath
(457) he means Gerar, a city of the Philistines, or Palestinians;
when Abraham and Abimelech swore an oath to one another,
and made a covenant of peace at the well, the city then changed
its name to well of the oath.5 Gilgal and Bethel, then, and also Gerar
were cities much involved in the distortion of impiety, transmit-
ting the manifold error to those deceived. He consequently or-
dered them to desert them, combining his words with a threat
so as to force them in every way towards their own good; Bethel
and the others will disappear, he says, one falling as a captive to
the enemy, the other being incinerated so as to give the impres-
sion of being nonexistent. Let God therefore be sought, so that
4. Jl 2.13; Ezek 18.23 (where other mss read “death of the sinner”).
5. Cyril is directed by Jerome to the pact between Abraham and Abimelech
in Gn 21.22–32, where the etiology of Beer-sheba is being investigated, a name
which could refer to a well “of the oath” or “of seven (sheep for sacrifice),” some
miles from Gerar. Only partially following his mentor, Cyril picks up a reference
to Gerar (which he then gratuitously declares apostate), but not Beer-sheba.
you may live, before the house of Joseph lights up, and it will devour
it, and there will be no one to extinguish. By light up he means “catch
fire,” therefore, and by house of Joseph he refers to Ephraim, or
the people in Samaria, Ephraim and Manasseh being sons of
Joseph. So just as when he calls them Israel, we understand that
they are called after their father, so if he says Joseph, you will un-
derstand it similarly.
Repentance, therefore, is a fine thing, eliminating retribu-
tion as it does, anticipating the effects of wrath, placing its prac-
titioners beyond the Lord’s chastisement, and freeing us from
all misfortune.6
It is the Lord who exercises judgment on high and placed righteous-
ness on earth, (458) the one who made everything and transforms it,
who turns the shadow into morning and darkens day into night, who
calls forth the water of the sea and pours it on the face of the earth; Lord
God almighty is his name, who separates injury from strength, and
brings hardship upon a stronghold (vv.7–9). The passage introduc-
es us to mysteries, and is particularly suited to those called to
knowledge of God and enthusiastic for the entrance of the light
of truth. It is the prophet’s task, in fact, to inform the deceived,
first, that power belongs to the God of all, that everything is
guided by his decisions, that the most blessed company of an-
gels submits to the law of righteousness, and that without any
doubt people living on earth are subsequently and of necessity
subject to the norms of the righteousness stemming from him.
After all, if it is better for them to serve God, and that holy com-
pany submits itself in fear to the directions given on high, how
or in what way could it be that something that is inferior in na-
ture and splendor—I mean the human being, that comes from
dust and returns to dust—could without rebuke kick against the
goad?
Accordingly he says, It is the Lord who exercises judgment on high,
as if to say, the one who by his decrees on high and below impos-
es the ways of righteousness suited to them, by judgment meaning
righteousness. He also imposed righteousness on earth; that is, he
determined norms also for those on earth by which they should
6. The moral comment after the lengthy process of “clarification” is brief

and perfunctory.
live if by reason proper existence and life for them are imposed,
as well as a share in clemency and loving-kindness from him.
Now, the fact that as God he is almighty and all-powerful, that
nothing at all is beyond him, (459) that the very nature of the
elements yields to him, and that what exists responds to his will,
he brings out by taking as an example his turning the shadow into
morning and darkening day into night, and in addition to this the
fact that with ineffable power he also calls water from the sea
to high and low, and releases a sweet liquid to those on earth
when it has changed to what is beyond nature by the wishes of
the one in charge. He says the shadow—that is, night—is turned
into morning, or darkness into day. Just as blessed Moses writes,
remember, “In the beginning darkness was over the abyss,” that
is, shadow, but “God spoke, and there was light,”7 so we say the
shadow, that is, darkness, was changed into morning, that is, day;
and in turn night takes over when day is finished, the meaning
of darkening day into night. For this reason, in fact, and rightly so,
he says the name befitting him is Lord God almighty.
The prophet does a service to those who are deceived, there-
fore, by presenting the one who is by nature and in truth God
not as lifeless matter, or of equal status with golden heifers, or
like any of the gods devised by human ingenuity, but as King
and Lawgiver even of the spirits on high, and likewise of those
on earth, Lord also of the elements, who brings the nature of
what exists to accord with his will. For this reason, in fact, and
rightly so, he says the name befitting him is Lord God almighty.
Now, since this is what he is by nature and in truth, he separates
injury from strength, and brings hardship upon a stronghold; he lays
hold of the conceited, (460) and apportions injury to those
who resist his yoke. Even if some in their stupidity perhaps think
they are high and mighty, he brings hardship upon such people.
This was part of his clever insinuation that if they should choose
to be slothful, to persist in the crime of arrogance, and to en-
tertain a high opinion of themselves, they would encounter ex-
treme hardship under the holy impact of the hand that controls
all things. Scripture says, remember, “The Lord resists the ar-
7. Gn 1.2–3.
rogant,” and takes as his enemy the haughty, disobedient, and

unresponsive, his gaze being “on the lowly and tranquil person
who trembles at his words,”8 which is a fine example, truly wor-
thy of imitation by those choosing to live an excellent life.
They hated the one reproving at the gates, and loathed a holy word
(v.10). Once again the verse observes due sequence; since the
divinely inspired prophet had referred to God as almighty and
all-powerful, and proceeded to say “he separates injury from
strength, and brings hardship upon a stronghold” (v.9), conse-
quently and now of necessity to prevent anyone from forming
the idle opinion that he inflicts his wrath on those whose offens-
es are slight, he lists the crimes and focuses on the reasons why
he apportions to some people injury and hardship. He says, in
fact, that they hated people of sobriety, set at naught those deliv-
ering reproof and in the habit of directing people to what pleases
God, and considered loathsome every holy word, that is, the word
inviting and urging people to holiness and sanctification. By at
the gates you will understand a manner that is open, forthright,
and confident, thus seeming to refer to their derangement and
hostility toward Prophets and Law.9 (461) You see, the prophets
used to deliver reproof, openly accosting them; and the Law was
a holy word that said that God is a governor of righteousness, a
guide to piety and a revealer of the one who is by nature and in
truth God. Hence blessed Paul also spoke of the commandment
given through Moses as “holy, righteous, and good.” It is there-
fore the worst of ailments, and a kind of root and source of the
passions in the soul, to resist advice, hate reproof, and give the
impression of not even acknowledging God’s Law. The person
reduced to such a degree of depravity, therefore, will definitely
be like a ship without a pilot, having no captain, tossed about
by every breeze, borne hither and yon indiscriminately like a
drunkard, and thus seeming to be at the mercy of the waves.
David in his wisdom declares to us, on the contrary, his blessing
8. Prv 3.34; Is 66.2.

9. Perhaps because Jerome does not suggest it, Cyril ignores Theodore’s
judgment here that reference is being made to the practice of holding meetings
at the city gates as recorded in Ru 4 and Dt 25.7 (though Theodore prefers to
cite the Psalms).
of that righteous person in the words, “The Law of his God is in

his heart, and his footsteps will not falter,”10 since the Law gives
directions to pleasing God.
Hence in return for your buffeting the heads of the poor, and taking
from them chosen gifts, you built houses of polished stone and will not
dwell in them; you planted desirable vineyards and will not drink their
wine (v.11). There is absolutely no doubt that abstaining from
good things gives rise to depravity, and turning from what is use-
ful and naturally beneficial to what is not so (462) necessarily
causes us to stumble; just as when light is excluded, darkness im-
mediately ensues, so relinquishing virtue brings the consequent
onset of depravity. Accordingly, since they hated the one reproving
at the gates, and loathed a holy word, they were drawn into sin of
many kinds, turning to avarice and practicing the oppression
that is particularly hateful to God, striking “the lowly with fists”11
and buffeting the heads of the poor, though affluent and surpassing
other people in reputation and wealth; specifically, they solicit-
ed gifts, taking from them against their will their more precious
possessions.
He further shows to our benefit that, for people in the habit
of doing such things and being partial to base gain, this foolish
avarice ends in grief and finally brings an accounting; if they
will not enjoy houses erected in haste and ambition, if their
work in the fields is in vain, and their possession of what they
love has an unexpected outcome on account of their avarice
and their love of money, how would their grasping habits not
seem to some people vain and idle? It is therefore wise to take
the view that the author of Proverbs expresses: “Better to have
slim possessions with righteousness than a large income with
injustice.” Paul also refers to avarice as idolatry, and rightly so;
it is a godless vice, and people who trample on love for their
brethren, which is the fulfillment of the Law, are on a par with
those who do not know the one who is God by nature. Now, not
to know the Law is to deny the Lawgiver. (463) Christ himself
makes us more restrained and superior to the wrongful love of
10. Rom 7.12; Ps 37.31.

11. Is 58.4.
possessions when he says, “What good will it be for a person to

gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his soul? Or what will
a person give in exchange for his soul?” “Treasure will be of no
good to the lawless,” Scripture says, “whereas righteousness will
rescue from death.”12
Because I know your many acts of impiety, and your sins are grave,
trampling on justice, taking bribes, and pushing aside the needy at the
gates. For this reason the sensible person will keep silent at that time
because the time is evil (vv.12–13). He tries to teach us that, far
from avenging the minor or accidental faults of offenders, God
instead is long-suffering in the case of moderate lapses and only
inflicts the impulse of his wrath on unrestrained tendencies to
depravity. He says, note, that the people of Samaria will be de-
prived of their homes and also their vineyards and, in my view,
of everything conducive to gladness and satisfaction. Their sins
had therefore proved to be serious, grave, and no longer sup-
portable; they oppressed the righteous, or any man at all, their
eyes only on godlessness, and placed no importance on upright
and righteous verdicts, which is a form of oppression and ava-
rice without respect for the intentions of the Law. In fact, they
took bribes—that is, payments and gifts for unjust judgments;
and, in addition to this, pushed aside the needy at the gates. What
does that mean? (464) He means either that they repelled
those in favor of moderation and forthrightly recommending it,
or that they presumed to twist verdicts against the needy quite
openly. In what way? Without even disguising their impiety, but,
as it were, at the gates, that is, blatantly and in the sight of many
people, evincing no shame at all nor showing any respect for
the divine Law. They had in fact descended to such a degree of
depravity and wickedness as to make even the wise and those
capable of understanding the scheme of things think better of
reproving any further or correcting those who had opted for
impious behavior, probably because the reproved were like peo-
ple without ears, barked like dogs at those intending to reform
them, and cast in the role of enemies those introducing them
to better ways. In fact, they upbraided the holy prophets and
12. Prv 16.8; Col 3.5; Rom 13.10; Mt 16.26; Prv 10.2.
caused them to suffer trials, sometimes when they were expos-

ing them and conveying to them messages from on high. When
on one occasion Jeremiah was reporting a message from God,
for instance, Zedekiah imprisoned him, and on another occa-
sion he also lowered him into a pit, meaning to drown him in
the water.13
There is therefore need to repent when faults are still slight,
and not to provoke God, as it were, against his will by further
sins of greater seriousness. After all, if the sins are grave and
very numerous, then he will definitely respond by emitting the
flames of his indignation. Now, by calling the sins grave we mean
serious and insupportable, because “not every sin is mortal,” in
John’s wise statement, even if no sin can overcome the loving-
kindness of God, to whom be the glory forever. Amen.14 (465)
Seek good and not evil so that you may live, and the Lord God al-
mighty will be with you just as you said: We hated evil and loved good;
restore justice at the gates so that the Lord God almighty may have mercy
on the remnant of Joseph (vv.14–15). I have previously said on many
occasions that there was not just one captivity but different indi-
vidual ones at different times. Pul the Assyrian, remember, was
the first to attack the two tribes in Samaria across the Jordan,15
and after overthrowing the cities there he left; after him Shal-
maneser captured not the whole of Samaria but only a part, and
he took it off to his own country along with the captives. Now,
God did this as part of his plan, to chastise Israel “with hardship
and scourge”16 for its lapse to bring it to better behavior and
more fitting ways of thinking and acting. It therefore happened
that those who were able to survive the wars just mentioned by
us were conscious of their limitations, repented of their decep-
tion, and acknowledged and confessed that the effects of divine
wrath had then been inflicted on them for committing many
intolerable sins. They next promised God, as it were, to reform
13. Jer 37.15–16; 45.6.

14. 1 Jn 5.17. The final concessive clause does not appear in the PG ed. At
this point the second tome on Amos concludes.
15. 1 Chr 4.26 refers to the deportation by Tiglath-pileser of “Reubenites,
Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.”
16. Jer 6.7 LXX, a favorite phrase of Cyril’s, though in this case it is Jerusa-
lem that is in focus.
their ways, saying, We hated evil and loved good. You therefore
mentioned the way, he says: Seek good and not evil, so that in liv-
ing and being saved you may attain a proper life, and the Lord
God, who has power over everything, may be with you. Also, restore
justice at the gates; that is, be just judges, not delivering unfair
verdicts against the weak, not undermining the force of justice,
not buffeting the heads of the poor, nor twisting the way of the lowly,
so that then God may have mercy on the remnant of Joseph who sur-
vived being captives.17 Once again he refers to Ephraim, or the
ten tribes; as I said before, since Ephraim was a son of Joseph,
he consequently refers to him also by his father’s name.
It is really necessary, therefore, to have sound attitudes and
direct our own thinking to attitudes that are pleasing to God, to
living virtuously, to adhering to the ways of righteousness and
being wise devotees of uprightness. This, in fact, is the way we
shall have the God of all to accompany and protect us.
Hence the Lord God almighty says this: In all the streets wailing
and on all the roads lamentation will be raised. (467) The farmer will
be summoned to grieving and to wailing, and to those versed in lam-
entation, and on all the roads there will be wailing, for I shall pass
through the midst of you, said the Lord (vv.16–17). Having tasted
the troubles stemming from war, he is saying, and considerably
distressed at what happened, you promised to hate evil and love
good. But in a short time, when hardly released from the terrible
things involved, you lapsed into indifference, and were seen to
be caught up no less in your former troubles. Consequently, the
cities are now full of weeping and wailing, there is grieving and
weeping everywhere, and there will be a search for those versed
in lamentation. And when you are not content with city dwellers
for this, even a farmer will be enlisted so that a rustic melody
may ring out and the misfortunes of the fall may be lamented in
bucolic tunes. I shall pass through the midst of you, in fact, he says,
surveying the sins and still not keeping my distance from those
whose impious behavior is insupportable. As long as God does
not yet chastise, you see, he seems in some way not to be pres-
17. Despite his expansive treatment of the text generally, Cyril does not elab-
orate at length on the social justice themes of Amos in this chapter. Neither had
Jerome or Theodore.
ent, whereas by inflicting the effects of his wrath he is present,

as it were, and imposing punishment. This is also the way angels
visited Sodom, by incinerating those guilty of impiety,18 so that
by not punishing them they kept their distance. Hence by the
phrase I shall pass through the midst of you he refers to oversight
and the moment of impending punishment.
Woe to those who long for the day of the Lord! What good to you is
this day of the Lord? It is darkness and not light. Just as if someone fled
from a lion and (468) chanced upon a bear, and burst into a house
and rested his hand on the wall, and a snake bit him. Is not the day of
the Lord darkness and not light? And darkness with no brightness in
it? (vv.18–20) When the holy prophets predicted the future for
them and the fact that they would fall foul of harsh and ineluc-
table calamities since they inclined incessantly to the practice
of error, they mocked them and were carried away. Sometimes
they claimed that what was prophesied would be long delayed;
sometimes they completely despaired and presumed to say, in
the terms of Jeremiah, “Where is the word of the Lord? Bring it
on,” their belief being that the prophets uttered falsehood and
filled them with idle fears—or if some war was really heading
their way, they would prevail over their hand, opposing them
with a strength and enthusiasm that was harsh and irresistible.
There is truth in fact in the scriptural statement, “When an im-
pious person descends to the depths of trouble, he despises
it.”19 People who have this attitude, however, like wounds be-
yond hope, cry aloud, as it were, that they need burning and
cutting, and long for such things; in a way they thirst for punish-
ment, even if not putting it in so many words.
Woe, then, he says, to those who long for and welcome nothing
other than the day of punishment, which he calls the day of the
Lord, brought on as it is by God. What, then, he asks, (469) is it
but darkness and not light on account surely of being filled with
extreme misfortune? There would in fact be no escaping it, he
says, nor would anyone survive the trouble; instead, should any-
one flee one, he would be taken by another, and the second
would encounter those eluding the first (the meaning of escap-
18. Gn 19.15.
19. Jer 17.15; Prv 18.3.
ing the mouth of a lion but chancing upon a bear). But even if one
thought, he says, perhaps to be safe, and entered his house, he
would fall foul of death there, unexpectedly becoming the vic-
tim of snake bites; after all, if God drives one to ruin and hard-
ship, who could rescue us? Who could help and free us from
retribution? Or what way would there be of eluding it and being
free from trouble? None at all: as Scripture says, “Who will di-
vert the hand lifted up?” and “If he shuts someone in, who will
open up?”20
I hate, I reject your festivals, and I take no delight in your festal as-
semblies. Hence if you bring me your holocausts and offerings, I shall
not accept them, nor have regard for your saving presence (vv.21–22).
The verse would apply particularly to the people of Judah and
Benjamin. You see, whereas the tribes in Samaria were totally
devoted to the worship of the idols, and were proven to be ex-
tremely lax and very neglectful of the laws of Moses, the people
in Jerusalem, though sacrificing (470) in the high places to Baal
and pouring libations to the host of heaven, in addition made
a pretense of paying respect to the Law and of being anxious to
perform sacrifices and festivals. The fact that the Lord hated this
he made clear also in Isaiah: “Hear the word of the Lord, you
rulers of Sodom; pay heed to the Law of God, people of Gomor-
rah: what value to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says
the Lord. I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams, I have
no wish for the fat of lambs and the blood of bulls and goats,
not even if you come to appear before me. After all, who looked
for this from your hands? Do not continue trampling my court.
It is futile for you to offer flour; incense is an abomination to
me; I cannot bear your new moons, sabbaths, and great day; my
soul hates your fasting, rest, and festivals; in my view you have
gone to excess.”21 In our view, the text has the following sense:
I hate, I reject your festivals, he says, and I would find nothing to
commend in your sacrifices, nor would I ever reckon as an odor
of sweetness your holocausts and offerings for your salvation.
Now, these were forms of sacrifices that differed at times and
in particular ways: holocausts, one kind; sacrifice and saving pres-
20. Is 14.27; Jb 12.14.

21. Is 1.10–14.
ence, another—that is, coming before God and bringing offer-

ings for salvation. What we have just mentioned, however, would
rightly have been appropriate for Jews particularly devoted (471)
to impiety. What God very readily accepts and admits are sacrific-
es offered in faith, spiritual holocausts, and presence at festivals;
it is not we who lend ourselves a pleasing fragrance, but what is
in us through the Spirit, namely, Christ. Unacceptable as a sacri-
fice, on the other hand, and rightly so, would be what is offered
by unholy heretics and those who cannot say, like the genuine
faithful, “We are the sweet odor of Christ to God,” whereas their
smell is from Beelzebul, if it is true that “no one says, Jesus is
cursed” except by Beelzebul.22 The wretches brazenly blaspheme
and infringe the glory of the Only-begotten, not with a spiritual
fragrance—rather, they have a mentality intoxicated with mire.
Take away from me the sound of your songs; I shall not listen to the
melody of your instruments. Justice will roll on like water, and righ-
teousness like an impassable torrent (vv.23–24). God dismisses the
praise given on instruments, disqualifying lifeless matter from
offering praise, and transferring participation in such splendid
commendation instead to those who give expression with pure
minds, since such fine hymns of praise are pleasing to the Lord
of all. He rightly refers to the praises devised goodness-knows-
how by the Jews—obviously on instruments, as I said—as sound of
your songs, as if to imply some superfluous and idle sound that
emits an undistinguished and inept (472) song. Now, the fact
that these also were inventions deriving from Jewish misjudg-
ment he indicated by speaking of a melody of your instruments, as
if to say, Not mine, since it is beyond the Law, and Moses made
no mention of them.23 So he says, I shall not be appeased, nor
will he cancel their crimes on account of pleasant sounds from
instruments. Rather, justice will roll on like water, and the righteous-
ness coming from me—namely, the righteous verdict against
you—will be like an impassable torrent, that is, dragging away what
22. 2 Cor 2.15; 1 Cor 12.3. Again Cyril does not elaborate on Amos’s cel-
ebrated moral theme of the priority of social justice over insincere cultic obser-
vances.
23. Can we draw from these remarks the impression that Cyril and his
church (like eastern churches generally) were not in favor of instrumental mu-
sic in the liturgy?
falls into it and sparing nothing, since torrents descend from

the mountains with a rush. This is also the way with the divine
verdict: if it is delivered against some people, it will be nothing
other than invincible water and an irresistible torrent.
Repentance, therefore, emerges as in every case useful and
necessary, like appeasing divine wrath by recourse to better
things, uttering to God a cry that is not completely useless or
unclear but giving vent from a sincere mind to a song that is
truly wise and rhythmic. “Offer a sacrifice of praise,” Scripture
says, remember, “and render your prayers to the Most High; call
on me in a day of tribulation; I shall rescue you, and you will
glorify me.”24
You did not offer me victims and offerings in the forty years in the
wilderness, house of Israel, says the Lord. You adopted the tent of Moloch
and the star of your god Raiphan, the images you made for yourselves.
I shall deport you beyond Damascus, says the Lord God, almighty is his
name (vv.25–27). In what was commented on just now, it was God
who was saying to (473) those of the line of Israel, “I hate, I re-
ject your festivals, and I take no delight in your festal assemblies.
Hence even if you bring me your holocausts and offerings, I
shall not accept them, nor have regard for your saving presence”
(vv.21–22). In other words, in order that it might emerge that
he was the one who in his characteristic clemency saved Israel,
and in memory of the ancestors showed mercy to the children,
not doing so by way of compensation and, as it were, remunera-
tion for sacrifices, he is obliged to say that they had spent quite
a few years in the wilderness. They had manna for food, a cloud
to cover them by day as they walked, and a pillar of fire at night;
the ark was considered as a type of God, going ahead and spying
out a place of rest for them, and they suffered lack of no necessi-
ties, since water sprang up unexpectedly and enemies fell. With
all this happening, they received the laws about sacrifices, on
the one hand, and, on the other, they heard at every point and
at each stage the oracles that said, “If the Lord your God leads
you into the land he swore to your fathers to give you,”25 you will
do such-and-such, and also offer sacrifices.
24. Ps 50.14–15.
25. Ex 13.5.
In the forty-year period they were in the wilderness, there-

fore, they willingly kept offering sacrifices, with no one exert-
ing pressure on them. But the practice was delayed until they
entered the land promised to their ancestors. Consequently he
says, Surely you did not offer me victims and offerings in the forty years
in the wilderness, house of Israel? says the Lord. At that time they
were saved (474) even without sacrifices, and as he says like-
wise in another prophet, “You have not bought incense for me
with money, nor sheep for me with your produce, nor have I
burdened you with incense.”26 They in turn had no grounds for
their apostasy, but at that time were fickle, dishonoring the one
who is by nature and in truth God and adopting the tent of Moloch
and the star of your god Raiphan. We need to consider what this
means.
Whereas the divinely inspired Moses, therefore, went up the
mountain and received the Law, the people of Israel rebelled
against Aaron in the words, “Make us gods who will go before
us; as for this Moses, the one who brought us out of the land of
Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.”27 So they
made a calf in the wilderness; while it was obvious, and the calf
was, as it were, an idol for everyone, they did many other things
individually. In fact, once they reverted to their former error,
and forsook piety towards God, each one made an image at his
own whim and shaped one for himself according to their cus-
tom previously in Egypt—or, rather, they were addicted to the
worship of the stars. You will perhaps ask, How did this happen
and what form did it take? For those interested there is no great
difficulty unearthing it; we shall learn it from the sacred Scrip-
tures themselves.
The divinely inspired Moses, remember, was upset and re-
monstrated with Aaron, then fell before God, saying, “I beg you,
Lord; this people has committed a grave sin: they made them-
selves gods of gold”;28 although what was made was a calf, (475)
he was not unaware that others had fashioned statues. Blessed
Stephen, when accused at one time by the leaders of the Jews
26. Is 43.24, 23.

27. Ex 32.1.
28. Ex 32.31.
of reviling God and Moses, refuted the calumny with an appro-

priate defense, proceeding to prove that they had committed
serious impiety, and by their frenzy against Christ they were imi-
tating the depravity and hard-heartedness of their own ances-
tors. He made clear reference to the making of the calf in the
wilderness, and said of the wise Moses, “He is the one who was
in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke
to him on Mount Sinai and with our ancestors, and he received
living oracles to give to us. Our ancestors were unwilling to obey
him; instead, they pushed him aside, and in their hearts they
turned back to Egypt, saying to Aaron, Make gods for us who
will go before us; as for this Moses who led us out of the land of
Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him. They made
a calf at that time, offered a sacrifice to the idol, and reveled in
the works of their hands. But God turned away from them and
handed them over to worship the host of heaven, as it is written
in the book of the prophets, You did not offer me victims and
offerings in the forty years in the wilderness, house of Israel,
says the Lord. You adopted the tent of Moloch and the star of
your god Raiphan, the images you made for yourselves. I shall
deport you beyond Babylon.”29
Note, therefore, that even the divinely inspired Stephen, a
man full of the Holy Spirit, confirmed that they had made a
calf and also took to worshiping the host of heaven, and (476)
cited also the passage from the prophet. From this you can
understand that in addition to the calf they adopted the tent of
Moloch, making a tent and installing an idol, which they called
Moloch or Molchom, an idol of the Moabites, with shining pre-
cious stones on top of its forehead as a type of the morning star.
Moloch means “their king,” the translation given by Aquila and
Theodotion, the artefact being an effigy of the morning star. So
he says you adopted the tent of Moloch, that is, your king. Of what
kind was this king? The star of your god Raiphan. Now, Raiphan
means “darkening” or “blinding”; they worshiped the morning
star as a harbinger of the flashing of the sun, introducing the
beginning of day to people on earth, whereas to his worshipers
29. Acts 7.38–43.

he proved to be Raiphan, that is, darkening or blinding—not

that it brought about blinding of the star in them, but that rev-
erence for it was responsible for their being darkened. Since
you imitated the madness of Moab and its neighbor Damascus,
he is saying, consequently you will be deported beyond Damascus
and to places still more remote, namely, Babylon. What, then,
are we to say to this? Blessed Stephen cited the Hebrew text,
which wanted to refer to what was beyond Damascus, namely, Bab-
ylon; perhaps (477) the country and land of Babylon immedi-
ately bordered Damascus, or the kingdom of the Syrians as far
as the cities to the east.30
30. Cyril transmits (in altered fashion) Jerome’s comments on Moloch and
Raiphan (Kaiwan or Kaiphan in modern versions, perhaps an Akkadian name
for Saturn); the rare citation of the alternative versions is also courtesy of Je-
rome. He also misunderstands Jerome’s accounting for Stephen’s (Luke’s) re-
placement of Damascus with Babylon, viz., that the NT authors feel a freedom
to alter texts to bring out the sense.
CHAPTER SIX
Woe to those who scorn Zion and trust in Mount Samaria! (v.1)
NCE AGAIN the verse deplores not only the people

from Ephraim, or the two tribes in Samaria, but also
those from Judah and Benjamin. He had previously
demonstrated that even those before them were always unstable
and fickle in mind, having made a calf and adopted the tent of
Moloch. He now accuses them of imitating their ancestors and
following in their footsteps by way of impiety in bringing the
ire of the Lord of all upon themselves. He says that those from
Judah and Benjamin scorned Zion; though they abode in Jeru-
salem and had the divine Temple, they set no store by rever-
ence and love for God. Instead, as the sacred text says, “They
kept sacrificing on the high places under oak, poplar, and shady
tree”; they also worshiped the host of heaven. The God of all,
for instance, said to Jeremiah with considerable resentment, “As
for you, do not pray for this people, do not ask for mercy to be
shown them, and do not intercede with me for them in peti-
tion and prayer, because I shall not hearken to you.” He then
adduces the reason for their apostasy in the words, “Do you not
see what they are doing in the cities of Judah and the streets
of Jerusalem? (478) Their children gather wood, their fathers
kindle fire, and their women knead dough to make cakes for
the host of heaven, and they poured out libations to other gods
to provoke me.”1
So the people in Jerusalem had scorned Zion; accordingly, it
was appropriate that woes should be brought upon them. Now,
such a statement would be applicable also to those who trust in
Mount Samaria, that is, those who dwell in Samaria and trust in
1. Hos 4.13; Jer 7.16–18.
83
it. After all, they thought that they would prevail over the en-
emy even without God and enjoy the benefits of prosperity, and
that every pleasurable desire of theirs would be satisfied perma-
nently.
To be caught up in such a degree of folly is therefore surely
a bitter and truly abominable fate, to presume to set at naught
love for God, to be involved in wrongdoing and to commit what
is unlawful, to offend him and to conclude that good things will
come to us without his giving them. In fact, “every generous act
of giving and every perfect gift are from above, coming down
from the Father of lights”;2 it is good to cleave to him, and to
regard him as our hope and support. On the other hand, they
scorn Zion, that is, the church, who promote unholy doctrines,
trust in their own eloquence, and are in the habit of taking
pride in the unholy inventions of their reasoning and in worldly
wisdom. To them, even before the others, woes would be appro-
priate.
They harvested the governments of nations, and it was they who en-
tered. House of (479) Israel, cross over, all of you, pass from there to
Hamath Raba, and go down to Gath of the Philistines, the strongest of
all these kingdoms, and see whether their territories are greater than your
territories (vv.1–2). He presents them as ungrateful and unwilling
to remember his beneficence, despite their constant obligation
to confess his most generous grace and offer songs of thanksgiv-
ing not only for rescuing them against the odds from the grip
of unbearable slavery but also for bringing them into the land
sworn to their ancestors. Now, he brought them in by laying
low in battle many nations that were difficult opponents unac-
customed to being vanquished; blessed David also said to God
somewhere in reference to the people of Israel, “You brought
a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it.”3
They were therefore reproached, and rightly so, for being very
ungrateful by offending the benefactor by their recourse to ev-
ery kind of wrongdoing; they harvested the governments of nations,
he says, making their country their own inheritance when God
made their foes tremble in their weakness, and with his inef-
2. Jas 1.17.
3. Ps 80.8.
fable power undid the strength of the adversaries. He instructs

them, however, to learn by scrutinizing the governments or king-
doms of places near and far, that they had inherited a rich and
fertile land abounding in every good thing, better and more ex-
tensive. Go, he says, to Hamath Raba and to Gath of the Philistines,
(480) which enjoy a higher reputation than the other king-
doms, and seek there whether their territories are greater than your
territories.
While the kingdoms of the nations—Moabites, Idumeans,
people of Ammon—were individually numerous, therefore,
there was nothing notable about them. Damascus and Palestine
were more splendid than the others; subject to Damascus were
two cities situated to the east called Hamath, one bigger and
more extensive, the other less (Raba meaning “bigger” or “more
extensive”). So travel to Hamath Raba, that is, to the larger and
more extensive Hamath; it had the same name as the other one,
as I said, but was bigger. Now, they claim that this town is now
Antioch, whereas the smaller and less extensive one nearby is
Epiphaneia; Antiochus, called Epiphanes, gave his name to
Antioch, and conferred the title Epiphaneia on the other one
in his honor. Gath was a city of Palestine that was more splen-
did than it is now; its residents were Anakim and those called
Philistines, since the people of Israel had not annihilated them
at that time. Consequently, he calls it Gath of the Philistines, and
therefore says, Go to Hamath Raba and to Gath of the Philistines,
and take careful note as to whether you yourselves are not living
in a more extensive country that is larger and more eminent
than all the others. Now, we should be aware that the Hebrew
text (481) mentions Calneh first; he says, Go into Calneh, Ha-
math, and Gath, Calneh being subject to the kingdom of the
Persians and now called Lysippon. Since the Hebrew text men-
tioned also the kingdom of the Persians, consequently in our
view blessed Stephen said “I shall deport you beyond Babylon”
instead of “beyond Damascus.”4
4. Cyril may have noticed from Theodore that the Antiochene (and thus
the Heb.) text included Calneh in the list of cities. Jerome had not said so, but
he did help Cyril identify Hamath the greater (but not Hamath the less). We
mentioned above the unlikelihood of Cyril’s guess about Stephen’s changing
Damascus for Babylon in Acts 7.43; see p. 82, n. 30.
The charge against the people of Israel, then, was ingratitude

in not according thanks to God for their inheriting a land so
rich, extensive, and level, and instead scorning Zion in one case,
and in another trusting in Mount Samaria, but giving no prior-
ity to respect for him. Now, the verse, Go to Hamath Raba and
to Gath of the Philistines, and see whether their territories are greater
than your territories, would obviously be useful for those who after
coming to faith marvel at the wisdom of pagans to the extent of
considering their views better than ours, and who are inclined
to seek to adhere to people who distort the truth and under-
mine the correctness of church teachings. The inspired Scrip-
ture, you see, is more extensive than the quibbles of the pagans,
spreading the light of truth, contributing the knowledge of ben-
eficial teachings, and bringing the mind of believers to every-
thing commendable.
The message about the truth is likewise more extensive than
the narrowness of heretics; some of them fight against it and,
as it were, drown while swimming in their frigid and obscure
reasoning, while others are locked in debate with the teach-
ings of true religion, give careful consideration to the splen-
did beauty of truth, (482) and find their way to the spreading
ocean of understanding, “taking every thought captive to obey
Christ,” rushing hither and yon, and drawing from the divinely
inspired Scripture what contributes to true knowledge. The di-
vinely inspired Paul, for example, in writing to Corinthians who
had chosen to forsake “the holy commandment transmitted to
them” and who were in the habit of unwisely giving contrary
teaching to their adherents, said, “We have spoken frankly to
you, Corinthians; our heart is wide open to you; there is no nar-
rowing in us, but there is narrowing in your affections. In re-
turn—I speak as to children—open wide your hearts also. Do
not be mismatched with unbelievers.”5
Woe to you who are coming to an evil day, who approach and ap-
ply yourselves to false sabbaths (v.3). He had said, “Woe to those
who scorn Zion and trust in Mount Samaria” (v.1); and since he
had mentioned two groups, namely, those scorning Zion and
5. 2 Cor 10.5; 2 Pt 2.21; 2 Cor 6.11–14.

those trusting in Mount Samaria, in a necessary investigation

into the thrust of their thinking we attributed the blame for
scorning Zion to the people of Judah and Benjamin, and the
trusting in Mount Samaria to the people of Ephraim. The verse
is therefore retrospective, once again listing the crimes of both
and applying Woe to them. Now, it is customary with the divine
Scripture to use the word Woe in direct speech, as for example,
“Woe to you who long for the Day of the Lord,” and again, “Woe
to you who rise early (483) in search of strong drink.”6 Hence
his saying, Woe to you who are coming to an evil day, that is, those
in Jerusalem; reluctance to repent and refusal to admit fear of
the impending fate prophesied are, as it were, a longing to fall
foul of a day of ruin. It is as if someone were saying in regard to
one of the sinners, He longs to die, even though the person had
no wish for such a fate. Why say so? He goes as far as wanting to
commit, even incessantly, what is at variance with the laws, as if
fond of the punishment and retribution due to sinners.
Those who are reluctant to repent, therefore, and desirous of
falling foul of an evil day and of being caught up in the calamities
previously foretold are those who approach and apply themselves to
false sabbaths. The Temple and the altars in it were still standing,
in fact; while they offered to God sacrifices by Law and observed
the sabbath rest, they were not completely diligent, but instead
were quite careless and very indifferent. Through the prophets,
for instance, he blamed them for not observing the sabbath;7 so
he says Woe to those pretending to approach God by pretending
still to respect the Mosaic laws and dabbling in false sabbaths. Do
you see how he has represented them as not keeping the rest
appropriate to sabbath observance rightly and carefully?
In another sense—I think there is need to say something
more urgent on this passage—false sabbaths are what is done
by the Jews, especially since the Law is a shadow, and what was
given through Moses is a type of the reality. The type is not the
reality; (484) rather, it provides an outline of the reality. Ac-
cordingly, the divinely inspired Paul in writing to the Hebrews
6. 5.19; Is 5.11.
7. Cf. Ezek 20.13, 16, 21, 24.
says of the former things, “Sabbath surely still remains for the
people of God”; Joshua had not given them rest, nor have they
entered into God’s rest. Rather, it is we who in a spiritual sense
practice sabbath in Christ by undoing and forsaking sins, on the
one hand, and, on the other, by putting an end to every cor-
ruptible and earthly practice. Blessed Paul writes, remember,
“Those who enter his rest cease from all their labors as God did
from his.”8
Those who recline on ivory beds and behave wantonly on their couch-
es, who eat kids from flocks and sucking calves from the midst of a herd,
who clap their hands to the tune of instruments and think things are
permanent and not ephemeral, who drink strained wine and anoint
themselves with the best oils, and were not affected by the oppression of
Joseph (vv.4–6). The usual woes once again for those who recline
on ivory beds, in the habit of doing this-and-that. He severely ac-
cuses the more prominent people in Samaria, who took pride
in wealth greater than that of others, of being under the influ-
ence, as it were, of great prosperity and so distracted by the ex-
tent of the luxury as to have no suspicion at all of (485) the
disasters, or not to think that the God of all was ever provoked
by people with this attitude and would inflict punishment on
those given to sin. He describes with precision their laxity and
dissolute tendency to high living: reclining on ivory, he says, lav-
ish and delicate beds, the choicest lambs, nursing calves their
food, songs and tunes, all the sounds of instruments accompany-
ing the high living, carousing and clapping—and, what is worse,
the fact that they think such things are permanent and not ephemeral,
whereas in fact such things are evanescent, and worldly deceit
has no firm foundation. It disappears like shadows, you see, and
“the present form of this world is passing away,” as Scripture
says;9 luxurious living comes to a complete end for the dead.
Now, in the case of the people in Samaria, the sense of the
words could be taken also in another way: since they were des-
tined before long to be captured, he calls the things idly de-
8. Heb 4.8–10. For Cyril, the Old is but skia and typos of the alêtheia. Theodo-
ret learns this from him. As it happens, the LXX of this verse departs consider-
ably from (our) Heb.
9. 1 Cor 7.31.
vised for their enjoyment ephemeral and not permanent because

they were soon to disappear. So they clap their hands to the tune
of instruments, drinking wine that was perhaps scented and very
carefully strained; they anoint themselves with oils, applying the
choicest ones, and give no importance at all to the oppression of
Joseph. As I said just now, though aware in advance of the calam-
ity soon to eventuate, [namely], the capture of Samaria and the
oppression that would happen to those of the line of Joseph, they
did not neglect their customary high living.
It is therefore a truly dreadful thing for (486) those appoint-
ed to govern countries or cities or peoples to succumb to bodily
luxury. Since there is, in fact, the obligation for them rather to
adopt carefully the usual vigilance and pay attention to what is
beneficial, give direction to people unduly carried away, and in
every way appease God, who has been offended, how would it
not be quite unconscionable to be caught up in high living and
consider nothing better than loathsome delights of the flesh? It
is perhaps in reference to such things that he says through the
statement of the holy ones, “O the shepherds who scatter and de-
stroy the sheep of my pasture”; the fact that the obedient are en-
dangered by the indifference of shepherds would be clear from
another distinct statement of God: “Because the shepherds were
stupid and did not seek out the Lord; hence the whole flock did
not understand, and were scattered.”10
Hence they will now become captives of the leadership of the mighty,
and neighing of horses will be removed from Ephraim (v.7). They lived
luxuriously, forsook love for God, trusted in Mount Samaria—
that is, the residents of Samaria—and developed a sense of
their own importance in the belief that they governed an im-
measurable multitude and had a fighting class beyond number.
Consequently, he says, the time of captivity for all will definitely
come, and with great ferocity, beginning with the more power-
ful. In sacking a city, after all, enemies always make their way to
the houses of more prominent people, pillaging everything in
them. Now, since it was the custom for the prominent people in
Samaria to like to ride special horses, which probably (487) pa-
10. Jer 23.1 and 10.21.

raded through the streets neighing in a comprehending, wise,

and, as it were, knowledgeable way (for the animal is willing to
put on a good appearance and to learn what is appropriate for
it, strange to say), this, too, will cease, he is saying; neighing of
horses will be removed from Ephraim, he says. It is as if he were to
say, The exceeding insolence of people in Samaria will come to
an end, and despite them they will be deprived of the publicity
of their processions from the neighing of the horses, which are
distinguished by their splendid patches, are perhaps familiar
with their rider, and, as it were, are very proud to be carrying a
noble and august personage.
You would learn from this the security that comes from vigi-
lant leaders, and the harm from their preferring slumber; on
them even before others will fall the effects of wrath. They will
be deprived of all renown, and they themselves will fall together
with the others, receiving a harsh and bitter judgment, and will
render an account not only for their own destruction but for
being responsible also for that of others through their own law-
lessness.
Because the Lord swore an oath by himself, I loathe all Jacob’s inso-
lence and hate his places (v.8). He brings out the immutability of
his wrath by presenting God as swearing an oath that he would
hate Jacob’s insolence. It is not at all our view that the divine word
to us delivers a curse on our forefather Jacob; it would be very
silly to accept this interpretation, since God loved Jacob from
the womb and chose him even when unborn. By Jacob, however,
he means those of the line of (488) Jacob, whose accursed arro-
gance he says he hated (the divine Scripture normally referring
to haughtiness as insolence). After all, would it not be haughti-
ness after that to spurn reverence for God, to accord to idols
the glory most appropriate to him in particular, and, further,
not to want to hear the things he chose to convey through the
holy prophets, but rather to treat his threats as a joke, and by
trusting in the vast number of allies to ignore completely his
mercy and assistance? Further, how is there any doubt of this?
Accordingly, it says, the Lord of all swore an oath by himself—by
himself because “he had no one greater by whom to swear.”11
11. Heb 6.13.

What did he swear? I loathe all Jacob’s insolence, or Jacob’s haugh-

tiness, and hate his places; there was no one in them to fulfill the
divine wishes, no one to accord him reverence, or conspicuous
for the ornaments of righteousness. God would not have turned
away, in fact, if there had been some among them, even if easily
counted, who were concerned for what pleased him. He said
through Jeremiah, for instance, “Run about through the streets
of Jerusalem, look around and take note on its streets if you
find a man, if there is anyone who acts justly and loves faith, and
I shall be merciful to it, says the Lord.”12 Since, however, Jacob’s
places were lacking any good man or godly man, consequently
they have been given over to desolation, and the cities have per-
ished along with the inhabitants. There is therefore great need
of holy people; they save cities, and by the probity of their life
rid places of impending disaster by quelling the anger aroused
by indifference (489) and by diverting, as it were, the move-
ments of divine wrath befalling some people.
And I shall remove the city along with its inhabitants. If ten men
are left in one house, they will die, and the survivors will remain. Their
kin will lay hold of them and make efforts to carry their bones out of the
house, and he will say to those in charge of the house, Is there anyone still
left with you? He will reply, No more, and he will say, Be careful about
mentioning the name of the Lord (vv.8–10). Since he hated their
places, after all, and abominated all Jacob’s insolence, or their
arrogance, he says that consequently the cities along with their
inhabitants will be destroyed. He describes in detail in each case
how the fate will befall the sinners: I shall remove whatever city I
wish, and take from its midst its inhabitants as well. If it happens
that there are ten of them from one house fleeing the enemies’
sword, and they take refuge in the recesses and interior of the
house, they will die, perhaps afraid of peeping out a little from
the inside. Accordingly, he says, hunger will follow upon the
hand of the striker, and kill those hidden. With the departure
of the foe, some of their kith and kin will emerge, and make ef-
forts to carry out their bones. Whom will they force to collect the
(490) remains? Themselves, clearly: it was a truly burdensome
and difficult task to touch bodies that were rotting and decay-
12. Jer 5.1.

ing, and I would think it was necessary for those performing

it to block their noses, for nothing could be worse than such a
stench. They will therefore oblige themselves, out of sympathy
for the departed and the victims of hunger, by according them
funeral and burial. Those engaged in this, he says, will inquire
of anyone familiar with the house as to whether there is anyone
else after them, either still alive and escaping notice inside, or
already dead and emitting a stench. They reply in the words, No
more. Now, this is nothing other than clear proof of utter devas-
tation.
If, on the other hand, it were those in charge of the house who
said this, let them hear from the one giving a reply, Be careful
about mentioning the name of the Lord. There is need to see what
is the meaning of this. Some commentators believe and claim
that when those in charge of the house are about to swear, the re-
spondents caution them against swearing in the name of the Lord.
They proceed to say that the mind of the people of Ephraim had
reached such a stage of ungodliness that they could not tolerate
anyone choosing to name the God of all. In my view, on the con-
trary, such a view is quite silly and unappealing.13 Admittedly, no
one would doubt that the people of Ephraim had abandoned the
love of God; but after suffering punishment and scourging, they
had probably instead come to experience a little fear and arrive
at a better frame of mind, and not express (491) such fierce op-
position to piety towards God. Furthermore—to add something
in addition to what has been said—what need would there have
been for those in charge of the house, when asked whether there was
still someone alive there, or dead but still unnoticed, to reply
also with an oath that there was no one among them?
So what is the meaning of Be careful about mentioning the name
of the Lord? Our view is that it was customary with those of the
bloodline of Israel to call it a curse and blasphemy against God
on the basis of the commandments of the Law. It is recorded
in Leviticus, remember, that two men were fighting together
in the assembly when one of the combatants blasphemed, the
son of an Egyptian woman, and he met his death by stoning.
13. The view he classes “quite silly” is in fact Jerome’s.

God immediately gave a law on this matter in these words: “Any-

one who curses God shall bear the sin, and anyone who names
the Lord’s name shall be put to death.”14 So naming the name of
the Lord is blasphemy, and is expressed in the sacred text in eu-
phemistic terms. Since, however, many people have the custom
if they are in distress to let loose sometimes derogatory words
against God, therefore the one in charge of the house, he says, in
reporting that there is no one with him and what he suffered
from the intolerable calamity, will stop himself from naming the
name of the Lord, that is, from using derogatory words against
God. Now, it is not without purpose for him to highlight the
scourge befalling them, and not idle for him to punish them;
rather, it is useful and necessary. You see, it is possible, and very
easily so, to see from what had happened that the punishment
of the sufferers encouraged reverence (492) in those still alive
and surviving, and caused them to dread further offending God,
even distressing him by mere words, despite their former habit
of doing so incautiously, and proceeding to add insult to injury.
It is therefore far better for those who are truly good and self-
controlled to move to the pursuit of what is beneficial before
punishment and scourging, to anticipate the experience of the
effects of wrath by abandoning depravity, and to opt to perform
what is in truth pleasing to the all-holy God.
Because, lo, the Lord will command, and will strike the great house
with ruin and the small house with cracks (v.11). He clearly threat-
ens the capture, or rather the ruin, of cities along with their
inhabitants. Now, the fact that the event is from God and will
not be an accidental happening is clearly suggested by his com-
manding those able to do damage, on the one hand, and, on the
other, by their easily performing whatever the divine anger de-
termines. By small and great homes he perhaps refers to Ephraim
and Judah; Ephraim was very numerous, comprising ten tribes,
whereas Judah was smaller, comprising two, confined to Jeru-
salem and the tribe of Benjamin. Now, it is logical to take the
view that while the ruined house suffered complete collapse, the
cracked one could rightly be taken as suffering that fate partially.
14. Lv 14.10–16 (where it is the blasphemer’s father who was Egyptian).

The house of (493) Ephraim, or Israel, in fact, experienced to-

tal capture and the irreversible misfortune of war, whereas Ju-
dah did so partially, suffering limited cracks. The Judge is there-
fore righteous and no respecter of persons; clearly, he makes
the punishment of cities and countries commensurate with the
crimes, and inflicts on each one proportionally the punishment
that is capable of bringing benefit. Let us not scorn God in our
knowledge of the strength of the supreme hand; understanding
this is a great virtue.
Will horses chase on rocks? Will they keep silent among mares? Be-
cause you twisted judgment into anger, and the fruit of righteousness
into bitterness (v.12). Of the fact that it is he once again who gives
the command to “strike the great house with ruin and the small
house with cracks” (v.11), even if it is done through the hand
of the Assyrians, he convinces us by saying, Will horses chase on
rocks? It would be like saying clearly, While the horse is a proud
animal and one of the swiftest when the place is suited to racing,
it is not so if it is rocky and very uneven—only if it is smooth and
level. Then how have the Assyrians run over you, despite the
people’s being rough and, as it were, rocky in former times, and
never trampled down by any of the enemy? God was dishonored,
however, and what was rugged and inaccessible he made acces-
sible to horses. Just as horses would not cease being excited, he is
saying, (494) spurred on by natural stimulation at the presence
of mares and very frisky, so the foe would not rest from making
fevered and implacable charges against the enemy. What is the
occasion of this? You, and no one else: you turned my just judg-
ment regarding you into anger, and instead of bearing the fruit
of righteousness, you forced the source of all your prosperity to
wrath by committing offenses deserving of bitterness. The God of
all, you see, had mercy on Israel in its hardship, as in Egypt, but
they did not cease provoking him—the meaning, in my view, of
you twisted judgment into anger.
It was therefore a dreadful crime of ingratitude; it was pun-
ished, and rightly so: the one they should rather have contin-
ued to pacify by praise and gladdened by words of thanksgiving,
how will it not be a source of every trouble for them to provoke
him in their stupidity?
You who rejoice in no good word, who say, Do we not by our own
strength possess horns? Because, lo, I am raising up a nation against
you, house of Israel, and they will oppress you so as to prevent your
entering Hamath and as far as the torrent of the west (vv.13–14). Ac-
cordingly, he says, you twisted judgment into anger, and the fruit of
righteousness into bitterness, taking pride in yourselves and acting
conceitedly against God, exulting in a silly and foolish word. You
claimed, in fact, that I was not the source of the strength in you
and your being able to oppose the enemy; instead, you attribut-
ed the achievements to your own powers, (495) and presumed
to say, Do we not by our own strength possess horns? 15 That would be
like their then thinking of capture and stupidly saying, It is we
who have the power and it is we who shall prevail over the foe;
even if God does not choose to protect us, we are victorious and
should take credit for such splendid achievements, attributing
nothing at all to God. Such senseless thinking and speaking was
therefore arrogance and insolence against God. The divinely
inspired David was particularly wise to give glory to God, who
has power over all, in saying, “You are the boast of their power,”
and again, “Through you we shall prevail over our foes, and by
your name we shall annihilate our adversaries; it is not in my
bow that I trust, nor will my sword save me.” That is to say, all my
strength is from him, and there would be nothing remarkable
from us if he did not accompany and protect us; “the Lord will
crush enemies,” Scripture says.16
Now, since you have now fallen victim to such a degree of
brazen arrogance, he is saying, I am raising up a nation against
you—that of the Assyrians, clearly—and they will oppress you so as
to prevent your entering Hamath and as far as the torrent of the west.
Hamath, then, is one of the cities of that name, located to the
east and at that time subject to the reign of Damascus; it is now
called Epiphaneia, as I said, after Antiochus. By torrent of the west
he refers to the river of the Egyptians, since Egypt lies to the
west of the land of the Jews. Now, since it was the custom of the
15. Jerome did not alert Cyril to the possibility that in the LXX’s reading
“no good word” and “horns,” it is missing the Heb. place names Lo-debar and
Kannaim that appear in our modern versions.
16. Pss 89.17 and 44.5–6; Ex 15.3 LXX.
people of Israel, when war was about to break out upon them,
at one time to seek help from Damascus and Syria and at an-
other to make for the land of the Egyptians, consequently he
inflicted tribulation on them with the result that they were un-
able then to enter Hamath or as far as the torrent of the west—that
is, to call for help from Damascus or the might of the Egyptians.
As Scripture says, remember, “If God shuts them out, who will
open to them?”17 What will be the chance of survival when the
one with power over all drives them to ruin?
17. Jb 12.14.
CHAPTER SEVEN
This is what the Lord showed me: a plague of locusts coming early, and one
young locust King Gog. They will finish eating the grass of the land. I said,
Lord, Lord, be merciful: who will raise up Jacob, for he is tiny? Relent, Lord, in
this matter. This will not happen, says the Lord (vv.1–3).
OD REVEALS to the prophet what nation will be

brought upon the people of Israel, or what harm will
befall them; on the other hand, he follows his custom
of informing him of what will be done through things of which
he has a precise knowledge. The locust and the young locust al-
ways strike shepherds as being frightful, and really are; when
fodder is, as it were, sheared off by them, the flocks then neces-
sarily perish. God therefore indicates the calamities of war to
the prophet as to a shepherd. (497) He indicates the Assyrian
under the guise of a locust, eating and consuming, as it were, the
land by its unlimited numbers; and he calls it early as though
falling like dew and poured out on the land in the manner of
snowflakes. There was, however, he says, one young locust; it was
King Gog. Then God says, They will finish eating the grass of the
land, that is, when they finish eating the numerous herd that
is in Samaria, obviously, and in the cities of Judea. Then, when
he is on the point of adding something else, the prophet inter-
venes, asking him to cease his wrath: Lord, be merciful: who will
raise up Jacob, for he is tiny? That is, if you intend, as I see you do,
to surrender Israel to the enemy as food, it will be quite tiny. In
reply, This will not happen, says the Lord; I would not grow weary
or give up, for I would never cease from chastising offenders.
There being need to investigate who Gog is, our view is that
the blessed prophet Ezekiel also uses him in writing a lament
at God’s direction. In our opinion he is Sennacherib; when the
Rabshakeh mocked God, “an angel of the Lord issued forth and
97
in a single night slew a hundred and eighty-five thousand Assyr-

ians from the camp.”1 Now, we shall quote what is recorded of
him in the account of Ezekiel, which goes as follows: “Thus says
Lord the Lord to Gog: Are you the one of whom I spoke (498)
in former days by my servants the prophets of Israel in those days
and years that I would bring you against them?” Do you hear
how he says it was he and no one else who threatened through
holy prophets to attack the people of Israel? The fact that he was
called to account for his brazen language, and when expecting
to dominate he was unexpectedly done away with and fell in the
land of Israel, he goes on straightway to indicate by saying, “And
you, son of man, prophesy against Gog, prince of Meshech and
Tubal: I shall assemble you, guide you, and lead you to the re-
motest parts of the north, and bring you to the mountains of Is-
rael. I shall strike your bow from your left hand and your arrows
from your right hand. I shall bring you down on the mountains
of Israel, and you will fall along with those about you, and the
nations about you will be given to a large flock of birds. I have
given you to every bird and to all the wild beasts of the plain to
be eaten; you will fall on the open plain, for I have spoken, says
Lord the Lord.” And later again, “On that day I shall give to Gog
a place for burial in Israel, the cemetery of those traveling to the
sea. They will block the mouth of the valley and bury there Gog
and all his multitude, and it will then be called cemetery of Gog.
The house of Israel will bury them so as to be purified in seven
months, and all the people of the land will bury them, (499)
and it will bring them honor on that day, says Lord the Lord.”2
When, in fact, the Assyrians fell, who are referred to as Gog, per-
haps the population of Israel buried the dead to prevent cities
and countries being harmed by the unbearable nature of such a
terrible stench.
This is what the Lord showed me: the Lord called for judgment in fire,
and it devoured the great abyss and devoured a part. I said, Lord, Lord,
cease: who will raise up Jacob, because he is tiny? Relent, Lord, in this.
1. 2 Kgs 19.35.
2. Ezek 39.1–5, 11–13. While the Antiochene commentators are content to
take the Gog of Ezek 38–39 as an historical character in his own right, Cyril pre-
fers to see him as a figure for Sennacherib. None of these commentators sees
the genre of apocalyptic being adopted by the biblical author.
This will not happen, says the Lord (vv.4–6). He envisions Gog, or
the Assyrian, as locust and young locust, and refers to him as judg-
ment by fire; the Babylonians were not content with consuming
Ephraim by the sword, but as far as possible set fire to the cit-
ies in Samaria. So the judgment, he is saying—that is, vengeance
by fire—consumed the great abyss, that is, Ephraim, referred to
as abyss for its great and immeasurable numbers. It consumed
no less, however, the smaller part, that is, Judah and Benjamin;
after burning the numberless cities of Judea, the arrogant Rab-
shakeh went on then to besiege Jerusalem as well. When in turn
the prophet, on the other hand, tries to win over and persuade
the God of all to relent, or change his mind, the God of all says it
would not happen. What, then, shall we in turn learn from this?
That sins beyond telling (500) provoke God terribly, accustomed
though he is to being very tolerant, and render the prayers of
the saints, as it were, inefficacious. He said, for instance, to the
prophet Jeremiah regarding the people of Israel, “As for you, do
not pray for this people, do not ask for them to be shown mercy,
and do not approach me on their behalf, for I shall not hearken
to you.”3
This is what the Lord showed me: a man standing on a wall of ada-
mant, and in his hand adamant. The Lord said to me, What are you
looking at, Amos? I replied, Adamant. The Lord said to me, Lo, I am
placing adamant in the midst of my people Israel; I shall never again
pass them by. Altars of laughter will be destroyed, and the initiations
of Israel will be left desolate, and I shall rise up against the house of
Jeroboam with a sword (vv.7–9). Having presented to the prophet
the Assyrian, or Gog, as locust and young locust, and as judgment
in fire, God now shows himself standing on a wall of adamant, so
that in this he may be understood to be mounted, as it were, on
unbroken power and in possession of unshakable security for
his good things; his strength is divine, after all, and has a solid
base, unable to fall, immune to change, and ever reliable, as I
said, in its good things.
He appears, then, standing on a wall of adamant. Adamant is
unbreakable and resistant to stone, unlikely to yield to what is
tough and inclined to resist, nor (501) does it surrender to oth-
3. Jer 7.16.
er materials its innate power to be able to offer opposition, and

is perhaps inclined to scorn even the strength of fire. Now, since
the one standing on a wall was carrying adamant in his hand, he
asked the prophet a question: What are you looking at, Amos? He
understood and told him what it was, Adamant, and was clearly
obliged to place adamant in the midst of Israel. Now, by adamant
you should understand either the Assyrian for being inflexible
and bold and assigned to this by God, for the Lord of the powers
empowers whomever he chooses, or the unbreakable and strong
Word of God, which “cannot return empty” or be rendered inef-
ficacious, since whatever God utters follows its course to the end
with no one to oppose it, This is what our Lord Jesus Christ also
said: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass
away.”4 He said that he would not pass by Israel; that is, he would
call them to account for their unholy offenses against him, and
instead of showing further long-suffering, he would then surren-
der them to those called against them, along with shrines, altars,
and the idols: Altars of laughter will be destroyed. The making of
every idol is a matter of laughter, therefore; it would in my view
be appropriate to think in particular and specifically of Baal of
Peor as laughter, especially because of the actual ugliness of its
appearance; but he ridicules all idolatry by reference to this in-
dividual example of depravity.5 He therefore says that the altars
will be pulled down, and the initiations of Israel abolished, that is,
the diversions of idolatry and its profane and loathsome myster-
ies. He makes clear mention of the fact that (502) Jeroboam,
bedecked with the trappings of kingship, will proceed to ruin
along with his own gods. We need to remember, however, that
the king referred to here is a different one from the former one,
who was son of Nebat; this one is son of Jehoash.
While this would bear to some extent on the factual account,
he will present Christ, the Lord of the powers, as the true ada-
mant, with unyielding and irresistible strength, vanquishing en-
emies, conquering adversaries, and broken by nothing. He is
set as a chosen stone in the midst of the people; Scripture says,
4. Is 55.11; Mt 24.35.
5. Jerome did not help Cyril to see that the LXX has not recognized in
“laughter” the roots of the name Isaac as found in Gn 21.6.
“he appeared on earth and lived among human beings.” Ac-

cordingly, he is also called in the angel’s statement “Emmanuel,
which means God with us,”6 in fact being with us when he be-
came like us. So he was placed among us by the God and Father
as adamant, he brought down the devil’s unlawful rule, and truly
he abolished the altars of laughter. As soon as Emmanuel shone
forth and spread the light of true knowledge to people through-
out the earth under heaven, he gave us a glimpse of himself as
image and likeness of the Father. Then it was that he dissipated
the darkness of the former error, the loathsome and ungodly
idolatry took its leave, and the very patron of error also fell—Sa-
tan, that is.
Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent to King Jeroboam of Israel, say-
ing, Amos is conspiring against you in the midst of the house of Israel,
and the land cannot bear all (503) his words. For Amos says this: Je-
roboam will fall to the sword, and the people will be taken off in captiv-
ity from its land (vv.10–11). Falsehood is always unsupported by
itself, and the feet of error rest on shaky ground. Accordingly,
it is mocked, incapable of being sustained without support. The
situation of the idolatry of Israel was like that; the diversions
devised by them, golden heifers, came from drunken people,
“objects molded by a craftsman,” as Scripture says,7 products of
human hands, the invention of unholy industry. The blessed
prophets, on the other hand, call on those in the grip of error
to be on the alert, whereas the devotees of the idols, as though
their whole fabric is collapsing, are very indignant, start alarms,
and lament the revival of the deceived, knowing that the pro-
fanity of their worship is easily visible to a sharp and alert mind.
The vile Amaziah, therefore, was afraid that the people who
had been persuaded to worship the golden heifers would be
brought by the prophet’s words to a sound understanding, that
he would be expelled from the priesthood, and the shrines and
their contents would be destroyed. Accordingly, he tried to stir
up Jeroboam, claiming that Amos was rebelling against his king-
ship, as it were, and was presuming to deliver dire and intoler-
6. Is 38.16; Bar 3.37; Mt 1.23.

7. Jer 10.3.
able speeches to the effect that he would die by the sword and
Israel would depart in captivity.
This is the kind of thing that the wretched Jews also did in
concocting calumny against Christ; when he astonished Judea
by his miracles and called everyone to himself, (504) the scoun-
drels admitted the flames of envy to their mind, presented him
to Pilate, and even cried, “If you do not kill him, you are no
friend of Caesar.”8 The crimes against the saints through similar
exploits on the part of all those who constantly oppose the true
religion are therefore of the same kind, since falsehood is every-
where the victim of weakness.
Amaziah said to Amos, On your way, seer; off with you to the land
of Judah; live there and prophesy there, but continue prophesying no fur-
ther in Bethel, because it is a king’s sanctuary and a temple of a king-
dom (vv.12–13). He was now clearly shameless, and pitted his
own envy against the divine words. They used to call the proph-
ets seers, in fact; but instead of deigning to dignify him with the
term for prophecy, he misrepresented him, as it were, as one of
the false prophets, with the order, off with you to the land of Judah.
And he proceeded to say, Live there, in this sense: If it is mere
profit you are after, and by charming some people in word you
seek to earn the necessities of life, leave Samaria and speak to
those of the tribe of Judah, and continue prophesying no further in
Bethel, because it is a king’s sanctuary. By sanctuary he meant “of-
fering,” or “place of offering,” for it was there that the former
Jeroboam offered the golden heifer; and to present it as a crime
on the prophet’s part, and to give honor to the ruler, he said,
it is a temple of a kingdom. You are upsetting royal privilege; you
are stirring up trouble (505) by recklessly opposing the rulers’
wishes. Take careful note, therefore, how this statement of God
to Israel is true: “You made the consecrated ones drink wine,
and you gave the prophets this instruction: Do not prophesy.”9
Amos said in reply to Amaziah, I was not a prophet nor son of a
prophet; instead, I was a goatherd, a picker of mulberries. The Lord
took me from the sheep, and the Lord said to me, Go, prophesy to the
8. Jn 19.12.
9. 2.12.
people of Israel. Now hear the word of the Lord: You say, Do not proph-
esy against the people of Israel, and do not preach against the house of
Jacob. Hence the Lord says this: Your wife will be a prostitute in the city,
and your sons and your daughters will fall to the sword; your land will
be measured by line, and you will die in an unclean land, and Israel
will be taken away in captivity from its land (vv.14–17). When the
practitioners of depravity inflict insults on honest people, they
accuse them of their own behavior, and by censuring them for
the ugliness of their own faults they think they are in the grip of
a drunken rage. They deceive themselves, however, painting, as
it were, a picture of themselves, and revealing what they are like
to others. In this case we shall find Amaziah in his folly having
just this experience; as a false prophet, and attending on the al-
tars of the idols, he gathered up the parts and (506) leftovers of
slain animals, and was an inveterate addict of base gain. Yet he
mocked Amos, and told him he should leave Samaria and go to
Judah, if he wanted, and live there; it is there, he said, you will
have no difficulty speaking falsehood, defrauding many, collect-
ing contributions for your living and, more so, finding the ne-
cessities of life. The phrase Live there, in fact, reflects such an
attitude, as I said before.
Such was not the prophet’s purpose, however, nor was he
interested in easy money; instead, he served the Lord’s wishes,
and consequently he filled the role befitting a prophet. He tried
to bring that out very modestly by saying, I was not a prophet nor
son of a prophet—that is, by upbringing or inspiration, like Elisha
the son of Elijah. Instead, he was a goatherd, living a simple rural
life without malice, with quite little for sustenance, content with
the produce of the fields that no one would even buy, namely,
mulberries. When those in charge of flocks are at leisure, they
make for the shade of the trees and pass the time, as it were,
with the temptations of idleness by picking the fruit and satisfy-
ing the need of their stomachs as it arises. When I was one such,
he says, God made me a prophet according to his will, and bade
me inform the people of Israel of their impending fate that
would shortly come to pass. You, on the other hand, who pit
your will against that from on high, tell me to keep quiet. Now,
consequently, the Lord says this: Your wife (507) will be a prostitute
in the city, obviously a victim of enemy outrage, subject of neces-

sity to the unbridled lewdness of her captors. Your children also
will be done away with, falling to the sword. In addition, your
land will be measured by line; that is, it will be subject to tribute,
and will pay taxes to its overlord. Furthermore, you who now
believe you are dwelling in Bethel and occupy a king’s sanctuary
will go off into captivity and die in misfortune, never to return;
after all, how could you return, when you abide as a corpse in
foreign parts and the unclean land of the enemy? Israel itself will
be taken away in captivity after having chosen you as prophet and
patron of the holy ones.
It is therefore a serious fault to oppose the divine decisions
and proceed incautiously to take it upon oneself on occasion
even to punish the holy ones who interpret God’s will; it has
even been said to them by him, “The one who touches you will
be like the one touching the apple of his eye.”10 Now, observe
how the holy ones have a single, praiseworthy purpose, namely,
to minister without flinching to God’s words and set no store
by human considerations, even if some people afflict them with
war and tribulation. Blessed Amos, note, paid no heed to the
knavery of Amaziah; instead of keeping quiet, he vigorously de-
livered a curse on him. The divinely inspired disciples, when
at one time bidden by the scribes and Pharisees to keep quiet,
openly declared, “As to whether it is right in God’s sight to lis-
ten to you rather than to God, you must judge; as for us, we can-
not keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard.”11
10. Zec 2.8.

11. Acts 4.19–20.
CHAPTER EIGHT
This is what the Lord showed me: a fowler’s basket. He said, What do you see,
Amos? I replied, A fowler’s basket. The Lord said to me, The end has come for
my people Israel: I shall never again pass their way. The ceilings of the Temple
will lament on that day, says the Lord; the fallen will be numerous in every
place, and I shall cast silence (vv.1–3).
HE PROPHET’S discourse continues on its way; the

matters that have been touched on received adequate
treatment, and the order of the visions is adjusted to
the purpose proper to it. So he saw the vast numbers of the As-
syrians like an early plague of locusts, and with them Gog, or
Sennacherib, described under the form of a young locust on
account of the creature’s vigorous leaping on the ground; the
arrogant person is something like this, ever leaping on high,
declining to live the life of lowly people. He also saw judgment
referred to as fire, and adamant placed in the midst of Israel
standing on the wall of adamant.
What next? A fowler’s basket. I repeat what I said initially, that,
to the prophet raised as a rustic, God reveals mysteries through
what happens particularly in the countryside. Fowlers, you see,
and what is caught by them—birds, I mean—would be suited
not to city folk but to those whose interests and lifestyle were
the countryside and what is in it. Now, (509) the fact that the
chosen race of those in Samaria—I mean the arrogant and the
high flyers like birds—would along with the masses without any
doubt be caught for slaughter, as though by the hand of fowl-
ers, the force of the visions suggested in obscure fashion, the
vision being a fowler’s basket. The God of all is thus saying, The
end has come for my people Israel, and that he would never again
pass over their crimes; he mentioned that even the Temple it-
self would be burnt down, housing as it did the golden heifer
105
in Bethel, when he said, The ceilings of the Temple will lament on

that day. Now, ceilings normally referred to the roof, or the part
around it, cleverly made of varied materials by the artifice of
the builders according to the verse in the Song of Songs, “Our
beams are of cedar, our ceilings of cypress.”1 He says the ceilings
will lament, uttering not an articulate sound, but rather one that
comes from the creaking and groaning of collapse. Since the
fallen will be numerous in every place, he says, I shall cast silence; be-
cause the whole place will be given over to desolation, with no
inhabitants, the silence, or tranquillity, will be deafening, as in
deserts and untrackable wastes.
The God of all, therefore, is by no means at a loss if he choos-
es to chastise sinners; rather, many and varied are the chastise-
ments available to him, and nothing will stand in the way of his
imposing penalties on the offender. On the other hand, the one
who averts wrath by repentance will escape, by winning over to
clemency the Lord, who is kindly and compassionate.2 (510)
Hear this, you who oppress the needy in the morning and withdraw
the rights of the poor to the land, who say, When will the moon pass
and we shall engage in commerce? When will the sabbath come and we
shall open the stores so as to set the measure short, increase the weight,
make the balance unfair so as to get ownership of the poor with silver
and of the lowly for a pair of sandals, and to trade by every kind of
sale? (vv.4–6) One of the Pharisees once asked our Lord Jesus
Christ what is the first and greatest commandment in the Law,
and was told that the first commandment is this: “You shall love
the Lord your God with all your heart and all your strength, and
the second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
You would see (511) the divinely inspired Paul himself also re-
lating every form of virtue to love, as it were, confidently call-
ing it greater than both faith and hope,3 and clearly taking it
for granted that the person lacking it would be nothing, even if
giving his possessions to those who ask, even if giving his body
to persecutors to be burnt. Everything great and remarkable in
1. Song 1.17.
2. It is a suitable moment for Cyril to close his third tome on Amos, who now
begins a fresh appeal for social justice.
3. Cf. Mt 22.36–39; 1 Cor 13.13.
us, therefore, is completely the result of love for God and the
brethren. If, on the other hand, you were at variance with the
laws of love, and were seen not to share in its blooms, you would
be completely useless and would rightly be considered to be in-
volved in every form of depravity, since wherever good is left
untried, there sin truly blossoms.
Note, therefore, the overall plan of the text. He initially ac-
cused Ephraim, or Israel, of godlessness, remember, and ex-
posed them adoring heifers and having no love for the one
God, who is divine by nature, doubtless because of their attach-
ment to the works of their own hands. He now presents also
their truly unholy treatment even of their brethren and their
complete lack of love for the neighbor. He mounts his charge
in general, very clearly and in brief, yet lists the crimes; conse-
quently, he says, Hear this, you who oppress the needy in the morning
and withdraw the rights of the poor to the land. It is as if he were to
say, The statement is addressed to you in your great zeal to wrest
the land from the weak and withdraw the rights of the needy
in the morning. While some people, you see, are lovers of the
moderation that is pleasing to God, offer thanksgiving to God
for the dawning of the day, worship him, pray to him, and de-
vote attention to him for every praiseworthy happening, others
have an eye only to dominating people, think nothing is com-
parable to oppressing them, and make it their endeavor from
the very moment of leaping out of bed at the break of day to
proceed to their customary depravity and oppression of whom-
ever they can. It is as if they blame night for interrupting them
and not giving them the opportunity for oppression sufficient
for their needs. These are the ones who say, When will the moon
pass and we shall engage in commerce? This is the wish of money-
lenders and misers, mean and sordid people, who are always
anxious for the end of the month so that by amassing money
bit by bit they may make their own gain more substantial, and
by piling interest upon interest they grind down weaker people
in defiance of the Law’s clear statement, “If you lend money to
your neighbor, you shall not be insistent with him, you shall not
exact interest from him.”4
4. Ex 22.25.
But while some ask, When will the moon pass and we shall en-
gage in commerce? others, who are affected with an equal or even
worse ailment, in thrall to base gain, ask in turn, When will the
sabbath come and we shall open the stores so as to set the measure short,
increase the weight, and make the balance unfair? There is need to
explain what this means: the sabbath they wanted to pass so that
they might open the stores so as to set the measure short and increase
the weight. The text of Deuteronomy says, “Every seventh year
you shall grant a remission of debts. This is the manner of the
remission: you shall remit every debt your neighbor owes you,
and (513) you shall not require it of your brother, because re-
mission has been proclaimed by the Lord your God. Of a for-
eigner you shall exact what is owed you by him; you shall re-
mit your claim on your brother.” And likewise further on, “If
there is among you anyone in need from your brethren in one
of your cities in the land that the Lord your God is giving you,
you shall not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted toward your needy
brother. You shall open your hand to him, willingly lending him
whatever is required to meet the need.” It gives an exhortation
in the words, “Be careful to avoid keeping an unspoken thought
hidden in your heart, The seventh year is approaching, the year
of remission, and your eye will look with malice on your needy
brother, and you do not give him anything. He will cry against
you to the Lord, and it will be a serious sin for you.”5
The Law therefore ordered cancellation of debts in sab-
bath years, as it were, commanding it be done every seventh
year. There was then a reminder to be not malicious but open-
handed to those in need, even if the year of remission was not
far off. People with large and abundant stores were tight-fist-
ed, and anxiously awaited the seventh year, which was already
at their doors; they then lent money in such a way as to avoid
the debt being imposed in the times of remission. These are the
ones who asked, When will the sabbath come—that is, the sabbath
of years—and we shall open the stores? The offense did not stop
at that; instead, they took advantage of the misfortunes of the
poor, (514) giving portions with short measures and taking with
5. Dt 15.1–3, 7–9.
weights that were not equal but even heavier and much weightier
than the original, despite God’s saying through the wise Moses,
“There shall not be in your bag a large weight and a small weight;
there shall not be in your house a large measure and a small
measure. You shall have a fair and just weight, and you shall have
a fair and just measure, so that your days may be long in the land
that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, because
everyone who does this, everyone who commits injustice, is an
abomination to the Lord your God.”6
They placed no importance on righteousness, however; in-
stead, with an eye to profit they oppressed the needy, getting
the better, as it were, of the miserable, and using them like san-
dals. “The poor are the pastures of the rich,” Scripture says. The
author of Proverbs brings us no little benefit in saying, “Let a
man’s heart ponder justice so that his steps may be guided by
God. For a man’s ways are before God’s eyes, and he surveys
all his paths.” Since God observes, then, and carefully scruti-
nizes all our affairs, truly good and prudent people should fol-
low straight paths and consider nothing to be as important as
love for God and brethren. Love for God involves a faith that is
genuine and lasting, and love for the brethren is linked to the
achievements of righteousness, for the statement is true, “Love
does no wrong to a neighbor.” 7
Now, in my view, people who wish to be well thought of and
lead a lawful (515) life should “clothe themselves in compas-
sion,” carefully avoid accursed avarice, and make available their
goods to the needy. By observing in this way the law of love, in
fact, they will be illustrious and held worthy of imitation by God
and man. Scripture says, remember, “He distributed his goods
and gave to the needy; his righteousness abides forever.”8
The Lord swears by the arrogance of Jacob: All your deeds will ulti-
mately not be forgotten, and the land will not be alarmed for this; all
of its inhabitants will grieve, and the end will rise up like a river, and
6. Dt 25.13–16.
7. Sir 13.19; Prv 15.29, 5.21, and 4.26 LXX; Rom 13.10.
8. Col 3.12; Ps 112.9. This time Cyril has warmed to Amos’s strictures against
social injustice (by his usual means of lengthy scriptural quotation rather than
his own parenesis). Neither Jerome nor Antioch prompted this, Theodoret not
even quoting the text of Amos.
subside like a river of Egypt (vv.7–8). God charges the descendants

of Jacob with a crime of pride, scorning the divine laws, com-
pletely spurning the Lord’s wishes, and trampling even on love
for brethren. So he swears by the arrogance of Jacob. Not that we
claim that the God of all takes some people’s pride as an oath;
he swears by it in the sense of determining an appropriate pen-
alty for it. Now, what does he actually swear? Not to bypass the
crimes and show them tolerance forever—the sense of ultimate-
ly, in my view, being “forever,” “reaching a conclusion.” He next
says that with the removal of forgetfulness regarding their un-
holy exploits, how would the land not be filled with panic once
the foe strike it, and instead they will grieve for their endurance
of a harsh and ineluctable (516) calamity? What, in turn, is this
calamity? There will rise up on them the end, he says, like a river of
Egypt, submerging everything, and drowning the whole land of
Samaria with its numerous floods that cannot be resisted; and
in similar fashion it will subside, dragging down everything that
falls and sparing nothing at all.9 Sennacherib, remember, came
up with his countless hordes, covering the land like a river, and
subjecting everything to himself; and he went back to his own
country, drawing a vast and innumerable people into captivity.
When we scorn God, therefore, we shall find the powers
within us rebelling, the result being that we experience tumult
and grief, falling under their power, as it were, and of neces-
sity reduced to service befitting a slave. They will, in fact, op-
pose us like irresistible water dragging us to ruin and causing
us to perish by drowning. “Rivers will not close us in,” Scripture
says, nor “will the depths submerge or the tempest overwhelm”
those bent on pleasing God. Then it is, in fact, then it is that by
vigorously casting off the demons’ oppression and taking very
little notice of their knavery we shall rejoice to say, “If the Lord
had not been with us, let Israel say, if the Lord had not been
with us when people rose up against us, they would surely have
swallowed us alive”; and again, “Our soul crossed over the tor-
9. The LXX has difficulty rendering v.8, where our Heb. mentions “the
Nile.” Various forms of the LXX differ also as to whether an interrogative is in-
volved (Pusey’s lemma not in accord, it seems, with Cyril’s commentary). Theo-
dore, unusually, declines to cite the text, and Jerome is of no help to Cyril.
rent, surely our soul crossed over the rising water.”10 In other
words, if the water of the devil’s insults—that is, the onrush of
passions—rises up and cannot be resisted by our minds, (517)
through Christ we shall succeed; we shall cross over the onset of
his malice like some torrent.
On that day, says the Lord God, the sun will set at midday, and
the light on the earth will be darkened in daytime. I shall turn your
feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation. I shall bring
sackcloth on all loins, and baldness on every head. I shall make Jacob
like mourning for a beloved, and those with him like a day of sorrow
(vv.9–10). This gives rise to a double interpretation. It is gener-
ally the custom for the holy prophets, you see, especially at the
end of their discourse, to mention Christ and give an explana-
tion of the mystery concerning him, even if still shrouded in
obscurity. So come now, considering both meanings, let us state
what is likely. We shall first detail the sequence of the passage,
and then proceed to apply the sense of the words to the inter-
pretation about Christ. On that day, then, when the end comes
upon all of Samaria like a river of Egypt, a terrible and profound
darkness will descend on all its inhabitants, so to speak, like sun-
set, though it is midday. We do not claim that the light of the sun
really set; rather, it was the disaster of war that came upon the
inhabitants of Samaria like darkness; an overwhelming grief dis-
turbs the mind (518) when it disappears, the heart is darkened
by a fate beyond hope and expectation, and the severity of the
calamities produces a kind of mist and gloom in the hearts of
those affected.11
They will therefore see darkness, he says, even if the sun is
still at midday. Those in former times, on the other hand, who
celebrated feasts in splendid style, always making use of strings,
lyres, and the most melodious songs, will desist from such di-
versions and instead mock them, turning their songs into lamen-
tations, adopting the weeds of mourning, namely, sackcloth and
10. Is 43.2; Pss 69.15 and 124.1–5.
11. The apocalyptic description has Cyril (and his Antiochene counterparts)
struggling to give adequate comment; he settles for an historical substrate re-
layed in figurative fashion, though promising also a christological elabora-
tion—“customary,” he says, when a prophet nears his conclusion, though still
“shrouded in obscurity.”
baldness. Now, it was a shameful thing to go baldheaded; the

divinely inspired Job, for instance, cut his hair when his chil-
dren perished.12 The text says, I shall make Jacob like mourning for
a beloved; that is to say, those who see him in this condition will
grieve over him as a mother or father over the loss of an only
child who is beloved. And those with him like a day of sorrow: those
from neighboring Judah and Benjamin who worshiped idols
along with Ephraim and were with him in this respect, will be
found to have a day of sorrow and suffer pangs, as it were, singing
songs of troubles, grief, and hardship. Sennacherib had ravaged
Samaria, remember, and taken all their cities; then he sent the
Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem, where he threatened a
dire fate to those on the wall. He so shattered the indifference
of the residents of Jerusalem that they immediately expected to
perish along with the Samaritans. Then it was that King Hezeki-
ah in deep depression sent someone to the prophet Isaiah with
the words, “Today is a day of tribulation, reproach, reproof, and
(519) wrath, because the pregnant woman is suffering birth
pangs and has no strength to give birth.”13 He therefore speaks
of a day of sorrow as though of the pangs and depression of child-
birth. They were thus in a day of sorrow, the residents of Jerusa-
lem who expected to perish, following Ephraim in the practice
of idolatry.
While this is relevant and applicable, as I said, to those at
that time who provoked the Lord of all against themselves, you
could also apply it no less to those who offended Emmanuel
himself at the time of the Incarnation. They were the ones, in
fact, who oppress the needy in the morning, that is, those who were
reluctant to choose to live a lawful life, who had no other con-
cern than to undermine justice, and presumed to set at naught
what had been clearly determined by the divine commandments
and to oppress consistently any weaker people they chose. They
were the ones who would ask, “When will the moon pass and we
shall engage in commerce? When will the sabbath come and we
shall open the stores so as to set the measure short, increase the
weight, make the balance unfair?” (v.5) The fact that the scribes
12. Jb 1.20.
13. 2 Kgs 18.28–35; Is 37.3.
and Pharisees were very greedy and miserly we would learn in

many ways by concentrating on the sense of the Gospel com-
positions. On the one hand, Christ recommended the lovers of
the goodness that is pleasing to God to be seen to be above base
gain and freed from all avarice, while on the other he urged
them to go still further and provide and distribute one’s goods
to the needy. What did the evangelist say? “The scribes and the
Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard this and ridiculed
him.”14 It would therefore be rightfully said of them, “The Lord
swears by the arrogance of Jacob: Your deeds will ultimately not
be forgotten.” It was truly pride for them to set at naught divine
laws and, what is still worse than this, then to rage against Christ
himself. Consequently, their sins will not now pass into oblivion;
the “end has risen up” once more against them, as it were, and
the Roman war like an overflowing “river” (vv.7–8).
Now, when they consigned the Lord of all to crucifixion, the
sun set on them, and the light was darkened; there was “darkness
from noon till three in the afternoon.” This was the clear sign
to the Jews of the spiritual darkening of the souls of those who
had crucified him. “A hardening has come upon part of Israel,”
remember, as the divinely inspired Paul writes, and “to this very
day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their mind.” Blessed
David also cursed them, saying out of love for God, “Let their
eyes be darkened so that they do not see, and forever bend
their back.” Now, the fact that they have also been mourning,
turning their feasts to gloom, would be clear also from Christ’s
words to the women weeping over him as he was being led out
to the cross: “Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but
weep for yourselves and for your children.”15 They have in fact
been mourning as they perished along with the city and the di-
vine Temple itself as Romans incinerated everything.
Accordingly, he says, I shall make him (Emmanuel, that is) like
mourning for a beloved, (521) and those with him like a day of sorrow:
the believers mourned Jesus crucified, and in their grief the
14. Lk 16.14. In place of recognition of the apocalyptic character of the

verses, Cyril is launching into quite fevered polemic against leaders of the Jews
of NT times. Theodoret will learn this tendency from him.
15. Mt 27.45; Rom 11.25; 2 Cor 3.15; Ps 69.24; Lk 23.28.
women stood at a distance, Mary Magdalene and likewise Mary

the mother of James and some others with them. Creation itself
also mourned its Lord: the sun was darkened, rocks were split,
the Temple itself took on the appearance of mourners when the
veil was rent “from top to bottom.” God suggested as much to us
in the statement of Isaiah, “I shall clothe heaven with darkness,
and make sackcloth its clothing.” So the mourning for him was as
for a beloved; and those with him, the disciples, are made like a day
of sorrow. After all, who could doubt that they also were mourn-
ing? In fact, it was to people grieving that the women reported
the resurrection of Christ; then it was that, after briefly refusing
to accept it, they ran to the tomb. Perhaps it was to these wom-
en as they brought the good news of the resurrection that the
prophet Isaiah said in spirit, “Hurry, you women coming from
a spectacle; this is a people without understanding (the people
of the Jews, obviously); therefore, he who made them will not
have compassion on them, and the one who formed them will
not have mercy.”16
Lo, the days are coming, says the Lord, and I shall send hunger on
the land—not a hunger for bread or a thirst for water, but a hunger for
hearing the word of the Lord. The waters will be shaken as far as the sea,
(522) and from north to east they will run about in search of the word
of the Lord, and will not find it (vv.11–12). Scripture says, “Lord,
in distress we remembered you, your correcting us by slight
distress.” In his knowledge that distress is excellent and truly
beneficial, the divinely inspired David also said at one time, “In
distress I called on the Lord,” and likewise at another, “It was
good that you humbled me so that I should come to learn your
ordinances.”17 Distress brings us to our senses, you see, and
withdraws us from the toils of indifference by inducing us to
love the practice of goodness and by submitting the inflexible
and rebellious person to the yoke of holiness and obedience
out of necessity and fear.
When Samaria had been laid waste, therefore, and the Bab-
ylonian had burnt its cities, even if at that time some people
wanted to learn what was God’s will, and what to do and say to
16. Mk 15.40; Mt 27.51; Is 50.3 and 27.11.

17. Is 26.16; Pss 118.5 and 119.71.
gain mercy from him so as to be delivered from his wrath, there

would be no one to tell them, he says. In fact, I shall give rise
in them to a hunger for the words of God such that no prophet
at all would be found, even if they should travel from west to
east, from south to north. This resembles what was said by God
to blessed Ezekiel: “I shall bind up your tongue; you shall be
speechless and not be a man reproving them, because they are
a rebellious house”;18 that is to say, once they had spurned the
word from God, they would have no rightful claim to receive it
even if willing to. Now, by waters being shaken he refers to the im-
measurable mass of the Jews being affected by panic (523) and
then resembling the waves of the sea that are tossed in all direc-
tions by the gusts of wind.
A different interpretation: when Christ was crucified, the
wretched Jews had a hunger for words from God; there was
no longer any prophet in their midst, no teacher with precise
knowledge of the way to render digestible the density of the
Mosaic narrative and to clarify the mysteries buried in the text.
They had not given credence to Christ’s words: “I am the bread
of life come down from heaven to give life to the world.” Con-
sequently, they heard him also speaking of old through Isaiah:
“Lo, my servants will eat, but you will go hungry; my servants will
drink, but you will go thirsty.” It is true, in fact, that “the Lord
will never let the righteous go hungry, but he will thwart the
life of the impious” by not sending down to them the word that
nourishes their mind to have a longing for virtue. As the Savior
himself said, remember, “Not by bread alone will a person live,
but by every word that issues from the mouth of God.”19
On that day the beautiful young women and the young men will faint
for thirst, and those who swear by the propitiation of Samaria, and will
say, As your god lives, Dan will fall, and as your god lives, Beer-sheba
will fall, never to rise again (vv.13–14). The passage highlights the
seizure by the enemy of their sons and daughters, the sense of
the beautiful young women and the young men, for we shall find that
people of this age in particular (524) were normally taken off
into captivity. On the other hand, the passage probably conveys
18. Ezek 3.26.

