# Commentary on the Twelve Minor Prophets - Author: [Theodoret of Cyrus](https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/authors/theodoret-of-cyrus/) - Latin title: *Interpretatio in duodecim prophetas minores* - Date: probably 430s (before ca. 446) (approximate) - Source: J.-P. Migne, ed., Patrologiae cursus completus, Series Graeca, vol. 81 (Paris, 1864), with the Latin translation of J. Sirmond in parallel columns (not reproduced) - Translation: Claude, from the original text, unless a passage says otherwise; each passage below gives the translator - Editions and translations: No modern critical edition of the Greek text; a modern English translation by R. C. Hill (2006) exists but is copyrighted and was not used. - Work page: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/ - Passages: 386 ## Preface to the Twelve Prophets - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/0-0-1/#p-0-0-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Theodoret defends writing another commentary on the prophets, offering it as the poor offered hair for the tabernacle, and sets out when each of the twelve prophets lived and why their prophecies form one book. ### Greek text Ἴσως μέν τινες περιττόν τι ποιεῖν καὶ παρέλχον νομιοῦσιν ἡμᾶς τῆς προφητικῆς ἑρμηνείας κατατολμῶντας, ἅτε δὴ καὶ ἄλλων τινῶν τοῦτον διηνυκότων τὸν πόνον " ἀλλ᾽ εἰσὶν οἱ τὰ θεῖα περὶ πολλοῦ ποιούμενοι, καὶ τὴν ἱερὰν ἀκριβῶς πεπαιδευμένοι Γραφὴν, οἳ οὐ μόνον ἡμῖν " οὐ νεμεσήσουσιν", οὐδὲ τοῖς φιλαιτίοις ἐκείνοις παραπλησίως ἐπιμέμψονται, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀποδέξονται, ὡς εἰκὸς, καὶ ἐπαινέσονται, κἂν μή τι γενναῖον ἐν τοῖς συγγράμμασιν εὕρωσιν. ᾿Απόχρη γὰρ παρὰ τοῖς δικαίοις κριταῖς, καὶ μόνη ἡ προθυμία δρέψασθαι τὴν εὐφημίαν " οὕτω γὰρ καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ καὶ Κύριος ἡμῶν, ἐν τοῖς " μὲν ἱεροῖς Εὐαγγελίοις ἀντ᾽ ὀβολῶν δύο τὴν χήραν ἐκείνην ἐπαινίωσεν ἐγκωμίοις, τῇ ποιότητι τῆς γνώμης, οὐ τῇ τοῦ δώρου ποσότητι τὸν ἔπαινον ψηφισάμενος. Ἐν δὲ τῷ νόμῳ, τοῖς εὐπόροις παρεγγυήσας χρυσὸν καὶ ἄργυρον καὶ λίθους τιμίους εἰς τὴν κατασκευὴν προσενεγκεῖν τῆς σκηνῆς, οὐδὲ τοὺς πενίᾳ συζῶντας τῆς ἐντεῦθεν ἐστέρησεν εὐλογίας " ἀλλὰ προσέταξε τοὺς μὲν δέρματα, τοὺς δὲ τρίχας προσφέρειν " αἱ δὲ καὶ τούτων σπανίζουσαι, τὴν ἰσχὺν καὶ τὴν τέχνην ἀντὶ τούτων προσέφερον, νήθουσαι τὰς τρίχας, καὶ ἐξυφαίνουσαι. Πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ἴσμεν οὐ μόνον Μωσέα τὸν μέγαν χρηματίσαντα προφήτην, ἀλλὰ καὶ Ἰησοῦν τὸν τοῦ Ναυῆ ", καὶ Σαμουὴλ, καὶ Δαβὶδ, καὶ Νάθαν, καὶ Γὰδ, καὶ ᾿Αχιὰ, καὶ Ἡλίαν, καὶ Ἐλισσαῖον, καὶ μυρίους πρὸς τούτοις ἑτέρους " καὶ τὸ εὐαγγελικὸν δὲ κήρυγμα οὐ μόνον Πέτρος, καὶ Ἰάκωβος, καὶ Ἰωάννης, καὶ ᾿Ανδρέας, καὶ ἅπας ὁ τῶν ἀποστόλων χορὸς, οὐδὲ Παῦλος καὶ Βαρνάβας, οἱ μετὰ τούτους χειροτονηθέντες, εἰς ἅπαντας διεπόρθμευον ἀνθρώπους, ἀλλὰ καὶ Σίλας, καὶ Τῖτος, καὶ Τιμόθεος, καὶ ᾿Απολλὼς, οἱ τῶν μεγάλων ἐκείνων ἀνδρῶν μαθηταί, ᾿Αλλ᾽ οὐδὲ μέχρι τούτων ἔστη τῆς διδασκαλίας ἡ χάρις, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς τούτων ἐφώτισε διαδόχους, καὶ τοὺς μετ᾽ ἐκείνους. Καὶ μέχρι δὲ νῦν ἐν ταῖς θείαις Ἐκκλησίαις ἡ τοῦ παναγίου Πνεύματος ἀναβλύζει πηγὴ, καὶ διανέμει τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὰ θεόσδοτα δῶρα. Οὐδὲν οὖν ἀπεικὸς τοῖς ὀρθῇ ψήφῳ καὶ κεχρημένοις ποιήσειν δόξομεν, εἰ καθάπερ τινὰς τρίχας, τὰς τῆς ἡμετέρας διανοίας ὠδῖνας εἰς τὴν τῆς νέας σκηνῆς κατασκευὴν προσενέγκαιμεν, ἣν ἔπηξεν ὁ Κύριος καὶ οὐχ ἄνθρωπος. Εἰ δὲ καὶ τοῖς ἑτέρων ἐνθυμήμασί τις ἀκολουθεῖν ἡμᾶς φήσεις, καὶ οὕτως εὑρήσει τὸν δυνατὸν ἡμῖν ἔρανον συνεισφέροντας. Ὁμοίως γὰρ ἐκείναις, αἵ τὰς ὑπ᾽ ἄλλων προσενεχθείσας ἔνησαν καὶ ἐξύφαναν τρίχας, καὶ τὰς τῆς σκηνῆς κατεσκεύασαν δέῤῥεις, καὶ ἡμεῖς ἔνθεν κἀκεῖθεν τὰ καλῶς εἰρημένα συλλέξαντες, ὃν ἐκ πάντων ἐξυφανοῦμεν σὺν Θεῷ φάναι σύγγραμμα, τῶν δυοκαίδεκα προφητῶν δήλην ποιοῦντες τοῖς ἐντυγχάνουσι τὴν διάνοιαν. Εἰκὸς δὲ, ὅτι καὶ ἡμεῖς οἷόν τινι λύχνῳ τῷ θείῳ κεχρημένοι λόγῳ, εὑρήσομεν ἑρμηνείαν τῆς ἀληθείας ἐχομένην. Οὐ γὰρ ἀπέσβη τῆς θείας φιλοτιμίας ἡ χάρις, ἀλλὰ πηγάζει καὶ χορηγεῖ τὰς μεγίστας δωρεὰς, οὐ τοῖς ἀξίοις μόνοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς τῆς τελειότητος ἀποδέουσιν. Ὁρῶμεν δὲ καὶ τὸν αἰσθητὸν ἥλιον οὐ μόνον τοῖς παλαιοτάτοις ἀνθρώποις, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς μετ᾽ ἐκείνους καὶ ἡμῖν τοῖς, ὀψιγόνοις, τὰς οἰκείας ἀκτῖνας ἐκπέμποντα, καὶ "͵ ὁμοίως ἅπασαν γῆν καὶ θάλατταν καταυγάζοντα, Τοιγάρτοι πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὁ τούτου δημιουργὸς, ὁ καὶ τοῦτον διὰ μόνην ἀγαθότητα κτίσας, καὶ τῶν οὕτω πὼς ᾿" πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀναβλέπειν προαιρουμένων καταφωτίζει τὸν νοῦν. Ἐπὶ ταύτης τῆς ἐλπίδος ὀχούμενοι, καὶ τῶν φιλαιτίων οὐδένα λόγον ποιούμενοι, τῆς προφητικῆς ἑρμηνείας καταθαῤῥήσομεν, ὑμῶν τῶν ἐπιταξάντων καὶ εἰς τοῦτον διεγειράντων τὸν πόνον, τὰς προσευχὰς εἰς ἐπικουρίαν καλέσαντες" μικρὰ δὲ πρότερον περὶ τῶν καιρῶν ", ἐν οἷς ἕκαστος προεφήτευσε, διελθόντες, οὕτω τῆς κατὰ μέρος ἑρμηνείας ἁψώμεθα. Περὶ " τῶν καιρῶν, ἐν οἷς ἕκαστος τῶν δυοκαίδεκα προφητῶν προεφήτευσεν. Οἱ δυοκαίδεκα ν" προφῆται οὐχ ὡς ἀλλήλοις συνηκμακότες ν", καὶ κατ᾽ αὐτὸν "" γεγονότες, μίαν ἔχουσι βίβλον· ἐν διαφόροις γὰρ καιροῖς τὰς τῶν μελλόντων ἐποιήσαντο προφητείας. Καὶ ὁ μὲν Ὡσηὲ ἐν βασιλείᾳ Ὀζίου, καὶ Ἰωάθαμ, καὶ Αχαζ, καὶ Ἐζεχίου, οἵ ἐβασίλευσαν τῆς Ἰουδαίας " καὶ ὁ ᾿Αμὼς ὡσαύτως ἐν ἡμέραις Ὀζίου " καὶ μέντοι καὶ ὁ Ἰωὴλ τούτων ὁμόχρονος" ὁ δὲ Μιχαίας εὐθὺς μετὰ τὴν Ὀζίου τελευτὴν τῆς προφητείας ἤρξατο ἐν ἡμέραις Ἰωάθαμ, καὶ “Αχαζ, καὶ Ἐζεχίου. Καὶ Ἰωνᾶς δὲ ταύτης ἐστὶ τῆς συμμορίας - εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἡ προφητεία τὸν χρόνον ἐσίγησεν, ἀλλ᾽ ἡ τῶν Παραλειπομένων βίδλος τοῦτο διδάσκει σαφῶς. Ὁ δὲ Ναοὺμ μετὰ τὸν Ἰωνᾶν τὸ τῆς προφητείας ἐδέξατο χάρισμα " διδάσκει δὲ τοῦτο σαφῶς ἡ τῆς προφητείας ὑπόθεσις. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ Ἰωνᾶς τὴν πανωλεθρίαν κηρύξας τοῖς Νινευίταῖς, τοῖς τῆς μετανοίας αὐτοὺς φαρμάκοις παρεσκεύασε χρήσασθαι - διὸ καὶ πεῖραν οὐχ ἔλαβον τῶν ἀπηχῶν ἐκείνων προῤῥήσεων. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ εἰς τὴν προτέραν κακίαν παλινδρομήσαντες ἄξια τιμωρίας ἐσχάτης ἐτόλμησαν, ὁ Ναοὺμ αὐτῶν μετὰ ταῦτα προφητεύει τὸν ὄλεθρον. Ὁ δὲ Ἀβδιοῦ, δι᾽ ὧν τῇ Ἰδουμαίᾳ προηγόρευσεν ἀλγεινῶν, δῆλός ἔστι μετὰ τούτους τῆς προφητείας ἀρξάμενος. Ὁ δὲ Σοφονίας διδάσκει σαφῶς, ὡς ἐπὶ Ἰωσίου τοῦ βασιλέως τῆς θείας ἀποκαλύψεως ἔτυχε" κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν δὲ καιρὸν καὶ ὁ θαυμάσιος Ἱερεμίας. Ὃ δὲ Ἀμβακοὺμ οὐ πολὺ μετὰ τούτους. Ἀγγαῖος δὲ, καὶ Ζαχαρίας, καὶ Μαλαχίας, μετὰ πολλῶν ἐτῶν ἀριθμόν " οὐ γὰρ μόνον “μετὰ τὸν Ἰωσίαν, καὶ τὸν Ἰωακεὶμ, καὶ τὸν Ἶεχονίαν, καὶ τὸν Σεδεκίαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ μετὰ τὸν ἐν Βαβυλῶνι τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας χρόνον, καὶ μετὰ Κῦρον τὸν πρῶτον Περσῶν βασιλεύσαντα, ὃς τὸν Ἰσραηλίτην λαὸν " ἐπανελθεῖν παρηγγύησε, καὶ μετὰ Καμβύσην τὸν ἐκείνου παῖδα ἐπὶ Δαρείου τοῦ Ὑστάσπου, τοῦ Ζοροβάβελ ἤδη τὸν θεῖον οἰκοδομοῦντος νεὼν, τὴν προφητείαν ἐποιήσαντο" μεθ᾽ οὓς οὐδεὶς ἕτερος παρ᾽ Ἰουδαίοις προφήτης εὑρίσκεται. Οὐ τοίνυν ὡς κατ᾽ αὐτὸν γεγονότες μίαν ἔχουσι βίδλον, ἀλλ᾽ ἐπειδὴ δι' ὀλίγων ἐποιήσαντο τὰς προῤῥήσεις, καὶ οὐχ ἀπέχρη τούτων ἕκαστος εἰς μιᾶς βίβλου διὰ βραχύτητα κατασχευὴν, εἰκότως οἱ ἀνέκαθεν τῶν θείων πεφροντικότες, τῶν δυοκαίδεκα προφητῶν τὰς προῤῥήσεις συναγαγόντες, μίαν ἀπέφηναν βίδλον. Καιρὸς δὲ λοιπὸν, τῆς κατὰ μέρος ἡμᾶς ἅψασθαι ἑρμηνείας, τῆς Ὡσηὲ προφητείας ἐν κεφαλαίῳ τὴν ὑπόθεσιν προδιδάξαντες. ### English translation (Claude) Perhaps some will think that we are doing something superfluous and needless in venturing on the interpretation of the prophets, since others too have already completed this labor. But those who set great store by divine things and have been carefully trained in the sacred Scripture will not only not resent us, nor find fault with us as those fault-finders do; they will even welcome us, as is likely, and praise us, even if they find nothing noble in what we have written. For with just judges eagerness alone is enough to win a good name. So too our Savior and Lord in the holy Gospels honored that widow with praises for her two obols, deciding the praise by the quality of her intention, not by the size of the gift. And in the law, while he charged the wealthy to bring gold and silver and precious stones for the making of the tabernacle, he did not deprive those who lived in poverty of the blessing that came from it: he commanded some to bring skins and others hair; and the women who lacked even these brought their strength and their skill instead, spinning the hair and weaving it. Besides this, we know that not only Moses the great was a prophet, but also Joshua the son of Nun, and Samuel, and David, and Nathan, and Gad, and Ahijah, and Elijah, and Elisha, and countless others besides; and the preaching of the gospel was carried across to all people not only by Peter and James and John and Andrew and the whole choir of the apostles, nor only by Paul and Barnabas, who were appointed after them, but also by Silas and Titus and Timothy and Apollos, the disciples of those great men. Nor did the grace of teaching stop with them: it enlightened their successors too, and those who came after these. And to this day the spring of the all-holy Spirit wells up in the divine churches and distributes God-given gifts to people. So we shall not seem, to those who judge rightly, to be doing anything unfitting if, like a kind of hair, we bring the labor of our mind to the making of the new tabernacle, which "the Lord pitched, and not man." And if anyone says that we follow the thoughts of others, even so he will find us contributing the share that is within our power. For like those women who spun and wove the hair that others had brought and made the curtains of the tabernacle, we too, gathering from here and there what has been well said, will weave from it all, with God's help, a work, so to speak, that makes plain to readers the meaning of the twelve prophets. And it is likely that we too, using the divine word as a kind of lamp, shall find an interpretation that keeps to the truth. For the grace of the divine generosity has not been quenched; it springs up and supplies the greatest gifts, not to the worthy only, but also to those who fall short of perfection. We see the visible sun too sending out its rays not only on the most ancient people but also on those after them and on us who are born late, and lighting up all land and sea alike. All the more, then, does its Creator, who made it too out of goodness alone, enlighten the mind of those who choose to look up to him in this way. Carried on this hope, and taking no account of the fault-finders, we shall venture boldly on the interpretation of the prophets, calling to our aid the prayers of you who bade us and roused us to this labor. And when we have first gone briefly through the times in which each prophesied, we shall then take up the interpretation in detail. On the times in which each of the twelve prophets prophesied. The twelve prophets do not have one book because they flourished together and lived at the same time; for they made their prophecies of things to come at different times. Hosea prophesied in the reign of Uzziah and Jotham and Ahaz and Hezekiah, who reigned over Judea; Amos likewise in the days of Uzziah; and Joel too was their contemporary. Micah began to prophesy immediately after Uzziah's death, in the days of Jotham and Ahaz and Hezekiah. Jonah too belongs to this company: for even if the prophecy is silent about the time, the book of Chronicles teaches it clearly. Nahum received the gift of prophecy after Jonah; the subject of the prophecy teaches this clearly. For Jonah, when he proclaimed utter destruction to the Ninevites, led them to use the remedies of repentance, and so they did not experience those harsh predictions. But since they ran back to their former wickedness and dared deeds deserving the utmost punishment, Nahum after this prophesies their destruction. Obadiah, by the painful things he foretold to Idumea, plainly began to prophesy after these. Zephaniah teaches clearly that he received the divine revelation under King Josiah; and at the same time the wonderful Jeremiah also. Habakkuk came not long after these. Haggai and Zechariah and Malachi came after a great number of years: not only after Josiah and Jehoiakim and Jeconiah and Zedekiah, but also after the time of the captivity in Babylon, and after Cyrus, the first king of the Persians, who commanded the Israelite people to return, and after Cambyses his son; they prophesied under Darius son of Hystaspes, when Zerubbabel was already building the divine temple. After them no other prophet is found among the Jews. So they do not have one book because they lived at the same time; but since they made their predictions in few words, and none of them was enough, because of his brevity, to make up a single book, those who long ago took care of the divine writings rightly gathered the predictions of the twelve prophets together and made them one book. It is time now for us to take up the interpretation in detail, first teaching in summary the subject of the prophecy of Hosea. ### Scripture references - Mark 12:42: allusion, high confidence - Luke 21:2: allusion, high confidence - Exod 25:3: allusion, high confidence - Exod 35:25: allusion, high confidence - Exod 26:7: allusion, medium confidence - Heb 8:2: quotation, high confidence - Ps 119:105 (118:105 LXX): echo, low confidence - Hos 1:1: allusion, high confidence - Amos 1:1: allusion, high confidence - Mic 1:1: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 14:25: allusion, medium confidence - Jonah 3:5: allusion, medium confidence - Zeph 1:1: allusion, high confidence - Jer 1:2: allusion, medium confidence - Ezra 1:1: allusion, medium confidence - Hag 1:1: allusion, high confidence - Zech 1:1: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Theodoret's general preface to the Twelve Prophets. In the scan it stands after the end of the Commentary on Daniel; Migne's Latin column and apparatus, read as Greek letters, are left out, and garbled words are corrected by logged corrections. "Honored that widow with praises": the verb is garbled in the scan (ἐπαινίωσεν), translated by sense. "Harsh": the scan's ἀπηχῶν is probably a slip for ἀπηνῶν. "You who bade us": the addressees are not named. The widow's two coins: Mark 12:41–44; Luke 21:1–4. The gifts for the tabernacle: Exod 25:3–7; the women spinning goat hair: Exod 35:25–26; the curtains of hair: Exod 26:7. "The Lord pitched, and not man": Heb 8:2. Theodoret dates Jonah from Chronicles; the passage is 2 Kgs 14:25 (4 Kingdoms in the LXX). The prophets' dates follow the superscriptions: Hos 1:1; Amos 1:1; Mic 1:1; Zeph 1:1; Jer 1:2; Hag 1:1; Zech 1:1. Cyrus's decree: Ezra 1:1–3. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 0.0.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/0-0-1). ## Commentary on Hosea, Preface, part 1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/0-0-1/#p-1-0-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Theodoret's introduction to Hosea sets out the history of the northern kingdom from Jeroboam's golden calves to the Assyrian conquest and explains why Hosea calls the two tribes Judah and the ten Ephraim. ### Greek text Τῆς τοῦ λαοῦ διαιρέσεως ἐπὶ 'Ροδοὰμ τοῦ Σολομῶντος γεγενημένης, τῶν δέκα φυλῶν Ἱεροθοὰμ ὁ Ναδὰτ ἐδασίλευσεν. Οὗτος δείσας μὴ, τῶν κατὰ καιρὸν ἑορτῶν εἰς τὸν ἐν ἹἹεροσολύμοις νεὼν τὸν λαὸν χαλουσῶν, εἰς τὴν Δαδιτιχὴν ν᾿ ἐπανέλθωσιν αἱ δέκα φυλαὶ βασιλείαν, ἣρξε κακῶς τῆς εἰς τὸν Θεὸν ἀσεθείας, καὶ δύο δαμάλεις κατασκευάσας χρυσᾶς, τῇ μὲν ἐν τῇ Δᾶν, τῇ δὲ ἐν τῇ Βαιθὴλ τέμενο; χκατδυσιν, καὶ τοῖς τῶν ὁμόρων ἐθνῶν εἰδώλοις αὐτοὺς λατρεύειν ἐδίδαξεν " εἰς ἔσχατον δὲ παρανομίας ἐλάσαντες τῆς θείας ἐγυμνώθησαν προμηθείας. Καὶ πρῶτος μὲν αὐτοὺς ᾿Αζαὴλ ὁ τῶν Σύρων χατεπολέμησε βασιλεύς " εἶτα Φονὰ ὁ τῶν ᾿Ασσυρίων τηνικάδε τὰ σκῆπτρα κατέχων, φόρον ὅτι πλεῖστον εἰσἑἐπραξε. Μετὰ τοῦτον θεγλαθφαλασὰρ ν" πολλὰς τῶν πόλεων ἀναστάτους πεποιηκὼς, τοὺς μὲν ἀνεῖλε τῶν ἐνοικούντων, τοὺς δὲ δορυαλώτους ἀπέγαγε. Μετὰ τοῦτον Σαλμανασὰρ ν τὴν βασιλείαν διαδεξάμενος, τῶν πόλεων, καὶ διελὼν εἰς πολιορκίαν τὴν στρατιὰν ᾽5, αὔτανδρον ἔλαδε τὴν Σαμάρειαν, καὶ τῶν δέκα φυλῶν τὸ λειπόμενον εἰς τὴν ᾿Ασσυρίαν ἀπρεὶμ κατὰ τῆς Ἰουδαίας στρατεύσας, ἑνίας μὲν εἷλε τῶν πόλεων, πολιορχῇσαι δὲ τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ πειραθεὶς, θεηλάτῳ πληγῇ τὴν σιρατιὰν ᾽ ἀπολέσας, αὐτὸς ἀλώθητος τηνικαῦτα μεμένηχεν, ὡς ἂν γένοιτο κῆρυξ τῆς θείας δυνάμεως " ἐν δὲ τοῖς βασιλείοις γενόμενος, ὑπὸ τῶν ἐξ αὐτοῦ φύντων ἐδέξατο τὴν σφαγήν " ἐπειδὴ καὶ αὐτὸς ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ γεγονὼς κατὰ τοῦ πεποιηκότος ἐλύττησεν. Ὁ τοίνυν θεσπέπτιο; Ὧσηξ τὸ προφητικὸν δεξάμενος χάρισμα, καὶ πόῤῥωθεν ταῦτα τοῖς πνευματικοῖς θεασάμενος ὀφθαλμοῖς, προλέγειν προστάττεται τῷ λαῷ, ἵνα δείσαντες τὰς προῤῥήσεις, φύγωσι τὰς κολάσεις, καὶ πεῖραν μὴ λάδωσι τῶν κακῶν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ τούτου χάριν ὁ τῶν ὅλων θεὸς ἀπειλεῖ τὰς τιμωρίας, ἵν᾽ ἐπάγῃ 3 ταύτας οἷς ἀπειλεῖ " ἀλλ᾽ ἵνα τῷ φόδῳ καταπλήξας εἰς μεταμέλειαν ἀγάγῃ, καὶ τῆς τολμωμένης πονηρίας ἐλευθερώσας, ὀρέξῃ τὴν σωτηρίαν. Κολάζεῖιν γὰρ βουλόμενος οὐκ ἂν ἡπείλησε κόλασιν " ἀπειλῶν δὲ παραδηλοῖ ὡς σώξειν ἀλλ᾽ οὐ κολάζειν ἐφίεται. Πέμπει τοίνυν τὸν μακάριον ὭσηΣ, καὶ «αἷς δέκα φυλαῖς τὰ συμθησόμενα προειπεῖν, καὶ ταῖς δύο ὡσαύτως “ τὴν τε ἐπὶ τοῦ Σενναχηρεὶμ, γενησομένην σωτηρίαν προαγορεῦσαι, καὶ τὸν ἐπὶ "ἢ ναι. Καλεῖ δὲ τὰς μὲν δύο φυλὰς Ἰούδαν " οὐ γὰρ ἐκ τῆς Βενιαμέτιδος, ἀλλ᾽ ἐκ τῆς ᾿Ιούδα φυλῆς τὸ βασιλικὸν ἐδεδλαστήχει γένος. Καὶ τὰ βασίλεια δὲ ἐν τοῖς Ἱεροσολύμοις ἦν ᾿ Ἰουδαϊκὴ δὲ καὶ αὕτη ἣἧ πόλις. Καὶ μέντοι καὶ πλήθει, καὶ δυνάμει οὐ τούτοὺς μόνους, ἀλλὰ γαὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἅπαντας ὑπερεἶχον οὗτοι " τούτου χάριν ἀπὸ τῆς δυνατωτέρας φυλῆς τὰς δύο προσαγορεύει. Καὶ τὰς δέκα Ἐφραῖμ ὀνομάζει " ἐπειδὴ καὶ Ἱερυδοὰμ ὁ πρῶτος αὐτῶν βασιλεύσας ἐκ ταύτης ἣν τῆς φυλῆς, καὶ τὰ βασίλεια ἐν τῇ Σαμαρείᾳ κατεστήσατο πόλει, ταύτῃ πάλιν τῇ φυλῇ διαφερούσῃ καὶ ἐν πλήθει δὲ καὶ ἀνδρείᾳ διέπρεπον καὶ οὗτοι. Τούτων τοίνυν ὧδε διηυχρινημένων 5, ἀρκτέον ἤδη τῆς κατὰ μέρος ἑρμηνείας 3". ### English translation (Claude) … When the division of the people had taken place under Rehoboam the son of Solomon, Jeroboam the son of Nebat became king of the ten tribes. He was afraid that the feasts held at their appointed seasons would call the people to the temple in Jerusalem, and that the ten tribes would return to the kingdom of David. So he made a wicked beginning of their impiety toward God: he made two golden heifers, setting up a sacred precinct for one in Dan and for the other in Bethel, and taught them to worship the idols of the neighboring nations. Driven on to the extreme of lawlessness, they were stripped of divine providence. First Hazael, king of the Syrians, made war on them; then Phul, who at that time held the scepter of the Assyrians, exacted as much tribute as he could. After him Tiglath-pileser laid waste many of the cities, killed some of their inhabitants, and carried others away as captives. After him Shalmaneser, succeeding to the kingdom, … of the cities, and, dividing his army for the siege, took Samaria with all its people and [carried] what was left of the ten tribes to Assyria. … [Sennacher]im marched against Judea and took some of its cities; but when he tried to besiege Jerusalem, he lost his army by a blow sent from God, and he himself remained uncaptured at that time, so that he might be a herald of the divine power. But when he was in his palace, he received his death at the hands of his own sons, since he too, made by God, had raged against his Maker. The inspired Hosea, then, received the prophetic gift and, seeing these things from afar with spiritual eyes, is commanded to foretell them to the people, so that, fearing the predictions, they might escape the punishments and not experience the evils. For the God of all does not threaten punishments in order to bring them on those he threatens, but in order to strike them with fear, lead them to repentance, free them from the wickedness they dare, and hold out salvation to them. If he wished to punish, he would not have threatened punishment; by threatening he shows that he desires to save, not to punish. So he sends blessed Hosea to foretell to the ten tribes what would happen to them, and likewise to the two: to announce beforehand the deliverance that would come in the time of Sennacherib, and the … He calls the two tribes Judah, since the royal line had sprung not from the tribe of Benjamin but from the tribe of Judah. The palace too was in Jerusalem, and this city also was Judean. Moreover, these surpassed not only those [of Benjamin] but all the others in number and power; for this reason he names the two after the stronger tribe. And he names the ten Ephraim, since Jeroboam, the first of them to reign, was of this tribe and established his palace in the city of Samaria, which again belonged to this tribe; and these too excelled in number and courage. These things being thus distinguished, we must now begin the detailed interpretation. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 12:28: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 13:3: allusion, medium confidence - 2 Kgs 15:19: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 15:29: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 17:6: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 18:13: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 19:35: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 19:37: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The scan begins with debris from Migne's Latin column; the opening of the introduction is lost ("…"). The general preface to the Twelve Prophets is not in this section: in the scan it stands at the end of the Commentary on Daniel. Lines are lost in the scan after "succeeding to the kingdom", before "[Sennacher]im marched" (the name is cut), and after "the deliverance that would come in the time of Sennacherib, and the"; they are marked "…" and not supplied. History from 1 Kgs 12:25–33; 2 Kgs 13:3; 15:19, 29; 17:3–6; 18:13–19:37. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.0.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-0-1). ## Commentary on Hosea 1:1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/0-0-1/#p-1-1-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Hosea dates his prophecy by the kings of both Judah and Israel, showing that he was sent to both kingdoms. ### Greek text α'. « Λόγος Κυρίου, ὃς ἐγενήθη πρὸς Ὡσηὲ τὸν τοῦ Βεηρὶ, ἐν ἡμέραις Ὀζίου, καὶ Ἰωάθαμ, καὶ ΓΑχαξ, καὶ Ἐξεχίου βασιλέων Ἰούδα, καὶ ἐν ἡμέραις Ἱεροθοὰμ, υἱοῦ Ἰωᾶς, βασιλέως Ἰσραήλ. » Σαφῶς ἡμᾶς ἐδίδαξεν, ὡς τούτων κἀκείνων ἐχειροτονήθη προφήτης" οὗ χάριν οὗ μόνον τῶν τοῦ Ἰούδα βασιωϊέων ἐμνημόνευσεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ Ἱδροδοὰμ, ὃς τοῦ μὲν Ἰωᾶς ἦν υἱὸς, ἔκγονος δὲ τοῦ Ἰωάχαξ, ἀπόγονος δὲ τοῦ Ἰηοῦ, ὃν ὁ θεσπέσιος Ἑλισσαϊος κατὰ θεῖον ἔχρισε νεῦμα, ὥστε καὶ τῷ Ναδουθὲ Οὕτω δηλώσας τὸν χρόνον καὶ τοὺς βασιλέας, ὧν κρατούντων ἐχειροτονήθη προφήτης, ἐπάγει" ### English translation (Claude) 1. "The word of the Lord that came to Hosea the son of Beeri in the days of Uzziah and Jotham and Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel." He has taught us clearly that he was appointed prophet for both the one kingdom and the other. That is why he mentioned not only the kings of Judah but also Jeroboam, who was the son of Joash, grandson of Jehoahaz, and descendant of Jehu, whom the inspired Elisha anointed at a divine command, so that … Naboth also … Having thus indicated the time and the kings in whose reigns he was appointed prophet, he continues: ### Scripture references - Hos 1:1: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 9:6: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hos 1:1. Lines are lost in the scan after "so that" and after "Naboth also" (Jehu's anointing to avenge Naboth, 2 Kgs 9:1–10, 25–26); marked "…". ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.1.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-1-1). ## Commentary on Hosea 1:2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/0-0-1/#p-1-1-2 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Theodoret defends the literal reality of Hosea's marriage to a prostitute, arguing that God's symbolic commands to prophets were real actions and that an act is judged good or evil by its aim, and explains the names Jezreel and Not-pitied. ### Greek text β΄. « ᾿Αρχὴ λόγου Κυρίου πρὸς Ὡσηέ. ν» ᾿Αντὶ τοῦ, Οὐδὲν πρὸ τούτου μοι προσέταξεν ὁ Δεσπότης, ἀλλὰ τῶν πρὸς ἐμὲ λόγων ἀρξάμενος, ἐκέλευσέ με γυναῖκα πορνείας λαθεῖν, καὶ τέχνα πορνείας παιδοποιῆσαι. Προστίθησι δὲ καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν " « Διότι πορνεύουσα ἐχπορνεύσεε ἡ γῆ ἀπὸ ὄπισθεν τοῦ Κυρίου. » Τούτοις προστίθησιν, ὡς ἀναμφιθόλως τὸ προσταχθὲν ἔδρασε" λέγει δὲ καὶ τῆς πόρνης τοὔνομα, καὶ ἐκ τίνος ἔφν, καὶ τὴν γενομένην ὄμιλίαν, καὶ τὸν τῆς ὁμιλίας καρπὸν, καὶ τοῦ τεχθέντὸς τὴν προσηγορίαν ὑπ᾽ αὐτοῦ τεθεῖσαν τοῦ καὶ Κάλεσον τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἱεξραέλ᾽",,» ᾿Εγὼ δὲ θαυμάζω λίαν τοὺς τετολμηγότας εἰπεῖν, ὡς ῥήματα ταῦτά ἐστιν ἔρημα πραγμάτων, καὶ προσέταξε μὲν ὁ τῶν ὅλων θεὸς, ὁ δὲ προφήτῆς οὐκ ἔλαθεν, ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν ῥήματα προσεφέρετο,. τὰ δὲ πράγματα αὖκ ἐγίνετο. Ἔδει ὃς συνιδεῖν τοὺ; ταῦτα λέγειν ἐπιχειροῦντας, ὡς πολλὰ τοιαῦτα πολλάκις προσέταξεν ὁ Θεός " τὸν μὲν γὰρ Ἡ σαῖαν λῦσαι τὸν σάκκον ἀπὸ τῆς ὀσφύος ἐκέλευσε, καὶ γυμνὸν τρέχειν, καὶ ἀνυπόδετον ᾽", καὶ οὕτω ποιεῖσθαι τὴν προφητείαν " τῷ δὲ Ἱερεμίᾳ, ποτὲ μὲν ξυλίνους κλοιοὺς τῷ τραχήλῳ περιθεῖναι, ποτὲ δὲ σιδηροῦς παρεγγύησεν δ᾽“ τῷ δὲ Ἰεζεχιῆλ, ἐπὶ τῆς εὐωνύμου ταχλιθῆναι πλευρᾶς πεντήκοντα καὶ ἑκατὸν ἡμέρᾶς προσέταξε, καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς δεξιᾶς τεσσαράχοντα, οἱ Β καὶ φαγεῖν τὸν ἄρτον ἐν βολδίτοις κόπρου ἀνθρωπίνης, καὶ λαθεῖν σχεύη αἰχμαλωσίας, καὶ διορύξαι τὸν τοῖχον, καὶ εἰκόνα διαγράψαι φευγόντων, καὶ οὕτω προαγορεῦσαι τὸν τοῦ Σεδεκίου δρασμόν. Καὶ μυρία δὲ ἄλλα τοιαῦτα εὑρήσομεν ἐν τῇ θείᾳ Γραφῇ, ὧν εἴ τις τὸν σκοπὸν ἀγνοήσειεν, ἀνάξια ταῦτα ἂν εἴποι προφητικῆς ἀρετῆς " οἱ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν εἰδότες, καὶ ὡς ἅπαντα πρυτανεύει τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἕνεκα σωτηρίας, ἐντεῦθεν μάλιστα καὶ τὰς τῆς θείας ὑμνῳδίας λαμθάνουσιν ἀφορμὰς, καὶ τοὺ; θεσπεσίους θαυμάζουσι προφήτας, εἰς ἅπαντα εἶξαι τῷ Δεσπότῃ προελομένους. Ὃ γὰρ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς, ἐπειδὴ πρὸς ἀνθρώπους ἀναλγησίαν νοσοῦντας τοὺς λόγους ποιούμενος διὰ ῥημάτων οὐκ ἔπειθε, πράγμασί τισιν ἐσχιαγράφει τὰ μέλλοντα, τῷ παραδόξῳ τῶν ὁρωμένων εἰς θεωρίαν τοὺς ἀτεράμονας ἕλκων" οἵ τε γὰρ τὸν Ἡσαῖαν θέοντα γυμνὸν ὁρῶντες ἔδραμον ἂν δήπουθεν εἰς τὴν τοῦ καινοῦ πράγματος θεωρίαν, μαθεῖν ἐφιέμενοι τοῦ τοιούτου δρόμου τὴν πρόφασιν. Καὶ οἱ τὸν Ἰεζεχιὴλ ἐκεῖνα πάντα δρῶντα θεώμενοι, ἤροντο ἄν ὡς εἰκὸς τὴν αἰτίαν τῶν γινομένων. Οὕτω τοίνυν καὶ τὸν μακάριον Ὥτηξ παρασκευάζει τῶν ὅλων ὁ Κύριος, γυναῖκα λαδεῖν ἀκόλαστον, ἵνα διὰ τοῦ γινομένου, καὶ τοῦ λαοῦ τὴν ἀσέδειαν ἐλέγξῃ, καὶ τὴν οἰκείαν, ἐπιδείξῃ μακροθυμίαν. Εὶ δὲ ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς τῆς ἀκολάστου καὶ μοιχευτρίας ἠνείχετο Συναγωγῆς, καὶ οὖκ ἐμολύνετο ἡ τῆς ἁγιωσύνης πηγὴ ἐκ τῆς μυ-. σαρᾶς ἐκείνης ὃ) καὶ βδελυρᾶς, οὐδὲ ὁ προφήτης ἐκ Ὁ τῆς ἀσελγοῦς ἐκείνης γυναικὸς κηλίδα ἐδέξατο " οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐπιθυμίᾳ πονηρᾷ δουλεύων, ἀλλὰ τὰ θεόθεν προστεταγμένα πληρῶν, τῆς ὁμιλίας ἐκείνης ἣνἔσχετο. Εἰδέναι δὲ χρὴ, ὡς τῷ σκοπῷ τό τε ἀγαθὸν καὶ τὸ κακὸν κρίνεται - τούτῳ γὰρ ὁ γάμος τῆς μοιχείας κεχώρισται, καὶ τῆς συνουσίας οὐδεμίαν ἐχούσης διαφορὰν, τῷ σκοπῷ καὶ τῷ νόμῳ τὸ διάφορον δείκνυται, καὶ κατὰ ταῦτᾳ τὸ μὲν ἔννομον, τὸ δὲ παράνομον κρίνεται. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ φόνου σχοπούμενον εὕροι τις ἄν. ᾿Λναιρεῖ γὰρ καὶ ὁ ἂνδρυφόνος, ἀναιρεῖ καὶ, ὁ δικαστῆς " ἀλλ᾽ ὁ μὲν ἐννόμως, ὁ δὲ παρανόμως ᾿ καὶ τὸ μὲν ἔργον ταὐτὸν, τῷ δὲ σκοπῷ διαφέρει. Καὶ ἵνα τοῦτο σαφέστερὸν ἀπὸ τῆς θείας Γραφῆς μεταμάθωμεν "5, σχοκαὶ δόλῳ χρησάμενος " ἐφόνευσε Φινεὲς, ἀλλὰ ζηλώμενος τὴν ἀσέδειαν" καὶ τὸ μὲν ἔργον ταὐτὸ, ὁ δὲ σκοπὸς ἐναντίος ἐκ διαμέτρου. Οὕτω καὶ ἡ κλοπὴ τῶν μὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ νόμου κατηγορουμένων ἐστίν " ἀλλ᾽ ἔχλεψε τὴν εὐλογίαν ὁ Ἰαχὼδ, καὶ οὐ μόνον τὴν κατηγορίαν διέφυγεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν πάταις ταῖς γενεαῖς. Ἑνήστευσεν Ἡλίας ὁ πάνυ, ἐνήστευσαν δὲ καὶ οἱ τὸν Ναδουθὲ καταλεύσαντες 8. ἀλλ᾽ ὁ μὲν φιλοδοφῶν, οὐ δὲ συκοφαντίαν τυρεύοντες. Ἠλέησεν ὁ Σχοὺλ τὸν ᾿Αγὰγ 3, καὶ ἐγυμνώθη τῆς βασιλείας παράνομος γὰρ ἧν ἐκεῖνος ὁ ἔλεος" ἔσφαξεν ὁ δαμουὴλ τὸν ᾿Αγὰγ, καὶ θεῖον νόμον ἐπλήρωσε. Καὶ ἄλλα δὲ μυρία ἔστιν εὑρεῖν οὐ παρὰ τῇ. θείᾳ μόνῃ Γραφῇ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τοῖς καθ᾽ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν παρ' ἡμῶν γιγνομένοις. Καὶ ὁ θαυμάσιος «οίνυν ὭὯσγὲ, οὐκ ἐπιθυμίᾳ δουλεύσας, ἀλλὰ θείοις νεύμασιν εἴξας, ἔλαθε τὴν πόρνην, καὶ γάμου παντὸς ἦν σεμνοτέρα ἐκείνη ἡ ὁμιλία - οὐ μόνον ὅτι κατὰ θεῖον ἐγίνετο νεῦμα, ἀλλ᾽ ἐπειδὴ καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸν τύπον ἐδείκνυ, καὶ ὅπως ὁ ἅγιος καὶ ἐν ἁγίοις ἀναπαυόμενος, νυμφίος τῆς ἀκολάστου πληθύος τῶν αὐτῷ κελεύει προσαγορεῦσαι τὸ τεχθὲν Ἰεξραέλ " « Διότι ἔτι μικρὸν, καὶ" ἐκδικήσω τὸ αἷμα τοῦ βασιλείαν οἴκου Ἰσραήλ. (δ', ε. Καὶ ἔστα', ἐν «ἢ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ συντρίψω τὸ τόξον τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἐν τῇ χοιλάδι κοῦ Ἰεζραέλ. ν» Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν " "Ἱεζραὲ 1 τὸ χωρίον ἐστὶν, ἐν ᾧ Ναθουθὲ τὴν ἄδικον ἐχείνην ὑπέμεινε σφαγήν " ὁ δὲ ᾿Ι]ηοῦ, ὁ τούτου κατὰ θείαν βουλὴν γενόμενος τιμωρὸς, ᾧ ὑπέσχετο ὁ Θεὸς,δεὰ τὰ κατὸ τῆς Ἰεζαδὲλ"" αὐτῷ γεγενημένα, εἰς ᾿τετάρτην γενεὰν διαρχέσειν τὴν βασιλείαν. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν οἱ ἐκ τούτου λήθην τῆς θείας ἔλαθον εὐεργεσίας, καὶ τὴν τῶν πρὸ αὐτῶν βεδασιλευκότων ἐζήλωδσαν δυσσέθειαν, ἀπειλεῖ ὁ θεὸς καὶ ταύτην καταπαύσειν τὴν βασιλείαν, καὶ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ τὸ τόξον συντρίψειν, τουτέστι, χαταλύσειν τὴν δύναμιν ἐν τῇ κοιλάδι τοῦ Ἰεζραέλ᾽ οὐκ ἁπλῶς δὲ τοῦδε τοῦ χώρου τὴν μνήμην ἐποιήσατο, ἀλλὰ τῆς θείας ἀναμιμνήσκων εὐεργεσίας τὸν τηνικάδε βασιλέα, καὶ διδάσκων, ὅἦτι καθάπερ δίκας εἰσέπραξε τοὺς τὸν Ναθουθὲ κατασφάξαντας διὰ τοῦ προπάτορος αὐτοῦ Ἰηοῦ " οὕτω καὶ αὐτοὺς τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν ἀγνωμοσύνης ἀπαιτήσει ποινήν. Τούτοις ἐπάγει, ὅτι καὶ ἕτερον ἐτέχθη παιδίον, καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων τὴν προσηγορίαν ἀνεδέξατο. Ἐκέλευσε γὰρ αὐτὴν, φησὶν, Οὐκ ἠλεημένην κληθῆναι " τοῦτο διδάσκων, ὡς οὐκέτι τὸν Ἰσραὴλ ἀξιώσει φιλανθρωπίας. ### English translation (Claude) 2. "The beginning of the word of the Lord to Hosea." That is: the Master commanded me nothing before this, but beginning his words to me he ordered me to take a wife of sexual immorality and to beget children of sexual immorality. And he adds the reason: "For the land will commit gross sexual immorality, turning away from the Lord." To this he adds that he did without hesitation what he was commanded. He tells the prostitute's name, whose daughter she was, their union, the fruit of the union, and the name he gave to the child that was born … "Call his name Jezreel." I am greatly astonished at those who have dared to say that these are words without events: that the God of all gave the command, but the prophet did not take her; that the words were spoken but the deeds were not done. Those who attempt to say this should have observed that God often gave many commands of this kind. He ordered Isaiah to loose the sackcloth from his loins and run naked and barefoot, and so to make his prophecy; he charged Jeremiah to put on his neck yokes, at one time of wood, at another of iron; he commanded Ezekiel to lie on his left side for a hundred and fifty days and on his right for forty, to eat his bread baked on dung of human excrement, to take the baggage of captivity, to dig through the wall, to trace a picture of men in flight, and so to foretell the flight of Zedekiah. We shall find countless other such things in the divine Scripture; anyone who did not know their purpose would say they are unworthy of prophetic virtue. But those who know God's love for humankind, and that he governs all things for the sake of human salvation, take from these very things occasions for divine hymnody, and admire the inspired prophets for choosing to yield to the Master in everything. For since the God of all was speaking to people sick with insensibility, and did not persuade them by words, he sketched the future in certain actions, drawing the hard-hearted to look by the strangeness of what they saw. Those who saw Isaiah running naked would surely have run to look at the novel sight, wanting to learn the reason for such running; and those who watched Ezekiel doing all those things would naturally have asked the cause of what was happening. So too the Lord of all prepares blessed Hosea to take a licentious wife, so that by what was done he might both convict the impiety of the people and display his own long-suffering. If the God of all bore with the licentious and adulterous Synagogue, and the fountain of holiness was not defiled by that foul and loathsome one, neither did the prophet receive a stain from that wanton woman; for he entered that union not as a slave to evil desire but fulfilling what God had commanded. One must know that good and evil are judged by the aim. By this marriage is separated from adultery: though the intercourse has no difference, the difference is shown by the aim and by the law, and accordingly the one is judged lawful, the other unlawful. One could find the same thing on examining killing. The murderer kills, and the judge kills; but the one lawfully, the other unlawfully: the deed is the same, but it differs in its aim. And that we may learn this more clearly from the divine Scripture: … using deceit; Phinehas killed, but out of zeal against impiety: the deed was the same, but the aim directly opposite. So too theft is among the things the law condemns; yet Jacob stole the blessing, and not only escaped condemnation but also … in all generations. Elijah the great fasted, and those who stoned Naboth also fasted: but he as one practicing the love of wisdom, they as contriving a false accusation. Saul pitied Agag and was stripped of the kingdom, for that mercy was unlawful; Samuel slew Agag and fulfilled the divine law. Countless other examples can be found, not only in the divine Scripture but also in what we do every day. So the wonderful Hosea, not as a slave to desire but yielding to divine commands, took the prostitute, and that union was more honorable than any marriage, not only because it came about at a divine command, but also because it displayed a figure of God, and how the Holy One, who rests among the holy, [is] the bridegroom of the licentious multitude … [He] commands him to call the child Jezreel: "For yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of … the kingdom of the house of Israel. 5. And it shall be on that day that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel." What he says is this. Jezreel is the place where Naboth suffered that unjust slaughter. Jehu, who by the divine will became his avenger, was promised by God that, because of what he had done against Jezebel, the kingdom would last to the fourth generation. Since, then, his descendants forgot the divine benefit and imitated the impiety of those who reigned before them, God threatens to bring this kingdom too to an end and to break the bow of Israel, that is, to destroy its power, in the valley of Jezreel. He did not mention this place idly, but to remind the king of that time of the divine benefit, and to teach that, as he exacted punishment from those who slaughtered Naboth through his forefather Jehu, so he would demand from them too the penalty for their ingratitude toward him. To this he adds that another child was born, and received its name from the God of all. For he commanded, it says, that she be called "Not-pitied", teaching by this that he will no longer count Israel worthy of his loving-kindness. ### Scripture references - Hos 1:2: quotation, high confidence - Hos 1:3: allusion, high confidence - Hos 1:4: quotation, high confidence - Hos 1:5: quotation, high confidence - Hos 1:6: allusion, high confidence - Isa 20:2: allusion, high confidence - Jer 27:2 (34:2 LXX): allusion, high confidence - Jer 28:13 (35:13 LXX): allusion, high confidence - Ezek 4:4: allusion, high confidence - Ezek 4:12: allusion, high confidence - Ezek 12:3: allusion, high confidence - Num 25:7: allusion, high confidence - Gen 27:35: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 19:8: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Kgs 21:9: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 15:9: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 15:33: allusion, high confidence - Isa 57:15: echo, low confidence - 2 Kgs 10:30: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 21:13: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Hos 1:2 (with 1:2b); 1:4–5 (the middle of 1:4 is lost in the scan). Hos 1:3 and the start of 1:4 are lost with the debris after "the name he gave to the child"; marked "…". Further lines are lost before "using deceit" (an example of an unlawful killing, perhaps Joab and Abner) and before "in all generations"; marked "…" and not supplied. - Theodoret rejects, without naming them, interpreters who held that Hosea's marriage was only a vision or a figure of speech; translated as written. - The marriage argument: marriage and adultery (μοιχεία) do not differ in the act but in aim and law; translated exactly. The Synagogue is called "licentious and adulterous" (Theodoret's figure for Israel). - "a hundred and fifty days": so the scan; the LXX of Ezek 4:5 has 190 (Hebrew 390). Possibly an OCR or printing slip; translated as printed. - "Not-pitied": Οὐκ ἠλεημένη, the LXX rendering of Lo-ruhamah (Hos 1:6). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.1.2 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-1-2). ## Commentary on Hosea 1:7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/0-0-1/#p-1-1-7 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Theodoret applies Hosea's promise to Judah to the destruction of Sennacherib's army, explains the name Not-my-people, and reads the reversal of the names as the return from Babylon under one ruler. ### Greek text ζ'. « Τοὺς δὲ νἱοὺς Ἰούδα, φησὶν, ἐλεήσω καὶ σώσω αὑτοὺς ἐν Κυρίῳ Θεῷ αὐτῶν, καὶ οὐ σώσω αὑτοὺς ἐν τόξῳ, οὐδὲ ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ, οὐδὲ ἐν πολέμῳ, οὐδὲ ἐν ἵπποις, οὐδὲ ἐν ἱππεῦσι, » Σαφῶς δὲ διὰ τούτων ἐδήλωσε τὰ κατὰ τὸν Σενναχηρεὶμ γεγενημένα " τηνικαῦτα γὰρ οὐ παρατάξεως γενομένης ἡττήθησαν οἱ ᾿Ασσύριοι, ἀλλ᾽ ἀγγελικῇ δυνάμει ἑκατὸν ὀγδοήκοντα πέντε διἐφθάρησαν χιλιάδες. Τούτοις ἐπάγει, ὅτι καὶ ἑτέρου παιδίου τεχθέντος, ἐχέλευσεν ὁ Θεὲς κληθῆναι αὐτὸ Οὐ λαόν μου, καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν διδάσκει " ε Διότι ὑμεῖς οὐ λαός μου, καὶ ἐγὼ οὐκ εἰμὶ ὑμῶν. » Καὶ ἵνα μή τις ὑπολάδῃ, ὅτι ὡς εὐαριθμήτους αὑτοὺς καὶ ὀλίγους ἀποπέμπεται, ἁρμοδίως προστέθειχεν "͵ ν΄, « Ὅτι ἦν ὁ ἀριθμὸς τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ, ὡς ἡ ἄμμὸς τῆς θαλάσσης, ἢ οὐ μετρηθήσεται "5 οὐδὲ ἔξαρεθμηθήσεται. ν» ᾿Αλλ’ οὐ πλήθει καίρει ὁ Θεός " ὅπου δὲ δύο ἣ τρεῖς εἰσι συνηγμένοι εἰς τὸ αὐτοῦ ὄνομα, ἐκεῖ ἐστιν ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν. Οὕτω τὸν Νῶε πάντων ὁμοῦ προτετίμηχε τῶν ἀνθρώπων " οὕτω τὸν ᾿Αδραὰμ, οὕτω τὸν Μωσέα """ τοὺς δὲ ἐχείνων ἀπογόνους, καὶ ἀριθμὸν νιχῶντας, Οὐ «“1αὸν αὑτοῦ καλεῖ διὰ τὴν ἀσέδειαν. ᾿Αλλὰ φιλάνθρωπος ὧν εὐθὺς ἀνεκαλέσατο ( τὴν ἐξενεχθεῖσαν ἀπόφασιν. « Ἔσται γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐν τῷ τόπῳ ᾧ ἐῤῥέθη αὐτοῖς, Οὐ λαός μου ὑμεῖς, αὐτοὶ" κληθήσονται υἱοὶ Θεοῦ ζῶντος. (ια΄.) Καὶ συναχθήσονται υἱοὶ Ἰούδα, καὶ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ, καὶ θήσονται αὑτοῖς ἀρχὴν μίαν, καὶ ἀναθδήσονται ἐκ τῆς γῆς, διότι μεγάλη ἡ ἡμέρα τοῦ Ἱεζραέλ. » Διὰ τούτων τὴν ἀπὸ Βαδυλῶνος ἀνάκλησιν προηγόρευσε, καὶ ὅτι μετὰ τὴν ἐλεῖθεν ἐπάνοδον οὐκέτι διῃρημένους ἕξουσι βασιλέας, ἀλλ᾽ ἐνωθέντες καὶ συναφθέντες ἕνα σχήσουσιν ἄρχοντα. Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ πέρας ἔλαδεν ἐπὶ τοῦ ἐπενεχθεῖσαν ὑπὸ τῶν ᾿Ασσυρίων τῷ Ἰσραὴλ συμφορὰν ἐν τῇ χοιλάδι τοῦ Ἰεζραέλς. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ, φησὶ, μεγάλην αὐτοῖς ἐπάγω τιμωρίαν, μεγάλης αὖτοὺς ἀξιώσω καὶ σωτηρίας, καὶ τῆς δουλείας ἐλευ» θερώσας, εἰς τὴν πατρῴαν ἐπανάξω πατρίδα. Εἴτα παρακελεύεται αὐτοῖς, ὡς τῶν πραγμάτων μεταδολὴν δεξαμένων ἐναλλάξαι καὶ τὰ ὀνόματα, καὶ καλέσαι τὸν Οὐ λαὸν, Λαὸν", καὶ τὴν Οὐκ ἠγαπημένην, Ἠγαπημένην. Ὑμεῖς γὰρ, φησὶν, οἱ τῆς σωτηρίας ἀπολαύσαντες, καὶ ἐκ Βαδυλῶνος θόντες, γένεσθε κριταὶ τῆς μητρὸς ὑμῶν καὶ ἐμοῦ, τουτέστι, τῶν πρηγόνων "6 τῶν εἰς ἐμὲ παρανενομηκότων, ὅτι αὕτη οὐ γυνή μου, καὶ ἐγὼ οὐκ ἀνὴρ αὐτῆς. ᾿Αποστάσιον, φησὶν, ἐγένετο τῆς αἰτίας ἐξ ἐκείνης γεγενημένης. Τοιοῦτον εὑρίσκομεν καὶ παρὰ τῷ Ἤσαϊᾳ εἰρημένον" « Καὶ νῦν, οἶκος τοῦ Ἰούδα, καὶ οἱ κατοικοῦντες Ἱερουσαλὴμ, κρίνατε ἐν ἐμοὶ καὶ ἀναμέσον τοῦ ἀμπελῶνός μου " διότι ἔμεινα τοῦ ποιῆσαι σταφυλὴν, ἐποίησε δὲ ἀκάνθας. Καὶ ἐνταῦθά φησι" ### English translation (Claude) 7. "But the sons of Judah," he says, "I will pity, and I will save them by the Lord their God; and I will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by war, nor by horses, nor by horsemen." By this he clearly indicated what happened in the time of Sennacherib. For then the Assyrians were defeated with no battle drawn up: a hundred and eighty-five thousand were destroyed by angelic power. To this he adds that when another child was born, God commanded it to be called "Not-my-people", and he teaches the reason: "For you are not my people, and I am not yours." And so that no one should suppose that he sends them away as few and easily counted, he fittingly added: "10. For the number of the sons of Israel was as the sand of the sea, which will not be measured or counted." But God does not rejoice in numbers: where two or three are gathered in his name, there he is in their midst. So he honored Noah above all human beings together, so Abraham, so Moses; but their descendants, though they surpassed in number, he calls "Not his people" because of their impiety. Yet, being the lover of humankind, he at once recalled the sentence he had pronounced. "For it shall be," he says, "in the place where it was said to them, 'You are not my people,' they shall be called sons of the living God. 11. And the sons of Judah and the sons of Israel shall be gathered together, and they shall appoint for themselves one head, and they shall go up from the land, for great is the day of Jezreel." By this he foretold the recall from Babylon, and that after the return from there they would no longer have divided kings, but, united and joined together, would have one ruler. And this was fulfilled in the time of … the disaster brought on Israel by the Assyrians in the valley of Jezreel. For since, he says, I bring a great punishment on them, I will also count them worthy of a great salvation, and, freeing them from slavery, I will bring them back to their ancestral homeland. Then he urges them, since their circumstances have changed, to change the names too, and to call Not-people "People" and Not-loved "Loved". You, he says, who have enjoyed salvation and come back from Babylon, become judges of your mother and of me, that is, of your forebears who transgressed against me: that "she is not my wife, and I am not her husband." There was a divorce, he says, since the cause of it came from her. We find something similar said in Isaiah: "And now, house of Judah and you who dwell in Jerusalem, judge between me and my vineyard: for I waited for it to make grapes, but it made thorns." And here he says: ### Scripture references - Hos 1:7: quotation, high confidence - Hos 1:9: quotation, high confidence - Hos 1:10: quotation, high confidence - Hos 1:11: quotation, high confidence - Hos 2:1: allusion, high confidence - Hos 2:2: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 19:35: allusion, high confidence - Matt 18:20: allusion, high confidence - Isa 5:3: quotation, high confidence - Isa 5:4: quotation, high confidence - Deut 24:1: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Hos 1:7; 1:9; 1:10; 1:10b–11 (LXX 2:1–2); 2:1–2 paraphrased. A line is lost after "fulfilled in the time of"; marked "…". The end of the Isaiah quotation ("make grapes, but it made thorns. And here") had been displaced by the scan into the next section but one (Hos 2:6); it is restored here by a logged correction, since the broken word "ἐν-" there continues as "ταῦθα" here. - "There was a divorce": ἀποστάσιον, the certificate of divorce (Deut 24:1); God's divorce of Israel, as Theodoret reads Hos 2:2. "Not-loved": so the scan (Οὐκ ἠγαπημένη) for the child called "Not-pitied" earlier. - 185,000: 2 Kgs 19:35. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.1.7 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-1-7). ## Commentary on Hosea 2:4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-2-4/#p-1-2-4 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God's divorce of Israel is not for her ruin but a discipline meant to root sexual immorality and adultery (idolatry) out of her heart. ### Greek text β΄. « Κρίθητε πρὸς τὴν μητέρα ὑμῶν, κρίθητε, ὅτι αὕτη οὐ γυνή μου, καὶ ἐγὼ οὐκ ἀνὴρ αὐτῆς. » Καὶ δεικνὺς, ὡς οὐκ ἐπὶ λύμῃ αὐτῆς τὸ ἀποστάσιον τοῦτο πεποίηται, ἐπάγει" «ε Καὶ ἐξαρῶ τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῆς ἀπὸ προσώπου μου, καὶ τὴν μοιχείαν αὐτῆς ἐκ μέσου μαστῶν αὐτῆς. ν» Τοιοῦτόν ἐστι τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ μακαρίου Δαδὶδ εἰρημένον " «᾿Αγαθόν μοι, ὅτι ἐταπείνωσάς με, ὅπως μάθω τὰ δικαιώματά σον. » Καὶ ταύτην ὃὲ παιδεύων ὑπισχνεῖται τῆς πορνείας καὶ τῆς μοιχείας αὐτὴν ἐλευθεροῦν, οὐκ ἁπλῶς, ἀλλὰ πρόῤῥιξον ταύτην ἐκ μέσου τῶν μαστῶν ἀνασπᾷν. ΠΠαραδηλοῖ δὲ τὴν καρδίαν τὴν ὑπὸ τοῖς μαστοῖς χει. μένην, ἐξ ἧς ἐκπορεύονται διαλογισμοὶ πονηροὶ, φθόνοι, φόνοι, μοιχεῖαι, πορνεῖαι, καὶ τὰ τούτοις ὅμοια. Μεγίστην τοίνυν ὄνησιν ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ φέρει παιδεία, τῆς πορνείας Ν᾽ τοὺς παιδευομένους ἔλευθεροῦσα. Διδάσκει δὲ καὶ τῆς παιδείας τὰ εἴδη. ### English translation (Claude) 2. "Plead with your mother, plead, for she is not my wife, and I am not her husband." And showing that he did not make this divorce for her ruin, he adds: "And I will remove her sexual immorality from my presence, and her adultery from between her breasts." Like this is what blessed David said: "It is good for me that you humbled me, that I might learn your statutes." Disciplining her, he promises to free her from sexual immorality and adultery, and not simply so, but to pull it up by the roots from between her breasts. By this he indicates the heart that lies beneath the breasts, from which come evil thoughts, envies, murders, adulteries, sexual immoralities, and the like. God's discipline, then, brings the greatest benefit, freeing from sexual immorality those who are disciplined. He also teaches the forms of the discipline. ### Scripture references - Hos 2:2: quotation, high confidence - Ps 119:71 (118:71 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Matt 15:19: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hos 2:2 (LXX 2:4). Ps 119:71 (LXX 118:71); the list of vices echoes Matt 15:19. The divorce and the sexual immorality are Theodoret's figures for Israel's idolatry; translated as written. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.2.4 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-2-4). ## Commentary on Hosea 2:5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-2-4/#p-1-2-5 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The stripping of Israel means a return to bondage like that in Egypt, now under Assyria, and the loss of God's care, because she credited her goods to the idols. ### Greek text Υ΄. « Ὅπως ἂν ἐχδύσω αὐτὴν γυμνὴν, καὶ ἀποκαταστήσω αὐτὴν καθὼς ἡμέρα τῆς γενέσεως αὖτῆς.» Ἡμέραν δὲ γεγέσεως καλεῖ τὴν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ διαγωγήν. Ἔρημον αὐτὴν, φησὶ, τῆς ἐμῆς καταστήσω (αὶ προνοίας, καὶ δουλεύειν ᾿Ασσυρίοις, ὡς ἐδούλευσεν Αἰγυπτίοις, παρασχευάσω. Καὶ ἀνύδρῳ δὲ γῇ καὶ ἐρήμῳ παραπλησίαν αὐτὴν ἀποφανῶ" καὶ διαφθερῶ αὐτὴν ἐν δίψει. Αἰνίττεται δὲ διὰ τοῦ δίψους, οὗ μόνον τὴν τοῦ ὕδατος ἔνδειαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς θείας κηδεμονίας στέρησιν 59, Οὐδὲ τὰ τέχνα ὃὲ αὐτῆς, φησὶν, ἀξιώσω φειδοῦς, ὅτι ἐκ δυσσεδῶν γεννηθέντα, τὴν τῶν πατέρων ἐμιμήσαντο βδελυρίαν. γὰρ ἐνταῦθα τὴν τῶν εἰδώλων λατρείαν καλεῖ" σαφέστερον δὲ αὐτῆς τὴν ἀγνωμοσύνην ἐλέγχων ὑποδείκνυσιν αὐτὴν λέγουσαν, ὡς προσήκει τοῖς ἐρασταῖς ἀχολουθῆσαε " τουτέστι, τοῖς εἰδώλοις " παρ᾽ ὧν ἅπασαν, φησὶ, λαμδόάνω τῶν ἀναγκαίων τὴν ἀφθονίαν. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἢγνόησε τὸν δοτῇρα τῶν ἀγα- -θῶν, εἰκότως ἐπάγει" ### English translation (Claude) 3. "That I may strip her naked and restore her as on the day of her birth." He calls the day of her birth the sojourn in Egypt. I will make her bereft, he says, of my providence, and cause her to serve the Assyrians as she served the Egyptians. And I will make her like a waterless and desert land, "and I will destroy her with thirst." By the thirst he hints not only at the lack of water but also at the loss of divine care. Nor will I count her children, he says, worthy of mercy, because, born of the impious, they imitated the abomination of their fathers. … For here he calls the worship of idols [sexual immorality]; and convicting her ingratitude more plainly, he shows her saying that she ought to follow her lovers, that is, the idols, "from whom," she says, "I receive abundance of all I need." And since she did not know the giver of good things, he fittingly adds: ### Scripture references - Hos 2:3: quotation, high confidence - Hos 2:4: allusion, high confidence - Hos 2:5: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hos 2:3 (LXX 2:5); 2:4–5 paraphrased. A line is lost before "For here he calls"; the word it explains (probably "sexual immorality") is supplied in brackets from the sense of Hos 2:4–5. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.2.5 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-2-5). ## Commentary on Hosea 2:8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-2-4/#p-1-2-8 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God's hedging of Israel's way is a merciful punishment that teaches her the idols' weakness and leads her back to her first husband, God, who calls himself husband rather than master. ### Greek text ς΄. «Διὰ τοῦτο ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ φράσσω τὴν ὁδὸν αὐτῆς ἐν σχόλοψι, καὶ ἀνοικοδομήσω τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτῆς, καὶ τὴν τρίδον αὑτῆς οὐ μὴ εὕρῃ. » Καὶ αὐτὴ " δὲ ἡ τιμωῥία φιλανθρωπίας μεστή “ πραγματεύεται γὰρ αὐτῇ παῦλαν τῆς δυσσεθδείας " μαθοῦσα γὰρ τῇ πείρᾳ τῶν χκαχῶν τὴν τῶν εἰδώλων ἀσθένειαν (ἐκάλεσε γὰρ αὖποὺς εἰς συμμαχίαν ἐν τῷ τῆς ἐφόδου καιρῷ, καὶ τῆς παρ᾽ αὐτῶν ἐπικουρίας οὐκ ἔτυχε " ε Ζητήσει γὰρ αὑτοὺς, φησὶ, καὶ οὐ μὴ εὕρῃ), ν ἀναμνησθήσεται τῆς θείας κηδεμονίας, καὶ ἐρεζ" « Πορεύσομαι, καὶ ἐπιστρέψω πρὸς τὸν ἄνδρα μου τὸν πρότερον, ὅτι καλῶς μοι ἦν τότε, ἢ νῦν. Καὶ τίς οὐκ ἂν εἰκότως ἐκπλαγείη τὴν θείαν φιλανθρωπέαν, ὃς Θεὸς ὧν, καὶ ποιητὴς, καὶ Κύριος, ἄνδρα ἑαυτὸν, ἀλλ᾽ οὐ δεσπότην ἀποκαλεῖ; Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πλείων τῆς γυναικὸς ἡ περὶ τὸν ἄνδρα φιλοστοργία, ἢ δούλοις πρὸς δεσπότην, ταύτην ἐνθεῖναι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις βουλόμενος τὴν διάθεσιν, γυμρίον ἑαυτὸν καὶ ἄνδρα προσαγορεύει. ᾿Αλλ' ὅμως τοὺς ἀγνώμονας οὐδὲ ταῦτα εἰς εὐγνωμοσύνην κινεῖ, Διὸ καὶ περὶ ἐχείνων φησὶν, ὅτι ### English translation (Claude) 6. "Therefore behold, I hedge her way with thorns, and I will build up her ways, and she will not find her path." Even this punishment is full of loving-kindness, for it works for her an end of impiety. Having learned by the experience of evils the weakness of the idols (for she called them to her aid at the time of the invasion and did not obtain their help: "For she will seek them," he says, "and will not find them"), she will remember the divine care and say: "I will go and return to my former husband, for it was better with me then than now." And who would not rightly be amazed at the divine loving-kindness, that he who is God and Maker and Lord calls himself husband, not master? For since a wife's affection for her husband is greater than that of slaves for a master, wishing to instill this disposition in human beings, he calls himself bridegroom and husband. Yet not even this moves the ungrateful to gratitude. Therefore he also says of them that: ### Scripture references - Hos 2:6: quotation, high confidence - Hos 2:7: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Hos 2:6–7 (LXX 2:8–9). Much of Migne's Latin column is mixed into this section in the scan and is removed by logged corrections; the end of the Isaiah quotation that stood here belongs to section 1.1.7 and was moved there. The end of the quotation of 2:7 is garbled in the scan; translated from the surviving words. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.2.8 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-2-8). ## Commentary on Hosea 2:10 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-2-4/#p-1-2-10 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Because Israel gave God's gifts of grain, wine and silver to Baal, God threatens to withdraw them and to make her ruined vines a testimony against her idolatry. ### Greek text η΄. « Αὐτὴ οὐκ ἔγνω, ὅτι ἐγὼ δέδωκα αὑτῇ τὸν οἵτον, καὶ τὸν οἶνον, καὶ τὸ ἔλαιον " ἀργύριον καὶ χρυσίον ἐπλήθυνα αὐτῇ - αὐτὴ δὲ ἀργυρᾶ καὶ χρυσῇ ἐποίησε τῇ Βάαλ. » Καὶ ἃ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐκομίσατο δῶρα, ταῦτα τοῖς ἀντιθέοις ἐκείνοις προσένεγκε. Διὸδδ χαλεπαίνων ὁ Θεὸς ἀπειλεῖ καὶ σίτον καὶ οἴνου στερίσχειν αὐτούς " καὶ ἵνα μὴ νομίσωσι τὴν γῆν ἀκαρπίαν νοσεῖν, εἰκότως ἐπήγαγε, ε Καθ' ὥραν αὑτοῦ "» τουτέστι, μετὰ τὸ πεπανθῆναι, καὶ πέπειρον γενέσθαι, ἐν ἁμητοῦ δ᾽ καὶ τρύγης χαιρῷ. ᾿Απειλεῖ δὲ καὶ ἐσθῆτα ἀφαιρεῖσθαι, ὥστε καὶ τῶν ἀναγκαίων περιθολαίων σπανίζειν. Θὲ δὲ ἐρασταὶ αὐτῆς, φησὶ, ταῦτα ὁρῶντες, ἐπαμῦναι αὐτῇ οὐ δυνήσονται. Πρὸς ςούτοις, καὶ τὰς πανηγύρεις καταπαύειν, καὶ πᾶσαν τε καὶ ἀμ’ πέλους διαφθείρειν, διὰ τῆς προφητικῆς ἡπείληδε γλώττης. Ἐπειδὴ εἶπε, φησὶ, ταῦτα παρὰ τῶν εἰδώλων εἰληφέναι, καὶ ἡγνόησεν ἐμὲ τὸν τούτων γενόμενον χορηγόν. « Καὶ θήσομαι αὐτὰ, φησὶν, εἰς μαραύριον. » ᾿Απὸ" θηρίων γὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ πετεινῶν, καὶ ἑρπετῶν ἀφανιζόμενα καὶ διαφϑειρόμενα, καὶ τῆς αὐτῶν δυσσεδείας χατηγορήσει, καὶ τῇ ὑπ᾿" ἐμοῦ ἐπενεχθείσῃ μαρτυρήσει παιδείᾳ. Ταῦτα δὲ πείσεται, ἐπειδὴ τὰ Βααλὶμ᾽7, τουτέστι, τὰ εἴδωλα, «ἧς ἐμῆς προετίμησε θεραπείας, καὶ κόσμῳ παντοδαπῷ χεχρημένη τὰς ἐχείνων ἑορτὰς ἐπιτελεῖ. Διὰ ### English translation (Claude) 8. "She did not know that it was I who gave her the grain and the wine and the oil; I multiplied silver and gold for her, but she made silver and gold [images] for Baal." The gifts she received from God she offered to those enemies of God. Therefore God, being angry, threatens to deprive them of grain and wine; and so that they should not think the land was sick with barrenness, he fittingly added: "in its season", that is, after it has ripened and become mature, at the time of harvest and vintage. He threatens to take away their clothing too, so that they will lack even the necessary coverings. "And her lovers," he says, "seeing this, will not be able to help her." Besides this he threatened through the prophetic tongue to stop the festivals and to destroy every … and the vines. Since, he says, she said she had received these things from the idols, and did not know me, who became their provider, "I will make them," he says, "a testimony." For being destroyed and wasted by wild beasts and birds and reptiles, they will both accuse their impiety and bear witness to the discipline brought on them by me. She will suffer this because she preferred the Baalim, that is, the idols, to my service, and, decked out with every kind of ornament, celebrates their feasts. Therefore ### Scripture references - Hos 2:8: quotation, high confidence - Hos 2:9: allusion, high confidence - Hos 2:10: allusion, high confidence - Hos 2:11: allusion, high confidence - Hos 2:12: quotation, high confidence - Hos 2:13: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas and paraphrase: Hos 2:8–13 (LXX 2:10–15). "Every … and the vines": a word is lost in the scan (the LXX of 2:12 names vines and fig trees). "A testimony": Theodoret's text of 2:12 reads εἰς μαρτύριον. The section breaks off at "Therefore"; the following lines are lost. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.2.10 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-2-10). ## Commentary on Hosea 2:16 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-2-4/#p-1-2-16 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God will send Israel wandering into captivity but will comfort her there. ### Greek text ιδ΄, « Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ πλανῶ αὐτὴν, καὶ τάξω αὑτὴν εἰς ἔρημον.» ᾿Αντὶ τοῦ, ᾿Αλᾶσθαι αὐτὴν καὶ πλανᾶσθαι αἰχμάλωτον γενομένην παρασχευάσω, καὶ τούτων ἁπάντων τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἔρημον καταστήσω " ἀλλ᾽ ὅμως ψυχαγωγήσω αὐτὴν ἐν τούτοις οὖσαν τοῖς ἀλγείγοῖς. - ### English translation (Claude) 14. "Behold, I lead her astray, and I will set her in the wilderness." That is: I will cause her to wander and stray as a captive, and make her bereft of all these good things; yet even so I will comfort her while she is in these pains. ### Scripture references - Hos 2:14: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hos 2:14 (LXX 2:16). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.2.16 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-2-16). ## Commentary on Hosea 2:17 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-2-4/#p-1-2-17 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Theodoret explains the valley of Achor (noting the Syriac reading Achar) through Achar of Joshua's time, whose punishment taught Israel the evil of transgression: the captivity will teach Israel the same lesson. ### Greek text ιε΄, « Λαλήσω γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐπὶ τὴν καρδίαν αὑτῆς καὶ δώσω αὐτῇ τὰ κτήματα αὐτῆς ἐκεῖθεν, καὶ τὴν κοιλάδα ᾿Αχὼρ διανοῖξαι σύνεσιν αὐτῆς Ἐ Ι Τὸ δὲ ᾿Αχώρ παρὰ τῷ Σύρῳ ᾿Αχάρ εὗρον" οὗτος δ' ἐστὶν ὁ ἐπὶ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Νανῇ χεχλοφὼς, καὶ τὸ τεϑὲν ἀνάθεμα παραδεθηχὼς, ὃς καὶ τιμωρίαν ἐξέτισε, παντὸς αὐτὸν τοῦ λαοῦ χαταλεύσαντος. ᾿Αλλὰ μετὰ. τὴν ἐχείνου τελευτὴν, εἰς νοῦν λαθόντες, ὅσον ἡ τοῦ θείου νόμου λωδᾷται παράθασις, κλαίοντες καὶ ὁλοφυρόμενοι τὸν Θεὸν ἐλεώσαντο, Τοῦτο τοίνυν καὶ ἐνταῦϑα παρεδήλωσεν, ὅτι καθάπερ οἱ τηνικάδε διὰ τῆς τοῦ ᾿Αχὰρ τιμωρίας ἔμαθον, ὅσον ἡ παρανομία χαχὺν, οὕτω καὶ οὗτοι διὰ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας αἴσθησιν λήψονται τῶν οἐχείων πλημμελημάτων. Καὶ τοῦτο σαφέστερον δηλῶν, ἐπήγαγε" ### English translation (Claude) 15. "For I will speak," he says, "to her heart, and I will give her her possessions from there, and the valley of Achor, to open her understanding." For Achor I found Achar in the Syrian; he … [Achar] is the one who in the time of Joshua the son of Nun stole and violated what had been put under the ban, and who paid the penalty, when all the people stoned him. But after his death, taking to heart how great an evil is the transgression of the divine law, they appeased God with weeping and lamentation. This, then, is what he indicated here too: that as the people of that time learned through Achar's punishment how great an evil lawlessness is, so these too will come through the captivity to perceive their own offenses. And making this clearer, he added: ### Scripture references - Hos 2:14: quotation, high confidence - Hos 2:15: quotation, high confidence - Josh 7:26: echo, low confidence - Hos 2:15: allusion, high confidence - Josh 7:1: allusion, high confidence - Josh 7:25: allusion, high confidence - Josh 7:6: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hos 2:14b–15 (LXX 2:16b–17). "The Syrian": the Syriac version, which Theodoret often cites. Words are lost in the scan after "he"; the comment on the valley of Achor then continues (in the scan a misread numeral began a new section here). The story of Achar: Josh 7 (Achan, called Achar in the LXX and 1 Chr 2:7). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.2.17 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-2-17). ## Commentary on Hosea 2:18 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-2-4/#p-1-2-18 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Israel's slavery in Assyria, like that in Egypt, will turn her from the Baals so that she calls God her husband. ### Greek text ις', ιζ΄. ε Καὶ ταπεινωθήσεται ἐκεῖ κατὰ τὰς ἡμέρας νηπιότητος αὑτῆς, καὶ κατὰ τὰς ἡμέρας ἀναδάσξωξ αὑτῆς ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου. Καὶ ἔσται ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, λέγει Κύριος, καλέσει με, Ὁ ἀνήρ μου, καὶ οὐ καλέσει με ἔτι Βααλίμ. Καὶ ἐξαρῶ τὰ ὀνόματα τῶν Βααλὶμ ἐκ τοῦ στόματος αὐτῆς, καὶ οὐ μὴ μνησθῶσιν οὐκέτι τῶν ὀνομάτων αὐτῶν. » Ὃν τρόπον γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐδούλευσαν Αἰγυπτίοις, οὕτως ὃ ᾿Α:σουρίοις δουλεύσουσι" νηπιότητα γὰρ αὐτῆς τὴν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ καλεῖ διαγωγήν. ᾿Αλλὰ πρὸς καλὸν αὖτοῖς ἡ δουλεία γενήσεται, καὶ πρόξενος αὐτοῖς εὖσεθεία; ἀποφανθήσεται. Ἐν γὰρ τῇ αἰχμαλωσίᾳ ἐπιλήσεται μὲν τῆς τῶν εἰδώλων λατρείας, ἐμὲ δὲ ἄνδρα καὶ σύνοικον ὀνομάσει, Ἐγὼ ὃὲ αὐτῆς τὴν μεταμέλειαν θεώμενος, ### English translation (Claude) 16, 17. "And she will be humbled there as in the days of her infancy, and as in the days of her coming up out of the land of Egypt. And it shall be on that day, says the Lord, she will call me, My husband, and will no longer call me Baalim. And I will remove the names of the Baalim from her mouth, and they will no longer remember their names." For as they served the Egyptians, he says, so they will serve the Assyrians; for he calls the sojourn in Egypt her infancy. But the slavery will turn out to their good and will prove to be the agent of piety. For in the captivity she will forget the worship of idols and will name me husband and partner of her home. And I, seeing her repentance, ### Scripture references - Hos 2:15: quotation, high confidence - Hos 2:16: quotation, high confidence - Hos 2:17: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hos 2:15b–17 (LXX 2:17–19). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.2.18 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-2-18). ## Commentary on Hosea 2:20 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-2-4/#p-1-2-20 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The covenant with beasts, birds and reptiles means peace from beastly enemies, and dwelling in hope points to the eternal goods Paul calls hope. ### Greek text ιη΄. ε« Διαθήσομαι αὐτοῖς διαθήκην ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, μετὰ τῶν θηρίων τοῦ ἀγροῦ, καὶ μετὰ τῶν πετεινῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ μετὰ τῶν ἑρπετῶν τῆς γῆς.» Καὶ διδάσκων, ὡς οὐ περὶ θηρίων καὶ πετεινῶν λέγει, ἀλλὰ περὶ θηριωδῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ πετεινῶν δίκην ἐπιπετομένων καὶ ἰοδόλοις ἑρπετοῖς ἐοιχότων, ἐπήγαγε " ε Καὶ τόξον, καὶ ῥομφαίαν, καὶ πόλεμον συντρίψω ἀπὸ δ᾽ τῆς γῆς.» Εἶτα ὑπισχνεῖται αὑτοῖς τὰ αἰώνια ἀγαθά" ε Καὶ χατοιχιῶ αὐτοὺς 59 ἐπ᾿ ἐλπίδι. ν» Περὶ ταύτης δὲ τῆς ἐλπίδος ὁ μακάριος λέγει Παῦλος " « Τῇ γὰρ ἐλπίδι ἐσώθημεν. Ἐλπὶς ὃὲ βλεπομένη οὐκ ἔστιν ἐλπίς" ἃ δ' γὰρ βλέπει τις, τί καὶ ἐλπίζει; ΕἸ δὲ ὃ οὐ βλέπομεν ἐλπίζομεν, δι᾽ ὑπομονῆς ἐκδεχόμεθα δ᾽. » Καὶ ὅτι περὶ ταύτης ἔφη τῆς ἐλπίδος, καὶ οὐκ ἑτέρας, τὰ ἐπαγόμενα μαρ- ### English translation (Claude) 18. "I will make a covenant for them on that day with the beasts of the field, and with the birds of the sky, and with the reptiles of the earth." And teaching that he is speaking not of beasts and birds but of beastly men, who swoop down like birds and resemble venomous reptiles, he added: "And I will break bow and sword and war from the land." Then he promises them the eternal goods: "And I will make them dwell in hope." Of this hope blessed Paul says: "For in hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is not hope; for what one sees, why does he also hope for it? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience." And that he spoke of this hope and no other, what follows bears witness: ### Scripture references - Hos 2:18: quotation, high confidence - Rom 8:24: quotation, high confidence - Rom 8:25: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hos 2:18 (LXX 2:20). Rom 8:24–25. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.2.20 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-2-20). ## Commentary on Hosea 2:21 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-2-4/#p-1-2-21 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The eternal betrothal is fulfilled not in the Synagogue but in the Church of Jews and Gentiles, won by justice against the devil and mercy toward his captives. ### Greek text ιθ΄, « Καὶ μνηστεύτομαί σς ἐμαυτῷ 43 εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, καὶ μνηστεύσομα: δ᾽ ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ, καὶ ἐν κρίματι, καὶ ἐν ἐλέῳ, καὶ ἐν οἰκτιρμοῖς. » Ὅτι δὲ οὐ τὴν Ἰουδαίων Συναγωγὴν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ἐμνηστεύσατο, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐξ Ἰουδαίων καὶ ἐξ ἐθνῶν συλλεγεῖσαν Ἐκκλησίαν, τὰ πράγματα μαρτυρεῖ. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ ἀπεδλήθη, ἡ δὲ τῷ μνηστῆρι κται, προσδεχομένη τὰ ἀγαθὰ τὰ αἰώνια " ἐμνηστεύσατο δὲ αὐτὴν, οὐ μόνον ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ καὶ κρίματι, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν ἐλέῳ καὶ οἰκτιρμοῖς " δικαιοσύνῃ μὲν γὰρ καὶ κρίματι κατὰ τοῦ πονηροῦ τυράννου χρησάμενος, ξιλεον δὲ καὶ οἰκτιρμοὺς εἰς τοὺς ἐκείνῳ δουλεύειν ἠναγχασμένους ἐπιδειξάμενος. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἔδει ποὺς ἐλέους κ᾽ τετυχηκότας καὶ αὐτοὺς ἀντιδοῦναί τι τῷ σεσωχότι, εἰκότως ἐπήγαγε" ### English translation (Claude) 19. "And I will betroth you to myself forever, and I will betroth you in righteousness and in judgment and in mercy and in compassion." That he betrothed forever not the Synagogue of the Jews but the Church gathered from Jews and from Gentiles, the facts bear witness. For the one was cast off, while the other is joined to the suitor, awaiting the eternal goods. He betrothed her not only in righteousness and judgment but also in mercy and compassion: he used righteousness and judgment against the wicked tyrant, and showed mercy and compassion to those who had been forced to serve him. And since those who had obtained mercy had also to give something in return to the one who saved them, he fittingly added: ### Scripture references - Hos 2:19: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hos 2:19 (LXX 2:21). "Is joined": the verb is partly lost in the scan ("…κται"); translated by sense. Theodoret's contrast between the Synagogue, "cast off", and the Church is translated as written. "The wicked tyrant": the devil. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.2.21 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-2-21). ## Commentary on Hosea 2:22 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-2-4/#p-1-2-22 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The betrothal in faith means that converts bring faith alone and receive righteousness in baptism; the promise of rain and harvest follows for an earthly-minded people. ### Greek text χ΄. ε« Καὶ μνηστεύσομαί σε ἐμαυτῷ ἐν πίστει, καὶ ἐπιγνώσῃ τὸν Κύριον.» Πίστιν γὰρ εὐθὺς οἱ προσιόντες ἀπαιτοῦνται μόνην " δικαιοσύνης γάρ εἶσιν ἔρημοι" δέχονται δὲ ταύτην διὰ τῆς τοῦ λουτροῦ παλιγγενεσίας, παρὰ τοῦ σεσιυχότος Θεοῦ" ὁ δὲ τὴν πίστιν χτώμενος ἐν ἐπιγνώσει γίνεται. τοῦ Δεσπότου. Μετὰ τοίνυν τὴν πρόῤῥησιν τῶν αἰωνίων ἀγαθῶν καὶ τὰς σωματικὰς αὐτοῖς δωρεὰς προαγορεύει " περίγειοι γὰρ ὄντες καὶ χαμαίζηλοι, τούτοις μᾶλλον ἣ ἐκείνοις προσεῖχον " ὑπισχνεῖται τοίνυν χορηγεῖν μὲν ἄνωθεν ὑετὸν, παρασκευάζειν δὲ τὴν γῆν βλαστῆσαι τὰ ἀγαθά. Τοῦτο γὰρ λέγει" « Ἐπακούσομαι τῷ οὐρανῷ, καὶ οὐρανὸς ἑπακούσεται τῇ γῇ. (κβ΄.) Καὶ ἡ γῆ ἐπακούσεται τῷ “ σίτῳ, καὶ τῷ οἴνῳ, καὶ τῷ ἐλαίῳ, καὶ ταῦτα ἐπακούσεται ### English translation (Claude) 20. "And I will betroth you to myself in faith, and you shall know the Lord." For those who come forward are at once asked for faith alone, since they are devoid of righteousness; they receive it through the washing of regeneration from God who saves them, and whoever acquires faith comes to the knowledge of the Master. After foretelling the eternal goods, then, he also foretells bodily gifts to them; for being earthly and groveling, they paid more attention to these than to those. So he promises to supply rain from above and to make the earth put forth its good things. For this is what he says: "21. I will hear the heaven, and the heaven will hear the earth; 22. and the earth will hear the grain and the wine and the oil, and these will hear …" ### Scripture references - Hos 2:20: quotation, high confidence - Hos 2:21: quotation, high confidence - Hos 2:22: quotation, high confidence - Titus 3:5: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Hos 2:20–22 (LXX 2:22–24). The quotation breaks off in the scan (the LXX continues "Jezreel"). "The washing of regeneration": Titus 3:5. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.2.22 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-2-22). ## Commentary on Hosea 2:25 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-2-4/#p-1-2-25 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The promise to Not-pitied and Not-my-people was fulfilled in figure under Zerubbabel and in truth in the Church; Hosea is then told to love an adulteress as an image of God's love for unworthy Israel. ### Greek text κγ' (Καὶ σπερῶ αὐτὴν ἐμαυτῷ ἐπὶ γῆς 5.» Τουτἐστι, γεώργιον αὐτὴν ἐμαυτῷ 9 ἀποφανῶ, καὶ τὰ τῆς δικαιοσύνης καταβαλῶ. ε« Καὶ ἐλεήσω τὴν οὐκ ἠλεημένην, καὶ ἐρῶ 15 τῷ Οὐ λαῷ μου“ Λαός μο. εἶ σύ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐρεῖ" Καὶ ὁ 15 Θεός μου εἰ σύ. ν Ταῦτα μὲν τυπικῶς ἐπὶ τοῦ Ζοροθάδελ συνέδη" κατ' ἀλήθειαν δὲ, μετὰ τὴν ἐνανθρώπησιν τοῦ Δεστούτου Χριστοῦ, ὅτε καὶ ἐμνηστεύσατο τὴν Ἐχχλησίαυ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα " τότε γὰρ καὶ οἱ πεπιστευκότες εἰς αὐτὸν λαὸς πιστὸς ἀληθῶς ἐχρημάτισαν, καὶ αὐτὸς εὖ:χρινῶς τῶν εἰς αὐτὸν πεπιστευκότων ἐπεκλήθη Θεός. Μετὰ ταύτας τῶν ἀγαθῶν τὰς ἐπαγγελίας, αὖθις ὁ Θεὸς τῷ προφήτῃ παρακελεύεται περὶ γυνῖχα διατεθῆναι μοιχεύτριαν καὶ πονηρίᾳ συξῶσαν, ἶν πάλιν εἰκόνα δείξῃ διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων τῆς θείως περὶ τοὺς ἀναξίους φιλοστοργίας. « Καθὼς ἀγαπὶ γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ Θεὸς τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ αὐτὸ ἀποβλέπουσιν εἰς 1" θεοὺς ἀλλοτρίους, καὶ φιλοῦσι πέμματα μετὰ σταφίδων 15.» Τοιαῦτα δέ τινα κατι- Παραυτίκα ὃὲ τὸ προσταχθὲν εἰς πέρας ἤγαγεν ὁ προφήτης, καὶ λέγει τίνα τε μισθὸν ὑπέσχετο τῇ γυναικὶ, καὶ ποίας πρὸς αὐτὴν ἐποιήσατο συνθήγα:. Εἴπον γὰρ αὐτῇ, φησὶ, πᾶσαν ἀλλοτρίαν φυγεῖν συνουσίαν, ἐμοὶ δ᾽ ἑαυτὴν διαφυλάττειν ἀνέπαξτον. Ὑποδείκνυσι δὲ καὶ τῆς εἰκόνος τὸ ἀρχέτυπον. ### English translation (Claude) 23. "And I will sow her for myself on the earth." That is, I will make her my own field and sow the seeds of righteousness. "And I will have mercy on Not-pitied, and I will say to Not-my-people, You are my people; and he will say, You are my God." These things happened in figure under Zerubbabel, but in truth after the incarnation of Christ the Master, when he also betrothed the Church forever. For then those who believed in him were truly called a faithful people, and he was distinctly named the God of those who believed in him. After these promises of good things, God again commands the prophet to become attached to a woman who is an adulteress and lives in wickedness, so that once more he might show by actions an image of the divine affection toward the unworthy. "Even as God," he says, "loves the sons of Israel, and they look to foreign gods and love cakes with raisins." Such … The prophet at once carried out the command, and tells what wage he promised the woman and what agreement he made with her. For I told her, he says, to shun all intercourse with others and to keep herself untouched for me. And he also shows the archetype of the image. ### Scripture references - Hos 2:23: quotation, high confidence - Hos 3:1: quotation, high confidence - Hos 3:2: allusion, high confidence - Hos 3:3: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Hos 2:23 (LXX 2:25); 3:1; 3:2–3 paraphrased. Lines are lost after "Such"; marked "…". "Cakes with raisins": LXX πέμματα μετὰ σταφίδων. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.2.25 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-2-25). ## Commentary on Hosea 3:4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-2-4/#p-1-3-4 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Israel in exile will be without king, sacrifice or priestly oracle, as Hosea lived with the woman without marital relations: God would neither abandon them nor show his care openly. ### Greek text δ΄. « Διότε, φησὶν, ἡμέρας πολλὰς καθή σοντα! οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ οὐκ ὄντος βασιλέως, οὐδὲ ὄντος 50χοντος, οὐδὲ οὔσης θυσίας, οὐδὲ ὄντος θυσιαστηρίου, οὐδὲ 156 ἱερατείας, οὐδὲ δήλων. » Καθάπερ γὰρ, φησὶν, αὐτὴ 17 τοῖς προτέροις ἐρασταῖς ἀποταξαμένη, τὴν τοῦ προφήτου συνοίκησιν εἵλετο " οὕτω; ὑμεῖς εἰς τὴν ἀλλοτρίαν ἀπαχθέντες αἰχμάλωτοι, οὔτε βασιλικῆς, οὔτε ἱερατικῆς ἀπολαύσεσθε προμηθείας" θυσιαστηρίου γὰρ οὐκ ὄντος, ποία λειτυυργία γενήσεται; Οὔτε μὴν τὰ διὰ τῶν ἱερέων ἣ προφητῶν εἰωθότα δηλοῦσθαι καὶ προσημαίνεσθαι, τοῖς βουλομένοις ἐν τῇ ξένῃ μαθεῖν τὸ πρακτέον προδηλωθήσεται ἀλλ᾽ οὐδὲ τὴν ἐμὴν αὑτοῖς κηδεμονίαν προφανῶς ἐπιδείξω" καὶ ταῦτα διὰ τοὺς πατέρας περὶ αὐτοὺς θερμῶς διαχείΐμενο;. Τούτου γὰρ χάριν καὶ ὁ προφήτης τῇ πονηρίᾳ συζώσῃ γυναικὶ συνῴχει μὲν, ὡς προσετάχθη, τῆς δὲ γαμιχῖς ὁμιλίας ἀπείχετο " ἐπειδὴ καὶ ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς, οὗτε πάντη ἐγύμνωσε τὸν λαὸν τῆς οἰκείας προνοίας, οὔτε πρόδηλον ταύτην αὐτοῖς ἐποίει καὶ φανεράν. Δήνϊτους δὲ τὰς προαγορεύσεις τὰς θείας ὠνόμασεν" ἐπειδὴ καὶ ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς τῷ λογίῳ τῆς χρίσεως τὴν δήλωσιν ἐλάμδανε, καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν " καὶ διά τινων σημείων ἐν ἐκείνῳ γιγνομένων προηγόρευε τὰ ἐσόμενᾶς Διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ μέγας Μωσῆς 78 τὴν ἱερατικὴν φυλὴν εὐλογῶν - Δότε, φησὶ, δήλους τῷ Λευῖ. Οὕτω τὰ λυπηρὰ προθεσπίσας, ἀναμίγνυσ! τούτοις καὶ τὰ χρηστά. ### English translation (Claude) 4. "For," he says, "the sons of Israel will sit many days with no king, no ruler, no sacrifice, no altar, no priesthood, no manifestations." For as she, he says, having renounced her former lovers, chose to live with the prophet, so you, carried away captive into a foreign land, will enjoy neither royal nor priestly care; for when there is no altar, what liturgy will there be? Nor will the things that are usually made known and foretold through priests or prophets be revealed beforehand to those who wish to learn in a foreign land what they must do. Nor will I openly show my care for them, though I am warmly disposed toward them for the sake of their fathers. For this reason the prophet too lived with the woman who lived in wickedness, as he had been commanded, but abstained from marital relations, since the God of all neither stripped the people entirely of his providence nor made it plain and manifest to them. He called the divine predictions "manifestations", since the high priest received the Manifestation and the Truth on the oracle of judgment, and foretold what would be through certain signs that appeared on it. That is why great Moses too, blessing the priestly tribe, says: "Give Levi his manifestations." Having thus foretold the painful things, he mixes good things with them. ### Scripture references - Hos 3:4: quotation, high confidence - Hos 3:3: allusion, high confidence - Exod 28:30: allusion, high confidence - Deut 33:8: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hos 3:4. "Manifestations" (δῆλοι): the LXX rendering of the Urim; "the Manifestation and the Truth" on the "oracle of judgment" (the breastpiece), Exod 28:30; Deut 33:8 LXX. Theodoret's statement that the prophet abstained from marital relations reads Hos 3:3; translated as written. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.3.4 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-3-4). ## Commentary on Hosea 3:5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-2-4/#p-1-3-5 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Israel's return to God and to David's line after the seventy years is foretold, followed by the indictment of Hosea 4 for lying, murder, theft and adultery, and the fall of priest and false prophet. ### Greek text ε΄. « Μετὰ ταῦτα γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐπιστρέψουσιν οἱ υἱο; Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ζητήσουσι Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν αὑτῶν, καὶ Δαδὶὃ τὸν βασιλέα αὑτῶν, καὶ ἐκστήσονται ἐπὶ τῷ Κυρίῳ, καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς αὐτοῦ ἐπ᾽ ἐσχάτων τῶν ἡμερῶν. » Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ αἱ δέκα φυλαὶ, διαστασιάσασαι πρὸς τοὺ; ἐκ Δαδὶδ βασιλέας, ἴδιον ἑανταῖς ἐχειροτόνησαν βασιλέα " μετὰ δὲ τὴν ἐκ Βαδυλῶνος ἐπάνοδον ἑνωθεῖσαι καὶ συναφθεῖσαι ἕνα ἔσχον ἧγεσττχότα φυλῆς, ἐφ᾽ οὗ καὶ τῶν θεοσδότων ἀγαθῶν ἐδέξαντο τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν. Ταῦτα πάντα πρὶν γενέσθαι σαφῶς ἐπιστάμενος, διὰ τῆς προφητικῆς θεσπίζει 5 φωνῆς. Τὸ δὲ « Ἐπ' ἐσχάτου τῶν ἡμερῶν, » ἀντὶ τοῦ, μετὰ τὸ τέλος τῶν ἑδλομλήχοντα τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας ἐτῶν. Οὕτω τὰ ἀγαῆλ προμηνύσας, πάλι" τῶν κακῶς γινομένων τὴν κατηγορίαν ποιεῖται. ᾿Αληθείας γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐστὲ καὶ φιλανθρωπίας ἔρημοι, καὶ γνώσεως θείας ἐστερημένοι - πολὺ δὲ παρ᾽ ὑμῖν 8' τὸ ψεῦδος, καὶ ἀδεῶς ὁ φόνος τολμᾶται, καὶ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων ἐφιέμενοι σφετερίζεσθε ταῦτα, κκαὶ τοῖς ἀλλήλων ἐπιδουλεύετε γάμοις, ὡς τὴν γὴν ὑμῶν. ἄπασαν πλήρη τούτων γενέσθαι τῶν μιασμάτων. Δι᾿ ἅπερ τοσοῦτον δ᾽ πολεμίων ὑμῖν ἐπάξω πλῆθος, ὡς παντελῶς δαπανηθῆναι, οὐ μόνον τοὺς εὐπορίᾳ συξῶντας, καὶ θηρίων δίκην καὶ ἑρπετῶν τοῖς πενεστέροις ἐπιόντας, καὶ οἷόν τισι πτεροῖς τῇ δυναστείᾳ χεχρημένου: " ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἅπαντας, οἱ καθάπερ τινὲς ἰχθύες διανήχονται τοῦ βίου τὸ πέλαγος. Τροπικῶς γὰρ θηρία μὲν, καὶ ἑρπετὰ καὶ πετεινὰ, τοὺς δυνατοὺς προσηγόρευσεν, ἰχθύας δὲ τοὺς πενεστέρους ὠνόμασε. Τούτου δὲ, φησὶ, γενομένου, ἔρημος ἣ γῆ καὶ τῶν διχαζόντων καὶ τῶν δικαζομένων γενήσεται. « Ὃ δὲ λαύ; μου, φησὶν, ὡς κηρύττων ἱερεὺς, καὶ ἀσθενήσει ἡμέρας, καὶ Εἰ ἀσθενήσει καὶ προφήτης μετ᾽ αὐτοῦδ», » Ἱερεῖ͵ φησὶν, ἀδοχίμῳ φανέντι, καὶ τὰς οἰκείας ἀξίας ἐχπρονοίας, καὶ ἐπὶ πολλαῖς δὲ ἡ μέραις ταύτῃ παρὰ δοθήσεσθε τῇ παιδείᾳ σὺν τοῖς τὰ ψευδῖ, ουσιν ὑμῖν προφήταις. Προφήτην γὰρ νῦν τὸν ψευδοπροφήτην ὠνόμασεν, ἀπὸ τῆς κατεχούσης ταρ' αὐτοῖς συνηθείας. « Καὶ "" νυκτὶ ὡμοίωσα τὴν μη» τέρα σον. ν Καὶ δεικνὺς τίνα μητέρα καλεῖ, ### English translation (Claude) 5. "For after this," he says, "the sons of Israel will return and will seek the Lord their God and David their king, and they will be amazed at the Lord and at his good things in the last of the days." For the ten tribes revolted from the kings descended from David and appointed a king of their own; but after the return from Babylon, united and joined together, they had one leader of [David's] tribe, under whom they also received the enjoyment of the God-given goods. Knowing all this clearly before it happened, he foretells it through the prophetic voice. "In the last of the days" means: after the end of the seventy years of the captivity. Having thus announced the good things beforehand, he again brings an accusation of the evils being done. You are devoid, he says, of truth and loving-kindness, and deprived of the knowledge of God; lying abounds among you, murder is dared without fear, you covet what belongs to others and appropriate it, and you plot against one another's marriages, so that your whole land is full of these pollutions. Therefore I will bring on you so great a multitude of enemies that not only those living in wealth will be utterly consumed, who attack the poorer like beasts and reptiles and use their power like wings, but also all the rest, who swim like fish through the sea of life. For figuratively he called the powerful beasts and reptiles and birds, and named the poorer fish. When this happens, he says, the land will be empty both of those who judge and of those who are judged. "But my people," he says, "is as … priest, and he will grow weak by day, and the prophet too will grow weak with him." The priest, he says, who has proved unworthy and … his own dignity, and for many days you will be handed over to this discipline together with the prophets who tell you lies. For he has here called the false prophet "prophet", from the usage current among them. "And I have likened your mother to night." And showing what mother he means, ### Scripture references - Hos 3:5: quotation, high confidence - Hos 4:1: allusion, high confidence - Hos 4:2: allusion, high confidence - Hos 4:3: allusion, high confidence - Hos 4:4: quotation, high confidence - Hos 4:5: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hos 3:5; then Hos 4:1–5 in paraphrase and quotation. Migne's Latin column breaks into the quotation of Hos 4:4–5 in the scan; the surviving words are translated and the gap marked "…". "Of [David's] tribe": the scan has a garbled word; supplied from the sense and from a variant reading in Migne's apparatus. "… his own dignity": the verb is garbled in the scan. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.3.5 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-3-5). ## Commentary on Hosea 4:6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-2-4/#p-1-4-6 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The people who refused the knowledge of God are likened to night; God rejects them from his priesthood as they rejected knowledge. ### Greek text ς΄. ε« Ὡμοιώθη, φησὶν, ὁ λαός μου, ὡς οὐκ ἔχων ἐπίγνωσινϑδ,,» Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τῷ ζόφῳ τῆς ἀγνοίας σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ἐκδεδώκασι, καὶ οὐδὲ βραχεῖαν αἴγλην τοῦ τῆς θεογνωσίας φωτὸς ὑποδέξασθαι βούλονται, εἰκότως ἀπειχάζονται νυκτὶ τοιούτῳ κατεχόμενοι Β σκότῳ " μητέρα δὲ καλεῖ τὴν Συναγωγὴν, «αὺν δὲ, τοὺς ἐκ ταύτης φυομένους. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ παρὰ τῷ Ἡσαῖᾳ εὑρίσκομεν. «οἷον γὰρ, φησὶ, τοῦτο τὸ βιθλίον τοῦ ἀποστασίου τῆς μητρὸς ὑμῶν; ν --- « Ἐπειδὴ τοὶ. γυν, φησὶ, καὶ σὺ ἐπίγνωσιν ἀπώσω, ἀπώσομαί σε χὰ. γὼ, τοῦ μὴ δ6 ἱερατεύειν μοι" καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἐπελάθου τῷ νόμου τοῦ Θεοῦ σου, κἀγὼ ἐπιλήσομαι τῶν τέχνων σου. » Καὶ δεικνὺς σαφέστερον τὴν τε οἰκείαν εὑεβγεσίαν, καὶ τὴν ἐχείνων ἀγνωμοσύνην, ### English translation (Claude) 6. "My people," he says, "has become like one who has no knowledge." For since they have given themselves over to the gloom of ignorance and are unwilling to receive even a faint gleam of the light of the knowledge of God, they are rightly likened to night, held as they are in such darkness. He calls the Synagogue mother, and the people those who are born of her. We find this in Isaiah too: "For what is this bill of your mother's divorce?" "Since you," he says, "have rejected knowledge, I too will reject you, so that you shall not serve me as priest; and since you have forgotten the law of your God, I too will forget your children." And showing more clearly both his own beneficence and their ingratitude, ### Scripture references - Hos 4:6: quotation, high confidence - Hos 4:5: allusion, high confidence - Isa 50:1: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hos 4:6. "Mother" = the Synagogue, with Isa 50:1 (God's "bill of divorce" to Israel). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.4.6 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-4-6). ## Commentary on Hosea 4:7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-2-4/#p-1-4-7 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The more God multiplied Israel, the more they sinned against him. ### Greek text ζ΄, « Κατὰ τὸ πλῆθος αὐτῶν, φησὶν, οὕτως ἦμαρ: τόν μοι. ν» Ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ αὑτοὺς παμπληθεῖς ἀπέφηνα. αὑτοὶ δὲ παρανομοῦντες εἰς ἐμὲ διετϑεσαν. Διὸ ### English translation (Claude) 7. "According to their multitude," he says, "so they sinned against me." For I made them very numerous, but they set themselves to transgress against me. Therefore ### Scripture references - Hos 4:7: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hos 4:7a; the section breaks off at "Therefore". ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.4.7 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-4-7). ## Commentary on Hosea 4:8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-2-4/#p-1-4-8 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Israel will reap the fruit of its sins; some apply the verse to priests who fed on the sin offerings but did not correct sinners. ### Greek text η΄. « Τὴν δόξαν αὐτῶν εἰς ἀτιμίαν θήσομαι, ᾿Αμαρτίας λαοῦ μου φάγονται, καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἀδικίαις αὐτῶν λήψονται λαοὶ " τὰς ψυχὰς αὐτῶν." ᾿Αντὶ τοῦ, θεριοῦσιν οἷς ἐσπάρχασι, καὶ τῶν οἰκείων πλημμελημάτων τρυγήσουσι τοὺς καρπούς. Τινὲς; δέ φασι καὶ τοὺς ἱερέας διὰ τούτων αἰνίττεσθαι" ἐπειδὴ τῶν ὑπὲρ ἁμαρτημάτων καὶ πλημμελημάτων προσφερομένων θυσιῶν φανεράν τινα μοῖραν κατὸ νόμον ἐλάμθανον, καὶ ταύτης ἀπολαύοντες τῆς θεραπείας διελέγχειν οὐκ ἐξούλοντο τοὺς πονγρί συζῶντας" τούτου χάριν ἀγανακτῶν Θεὸς, Ἐπειδῇ, φησὶ, ταῖς μὲν ὑπὲρ ἁμαρτιῶν προσφερουέναις ἐντρυφᾶτε θυσίαις, τὴν δὲ προσήκουσαν τοῖς πταίου" σιν οὐ προσφέρετε θεραπείαν, τὧν ἀδικιῶν τούτων δώσετε δίκας, ἀλλοφύλοις ἔθνεσιν εἰς σφαγὴν ἐχὸν θέντες. Καὶ τοῦτο διδάσκων σαφέστερον, εὐθὺς ἢ ἐπήγαγε" ### English translation (Claude) 8. "I will turn their glory into dishonor. They will eat the sins of my people, and in their iniquities peoples will take their souls." That is: they will reap what they have sown and will gather the fruits of their own offenses. Some say that by these words he also hints at the priests. Since by the law they received a conspicuous portion of the sacrifices offered for sins and offenses, and, enjoying this service, did not wish to rebuke those who lived in wickedness, God, being indignant at this, says: Since you feast on the sacrifices offered for sins, but do not offer the fitting care to those who stumble, you will pay the penalty for these iniquities, given up to foreign nations for slaughter. And teaching this more clearly, he at once added: ### Scripture references - Hos 4:7: quotation, high confidence - Hos 4:8: quotation, high confidence - Lev 6:26: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hos 4:7b–8. "Some say": unnamed interpreters. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.4.8 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-4-8). ## Commentary on Hosea 4:9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-2-4/#p-1-4-9 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Priest and people will be punished alike, with evils coming one after another for their drunkenness, idolatry and divination. ### Greek text θ΄. « Καὶ ἔσται καθὼς ὁ λαὸς, οὕτως καὶ" ὁ ἐ ρεύς. ν Παραπλησίως γὰρ τῷ λαῷ καὶ ὑμεῖς ἡ τιμωρίᾳ παραδοθήσεσθε, ἐπειδὴ τοῦ λαοῦ τὴν ἐ" Διό φησιν" ε Ἐκδικήσω ἐπ᾽ αὐτοὺς τὰς ὀδοὺς αὐ' τῶν, καὶ τὰ διαδούλια αὐτοῦ ἀνταποδώσω αὐτῷ." Οὐ γὰρ μόνον πονηρῶν ἔργων, ἀλλὰ καὶ λογισμῶν Καὶ φάγονται, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἐμπλησθῶσιν. » Ἐπάλληλσ, φησὶν, αὐτοῖς ἐπάξιυ κακὰ, καθάπερ τοῖς κόρον σιτίου 39 λαδεῖν οὐκ ἐθέλουσι πλείονα προσφέρεται τὰ ἐδέσματα. Πάλιν δὲ αὐτῶν τὰ; παρανομίας καταλέγει, οἰνοφλυγίαν αὐτοῖς ἐγκαλῶν, καὶ τὴν τῶν εἰδώλων λατρείαν" ταύτην γὰρ αὐτὴν ὀνομάζει πορνείαν. Προστίθησι δὲ καὶ τὴν καταγέλαστον μαντείαν, διδάσκων, ὅπως τε αὐτοὶ τῶν χρᾶν ἐπαγγελλομένων ἐπυνθάνοντο, κἀκεῖνοι τίν: τυόπῳ τὰς ἀποκρίσεις ἐποιοῦντο, ### English translation (Claude) 9. "And it shall be: as the people, so also the priest." For like the people, you too will be handed over to punishment, since … the people's … Therefore he says: "I will avenge on them their ways, and I will repay him his counsels." For not only of evil deeds but also of thoughts … 10. "And they will eat, and will not be satisfied." I will bring evils on them one after another, he says, as more food is set before those who will not take their fill of food. Again he lists their transgressions, charging them with drunkenness and with the worship of idols, which is what he names sexual immorality. He also adds their ridiculous divination, teaching how they consulted those who professed to give oracles, and in what way these gave their answers: ### Scripture references - Hos 4:9: quotation, high confidence - Hos 4:10: quotation, high confidence - Hos 4:11: allusion, high confidence - Hos 4:12: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Hos 4:9–10; 4:11–12a paraphrased. Lines are lost in the scan after "the people's" and after "of thoughts"; marked "…". ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.4.9 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-4-9). ## Commentary on Hosea 4:12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-2-4/#p-1-4-12 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Israel consulted tokens and rods out of a spirit of sexual immorality, that is, of idolatry. ### Greek text ιβ΄. ε Ἐν συμθόλοις"" γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐπηρώτων, καὶ ἐν ῥάδδοις αὐτοῦ ἀπήγγελλον αὐτῷ. » Οἱ μὲν γὰρ, φησὶ, διὰ συμθόλων τινῶν μαθεῖν τὸ πρακτέον ἐζήτοὺν "" οἱ δὲ ῥάδδοις τισὶ χεχρημέ"ο! συνεργοῖς τῆς ἀπάτης, ἀπήγγελλον ἃ ἠδούλοντο. Ταῦτα δὲ παρ᾽ αὑτῶν ἐτολμῶντο, ἐπειδὴ πορνικὴν ἐκτήσαντο γνώμὴν" πνεῦμα γὰρ") πορνείας τὴν περὶ τὴν πορνείαν δ᾽ ὁρμὴν ὀνομάξει. Καὶ σαφέστερον διδάσκων τίνα προσαγορεύει πορνείαν, ἐπήγαγε ᾿ ε Καὶ ἐξἐπόρνευσαν ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ αὑτῶν. » Καὶ τὸν τρόπον ### English translation (Claude) 12. "For they inquired by tokens, and by his rods they reported to him." Some, he says, sought to learn what to do through certain tokens; others, using certain rods as accomplices of the deceit, reported what they wished. They dared these things because they had acquired a mind given to sexual immorality: for he names the impulse toward sexual immorality "a spirit of sexual immorality". And teaching more clearly what he calls sexual immorality, he added: "And they committed sexual immorality away from their God." And the manner ### Scripture references - Hos 4:12: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hos 4:12. The section breaks off at "And the manner". ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.4.12 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-4-12). ## Commentary on Hosea 4:13 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-2-4/#p-1-4-13 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Israel's worship under the trees is punished by the open violation of its daughters by enemies; sexual immorality means both licentiousness and impiety, and the "initiated" are those initiated into idolatrous rites. ### Greek text «Υ΄. ε« Ἐπὶ τὰς κορυφὰς τῶν ὁρέων ἐθυσίαζον "5, καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς βουνοὺς ἔθυον ὑποχάτιω δρυὸς, καὶ λεύχης, καὶ δένδρου συσχιάζοντος " ὅτι χαλὸν σκέπη. » Ἐπιτεοπόμενοι γὰρ τοῖς ἀμφιλᾳρέσι τῶν δένδρων, οὗ τὸν τούτων ποιητὴν προσεκύνουν, ἀλλὰ τούτοις ἀντ᾽ ἐχείνου τὰς θυσίας προσέφερον. Οὗ χάριν "5, φησὶν, οὐδεμιᾶς παρ᾽ ἐμοῦ τεύξεσϑε προμηθείας, ς τῶν θυγατέρων ὑμῶν καὶ τῶν νυμφῶν προφανῶς ὑπὸ τῶν ἐπιόντων ὑμῖν πολεμίων μσιχευομένων. “Ἃ γὰρ χρύδδην παρ᾽ ὑμῶν ἐτολμᾶτε, ταῦτα ἀναφανδὸν συγχωρήσω γενέσθαι. Ταῦτα "7 γὰρ προεδήλωσεν "5 εἰρηκώς " ε Ὅτι καὶ αὐτοὶ μετὰ πορνῶν συνεφύροντο, μετὰ 5 τῶν τετελεσμένων ἔθνον, καὶ λαὸς οὐ " συνιὼν συνεπλέχετο μετὰ πόρνης. » Ποργείαν' τοίνυν ποτὲ μὲν τὴν ἀκολασίαν, ποτὲ ὃὲ τὴν ἀσέδειαν ὀνομάζει " τετειἸδσμένους δὲ καλεῖ τοὺς τὰ τῆς ἀσεθείας ὄργια μεμνημένους. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἡμεῖς τοὺς τῶν θείων μυστηρίων ἠξιωμένους πιστοὺς ὀνομάζομεν, οὕτω τετελεσμένους ὠνόμαζον “Ἕλληνες, τοὺς Οὕτως αὑτοῖς ἀπειλήσας, πάλιν προσφέρει" παραί- ### English translation (Claude) 13. "On the tops of the mountains they sacrificed, and on the hills they offered sacrifice, under oak and poplar and shady tree, because shelter is good." Taking delight in the leafy trees, they did not worship their Maker, but offered sacrifices to them instead of him. For this reason, he says, you will receive no providence from me, while your daughters and your brides are openly defiled in adultery by the enemies who attack you. What you dared in secret, I will allow to be done in the open. For he indicated this beforehand when he said: "Because they themselves mingled with prostitutes and sacrificed with the initiated, and a people without understanding was entangled with a prostitute." He names sexual immorality, then, sometimes licentiousness and sometimes impiety; and he calls initiated those who have been initiated into the orgies of impiety. For as we name faithful those who have been counted worthy of the divine mysteries, so the Greeks named initiated those … Having threatened them thus, he again offers exhortation: ### Scripture references - Hos 4:13: quotation, high confidence - Hos 4:14: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Hos 4:13; 4:14 (Theodoret's paraphrase of 4:13b–14a precedes it). A line is lost after "named initiated those". Migne's apparatus, which quoted Hos 4:14a, is removed from the next section. "The divine mysteries": the Christian sacraments. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.4.13 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-4-13). ## Commentary on Hosea 4:15 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-2-4/#p-1-4-15 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: On is the Hebrew name of the idol at Bethel (Aquila and Theodotion "uselessness", Symmachus "injustice"), and Gilgal, the place of God's memorials under Joshua, had become a center of idolatry. ### Greek text ιε΄, « Σὺ δὲ, Ἰσραὴλ, μὴ ἀγνόει, καὶ ᾿Ιούδα, μὴ εἰσπορεύεσῦς εἰς Γάλγαλα, καὶ μὴ ἀναθαίνετε εἰς τὸν οἶκον Ὧν", καὶ μὴ ὀμνύετε ζῶντα Κύριον. ν Τὸ Ὧν ὄνομά ἐστι τοῦ εἰδώλου τοῦ ἐν Βαιθήλ " οὐ γὰρ, ὥς τινες ὑπέλαθον, τὸν " ἀΐδιον ἑομτνεύει, τουτέστι, τὸν ὄντα " ἀλλ᾽ ᾿Εὐραϊχόν ἐστιν, οὐκ ᾿Ελλην:χὸν ὄνομα. Τοῦτο δὲ σαφῶς ἡμᾶς καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ τῆς 'Ἑθραῖδος ἐδίδαξαν γλώσσης ἑρμηνευταί. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ᾿Ακύλας καὶ Θεοδοτίων οἶκον ἀγωφε.1ὴ ἡρμηνεύχασιν " ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος οἶκον ἀδικίας "" ἀμφότερα δὲ συμθαίνει τῷ πράγματι. Οἱ γὰρ αὐτόθι προεδρεύοντες οὐ μόνον ἐκεῖθεν " οὐδεμίαν ὠφέλειαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ λώδην το, ἄδικοι καὶ ἀγνώμονες περὶ τὸν σφῶν αὐτῶν εὑεἐργέτην γιγνόμενοι". Γάλγαλα δὲ πόλις ἣν καὶ αὐτὴ εἰδώλοις ἀναχειμένη πολλοῖς " ἐν ταύτῃ δὲ Ἰησοῦς, ὁ τοῦ Ναυῆ, τοὺς ἀπεριτμήτους τοῦ λαοῦ περιέτεμε ταῖς πετρίναις μακαίραις χρησάμενος ἐν αὐτῇ καὶ' τοὺς δώδεκα λίθους ἀπέθετο, οὖς ἐκ μέσου τοῦ Ἴορδάνου λαθεῖν προσέταξεν ὁ Θεὸς, ἵν᾽ ὧσι μνημόσυνον τῆς γενομένης εὐεργεσίας, καὶ δι ἐχείνων μάθωσιν οἱ εἰς ὕστερον ἐσόμενοι, ὡς ξηρῷ τῷ πόρῳ μενος ὁ λαὸς τὴν πάροδον ἐποιήσατο. Μεγίστης τοίγυν ἀχαριστίας τεκμήριον τὸ τὴν πόλιν ἐχείνην, ἐν ἦ τοσαῦτα μνημεῖα τῆς θείας εἶχον εὐεργεσίας, ἀσεο θείας ἀποφῆναι μητρόπολιν. Τὸ δὲ, ε Μὴ ὀμνύετε ζῶντα Κύριον, » οὐκ ἁπλῶς ἀπαγορεύει " ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ οἱ τῷ Ὧν προστετηκότες, καὶ κατὰ τούτου τοὺς ὄρκους ποιούμενοι, ζῶντα Κύριον αὑτὸν προσηγέρξνον. Καὶ τοῦτο ἀλλαχόθεν ἔστι μαθεῖν. « Ἐὰν γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐξάρῃς τὰ Βααλὴὶμ ἐκ τοῦ στόματός σου, καὶ ὁμόσῃς 5, Ζῇ Κύριος, μετ᾽ ἀληθείας. » Τουτέστιν, ἐὰν τῶν εἰδώλων ἐξορίσῃς τὴν μνήμην, καὶ τῇ ἐμῇ θεραπείᾳ προσέχων, καὶ ζῶντά με Κύριον ὀνομάζων, ὁμόσῃς τιμῶν τὴν ἀλήθειαν καὶ μυσαττόμενος τὸ ψεῦδος ### English translation (Claude) 15. "But you, Israel, do not be ignorant; and Judah, do not go into Gilgal, and do not go up to the house of On, and do not swear by the living Lord." On is the name of the idol in Bethel. It does not, as some have supposed, interpret "the eternal one", that is, "the one who is": it is a Hebrew name, not a Greek one. The other translators of the Hebrew tongue have also taught us this clearly: Aquila and Theodotion translated "house of uselessness", and Symmachus "house of injustice"; both fit the fact. For those who presided there drew no benefit from it, but harm, becoming unjust and ungrateful toward their own benefactor. Gilgal too was a city dedicated to many idols. In it Joshua the son of Nun circumcised the uncircumcised of the people, using knives of stone; in it too he set the twelve stones that God commanded to be taken from the middle of the Jordan, so that they might be a memorial of the benefit that had been done, and that those who came later might learn through them that the people made their passage on foot by a dry crossing. It is a proof of the greatest ingratitude, then, to make that city, in which they had so many memorials of the divine beneficence, the capital of impiety. "Do not swear by the living Lord" he does not forbid simply, but because those devoted to On, who took their oaths by it, called it "living Lord". One can learn this from elsewhere too: "If you remove the Baalim from your mouth," he says, "and swear, The Lord lives, in truth." That is: if you banish the memory of the idols, attend to my service and name me the living Lord, and swear honoring the truth and loathing falsehood … ### Scripture references - Hos 4:15: quotation, high confidence - Josh 5:3: allusion, high confidence - Josh 4:20: allusion, high confidence - Hos 2:17: allusion, medium confidence - Jer 4:2: quotation, medium confidence - Exod 3:14: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hos 4:15. "On": LXX Ὤν for Beth-aven; Theodoret rejects, without naming them, those who read it as "the one who is" (Exod 3:14 LXX). Gilgal: Josh 5:2–9; 4:20–24. "On foot": a word is partly lost in the scan ("…μενος"), supplied by sense. The quotation "If you remove the Baalim" combines Hos 2:17 with Jer 4:1–2. The section breaks off mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.4.15 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-4-15). ## Commentary on Hosea 4:16 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-2-4/#p-1-4-16 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Israel, maddened by idolatry like a heifer stung by the gadfly, will be scattered like a stray lamb. ### Greek text ις΄. «Ὅτι ὡς δάμαλις παροιστρῶσα ᾿ Ἰσραὴλ" νῦν νεμήσει αὐτοὺς Κύριος, ὡς ἀμνὸν ἐν ᾿εὑρυχώρῳ. » Οἵστρός ἔστι μυῖά τις ταῖς βουσὶν ἐπιοῦσα, καὶ τοσαύτην αἴσθησιν ἐμποιοῦσα τοῖς δήγμασιν, ὡς τὰς ὑπ᾽ ἐκείνης νυττομένας μήτε τῆς τῶν βουχόλων ἀνέχεσθαι φωνῆς, μήτε ταῖς ἄλλαις συννέμεσθαι βουσὶν, ἀλλὰ θέειν ἁπλῶς, καὶ κατὰ κρημνῶν ἔστιν ὅτε φέρεσθαι. Ταύταις, φησὶν, ἔοικεν ὁ Ἐφραῖμ, τῆς τῶν εἰδώλων θεραπείας τὸν οἵστρον δεξάμενος " ἹΕφραῖμ δὲ τὰς δέκα φυλὰς, ὡς προείπομεν, ὀνομάζει. Αλλ᾽ ὅμως οὐδὲ οὕτως αὐτοὺς αχθῆναι ποιήσας, τῇδε κἀκεῖσε διασπερῶ, ὡς μηδὲν διαφέρειν ἀμνοῦ πλανωμένου καὶ τὴν μητρῴαν ἐπι ζητοῦντος θηλήν. Ταῦτα δὲ πείσεται, ἐπειδὴ τάς τε δαμάλεις, καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ εἴδωλα, καθάπερ τινὰ σκάνδαλα καὶ πάγας ἑαυτῷ προτεθειχὼς, τὴν τῶν Χανανιτῶν 15 δυσσέδειαν ἐζήλωσε, καὶ ἀλαζονείᾳ κατ᾽ ἐμοῦ χρησάμενος, τὴν τῶν εἰδώλων λατρείαν τῆς ἐμῆς θεραπείας προείλετο, « Ἠγάπησαν γὰρ ἀτιμία) ἐκ φρυάγματος αὐτῆς. » ᾿Αλλὰ τούτου χάριν, ### English translation (Claude) 16. "For as a heifer stung by the gadfly, Israel … ; now the Lord will feed them like a lamb in a broad place." The gadfly is a fly that attacks cattle and causes such pain by its bites that those it stings neither heed the voice of the herdsmen nor graze with the other cattle, but simply run, and sometimes are carried over cliffs. Ephraim, he says, is like these, having received the gadfly of the service of idols; and he names the ten tribes Ephraim, as we said before. But even so, having caused them to be led away [captive], I will scatter them here and there, so that they differ in nothing from a lamb that wanders and seeks its mother's teat. He will suffer this because he set the heifers and the other idols before himself like stumbling blocks and snares, imitated the impiety of the Canaanites, and, using arrogance against me, preferred the worship of idols to my service. "For they loved dishonor from her insolence." But for this reason, ### Scripture references - Hos 4:16: quotation, high confidence - Hos 4:17: allusion, high confidence - Hos 4:18: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hos 4:16; 4:17–18 paraphrased and quoted. The verb of the lemma (LXX "went mad") is lost in the scan; "[captive]" supplies a partly lost word ("…αχθῆναι"). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.4.16 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-4-16). ## Commentary on Hosea 4:19 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-2-4/#p-1-4-19 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The comment on the whirlwind in Israel's wings breaks off at once. ### Greek text ιθ΄, « Συστροφὴ πνεύματος αὐτοῦ συριεῖ ἐν ταῖς πτέρυξιν αὐτῆς. » Καθάπερ γὰρ, φησὶ, τὰ ὄρνεα τῇ ### English translation (Claude) 19. "A whirlwind of wind will whistle in her wings." For as birds, he says, … ### Scripture references - Hos 4:19: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hos 4:19. The rest of the comment is lost in the scan. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.4.19 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-4-19). ## Commentary on Hosea 5:4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-2-4/#p-1-5-4 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Israel and Ephraim, who abandoned the knowledge of God, will fall first and Judah after them, and their sacrifices will not find the Lord. ### Greek text δ΄. ε« Καὶ οὐκ ἔδωκαν τὰ διαδούλια αὑτῶν, τοῦ θεογνωσίας ἐξέπεσον, τῇ δὲ τῶν εἰδώλων θεραπείᾳ προσέσχον " διὸ τίσουσι ταυτησὶ τῆς ὕδρεως δίκας, προφανῶς ὁρῶντες ὁπόϊος ὁ τῆς εὐσεδείας καρπός. Τοῦτο γὰρ εἶπεν" ε Εἰς πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ" καὶ " Ἰσραὴλ καὶ ᾿Εφραῖμ ἀσθενήσουσιν ἐν ταῖς ἀδικίαις αὑτῶν - καὶ ἀσθενήσει καὶ Ἰούδας μετ᾽ αὐτῶν. » Ἐπειδὴ αἱ δέκα φυλαὶ πράτερον "5 τὸν ἀνδραποδισμὸν καὶ τὴν δουλείαν ὑπέμειναν, εἰκότως αὐτῶν ἐμνήσθη πρότερον "", Ισραὴ.1 αὑτὰς καὶ 'Εφραῖμ ὀνομάσας " τὸν ὃὲ Ἰούδαν ἀρμοδίως τέθεικε τελευταῖον, ἐπειδὴ μετ᾽ ἐκείνους τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν ὑπέμεινεν. Εἶτα διδάσκει, ὅπως κατὰ ταὐτὸν μόσχους λαζόντες, καὶ Κύριον, καὶ οὐ μὴ εὕρωσιν αὐτόν ' ἐκχέχλικε γὰρ ἀπ᾽ αὐτῶν. Καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν δεικνὺς, ἐπήγαγεν" ### English translation (Claude) 4. "And they did not give their counsels …" … they fell from the knowledge of God and devoted themselves to the service of idols; therefore they will pay the penalty for this outrage, seeing plainly what the fruit of piety is. For this is what he said: "… to its face; and Israel and Ephraim will grow weak in their iniquities, and Judah too will grow weak with them." Since the ten tribes underwent enslavement and servitude first, he rightly mentioned them first, naming them Israel and Ephraim; and he fittingly put Judah last, since it underwent captivity after them. Then he teaches how at the same time, taking calves, … the Lord, and they will not find him, for he has turned away from them. And showing the cause, he added: ### Scripture references - Hos 5:4: quotation, high confidence - Hos 5:5: quotation, high confidence - Hos 5:6: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Hos 5:4–6. Lines are lost in the scan after the first quotation and before "the Lord"; marked "…". "What the fruit of piety is": so the scan; perhaps a slip for "impiety". ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.5.4 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-5-4). ## Commentary on Hosea 5:7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-2-4/#p-1-5-7 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Israel forsook the Lord and took foreign wives; the trumpet over Benjamin and Ephraim mocks the idols, and Judah's rulers, who move God's boundaries, will be swept away like a torrent. ### Greek text ζ΄. « Ὅτι τὸν Κύριον ἐγκατέλιπον. » Καὶ ὅτι παραγόμως ἀλλοφύλους λαθόντες γυναῖκας, ἐξ ἐχείνων ἐπαιδοποίησαν" τοῦτο γὰρ ἐδήλωσεν 3 εἰρηκώς " « Ὅτι τέχνα ἀλλότρια ἐγεννήθησαν αὐτοῖς " » « νῦν καταφάγεται αὐτοὺς ἡ ἐρυσίθη, καὶ τοὶς κλήρους αὐτῶν. » ᾿Ερυσίδην δὲ καλεῖ μὲν καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ ἐκ τῆς τοῦ ἀέρος ἀνωμαλίας τοῖς ἐν τοῖς χυρποῖ; ἐπισυμύαϊνον πάθος " καλεῖ δὲ τροπικῶς καὶ τοὺ; Καὶ τοῦτο σαφέστερον ἑρμηνεύων εὐθὺς ἐπήγαγε" ἢ΄,θ΄, ε Σαλπίσατε σάλπιγγι ἐπὶ τοὺς βουνοὺς, ἠχήσατε ἐπὶ τῶν ὑψηλῶν, κηρύξατε ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ Ὧν Ἐξέστη " Βενιαμίν. Ἐξφραῖμ εἰς ἀφανισμὸν ἐγένετη ἐν ἡμέραις ἐλέγχου, ἐν ταῖς φυλαῖς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἔδειξα πιστά. ν Ταῦτα γὰρ ἅπαντα διὰ τῶν προφητῶν αὐτοῖς προμηνύων, καὶ ἀπιστούμενος, μετὰ τὴν πεῖραν πιστευθήσομαι τῶν πραγμάτων, καὶ τῆς παρανομίας τοὺς ἐλέγχους ποιούμενος, δείξω τῆς προφητικῆς προξῥήσεως τὴν ἀλέθειαν. Καλῶς δὲ χωμῳδῶν τὴν τῶν εἰδώλων ἀσθένειαν " ε« Κηρύξατε, εἶπεν, ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ Ὧν “ » διεγείρατε, φησὶν, εἰς βοήθειαν τοὺς ᾽2 ὑφ᾽ ὑμῶν τιμωμένους ᾿ παυσάτωσαν " τὰς ὑπ᾽ ἐμοῦ πρησφερομένας ὑμῖν παιδείας " χαταλάθετε τοὺς ὑψηλοτάτους βουνοὺς, ἐν οἷς πᾶσαν τοῖς εἰς καιρὸν τῆς οἰκείας ἐπικουρίας. Εἰκότως ὃὲ καὶ τοῦ Βενιαμὶν ἐμνημόνευσεν, ἐπειδὴ συνάπτει καὶ τοῦ Ἰούδα τὴν μνήμην. ἧς ες Ἐγένοντο γὰρ, φησὶν, οἱ ἄρχοντες Ἰούδα, ὡς μετατιθέντες ὅρια ’ ἐπ᾽ αὐτοὺς ἐκχεῶ ὡς ὕδωρ τὸ ὄρμημά μον. Οὕτω γὰρ ἀναιδῶς τοὺς ὑπ᾽ ἐμοῦ ζοντας λίθους, καὶ ταύτην ἀπ᾽ ἐκείνης τὴν ἄρουραν διατέμνοντας μεταφέρειν ἀναισχύντως ἐπιχειροῦντες" διὸ χειμάῤῥου δίκην αὐτοῖς ἐποίσω τὰς τιμωρίας, Δῇλον δὲ, ὡς καὶ τοῦ Βενιαμὶν μνημονεύων συμπερ'λαμθάνει τὴν Ἰούδα φυλὴν, καὶ τοῦ Ἰούδα πάλιν κατηγορῶν, καὶ τὸν Βενιαμὶν ὡσαύτως συνάξτει " ὑπὸ μίαν γὰρ ἐτέλουν βασιλείαν " οὕτω δὲ καὶ τὸν Ἐφραῖμ λέγων, τὰς δέκα φυλὰς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ὀνομάζει, καὶ μέντοι καὶ τὸν ᾿Ισραὴ.1 μνημονεύων, ταὐτὸ τοῦτο σημαίνει. ### English translation (Claude) 7. "For they have forsaken the Lord." And that they unlawfully took foreign wives and had children by them; for he indicated this when he said: "For foreign children have been born to them. Now the blight will devour them and their portions." He calls blight both the disease that comes on the crops from irregularity of the air, and also, figuratively, the … And interpreting this more clearly, he at once added: "8, 9. Sound the trumpet on the hills, cry aloud on the heights, proclaim in the house of On: Benjamin is amazed. Ephraim has become a desolation in the days of rebuke; among the tribes of Israel I have shown faithful things." For though I foretold all these things to them through the prophets and was disbelieved, I will be believed after they experience the events, and by convicting their lawlessness I will show the truth of the prophetic prediction. He mocks the weakness of the idols well: "Proclaim," he said, "in the house of On": rouse to your help those you honor; let them stop the disciplines I bring on you; take the highest hills, on which … at the time of their help. He rightly mentioned Benjamin too, since he joins to it the mention of Judah: "10. For the rulers of Judah became like those who move boundaries; on them I will pour out my onrush like water." For so shamelessly do they try to move the stones set by me, cutting off this field from that one; therefore I will bring punishments on them like a torrent. It is clear that in mentioning Benjamin he includes the tribe of Judah, and in accusing Judah again he likewise joins Benjamin to it, for they belonged to one kingdom. So too in saying Ephraim he names the ten tribes of Israel, and in mentioning Israel he signifies the same thing. ### Scripture references - Hos 5:7: quotation, high confidence - Hos 5:8: quotation, high confidence - Hos 5:9: quotation, high confidence - Hos 5:10: quotation, high confidence - Deut 19:14: echo, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Hos 5:7–10. Migne's Latin column breaks into the lemma of 5:7 in the scan (removed by logged corrections). Lines are lost after "figuratively, the" and after "on which"; marked "…". "Foreign wives": Theodoret reads "foreign children" as children of mixed marriages; translated as written. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.5.7 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-5-7). ## Commentary on Hosea 5:11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-2-4/#p-1-5-11 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Ephraim's injustice came from his idolatry; the rest is lost. ### Greek text ια΄. « Κατεδυνάστευσεν Ἐφραῖμ τὸν ἀντίδικον αὑτοῦ, χατεδυνάστευσε τὸ κρῖμα "5, ὅτι ἤρξατο πορεύεσθαι ὀπίσω τῶν ματαέων. » Αἰτία, φησὶ, τῆς ἀδικίας αὐτοῦ ἡ τῶν εἰδώλων ἐγένετο θεραπεία ᾽ εἰ γὰρ τὴν ἐμὴν εἶχε γνῶσιν, ἐκ τῆς ἐμῆς νομοθεσίας ### English translation (Claude) 11. "Ephraim oppressed his adversary, he trampled on judgment, because he began to go after vain things." The cause of his injustice, he says, was the service of idols; for if he had had the knowledge of me, from my legislation … ### Scripture references - Hos 5:11: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hos 5:11. The comment breaks off in the scan. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.5.11 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-5-11). ## Commentary on Hosea 5:12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-2-4/#p-1-5-12 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God will goad Ephraim and Judah through enemy invasion. ### Greek text ιβ΄. « Καὶ ἐγὼ ὡς ταραχὴ " τῷ Ἑφρραῖμ, καὶ ὡς κέντρον τῷ οἴκῳ Ἰούδα.» ᾿Αντὶ τοῦ, τὴν τῶν πολεμίων αὐτοῖς ἐπάξω ταραχὴν, καὶ οἷον ἀχίδι τινὶ νύξω, καὶ κέντρον τὴν δι᾽ ἐχείνων αὐτοῖς ἐπιτιθεὶς τιμωρίαν. ### English translation (Claude) 12. "And I am like confusion to Ephraim, and like a goad to the house of Judah." That is: I will bring on them the confusion of enemies, and prick them as it were with a point, laying on them as a goad the punishment that comes through those enemies. ### Scripture references - Hos 5:12: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hos 5:12. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.5.12 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-5-12). ## Commentary on Hosea 5:13 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-2-4/#p-1-5-13 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Ephraim, sick from his sins, sought help from Assyria (Phul) and from Egypt ("King Jareb") instead of from God, and found none. ### Greek text ε΄. « Καὶ εἶδεν Ἐφραῖμ τὴν νόσον αὐτοῦ, καὶ Ἰούδας τὴν ὀδύνην αὑτοῦ. » Τῇ πείρᾳ γὰρ ἔμαθεν" τῶν κακῶν τὴν αἰτίαν. « Καὶ ἐπορεύθη Ἐφραῖμ πρὸς ᾿Ασσυρίους. » Ὑπὸ γὰρ τῶν Σύρων ᾽3 πολεμούμενος, τὸν Φουὰ, βατιλεὺς δὲ οὗτος ἣν ᾿Ασσυρίων, ἐκάλεσεν εἰς βοήθειαν. ε Καὶ ἀπέστειλε πρέσδεις πρὸς βασιλέα Ἰαρεὶδ ᾽5, καὶ αὐτὸς οὐκ ἠδυνήθη ῥύσασθαι ὑμᾶς, καὶ οὗ μὴ διαπαύτῃ ἐξ ὑμῶν ὀδύνη. » Πάλιν ὑμῖν τῶν τὸν Αἰγύπτου βασιλέα, τὴν ἐκεῖθεν αἰτοῦντες ἐπικουρία) " ἀλλ᾽ ὅμως οὐδὲ τῆς ἐκεῖθεν τεύξεσθε βοηθείας, ἀλλ᾽ ὀδύνα:ς ἐπαλλήλοις παραδοθήσεσθε. Ὅτι δὲ τὸν βασιλέα Ἴαρεὶδ τὸν Αἰγύπτου καλεῖ βασιλέα, ἐκ τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα ῥᾷάδιον μαθεῖν. ε« Ἐγένετο γὰρ Ἐφραῖμ, ὡς περιστερὰ ἄνους, οὐκ ἔχουσα καρδίαν, Αἴγυπτον ἐπεκαλεῖτο, καὶ εἰς ᾿Ατουοίους ἐπορεύοντο.» Δέον γὰρ τὴν ἐμὴν αἰτῆσαι βοήθειαν, καὶ δυνατὴν οὖσαν, καὶ λίαν αὐτῷ πελάζουσαν, τῇδε κἀκεῖσε διετέλει περινοστῶν, καὶ τὰς ἀσθενεῖς ἐπικουρίας αἰτῶν - οὐδεμίαν ὃ: ὃὲ ὄνησιν ἐκ τῆς τούτων ἐπιγου- ### English translation (Claude) 13. "And Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah his pain." For by experience he learned the cause of his evils. "And Ephraim went to the Assyrians." For when he was being warred on by the Syrians, he called Phul to his help; this man was king of the Assyrians. "And he sent envoys to King Jareb, and he could not rescue you, and pain will not cease from you." Again you … the king of Egypt, asking for help from there; yet you will not obtain help from there either, but will be handed over to pain upon pain. That he calls King Jareb the king of Egypt is easy to learn from what follows: "For Ephraim became like a senseless dove, without heart; they called on Egypt and went to the Assyrians." For when he ought to have asked for my help, which is both powerful and very near him, he kept wandering here and there asking for weak helps; but no benefit from their help … ### Scripture references - Hos 5:13: quotation, high confidence - Hos 7:11: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 15:19: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hos 5:13, with Hos 7:11 quoted. A line is lost after "Again you"; marked "…". Phul: 2 Kgs 15:19. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.5.13 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-5-13). ## Commentary on Hosea 5:14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-2-4/#p-1-5-14 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God will fall on Ephraim and Judah like a panther and a lion, and none can rescue them. ### Greek text ιδ΄. « Διότι, φησὶν 5, ἐγώ εἶμι ὡς πάνθηρ τῷ Ἐφραῖμ, καὶ ὡς λέων τῷ οἴκῳ Ἰούδα, καὶ ἐγὼ ἀρπῶμα:, καὶ πορεύσομαι, καὶ λήψομαι, καὶ οὐκ ἔσται ὁ ἐξαιρούμενος. » Τίς γὰρ ἀντιστῆναι: τοῖς ὑπ᾽ ἐμοῦ γιγνομένοις δυνήσεται; τίς δὲ τοὺς ὑπ᾽ ἐμοῦ χολαζο- ### English translation (Claude) 14. "For," he says, "I am like a panther to Ephraim and like a lion to the house of Judah; and I will seize, and go, and take, and there will be none to rescue." For who will be able to withstand what is done by me? And who [will rescue] those punished by me … ### Scripture references - Hos 5:14: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hos 5:14. The comment breaks off. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.5.14 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-5-14). ## Commentary on Hosea 5:15 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-2-4/#p-1-5-15 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Like a lion returning to its lair, God will withdraw his care until Israel, chastened, seeks him who struck and will heal. ### Greek text ιε΄, « Καὶ πορεύσομαι, καὶ ἐπιστρέψω εἰς τὸν τόπὸν μου, ἕως οὗ ἀφανισθῶσιν. » Ἐπέμεινε τῇ τροπῇ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶπεν -« Ὡς πάνθηρ, καὶ ὡς λέων αὐτοῖς ἔσομαι, » ἁρμοδίως ἐπήγαγε τό" ε« Ἐπιστρέψω εἰς κὸν τόπον μου, ἕως οὗ ἀφανισθῶσιν. » Ἔθος γὰρ καὶ τοῖς θηρίοις ἐκείνοις, ὅταν τι δ᾽ θηρεύσωσιν, εἰς ποὺς συνήθεις ἐπανιένα! τόπους, καὶ τὸν ἀπὸ τῆς θήρας ἐγγενόμενον διαναπαύειν πόνον. Κἀγὼ τοίνυν, φησὶ, δίκην πάνθηρος καὶ λέοντος, διὰ τῶν πολεμίων ὑμῖν ἐπελθὼν, κατ᾽ ἐμαυτὸν λοιπὸν ἔσομαι, προνοίας ὑμᾶς οὐδεμιᾶς ἀξιῶ 35, Τούτων δὲ, φησὶ, γινομένων, τὴν ἐμὴν χηδεμοτὸ. ιὰς παιδείας ἐπαγαγόντα ἱκετεῦσαι θεὸν, κατάλληλον ἐπιθεῖναι τοῖς τραύμασι φάρμακον. «ε Ὅτι αὐπὸς, φησὶ, πέπαιχε 8, καὶ ἰάσεται ἡμᾶς " πατάξει 7, καὶ μοτώτε! ἡμᾶς.» Καὶ τὸ σύντομον τῆς ἰάσεως ### English translation (Claude) 15. "And I will go and return to my place, until they are destroyed." He kept to the figure. For since he had said, "I will be to them like a panther and like a lion," he fittingly added: "I will return to my place, until they are destroyed." For it is the habit of those beasts, when they have caught some prey, to go back to their usual places and rest from the toil of the hunt. So I too, he says, having come upon you like a panther and a lion through the enemies, will henceforth keep to myself and count you worthy of no providence. When this happens, he says, … my care … the one who brought the disciplines on them, to supplicate God to apply a fitting remedy to the wounds. "For he," he says, "has struck, and he will heal us; he will smite, and he will bind us up." And the swiftness of the healing ### Scripture references - Hos 5:15: quotation, high confidence - Hos 6:1: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Hos 5:15; 6:1. Lines are lost in the scan after "When this happens, he says"; the surviving words are translated and the gap marked "…". ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.5.15 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-5-15). ## Commentary on Hosea 6:2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-6-2/#p-1-6-2 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The healing on the third day means God's swift restoration of Israel and also points to Christ's resurrection, the pledge of the common resurrection and of full knowledge of God. ### Greek text Β΄. « Ὑγιάσε: ἡμᾶς μετὰ δύο ἡμέρας, ἐν τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ ἀναστησόμεθα δ» Οὐ δεῖται γὰρ εἰς θεραπείαν χρονικῆς περιόδου, ἀλλ᾽ ἀθρόαν παρέξει τὴν ὑγίειαν 39" αἰνίττεται δὲ διὰ τούτων καὶ τὴν διὰ τριῶν ἡμερῶν γενομένην τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἀνάστασιν, ἣ τῆς κοινῆς ἀναστάσεως ἐγένετο πρόξενος, καὶ πᾶσιν ἡμῖν δεδώρηται τὴν τῆς ἀθανασίας ἐλπίδα, διὰ τῆς εἰς τὸν Θεὸν ἐπιγνώσεως ἐγγινομένην "δ. « Ἐν τῇ τρίτῃ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἡμέρᾳ ἀναστησόμεθα, καὶ ζησόμεθα ἔναντίον αὐτοῦ, καὶ γνωσόμεθα. » Μετὰ γὰρ τὴν ἀνάστασιν, φησὶν ὁ ᾿Απόστολος, ἐπιγνώσομαι, γαθὼς καὶ ἐπεγνώσθην " « Ἄρτι γὰρ γινώσκω ἐκ μέ: ρους, τότε δὲ ἐπιγνώτομα:ι, καθὼς καὶ ἐπεγνώσθην.» Τότε τοίνυν, φησὶν, ἀχριδεστέραν τῶν πραγμάτων τὴν γνῶσιν δεξόμεθα " ε Νῦν δὲ διώξωμεν τοῦ γνῶναι τὸν Κύριον. » Σπουδαίως, φησὶ, καὶ προθυμοτέρως τήσωμεν. ε Ὡς γὰρ ὄρθρον ἕτοιμον εὑρήσομεν αὐτόν.» Καθάπερ γὰρ ὁ ὄρθρος λύει τῆς νυκτὸς τὸ ζοτῶδες, οὕτως αὐτὸς τῶν ἐπικειμένων ἡμᾶ; ἀπαλλάξει πειρασμῶν, καὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ προνοίας τὴν ἀκτῖνα παρ. ἐξει. « Καὶ ἥξει ἡμῖν ὡς ὑετὸς πρώϊμος καὶ δνιμος τῇ γῇ. » Πάντων γὰρ ἡμῖν τῶν ἀγαθῶν παρέξει τὴν ἀφθονίαν. Μετὰ ταύτην αὐτῶν τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ χρεῖττον μεταθολὴν, καθάπερ τις πατὴρ φιλόστοργος τὴν Β πρὸς αὐτοὺς ποιεῖται διάλεξιν. ### English translation (Claude) 2. "He will heal us after two days; on the third day we shall rise." For he needs no lapse of time for the cure, but will grant health all at once. By these words he also hints at the Savior's resurrection after three days, which became the agent of the common resurrection and has given to all of us the hope of immortality that comes through the knowledge of God. "For on the third day," he says, "we shall rise and live before him, and we shall know." For after the resurrection, says the Apostle, I shall know fully, as I also have been fully known: "For now I know in part, but then I shall know fully, as I also have been fully known." Then, he says, we shall receive a more exact knowledge of things. "But now let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord." Let us seek it, he says, earnestly and more eagerly. "For we shall find him ready like the dawn." For as the dawn dissolves the gloom of night, so he will free us from the trials that press on us and will grant the ray of his providence. "And he will come to us like the early and the late rain on the earth." For he will grant us abundance of all good things. After this change of theirs for the better, he addresses them like an affectionate father: ### Scripture references - Hos 6:2: quotation, high confidence - Hos 6:3: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 13:12: quotation, high confidence - Matt 16:21: echo, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Hos 6:2–3. 1 Cor 13:12. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.6.2 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-6-2). ## Commentary on Hosea 6:4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-6-2/#p-1-6-4 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Israel's repentance vanishes like morning dew, yet God kept caring for them, even sending prophets whom they killed. ### Greek text δ΄. «Τί σοι ποιήσω, Ἐφραῖμ; τί δοι ποιήτω, Ἰούδα; Τὸ δὲ ἔλεος ὑμῶν, ὡς νεφέλη πρωϊνὴ, χεὶ ὡς δρόσος ὀρθρινὴ πορενομένη. » Ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ, φησὶ, πάσης ὑμᾶς ἀξιῶσαι φιλανθρωπίας ἐθέλω" ἡ ὃὲ παρ᾽ ὑμῶν γινομένη " μεταμέλεια πρόσχαιφός ἔστι, καὶ οὐ διαρκὴς, καὶ ἔοικε δρόσῳ βραχείᾳ δυνἰσταμένῃ, καὶ ὑπὸ ἡλίου δαπανωμέντι,, καὶ νεφέλῃ ἕωθεν προφαινομένῃ, καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ἀκτίνων σχεδᾶν- ᾿Αλλ᾽ ὅμως καὶ οὕτως ὑμᾶς διακειμένους παντοδαπῆς ἐπιμελεία; ἀξιῶν διετέλεσα, ὡς καὶ τοῖς ἐμαυτοῦ προφήταις αἴτιος θανάτου γενέσθαι " εἰς ὑμετέραν γὰρ αὐτοὺς ἀποστέλλων διδασκαλίαν, τὸν παρ᾽ ὑμῶν αὐτοῖς προὐξένησα θάνατον. Ταῦτα γὰρ ἐδήλωσεν εἰ- ### English translation (Claude) 4. "What shall I do to you, Ephraim? What shall I do to you, Judah? Your mercy is like a morning cloud and like early dew that passes away." For I, he says, wish to count you worthy of every kindness; but the repentance that comes from you is short-lived and not lasting: it is like a little dew that forms and is consumed by the sun, and like a cloud that appears at dawn and is scattered by the rays. Yet even with you so disposed, I continued to count you worthy of every kind of care, so that I even became the cause of death for my own prophets: for by sending them to teach you, I procured for them death at your hands. He indicated this by saying: ### Scripture references - Hos 6:4: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hos 6:4. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.6.4 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-6-4). ## Commentary on Hosea 6:5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-6-2/#p-1-6-5 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Killing the prophets cannot make their prophecy false; God will show its truth like light. ### Greek text ε΄, «Διὰ τοῦτο ἀπεθέρισα τοὺς προφήτας ὑμῶν, ἀπέκτεινα αὐτοὺς "" ἐν ῥήματι στόματός μου, καὶ τὸ κρῖμά μου ὡς φῶς ἐξελεύσεται. » Καὶ γὰρ ἅπαντας τοὺς προφήτας ἂν ἀνέλητε, οὐ δυνήσεσθε δεῖξαι τὴν προφητείαν ψευδῇ “ οἷόν τι "5 γὰρ φῶς τὴν ταύτὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐπιδείξω. ### English translation (Claude) 5. "Therefore I have mown down your prophets, I have killed them by the word of my mouth, and my judgment will go forth like light." For even if you kill all the prophets, you will not be able to show the prophecy to be false; for I will display its truth like a light. ### Scripture references - Hos 6:5: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hos 6:5. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.6.5 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-6-5). ## Commentary on Hosea 6:6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-6-2/#p-1-6-6 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God accepts sacrifices only in condescension to human weakness; what he requires is love of God and of neighbor, which Israel broke like a faithless partner to a covenant. ### Greek text ς΄. « Διότι ἔλεον θέλω, καὶ οὐ "" θυσίαν καὶ ἐπί γνωσιν Θεοῦ, ἢ ὁλοκαυτώματα. Αὐτοὶ δὲ εἰσιν ὡς ἄνθρωπος παραδαίνων διαθήκην, ἐκεῖ κατεφρόνησάν μου "»..) θυσιῶν μὲν γὰρ, φησὶν, "ὁ οὐ προσδέομαι, δέχομαι δὲ ταύτας τῇ τῆς ὑμετέρας γνώμης ἄσϑενείᾳ συγχαταδαίνων. ᾿Απαιτῶ δὲ τὰ δύο ταῦτα, τὴν τε περὶ ἐμὲ εὔνοιαν, καὶ τὴν εἰς τὸν πέλας φιλᾶν- Ὁ θρωπίαν. Ταῦτα γὰρ καὶ νομοθετῶν πρῶτα τέθεικα᾿" « ᾿Αγαπήσεις Κύριον τὸν Θεόν σου ἐξ ὅλης τῆς χαρ΄ δίας σου, καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ψυχῆς σον, καὶ ἐξ ὅλη; τῆς διανοίας σου, καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς δυνάμεώς σον᾽ καὶ ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου, ὡς σεαυτόν. » ᾿Αλλ᾽ ἔγω μὲν ταῦτα νενομοθέτηχα " αὐτοὶ δὲ ἐοίκασιν ἀν θρώπῳ τὰς συγχειμένας αὐτῷ πρός τινα παραδαίνοντι συνθήῆχας. Παραπλησίως γὰρ καὶ οὗτοι, τὴς ἐμῇς μακροθυμίας καταφρονοῦντες, τοὺς τεθέντας ### English translation (Claude) 6. "For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and knowledge of God rather than whole burnt offerings. But they are like a man transgressing a covenant; there they despised me." I do not need sacrifices, he says, but I accept them, condescending to the weakness of your mind. I demand these two things: goodwill toward me and kindness toward the neighbor. These I set first in my legislation too: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength; and you shall love your neighbor as yourself." But while I legislated these things, they are like a man who transgresses the agreements he has made with someone. So these too, despising my long-suffering, [transgressed] the [laws] laid down … ### Scripture references - Hos 6:6: quotation, high confidence - Hos 6:7: quotation, high confidence - Mark 12:30: quotation, high confidence - Mark 12:31: quotation, high confidence - Deut 6:5: allusion, high confidence - Lev 19:18: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hos 6:6–7. The commandments as combined in Mark 12:30–31 (Deut 6:5; Lev 19:18). The section breaks off; "[transgressed]" and "[laws]" are supplied by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.6.6 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-6-6). ## Commentary on Hosea 6:8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-6-2/#p-1-6-8 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gilgal's idols worked by trickery like pirates; the priests, descendants of Levi who avenged Dinah at Shechem, kept silent before Israel's idolatry, and Judah is urged to gather the fruit of righteousness after the captivity. ### Greek text η΄, θ΄. ε« Κατεφρόνησέ μου "Ἶ Γάλγαλα "5, πόλις ἃ ἐργαζομένη μάταια, ταράττουσα ΜΚ ὕδωρ. Καὶ ἡ ἰσχύς σου ἀνδρὸς πειρατοῦ. » Ταύτης καὶ ἄνω τῆς πόλεως ἐμνημόνευσεν, ὡς εἰδώλοις ἀναχειμένης, καὶ πολλοὺς εἰς ἀσέδειαν ἐκκαλουμένης. Ταράσσειν δὲ αὐτοὺς ἔφη ὕδωρ, τὺ καθαρὸν τῇς θεογνωσίας ἐπεθολοῦσαν. Πειρωτ ἢ δὲ τὴν ἰσχὺν αὐτῆς ἀπείχασεν, ἐπειδὴ γοητικαῖς μαγγανείαις καὶ σοφίσμασί τισι μεμηχανη μένοις, τὰς τῶν εἰδώλων ἐποιοῦντο κινήσεις. Καθάπερ γὰρ οἱ πειραταὶ χρύδδην τοῖς ναυτιλλομένοις ἐπιᾶσιν, οὕτως οἱ τῶν εἰδώλων θεραπευταὶ, μὴ δυνάμενοι δεῖξαι προφανῶς τὴν τούτων ἐνέργειαν, διὰ τῶν μεμηχανημένων αὐτοῖς τεχνασμάτων ἐξαπατῶσι τοὺς ἀνοήτους. Δέον δὲ τοὺς θείους ἱερέας μετὰ παῤῥησίας ἐλέγχειν τὴν τετολτὴν τῶν ἀσεθούντων δεδιότες μανίαν. Εἰκότως τοίνυν αὑτῶν καὶ μάλα δικαίως κατηγορεῖ, λέγων" « Ἔκρυψαν ἱερεῖς ὁδὸν Κυρίου ὅ5, ἐφόνευσαν Σίκημα, ὅτι ἀνομίαν ἐποίησαν "". ((, ια΄.) Ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ Ἰσραὴλ εἶδον φριχώδη ἐκεῖ πορνείαν τοῦ Ἐφραῖμ, ἐμιάνθη Ἰσραήλ. Καὶ Ἰούδα 53 ἀφῆκε θερισμὸν αὑτοῦ.» Ὃ δὲ λέγει. τοιοῦτόν ἐστι. Λευΐ ", ὁ τῶν ἱερέων προπάτωρ, τῷ Συμεὼν χρησάμενος συνεργῷ. τὴν Σιχεμιτῶν πόλιν ἄρδην ἠφάνισεν ἅπασαν, τῆς εἰς τὴν ἀδελφὴν ὕδρεω: ποινὴν τοὺς πεπαρῳνηχότας δ" πραττόμενος. Ἐγκαλεῖ τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν. ὅτι - Ἐχείνων ὄντες ἀπόγονοι, τῶν ἐχείνων, φησὶν, οὐκ ἐσχήχατε ζῆλον. Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν γὰρ ἐτιμώρησαν ἠδιχημένῃ τῇ ἀδελφῇ, καὶ ὑπὲρ τῆς πατρῴας οἰκίας ἐζήλωσαν " ὑμεῖς δὲ, πάσης τιμῇ; ἀπολαύοντες, οὐδὲ διελέγξαι τὴν εἰς ἐμὲ γιγνομένην παρανομίαν ἠνέσχεσθε. ᾿Αλλ᾽ ὁρῶντες τὰ φρικώδη ἐκεῖνα καὶ μετὰ δέους μιάσμαπα, οὐκ ὑφ᾽ ἑνὸς ἀνθρώπου τολμώμενα, ἀλλὰ παντὸς τοῦ τε Ἐφραῖμ καὶ τοῦ Ἰούδα, σιγῶντες διετελέσατε. Τὸ δὲ πάντων ἀνιαρώτατον, ὅτι καθ᾽ ὃν ἔδει καιρὸν Ὁερίζειν τὸν Ἰούδαν τῶν θείων ἐπαγγελιῶν τοὺς γαρποὺς, τότε τὸν ἀμητὸν ἀθέριστον καταλέλοιπεν " ἀλλὰ τῆς ὀλιγωρίας καὶ ῥᾳστώνης παυσάμενος, ὦ Ἰούδα - « "Ἄρχου τρυγᾷν σεαυτῷ ἐν τῷ ἐπιστρέφειν 8ὲ τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν τοῦ λαοῦ μον, ἐν "δ τῷ ἰᾶἄσθαί μὲ τὸν Ἰσραήλ.» Ἐπειδὴ, φησὶ, πρὸ τῆς τῶν κακῶν πείρας, οὐκ ἠθέλησας τοὺς τῆς δικαιοσύνης τρυγῆσαι καρποὺς, νῦν 6 μετὰ τὴν πεῖραν, καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἀπὸ "" τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας ἐπάνοδον, ἐννόμως πολι- τεύου, καὶ τοὺς ἐντεῦθεν φυομένους δρέπου καρπούς. Προσφόρως δὲ εἶπεν" « ἴλρχου τρυγᾷν σεαυτῷ "» οὐ γὰρ τῷ Θεῷ τι παρέχομεν ἐννόμως πολιτευόβένοι, ἀλλ᾽ ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς τὰ ἐντεῦθεν προξενούμενα ἀγαθά. ### English translation (Claude) 8, 9. "Gilgal despised me, a city working vain things, troubling water. And your strength is that of a pirate." He mentioned this city above too, as dedicated to idols and calling many to impiety. He said they troubled the water, since it muddied the purity of the knowledge of God. He likened its strength to a pirate, since with sorcerous tricks and contrived devices they produced the movements of the idols. For as pirates attack sailors in secret, so the servants of the idols, unable to show their power openly, deceive the foolish by the devices they have contrived. The divine priests ought to have rebuked boldly the … of the impious, [but] fearing their madness … Rightly, then, and very justly he accuses them, saying: "The priests hid the way of the Lord, they murdered Shechem, because they did lawlessness. 10, 11. In the house of Israel I saw horrible things, there the sexual immorality of Ephraim; Israel was defiled. And Judah, he has left his harvest." What he says is this. Levi, the forefather of the priests, with Simeon as his accomplice, utterly destroyed the whole city of the Shechemites, exacting from those who had acted outrageously the penalty for the outrage done to his sister. He accuses the priests: Though you are their descendants, he says, you have not had their zeal. They avenged their wronged sister and were zealous for their father's house; but you, enjoying every honor, have not borne even to rebuke the lawlessness committed against me. Seeing those horrible and fearful pollutions, dared not by one man but by all of Ephraim and Judah, you kept silent. And the most grievous of all: at the time when Judah ought to reap the fruits of the divine promises, he has left the crop unreaped. But cease from your negligence and laziness, O Judah: "Begin to gather the vintage for yourself, when I turn back the captivity of my people, when I heal Israel." Since, he says, before experiencing the evils you were unwilling to gather the fruits of righteousness, now, after the experience and after the return from captivity, live according to the law and pluck the fruits that grow from it. He said fittingly, "Begin to gather the vintage for yourself"; for by living according to the law we provide nothing to God, but procure for ourselves the goods that come from it. ### Scripture references - Hos 6:8: quotation, high confidence - Hos 6:9: quotation, high confidence - Hos 6:10: quotation, high confidence - Hos 6:11: quotation, high confidence - Gen 34:25: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Hos 6:8–11 (Theodoret's LXX text, including "Begin to gather the vintage for yourself" in 6:11). Lines are lost in the scan in the sentence about the priests' duty; marked "…". "They murdered Shechem" is read of Levi and Simeon at Shechem (Gen 34:25–31). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.6.8 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-6-8). ## Commentary on Hosea 7:1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-6-2/#p-1-7-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Theodoret comments on the exposure of Ephraim's sins, the leaven of impiety from Jeroboam onward, and the drunken, plotting rulers, and notes that prophets speak of the future in the past tense, as Isaiah does of Christ. ### Greek text α΄. « Καὶ ἀποκαλυφθήσεται ἡ ἀδικία Ἐφραῖμ, καὶ ἢ κακία Σαμαρείας, ὅτι ἠγάπησαν δ᾽ ψευδῇ. » δήλη πᾶσιν ἡ παρανομία αὐτῶν διὰ τῆς τιμωρίας σεται, ἐχδιδύσχων λῃστὴς ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ αὐτοῦ. » Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ, τῆς ἀληθοῦς θεογνωσίας ἀμελήσαντες, περὶ τὴν τῶν εἰδώλων διετέθησαν πλάνην, ληστῶν δίκην καὶ κλεπτῶν ἐπελθόντες αὐτοῖς οἱ πολέμιοι, τὰ μὲν δ᾽, τὰ δὲ ληΐσονται, καὶ πάντων αὐτοὺς στερήσουσι τῶν ἀγαθῶν. β΄. « Ὅπως συνάδωσιν, ὡς ἄδοντες ἐν ταῖς χαραὑτῶν. ν Τούτων δὲ, φησὶ, γιγνομένων, οὐδὲ μετὰ φωνῆς ἄδειν τοὺς θρήνους τολμῶντες, ἀλλὰ δύ γὰρ τῶν κακιῶν αὐτῶν “5 ἐμνήσθην " νῦν ἐχύχλωσεν αὐτοὺς τὸ διαδούλια αὐτῶν, ἀπέναντι τοῦ προσώπου μου ἐγένοντο. ν Ἐπὶ πλεῖστον, φησὶ, μακροθυμήσας, καὶ ὥσπερ ὁρᾷν οὐ δοκῶν τὰ τολμώμενα, νῦν σαφῶς αὐτὰ θεωρῶ, τιμωρίαν αὐτοῖς ἐπαγαγεῖν δοκι- Τούτου χάριν ὁ μακάριος βοᾷ Δαδίδ " « ᾿Απόστρεψον τὸ πρόσωπόν σου ἀπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν μου.» δὲ ᾿Ακύλας καὶ Σύμμαχος, τὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα ἡρμήνευσαν δ ταὐτὸ δὲ σημαίνει, Οἱ μὲν δικαία τοὺς «“᾿ογισμοὺς τεθείκασιν " οἱ δὲ τὰ ἐκ τούτων τεχθέντα ἐπιτηδεύματά τε καὶ ἔργα. γ΄. ε Ἐν ταῖς κακίαις αὑτῶν ηὔφραναν “᾽ βασιλεῖς, καὶ ἐν τοῖς ψεύδεσιν αὑτῶν ἄρχοντας. » Πρόγὰρ εἰς ὄλεθρον γεγονότες διὰ τὴν οἰκείαν παρανομίαν, εὐφροσύνης τοῖς πολεμήσασιν αὐτοὺς “ ἐγένοντο πρόξενοι. φησὶν, ὑπὸ τῖς δου 9. ἐοίκασι, καὶ πρὸς ὑποδοχὴν ἑτοίμῳ τῆς ζύμης. « Κατακαύσει" αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς φλογός. » Τὸ τῆς ἀκολασίας πῦρ τὴν πολεμικὴν αὐτοῖς ἐπάξει φλόγα. « ἀπὸ στέατος ἕως τοῦ ζυμωθῆναι αὐτὸ "" ὅλον, αἱ ἡμέραι τῶν βασιλέων ὑμῶν. ν» Καθάπερ γὰρ οἱ μετατίθησι φύσιν, οὕτως ἡ ζύμη τῆς ἀσεθείας, ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἱεροδοὰμ τοῦ πρώτου βασιλεύσαντος ὑμῶν ὑμῖν τε καὶ τοῖς κατὰ καιρὸν ἐν ὑμῖν ἅπασι δυσωδίας. Ἐντεῦθεν λοιπὸν τῶν ἀρχόντων ποιεῖται τὴν κατηγορίαν, ὡς οἰνοφλυγίᾳ χαιρόντων, χρωμένων, καὶ ἀνοσίοις ἀνδράσι καὶ κακὼν αἰτίοις συνδιαγόντων. Τούτους γὰρ προσαγορεύει ὡς λύμης καὶ βλάθης αἰτίους. Καθάπερ ν [0] ζόντας διὰ τούτου 1" λωθᾶται " οὕτως οἱ πονηρίᾳ αἱ-χὰρ ἤθη χρηστὰ ὁμιλίαι κακαί διδάσκει δὲ, ὡς καὶ νύκτωρ τὰς ἐπιδουλὰς διετέλουν καὶ μεθ᾽ ἡμέραν πυρὸς δίκην τοὺς ὑπ᾽ αὐτῶν ἀδιράσπσειν αὐτοὺς ὅλην τὴν νύκτα, » οἱ πάντες ἑρμη- ε τούτων τίσουσι δίκας Ὁ. ε« Πῦρ γὰρ τοὺς κριτὰς αὐτῶν, πάντες οἱ βασιλεῖς αὐτῶν ἔπεσον. ν Καὶ τὸ πάντων αἴτιον τῶν κακῶν, ε« Οὐκ ἦν γὰρ ἐν αὐτοῖς ὁ ἐπικαλούμενος πρός με. » Ὡς παρεληλυθότα τὰ ἐσόμενα εἴρηχξ, δεικνὺς, ὡς πάντως ταῦτα γενήσεται, καὶ οὐδὲν κωλύσει τὴν τῆς προῤῥήσεως ἔχθασιν. Τοῦτο καὶ παρὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις προφῆταις εὑρίσκομεν τὸ ἰδίωμα " καὶ γὰρ Ἡσαῖλς βοᾷ " « Ὡς πρόθατον ἐπὶ σφαγὴν ἤχθη.» Καί" « Ἢ ἡ κρίσις αὐτοῦ ἤρθη. » Καί" ε« Εἴδομεν αὐτὸν, καὶ οὐκ εἶχεν εἶδος, οὐδὲ κάλλος “ ν ἀντὶ τοῦ, καὶ ᾿Αρθήσεται, καὶ ᾿Αχθήσεται. Καὶ πάλιν" « Ὅτι παιδίον ἐγεννήθη ἡμῖν υἱὸς, καὶ ἐδόθη ἡμῖν" » ἀντὶ τοῦ, Γεννηθήσεται, καὶ Δοθήσεται. Ἐντεῦθεν εἰς δευτέραν κατηγορίαν τρέπει τὸν λόγον. ### English translation (Claude) 1. "And the injustice of Ephraim will be revealed, and the wickedness of Samaria, because they loved falsehood." Their lawlessness [will be] plain to all through the punishment … "… a robber stripping in his way." For since, neglecting the true knowledge of God, they were devoted to the error of the idols, the enemies, coming upon them like robbers and thieves, will [destroy] some things and plunder others, and will strip them of all good things. 2. "That they may sing together as those who sing in their hearts." When this happens, he says, not even daring to sing their laments aloud, but … "For I remembered all their wickedness; now their counsels have surrounded them; they have come before my face." For a very long time, he says, I was long-suffering, and as though I did not seem to see what was dared; now I see it clearly and … to bring punishment on them. For this reason blessed David cries: "Turn away your face from my sins." For "counsels" Aquila and Symmachus translated "practices"; it signifies the same thing: the one put the reasonings, the others the practices and deeds born of them. 3. "In their wickedness they gladdened kings, and in their lies rulers." For having come to ruin through their own lawlessness, they became the cause of gladness to those who warred against them. … he says, … they resemble … ready to receive the leaven. "He will burn them from the flame." The fire of licentiousness will bring on them the flame of war. "From the kneading of the dough until it is all leavened, the days of your kings." For as leaven changes the nature [of the dough], so the leaven of impiety, from Jeroboam, the first of you to reign, … you and all who were among you at any time … a foul smell. From here on he brings an accusation against the rulers, as rejoicing in drunkenness, using …, and spending their time with unholy men who are causes of evil. These he names [plagues], as causes of ruin and harm. For as … "evil company corrupts good morals"; so those who in wickedness … He teaches that they kept up their plots both by night and by day, and like fire … those under them … "… them the whole night"; all the translators … they will pay the penalty for these things. "For fire … their judges; all their kings have fallen." And the cause of all the evils: "There was none among them who calls on me." He spoke of the future as past, showing that these things will certainly happen and nothing will prevent the fulfillment of the prediction. We find this idiom in the other prophets too: Isaiah cries, "He was led like a sheep to the slaughter," and "His judgment was taken away," and "We saw him, and he had no form or beauty," instead of "he will be taken away" and "he will be led." And again: "For a child was born to us, a son, and was given to us," instead of "will be born" and "will be given." From here he turns his discourse to a second accusation. ### Scripture references - Hos 7:1: quotation, high confidence - Hos 7:2: quotation, high confidence - Hos 7:3: quotation, high confidence - Hos 7:4: quotation, medium confidence - Hos 7:5: allusion, medium confidence - Hos 7:6: quotation, medium confidence - Hos 7:7: quotation, high confidence - Ps 51:9 (50:11 LXX): quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 15:33: quotation, medium confidence - Isa 53:7: quotation, high confidence - Isa 53:8: quotation, high confidence - Isa 53:2: quotation, high confidence - Isa 9:6 (9:5 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Hos 7:1–7. This section is badly damaged in the scan: Migne's Latin column and apparatus are interleaved line by line with the Greek. The interleaved Latin is removed by logged corrections; Greek lines that are lost or out of order are marked "…" and not supplied (among them most of the lemmas of 7:1b and 7:4–7). "Evil company corrupts good morals": 1 Cor 15:33 (a line of Menander). Isaiah: Isa 53:7–8; 53:2; 9:6. "Turn away your face from my sins": Ps 51:9 (LXX 50:11). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.7.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-7-1). ## Commentary on Hosea 7:8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-6-2/#p-1-7-8 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Ephraim mingled with the nations and, like a cake baked on one side, would not turn to the better. ### Greek text η΄. ε« Ἔφραϊμ. ἐν τοῖς λαοῖς αὐτὸς ᾽5 συνανεμίγνυτο. » Προφανὴς δὲ ἡ παρανομία " ταύτης δὲ καὶ ὁ μακάριος κατηγορεῖ Δαῤ)δ, λέγων "« γησαν ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι, καὶ ἔμαθον τὰ ἔργα αὑτῶν.» Ἑφραῖμ ἐγένετο ἐγκρυφίας οὐ μεταστρεφόμενος,». Ἐπέμεινε, φησὶ, τῇ κακίᾳ, καὶ μεταθολὴν ἐπὶ τὸ κρεῖττον οὐδεμίαν ἐδέξατο, καθάπερ ὁ ἐγκρυφίας κατὰ θάτερον μέρος προσομιλῶν τῷ πυρὶ, καὶ δια- ### English translation (Claude) 8. "Ephraim, he mixed himself among the peoples." The lawlessness is manifest; blessed David too accuses it, saying: "[They were mingled] among the nations, and learned their works." "Ephraim became a cake not turned." He persisted in wickedness, he says, and accepted no change for the better, like a cake baked under the ashes, which is in contact with the fire on one side only, and … ### Scripture references - Hos 7:8: quotation, high confidence - Ps 106:35 (105:35 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hos 7:8. Ps 106:35 (LXX 105:35); its first word is lost in the scan. The comment breaks off. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.7.8 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-7-8). ## Commentary on Hosea 7:9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-6-2/#p-1-7-9 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Though worn down by foreigners and grown gray, Ephraim did not recognize God's discipline. ### Greek text θ΄, ε Κατέφαγον ἀλλότριοι τὴν ἰσχὺν αὐτοῦ, αὐτὸς δὲ οὐκ ἔγνω. » Καὶ τῶν κακῶν δὲ, φησὶν, ἐπικειμένων, ἀγνοεῖ τὸν παιδεύοντα. ε Καὶ πολιαὶ ἐξήνθησαν αὐτῷ, καὶ αὐτὸς οὐκ ἔγνω. ν» Οὐδὲ τῷ πολλῷ, φησὶ, χρόνῳ ἐδιδάχθη τὸ δέον. ### English translation (Claude) 9. "Strangers devoured his strength, and he did not know it." Though the evils press upon him, he says, he does not recognize the one who disciplines him. "And gray hairs broke out on him, and he did not know it." Not even with much time, he says, did he learn what he ought. ### Scripture references - Hos 7:9: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hos 7:9. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.7.9 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-7-9). ## Commentary on Hosea 7:10 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-6-2/#p-1-7-10 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Humbled Israel still did not seek God but, like a senseless dove, ran back and forth between Assyria and Egypt. ### Greek text ι΄. Καὶ ταπεινωθήσεται ἡ ὕδρις τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ εἰς πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ. » θψεται, φησὶ, σαφῶς, καὶ μαθήσεται, οἵους ἡ ἀσέδεια τίκτει καρπούς. « Καὶ οὐκ ἐπέστρεψαν πρὸς Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν αὐτῶν, καὶ οὐκ ἐξήτησαν αὐτὸν ἐν πᾶσι τούτοις. (ια᾽.) Καὶ ἣν Ἐφραῖμ ὡς περιστερὰ ἄνους, οὐκ ἔχουσα καρδίαν" Αἴγυπτον ἐπεκαλεῖτο, καὶ εἰς ᾿Ασσυρίους ἐπορεύετο. » Ταύτας παρ᾽ ἐμοῦ δεχόμενοι τὰς παιδείας, ἐμὲ μὲν οὐδαμῶς παρεκάλεσαν, στῆναι τῶν ἐπιφερομένων αὐτοῖς κακῶν τὴν φορὰν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς πρὸς Αἰγυπτίους δὲ ὑπὸ ᾿Ασσυρίων πολιορκούμενοι, Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐκείνη τῶν ἰδίων 55 μένων δ' οὐκ ἀφίπταται, ἀλλὰ τοῖς αὐτοῖς προστρέχει χωρίοις, οὕτως οὗτοι θαμὰ καὶ συνεχῶς, νῦν μὲν ὑπὸ τούτων, νῦν δὲ ὑπ᾽ ἐχείνων ἀναιρούμενοί τε καὶ ἐξανδραποδιζόμενοι, πρὸς ᾿Ασσυρίους καὶ Αἰγυπτίους ἔθεον, οὐδεμιᾶς παρ᾽ αὐτῶν ἑπικουρίας τυγχάνοντες. ### English translation (Claude) 10. "And the insolence of Israel will be humbled to his face." He will see clearly, he says, and will learn what fruits impiety bears. "And they did not return to the Lord their God, and did not seek him in all these things. 11. And Ephraim was like a senseless dove, without heart; he called on Egypt and went to the Assyrians." Receiving these disciplines from me, they in no way entreated me to stop the onrush of the evils brought on them, but [turned] to … to the Egyptians when they were besieged by the Assyrians. For as that bird, when its [young] are taken, does not fly away from its own places but keeps returning to the same spots, so these, frequently and continually, destroyed and enslaved now by these and now by those, ran to the Assyrians and the Egyptians, and obtained no help from them. ### Scripture references - Hos 7:10: quotation, high confidence - Hos 7:11: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Hos 7:10–11. Migne's Latin column is interleaved line by line with the Greek in this section; it is removed by logged corrections. Words lost in the scan are marked "…"; "[turned]" and "[young]" are supplied by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.7.10 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-7-10). ## Commentary on Hosea 7:12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-6-2/#p-1-7-12 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God will net Israel like birds, yet laments over them as a father and recalls that he redeemed them from Egypt, though they spoke lies against him. ### Greek text ιβ΄. « Ἐπιθαλῶ ἐπ’ αὐτοὺς τὸ δίκτυόν μον, καθὼς τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ χατάξω αὐτοὺς, καὶ " παιδεύσω αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ ἀκοῇ τῆς θλίψεως αὐτῶν, » Πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ αὐτοὺς τῇ ἀπειλῇ παιδεύσω τῶν ἀλγεινῶν " εἴτα οἷόν τι δίχτνον τῶν πολεμίων τὸ νέφος αὐτοῖς περιτιθεὶς "", ἅπαντας δίκην ὀρνέων θηρεύσω. Καὶ ταῦτα δὲ εἰρηκὼς οὐκ ἀμνημονεῖ τῆς οἷκείας φιλανθρωπίας, ἀλλὰ θρῆνόν τινα ὑπὸ πατρικῆς φιλοστοργίας αὐτοῖς προσφέρει. ιγὐ. « Οὐαὶ αὐτοῖς, ὅτι ἀπεπήδησαν ἀπ᾽ ἐμοῦ" δείλαιοΐ εἰσιν, ὅτι ἢσέδησαν εἰς ἐμέ. » Καὶ ἐπειδὴ αὐτὸν γενομένους, ἀναγκαίως καὶ τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν τῶν ἀῤῥήτων ἀναμιμνήσκει.ε Ἐγὼ δὲ ἐλυτρωσάμην αὑτούς. ν» Τῆς γὰρ Αἰγυπτιακῆς αὐτοὺς ἠλενθέρωσα δουλείας. ε Καὶ αὐτοὶ κατελάλησαν κατ' ἐμοῦ ψευδῆ.» Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ μακάριος αὐτῶν κατηγορεῖ Δαβίδ" εἰσάγει γὰρ αὑτοὺς λέγοντας " ε« Ἐπεὶ ἐπάταξε πέτραν, καὶ ἐῤῥύησαν ὕδατα, καὶ χείμαῤῥοι κατεχλύσθησαν᾽ μὴ καὶ ἄρτον δυνήσεται δοῦναι, ἣ ἑτοιμάσαι τράπεζαν τῷ λαῷ αὑτοῦ; » ### English translation (Claude) 12. "I will cast my net over them; like the birds of the sky I will bring them down; I will discipline them by the report of their affliction." First I will discipline them by the threat of painful things; then, putting the cloud of enemies around them like a net, I will hunt them all like birds. Yet, having said this, he does not forget his own loving-kindness, but offers them a lament out of fatherly affection. 13. "Woe to them, for they have leapt away from me; wretched are they, for they have acted impiously toward me." And since … they had become, he necessarily reminds them also of his ineffable benefits: "But I redeemed them." For I freed them from slavery in Egypt. "And they spoke lies against me." Blessed David also accuses them of this, for he brings them in saying: "Since he struck the rock and waters gushed out and torrents overflowed, can he also give bread, or prepare a table for his people?" ### Scripture references - Hos 7:12: quotation, high confidence - Hos 7:13: quotation, high confidence - Ps 78:20 (77:20 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Hos 7:12–13. Words are lost after "And since"; marked "…". Ps 78:19–20 (LXX 77:19–20). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.7.12 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-7-12). ## Commentary on Hosea 7:14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-6-2/#p-1-7-14 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Israel's hearts did not cry to God; settled in the promised land, they practiced pagan rites and turned against God the strength he had given them. ### Greek text ιδ΄, « Καὶ οὐκ ἐθόησαν πρὸς με αἱ καρδίαι αὖτῶν. » Ταὐτὰ καὶ διὰ Ἡσαΐου βοᾷ, λέγων " « Ὁ λαὺς οὗτος τοῖς χείλεσί με τιμᾷ, τῇ δὲ καρδίᾳ πόῤῥω ἀπέχει ἀπ΄. ἐμοῦ. ν Εἶτα διελέγχει ἃ τῶν εἰδώλων ἕνεκα διεπράττοντο. « ᾿Αλλ' ἣ ὠλόλυζον ἐν ταῖς κοίταις αὑτῶν, ἐπὶ σίτῳ καὶ οἴνῳ χατετέμνοντο. » Τὴν γὰρ ἐπηγγελμένην τοῖς πατράσιν αὑτῶν ἀπειληφότες γῆν (ταύτην γὰρ κοίτην ὠνόμασεν, ὡς μετὰ τοὺς ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ πόνους διαναπαύσασαν αὐτούς), τὰς ἐθνιχὰς τελετὰς ἐπετέλουν, καὶ τοῖς ἐμοῖς ἀγαθοῖς ἐντρυφῶντες, ἐν τοῖς εἰδωλιχοῖς ναοῖς τὰς καλουμένας ἐντομίδας τοῖς σφῶν αὐτῶν προσέφερον ούμασι, Τούτου χάριν, φησὶ, δι᾽ ἐμοῦ παιδευθήσονται, ἐπειδὴ παρ᾽ ἐμοῦ δεξάμενοι δύναμιν - (ταύτην γὰρ βραχίονα καλεῖ), « Ἐὶς ἐμὲ ἐλογίσαντο πονηρά.» ### English translation (Claude) 14. "And their hearts did not cry to me." He cries the same through Isaiah, saying: "This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me." Then he exposes what they did for the sake of the idols: "But they howled on their beds; for grain and wine they cut themselves." For having received the land promised to their fathers (this he named a bed, since it gave them rest after their toils in the desert), they performed the rites of the nations, and, luxuriating in my good things, they offered in the idol temples the so-called incision offerings to their own … For this reason, he says, they will be disciplined by me: since, having received strength from me (this he calls an arm), "they devised evil against me." ### Scripture references - Hos 7:14: quotation, high confidence - Hos 7:15: quotation, high confidence - Isa 29:13: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Hos 7:14–15. Isa 29:13. "Incision offerings" (ἐντομίδες): parts cut from sacrificial victims. The object of "to their own" is partly lost in the scan ("…ούμασι"); marked "…". ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.7.14 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-7-14). ## Commentary on Hosea 7:16 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-6-2/#p-1-7-16 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Having abandoned God, Israel became useless like an unstrung bow, and its rulers will fall by the sword. ### Greek text ις’. « Ἐπεστράφησαν εἰς οὐδέν ἐγένοντο εἰς τόξην «οὐ τεταμένον "", » Καταλιπόντες γάρ με, ὄνησιν οὖδεμίαν ἐδρέψαντο - ἀλλὰ τόξῳ χεχαυνωμένῳ καὶ οὐκ ἐντεταμένῳ ἐοίκασιν, ὃ οὐδεμίαν βλάδην ἐπιφέρει Ὁ τοῖς πολεμίοις. Διὸ, ε Καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες αὐτῶν ἐν ῥρμφαίᾳ πεσοῦνται διὰ ἀπαιδευσίαν γλώσσης αὐτῶν᾽ οὕτως δῇ ὁ φαυλισμὸς αὐτῶν ἐν γῇ Αἰγύπτῳ.» ### English translation (Claude) 16. "They turned to nothing; they became like an unstrung bow." For having abandoned me, they reaped no benefit; they are like a slack and unstrung bow, which does no harm to enemies. Therefore: "And their rulers will fall by the sword because of the lack of discipline of their tongue; such is their contempt in the land of Egypt." ### Scripture references - Hos 7:16: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hos 7:16. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.7.16 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-7-16). ## Commentary on Hosea 8:1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-6-2/#p-1-8-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Israel, imitating its rebellious fathers, will be laid waste when the enemy king, the eagle of Ezekiel, falls on the house of the Lord. ### Greek text α΄. « Ἐπὶ φάρυγγι αὐτῶν, ὡς γῆ ἄθδατος, ὑς σάλπιγξ, ὡς ἀετὸς ἐπ᾽ οἶκον Κυρίου. ν» Καθάπερ γὰρ" οἱ πατέρες αὐτῶν ἀντιλέγοντες διετέλεσαν, καὶ τὴν ἐμὴν ἐχφαυλίζοντες δύναμιν, καὶ τῷ Μωσῇ ", αὑτῶν χάριν ἀποσταλεῖσιν " οὕτω καὶ οὗτοι τὴν ἐχείνων ἀπαιδευσίαν μιμησάμενοι, ὡς ἄδατος γῇ γενήσονται, καὶ ἐρημίᾳ παντελεῖ παραδοθήσονται, τῆς κολεμιχῆς σάλπιγγος ἠκούσης μέγα, καὶ τοῦ βασιλέως τῶν πολεμέων ἀετοῦ δίκην ἐφιπταμένου, καὶ τῷ θείῳ οἴκῳ μετὰ μανίας ὅτι πλείστης ἐπερχομένου. Ὅτι δὲ ἀεεὸν τῶν πολεμίων ὠνόμασε τὸν "" βασιλέα, καὶ ἡ τοῦ "» Ἰεζεχιὴλ μαρτυρεῖ προφητεία " « ᾽Αετὸς" γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ μέγας, ὁ μεγαλοπτέρυγος, ὁ πολὺς τοῖς ὄνυξιν, ὃς ἔχει τὸ ἤγημα εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὸν Αἰδανον, » καὶ τὰ λοιπά. Ταῦτα δὲ ὑπομενοῦσιν "", «᾿Ανθ᾽ ὧν παρέδησαν τὴν διαθήκην μου, καὶ κατὰ τοῦ νόμου μου ἡσέδησαν. ν Τούτου χάριν φησί" ### English translation (Claude) 1. "Into their throat, like an untrodden land, like a trumpet, like an eagle against the house of the Lord." For as their fathers kept speaking against me, belittling my power, and [against] Moses and … sent for their sake, so these too, imitating their lack of discipline, will become like an untrodden land and be given over to utter desolation, when the trumpet of war sounds loudly and the king of the enemies swoops on them like an eagle and assails the divine house with the greatest fury. That he named the king of the enemies an eagle, the prophecy of Ezekiel also testifies: "The great eagle," he says, "with great wings, long in talons, which has the leading to enter Lebanon," and the rest. They will suffer this "because they transgressed my covenant and acted impiously against my law." For this reason he says: ### Scripture references - Hos 8:1: quotation, high confidence - Ezek 17:3: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hos 8:1. Theodoret's text of 8:1 reads "Into their throat" (Rahlfs: "Into their bosom", noted in Migne's apparatus). Words are lost after "Moses and". Ezek 17:3. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.8.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-8-1). ## Commentary on Hosea 8:2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-6-2/#p-1-8-2 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Only in disaster will Israel cry to God. ### Greek text β΄. «Πρὸς ἐμὲ᾽2 χεχράξονται " Ὁ Θεὸς, ἐγνώκαμὲν σε.» Ἐν πείρᾳ γὰρ ἐχείνων γενόμενοι τῶν κακῶν, τότε τὴν ἐπικουρίαν"" ζητήσουσι. Τί δήποτε δὲ ταῦτα ὑπομενοῦσιν; ### English translation (Claude) 2. "To me they will cry: O God, we have known you." For when they have experienced those evils, then they will seek help. Why, then, will they suffer these things? ### Scripture references - Hos 8:2: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hos 8:2. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.8.2 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-8-2). ## Commentary on Hosea 8:3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-6-2/#p-1-8-3 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The ten tribes rejected God's good rule by making Jeroboam king without consulting God; Ahijah's prophecy was addressed to Jeroboam, not to the people. ### Greek text Υ΄. «Ὅτι Ἰσραὴλ ἀπεστρέψατο ἀγαθά. » Καὶ ποῖα ταῦτα δεικνὺς, ἐπήγαγεν" ε Ἐχθρὸν κατεδίωξαν. (δ) Ἑαυτοῖς ἐδασίλευσαν, καὶ οὐ δι᾽ ἐμοῦ ἦρξαν, καὶ οὐκ ἐγνώρισάν μοι. » ἭΝνίχα γὰρ. φησὶ, τῆς ἐμῆς προνοίας ἀπήλανον, ἁπάντων ἐκράτουν τῶν"" δυσμενῶν " ἀλλ᾽ ὅμως οὐδὲ τοῦτο αὐτοὺς ἔπεισε τῆς ἐμῆς προνοίας ἀντέχεσθαι, ἀλλ᾽ ἑαυτοῖς ἐχειροτόνησαν βασιλέα, οὐδαμῶς με περὶ τούτου ἐρόμενοι. Τὴν δὲ κατηγορίαν ταύτην τῶν δέκα ποιεῖται φυλῶν, αἵ τὸν Ἱεροδοὰμ. ἑαυτοῖς ἔχειροτόντησαν βασιλέα, οὐ πυθόμενοι τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων, εἰ χρὴ τοῦτο ποιῆσαι, ᾿Αλλὰ μηδεὶς τῶν ταῖς Βασι- ν» λείαις ἐντετυχηχότων, ἐναντίον τοῦτο τοῖς ἐκεῖ φερομένοις ἡγείσθω " οὐδὲ γὰρ πρὸς τὸν λαὸν ᾿Αχείαν " τὸν Σιλωνίτην ἀπέστειλεν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸν Ἱεροθδοάμ." οὗ χάριν οὐδεμιᾶς εἰσιν ἄξιος συγγνώμης, ἑαυτοῖς ἐπιτρέψαντες τὴν τοῦ βασιλέως χειρυτονίαν. Εἶτα ἐγχαλέσας, ὅτι τὸ ἀργύριον καὶ τὸ χρυσίον παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων εἰληφότες, εἰς τὴν τῶν εἰδώλων κατασκευὴν ἐδαπάνησαν. παραίνεσιν αὐτοῖς προσφέρει, ### English translation (Claude) 3. "Because Israel has rejected good things." And showing what these are, he added: "They pursued an enemy. 4. They made kings for themselves, and not through me; they ruled, and did not make it known to me." When they enjoyed my providence, he says, they prevailed over all their enemies; yet not even this persuaded them to hold fast to my providence, but they appointed a king for themselves without asking me about it at all. He makes this accusation against the ten tribes, who appointed Jeroboam king for themselves without inquiring of the God of all whether they ought to do this. But let none who has read the Kingdoms think this contrary to what is recorded there: for he sent Ahijah the Shilonite not to the people but to Jeroboam. Therefore they deserve no pardon, having taken upon themselves the appointment of the king. Then, having charged them with spending on the making of idols the silver and gold they had received from the God of all, he offers them exhortation: ### Scripture references - Hos 8:3: quotation, high confidence - Hos 8:4: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 11:29: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 12:20: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Hos 8:3–4. "The Kingdoms": 1–4 Kingdoms (1–2 Samuel, 1–2 Kings); Ahijah: 1 Kgs 11:29–39; Jeroboam made king: 1 Kgs 12:20. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.8.3 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-8-3). ## Commentary on Hosea 8:5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-6-2/#p-1-8-5 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Samaria is told to cast away its calf. ### Greek text ε΄. «᾿Απόῤῥιψον τὸν μόσχον σου, Σαμάρεια. » Καὶ διὰ μέσου τεθεικχὼς τό" «ε Παρωξύνθη ὁ θυμός μου ἐπ᾽ αὐτούς " ἕως τίνος οὐ μὴ δύνωνται χαθαοισθῆναι ἐν τῷ Ἰσραήλ;» ἐπήγαγε " ### English translation (Claude) 5. "Cast away your calf, Samaria." And having put in between, "My wrath was provoked against them; how long will they be unable to be cleansed in Israel?", he added: ### Scripture references - Hos 8:5: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hos 8:5. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.8.5 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-8-5). ## Commentary on Hosea 8:6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-6-2/#p-1-8-6 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The calf of Samaria is a craftsman's work and no god; like wind-blasted grain, idols look full outside and are empty within, and will perish with their worshipers. ### Greek text ς΄. «Καὶ αὐτὸ τέκτων ἐποίησε, καὶ οὐ θεός ἐστι" διότι πλανῶν ἣν ὁ μόσχος σου, Σαμάρεια. » Κομιδῇ προσφόρως ᾽5 τὴν τῶν εἰδώλων ἀσθένειαν ἐχωμῴδησεν - ὕλης γὰρ εἰς τὸ εἶναι καὶ τέχνης προσδέοντα!. Καὶ τὴν μὲν ὕλην ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς λαμόάνοντες, οἷον ξύλον, ἣ λίθον, ἣ χρυσὸν, ἣ ἄργυρον, ἢ χασσίτερον, τὸ δὲ εἶδος ἀπὸ τῆς τέχνης ἐρανιζόμενοι, τὰ χειρόκμητα θεοποιοῦσι τῶν ζώων ἰνδάλματα. Καὶ ἐπιμένει" τοῖς ἐλέγχοις. τῷ ᾿Ααρὼν προφανῶς ἀντέστησαν, τῆς ἐλευθερίας ἡ καταστροφὴ αὐτῶν ἐκδέξεται αὐτά " δράγμα οὐκ ἔχον ἰσχὺν τοῦ ποιῆσαι ἄλευρον ὃ " ἐὰν δὲ καὶ ποιή τῃ, ἀλλότριοι καταφάγονται αὐτό". » Οὐδένα γὰρ, φησὶ, καρπὸν ἐκ τῆς τῶν εἰδώλων δρέπεσθε θεραπείας, ἀλλ᾽ ἔοικε τὰ ἐχείνων δράγματα ἀνεμοφθόροις οἵ τὰς μὲν θήκας πλήρεις δεικνύουσιν ἔξωθεν, τὸν δὲ αἴτον ἔνδον οὐκ ἔχουσι, Τοιαύτη δὲ καὶ τῶν εἰδώλων ἡ φύσις " τὸ μὲν γὰρ φαινόμενον εἶδος, ἣ ἀνδρὸς, ἢ γυναικὸς, ἣ λέοντος, ἣ ἄλλου τινὸς τῶν ζώων, ἀπὸ τῆς τέχνης λαμόάνει" πάσης δὲ ἰσχύος καὶ ἕνεργείας καθέστηκεν ἔρημος. Διὸ καὶ αὑτὰ, φησὶ, μετὰ τῶν προσκυνούντων διαφθαρήσεται “ ἢ γὰρ καταστροφὴ αὐτῶν, φησὶν, ἐκδέξεται αὐτὰ, καὶ ἀλλότριοι ### English translation (Claude) 6. "And a craftsman made it, and it is not a god; for your calf, Samaria, was leading astray." Very fittingly he mocked the weakness of the idols: for they need matter and craft in order to exist. Taking the matter from the earth, such as wood, or stone, or gold, or silver, or tin, and borrowing the form from the craft, they make gods of handmade images of animals. And he persists in his refutations … they openly opposed Aaron … of freedom … "7. … and their overthrow will await them; a sheaf having no strength to make flour; and even if it makes it, strangers will devour it." For you reap no fruit, he says, from the service of the idols: their sheaves are like wind-blasted ears, which show full husks outside but have no grain within. Such too is the nature of the idols: the form that appears, of a man, or a woman, or a lion, or some other animal, it receives from the craft; but it is destitute of all strength and activity. Therefore these too, he says, will be destroyed together with those who worship them; "for their overthrow," he says, "will await them, and strangers …" ### Scripture references - Hos 8:6: quotation, high confidence - Hos 8:7: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Hos 8:6–7. Several lines are lost in the scan after "he persists in his refutations" (a reference to the Israelites' opposition to Aaron, perhaps in the wilderness) and at the beginning of the lemma of 8:7; marked "…". The section breaks off. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.8.6 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-8-6). ## Commentary on Hosea 8:8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-6-2/#p-1-8-8 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Israel, having sought Assyria's help, will be swallowed up among the nations and lose its self-made kings. ### Greek text η΄, θ΄, ε Κατεπόθη Ἰσραήλ νῦν ἐγένετο ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ὡς σκεῦος ἄχρηστον. Ὅτι ἀνέδησαν εἰς ᾿λσσυρίους. ν» Τὴν γὰρ τῶν ᾿Ασσυρίων βοήθειαν ἑξαιτήσαντες, αὐτοῖς εἰς δουλείαν παραδοθήσονται, οὐδεμίαν τῷ Θεῷ λειτουργίαν ἀποπληροῦντες, οὔτε τὰς κατὰ νόμον ἑορτάζοντες πανηγύρεις. ε Καὶ " ἀνέθαλε καθ' ἑαυτόν.» Δι᾿ ἐμοῦ γὰρ αὐξηθεὶς, καὶ φυτοῦ δίκην ἀναθήλας, τῆς ἐμῆς ἑαυτὸν θεραπείας ἐχώε Ἐφραῖμ δῶρα ἠγάπησε. (..) Διὰ τοῦτο παραδοθήσονται" ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι. » Κόρον οὐκ ἔλαύε τῶν ἀγαθῶν, ἀλλὰ τοῦ πλείονος διετέλεσεν ἐφιέμενος " τούτου χάριν εἰς δουλείαν παραδοθήσεται. ε Νῦν εἶσδέξομαι αὐτούς. » Τουτέστιν, ἐν τῇ τῶν πολεμίων χώρᾳ. « Καὶ κοπάσουσι μικρὸν, τοῦ χρίειν βασιλέα καὶ ἄρχοντα. » Καὶ ὑφ᾽ ἑτέρου μᾶλλον, ἣ ὑπ᾽ ἐμοῦ βασιλεύεσθα!: βουληθέντες, ὑπὸ τὴν τῶν ᾿Ασσυρίων δεσποτείαν γενήσονται, οὐκέτι λοιπὸν ἑαντοῖς χει" ### English translation (Claude) 8, 9. "Israel has been swallowed up; now it has become among the nations like a useless vessel. For they went up to the Assyrians." For having asked for the help of the Assyrians, they will be handed over to them into slavery, performing no liturgy for God and not celebrating the festivals according to the law. "And he has blossomed by himself." For having been increased by me and having blossomed like a plant, he separated himself from my service … "Ephraim loved gifts. 10. Therefore they will be handed over among the nations." He was never sated with good things but kept desiring more; for this reason he will be handed over into slavery. "Now I will receive them." That is, in the land of the enemies. "And they will cease for a little from anointing king and rulers." Wishing to be ruled by another rather than by me, they will come under the dominion of the Assyrians, no longer [appointing kings] for themselves … ### Scripture references - Hos 8:8: quotation, high confidence - Hos 8:9: quotation, high confidence - Hos 8:10: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Hos 8:8–10. A line is lost after "he separated himself" (the Greek breaks off at ἐχώ…); the last word of the section is cut off (χει…), supplied by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.8.8 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-8-8). ## Commentary on Hosea 8:11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-6-2/#p-1-8-11 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Ephraim's many altars became his sin, and his lawless kingdom will end. ### Greek text ια΄. «Ὅτι ἐπλήθυνεν Ἐφραΐμ. θυσιαστήρια, εἰς ἁμαρτίας ἐγένετο ᾽ αὐτῷ θυσιαστήρια τὰ " ἤγαπημένα.» Δικαίως, φησὶ, καταπαύσω τὴν παράνομον αὑτοῦ βασιλείαν - ἐπειδὴ διὰ ταύτης εἰς τὸ τῶν εἰδωλικῶν θυσιαστηρίων ἐξώχειλε πλῆθος, καὶ τὴν ἀσέεἰαν ἐκεῖθεν ἐδρέψατο, θερμῶς περὶ τὰ παράνομα ### English translation (Claude) 11. "For Ephraim multiplied altars; the beloved altars became sins for him." Justly, he says, will I bring his lawless kingdom to an end, since through it he ran aground on the multitude of idolatrous altars and reaped impiety from there, being warmly [attached] to lawless things … ### Scripture references - Hos 8:11: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hos 8:11. The section breaks off. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.8.11 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-8-11). ## Commentary on Hosea 8:12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-6-2/#p-1-8-12 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God will record Israel's idolatrous altars and laws; he does not need sacrifices but a right disposition, and will punish Israel with exile and Judah's walled cities with fire. ### Greek text ιθ', ε« Καταγράψω αὐτῷ" πλῆθος, καὶ τὰ νόμιμα αὐτοῦ. ν Τούτων γὰρ τῶν θυσιαστηρίων τὸ πλῆθος, καὶ τῶν ἐφευρεθέντων ἐπὶ τούτοις νόμων, καθ᾽ οὖς Ὁ τὰς εἰδωλιχὰς τελετὰς ἐπετέλουν, ἀνάγραπτον ποιήσω τὴν μνήμην, εἰς ἔλεγχον τῆς πολλῆς αὐτῶν ἀσεθείας. « Εἰς ἀλλότρια ἐλογίσθησαν θυσιαστήρια ἡγαπημένα"δ. » Καὶ τούτων μὲν, φησὶ, τῶν παρανόμων θυσιαστηρίων πολλὴν ἐποιήσαντο φροντίδα “ τὰ ὅδ θεῖα, ἃ πάσης ἀξιοῦν θεραπείας ἐχρῆν, καὶ τριπόθητα ἔχειν, καὶ λίαν ἑπέραστα, ὡς ἄλλοις τισὶ προσἥκοντα κατέλιπον ἀτημέλητα. ᾿Αλλ᾽ οὐκ ὡς δεόμενος τῶν παρ᾽ αὐτῶν θυτιῶν τήνδε τὴν κατηγορίαν « Ἐὰν γὰρ θύσωσι θυσίαν, καὶ φάγωσι κρέα, Κύριος οὐ προσδέξεται αὐτά. » Τὸ δὲ ράγωσι κρέα, οὐκ ἁπλῶς πρόσκειται - εἰώθεισαν γὰρ τῶν μὴ ὧλοχκαυτομένων θυμάτων τοὺς μὲν νεφροὺς, καὶ τὸν λοθὸν τοῦ ἥπατος, καὶ τὸ στέαρ τὸ ἐπ᾽ αὑτῶν τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ προσφέρειν " τὸ δὲ στηθῆνιον καὶ τὸν βραχίονα τὸν δεξιὸν τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν ἀπονέμειν - τὰ δὲ λοιπὰ τοῦ θύματος αὐτοὶ χατανήλισχον, ὡς ἢδούλοντο. Τούτου χάριν τέθεικεν - ε« ᾿ξὰν θύσωσι θυτίαν, καὶ φάγωσι κρέα, Κύριος οὐ προσδέξεται αὐτά. » Οὔτε Υὰρ τούτων δεῖται Θεὸς, ἀλλὰ ψυχῆς διάθεσιν ἀπαιτεῖ" « Θῦσον γὰρ, φησὶ, τῷ Θεῷ θυσίαν αἰνέσεως. » --- « Νὺν μνησθήσεται τῶν ἀδικιῶν αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐκδικῆσει τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν. » Τούτοις ἔοικε τοῦ ᾽Λποστόλου τὰ ῥήματα " « ᾿Αγνοῶν ὅτι τὸ χρηστὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰς μετάνοιάν σε ἄγει “ κατὰ δὲ τὴν σχληότητά σου καὶ ἀμετανόττον καρδίαν, θησαυρίζεις σεαυτῷ δργὴν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ὀργῆς, καὶ ἀποκαλύψεως, καὶ διχαιγχρισίας τοῦ θεοῦ, ὃς ἀποδώσει ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ.» --- οἰ Καὶ" αὐτοὶ εἰς Αἴγυπτον ἀπέστρεψαν. ν Καὶ συμμαχίαν γὰρ ἐκεῖθεν ἐζήτησαν, καὶ τῶν συμφορῶν χαταλαθουσῶν ἀπέδρασαν ἐκεῖσε. « Καὶ" ἐν ᾿Ασσυρίοις ἀκάθαρτα φάγονται. » ᾿Αλλὰ καὶ ἄκοντες εἰς τὴν ᾿Ασσυρίων ἀπαχθήτονται χώραν, ιδ΄. ε Καὶ ἐπελάθετο Ἰσραὴλ τοῦ ποιήσαντος αὐτὸν, καὶ χοδόμησαν "} τεμένη, καὶ Ἰούδας ἐπλήθυνε πόλεις τετειχισμένας " καὶ ἐξαποστελῶ πῦρ εἰς τὰς, πόλεις αὑτοῦ, καὶ καταφάγεται τὰ θεμέλια αὐτῶν.» αὶ Καὶ" μαθήσεται, φησὶν, ὁ μὲν Ἰούδας, τῶν πόλεων πυρπολουμένων, μὴ τείχεσι θαῤῥεῖν, ἀλλ᾽ μοί " ὁ δὲ ᾿ τραὴἣλ, μὴ τεμένη δαίμοσιν ἀνοικοδομεῖν, ἀλλὰ τὴν κατὰ νόμον λατρείαν ἀποπληροῦν. ### English translation (Claude) 12. "I will write down for him a multitude, and his ordinances." I will make a written record of the multitude of these altars, and of the laws invented for them, by which they performed the idolatrous rites, to convict their great impiety. "The beloved altars were counted as foreign." They took great care, he says, of these lawless altars; but the divine ones, which they ought to have counted worthy of every service and held most longed-for and very lovely, they left neglected as though they belonged to others. But not as one who needs their sacrifices does he make this accusation: "13. For if they sacrifice a sacrifice and eat meat, the Lord will not accept them." "And eat meat" is not added idly. For of the victims that were not wholly burnt they used to offer on the altar the kidneys, the lobe of the liver, and the fat on them; to assign the breast and the right shoulder to the priests; and the rest of the victim they consumed themselves as they wished. For this reason he wrote: "If they sacrifice a sacrifice and eat meat, the Lord will not accept them." For God does not need these, but demands a disposition of the soul: "Sacrifice to God," he says, "a sacrifice of praise." "Now he will remember their iniquities and will avenge their sins." The words of the Apostle resemble these: "Not knowing that God's kindness leads you to repentance? But by your hardness and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath and of the revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will repay each according to his works." "And they turned back to Egypt." For they both sought an alliance from there, and when disasters overtook them, they fled there. "And among the Assyrians they will eat unclean things." But they will be carried off, even against their will, to the land of the Assyrians. 14. "And Israel forgot the one who made him, and built sacred precincts, and Judah multiplied walled cities; and I will send fire into his cities, and it will devour their foundations." And Judah will learn, he says, when his cities are burned, not to trust in walls but in me; and Israel, not to build precincts for demons but to perform the worship according to the law. ### Scripture references - Hos 8:12: quotation, high confidence - Hos 8:13: quotation, high confidence - Hos 8:14: quotation, high confidence - Lev 3:4: allusion, high confidence - Lev 7:34: allusion, high confidence - Ps 50:14 (49:14 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Rom 2:4: quotation, high confidence - Rom 2:5: quotation, high confidence - Rom 2:6: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Hos 8:12–14 (Theodoret's LXX text of 8:13 ends with "they turned back to Egypt, and among the Assyrians they will eat unclean things"). The beginning of the lemma of 8:13 ("For if they sacrifice a sacrifice and eat meat") had been displaced by the scan into the comment on Hos 9:3; restored here by logged corrections. The portions of the peace offering: Lev 3:3–4; 7:31–34. Ps 50:14 (LXX 49:14); Rom 2:4–6. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.8.12 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-8-12). ## Commentary on Hosea 9:1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-9-1/#p-1-9-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Israel, taught by the prophets yet offering its harvest to demons, has no reason to rejoice like the nations and will lose its harvest. ### Greek text α΄. « Μὴ χαῖρε, Ἰσραὴλ, μηδὲ εὐφραίνου, καθὼς οἱ λαοὶ, ὅτι ἐπόρνευσας ἀπὸ Κυρίου Θεοῦ ᾽5 σου. » Καὶ "5 οὐκ ἁρμόττει σοὶ, φησὶ, καίρειν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἔθνεσι παραπλησίως οἱ μὲν γὰρ διὰ προφητῶν οὐδεμίαν διδασκαλίαν ἐδέξαντο " σὺ δὲ, διηνεκῶς τούτοις ἐπεντρυφῶν, οὐδεμίαν ἐντεῦθεν ὠφέλειαν ἐδρέψω, ἀλλὰ τῶν παρ᾽ ἐμοῦ σοι χορηγουμένων ἀγαθῶν τοῖς δαίμοσι τὰς ἀπαρχὰς προεχόμισας. Τοῦτο γὰρ παρεδή- « Ἠμγάπησας δόματα ἐπὶ πᾶσαν 17 ἅλωνα σίτου. Ὁ (8.) ΓΛλων καὶ ληνὸς οὐκ ἔγνω αὐτοὺς, καὶ ὁ οἶνος ἐψεύτατο αὐτούς. ν ᾿Αποστερήσω γὰρ ὑμᾶς τῶν συν- ### English translation (Claude) 1. "Do not rejoice, Israel, nor be glad like the peoples, for you have committed sexual immorality away from the Lord your God." It does not befit you, he says, to rejoice like the other nations. For they received no teaching through prophets; but you, though constantly luxuriating in it, reaped no benefit from it, but brought the first fruits of the good things I supplied to you to the demons. He indicated this [by saying]: "You loved gifts on every threshing floor of grain. 2. Threshing floor and winepress did not know them, and the wine deceived them." For I will deprive you of the … ### Scripture references - Hos 9:1: quotation, high confidence - Hos 9:2: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Hos 9:1–2. The section breaks off. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.9.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-9-1). ## Commentary on Hosea 9:3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-9-1/#p-1-9-3 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Israel did not live in the Lord's land as a holy land; having loved lawlessness even in the land of promise, it will eat unclean food in Assyria. ### Greek text γ΄. « Οὐ κατῴκησαν ἐν τῇ γῇ τοῦ Κυρίου. » Οὐ γὰρ, ὡς ἐν ἀφιερωμένῃ τῇ τῷ Θεῷ τὴν δίαιταν ἐπο:σαντο, ἀλλὰ παρανόμως ἐδίωσαν. ε Κατῴκησεν πολιτείαν. « Καὶ ἐν ᾿Ασσυρίοις ἀκάθαρτα φάγονται.» Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ κἀν τῇ γῇ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας τὴν παρανομίαν ἠγάπησαν, παρανόμως ἐν τῇ ᾿Ασσυρίων ### English translation (Claude) 3. "They did not dwell in the land of the Lord." For they did not spend their lives in it as in a land dedicated to God, but lived lawlessly. "Ephraim dwelt …" … way of life. "And among the Assyrians they will eat unclean things." … For since even in the land of promise they loved lawlessness, lawlessly in the land of the Assyrians … ### Scripture references - Hos 9:3: quotation, high confidence - Hos 9:3: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hos 9:3. Lines are lost after "Ephraim dwelt"; of the rest of the comment only a few words survive (in the scan a misread numeral began a new section there). A lemma line of Hos 8:13 that the scan had displaced into this comment is moved back to the comment on Hos 8:12–14 by logged corrections, and Migne's Latin column (Hos 8:13–9:3 in Latin) is removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.9.3 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-9-3). ## Commentary on Hosea 9:4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-9-1/#p-1-9-4 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Israel's sacrifices, offered without sincerity, are like the defiling bread of mourners, and God rejects them as he rejected Cain's. ### Greek text δ'. « Οὐκ ἔσπεισαν τῷ Κυρίῳ οἶνον, καὶ οὐκ ἔδυναν αὐτῷ. ν Κατωλιγώρησαν τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ θεραπεία-, καὶ ταῦτα πολλῆς ἐπιμελείας ἀξιοῦντες τὰ εἴδωλα, « Αἱ θυσίαι αὐτῶν, ὡς ἄρτος πένθους αὐτῶν "᾿, πάντες οἱ ἐσθίοντες αὐτὰ μιανθήσονται. » Καθάπερ γὰρ ὁ τοῖς πενθοῦσι προσφερόμενος ἄρτος αὐτούς τε τοὺς πενθοῦντας ἀποχναΐει διὰ τὸ πένθος, καὶ τοῖς συνδειπνοῦσιν οὐ θυμήρης ἐστὶ, διὰ τὴν κοινωνίαν τοῦ πένθους ς ἀναγκαζόμενοι δὲ μεταλαμθάνειν, οὕτως αἱ θυσίαι αὐτῶν βδελυγμίας εἰσὶν ἀπάσης μεσταί. « Διότι οἱ ἄρτοι αὑτῶν ταῖς ψυχαῖς αὐτῶν, οὐκ εἰσελεύσονται εἰς τὸν οἶκον Κυρίου. » Τὰ γὰρ μετ᾽ εἰλικρινοῦς οὐ προσφερόμενα διαθέσεως ὁ δίκαιος οὐ προσίεται κριτὴς, ὡς τὴν τοῦ Καῖν θυσίαν, ὡς διὰ Ἡσαΐου βοᾷν " ε« ᾽Εὰν προσφέρητέ μοι 65μίδαλιν, μάταιον "3" θυμίαμα βδέλυγμά μοΐ ἐστιν.» Καὶ διὰ Μαλαχίου 35 τοῦ προφήτου " « Οὐκ ἔστι μοι θέλημα ἐν ὑμῖν, καὶ θυσίαν οὐ προσδέξομαι ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν ὑμῶν. » Εἶτα ἀναμιμνήσκει αὐτοὺς τῶν ἐν τῇ αἰχμαλωσίᾳ συμδησομένων ἀλγεινῶν. ### English translation (Claude) 4. "They did not pour out wine to the Lord, and did not please him." They neglected the service of God, while counting the idols worthy of great care. "Their sacrifices are like bread of mourning; all who eat them will be defiled." For as the bread brought to mourners disgusts the mourners themselves because of their grief, and is not pleasant to those who dine with them, because they share the grief, though they are compelled to partake, so their sacrifices are full of every abomination. "For their loaves are for their souls; they will not enter the house of the Lord." For the just Judge does not accept what is not offered with a sincere disposition, as with the sacrifice of Cain; as he cries through Isaiah: "If you bring me fine flour, it is vain; incense is an abomination to me." And through Malachi the prophet: "I have no pleasure in you, and I will not accept a sacrifice from your hands." Then he reminds them of the pains that will befall them in the captivity. ### Scripture references - Hos 9:4: quotation, high confidence - Gen 4:5: allusion, high confidence - Isa 1:13: quotation, high confidence - Mal 1:10: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hos 9:4. Gen 4:5; Isa 1:13; Mal 1:10. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.9.4 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-9-4). ## Commentary on Hosea 9:5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-9-1/#p-1-9-5 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: In exile Israel cannot keep the Lord's feasts, and its flight to Egypt will yield only thorns. ### Greek text ε΄. ε« Τί ποιήσετε ἐν ἡμέρᾳ πανηγύρεως, καὶ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἑορτῆς τοῦ Κυρίου; » Δουλεύειν γὰρ ἤναγχασμένοι καὶ κατ᾽ ἄλλους πολετεύεσθαι νόμους, οὐ δυνήσεσθε κατὰ τὴν Μωσέως νομοθεσίαν τὰς ἐξ’ σποτιχὰς πανηγύρεις ἐπιτελεῖν. "Επειτα διδάσκει, ὡς φεύξονται μὲν εἰς τὴν Αἴγυπτον, καὶ νὺν μὲν εἰς ταύτην, νῦν δὲ εἰς ἐχείνην μεταδήσονται τὴν πόλιν, καὶ τὸ ἀργύριον αὐτῶν δαπανήσουσι, μάτην δῶρα τῷ Αἰγυπτίων προφέροντες βασιλεῖ. « ᾿Ακάνθα; δ εὑρήσουσιν ἐν τοῖς σκηνώμασιν αὑτῶν. ν Τουτέστιν, οὐδένα καρπὸν ὀνησιφόρον δρέψονται. Τὸ ἐπιζήμιον" τῆς εἰς Αἴγυπτον φυγῆς διὰ τούτων ἠνίξατο. Τοιοῦτόν ἔστι τό" ε« Ἔμεινα τοῦ ποιῆσαι σταφυλὴν, ἐποίησε ὃὲ ἀκάνθας " » ἀντὶ τοῦ, οὐδένα καρπὸν "" ἐκεῖθεν χρήσιμὸν ἐδρεψάμην, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον πάντας κακούς. ### English translation (Claude) 5. "What will you do on the day of assembly, and on the day of the feast of the Lord?" For compelled to be slaves and to live under other laws, you will not be able to celebrate the Master's festivals according to the legislation of Moses. Then he teaches that they will flee into Egypt and will move now to this city, now to that, and will spend their silver, bringing gifts in vain to the king of the Egyptians. "They will find thorns in their tents." That is, they will reap no beneficial fruit. By this he hinted at the harm of the flight into Egypt. Such is the saying: "I waited for it to make grapes, but it made thorns": that is, I reaped no useful fruit from it, but on the contrary everything bad. ### Scripture references - Hos 9:5: quotation, high confidence - Hos 9:6: quotation, high confidence - Isa 5:4: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Hos 9:5–6. Isa 5:4 (LXX "thorns"). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.9.5 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-9-5). ## Commentary on Hosea 9:7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-9-1/#p-1-9-7 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: When punishment comes, Israel will rave like a frenzied prophet, maddened by the multitude of its sins. ### Greek text ζ΄. « Ἥκχουσιν αἱ ἡμέραι τῆς ἀνταποδότεώς οὖν, καὶ χαχωθήσεται Ἰσραὴλ, ὥσπερ ὁ προφήτης ὁ τοῦ πλήθους τῶν ἀδικιῶν σου ἐπληθύνθη ἡ μανία σου. » Ὅταν σε χαταλάθωσιν οἱ τῆς παρανομίας καρποὶ, ἐγγὺς δὲ οὗτοι, ἀπεικασθήσῃ ὑπὸ τοῦ ἐνοικοῦντος πνεύματος παραπαίοντι, καὶ νῶν ἔκστασις καταλήψεται " ταύτην δέ σοι τὴν μα: νίαν ἐποίησε τῶν παρανομιῶν σου τὸ πλῆθος. ### English translation (Claude) 7. "The days of your recompense have come, and Israel will suffer evil like the prophet … because of the multitude of your iniquities your madness has multiplied." When the fruits of your lawlessness overtake you (and they are near), you will be likened to one who raves under the spirit dwelling in him, and ecstasy will seize your mind; the multitude of your transgressions has caused you this madness. ### Scripture references - Hos 9:7: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hos 9:7. Part of the lemma is lost in the scan (the LXX reads "like the prophet who is out of his mind, the man who bears the spirit"); marked "…". ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.9.7 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-9-7). ## Commentary on Hosea 9:8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-9-1/#p-1-9-8 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Israel was meant to be God's watchman and prophet to the nations, but became a snare to them by spreading idolatry, even into God's temple. ### Greek text η΄. «Σκοπὸς ἙἘφραῖμ μετὰ τοῦ θεοῦ προφήτης᾽ παγὶς σκολιὰ ἐπὶ πάσας τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ. » ἣν μνησθῆναι προσήκει τῶν πρὺς τὸν Ἰεζεχιὴλ εἰρημένων. Καὶ γὰρ ἐκείνῳ ὁ Θεὸς ἔφη “ ε Σκοπὸν δέδωκά σε τῷ οἴκῳ Ἰσραήλ. » Καὶ ἐνταῦθα πρὸς πάντα φησὶ τὸν λαὸν, ὅτι Οἷόν τινα σκοπὸν, καὶ προφήτην Θεοῦ ἀπέφηνά σε τοῖς πελάζουσιν ἔθνεσιν, ἵνα διὰ τῆς περὶ σὲ προνοίας καὶ τῆς κατὰ νόμον σηυ πολιτείας, κἀκεῖνα τὴν ἐμὴν δέξηται γνῶσιν σὺ δὲ πᾶν τοὐναντίον εἰργάσω " σκολιὰ γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἐγένου παγὶς, αὐξῆσας αὐτοῖς διὰ τῆς σῆς δυσσεδείας τὴν περὶ τὰ εἴδωλα θεραπείαν. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον ἐν ταῖς ἄλλαις πόλεσι βωμοὺς καὶ τεμένη τοῖς εἰδώλοις ἀνέστησας, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ ἀφιερωμένῳ μοι νεῷ κατεσκεύασας τὰ τῶν εἰδώλων ἰνδάλματα. Τοῦτο γὰρ λέγει " « Μανίαν ἐν οἴκῳ Θεοῦ αὑτοῦ χατέπηξεν. (θ".) Ἐφθάρησαν κατὰ τὰς ἡμέρας τοῦ βουνοῦ. » Ἐξ οὗ τοῖς βουνοῖς προσέσχον, καὶ τὰς ἐκεῖ γενομένας " θνσίας ἠγάπησαν, τῶν λογισμῶν τὴν νόσον ἐδέξαντο" ἄλλχ τούτων, φησὶν, ὅτε τάχιστα δώσουσι δίκας. Εἶτα τῆς τῶν πατέρων ἀρετῆς ἀναμιμνήσκει, εἰς ζῆλον αὐτοὺς διεγείρων. ### English translation (Claude) 8. "Ephraim is a watchman with God, a prophet; a crooked snare on all his ways." Here it is fitting to recall what was said to Ezekiel. For to him God said: "I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel." And here he says to the whole people: I appointed you as a kind of watchman and prophet of God for the neighboring nations, so that through my providence for you and your life under the law they too might receive the knowledge of me; but you did the very opposite. You became a crooked snare to them, increasing among them by your impiety the service of idols. For you not only set up altars and precincts to the idols in the other cities, but even built the images of the idols in the temple dedicated to me. For this is what he says: "They fixed madness in the house of their God. 9. They were corrupted as in the days of the hill." From the time they attended to the hills and loved the sacrifices made there, they received the sickness of their thoughts; but they will very soon, he says, pay the penalty for these things. Then he reminds them of the virtue of their fathers, rousing them to emulation. ### Scripture references - Hos 9:8: quotation, high confidence - Hos 9:9: quotation, high confidence - Ezek 3:17: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Hos 9:8–9. Ezek 3:17. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.9.8 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-9-8). ## Commentary on Hosea 9:10 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-9-1/#p-1-9-10 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God found the patriarchs like grapes in the desert, but their descendants, despite the exodus, turned to Baal-peor and became abhorred. ### Greek text ι΄. ε Ὡς σταφυλὴν ἐν ἐρήμῳ ηὗρον " τὸν Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ὡς σκοπὸν " ἐν συκῇ πρώϊμον εἶδον πατέρας αὐτῶν. Αὐτοὶ δὲ εἰσῆλθον πρὸς τὸν Βεελφεγὼρ, καὶ ἀπηλλοτριώθησαν εἰς αἰσχύνην, καὶ ᾿ ἐγένοντο οἱ ἠγαπημένοι, ὡς οἱ ἐδδελυγμένοι. » "Ὥσπερ γὰρ εἴ τις ἐν ἐρήμῳ γῇ καὶ φυτῶν πάμπαν ἐστερη μένῃ, σταφυλὴν εὕροι καὶ σῦκον πρώϊμον ἐν συκῇ, μετὰ πολλῆς αὐτὸ δρέπεται τῆς ἡδονῆς ᾿" οὕτως ἐγὼ, τῶν πάλαι ἀνθρώπων δυσσεδείᾳ συζώντων, τὴν τοῦ ᾿Αδραὰμ θεασάμενος ἀρετὴν, ἐδρεψάμην αὐτὸν, καὶ τὰς πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐποιησάμην συνθήκας" οὕτω δὲ καὶ τὸν ἐχείνου υἱὸν, καὶ τὸν ἐξ ἐχείνου. ᾿Αλλ᾽ οἱ 3 ἐξ ἐχείνων οὕτω " φύντες, ἤκιστα τὴν ἐχείνων ἐξήλωσαν ἀρετὴν " ἕναυλον γὰρ ἔχοντες τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν μου τὴν μνήμην, τὴν ἐλευθερίαν, τὴν τῆς δουλείας ἀπαλλαγὴν, τὰ; παντοδαπὰς τῶν Αἰγυπτίων μάστιγας, τὴν ξένην διὰ θαλάττης πορείαν, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ὅσων ἀπήλαυσαν, τοῦ [βεελφεγὼρ τὴν λατρείαν τῆς ἐμῆς προτετάχασι θεραπείας, αἰσχύνην μόνην ἐντεῦθεν δρεψάμενοι " οὗ χάριν οἱ πάλαι ἠγαπημένοι ### English translation (Claude) 10. "Like a grape in the wilderness I found Israel, and like an early watch on a fig tree I saw their fathers. But they went in to Baal-peor and were estranged into shame, and the beloved became like the abhorred." For as someone who in a desert land, utterly bare of plants, finds a grape and an early fig on a fig tree plucks it with great pleasure, so I, when the people of old were living in impiety, beheld the virtue of Abraham, plucked him, and made covenants with him; and so too his son, and his son's son. But those born from them in this way did not in the least emulate their virtue. Though the memory of my benefits was still ringing in their ears (their freedom, their deliverance from slavery, the manifold plagues of the Egyptians, the strange journey through the sea, and all the other things they had enjoyed), they put the worship of Baal-peor before my service, reaping only shame from it. For this reason those who were once beloved ### Scripture references - Hos 9:10: quotation, high confidence - Num 25:3: allusion, high confidence - Gen 15:18: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hos 9:10. "Like an early watch": Theodoret's text reads σκοπόν, "watch" (Rahlfs: "an early fig"). Baal-peor: Num 25:1–3. The section breaks off. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.9.10 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-9-10). ## Commentary on Hosea 9:11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-9-1/#p-1-9-11 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Ephraim, proud of its many children, will be made childless, yet God will not destroy Israel utterly until he takes flesh from it in Christ, as Paul and Isaiah teach; the children offered to idols bring the curse of barren wombs. ### Greek text ια΄. ε Ἑφραῖμ ὡς ὄρνεον ἐξεπετάσθη. ν Οὕτω ταχέως εἰ; τὴν ἀλλοτρίαν μετατεθήσονται γῆν " οὐ γὰρ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἀγαφῶσι τὸ κλέος, ἀλλὰ τὴν πολυ. ιν « Αἱ δόξαι γὰρ αὐτῶν, φησὶν, ἐκ τοκετῶν 85, καὶ ἐξ ὠδίνων, καὶ συλλήψεων. (ι8᾽.) Διότι καὶ ἐὰν ἐχθρέψωσι τὰ τέχνα αὐτῶν, ἀτεχνωθήπονται ἐξ ἀνθρώπων " διότι καὶ οὐαὶ αὐτοῖς ἐστι, διότι ἀφῆκα αὐτούς ὅδ. » Μάτην, φησὶν, ἐπὶ ταῖς πολυγονίαις σθε ἐπιὼν γὰρ ὁ πολέμιος ἐρήμους ὑμᾶς καταστήσει τῶν παίδων, ἐπειδὴ ἔρημοι τῆς ἐμῆς προνοίας ἐγένεσθε. « Σὰρξ μὸν ἔξ αὐτῶν Ἐφραῖμ. » ᾿Αλλ ὅμως οὐ παντελῆ, φησὶ, πανωλ:θρίαν ὑπομενεῖτς, ἕως ἂν τὴν ἐξ ὑμῶν ἀναλάθω σάρκα. Τοῦτο δὲ σαφέστερον ἡμᾶς δ:δάσκει Παῦλος ὁ θεσπέσιος, λέγων " « Οὐ γὰρ ἀγγέλων ἐπιλαμ- Καὶ πάλιν " « Τῷ δὲ ᾿Αδραὰμ ἐῤῥέθησαν αἱ ἐπ. αγγελίαι, καὶ τῷ σπέρματι αὑτοῦ " οὐ λέγει, Καὶ τοῖς σπέρμασιν, ὡς ἐπὶ πολλῶν, ἀλλ᾽ ὡς ἐφ᾽ ἑνὸς, Καὶ τῷ σπέρματί σου, ὅς ἐστι Χριστός. ν» Καὶ ἀλλα. χοῦ" « Ἐξ ὧν ὁ Χριστὸς τὸ κατὰ σάρκα, ὁ ὧν ἐτὶ πάντα δ᾽ Θεός. » Καὶ μυρία δὲ τοιαῦτα ἔστιν εὑρεῖν παρὰ τῇ θείᾳ Γραφῇ. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν͵ φησὶν, ἡ σάρξ μου, ἣν ἀναλήψομαι, ἐξ αὑτῶν ἔστιν, οὐ παντελῶς αὐτοὺς καταλείψω, ἕως ἂν ταύτην ἀναλάθωυ, καὶ τοὺς Β τῇ κλήσει πειθομένους ἐχλέξομαι. Τοῦτο καὶ διὰ Ἡσαΐου βοᾷ τοῦ προφήτου " ε Ὃν τρόπον ἐὰν εὖρεθῇ ὁ ῥὼξ ἐν τῷ βότρυϊ, καὶ ἐροῦσι " Μὴ λυμήνῃ αὑτὸν, ὅτι εὐλογία Κυρίου ἐστὶν ἐν αὑτῷ" οὕτω ποιήσω ἕνεκεν τοῦ δηυλεύοντός μοι. Διὰ τοῦτο οὐ μὴ ἀπολέσω πάντας, καὶ ἐξάξω τὸ ἐξ Ἰαχὼδ σπέρμα, καὶ τὸ ἐξ Ἰούδα, καὶ κληρονομήσουσι τὸ ὄρος τὸ ἅγιόν μον. » Καὶ μετ᾽ ὀλίγα" ε Ὑμᾶς δὲ τοὺς ἐγχαταλιπόντας Κύριον δ᾽ παραδώσω εἰς μάχαιραν.» Οὕτω τὴν τῶν παίδων ἀναίρεσιν προειπὼν, ὑποδεί χνυσι τῆς τιμωρίας τὸ δίκαιον " αὐτὸς γάρ φηδιν' ιγ ε« Ὁ Ἐφραῖμ εἰς θήραν τὰ τέχνα αὐτοῦ πάρἔστησε, καὶ ἐξήγαγεν εἰς ἀποχέντησιν. » Τοῖς εἰδώλοις αὐτὰ προσφέρων διατελεῖ " διὰ τοῦτο τοὺς μὲν ἤδη γενομένους τῇ σφαγῇ παραδώσω" ἀγόνους δὲ Τοῦτο γὰρ ἐσήμανεν, εἰρηκώς " ιδ᾽, « Δὸς αὐτοῖς, Κύριε" τί δώσεις αὐτοῖς, Μήτραν τεχνοῦσαν, καὶ μαστοὺς ξηρούς. » Ἐπειδὴ γὰῤ κακῶς τοῖς δοθεῖσι χέχργηνται, τὴν παρανομίαν γεύσας, καὶ τῆς ἐκεῖ τελουμένης ἀσεδείας, καὶ τῆς τῶν ἀρχόντων αὑτῶν παρανομίας, ἐπήγαγεν" ### English translation (Claude) 11. "Ephraim flew away like a bird." So quickly will they be removed to the foreign land; for they do not love the glory of virtue, but [many children]. "For their glories," he says, "are from births, and from birth pangs, and from conceptions. 12. For even if they rear their children, they will be made childless from among men; for woe to them too, for I have left them." In vain, he says, do you [pride yourselves] on having many children; for the enemy will come upon you and make you bereft of your children, since you became bereft of my providence. "My flesh is from them." Yet, he says, you will not suffer utter destruction until I take flesh from you. The inspired Paul teaches us this more clearly, saying: "For surely it is not angels that he takes hold of …" And again: "The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. It does not say, And to seeds, as of many, but as of one, And to your seed, who is Christ." And elsewhere: "From them is the Christ according to the flesh, who is God over all." Countless such sayings can be found in the divine Scripture. Since, then, he says, the flesh that I will take up is from them, I will not abandon them entirely until I take it up and choose those who obey the call. He cries this through Isaiah the prophet too: "As when a grape is found in the cluster, and they say, Do not destroy it, for a blessing of the Lord is in it, so I will do for the sake of the one who serves me; for this reason I will not destroy them all, and I will bring forth the seed from Jacob and from Judah, and they shall inherit my holy mountain." And a little later: "But you who have forsaken the Lord I will hand over to the sword." Having thus foretold the killing of the children, he shows the justice of the punishment. For he himself says: "13. Ephraim set his children for prey, and led them out for slaughter." He keeps offering them to the idols; therefore I will hand over to slaughter those already born, and [make the rest] childless … For he indicated this when he said: "14. Give them, Lord; what will you give them? A childless womb and dry breasts." For since they have used ill what was given to them … the lawlessness, and the impiety practiced there, and the lawlessness of their rulers, he added: ### Scripture references - Hos 9:11: quotation, high confidence - Hos 9:12: quotation, high confidence - Hos 9:13: quotation, high confidence - Hos 9:14: quotation, high confidence - Heb 2:16: quotation, high confidence - Gal 3:16: quotation, high confidence - Rom 9:5: quotation, high confidence - Isa 65:8: quotation, high confidence - Isa 65:9: quotation, high confidence - Isa 65:12: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Hos 9:11–14 (Theodoret's LXX text of 9:12 includes "my flesh is from them"). Migne's Latin column and apparatus break into the section after "you became bereft of my providence" and are removed by a logged correction. Words are lost after "but" (completed by sense: "[many children]"), after "In vain, he says, do you", after "it is not angels that he takes hold of", after "childless", and in the last sentence; marked "…" or supplied in brackets. The Christological reading of "my flesh is from them" is Theodoret's; translated as written. Heb 2:16; Gal 3:16; Rom 9:5; Isa 65:8–9, 11–12. "A childless womb": the scan has τεχνοῦσαν, a slip for ἀτεκνοῦσαν. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.9.11 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-9-11). ## Commentary on Hosea 9:16 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-9-1/#p-1-9-16 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The withered root of Ephraim is the northern kingdom, uprooted by Shalmaneser, after which the ten tribes were scattered among the nations. ### Greek text ις΄, ᾿ζ, « Ἐπόνεσεν Ἐφραῖμ, τὰς ῥίξας αὑτοῦ ἐξηράνθη " καρπὸν οὐκέτ! οὐ μὴ ἐνέγκῃ ᾿ διότι ἐὰν καὶ γεννήσωσιν, ἀποκτενῶ τὰ ἐπιθυμήματα τῆς χο'" λίας αὐτῶν. ᾿Απώσεται αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεὸς, ὅτι οὐκ εἶδἦχουσαν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔσονται πλανῖ,ται ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι.) ἹῬίζαν ἐκάλεσε τὴν βασιλείαν, ἣν πρόῤῥιζον ὁ Σαὶμανάσαρ ἀνέσπασεν, ἀνάστατον πεποιηκὼς τὴν Σαμάρειαν. Μετὰ δὲ τὴν ταύτης πολιορκίαν, οὐκέτι ἔσχον αἱ δέκα φυλαὶ βασιλέα 57" τὸ δὲ, « "Ἔσονται πλανῆται ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι, » σαφῶς αὐτῶν δηλοῖ τὴν διασποράν. ### English translation (Claude) 16, 17. "Ephraim has suffered; he is dried up at his roots; he will no longer bear fruit. For even if they beget, I will kill the desired ones of their womb. God will reject them, because they did not listen to him, and they will be wanderers among the nations." He called the kingdom a root, which Shalmaneser tore up by the roots when he laid Samaria waste. After its siege the ten tribes no longer had a king; and "they will be wanderers among the nations" clearly indicates their dispersion. ### Scripture references - Hos 9:16: quotation, high confidence - Hos 9:17: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 17:6: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Hos 9:16–17. 2 Kgs 17:3–6. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.9.16 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-9-16). ## Commentary on Hosea 10:1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-9-1/#p-1-10-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Israel, called a vine by Isaiah, David, Jeremiah and Christ, is luxuriant here only in numbers, and used its abundance to build altars and pillars to idols. ### Greek text α΄. «Αμπελος εὐχληματοῦσα Ἰσραὴλ, ὁ καρπὸς αὐτῆς εὐθηνῶν. » Παρὰ πολλῶν προφητῶν ταύτην τὴν προσηγορίαν ἐδέξατο. Καὶ γὰρ Ἡσαῖας βοζ᾽ Ὃ ἀμπελὼν Κυρίου Σαθαὼθ οἶκος τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἔστι. » Καὶ ὁ Δαδὶδ πρὸ ἐκείνου “ Λμπελον ἐξ Αἰγύπτου ὑετῆρας. ν Καὶ ὁ Θεὸς διὰ Ἱερεμίου" « Ἐγὼ δὲ ἐφύτευσά σε ἄμπελον καρποφόρον, πᾶσαν ἀληθ:νήν. » Καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις - « "Ανθρωπός τις ἐφύτευσεν ἀμπελῶνα, καὶ ἐξέδοτο αὖ τὸν γεωργοῖς, καὶ ἀπεδήμησε. » Καλεῖ τοίνυν καὶ ἐνταῦθα εὐχληματοῦσαν ἄμπελον τὸν Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ τὸν καρπὸν αὐτῆς εὐθηγοῦντα, οὐ δ'ὰ τὴν εὐσέδειαν καὶ τὴν ἄλλην ἀρετὴν, τοῦ δὲ πλήθους χάριν τῶν ἀπογόνων. Καὶ τοῦτο δῆλον πεποίηκεν, εἰρηκώς" « Κατὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν καρπῶν αὑτοῦ ἐπλήθυνε τὰ θυσιαστήρια. » Αὐξηθέντες, φησὶ, καὶ πολλοὶ γεγονότες, πανταχοῦ θυσιαστήρια τοῖς εἰδώλοις ἐδείμαντο. « Κατὰ τὰ ἀγαθὰ τῆς γῆς αὑτοῦ ᾧκοδόμησε στήλας.» Τοῖς ἐμοῖς, φησὶν, ὑπερμαχήσαντες "' ἀγαθοῖς οτήλας τοῖς εἰδώλοις ἀνέστησαν. ### English translation (Claude) 1. "Israel is a luxuriant vine; its fruit is abundant." He received this name from many prophets. For Isaiah cries: "The vineyard of the Lord of Sabaoth is the house of Israel." And David before him: "You brought a vine out of Egypt." And God through Jeremiah: "But I planted you a fruitful vine, wholly true." And the Lord in the Gospels: "A man planted a vineyard, let it out to farmers, and went abroad." Here too, then, he calls Israel a luxuriant vine and its fruit abundant, not because of its piety and other virtue but because of the multitude of its descendants. And he made this clear by saying: "According to the multitude of its fruits it multiplied altars." Having increased, he says, and become many, they built altars to the idols everywhere. "According to the good things of its land it built pillars." Using my good things against me, he says, they set up pillars to the idols. ### Scripture references - Hos 10:1: quotation, high confidence - Isa 5:7: quotation, high confidence - Ps 80:8 (79:9 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Jer 2:21: quotation, high confidence - Matt 21:33: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hos 10:1. Isa 5:7; Ps 80:8 (LXX 79:9); Jer 2:21; Matt 21:33. "Using my good things against me": the participle in the scan (ὑπερμαχήσαντες, "fighting for") is doubtful; translated by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.10.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-10-1). ## Commentary on Hosea 10:2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-9-1/#p-1-10-2 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Israel divided its heart among idols; in repentance it will confess that its kings, who made faithless treaties, could not save it, and judgment will spring up like weeds. ### Greek text β΄. « Ἐμέρισαν καρδίας αὑτῶν. ν» Οὔτε γὰρ περὶ ἐκεῖνα τὴν εὔνοιαν διεφύλαξαν, ἀλλὰ νῦν μὲν τοῦτο, νῦν ὃξ ἐκεῖνο σέδοντες τὸ εἴδωλον διετέλεσαν. ᾿Αλλ᾽ ἐγὼ καὶ αὑτοὺς σφαγῇ καὶ δουλείᾳ παραδώσω, καὶ ταῦτα φροῦδα ποιήσω. Εἶτα διδάσκει αὐτοὺς ὁποίοις προσήκει μεταμελουμένους χρήσασθαι λόγοις. γ᾽, δ΄. ε Νῦν ἐροῦσιν - Οὐκ ἔστι βασιλεὺς ἡμῖν, ὅτι οὐκ ἐφοδήθημεν τὸν Κύριον" ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τί ποιήσει ἡμῖν; Λαλῶν ῥήματα, προφάσεις ψευδεῖς, διαθήσεται διαθήκην. ν» Οὐδεμιᾶς γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως τετυχήναμεν ἐπικουρίας - καὶ δέον ἡμᾶς τῷ Θεῷ θαῤῥεῖν, τῷ παντοδαπῆς ἡμᾶς ἀξιοῦντι προνοίας, προφάσεις δὲ ἀεὶ πλαττομένῳ, καὶ νῦν μὲν πρὸς Ο τούτους ᾽", νῦν δὲ πρὸς ἐκείνους δ" ποιουμένῳ συνθήκας. ᾿Αλλὰ ταύτης, φησὶ, τῆς παρανομίας εἰσπραχθήσεσθε δίκας. ε ᾿Ανατελεῖ γάρ μου τὸ κρῖμα, ὡς ἄγρωστις ἐπὶ χέρσον ἀγροῦ.» Καθάπερ γὰρ ἄγρωστις ἀδεῶς ἐν τῇ μὴ γεωργουμένῃ φύοται γῇ, οὕτω ῥᾳδίως ὑμῖν ἡ παρ᾽ ἐμοὺ ἐπαχθήσεται τιμωρα. ### English translation (Claude) 2. "They divided their hearts." For they did not keep their goodwill even toward those idols, but kept worshiping now this idol and now that. But I will hand both them over to slaughter and slavery and make these things vanish. Then he teaches them what words befit them when they repent: "3, 4. Now they will say: We have no king, because we did not fear the Lord; and the king, what will he do for us? Speaking words, false pretexts, he will make a covenant." For we obtained no help from the king, they say; and when we ought to have trusted God, who counts us worthy of every kind of providence, [we trusted one] who is always inventing pretexts and making agreements now with these and now with those. But you will pay the penalty, he says, for this lawlessness. "For my judgment will spring up like grass on the dry land of a field." For as grass grows freely on untilled ground, so easily will punishment from me be brought upon you. ### Scripture references - Hos 10:2: quotation, high confidence - Hos 10:3: quotation, high confidence - Hos 10:4: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Hos 10:2–4. Words are lost where Migne's Latin column breaks into the Greek; "[we trusted one]" is supplied by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.10.2 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-10-2). ## Commentary on Hosea 10:5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-9-1/#p-1-10-5 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Samaria will cling to the calf of Bethel for help, only to mourn it when it is carried off in disgrace. ### Greek text ε΄. « Τῷ μόσχῳ τοῦ οἴκου Ὧν πσαροιχήσουσιν οἱ κατοικοῦντες Σαμάρειαν. » Προσεδρεύσουσι, φησὶ, τῷ εἰδώλῳ, τὴν παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ ζητοῦντες βοήθειαν. « ἘἘπένθησεν ὁ λαὸς αὐτοῦ ἐπ᾽ αὐτὸν, καὶ καθὼς παρεπέκραναν αὐτὸν, ἐπιχαροῦνται ἐπὶ τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, ὅτι μετῳχίσθη ἀπ᾽ αὐτοῦ. » Οὐ μόνον γὰρ, φησὶν, οὐδεμιᾶς ἐκεῖθεν ἐπικουρίας ἀπήλαυσαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ θρηνοῦσιν αὐτὸν καὶ ὀλοφύρονται, καὶ "' ἀτιμίᾳ περιδεδλημένον θεώμενοι. “Ὅθεν αὐτὸν ### English translation (Claude) 5. "The inhabitants of Samaria will sojourn by the calf of the house of On." They will wait upon the idol, he says, seeking help from it. "Its people mourned over it, and as they provoked it, they will rejoice over its glory, because it has been carried away from it." For not only did they get no help from there, he says, but they even lament and bewail it, seeing it clothed in dishonor. Whence it ### Scripture references - Hos 10:5: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hos 10:5. The section breaks off. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.10.5 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-10-5). ## Commentary on Hosea 10:6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-9-1/#p-1-10-6 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Israel will send its melted-down calf as tribute to Egypt in vain; the disaster will make them beg the mountains to fall on them, punished for the two sins of forsaking God and preferring idols. ### Greek text ς΄. ε Καὶ δήσαντες ἀπήνεγκαν ξένια τῷ βασιλεῖ Ἰαρεὶδ ἐν δόματι. » Θεασάμενοι γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀσθένειαν, χωνεύσαντες αὐτὸν, δῶρα προσήνεγκαν «ᾧ βασιλεῖ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων, ἐπίκουρον αὐτοῖς γενέ- σθαι παρακαλοῦντες " ἀλλ᾽ οὐδ᾽ ἐντεῦθεν ἀπολαύσουσ! τινος βοηθείας. « Ἐφραῖμ. γὰρ, φησὶ, δέξεται αἰσχύνην, αἰσχυνθῆσετα!: ἐν τῇ βουλῇ αὑτοῦ.» ᾿Ανοίας γὰρ αὐτοῦ μετὰ τὰ βουλεύματα καὶ δέον τῷ Θεῷ προσελθεῖν, τὴν παρὰ τῶν εἰδώλων καὶ ἀνθρώπων συμμαχίαν αἰτεῖ. Εἶτα διδάσκει, ὅπως τῆς Σαμαρείας ὁ νου, φροῦδος γενήσεται " ὅπως τε οἱ βωμοὶ τῶν εἰδώλων, οἱ τῆς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ πρόξενοι δυσσεέείας, ἐκ βάθρων ἀνασπασθήσονται, ὡς ἀκανθῶν πλήρεις γενἐσθαι τῶν θυσιαστηρίων τοὺς τόπους. Ἔπειτα τὸ μέγεθος τῶν συμφορῶν παραδηλῶσαι θελήτας, ἐπήγαγε" « Καὶ δροῦσι τοῖς ὄρεσι" Πέσετε "" ἐφ᾽ ἡμᾶς" καὶ τοῖς βουνοῖς" Καλύψατε ἡμᾶς. ν» Τοιαύτη γὰρ, φηδὶν "5, ἔσται φορὰ τῶν κακῶν ἐν τῇ τῶν πολεμίων Β προσδολῇ, ὡς ἑλέσθαι ἂν ἕχαστον ὑποδρύχιον γενέαθαι τῆς γῆς διϊσταμένης, ἢ τῶν ὁρέων ἐξαπιναίως ἐπιπιπτόντων, ἣ τὰ ὑπ᾽ ἐχείνων γιγνόμενα προσμένεῖν κακά., Ταῦτα δὲ πείσονται, τῆς περὶ τὰ εἴδωλα μανίας ἀπαιτούμενοι δίκας. Ἐξ οὗ γὰρ τοῖς βουνοῖς, καὶ τοῖς ἐν αὐτοῖς βωμοῖς ἐνδιατρίδειν ἢγάπησαν, ἐξ ἐχείνου τῆς ἐμῆς θεραπείας ἀπέστησαν " ἀλλ᾽ οὐκ υ. « Πόλεμος " γὰρ ἐπὶ τέχνα ἀδικίας ἦλθε 5, παιδεῦσαι αὑτοὺς κατὰ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν μου" καὶ συναχθήσονται ἐπ᾽ αὐτοὺς λαοὶ, ἐν τῷ παιδεύεσθαε αὐτοὺς ἐν ταῖς δυσὶν ἀδικίαις αὑτῶν. «ε Δύο δὲ ἀδικίας ταύτας καλεῖ, μίαν μὲν τὸ καταλιπεῖν τὸν Θεὺν, ἑτέραν δὲ τὸ τὰ μὴ ὄντα προτιμῆσαι τοῦ ὄντος. αὶ Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ διὰ Ἱερεμίου δῆλον ποιεῖ " ε Δύο γὰρ, φησὶ, πονηρὰ ἐποίησεν ὁ λαός μον" ἐμὲ ἐγκατέλιπον πηγὴν ὕδατος ζῶντος, καὶ ἐπορεύθησαν, καὶ ἐποίησαν ἑαυτοῖς λάχκχους συντετριμμένους, οἵ οὐ δυνήσονται ὕδωρ συσχεῖν. » ### English translation (Claude) 6. "And having bound it, they carried it off as presents to King Jareb, as a gift." For having seen its weakness, they melted it down and brought it as gifts to the king of the Egyptians, begging him to become their helper; but they will get no help from there either. "For Ephraim," he says, "will receive shame; he will be ashamed in his counsel." For after his foolish counsels, when he ought to have come to God, he asks for an alliance from idols and men. Then he teaches how Samaria's … will vanish, and how the altars of the idols, the agents of Israel's impiety, will be torn up from their foundations, so that the places of the altars become full of thorns. Then, wishing to indicate the greatness of the disasters, he added: "And they will say to the mountains, Fall on us, and to the hills, Cover us." For such, he says, will be the onrush of evils in the enemies' attack that each would choose to be swallowed when the earth splits, or crushed when the mountains suddenly fall, rather than await the evils done by them. They will suffer this as they pay the penalty for their madness over the idols. For from the time they loved to spend their days on the hills and at the altars on them, from then they departed from my service; but not … "10. For war came upon the children of iniquity, to discipline them according to my desire; and peoples will be gathered against them, when they are disciplined for their two iniquities." He calls these two iniquities: the one, to forsake God; the other, to prefer what is not to him who is. He makes this plain through Jeremiah too: "For my people," he says, "has done two evils: they forsook me, the fountain of living water, and went and dug for themselves broken cisterns, which will not be able to hold water." ### Scripture references - Hos 10:6: quotation, high confidence - Hos 10:7: allusion, high confidence - Hos 10:8: quotation, high confidence - Hos 10:9: allusion, medium confidence - Hos 10:10: quotation, high confidence - Jer 2:13: quotation, high confidence - Luke 23:30: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Hos 10:6–10 (10:7 and 10:9 paraphrased). Migne's Latin column and apparatus break into the section and are removed by a logged correction. "Samaria's …": the noun is garbled in the scan (perhaps "king", as in the LXX of 10:7). A line is lost after "but not". Jer 2:13; the cry to the mountains is taken up in Luke 23:30 and Rev 6:16. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.10.6 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-10-6). ## Commentary on Hosea 10:11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-9-1/#p-1-10-11 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Ephraim, an unruly heifer, will be broken to the yoke, while Judah is spared from Sennacherib for Hezekiah's virtue and is urged to sow righteousness while there is time. ### Greek text ια΄, « Ἐφραῖμ δάμαλις δεδιδαγμένη ἀγαπᾷν νεῖχοὸς.» Δαμάλει ἔοικε δέξασθαι ζυγὸν οὐκ ἀνεχομένῃ, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τοῦτον ζυγομαχούσῃ. ε Ἐγὼ δὲ ἐπελεύ.σομαι ἐπὶ τὸ κάλλος τοῦ τραχήλου αὐτῆς. ν ᾿Αλλ᾽ ὅμως τὸν γαῦρον αὐτῆς τράχηλον χαταδαμάσω. «ε Καὶ ἐπιδιδῶ τῷ Ἐφραΐμ. ν» Ἑποχήσομαι γὰρ αὐτῷ, καὶ διδάξω φέρειν εὐτάκτως. Τέως δὲ ε Παρασιωπήσφμαι "Ἱ Ἰούδαν. » ᾿Ασσυρίοις γὰρ αὐτὸν οὐ προήσομαι, ἀλλὰ τοῦ Σενναχηρεὶμ δαπανήσω τὴν δύναμιν, ἐπειδὴ ἐνισχύει αὐτῷ Ἰαχώδ (τοῦ γὰρ Ἰαχὼδ τέως Ἰούδας "5 τὴν ἀρετὴν ἐπιδείκνυται). διὸ καὶ τῆς ἐμῆς ἀπολαύει πρυνοίας. Αἰνίττεται δὲ διὰ τούτων τοῦ ἘΚζεκχίου τὴν ἀρετὴν, δι᾽ ἣν ἅπας ὁ λαὸς τῆς θείας ἐπικουρίας ἀπήλαυσεν. Ἐντεῦθεν πάλιν εἰς παρα!γεσιν τρέπει τὸν λόγον. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ, φησὶ, τὴν πατρῴαν ἐπιδεικνύμενος ὁ Ἰούδας ἀρετὴν, περιγίνεται τῶν πολεμίων, ι΄. ε Σπείρατε καὶ ὑμεῖς ἑαυτοῖς εἰς δικαιοσύνην, καὶ θερίσατε καρπὸν ζωῆῇς. ν» Ὑμῖν γὰρ αὐτοῖς, ἀλλ᾽ οὐ τῷ Θεῷ τὰ σπειρόμενα σπείρεται, καὶ τὰ θεριζόμενα γίνεται. ε« Φωτίσατε ἑαυτοῖς "5 φῶς γνώσεως. » Προσήκει γὰρ πρότερον τῆς ἄλλης ἀρετῆς ἐπιμεληθῆναι, εἶθ᾽ οὕτως τῆς τῶν θείων κατατολμῆσαι γνώσεως. ε Ὡς ἔτι καιρὸς 3, ἐκζητήσατε τὸν Κύριον, ἕως τοῦ ἐλθεῖν ὑμῖν γεννήματα δικαιοσύνης. » Τοιοῦτόν ἔστι τὸ παρὰ τῷ Δαδὶδ εἰρημέγον « Προφθάσωμεν τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἐν ἐξομολογήσει. » Ἐν τῷ τῆς μακροθυμίας αὐτοῦ χαιρῷ τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ χρεῖττον ἐπιδειξώμεθα μεταδολὴν, ἵνα τῆς δικαιοσύνης δρεψώμεθα καρπούς. ### English translation (Claude) 11. "Ephraim is a heifer taught to love strife." He resembles a heifer that will not bear to take the yoke but fights against it. "But I will come upon the beauty of her neck." Yet I will subdue her proud neck. "And I will mount Ephraim." For I will ride upon him and teach him to carry his load in good order. Meanwhile, "I will pass over Judah in silence." For I will not give him up to the Assyrians, but will consume the power of Sennacherib, "since Jacob strengthens him" (for Judah for the time being displays the virtue of Jacob); therefore he also enjoys my providence. By this he hints at the virtue of Hezekiah, because of which the whole people enjoyed divine help. From here he again turns his discourse to exhortation. For since, he says, Judah, displaying his ancestral virtue, prevails over his enemies, "12. sow for yourselves too unto righteousness, and reap the fruit of life." For it is for yourselves, not for God, that what is sown is sown and what is reaped grows. "Light for yourselves the light of knowledge." For one must first take care of the rest of virtue, and only then venture on the knowledge of divine things. "While there is still time, seek the Lord, until the fruits of righteousness come to you." Such is what David said: "Let us come before his face with thanksgiving." In the time of his long-suffering let us show a change for the better, so that we may reap the fruits of righteousness. ### Scripture references - Hos 10:11: quotation, high confidence - Hos 10:12: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 19:35: allusion, medium confidence - Ps 95:2 (94:2 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Hos 10:11–12 (Theodoret's LXX text). Ps 95:2 (LXX 94:2). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.10.11 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-10-11). ## Commentary on Hosea 10:13 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-9-1/#p-1-10-13 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Israel should have confessed its impiety instead of hiding it; its trust in chariots and numbers was false food. ### Greek text ιγ΄. « Ἱνατί παρεσιωπήσατε ἀσέδειαν, καὶ τὸν καρπὸν "' αὐτῆς ἐτρυγήσατε; » Ἔδει, φησὶν, ὑμᾶς ἡσεδηχότας τοῖς τῆς μετανοίας φαρμάκοις θεραπεῦ σαι τὰ τραύματα, καὶ μὴ παρασιωπῆσαι, ἀλλ᾽ ἐξομολογήσασθαι τὰ εἰργασμένα κακά. ε« καρπὸν ψευδῆ, ὅτι ἤλπισας ἐν τοῖς ἅἁρμασί δ" σου, ἐν πλήθει δυνάμεώς σου. » Βρῶσιγν ψευδῆ τὴν ματαίαν ἐλπίδα προσαγορεύει. Τῷ γὰρ πλήθει καὶ τοῖς ἅρμασι θαῤῥήσας, οὐδεμίαν ἐκ τούτων ὠφέλειαν ἐδέξω. ### English translation (Claude) 13. "Why have you passed over impiety in silence and gathered its fruit?" You ought, he says, having acted impiously, to have healed your wounds with the medicines of repentance, and not to have passed them over in silence, but to have confessed the evils you had done. "… false fruit, because you hoped in your chariots, in the multitude of your power." He calls the vain hope false food. For trusting in multitude and chariots, you received no benefit from them. ### Scripture references - Hos 10:13: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hos 10:13. The verb of the second lemma (LXX "you ate") is lost in the scan. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.10.13 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-10-13). ## Commentary on Hosea 10:14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-9-1/#p-1-10-14 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Israel's walls will not save it; Theodoret identifies Salmana with the Midianite ruler killed by Gideon, whose fate Israel will share. ### Greek text ιδ΄, « Ἐξαναστήσεται γὰρ ἀπώλεια ἐν τῷ λαῷ σου, καὶ πάντα τὰ τετειχισμένα σον ἀφανισθήσεται δ5" » οὔτε τοῦ πλήθους ὄνησίν σοί τινα φέροντος, οὔτε τῶν τειχῶν παρεχόντων τὴν ἀσφάλειαν. « Καθὼς ἠφανίσθη ὁ ἄρχων Σαλμανὰ ἐν "" τῷ οἴκῳ ᾿Αρδεὴλ, ἐν ἡμέραις πολέμου μητέρα ἐπὶ τέκνοις ἠδάφισαν. (ιε΄.) Οὕτω ποιήσω ὑμῖν, οἶκος τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ "5, ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς κακίας ὑμῶν. » Τινές φασι περί τινος ἄρχοντος κατ᾽ ἐκεῖνον τὸν καιρὸν καῦτα καὶ δεδραχότος καὶ πεπονθότος εἰρῆσθαι τὰ εἰρημένα " ἐγὼ δὲ ἡγοῦμαι περὶ τοῦ Μαδιὰμ ἄρχονπος ταῦτα λελέχθαι, ὅν χειρωσάμενος ἀνεῖλεν ὁ Γεδεών καὶ γὰρ ἐχείνου ὠμότητα ἡ θεία κατηγορεῖ Γραφή. Μέμνηται δὲ αὐτοῦ καὶ ὁ μακάριος Δαδὶδ, λέγων" ε θοῦ τοὺς ἄρχοντας αὑτῶν, ὡς τὸν Ὠρὴδ, καὶ Ζὴδ, καὶ Ζεδεὲ ὅδ, καὶ Σαλμανά. » Λέγει τοίνυν, ὅτι Καθάπερ ὁ Σαλμανὰ παντελῆ ὑπέμεινεν ὄλεθρον, ἐπειδὴ ἐν ἡμέραις πολέμου μητέρα ἐπὶ τέκνοις ἠδάφισεν " οὕτω καὶ ποιήσω ὑμῖν, οἶκος Ἰσραὴλ, ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς κακίας ὑμῶν. ### English translation (Claude) 14. "For destruction will rise among your people, and all your walled places will be destroyed," since neither your multitude brings you any benefit nor do the walls provide safety. "As the ruler Salmana was destroyed in the house of Arbeel; in days of war they dashed the mother on her children. 