19. Jn 6.48, 32–33; Is 65.13; Prv 10.3; Mt 4.4; Dt 8.3.
something else as well of the hidden meaning. There were some

young women living in the shrines of the idols, and with them
youngsters or adolescent boys, through whom the dabblers in
magic thought something could be learned from the demons;
by calling on them as though on uncontaminated bodies, they
tried to get a response in unspoken whispers. It is said that some
who were willing to be involved in the sacrilege prophesied in a
similar manner. Accordingly, the fact that there will be a failure
in Israel, not only of the word from God through holy prophets
that was both useful and necessary for reform, but also of the
one from the false seers or demons that came to some through
girls and boys, he suggests by saying, On that day the beautiful
young women will faint, as if to say, your beautiful young women
will perish along with the others.
The passage also makes ironic reference to the swearing by
the propitiation of Samaria on the part of young men along with
the maidens.20 It was their custom, you see, to take oaths by the
gods in Samaria, or the heifers, and perhaps by way of mockery
of God they applied to the statues the words, As your god lives,
Dan, and as your god lives, Beer-sheba. These were cities of Judea,
situated at the very extremities of the country, setting the limits,
as it were, of the land from the south to the sea. So it would be
like saying, As the god of the land of the Jews lives—that is, the
calf; the interior is included in mention of the extremities, and
there is reference to the whole.21 He says, the young women and
the young men will faint for thirst, no longer supplied with the false
prophecies of the demons on account of (525) their being sub-
ject to the foreigners, or victims of the sword, or experiencing
infamous and intolerable captivity.
When Christ was crucified, along with the sun throughout
the world and its visible light, spiritual shining and enlighten-
ment through the Spirit also set on the Jews; they were deprived
of the divine word and consolation from on high. So the maid-
20. The Heb. reads “shame,” not “propitiation,” as Jerome observed.

21. This is a somewhat different explanation of the mention of these cities
from before; Amos had mentioned Beer-sheba at 5.5 as a place of illicit pil-
grimage for northerners (cf. 2 Kgs 23.8), as Dan had been the site of one of
Jeroboam’s golden calves (1 Kgs 12.30).
ens together with the young men among them failed—that is, the
fine and estimable souls; their being uncontaminated is suggest-
ed by mention of their maidenhood, and their strength and vigor
by mention of their youth. After all, who was holy among them,
since the Law could make nothing perfect,22 nor did it suffice
for righteousness for them? Whence would come their spiritual
health and vigor of mind when they were unacquainted with the
conspicuous achievements of the Gospel way of life? Would they
not all be torpid, in sin, and slothful in thinking? How could
there be any doubt of this? They were fainting for thirst, there-
fore, and it is not to them that the statement is made, “Draw
water with joy from the springs of salvation”; instead, “I com-
manded the clouds to rain no rain on them” because they were
disobedient to Christ himself when he cried aloud in the words,
“If any thirst, let them come to me and drink.” They abandoned
him, despite his being “a fountain of life, and they dug broken
cisterns unable to hold water,” giving heed to human teachings
and commandments,23 which are unable to give water for life,
or to bring those using them to salvation.
22. Heb 7.19.

23. Is 12.3 and 5.6; Jn 7.37; Jer 2.13; Is 29.13; Mt 15.9.
C OMMENTAR Y ON AMOS,
CHAPTER NINE
I saw the Lord standing at the altar. He said, Strike the altar, and the gates will
be shaken; break it on everyone’s heads, and their survivors I shall kill with the
sword (v.1).
ITH THE EYE of their mind enlightened by the torch

of the Spirit, the blessed prophets were not only ben-
eficiaries of knowledge of the future, but also at times
had a vision of the events themselves as though they were paint-
ed on a tablet. While themselves aghast, they strove to make the
listeners similarly affected in their earnest efforts to clarify the
force of the visions. Blessed Amos had thus said, “The Lord said
to me, The end has come for my people Israel: I shall never
again pass their way. The ceilings of the Temple will lament
on that day, says the Lord; the fallen will be numerous in ev-
ery place, and I shall cast silence.”1 And, lo, he sees what had
been foretold taking effect in actual events in keeping with the
prophecy; he says that he had a vision of the Lord standing at
the altar as if beginning the overthrow and bidding it to hap-
pen. Now, God was standing at the altar, not to pay it honor—a
silly interpretation; it would be most absurd to think and claim
that God was paying respect and honor to the altars of idols:
how could he honor the altar of the heifers? Rather, he stood
there for the purpose of destroying and bringing it to the (527)
ground.
Consequently, as if on the point of beginning the overthrow,
he gave the prophet instructions in these words: Strike the al-
tar; and he said, Let the gates shake and then the temple totter
as though on the point of immediate collapse. And break it on
everyone’s heads, that is, begin with the more prominent among
1. 8.2–3.
118
them, and strike the leaders, who act as head of the others. The
survivors will perish along with them and share the fate of the lead-
ers, falling to the sword themselves. It is like what was said in
Ezekiel to the six men who began from the gate facing north,
carrying axes and following the man clad in the frock; it was
said to them by God, “Pass through the city behind him and
kill; show no pity or mercy. Slay old and young, women and chil-
dren without exception, beginning with my sanctuary.”2 Do you
observe how he made the leaders the first spoils of the wrath,
or those who gave the impression of being venerable and holy
as a result perhaps of enjoying also the glory of priesthood, or
distinguished by other honors? As such, you see, they were heads
of the others.
Now, this happened also to those who vented their frenzy on
our Lord Jesus Christ. The wretches set little store by Law and
Prophets, remember, and did not accept Christ, the fulfillment
of Law and Prophets; instead, though clearly aware that he was
the heir, (528) they cast him out of the vineyard and eventually
crucified him. So they were given over to devastation by the Ro-
man generals, that celebrated Temple was burnt down, the altar
in it was thrown down, the gates shaken, and the leaders perished
along with the masses, for war spared none of their number.
Each of the faithful, too, if they are a temple of God by hav-
ing him dwelling within, or are considered an altar by offering
their own life to God, but then provoke God by setting their
gaze on indifference, will be reduced to nothing and suffer
dreadful overthrow. The Lord is no respecter of persons, after
all, and “the righteousness of the righteous will not save them
on the day they are led astray,” as Scripture says.3
No fugitive of their number will escape, and no survivor of their
number will be saved. If they dig into Hades, from there will my hand
snatch them; if they climb to heaven, from there I shall bring them down.
If they hide on the top of Carmel, from there I shall search out and take
them; if they hide from my sight at the bottom of the sea, there I shall
2. Ezek 9.5–6.
3. Ezek 33.12. Cyril reverts to the hermeneutical process he prefers, mov-
ing from the historical substrate to a New Testament fulfillment and then to a
spiritual application.
command the sea serpent, and it will bite them. If they go in captivity in
front of their enemies, there I shall command the sword, and it will kill
them. I shall fix my eyes on them for trouble and not for good (vv.1–4).
It will then perhaps in good time be said to those of their num-
ber who hear the hymn to God of blessed David, (529) “Where
am I to go from your Spirit? And where am I to flee from your
face? If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I descend to Hades,
you are present. If I were to take my wings at dawn and dwell at
the farthest limits of the sea, even there your hand would guide
me and your right hand hold me.” The Divinity is all-seeing, in
fact, and as well is all-powerful; you could not escape the notice
of the unsleeping eye; he said, remember, “I am a God who is
nearby, not a God who is far off; surely nothing will be hidden
from me?” No one would escape the calamity befalling them
by divine decree; Scripture says, “Who will avert the uplifted
hand?”4 In other words, what stratagem would be of any good to
us? What kind of assistance would be of assistance to us if God
determines we should suffer?
Accordingly, the fact that planning and scheming and every
form of deliberation are completely useless for the victims of di-
vine wrath he makes clear by saying, No one would escape, even
if they were to hide in Hades—a hyperbolic expression—even
if climbing to heaven and passing to the top of Carmel; wherever
they went, they would be seized. Even if they went into the sea,
they would fall foul of the sea serpent, or according to the He-
brew text they would be handed over to the huge fish; even if
they were among enemies and then in captivity, miserably subject-
ed to the yoke of slavery, even so, he says, it would not suffice as
a penalty for them, for the terror of the sword would beset them.
(530) The God of all would not cease fixing his eyes on them, an
index of anger and threat; we, too, sometimes fasten our eye
on offenders, regarding them with a fierce and unsmiling look.
Since God surveys also good and righteous people, however, he
distinguishes between the different glances by saying for trouble
and not for good; he regards them, he is saying, not to grant them
anything good, but so that they may receive a penalty and ret-
4. Ps 139.7–10; Jer 23.23 and 32.27; Is 14.27.

ribution determined by him that is unchanging and, as it were,

fixed.
The Lord, the Lord God almighty, he who touches the earth and
moves it; and all its inhabitants will mourn; its end will rise up like
a river, and fall like a river of Egypt (v.5). Out of love the prophet
does not allow the listeners to disbelieve his words as unlikely
to take effect. This was the mark of a man recommending that
they learn to choose the better part and, out of respect, to do
what is to their advantage so that God, for his part, might put
an end to the effects of wrath, hold the disaster in check, and
(531) accept their repentance, as he always has compassion on
those willing to be converted. He therefore mentions that God
is powerful, and is quite capable of bringing to pass what he
said: The Lord, he says, the Lord God almighty, he who touches the
earth and moves it. It is as if to say, Do not think of someone of-
fended in your terms; the Lord is no human being. Instead, he
is the Lord of hosts, who with his own hand touches the earth—
Samaria, I mean—and moves it, not causing it to experience a
normal earthquake, but shaking it all with war and insuffer-
able calamities and making it totter. Consequently, he says, all
its inhabitants will mourn; its end will rise up like a river of Egypt,
overflowing and flooding everything; in this way it will recede
in turn, dragging and carrying down everything in similar fash-
ion. Now, we remarked that he compares Sennacherib, the vast
numbers of the Assyrians, and the war waged by them against
Samaria to the waves of the rivers.
While flight will be pointless for those offending and distress-
ing God, the hand of retribution will be utterly strong and in-
eluctable, nor would there be any assistance or consolation for
those in its grasp. “If he closes the door on you,” Scripture says,
remember, “who will open it?” It would instead be far better to
avert the wrath by recourse to what is pleasing and acceptable
to him. Now, this would happen in proper fashion if we were to
forget the past,5 disown shameful practices, and gain luster for
ourselves by increase in virtue; then it is that we shall escape the
effects of his anger, and easily bring the Creator, who is kindly by
5. Jb 12.14; Phil 3.14.

nature, (532) to accord us oversight that is loving and merciful.

He who builds his ascension into heaven and his promise on the
foundations of the earth, who summons the water of the sea and pours
it out on the face of the earth, the Lord God almighty is his name
(v.6). He continues with a multitude of words to alarm those
who abandon God and force them into a change for the bet-
ter by skillfully outlining the pre-eminence and might of the
divine nature. He endeavors to prove that without question he
implements his promises, with no one to impede him; “he who
touches the earth and moves it” (v.5), he said, in the metaphors
just now explained by us. He is the same one who builds his as-
cension into heaven, as if to say, He possesses complete author-
ity to mount the heavens themselves and to gain such power
over all things as to hold in subjection to himself creation below
and also those in heaven, that is, the blessed multitude of the
holy angels. It should be realized that the divinely inspired Ja-
cob also witnessed this in an obscure fashion; there was a ladder
reaching from earth to heaven, and “the Lord stood above it,”6
and he saw the angels ascending and descending—the mean-
ing, (533) in my view, of building his ascension into heaven.
Whatever was promised to those on earth, he is saying, is quite
immovable, permanent, and, as it were, laid on foundations; the
Lord of hosts will in no way fail in vigor, nor would any word
of his prove ineffectual. The Savior confirms this for us in say-
ing, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass
away.”7 It is he who is the one who also draws up the water of the
sea by ineffable powers, and sends it as rain on the earth; in other
words, once again it is he who manages human affairs with such
strength as even without difficulty to transform the nature of
what is made to whatever he wishes, his name being Lord God
and in addition to this almighty. The name is not an idle one,
as in the case of a human being; instead, it is correctly devised
on the basis of actual reality. He is given that name, in fact, by
us and by the holy angels on the basis of his being Lord by his
essence and his enjoying control of everything. The prophet’s
purpose, therefore, is, as far as possible and to the extent of his
6. Gn 28.12–13.
7. Mt 24.35.
ability, to terrify those who are deceived, and firmly to persuade

them to reverse their steps with determination, consider righ-
teousness a splendid thing, and likewise regard reverence for
God as preferable to the terrors of the future as a strong deter-
rent against an inclination to shameful behavior. This in my view
is the proper meaning of the statement of David to the Lord of
all, “Keep their jaws under tight muzzle and rein if they do not
come near you.”8 (534)
Now, the statement He who builds his ascension into heaven
could be a reference also to Christ, and rightly so; it is he who
came from on high and from heaven, being born by nature
God from God. Accordingly, he also said, “I am from above”;
and John in his wisdom said of him, “The one who comes from
above is above all.” It is of his essence that he has ascension into
heaven; it is applied to him as God, as I said. He made it acces-
sible to people on earth, ascending to the Father as “a forerun-
ner on our behalf”—and as the divinely inspired Paul writes,
“he opened for us a new and living way”—and appearing as man
“on our behalf in the presence of the God” and Father, who also
“along with him raised us and seated us in the heavenly places.”9
You see, when Christ ascended, he built his own ascension also
for us if what blessed Paul says is true: “For this we declare to
you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left
until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those
who have died. For the Lord himself with a cry of command,
with the archangel’s call, and with the sound of God’s trumpet,
will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the
clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air, and so
we shall be with the Lord forever.”10 He therefore ascended as
man, his purpose being that the ascension befitting him and
only him, being God and from God, he might make accessible
also to us who believe.
He it was who also set his promise (535) on the foundations of
the earth; far from proving false, he puts into effect whatever he
8. Ps 32.9.
9. Jn 8.23; 3.31; Heb 6.20, 10.20, and 9.24; Eph 2.6.
10. 1 Thes 4.15–17.
promised to achieve for us. He said, remember, “It is to your ad-

vantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Paraclete will
not come to you; but if I go, I shall send him to you.” Accord-
ingly, he also bade the holy apostles “not to leave Jerusalem, but
to wait for the promise of the Father” that they had heard from
him. He poured out grace generously on them; hence they also
became “witnesses of his glory in Jerusalem and in Judea” and
in all the earth. We shall also find a different sense in the found-
ing of his promise; we have believed that he will raise us from the
dead, make us proof against corruption, “transform the body of
our lowliness that is to be conformed to the body of his glory,”11
and make us sharers in his kingdom.
He it is who summons the water of the sea and pours it out on the
face of the earth; that is, he transforms what is bitter, unacceptable,
and unsuited for us into what is beneficial. “The letter of the
Law kills,”12 remember, according to Paul in his wisdom, and in
itself it is a useless shadow, but it has become for us who under-
stand it most beneficial for an understanding of Christ, and has
emerged as a kind of spiritual shower irrigating in some fashion
the earth under heaven. It is true that the Law, which formerly
was harsh and unbearable for the ancients, has become for us
a guide to the mystery of Christ so that even through it we may
succeed in bearing fruit by reducing the density of the shadow
(536) to the reality. We shall therefore take the statement as an
example, adducing as a proof also the water of Marah that had
been bitter but was sweetened when God showed the wood to
blessed Moses and bade him put it in the water.13 The wood was
an image and type of the precious cross, through which the Law
became sweet and, as it were, potable, despite in the past being
bitter; “the letter kills,” as I said—or, rather, as Paul wrote in his
wisdom.
Are you not to me like the people of Ethiopia, people of Israel? says the
Lord. Did I not bring Israel up from the land of Egypt, the Philistines
from Cappadocia, and the Syrians from Bothros? Lo, the eyes of the Lord
11. Jn 16.7; Acts 1.4, 8; Phil 3.21.
12. 2 Cor 3.6. A key hermeneutical principle of Cyril’s is that the Old Testa-
ment, superficially of little value, has a role in explicating the mystery of Christ
for those who have true faith and understand it in the light of the crucifixion.
13. Ex 15.23–25.
God are upon the kingdom of sinners, and I shall remove it from the face
of the earth (vv.7–8). The people of Israel were forever conceit-
ed, parading hither and yon their ancestors’ nobility and giving
their tongue free rein to claim, “We have Abraham as our an-
cestor.” But they were given a reply by Christ in these terms: “If
you were children of Abraham, you would do the works of Abra-
ham.” In fact, “not all Israelites truly belong to Israel, and not all
Abraham’s children are his true descendants.”14 It is rather the
similarity of works that rightly confers the ability to make open
boasts of ancestors’ nobility. By contrast, they disparaged all the
other nations by claiming that of all the nations God treated
them as special, rescuing them from the land of Egypt and bring-
ing (537) them into the land of promise. While the claim was
true, and they in particular should with due recompense have
brought joy to the one who showed them esteem, they wrong-
fully insulted him with complete apostasy and sank into all sorts
of depravity. The wretches then reached such a degree of de-
rangement as to think that for them descent from Abraham was
sufficient grounds for prosperity and good reputation, and for
their being brought from Egypt to the land of promise.
So that they might realize, therefore, that such boasting
brought them no benefit when they lapsed into indifference
and were unprepared to be pious, he consequently says, Even
if you perhaps enjoy nobility from your ancestors, shall I not
think of you in the same way as the people of Ethiopia, who are
not descended from Abraham? The Divinity, after all, is no re-
specter of persons or biased, and does not recognize nobility
of the flesh that is deprived of good deeds. It accords complete
respect to spiritual nobility, which is accompanied by the adorn-
ment of splendid achievements. Being transferred from Egypt
to another country, however, also seems to you to be something
extraordinary and special: why so, and what good did it do you?
Others also can claim to have received this from me; I brought
Philistines—that is, Palestinians in the Hebrew text—and I
brought from Bothros the Syrians, that is, all those who were at
that time subject to the kingdom of Damascus. (537)
Now, it should be realized that for Bothros the Hebrew has
14. Mt 3.9; Jn 8.39; Rom 9.7.

Cyrene; so while the Palestinians were settlers from Cappado-

cia, the Syrians were from Cyrene. He called Cyrene Bothros, al-
though quite elevated and situated on high, on account of its
being situated in a deep hollow; the whole land of Libya, so to
speak, has hollows that are coastal and exposed.15 My purpose
as I gaze on all equally, therefore, he is saying, is to clear the
land of every kingdom of sinners. Hence hereditary fame would be
of no use to those who possess it; good behavior and a strong
disposition to a longing for virtue is judged by God as nobility,
along with a readiness to match the piety of one’s ancestors.
Except that I shall finally not remove the house of Jacob, says the
Lord. Because, lo, I shall give the command, and I shall scatter the
house of Israel among all the nations in the way grain is scattered with
a winnowing fan, and no fragment will fall to the ground. All the sin-
ners of my people will die by the sword, those who say, Troubles will
not approach or come upon us (vv.8–10). The remnant will once
again be preserved for the house of Israel “on account of the
ancestors”;16 they will not undergo complete destruction, he is
saying, nor will the whole race of Jacob disappear. Instead, he
says, as though tossed about by a winnowing fan they will be scat-
tered to all the nations, yet no fragment will fall to the ground, that
is, the race of Jacob will not fall to such a degree that it will be
completely fragmented, but will be (539) saved in the part that
is the object of mercy—in other words, at that time some were
brought back from captivity. There was also salvation through
Christ; not a few of the Jews have believed, and at the end-time
the remnant also will be saved when the mass of the nations is
invited to enter.
Next, as though someone asks, If Jacob in turn is saved, who
is the object of the threats? he gives a helpful explanation, that
the anger is not directed indiscriminately at everyone, nor will
15. Cyril had seen in both Jerome and Theodore a debate about the place
names, the latter not realizing that bothros might be simply the common noun
“ditch,” and dismissing the discussion as unnecessary precision, akribologia. Cyril
agrees with this to the point of claiming that Amos is wanting only to under-
mine Israel’s false claim to singularity, which is not the same as universalism, as
some would see Amos’s theme. Modern commentators also note the break in
continuity at this point, and question the chapter’s integrity.
16. Rom 11.28.
the effects of wrath fall on all without distinction. Instead, it will

affect those whose sins were unbearable—the meaning of All the
sinners of my people will die by the sword, those who say, Troubles will
not approach or come upon us. Some of them reached such a stage
of derangement, in fact, as to think that the holy prophets lied,
and they actually claimed that no prediction would take effect.
Jeremiah in his wisdom also confirms this in saying to God, “Lo,
these people say to me, Where is the word of the Lord? Bring it
on.”17 The sin of people so disposed is therefore twofold: they
were guilty of provocation in many ways, and they thought real-
ity was a fairy story.
Now, we shall find also at the time of his coming the leaders
of the Jews not paying heed to the words of our Savior. Accord-
ingly, they were also told, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites, for taking away the key of knowledge, not entering
yourselves nor allowing those entering to enter”; and again,
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for crossing sea
and dry land to make a single convert, and when it happens,
(540) making him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.”18
Accordingly, instead of rightly being reputed to be children,
they forfeited their ancestors’ nobility and were reckoned as
sons of Ethiopians; they have been consumed by the sword, and
paid the judge a penalty commensurate with their folly.
On that day I shall raise up the tent of David that has fallen, rebuild
its breaches, raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as the days of the age, in
order that the remnant of the human race and all the nations called
by my name may seek out the Lord, says the Lord, who does all this
(vv.11–12). He kept making the promise that the race of Jacob
would not finally meet with destruction, even if tossed about in
some fashion with a winnowing fan; they would be refugees and
exiles, expelled from fatherland and home, inhabiting a rough
and foreign country, but would not be completely wiped out or
meet with utter destruction. Consequently, he says that he will
raise up the tent of David that has fallen and revive its remnants
as the days of the age, that is, for length of days. He says that this
will be a proof and confirmation for the other nations, near
17. Jer 17.15.

18. Lk 11.52; Mt 23.15.
and far, of the need to turn to God and (541) opt to seek him,
marveling in every way at the magnitude of God’s clemency and
strength. You would therefore say that the tent of David refers to
the race of the Jews, or the house of Jacob. Now, it should be
understood that when Cyrus released them from captivity, they
then returned to Judea and rebuilt the Temple; they fortified
the devastated cities, built houses in them, and dwelt in security,
undergoing wars waged by some enemies, like Antiochus and
Hadrian, but no longer in captivity or suffering devastation, as
they were while under the Babylonians.
While such is the factual reference in the passage, therefore,
the deeper meaning closer to reality would be in Christ. You
see, when the God and Father raised his tent that had fallen into
death—that is, raised the flesh from the ground—and he came
back to life, then it was that he restored all human things to
their former condition, and imparted a fresh appearance to ev-
erything of ours that had been cast down. “Anyone who is in
Christ is a new creation,” Scripture says,19 remember; we have
been raised with him. Death ruined the tents of all, but the God
and Father rebuilt them in Christ. It will not be for a limited
time that we enjoy this, but for the days of the age; the good that
is incorruption is not to be lost by us, and death will no longer
have control over those who have been saved in Christ. Then
is the time when the remnant of the human race acknowledges the
one who is by nature and in truth God after the believers from
Israel, abandoning that loathsome error of the past; it is not pos-
sible (542) that Christ was lying when he said, “Unless a grain
of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains just a single
grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit”; and again, “When I am
lifted up from the earth, I shall draw all people to myself.” On
that day, therefore, when I raise the remnant and the fallen tent of
David, all the nations will be called, and it will be my name that
19. 2 Cor 5.17. With typical balance, Cyril first endeavors to find an histori-
cal substrate to the passage and then moves to a christological interpretation,
the rebuilding of the “tent of David” being a key element. This phrase led Theo-
dore to see Zerubbabel in focus initially, though constrained to adopt also a
longer perspective by its citation at the council of Jerusalem in regard to the
mission to the gentiles (Acts 15.16–17, strangely not cited by Cyril). Theodoret
will firmly dismiss Zerubbabel’s claims.
they will have. The fact that the predictions will completely and
utterly take effect he confirms by adding, says the Lord, who does
all this; if God is truly Lord, he will do this completely and ut-
terly, being in no way limited, performing “marvelous and in-
scrutable things, glorious and wonderful beyond number.”20
Lo, the days are coming, says the Lord, when the threshing will over-
take the harvest and the grape will ripen in the sowing, the mountains
will drip sweetness and all the hills will grow together with them. I shall
turn back the captivity of my people Israel, and they will rebuild deserted
cities and inhabit them; they will plant vineyards and drink their wine;
they will plant gardens and eat their fruit. I shall plant them in their
land, and they will never be plucked up from their land that I gave them,
says the Lord God almighty (vv.13–15). He gave the same clear in-
terpretation as I did. (543) If you chose to give a superficial,
factual explanation, you would say again that he clearly prom-
ises the return of those who endured the captivity, and the fact
that they will occupy their land, rebuilding cities and homes,
and then enjoying a high level of prosperity. They will have
an abundant harvest from the fields and involve themselves in
farming with good cheer, so that their work of harvesting the
most enjoyable crops proves unremitting as the yield from the
threshing floor accompanies the harvest. The harvest is likewise
extended to the period of sowing, so that the farmer moves from
winevat, sickle, and grapes themselves to the ploughing of the
fields, then clears the dust from the threshing floor and gives
his attention to the winevats.
If, on the other hand, we opted to supply something more
subtle and spiritual in interpreting the text, it would be quite
appropriate to take the following meaning. When Christ re-
turned to life, as I said, thanks to the Father’s raising up the tent
of David and rebuilding its ruins, there was an abundant and
generous supply of spiritual goods for all people, both Greeks
and Jews; “God is one, and he will justify the circumcised on the
basis of faith and the uncircumcised through faith.”21 There is
therefore as great a provision as possible of spiritual fruits to the
believers, which is suggested very nicely by earthly fruits; grain
20. Jn 12.24, 32; Jb 5.9.

21. Rom 3.30.
and wine are in abundance, he says. We shall in this life receive

grain for strength—namely, spiritual strength: Scripture says,
“Bread strengthens the human heart,” (544) bread that is whol-
ly spiritual, divine, and from above—and wine for joy, Scripture
likewise saying, “Wine gladdens the human heart,” and, accord-
ing to the statement of blessed Paul, we rejoice “in hope.”22
As well, the mountains drip sweetness. By mountains here, there-
fore, he probably refers to the churches of Christ on account
of the sublimity of the teachings in them and the excellence
of piety towards God, and the fact that while the mountains ap-
pear covered in various plants, the churches of Christ have as
their heads countless saints, like tall cedars and trees set close to
the channels of spiritual water. Just as on mountains covered in
trees vast numbers of bees hover about and produce honey that
is sweet and valuable, so, too, in the churches likewise those who
are more eminent than the others and better endowed with vir-
tue and understanding collect the sweet honey of teaching on
Christ and, as it were, distill it into the hearts of others. So it is
in this sense, in my view, that the mountains will drip sweetness. He
also said the hills grow together with them, the hills being second
and of lower ranking in virtue compared with those more con-
spicuous for it; there are measures of holiness and righteous-
ness in churches, and as Paul says, “according to the grace given
to each one” by God,23 who distributes such things. They will
grow together, then, he says, luxuriant and fruitful, with a mind
richly bedecked with the correctness of divine teachings.
Now, there is no doubting that the God of all also turned back
our captivity; Christ proclaimed “release to captives,” and from
the devil’s oppression he rescued (545) the earth under heaven.
Then it was that, like farmers, we became completely attentive
to spiritual fruitfulness, planted gardens and vineyards, and will eat
their fruit; we shall receive the reward of our labors, and harvest
the fruit of goodness. The fact that we have in God an immov-
able abode, and that, once the inheritance is given by him, no
one shall dismiss those in it, he clarifies by saying, I shall plant
22. Ps 104.15; Rom 12.12.

23. Rom 12.6.
them in their land that I gave them, says the Lord God. “The gifts
and the calling from God are irrevocable,” remember,24 and we
shall have a stable hold on every good, with Christ himself as
guide and festal leader. To him, together with the God and Fa-
ther along with the Holy Spirit, be glory and honor for ages of
ages. Amen. (546)
24. Lk 4.18; Rom 11.29.

COMMENTARY ON THE
PROPHET OBADIAH
PREFACE TO THE
C OMMENTAR Y ON OBADI AH
T IS LIKELY that Obadiah likewise prophesied at

the same time as Joel, and was, as it were, accorded
the same vision and shared the explanation. While the
divinely inspired Joel, remember, at the very end of his proph-
ecy says, “Egypt will become a wasteland, and Idumea a deso-
late countryside for the wrongs done to the children of Judah,
in return for the innocent blood they have poured out in their
land,”1 the other in due course explains in detail the manner
and style of the destruction of Idumea. Since it is useful for the
readers of the historical account in the book to learn precise-
ly, even before other matters, about Idumea, its fate, and the
reason for its being subjected to the disastrous effects of divine
wrath, come now, let us give an explanation to the extent of our
ability by clearly going into detail about such matters for eager
students.
Idumeans, then, are called after Esau, from whom they are
descended. Since he was called Edom—that is, “earthy”—surely
on account of selling his (547) birthright, spurning the distinc-
tion due to him from it and preferring instead the offer of a
single meal, paltry though it was, consequently they also called
his descendants Idumeans. Now, the country of the Idumeans
is also called Seir and Teman: Seir because of the report that its
inhabitants were hairy, Esau also being hairy—in fact, covered
in hair—and Ser meaning “hirsute” or “growth of hair”; and Te-
man likewise on account of being far to the south, Teman in
Hebrew meaning “south.”2 Some commentators, on the other
1. Jl 3.19. Cyril is encouraged by the mention of Edom’s fate by Joel (whose
ministry he had placed prior to the invasion of Assyrians, or at least Babylo-
nians) to see the two prophets as contemporaries. He thus implicitly rejects a
date for Obadiah after the fall of Edom to the Nabateans in the fifth century.
2. The etymology of Seir and Teman Cyril derives from Jerome. He is mis-
135
hand, think it was called Teman for a different reason, claiming

that in due course Esau had a son Eliphaz, whose son was Te-
man, and it was after him that the country was called Teman.3
While that suffices for Idumea and the people in it, their de-
struction was due to the following. When Jerusalem was under
siege by Nebuchadnezzar, remember, and was at its last gasp,
countless numbers falling to the swords of the nations, some
few were saved and were deported to the countries of the neigh-
boring nations. The majority of the people of Israel went down
to Idumea, a neighbor of theirs, thinking that they would share
their grief with them as brethren, recall their blood relation-
ship, and accord assistance to those in distress. The latter, on
the contrary, though obliged to have compassion on them as
brethren, received them into their land but proceeded to
slaughter them,4 patrolling the exits in the manner of brigands
and robbing them in their terror and panic. They were so cruel
as to surpass even the ferocity of the Babylonians; they attacked
them in their desperate condition, as I said, mocking them
(548) and making the misfortunes of their kith and kin a cause
for celebration.
The Jews of the time, therefore, departed for the country of
the Persians and Medes. When at the expiration of seventy years
God had pity on them, however, and they returned to Judea,
they were zealous in rebuilding the city itself and in turn restor-
ing the Temple in it. Again, however, the Idumeans, their breth-
ren and neighbors, were goaded by envy and wanted to obstruct
such endeavors, stirring up barbarians nearby of a similar mind,
and actually going to war. But they fell and perished in the valley
of Jehoshaphat when God protected the people of Israel. Since
the Idumeans were more troublesome than the foreigners, how-
ever, the people of Israel made assaults on their country, killed
some on the spot and hunted down others in rocky hideaways,
caves, and hollows of the land, killing those they found.
reading Gn 25 (as Theodoret also will) to see the meaning “earthy” in the name
Edom; the Genesis text suggests rather “reddish,” a popular etymology.
3. Gn 36.10–11.
4. The PG text shows the Idumeans “not” admitting the Jews. Is Cyril confus-
ing this (unsubstantiated) account with the incident of the Edomites’ refusal of
entry to Moses and the people in Nm 20.14–20, which he has cited before?
C OMMENTAR Y ON OBADI AH
Vision of Obadiah. The Lord God says this to Idumea: I heard a report from the
Lord, and he dispatched a confinement to the nations. Up, rise to battle against
it (v.1).
N THIS VERSE he explains to us the overall purpose

of his prophecy, or vision, and specifies his focus; he
tries to confirm that his vision deals with what is going
to happen to Idumea. He confirms the listeners in the belief
that what is said will completely come to pass, and endeavors
to persuade them by saying that, far from being his, the words
are rather from God. Hence his saying, I heard a report from the
Lord against Idumea. How it should be understood he personally
clarified straightway by going on, he dispatched a confinement to
the nations. Which nations? Those of (549) Idumea; he said that
the confinement, or siege, had been sent against them, since the
divine judgment necessarily obliged them to suffer desolation.
Or in another sense as well: he ordered the confinement, or
siege, to be imposed by the nations around Idumea.1 Instead of
ordering them quite openly, however, he, as it were, rouses them
as God, and stirs them up against them, saying that the nations
also were persuaded by the divine edict and cried out speedily
to one another, Up, rise to battle against it. In other words, the
neighboring nations were involved with the people of Israel in
devastating Idumea.
Lo, I have made you insignificant among the nations; you are very
much despised. The arrogance of your heart lifted you up, though you
inhabit the crevices of rocks. Elevating its dwelling, it says in its heart,
Who will bring me down to the ground? If you are exalted like an eagle,
and set your nest among the stars, I shall bring you down from there,
1. Jerome simply offers his translation of the Heb. term “messenger, ambas-
sador,” which the LXX has evidently misread as “confinement.” Cyril does not
note the discrepancy, something Theodoret will learn from Symmachus.
137
says the Lord (vv.2–4). He says it occupies an insignificant and de-

spised position among the nations on account of its small num-
bers when compared with the vast numbers of the attackers,
since those ranged against it were very numerous, as I said. Or
he means that they were few because war consumed their race
and reduced it to very small numbers. Now, the prophetic word
presents the Idumean as the victim of inane conceit as a result
of extreme stupidity; (550) he thought he would be invulner-
able to the foe, not on account of innate strength and skill in
warfare, but because the rough and inaccessible nature of the
country was likely to guarantee them salvation. There were hills
everywhere, you see, sheer rocky ridges instilling terror, rough
hilly terrain, and high mountains. Why, then, he asks, did you
idly boast against the hand of the attackers? Even if you dwelt in
a country endowed with inaccessibility, lofty and elevated, even
if you became a kind of eagle, with a nest in the air, as it were—
again the expression is hyperbolic—nevertheless you would be
plucked from there when God dislodged you; for nothing at all
is impossible to him.
If thieves went into you, or brigands by night, where would you be
cast out? Would they not steal your possessions? If harvesters went into
you, would not gleanings be left? How has Esau been examined and
his hidden things been taken? (vv.5–6) We previously said that the
people of other nations who assisted and conspired with the Is-
raelites searched clefts in the mountains, caves, and crevices in
rocks as well as woods in slaughtering the Idumeans, the result
being that very few or practically no one succeeded in escap-
ing. The passage therefore mocks them, adopting, as it were,
an ironic style in saying, If you experienced a break-in by brig-
ands, and bands of robbers visited you, would they not be con-
tent to take what was sufficient for them? And if some people
made a collection from, say, a vine, would not gleanings escape
the eye of those who normally do the collecting, despite the
careful search? (551) This is inevitable in their case, however,
even against their will, because fear prompts flight and unde-
tected departure in the case of thieves; if they steal something
that is readily available, in their view it is enough to satisfy them.
Luxuriant foliage is always an obstacle to the search of those
COMMENTAR Y ON OBADIAH 139
collecting grapes, hiding what can escape detection. But in your

case, Esau—that is, Idumea, descended from Esau—a worse fate
has befallen you, he is saying: your hidden things have been taken;
no one has escaped; flight is pointless, despite the inaccessible
countryside.2
They dispatched you to the borders; all the men of your confederation
rebelled against you; your men of peace prevailed against you; your din-
ing companions hatched a plot against you; there is no understanding
in them. On that day, says the Lord, I shall wipe out sages from Idu-
mea and understanding from Mount Esau. Your warriors from Teman
will be dumbfounded at everyone’s being removed from Mount Esau on
account of the slaughter and the offense to your brother Jacob. It will
cover you in shame, and you will be carried off forever; from the day you
rebelled, on the day foreigners took possession of his might and strang-
ers entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you also were as one
of them (vv.7–11). When they wanted to prevent the people of
Israel from rebuilding the Temple and refortifying the holy city,
the descendants of Esau made pacts of fellow-feeling with the
neighboring nations, (552) as we already remarked. But when
the people of Israel launched a campaign and their country was
taken, then it was that their former friends, conspirators, and
fellow warriors proved more troublesome than all the others
by pillaging and fighting. So the war dispatched you to the borders,
that is, made you invisible—the sense of dispatched—not invad-
ing part of your country but taking it all by force, and to its very
borders reducing it to desolation. They rebelled, however, and
made war on you, though they might have shared your grief ac-
cording to your expectation and belief. Instead, they hatched a
plot against you when you expected to be saved by them.
Now, the clause there is no understanding in him bears the fol-
lowing sense: they gave the name wise and intelligent to the false
seers and hangers-on, imposters, augurs and astrologers, who
in some cases reached such a degree of silliness as to make the
idle claim to a knowledge of the future. People committed to
2. Despite his familiarity with Jeremiah and Jerome’s making the point, Cyril
makes no mention of the close resemblance of these verses to Jer 49.14–16, 9,
which could give rise (at least in a modern commentator) to a discussion of the
relationship between the two works in terms of dating and authorship.
the worship of the idols were much struck by this, and the Idu-
means were likewise afflicted with the same ailment along with
the others; with the impending war bruited abroad, they pon-
dered the likely outcome. Assembling the sages in their midst,
they bade them proclaim how the war would turn out for them.
In all likelihood these people foretold a victory for them, but
instead they were taken and killed, their skill failing them; the
wretches were proven to be utterly without understanding in
their false prophecy. The fact that while people from Teman were
formerly audacious, the Idumeans in turn would be weak and
needy (553) he indicated by adding, Your warriors from Teman
will be dumbfounded at everyone’s being removed from Mount Esau,
that is, to the point where the last of the Idumeans perishes.
He makes clear, for instance, the cause of the impending
disaster, on account of the slaughter and the offense to your brother.
Since you did away with your kith and kin, he says, namely, Ja-
cob, or the descendants of Jacob, you will be consumed by war
and completely eliminated, full of shame and remorse. He also
mentions that their fate would be ineluctable and they would
suffer such dire calamities when he says, You will be carried off
forever. By the phrase From the day he recalls the time when Baby-
lon subjugated Israel, pillaged their possessions, and took for
an inheritance what was collected from Jerusalem; then the
Idumeans ensnared and slaughtered the fugitives, conspired, as
it were, with foreigners, and took off into captivity the descen-
dants of Jacob. They were thus guilty of exulting in the misfor-
tunes of their brethren, and yielding little to the Babylonians in
cruelty.
Do not despise the day of your brother on the day of foreigners, do
not rejoice in the children of Judah on the day of their ruin, and do not
gloat in the day of their distress. Do not enter the gates of peoples on
the day of their hardships nor despise their assembly on the day of their
overthrow. Do not join in attacking their might on the day of their ruin.
Do not block their exits to annihilate their survivors nor cut off their
fugitives on the day of distress (vv.12–14). Once more the crimes
of the Idumeans are listed to show they are harsh and pitiless.
The verse is expressed in such a way as if he were striking and
scourging them, with God proclaiming and reproaching them
for the different forms of sin. Despise means “mock” and “take
satisfaction in brethren in distress,” and “make the misfortunes
of others a cause of glee,” despite the divine Scripture’s saying
one should never mock those in distress. By the mention of Do
not rejoice and the rest, the crimes of the Idumeans are likewise
listed, showing them to be harsh and pitiless, even to brethren.
Like the Assyrians, he says, you did not even hasten to stand
inside the gates and offer a helping hand to them like broth-
ers; instead, you ravaged them. Do not despise their assembly that
has been miserably overthrown, nor add further troubles to the
people already severely oppressed by you. Do not prove a snare
to the fugitives, watching exits and laying nooses so that no vic-
tim of your pitilessness should be saved, even if escaping the
sword of the adversaries.
At all points the passage criticises the Idumeans’ inhumanity
so that the divine judgment may be seen to be truly holy and
blameless, with punishment inflicted on the people guilty of
those sins.
Because the day of the Lord is nigh against all the nations. As you
have done, so will it be to you: retribution will return on your own head.
Because, as you drank on my holy mountain, all the nations will drink
wine, they will drink and go down, and will be as though they do not ex-
ist. There will be salvation on Mount Zion, however, and it will be holy
(vv.15–17). Again he foretells (555) the time of war (referred
to as day of the Lord), when the neighboring nations that are as-
sembled with the Idumeans in the valley of Jehoshaphat will pay
a severe penalty; it was God who surrendered the unholy wrong-
doers to the people of Israel. He confirms that they will be pun-
ished by a holy judgment in saying, As you have done, so will it
be to you; the divine nature measures out each person’s failings
and imposes a penalty that is completely commensurate with
whatever sins each is guilty of committing. Now, by the phrase
Because as you drank he indicates the following: it is customary
with those who prevail over their enemies to exult over the van-
quished, hold celebrations and drinking bouts, give vent to tri-
umphal cries, and indulge in drunken orgies. So he is saying,
as you mocked and jeered at the people of Israel, drinking and
dancing and making the misfortunes of your brethren the occa-
sion of festivities, so all the nations will drink and dance over you;
they will also go down against you, that is, overrun your country.
You will be reckoned among those who do not exist, being so far
eliminated as to seem already non-existent.
Now, the inspired Scripture refers by Mount Zion to the
church: it is really lofty and a true lookout, and holy as well, es-
pecially since it is the house and city of the all-holy God.
The house of Jacob will take possession of those possessing them. The
house of Jacob will be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, whereas the
house of Esau will be like stubble; they shall be enkindled (556) against
them and consume them. There will be no firebearer for the house of
Esau, because the Lord has spoken. Those in the Negeb will take pos-
session of Mount Esau, and those in the Shephelah the Philistines; they
shall possess the mountain of Ephraim, the plain of Samaria, Benjamin,
and Gilead (vv.17–19). Whereas the foolish Idumean expected
to possess as an inheritance the house of Jacob, that is, the descen-
dants of Jacob, and actually ravaged and divided up the land,
they will instead suffer a reverse. They will in fact become a pos-
session of the descendants of Jacob, and will be so consumed,
as it were, like stubble in flame; in fact, the house of Jacob will be a
fire, and the house of Joseph will not suffer by comparison with the
power of a flame. They will be completely devoured, therefore,
the result being that people would not be able to find a single
firebearer in all the tribe or race. Now, the passage would seem
logical in employing the figure of firebearer, having spoken of the
house of Jacob as a fire, and the house of Joseph as a flame. By house
of Jacob could properly be understood the people of Judah and
Benjamin, and by house of Joseph the people in Samaria, that is,
the ten tribes whose kings at one time were from the tribe of
Ephraim, since Manasseh and Ephraim were sons of Joseph.3
Now, by the phrase, Those in the Negeb will take possession, the
following is suggested. When the Babylonians left their country
and advanced on Jerusalem, the whole land of the Jews was nec-
3. As had Theodore, Cyril is reading the purophoros that the LXX finds in
the Heb. form for “survivor” as though derived from pur, “fire,” instead of puros,
“wheat,” the derivation that leads to Jerome’s frumentarius. Theodoret will avoid
the double solecism by checking with the alternative versions. Cyril is still insist-
ing, against the evidence, on putting Judah as well as Israel in focus.
essarily devastated, (557) and then brought to such a state of

hardship as to be completely reduced to desolation and left bare
of inhabitants. When God had pity, however, and released them
from the snare of captivity, they returned once more to their
own land; he says that they became so prosperous and grew into
such a large population as to take over the lands of the nearby
nations, since Judea was too small.4 Now, this would be a very
clear sign of blessing from God: Those in the Negeb—that is, to
the south, Negeb meaning “south”—will take as their possession
Mount Esau—that is, Idumea; as it is in the south, the inhabit-
ants of the south of Judea will completely occupy it as a neigh-
boring area. Those in the Shephelah, on the other hand—that is,
those in the plain, since it is the part of the country of the Jews
that is much further north—will take possession of the Philistines,
referring to Philistines or Palestinians. They will nonetheless
occupy the mountain of Ephraim, Samaria, Benjamin, and Gilead,
allotments made at one time to the tribes of Israel when Joshua
was in charge after Moses. Since they were devastated by the As-
syrians under Kings Pul and Shalmaneser before the coming of
Nebuchadnezzar, consequently he also says that they will be oc-
cupied and escape the desolation that formerly occurred.
The land of the Canaanites as far as Zarephath will be ruled by the
transmigration of the people of Israel, and the transmigration of Jeru-
salem as far as Ephrathah; they will take possession of the cities of the
Negeb. (558) The men who have been saved will go up from Mount
Zion to take vengeance on Mount Esau, and the kingdom will be the
Lord’s (vv.20–21). By transmigration here he refers to the people
of Jerusalem, or those who migrated from all of Judea to Baby-
lon. He says that they will rule it in the sense of its being a posses-
sion under their control and authority, as if you were to refer in
the case of a ruler to the rule of such-and-such a person. So he
is saying that the land of the Canaanites will be the rule and posses-
sion of those who formerly transmigrated, referring to Arabia
even as far as Zarephath, or Sidon, for you to take this to mean
Phoenicia. He says it will be extended as far as Ephrathah, or the
term given by the other translators, “as far as the Bosphorus,”
4. The PG text reads “Idumea” at this point.

that is, the southeast.5 He says the cities of the Negeb, that is, of
the south, will also fall under their control. Now, the text seems
to suggest to us the Indian nations, since the Indians and their
lands are furthest south; it would be like saying, Everything will
be full of them—those to the south, those to the north, those
to the east, and those to the west—in a word, they will possess
every city and country.
Now, by the phrase men will go up he summarizes in a fashion
the purpose of the prophecy: the inhabitants of Zion, saved by
God and divesting themselves of the bonds of captivity, will in
due course go up and take vengeance on Mount Esau. After all, as
I said, they had made war on the Idumeans after the time of
the captivity, and the God of all had become their king despite
formerly being provoked and abandoning Judea on account
of their apostasy; they had served idols and the golden heifers.
But when (559) they returned, he welcomed them again and
reigned over them;6 the Lord is loving and benevolent, easily
reconciled with those who offend him, provided we only give
evidence of some slight conversion to him. To him be the glory
forever. Amen. (560)
5. Jerome informs Cyril of the preferable version.

6. The PG text omits the remaining clauses.
COMMENTARY ON THE
PROPHET JONAH
PREFACE TO THE
C OMMENTAR Y ON JONA H
HE DIVINELY inspired Jonah was the son of Amittai,

and came from Gath-hepher, a little city or town of the
land of the Jews, so the story goes. He probably deliv-
ered his prophecy at the same time as those before him, namely,
Hosea, Amos, Micah, and the rest.1 You could find him uttering
a great number of oracles to the Jewish populace, transmitting
the words from God on high and clearly foretelling the future.
Though no other prophetic text from him is extant than this
one, therefore, the divinely inspired Scripture confirms that he
continued predicting to the Jewish masses what would happen
in future times. In the second book of Kings, remember, the
sacred text reports the discourse about Jeroboam—not the first
of that name in the beginning, the son of Nebat, who “caused
Israel to sin,” as Scripture says,2 namely, by persuading them to
worship the golden heifers—(561) but the other Jeroboam,
who came after many others.
Now, what blessed Jonah prophesied the text made clear:
“He restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath
as far as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the
Lord, the God of Israel, which he spoke by his servant Jonah
son of Amittai, the prophet, who was from Gath-hepher. For the
Lord saw that the distress of Israel was very bitter; there were
few survivors, suffering need and affliction, and there was no
one to help Israel. The Lord had not said that he would blot out
1. The mention in 2 Kgs 14.25 of a Jonah son of Amittai prophesying in
the reign of Jeroboam II is sufficient for Cyril to group him with other eighth-
century prophets. This time Cyril seems to be following the sequence of the LXX
in omitting Joel from the opening group, whereas Jerome (and Theodore’s An-
tioch text) had led him to comment on him after Hosea in accordance with the
Heb. He does not begin by distinguishing between author and eponymous hero,
nor does he bother to locate Gath-hepher in Galilee.
2. 2 Kgs 13.11.
147
their offspring from under heaven; and he saved them by the

hand of Jeroboam son of Jehoash.”3 The phrase “by the hand
of” means “through”; Jeroboam, who was the son of Jehoash, as
I said, made war on the Philistines, brought once more under
his control the cities seized from the land of the Jews, and was
of no little assistance to the people of Israel, thanks to God’s
protection and willingness to bring salvation, despite their be-
ing reduced to extreme hardship.
While other prophetic words came to blessed Jonah at vari-
ous times as well, then, the account of him in this case has been
recorded for our benefit and as part of the divine plan; it is in
fact worth hearing, namely, his preaching to the Ninevites and
his experiences in the meantime. It describes in shadows, as it
were, the mystery of the Incarnation of our Savior as well; Christ
himself, at any rate, said in addressing the Jews, “An evil and
adulterous generation asks for a sign, and no sign will be given
to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah: just as Jonah was
in the belly of the sea monster for three days and three (562)
nights, likewise the Son of Man also will be in the heart of the
earth for three days and three nights.”4 The mystery of Christ,
therefore, is foreshadowed and somehow represented to us in
the story of the divinely inspired Jonah; I shall see it as my task
to explain that to the readers.
When a text is developed at a spiritual level, and its central
character is selected and adopted as a representation of Christ
the Savior of us all, a person of wisdom and understanding
should judge which details are irrelevant to the purpose in ques-
tion, and which in turn are relevant and applicable, and likely
to be of particular benefit to the listeners.5 Take as an example
blessed Moses: he represented Israel to God on Mount Sinai, be-
coming mediator between God and man. In fear, the people of
3. 2 Kgs 14.25–27.
4. Mt 12.39–40 (omitted in PG ed.); cf. Mk 8.12; Lk 11.29–32. Cyril and
Theodoret take a leaf out of Theodore’s book in seeing the story of Jonah as
prefiguring the divine oikonomia, prompted by the familiar citations of the story
in the synoptic gospels. Again the question arises (but is not acknowledged): is
it Jonah as author or as central character that is significant?
5. Cyril sees the reader of texts like Jonah requiring skill to recognize the
particular theôria. In commentary on Zechariah, Didymus had spoken in similar
terms of the reader’s being “a seer” in such cases.
PREFACE TO JONAH 149
Israel made supplication, remember, saying, “Speak to us your-

self; do not let God speak to us lest we die.” The fact that this
incident foreshadowed the mediation of Christ, the God and Fa-
ther himself conveyed by saying, “They are right in all they have
said. I shall raise up for them a prophet like you from among
their brethren,” clearly someone to mediate and represent the
human race to God and announce to everyone throughout the
earth the unspeakable plan of the God and Father. “I shall put
my words in his mouth, and he will say to them everything I
command.” The divinely inspired Moses, then, was adopted as
a type of Christ. We shall not apply the whole story of Moses to
him, however, in case we prove to be doing and saying some-
thing inappropriate; Moses admitted, remember, that he was
slow of speech, slow of tongue, and ill-equipped for mission, say-
ing, (563) “I am slow of speech and slow of tongue; I have never
been eloquent, neither in the past nor even now that you have
begun to speak to your servant.” He begged him, “Lord, I beg
you to appoint someone else to send who is more capable.”6
Christ is not slow of speech, however, or slow of tongue like
him; rather, he is the mighty trumpet, the blessed prophet Isa-
iah referring to him as such in the words, “On that day they
will blow the mighty trumpet”; the Savior’s message has been
bruited abroad and heard by people throughout the earth.
Blessed David was also aware of this in saying, “The Lord, God
of gods, has spoken and summoned the earth from the rising of
the sun to its setting.”7 While Moses mediates as a type of Christ,
therefore, his role as a type is not demonstrated in his slow-
ness of speech. Blessed Aaron, in turn, was adopted as a type of
Emmanuel, bedecked as he was with the ornaments of a high
priest, entering the holy of holies, and clad in that conspicuous
and admirable attire. But in turn we do not apply everything
about him to Christ: he was not completely above reproach,
once being chastised along with Miriam for criticising Moses,
and in another case as well not being guiltless when Israel made
the calf in the wilderness.8
6. Ex 20.19; Dt 18.17–18; Ex 4.10, 13.

7. Is 27.13; Ps 50.1.
8. Nm 12; Ex 32.
Not everything in texts and types, therefore, is relevant to

spiritual interpretations—only if a character is introduced who
in himself prefigures Christ for us; then we properly pass over
human elements and focus only on relevant details, in every case
highlighting what is conducive to supporting the purpose of the
text. This, in fact, is the process by which we shall understand
the divinely inspired (564) Jonah as well, namely, the way he
presents the mystery of Christ to us. Not everything that befell
him, however, should be understood as relevant and applicable
to this process. For example, he was sent to preach to the Nin-
evites, but tried to flee from the face of God, and proved reluc-
tant about his mission; the Son also was sent by the God and
Father to preach to the nations, but did not lack enthusiasm for
his ministry, nor seek to flee from the face of the God and Fa-
ther. The prophet exhorted the sailors, “Pick me up and throw
me into the sea, and the sea will give you respite”;9 he was also
swallowed by the sea monster, then after three days regurgitated;
later he went to Nineveh and discharged his ministry, but felt no
little disappointment when God had compassion on the people
of Nineveh. Christ even underwent death willingly; he remained
in the heart of the earth three days and three nights, came to life
again, later went into Galilee, and gave orders for the beginning
of the preaching to the nations; he instructed the disciples, re-
member, to “make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”10
On the other hand, he was not disappointed to see them saved
for repentance, as of course blessed Jonah was.
If we do not apply the whole story to the purpose of spiri-
tual interpretation, then, let no one find fault: just as bees in
traversing meadows and flowers always gather what is useful for
making honey, so the skillful commentator studies the holy and
inspired Scripture, ever gathering and compiling what contrib-
utes to the clarification of the mysteries of Christ, (565) and will
produce a mature and irreproachable treatment. It is therefore
now time for us to begin the commentary.
9. Jon 1.12.
10. Mt 28.19. Cyril has produced a lengthy hermeneutical prologue to the
Jonah text, as had Theodore and less so Jerome. Theodoret will continue the
practice. See Hill, “Jonah in Antioch,” Pacifica 14 (2001): 245–61.
C OMMENTAR Y ON JONA H,
CHAPTER ONE
The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai, Rise up, go to the great city
of Nineveh, and preach in it, because a clamor has ascended to me from their
wickedness (vv.1–2).
ITH AN understanding of the ministry and mission

of Jonah’s prophecy, you would be quite right to make
the opportune remark in terms of the praise uttered
by blessed Paul, “Is he the God of Jews only, and not of gen-
tiles also? In fact, he is the God of gentiles also, since God is
one, and he will justify the circumcised on the grounds of faith
and the uncircumcised through that same faith.” And having
learned this through experience, the divinely inspired Peter
himself also proclaims it to us in the words, “I truly understand
that God shows no partiality; rather, in every nation anyone who
fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.”1 After all,
it is he who created earth and heaven and everything in them,
and made the human being in the beginning in his image and
likeness to be devoted to virtue, to live a commendable life of
holiness and blessedness, and to enjoy a rich share of his gifts.
They were then led astray into sin, tricked by the devil’s wiles;
consequently, they were accursed and also subject to corrup-
tion. Christ was therefore preordained and foreknown before
the foundation of the world to set everything right; the God
and Father was pleased to “gather up (566) all things in him,
things in heaven and things on earth.”2
Some achievements of this kind were kept for the Only-begot-
ten, who became like us and shed his light on the world in the
flesh. But God also wished to confirm in practice the fact that
even before the moment of his coming he showed a necessary
1. Rom 3.29–30; Acts 10.34–35.
2. Gn 1.26; Eph 1.10.
151
care for those who had been deceived, and bestowed his regard
on those who had lapsed through ignorance. Consequently, he
bade the blessed prophet to go to Nineveh. Now, Nineveh was a
Persian city, situated in the east, celebrated and, as the prophet
Jeremiah says, “a land of statues.” A great number of cities bor-
dering on the Jews, in fact, were given over to worship of the
idols; “Tyre and Sidon, and the whole of Galilee of foreigners,”3
remember, worshiped the works of their hands, and in their
midst were temples, altars, and shrines of innumerable demons.
So why, tell me, does he bypass the neighbors’ cities and send
the prophet to Nineveh, situated at a great distance, in which es-
pecially, as I remarked, there was an uncivilized multitude of
people given over insatiably to sun and stars and fire? In fact, it
was also a prey to unbounded religious quackery hostile to God;
it is said of it in Jeremiah, “a beautiful and charming whore,
mistress of potions.”4
In my view, then, the God who knows everything had the ben-
eficial intention of demonstrating even to the ancients that peo-
ple who were quite alienated and caught in the toils of decep-
tion would also be attracted in due course to the knowledge of
the truth, even if quite desperate, stubborn, and completely in
the grip of obduracy. The word of God, you see, is quite capable
even of succeeding in (567) forming attitudes and persuading
people to learn the things that make a person wise. Listen to his
saying to Jeremiah at one time, “Lo, I am now making my words
in your mouth a fire, and this people wood, and it will consume
them,” and at another likewise, “Are not my words like a fiery
flame, says the Lord, and like an axe that cuts rock?”5 It was
therefore not without purpose that the divinely inspired Jonah
was sent to the Ninevites; rather, it was for him to be a kind of
harbinger of God’s inherent clemency, which is bestowed even
on people led astray by ignorance. At the same time, however,
3. Jer 50.38; Jl 3.4. If it is true that only at a late stage of the Assyrian em-
pire was Nineveh its capital, after Ashur and Calah, falling in 612 B.C.E. to a
coalition of Medes and Babylonians, Cyril is astray in thinking of Nineveh as
a Persian city at the time he sees Jonah exercising his ministry, viz., the eighth
century.
4. The words rather of Na 3.4.
5. Jer 5.14 and 23.29.
commentary on jonah 1 153
what happened was by way of condemnation of Israel; they were

convicted of being froward, unresponsive, paying little heed to
the laws of God. After all, at a single prophet’s preaching, the
Ninevites were instantly brought around to a sense of obligation
to repent, despite suffering from extreme deception, whereas
those others set at naught Moses and prophets, and spurned
Christ himself, the Savior of us all, despite his supporting his
teachings with miracles, through which they should have been
convinced quite easily that he was God by nature and became
man to save the whole earth under heaven, and them before all
others.
Now, the fact that the event had the effect of convicting
the people of Israel, and rightly so, Christ himself makes clear
in saying, “Men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with
this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the
preaching of Jonah and, lo, a greater than Jonah is here.”6 How
is there something greater in Christ than Jonah? Whereas he
threatened the Ninevites only with overthrow, our Lord (568)
aroused wonderment by astonishing them with his ineffable
wonderworking, and the miracle accompanying the message is
always a means of conveying people to faith. It was therefore
very much part of the divine plan that blessed Jonah was sent
to preach to the Ninevites the message that a clamor has ascended
from their wickedness to the God of all. He is, in fact, by no means
ignorant of anything; but if he should be prompted to punish-
ment of people’s sins, then Scripture says that a cry ascends to
him from their behavior. Scripture also says that the blood of
Abel shed by Cain cried aloud, as did the extremity of depravity
of the cities of Sodom.7
Jonah arose with the intention of fleeing from the face of the Lord to
Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish;
he paid his fare and went on board to sail with them to Tarshish from
the face of the Lord (v.3). Joppa is a city of Palestine, then, on the
coast, a port for cargo for people of Judea going to sea, espe-
cially for cities of the east. So the prophet went down, and then
took a ship sailing for Tarshish; a journey there was probably
6. Mt 12.41.
7. Gn 4.10 and 18.21.
preferred by ship.8 He paid his fare, and sailed in company with

the others. Now, by Tarshish he refers to what is now called Tarsi,
or Tarsus; some people believe that by this is meant the city of
Ethiopia or India, and it is agreed that by them it is called Tarsh-
ish; at any rate, all of the country of India is implied by Tarshish.
My opinion, on the other hand, is that at present (569) that
is not what the word means; it would be likely that for people
wanting to sail to the Indian nations the voyage would not be
from Joppa but by way of the Red Sea, unless you thought that
the prophet meant to make his flight via Persia and Assyria to
innermost Ethiopia. So by Tarshish he probably referred to what
is now Tarsi, a city of Cilicia, watered by the river Cydnos, and
lying at the very foothills of the Tauri, the high mountains of
Cilicia.9
In any case, the prophet took his leave, the purpose of his
departure being to flee from the face of the Lord. In this instance
we should not proceed to seek out the reason, but rather the
manner of the flight; my view, then, is that his declining the
mission and his being reluctant, as it were, about the ministry
explain his fleeing from the face of the Lord. On the other hand,
I cannot understand why he left for Tarshish or what he had
in mind, unless you were to take the view that he, like others
of the older saints, had a poor opinion of God; some believed
that the power of the God of all was confined to the land of the
Jews, restricted to it, as it were, and excluding others. The di-
vinely inspired Jacob, for instance, once left his ancestral home,
and went to Laban in Mesopotamia; he then camped in a cer-
tain place, putting a stone under his head and going to sleep as
usual. He then had a vision of a ladder reaching from earth to
heaven, with the angels of God ascending and descending by
it, and the Lord resting on it. (570) Waking up, he said, “God
is in this place, and I did not know it.”10 My view, therefore, is
8. The PG text reads, “preferred to Nineveh.”

9. While Theodore soon dismisses the identification of Tarshish as “an ir-
relevant chase after detail,” Jerome argues the toss, making the point that an
inland town like Tarsus (Cyril’s choice) can hardly be a port. Theodoret opts for
Carthage, criticising those like Cyril who made the phonetic confusion between
Tarshish and Tarsus (found also in 2 Mac 3.5), while modern commentators
also look to the west as the likely alternative to Nineveh.
10. Gn 28.16.
that the prophet had some such understanding, left Judea, and
made for the Greek cities.
Now, the excuse of reluctance and lack of enthusiasm in
choosing to discharge the ministry we will come to discover
from his own words; though he later did go off and preach, yet
he was very distressed when the contents of his prophecy did
not take effect. He actually said, “O Lord, were these not my
words when I was still in my own country? This was the reason I
took the initiative of fleeing to Tarshish, knowing that you are
merciful and compassionate, long-suffering and rich in mercy,
ready to relent from imposing calamities. Now, Lord God, take
my life from me, because it is better for me to die than to live.”11
As a prophet, he was not ignorant of the outcome of his min-
istry; he was afraid that the fate proclaimed by him might not
take effect, and that the Ninevites, though unaware of the kind-
ness of the compassionate God, might take advantage of it and
do away with him as a charlatan, deceiver, and liar who had per-
suaded them to make needless efforts. Barbarians, you see, are
ever disposed to anger and quite ready to act like a bull, even
without any real basis for their frenzy.
The Lord stirred up a mighty wind on the sea; a mighty storm at
sea developed, and the ship was in danger of breaking up. The sail-
ors were afraid, and each prayed to his own god; they threw the ship’s
cargo into the sea to lighten it for them (vv.4–5). The storm fell upon
the ship as a result of God’s intervention and his subjecting the
sea to fierce gusts of wind. (571) Terror gripped the seamen,
and their talk was already about the end to it all, as the ship
was probably creaking and threatening, as it were, to be on the
point of breaking in pieces. The ship’s company adopted the
usual recourse of lightening the ship so that it might ride on
the waves and thus have a smoother passage. Convincing proof
of the stormy conditions was the impact of terror upon the sail-
ors themselves and their ardent appeals for salvation to their
own gods, having already despaired of rescue.
Jonah, by contrast, had gone down into the ship’s hold, and was
fast asleep snoring. The captain approached him and said to him, Why
are you snoring? Get up and call on your god in the hope that the god
11. 4.2–3.
will save us, and we shall not perish (vv.5–6). Indifference about
praying and a preference for sleeping are hardly appropriate to
a prophet’s alertness in the face of danger, when the occasion
and the situation call one to action, and the proper response
would rather be to appease the God of all. Hence we might pre-
sume that the sleeping was done before the storm, and that his
going down to the actual hold of the ship was a mark of one ac-
customed to being on his own; after all, it is always a preference
and a concern for the saints to avoid hubbub, absent themselves
from crowds, and be on their own, as the divinely inspired Jer-
emiah also says, “It is a good for a man to bear the yoke of his
youth; he will sit alone because he has taken it on himself.” And
likewise he cried aloud about the multitude of unbelievers,
“Lord almighty, (572) I did not sit in their company when they
jested; instead, I showed respect in the presence of your hand; I
sat alone because I was filled with bitterness.”12 “Sitting alone,”
I think, means a life of solitude, being free from life’s cares and
concerns, and not mixing with others who prefer a life of plea-
sure and fleshly delights. The prophet therefore was dozing, not
ignoring his duty, but, as I said, doing so before the onset of the
storm. The captain roused him, at any rate, telling him instead
there was need to call on his god; it is always distressing to those
in danger that some people seem to be proof against fear and
to indulge in idleness at the wrong time.
Each said to his neighbor, Come, let us cast lots and learn on whose
account this calamity has come upon us. They cast lots, and the lot fell
on Jonah (v.7). The mariners adopted a strange and unusually in-
quisitive ruse, anxious to discover by lot the person with whom
God was displeased. It was part of the divine plan, however, and
useful in bringing to light the one who thought he could flee
from the presence of God; the lot fell on him, and he was seen
to be subject to the accusation on the basis of the facts. He was
probably afraid, in fact, that the accusation was made more ob-
vious by his own reflection. The advice is recommended as wise,
12. Lam 3.27–28; Jer 15.17. Jonah’s going below and falling asleep intrigue
the commentators. Cyril chooses to take Theodore’s line of acquitting Jonah of
any blame by claiming (without textual support) that he had done so before the
storm broke, whereas Jerome says he was depressed by remorse.
therefore, for those willing to observe it, “Do not be ashamed to

confess your sin.”13
They said to him, Tell us why this calamity has befallen us, what
your occupation is, where you come from, where you are going, from
what country and from which people you are. (573) He replied to them,
I am a servant of the Lord, and I worship the Lord God of heaven, who
made the sea and the dry land. The men were struck with a great fear,
and said to him, Why have you done this? For the men knew that he was
fleeing from the face of the Lord because he had told them (vv.8–10). It
was useful for them to be curious, knowing as they already did
by lot the one responsible, but not being able to gain a clear
explanation of the kind of sin. Since they were idolaters, how-
ever, they bade him tell his occupation, his country, and city,
and the people he was from, their aim being to learn, in my
view, what god he had offended; each of the sailors, in fact, had
his own god, and not the one God of all. They believed that by
paying homage to the demon offended by him they would obvi-
ate the harm from the tempest. But when the prophet referred
to himself as servant of the God who fashioned both earth and
heaven,14 and said he adored him, they immediately realized
that he had fled from the face of God. How did they realize it?
Because it was not permitted for Jews to leave the country allot-
ted them, visit foreigners, or enter cities given over to idolatry,
whereas among them such behavior was blameless and did not
imply apostasy.
He seemed to be quite at variance with the Law, and liable
to condemnation and punishment. Our Lord Jesus Christ, for
example, clearly confirmed that they would be deprived of his
salvation—namely, that which comes by faith—if they did not
choose to seize the opportunity while he was still present and
living in the world. He said, remember, “I am with you a little
while longer, and I go to him who sent me. You will search for
me, (574) and you will not find me; where I am you cannot
come.” In reply the Jews, who reproached the gentiles with
apostasy, stupidly said, “Where does this man intend to go that
13. Sir 4.26.

14. The version comes from a misreading by the LXX of Heb. ‘ibri, “(I am) a
Hebrew,” as ‘ibdi (as Jerome points out).
we shall not find him? Surely he does not intend to go to the

Dispersion among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks?”15 In other
words, it was such an unheard-of practice, deviant and quite un-
familiar to them, believing as they did that association with the
Greek populace was blameworthy. Accordingly, they formed the
impression that he had not remained within the boundaries of
Judea but was sailing with them to Tarsi, and they guessed that
he was perhaps repudiating life within the Law, and in order to
give himself up to the nations of the Greeks he had set his mind
on flight from the face of God.
They said to him, What are we to do with you so that the sea may lose
its force against us? For the sea was rising, and further stirring up a
storm. Jonah replied to them, Pick me up and throw me into the sea, and
the sea will lose its force against you, because it is on account of me that
a mighty storm has come upon you (v.12). While they were afraid
that the sea was raging against them in irresistible fashion, it was
no less the God of the Hebrews that they feared; they were not
ignorant of his inherent power and glory, foreigners though
they were. But since he had said he was a servant of God, they
were then at a loss and in two minds: they were slow to commit
murder, suspecting the wrath of the God who can do all things;
on the other hand, with the sea rising against them no less than
before, they were forced to be worried about themselves. Con-
sequently, they appealed to him to say what they needed to do
for the storm to abate, (575) the waves to subside, and them-
selves to escape the ultimate danger. So what does the prophet
say? He confesses his sin, expresses shame for his offense, and is
condemned on his own admission, saying, Pick me up and throw
me into the sea, which was as good as saying that he deserved to
be punished by them for reluctance in accepting his mission; he
realized that the storm would spare the ship if it got what it was
after, and the sea would cease its opposition once it received the
offender.
The men exerted themselves to reach land, but were unsuccessful, be-
cause the sea rose and was all the more stirred up against them. They
cried out to the Lord, Let us not perish on account of this person’s life,
15. Jn 7.33–35.
and do not hold us guilty of innocent blood, because you, Lord, have
done as you intended. They took Jonah and threw him into the sea,
and the sea ceased from its raging (vv.13–15). The prophet for his
part had condemned himself to death, and asked for them to
be relieved of the fear of losing their own lives. For their part,
the men were fearful and reluctant to take a life, and wanted
to save the one who was God’s servant and bring him alive to
shore, thus appeasing his wrath. Consequently, they exerted
themselves to beach the ship, but the purpose of their endeav-
ors was thwarted as the wind made the swell irresistible for
them, and the ship was sinking under the very savage onslaught.
They consequently appeased him with prayer and begged God
to pardon them, (576) unwilling as they were to take a life; but
they yielded to his judgment, which was then forcing them to
throw Jonah into the sea, and they gave in. On receiving him it
was finally appeased; it let peace reign and gave the sailors hope
of being saved. It everywhere responds to the divine wishes and
eagerly serves the Lord’s commands, as is clear from experience
itself.
The men were fearful of the Lord with a deep fear; they sacrificed
to the Lord and made vows (v.16). It was of considerable benefit
to them to believe that there is one God who is divine by na-
ture, even though they shared a range of wrongful errors and
thought there were countless gods throughout the world. Ac-
cordingly, they offered sacrifice to the one who alone is God
by nature and in truth, bypassing their own, though believing
they benefited from those that were venerated out of deception
and that laid claim to the glory due to God. They also made
vows, despite being in the custom of doing this to the maritime
demons. The pagans, you see, chose to attribute power over the
sea to a certain Poseidon; their religion consisted completely of
fairy tales, quackery, and awful stupidity. By contrast, we glorify
the one who is God by nature, and are correct in saying to him,
“You have control of the power of the sea, and you still the rag-
ing of its waves. The heavens are yours and the earth is yours;
you laid the foundations of the world and all that is in it.”16
16. Ps 89.9, 11.

The Lord ordered a huge sea monster to swallow Jonah, and (577)
Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights (v.17).
God orders the sea monster by willing it; his wanting something to
take effect is both law and fulfillment, having the force of law.
We do not claim, in fact, that the God of all gives orders to the
sea monster as he does to us, or to the holy angels since he com-
municates to their minds what has to be done, and instills in
their hearts the knowledge of whatever he wants. It would be
silly and close to insanity, you see, to think seriously that the
God of all deals with even monsters in this manner; if he were
said to give a general command to brute beasts or the elements
or a part of creation, we would refer to his will as a law and com-
mand. Everything, you see, yields to his wishes, and while the
form of response is to us beyond words, he is fully aware of it. So
he came to no harm in being swallowed by the sea monster, and
was inside it three days and three nights.
Now, this fact would perhaps seem distasteful to some peo-
ple, exceeding the bounds of what is proper; before all others
those who do not know the one who is God by nature and in
truth, being devoted to the deceits of the demons, would not
believe it. They would say, How would he stay alive while inside
the sea monster? How would he not be destroyed by being swal-
lowed? How could he stand the heat generated? How could he
live in so much moisture—in its gut, I mean—and not rather
be digested and consumed like food? A thing of flesh, after all,
is very weak and quite liable to corruption. Our explanation,
therefore, is that the event would rightly be taken to be truly
remarkable and surpassing rhyme or reason. If God were said to
be responsible, however, who would still demur? (578) The Di-
vinity is powerful, and easily changes the nature of living things
to whatever he chooses, nothing standing in the way of his inef-
fable wishes; what is by nature corruptible would prove superior
even to corruption if he willed it, and what is permanent and
unchanging and resistant to the norms of corruption would eas-
ily fall victim to corruption, since the nature of what exists is in
my view something decreed by the Creator.
This, too, should be understood, however: that in concocting
fairy tales about themselves the pagans claim that Hercules, son
of Alcmena and Zeus, was swallowed by a sea monster, and re-

gurgitated as a result of the heat generated, with his hair singed
and suffering the loss only of his hair. Lycophron records the
story; one of the verses in it goes as follows: it refers to him as “a
lion of three nights, whom once a savage dog chewed up with
the jaws of Triton.” Our faith in the Divinity, however, is not de-
rived from the fairy tales they have; we mention them to con-
vince unbelievers that even the stories they have do not present
such accounts as unacceptable.17 Since, however, I believe that
there is need to accept the extraordinary event even on the ba-
sis of what is still done according to God’s will, come now, let us
mention that even in the womb the foetus is immersed in natu-
ral moisture, is buried, as it were, in the entrails of the preg-
nant woman, and cannot breathe, and yet is still alive and well,
being nourished remarkably by God’s wishes. No explanation
could be given of such things, however, nor would the things of
God be easily apprehended by anyone; Scripture says, after all,
“Who has known the mind of the Lord?”18 (579) Or who has
grasped the ways of extraordinary things? Or whose mind is not
surpassed by what exceeds the power of reason? To fail to be-
lieve, therefore, is risky, even if God performs something quite
beyond reason; we, on the other hand, accept it as true,
Now, when we take the blessed prophet as a type of the min-
istry understood in Christ, there is need to add that the whole
world was at risk and the human race was affected by tempest,
as if the waves of sin itself were raging; the dire and insufferable
pleasures were overwhelming it, corruption impending in the
form of a storm, fierce winds buffeting it—namely, the devil and
the wicked powers subject to him and working with him. When
we were in this situation, however, the Creator had pity, and the
God and Father sent us the Son from heaven; he took on flesh,
17. Cyril quotes two of the iambic lines of the poem Alexandra (or Cassan-
dra) of Lycophron of the third century B.C.E. in reference to the twelfth labor
of Hercules, his three-day visit to the underworld to fetch the “savage dog” Cer-
berus. Jerome had also acknowledged that the historicity of Jonah’s stay in the
belly of the sea monster could prove a problem for some readers, and had cited
pagan classics—specifically, Ovid’s Metamorphoses—in support. Cyril further up-
holds historicity by citing the case of an unborn child in the womb.
18. Is 40.13; Rom 11.34.
arrived on earth when it was at risk of tempests, and willingly

went to his death to make the storm abate, allow the sea to be-
come calm, settle the waves, and put an end to the storm; by
the death of Christ we were saved. The tempest abated, the rain
passed, and waves settled down, the force of the winds dimin-
ished, deep peace then prevailed, and we enjoyed fair weather
of a spiritual kind, since Christ has suffered for us.
You find something like this in the Gospel accounts. At one
time, remember, the apostles’ boat was plying the sea of Tibe-
rias; then a strong wind fell on the water, and they were lashed
intolerably with a tempest. In danger of perishing, they awoke
Christ, who was with them asleep, crying out loudly, “Lord, save
us, (580) we perish.” Waking up, the text says, he rebuked the
sea, saying with authority, “Peace, be still,” and saved the dis-
ciples.19 Now, the incident was a type of what happened to the
human race: through him, as I said, we were freed from death,
corruption, sin, and passions, and with the departure of the for-
mer tempest, our situation was transformed into peace.
19. Mt 8.25; Mk 4.39.

CHAPTER TWO
Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the sea monster, saying, I cried
aloud in my distress to the Lord my God, and he hearkened to me; from the belly
of Hades you heard the sound of my cry (vv.1–2).1
OMING TO NO harm, using the sea monster as a home,

thinking clearly, and suffering no kind of ill effects of
body or mind, he sensed divine assistance, knowing
God is benevolent. On the other hand, not unaware that what
had happened was due to his reluctance for ministry, he turned
to prayer, uttering sentiments of thanksgiving, at the same time
confessing the glory of his Savior, admiring his power, and pro-
claiming his clemency. He said, in fact, that his prayer was ac-
cepted, in my view coming to this realization from a prophetic
spirit. Now, by the phrase from the belly of Hades, by which he
means the stomach of the sea monster, he nicely compares the
beast to Hades and death in that it knew how to kill and sav-
agely consume its prey.
You cast me into the depths of the sea’s heart, and floods encircled
me. All your billows and your waves passed over me. I said, I am being
driven out of your sight (vv.3–4). He comments (581) in various
ways on the happening, referring it to grace from on high, and
attributing to divine decrees the ability to rescue easily from ev-
ery trouble. He says, in fact, that he was in the very recesses of
the sea and in the melée of surging waters, which were drown-
ing him like flooding billows; he was caught up in such a degree
of misfortune as to have a full realization at that point that he
was suffering the aversion of the divine eyes, and to be brought
to despair of rescue.
It is a terrible thing leading to ruin, namely, being removed
1. This is the numbering of modern versions. In the Heb., in the PG, and in
Pusey’s text the verses are numbered 2–3.
163
from God’s eyes. Accordingly, the divinely inspired David also

makes supplication in the words, “Do not avert your face from
me, nor turn away from your servant in anger.”2 Suffering di-
vine wrath follows as an inevitable consequence of such aver-
sion—or, rather, the anger of aversion precedes and prepares
for it.
Surely I shall never again gaze upon your holy temple? (v.4) On
the one hand, he is aware that he has been preserved, thanks to
God’s power, has been accorded assistance, is alive and well—
and this in the sea monster and in the animal’s belly, something
against the odds and beyond belief. He is probably uncertain as
to whether he will be regurgitated and emerge into the light of
day again. On the other hand, he also considers most desirable
and truly an object of prayer his return to the divine Temple
itself and offering praise to the God who saved him; he prays
to attain this grace, attributing to God, as I said, the ability to
achieve everything.3
Water flooded around me at the risk of my life; the deepest abyss en-
closed me; (582) my head sank into the mountain caverns. I descended
onto land, whose everlasting bars held me tight. May my life rise up
from corruption towards you, O Lord my God (vv.5–6). Saved by God
with ineffable power, he was intent on offering more splendid
songs of thanksgiving. He describes completely what had hap-
pened, and conveys in detail the calamity he was caught up in,
and again proclaims how he was saved. As a prophet he was not
unaware, therefore, that he was in the sea, in a mighty abyss and
in mountain caverns, where the sea monster probably lurked in
rocks and in sea caves. He says that he arrived onto land, whose
everlasting bars held him tight, that is, Hades—not that he was re-
ally there: we shall find that he was not dead; rather, the enor-
mity of the danger and the gravity of the events did not prevent
his thinking that he was dead and had arrived at Hades itself,
whence no one emerges or in any way returns after once be-
ing entrapped. In my view, this is what is suggested by everlasting
2. Ps 27.9.
3. Not having located Jonah’s hometown, Gath-hepher, in Galilee, nor iden-
tified him as an eighth-century prophet working in the northern kingdom, Cyril
has no difficulty now with his expressed devotion to the Temple.
bars held him tight, meaning “unbreakable,” never overcome or

undone by anyone. Now, the fact that he was not dead, as I said,
but was alive in the sea monster, and suffered nothing in it con-
tributing to death or corruption, would easily be grasped from
his having hopes of his being rescued. Consequently he says,
May my life rise up from corruption towards you, O Lord my God; he
prays to emerge into the light, and be delivered up from the sea
monster’s stomach as though from Hades. (583)
As my life was leaving me, I remembered the Lord; may my prayer
come to you in your holy temple (v.7). Hardship is not without ben-
efit to those prepared to be tested, nor would suffering tribula-
tion be considered burdensome. Blessed David will confirm this
by saying, “In tribulation I called upon the Lord”; and another
of the holy authors, “Lord, in tribulation we remembered you.”
The divinely inspired Paul also chose to embrace and commend
tribulation, clearly of the kind involved in virtuous living; he
said, “Tribulation produces endurance; endurance, character;
character, hope; and hope does not disappoint.”4 So when the
prophet’s life was exposed to danger and underwent hardship
in the extreme, he likewise had recourse to something benefi-
cial, not like some people giving way to depression and falling
to cursing the divine decrees, but remembering the one who
saves. He cried aloud to him, note, and longed for his assistance;
aware as he was of his clemency and the abundance of his power,
he addressed supplication to him, begging for his life to be res-
cued from death and corruption. It is therefore a wonderful and
praiseworthy thing to avoid depression in hardship, and rather
to appease the Lord with entreaty and supplication, and seek
from him repeal of the trouble and relief from misfortune.
Those who respect vain and false things forsook their mercy. For my
part, on the contrary, with words of praise and confession I shall sac-
rifice to you; the vows I have taken I shall render to you the Lord for
my salvation (vv.8–9). For their part, he is saying, others are un-
aware of the Lord of all, the Creator, and are thus caught up in
the toils of futility, (584) paying homage to the false gods, pur-
suing birds on the wing—that is, hope in them—and shepherd-
4. Ps 118.5; Is 26.16; Rom 5.3–5.

ing the wind.5 So they do not beg mercy from you, nor do they
enjoy hope of such a thing. For my part by contrast, I am not
like them. How so? I know you to be a kind and compassion-
ate ally. Accordingly, I shall confess to you in word and supplica-
tion, and offer songs like some kind of sweet-smelling incense;
that is, I shall offer to you spiritual sacrifices of thanksgiving, of
praise, of benediction. I shall fulfill with great enthusiasm my
vows for salvation, that is, all those that brought about my being
saved and were of benefit to my life. Now, this was in response to
everything God wanted, a discharge of the prophetic ministry,
now that all reluctance and pusillanimity had been removed.
It is therefore while in the sea monster that the prophet prays.
While he is a human type, the true image of the event—namely,
Christ—emerged before the precious crucifixion, with the pas-
sion, as it were, already impelling him, and said to the Father in
heaven, “If it is possible, let this chalice pass from me,”6 fearful
as he was and, as it were, depressed. Now, whether on arriving
in the nether regions, on the other hand, he had said some-
thing of a human character, he himself would know; it is risky
for us to say. We shall find the divinely inspired Peter, however,
attributing to him what was said by David: “For this reason you
will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor let your holy one see
corruption.” His flesh, in fact, did not see corruption; in three
days he came back to life, just as it was impossible for him, be-
ing life by nature, to be subject to the bonds of death.7 (585)
He ordered the sea monster, and it expelled Jonah onto dry land
(v.10). Again the sea monster is given orders by some divine and
indescribable power of God to perform his will. It releases the
prophet from its innards, who had profited from the ordeal—
or, rather, was given heart by the experience and gained a clear
knowledge that it is risky to resist the divine decrees.
5. Prv 9.12 LXX.

6. Mt 26.39.
7. Ps 16.10; Acts 2.27, 24.
CHAPTER THREE
A word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: Get up, go to Nineveh, the great
city, and preach in it the message I told you before (vv.1–2).
AKING advantage of his more ardent enthusiasm,

then, God bids him again go to Nineveh and adopt the
same message communicated to him at the outset, the
meaning of “a clamor has ascended to me from their wicked-
ness.” Although I previously stated what relates to Christ, there-
fore, I shall still repeat it, feeling no reluctance; Scripture says,
remember, “To say the same things is not wearisome to me, and
for you it is a safeguard.”1 So before the precious crucifixion we
shall find Christ still somewhat hesitant—that is, as far as pro-
posing the message of the Gospel oracles to the gentiles goes.
For instance, he openly admits, “I was sent only to the lost sheep
of the house of Israel,” and he personally instructs the holy dis-
ciples, “Go nowhere among the gentiles, and do not enter a
town of the Samaritans, but go instead to the lost sheep of the
house of Israel.”2 He was “in the heart of the earth three days
and three nights,” and went “to the springs (586) of the sea,
and walked in the recesses of the deep.” He entered “mountain
caverns,” as it were, and descended to the earth, whose “eternal
bars” were shut tight. He then plundered Hades, preached to
the spirits there, opened the immovable doors, and came to life
again; his life came back from corruption, and in this condition
he appeared, before the others, to the women seeking him in
the garden. After telling them to rejoice, he then bade them
report to the holy disciples that he was going before them into
Galilee.3
1. 1.2; Phil 3.1. 2. Mt 15.24 and 10.5–6.

3. Mt 12.40; Jb 38.16; Jb 2.6–7; 1 Pt 3.19; Mt 28.9–10.
167
Then it was that his message finally went also to the gentiles
by means of the blessed apostles; then it was that he preached the
message told before. It was not, you see, that before his death he
provided guidance to Israel by one set of commandments, and
afterwards to the gentiles by another; instead, it was the Gospel
that was given to everyone. The knowledge of the divine disci-
ples was definitely the same, there being no difference between
that for the people of Israel and that for us, who are called from
the gentiles to holiness through faith.
Jonah arose and went to Nineveh as the Lord had said. Now, Nineveh
was, thanks to God, a very large city; it required a journey of three days,
as it were. Jonah began to go into the city on a journey of about one
day, so to speak, and he preached in these words: Three days more, and
Nineveh will be overthrown (vv.3–4). The prophet is sent, and, en-
dowed with irresistible enthusiasm, he sets about his task; with
great vigor he enters the foreign city Nineveh in discharge of
the divine decrees. Though it was a large city and extended to
such huge dimensions as to require a journey of three days, if any-
one chose to visit it, he crossed it in one day—or, as other com-
mentators think, it was on completing a journey of one day in it
that (587) he delivered the divine message.4
Now, the prophet aroused wonderment, a Hebrew man, com-
ing from foreign parts, perhaps unknown to anyone there, walk-
ing through the middle of the town, and crying aloud in the
words, Three days more and Nineveh will be overthrown. So what are
we to say? That he was guilty of falsehood, speaking from his own
heart instead of from the mouth of the Lord, as some commen-
tators claim? This is not our view; rather, we claim that, while the
prophets often suggest the manner of their mission, they do not
altogether deliver to us all the words that came to them from
God, nor the words from them to God.5 The fact that the Lord
said to him, remember, “Rise up, go to Nineveh, and preach in
4. The ambiguity is commented on also by Theodoret (thanks to Cyril) and

by modern commentators.
5. The second half of this sentence does not appear in the PG ed. Despite
Jerome’s comments, Cyril does not advert to the occurrence of “three days more”
in the LXX for the “forty” of the Heb. (and alternative versions, cited by Theo-
doret, who deferentially attributes the error rather to copyists), an error prob-
ably made under influence of the “three” in the previous verse.
it, because a clamor has ascended to me from their wickedness,”

we heard clearly at the very beginning of the prophecy; but what
he for his part said to God we do not know. We shall, however,
find him saying, “Were not these my words when I was still in my
country? This was the reason I took the step of fleeing to Tarsh-
ish, that I knew you are merciful and compassionate.”6 Do you
see that he did not state most things, including what was said
without our knowledge by God and to God, alike through the
Holy Spirit? It is therefore logical to attribute truth to the state-
ments of the saints; they would hardly be guilty of falsehood, en-
riched as they were with the spirit of truth. (588)
The men of Nineveh believed in God, proclaimed a fast, and donned
sackcloth, from the unimportant to the important among them (v.5).
The verse is charged with meaning: the people of Nineveh believed;
that is, the people of a city that had been condemned for all its
inveterate wrongdoing, a city in which there was a vast prolifera-
tion of idols beyond counting as well as innumerable shrines,
and unspeakable practices were popular. Soothsaying and false
prophecy were shown respect by them, astrologers were consid-
ered wise, and anyone with a facility for any kind of vice enjoyed
great renown. Yet they believed in God, from the unimportant to the
important, that is, prominent and undistinguished, famous and
abject, both affluent people and those overcome with the bur-
den of poverty—all felt the same zeal in acceding to the words
of the prophet. He was an object of great wonderment, attract-
ing considerable commendation from the believers; without
hesitation they responded to his call to reform, and subjected
to the divine proclamation their neck, which was accustomed to
luxury, despite his being a single foreigner, otherwise unknown,
who called them to repentance.
While this was the situation of the Ninevites, however, Israel
in its stupidity did not obey the Law, mocking the provisions of
Moses and setting no store by the statements of the prophets.
Why do I make this claim? They also turned killers of the Lord,
6. 1.1–2 and 4.2. Cyril’s worry, as it was Theodore’s and less so Theodoret’s, is
the historical unlikelihood of conversion in response to a one-liner from a com-
plete stranger. Jerome does not share this Antiochene (moral as well as herme-
neutical) preoccupation, whereas Theodore even rewrites the text to offset it.
not even believing Christ himself, Savior of us all. The position

of the Ninevites was therefore better; the truth of this was dem-
onstrated by the God of all, who spoke to the blessed prophet
Ezekiel in these terms: “Son of man, go in to the house of Is-
rael, not to many people of foreign tongues and languages or
those of obscure accents whose words you will not understand.
If (589) I sent you to such people, they would hearken to you,
whereas the house of Israel will refuse to listen to you because
they do not want to hearken to me, for the whole house of Israel
is contentious and hard of heart.”7 In other words, the people of
foreign tongue, unintelligible and of obscure accents—namely,
the Ninevites—respected the oracles and without delay moved
to repent, whereas contentious Israel did not respect them, as I
said, or the very Lord of Law and Prophets.
The news reached the king of Nineveh; he rose from his throne, di-
vested himself of his robe, put on sackcloth, and sat in ashes. A proc-
lamation was issued in Nineveh by the king and by his nobles, saying,
No human being or animal, no oxen or sheep are to taste anything,
feed, or drink water. People and animals were covered with sackcloth,
and cried at length to God; they all turned from their evil ways and
from the iniquity in their actions, saying, Who knows if God will relent
and be appeased and turn away from the wrath of his anger, and we
may not be lost? (vv.8–9). He develops at length his commenda-
tion of their responsiveness, and greatly admires the readiness
of those called to repentance. When they heard the prophet’s
words, note, (590) even the very person appointed to reign and
enjoying the highest reputation immediately left the throne of
kingship, bade farewell to the clothing befitting him, put off the
purple, and donned sackcloth, the vesture of mourning. Sitting
among the ashes, he gave an example to the others as well to
abstain from food and unceasingly in prayer to beseech and beg
God for mercy.
Now, the Ninevites were very wise, devoting themselves to an
abandonment of depravity by means of fasting, this being the
single authentic and blameless form of repentance. Since Israel
by contrast did not possess a facility for it, and sometimes gave
7. Ezek 3.4–7.
evidence of a fasting that was ill-considered and profane, God

ordered the prophet to raise his voice and proclaim to them,
“This is not the fasting that I wanted, says the Lord”; and he
supplied the reason for his mentioning it: “On your fast days
you serve your own interests and oppress all your workers; you
fast to quarrel and to fight, and to strike the lowly with your fist.
Why fast, I ask you, so that your voice may be heard today in a
loud cry? This is not the fasting that I wanted, a day for people
to humble themselves.”8 The Ninevites therefore did better by
performing for God a pure and blameless fast, the sacred text
confirming that they all turned from their evil ways and from the iniq-
uity in their actions. What was done was reasonable and sensible;
they believed that God would relent and turn away the effects of his
wrath. Now, by relent he means “have second thoughts” on seeing
them abandoning (591) depravity for goodness, when he for
his part would adopt the benignity and love dear to him, being
kindly by nature. On the other hand, he inflicts punishment on
sinners and on those inexorably committed to obduracy, impos-
ing the effects of his wrath like a kind of bridle to check them
and bring them to compliance.
Now, consider how the Ninevites said, Who knows if God will re-
lent and be appeased and turn away from the wrath of his anger, and we
may not be lost? whereas Israel in its wisdom, though instructed by
Law that the Lord is good and kind, could not bring themselves
to take this view. Instead, remember, they exclaimed, “Our trans-
gressions and our sins weigh upon us, and we waste away because
of them: how then can we live?” despite their hearing God’s
clear statement, “Turn back, turn back from your evil way: why
will you die, house of Israel?”9 That was really what the Ninevites
did, averting the wrath directed at them by a change for the bet-
ter. They even ordered people and animals to join in mourning,
to abstain from food and drink, and to be forced, as it were, to
grieve—a case of hyperbole: it did not necessarily happen, God’s
requiring hardship on the part of the animals. Instead, the sa-
cred text suggested it as well to bring out the extraordinary de-
8. Is 58.3–5.
9. Ezek 33.10–11.
gree of the Ninevites’ repentance. I am aware, then, that some

commentators are embarrassed at this, claiming that by animals
we should understand the most brutish of human beings. Scrip-
ture is true, and it would be right at times for this view to be
taken by some; but as far as the meaning of the present passage
goes, the other interpretation could perhaps be applied, name-
ly, the indication of the extraordinary degree of repentance,
(592) by assigning the hardship also to the very animals.10
God saw their actions, that they turned from their wicked ways, and
God repented of the evil he said he would bring upon them, and did not
do it (v.10). The Lord is quick to show mercy and bring salvation
to the repentant; he immediately relieves them of their former
crimes if they desist from their sin, cancels his wrath, and thinks
instead of kindly actions. When he sees them turning to good
behavior, he makes a change to clemency, puts off their over-
throw, and accords them pity. Scripture is in fact right to say,
“Why will you die, house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in
the death of anyone, says the Lord Adonai, my wish being for
them to turn from their way and live.” Now, when the text says
evil, think not of depravity but of wrath that brings troubles; our
God who loves virtue is not an agent of troubles.11
10. Unlike the Antiochenes, who have no trouble with animals being in-
volved in penitential works, Cyril is aware that some of his school prefer to give
such extraordinary features of the sacred text a metaphorical or spiritual mean-
ing (as in the case of Hosea’s marriage to a prostitute). Here he settles for stay-
ing with the literal sense understood as literature and involving figures such as
hyperbole.
11. Ezek 18.31–32. Cyril makes the distinction he had made on Am 3.6 (as
will Theodoret at both places, and as had Chrysostom elsewhere).
CHAPTER FOUR
Jonah felt a great distress, and was troubled. He prayed to the Lord, saying,
O Lord, were not these my words when I was still in my country? This was the
reason I took the step of fleeing to Tarshish, that I knew you are merciful and
compassionate, long-suffering, rich in mercy and relenting in the case of evils.
Now Lord and Master, take my life from me, because it is better for me to die
than to live (vv.1–3).
INCE GOD is compassionate (593) to those who

avert the effects of wrath by repentance, even when the
time had passed for the decreed outcome, and what
had been foretold was due to occur and yet none of the expec-
tations had come to pass, the blessed Jonah was extremely dis-
tressed. It was not because the city had escaped destruction—the
attitude of a wicked and envious man, unbecoming a saint—but
because he gave the impression of being a liar and a braggard,
idly alarming them, speaking his own mind and not at all what
came from the mouth of the Lord, as Scripture says. Some other
commentators think that the prophet was distressed for other
ineffable reasons, claiming that since he knew that the call went
out to the mass from the nations whereas Israel had completely
forfeited hope in God, he was very dejected as the fulfillment
drew near, and was gloomy, as it were, at the loss of his kith and
kin.1
It is he himself, however, who abjures this position, admit-
ting openly that he left for Tarshish (though apprehended after
showing reluctance about his mission) on account of the clear
realization that the Lord was kind and compassionate, relenting in
the case of evils. Since this is what you are like, he says, in fact,
why did you idly bid me proclaim overthrow to them? Human-
1. Jer 23.16.
173
ly speaking, he was mean-spirited, insisting that he used those

words even in the land of the Jews, and he begged to meet an
early death, raising no little protest, as it were, about God’s way
of doing things. His attitude was unstable, unworthy of a saintly
mind; if no one in his right mind upbraids medical personnel
for applying beneficial remedies to wounds, how would it be
right for you (594) to criticise the God who knows everything
and gives thought to healing for our minds that is fitting and
truly useful? After all, he is a healer of spirits, who allays the fe-
rocity of our passions, sometimes with hardship, sometimes with
the good effects of his clemency.
The Lord replied to Jonah, Are you very distressed? Jonah left the city
and sat down opposite the city; he made himself a tent there and sat un-
der it until he saw what was going to happen to the city (vv.4–5). Far
from allowing the prophet’s mind to fall victim to depression,
he lent vigor to him in his weakness, as it were, kindly but help-
fully accusing him of being distressed. In my view, you see, he was
suggesting nothing else by his inquiry, Are you very distressed? as
if to chastise him both for being distressed and for failing to
understand the purpose of the divine judgments. The days had
already passed when the threats should have been realized, as I
said, and furthermore divine wrath was still not taking effect; so
he understands that God had shown mercy, and not everything
had gone as he had hoped. He believed that because of their
decision to repent they were given a postponement of the di-
saster, but that the effects of the wrath would occur if they did
not display works of repentance commensurate with their sins.
After all, why should three days’ effort benefit people who were
buried in every form of wrongdoing and guilty of such dreadful
sins? It was probably with thoughts like this within him that he
left the city, waiting to see (595) what would happen to them.
He expected, in fact, that it would perhaps be shaken and col-
lapse, or be burnt to the ground like Sodom. Instead, it was his
house that was ruined, the shelter he had built himself.
The Lord God gave orders for a pumpkin vine, and it rose above
Jonah’s head to give shade over his head to shelter him from his troubles.
Jonah was very happy with the pumpkin vine (v.6). God gave the fur-
ther order for a pumpkin vine, as he also had for a sea monster,
and clearly his wish was sufficient for it to be done. Immedi-

ately it grew up lovely and bushy, providing cover for the shel-
ter at once, and by its excellent shade it promoted his sense of
well-being, as it were. The prophet was very happy with it, and
really exulted in it as a wonderful and commendable develop-
ment. Notice in this as well his tendency to innate simplicity of
mind: whereas he was extremely distressed that the outcome to
his prophecy was not realized, in turn he was very happy with a
vegetable and a plant. The unsophisticated mind is very easily
disposed to both distress and satisfaction; you will see the accu-
racy of my comment if you observe the ways of infants, who of-
ten get upset at something of no consequence and weep loudly
at nothing, while, on the other hand, finding enjoyment and
undergoing a sudden change from distress to joy, sometimes
under the influence again of a thing of no consequence. This
happens, in fact, with human bodies: when not normally strong,
they collapse easily at someone’s touch, even if not done with
vigor, (596) but, as it were, touched with a gentle hand. The
mind that is not resilient is likewise easily disposed to an influ-
ence from whatever delights it or naturally distresses it.2
The Lord ordered a morning worm the next day, which attacked the
pumpkin plant, and it withered. At sunrise the Lord God ordered a blast
of burning heat, and the sun struck the head of Jonah; he became de-
pressed, renounced his life, and said, It would be better for me to die than
to live (vv.7–8). By morning worm he refers to the locust because
of its taking the beginning of its existence from the dew that falls
in the morning. God gave orders also for the heat in the sense of
his giving orders both to the pumpkin plant and to the sea mon-
ster in the way we have explained. While its burning up was un-
expected, the heat struck it severely, and imparted a warm blast
to the distraught man when he was deprived of shade; hence
his discontent was greatly aggravated. He was reduced to such a
state of depression as even to consider death very desirable.
2. Unlike Theodore, Cyril acknowledges weaknesses in the prophet. He by-

passes, incidentally, Jerome’s lengthy justification of “ivy” as the correct name
for the plant, a choice that led to Augustine’s letter (71A) castigating his prefer-
ring the Hebraica veritas to the LXX and upsetting all those Christians unfamil-
iar with the term.
The Lord said to Jonah, Should you be very distressed at the pump-
kin plant? He replied, I am distressed enough to die (v.9). Notice
once more the God of all in his immeasurable loving-kindness
playing, as it were, with the innocent souls of the saints espe-
cially, and falling in no way short of the affection of parents.
(597) The pumpkin plant provided shade, remember, and the
prophet was very pleased with it; but in the scheme of things
the locust later undermined it, and the heat struck it, showing
that the shade was so useful and necessary for his well-being
that when deprived of the advantage he became upset instead.
In his great distress at a trifle—I mean the pumpkin plant—he
then no longer blamed the divine loving-kindness for deciding
to bestow pity and clemency on the cities’ notables along with
an innumerable multitude of inhabitants. So he asked, Should
you be very distressed at a mere vegetable? This he admitted, thus
providing the loving God with the basis of an explanation.
The Lord said, You showed concern for the pumpkin plant, for which
you did not labor and which you did not grow, which came into being by
night and perished by night. Should I, on the other hand, show no con-
cern for Nineveh, the great city, in which there are more than a hundred
and twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from
their left, and many animals? (vv.10–11) O what wonderful clem-
ency that beggars comparison and understanding! What words
would suffice for us to sing its praises? Or how could we open
our mouths to offer songs of thanksgiving to one of such com-
passion and goodness? He puts far from us our iniquities, and
like a parent showing compassion to his children, the Lord has
compassion for those who fear him, for he knows how we were
made.3 Notice, in fact, how he presents Jonah being distressed
not at an appropriate time nor when it was called for, despite
being obliged like a saint to applaud and praise the Lord for
his goodness. If you took it personally, he says, note, (598) or
rather were brought to the extremes of distress because your
pumpkin plant withered, which grew up in a single night and
perished likewise, how for my part should I not take account of
a populous city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty
3. Cf. Ps 103.12–14.
thousand persons who on account of their age cannot discern

what is their right and what their left? This is something beyond
infants, and it is logical to accord them loving-kindness before
all others, since they have not sinned; what sins could they be
guilty of if still unfamiliar with their own hands?
Now, if he also refers to the animals and accords them pity,
this too is kindly; after all, if “a righteous person has compas-
sion on the souls of his animals,”4 and this redounds to his cred-
it, why is it surprising if the Lord of all himself also accords pity
and compassion to them as well? This is the way Christ saved ev-
eryone, giving himself as a ransom for small and great, wise and
foolish, rich and poor, Jew and Greek, of whom it could also
rightly be said, “Lord, you will save human beings and animals
alike, as you made your mercy abound, O God; all people will
hope in the shadow of your wings.”5 To him be the glory and
the power, together with the Father, who has no beginning, and
the all-holy Spirit, who is good and gives life, for ages of ages.
Amen. (599)
4. Prv 12.10 LXX. All our commentators adopt this interpretation of the
number of people in Nineveh. Cyril does not follow Jerome (though perhaps
aware of his interpretation), however, when he takes the cattle to mean foolish
people.
5. Ps 36.6–7.
COMMENTARY ON THE
PROPHET MICAH
PREFACE TO THE
C OMMENTAR Y ON MI C A H
HE SINGLE purpose of all the holy prophets, dear

also to God, was to persuade Israel to decide to part
company resolutely with deception and instead to opt
for serving God, living and true, and glorying in the ornaments
of righteousness by removing as far as possible their involvement
in wrongdoing. There was a long series of them as God in some
fashion gave prior assurance and clearly predicted in a great
number of statements that, unless they chose to live an upright
life and to set great store by making a change for the better,
they would bring punishment upon themselves, and after ex-
periencing self-imposed destruction (600) they would find the
reason for their suffering in their own free will. Now, if the dis-
courses of the holy prophets should contain the same content,
let no one find fault with them by making allegations of repeti-
tiveness in their case. Instead, let them adopt the following clear
line of reasoning: we should focus on no time when there was
not anyone capable of reforming sinners. Just as no one in his
right mind would quibble if at any one time physicians checked
by suitable treatment the same effects of the ailments affecting
us, it would in my view be similarly unreasonable to upbraid the
prophets if they, too, appeared to proceed with the same actions
and words. It is one Lord, after all, who spoke to everyone and
brought to light for the deceived at every period those with the
ability to return them to the straight and narrow. They all, in
fact, foretold wars, captivities, desolation of the cities, hardship,
grief, mourning the dead, trials of the neglected, cruelty of raid-
ers; in short, you would find the contents broaching every form
of severity with a view to what is required for the benefit of the
deceived. Sometimes, you see, even the unbridled tendency to
apostasy and sin is checked by terrifying stories.
181
Accordingly, the blessed Micah also prophesies at the time of

the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Pekah son of Rema-
liah and Rezin king of Syria campaigned against Jerusalem dur-
ing the reign of Jotham; he was succeeded at his death by Ahaz,
who paid money to the Assyrian when the war was protracted,
and begged him to lend assistance since he was unable to resist
the attacking forces. At that time, when the kings in Samaria
were Jeroboam son of Jehoash, after him Azariah, and thirdly
Menahem, King Pul of Assyria advanced; he accepted a gener-
ous bribe to return to his own country. After Pul, Tiglath-pileser
the Assyrian advanced on Judea and overthrew a great number
of cities in Samaria, and in addition to them the whole of Gali-
lee as far as Naphtali. While this was recounted in detail when
we compiled our commentary on the blessed prophet Hosea,
we felt the need to remind you of it here as well, with a view to
settling the dates of Micah’s prophecy; it was necessary, you see,
it was necessary for the earnest scholar not to be ignorant of the
reason why the kings of Jerusalem rated a mention—Jotham
and Ahaz, that is.1 Now, the period of the prophecy extends to
the reign of Hezekiah as well, when Sennacherib also reigned
as king of the Assyrians; he took Samaria by force, and ravaged
also the cities of the Philistines, that is, Palestine. He then took
Lachish, a city of the kingdom of Judah, (602) and from there
sent Rabshakeh to besiege Jerusalem; he incurred punishment
for arrogance and for cursing God, and in a single night a hun-
dred and eighty-five thousand of the Assyrian army died.2 Ac-
cordingly, the text says, the word of the Lord came to Micah of
Moresheth.
1. Cyril feels that studious readers require at least factual details to appreci-
ate Micah’s message, and so he relays the contents of 2 Kgs 15–16, aware that
he did so as well in introducing Hosea. Just as he did there, however, he arrives
at the name Azariah for King Zechariah of Israel, unknown to the biblical text,
and likewise fails to realize that Pul and Tiglath-pileser refer to the one Assyrian
king.
2. 2 Kgs 19.35.
C OMMENTAR Y ON MI C A H,
CHAPTER ONE
The word of the Lord came to Micah of Morathi in the days of Jotham, Ahaz,
and Hezekiah, kings of Judah (v.1).
GAIN IT SHOULD be understood that the Hebrew

text has Moresheth in place of Morathi, the intention
being to give the name not of the father but of his na-
tive place; they say Morathi was a town or little city of the country
of the Jews. The other translators agree with this text as well; so
Morathi would not be the prophet’s father; instead, by mention
of Moresheth, as I said, there is a reference to his native place.1
We need now to study what the words were that came to him.
Which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem; that is, he sees fu-
ture events in a vision, as it were, troubles that had not then
come to pass or were at the very doors, which he received not
only in his mind but as far as possible by sight (603)—a vision,
that is—and of which he dreaded the outcome. So he necessar-
ily delivers his prophecy concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.
Listen to the words, all you peoples, and let the earth and all its
inhabitants give heed. The Lord God will give witness to you, the Lord
from his holy house (v.2). He bids them be ready to respond, bend-
ing their ear, as it were, to grasp in detail the force of the divine
sayings. Now, the fact that the account comes not from human
will or intention but actually from God, who has control of all
things, he confirms by adding, The Lord will give witness to you.
In other words, he is saying, Even if it is I, Micah, who delivers
the message, even if as a man I perhaps act as mediator, still it is
the God of all in person who adjures you, lending his own voice
to his lordly oracles. He will therefore be a witness to you, the
one to whom you erected this celebrated and splendid Temple,
1. Cyril does not follow Jerome in proceeding to locate Moresheth.
183
to whom the divine altar was raised by you, to whom you have
been instructed by Law to show reverence, who has ever spo-
ken to the holy prophets from his own house. Before the others
he spoke to blessed Moses, who erected that ancient taberna-
cle in the wilderness; he used to speak from above the mercy
seat, and, as the sacred text says, “Moses would speak, and God
would reply (604) to him in a mighty sound.” He now adjures
you, it says, from his house; so listen, peoples, and let the earth give
heed. Similar to this is the statement in Isaiah, “Listen, heaven,
and give heed, earth, for the Lord has spoken.”2 While the Most
High does not dwell in handmade temples of stone, therefore,
yet since we claim the holy houses are erected to the glory of
God, consequently we believe it is not unworthy of the God of
all to dwell in them, even though filling the heavens, the earth,
and the nether regions.
Now, you would be justified in applying this also to Christ
when he calls to salvation not only peoples who were descend-
ed from Abraham, but also the whole earth. He adjures them,
in fact, by saying in the words of David, “Hear this, all nations;
give ear, all you who dwell in the world.”3 There is no doubting
the fact that the Word has come down from heaven to us, as it
were, from his own house, which is very dear to him. It would
not be wrong to speak of heaven as God’s house when the in-
spired Scriptures speak of the earthly Zion, taken as a type of
the church, as his house and city; the divinely inspired David
somewhere sings, “Glorious things have been said of you, city of
God.”4 So the church of Christ, who fills all things in his divine
nature, would be, as it were, a city and house.
For, lo, the Lord is issuing forth from his place; he will walk upon
(605) the high places of the earth. Mountains will shake under him,
and the valleys will melt like wax in the face of fire and like water fall-
ing in descent (vv.3–4). Such a passage is very obscure and full of
riddles; but we are obliged to make the claim that, while refer-
ence to God is communicated in words we use, the expert who
is skilled in understanding “a proverb and obscure statement,
2. Ex 19.19; Is 1.2; Acts 7.48. 3. Ps 49.1.

4. Ps 87.3.
commentary on micah 1 185
the words of the wise, and their riddles”5 will appreciate them
in detail and as far as possible in a manner befitting God’s in-
effable nature. His being seated, enthroned, and rising are, in
fact, spoken of by the saints, as also travel and journeys, not to
mention other human details. But as I just said, such items for
our consideration would properly be understood in precise de-
tail by good people of mature judgment; the descriptions are
phrased in comparisons and metaphors in use by us.
So when you hear the prophet saying, For, lo, the Lord is issu-
ing forth from his place; he will walk upon the high places of the earth,
and proceeding to say, Mountains will shake under him, and the
valleys will melt, then is the time for you to go beyond a mate-
rial impression and rise to a more subtle understanding in your
consideration. In this case, therefore, you will understand God’s
emergence happening, as it were, from his own place like a kind
of movement from a state of rest to one of performance of
(606) some tasks; it would be like saying, The one who was for-
merly long-suffering is now stirred to move, and he will cease his
inaction against those who offend him, in a sense abandon his
customary mildness, and now inflict punishment. In fact, he will
walk upon the high places of the earth; that is, he will now tread on
the elevated parts, by which we should understand the people
reigning in both Samaria and Jerusalem. Mountains will shake;
that is, those who outranked others and were greatly elevated
in importance, quite comparable to mountains, will in turn be
shifted from their positions of privilege. The valleys will melt like
wax; that is, the lowly and abject, displaying the behavior of the
masses, being very obdurate and reluctant to respond to the di-
vine oracles, will melt like wax as though exposed to the fire of
divine wrath; they will become like water falling in descent, that is,
careering down a cliff in a rapid and headlong fall. You see, as
I previously remarked, the kings of the Assyrians savagely plun-
dered both Samaria itself and the kingdom of Judah, deported
5. Prv 1.6. Cyril goes to some length to warn against misinterpreting anthro-
pomorphisms, as will Theodoret more concisely after him; it is the principle
of scriptural considerateness, synkatabasis in Chrysostom’s term. The prophet’s
double focus on northern and southern kingdoms, on the contrary, receives
little attention.
some of the kings, and killed all the leaders, and in a kind of
rapid course like water down a cliff they deported to their own
country the mass of common people. This was the water falling in
descent moving rapidly from Samaria to the country of the Per-
sians and Medes.
Now, the Word of God issues forth from his place; though God
by nature, he became man. (607) By this he seems somehow
also to undergo movement, although not experiencing change
but rather being by nature steady and as God enjoying stabil-
ity. He also walked upon the high places, has shaken mountains,
and made valleys melt and flow like water falling in descent. By
high places of the earth are to be understood the spiritual powers
raised up against everyone and the spiritual forces of wicked-
ness, and by mountains shaken the demons relieved of control
over us; they have been cast out, and we have now been called
to submission to the one who is God by nature and in truth. Val-
leys in turn would be the vast mass of demons, lowly and abject,
melted like wax, flowing also like water into the recesses of Hades.
The wicked spirits, remember, made their approach to Christ
and “begged him not to order them to go back into the abyss”;6
since others had previously been dispatched, the rest were hor-
rified at the prospect.
If, on the other hand, you wanted to take high places, moun-
tains, and valleys as the leaders of the Jews and the crowds sub-
ject to them, who on account of frenzy against Christ were also
relieved of their control, you would not be wide of the proper
purpose. They also melted like wax from the misfortunes of the
war with the Romans as though exposed to flame, and “were set
at naught like water running away, and they vanish like melted
wax.”7 (608)
All this is the result of Jacob’s impiety and the sin of the house of Israel
(v.5). After saying that the God of all will walk on the high places
of the earth, the mountains will be shaken by him, and the val-
leys will melt like wax and flow like water, he now continues, All
this is the result of Jacob’s impiety. Note, therefore, how he speaks
of hidden mysteries, and does not arrive at the meaning of the
6. Lk 8.31.
7. Ps 58.7–8 LXX.
passage at a material level; instead, he arrives at it obliquely by

describing calamities that would happen later in Samaria and
Jerusalem. After all, what terror would be involved in the shak-
ing of the mountains, or how would it bring distress to people
in Samaria or the others? In what fashion would valleys melt or
be in descent like rushing water? His habit instead is to convey
in an adequate manner what would happen to the people of Is-
rael. Consequently, he now applies punishment of necessity, not
speaking to them as though they were ignorant, in my view, but
as if to reprove them, and properly bring them round to opt-
ing for a positive and seemly way of thinking. Hence his saying,
All this is the result of Jacob’s impiety and the sin of the house of Israel,
so that the race of Israel might be understood to have offend-
ed both God and men, by impiety probably referring to failings
against God, and by sin those against kith and kin.
What is the impiety of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? And what is the
sin of the house of Judah? Is it not Jerusalem? Referring by Jacob to
the descendants of Jacob—that is, Ephraim, (609) dwelling in
Samaria—he makes clear their crimes. He says Samaria is a form
of impiety—not, of course, that he is blaming the country itself:
it would be silly to take that view. Instead, by Samaria he means
what happened in Samaria, like the calves, Chemosh, Baal, and
what was done in it to some people through the oppression by
those in power. Scripture said, remember, “They slapped the
faces of the poor, and avoided the way of the lowly,” and in ad-
dition said, “When will the moon pass, and we shall engage in
commerce? When will the sabbath come, and we shall open the
stores so as to set the measure short, increase the weight, make
the balance unfair?”8 He also says that Jerusalem is the sin of Judah.
We would not be thinking right to blame the city itself in any
way for this; rather, we would consider what was done in it to be
a sin for Judah. Somewhere God accused the Jews of frenzy, and
even said clearly, “For you have as many gods as you have towns,
O Judah, and have devoted as many altars to sacrifice for Baal as
you have thoroughfares. Why do you speak to me? You have all
sinned, and have all offended me, says the Lord almighty.” He
8. Am 2.7; 8.5.
upbraids them also in Isaiah, “How the faithful city of Zion has
become a whore! She that was full of justice, where righteous-
ness lodged, but now murderers. Your silver has become dross;
your innkeepers mix wine with water; your rulers are rebels, ac-
complices of thieves, lovers of bribes, looking for kickbacks, not
judging in favor of orphans, nor giving (610) judgment in favor
of widows.”9 So the unholy deeds in Jerusalem proved sin for Ju-
dah, not the city itself.
It is therefore necessary to love God, and this with all one’s
soul and heart, to shake off one’s lethargy in good works, to
do no harm in any way to one’s neighbors but rather win them
over by kind treatment, to desist from evil behavior and be de-
voted instead to the practices of righteousness. By contrast, if we
are negligent about such commendable pursuits and choose to
spurn them, he will inflict the effects of wrath, melt us like wax
by punishing us in fire, and scatter us like water, not continuing
to accord us pity and love.
I shall turn Samaria into a fruit shed in a field and a vine plan-
tation, and shall pull down its stones into an abyss and uncover its
foundations. They will knock down all its images, and set on fire all
its earnings, and all its idols I shall reduce to nothingness (vv.6–7).
He outlines clearly what in turn will be the sufferings of those
who have offended in this way. Samaria will in fact, he says, be
like a fruit shed in a field and a vine plantation. Some people, you
see, preserve what grows in a field by weaving shelters and sit-
ting in them, thus warding off all harm from it; but when the
fruit is gathered, the guards cease their labor and go off home
after upturning their shelters. We shall find Samaria having this
experience: since it sinned gravely, (611) or rather committed
impiety even against the God of all, paying homage to its own
works, it was overturned and fell when abandoned by those for-
merly ordered to preserve it, namely, holy powers and angels.
The blessed prophet Isaiah also said something similar about it:
“Daughter Zion will be abandoned like a shelter in a vineyard
and like a fruit shed in a cucumber patch.”10 Now, why was it
abandoned? The rational multitude of heavenly ranks that con-
9. Jer 2.28–29; Is 1.21–23.

10. Is 1.8.
stantly attended on it took their leave, as I said. It will therefore

be like a fruit shed in a field and a vine plantation. It would be like
saying, Bereft of cities and houses, and transformed into the ap-
pearance of fields.
You could also take it another way if you wanted. When the
cultivators of the vineyards take possession of a site particularly
suited to them, they plough it up, turning the soil this way and
that. He threatens the land of the Samaritans with this fate, as
if to say it will be land for ploughing, as I said, with cities and
houses done away with. Hence, he says, I shall pull down its stones
into an abyss and uncover its foundations. He also says that in ad-
dition to this it will be a laughing stock; what they expected to
be their saviors as gods will in fact perish along with the people
in the habit of adoring them; all its earnings will be set on fire, and
all its idols reduced to nothingness. By earnings it indicates what was
burnt in honor of the idols, perhaps by way of offerings; they
brought some of their own wealth to the shrines to devote it to
the glory of idols, despite their being of no help or avail to give
assistance, (612) as if to make a thanksgiving payment or rec-
ompense for what they thought they received from them.
Now, we recall that also in Hosea he accused the assembly of
the Jews in these words: “She did not know that it was I who gave
her the grain, the wine, and the oil, and lavished silver on her;
instead, she used silver and gold for the Baal” (as offerings, clear-
ly). The fact that Israel in its derangement regarded prosperity as
earnings and recompense for its zeal in being deceived you would
understand no less from God’s further words: “I shall do away
with her vine and her fig trees, all the payment, she said, that my
lovers gave me”;11 in other words, she believed that it was due to
the decision of the idols that she was flush with wealth and luxury
and enjoyed prosperity. The mind of those who are deceived is
therefore blind; if it were not ignorant of the one who is God by
nature, it would pay homage rather to him and not to some oth-
ers; it would offer prayers of thanksgiving to him; it would con-
fess him as the giver and manager of every good thing. If, on the
other hand, it had chosen to be of this mind, it would not have
11. Hos 2.8, 12.

become like a fruit shed in a field or like a vine plantation; rather,

it would continue to enjoy the blessings of unshaken prosperity
and to be admired for being fortified by benevolence from on
high and established in a high degree of satisfaction.
Because it assembled them from the earnings of prostitution and col-
lected them from the earnings of prostitution (v.7). The passage con-
tinues the mockery, ridiculing the Jews’ stupidity (613) with con-
siderable skill; it makes clear the folly of their inherent silliness,
and clearly highlights what lay within their mind and heart. To
be sure, he is saying, it was right and just for Israel in its good
sense, its gratitude and wisdom, to offer thanksgiving to stones;
it was aware that they were the ones who honored it, supplied
its prosperity, amassed wealth for it, and caused it to enjoy well-
being. It believed, in fact, that it enjoyed prosperity as a payment
for spiritual prostitution, and since it sacrificed to idols and wor-
shiped sticks and stones, it would not be lacking what it prayed
for. It assembled, he says, and became rich from the earnings of pros-
titution, collected and amassed them, and enjoyed unrelieved sat-
isfaction. We shall therefore understand the force of the passage
to be marked by artistry and irony intermingled with threats.
For this reason it will wail and mourn; it will go barefoot and na-
ked; it will do its wailing like dragons and its grieving like daugh-
ters of sirens. Because its affliction has overwhelmed it, because it has
reached Judah and got as far as the gate of my people, as far as Jerusa-
lem (vv.8–9). Because it continued to live in error, he is saying,
and in no way ceased distressing its Lord, offering to the images
thanksgiving offerings in which they took satisfaction and enjoy-
ment, and furthermore went to the extent of blasphemy, con-
sequently it will wail and mourn. It will not be for other people
or for foreigners that it will grieve, shedding tears of love, as it
were; instead, it will bewail its own misfortunes. Now, its being
naked (614) and barefoot suggests the condition of captives; the
blessed prophet Isaiah likewise traversed Jerusalem “naked and
barefoot” to suggest the captivity shortly to befall them when
God gave orders for it to happen.12 It will therefore imitate in its
12. Is 20.2. The instruction was given at the time of the fall of Ashdod to
Sargon II in 711.
own sufferings the laments of dragons and the grieving of sirens;

some commentators claim that if a dragon is hit, it is then likely
to lament, indicating this by striking the ground with its tail and
being in the habit of creating a loud noise. By sirens the Greeks
and their followers refer to birds accustomed to sing, capable of
charming the listeners with the tunes of their songs.13
The divinely inspired Scripture, on the other hand, refers
by sirens to the most vocal of sparrows in the habit of uttering
pleasant sounds, or even nightingales, which lay eggs in hollows
by the sea and sing a sad tune when the nest is taken by the
waves, mourning in some way the loss of their young. He said
Samaria will mourn in similar fashion the destruction of its own
children; its affliction has overwhelmed it, reaching as far as Judah
and the gates of Jerusalem. Now, by this the passage seems to sug-
gest to us the war waged by Sennacherib, who took the whole
of Samaria, plundered Judea, surrounded Jerusalem, and, arriv-
ing at its gates, threatened to burn it; he actually was unable to
do so, since God protected it in the time of the reign of Heze-
kiah.14 When we abandon the one who by nature and in truth
is Lord, therefore, and commit ourselves to adhering to the un-
clean demons, then we shall completely and utterly mourn for
ourselves, lament our own folly, be deprived (615) of his grace
and help, and live a shameful and repulsive life (the meaning
of barefoot). We shall instead be subject to Satan, who strikes us,
and there will be nothing to prevent our being caught up in
every trouble.
You inhabitants of Gath, do not become conceited, and you inhabit-
ants of Enakim, do not rebuild mockery from the house: sprinkle dust
on your mockery (v.10). The language is obscure, and the sense
of the passage and of what follows very hard to grasp; but I shall
try to explain it as far as I can. When war overran the cities in
Samaria, and others fell under the rule of Judah and Benjamin,
Israel was mocked with great glee by the neighboring foreign-
13. Jerome is not much help in teasing out the import of these creatures,
which Theodore dismisses as mythical.
14. Theodoret will see the more likely reference also to the fall of Samaria to
Shalmaneser (and Sargon II) in 722, as well as Sennacherib’s failed attempt to
take Jerusalem in 701.
ers, all of nearby Judea, and nations in the vicinity for finding
no help from God. They were in fact convinced that the hand
of their Savior was suffering impotence and necessarily lacking
strength in the face of attacks by the raiders. It would have been
better for them to realize that through choosing to distress
their Savior and offending God they were experiencing calami-
ties and were given into the hands of the foe. Since it was one
of their faults, however, to come to the conclusion that it was
through the power of idols of their own making that they en-
joyed a high degree of prosperity, and, on the other hand, that
Israel met with death and destruction as a result of the weakness
of their Savior, consequently God handed over to devastation by
Sennacherib the very cities of their neighbors as well. The Rab-
shakeh, for example, in addressing the people of Jerusalem on
the wall, mentioned these very ones in saying, “Where is the god
of Hamath and Arpad? Where is the god of the city of Sephar-
vaim? Surely he has not rescued Samaria from my hand? Which
among all the gods of those nations has rescued his country
from my hand?”15
So Gath of the foreigners known as Philistines is the capital
of Palestine, and Enakim similarly is a small city likewise situated
on the borders of Judea, in the desert to the south, subject to
the power of Judah, no longer concerned with Jewish affairs but
attached to the neighboring nations—namely, Moabites and
Idumeans.16 Accordingly he is saying, You inhabitants of Gath, you
inhabitants of Enakim, do not make the misfortunes of others an
occasion of festivity; do not become conceited on that account, or
because your neighbor’s house—Israel, that is—has been dev-
astated, and therefore gloat over them as though they have per-
ished. Do not build mockery from the house; instead, as though you
yourselves are destined to suffer a turn for the worse, sprinkle the
future like a kind of dust on your mockery, and lament your own
misfortunes. After all, the Babylonians will dance in triumph
15. Is 36.19–20.
16. The LXX does not resonate to the wordplay in the Heb. of vv.10–15
lamenting the fate of twelve cities, some obscure, and the result is a garbled
version. Jerome is of limited help, and Theodore dismissive, while Cyril has re-
course to some creative commentary in being definite about a city the LXX
presents as Enakim but which modern versions read as Beth-leaphrah.
over you, and the foe will mock you in your piteous plight. It
is therefore wise to remember the one who says, “If your en-
emy falls, do not rejoice over him, because the Lord will see it,
and it will not please him, and he will turn away his anger from
him.”17
Now, those who do not know Christ are also guilty of this;
when at times the churches are persecuted, and the saints in
them are put to the test, then it is in particular that they are
in admiration of their own gods. Their mockery ends in tears,
however, as Christ alleviates the troubles, (617) stills the tur-
moil, assuages the distress, and communicates to the saints sat-
isfaction and joy; fame and enjoyment are in fact the outcome
of hardship. Blessed David seems to me to say something similar
to the God of all: “We passed through fire and water, and you
brought us out to refreshment.”18
Comfortably occupying her cities, she who dwells in Zennaar did not
come out to mourn a house next to her; she will suffer the onset of pain
from you (v.11). While the Seventy render it Zennaar, Aquila put
Zenan, and Symmachus “healthy,” which is perhaps the sense of
Zenan. If Zennaar is the acceptable version, however, we claim
that it is a place of many cities and towns occupied by foreign-
ers, though in the territory of Judea; but if Zenan is the correct
version, there is reference to a fine and important city in Egypt.
There is no doubt, on the other hand, that it is “healthy” in the
sense of being lush with crops. So he means Zennaar, or Zenan,
is comfortably occupying her cities. The message will be directed at
their inhabitants; she did not weep over those nearby who per-
ished piteously and miserably; she did not come out to mourn a house
next to her; that is, she did not mourn inhabitants of neighboring
towns. Now, Zennaar was near Judea, as I said, as was Zenan, that
is, the city in Egypt. Far from lamenting the fall and plunder-
ing of Israel, she took satisfaction in it and even exulted, (618)
like those from Gath and Enakim. What, then, Israel? Surely the
mockery of the neighboring nations will not go unnoticed, nor
will God tolerate their committing these crimes? Surely he will
not allow his glory to be mocked by foes? Far from it, it says: she
17. Prv 24.17–18.
18. Ps 66.12.
will suffer the onset of pain from you, or on account of you; in other
words, she will be plundered along with the others. Zennaar was
also raided, like the Egyptian city, when Sennacherib invaded it.
There is therefore need for the one who stands firm to be
careful not to fall, and to abstain utterly from mocking those
who suffer. Instead, one should “weep with those who weep”
and not be smug about others’ misfortunes, but rather dread
encountering a similar fate.19
Did anyone dwelling in pain take a turn for the better? Because trou-
bles from the Lord descended on the gates of Jerusalem, the din of char-
iots and cavalry (vv.12–13). O inhabitants of Gath, of Enakim,
of Zennaar (or Zenan), you did not lament the misfortunes of
your neighbors; the terrible and unbearable fall and destruc-
tion of Israel in the past proved for you an occasion for mock-
ery. You concluded that even God their Savior had grown weak
while the works of your hands had grown strong and enjoyed
such strength as to be able suddenly to save your cities. Come
now, therefore, let us examine from actual events who God is
by nature and in truth, who the strong one is, assigning irresist-
ible help to those he chooses. In fact, (619) the cities both of
Israel and of yourselves have been ravaged, he says, and you suf-
fered a common fate, as it were. So which city is in pain and in
dread of ultimate destruction (the sense of dwelling in pain) and
has unexpectedly taken a turn for the better, that is, to safety and
prosperity? Surely not one of you? Not at all, he says, only my
Jerusalem: troubles from the Lord descended on it. In other words, I
had been offended and had administered correction, inflicting
the Assyrian on them, and as a result of my wrath ill treatment
of them occurred; but it has been allayed and relieved, thanks
to my victorious hand, which has against the odds rescued those
who show respect for my power.
Now, we know that the Rabshakeh reached Jerusalem with
plenty of cavalry,20 and, as it were, touched its very gates, but did
not capture it; in fact, the Assyrian was laid waste in a single
night. The people in Jerusalem, for their part, were in mourn-
19. 1 Cor 10.12; Rom 12.15.

20. Division of verses this way has obscured the wordplay on horses and La-
chish in v.13.
ing, as though about to die, and spent a sleepless night weep-

ing. But at daybreak the unexpected became clear: numberless
corpses lay on the ground, leading those who, thanks to God,
had against the odds been victorious and were saved to exult
and say, “Weeping will last till evening, and joy till morning.”21
Do you see, then, how it was the first and only one of all the cit-
ies to take a turn for the better, despite dwelling in pain? After all,
God does not in any way overlook his own; instead, after admin-
istering some limited correction, he proceeds to save them and
shows no little interest in the glory befitting him, even if we of-
fend. He said somewhere, in fact, through one of the prophets,
“It is not on your account that I act, says the Lord, but for the
sake of my name.”22 (620)
Inhabiting Lachish, she is the leader in sin for daughter Zion, be-
cause in you were found the offenses of Israel (v.13). Lachish in turn
is a city subject to the rule of Judah, a close neighbor of the
Philistines, but wrongfully hostile and given to idolatry, uncon-
cerned for piety towards God and respect for the Law, actively
engaged in deception and bringing other cities to ruin. It was
perhaps the first of the cities subject to Judah and Benjamin
that Sennacherib captured, and from there he sent the Rab-
shakeh to Jerusalem. Lachish, therefore, at one time enjoying
comfortable occupancy and a secure foundation, was the leader
in sin for daughter Zion, or Jerusalem; in her were found the offenses
of Israel, that is, handmade images and a considerable number
of false gods.
So what does the verse mean? In some way he mounts a de-
fense to the Philistine population and endeavors to persuade
them to adopt the attitude in the future that the saving God has
not lost his strength. Since the cities of Judah offended him,
however, they were surrendered to the foe; Lachish was leader
in sin for daughter Zion, and as the principal base of apostasy was
given over to Sennacherib. So Israel perished, as it is possible to
see from Lachish, not that God was lacking strength—far from
it—but because it suffered from being deceived and foolishly
attached to the worship of the idols. (621)
21. Ps 30.6. 22. Ezek 36.22.

For this reason you will give envoys to the inheritance of Gath, futile
houses. It was rendered useless for the kings of Israel, until they lead the
heirs. She who inhabits the inheritance of Lachish will come as far as
Adullam (vv.14–15). When Israel fell victim to the impulse of di-
vine wrath and paid the penalty for its sins against God, the peo-
ple of Gath and Enakim presumed to ridicule the glory of God,
concluding, as I said, that he did not save his own, as though
overcome by the hand of the Assyrians. Then in response God
wanted to persuade them, beginning with Lachish, that they
were given over to the foe because of the discovery of many of-
fenses of Israel in them, and because they proved “leader in sin
for daughter Zion” (v.13), that is, Jerusalem. When God said
this, the blessed prophet before the others understood clearly
what was meant, accepted the message, and, as if to crown it with
his own verdict in favor of its truth, immediately exclaimed, For
this reason you will give envoys to the inheritance of Gath, futile houses.
Yes, O Lord, he is saying, they will go to the foe, sent as envoys
by you, leaving their own country and moving to the land of
the Assyrians, not only those in Samaria but also those in Gath.
They proved guilty, in fact, of apostasy and insult, and could not
bring themselves to follow your oracles; instead, they mocked
the abused, and turned what happened to a curse of your glory.
It is he, therefore, who gives envoys to the inheritance of Gath, futile
houses, (622) the futile houses being those of Ephraim and the
people of Gath, doubtless on account of reluctance in honoring
God and according worship to images, and for the reason that
they were interested only in things of the flesh and attached to
earthly things, giving no importance to virtue.23
He then inserts a kind of complaint, as if the blessed prophet
were wringing his hands when considering what was done at a
time in Samaria. He ponders the kings’ arrogance and the fact
that unholy acts of their depravity took place that Israel had
committed under them; for instance, there were novel prac-
tices, the heifers, and the shrines of the various idols. They did
not cease provoking the Creator in every way. In his irritation,
23. Cyril is trying to uphold the version of the LXX, where the wordplay on
the names of the towns of Moresheth-gath (Micah’s hometown, in fact), sound-
ing much like the Heb. for “dowry, gift,” and Achzib, “lie,” is lost.
therefore, the prophet says, It was rendered useless for the kings
of Israel, until they lead the heirs, which is like saying, The kings
did not desist from exercises in futility until they reached such
depths of misery as to become others’ inheritance awarded
them by God. Now, because the Assyrians were on the point of
taking control of two cities lying at the extremities of the whole
country, namely, Lachish and Adullam,24 which Rehoboam had
built, he goes on to say, She who inhabits the inheritance of Lachish
will come as far as Adullam. That is to say, She will inherit (in the
sense of “occupy”) Lachish even though it is highly fortified,
and will extend as far as Adullam.
If you chose to be wise and compliant and (623) to oppose
the divine decrees, therefore, you would enjoy extended pros-
perity and occupy your own inheritance in peace; you would
revel in sound hope and in due course share the splendor of
the saints. But if you proved to be obdurate, disobedient, and
resistant to the divine laws, you would completely forfeit the
hope of the saints and lose the inheritance given by God, and
would instead become an inheritance of your foes, according
to the song in the Psalms about some people: “They will be
prey for foxes,”25 that is, prey for wicked powers, evildoers, and
scoundrels.
Glory of daughter Zion, shave and shear your head for your spoiled
children; extend your widowhood to be like an eagle, for they were taken
off from you into captivity (vv.15–16). It would be like saying, O
daughter of Zion once thrice-blessed, enjoying pre-eminent
and conspicuous glory—Jerusalem or Samaria—your spoiled chil-
dren depart, the formerly riotous mob, notorious and effemi-
nate, “who recline on ivory beds and behave wantonly on their
couches, who eat kids from flocks and sucking calves from the
midst of a herd, who clap their hands to the tune of instruments
and think things are permanent and not ephemeral, who drink
strained wine and anoint themselves with the best oils.” (624)
O naked daughter Jerusalem, then, divested of your glory and
shown to be stripped of that former prosperity, lamenting to an
24. At this point the PG text omits a lengthy section that includes the re-
mainder of comment on chapter 1 and the opening of chapter 2.
25. Ps 63.10.
extraordinary degree and bidding fair to imitate the sullenness

of eagles, mourn your children, for they will go off into captivity,
and you will be childless and solitary. Now, experts who busy
themselves with the nature of birds in particular as far as it is
possible claim that the eagle is fond of its young, and is extreme-
ly upset if chicks fall from its nest or are stolen from it. That the
bird would not be unrelated to habits of fondness for its young
the divinely inspired Moses convinces us by saying of God and
the descendants of Israel, “As an eagle hovers over its nest and
is fond of its chicks, spreading its wings, taking them up, and
carrying them on its back.”26 Do you see how he said that the
eagle is fond of its chicks and shows its affection with its feathers
to such an extent as to shelter the young out of great love? So
he says, Extend your widowhood to be like an eagle.
Now, you would mention this as well with good reason not
only to the former populace of the Jews, but also to those living
at the time of the Savior’s coming, when by handing him over to
crucifixion they fell foul of terrible and ineluctable misfortunes.
They were scattered to every quarter, undergoing the hardship
of captivity in a different form, as it were. (625)
26. Am 6.4–6; Dt 32.11. Cyril alone of the commentators reads in his form
of the LXX “widowhood” (χηρεία) for the “baldness” (ξύρησις) in the Heb. and
in the form of the LXX known to Jerome and the Antiochenes, and sees the
eagle as a model of attachment to its young. The others see a reference to its
loss of plumage, which in the case of daughter Zion is a symbol of grief for a lost
generation.
CHAPTER TWO
They turned to pondering hardships and devising troubles on their beds, and
at break of day they put them into effect because they did not raise their hands
to God. They set their heart on properties, robbed orphans, took possession of
houses, cheated a man of his house, a man of his inheritance (vv.1–2).
HEN THE GOD of all delivers a long passage on the

punishment of some people, he begins by citing their
crimes and exposing the magnitude of their impi-
ety to avoid being thought harsh and wrathful instead of as a
just Judge properly weighing up each one’s faults and treating
the guilty according to their works. So he mentions the ways in
which they are evil and then reach such a degree of knavery as
to plan at night to make hardships the object of their attention—
that is, to hatch plots against someone—and devise troubles—that
is, scheme to conduct prosecutions and be in a position to dis-
advantage weaker people. Despite the need in that case for a
change of heart and a turn for the better by giving no oppor-
tunity for their schemes, at the very break of day they put their
decisions into effect, despite being obliged1 rather to raise their
hands to God by the offering of a morning sacrifice to God. The
plans they had formed at night and the schemes in leisure time
included coveting others’ properties, appropriation of houses,
avarice, and oppression, cheating a man of his house. Consequent-
ly, they were rightly dismissed (626) as “futile houses,”2 people
unaware of what was pleasing to God.
It would therefore be incomparably better to spurn such prac-
tices and shun all depravity, utterly rejecting avarice, not hanker-
ing after what is unnecessary, and being satisfied with food and
1. At this point in the PG ed. the commentary resumes.

2. 1.14.
199
clothing and what temperate people need to live. After all, “those
who want to be rich fall into many senseless and harmful desires
that plunge people into ruin and destruction.”3 In addition to
this it is harmful also to waste time at night on sinful schemes;
better to imitate the blessed psalmist in saying to the God of all,
“At midnight I rise to praise you for your righteous ordinances,”
and again, “O God my God, for you I watch; my soul thirsted
for you; how often my flesh longs for you,” and again, “When I
thought of you on my bed, I meditated on you at daybreak.”4
For this reason the Lord says this: Lo, I am planning for this tribe
troubles from which you will not extricate your necks, and you will not
walk upright at once, because the time is evil (v.3). Since, on their
part, they are pondering hardships and devising troubles for some
people, and rejecting as futile and senseless the raising of one’s
hands to God, consequently I, for my part, he says, shall plan
troubles for this tribe; that is, I shall consider in which (627) trou-
bles, or unbearable misfortunes, they would find themselves.
What is inflicted on them, he is saying, would be so intolerable
and burdensome that the sufferers would be similar to people
bent over, or somehow stooped, in their terrible and insupport-
able depression. It will in fact, he says, be an evil time when the
effects of wrath will hang over them. This in my view is what
is wisely referred to in song: “Because my iniquities have gone
over my head, they have weighed upon me like a heavy weight.”
Our Lord Jesus Christ, however, invited those so depressed to
a removal of what weighed them down: “Come to me, all you
who labor and are heavily burdened, and I shall give you rest.”5
Some paid homage in faith to the one who called and shook
off the weight; others, however, who offended by unbelief,
rightly remained stooped and burdened—I mean scribes and
Pharisees, and with them the rest of the multitude, who could
not walk upright. Aware of this the divinely inspired David cried
aloud to God, “Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot
see, and let their backs remain forever stooped,”6 so that they
may not look up or be able to raise the eye of their mind to the
3. 1 Tm 6.8–9. 4. Pss 119.62 and 63.1, 6.

5. Ps 38.4; Mt 11.28. 6. Ps 69.23.
hope of the saints and the beautiful city in heaven, thus seeing
only what is on earth, as if stooped, directing their insolent and
ungodly minds to what is evanescent and fleshly.
On that day a proverb will be recited against you, and (628) a dirge
sung that says in song, We were distressed with distress; my people’s lot
was measured with rope, and there was no one to prevent him turn-
ing away (v.4). He says that two things will happen at the same
time, a proverb and a dirge. The proverb probably suggests the
phrase that was, as it were, in everyone’s mouth regarding them
or about them: the highlights of the problems are generally re-
called; the report of such events reaches cities and towns and
spreads to the very ends of the whole earth. The dirge, on the
other hand, indicates the weeping and wailing about them per-
haps done by others or that they themselves do in crying over
their own sufferings. Consequently, he says, We were distressed
with distress. The form this distress takes he clarifies by saying,
My people’s lot was measured with rope, and there was no one to prevent
him turning away. The inheritance, he is saying, which was allot-
ted to my people, whom I loved—namely, Israel—was measured
by foes, that is, was subjected to taxes and tribute. Then, when
this happened and exceeded expectations, there was no one to pre-
vent him. Where, then, were the heifers, Chemosh, Dagon, the
Baal of Peor, Baal, and the manifold works of their hands in
the shrines of Samaria? They had nothing to say; they offered
no resistance to the people parceling it out; they were of no
help to their worshipers; they displayed no anger to those mea-
suring the land. He says something of this kind also in Jeremiah
about the people of Israel: “In the time of their trouble they
will say, Come and save us! Where are your gods that you made
(629) for yourself? Will they arise and save you in your time of
trouble?”7 How would they rescue others, however, if they eas-
ily fell victim to whatever anyone chose to do to them? After
all, they are “works of human hands, silver and gold,” sticks and
stones, matter that is deaf and lacking all sensation. Well may
the psalmist sing, therefore, “Everyone would be like them who
makes them and trusts in them.”8
7. Jer 2.27–28.
8. Ps 115.4, 8.
Our property was divided up. Hence there will be no one to cast the
line by lot (vv.4–5). He makes clear the force of the words: you
lost your inheritance, and your land was divided up among oth-
ers, whereas it was not possible to allot you yours. Now, we shall
find the Jews in their arrogance suffering this fate at the time
of the Incarnation; by their frenzy against Christ they forfeited
their inheritance. Though they were the firstborn and, as Paul
in his wisdom says, to them belonged the promises and the an-
cestors, and of them was Christ in the flesh, yet they lost all hope
and claim to this; “the full number of the gentiles entered in”
and succeeded to their inheritance. To them in fact belong the
promises; theirs is Christ; theirs the ancestors; they are styled
children of Abraham, “following the example of the faith he
had before circumcision.” “Not all Israelites, remember, truly
belong to Israel, and not all Abraham’s children are his true
descendants; only the children of promise are counted as de-
scendants.”9 (630) Accordingly, the divinely inspired John, in
order to check their conceit and considerable self-importance,
also said, “Bear fruit worthy of repentance, therefore, and do
not presume to say to yourselves, We have Abraham as our an-
cestor; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up
children to Abraham.”10 Foolish Israel forfeited its inheritance,
therefore, and the mass of the gentiles, as it were, sprang up in
its place, and to them Christ allotted the splendid and desirable
inheritance of heavenly goods. They have become fellow citi-
zens of the saints, in fact, members of God’s household,11 of one
body with Christ and illuminated by oneness with him through
the Spirit, and will live a highly desirable life in holiness, sanc-
tity, and incorruption.
In the assembly of the Lord do not shed tears nor let your eyes run
with weeping in it: he will not reject reproaches who says, The house of
Jacob provoked the Spirit of the Lord. Are these things of his making?
(vv.5–7) Surely he is not discouraging Israel from opting for re-
pentance, then? Is God withdrawing his clemency from them,
tell me, even if they were to choose to learn what is particularly
9. Rom 9.4–5, 11.25, and 9.6–8. 10. Mt 3.8–9.

11. Eph 2.19.
fitting for them, and do what is pleasing to him? This is not what
he is saying. Rather, it is customary with some people, if they
are perhaps censured by one of the sages for committing sin, to
confine the form of repentance to weeping and confessing their
sin, (631) and to seek forgiveness in this way alone, instead of
putting a stop to the vices of which they are accused. Some of
the people of Israel used to do this, sometimes not even sparing
their clothing. What was the response of the one who sees the
heart and reins? “Turn back to me with all your heart, with fast-
ing, with weeping and with lamenting; rend your hearts and not
your garments.”12 So the fact that simply by crying their eyes out
and pretending to utter fine words without changing their ways
they would not render the judge benevolent and mild towards
them he conveys by saying, In the assembly of the Lord do not shed
tears. Do not make the divine Temple a house of mourning, he
is saying, nor let your eyes run with weeping in it so as to seem to
weep only in the house of God, something that is completely
foolish.13 And let no one say, The house of Jacob provoked the Spirit
of the Lord; you would not cancel the reproaches of which you are
guilty even if you chose to employ such fine sentiments. Are these
things of his making? Which things? “They turned to pondering
hardships and devising troubles on their beds, and at break of
day they put them into effect because they did not raise their
hands to God. They set their heart on properties, robbed or-
phans, took possession of houses, cheated a man of his house, a
man of his inheritance” (vv.1–2). He is therefore saying, If such
things were of his making, how would you avoid the reproaches sim-
ply by shedding tears and confessing in these words: The house of
Jacob provoked the Spirit of the Lord?
It is therefore really necessary for people opting for repen-
tance to rid themselves (632) of the crimes of depravity, on the
one hand, and thus, on the other, to weep and confess to God
after having given precedence to the practice of good works. Af-
ter all, God has regard not simply to weeping or fine sentiments,
12. Jl 2.12–13.
13. Cyril has not noted Jerome’s comment that the LXX has appended the
final phrase in v.5, “in the assembly of the Lord,” to the beginning of the follow-
ing verse.
but to actions and behavior. Then is the time it will be useful for
some people to weep, he is saying, when patterns of good action
are combined with abandonment of depravity; when sin is re-
moved from us, the beginnings of virtue make their entrance.
Are not his words good when they are with him, and do they not turn
out right? My people first took a hostile attitude to its peace (vv.7–8).
He continues to blame them for being given to fine words while
their mind is at variance with their speech. The words coming
from them are good and quite right: they confess their crimes,
call God good and kind, and adopt many forms of simulation
while not ceasing in practice to provoke him. But you would see
them at odds with themselves, and rejecting their own peace; my
people themselves took a hostile attitude to its peace, he says. Though
it was possible for them, in fact, to enjoy a serene and comfort-
able life and a stable reputation and to have an abiding sense of
satisfaction, provided that God was honored, they deliberately
lapsed into apostasy. Consequently, by (633) spurning a life of
peace by a kind of independence, they brought down war on
their own heads.14
Now, the fact that uttering fine sentiments to God is not com-
pletely valueless for sinners, provided one were willing to be em-
barrassed by one’s sins, we shall demonstrate from the inspired
Scripture itself. In the second book of Chronicles, remember,
there is a story about Rehoboam: “When the reign of Rehoboam
was established and grew strong, he abandoned the command-
ments of the Lord, and all Israel with him.” Then Shishak ruler
of Egypt took up arms against Jerusalem, and overran the coun-
try with his whole army. After this “the prophet Shemaiah came
to Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah, who had gathered at
Jerusalem at the approach of Shishak, and said to them, Thus
says the Lord: You abandoned me, and I have abandoned you
to the hand of Shishak. The leaders of Israel and the king were
ashamed and said, The Lord is in the right. When the Lord saw
that they humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to
14. The LXX, in departing from the Heb. in this passage, only adds to the
obscurity; but Cyril cites a story (of the tenth century B.C.E.) from Chronicles
that closes (in the LXX) with a mention of “fine words.”
Shemaiah: They humbled themselves; I shall not destroy them.”

The text goes on to say, “Because he humbled himself, the
wrath of the Lord turned from him so as not to destroy them
completely; in Judah, in fact, there were good words.”15 Do you
see, then, how having good words on one’s tongue is not value-
less if one turns to humbling oneself and is ashamed of one’s
sins? Therefore, as Paul says, (634) “The kingdom of God de-
pends not on talk but on power,” and Christ himself said clearly
somewhere, “Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will en-
ter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will
of my Father who is in heaven.”16 It is therefore pointless, as I
just said, to say fine things about God when not confirmed by
what is commendable in action.
They flayed its skin, to remove hope in regard to oppression of war
(v.8). He proceeds to charge those appointed to leadership
with the crime of ruining the masses; they were not capable of
instructing them, providing an upright and secure path, and
adhering inflexibly to a habit of piety towards God so as to re-
ject and abolish as useless and productive of ruin the worship of
images. They personally proved agents of ruin and destruction,
turning the minds of their subjects in the opposite direction,
persuading them to forsake God and instead to take satisfac-
tion in the forms of deception. Consequently, by offending God
they forfeited hope in him, whereas if they had continued to
hold it, there would have been no obstacle to their being able
to prevail over the enemy. As in the case of sheep, therefore, he
says, They flayed its skin, to remove hope in regard to oppression of war,
which is like saying, By stripping it of the garments of hope and
(635) peeling off, as it were, care and assistance from me, they
left it exposed and vulnerable; hope in God was withdrawn from
them, and for them this meant oppression of war. In other words,
just as for brute beasts their skin is a secure covering, since their
flesh would be very exposed, so, too, for us hope in God has
the effect of being a secure garment and, as it were, a skin. If we
maintain it and in no way offend God, we shall overcome the
15. 2 Chr 12.1, 5–7, 12.

16. 1 Cor 4.20; Mt 7.21.
foe, prevailing over every bodily and spiritual enemy, and shall
walk on “asp and adder and trample on lion and dragon,” as
Scripture says. We shall sing in confidence, “Lord God of hosts,
blessed is the person who hopes in you.”17
Hence the leaders of my people will be thrown out of the comfort of
their homes; on account of their wicked exploits they were ejected (v.9).
Those capable of helping their subjects with instruction and
lawgiving, the guides and elders, the shepherds and presidents,
“flayed its skin” (v.8) and removed the hope in God through
which it was easy for every enemy to be crushed. Consequently,
it was right that they should lose the good things of home, be
deprived of what was dearest to them, forfeit enjoyment and
comfort, pass over to the enemy, and pay a bitter penalty for in-
difference and depravity. That there was no other reason for
their fate, and that instead they were personally (636) respon-
sible, he clarifies by saying, on account of their wicked exploits they
were ejected. “There is no injustice in traps being set for birds,”
Scripture says, “for they participate in their own slaughter; they
store up troubles for themselves.”18
We shall really do ourselves wrong, therefore, if we choose
to commit what is unlawful; we shall even be dismissed from the
comfort of our homes. Those who offend God, you see, will not see
the heavenly mansions on high, remaining instead without a
share in the hope of the saints and comfort for eternity. Wise and
good people, on the other hand, who give their assent to every
commendable pursuit, will not be among them. How so? They
will have the church as the city in heaven, and will dwell in the
mansions on high, enjoying heavenly good things.
Approach everlasting mountains, rise up and walk, because this is
no place to rest (v.10). While the verse is still directed at those ap-
pointed to leadership, it turns to irony and becomes moral, as
it were, presenting as useful what is an offense. In fact, it is as if
he were saying, Leaders of the peoples, perhaps the comforts of
home, life in your homeland, living in peace, and enjoying an
existence befitting free people strike you as tedious and burden-
17. Pss 91.13 and 84.12.

18. Prv 1.17–18.
some. Make your way to the enemy instead, since this seems to
appeal to you; betake yourselves to the land of the Persians and
Armenians; approach everlasting mountains—namely, Ararat—ev-
erlasting either because they were destined to spend a long time
there, (637) or because they were celebrated from the begin-
ning, perhaps for the reason of the ark’s resting there.19
The verse could, on the other hand, be applied also to the
Jews at the time of the Incarnation, who followed the views of
the scribes and Pharisees and did not come to the faith. The
more eminent of them were, in fact, like mountains, elevated
to the lofty position of priesthood and arriving at a position of
importance. Such distinctions were temporary, however: the
shadow has come to an end; the worship in type has, as it were,
languished; the priestly class of the time withered. It was then,
in fact, that the eternal mountains emerged, namely, the her-
alds and ministers of the New Covenant telling of the mystery
of Christ, who were celebrated, conspicuous, and resplendent
with the achievements of virtue. God gives them that name,
remember, also in another prophet: “The mountains will drip
sweetness and all the hills will grow together with them”;20 the
message of those speaking of God is very sweet, more tasty than
honey itself to those who truly love God, who could properly
say to Christ the Savior of us all, “How sweet to the palate are
your words, more than honey and honeycomb to my mouth.”
It is therefore in these spiritual mountains surely that those who
are not yet believers will find rest if they come close—by spiritual
attraction, that is; they will immediately unburden themselves
of sin, despite having no rest in life according to the Law, if it
is true that “the letter kills but the Spirit gives life.”21 Let Jews
therefore be among those listening even to us, (638) Rise up
and walk, because this is no place to rest; that is to say, since you
have no rest in the Law, move on and transfer through faith to
the teachings of Christ.
Because of uncleanness you are spoiled by corruption (v.10), mean-
ing by corruption the infamous defilement of iniquitous and
19. Gn 8.4. 20. Am 9.13.

21. Ps 119.103; 2 Cor 3.6.
loathsome idolatry, which is truly vile and ugly. Another form

of stain and uncleanness, on the other hand, is oppressing breth-
ren, stealing others’ property, which is doing wrong to many
people in a different way. So he is saying, you perished because of
uncleanness, miserably spoiled by corruption unto death. Now, they,
too, perished who fought against faith in Christ for no other
reason than uncleanness. Christ himself will make this clear in
saying to the unbelieving Jews, “In truth I say to you that if you
will not believe that I am he, you will die in your sins.”22 Is this
not the meaning of Because of uncleanness you are spoiled by corrup-
tion? After all, they did not expunge their crimes nor partake
of salvation from Christ by ridding themselves of the former
blame, as did those who accepted the faith.
You fled with no one in pursuit (v.11): you willingly underwent
captivity, he means, or flight to foreigners—namely, to the foe;
there was no one harassing or pressing them. (639) They thought
it worthwhile to commit those crimes, and with great enthusiasm,
though it was through them that they were inevitably and unwill-
ingly punished. Accordingly, the columns of the Jews fled with no
one in pursuit; though they could have lived in prosperity and en-
joyed every good if they had honored Christ, they fell headlong
into apostasy and offended in manifold ways: disbelieving, guilty
of insolence, and saying and doing goodness-knows-what other
forms of wrongdoing. Since there is no one in pursuit, therefore,
we shall pursue ourselves, and when we are responsible for in-
sufferable troubles for our own souls, we shall not continue to
blame God, the Giver of all things, but rather ourselves, if we are
of sound mind and understanding.
He imparted a false spirit; he distilled wine for you and intoxication
(v.11). Some of the people in Samaria occupying the shrines of
the idols uttered various kinds of oracles, and with a claim to
have a clear grasp of the future they announced to their adher-
ents what was pleasing and acceptable to them in the quest for
some slight and loathsome profit and a few obols, or exchanged
false words for “a crust of bread,” as Scripture says.23 This it was
in particular that corrupted and ruined Israel. So he is saying
22. Jn 8.24.
23. Ezek 13.19.
that he imparted a false spirit of evil to Ephraim, and distilled the

wine of demonic error like a kind of lethal potion, and made it
intoxicated, as it were, with intemperate payment for every kind
of vile behavior. (640)
The evil and apostate dragon also distilled for the Pharisees
the false opinion and wrongful deceit about Christ, sometimes
claiming, If this person were from God, he would not infringe
the sabbath, at other times calling him a Samaritan and even a
drunkard.24 If it is true that no one says, “Jesus be cursed,” ex-
cept by Beelzebul,25 how could one fail to see that it was particu-
larly in their case that he imparted a false spirit? He distilled into
their mind and heart the intoxication of error in which they
rightly perish in a frenzy befitting wild animals, employing utter
audacity and abuse.
It will be from the dripping of this people; Jacob will gather and as-
semble along with everyone else. I shall welcome the survivors of Isra-
el, and shall turn their aversion to the same thing (vv.11–12). Bad
things are in a short time aggravated; what has a limited begin-
ning develops, constantly takes hold to a further extent, and
reaches a stage beyond its original measure. You would see the
truth of this in the story of Ephraim if you chose to study it in
detail. The first stage, remember, was when Jeroboam and some
likeminded people set up the heifers in the shrines, worshiped
them, and gave heed to the utterances of false seers and false
prophets. The trouble then spread and kept adding others to
the initial one (641) until all of Israel was joined and bent on
one purpose, a victim of the sin, not divided but totally and
wholly united. Hence his saying from the dripping that the mes-
sage of the false seers distilled to them; the majority of Ephraim
were bent on this. He says that all of Jacob will gather with one
intention, and the ailment will take hold of everyone. I shall not
punish them individually for this, preferring to wait for those
who will join the ones already affected (the meaning of I shall
welcome the survivors of Israel); then it is that I shall bring about a
single aversion against everyone.
24. Jn 9.16 and 8.48; Mt 11.19.

25. 1 Cor 12.3.
Now, this would be a demonstration of the long-suffering typ-

ical of God, who, instead of inflicting punishment immediately,
is kind enough to delay it, waiting for the reform and conver-
sion of the deceived. If it does not happen, however, and the
ailment seems rather to have increased, he then finally and re-
luctantly displays aversion. It follows that those who experience
it necessarily suffer from his aversion. Consequently, the divinely
inspired David also sings, “Do not avert your face from me or
turn away in wrath from your servant.”26 Now, it should be real-
ized that Beelzebul distilled to the scribes and Pharisees the false
and ill-omened opinion about Christ; the disease took hold of
all, as it were, and the rest of the populace betook themselves
to the deceit of the leaders. (642) Consequently, they also re-
ceived the one verdict, namely, condemnation and aversion, pay-
ing a penalty commensurate with their sins.
Like sheep in distress, like a flock in the middle of its resting place,
they will start up in fear of human beings. They cut through before
them, passed through the gate, and went out through it, and their king
issued forth before them, but the Lord will lead them (vv.12–13). It is
frequently the way of the holy prophets, when they see what is
foretold as happening in due course, to treat as a present event
what will ensue a long time afterwards. The blessed prophet Isa-
iah, for example, in speaking of events to do with Christ, treats
of the saving passion as already realized, “Like a sheep he was
led to the slaughter, and like a lamb before his shearer he was
silent.” He asks a question as though gazing on the marks of the
nails, speaking to our Lord Jesus Christ in person, “What are
these wounds between your hands? He will reply, I received the
wounds in the house of my beloved.” The divinely inspired Jer-
emiah predicts the war that would break out against Jerusalem,
and sees, obviously in a prophetic vision, a great mass of the
Jews already laid low, and laments in the words, “Woe is me, my
soul faints (643) at the sight of the slain.”27 The prophet Micah
likewise seems somehow to see the tumult that will break out in
the cities of Samaria, many people aghast, others in flight, leap-
26. Ps 27.9.
27. Is 53.7; Zec 8.6; Jer 4.31.
ing walls and ditches, the very columns of the enemy breaking
through gates, pouring through them together with the com-
manders, as if God were protecting them and urging them on
against the people of Israel because he was offended.
He therefore says that they will be so astonished as to be like
a sheep in distress, or a whole flock resting in places; then when
some people were bent on seizing them, you would see the crea-
tures leaping up and down, and if an opening developed, going
through it and fleeing; so would they be when the war of the
Babylonians came. Cutting through gates in their sight, or before
them, they would enter and go out through them; that is, effort-
lessly and fearlessly they would pass through to the cities, having
the Lord of all as their leader, because dominance over Israel
was not the result of their might but rather the decree of God,
who surrendered Israel by his will. We claim that this happened
also to those who wreaked their frenzy on Emmanuel himself;
their cities and towns were plundered by Vespasian and Titus,
who were in power at the time and discharged the divine anger
on them. (644)
C OMMENTAR Y ON MIC A H,
CHAPTER THREE
He will say, Listen to this, leadership of the house of Jacob and remnant of Israel:
is it not for you to know judgment? You who hate the good and seek out the bad,
robbing people of their skins and the flesh from their bones. As they ate the flesh
of my people, flayed the skin off their bones, crushed their bones, chopped them
like flesh in a cauldron and like meat in a pot, so will they cry to the Lord and
he will not hearken to them. He will turn his face away from them at that time
in response to the evil they committed against them in their exploits (vv.1–4).
HE ONE WHO opened the gates to those making war

on Israel, who made everything smooth for them and
overcame the difficulties so that they might then pro-
ceed with great ease and dominate the resistance without effort,
is the Lord, who leads them. He it is, too, who will say to the lead-
ership and the remnant of the people, by will say meaning “will ad-
dress.” He charges with indifference those responsible for leader-
ship, and with being ruinous and destructive by neglecting those
in their care; the subjects who were deceived by the knavery of
men in power he lets know that punishment will be inflicted on
the wrongdoers for the sins against them. The Creator of all, you
see, cares for those who are deceived, having created the hu-
man being “for good works, which he prepared beforehand,” as
(645) the divinely inspired Paul writes, “to be our way of life.”1
So what is the meaning of Is it not for you to know judgment?
By judgment he means either the holy and unerring verdict de-
livered against them, or condemnation. Now, by this it would
be appropriate to understand experience of the judgment, not
simply learning of it; after all, what harm would the latter bring
to those guilty of the crimes? Or how would the wrongdoers
feel distress? Only through actual experience of what is to befall
them; when people addicted to sinning pay the penalty to the
1. Eph 2.10.
212
punishers, then it is that they are said to learn the eminence of

the authority vested in them and the force of the Lord’s judg-
ments. It is therefore necessary, he is saying, for you to learn the
judgment through what will befall you. You were ever inclined to
depravity but uninterested in good; you made savage and heart-
less attacks on my sheep, falling in no way short of the most
cruel beasts, skinning the sheep, tearing their flesh, chopping
it unmercifully, and, as it were, cooking it in a pot (referring by
this to every form of avarice, greed, and oppression). Though
guilty of this, however, they will even cry out, he says, and I would
not accord them a glance from me, nor would I respond if
they cried out in an appeal for mercy. After all, it was they who
abused their subjects, and inflicted on them every form of evil-
doing, harsh and unholy inventions and novelties.
Now, you could very properly apply such crimes to the (646)
scribes and Pharisees, who, though leaders of the people and
guardians of the flock, cruelly abused the masses who believed
in Christ as though a kind of sheep, flaying, chopping, and ravag-
ing, as it were, the saints, differing in no way from wild beasts.
Accordingly, they also heard God prophesying through Isaiah,
“When you stretch out your hands to me, I shall avert my eyes
from you; even though you make many prayers, I shall not hear-
ken to you, for your hands are full of blood.”2 (647)
The Lord says this to the prophets who deceive my people, who bite
with their teeth and proclaim peace to them, and it was not put in their
mouths; they provoked war against them (v.5). He severely blames
the people of Israel, on the one hand, for willingly exposing
themselves to ruin, involving themselves in troubles of their own
making, and being firmly focused on sloth. On the other hand,
he proceeds to say that they are gravely wronged by the evil and
unclean spirit that misleads and deceives them. He had put it
this way: “Approach everlasting mountains, rise up and walk,
because this is no place to rest; because of uncleanness you are
spoiled by corruption. You fled with no one in pursuit. He im-
parted a false spirit; he distilled wine for you and intoxication.”3
While for this reason he severely chastised those appointed to
2. Is 1.15. At this point Cyril’s first tome on Micah concludes.

3. 2.10–11.
leadership, he now instead helpfully shifts his attention to the

false prophets and seers among them, who, as it were, distilled
a kind of wine for them, the (648) utterances of the false and
unclean spirit—that is, false and misleading prophecy—and
then steeped them in a kind of intoxication, depriving them of
a sound mind. In fact, on the one hand, they bit and severely
harmed them by persuading them to heed their words instead
of those from God through the holy prophets, while, on the
other, they told lies, claiming that they would live in peace and
prosperity, and nothing at all could trouble or harm them.
They had not a single message from God, however, to this
effect; uttering such fine and acceptable messages would not
be entrusted to unclean tongues. Since they persuaded them
to give heed, however, they provoked war against them: was it that
they roused the Assyrians to this end? Rather, they brought on
themselves holy wrath; because they gave heed to those people,
it was only just that the troubles of war should also be inflicted.
It is surely this crime that is particularly applicable to the chief
priests and Pharisees; by following them the miserable mass of
the Jews perished and were destroyed, being guilty of impiety
and of killing the Lord.
Hence night will take the place of vision for you, and darkness the
place of prophecy; the sun will set on the prophets and the day will be-
come dark for them (v.6). Since they distilled falsehood like wine
and intoxication for the people, he is saying, bit them like wild
animals, gave good news of peace by way of false prophecy, and
(649) caused them to succumb to the misfortunes of war, con-
sequently it is right that for you there will be night and darkness,
despite your pretending to see and devoting yourselves to utter-
ing what in your judgment are fine and reliable oracles. In fact,
the sun will set for you, and even daylight itself will become dark.
We do not actually claim that the sun really curtailed its shining
on them, or that the light of dawn was darkened—only that the
enormity of the disaster was like darkness and pitch-black for
them, unrelieved sunset and loss of light: which of such things
did not happen? After all, dire and insupportable troubles cloud
the mind, disturb the heart, and fill it with darkness.
Now, you would be right to claim that the spiritual sun did
set on the Jewish mob that raged against Christ; God no longer
shed light; the spiritual day no longer shone on them—instead,
blindness spread over them like night. They have become blind,
as Paul says, remember, and “when Moses is read out, a veil lies
over their heart”; “claiming to be wise, they were fools, and their
senseless heart was darkened.” The fact that they will suffer this
fate Christ himself has foretold in the words, “As long as you
have the light, walk in the light lest darkness overtake you.”4 But
since they did not approach the divine light—namely, Christ—
they were overcome by darkness, and night took the place of vision
for them, in the prophet’s words.
Now, this same fate will also befall the inventors of heresies,
who pretend to see and who claim to (650) be able to under-
stand clearly the mystery of Christ; but the wretches tell lies
and, as it were, distill the harmful effects of error into the hearts
of simple people, then leading them away from the teachings of
truth. So for them night and darkness will take the place of vision;
they will depart into exterior darkness, “having sinned against
their brethren and wounded the feeble conscience of those for
whom Christ died.”5
The diviners of dreams will be ashamed and the seers mocked, and
they will all upbraid them because there will be no one to hearken to them
(v.7). They for their part prophesied that there would be com-
plete peace, deceived their adherents with mere dreams, and led
them to believe that all was going according to plan and would
conform to their wishes. When experience, on the other hand,
showed that the outcome of events was at variance with their
claim and proved to be contrary to their expectations, they were
then necessarily condemned as charlatans and quacks. They
were reduced to such a degree of infamy that no one was pre-
pared to heed them; how could they, after all, when they made
fine predictions, but brought the deceived to a calamity that was
unexpected and far removed from what they hoped?
Unless I am filled with strength by the Spirit of the Lord, and with
justice and power to declare to Jacob his impiety and to the house of Is-
4. 2 Cor 3.15; Rom 1.22, 21; Jn 12.35.

5. 1 Cor 8.12, 11.
rael their sins (v.8). He brings out (651) the fact that those with a
distorted notion of prophecy have no option but to speak false-
hood; after all, how could the person tell the truth who is not
speaking by God, who is truth? Christ said somewhere in refer-
ence to Cain, remember, “He was a murderer from the begin-
ning, and does not stand in the truth, because he is a liar” like
his father, allowing him as his father the inventor of falsehood,
namely, Satan.6 Now, there is no doubting that those speaking
with a spirit that is the devil necessarily tell lies in saying what
comes from him. Those who speak from God definitely say
what is best and tell the truth, having the truth within them.
So how, he asks, could the word of prophecy in some people
fail to be false unless I fill them through my Spirit with power
and righteousness, or justice, with the result that they oppose
sinners securely and confidently and refute them? In my view,
after all, those speaking what comes from God have need of the
highest degree and excellence of audacity; they sometimes re-
prove whole populations, even kings and people of importance,
who in particular voice their opposition to anyone wanting to
reform them, and do not find the message of their benefactors
to their liking. The blessed prophets, in fact, suffered, or rather
incurred danger, and in a variety of ways met their deaths by
falling foul at times of the unholy wrath of those receiving guid-
ance. The divinely inspired disciples were also chastised; full of
power, justice, and righteousness, they brought to God through
faith in Christ (652) the Jewish populace. But they rejoiced in
their ill treatment, and left the assembly rejoicing at the dis-
honor they received for the name, aware that by suffering with
Christ they would also reign with him.7
Hear this, you leaders of the house of Jacob and remnant of the house
of Israel, who abhor justice and overturn every right verdict, who build
Zion with blood and Jerusalem with iniquity (vv.9–10). In his great
love and full awareness of the enormity of the troubles about to
befall them, he adopts every measure and applies every form of
warning and threat in the hope that sinners may be persuaded
6. Jn 8.44. Though the Johannine text makes an implicit reference to Cain’s

act of homicide, Jesus is speaking of the devil.
7. Acts 5.41; 2 Tm 2.12.
to opt to repent, desist from base behavior, and choose to take

the means of easily escaping the effects of wrath. The student
and scholar, at any rate, ought to realize that it was the constant
theme of the sacred writers in books and writings individually
at various times, the result being that, even if they appear some-
times to be saying the same thing, nevertheless it is reasonable
to understand that it was not on a single occasion, as I said,
or to the same people that they announced such things, but
frequently and at long intervals, addressing some at one time
and others at another.8 It was necessary, after all, for everyone
to know what would befall them, and for the prediction of the
general calamity to be made throughout the land.
It is to you that the word is directed, therefore, he is saying,
you who (653) have reached such a degree of stupor as to abhor
justice, that is, righteousness, and to present the Law, which leads
to a knowledge of the good, as distorted; it is to you, who be-
lieve in rebuilding Zion by homicide and wrongful blood-letting,
and in making Jerusalem famous and conspicuous. It would,
however, have been better to grasp the fact that they overthrow
it instead, although appointed to rebuild and restore it in their
role as leaders, priests, and guardians of the Law nominated by
God.
They truly toppled Zion by their blood-letting; they slew the
prophets and, in addition to them, the Lord of all as well, name-
ly, Christ. Though builders of Zion, in fact, they rejected him, de-
spite God’s clear statement, “Lo, I am laying a foundation stone
of Zion, a chosen cornerstone of great value, and the one be-
lieving in him will not be confounded.”9 But, as I said, the build-
ers of Zion rejected the chosen stone of great value. Yet he is the
head of the corner: Christ has become our king, and king of
those from the circumcision, making us “into one new human-
ity, bringing peace through the cross,” and joining us, as it were,
in fellow-feeling in the Spirit; Scripture says, remember, that
8. This precision serves as a justification for Cyril’s opting (perhaps by way

of reaction against some of his Alexandrian fellows, Kerrigan suggests) to spend
time on the historical background to the “books and writings” of the biblical
authors (prophêtai in that wider sense here) on which he comments.
9. Is 28.16.
“the body of believers had one heart and soul.”10 Since they are
conformed to the cornerstone of great value through holiness
and faith, it was right for the divinely inspired Peter in his wis-
dom to say to them in a letter, “Like living stones you are being
built into a spiritual house,” “a holy temple, a dwelling place of
God in the Spirit,” since Christ dwells in the hearts of the believ-
ers. Of them (654) he also says somewhere in the statement of a
sacred writer, “I shall live in them and walk among them, and I
shall be their God, and they will be my people.”11
Its leaders gave judgment with bribes; its priests responded for a price;
its prophets delivered oracles for money, and they claimed support from
the Lord in saying, Is not the Lord with us? No harm will befall us. For
this reason on your account Zion will be ploughed like a field, Jerusalem
will be like a fruit shed, and the mountain of the house like a forest
grove (vv.11–12). A loathsome business: unjust judgments and
bribery are among the things most hateful to the all-holy God;
Scripture says, remember, “The ways of the one who unjustly
accepts underhanded bribes will not succeed.”12 Some people,
in fact, so far succumb to accursed avarice and base gain as to
think nothing of perverting justice and selling the truth. Just as
people with dust in their eye lose the faculty of sight, so, too,
those whose minds are incapacitated no longer see; Scripture
says, “Bribes blind the eyes of the wise, and subvert just causes.”
Now, people who pervert justice impair the true beauty of the
divine dignity; judging is proper to God alone, as blessed Mo-
ses was aware in saying, “You shall not be partial in judging, for
the judgment is God’s.”13 People involved in giving unjust judg-
ments undermine, as it were, the divine throne on high, and
(655) should be aware that they are offending the ineffable glo-
ry itself, which is given to judging uprightly and justly; judgment
is God’s, as I said. Furthermore, it is also a terrible thing to make
religion the occasion of profit, and to consider what concerns
God to be a source of gain; note how he does not allow to go
without blame any prophet or priest who is bent on making a
10. Ps 118.22; Eph 2.15–16; Acts 4.32.

11. 1 Pt 2.5; Eph 2.21–22; 2 Cor 6.16; Lv 26.12.
12. Prv 17.23.
13. Ex 23.8; Dt 1.17.
profit from promising to speak to worshipers on condition that

they are prepared to bring payment or gifts. Now, it is my view
that the passage in this case is referring again to false prophets,
and not at all to ministers who act properly according to Law,
but to those who are in the habit of setting their sights on such
offices and who acquire the position for a price. It would in fact
not be a holy prophet or true priest who exposes his own soul
to such faults.
Then, in committing such sins, he says, they claimed support
from the Lord in saying, Is not the Lord with us? No harm will be-
fall us. Admittedly, in fact, the God of all was with Israel, and
rescued them from hardship in Egypt, led them into the land
of promise, and made them superior and invulnerable to the
foe. They needed to have a clear understanding, however, that
God could not bear to accompany those guilty of grave sin and
condemned for such wrongdoing; holiness is not consistent
with profanity, nor purity associated with defilement. So the
fact that their thinking was astray when they believed that, even
if they were guilty of depravity, even if they chose to commit
what surpassed every evil, God would nonetheless continue to
be with them, they would acknowledge from the very events due
to occur. In fact, Zion will be ploughed like a field, the celebrated
Jerusalem will be like a fruit shed, (656) that is, left desolate and
overturned, and the very mountain of the house, that is, the Temple
situated on a high hill, like a forest grove. It would be like saying,
A haunt of wild beasts and a cave for dragons: just as animals
and wild species of reptiles live in the mountains and forests,
so, too, in desolate places and where many similar creatures are
found.
Now, this befell the mass of the Jews when they vented their
spleen even on Emmanuel. Then it was that they perished com-
pletely, and no stone remained on a stone, in the phrase of
the Savior himself;14 the once august and admirable Zion then
emerged as arable land fit for farming. It should be realized,
however, that God is with us as well, not if we have faith alone or
on that account rest on him, as it were, but if to faith is added
14. Mt 24.2.
proving ourselves through works; “faith without works is dead,”

Scripture says.15 When works are combined with the good things
of faith, on the other hand, then it is that God will be with us,
will easily invigorate us, consider us friends, gladden us as his
familiars, and free us from every evil.
15. Jas 2.26.