15. So will I do to you, house of Israel, because of your wickedness." Some say that these words were spoken of some ruler of that time who both did and suffered such things. But I think they were said of the ruler of Midian whom Gideon overcame and killed; for the divine Scripture also accuses his cruelty. Blessed David too mentions him, saying: "Make their rulers like Oreb and Zeeb and Zebah and Salmana." He says, then: As Salmana suffered utter destruction because in days of war he dashed the mother on her children, so I will do to you, house of Israel, because of your wickedness. ### Scripture references - Hos 10:14: quotation, high confidence - Hos 10:15: quotation, high confidence - Judg 8:21: allusion, high confidence - Ps 83:11 (82:12 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Hos 10:14–15. "Some say": unnamed interpreters. Judg 8:21; Ps 83:11 (LXX 82:12). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.10.14 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-10-14). ## Commentary on Hosea 11:1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-9-1/#p-1-11-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Israel, cast off at dawn like a foolish child, forgot the God who called it out of Egypt and cared for it like a father; it will fall under Assyria however often it flees to Egypt. ### Greek text α΄. « [θὌρθρου ἀπεῤῥίφησαν 57.» Ὅτε προσεδόκησαν τὴν τῶν Αἰγυπτίων βοήθειαν ὡς ὄρθρον αὐτοῖς ἐν σκότει διάγουσι φανησομένην, τηνικαῦτα ἀπήχθησαν δορυάλωτοι. « Ὡς ὄρθρος "δ ἀπεῤῥίφη βασιλεὺς Ἰσραήλ. » Τὸ σύντομον τῆς πανωλεθρίας διὰ τούτων ἡνίξατο " βραχὺν γὰρ καὶ ὁ ὄρθρος κατέχει καιρὸν, εἶτα ἀνίσχων ὁ ἥλιος τὴν ἡμέραν ποιεῖ. « Διότι νῆπιὸς Ἰσραήλ. » Ἐξ ἀνοίας, φησὶ, καὶ παιδικῆς διανοίας ταύτην ὑπομένουσι τὴν τιμωρίαν. Ἐγὼ γὰρ αὐτοὺς ἐξ Αἰγύπτου μετεχάλεσα, καὶ τῆς πικρᾶς ἐκείνης ἡλευθέρωπα δουλείας " αὐτοὶ δὲ ἀγνώμονες περὶ ἐμὲ γενόμενοι, τὴν τῶν εἰδώλων λατρείαν προεἴλοντο " ταῦτα γὰρ καλεῖ Βααλείμ' ἐμὲ δὲ τὸν συμποδίσαντα, καὶ τῆς ἀτάκτου φορᾶς ἀπαλλάξαντα, καὶ πατρικὴν περὶ αὐτὸν φιλοστοργίαν ἐπιδειξάμενον, καὶ ἴασιν αὐτῷ παντοδαπῇ ἐπιτεθειχότα, ἐπιγνῶναι οὗχ ἠῤουλήθη " καὶ μὴν ἀπὸ παντοδαπῇ; ἀὐτοὺς διαφθορᾶς τῶν ἐπιόντων ἀνθρώπων πολλάκις λαξα, οἷόν τινι δεσμῷ τῇ περὶ αὐτοὺς κατεχόμενος ἀγάπῃ. δι’ ἣν καὶ ἔτι αὐτῶν χήδομαι, καὶ ταύταις περιθάλλω ταῖς πα!δείαις, ὅμοιον ποιῶν, ὡς εἴ τις ἡμαρτηκότα παῖδα κατὰ τῆς σιαγόνος παίσειεν. ᾿Αρκεῖ δέ μοι, καὶ δριμὺ πρὸς αὑτὸν βλέψαι, καὶ Β παντοδαπῶς αὐτὸν ἀναλῶσαι. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἐσήμανεν εἰρηκώς" « Ἐπιθλέψομαι πρὸς αὐτὸν, καὶ δυνήσομαι αὐτῷ. (ε΄.) Κατῴκησεν Ἐφραῖμ, Αἴγυπτον δ᾽, καὶ ᾿Ασσοὺρ αὐτὸς ὁ" βασιλεὺς αὐτοῦ. » Οὐ διαφεύξεται γὰρ τὴν τούτου δεσποτείαν, κἂν μυριάκις εἰς Αἴγυπτον δραπετεύσῃ. αἴτιον δὲ αὑτῷ τῶν κακῶν, ε ὅτι οὐκ ἠθέλησεν ἐπιστρέψαι. » Τούτον γὰρ 5' χάριν, καὶ πλήθει χρώμενος καὶ πανοπλίαις, οὐδὲν ἀνδρεῖον ἐπιδείξετα! " ἀλλὰ τῶν κακῶν βουλευμάτων δρέψεται τοὺς καρποὺς, καὶ πόῤῥω τῆς οἰκείας γενήσετα: γῆς" ἐπειδὴ ἐγὼ πάντα τὰ “" τίμια παραδῴσω τοῖς ἐναντίοις, 'ξας, πάλιν τοῖς τῆς φιλανθρωπίας κέχρηται λόγοις, τῇ. ποικιλίᾳ τῆς διαλέξεως ὠφέλειαν αὐτοῖς μηχανώμενος. ### English translation (Claude) 1. "At dawn they were cast away." When they expected the help of the Egyptians to appear to them like dawn as they lived in darkness, then they were carried off as captives. "Like the dawn the king of Israel was cast away." By this he hinted at the swiftness of the utter destruction; for the dawn too lasts a short time, then the sun rises and makes the day. "For Israel is a child." From folly, he says, and childish thinking, they undergo this punishment. For I called them out of Egypt and freed them from that bitter slavery; but they, becoming ungrateful toward me, preferred the worship of idols (these he calls Baalim). And me, who hobbled him and freed him from his disorderly rushing, who showed fatherly affection toward him and applied every kind of healing to him, he did not wish to know. And indeed I often freed them from every kind of ruin at the hands of those who attacked them, held as by a bond by my love for them; and because of it I still care for them and surround them with these disciplines, doing as one who strikes on the cheek a son who has sinned. It is enough for me both to look sharply at him and to consume him in every way. For he indicated this when he said: "I will look upon him, and I will prevail over him. 5. Ephraim dwelt in Egypt, and Assur himself is his king." For he will not escape his dominion, even if he runs away to Egypt ten thousand times. The cause of his evils is "that he would not return." For this reason, though he has numbers and full armor, he will show nothing brave, but will reap the fruits of his evil counsels and be far from his own land; since I will hand over all his precious things to the enemies. Having said this, he again uses words of loving-kindness, devising benefit for them by the variety of his discourse. ### Scripture references - Hos 10:15: quotation, high confidence - Hos 11:1: allusion, high confidence - Hos 11:2: allusion, high confidence - Hos 11:3: allusion, high confidence - Hos 11:4: quotation, high confidence - Hos 11:5: quotation, high confidence - Hos 11:6: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Hos 10:15b (the end of the comment on 10:15); 11:1–6 (largely paraphrased; Theodoret's LXX text of 11:4 has "I will look upon him, and I will prevail over him"). Migne's Latin column breaks into the section and is removed by logged corrections. "Freed": the verb is partly lost in the scan (…λαξα). "Having said this": partly lost (…ξας). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.11.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-11-1). ## Commentary on Hosea 11:8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-9-1/#p-1-11-8 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God, though Israel deserves the fate of Admah and Zeboiim, will not destroy Ephraim, because he is God and not man; he speaks in anger and mercy as a parent, and will roar like a lion to defend his people. ### Greek text η΄. ε Τί σε διαθῶ, Ἐφραΐμ; » Πῶς σοι, φησὶν, ὦ Ἐφραῖμ, χρήσομαι; ε« Ὑπερασπιῶ σου, Ἰσραήλ" κί σε διαθῶ δ᾽;, Ἐγὼ γὰρ “ ὑπερμαχῆσαί σου βούλομαι " οὐκ ἐξ δέ με τὰ ὑπὸ σοῦ τολμώμενα δυσσεθήματα" διὸ ε« ὡς ᾿Αδάμα θήσομα! σε, καὶ ὡς Σεδωῖμ “5. ν ΑἹ μετὰ Σοδόμων καὶ Γομόῤῥων ἐνεπρήσθησαν. ᾿Αλλ' οὕπω τὴν κατ᾽ αὐτῶν ψῆφον ἑξενεγχὼν, τῇ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τὴν ἀπόφασιν λύει. « Ψιετεστράφη ἣ καρδία μου ἐν τούτῳ 57 συνἐταράχθη ἡ μεταμέλειά μου. (θ΄.) Οὐ μὴ ποιέσω κατὰ τὴν ὀργὴν τοῦ θυμοῦ μου" οὐ μὴ ἐγχαταλίπω τοῦ ἐξαλειφθῆναι τὸν Ἐφραῖμ. » Πατέρα μιμεῖται καὶ μητέρα ὑπὸ ἑῆς φύσεως διαταραττομένους, καὶ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἀποστρέφεσθαι τὰ τέχνα μὴ δυναμένους. Ταῦτα δὲ λέγει, οὐκ ὡς νῦν μὲν τοῦτο βουλόμενος, νῦν δὲ τοῦτο μεταδουλευόμενος " ἀλλὰ σχηματίζει τὸν λόγον εἰς ὀργὴν καὶ φιλανθρωπίαν, εἰς τιμωρίαν καὶ ἔλεον, κἀὶ δι᾽ ἐχείνων καταπλήττων, καὶ διὰ τούτων προτρέπων. Ταύτην αὐτοῦ τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν καὶ ὁ μακάριος ἄδει Δαδίδ - ε Καθὼς μένους αὑτόν. » Καὶ διὰ Ἡσαΐου αὐτός φησιν ὁ Θεός " « Μὴ ἐπιλήσεται γυνὴ τοῦ παιδίου αὑτῆς, ἢ τοῦ μὴ ἐλεῆσαι τὰ ἔκγονα τῆς κοιλίας αὑτῆς; Εἰ δὲ καὶ γυνὴ ἐπιλάθοιτο ταῦτα ποιῆσαι, ἀλλ᾽ ἐγὼ οὐκ ἐπιλήσομαι, εἶπεν ὁ Ἅγιος. » Καὶ ἐνταῦθα τοίνυν λέγει" « Μετεστράφη ἡἣ καρδία μου ἐν τούτῳ, συνἐταράχθη ἡ μεταμέλειά μου. Οὐ μὴ ποιήσω κατὰ τὴν ὀργὴν τοῦ θυμοῦ μου, οὐ μὴ ἐγχαταλίπω τοῦ ἐξαλειφθῆναι τὸν Ἑφραῖμ. Διότι Θεός εἰμ! ἐγὼ, καὶ οὖκ ἄνθρωπος, ἐν σοὶ ἅγιος, καὶ οὐκ εἰσελεύσομαι εἰς πόλιν. ν Οὐ γὰρ ἀνθρώπῳ, φησὶ, παραπλησίως ὀργίζομαι, οὐδὲ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον μνησικακεῖν ἀνέχομαι " Θεὺς γάρ 5 εἰμι ἅγιος, καὶ ἐν τοῖς περὶ σὲ φαινόμενος, καὶ τῶν γηΐνων ἁπάντων ὑπέρτερος, καὶ οὐκ ὁμοίως τοῖς ἀνθρώποις οἰκεῖν ἠναγχασμένος " πανταχοῦ δὲ παρὼν, καὶ τοῖς πᾶσι παριστάμενος. Τοσαύτῆς τοίνυν φιλανθρωπίας ἀπολαύοντες, τ. ε Ὀπίσω, φησὶ, Κυρίου πορεύεσθε 5" ν ἐπόμενοι διηνεκῶς, καὶ πᾶν τὸ κελευόμενον δρῶντες. « Ὡς λέων γὰρ ἐρεύξεται, καὶ ἐκστήσονται τέχνα ὑδάτων. ν Καθάπερ γὰρ ὁ 5 λέων βρυχώμενος, τὰ ζῶα οὕτω τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων ἐπαμῦναι ὑμῖν ἐθελήσαντος, δειλία καθέξει τοὺς ἐναντίους, δέχην ἰχθύων ᾿οὐδὲ τὸν τυχόντα κτύπον φέρειν ἀνεχομένων, ἀλλ᾽ ἂν τοῖς ὕδασι κρυπτομένων. Τόχγα γὰρ ὑδάτων «τοὺς ἰχθύας προτηγόρευσεν, ὡς ἐν τοῖς ὕδασι τὰς τῆς ζωῆς ἔχοντας ἀφορμάς. Οὕτω δὲ τῇ θείᾳ βουλῇ ### English translation (Claude) 8. "What shall I do with you, Ephraim?" How shall I deal with you, O Ephraim? he says. "Shall I shield you, Israel? What shall I do with you?" For I wish to fight for you; but the impieties you dare do not allow me. Therefore "I will make you like Admah and like Zeboiim," which were burned with Sodom and Gomorrah. But before pronouncing the sentence against them, he dissolves the verdict by his loving-kindness: "My heart has been turned in this; my repentance has been stirred together. 9. I will not act according to the anger of my wrath; I will not abandon Ephraim to be blotted out." He imitates a father and mother who are troubled by their very nature and cannot turn away from their children for long. He says this not as willing this at one moment and changing his mind at another, but he shapes his discourse to anger and loving-kindness, to punishment and mercy, frightening them by the one and exhorting them by the other. Blessed David too sings this loving-kindness of his: "As … him." And through Isaiah God himself says: "Will a woman forget her child, so as not to have mercy on the offspring of her womb? But even if a woman should forget these things, yet I will not forget, said the Holy One." Here too, then, he says: "My heart has been turned in this; my repentance has been stirred together. I will not act according to the anger of my wrath; I will not abandon Ephraim to be blotted out. For I am God and not man, holy in you, and I will not enter into a city." For I do not grow angry as a man does, he says, nor do I bear to hold a grudge for long. For I am the holy God, appearing in what concerns you, higher than all earthly things, and not compelled, like men, to dwell somewhere, but present everywhere and standing by all. Enjoying such loving-kindness, then, "10. walk after the Lord," he says, following him continually and doing all that is commanded. "For he will roar like a lion, and the children of the waters will be amazed." For as when a lion roars the animals …, so when the God of all wishes to defend you, fear will seize your adversaries, like fish, which cannot bear even an ordinary noise but hide in the waters. He called the fish children of the waters, since they have in the waters the means of their life. So by the divine will ### Scripture references - Hos 11:8: quotation, high confidence - Hos 11:9: quotation, high confidence - Hos 11:10: quotation, high confidence - Deut 29:23: allusion, high confidence - Ps 103:13 (102:13 LXX): quotation, medium confidence - Isa 49:15: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Hos 11:8–10. Admah and Zeboiim: Deut 29:23. David: Ps 103:13 (LXX 102:13), mostly lost in the scan ("As … him"). Isa 49:15. Words are lost after "the animals". "Repentance" (μεταμέλεια) of God: Theodoret explains it as a figure of speech; translated as written. The section breaks off. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.11.8 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-11-8). ## Commentary on Hosea 11:11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-9-1/#p-1-11-11 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Israel will return from Egypt and Assyria like homing doves, as happened in the return under Zerubbabel. ### Greek text ια΄. « Ἤξουσιν 1' ὡς ὄρνεον ἐξ Αἰγύπτου, καὶ ὡς περιστερὰ ἐκ γῆς ᾿Ασσυρίων, καὶ ἀποκαταστήσω. αὐτοὺς εἰς τοὺς οἴκους αὐτῶν, λέγει Κύριος. » Ὅν“ πρόπον γὰρ τά τε ἄλλα ὄρνεα, καὶ διαφερόντως αἱ περιστεραὶ, τῇ πτήσει χρώμεναι καὶ περιπετόμεναι, ῥᾳδίως ἐπανίασιν εἰς τὰς οἰκείας καλιάς " οὕτω καὶ ὑμᾶς τοὺς μὲν ἔνθεν, τοὺς δὲ ἐκεῖθεν, εὐπετις ἐπανἀξει, καὶ τὴν Δηλοῖ δὲ διὰ τούτων τὴν ἐπὶ τοῦ Ζοροθάδελ γενομένην ἐπάνοδον" τῶν γὰρ ἀπὸ Βαδυλῶνος τῶν 13, καὶ τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἀνοιχοδομούντων κατὰ κὸν Κύρου τοῦ Πέρσου νόμον, καὶ οἱ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ διάγοντες θαῤῥήσαντες ἐπανῆλθον. ### English translation (Claude) 11. "They will come like a bird out of Egypt and like a dove out of the land of the Assyrians, and I will restore them to their houses, says the Lord." For as other birds, and especially doves, using their flight and flying about, easily return to their own nests, so he will easily bring you back, some from here and others from there, and the … By this he indicates the return that took place under Zerubbabel: for when those from Babylon … and were rebuilding Jerusalem according to the decree of Cyrus the Persian, those who lived in Egypt also took courage and came back. ### Scripture references - Hos 11:11: quotation, high confidence - Ezra 1:2: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hos 11:11. Words are lost in two places; marked "…". Cyrus's decree: Ezra 1:1–4. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.11.11 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-11-11). ## Commentary on Hosea 12:1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-12-1/#p-1-12-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Ephraim's idolatry and alliances with Assyria and Egypt are contrasted with the virtue of Jacob, who prevailed with God (Christ, the Angel of great counsel) and met him at Bethel, now the shrine of the idol On; God revealed himself through prophets and visions, yet Israel sacrificed to demons at Gilead and Gilgal. ### Greek text ιβ΄. ε« Ἐχύχλωσέ με ἐν ψεύδει. Ἐφραΐμ, καὶ ἐν ὁπεδείᾳ 15 οἶκος Ἰσραὴλ καὶ Ἰούδα. » Ἐγὼ μὲν, φησὶ, τοσαύτης αὐτοὺς ἀξιῶ προμηθείας “ αὐτοὶ δὲ τοῖς τῆς ἐμῆς προαιρούμενοι θεραπείας. ε Νῦν ἔγνω αὖτοὺς ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ λαὺς ἅγιος κεκλήσεται Θεοῦ. ν» ᾿Αλλ᾽ - ὅμως καὶ τοιούτους ὄντας ἐπιμελείας ἀξιώσω, καὶ λαὸν τῷ Θεῷ τῶν ὅλων ἀφίέραμενον χρηματίσαι ποιήσω. α΄. « Ὁ δὲ Ἑφραῖμ, πονηρὸν πνεῦυα, ἐδίωξε γαύσωνα ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν. ν Καὶ διδάτχων, τί καύσωνα καλεῖ, ἐπάγει " « Κενὰ καὶ μάταια ἐπλήθυνε, καὶ διαθήκην μετὰ ᾿Ασσυρίων ἔθετο, καὶ ἔλαιον εἰς Αἴγυπτον ἑνεπορεύετο. » Πογηρὸν πνεῦμα τὴν πονηρὰν προσαγορεύει προαίρεσιν " τὴν δὲ περὶ τὸν καύσωνα σπουδὴν, τὸν οὐ μόνον ἄκαρπον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπιζήμιον λέγει πόνον. Ἐμοῦ γὰρ, φησὶ, τοιαύτῃ περὶ αὐτοὺς χεχρημένου τῇ γνώμῃ, μοχθηρίᾳ συζῶντες βουνοὺς καὶ πλῆθος εἰδώλων ἀνέστησαν" ταῦτα γὰρ κενὰ καὶ μάταια χέχλτχκεν, ἃ δίκην καύσωνος ἅπαντας αὐτῶν διαφθερεῖ τοὺς καρπούς. Πρὸς δὲ τούτοις, καὶ τῆς ἐμῆς σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ἀποστήσαντες κηδεμονίας, νῦν μὲν τὸν ᾿Ασσύριον προστατεύειν αὐτῶν ἐλιπάρησαν, νῦν δὲ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων τὴν ἐπικουρίαν ἐζήτησαν. ἘΔλαίου γὰρ ἐμπορίαν τοῦτο καλεῖ, Οὐ γὰρ τῆς ἐμπορίας κατηγορεῖ, ἀλ᾽ὰ Β τῶν δύο τὸ ἕτερον αἰνίττεται " ἢ ὅτι τὸ ἔλαιον οἷόν τι δῶρον τῷ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων προσέφερον βασιλεῖ, ἣ ὅτι χρυσὸν προσφέροντες τὸν παρ᾽ ἐκείνου ἐπήγγελλον ἔλεον, ἐπίκουρον αὐτοῖς γενέσθαι παρακαλοῦντες. β΄. ε Καὶ χρίσις τῷ Κυρίῳ πρὸς Ἰούδαν, τοῦ ἔκδικῇσαι τὸν Ἰαχὼδ κατὰ τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ, καὶ κατὰ τὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα αὐτοῦ ἀνταποδώσει αὐτῷ. » ᾿Αλλὰ γὰρ τούτων οὕτω παρ᾽ αὐτῶν γιγνομένων, δικαστήριον συγχροτήσω. καὶ τὴν τοῦ Ἰούδα παρανομίαν ἐλέγξω, καὶ δικαίαν κατ' αὐτοῦ τὴν ψῆφον ἐξοίσω, ὅτι τοῦ προπάτορος τὴν ἀρετὴν οὐκ ἐζήλωσεν, ἀλλὰ τῇ δυσσεδείᾳ τὸν πρόγονον ὕδρισεν. Εἶτα τὰ κατὰ τὸν Ἰαχὼδ τὸν πατριάρχην εἰς μέσον φέρει, τῇ παραθέσει τῆς πατρῴας ἀρετῆς ἐναργέστερον τὴν τούτων διελέγχων παρανομίαν. Υ΄, δ΄. « Ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ ἑπτέρνισε τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὖποῦ, καὶ ἐν κόποις αὑτοῦ ἴσχυσε πρὸς Θεόν. Καὶ ἐνίσχυσε μετὰ ἀγγέλου, καὶ ἠδυνήθη. » Ἐκεῖνο;, φησὶ, καὶ κατ' αὐτὸν τὸν τῶν ὠδίνων καιρὸν τῆς τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ πτέρνης ἐπειλημμένος εἰς φῶς προελήλυθε, προσημαίνων οἷος ἔσται, καὶ ὅτι τῶν πρωτο' τοχίων διὰ τῆς καλῆς ἀπάτης κομιεῖται τὴν εὐλογίαν. Καὶ τοῦ χρόνου δὲ προελθόντος εἰς ἄνδρα τελέσας, οὕτως ἐν τοῖς τῆς ἀρετῆς διέπρεῴς πόνοις, ὡς καὶ τὴν θείαν προμήθειαν ἐπισπάσασθαι, καί ποτε δείσας τὴν ἄφιξιν τοῦ Ἡσαῦ, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν ἀντιδολήσας, οὐκ ἀπλῶς τῆς ἐκεῖθεν ἐπικουρίας ἀπήλαυσεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ παλαίειν ἔδοξε νύκτωρ ὀφθέντι, καὶ δρέπεσθαι τὴν νίκην, ἵνα τὸ δέος τῆς διανοίας ἐχόάλῃ, Ὁ λογισάμενο; ὡς ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ περιγενέσθαι δόξας, ὑπ᾽ ἀνθρώπων οὐκ ἡττηθήσεται. Τὸν δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ θεὺν καὶ ἄγγειῖον γέχληχεν, ἐπειδὴ καὶ ὁ μακάριος Μωσῆς ἀμφότερα τέθεικε τὰ ὀνόματα. Ὁ γὰρ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς, καὶ θεὸς ἰσχυρὸς, καὶ μεγά" λης βουλῆς ἼΛγγελος παρὰ τῷ Ἡσαῖᾳ προσηγόρευται. « Ἔκλαυσαν, καὶ ἐδεήθησάν μον, ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ Ὧν ηὗρόν με, καὶ 1" ἐκεῖ ἐλαλήθη πρὸς αὐτούς. » Τοῦτο οἱ ἄλλοι ἑρμηνευταὶ, καὶ ᾿Ακύλας, καὶ Σύμμαχος, καὶ Θεοδοτίων, ὡς πεοὶ τοῦ Ἰαχὼδ εἰρημένον τεθείκασιν " « Ἔκχλαυσς δ, καὶ ἐδεήθη αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐν Βαιθὴλ ηὗρεν αὐτόν. » Φεύγων γὰρ ὁ Ἰακὼδ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ τὴν ἐπιδουλὴν, καὶ πρὸς Λάδαν τὸν θεῖον ἀποδιδράσχων, ἐν τῇ Βαιθὴλ γενόμενος τῆς θείας ἀποκαλύψεως ἔτυχε, καὶ τὰς θείας ἐπαγγελίας ἐδέξατο. ε« Μὴ φοδοῦ γὰρ, φησὶν, Ἰαχὼδ, διότι ἐγὼ ϑετὰ σοῦ εἰμι.» Καὶ κλαίων δὲ, ὡς εἰκὸς, τοὺς λότους ἐκείνους ἐποιήσατο" ε Ἐάν μοι δῷ Κύριος στήσει [6 με μετ᾽ εἰρήνης, ἔσται μοι Κύριος εἰς Θεὸν, καὶ ὁ λίθος, ὅν ἔστησα, ἔσται μοι εἰς οἶκον Θεοῦ, καὶ πάντων, ὧν ἐάν μοι δῷς, δεκάτην ἀποδεχατώφῳ σοι αὐτά. » Καὶ ἐπανιὼν δὲ, κατὰ τὸν τόπον ἐκεῖνον γενόμενος, τὸν εὐεργέτην ὑμνῶν ἔλεγεν, ὅτι « Ἐν τῇ 7 ῥάδδῳ μου ταύτῃ παρῆλθον τὸν Ἰορδάνην, καὶ ἰδοὺ γέγονα εἰς δύο παρεμθολάς. » Τοῦτο τοίνυν οἱ Β περὶ τὸν ᾿Ακύλαν καὶ τὸν Σύμμαχον ἑρμηνεύσαντες παρεδήλωσαν, διδάσκοντες ὅτι ἐν τῇ Βαιθὴλ, ἥτις, φησὶ, νῦν τὸ Ὧν εἴδωλον ἔχει, ὥφθη τῷ Ἰαχώδ - οἱ δὲ ἙΟδδομήχοντα ἐπὶ πληθυντιχὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἑνικοῦ μεταθάντες, διδάσχγυσιν ἡμᾶς οὕτω νοεῖν, ὅτι Ὁ μὲν προπάτωρ ὑμῶν τοιοῦτος περὶ ἐμὲ γενόμενος τῆς παρ᾽ ἐμοῦ κηδεμονίας ἠξίωται " ὑμεῖς δὲ τὴν ἐναντίαν ὡδεύσατε, καὶ μεταμελείᾳ δὲ χρήσασθαι βουληθέντες, οὐκ εἰς τὸν ἀφιερωμένον μοι νεὼν ἐληλύθατε, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὸ Ὧν εἴδωλον ὀλοφυρόμενοι τὴν ἐμὴν ἐζητεῖτε βοήθειαν. Ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ οὕτω παροινούμενος ἐπεφάνην 18 ὑμῖν, καὶ ἐν οἷς ἐχαλέσατε τόποῖς τὰς ἀποκρίσεις ἐποιησάμην. Καὶ τοῦτο διδάσκει σαφῶς ᾿Αμὼς ὁ προφήτης, ἐν τῇ Βαιθὴλ, ἐν ἧ τὸ εἴδωλον ἦν τὸ Ὧν, πᾶσαν ποιησάμενος τὴν προφητεῖαν" πρὸς ὃν καὶ ὁ ᾿Αμασίας, ὁ τῆς Βαιθὴλ ἱερεὺς, ἔφη" « Πορεύου εἰς γῆν Ἰούδα, καὶ μὴ προφήτενε εἰς Βαιθὴλ, ὅτι ἁγίασμα βασιλέως ἐστίν. » ε΄, ς΄.« Ὁ δὲ Κύριος 75 ὁ παντοχράτωρ ἔσται μνημόσννον αὐτοῦ. "Ἔλεον " καὶ κρῖμα φυλάσσου, καὶ ἔγγιζε πρὸς τὸν Θεόν σου διὰ παντός. » Τοιοῦτον ἔχων Δεσπότην, ὃς κατὰ πάντων ἔχει τὸ κράτος, ἄληστον αὐτοῦ διὰ παντὸς ἔχε τὴν μνήμην, καὶ δικαιοσύνης ἀντέχου, καὶ φιλάνθρωπος ἔσο περὶ τὸν πέλα:, καὶ τοῖς θείοις διηνεκῶς ἀκολούθει προστάγμασιν " οὕτω γὰρ τῷ Θεῷ πελάζων ἕξεις αὐτὸν ὑπερμαχοῦντα προθύμως. ζ΄, η΄. ε Χαναὰν, ἐν χειρὶ αὐτοῦ ζυγὸς ἀδικίας " καταδυναστεύειν ἠγάπησε" καὶ εἶπεν Ἐφραΐμ’ Πλὴν τὸν Ἐφραῖμ προσαγορεύει "", Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ ὁ μακάριος λῆμ᾽ « Τὸ σπέρμα σου καὶ ἡ γένεσίς σου, ἐκ τῆς Χαναάν" ὁ πατὴρ σου ᾿Αμοῤῥαῖος, καὶ ἡ μήτηρ σου Χετταία. » Ὧν γὰρ ἐζήλωσαν τὴν ἀσέδειαν, τούτων καὶ τῆς προσηγορίας μετέλαχον. Σὺ τοίνυν, ὦ Ἕρραῖμ, τὴν τοῦ Χαναὰν μιμούμενος πονῆρίαν, ἄδικα ἐκτήσω τὰ τῆς διανοίας ζυγά " τὸ γὰρ δίκαιον τοῦ ἀτιμάζων διατελεῖς, τὴν ἄδικον δυναστείαν ποθεῖς, καὶ ἐπὶ πλούτῳ μέγα φρονεῖς, καὶ ἀλαζονευόμενος σαυτῷ τὴν τούτου συλλογὴν ἐπιγράφεις. Ἰστέον δὲ, ὅτι τὸν ἄδικον ζυγὸν καὶ ὁ μακάριος μνημονεύει Δαδὶδ, λέγων" « Ῥευδεῖς οἱ υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐν ζυγοῖς, τοῦ ἀδικῇσαι. » Καὶ τὰ ἐπαγόμενα δὲ συμφωνεῖ τοῖς περὶ τοῦ Ἐφραῖμ εἰρημένοις " « Μὴ ἐλκίξετε ἐπ᾽ ἀδικίαν, καὶ ἐπὶ ἄρπαγμα μὴ ἐπιποθεῖτε' πλοῦτος ἐὰν ῥέῃ, μὴ προστίθεσθε καρδίαν. » Ἑνὸς γὰρ πνεύματος καὶ ταῦτα κἀκεῖνα τὰ νάματα. Καὶ τὸ ἀκροτελεύτιον δὲ ἐκεῖνο, « Ὅτι σὺ ἀποδώσεις ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ, » συμφωνεῖ τοῖς ἐπαγομένοις ἐνταῦθα" « Πάντες γὰρ οἱ πόνοι αὑτοῦ οὐκ εὐρεθήσονται αὐτῷ δι᾽ ἀδικίας, ἂς Ἦμαρτεν. ν Γυμνωθήσεται γὰρ τῶν τῆς εὐπορίας ἀγαθῶν, δικαίας τῆς παρανομίας ἀπαιτούμενος δίκας. θ΄. « Ἐγὼ δὲ Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου ἄἀνήγαγόν σε ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου. ἔτι κατοιχιῶ σε ἐν σκηναῖς. καθὼς ἐν ἡμέραις ἑορτῆς. » Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τῆς Αἰγυπτιακῆς δουλείας ἀπαλλαγεὶς λήθῃ τὴν εὐεργεσίαν παρέδωκας, αὖθις οἰκήσεις σκηνὰς, μέτοιχος ἐν τῇ ἀλλοτρία γενόμενος, καὶ ἀναμνησθήσῃ ὧν ἐπετέλεις σκηνῶν ἐν ταῖς ἑορταῖς τρυφῶν, καὶ τῆς ἐν ἐρήμῳ διαγωγῆς πανηγυρίζων τὴν μνήμην. Λέγει δὲ τῆς Σκηνοπηγίας τὴν ἑορτήν. ὑ. ε Καὶ ἐλάλησα 5 πρὸς προφήτας, καὶ ἐγὼ ὁράσεις ἐπλήθυνα, καὶ ἐν χερσὶ προφητῶν ὡμοιώθην.» Ἑνδίκως δὲ τήνδε τὴν τιμωρίαν ὑπομένεις, ἐπειδὴ ταύτης διὰ τῶν προφητῶν τὰς προῤῥήσεις δεξάμενος οὐκ ἔδεισας, οὐδὲ μεταθαλεῖν ἐδουλήθης τὴν γνόμην᾽ καὶ ταῦτα, οὐ διὰ ῥημάτων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ πραγμάτων τῶν προῤῥήσεων γενομένων. Τοιοῦτον γὰρ ἦν καὶ τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ θεσπεσίου Ὡσηὲ γεγενημένον᾽ ποτὲ μὲν γὰρ γυναῖκα πόρνην, ποτὲ δὲ μοιχεύτριαν, κατὰ τὴν θείαν ἔλαδεν ἐντολὴν, εἰκὼν τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων γινόμενος, καὶ τῆς τοῦ λαοῦ πιρανομίας κατηγορῶν. Πρὸς δὲ τούτῳ δηλοῖ, ὅτι Κὶ αὶ διαφόροις ἀποχαλύψεσιν ἐχρησάμην, οὐ τὴν ἐμὴν φύσιν ὑπο δεικνὺς (ἀόρατος γὰρ αὕτη), ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὴν χρείαν ἐχτυπῶν τὴν θεωρίαν. Οὔτε γὰρ ὁμοίως ἅπασιν ὥφθην " ἄλλως γὰρ τῷ Δανιὴλ, καὶ ἄλλως τῷ Ἱεζε κιὴλ, ἑτέρως δὲ τῷ Ἡσαΐᾳ, καὶ τῷ Μικαίᾳ οὐ κατὰ Ὁ τὸν ὅμοιον τρόπον᾽ καὶ Μωσῇ δὲ καὶ ᾿Αδραὰμ πρὸ τούτου διαφόρως. ια΄. « Εἰ μὴ Γαλαάδ ἐστιν, ἄρα ψευδεῖς ἦσαν ἄρ: χοντες ἐν Γαλγάλοις "" θυσιάζοντες.» Ὑ μεῖς δὲ, τοῦ" τῶν ἀπολαύοντες παρ᾽ ἐμοῦ, ἐν Γαλαὰδ καὶ Γαλγά’ λοι; ταῖς χατειδώλοις πόλεσι, σὺν τοῖς ἄρχουσι τοῖς ὑμετέροις τοῖς δαίμοσι τὰς θυσίας προσφέρετε ᾿ χᾶὶ ταῦτα, οὐ παρ᾽ αὐτῶν, ἀλλὰ παρ᾽ ἐμοῦ τὰς εὐεργεσίας δρεπόμενοι. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἐκ Γαλαὰδ, τουτέστι, παρὰ τῶν εἰδώλων, ἀγαθοῦ τινος ἀπελαύετε, εἶχεν ἄρα τινὰ χώραν ἢ ἐξαπάτη" ἐπειδὴ δὲ ταῖς ἐμαῖς δωρεαῖς ἐντρυφῶντε:, ἐν Γαλαὰδ καὶ Γαλγάλοις θύετε τοῖς εἰδώλοις, κήρυκες ὑμεῖς γίνεσθε τῆς οἰκείας ἀχαριστίας. ε Καὶ τὰ θυσιαστήρια αὐτῶν, ὡς χελῶναι ἐπὶ χέρσον ἀγροῦ. » Τῶν ἀμφιδίων ἐστὶν ἡ χελώνη, ἀλλ᾽ ἐν μὲν τοῖς ὕδασι διαιτωμένη διαφεύγε! πολλάκις τῶν θηρευόντων τὰς χεῖρας " εἰς δὲ τὴν γῆν βαδίξουσα, πρόχειρός ἔστι καὶ εὐάλωτος. Ταύτῃ τοίνυν, φησὶ, παραπλητίως εὐάλωτοι ἔσονται οἱ παρ᾽ ὑμῶν τοῖς δαίμοσι χατασχευασθέντες βωμοὶ, καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων χατασχαφήπονται. Εἶτα πάλιν τῆς τοῦ προε,", ιγ΄. ε« Καὶ ἀνεχώρησεν Ἰαχὼδ εἰς πεδίον Συρίας, καὶ ἐδούλευσεν Ἰσραὴλ ἐν γυναικὶ, καὶ ἐν γυναικὶ ἐφυλάξατο. Καὶ ἐν προφήτῃ ἀνήγαγε Κύριος τὸν Ἰσραὴλ ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου, καὶ ἐν προφήτῃ διεφυ- Β λάχθη.» Ὁ γὰρ ὑμέτερος πρόγονος, τῆς μητρὺς τὰς ὑποθήκας δεξάμενος, τὴν πατρῴαν ἢνέσχετο χκαταλ:πεῖν οἰκίαν, καὶ τὴν ἀλλοδαπῇ τῆς οἰκείας προξίλετο, καὶ γυναικὸς χάριν, ἵνα μὴ λάδῃ Χαναναίαν, ἀλλ᾽ ἐκ «ἴςς τοῦ Σὴμ συγγενείας, δουλείαν ἐλευθερίας προτετίμηχε, καὶ τὸν περὶ τῆς γυναικὸς ὑπὸ τῶν πατέρων πεθέντα διεφύλαξε νόμον. Διὸ μέχρι τῶν ἀπογόνων τῆς παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ προνοίας ἀπήλαυσε" τὸ γὰρ ἐχείνου γένος, Αἰγυπτίοις δουλεύειν ἠναγχασμένον, διὰ τοῦ μεγάλου προφήτου Μωσέως τῆς ἐλευθερίας ἐξίωξϑεν ὁ Θεός " καὶ μέντο: καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ἐρήμου γενόμενον, ἀλώδητον διετήρησε, τῷ αὐτῷ προφήτῃ δια- ### English translation (Claude) 12. "Ephraim has surrounded me with falsehood, and the house of Israel and Judah with impiety." I, he says, count them worthy of such providence; but they, preferring … to my service … "Now God has known them, and they will be called a holy people of God." Yet even so, being such, I will count them worthy of care and make them be called a people dedicated to the God of all. 1. "But Ephraim is an evil spirit; he pursued a burning wind all day long." And teaching what he calls a burning wind, he adds: "He multiplied empty and vain things, and made a covenant with the Assyrians, and traded oil into Egypt." He calls the evil choice an evil spirit; and by the zeal for the burning wind he means toil that is not only fruitless but also harmful. For though I, he says, treated them with such a mind, they, living in wickedness, set up hill shrines and a multitude of idols; these he has called empty and vain, and like a burning wind they will destroy all their fruits. Besides this, having removed themselves from my care, they now begged the Assyrian to be their protector, and now sought the help of the Egyptians. This is what he calls trading in oil. For he does not accuse trade, but hints at one of two things: either that they offered oil as a kind of gift to the king of the Egyptians, or that, offering gold, they sought mercy from him, begging him to become their helper. 2. "And the Lord has a case against Judah, to avenge Jacob according to his ways; and according to his practices he will repay him." But since these things are done thus by them, I will convene a court, convict Judah's lawlessness, and pronounce a just sentence against him, because he did not emulate his forefather's virtue but insulted his ancestor by his impiety. Then he brings into the open the story of the patriarch Jacob, and by setting the ancestral virtue beside their lawlessness convicts it more plainly. 3, 4. "In the womb he took his brother by the heel, and in his labors he prevailed with God. And he prevailed with an angel, and was able." He, he says, came forth into the light at the very moment of birth holding his brother's heel, foreshadowing what he would be, and that he would obtain the blessing of the birthright by a good deceit. And when time went on and he came to manhood, he so excelled in the labors of virtue as to draw divine providence to himself. Once, fearing the coming of Esau, he entreated God, and he not only enjoyed help from there, but also seemed to wrestle at night with the one who appeared to him and to win the victory, so that he might cast the fear from his mind, reasoning that he who seemed to prevail over God would not be defeated by men. He has called the same one both God and angel, since blessed Moses too set down both names. For our Lord Jesus Christ is called in Isaiah both "mighty God" and "Angel of great counsel." "They wept and entreated me; in the house of On they found me, and there it was spoken to them." The other translators, Aquila, Symmachus and Theodotion, rendered this as said of Jacob: "He wept and entreated him, and in Bethel he found him." For Jacob, fleeing his brother's plot and running away to Laban his uncle, received a divine revelation when he came to Bethel and received the divine promises: "Do not fear, Jacob," he says, "for I am with you." And weeping, as is likely, he spoke those words: "If the Lord … brings me back in peace, the Lord shall be my God, and this stone which I have set up shall be for me a house of God; and of all that you give me I will give a tenth to you." And on his return, when he came to that place, he praised his benefactor and said: "With this staff of mine I crossed the Jordan, and behold, I have become two camps." This, then, is what Aquila and Symmachus and their companions indicated by their translation, teaching that in Bethel, which, he says, now has the idol On, he appeared to Jacob. But the Seventy, changing from the singular to the plural, teach us to understand it thus: Your forefather, being such toward me, was counted worthy of my care; but you went the opposite way, and when you wished to repent, you did not come to the temple dedicated to me, but sought my help lamenting beside the idol On. Yet even when insulted in this way I appeared to you, and gave my answers in the places where you called on me. The prophet Amos teaches this clearly, who made his whole prophecy in Bethel, where the idol On was; to him Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, said: "Go to the land of Judah, and do not prophesy in Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary." 5, 6. "But the Lord the Almighty will be his memorial. Keep mercy and judgment, and draw near to your God continually." Having such a Master, who holds power over all, keep his memory unforgotten at all times, hold fast to righteousness, be kind to your neighbor, and follow the divine commands continually; for so, drawing near to God, you will have him fighting eagerly for you. 7, 8. "Canaan, in his hand is a balance of injustice; he loved to oppress. And Ephraim said: …" He calls Ephraim Canaan. For so blessed Ezekiel too says: "Your seed and your birth are from the land of Canaan; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite." For they shared the name of those whose impiety they imitated. You, then, O Ephraim, imitating the wickedness of Canaan, have acquired the unjust balances of the mind: for the just … you continue to dishonor; you desire unjust power, think much of wealth, and boastfully ascribe its gathering to yourself. It should be known that blessed David too mentions the unjust balance, saying: "The sons of men are false in the balances, so as to do injustice." And what follows there agrees with what is said of Ephraim: "Do not hope in injustice, and do not long for plunder; if wealth flows in, do not set your heart on it." For these and those streams are of one Spirit. And that closing line, "For you will repay each according to his works," agrees with what follows here: "All his labors will not be found for him, because of the iniquities he sinned." For he will be stripped of the goods of prosperity, paying a just penalty for his lawlessness. 9. "But I, the Lord your God, brought you up from the land of Egypt; I will yet make you dwell in tents, as in the days of a feast." Since, freed from the Egyptian slavery, you consigned the benefit to oblivion, you will again dwell in tents, becoming a sojourner in a foreign land, and you will remember the tents you set up at the feasts in luxury, celebrating the memory of the life in the desert. He means the feast of Tabernacles. 10. "And I spoke to prophets, and I multiplied visions, and by the hands of prophets I was represented." Justly you undergo this punishment, since, having received the predictions of it through the prophets, you did not fear, nor wish to change your mind; and this though the predictions came not only through words but also through actions. Such too was what was done by the inspired Hosea: at the divine command he took a wife, once a prostitute and once an adulteress, becoming an image of the God of all and accusing the lawlessness of the people. Besides this he shows that I used various revelations, not showing my nature (for it is invisible), but shaping the vision to the need. For I did not appear to all alike: in one way to Daniel, in another to Ezekiel, differently to Isaiah, and to Micah not in the same manner; and to Moses, and to Abraham before him, differently. 11. "If it is not Gilead, then the rulers in Gilgal were false, sacrificing." But you, enjoying these things from me, offer sacrifices to the demons together with your rulers in Gilead and Gilgal, cities full of idols; and this though you reap the benefits not from them but from me. If you enjoyed some good from Gilead, that is, from the idols, the deceit would have some ground; but since you luxuriate in my gifts and sacrifice to the idols in Gilead and Gilgal, you become heralds of your own ingratitude. "And their altars like tortoises on the dry land of a field." The tortoise is an amphibious creature: living in the waters it often escapes the hands of hunters, but walking on land it is at hand and easily caught. Like it, he says, the altars you built for the demons will be easily caught and razed by the enemies. Then again [he recalls the virtue] of the forefather: 12, 13. "And Jacob withdrew into the plain of Syria, and Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept watch. And by a prophet the Lord brought Israel up from the land of Egypt, and by a prophet he was kept." For your forefather, accepting his mother's counsel, bore to leave his father's house and preferred a foreign land to his own; and for the sake of a wife, so as not to take a Canaanite woman but one of the kin of Shem, he preferred slavery to freedom and kept the law about a wife laid down by his fathers. Therefore he enjoyed God's providence down to his descendants: for his race, when it was compelled to serve the Egyptians, God counted worthy of freedom through the great prophet Moses; and when it was in the desert, he kept it safe from capture through the same prophet ### Scripture references - Hos 11:12: quotation, high confidence - Hos 12:1: quotation, high confidence - Hos 12:2: quotation, high confidence - Hos 12:3: quotation, high confidence - Hos 12:4: quotation, high confidence - Hos 12:5: quotation, high confidence - Hos 12:6: quotation, high confidence - Hos 12:7: quotation, high confidence - Hos 12:8: quotation, medium confidence - Hos 12:9: quotation, high confidence - Hos 12:10: quotation, high confidence - Hos 12:11: quotation, high confidence - Hos 12:12: quotation, high confidence - Hos 12:13: quotation, high confidence - Gen 25:26: allusion, high confidence - Gen 32:24: allusion, high confidence - Gen 32:30: allusion, high confidence - Isa 9:6 (9:5 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Gen 28:15: quotation, medium confidence - Gen 28:20: quotation, high confidence - Gen 28:21: quotation, high confidence - Gen 28:22: quotation, high confidence - Gen 32:10: quotation, high confidence - Amos 7:13: quotation, high confidence - Ezek 16:3: quotation, high confidence - Ps 62:9 (61:10 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 62:10 (61:11 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 62:12 (61:13 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Lev 23:42: allusion, medium confidence - Gen 28:2: allusion, high confidence - Gen 29:18: allusion, high confidence - Exod 3:10: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Hos 11:12 (LXX 12:1); 12:1–13 (LXX 12:2–14; Theodoret's verse numbers follow the English numbering here). Migne's Latin column and apparatus break into the section in several places and are removed by logged corrections; lines lost in the scan are marked "…" (after "preferring", in the quotation of Gen 28:20, after "Ephraim said" in 12:8, and after "for the just"). The words of Hos 12:6a ("And you, in your God you will return") stood only inside the removed apparatus. - Theodoret identifies the one who wrestled with Jacob, called both God and angel, with Christ (Isa 9:6 LXX, "Angel of great counsel"); translated as written. Aquila, Symmachus and Theodotion read Hos 12:4 in the singular of Jacob at Bethel. - Gen 25:26; 27:35–36; 32:24–30; 28:15, 20–22; 32:10; Amos 7:13; Ezek 16:3; Ps 62:9–10, 12 (LXX 61:10–11, 13); Lev 23:42–43; Gen 27:46–28:2; 29:18–20. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.12.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-12-1). ## Commentary on Hosea 12:15 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-12-1/#p-1-12-15 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Ephraim's idolatry, even to human sacrifice, will bring the Assyrians on it like wild beasts and destroy its kings; yet God will redeem Israel from death, fulfilled in figure at the return from exile and in truth in Christ's resurrection, the pledge of the resurrection of all. ### Greek text ιδ΄, « Ἐθύμωσέ με δ'΄ Ἐφραῖμ καὶ παρώργισε, ς καὶ τὸ αἷμα αὐτοῦ ἐπ᾽ αὐτὸν ἐκχυθήσεται, καὶ τὸν ὀνειδισμὸν αὐτοῦ ἀνταποδύσει αὐτῷ Κύριος κατὰ τὸν λόγον Ἑφραῖμ 85.» Οὗτος δὲ, φησὶν, ἐξ ἐκείνον κατάγων τὸ γένος, εἰς ὀργήν με παραχινεῖ, μίᾳ πάσῃ συζῶν " ἀλλὰ τῶν παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ σπειρομένων ἀμήσει τὰ δράγματα, ἀναλόγους ὧν δέδραχ: τὰς δίκας Εἰληφὸς γὰρ παρ᾽ ἐμοῦ δικαιώματα καὶ νόμους, καθ' οὗς προσῆκεν αὐτὸν πολιτεύεσθαι, τὰς τῶν εἰδώλων παρανομίας ἀντ᾽ ἐχείνων ἠγάπησεν" παρ᾽ ὧν ἀντὶ ζωῆΐς ἐδρέψατο θάνατον. Αὔξουσι δὲ τὴν ἀσέὄειαν καθ᾽ ἑκάστην, ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν, ἡμέραν, ἐκ χρυσοῦ καὶ ἀργύρου τεχταινόμενοι ζώων διαφόρων ἰνδάλματα, καὶ χειροποιήτοις εἰδώλοις λατρεύοντες. ΤἸοσούτῳ γὰρ οἴστρῳ περὶ ταῦτα χατέχονται, ὡς τῷ πλήθει τῶν ἱερείων ἐπιλιπεῖν τῶν θυμάτών τὸ γένος, καὶ τολμῆσαι αὐτοὺς εἰπεῖν" « θύσατε ἀνθρώπους μόσχοι γὰρ ἐχλελοίπατσι. (γ..) Διὰ Ξοῦτο ἔσονται ὡς νεφέλη πρώϊνὴ, καὶ ὡς σώμενος 5 λαίλαπ! ἀπὸ ἅλωνος, καὶ ὡς ἀτμὶς "᾽ ἀπὸ ἀκρίδων "5.» Ταύτης ἕνεκα, φησὶ, τῆς ἀπεδείας, φρούδους αὐτοὺς ποιήσω τῇ τῶν πολεμίων ἐφόδῳ, Καθάπερ γὰρ τὴν ἑωθινὴν δρόσον, καὶ τὴν κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν καιρὸν ἐπιφαινομένην νεφέλην, ἀνίσχων ὁ ἥλιος τὴν μὲν δαπανᾷ ῥᾳδίως, τὴν δὲ σχεδάννυσιν εὐπετῶς, τὸν δὲ τῆς ἅλω 5" χνοῦν βίαιος ἄνεμος εὖμαρῶς ἀφανίζει, ἀτμὸν δὲ ἐν ἀέρι γινόμενον νέφος ἀκρίδων ἐπιγενόμενον διαλύει" οὕτως ὑμᾶς τῶν πολεμίων ἀναλώσει τὸ νέφος, καὶ τὴν νῦν ὑφ᾽ ὑμῶν οἱκουμένην γῆν ἔρημον καταστήσει. δ΄. « Ἐγὼ γάρ εἶμι Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου, στερεῶν " οὐρανὸν, καὶ κτίζων γῆν, οὗ αἱ 38 χεῖρες ἔπλασαν τὴν δ᾽ στρατιὰν αὐτοῦ. » Τουτέστιν Ὁ τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν οὐ μόνον χτίξων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ἐπιμένειν αὑτοῖς ἐπὶ πλεῖστον δωρούμενος: ἐγὼ καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν στρατιὰν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ εἰς τὸ εἶναι παρήγαγον, εἴτε ὁρατὴν, εἴτε ἀόρατον, εἴτε τὰς ἄνω δυνά. μεῖς καὶ νοητὰς φύσεις, εἴτε τῶν ἀστέρων τὸ πλῆθος, σὺν ἡλίῳ καὶ σελήνῃ, τοῖς μεγάλοις φω- « Καὶ οὐ παρέδειξά σοι αὐτὰ τοῦ πορεύεσθαι ὀπίσω αὐτῶν. (ε'.) Καὶ ἐγὼ ἀνήγαγόν σε ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου, καὶ Θεὸν πλὴν ἐμοῦ οὐ γνώσῃ, καὶ σώζων οὐκ ἔστι πάρεξ ἐμοῦ.» Νομοθετῶν γάρ σοι μετὰ τὴν γενομένην ἐλευθερίαν, καὶ τῆς Αἰγύπτου τὴν ἀπαλλαγὴν, παρηὐγύησα μηδένα ἕτερον πλὴν ἐμοῦ εἰδέναι Θεόν. « Οὐ ποιήσεις γὰρ, εἶπον, παντὸς ὁμοίωμα, ὅσᾳ ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ἄνω 55, καὶ ὅσα ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς κάτω, καὶ ὅσα ἐν τοῖς ὕδασι ὑποχάτω τῆς γῆς.» Οὐ μόνον δέ σε τῆς πικρᾶς τῶν Αἰγυπτίων ἡλευθέρωσα δουλείας, ( ἀλλὰ καὶ ε« Ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ἑποίμαινόν σε, ἐν γῇ ἀοιχήτῳ. (ς΄.) Κατὰ τὰς νομὰς αὐτῶν. » ᾿Αντὶ τοῦ, Τὰς ἀρμοττούσας σοι χορηγῶν χρείας, μάννα ἐξ οὐρανοῦ, ὀρτυγομήτρας ἐκ θαλάττης, ὕδωρ ἐκ πέτρας. Οὐ γὰρ, ὡς ὃν ἐρήμῳ διάγοντες, ἐν σπάνει τῶν ἀναγκαίων ἦσαν, ἀλλ᾽ « Ἐνεπλήσθησαν εἰς πλησμονὴν, καὶ ὑψώθησαν αἱ καρδίαι αὐτῶν " ἕνεκεν τούτου ἔπελάθοντό μου. ν Τοιαῦτα καὶ ὁ θεῖος ἔφη περὶ αὐτῶν Μωσῆς " « Καὶ "6 ἔφαγεν Ἰαχὼδ, καὶ ἐνεπλήσθη, καὶ ἀπελάχτισεν ὁ ἡγαπημένος, ἑλιπάνθη, ἐπαχύνθη, ἐπλατύνθη, καὶ ἐγκατέλιπε Κύριον τὸν ποιήσαντα αὐτόν. » ᾿Αλλ᾽ οὐκ ἐάσω αὐτὸν, φησὶν "7, ἀπαίζ΄. ε« Ἔσομαι δὲ αὐτῷ, φησὶν, ὡς πάνθηρ, καὶ ὡς πάρδαλις, κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν τῶν " ᾿Ασσυρίων. » Τοὺς γὰρ θηριώδεις αὐτῷ πολεμίους ἐπαναστήσω, ρος δίκην καὶ παρδάλεως χρησομένους αὐτῷ. ᾿Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ αὐτὸς, ἅτε δὴ πάντα "" πρυτανεύων, ἐπάγει τοὺς σθαι λέγει. Προστέθεικε δὲ, ὅτι η΄. « ᾿λπαντήσομαι αὐτοῖς ὡς ἄρκος ἀπορουμένη, καὶ διαῤῥήξω συγκλεισμὸν καρδίας αὐτῶν. » Καθάπερ γὰρ ἡ ἄρκος στενοχωρουμένη, καὶ φυγεῖν οὐ '" δυναμένη, μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς μανίας τοῖς προσιοῦσιν ἐπέρχεται" οὕτως οἱ πολέμιοι φειδοῦς αὑτοὺς οὐδεμιᾶς ἀξιώσουσιν, ἀλλ᾽ ὠμὴν καὶ ἀπηνῆ περὶ αὐτοὺς ἐπιδεέξονται γνώμην. Ταῦτα δὲ εἰς αὐτοὺς διαπράξομαι, τὴν συγχεχλεισμένην αὐτῶν καρδίαν καὶ διαπῇ μένουσαν, διανοῖξαι καὶ χατανῦξαι βουλόμενος, καὶ εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν τοῦ προτήχοντος ἀγαγεῖν. ε Καὶ καταφάγονται αὐτοὺς ἐκεῖ σχύμνοι δρυμοῦ, καὶ θηρία ἀγροῦ διασπάσει αὐτούς.» Διαφόρως εἴρηκε τὰ αὐτὰ, τῷ πλήθει τῶν φοδερῶν εἰκόνων τοὺς ἀναλγησίαν νεῖ καθ᾽ αὐτὸν, καὶ ὀνειδίζει, καὶ τῆς προτέρας ἀδελθ΄, ὑ, ε Τῇ διαφθορᾷ " σου, Ἰσραὴλ, τίς βοηθήσει σοι ὃ; Ποῦ ὁ βασιλεύς σου οὗτος : καὶ διασωσάτιυ σε ἐν πάσαις ταῖς πόλεσί σου, καὶ χρινάτω σε, ὃν εἶπας" Δός μοι βασιλέα καὶ ἄρχοντα. » Τίς ἂν πρὸς ἀξίαν τὴν διαφθοράν σου, ὦ Ἰσραὴλ, θρηνήσειε; Μεμένηχας γὰρ πάσης ἔρημος βοηθείας, καὶ ταῦτα ὑπὸ βασιλέως ἀρχόμενος, καὶ ὑπὸ τούτῳ πολιτευόμενος " τὴν γὰρ ἐμὴν ἀτιμάσας ἡγεμονίαν, ἄνθοωπον ἔχειν ια΄. « Ἐγὼ δὲ ἔδωκά σοι ἐν τῇ ὀργῇ μου " ἀλλὰ ἀνέαχον " πάλιν ἐν τῷ θυμῷ μον. » Ὀργισθεὶς μὲν γὰρ διὰ τὴν ἄλογον αἴτησιν, ἔδωκά σοι τὸν Σαούλ " ἀνεξικακίᾳ δὲ καὶ μακροθυμίᾳ πάλιν χρησάμενος, ἀντεισήγαγον τὸν Δαδίδ. Τοῦτο γὰρ λέγει" « ᾿Ανέσχον ἐν τῷ θυμῷ μου"» ἀντὶ τοῦ, Μακροθυμίᾳ ἐχρη- ιβ΄. « Συστροφὴ " ἀδικίας Ἐφραῖμ, ἐγχεχρυμμένη ἡ ἁμαρτία αὐτοῦ. » "Ἔοικε τοῦτο τοῖς ὑπὸ Ἡσαῖον λεχθεῖσιν " « Οὐαὶ, οἱ ἐπισπώμενοι τὰς ἁμαρτίας ὡς σχοινίῳ μακρῷ ! » Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ἐνταῦθα λέγει, ὅτι ὁ Ἐφραϊμὶσυστρέφει τὰς ἀδικίας, καὶ αὔξει διηνεκῶς, βουλῇ πονηρᾷ κεχρημένος. Τὸ γὰρ, ε ᾿Εγχεχρυμμένη ἡ ἁμαρτία αὐτοῦ, ν τοῦτο δηλοῖ, τουτέστι, Εἰς βάθος ἔχει τὴν πονηρίαν - ἀλλὰ τοσούτοις αὐτὸν σίως ὀδυνᾶσθαι. Εἶτα ὡς κατ᾽ ἐρώτησιν πρὸς τὸν Ἰσραήλ᾿ : υγύ. « Οὗτος ὁ" υἱός σου ὁ φρόνιμος. » Τοῦτον, φησὶ Ἷ, τοῦ Μανασσῇ προτετίμηχας, καὶ νέον ὄντα τοῦ πρεσδυτέρου προέταξας " ἀλλ' ἀντὶ τῆς τιμῆς ἐκείνης ἀτιμίαν" περιδληθήσεται. «Οὐ γὰρ μὴ ὑποστῇ ἐν συντριδῇ τέχνων αὑτοῦ.» Οὔτε γὰρ τοῖς περιοίχοις πολεμουμένοις ἐπαμῦναι δυνήσεται. Οὕτω τὰ λυπηρὰ παραγγείλας, ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν χρηστῶν ἐπαγγελίαν πάλιν μεταφέρει τὸν λόγον. ιδ'. « Ἐκ χειρὸς ἄδου ῥύσομαι αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἐκ θανάτου λυτρώσομαι αὐτούς. » Εἶτα παιανίζειν κατὰ τοῦ θανάτου κελεύει, ε« Ποῦ ἡ δίκη σου, θάνατε; ποῦ τὸ κέντρον σου, ἄδη; » Ταῦτα τυπικῶς μὲν ἐπὶ τῆς ἐπανόδου τῶν Ἰουδαίων γεγένηται " καλεῖ γὰρ τροπικῶς τὴν ἐν τῇ αἰχμαλωσίᾳ διαγωγὴν ἄδην» καὶ θάγατον. Ἐντελὲς δὲ καὶ ἀληθὲς ἐδέξατο πέρας μετὰ τὴν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἀνάστασιν" τῆς γὰρ ἡμετέρας ἀπαρχῆς ἀναστάσης͵ ἅπαντες ἡμεῖς ἐδεξάμεθα τῆς ἀναστάσεως τὴν ἐλπίδα. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἐν τῇ τοῦ Ἰεζεχιὴλ προφητείᾳ ἔστιν εὑρεῖν" καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖ ἡ τῶν ὀστῶν ἀναδίωσις τὰ δύο σημαίνει, καὶ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ τὴν ἐπάνοδον (ὃς τὰς χρηστὰς ἀποχόψας ἐλπίδας ἔλεγεν: ε Ἐχλελοίπαμεν, ξηρὰ γέγονε τὰ ὀστὰ ἡμῶν), » καὶ τὴν κοινὴν ἀπάντων ἀνθρώπων ἀνάστασιν. Τύπος γὰρ τὰ περὶ Ἰουδαίους γεγενημένα τῆς περὶ πάντας ἀνθρώπους τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων κηδεμονίας. ε Παράκλησις κέκρυπται ἀπὸ ὀφθαλμῶν μου, διότι, οὗτος ἀναμέσον ἀδελφῶν διαστελεῖ.» Δῦτη δὲ, φησὶν, ἡ παραψυχὴ τῆς χρηστοτέρας ἐλπίδος, καὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἣ προσδοκία, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν αἰχμαλώτων γιγνομένων Ἰουδαέων, καὶ ἀπὸ πάντων ἀνθρώπων τέως κεκρῦφθαι. δοχεξ οἵ τε γὰρ Ἰουδαῖοι νοι συγγενείας, καὶ κατὰ διαέρεσιν καὶ διανομὴν δουλεύειν ἀναγκαζόμενοι, τῆς ἀναχλήσεως εἶχον ἐλπίδα - καὶ ἅπαντες ἄνθρωποι, τὸν θάνατον ὁρῶντες ἄρδην ἀμῶντα τὴν φύσιν, καὶ νῦν μὲν ἀδελνῦν δὲ παιδὸς πατέρα στε- ᾿Αλλ᾽ ὅμως ἀληθῆ, φησὶ, τὰ εἰρημένα, κἂν ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντο; ἄδηλα ἣ τοῖς πολλοῖς. ### English translation (Claude) 14. "Ephraim angered me and provoked me, and his blood will be poured out upon him, and the Lord will repay him his reproach according to the word of Ephraim." This man, he says, though he traces his descent from that one, provokes me to anger, living in every wickedness; but he will reap the sheaves of what he sows, paying penalties proportionate to what he has done. For having received from me ordinances and laws by which he ought to live, he loved instead the lawlessness of the idols, and from them he reaped death instead of life. They increase their impiety every day, so to speak, crafting from gold and silver images of various animals and worshiping handmade idols. For they are gripped by such frenzy for these that the kinds of victims fail for the multitude of the sacrifices, and they dare to say: "Sacrifice men, for the calves have failed. 3. Therefore they will be like a morning cloud, and like chaff blown by a whirlwind from a threshing floor, and like vapor from locusts." Because of this impiety, he says, I will make them vanish by the onset of the enemies. For as the rising sun easily consumes the morning dew and readily scatters the cloud that appears at that time, as a violent wind easily makes the chaff of the threshing floor vanish, and a cloud of locusts coming on dissolves the vapor in the air, so the cloud of the enemies will consume you and make the land you now inhabit desolate. 4. "For I am the Lord your God, who makes the heaven firm and creates the earth, whose hands formed all its host." That is: I, who not only create heaven and earth but also grant them to endure for very long, brought into being all the host of heaven, whether visible or invisible, whether the powers above and the intelligible natures, or the multitude of the stars with the sun and moon, the great lights … "And I did not show them to you so that you should go after them. And I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and you shall know no God besides me, and there is no savior beside me." For when I gave you laws after the freedom you obtained and the deliverance from Egypt, I charged you to know no other God but me: "You shall not make," I said, "a likeness of anything that is in heaven above, and that is on the earth below, and that is in the waters beneath the earth." And I not only freed you from the bitter slavery of the Egyptians, but also "5. I shepherded you in the desert, in an uninhabited land, 6. according to their pastures." That is, supplying the needs suited to you: manna from heaven, quails from the sea, water from the rock. For though they lived in the desert, they were not in want of necessities; but "they were filled to satiety, and their hearts were lifted up; because of this they forgot me." The divine Moses too said such things about them: "And Jacob ate and was filled, and the beloved kicked; he grew fat, he grew thick, he grew broad, and he forsook the Lord who made him." But I will not let him go, he says, unpunished. "7. I will be to him like a panther and like a leopard by the way of the Assyrians." For I will raise up against him beastly enemies, who will treat him like a panther and a leopard. For since he himself, as governing all things, brings the enemies on them, he says that he … He added: "8. I will meet them like a bear in distress, and I will tear open the enclosure of their heart." For as the bear, when hemmed in and unable to flee, attacks those who approach with great fury, so the enemies will count them worthy of no mercy, but will show a cruel and harsh mind toward them. I will do these things to them, wishing to open and pierce their heart, shut up as it is and remaining hard, and to bring them to the knowledge of what is fitting. "And the whelps of the forest will devour them there, and the beasts of the field will tear them apart." He said the same things in different ways, [striking] by the multitude of fearful images those who are sick with insensibility … against him, reproaches him, and … of his former … "9, 10. In your destruction, Israel, who will help you? Where is this king of yours? Let him save you in all your cities, and let him judge you, of whom you said, Give me a king and ruler." Who could lament your destruction as it deserves, O Israel? For you have remained bereft of all help, and this while you are ruled by a king and live under him; for having dishonored my leadership, [you chose] to have a man … "11. And I gave you [a king] in my anger, and I held back again in my wrath." For angered by the irrational request, I gave you Saul; but using forbearance and long-suffering again, I brought in David instead. For this is what he says: "I held back in my wrath," that is, I used long-suffering … "12. A gathering of injustice is Ephraim; his sin is hidden." This resembles what was said by Isaiah: "Woe to those who draw their sins as with a long rope!" For he says this here too: that Ephraim gathers up injustices and increases them continually, using an evil counsel. For "his sin is hidden" indicates this, that is, he holds his wickedness in the depths; but by so many … to suffer pain. Then, as though by a question to Israel: "13. This is your son, the wise one." This one, he says, you preferred to Manasseh, and set him, the younger, before the elder; but instead of that honor he will be clothed with dishonor. "For he will not stand in the breaking of his children." For he will not be able to help even his neighbors when they are attacked. Having thus announced the painful things, he again turns his discourse to the promise of good things. "14. From the hand of Hades I will rescue them, and from death I will redeem them." Then he bids them sing a paean over death: "Where is your penalty, O death? Where is your sting, O Hades?" These things happened in figure at the return of the Jews; for he figuratively calls the life in captivity Hades and death. But they received their complete and true fulfillment after the resurrection of our Savior: for when our first fruits rose, all of us received the hope of the resurrection. One can find this in the prophecy of Ezekiel too: for there the revival of the bones signifies two things, both the return of Israel (who had cut off good hopes and said, "We have failed, our bones have become dry") and the common resurrection of all human beings. For what happened concerning the Jews is a type of the care of the God of all for all human beings. "Comfort is hidden from my eyes, for he will divide between brothers." This consolation of a better hope, he says, and the expectation of the resurrection, seems for the time being to be hidden both from the Jews who became captives and from all human beings. For the Jews, [separated from their] kin and compelled to serve, divided and distributed, had [no] hope of recall; and all human beings, seeing death utterly mowing down their nature, separating now brother from brother, now father from child … Yet what has been said is true, he says, even if for the present it is unclear to the many. ### Scripture references - Hos 12:14: quotation, high confidence - Hos 13:1: allusion, high confidence - Hos 13:2: quotation, high confidence - Hos 13:3: quotation, high confidence - Hos 13:4: quotation, high confidence - Hos 13:5: quotation, high confidence - Hos 13:6: quotation, high confidence - Hos 13:7: quotation, high confidence - Hos 13:8: quotation, high confidence - Hos 13:9: quotation, high confidence - Hos 13:10: quotation, high confidence - Hos 13:11: quotation, high confidence - Hos 13:12: quotation, high confidence - Hos 13:13: quotation, high confidence - Hos 13:14: quotation, high confidence - Exod 20:4: quotation, high confidence - Exod 16:13: allusion, high confidence - Exod 17:6: allusion, high confidence - Deut 32:15: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 8:5: quotation, high confidence - Gen 48:14: allusion, high confidence - Isa 5:18: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 15:55: allusion, high confidence - 1 Cor 15:20: echo, medium confidence - Ezek 37:11: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Hos 12:14 (LXX 12:15); 13:1–14 (13:1–2 paraphrased). Migne's Latin column breaks into the section in several places and is removed by logged corrections. Lines lost in the scan are marked "…" (among them part of the comment on 13:7, on 13:8b–9, after "to have a man" in 13:10, and the lemma of 13:13a); words in brackets are supplied by sense, including the negative in "had [no] hope of recall". - "Sacrifice men": Theodoret's text of Hos 13:2 (LXX θύσατε ἀνθρώπους). "I gave you [a king]": the noun is lost in the scan. "Where is your penalty, O death?": LXX of Hos 13:14, quoted in 1 Cor 15:55. - Exod 20:4; Exod 16:13–15; 17:6; Deut 32:15; 1 Sam 8:5; Gen 48:14–20; Isa 5:18; Ezek 37:11. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.12.15 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-12-15). ## Commentary on Hosea 13:15 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-12-1/#p-1-13-15 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The burning wind is Cyrus, who destroyed Babylon; Samaria will fall, but Israel is called to return to God, who will make it blossom like a lily, as the soul clothed in baptism, and the commentary on Hosea closes with the call to wisdom and a doxology. ### Greek text ιε΄, « Ἐπάξει γὰρ Κύριος ἄνεμον καύσωνα ἐκ τῆς ἐρήμου ἐπ᾽ αὐτὸν, καὶ ἀναξηρανεῖ τὰς φλέβας αὑτοῦ, καὶ ἐξερημώσει τὰς πηγὰς αὑτοῦ " οὗτος ἐρημώσει.; τὴν γῆν αὐτοῦ, καὶ πάντα τὰ σχεύη αὐτοῦ τὰ ἐπιθυμητά. » Αἰνίττεται δὲ διὰ τούτων Κῦρον τὸν συρίων, εἴτουν Βαδυ) ὠνίων, τὴν βασιλείαν, καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν βασιλικὴν συγγένειαν διαφίῇείραντα "", καὶ τὰς τῆς τυραννίδος ἀφελόμενον ἀφορμάς " ταύτας " γὰρ τροπικῶς πηγὰς καὶ φιλέδως προσαγορεύει. ἮἨθουλήθη δὲ διὰ τούτων διδάξαι, τίνι τρόπῳ καταλύσει ὃν τροπικχῶς θάνατον καὶ ἄδην ἐκάλεσεν. ᾿Αλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν μετὰ ταῦτα γενήσετα: " νῦν δὲ, α΄. «᾿Αφανισθήσεται Σαμάρεια. ν Ἐναντία δρᾶσαι τετολμήχυζα τῷ θείῳ θελήματι, καὶ τοῦ πολέμον γενήσεται παρανάλωμα καὶ ὄψονται οἱ ταύτης οἰκή" τορες, τὰ μὲν ὑπομάζια παιδία τῇ γῇ προσρηγνύμενα, τὰς δὲ χυοφορούσας μετὰ τῶν ἐμδρύων ἀναιρουμένας 3". ᾿Αλλ᾽ ἵνα τούτων μὴ δέξῃ τὴν πεῖραν, β΄. « Ἐπιστράφηθι, ὦ ' Ἰσραὴλ, πρὸς Κύριον τὸν Θεόν σου. » Πολὺν γὰρ ἐν ταῖς παρανομίαις χατανἦλωσας χρόνον. Εἶτα καὶ διδάσκει αὐτοὺς, ποίοις προσήκει χρήσασθαι λόγοις τὸν Θεὸν ἐξιλεουμένους. Εἴπατε γὰρ, φησὶ, εδΔύνασαι '6 πᾶσαν ἀφαιρεῖν ἁμαρτίαν. ν Ταύτην γὰρ αὐτῷ τὴν ἱκετηρίαν προσφέροντες, οὐ λήψεσθε μὲν τῆς ἀδικίας τὰ ἐπίχειρα, ἐν ἀπολαύσει δὲ γενήσεσθε παντοδαπῶν ἀγαθῶν. Πρόσθετε δὲ ἐκείνοις τοῖς λόγοις, τὸν Σιυτῆρα καὶ εὖὐἐργέτην ἀντιθολοῦντες, ὡς Οὐκέτι οὐδενὶ ἀνθρώπων θαῤῥήσομεν, οὐκ ᾿Ασσυρίοις, οὐκ Αἰγυπτίοις, οὐκ ἵππων πλήθει, οὔτε μὴν θεοὺς νομιοῦμεν τὰ χειρόχμητα εἴδωλα, Τούτων γὰρ ὑπὸ σοῦ λεγομένων, ὁ "7 ἐν σοὶ συνεχῶς φαινόμενος Κύριος ἐλεήσει ὀρφανόν" τουτέστι, τὸν ὀρφανοῦ δίχτν ἀτημέλητον ὄντα σε, καὶ ἀχηδεμόνευτον, πάσης ἀξιώσει προνοίας, καὶ ἰάσεως δὲ μεταδώσω σοι, τῶν ἐπικειμένων ἀπαλλάττων κακῶν. Γνησίως δὲ περὶ σὲ διαθήσομαι, καὶ πᾶταν τὴν ἐπενεχθεῖσάν σοι καταπαύσω παιδείαν " χορηγήσω δέ σοι οἷόν τινα δρόσον τὰς ἐμὰς δωρεὰς, ὡς ἂν σεν εἰρηκώς " ς΄. ε«Ἔσομαι ὡς ᾽" δρόσος τῷ Ἰσραὴλ, ἀνθήσε: ὡς κρίνον. » Πολλαχοῦ δὲ τούτου τοῦ 1 ἄνθους ἡ θεία μέμνηται Γραφή. Καὶ Ἡσαῖας μὲν βοᾷ - « Εὐφρανθήτω ἡ ἔρημος, καὶ ἀνθείτω ὡς κρίνον. » Ἔν δὲ τῷ γλτματι τῶν ἀσμάτων περὶ τῆς νύμφης ὁ νυμφίος φησίν" ε Ὡς κρίνον ἐν μέσῳ ἀκανθῶν, οὕτως ἡ ἀδελφιδή μου᾽ ἀναμέσον τῶν θυγατέρων. » Καὶ ὁ Κύρος δὲ ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς Εὐαγγελίοις, ε« ᾿Αποδλέψατε"", φησὶν, εἰς τὰ κρίνα τοῦ ἀγροῦ. ᾿Αμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, οὔτε Σολομὼν ἐν πάσῃ τῇ δόξῃ αὐτοῦ ὡς ἕν τούτων. » Πανταχόθεν τοίνυν μανθάνομεν, ὡς ς πρὸ; τῇ εὐωδίᾳ καὶ ἡ λαμπρότης τοῦ ἄνθους θαυμάζεται. Ταύτῃ δὲ παραδάλλεται ἡ τοῦ ῥύπου τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἀπηλλαγμένη ψυχὴ, καὶ τὴν λαμπροτάτην τοῦ βαπτίσματος περιδεθλημένη στολὴν, περὶ ἧς καὶ Ἥσαϊας βοᾷ ε ᾿Αγαλλιάσθω ἡ ψυχή μου ἐπὶ τῷ Κυρίῳ' ἐνέδυσε γάρ με ἱμάτιον σωτηρίου, καὶ χιτῶνα εὐφροσύνης.» Τούτῳ γὰρ παραπλησίως τῷ κρίνῳ καὶ ὁ Ἰσραὴλ τὸν Θεὸν ἐπιγνοὺς, «ε ᾿Ανθήσει, φησὶ, καὶ βαλεῖ τὰς ῥίζας αὑτοῦ ὡς Λίδανος. » Δηλοῖ δὲ τὸ ὄρος τὸ ταῖς χέδροις χατεστεμμένον. Εἶτα τὸ ἐσόμενον αἰνιττόμενος πλῆθος" ζ΄. ε« Πορεύσονται οἱ κλάδοι αὐτοῦ. » Προαγορεύει καὶ τὸν"" τῆς εὐσεδείας καρπόν" « Καὶ ἔσται ὡς ἐλαία κατάκαρπος, καὶ ἡ ὀσφρασία αὑτοῦ ὡς Λιδάνου. ν Διδάσκει δὲ καὶ τῶν ἀγαθῶν τὴν αἰτίαν" ἢ᾿. ε« Ἐπιστρέψουσι, καὶ καθιοῦνται ὑπὸ "5" τὴν σκέπην αὐτοῦ" ν τουτέστι, τοῦ Θεοῦ. ε Καὶ ζήσονται, καὶ στηριχθήσονται ᾽"" σίτῳ, καὶ ἐξανθήσει ὡς ἄμπελος τὸ μνημόσυνον αὐτῶν, ὡς οἶνος Λιδάνον. »᾽Αποταττόμενοι γὰρ τῇ πλάνῃ τῶν εἰδώλων, καὶ τῇ ἐμῇ ται τὴν ἀφθονίαν, καὶ οἴνῳ εὐώδει παραπλησίως, ἐν τῷ Λιδάνῳ γεωργουμένῳ, τὴν τῆς ἀρετῆς ἕξουσιν εὐοσμίαν, καὶ τὴν ἐντεῦθεν εὐφημίαν χαρπώσονται, θ΄. «Τῷ Ἐφραῖμ. Τί αὐτῷ ἔτι καὶ εἰδώλοις : » Μαθὼν τοίνυν Ἐφραῖμ, οἵα τῆς εὐσεδείας ἣ κτῆσις, φύγε τῶν εἰδώλων τὴν πλάνην ᾿ τούτου γάρ σε χάριν καὶ ἐταπείνωσα παιδεύσας, καὶ δυνατὸν ἀποφανῶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ χρησάμενος, καὶ παραπλησίως ἀρχεύθῳ πεπυχνωμένῃ ᾿ γενήσομαί σοι, καὶ τοὺς παρ᾽ ἐμοῦ τρυγήσεις καρπούς. ᾿Αειθαλὴς γὰρ ἡ ἄρχευθος, καὶ ἄσηπτον ἔχουσα τὴν φύσιν, καὶ ἀκανθώδη κόμην περικειμένη. Δηλοῖ δὲ διὰ τούτων, ὅτι Σὲ παντοδαπῆς ἀξιώσας προνοίας ἀλύμαντον ρήσω, τοὺς ἐπιόντας σοι καθάπερ τισὶ χαταπλήττων Β ἀκίσιν. Οὕτω πᾶσαν συμπεράνας "5 τὴν προφητείαν, φόρον. τς ε Τίς σοφὸς, καὶ συνήσει ταῦτα; ἣ συνετὸς, καὶ γνώσεται αὐτά; ὅτι εὐθεῖαι αἱ ὁδοὶ τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ δίκαιοι πορεύσονται ἐν αὐταῖς " οἱ δὲ ἀσεδεῖς σουσιν ἐν αὐταῖς.» Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ὁ θεῖος Δαβὶδ τὰς θείας διεξελθὼν εὐεργεσίας ἐν τῷ ἑκατοστῷ καὶ ἔκτῳ ψαλμῷ τέλος ἐπιτέθειχε τῇ μελῳδίᾳ" «ε Τίς σοφὸς, καὶ φυλάξει ταῦτα, καὶ συνήσουσι " τὰ ἐλέη τῶ Κυρίου; » Σοφίας γὰρ τῷ ὄντι καὶ συνέσεως δεῖ, καὶ εἰς τὴν γνῶσιν καὶ κατανόησιν τῶν θείων )ο- Ὑίων, καὶ εἰς τὴν τούτων ἐκπλήρωσίν τε καὶ διατήρησιν " οὔτε γὰρ συνιέναι ταῦτα δυνατὸν τοὺς τοῦ θείου Πνεύματος τὴν αἴγλην μὴ δεξαμένους, οὔτε φυλάξαι μὴ τῆς ἄνωθεν ἀπολαύοντας βοηθείας. δὲ τοσαύτην καὶ τοιαύτην περὶ τὸν Θεὸν εὔνοιαν ἐνδεικνύμενοι, τῆς ἐκεῖθεν ἐπικουρίας τυγχάνοντες, τὰς εὐθείας διαπερῶσιν ὁδοὺς, καὶ δίκαιοι χρημπτίζουσιν " οἱ δὲ ἀσεδείᾳ συζῶντες, καὶ τὴν ἐναντίαν ὁδεύοντες, δρέπονται τῆς ἀσεύείας τὰ ἐπίχειρα" παράσχοι δὲ ὁ τῶν ἁπάντων θεὸς, πάντας ἀνθρώπους ἐθέλων σωθῆνα:, καὶ εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας ἐλθεῖν, μὴ ταύτης ἡμᾶς, ἀλλ᾽ ἐκείνης γενέσθαι τῆς μοίβαξν ἵνα κατὰ τοὺς θείους αὐτοῦ πολιτευόμενοι νόμους, δ» ξάζωμεν αὐτὸν, κατὰ τὸν ἱερὸν ᾿Απόστολον, κἀν τῷ σώματι, κἀν τῷ πνεύματι " ὅτι αὐτῷ πρέπει πᾶσι δόξα, τιμὴ, καὶ προσκύνησις, σὺν τῷ μονογενεῖ αὖτοῦ Υἱῷ, καὶ τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ Ὁ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. ᾿Αμήν 5, ΄ ### English translation (Claude) 15. "For the Lord will bring a burning wind from the desert upon him, and will dry up his veins, and will make his springs desolate; he will lay waste his land and all his desirable vessels." By this he hints at Cyrus, who destroyed the kingdom of the Assyrians, or rather of the Babylonians, and all the royal kin, and took away the resources of their tyranny; these he figuratively calls springs and veins. By this he wished to teach in what way he will destroy the one he figuratively called death and Hades. But these things will happen afterward; now, however, "1. Samaria will be destroyed," since she has dared to act contrary to the divine will, and she will become a casualty of the war; and her inhabitants will see the nursing children dashed against the ground and the pregnant women killed with their unborn. But so that you may not experience these things, "2. Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God." For you have spent much time in lawlessness. Then he also teaches them what words they should use to propitiate God. "Say," he says, "You are able to take away all sin." For if you offer him this supplication, you will not receive the wages of your injustice, but will come to enjoy good things of every kind. And add to those words, as you entreat the Savior and benefactor: We will no longer trust in any human being, not in Assyrians, not in Egyptians, not in a multitude of horses; nor will we consider handmade idols gods. When you say these things, the Lord who appears continually among you "will have mercy on the orphan": that is, you who were neglected and uncared for like an orphan he will count worthy of all providence. And I will give you healing too, freeing you from the evils that press on you. I will be genuinely disposed toward you, and will stop all the discipline brought upon you; and I will supply my gifts to you like dew, so that … he said: "6. I will be like dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lily." The divine Scripture mentions this flower in many places. Isaiah cries: "Let the desert rejoice and blossom like a lily." And in the Song of Songs the bridegroom says of the bride: "As a lily among thorns, so is my beloved among the daughters." And the Lord in the holy Gospels says: "Look at the lilies of the field. Truly I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory was like one of these." From all sides, then, we learn that besides its fragrance the brightness of the flower is admired. To it is compared the soul that has been freed from the filth of sin and clothed with the most brilliant robe of baptism, of which Isaiah too cries: "Let my soul exult in the Lord; for he has clothed me with a garment of salvation and a tunic of gladness." Like this lily, Israel, having come to know God, "will blossom," he says, "and will cast forth his roots like Lebanon." He means the mountain crowned with cedars. Then, hinting at the multitude that is to be: "7. His branches will spread." He also foretells the fruit of piety: "And he will be like a fruitful olive, and his fragrance like Lebanon." He also teaches the cause of the good things: "8. They will return and sit under his shelter", that is, God's. "And they will live, and be established with grain, and their memorial will blossom like a vine, like the wine of Lebanon." For renouncing the error of the idols and [attending] to my [service], they will … the abundance [of grain], and, like fragrant wine, like Lebanon when it is cultivated, they will have the fragrance of virtue and reap the good repute that comes from it. "9. To Ephraim: What has he any more to do with idols?" Having learned, then, Ephraim, what the possession of piety is, flee the error of the idols; for this reason I humbled you by discipline, and I will make you strong by using loving-kindness, and I will be to you like a dense juniper, and you will gather fruits from me. For the juniper is evergreen, incorruptible by nature, and clothed in prickly foliage. By this he indicates: Counting you worthy of every kind of providence, I will keep you unharmed, striking those who attack you as with points. Having thus concluded the whole prophecy, he adds … "10. Who is wise, and will understand these things? Or prudent, and will know them? For the ways of the Lord are straight, and the righteous will walk in them, but the impious will … in them." The divine David too, having gone through the divine benefits in the hundred and sixth psalm, put this as the end of his song: "Who is wise, and will keep these things, and they will understand the mercies of the Lord?" For in truth wisdom and understanding are needed, both for the knowledge and comprehension of the divine oracles and for their fulfillment and keeping. For neither can those understand them who have not received the radiance of the divine Spirit, nor can those keep them who do not enjoy help from above. [Those who] show such and so great goodwill toward God, obtaining help from there, travel the straight ways and are called righteous; but those who live in impiety and walk the opposite way reap the wages of impiety. May the God of all, who wills all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth, grant that we be not of this lot but of that one, so that, living according to his divine laws, we may glorify him, as the holy Apostle says, both in body and in spirit; for to him belong all glory, honor and worship, with his only-begotten Son and the Holy Spirit, now and always and to the ages of ages. Amen. ### Scripture references - Hos 13:15: quotation, high confidence - Hos 13:16: quotation, high confidence - Hos 14:1: quotation, high confidence - Hos 14:2: quotation, high confidence - Hos 14:3: allusion, high confidence - Hos 14:4: quotation, medium confidence - Hos 14:5: quotation, high confidence - Hos 14:6: quotation, high confidence - Hos 14:7: quotation, high confidence - Hos 14:8: quotation, high confidence - Hos 14:9: quotation, high confidence - Isa 35:1: quotation, high confidence - Song 2:2: quotation, high confidence - Matt 6:28: quotation, high confidence - Matt 6:29: quotation, high confidence - Isa 61:10: quotation, high confidence - Ps 107:43 (106:43 LXX): quotation, high confidence - 1 Tim 2:4: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 6:20: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Hos 13:15–14:9 (LXX 13:15–14:10; Theodoret's verse numbers in chapter 14 follow the LXX: his 1 = English 13:16, his 2 = English 14:1, and so on). Migne's Latin column breaks into the section in three places and is removed by logged corrections. Words lost in the scan are marked "…" (in the comment on 14:5, in that on 14:8, before the lemma of 14:9 (LXX 14:10), and its verb "will stumble"). "Will have mercy on the orphan": the scan's garbled ἀρζαγόγ is corrected to ὀρφανόν, the LXX reading, which Theodoret explains in the next words. - "The hundred and sixth psalm": Ps 107:43 (LXX 106:43). Isa 35:1; Song 2:2; Matt 6:28–29; Isa 61:10; 1 Tim 2:4; 1 Cor 6:20 (with the Byzantine addition "and in your spirit"). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 1.13.15 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/1-13-15). ## Commentary on Joel 1:1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/2-1-1/#p-2-1-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Joel names his father to distinguish himself and presents his words as inspired by God, not human reasoning. ### Greek text α'. « Λόγος Κυρίου, ὃς ἐγένετο πρὸς ᾿Ιωὴλ τὸν ποῦ Βαθουὴλ ᾽". »Διὰ τὸ πολλοὺς, ὡς εἰκὸς, καὶ αὐ- “ἣν ἔχειν προσηγορίαν, καὶ τὸ τοῦ πατρὸς προστέθεικεν ὄνομα. Διδάσκει δὲ, ὡς οὐ λογισμῶν ἀνθρωπίνων εἰσὶν ὠδῖνες οἱ παο᾽ αὐτοῦ γινόμενοι λέγοι " ὑπὸ δὲ τοῦ Κυρίου τῶν ὅλων ἐμπνευσθεὶς, καὶ προορᾷ τὰ ἐσόμενα, καὶ προλέγει. ### English translation (Claude) 1. "The word of the Lord that came to Joel the son of Bathuel." Since many, as is likely, also bore this name, he added his father's name as well. He teaches that what he says are not the birth pangs of human reasonings, but that, inspired by the Lord of all, he both foresees and foretells what is to come. ### Scripture references - Joel 1:1: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Joel 1:1. No introduction (hypothesis) to Joel survives in the scan. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 2.1.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/2-1-1). ## Commentary on Joel 1:2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/2-1-1/#p-2-1-2 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Joel calls the elders to pass on to their children the memory of an unheard-of disaster; Theodoret holds that the plagues of caterpillar, locust, grub and blight really happened, as Amos and Jeremiah confirm, though some read them of the Assyrian and Babylonian kings. ### Greek text β΄. ε᾿Αχούσατε ταῦτα, οἱ πρεσθύτεροι, καὶ ἑἐνωτίεσασθς, πάντες οἱ κατοικοῦντες τὴν γῆν " εἰ γέγονε τοιαῦτα ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ὑμῶν, ἣ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις τῶν πατέρων ὑμῶν;:» Ὑμεῖς, φησὶν, οἱ πολὺν βεδιωχότες χρόνον, οἱ πλείονα πεῖραν, ὡς εἰκὸς, πραγμάτων δεξάμενοι, πατέρων τε καὶ προγόνων διἡγουμένων πολλάκις ἀκηκοότες, τῶν τῆς προφητείας σχοπήσατε παρ᾽ ὑμῖν αὑτοῖς, εἴ τι τοιοῦτο γεγένηται πρότερον, ἣ ἐφ᾽ ὑμῶν, ἧ ἐπὶ τῶν ὑμετέρων πατέρων " καὶ ἅπαντες δὲ οἱ τὸς ἐπαγγελίας 3" τὴν γῆν οἰκοῦντες, ἀχριδῶς τοῖς λεχθησομένοις προσέχετε. Εἶτα ἐπάγει, ὅτι Τούτων πεῖραν λαμθάνοντες, μὴ παράδοτε λήθῃ τὴν μνήμην, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἀγνοοῦσιν τῶν παίδων τὰ περὶ τούτων προςφέρετε διηγήματα " κἀκείνοις δὲ ἐντείλασθε εἰς τοὺς ἑαυτῶν ταῦτα διαπορθμεῦσαι παῖδας, καὶ ἡ μετ᾽ ἐκείνους γενεὰ δεχέσθω παρὰ τῆς πρὸ αὐτῆς τὴν περὶ τούτων διήγησιν. Τοιαῦτα καὶ ὁ μακάριος λέγε: Δαβίδ· «Ὅπως ἂν γνῷ γενεὰ ἑτέρα, υἱοὶ οἱ τεχθησόμενοι, καὶ ἀναστήσονται, καὶ ἀπαγγελοῦσιν αὐτὰ τοῖς υἱοῖς αὑτῶν. » Καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν διδάσκων, «ε Ἵνα θῶνται ἐπὶ τὸν Θεὸν, φησὶ, τὴν ἐλπίδα αὑτῶν. ν Μία τοίνυν ἡ τοῦ θείου Πνεύματος χάρις, ἡ τοῖς ἁγίοις προφήταις ἐμπνεύσασα, ἐκ τῶν εἰρημένων δείκνυται. Οὕτως εἰς ἀκρόασιν τῶν ῥηθησομένων τούς τε πρεσδυτέρους, καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἅπαντας διεγείρας, διηγεῖται λοιπὸν πᾶν τὸ πλῆθος τῶν συμφορῶν, καὶ λέγει, πρώτην μὲν κάμπην ἐπελεύσεσθαι, τὰ δὲ ὑπὸ τοαύτης μὴ διαφθαρέντα ὑπὸ ἀκρίδος ἀναλωυθήσεσθαι " ὅσα ξὲ «αύτην διαφεύξεται, δαπανήσειν τὸν βρυῦχον " ἐσχάτὴν δὲ τὴν ἐρυσίδην ἐπενεχθεῖσαν, μηδὲν παντελῶς χῶς εἴς τε τὸν ᾿Ασσύριον καὶ Βαδυλώνιον φασι" κάμπην μὰν τὸν Θεγλαφαλασὰρ ὀνομάσαντες" ἀκρίδα δὲ τὸν Σαλμανασάρ» τὸν δὲ Σενναχηρεὶμ ἅπασαν τὴν Ἰουδαίαν δῃώσαντα, καὶ τοὺς τὸν θάνατον διαφυγόντας αἰχμαλώτους ἀπαγαγόντα. Ἐγὼ δὲ ἀληθῆ μὲν ἡγοῦμαι καὶ ταῦτα " ὑπολαμδάνω δὲ καὶ τὰ κατὰ τὸ ῥητὸν νοούμενα τῷ ὄντι γεγενῆσθαι. Μέμνηται γὰρ καὶ ὁ μακάριος ᾿Αμὼς, καὶ ἀχρίδο:, καὶ βρόχου, καὶ πυρώσεως, καὶ ἱχτέρου, καὶ συκῶν, καὶ ἐλαιῶν, καὶ ἀμπέλων ὑπὸ χαμπῶν νων, καὶ πρὸς τούτοις αὐχμοῦ καὶ ἀνομδρίας. ει Με. ρὶς γὰρ, φησὶ, μία βραχήσεται, καὶ μερὶς ἐφ᾽ ἦν οὐ βρέξω, ξηρανθήσεται, ν Ταύτης δὲ καὶ ὁ θεσπέσιος Ἱερεμίας σαφῶς ἐμνημόνευσεν. Οὐ δεῖ τοιγαροῦν τροπικῶς μόνον ἐχλαδεῖν ςὰ εἰρημένα, συμφώνω; ἡμᾶς τῶν ἱερῶν προφητῶν διδαξάντων, ὡς καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἱστορίαν τὰ προλεχθέντα συνέθη. Ἵνα γὰρ μανὡς τῆς παρανομίας καὶ δυσσεδείας ποινὴν τίνοντες τοῖς ἐπιοῦσιν αὐτοῖς ἐκδίδονται πολεμίοις, εἰκότως καὶ ταῖς οὐρανόθεν ἐπιφερομέναις παιδείαις ἐδάλλοντο, διδασκόμενοι διὰ τούτων, ὡς ὁ παρ᾽ αὑτῶν ἀμελούμενος Θεὸς, καὶ τούτοις αὐτοὺς πυμωρεῖται, κἀκείνοις. προειῥηδὸς τοίνυν τὰ σκυθρωπὰ, παραίνεσιν εἰσφέρει καὶ συμθουλήν. ### English translation (Claude) 2. "Hear these things, you elders, and give ear, all you who inhabit the land: has such a thing happened in your days, or in the days of your fathers?" You, he says, who have lived a long time, who, as is likely, have had more experience of affairs, and have often heard your fathers and forebears telling their stories, … examine among yourselves whether any such thing has happened before, either in your own time or in the time of your fathers; and all you who inhabit the land of promise, attend carefully to what will be said. Then he adds: When you experience these things, do not consign the memory of them to oblivion, but tell the story of them to those of your children who do not know it; and command them to pass these things on to their own children, and let each generation receive the account of them from the one before it. Blessed David too says such things: "So that another generation may know, sons who will be born, and they will rise up and tell them to their sons." And teaching the reason, "That they may set their hope on God," he says. That the grace of the divine Spirit which inspired the holy prophets is one is thus shown from what has been said. Having thus roused the elders and all the others to listen to what will be said, he then narrates the whole multitude of the disasters, and says that first the caterpillar will come, and what is not destroyed by it will be consumed by the locust; whatever escapes the locust the grub will devour; and last the blight will come upon it, … nothing at all … they say of the Assyrian and the Babylonian, naming Tiglath-pileser the caterpillar and Shalmaneser the locust, and Sennacherib … who ravaged all Judea and carried off as captives those who escaped death. I think these things are true as well; but I suppose that what is understood according to the letter also really happened. For blessed Amos too mentions locust and grub, burning and mildew, and fig trees, olives and vines [destroyed] by caterpillars, and besides these drought and lack of rain: "For one portion," he says, "will be rained on, and the portion on which I do not rain will dry up." The inspired Jeremiah too clearly mentioned this drought. We must not, therefore, take what was said in a figurative sense only, since the holy prophets have taught us with one voice that what was foretold also happened according to the history. For since, paying the penalty for their lawlessness and impiety, they were handed over to the enemies who attacked them, they were rightly also struck by disciplines brought from heaven, being taught by these that the God whom they neglected punishes them both by these and by those. Having thus foretold the gloomy things, he brings in exhortation and counsel. ### Scripture references - Joel 1:2: quotation, high confidence - Joel 1:3: allusion, high confidence - Joel 1:4: allusion, high confidence - Ps 78:6 (77:6 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 78:7 (77:7 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Amos 4:9: allusion, high confidence - Amos 7:1: allusion, medium confidence - Amos 4:7: quotation, high confidence - Jer 14:1: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Joel 1:2–4 (1:3–4 paraphrased). Migne's Latin column and apparatus break into the section and are removed by logged corrections; the apparatus included a short scholion on Joel's name, tribe and burial (from the Lives of the Prophets), which is not Theodoret's text. Lines lost in the scan are marked "…" (among them the beginning of the figurative interpretation, attributed to unnamed interpreters, and the name given to the grub and the blight). Ps 78:6–7 (LXX 77:6–7); Amos 4:7, 9; 7:1–4; Jer 14:1–6. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 2.1.2 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/2-1-2). ## Commentary on Joel 1:5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/2-1-1/#p-2-1-5 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Joel calls the drunkards and the priests to mourn as the locust, or the Assyrian, devours the land; Theodoret notes that Scripture speaks of the future as past to confirm its certainty, and that the barrenness is caused by human lawlessness. ### Greek text ε΄. « Ἐκνήψατε, οἱ μεθύοντες, ἐξ οἴνου αὐτῶν, καὶ χλαύσατε δ" θρηνήσανε, πάντες οἱ πίνοντες οἷνον εἰς μέθην. » Μεταδάλετε, φησὶ τὴν ἀκρασίαν, καὶ τὴν τῆς χλιδῆς ἀμετρίαν, εἰς θρηνῳδίαν " οὐ γὰρ τὸ πίνειν οἶνον, χαχὺν, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἀμέτρως πίνειν ἐπιβλαβές. Ἑϊρηκὼς δὲ ἐξ οἵγου αὐτῶν, καὶ ἑτέραν ἡνίξατο μέθην, τὴν παντελῇ τῆς ψυχῆς ἐπὶ τὰ χείρω ῥοπὴν, καὶ τὴν παντοδαπῇ παρανομίαν οὕτω προσαγορεύσα:. Προσήκει δὲ ὑμᾶς, φησὶ, θρηνεῖν καὶ ὀδύρεσθαι, ὅτι δ᾽ τοῦ τὴν εὐφροσύνην ὑμῖν προξενοῦντος στερηθήσεσθς πάντη. Εἶτα διηγεῖται τὰ κατὰ τὴν ἀκρίδα, εἴτουν τὸν ᾿Ασσύριον - ἀμφότερα γὰρ αἰνίττεται, καὶ λέγει, ε ἔθνος ἀναθήσεσθαι ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν αὐτοῦ, ἀριθμοῦ τε χρεῖττον, καὶ ῥώμῃ καὶ δυνάμει χοσμούμενον. » Γῆν» δὲ αὐτοῦ τὴν τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ὀνομάξει γῆν ᾿ ἐπειδὴ καὶ τὸν Ἰσραὴ1 ἴδιον ὀνομάζει λαόν. ε Οἱ ὀδόντες αὐτοῦ ὀδόντες λέοντος, καὶ αἱ μῦλαι αὐτοῦ, ὡς σχύμνου αὑτοῦ. » Διαφόρως δὲ τὰ αὑτὰ εἴρηκε, ταῖς πλείουτι προσηγορίαι: καταπλῆξαι βουλόμενος " «έογτα γὰρ καὶ σχύμγον τὸν αὑτὸν καλεὶ " εἰ δὲ καὶ διαφόρως τις ἐθέλει νοξῖν, οὐ λυμανεῖται τῇ διανοίᾳ ἣ τε γὰρ ἀκρὶς ἔχει τὰς βραχυτέρας οἷόν τινας σχύμνους ἑπομένας, καὶ οἱ πολάμιοι πρὸς τοῖς μαχίμοις καὶ ἀριότεῦσιν, ἐπάγονται καὶ τοὺς ἔλαττον δυναμένους. Διηγεῖται δὲ καὶ τὰ παρὰ τούτων ἐδόμενα, ἀμπέλους ὑποδεικνὺς διαφθειρομένας, καὶ τὰ τούτων κλήματα λευχαινόμενα, καὶ συχᾶς γυμνουμένας τῆς κόμης, ὅπερ εἴωθε συμβαίνειν ἐπισχηπτούσης ἀκρίδος. Καὶ ὅτι οὐκ ὡς γεγενημένα ταῦτα λέγει, ἀλλ᾽ ὡς ἐσόμενα, ἡ ἐπαγωγὴ μαρτυρεῖ. τὴ. ε Θρηνήσει "δ γὰρ, φησὶ, πρός με ὑπὲρ νύμφὴν περιεζωσμένην σάκκον ἐπὶ τὸν ἄνδρα αὑτῆς τὸν παρθενικόν. » Οὐδὲ γὰρ εἶπεν ἐθρήνησεν, ἀλλὰ θρηνήσει, διδάσκων, ὡς μετὰ τὴν πεῖραν ὀλοφυρό- 6 μένοι διατελέσουσι, πιχοὺν ποιούμενος πένθος, οἷον ἂν γένοιτο παρὰ νύμφης νέαν ἀγούσης τὴν ἡλιχέαν, καὶ τὸν οἰκεῖον νυμφίον τεθνεῶτα ὁρώσης. θ΄..« Ἐξῆρται "θυσία καὶ σπονδὴ ἐξ οἴχον Κυρίου.» Τὸ μέντοι τὰ ἐσόμενα ὡς γεγενημένα λέγειν, ἴδιόν ἔστι τῆς θείας Γραφῆς. Κέχρηται δὲ τούτῳ, οὐ μόνον διὰ τὴν ἀπὸ γλώττης εἰς γλῶτταν ἑτέραν τῶν λόγων μεταφορὰν, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ δ᾽ τὴν τῶν λεγομένων βε- Θαίωσιν. Οὕτω γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀληθῶς ἔσται ταῦτα, ὅτι ὡς γεγενημένα τε θεωροῦμεν, καὶ ᾿ὡς περὶ γεγενημένων διαλεγόμεθα. ᾿Αμέλει πάλιν ὡς; περὶ γενομένων τούτων, ἃ προξίρηχε μέλλειν ἔσεσθαι, πενθεῖν τοῖς ἱερεῦσι παρακελεύεται, ὡς καὶ θυσιῶν καὶ σπονδῶν ἐπιλειπουσῶν διὰ τὴν σπάνιν τῶν ἀναγ- Ὁ καίων, καὶ μέντοι καὶ τὴν γῆν διὰ τὴν ἀχαρπίαν “ὧν ἐξ αὐτῆς. Ἐν αἰσχύνῃ δὲ καὶ οἱ γηπόνοι, φησὶ, χαθεστήχασι, πολλὰ μὲν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν πεπονηχότες, οὐδένα δὲ καρπὸν χομισάμενοι. Τοῦτο δὲ χα! νῦν συμδαῖνον ὁρῶμεν. Ἐν γὰρ ταῖς τῆς γῆς ἀχαρπίαις ἐρυθριᾷν εἰώθασιν οἱ γηπόνοι, τάς τε συνήθεις προσὄδους τοῖς κεκτημένοις οὐ χορηγοῦντες, καὶ διὰ τὴν τῶν ἀναγκαίων σπάνιν ἐξ ἐράνου ζῇν βιαζόμενοι. Πλατύτερον δὲ τὴν συμφορὰν διηγούμενος, ὥστε καὶ αὐτὰ τὰ κτήματα κελεύει θρηνεῖν, ὡς τῶν τι χριθῶν καὶ τῶν πυρῶν ἐπιλειπόντων, καὶ τῆ; ἀμ. πέλου διανανθείσης " καὶ ἀπαξαπλῶς καὶ ἐλαιῶν, καὶ συκῶν, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἀκροδρύων καρπὸν οὐδένα φερόντων, διὰ τὸ πάσης τῆς ἐν αὑτοῖς στερηθῆναι νοτίδος, Ἰστέον δὲ, ὅτι τῇ γῇ καὶ τοῖς χτήμασιν, οὐκ ὡς λογικοῖς θρηνεῖν παρακελεύεται, ἀλλὰ διὰ τῶν ἁψύχων τοὺς λόγῳ τετιμημένους διεγεῖραι πειρώμ:νος καὶ τοῦτο διδάσκων ἐπήγαγεν" « Ὅτι χατήσχυναν χαρὰν οἱ υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων. » Ταύτης γὲρ, φησὶ, τῆς ἀχαρπίας αἰτία ἡ τῶν ἀνθρώπων παρανομία " δι᾽ ἐχείνην γὰρ πέπαυται τὰ τῆς εὐφροσύνης, τὰ δὲ τῆς ἀθυμίας εἰσενήνεκται. Διὸ, φησὶ, καὶ ὑμεῖς οἱ ἱερεῖς, τὸ πένθιμον ἀναλάδετε σχῆμα, καὶ μὴ, μόνον παρὰ τὸ θυσιαστήριον ὀλοφύρεσθε, ἀλλὰ καὶ καθεύὐδοντες σάκκον ἑαυτοῖς ὑποστρώσατε, ὅτι τοσαύτη σπάνις τῶν ἀναγκαίων ἐγένετο, ὡς [μηδὲ τὰς συν- ### English translation (Claude) 5. "Sober up, you drunkards, from your wine, and weep; lament, all you who drink wine to drunkenness." Change, he says, your intemperance and the immoderation of your luxury into lamentation; for drinking wine is not evil, but drinking it immoderately is harmful. By saying "from their wine" he also hinted at another drunkenness, so naming the soul's complete leaning toward the worse and every kind of lawlessness. You ought, he says, to lament and mourn, because you will be wholly deprived of what provided you gladness. Then he narrates what concerns the locust, or rather the Assyrian (for he hints at both), and says that "a nation will come up against his land," beyond number and adorned with strength and power. He calls the land of Israel his land, since he also calls Israel his own people. "Its teeth are lion's teeth, and its molars like those of its whelp." He said the same things in different ways, wishing to strike them with fear by using more names; for he calls the same one lion and whelp. But if anyone wishes to understand them differently, it will not harm the sense: for the locust has smaller ones following it like whelps, and enemies bring with them, besides the warriors and champions, those of less strength. He also narrates what they eat, showing vines destroyed and their branches whitened, and fig trees stripped of their foliage, which usually happens when locusts swoop down. And that he speaks of these not as things that have happened but as things that will happen, what follows bears witness: "8. For it will lament to me more than a bride girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth." For he did not say "lamented" but "will lament", teaching that after experiencing it they will continue to mourn, making a bitter mourning, such as would come from a bride of young age who sees her own bridegroom dead. "9. Sacrifice and libation have been taken away from the house of the Lord." To speak of future things as having happened is peculiar to the divine Scripture. It uses this not only because of the transfer of words from one language into another, but also for the confirmation of what is said. For so truly, he says, will these things come about, that we see them as having happened and speak of them as of things done. Indeed, again speaking as of things that have happened of what he foretold was to come, he bids the priests mourn, since both sacrifices and libations fail through the lack of necessities; and the land too, because of the barrenness of what comes from it. The farmers too, he says, are put to shame, having toiled much on the land but gathered no fruit. We see this happening now too: in barren years farmers usually blush, since they cannot supply the customary revenues to the owners and are forced by want of necessities to live on handouts. Narrating the disaster more broadly, so as … he bids even the possessions lament, since barley and wheat fail and the vine withers, and, in a word, olives and figs and the other fruit trees bear no fruit, because they have been deprived of all the moisture in them. It should be known that he bids the land and the possessions lament not as though they were rational, but tries through soulless things to rouse those honored with reason. And teaching this, he added: "For the sons of men have put joy to shame." For the cause of this barrenness, he says, is the lawlessness of men; because of it the things of gladness have ceased and those of despondency have been brought in. Therefore, he says, you priests too, put on the garb of mourning, and do not only lament beside the altar, but also spread sackcloth under you when you sleep; for so great a dearth of necessities has come that not even the customary ### Scripture references - Joel 1:5: quotation, high confidence - Joel 1:6: quotation, high confidence - Joel 1:7: allusion, high confidence - Joel 1:8: quotation, high confidence - Joel 1:9: quotation, high confidence - Joel 1:10: allusion, high confidence - Joel 1:11: allusion, high confidence - Joel 1:12: quotation, high confidence - Joel 1:13: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Joel 1:5–13 (1:6–7, 10–12 partly paraphrased). Theodoret's text of 1:8 reads "it will lament" (Rahlfs: "lament"). Migne's Latin column breaks into the section (in the comment on 1:12) and is removed by a logged correction; the gap is marked "…". The section breaks off. - "Drinking wine is not evil, but drinking it immoderately is harmful": translated as written. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 2.1.5 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/2-1-5). ## Commentary on Joel 1:14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/2-1-1/#p-2-1-14 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Joel summons the whole land to a sanctified fast in the house of God. ### Greek text ιδ΄, « ᾿Αγιάσατε τοίνυν νηστείαν, κηρύξατε θεραπείαν, συναγάγετε πρεσδυτέρους " » μᾶλλον δὲ μὴ τούτους μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ε πάντας τοὺς κατοικοῦντας τὴν γῆν εἰς οἶκον Θεοῦ 5 ὑμῶν. » Συναθροισϑέντες δὲ χεχράξατε "5, λέγοντες" ### English translation (Claude) 14. "Sanctify, then, a fast, proclaim a service, gather the elders"; or rather not these only, but also "all who inhabit the land into the house of your God." And when you have assembled, cry out, saying: ### Scripture references - Joel 1:14: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Joel 1:14. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 2.1.14 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/2-1-14). ## Commentary on Joel 1:15 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/2-1-1/#p-2-1-15 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Fasting is a medicine for souls sick with sin; the people are to set themselves apart for a pure fast as the day of the Lord brings misery upon misery. ### Greek text ιε΄. « Οἴμοι, οἴμοι "', εἰς ἡμέραν! » Διδασκόμεθα δὲ σαφῶς ἐκ τῶν εἰρημένων, ὡς ἡ νηστεία τῶν κακῶς τὰς ψυχὰς διακειμένων ἀλεξίκαχον γίνεται φάρμακον, θεραπεύειν τὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας πάθη δυνάμένον" διὸ καὶ τῇ νηστείᾳ τὴν θεραπείαν πρυστέθεικεν. «ε ᾿Αγιάσατε γὰρ, φησὶ, νηστείαν, κηρύξατε θεραπείαν. ν» Τὸ δὲ, ἀγιάσατα, ἀντὶ τοῦ, ἀφορίσατε, τέθεικεν. Εἰς τοῦτο γὰρ, φησὶν, ἑαυτοὺς ἀφορίσατε, ἁγίως καὶ καθαρῶς τὴν νηστείαν μετέλθετε " νὴ" στεύοντες δὲ βοᾶτε" ε Οἴμοι, οἴμοι, εἰς ἡμέραν] » ἀντὶ τοῦ, διὰ τὴν προσδοκωμένην τῶν κακῶν ἡμέραν. ε Ὅτι ἐγγὺς ἡμέρα "" Κυρίου, καὶ ὡς ταλαιπωρία ἐκ ταλαιπωρίας ἥξει. (ις΄.) Ὅτι κατέναντι τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ὑμῶν βρώματα ἐξηράνθη, καὶ ἐξ οἶκου Θεοῦ ἡμῶν εὐφροσύνη καὶ χαρά. » ἘἘπάλληλα, φῆ" σὶν, ὄψεσθε τὰ κακὰ, καὶ τούτοις ἐκεῖνα προστιθέ" μενα᾽ τοῦτο γὰρ ἐκάλεσε ε ταλαιπωρίαν ἐπὶ ταλαι- ### English translation (Claude) 15. "Alas, alas, for the day!" We are clearly taught by what has been said that fasting becomes a protective medicine for those whose souls are in a bad state, able to heal the passions of sin; that is why he joined a service to the fast: "Sanctify a fast," he says, "proclaim a service." He put "sanctify" in place of "set apart": set yourselves apart for this, he says, and pursue the fast in holiness and purity; and while fasting, cry: "Alas, alas, for the day!", that is, because of the expected day of evils. "For the day of the Lord is near, and it will come like misery upon misery. 16. For before your eyes food has been cut off, and gladness and joy from the house of our God." You will see evils one after another, he says, and these added to those; this he called "misery upon misery" ### Scripture references - Joel 1:15: quotation, high confidence - Joel 1:16: quotation, high confidence - Joel 1:14: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Joel 1:15–16. "Service" (θεραπεία) also means "healing"; Theodoret plays on both senses. The section breaks off. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 2.1.15 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/2-1-15). ## Commentary on Joel 1:17 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/2-1-1/#p-2-1-17 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Famine makes the heifers thrash and the herds and flocks low, while granaries and wine vats stand empty. ### Greek text ιζ΄. ε« Ἐσχίρτησαν δαμάλεις ἐν ταῖς φάτναις αὖτῶν. » Σχιρτήσειν ἔφη τὰς δαμάλεις, οὐ διὰ κύρον τοῦτο ποιούσας, ἀλλ᾽ ὑπὸ λιμοῦ φθειρομένας, καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἐδάφους ἐῤῥιμμένας, καὶ τοὺς πόδας τῇ τ προσαρασσούσας. Τὰ δὲ τοῦ σίτου, φησὶ, δοχεῖᾶ εὑρῶτα ὑπέμεινεν, ὡς πλεῖστον χρόνον μὴ δεξάμεν αἴτον. ᾿Αλλὰ καὶ «1ηγοὶ, φησὶν, ὡς περιτταὶ κατ' ἐσκάφησαν, καὶ εἴ τι ἕτερον ἦν ταῖς τοιαύταις ἀπονενεμημένον χρείαις, οἷα δὴ περιττὸν, μεμένηχεν ἀτημέλητον, ὡς τῶν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐμδαλλομένων οὐκ ὄντων. Μυχᾶται δὲ καὶ τὰ βουκόλια, τὴν τῶν ὀδυρομένων ἐπιδειχνύμενα φωνὴν, ἐπειδὴ τῆς συνήθους οὐκ ἀπολαύει τροφῆς ταὐτὰ δὲ ποιεῖ ταῖς βουσὶ καὶ τῶν προδάτων τὰ ποίμνια. ᾿Αλλὰ τούτων οὕτω δρωμένων, ᾿Εγὼ, φησὶν ὁ προφήτης, ### English translation (Claude) 17. "The heifers leapt at their mangers." He said the heifers would leap, not doing this from being well fed, but wasting away from hunger, thrown on the ground and beating the [ground] with their feet. The storehouses of grain, he says, suffered mold, since for a very long time they had received no grain. And the wine vats too, he says, were razed as superfluous, and anything else that had been assigned to such uses has been left neglected as superfluous, since what used to be put into them is not there. The herds too low, giving voice like mourners, since they do not have their usual food; and the flocks of sheep do the same as the cattle. But while these things are being done, I, says the prophet, ### Scripture references - Joel 1:17: quotation, high confidence - Joel 1:18: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Joel 1:17; 1:18 paraphrased. A word is lost in the scan after "beating the"; supplied by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 2.1.17 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/2-1-17). ## Commentary on Joel 1:19 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/2-1-1/#p-2-1-19 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The prophet cries to God as fire, whether enemies or locusts, devours the land; God sounds the alarm in Zion for the day of darkness, and the horse-like army of Joel 2 is read both of the Assyrians and Babylonians and, from observation of locusts' heads and swarms, of the locusts themselves. ### Greek text ιθ΄. ε Πρὸς σὲ, Κύριε, βοήσομαι, ὅτι πῦρ ἀνήλωσε τὰ ὡραῖα τῆς ἐρήμου, καὶ φλὸξ ἀνῆψε πάντα τὰ ξύλα τοῦ ἀγροῦ. ν Τῶν γὰρ ἐπικειμένων κακῶν τὴν λύσιν παρὰ σοῦ μόνου πορίσασθαι δυνατόν. Πῦρ δὲ καὶ τοὺς πολεμίους νοῆσαι δυνατὸν, πυρὸς δίδην πᾶσαν τὴν χώραν ἐχείνην δῃώσαντας " καὶ μέντοι καὶ τὴν ἀκρίδα, καὶ τὴν ἐρισύδην, καὶ τὰ τούτοις συνημμένα" οὐδὲν Ὑὰρ ἧττον οὐδὲ ταῦτα πέφυκε τοὺς ἀπὸ γῆς διαφθείρειν καρπούς. Ὡραῖα δὲ ἐρήμου καλεῖ τὰ πάλαι :βὲν ὡραῖα, νῦν δὲ ἔρημα γεγενημένα διὰ τὰ συμδεδηχότα κακά. Καὶ γὰρ᾽" μετὰ βραχέα λέγει, ὅτ: ε Τὰ ἔμαὶ ἔμοδεοίπροσθεν αὐτοῦ, ὡς παράδεισος τρυφῆς "", καὶ τὰ ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ, ὡς πεδίον ἀφανισμοῦ. ν Ἐπειδὴ δὲ, φησὶ, ἡμεῖς ἀνάξιοι τῆς παρὰ σοῦ φιλανθρωπίας τυχεῖν, φειδοῦς τινος ἀπολαυσάτω τὰ κτήνη μυχώμενα καὶ βληχώμενα, ε« Ὅτι ἐξηράνθησαν ἀφέσεις ὑδάτων. » Τὸ δὲ "5, ε ᾿Ανέδλεψαν πρὸ; σὲ, ν οὐκ ὡς περὶ λογικῶν εἴρηκεν, ἀλλ᾽ εἰς ἔλεον ἐλκῦσαι τὸν Δεσπότην βουλόμενος, οὕτως ἐκάλεσε τὸν ἀπὸ τῆς ᾿Δλλὰ καὶ τοῦ προφήτου προσενηνοχότος τὴν δέησιν, πάλιν ὁ Δεσπότης παρακελεύεται τὰς κατὰ νόμὸν προστεταγμένας ἠχῆσαι σάλπιγγας ἐν τῇ Σιὼν, καὶ διὰ κηρύκων συναγαγεῖν ἅπαντας εἰς τὸ ἀφιερω- α μένον τῷ Θεῷ ὄρος " « Ὅτι πελάζει, φησὶν, ὁ τῆς τιμωρίας καιρός "δ. » Ὃν οὐκ ἄν τις ἁμάρτοι, γνόφου, καὶ σκότους, ὁμίχλης τε καὶ θυέλλης ἡμέραν προσαγορεύων τοιαῦτα γὰρ τὰ ἐν αὐτῷ κακὰ, ὡς μηδένα αἴσθησιν λαμδάνειν φωτὸς "7, ἀλλ᾽ ἐν σκότῳ. καὶ γνόφῳ διάγειν ὑπολαμθάνειν. Εἶτα λέγει καὶ τῆς πιμωρίας τὸ εἶδος. « Ὡς ὄρθρος " χυθήσεται ἐπὶ τὰ ὅρη λαὺς πολὺς καὶ ἰσχυρός " ὅμοιος αὐτοῦ οὐ γέγονεν ἀπὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος, καὶ μετ᾽ αὐτὸν οὐ προστεθήσε- «αἵ, ἕως ἐτῶν εἰς γενεὰς τῶν 5 γενεῶν. ν Λἰνίττετα! δὲ διὰ τούτων ἀμφότερα, καὶ τὴν ἀκρίδα, καὶ τῶν πολεμίων τὸ νέφος. Καὶ αὐτὴ γὰρ κἀκεῖνοι τῷ πλήθει καὶ τὰ πεδία, καὶ τὰς τῶν ὁρῶν ἐχάλυψαν κορυφάς. Τὸ μὲν οὖν μὴ γεγενῆσθαι κατ᾽ ἐχείντν τὴν ἔφοδον ἑτέραν, ἀορίστως ἀπεφήνατο " τὸ δὲ μὴ ἕπεσθαι, μετὰ διορισμοῦ τινος “« Οὐ προστεθήσεται γὰρ, φησὶν, ἕως ἐτῶν. » Διδάσκει δὲ ὡς πυρὶ παρα- “λησίως ἐπελεύσεται, καὶ πάντα διαφθερεῖ, Τοσαύτὴν δὲ, φησὶν, ἐπάξει λώδην τῇ γῇ, ὡς τὸν θεώμενον ἀπεικάζειν τὰ μὲν μηδέπω πεῖραν τῶν κακῶν εἰληφότα τῷ τῆς τρυφῆς παραδείσῳ “ τὰ δὲ μετὰ τὴν ἔφοδον, δεδηωμένῳ πεδίῳ, καὶ παντελῶς δι- σονται, ὦ; μηδὲ τοὺς διαφυγόντας σωτηρίας τινὸς "' τυχεῖν. ε« ᾿Ανασωζόμενος γὰρ, φησὶν, οὐκ ἔσται ἀπ᾽ αὐτῶν. » Ἡνίξατο δὲ διὰ τούτων, τῶν πολεμίων τὴν δ᾽, ε΄. «Ὡς ὅρασις ἵππων ἡ ὅρασις αὑτῶν, καὶ ὡ; ἱππεῖς, οὕτως καταδιώξονται. Ὡς δ' φωνὴ ἁρμάτων ἐπὶ τὰς κορυφὰς τῶν ὁρέων ἐξαλοῦνται, καὶ ὡς φωνὴ φλογὸς πυρὸς χατεσθιούσης καλάμην, καὶ ὡς λαὸς πολὺς καὶ ἰσχυρὸς παρατασσόμενος εἰς πόλεμον. » Ταῦτα ἐπὶ μὲν τῶν Ἀσσυρίων καὶ Βαθυκωνίων νοοῦντες, τὸ ὡς, οὐ παραθολιχῶς, ἀλλ᾽ ἐπιτατιχῶς νοήσωμεν, ὡς τῶν παρὰ τῷ μακὰρίῳ Δαδὶ δ εἰρημένων" « Ὡς ἀγαθὸς ὁ Θεὸς τῷ "5 Ἰσραήλ! » ἀντὶ τοῦ, σφόδρα ἀγαθός. Καὶ τό " ε« Ὡς δ᾽ ἀγαπητὰ τὰ σκηνώματά σου, Κύριε τῶν δυνάμεων !» ἀντὶ τοῦ, Β λίαν ἀγαπητά. Καὶ τό" « Ὥς ἐμεγαλύνθης σφόδρα! » ἀντὶ τοῦ, Πάνυ ἐμεγαλύνθης. Οὕτως οὖν καὶ ἐνταῦθα περὶ τῶν πολεμίων τὰ εἰρημένα λαμθάνοντες νοήσομεν τὸ, ὅρασις δ" ἵππων, ὅτι ἵπποις πολλοῖς καὶ ἱππεῦσι χρήσονται, καὶ μετὰ πολλῶν δὲ ἥξουσιν ἀρμάτων, τοσαύτῃ τέχνῃ κεχρημένων τῶν ἡνιύχων, ὡς καὶ εἰς αὑτὰς ἰθύνειν τὰς ἀκρωρείας,, καὶ ταὶς δυσχωρίαις ὡς πεδίοις κεχρῇσθαι. Εἰς δὲ τὴν ἀκρίδα τὰ εἰρημένα λαμθάνοντες τὸ, « Ὡς ὄρασις ἵππων ἡ ὅρασις αὐτῶν, » νοήσομεν τῇ πείρᾳ πρὸς τούτῳ χρώμενοι διδασκάλῳ. Εἰ γάρ τις ἀχριδῶς κατίδοι τὴν κεφαλὴν τῆς ἀκρίδος, σφόδρα τῇ τοῦ ἵππου ἐοικυΐζαν εὑρήξει. Ἔστι δὲ ἰδεῖν καὶ πετομένην αὖτὴν, κατ᾽ οὐδὲν τῆς τῶν ἵππων ταχύτητος μένην, ὄρεσί τε καὶ πεδίοις ῥᾳδίως ἐφιπταμένην " καὶ μέντοι καὶ τοῖς ληῖΐοις δέχην φλογὸς ἐπιοῦσαν, χατεσθιούσης καλάμην. Καὶ πλήθει δὲ παρατεταγὙμένῳ ὅδ εἰς πόλεμον ἔοικε, καὶ πετόμεναι δ, καὶ ἕρπουσαι (συνημμέναι γὰρ ἀλλήλαις ποιοῦσιν ἃ ποιοῦσιν), οἷόν 57 τινα συνασπισμὸν καὶ τάξιν δει- ### English translation (Claude) 19. "To you, Lord, I will cry, for fire has consumed the beautiful places of the desert, and a flame has kindled all the trees of the field." For release from the evils that press on us can be obtained from you alone. By fire one can also understand the enemies, who ravaged all that land like fire; and also the locust, the blight and what goes with them, for these too are no less apt to destroy the fruits of the earth. He calls "beautiful places of the desert" those that were once beautiful but have now become desert because of the evils that befell them. For a little later he says: "Before it [the land is] like a paradise of delight, and behind it like a plain of destruction." Since, he says, we are unworthy to obtain your loving-kindness, let the beasts that low and bleat enjoy some mercy, "for the outflows of waters have dried up." "They looked up to you" he did not say as of rational beings, but, wishing to draw the Master to mercy, he so called the … But after the prophet had offered his petition, the Master again commands that the trumpets prescribed by the law be sounded in Zion, and that all be gathered by heralds to the mountain dedicated to God: "For the time of punishment," he says, "is drawing near." One would not err in calling it a day of gloom and darkness, of mist and storm; for such are the evils in it that no one perceives light, but supposes he is living in darkness and gloom. Then he tells the form of the punishment: "Like dawn a great and strong people will be spread over the mountains; its like has not been from of old, and after it there will be none again, to the years of generations of generations." By this he hints at both, the locust and the cloud of enemies; for both it and they covered by their multitude the plains and the tops of the mountains. That there had been no other such invasion before he stated without limit; but that none would follow, with a certain limit: "For there will be none again," he says, "until the years …" He teaches that it will come like fire and destroy everything. It will bring such ruin on the land, he says, that whoever sees it will liken the parts that have not yet experienced the evils to the paradise of delight, and those after the invasion to a ravaged and utterly … plain … so that not even those who escape will obtain any safety: "For there will be none of them who is saved." By this he hinted at the … of the enemies. "4, 5. Like the appearance of horses is their appearance, and like horsemen, so they will pursue. Like the sound of chariots they will leap on the tops of the mountains, and like the sound of a flame of fire devouring stubble, and like a great and strong people arrayed for war." Understanding these of the Assyrians and Babylonians, let us take the "like" not as a comparison but as an intensive, like what was said by blessed David: "How good is God to Israel!", that is, very good; and "How lovely are your dwellings, Lord of hosts!", that is, very lovely; and "How greatly you were magnified!", that is, you were exceedingly magnified. So here too, taking what is said of the enemies, we will understand "the appearance of horses" to mean that they will use many horses and horsemen, and will come with many chariots, their drivers using such skill as to steer even to the very ridges and to treat rough ground as plains. But taking what is said of the locust, "Like the appearance of horses is their appearance," we will understand with experience as our teacher in this. For if anyone looks closely at the head of the locust, he will find it very like that of a horse. One can also see it flying, falling short in nothing of the swiftness of horses, and easily flying over mountains and plains; and attacking the crops like a flame devouring stubble. It also resembles a multitude arrayed for war: flying and crawling (for they do what they do joined to one another), they display a kind of locked shields and battle order ### Scripture references - Joel 1:19: quotation, high confidence - Joel 1:20: quotation, high confidence - Joel 2:1: allusion, high confidence - Joel 2:2: quotation, high confidence - Joel 2:3: quotation, high confidence - Joel 2:4: quotation, high confidence - Joel 2:5: quotation, high confidence - Ps 73:1 (72:1 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 84:1 (83:2 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 104:1 (103:1 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Joel 1:19–20; 2:1–5 (2:1–3 partly paraphrased). The section runs on into Joel 2 without a break. Migne's Latin column breaks into the section in three places and is removed by logged corrections; lines lost are marked "…". - "Like" taken as intensive: Ps 73:1 (LXX 72:1); Ps 84:1 (LXX 83:2); Ps 104:1 (LXX 103:1). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 2.1.19 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/2-1-19). ## Commentary on Joel 2:6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/2-2-6/#p-2-2-6 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Famine will blacken the people's faces like a pot scorched by fire. ### Greek text ς΄. ε᾿Απὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ, φησὶ, συντριδήσονται λαοί" καὶ πᾶν πρόσωπον, ὡς πρόσχαυμα χύτρας.» Τοιαύτην γὰρ ἐπάξει τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὴν συμφορὰν, ὡς ὑπὸ πυρός τινος μελανθείσῃ χύτρᾳ τὰ τούτων παραθδάλλεσθαι πρόσωπα, τοῦ λιμοῦ καὶ τῆς ἐνδείας ταύτην ἐργαζομένης τὴν διαφθοράν. ### English translation (Claude) 6. "Before its face," he says, "peoples will be crushed, and every face like the scorching of a pot." For he will bring such a disaster on men that their faces will be likened to a pot blackened by fire, famine and want working this ruin. ### Scripture references - Joel 2:6: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Joel 2:6. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 2.2.6 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/2-2-6). ## Commentary on Joel 2:7–8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/2-2-6/#p-2-2-7 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The invaders, whether enemies or locusts, advance in unbroken order, scale walls and enter houses; the darkening of sun and stars may be literal or the way disaster feels, and no one can withstand the day of the Lord. ### Greek text ζ', η΄. ε« Ὡς μαχηταὶ δραμοῦνται, καὶ ὡς ἄνδρες ἐπὶ τὰ τείχη" ἕχαστος ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ αὑτοῦ πορεύσονται, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἐχχλίνωσι τὰς πρίόους αὑτῶν. Καὶ ἕχαστος ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ ὅδ αὖ- “οὔ οὐκ ἀφέξεται.» Καὶ ταῦτα τοῖς εἰρη μένοις παρᾶ». πλησίως νοήσωμεν, εἴς τε τοὺς πολεμίους, εἴς τε τὴν ἀκρίδα λαμόάνοντες. “ἔστι γὰρ ἰδεῖν καὶ τὴν ἀκρίδα, πῶν δ᾽ πολεμίων δίκην, καὶ τειχῶν ἐπιθαίνουσαν, κὰν ταῖς ὁδοῖς βαδίζουσαν, καὶ οὐδ᾽ ὑπό τινος ἀνάγκὴς σχεδασθῆναι ἀνεχομένην, ἀλλ᾽ οἷον μετά τινος συμπνοίας τὴν ἔφοδον ποιουμένην. ε Καταθαρυνόμενοι ἐν τοῖς ὅπλοις αὑτῶν πορεύσονται, καὶ ἐν τοῖς βέλεσιν αὑτῶν πεσοῦνται, καὶ οὐ μὴ συντελεσθῶσιν.» Ὅπλα δὲ αἱ μὲν ἀχρίδες ἔχουσι φυσικὰ, ὀδόντας, καὶ πτερὰ, καὶ πριονώδη χῶλα " οἱ δὲ πολέμιοι τὰ ἀπὸ τῆς τέχνης πορισθέντα τῇ φύσει. ᾿Αλλὰ καὶ οὗτοι, φησὶ, κἀκεῖνοι τοῖς ὅπλοις διηνεκῶς χρήσονται. Καὶ πολεμοῦντες 8 γὰρ ἐν τοῖς σφοδροτέροις πολέμοις, καὶ σιδηροφοροῦντες σιτίων καὶ ὕπνου μεταλαγχάνειν εἰώθασι, τῶν πελαζόντων αὐτοῖς πολεμίων τὰς ἐφόδους δειμαίνοντες" Τὸ οὖν, Πεσοῦγνται ἐν τοῖς βέἅεσιν αὑτῶν, τὸ μετὰ τῶν ὅπλων διαναπαύεσθαι λέγει. τὸ δὲ, Οὐ μὴ συγντε.λεσθῶσιν, ἀντὶ τοῦ, χόρὸν οὐ λήψονται τῶν πολεμίων δ' “ οὐδὲ μὴν αἱ ἀκρίδες τῆς βρώσεως. Εἶτα ἐπάγει, ὡς οὐκ ἀπόχρη τῶν περιβόλων τὸ ὕψος ἐμποδὼν τῇ τούτων εἰσόδῳ γενέσθαι" ἀλλὰ ῥᾳδίως μὲν ὑπερδήσονται τὰ τείχη, κλέπταις δὲ παραπλησίως διὰ θυρίδων εἰς τὰς οἰκίας εἰσελεύσονται. Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ οὐ μόνον ὑπὸ πολεμίων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπὸ ἀκρίδων γεγενημένον πολλάκις ἐθεασάμεθα " οὐ πετόμεναι γὰρ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατὰ τῶν τειχῶν ἀνέρπουσαι, διὰ τῶν φωταγωγῶν εἰς τοὺς ὑφιαῖς, ε Πρὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ συγχυθήσεται ἡ γῆ, καὶ σεισθήσεται ὃ οὐρανός " ὁ ἥλιος καὶ σελήνη 55 συσχοτάσουσι, καὶ τὰ ἄστρα οὐ δώσουσι τὸ φέγγος αὖτῶν. Καὶ Κύριος δώσει φωνὴν αὑτοῦ πρὸ προσώπου δυνάμεως αὑτοῦ, ὅτι πολλή ἐστιν ἡ παρεμδολὴ αὐτοῦ. » Ταῦτα δὲ εἰκὸς μὲν καὶ δι᾽ αὐτῶν γενέσθαι τῶν πραγμάτων "φωγὴν γὰρ καλεῖ τὴν βροντὴν, καὶ ἡλίου δὲ καὶ σελήνης ἐκλείψεις πολλάκις γεγενημέ- ς νας ἐθεασάμεθα, καὶ τὰ ἄστρα ὑπὸ αὐχμοῦ τινος ἔστιν ὅτε ἀμυδρὰ γίνεται σφόδρα " καὶ ἡ γῇ δὲ κλογουμένη, τοῦ Θεοῦ παραδηλοῖ τὴν ὀργήν. Καὶ ἑτέρως δὲ δυνατὸν ταῦτα νοῆσαι" οἱ γὰρ ἐν συμφοραῖς ὄντες, οἷον ἐν σκότῳ τινὶ διάγοντες, οὐ τῆς τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐπαισθάνονται στάσεως, οὐ τὴν γῆν ἀκίνητον ὑπολαμθάνονσιν εἶναι, οὐκ ἐν φωτὶ τὴν ἡμέραν, οὐκ ἐν αὐγῇ τινι συμμέτρῳ τὴν νύκτα, ἀλλ᾽ ἅπαντα ἄρδην ἀνατετράφθαι νομίζουσι. Τούτοις ἐπάγει" ε Ὅτι ἰσχυ-. ρὰ ἔργα λόγων αὐτοῦ.» ᾿Αντὶ τοῦ, Οὐδεὶς Θεοῦ λόγος ἔρημος ἔργων μένε: " ὃ γὰρ ἂν εἴπῃ, τοῦτο εὐθὺς εἰς ἔργον χωρεῖ. « Διότι μεγάλη ἡ ἡμέρα τοῦ Κυρίου, μεγάλη καὶ ἐπιφανὴς σφόδρα͵, καὶ τίς ἔσται ἱκανὸς αὐτῇ;» Τοιαῦτα δ, φησὶν, ὑμῖν ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς ἐπάξει κακὰ, ὥστε κατὰ πᾶσαν ταῦτα δῆλα γενέσθαι τὴν οἰκουμένην. Ἡμέραν γὰρ μεγάλην καὶ ἐπιραγῆ κέκληκε τὴν εἰς ἅπαντας ἀνθρώπους τῶν ἐπαχθησομένων δεινῶν διατρέχουσαν φήμην. ᾿Αντιστῆναι δὲ ποῖς ἐπαγομένοις ὑπὸ Θεοῦ κακοῖς οὐδεὶς ἀνθρώπων δυνήσεται. Μετὰ ταύτας τὰς ἀπηχεῖς ἀπειλὰς εἰς παραίνεσιν καὶ συμθουλὴν τρέπει τὸν λόγον, ### English translation (Claude) 7, 8. "Like warriors they will run, and like men upon the walls; each will march in his own way, and they will not turn aside from their paths. And none will keep away from his brother." Let us understand these words too like what was said before, taking them both of the enemies and of the locust. For one can see the locust too, like enemies, both climbing the walls and walking in the roads, and not suffering itself to be scattered by any force, but making its attack as if with a kind of concord. "Weighed down with their weapons they will march, and they will fall among their missiles, and they will not be finished off." The locusts have natural weapons: teeth, wings, and saw-like legs; the enemies have those that art has supplied to nature. But both these and those, he says, will use their weapons continually. For in the fiercer wars soldiers are wont to take their food and sleep still wearing iron, fearing the attacks of the enemies near them. "They will fall among their missiles," then, means resting with their weapons; and "they will not be finished off" means: the enemies will not have their fill, nor the locusts of eating. Then he adds that the height of the enclosures will not be enough to hinder their entry, but they will easily climb over the walls and enter the houses through the windows like thieves. We have often seen this happen not only with enemies but also with locusts: for not only flying, but also creeping up the walls, they get into the … through the light-openings. "10. Before its face the earth will be confounded and the heaven shaken; the sun and moon will be darkened, and the stars will not give their light. 11. And the Lord will give his voice before his army, for his camp is very great." It is likely that these things also happened in actual fact: for he calls the thunder a voice; we have often seen eclipses of the sun and moon; the stars sometimes become very dim through some drought haze; and the earth, when it is shaken, indicates God's anger. One can also understand these words otherwise: those who are in disasters, living as it were in darkness, do not perceive the stability of the heavens, do not suppose that the earth is unmoved, nor that the day is in light, nor the night in a moderate glow, but think that everything has been utterly overturned. To this he adds: "For mighty are the works of his words." That is: no word of God remains without deeds, for whatever he says goes at once into action. "For great is the day of the Lord, great and very manifest, and who will be equal to it?" Such evils, he says, will the God of all bring upon you that they will become known throughout the whole world. For he called "a great and manifest day" the report of the coming terrors running out to all people. And no one will be able to withstand the evils brought by God. After these harsh threats he turns his discourse to exhortation and counsel, ### Scripture references - Joel 2:7: quotation, high confidence - Joel 2:8: quotation, high confidence - Joel 2:9: allusion, high confidence - Joel 2:10: quotation, high confidence - Joel 2:11: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Joel 2:7–11 (2:9 paraphrased). Migne's Latin column breaks into the lemma of 2:7 and is removed by a logged correction. Words lost in the scan after "through the light-openings into the" are marked "…"; the words "creeping up the walls, they get … through the light-openings" had been displaced by the scan into the next section (2.2.12) and are restored here by logged corrections. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 2.2.7 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/2-2-7). ## Commentary on Joel 2:12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/2-2-6/#p-2-2-12 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Joel calls Israel to return to God with an undivided heart, with fasting and tears; the rest is lost. ### Greek text ιβ΄. « Ἐπιστράφητε, λέγων, ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας ὑμῶν" » μὴ μερίζοντες ταύτην εἰς ἡδονὰς καὶ εὐχὰς ἀλλὰ νηστείᾳ καὶ δάκρυσι χρώμενοι. ### English translation (Claude) 12. "Return," he says, "with all your heart," not dividing it between pleasures and prayers, but using fasting and tears … ### Scripture references - Joel 2:12: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Joel 2:12. The rest of this section in the scan is Migne's Latin column, removed by a logged correction; a displaced Greek phrase from it belongs to section 2.2.7 and is restored there. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 2.2.12 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/2-2-12). ## Commentary on Joel 2:13 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/2-2-6/#p-2-2-13 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: True repentance is a rending of the heart; God's "repentance" means that his threats are meant to change people, not that he changes his mind, and Joel's "who knows" both promises and warns. ### Greek text ιγ΄. « Καὶ διαῤῥήξατε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν, καὶ μὴ τὰ ἱμάτια ὑμῶν. » Τουτέστι, Τοῖς τῆς κατανύξεως χρήσασθε λογισμοῖς, καὶ τὸ ἀπειθὲς τῆς διανοίας θουλὰς, καὶ τὴν τῆς κακίας καταλιπόντες ὁδὸν, τὴν πρὸς Θεὸν ἄγουσαν σνντόνως ὁδεύετε " οἴκτου γὰρ καὶ ἐλέου πολλαὶ παρ᾽ αὐτῷ πηγαὶ, καὶ μακροθυμίᾳ χρώμενος οἷδεν εἰς ἔργον μὴ φέρειν τὰς ἀπειλάς, Τοῦτο γὰρ παρεδήλωσεν εἰρηκώς " « Καὶ μετανοῶν ἐπὶ ταῖς κακίαις " » ἀντὶ τοῦ, δεδιττόμενος μὲν ταῖς τῶν κολάσεων ἀπειλαῖς, ταῖς δὲ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐπὶ τὸ χρεῖττον μεταδολαῖς συμμεταδάλλων ἐπὶ τὸ θυμῆρες τὰς ἀπειλάς. Ὁ γὰρ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς οὐ νῦν μὲν ταῦτα, νῦν δὲ ἐκεῖνα βουλεύεται, οὐδὲ παραπὶησίως ἡμῖν “5, ἐφ᾽ οἷς πράττει μετανοεῖ" ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπειλῶν ἔχει παρ᾽ αὑτῷ τὸν ἔλεον, ὅν τοῖς μεταμἐλομένοις ἐφ᾽ οἷς ἐξήμαρτον χορηγεῖ" καὶ ἀγαθὰ ὑπισχνούμενος οἷδε τούς τε ἀγαθοὺς, καὶ τοὺς ἀναξίους “" τῶν δωρεῶν᾽ καὶ τοῖς μὲν ταύτας ὀρέγει, τοῖς δὲ τἀναντία ὧν ὑπισχνεῖται δίδωσιν. Ὑποσχέσεσι γὰρ καὶ ἀπειλαῖς πρὸς ὠφέλειαν κέχρηται, ἵνα τὰς μὲν δεδιότες, τὰς δὲ ποθοῦντες, τὴν ἔννομον τολιπείαν ἀσπάσωνται. Εἶτα μετά τινος ἀμφιθολίας ὁ προφήτης τὴν θείαν εὐμένειαν ἐπαγγέλλεται, κἀν “ τούτῳ τοὺς ἀναισθήτους φοδῶν. ιδ᾽, « Ἐίς οἶδεν, εἰ ἐπ'στρέψει, καὶ μετανοήσει, καὶ ὑπολείψετα! ὀπίσω αὑτοῦ εὐλογίαν, θυσίαν, καὶ σπονδὴν Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν; ν Εἰκὸς, φησὶν, ὅτι τὰς ἀπειλὰς γαταλιπὼν ἀτελεῖς, τὴν συνήθη τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἡμῖν ἀφθονίαν δωρήσεται, ὥστε καὶ τὴν συνήθη λατρείαν τῷ θυσιαστηρέῳ προσφέρειν. γίαν γὰρ τὴν τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἐκάλεσε χορηγίαν. Μετ' αὐτῆς “ τοίγυν, φησὶ, τῆς ἐλπίδος, ### English translation (Claude) 13. "And rend your hearts and not your garments." That is: use thoughts of compunction, and … the disobedience of your mind … counsels, and, leaving the way of wickedness, walk earnestly on the way that leads to God; for with him are many springs of pity and mercy, and, using long-suffering, he knows how not to carry his threats into effect. He indicated this by saying: "And repenting over the evils"; that is, he frightens by threats of punishments, but, as people change for the better, he changes his threats along with them into what is pleasing. For the God of all does not plan these things at one time and those at another, nor does he repent of what he does as we do; but even when threatening he has mercy with him, which he supplies to those who repent of their sins; and when promising good things, he knows both the good and those unworthy of the gifts, and to the former he holds them out, to the latter he gives the opposite of what he promises. For he uses promises and threats for our benefit, so that, fearing the one and longing for the other, they may embrace the life according to the law. Then the prophet announces the divine favor with a certain doubt, frightening the insensible by this too. "14. Who knows whether he will turn and repent, and leave behind him a blessing, a sacrifice and a libation to the Lord our God?" It is likely, he says, that he will leave his threats unfulfilled and grant us the usual abundance of good things, so that we may offer the usual worship at the altar. For he called the supply of good things a blessing. With this hope, then, he says, ### Scripture references - Joel 2:13: quotation, high confidence - Joel 2:14: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Joel 2:13–14. A line is lost after "the disobedience of your mind"; marked "…". Theodoret's explanation of God's "repenting" (that God does not change his plans as humans do) is translated as written. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 2.2.13 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/2-2-13). ## Commentary on Joel 2:15 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/2-2-6/#p-2-2-15 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: All Israel, from elders to infants and newlyweds, is to assemble in fasting and repentance, with the priests interceding at the temple. ### Greek text ιε΄, « Σαλπίσατε σάλπιγγι ἐν Σιών " » ἐν νηστείχ καὶ Θεοῦ θεραπείᾳ πάντα συναθροίζοντες τὸν λαὺν, ὥστε πᾶσαν τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν ἐκθύμως τῇ μεταμελείᾳ προσέχειν. ᾿Ἡγείσθωσαν δὲ οἱ τὸν πλείονα βεδιωχότες χρόνον " παρέστω δὲ καὶ πᾶσα ἡλικία, μηδὲ τῶν ὑπομαζίων ὑπολειπομένων βρεφῶν. Καὶ οἱ ἄρτι δὲ δεξάμενοι τὸν τοῦ γάμου ζυγὸν, τὰς γαμηλίους εὐωχίας καταλιπόντες, μετὰ παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ τὸ τῆς μετανοίας προχείτωσαν δάκρυον. Ὃ δὲ τῶν ἱερέων σύλλογος παρὰ τὰς τοῦ ναοῦ πύλας, καὶ τὸ πρὸ τοῦ: τὸν τῶν ὅλων ἐξιλεούσθω Θεὸν, βοῶν" ### English translation (Claude) 15. "Sound the trumpet in Zion," gathering all the people in fasting and in the service of God, so that the whole assembly may give itself wholeheartedly to repentance. Let those who have lived longest lead; let every age be present, and let not even the nursing infants be left behind. And let those who have just taken the yoke of marriage leave their wedding feasts and shed the tear of repentance with all the people. And let the company of the priests, by the gates of the temple and before the …, propitiate the God of all, crying: ### Scripture references - Joel 2:15: quotation, high confidence - Joel 2:16: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Joel 2:15–16 (paraphrased). "Assembly": ἐκκλησία, as in the LXX of 2:16. A word is lost after "before the" (the LXX has "the altar"). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 2.2.15 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/2-2-15). ## Commentary on Joel 2:17 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/2-2-6/#p-2-2-17 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The priests' prayer for God's people is set in the time of Sennacherib and Hezekiah; God answers by restoring grain, wine and oil and removing Israel's reproach among the nations. ### Greek text ιζ’, « Φεῖσαι, Κύριε, τοῦ λαοῦ σον, καὶ μὴ δῷς τὴν κληρονομίαν σου εἰς ὄνειδος, τοῦ κατάρξαι" αὐτῶν ἔθνη, ὅποις μὴ εἴπωσιν ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι" Ποῦ ἔστιν ὁ Θεὸς αὐτῶν; » Ἐνταῦθα μὲν οὖν σατῶ; ἐδίδαξεν, ὅτι 19 περὶ τοῦ Σενναχηρεὶμ ἧ ἱχετεία προσήγετο, δι᾽ ὃν καὶ Ἐζεκίας ὁ βασιλεὺς τὸν μέγαν προφήτην Ἡσαῖαν ἐλιπάρησε τὴν ὑπὲρ τοῦ πρεσθεία) προσενεγκεῖν τῷ Θεῷ. Τὰ δὲ ἐπαγόμενα διδάσκέι, ὡς καὶ οἱ ἐκ γῆς καρποὶ ταῖς θεηλάτοις ᾿ πληγαῖς ἐλωδήθησαν. Δεξάμενος γὰρ τὴν μεταμέλειαν ὁ Δεσπότης, ὑπισχνεῖται αὐτοῖς δώσειν καὶ τὸν σΐτον, καὶ τὸν οἶνον, καὶ τὸ ἔλαιον, καὶ δώσειν μετὰ φιλοτιμίας ὅτι πλείστης. Προσέθηκε γὰρ, ὅτι « Ἐμπλησθήσεσθε αὐτῶν. » Τουτέστιν, Εἰς χόρον αὐτῶν ἀπολαύσετε. ε Καὶ οὗ δώσω ὑμᾶς οὐκέτι εἰς ὀνειδισμὸν ἐν 1! τοῖς ἔθνεσιν. » Κατάλληλος τῇ αἰτήσει ἧ δόσις " ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἱκετεύοντες ἔλεγον᾽ « Μὴ δῷς τὴν κληρονομίαν σου εἰς ὄνειδος, καὶ μὴ εἴπωσιν ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι " Ποῦ ἔστιν ὁ Θεὸς αὐτῶν;» ἁρμόττουσαν ταῖς ἱχετείαις τὴν ἀπόκρισιν ἐποιήσατο, ὅτι Οὐκ ἐάσω ὑμᾶς ἐπιχάρτους τοῖς ὁμόροις γενέσθαι, ἀλλὰ τῆς παρ᾽ ἐμοῦ μεταδώσω προνοίας, ὥστε γνῶναι κἀκείνους διὰ τῶν εἰς ὑμᾶς γιγνομένων, τοῦ Θεοῦ ὑμῶν τὴν ἰσχύν. ### English translation (Claude) 17. "Spare, Lord, your people, and do not give your inheritance to reproach, for the nations to rule over them, lest they say among the nations, Where is their God?" Here he taught clearly that the supplication was offered concerning Sennacherib, on whose account King Hezekiah too begged the great prophet Isaiah to offer intercession to God for the people. What follows teaches that the fruits of the earth too were ruined by plagues sent by God. For the Master, accepting their repentance, promises to give them the grain and the wine and the oil, and to give them with the greatest generosity. For he added: "You will be filled with them," that is, you will enjoy them to the full. "And I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations." The gift matches the request. For since in their supplication they said, "Do not give your inheritance to reproach, and let them not say among the nations, Where is their God?", he gave an answer that fits their supplications: I will not let you become a laughingstock to your neighbors, but I will give you a share of my providence, so that they too may learn, through what is done for you, the power of your God. ### Scripture references - Joel 2:17: quotation, high confidence - Joel 2:18: allusion, high confidence - Joel 2:19: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 19:4: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Joel 2:17–19 (2:18–19 paraphrased). Hezekiah's request to Isaiah: 2 Kgs 19:2–4; Isa 37:2–4. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 2.2.17 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/2-2-17). ## Commentary on Joel 2:20 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/2-2-6/#p-2-2-20 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The northern enemy is the Assyrian, driven from Jerusalem by the angel and later destroyed by Babylon, which in turn fell to Cyrus; the first and last seas are the Babylonian and Persian armies. ### Greek text χ'. « Καὶ τὸν ἀπὸ βοῤῥᾶ δὲ ἐχδιώξω ἀφ᾽ ὑμῶν, καὶ ἐξοίσω 1" αὐτὸν εἰς γῆν ἄνυδρον, καὶ ἀφανιῶ τὸ πρόπωπον αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν τὴν πρώτην, καὶ τὰ ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν τὴν ἐσχάτην, καὶ μος αὐτοῦ, ἔτι ἐμεγάλυνε 15 τὰ ἔργα αὑτοῦ. » Τὸν ἀπὸ βοῤῥᾶ τὸν ᾿Ασσύριον λέγει, ὅν πάλαι μὲν ἀπὸ πῶν Ἱεροσολύμων ἐξήλασε, τοὺς πλείστους αὐτῶν δι᾽ ἀγγέλου χαταχοντίσας, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα Βαδυλωνίων πεποίηκε παρανάλωμα, Βαθδυλωνίους δὲ πάλιν τοῖς Πέρσαις παρέδωκε. Θαλάσσας τοίνυν τὰς στρατιὰς καλεῖ πρώτην μὲν τὴν Βαδυλωνίων, ὑφ᾽ ὧν τὰ ἐν Νινευῖ κατελύθη βασίλεια -" ἐσχάτην δὲ τὴν Περσῶν. Οὗτοι γὰρ ἡγουμένου 1" τοῦ Κύρου, καὶ εἷλον τὴν Βαβυλῶνα, καὶ τοὺς πλείστους ἀνεῖλον, τοὺς δὲ ἄλλους σε “ὃν θάνατον δυσωδίαν ἐκάλεσεν " ἀτάφων γὰρ, ὡς ἐν πολέμῳ, τῶν σωμάτων ῥιφέντων, καὶ ταῦτα παρηχολούθησε, Τοιγάρτοι τούτων, φησὶ, παρ᾽ ἐμοῦ γιγνομένων, ### English translation (Claude) 20. "And the one from the north I will drive away from you, and I will thrust him into a waterless land, and I will destroy his face into the first sea, and his rear into the last sea; and … his stench, because he has magnified his works." By the one from the north he means the Assyrian, whom he once drove away from Jerusalem, shooting down most of them by an angel, and afterwards made a casualty of the Babylonians; and the Babylonians in turn he handed over to the Persians. He calls the armies seas: the first, that of the Babylonians, by whom the kingdom in Nineveh was destroyed; the last, that of the Persians. For these, led by Cyrus, both took Babylon and killed most of its people, and the others … He called death a stench; for when the bodies are thrown out unburied, as happens in war, this too followed. Therefore, he says, when these things are done by me, ### Scripture references - Joel 2:20: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 19:35: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Joel 2:20. Part of the lemma is lost in the scan (the LXX reads "and his rottenness will go up, and his stench will go up"); a line of the comment is lost after "and the others". The angel: 2 Kgs 19:35. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 2.2.20 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/2-2-20). ## Commentary on Joel 2:21 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/2-2-6/#p-2-2-21 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God bids the land and the beasts rejoice at the coming rains and harvest, as a way of consoling the despondent people. ### Greek text κα΄. ε Θάρσει, γῆ, χαῖρε, καὶ εὐφραίνου, ὅτι ἐμεγάλυνε Κύριος τὸῦ ποιῆσαι. » Καὶ ἵνα μὴ πάντα καταλέγων πέρα τοῦ μετρίου μηκύνω, καὶ τοῖς κτήνεσιν ὁμοίως παρακελεύεται θαῤῥεῖν, ὡς ὄμθρων συνήθως ἐσομένων, καὶ τῆς πόας φανησομένης, καὶ νομῆς ἐσομένης εἰς κόρον, καὶ ἀμπέλων, καὶ συκῶν, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἀκροδρύων τοῖς παντοδαποῖς: βριθόντῶν καρποῖς. Δῆλον δὲ ὅτι τῇ γῇ καὶ τοῖς κτήνεσιν οὖὗχ ὡς λογικοῖς διαλέγεται, ἀλλὰ πάντοθεν 5 τοῖς ἀθυμοῦσι ψυχαγωγίαν προσφέρει. Διὸ καταλιπὼν εὐθὺς τὴν ἄψυχον γῆν, καὶ τῶν ἀλόγων τὰ γένη, ἐπὶ τὴν φύσιν μετέδη τὴν λογικήν. ### English translation (Claude) 21. "Take courage, O land, rejoice and be glad, for the Lord has done great things." And so as not to go on beyond measure listing everything: he likewise bids the beasts take courage, since the rains will come as usual, the grass will appear, the pasture will be plentiful, and vines and figs and the other fruit trees will be heavy with fruits of every kind. It is clear that he speaks to the land and the beasts not as though they were rational, but brings consolation from every side to the despondent. Therefore he at once left the soulless land and the kinds of irrational animals and passed on to the rational nature. ### Scripture references - Joel 2:21: quotation, high confidence - Joel 2:22: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Joel 2:21–22 (2:22 paraphrased). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 2.2.21 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/2-2-21). ## Commentary on Joel 2:23 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/2-2-6/#p-2-2-23 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: After promising Israel restored harvests, Joel foretells the outpouring of the Spirit, fulfilled at Pentecost and in the prophets of the apostolic church and later saints; the signs in heaven precede Christ's second coming, and salvation is preached from Zion; then the nations (Gog and Magog, Tyre, the Scythians) who attacked Jerusalem after the exile are judged in the valley of Jehoshaphat. ### Greek text «γ΄. « Καὶ τὰ τέχνα Σιὼν, καίρετε, καὶ εὐφραΐνεσθε ἐπὶ Κυρίῳ τῷ θεῷ ὑμῶν. ν Τὰς γὰρ ἀναγκαίας ὑμῖ) χορηγήσει χρείας, καὶ παρέξει τὸν ὑετὸν εἰς καιρὸν, τόν τε πρώϊμον καὶ τὸν ὄψιμον», καθάπερ καὶ πρόσθεν ἀπελαύετε. Τοσαύτη δὲ ἔσται φορὰ τῶν ὡραίων, ὡς καὶ τὰς ἀλωὰς ὑπὸ τῶν ἀσταχύων στενοχωρεῖσθαι, καὶ τοῦ οἴνου καὶ τοῦ ἐλαίου τὰς ληνοὺς ὑπερδλύζειν. Καὶ διδάσκων σαφῶς, ὡς οὗ μόνον πολεμικὴν ὑπέμειναν ἔφοδον, ἀλλὰ 75 καὶ ὑπὸ ἀκρίδος, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων λίαν ἐμαστιγώθησαν, εὐθὺς ἐπήγαγε" χε'. « Καὶ ἀνταποδώσω ὑμῖν ἀντὶ τῶν ἑτῶν, ὧν κατέφαγεν ἡ ἀχρὶς, καὶ ὁ βροῦχος, καὶ ἡ ἐρυσίδη, καὶ ἡ κάμπη, ἡ δύναμίς μου ἡ μεγάλη, ἣν ἕξαπἐστειλα εἰς ὑμᾶς. ν» Δύγαμιν δὲ αὑτοῦ μεγάλην τὴν κάμπην ἐχάλεπεν, οὐκ ἐπειδὴ ταὐτὴν ἔχει δύναμιν μεγάλην « ὁ ἐπιθλέπων ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, καὶ ποιῶν αὐτὴν τρέμειν, ὁ ἀπτόμενης τῶν ὀρέων, καὶ χαπνίζονται, ὁ ἐπιτιμῶν τῇ θαλάσσῃ, καὶ ξηραίνων αὐτὴν,» καὶ μυρία τούτων μείζονα δυνάμενος δρᾷν " ἀλλ᾽ ἐπειδὴ μείζων ἡ ἐκ ταύτης αὐτοῖς ἐγένετο βλάδη, μεγάλην αὐτὴν προσηγόρευσε δύναμιν. κς΄. ε Καὶ φάγεσθε ἐσθίοντες, καὶ ἐμπλησθήσεσθε, καὶ αἰνέαετε τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ ὑμῶν, ὃς ἐποίησε μεθ᾽ ὑμῶν θαυμάσια.» Τοῦτο γὰρ τῶν ἀγαθῶν τὸ κεφάλαιον, οὗ τὸ εἰς χόρον ἀπολαῦσαι τῶν ἀγαθῶν, ἀλλὰ τὸ ὑμνῆσαι τὸν δοτῇρα τῶν ἀγαθῶν. Τοῖς δὲ οὕτως εὐγνωμόνως διακειμένοις, καὶ τῶν θείων εὖεἐργεσιῶν μεμνημένοις, ὑπισχνεῖται ε τὸ μὴ χαταισχυνθῆναι τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.» Εἰ δὲ ἐν αἰσχύνῃ νῦν εἰσιν Ἰουδαῖοι, οὐκ ὁ ἀψευδὴς Θεὸς τὰς ὑποσχέσεις ἐψεύσατο" ἀλλ᾽ αὐτοὶ σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ἀπέφηναν ἀναξίους τῶν ὑποσχέσεων, ἀχάριστοι 77 περὶ τὸν εὐἐργέτην γεγενημένοι, καὶ τὸν οἰκοδεσπότην Βεελίεναντες, καὶ μὴ μόνον τοὺς καρποὺς εἰς καιρὸν ὁ οὐκ ἀποδεδωχότες, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν κληρονομίαν ἁρπάσαι χξ', « Καὶ ἐπιγνώσεσθε, ὅτι ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἐγώ εἶμι, καὶ ἐγὼ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ὑμῶν, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἔτι πλὴν ἐμοῦ. » Δι' αὐτῆς 1 γὰρ τῆς πείρας μαθήσ:σῦς, ὅπως ὑμῶν κηδόμενος συνοικεῖν ὑμῖν ἀνέχο" μᾶι, ὁ τὸν οὐρανὸν ἔχων θρόνον, τὴν δὲ γῆν ὑποπόδιον " εἴσεφθς δὲ καὶ τῶν ὑμετέρων εἰδώλων τὴν ἀσθένειαν, καὶ ὅτι ἐγὼ μόνος ὑπάρχω Θεὸς, καὶ παιδεύειν τοὺς πλημμελοῦντας, καὶ ἐλεεῖν τοὺς μεῖαμελουμένους δυνάμενος. Τούτοις δὲ τοῖς λογισμοῖς ἐπιμένοντες, ἐν ἀδείᾳ πάσῃ βιώσεσθε, οὐκέτι τὰ τῶν ἐθνῶν ὀνείδη δεχόμενοι, Οὕτω τὰ κατὰ τὴν ἐπάνοδον προαγορεύσας, καὶ τὴν τῆς δουλείας ἀπαλλαγὴν. καὶ τὴν θεόσδοτον ἐλευθερίαν, καὶ τὴν εὐετηρίαν, καὶ τῶν ἢ καρπῶν τὴν ἀφθονίαν, καὶ τὴν τῆς πλάνης ἀπαλλαγὴν, καὶ τῆς θεογνωσίας προειπὼν τὰς ἀκτῖνας, μηνύει καὶ τὰς παντοδαπὰς τοῦ θείου Πνεύματο; δωρεὰς, ἃς μετὰ τὴν τοῦ Μονογενοῦς ἐνανθρώπησιν, καὶ τὸ σωτήριον πάθος, καὶ τὴν ἀνάστασιν, καὶ τὴν εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀνάθασιν, τοῖς ἱεροῖς ἐχορήγησεν ἀπ᾿" στόλοις ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς, καὶ δι᾽ ἐχείνων ἅπατι τοῖς κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην πεπιστευκόσι. χη’, κθ΄, «ε Καὶ ἔσται μετὰ ταῦτα. » Τουτέστι, μετὰ τὴν ἐπάνοδον καὶ τὴν τῆς ἀληθείας ἐπίγνωσιν. « Καὶ" ἐκχεῶ ἀπὸ τοῦ Πνεύματός μου ἐπὶ πᾶσαν σάρκα, καὶ προφητεύσουσιν οἱ υἱοὶ ὑμῶν καὶ αἱ θυγατέρες ὑμῶν, καὶ οἱ πρεσδύτεροι ὑμῶν ἐνυπνιασθήσονται, καὶ οἱ νεανίσκοι ὑμῶν ὁράσεις ὄψονται. Καί γε ἐπὶ τοὺς δούλους μου, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς δούλας μου, ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις ἐκχεῶ ἀπὸ τοῦ Πνεύματός μου. » Τοῦτο δὲ ἀναφανδὸν μὲν καὶ διαῤῥήδην κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν τῆς Πεντηκοστῆς τὸ πέρας ἐδέξατο, ὅτε ἐλάλουν ἑτέραις γλώσσαις οἱ θεῖοι ἀπόστολοι, καθὼς τὸ Πνεῦμα ἐδίδου αὐτοῖ; ἀποφθέγγεσθαι" καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα δὲ δι᾽ ἐχείνων ἡ χάρις διενεμήθη τοῖς πιστεύουσιν ἅπασιν - ἐξ ὧν ἦσαν καὶ οἱ ἐν ᾿Αντιοχείᾳ προφῆται, παὶ “Αγαύος ὁ τὴν ζώνην τοῦ Παύλου λαδὼν, καὶ οἱ ἐν Κορίνθῳ, πρὸς οὖς ὁ Παῦλος γράφει" « Ἐὰν δὲ πάντες προφητεύητεδ', εἰσέλθῃ δέ τις ἄπιστος, ἣ ἰδιώτης, ἐλέγχεται ὑπὸ πάντων, ἀνακρίνεται ὑπὸ πάντων, καὶ οὕτω δ πεσὼν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον προσκυνήσει τῷ Θεῷ, λέγων" ὅτι ὄντως ὁ Θεὸς ἐν ὑμῖν ἔστιν. » Καὶ αἱ τέτταρες δὲ τοῦ Φιλίππου θυγατέρες τὸ τῆς προφητείας ἐδέξαντο χάρισμα. Περὶ γὰρ τοῦ θεσπεσίου Παύλου τί δεῖ καὶ λέγειν, ὃς ἐν Μιλήτῳ μὲν τοῖς Ἐφεσίων ἔλεγε πρεσθυτέροις " « Οἶδα γὰρ, ὅτι μετὰ τὴν ἄφιξίν μου εἰσελεύσονται λύκοι βαρεῖς εἰς ὑμᾶς, μὴ φειδόμενοι τοῦ ποιμνίου, καὶ ἐξ ὑμῶν δὲ αὐτῶν ἀναστήσονται ἄνδρες λαλοῦντες διεστραμ.μένα;» Τιμοθέῳ δὲ γράφων βοᾷ, ὅτι ε Ἐν ταῖς ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις ἐνστήσονται καιροὶ χαλεποί " ἔσονται γὰρ ἄνθρωποι φίλαυτοι, φιλάργυροι, » καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Καὶ πάλιν" ε Τὸ. δὲ Πνεῦμα ῥητῶς λέγει, ὅτι ἐν ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις 5" ἀποστήσονταί τινες τἧς πί- στεως, προσέχοντες πνεύμασι πλάνοις, » καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. ᾿Αλλὰ γὰρ περιττὸν ποιῶ, δεικνύναι «ἧς προφητείας πειρώμενος τὴν ἀλήθειαν. ΓΑχρις γὰρ καὶ ἡμῶν τοῦτο διεφυλάχθη τὸ δῶρον, καὶ εἰσὶν ἐν τοῖς ἁγίοις ἄνδρες καθαρὸν τῆς διανοίας τὸ ὁπτικὸν ἔχοντες, οἵ πολλὰ τῶν μελλάντων καὶ προγινώσχουσι, καὶ προλέγουσιν, Οὕτως εἰρηκὼς τὰ μετὰ τὴν πρώτην τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐπιφάνειαν χορηγηθέντα ὑπὸ τοῦ θείου Πνεύματος δῶρα, προλέγει καὶ τὰ πρὸ τῆς λ΄, λα΄, ε Καὶ δώσω τέρατα ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, αἷμα, καὶ πῦρ, καὶ ἀτμίδα καπνοῦ. Ὁ ἥλιος μεταστραφήσεται εἰς σκότος, καὶ ἡ σελήνη εἰς αἷμα, πρὶν ἢ ἐλθεῖν τὴν ἡμέραν Κυρίου, τὴν μεγάλην καὶ ἐπιφανῇ. » Ταῦτα καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς Εὐαγγϑβλίοις προηγόρευσεν " « Ἔσται γὰρ, φησὶ, σημεῖα ἐν οὐρανῷ, καὶ ἡλίῳ, καὶ σελήνῃ, καὶ ἄστροις. ν Ἡμέραν δὲ μεγάλην καὶ ἐπιφαγῆ τὴν δευτέραν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐπιφάνειαν ὀνομάζει. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ κατὰ τὴν προτέραν ἐτέχθη μὲν ὑπὸ πενιχρᾶς γυναικὸς ἐν σπηλαίῳ, τεχθεὶς δὲ ἐπὶ φάτνης ἐτέθη, καὶ ἕως ἤρξατο τῶν θαυμάτων, ἄδηλος ἣν τοῖς πολλοῖς “ ἐρχόμενος δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν νεφελῶν ὀφθήσεται, μυρίων μυριάδων ἐχείνων ἡγουμένων, καὶ τῶν χιλίων χιλιάδων ὑμνουσῶν,, καὶ αὐτῷ κάμπτει πᾶν γόνυ ἐπουρανίων, καὶ ἐπιγείων, καὶ καταχθονίων, εἰκότως τὴν ἡμέραν ἐχείνην ἐπιφανῇ προσαγορεύει. λβ΄, «ε Καὶ ἔστα', πᾶς ὃς ἂν ἐπικαλέσηται τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου, σωθήσεται. » ᾿Αλλὰ γὰρ χκαιρὺς εἰπεῖν τὴν ἀποστολικὴν ἐχείνην φωνήν " « Πῶς οὖν ἐπικαλέσουται εἰς ὃν οὐκ ἐπίστευσαν : πῶς δὲ πιστεύσουσιν οὗ οὐκ ἤκουσαν; πῶς δὲ ἀκούσωσι χωρὶς κηρύσσοντος : » Οὗ χάριν εἱκότως ἐπήγαγεν " « Ὅτι ἐν τῷ ὄρε: Σιὼν, καὶ ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἔσται ἀνασωζόμενος, καθότι εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος, καὶ εὐαγγελιζόμενοι, οὖς Κύριος προσχέχληχεῦδ, » Σαφῶς γὰρ ἐνταῦθα τοὺς ἱεροὺς ἡμῖν ἀποστόλους ἐδήλωσεν, οἵ προσετάχθησαν εὐαγγελίζεσθαι, καὶ λέγειν “ ε ἬἭγγιχεν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν. » Ἐν τῷ ὄρει δὲ Σιὼν, καὶ ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἀνασωζόμενον λέγει, σημαίνων, ὡς πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων εἰς τὸν ἐκεῖ σταυρωθέντα καὶ τὰ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἀναδεξάμενον πάθη, σωτηρίας τεύξεται. Μετὰ τὴν πρόῤῥησιν τῶν πνευματικῶν δωρεῶν, εἰς ἑτέραν ὑπόθεσιν τὴν προφητείαν μετήνεγκε, καὶ προλέγει περὶ τοῦ Γὼγ καὶ τοῦ Μαγὼγ, περὶ ὧν καὶ ὁ θεῖος Ἰεζεκιὴλ προεθέσπισε, καὶ προλέγει, ὡς παμπληθεῖ χρησάμενοι στρατιᾷ, μετὰ τὴν ἐπάνοδον ἐπιστρατεύσουσι τῇ Ἵερουσαλὴμ, τῶν περιοίκων ἐθνῶν, ὡς εἰκὸς, αὐτοὺς προπρεπόντων εἰς τοῦτο. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ περιφανεῖς λίαν καὶ περίδλεπτοι μετὰ τὴν ἐπάνοδον ἐγεγόνεισαν, τοῦ τηνικάδε τῆς οἰκουμένης κρατοῦντος (Κύρος δὲ ἣν ὁ πρῶτος Περπῶν βασιλεύσας, μετὰ δώρων αὐτοὺς καὶ τιμῆς ἁπάσης προπέμψαντος, καὶ τὸν θεῖον νεὼν ᾿ οἰκοδομηθῆναι παρεγγυήσαντος, φθόνῳ βαλλόμενοι λαθεῖν τὴν πόλιν ἐλπίσαντες. ᾿Αλλ᾽ ἐψεύσθησαν τῆς ἐλπίδος -“ πανωλεθρίαν γὰρ παρ᾽ αὐτὴν τὴν πόλιν ὑπέμειναν, τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων ὑπερμαχήσαντος, καὶ ὑπ᾽ ἀλλήλων αὐτοὺς ἀναιρεθῆναι παρασχευάσαντος. Ταῦτα ὁ" Δεσπότης διὰ τοῦ θείου Ἰωΐλ α'. « Ὅτι ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις, καὶ ἐν τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ. » Δεικνὺς ποίῳ χαιρῷ, ἐπ’ ἤγαγεν " « Ὅταν ἐπιστρέψω τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν Ἰούδα καὶ Ἱερουσαλήμ. » Οὐ γὰρ ἐν τῷ τῶν πνευματικῶν Ὁ χαρισμάτων χαιρῷ, ἀλλ᾽ εὐθὺς μετὰ τὴν ἀπὸ Βαβυλῶνος ἐπάνοδον, β΄. « Συνάξω, φησὶ, πάντα τὰ ἔθνη. » ᾿Αντὶ τοῦ, Συναχθῆνα: συγχωρήσω, καὶ τὴν πρώτην αὐτῶν ὁρμὴν οὐ κωλύσω" τοῦτο γὰρ λέγει συνάξω" οὗ γὰρ ἄκοντας ἦγεν, ἀλλὰ βουλομένους ἐλθεῖν οὐκ ἐκώλυσεν, « Καὶ χατάξω αὐτὰ εἰς τὴν κοιλάδα τοῦ 5'᾽ Ἰωσαφάτ, καὶ διαχριθήσομαι πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐκεῖ ὑπὲρ τοῦ Α λαοῦ μου, καὶ τῆς κληρονομίας μου Ἰσραήλ΄ οἷ διεσπάρησαν ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι, καὶ τὴν τῆν μου χαταδιείλαντο ". (γ΄.) Καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν λαόν μου ἔδαλον κλήρους, καὶ ἔδωκαν τὰ παιδάρια πόρναις, καὶ τὰ χοράσια ἐπώλουν ἀντὶ οἴνου, καὶ ἔπινον. ν Ἐντεῦθεν δῆλον, ὡς τῶν ὁμόρων ἡγουμένων ἠχολούθοον οἱ ἄλλοι " αὐτοὶ γὰρ, κατὰ τὸν τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας κᾶιρὸν, καὶ τὴν γῆν χαταδιεέλαντο, ὡς μηδενὸς ἔτι ὄντος, μῆτε τοῦ δεσπόζοντος,, μήτς τοῦ γεωργοῦντος, καὶ τὸν κλῆρον δὲ ἔδαλον, τὰς διαιρέσεις ποιούμενοι" καὶ τοὺς διαφυγόντας ἀπεδίδοντο, εἰς ἀσωτίαν καὶ τρυφὴν τὴν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν χαταδαλλομένην νῶντες Κ᾽ τιμήν. Τὸ δὲ, ε Διαχριθήσομαι ὑπὲρ τοῦ λαοῦ μου, » τέθεικε, διδάσκων, ὡς ἀπαιτήσει αὐτοὺς ποινὴν τῆς εἰς τὸν λαὸν τολμηθείσης παρανομίας. ἝΝντεῦθεν ἐγκαλεῖ τῇ Τύρῳ καὶ τῇ Γαλιλαίᾳ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων (χώρα δὲ αὕτη τῆς Τύρου), ὅτι καὶ αὐτὴ τῶν ταῦτα δρασάντων ἐγένετο, μνησικακίᾳ κατὰ τοῦ λαοῦ χρησαμένη. Οἰκειούμενος δὲ τὰ εἰς τὸν λαὸν τολμηθέντα, ἔφη " « Μὴ ἀνταπόδομα ὑμεῖς ἀνταποδίδοτέ μοι, ἣ μνησιχαχεῖτε ὑμεῖς ἐπ᾽ ἐμοί : » Ὥσπερ γὰρ τῶν ἀποστόλων διωκομένων ὑπὸ τοῦ Σαύλου, ἄνωθεν ἕλεγε" « Σαοὺλ, Σαοὺλ, τί με διώκεῖς; » οἰκεῖα πάθη χαλῶν τὰ κατ᾽ ἐχείνων τολμώμενα οὕτω: ἐνταῦθα, πρὸς τὴν Τύρον διαλεγόμενος, τὸ πρόσωπον ἀνείλη τε τοῦ λαοῦ, καὶ εἰς ἑαυτὸν ἀνήνεγκε τὰ κατ᾽ ἐχείνου γινόμενα, ᾿Απειλεῖ δὲ αὐτοῖς τὴν ταχίστην ἀπόδοσιν ᾽", τῆς εἰς τὸν λαὸν παρανυμίας τὴν δικαίαν ἀντίδοσιν. Εἶτα λέγε: καὶ τῆς ἀδικίας τὰ εἴδη. Λαδόντες γὰρ, φησὶ, τὸ ἀργύριον, καὶ τὸ χρυσίον μου, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα τὰ ἀνακείμενά μοι, εἰς τοὺ: τῶν εἰδώλων ὑμῶν εἰσηνέγχατε ναούς τοὺς δὲ διαφυγόντας τῶν Βαδυλωνίων τὴν ἔφοδον Ἴουδαίους τοῖς υἱοῖς τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἀπέδοσθε, ἕνα σκοπὸν ἔχοντες, ὥστε πόῤῥω αὑτοὺς τῆς ὑπ᾽ ἐμοῦ δοθείσης αὐτοῖ; καταστῆσαι γῆς. ᾿Αλλ' ἐγὼ πάντοθεν αὑτοὺς συναθροίσας, αὖθις αὐτοὺς ἀνακτήσασθαι τὴν οἰκείαν παρασχευάσω δύναμιν, ὥστε ὑμᾶς ἐνδί-χως ἀμύνασθαι, καὶ καταλῦσαι τὴν ὑμετέραν ὀφρὺν, γαὶλ ἐξανδραποδίσαι, καὶ εἰς τὰς τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐσχατιὰς ἀναγκάσαι δουλεύειν. ᾿Απὸ τῆς Τύρου πάλιν εἰς τὰ Σχυθιχὰ τὴν προφητείαν μετήνεγκε, καὶ κελεύει κηρῦξαι τοῖς ἔθνεσι, καὶ διεγεῖραι τοὺς μαχητὰς, καὶ ἀφορίσαι! εἰς πόλεμον " τοῦτο γὰρ ἐκάλεσεν ἀγιάσαι. Ἐπειδῃ γὰρ ὁ ἄγιος τῶν ἐναγῶν ἑαυτὸν ἀφορίζει πραγμάτων, πᾶν τὸ εἴς τι ἀφοριζόμενον ἁγιάσαι καλεῖ" οὕτως καὶ ἄνω, ᾿Αγιάσατε, ἔφη, νηστείαν, τουτέστιν, ᾿Αφορίσατε. Καὶ ὁ Ἡσαΐας περὶ τῶν Βαδυλωνίων - « Ἡγιασμένοι εἰσὶ, καὶ ἐγὼ ἄγω αὐτούς " » ἀντὶ τοῦ, εἰς τοῦτο ἀφωρισμένοι. Εἶτα κελεύει τὰ γεωργικὰ ὄργανα εἰς πολεμικὰ μετασχευάσαι, καὶ τὸν ἀσθενῶς διακείμενον, ὡς ῥωμαλέον εἰς τὴν παράταξιν εὐτρεπίσασθαι, καὶ τὸν ἀΐαγαθίζεσθαι πάντας δὲ εἰς τὴν κοιλάδα τοῦ Ἶωσα- ### English translation (Claude) 23. "And you children of Zion, rejoice and be glad in the Lord your God." For he will supply your necessary needs and give the rain in its season, both the early and the late, as you enjoyed it before. And there will be such a yield of crops that the threshing floors will be crowded with ears of grain, and the vats of wine and oil will overflow. And teaching clearly that they not only underwent the attack of war but were also severely scourged by the locust and the rest, he at once added: "25. And I will repay you for the years that the locust and the grub and the blight and the caterpillar have eaten, my great power which I sent against you." He called the caterpillar his great power, not because this is the great power he has (he "who looks on the earth and makes it tremble, who touches the mountains and they smoke, who rebukes the sea and dries it up," and who can do countless things greater than these), but because the harm they suffered from it was greater, he called it a great power. "26. And you will eat, eating, and be filled, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has done wonders with you." For this is the sum of the good things: not to enjoy good things to the full, but to praise the giver of the good things. To those who are so gratefully disposed and mindful of the divine benefits he promises that "my people will not be put to shame forever." If the Jews are now in shame, the God who does not lie has not falsified his promises; but they made themselves unworthy of the promises, becoming ungrateful to their benefactor, [outraging] the master of the house, and not only failing to render the fruits in their season, but even [trying] to seize the inheritance. "27. And you will know that I am in the midst of Israel, and I am the Lord your God, and there is no other besides me." For through the experience itself you will learn how, caring for you, I bear to dwell with you, I who have heaven for a throne and the earth for a footstool; and you will know the weakness of your idols, and that I alone am God, able both to discipline those who offend and to have mercy on those who repent. If you abide in these thoughts, you will live in complete security, no longer receiving the reproaches of the nations. Having thus foretold what concerns the return (the release from slavery, the God-given freedom, the good harvests, the abundance of fruits, the release from error), and having foretold the rays of the knowledge of God, he also announces the manifold gifts of the divine Spirit, which, after the incarnation of the Only-begotten, the saving passion, the resurrection and the ascension into heaven, the God of all supplied to the holy apostles, and through them to all who have believed throughout the world. "28, 29. And it shall be after these things", that is, after the return and the knowledge of the truth, "that I will pour out of my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy, and your elders will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. And on my male servants and on my female servants in those days I will pour out of my Spirit." This received its fulfillment openly and expressly on the day of Pentecost, when the divine apostles spoke in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance; and afterwards the grace was distributed through them to all who believed. Among these were the prophets in Antioch, and Agabus, who took Paul's belt, and those in Corinth, to whom Paul writes: "But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, examined by all, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God, declaring that God is truly among you." And the four daughters of Philip received the gift of prophecy. And what need is there even to speak of the inspired Paul, who said in Miletus to the elders of the Ephesians: "For I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among you yourselves men will arise speaking perverse things"? And writing to Timothy he cries: "In the last days difficult times will come; for people will be lovers of self, lovers of money," and so on. And again: "Now the Spirit expressly says that in the last days some will depart from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits," and so on. But I am doing something superfluous in trying to show the truth of the prophecy. For this gift has been preserved even to our own time, and there are among the saints men who have the eye of the mind pure, who both foreknow and foretell many things to come. Having thus spoken of the gifts supplied by the divine Spirit after the first appearance of our Savior, he also foretells what will come before the [second]: "30, 31. And I will give wonders in heaven and on earth, blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the great and manifest day of the Lord comes." The Lord too foretold these things in the holy Gospels: "For there will be signs," he says, "in heaven, and in sun and moon and stars." He calls the great and manifest day the second appearance of our Savior. For since at the first he was born of a poor woman in a cave, and when born was laid in a manger, and until he began his miracles was unknown to the many, but coming on the clouds he will be seen, … with myriads of myriads leading the way and thousands of thousands singing hymns, and every knee bending to him, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, he rightly calls that day manifest. "32. And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." But it is time to say that apostolic word: "How then will they call on one in whom they have not believed? And how will they believe in one of whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?" For this reason he fittingly added: "For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be one who is saved, as the Lord said, and those who bring good news, whom the Lord has called." Here he clearly indicated to us the holy apostles, who were commanded to bring the good news and to say: "The kingdom of heaven has come near." He speaks of the one who is saved on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, signifying that everyone who believes in the one who was crucified there and took on the sufferings for us will obtain salvation. After the prediction of the spiritual gifts he moved the prophecy to another subject, and foretells about Gog and Magog, of whom the divine Ezekiel too prophesied; he foretells that, using a vast army, they will march against Jerusalem after the return, the surrounding nations, as is likely, urging them on to this. For since after the return they had become very conspicuous and admired (the ruler of the world at that time, and Cyrus was the first king of the Persians, having sent them off with gifts and every honor and having charged that the divine temple be rebuilt), they were struck by envy and hoped to take the city. But they were cheated of their hope: they suffered utter destruction beside the city itself, the God of all fighting for it and arranging that they should be killed by one another. The Master foretold these things through the divine Joel: "1. For behold, I, in those days and at that time." Showing at what time, he added: "When I turn back the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem." For not at the time of the spiritual gifts, but immediately after the return from Babylon. "2. I will gather," he says, "all the nations": that is, I will allow them to be gathered and will not prevent their first onset; this is what he means by "I will gather"; for he did not lead them against their will, but did not prevent them when they wished to come. "And I will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and I will enter into judgment with them there on behalf of my people and my inheritance Israel, who were scattered among the nations, and they divided up my land. 3. And they cast lots for my people, and gave the boys to prostitutes, and sold the girls for wine, and drank." From this it is clear that the neighbors led and the others followed. For at the time of the captivity they divided up the land, as though there were no longer any owner or farmer, and cast the lot as they made the divisions; and they sold those who had escaped, spending the price paid for them on profligacy and luxury. "I will enter into judgment on behalf of my people" he set down to teach that he will exact from them the penalty for the lawlessness dared against the people. From here he accuses Tyre and Galilee of the foreigners (this is the territory of Tyre), because it too was among those who did these things, nursing a grudge against the people. Taking as his own what was dared against the people, he said: "4. Are you paying me back a recompense, or bearing a grudge against me?" For as, when the apostles were persecuted by Saul, he said from above, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?", calling his own sufferings what was dared against them, so here, speaking to Tyre, he took up the person of the people and referred to himself what was done against it. He threatens them with the swiftest repayment, the just requital of their lawlessness against the people. Then he tells the forms of the injustice too. Taking my silver and my gold, he says, and the other things dedicated to me, you brought them into the temples of your idols; and the Jews who escaped the attack of the Babylonians you sold to the sons of the Greeks, with one aim, to put them far from the land given them by me. But I will gather them from everywhere and cause them to recover their own strength, so as to avenge themselves on you justly, to destroy your arrogance, to enslave you and force you to serve at the ends of the world. From Tyre he again moved the prophecy to the Scythian peoples, and bids them proclaim to the nations, rouse the warriors, and set them apart for war; for this is what he called "sanctify". For since the holy one sets himself apart from accursed things, he calls everything that is set apart for something "sanctifying"; so too above he said, "Sanctify a fast," that is, set it apart. And Isaiah says of the Babylonians: "They are sanctified, and I lead them," that is, set apart for this. Then he bids them convert their farming tools into weapons of war, and the one who is weakly disposed to make himself ready for the battle line as a strong man, and … to act bravely, and all … into the valley of Jehoshaphat ### Scripture references - Joel 2:23: quotation, high confidence - Joel 2:24: allusion, high confidence - Joel 2:25: quotation, high confidence - Joel 2:26: quotation, high confidence - Joel 2:27: quotation, high confidence - Joel 2:28 (3:1 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Joel 2:29 (3:2 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Joel 2:30 (3:3 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Joel 2:31 (3:4 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Joel 2:32 (3:5 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Joel 3:1 (4:1 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Joel 3:2 (4:2 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Joel 3:3 (4:3 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Joel 3:4 (4:4 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Joel 3:5 (4:5 LXX): allusion, high confidence - Joel 3:6 (4:6 LXX): allusion, high confidence - Joel 3:7 (4:7 LXX): allusion, high confidence - Joel 3:8 (4:8 LXX): allusion, high confidence - Joel 3:9 (4:9 LXX): allusion, high confidence - Joel 3:10 (4:10 LXX): allusion, high confidence - Joel 3:11 (4:11 LXX): allusion, medium confidence - Ps 104:32 (103:32 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Nah 1:4: quotation, high confidence - Isa 66:1: allusion, high confidence - Matt 21:41: allusion, medium confidence - Acts 2:4: quotation, high confidence - Acts 2:17: echo, medium confidence - Acts 11:27: allusion, high confidence - Acts 21:11: allusion, high confidence - 1 Cor 14:24: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 14:25: quotation, high confidence - Acts 21:9: allusion, high confidence - Acts 20:29: quotation, high confidence - Acts 20:30: quotation, high confidence - 2 Tim 3:1: quotation, high confidence - 2 Tim 3:2: quotation, high confidence - 1 Tim 4:1: quotation, high confidence - Luke 21:25: quotation, high confidence - Luke 2:7: allusion, high confidence - Dan 7:10: allusion, high confidence - Phil 2:10: allusion, high confidence - Rom 10:14: quotation, high confidence - Matt 10:7: quotation, high confidence - Ezek 38:2: allusion, high confidence - Ezra 1:7: allusion, medium confidence - Acts 9:4: quotation, high confidence - Isa 13:3: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Joel 2:23–32 (LXX 2:23–3:5) and 3:1–11 (LXX 4:1–11): this single section covers the end of Joel 2, the whole of LXX Joel 3 and the start of LXX Joel 4. Migne's Latin column and apparatus break into the section in many places and are removed by logged corrections; lost words are marked "…" or supplied in brackets. The opening words of the lemma of 2:28 ("I will pour out of my Spirit on all flesh, and") had been displaced by the scan into the quotation of 1 Tim 4:1 below; restored to the lemma by logged corrections. - Theodoret's remark that the Jews "are now in shame" through their own ingratitude (alluding to the parable of the tenants, Matt 21:33–41) is translated as written. He reads Gog and Magog and the gathering in the valley of Jehoshaphat of events after the return from Babylon; translated as written. - Ps 104:32 (LXX 103:32); Nah 1:4; Isa 66:1; Acts 2:4; 11:27–28; 21:10–11; 1 Cor 14:24–25; Acts 21:9; 20:29–30; 2 Tim 3:1–2; 1 Tim 4:1; Luke 21:25; Luke 2:7; Dan 7:10; Phil 2:10; Rom 10:14; Matt 10:7; Ezek 38–39; Ezra 1:1–4; Acts 9:4; Isa 13:3. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 2.2.23 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/2-2-23). ## Commentary on Joel 4:12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/2-2-6/#p-2-4-12 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God sits in judgment on the surrounding nations, whose slaughter is pictured as a vintage in the winepress of the valley. ### Greek text ιβ΄. ἐ Ὅτι ἐκεῖ, φησὶ, καθίσω "", διακρῖναι πάντα τὰ ἔθνη κυκλόθεν. » Τουτέστι, τὰ κύκλῳ τῆς Ἵερουσαλὴμ οἰκοῦντα, οὗτοι γὰρ τὰ Σχυθικὰ κατὰ τῶν Ἱεροσολύμων ἔθνη συνήθροισαν. Εἶτα τροπικῶς τούτων τὴν ἀναίρεσιν χωμῳδῶν, τρυγητὸν μὲν καλεῖ τὴν σφαγὴν, δρέπανα δὲ τὰ δόρατα, καὶ τὰ ξίφη, δι᾽ ὧν ἀνηρέθησαν “τηγὸν δὲ καὶ ὑπολήνιον, τὴν φάραγγα τῶν αἱμάτῶν ἐχείνων πεπληρωμένην. Καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς τιμωρίας " « Ὅτι ἐπληθύνθη, φησὶ, τὰ κακὰ αὐτῶν.» Β Εἶτα τὸν ἐν «αἷς σφαγαῖς θόρυδον. ### English translation (Claude) 12. "For there," he says, "I will sit to judge all the nations round about." That is, those that live around Jerusalem; for these gathered the Scythian nations against Jerusalem. Then, mocking their destruction figuratively, he calls the slaughter a vintage, the spears and swords by which they were killed sickles, and the winepress and the vat the ravine filled with their blood. And the cause of the punishment: "For their evils have multiplied," he says. Then the uproar in the slaughter. ### Scripture references - Joel 3:12 (4:12 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Joel 3:13 (4:13 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Joel 3:12–13 (LXX 4:12–13; 3:13 paraphrased). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 2.4.12 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/2-4-12). ## Commentary on Joel 4:14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/2-2-6/#p-2-4-14 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The valley of Jehoshaphat is the valley of judgment, where the darkening of the lights may be literal or the darkness of death and disaster. ### Greek text ιδ΄. « Ἦκοι ἐξήχησαν ἕν τῇ χοιλάδι τῆς δίκης " ὅτι ἐγγὺς ἡμέρα "" τοῦ Κυρίου ἐν τῇ κοιλάδι τῆς δίκης. » Κοιιλάδα δὲ δίκης τὴν Ἰωσαφὰτ ὠνόμασε φάραγγα, ὡς τὸ κριτήριον καὶ τὴν κατ᾽ αὐτῶν δεξαμένην ψῆφον. Λέγει δὲ καὶ τὸν ἥλιον, καὶ τὴν σελῆνην, καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἀστέρας, τοῦ φωτὸς στερηθέσεσθαιῦῦ. Καὶ εἰκὸς μὲν τῷ ὄντι ταῦτα γενέσθαι, τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων πᾶσαν κατ᾿ αὐτῶν τὴν κτίδιν κινήσαντος. Ἔστι δὲ ὅμως καὶ ἑτέρως νοῆσαι. Τοῖς γὰρ ἔξω τῆς ζωῆς γενομένοις, καὶ θανάτῳ παραδοθεῖσιν, οὔτε ἥλιος, οὔτε σελήνη, οὔτε τις ἀστέρων, τοῦ φωτὸς καταπέμπει τὴν αἴγλην. Καὶ μέντος καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ἀδοκήτων κατεχόμενοι κακῶν, ἐν σχύτῳ διῆγον, νύκτα τὴν ἡμέραν νομίζοντες. ### English translation (Claude) 14. "Sounds rang out in the valley of judgment; for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of judgment." He named the ravine of Jehoshaphat the valley of judgment, since it received the court and the sentence against them. He also says that the sun and the moon and the other stars will be deprived of their light. It is likely that this really happened, the God of all moving the whole creation against them. But one can also understand it otherwise: for to those who have gone out of life and been handed over to death, neither sun nor moon nor any star sends down the gleam of its light. And indeed, gripped by unexpected evils, they lived in darkness, thinking the day was night. ### Scripture references - Joel 3:14 (4:14 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Joel 3:15 (4:15 LXX): allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Joel 3:14–15 (LXX 4:14–15; 3:15 paraphrased). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 2.4.14 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/2-4-14). ## Commentary on Joel 4:16 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/2-2-6/#p-2-4-16 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God's thunder from Zion destroys the nations and protects his people; Theodoret holds that the promises were conditional on obedience, reads the fountain from the temple as the grace of the Holy Spirit watering the nations, and Egypt and Edom both spiritually and historically. ### Greek text ις΄. ε Ὁ δὲ Κύριος ἐκ Σιὼν ἀναχράξεται, καὶ ἐξ Ἱερουσαλὴμ δώσει φωνὴν αὑτοῦ - καὶ σεισθήσεται ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ ὁ δὲ Κύριος φείσεται τοῦ λαοῦ αὑτοῦ. » Δηλοῖ δὲ διὰ τούτων, ὡς κἀκεῖνα τῷ ὄντι γεγένηται " φωγὴν γὰρ καλεῖ τὴν βροντὴν - οὕτως γὰρ αὑτὴν προσαγορευομένην καὶ ἐν ταῖς Βασιλείαις εὑρίσκομεν. ε« Ἑποίησε γὰρ, φησὶ, Κύριος φωνὰς καὶ ὑετόν. ν Διδάσκει τοίνυν, ὡς καὶ βρονταῖς αὐτοὺς θεηλάτοις πληγαῖς ἄρδην καταναλώσει. Ταῦτα δὲ δράσει τῶν ὅλων ὁ Κύριος, οἴκτῳ περὶ τὸν οἴχεξον κεχρη μένος λαὸν, ἵνα ταύτης ἀπολαύσας τῆς προνοία;, γνῷ, φησὶν, ᾿ εξ’. « Ὅτι ἐγὼ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς κατασκηνῶν ἐν Ὁ ὄρει "5" ἀγίῳ μου. » Τούτων δὴ γενομένων, περίδλεπτος ἔσται Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ἅτε δὴ τῆς ἐμῆς ἀπολαύσασα κηδεμονίας " καὶ δέος καθέξει τοὺς ἀλλοφύλους ἅπαντας, ὥστε μηδὲ ὁδίτην τοιοῦτον δι᾽ αὐτῆς παροδεύειν, τὰ εἰς ἐκείνους γεγενημένα δειμαίνοντα. Τοῦτο γὰρ παρεδήλωσεν, εἰρηκώς “ ε Καὶ ἀλλογενὴς " οὐ διελεύσεται δι᾽ αὐτῆς οὐκέτι. ν» ᾿Αλλὰ τὰς θείας προῤῥήσεις οὐκ ἐᾷ προδαίνειν εἰς πέρας ὑπ᾽ αὐτῶν τὰ "7 παρανόμως γιγνόμενα. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς νομοθετῶν, καὶ τὰ ἀγαθὰ ὑπισχνούμενος, μετὰ διορισμοῦ ποιεῖται τοὺς λόγους " « Ἐὰν φυλάξῃ Α τὰς ἐντολὰς Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ σου, καὶ ἐὰν πορεύησθε ἕν ταῖς ὁδοῖς σὐτοῦ,. καὶ ἐὰν θέλητε, καὶ εἰσακούσητέ μου, τὰ ἀγαθὰ τῆς γῆς φάγεσθε "ἐὰν δὲ μὴ θέλητε, μηδὲ εἰσακούσητέ μον, μάχαιρα ὑμᾶς κατἐδεται. » “Ὥστε κἂν μὴ πανταχοῦ τοιαῦτα εὑρίσκωμεν, οὕτω νοῶμεν καὶ τὰ ἀορίστως λεγόμενα.. τηῖς « Καὶ ἔσται ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, ἀποσταλάξει τὰ ὄρη γλυχασμὸν, καὶ οἱ βουνοὶ ῥυήσονται γάλα. ν Τοὺς δὲ καρποὺς τῆς γῆς διὰ τούτων παραδηλοῖ, καὶ τῶν κτηνῶν τὴν εὐπάθειαν" τῶν γὰρ θρεμμάτῶν καὶ τὸ γάλα καρπός. ε Καὶ πᾶσαι αἱ ἀφέσεις Ἰούδα ῥυήσονται ὕδατα, καὶ πηγὴ ἐξ οἴχον Κυρίου πορεύσεται, καὶ ποτιεῖ τὸν χειμάῤῥουν τῶν σχοίνων.» Ἀρέσεις μὲν οὖν ὑδάτων τὰς πηγὰς ὀνομάξει, σηγὴν δὲ ἐξ οἴκου Κυρίου ἐχπορευομέγην, τὴν τοῦ Β ἁγίου Πνεύματος χάριν, περὶ ἧς καὶ ἄνω προηγόρευσεν, ἥτις οὐ μόνον Ἰουδαίους, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ ἔθνη πάντα πεπότιχε. Χειμάῤῥουν γὰρ σχοίνων τὰ ἔθνη προσαγορεύει, πάλαι μὲν τῇ πλάνῃ παρασύραντα τοὺς πελάσαντας, μετὰ δὲ τὴν εἰς τὸν Κύριον πίστιν τὰ διειδῇ τῆς ἁγίας πηγῆς ὕδατα δεξάμενα, καὶ τῶν σχοινίων τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἀπαλλαγέντα, περὶ ὧν Ἡσαῖας βυᾷ " « Οὐαὶ, οἱ ἐπισπώμενοι τὰς ἁμαρτίας "5 αὐτῶν ὡ; σχοινίῳ μακρῷ!! ν Τούτων δὲ γινομένων, Ὁ. « Αἴγυπτος εἰς ἀφανισμὸν ἔσται. ν» Τουτέστιν, ἡ περὶ τὰ εἴδωλα μανία σδεσθήσεται - ἡ γὰρ Αἴγυ πτὸος ἀρχηγὸς τῆς ἀσεδείας. « Ἢ δὲ Ἰδουμαία, φησὶν 3, εἰς πεδίον ἀφανισμοῦ. » Καὶ τὸ γήϊνον δὲ, ς φησὶ, καταλυθήσεται φρόνημα. ᾿Εδὼμ γὰρ ὁ ἐρυθρὸς καὶ γήϊνος ἑρμηνεύεται. Καὶ ' κατὰ τὴν ἷστορίαν δὲ δυνατὸν τὰ εἰρημένα νοῆσαι" Αἴγυπτον μὲν ἀφανιζομένην τῇ στερήσει τῆς βασιλείας " Καμθύσης Ὑὰρ αὑτὴν ὁ Κύρου παῖς καταλύει " καὶ ἡ Ἰδουμαῖα δὲ τὴν ἐρημίαν ὑπέμεινεν, ὡς καὶ αὐτὰ μαρτυρεῖ τὰ πράγματα. Ταῦτα δὲ, φησὶ, πείσονται δίκας τίνοντε; ὑπὲρ ὧν τὸν Ἰούδαν ἠδίκησαν. Δέκαιο γὰρ τὸ αἷμα τὸ ἀθῶον ἐκάλεσεν, ἀντὶ τοῦ, ἄνεν τινὸς αἰτίας εὐλόγου τὰς κατ᾽ αὐτῶν τετολμή- ### English translation (Claude) 16. "And the Lord will roar from Zion, and from Jerusalem he will give his voice; and the heaven and the earth will be shaken; but the Lord will spare his people." By this he shows that those things too really happened: for he calls thunder a voice, and we find it so named in the Kingdoms too: "For the Lord made voices and rain." He teaches, then, that he will utterly consume them with thunders too, as plagues sent by God. The Lord of all will do this out of pity for his own people, so that, having enjoyed this providence, it may know, he says, "17. that I am the Lord God, dwelling on my holy mountain." When these things happen, Jerusalem will be admired, since it has enjoyed my care; and fear will seize all the foreigners, so that not even a traveler will pass through it, fearing what happened to those others. He indicated this by saying: "And a foreigner will no longer pass through it." But the lawless deeds done by them did not let the divine predictions proceed to fulfillment. For the God of all, when he gives laws and promises good things, makes his words with a condition: "If you keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and if you walk in his ways"; and "if you are willing and listen to me, you will eat the good things of the land; but if you are not willing and do not listen to me, the sword will devour you." So even if we do not find such conditions everywhere, let us understand in this way also what is said without condition. "18. And it shall be on that day that the mountains will drip sweetness, and the hills will flow with milk." By this he indicates the fruits of the earth and the good condition of the cattle, for milk too is the fruit of livestock. "And all the outflows of Judah will flow with water, and a fountain will go out from the house of the Lord and water the torrent of the rushes." He names the springs "outflows of waters", and by the fountain that goes out from the house of the Lord he means the grace of the Holy Spirit, which he foretold above, and which has watered not only the Jews but also all the nations. For he calls the nations a torrent of rushes: formerly they swept away by error those who came near them, but after faith in the Lord they received the clear waters of the holy fountain and were freed from the cords of sin, of which Isaiah cries: "Woe to those who draw their sins as with a long cord!" When these things happen, "19. Egypt will become a desolation", that is, the madness for idols will be quenched, for Egypt was the originator of impiety. "And Idumea," he says, "a plain of desolation." And the earthly mind too, he says, will be destroyed; for Edom is interpreted "red" and "earthy". One can also understand what was said according to the history: Egypt was made desolate by the loss of its kingdom, for Cambyses, the son of Cyrus, destroyed it; and Idumea too underwent desolation, as the facts themselves bear witness. They will suffer this, he says, paying the penalty for the wrongs they did to Judah. He called the innocent blood just, that is, the [attacks] dared against them without any reasonable cause ### Scripture references - Joel 3:16 (4:16 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Joel 3:17 (4:17 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Joel 3:18 (4:18 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Joel 3:19 (4:19 LXX): quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 12:18: quotation, high confidence - Deut 28:9: quotation, medium confidence - Isa 1:19: quotation, high confidence - Isa 1:20: quotation, high confidence - Isa 5:18: quotation, high confidence - Gen 25:30: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Joel 3:16–19 (LXX 4:16–19). Migne's apparatus breaks into the section and is removed by a logged correction. "Voices and rain": 1 Sam 12:18 (LXX 1 Kgdms 12:18). The conditions combine Deut 28:9 with Isa 1:19–20. "Rushes" (σχοῖνοι) and "cords" (σχοινία) is a wordplay in the Greek; Isa 5:18. Edom as "red" and "earthy": Gen 25:30. Theodoret's view that Israel's lawlessness kept the promise of 3:17 from being fulfilled is translated as written. The section breaks off. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 2.4.16 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/2-4-16). ## Commentary on Joel 4:20 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/2-2-6/#p-2-4-20 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God will avenge his wronged people and dwell in Zion; the promise that Judea will be inhabited forever, Theodoret says, was conditional, and the Jews forfeited it; the rest is lost. ### Greek text α΄, κα΄. ε« Ἧ δὲ Ἰουδαία εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα χατοιχηθήσεται, καὶ Ἱερουσαλὴμ εἰς γενεὰς γενεῶν. Καὶ ἐκζητήσω τὸ αἷμα αὐτῶν, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀθωώσω, καὶ Κύριος κατασκηνώσει ἐν Σιών. » Δίκαιος γὰρ ὧν, φησὶν, οὐκ ἀνέξομα: καταλιπεῖν τοὺς ἠδικημένους ἀτημελήτους, ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἠδικηκότας χολάσω" τούτους δὲ τῆς ἐμῆς ἀξιώσω προνοίας, ἐν τῇ Σιὼν τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ δεικνὺς ἐπιφάνειαν, Τὸ δὲ, ε« Εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ἡ Ἰουδαία κατοιχηθήσεται, » νοήσωμεν κατὰ τὴν ἄνω ἡμῖν εἰρημένην διάνοιαν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ τοῖς ἀναξίοις τὰς ἀγαθὰς ὑποσχέσεις δίκαιον χορηγεῖν τὸν Θεὸν, δίκαιον ὄντα, καὶ μυσαττόμενον ἀδικίαν. 'Ἑαυτοῖς τοιγαροῦν Ἰουδαῖοι πρόξενοι γεγόνασι τῆς εἰς τὰ ### English translation (Claude) 20, 21. "But Judea will be inhabited forever, and Jerusalem to generations of generations. And I will avenge their blood and will not acquit; and the Lord will dwell in Zion." For being just, he says, I will not bear to leave those who were wronged neglected, but I will punish those who did the wrong, and count these worthy of my providence, showing my own appearing in Zion. "Judea will be inhabited forever" let us understand according to the sense we stated above. For it is not just for God, who is just and loathes injustice, to supply the good promises to the unworthy. The Jews, then, have become the cause to themselves of the … ### Scripture references - Joel 3:20 (4:20 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Joel 3:21 (4:21 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Joel 3:20–21 (LXX 4:20–21). Migne's Latin column breaks into the lemma and the comment and is removed by logged corrections. Theodoret's statement that the Jews forfeited the promise is translated as written (see the note on 3:16, LXX 4:16). The section breaks off; the end of the commentary on Joel is lost in the scan. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 2.4.20 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/2-4-20). ## Commentary on Amos, Preface, part 1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/2-2-6/#p-3-0-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The end of the preface to Amos, followed by a short notice on the prophet's death and a one-line summary of the prophecy's meaning. ### Greek text γός. Πρὸς δὲ τούτοις καὶ ὅσην αὐτῶν ποιεῖται χη- κολάζων. Αὕτη μὲν οὖν τῆς ἐν χερσὶ" προφητείας ἡ ὑπόθεσις “ ἐκ δὲ τῆς κατὰ μέρος ἑρμηνείας, ἀχριθέστερον" τῶν θείων λογίων μαθησόμεθα τὴν διάνοιαν ", ᾿Αμὼς ἑρμηνεύεται στε" ἀνεῖλεν αὐτὸν ξίφει. Ἔτι δὲ ἐμπνέοντος αὐτοῦ (Εἰ. δἀάϊξ, πλήξας αὐτὸν ἐν ῥοπάλῳ κατὰ τοῦ χροτάφου, γαὶ ἔτι ἐμπνέοντος αὐτοῦ) ἀνῆ)θεν εἰς τὴν γῆν αὐτοῦ, καὶ μεθ᾽ ἡ μέρας δύο ἀπέθανεν καὶ ἐτάφη ἐκεῖ. Πρόῤῥησις" Ἢ μὲν συναγωγὴ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ταπεινοῦται καὶ τῆς δουλείας τῆς τῶν εἰδώλων πάνεται, Οἱ ἐξ αὐτῆς δὲ πιστεύσαντες χοινωνήσουσιν τῆς νέας διαθήκης καὶ τῶν ἐν Χριστῷ μυστηρίων. ### English translation (Claude) … Moreover, also how much … of them he makes … punishing. This, then, is the subject of the prophecy in hand; from the detailed interpretation we shall learn more precisely the meaning of the divine oracles. Amos is interpreted … [Amaziah's son] killed him with a sword. While he was still breathing (another copy adds: "having struck him with a club on the temple, and while he was still breathing") he went up to his own land, and after two days he died and was buried there. Prediction: The synagogue of the Jews is humbled and ceases from the slavery of idols; those from it who believed will share in the new covenant and the mysteries in Christ. ### Scripture references - Amos 7:10: allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - The preface begins in the scan in mid-word ("…γός"), with lines lost; the opening words cannot be restored and are marked "…". The notice on Amos's death (struck by the son of Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, and buried in his own land) follows the tradition of the Lives of the Prophets, which Migne prints with the commentary; the meaning of his name is lost in the scan. The parenthesis is a variant reading printed in Migne's notes. The final "Prediction" is a short summary heading of the prophecy's Christian sense, of uncertain origin. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 3.0.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-0-1). ## Commentary on Amos 1:1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-1-1/#p-3-1-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Theodoret dates Amos's prophecy by the kings of Judah and Israel and argues from the chronology that it began early in Uzziah's reign, not after his death. ### Greek text α'. « Λόγοι ᾿Δμὼς, οἱ ἐγένοντο ἐν Καριαθιαρεὶμ δ᾽ ἐκ θεχουὲὶ, οὺς εἶδεν ἐπὶ ὁ Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐν ἡμέραις Ὀξίου βασιλέως Ἰούδα, καὶ ἐν ἡμέραις Ἱεροδοὰμ. ἴ βασιλέως Ἰσραὴλ, πρὸ δύο ἐτῶν τοῦ σεισμοῦ. » Ἔλίδαξεν ἡμᾶς ὁ προφήτης, ὡς ἐκ Θεχουὲ μενος ἐν τῇ Καριαθιαρεὶμ τὴς θείας ἀποκαλύψεως ἔτυχε, καὶ ὅτι προσετάχθη περὶ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ τοὺς λόγους ποιεῖσθαι" διδάσκει δὲ καὶ τῆς προφητεία: τὸν χρόνον " τούτου γὰρ χάριν καὶ τῶν βασιλέων τὴν μνήμην πεποίηται, Ὀξίου βασιλέως Ἰούδα, καὶ Ἱεροθοὰμ. βασιλέως Ἰσραήλ. Δῆλος δέ ἐστιν οὐ περὶ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ μόνης, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ τῶν δέκα φυλῶν τὰς προῤῥήσεις ποιούμενος " οὗπερ εἴνεκα καὶ τοῦ ᾿Ἱεροθοὰμ ἐμνημόνευσεν, ὃς ἐχείνων κατ᾽ ἐκεῖνον ἐθασίλευσε τὸν καιρόν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ πολὺν ἑκάτερος αὐτῶν ἐόδασίλευσε χρόνον ( ὕξίας μὲν γὰρ δύο καὶ πεντήκοντα ἡγεμόνευσεν ἔτη, Ἱεροδοὰμ. δὲ ἕν καὶ τεσσαράχοντα), εἰκότως τοῦ σεισμοῦ δεδήλωκε τὸν καιρὸν, καὶ ἔφη τοῦτον μετὰ δύο τῆς προφητείας ἐνιαυτοὺς γεγενῆσθαι, ἕνα διδάξῃ σαφῶς, ὁπηνίκα τοὺς θείους λόγους πρὸς τὸν λαὸν ἐποιήσατο. Τινὲς δὲ τοῖς χρόνοις οὐκ ἀχριθῶς προσεσχηκότες, τοῦτον ὑπέλαδον γεγενῆσθαι τὸν σεισμὸν, ἡνέχα Ἡσαϊῖας ὁ μέγας, μετὰ τὴν Ὀζίου τελευτὴν, εἷδε τὸν Κύριον καθήμενον ἐπὶ θρόνου ὑψηλοῦ καὶ ἐπρμένου, ὅτε τὸ ὑπέρθυρον ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν Σεραφὶμ ἐπήρθη φωνῆς “ ἐγὼ δὲ, τοὺς χρόνους ἐρευνήσας, τιῦρον τοῦτο ψευδές. Εἰ γὰρ μετὰ τὴν Ὀξίου τὴν ὁ σεισμὸς ἐγένετο, πρὸ δύο δὲ ἑτῶν τῆς προφη- “«εἰας ἐποιήσατο τὴν ἀρχὴν ὁ μακάριος ᾿Αμὼς, τὸ πεντηκοστὸν ἦν ἔτος τῆς Ὀζίου βασιλείας - πεντήκοντα γὰρ καὶ δύο βεδασίλευχεν ὅτη. ᾿Αλλ᾽ ὁ Ἱεροδοὰμ. κατὰ τοῦτον οὐ περιῆν τὸν καιρόν " ἐν γὰρ τῷ ἑδδόμωῳ καὶ εἰκοστῷ ἔτει τῆς τούτου βασιλείας, Ὀζίας τὴν τῆς βασιλείας χειροτονίαν ἐδέξατο. Δῆλον τοίνυν ἀπὸ τῶν χρόνων, ὡς κατὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν τοῦ " Ὅζίου βασιλείας αἱ τοῦ θεσπεσίου ᾿Αμὼς προῤῥήσεις ἐγένοντο, ἐπειδὴ τοῦ Ἱεροθδοὰμ ἕτι περιόντος; καὶ βασιλεύοντος ἔφη δέξασθα: τῆς προφητείας τὸ χάρισμα. Οὕτως ὑποδείξας τὸν τῆς προφητείας καιρὸν, διδάσκει καὶ ποίοις προοιμίοις ἐχρήσατο. ### English translation (Claude) 1. "The words of Amos, which came in Kariathiarim from Tekoa, which he saw concerning Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah king of Judah and in the days of Jeroboam … king of Israel, two years before the earthquake." The prophet has taught us that, coming from Tekoa, he received the divine revelation in Kariathiarim, and that he was commanded to speak his words about Jerusalem; and he also teaches the time of the prophecy. That is why he has made mention of the kings, Uzziah king of Judah and Jeroboam king of Israel. It is clear that he makes his predictions not about Jerusalem alone but also about the ten tribes; that is why he also mentioned Jeroboam, who reigned over them at that time. And since each of them reigned for a long time (Uzziah ruled fifty-two years, Jeroboam forty-one), he fittingly indicated the time of the earthquake and said that it happened two years after the prophecy, to teach clearly when he spoke the divine words to the people. Some, however, not attending closely to the chronology, supposed that this earthquake took place when the great Isaiah, after the death of Uzziah, saw the Lord sitting on a throne high and lifted up, when the lintel was lifted by the voice of the seraphim. But I, having investigated the chronology, found this to be false. For if the earthquake happened after the death of Uzziah, and the blessed Amos began his prophecy two years before it, it was the fiftieth year of Uzziah's reign, for he reigned fifty-two years. But Jeroboam was not alive at that time: for it was in the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam's reign that Uzziah received the royal appointment. It is clear, then, from the chronology that the predictions of the inspired Amos were made at the beginning of Uzziah's reign, since he said that he received the gift of prophecy while Jeroboam was still alive and reigning. Having thus shown the time of the prophecy, he also teaches with what kind of opening he began. ### Scripture references - Amos 1:1: quotation, high confidence - Isa 6:1: allusion, high confidence - Isa 6:4: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 15:2: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 14:23: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 15:1: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Amos 1:1, in Theodoret's Greek text ("in Kariathiarim from Tekoa"; the LXX reads "in Akkarim"). The name of Jeroboam's father is lost in the scan. "Coming from" translates a word partly lost in the scan ("…μενος"); "after the death of Uzziah" restores a word partly lost ("τὴν [τελευ]τήν"). Theodoret's chronology follows 2 Kgs 14:23 and 15:1–2. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 3.1.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-1-1). ## Commentary on Amos 1:2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-1-1/#p-3-1-2 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God's voice from Zion pronounces judgment; Carmel stands for Israel, the shepherds for the kings of the neighboring nations, and the pastures for their subjects. ### Greek text β΄. ἐ Καὶ εἶπε: Κύριος ἐκ Σιὼν ἐφθέγξατο, καὶ Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἔδωκε φωνὴν αὑτοῦ, καὶ ἐπένθησαν νομαὶ τῶν ποιμένων, καὶ ἐξηράνθη ἡ κορυφὴ ποῦ Καρμήλου. » Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ μέλλει τοῖς πλησιοδιδάσχει, πόθεν αἱ κατὰ τούτων ἐχφέρονται ψῆφοι " ἀπὸ γὰρ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ, φησὶ, καὶ τοῦ Σιὼν ὄρους, «ποῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων φθεγξαμένου, καὶ τῶν τιμωριῶν τὰς ἀποφάσεις ποιησαμένου, πενθήσουσε μὲν οἷ. ποιμένες, ἅτε δὴ τροφὴν τοῖς ὑπ᾽ αὐτῶν πόιμαινομένοις οὐκ εὑρίσκοντες θρέμμασιν" ἅπας δὲ ὁ Κάρμηλος, μέχρις αὐτῆς τῆς ἀκρωρείας, στερηθήσεται τῆς τῶν καρπῶν ἀφθονίας. Ταῦτα δὲ καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἱστορίαν μὲν συνέδη, διά τε τὴν ἀνομόρίαν, καὶ τὴν ἀκρίδα, καὶ τὴν κάμπην, καὶ τὰς ἄλλας, ἃς ὁ δίκαιος αὑτοῖς κριτὴς ἐπενήνοχε μάστιγας. Παραδηλοῖ δὲ ὅμως διὰ τούτων καὶ ἕτερα, καὶ καλεῖ κορυφὴν μὲν Καρμήλου τὸν Ἰσραήλ τῆς γὰρ ἐπηγγελμένης γῆς καὶ οὗτος ἦν μόριον. « Εἰσῆγαγον γὰρ, φησὶν, ὑμᾶς εἰς τὸν Κάρμηλον, τοῦ φαγεῖν τοὺς καρποὺς αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ ἀγαθὰ αὐτοῦ. ν Ποιμένας δὲ ὀνομάζει τῶν ὁμόρων ἐθνῶν τοὺς βασιλέας " γομὰς δὲ τοὺς τούτων ὑπηκόους, οὐ μόνον ὅτι δασμὸν αὐτοῖς καὶ φόρον οἷόν τινα νομὴν προσεκόμιζον, ἀλλ᾽ ὅτι καὶ ὑπ᾽ αὐτῶν διετέλουν νεμόμενοι. Λέγει τοίνυν, ὅτι ὁ μὲν τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς ἀπὸ τοῦ Σιὼν ὄρους, καὶ τῆς αὶ Ἱερουσαλὴμ πόλεως, καὶ τὰ ᾿ἄλλα ἔθνη τὰ πλησιόχωρα παντοδαποῖς περιδληθήσεται κακοῖς κατὰ τὴν θείσν ἀπόφασιν. Εἶτα κατὰ μέρο; καὶ τὰς πλημμελείας τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐξηγεῖται, καὶ τὰς ἐπενεχθείσας αὐτοῖς τιμωρίας διδάσκει. ### English translation (Claude) 2. "And he said: The Lord has spoken from Zion, and from Jerusalem he has uttered his voice; and the pastures of the shepherds mourned, and the top of Carmel was dried up." For since he is about to [threaten] the neighboring peoples …, he teaches where the sentences against them come from: for when the God of all has spoken from Jerusalem, he says, and from Mount Zion, and has pronounced the sentences of punishment, the shepherds will mourn, since they find no food for the flocks they tend, and all Carmel, up to its very summit, will be deprived of its abundance of fruit. These things happened according to the history as well, through the drought, the locust, the caterpillar, and the other scourges which the just Judge brought upon them. Yet through these he hints at other things too, and calls Israel the top of Carmel; for this too was part of the promised land. "For I brought you," he says, "into Carmel, to eat its fruits and its good things." He names as shepherds the kings of the neighboring nations, and as pastures their subjects, not only because these brought them tribute and tax as a kind of pasture, but because they were continually grazed by them. He says, then, that the God of all, from Mount Zion and the city of Jerusalem, …, and the other neighboring nations too will be surrounded with all kinds of evils by the divine sentence. Then he sets out in detail the offenses of the nations and teaches the punishments brought upon them. ### Scripture references - Amos 1:2: quotation, high confidence - Jer 2:7: quotation, high confidence - Amos 4:9: allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Amos 1:2. Lines are lost in the scan after "about to" and after "the city of Jerusalem" (the threat against Israel); marked "…". "Drought" reads ἀνομβρίαν for the scan's ἀνομόρίαν. The quotation is Jer 2:7. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 3.1.2 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-1-2). ## Commentary on Amos 1:3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-1-1/#p-3-1-3 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God will no longer overlook the many crimes of Damascus, above all its savage treatment of the people of Gilead. ### Greek text γ΄. « Καὶ εἶπε Κύριος - Ἐπὶ ταῖς τρισὶν ἀσεδείαι: Δαμασκοῦ, καὶ ἐπὶ ταῖς τέσσαρτιν οὐκ ἀποστραφῇσομαι αὐτοὺς ", ἀνθ᾽ ὧν ἔπριζον πρίοσι σιδηροῖς τὰς ἐν γαστρὶ ἐχούσας τῶν Γαλααδιτῶν 5. » '᾽Λποστρεφόμενος ὁ Θεὸς οὗ δοκεῖ ὁρᾷν τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὰ πλημμελήματα " οὗπερ εἵνεκα καὶ ὁ μακάριος Δα- 6ὶδ προσεύχεται, λέγων " « ᾿Απόστρεψον τὸ πρόσωπόν σου ἀπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν μου. » Ἡνίκα δὲ χολάτει, αὐτὸς ὁ Θεὸς λέγει " « Καὶ στηριῶ τὸ πρόσωπόν μου ἐφ᾽ ὑμᾶς, καὶ ἐπιδλέψομαι ἐπὶ τὰς ἀδικίας ὑμῶν. » Τὸ οὖν, Οὐκ ἀποστραφήσομαι, ἀντὶ οὖ, Οὐκέτι μαχροθυμήσω, οὐδὲ ἀποστρέψω τὸ πρόσωπόν μὸν ἀπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ὑμῶν " ἀλλ᾽ ὄψομαι ἃ πρότερον διὰ μακροθυμίαν οὐκ ἐδόκουν ὁρᾷν. Τὸ δὲ ἐπὶ ταῖς τρισὶ, καὶ ἐπὶ ταῖς τέσσαρσι, τὸ πλῆθος σημαίνει. Λέγει τοίνυν, ὅτι Πολλὰ πολλάκις τῆς μενος, νῦν οὐκέτι μακροθυμήσω, οὐδὲ ἀποστραφὴσομαι, ὥστε αὐτῶν μὴ ἰδεῖν τὰς ἀῤῥήτους μίας διαφερόντως δὲ ἃς κατὰ τῶν Γαλααδιτῶν τετολμήκασιν, ὠμότητι κατ᾽ αὐτῶν καὶ θηριωδίᾳ χρησάμενοι, ὡς; καὶ τὰς χυοφορούσας γυναῖκας. Τοῦτο σαφέστερον ὁ Σύμμαχος ἐδίδαξεν, εἰρηκώς " « ᾿Ανθ᾽ ὧν ἡλώησαν τροχοῖς σιδηροῖς τὴν Γαλαάδ. ν Τὴν αὐτὴν δὲ διάνοιαν καὶ ὁ ᾿Ακύλας καὶ ὁ Θεοδοτίων τεθείκασι. Μανθάνομεν τοίνυν, ὡς εἰς Ὁ ἅλω τινὰ βάλλοντες τὰς προειρημένας γυναΐκας, [πὶτοῖς πριονοειδέσι τροχοῖς δίκην αὑτὰς ἀσταχύων ὠμῶς κατηλώησαν. Ἡ δὲ Τ᾽ αλαὰδ πόλις ἣν καὶ αὕτη τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, εἰς ἣν οἱ τὴν Δαμασχὸν οἰκοῦντες τετολμήκασι ταῦτα. Οὕτω τὴν παρανομίαν ὑποδείξας, ἐπάγει τὴν τιμωρίαν. εκ ### English translation (Claude) 3. "And the Lord said: For three impieties of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away from them, because they sawed with iron saws the pregnant women of the Gileadites." When God turns away, he seems not to see the offenses of human beings. That is why the blessed David prays, saying: "Turn away your face from my sins." But when he punishes, God himself says: "And I will set my face against you, and I will look upon your iniquities." So "I will not turn away" stands for "I will no longer be long-suffering, nor turn my face away from your sins, but I will see what earlier, out of long-suffering, I seemed not to see." "For three and for four" signifies their multitude. He says, then: "Having many times … , I will now no longer be long-suffering nor turn away so as not to see their unspeakable …", especially those they dared against the Gileadites, using cruelty and savagery against them, so as [to saw] even the pregnant women. Symmachus taught this more clearly, saying: "Because they threshed Gilead with iron wheels." Aquila and Theodotion also gave the same sense. We learn, then, that they threw the aforesaid women onto a kind of threshing floor and cruelly threshed them with saw-toothed wheels, like ears of grain. Gilead was a city, itself belonging to Israel, against which those who lived in Damascus dared these things. Having thus shown the lawlessness, he adds the punishment. ### Scripture references - Amos 1:3: quotation, high confidence - Ps 51:9 (50:11 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Lev 26:17: allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Amos 1:3. Words are lost in the scan in the paraphrase ("having many times …", "unspeakable …"); marked "…". The first quotation is Ps 51:9 (LXX 50:11); the source of the second is uncertain (compare Lev 26:17; Jer 21:10). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 3.1.3 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-1-3). ## Commentary on Amos 1:4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-1-1/#p-3-1-4 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Fire will fall on Hazael's house and on Ben-hadad, whom Theodoret identifies as Hazael's son, not his father. ### Greek text δ΄. « Καὶ ἀποστελῶ πῦρ εἰς τὸν οἶκον ᾿Αζαήλ. ᾿ Βασιλεὺς δὲ οὗτος ἐγεγόνει τῆς Δαμασκοῦ. « Καὶ καταφάγεται θεμέλια υἱοῦ “Αδερ. » Τοῦτόν ὅθεν ὑπέλαθον πατέρα τοῦ ᾿Αζαὴλ, διελόντες δίχα μ ὄνομα, καὶ χωρὶς μὲν τὸν υἱὸν, χωρὶς δὲ τὸν Αδὲρ νυήσαντες " ἔστι δὲ ἕν ὄνομα " Βαραδὰδ γὰρ κέκληται τῇ Ἑδραίων καὶ τῇ Σύρων φωνῇ, καὶ ἔστιν οὗ πατὴρ, ἀλλ᾽ υἱὸς τρῦ ᾿Αζαὴλ, ὡς ἡ τετάρτη τῶν Βασιλειῶν ἱστορία διδάσκει, Ἐπ' αὐτοῦ δὲ καὶ τὸν ὄλεθρον ἡ Δαμασχὸς ὑπέμεινε " διὸ καὶ ἡ προφητεία φησί" « Καὶ καταφάγεται θεμέλια υἱοῦ !Αδερ " τουτέστι, Πρόῤῥιζον αὐτῆς ἀνασπάσω τὴν βασιλείαν. ### English translation (Claude) 4. "And I will send fire upon the house of Hazael." This man had become king of Damascus. "And it will devour the foundations of the son of Ader." From this some supposed him to be the father of Hazael, dividing the name in two and taking "son" separately and "Ader" separately. But it is one name: for he was called Barad[ad] in the Hebrew and Syrian tongue, and he is not the father but the son of Hazael, as the fourth history of the Kingdoms teaches. In his time Damascus suffered destruction; so the prophecy says: "And it will devour the foundations of the son of Ader", that is, I will tear up its kingdom by the root. ### Scripture references - Amos 1:4: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 13:24: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Amos 1:4. "The fourth history of the Kingdoms" is 2 Kings (4 Kingdoms LXX); see 2 Kgs 13:24. The name is printed "Baradad" (the end of the name is damaged in the scan). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 3.1.4 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-1-4). ## Commentary on Amos 1:5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-1-1/#p-3-1-5 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Theodoret runs through the oracles against Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, and Ammon, explaining each charge, above all Edom's hatred of his twin brother. ### Greek text ε' « Καὶ συντρίψω μοχλοὺς Δαμασκοῦ. » Τὴν προτέραν αὐτῆς ἀσφάλειαν καταλύσω. « Καὶ ἐξολοθρεύσω κατοικοῦντας ἐκ πεδίου Ὧν "!, καὶ χαταχόψω φυλὴν ἐξ ἀνδρῶν Χαῤῥὰν, καὶ αἰχμαλωτευθήσεται λαὸς Συρίας ἐπίχλητος, λέγει Κύριος. » Οὐ μόνον δὲ τὴν μητρόπολιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς περιοίχους ἅπαντας, καὶ τοὺς ἐκ τῆς μὲν Χαῤῥὰν ἀποικισθέντας, ἐκεῖ δὲ οἷκοῦντας, καὶ τοὺς τῷ Ὧν εἰδώλῳ παροιχοῦντας, δορυαλώτους γενέσθαι παρασχενάσω, καὶ τὴν πάλαι περίδλεπτον τῆς Συρίας βασιλείαν παντελῶς καταλύσω. Ἐπίχιητον γὰρ τὸ περίδλεπτον εἴρηκε. Καὶ περὶ τῆς Γάζης δὲ λέγει, ὅτι Καὶ τρὶς, καὶ τετράχις μαχροθυμήσας, ἐπὶ πλεῖστον αὐτῶν οὐκ ἀνέξομαι παρανομούντων. Πλέον δέ με χαλεπαίνειν κατ᾽ αὑτῶν ἀναγκάζει τὰ κατὰ τοῦ λαοῦ τοῦ ἐμοῦ ὑπ᾽ αὐτῶν τολμώμενα. ε« Ἕνεχεν γὰρ, φησὶ, τοῦ αἰχμαλωτεῦσαι αὐτοὺς αἰχμαλωσίαν τοῦ Σολομὼν ᾽", τοῦ συγχλεῖσαι εἰς τὴν Ἰδουμαίαν, » Τοῦτο δέ τινες μὲν οὕτω νενοήχᾶσιν, ὅτι τοῦ Σολομῶντος αἰχμαλώτους πάλαι Ἰδου- 'ξαντος, οὗτοι πολεμοῦντες Ἰουδαίοις, τούτους ἐλευπόῤῥω τῆς ἀληθείας εἶναι τοῦτο δοκεῖ " δέκα γὰρ βασιλεῖς ἀπὸ τοῦ Σολομῶντος μέχρι τῆς παρούσης προφητείας ἐγένοντο, καὶ χρόνος πλεῖστος μεταξὺ διελήλυθεν. ᾿Αλλ᾽ ἡγοῦμαι τὸ προκείμενον χωρίον ταύτην ἔχειν τὴν διάνοιαν" Οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ φυλῇ πλησιάζοντες, καὶ συχνῶς τούτοις ἐπιστρατεύοντες, οὃς ἐλάμθανον αἰχμαλώτους, οὐκ ἄλλοις τισὶν, ἀλλ᾽ αὐτῶν ὅτι μάλιστα, καὶ πολεμιωτάτοις. Τῶν ἁλισκομένων τοίνυν Ἰουδαίων τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν τοῦ Σολομῶντος αἰχμαλωσίαν ὠνόμασεν, ἀπὸ τοῦ περιφανοῦς καὶ περιθλέπτου βασιλέως τὸ λαμπρὸν καὶ ἐπίσημον ἐπιδεικνὺς τοῦ λαοῦ. Ταύτης τοίνυν τῆς ὠμότητος χάριν ἀγανακτῶν ὁ θεὸς, ἀπειλεῖ πυρὶ παραδώσειν τὴν Γάζαν, καὶ σὺν αὐτῇ τὰς ἄλλας τῶν ἀλλοφύλων πόλεις. Τὴν αὐτὴν ποιεῖται καὶ τῆς Τύρου κατηγορίαν, καὶ τὸ ἔγκλημα αὔξων ἐπήγαγε ᾿" « Καὶ οὐκ ἐμνήσθησαν διαθήκης ἀδελφῶν. » Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ Σολομὼν καὶ Χειρὰμ ὁ τῆς Τύρου βασιλεὺς, ἀδελφικὴν πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἰ|διάθεσιν ἐπεδείκνυντο, καὶ ὁ μὲν εἰς τὴν οἰχοδομίαν τοῦ θείου νεὼ ξύλα χέδρινα ἐχορήγει, ὁ δὲ σῖτον ἀντεδίδου " ταύτης δὲ τῆς φιλίας εἰς λήθην ἦλθον οἱ Τύριοι, καὶ ταὐτὰ τοῖς Γαζαίοις εἰς τὸν Ἰσραὴλ ἐξημάρτανον, τὴν αὐτὴν καὶ κατὰ τούτων εἰκότως ἐξενήνοχε ψῆφον, Καὶ περὶ τῶν Ἰδουπη ἀνήρουν, ἀλλὰ γκαὶ τοὺς μηδέπω γεννηθέντας Ἰὼ Α μαίων δὲ εἰρηκὼς, ὅτι Καὶ τρὶς, καὶ τετοάγις, χεὶ πολλάκις εἰς αὐτοὺς μαχροθυμήσας οὐκέτι λοιπὴν ἀνέξομαι, τὴν κατὰ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ μάλιστα μανίαν θεώμενος " οὐδὲ γὰρ τὴν φύσιν αὐτὴν εἰς νοῦν λαβεῖν ἡἠδουλήθη, οὐδὲ ὅτι κατὰ ταὐτὸν μίαν ᾧκησαν γαστὶρα, ἀλλὰ διετέλεσε μιαιφόνον κατ᾽ αὑτοῦ γνώμεν ἐπιδεικνύμενος " ἀπειλεῖ καὶ τούτους πυρὶ παραϊώσειν, ὡς καὶ τοὺς Σύρους, καὶ τοὺς ἀλλοφύλους, χὴὶ τοὺς Τυρίους. Πῦρ δὲ καλεῖ τῶν ᾿Ασσυρίων τὴν στρ:τιὰν, πυρὸς δίκην ἅπαντα διαφθείρουσαν " καὶ πὶ δὲ, ὡς εἰκὸς, χρώμενοι, καὶ κώμας ἐνεπίμπρων, χεὶ πόλεις ἐπυρπόλουν, καὶ ἄρδην ἡ φάνιζον ἅπαντι. Τὸ δὲ, ᾿Ελυμήνατο μήτραν "", τὴν κατὰ τῆς φύσεω; μῶ» νίαν παραδηλοῖ, ὅτι ἀδελφὸς ὧν καὶ ὁμογάστριος, καὶ τὴν αὑτὴν κατὰ ταὐτὸν οἰκήσας γαστέρα (δίδυμο; γὰρ Β ἦν), λυττῶν κατ' αὑτοῦ διατελεῖ, μονονουχὶ καὶ στῇ τῇ μήτρᾳ, ἣν ἄμφω κατῴκησαν, τὴν λώδην ἐπάγων. Τὸ δὲ, ε« Ἥρπασε 5 φρίκην εἰς μαρτύριον αὑτοῦ,» ἀντὶ τοῦ, Φρίκης μεστὰ τετόλμηκε, μαρτυρίαν χαϑ' ἑαυτοῦ τοιαύτην καταλιπών. Ταῦτα καὶ περὶ ᾿λμμ:νιτῶν εἰρηκὼς ὅτι Πολλῇ μακροθυμίᾳ χρησάμεν): ἐφ᾽ οἷς πολλὰ πολλάκις πεπλημμελήκασι, νῦν ἐπάξυ τὴν τιμωρίαν, τῆς" εἰς τὸν Ἰσραὴλ γενομένης τῖ' ἀνέσχιζον τὰς ἐν γαστρὶ ἐχούσας τῶν Γαλααδιτῶν ὅπως ἐμπληθύνωσι "7 τὰ ὅρια αὐτῶν. » Καὶ τὰ οὗτοι τοῖς Γαλααδίταις πελάζοντες, ὠμότητι χὶ ἀπηνείᾳ κατ᾽ αὐτῶν χρώμενοι, οὐ μόνον τοὺς ἄνδρα; τος ἵνα τῶν Ἰσραηλιτῶν ἐλαττουμένων, αὐτοὶ τὴν ὑπ᾽ ἐχείνων γεωργουμένην καρπώσωνται γῆν. δὲ τοῦτο, δια γ. ### English translation (Claude) 5. "And I will break the bars of Damascus." I will destroy its former security. "And I will utterly destroy those who dwell in the plain of On, and I will cut off a tribe from the men of Charran, and the renowned people of Syria will be taken captive, says the Lord." Not only the capital, but also all those living around it, both those who emigrated from Charran and live there, and those who dwell by the idol On, I will make captives of war, and I will utterly destroy the once-renowned kingdom of Syria. For by "epikletos" he means "renowned". And concerning Gaza he says: "Having been long-suffering three times and four, I will not bear any longer with their lawlessness. What drives me to greater anger against them is what they have dared against my people." "Because," he says, "they took captive a captivity of Solomon, to shut them up in Idumea." Some have understood this as follows: that … captives of Solomon formerly …, and these, making war on the Jews, … them. But this seems to be far from the truth: for ten kings came between Solomon and the present prophecy, and a very long time passed in between. But I think the passage before us has this meaning: the foreigners, being neighbors of the tribe of Judah and frequently campaigning against them, [sold] those whom they took captive to no others than to them [the Idumeans] above all, their bitterest enemies. So he called the captivity of the Jews who were taken "the captivity of Solomon", showing from that illustrious and renowned king the splendor and distinction of the people. Angered at this cruelty, God threatens to give Gaza over to fire, and with it the other cities of the foreigners. He makes the same accusation against Tyre too, and heightening the charge he added: "And they did not remember a covenant of brothers." For Solomon and Hiram, the king of Tyre, showed a brotherly disposition toward each other: the one supplied cedar wood for the building of the divine temple, and the other gave grain in return. Since the Tyrians forgot this friendship and committed the same sins against Israel as the Gazans, he fittingly passed the same sentence against them too. And concerning the Idumeans he said: "Having been long-suffering toward them three times and four and many times, I will no longer bear it, seeing above all their madness against their brother." For he refused to take nature itself into account, or that they had dwelt in one womb at the same time, but continued to show a murderous mind against him. He threatens to give these too over to fire, like the Syrians, the foreigners, and the Tyrians. He calls fire the army of the Assyrians, which destroyed everything like fire; and, as is likely, using [fire] too, they burned villages, set cities ablaze, and destroyed everything utterly. "He defiled the womb" points to his madness against nature: that, being a brother born of the same mother, and having dwelt in the same womb at the same time (for they were twins), he continues raging against him, all but bringing outrage on the very womb that both of them inhabited. "He seized a shuddering for his own testimony" stands for "he dared deeds full of horror, leaving such a testimony against himself." Having said this also about the Ammonites, that, after showing great long-suffering toward the many offenses they have often committed, he will now bring the punishment for … done against Israel: "… they ripped open the pregnant women of the Gileadites, so as to enlarge their borders." For these too, being neighbors of the Gileadites, used cruelty and harshness against them and killed not only the men but also those not yet born, so that, with the Israelites diminished, they themselves might enjoy the land the Israelites cultivated. … ### Scripture references - Amos 1:5: quotation, high confidence - Amos 1:6: quotation, high confidence - Amos 1:9: quotation, high confidence - Amos 1:11: quotation, high confidence - Amos 1:13: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 5:1–12: allusion, high confidence - Gen 25:24: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Amos 1:5, then (without the verse numerals, which are lost in the scan) 1:6 paraphrased, 1:6b, 1:9, 1:11 paraphrased, 1:11b, and 1:13; the comment on all of them stands here. The scan interleaves the column text: a clause on the Ammonites ("killed not only the men but also those not yet born") is printed inside the comment on Edom and has been put back where the sense requires. Lines are lost in the scan in the report of the first interpretation of 1:6, in the comment on the Ammonites, and at the end; marked "…". "Sold" supplies a verb lost in the scan, by sense. "Renowned" renders ἐπίκλητος, as Theodoret explains it. For Solomon and Hiram, see 1 Kgs 5:1–12; for Esau and Jacob as twins, Gen 25:24. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 3.1.5 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-1-5). ## Commentary on Amos 1:14–15 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-1-1/#p-3-1-14 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Ammon's capital and its god Milcom will go into captivity, and Moab will be punished for burning the king of Edom. ### Greek text ( ιδ', ιε΄, « ᾿Ανάψω πῦρ ἐπὶ τὰ τείχη Ῥαδαὰθ ", χὶ καταφάγεται τὰ θεμέλια αὐτῆς μετὰ χραυγῖς ἐν ἡμέρᾳ πολέμου, καὶ σεισθήπεται ἐν ἡ μέρᾳ συντελεῶς αὑτῆς. Καὶ 5 πορεύσεται Μελχὸμ ἐν αἰχμαλωσίᾳ, οἱ ἱερεῖς αὐτοῦ 35, καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὸ. πὸ, λέγει Κύριος. ν Ἐνταῦθα σαφῶς ἐδίδαξε, πιο καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων προσηγόρευσε πῦρ. Ἐπήγαγε γάρ' Ἐν ἡμέρᾳ πολέμου. ᾿Ἀπειλεῖ δὲ, σὺν αὐτῇ χι ὑπ᾽ αὐτῆς τιμώμενον εἴδωλον αἰχμάλωτον ἀπυθὶ σεσθαι. Μειλχὸμ γὰρ ὁ ψευδὴς τῶν ᾿Αμμανιτῶν θεδ, ὃς οὐ μόνον τοῖς ἱξρεῦσι καὶ τοῖς ἄρχουτιν, ἀλλ᾽ υὐ' δὲ αὑτῷ δορυαλώτῳ γινομένῳ ν" ἴσχυσεν ἐπαμῦναι, Ῥαδαὰθ δὲ καλεῖ τοῦ " ᾿Αμμὰν τὴν μητρόπιλιν, ἢ νῦν ἐν τῇ ᾿Αραθίᾳ Φιλαδέλφεια μὲν τῇ Ἑλλάδι φωιῷν ᾿Αμμὰν δὲ τῇ Σύρων προσαγορεύεται. "Απειλεῖ δὲ "5 καὶ τῇ Μωὰχδ τὸ πολεμικὸν ἐχεῖν πῦρ, καὶ λέγει σὺν τῷ λαῷ καὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας δώσειν ὀλέθρῳ, ἐπειδὴ πρὸς ταῖς πολλαῖς αὐτῶν ἀπ’ δείαις πολλὴν κατὰ τοῦ Ἰδουμαίων βασιλέως ἔδειψν θηριωδίαν. Τοῦτον γὰρ ἐπίκουρόν ποτε γενόμενον «οὔ Ἰσραηλιτῶν βασιλέως, ὕστερον λοχήσαντες, 53: λαθόντες αἰχμάλωτον, τοῖς σφετέροις εἰδώλοις θυσαν καὶ πορεύτοντα: οἱ βάσις προσήνεγκαν, καὶ μέχρι τοσούτου τὴν πυρὰν ἐχείνην Α ἐξέχαυσαν, ἕως καὶ τὰ ὀστᾶ τῷ πυρὶ χατεδαπάνησαν ἅπαντα. Οὕτω τὰς περὶ τῶν ἀλλογενῶν συμπεράνας προῤῥήσεις, κατὰ τοῦ λαοῦ μεταφέρει τῆς προφητείας τὸν λόγον, καὶ τῆς Ἰούδα φυλῆς πρώτης τὴν παρανομίαν εἰς μέσον προτίθησι. ### English translation (Claude) 14, 15. "I will kindle fire on the walls of Rabbah, and it will devour its foundations with shouting in the day of war, and it will be shaken in the day of its consummation. And Melchom will go into captivity, his priests and his rulers together, says the Lord." Here he taught clearly what he also called fire in the other cases; for he added: "in the day of war". He threatens that, along with the city, the idol honored by it will be carried off captive. For Melchom was the false god of the Ammonites, who was able to help not only the priests and the rulers, but not even himself when he became a captive of war. He calls Rabbah the capital of Ammon, which is now in Arabia and is called Philadelphia in the Greek tongue and Amman in the Syrian. He threatens Moab too with that fire of war, and says that he will give over to destruction the rulers together with the people, since besides their many impieties they showed great savagery against the king of the Idumeans. For this man, who had once been an ally of the king of the Israelites, they later ambushed and took captive, and … sacrificed to their own idols … and they kept that pyre burning so long that the fire consumed even all his bones. Having thus completed the predictions about the foreigners, he turns the word of prophecy against the people, and sets forth first the lawlessness of the tribe of Judah. ### Scripture references - Amos 1:14: quotation, high confidence - Amos 1:15: quotation, high confidence - Amos 2:1–3: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 3:9: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Amos 1:14–15; the comment then paraphrases the oracle against Moab (Amos 2:1–3) without quoting it, since the verse numerals are lost in the scan. Lines are lost in the account of the king of Edom; marked "…". The king of Edom was an ally of the king of Israel in 2 Kgs 3:9. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 3.1.14 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-1-14). ## Commentary on Amos 2:4–5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-1-1/#p-3-2-4 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Judah will be punished for rejecting God's law and following idols, and Israel for selling the poor, oppressing the humble, and sexual license that dishonored God's name among the nations. ### Greek text δ',ε΄, ε« Τάδε λέγει Κύριος " Ἐπὶ ταῖς τρισὶν ἀσεθείαις υἱῶν Ἰούδα, καὶ ἐπὶ ταῖς τέσσαρσιν, οὐκ ἀποστραφήσομαι αὐτοὺς 5, ἕνεκεν τοῦ ἀπώσατθαι αὖτοὺς τὸν νόμον Κυρίου, καὶ τὰ 5 προστάγματα αὖτοῦ, ἃ" οὐκ ἐφυλάξαντο, καὶ ἐπλάνησεν " αὐτοὺς τὰ μάταια ἃ ἐποίησαν "5, οἷς ἐξηχολούθησαν οἱ πατέρες αὐτῶν ὀπίσω αὐτῶν. Καὶ ἐξχποστελῶ πῦρ ἐπὶ Ἰούδαν, καὶ καταφάγεται θεμέλια Ἱἱερουσαλήμ. » Καὶ τὸν Ἰούδαν, φησὶ, καὶ τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ. τῷ πολεμιχῷ παραδώσιυ πυρὶ, ἐπειδὴ τῶν μὲν δπ᾽ ἐμοῦ νενομοθετημένων παντελῶς κατεφρόνησαν, τοῖς δὲ χειροποιήτοις εἰδώλοις (ταῦτα γὰρ καλεῖ μάταια), λατρεύοντες διετέλεσαν, τῇ μοχθηρᾷ τῶν πατέρων ἀκολουθήσαντες γνώμῃ. Τούτων δὲ τολλωμένων ἐπὶ πλεῖστον μὲν ἠνεσχόμην, οὐκέτι δὲ χρήσομαι τῇ συνήθει μαχροθυμίφ. ᾿Απὸ τούτων ἐπὶ τὰς δέκα μεταθαίνει φυλὰς, καὶ λέγει μηκέτι πένητα ἕνεκεν ὑποδημάτων, τῶν χκαταπατούνκων 3 ἐπὶ τὸν χοῦν τῆς Τῆς " καὶ ἐχονδύλιζον εἰς κεφαλὰς πτωχῶν, καὶ ὁδὸν ταπεινῶν ἐξέκλινον. ν» Καὶ οὗτοι δὲ, φησὶ, πρὸς λῆμμα βλέποντες, ἀπημπώλουν τὸν ' δίκαιον, καὶ αἰσχροχερδείᾳ δουλεύοντες, οὐδὲ ὑποδήματα παρῃτοῦντο κερδαίνειν, ἃ τὴν ἐσχάτην χρῆσιν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις παρέχει, προϊέμενοι μὲν τοὺς ἀδικουμένους, αἰκιζόμενοι δὲ τοὺς πενεστέρους, τῶν δὲ ἀτιμοτέρων τὰς διχα!ολογίας οὐ προσιέμενοι. Πρὸς δὲ τούτοις, καὶ ἀκολασίᾳ συζῶντες, ἀλόνων δίκην ταῖς ἀλλήλων ἐπεμίγνυντο γυναιξὶν, ὡς μὴτε υἱὸν πῆς ἀναχειμένης τῷ πατρὶ παλλαχίδος ἀπέχεσθαι, εὴτε πατέρα τῷ υἱῷ τὴν εὐνὴν διαφυλάττειν ἀκήρατοὺ " ὡς ἐντεῦθεν συγχεῖσθαι τὰ τῆς φύσεως δίκαια, καὶ μηδὲ δῆλα εἶναι λοιπὸν τὰ τῆς συγγενείας ὀνόματα. Καὶ ταῦτα, φησὶν, ἔδρων, «ὅπως ἂν δ" βεθηλώσωσι τὸ ὄνομα “οὔ Θεοῦ αὑτῶν. ν» Οἱ γὰρ ἀστυγείτονες ἀλλόφυλοι ταῦτα μανθάνοντες, κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων ἐκίνουν τὴν γλῶτταν, ἢ ὡς τοιαῦτα νομοθετήσαντος, ἣ ὡς τοιαῦτα παρανομοῦντος ἀνεχομένου λαοῦ. Πρὸς γὰρ τούτοις, ### English translation (Claude) 4, 5. "Thus says the Lord: For three impieties of the sons of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away from them, because they rejected the law of the Lord and did not keep his ordinances, and their vain things which they made led them astray, which their fathers followed after. And I will send fire on Judah, and it will devour the foundations of Jerusalem." Judah too, he says, and Jerusalem I will hand over to the fire of war, since they utterly despised what I had legislated and continued serving handmade idols (for these he calls vain things), following the wicked mind of their fathers. While they dared these things I bore with them for a very long time, but I will no longer use my accustomed long-suffering. From these he passes to the ten tribes and says … "[they sold the righteous for silver and] the poor for the sake of sandals, which tread on the dust of the earth, and they struck with their fists on the heads of the poor, and turned aside the way of the humble." These too, he says, looking to gain, sold the righteous, and, being slaves to shameful profit, did not even refuse to make gain from sandals, which serve the lowest use among human beings; they abandoned the wronged, mistreated the poorer, and did not admit the pleas of the lowlier. Besides this, living in licentiousness, they mingled with one another's wives like irrational animals, so that neither did the son keep away from the concubine reserved for his father, nor did the father keep his son's bed undefiled; so that by this the rights of nature were confounded and the names of kinship were no longer even clear. "And they did these things," he says, "so as to profane the name of their God." For the neighboring foreigners, learning these things, moved their tongues against the God of all, either as having legislated such things or as bearing with a people so lawless. For besides these things, ### Scripture references - Amos 2:4: quotation, high confidence - Amos 2:5: quotation, high confidence - Amos 2:6: quotation, high confidence - Amos 2:7: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Amos 2:4–5, then Amos 2:6–7, whose opening is lost in the scan with the line that introduced it; marked "…", and the lost words of the lemma are supplied in brackets from the LXX. The section ends in mid-sentence; the comment continues in the next section. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 3.2.4 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-2-4). ## Commentary on Amos 2:8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-1-1/#p-3-2-8 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Israel profanes the temple with feasting on unjust gain, though God destroyed the giant Amorites for them and brought them out of Egypt. ### Greek text η΄. « Καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια αὑτῶν δετμεύσντες παραπετάσματα ἐποίουν ἐχόμενα τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου, καὶ οἶνον ἐκ συχοφαντιῶν ἔπινον ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ αὑτῶν. ν» Οὐδὲ γὰρ τῷ θείῳ νεῷ τὸ προσῆκον ἀπένεμον σέθας, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν ἐκείνῳ σκηνὰς ἐξ ἑλατίων κατασκευάζοντες, τὸν ἐξ ἀδικίας πεπορισμένον ἔπινον οἶνον λαθεῖν δὲ οὐκ ἠδουλήθησαν εἰς διάνοιαν, ὡς 0΄. ε« Ἐγὼ ἐξῆρα τὸν ᾿λυοῤῥαῖον ἐκ προσώπου αὖτῶν, οὗ ἣν καθὼς ὕψος: κέδρου τὸ ὕψος αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἰσχυρὸς ἣν ὡς δρῦς, καὶ ἐξῆρα 335 τὸν καρπὸν αὐτοῦ ἐπάνωθεν, καὶ τὰς ῥίζας αὐτοῦ ὑποκάτωθεν. ν Ταῦτα δὲ τροπικῶς εἴρηκε, τὸ τε μέγεθος τῶν τηνικάδε ἐνδρῶν, καὶ τὴν ἰσχὺν διδάσκων. Καὶ οἱ ἀποσταλέντες Σ ὑπὸ τοῦ μεγάλου λΙωσέως κατάσκοποι ἔλεγον, ὅτι Ἐκεῖ Ἑνᾶχ, καὶ οἱ ἀπόγονοι τῶν γιγάντων, καὶ ὑψτλοὶ ἄνδρες σφόδρα, καὶ ἦμεν ἐνώπιον αὐτῶν ὡσεὶ ἀχρίδες. Λέγει τοίνυν ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς, ὅτι Τῶν οὕτω μεγάλων καὶ ἰσχυρῶν ἀνθρώπων οὐ τῇ σφετέρχ χρησάμενηι περιγεγένησθε. Πῶς γὰρ οἵ γ: καὶ ἐξ αὐτῆς ἐχδειματωθέντες τῇς φήμης εἰς τὴν Αἴγυπτον ἐπανελθεῖν ἐπειράθητε; ἀλλ᾽ ἐγὼ ἐκεῖνον ἀνέτπχοχ πρόῤῥιζον. 'ΡῬίζαις ὃὲ καλεῖ τοὺς πατέρα;, χαρπὶν δὲ τοὺς παῖδας. ᾿Αλλὰ γὰρ καὶ τῶν πρὸ τούτου, ςἡσὶν, εὐεργεσιῶν ἀναγκαῖον ὑμᾶς ἀναμνῆσαι, Καὶ γὰρ τῆς ΛΑἰγυπτιαχῆς ὑμᾶς ἠλευθέρωσα δουλείας, καὶ ἐπὶ τεσσαράχουτα ἕτεσιν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ διέθρεψα, καὶ ἐνίους μὲν ὑμῶν προφητικῆς ἧξ ### English translation (Claude) 8. "And binding their garments they made curtains beside the altar, and they drank wine gained from extortion in the house of their God." For they did not give the divine temple the reverence due to it, but even in it they made booths of fir branches and drank the wine procured by injustice; and they would not bring it to mind that … 9. "I removed the Amorite from before them, whose height was like the height of a cedar, and he was strong as an oak; and I dried up his fruit from above and his roots from beneath." He said these things figuratively, teaching both the size of the men of that time and their strength. And the spies sent by the great Moses said: "There are Anak and the descendants of the giants, and very tall men, and we were before them like locusts." The God of all says, then: "You did not overcome men so great and strong by using your own [strength]. For how could you, who were so terrified even by the report of them that you tried to return to Egypt? But I tore that people up by the root." He calls the fathers roots and the children fruit. "But," he says, "I must also remind you of the benefits before this. For I freed you from Egyptian slavery, and I nourished you for forty years in the desert, and some of you I counted worthy of prophetic [grace] … ### Scripture references - Amos 2:8: quotation, high confidence - Amos 2:9: quotation, high confidence - Amos 2:10: allusion, high confidence - Num 13:28: allusion, high confidence - Num 13:33: allusion, high confidence - Num 14:4: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Amos 2:8 (Theodoret's text lacks the LXX's "with cords") and 2:9, with a paraphrase of 2:10. Lines are lost in the scan after "bring it to mind that"; marked "…". The spies' report is Num 13:28, 33; the attempt to return to Egypt, Num 14:4. The section ends in mid-sentence (the restoration "grace" is by sense); the comment continues in the next section. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 3.2.8 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-2-8). ## Commentary on Amos 2:11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-1-1/#p-3-2-11 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Israel silenced the prophets and corrupted the Nazirites, so God will crush them, and neither speed, courage, nor skill will save them. ### Greek text ια΄. « Ἔλαθον γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐκ τῶν υἱῶν ὑμῶν εἰς προφήτας, καὶ ἐκ τῶν νεανίσκων ὑμῶν εἰς ἁγιασμόν. ν Εἶτα κατ᾽ ἐρώτησιν, ὡς ἀναμφιθόλων ὄντων τῶν εἰρημένων " « Μὴ οὐκ ἔστι ταῦτα, υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ: λέγει Κύριος. » ᾿Ελέγξατε, φησὶν, εἴ τ' ψευδὲς; ἐν τοῖς εἰρημένοις εὑρίσκετε " ἀλλὰ τοῦτο τῶν ἀδυνάτῶν " ἴστε γὰρ καὶ ὑμεῖς, ὡς ἀληθὲς τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν ὁ κατάλογος, ὧν ἐναντία δρῶντες διατετελέχατε᾽ οὐ γὰρ μόνον ὑμεῖς ἀδεῶς τοὺς ἐμοὺς παραθαίνετε νὐμους; ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἡγιασμένους μοι ἐποτίζετε οἷνον (λέγει δὲ τοὺς Ναξζιραίους), ἀνόνητον εἶναι διδὰσκοντες τὴν εἰς ἐμὲ θεραπείαν" καὶ τοὺς ὑπ᾽ ἐμοῦ δὲ πεμπομένους προφήτας προλέγειν ἃ προσέταττον ἐχωλύετε, καὶ αὐτὴν μου τὴν φωνὴν, ὡς εἰκὸς, δυσχετ΄. «Διὰ τοῦτο ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ κυλίω ὑποκάτω ὑμῶν, ὧν τρόπον κυλίεται ἡ ἅμαξα ἡ γέμουσα καλάμης, χεὶ ἀπολεῖται φυγὴ ἐκ δρομέως. » Τοσοῦτον γὰρ ὑμἶ, φησὶν, ἐπιθήσω τιμωρίας φορτίον, ὡς ὀδύρεσθαι "χα! μένη τρίζει συρομένη. Τούτων δὲ τῶν κακῶν ὑμῖν ἐπιφερομένων, οὔτε ὁ δρομιχώτατος διὰ φυγῆς τὸ: ριεῖται τὴν σωτηρίαν, οὔτε ὁ γενναῖος ἀνδρεῖον ἕξει τὸ φρόνημα, οὔτε ὁ τοξότης θαῤῥήσει τῇ τέχνῃ, καὶ ὁ ἱππεὺς δὲ τῇ ταχύτητι τοῦ ἵππου χρώμενος συνέρ᾽ γῷ, τῆς σωτηρίας οὐκ ἀπολαύσεται " « Μόνος "' ἐξ γυμνὸς φεύξεται ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρχ, λέγει Κύριο;.» Διδάσκων γὰρ ὑμᾶς ἐγὼ " τοῦτον ὑμῖν ἐπάγω τὸν ὄλεθρον, τοὺς μὲν πλεονεξίᾳ φύσεω;, ἢ τέκῇ θαῤῥοῦντας, παραδώσω σφαγῇ, τοὺς δὲ τούτων ἀξάν' τῶν ἐστερημένους, καὶ μῆτε πλοῦτον, μήτε ῥώμην μήτε τέχνην ἔχοντας, ἀλλὰ πάντων γεγυμνωμένουν, διαφυγεῖν. ῃ ### English translation (Claude) 11. "For I took," he says, "some of your sons for prophets and some of your young men for consecration." Then, by way of a question, since what had been said was beyond dispute: "Is it not so, sons of Israel? says the Lord." Examine it, he says, if you find anything false in what has been said. But that is impossible: for you yourselves know that the list of benefits is true, and you have continued to do the opposite of them. For not only do you transgress my laws without fear, but you also gave wine to drink to those consecrated to me (he means the Nazirites), teaching that service to me is unprofitable; and you prevented the prophets sent by me from foretelling what I commanded, and, as is likely, you found my very voice hard to bear … 13. "Therefore, behold, I roll beneath you, as a wagon full of straw is rolled, and flight will perish from the runner." For I will lay on you, he says, so heavy a burden of punishment that you will lament, as [a wagon] … creaks as it is dragged. When these evils are brought upon you, neither will the swiftest find safety in flight, nor will the noble keep a brave spirit, nor will the archer trust his skill; and the horseman, though he has the speed of his horse to help him, will not enjoy safety. "Only the naked will flee in that day, says the Lord." For he teaches: "I bring this destruction upon you: those who trust in some advantage of nature or in skill I will hand over to slaughter, but those deprived of all these, who have neither wealth nor strength nor skill but are stripped of everything, [will] escape." ### Scripture references - Amos 2:11: quotation, high confidence - Amos 2:12: allusion, high confidence - Amos 2:13: quotation, high confidence - Amos 2:14–15: allusion, high confidence - Amos 2:16: quotation, high confidence - Num 6:3: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Amos 2:11 and part of 2:12–16 (2:12 paraphrased; 2:13; 2:14–15 paraphrased; part of 2:16, which the LXX reads "the naked will pursue"). Lines are lost in the scan after "hard to bear" (with the numeral of 2:13) and in the comparison with the wagon; marked "…". "For he teaches" reads the scan's διδάσκων γὰρ ὑμᾶς ἐγώ by sense. The Nazirites' vow is in Num 6:3. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 3.2.11 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-2-11). ## Commentary on Amos 3:1–2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-1-1/#p-3-3-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Because God chose Israel he will punish its sins, and as nothing happens without a cause, no punishment comes unless God wills it; "evil" here means harm, not moral evil. ### Greek text α΄, β'. « ᾿Ακούσατε τοίνυν τὸν λόγον τοῦτον, ὃν ἐλά. λησε Κύριος ἐφ᾽ ὑμᾶς, οἶκος Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ κατὰ πάσης φυλῆς, ἧς ἀνήγαγον ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου, λέγων " Πλὴν ὑμᾶς ἔγνων ἐκ πασῶν φυλῶν τῆς γῆς". διὰ ποῦτο ἐκδικήσω ἐφ᾽ ὑμᾶς πάσας τὰς ἁμαρτίας 31 ὑμῶν. » Προσήκε:, φησὶ, συντόμως ὑμᾶς ἀκούέιν τῶν λεγομένων, τῆς εὐεργεσίας μεμνημένους ἐκεΐνης, ὅτι πάντων ὧν ποιητὴς καὶ Δεσπότης, ἑξαίρετόν τινα ποιούμενος ὑμῶν διετέλεσα πρόνοιαν " οὗ χάριν καὶ τῆς Αἰγυπτίων ὑμᾶς δουλείας ἀπήλλαξα, Τὸ "δὲ, « κατὰ πάσης φυλῆς, ἧς ἀνήγαγον ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύππτου, » οὐκ ἄλλους τινὰς αἰνίττεται " ἀλλ᾽ ἐπειδὴ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἐμνημόνευσε, μετὰ δὲ τὴν διαίρεσιν, Ἰσραὴλ αἱ δέκα φυλαὶ προσηγορεύοντο, εἰς τὴν ἀκρόασιν καλεῖ τῶν εἰρημένων καὶ τὸν Ἰούδαν, καὶ κὸν Βενιαμίν. Εἶτα δεικνὺς, ὡς αὐτοῦ συγχωροῦνπος, ἔπεισι τῶν πολεμίων ἡ στρατιὰ ᾽5, διά τινων εἰκόνων πιστοῦται τὸν λόγον. γ'-ς΄. « Ἐὶ πορεύσονται δύο ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ καθόλου, ἐὰν μὴ γνωρίσωσιν ἑαυτοῖς "΄; Εἰ ἐρεύξεται λέων ἐκ τοῦ δρυμοῦ αὑτοῦ θήραν οὐκ ἔχων; Εἰ δώσει σκύμνος φωνὴν αὑτοῦ ἐκ τῆς μάνδρας αὑτοῦ καῦὅλου, ἐὰν μὴ ἁρπάσῃ τι; Εἰ πεσεῖται ὄρνεον ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν " ἄνευ ἰξευτοῦ; Εἰ σχασθήσεται παγὶς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἄνευ τοῦ συλλαθεῖν τι; Εἰ φωνήσει σάλπιγξ ἐν πόλει, καὶ λαὸς οὐ πτοηθήσεται; Εἰ ἔστι κακία ἐν πόλει, ἣν Κύριος οὐκ ἐποίησεν; » Ὥσπερ, φησὶ, τῶν ἀδυνάτων ἐστὶ δύο κατὰ ταὐτὸν ὁδοῦ τινος κοινωνῆσαι, μὴ δηλώσαντα; ἀλλήλοις ὅπου τε καὶ τίνος χάριν ἀπαίρουσιν, οὔτε μὴν βρυχήσατθαι λέοντα θήρας οὐκ οὔσης, ἣ δίχα τοῦ θηρεύοντος ὄρνεον πεσεῖν, ἢ τ᾽ ἄλλα πάντα γενέσθαι τὰ εἰρημένα - οὕτως ἀδύνατον μὴ βουλομένου θεοῦ τιμωρίαν ἐπενεχθῆναί τινα "". Κακίων γὰρ τὴν τιμωρίαν κέκληκε τῷ κοινῷ ἔθει χρήσὰμενος. Κακὰ γὰρ καλεῖν εἰώθαμεν καὶ τὰς νόσου:, καὶ τὰς παιδείας, καὶ τοὺς ἀώρους θανάτους, καὶ λιμοὺς, καὶ πολέμους, καὶ τὰ τούτοις παραπλήσια, οὐκ ἐπειδὴ φύσει ταῦτα χκαχὰ, ἀλλ᾽ ἐπειδὴ τῶν ἀνθρώπὼν χαχωτιχὰ, καὶ λύπην προξενοῦντα καὶ πένθος, Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ προφήτης ἡμᾶς Ἰωνᾶς διδάσκει σαφέδτερην. ε Μετενόησξ γὰρ, φησὶ, Κύριος ἀπὸ τῆς κακίας αὐτοῦ ἧς ἐλάλησε "» τουτέστιν, ἀπὸ τῆς καχωτικῆς ἀπειλῆς " κακίαν γὰρ κἀκεῖ τὴν τῆς τιμωρίας ἐγχάλεσεν ἀπειλήν. Ὅτι δὲ, φησὶ, ταῦτα τοῦτον ἔχει πὸν τρόπον, καὶ τῶν ἀδυνάτων ἔστιν ἐπενεχθῆναξ τινι παιδείαν μὴ βουλομένου Θεοῦ, ἀπ᾽ αὐτῶν μάθετε τῶν πραγμάτων". ΠΙΕρολέγει γὰρ διὰ τῶν προφητῶν, ἃ ἐπάγειν μέλλει τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσιν ἀλγεινά. ### English translation (Claude) 1, 2. "Hear, then, this word which the Lord has spoken against you, house of Israel, and against every tribe which I brought up out of the land of Egypt, saying: You only have I known out of all the tribes of the earth; therefore I will avenge upon you all your sins." It would be fitting, he says, for you to hear what is said with attention, remembering that benefit: that, though I am Maker and Master of all, I continued to show you a special providence; for this reason I also set you free from the slavery of the Egyptians. "Against every tribe which I brought up out of the land of Egypt" does not hint at any others; but since he had mentioned Israel, and after the division the ten tribes were called Israel, he calls Judah and Benjamin too to hear what was said. Then, showing that the army of the enemies will come because he permits it, he confirms the word through certain images. 3–6. "Will two walk together at all unless they make themselves known to each other? Will a lion roar from its thicket if it has no prey? Will a cub give its voice from its den at all unless it has seized something? Will a bird fall on the earth without a fowler? Will a snare be sprung on the earth without catching something? Will a trumpet sound in a city and the people not be afraid? Is there evil in a city which the Lord has not done?" Just as, he says, it is impossible for two to share the same road together without telling each other where and why they are setting out, or for a lion to roar when there is no prey, or for a bird to fall without one who hunts it, or for all the other things mentioned to happen, so it is impossible for any punishment to be brought on anyone unless God wills it. For he has called the punishment "evil", using common usage. For we are accustomed to call evils diseases and chastisements and untimely deaths, famines and wars and things like them, not because these are evil by nature, but because they do harm to human beings and bring grief and mourning. The prophet Jonah too teaches us this more clearly. "For the Lord repented," he says, "of the evil which he had spoken," that is, of the harmful threat; for there too he called the threat of punishment "evil". "That these things are so," he says, "and that it is impossible for chastisement to be brought on anyone unless God wills it, learn from the facts themselves. For he foretells through the prophets the painful things he is going to bring upon those who sin." ### Scripture references - Amos 3:1: quotation, high confidence - Amos 3:2: quotation, high confidence - Amos 3:3–6: quotation, high confidence - Jonah 3:10: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Amos 3:1–2 and 3:3–6. Theodoret explains that the "evil" which the Lord does (3:6) is punishment, called evil because it causes pain, not because it is evil by nature. The quotation is Jonah 3:10. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 3.3.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-3-1). ## Commentary on Amos 3:7–8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-1-1/#p-3-3-7 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God reveals his judgments to the prophets, who must speak them; even the Assyrians and Egyptians are summoned to witness Samaria's oppression. ### Greek text ζ΄, η΄. ε Οὐ γὰρ μὴ ποιήσει Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς πρᾶγμα, ξν μὴ ἀποχαλύφῃ παιδείαν αὐτοῦ πρὸς τοὺς δούλους σύτοῦ τοὺς προφήτας. Λέων ἐρεύξεται, καὶ τίς οὐ φοθηθήσεται; ν Τοῦτο τοίνυν σαφῶς εἰδότες, ὡς ἀληθεῖς δέχεσθε τὰς προῤῥήσεις " καὶ γὰρ καὶ “ ἡμεῖς δεδιότες ταύτας ὑμῖν προσφέρομεν. Εἰ γὰρ λέων πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡμεῖς μετὰ δέους, Θεοῦ κελεύοντος, προφητεύομεν. Τοῦτο γὰρ παρεδήλωσε᾽ «Κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἐλάλησε, καὶ τίς οὐ προφητεύσει; (0θ΄.) ᾿Αναγγεΐλατε "5 χώραις ἐν ᾿Ασσυρίοις, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς χώρας ἐν γῇ Αἰγύπτῳ" καὶ εἴπατε " Συνάχθητε ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος Σαμαρείας. ν Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τοῖς προφττιχοῖς ἀπιστεῖτε λόγοις, ᾿Ασσυρίοις καὶ Αἰγυπτίοις τὰς τολμωμένας παρανομίας ἐν τοῖς τῆς Σαμαρείας ὅροις ἄντικρυς ὑποδείξω, Τὸ γὰρ᾽, ε« Καὶ " ἴδετε πολλὰ θαυμαστὰ ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῆς, » κατ᾽ εἰρωνείαν εἴρηκε" διὸ σαφέστερον τὸν λόγον ποιῶν, ἐπήγαγε", Καταδυναστεία ἐν αὐτῇ "5. ({.) Καὶ οὐκ ἔγνω ἃ ἕσπται ἐναντίον αὑτῆς, λέγει Κύριος" οἱ "6 θησαυρίζοντες ἀδικίαν καὶ ταλαιπωρίαν ἐν χώραις αὐτῶν.» ᾿Αδικίαν γὰρ ὅτι πλείστην τολιαῶντες καὶ τοὺς πένεστέρους καταδουλούμενοι., συνιδεῖν οὐκ ἠθέλησαν, οἵους ἡ παρανομία φύει "Ἶ καρπούς " ἀλλ᾽ ἐθησαύριζον ἀδικίαν, ταλαιπωρίαν καὶ αἰχμαλωσίαν ἐντεῦθεν θερίζοντες. ᾿Αρμοδίως δὲ σφόδρα τὸ ἐθησαύριζον τέθεικε, διδάσκων, ὡς Οὐδὲν τῶν ὑφ᾽ ὑμῶν γιγνομένων παραδίδοται λήθῃ, ἀλλ᾽ οἷόν τινι θησαυρῷ, τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ μνήμῃ καὶ τὰ εὖ καὶ καλῶς γινόμενα " χοὶ τἀναντία φυλάττεται. ### English translation (Claude) 7, 8. "For the Lord God will do nothing unless he reveals his instruction to his servants the prophets. A lion will roar, and who will not be afraid?" Knowing this clearly, then, receive the predictions as true; for we too bring them to you in fear. For if a lion [roars and everyone is afraid], much more do we prophesy with fear when God commands. This is what he indicated: "The Lord God has spoken, and who will not prophesy? 