CHAPTER FOUR
In the last days the mountain of the Lord will be revealed, established on the
crests of the mountains and lifted up above the hills, and peoples will hasten to
it. Many nations will come to it and say, Come, let us go up (657) to the moun-
tain of the Lord and to the house of the God of Jacob, and they will show us his
way and we shall walk in his paths (vv.1–2).
N THIS is now recognized a clear prediction of the

church from the nations. When Israel according to the
flesh was removed from the scene, sacrifices accord-
ing to the Law were at an end, the priesthood of the bloodline
of Levi deserted, the celebrated Temple itself burnt down, and
Jerusalem left desolate, Christ instituted the church from the
nations, at the final moment, as it were—that is, at the end of
this age, when he became like us. By mountain, therefore, he
refers to the church, which is the house of the living God.1 It is
on high because there is nothing at all earthly in it; instead, the
knowledge of the teachings about God is raised above, and the
very life of those justified by Christ and sanctified by the Spirit is
transferred on high.
In them cannot be found, in fact, a kind of life that is earthly
and trampled underfoot, as of course you could espy even in
those of the circumcision; they were in thrall to fleshly delights
and base gain, proven to be responsible for unjust killing and
guilty of goodness-knows-what other sins. “Those who belong to
Christ Jesus,” as the divinely inspired Paul says, “have crucified
the flesh with its passions and desires.” They are so averse to
wealth that you would even hear them crying out in forthright
1. 1 Tm 3.15. Does the fact that Cyril immediately omits reference to any
OT background to the text, and especially his failure to acknowledge the ver-
batim resemblance of the verses to Is 2.2–3, suggest that by this time he has not
written his commentary on Isaiah?
221
manner, “If we have food and clothing, we shall be content with

them, whereas those who want to be rich fall into temptation
and (658) are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires
that plunge people into ruin and destruction.” By contrast, they
abstain from killing to such an extent as to turn the other cheek
to people striking the right cheek.2 The mountain, on the other
hand, could also be understood differently as the church com-
pared with the teachings of the pagans; while they stupidly teach
people to adore sticks and stones and the creation itself, the
church clearly presents the one who is by nature and in truth
God, who designed all of this, ensures its proper existence, and
as God is Lord of all.
Now, he says that the mountain of the Lord is established on the
mountains and the hills, meaning by this that it is situated and
exists in a very obvious manner; what is situated on a moun-
tain is conspicuous, very easily visible, and not unknown even
to people far removed. The text of the prophecy clearly men-
tions that the nations were also destined to betake themselves to
it with great enthusiasm, and the actual outcome of events has
confirmed it and ensured its accuracy; it says, peoples will hasten
to it, that is, to the house of the Lord—namely, Christ. And what
will they say as well? Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord
and to the house of our God, and they will show us his way and we shall
walk in it. Do you notice that they call on one another in haste
with the proper and prudent direction, Let us go up? I would say
that it is in their awareness of the earthly and abject nature of
the pagan teachings that they say Let us go up so as then to exult
on high (659) in regard to an understanding of the one who is
by nature and in truth God. They long for righteousness and
thirst for a knowledge of the way of the Lord, and they promise
to proceed with great enthusiasm in his paths. Who would be the
ones to introduce them to it? Clearly the disciples of the Savior,
entrusted with the divine message, to whom Christ said, “Go,
make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them
to observe all I have commanded you.”3
2. Gal 5.24; 1 Tm 6.8–9; Mt 5.39.
3. Mt 28.19–20.
Because from Zion will issue forth a law, and a word of the Lord
from Jerusalem; he will judge between many peoples, and accuse strong
nations as far as a distant land (vv.2–3). The countless and in-
numerable masses of the nations advancing on the mountain
of the Lord, that is, the church, yearning to learn the way of
the Lord and promising enthusiastically to proceed by it, here
state the reason for not wanting to continue, as it were, observ-
ing the Law and adhering to Judaism. Before the coming of our
Savior, you see, when life according to the Law was still in force,
some of the deceived made their approach, claiming to benefit
from the evil practices of idolatry, but then were circumcised in
the flesh and showed zeal for living by the ways and laws of the
Jews. The vast number of these people in their midst was be-
yond counting; Solomon, for instance, when he gave thought to
building the Temple in Jerusalem, enlisted a hundred and fifty
thousand stone masons and laborers (660) from the proselytes,
as is recorded in Chronicles.4 Now, what happened was surely a
type of the mystery; they were on the point of building for God a
temple that was true and conspicuous, that is, the church—not
the Jews, however, but people from the nations, Jews inwardly,
circumcised not in the flesh but in spirit.5
Before the Incarnation, therefore, some idolaters made their
approach and lived by the laws of the Jews. When the truly con-
spicuous mountain of the Lord emerged, however, they made
their approach rather to it, rejoicing and saying, From Zion will
issue forth a law, and a word of the Lord from Jerusalem. They prob-
ably meant to suggest, and perhaps also clearly proclaim, that
Zion will be bereft even of the Law itself, and Jerusalem stripped
of the divine sayings, as if somehow their Law and God’s word
spoken by angels had departed. In other words, the shadow had
disappeared, what was in type was at an end, the sacrifices were
done away with, and what came through Moses (as far as text
was concerned) was then finished.6 The fact that it was instead
4. 2 Chr 2.17–18.
5. Rom 2.29.
6. The distinction is interesting, Cyril perhaps implying that while Mosaic
teaching retains currency (e.g., the Decalogue), the OT as a document is obso-
lete. Yet Cyril will (as he is doing here) show the relevance of Psalms and proph-
ets (and of Torah in his Glaphyra) to Christian readers.
Christ who was due to judge and accuse they prophesy, as it were,
and foretell. How and in what way judge and accuse are meant we
need to explain. By persuading them to abstain from the forms
of error, you see, and demonstrating clearly that they were on
their way to ruin unless they chose to live upright lives and ex-
punge the crimes of their former sins (661), he will in a way
judge and accuse not only a single nation but as far as a distant
land, that is, to the ends of the earth under heaven. The saving
message will be recited everywhere, in fact; “this good news will
be preached in all the world.”7
It would seem, however, that the prophetic passage conveys
also the vestige of another hidden mystery, outlining, as it were,
the way those from the nations would be accepted, abandon
their former error, and finally proceed to the mountain of the
Lord, that is, the church. It is from the Zion on high, after all, he
means, and from the spiritual Jerusalem, that a law and a word of
the Lord will issue forth. The Word of God came down to us from
heaven, in fact, and he also became for us law and lawgiver; it is
he who will judge between many peoples and accuse strong nations as
far as a distant land. Now, what judge and accuse meant to suggest
I shall explain as far as I understand it. Satan had exercised an
illicit rule over everyone, and together with the evil powers he
dominated the land under the sun; by putting the yoke of op-
pression on everyone he led the race on earth away from God.
But “the Lord God appeared to us,” as Scripture says;8 the good
shepherd was then seen on earth, rescuing from his oppression
those deceived, condemning those who deceived them, and
convicting the wrongdoers, namely, “the rulers, the authorities,
the cosmic powers of this present darkness, the spiritual forces
of evil in the heavenly places.” Christ himself also made this
clear to us in saying, “Now is the judgment of this world; (662)
now the ruler of this world will be driven out; and I, when I am
lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”9 He ren-
dered justice, in fact, to many peoples beyond counting—namely,
those who had been wronged—and justified them by mercy and
7. Mt 24.14. 8. Ps 118.27.
9. Eph 6.12; Jn 12.31–32.
faith. He cast out “the ruler of this world” and canceled his rule
over us, convicting him of being unjust, unholy, murderous, an
oppressor of the earth under heaven. Convicted along with him
were also the other nations of the demons, previously terrible
and strong and enveloping not a single city but pervading as far
as a distant land, that is, to the ends of the earth under heaven.
They divided the land among themselves, in fact, and there was
no one at all who was not a victim of their malice.
They will beat their swords into ploughs, and their spears into scythes;
no longer will nation lift sword against nation, and no longer will they
learn to make war. They will all rest under their own vine and under
their own fig tree, and there will be no one to frighten them, for the mouth
of the Lord almighty has said this (vv.3–4). Everything became new
in Christ, and Paul was right in saying that “in Christ there is a
new creation: everything old has passed away.”10 Even the very
condition of things has undergone a change for the better, no
longer suffering the pangs of wars and fighting that involve in-
tolerable and truly damaging attacks on everyone. The instru-
ments of war, in fact, have been adapted as tools by farmers,
and, as the prophet says, they will all rest under their own fig tree and
under their own vine; the fact that there is no one causing alarm
would suggest to us only that there is a profound and unbroken
peace and a time of no war. Now, this was in force at the time of
the Incarnation; Christ himself said, for example, “My peace I
give you, my peace I leave with you.”11
Now, when and how did peace in the world come to be?
When the Romans’ rule and famous empire gained control
of the earth under heaven, all the nations were gathered to-
gether and came under a single yoke. They put an end to war
against one another, and were involved instead in the works of
peace, namely, in farming, people safely inhabiting their own
cities. When Roman government had not yet gained control
of them, remember, wars and uprisings occurred in countries
and cities everywhere; there was the possibility for those bent
on it to plunder anyone they chose, to take and carry off the
10. 2 Cor 5.17.

11. Jn 14.27.
possessions of others they conquered, and it was inevitable that

people in every country and city would make full use of the in-
struments of war and devote themselves to military operations
to protect themselves and their children. Once the force of the
Roman empire was established, however, such things came to
an end; the instruments of war became mattocks, scythes, and
even ploughs, and were then adapted to other such purposes.12
(664)
If, on the other hand, you chose to interpret the passage
spiritually, you would understand in turn that it was with Christ
dispensing peace to us out of his characteristic clemency, and
putting down the rulers and former fighters against those wish-
ing to practice religion, that we ceased to experience terrors
and were rid of incursions and fighting, and by turning to cul-
tivation of spiritual things we gather the fruits of righteousness
and now rest under fig tree and vine. A fig tree will be a symbol
of sweetness, and a vine of spiritual gladness; the word of the
Savior is sweet, and is in the habit of gladdening the human
heart, as Scripture says.13 Now, furthermore, hope of the future,
with which we are endowed by Christ, is sweet and mingled with
happiness.
Because all the peoples will travel their own way, but we shall travel
in the name of the Lord our God forever and a day (v.5). Those who
show zeal for going up to the mountain of the Lord and wish to
learn his paths make a promise of compliance, accept the com-
mitments of life in Christ, and thus clearly indicate to us that
with all their strength they will devote themselves to practices
of piety. While in every country and city, he says, in fact, each is
to take the path chosen, and likewise live according to choice
or option, our concern is for Christ, and we shall make his ut-
terances our correct path (665) and travel with him, as it were,
not only in the present time and the past, but much further.
The saying is true: those who suffer with him now will always be
12. Theodoret will also see a reference here to the pax Romana as produc-
tive of universal peace, whereas, when he comes to comment on the Psalms in
the next decade, Roman rule had been impaired by incursions of Huns and
Persians in the 430s.
13. Ps 104.15.
with him and share his glory and kingship;14 they make Christ
their concern who prefer nothing to love for him, who with-
draw from the idle distractions of the world, and instead seek
righteousness, what is pleasing to him and in keeping with vir-
tue. The divinely inspired Paul was a person like that; he writes,
for instance, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer
I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me,” and again, “For I
resolved to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and
him crucified.”15
On that day, says the Lord, I shall assemble the downtrodden and
welcome the rejected and those whom I rejected. I shall make of the down-
trodden a remnant, and of the rejected a strong nation. The Lord will
reign over them on Mount Zion from now and forever (vv.6–7). He
now suggests that Israel would not wholly forfeit hope. Admit-
tedly, it was downtrodden, dismissed or cast out on account of
its grave impiety, being in opposition to God and idolatrous,
loathsome, and profane, and grievously guilty of crimes of ho-
micide, killing the prophets, then finally crucifying the Savior
and Redeemer of all. (666) But for the sake of the ancestors
the remnant was shown mercy and saved, and even became a
mighty nation. It is, in fact, true that the holy multitude of those
justified in Christ is properly to be understood as the vast na-
tion. Its pre-eminence, and the basis of our admiration, is its
spiritual goodness, the ornaments of the heart—namely, holi-
ness, hope in Christ, sincerity of faith, the marvel of its virtue,
its commendable endurance, and serving under Christ the King
himself, being shepherded by him and having him as leader;
Scripture says, “We have one leader, Christ.” If the dead are to
rise, “we, too, who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in
the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air, and
so we shall be with the Lord forever.”16 Now, by Mount Zion he
means the Jerusalem above, the mother of the firstborn,17 in
whom we shall also be saved with Christ himself.
You, squalid tower of the flock, daughter Zion, to you will come and
gain entrance the initial power, the kingdom of Babylon, to daughter
14. Cf. 2 Tm 2.11–12. 15. Gal 2.20; 1 Cor 2.2.

16. Mt 23.10; 2 Thes 4.17. 17. Cf. Heb 12.23.
Jerusalem (v.8). He promised the benefits of his clemency to

those in difficulties; he said that in due course he would receive
the downtrodden, and make them into a mighty nation as well.
Meantime, however, he levels an accusation at them, and help-
fully reproaches them with being completely wretched, down-
trodden, and rejected. Blessed Paul said, remember, “Godly
grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation (667) and
brings no regret.”18 It is therefore out of love that he punishes
them, and out of his concern that they should not willingly de-
scend to a point of experiencing anything that distressed them.
Now, he refers to Zion, or Jerusalem itself, as a squalid tower of
the flock, as if to speak affectionately and, as it were, grieve for
it: O Zion, or Jerusalem, wretched daughter, O miserable and
nondescript dwelling of my sheep, you will definitely yield to
the enemy, albeit unwillingly. To you will come, he says, before
long there will come the most eminent and flourishing of the
kingdoms on earth, namely, the Babylonian.19 Now, he refers to
Zion, or Jerusalem, as a squalid tower and gloomy dwelling be-
cause of the fact that everyone in it will walk in darkness, as it
were, as a result of not wanting to make God’s Law shine like a
lamp, and to admit illumination from it into the mind. This was
the only way, in fact, to succeed in traveling by a right road, skirt
a ditch, escape sin, and avoid falling into troubles on the way.
Let us also, therefore, sing to God in the words, “Give light to
my eyes lest I sleep the sleep of death, and my enemy say, I have
prevailed over him.”20 Illumined by the divine light, in fact, and
receiving into our mind the beams of heavenly wisdom from on
high, we shall be invulnerable to the enemy, and by escaping
the effects of divine wrath we shall enjoy the benefit of satisfac-
tion from above, and through Christ we shall live in complete
happiness. (668)
Why do you now know troubles? Surely there is no king in you, or your
wisdom has failed, because pangs have possessed you like a woman in
18. 2 Cor 7.10.
19. Jerome had pointed out that mention of Babylon occurs neither in the
Heb. nor in the alternative versions, whereas the Antiochenes read it in their
text. Cyril does not labor the point, though he will continue to cite it as an his-
torical datum.
20. Ps 13.3–4.
labor? Suffer, be brave, and draw near, daughter Zion, like the woman in
labor. Hence you will now leave the city; you will dwell in the open country
and will come as far as Babylon. From there the Lord your God will res-
cue you and from there redeem you from the hand of your foe (vv.9–10).
While the initial force will come upon you, then, he says, what
grounds are there for shattering you with such awful troubles
(by knowing troubles meaning “falling foul of troubles,” or of what
normally causes trouble—namely, the misfortunes of war)? Surely
there is no king in you, or people devoted to forming wise plans or
taking good care of you? Again he cleverly chides them, and indi-
rectly reproaches them for being very stupid and not declining to
offend God. I shall briefly explain the way he does it.
The God of all had been king of the people of Israel in the
beginning, with the all-wise Moses acting as mediator. Then, af-
ter him Joshua son of Nun was appointed to the role of general;
next, judges emerged at various times, and after them blessed
Samuel. When affairs were like this for them and were conduct-
ed in the best arrangement, the wretches entertained ideas that
bode no good for them; they shook off the yoke, as it were, of
God’s reign, and approached blessed Samuel in the words, “See,
you are old, (669) and your sons do not walk in your ways. Ap-
point a king for us now to govern us, like the other nations. In
Samuel’s view it was a wrong idea for them to say, Give us a king
to govern us. Samuel prayed to the Lord, and the Lord said to
Samuel, Listen to the voice of the people in what they say to you,
because instead of rejecting you, they have rejected me from
being king over them.” Blessed Samuel then outlined to them
the rights of kingship, startled them with very grave reservations,
and distanced himself from such extremely silly and unholy com-
ments; but they insisted no less, “No, there will be a king over us,
and we shall be just like the other nations. Our king will govern
us, he will go out before us and will fight our battles.”21
He therefore reminds them of those earlier faulty decisions,
saying it all, as it were, with irony: How is it that you know troubles?
Surely there is no king in you, or your wisdom has failed? Was it not
a king you asked for when you said, “He will go out before us
21. 1 Sm 8.5–7, 19–20.

and will fight our battles”? Was it not a good idea you had? See,
the outcome of events showed what a fine and necessary plan
yours was. You rejected the yoke of God’s reign. See, pangs have
possessed you like a woman in labor; so suffer, be brave, daughter Zion.
Again the expression is pathetic: O good daughter, (670) he is
saying, be patient in your pangs, put up with your distress, draw
near in giving birth; that is, you will not be far from what is ex-
pected. Instead, like a woman close to delivery you will cry out
in pain, and, leaving cities well furnished with towers, you will
dwell in the open country and camp in the wilderness, even reach-
ing as far as Babylon itself. But he does not leave it completely
without consolation; at once he proceeded to say that it will es-
cape and be brought back through God’s compassion.
It is therefore surely an excellent choice to remain subject
to God as king and choose him as our strength, protector, and
helper, to offer him alone the subjection of our soul, to live by
his wishes, and to give priority to his will. If we do not do so, we
shall be completely and utterly subject to spiritual Babylon, by
which I mean the opposing and unclean powers, and subject
to the initial force, namely, Satan, and be cast out, as it were,
from the holy city, “of which God is architect and builder,”22 and
dwell in Babylon. We shall in fact be caught up in confusion and
panic, potent distractions of the present life (Babylon meaning
“confusion”).23
Many nations were now assembled against you, saying, We shall re-
joice, and our eyes will gaze upon Zion. They did not know the think-
ing of the Lord, and did not understand his plans, (671) that he had
gathered them as sheaves of the threshing floor. Arise and thresh them,
daughter Zion, for I shall give you horns of iron, and I shall give you
hoofs of bronze. You will pulverize many peoples, and will dedicate their
vast numbers to the Lord, and their strength to the Lord of all the land
(vv.11–13). We have already mentioned frequently that when
Hezekiah in Jerusalem was ruling the kingdom, Sennacherib
plundered Samaria, and along with it he overthrew also many
cities of Judea. Then, from Lachish he sent the Rabshakeh, who
had poured no little scorn on the divine glory when in a single
22. Heb 11.10.
23. The derivation arises from the word play in Gn 11.9.
night one hundred and eighty-five thousand Assyrians perished

at the hand of an angel. This account he refers to again; many
nations were assembled against you, he says, as if to mock and take
satisfaction in your impending fall. But they did not know what
God had in mind; they were brought to the threshing floor, as it
were, and trodden under foot like sheaves. So arise and thresh them,
for you will have horns of iron and hoofs of bronze; that is, you will
be invulnerable and invincible to the foe; this means, you will
trample down the adversaries. You see, when he made mention
of threshing floor and sheaf, he was using an expression consistent
with the metaphor, like horns and hoofs in the case of a calf. But
since it was not by a human hand that they were wasted and fell,
but they were subjected to the effects of divine wrath, do not
attribute to yourself the achievements here, he is saying; rather,
ascribe (672) to the Lord of all the earth both the vast numbers
and the power of the fallen.
While this is the meaning of the account, however, some
readers may perhaps be bewildered by the sudden change in the
prophet’s messages. We just heard him saying, remember, “To
you will come and gain entrance the initial power, the kingdom
of Babylon” (v.8),24 and the manner of captivity was described
to us; then we straightway see [Jerusalem] saved and trampling
on the foe. There is therefore a definite need to discern the
difference in periods of time; this is the way that interpretation
of what was said will be clear and avoid confusion. While it was
when Hezekiah was king, remember, that Sennacherib came up
against Jerusalem, there were four other kings later after the
death of Hezekiah. Jeconiah was the fifth, and it was then that
Nebuchadnezzar took Judea and Jerusalem itself, and deported
all of Israel into captivity.25 The blessed prophet Jeremiah clear-
ly recounts to us the story of this.
24. Cyril observes (Theodore having made a similar comment earlier) the
somewhat erratic movement in the text between joy and gloom, which prompts
(only) modern commentators to suggest textual interference. Cyril instead
solves the problem historically.
25. Cyril, in referring to Jeconiah (Jehoiachin) as the fifth king of Judah
after Hezekiah, is omitting Jehoahaz, who reigned for only three months in 608
before Pharaoh Neco replaced him with Jehoiakim (Eliakim)—a mistake he
will make also in comment on Zep 1.1–2.
CHAPTER FIVE
Daughter Ephraim will now be hemmed in with an obstacle; he placed a con-

straint on you; with a rod they will strike the tribes of Judah on the cheek (v.1).
ANY PEOPLES and many nations will be assembled

on Zion. Then, when they expected to exult over it
and mock it, they were beaten and crushed, since
God cast them under the feet of the victors in the manner
(673) of a sheaf. The country of the Samaritans was captured
and destroyed, wasted by war, and it is of it he says that it will
be hemmed in and obstructed, obviously when God determines
it should be subject to a constraint and suffer the effects. Now,
by daughter Ephraim he refers to Samaria, or the population of
Samaria; to its subjects it seemed to act in the role of a father,
who was entrusted with kingship, the descendants of Ephraim
being kings of Samaria.1 So he is saying that the country of the
Samaritans will, as it were, be constrained and ringed around by
the masses of the enemy, who, so to speak, will also strike it on the
cheek, not slapping it with hands subject to mercy, but beating
it with rods and wounding it severely. Now, by this he refers be-
yond the dishonor to the intolerable hardship of captivity; slap-
ping on the cheek is an unmistakable sign of dishonor. If, on
the other hand, it were taken as happening with a rod, it would
be seen as quite demeaning, appropriate for a servant. So he
means that in being ruled by the descendants of the tribe of
Ephraim, Samaria will be dishonored and subject to mistreat-
ment and hardship.
The hand of an assailant will be inactive, however, and we
1. While Cyril is convinced that Samaria is being referred to, he would have
known that mention of Ephraim does not occur in the Heb. text or the Antio-
chene form of the LXX that, as often, reflects it.
232
shall be immune to abuse, if with all our strength we avoid draw-

ing upon us the wrath of the Lord of all through doing what is
unlawful and making the object of our efforts what is hateful
to him. By giving preference to good behavior we shall instead
enjoy a high degree of satisfaction, and live a life that is truly
edifying and desirable. (674)
You, Bethlehem, house of Ephrathah, are too insignificant to be
among Judah’s thousands. From you will emerge the one to be a leader
in Israel, and his origin is from the beginning of the world (v.2). In
this the prophetic statement gives us the good news of the re-
turn of our fortunes to their previous state. With great clarity
he refers to the restoration that has occurred in Christ; what
happened through him, as Scripture says, is a new creation; the
old has passed away and has become new through his trans-
forming the human condition and restoring it to a good level of
existence.2 He has been king, you see, and has made rule over
all once more desirable. Now, he is referring to government of
things in general and in particular; Israel was ruled in the be-
ginning by God, as I said, and in the meantime by holy men.
Not long afterwards it suffered a loss of good sense, scorned life
under God’s leadership, preferred human government instead,
and asked for Saul as king. They then sinned greatly; when the
God of all was offended, he said to blessed Samuel, “Instead
of rejecting you, they have rejected me from being king over
them.”3 There is no doubting that actual experience proved
that the development was of no benefit to them, but rather was
troublesome, harmful, and productive of ruin; as a result, they
fell foul of dire and ineluctable troubles. Accordingly, (675) to
bring Israel back to their original state, as it were—I mean serv-
ing under God as king—he prophesied aloud that Christ, who
was from Bethlehem, would be their Savior and Redeemer.
It would not be at variance with the purpose, however, to
decide to give the passage a general interpretation, as it were.
2. 2 Cor 5.17. The term Cyril uses for “restoration,” anakephalaiôsis, we as-
sociate with Eph 1.10, shortly to be cited, and Irenaeus and Maximus. He will
employ it more than once later in comment on prophetic statements of Judah’s
restoration.
3. 1 Sm 8.7.
When we people on earth had rejected God’s royal rule, adopt-

ing a foreign yoke for ourselves and enlisting as lord one who
was not Lord by nature, but rather an arrogant apostate—name-
ly, Satan—we incurred every trouble. The God and Father, how-
ever, as I just said, resolved “to restore all things in Christ, things
in heaven and things on earth,” and he “rescued us from the
power of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of his be-
loved Son in light.”4
He addresses Bethlehem, then, or house of Ephrathah. While
the region is called Ephratha, Bethlehem is a little city or town in
the region, whence came Jesse and David, and likewise the holy
virgin herself, who bore for us the divine infant, her own son,
Jesus, “whose government was on his shoulder, and his name
is Angel of Great Counsel.” He reigned through the cross, you
see, and since he became “subject to death, death on a cross,”
consequently as the divinely inspired Paul says, “God also highly
exalted him, and bestowed on him the name that is above ev-
ery name, so that at the name of Jesus Christ every knee should
bend in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every
tongue confess that (676) Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of
God the Father. Amen.”5 He therefore says, O Bethlehem, house
of Ephrathah, even if you are too insignificant to be among Judah’s
thousands—that is, all the thousands of splendid and large cities
of Judea, full of vast numbers of inhabitants—yet even if your
inhabitants and residents are quite few, you will become a nurse
and will be called a city of those who reign over Israel, so good a
shepherd as even to lay down life itself for the sheep and reign
over all Israel.6 And not just those of the bloodline of Israel,
but also those mentioned in the promise of Abraham; God said
to him somewhere, “It is through Isaac that offspring will be
named for you,” by the phrase “through Isaac” meaning “by way
of promise.”
Accordingly, the promise is clearly applicable not only to
those of the bloodline of Israel, “but also to those who follow
the example of the faith that our ancestor Abraham had be-
fore he was circumcised.”7 So it would be like saying, He will
4. Eph 1.10; Col 1.13, 12. 5. Is 9.6 LXX; Phil 2.8–11.

6. Jn 10.11. 7. Gn 21.12; Rom 4.12.
rule over everyone believing in him and relating themselves

to me through him; we are related to the Father through the
Son, as he himself confirms by saying, “No one comes to the Fa-
ther except through me.” Christ the good shepherd, therefore,
emerged from Bethlehem, he who “pastures us in the garden
and among the lilies,” provides the sweet odor of the Gospel
oracles, and offers what he has to give like fragrant flowers to
those willing to pluck them and (677) be spiritually filled with
the fragrance coming from them; he said, remember, “I am a
flower of the fields, a lily of the valleys.”8
His origin is from the beginning of the world, the text says, sug-
gesting either the Word’s existence before the ages—he is co-
eternal with his Father, and is himself the Maker of the ages—or
the fact that though he became man at a late point in time, as
it were, the mystery concerning him was predetermined, as it
were, in the foreknowledge of the Father and before the foun-
dation of the world.9 So by origin he means either the timeless
generation by God the Father resulting in the individual exis-
tence of the Son, or the emergence that would occur in time
when he became flesh, even if from the beginning of the world he
was predetermined and appointed as Savior and Redeemer by
the Father, who was not unaware of what would happen to the
human race in the meantime as a result of the transgression by
Adam.10
For this reason you will give them up until the time of the one in
labor; she will give birth, and the rest of their brethren will turn back
to the sons of Israel (v.3). The prophet seems to have pondered
within himself and given thought to the matter, saying, God
will not speak falsely, but will definitely put his promises into
effect. If Israel is enjoying such promising expectations, and the
leader will be born to them, will rule and deliver them of every
8. Jn 14.6; Song 6.1–2 and 2.1.

9. Eph 1.4.
10. It has been a thorough christological development of a familiar scriptur-
al locus (perhaps enshrined in the liturgy of Cyril’s church), its length and pro-
fundity (not typical of Jerome’s comments) perhaps prompted by Theodore’s
attempt to bring Zerubbabel into focus as a provisional fulfillment of the proph-
ecy (later disowned by Theodoret). We note also the significance Cyril places
on the Fall in the divine oikonomia.
trouble, why on earth will he fall into the hands of the enemy?
Then, in consideration of the time of the promise, (678) and
realizing that it has not yet arrived, he provides himself with a
kind of explanation by saying, Since the time of the promise is
considerably delayed, and they are caught up in numerous fail-
ings without in any way ceasing to sin, consequently you will give
them up; that is, you will surrender them to the enemy, O Lord,
until the time of the one in labor, meaning, until that divine infant
is delivered from the virginal womb. That will be the time, he is
saying, when the final redemption will occur, and they will enjoy
secure prosperity, with nothing at all lacking for their satisfac-
tion.
As the prophet meditates on this, and, as it were, whispers
it to himself, God makes the response, She will give birth, sum-
moning him to firm belief. Similar to this is the word spoken to
the prophet Habakkuk, “Yet a little while, and the one who is
coming will come and will not delay.”11 In other words, he will
definitely be born, and the rest of their brethren will turn back to the
sons of Israel. An innumerable mass of the Jews did in fact accept
faith in Christ, the blessed disciples before the others, whereas
those who reveled in their unbelief forfeited hope; yet in the
endtime they will be brought to join the others, and will finally
hasten at speed, as it were, to what they should have come to
rather in the beginning.
He will stand and see, and the Lord will shepherd his flock in
strength, and they will live in the glory of the name of the Lord their
God, (679) because now he will be magnified to the ends of the earth.
This peace will occur (v.4), by stand meaning “take command”:
the shepherd will take independent control of his own sheep,
entrusting guidance to no one else, as he did of old to blessed
Moses. Rather, he will do it himself; it is true that “it was no
ambassador, no angel, but the Lord himself who saved us.”12 He
will shepherd us in strength, making us proof against any effort or
hardship; he will take a leading role, as it were, and in general
will save us, not allowing false shepherds to wrong us by deceit,
11. Hab 2.3.

12. Is 63.9.
or wild animals to ravage the flocks, nor giving leeway to the

wicked and hostile powers to be guilty of wanton abuse of the
believers or to be oppressive to those who are consecrated. In-
stead, he will enable us “to walk on asp and basilisk, and tread on
lion and dragon.”13 It is from him that our good name comes, in
fact, that we are raised to a position of eminence and splendor,
and have reached the ends of the earth under heaven; he it is
who is our strength and power, he our mediator and reconciler,
he our peace. After all, he has abolished “the dividing wall, he
has canceled the Law with its commandments and created one
new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace,” as Scrip-
ture says,14 and sealing them in unity with the bonds of peace.
Peace, therefore, is a term that befits him and is true, even if he
is also called Christ. (680)
When the Assyrian attacks your land and when he advances against
your country, seven shepherds will rise up against him, and eight bites
of human beings. They will shepherd the Assyrian with a sword, and the
land of Nimrod in its ditch. He will rescue you from the Assyrian when
he attacks your land, and when he advances on your frontiers (vv.5–6).
The Hebrew text begins the present text with the clause, This
peace will occur when the Assyrian attacks your land and when he ad-
vances against your country,15 meaning, This will be the form that
peace would take if the Assyrian intended to invade your land and
country. In interpreting the verse, we would say that the meaning
again departs from material and obvious matters and rises to a
higher level, bringing us in detail from the literal image to what
was happening spiritually. By Assyrian here, you see, he indi-
cates no longer the man from Babylon, but rather the inventor
of sin—namely, Satan—or rather, to put it in a nutshell, the im-
placable and warlike mass of demons which oppose everything
holy and fight against the holy city, the spiritual Zion, “which is
the church of the living God,” a kind of type and similar image
of the heavenly Jerusalem above. The divinely inspired psalmist
also refers to it similarly in these words: “Glorious things are said
13. Ps 91.13.
14. Eph 2.14–15.
15. Cyril would have noticed the different division of verses in Jerome and
also in the Antiochene text used by Theodore.
of you, city of God”;16 Christ dwells in the church, and made it

his own city, as it were, (681) although filling everything by na-
ture of the divinity. This city of God, therefore, is like a land
or country of people consecrated and enriched with union with
God by the Spirit.
So he says, When the Assyrian attacks your land, that is, if the
barbaric and hostile powers were to fight against the saints,
they would not find them lacking leaders; seven shepherds and
eight bites of human beings will rise up against them. The refer-
ence in the prophecy to the times or to the numbers—namely,
seven and eight—is probably to the holy people: those before the
Incarnation, those at the time it occurred, and those coming
after. Before the Incarnation, remember, in the Law of Moses
regard was shown for the sabbath on the seventh day, and the
time still belonged to the shadow; in those days the band of holy
prophets also emerged to act as guides in piety and knowledge
of God. But later, when the Only-begotten came, suffered the
cross for the life of all, and after plundering Hades returned to
life on the eighth day, he then bade the holy apostles to “make
disciples of all the nations and baptize them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” teaching them
to observe everything commanded them. He therefore refers
to them as eight bites of human beings, based on the time of the
Resurrection, indicating those who came at his time and after
him.17
Accordingly, when that barbaric foreigner the Assyrian attacks,
then it will be that he will come against seven shepherds and (682)
eight bites. We shall find, in fact, the holy ones at the time of
the Law, whom he calls seven shepherds, and in addition to them
apostles and evangelists and the teachers of the churches at var-
ious times, ever fighting and opposing in general the deceits
of the demons and resisting the perversity of the evil one with
their own vigilance, as it were; they save the inhabitants of the
holy country and land, protecting them with advice and secur-
16. 1 Tm 3.15; Ps 87.3.

17. Mt 28.19–20. Cyril declines to imitate Jerome and Theodore in a lengthy
exercise in number symbolism here. The puzzling phrase is further complicated
by the LXX reading as “bites” the Heb. for “leaders.”
ing them with every kind of excellent guidance. Now, the fact
that the band of the holy ones was destined to undermine Sa-
tan in some way and to consume him spiritually with bites God
likewise makes clear also in the statement of a holy one when
he says of him, “Alas for the one who heaps up for himself
what is not his—and for how long? He locks himself securely
in stocks, because suddenly those biting him will rise up and
those scheming against you will sober up. You will be booty for
them, because you plundered many nations, and all the surviv-
ing peoples will plunder you.”18 Do you note that the one who
“heaps up for himself what is not his”—namely, Satan—will be
bitten and plundered? He then refers to those plundering him
as “survivors,” or the remnant of the people of Jacob.
If, however, some Assyrian attacks—that is, a man led astray to
a different attitude, with a faith that does not move in the right
direction, limping, as it were, and of unsound mind—they op-
pose him with the force of truth and reveal the ugliness of the
rottenness in him, (683) driving him off like a wolf, snapping
at him, as it were, and causing him to keep his distance and
move away from the flock of spiritual sheep. These seven shep-
herds, then, understood also as eight bites, will shepherd the Assyrian
with a sword, meaning by shepherd “pursue”; since he mentioned
shepherds, he retained the verb shepherd to suit the metaphorical
expression.
The way to understand the sword which the holy ones are in the
habit of using is clarified by the psalmist when he says of them,
“And two-edged swords in their hands, to execute vengeance on
the nations and punishment on the peoples”; “for the word of
God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged blade.” And
when Paul equips the person understood to be a soldier in Christ,
he gives him “the blade of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”19
Of the fact that the divine and all-powerful sword—that is, the
word of God—pursues the Assyrian the prophet Isaiah is also no
18. Hab 2.6–8. Cyril illustrates the dependence of interpretation on exe-
getical skills: if the Heb. text cannot be accessed to check a puzzling term like
“bites,” one can only look for another occurrence of the term.
19. Ps 149.6–7; Heb 4.12; Eph 6.17. Though we saw Cyril declining to en-
gage in number symbolism as Didymus would relish doing, he can at times re-
semble the latter’s penchant for interpretation-by-association.
less convincing in saying, “On that day God will strike with his
holy, mighty, and strong sword the dragon, the twisting snake”;
and again, “When the Lord has finished his work on Mount
Zion and in Jerusalem, he will punish the arrogant boasting of
the ruler of the Assyrians and the haughtiness of the glory of his
eyes. He said, in fact, I shall act in strength; by the wisdom of my
understanding I shall remove the boundaries of nations; I shall
plunder their strength, (684) and shake inhabited cities.”20
It is by this sword, then, that they will shepherd the Assyrian with
a sword, and all the land of Nimrod in its ditch. In this his meaning
is as follows. By the land of Nimrod he refers to the country of the
Assyrian, or Babylon, around which they say a deep ditch was
dug. He gives it the name land of Nimrod on account of his being
ruler of the Babylonians and the origin and father of the race;
of him Scripture has this to say: “The descendants of Raamah:
Sheba and Dedan. Cush became the father of Nimrod; he was
the first on earth to become a mighty warrior. He was a mighty
hunter before the Lord. The beginning of his kingdom was
Babylon; Erech and Accad and Calneh in the land of Shinar.”
The divine Scripture says that the tower was built in Calneh, a
Persian region.21 So by Nimrod he is referring to Babylon, which
is ringed by a ditch, as I just said. He is therefore saying that they
will shepherd the Assyrian to such a degree that they will remain
within the ditch and no longer expand beyond cities and region,
instead staying home, as it were, in fear and dread.
We shall find columns of the demons meeting this fate
through Christ, to be sure, no longer oppressing the earth un-
der the sun, as in the past before the Incarnation. (685) Instead,
they keep to their own position, driven back by the sobriety and
good advice of the saints, and shut out from the land of the
saints, who are thus enabled to live a peaceful life untroubled by
war, perform what is pleasing to God, and shine with the good
order that is dear to him.
The remnant of Jacob among the nations amidst many peoples will
be like dew falling from the Lord, and like lambs upon fodder, so that no
20. Is 27.1; 10.12–14.
21. Gn 10.7–10. Here Cyril is embellishing the reading by the LXX of a
Heb. consonantal text pointed to read “and Calneh” (no such city in the region
being known), but generally re-pointed to read “all of them.”
one may be gathered or submit to human beings (v.7). I have often said
that the remnant of Israel was saved, and it was not the whole
of the race descended from Jacob that perished; not a few have
come to believe in Christ, and have been enriched with salvation
through faith even before the others—I mean those from the
nations. Rather, from the remnant that was saved through faith
came the divinely inspired disciples themselves as well as those
who struggled and suffered with them in the Gospel of Christ.
He is therefore saying that they were the ones who were saved
among the nations like a kind of dew coming down on the fields,
alleviating the heat of devilish perversity. In other words, just as
in gardens or fields the brightness of the sun’s beams strikes the
grass and flowers, making them lose their beauty and wither and
seem even to dry up, so, too, the inventor of sin sometimes in-
flames people’s minds with the love of worldly pleasure, (686)
and in a way dries them up and makes them seem very ugly. The
Word of God, by contrast, makes them recover, as dew does to
flower or grass. This will be the way, he says, also with the descen-
dants of Jacob among the nations, bedewing the souls of the con-
verted with words leading to piety like a kind of dew, and lavishly
enriching them with Gospel teachings. They will exult like lambs
with grass; that is, they will find abundant and ample pasture.
The nations, remember, were always more ready to be compliant
and disposed to believing in Christ, by which I mean the incom-
parably better choice of life in the beginning. But just as in the
case of abundant and lush fodder set before lambs, who then
revel and play,22 in similar fashion, in my view, the mind of teach-
ers brings enjoyment and satisfaction to those being guided in
compliance and those being initiated in obedience.
Our Lord Jesus Christ, for example, turned the obedience of
the Samaritan woman into a kind of nourishment suited even
to him; he said to the holy apostles, “I have food to eat of which
you are unaware.” Then to explain it, he went on, “My food is to
do the will of the one who sent me and complete his work.”23 So
God’s work is food and enjoyment to the saints. Accordingly, he
says that the descendants of Jacob will exult like animals chew-
22. The PG ed. omits the preceding two clauses.

23. Jn 4.32, 34.
ing fodder or lush grass, or, as it were, pasturing those from the
nations who believe; they will find the way of preaching so wide
that no one (687) may be gathered or submit in opposition to them,
that is, neither join nor oppose them (the meaning of submit in
the case where any human beings wanted to abuse them).24 In
other words, though many plots and schemes were hatched by
a great number against them, they came to no harm, since God
repressed the rage of the mighty, enveloped his own in the pro-
tection of his goodwill, and against the odds rescued and saved
them from every trial.
The remnant of Jacob among the nations and amidst many peoples
will be like a lion among the cattle in the forest and like a cub among
flocks of sheep in the way that, when it passes through, it separates and
snatches, and there is no one who can rescue. Your hand will be lifted
up over those afflicting you, and all your foes will be eliminated (vv.8–
9). Stories that are helpful and memorable, even if employing
the same words, involve no tedium, but rather are accompanied
by deep satisfaction. The remnant of Jacob, therefore, he is saying,
that is, the descendants of Jacob who have been saved through
faith in Christ and have emerged as heralds and ministers of the
evangelical oracles, will be like dew among the nations, and will
graze like lambs exulting over rich and abundant feed. No less,
however, will they also be like a lion among the cattle in the forest,
uttering a deep and fearsome roar and instilling an unbearable
fear even into those at a distance. They will also be like a cub
among flocks, (688) that is, in the way they leap out boldly and
ravage anything they want, with nothing able to resist or to ex-
tricate the victim. Our Lord Jesus Christ, remember, said to the
holy disciples, “Lo, I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves,”25
that is, meek and gentle. Even if some people in the world are
ready to take life, and do not fall short of the cruelty of wolves,
I personally with my characteristic strength will crush the hearts
of the warlike, rendering them fearful and timid, and causing
them to show you respect.
24. The commentators struggle to get sense from this phrase, where the
LXX departs from our Heb.
25. Mt 10.16. The PG ed. abbreviates the following sentence, and turns first
person to third.
This is the way they have gained control of the enemy, van-
quished adversaries, and proved fearsome to wolves, even if
taking the role of sheep; they escaped plots, “dangers from
brigands, dangers from my own people, dangers from false
brethren,” as blessed Paul writes.26 While the masses from the
nations were seized as though by lions, and Satan with his own
designs sought to hunt them down and destroy them, he could
not achieve it or pluck from the hands of the apostles what was
taken for salvation. This is surely the force of what was said to
him in Habakkuk, “Woe to the one who multiplies for himself
what is not his! How long? Does he firmly load down his collar?
Because suddenly they will arise and bite him, your schemers
will be on the alert, and you will be their plunder. Because you
despoiled many nations, all the surviving peoples will despoil
you.”27 It was the eight who bit him, and like cubs snatched what
had been gathered by him; he had gathered for himself “what
was not his”; (689) the human being had taken what was God’s,
or rather everything, nothing at all belonging to him. But he
was plundered by the survivors of peoples, that is, those of the
remnant, by which you should understand the ministers of the
evangelical oracles. Then the Lord, who empowers and protects
them, says to them, Your hand will be lifted up over those afflict-
ing you, and all your foes will be eliminated; they have conquered
through Christ, as I said, proved superior to every scheme,
shone brightly in the world, and prevailed over the foe, recover-
ing the lost for God.
On that day, says the Lord, I shall eliminate the horses from your
midst, destroy your chariots, ruin the cities of your land, and remove
all your fortifications. I shall destroy the potions from your hands, and
there will be no one uttering among you. I shall destroy your images and
pillars from your midst, and you will no longer adore the works of your
hands. I shall cut down the groves from your midst, and wipe out your
cities. I shall execute vengeance in wrath and in anger on the nations
for not heeding (vv.12–15). Attention shifts back to the problems,
and for the time being he comes to an end of the splendid and
commendable discourses on Christ. Instead, he resumes, as it
26. 2 Cor 11.26.
27. Hab 2.6–8.
were, what went before, and indicates the future effects of wrath.
He had said, “You, squalid tower of the flock, daughter Zion, to
you will come and gain (690) entrance the initial power, the
kingdom of Babylon.”28 Then it is, he says, therefore, that your
cavalry will perish, and with them will be destroyed the pride of
chariots; cities will also be laid waste, and you will be divested of
the actual fortifications, that is, walls (the cities along with their
inhabitants being burnt down by the Babylonians). The objects
of your folly, quackery, necromancy, and all the products of de-
ceit will be completely destroyed along with shrines of the idols,
and the groves will be felled from their very roots.
What will be the upshot of this? The nations nearby would
not fail to notice the notorious vengeance and the style of pun-
ishment. They will know that they were destined to suffer for
not heeding, that is, for their crimes of disbelief. Wisdom also
said that such a fate will befall those who have an unbridled
tendency to unbelief “because I offered you words and you did
not heed them; instead, you treated my advice as worthless,
and did not heed my words. Consequently, I, too, shall laugh at
your downfall, and I shall exult when ruin comes upon you and
when panic besets you unawares, and catastrophe comes like a
tempest.” Now, the fruits of neglect are “wrath and anger, dis-
tress and hardship” befalling everyone unwilling to give heed.29
It is therefore necessary to respond promptly and without any
delay to God when he summons us to what is advantageous, and
carry out what is pleasing to him; tardiness and indifference in
(691) doing what is good will mean a great loss for us and in-
volve us in severe problems. Consider, on the other hand, how,
even by calling sinners to account, God works for their benefit;
he rids Israel of the loathsome abomination of idolatry, unholy
pursuits, potions and false prophecy, altars, shrines, sacrifices,
and adoring the works of their hands. It is therefore not with-
out usefulness to be corrected, “provided it happens with justice
and not in anger,” according to the prophet’s statement.30
If, on the other hand, you were to say that this happened to
the Jewish populace who vented their fury on Christ, you would
28. 4.8. 29. Prv 1.24–27; Rom 2.8–9.
30. Jer 10.24.
not depart from the probable sense of the passage. It is true,

in fact, that their cities were left desolate, and all their fight-
ing force was lost to the Romans. Perhaps they paid the penalty
of that former idolatry, especially if there were some of them
who were still bent on worshiping creation and were attached to
quackery; devotees of idolatry are always addicted to it, and in
their eyes there is nothing too extreme to deserve a bad opin-
ion.
CHAPTER SIX
Hear what the Lord said: Rise up and come to judgment before the mountains,
and let the hills hear your case. Listen, hills, to the Lord’s case, and the valleys,
earth’s foundations, because the Lord has a case against his people, and against
Israel a charge will be laid (vv.1–2).
HE PASSAGE is exhortatory, and, as it were, cries

out in protest (692) against the Jews’ insensitivity in
giving no importance to the divine words, despite
their being gentle and restrained [words], as though from a fa-
ther demonstrating sincerity of love for his children and giving
them no grounds for obduracy. Now, it is customary with the
God who loves goodness sometimes to frighten sinners with a
prediction of dire happenings, not to leave them remiss and re-
sistant as though beyond hope, but to lend a note of comfort to
the impending fate, and retain the possibility, as it were, of es-
caping it, provided they choose to have recourse to repentance.
This is what he likewise does in this case as well from his in-
herent leniency—hence his saying, Hear what the Lord said. Now,
what did he order me? Rise up and come to judgment before the
mountains, and let the hills hear your case. It is similar to the state-
ment in Isaiah, “Listen, heaven, and give ear, earth, because the
Lord has spoken.”1 Apparently by the words mountains and hills
he refers to the spiritual powers that have care of everything by
God’s will, repelling the oppression of the demons from people
on earth. Since they are aware before others of the extraordi-
nary degree of God’s leniency, come to know the extent of his
care for us from their services to us, and are obedient to laws
from him, he bids the judgment be conducted by them.
The prophetic verse, however, is probably implying some-
1. Is 1.2.
246
thing else as well. You see, since the people of Israel occupied
hills and mountains in offering rites and sacrifices there “under
every oak and poplar,”2 consequently the judgment is now deliv-
ered on the hills where the blatant crimes of the accused were
conducted. By hills and earth’s foundations he refers to people
of importance who outranked the common herd, and who in
particular proved to be a path and a snare for the people sub-
ject to them; he had said, remember, “the judgment is directed
to you, since you have been a snare on the lookout, and like a
net spread on Tabor.”3 So he is saying, O you who outrank the
others, O earth’s foundations, that is, you on whom the fate of the
others depends, listen to the case against you of the Lord of all.
The person of sound attitudes, by contrast, says in song to the
Lord of all, “Do not enter into judgment with your servant”; the
one who knows everything is utterly pre-eminent, and no one
will boast of having a clean heart or would prove to be free of
sin.4 It is therefore a dreadful thing to come to judgment with
God.
Now, it should be realized that, while the version of the Seven-
ty reads valleys, the Hebrew refers to hills and earth’s foundations
for us to know by mention of hills that the leaders of the people
were raised on high, so to speak, exceeding and surpassing the
position of the others, and the same ones were foundations.5 In
other words, the leaders of regions or cities were conspicuous
for their importance, as it were, and raised on high, and thus
would be also earth’s foundations, that is, positioned in a way as
basis and foundations of affairs; the affairs of the others fell to
them, and, so to speak, rested on them, as I just said. (694)
My people, what have I done to you, what grief have I caused you,
what trouble have I brought you? Answer me. Because I brought you
from the land of Egypt, I ransomed you from the house of slavery and
sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam (vv.3–4). God delivers
judgment in the person of the prophet, showing the form of
2. Hos 4.13. 3. Hos 5.1.

4. Ps 143.2; Prv 20.9.
5. Jerome had pointed out that where the LXX reads “valleys, earth’s foun-
dations,” the Heb. has “strong foundations of the earth.” Cyril has not adopted
this observation.
apostasy on the part of those offending him to be inexcusable

and unreasonable. Rather, the crime was the result of com-
plete folly, and its unusual and unprecedented enormity even
in people so very ungrateful was due to insensitivity. After all,
what excuse could there be, tell me, he asks, for those who of-
fended against me? What was insufferable and completely bur-
densome in my decrees? What was distressing? Come forward,
explain yourself. I infringed the bounds of reason in liberating
you from harsh servitude, and in vigorously removing you from
mud and bricks and the hardship involved; I exceeded the need
for mercy in enlisting the services of nature against the Egyp-
tians in their wrongdoing to rescue my own. Perhaps it is your
instructor—Moses, I mean—whom you fault along with me for
depriving you of a sense of glory and clearly presenting what is
pleasing to God so that you may be able unswervingly to live an
(695) edifying life and reach the peak of satisfaction and good
repute. Perhaps you will raise no little outcry against priesthood;
I anointed Aaron, and bade him mediate between God and you,
and appease God with the sacrifices by way of types—are you
upset about this as well? What am I to say about Miriam, who
mocked the destruction of the Egyptians and was the leader of
the dancers? Beating tambourines, she had a vision of horse
and rider drowning in the waters6—but perhaps to you victory
was unacceptable, the things of God of no account, though he
allowed you to pass through the midst of the waves while mak-
ing the sea hostile to the foe.
In a figurative way, therefore, he listed the reproaches to re-
mind them of the favors they had received and to blame them
for consigning them to oblivion, when they should have always
remembered them and in return gladdened the benefactor by
obedience in everything. Now, it was ourselves, too, whom the
Savior led out of spiritual Egypt, that is, out of darkness and
oppression by demons, and rescued from mud and bricks, that
is, fleshly passions and impure hedonism. Ourselves he also
enabled to cross the sea of this world’s temptations, and, as it
were, freed us from the harsh waves that are the perils affecting
us, and stamped the divine laws on our mind. He also brought
6. Ex 15.20–21.
forth as our priest (696) Jesus, “the pioneer and perfecter” of

our salvation.7 He also sent, as it were, Miriam—the church, that
is, who will thwart the schemes of the foe by offering glory to
the saving God; in churches there are constant hymns of praise
and thanksgiving, praising and proclaiming God’s glory. Care
must therefore be taken by us, too, not to substitute indiffer-
ence for the Jewish crimes, or consider burdensome what is
pleasing to God; as blessed John says, “His commandments are
not burdensome,” and Christ himself, “My yoke is easy and my
burden light.”8 Let us therefore offer what is pleasing to God,
because nothing from him is burdensome; instead, everything
is easy for those choosing to live a life that is excellent and quite
well ordered.
My people, remember what King Balak of Moab had in mind for you,
and what Balaam son of Beor answered him from the reeds up to Gilgal
so that the Lord’s righteousness might be known (v.5). Once more he
corrects them for the unholy insolence against his power that
is theirs, despite their having nothing to mention as justifiable
grounds for being offended and turning to apostasy. I regaled
you, in fact, (697) he is saying, with such wonderful mercy and
love as never to entertain complaints. The accursed Balak, re-
member, tyrannical ruler of the Moabites, hired Balaam, sooth-
sayer and augur, and then bade him curse Israel; but the God of
all worked the novel and extraordinary miracle of directing the
tongue of the false prophet to blessing. When Balak reproved
him for it and blamed the augur, he straightway took him to oth-
er hills. He then gave orders for erecting altars and sacrificing
bulls in the belief that perhaps God’s power did not take effect
in every place; but he continued blessing everywhere, though
moving about from what was called Reeds, a place in Moab, to
the mountains of Gilgal.9
Remember, therefore, what Balak had in mind, and what Balaam
answered him. I for my part, remember, canceled the actual curse
7. Heb 12.2.
8. 1 Jn 5.3; Mt 11.30. Cyril betrays no sense that the reproaches in these
verses are familiar to him from use in the liturgy of Holy Week in his church.
9. Nm 22–23. Jerome had informed Cyril that the place name in the LXX
(for the Heb. Shittim) had resulted from a scribal error.
against you, not allowing the augur even to give offense in

words. You, on the other hand, forgot even this, and accorded
to lifeless matter the glory due to me, calling out to golden heif-
ers in the words, “These are your gods, Israel, who brought you
up from the land of Egypt.”10 When God distributes to us the
good things of his love, therefore, enriches us with extreme lib-
erality, disperses the foe, and undermines their efforts against
us, what are we ourselves to do in choosing to adopt right atti-
tudes, other than what would lead to ourselves being seen to be
(698) godly? Following his will, performing what is pleasing to
him, and staying close to him in presence of mind is what is said
in the Psalms: “My soul has cleaved to you.”11 (699)
In what way can I gain favor with the Lord, can I secure the atten-
tion of my God most high? Shall I gain his favor with burnt offerings,
with yearlings? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams or tens
of thousands of fat he-goats? Shall I give my firstborn for my impiety,
the fruit of my innards for my soul’s sin? Has it been told to you, mortal
being, what is good and what the Lord requires of you—only to do jus-
tice, to love mercy, and to be prepared to walk with the Lord your God?
(vv.6–8) To the people of Israel God presented their apostasy as
inexcusable, called them to judgment in some way, and clearly
established that, while he for his part had showered blessings on
them in countless forms, they by contrast had been guilty of im-
measurable insensitivity and had seriously offended the one who
saved them. They therefore immediately adopted the manner of
a penitent, as it were, (700) weeping for all their previous fail-
ings and wanting to learn the way to expunge their crimes and
become involved in practices most pleasing to God. Hence his
saying, In what way can I gain favor with the Lord? In other words,
what am I to offer, what am I to do after offending so much?
Shall I become sinless by sacrificing tender yearlings? Would God
commend me for burnt offerings? I would like to find him—that
is, to come near and be accepted into a spiritual relationship:
should I offer a vast number of cattle? But aside from that I shall
lay hold of the fruit of my innards? Surely I shall gain favor by sacri-
ficing to him my special child, namely, the firstborn?
10. Ex 32.4.
11. Ps 63.8. Thus closes Cyril’s second tome on Micah.
To someone who, as it were, ponders and says this, the proph-

et replies in turn, saying in spirit, It is not something hard to dis-
cern, not achieved by hard labor. Take completely into account
God’s goodwill; you have been told what he wills and desires.
Are you therefore in any doubt, mortal man? The God of all re-
quires of you nothing else, in fact, than simply to do justice, to love
mercy, and to be prepared to walk with the Lord your God. To do justice,
then, is to practice and carry out righteousness, justice meaning
“righteousness”; to love mercy is to possess the virtue of friendly
relations and to have a sound reputation for love of the breth-
ren; and to be prepared to walk with the Lord your God is to show
yourself obedient (701) and compliant in everything. Blessed
Paul said that we are also obliged to put on “the breastplate of
righteousness, and be shod also with readiness for the Gospel of
peace,” that is, of Christ; he further bids us to “clothe ourselves
with compassion,” and the Savior himself said, “Be compassion-
ate as your Father also is compassionate.”12 This is a sacrifice
dear and acceptable to God, a fragrance of spiritual offerings
surpassing blood, smoke, and incense; while the latter acted as
types, the former convey the sweet odor of truth to God, who
says also in another prophet, “What I want is mercy, not sac-
rifice, knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”13 Note
how the person of the penitent ponders the performance of
sacrifices according to the Law, whereas God announces ahead
of time that the Law is inefficacious and insufficient for purifi-
cation of sin, while far better and incomparably superior is the
force of life in Christ. Whereas what is done in accord with the
Law is unacceptable, he said that what God wants is for us to do
justice, to love mercy, and to be prepared to walk with him. These are
the ornaments of life in Christ.
A voice of the Lord will be invoked in the city, and will save those
fearing his name (v.9). In another way as well he makes clear that
there is no benefit in blood offerings, whereas the efficacy of
12. Eph 6.14–15; Col 3.12; Lk 6.36.
13. Hos 6.6. As he had in comment on that significant statement of OT mo-
rality, so too with these verses of Micah, which Smith calls “one of the great pas-
sages of the OT” which “epitomizes the message of the eighth-century proph-
ets,” Cyril not only elaborates but also relates to NT development (unlike the
Antiochenes).
spiritual worship brings considerable advantage. Now, he used

(702) the word voice to mean “name” or “invocation.” It would
perhaps be like saying, If the name of God were to be spoken
respectfully in the city, it would without question be saved. In
other words, he is saying, do not get the idea, mortal man, that
I take satisfaction in blood offerings or consider a city impious
and lawless unless it offers calves as a burnt offering. Rather, I
would absolutely not rescue it from danger if it chose to sac-
rifice cattle, even if it stained the altar with blood-letting and
opted to offer herds of rams; instead, invoking the name of God
would suffice for its salvation. The city that honors my power,
you see, is mine, doing what is pleasing to me promptly and be-
ing of that mind. Then I shall save those fearing me.
When we can claim to be God’s, therefore, then we also have
respect for him and are saved by him, and such would rightly
be understood as the force of spiritual worship. The God of all
said something similar also in a statement of David: “Hear, my
people, and I shall speak to you; Israel, I shall testify against
you: I am God, your God. Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke
you; your burnt offerings are continually before me.” He then
went on from this to say that he does not eat meat of bulls or
drink the blood of goats; and in similar vein he says, “Offer to
God a sacrifice of praise, and pay your vows to the Most High;
call on me in the day of distress and I shall rescue you, and you
will glorify me.”14
Listen, tribe: what will adorn the city? Surely not fire and a house
of the lawless (703) storing lawless treasures and iniquities with in-
solence? (vv.9–10) The descendants of Israel occupied Judea
and also Samaria by tribe and race after the land of promise
had been distributed to them by Joshua, who was known also
as son of Nun. So it is not one tribe that God addresses, but,
as it were, all of them, or one by one, the contents being appli-
cable and proper to one and all. Listen, therefore, every tribe, a
city is saved when it honors the name of God; he never neglects
those who fear him; instead, he will be an impregnable wall, the
ornament and glory of those willing to do what God loves. If
14. Ps 50.7–8, 13, 14–15.

on the other hand, he is saying, you prefer to witness the op-

posite, what will adorn the city? A house of the lawless, or iniquities
with insolence? Surely, he says, if on account of grave sin a city is
consumed by fire when captured by enemy hands, it will not be
presentable and beautiful? Surely a house of the lawless storing law-
less treasures would not render it resplendent and well thought
of, nor iniquity with insolence be of benefit to it? Rather, no one
in his right mind would doubt that such things make it inglori-
ous; a city would not be captured and consumed by fire unless
it had definitely committed grave sin. Why then, he asks, do you
neglect the things by which a city is saved and beautified, and
instead consider desirable what naturally damages it and prefer
the means (704) by which it is rendered vile and ugly, with evil
inhabitants who are avaricious and lawless and who store up law-
less treasures? 15
Will someone be justified who is unjust in using a balance, with
false weights in his bag? They amassed their wealth from their iniqui-
ties; their inhabitants told lies, and their tongues were exalted in their
mouths (vv.11–12). Surely you do not believe, he says, that some-
one will be justified who is unjust in using a balance? In other words,
if I were to evaluate and, as it were, weigh in the balance each
one’s life, do you believe that despite my love for virtue I could
bring myself to award unjust people a verdict of righteousness?
Do you think that people with false weights in their bag—that is,
prepared to enrich themselves from unholy avarice and wrong-
ful profiteering—could escape my wrath? After all, they amassed
their wealth from the iniquity of such profits, and emerged as lying
and arrogant; an addiction to falsehood always accompanies the
lovers of inequity, and boasting and haughtiness those already
wealthy.
Now, the inventors of unholy teachings keep false weights in
their bags; they “overturn every right verdict,”16 beguile the minds
of the simple with deception and trickery, and enrich themselves
by ensnaring many. In amassing for themselves such wealth that
is full of iniquity, however, (705) they admittedly say nothing
15. Cyril is not deterred by the difficulty the LXX finds in an obscure Heb.
passage.
16. 3.9.
true, but only what is misleading, false, and discolored, as it

were, with every deceitful sophistry. Such people likewise even
raise their own voice to “speak unjustly of God,” as Scripture
says, and “utter bombastic nonsense”;17 to them it is logical to re-
ply, “Listen, tribe: what will adorn the city? Surely not fire and a
house of the lawless storing lawless treasures and iniquities with
insolence?” (vv.9–10) Far from being an adornment to them, in
fact, the fire of punishment will be a condemnation; and when
the houses are used for storing lawless treasures, they will bring a
curse and condemnation and fall foul of every trouble.
I shall begin to strike you and do away with you in your sins. You
will eat and not be filled; I shall expel you by yourself; you will take hold
and not be saved; everyone saved will be given over to the sword. You
will sow but not reap; you will press oil but not have oil for anointing;
you will make wine but not drink it; and my people’s rituals will disap-
pear. You kept the statutes of Omri and all the works of the house of
Ahab, and you followed their counsels, with the result that I shall make
you a desolation and your inhabitants an object of hissing, and you
shall bear the scorn of peoples (vv.13–16). Since houses proved to
be “storing lawless treasures” (v.10) and amassing wealth from
injustice, he now threatens them with retribution, and says that
the onset of what was expected to happen (706) was now begin-
ning, the result being that the disappearance would be commen-
surate with their failings. He does well to startle them, and by
dread of future events like a kind of bridle he recommends an
option for reform and in second place appeasement of God. He
compiles a kind of list and sets the punishments before them:
they will be punished with famine and lack of necessities; they
will be destroyed within themselves and will take hold without
succeeding in escaping. If, however, some actually did manage
to flee the present disasters, they would be taken before long
and become victims of others’ swords.
Now, this is probably what is suggested to us in the passage:
a great number of enemies were mobilized against the people
of Israel, or against the whole of Judah. But it was not always
by foes from outside: they even took up arms against them-
17. Ps 75.5; 2 Pt 2.18.

selves, as was the case at times with Ephraim, or the ten tribes,
rebelling against Judah, at other times people in Jerusalem it-
self campaigning against Ephraim. Cities without number were
destroyed, so that they were often driven out by themselves; and
in being pursued from cities in this way, they laid hold of other
ones, only to be captured at various times when there was an in-
vasion either by the Syrians and the kings of Damascus, or per-
haps by Persians and Medes themselves. In my view this is the
meaning of I shall expel you by yourself; you will take hold and not be
saved; everyone saved will be given over to the sword.18 (707)
Now, the fact that they would also be deprived of the pro-
duce of the fields, would live a miserable life under pressure
of the lack of necessities, and pay the penalty of unholy crimes
committed by them, he makes clear in what follows. You will sow
but not reap, he says, in fact (in my view because God destroyed
the crops); you will press oil (the country of the Samaritans being
oil-bearing) but will be in need of oil, so that, even if you want-
ed, you would perhaps be at a loss to find it for anointing. And
though your country is very rich in vines and has so much wine
that you distribute it to other cities, you yourself would find
none to drink. The rituals will disappear that you adopted in of-
fering to the idols themselves the produce of the harvest; after
all, what offering of first-fruits can then occur if the whole yield
is lost to you and the crops of the fields have perished? Or what
thanksgiving offerings will you make, and for what proper rea-
son, when you have fallen in your misery and been consumed?
Then, to bring out that no one else would be understood to
have been responsible for the misfortunes, and that instead it
was he who wronged himself and would be captured for having
imitated the ways of those who were particularly guilty, he contin-
ues in the same vein: You kept the statutes of Omri and all the works
of the house of Ahab, and you followed their counsels, with the result that
I shall make you a desolation. Omri, king over Israel, was the father
of Ahab, but as the sacred text says, “he walked in the ways of
Jeroboam son of Nebat,” who caused Israel to sin; “he did more
18. Cyril is right to be tentative in offering his interpretation of the passage,

of which Jerome remarks, “The LXX departs considerably in this section from
the Hebraica veritas,” without shedding light on many obscure phrases.
evil than all who were before (708) him.”19 Accordingly, he was
also consumed by fire, burning his own house over himself, as
is written there.20 By house of Ahab he probably refers to Jezebel;
murders, robberies, and pursuit of holy people were committed
by her. So he says, You observed those practices so that I might
justifiably do away with you, and make you a laughing-stock and
object of scorn to the others.
Now, we shall apply such a passage also to the enemies of
truth, who, by trusting in their own eloquence and assembling
the refuse of their miserable ideas, grow rich, as it were, from in-
iquities, amassing for themselves what is not their own, habitual-
ly ravaging the masses of the simple in the manner of enemies,
and carrying them off into wrongful error. Let them therefore
listen to God’s words: I shall begin to strike you and do away with you
in your sins. You will eat and not be filled. In other words, though
they dabble in the sacred writings, they then gain no satisfaction
from the teachings of truth; though seeming to eat, they die of
hunger; though expecting to lay hold of salvation, they would
not find it; though sowing the seed, at least in their view, they
will meet with no reward for their pains; though crushing the
spiritual olive, the sacred Scripture, they are in no way enriched
with the grace of the Spirit; and though expecting to harvest
wine, they will be deprived of spiritual good cheer. After all, they
kept the statutes of Omri and all the works of the house of Ahab; that
is, they prostituted themselves, enriched themselves through
greed, and involved themselves in persecution of the saints. For
them, therefore, there will be (709) disappearance, and they will
meet with an end that is truly shameful and accursed.
19. 1 Kgs 16.26, 25.
20. Cyril is confusing Omri with his predecessor Zimri; cf. 1 Kgs 16.18.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Woe is me for becoming like someone gathering stubble in the harvest and glean-
ings at the picking, there being no bunches available for eating the first-fruits
(v.1).
UT OF LOVE the prophet mocks Israel for being

on the point of going off to destruction, and of reach-
ing such a small number that very few would in the
end be left. They would be like what falls from the sheaves, which
the hands of the harvesters pass by, whereas the few survivors
are quick to collect even stubble because of dire need. They no
less resemble also what is called gleanings, which the harvesters’
sickles miss. In my view he is suggesting in this also the difficulty
of encountering holy people, for the reason of there being few
of them left at that time, to be found like a single ear of grain
when the crops are harvested, or like rejects of second ranking
among the first fruits of the bunches. When the weather heats
up, you see, the first bunches that grow initially are shaken from
the branches; but as time passes, sometimes a second-rate re-
ject from the bunches succeeds the first. It is difficult for the
pickers to find, doubtless because it easily escapes notice in the
abundant foliage and because of the small number of grapes; it
requires no little effort for them to gather them, following the
pickers and peering into the vines.1 (710)
The prophetic word in this passage, therefore, seems to la-
ment the dearth of good people. There is no doubting that the
fact was to the disadvantage of the people of Israel—I mean
their suffering a lack of holy people; on occasion the Lord in
his loving-kindness pardoned countries and cities and forgave
1. Theodoret will learn from Cyril the lesson of unpacking the author’s im-
agery for the benefit of readers (though in this case even Theodore had gone
to some such trouble).
257
their very many crimes. If only five holy people had been found
among them, the Sodomites’ cities would at that time have been
saved, since God would have had compassion out of respect for
the holy people, few though they were, and checked his wrath.2
Woe is me, soul, because the pious have disappeared from the land,
and there is no upright person left among human beings; all go to law
as bloodsuckers; they each oppress their neighbor with oppression; they
set their hands to evil actions. The official makes demands, and the
judge speaks soothing words; it is his soul’s desire (vv.2–3). In our
view the statement is true; the prophet regrets that there is no
pious person in the whole land, namely, the land of the Jews, de-
spite formerly boasting of a vast number of holy people of high
reputation. Consequently, God says also in a statement of Isaiah,
“How the faithful city of Zion has become a whore, (711) full
of litigation, where righteousness lodged, but now murderers.”3
What was particularly obnoxious, in fact, and brought them to
the very extremes of depravity, was their going to law as bloodsuck-
ers and committing savage homicide, and rejecting as even quite
outdated the performance of good works, the result being that
they even considered it an essential practice to set their hands to
evil actions against other people. To people accustomed to living
this way, nothing is left untried, even should it be punishable by
law, even if excluded by the norms of freedom.
Surely, then, if the subjects suffered from this ailment, the
leaders did not, and the judges were in good health? Not at
all, he says: the official makes demands, and the judge speaks sooth-
ing words. Frequently it happens that many people appointed
to public office prove unholy and grasping, readily selling their
opinions to those wanting to corrupt them. Even if they are in-
clined to give the impression of succumbing to bribes and kick-
backs, however, they somehow disguise it and strive to put a gloss
on their own behavior with a good reputation. How would it not
surpass utter indecency for them to proceed to such a degree of
wretched and shameful behavior as to stretch out their hand, so
to speak, even if not receiving anything, by going to law to over-
turn the verdict of justice and to make shameless threats?
2. In Gn 18.32, in fact, the Lord’s compassion peters out at ten good people.
3. Is 1.21.
The statement therefore comes emphatically (712) from

someone protesting against oppression, The official makes de-
mands, and the judge speaks soothing words. Surely you would not
blame the one who brings together in peace those at odds? Fur-
ther, how would the saying not be true, “Blessed are the peace-
makers,”4 and how great would their reward be? Nevertheless,
while the arbiters of peace have achievements of their own, the
one who judges uprightly determines what is decreed by the di-
vine law, convicting wrongdoers and completely supporting the
wronged. When, on the contrary, we speak soothing words to the
wrongdoers and do not convict them of committing sin, then
we clearly undermine the decree of the Lawgiver, who said, “A
priest’s mouth will observe justice, and from his mouth they
will look for law.”5 Somehow, however, it is always a feature of
those given to corruption to fail to deliver upright judgments or
forthrightly convict sinners, instead recommending peace, even
in the case of people guilty of extreme oppression. The prophet
makes clear the cause of this failure: it is his soul’s desire; that is,
he would be quite content with the wrongful action. How will
he then punish the wrongdoers? How would blame be appor-
tioned to what he has commended? Avarice and oppression of
others is therefore something unholy and truly harmful.
In addition, it is also an accursed crime to succumb to base
gain, and to descend to such a degree of misjudgment as to set
at naught the patterns of righteous behavior and impartial judg-
ment, (713) and to consider them of no importance, while at-
taching oneself to people in the habit of wrongdoing, becoming
involved with others in impiety, and thus being a part of others’
sins. Who in his right mind would doubt that the person who is
guilty of such dreadful sins will be completely and utterly liable
to wrath and retribution?
I shall do away with their good things like a gnawing moth advanc-
ing along a beam on the day of scrutiny (v.4). He threatened to ap-
ply a twofold form of retribution. He had said, remember, “I
shall begin to strike you and do away with you in your sins. You
will eat and not be filled; I shall expel you by yourself; you will
4. Mt 5.9.
5. Mal 2.7.
take hold and not be saved.” He continued, “You will sow but
not reap; you will press oil but not have oil for anointing; you
will make wine but not drink it.”6 So the fact that the abundance
of a good return from the fields will be lost to them, and they
will be lacking necessities and will suffer a shortage of what they
need, he conveys by saying that he would consume all these good
things of theirs like a moth, that is, the things that they probably
enjoyed greatly and that were the basis of their deep satisfac-
tion. The fact that they were destined to be struck, wiped out,
and banished, as it were, by themselves—that is, perishing with
one another—and miserably dismissed from their own homes
and cities, he makes clear by saying, Advancing (714) along a
beam on the day of scrutiny I shall do away with their good things. Not
only like a gnawing moth, but advancing along a beam on the day of
scrutiny. While the phrase is very difficult to understand, I am
of the opinion that we could not succeed in grasping it without
there being a clear introductory outline of the events relevant
to it, which is what I shall try to provide.7
Gibeah, then, is a town or little city in Judea situated on a hill;
it was assigned by lot to the people of the tribe of Benjamin, and
is also called “hill” or scrutiny. Now, we recall that a Levite, as
is recorded in the book of Judges, when his concubine was vio-
lated by the people of the tribe of Benjamin in that very place,
Gibeah, cut up the remains into twelve parts and sent them to
all the tribes to make clear to everyone the crime of the tribe
of Benjamin. It then ensued that by the norms of war the other
tribes rose up against the people of the tribe of Benjamin and
countless numbers fell; in the beginning the people of the tribe
of Benjamin were victorious, but later the other tribes complete-
ly wiped them out. The prophet Hosea also recalls the incident,
saying, “They planted madness in the house of the Lord; they
corrupted themselves on the days of the hill.”8 In other words,
6. 6.13–15.
7. Cyril would have known that while Theodore found the image of the
moth an accessible one, Jerome had provided a version of the Heb. bearing no
resemblance to the LXX or mention of a moth. Despite that, the word “scrutiny,
lookout” must have prompted Cyril to dig into the past for clarification.
8. Hos 9.9, where Cyril gave a lengthy précis of the events of Jgs 19–20, and
despite Jerome’s information failed to see that the LXX has confused Gibeah
with an identical form for “hill, lookout, scrutiny.” See FOTC 115, 183–86.
he is saying, since they planted idolatry and false prophecy (what

is indicated to us by “madness” here) in the house of the Lord,
consequently they also (715) corrupted themselves on the days
of the hill, that is Gibeah. That Gibeah means “hill” or scrutiny
you learn clearly from the text of the first book of Kings; Asa was
king of Jerusalem and Baasha king of Samaria at the one time.
When they fell out and in their hostility to each other they pre-
pared for war, “Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and
built Ramah to prevent anyone going out or coming in to Asa
king of Judah.” But when Ben-hadad invaded Samaria, Baasha
stopped building Ramah so as to resist the enemy. Leaving Jeru-
salem, Asa came to Ramah, the text says, “and ordered everyone
in Judah to Enakim, and they took the stones and wood from
Ramah used by Baasha for building, and King Asa built every hill
and scrutiny in Benjamin.”9 So Gibeah means “hill” or scrutiny;
Gibeah is translated that way on account of being raised on high
and situated on a mountain or scrutiny.
So “I shall begin to strike you and do away with you in your
sins”10 in no other way than on the day of scrutiny; I shall advance,
as it were, along a beam, I shall not veer to right or left in taking
the way of retribution against you. It would seem, however, that
the prophetic verse likewise suggests some such meaning to us
as the following. Micah, remember, was prophesying in the days
of Jotham, (716) Ahaz, and Hezekiah. While Jotham was a pi-
ous man, Ahaz by contrast was loathsome, hateful, and guilty
of most abominable acts of impiety. In his reign Pekah son of
Remaliah, who was reigning over Samaria at the time, made
war on Judah along with Rezin king of Damascus as his ally, and
killed a vast number on one day. It is recorded of Ahaz, in fact,
in the second book of Chronicles, “The Lord his God gave him
into the hand of the king of Syria, who struck him and took cap-
tive a great number of his people, brought them to Damascus,
and gave him into the hands of the king of Israel, who struck
him a heavy blow. The king of Israel Pekah son of Remaliah
slew a hundred and twenty thousand valiant warriors in Judah
because they had abandoned the Lord their God.”11
9. 1 Kgs 15.17–22.
10. 6.13.
It should therefore be realized that through offending God

we shall at once experience the lack of every good thing, and
we will be struck with a terrible hunger for divine and spiritual
goods, consuming one another, as it were, by biting. Christ, af-
ter all, does not award his characteristic peace to those who do
not love him, as is seen to be the fate of the enemies of truth,
who show no sign of spiritual gifts—only cannibalism, as it were,
mutual hostility, strife, rivalry, and division; of them God would
say, “I have taken away my peace from this people, and they will
die of a deadly disease,”12 lacking strength (717) and fellow-
feeling. Why so? He distributes them only to those with a respect
for what is his, in whom the good that is peace would abide, who
honor the force of truth, who are not distracted by wrongful
notions, and who instead are anxious only to admire the beauty
of truth.
Alas, alas, vengeance has come upon you! Now they will fall to weep-
ing (v.4). Do you note how he also mimics the sounds of mourn-
ers, not expecting future disasters but, as it were, those that
have already happened, and weeping in a way befitting women?
Vengeance has come upon you, he says; the time of retribution has
arrived; war is at hand; hardship is at the door. By continuing,
Now they will fall to weeping, in fact, he clearly brought out that,
far from being long delayed, the fulfillment of the prophecy
was under their eyes, as it were; after Jotham, remember, the
wicked apostate Ahaz immediately succeeded, slaughterer of his
own children, whom he offered on the altar of the demons. In
his reign a hundred and twenty thousand from the tribe of Ju-
dah and Benjamin fell.13 Now, it should be realized that at that
time Israel also paid the penalty; in the reign of Pekah, Tiglath-
pileser went up against Samaria, destroyed a great number of its
cities,14 took Damascus, and killed Rezin, the result being that
at the one time Judah and Benjamin were consumed by the ten
tribes in Samaria, and they suffered at the hands of the Babylo-
nians what they themselves had committed. Do you see, there-
fore, how (718) by traveling along the beam of wrath, as it were,
at the time of the hill or scrutiny he punished the offenders?
11. 2 Chr 28.5–6. 12. Jer 16.5, 4.
13. 2 Chr 28.3, 6. 14. 2 Kgs 15.29.
Those events happened to the ancients “by way of a type,

and were written down for our instruction,”15 so that we should
ever avoid being caught up in similar sins and continue to en-
joy good fortune by keeping the God of all as a benevolent and
loving protector. It would, on the other hand, be very appro-
priate to apply them to those who distort what is right and un-
dermine the faith of simple people, so that we ourselves should
say, Alas, alas, vengeance has come upon you! Now they will fall to
weeping. “By sinning against members of your family,” remem-
ber, “and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin
against Christ.” There is no doubt that they will definitely give
an account to the judge and “eat the fruit of their own impiety;
they will be slain for their wrongs to infants, and examination
does away with the impious.”16
Do not trust in friends or hope in leaders. Be careful not to entrust
anything to your partner, because son dishonors father, daughter rebels
against her mother, daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and a
man’s foes are all the men in his house (vv.5–6). The people of Is-
rael sinned in manifold ways and provoked the Lord of all to
wrath against them. They then learned ahead of time through
the holy prophets that they would encounter ineluctable evils
unless they chose to appease the Lord with good living, since
they were under obligation to adopt right attitudes and to win
him over with a change for the better after he was offended.
(719) The wretches did not do it. How so? They succumbed to
such a degree of folly as to think and believe that they would be
proof against the divine wrath and would very easily win any war
if they had the neighboring nations as allies and the support
and promises of their rulers. That they were relying on idle and
vain illusions, however, and displayed a quite groundless confi-
dence the prophet tries to convince them in the words, Do not
trust in friends or hope in leaders; such expectation was unjustified
and quite groundless. Since the Babylonian had come with the
intention of devastating Samaria, in fact, by that time the leaders
of the neighboring nations, although promising them the great-
est possible assistance, had no slight problems of their own and
15. 1 Cor 10.11.

16. 1 Cor 8.12; Prv 1.31–32 LXX.
were content to concentrate on their own salvation, not giving

thought to helping others. Accordingly, he says, Do not trust in
friends or hope in leaders because, with God bringing the effect of
his wrath to bear on you, not even the law of nature or the force
of innate affection will win you benevolence, despite the bonds
of blood and relationship according to the flesh; instead, they,
too, will resemble enemies. At that time a wife will despise her
husband, sons will rebel against fathers, daughters against mothers;
in fact, he says, the very one who imprints the laws of affection
on nature would bring about a change of heart and instead en-
courage indifference.
We should not form the impression, however, that the kind
of indifference referred to here is one and only, but it is twofold
and diverse; some people offend against the laws of affection by
showing unholy (720) antipathy to their parents, while others
do so to bring gladness to God and save their own souls. The
Savior said, for instance, “Do you think that I have come to bring
peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. From now
on, five in one household will be divided, three against two and
two against three; they will be divided: father against son and son
against father, mother against daughter and daughter against
mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-
in-law against mother-in-law.”17 We shall therefore crown with an
upright verdict such a splendid lack of affection; it commends
itself to God, even if separating people from kinship of the flesh,
thus enabling them properly to sing the song of David, “My father
and my mother abandoned me, but the Lord took me up.”18
But as for me, I shall look to the Lord; I shall wait upon God my
Savior; my God will hearken to me (v.7). This would be very appli-
cable to Zion when repenting and pondering in advance the fu-
ture end of the hardships of captivity in due course; Cyrus took
the city of the Babylonians and eventually released the remnant
of Israel, bidding them go home with their sacred vessels and
rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem.19 Then it was, in fact, that they
17. Lk 12.51–53, a text that the Antiochenes do not cite.

18. Ps 27.10.
19. Cyril moves between the eighth and the sixth centuries and speaks inter-
changeably of Assyria and Babylon, Israel and Judah.
escaped from darkness and unbreakable bonds, as it were, and

enjoyed light, thanks to God’s compassion, and were restored
to the former (721) freedom befitting them, rejoicing to be re-
leased. As for me, he says, therefore, I shall look to the Lord at this
late stage and after experience of the trials whose onset I should
have obviated. But he says that [Zion] will have hope in God,
wait upon salvation from him, and be firmly reliant on him, be-
cause in his loving-kindness he will hearken to its complaints
and accept its prayers.
Now, by the beginning of salvation is to be understood, in my
view, the eventual direction of the mind away from the former
deceit, choosing now to adopt right attitudes instead, and be-
lieving that the Lord of all is the very source and governor of
salvation, not attributing such a special good to assistance from
human beings or having the foolish and ill-advised expectation
that the gift will come from the powerless mass of idols. Of old,
remember, they went down to Egypt and betook themselves
to Assyria to purchase support and assistance from both with
countless amounts of money. They also made their approach
to lifeless idols, performing sacrifices and furthermore offer-
ing prayers for themselves. Now, on the other hand, they claim
that they will look to the Lord and wait upon him; that is, they will
receive salvation and grace from him, and will actually be hear-
kened to by him, continuing to offer supplication, that is, to him
and to no other. This, as I said, was true of Zion at its revival,
(722) recognizing as it should that the ancient error had been
dissipated and that there had been a change of mind for the
better and an option to do what is useful.
Do not rejoice over me, my foe, because I have fallen; I shall arise.
Because even if I sit in darkness, the Lord will enlighten me. I shall
bear the Lord’s wrath because I sinned against him, until he declares
my cause just; he will give me justice and lead me out to the light, and I
shall see his righteousness (vv.8–9). Zion’s statement now seems to
me to be expressed in a highly festive mood against the harsh,
insolent, and arrogant city, namely, Babylon, which is, so to
speak, mocking the country of the Jews for being plundered.
Do not gloat over me, it is saying, in fact, for having fallen; you
have conquered, not by prevailing through your own strength,
but by overthrowing me when I was suffering for offending God,

and hence being fallen. The time will come, however, when I
shall arise, even if I was in darkness, “saying to a piece of wood,
You are my god, and to a stone, You begot me,” and making a
statement on the heifers; I said, after all, I said in my derange-
ment, “These are your gods, Israel, who led you out of the land
of Egypt.”20 Instead, I shall even be in the light; I shall know the
Lord, who saves me, who helps me, the source of my strength.
I shall put up with what befalls me; I shall undergo dire hap-
penings; I shall in no way cry out in protest that God is wrong-
ing me, but shall rather be convinced that he is delivering me
a right verdict, even if sent into captivity. I have sinned, in fact,
and bear the effects of wrath, until he declares my cause just, that
is, until he assigns me (723) punishment commensurate with
the sins and then shows compassion, and brings brightness to
[Zion], which was plunged into the gloom of error, causing it to
enjoy light, as it were, through knowing the one who is in truth
and by nature God. He would rightly be admired, it says, for
having demonstrated in my case the sincerity of his own righ-
teousness. Just as he did not exceed what is just in punishing it
for sin, you see, so he will with equal reasonableness be respon-
sible for according it care and showing compassion to it in its
present suffering and repentance, now that it has fallen.
The Lord of all, therefore, is good, and without delay he dis-
tributes mercy to those turning back to him, and gladdens them
very abundantly with the good things of his clemency, ungrudg-
ingly forgiving former failings.
My foe will see, and shame will cover her, she who says to me, Where
is the Lord your God? My eyes shall see her; now she is to be trodden
down like mud on the streets. A day for laying bricks, that day your
destruction (vv.10–11). Seizure was the fate of the country of the
Jews, seizure, and in due course Israel was deported as a cap-
tive to the land of the Babylonians and Medes. It was not by the
victor’s own might that he overcame it; rather, God its Savior
turned away from it and, as it were, placed it at the disposal of
the foe on account of its opting to adore idols, to undermine
20. Jer 2.27; Ex 32.4.

the law decreed of old through Moses, and in a word to adopt

every kind of wrongdoing, leaving no form of depravity untried.
(724) The Babylonians next took it, ascribing the conquest to
their own powers, arrogating to themselves the divine glory, and
thinking they would gain control of Judea, even if the God of
all were to choose to save it. They took control of the sinners,
treated them with dire and unbearable hardship, and inflicted
harsh slavery on them. God said somewhere in Jeremiah, for in-
stance, to the unholy multitude of the Assyrians, or to Babylon,
“Lo, I am against you, O arrogant one,” and also in reference
to the people of Israel themselves, “I gave them into your hand,
but you showed them no mercy; on the aged you made your
yoke exceedingly heavy, saying, I shall be mistress forever.”21 In
other words, with them there is no mercy, no pity for youth, no
respect for old age, no sense of compassion.
Consequently, then, they are rightly given into the hands of
both Persians and Medes under the command of Cyrus, who
took Babylon. It is perhaps of them that the prophet Jeremiah
says somewhere, “They will invade you, and you will be caught,
Babylon, without knowing it; you will be discovered and cap-
tured because you challenged the Lord. The Lord has opened
his storehouse and brought out the weapons of his wrath,”22
by “weapons of his wrath” meaning those plundering it. While
it happened that Babylon was taken by Cyrus, then, Israel was
released from captivity. Consequently, the ones who have been
rescued say, My foe will see, and shame will cover her; when she sees
her own children lying on the ground and piteously and unex-
pectedly slain while her former subjects are rejoicing and exult-
ing, will she not then turn tail, and shame will cover her complete-
ly and utterly, (725) despite at one time asking, Where is the Lord
your God? In fact, I shall see her thrown out and trodden down like
mud on the streets under the feet of the enemy. The text then says
to Babylon herself, That day your destruction, meaning the time
when you went under the feet of the foe—namely, Cyrus—tram-
pling and crushing you in your pride and arrogance just like
mud.
21. Jer 50.31; Is 47.6–7.
22. Jer 50.24–25.
To the extent required to understand such matters factually,

therefore, our explanation has been given quite sufficiently and
clearly. On the other hand, you would apply them no less to the
spiritual Zion as well, that is, to the church as she vanquishes the
enemy, tramples down persecutors, and mocks the weakness of
those bent on warring against her, even if they sometimes seem
to prevail and gain control. There are a great number, in fact,
who impiously gnash their teeth and vent their spleen at her,
and hatch every kind of plot; this is what the pagans are deeply
involved in with their own foolish concoctions, and in general
they are peddling the deception of the idols. This, too, is what
heretics do, especially in deadly attacks on the saints and in a
harsh display of savagery against those choosing to adopt right
attitudes; or rather, it is what is done even by those who do not
belong to the faith. Sometimes, in fact, when God, who can do
all things, tries the saints and allows them to encounter temp-
tations, testing, as it were, by fire sincere worshipers, wretched
people display their arrogance against them, as if seeing their
hardship and (726) stupidly exclaiming, Where is the Lord your
God? In reply the wise, pure, and holy virgin, bearing no spot
or wrinkle,23 would rightly say, “But as for me, I shall look to the
Lord; I shall wait upon God my Savior; my God will hearken to
me” (v.7). How could it be doubted that she will trample down
her adversaries like mud on the street without those who usually
harass her gloating over her in any way, even if she should some-
how be shaken? After all, she is “founded on the rock”;24 her
support is Christ, a stable basis and permanent security, Savior
and Redeemer.
Now, in my view, this would also be said—that is, Do not re-
joice over me, my foe, for falling, and what follows—by the soul of
a person who had sinned and repented, making the change to
repentance and accepting the grace of salvation through Christ.
It would say, in fact, to its tyrannical foe, sin, Do not rejoice over me:
admittedly I have fallen, ignored the will of God, and given my
mind to worldly pleasures. But far from losing hope, I shall also
arise, even if immersed in darkness and gloom; I myself shall
23. Cf. Eph 5.27.
24. Mt 7.25.
find light in Christ, and the “sun of righteousness will rise” in

my mind and make it bright. I shall bear the Lord’s wrath because I
sinned against him; even if I left his presence for a time, and even
surrendered myself to an unsound mind, yet I shall be wise,
and after rightly suffering I shall bear the penalty and admit its
justice: I have not been punished without reason. Since I have
paid a fitting penalty, however, I shall see his (727) righteousness.
Now, what else would the righteousness of the God and Father
be than Christ? This in fact is the way the God and Father refers
to him, saying to us, “My righteousness approaches quickly, and
my mercy has been revealed.”25
Then, after in all likelihood pondering the gift of righteous-
ness in Christ and the disaster that sin is, such a soul will wisely
and prudently call out, My foe will see, and shame will cover her,
she who says to me, Where is the Lord your God? My eyes shall see her;
now she is to be trodden down like mud on the streets. A day for laying
bricks, that day your destruction. In other words, when Christ came
to justify sinners by faith, he shut the mouth of iniquity, on the
one hand, and, on the other, its inventor was also, as it were,
shamed. The latter was driven off and dismissed from his rule
over us, and the former then trodden down like mud on the streets,
trampled, so to speak, by the feet of the saints. The day of Christ
also proved to be destruction for [iniquity], when he renders all
who make their approach to him cleansed of their former sins
through holy baptism, seals them in holiness with the Spirit,
and enrolls them among God’s children.
That day will repudiate your required practices. Your cities will meet
with leveling and partition by Assyrians, and your fortified cities with
partition from Tyre as far as the river, from sea to sea, and from moun-
tain to mountain. (728) The land is set for destruction along with its
inhabitants from the effects of their exploits (vv.12–13). In-between
is set the person of Zion, or Jerusalem, already bent on repen-
tance, placing its hope in God, confident that it will be liberated
and will see Babylon trampled down despite its arrogant out-
burst, Where is your God? Now, you could apply the force of the
text not to what comes in-between, but to what just preceded it;
25. Mal 4.2; Is 51.5 and 56.1.

I shall briefly explain what it was. He had bidden them, remem-

ber, not to trust in friends or place hope in leaders, suggest-
ing that a wife would have little regard for her husband, a child
would despise its father, and daughters would have little respect
for their mothers, since the terrors of war were calling them in
that direction. After all, where the fear of suffering appears to
beset all alike, in that case concern for one’s own life is more
important for everyone, and anyone else’s is neglected.
At that time, therefore, he is saying, or on that day when sons
are indifferent about affection for their fathers and daughters
likewise for their mothers, required practices will be repudiated,
that is, attention to duty will then lapse. A father will not have
the time to blame his son for neglect even of the law of nature,
nor will a mother take offense and subject her daughter to ap-
propriate chastisement, since other concerns occupy them—or,
rather, destruction and ultimate disaster. The cities will in fact
depart for desolation, (729) partition, and overthrow; some forc-
es will attack that city; others, the neighboring one; still others,
the one nearby, and will invade the whole land from mountain to
mountain, from east to west, from north to south, so as in brief
to plunder the whole land to its limits, from Tyre as far as the river,
and from mountain to mountain.26 Now, here by required practices he
probably means the festivals or sacrifices customarily observed
in the shrines of the idols; when the cities were destroyed, and
the houses and everything in them plundered, who would be
performing what was required and paying homage to the idols’
shrines and temples?
Now, the verse could quite reasonably be applied, if you
wished, also to people who have different views and trust in
their own wisdom, and who overturn the correct teachings of
the church. Like cities, in fact, they have fallen captive, and met
with partition by the enemy, that is, the cosmic powers of this
age; they have become the portion of foxes, as Scripture says, di-
vided in impiety, the forms of blasphemy, and cursing of truth.
Now this happened also to the Jewish masses when they abused
26. Perhaps Jerome’s observation that the LXX has misread the Heb. (as
Theodore’s differing text confirms) is the reason why Cyril does not dwell on
the details of these verses.
Emmanuel in an unholy manner, expelled him from the vine-

yard, as Scripture says, and gave him over to crucifixion, despite
admitting and acknowledging that he was the heir.27 Conse-
quently, they have been plundered and ingloriously destroyed,
for no other reason than the effects of their exploits; though they
should have admired the Creator for loving the world so much
as to “give his only Son so that everyone believing in him would
not (730) perish, and instead would have eternal life,” they did
not do it. How so? Puffed up with arrogance, they killed the
Lord, returning him evil for good, as Scripture says, and in an
unholy manner pursuing every form of impiety. Let us heed the
command, then, “Walk in the light of your fire and in the flame
you have enkindled,” and as well, “Eat the fruit of your own ex-
ploits.”28
Shepherd your people, your tribe, with a rod, sheep of your inheri-
tance, living alone in a forest in the midst of Carmel. They will feed
on Bashan and Gilead as in times everlasting. And as in the days of
your departure from Egypt you will see marvels (vv.14–15). The pas-
sage likewise refers to what lies in-between, and adopts a tone of
encouragement, recommending a turn for the better through
hope in the good things understood in Christ, and properly
shifting attention to the option for an upright life. To those tak-
ing the easy road to indifference he had caused no little alarm,
you see, by the prophecy of calamities, and in turn he wins them
over by cleverly imparting gladness, the purpose being that
those to whom the piece of advice is given should not despair
and be carried headlong without repentance or restraint; Scrip-
ture says, remember, “When a sinner goes to the depths of evil,
he is scornful.”29 Accordingly, either the person of the God and
Father himself is introduced as saying to the Son, Shepherd your
people, your tribe, with a rod, sheep of your inheritance, (731) or the
author personally proclaims to Emmanuel himself that he must
shepherd his own people or inheritance with a rod. Now, Christ’s peo-
ple, and indeed sheep of his pasture, would be taken to mean
both those from the circumcision who have come to faith and
27. Eph 6.12; Ps 63.10; Mt 21.39.

28. Jn 3.16; Ps 35.12; Is 50.11; Prv 1.31 LXX.
29. Prv 18.3.
those called to holiness from the vast number of the nations; he

created one new humanity out of two peoples, making peace
and reconciling both in spiritual unity through his body. Christ
himself, for instance, said, “I have other sheep as well”—obvi-
ously, those from the circumcision—“and them, too, I must
bring in, and there will be one flock and one shepherd.”30
So Christ’s people, tribe, sheep, and inheritance are not those
formed “from works of the Law,” but those justified through
faith; while the former were “under a curse,” in the statement
of blessed Paul, the latter would be right to say of themselves,
“Blessed by the Lord, who made heaven and earth. The Lord
is God, and appeared to us.” Now, Christ shepherds his own with
a rod, not by beating them with an iron bar or smashing them
like a potter’s vessel, in the psalmist’s words,31 but converting
them with gentleness and in the manner of a good shepherd,
using moderate fear to check the tendencies of the believers to
indifference. This in fact is the way the Lord of all speaks some-
where in the person of David when shaping his words about the
Son: “If his children forsake my Law and do not walk in my or-
dinances, if they (732) violate my statutes and do not keep my
commandments, I shall punish their transgressions with a rod
and their iniquities with a scourge. But I shall not remove from
them my mercy.”32 So while he crushes the obdurate, disbeliev-
ing, and proud person who does not come to the faith by, as it
were, striking them with an iron bar, he kindly guides the believ-
ers, pastures them among lilies, and takes them to good graz-
ing and a rich pasture—that is, the inspired Scripture—making
clear by the Spirit what is hidden in it to the more prudent. His
purpose is for us “to come to maturity, to the measure of the full
stature of Christ,”33 with a mind that is enriched and well nour-
ished, luxuriating in spiritual enjoyment.
Now, we live alone, chosen and separated as we are, having
parted company with the others, whose concern is only for the
things of the earth, who give preference to acquiring what is
30. Eph 2.15–16; Jn 10.16.

31. Gal 2.16 and 3.10; Pss 114.15 and 2.9.
32. Ps 89.31–34.
33. Eph 4.13.
passing, and who through need of the pleasures of the flesh are
totally devoted to every form of wrongdoing. With mind at rest,
therefore, and ridding it of idle and profane distraction, we are
detached, we live an honorable and praiseworthy life, and we
are alone, like the prophet Jeremiah, of course; he said, “Lord
almighty, I did not sit in the company of jesters: I showed re-
spect for the pressure of your hand, sitting alone because filled
with bitterness.”34 We live alone in a forest, as it were, and on a
mountain. By a forest, well wooded and leafy, you would under-
stand the twofold instruction, moral (733) and dogmatic, and
by a mountain what is elevated, as it were, and on high; there
is nothing earthly in what we give our mind to and is the ob-
ject of our attention in the church. That such pasture is rich
and thriving he suggests likewise from rather materialistic com-
parisons, that those being initiated by Christ will feed on Bashan
and Gilead, places lush with dense and abundant fodder for the
calves and richly endowed with a variety of feed. Let us skillfully
leap upwards from the corporeal and, as it were, materialistic
level to the spiritual, and study the meaning hidden within, be-
cause the mind of the saints takes satisfaction in enjoying the
meanings of the divine Scripture35 and is filled, as it were, with
a kind of richness, exercising abundantly, as I said, practical
and contemplative virtue, not for some brief and limited time
but, as the prophet says, as in times everlasting, that is, for a long
and unlimited time. After all, whatever is pleasing to the flesh
fails and withers along with it, passes like shadows, and shortly
diminishes, whereas participation in good things of the Spirit
from on high lasts for ages, since the possession of such things
is not to be lost.
Now, he said that you will see marvels as in the days of your depar-
ture from Egypt; that is to say, as the God of all freed Israel from
slavery in Egypt and subjected to a range of punishments those
34. Jer 15.16–17.

35. The advice is typical of an approach to biblical discourse that Cyril shares
with his peers, though we have seen him less ready than Didymus to ignore the
“corporeal and materialistic” (and historical) level of meaning and to “leap up”
to a higher level. An Antiochene like Chrysostom will make a similar admis-
sion (e.g., in regard to anthropomorphisms) of Scripture’s use of “materialistic”
(παχύτης) comparisons.
bent on oppressing them by (734) wearing them out in making

bricks from mud, so the Savior brought us believers out from the
hand of the devil and from spiritual slavery, “bound the strong
man,” as he says, and expelled “the prince of this world.”36 And
just as Pharaoh drowned and perished along with his retinue, so
in turn Satan, along with the unclean spirits, was, as it were, sub-
merged by being plunged into the noose of darkness. And just
as Israel was baptized into Moses, though in the cloud and in
the sea,37 so, too, have we been baptized into Christ; he, in fact,
is the spiritual cloud, irrigating the land under the sun with the
Gospel teachings like rain of a kind. And just as he sent down
to them manna in the wilderness, so, too, he gives us himself
for food, being “the living bread that comes down from heaven
and gives life to the world.” Whereas they were led into the land
of the senses, we shall inherit the city on high, the heavenly Je-
rusalem, the church of the firstborn; the Savior says that this is
the land he promised to the meek.38 You will therefore clearly
learn, from the similarity, as it were, to what happened of old
in the case of Israel, the force of what has been achieved in us
through Christ.
Since, however, it is our duty to contribute to the benefit of
the listeners the implications of all details, come now, let us take
another path and say what can be taken from the interpretation
of the names: (735) Carmel means “knowledge of circumcision”;
Bashan, “shame”; and Gilead, “change of covenant.” The passage
thus has a particularly persuasive message. With Christ shepherd-
ing us, then, we shall enjoy a knowledge of circumcision when, of
course, it is understood in the Spirit; we have been circumcised
by a circumcision not performed by hand, and can claim to be a
Jew inwardly, whereas Israel according to the flesh has only the
kind that is physical and literal, by no means what is in the heart
through the Spirit. Ours, in fact, is the true circumcision, ren-
dering its recipients God’s familiars. Consequently, the prophetic
word also said to us, “Circumcise yourselves to God; cut away your
hardness of heart, men of Judah and inhabitants of Judah.”39
36. Mt 12.29; Jn 12.31. 37. 2 Pt 2.4; 1 Cor 10.2.

38. Jn 6.51, 33; Mt 5.5.
39. Rom 2.28–29; Jer 4.4. Though Cyril finds these etymologies in Jerome,
With Christ shepherding us, therefore, we shall be in Carmel;

that is, we shall enjoy knowledge of circumcision, and shall be
no less in Bashan, that is, covered in confusion and shame, not
convicted of sin, but, because of having sinned, we are repentant
and now bear a sense of sins committed in ignorance, which is
the way of salvation. A clear example of extreme insensitivity, in
fact, is some people’s choosing to live, as it were, with a hard
and shameless heart, without in any way being ashamed of their
own faults, not to mention perhaps being guilty also of sins com-
mitted in ignorance. People who enjoy a knowledge of spiritual
and divine circumcision, therefore, are covered in confusion
for their own faults, and through having a sense of their natural
inclination to offend, they make a complete move to what par-
ticularly becomes them. (736) Such people will also be in Gilead,
that is, in a transfer of legislation or covenant. We shall live a life
under Christ, no longer in terms of the Law, but rather accord-
ing to the Gospel, bypassing the material sense of the letter and
performing spiritual worship of God; and by moving to what is
incomparably better, we shall exchange the types for the reality.
Nations will see and be ashamed of all their might; they will put their
hands on their mouths, and their ears will be deafened; they will lick
dust like snakes trailing dirt along; they will be held in their confine-
ment (vv.16–17). By nations here he means the loathsome and
unclean herds of demons; when they see those called in Christ
to justification, to sanctification, to redemption, to sonship, to
incorruptibility, to glory, to a life that is unconstricted and free,
then it is that they will be ashamed after being dislodged from
their dominance over them and seeing their own strength col-
lapsed and deficient. Our Lord Jesus Christ, in fact, has allowed
us “to trample on snakes and scorpions and on all the power
of the foe.”40 Those who were previously victorious, therefore,
will be prostrate under the feet of the believers, victims of weak-
ness, and unnerved by Christ. They will put their hands on their
mouths, no longer allowed to accuse sinners; after all, “it is God
who justifies: who is to condemn?” as (737) Scripture says, and
and proceeds to exploit them, the LXX has made the decision to take the Heb.
carmel, “garden,” as a proper name.
40. Lk 10.19.
somewhere blessed David also said, “All wickedness will stop its
mouth.”41 So the wretches will keep silent about their crimes,
albeit unwillingly, he says; and, as though thunderstruck with
wonderment—at us, obviously—they will be deafened. The news
about us is extraordinary, a loud and truly supernatural re-
port, especially if it is true that “while we were still sinners, at
the right time Christ died for the ungodly,” in order that we
who were formerly guilty of terrible and insupportable failings
should now be sanctified, “not by works of righteousness that
we ourselves have performed, but” through mercy and grace,
so that we who were formerly distressed and devoid of all hope
should now be loved, the cynosure of all eyes, “heirs of God and
co-heirs with Christ.”42
They will be deafened, therefore, he says, and as if thunder-
struck, to be sure, by God’s clemency and the extraordinary
degree of his astonishing goodness, they will lick dust like snakes
trailing dirt along; that is, they will find no nourishment. It is the
habit of snakes when in need of food to crush dust with their
tongue and treat as food what they come upon. He says the un-
clean demons will suffer the same need; those who formerly
were in the habit of making all the people on earth food to be
enjoyed and drink to be quaffed will not continue to find them
ready to tolerate this, thanks to everyone’s being saved by Christ
and achieving such a degree of vigor as to resist those former
bites and instead walk on asp and basilisk, as Scripture says.43
Not only will they lick the ground, however; they will also (738)
be held in their confinement, that is, be gripped by weakness and
distress, and when under siege, as it were, from the power of the
one who afflicts them—namely, Christ—they will be subject to
severe troubles.
Now, he is probably suggesting something else as well to us by
confinement. In becoming like us, remember, the Only-begotten
worked countless marvels, but in my view those not seen were
more numerous than those seen. He ordered the unclean spir-
its to go down into Hades, in fact, and in the future to be held
41. Rom 8.33–34; Ps 107.42. 42. Rom 5.8, 6; Ti 3.5; Rom 8.17.
43. Ps 91.13.
in the abyss so that he might rid the earth of the harsher beasts.
We see an image of that fact in the ancient texts: when Joshua
son of Nun took the countries of the nations, he shut five kings
in a cave and sealed its mouth with a stone as a type, as I said,
of the inherent force of the Incarnation of the Savior. The de-
mons, for instance, “besought him not to order them to go back
into the abyss.” So he says that they will be held in their confinement,
shut, as it were, in Hades from then on and plunged into the
noose of darkness so that, as I said, he might then rid the hu-
man race of harsh and savage beasts.44
They will be astonished at the Lord our God and terrified of you.
What God is like you, canceling iniquities and bypassing offenses of the
remnant of his inheritance? He did not retain his wrath as a witness,
because his wish is for mercy. (739) He will turn back and have com-
passion on us; he will submerge our sins, and cast all our sins into the
depths of the sea. He will show faithfulness to Jacob, mercy to Abraham,
as he swore to our fathers in the days of yore (vv.17–20). The mys-
tery of Christ, in fact, is truly astonishing, and the extraordinary
degree of his clemency to us surpasses the bounds of admira-
tion. The divinely inspired Habakkuk, for instance, struck by
the manner of the Incarnation, exclaimed with clarity, “Lord, I
heard report of you, and was afraid; Lord, I comprehended your
works, and was astonished.” The Only-begotten, in fact, though
having the form of and equality with the God and Father, and
though as God “he was rich, became poor for our sakes so that
by his poverty we might become rich,”45 so as to save what was
lost, strengthen what was weak, bind up what was crushed, give
life to what was corrupt, cleanse what was stained, free what was
condemned to punishment, render blessed what was cursed,
and dignify with sonship what by nature was in servitude.46
Let him therefore hear from everyone, What God is like you in
your goodness and forgiveness, forgiving crimes of the remnant
of his inheritance? Now, by remnant of his inheritance is to be un-
44. Jos 10.17–18; Lk 8.31; 2 Pt 2.4. In regard to a text about which Jerome is
content to say that there is a considerable discrepancy between Heb. and LXX,
Cyril strikes out on his own.
45. Hab 3.2; Phil 2.6; 2 Cor 8.9.
46. Cyril waxes lyrical here on the blessings conferred on sinful humanity
through the Incarnation.
derstood those who have come to faith from Israel, obviously

when the remaining mass has been destroyed for not believing.
Christ said somewhere, “The one who believes in the Son is not
condemned, whereas the one who does not believe is already
condemned for not (740) believing in the name of the Son of
God.”47 He therefore bypasses sins and leaves to one side offenses,
and did not retain his wrath as a witness, by as a witness meaning
“forever” or “always.” Though we were cast out in Adam, we
were welcomed back in Christ; we were cursed in the former,
but in turn blessed in the latter. Scripture says, remember, “Just
as many died through one man’s trespass,”48 so, too, will people
in general have life through one man’s being righteous. He for-
sook his wrath, then, because his wish is for mercy; at the time of the
conversion of all—namely, the Incarnation—he will submerge
the sins of all in the sea, as it were. Since he promised the holy fa-
thers, namely, Abraham and Jacob, to multiply their offspring like
the stars of heaven, he will fulfill his promise; fathers of many
nations will be called, the children not being confined only to
the descendants of Israel but also given to those of the prom-
ise. They are, as it were, a combination of those coming on the
basis of faith in the so-called circumcision with those from the
Law and circumcision to form a spiritual unity. Scripture says,
remember, “Not all Israelites truly belong to Israel—rather, the
children of the promise are reckoned as offspring”; all “who
believe are blessed with Abraham who believed.”49 It should be
understood that the blessing takes the form of grace in Christ,
through whom and with whom be glory to the God and Father
along with the Spirit, now and forever, for ages of ages. Amen.
47. Jn 3.18.
48. Rom 5.15.
49. Rom 9.6, 8; Gal 3.9. At this point, with the close of comment on Micah,
editor Pusey concludes his first volume.
COMMENTARY ON THE
PROPHET NAHUM
PREFACE TO THE
C OMMENTAR Y ON NA HUM
ACH OF THE holy prophets was employed in some

useful and demanding business at times for the pur-
pose of ministering to the divine decrees and trans-
mitting to people the messages from on high. Some foretold
to Israel impending misfortunes so as to terrify them in their
sins, and openly threatened that unless they decided to do what
was pleasing to God, they would fall foul of dire and ineluctable
troubles. Others highlighted what had actually happened, and
by grieving with the victims skillfully persuaded them to opt for
a better life and thus appease the divine wrath from then on.
Still others led Israel in its sufferings to enjoy sound hope, and
brought them to the conviction that after being reduced to mis-
ery for their own sins they would in turn prosper with the return
of their affairs to their original state, thanks to the mercy, grace,
and power of the God who easily transforms everything (2) to
whatever he chooses.1
Such we shall find to be the purpose of the material provided
us in this case as well.2 When the country of the Jews was taken,
remember, and the people were enslaved and deported to the
land of the Persians and Medes after offending by their wrong-
ful apostasy the one who had ever been their protector and
champion and had rendered them superior to their adversaries,
some who suffered that fate passed an intolerable life of misery
caught up in the hardship of captivity. Others, by contrast, who
just managed to evade the trap and escape the Babylonians’ fe-
1. Midway through the entire commentary Cyril summarizes the various

roles played by the prophets in history and literature, detailing both prospective
and retrospective roles. Page numbers in parentheses refer to Pusey ed., vol. 2.
2. In his systematic and historical manner of proceeding, Cyril identifies the
skopos of each author and work—within the limits of his perspective, which can
confuse kingdoms (north and south), nations, and periods.
281
rocity, were a prey to unremitting fear and deep suspicion that

somehow they might themselves fall foul of equal or even worse
troubles if the all-powerful God should hold a grudge against
them and fail to allay his anger. They reached such a state of
terror as to be scattered in the countries of the neighboring na-
tions and, as it were, to enter the service of others, despite their
being foreigners and idolaters. This experience was not without
its cost for them: they learned to live by those nations’ ways and
to pay homage to whatever each of them devised by way of a
god. As a result, even Jerusalem itself was in due course burnt
down at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, and the God of all per-
sonally bade the survivors not to go down to Egypt, but rather
stay at home and keep to their ancestral worship with him as
their ally.
Accordingly, in order that the people of Israel might keep
hoping to return in due course, and that, instead of living in
deep depression, (3) those in captivity might dismiss their de-
spair, keep on praying, and opt for adoration and appeasement
of the one able and willing to redeem them, while the resi-
dents of Judea might continue to avoid dealing with the coun-
tries of the nations, the prophet received the vision directed at
Nineveh. It was the chief city of the Assyrians, and he foretold
that it would fall when the whole country was overthrown along
with it, which happened under Cyrus, son of Cambyses and
Mandane, who marshalled Persians, Medes, Elamites, and some
other nations along with them against Nineveh. In fact, he took
it by force, released Israel from captivity, and bade them return
home along with the sacred vessels.
Such, then, is the thrust of the material set before us; what
follows we shall expose in detail as far as we can.
C OMMENTAR Y ON NAH UM,
CHAPTER ONE
An oracle for Nineveh. A book of a vision of Nahum of Elkosh (v.1).
E BEGINS by specifying the purpose of the prophecy,

and helpfully makes precise the focus of his attention.
He then makes clear who is speaking and from where
he comes, saying it is an oracle; that is to say, the prophecy “tak-
en up” and set in our hands has to do with nothing else than
Nineveh—in other words, let the oracle of the prophecy be taken
as Nineveh.1 The book bears the inscription, an oracle of Nahum
of Elkosh, which is definitely a town somewhere in the country of
the Jews; (4) we shall take the phrase of Elkosh to refer not to his
father but to a place, making this claim on the basis of the tradi-
tion of what has been conveyed to us.2
A jealous and avenging God is the Lord; the Lord is vengeful in
his anger; the Lord takes vengeance on his adversaries and personally
disposes of his foes. The Lord is long-suffering; great is his power, and
he will certainly not absolve the guilty (vv.2–3). The statement is
profound and not easy to grasp except by those willing to give
its contents careful study. If, on the one hand, it were taken
as directed against the Jews, we would find consolation gently
combined with considerable reproof. If, on the other hand, you
were to think it was spoken and directed at Nineveh, the sense
1. Cyril will meet this term λῆμμα (translated here as “oracle”) also at Hab
1.1; Zec 9.1; 12.1; and Mal 1.1, and had read Theodore’s unusually lengthy dis-
cussion of its suggestion of ecstatic possession (relating the term to λαμβάνειν),
which had already appeared in Didymus in opening comment on Zechariah.
But like Jerome, who associated such a notion with the Montanists, he skirts
such a discussion of modes of prophetic inspiration.
2. Whereas modern scholarship has not located Elkosh, Jerome had been
shown such a town in Galilee, but adduced a “Hebrew tradition” that the word
is indeed the name of Nahum’s father, himself a prophet. Cyril opts for a differ-
ent tradition.
283
of the interpretation would take a different direction, allowing

those in captivity to recover and confirming their hope. As far
as possible we shall bring out the drift of the meaning in both
cases.
The Jews abandoned the love for God, remember; set no
store at all by sincerity of reverence for him; betook themselves
to polytheism, outrageous error, and a life in defiance of the
Law; erected altars; set up shrines to the works of their own
hands; performed rites and sacrifices to Astarte, Chemosh, Baal
of Peor, and the golden heifers; and, what was even more irratio-
nal than this, they offered to them thanksgiving songs. In their
folly, remember, the wretches said, “These are your gods, O Is-
rael, who led you out of the land of Egypt.”3 (5) Yet they were
oblivious of the fact that by such terribly unholy actions they
were provoking against themselves the God who of old had led
and saved them, proving hostile to him and acting the part of
enemies, devoting themselves to what were by nature no gods,
despite Moses formerly proclaiming of God that he is jealous,
like a consuming fire, intolerant of those who choose to offend
him. He announced, in fact, “They made me jealous with what
is no god, provoking me with their idols; I shall make them jeal-
ous with what is no nation, provoking them with a foolish na-
tion.”4 After offending in various ways, therefore, it was right
that they also perished.
This is what the prophet says here, too, as if at the same time
censuring and consoling the mass of the Jews, who were lament-
ing what had happened. Yes, he says, in fact, you deplore the
desolation that you are unexpectedly suffering and your loss
of homes and town and cities and your falling under the feet
of the foe, despite having always conquered your adversaries.
How then were you not obliged to understand before experi-
encing it that he is a jealous and avenging God, the Lord is vengeful
in his anger, taking vengeance on his adversaries and personally dispos-
ing of his foes? Even if we were ruined, uprooted, and subject to
adversaries, however, he says, we still acted as enemies, waged
an unholy war on the all-powerful one, and betook ourselves
3. Ex 32.4.
4. Dt 4.24 and 32.21.
commentary on nahum 1 285
to anything at all that displeased him. But you will reply, The
Lord is long-suffering. True, I agree: he is like this by nature. But
he will certainly not absolve the guilty; that is, he will in no way dis-
charge from blame (6) and punishment those who offend him,
and this without cessation or restraint. He will, in fact, on the
one hand, postpone his wrath out of his inherent clemency, and
sometimes bear with people who sin, awaiting their repentance;
but when they put it off and delay it at length, he then punishes
them and inflicts penalties as on the hard-hearted.
While this is the sense the passage will have for us and while
it will be understood if applied to Jews,5 then, we shall take it
differently if referred to Nineveh. Assyrians took the country of
the Jews, remember, with God according them victory, doubt-
less because of the extreme grip of sin on the people of Israel.
They were cruel and haughty, with a completely savage mental-
ity, and never ceased doing violence, as it were, to the very glory
of God with harsh cries of cursing; they were convinced that
they had conquered against his will, and had done violence to
the hand assisting the Jews as well as to them. The Rabshakeh,
for instance, used ill-omened words in uttering to the people
on the wall of Jerusalem only the kind of unholy babbling that
belonged to people with no knowledge of the one who is by na-
ture and in truth God;6 but he immediately paid the price of his
arrogance. Still, those in the company of Shalmaneser razed the
cities in Samaria and burnt others in addition to them, vented
their arrogance on the captives and violated the divine glory.
The prophet therefore comforts the people of the Jews at
length in their grief, claiming that (7) the God of all will com-
pletely and utterly call to account those making war on them,
conveying to them the fact that God is jealous and the Lord is
vengeful in his anger, taking vengeance on his adversaries and person-
ally disposing of his foes. The Lord is long-suffering; great is his power.
After all, with his invincible might he prevails and will overpow-
er those who offend; if he is also long-suffering and is seen for
a while to hold no grudge, yet eventually he will not absolve the
5. Cyril applies the prophecy to Israel after admitting (like his peers) that
the text clearly has Nineveh in focus.
6. 2 Kgs 18.28–35.
guilty, being jealous. We shall also find the God of all person-
ally moved by what the people of Israel suffered from the cru-
elty of the Babylonians; he said in the statement of Jeremiah to
the populace or city of the Babylonians, “I gave them into your
hands, whereas you did not show them mercy,”7 and he also says
in similar terms in the statement of Zechariah, “I am extremely
jealous for Jerusalem and Zion. I am extremely wrathful towards
the nations (296) who have conspired, the reason being that,
while I was slightly wrathful, they conspired with evil intent.”8
Now, the verse God is jealous and the rest would properly apply
also to those not wishing to follow the straight and narrow path
of godliness, but rather to be diverted to a fleshly style of life.
After all, there is no doubt that he will take vengeance by inflict-
ing punishment and subjecting to penalties the stubborn and
guilty, especially if it is true that “all of us must appear before the
judgment seat of Christ so that each may receive recompense
for what has been done in the body, whether good or evil.”9 (8)
The passage is no less relevant, however, also to the leaders of
the Jews—I mean the scribes and Pharisees—who rejected faith
in Christ and were guilty of destroying themselves and others.
Their attitude was hostile, in fact, and they took issue with the
Incarnation of the Only-begotten; they “took away the key of
knowledge,” as he says himself, not entering themselves or al-
lowing others to enter.10 If he is also long-suffering, therefore, he
still will certainly not absolve the guilty who have warred against the
true faith.
The Lord, his way is in consummation and in earthquake, and
clouds are dust of his feet (v.3). On the point of predicting the
taking of Nineveh by way of consoling the sufferers and indicat-
ing to the wronged that it would be overthrown by God, the
prophet helpfully begins by discoursing on the omnipotence of
the divine nature, and the fact that nothing resists it when it
chooses to achieve anything at all. Rather, everything responds
willingly, and its decisions will prevail, even if to us in our situa-
tion some earthly matter may seem difficult to achieve. The Jews
7. Not Jeremiah, in fact, but Is 47.6.

8. Zec 1.14–15. 9. 2 Cor 5.10.
10. Lk 11.52.
were convinced, in fact, that the Babylonians would be uncon-

querable and that they enjoyed such invincible power that even
if God willed it, they would not fail before their foes; the cruel
and heartless crimes committed by them throughout their land
encouraged in them, in my view, such a degree of dismay. For
them to realize, therefore, that, when God inflicted his wrath
on them, they would effortlessly fall and be taken (9) without
difficulty, he necessarily says, The Lord, his way is in consummation
and in earthquake, and clouds are dust of his feet. In other words,
if that is his plan for some people (the meaning of way), it will
definitely take its course like an earthquake.11 Now, a consumma-
tion and an earthquake are something irresistible and quite in-
eluctable, and in addition to them clouds fly up like dust and
obscure the sky.
The prophet was probably reminding them of the deluge
that affected the whole human race at the time of Noah; it was
then that God moved also in an earthquake against everyone, as it
were, raising clouds and, according to the sacred text, releasing
the waterfalls of heaven, and flooding the earth under heaven
with incessant rain.12 So he is asking, how would the one who
easily prevails over the whole earth and with a single decree de-
stroys everyone in it fail before a single nation, the Babylonian?
In a manner quite befitting God he says, clouds are dust of his feet:
just as it is easy for a human being to kick up dust and dirt with a
foot, likewise in my view it is a simple matter for the all-powerful
God to obscure the sky with tempest and clouds.
If, on the other hand, it were necessary to plumb the hidden
meaning of the text, I would think that this should be said: that
in consummation and in earthquake the only-begotten Word of
God took the way, or fulfillment, of the Incarnation. When he
became like us, you see, he shook and brought consummation
upon “the rulers, authorities, and (10) cosmic powers of this
present age”13 by abolishing their oppression of us, canceling
that ancient force, and destroying the very control of death and,
in addition to it, sin. They became clouds of dust from his feet; just
11. This sentence does not appear in the PG ed.

12. Gn 7.11.
13. Eph 6.12.
as dust is stirred up in front of the walker, so in advance of the

Incarnation went the spiritual clouds, that is, the blessed proph-
ets, employing a discourse that was rather obscure and not com-
pletely obvious, but bedewing with life-giving pronouncements
the mind of those capable of understanding.14
Rebuking the sea, drying it up, and exhausting all the rivers (v.4).
He develops the expression of the description from what they
were familiar with and had experienced, beginning with former
events. When God their protector rescued Israel from the Egyp-
tians’ unholy behavior and unbearable oppression, remember,
he led them through the middle of the sea and bade them walk
on dry land, as it were, Scripture saying, “the waters stood up
like a wall.”15 So he rebuked the sea, and it was a firm track like dry
land. If, on the other hand, you wanted to connect the previous
verses with the meaning of this one, namely, “The Lord, his way
is in consummation and in earthquake” (v.3), you would be right
to take the following view: the Lord of all, as it were, brought
consummation and earthquake upon the land of the Egyptians
by the signs worked in it and the death of the firstborn. They
perished in a single night, remember, (11) and everything was
filled with weeping and wailing, as it said; Israel moved through
the middle of the sea, with a cloud from heaven hanging down
over them.16 Blessed David also said something like that, singing
in these terms: “God, when you went before your people, when
you proceeded through the wilderness, earth shook, and the
heavens dripped rain.” He says that earth shook—the land of
the Egyptians, in my view. Now, the fact that a cloud also hung
down and preceded the children of Israel, obvious to everyone,
blessed Paul also confirms in saying that all Israel’s ancestors
were baptized “in the cloud and in the sea.”17
The prophet continued, The sea dried up and all the rivers were
exhausted, recalling another marvel. When they were brought
into the land of promise, remember, under the leadership of
Joshua after Moses, then the waters in the area likewise stood
14. Jerome had previously employed the allegory of the clouds as prophets.
15. Ex 15.8.
16. Ex 12.30 and 13.21.
17. Ps 68.8–9; 1 Cor 10.2
still, since the all-powerful God stopped the flow of the streams
with unspoken directions and constraints. Blessed David regards
this also to be deserving of the highest admiration, speaking in
these terms: “Come and see the works of God, how awesome in
his plans beyond mortal men. He turned the sea into dry land;
they will cross the river on foot,” since they crossed the Jordan
as well on foot.18 In case, however, he were also to mean that all
rivers dried up when God decreed that what happened in one
instance would also happen to all, he bids them stay. (12)
Now, some commentators think that there is also a different
sense to be given to the verse. That is to say, if the Lord of all
were to decide that an attack should be mounted on Nineveh,
it would be done completely by way of consummation and earth-
quake; it would meet its end and easily be shaken. Without delay
he would dry it up, extensive though it is, and, as it were, flood-
ing the other nations like a sea; and if the nearby nations burst
in like a tempest, he is saying, it would be completely and utterly
exhausted. On the other hand, our view is that the sea and rivers
that cause floods and inundation are no less the evil and hos-
tile powers, and, before all, Satan. But Christ dried up all their
power, once invincible, and put him under the feet of his adher-
ents.
Bashan and Carmel diminished, and all the luxuriance of Lebanon
failed. The mountains quaked before him; the hills were shaken; the
whole earth heaved in his presence, and all its inhabitants (vv.4–5).
The treatment immediately moves by means of other proofs to
confirm the strength and invincible power of the divine nature.
Bashan, you see, is a flourishing and prosperous region, and
likewise the mountains of Carmel and Lebanon, the former in
Phoenicia and the latter in Judea, both well wooded and gener-
ously endowed with forests. All of it, however—I mean Bashan
(13) and the actual district bordering the mountains—was
home to terrible and warlike races and “offspring of giants,”19
according to Scripture; but they were overwhelmed and de-
feated with God’s protection by the people of Israel, who also
took possession of their land. So it would be like saying, The
18. Jos 3.16–17; Ps 66.5–6.

19. Dt 1.28 LXX.
countries once teeming with fearsome and warlike men, and

luxuriant with warriors like many forests, disappeared and were
plundered with the loss of their inhabitants (the sense I think of
diminished).
How then would the famous Nineveh not be taken? As well
as Bashan and Carmel, the luxuriance of Lebanon failed. While Leb-
anon, as I said, therefore, is a mountain in Phoenicia, he refers
by mention of it to all the country situated beneath it and round
about. So he means by the luxuriance of Lebanon the rulers of Da-
mascus and Phoenicia at the time, who were also given into the
hands of the people of Israel; they were also vanquished at the
time, despite having extremely large resources, taking pride in
their fearsome and irresistible forces. Now, if you take up the
books of Kingdoms,20 you will find the kingdom of Damascus
plundered in due course at the hands of the kings of the tribe
of Judah; so the luxuriance of Lebanon failed, that is, was done away
with and perished many times along with the pick of Lebanon, or
Phoenicia, that is, the people in charge of things there.
Why mention it, he is saying, when quite easily with God’s
consent the very mountains were shaken and the hills will be
moved, and the whole earth will heave and all its inhabitants, (14)
that is, will pass out of existence and will not be there any more?
The one who made it in the beginning, after all, will also do
away with it quite easily, and its greatness will come to nothing.
Blessed David also seems to have had similar thoughts to this
passage in his song, “Why is it, O sea, that you fled, and you, O
Jordan, that you turned back? O mountains, that you skipped
like rams; O hills, like lambs of the flock? The earth was shaken
before the Lord.”21 It is, in fact, what he said before: his way is
in earthquake. The fact that the whole earth is nothing, and what is
in it would be accounted of little value by comparison with the
ineffable divine glory, the prophet Isaiah will confirm by saying,
“Even the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and were ac-
counted as a turn of the scales, and will be accounted as spittle.
Lebanon would not be enough for burning and all its animals
for a burnt offering; all the nations are like nothing, and were
20. 2 Sm 8.6; 2 Kgs 14.28.
21. Ps 114.5–7.
accounted as nothing. To whom did you liken the Lord, or to

what likeness compare him?”22
Other people in turn have the view, however, that there are
grounds for such sentiments to be taken in indirect reference
also to Nineveh itself.23 They see a comparison to it in Bashan as
being a fine and celebrated country, and in Carmel and Lebanon
as being conspicuous and prominent mountains. Nineveh was
admired and famous, and he says it was so diminished as to be
well nigh ravaged, along with the luxuriant ones in it, that is, its
leaders and generals and those more important than the other
people. You see, since (15) he had mentioned mountains and
wooded regions—namely, Bashan—he maintained the figure of
speech throughout; by mention of richness and luxuriance he
referred to those more prominent perhaps through wealth, or
more impressive in bodily strength, or in some other way excel-
ling the others.
On the other hand, if you were to focus on the crimes com-
mitted by the Jews against Christ, and on the desolation, com-
plete destruction, and ruin inflicted on them after his coming
back to life and ascending to heaven, you would be right to ap-
ply these things also to them. Bashan, Carmel, and indeed Leba-
non could rightly be taken as Judea—Bashan in being called “a
land flowing with milk and honey,”24 a land of grain and wine
and vineyards, Carmel and Lebanon surely on account of being
elevated and enjoying a high reputation, being the cynosure of
all eyes, and boasting of their inhabitants like innumerable for-
ests. He says it was diminished, however, consumed by the Roman
might, being felled, as it were, by fearsome and powerful wood-
choppers, and toppling like timber. The blessed prophet Isaiah
also hints at something similar in saying, as if in reference to
Jerusalem, “Open your doors, Lebanon, and let fire consume
your cedars. Let the pine lament because the cedar has fallen,
because the mighty were in severe difficulties. Lament, oaks of
Bashan, because the dense forest has been felled.” And else-
22. Is 40.15–18.
23. Cyril keeps trying to see the prophet referring to Nineveh (even if often
speaking of Assyria as Babylon).
24. Ex 3.8.
where he says more clearly, “The mourning (16) of Jerusalem

will be like the mourning for a pomegranate cut down in the
open field.”25 You see, since he compares Jerusalem to Leba-
non, he speaks of its lofty ones as cedars and pines being top-
pled, and refers to it as the oak of Bashan, the expression being
metaphorical, as I said.
Before his wrath who will stand? And who will resist the wrath of his
anger? His anger wastes empires, and rocks are split by him (v.6). He
sets the seal of truth on his words with reference to those who
have experienced divine wrath, saying it is harsh and irresistible.
It makes inroads like fire, in fact, in my view, easily wasting em-
pires and powers, both earthly and spiritual, and would effort-
lessly smash even rocks, or people as hard as rocks and with a
mind resistant to persuasion. We shall find those reigning over
the Assyrians to be of this kind, as well indeed as Satan himself,
the leader of the unclean spirits, of whom sacred Scripture says,
“His heart is fixed like stone, set firm like an untamed thun-
derbolt.”26 Now, it is obvious to everyone that the leaders of the
Jews and those appointed by them to govern—namely, priests
and the loathsome bands of unholy scribes and Pharisees—were
hard-hearted, unfeeling, and imbued with the deepest insensi-
tivity. They were consumed by the war with the Romans, wasted
by unremitting misfortunes like wax, (17) and, though very
hard-hearted, they were crushed by the troubles and paid the
penalty for their frenzy against Christ.
Now, for our sakes our Lord Jesus Christ in a different way
as well crushed “rulers, authorities, cosmic powers of this pres-
ent darkness, and spiritual forces of evil,” so as to rescue and
save us. Knowing this, blessed David sings, “You are fearsome,
and who will withstand you when once your anger is roused?
From heaven you made judgment heard. Earth feared and was
still when God arose to judgment, to save all the gentle of the
earth.” To us he gave “power to walk on snakes and scorpions
and on all the power of the foe,”27 wasting empires and crushing
like rocks the arrogance of the unholy spirits. The wrongdoers
25. Not, in fact, Isaiah, but Zec 11.1–2 and 12.11.

26. Jb 41.15 LXX (in reference rather to Leviathan).
27. Eph 6.12; Ps 76.7–9; Lk 10.19.
had to yield, albeit unwillingly, to the one who was wrathful on

our account and for our sake.
The Lord is good to those who submit to him on the day of tribula-
tion, and he knows those who reverence him. In the passage of a flood
he will bring about consummation; darkness will pursue the rebellious
and his foes (vv.7–8). In a helpful and very skillful way he gives
advice, intending neither to undermine the hope of prosperity
arising from his promise that the Lord is good to those who submit to
him, nor to allow them a lax and dissolute life. Rather, his inten-
tion is to bring them to orderly behavior and to an option for
lawful living through a repetition of the fact that, if he brings
the day considered as consummation against some people, (18)
he will bring it on like a kind of earthquake, and like a rush of
mighty and intolerable waters flowing headlong over the coun-
try, a terrible and completely ineluctable event. Likewise, if the
effect of divine wrath bursts on some people, it will utterly de-
stroy everyone on whom it falls and whom it affects.
He says that his foes will be pursued and overwhelmed by dark-
ness, not at all that of night, but, in my view, of another kind un-
derstood spiritually as a form of suffering. The human mind, of
course, is usually plunged into darkness by unremitting misfor-
tune and by severe and unexpected suffering, something that
befell the ancients when they were taken off into captivity and
their country had been seized. Consequently, God likens such
a degree of troubles to wine and intoxication in saying very fit-
tingly to blessed Jeremiah, “Take from my hand this cup of un-
mixed wine, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink
it. They will drink and stagger, and will go out of their minds
at the sight of the sword that I am sending among them”; and
indeed he says to it in Isaiah, “You have drunk to the dregs the
cup of falling, the bowl of anger.”28 So he is saying that those
with a hostile attitude to God will be overwhelmed with intoxi-
cation and darkness, his commendable purpose being to prompt
them to consider what is better for them to know and do.
Now, the God of all also moved against the Jews in the passage
of a flood and brought about their consummation by calling them
28. Jer 25.15–16; Is 51.17.

to account over Christ. They were also in darkness, completely

deprived of the divine light, (19) the wretches living as blind
dullards. They were not prepared, you see, to follow Christ’s
call, “While you have the light, walk in the light so that darkness
may not overtake you.” Instead, since they were unbelieving and
obdurate, consequently as the prophet says, “While they were
waiting for the light, darkness befell them, and while awaiting
brightness they walked in gloom.”29 After all, they were hostile
to the divine light, and in an unholy manner they resisted the
glory of Christ.
What are you pondering about the Lord? He will cause consum-
mation, and will not take vengeance twice for the same thing through
tribulation (v.9). I already said at the very beginning that when
Shalmaneser king of the Assyrians plundered Samaria and dev-
astated it along with other cities and towns subject to the rule of
Judah, the survivors of the war were reduced to an intolerable
plight and took refuge in the countries of the neighboring na-
tions. They probably thought, in fact, that they would fall foul
of similar troubles when the Babylonians returned a second
time to attack them. So God delivered necessary consolation in
the prophet’s statement by making this double promise: that
he would in due course have mercy on those caught up in the
war and experiencing unbearable misfortune and release them
from the bonds of captivity, and that he would consign Nineveh
to desolation and ruin.
Accordingly, in case they should expect once again to fall foul
of similar troubles (20) and find excuse for flight from Judea to
the foreigners, he poses the question, so to speak, as to what
they were pondering and in the habit of thinking about the Lord.
Surely, he asks, you do not think that the Lord of all is so harsh
and oppressive as to call you to account twice for the same sins?
You would seriously fail in what is proper; if you commit noth-
ing further that is at variance with the Law and provokes the
Maker of the Law to wrath, he will not deliver chastisement a
second time, either. He afflicted you sufficiently for the impi-
ety of which you were guilty. Stop sinning, and he will curtail
29. Jn 12.35; Is 59.9.

his wrath; he has given adequate correction, and will now have
mercy on those opting to come to their senses.
The statement is therefore mixed, containing exhortation
mingled with it; he thus both encourages them to decide genu-
inely to perform what is pleasing to God, and to those deciding
to do so he gives confidence that he will be kind to them, not re-
leasing unbridled wrath on them, as they themselves supposed.
Now, consider how the verse preserves the remnant for Israel:
he had proclaimed clearly that God will not bring consummation
on them, putting the question, What are you pondering about the
Lord? Will he cause consummation? He will not cause consumma-
tion,30 he says, nor will he deliver Israel to complete destruction
after shaking it to its depths. Instead, he will spare it for the sake
of the ancestors, and in due course it will be saved, by coming in
the wake of the nations (21) through faith in Christ to sanctifi-
cation and relationship with God through the Son in the Spirit.
They will be demolished from their very foundations, and like a
tangled convolvulus it will be eaten, and like a straw quite dried. A
plot against the Lord will issue from you, one intending hostile wicked-
ness (vv.10–11). After showing in many ways that the ability to
achieve everything comes easily to the God of all, and that noth-
ing at all is beyond him, he shifts attention to Nineveh itself. He
says that, even if it reached such a degree of fame as to seem
equal to the most wooded of the mountains, namely, Lebanon
and Carmel, by being endowed with vast numbers of peoples
beyond counting, and even if it was not inferior to Bashan, the
time would nevertheless come when it would be left utterly
desolate. This, in fact, in my view, is the meaning of demolished
from their very foundations, the verse preserving the metaphor of
mountains and land, trees and wood. Now, he says it will be eat-
en when the Persians and Medes, as it were, graze upon it; they
took Nineveh under the generalship of Cyrus. He compares the
vast population of the Assyrians to a convolvulus, for they inhab-
ited Nineveh. What would be the reasoning behind this, too?
The convolvulus is a plant like ivy, constantly crawling upwards
30. The text cited does not correspond to the lemma, and a negative now
appears that softens the tone—a liberty the PG text disallows, causing other
problems for the sequence of thought.
and releasing tender fronds, and laying hold of plants nearby,

with the result that often even the tallest trees are suffocated by
it.31 This is what the Assyrians also did, ever invading countries
and cities, suffocating them, as it were, (22) and weighing them
down with the entanglements and unbearable oppression of
wars. He said it would be set on fire like a straw quite dried, straw
being something very vulnerable to consumption by fire.
To Nineveh, set on fire, as it were, suffering the effects of
wrath, and laid waste, the prophet then explains and clarifies
the reason for such sufferings by saying, A plot against the Lord
will issue from you, one intending hostile wickedness. You will be liable
to desolation, he is saying; you will be demolished, as it were, and
even burnt by fire, for you plotted against God terribly arrogant
and hostile deeds. The God of all, remember, to punish Israel for
sinning, made it vulnerable and brought it under your feet; you
will have different ideas, thinking rather of overpowering Judea
even against his wishes. We shall find the Rabshakeh guilty of
such idle talk in calling God’s glory into question in speaking
to those seated on the wall: “Do not let Hezekiah deceive you
in words that will not be able to deliver you. Do not let Heze-
kiah tell you that God will deliver Jerusalem from my hand.”
To such ill-advised and truly unholy babbling God responded in
the statement of Isaiah, “Surely the axe will not be given credit
apart from the one who chops with it, or the saw extolled apart
from one who pulls it?”32 In other words, just as the axe, even
if very sharp and well wrought, would not succeed in cutting
down trees unless someone (23) used it on something with his
own power, and just as the saw also would be completely inef-
fectual in its operation with no one to push and pull it, so, too,
the might of the Ninevites’ kingdom or army would not have
gained control of Samaria unless divine wrath had applied it to
cities and towns and had used a tool that is worked by someone
else and is adopted for useful service, but would be ineffectual
by itself. Accordingly, Nineveh is punished assuredly because of
plotting wickedness against God, hostile to what the nature of things
31. Cyril would have been aware from Jerome that the Heb. “thorns”
emerged as smilax (convolvulus) in the LXX.
32. Is 36.14–15, 20, and 10.15.
really intends. It was the God of all, in fact, who surrendered Is-
rael for its sin, and it would not have captured them if God had
assisted them and still wanted to save them.
The Lord who controls great floods says this: Thus will they be di-
vided, and no report of you will continue to be heard (v.12). While the
attention is on haughty Nineveh in its opposition to God, there-
fore, he says in this verse that the innumerable masses in coun-
tries, cities, and nations are floods flowing easily like rivers and
the sea, as God chooses. He it is, after all, who is their controller
as Creator, as Lord and God of all, governing by his own decrees
what is made by him, and bringing the desires of every heart
into accord with his will, (24) dividing and shaping them in the
way he wishes. Consequently, he says, O Nineveh, you have now
ceased to be fearsome, all-powerful, and celebrated; no report of
you will continue to be heard; that is, there will now be no lengthy
talk of you by everyone. Though formerly you were illustrious,
and glowing accounts of you were on everyone’s tongue, this is
so no longer: they tell a sad tale of you. There is nothing impor-
tant and worth hearing of you any more.
Now I shall smash his rod, and remove it from you, and break your
bonds. The Lord has commanded concerning you (vv.13–14). Again
attention is shifted by the prophet to Israel. It is as if to say, Dis-
missing the memory of those former sins, I shall show pity on
you, now that you have paid the penalty; now that you have been
sufficiently punished, I shall free you from their oppression,
and you will not be subject to the rod of the Assyrians, that is,
their scepter or kingship, the scepter being a symbol of kingship.
I shall also release you from the terrors and bonds of slavery,
and restore you again to the prosperity of freedom. The phrase
The Lord has commanded concerning you you will understand this
way: whom has he commanded? Either good spirits and hosts
of angels deployed by God for the protection of Israel; or per-
haps he has commanded the person giving release from captivity
in due course, (25) Cyrus son of Cambyses. It was not, however,
as though he were addressing a holy man and prophet in com-
manding him, but by imparting to his mind his own wishes and
making him a minister of his decrees, despite being profane and
idolatrous. Just as he commanded the sea monster to swallow Jo-
nah, remember, and likewise the pumpkin plant to grow up over

his head and shade him, and likewise the morning grub to strike
the pumpkin plant, so we claim commands were given to Cyrus.
While this has to do with past facts, the God and Father would
also proclaim to Jerusalem when it turned to killing the Lord,
or to the country of the Jews,33 “They will be demolished from
their very foundations, and like a tangled convolvulus it will be
eaten, and like a straw quite dried. A plot against the Lord will
issue from you, one intending hostile wickedness” (vv.10–11). It
was in fact burnt down and demolished, and consumed like dry
straw; they had presumed to plot wickedness against the Lord
and to employ unbridled language, at one time calling him a
Samaritan, a drunkard, and offspring of prostitution, at another
claiming that he misled the crowd.34 This was in spite of the fact
that he had been sent by the God and Father to rid the deceived
of deceit, return to God what had taken leave of him, bring back
through faith what had in manifold ways slipped into apostasy,
enlighten what was in darkness, and bind up the wounded.35
Now, since he had not destroyed Israel completely, but, as I
have often said, had kept (26) a remnant for him (no small pro-
portion of the Jews having come to faith, and together with the
nations confessing Christ), let those of the circumcision of the
body give heed to the verse, I shall smash his rod and remove it from
you, and break your bonds. The Lord has commanded concerning you.
Now, there is need to explain what the rod is, other than bonds
of a kind; they were subject to a kind of scepter by being in the
grip of the folly and antipathy of the scribes and Pharisees, and
were held fast by their commandments as by bonds of a kind,
and so did not accept the faith. But the rod was removed—that
is, the control—and the bonds broken; they then made their way
in freedom of mind to Christ, exultantly crying out, as it were,
to one another and saying on the psalmist’s lyre, “Let us burst
their bonds asunder, and cast their yoke from us.”36
33. Again Cyril reveals his hermeneutical priorities: first a treatment of a
passage historikôs, then movement to another level—usually to the life of Jesus
and/or the church—and even to further spiritual/parenetic development, as
later in this case.
34. Jn 8.48, 41; Mt 11.19; Jn 7.12. 35. Ezek 34.16.
36. Ps 2.3.
In addition to them, on the other hand, let those from the

nations give no less heed to the verse, Now I shall smash his rod
and remove it from you, and break your bonds. The Lord has command-
ed concerning you. Of old, remember, they lay under the yoke of
the devil’s scepters, were locked in the bonds of worldly plea-
sures, and worshiped “creation instead of the Creator.”37 They
did not know the one who is by nature and in truth God, differ-
ing little from brute beasts in their enslavement to pleasures of
the flesh, and living a pitiable and most irrational life. But they,
too, were liberated when Christ smashed that rod and broke the
bonds, dragging them away from sin, bringing them from error
to knowledge of God, justifying them by faith, and commanding
concerning them, that is, to the holy angels. (27) Scripture says,
remember, “The one who dwells in the help of the Most High
will abide in the shelter of the God of heaven”; the holy angels
“have been commanded to protect us in all our ways and take us
in their hands lest we dash our foot against a stone.” It is certain
that “an angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,
and will deliver them.”38
There will be no further dissemination of your name (v.14). It would
again be like saying, You will not be scattered to all the nations,
either as captive or exile subject to harsh servitude far from your
homeland, and in a wretched, pitiable, and miserable condition
dispersed among the cities of adversaries. Now, it should be not-
ed that the prophet Nahum lived before the second captivity in
Babylon, and after the prophet’s preaching Judah was taken and
went into captivity, being enslaved to the Assyrians.39 When He-
zekiah was king in Jerusalem, remember, Sennacherib advanced
on Samaria, laid waste the cities in it, burnt others, and sent
from Lachish the Rabshakeh, who gave vent to abusive words
against God; a hundred and eighty-five thousand of the Assyr-
ians were then slain by an angel’s hand. After the reign of Heze-
37. Rom 1.25.

38. Pss 91.1, 11–12 and 34.7.
39. If Cyril’s readers were confused by such a garbled summary of historical
events, the following more specific documentation from 2 Kgs 18, 19, and 25
somewhat clarifies it (though perhaps Cyril has in mind the deportation men-
tioned in 2 Kgs 18.11 of Samaritans by Shalmaneser rather than Sennacherib).
kiah and the lapse of a considerable time, when Zedekiah son of

Josiah was king, (28) Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem, laid
waste to the whole of Judea, then took the holy city by force,
burnt down even that celebrated Temple, and deported Judah,
thus adding to those taken away from Samaria by Sennacherib.
Surely, therefore, the God of all was not false to his promise
given through the prophet to the descendants of Israel, There
will be no further dissemination of your name? How then would it
not be foolish, or rather the extremes of every evil, to think
that God lies? Perish the thought that the Divinity is dishonest!
The truth in fact is as follows: after first mentioning the release
that occurred in due course when Cyrus wrested power from
the Persians, he then said that Israel would in the future be ex-
ile and refugee no longer; they would be restored to their own
possessions, would return to Judea, and would dwell in security.
Though enemies under Antiochus surnamed Epiphanes ad-
vanced against them, they did not go off into captivity, instead
dwelling securely in their own land, as I said.
While the verse, therefore, There will be no further dissemination
of your name, would thus be understood in reference to Israel ac-
cording to the flesh, the spiritual Israel, on the other hand, that
is, those who saw God with the eyes of the mind and were as-
tonished at the glory of the Only-begotten, will very properly be
told, There will be no further dissemination of your name. Before the
faith, in fact, they were under the control of the foe, the neck of
their mind subject to the yoke of Satan and the evil spirits with
him, and shackled to the evils of fleshly indulgence. (29) But
the oppression of those formerly in power was then undone;
sin was toppled, and along with them it fell, and the force of
the passions was eliminated. Christ undermined it, in fact, and
brought them through faith to holiness, despite their being dis-
sipated by effete passions of various kinds and grievous polythe-
ism. They will no longer be scattered abroad, however, but will
abide completely in Christ, having one faith, one baptism, one
Lord, Savior, and Redeemer, and being linked through him to
the God and Father in spiritual oneness.40
40. Eph 4.5.

From the house of your God I shall eliminate carved figures, and cast
images I shall make your tomb (v.14). Israel, for its part, had of-
fended gravely, fallen into apostasy, and sacrilegiously forsaken
the God who saved them; consequently, they were taken captive
and went off to the enemy, and were thus deported to Nineveh.
The survivors in Jerusalem, for their part, were no less indiffer-
ent towards love for God, inconsistent in their reverence, ne-
glectful of what was pleasing to God, and uncommitted to the
yoke of service to him; they kept sacrificing to Baal, Astarte, and
the host of heaven. When threats were delivered by the holy
prophets, however, God clearly saying that Jerusalem would be
destroyed and its inhabitants would go off completely and ut-
terly as captives along with the others, (30) some of those reign-
ing in it at the time came to their senses and destroyed shrines,
overturned altars, and consumed the carved figures by fire.
Of particular prominence in this was Josiah, of whom the
man of God spoke to Jeroboam son of Nebat, [Jeroboam] who
caused Israel to sin, when he was on one occasion sacrificing; he
was standing by the golden heifers offering sacrifice when the
man proclaimed against the altar by the word of the Lord, “O
altar, altar, thus says the Lord: Lo, a son is born to the house of
David, Josiah by name, and he will sacrifice on you the priests of
the high places offering sacrifice on you, and human bones will
be burnt on you.”41 The sacred text clearly confirms that what
was foretold took effect; in the second book of Kings it is writ-
ten thus about Josiah: “The king commanded the high priest
Hilkiah, the priests of the second order, and the guardians of
the balance to bring out of the house of the Lord all the vessels
made for Baal, the grove, and all the host of heaven. He burnt
them outside Jerusalem in Sademoth Kedron, took their ashes
to Bethel, and burnt the chomarim that the kings of Judah had
appointed; they had burnt incense in the high places, in the
cities of Judah, and in the environs of Jerusalem, and had burnt
incense to Baal and to the grove, to the sun and the moon, to
the mazouroth and to all the host of heaven. The grove from the
house of the Lord he brought outside Jerusalem to the brook
41. 1 Kgs 13.2.

Kedron, and burnt (31) them in the brook Kedron, pulver-

ized them, and threw their dust onto the grave of the common
people.”42 Do you understand, then, how the cast images were
placed like a kind of tomb, and the carved figures were eliminated
from the house of the Lord ?
Another text will also confirm the verse bearing on this; in
the second book of Chronicles it says, “In the eighth year of his
reign”—Josiah’s, that is—“while he was still a boy, he began to
seek the God of his ancestor David. In the twelfth year of his
reign he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high plac-
es, the groves, and the cast figures; in his presence they over-
threw the altars of Baal and the high places dedicated to them,
chopped down the groves and the carved figures, smashed the
cast figures, pulverized them, and scattered the dust on the front
of the tombs of those sacrificing to them. He burned the bones
of priests on the altars, and purged Judah and Jerusalem.”43 So
they perished in the actual shrines, as I said, and on the altars,
and were buried, as it were, with the cast images, in keeping with
the prophet’s statement. Now, it should be understood that Na-
hum prophesied at the time of Hezekiah. Then came Hezeki-
ah’s son Manasseh, who ruled for fifty-five years, and Manasseh’s
son was Amos, who lived only two years, and after him Josiah, in
whose reign the prophecy was fulfilled, as the text has just been
explained by us.44 (32)
Because, lo, swift on the mountains are the feet of the one bringing
good news and announcing peace (v.15). Though the people of Is-
rael were living in Babylon after being taken captive, they still
nourished the hope of being brought back again one day, and
before long of returning to the noble station received from their
ancestors before, since the holy prophets announced this at
God’s direction. Now, the realization of their hope had arrived
42. 2 Kgs 23.4–6.

43. 2 Chr 34.3–5.
44. The Antiochenes, despite their interest in historical fact, provide none
of this textual documentation bearing on the prevalence of idol worship and
Josiah’s expulsion of it. This is perhaps because, as Cyril himself states, Nahum’s
ministry occurs in the century before Josiah. Undeterred, Cyril provides not
only one version of Josiah’s reform; to the one from 2 Kings he couples the
2 Chronicles version.
with the imminence of the wresting of power from Nineveh by

Cyrus’s reign, and prediction of it to them in turn by Isaiah. He
said, in fact, “Thus says the Lord God to my anointed Cyrus,
whose right hand I have grasped for nations to be obedient be-
fore him: I shall strip kings of power, I shall open doors to him,
and cities will not remain locked. I shall go ahead of you, level
mountains, smash bronze doors, and shatter iron bars.” And a
little further on, “He will rebuild the city of Jerusalem and can-
cel the captivity of my people, not with ransom or with bribes,
said the Lord of hosts.”45 So a messenger of peace will come to
the people of Israel, he is saying in reference to the expedition
of Cyrus, when they shook off the yoke of captivity, smashed the
rod of those in power, broke the bonds of the slavery to which
they were not accustomed, and were saved by arrival home once
more.
If, on the other hand, you preferred to apply the drift of the
passage to the preaching of the holy Baptist, you would be right
to make this application as well. After all, he led his life in the
wilderness, and brought the good news of peace—Christ, that is—by
crying aloud on the mountains. Beautiful and swift, then, are the
feet of the one who says, “Prepare the way of the Lord; make
straight the paths of our God.”46
Celebrate the festivals, Judah; pay your vows to your God. Because
they will not continue to consign you to oblivion any more (v.15). The
Law forbade the offering of sacrifice outside the sacred and
divine precincts; instead, it should be “in the place which the
Lord your God has chosen to be called by his name.”47 When
the people of Israel were in foreign parts, however, and living in
the land of the Persians and Medes, they lived without any pos-
sibility of discharging what was required of themselves, unable
to perform the customary festivals, to offer sacrifices, first-fruits,
or thanksgiving offerings according to the Law, or to slaughter
45. Is 45.1–2, 13. His citation of Second Isaiah’s mention of Cyrus’s saving
role means that Cyril is not only confusing the Babylonian and Assyrian depor-
tations of southern and northern peoples, but also assumes that this biblical
text originates from Isaiah of Jerusalem.
46. Is 52.7; 40.3.
47. Dt 12.11.
the lamb on the new moon, and perhaps neglectful even of

mere hymns of praise. We would say what the divinely inspired
David says in the person of the people in Babylon: “By the river
of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. On the
willows in its midst we hung up our instruments.” And further
on, “How shall we sing the song of the Lord in a foreign land?”48
Since they were outside the Holy Land, remember, outside Tem-
ple and tabernacle, and had no sacred place, the requirements
of the Law were consequently impracticable for them. But when
the time for release eventuated, however, (34) someone—the
messenger of peace, who had swift feet, or the prophet him-
self—rightly pointed out that they could celebrate the festivals,
offer songs of thanksgiving, and properly fulfill the obligations
of vows or promises. He also foretold that ruin would soon be-
fall the foe: they will not continue to consign you to oblivion; that is,
they will not last much longer, nor have extended or unending
prosperity, for it would come to an end and on being curtailed
would cease.
Now, let the one who is spiritually a Jew most fittingly give
heed to these remarks. “For a person is not a Jew who is one
outwardly, nor is true circumcision something external and
physical. Rather, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and real
circumcision is a matter of the heart—it is spiritual and not lit-
eral. Such a person receives praise not from others but from
God.”49 Such a person will celebrate with distinction, then, having
an unshaken faith—in Christ, that is—sanctified by the Spirit,
and distinguished by the grace of adoption. He will offer spiri-
tual sacrifices to God, presenting himself as an odor of sweet-
ness, and devoting himself to every form of virtue—modera-
tion, self-control, fortitude, patience, love, hope, a longing for
poverty, goodness, long-suffering—“since God takes pleasure
in sacrifices like that.”50 Let the person who is spiritually a Jew
know this about every foe and those once in power: that they will
not continue to consign you to oblivion any more; that is, they will
be taken out and dispatched—to punishment, clearly. This is
48. Ps 137.1–2, 4. 49. Rom 2.28–29.

50. Heb 13.16.
also what Christ has effected, bidding the unclean spirits (35)
to go off to the abyss, and allowing those who love him to rise
up against the foe, do battle with the passions, struggle against
sin, and “trample on snakes and scorpions and on all the power
of the foe.”51
51. Lk 8.31–33 and 10.19.

COMMENTAR Y ON NAH UM,
CHAPTER TWO
It is finished; it is gone. One has come up blowing in your face, rescuing you
from tribulation (v.1).
O SUGGEST in a compressed fashion that the nec-

essary destruction of Nineveh would without any
doubt happen, he says that it is finished, thus indicat-
ing the wish for its consummation. He also says it is gone, that is,
completely felled and utterly done away with.1 Now, the phrase
one has come up also applies perfectly to Cyrus, in my view clear-
ly implying something of the kind that the prophet Jeremiah
also said of him in foretelling what would in due course befall
Nineveh: “A lion has come up from its lair; it has arisen to de-
stroy nations; it has gone out from its place to make your land
a waste; your cities will be left desolate with no one inhabiting
them”; he sprang on Nineveh like a savage lion and devoured
those in it.2 While he was like a terrible and untamed enemy to
them, however, and showed implacable rage, to the people of
Israel, on the other hand, he blew in their face, rescuing them from
tribulation, that is, freeing them from the unaccustomed slavery,
releasing them from bonds, and rehabilitating them when they
were captives by (36) sending them home and ordering them
to rebuild the divine Temple.
Now, the phrase blowing in the face he cites on the basis of
Jewish tradition and custom. We sometimes find mention of
such things occurring also in the inspired Scriptures, like the
Jews thinking they had to tear their garments in the case of blas-
phemy against God; Caiaphas, for instance, tore his clothing
when Christ called himself Son of God, crying aloud, “He has
1. Cyril passes quickly over these phrases, which are appendages to the final
verse of 1.15 (in the Heb. 2.1).
2. Jer 4.7, a passage which Cyril applies to Cyrus.
306
blasphemed.” The divinely inspired disciples Paul and Barnabas

both did this, too, when they were in Lycaonia. When they rid
one of the sufferers of his ailment to the amazement of the on-
lookers, the eyewitnesses of the divine marvel were bent on sac-
rificing to them, “saying, The gods have come to us in human
form, calling Barnabas Zeus and Paul Hermes because he was
the chief speaker.”3 Since their action was a kind of blasphemy,
however, they tore their garments, still following Jewish tradi-
tions and unwritten customs. But the custom has been repudi-
ated, being completely pointless and not according to law. The
God of all, for instance, said to the Jews when they behaved that
way and departed grievously from the true religion, “Turn back
to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with
lamenting; rend your hearts and not your garments.”4 So just as
it was the custom for some people to rend their (37) clothing,
so too was blowing in the face of people who were in some way ail-
ing. This was the quite wrongful practice of those in particular
who were given to taking oaths even with idle incantations, pre-
tending to rid sufferers of spirits and ailments. Hence the ex-
ample is cited from what was customary with them in the words,
One has come up blowing in your face—namely, Cyrus—rescuing you
from tribulation; some people pretend to be able to effect this, as
I said, by blowing on others.
Now, it is a wise and truthful statement that the power of the
devil and of sin’s tyranny over us has been checked; death has,
as it were, been taken captive, and corruption completely done
away with. Christ, in fact, has come up from Hades and returned
to life, blowing in the face of the holy apostles and saying, “Receive
the Holy Spirit.”5 We have thus become free of every trouble,
sharers in the Holy Spirit, restored to nature’s former beauty,
and spiritually stamped with the original image,6 for our Lord
Jesus Christ has taken shape in us through the Spirit.
Keep watch on the road, gird your loins, summon your strength to
the utmost, because the Lord has turned aside the abuse of Jacob, like the
abuse of Israel (vv.1–2). As though speaking to people on their
way to Judea and due to reach home, he necessarily states the
3. Mt 26.65; Acts 14.11–12. 4. Jl 2.12–13.
5. Jn 20.22. 6. Gn 1.26.
need now to have an eye to the road and gird their loins, that is,
(38) to be equipped and ready for the hardship of traveling, to
overcome all lethargy, and to prove superior to long delays by
applying irrepressible enthusiasm. Having one’s loins girt and,
so to speak, decent is a sign of readiness; our Lord Jesus Christ,
for instance, says to the holy apostles, or rather also to all who
believe in him, “Take your place with loins girt.”7 It is in fact the
right and proper way to travel for those preaching the divine
Gospel and being ready to proceed in that direction. He there-
fore says, gird your loins, meaning, “be ready and equipped for
departure,” for the Lord has turned aside the abuse of Jacob, like the
abuse of Israel.
Note once again the distinction necessarily drawn here: by Ja-
cob he refers to the inhabitants of Samaria, that is, the ten tribes
ruled over by kings from the tribe of Ephraim and Manasseh,
descendants of Joseph, who was son of Jacob, whereas by Israel
he refers to those in Jerusalem, namely, Judah and Benjamin.
Since at the devastation of Samaria by Sennacherib Jerusalem
was not captured, thanks to God’s protecting them and destroy-
ing the Assyrian by the hand of an angel, and since Cyrus re-
leased not only the captives from Samaria deported to Nineveh
but also those from Jerusalem as a result of Nebuchadnezzar’s
capture of the country, the prophet consequently says, because
(39) the Lord has turned aside the abuse of Jacob, like the abuse of
Israel, meaning by abuse enslavement or service.8 Now, the fact
that God will release everyone, not protecting some and leaving
others to be consumed by hardship, he conveys by saying, he has
turned aside the abuse of Jacob as that of Israel will be turned aside;
all returned to Judea, as we said, escaping from the toll taken by
captivity.
Now, in my view there is also a very urgent need for those re-
deemed by Christ to be wanting no longer to live a heedless life;
rather, they should be attentive to following the straight and
7. Lk 12.35.
8. Cyril’s insecure grasp of distinctions between northern and southern
kingdoms and between Assyria and Babylon (not true of Jerome or the Antio-
chenes) has the consequent effect of an insecure notion of Nahum’s prophetic
ministry in the north in the eighth century bearing on the fate of Nineveh.
narrow path of a way of life pleasing to God, and gird their loins,
that is, rise above bodily indulgence and pleasure and “make no
provision for the flesh to gratify its desires,”9 and prevail over
passions and all lethargy. This is the way, in fact, they will come
to the holy city, the heavenly Jerusalem, and there offer God
spiritual sacrifices, having shaken off the yoke of the former ser-
vitude, and they will live a glorious and free life that is rid of all
depravity.
Because they shook them and their branches violently. They destroyed
weapons of their power from human beings, strong men disporting them-
selves in fire. The reins of their chariots on the day of his preparation,
and the horses will be alarmed in the roads; the chariots will be confused
and will collide in the streets; their appearance is like fiery torches, and
they flash by like lightning (vv.2–4). Since it was the omniscient
God (40) who made future events resound in the holy proph-
ets, they necessarily foretold them as he wished. Often it came
to them in actual visions of the events. Consequently, they were
startled to see them occurring before their own eyes, as it were,
and they delivered a prophecy of them. Something of this kind
the prophet now seems to have experienced in the case of the
inhabitants of Nineveh and the comrades of Cyrus: that they
even shook them and their branches violently, and the prophecy was
delivered as though by accident to the vines: the bunch is shaken
and drops its grapes, either because a wild gale blows, or burn-
ing heat flares up, or some other damage so befalls it that even
the branch itself along with its fruit proves to be divested even of
its foliage. This was the way they shook them like vines. But their
weapons were also destroyed, that is, their power, “weapons” some-
times meaning “power.”10 He says that the cavalry, fearsome
though they are and skilled in fighting in chariots, were affected
by such terrors as to be put to flight, colliding with one another,
shattered and broken, and convinced that the enemy columns
were advancing at such a rate as to be comparable to torches, and
in their rapid and unbridled course burning them like lightning.
9. Rom 13.14.
10. Cyril does not comment on the phrase in his text “from human beings,”
which the LXX has mistakenly seen in the Heb. “is red” (a solecism not noted
by Jerome).
Their champions will remember, will flee days (41), and will faint in
the way; they will hasten to the walls and prepare their lookouts (v.5).
With the war pressing on their strongest men along with the
others, they will take thought, he says, of what they did in seiz-
ing Judea, or what they wrongfully said in giving vent to blasphe-
mous remarks when the wretches, as it were, assailed the glory
of God with their own babbling. Then, when they are brought
to a recollection of these events, they will know at that time that
God is ill-disposed to them and brings them down under the
feet of the enemy, fearsome though they once were and very
difficult to repel for those they were bent on attacking. Once
they are put to flight, however, they would find escape beyond
them, and, fainting in the way, they would have recourse to other
plans; they would concentrate on the walls and set lookouts on
them. Now, in this he shows them completely at a loss, with no
knowledge of what to do, doubtless because of a clouding of
their judgment as if under the influence of unmitigated misfor-
tunes like a kind of wine, quite distraught and bewailing the loss
of security, easily swinging from one extreme to the other, and
wasting their efforts on both. His statement They will flee days has
this meaning in my view: though fearsome, as I said, invincible,
and fierce, they will then be reduced to such depths of fear as
to make a clear decision to flee, and to do so without disguising
it, despite once (42) avoiding the slightest suspicion of being
charged with this.
Now, the evil powers have also been vanquished by the majes-
ty of Christ; incapable of resisting his divine decrees—the ones
clearly having to do with us, I mean—they were shattered by
fear and really took to flight, finding salvation in no source of
security. After all, if God were to inflict penalties, who could es-
cape? Or what recourse would be of benefit to the offenders?
Gates of the cities were opened, the palace fell, and its contents were
revealed. She went up, and her maidservants were led away like doves
muttering in their hearts (vv.6–7). While the mighty ones, he is
saying, then, will find flight impractical and will hasten to the
walls and prepare their watchmen, their keeping guard will be use-
less for them, since it is God who opens the gates of the cities to
the adversaries, surrenders the palace—that is, the residence of
the kings—reveals what is hidden in it, and exposes its contents

for robbery (by contents referring obviously to wealth amassed
by robbery and oppression of other people). He next sees, as
though likewise occurring in a vision of what would happen,
taken off into captivity the queen city (Nineveh, that is) and
those under her and around her, which he calls maidservants,
doubtless because they are yoked and subjected to her service.
He says that they were like doves muttering in their hearts, not open-
ly, that is, but furtively; the bird normally bemoans anything sad
and depressing in its heart. It is not improbable that something
like this happens to those who fall into the hands of the enemy
and are then dragged off into captivity; they bewail their misfor-
tune, stifling their laments, as it were, within themselves, since
sometimes they are not allowed even to weep.
Regarding Nineveh, her waters are like waters of a pool, and the fu-
gitives did not stop, and there was no one to look on. They plundered
the silver, they plundered the gold, and there was no end to her finery;
they were weighed down with all her desirable possessions (vv.8–9). He
compares Nineveh to a pool full to overflowing, doubtless be-
cause of the vast number of her inhabitants and the innumera-
ble races flooding to her assistance. He is, as it were, astonished
at the fugitives, or rather he mocks them, for being reduced to
fear despite being numerous beyond counting, and though for-
merly confident of winning any war by reason of their copious
forces, and taking great pride in themselves. It was the God of
all, however, who depressed their minds with fear, made them
faint-hearted, and undermined (44) their prowess in battle.
The saying is true, “A king is not saved by his large force, nor
will a giant be saved by the immensity of his strength”;11 rath-
er, the Lord of all quite easily saves those he wishes. What does
the prophet say next? They plundered the silver, they plundered the
gold—the meaning of “contents” (v.6)—and there was no end to
her finery. By this he probably refers to the precious stones of
the Indies with which he says she was weighed down, although
she was depressed also by other possessions; the Assyrians, or Nin-
evites, in fact, were in the habit of earnestly making a vast col-
11. Ps 33.16.
lection of precious stones and being so lavishly adorned as to

strive even in battle to appear conspicuous for their splendor
of ornamentation. Now, in this the prophet proceeds concisely
and systematically, mentioning at one time those being felled,
at another their colliding with one another, being at a loss to
flee, mounting watchmen to no purpose, while at another time
he depicts in word those being plundered, underplaying the
grieving of those in captivity, skillfully beguiling them with the
prophecy of such events, and bringing them to a sense of satis-
faction through the attractive descriptions.
Now, Satan was also plundered, first by Christ the Savior, then
after him by the holy apostles, of whom the prophet Jeremiah
somewhere said, “Because suddenly they will arise and bite him,
and your schemers will be on the alert, and you will be their
plunder.”12 In his Gospel teachings Christ also introduced the
account in the form of a parable, as it were: “Or how can one
enter a strong man’s house and plunder his possessions (45)
without first tying up the strong man and then plundering his
possessions?”13 Those worshiping Satan, in fact, are his chosen
possessions, and precious to him, and they make their approach
to the faith when Christ the Savior of us all leads them instead to
reverence for God, and the holy apostles also persuade them to
move in that direction.
Shaking, reshaking, quaking, panic at heart, looseness of knees,
pains in all the loins, and everyone’s faces like a hot pan (v.10). He
says it will be crushed with every kind of crushing. After all,
what else does shaking, reshaking, and also quaking imply to us
than that? What is shaken and reshaken is in fact completely
torn apart. The consequence will be, he says, panic at heart, obvi-
ously when God instills the panic leading to fear, and looseness
of knees, that is, bodily weakness and lethargy, and as well pains,
namely, those that arise from nausea. I mean, how were they
not destined to feel such awful troubles after being embroiled
in everything likely to offend God? He insists that, in addition,
everyone’s faces will be like a hot pan; the faces of depressed people
12. Not Jeremiah, but Hab 2.7.

13. Mt 12.29.
generally darken, and the onset of dread has the dreadful effect
of robbing the eyes of brightness.
Now, we are right to claim that such things happened also
to Satan himself, who was (46) guilty of oppressive rule over
us, and to the evil powers with him. After all, since they had
forfeited their former eminence and glory, how would it not be
fair that they should completely and utterly suffer such a fate?
Where is the lions’ den, and the pasture meant for the cubs? The place
where the lion went to gain entry, a lion’s cub, with no one to inspire
fear. A lion caught enough for his cubs, and throttled his catch for his li-
ons. He filled his lair with prey, and his den with his catch (vv.11–12).
By lions’ den he refers to Nineveh; those who dwelt there and
constructed a splendid and marvelous residence and a secure
palace included its rulers at various times—Pul, Shalmaneser,
Sennacherib, and also Nebuchadnezzar—the ones who made
war on Judea. In my view the word Where does not suggest a ques-
tioner—I think we should avoid such a fatuous idea—but rather
someone mocking and by this means highlighting the fact that
it was so completely destroyed that no trace of it remained; “it
is finished; it is gone,” as he himself says.14 So he asks, Where is
the lions’ den, namely, Nineveh? And where the pasture meant for
the cubs? While by cubs, in my view, he means those acting in
submission to the mighty king and owing their position to him,
namely, satraps and generals, he uses the word pasture of those
in their power and control (47) who contribute taxes and make
a collection of money; as Scripture says, “The poor are the pas-
ture of the rich.”15 With Nineveh completely gone, then, as well
as the whole surrounding country, he asks, Where is the lions’ lair,
and where the pasture meant for the cubs? The fact that Nineveh was
once, as it were, a secure base of the former kings he brings out
by saying, The place where the lion went to gain entry, a lion’s cub,
with no one to inspire fear; the city wall, strongly constructed with a
magnificence beyond telling, was impregnable. But after Nebu-
chadnezzar laid waste to Samaria, and even Judea and the holy
city—namely, Jerusalem—and deported the children of Israel
14. 2.1.
15. Sir 13.19.
to his own city, he disposed of the captives under his author-

ity in such a way as to keep some in bonds under his control
and bestow others upon other people and sell them, thus keep-
ing his own country and city full of prisoners. Consequently, he
says, A lion caught enough for his cubs, and throttled his catch for his
lions. He filled his lair with prey, and his den with his catch.
Once again the description is developed in keeping with
what normally happens: when wild animals catch what simply
comes their way, they consume what they need and nourish
their cubs with the remainder, making their effort worthwhile.
Once again, too, such events could be applied as well to Satan
in person when Christ exterminates him and his, and removes
his prey from the earth. He smashed the lions’ (48) teeth, re-
member, as the psalmist puts it, “The Lord broke the tooth of
the lions.”16
See, I am against you, says the Lord almighty, and I shall burn your
hordes in smoke, consume your lions with a sword, and exterminate
your prey from the land, and your works will not be heard of again
(v.13). God sets himself in opposition and in his own right takes
the role of adversary, impelling them to despair of salvation; af-
ter all, when God is bent on bringing trouble, who will save us
from it, or who will divert the Lord of hosts from his decision to
cause destruction? As Scripture says, “Who will divert his uplift-
ed hand?”17 He says that he will burn her hordes in smoke, for us to
understand again what such an event is like. When beekeepers
want to extricate the honeycombs from the hives, they kindle a
fire and drive out the bees with smoke lest they offer opposition
and sting them when flying about in droves. Something similar
happened also to those summoned to aid Nineveh in its crisis;
they took to flight and sped off as though the smoke of battle
were propelling them, frightening them into faintheartedness
and instilling unbearable terror into them. By lions he refers to
the strong and bold warriors, who had confidence to resist; but
they fell to the sword of Cyrus. Since the expression made men-
tion to us of lions, he consequently says that he would extermi-
nate their prey, the result being that in the future there would be
16. Ps 58.6, the PG ed. omitting the final clause.
17. Is 14.27.
nothing (49) worth hearing of them. It was customary for them,

you see, to fall upon cities and countries and, like wild beasts,
to savage anyone they wished and to commit so many countless
crimes that the misfortune of the victims was the stuff of songs
and laments for many people. So he says that they exterminated
their prey; what likelihood was there, in fact, of their continu-
ing to prey on people when the herds had been startled and
taken to flight, as it were, because of smoke, and the warriors who
used to fall on their adversaries like lions had been cut down?
COMMENTAR Y ON NAH UM,
CHAPTER THREE
O city of blood, completely false, full of iniquity (v.1).
E GAVE IT the name city of blood; those who reigned

over Nineveh were bloodthirsty and disposed to mur-
der, while on a different note its inhabitants were war-
like, ever on the alert to conduct wild sorties against whomever
they met. He says it was false because awash with idols, whose
utter falsity could not be gainsaid; its handmade gods, falsely
named, stole glory from the Divinity, (50) being only “silver and
gold, works of human hands,” as Scripture says. Jeremiah in his
wisdom somewhere calls it “a land of statues.”1 In another way
as well, it could be understood to be false, the falsity being taken
to refer to knavery, scheming, and deceit that is hated by God,
obviously because accompanying iniquity. After all, where there
are deceit and scheming, there follows without question iniqui-
tous behavior as well.
Now, Jerusalem, killer of the Lord, was also city of blood, com-
pletely false, full of iniquity; we recall Christ’s words, “Jerusalem,
Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her.”
He also said somewhere in the statement of the prophets, “Woe
to them, because they have strayed from me. They are in a
wretched state for their impious behavior to me. I redeemed
them, but they told lies against me.”2 They impugned the glory
of Christ, in fact, once by saying that it was through Beelzebul
that he expelled the demons, at another time by calling him a
drunkard as well as a Samaritan, and other vile things.3 In fact,
1. Ps 115.4; Jer 50.38. The fact that Jeremiah is speaking of Babylon would
not register with Cyril.
2. Mt 23.37; Hos 7.13.
3. Mt 12.24 and 11.19; Jn 8.48.
316
only their slanderous speech would be capable of the things they

presumed to say.
Prey will not be taken in advance. Sound of whips, sound of rum-
bling wheels, pursuing horses, hurtling chariots, charging horsemen,
flashing swords, gleaming weapons, numbers of wounded, heavy casu-
alties. There was no respite for its nations; they will be weak in their
bodies from the great degree of prostitution (vv.2–3). Again the treat-
ment (51) is developed on the basis of what normally happens.
Bird catchers, you see, envelop the densely compact bushes
with nets, and in many cases catch those hidden under them by
laying hold of them—no mean feat. He says that prey will not be
taken in advance by them; in other words, some would not hunt
as in the past, seizing others’ possessions for themselves, nor
would there be a snare and trap for the weaker ones, since a dif-
ferent concern occupied them and a struggle for the ultimate
hung over them with the sound of whips being heard there.
I have the impression that once again the prophet describes
clearly the tumult arising from war, as though before his eyes.
He observes, for example, how the city rings to the sound of
horses and is struck with the wheels of chariots, men in gleaming
battle armor plundering it, the wreckers beyond counting, and
its houses shaken down (he mentions heavy casualties, note). He
is aghast at the fact that a vast number of nations are assembled
in it, many faint-hearted, stricken with culpable weakness and
a prey to deep fear. Immediately he supplies the reason, that
they will be weak in their bodies from the great degree of prostitution; de-
praved and vicious in their habits, idolaters to boot, and wrong-
fully disposed to error, consequently they will duly be weak and
timid, unable even to give a thought to resistance. (52)
Prostitute charming and graceful, leader of sorceries, she who sells the
nations with her prostitution, and tribes with her sorceries (v.4). Com-
mendation of vile acts highlights their criminality, as if to say,
for example, a skillful thief, a brave brigand, a clever sorcerer.
If, therefore, you were to say of Nineveh charming and graceful, it
would not so much be a compliment—far from it; instead, you
would render the satire more damning. Courtesans, after all,
seem to be giving attention to charm especially when they have
the appearance of being talkative and garrulous. Nineveh was
also like that, expert in evildoing, not lacking resources for tak-
ing cities and countries, and seeming to be fond of convincing
them to adopt her own way of thinking, namely, quackery, false
prophecy, profane rites, and idols’ ruses. It descended to such
depths of frivolity, in fact, as to want to be leader of sorceries and to
consider it a mark of distinction, and to boast of such vile and
reprehensible deeds.
Now, it was the custom of some of its inhabitants to sell na-
tions and countries for their sorceries; how so, we shall explain as
far as possible. When the Assyrians wanted to go to war and take
up arms against others, they were customarily anxious to learn
the future in advance by means of the arts of soothsayers; to
gain the good graces of the king, these men bade him embark
on any war, and falsely promised him that he would prevail over
the opposition by his own efforts. That was the kind of thing
(53) that Balak king of the Moabites wanted to do; he hired the
wretched Balaam and took him up a mountain with the instruc-
tions, “Come now, curse Israel for me.”4 They were convinced,
in fact, that the events would correspond to the soothsayers’
curses. By prostitution, therefore, he refers here to the quack-
ery and the art of soothsayers by means of which the experts
in these matters sold nations and tribes by consistently promising
power to those who paid them.
Lo, I am against you, says the Lord God almighty. I shall uncover
your rear to your face, and show nations your shame and kingdoms your
dishonor. I shall cast loathing upon you in your uncleanness, and make
an example of you (vv.5–6). Again he indicates that neither the
complaint nor the war was with human beings; rather, the Lord
of hosts was angry with her, and roused Persians and Medes
against her. Now, who can resist the all-powerful God, who has
control of everything, if he chooses to make war on someone?
He next says, I shall uncover your rear to your face. The remark
once again was made as though in reference to a courtesan,
who to onlookers seems to be attractive as far as face and exter-
nal charm goes, but if she undergoes disrobing and removal of
adornments, she is quite ugly in her nakedness, displaying the
4. Nm 23.7.
ugliness of her limbs quite openly. He therefore says, (54) I shall

uncover your rear; that is to say, everything about you is unsightly,
and I shall make an example of you in front of everyone. After
all, what else would to your face suggest to us other than that?
Now, he promised to uncover her dishonor no less openly than
to nations and to kingdoms. On the one hand, Nineveh seemed
somewhat charming and desirable when puffed up with the art-
istry of the soothsayers, very strong, invincible, and overwhelm-
ing compared with anyone else. When captured and fallen, on
the other hand, she was shown to be ugly and vile to those who
knew her, who now considered her abominable and completely
condemned her for groundless boasting and idle trust in the
support of soothsayers—or, rather, their quackery and deceit.
He confirmed that he would make an example of her, as if some
people were to say, if a city or country were destroyed, plun-
dered, and fallen, “like poor Nineveh.”
Now, the God of all, as I said, has made war at times also on
the synagogue of the Jews, and exacted penalties for its impi-
ety against Christ, showing her naked, unattractive, and com-
pletely divested of clothing from above. He foretold this also in
the saying of Hosea, “Hence I shall have a change of heart and
take away my grain in its time and my wine in its season, and
I shall take away my garments and my linen from concealing
her shame. I shall now uncover her uncleanness in the sight of
her lovers, and no one will rescue her from my hand.” In other
words, while the church of the nations will give praise in the
words, (55) “Let my soul rejoice in the Lord, for he clothed me
with the garment of salvation and the tunic of happiness,”5 she
by contrast is now found to be naked, unattractive, and ugly,
as I said, not having the clothing of the divine graces, instead
being an example and loathsome figure, suffering every form of
worldly uncleanness.
All who see you will shrink from you and say, Poor Nineveh, who
will groan over her? Where shall I seek consolation for her? (v.7) If any-
one with previous knowledge of her influence were to see her
fallen and desolate, he is saying, this one would grieve deeply
5. Hos 2.9–10; Is 61.10.

and shrink back in horror, saying, Who will groan over her? He
says this as though there were no one, or no survivor, capable
even of contemplating it. In his great wisdom he adds to this
the question, Where shall I seek consolation for her? The meaning of
the statements is something like this: when warfare and fighting
combine to affect cities and regions, sometimes part of them
suffers harm while part is spared and escapes the victors, which
is consolation for the inhabitants. Not all is burnt; part remains
unplundered, or the majority are saved when some have fallen.
But in the case of Nineveh, where could anyone find consolation?
Or what form of comfort will she enjoy? She has in fact been
totally captured and totally plundered, and everyone in her has
been lost. The clause Who will groan over her? could, on the oth-
er hand, be taken differently, as if to say, Is there any artist so
skilled at dirges and funereal songs as to say something appro-
priate to the events and shed tears to match the sufferings?
Prepare a part, fit a cord, prepare a part of Ammon, who (56) is
positioned on rivers, with water all about her, the sea her rule and water
her walls. Ethiopia was her strength, Egypt too, with no limit to your
flight, and the Libyans were her helpers. She will be deported as a cap-
tive, and they will dash her infants to the ground at the head of all her
streets; they will cast lots for all her prize possessions, and all her mighty
ones will be bound in fetters (v.10). While the meaning of the pas-
sage is very obscure, it could be grasped in no other way than
by an outline of the facts referred to in it, which are as follows.
After Israel had lapsed into apostasy, worshiped idols, and pro-
voked the God of all by countless acts of impiety against him,
Nebuchadnezzar took up arms against Judea and against Jerusa-
lem, divine wrath having prompted him to do so. Then, though
there was need for the people of Israel to put an end to their
practice of impiety, cease wanting to adore other gods, overturn
altars, burn down shrines, smash cast images, appease God with
recourse to repentance and good living, and call on his aid, the
wretches did not do so. Instead, they were convinced that by re-
lying on assistance from human beings they would prove superi-
or to the Babylonians and dominate the foe, even if God chose
not to save them. Consequently, they paid many of the neigh-
boring nations, and even sent legates to the Egyptians to what
is called Ôn, or Ammon, which is now (57) Alexandria. They

promised to join forces with them and easily succeed in driving
off the Babylonians, and they provided the people of Israel with
grounds for thinking that even if God did not save them, they
themselves would be up to it, with no one else needed.
After Nebuchadnezzar took Judea, however, with the help
of God, who prostrated his adversaries under him, he later ad-
vanced also on Egypt under the impulse of divine wrath, and
took it all, including Ôn, or Ammon, called in due course Al-
exandria, as I said. It was much more splendid than the other
cities of Egypt, a safe and secure base, doubtless on account of
its being surrounded on all sides by water, with the sea to the
north and another kind of sea to the south, broad and long—
namely, the marsh Mariotis—and fortified also by other rivers
and swamps. The neighboring inhabitants of Libya, which ex-
tended as far as Ethiopia to the west and south, also rendered
assistance to it; they were the Garamantes, situated beyond the
land of Afron. Some of the Ethiopians to the east and south,
who occupy the city of Meroe in the interior and graze a wild
and black land, also joined forces with them.6
So much for an account of the factual background. Let us
move on to clarification of the meaning of the passage. By
Prepare a part he means, It is like saying, O wretched Nineveh,
choose a portion for yourself; since you are conceited, take the
view that you will be completely impregnable on account of
your being (58) encircled with high walls and having countless
numbers wanting to join forces with you. Advance on any coun-
try you choose that had been plundered by you, despite its pre-
senting great preparedness, he is saying, in being proof against
defeat and capture. Fit a cord, that is, become the subject of song
and story for cities and countries for having suffered such a fate
at the hands of Persians and Medes as you yourself had meted
6. Modern commentators take this verse as a clear indication that Nahum,

who had predicted the fall of Nineveh in 612 B.C.E., knew also of the fall of
Thebes to Ashurbanipal in 663, with implications for dating his ministry. Cyril,
however, is at a relative disadvantage by the LXX’s failure to see in the Heb.
No-Amon a reference to Thebes; Jerome had not helped him by accepting the
advice of his Hebrew teacher that Alexandria is meant.
out to others. By Prepare a part for Ammon he means, Let Ammon

be your part and portion; you must suffer what you did to her.
Ammon, who is positioned on rivers, that is, well fortified by sea and
rivers, boasting of the help of the Egyptians and the archers of
Ethiopians, enjoying the strong hordes of the Libyans. Yet despite
having such support, strength, and assistance from outside, she
has been deported and become a captive, her infants dashed to the
ground, her prominent citizens taken by lot, her important peo-
ple the portions of the victors and bound in fetters. So just as you
took Ammon despite its being impregnable from the viewpoint
of assistance and support, since it was God who surrendered
it, so you yourself will be given over completely into the foes’
hands, even if you have great confidence in the number of war-
riors and your walls. “I am against you” (v.5), remember, and no
one will divert my hand.
You will be drunk, and will be overlooked, and you will seek a po-
sition for yourself from your foes (v.11). Just as Ammon (59) was
reduced to the hardship of enduring the shafts of your feroc-
ity and the calamity resulting from your attack, he is saying, so,
too, you yourself will be plunged into darkness and will be, as
it were, intoxicated, lacking a secure position, that is, shaken
and toppled by the foe and deprived of supervision from on
high. After all, to those whom God supervises he shows com-
plete mercy, causing them to achieve their wishes with stability.
In its hostility to God, Jerusalem, too, was, as it were, drunk, lack-
ing sobriety, doubtless on account of its not being illumined by
a divine light, and refusing to heed Christ’s words, “I am the
light of the world,” and again, “While you have the light, walk in
the light so that darkness may not overtake you.”7 Ignorance of
what is proper could be understood as drunkenness, darkness
of mind, and night in the heart, as could the complete inabil-
ity to recognize the way of salvation. No one could doubt that
unsteadiness is involved, and lack of commitment to the works
of righteousness; it lost hold of the basis of everything and has
no secure foundation, namely, Christ. It was overlooked and sur-
rendered to the enemy, or perhaps the Romans, or those who
7. Jn 8.12 and 12.35.

introduce it to every kind of passion, that is, the unclean spirits.

Christ and faith in him, therefore, will free us from all trou-
ble, render us proof against the malice of the foe, and set us in
the sight of God, who will never neglect those who love him.
All your fortifications are like fig trees holding watchmen: if they are
shaken, they will fall into the mouth of the eater (v.12). Ripe figs easi-
ly fall off if the tree is shaken, jumping, as it were, into the hand
of the shaker, and of their own accord going to those who need
something to eat. So when Cyrus was attacking and besieging
Nineveh, and he applied the destructive machines, or rams, to
its walls, the allies manned the battlements; but the archers at-
tacked and easily felled them. He uses a comparison from what
normally happens with ripe figs, and consequently says, All your
fortifications—that is, the walls—are like fig trees holding watchmen,
which very easily fall into the hand of the person wanting to eat
them if you merely shake the tree.8
Now, this is also the way it will be with every soul that slips
from divine assistance and is deprived of it, exposed and vul-
nerable and effortlessly taken by the eater, Satan. Scripture says,
remember, “His food is specially chosen.”9
Lo, your people like women in your midst. The gates of your land will
be opened wide to your foes; fire will consume your barricades (v.13).
He shows their hope to be vain; they were convinced that they
would never be captured, having assembled an immeasurable
horde of fellow defenders, and dwelling in a city with unbreach-
able walls. But he openly prophesies that even this will be of no
use at all to them, saying that the defenders will lapse into such
timidity as to be no different from weak women. He says the gates
will be opened, (61) obviously under pressure from the enemy. It
is true, after all, that “unless the Lord guards the city, in vain did
the guard keep vigil.”10
There is need to have security from on high, therefore, and
to trust not in ourselves but in God who saves us, and not to
8. The text of Cyril and the Antiochenes makes mention of “watchmen” in-
stead of “fruit,” the reading of other forms of the LXX, with which Jerome is
familiar.
9. Hab 1.16.
10. Ps 127.1.
boast of assistance from men or think it possible to avoid di-

vine wrath if God has been provoked. In fact, no one will deliver
from alarm and trouble any person with whom the Lord of all
is angry. The divinely inspired David was very wise to say in his
song, “Not in my bow shall I trust, and my arm will not save me.”
“With God I shall do valiantly,” in another of his sayings.11
Draw water for yourself for the siege (v.14). They say that when
Cyrus and his company were ravaging the nearby territories of
Nineveh, and cutting off all their support, the Ninevites were
then in fear of the destruction.12 So they dug very long chan-
nels in the land surrounding the city that made it difficult of
access for the enemy, diverting the rivers in them, filling them
with water, and covering the land with marshes. But the fight-
ers were superior to such stratagems; or rather, it was the will
of God betraying them. So the fact that this project would be
of no benefit to them he brings out in the words, Draw water for
yourself for the siege. Some commentators think that here by water
drawn should be understood the gathering or multitude of the
nations summoned to assistance. (62) Such an interpretation,
in fact, will not be wide of the mark, since the multitude of the
nations is often referred to as “waters.”
Occupy the fortifications, trample clay, tread in the straw, take hold
of the brick (v.14). Such recommendations would not be from
God; since he had complete foreknowledge of the future, he
mocks the precautions, and in this passage he shows, as I just
said, that all their efforts would be in vain. Since the walls hap-
pened to lack battlements or some other provision, you see,
they were making bricks—obviously from clay—but strong ones;
bricks require firing to work if they are not to be fragile. So he
says, tread in the straw, and make the brick. Be as bold and mer-
ciless in fighting as, of course, this brick itself; you will thus be
vulnerable and in no way unbroken, offering no resistance to
those who know how to shake you and make a charge stronger
than your toughness.
There fire will consume you, a sword will destroy you and consume
11. Pss 44.6 and 108.13.

12. As also in comment on v.15, Cyril cites an unnamed authority (“they
say”).
you like a locust, and you will be weighed down like a young locust
(v.15). By there he means “then,” since we take the word to have
a chronological and not a local sense. That is to say, even if this
happened and you made the bricks, you would be consumed
as if (63) by fire, and the enemy would feed on you and your
country in the manner of a locust. You will also be impeded by
lethargy, and as slow to flee as a young locust weighed down. They
say, in fact, that when there is a hailstorm and rain falls, the
young locust is slow to fly away, his wings being saturated. He is
therefore suggesting as well the Ninevites’ ineptitude in fleeing,
using the example of what happens to young locusts.
You increased your commerce beyond the stars of heaven. A young lo-
cust made its advance and flew away. Your mercenary wandered off like
a wingless locust, like a locust mounted on a rampart on a frosty day;
the sun rose, and it flew away, and its location was unknown (vv.16–
17). By commerce here he probably refers not to that involving
money, bribes, and oppression, but rather to what was entered
into in the assembling or gathering of the nations. They paid
the surrounding nations, as I said, remember, as though im-
porting people to die, and assembling for fighting those who
would soon perish, in numbers beyond counting. Consequently
they are compared to the vast number of the stars. But even if
they assembled and have come together, he says, they will be
aghast at the fighting, and will take flight like a young locust and
like a wingless locust. This is a species of small locust; when it
hits the ramparts or walls of gardens in a frost and teeming rain,
as I said, it stays quiet and still, avoiding flight under pressure
of the dampness; but when the sun comes out and (64) sheds
warm rays on them, they make a quick departure and normally
fly away. This is the way, he says, your mercenaries will be: they will
fly away and head for home, frustrating your expectations. “It is
therefore good and reliable to trust in the Lord, rather than to
trust in man,” as the inspired writer says.13
Woe to them! Your shepherds have fallen asleep; the Assyrian king
put your warriors to sleep; your people went off to the mountains, with
no one to welcome them (vv.17–18). He laments the fact that the
13. Ps 118.9.
crowds are reduced to such a degree of timidity and fear as to

faint at the mere advent of war, to scamper up the crests of the
mountains, and to turn the trackless countryside into a kind of
protection from danger. He then supplies the reason for their
fright by giving a skillful account of the destruction of those ap-
pointed leaders; adopting a moral tone, instead of saying that
they were overrun and destroyed, having proved untrained in
warlike skills, he used the term they have fallen asleep, and said
that the people with power and authority and the crowd leaders
who were invested with important positions and honors were
put to sleep. They experienced the falling asleep at the hands of
the Assyrian king, that is, one of their own number; Cyrus was
native-born, and of Persian blood. Now, the prophetic state-
ment, as it were, offers us the pretense of mourning, or at least
ridicules the ease of their becoming terrified, the text saying,
your people went off to the mountains, with no one to welcome them,
(65) that is, without anyone prepared for a show of bravery, any-
one restraining the terror of the fugitives, capable of holding in
check the timid mob of retreatants bent on surrender. People
of that inclination perished first, in fact, along with the experts
in military skills.
Now, the verse could rightly be understood of the mass of
Jews: Woe to them! Your shepherds have fallen asleep; the Assyrian king
put your warriors to sleep. In fact, woe really applies to those who
killed the Savior and Redeemer of all, and to those who sacri-
legiously added the Lord’s blood to that of the saints. That was
their fate because of the falling asleep of the leadership in this
folly and of those appointed in the role of shepherds, namely,
scribes and Pharisees and those invested with the rank of priest-
hood, who were put to sleep by the Assyrian king in a spiritual sense,
namely, Satan. (The Babylonian power is often taken to repre-
sent him.) Now, there is no doubting that the shepherds and
the warriors among them were put to sleep when, in this passage
and that, the divinely inspired Scripture attributes to them the
destruction of the people. The text says, “Woe to the shepherds
who destroy and scatter the sheep of the pasture,” and again,
“The priests did not say, Where is the Lord? Those who handle
the Law did not know me, the shepherds offended me, and the
prophets prophesied by Baal.” Isaiah in turn says, “How has city

Zion, full of justice, become a whore? Righteousness lodged in
her, but now (66) murderers. Your silver has become dross; your
innkeepers mix water with the wine; your princes are unfaithful,
companions of thieves, loving bribes, chasing gifts, not judging
in favor of orphans and not attending to the widow’s cause.”14
There is no healing for your wound; your scar was inflamed (v.19).
When some unwished-for suffering befalls us, provided it is within
limits and does not exceed reason, the sufferers entertain sound
hope that they will succeed in recovering, as it were, from the
illness and will manage to return to healthy life and enjoy well-
being, once there is a change for the better in their situation.
When, on the other hand, their situation reaches a pitch of mis-
ery, then the misfortune becomes completely unbearable or,
rather, quite ineluctable. To Nineveh in this condition he says
that it has been crushed and destroyed, the hope of cure de-
spaired of, and the ailment seriously inflamed and begging for
the ultimate intervention.
Now, it would be true to say that this happened also to Jeru-
salem for killing the Lord; it was often wounded by the assaults
of the foe, but cure followed when God showed compassion
and, as it were, assuaged the wound affecting them. When they
provoked the Lord of all, however, it was crushed and brought
down, and there was no healing, as the prophet says; instead, the
inflammation of their fate remained unassuaged. Consequently,
(67) the blessed prophets also said in comparing it to Babylon,
“We tried to heal Babylon, but she was not healed; we are all
forsaking her and going to our own country, for her judgment
is reaching up to heaven, and has been lifted up even to the
stars.”15 The sin and the judgment reached even to heaven be-
cause, as I said, they provoked not simply one of the saints but
the Lord of the saints.
All who hear the news of you will rejoice and clap their hands at
you, because who at any time escaped your malice? (v.19) No one’s la-
menting her in any way is clear proof of the justice of the verdict
14. Jer 23.1 and 2.8; Is 1.21–23.

15. Jer 51.9.
from God in the overthrow of Babylonian rule. Rather [than

lamentation], there was hand-clapping, exultation, and mockery
of her fall, doubtless because of her oppression and infliction
of unbearable calamities, and her causing people to experience
things most calculated to arouse grief. She was, in fact, burden-
some and intolerable to everyone, responsible for bringing even
to people far away a sense of her inherent malice.
Now, I would claim that the inventor of sin—namely, Satan—
who spreads everywhere the net of his malice, snares the land
under heaven in error, and binds it in the toils of ruin, would
rightly hear these words when overthrown by Christ and driven
from his despotic rule over us: All who hear the news of you will re-
joice and clap their hands at you, because who at any time escaped your
malice? (68)
COMMENTARY ON THE
PROPHET HABAKKUK
PREFACE TO THE
C OMMENTAR Y ON HABA K KUK
HILE THE present prophecy has also been devel-

oped for us with great wisdom and skill, we shall find
it concentrating on God’s management of things in a
way becoming the saints. It becomes even the saints, in fact, to
make the open admission, “It is not you who are speaking, but
the Spirit of your Father speaking in you.” Now, for those want-
ing to have an understanding there is need of no little sagacity,
since you would notice the drift of the prophecy giving birth in
you to a twofold level of meaning, both spiritual and factual.1
For your benefit I shall, while keeping it brief, detail in advance
the parts of the prophecy, and mention what their reference is;
in this way readers would come to the meaning easily and meet
with no difficulty.
Israel, then, was considerably irked (69) by the predictions
of the prophets; they were aware, in fact, they were aware that
they would in due course become captive, fall into the hands of
the foe, and be subjected to an unfamiliar slavery. The blessed
Habakkuk actually tries to convey the fact that by a just decree
of the God who controls all things, such a fate will in due course
befall them, and with good reason. After all, they had person-
ally preferred a wrongful life at variance with the Law, had ad-
opted every form of dishonesty, and had not ceased develop-
ing in themselves a contaminated mind before the miserable
fate befell them. He makes this clear by directing his criticism
at those opting for an unholy life, making it, as it were, the fo-
cus and theme of his whole prophecy, and then introducing
God to threaten those contemptuous of him with the assault
1. Mt 10.20. As usual, an Alexandrian commentator assumes that there are

at least two levels of meaning in a text. In the case of Habakkuk, Cyril notes a
preoccupation with divine providence or oikonomia, as will Theodoret.
331
of the Babylonians. Since it was his duty, however, not only to

take the role of prophet of harsh realities calculated to cause
the utmost distress, and not only to take a public stance and
predict that the worst of all possible disasters would befall them
in due course, but also to provide a helpful description in ad-
vance of what would serve as a cure and to foretell the way the
sufferers would be likely to gain respite, he deplores also the
Babylonians’ cruelty itself and calls those people contemptuous
who burnt down the divine Temple itself, ransacked the holy
city, and made no exception of the sacred vessels. “Why do you
gaze on the contemptuous,” he says, “[and] keep silence when
the godless swallow the righteous?”2
With great wisdom he then proceeds (70) to mention also
the capture of Babylon and the eventual redemption by Cyrus
of the victims of unaccustomed servitude. From the individual
redemption the treatment moves naturally to overall and ge-
neric redemption, namely, that achieved through Christ for all
those redeemed by faith, who have set aside the yoke of sin and
escaped a harsh and inflexible master in Satan. You thus have
a brief synopsis of the drift of the whole prophecy; we shall ex-
pound it by dealing with each part as far as we can.3
2. 1.13.
3. Theodoret will follow Cyril in identifying Habakkuk’s “theme” (hypothesis)
and “drift, purpose” (skopos), whereas Theodore initially notes the different
genres in the work.
COMMENTAR Y ON HABA K KUK,
CHAPTER ONE
The oracle that the prophet Habakkuk saw (v.1).
Y ‘ORACLE’ here he refers to reception of the

vision, or premonition, that he had when God gave it.
It is he, after all, who, according to Scripture, mul-
tiplied visions, and he who spoke to prophets, foretelling the
future to them through the Holy Spirit and, as it were, setting
it before their sight as though already happening.1 Now, of the
fact that they were not in the habit of uttering sentiments of
their own heart,2 but rather communicated to us the words
from God, he clearly convinces us, calling himself a prophet
and showing himself to be filled with grace for that purpose.
How long, O Lord, shall I cry aloud and you will not hearken? Shall
I call to you when wronged and you will not save? (v.2) The prophet
adopts the point of view of the oppressed person, (71) subject
to the insufferable insolence and provocation of people addict-
ed to wrongdoing, and he very skillfully testifies to God’s loving-
kindness surpassing all bounds, presenting him as very ready to
forgive, although committed to hating evildoers. The fact that
he does not immediately call the fallen to account he clearly
demonstrates by saying that he reaches such a degree of silence
and long-suffering that there is now need even to cry aloud in
complaint that some people commit against others an oppres-
sion no longer bearable, and, as it were, direct unrestrained in-
solence at the weak. The protests at this which he levels at God’s
tolerance, in fact, testify to God’s unbounded loving-kindness:
1. Hos 12.10. When this term “oracle” occurred at Na 1.1, we saw that Cyril
took Jerome’s advice to avoid any suggestion of ecstatic possession, unlike Theo-
dore; and he may be following that advice given again here. See p. 283, n. 1. He
does not, however, follow Jerome in debating the time of the prophet’s ministry.
2. Jer 23.16, an oft-cited basic criterion for an authentic prophet.
333
How long, O Lord, shall I cry aloud and you will not hearken? Shall I
call to you when wronged and you will not save, despite your threats
of justice against those bent on extreme and harsh acts of law-
lessness?
Why did you make me see hardships and gaze upon troubles, wretch-
edness, and impiety? (v.3) From this you would also learn the holy
ones’ hatred of wickedness, referring to others’ troubles as their
own. Consequently, Paul in his great wisdom also says, “Who is
weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I am
not indignant?” He also bade us in our own case to “weep with
those who weep,”3 showing that sympathy and love for one an-
other are particularly appropriate for the saints. Now, he says
that God had made him see hardships and troubles, namely, on
the part of the transgressors, and impiety on the part of those
given to injustice—not that it was he who caused him to suffer,
but that he was (72) long-suffering to the guilty ones even for
such a long time, or that he was capable of releasing him from
life to prevent his being a spectator of such wrongful behavior.
Now, it was customary with the holy ones, when suffering such
severe depression, to seek to be dissolved, as for example blessed
Jonah: “Now Lord, take my life from me, because it is better for
me to die than to live.” Paul in his great wisdom also writes that
“it would be better for me to be dissolved and be with Christ.”4
For people anxious to live a holy life, you see, relief from trou-
bles is riddance here and now of the affairs of this world, and
respite, as it were, from burdensome cares here below.
Judgment has gone against me, and the judge accepts bribes. Hence
the Law is undermined, and justice does not take effect, because impious
people have control of justice; for this reason a perverted judgment will
be delivered (v.4). He brings out clearly that, far from its being
some personal matter that induces discouragement in him, it is
rather the recognition by him, as a holy man concerned for jus-
tice, of people setting the divine commandment at naught—not
ordinary people but those elevated to the highest office, leaders
of the people appointed to the rank of judges. He claims that
right verdicts have been set aside, despite the clear direction of
3. 2 Cor 11.29; Rom 12.15.
4. Jon 4.3; Phil 1.23.
commentary on habakkuk 1 335
the Law, “You shall not be partial in judgment, for the judgment
is God’s.”5 Delivering judgment is therefore important, and the
incorruptible judge would be wise to imitate divine transcen-
dence and glory, (73) unwilling to have a righteous verdict
set aside. The venal judge is extremely injurious, and offends
against the divine appointments themselves by giving a lie to
the beauty of truth and being intent on perverting the course
of justice by calling “evil good and good evil,” and sacrilegiously
declaring “darkness light and light darkness.”6 So the prophet
shows that the whole Law is in one fell swoop trampled under-
foot in this single excellent and pre-eminent commandment:
how would the person who fails in his primary duty be secure
in what is weightier? The prophet presented himself as witness
and observer of oppression. Since, he says, right judgment is
bypassed, consequently the Law is weakened, and, instead of the
correctness of judgments taking effect in keeping with God’s will,
impious people have control of justice.
Now, this was the crime of the assembly of the Jews, and it
was the charge leveled by God in the statement of other proph-
ets. He said, in fact, “Its leaders gave judgment with bribes,” and
against it likewise in the statement of Isaiah, “Your silver has be-
come dross; your innkeepers mix water with the wine; your rul-
ers are disobedient, companions of thieves, lovers of bribes, in
search of rewards, not judging in favor of orphans, nor giving
attention to the cause of the widow.” Here the prophet Habak-
kuk wanted also to fulfill that statement in the book of Proverbs,
“Call it as you see it.”7 He proceeds to show that he had also
made a reasonable complaint about the gentleness character-
istic of God; while it becomes him to be so tolerant, (74) since
God is good, yet to the human mind his tolerance surpasses the
bounds of reason.
Now, also in the case of Christ there was fulfillment of the
verse, a perverted judgment is delivered, and the Law is undermined.
The one whom it would have been better to venerate as God
and hence a wonderworker, in fact, the leaders of the Jews did
not cease maligning, leaving no excessive descriptions untried
5. Dt 1.17. 6. Is 5.20.
7. Mi 3.11; Is 1.22–23; Prv 25.7.
in presuming to accuse him of every form of wrongdoing, such

that at one time they thought he cast out the demons by Beel-
zebul, and at another they called him a drunkard and possessed
by a demon.8 Next, while the wretches should have referred to
him as Savior and Redeemer of all, they sacrilegiously killed
him, delivering a perverted judgment against him, despite the Law’s
clear direction, “You shall not kill the innocent and those in the
right.”9 In other ways, too, Christ accused them of being un-
willing to have right and proper attitudes; instead, on the one
hand, they kept silent and, as it were, closed the eye of their
mind to what Moses says, although failing to observe the Law re-
garding the sabbath; on the other hand, they assailed him very
severely for his actions in keeping with God on the sabbath, and
he spoke in these terms: “I performed one work, and all of you
are astonished. Moses gave you circumcision (it is, of course,
not from Moses but from the ancestors), and you circumcise a
man on the sabbath. If a man receives circumcision on the sab-
bath in order that the Law of Moses may not be broken, are you
angry with me because I healed a man’s whole body on the sab-
bath? Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judg-
ment.”10 (75)
See, you contemptuous ones, and take note; marvel at marvelous
deeds, and disappear, because I am performing a work in your days that
you would not believe if someone recounted it (v.5). The prophet had
deplored the oppression by lawless people, and had, as it were,
criticized the extended tolerance of them, since a righteous
soul loves virtue and hates evil. So the God of all now makes a
pronouncement to those given to contempt to see and take note
and consider marvelous everything it is proper to marvel at. This
referred to what was, as it were, hanging over them and soon
to befall them, including an assault best avoided and an abhor-
rent attack, which he had bidden them consider in advance for
their benefit. It was quite capable of making those on whom
it proved to fall disappear, being marvelous, unexpected, against
the odds, intolerable, capable of astonishing them owing to its
8. Lk 11.18 and 7.34. 9. Ex 23.7.

10. Jn 7.21–24.
extraordinary horror, and perhaps even beyond belief. After

all, the proximity of an enormity of troubles is generally likely
to force people to disbelieve, especially if they are perceived to
befall them when they do not expect to suffer them from any
quarter. In fact, who would ever have thought that the beloved
Israel, the firstborn of children, on whose account Egypt per-
ished and countless nations fell—Canaanites, Amorites, Hivites,
Perizzites, and Jebusites—would have descended to such a de-
gree of wretchedness that the whole of their country would be
overturned, and they would suffer such ignominious and un-
bearable servitude, wandering in foreign lands after the assaults
of war, (76) which beggared description even if you wanted
to recount them all? What happened, in fact, were burnings,
slaughter of menfolk, rape of womenfolk, smashing of infants
to the ground, and, as the prophet Jeremiah says, “Hands of
compassionate women boiled their own children.”11 The actual
holy things themselves were plundered, and none of extreme
misfortunes went without experience by the captives.
It therefore beggared belief and description on account of
the enormity of the cruelty of those responsible. Consequently,
he says, a deed was being done in their days that they would not be-
lieve if someone recounted it to them. Now, by saying in your days he
gave them to understand that it would not be long in coming;
instead, the war was at the very doors, close by and immediate,
and justice was not far off.
Because, lo, I am stirring up the Chaldeans, warriors, the nation
that is harsh and fleet of foot, traveling across the breadth of the earth
to take possession of dwellings not its own (v.6). He immediately
brought out what would be beyond belief if an account were
given of it: he threatened to dispatch against them the Babylo-
nians, a warlike and most fierce race, yielding in no way to the
wildest of animals in cruelty, always condemned for unmitigated
rage. He called them fleet of foot, all of them being mounted,
and harsh because they were severe, unyielding, clever tacti-
11. Lam 4.10. Cyril seems implicitly to be heeding Jerome’s information

that in “you contemptuous ones” the LXX had misread “the nations” of the
Heb., and so sees the nations (e.g., of Jos 24.1) wreaking havoc on Israel. Paul
cites the verse in Acts 13.41 in the LXX form.
cians, and thoroughly practiced. Strength combined with sagac-

ity in (77) the requirements of war would, in my view, very easily
achieve the purposes of the combatants, and easily prevail over
the confidence of adversaries. Now, since it was proverbial that
the Babylonians never stayed at home, nor did they repel hostile
attacks on them by offering the enemy assistance, but instead,
as it were, spread over the whole earth, ravaged others’ terri-
tory, and consistently made an inheritance of what in no way
belonged to them, he consequently says, the nation that travels
across the breadth of the earth to take possession of dwellings not its own.
In other words, as I said, it was in the habit of furiously attack-
ing others’ lands and consistently extending its own empire.12
Now, the Jews had some such experience after killing the
Lord; although able to occupy their own land without effort,
with no one to trouble them, they were surrendered to the pow-
ers that be, became subject to tribute and taxes, and fell under
the control of those who spread everywhere and conquered the
whole land under heaven. Having rejected the reign of Christ,
in fact, they openly declared, “We have no king but Caesar.”13
Now, it should be realized that if a human soul sets no store by
the divine laws, it will be subject to harsh tyrants, the unclean
demons, and will be enslaved to evil powers, which forever thirst
to take possession of dwellings not their own. The human being, you
see, belongs to God, who dwells in the saints, and lodges in the
souls of the holy ones.
Fearsome it is and notorious; its judgment will come from itself, and
its oracle will proceed from it (v.7). The treatment moves on to the
leader of the nation, namely, (78) the ruler of the Babylonians,
perhaps Nebuchadnezzar, who took Judea, burnt down the di-
vine Temple itself, and took off Judah as a captive to his own
land. So he calls him fearsome on account of his cruelty, uncon-
trollable anger, immovable attitude, and implacable vengeance,
and likewise notorious for his ambition, boasting, and insatiable
thirst for glory. The kings of Babylon, in fact, were very arro-
12. Though Cyril acknowledges the reference in the text to Babylonians,

he does not proceed to use this as a clue to the time of the prophet’s ministry,
whether bearing on the fall of Assyria or of Judah.
13. Jn 19.15.
gant and vainglorious. Since they had control over their plans
for every enterprise, however, giving orders for the implemen-
tation of their wishes by those under them, hence he says, its
judgment will come from itself; that is, of their own volition there
was a movement to implementation, and on the basis of their
conceitedness there was no brooking opposition, even if they
were to order the impossible, the Persians’ decisions being un-
reasonable.
Since, on the other hand, their custom was to seek divination
of their battles, and to try to determine in advance by the skills
of soothsayers how their plans would succeed, he likewise says,
its oracle will proceed from it. By oracle he refers to the divination;
it was not from other nations or places that he would summon
practitioners of the art of divining, but instead they had local
practitioners, who consistently lied and knew nothing of the
truth, always assuring them and in the habit of foretelling that
they would win. The Babylonian rulership also greatly prided
themselves on this. Balak king of the Moabites, for instance,
(79) when he resolved to have the people of Israel cursed, and
sought knowledge of the future, had Balaam summoned from
Mesopotamia,14 thinking that the Babylonian augurs were fear-
some and accurate, expert in being able to achieve anything at
all by their augury.
If you do not mind, however, we shall proceed to the mean-
ing of the passage in a different way. Having identified the ruler
of the Babylonians and having said that he is fearsome and notori-
ous, he immediately proceeded to add that his judgment will come
from himself, and his oracle will proceed from him. We can take him
to be of that kind; God the Lord of all had determined to pun-
ish Israel for choosing to live a vile and depraved life. So this is
the judgment that will come upon it from him, namely, the Baby-
lonian. It would be like saying, He will be an instrument of my
wrath, through him I shall punish you, and the oracle which is to
do with you—that is, whatever plan and purpose I adopt—like-
wise will proceed from him, that is, will be enacted; the effects of
my purpose and plan will take effect.
14. Nm 22.4.
Its horses will leap forth more rapidly than leopards and more swiftly
than the wolves of Arabia; its horsemen will ride out and attack from
afar, and they will fly like an eagle eager to eat (v.8). He likewise ter-
rifies them with the enormity of the horror, and tries to convey
the fact that the vast number of the enemy is fearsome and irre-
sistible. He drives them to repentance and to (80) the need to
learn what it would be better for them to be found performing.
Accordingly, he likewise convinces them that the Babylonians
are nimble in flight, audacious and bold, no different from wild
beasts and given wings like those in danger of being taken. He
compares the horses to leopards, the leopard being very lithe,
very ready to spring upon what is being pursued, and to the
wolves of Arabia, which they say are more wild than the others
and charge in rapid flight against whichever prey they choose.15
He says they are not only like wolves, but also like eagles in flying
down and attacking dead bodies, as I said.
Now, the mind of the Jews was also very vulnerable, and their
heart whinnying and easily set in motion under the influence
of the passions of the flesh, the unclean spirits themselves, and
in addition the forceful attacks of the Romans. For they have
offended the one who said, “For them I shall be, says the Lord,
a wall of fire round about, and I shall be as glory in its midst.”16
Now, in my view, every mind is vulnerable and easily overcome
when deprived of strength from on high, since our strength and
security is from God; it is through him that “we shall do val-
iantly, and it is he who will set at naught those oppressing us,” as
Scripture says.17
An end will come upon the godless, resisting with faces against them
(v.9). This is the fulfillment (81) of the promises and culmina-
tion of the troubles: the Chaldeans will come; they will be of that
kind; they will do those things and proceed to other things as
well as what accompanies them, the complete and utter destruc-
tion of the godless along with their cities and towns. God will
in no way show compassion, but will allow desolation to over-
take those who sacrilegiously resist his decrees, oppose him, as
15. The LXX reads “Arabia” for the Heb. “evening.”

16. Zec 2.5.
17. Ps 60.12.
it were, face to face, and are openly hostile and blatantly set up
their own will in opposition to what God wishes.
An end will come similarly for the synagogue of the Jews also for
taking a position opposed to Christ, resisting the Lord’s teach-
ings, blatantly and shamelessly confronting him face to face, do-
ing and speaking the worst of all evils, so to speak, even nailing
him to the cross and decrying the resurrection. In fact, they not
only killed the Savior and Redeemer of all, but also paid money
to Pilate’s soldiers at Christ’s resurrection to say that, far from
his coming to life, his disciples secretly stole him away.18
And it will gather captives like sand. It will delight in kings, and
tyrants will be its playthings; it will make fun of every fortification,
heap up a mound and gain control of it (vv.9–10). Despite the holy
prophets’ predictions hither and yon to the Jewish populace
of what would befall them, and, as it were, their recitations of
such troubles to them, (82) they descended to such depths of
ignorance and unholy speculation as to be inflamed with au-
dacity and rage, inflated with a sense of their own importance,
and at times to think that they would easily prevail over the foe
by their vast numbers, while at times they were confident that
they would gather the neighboring kingdoms in support and
that the invaders would yield the victory to them without a fight.
Having grown indifferent about ancestral practices, they no lon-
ger sought help from God on high, but, as I said, they enlisted
the help of the nearby nations, at one time the Egyptians, at
another the Syrians, and even the Tyrians, the result being that
they rested their hope in unshakable prosperity, and continued
to live lives of luxury and satisfaction.
Accordingly, the fact that such was their intention in all
probability, whereas the actual outcome for them was not as
planned, he goes on to explain. On arriving, he says, even if
the Babylonian were to find the race of Israel equal in number
to the sand of the seashore, he would return home with the in-
habitants of Judah as his captives; and even if they were to have
countless strong allies, he would easily prevail over them. It will
delight in kings, and tyrants will be its playthings; he took off Jeco-
18. Mt 28.12–14.
niah in chains to Babylon and not a few other princelings, who

were the object of mockery to their captors. He will take control
of the cities, even well fortified ones, in such a way that the cap-
ture of each will be reckoned a joke by him. He will also build
and raise mounds. (83) He likewise took Tyre, despite its reach-
ing far from the mainland into the sea like an island.
Now, Satan also took Israel captive when it failed to believe
in Christ, and all its leaders became a delight to him, boasting
of the glory of the priesthood, whom I think it not indelicate to
refer to as tyrants on account of their leadership of the people
and enjoying much importance and influence over them. They
would not have become playthings of the devil’s malice, however,
if they had followed the commands of the Savior and observed
faith and holiness in the Spirit. To them, in fact, the Savior of
all, who put every foe under his feet, would have said, “Lo, I
have given you the power to walk on snakes and scorpions and
on all the power of the foe.”19
Then he will change his spirit; he will pass on and be appeased
(v.11). The fact that, instead of the whole of the race of Israel
perishing or being overlooked forever, there will be for it a time
of prosperity and relief from the intolerable misfortune for the
returned exiles with the fracture of the yoke of slavery, he allows
them to understand by mention of a change of spirit. In other
words, he means that the Lord of all will adopt a change of plan
and a different purpose. Not that he will condemn the decision
previously passed against them as though it did not represent
a proper decision at the time; rather, having called them suf-
ficiently to account and inflicted punishment commensurate
with the transgressions, he will move instead to mercy and pass
on from wrath, and will be propitious to those suffering hard-
ship—the sense, in my view, of he will be appeased. (84)
This power belongs to my God. Are you not from the beginning, Lord
God, my holy one? May we not die (v.12). Since God had promised
to show them compassion, and announced a change of a dif-
ficult situation for the better, the prophet, as it were, leaps for
joy and says that it would become no one else to bring Israel
19. Lk 10.19.
back, to free it from bonds and slavery, and to have mercy on

the broken, than God alone, who is easily able to achieve every-
thing, who alleviates difficulties, and, as it were, levels what is
steep and high, and of whom it would be said by every holy one,
“You can do all things, and nothing is impossible for you.”20 The
prophet then says, Are you not from the beginning, Lord God, my
holy one? May we not die. That is to say, even if Israel has been led
astray and seduced into error and worship of the false gods of
foreigners, still you are the God of all, the holy one who of old
showed compassion for transgressors, kept them from destruc-
tion, and did not let Israel as a whole perish. It is therefore not
beyond hope that it will be saved and its difficulties disappear,
because you are compassionate and your achievements beg-
gar description. The holy ones also rejoiced on learning of the
salvation of Israel at the end-time, recited prayers, and offered
sentiments and songs of thanksgiving. The blessed David, for
example, knowing in advance through the Spirit the clemency
that would be shown them, and, as it were, seeing them released
from the bonds of captivity, (85) sings in the words, “Lord, you
were favorable to your land; you reversed the captivity of Jacob.
You forgave the iniquities of your people, closing your eyes to
their sins.”21
Lord, you brought him to judgment, and formed me to give proof of
his correction. Your eye is too pure to see wickedness, and you are unable
to gaze upon efforts (vv.12–13.). While the words are those of the
prophet once again, it is very obscure who it is he says is brought
to judgment. So come now, let us, by peering closely of necessity
into the sense of the passage, plumb its meaning. You see, if, on
the one hand, it were said of the king of the Babylonians that he
was brought to judgment by God, we would say that he was brought
to fulfill the judgment passed originally against the people of Is-
rael, namely, despoliation, captivity, burning of cities, and, in a
word, ravaging of Judea. If, on the other hand, this is not the
case, we shall direct the force of the meaning to the person of
Israel, and claim in turn that it was brought to judgment by God,
20. Jb 42.2.
21. Ps 85.1–2.
judgment meaning “condemnation.” Our Lord Jesus Christ, for

instance, said of the Jews, “I came into this world for judgment
so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see
may become blind,”22 where “judgment” means “condemna-
tion.” So Israel is condemned for its wrongdoing, for being in-
different about the Law, for egregiously offending the Lord of
all. It is me—that is, the prophet—he (86) formed, or made and
prepared for the duty of giving proof of correction, which he de-
termined against him. War was inflicted on Israel as correction
and scourge, and what happened was a form of punishment,
not simply the Babylonians’ initiative.
If, however, you were to ask the following question, he says,
Why has the Babylonian been appointed to punish, or Israel to
be condemned and to suffer? the reply would be, Because the
Lord’s eye is pure, and he could not ever bring himself to be a
witness of wicked and unholy actions. Nor would he gaze upon
efforts of evildoers and oppression conducted against the weak;
he always averts his eye from those in the habit of committing
such crimes. When it happens, a dire fate will completely and
utterly ensue, and the victim of the aversion will find himself
in extreme trouble. Aware of this, the divinely inspired David
prays, “Do not avert your face from me, nor turn away in wrath
from your servant”;23 the effects of wrath will definitely follow
upon the divine aversion.
Why do you gaze upon the contemptuous, keep silence when the god-
less devour the righteous? Will you make people like fish in the sea and
like reptiles that have no leader? (vv.13–14) Having foretold that
the eye of the Divinity is pure, and would never glance at evildo-
ers or gaze benevolently at people opting to practice oppression
or (87) inflict pain on the weak, the prophet is somehow caught
up immediately in thoughts of this kind. The cruel hordes of
the Babylonians, in fact, committed countless acts of extreme
severity and hardship on the Jewish populace, and aggravated
the enormity of their savagery to such an excess of ferocity as
to spare not even the divine places, to set fire to Jerusalem and
22. Jn 9.39.
23. Ps 27.9.
the celebrated Temple, to lay hold of the ministers of the divine

altars along with the masses, and to profane the holy places, as
Scripture tells. When they were at home, they lived in a state of
satisfaction, enjoying wealth from looting, not called to give an
account of their unholy exploits, fearing no foe, no dread of
war. Rather, it was they who took the contest to everyone, eas-
ily gaining control of anyone they chose, prospering greatly,
exulting over the misfortunes of the lost, and boasting of their
unrestrained wrath, unbridled oppression, and superiority over
everyone.
The prophet is therefore aghast to see them developing their
prosperity, and he questions divine justice. He endeavors to
pry into what was puzzling to everyone and inscrutable to every
mind, and he prays to learn what reason there would be for such
extreme tolerance on the part of God, who is able to do every-
thing, that a gentle and kindly eye falls even on those normally
contemptuous and given to an unholy life, and he keeps silence and
puts up with an impious man who, as it were, devours the simple
and righteous. For this reason, (88) he says: that inevitable pun-
ishment does not follow immediately on sinners, and instead
anger is delayed. Consequently, people on earth are thus drawn
into scheming and plotting in the manner of fish to take ad-
vantage of weaker ones and, as it were, to swallow one another
down with a wide and insatiable mouth. They also live such an
unfeeling, isolated, and severe life as to be little different from
reptiles in mountains and holes, which for their extreme ferocity
and excessive savagery cannot be tamed and do not resemble
the nature of the other animals, which are gregarious and do
their grazing under the guidance of a single leader set over the
flock, and give the impression of following a leader. Now, the
Babylonians were also isolated, unapproachable by the others,
harsh, venomous, dealers in destruction, greedily swallowing
weaker people.
Now, it is not implausible that the prophet’s statement would
seem to be directed against the devil and the evil powers along
with him. They are really contemptuous, in fact, resisting in every
way the fear of God, and reaching every extreme of complete
depravity and likewise knavery, despite God’s extraordinary
tolerance. Once we became subject to them, we wretches fed

off one another; we had no leader to act as arbiter of peace—
namely, Christ, Lord of earth and heaven and all things. Con-
sequently, we became like fish, completely without reason and
speech; (89) we lacked the reason of piety and the speech in
praise of God, and instead we slew one another and had a life
without reason, living like fish in the world. Each one’s mind
was so harsh as to seem completely transformed into a wild ani-
mal, and then to rival venomous creatures in anger and severity,
or even to succeed in surpassing them.
He drew him to his end with a hook, pulled him in with a net, and
gathered him with his haul. Hence his heart will rejoice and be glad;
hence he will sacrifice to his haul, and make offerings to his net, because
through it his portion increased and his choice foodstuff. Hence he will
cast his net, and never spare the nations from slaughter (vv.15–17).
After referring to them as fish, he persists with the metaphor
and conducts his treatment as do fishermen or anglers, who
have many ways of pursuing their business of catching fish.
They land fish either with hooks, drawing them in with fishing
lines from the waves as they dart along, or with nets, encircling
them in bulk and pulling them in, or trapping them with some
other devices. When their work is successful and a great num-
ber are amassed, they rejoice in their skill, sacrificing, as it were,
to their tools of trade so as to (90) devote a very rich portion to
them. The prophet says that this was the kind of thing done
by Nebuchadnezzar, who, as it were, with his hook, haul, and net
encircled Israel itself and took it off along with other nations to
his own country, setting them as a banquet, as it were, for his
own comrades, bidding them enjoy and making the captives an
allotment and rich portion of the captors. Consequently, he says
he will also sacrifice to his haul, and make offerings to his net, that
is, to his own forces by whom he snared the nations, and offer
Israel in thanksgiving. Since his exploit turned out as he wished,
he says, would he not refrain from slaughtering nations, seizing
tribes, appropriating countries, and according no mercy?
Now, Satan also did this to the whole human race, and Israel
in particular, encircling everyone, as it were, with a single net
and a single snare—namely, by sin, and, in the case of Israel, by
its impious behavior towards Christ. His foodstuff was choice, the
text says, the Jews being chosen before others in respect of their
lifestyle. Scripture says, remember, “When the Most High ap-
portioned the nations, when he scattered the children of Adam,
he fixed boundaries of nations according to the number of the
angels of God; the Lord’s portion was his people Jacob, Israel
the cord of his inheritance.”24 So Israel was surely chosen before
the others as firstborn of the children, as springing from a holy
root—namely, that of the ancestors—as (91) possessor of the
Law as a guide, and called to a knowledge of the only one who
is God by nature and in truth. Yet despite enjoying such fame
as well as grace, it, too, was taken along with the others. While
some of them, by being deceived, became the devil’s portion,
others, although knowing the one who is God, sacrilegiously
killed the one born of him, the one who is Son by nature and
who took human form and appearance like ours, and [these]
were taken in his haul, his purpose being to destroy absolutely
all those on earth and to spare no one.
24. Dt 32.8–9.
COM MENTAR Y ON HABAKK UK,
CHAPTER TWO
I shall stand at my watchpost, climb upon a rock, and keep watch to see what he
will say to me and what response I should make to my correction (v.1).
N THIS he explains to us a prophetic mystery. It was

customary with the holy ones, you see, if they wanted
to learn what was from God and to gain knowledge of
the future when he was inspiring their mind and heart, to re-
move their mind far from distractions, concerns, and every care
of this life, and by keeping it at leisure and rest, to leap up, as it
were, to some peak or eminence or rock with a view to gaining
an insight into what the Lord of all knowledge would choose
to reveal to them. He looks, you see, for earthly and lowly ele-
ments of the mind to be put away from him, and for hearts that
are capable of flying on high, relieved of earthly concerns and
evanescent desires. Scripture says, remember, “The mighty ones
of God (92) are raised to great heights over the earth,” and
again, “A vulture’s chicks fly high”; in other words, the mind of
the holy ones is far removed from earthly habits and lowly prac-
tices. He therefore says, I shall stand at my watchpost; that is, I
shall make alertness my regular custom, I shall purify my mind,
I shall clear it of worldly concerns, I shall, as it were, fly up on a
rock, that is, to some secure place firmly set on high, as it were.
Once there, I shall survey the scene in a spiritual sense from an
eminence, so to speak, to find whatever words from God may
be coming to me, and what I would be likely to say on my own
account if God were to decide to correct me for being wrong in
saying, “Why do you gaze upon the contemptuous, keep silence
when the godless devour the righteous?”1
1. Ps 47.9; Jb 5.7; Hab 1.13.
348
The Lord replied to me in these words: Write down the vision clearly
on a wooden tablet for the reader to pursue it. Because the vision has
still a time to reach its fulfillment, and it will not be in vain (vv.2–3).
He bids him commit to writing the vision, or revelation of the
future; it is something worth hearing and particularly remark-
able. Now, what is given particular mention in writing is gener-
ally held in honor in lengthy recollection that never ends. So he
says, O prophet, Write down the vision so that people later may
know the predictions, and in perusing your words may follow
them through, that is, may desire to understand their force, and
thus come to believe that what is predicted will be completely
true. In fact, the vision has still a time to go, that is, a delay and
postponement, and a short period will intervene. It will take ef-
fect before long, and it will not be in vain; truth never tells lies,
and what is told by it would not be idle and vain.
If he is delayed, wait for him, because the one who is coming will come
and will not delay. If he shrinks back, my soul is not pleased with him,
whereas the righteous one will live from faith (vv.3–4). After giving
no specific mention of anyone, he says wait for him, that is, look
forward to him even if delayed, and, far from letting your hope
in him waver, keep it firm and unshaken, even if some lapse
of time should occur. So the God of all is probably inspiring
the prophet’s mind and conveying the spiritual revelation that
the one foretold will definitely come, and bidding him wait for
him, doubtless in the intervening time, as I just said. Should any
shrinking or tedium occur on the part of the believer, in fact, I
would not be pleased with him, (94) he says, to see him succumb to
faults of the soul, nor would I forgive such a one; rather, I would
class him as unbelieving and execrable. To the one confirming
the truth with my words, on the other hand, there will definitely
be granted a share in life, a privilege accorded those who honor
God and a fine reward of benevolence.
As far as the historical account goes, then, it was Cyrus son of
Cambyses to whom reference is made in the phrase, If he is de-
layed, wait for him; it was he who took Babylon, plundering other
cities along with it. But as for a mystical treatment and spiri-
tual account, I would say that the force of the expression would
rightly be applied to Christ the Savior of all; he is the one “who
is and who was and who is to come,”2 and the word of the holy
prophets foretold that he is to come in due time. Now, the fact
that in coming he intended to overthrow the power of the devil
and expel the unholy and profane multitude of the demons
from their oppression of us the sacred text clearly predicted in
an oracle, as the actual outcome of events will then indepen-
dently confirm. But the prophecy has still a time to go; the Only-
begotten shone forth in the final days of the present age, and the
one who shrinks back and foolishly rejected faith in him offended
God, remained without a taste of heavenly goods, and was ex-
pelled from the sacred multitude of the saints, according to the
prophetic statement, “like a wild shrub in the desert, which will
not see (95) when good things come.”3 The one who overcomes
lethargy and delay, on the other hand, and introduces into their
mind and heart love and faith in him, enjoys a reward for such
an attitude, namely, the special privilege of an uncurtailed life,
rejection of sin, and sanctification through the Spirit. We have,
in fact, been justified “not by the works of the Law,” as Scripture
says, but by faith in Christ; while “the Law brings wrath,”4 sum-
moning transgressors to retribution, grace offsets wrath, undo-
ing the offenses.
But the conceited and the contemptuous, an arrogant man, will bring
nothing to completion (v.5). Having previously mentioned that the
person foretold will come in due time, undoing troubles and re-
lieving the oppressed from all hardship, he now recalls the rav-
ager, who invested them all with every kind of inhumanity and
cruelty typical of a wild animal. While in this there is reference
in a factual sense to the profane and warlike Nebuchadnezzar,
likewise [there is a reference] in a spiritual sense to Satan. He
is referred to as conceited, contemptuous, and arrogant, and rightly
so; he is like this by nature, whether the force of the expres-
sion is directed at Satan, or you would refer to the Babylonian
as the man. By conceited he means he is ruthless or stupid, and
2. Rv 1.8, which Cyril sees determining the sense of Habakkuk, not vice ver-
sa. The familiar Alexandrian hermeneutical terminology is called into use: after
reference is made to the factual situation (historia), a spiritual (mystikos, pneuma-
tikos—or, as elsewhere, noêtos) meaning may be sought.
3. Jer 17.6.
4. Gal 2.16; Rom 4.15.
likewise speaks of him as contemptuous and arrogant for his ex-

treme haughtiness and vanity in being unwilling to admit the
incomparable superiority of the God who can do all things.
(96) Such a person will bring nothing to completion; nothing he
intends will take effect: his enjoyment will not be complete, nor
his extension of power, nor his high reputation. There is truth
in what the blessed David also said in the psalm: “I have seen
the wicked oppressing, and towering like the cedars of Leba-
non. I passed by and, lo, he was no more, I looked for him and
his place could not be found.” Pride always leads to a fall, in
fact, whereas a temperate attitude is crowned with honors from
on high. The Savior’s disciple confirms this for us in writing in
these terms: “Let the believer who is lowly boast in being raised
up, and the rich in being brought low because he will disappear
like a flower in the field.”5
He opened wide his soul like Hades, and like death he is unsatis-
fied; he will gather all nations to himself, and bring all peoples within
his grasp (v.5). God is in accord with the prophet, and demon-
strates his truthfulness in producing as factual the crimes both
of the devil and of Nebuchadnezzar in the words from himself.
The prophet said, remember, “He drew him to his end with
a hook, pulled him in with a net, and gathered him with his
haul,”6 whereas the God of all attributes responsibility to what
is still greater and more accurate, now drawing a comparison
with Hades and death, death and Hades being insatiable. Now, in
the Babylonian’s plans all peoples were brought within his grasp; and
such troubles would rightly be understood as the criminal ef-
fects of Persian ambition; for them the earth under heaven was
puny, and they would not be content with subjecting to them-
selves the whole of humankind.
On the other hand, the inventor of sin—namely, Satan—
would himself also be found striving to subject to himself the
whole earth, so to speak, and, like Hades, to devour those de-
stroyed by malice on his part. He personally said somewhere, “I
shall gather in my hand the whole world like a nest, and remove
them like eggs left behind, and there is no one who will elude
5. Ps 37.35–36; Jas 1.9–10.

6. 1.15.
me or oppose me.”7 The beast is insatiable and indomitable, full

of arrogance, truly detestable, hating humankind.
Will they not cite all this as a proverb against him and a rebuttal in
describing him? They will say, Woe to the one who multiplies for him-
self what is not his! How long? Does he firmly load down his collar?
(v.6) He clearly states that neither his control nor his satisfac-
tion with the vast numbers assembled together is unshakable,
and instead he will be completely dislodged from both rule and
reputation, and become a byword for many people. He said that
they will take him as a proverb (98) and, as it were, a rebuttal and
popular saying on the tongues of many people. What kind of
saying? Woe to the one who multiplies what is not his and firmly loads
down his collar, that is, renders himself more liable for his of-
fenses, namely, destroying nations, amassing whole countries,
consistently laying hands on what does not belong to him, and
subjecting by force to his own rule and keeping under control
numberless peoples. In the middle he inserted the phrase How
long? to bring out his insatiable appetite for oppression, unbri-
dled lust for cruelty, and regret at an end to injustice. The Baby-
lonians, then, were insatiable tyrants, fearsome in their cruelty,
and given to committing the vilest crimes.
On the other hand, Satan is also like that, ever amassing
what is not his and bringing upon himself heavier punishment.
To him the statement is made somewhere, “Just as a garment
stained with blood will not be clean, so neither will you be
clean, because you have ruined my land and slain my people;
you will not abide forever.”8 Which peoples, in fact, have you
not destroyed? Which nations have you spared? What utterly in-
tolerable crime are you not guilty of committing? Woe will there-
fore justly be directed at him, and he will become a proverb for
being removed from his rule and expelled from his oppression
of everyone. Likewise, Jeremiah in his wisdom also hints at this
in saying of him, “A partridge crowed; it gathered what it did
not give birth to, making its wealth unjustly; in midlife they will
abandon it, and at its end it will be demented.”9
7. Is 10.14, in the mouth of the king of Assyria.

8. Is 14.19–20 LXX, in a taunt directed at the king of Babylon.
9. Jer 17.11, in an oracle against Judah.
Now, this happened in actual fact; the Babylonian took Judea,

and (99) Samaria as well, and, after ravaging other countries
along with them, he took them off to his own country. But when
Cyrus attacked the land of the Babylonians along with the Per-
sians and Medes, the people who had been gathered together
took their leave, and those held in the bondage of captivity be-
came airborne, as it were, and went home. The people from the
nations also abandoned the service of the devil, forsook the one
who formerly had cried out to call them to him, and made their
way to Christ; the former had assembled what was not his, where-
as Christ welcomed what was his, being Lord of all as God.
Because suddenly they will arise and bite him, your schemers will be
on the alert, and you will be their plunder (v.7). He says that unex-
pectedly those who were, as it were, biting and devouring will
rebel against him, consuming the forces subject to him with
military attacks. These were definitely Cyrus and those in his
company—Persians, Medes, and Elamites—who, so to speak,
rubbed sleep from their eyes, and, as though becoming alert
after drunkenness, they will finally prevail over the former ter-
rors, take up arms against him, and in general mount a charge.
Then, by manifold scheming, they will easily gain the upper
hand, driving off and carrying away the Chaldeans’ possessions
and making the Babylonians their prey.
We shall also find the wretched Satan suffering this fate;
(100) he carried off as a whole all the nations for himself, set-
ting the snare of the error of polytheism and spreading the nets
of sin. But those biting him rose up—that is, the preachers of the
Gospel oracles—with their teeth, as it were, rending his body,
namely, those choosing to adopt his attitudes; just as “the per-
son clinging to the Lord is one spirit with him,” so the one cling-
ing to the devil is one body with him. So his schemers will be on the
alert; aware that [the devil] has now been put under the feet of
the saints, since Christ said openly, “Lo, I have let you walk on
snakes and scorpions and all the power of the foe,”10 they will
snatch those adopting his attitudes and easily bring them to the
knowledge of the truth, teaching them who it is who is God by
10. 1 Cor 6.17; Lk 10.19.

nature and in truth, and explaining the mystery of Christ, who

also proved to be the first to plunder [the devil]. It is therefore
possible to hear him saying, “Or how can one enter a strong
man’s house and plunder his property without first tying up the
strong man? Then it is possible to plunder his property.” Imme-
diately upon being born of the holy virgin, he began to plunder
his property; the magi arrived from the east inquiring, “Where
is the one born King of the Jews? We have seen his star in the
east, and have come to adore him.”11 They did in fact adore
him and honor him with gifts, and became the first-fruits of the
church of the nations; though they were the devil’s property,
and the most precious of all his members, (101) they betook
themselves to Christ. Now, the fact that he was destined to plun-
der the property of the strong man the prophet Isaiah also fore-
told obscurely, referring to him this way: “Because before the
child knows how to speak of father or mother, he will take the
power of Damascus and the spoils of Samaria before the king of
Assyria.”12 On the one hand, therefore, the force of the expres-
sion seems to involve a hint of what happened in actual fact: Sa-
maria was plundered by the king of Damascus and the ruler of
the Assyrians. But there is a suggestion of the spiritual mystery,
the prophetic word suggesting to us that the Savior’s power will
easily despoil those ravaging his people.
Because you despoiled many nations, all the surviving peoples will
despoil you because of human bloodshed and crimes against land and
city and all its inhabitants (v.8). The statement is accurate, even if
it is to be taken in reference to both; while it was the Babylonian
who plundered many nations, Satan also was guilty of this. Con-
sequently they suffered the same fate: the Chaldeans’ fortunes
were plundered by Cyrus, and Satan by the saints. The crimes
of both were the same and their sins related, just as there was a
kinship between their ferocity and cruelty to everyone; they de-
stroyed countries and cities, in a physical sense in one case and
in a spiritual sense in the other, employing sin as a sharp javelin.
11. Mt 12.29 and 2.2.

12. Is 8.4. After previously seeing Habakkuk referring to Nebuchadnezzar
and the Babylonians as the villain (or Satan at a spiritual level), now it is the
king of the Assyrians who represents Satan.
Now, he does well to say that all the surviving peoples will despoil
him; he means that when (102) the Babylonian did away with
everyone, those who succeeded in escaping were very hostile to
him, and though few in number they easily took control, since
God accorded them the victory and allowed them to manage
to set everything to rights. On the other hand, it would be true
to understand it as applying to the enemy of everyone himself,
namely, Satan; he took and plundered everyone on earth, and
subjected them to the yoke of sin. But he himself was also seized
by the surviving peoples, that is, those justified by faith through
Christ and sanctified by the Spirit. The remnant of Israel in fact
has been saved; from their number came the divinely inspired
disciples, who were the first-fruits of those who plundered the
destructive wretch. Next after them the leaders of peoples in
addition now plunder him by correctly crafting the message of
truth and bringing into the paths of piety those in submission.13
O the one who has insatiable and wicked greed for his house so as to
place his nest on high with a view to being delivered from the hand of
troublemakers. You devised shame for your house by eliminating many
peoples, and your soul sinned (vv.9–10). The passage is directed
against the Babylonian again for wishing to develop his control
out of greed to the detriment of everyone, raising his house on
high, intending to gild his house to an excessive degree and to
fortify it strongly so as to be readily able to be delivered from the
hand of troublemakers, that is, always to avert impending troubles.
(103) The Babylonians’ purpose, in fact, was always to be sur-
rounded by great numbers of allies and have innumerable tacti-
cal experts skilled in the conduct of war so as to be able easily
to ward off harm from those attacking them. The fact that it will
turn to their shame and disgrace, however, when their expecta-
tions are thwarted, he brought out by saying, You devised shame
for your house, eliminating or exterminating many peoples when
you suffered complete ruin. Since your soul sinned, you will pay
the penalty; though formerly famous and placing his nest on high,
he will prove to be piteous in being unexpectedly thrust under
the feet of his foes.
13. 2 Tm 2.15.
On the other hand, the passage would also apply very closely
to Satan himself and the originators of heresies, who, unable to
resist ambition and the appearance of being leaders of many,
eliminated many peoples and introduced to their own houses a
really evil greed. They placed their nests on high, “speaking
bombastic nonsense” and giving vent against the divine glory to
what befits only their tongues and minds. So their souls sinned in
raging against Christ himself, the Savior of all, “sinning against
the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak,”
as Scripture says.14
Hence a stone will cry out from a wall, and a beetle will utter the
same things from a beam (v.11). The divine Scripture often attri-
butes statements even to inanimate and (104) insensate things,
not as if they were capable of speech, but as though the situation
were actually crying aloud. Blessed Isaiah, for instance, says, “Be
ashamed, O Sidon; the sea has spoken,” and David also, “The
heavens are telling the glory of God, and the firmament pro-
claims his handiwork.”15 That is to say, creation itself proclaims
the glory of the Maker through the very things for which it is ad-
mired for being well made; so statements are made in what hap-
pens, even if words are not uttered. This kind of thing you will
understand in this case, too: a stone from a wall and a beetle from
a beam cried out against the Babylonian; how so, I shall explain.
In assaulting the cities of Judea and the others, the Babylonian
set fire to all the houses in them; inevitably stones were then
smashed and walls toppled, and timbers fell down from them as
well as roofs because of their great age, since they contained
small beetles or worms. Consequently, he says, what was leveled
will cry out against the savagery, including stones brought down
and lying in the middle of the streets, and half-burnt timbers
testifying to the antiquity of the cities by their rotted condi-
tion. Burning of such old and antique cities by the Babylonian,
destruction of the houses, and doubtless slaughter of those in
them were therefore a crime.
Now, it should be realized that, instead of saying beetle, some
of the translators put “wooden joint.” From this you could adopt
14. 2 Pt 2.18; 1 Cor 8.12.
15. Is 23.4; Ps 19.1.
the view that the girding of the houses and the (105) binding
or linkage of the timbers they called beetle at that time because
of the positioning of the roof on many feet, as it were.16
Woe to the one who builds a city by bloodshed, and establishes a
city by injustice! This is not from the Lord almighty. Enough peoples
have perished by fire, and nations that were numerous have diminished
(vv.12–13). He once more deplores the Babylonian’s elevating
his own glory and the splendor of his rule in his anxiety to do
so, on the basis not of need but of what was least necessary. He
should not, in fact, have been celebrated for annihilating many
peoples; instead, he should have gloried in a distinction of a dif-
ferent kind, and been found to gain luster from the ornaments
of righteousness. Setting this aside as useless, however, he built
on bloodshed and injustice; the fact that Chaldean rule was very
cruel, and, in a word, abused all cities and countries in the man-
ner of a wild beast, inflicting troubles that beggar description,
would be obvious to all readers of the divine Scripture. This is
not from the Lord almighty, however; such troubles cannot in any
way be said to have come from on high, nor should his glory-
ing in them be thought to be God-given. They will therefore
not prove stable—rather, they will not escape justice; what the
divine and incorruptible mind is not in the habit of praising it
definitely punishes as being improper. After all, how could it
fail to be hateful and completely unholy that enough peoples have
perished by fire, and nations that were numerous have diminished, that
is, (106) that famous cities have been burnt along with their
inhabitants, and whole nations and tribes have succumbed to
troubles?
Now, you would be entitled to declare this also to the leaders
of the Jews, who slew all the holy prophets in the conviction that
they would considerably benefit Jerusalem and build it in blood-
shed and oppression of everyone. They abused them; in fact,
16. Theodore had admitted that the “beetle” of the LXX was not the ver-
sion of the other translators, or of the Syriac (which as elsewhere he belittles).
Jerome cites the Hebrew term (a hapax legomenon, its meaning disputed by mod-
ern commentators), and agrees the LXX had misread it. Thus alerted to this
background of the term in his text, Cyril creatively claims that people of the
time used the word “beetle” with good reason, having already cited scriptural
documentation for vocal expression by animate and inanimate creation.
they killed them, they stoned them, and they finally included
the Son among them,17 the pretext for their madness being the
Law; they feigned the impression of being grieved by Christ’s
flouting the commandment given through Moses. But the fact
that their zeal was displeasing to God and “not enlightened,” as
the divinely inspired Paul writes, the prophet would clearly sug-
gest in saying, This is not from the Lord almighty. Accordingly, they
perished by fire and have diminished, consumed by war and wasted
by famine; such things befell the Jewish masses for their frenzy
against the Son and, as I said, for killing the prophets before
him.18
Because all the earth was filled with the knowledge of the glory of the
Lord so that much water covered seas (v.14). The divine Scripture is
often not interested in times, and cites future events as though
already enacted. So we shall find this happening here, too; was
filled in the text should be taken to mean “will be filled.” When
the divine wrath is inflicted on Babylon, then, and when, by
means of (107) Cyrus and his allies, everything in it that was
once fearsome and audacious, ever exposing the others to its
unbearable cruelty, now appears piteous and weak, totally deso-
late, and under the feet of the foe, then it is that all the earth
under heaven will realize the extent of the divine glory, and will
be filled with knowledge of this. The rule of the Chaldeans used
to prevail, and was the cynosure of all eyes, fearsome and invin-
cible, because God was tolerant and allowed it to have power
even over Judea and to overthrow countless cities. But when he
decided to invest it with the troubles due to it, it was toppled
and fell and was consigned to desolation. The prophet Jeremi-
ah also said something like this in reference to it: “How has the
hammer of the whole earth been broken and shattered? How
has Babylon become destruction for nations? They will attack
you, and you will be taken, Babylon, without knowing it; you
were discovered and seized, because you challenged the Lord.
The Lord has opened his storehouse and brought out the in-
17. Mt 21.35–39.
18. Rom 10.2. What was a “hateful and unholy” fate meted out to Nebu-
chadnezzar’s victims becomes appropriate for the Jewish leaders of NT times in
Cyril’s polemic.
struments of his wrath, because there is a task for the Lord God
in the land of the Chaldeans, because its time is up.”19
Now, it should be realized that after the plundering of Jerusa-
lem, Christ turned to the nations, and all the earth under heav-
en came to know the glory of the God and Father; that is, they
knew him as though a torrent flooding the land. In other words,
Christ turned to them like a river, having said of old through
a prophet, “Lo, I shall turn to them like a river of peace and
like a torrent, flooding nations with glory.”20 When Israel at one
time in the wilderness made a calf, remember, (108) and conse-
quently offended God, he promised the revelation of the Savior
and an abundance of grace through him, saying, “As I live and
my name lives, the glory of God will fill the whole earth.” Ev-
erything, in fact, is suffused with Christ, who is the glory of the
Father. Consequently, he also said, “I glorified you on earth; I
completed the work you gave me to do.”21
O for the one who makes his neighbor drink deadly overthrow and
intoxicates him so that he gazes on their caves. Drink the satiety of dis-
honor from glory (vv.15–16). Once more he utters O at the un-
holy crimes of Nebuchadnezzar,22 foretelling what he will suf-
fer, and thus indicating that the punishment will involve severe
pangs. By deadly overthrow he probably refers to the unmitigated
distress or outrage that he, as it were, makes the captives drink
in making them seem little different from those in wine and
drunkenness. What ensues from that? As though opening a
kind of cave, he makes clear each one’s thinking to all the oth-
ers;23 by inflicting severe outrage on the more prominent of the
captives, or perhaps even on the kings themselves, he also then
unmasks their sometimes hidden cowardice or terror under
insupportable pressure. He was so fearsome and ruthless that,
19. Jer 50.23–25. 20. Is 66.12.

21. Nm 14.21; Jn 17.4.
22. The five woes in the Heb. beginning vv.6, 9, 12, 15, and 18 the LXX
does not clearly recognize.
23. Jerome had indicated that the LXX had missed the sense of some Heb.
terms in the passage; the former term, for which he cites a variety of versions,
suggests “wrath,” and by offering “cave” the LXX had misread the hapax legome-
non for “nakedness.” Cyril does not acknowledge the former, but will eventually
admit the latter after getting value from the LXX reading.
while he should have shown pity and compassion for them, he

took delight in their grief and considered it an ornament of his
own dominance. This, in my view, is the meaning of makes his
neighbor (109) drink deadly overthrow and intoxicates him so that he
gazes on their caves, that is, their hidden secrets. Since he gave
vent to unmitigated anger, therefore, with no trace of any pity,
and invested small and great, significant and insignificant, with
unbearable calamities, consequently the Lord of all says, Drink
the satiety of dishonor from glory; that is to say, Though you were
celebrated, famous, the cynosure of all eyes, and notorious for
cruelty, you will now be dishonored and suffer a penalty com-
mensurate with the height of your fame.
Now, it would be appropriate, if you like, to claim that this
is true also of the unholy Pharisees themselves; they made their
neighbor drink deadly overthrow, which we say means their teach-
ing, human commandments,24 and in addition the frenzy against
Christ and the crimes of blasphemy. While he offered an invita-
tion to life, in fact, they were caught up in such madness as even
to say to the listeners, “He has a demon and is mad: why listen
to him?”25 Now, they did this so as to reject the message of salva-
tion, which enlightens the mind, and to gaze into their cave, that is,
their dark, unlit, and dead teachings. Consequently, they drank
the satiety of dishonor, despite once being conspicuous and acquir-
ing no little glory in being leaders of flocks, priests, and judges.
Such a passage would apply also to the inventors of the un-
holy teachings, which in truth make the neighbor drink deadly over-
throw, pouring the venom of deceit into the souls of the simple
(110) so that they may also gaze into their cave. Their mind is
dark, you see, full of deceit, truly immersed in the devil’s gloom,
in my view no different from caves, which are full of bones and
every stench and uncleanness.
With a view to greater clarification of the passage, however,
I think there is need to say the following. The Hebrews tell a
story, which comes by way of tradition,26 that when Nebuchad-
nezzar plundered Judea and all the other countries and took
24. Mt 15.9; Is 29.13.

25. Jn 10.20.
26. Jerome attributes the story to a certain Jew.
the leaders of the nations to his own country, in due course he

prepared potions. He then brought in the captives, plied them
with the specially prepared concoctions, and made them dance.
When they were whirling about, falling down, and lying naked,
they sometimes also exposed their private parts, which gave
cause for mockery and an occasion for enjoyment; they say that
this was naturally called caves. The story is somewhat plausible;
for caves the other translators put “nakedness,” so that the text
would read, O for the one who makes his neighbor drink deadly over-
throw and intoxicates him so that he gazes on their nakedness.
And you, heart, shake and tremble; the cup in the Lord’s right hand
has come round to you, and dishonor has gathered upon your glory. Be-
cause Lebanon’s impiety will cover you, the mistreatment of wild beasts
(111) will terrify you on account of people’s bloodshed and the impious
behavior of country, city, and all its inhabitants (vv.16–17). In the
souls of arrogant people there are unfortunately found natural
signs of extreme insensitivity of mind, and in addition the con-
viction that they will enjoy an unalloyed experience of prosper-
ity, while, on the other hand, they reject in general terms the
expectation that there will ever be a turn for the worse in their
affairs. Resembling this is the statement of David spoken on the
part of those enjoying satisfaction and enjoyment: “I said in my
prosperity, I shall never be moved.”27 It is therefore to the Baby-
lonian in his obdurate condition of extreme pride that he now,
as it were, directs his attack as though to someone ruthless in
the words, And you, heart, tremble; that is, in case you think that
you are firmly established in unshakable prosperity, admit the
thought of distressing circumstances, get a sense of what is to
come, and give way to experience, even though beforehand you
have given not the slightest thought to the fact that you, too,
will sometime be in difficulties, and your heart will be beset with
what naturally causes considerable distress.
What, then, is there to make it shake and strike it with grief?
The cup in the Lord’s right hand has come round to you, and dishonor
has gathered upon your glory. In other words, just as you yourself
made the neighbor drink deadly overthrow, in the same way you have
27. Ps 30.6.
become the victim of the effects of divine wrath, and you will be
loathsome and dishonored by all, piteous and outcast, and com-
pletely deprived of that former reputation. (112) Now, in say-
ing that it is the cup in the Lord’s right hand, the blessed prophet
urges him to take the view that he could not refuse to drink it,
since it is God who proffers it; he was definitely obliged to suffer
the effects of wrath, as Scripture says, “If you close the door on
someone, who will open it?” and as the prophet says, “Who will
avert the uplifted hand?”28
Why such things will befall him, then, he makes clear by saying,
Because Lebanon’s impiety will cover you, the mistreatment of wild beasts
will terrify you. Lebanon is one of the most conspicuous moun-
tains in Phoenicia, covered in trees and sweet-smelling because
of producing incense. Sacred Scripture sometimes compares Je-
rusalem to it, doubtless because of the pride it takes in its many
holy heads, raised up and meditating on things in heaven, and
enveloped in the beauty of piety. Blessed David also mentions
these things in saying to God, “The cedars of Lebanon, which
you planted, there sparrows will nest”;29 each of the holy ones,
like a cedar, as I just said, is raised on high, by refusing to medi-
tate on what is abject—that is, things of earth—and is a kind
of shelter for the others, welcoming like sparrows those willing
to be his disciples. Since the Chaldean sacked Jerusalem, there-
fore, offended God by setting fire to the divine Temple in ad-
dition to the city, and seized and abused the holy things them-
selves, consequently, he says, (113) Lebanon’s impiety committed
against him will cover him.30 Now, by Lebanon he refers either
to Judea or Jerusalem; you would think that the Temple itself
would perhaps be very sweet-smelling, bedecked also with the
heads of the priests like cedars of a kind. How the impiety com-
mitted against Lebanon was destined to cover him he demon-
strated by proceeding, Because the mistreatment of wild beasts will
terrify you. By wild beasts he probably refers to the Persians and
28. Jb 12.14; Is 14.27.

29. Ps 104.16–17.
30. In a passage where Cyril is taking “Lebanon” to mean Jerusalem, this
clause appears in the PG ed. as follows: “consequently, he says, the impiety com-
mitted against Lebanon will cover him.”
Medes, allies of Cyrus, for being quite indomitable and prone

to cruelty. The fact that, far from punishing idly, God inflicts
punishment that is commensurate with whatever one does, he
brought out by adding, on account of people’s bloodshed and the im-
pious behavior of the city and all its inhabitants.
Now, each of the Pharisees, who were promoters and accom-
plices in the frenzy against Christ, will hear the words, And you,
heart, shake and tremble. In fact, the cup in the Lord’s right hand has
come round to them, and dishonor has gathered upon their glory. Like
a cup of destruction they drained the wrath befalling them, and
were dishonored and removed far from every distinction, hav-
ing offended against Lebanon. Now, by Lebanon you will under-
stand the church, which is truly sweet-smelling, the conspicuous
mountain, familiar to people everywhere; but they persecuted
the church after the crucifixion of Christ. Consequently, they
were also terrified by the wild beasts ravaging them, and, having
been guilty of the slaughter of many of the holy prophets, they
added to that the slaughter of those who believed in our Lord
Jesus Christ, of whom (114) the first-fruits was blessed Stephen,
who emerged as the initial trophy, as it were, and first-fruits of
the holy martyrs.
What good is a carved image because they carved it? They made a
cast figure of it, a figment of their imagination, because the craftsman
had faith in his craft of making dumb idols (v.18). The drift of the
verse is to this effect, then: What good is a carved image because
they carved it? And what good is the craftsman because he had faith
in the craft? The prophet’s purpose, on the other hand, we shall
explain as far as possible. When Cyrus and the Medes attacked
the Babylonians, and word of the war was bruited abroad, the
soothsayers followed their usual custom in calling on the false
gods for aid to the city at risk, and offered sacrifices and liba-
tions to the insensate objects, placing all their hope of survival
in them. It was idle talk and quackery, however, deceit and per-
siflage, and nothing more; [the city] was taken and plundered,
though never expecting to suffer this fate. Accordingly, the God
of all mocks those who had failed in their purpose and their
hope in inanimate things: What good is a carved image, which is
nothing more than a figment of the imagination that lacks any re-
ality? How or where would divine power be believed to exist in

what is made by human hand? Trusting in them, therefore, is
vain and truly ridiculous in the estimation of people of sound
mind and alert mentality.
On the other hand, you could judge that the force of the pas-
sage could be explained in a different way. Having taken the cit-
ies and devastated all the countries, so to speak, the Babylonian
had no hesitation in setting his sights on high in his arrogance,
and in his wretched state he decked his own head with the glory
due to God, carving a golden image, as the divinely inspired
prophet Daniel recorded.31 He then bade people of all tribes
and languages to adore it; the penalty for refusing to do so was
death. So what good, tell me, he says, came from that? In the
belief that he was a god, he was then driven to an excess of every
evil, and was caught up in misfortunes beyond description.
Woe to the one who says to the wood, Awake, get up, and to the stone,
Arise. It is imaginary, it is a product of gold and silver, and there is no
breath in it. The Lord, on the other hand, is in his holy Temple; let all
the earth pay obeisance before him (vv.19–20). The force of the pas-
sage proceeds directly, as I just said; he rightly castigates those
who are deceived for abandoning the one who is by nature and
in truth God, and who by forsaking the way of piety towards him
go to their ruin, crying out to the wood, Awake, get up, and to the
stone, Arise. People who are deceived, in fact, (116) if some fear
alarms them, normally cling to altars, open up shrines, and cry
aloud to the lifeless idols, Have mercy, save us, and you, stone,
get up, as a god protect those venerating your power and opting
to adore you. It is right, therefore, to say Woe to such people be-
cause it is to products of gold and silver, with no breath in them, that
their devotees make such statements as would better be said to
God, who dwells in heaven and has as his own temple the city
above; the holy one dwells among holy people, and stays with
those venerating him.
It is therefore a useful and necessary utterance the prophet
makes to us, Let all the earth pay obeisance before him. After all, for
people of sound thinking the one who is by nature and in truth
31. Dn 3.
God must be worshiped, and to him every wise person will pay
homage, offer prayers to him, look to him for salvation, and
confess him to be Creator, Lord of all, Savior and Redeemer,
omnipotent, all-holy, changing the nature of things to whatever
he chooses at the time, and governing everything by his own
decrees.
COM MENTAR Y ON HABAKK UK,
CHAPTER THREE
A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet in song (v.1).
AVING thoroughly presented the message to the

Babylonian, and adequately foretold that those who
sacked the holy city and deported Israel in captivity
would pay a heavy penalty, he appositely moves to the mystery
of Christ. And as though the redemption had already occurred
in the case of a single nation individually, he shifts his attention
to it in the case of all in general, whereby not only the remnant
of Israel was saved but the whole earth was to no lesser degree
saved. Cyrus son of Cambyses, remember, released Israel from
captivity, destroying the haughty kingdom that was hateful to
God, namely, the Chaldeans’. Now, what happened was an im-
age and type of the things achieved by Christ; finding all hu-
manity in captivity, as it were, and subjected to tyrannical rule,
since Satan ruled over us through sin, as it were, (118) he freed
us from bondage and hardship, released us from the very ser-
vitude of wrongdoing, and brought us, as it were, into the holy
city, the heavenly Jerusalem. We became, in fact, “citizens with
the saints and members of the household of God,” as Scripture
says, and thus enrolled in the heavenly homeland. Struck by the
force of the mystery, therefore, and admiring the ineffable In-
carnation of the Only-begotten, which befitted God, he offers
the prayer as though in the form of a song, in keeping with that
uttered by David, “My tongue will meditate on your righteous-
ness, on your praise all day long.”1
1. Eph 2.19; Ps 35.28. Cyril ignores Jerome’s information that the LXX is
wide of the mark in coming up with “song” in 3.1; he generally does not discuss
genres, though alert to the comparisons made in figurative language. He is also
not inclined to find grounds in the mention of “song” for thinking of Habakkuk
as a cultic prophet, as do some modern commentators.
366
Lord, I heard report of you, and was afraid; Lord, I comprehended

your works, and was astonished (v.2). The verse could be taken
also, if you wished, as directed to the Father and God of all in
person as revealing the Son, and the report giving clarification
about him from the Spirit, or also properly directed to the In-
carnate Word. If you were to say it was perhaps addressed to the
Father, we would understand it in these terms: O Lord of all,
I am astounded by the revelation or report that has been given
about your Son; the account is startling and beggars description,
and the Incarnation would surpass all understanding. If I were
to scrutinize the force of your works in detail with the eye of my
heart, it would be a matter of astonishment, and nothing less.
On the other hand, if the verse bears on the Son, we shall
propose nothing less in the following manner: O Lord and Rul-
er of all, (119) even if you were actually made flesh, I am struck
with fear on hearing the report of you, or news and revelation.
I am astounded, and rightly so, at the magnitude of the event,
knowing that, though you share form and equality in everything
with the one who begot you, you would willingly empty yourself,
become a human being like us from a woman, endure the form
of slavery, entitle your own Father as God with us, and become
obedient, even to death, death on a cross.2 Accordingly, I heard
report of you, and was afraid; I comprehended your works, and was
astonished; you brought the good news of sight for the blind; you
proclaimed release to captives; you healed the broken-hearted;
you brought back the wayward; you bound up the wounded;
you became light to those in darkness, a door and way to life
and sanctification; you became peace, by faith binding into a
single people both those from circumcision and also those
from nations; you became “a cornerstone, chosen, precious”;3
you restored the world to the God and Father; you freed from
sin those entrapped because of weakness; you delivered them
from the devil’s grasp; what was enslaved was enlightened by the
grace of adoption; man moved from earth to become a citizen
of heaven. And furthermore, this, too, is worth hearing, in my
2. Phil 2.6–8.
3. 1 Pt 2.6; Is 28.16.
view: the one who gives life to everything has endured with us
death in the flesh; but you became “firstborn from the dead,”
“first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep,”4 and spoils of a
humanity that has been restored to incorruption. By returning
to life as God, in fact, you have trampled on the harsh and ill-
omened beast, namely, death, canceling (120) the force of that
ancient curse; an end has been put in you and through you to
the sentence delivered against us: “Earth you are, and to earth
you shall return.”5
You will be known in between two living beings (v.2). People inter-
pret this in different ways. While one commentator claimed that
two living beings refers to the Spirit and the Son, in between whom
the God and Father is known, I think this interpretation is un-
informed; after all, who would dare to claim that life—namely,
the Son or the Holy Spirit—is a living being?6 Rather, in fact it is
what gives life that is life, and the living being gains a share in life
from someone else. On the other hand, for a different reason it
would be wrong also to understand the Father as being between
both, since he is the one who is named first in the sequence of
the confession of the holy and consubstantial Trinity. We do not
in any way claim that by taking precedence to the Son and the
Spirit in the listing he is superior to them, which would be an
idle and rash statement; rather, our position and belief is that
from eternity he has the Son originating from him, and what ex-
ists did not have existence without his Spirit; instead, as soon as
the Father is understood to be God, immediately the existence
of the one whose Father he is came into play, as likewise his
divine and holy Spirit. Since, however, he is like a fountainhead
of the one begotten by him, he is appropriately named first. I
cannot understand how he is between Son and Spirit. Perhaps
they will reply in all likelihood, however, that between should be
understood locally. (121) But that is also improper: the Divin-
ity is not confined to a place, being neither bodily nor measur-
able.
4. Col 1.18; 1 Cor 15.20.

5. Gn 3.19. Thus concludes a remarkable paean by Cyril in praise of Christ.
6. The LXX has prompted the lengthy debate by rendering the “years” of
the Heb. as “two (living beings).”
Other people have claimed that the two living beings are the
New and the Old Testaments, in between which Christ is known.
In interpretations of this kind let each person follow the path of
individual choice; but for our part, when once we direct discus-
sion to the person of Christ, we shall conduct the explanation
of ideas in terms of the Law. Our Lord Jesus Christ therefore
became the mercy seat by faith; the divinely inspired Paul chose
to think and talk in that fashion. It is through him, in fact, that
we were rid of every fault, and found the Father propitious and
ready of access. The divine John confirms it in these words:
“Children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not
sin. If anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Je-
sus Christ the righteous, and he is the atoning sacrifice for our
sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world.”7 Since
the things that were expressed of old in riddles were types of
the reality in the future, however, come now, let us present the
Son as the mercy seat from the Father by mentioning what hap-
pened in the holy tent.8 The God of all, then, bade an ark and
a lampstand be set up in the holy tent as well as a table; then in
addition a mercy seat made of gold, purple, twisted linen, and
spun scarlet, and it was raised and suspended from the holy ark
by four poles. Then two cherubim made of gold were placed to
the right and left of (122) the mercy seat directing their faces
to it.
Now, this was an obscure reference to the mystery of Christ;
the Word became flesh, though God and Lord of all, proceed-
ing from the God and Father by nature. But even if he became
flesh, and was appointed as mercy seat by the Father, he did not
forfeit what he was, namely, being God; instead, that is what he
is as regards authority and glory befitting God, and the pow-
ers on high likewise attend on him in performing the rituals
assigned them. Consequently, the cherubim are placed at the
ends of the mercy seat and constantly face it; it is customary
7. 1 Jn 2.1–2.
8. The details are drawn from Ex 25. While Jerome had alerted Cyril to the
divergence between the LXX and the Heb. (see n. 1, above), and had also not-
ed a similarity to the cherubim of Ex 25, it is Cyril who develops the beautiful
notion of Christ as mercy seat, a notion Theodoret will find fruitful in his com-
mentary on Rom 3.25.
with the powers on high, holy and all-pure as they are, ever to
contemplate the things of God, to gaze at him, and always to
support what pleases and is dear to him. You will be known, there-
fore, O Lord, he is saying, for who you are on becoming like us;
that you are the mercy seat, on the model of the one in the holy
tent, will be clearly known. You have taken your place, in fact, in
between two living beings, that is, the cherubim, and your name is
“mercy seat.” It is a true statement, as Christ himself says, “The
Father sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.”9
In the approach of the years you will be acknowledged; when the
time arrives, you will be brought to light (v.2). While the Law gave
a premonition of the mystery of Christ, and as well the band
of the holy prophets gave voice to it in advance, (123) it was
the spiritual guides who in a variety of ways firmly established
us in faith in him by helpfully comparing what occurred and
was achieved at the time of his coming with the ancient Scrip-
tures about him, and we shall often find them confirming their
own position from that source. What it is can be seen from the
statement of the evangelists; our Lord Jesus Christ drove out of
the Temple the sheep and cattle merchants, and overturned
the tables of the money-changers by “making a whip of cords
and driving them all out in the words, Stop making my Father’s
house a marketplace.” What ensued from that? “His disciples
remembered that it was written, Zeal for your house will con-
sume me.”10 When at one time Joseph thought that the virgin
betrothed to him had been defiled, and wanted to dismiss her
privately, “an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream,
saying, Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as
your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will
save his people from their sins.” He then cited a sacred text in
confirmation, going on to say, “All this took place to fulfill what
had been spoken through the prophet, Lo, the virgin will con-
ceive and bear a son, and they will name him Emmanuel.”11
9. Jn 3.17. 10. Jn 2.15–17.

11. Mt 1.20–23; Is 7.14.
We shall also find Emmanuel personally confirming faith in

himself from the predictions of the prophets, requiring people
to acknowledge him on the basis of previous events themselves,
(124) and, by comparing the outcome of his achievements
with the earlier prophecies, to have no doubts that he is the
one who was proclaimed in advance in Law and Prophets. Some
of John’s disciples, remember, came to him with the question,
“John the Baptist sent us with the question, Are you the one
who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” Now, although
he could have said, I and no other, he urged them to refer to
the ancient prophecy in the words, “Go and tell John what you
have heard and seen: blind people see, lame people walk, lep-
ers are cleansed and deaf people hear, dead people are raised,
poor people have the good news brought to them, and blessed
is anyone who takes no offense at me.”12
It is therefore true, as the prophet says, In the approach of the
years you will be acknowledged, and that at the time determined
of old, by the will and decree of the God and Father, Christ
was brought to light. In the last times of the age, in fact, he was
made manifest to us, was acknowledged, and has been confessed,
as of course even before the others Nathanael proclaimed in
the words, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God, you are the King of
Israel.”13 So in the approach of the years he was acknowledged, that is,
at the time of the Incarnation. He was acknowledged both by the
holy ones and now by all the earth under heaven; we have come
to know the one in between two living beings, the mercy seat as
foreshadowed in the Law’s riddles—namely, Christ.
In the disturbance of my soul you will remember mercy in wrath
(v.2). (125) Humankind offended the Creator as a result of the
transgression by Adam, who showed extremely little regard for
the commandment given him. Accordingly, we were both dis-
turbed and destroyed; in our wretched state we fell foul of curse
and retribution, and were under the power of death for hav-
ing provoked God. Our forefather Adam heard the words, re-
member, as root of the race, “Earth you are, and to earth you
12. Lk 7.20–23; Is 29.18–19, 35.5–6, and 61.1.

13. Jn 1.50.
will return.” But instead of ignoring us forever, the Creator had

mercy on us as God; even if “death in its power swallowed us,” as
the prophet says, still “God wiped away the tear from every face,
removed the people’s disgrace from all the earth.” By Christ, in
fact, the power of death was abolished, and sin was done away
with, the source of our disgrace; for “the Lord remembered us
and had mercy on us,” as the divinely inspired David sings.14 He
restored us to incorruption and life, in fact, despite our being
disturbed, as I just said, by divine wrath so as to suffer a lack of
the Spirit, that is, depression and dejection of soul, this being
the way death is exercised in us.
Now, the fact that we have been condemned to death for of-
fending God, and in turn saved by being shown mercy, blessed
David confirms by saying to the Creator of all things, “When you
avert your face, they will be disturbed and return to their dust;
when you send forth your Spirit, they will be created, and you
will renew the face of the earth.”15 In other words, we suffered
the aversion on account of the transgression by Adam, and re-
turned to the dust from which we were made; but when in turn
we were enriched with the divine Spirit in Christ and through
Christ, (126) we became sharers in his nature, according to the
Scriptures,16 and we were restored to our original condition,
and have been renewed and saved. What the divine Paul himself
writes is in fact true: that everything “in Christ is a new creation;
old things have passed away; lo, everything has become new.”17
So although we were disturbed from the beginning in suffering
the effects of divine wrath, in the approach of the years when Christ
was acknowledged and brought to light at the time determined of
old, then he remembered mercy. We have been justified, in fact, not
“by the works of the Law,” as Scripture says, nor “because of any
works of righteousness that we have done, but according to his
great mercy.”18
God will come from Teman, and the holy one from densely shady
Mount Paran (v.3). The sense of the passage is twofold, and we
shall explain it as far as possible, Teman meaning “south.” Now,
14. Gn 3.10; Is 25.7–8; Ps 115.12. 15. Ps 104.29–30.

16. 2 Pt 1.4. 17. 2 Cor 5.17.
18. Rom 3.20; Ti 3.5.
Paran is situated to the far south, where Horeb is also said to be,
the place where Moses represented the people of Israel to God
when he determined the norms of behavior. So in taking the
passage in one sense we would say this: God will come from Teman,
and the holy one from Mount Paran, or Horeb; that is, the one who
in olden times in the southernmost wilderness on Mount Horeb
appeared to the ancestors in the form of fire, the same one who
in olden times uttered the Law, will come and will be seen in the
flesh like us in the role of prophet and mediator, (127) as of
course the divinely inspired Moses also did, to whom it was said
by God, “I shall raise up a prophet like you for them from their
brethren, and put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them
all I command him.”19
If, on the other hand, you wanted to offer a different inter-
pretation for the text, it would go this way: Teman, as I said, was
the name they gave to the southernmost wilderness. According-
ly, they say that Bethlehem, where Christ was born, is situated in
the farthermost southern regions of Judea; it is said in regard
to it in a prophet’s statement, “You, Bethlehem, house of Eph-
rathah, are too insignificant to be among Judah’s thousands.
From you will emerge the one to be a leader who will shepherd
my people Israel.”20 So God will come from Teman, that is, from
Bethlehem in the south; the one who is by nature and in truth
God, the only-begotten Word of the Father, in becoming like
us was born of a woman in Bethlehem. Since it is the custom
of the divine Scripture, however, to compare the assembly of
the Jews sometimes to the most conspicuous of the mountains,
doubtless because it is seen to be thickly populated with innu-
merable famous men, consequently here, too, he likens it to
Mount Paran in the words, He will come from a densely shady moun-
tain, calling the mountain shady and dense because of the an-
cestors from whom Christ is descended. You can, for instance,
clearly hear blessed Luke’s genealogy leading from Joseph to
Adam, and Matthew’s in turn moving systematically from David
19. Dt 18.18. Jerome mentions both possible interpretations, the second

(the reference in Teman to Bethlehem) deriving from a Jew.
20. Mi 5.2, in a somewhat different phrasing from the text commented on
earlier.
and Abraham, as I said, to Joseph.21 (128) The assembly, there-

fore, is shady and dense, producing at various times many people
from whom Christ sprang. After all, there is no doubting he
comes from Jews; he descended from Abraham and David—in
the flesh, I mean—and he says of himself, “Salvation is from the
Jews.”22
His virtue covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise
(v.3). While the only-begotten Word of God became a mercy
seat through faith to people on earth when he appeared like us
even in the form of a slave, that is, a human being, he somehow
seemed for this reason to be inferior to the holy angels them-
selves and to rank after them in importance, though as God he
was Most High. Paul in his wisdom confirms this in the words,
“We see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the an-
gels, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of
death,” since he had become “obedient unto death, death on a
cross.” Consequently, as the same writer says, “God highly exalt-
ed him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that
at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and
on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.”23
The prophet is therefore right in saying, His virtue covered the
heavens, and the earth was full of his praise. In other words, the
inhabitants of the holy city, who live in the mansions on high,
“are all spirits in the divine service, sent to serve for the sake of
those who are to inherit salvation,” whereas he is established on
the throne of Divinity. To none of the former was it said by the
God and Father, “You are my Son,” whereas he confesses him to
be Son and calls him Beloved, having him on the throne with
him to be praised and adored with him; the divinely inspired
Paul likewise said of him, “Again, when he brings the firstborn
into the world, he says, Let all God’s angels adore him.”24 So
even if he became a mercy seat by descending to human nature
on account of us and for us, he is no less God and above all cre-
ation—visible and invisible, I mean. In fact, his virtue covers the
heavens, and the earth will be full of his praise. The holy seraphim
21. Lk 3.23–38; Mt 1.1–11. 22. Jn 4.22.
23. Phil 2.7; Heb 2.9; Phil 2.8–11. 24. Heb 1.14, 5, 6.
have also openly proclaimed this while attending on his divine

throne and in praise properly paying homage to him as Lord
of hosts and God of all, saying that heaven and earth are full of
his glory.25 If, on the other hand, you preferred to say that the
glory of Christ is so great and eminent as also to cover the heavens
themselves, you would take a plausible view, provided that the
greatness is within measure. Blessed David also said somewhere,
remember, “Lord, your mercy is in the heavens, and your truth
extends to the clouds,”26 signifying the eminence of goodness
and the extraordinary degree of truth in terms of body and
place.
His brightness will be like light (v.4). The fact that (130) the
mercy seat of faith—that is, Christ—will come to illumine those
in darkness would be clear also from the statement of the holy
prophets. One said, “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, and
the other nations who dwell on the coast of Galilee, the people
seated in darkness have seen a great light”; and another, “Shine,
shine, Jerusalem, for your light has come, and the glory of the
Lord has risen upon you.” The God and Father has himself con-
firmed this in the words, “For Zion’s sake I shall not keep silent,
and for Jerusalem’s sake I shall not rest, until my righteousness
emerges like a light, and my salvation burns like a torch,” by
“righteousness” and “salvation” meaning Christ, “who became
for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification
and redemption,” as Scripture says.27 So like a torch for people
walking in darkness, Christ emerged for us, by Gospel instruc-
tion ridding us of that ancient gloom which the enemy of all
imparted to our minds, not allowing us to contemplate the one
who is by nature and in truth God, nor to consider the path
of piety and life. The brightness, therefore, which Christ showed
us, will be like light, that is, not faint and weak like, of course,
that coming through Moses, since the Law involves riddles and
shadows; instead, like light pure and unaffected by gloom, enter-
ing into mind and heart, flashing spiritual brilliance on us, and
shedding the beam of genuine knowledge.
Horns are in his hands (v.4). The word horn is used consistently
25. Is 6.3. 26. Ps 36.5.
27. Is 9.1–2, 60.1, and 62.1; 1 Cor 1.30.
by the inspired writings (131) either for kingship and power,

or for arrogance. Blessed David also conveys this in the words,
“I said to the transgressors, Do not transgress, and to the sin-
ners, Do not lift up your horn, do not raise your horn on high,
and do not speak injustice against God.” “In uttering bombastic
nonsense,” in fact, some people speak injustice against God, as
Scripture says,28 undermining the correctness of the teachings
about him, or even insulting him in some other way.
Now, horn suggests power when it refers to the God and Fa-
ther revealing the Son to us: “He raised up for us a horn of salva-
tion,” and again, “His horn will be uplifted in glory.”29 Now, all
that Christ achieved against the odds was done with distinction.
The Only-begotten comes in a form like ours, then, putting up
with the appearance of our limitations in respect of flesh and
humanity;30 but as God he has all the horns in his hands, that is,
all kingdoms, in terms of all the force of the opposing activities.
When we say in his hands, we mean “in his power”; we are taught
to say to God in prayer, “My lot is in your hands.”31 Now, there is
no doubting that every diabolical power has been subjected to
Christ along with the so-called horns, that is, all those through-
out cities and tyrannical places of the unclean spirits. They had
divided up the whole earth, in fact: (132) some he drove out of
people authoritatively; others approached him and “begged him
not to order them to go back into the abyss,” as is written by the
holy evangelists. The fact that he also dislodged from his tyran-
nical rule over us the very leader of the unclean spirits—namely,
Satan—we shall easily perceive from the words of Christ himself,
“Now is the judgment of this world, now the ruler of this world
will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will
draw all people to myself.”32 Even though he became man, there-
fore, he still has in his hands—that is, in his power—the tyranni-
cal rule, or kingdoms, or powers, of the opposing forces. If, on
the other hand, you wanted to be more particular in taking the
view that Christ has horns in his hands, that is, invincible and irre-
sistible strength, and that he easily and effortlessly uses a horn to
28. Ps 75.4–5; 2 Pt 2.8. 29. Lk 1.69; Ps 112.9.

30. “Appearance”: Greek, dokêsis. 31. Ps 31.14–15.
32. Lk 8.31; Jn 12.31–32.
strike and cleave any of the enemy he chooses, and launches on

them an unbearable assault like that of a young bull, you would
likewise be correct in your interpretation.
And he placed a powerful love of his strength (v.4). Christ came
to achieve two things: on the one hand, to destroy adversaries
who led astray the whole earth under heaven, robbing God
the Creator by purloining the glory due to him alone and be-
decking their own heads with it; and, on the other, to rescue
those who were deceived and subjected to a truly unbearable
oppression. (133) The fact that the power of the former was
lost and completely disappeared he conveys by saying, Horns are
in his hands, namely, those that overturn their control and strike
down their arrogance with a horn, as it were. And the fact that
he was destined to rescue us he demonstrates in advance by say-
ing, He placed a powerful love of his strength; in other words, we
have been saved, “not by works of righteousness that we our-
selves performed,” not by achievements of the Law, since “the
Law made nothing perfect,” but from the clemency of the God
and Father, who for our sake placed a powerful—that is, strong
and mighty—love of the Son. The God and Father, remember,
“so loved the world as to give his only Son so that everyone
believing in him might not perish but have eternal life.”33 It is
therefore out of the love of the God and Father that we have
been saved, as well as by the Son’s enduring death for us, even
if he came to life again, canceling the control of corruption and
removing sin from us; accordingly, he said, “No one has greater
love than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”34 The love
of the strength of the God and Father is strong, therefore, since
through it we have been delivered from death, sin, and the op-
pression of the devil.
Before his face will go a word (v.5). A pronouncement will pre-
cede him, he is saying, and rumors will fly up in advance, and
there will be many words about him. In other words, as soon
as Christ was born of the holy virgin, immediately there came
also from (134) the east the magi, as if the star that unexpect-
33. Ti 3.5; Heb 7.19; Jn 3.16.

34. Jn 15.13.
edly appeared in the sky reported to us the birth occurring in

the divine plan. Since with the arrival of the due time he also
began to be a worker of astonishing signs, then “word of him
went out to the whole of Syria,” as the evangelist said.35 In fact,
he really became celebrated even throughout the whole earth
under heaven: who was ignorant of the glory of Christ? Which
nation or country remained unacquainted or unaware of the
force abiding in him? As he himself likewise said, in fact, the
Gospel has been preached to all the nations,36 and like the
sun the splendor of what was done by him has enlightened the
whole earth.
And his feet will go forth into the countryside (v.5). It would be
like saying again, Nothing is difficult or impossible for him. He
proceeds in every circumstance as though by a level and flat
path; accessible and level parts of the countryside are easily nego-
tiated. So everything was simple for Christ, and whatever way he
wished to traverse—meaning everything that was being accom-
plished—would be completely free of every difficulty. After all,
what would he not achieve without the slightest problem, being
by nature God and Lord of the powers? He therefore clarifies
the interpretation by a practical comparison with people going
into the countryside. If, on the other hand, you wanted to under-
stand the countryside as the humble (135) of heart, who are also
styled “a chosen land” and “God’s field” in the sense of receiv-
ing seed from above and from heaven, and yielding a crop,
some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty, you would likewise
be right.37 The Son, in fact, emerges into such a countryside, as
it were, to cultivate it, according to the statement made by him
in the form of a parable, “The sower went out to sow his seed.”
David also somewhere sings, “Your countryside will be filled
with richness,” and goes on to say, “The valleys will abound with
grain.” The fact that he allowed the valleys to be understood
spiritually he proceeded at once to imply, saying, “They will
35. Mt 2.2 and 4.24. In the lemma the LXX has read Heb. dabar, “word,” for
deber, “pestilence”—an understandable error, Jerome explains, when the Heb.
offers only the three consonants.
36. Mk 13.10.
37. Mal 3.12; 1 Cor 3.9; Mt 13.23.
cry out and sing praise”;38 real valleys cannot sing praise or cry
out—only spiritual ones, and on these the divine word would
alight from above like dew.
He took his place, and the earth shook (v.6). The phrase took a
place would frequently be understood in the inspired Scripture
to mean something reaching fulfillment, as if you were to say,
The event, or word of this, took place; that is, it was over and
done with. Thus, after circumcising her child with Moses’ flint,
Zipporah said to the destroying angel, “There had taken place
blood-letting in the circumcision of my son”;39 she meant to
convey, not that blood-letting had ceased, but that the rite of
circumcision has been performed, and what was wanted had
been done, since the one who is circumcised by the spiritual
flint cheats death. (136) Now, the spirit of Christ is such a flint,
as of course Joshua is, too, who after the time of Moses had
brought the people of Israel across the Jordan, and bade them
be circumcised with blades of stone as a type of circumcision in
spirit;40 just as Christ is called a stone, so too his Spirit is called a
flint, or stone blade.
Took place therefore, often means also fulfillment of some-
thing. Christ, then, took his place; that is, events concerning him
reached fulfillment, and he appeared to people on earth, and
the earth shook. By earth he means the inhabitants of earth, who
also shook. In what way—come now, let us explain as far as we
can. People of old, you see, who were of set purpose in want-
ing to do evil, were fixed in impiety, committed to fleshly plea-
sures, and devoted to error, were shaken and moved, and were
brought to the knowledge of God and a desire for virtue. Simi-
larly moved in respect of worship according to the Law were
also the descendants of Israel who embraced faith in him; they
changed to an option for life by the Gospels and to living by the
laws of the Savior. Now, the fact that being shaken sometimes
suggests change from one thing to another would be clear from
blessed David’s singing in these words: “He sits enthroned upon
the cherubim; let the earth shake”41—not that we claim he urg-
38. Lk 8.5; Ps 65.11, 13. 39. Ex 4.25.

40. Jos 5.3. 41. Ps 99.1.
es the earth to move; rather, he seeks a change from worse to

better. (137)
While this is one sense of the passage, you could take it also
in a different sense. The earth took his place, and shook: the earth
experienced two things, taking its place and shaking. There is
need to give a clear explanation in both cases. It took its place,
then; intoxicated, as it were, easily moved to any kind of wrong-
doing, and tossed about, as it were, by every breeze, it then
gains a firm and stable position, with Christ steadying it, in ac-
cord with that statement in Isaiah made to the assembly of the
Jews, “Take your place, Zion.”42 But it has been shaken again, as
I foretold previously, by forsaking its former deception and re-
specting the change to everything that is pleasing to God. For
the earth at the one time to take its place and also be shaken is
paradoxical; Christ is the one who both makes it committed to
every good work and is involved in encouraging the adjustment
from worse behavior to better.
He looked down, and nations withered, mountains were violently
shattered (v.6). God’s looking down suggests an inspection, on the
one hand, as though made sometimes with gentleness and love,
and at other times in anger and threatening. Scripture says, for
example, “On whom shall I look down, if not the one who is gen-
tle and peaceable and who trembles at my words?” The divine-
ly inspired David also prays somewhere in these words: “Look
down on me and have pity on me.” In a (138) statement in Eze-
kiel he said of someone, “I shall set my face against that person;
I shall leave him desolate and do away with him, and shall re-
move him from the midst of my people, and you will know that
I am the Lord.”43 Now, this came from him when threatening
wrath, destruction, and the retribution due to offenders. At the
same time Christ looked down, that is, directed his eye on some
people in wrath, and immediately they withered like wax, and like
a flaming fire mountains were violently shattered. Now, by nations
and mountains he means the unclean spirits and people proud of
themselves, conceited, and, like mountains, overbearing others;
their haughtiness comes completely from depravity and their
42. Not Isaiah, in fact, but Jer 31.21 LXX.
43. Is 66.2; Pss 86.16 and 119.132; Ezek 14.8.
oppression from arrogance. Or perhaps it suggests the extent of

the ferocity innate in them; in their arrogance the demons op-
pose God and strive to apply to themselves the glory due to him.
But they were violently shattered; they are shattered by the power
of Christ, depart into impotence, and are made subject to the
believers. Satan likewise in some other place is called a mountain,
God saying somewhere in the statement of the prophet to him
in the person of Nebuchadnezzar, “I am against you, O destroy-
ing mountain, that destroys the whole earth.”44
Eternal hills melted (v.6). By making an obscure reference to
the wicked and hostile (139) powers, which oppose also the
glory of Christ and divert people on earth towards sin, he in-
evitably introduced also the leaders of the Jewish synagogue,
whom he calls hills, doubtless on account of the impression of
being raised on high and dominating others from their rank
of priesthood and the dignity accruing to it. He calls them eter-
nal because of the permanence of the situation, service of God
being incessant; he is praised at every moment and time. Af-
ter all, even if the force of worship in shadows and types has
come to an end, yet the nature of the practice has changed for
the better; the presidents of the holy churches worship God no
less, and celebrate the bloodless sacrifice to him. So the hills are
eternal because of the permanence and continuity of the wor-
ship. Nevertheless, they are crushed together with the spiritual
mountains, and melted along with the nations; since they formed
attitudes pleasing to the demons and carried out the will of
the devil, consigning the Author of life to the cross and raging
against him in many ways, consequently it was right for them to
suffer retribution and collapse with them, and, as the prophet
says, “The house of Israel collapsed, and there is no one to raise
it up.”45
At his eternal passage for hardships I saw (v.6). It is customary
with the sacred writings to refer by passage, ways, and paths to
the divine commandments, as in the case of the statement in
(140) Jeremiah: “Stand in the ways, ask the ancient paths, and
44. Jer 51.25.

45. Am 5.1–2.
see which is the good way; travel by it, and you will find purifica-
tion for your souls.” As well, in the statement of blessed David:
“I walked in the way of your commandments when you enlarged
my heart.”46 So hills melted, he says, that is, those appointed to
the position of leadership among the Jews and possessing the
ornaments of priesthood according to the Law. The passage or
commandments of Emmanuel, in fact, that is, the Gospel ora-
cles and teaching, for hardship I saw to be incomparably better
and clearer than the ancient utterances; that is, they considered
it burdensome and full of labor, despite the clear statement of
Christ the Savior of all, “Come to me, all you who labor and
are heavily burdened, and I shall give you rest. Take my yoke
upon you, and learn from me, because I am gentle and hum-
ble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke
is easy and my burden light.”47 Some, on the other hand, in a
different fashion considered his passage intolerable, though by
means of it one could easily reach eternal life; our Lord Jesus
Christ clarifies the force of the spiritual blessing in the words,
“Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son
of Man and drink his blood, you will not have life in you.” Some
of those listening to such august words, however, foolishly said,
“This saying is hard: (141) who can accept it? How can he give
us his flesh to eat?” The evangelist testified that “as a result of
this, many of his disciples went away, and no longer walked with
him.” And when Christ pressed the disciples themselves as to
whether they also wanted to leave, “Surely you do not also wish
to depart?” the divinely inspired Peter cried out in reply, “Lord,
to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”48 That
is to say, instead of their taking his passage for hardship, to them
the statement was pleasing and truly acceptable.
He says that the passage is eternal, never ceasing, but bring-
ing the one who begins it to eternity, and making the saving
preaching of the Gospel last forever, despite the former com-
mandment of the Law being obsolete and not above reproach,
46. Jer 6.16; Ps 119.32.

47. Mt 11.28–30. The verb “saw” in the lemma can be read as first person
singular or third person plural, and Cyril reads either where it suits him.
48. Jn 6.52–68.
as Paul says in his wisdom, and hence the introduction of the

second covenant, which is said to “have been enacted through
better promises.” The divinely inspired David, for example,
cried out in spirit to our Lord Jesus Christ, “Your righteousness
is an everlasting righteousness, and your Law is truth.”49 What
was in shadows did not abide, as I said; instead, the types came
to an end, whereas what is from Christ has lasted and is forever
unchanging.
Tents of Ethiopians will be terror-stricken, and tabernacles of Mid-
ian (v.7). More useful stories always contain something worth
hearing (142) and an unrestrained denunciation, even if the
same words are employed. Having previously announced the
lapse into weakness by the opposing forces, then, and shown
them to have withered in a manner similar to the nations and
to have been crushed like mountains, he proceeds to compare
them to the foreigners who campaigned against the land of the
Jews. These were the Ethiopians, located close to the Indian sea
to the east and south, and also the Midianites, who occupy the
neighboring wilderness. They will be terror-stricken, then, he says,
in fighting against the holy city, which we are to understand
as the spiritual Zion, or the church of Christ, occupied by the
saints, the chosen race, like the Israel of old as a type, Israel
meaning “Mind that sees God.” Nathanael also was admired for
being “truly an Israelite, in whom there is no deceit.”50 We shall
therefore understand the Ethiopians and Midianites, who were
ever bent on harming the chosen race—that is, Israel—by way
of image and type as the columns of the demons, who are hos-
tile to the saints.
On the other hand, you might also claim that in a different
sense the Ethiopians refer to the idolaters, whose life is of the
flesh and the earth and is involved in unclean things. Ethio-
pians are like that; instead of having the divine light in their
minds, they are, as it were, black at heart and dark in their
thinking, and they are said to have a dragon for food; David
somewhere sings in speaking to the God of all, “You crushed
49. Heb 8.13, 7, 6; Ps 119.142.

50. Jn 1.47.
the head of the dragon; you gave him as food to the Ethiopian
peoples.”51 In other words, just as we have the life-giving Word
of God for spiritual and holy food, so, too, those who love sin
(143) and have no knowledge of the one who is God by na-
ture feed, as it were, off Satan, having him for their mind, and
thinking and saying what is his. The Midianites in turn would be,
as I said, those hostile to the saints. If, on the other hand, you
chose to examine further the force of the name, Midian means
“sentenced” or “condemned.” Such a title would fit Satan and
the wicked powers with him, “for whom the deepest darkness is
reserved forever.”52
Surely you were not angry with rivers, Lord, nor was your wrath
against rivers, nor your fury against the sea? Because you will ride
on your horses, and your riding is salvation. You will draw your bow
against scepters, says the Lord (vv.8–9). The prophet’s purpose was
to present the second as better than the former arrangement,
clearer and involving incomparably greater goods. In the for-
mer case Israel was through Moses delivered from the slavery of
the flesh, with the transformation of the Egyptians’ rivers into
blood and the performance of signs and wonders; then the Red
Sea was parted, the redeemed brought across, and the Egyptian
warriors drowned in the waters. When the only-begotten Word
of God became man, on the other hand, he rescued the whole
earth under heaven from its subjection to the devil’s oppres-
sion, not by turning rivers into blood, (144) not by venting his
own wrath by waters, not by parting waves of a sea, not by inflict-
ing destruction on people, but by slaying the murderous drag-
on himself, by destroying the sin devised by him and as a result
of him, by undoing the daunting power of death, and by calling
everyone to knowledge of God through the holy apostles, who
traversed the whole earth under heaven, bruiting abroad the
name of Christ, and were quite rightly admired.
Accordingly, he is saying, O Lord, what you yourself have done
independently is thoroughly worthy of note, containing much
that is better than what was achieved by you as well through Mo-
51. Ps 74.14, cited also by Jerome.

52. 2 Pt 2.17; Jude 13. The derivation is Jerome’s. The PG ed. reads katakek-
rummenos instead of katakekrimenos.
ses; you will not inflict wrath on rivers; you will not rage against
a sea; it will not be by these means. By what? The marvel will be
resplendent by your power, which befits God: you will ride on your
horses, and your riding is salvation. Now, what would the horses be?
The blessed disciples, apostles, and evangelists, who were com-
pletely subject to the divine wishes, who were compliant, obedi-
ent, and ready to do anything at all pleasing to him, with Christ
as their rider and driver. One of them is blessed Paul, of whom
he personally says, “He is an instrument whom I have chosen
to bring my name before the nations.” Now, the horses are very
swift, traversing the whole earth under heaven. Likewise, “God’s
chariotry is said to be ten thousandfold, with thousands of stal-
warts,” innumerable at the time, (145) and after them came
leaders of peoples subjecting their rebellious minds to the Sav-
ior’s yoke, spreading abroad his glory everywhere, correctly ex-
pressing the message of truth,53 and by their mounts, as it were,
subduing the whole earth. Your riding is salvation; far from trav-
eling without purpose, they meant to save cities, countries, and
nations, with Christ overthrowing the rule of the demons, who
had tamed the whole earth, so to speak, subjecting its inhabit-
ants to their wishes. Since the former rule of the demons was
destined to collapse, however, he is consequently right to say,
You will draw your bow against scepters. As I just said, he will not
vent his fury against the river or sea; instead, he will overturn the
scepters of the demons.
The land of rivers will be split. Peoples will see you and suffer pangs.
Scattering waters of his passage (v.10). He mentions again the Sav-
ior’s achievements, and to the other nations, against whom the
bow is drawn or will be drawn, he says will be added also the land
of rivers, implying perhaps the land of the Babylonians, since at
that time the land between the rivers belonged to it. His purpose
is that by mention of this, using the figure of bodily enemies,
there may be reference also to the vast number of spiritual and
unseen enemies with whom the saints struggle.54 The prophets’
discourse is generally obscure; hence (146) by mention of a part
of the land between the rivers there is a reference to the land of
53. Acts 9.15; Ps 68.17; 2 Tm 2.15.
54. Eph 6.12.
the Babylonians, and through it in an obscure manner to the

herd of the demons.
Or perhaps the prophetic verse suggests to us something else
as well: by rivers he probably refers to Judea, doubtless because
of the great number of prophets in it, watering the nation like
rivers and, as it were, inundating it with divine floods. I think
that it is in reference to them that blessed David also says, “Riv-
ers will clap their hands as one,” and as well God says in Isaiah,
“The beasts of the field will bless me, sirens and daughters of
sparrows, because I gave water for drinking in the desert and
rivers in the dry land to my chosen race, my people to whom
I made it my business to outline my doughty deeds.” It is our
Lord Jesus Christ, in fact, who is referred to as a “torrent of de-
light,”55 and he truly is, and a river as well; it was in reference to
him that he said in the statement of the holy ones, “Lo, I shall
direct peace on them like a river, and inundate them with the
glory of nations like a torrent.” It is also said in the statement of
David, “The force of the river gladdens the city of God.”56
Now, no harm is done in comparing it to him and in refer-
ring to the holy prophets themselves as rivers, for the reason that
they are similar to him in a spiritual sense. Just as he is the true
light, you see, but said somewhere to the holy apostles, “You are
the light of the world,” so, too, while he it is who is a river and
also living water, he grants to the saints the right to glory in the
same role. Accordingly, the land of the spiritual (147) rivers—
namely, Judea—could not bring itself to drink the living water,
nor accept the message of the holy prophets or that of Moses; if
they had believed Moses, they would have believed Christ, since
he wrote of him.57 It will be split, that is, will thirst; thirsty terrain
splits.
The prophet marvels, therefore, making, as it were, the mor-
al remark, The land that formerly had many rivers and an abun-
dant supply of the divine streams will be thirsty and lack water.
But when peoples in a spiritual sense witnessed your coming, O
Lord—that is, those of the nations who understood the mystery
55. Ps 98.8; Is 43.20–21; Ps 36.8. 56. Is 66.12; Ps 46.4.

57. Jn 5.46.
in your case—they immediately accepted the good amidst the

birth pangs, and proved fruitful. You could apply to them as
well the statement, “For fear of you, Lord, we conceived, suf-
fered birth pangs, and gave birth; we produced a spirit of your
salvation on earth.”58 In other words, by choosing Emmanuel as
Savior and Redeemer, they felt the pangs of divine fear; every
issue of their mind will be a fruit of virtue, and their efforts will
result in a spirit of salvation. Therefore, peoples will see you and
suffer pangs by drinking of your streams and being inebriated
with the evangelical streams. They eagerly made the approach
to the one who says, “If anyone thirsts, let them come to me and
drink,” for you were so munificent and kind as even to scatter
waters in his very passage, that is, the life-giving message of the
Gospel teaching. As Matthew says, in fact, “Jesus went around
all the cities and towns teaching in their synagogues, preaching
the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and
every ailment of the people”59—the meaning, in my view, of scat-
tering waters of his passage. There is no doubting that the message
of inspired teaching is referred to as “water” in the sacred texts.
The deep gave forth its voice, the height of its imagining. The sun
was lifted up, and the moon stood in its place for light (vv.10–11). By
deep he refers to the peoples suffering birth pangs and proving
fruitful, presenting them as numerous beyond counting, like the
deep. The vast number of the holy angels are also given this name
in the statement of Ezekiel; God said somewhere, for example,
about Satan in the person of the ruler of Tyre, “When they dis-
patched him to Hades, the deep mourned for him”; after all,
since it was the descent and fall of the one surpassing all others
in splendor, who was also “ranked with the very cherubim,” in
the words of the prophet himself,60 it was not unlikely for him
to be deeply mourned by the spiritual deep, that is, the masses of
the spirits on high, and, as it were, lamented for his fate and his
offense to the God of all. It is the deep, therefore, he says—that
is, the immeasurable and incomprehensible multitude of believ-
ers—and as well the height of its imagining—that is, everything in it
58. Is 26.18.
59. Jn 7.37; Mt 9.35.
60. Ezek 31.15 (in reference rather to the Pharaoh) and 28.14.
that is splendid and elevated, gleaming with the finery or empty

glories of this world—that gave forth its voice. Christ is praised, in
fact, by every nation of human beings, and you could see small
and great enthusiastically doing so, (149) important and insig-
nificant, those more famous than the others, enjoying a pre-
eminence of glory or of wealth and splendor in this life—what
he rightly called imagining or height of imagining, being nothing
more for them than appearance, because “all flesh is grass, and
all human glory is the flower of grass.”61 The fact that the deep
gave forth its voice, and small and great venerate our Lord Jesus
Christ, blessed David also clarifies by saying, “Praise the Lord
from the earth, you dragons and all deeps.” To them he adds
“mountains and hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and
all cattle, creeping things and flying birds,” and proceeds, “Let
rulers and all judges of the earth, young men and maidens, el-
ders with youngsters, praise the name of the Lord.” The mighty
Isaiah also said somewhere to us in reference to him, “Kings will
see him and be afraid, and rulers will bow down before him.”62
He supplies the reason, as it were, why the deep and also the
height of its imagining gave forth its voice, proceeding at once, The
sun was lifted up, and the moon stood in its place for light. Now, just
as we interpreted the deep, not in physical terms, which would
be very materialistic, but spiritually and intellectually, so, too, in
this case we shall not direct the eye of our mind to the heavenly
bodies, namely, sun and moon; instead, moving by way of com-
parison from them to a better level, we shall perceive the force
of the ideas. By sun, therefore, we claim that there is a reference
to the lightsome and shining spiritual guidance of the Gospel
oracles, and likewise by moon to the lesser (150) and more in-
distinct light of the Law, which shone at the time before the
coming as though at night and in darkness. Day is the name
given, in fact, to the time when Christ shone forth, the sun of
righteousness, the spiritual morning star, rising in the hearts
of the believers. The divinely inspired David says, for instance,
61. Is 40.6. Cyril is unaware that “imagining” in the LXX replaces the Heb.
form for “hands,” thus rendering “it lifts its hands on high,” as “the height of
its imagining was lifted up”—though Cyril’s text divides this verse and the next
differently.
62. Ps 148.6–13; Is 49.7.
“This is the day the Lord has made; we shall be glad and rejoice
in it.”63 Just as the material sun, when it is still near the ground
and hardly risen from the earth, not yet full and brilliant, keeps
its light to itself, suppressed, as it were, whereas when it leaps up
it casts the blinding bolt of its beams to people everywhere, so,
too, the teaching of Christ, while suppressed in the beginning
and unknown to many, rose like the sun, as it were, in a short
time climbed on high, and by releasing the beam of the knowl-
edge of God strikes the deep, that is, the whole human race, and
consequently gave forth its voice. It gives praise, in fact, as I said,
calls on God, and confesses Emmanuel to be Lord and Redeem-
er of all.
The sun was lifted up, then, and no less the moon—that is, the
Law—stood in its place for light; the instruction from Moses gave
way to the Gospel teaching, that being its place, since it is shad-
ow and type. But since Christ is the fullness of Law and Proph-
ets, the Law also gained brilliance; comparing the outcome with
what was formerly promised in it, we also marveled at the light
of the Law itself (151) nicely prefiguring to us in many ways
the mystery of Christ. So it stood for light. Christ also personally
blesses those who combine in themselves the teaching of Law
and Gospels, saying, “Hence I tell you, that every scribe”—that
is, the person who knows the Law—“trained in the kingdom of
heaven is like a rich man who brings out of his treasure new
things and old.”64
Now, we shall accept also another sense different from this,
which is not implausible in my view—rather, it is quite proba-
ble. We say, remember, that Emmanuel is sun, and quite prop-
erly; this is his name, and it is true. The reference in moon, on
the other hand, should be taken, on the basis of comparison
with the heavenly body, to be the church of God, made visible
to people in darkness, and, as it were, shining in the night. So
when the sun was lifted up, in terms of the prophet’s statement—
in other words, when Christ ascended the precious cross for our
sake—then it was that the church from the nations also shone
forth and stood in its place for light, that is, like a full moon, and
63. Mal 4.2; 2 Pt 1.19; Ps 118.24.

64. Mt 13.52.
by adhering to its peculiar cycle it became light to those in dark-

ness, as I just said. Now, the fact that it was when Christ was lift-
ed up and endured the cross for the life of all that the church
came into existence, he himself likewise teaches: “Very truly I
tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls and dies, it remains by it-
self, but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” And again, “And I, when
I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”65
(152) So the lifting up of the sun suggests either the passion on
the cross or the ascension into heaven, for this is the way we say
he was lifted up.
Your shafts will proceed into the light of the flash of your weapons
(v.11). Here by shafts that travel throughout the earth, dis-
patched, as it were, from a bow or strong hand, he means the
holy apostles and evangelists, of whom blessed David also said
somewhere, “Like javelins in a warrior’s hand are the sons of the
shaken.”66 While the nation of the Jews was in fact shaken and
rejected, doubtless because of their frenzy against Christ when
he invited them to life, their offspring, though of the bloodline
of Israel, became shafts and javelins as the chosen disciples, fly-
ing, as it were, from a strong hand, and easily penetrating ev-
ery victim mortally. Shafts of this kind, in fact, when dispatched,
as it were, from the hand of Christ, become embedded in the
devil’s entrails and do away with the dragon. Blessed David, for
example, sings a hymn to our Lord Jesus Christ in the words,
“Your arrows are sharp, mighty one; peoples will fall under you
in the heart of the king’s foes.” The columns of the demons are
therefore destroyed by such shafts, and prove the ruin of the
foe, while, on the other hand, for those that acknowledge and
respect his coming through faith, they fulfill a different pur-
pose, (153) making them wounded with love, as the bride says
in the Song of Songs, “I am wounded with love.”67
It is in a different fashion as well, however, that they emerge
as light of the flash of his weapons. Understood as his weapons
would be what blessed Paul bids us apply in our own case, “Put
65. Jn 12.24, 32.

66. Ps 127.4.
67. Ps 45.5 (where Chrysostom and Theodoret note the unusual sequence
of thought); Song 5.8.
on the armor of God,” namely, the breastplate of righteousness,

the helmet of salvation, the shield of faith, with our feet shod in
the readiness for the gospel of peace, the sword of the Spirit.68
Such, then, are the weapons of Christ, not worn by him but given
by him to those who are worthy. They are shining weapons, as
it were, flashing, virtue being a splendid thing; so the shafts will
produce light of the flash of your weapons. Because the weapons
are flashing, in fact, those who teach the ignorant enlighten
them; while to those addicted to sin, virtue is, as it were, ugly
and not yet splendid, it is nonetheless flashing to those familiar
with it, splendid and bright, making a person conspicuous to ev-
eryone everywhere. First, then, the inspired disciples, who emit
the flashing of their weapons, will provide its light also to others.
You see, just as those with medical skills, when they come across
people with eye problems shunning the light of the sun’s rays,
rid them of the complaint by persuading them to put up with
the effect of light, and would thus prove to be a kind of light
to them, so, too, (154) the inspired disciples, by admiring and
commending the virtues, which have been assigned as weapons
by Christ, prove to be for other people a kind of light of the flash-
ing or splendor within them.
With threats you will diminish the earth, and in anger you will
bring down nations (v.12). After implying to us the devastation
of the land of the Jews and the ruin of the nations inhabiting
it, the prophet here gives us a glimpse of it. Since they had in
fact not professed faith in Christ, but had rebelled against him
and “killed the Author of life,” consequently they were also giv-
en over to desolation, as Isaiah had prophesied to them in the
words, “Alas for the lawless: an evil fate will befall him in keep-
ing with his behavior.”69
You issued forth to the salvation of your people, to save your anoint-
ed; you sent death on the heads of the lawless; you raised up bonds as far
as the neck forever (v.13). Once more he outlines, as it were, the
whole plan of the Incarnation of the Only-begotten. While he
saved those who have been justified by faith, anointed with the
Holy Spirit, and made sharers in his divine nature, he allowed
68. Eph 6.11–17.
69. Acts 3.15; Is 3.11.
those opting for unbelief to be wasted by their sins, (155) saying

to them, “I say to you truly that unless you believe that I am he,
you will die in your sins.”70 Accordingly, you issued forth, the text
says, like some king advancing on the columns of the adversaries
and armed in warlike fashion. The purpose of his issuing forth
was to save your anointed, namely, those anointed by the Holy Spir-
it, of whom he gave instructions of old through prophets: “Lay
no hand on my anointed ones, and do my prophets no harm”;71
to the lawless deliver death, which they would be guilty of bring-
ing on their own heads for not accepting the faith that justifies.
Consequently, they have been surrendered also to unbreakable
bonds, and are held in the chains of their own sins,72 not par-
tially, but, as it were, on their whole body as far as the neck.
If, on the other hand, the reference were to the bonds of
Christ, let no one be alarmed; what happens by God’s permis-
sion is generally attributed to him, as with the statement, “There
is no evil in the city for which the Lord was not responsible”73—
not that he causes evil, only allowing it to happen to cities’ evil-
doers. If, on the other hand, the bonds referred to here were tak-
en to mean complimentary things, again we claim that, though
death was sent on the heads of the lawless, the God of all embraces,
as it were, with bonds of love those approaching him, justified by
faith and sanctified by the Spirit, in accord with the statement
made in the prophet about the descendants of Israel, “And I
bound (156) Ephraim; I took him up in my arms; I drew them
in the bonds of my love.”74 Now, the bond as far as the neck here is
understood as the compliance of those submitting their will to
him and submitting to the truly loving yoke of our Savior.
You cut down heads of warriors in a stupor; they will be shaken by it
(v.14). The term stupor is taken in various ways in the inspired
Scripture. Sometimes, in fact, it suggests amazement, as if you
were perhaps to say of those sinning against the people of Is-
rael, “Heaven was astonished at this,” and again, “Astonishment
70. Jn 8.24. 71. Ps 105.15.

72. Prv 5.22.
73. Am 3.6, the saying that Chrysostom also cites as a popularly misquoted
text used to justify moral irresponsibility.
74. Hos 11.3–4.
and terror fell on the earth.” Sometimes, on the other hand, it

suggests a change from an earthly attitude to some divine and
spiritual condition of behavior and living; the divinely inspired
Paul, for instance, writes to some people in the words, “If we
are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind,
it is for you.”75 In other words, just as we say that the movement
from base to better things is a stupor acceptable to God, so, too,
we affirm that the change from good things to base is a vile and
loathsome stupor.
Accordingly, he says, You cut down heads of warriors when they
were in a stupor of that kind, referring to those of the leaders of
Israel, definitely scribes and Pharisees and the priests who min-
istered by Law. They really moved in a stupor from an upright
attitude, sound outlook, and love for God, by not accepting the
Son but rather killing him, (157) even though consciously ad-
mitting that “this is the heir.” Now, the manner in which the
cutting down should be understood is properly clarified by the
statement of the divinely inspired David to God, the Savior of
all, “Allot them their fate in their life,” since Israel was God’s
“lot” and “cord of his inheritance.”76 Since they were guilty of
sacrilegious frenzy against the Son, however, the beloved was
rejected and divided, and forfeited the hope of those who be-
lieved, was disinherited and discarded, excluded from his pres-
ence, in second place behind the nations, who make this claim
of themselves: “Blessed are we by the Lord, who made heaven
and earth,” and “the Lord is our God, and has appeared to
us.”77 Accordingly, Israel was cut down, and in losing the blessing
it was no longer God’s lot, but rather the devil’s, dishonored
and loathsome.
He next says in reference to the stupor that they will be shaken
by it; that is, they will fall; what suffers trembling and shaking is
close to falling. The prophet, as it were, laments their manifold
destruction in saying, “The house of Israel fell, there is no one
to raise it up.”78
They will relax their reins like a poor man eating furtively (v.14).
75. Jer 2.12 and 5.30; 2 Cor 5.13. 76. Mt 21.38; Ps 17.14; Dt 32.9.
77. Pss 115.15 and 118.27. 78. Am 5.1–2.
Though there is extreme difficulty in both context and text,

we shall comment on it to the extent possible by clearly distin-
guishing the force of the ideas. After outlining the condition in
which the heads of the important people should definitely have
been—namely, those of the synagogue of the Jews appointed
to leadership—he immediately moves to the holy apostles, who
in the beginning had deep fear of the persecutors. (158) Af-
ter all, they had been scourged in the council and ordered to
speak to no one in the name of Christ. But they met in secret
and offered supplication to God in these words: “For in this city,
in fact, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the gentiles and
the people of Israel, gathered together against your holy ser-
vant Jesus, whom you anointed. And now, Lord, look at their
threats”—namely, those of the Jews—“and grant to your ser-
vants to speak your word with boldness.”79 So those who were,
so to speak, restrained by fear as by some reins and forced to
keep silence, having been scourged and abused, only speaking
to some people furtively, and resembling, as it were, a poor man
eating, will relax their reins, as if you were to say, they will definitely
develop such forthrightness as is most appealing and fitting for
them. Far from caring about the synagogue of the Jews, they will
scorn their threats, and, as it were, by snapping the rein imposed
on them, like dashing and bucking horses they will now whinny,
deterred by no one, and fill the earth under heaven with their
own cry. The divinely inspired Isaiah also said something like
that to those ministering the Gospel message: “Get you up to
a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings; lift up your
voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings; lift it
up, have no fear. Lo, our God, lo, the Lord comes with might
and his arm with lordship.”80
So those who formerly, he is saying, were like a poor man eating
furtively, that is, lacking forthrightness, only secretly nourished
by the faith of the believers, (159) will relax their reins in satis-
faction, in the sense already explained. The fact that the faith
of those saved is a kind of nourishment both for God and the
saints Christ himself confirms in the words about the conver-
79. Acts 5.40 and 4.27, 29.

80. Is 40.9–10.
sion of the Samaritans: “I have food to eat of which you are un-
aware”; and again, “My food is to do the will of the one who sent
me, and to complete his work.”81
You rode your horses into the sea, churning up many waters (v.15).
The verse continues to maintain the tenor of the comparison;
after mentioning reins he used the word horses in reference
to the holy apostles, on whom Christ himself was also riding,
mounted, as it were, on their mind and heart. So he endeavors
to convey the fact that they were due to guide towards faith not
only the people of Israel but also the vast and immeasurable
multitude of the other nations. On the one hand, in fact, he
compares the world to a sea, in keeping with the statement of
praise in the Psalms, “This sea is great and wide; creeping things
innumerable are there.”82 On the other hand, he compares to
many waters the hordes of the nations throughout the earth, and
to horses, as I said, the holy apostles, who traversed the whole
earth under heaven and helpfully churned up the idolaters who
were snorting, as it were, and resting in error; they frightened
them by calling them to fear because they were heading for
punishment and destined to undergo retribution by fire (160)
unless they opted to repent and acknowledge the one who is
by nature and in truth God. The divinely inspired Paul, for ex-
ample, addressing the Athenians, and then claiming they were
more religious than all other people, caused them considerable
alarm by proceeding, “While God has overlooked the times of
ignorance, therefore, he now gives the command to people for
everyone everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on
which he is due to judge the whole world in righteousness by a
man whom he has appointed, providing assurance to everyone
by raising him from the dead.”83 So the water churned up is the
multitude throughout the world, which is frequently compared
to waters, and rightly so, especially since human life resembles
a sea, because there is a great turmoil of affairs in it, confusion
and change this way and that in every respect. Now, the water
was churned up as far as Israel was concerned: while some were a
single nation, others defied counting.
81. Jn 4.32, 34. 82. Ps 104.25.
83. Acts 17.22, 30–31.
I kept watch, and my heart was struck with the sound of a prayer of
my lips; trembling penetrated my bones, and my being was undermined.
I shall rest on the day of my calamity from going up to a people of my
sojourn (v.16). It is customary with the holy prophets to use the
term watch or “listening” to refer to the observation of heart and
mind that they would make when the Holy Spirit is conveying to
them the knowledge of the future. Accordingly, Habakkuk him-
self says, (161) “I shall stand at my watchpost, climb upon a rock,
and keep watch to see what he will say to me and what response
I should make to my correction.” Another one likewise: “I heard
a report from the Lord, and he dispatched a confinement to
the nations”; and furthermore the divinely inspired David also
says, “I shall listen to what the Lord God will say in me.”84 It is
something like this that the prophet now suggests by saying, I
kept watch, and my heart was struck—meaning, I have observed the
force of the words—and then I was deeply struck with the sound of
a prayer of my lips. In other words, he made supplication to God
in song, and singing was the form his prophecy took;85 but his
purpose and intention were not directed at rhythmical utter-
ance—rather, his anguish gave expression in grief, and he was
very afraid as the Spirit put into words in him the fate of the peo-
ple of Israel in times to come. Now, what particularly alarmed
him and convinced him to be afraid, in all probability, was this
alone: that somehow he would be left in the troubles, would con-
template the people’s collapse, and would witness death falling
upon the heads of the lawless and their being cut down in a stupor
and shaken in it, in the sense already explained.
Next, on learning that the vision still had a time to go,86 and
what was promised would be long delayed, he is, as it were, up-
lifted from unmitigated depression and now says, I shall rest on
the day of my calamity from going up to a people of my sojourn. In other
words, I shall not be caught up in such troubles, nor would I sur-
vive in this life when that time arrives when (162) such troubles
will definitely befall the people of Israel; I shall depart from here,
and transfer to a people that is sojourning in this life, as of course
I myself also am, since all the saints are sojourners and pilgrims
84. 2.1; Ob 1; Ps 85.8. 85. See n. 1, above.
86. 2.3.
in this world. Consequently, they say, “We have not here a lasting
city, but seek the one that is to come,” and somewhere blessed
David also sings to the God of all, “Grant me relief, because I
am a sojourner on earth and a pilgrim, like all my ancestors.”87
Accordingly, the saints’ intentions were commendable, unwill-
ing as they were to witness anything that would offend God; they
preferred departure from this world to life itself if what contrib-
uted to the glory of God could not be preserved. The divinely
inspired Paul, for instance, said that it would be better to be dis-
solved and be with Christ for those who had achieved such a de-
sire as to consider life in the body a sojourn.88
Because a fig tree will not bear, and there will be no fruit on the
vines; produce of an olive will be deceptive, and the fields will not yield
food. Sheep lacked feed, and there will be no oxen in the stalls from their
healing (v.17). There is a similarity here: when someone asks
and wants to learn why it is important to depart this life, or
rather go up to a people of his sojourn, he clouds in deep obscurity
the fruitlessness of the synagogue of the Jews, (163) and, as it
were, seems to lament the barrenness befalling it—something
he conveys to us in many figures, saying it will be like a fig tree
which would produce no fruit. Similarly the Savior himself gave
it this name, saying in figurative terms, “A man had a fig tree
planted in his vineyard,” and since it bore no fruit, he then said
it should be cut down lest it waste the soil. And somewhere on
the outskirts of Jerusalem he also declared the fig tree cursed;
on finding no fruit on it he said, “May no fruit ever come from
you again.”89
He compares it also to a vine bare of grapes; likewise, as
the prophet Isaiah says, “The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is
the person of Judah, something newly planted, beloved,” but
“though he cultivated it, built a wall, erected a tower in it, hewed
out a wine vat, and waited for it to produce grapes, it brought
forth thorns.” Consequently, as David says, “a boar from the for-
est ravaged it, and a solitary animal fed off it”; he destroyed “its
wall, and all who pass along the way have plucked its fruit.”90
As well, produce of an olive will be deceptive, that is again, of the
87. Heb 13.14; Ps 39.13, 12. 88. Phil 1.23.
89. Lk 13.6–7; Mt 21.19. 90. Is 5.7, 2; Ps 80.13, 12.
synagogue of the Jews. The prophet Jeremiah, in fact, also points

to it in saying, “The Lord called you a fair olive tree, shady in
appearance at the sound of its circumcision; fire was enkindled
against it; great was the distress befalling you; its branches were
rendered useless; and the Lord of hosts who (164) planted you
has had evil things to say against you.”91 Since, however, as the
prophet says, its produce will be deceptive in that, though guided
by Law and Prophets towards Christ, they did not embrace the
faith; consequently it was cut down, its branches felled, and then
grafted on were those from the wild olive—namely, those from
the nations, who became “sharers in the rich root of the culti-
vated olive.”92
He next says that the fields will not yield food, again comparing
Israel, in my view, to spoiled crops from which the farmer could
not harvest enough for food—a clear demonstration of utter
fruitlessness. He makes clear the fact that by suffering the fam-
ine of divine teachings they were destined to succumb to the
worst of all troubles, saying, Sheep lacked feed—that is, they had
nothing to eat—and there are no oxen in the stalls. The suggestion
from this is the complete failure of the sacred and chosen class
among them, namely, those of the tribe of Levi, who like oxen
grind the grain on the spiritual threshing floor and remove the
layers of obscurity from the message conveyed through the all-
wise Moses, providing, as it were, the kernel of the ear to the
others for understanding and for a kind of spiritual feed. These
men were in stalls, feeding off the offerings from the people,
tithes, first-fruits, thanksgiving offerings; hence, though sheep
lacked feed, no longer are there oxen in the stalls, that is, the leaders
and teachers of the people. Accordingly, (165) the divinely in-
spired Paul also directs at the heads of the teachers the require-
ment, “You must not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the
grain,” clearly interpreting for us what is in the Law.93
The oxen are deprived, he says, of their healing. While this
is unclear, it suggests the following, in my view: since they ill-
91. Jer 11.16–17, where the LXX has confused a rare Heb. term (probably
meaning “din”) with the word for “circumcision.”
92. Rom 11.17.
93. 1 Cor 9.9; Dt 25.4.
advisedly showed no interest in being healed by Christ, despite

his strengthening the weak and justifying the impious, conse-
quently they went lacking; that is, they were completely weak and
dissolved into nothingness. Offending God, therefore, is surely
a fearful thing, and will be productive of utter fruitlessness; we
shall also be deprived of spiritual nourishment, and suffer ex-
treme trouble as a result of it.
I shall rejoice in the Lord, be glad in God my Savior. The Lord my
God is my strength, and he will set my feet towards the end. He makes
me mount the heights for me to be victorious in his song (vv.18–19). In
this case, either the actual person of the prophet is clearly in-
troduced in making this statement, or you could claim that the
words come from those justified by faith, who find contentment
in Christ, are glad in him, acknowledge him as the source of the
strength abiding in them, and claim to be capable of everything
through him, as of course the divinely inspired Paul also says, “I
can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.” Blessed
David also sings somewhere, (166) “You are the boast of their
strength.”94 From him alone comes their expectation of being
generously enriched with constancy in reverence; the phrase He
will set my feet towards the end suggests to us nothing else than
that. The Hebrew text, at any rate, put “security” for towards the
end;95 what else would be suggested to us by “feet set towards
security” than constancy in reverence, as I said, perseverance in
virtue, and firmness in faith and love for Christ? The fact that
the life of those justified by Christ is not earthly and abject, but
is elevated and superior to every worldly and fleshly affair, he
declares by saying, He makes me mount the heights, the ornaments
of the evangelical lifestyle being the heights in God’s eyes.
Now, the fact that we shall prevail over the adversaries and
prove superior to the foes by singing his praises he affirms in
the words, for me to be victorious in his song.96 (167)
94. Phil 4.13; Ps 89.17.

95. This not a variant known to our Heb., Jerome, or the Antiochenes, who
all put “like the feet of a deer.”
96. Jerome and Theodore do not help Cyril see in this clause rather a rubric
for the benefit of the choirmaster.
INDICES
INDEX OF PROPER NA MES,
VOLUMES ONE AND TWO
Aaron, vol. 1: 42, 110; vol. 2: 13, Amaziah, priest, vol. 2: 5–6, 42,
80–81, 149, 247–48 101–4
Abel, vol. 2: 153 Amittai. See Jonah, prophet
Abimelech, vol. 2: 68 Ammon, vol. 1: 29; vol. 2: 26, 50, 85,
Abraham, vol. 1: 46, 50, 212, 226, 320, 321–22
251; vol. 2: 22, 68, 125, 184, 202, Ammonites, vol. 1: 29, 124n, 304,
234, 277–78, 374 306, 310; vol. 2: 26
Achan, son of Zerah, vol. 1: 81–82 Amorite, Amorites, vol. 1: 29, 145,
Achar, vol. 1: 82 212; vol. 2: 20, 35–36, 39, 337
Achaz, vol. 1: 33 Amos, father of Isaiah. See Amoz
Achor, vol. 1: 81–83 Amos, prophet, vol. 1: 259, 302n;
Adam, vol. 1: 19, 139, 143, 245, vol. 2: 5–131, 147
295–96, 298; vol. 2: 235, 278, 347, Amos, son of Manasseh, vol. 2: 302
371–72, 373 Amoz, vol. 2: 6n
Ader, vol. 2: 16 Anakim, vol. 2: 85
Admah, vol. 1: 216–17 Ananias, vol. 1: 298
Adonis, vol. 1: 118 Antioch, vol. 1: 3n, 5, 9, 18, 27n, 40n,
Adullam, vol. 2: 196–97 111n, 113n, 128n, 145n, 208n,
Afron, vol. 2: 321 226n, 232n, 237n, 243n, 244n,
Agag, vol. 1: 43–44 253n, 254n, 259n, 275n; vol. 2: 85,
Ahab, vol. 1: 35, 43–44, 48–49, 51–52, 109n, 147n, 150n
141; vol. 2: 10, 11, 27, 54, 254–56 Antiochene, Antiochenes, vol. 1: 6,
Ahaz, vol. 1: 5, 36–37, 134, 238, 244; 11, 12, 16n, 17n, 19, 22, 28n, 32n,
vol. 2: 18, 52, 182, 183, 261–62 33n, 36n, 40n, 63n, 79n, 82n,
Ahaziah, vol. 2: 10 103n, 134n, 137n, 139n, 142n,
Ai, vol. 1: 82 147n, 152n, 155nn, 156n, 189n,
Akkadian, vol. 2: 82n 197n, 198n, 245n, 247n, 273n,
Akkarim, vol. 2: 7 283n, 296n; vol. 2: 85n, 98n, 111n,
Alcmena, vol. 2: 161 169n, 232n, 237n, 273n
Alexandria, vol. 1: 3, 7n, 18, 20n, Antiochus Epiphanes, vol. 1: 264;
275n; vol. 2: 321 vol. 2: 85, 95, 128, 300
Alexandrian, vol. 1: 5, 9, 16, 22, 51n, Antipater, vol. 1: 53
63n, 74n, 97n, 172n, 189n; vol. 2: Aphrodite, vol. 1: 117
217n, 331n, 350n Apis, vol. 1: 121, 129, 196–97, 199
Amaziah, king, vol. 1: 33–34, 186, Aquila, vol. 1: 7, 129n; vol. 2: 18n,
202; vol. 2: 11–12 81, 193
403
404 INDEX OF PROPER NAMES
Arabah, sea, vol. 2: 11, 147 Azariah, son of Jeroboam, vol. 1:
Arabia, vol. 2: 143, 340 35–36, 49; vol. 2: 182
Arabians, vol. 1: 310
Arabs, vol. 1: 304; vol. 2: 13 Baal of Peor, vol. 1: 121, 124, 127,
Ararat, mountain, vol. 2: 207 182, 187, 199, 236–37; vol. 2: 100,
Arcades, vol. 1: 179 201, 284
Aristarchus, vol. 1: 15n–16n Baal, Baals, vol. 1: 11n, 29, 44, 47–48,
Armenia, vol. 2: 56 65, 67, 71–75, 78–79, 84–85, 94,
Armenians, vol. 2: 207 114, 117, 124, 141, 173, 177,
Arpad, vol. 2: 192 181–82, 199, 206–8, 211–12, 227,
Asa, vol. 2: 261 231, 234, 236, 288; vol. 2: 35, 48,
Ashdod, vol. 2: 9, 13, 19–21, 47, 50, 77, 187, 189, 201, 301–2, 327
51, 190n Baal-peor, vol. 1: 94, 117, 187
Ashkelon, vol. 1: 53; vol. 2: 19–21 Baasha, vol. 2: 261
Ashur, vol. 2: 152n Babylon, vol. 1: 15, 59, 61, 75, 77,
Ashurbanipal, vol. 2: 321n 146, 168, 197, 219–20, 231, 235,
Assur, vol. 1: 214 247, 263, 290, 304; vol. 2: 20, 50,
Assyria, vol. 1: 10, 12, 35–37, 55, 134, 62–63, 81–82, 85, 140, 143, 227,
146n, 150, 158–59, 173, 176–78, 228n, 229–31, 237, 240, 244,
191, 193, 197, 219, 244, 249–50, 264n, 265, 267, 269, 291n, 299,
304; vol. 2: 18, 47, 50, 51, 52, 154, 302, 304, 308n, 316n, 327, 332,
182, 264n, 265, 291n, 308n, 338n, 338, 342, 349, 352n, 358
352n, 354 Babylonia, vol. 1: 10
Assyrian, Assyrians, vol. 1: 5, 10, 36– Babylonian, Babylonians, vol. 1: 75,
38, 55, 57, 59, 61n, 63n, 67, 112, 77, 85, 124, 174, 179, 188, 190,
128, 132–34, 157–59, 164, 168– 195, 197–98, 200, 202, 219–20,
70, 173, 180, 188, 194, 197–98, 262, 275, 280, 288–90, 305–6;
202–3, 207–8, 215, 218, 222–23, vol. 2: 26, 40, 49, 62, 99, 114,
232, 241–42, 244, 264, 280–83, 128, 135n, 136, 140, 142, 152n,
287–88, 317; vol. 2: 13–14, 18, 192, 211, 228, 240, 244, 262–64,
19n, 47, 49, 50–52, 62, 74, 94–95, 266–67, 281, 286–87, 294, 303n,
97–100, 105, 121, 135n, 141, 143, 320–21, 326, 328, 332, 337–41,
152n, 182, 185, 194, 196–97, 214, 343–45, 350–57, 361, 363–64,
231, 237–40, 267, 269, 282, 285, 366, 385–86
292, 294, 295–97, 299, 303n, 308, Balaam, son of Beor, vol. 1: 114;
311, 318, 325–26, 354 vol. 2: 249, 318, 339
Astarte, vol. 1: 29, 117–18, 124, 127, Balak, son of Zippor, king of Moab,
181, 199; vol. 2: 284, 301 vol. 1: 114; vol. 2: 249, 318, 339
Athenians, vol. 2: 395 Baptist. See John the Baptist
Aubert, J., vol. 1: 6, 11, 27n Bardy, G., vol. 1: 16
Aubertus. See Aubert, J. Bashan, vol. 1: 14; vol. 2: 55–56, 271,
Augustine, vol. 2: 175n 273–75, 289–92, 295
Augustus. See Caesar Augustus Beelzebul, vol. 2: 26, 78, 209–10,
Azariah (Uzziah), vol. 1: 33–35; 316, 336
vol. 2: 12 Beeri, vol. 1: 33
Azariah, priest, vol. 2: 13 Beer-sheba, vol. 2: 68n, 115–16
INDEX OF PROPER NAMES 405
Bel, vol. 1: 85 Christian, Christians, vol. 1: 8, 17n,
Ben-hadad, vol. 1: 43, 49; vol. 2: 10, 21n, 172; vol. 2: 175n, 223n
17, 261 Chrysostom. See John Chrysostom
Benjamin, vol. 1: 29, 31, 32, 117–19, Cilicia, vol. 2: 154
125, 127–34, 179, 186, 202–3, Constantinople, vol. 1: 3, 18, 166n
304; vol. 2: 8, 53, 77, 83, 87, Corinthians, vol. 2: 33, 86
93, 99, 112, 142–43, 191, 195, Cyrene, vol. 2: 18, 18n–19n, 126
260–62, 308 Cyrus, ruler, son of Cambyses and
Beor. See Balaam Mandane, vol. 1: 10, 15, 32, 61,
Beth-aven, vol. 1: 128n 171, 192, 219–20, 264, 304, 316;
Bethel, vol. 1: 31n, 47, 119, 127, 196, vol. 2: 63, 128, 264, 267, 282, 295,
199, 225–27, 235; vol. 2: 5–6, 18, 297–98, 300, 303, 306–9, 314,
42, 48, 52, 54, 57, 67–68, 101–2, 323, 324, 326, 332, 349, 353, 354,
104, 106, 301 358, 363, 366
Beth-leaphrah, vol. 2: 192n
Bethlehem, vol. 1: 184, 185; vol. 2: Dagon, vol. 2: 201
233–35, 373 Daley, B. E., vol. 1: ix, 17n; vol. 2: ix
Bethuel, vol. 1: 261 Damascus, vol. 1: 37, 128, 134, 197,
Bosphorus, vol. 2: 143 298, 306; vol. 2: 9–13, 15–19, 21,
Bothros, vol. 2: 124–26 26, 51–52, 79, 82, 85, 95–96, 125,
Boulnois, M.-O., vol. 1: ix, 19n–20n; 255, 261–62, 290, 354
vol. 2: ix Dan, vol. 1: 31, 47, 119, 127, 184–86,
199, 235; vol. 2: 115–16
Caesar, vol. 2: 102, 338 Daniel, prophet, vol. 2: 364
Caesar Augustus, vol. 1: 112 David, vol. 1: 29–30, 38, 51, 59, 61–
Caiaphas, vol. 2: 306 63, 66, 68, 70, 87, 89, 98, 100, 124,
Cain, vol. 2: 153, 216 126–27, 132, 134, 140, 142, 194,
Calah, vol. 2: 152n 241, 247, 251, 253, 254, 255, 266,
Calneh, vol. 2: 85, 240 284, 309, 317; vol. 2: 8, 22, 29, 30,
Cambyses. See Cyrus 46, 48, 71, 84, 95, 113, 114, 120,
Canaan, vol. 1: 228, 230, 262 123, 127–29, 149, 164, 165, 166,
Canaanite, Canaanites, vol. 1: 120–21, 184, 193, 200, 210, 234, 252, 264,
212, 225, 229–30; vol. 2: 143, 337 272, 276, 288, 289, 290, 292, 301–
Cappadocia, vol. 2: 124, 126 2, 304, 324, 343, 344, 351, 356,
Carmel, vol. 2: 14–15, 119–20, 271, 361, 362, 366, 370, 372, 373–74,
274–75, 289–91, 295 375, 376, 378, 379, 380, 382, 383,
Carthage, vol. 2: 154n 386, 388, 390, 393, 396, 397, 399
Chalcis, vol. 1: 7 Decalogue, vol. 2: 223n
Chaldea, vol. 1: 220 Didymus the Blind, vol. 1: 5, 6, 9, 13,
Chaldean, Chaldeans, vol. 1: 114; 16, 17, 20, 22, 28n, 32n, 38n, 51n,
vol. 2: 50, 337, 340, 353–54, 357– 53n, 97n, 163n, 172n, 307n, 312n,
59, 362, 366 317n; vol. 2: 148n, 239n, 273n,
Chemosh, vol. 1: 29, 124, 127, 181– 283n
82, 199; vol. 2: 187, 201, 284 Dinah, vol. 1: 148–49, 152, 225
Christ, passim; see also Jesus, Jesus Diodore, vol. 1: 40n
Christ Doutreleau, L., vol. 1: ix, 6n; vol. 2: ix
Edom, vol. 2: 23–25, 27–28, 135, 112, 142–43, 187, 196, 209, 232,
136n 255, 308, 392
Edomites, vol. 2: 136n Ephrathah, vol. 2: 143, 233–34, 373
Egypt, vol. 1: 3, 31, 37, 50, 67, 76, Epiphaneia, vol. 2: 85, 95
83–84, 88, 145, 158–60, 164, 173, Esarhaddon, vol. 1: 304
176–77, 179–80, 188, 191, 194, Esau, Mount, vol. 2: 139–40, 142–44
197n, 200–201, 210–12, 214–15, Esau, vol. 1: 210, 224–25; vol. 2: 19,
219–20, 222–23, 230–31, 233–35, 22–25, 135–36, 138–39, 142
239–40, 242, 244, 250, 253, 263, Ethiopia, vol. 2: 124–25, 154, 320–21
289, 312, 316; vol. 2: 13, 16, 24, Ethiopian, Ethiopians, vol. 1: 16, 169;
36–37, 39, 41, 47, 49–50, 57, 61– vol. 2: 127, 321–22, 383–84
62, 66, 80–81, 84, 94–95, 110–11, Euripides, vol. 1: 3
121, 124–25, 135, 193, 204, 219, Eusebius of Caesarea, vol. 1: 5, 13,
247–50, 265–66, 271, 273, 282, 27, 40n
284, 320–21, 337 Ezekiel, prophet, vol. 1: 30, 41, 44n,
Egyptian, Egyptians, vol. 1: 129, 173, 61, 68, 107, 114, 118, 128, 131,
180n, 196, 250; vol. 2: 24, 29, 36, 146, 181, 182, 232, 262, 290, 295;
49–51, 62, 92, 93n, 95–96, 194, vol. 2: 16, 68, 97–98, 115, 119,
248, 288, 320, 322, 341, 384 170, 380, 387
Ekron, vol. 2: 9, 19–21 Ezra, vol. 1: 32n, 302–4, 305n
Elah, vol. 1: 36–37, 158, 244, 264
Elamites, vol. 1: 10; vol. 2: 9, 282, 353 Fernández Marcos, N., vol. 1: ix, 7n;
Eleazar, vol. 1: 110 vol. 2: ix
Eliakim. See Jehoiakim
Elijah, vol. 1: 44, 74, 141, 173; vol. 2: Gadi, vol. 1: 35
15, 60, 103 Gadites, vol. 2: 74n
Eliphaz, vol. 2: 136 Galilee, vol. 1: 124, 306; vol. 2: 21,
Elisha, vol. 1: 48, 141; vol. 2: 17, 28, 147n, 150, 152, 164n, 167, 182,
103 283n, 375
Elkosh, vol. 2: 283 Garamantes, vol. 2: 321
Eloth, vol. 2: 12 Gath, vol. 1: 306; vol. 2: 10, 13, 19–
Emekachor, vol. 1: 82–83 21, 84–86, 191–94, 196
Emmanuel, vol. 1: 51–53, 55, 99, Gath-hepher, vol. 2: 11, 147, 164n
104, 106, 142, 153, 163, 225, 269, Gathites, vol. 1: 310
290; vol. 2: 64, 101, 112–13, 149, Gaza, vol. 2: 19–20
211, 219, 271, 370–71, 382, 387, Gerar, vol. 2: 68
389 Gerizim, Mount, vol. 1: 32n
Enakim, vol. 2: 191–94, 196, 261 Gibbon, E., vol. 1: 17n
Ephraim, vol. 1: 29–32, 56, 120–21, Gibeah, vol. 1: 186, 200n; vol. 2:
124–25, 127, 129–35, 138, 140, 260–61
151–52, 156–59, 168–72, 176, Gideon, vol. 1: 207
182–89, 192, 194, 197–98, 202, Gilead, vol. 1: 14, 145–48, 150,
208–9, 211–12, 214–18, 220, 222– 231–32; vol. 2: 16–18, 26, 142–43,
23, 228–30, 232, 234–35, 243–45, 271, 273–75
253–54, 302; vol. 2: 5, 8, 41, 69, Gilgal, vol. 1: 31, 118–19, 145, 191,
75, 83, 87, 89–90, 92–94, 99, 107, 231–32; vol. 2: 57, 67–68, 249
Girgashites, vol. 1: 145, 310; vol. 2: Hill, R. C., vol. 1: ix, 5n, 9n, 16n, 19n,
9, 36 163n, 166n; vol. 2: ix, 150n
Glaphyra, vol. 2: 223n Hippolytus, vol. 1: 22n
Gog, vol. 1: 302n; vol. 2: 97–99, 105 Hiram, vol. 2: 19–21
Gomer, vol. 1: 13, 39–41, 45–48, 51, Hittites, vol. 1: 29, 212; vol. 2: 20
54–56, 66, 101 Hivites, vol. 1: 145, 212; vol. 2: 20,
Gomorrah, vol. 2: 62, 77 36, 337
Greek, Greeks, vol. 1: 6, 63, 115, 117, Holy Spirit, Spirit, vol. 1: 28, 64, 83,
118, 139, 206n, 244n, 245n, 252n, 100, 133, 217, 256, 271, 294–95,
262n, 296n, 306–8; vol. 2: 129, 297–98, 300, 315, 317; vol. 2: 26,
155, 158, 177, 191 38, 45, 61, 64, 78, 81, 116, 118,
120, 131, 150, 169, 177, 202–3,
Habakkuk, prophet, vol. 1: 9, 51, 106; 207, 215–18, 221, 222, 238–39,
vol. 2: 236, 243, 277, 329–99 256, 269, 272, 274, 278, 295, 304,
Hadad, vol. 2: 10 307, 331, 333, 342–43, 350, 355,
Hades, vol. 1: 82, 223, 245–46, 249, 367–68, 370, 372, 379, 391–92,
266, 290; vol. 2: 119–20, 163–67, 396
186, 238, 276–77, 307, 351, 387 Homer, vol. 1: 3, 15n, 289n
Hadrian, vol. 2: 128 Horeb, Mount Horeb, vol. 1: 84;
Haggai, prophet, vol. 1: 7, 302 vol. 2: 373
Hamath, vol. 2: 11, 20, 85, 95–96, Hosea, prophet, vol. 1: passim;
147, 192 vol. 2: 62n, 147, 172n, 182, 189,
Hamath Raba, vol. 2: 84–86 260, 319
Hamath-zobah, vol. 2: 20 Hoshea, vol. 1: 36–37, 158–59, 244,
Hamor, vol. 1: 148, 225 264
Hananiah, vol. 1: 231 Hulda, vol. 2: 48
Haran, vol. 2: 16, 18 Huns, vol. 1: 4; vol. 2: 226n
Harmon, Mount, vol. 2: 55–57
Harvey, E. R., vol. 1: ix, 5n; vol. 2: ix Idumea, vol. 2: 19–21, 23, 27–28, 50,
Hazael, vol. 1: 49, 53, 263; vol. 2: 10, 135–37, 139, 143
16–18 Idumeans, vol. 1: 29, 157, 306, 310,
Hebrew, Hebrews, vol. 1: 6, 7, 27n, 316; vol. 2: 9, 19, 21–24, 85, 135–
47n, 85, 103, 143, 154, 164, 184, 36, 138, 140–42, 144, 192
186n, 197, 208, 212, 259, 282n, India, vol. 2: 154
295; vol. 2: 7, 15, 18, 19, 47, 51, Indian, Indians, vol. 2: 5, 144, 154,
59, 82, 85, 87, 120, 125, 135, 383
157n, 158, 168, 183, 237, 247, Irenaeus, vol. 2: 233n
283n, 321n, 357n, 360, 399 Isaac, vol. 1: 212, 226; vol. 2: 100n,
Hercules, vol. 1: 3; vol. 2: 160, 161n 234
Herod (Antipas), vol. 1: 153; vol. 2: Isaiah, prophet, vol. 1: 4, 5, 6, 12,
394 13n, 21, 30n, 37n, 38, 44, 46, 47,
Herod (the Great), vol. 1: 53 52, 58, 86, 92, 97, 159, 219, 259,
Hezekiah, vol. 1: 33, 37, 202, 290; 299, 316n; vol. 2: 6, 17, 23, 31, 37,
vol. 2: 48, 112, 182, 183, 191, 42, 51, 61, 77, 112, 114, 115, 149,
230–31, 261, 296, 299, 302 184, 188, 190, 210, 213, 221n,
Hilkiah, vol. 2: 301 239, 246, 258, 290, 291–92, 293,
Isaiah, prophet, vol. 2 (cont.) 129, 147, 150, 151, 153–57, 166,
296, 303, 327, 335, 354, 356, 380, 170–71, 196, 200, 234, 239, 243;
386, 388, 391, 394, 397 vol. 2: 6, 11, 18, 57, 100, 102,
Israel, vols. 1 and 2: passim 116n, 147, 209, 255, 301
Ithamar, vol. 1: 110 Jerome, vol. 1: 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 16, 17,
20, 21, 22, 27n, 31n, 32n, 38n,
Jabbok, river, vol. 1: 203 48n, 51n, 69n, 77n, 85n, 92n, 96n,
Jabneh, vol. 2: 13 129n, 134n, 143n, 162n, 186n,
Jacob, vol. 1: 30, 53, 132, 148, 149, 198n, 200n, 259n, 306n; vol. 2:
152, 202–3, 210, 223–27, 229, passim
233; vol. 2: 8, 22, 25, 90–91, Jerubbaal, vol. 1: 206–7
97–98, 103, 109–10, 111–13, 122, Jerusalem, vols. 1 and 2: passim
126, 127–28, 139–40, 142, 154, Jesus, vol. 1: 8, 9, 53n, 57n, 62, 104,
186–87, 202–3, 209, 212, 215–16, 105n, 106, 153, 246, 268n, 300;
221, 239, 240–42, 277–78, 307–8, vol. 2: 26, 78, 113, 209, 216n,
343, 347 221, 234, 249, 298n, 370, 374,
Jarib, vol. 1: 133–34, 198 387, 394; see also Christ, Jesus
Jebusites, vol. 1: 145, 212, 306; vol. 2: Christ
20, 36, 337 Jesus Christ, vol. 1: 45, 51, 80, 90, 93,
Jecoliah, vol. 1: 34; vol. 2: 12 97, 99, 103, 110, 132, 246, 276,
Jeconiah, vol. 1: 169; vol. 2: 231 277, 282, 295, 310, 315–16; vol.
Jehoahaz, vol. 1: 49; vol. 2: 49, 231n 2: 31, 33, 100, 106, 119, 157, 200,
Jehoash, vol. 1: 49, 186; vol. 2: 10, 11, 210, 227, 234, 241, 242, 275, 292,
100, 148, 182 307, 308, 344, 363, 369, 370, 374,
Jehoiachin, vol. 1: 169n; vol. 2: 231n 382, 383, 386, 388, 390; see also
Jehoiakim, or Eliakim, vol. 1: 169n; Christ, Jesus
vol. 2: 49–50, 231n Jew, Jews, vol. 1: 4, 7, 8, 18, 20, 29n,
Jehoram, vol. 2: 10, 27 46, 50–53, 55, 56, 57n, 58, 59n,
Jehoshaphat, vol. 1: 302–3, 305–6, 61, 63, 74, 81, 85, 87, 88, 92, 95,
309–10; vol. 2: 10, 27, 136, 141 99, 103–6, 108, 110, 120n, 121,
Jehu, vol. 1: 35, 48–49, 52, 124, 141 140, 144, 150–53, 155, 183, 189,
Jeremiah, vol. 1: 5, 30n, 39n, 40, 42, 193n, 199, 223n, 227, 245, 247,
44n, 56, 66, 68, 76, 90, 109, 119, 253, 263, 268n, 269, 273, 276–78,
130, 135, 165, 168n, 169, 179, 289, 294, 299, 300, 303, 305, 308,
181, 183, 189, 200–201, 208, 219, 311; vol. 2: passim
227, 231, 264, 284, 311; vol. 2: 31, Jewish, vol. 1: 20, 42, 52, 53, 57, 83,
60, 61, 62, 74, 76, 83, 91, 99, 127, 94, 96, 107, 110, 173, 192, 269,
139n, 152, 156, 201, 210, 231, 272, 277n, 300; vol. 2: 16, 33, 78,
267, 273, 286, 293, 306, 312, 316, 147, 192, 215, 216, 244, 249, 270,
337, 352, 358, 381, 398 306–7, 341, 344, 358, 381
Jeroboam, son of Jehoash (Joash), Jezebel, vol. 1: 35, 48, 51–52, 141;
vol. 1: 33–35, 49; vol. 2: 5, 9, 11– vol. 2: 256
14, 18, 32, 48, 53, 99–100, 101, Jezreel, vol. 1: 48–56, 60–62, 90, 92,
147, 148, 182 94
Jeroboam, son of Nebat, vol. 1: 31, Joash, vol. 1: 33, 202; vol. 2: 11
34–36, 49, 119–21, 123–24, 127, Job, vol. 2: 112
Joel, prophet, vol. 1: 6, 14, 17, 30n, Kadesh, vol. 2: 24
40n, 257–317; vol. 2: 135, 147n Kaiphan, vol. 2: 82n
John Chrysostom, vol. 1: 13, 21n, Kaiwan, vol. 2: 82n
166n; vol. 2: 15n, 42n, 46n, 172n, Kannengiesser, C., vol. 1: x, 5n;
185n, 273n, 390n, 392n vol. 2: x
John the Baptist, vol. 1: 51, 105, 314; Kedron, brook, vol. 2: 302
vol. 2: 123, 202 Kelly, J. N. D., vol. 1: ix, 7n, 21n,
John, author of Epistle, vol. 1: 80, 93, 296n; vol. 2: ix
298; vol. 2: 25, 74, 249, 369, 371 Kerrigan, A., vol. 1: x, 3n, 4, 5nn, 11,
John, author of Gospel, vol. 1: 144, 28n, 31n, 37n; vol. 2: x, 217n
296, 313
Jonah, prophet, vol. 1: 3, 10, 11, 13, Laban, vol. 1: 224, 233; vol. 2: 22,
14, 15n; vol. 2: 11, 145–80, 334 25, 154
Joppa, vol. 2: 153–54 Lachish, vol. 2: 112, 182, 194n, 195,
Jordan, river, vol. 1: 81, 82n, 145, 196–97, 230, 299
147, 150, 232, 263; vol. 2: 57, 74, Lebanon, vol. 1: 252nn, 253–54, 262,
289–90, 379 269; vol. 2: 20, 289–92, 295, 351,
Joseph, husband of Mary, vol. 2: 370, 361–63
373–74 Levi, vol. 1: 107, 123, 146–48, 152,
Joseph, patriarch, vol. 1: 30–31; vol. 170, 184, 185, 225, 232; vol. 2: 53,
2: 67, 69, 74–75, 88–89, 142, 308 221, 398
Joshua, son of Jozadak, vol. 1: 32, 61, Leviathan, vol. 2: 292n
171, 304 Levite, Levites, vol. 1: 145, 148–49,
Joshua, son of Nun, vol. 1: 81–82, 184–86, 233; vol. 2: 53, 260
147; vol. 2: 88, 143, 229, 252, 277, Libya, vol. 2: 126, 321
288, 379 Libyans, vol. 2: 320, 322
Josiah, vol. 1: 124, 264; vol. 2: 48–49, Lot, vol. 1: 58; vol. 2: 22
62, 300, 301–2 Lucian, Lucianic, vol. 1: 6
Jotham, vol. 1: 33, 35, 36, 134, 238; Luz, vol. 1: 226
vol. 2: 182, 183, 261, 262 Lycaonia, vol. 2: 307
Jouassard, G., vol. 1: ix, 4n–5n; Lycophron, vol. 1: 3; vol. 2: 161
vol. 2: ix Lysippon, vol. 2: 85
Jozadak. See Joshua, son of Jozadak
Judah, vols. 1 and 2: passim Macedonia, Macedonian, vol. 1: 298
Judas (Iscariot), vol. 1: 104 Malachi, prophet, vol. 1: 7, 9, 18, 302
Judas, resident of Antioch, vol. 1: 298 Manasseh, vol. 1: 30–31; vol. 2: 48,
Judea, vol. 1: 11, 37, 112, 179, 180n, 69, 74n, 142, 302, 308
191–92, 209, 264, 280, 288, 302, Mandane. See Cyrus
304, 310, 316, 317; vol. 2: 9, 12, Marcos, N. F. See Fernández Marcos, N.
15, 17, 19, 21, 49, 60, 62–63, 97, Mariotis, vol. 2: 321
99, 102, 116, 124, 128, 136, 143– Mary Magdalene, vol. 2: 114
44, 153, 155, 158, 182, 191–93, Mary, mother of James, vol. 2: 114
230–31, 234, 252, 260, 267, 282, Mary, virgin, vol. 1: 3, 104, 268; vol. 2:
289, 291, 294, 296, 300, 307–8, 234, 354, 370, 377
310, 313, 320–21, 338, 343, 353, Maximus, vol. 2: 233n
356, 358, 360, 362, 373, 386 McCarthy, D., vol. 1: 33n
Medes, vol. 1: 10, 37, 55, 57, 60, 67, 184, 198, 215, 218, 223, 229, 236,
71, 77, 85, 112, 120, 124, 164, 238, 247–48, 267, 274, 284, 288,
169, 170, 173, 197, 215, 219, 244, 336, 358, 373, 375, 379, 384, 386,
264; vol. 2: 47, 136, 152n, 186, 389, 398
255, 266–67, 281–82, 295, 303,
318, 321, 353, 363 Nabateans, vol. 2: 135n
Memphis, vol. 1: 179–80 Naboth, vol. 1: 48–49, 51–52
Menahem, vol. 1: 35, 36, 134, 170, Nahum, prophet, vol. 1: 9, 10; vol. 2:
197; vol. 2: 182 279–328
Meroe, vol. 2: 321 Naphtali, vol. 2: 182, 375
Meshech, vol. 2: 98 Nathanael, vol. 2: 371, 383
Mesopotamia, vol. 1: 10; vol. 2: 154, Nazarites, vol. 2: 37
339 Nebat. See Jeroboam
Meunites, vol. 2: 13 Nebuchadnezzar, vol. 1: 114, 168,
Micah of Moresheth. See Micah, 264, 311; vol. 2: 26, 50, 62, 136,
prophet 143, 231, 282, 300, 308, 313,
Micah, prophet, vol. 1: 35n, 98n, 320–21, 338, 346, 350, 351, 354n,
184–86, 259; vol. 2: 147, 179–278 358n, 359–60, 381
Michmash, vol. 1: 179–80 Neco, pharaoh, vol. 2: 49–50, 62,
Midian, vol. 1: 206; vol. 2: 383–84 231n
Midianite, Midianites, vol. 1: 206–7; Negeb, vol. 2: 142–44
vol. 2: 384 Nestorius, vol. 1: 3, 18, 296n
Miriam, vol. 2: 149, 247–49 New Testament, vol. 1: 4, 15, 16, 20,
Mizpah, vol. 1: 123n 58n, 151n; vol. 2: 119n, 369
Moab, vol. 2: 27–28, 50, 82, 249 Nimrod, vol. 2: 237, 240
Moabite, Moabites, vol. 1: 29, 124, Nineveh, vol. 1: 10, 13, 146; vol. 2:
157, 236, 306, 310; vol. 2: 9, 20, 150, 151–53, 154n, 167–70, 176,
22, 27–28, 50, 81, 85, 192, 249, 177n, 282–83, 285–86, 289–91,
318, 339 294–97, 301, 303, 306, 308–9,
Molchom. See Moloch 311, 313–14, 316–17, 319–21,
Moloch, vol. 2: 79–81, 82n, 83 323–24, 327
Montanist, Montanists, vol. 1: 9, 38n; Ninevites, vol. 2: 148, 150, 152–53,
vol. 2: 283n 155, 169–72, 296, 311, 324–25
Morathi, vol. 2: 183 Ninos, vol. 1: 85
Moresheth, vol. 2: 182, 183 Nun. See Joshua, son of Nun
Moresheth-gath, vol. 2: 196n
Moses, vol. 1: 9, 15, 32, 34, 37, 40, O’Keefe, J. J., vol. 1: 40n
42, 51, 60, 67, 75, 81, 83, 84, Obadiah, prophet, vol. 2: 133–44
87, 88, 92, 93, 95, 99, 107, 108, Old Testament, vol. 1: 8, 12, 13, 15n,
110–11, 117, 131, 134, 143, 145, 18, 20, 21n, 276, 298n; vol. 2: 15n,
146, 154, 165, 187, 188, 191, 192, 38n, 124n, 369
193, 195, 211, 230, 234, 236–37, Olivier, J.-M., vol. 1: x, 14n; vol. 2: x
239, 252, 270, 276, 303, 312; vol. Omri, vol. 2: 254–56
2: 16, 24, 33, 47–48, 57–58, 70, Ôn, vol. 1: 127–29, 196, 226n; vol. 2:
71, 77, 78, 80–81, 87, 109, 113, 16, 18, 321
124, 136n, 143, 148–49, 153, 169, Oreb, vol. 1: 206
Origen, vol. 1: 5, 14, 17, 20, 22n, 200, 207, 209, 210, 213, 214, 286,
27n, 40n 292, 298, 326, 360, 363, 393
Philip, vol. 1: 142
Palestine, vol. 1: 82n, 289; vol. 2: 17, Philistia, vol. 1: 306n
85, 153, 182, 192 Philistine, Philistines, vol. 1: 306, 310;
Palestinian, Palestinians, vol. 2: 19, vol. 2: 13, 18, 19–20, 68, 84–86,
68, 125–26, 143 124–25, 142–43, 148, 182, 192,
Paraclete, vol. 2: 124 195
Paran, Mount, vol. 2: 372–73 Phoenicia, vol. 2: 143, 289–90, 362
Paul, vol. 1: 19, 27, 39, 46, 62, 72, Pilate, Pontius Pilate, vol. 1: 106, 153;
76, 77, 80, 81, 83, 87, 88, 91, 108, vol. 2: 102, 341, 394
109, 115, 116, 126, 132, 172, 187, Poseidon, vol. 2: 159
189, 204, 211, 214, 228, 241, 245, Priapos, vol. 1: 117
246, 265, 270, 272, 276, 285, 289, Pul, vol. 1: 35, 36n, 134, 150, 197–98,
294–95, 297, 298, 300, 312; vol. 2: 232, 263; vol. 2: 74, 143, 182, 313
24, 33, 34, 41, 43, 52, 71, 72, 86, Pusey, P. E., vol. 1: x, 6, 13, 27nn,
87, 88, 106, 113, 123, 124, 130, 113n, 209n, 232n, 245n, 253n,
151, 165, 202, 205, 212, 215, 221, 302n; vol. 2: x, 14n, 110n, 163n,
225, 227, 228, 234, 239, 243, 251, 278n
272, 288, 307, 334, 337n, 358,
369, 372, 374, 383, 385, 390, 393, Rabbah, vol. 2: 26
395, 397, 398, 399 Rabshakeh, vol. 1: 37, 55, 203; vol. 2:
pax Romana, vol. 1: 4, 86n; vol. 2: 97, 99, 112, 182, 192, 194, 195,
226n 230, 285, 296, 299
Pekah, vol. 1: 36, 134; vol. 2: 18, 52, Raiphan, vol. 2: 79–82
182, 261, 262 Ramah, vol. 2: 261
Pekahiah, vol. 1: 36 Rebekah, vol. 1: 261n
Pentateuch, vol. 1: 4 Red Sea, vol. 2: 154, 384
Pentecost, vol. 1: 294, 298n Redditt, P. L., vol. 1: x; vol. 2: x
Perizzites, vol. 1: 225; vol. 2: 20, 337 Rehoboam, vol. 1: 30–31, 33, 200,
Persia, vol. 2: 154 263, 302; vol. 2: 53n, 197, 204
Persian, Persians, vol. 1: 4, 10, 55, 57, Remaliah. See Pekah
60–61, 71, 85–86, 120, 125, 128, Reuben, vol. 1: 31; vol. 2: 33
133, 157, 164, 197, 215, 219, 244, Reubenites, vol. 2: 74n
264, 304; vol. 2: 5, 47, 56, 85, 136, Rezin, vol. 1: 36–37, 134; vol. 2: 18,
152, 186, 207, 226n, 240, 255, 52, 182, 261, 262
267, 281, 282, 295, 300, 303, 318, Roman, Romans, vol. 1: 4, 17, 55, 57,
321, 326, 339, 351, 353, 362 86, 106, 112, 264, 273, 282, 299;
Peter, vol. 1: 41–42, 153, 297, 300; vol. 2: 113, 119, 186, 225–26, 245,
vol. 2: 151, 166, 218, 258n, 382 291, 292, 322, 340
Petersen, D. L., vol. 1: x; vol. 2: x Rome, vol. 1: 3n, 53n
Pharaoh, vol. 1: 29, 211–12, 263; Russell, N., vol. 1: x, 5n, 7n, 17n, 20n;
vol. 2: 49–50, 62, 231n, 274, 387n vol. 2: x
Pharisee, Pharisees, vol. 1: 8, 45, 52,
95, 104, 105, 151, 155, 163, 272, Sademoth Kedron, vol. 2: 301
301; vol. 2: 104, 106, 113, 127, Samaria, vol. 1: 29, 31–38, 48–49, 52,
Samaria, vol. 1 (cont.) Shechem, vol. 1: 146–49, 152,
55, 57, 60, 86, 118, 125, 128, 131, 225–26
133, 134, 141, 147, 150, 151–52, Shechemites, vol. 1: 148–49, 150,
157, 158–59, 164, 166, 167, 169, 225–26
171, 174, 177, 179, 195–97, Shemaiah, vol. 2: 204–5
198–99, 200, 202, 218, 222–23, Shephelah, vol. 2: 142–43
232, 235, 244, 248, 249–50, 259n, Shishak, vol. 1: 31, 263; vol. 2: 204
263–64, 304; vol. 2: passim Shittim, vol. 1: 123n, 236; vol. 2:
Samaria, Mount, vol. 2: 47, 50, 55, 249n; see also Wadi Shittim
83, 86–87, 89 Sidon, vol. 1: 306; vol. 2: 21, 143,
Samaritan, Samaritans, vol. 1: 31, 32, 152, 356
47, 77, 104, 165; vol. 2: 53, 112, Sidonians, vol. 1: 29, 117, 124, 127
167, 189, 209, 232, 241, 255, 298, Simeon, vol. 1: 31, 148, 225
299n, 316, 395 Sinai, vol. 1: 84, 192; vol. 2: 81, 148
Samuel, vol. 1: 43–44, 234, 242; Smith, R. L., vol. 1: x, 12n; vol. 2: x,
vol. 2: 229, 233 251n
Sanballat, vol. 1: 304 Sodom, vol. 1: 155, 239; vol. 2: 43,
Sargon II, vol. 1: 38n; vol. 2: 190n, 62, 76, 77, 153, 174
191n Sodomite, Sodomites, vol. 1: 58, 186,
Satan, vol. 1: 68, 89, 98, 129, 152, 217; vol. 2: 63, 258
180, 195, 269, 289, 290, 292, 305, Solomon, vol. 1: 9, 27n, 29–31, 33,
317; vol. 2: 33, 52, 101, 191, 216, 118, 166, 200, 234, 263, 285;
224, 230, 234, 237, 239, 243, 274, vol. 2: 19–22, 223
289, 292, 300, 312–14, 323, 326, Speiser, E., vol. 1: 295n
328, 332, 342, 346, 350–56, 366, Spirit. See Holy Spirit
376, 381, 384, 387 Sprenger, H. N., vol. 1: x, 6n; vol. 2: x
Saturn, vol. 2: 82n Stephen, vol. 1: 104; vol. 2: 80–82,
Saul of Tarsus, vol. 1: 298 85, 363
Saul, king, vol. 1: 43, 234, 243; Stuart, D., vol. 1: 129n, 142n, 288n;
vol. 2: 233 vol. 2: 17n
Schäublin, C., vol. 1: x, 15n–16n; Symmachus, vol. 1: 7, 129n; vol. 2:
vol. 2: x 137n, 193
Seir, vol. 2: 135 Syria, vol. 1: 36–37, 49, 53, 125, 133,
Sennacherib, vol. 1: 37, 55, 202n; 134, 197, 233; vol. 2: 9–10, 16, 18,
vol. 2: 97, 98n, 105, 110, 112, 121, 50–52, 96, 182, 261, 378
182, 191–92, 194–95, 230–31, Syrian, Syrians, vol. 1: 29, 36, 43, 128,
299–300, 308, 313 157, 197, 198, 263; vol. 2: 10, 17,
Sepharvaim, vol. 2: 192 50, 82, 124–26, 255, 341
Septuagint, Seventy, LXX, passim
Shallum, vol. 1: 35, 49 Tabernacles, feast of, vol. 1: 147,
Shalman, vol. 1: 206n, 207 230–31
Shalmaneser, vol. 1: 37, 55, 57, 112, Tadmor, vol. 2: 20
158, 244, 264; vol. 2: 74, 143, 191, Tammuz, vol. 1: 118
285, 294, 299, 313 Tarshish, vol. 2: 153–55, 169, 173
Shealtiel. See Zerubbabel Tarsi, vol. 2: 154
Tarsus, vol. 2: 154, 158 57, 112, 134, 197n; vol. 2: 18, 52,
Tauri, mountains, vol. 2: 154 74n, 182, 262
Tekoa, vol. 2: 5, 7 Tirzah, vol. 1: 35
Teman, vol. 2: 25, 135–36, 139–40, Titus, emperor, vol. 2: 211
372–73 Tobiah, vol. 1: 304
Temple, vol. 1: 11, 29, 32, 37, 59–61, Torah, vol. 2: 223n
99, 106, 117, 119, 121, 128–29, Transjordan, vol. 1: 143n
164–65, 166, 171, 264, 287, 299, Triton, vol. 2: 161
303, 306–7; vol. 2: 12–13, 15, 22, Tubal, vol. 2: 98
33, 62, 83, 87, 105–6, 113–14, Tyre, vol. 1: 12, 306; vol. 2: 20–22, 47,
118, 119, 128, 136, 139, 164, 183, 50–51, 152, 269–70, 342, 387
203, 219, 221, 223, 264, 300, 304, Tyrians, vol. 1: 307, 308, 310; vol. 2:
306, 332, 338, 345, 362, 364, 370 20–22, 341
Testament, New or Old. See New Tes-
tament, Old Testament Uriah, vol. 1: 37
Thebes, vol. 2: 321n Urim, vol. 1: 99n
Theodore of Mopsuestia, vol. 1: 5n, 6, Uzziah, vol. 1: 33–35; vol. 2: 9, 12–14,
8, 9, 15, 16n, 17n, 20, 27nn, 28n, 18, 52
38nn, 39n, 44n, 49n, 69n, 75n,
77n, 82n, 98n, 101n, 103n, 105n, Vespasian, vol. 2: 211
107n, 155n, 162n, 177n, 187n,
203n, 208n, 223n, 237n, 242n, Wadi Shittim, vol. 1: 315n
244n, 273n, 298n, 300n, 302n; Watson, W., vol. 1: ix, 7n; vol. 2: ix
vol. 2: 14n, 17n, 71n, 75n, 85n, Wilken, R., vol. 1: x, 5n, 15n; vol. 2: x
110n, 126n, 128n, 142n, 150n,
154n, 169n, 175n, 191n, 192n, Zalumna, vol. 1: 206
231n, 237n, 238n, 257n, 260n, Zarephath, vol. 2: 143
332n, 333n, 357n, 399n Zebah, vol. 1: 206
Theodoret of Cyrus, vol. 1: 4, 8, 12, Zebidah, vol. 2: 50
14, 16, 20, 27n, 28n, 44n, 49n, Zeboim, vol. 1: 216–17
61n, 82n, 86n, 99n, 111n, 129n, Zebulun, vol. 2: 375
134n, 145n, 154n, 161n, 187n, Zechariah, king, vol. 1: 35n; vol. 2:
207n, 208n, 226n, 250n, 263n, 182n
268n, 292n, 298n, 302n, 316n; Zechariah, prophet, vol. 1: 5, 6, 7, 9,
vol. 2: 23n, 46n, 51n, 88n, 109n, 22, 27n, 38, 63n, 288, 300n, 302;
113n, 128n, 136n, 137n, 142n, vol. 2: 12, 148n, 286
148n, 150n, 154n, 168nn, 172n, Zedekiah, vol. 2: 74, 300
185n, 191n, 226n, 235n, 257n, Zeeb, vol. 1: 206
331n, 332n, 369n, 390n Zeigler, J., vol. 1: x; vol. 2: x
Theodotion, vol. 1: 7, 28n, 129n; Zenan. See Zennaar
vol. 2: 81 Zennaar, vol. 2: 193–94
Theophilus, vol. 1: 3 Zerah. See Achan
Theotokos, vol. 1: 3 Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, vol. 1:
Thummim, vol. 1: 99n 20n, 32, 61, 100n, 171, 304; vol. 2:
Tiglath-pileser, vol. 1: 36–37, 49n, 55, 128n, 235n
Zeus, vol. 2: 161, 307 216–19, 223–24, 227–30, 232,
Zimri, vol. 2: 256n 237, 240, 244, 258, 264–65, 268–
Zincone, vol. 1: 13n 69, 286, 304, 327, 380, 383, 394
Zion, vol. 1: 8, 59, 75, 142, 144, Zippor. See Balak
280, 286, 288, 290–91, 300, 310, Zipporah, vol. 2: 379
312–13, 316–17; vol. 2: 14, 83–84, Zorell, F., vol. 1: 212n
86–87, 141–44, 184, 188, 195–98,
INDEX OF HOL Y SCRIPT URE
This index combines the Scripture
references in volumes 1 and 2.
Old Testament
Genesis 34.25–26: vol. 1, 225 19.19: vol. 2, 184
1.2–3: vol. 2, 70 34.30–31: vol. 1, 225 20.2–3: vol. 1, 239
1.26: vol. 2, 151, 307 34.31: vol. 1, 148 20.3: vol. 1, 143,
2.14: vol. 1, 96 35.1–4: vol. 1, 226 234
2.23: vol. 1, 295 35.5–7: vol. 1, 226 20.3–4: vol. 1, 205
3.10: vol. 2, 372 35.9–12: vol. 1, 226 20.4: vol. 1, 143
3.19: vol. 2, 368 36.10–11: vol. 2, 136 20.6: vol. 1, 210
4.10: vol. 2, 153 49.4: vol. 2, 33 20.19: vol. 2, 149
7.11: vol. 2, 287 49.10: vol. 1, 53, 297 20.23: vol. 2, 57
8.4: vol. 2, 207 49.24: vol. 1, 53 22.25: vol. 2, 107
10.7–10: vol. 2, 240 23.2: vol. 2, 22
11.9: vol. 2, 230 Exodus 23.7: vol. 2, 30, 336
13.8: vol. 2, 22 3.8: vol. 1, 233; 23.15: vol. 2, 58
18.21: vol. 2, 153 vol. 2, 291 23.17: vol. 2, 58
18.32: vol. 2, 258 3.10: vol. 1, 41 23.26: vol. 1, 188
19: vol. 1, 58 4.10: vol. 2, 149 24.7: vol. 1, 84
19.15: vol. 2, 76 4.13: vol. 2, 149 25: vol. 2, 369
21.6: vol. 2, 100 4.11–14: vol. 1, 42 27.15–26: vol. 1, 99
21.12: vol. 2, 234 4.13: vol. 1, 41 29.39: vol. 2, 58
21.22–32: vol. 2, 68 4.22: vol. 1, 84, 251 32: vol. 2, 149
22.3: vol. 1, 261 4.25: vol. 2, 379 32.1: vol. 2, 80
22.9: vol. 1, 212 10.8–9: vol. 1, 211 32.4: vol. 2, 16, 250,
22.17: vol. 1, 109 12.30: vol. 2, 288 266, 284
23.8: vol. 2, 218 13.5: vol. 2, 79 32.7: vol. 1, 88
25: vol. 2, 136 13.21: vol. 2, 288 32.8: vol. 1, 312
25.30: vol. 2, 23 13.21–22: vol. 1, 253 32.9: vol. 1, 160
28.12–13: vol. 2, 122 15.3: vol. 1, 134 32.31: vol. 2, 80
28.16: vol. 2, 154 15.3 LXX: vol. 2, 95 32.31–32: vol. 1, 270
32.22–28: vol. 1, 203 15.8: vol. 2, 288 32.32: vol. 1, 111,
32.30: vol. 1, 224 15.20–21: vol. 2, 248 193
33: vol. 2, 22 15.23–25: vol. 2, 124 34.6: vol. 1, 275
34: vol. 1, 147 18.8: vol. 1, 84 34.6–7: vol. 2, 16
415
416 INDEX OF HOLY SCRIPTURE
Exodus (cont.) 4.24: vol. 2, 284 17.6–12: vol. 1, 184
34.16: vol. 1, 303 4.34: vol. 1, 160 18–20: vol. 1, 186
40.26–29: vol. 1, 171 4.43: vol. 1, 145 18.2: vol. 1, 184
6.13–14: vol. 2, 57 18.14: vol. 1, 185
Leviticus 7.3–4: vol. 1, 127 19: vol. 1, 186
2.1: vol. 1, 252 8.3: vol. 2, 115 19–20: vol. 2, 260
3.3: vol. 1, 110 8.11–15: vol. 1, 240 20.1–35: vol. 1, 186
4.28: vol. 1, 110 12.11: vol. 2, 303
6.15: vol. 1, 252 12.13–14: vol. 1, 60 Ruth
9.15: vol. 1, 110 13.4: vol. 1, 47 4: vol. 2, 71
10.16–17: vol. 1, 110 15.1–3: vol. 2, 108
14.3–4: vol. 1, 111 15.7–9: vol. 2, 108 1 Samuel
14.10–16: vol. 2, 93 18.17–18: vol. 2, 149 2.4: vol. 1, 53
15.16: vol. 1, 252 18.18: vol. 2, 373 8.5: vol. 1, 234, 242
19.15: vol. 2, 30 24.16: vol. 1, 68 8.5–7: vol. 2, 229
20.26: vol. 1, 217 25.4: vol. 2, 398 8.7: vol. 2, 233
21.1–3: vol. 1, 177 25.7: vol. 2, 71 8.19–20: vol. 2, 229
21.17–21: vol. 1, 107 25.13–16: vol. 2, 109 15.33: vol. 1, 43
23.10: vol. 1, 178 26.2: vol. 1, 178, 270
23.41–43: vol. 1, 230 29.23: vol. 1, 217 2 Samuel
26.12: vol. 2, 218 32.8–9: vol. 2, 347 8.6: vol. 2, 290
32.9: vol. 2, 393
Numbers 32.11: vol. 2, 198 1 Kings
5.2: vol. 1, 34 32.21: vol. 2, 284 5.1: vol. 2, 22
6.1–8: vol. 2, 37 32.30: vol. 1, 134, 5.12: vol. 2, 22
10.10: vol. 1, 312 188; vol. 2, 40 9.10–14: vol. 2, 22
12: vol. 2, 149 32.32: vol. 1, 155, 11.4–5: vol. 1, 200
14.20: vol. 1, 193 239 11.5: vol. 1, 118, 234
14.21: vol. 2, 359 11.11: vol. 1, 166
16.47–48: vol. 1, 111 Joshua 12: vol. 1, 147
19.2: vol. 1, 111 5.3: vol. 2, 379 12.24: vol. 1, 166
19.11: vol. 1, 177 7: vol. 1, 82 12.28: vol. 1, 234,
20.14–20: vol. 2, 136 7.1–9: vol. 1, 82 235, 239; vol. 2,
20.14–21: vol. 2, 24 7.24–26: vol. 1, 82 57
22.4: vol. 2, 339 10.17–18: vol. 2, 277 12.29: vol. 1, 119
22–23: vol. 2, 249 15.7: vol. 1, 82 12.30: vol. 2, 116
23.1: vol. 1, 114 19.4: vol. 1, 261 12.32–33: vol. 1, 154
23.7: vol. 2, 318 24.1: vol. 2, 337 13.1–2: vol. 1, 124;
25.1–5: vol. 1, 94, 24.11: vol. 1, 145, vol. 2, 48
117, 187, 237 212 13.2: vol. 2, 301
25.16–17: vol. 1, 117 13.33: vol. 1, 123,
Judges 170
Deuteronomy 6.1–2: vol. 1, 206 14.25–27: vol. 1, 264
1.17: vol. 2, 218, 335 7.25: vol. 1, 206 15.17–22: vol. 2, 261
1.28 LXX: vol. 2, 289 7.27–32: vol. 1, 207 16.18: vol. 2, 256
4.19: vol. 1, 239 8.5: vol. 1, 206 16.25: vol. 2, 256
INDEX OF HOLY SCRIPTURE 417
16.26: vol. 2, 256 16.1: vol. 2, 18 12.12: vol. 2, 205
18.21: vol. 1, 74, 118, 16.3–4: vol. 1, 238 25.21–23: vol. 1, 186
174 16.5–9: vol. 1, 37; 26.1–8: vol. 2, 13
18.26: vol. 1, 141 vol. 2, 52 26.16–20: vol. 2, 13
18.28: vol. 1, 161 16.9: vol. 2, 18 26.16–21: vol. 1, 34
18.40: vol. 1, 44, 141 16.10–16: vol. 1, 37 26.20–21: vol. 1, 34
20.1: vol. 2, 10 17.1–6: vol. 1, 159, 28.3: vol. 2, 262
20.23: vol. 2, 10 244 28.5–6: vol. 2, 262
20.34: vol. 1, 43 17.3–6: vol. 1, 37 28.6: vol. 2, 262
20.35–42: vol. 1, 44 17.6: vol. 1, 264 34.3–5: vol. 2, 302
21.3: vol. 1, 48 18: vol. 2, 299 36.4–6: vol. 2, 50
22.39: vol. 2, 54 18.4: vol. 1, 37
18.11: vol. 2, 299 Ezra
2 Kings 18.28–35: vol. 2, 112, 4.1–5: vol. 1, 304
3.5–9: vol. 2, 27 285
3.24–25: vol. 2, 28 19: vol. 2, 299 1 Esdras
6.25: vol. 1, 263; 19.35: vol. 1, 38, 55; 2.16: vol. 1, 304
vol. 2, 60 vol. 2, 98, 182 8–9: vol. 1, 303
6.27–29: vol. 1, 263 19.35–36: vol. 1, 202
8.11–12: vol. 2, 18 21.1–6: vol. 2, 48 Nehemiah
9.1–2: vol. 1, 141 21.19–20: vol. 2, 48 4.7–10: vol. 1, 305
10.25–27: vol. 1, 141 22.2: vol. 2, 48 13.23–27: vol. 1, 303
10.30: vol. 1, 35, 49 22.15–20: vol. 2, 49
12.17–18: vol. 2, 10 23: vol. 2, 48 1 Maccabees
13.3: vol. 1, 49, 264 23.4–6: vol. 2, 302 1: vol. 1, 264
13.11: vol. 2, 147 23.8: vol. 2, 116
13.12: vol. 1, 186 23.13: vol. 1, 117, 2 Maccabees
14.23–24: vol. 1, 34 128 3.5: vol. 2, 154
14.23–28: vol. 2, 11 23.29: vol. 2, 62
14.25: vol. 2, 147 23.29–35: vol. 2, 50 Job
14.25–27: vol. 2, 148 23.33: vol. 1, 264 1.20: vol. 2, 112
14.28: vol. 2, 290 23.36–24.2: vol. 2, 50 2.6–7: vol. 2, 167
15.1–5: vol. 1, 34; 25: vol. 2, 299 5.7: vol. 2, 348
vol. 2, 12 25.8: vol. 1, 264 5.9: vol. 2, 129
15.8: vol. 1, 35 12.14: vol. 1, 54, 160,
15.8–14: vol. 1, 35 1 Chronicles 188; vol. 2, 77, 96,
15.18: vol. 1, 35 4.26: vol. 2, 74 121, 362
15.19: vol. 1, 170, 4.30: vol. 1, 261 20.15: vol. 1, 229
264 21.14: vol. 1, 190
15.19–20: vol. 1, 197 2 Chronicles 22.15: vol. 1, 229
15.23–29: vol. 1, 36 2.17–18: vol. 2, 223 38.2: vol. 1, 125
15.29: vol. 1, 36; 8.1–2: vol. 2, 20 38.16: vol. 2, 167
vol. 2, 262 8.6–8: vol. 2, 20 41.15 LXX: vol. 2,
15.34–35: vol. 1, 36 11.12–17: vol. 2, 53 292
15.37: vol. 1, 36 12.1: vol. 2, 205 42.2: vol. 2, 343
15–16: vol. 2, 182 12.5–7: vol. 2, 205
Psalms 39.13: vol. 2, 397 75.5: vol. 2, 254
(modern numbering) 44.5–6: vol. 2, 95 76.1: vol. 1, 140
2.3: vol. 2, 298 44.6: vol. 2, 324 76.7: vol. 1, 284;
2.6: vol. 1, 144 44.23: vol. 1, 208 vol. 2, 67
2.6–7: vol. 1, 142 45.5: vol. 2, 390 76.7–9: vol. 2, 292
2.9: vol. 2, 272 46.4: vol. 2, 386 78.65: vol. 1, 208
6.5: vol. 1, 266 47.9: vol. 1, 62; 80.8: vol. 2, 84
7.14: vol. 1, 243 vol. 2, 348 80.8–9: vol. 1, 194
9.6: vol. 1, 53 49.1: vol. 2, 184 80.8–13: vol. 1, 254
9.12: vol. 1, 317 50.1: vol. 2, 149 80.11: vol. 1, 194
13.3–4: vol. 2, 228 50.7–8: vol. 2, 252 80.12: vol. 2, 397
16.10: vol. 2, 166 50.13: vol. 2, 252 80.13: vol. 2, 397
17.14: vol. 2, 393 50.14–15: vol. 2, 79, 81: vol. 1, 187
19.1: vol. 2, 356 252 82.8: vol. 1, 89
20.7–8: vol. 1, 55 50.21: vol. 1, 102 83.11: vol. 1, 207
22.10: vol. 1, 69 52.1: vol. 2, 23 84.12: vol. 2, 206
23.5: vol. 1, 289 52.7–8: vol. 1, 223 85.1–2: vol. 2, 343
25.18: vol. 1, 275 54.1: vol. 1, 89 85.7: vol. 1, 142
27.9: vol. 2, 164, 210, 58.3: vol. 1, 69 85.8: vol. 1, 38;
344 58.6: vol. 2, 52, 314 vol. 2, 396
27.10: vol. 1, 247; 58.6–8: vol. 1, 183 86.5: vol. 1, 269
vol. 2, 264 58.7–8 LXX: vol. 2, 86.16: vol. 1, 211;
30.6: vol. 2, 195, 361 186 vol. 2, 380
31.14–15: vol. 2, 376 60.11: vol. 1, 243 87.3: vol. 2, 184, 238
31.15: vol. 1, 127 60.12: vol. 2, 340 89.9: vol. 2, 159
32.9: vol. 1, 66, 265; 63.1: vol. 2, 200 89.11: vol. 2, 159
vol. 2, 46, 123 63.6: vol. 2, 200 89.17: vol. 2, 95, 399
33.16: vol. 2, 311 63.8: vol. 1, 130; 89.31–34: vol. 2, 272
33.16–17: vol. 1, 173 vol. 2, 250 91.1: vol. 2, 299
33.17: vol. 1, 243; 63.10: vol. 1, 195; 91.11–12: vol. 2, 299
vol. 2, 40 vol. 2, 29, 197, 91.13: vol. 1, 87;
34.7: vol. 2, 299 271 vol. 2, 206, 237,
34.15: vol. 1, 117, 65.9: vol. 1, 70, 140 276
211 65.11: vol. 2, 379 92.13: vol. 1, 315
35.12: vol. 2, 271 65.13: vol. 2, 379 98.8: vol. 2, 386
35.28: vol. 2, 366 66.12: vol. 2, 193 99.1: vol. 2, 379
36.5: vol. 2, 375 68.8–9: vol. 2, 288 99.4: vol. 1, 132
36.6–7: vol. 2, 177 68.17: vol. 2, 385 103.12–14: vol. 2,
36.7–9: vol. 1, 68, 315 68.18: vol. 1, 309 176
36.8: vol. 2, 386 69.4: vol. 2, 113 103.14: vol. 1, 152
36.8–9: vol. 1, 279 69.15: vol. 2, 111 104.15: vol. 1, 178,
37.9: vol. 2, 30 69.23: vol. 2, 200 204, 253, 254,
37.31: vol. 2, 29, 72 69.31: vol. 1, 275 271, 276; vol. 2,
37.35–36: vol. 2, 351 74.14: vol. 1, 169; 130, 226
38.4: vol. 2, 200 vol. 2, 384 104.16–17: vol. 2,
39.12: vol. 2, 397 75.4–5: vol. 2, 376 362
104.25: vol. 2, 395 127.1: vol. 2, 323 15.29: vol. 2, 109
104.29–30: vol. 2, 127.4: vol. 2, 390 16.8: vol. 1, 229;
372 135.7: vol. 2, 64 vol. 2, 73
105.15: vol. 2, 47, 137.1: vol. 1, 59, 75 17.23: vol. 2, 218
392 137.1–2: vol. 2, 304 18.3: vol. 2, 76, 271
107.42: vol. 1, 246; 137.4: vol. 1, 59, 75; 20.9: vol. 2, 247
vol. 2, 276 vol. 2, 304 22.1: vol. 2, 31
108.13: vol. 2, 324 139.7–10: vol. 2, 120 22.8: vol. 1, 204
112.9: vol. 2, 109, 143.2: vol. 2, 247 23.17: vol. 1, 119
376 146.9: vol. 1, 251 24.17–18: vol. 2, 193
114.5–7: vol. 2, 290 146.10: vol. 2, 40 25.7: vol. 2, 335
114.15: vol. 2, 272 148.6–13: vol. 2, 388 27.23: vol. 1, 315
115.4: vol. 1, 71; 148.12: vol. 1, 286
vol. 2, 201, 316 149.6–7: vol. 2, 239 Ecclesiastes
115.8: vol. 1, 237; 7.4: vol. 1, 285
vol. 2, 201 Proverbs 9.2: vol. 1, 97
115.12: vol. 2, 372 1.6: vol. 1, 255; 10.4: vol. 1, 265, 313
115.15: vol. 2, 393 vol. 2, 185
115.17–18: vol. 1, 1.11: vol. 2, 32 Song of Songs
266 1.17–18: vol. 2, 206 1.17: vol. 2, 106
118.5: vol. 2, 114, 1.24–27: vol. 2, 244 2.1: vol. 1, 290;
165 1.31 LXX: vol. 2, 271 vol. 2, 235
118.8–9: vol. 1, 135 1.31–32 LXX: 2.3: vol. 1, 222, 253
118.9: vol. 2, 325 vol. 2, 263 2.14: vol. 1, 269
118.14: vol. 1, 126, 2.22: vol. 1, 82 4.8: vol. 1, 269
245, 255 3.12: vol. 1, 116, 213 5.1: vol. 1, 254, 268
118.22: vol. 2, 218 3.34: vol. 2, 71 5.8: vol. 2, 390
118.24: vol. 1, 63; 4.26 LXX: vol. 2, 5.10: vol. 2, 23
vol. 2, 389 109 6.1–2: vol. 2, 235
118.26: vol. 1, 51 5.21: vol. 2, 57, 109
118.27: vol. 1, 295; 5.22: vol. 2, 392 Wisdom
vol. 2, 224, 393 8.15–16: vol. 1, 167; 1.14: vol. 1, 237
119.32: vol. 2, 382 vol. 2, 64 3.15: vol. 2, 56
119.62: vol. 2, 200 9.12 LXX: vol. 2, 166 13.5: vol. 1, 239
119.71: vol. 1, 241; 9.15: vol. 1, 191 15.10: vol. 1, 198
vol. 2, 114 10.2: vol. 1, 229;
119.94: vol. 1, 135 vol. 2, 54, 73 Sirach (Ecclesiasticus)
119.103: vol. 1, 314; 10.3: vol. 1, 277; 4.26: vol. 2, 157
vol. 2, 207 vol. 2, 115 13.15–16: vol. 2, 43
119.132: vol. 1, 211; 10.4 LXX: vol. 2, 31 13.19: vol. 2, 55, 109,
vol. 2, 380 10.5 LXX: vol. 1, 222 313
119.135: vol. 1, 137 12.10 LXX: vol. 2, 22.6: vol. 1, 287
119.142: vol. 1, 87; 177
vol. 2, 383 12.27 LXX: vol. 2, Isaiah
121.6: vol. 1, 253 25 1.2: vol. 2, 184, 246
124.1–5: vol. 2, 111 15.16: vol. 1, 229 1.8: vol. 2, 188
Isaiah (cont.) 14.19–20: vol. 1, 317 40.13: vol. 2, 161
1.10–14: vol. 2, 77 14.19–20 LXX: 40.15–18: vol. 2, 291
1.15: vol. 2, 213 vol. 2, 352 41.15: vol. 2, 17
1.21: vol. 2, 258 14.27: vol. 1, 54, 135; 41.17–18: vol. 1, 279
1.21–23: vol. 2, 188, vol. 2, 77, 120, 41.23: vol. 1, 254
327 314, 362 42.2: vol. 1, 312
1.22: vol. 1, 97 20.2: vol. 2, 190 42.8: vol. 1, 178, 307
1.22–23: vol. 2, 31, 20.2–3: vol. 1, 44 43.2: vol. 2, 111
335 22.12–13: vol. 1, 287 43.11: vol. 1, 245
2.2–3: vol. 2, 221 23.4: vol. 2, 356 43.20–21: vol. 2, 386
2.4: vol. 1, 86 25.6–7: vol. 1, 166 43.23: vol. 2, 80
3.11: vol. 2, 391 25.7–8: vol. 2, 372 43.24: vol. 2, 80
3.12: vol. 2, 42 26.13: vol. 1, 293 44.26: vol. 1, 261
5.1: vol. 1, 52 26.16: vol. 1, 213, 45.1–2: vol. 2, 303
5.1 LXX: vol. 1, 194 241; vol. 2, 114, 45.1–3: vol. 1, 219
5.2: vol. 2, 397 165 45.6–7: vol. 2, 42, 46
5.6: vol. 1, 91, 278; 26.18: vol. 1, 69; 45.13: vol. 2, 303
vol. 2, 61, 117 vol. 2, 387 47.6: vol. 1, 288;
5.7: vol. 1, 52, 91; 27.1: vol. 2, 240 vol. 2, 20, 286
vol. 2, 397 27.11: vol. 2, 114 47.6–7: vol. 2, 267
5.7 LXX: vol. 1, 144 27.13: vol. 2, 149 48.22: vol. 1, 76
5.11: vol. 2, 87 28.11: vol. 1, 295 49.7: vol. 2, 388
5.20: vol. 2, 23, 335 28.16: vol. 2, 217, 50.3: vol. 1, 299;
5.25: vol. 1, 259 367 vol. 2, 114
6.3: vol. 2, 375 29.13: vol. 1, 119, 50.6: vol. 1, 47
6.9: vol. 1, 98 163; vol. 2, 117, 50.11: vol. 2, 271
7: vol. 1, 5, 37 360 51.5: vol. 1, 142;
7.9 LXX: vol. 1, 90 29.13 LXX: vol. 1, 95 vol. 2, 269
7.14: vol. 2, 370 29.18–19: vol. 2, 371 51.17: vol. 2, 293
8.4: vol. 2, 354 30.10: vol. 2, 15, 44 52.5: vol. 2, 33
8.18: vol. 1, 56 31.1: vol. 1, 159 52.7: vol. 2, 303
9.1–2: vol. 2, 375 31.3: vol. 1, 173; 53.7: vol. 2, 210
9.5–6 LXX: vol. 1, 39 vol. 2, 62 53.7–8: vol. 1, 47
9.6 LXX: vol. 1, 225; 33.1: vol. 1, 251 55.6–7: vol. 1, 217
vol. 2, 234 33.3: vol. 1, 251 55.11: vol. 2, 100
9.12: vol. 1, 183 35.1: vol. 1, 291 56.1: vol. 1, 142;
10.12–14: vol. 2, 240 35.5–6: vol. 2, 371 vol. 2, 269
10.14: vol. 2, 352 35.10: vol. 1, 76, 92 58.3–5: vol. 2, 171
10.15: vol. 2, 296 36.14–15: vol. 2, 296 58.4: vol. 2, 31, 72
10.22: vol. 2, 51 36.19–20: vol. 2, 192 58.4–5: vol. 1, 274
10.22–23: vol. 1, 58 36.20: vol. 2, 296 59.9: vol. 2, 294
12.3: vol. 1, 279; 37.3: vol. 2, 112 60.1: vol. 2, 375
vol. 2, 37, 117 38.16: vol. 2, 101 61.1: vol. 1, 95;
12.19: vol. 1, 312 40.3: vol. 2, 303 vol. 2, 371
14.9: vol. 2, 23 40.6: vol. 2, 388 61.2: vol. 1, 84
14.17: vol. 1, 196 40.9–10: vol. 2, 394 61.10: vol. 2, 319
62.1: vol. 2, 375 6.7 LXX: vol. 2, 59, 28.2: vol. 1, 231
63.1: vol. 2, 23 65, 74 29.23: vol. 2, 34
63.9: vol. 1, 88; 6.7–8: vol. 1, 66, 68 31.1: vol. 1, 58
vol. 2, 236 6.16: vol. 2, 382 31.21 LXX: vol. 2,
64.4: vol. 1, 80 6.21: vol. 2, 61 380
65.13: vol. 2, 115 7.11: vol. 2, 34 31.31–32: vol. 1, 145
66.2: vol. 1, 58, 211; 7.16: vol. 2, 99 31.33: vol. 1, 80
vol. 2, 71, 380 7.16–18: vol. 2, 83 32.27: vol. 1, 125;
66.12: vol. 1, 291, 7.17–18: vol. 1, 130 vol. 2, 120
316; vol. 2, 359, 10.2: vol. 1, 39 37.15–16: vol. 2, 74
386 10.3: vol. 2, 101 42.15–16: vol. 1, 179
66.24: vol. 1, 76 10.11: vol. 1, 254 43.2: vol. 2, 42
10.20–21: vol. 1, 114 44.11–14: vol. 1, 180
Jeremiah 10.21: vol. 2, 89 44.15–18: vol. 1, 201
1.5: vol. 1, 41 10.24: vol. 1, 72, 213; 44.16–18: vol. 1, 77
1.6: vol. 1, 41 vol. 2, 67, 244 45.6: vol. 2, 74
1.6–7: vol. 1, 42 11.15: vol. 1, 119, 49.9: vol. 2, 139
1.16: vol. 1, 50, 181; 227 49.14–16: vol. 2, 139
vol. 2, 50 11.16–17: vol. 2, 398 50.23–25: vol. 2, 359
2.7: vol. 2, 15 12.10–11: vol. 1, 20 50.24: vol. 1, 219
2.8: vol. 1, 114, 148; 14.2–7: vol. 2, 60 50.24–25: vol. 2, 267
vol. 2, 327 14.9: vol. 1, 208 50.31: vol. 2, 267
2.11: vol. 1, 287 14.22: vol. 1, 70, 90, 50.38: vol. 2, 316
2.12: vol. 2, 393 178 50.43: vol. 1, 278
2.12–13: vol. 1, 201 15.16–17: vol. 2, 273 50.38: vol. 2, 152
2.19: vol. 1, 120 15.17: vol. 1, 189; 51.9: vol. 2, 327
2.21: vol. 1, 254 vol. 2, 156 51.25: vol. 2, 381
2.27: vol. 1, 138, 163; 16.4: vol. 2, 262 58.34: vol. 1, 168
vol. 2, 266 16.5: vol. 2, 262
2.27–28: vol. 2, 201 16.6: vol. 1, 161 Baruch
2.28: vol. 1, 181 17.5–8: vol. 1, 135 3.37: vol. 2, 101
2.28–29: vol. 2, 188 17.6: vol. 2, 350 4.4: vol. 1, 161
3.4: vol. 1, 183; 17.11: vol. 2, 352
vol. 2, 66 17.15: vol. 2, 76, 127 Lamentations
3.6: vol. 1, 32 19.3: vol. 2, 48 1.1: vol. 1, 109, 165
3.22: vol. 1, 275 22.28–30: vol. 1, 169 3.27–28: vol. 2, 156
4.4: vol. 2, 274 23.1: vol. 2, 89, 327 4.10: vol. 1, 56;
4.7: vol. 1, 219; 23.16: vol. 1, 9, 182, vol. 2, 337
vol. 2, 306 183; vol. 2, 26, 4.20 LXX: vol. 1, 137
4.31: vol. 1, 311; 173, 333
vol. 2, 210 23.23: vol. 2, 120 Ezekiel
5.1: vol. 1, 59; 23.23–24: vol. 1, 125 3.4–7: vol. 2, 170
vol. 2, 91 23.29: vol. 1, 284; 3.26: vol. 1, 108, 295;
5.14: vol. 2, 152 vol. 2, 152 vol. 2, 115
5.26: vol. 1, 73 25.15–16: vol. 2, 293 4.14: vol. 1, 41
5.30: vol. 2, 393 27.2: vol. 1, 231 4.15: vol. 1, 41
Ezekiel (cont.) Susanna 4.1–2: vol. 1, 101–4
5.10: vol. 1, 193 56: vol. 1, 230 4.3–4: vol. 1, 104–7
8.3: vol. 1, 128 4.4–5: vol. 1, 107–8
8.14: vol. 1, 118 Hosea 4.5–6: vol. 1, 108
8.16: vol. 1, 128 1.1: vol. 1, 5, 27, 4.7: vol. 1, 109
9.2–6: vol. 1, 131 33–38 4.8: vol. 1, 271
9.5–6: vol. 2, 119 1.2: vol. 1, 38–39, 4.8–9: vol. 1, 109–12
12.14: vol. 1, 57 101 4.9: vol. 1, 112
12.27: vol. 2, 45 1.2–3: vol. 1, 39–48 4.10: vol. 1, 112–13
12.27–28: vol. 1, 181 1.4–5: vol. 1, 48–54 4.10–11: vol. 1,
13.19: vol. 2, 208 1.7: vol. 1, 54–56 113–14
14.8: vol. 2, 380 1.8–9: vol. 1, 56–58 4.12: vol. 1, 114–15
17.3–4: vol. 1, 262 1.10: vol. 1, 58–60 4.13: vol. 1, 115–16,
17.4: vol. 1, 229 1.11: vol. 1, 60–63, 127; vol. 2, 83,
18.1–4: vol. 2, 16 65 247
18.20: vol. 1, 68; 2.1: vol. 1, 64 4.13–14: vol. 1,
vol. 2, 16 2.2: vol. 1, 64–66 116–17
18.23: vol. 2, 68 2.3: vol. 1, 66–68 4.14: vol. 1, 117–18
18.30: vol. 1, 251 2.3–5: vol. 1, 68–69 4.15: vol. 1, 118–19,
18.31–32: vol. 2, 172 2.5: vol. 1, 69–70 128
20.13: vol. 2, 87 2.6–7: vol. 1, 70–71 4.16: vol. 1, 119–20
20.16: vol. 2, 87 2.7: vol. 1, 71–72 4.17–19: vol. 1,
20.21: vol. 2, 87 2.8: vol. 1, 72–73; 120–22
20.24: vol. 2, 87 vol. 2, 189 5.1: vol. 2, 247
21.21–22: vol. 1, 114 2.9–10: vol. 1, 73–74; 5.1–2: vol. 1, 123–24
28.14: vol. 2, 387 vol. 2, 319 5.3: vol. 1, 124–25
31.15: vol. 2, 387 2.11: vol. 1, 74–76 5.4: vol. 1, 125
33.10–11: vol. 2, 171 2.12: vol. 1, 76–78, 5.5: vol. 1, 56,
33.11: vol. 1, 251 85; vol. 2, 189 125–26
33.12: vol. 1, 187; 2.13: vol. 1, 78–79 5.6–7: vol. 1, 126–27
vol. 2, 119 2.14: vol. 1, 12, 5.8: vol. 1, 196;
34.14: vol. 1, 100 79–80 vol. 2, 18
34.17–19: vol. 1, 146 2.15: vol. 1, 80–84 5.8–9: vol. 1, 127–30
34.23: vol. 1, 61 2.16–17: vol. 1, 11, 5.10: vol. 1, 130
36.22: vol. 2, 195 84–85 5.11–12: vol. 1,
38–39: vol. 1, 302; 2.18: vol. 1, 4, 85–87 130–33
vol. 2, 98 2.18–19: vol. 1, 5.13: vol. 1, 133–35;
39.1–5: vol. 2, 98 87–89 vol. 2, 62
39.11–13: vol. 2, 98 2.20: vol. 1, 89–90 5.14: vol. 1, 138
39.12: vol. 1, 290 2.21–22: vol. 1, 5.14–15: vol. 1,
44.9–10: vol. 1, 233 90–92 135–36
2.23: vol. 1, 92–93 5.15: vol. 1, 136–37
Daniel 3.1: vol. 1, 94–96 6.1–3: vol. 1, 138–40
2.22: vol. 1, 28; 3.2–3: vol. 1, 96–98 6.2: vol. 1, 16
vol. 2, 34 3.4: vol. 1, 107, 276 6.4: vol. 1, 140–41
3: vol. 2, 364 3.4–5: vol. 1, 98–100 6.5: vol. 1, 141
6.5–6: vol. 1, 141–43 9.8: vol. 1, 115, 11.8–9: vol. 1,
6.6: vol. 2, 251 182–83 216–17
6.7: vol. 1, 143–45 9.9: vol. 1, 183–86, 11.9–10: vol. 1,
6.7–8: vol. 1, 232 200; vol. 2, 260 217–19
6.7–9: vol. 1, 145–46 9.10: vol. 1, 187 11.10–11: vol. 1,
6.9–10: vol. 1, 9.11: vol. 1, 187–88 219–20
146–51 9.11–12: vol. 1, 11.12: vol. 1, 220–21
7.1: vol. 1, 150–51 188–89 12.1: vol. 1, 222–23
7.1–2: vol. 1, 151–53 9.13: vol. 1, 189–90 12.2: vol. 1, 223
7.3: vol. 1, 153 9.14: vol. 1, 190–91 12.3–4: vol. 1,
7.4–5: vol. 1, 153–55 9.15: vol. 1, 191–92, 224–25
7.5–6: vol. 1, 155–56 232; vol. 2, 57 12.4–5: vol. 1,
7.6: vol. 1, 156–57 9.16–17: vol. 1, 225–27
7.7: vol. 1, 157 192–93 12.6: vol. 1, 227–28
7.8: vol. 1, 157 10.1–2: vol. 1, 12.7–8: vol. 1,
7.9: vol. 1, 157–58 194–95 228–30
7.10: vol. 1, 158 10.2: vol. 1, 198 12.9–10: vol. 1,
7.11: vol. 1, 134 10.3–4: vol. 1, 230–31
7.11–12: vol. 1, 195–96 12.10: vol. 2, 333
158–59 10.4–5: vol. 1, 12.11: vol. 1, 231–33
7.13: vol. 1, 159–60; 196–98 12.12: vol. 1, 233
vol. 2, 316 10.6: vol. 1, 198 12.13: vol. 1, 233–34,
7.13–14: vol. 1, 10.7–8: vol. 1, 242
160–61 198–99 12.14: vol. 1, 234–35
7.14: vol. 1, 165, 172 10.8: vol. 1, 16, 13.1–2: vol. 1,
7.15–16: vol. 1, 199–200 236–37
161–62 10.9 LXX: vol. 1, 186 13.2: vol. 1, 161
7.16: vol. 1, 162–63 10.9–10: vol. 1, 13.2–3: vol. 1,
8.1: vol. 1, 164–65 200–201 237–38
8.2–3: vol. 1, 165 10.11: vol. 1, 202–3 13.4: vol. 1, 238–39
8.4: vol. 1, 165–67, 10.12: vol. 1, 203–5 13.5–6: vol. 1,
180 10.13–14: vol. 1, 239–40
8.5–6: vol. 1, 167 205–6 13.6: vol. 1, 240–41
8.7: vol. 1, 167–68 10.14–15: vol. 1, 13.7–8: vol. 1,
8.9–10: vol. 1, 206–9 241–42
168–70 11: vol. 1, 210 13.9–11: vol. 1,
8.10: vol. 1, 170–71 11.1–2: vol. 1, 242–43
8.11–12: vol. 1, 210–11 13.12–13: vol. 1,
171–72 11.2–4: vol. 1, 243–45
8.13: vol. 1, 172–74 211–13 13.14: vol. 1, 245–46
8.14: vol. 1, 174–75, 11.3–4: vol. 2, 392 13.14–15: vol. 1,
218; vol. 2, 62 11.4: vol. 1, 213–14, 246–47
9.1–4: vol. 1, 176–78 240 13.15: vol. 1, 247–48
9.5: vol. 1, 178–79 11.5–6: vol. 1, 13.16: vol. 1, 248,
9.6: vol. 1, 179–80 214–15 249
9.7: vol. 1, 180–82 11.7: vol. 1, 215–16 14.1: vol. 1, 56
Hosea (cont.) 2.15–17: vol. 1, 2.4: vol. 2, 39
14.1 LXX: vol. 1, 249 286–88 2.4–5: vol. 2, 28–29
14.1–3: vol. 1, 2.18–20: vol. 1, 2.4–6: vol. 2, 8
249–51 288–89 2.6–7: vol. 2, 30–31
14.4: vol. 1, 251–52 2.20: vol. 1, 289–90 2.7: vol. 2, 31–33, 187
14.5: vol. 1, 252 2.21–24: vol. 1, 2.8: vol. 2, 33–35
14.6: vol. 1, 252 290–92 2.8–12: vol. 2, 39
14.7: vol. 1, 252–54 2.23: vol. 1, 16 2.9: vol. 2, 35–36
14.8: vol. 1, 254–55 2.25–26: vol. 1, 2.10: vol. 2, 36–37
14.9: vol. 1, 56, 292–93 2.11–12: vol. 2,
255–56 2.27: vol. 1, 293–94 37–38
2.28: vol. 1, 19 2.12: vol. 2, 42, 102
Joel 2.28–29: vol. 1, 2.13: vol. 2, 38–39
1: vol. 1, 40 294–98 2.14–16: vol. 2,
1.1: vol. 1, 261 2.28–31: vol. 1, 298 39–40
1.2–3: vol. 1, 261–62 2.30–31: vol. 1, 3.1–2: vol. 2, 41–42
1.4: vol. 1, 262–65 298–300 3.3: vol. 2, 42–43
1.5: vol. 1, 265–66 2.32: vol. 1, 300–301 3.4: vol. 2, 43–44
1.6–7: vol. 1, 266–68 3.1–3: vol. 1, 302–6 3.5: vol. 2, 44–45
1.8: vol. 1, 268–70 3.4: vol. 2, 152 3.6: vol. 1, 166, 278;
1.9–10: vol. 1, 3.4–6: vol. 1, 306–8; vol. 2, 45–46, 172,
270–72 vol. 2, 21 392
1.11–12: vol. 1, 3.7–8: vol. 1, 308–9 3.7–8: vol. 2, 46–47
272–73 3.9–12: vol. 1, 3.8: vol. 1, 135;
1.13: vol. 1, 273–74 309–10 vol. 2, 15
1.14–15: vol. 1, 3.13–16: vol. 1, 3.9–11: vol. 1, 11–12;
274–75 310–12 vol. 2, 47–51
1.15–16: vol. 1, 3.16–17: vol. 1, 3.12: vol. 2, 51–52
275–77 312–13 3.13–15: vol. 2,
1.17–18: vol. 1, 277 3.18: vol. 1, 279, 52–54
1.19–20: vol. 1, 314–16 4.1–3: vol. 2, 55–57
277–79 3.19: vol. 2, 135 4.4: vol. 2, 57, 67
2.1–2: vol. 1, 280 3.19–21: vol. 1, 4.4–5: vol. 2, 57–59
2.2–3: vol. 1, 280–81 316–17 4.6–8: vol. 2, 59–61
2.4–5: vol. 1, 281–82 4.9–10: vol. 2, 61–62
2.6: vol. 1, 282 Amos 4.11: vol. 2, 62–63
2.7: vol. 1, 282 1.1: vol. 2, 7–14 4.12: vol. 2, 63
2.8: vol. 1, 282–83 1.2: vol. 2, 14–15 4.13: vol. 2, 63–65
2.9–10: vol. 1, 9, 283 1.3–5: vol. 2, 15–18 5: vol. 1, 12
2.11: vol. 1, 283–84 1.6–8: vol. 2, 19–20 5.1–2: vol. 2, 66–67,
2.12–13: vol. 2, 203, 1.9–10: vol. 2, 20–22 381, 393
307 1.11: vol. 2, 23–25 5.3: vol. 2, 67
2.12–14: vol. 1, 1.11–12: vol. 2, 5.4–6: vol. 2, 67–69
284–86 25–26 5.5: vol. 2, 116
2.13: vol. 1, 151, 175; 1.14–15: vol. 2, 26 5.7–9: vol. 2, 69–71
vol. 2, 68 2.1–3: vol. 2, 27–28 5.10: vol. 2, 71–72
5.11: vol. 2, 72–73 8.11–12: vol. 1, 68, 2.4: vol. 2, 164
5.12–13: vol. 2, 295; vol. 2, 114–15 2.5–6: vol. 2, 164–65
73–74 8.13–14: vol. 2, 2.7: vol. 2, 165
5.14–15: vol. 2, 115–17 2.8–9: vol. 2, 165–66
74–75 9.1: vol. 2, 118–19 2.10: vol. 2, 166
5.16–17: vol. 2, 9.1–4: vol. 2, 119–21 3.1–2: vol. 2, 167–68
75–76 9.5: vol. 2, 121–22 3.3–4: vol. 2, 168–69
5.18–20: vol. 2, 9.6: vol. 2, 122–24 3.5: vol. 2, 169–70
76–77 9.7–8: vol. 2, 124–26 3.8–9: vol. 2, 170–72
5.19: vol. 2, 87 9.8–9: vol. 2, 8 4.1–3: vol. 2, 173–74
5.21–22: vol. 2, 9.8–10: vol. 2, 4.2: vol. 1, 269;
77–78 126–27 vol. 2, 169
5.23–24: vol. 2, 9.11: vol. 2, 9 4.2–3: vol. 2, 155
78–79 9.11–12: vol. 2, 4.3: vol. 2, 334
5.25–27: vol. 2, 127–29 4.4–5: vol. 2, 174
79–82 9.13: vol. 2, 207 4.6: vol. 2, 174–75
6.1: vol. 2, 83–84 9.13–15: vol. 2, 4.7–8: vol. 2, 175
6.1–2: vol. 2, 84–86 129–31 4.9: vol. 2, 176
6.3: vol. 2, 86–88 4.10–11: vol. 2,
6.4–6: vol. 2, 88–89, Obadiah 176–77
198 1: vol. 2, 137, 396
6.7: vol. 2, 89–90 2–4: vol. 2, 137–38 Micah
6.8: vol. 2, 90–91 5–6: vol. 2, 138–39 1.1: vol. 2, 183
6.8–10: vol. 2, 91–93 7–11: vol. 2, 139–40 1.2: vol. 2, 183–84
6.11: vol. 2, 93–94 12–14: vol. 2, 140–41 1.3–4: vol. 2, 184–86
6.12: vol. 2, 94 15–17: vol. 2, 141–42 1.5: vol. 2, 186–88
6.13–14: vol. 2, 17–19: vol. 2, 142–43 1.6–7: vol. 2, 188–90
95–96 20–21: vol. 2, 143–44 1.7: vol. 2, 190
7.1–3: vol. 2, 97–98 1.8–9: vol. 2, 190–91
7.4–6: vol. 2, 98–99 Jonah 1.10: vol. 2, 191–93
7.7–9: vol. 2, 99–101 1.1–2: vol. 2, 151–53, 1.11: vol. 2, 193–94
7.9–15: vol. 2, 6 169 1.12–13: vol. 2,
7.10–11: vol. 2, 1.2: vol. 2, 167 194–95
101–2 1.3: vol. 2, 153–55 1.14: vol. 2, 199
7.12: vol. 2, 42 1.4–5: vol. 2, 155 1.14–15: vol. 2,
7.12–13: vol. 2, 102 1.5–6: vol. 2, 155–56 196–97
7.14–17: vol. 2, 1.7: vol. 2, 156–57 1.15–16: vol. 2,
102–4 1.8–10: vol. 2, 197–98
8.1–3: vol. 2, 105–6 157–58 2.1–2: vol. 2, 199–
8.2–3: vol. 2, 118 1.12: vol. 2, 150, 158 200
8.4–6: vol. 1, 12; 1.13–15: vol. 2, 2.3: vol. 2, 200–201
vol. 2, 106–9 158–59 2.4: vol. 2, 201
8.5: vol. 2, 187 1.16: vol. 2, 159 2.4–5: vol. 2, 202
8.7–8: vol. 2, 109–11 1.17: vol. 2, 160–62 2.5–7: vol. 2, 202–4
8.9–10: vol. 2, 2.1–2: vol. 2, 163 2.7–8: vol. 2, 204–5
111–14 2.3–4: vol. 2, 163–64 2.8: vol. 2, 205–6
Micah (cont.) 6.5: vol. 2, 249–50 1.13–14: vol. 2,
2.9: vol. 2, 206 6.6–8: vol. 1, 12; 297–99
2.10: vol. 2, 206–8 vol. 2, 250–51 1.14: vol. 2, 299–302
2.10–11: vol. 2, 213 6.9: vol. 2, 251–52 1.15: vol. 2, 302–5
2.11: vol. 2, 208–9 6.9–10: vol. 2, 2.1: vol. 2, 306–7,
2.11–12: vol. 2, 252–53 313
209–10 6.11–12: vol. 2, 2.1–2: vol. 2, 307–9
2.12–13: vol. 2, 253–54 2.2–4: vol. 2, 309
210–11 6.13: vol. 2, 261 2.5: vol. 2, 310
3.1–4: vol. 1, 12; 6.13–15: vol. 2, 260 2.6–7: vol. 2, 310–11
vol. 2, 212–13 6.13–16: vol. 2, 2.8: vol. 1, 146
3.5: vol. 2, 213–14 254–56 2.8–9: vol. 2, 311–12
3.6: vol. 2, 214–15 6.14: vol. 1, 7 2.10: vol. 2, 312–13
3.7: vol. 2, 215 7.1: vol. 2, 257–58 2.11–12: vol. 2,
3.8: vol. 2, 215–16 7.1–2: vol. 1, 106 313–14
3.9: vol. 2, 253 7.2–3: vol. 2, 258–59 2.13: vol. 2, 314–15
3.9–10: vol. 2, 7.4: vol. 2, 259–63 3.1: vol. 2, 316–17
216–18 7.4 LXX: vol. 1, 186 3.2–3: vol. 2, 317
3.11–12: vol. 2, 7.5–6: vol. 2, 263–64 3.4: vol. 2, 152,
218–20 7.6: vol. 1, 16 317–18
4.1–2: vol. 2, 221–22 7.7: vol. 2, 264–65 3.5–6: vol. 2, 318–19
4.2: vol. 1, 8 7.8–9: vol. 2, 265–66 3.7: vol. 2, 319–20
4.2–3: vol. 2, 223–25 7.10–11: vol. 2, 3.10: vol. 2, 320–22
4.3–4: vol. 2, 225–26 266–69 3.11: vol. 2, 322–23
4.5: vol. 2, 226–27 7.12–13: vol. 2, 3.12: vol. 2, 323
4.6–7: vol. 2, 227 269–71 3.13: vol. 2, 323–34
4.8: vol. 2, 227–28, 7.14: vol. 1, 14 3.14: vol. 2, 324
244 7.14–15: vol. 2, 3.15: vol. 2, 324–25
4.9–10: vol. 2, 271–75 3.16–17: vol. 2, 325
228–30 7.16–17: vol. 2, 3.17–18: vol. 2,
4.11–13: vol. 2, 275–77 325–27
230–31 7.17–20: vol. 2, 3.19: vol. 2, 327–28
5.1: vol. 2, 232–33 277–78
5.2: vol. 2, 233–35, 7.18: vol. 1, 275 Habakkuk
373 1.1: vol. 2, 283, 333
5.3: vol. 2, 235–36 Nahum 1.2: vol. 2, 333–34
5.4: vol. 2, 236–37 1.1: vol. 2, 283, 333 1.3: vol. 2, 334
5.5: vol. 1, 98 1.2–3: vol. 2, 283–86 1.4: vol. 2, 334–36
5.5–6: vol. 2, 237–40 1.3: vol. 2, 286–89 1.5: vol. 2, 336–37
5.6: vol. 1, 16 1.4–5: vol. 2, 289–92 1.6: vol. 2, 337–38
5.7: vol. 2, 240–42 1.6: vol. 2, 292–93 1.7: vol. 2, 338–39
5.8–9: vol. 2, 242–43 1.7–8: vol. 2, 293–94 1.8: vol. 2, 340
5.12–15: vol. 2, 1.9: vol. 2, 294–95 1.9: vol. 2, 340–41
243–45 1.10–11: vol. 2, 1.9–10: vol. 2,
6.1–2: vol. 2, 246–47 295–97 341–42
6.3–4: vol. 2, 247–49 1.12: vol. 2, 297 1.11: vol. 2, 342
1.12: vol. 2, 342–43 3: vol. 1, 13 2.5: vol. 1, 174;
1.12–13: vol. 2, 3.1: vol. 2, 366 vol. 2, 340
343–44 3.2: vol. 2, 277, 2.6–7: vol. 1, 290
1.13: vol. 2, 332, 348 367–72 2.8: vol. 2, 47, 104
1.13–14: vol. 1, 107; 3.3: vol. 2, 372–75 4.5: vol. 1, 38
vol. 2, 344–46 3.4: vol. 1, 19; vol. 2, 4.7: vol. 1, 20
1.15: vol. 2, 351 375–77 5: vol. 1, 7
1.15–17: vol. 2, 3.5: vol. 2, 377–79 6: vol. 1, 7
346–47 3.6: vol. 2, 379–83 7.9: vol. 2, 30
1.16: vol. 2, 323 3.7: vol. 2, 383–84 7.9–10: vol. 1, 12
2.1: vol. 1, 38; vol. 2, 3.8–9: vol. 2, 384–85 8.4–5: vol. 1, 3
348, 396 3.10: vol. 2, 385–87 8.6: vol. 2, 210
2.2–3: vol. 2, 349 3.10–11: vol. 2, 8.18–19: vol. 1, 11
2.3: vol. 1, 15, 51; 387–90 9.1: vol. 2, 283
vol. 2, 236, 396 3.11: vol. 2, 390–91 10: vol. 1, 8
2.3–4: vol. 2, 349–50 3.12: vol. 2, 391 10.1: vol. 1, 16
2.5: vol. 2, 350–52 3.13: vol. 2, 391–92 11.1–2: vol. 2, 292
2.6: vol. 2, 352–53, 3.14: vol. 2, 392–95 11.8: vol. 1, 53
359 3.15: vol. 2, 395 12.1: vol. 2, 283
2.6–8: vol. 2, 239, 243 3.16: vol. 2, 396–97 12.8: vol. 1, 12
2.7: vol. 2, 312, 3.17: vol. 2, 397–99 12.11: vol. 2, 292
353–54 3.18–19: vol. 1, 189; 13.7 LXX: vol. 1, 20
2.8: vol. 2, 354–55 vol. 2, 399 14: vol. 1, 13
2.9: vol. 2, 359 14.5: vol. 2, 14
2.9–10: vol. 2, Zephaniah
355–56 1.1–2: vol. 2, 231 Malachi
2.11: vol. 2, 356–57 1.11: vol. 1, 229 1.1: vol. 2, 283
2.12: vol. 2, 359 1.14–16: vol. 1, 17 1.2–3: vol. 1, 210,
2.12–13: vol. 2, 2.12: vol. 1, 16 224
357–58 3.17: vol. 1, 18 1.4: vol. 1, 199
2.14: vol. 2, 358–59 2.4: vol. 1, 4
2.15–16: vol. 2, Haggai 2.7: vol. 1, 145;
359–61 2.15: vol. 1, 7 vol. 2, 259
2.16–17: vol. 2, 3.11: vol. 1, 93
361–63 Zechariah 3.12: vol. 1, 140;
2.18: vol. 2, 359, 1: vol. 1, 13 vol. 2, 378
363–64 1.7: vol. 1, 97 4.2: vol. 1, 16, 84;
2.19–20: vol. 2, 1.14–15: vol. 1, 288; vol. 2, 269, 389
364–65 vol. 2, 286
New Testament
Matthew 2.2: vol. 2, 354, 378 3.9: vol. 2, 125
1.1–11: vol. 2, 374 2.15: vol. 1, 210 3.16: vol. 1, 296
1.20–23: vol. 2, 370 3.7: vol. 1, 105 4.4: vol. 1, 276;
1.23: vol. 2, 101 3.8–9: vol. 2, 202 vol. 2, 115
Matthew (cont.) 12.40: vol. 2, 167 27.45: vol. 1, 299;
4.19: vol. 1, 301 12.41: vol. 2, 153 vol. 2, 113
4.24: vol. 2, 378 12.43: vol. 1, 80 27.51: vol. 1, 299;
5.4: vol. 1, 116, 266, 12.43–45: vol. 1, 67 vol. 2, 114
285; vol. 2, 56 13.8: vol. 1, 140 28.9–10: vol. 2, 167
5.5: vol. 2, 274 13.23: vol. 2, 378 28.12–14: vol. 2, 341
5.9: vol. 2, 259 13.52: vol. 2, 389 28.19: vol. 2, 150
5.13: vol. 1, 132 15.9: vol. 1, 95, 163; 28.19–20: vol. 2, 222,
5.39: vol. 2, 222 vol. 2, 117, 360 238
6.24: vol. 1, 125, 195; 15.24: vol. 1, 103;
vol. 2, 59 vol. 2, 167 Mark
7.12: vol. 1, 142 16.18: vol. 1, 316 4.39: vol. 2, 162
7.15: vol. 1, 183 16.24: vol. 1, 269 5.1–13: vol. 1, 290
7.21: vol. 2, 205 16.26: vol. 2, 73 7.7: vol. 1, 95
7.25: vol. 2, 268 16.27: vol. 1, 63, 300 8.12: vol. 2, 148
8.19–20: vol. 1, 301 18.6: vol. 1, 122, 205 9.50: vol. 1, 132
8.25: vol. 2, 162 21.19: vol. 2, 397 10.45: vol. 2, 55
9.9: vol. 1, 301 21.33–41: vol. 1, 54 13.10: vol. 2, 378
9.11–12: vol. 1, 45 21.35–39: vol. 2, 358 14.58: vol. 1, 106
9.12–13: vol. 1, 212 21.38: vol. 1, 144; 15.40: vol. 2, 114
9.35: vol. 2, 387 vol. 2, 393
9.37–38: vol. 1, 93 21.38–39: vol. 1, 273 Luke
10.5–6: vol. 2, 167 21.39: vol. 2, 271 1.69: vol. 2, 376
10.8: vol. 1, 28 22.36–39: vol. 2, 106 3.23–38: vol. 2, 374
10.15: vol. 2, 43 23.10: vol. 2, 227 4.18: vol. 1, 95;
10.16: vol. 1, 159; 23.15: vol. 2, 127 vol. 2, 131
vol. 2, 242 23.32: vol. 1, 104 4.29: vol. 1, 104
10.20: vol. 2, 38, 331 23.33: vol. 1, 105 6.36: vol. 2, 251
10.21: vol. 1, 246 23.37: vol. 2, 316 7.20–23: vol. 2, 371
10.34–36: vol. 1, 246 23.38: vol. 1, 58 7.34: vol. 2, 336
10.40: vol. 2, 43 24.2: vol. 2, 219 8.5: vol. 2, 379
11.3: vol. 1, 51 24.6: vol. 1, 300 8.31: vol. 2, 186, 277,
11.11: vol. 1, 314 24.12: vol. 1, 289 376
11.19: vol. 1, 104; vol. 24.14: vol. 2, 224 8.31–33: vol. 2, 305
2, 209, 298, 316 24.35: vol. 1, 261, 10.19: vol. 1, 56, 87,
11.28: vol. 2, 200 308; vol. 2, 100, 292; vol. 2, 36,
11.28–29: vol. 1, 193 122 275, 292, 305,
11.28–30: vol. 2, 382 25.12: vol. 1, 117 342, 353
11.29: vol. 1, 78 25.15: vol. 1, 97 11.18: vol. 2, 336
11.30: vol. 2, 249 25.27: vol. 1, 97 11.29–32: vol. 2, 148
12.24: vol. 1, 104; 25.29: vol. 1, 174 11.52: vol. 1, 151;
vol. 2, 316 25.31: vol. 1, 63 vol. 2, 127, 286
12.29: vol. 1, 98; 25.40: vol. 2, 31 12.35: vol. 2, 308
vol. 2, 274, 312, 26.15: vol. 1, 104 12.47–48: vol. 1, 177
354 26.39: vol. 2, 166 12.51–53: vol. 2, 264
12.39–40: vol. 2, 148 26.65: vol. 2, 307 13.6–7: vol. 2, 397
13.7: vol. 1, 192 8.41: vol. 1, 104 18.1–3: vol. 1, 315
16.14: vol. 2, 113 8.44: vol. 2, 216 19.12: vol. 2, 102
19.17: vol. 1, 97 8.48: vol. 1, 104; 19.15: vol. 2, 338
23.1–2: vol. 1, 106 vol. 2, 209, 298, 20.22: vol. 1, 294;
23.28: vol. 2, 113 316 vol. 2, 307
23.30: vol. 1, 200 8.59: vol. 1, 104
9.16: vol. 2, 209 Acts
John 9.22: vol. 1, 151 1.4: vol. 2, 124
1.11: vol. 1, 144 9.29: vol. 1, 93 2.2–4: vol. 1, 294
1.11–13: vol. 1, 270 9.39: vol. 2, 344 2.17–21: vol. 1, 298
1.13: vol. 1, 297 10.10: vol. 1, 62 2.24: vol. 2, 166
1.32: vol. 1, 296 10.11: vol. 2, 52, 234 2.27: vol. 2, 166
1.47: vol. 2, 383 10.16: vol. 2, 272 2.33: vol. 1, 297
1.50: vol. 2, 371 10.20: vol. 2, 360 3.14: vol. 1, 300
2.15: vol. 2, 34 10.27–28: vol. 1, 58 3.15: vol. 2, 391
2.15–17: vol. 2, 370 10.28: vol. 1, 130 3.17: vol. 1, 300
2.17: vol. 2, 34 10.30: vol. 1, 142 3.38–39: vol. 1, 300
3.8: vol. 2, 64 10.31: vol. 1, 104 4.19–20: vol. 2, 104
3.16: vol. 2, 271, 377 11.8: vol. 1, 104 4.27: vol. 1, 153;
3.17: vol. 1, 89; 11.25: vol. 1, 62 vol. 2, 394
vol. 2, 370 11.43: vol. 1, 312 4.29: vol. 2, 394
3.18: vol. 2, 278 12.24: vol. 1, 276; 4.32: vol. 2, 218
3.31: vol. 2, 123 vol. 2, 129, 390 5.30: vol. 1, 300
4.22: vol. 2, 374 12.31: vol. 2, 274 5.40: vol. 2, 394
4.32: vol. 2, 241, 395 12.31–32: vol. 1, 89; 5.41: vol. 2, 216
4.34: vol. 2, 241, 395 vol. 2, 224, 376 7.38–43: vol. 2, 81
4.35–36: vol. 1, 93 12.32: vol. 2, 129, 7.43: vol. 2, 85
5.24: vol. 1, 103 390 7.48: vol. 2, 184
5.46: vol. 2, 386 12.35: vol. 2, 215, 7.52: vol. 1, 104
6.32–33: vol. 2, 115 294, 322 9.4–11: vol. 1, 298
6.33: vol. 1, 276; 12.49: vol. 1, 142 9.15: vol. 2, 385
vol. 2, 37, 274 13.35: vol. 1, 142 10.13–14: vol. 1, 41
6.48: vol. 1, 271; 14.6: vol. 1, 99, 235 10.13–15: vol. 1, 42
vol. 2, 115 14.9: vol. 1, 103, 137, 10.34–35: vol. 2, 151
6.51: vol. 2, 274 142, 225 13.41: vol. 2, 337
6.52–68: vol. 2, 382 14.10: vol. 1, 142 14.11–12: vol. 2, 307
7.12: vol. 2, 298 14.27: vol. 1, 87, 225 15.16–17: vol. 2, 128
7.21–24: vol. 2, 336 15.5: vol. 1, 126, 204, 15.28–29: vol. 1, 315
7.33: vol. 1, 58 255 16.9: vol. 1, 298
7.33–35: vol. 2, 158 15.13: vol. 2, 377 17.22: vol. 2, 395
7.37: vol. 2, 117, 387 15.15: vol. 1, 99 17.30–31: vol. 2, 395
8.12: vol. 2, 322 16.7: vol. 2, 124
8.19: vol. 1, 93 16.33: vol. 1, 292, Romans
8.23: vol. 2, 123 305 1.22: vol. 2, 215
8.24: vol. 2, 208, 392 17.3: vol. 1, 90 1.25: vol. 1, 50, 204,
8.39: vol. 2, 125 17.4: vol. 2, 359 293; vol. 2, 299
Romans (cont.) 13.10: vol. 1, 228; 15.52: vol. 1, 312
1.28: vol. 1, 109 vol. 2, 73, 109 15.56: vol. 1, 246
2.8–9: vol. 2, 244 13.14: vol. 2, 309
2.28–29: vol. 2, 274, 14.9: vol. 2, 52 2 Corinthians
304 1.22: vol. 1, 297
2.29: vol. 2, 223 1 Corinthians 2.15: vol. 2, 78
3.8: vol. 1, 268 1.30: vol. 2, 375 3.2–3: vol. 1, 80
3.20: vol. 2, 372 2.2: vol. 2, 227 3.6: vol. 1, 40; vol. 2,
3.25: vol. 2, 369 2.9: vol. 1, 80 124, 207
3.29–30: vol. 1, 245; 3.9: vol. 1, 93; 3.14–15: vol. 1, 276
vol. 2, 151 vol. 2, 378 3.14–17: vol. 1, 83
3.30: vol. 2, 129 4.15: vol. 1, 56 3.15: vol. 2, 113,
4.12: vol. 1, 252; 4.20: vol. 2, 205 215
vol. 2, 234 5.1: vol. 2, 33 5.5: vol. 1, 87, 92
4.15: vol. 2, 350 5.5: vol. 2, 33 5.10: vol. 2, 286
5.3–5: vol. 1, 241; 6.17: vol. 1, 152; 5.13: vol. 2, 393
vol. 2, 165 vol. 2, 353 5.14: vol. 1, 139
5.6: vol. 2, 276 7.31: vol. 2, 88 5.17: vol. 2, 128,
5.8: vol. 2, 276 8.5: vol. 1, 138 225, 233, 372
5.15: vol. 2, 278 8.11: vol. 2, 215 5.20: vol. 2, 43
7.12: vol. 2, 72 8.11–12: vol. 1, 308 6.11–14: vol. 2, 86
8.6: vol. 1, 297 8.12: vol. 1, 180, 204; 6.12–13: vol. 1, 286
8.17: vol. 2, 276 vol. 2, 215, 263, 6.16: vol. 2, 218
8.33–34: vol. 1, 246; 356 7.10: vol. 1, 285;
vol. 2, 276 9.9: vol. 1, 297; vol. 2, 228
9.2–4: vol. 1, 272 vol. 2, 398 8.9: vol. 1, 296;
9.3: vol. 1, 47 9.13: vol. 1, 110 vol. 2, 277
9.4–5: vol. 2, 202 9.20–22: vol. 1, 47 10.5: vol. 2, 86
9.6: vol. 1, 252; 10.2: vol. 2, 274, 288 11.2: vol. 1, 270
vol. 2, 278 10.11: vol. 1, 81; 11.26: vol. 2, 243
9.6–8: vol. 2, 202 vol. 2, 263 11.29: vol. 2, 334
9.7: vol. 2, 125 10.12: vol. 1, 187; 13.3: vol. 1, 39
9.8: vol. 2, 278 vol. 2, 194
9.27–28: vol. 1, 58 10.21: vol. 1, 132, Galatians
10.2: vol. 2, 358 172 2.16: vol. 2, 272,
11.13–14: vol. 1, 189 11.22: vol. 2, 34 350
11.17: vol. 2, 398 12.3: vol. 2, 26, 78, 2.20: vol. 2, 227
11.25: vol. 1, 60, 83; 209 3.9: vol. 2, 278
vol. 2, 113, 202 13.13: vol. 2, 106 3.10: vol. 2, 272
11.28: vol. 2, 126 14.21: vol. 1, 295 3.19: vol. 1, 87
11.29: vol. 2, 131 14.29–31: vol. 1, 295 3.24: vol. 1, 77
11.34: vol. 2, 161 15.2: vol. 2, 368 4.9: vol. 2, 42
12.6: vol. 2, 130 15.33: vol. 2, 38 5.24: vol. 1, 62, 289,
12.12: vol. 2, 130 15.45: vol. 1, 296 313; vol. 2, 222
12.15: vol. 2, 194, 15.47: vol. 1, 296 6.7: vol. 1, 204
334 15.51–52: vol. 1, 62
Ephesians 3.21: vol. 2, 124 Titus
1.4: vol. 2, 235 4.4–5: vol. 1, 76 3.5: vol. 1, 90;
1.10: vol. 1, 18; 4.7: vol. 1, 87 vol. 2, 276, 372,
vol. 2, 151, 233, 4.13: vol. 2, 399 377
234 3.6: vol. 1, 297
2.3: vol. 1, 86 Colossians
2.6: vol. 2, 123 1.12: vol. 2, 234 Hebrews
2.10: vol. 2, 212 1.13: vol. 2, 234 1.1: vol. 1, 93
2.14: vol. 1, 88 1.18: vol. 2, 368 1.3: vol. 1, 137
2.14–15: vol. 2, 237 2.14–15: vol. 1, 246 1.5: vol. 2, 374
2.14–18: vol. 1, 88 2.15: vol. 1, 56 1.6: vol. 2, 374
2.15–16: vol. 2, 218, 3.1: vol. 1, 139 1.14: vol. 1, 91;
272 3.5: vol. 2, 73 vol. 2, 374
2.18: vol. 1, 144 3.11: vol. 1, 297 2.2: vol. 1, 132
2.19: vol. 2, 202, 366 3.12: vol. 2, 109, 251 2.9: vol. 2, 374
2.21–22: vol. 1, 305; 3.17: vol. 1, 191
vol. 2, 218 1 Thessalonians 4.8–10: vol. 2, 88
3.17: vol. 1, 313 1.9: vol. 1, 252 4.12: vol. 2, 239
4.5: vol. 2, 300 4.15–17: vol. 2, 123 4.12–13: vol. 1, 125
4.13: vol. 2, 272 4.16: vol. 1, 312 5.4: vol. 1, 300
5.14: vol. 1, 265 5.5: vol. 1, 69, 108 5.12–14: vol. 1, 314
5.27: vol. 2, 268 6.13: vol. 2, 90
6.11: vol. 1, 215 2 Thessalonians 6.20: vol. 2, 123
6.11–17: vol. 2, 391 4.17: vol. 2, 227 7.19: vol. 2, 117,
6.12: vol. 1, 178, 377
289; vol. 2, 36, 1 Timothy 8.6: vol. 2, 383
224, 271, 287, 1.15: vol. 1, 212 8.7: vol. 1, 87;
292, 385 2.4: vol. 1, 95; vol. 2, 383
6.14–15: vol. 2, 251 vol. 2, 46 8.13: vol. 2, 383
6.17: vol. 1, 215; 2.5: vol. 1, 88 9.10: vol. 1, 87, 317
vol. 2, 239 2.6: vol. 1, 246 9.24: vol. 2, 123
3.15: vol. 1, 305; 10.4: vol. 1, 126
Philippians vol. 2, 221, 238 10.20: vol. 2, 123
1.23: vol. 2, 334, 397 4.1–2: vol. 1, 204 10.31: vol. 1, 172,
2.6: vol. 2, 277 5.22: vol. 1, 189 189
2.6–8: vol. 1, 47; 6.8–9: vol. 2, 200, 10.37: vol. 1, 51
vol. 2, 367 222 11.10: vol. 2, 230
2.7: vol. 1, 296; 12.2: vol. 1, 47;
vol. 2, 374 2 Timothy vol. 2, 249
2.8–11: vol. 2, 234, 2.11–12: vol. 2, 227 12.7: vol. 1, 72,
374 2.12: vol. 2, 216 116, 265
3.1: vol. 1, 27; vol. 2, 2.15: vol. 2, 355, 385 12.11: vol. 1, 72
53, 167 3.4: vol. 1, 116 12.16: vol. 2, 24
3.14: vol. 2, 121 3.13: vol. 1, 141, 182, 12.23: vol. 2, 227
3.19: vol. 1, 109; 204 12.25: vol. 1, 214
vol. 2, 23 13.4: vol. 1, 46
Hebrews (cont.) 2.6: vol. 2, 367 2.20: vol. 1, 80
13.14: vol. 2, 397 3.19: vol. 2, 167 2.23: vol. 1, 93
13.16: vol. 1, 275; 2.27: vol. 1, 80
vol. 2, 304 2 Peter 3.24: vol. 1, 313
1.4: vol. 2, 372 4.16: vol. 2, 25
James 1.19: vol. 2, 389 5.3: vol. 2, 249
1.9–10: vol. 2, 351 2.3: vol. 1, 268 5.17: vol. 2, 74
1.17: vol. 2, 31, 84 2.4: vol. 2, 274, 277
2.20: vol. 1, 18 2.8: vol. 2, 376 Jude
2.26: vol. 2, 220 2.17: vol. 2, 384 6: vol. 1, 110
4.12: vol. 2, 30 2.18: vol. 2, 254, 356 13: vol. 2, 384
5.17: vol. 2, 60 2.21: vol. 2, 86
Revelation
1 Peter 1 John 1.8: vol. 1, 15;
2.2: vol. 1, 314 2.1–2: vol. 2, 369 vol. 2, 350
2.5: vol. 2, 218 2.14: vol. 1, 298

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THE FATHERS

Elizabeth Clark Robert D. Sider

FORMER EDITORIAL DIRECTORS

Ludwig Schopp, Roy J. Deferrari, Bernard M. Peebles,

THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA PRESS

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of

Library of C o n g r e s s C ata l o g i n g - i n - P u b l i c at i o n D ata

COMMENTARY ON THE TWELVE PROPHETS

Commentary on Micah, Chapter Two 199

AnBib Analecta Biblica, Pontificio Istituto Biblico, Rome.

Boulnois, M.-O. “The mystery of the Trinity according to Cyril of Alex-

Kerrigan, A. St. Cyril of Alexandria, Interpreter of the Old Testament. AnBib 2.

MOS WAS a goatherd, raised in the ways and norms

E IS SAYING that these are the words of prophecy

ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old.”5 The words, there-

ample, when Ahab reigned over Samaria and Israel. It is record-

10. 2 Kgs 14.23–28.

for it as its protector, recovering Damascus, extending the bor-

11. 2 Kgs 15.1–5.

12. 2 Chr 26.1–8, with the odd detail in error.

lem, as from a place attributed to him, the incorporeal not oc-

20. Ex 32.4 and 34.6–7.

patient, as I said, and incomparably good, and does not immedi-

24. 2 Kgs 8.11–12, quoted by Jerome.

to show that Assyrians deported citizens of Damascus to Cyrene. Cyril misreads

28. 2 Chr 8.1–2, 6–8, appearing textually also in the PG ed.

likewise together with those from Damascus, Ashdod, Gath, and

inspired David, and then after him he was loved by Solomon

34. Ps 52.1 (modern numbering for Psalms); Phil 3.19; Is 5.20.

Now, those who prefer enjoyment of fleshly things to spiri-

brought to such a degree of knavery as not to stop at bloodshed

low-feeling by a spiritual relationship. Loving behavior, on the

HE MOABITES likewise were guilty of such extreme

3. Pss 63.10 and 37.31.

for uprightness and God’s will and to be, as it were, inebriated

and by persuading the flagrant tendencies in our limbs to be at

10. Gn 49.4; 1 Cor 5.1, 5.

dicated that “the disciples remembered that it was written, Zeal

12. Jn 2.15, 17; 1 Cor 11.22.

If, on the other hand, there were reference to Judah, or the

Amorite as someone tough and strong), I was responsible for the

15. Lk 10.19; Eph 6.12—readings abbreviated in the PG ed.

It is therefore necessary for us who are in Christ through

16. Jn 6.33; Is 12.3.

that it made no sense to people to want to be consecrated and

which their fathers adopted”; they have forgotten me, though

20. Am 2.4, 8–12, above.

tory without a blow to those bent on devastation. Then, in fact,

HE VERSE could be taken as addressed to the whole

grind your teeth at the prophets for protesting at your impiety?

tion of converting them to what is more seemly. Scripture says,

9. Ps 32.9; 1 Tm 2.4. Chrysostom in his homily on Is 45.6–7 cited Am 3.6 as

hand on my anointed, nor abuse my prophets,” and to them he

10. Ps 105.15; Zec 2.8.

came to the throne in Jerusalem at a certain time Manasseh,

13. 2 Kgs 21.1–6, 19–20; Jer 19.3.

enjoy a high level of prosperity, and if what had been proph-

15. 2 Kgs 22.15–20.

Jerusalem) that they imposed tribute on everyone throughout