9. Proclaim to the regions among the Assyrians and to the regions in the land of Egypt, and say: Gather on the mountain of Samaria." Since you disbelieve the prophetic words, I will show openly to Assyrians and Egyptians the lawless deeds dared within the borders of Samaria. For he said ironically: "And see many wonders in its midst"; and so, making his meaning clearer, he added: "and oppression in it. 10. And it did not know what would be before it, says the Lord, those who store up injustice and misery in their lands." For while they dared the greatest injustice and enslaved the poorer, they would not consider what fruits lawlessness produces, but stored up injustice, reaping from it misery and captivity. And very aptly he put "stored up", teaching that nothing you do is given over to forgetfulness, but in the memory of God, as in a treasury, both what is done well and rightly and the opposite are kept. ### Scripture references - Amos 3:7: quotation, high confidence - Amos 3:8: quotation, high confidence - Amos 3:9: quotation, high confidence - Amos 3:10: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Amos 3:7–8, 3:9 (with "and see many wonders in its midst" and "oppression in it"), and 3:10. A line is lost in the scan in the comparison with the lion; the bracketed words supply the sense. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 3.3.7 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-3-7). ## Commentary on Amos 3:11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-1-1/#p-3-3-11 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Israel will be torn apart like a sheep in a lion's mouth, Judah spared for a time, and the altars of Bethel and the houses of the rich destroyed. ### Greek text τα’, « Διὰ τοῦτο τάδε λέγει Κύριος ὁ Θεός ᾿ Τύρον; καὶ Κ κυκλόθεν ἡ γῆ σου ἐρημωθήσεται, καὶ χτῖἀξει ἐκ σοῦ τὴν ἰσχύν σον, καὶ διαρπασθήσονται ὃ αἱ χῶραί δου. » ᾿Απὸ τῶν εἰς τοὺς περιοίχους γων μάθε τὰ κατὰ σοῦ γενησόμενα" οὐ μόνη γὰρ ἡ Τύρος, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ κύκλῳ σου ἔθνη σὺν. σοὶ ἐρημίῃ ιϑ'. ε Τάδε λέγει Κύριος: Ὅν τρόπον ὅταν ἐν σπάσῃ ὁ ποιμὴν ἐκ στόματος τοῦ λέοντος δύο σχέλην ἣ λοθὸν ὠτίου " οὕτως ἐχκσπασθήσονται οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴὶ, οἱ κατοικοῦντες ἐν Σαμαρείᾳ κατέναντι φυλῆς, χὰ ἐν Δαμασκῷ κλινεῖ δ΄, ν» Ὥσπερ γὰρ, φησὶ, λέων ἁρπάσας πρόθατον, καὶ ὅλον καταφαγὼν, μόνα τὰ εἰς βρῶσιν ἄχρηστα καταλιπὼν ἀφίσταται, ἃ λαθεῖν ὁ ποιμὴν ἀναγκάζεται τοῖς τῶν προθδάτων ᾿ κυρίοις, ὡς θηριάλωτον ἐκεῖνο γεγένηται " οὕτως αἱ δέκα φυλαὶ τοῖς ᾿Ασσυρίοις παραδοθέσονται. Ἐχεῖν"" δὲ μόνοι τὸν ἀνδραποδισμὸν διαφεύξονται, οἵ διὰ τὴ πολλὴν εὐτέλειαν ἣ ἀσθένειαν παρ᾽ ἐκείνων περιοςθὴ" σονται. Ταῦτα δὲ, φησὶ, γενήσεται καὶ τῇ Δαμασκῷ' τοῦτον γὰρ κἀκείνη τὸν ὄλεθρον πείσεται. Τὸ δὲ χαῖἔναντι φυΐϊῆς ἐν μέσῳ κείμενον, παραδηλοῖ ὡς ἡ τοῦ Ἰούδα φυλὴ τέως ἀπείρατος μενεῖ τουτωνὶ τῶν κακῶν. Ἐπελθὼν τὰρ τῇ Ἱερουσαλὴμ ὁ Σενναχηρεὶμ μετ᾽ αἰσχύνης ἐπανῆλθε τὴν στρατιὰν ἀπολέσας. Τούτων τοίνυν, φησὶν, ὦ ἱερεῖς ὅ5 ἀκούσαντες, « Ἐπιμαρτύρασθε τῷ οἴκῳ Ἰσραὴλ "5, λέγει Κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ παντοχράτωρ. (ιδ', ιε΄.) Διότι ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ, τᾶν ἐκδικήσω ἀσεθείας τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἐπ᾽ αὐτὸν, καὶ ἐκδικήσω ἐπὶ τὰ θυσιαστήρια Βαιθὴλ, καὶ κατασχαφήσεται τὰ χέρατα τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου, καὶ πεσεῖται ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν. Καὶ συντρίψω καὶ πατάξω τὸν οἶκον πὸν περίπτερον ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον τὸν θερινὸν, καὶ ἀπολοῦνται οἱ οἶκοι οἱ ἐλεφάντινοι, καὶ ἀφανισθήσονται "ἡ οἶκοι ἕτεροι δ᾽ πολλοὶ, λέγει Κύριος. » Οὐ γὰρ μόνον, φησὶ, τοὺς λαμπροὺς οἴκους, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς εὐτελεῖς καταλύσω καὶ παραδώσω πυρὶ, καὶ σὺν τοῖς πρὸς νοὺς καὶ πρὸς θέρος πεποιημένους ἐμπρήσω. Περίτερον γὰρ τὸν χειμεριγὸν καὶ ᾿Ακύλας, καὶ π΄ αμαχοξ, καὶ θΘεοδοτίων ἡρμήνευσαν " οἷον γάρ τισι πτεροῖς, τοῖς πάντοθεν περιχειμένοις τοίχοις οὗ τοιοῦτοι τοὺς οἰκήτορας περιθάλπουσι. ὧξ, φησὶ, καὶ τὰ τῆς Βαιθὴλ θυσιαστήρια, τῆς ἀσεδξίας τὰ πρόξενα " καὶ ἐτ» δὴ οὐκ ἄνδρες μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ γυναῖκες ἐχρῶντο πλειστῃ παρανομίᾳ, εἰκότως καὶ τούτων κατηγορεῖ, καὶ τὸν ὄλεθρον ἀπειλεῖ, ### English translation (Claude) 11. "Therefore thus says the Lord God: Tyre, your land round about will be made desolate, and he will bring down your strength from you, and your regions will be plundered." Learn from what [happens] to your neighbors what will happen to you; for not Tyre alone, but also the nations around you will be made desolate with you … 12. "Thus says the Lord: As when the shepherd pulls out of the lion's mouth two legs or the lobe of an ear, so will the sons of Israel be pulled out, who dwell in Samaria opposite a tribe, and in Damascus …" For just as a lion, he says, having seized a sheep and devoured it whole, goes away leaving only the parts useless for food, which the shepherd is compelled to take to the owners of the sheep as proof that it was taken by a wild beast, so the ten tribes will be handed over to the Assyrians. Only those will escape enslavement who are overlooked by them because of their great worthlessness or weakness. These things, he says, will happen to Damascus too, for it too will suffer this destruction. "Opposite a tribe", placed in the middle, indicates that the tribe of Judah will remain untouched by these evils for the time being. For Sennacherib, coming against Jerusalem with … returned in shame, having lost his army. "Having heard these things, then, O priests," he says, "13. bear witness to the house of Israel, says the Lord God the Almighty. 14, 15. For in the day when I avenge the impieties of Israel upon him, I will also take vengeance on the altars of Bethel, and the horns of the altar will be dug away and will fall to the ground. And I will crush and strike the winged house upon the summer house, and the ivory houses will perish, and many other houses will be destroyed, says the Lord." For not only the splendid houses, he says, but also the cheap ones I will destroy and give over to fire, and with them I will burn those built for winter and for summer. For Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion rendered "winged" as "for winter": for such houses warm their inhabitants with the walls lying around them on all sides, as with wings. [I will destroy] too, he says, the altars of Bethel, the causes of the impiety. And since not men only but women too practiced the greatest lawlessness, he fittingly accuses them as well and threatens them with destruction. ### Scripture references - Amos 3:11: quotation, high confidence - Amos 3:12: quotation, high confidence - Amos 3:13: quotation, high confidence - Amos 3:14: quotation, high confidence - Amos 3:15: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 19:35–36: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Amos 3:11 ("Tyre" for the LXX's τύρος, "distress"), 3:12 (its end is damaged in the scan), 3:13, and 3:14–15. Lines are lost in the scan after "made desolate with you" and in the sentence on Sennacherib; marked "…". Theodoret addresses the lemma of 3:13 to "priests", the last word of 3:12 in the LXX. For Sennacherib, see 2 Kgs 19:35–36. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 3.3.11 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-3-11). ## Commentary on Amos 4:1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-4-1/#p-3-4-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The luxurious women of Samaria, the "heifers of Bashan", rob the poor and order their husbands about as servants. ### Greek text α΄. « ᾿Ακούσατε τὸν λόγον τοῦτον, δαμάλεις τῆς Βασανίτιδος ὅδ, αἱ ἐν τῷ ὄρςι Σαμαρείας, αἱ χκατααἱ λέγουσαι τοῖς κυρίοις ἑαυτῶν: Ἐπίδοτε ἡμῖν ὅπως πίωμεν. ν».Δαμάϊις δὲ αὐτὰς τῆς Βασανίτιδος ὀνομάζει, ὡς ἁδροδιαίτους καὶ χλιδῇ παντοδα πῇ χεχρημένας " τοιαῦται γὰρ καὶ τῆς Βασανίτιδος αἱ δαμάλεις, διὰ νομῆς ἀφθονίαν σχιρτῶσαι. Τούτου δὲ χάριν, τά τε τῶν ὑποδεεστέρων ἐσφετερέξοντο, καὶ τοῖς ἀνδράσιν, οἷς κατὰ τὸν θεῖον ὑπετάγησαν νόμον, ἐπιτάττειν οὐ παρῃτοῦντο, καὶ τάξιν ὑπηοετῶν ὑπἐχειν ἐκέλευον. Τοιαύτη ἣν καὶ Ἰεζάδελ, ὡς ἀνδραπόδῳ πτῷ ἀνδρὶ χεχρημένη. Διὰ ταύτην ὑμῶν τὴν παρανομίαν, ### English translation (Claude) 1. "Hear this word, you heifers of Bashan who are on the mountain of Samaria, who [oppress the poor], who say to their lords: Give us, that we may drink." He calls them heifers of Bashan as living delicately and indulging in every kind of luxury; for such too are the heifers of Bashan, frisking because of the abundance of pasture. For this reason they appropriated the goods of the poorer, and did not refuse to give orders to their husbands, to whom they had been made subject according to the divine law, and bade them take the rank of servants. Such too was Jezebel, who treated her husband like a slave. Because of this lawlessness of yours, ### Scripture references - Amos 4:1: quotation, high confidence - Gen 3:16: allusion, low confidence - 1 Kgs 21:7: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Amos 4:1. Words of the lemma are lost in the scan; the bracketed words supply the sense from the LXX ("who oppress the poor and trample the needy"). Theodoret takes "their lords" as the women's husbands. The section ends in mid-sentence; the comment continues in the next section. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 3.4.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-4-1). ## Commentary on Amos 4:2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-4-1/#p-3-4-2 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The Lord swears that the people will be carried off by armed enemies. ### Greek text β΄. « Ὀμνύει Κύριος κατὰ τῶν ἁγίων αὑτοῦ, διότι ἰδοὺ ἡμέραι ἔρχονται ἐφ᾽ ὑμᾶς, καὶ λήψονται ὑμᾶς ἐν ὅπλοις, καὶ τοὺς μεθ᾽ ὑμῶν εἰς λέδητας νεύων τὸ εἰρημένον, ἐπήγαγε" ### English translation (Claude) 2. "The Lord swears by his holy ones that, behold, days are coming upon you, and they will take you with weapons, and those with you into cauldrons …" … indicating what had been said, he added: ### Scripture references - Amos 4:2: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Amos 4:2. The end of the lemma and the opening of the comment are lost in the scan; marked "…". ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 3.4.2 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-4-2). ## Commentary on Amos 4:3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-4-1/#p-3-4-3 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Men and women will be led away naked into captivity, the husbands burning with jealousy at the enemies' abuse of their wives, because Israel feasted for idols at Bethel and Gilgal. ### Greek text γ΄. « Καὶ ἐξενεχθήτεσθε γυμνοὶ δδ γυνὴ καὶ ἀνὴρ κατέναντι ἀλλήλων, καὶ ἀποῤῥιφήσεσθε ὅ9 εἰς τὸ ὄρος τὸ ὍἍὭἌρμανα "5, λέγει Κύριος. » ᾿Αραρότω:, φησὶ, τὴν καθ᾽ ὑμῶν εἰς καιρὸν τιμωρίαν ἐπάξω, καὶ παραδώσω τοῖς πολεμίοις ὑμᾶς, ὥττε τοὺς ἄνδρας ὑμῶν (τούτους γὰρ λέγει κρὺς μεθ᾽ ὑμῶν), λέθησιν ὑποκαιομένοις ἐοικέναι ζηλοτυποῦντας, καὶ τὴν εἰς ὑμᾶς γιγνομένην θεωροῦντας ἀσέλγειαν, Οἷον γὰρ ὑπό τινος φλογὸς πυρπολούμενοι, θυμῷ μὲν κατὰ τῶν ὑμετέρων ἀνδρῶν, λαγνείᾳ δὲ καθ᾽ ὑμῶν χρήσονται, ἄνδρας καὶ γυναῖκας γατὰ ταὐτὸν ἄγοντες, καὶ εἰς τὸ ᾿Δρμανὰ ὅρος ἀπάγοντες. Ὃ δὲ Σύμμαχος τὸ Δρμαγὰ, ᾿Αρμενίαν "' ἡἠρμήνευσεν ὁ ὃΣ Θεοδοτίων ὑψη.1ὸν ὄρος. Τὸ δὲ, Ὥμιοσε Κύριος κατὰ τῶν ἁγίων αὑτοῦ, ὁ Σύμμαχος κατὰ εἧς ἁγιωσύνης αὑτοῦ τέθεικε' Τὸν δὲ ὄρκον τῶν εἰρημένων προτέθειχεν, ἀψευδῇ τὴν προ φητείαν δεικνύς. Ὑπομενεῖτε δὲ, φησὶ, ταῦτα, ὡς καὶ ἐν Βαιθὴλ, καὶ ἐν Γαλγάλοις, τῇ δυσσεθείᾳ χρησάμενοι, καὶ τριημέρους ἑορτὰς τοῖς εἰδώλοις πᾶνηγυρίζειν τετολμηκότες, καὶ τὰς ὑπ᾽ ἐμοῦ προστεπταγμένας δεκάτας τοῖς ἐμοῖς ἱερεῦσι προσφέρεσθαι τοῖς τῆς Β ὁμολογίας τινὰς καὶ συνθήκας πρὸς τὰ εἴδωλα πεποιηχήάτες, ὡς τοῖς ἐχείνων νόμοις ἀχολουϑήσετε, Τοῦτ γὰρ ἐδήλωσεν, εἰρηκώς" ### English translation (Claude) 3. "And you will be brought out naked, woman and man, facing one another, and you will be cast onto the mountain Armana, says the Lord." Fittingly, he says, I will bring the punishment upon you in due time, and I will hand you over to the enemies, so that your husbands (for these he calls "those with you") will be like cauldrons heated from beneath, burning with jealousy as they see the outrage done to you. For as though set ablaze by some flame … they will treat your husbands with rage and you with lust, leading men and women off together and carrying them away to Mount Armana. Symmachus rendered Armana as "Armenia", and Theodotion as "a high mountain". "The Lord swore by his holy ones" Symmachus put as "by his holiness". He set the oath before what was said, showing that the prophecy is free of falsehood. You will suffer these things, he says, since in Bethel and in Gilgal you practiced impiety and dared to celebrate three-day feasts for the idols, and [you brought] the tithes which I commanded to be offered to my priests … and you made certain agreements and compacts with the idols, that you would follow their laws. For this is what he indicated, saying: ### Scripture references - Amos 4:3: quotation, high confidence - Amos 4:2: allusion, high confidence - Amos 4:4–5: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Amos 4:3 ("Armana": the scan's Ὅρμανα, Ἀρμανά), with a paraphrase of Amos 4:4–5 and a reference back to 4:2 ("those with you", "by his holy ones"). Lines are lost in the scan in the sentence on the jealous husbands and in the sentence on the tithes; marked "…", with "you brought" supplied by sense. The section ends in mid-sentence; the lemma follows in the next section. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 3.4.3 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-4-3). ## Commentary on Amos 4:5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-4-1/#p-3-4-5 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Israel followed the laws of idol worshippers, and loved doing so. ### Greek text ε΄, « ᾿Ανέγνωσαν ἔξω νόμον, καὶ ἐπεχαλέσαντη ὁμολογίαν δ᾽.» Νόμον οὐ τὸν θεῖον προσαγορεύων, ἀλλὰ τὸν ὑπὸ τῶν τὰ εἴδωλα θεραπευόντων τεθέντα, Εἶτα λέγειν δ τῷ προφήτῃ παρακελεύεται, λέγων" «ε᾿Απαγγείλατε ὅτι ταῦτα ἠγάπησαν οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ, λέγει Κύριος ὁ Θεός 5". ν Οὐ γὰρ ἐν παρέργῳ τὴν τοιαύτην ἐτόλμων ἀπέδειαν, ἀλλὰ διαθέσει θερμῇ καὶ στοργῇ περὶ αὐτὰ κεχρημένοι. ### English translation (Claude) 5. "They read the law outside, and called for confessions." He calls law not the divine law, but the one laid down by those who serve the idols. Then he bids the prophet to speak, saying: "Announce that the sons of Israel have loved these things, says the Lord God." For they did not dare such impiety in passing, but with warm disposition and affection for these things. ### Scripture references - Amos 4:5: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Amos 4:5. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 3.4.5 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-4-5). ## Commentary on Amos 4:6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-4-1/#p-3-4-6 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God sent famine, drought, disease, blight, and the sword as remedies, but Israel did not return to him. ### Greek text ς΄. «Καὶ ἐγὼ δώτω ὑμῖν γομφιασμὸν ὀδόντων ἐν πάταις ταῖς πόλεσιν ὑμῶν, καὶ ἔνδειαν ἄρτων ἐν πᾶτι ποῖς τόποις ὑμῶν, καὶ οὐκ ἐπεστρέψατε πρός οὐπηΐ, Εἰ ἰὰχος καὶ ὁ Θεοδοτίων καθαρισμὸν" ἡ ρμηνεύχασι ' δηλοῖ ὃξ τὸν λιμόν. Τῶν γὰρ μηδαμῶς ἐσθιόντων οὐδὲ λείψανον οἱ ὀδόντες ἐν αὐτοῖς τροφῆς ἑνισχόμενον ἔχουσι. Τοῦ λιμοῦ τοίνυν καὶ τῆς ἐνδείας χατλὶλαδούσης ὑμᾶς, ἐπειδὴ διὰ τὴν τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀφθονίαν κατὰ τοῦ χορηγοῦ τῶν δωρεῶν ἐσχιρτήσατε, καὶ ἀ ὀδόντες ὑμῶν γομφιασμὸν ὑπομενοῦσιν, οὐκέτι τρο᾿ φῆς ἀπολαύειν δυνάμενοι, ἀλλ᾽ ἐοικότες τοῖς ὑπὸ ὃμτροφὴν λεπτύνειν οὐ δυναμένοις. ᾿Αλλὰ καὶ ταύτης ὑμῖν τῆς παιδείας ἐπαγομένης τοῖς προτέροις ἔπιμενεῖτε κακοῖς. ᾿Αλλ᾽ οὐδὲ οὕτως τῆς ὑμετέρας παύσομαι θεραπείας " καὶ ἑτέραν γὰρ ὑμῖν ἐπάξω παϊδείαν, καὶ τὸν ὄψιμον ἐπισχὼν ὑετὸν (τοῦτο γὰρ εἶπε) Πρὸ τριῶν μηνῶν τοῦ θερισμοῦ). ἀκαρπίᾳ παραδώσω τὴν γῆν, Φιλανθρωπίᾳ δὲ χρώμενος, καὶ δεικνὺς, ὡς οὐκ ἀπὸ ταυτομάτου ταῦτα συμθαίνε:, ἀλλ᾽ ἐμοῦ νεύοντος γίνεται, ταύτῃ μὲν τῇ πόλει πᾶν: ἔξω τὸν ὑξτὸγ, ἐκείνῃ ὃὲ τῆς τοιαύτης ἀρδείας οὐ μεταδώσω, ὡς τὴν μὲν παντελῶς διαυανθῆναι γῆν τὴν δὲ μερικῶς ὑσθῆναι. Τοιαύτη δὲ ἔσται σπάνις ὑδάτων, ὡς δύο καὶ τρεῖς πόλεις κατὰ ταὐτὸν τρέγειν εἰς τὴν ἔχουσαν πόλιν ὕδωρ, πόσεως ἐφιεμένας καὶ μηδὲ οὕτω χόρῳ θεραπεύειν τὸ δίψος. ᾿Αλλ᾽ ὅμως ἐπιμενεῖτε καὶ οὕτω νοσοῦντες ἀνέχεστα, καὶ ταῦτα καὶ ἑτέροις ἤδη περιπεσόντες χκαχοῖς " ἐγὼ γὰρ, ἄτε δὴ ψυχῶν ἰατρὸς, καὶ ἄλλον χαυτῆρα “7 προσήνεγχα, νόσους ὑμῖν διαφόρου: ἐπαγαγὼν, νῦν μὲν πυρώσεις, νῦν δὲ ἱκτέρους " ὑμεῖς δὲ τῆς ἀσεδείας οὐκ ἐπελήσθητε. Καὶ μετὰ ταύτην δὲ τὴν παιδείαν -ἐδέξιυ καὶ πὴν κάμπην πᾶν ὃ τι τερπνὸν ἐν ἀμπελῶσιν, ἢ ἐλαιῶοἴχεται 55. καὶ οὐδὲ τοῦτο πέπειχεν ὑμᾶ; ἐπιγνῶνα: τὸν τὰς παιδείας ἐπάγοντα. Τούτοις προστίθησιν, ὅτι καὶ τὸν ᾿Ασσύριον φεύγοντας, καὶ τὴν Αἴγυπτον χαταλαθεῖν σπεύδοντας, τῇ τοῦ ᾿Ασσυ- Αίωυ παραδέδωκα ῥομφαίᾳ, καθάπερ τινὶ πυρὶ τῇ ὀργῇ κεχρημένος " καὶ οὐδὲ ἐντεῦθεν τὸ δέον συνιδεῖν ### English translation (Claude) 6. "And I will give you dullness of teeth in all your cities and lack of bread in all your places, and you did not return to me …" … [Sym]machus and Theodotion rendered it "cleanness"; it indicates famine. For the teeth of those who eat nothing at all have no remnant of food caught in them. When famine and want overtake you, then, since you frisked against the giver of the gifts because of the abundance of good things, your teeth too will suffer dullness, no longer able to enjoy food, but like those of people who … cannot grind food fine. But even when this chastisement is brought upon you, you will persist in your former evils. Yet not even so will I cease caring for you: for I will bring another chastisement upon you as well, and, withholding the late rain (for this is what he said: "three months before the harvest"), I will give the land over to fruitlessness. But using kindness, and showing that these things do not happen by chance but come about at my nod, on this city I will send rain, and to that one I will give no share of such watering, so that one land will be entirely dried up and another rained on in part. And such will be the scarcity of water that two and three cities will run at the same time to the city that has water, longing to drink, and not even so quenching their thirst to the full. Yet still you will persist, though so incurably sick, and that when you have already fallen into other evils as well. For I, as the physician of souls, applied another cautery too, bringing various diseases upon you, now fevers, now jaundice; but you did not forget your impiety. And after this chastisement … the caterpillar … whatever was pleasant in vineyards or olive groves … and not even this persuaded you to recognize the one who brings the chastisements. To these he adds: "When you fled the Assyrian and hastened to reach Egypt, I handed you over to the Assyrian's sword, using my wrath like a fire; and not even from this [did you choose] to see what was needed …" ### Scripture references - Amos 4:6: quotation, high confidence - Amos 4:7–10: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Amos 4:6, followed by a paraphrase of Amos 4:7–10 (the verse numerals are lost in the scan). Lines are lost in the scan after the lemma, in the comment on the teeth, in the comment on blight, and at the end; marked "…". The first translator named is restored by sense ("[Sym]machus") from the scan's damaged word; "cleanness" renders the Hebrew ("cleanness of teeth"). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 3.4.6 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-4-6). ## Commentary on Amos 4:11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-4-1/#p-3-4-11 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Israel, overthrown like Sodom and left like a half-burnt brand, is called to seek the Creator, who will announce Cyrus, his anointed, as their deliverer. ### Greek text ια΄, « Κατέστρεψα ὑμᾶς καθὼς κατέστρεψεν ὁ Θεὸς Σόδομα καὶ ᾿όμοῤῥα. » Οὐκ ἄλλον παραδηλῶν τὸν ἐκεῖνα πεποιηκότα, ἀλλ᾽ ὡς περὶ αὐτοῦ διαλεγόμενος. « Καὶ ἐγένεσθε, φησὶν, ὡς δαλὸς ἐξεσπασμένος ἐκ πυρὸς, καὶ οὐδ᾽ οὕτως ἐπεστρέψατε πρός με, λέγει Κύριος.» Καθάπερ γὰρ ὁ δαλὸς ἡμιφλεγὴς γενόμενος, δείκνυσι μὲν τοῦ πυρὺς τὴν ἐνέργειαν, ἄνῳηστον δέ ἔστιν εἰς πᾶν ὁτιοῦν, μόνῳ δὲ πυρὶ χρήπιμος " οὕτως ὑμεῖς τῶν πλείστων ἀνλιρεθέντων εἰς αἰχμαλωσίαν ἐπαγόμενοι, πάσης μὲν" δυνάμεως γυμνωθήσεσθε, εἰς δουλείαν δὲ μόνην ἐπιτήδειοι φανεῖσθε. 18’. ε Διὰ τοῦτο᾿οὕτω ποιήσιυ σο!, Ἰσραήλ " πλὴν οὕτω ποιήσω σοι. ν ᾽Λλλ᾽ ὅμως καὶ ἀνήκεστα νοσοῦσι. « Ἑτοιμάξου ἐπικαλεῖσθαι τὸν Θεόν σου, Ἰσραήλ. (1γ..} Διότι 19. ἰδοὺ στερεῶν βροντὴν, καὶ κτίξων πνεῦμα, καὶ ἀπαγγέλλων εἰς ἀνθρώπους τὸν Χριστὸν αὑτοῦ" ποιῶν ὄρθρον καὶ ὁμίχλην, καὶ ἐπιδαίνων ὑψηλὰ " τῆς γῆς, Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ 13 Παντοχράτωρ ὄνομα αὐτῷ. » Ταύτης τοίνυν ἀπαλλαγεὶς τῆς ἀναλγηπίας, ὦ Ἰσραὴλ, τὸν ἐπικληθέντα σοῦ Θεὸν ἐπιζήτησον, ὃς τοῦ ἀέρος τὸ μανὸν καὶ χαῦνον εἰς τὸν φριχώδη τῆς βροντῆς μεταθάλλει κτύπον, διὰ τῶν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ γεγενημένων ἀνέμων τοῦτον ἀναχινῶν καὶ συστρέφων. Οὗτός σοι καὶ τὸν εἰς τὴν σὴν ἐλευθερίαν ἀφωρισμένον μηνύει βασιλέα " λέγει δὲ τὸν Κύρον. Ῥάδιον δὲ αὐτῷ, καὶ μετὰ νύκτα βαθεῖαν ἀγαγεῖν τὸν ὄρθρον, καὶ μεθ᾽ ἡμέραν ὁμίχλῃ κρῦψαι τὸ φῶς. Καθάπερ οὖν ἐν σταθερᾷ σο: μεσημθρίᾳ καθημένῳ “ταύτῃ γὰρ ἔοικεν ἡ εἰρήνη), τὴν τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας ὁμίχλην ἐπήγαγεν “ οὕτω τῆς δουλείας καταπαύσας τὴν νύκτα, τὸν ἥδιστον τῆς ἐλευθερίας ὄρθρον ἀνατεῖλαι κελεύει 75, ς Ἐπιδαίνει γὰρ ἐπὶ τὰ ὑψηλὰ τῆς Υὔξτ᾽ ν τουτέστι, πάντων ἐστὶν ὑψηλότατος, καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην πληροῖ, ἅτε δὴ Κύριος ὧν καὶ θεὸς, κατὰ πάντων ἔχων τὸ κράτος. Οὕτω τὰ θυμήρη μηνύσας, εἰς τἀναντία μεταφέρει τὸν λόγον, τούτοις μὲν φοδῶν, ψυχαγωγῶν δὲ ἐκείνοις, καὶ προσέχειν ἐκϑθύμως; τῇ μετανοίᾳ παρασχενάζων. ### English translation (Claude) 11. "I overthrew you as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah." He does not indicate someone else as the one who did those things, but speaks as of himself. "And you became," he says, "like a brand plucked out of the fire, and not even so did you return to me, says the Lord." For just as a half-burnt brand shows the working of the fire but is useless for anything at all and good only for the fire, so you, when most of you have been killed and you are being led into captivity, will be stripped of all strength and will appear fit only for slavery. 12. "Therefore thus will I do to you, Israel; but thus will I do to you." And yet they are incurably sick. "Prepare to call upon your God, Israel. 13. For behold, he who strengthens the thunder and creates the wind and announces to men his anointed, who makes dawn and mist and treads on the heights of the earth: the Lord God the Almighty is his name." Freed, then, from this insensibility, O Israel, seek the one who is called your God, who changes the thin and loose air into the frightening crash of thunder, stirring it and whirling it by the winds he has made. He it is who announces to you the king appointed for your freedom: he means Cyrus. It is easy for him to bring dawn after deep night, and after daylight to hide the light with mist. Just as, then, while you sat in a steady noonday (for peace is like that), he brought on the mist of captivity, so, having ended the night of slavery, he bids the sweetest dawn of freedom rise. "For he treads on the heights of the earth", that is, he is the highest of all and fills the whole world, since he is Lord and God, holding power over all things. Having thus announced welcome things, he turns his discourse to the opposite, frightening some by these words and drawing others on, and preparing them to attend eagerly to repentance. ### Scripture references - Amos 4:11: quotation, high confidence - Amos 4:12: quotation, high confidence - Amos 4:13: quotation, high confidence - Gen 19:24–25: allusion, medium confidence - Isa 45:1: allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Amos 4:11, 4:12, and 4:13. Theodoret takes "his anointed" (LXX τὸν χριστὸν αὐτοῦ; Hebrew "his thought") to be Cyrus, the king who freed the Jews from captivity (compare Isa 45:1). Latin debris at the end of the section is removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 3.4.11 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-4-11). ## Commentary on Amos 5:1–2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-4-1/#p-3-5-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God laments fallen Israel; Theodoret reads the promise that it will not rise again as the loss of its own rule, fulfilled after the rejection of Christ. ### Greek text α', β΄. «᾽᾿Ακούσατε τὸν λόγον Κυρίου τοῦτον, ὃν ἐγὼ λαμδάνω ἐφ᾽ ὑμᾶς θρῆνον - Οἶκος τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἔπεσεν, οὐκέτι οὐ μὴ προσθῇ τοῦ ἀναστῆναι. Παρθένος δὲ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἔσφαλεν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς αὑτῆς ᾿ οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ ἀνιστῶν αὐτήν. ν» Φιλανθρωπίᾳ χρώμενος ὁ Δεσπότης οὐδὲ θρῆνον ὑφαίνειν παραιτεῖται τοῖς κακῶς διακειμένοις, καὶ μετανοεῖν οὐκ ἐθέλουσι. Τὸ δὲ, Οὐκέτι οὐ μὴ προσθῇ τοῦ ἀναστῆγαι, οὐκ ἐναντίον τοῖς τῆς ἐλευθερίας εὐαγγελίοις, Σημαίνει ’ γὰρ ὡς οὐκέτι καθ᾽ ἑαυτοὺς πολιτεύσανται, οὐδὲ ἴδιον σχήσουσι βασιλέα. Εἰ δέ τις ἀχριδῶς προσχεῖν ἐθελήσειεν, εὑρήσει τούτων τὴν ἔχθασιν μετὰ τὴν κατὰ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν μανίαν " τηνικαῦτα γὰρ πεσόντες μευενήχασι μέχρι καὶ τήμερον ἐπὶ τοῦ πτώματος. Παρθένον δὲ αὑτὴν καλεῖ, διὰ τὴν προτέραν εὐσέθειαν " σφαλεῖσαν δὲ καὶ διαφθαρεῖσαν, διὰ τὴν μετὰ ταῦτα τῶν εἰδώλων λατρείαν. Τὸ δὲ, Οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ ἀνιστῶν αὐτὴ, τὸ μηδεμιᾶς αὐτὴν ἀνθρωπίνης ἐπικουρίας ἀπολαῦσαι σημαένει " τοῦ Θεοῦ γὰρ τῶν ὅλων ἀνθισταμένου, οὔτε ὁ Αἰγυπτίων αὐτοῖς βασιλεὺς, οὔτ᾽ ἄλλος τις ἴσχυσεν ἐπαμῦναι. Προαγορεύει ὃὲ καὶ τὴν ἐσομένην αὑτῶν ὀλιγότητα. ### English translation (Claude) 1, 2. "Hear this word of the Lord, which I take up over you as a lament: The house of Israel has fallen; it will no more rise again. The virgin of Israel has stumbled on her land; there is none to raise her up." Out of his love for humankind the Master does not refuse even to weave a lament for those who are in a bad state and unwilling to repent. "It will no more rise again" is not contrary to the good news of freedom; for it means that they will no longer govern themselves nor have a king of their own. And if anyone will attend closely, he will find that this was fulfilled after their madness against our Savior: for having fallen then, they have remained on the ground until today. He calls her a virgin because of her former piety, and stumbled and corrupted because of her later worship of idols. "There is none to raise her up" means that she enjoyed no human help; for when the God of all opposed them, neither the king of the Egyptians nor anyone else was able to help them. He also foretells how few they will become. ### Scripture references - Amos 5:1: quotation, high confidence - Amos 5:2: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Amos 5:1–2. Theodoret's statement that the Jews have remained fallen since their "madness against our Savior" is his own polemical reading, translated as written. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 3.5.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-5-1). ## Commentary on Amos 5:3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-4-1/#p-3-5-3 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Only a tenth of Israel will survive; the people are urged to abandon the idol shrines of Bethel, Gilgal, and Beersheba and seek God. ### Greek text Υ΄. ε« Ἡ πόλις γὰρ, φησὶν, ὅθεν "5 ἐξεπορεύοντα χίλιοι, ὑπολειφθήσονται ἑκατὸν, καὶ ἐξ ἧς ἐξεπορεύοντο ἑκατὸν, ὑπολειφθήσονται δέκα. » ᾿Αλλ᾽ ὀγὰ γοῦν ποτε τὴν Βαιθὴλ καὶ τὴν Γάλγαλα καταλιπόντες, καὶ τὴν παρὰ τὸ φρέαρ τοῦ ὄρκου τῶν εἰδώλων λατρείαν, τὴν ἐμὴν ἐπιζητήσατε πρόνοιαν " ζωὴν γὰρ ἐντεῦθεν ποριεῖσθς. Βαιθὴλ δὲ καὶ Γάλγαλα σὺν τοῖς εἰδώλοις τοῖς πολεμίοις παραδοθήσονται. Μανία δὲ σαφὴς, τὸ μὴ μόνον τῆς τοῦ ᾿Αδραὰμ εὐσεδεΐας ἐκ «ποῦ φρέατος ἐκείνου μὴ περαλαμύάνειν 15 μνήμην, ἀλλὰ καὶ παρ᾽ ἐκεῖνο τολμᾷν τὴν ἀσέῤειαν. ### English translation (Claude) 3. "For the city," he says, "from which a thousand went out, a hundred will be left; and from which a hundred went out, ten will be left." … But now at least, leaving Bethel and Gilgal and the worship of idols at the well of the oath, seek my providence; for from it you will procure life. Bethel and Gilgal, with their idols, will be handed over to the enemies. It is plain madness not only not to take from that well the remembrance of Abraham's piety, but even to dare impiety beside it. ### Scripture references - Amos 5:3: quotation, high confidence - Amos 5:4–5: allusion, high confidence - Gen 21:31: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Amos 5:3; the lemma of 5:4–5 is lost in the scan, and the comment on it begins in mid-sentence; marked "…". "The well of the oath" is Beersheba (Gen 21:31), where Abraham called on the Lord. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 3.5.3 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-5-3). ## Commentary on Amos 5:6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-4-1/#p-3-5-6 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Seeking God brings life, while sin kindles the fire of judgment. ### Greek text ς΄. ε Ἐκζητήσατε τὸν Κύριον, καὶ ζήσεσθε", ὅπως μὴ ἀναλάμψῃ ὡς πῦρ ὁ οἶκος Ἰωσὴφ, καὶ καταφάγῃ αὐτὸν, καὶ οὐκ ἔσται: ὁ σδέσων τῷ οἴκῳ ραήΐλ. ν» Σαφῶς ἐκ τούτων μανθάνομεν, ὡς ἡ ἁμαρτία ἡμῖν ἐξάπτει τὴν φλόγα τῶν κακῶν - ἡ δὲ περὶ τὸν Θεὸν στοργὴ, καὶ διάθεσις, ζωὴν ἡμῖν προξενεῖ. ### English translation (Claude) 6. "Seek the Lord and you will live, lest the house of Joseph blaze up like fire and devour it, and there be no one to quench it for the house of Israel." From this we learn clearly that sin kindles for us the flame of evils, while love and devotion toward God procure life for us. ### Scripture references - Amos 5:6: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Amos 5:6. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 3.5.6 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-5-6). ## Commentary on Amos 5:7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-4-1/#p-3-5-7 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The almighty Creator, who can turn darkness to dawn and strength to ruin, will punish Israel for hating the prophets' reproof and oppressing the poor. ### Greek text ζ΄. εΚύριος 17 ὁ ποιῶν εἰς ὕψος κρῖμα, καὶ δικαιοσύνην εἰς γῆν ἔθηκε. » Ῥηφίζεται, φησὶν, ὃ βούλεται δίκαιος ὧν, καὶ πέρας ἐν τῇ γῇ τὰ κχρινόμενα δέχεται. η΄. ε Ὁ ποιῶν πάντα, καὶ μετασκευάζων, καὶ ἐκτρέπων εἰς τὸ πρωΐ σκιὰν θανάτου, καὶ ἡμέραν εἰς νύκτα συσχοτάζων " ὁ προσκαλούμενος τὸ ὕδωρ τῆς θαλάσσης, καὶ ἐκχέων αὐτὸ ἐπὶ πρόσωπον τῆς γῆς 5, Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ὁ παντοχράτωρ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ"".» Θαῤῥήσατε, φησὶ, τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ δυνάμει, καὶ ταύτης ἔχεσθε τῆς ἐλπίδος. Εὐπετῶς γὰρ καὶ ποιεῖ καὶ μετασχευάζει ὃ βούλεται, καὶ ῥάδιον αὑτῷ καὶ τοὺς μεγίστους κινδύνους εἰς εὐθυμίαν μεταδαλεῖν. Σκιὰν' γὰρ θανάτου τοὺς μεγάλους κινδύνους ὠνόμασεν. Εὐμαρῶς δὲ καὶ τοῖς ἐν εὐημερίᾳ δυσπραξίαν ὁπ’ ΄ ἄγειν. Καὶ μέντοι καὶ τὸ θαλάττιον ὕδωρ νεύματι Α δϑι ἀνέλκων εἰς τὸν ἀέρα, ἄρδει τὴν γῆν διὰ τῶν νεφῶν " εὺς γάρ ἔστι, καὶ τῶν ἁπάντων Δεσπότης. 6΄. ε Ὁ διαιρῶν συντριμμὸν ἐπὶ ἰσχὺν, καὶ ταλαιπωρίαν ἐπὶ ὀχύρωμα ἐπάγων. » Μετὰ πολλῆς δὲ τῆς εὐκολίας, καὶ τοὺς ἡσθενηχότας ἐπὶ τὴν προτέραν ἰσχὺν ἐπανάγει, καὶ ταλαιπωρίᾳ τοὺς ἰσχυροὺς παραδίδωσι. ὑ. « Ἐμίσησαν ἐν πύλαις ἐλέγχοντα 80, καὶ λόγον ὅσιον ἐδδελύξαντο. » "Ἔθος ἦν τοῖς παλαιοῖς, ὥς τινές φασι, περὶ τὰς πύλας τοὺς συλλόγους ποιεῖσθαι, καὶ τὰ συνέδρια. Ἔνθα τοίνυν συνηθροίζοντο, ἐκεῖ καὶ τοὺς ἐλέγχους οἱ προφῆται προσέφερον - ἀλλ᾽ ἀδικίαις καὶ παρανομίαις συξῶντες, οὔτε τοῖς τῆς ἀληθείας προσεῖχον ἐλέγχοις, οὔτε τὸν τοῦ δικαίου προσεδέχοντο λόγον. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν καὶ ταῦτα εἰργάζεσθε, καὶ πρὸς τούτοις, τοὺς πενίᾳ κατεχομένους καὶ χειρὶ καὶ γλώττῃ παροινοῦντες διετελεῖτε, καὶ δωροδοκίᾳ καίροντες ἑσπουδάζετε κακῶς αὔξειν τὸν πλοῦτον, γινώσκετε, ὡς οὔτε ἐν ταῖς εὖ καὶ καλῶς οἰκίαις, οὔτε τοὺς ὑφ᾽ ὑμῶν μετὰ πολλῆς ἐπιμελείας ὑμᾶς τὴν τούτων ἀπόλαυσιν ἡ τῆς ἀσεδείας καὶ παρανομίας ὑπερθολή ἐπατεῖτε γὰρ τὸ δίκαιον, δῶρα μὲν παρὰ τῶν δυνατωτέρων λαμόάνοντες, ἐν δὲ τῷ δικάζειν τοὺς πένητας καταχρίνοντες. ### English translation (Claude) 7. "The Lord, who makes judgment on high and has set righteousness on the earth." He decrees what he wishes, he says, being just, and the things he judges receive their fulfillment on the earth. 8. "He who makes all things and transforms them, and turns the shadow of death into morning and darkens day into night; who calls the water of the sea and pours it out on the face of the earth: the Lord God the Almighty is his name." Take courage, he says, in the power of God, and hold fast to this hope. For he easily makes and transforms what he wishes, and it is easy for him to change even the greatest dangers into good cheer; for he called great dangers "the shadow of death". Easily, too, he brings misfortune on those in prosperity. Moreover, drawing the sea water up into the air at a nod, he waters the earth through the clouds; for he is God and Master of all. 9. "He who distributes ruin upon strength and brings misery upon a fortress." With great ease he both brings back those who have grown weak to their former strength and hands the strong over to misery. 10. "They hated the one who reproves in the gates and abhorred a holy word." It was the custom of the ancients, as some say, to hold their assemblies and councils at the gates. Where they gathered, then, there the prophets also brought their reproofs; but living in injustice and lawlessness, they neither attended to the reproofs of truth nor received the word of the righteous. Since, then, you did these things, and besides this you continued to abuse those held down by poverty with hand and tongue, and, delighting in bribes, you were eager to increase your wealth wickedly, know that neither in the houses [built] well and finely [will you dwell], nor … the things [planted] by you with great care; … the excess of impiety and lawlessness [will deprive] you of the enjoyment of them. For you trampled on what is just, taking gifts from the more powerful and condemning the poor when you judged. ### Scripture references - Amos 5:7: quotation, high confidence - Amos 5:8: quotation, high confidence - Amos 5:9: quotation, high confidence - Amos 5:10: quotation, high confidence - Amos 5:11–12: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Amos 5:7, 5:8, 5:9, and 5:10, with a paraphrase of 5:11–12. Words are lost in the scan in the paraphrase of 5:11 (the houses and vineyards); marked "…", with bracketed words supplied by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 3.5.7 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-5-7). ## Commentary on Amos 5:13 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-4-1/#p-3-5-13 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The wise will fall silent in dismay when the foretold disaster comes. ### Greek text ιγ΄. «Διὰ τοῦτο ὁ συνιὼν ἐν τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ σιωπήσεται, ὅτι ὁ καιρὸς πονηρός ἐστι. ν Πᾶς γὰρ ἐχέφρῶν, καὶ τὸ δέον συνιδεῖν δυνάμενος, ὁρῶν τῶν ἐπαγομένων ὑμῖνδ' κακῶν τὸ νέφος, τεθηπὼς καὶ θαυμάζων τὸ τῆς προῤῥήτεως ἀψευδὲς, φθέγξασθαι οὐδὲν ἐξ ἀθυμίας δυνήσεται. ### English translation (Claude) 13. "Therefore the one who understands will keep silent at that time, for the time is evil." For every sensible person, able to see what is needed, when he sees the cloud of evils brought upon you, stunned and marvelling at the truthfulness of the prediction, will be able to utter nothing for despondency. ### Scripture references - Amos 5:13: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Amos 5:13. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 3.5.13 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-5-13). ## Commentary on Amos 5:14–15 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-4-1/#p-3-5-14 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Israel must prove its professed love of the good by doing justice, or lament will fill the land. ### Greek text ιδ', τε΄. ε Ἐκζητήσατε οὖν τὸ χαλὸν, καὶ μὴ τὸ πονηρὸν, ὅπως ζήσητε, καὶ ἔστα: οὕτω μεθ’ ὑμῶν 53 Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ὁ παντοχράτωρ, ὅν τρόπον εἴπατε" Μεμισήχαμεν τὰ πονηρὰ, καὶ ἡγαπήχαμεν τὰ χαλά " καὶ ἀποκαταστήσατε ἐν πύλαις κρῖμα, ὅπως ἂν ἐλεήσῃ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ὁ παντοχράτωρ τοὺς καταλοίποὺς τοῦ Ἰωτήφ. » ᾿Ακολουθείτω, φησὶ, τοῖς λόγοις τὰ ἔργα, καὶ λέγοντες ἐρᾷν μὲν τῶν ἀγαθῶν, βδελύττεσθαι δὲ τὴν πονηρίαν, ἔργῳ δείξατε τὴν τῶν λόγων ἀλήθειαν. Τοῦτο γὰρ ποιοῦντες, τεύξεσθε παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων ζωῆς "5. Τούτου δὲ παρ’ ὑμῶν μὴ γιγνομένου, θρῆνοι καὶ ὀλοφύρσεις, καὶ τὰς πλατείας, καὶ τὰς ὁδοὺς καταλήψονται " ὡς καὶ τοὺς γηπόνους ἀντὶ γεωργίας τῇ θρηνῳδίᾳ προαἐχειν. Ἔσται δὲ ταῦτα ἐμοῦ παρόντος, καὶ τὰς τιμωρίας ἐπάγοντος. ### English translation (Claude) 14, 15. "Seek, then, the good and not the evil, that you may live; and so the Lord God the Almighty will be with you, as you said: We have hated the evil things and loved the good; and restore judgment in the gates, that the Lord God the Almighty may have mercy on the remnant of Joseph." Let deeds follow words, he says; and since you say that you love good things and abhor wickedness, show in deed the truth of your words. For if you do this, you will obtain life from the God of all. But if you do not, laments and wailing will take over the squares and the streets, so that even the farmers will give themselves to lamentation instead of farming. And these things will happen when I am present and bringing the punishments. ### Scripture references - Amos 5:14: quotation, high confidence - Amos 5:15: quotation, high confidence - Amos 5:16–17: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Amos 5:14–15, with a paraphrase of 5:16–17. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 3.5.14 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-5-14). ## Commentary on Amos 5:18 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-4-1/#p-3-5-18 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Those who mock the prophets by demanding the day of the Lord will find it darkness, like a man escaping a lion and a bear only to be bitten by a snake. ### Greek text τη΄. «Οὐαὶ οἱ ἐπιθυμοῦντες τὴν ἡμέραν Κυρίου! καὶ δ' ἱνατί ὑμῖν" αὕτη ἡ ἡμέρα Κυρίου; καὶ αὕτη ἐστὶ σκότος, καὶ οὐ φῶς. » Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἧσάν τινες θρασύτητι καὶ αὐθαδείᾳ συντεθραμμένοι, οἱ τοῖς προφητικοῖς θεσπίσμασιν ἀντέλεγον, φρυαττόμενο: 89 δὲ κατ᾽ αὑτῶν, καὶ ψευδεῖς ἀποκαλοῦντες τοὺς θείους χρησμοὺς, καὶ τὸ τέλος τῶν προῤῥήσεων ἀπαιτοῦν. πες, θρήνου τούτους ἀξίους ὁ Δεσπότης ὡς σκότος ἀντὶ φωτὸς ἐπιθυμοῦντας ἰδεῖν. Οὐδὲν διαφέρουσι 57, φησὶν, οἱ τὸ πέρας τῆς προφητείας ἐπιθυμοῦντες ἰδεῖν, ἀνδρὸς φυγόντος μὲν λέοντα ἐπιόντα, μετ᾽ ἐκεῖνον δὲ ἄρχ'» περιπεσόντος, εἶτα τὴν οἰκίαν μετὰ δέους χατειληφότος, καὶ ἀπρούπτως ἀπὸ τοῦ τὴ» ψυχὴν κατέχοντος θορύθου, το; τῷ τοίχῳ τὴν χεῖρα, καὶ ὑπὸ ὄφεως πιχροτάτου δηχθέντος. "Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος ζόφον, ἀλλ᾽ οὐ φωτὸς αἴγλην, κατ᾽ ἐχείνην ὁρᾷ τὴν ἡμέραν " οὕτως οὗτοι σκότῳ βαθεῖ κατὰ τὴν τῆς τιμωρίας ἡμέραν ### English translation (Claude) 18. "Woe to those who desire the day of the Lord! Why is this day of the Lord for you? It is darkness and not light." For there were some, bred in boldness and arrogance, who contradicted the prophetic oracles, snorting against them, calling the divine oracles false and demanding the fulfillment of the predictions; so the Master [declares] them worthy of lament, as desiring to see darkness instead of light. Those who desire to see the end of the prophecy, he says, are no different from a man who flees a lion coming at him, then falls in with a bear after it, then reaches his house in fear and, unexpectedly, because of the turmoil gripping his soul, [leans] his hand on the wall and is bitten by a most venomous snake. For just as he sees gloom, not the gleam of light, on that day, so these [will be held] in deep darkness on the day of punishment. ### Scripture references - Amos 5:18: quotation, high confidence - Amos 5:19–20: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Amos 5:18, with a paraphrase of 5:19–20. Bracketed words supply verbs lost in the scan. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 3.5.18 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-5-18). ## Commentary on Amos 5:21–23 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-4-1/#p-3-5-21 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God rejects Israel's feasts, sacrifices, and music; he never needed them, and allowed music in worship only to lead the people from pleasant things to serious ones. ### Greek text χα'.κγ'. Μεμίσηκα, ἀπῶσμαι τὰς ἑορτὰς ὑμῶν, καὶ οὐ μὴ ὀσφρανθῶ "8 ἐν ταῖς πανηγύρεσιν ὑμῶν, Διότι ἐὰν ἐνέγκητέ μοι ὁλοκαυτώματα καὶ θυσίας ὑμῶν, οὐ προσδέξομαι, καὶ σωτηρίου ἐπιφανείας ὑμῶν οὐκ ἐπιόλέψομαι. Μεξάστησον " ἀπ' ἐμοῦ ἦχον δῶν σου, καὶ ψαλμὸν "5 ὀργάνων σοὺ οὐκ ἀκοὺσομαι. ν» Τοιαῦτα καὶ διὰ Ἡσαΐου πρὸς αὐτοὺς εἰς ρῆκεν ὁ Δεσπότης Θεός" « Τί μοι πλῆθος τῶν θυσιῶν ὑμῶν; λέγει Κύριος. Πλήρης εἰμὶ ὁλοκαυτωμάτων χριῶν καὶ στέαρ ἀρνῶν, καὶ αἷμα ταύρων καὶ τρῖς γων οὐ βούλομαι. » Καὶ ἑξῆς δὲ καταλέγει πάντα τὰ κατὰ τὸν νόμον αὐτῷ προσφερόμενα, πάντα λέγων ὁμοίως βδελύττεσθαι. Οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα μισεῖν μὲν ἔφη τὰς ἑορτάς " οὐ προσδέχεσθαι δὲ τὰς ἐν ταῖς πανηγύρεσι προσφερομένας θυσίας " τὸ γὰρ οὗ μὶ ς ἐσφραγνθῶ, ἀντὶ τοῦ, οὐ μὴ δέξομαι τέθειχευ. Οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Νῶε ὁ μακάριος λίωσῆ:, ἐ ὃ: φράνθη, ἔφη, Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ὀσμὴν εὐωδίας "» ἀπ τοῦ, ἐπήνεσε τὸν τῶν προσενηνοχύτω" σκοπόν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ δεῖται τούτων Θεός" ᾿ ἀλλ᾽ οὐδὲ τοῖς ὑπὲρ τῇ; σφῶν αὐτῶν σωτηρίας προσφέρουσι τὴν ἐπ, φησὶ, παρέξαμαι ἐπιφάνειαν. Παῦσαι τοίνυν καὶ ἄδων, καὶ τοῖς μουσικοῖς κεχρημένος ὀργάνοις" οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐπιτέρπομαι τούτοι:, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν διὰ τῶν τερπνῶν σε ποδηγῶν ἐπὶ τὰ σπουδαὶ ταῦτα προσέταξα γίνεσθαι. - ### English translation (Claude) 21–23. "I have hated, I have rejected your feasts, and I will not smell [the offerings] in your festal assemblies. For if you bring me your whole burnt offerings and your sacrifices, I will not accept them, and I will not look upon the appearances of your peace offerings. Take away from me the sound of your songs, and I will not listen to the music of your instruments." The Master God said such things to them through Isaiah as well: "What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord. I am full of whole burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of lambs and the blood of bulls and goats I do not want." And in what follows he lists everything offered to him according to the law, saying that he abhors all of it alike. So here too he said that he hates the feasts and does not accept the sacrifices offered at the festal assemblies; for he put "I will not smell" for "I will not accept". So too in the case of Noah the blessed Moses said: "The Lord God smelled a fragrant aroma", instead of "he approved the intention of those who had offered." For God does not need these things … but not even to those who offer for their own salvation, he says, will I grant my appearing. Stop, then, both singing and using musical instruments; for I take no delight in these, but from the beginning, leading you by means of pleasant things toward serious things, I commanded that these be done. ### Scripture references - Amos 5:21–23: quotation, high confidence - Isa 1:11: quotation, high confidence - Gen 8:21: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Amos 5:21–23. A line is lost in the scan after "does not need these things"; marked "…". The quotations are Isa 1:11 and Gen 8:21. Theodoret's view that God commanded sacrifices and temple music as a concession, to lead the people toward better things, is his own and is translated as written. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 3.5.21 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-5-21). ## Commentary on Amos 5:24 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-4-1/#p-3-5-24 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Judgment will sweep over Israel like a flood, since even in the desert they worshipped idols and stars, and they will be deported beyond Damascus. ### Greek text κδ'. ε Κυλισθήσεται ὡς ὕζωρ κρῖμα, καὶ ἡ ὅ:φησὶ, κατὰ σοῦ δικαία ψῆφος χειμάῤῥου συ. δίκην, καὶ σφοδροῦ ὕδατος, τὴν τιμωρίαν ἐποίσει, καὶ δεέξ᾽ Ὁ οὗον εὑρεῖν οὐ δυνήσῃ " ἀναμνήσθητε ν᾽ ἕξ, το σαράκοντα ἔτη κατὰ τὴν ἔρημον διαγαγόντες ἢ ᾿ ἐν τὴν ἀπὸ θυμάτων μοι λατρείαν προσενηνόχατε, ἐλᾷ κἀκεῖ τὴν αὐτὴν ἀσέθειαν ἐπεδείξασθε, παντοδαπὰς εἰδώλων πεποιηκότες εἰκόνας, καὶ τούτοις, καὶ ΐ οἐν μέντοι καὶ ἄστροις τισὶ πᾶσαν θεραπείαν προδτε ποῦ δὲ Μολὸχ καὶ ἐν τοῖς προοιμίοις τῆς προφητείας ἐᾳνημόνευσε. Τούτων γὰρ χάριν, χξ΄, « Μετοικιῶ ὑμᾶς ἐπέκεινα Δαμασκοῦ, λέγει Ἐύριος ὁ θεὸς, ὁ Παντοκράτωρ ὄνομα αὐτῷ.» Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ καὶ τῶν πληπιαξόντων αὐτοῖς Σύρων ἐδυτχέραινον τὴν δουλείαν, τὴν ποῤῥωτέρω προλέγει, χαταται αὐτοὺς τῇ προῤῥίσει βουλόμενος " λέγει δὲ τὴν ᾿Ασσυρίων. Καὶ τοῦτο ὁ μακάριος Στέφανος ἐν ταῖς Πράξετιν ἑρμηνεύων, « Μετοικιῶ ὑμᾶς, εἶπεν, ἐπέκεινα ᾽5. Βαβυλῶνος. ### English translation (Claude) 24. "Judgment will roll like water, and [righteousness like an impassable torrent]." … The just sentence against you, he says, like a torrent and a violent flood of water, will bring the punishment, and you will not be able to find … Remember that, when you spent forty years in the desert, … you [did not] offer me the worship of sacrifices; even there you displayed the same impiety, having made all kinds of images of idols, and … to these and to certain stars as well you offered every kind of worship … He also mentioned Moloch in the opening of the prophecy. For these reasons: 27. "I will deport you beyond Damascus, says the Lord God; the Almighty is his name." For since they found even slavery to the Syrians, their neighbors, hard to bear, he foretells a slavery further away, wishing to terrify them by the prediction; he means that of the Assyrians. And the blessed Stephen, interpreting this in the Acts, said: "I will deport you beyond Babylon." ### Scripture references - Amos 5:24: quotation, high confidence - Amos 5:25–26: allusion, high confidence - Amos 5:27: quotation, high confidence - Acts 7:43: quotation, high confidence - Amos 1:15: allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Amos 5:24 (its end is lost in the scan and supplied in brackets from the LXX), a paraphrase of 5:25–26, and 5:27. Lines are lost in the scan throughout the comment; marked "…", and "did not" is supplied by sense from the LXX's question in 5:25. "Moloch in the opening of the prophecy" probably refers to Melchom in Amos 1:15. The last quotation is Acts 7:43. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 3.5.24 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-5-24). ## Commentary on Amos 6:1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-4-1/#p-3-6-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Woe to those who trust in Samaria and despise Zion, forgetting that Zion's God gave them the land. ### Greek text α΄.« Οὐαὶ τοῖς ἐξουθενοῦσι Σιὼν, καὶ πεποιθόσιν ἐπὶ πὸ ὅρος Σαμαρείας ' ἀπετρύγησαν ἀρχὰ-- ἐθνῶν, καὶ εἰσῆλθον ἑαυτοῖς 39, » "Ἄθλιοι, φησὶ, καὶ τρισάθλιοι οἱ τῆς μὲν Σιὼν καταφρονοῦντες, τῇ δὲ Σαμαρείᾳ θαῤῥοῦντες, καὶ μὴ σκοποῦντες, ὡς ὁ ἐν τῇ Σιὼν θεραπευόμενος Θεὸς, εἰς τὴν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας αὐτοὺς ἐπήγαγε " γῆν, τοὺς πρόσθεν ταύτην οἰκοῦντας παντελῶς ἀναλώσας, καὶ λίαν αὐτοῖς εὐρεῖαν τὴν οἵκησιν χαρισάμενος. Εἰ δὲ οὐκ οὕτω ταῦτα ἔχειν ### English translation (Claude) 1. "Woe to those who despise Zion and trust in the mountain of Samaria! They gathered in the firstfruits of the nations, and they themselves went in." Wretched, he says, thrice wretched are those who despise Zion and trust in Samaria, and do not consider that the God worshipped in Zion brought them into the land of promise, utterly destroying those who had lived in it before and granting them a very spacious dwelling. But if [you think] that this is not so, ### Scripture references - Amos 6:1: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Amos 6:1. The section ends in mid-sentence; the comment continues in the next section. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 3.6.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-6-1). ## Commentary on Amos 6:2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-4-1/#p-3-6-2 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Israel's leaders feast in luxury on false sabbaths while ignoring Joseph's ruin, so they will go first into captivity and death will empty their houses. ### Greek text β΄. « Διάδητε εἰς Χαλάνην5, καὶ διέλθετε ἐκεῖθεν εἰς Ἐμὰθ τὴν μεγάλην "9, καὶ χατάθητε εἰς Γὲθ, τῶν ἀλλοφύλων τὰς χρατίστας ἐκ πασῶν τῶν βασιλειῶν τούτων, εἰ πλείονά ἐστι ' τὰ ὅρια αὐτῶν τῶν ὑμετέρων ὁρίων. » Εἰς τὰς προειρημένας πόλεις, αἵπερ εἰσὶ μέγισται, καὶ τῶν προλεχθεισῶν δὲ θασιὡς οὐκ ἐλάττων ἐστὶν ἡ ὑφ᾽ ὑμῶν γεωργουμένη τῆς Υ᾽. «Οἱ ἐρχόμενοι εἰς ἡμέραν κακὴν " » ὡς ἀξίους ἑαυτοὺς τιμωρίας πεποιηκότες. ᾿Ημέραν' γὰρ κακὴν, τὴν τῆς τιμωρίας ἡμέραν καλεῖ, « Οἱ ἐγγίζοντες καὶ ἐφαπτόμενοι Σαδδάτων ψευδῶν. » Οἱ τῷ δοκεῖν τιμῶντες τὰ Σάδδατα, μυρία δὲ ἐν αὐτοῖς παράνομα δρῶντες. Εἶτα πρὸς τούτοις ἐπιμέμφεται αὐτοῖς τρυφὴν, κλίνας ἐλεφαντίνας ὑπεστρῶσθαι αὐτοῖς λέγων, καὶ πᾶσαν αὐτοῖς προκεῖσθαι " χλιδὴν " ἐρίφων μὲν ἐκ ποιμνίων, μόσχων δὲ ἐκ βουκολίων χομιζομένων " ὀργάνων δὲ τὴν ἠχὴν ἀποτελούντων" κρότου " δὲ χειρῶν πρὸς τὴν χὴν γινομένου "" οἴνου δὲ ἀνθοϑμίου, καὶ τούτου διηνθημένου ὃ προσφερομένου " μύρου δὲ εὐώδους τὴν ἀσωτίαν ἀποπληροῦντος. Οὕτω, ξνος, καὶ νομίσαντες μόνιμα ταῦτα εἶναι καὶ διαρκῇ, οὐ διαλογισάμενοι 5 δὲ αὐτῶν τὸ διαῤῥέον. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἐσήμηνεν, εἰρηκώς " ε« Ὡς ἑ στῶτα ἐλογίσαντο καὶ οὐκ ὡς φεύγοντα. Οὐκ ἔπατχον οὐδὲν ἐν τῇ συντας παρανομίας τολμῶντες, ᾿Ιωσὴ: γὰρ αὐτοὺς: προσηγόρευσε " τοῦ γὰρ Ἰωσὴφ ὁ Ἐφραΐμ υἱός Ἐρφραῖμ δὲ τὰς δέκα φυλὰς ὀνομάζει. ς᾽, η΄. ε Διὰ τοῦτονῦν αἰχμάλωτοι ἔσονται ἀπ' ἀρχῆς δυναστῶν, καὶ ἐξαρθήσεται χρεμετισμὸς ἵππων ἐξ Ἐφραΐμ. “Ὅτι ὥμοσε Κύριος καθ᾽ ἑαυτοῦ, λέγων ", Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς τῶν δυνάμεων" Διότι βδελύσσομαι ἐγὼ πᾶσαν τὴν ὕδριν Ἰαχὼδ, καὶ τὰς χώρας αὐτοῦ μεμίσηκα, καὶ ἐξαρῶ πόλιν σὺν τοῖς ὃ κατοικοῦσιν αὐτὴν. » ἼἌρχοντες͵ φησὶ, δυνατοὶ δορυαλώτους αὑτοὺς παραλήψονται, καὶ τέλος ἡ τοῦ Ἐφραΐμ, δυναστεία λήψεται " ἀψευδὴς γὰρ καὶ δυνατὸς ὁ ταύτην κατ᾽ αὐτοῦ τὴν ψῆφον ἐξενεγχών. Κατεψηφίσατο δὲ, αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀλαζονείαν καὶ τὴν ἀσέδειαν μενος. θ-τα΄, « Καὶ ἔσται, ἐὰν ὑπολειφθῶσι δέκα ἄνδρες ἐν οἰκίᾳ μιᾷ, ἀποθανοῦνται ", καὶ '5 ἀπολειφθήσονται οἱ κατάλοιποι. Καὶ λήψονται οἱ οἰκεῖοι αὐτῶν, καὶ παραδιῶνται τοῦ ἐξενεγκεῖν "' τὰ ὀστᾶ αὑτῶν ἐκ τοῦ οἴχου ναοῦ "", καὶ ἐρεῖ τοῖς προξστηχόσι τοῦ οἴκου ", Εἰ ἔτι ὑπάρχει παρὰ σοί; Καὶ ἐρεξ" Οὐκέτι" καὶ ἐρεῖ" Σίγα, ἕνεκεν τοῦ μὴ ὀνομάσαι τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου.» Τοσαὐτη, φησὶ, φθορὰ τῶν ἐναιχούντων τὴν πόλιν γενήσεται, ὡς ἐνίας οἰκίας πάντας ἔχε'ν τοὺς ἐνοικοῦντας νεκροὺς, καὶ τοὺς πελάζοντας, ἣ γένει προσήκοντας, ἐξ ἑτέρων οἰκιῶν παραγινομένους τῶν τετελευτηκότων τὰ σώματα παραδιδόναι ταφῇ " εἶτα ἐρευνᾷν, καὶ ἀλλήλους ἀνερωτᾷν, μὴ ἄρα εἴη ἕτερον ἄταφον. ᾿Αποκρινομένων δὲ τῶν ἐνδοτέρων, ὡς οὐκ εἴη" σιγῇ, φησὶ, τεθηπότες ἐξίασι, τοῦτο ποιεῖν ἀλλήλοις παραχελευόμενοι, ὡς τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων ταύτην ἐξενεγ- ### English translation (Claude) 2. "Cross over to Chalane, and go from there to Hamath the great, and go down to Gath of the foreigners, the strongest of all these kingdoms, [and see] whether their borders are greater than your borders." [Go] to the aforementioned cities, which are very great, … the land cultivated by you is not smaller than that of the kingdoms mentioned … 3. "You who are coming to an evil day", as having made yourselves worthy of punishment; for he calls the day of punishment an "evil day". "Who draw near and lay hold of false sabbaths": those who seem to honor the sabbaths but do countless lawless things on them. Then besides this he reproaches them for luxury, saying that ivory couches were spread for them, and every luxury set before them: kids brought from the flocks and calves from the herds, instruments sounding, hands clapping in time to the sound, flower-scented wine, and that too served spiced with flowers, and fragrant perfume completing the profligacy. So … and thinking these things permanent and lasting, not considering how fleeting they are. For this he signified when he said: "They reckoned them as standing and not as fleeting." "They suffered nothing at the [ruin of Joseph]" … daring lawless deeds; for he called them Joseph, since Ephraim was Joseph's son, and by Ephraim he names the ten tribes. 7, 8. "Therefore now they will be captives from the rule of the mighty, and the neighing of horses will be removed from Ephraim. For the Lord has sworn by himself, saying, the Lord God of hosts: For I abhor all the insolence of Jacob, and I have hated his regions, and I will remove the city with those who dwell in it." Mighty rulers, he says, will take them as captives of war, and the dominion of Ephraim will come to an end; for he who passed this sentence against him is truthful and powerful. And he condemned him, [hating] his arrogance and impiety. 9–11. "And it will be, if ten men are left in one house, they will die, and the rest will be left. And their relatives will take them and will press to carry their bones out of the house, and he will say to those in charge of the house: Is there anyone still with you? And he will say: No more. And he will say: Silence, so as not to name the name of the Lord." So great, he says, will be the destruction of the inhabitants of the city that some houses will have all their inhabitants dead, and the neighbors or relatives coming from other houses will give the bodies of the dead to burial; then they will search and ask one another whether there is perhaps another left unburied. And when those further inside answer that there is none, they go out stunned in silence, he says, urging one another to do this, since the God of all has brought this … ### Scripture references - Amos 6:2: quotation, high confidence - Amos 6:3: quotation, high confidence - Amos 6:4–6: allusion, high confidence - Amos 6:7: quotation, high confidence - Amos 6:8: quotation, high confidence - Amos 6:9–10: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Amos 6:2 ("Chalane" for the LXX's Χαλαννη), 6:3, a paraphrase of 6:4–6, and 6:7–8 and 6:9–11 (these two keep their numerals). Lines are lost in the scan in the comment on 6:2, after "So", around the quotation of 6:6, and at the end; marked "…", with bracketed words supplied by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 3.6.2 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-6-2). ## Commentary on Amos 6:11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-4-1/#p-3-6-11 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God's judgment will strike great and small houses alike. ### Greek text ιβ΄. « Διότι ἰδοὸ Κύριος ἐντέλλεται, καὶ πατάἔξει τὸν οἶκον τὸν μέγαν θλάσμασι, καὶ τὸν οἷχον τὸν μικρὸν ῥήγμασιν. ν Ὁμοίως γὰρ τοῖς ἐν πενίᾳ, καὶ τοὺς δυνατοὺς καταλύσει. ### English translation (Claude) 12. "For behold, the Lord commands, and he will strike the great house with breaches and the small house with cracks." For he will destroy the powerful just as he will those in poverty. ### Scripture references - Amos 6:11: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Amos 6:11 (Migne's numbering 6:12). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 3.6.11 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-6-11). ## Commentary on Amos 6:12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-4-1/#p-3-6-12 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Proud Israel will be overrun from end to end of its borders; Amos's vision of locusts signifies the Assyrian and Babylonian armies. ### Greek text ιγ΄, ιδ΄. «ΕἸ διώξονται ἐν πέτραις ἵπποι, εἰ παρασιωχρῖμα, κκαὶ καρπὸν δικαιοσύνης εἰς πικρίαν. Αἱ: εὐφραινόμενοι ἐπ᾽ οὐδενὶ λόγῳ ἀγαθῷ "", οἱ λέγοντες " Οὐκ ἐν τῇ ἰσχύϊ ἡμῶν ἔσχομεν χέρατα; » Ἵπτο: μὲν, φησὶ, κατὰ πετρῶν θέειν οὐ δύνανται, οἱ δὲ πολέμιοι χωρήσουσι καθ᾽ ὑμῶν, τοῦ προτέρου ὑμῶν ὕψους διὰ τὴν παρ᾽ ὑμῶν τολμηθεῖσαν ᾿ παρανομίαν καταφρονήσαντες. Καὶ ὥσπερ ἵπποι χρεμετίζουτι θεασάμενοι θηλείας " οὕτως οὗ πολέμιοι χρήσονται προθύμως τῇ καθ᾽ ὑμῶν ἐφόδῳ, ὅτι τὸν κριτὴν εἰς θυμὸν καθ᾽ ὑμῶν ἐχινήσατε, καὶ πικρὰν ὁμοῦ καὶ δικαίαν ἐξενεγκεῖν τὴν ψῆφον χατηναγχάσατε. Τὴν γὰρ εὐθυμίαν οὐκ ἐπ᾽ ἀγαθοῖς ἔχετε, ἀλαζονευόμενοι δὲ καὶ βρενθυόμενοι τῇ σφετέρᾳ δυνάμει τὸ πρότερον ὑμῶν ἐπιγράφετε κράτος. Τούτου χάριν ἐγὼ ὁ πάσης στρατιᾶς 'δ καὶ δυνάμεως Ἐύριος ἔθνει ὑμᾶς δυνατῷ παραδώσω. ε Τοῦ μὴ εἰσελθεῖν εἰς Ἠμὰθ "5, καὶ ἕως τοῦ χειμάῤῥου τῶν δυσμῶν.» ᾿Αντὶ τοῦ, Πάτης ὑμᾶς τῆς πρόσθεν ὑφ᾽ ὑμῶν γεωρ- Α γουμένης ἐξελάσω γῆς ᾿ Ἱεροδοὰμ γὰρ, ἐφ᾽ οὗ ἡ προφητεία αὕτη ἐγένετο, ἀποκατέστησε, φησὶ, τὸ ὅριον. Ἰσραὴλ ἀπὸ Ἠμὰθ ἕως θαλάσσης τῆς πρὸς ἑσπέραν, ὡς ἡ τῶν Πασιλειῶν ἑστορία διδάσκει.. Λέ- Ὑδι τοίνυν, ὅτι Πάντα ὑμῶν τὰ ὅρια παραδώσω τοῖς α’'-Υ'΄. « Οὕτως ξδειξέ μοι Κύριος "7, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐπιγονὴ τῶν 15 ἀκρίδων ἐρχομένη ἑωθινὴ, καὶ ἰδοὺ βροῦχος εἷς Γὼγ βασιλεύς. Καὶ ἔσται, ἐὰν δυντελέσῃ τοῦ φαγεῖν "" τὸν χόρτον τῆς γῆς. Καὶ εἶπα 5" Κύριε ", τως γενοῦ - τίς ἀναστήσει τὸν ᾿Ιαχὼδ, ὅτι ὀλιγοστός ἐστι; Μετανόησον, Κύριε, ἐπὶ τούτῳ. Καὶ τοῦτο οὐ μὴ γένητα: ᾽", λέγει Κύριος. » Θεασάμενος, φησὶ, τὴν φοδερὰν ἐχείνην θέαν, ἐχέτευσα τὸν Θεὸν ἕλεων γενέσθαι, καὶ παῦσαι τὸν ὄλεθρον" οὐκ ἐπένευσε δὲ, ὡς εἰκὸς, διὰ τὴν τῆς παρανομίας ὑπερόολὴν. ᾿Επιγὴν δὲ ἀκρίδων ἐκάλεσε τὸν ᾿Ασσύριον " βροῦχον δὲ τὸν Βαδυλώνιον " τὸ δὲ, εἷς Γὼγ βασιλεὺς, τὸ πῆς στρατιᾶς μέγεθος παραδηλοῖ, Ὥσπερ γὰρ, φηαὶν, ὁ Γὼγ, ὁ τῶν Σχυθιχῶν ἐθνῶν βασιλεὺς, κατὰ τῇς Ἱερουσαλὴμ πλῆθος ὅτι πλεῖστον ἀθροίσει" οὕτως ᾿Ασσύριοι καὶ Βαδυλώνιοι μετὰ πολλῆς παραγενήσηνται στρατείας. Καὶ ἀχρίδι δὲ καὶ βρούχῳ παρέδωκεν αὐτῶν καρποὺς, ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ τῇ κάμπῃ᾽ τοῦτο γὰρ ἄνω προείρηκεν. ### English translation (Claude) 13, 14. "Will horses run on rocks? Will [they keep silent among mares? For you have turned] judgment [into wrath], and the fruit of righteousness into bitterness. [Woe to] those who rejoice over no good word, who say: Have we not taken horns by our own strength?" Horses, he says, cannot run over rocks; but the enemies will advance against you, despising your former height because of the lawlessness you have dared. And just as horses neigh when they see mares, so the enemies will eagerly make their attack upon you, because you have moved the Judge to anger against you and forced him to pass a sentence both bitter and just. For your good cheer is not over good things; but, boasting and swaggering, you ascribe your former might to your own power. For this reason I, the Lord of every army and power, will hand you over to a mighty nation, "so that it will not enter Hamath, and as far as the torrent of the west." That is, "I will drive you out of all the land you formerly cultivated"; for Jeroboam, in whose time this prophecy was made, "restored", it says, "the border of Israel from Hamath to the sea of the west", as the history of the Kingdoms teaches. He says, then: "All your borders I will hand over to the …" 7:1–3. "Thus the Lord showed me, and behold, a brood of locusts coming in the morning, and behold, one larva, Gog the king. And it will be, if it finishes eating the grass of the earth. And I said: Lord, [Lord,] be merciful; who will raise up Jacob, for he is very few? Repent, Lord, over this. And this will not be, says the Lord." When I saw that frightening sight, he says, I begged God to be merciful and stop the destruction; but he did not consent, as is likely, because of the excess of lawlessness. He called the brood of locusts the Assyrian, and the larva the Babylonian; and "one, Gog the king" indicates the size of the army. For just as Gog, he says, the king of the Scythian nations, will gather the greatest possible multitude against Jerusalem, so the Assyrians and Babylonians will come with a great army. And he gave their fruits over to the locust and the larva, and likewise to the caterpillar; for he said this above. ### Scripture references - Amos 6:12: quotation, high confidence - Amos 6:13: quotation, high confidence - Amos 6:14: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 14:25: quotation, high confidence - Amos 7:1–3: quotation, high confidence - Ezek 38:2: allusion, medium confidence - Amos 4:9: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Amos 6:12–13 (words lost in the scan are supplied in brackets from the LXX), part of 6:14, and Amos 7:1–3, whose verse numerals the scan gives without a chapter break. A line is lost in the scan after "hand over to the"; marked "…". The quotation about Jeroboam is 2 Kgs 14:25; Gog is from Ezek 38–39. Although the lemma ends "this will not be", Theodoret says that God did not consent to the prophet's plea; the comment is translated as printed. "Above" refers to Amos 4:9. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 3.6.12 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-6-12). ## Commentary on Amos 7:4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-4-1/#p-3-7-4 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The vision of fire devouring the deep and the Lord's portion signifies the enemies conquering the nations and Israel. ### Greek text δ΄. ε Οὕτως ἔδειξέ μοι Κύριος ᾽3 " καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐκάλεσε τὴν δίκην ἐν πυρὶ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς "", καὶ κατέφαγε τὴν ἄδυσσον τὴν πολλὴν, καὶ κατέφαγε τὴν μερίδα. ν Δίκην μὲν καλεῖ τὴν δικαίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ ψῆφον" πῦρ δὲ καλεῖ, τοὺς πολεμίους" ἄδυσσον δὲ ποιλιϊὴν, τὰ μυρία ἔθνη τὰ ὑπ᾽ ἐχείνων δουλωθέντα - μερίδα δὲ τὸν Ἰσραήλ. Οὔτω γὰρ καὶ ὁ μακάριος ἔφη Μωσῇ; « Καὶ ἐγενήθη μερὶς Κυρίου λαὸς αὐτοῦ Ἰαχώδ. ᾿Αλλὰ καὶ ταῦτα, φησὶ, θεασάμενος τὴν αὐτὴν ἱκετείαν τῷ Δεσπότῃ προσενήνοχα μὲν, οὐκ ἔπεισα δέ. ### English translation (Claude) 4. "Thus the Lord showed me: and behold, the Lord God called for judgment by fire, and it devoured the great deep and devoured the portion." He calls "judgment" the just sentence of God, "fire" the enemies, "the great deep" the countless nations enslaved by them, and "the portion" Israel. For so the blessed Moses too said: "And his people Jacob became the Lord's portion." But when I had seen these things too, he says, I brought the same supplication to the Master, but did not persuade him. ### Scripture references - Amos 7:4: quotation, high confidence - Amos 7:5–6: allusion, high confidence - Deut 32:9: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Amos 7:4, with a reference to the prophet's plea in 7:5–6. The quotation is Deut 32:9. As in the previous section, Theodoret says the prophet's plea was not granted, although the LXX of 7:6 says "this too will not be". ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 3.7.4 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-7-4). ## Commentary on Amos 7:7–8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-4-1/#p-3-7-7 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The vision of adamant means a crushing blow on Israel's idols and kingdom; Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, fearing for his trade, denounces Amos to the king. ### Greek text ζ΄, η΄, ε Οὕτως ἔδειξέ μοι Κύριος, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἀνὴρ ἑστηκὼς ἐπὶ τείχους ἀδαμαντίνου, καὶ 35 ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ ἀδάμας. Καὶ εἶπε Κύριος πρός με’ Τί σὺ ὁρᾷς, 'Λμώς 3"; Καὶ εἶπον" ᾿Αδάμαντα. Καὶ εἶπε Κύριος πρός με" Ἰξοὺ, ἐγὼ ἐντάσσω ἀδάμαντα ἐν μέσῳ λαοῦ μου Ἰσραήλ. ν Ἰσχυρὰν αὐτοῖς, φησὶ, καὶ στερεὰν λίαν ἐπάξω πληγὴν, καὶ ἀδάμαντι ἐοιχνῖαν, ὃς τῶν Ὁ ὑλῶν ἐστιν ἁπασῶν στερεώτερός τε καὶ ἰσχυρώτατος. Οὐ γὰρ ἀνέξομαι λοιπὸν περιιδεῖν τὴν ὑπ᾽ αὐτῶν πτολμωμένην ἀσέδειαν, ἀλλὰ σὺν αὐτοῖς καὶ τοὺς τῶν εἰδώλων ἀφανιῶ βωμοὺς, καὶ τὰς τούτων ἑορτὰς καταπαύσω, καὶ ἀπαξαπλῶς πᾶσαν αὐτῶν καταλύσω τὴν βασιλείαν " τὸν γὰρ οἶκον ᾿Ἱεροθδοὰμ τὴν βασιλείαν ὠνόμασεν. Οὐ γὰρ ἐπὶ τούτου, ἀλλὰ καὶ μετὰ τοῦτον, καὶ ἄλλους ἕξ βασιλεῖς, τέλος ἡ πρόῤῥησι: “Τούτων ἀπὸ τοῦ προφήτου λεγομένων, '᾿λμὰ» σίας ὁ τῆς Βαιθὴλ ἱερεὺς, δείσας μὴ τὰς θείας ἀπειλὰς καταπλαγεὶς ὁ λαὸς, καὶ μεταμελείχ χρησάμενος, τῆς τῶν εἰδιλων ἀποστῇ θεραπείας, καὶ τὰς τῆς ἐμπορίας ἀφορμὰς “ αὐτὸς ἀπολέτῃ, ᾿παρὰ τῷ βασιλεῖ τὸν προφήτην, συκοφαντίας τοῖς ### English translation (Claude) 7, 8. "Thus the Lord showed me, and behold, a man standing on a wall of adamant, and in his hand adamant. And the Lord said to me: What do you see, Amos? And I said: Adamant. And the Lord said to me: Behold, I am setting adamant in the midst of my people Israel." I will bring on them, he says, a very strong and solid blow, like adamant, which is the hardest and strongest of all materials. For I will no longer bear to overlook the impiety they dare; but along with them I will also destroy the altars of the idols and stop their feasts, and, in a word, I will put an end to their whole kingdom; for he called the kingdom "the house of Jeroboam". For the prediction was fulfilled not in his time, but after him and after six other kings. When the prophet said these things, Amaziah the priest of Bethel, fearing that the people, struck with terror at the divine threats and changing their minds, would abandon the service of the idols, and that he himself would lose his opportunities for trade, [accused] the prophet before the king, [bringing] slanders … ### Scripture references - Amos 7:7–8: quotation, high confidence - Amos 7:9: allusion, high confidence - Amos 7:10: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Amos 7:7–8, with a paraphrase of 7:9 and the beginning of 7:10. The section ends in mid-sentence, with words lost in the scan; marked "…". ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 3.7.7 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-7-7). ## Commentary on Amos 7:11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-4-1/#p-3-7-11 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Amos answers Amaziah that he was a herdsman and dresser of sycamore figs whom God called to prophesy, and foretells the priest's ruin. ### Greek text ια΄, « Λέγει γὰρ ᾿Αμὼς "5, ὡς "Ὅ Ἱεροθοὰμ ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ πεσεῖται, καὶ ὁ λαὸς αἰχμάλωτος ἀχθήσετα: ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς αὑτοῦ δῦ. » ᾿λλλὰ τὰ μὲν περὶ τοῦ )αοῦ καὶ τῆς βασιλείας ὑπῆρχεν ἀλτθῇ ’ τὸ ὃ περὶ τοῦ βασιλέως εἰρημένον ψεῦδος ἣν προφανῶς " ἀλλ᾽ ὅμως ἥκιστα τοῦτο τὸν Ἱεροδοὰμ εἰς τὴν κατὰ τοῦ προτοῦτο πέπΞϑιχεν ἀγαγεῖν ἡσυχίαν. ᾿Δλλ᾽ αὐτὸς "' ὑποχωρῆσαι τῷ προφήτῃ παρεκελεύσατο, καὶ εἰς τὴν Ἰουδαίαν βιοτεύειν, καὶ ἀρολέγειν τὰ μέλλοντα, ὡς τῆς Βαιθὴλ ἀφωρισμένης τῇ βασιλείᾳ. Ὁ δὲ ᾿Αμὼς μετὰ παῤῥησίας, καὶ τὸ ἐπιτήδευμα τὸ οἰκεῖον λέγει; καὶ τὴν θεόθεν αὐτῷ δοθεῖσαν χάριν ἀποκαλύπτει. ιϑ, ε Οὔτε γὰρ, φησὶ, προφήτης ἤμην, οὔτε υἱὸς προφήτου, ἀλλ᾽ αἰπόλος ἤμην συκάμινα χνίζων. ν Τὸ δὲ συκάμινα κγίζων, ὁ μὲν ᾿Ακύλας ἐρευνῶν 3", συκομόρους ἡρμῆνευσεν " ὁ δὲ Θεοδοτίων, χαριικῶγ συχαμίγους " ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος, ἔχων συκομόρους. Δένδρου δὲ εἶδός ἐστιν ἣ συχόμορος ἐν τῇ Παλαιστίνῃ " μέμνηται δὲ καὶ ὁ μακάριος Λουκᾶς ὁ εὐαγἀναθῆναι φήσας. "ἢκουσα δέ τινος τὰ 3" ἐκεῖθεν διηγουμένου, ὡς ὁ τούτων καρπὸς οὐ πεπαίνεται μὴ πρότερον τομήν τινα βραχεῖαν δεξάμενος. Τοῦτο τοίγυν εἰκὸς νενοηκέναι τοὺς Ἑδδομήκχοντα, καὶ τὸ Περὶ γεωργίαν τοίνυν, φησὶ 88, καὶ προθατείαν ἔχοντά με σπουδὴν ἀνέλαδε Κύριος ἐκ τῶν προθάτων, καὶ προφητεύειν ἐχόλευσε. Δέχου τοίνυν, ὦ ᾿Αμασία, καὶ τὴν κατὰ σοὺ πρόῤῥησιν, ἐπειδή μὲ τῷ Ἰσραΐὰ προφητεύειν κωλύεις, ἵνα μὴ σε κακῶς χρηματιτόμενον παύσω. Ἴσθι τοιγαροῦν, ὡς ὄψει τὴν νῦν σὺνοιχοῦσάν σον γυναῖκα δημοσίᾳ καὶ προφανῶς ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων ὑδριζομένην " ἐπειδήπερ καὶ σὺ εἰς τὴν τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας ἀκολασίαν ἐξέμηνα; τὸν λαόν. Ὄψει δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἐκ σοῦ πάντας ἀναιρουμένους " σὺ δὲ ἐν ἀλλοφύλῳ γῇ δέξῃ τοῦ βίον τὸ πέρας, καὶ ὁ λαὺς δὲ ἅπας τὴν αὐτὴν σοι τιμωρίαν ὑπομενεῖ' ὑμῶν δὲ ταῦτα παθόντων, ἄλλοις ἡ γῇ παραδοθεῖσα ### English translation (Claude) 11. "For Amos says that Jeroboam will fall by the sword, and the people will be led captive from their land." What was said about the people and the kingdom was true, but what was said about the king was plainly false. Yet this did not at all lead Jeroboam [to act] against the prophet; [he kept] quiet. But [Amaziah] himself urged the prophet to withdraw and live in Judea and foretell the future there, since Bethel was set apart for the kingdom. Amos, however, with boldness both states his own occupation and reveals the grace given to him by God. 14. "For I was not a prophet," he says, "nor the son of a prophet, but I was a goatherd, nipping sycamore figs." For "nipping sycamore figs" Aquila rendered "searching sycomores", Theodotion "… sycamores", and Symmachus "having sycomores". The sycomore is a kind of tree in Palestine; the blessed Luke the evangelist also mentions it, saying that [Zacchaeus] climbed [it]. And I heard someone from there explain that its fruit does not ripen unless it first receives a small cut. This, then, is probably what the Seventy understood, and … "While I was occupied, then," he says, "with farming and herding, the Lord took me from the sheep and commanded me to prophesy. Receive, then, O Amaziah, the prediction against you too, since you prevent me from prophesying to Israel, so that I may not put a stop to your wicked moneymaking. Know, therefore, that you will see the wife who now lives with you outraged publicly and openly by the enemies, since you too drove the people mad into the licentiousness of idolatry. And you will see all your children killed; and you yourself will meet the end of your life in a foreign land, and the whole people will undergo the same punishment as you. And when you have suffered these things, the land will be handed over to others …" ### Scripture references - Amos 7:11: quotation, high confidence - Amos 7:12–13: allusion, high confidence - Amos 7:14: quotation, high confidence - Amos 7:15–17: allusion, high confidence - Luke 19:4: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Amos 7:11 (with 7:12–13 paraphrased), 7:14, and a paraphrase of 7:15–17. Theodoret notes that the charge "Jeroboam will fall by the sword" misrepresented what Amos had said about "the house of Jeroboam" (7:9). Theodotion's rendering is damaged in the scan. Lines are lost in the scan on Zacchaeus (Luke 19:4), after "the Seventy understood", and at the end; marked "…". The section ends in mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 3.7.11 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-7-11). ## Commentary on Amos 8:1–2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-8-1/#p-3-8-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The fowler's vessel signifies Israel's swift capture; the temple will be burned, the oppressors of the poor punished, and a famine of the word of God will follow. ### Greek text α', β΄. Οὕτως ἔδειξέ μοι Κύριος, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἄγγος ἱξευτοῦ 37, Καὶ εἶπε πρός με" Τί σὺ βλέπεις, ᾿Αμώς: ᾿ Καὶ εἶπον 35 - λγγος ἱξευτοῦ. ν» Σημαίνει δὲ ἡ ὄψις τὴν ταχεῖαν θήραν τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τὰ ὄμνεα τῷ ἱξῷ ῥᾳδίως θηρεύπσετα!: "ἢ, οὕτως ὑπὸ τῶν Α ᾿Ασσυρίων ὁ « Εἶπε γὰρ Κύριος πρός με’ “χει τὸ πέρας ἐπὶ « τὸν λαόν μου Ἰσραήλ᾽ οὐκέτι οὐ μὴ προσθῶ παρελθεῖν αὐτόν "δ, (γ΄.) Καὶ ὀλολύζει" τὰ φατνώματα ὅπη, τοῦ ναοῦ. Ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ, λέγει Κύριος, πολὺς ὁ πεπτωχὼς, ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ ἐπιῤῥίψω Οὐκέτι μαχροθυμήσω, ἀλλὰ τῶν προῤῥήσεων ἐπάξω τὸ πέρας. Χωρήσει δὲ κατὰ τοῦ ναοῦ τοῦ ἐμοῦ τῶν πολεμίων τὸ πῦρ᾽' ὁ οιυγὴν ὃὲ τῶν τοῦ ναοῦ φατνωμάτων τῶν ἔνδον ἀναιρουμένων ἐχάλεπε τὴν βοὴν, καὶ τῶν ἐμπιπραμένων ξύλων τὸν ἦχον" τὸ δὲ, « Πολὺς ὁ πεπτωχὼς, ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ ἐπιῤῥίψω σιω- πολλὴ δὲ σιγὴ καὶ σιωπὴ τὰς πόλεις, καὶ τὸς ὁδοὺς, καὶ τὰς κώμας ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν οἰκητόρων ἐρημίας καθ- Προσέχετε τοίνυν τούτοις, οἱ τοὺς πτωχείᾳ καὶ πενίᾳ συζῶντας πιέζοντες, καὶ τὰς Νουμηνίας καὶ τὰ καὶ διαφόρως τοὺς ὑποδεεστέρους χαταδουλούμε- καὶ ἀπὸ παντὸς εἴδου: ἐμπορίας χρηματιζόμενοι. ξ, η΄. ε Ὀμνύει Κύριος καθ᾽ ὑπερηφανίαν" Εὶ ἐπιλησθήσεται εἰς νῖκος πάντα τὰ ἔργα ὑμῶν. Καὶ λιν ἐπὶ τούτοις οὐ ταραχθήσεται ἡ γῆ, καὶ πενθήσει πᾶς ὁ κατοικῶν ἐν αὐτῇ, καὶ ἀναδήσετα: ὡς ποταμὸς Αἰ γύπτου.ν Ὑπερηφανίαν δὲ καλεῖ τὴν μετ᾽ αὐθαδείας οι ἀδικίαν, ἣν κατὰ τῶν πενήτων ἐτόλμων. Ὁμόσαι δὲ τὸν Κύριον ἔφη, τὸ ἀψευδὲς τῶν εἰρημένων δεικνύς, Οὐκ- “΄ σου πείαπι σα ἀγγορϑιηία ἴῃ} 5{ΠΠ|41π,. αιϑῖη ἦν ἐτι, φησὶν, οἷόν τινι λήθῃ παραδώσω τὰ ὑφ᾽ ὑμῶν τολμώμενα, ἀλλὰ "" πᾶσαν, ὡς ἕπος εἰπεῖν, καθ᾽ ὑμῶν κι κινήσω τὴν γῆν, καὶ "" χαλύψω ὑμᾶς τῷ πλήθει τῶν ἴῃ πολεμίων, καθάπερ ὁ Αἰγύπτου ποταμὸς καλύπτει 564 τὴν γῆν. Λαθόντες δὲ ὑμᾶς ἀπάξουσιν, ἔρημον τὴν γῆν τὴν ὑμετέραν καταλιπόντες " τοῦτο γὰρ ἠνίξατο Τότε καὶ ὁ ἥλιος μεσούσης ἡμέρας εἰς σκότος μεταδληθήτεσθαι δόξει τοῖς χατεχομένοις ὑπὸ τῶν οῶν, καὶ τὰς μὲν ἑορτὰς εἰς πένθος, τὰς δὲ ᾧδὰς εἰς θρῆνον μεταδαλῶ " καὶ τὸ σχῆμα δὲ πένθιμον ἅπαντες ἕξουσι, τὴν εὐπρέπειαν τῆς κόμης ἀποχειρόμενοι, καὶ σάκκον περιθαλλόμενοι " ὡς ἐοικέναι τοῖς μονογενοῦς παιδὸς ὀδυρομένοις μεταδολήν. Καὶ πρὸς τού- τοις "ὃ ἐπάξω λιμὸν, καὶ ἔνδειαν οὐ καρποῦ καὶ ὕδα- ἀλλὰ πρυφητείας καὶ θείας διδασκαλίας. Καὶ περινοστήσουσι, τὸν θεῖον λόγον καὶ τοῦ ποθουμένου διαμαρτήποντες, ᾿Αλλὰ μὴν καὶ οἱ αἱ νῦν καλλωπιζόμεναι παρθένοι, καὶ οἱ μετὰ τούθων ### English translation (Claude) 1, 2. "Thus the Lord showed me, and behold, a fowler's vessel. And he said to me: What do you see, Amos? And I said: A fowler's vessel." The vision signifies the swift capture of Israel. For as birds are easily caught with birdlime, so by the Assyrians … "For the Lord said to me: The end has come upon my people Israel; I will no longer pass it by again. 3. And the panelled ceilings of the temple will wail in that day, says the Lord; many will be the fallen; in every place I will cast silence." I will no longer be long-suffering, he says, but I will bring the predictions to fulfillment. The fire of the enemies will advance against my temple; and he called "wailing" the crash of the temple's panelled ceilings as they are destroyed within, and the noise of the burning timbers. "Many will be the fallen; in every place I will cast silence": much silence and stillness will occupy the cities and the roads and the villages, because they are emptied of their inhabitants. Attend, then, to these things, you who oppress those living in poverty and want, and [who wait for] the new moons and the sabbaths [to pass] … enslaving the poorer in various ways and making money from every kind of trade. 7, 8. "The Lord swears by the pride [of Jacob]: none of your works will ever be forgotten. And will not the earth be shaken at these things, and everyone who dwells in it mourn, and it will rise up like a river [and go down like the river] of Egypt?" He calls pride the injustice joined with arrogance which they dared against the poor. And he said that the Lord swore, showing the truthfulness of what was said. No longer, he says, will I hand over what you dare to a kind of oblivion; but I will move, so to speak, the whole earth against you and cover you with a multitude of enemies, as the river of Egypt covers the land. And they will take you and lead you away, leaving your land desolate; for this is what he hinted at. Then to those held by the enemies the sun too will seem to be turned into darkness at midday; and I will turn the feasts into mourning and the songs into lament; and all will wear mourning, shearing off the beauty of their hair and putting on sackcloth, so as to be like those who lament the loss of an only son. And besides this I will bring a famine and a want, not of fruit and water, but of prophecy and divine teaching. And they will wander about [seeking] the divine word and failing to find what they long for. Moreover, the virgins who now adorn themselves, and the young men with them, … ### Scripture references - Amos 8:1–3: quotation, high confidence - Amos 8:4–6: allusion, high confidence - Amos 8:7–8: quotation, high confidence - Amos 8:9–13: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Amos 8:1–2, 8:2b–3, and 8:7–8, with paraphrases of 8:4–6 and 8:9–13. The scan interleaves Migne's Latin column with the Greek throughout this section; the Latin debris is removed by logged corrections, and words lost with it are marked "…" or supplied in brackets by sense. "Fowler's vessel" renders the LXX's ἄγγος ἰξευτοῦ (Hebrew "a basket of summer fruit"). The section ends in mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 3.8.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-8-1). ## Commentary on Amos 8:14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-8-1/#p-3-8-14 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Israel swears by the idols of Dan and Beersheba, so God, standing at the altar, decrees a destruction from which no one can escape, whether to Hades, heaven, Carmel, the sea, or the enemy. ### Greek text ιδ΄, ε Οἱ ὀμνύοντες κατὰ τοῦ Καὶ διδάσκων, τίς οὗτος, εὐθὺς ἐπήγαγε'« Ζῇ ὁ Θεός σου, Δὰν, καὶ ζῇ ὁ Θεός σου, Βηρσαύεέ. » Ὅροι δὲ ἁφῇ μόνῃ ποιῶν κινεῖσθαι τὴν γῆν, κκαὶ πενθεῖν αὐτήν. οὗτοι ἧσαν τῆς Ἰσραηλιτῶν γῆς. Ἐν δὲ τῇ Δὰν καὶ ὁ πρῶτος ἔστησεν Ἱεροδοχμ θυσιαστήρια " ἡ ὃὲ Βηρσαδεὲ τὸ φρέαρ ἐστὶ τοῦ ὄρκου, περὶ οὗ καὶ ἄνω εἴρῆκε᾿ κἀκεῖ δὲ εἴδωλα προσεκύνουν. Μετὰ ταῦτὰ ἰδεῖν, ἔφη τὸν Κύριον ἐφεστῶτα τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ, καὶ χελεύσαντα πατάξαι τὸ ἰλαστήριον οὕτως, ὥστε τῇ πληγῇ καὶ αὐτὰ σεισθῆναι τὰ προπύλαια. Δηλοῖ δὲ καὶ διὰ τούτων, ὡς αὐτοῦ "6 κελεύοντος, ἀλλ᾽ οὐκ οἰκείᾳ δυνάμει χρώμενος, χρχτήῆσει τούτων ὁ Βαδυλώνιος. ε Καὶ διάχοψον, φησὶν, εἰς κεφαλὰς πάντων. ν Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ μακάριος Ἱεζεχεὴλ ἐθεάσατο" καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖ ἀόρατοι δυνάμεις πελέχεσι χρώμεναι, τὴν πόλιν ἅπασαν περιδραμεῖν ἐκελεύσθη- 8 σαν, καὶ ἅπαντας πλὴν τῶν τὸ σημεῖον ἐχόντων χατεἰς κεφαλὰς πάντων. » Καὶ τὸν ἁθρόον θάνατον οὕτω Καραδηλώσας, ἐπῆγαγε" » Καὶ τοὺς καταλοΐπους αὐτῶν ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ ἀποκτενῶ " οὐ μὴ διαφύγῃ ἐξ αὖτῶν φεύγων, καὶ οὐ μὴ διασωθῇ ἐξ αὐτῶν ἀνασωζόενος. ) Ἐὰν γὰρ εἰς ἄδου χατέλθωσιν, φησὶν, αὐτοὺς τῇ χειρί" ἐὰν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνέλθωσιν, ὅπερ ἐστὶ τῶν ἀδυνάτων, ἐκεῖθεν αὐτοὺς κατ’ αγαγὼν τοῖς "7 ἐχθροῖς παραδώσω εἰ δὲ καὶ εἰς τὸν Κάρμηλον φύγοιεν "5, ῥᾷστα κἀκεῖθεν αὐτοὺς παραλήψομαι " κἂν εἰς αὐτὸν δὲ τῆς θαλάττης χαταδῦνα: τὸν βυθὸν πειραθῶσι, τοῖς ἐκεῖ θηρίοις ἐντελοῦμα: καταναλῶσαι αὐτούς" ἐὰν δὲ καὶ αὐτομολῖ,σας πρὸς τοὺς ἐχθροὺς πειραθῶσιν, οὐδὲ οὕτω τῆ: παρ᾽ αὑτῶν μούς μου ἐπ᾽ αὐτοὺς εἰς κακὰ, καὶ οὐκ εἰ; ἀγαθά. » Ἐγὼ τῶν ἁπάντων Θεὸς καὶ Δεσπότης, ὁ τῇ ### English translation (Claude) 14. "Those who swear by the [propitiation of Samaria] …" And, teaching who this is, he at once added: "As your god lives, Dan, and as your god lives, Beersheba." These were the boundaries of the land of the Israelites. In Dan Jeroboam the first set up altars; and Beersheba is the well of the oath, of which he also spoke above; and there too they worshipped idols. After this he said that he saw the Lord standing at the altar and commanding to strike the mercy seat so that the porches themselves shook at the blow. Through this too he shows that it is at God's command, not by using his own power, that the Babylonian will conquer them. "And cut them," he says, "into the heads of all." The blessed Ezekiel also saw this: for there too invisible powers with axes were ordered to go through the whole city and [strike down] all except those who had the sign … "into the heads of all." And having thus indicated the sudden death of all together, he added: "And their remnant I will kill with the sword; none of them who flees will escape, and none of them who seeks safety will be saved." For if they go down to Hades, he says, [I will draw them out] with my hand; if they go up to heaven, which is impossible, I will bring them down from there and hand them over to the enemies; and if they flee to Carmel, I will most easily seize them from there too; and even if they try to dive into the very depths of the sea, I will command the beasts there to devour them; and if they try to desert to the enemies, not even so [will they escape] … "[I will set] my eyes on them for evil and not for good." I, the God and Master of all, who by a touch alone make the earth move and mourn, … ### Scripture references - Amos 8:14: quotation, high confidence - Amos 9:1: quotation, high confidence - Amos 9:2–3: allusion, high confidence - Amos 9:4: quotation, high confidence - Amos 9:5: allusion, high confidence - Ezek 9:1–6: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 12:28–29: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Amos 8:14 (its middle is lost in the scan; the bracketed words are supplied from the LXX), followed by a paraphrase of 9:1–5 with quotations of 9:1 and 9:4. The clause "who by a touch alone make the earth move and mourn" (Amos 9:5) is printed in the scan earlier, among the Latin debris, and has been put at the end where the sense requires. Lines are lost in the scan after the comparison with Ezekiel (Ezek 9:1–6) and after "not even so"; marked "…". "Above": Amos 5:5. On Jeroboam's altars, 1 Kgs 12:28–29. The section ends in mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 3.8.14 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-8-14). ## Commentary on Amos 9:6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-8-1/#p-3-9-6 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God's power over heaven, earth, and sea confirms his threats. ### Greek text ς΄. « Ὁ οἰκοδομῶν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν τὴν ἐπίδασιν ᾿΄ αὑτοῦ, καὶ τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν δ' αὑτοῦ ἐπὶ γῆς 55 θεμελιῶν. ν Τούτῳ ἔοικε τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ μακαρίου εἰρημένον" ε Ὁ ἐν ὑψηλοῖς κατοικῶν, καὶ τὰ ταπεινὰ ἐφορῶν. » --- « Ὁ προσκαλούμενος τὸ ὕδωρ τῆς θαλάσσης, καὶ ἐκχέων αὐτὸ ἐπὶ προσώπου δ τῆς γῆς, Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ὁ παντοχράτωρ ὄνομα αὐτῷ.» Λέγε: τὰ τῆς δυνάμεως ἔργα, ἵνα διὰ τούτων βεθαιώσῃ τὰς ἀπειλάς. ### English translation (Claude) 6. "He who builds his ascent into heaven and founds his promise on the earth." What was said by the blessed [David] is like this: "He who dwells on high and looks upon the lowly." "He who calls the water of the sea and pours it out on the face of the earth: the Lord God the Almighty is his name." He states the works of his power so as to confirm his threats through them. ### Scripture references - Amos 9:6: quotation, high confidence - Ps 113:5–6 (112:5-Ps LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Amos 9:6. The quotation is Ps 113:5–6 (LXX 112:5–6); the name of the psalmist is lost in the scan and supplied by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 3.9.6 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-9-6). ## Commentary on Amos 9:7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-8-1/#p-3-9-7 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Israel shares one human nature with the Ethiopians, but God showed it unique care in the exodus and the conquest. ### Greek text ζ΄. ε Οὐκ ὡς υἱοὶ Αἰθυόπων ὑμεῖς ἔστέ μοι, υἱοὶ Ἰσραήλ; λέγει Κύριος.» Τὴν αὐτὴν, φησὶν, Αἰθίοψι καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀνθρώποις ἔχοντες φύσιν, πλείονος παρὰ “τάντας ἠξιώθητε προμηθείας. Καὶ τοῦτο ἔε:- ᾿χκνὺς ἐπήγαγεν " « Οὐ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ ἀνήγαγον ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτον, καὶ τοὺς ἀλλοφύλους ἐκ Καππαδυχίας, καὶ τοὺς Σύρους δ᾽ ἐκ βόθρου; » Μετέστησαν γὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ ἕτεροι, καὶ τὴν προτέρον πατρίδα καταλιπόντες εἰς ἄλλην ἀφίχοντο - ὄνπερ δὴ τρόπον οἵ τε "Σύροι, καὶ οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι" ἀλλ᾽ οὐκ ὁμοίως ὑμῖν, Τὴν μὲν γὰρ ἐχείφων οὐδεὶς οἶδε μετάδασιν, τὴν δὲ ὑμετέραν ἅπαντες ἄδουσιν ἄνθρωποι. Καὶ ἐκεῖνοι μὲν μεταστάντες ἄλλοις συνοιχοῦσι κατὰ τοὺς ἐχείνων πολιτευόμενοι νόμους" ὑμεῖς δὲ κρείττους τῶν ἕνοικούντων γενόμενοι, χἀὶ πάντας αὐτοὺς ἄρδην χαταχοντίσαντες, κύριοι τῆς ὑπ᾽ ἐχείνων χατεχομένης ἐγένεσθε γῆ, ἐπειδὴ τῆς ἐμῆς ἀπηλαύσατε βοηθείας. ### English translation (Claude) 7. "Are you not to me as the sons of the Ethiopians, sons of Israel? says the Lord." Though you have the same nature, he says, as the Ethiopians and the rest of humankind, you were counted worthy of greater providence than all. And showing this he added: "Did I not bring Israel up out of the land of Egypt, and the foreigners from Cappadocia, and the Syrians from the pit?" For others too, he says, have migrated, leaving their former homeland and coming to another, as the Syrians and the foreigners did; but not as you did. For no one knows of their migration, but all human beings sing of yours. And they, having migrated, live alongside others, governed by their laws; but you overcame the inhabitants, struck them all down utterly, and became masters of the land they held, because you enjoyed my help. ### Scripture references - Amos 9:7: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Amos 9:7 (LXX: "Cappadocia" for Caphtor, "the pit" for Kir). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 3.9.7 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-9-7). ## Commentary on Amos 9:8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-8-1/#p-3-9-8 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God will destroy the sinful kingdom but not the whole house of Jacob, sifting the people like grain. ### Greek text η΄. « Ἰδοὺ γὰρ, φησὶν, οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν βασιλείαν τὴν ἁμαρτωλὸν "5, καὶ ἐξαρῶ αὑτὴν ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς γῆς " πλὴν ὅτι εἰς τέλο; οὐ μὴ "" ἐξαρῶ τὸν οἶκον Ἰαχὼδ, λέγει Κύριος. ν Καὶ γὰρ Κὶ μυρίαις παρανομίαις συξῶντας οὐ παραδώσω πανωλεθρίᾳ " ἀλλὰ νῦν μὲν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν διασπερῶ, καθάπερ δὲ γεωργὸς ἀποχρινῶ σίτου τὸ ἄχυρον, καὶ φυλάξω μὲν τοὺς σωτηρίας ἀξίους, τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς παραδώσω σφαγῇ, οἵ πιστεῦσαι τοῖ; ἐμοῖς οὐκ ἡδουλήθησαν "5 λόγοις, ἀλλὰ διαφυγεῖν ἢλ- ### English translation (Claude) 8. "For behold," he says, "the eyes of the Lord God are on the sinful kingdom, and I will remove it from the face of the earth; except that I will not utterly remove the house of Jacob, says the Lord." For though they live in countless lawless deeds, I will not hand them over to total destruction; but now I will scatter them into captivity, and like a farmer I will separate the chaff from the wheat, and I will keep those who are worthy of salvation, and hand over to slaughter the rest, who would not believe my words but [thought] to escape … ### Scripture references - Amos 9:8: quotation, high confidence - Amos 9:9–10: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Amos 9:8, with a paraphrase of 9:9–10. The section ends in mid-sentence, with words lost in the scan; marked "…". ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 3.9.8 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-9-8). ## Commentary on Amos 9:11–12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-8-1/#p-3-9-11 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The rebuilding of David's fallen tent is fulfilled not in Zerubbabel but in Christ, the Son of David who took flesh and brought the nations to the knowledge of God; the promises of plenty are added for those who cannot grasp spiritual ones. ### Greek text ια’, ιβ΄, ε Ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἀναστήσω τὴν σκηνὴν Δαδὶδ τὴν πεπτωκυΐαν, καὶ ἀνοικοδομήσω τὰ πεπτωκότα αὐτῆς, καὶ τὰ ἀνεσχαμμένα 5 ἀναστήδιυ “5, καὶ ἀνοικοδομήσω αὐτὴν καθὼς αἱ ἡμέραι τοῦ αἰῶνος. “Ὅπως ἐχξζητήσωσέ με οἱ κατάλοιποι τῶν ἀνθρώπων, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, ἐφ᾽ ἃ 5' ἐπικέκληται τὸ ὄνομά μου ἐπ᾽ αὐτὰ 55, λέγει Κύριος ὁ ποιῶν ταῦτα πάντα. » Ταῦτά τινες εἰς τὸν Ζοροδάδελ ἐξἑλαῦον, ἀρμόττειν αὑτῷ νομίσαντες, ὡς ἐκ Δαδ:ὃ τὸ γένος χατάγοντι. Συνιδεῖν δῇ οὐκ ἠθέλησαν, ὡς ὁ Ζοῥοθάθελ ὀλίγον ἡγεμονεύσας χρόνον τοῦ θανάτου τὸν ὄρην ἐδέξατο’ ἢ δὲ προφητεία αἰωνίων ἀγαθῶν ἐπαγγελίαν περιέχει, καὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἁπάντων τὴν εἰς Θεὸν ἐπίγνωσιν, ὧν οὐδὲν τοῖς ὑπὸ τοῦ Ζοροδάδελ γεγενημένοις συμθαῖνον εὑρίσκομεν. Ὁ δὲ Κύριος ἡ μῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὺς, ἐκ ἀαδὶδ κατάγων κατὰ σάρκᾳ τὸ γέ ος, τὴν πρὸς τὸν Δαδὶδ γεγενημένην λίαν ἐπλήρωσεν. « Ὁ γὰρ Λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο, καὶ ἐπσχήνωσεν ἕν ἡμῖν, » τὴν ἐκ Δαδὶδ ἀναλαδὼν σκηνήν. Εἰχότω; οὖν ὁ προφητικὸς λόγος τῷ 55 Δαθὶδ τὴν σκηνὴν ἀνοιχοδομηθήσεσθαι λέγει, οὐκ ἐπ᾽ ὀλίγον χρόνον, ἀλλὰ πάπας τὰς ἡμέρας τοῦ αἰῶνος. Τοιαῦται γὰρ καὶ πρὸς τὸν μακάριον Δαδὶδ ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων ὑπουχέσει; ἐγένοντο "« Καὶ θήσομαι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος τὸ σπέρμα αὑτοῦ, καὶ τὸν θρόνον αὐτοῦ ὡς τὰς ἡμέρας τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. » Καὶ πάλιν " « Ἕω; τοῦ αἰῶνος ἑτοιμάτω τὸ σπέρμα σου, καὶ οἱκοδομήσω εἰς; γενεὰν καὶ γενεὰν τὸν θρόνον σου. » Ταύτην τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν καὶ διὰ τοῦ μακαρίου ᾿Αμὼς ἀνακαινίζει τῶν ὅλων ὁ Κύριος " ἐπαγγέλλεται δὲ καὶ «οἷς ἔθνεσι τῆς θεογνωσίας τὸ δῶρον. Τῆς γὰρ Δαθιτιχῆς, φησὶν, ν8 οἱ κατάλοιποι τῶν ἀνθρώπων, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ἐφ᾽ ἃ ἐπικέκληται τὸ δνομά μου. ε Οὗ; γάρ προέγνω δ', καὶ προώρισε συμμόρφους τῆς εἰκόνος τοῦ Υἱοῦ αὑτοῦ, εἰς τὰ εἶναι αὐτὸν πρωτότοκον ἐν πολλοῖς ἀδελφοῖς, » Καὶ 4 δεικνὺς τῶν εἰρημένων τὸ ἄψευ δὲς, ἐπήγαγε᾽ « Αέγει Κύριος ὁ ποιῶν ταῦτα πάντα"» ὁ γὰρ ποιῶν τὰ πράγματα προεῖπε τὰ ῥήματα. Ἔπειδὴ δὲ οὐκ ἅπαντες ταῖς πνευματικαῖ; ἐπαγγελίας προσέχειν ἠδύναντο, ἀναγκαίως καὶ τῶν σωματικῶν ἀγαθῶν ὑπισχνεῖται τὴν χορηγίαν, καὶ τοσαύτην ἔσεσθαι τούτων προλέγει τὴν ἀφθονίαν, ὡς ὑπὸ τοῦ τρυγητοῦ καταληφθῆναι τὸν ἀμητὸν, διὰ τὸ ὡς εἰκὸς, τῶν καρπῶν, οὐ δυνηθέντων τεμεῖν καὶ λεπτῦναι τῶν γηπόνων τὰ δράγματα. ᾿Αλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ σπόρῳ, φησὶν, ἔτι περχαζούσης “ὁ ἄψονται τῆς σταφυλῆς, καὶ τὰ ὄρη δὲ τοὺς παντοδαποὺς τῶν ἄκροδρύων δώσει καρπούς" οὐδεὶς δὲ τῶν βουνῶν ἀπολειφθήσεται γεγυμνωμένος φυτῶν. Τῆς δὲ αἰχμαλωσίας ἀπαλλαγεὶς ἁ λαὸς, τὰς ἀναστάτους γενομένας ἀνοιχοδομήσει πόλεις, καὶ ἐν αὐταῖς κατοικῶν ἀδεῶς Ὑεωρτήσει τὴν γῆν, καὶ φυτεύων, καὶ σπείρων, κκαὶ τῶν πόνων δρεπόμενος τοὺς καρπούς " καὶ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον δὲ τὴν δεδομένην αὐτοῖς οἰκήσουσι πατρίδα, Τοῦτο γὰρ παρεδήλωσεν εἰρηκώς " δὺδα ροῦ- ### English translation (Claude) 11, 12. "In that day I will raise up the tent of David that has fallen, and I will rebuild its fallen parts and raise up its ruins, and I will rebuild it as in the days of old; so that the remnant of men and all the nations upon whom my name has been called may seek me, says the Lord who does all these things." Some referred these words to Zerubbabel, thinking they fitted him because he traced his descent from David. But they would not see that Zerubbabel ruled for a short time and met the end of death, whereas the prophecy contains a promise of eternal goods and of the knowledge of God by all the nations, none of which we find happening in what was done by Zerubbabel. But our Lord Jesus Christ, who traced his descent from David according to the flesh, fulfilled the [promise] made to David. "For the Word became flesh and pitched his tent among us", taking up the tent from David. Fittingly, then, the prophetic word says that the tent of David will be rebuilt, not for a short time but for all the days of eternity. For such were the promises made by the God of all to the blessed David: "And I will establish his seed forever and ever, and his throne as the days of heaven." And again: "Forever I will establish your seed, and I will build up your throne to generation and generation." This promise the Lord of all renews through the blessed Amos too; and he also promises the nations the gift of the knowledge of God. For of the Davidic [tent], he says, … the remnant of men and all the nations … upon whom my name has been called. "For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers." And showing the truthfulness of what was said, he added: "Says the Lord who does all these things"; for he who does the deeds foretold the words. But since not all were able to attend to the spiritual promises, he necessarily also promises the supply of bodily goods, and foretells that their abundance will be so great that the harvest will be overtaken by the vintage, because, as is likely, the farmers will not be able to cut and thresh the sheaves for the [abundance] of the fruits. And at sowing time too, he says, they will be touching the grape as it ripens; and the mountains will give fruit of every kind of tree, and none of the hills will be left bare of plants. And the people, freed from captivity, will rebuild the cities that were laid waste, and living in them without fear will cultivate the land, planting and sowing and gathering the fruits of their labors; and they will dwell for a very long time in the homeland given to them. For this is what he indicated by saying: … ### Scripture references - Amos 9:11–12: quotation, high confidence - John 1:14: quotation, high confidence - Ps 89:29 (88:30 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 89:4 (88:5 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Rom 8:29: quotation, high confidence - Amos 9:13–14: allusion, high confidence - Acts 15:16–17: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Amos 9:11–12, with a paraphrase of 9:13–14. The quotations are John 1:14 (where ἐσκήνωσεν, "pitched his tent", echoes "the tent of David"), Ps 89:29 (LXX 88:30), Ps 89:4 (LXX 88:5), and Rom 8:29. Lines are lost in the scan where Latin debris and Migne's footnotes interrupt the comment on 9:12, and at the end; marked "…". Compare James's use of the passage in Acts 15:16–17. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 3.9.11 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-9-11). ## Commentary on Amos 9:15 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-8-1/#p-3-9-15 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God's promises and threats depend on the response of those who receive them; Theodoret closes the commentary on Amos with a prayer. ### Greek text ιε΄, « Καὶ χαταφυτεύσω αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ γῇ αὐτῶν, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἐχαπασθῶσιν οὐκέτι ἐκ “ τῆς γῆς αὐτῶν, ἧς ἔδωκα αὐτοῖς, λέγει Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ὁ παντοχράτωρ. ν Εἰδέναι δὲ χρὴ, ὡς ὑπισχνεῖται μὲν πολλάκις ἀγαθὰ τῶν ὅλων ὁ Κύριος " οἱ δὲ τὰς ὑποσχέσεις δεχόμενοι, παρανομίᾳ καίροντες, πέρας λαθεῖν τὰς ὑποσχέσεις κωλύουσιν. ᾿Απειλεῖ δὲ ἔστιν ὅτς καὶ τὰ “᾽ χαλεπὰ, καὶ μεταβαλλόμενοι τῷ φόδῳ τῶν ἀπειλῶν οἱ διὰ τὴν σφεπέραν παρανομίαν ταύτας δεξάμενοι, Ἰουδαῖοι κατὰ τοῦ Δεσπότου παραγενομένου λυττήσαντες, τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἐπαγγελιῶν σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ἀπἐστέρησαν. Ἡμᾶς δὲ εἴη ταῖ: τῶν ἁγίων προφητῶν καὶ ἀπαστόλων εὐχαῖς τὸν ἑαυτῶν βίον κατὰ τοὺς θείους νόμους εὐθύνοντας, καὶ τῇ μεταμελείᾳ τὸν τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἀποῤῥίπτοντας ῥύπον, πεῖραν μὲν ἀλγεινοῦ μηδενὸς λαόεῖν " τυχεῖν δὲ τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων ἀγαθῶν, χάριτι τοῦ Σωτῆρος Χριστοῦ, μεθ᾽ οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡ δόξα, σὺν τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματ:, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. ᾽"Δμήν. ### English translation (Claude) 15. "And I will plant them in their land, and they will no longer be uprooted from their land which I have given them, says the Lord God the Almighty." One must know that the Lord of all often promises good things, but those who receive the promises, delighting in lawlessness, prevent the promises from reaching fulfillment. And sometimes he also threatens hard things, and those who received the threats because of their own lawlessness, being changed by fear of the threats, … The Jews, raging against the Master when he came, deprived themselves of the good promises. But may it be granted to us, by the prayers of the holy prophets and apostles, who direct our own life according to the divine laws and cast off by repentance the filth of our sins, to experience nothing painful and to obtain the promised good things, by the grace of Christ the Savior, with whom be glory to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, now and always and to the ages of ages. Amen. ### Scripture references - Amos 9:15: quotation, high confidence - Jer 18:7–10: allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Amos 9:15. A line is lost in the scan after "the fear of the threats" (they escape the threatened evils; compare Jer 18:7–10); marked "…". The statement about the Jews is Theodoret's own polemical reading, translated as written. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 3.9.15 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-9-15). ## Commentary on Obadiah, Preface, part 1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-8-1/#p-4-0-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The preface explains that Edom inherited Esau's grudge against Jacob and harmed Israel from the exodus to the Babylonian conquest, and adds a short notice on the prophet Obadiah. ### Greek text Ἵδου μαῖοι πρόγονον ἔχοντες τὸν Ἡσαῦ, ἐξ οὗ τὴν 1 προσηγορίαν ἐσχήκασιν (Ἐδὼμ γὰρ ὠνομάσθη τῶν πρωτοτονίων τὸν φακὸν προτιμήσας), οὐ τῆς προσηγορίας μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς μνησικακίας τοῦ προπάτορος ἐγένοντο κληρονόμοι " καὶ καθάπερ ἐκεῖνος ἐπίμονον πλείστην ἔσχε κατὰ τοῦ Ἰαχὼδ τὴν ὀργὴν, ὡς καὶ διαῤῥήδην εἰπεῖν -" ε« Ἐγγισάτωσαν αἱ ἡμέραι τοῦ πατρός μου, ἵνα ἀποχτείνω τὸν ἀδελφόν 15 μου " οὕτως οὗτοι τοῖς ἐξ Ἰαχὼδ διηνεκῶς φθονοῦνπες, ἐπιβουλαῖς κατ᾽ αὐτῶν ἐχρῶντο μυρίαις. Καὶ ἡνίκα μὲν τῆς Αἰγυπτιακῆς ἀπαλλαγέντες δουλείας ἐλθεῖν εἰς τὴν ἐπηγγελμένην ἢδουλήθησαν γῆν, τοῦ μεγάλου Μωσέως ἡγουμένου καὶ προστατεύοντο:, οὐ μόνον οὐκ ὑπεδέξαντο φιλοφρόνως, ἀλλ᾽ οὐδὲ διελθεῖν διὰ τῆς σφετέρας συνεχώρησαν χώρας " καὶ ταῦτα ποῦ μεγάλου Μωσέως διὰ πρέσδεων τοῦτο λιπαρήσαντος, καὶ ὑποσχομένου, ὡς οὐκ ἐκκλινοῦσι δεξιὰ, οὐδὲ ἀριστερὰ, ἀλλ᾽ ὁδῷ βασιλικῇ βαδιοῦνται, καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ ὕδατος τὴν χοείαν ὠνούμενοι. Καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα δὲ συχνῶς τὴν οἰκείαν δυσμένειαν κνυντο, ποτὲ μὲν μόνοι κατ᾽ αὐτῶν στρατεύειν ἐπιχειροῦντες, ποτὲ δὲ τοῖς πολεμοῦσιν αὐτοῖς συμμαχοῦντες προθύμως. Καὶ ἡνίχα δὲ ᾿Ασούριοι καὶ Βα- Θυλώνιοι ταῖς κατ᾽ αὐτῶν ἐχρήσαντο προσθολαῖς, μυρία ὅσα ἔδρασαν εἰς αὐτοὺς δεινὰ, οὐ συμπαραταττόμενοι μόνον τοῖς πολεμίοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ λόχους χαθίζοντες, καὶ τοὺς φεύγειν πειρωμένους θηρεύονπες, καὶ τοὺς μὲν αὐτῶν ἀναιροῦντες, τοὺς δὲ τοῖς ἐχθίστοις παραδιδόντες. Τούτου χάριν ὁ δίκαιος Κριτῆς, ᾿Αὐδιοῦ τὸν θαυμάσιον προφητικοῦ χαρίσματος πο- Ἰδουμαίους κακά. Δήλης τοίνυν ἐν συντόμῳ τῆς ὑποθέσεως γενομένης, τῶν ῥητῶν αὐτῶν σαφῇ, σὺν Θεῷ φάναι, ποιήσωμεν τὴν διάνοιαν τοῦ προφήτου ᾿Αδδιοῦ. δοῦλος ἐξομολογητός. Οὗτος ἣν ἐκ τῆς Συχέμ. Οὗτος ἣν ὁ τριστάτης ἐχατόνταρχο: ὁ τρίτος Ὅξίου (Ἀ. Ὀχοςίου), καὶ δεηθεὶς τοῦ ᾿Ηλιοῦ καὶ διασωθεὶς παραδόξως ἐγένετο αὐτοῦ λειτουργός. Πολλὰ ὃὲ παθὼν καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ ᾿Αχαχό διὰ τὸν Ἠλίαν, τέλος καταφρονήσας θανάτον, καταλιπὼν τὸν βασιλέα, ἠχολούθητςε τῷ Ἡλί καὶ προξφήτευσεν, καὶ ἀποθανὸὼ» ἐν εἰρήνῃ ἐτάφη μετὰ τῶν πατέρων αὑτοῦ. ### English translation (Claude) The Idumeans, who had Esau as their forefather and took their name from him (for he was called Edom when he preferred the lentil stew to his birthright), became heirs not only of the name but also of the grudge of their forefather. And just as he held a long-lasting anger against Jacob, so as even to say openly, "Let the days of my father draw near, that I may kill my brother," so these, continually envying the descendants of Jacob, used countless plots against them. When, set free from slavery in Egypt, they wished to come to the promised land under the leadership and government of the great Moses, the Idumeans not only did not receive them kindly but did not even allow them to pass through their country; and that though the great Moses earnestly asked this through ambassadors and promised that they would turn aside neither to the right nor to the left but would travel by the king's highway, buying even the use of the water. And after this they frequently [showed] their own hostility, sometimes attempting to campaign against them alone, sometimes eagerly fighting as allies of those who made war on them. And when the Assyrians and Babylonians made their attacks upon them, they did them countless terrible things, not only drawing up their ranks with the enemies but also setting ambushes and hunting down those who tried to flee, killing some and handing others over to their bitterest enemies. For this reason the just Judge, [counting] the wonderful Obadiah [worthy] of the prophetic gift, … the evils for the Idumeans. Since the subject has now been made clear in brief, let us, with God, make plain the meaning of the words themselves. … of the prophet Obadiah … "a servant who confesses". He was from Shechem. He was the captain of fifty, the third, of Uzziah (another reading: Ahaziah), and having entreated Elijah and been saved marvelously, he became his minister. Having suffered much from Ahab too because of Elijah, at last, despising death, he left the king, followed Elijah, and prophesied; and having died in peace he was buried with his fathers. ### Scripture references - Gen 25:30: allusion, high confidence - Gen 27:41: quotation, high confidence - Num 20:14–21: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 1:13: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Kgs 18:3–4: allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - Preface to Obadiah. Lines are lost in the scan where Theodoret speaks of Obadiah's call; marked "…". The notice at the end, which identifies Obadiah with the third captain of fifty sent to Elijah (2 Kgs 1:13) and with Ahab's steward (1 Kgs 18:3–4), follows the tradition of the Lives of the Prophets, printed by Migne with the commentary; its heading and the meaning of the name are damaged in the scan. The quotation is Gen 27:41; the request to pass through Edom, Num 20:14–21. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 4.0.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/4-0-1). ## Commentary on Obadiah 1:1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-8-1/#p-4-1-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Obadiah speaks as God's instrument: God himself rallies the nations against Edom. ### Greek text α΄. «Ὅρασις ᾿Αὐδιοῦ. ν» ᾿Αντὶ τοῦ, ἡ θεόθεν γενομένη τῷ ᾿Αὐδιοῦ ἀποχάλυψι:, αὕτη ἐστί. ε Τάδε λέγει Κύριος ὁ θεὸς τῇ Ἰδουμαίᾳ. ν» Οὐκ ἀνθρωπίνῳ, φησὶ, χρώμενος λογισμῷ τούτους ποιοῦμαι τοὺς λόγους " ἀλλ᾽ ὁ Θεὺ; τῶν ὅλων οἷον ὀργάνῳ τινὶ τῇ ἐμῇ κέχρῆται γλώττῃ, καὶ τῇ Ἰδουμαίᾳ τὰ ἐσόμενα ἀγγέλ» “λειῖ", Καὶ διδάσκων ὁποῖα ταῦτα, ἐπάγει “ « ᾿Ακοὴν ἤχϑυσα παρὰ Κυρίου, καὶ περιοχὴν 5 εἰ; τὰ ἔθνη ἐξαπέστειλεν. ν ᾿Αντὶ τοῦ περιοχὴν, ἀγγελίαν ὁ ΣΖύμμαχος εἴρηκε. Δηλοῖ δὲ διὰ τούτων, ὡς αὐτὸς ὁ Δεσπότης συναγείρει κατὰ τῆς Ἰδουμαίας τοὺς πολεἐπ᾽ αὐτὸν 16 εἰς πόλεμον. ν» Οἷον γάρ τις στρατηγὸς τὴν κατ' αὐτοὺς στρατείαν συναθροίξε:, διδάσχιυν ὡς αὐτὸς αὐτοὺς ταῦτα παθεῖν συγχωρεῖ. ### English translation (Claude) 1. "The vision of Obadiah." That is: this is the revelation that came to Obadiah from God. "Thus says the Lord God to Idumea." Not by using human reasoning, he says, do I speak these words; but the God of all uses my tongue as a kind of instrument, and announces to Idumea what is going to happen. And teaching what these things are, he adds: "I have heard a report from the Lord, and he has sent out a message to the nations." For "message" Symmachus said "announcement". He shows by this that the Master himself is gathering the enemies against Idumea. "[Rise up, and let us rise] against it to war." For like a general he gathers the army against them, teaching that it is he himself who permits them to suffer these things. ### Scripture references - Obad 1:1: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Obad 1. Words of the lemma are lost in the scan before "against it to war" and are supplied in brackets from the LXX. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 4.1.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/4-1-1). ## Commentary on Obadiah 1:2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-8-1/#p-4-1-2 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Edom trusts in its mountain strongholds, but God will bring it down even if it nests among the stars. ### Greek text β΄. « Ἰδοὺ 77 ὀλιγοστὸν δέδωκά σε ἐν τοῖς ξῆνεσιν᾽ ἠτιμωμένος σὺ εἴ σφόδρα. » Καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν δεικνὺς, Υ. « Ἦ ὑπερηφανία, φησὶ, τῆς καρδίας σον σε. ν Εἴτα διδάτχει τῆς ὑπερηφανίας τὰ; ἀφορμάς. « Κατασχηνοῦντα ἐν ταῖς ὁπαῖς τῶν πετρῶν. » “Ἕπειτα καὶ τοὺς λογισμοὺς αὐτοῦ δήλους ποιεῖ. « Ὁ ὑψῶν γὰρ, φησὶ, τὴν κατοικίαν αὑτοῦ, λέγων ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὑτοῦ " Τίς με χατάξει ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν; » Σφόὃρα ὑψηλαῖς ὀρῶν κορυφαῖς ἡ Ἰδουμαία περιεστοίχιστο" ταύτας ἐν ταῖς τῶν πολεμίων ἐφόδοις χατα- Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν, φησὶ, ταύταις θαῤῥῶν ἀλαζονεύῃ καὶ μέγα φρονεῖς 5 ὡς ἀχεΐρωτος, εὐάλωτόν σΞ καταστήσω καὶ εὐχείρωτον τοῖς ἐχθροῖς, καὶ τῶν πολεμίων οὐ διαφεύξῃ τὰς χεῖρας, οὐδὲ εἰ δέχην ἀετοῦ μετέωρος ἀρθείης, καὶ ὑπὲρ αὐτὰ τὰ νέφη τὴν πτῇσιν ποιήσαιο, καὶ παρ᾽ αὑτὰ σχοίης τὰ ἄστρα τὴν οἴκησιν. Καὶ σημαίνων οἵᾳ πανωλεθρίᾳ παραδοθῇ,σεται, ἐπήγαγεν " ### English translation (Claude) 2. "Behold, I have made you least among the nations; you are greatly dishonored." And showing the reason: 3. "The pride of your heart," he says, "[has lifted] you [up]." Then he teaches the occasions of the pride: "dwelling in the clefts of the rocks." Then he also makes his thoughts plain: "For he who exalts his dwelling, saying in his heart: Who will bring me down to the ground?" Idumea was walled round by very high mountain peaks; to these, when enemies attacked, [they fled] … Since, then, he says, trusting in these you boast and think highly of yourself as unconquerable, I will make you easy to capture and to subdue for your foes, and you will not escape the hands of the enemies, not even if you were lifted aloft like an eagle and made your flight above the very clouds and had your dwelling among the stars themselves. And indicating what total destruction it will be handed over to, he added: ### Scripture references - Obad 1:2: quotation, high confidence - Obad 1:3: quotation, high confidence - Obad 1:4: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Obad 2–3, with a paraphrase of verse 4. A line is lost in the scan after "when enemies attacked"; marked "…". The section ends in mid-sentence; the lemma follows in the next section. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 4.1.2 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/4-1-2). ## Commentary on Obadiah 1:5–6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-8-1/#p-4-1-5 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Unlike thieves or grape-pickers who leave something behind, Edom's enemies will plunder it completely. ### Greek text ε΄, ς΄. « Εἰ κλέπται εἰσῆλθον πρὸς σὲ, ἣ λῃσταὶ νυκτὸς, ποῦ ἂν ἀπεῤῥίφης; οὐκ ἂν ἔκλεψαν τὰ ἑχανὰ αὐτοῖς; Καὶ εἰ τρυγηταὶ εἰσῆλθον πρὸς σὲ, οὐκ ἂν γκαὶ κατελήφθη αὐτοῦ τὰ κεκρυμμένα; ν» Οἱ μὲν κλέπται τὰ ἐν προχείρῳ κείμενα λαθόντες 1 ἀπίασι, δεδιότες ἅπασαν ἐρευνῆσαι τὴν οἰκίαν " καὶ δὴ καὶ διὸ τοὺς μείζους τῶν βοτρύων συλλέγοντες, πολλὰς ἐν πολλοῖς χλήμασι καταλείπουσι ῥᾶγας. Σὲ δὲ οὕτως ἐρευνήσουσιν οἱ πολέμιοι, ὡς μηδὲ τὰ εἰς ἀδήλους σοι τόπους καταχεχρυμμένα τὰς ἐχείνων χεῖρας διαφυγεῖν. ### English translation (Claude) 5, 6. "If thieves came in to you, or robbers by night, where would you have been cast away? Would they not have stolen only what was enough for them? And if grape-gatherers came in to you, would they not have left [gleanings? How has Esau been searched out,] and his hidden things seized?" Thieves take what lies ready to hand and go away, afraid to search the whole house; and grape-gatherers too, picking the larger clusters, leave many grapes on many branches. But the enemies will search you so thoroughly that not even what you have hidden in unknown places will escape their hands. ### Scripture references - Obad 1:5: quotation, high confidence - Obad 1:6: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Obad 5–6. Words of the lemma lost in the scan are supplied in brackets from the LXX. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 4.1.5 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/4-1-5). ## Commentary on Obadiah 1:7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-8-1/#p-4-1-7 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Edom's allies will betray it, its wise men and warriors will perish, because of its violence against its brother Jacob. ### Greek text ζ΄. «Ἕως τῶν ὁρίων ἐξαπέστειλάν σε, πάντες οἱ ἄνδρες τῆς διαθήκης σου ἀντέστησάν σοι " ἠδυνήθησαν πρὸς σὲ ἄνδρες εἰρηνικοί σου " οἱ συνεσθίοντές σοι ἔθηκαν ἔνεδρα ὑποχάτω δου. ν» Προστεθήσονται, φησὶ, τοῖς πολεμίοις, καὶ οἱ χθὲς "' καὶ πρώην εὖνοϊχῶς περὶ σὲ διακείμενοι, καὶ ὁμόσπονδοί σου ὄντες καὶ σύμμαχοι. Τοῦτο γὰρ εἶπεν, Οἱ ἄνδρες τῆς διαθήκης σου, καὶ οἱ πρὸ βραχέος συνεστιώ μενοί σοι καὶ συνενωχούμενοι, οὐ μόνον σε τῶν πόλεων ἀλλὰ καὶ αὑτῶν τῆς χώρας ἐξελάσουσι τῶν ὁρίων, καὶ προφανῶς; πολεμοῦντες, καὶ ἐνέδραις χρώμενοι " αἰτία δὲ σοι τῶν χκαχῶν τούτων ἣ ἄνοια. Τοῦτο γὰρ παρεδήλωσεν, εἰρηκώς «Οὐκ ἔστι σύνεσις αὐτῷ δ". (η΄, θ΄.) Ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ, λέγει Κύριος, ἀπολῶ σοφοὺς ἐκ τῆς Ἰδηυμαΐα:, καὶ σύνεσιν ἐξ ὄρους Ἡσαῦ. Καὶ πτοηθήσονται οἱ μαχηταί σου ἐκ 5" Θαιμὰν, ὅπως ἐξαρθῇ ἄυθρωπὸς ἐξ ὅρου; Ἡσαῦ. ν» Πάντας ὁμοῦ καὶ τοὺς ἐπ᾿ μένους, καὶ τοὺς ὑπὸ τούτοις τελοῦντας, ὀλέθρῳ παντελεῖ παραδώσω. Καὶ δεικνὺς τῆς ψήφου τὸ δίγαϊον,. τ. «Διὰ τὴν σφαγὴν, φησὶ, καὶ τὴν ἀσέδειαν τὴν εἰς τὸν ἀδελφόν σου" Ἰαχώδ. Καὶ καλύψει σε αἱοχύνη, καὶ ἐξαρθήσῃ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. » Λέγει δὲ καὶ «ἧς εἰς τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἀδικίας τὰ εἴδη. ### English translation (Claude) 7. "They sent you to the borders; all the men of your covenant opposed you; your men of peace prevailed against you; those who eat with you set snares beneath you." The enemies will be joined, he says, even by those who yesterday and the day before were well disposed toward you and were your treaty partners and allies. For this is what he called "the men of your covenant"; and those who a little before feasted and banqueted with you will drive you out not only from your cities but also beyond the borders of your very land, both making open war and using ambushes. And the cause of these evils for you is your folly. For this is what he indicated by saying: "There is no understanding in him. 8, 9. In that day, says the Lord, I will destroy the wise from Idumea and understanding from the mountain of Esau. And your warriors from Teman will be terrified, so that man may be removed from the mountain of Esau." All together, both those in command and those under them, I will hand over to utter destruction. And showing the justice of the sentence: 10. "Because of the slaughter," he says, "and the impiety toward your brother Jacob. And shame will cover you, and you will be removed forever." And he also states the kinds of injustice done to the brother. ### Scripture references - Obad 1:7: quotation, high confidence - Obad 1:8: quotation, high confidence - Obad 1:9: quotation, high confidence - Obad 1:10: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Obad 7, 8–9, and 10. "Those in command" renders a word damaged in the scan (ἐπ…μένους). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 4.1.7 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/4-1-7). ## Commentary on Obadiah 1:11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-8-1/#p-4-1-11 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Edom's guilt is greater than the foreigners' because it joined them against its own kin. ### Greek text ια΄, ε«᾽ΑτὉ᾽ ἧς ἡμέρας ἀντέστης ἐξεναντίας, ἐν ἡμέρᾳ αἰχμαλωτευόντων ἀλλογενῶν δύναμιν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀλλότριοι εἰσῆλθον εἰς πύλας αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐπὶ 1:ρουσαλὴμ ἔθαλον κλήρους, καὶ σὺ ἦσθα" ὡς εἷς ἐξ αὑτῶν. ν Τὸ μὲν γὰρ τοὺς ἀλλογενεῖς ἐπελθεῖν "5, “καὶ πολεμῆσαι, καὶ ἀνδραποδίσαι, δεινὸν ὃν, ἧττόν ἔστι δεινόν " ὑμῖν δὲ τοῖς ὁμογενέσι, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ᾿Αδραὰμ τὸ γένος κατάγουσι, ταῦτα εἰς τοὺς συγπεται πρόφασις. Τοὺς γὰρ τῆς συγγενείας πατήσαντες νόμους, συνηργεῖτε μὲν τοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις, ἐπολεμεῖτε δὲ τοῖς οἰκείοις, ε Καὶ σὺ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἦσθα ὡς εἷς ἐξ αὑτῶν. » Ταῦτα δὲ οὐκ ὡς γεγενημένα, ἀλλ᾽ ὡς ἐσόμενα προλέγει, κατὰ τὸ οἰκεῖον ἰδίωμα " καὶ δηλοῖ τὰ ἐπαγόμενα. ### English translation (Claude) 11. "From the day you stood opposite, in the day when foreigners took his strength captive, and strangers entered his gates and cast lots over Jerusalem, you too were like one of them." For foreigners to come and make war and enslave, though terrible, is less terrible; but for you, his kin, who trace your descent from Abraham, to do these things to your kin … admits no excuse. For trampling on the laws of kinship, you worked with the strangers and made war on your own. "For you too," he says, "were like one of them." He foretells these things not as having happened but as to come, according to his own idiom; and he shows what is to follow. ### Scripture references - Obad 1:11: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Obad 11. Words are lost in the scan after "to your kin"; marked "…". Theodoret reads the past tenses of the prophecy as predictions of what Edom would do. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 4.1.11 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/4-1-11). ## Commentary on Obadiah 1:12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-8-1/#p-4-1-12 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Edom must not gloat over Judah's disaster, join in sacking Jerusalem, or add to its sufferings. ### Greek text ιβ΄. «Μὴ ἐπίδῃς ἡμέραν ἀδελφοῦ σου ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἀλλοτρίων. » Ἡμέραν᾽ δὲ καλεῖ τὸν τῆς τιμωρίας “καιρόν. Τὸ δὲ, Μὴ) ἐπίδῃς, ἀπὸ τῆς κοινῆς εἴληφε χρήσεως " εἰώθασι γάρ τινες 5Γ λέγειν ᾿ Ἐπεῖδον «ὃν δεῖνα" τουτέστιν, ᾿Εφήσθην αὐτῷ κακοῖς προσ- “παλαίοντι. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ τὸ ἐπαγόμενον ἑρμηνεύει, « Καὶ μὴ χαῖρε" ἐπὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰούδα ἐν ἡμέρᾳ Θλίψεως "" αὑτῶν. » Ὁρῶν τὰ ἐκείνων κακὰ μὴ με- “γαφρονήσῃ ᾽ν ὡς τούτων ἀπεέίραστος διαμείνας κακὧν"", πόνων αὐτῶν. » Μὴ συνεισέλθῃς τοῖς πολεμίοις πορθοῦσι τῶν συγγενῶν σου τὴν πόλιν. ε Καὶ μὴ ἐπίδῃς καὶ σὺ τὴν συναγωγὴν αὐτῶν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ὀλέθρου αὖτῶν. ν Μὴ τοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις, φησὶ, παραπλησίως τὴν δύναμιν αὐτῶν “ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἀπωλείας αὐτῶν. » Δηδὲ αὐξήτῃς αὐτοῖς ταῖς σαῖς ἐφόδοις τὰς τιμωοἴας. ι ἐγ. «Μηδὲ εἰσέλθῃς εἰς πύλας λαῶν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ### English translation (Claude) 12. "Do not look upon the day of your brother in the day of strangers." He calls the time of punishment a "day". "Do not look upon" he has taken from common usage: for some are accustomed to say, "I looked upon so-and-so", that is, "I gloated over him as he wrestled with evils." And what follows interprets this: "And do not rejoice over the sons of Judah in the day of their distress." When you see their evils, do not think highly of yourself as one who has remained untouched by these evils … "… of their toils." Do not go in with the enemies who are sacking the city of your kin. "And do not you too look upon their gathering in the day of their destruction." Do not, he says, like the strangers … "… their power in the day of their ruin." And do not increase their punishments by your attacks. 13. "Nor enter the gates of peoples in the day …" ### Scripture references - Obad 1:12: quotation, high confidence - Obad 1:13: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Obad 12–13. The scan has lost lines in the lemmas and in the comment (marked "…"), and the section ends with the opening of verse 13 printed again, followed by Latin debris and Migne's footnotes, which are removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 4.1.12 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/4-1-12). ## Commentary on Obadiah 1:14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-8-1/#p-4-1-14 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Edom must not cut off Judah's fugitives; God warns and pleads with Edom even knowing it will not listen. ### Greek text ιδ΄, « Μηδὲ ἐπιστῇς ἐπὶ τὰς διεχθολὰς αὑτῶν ", συγχλείσῃς τοὺς φεύγοντας αὑτῶν" ἐν ἡμέρα θλίψΨεως. ν Μὴ λοχήσῃς αὐτοὺς ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς ἐνεδρεύων, ὥστε μηδὲ φυγῇ τὴν σωτηρίαν πορίσασθαι, ἀλλὰ ταῖς σαῖς πάγαις περιπεσεῖν, καὶ ταῖς τῶν δυσμεγῶν παραδοθῆναι χεροίν. Τίς ἂν ἀξίως ὑμνήσειε τὴν ἄῤῥητον ἀγαθότητα τοῦ δικαίου Κριτοῦ, ὃς ἀχριδῶς ἐπιστάμενος, ὡς τοῖς προφητικοῖς οὐ πεισθήσονται λόγοις, καὶ τὴν προκειμένην προσέθηκεν ἀπειλὴν", ἵνα τῇ μὲν δεδιξάμενος, τῇ δὲ χαταθέλξας, τοὺς θηριώδεις; Ἐπάγει γάρ" ### English translation (Claude) 14. "Nor stand at their crossings [to destroy those of them who escape], nor shut in those of them who flee in the day of distress." Do not lie in wait for them on the roads in ambush, so that they cannot win safety even by flight but fall into your snares and are handed over to the hands of their enemies. Who could worthily praise the ineffable goodness of the just Judge, who, knowing precisely that they would not be persuaded by the prophetic words, also added the present threat, so that, frightening them with the one and charming them with the other, [he might tame] the savage? For he adds: ### Scripture references - Obad 1:14: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Obad 14. Words of the lemma lost in the scan are supplied in brackets from the LXX. The section ends in mid-sentence; the lemma follows in the next section. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 4.1.14 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/4-1-14). ## Commentary on Obadiah 1:15 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-8-1/#p-4-1-15 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The day of the Lord will repay Edom for what it did. ### Greek text ιε΄, « Διότι ἐγγὺς ἡ ἡμέρα τοῦ Κυρίου ἐπὶ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη. » Πᾶσι γὰρ τοῖς παρανομοῦσιν ἔθνεσι δικαίαν ἐπιτίθημι τιμωρίαν, καὶ σοὶ δὲ πεισθῆναι μὴ βουλομένῳ ταύτην ἐποίσω. « Ὃν τρόπον γὰρ ἐποίηαας. ἔσται" οὕτως σοι" τὸ ἀνταπόδομά σου ἀνταποδοθήσεταί σοι" εἰς κεφαλὴν σου. ν» Δίκαια πείσῃ τιμωρίᾳ παραδιδόμενος " δρέπῃ γὰρ ὧν ἔσπειρας τοὺς καρπούς " διότι, ### English translation (Claude) 15. "For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations." For I impose a just punishment on all the lawless nations, and I will bring it on you too, since you are unwilling to be persuaded. "For as you have done, so it will be to you; your recompense will be returned upon your head." You will suffer justly when you are handed over to punishment; for you are reaping the fruits of what you sowed. For ### Scripture references - Obad 1:15: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Obad 15. The section ends in mid-sentence; the lemma follows in the next section. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 4.1.15 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/4-1-15). ## Commentary on Obadiah 1:16 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-8-1/#p-4-1-16 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The cup of punishment that Edom made Judah drink will pass to all the nations that shared its crimes. ### Greek text ις΄. « Ὃν τρόπον ἔπιες ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος τὸ ἅγιόν μου, πίονται πάντα τὰ ἔθνη οἶνον, ν» τὸν μυστικόν" « πίονται, καὶ χαταπίουται"", καὶ ἔσονται καθὼς οὐκ ὑπάρχοντες. ν “Ὥσπερ γάρ σε δίκας εἰσπράξομαι ὧν εἰς τοὺς ἐμοὶ ἀνακειμένους τόπους τετόλμηχας ' οὕτω καὶ τὰ χοινωνήσαντά σοι τῆδδε τῆς παρανομίας ἔθνη τὴν προσήκουσαν δέξεται τιμωρίαν. Οἴγου γὰρ πόσιν τὴν τιμωρίαν ἐκάλεσε " καὶ τοῦτο σαφῶς ἡμᾶς ὁ μακάριος Ἱερεμίας διδάσκει, λαδεῖν τὸ ποτήριον προσταχθεὶς, καὶ ποτίσαι πάντα τὰ ἔθνη. Καὶ πολλαχόθεν δὲ ῥάδιον διαγνῶναι. ᾿Αλλ᾽ ὑμεῖς μὲν, Ἰδουμαῖοι ", ποινὴν τίσετε ὑπὲρ ὧν εἰς τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ### English translation (Claude) 16. "As you drank upon my holy mountain, all the nations will drink wine" (the mystical wine); "they will drink and swallow it down, and they will be as though they were not." For just as I will exact from you the penalty for what you dared against the places dedicated to me, so the nations that shared this lawlessness with you will receive the punishment they deserve. For he called the punishment a drinking of wine; and the blessed Jeremiah teaches us this clearly, when he was commanded to take the cup and give all the nations to drink. And it is easy to recognize this from many places. But you, Idumeans, will pay the penalty for what [you dared] against your brothers … ### Scripture references - Obad 1:16: quotation, high confidence - Jer 25:15–17 (32:15-Jer LXX): allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Obad 16. The cup of wrath is in Jer 25:15–17 (LXX 32:15–17). The section ends in mid-sentence, with words lost in the scan; marked "…". ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 4.1.16 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/4-1-16). ## Commentary on Obadiah 1:17 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-8-1/#p-4-1-17 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Zion will be restored after the exile, and from it salvation through the cross will reach the whole world. ### Greek text ιζ΄. « Ἐν δὲ τῷ ὄρει Σιὼν ἔσται σωτηρία Ἶ, καὶ ἔσται ἅγιον. ν Ἐπανάξω γὰρ αὐτοὺς αἰχμαλώτους γεγενημένους, καὶ τὸν ἅγιον ἀναστήσω νεών. Προαγορεύει δὲ κατὰ ταυτὸν τὴν γενομένην πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις ἐν τῇ Σιὼν σωτηρίαν, καὶ τὸν ἐκεῖθεν εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην προχυθέντα ἁγιασμὸν διὰ τοῦ σωτηρίου σταυροῦ. « Καὶ χαταχληρονομήσουδιν ὁ οἶκος Ἰαχὼδ τοὺς χληρονομήσαντας " αὐτούς. ν Τοσαύτην δὲ αὑτοῖς ἐπανελθοῦσι παρέξω ῥώμην καὶ δύναμιν, καὶ εἰς τοσοῦτον πλῆθος αὐτοὺς αὐξήσω, ὡς καὶ τὴν ὑμετέραν, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἐθνῶν τῶν Ὁ ὁμόρων τὴν γῆν ὑφ᾽ ἑαυτοὺς ποιήσασθαι. ### English translation (Claude) 17. "But on Mount Zion there will be salvation, and it will be holy." For I will bring them back after they have become captives, and I will raise up the holy temple. At the same time he foretells the salvation that came to all human beings in Zion, and the sanctification poured out from there into the whole world through the saving cross. "And the house of Jacob will possess those who possessed them." To them on their return I will give such strength and power, and I will increase them to such a multitude, that they will bring under their rule your land and that of the other neighboring nations. ### Scripture references - Obad 1:17: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Obad 17. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 4.1.17 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/4-1-17). ## Commentary on Obadiah 1:18 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-8-1/#p-4-1-18 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Israel will burn up Edom like stubble, and Edom will have no strength left. ### Greek text ιη΄. « Καὶ ἔσται ὁ οἶκος Ἰακὼδ πῦρ, καὶ ὁ οἶκος Ἰωσὴφ φλὸξ, ὁ δὲ οἶκος Ἡσαῦ εἰς καλάμην " καὶ ἐχχαυθήσονται εἰς αὐτοὺς, καὶ χαταφάγονται αὖτούς, ν» ᾿Ασθενείᾳ γὰρ τοσαύτῃ παραδοθήσεσθς, ὥστε πυρὸς δίκην ὑπ᾽ ἐχείνων ἀναλωθῆναι. Ἰαχὼδ δὲ καὶ Ἰωσὴφ τοὺς αὐτοὺς προσηγόρευσεν, ἐπειδὴ γαὶ Ἐφραῖμ (υἱὸς δὲ οὗτος τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ), τὰς δέκα φυλὰς πολλάκις ὠνόμασε. « Καὶ οὐκ ἔσται πυρφόρος" τῷ οἴκῳ Ἡσαῦ, ὅτι Κύριος ἐλάλησε, » Τὸν πυρφόρον Α ὁ μὲν Σύμμαχος διασωζόμεγον εἴρηκεν " ᾿Ακύλας δὲ καὶ Θεοδοτίων, χκατα.1ε.ἱειμμέγον. Τὸν παντελῆ τοίνυν ὄλεθρόν αὐτῶν προδηλῶν, τοῖσδε τοῖς λόγοις ἐχρήσατο. Καὶ οἱ Ἑθδομήχοντα δὲ τὸν πυρφόρον τεθείκασιν οὐκ ἁπλῶς " ἀλλ᾽ ἐπειδὴ πῦρ τὸν Ἰαχὼδ,. καὶ φλόγα τὸν Ἰωσὴφ κοινῇ πάντες εἰρήκασι (ῥώμην ὃξ ταῦτα καὶ δύναμιν παραδηλοῖ τὰ ὀνόματα), ἣδονλήθησαν εἰπεῖν, ὡς οὐδεμία δύναμις τοῖς Ἰδουμαίοις ὑπολειφθήσεται. ### English translation (Claude) 18. "And the house of Jacob will be fire, and the house of Joseph flame, and the house of Esau stubble; and they will be kindled against them and devour them." For you will be handed over to such weakness as to be consumed by them as by fire. He called the same people Jacob and Joseph, since he often named the ten tribes Ephraim (and Ephraim was Joseph's son). "And there will be no fire-bearer for the house of Esau, for the Lord has spoken." For "fire-bearer" Symmachus said "one who is saved", and Aquila and Theodotion "one left over". Foretelling their utter destruction, then, he used these words. And the Seventy did not put "fire-bearer" without reason: since all of them alike had called Jacob fire and Joseph flame (and these names indicate strength and power), they meant that no power will be left to the Idumeans. ### Scripture references - Obad 1:18: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Obad 18. Theodoret explains the LXX's "fire-bearer" (πυρφόρος) against the other Greek versions' "survivor". ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 4.1.18 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/4-1-18). ## Commentary on Obadiah 1:19 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/3-8-1/#p-4-1-19 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The returned exiles will possess Edom and the surrounding lands, as in the end of Ezekiel; Theodoret closes the commentary on Obadiah with an exhortation and a doxology. ### Greek text ιθ΄. ε Καὶ καταχληρονομήσουσιν οἰ ἐν Ναγὲό τὸ ὄρος τοῦ " Ἡσαῦ. » Καὶ τοῦτό δὲ συμφώνως οἱ τρεῖς ἑρμηνευταὶ γότον ἡρμήνεθχάσιν " οὕτω γὰρ ὁ νότος προσαγορεύεται τῇ Ἑδραίων φωνῇ. Λέγει τοίνυν, ὅτι οἱ πρὸς νότον οἰκοῦντες τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ, τουτἐστι τῶν Ἰδουμαίων οἱ ὅμοροι, οἷόν τινα κλῇρον ἕξουσε καὶ μερίδα τῶν Ἰδουμαίων τὴν γῆν “ « οἱ δὲ ἐν τῇ Σεφηλὰ 5 (ἀττυγείτονες δὲ 5 οὗτοι τῶν ᾿Αλλοφύλων), ὑφ᾽ αὑτοὺς ᾿ τὴν νῦν ὑπὸ: τῶν ᾿Αλλοφύλων πάντες οἱ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας ἀπαλλαγέντες, καὶ τὸ Ἑφραῖμ ὄρος, καὶ τὸ ὑποχείμενον πεδίον, καὶ τὸν ποῦ Βενιαμὶν κλῆρον, καὶ τὴν Γαλααδῖτιν ἅπασαν " ὄρους δὲ ἕξουσιν οὺς πάλαι εἶχον ὄρους οἱ Χαναναῖοι, ὡς τέλος εἶναι τὴν Σαρέφθαν τῆς ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ κατεχομένης γῆς. Καθέξει δὲ καὶ τὴν Ἐφραθὰ πόλιν ἡ Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καὶ τὰς ταύτης ἔτι νοτιωτέρας " τοῦτο γὰρ παρεδήλωσεν εἰρηκώς " « Κληρονομήσουσι τὰς πόλεις τοῦ Ναγέδ, ν» Οὐκ ἀρχεσθήσονται δὲ οὐδὲ ταύταις, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ Ἡσαῦ τὸ ὄρος οἰκεῖον ποιήσονται, ὑπὸ βατιλεῖ τῷ Θεῷ στρατευόμενοι, καὶ αὐτῷ σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ἀναθέντες. Ἰστέον δὲ, ὡς συμφωνεῖ τῷ τέλει τῆσδε τῆς προφητείας, καὶ τῆς τοῦ μασαρίου Ἰ:ζεχιὴλ προφητείας τὸ τέλος. Καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖ προδιαγράφει τῆς γῆς τὴν διαίρεσιν, καὶ προαγορεύει τοῦ λαοῦ τὴν ἐπάνοδον, καὶ τὴν μετὰ τὴν ἐπάνοδην δοθησομένην αὐτοῖς ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ δύναμιν καὶ ἰσχύν. Ταύτη: καὶ ἡμᾶς τυχεῖν γένοιτο παρὰ τοῦ μεγαλοδώρου Θεοῦ " τευξόμεθα δὲ, εἰ τοῦ Ἡσαῦ καὶ τῶν ἀπογόνων τῶν ἐκχείνου τὴν μίμησιν φύγοιμεν, καὶ γχατὰ τὴν ἀποστολικὴν νομοθεσίαν καίρειν μετὰ χαιρόντων, καὶ κλαίειν μετὰ κλαιόντων μάθοιμεν, καὶ τὸ αὐτὸ φρονεῖν εἷς ἀλλήλους ἐθέλοιμεν. Τῇ τοιαύτῃ γὰρ πολιτείᾳ τὸν τῶν ἀπάντων Κύριον θεραπεύοντες, ἀπολαυσόμεθα τῶν παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ δωρεῶν, χάριτι τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ" Χριστοῦ, μεθ᾽ οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡ δόξα, σὺν ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς ποὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. ᾿Αμήν. ### English translation (Claude) 19. "And those in the Negeb will inherit the mountain of Esau." This too the three translators rendered in agreement as "the south"; for so the south is called in the Hebrew tongue. He says, then, that those who live to the south of Jerusalem, that is, the neighbors of the Idumeans, will have the land of the Idumeans as a kind of lot and portion; "and those in the Shephelah" (these were neighbors of the foreigners) [will bring] under their rule the [land] now [held] by the foreigners … all those set free from captivity, and the mountain of Ephraim and the plain below it, and the lot of Benjamin, and all Gilead; and they will have the borders which the Canaanites once had, so that Zarephath will be the limit of the land held by Israel. And Jerusalem will hold the city of Ephratha and the cities still further south of it; for this is what he indicated by saying: "They will inherit the cities of the Negeb." Nor will they be content with these, but they will make the mountain of Esau their own too, campaigning under God as their king and dedicating themselves to him. One should know that the end of this prophecy agrees with the end of the prophecy of the blessed Ezekiel too. For there too he sketches beforehand the division of the land, and foretells the return of the people and the power and strength that will be given them by God after the return. May it be granted to us too to obtain this from God, the giver of great gifts. And we shall obtain it if we flee from imitating Esau and his descendants, and learn, according to the apostolic legislation, to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep, and are willing to be of the same mind toward one another. For if we serve the Lord of all by such a way of life, we shall enjoy his gifts, by the grace of our Savior Jesus Christ, with whom be glory to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, now and always and to the ages of ages. Amen. ### Scripture references - Obad 1:19: quotation, high confidence - Obad 1:20–21: allusion, high confidence - Ezek 47:13–48:29: allusion, medium confidence - Rom 12:15: quotation, high confidence - Rom 12:16: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Obad 19, with a paraphrase of verses 20–21. Words are lost in the scan in the paraphrase of verse 19; marked "…", with bracketed words supplied by sense. Theodoret notes that the three later Greek versions render "Negeb" as "the south". The comparison is with Ezek 47:13–48:29; the apostolic precept is Rom 12:15–16. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 4.1.19 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/4-1-19). ## Commentary on Jonah, Preface, part 1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-0-1/#p-5-0-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Theodoret opens the preface to Jonah by showing that God's care for Israel always served to reveal him to the nations, from Egypt to Babylon and Persia. ### Greek text Πάντας ἀνθρώπους δημιουργήσας ὁ τῶν ὅλων θεὸς, πάντων ὁμοίως διατελεῖ προμηθούμενος" εἰ καὶ πλέον πάλαι ποτὲ τῶν Ἰσραηλιτῶν ἐπιμελούμενος ὥφθη, καὶ τοῦτο δὲ εἰς κοινὴν ἁπάντων ἀνθρώπων εὐεργεσίαν ἐποίει. "Ὥσπερ γὰρ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ τὴν προσήκουσαν κηδεμονίαν ποιούμενος, οὐ πρὸς ἕκαστον διαλεγόμενος τὸ πρακτέον ἐδείκνυ, ἀλλ᾽ ἕνα τὸν ἄριστον ἐξ ἀπάντων ἐκλεγόμενος, νῦν μὲν Μωσέα τὸν μέγαν, νῦν δὲ Ἰησοῦν τὸν Νανῆ, ἄλλοτε δὲ τὸν Σαμουΐλ, καὶ ἐν ἑτέρῳ καιρῷ τὸν Ἠλίαν, καὶ δι᾽ ἑκάστου τῶν εἰρημένων, ἣ νόμους τιθεὶς, ἢ θαυμαστὰ δεικνὺς, ἢ παραινέσεις προσφέρων, ἐποδήγει πρὸς σωτηρίαν" οὕτω τὸν Ἰσραηλίτην λαὸν τῶν ἄλλων ἐθνῶν ὁ Θεὸς ἀποχρίνας, τῇ περὶ τούτων ἐπιμελείᾳ, καὶ ταῖς συὑπεδείχνυ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἔθνεσι τὴν εἰς θεογνωσίαν ὁδόν. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἡμᾶς καὶ διὰ τοῦ θεσπεσίου ὭὩσηέ. « Σκοπὸς γὰρ, φησὶν, Ἐφραῖμ μετὰ Θεοῦ προφήτης.» Οἷον ' γάρ τινα σκοπὸν καὶ προφὴτην προὐδάλετο τὸν λαὸν εἰς τὴν τῶν ἄλλων ἐθνῶν ὧφέλειάν τε καὶ σωτηρίαν. Οὕτω καὶ διὰ τούτων μεμάθηκεν Αἴγυπτο; τὴν ἄῤῥητον δύναμιν τοῦ τῶν ὅλων Θεοῦ. Καὶ τὸν ἐχείνων δὲ δλεῦρον εἰς ἅπαντας ἀνθρώπους ἡ φήμη διαγαγοῦσα, θαυμάζειν ἅπαντας παρεσκεύασε τῆς θείας προμηθείας τὸ δίκαιον. Ἐντεῦθεν Ῥαὰλδ ἡ πόρνη, τῆς θεογνωσίας δεξαμένη τὴν αἴγλην, ἔλεγε τοῖς χατασχόποις " « Διότι "" ἐπἐπ:σεν ὁ φόθος ὑμῶν καὶ ὁ τρόμος ὑμῶν ἐφ᾽ ἡμᾶς " ἠκούσαμεν γὰρ ὅπως κατεξήρανε Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς τὴν Ἐρυθρὰν θάλασσαν ἔμπροσθεν ὑμῶν, καὶ διήγαγεν ὑμᾶς, ὅτι Κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὑμῶν, θεὸς ἐν οὐρανῷ ἄνω, καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς κάτω.» Καὶ χρόνοις δὲ πολλοῖς ὕστε. ρον τὴν κχιδωτὸν οἱ ᾿Αλλόφυλοι θεασάμενοι, μετὰ δέους καὶ φρίκης ἐβόων" « Οὗτος ὁ Θεὸς ὁ πατάξας Α τὴν Αἴγυπτον. » Καὶ τῶν ᾿Ασσυρίων δὲ τὰς πολλὰς ἐκείνας χιλιάδας πρὸ τῶν τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ. περιδόλων χαταχοντίσας, καὶ μετ᾽ ὀλίγων φυγεῖν τὸν Σενναχηρϑὶμ ἀναγκάσας, δήλην αὑτοῦ πεποίηκε πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις τὴν δύναμιν. Κἀν τῇ Βαδυλῶνι δὲ τοῖς λέουσι παραδοθέντα τὸν Δανιὴλ φυλάξας ἀλώθητον, καὶ τὴν σροδροτάτην ἐχείνην τῆς καμίνου φλόγα μεταδαλὼν εἰς δρόσον, ὡς τοὺς μακαρίους ἐκείνους παῖδας χορείαν ἐν μέσῳ συστήσασθαι, καὶ ὕμνον ὑφῆναι, καὶ τὸν ἀλαζόνα βασιλέα χατέπληξε, καὶ δι᾽ ἐχεένου τοὺς ὑπηκόους ἐδίδαξεν, ὡς μόνος Θεὸς τῶν Ἰσραηλιτῶν ὁ Θεός. Καὶ ἐπὶ Κύρου δὲ τοῦ Πέρσου τὴν πολυθρύλλητον ἐχείνην ἐπάνοδον τῷ λαῷ δωρησάμενος, καὶ μόνοις ἐκ πάντων τῶν αἰχμαλώτων γεγξνη μένων χαρισάμενος τὴν "" «ἧς δουλείας ἀπαλλα- Ὑὴ", καὶ τὸν νεὼν τὸν οἰκεῖον δειμάμενος, καὶ τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ εἰς τὴν προτέραν ἐπαναγαγὼν ξίαν, δεδήλωκε πάλιν, οὐ τοῖ; πελάξουσι ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἄποθεν οἰκοῦσιν, ὡς μόνος ἐστὶν ἱκανὸς προμηθεῖσθαι καὶ προστατεύε:»)» ὧν βούλεται. Καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν Μακεδόνων δὲ πολλάκις τὴν οἰκείαν ὑπέδειξε δύναμιν, καὶ μέντοι καὶ διὰ τῶν προφητῶν θαυματουργῶν καὶ τὰ ἐσόμενα προλέγων, πολλὰ τῶν ἐθνῶν πρὸς ἀλήθειαν ἐποδήγησεν. Οὕτω τὸν μέγαν σαῖον τὸ τῶν Σύρων ἔδεισεν ἔθνος, ποτὲ μὲν ἀορασίας ὑπ᾽ αὐτοῦ δεξάμενον νέφο;, ποτὲ δὲ τοῦ Νεεμὰν τὴν κάθαρτιν θεατάμενον. Τοσοῦτον γὰρ ἔσχε τοῦδε τοῦ προφήτου σέθας "3", ὡς ἀῤῥωστίᾳ περιπεσόντα τὸν βασιλέα πρὸς τοῦτον ἀποστεῖλαι τὸν ᾿Αζαὴλ πευσό- ς βξνον εἰ ῥωσθήσεται" καὶ αὐτὸν δὲ τὸν ᾿Αζαὴλ οὗτος αὐτὸς ὁ προφήτης ἔχρισε βασιλέα τοῖς Σύροις. Καὶ τὸν θεσπέσιον δὲ Ἱερεμίαν τοταύτης ἠξίωσε τιμῆς | πὧν Βαδυλωνίων ὁ βασιλεὺς, ὡς αἴρεδιν αὐτῷ τῆς οἰκήσεως δοῦναι " καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἄλλους ἄπαντας καὶ βασιλέας; καὶ ἄρχοντας αἰχμαλώτους ἀπήγαγε, τούτῳ δὲ μόνῳ δέδωκεν ἐξουσίαν διάγειν ὅπου βούλεται. ### English translation (Claude) The God of all, having created all human beings, continues to provide for all alike; and if long ago he was seen to take greater care of the Israelites, he did this too for the common benefit of all human beings. For in exercising fitting care for Israel, he did not show each person what to do by speaking to him, but chose one, the best of all (now the great Moses, now Joshua son of Nun, at another time Samuel, and at another Elijah), and through each of them, by laying down laws, or showing wonders, or offering exhortations, he guided them to salvation. Just so, God set the Israelite people apart from the other nations, and through his care for them and the … he showed the other nations too the way to the knowledge of God. For this is what he [teaches] us through the inspired Hosea too: "Ephraim is a watchman with God, a prophet." For he set the people forward as a kind of watchman and prophet for the benefit and salvation of the other nations. So through these events Egypt learned the ineffable power of the God of all. And the report of the Egyptians' destruction, carried to all human beings, made all marvel at the justice of divine providence. From this Rahab the harlot, receiving the radiance of the knowledge of God, said to the spies: "For the fear of you and the dread of you has fallen upon us; for we have heard how the Lord God dried up the Red Sea before you and led you through, because the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below." And many years later the foreigners, seeing the ark, cried out with fear and shuddering: "This is the God who struck Egypt." And when he had shot down those many thousands of Assyrians before the walls of Jerusalem and compelled Sennacherib to flee with a few, he made his power plain to all human beings. And in Babylon, by keeping Daniel unharmed when he had been handed over to the lions, and by changing that most violent flame of the furnace into dew, so that those blessed youths formed a dance in its midst and wove a hymn, he struck the arrogant king with awe and through him taught his subjects that the God of the Israelites alone is God. And under Cyrus the Persian, by granting the people that much-celebrated return, bestowing on them alone of all the captives deliverance from slavery, having his own temple built, and bringing Jerusalem back to its former dignity, he showed again, not only to the neighbors but also to those living far away, that he alone is able to provide for and protect whom he wishes. And under the Macedonians too he often showed his own power; and through the prophets, working wonders and foretelling the future, he guided many of the nations to the truth. So the nation of the Syrians feared the great Elisha, at one time receiving from him a cloud of blindness, at another seeing the cleansing of Naaman. For they had such reverence for this prophet that the king, when he fell ill, sent Hazael to him to ask whether he would recover; and this same prophet anointed Hazael himself king over the Syrians. And the king of the Babylonians counted the inspired Jeremiah worthy of such honor as to give him the choice of where to live; and while he led away all the others, both kings and rulers, as captives, to him alone he gave authority to live wherever he wished. ### Scripture references - Hos 9:8: quotation, high confidence - Josh 2:9–11: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 4:8: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 19:35–36: allusion, high confidence - Dan 6:22: allusion, high confidence - Dan 3:28–29: allusion, medium confidence - Ezra 1:1–4: allusion, medium confidence - 2 Kgs 6:18: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 5:14: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 8:7–13: allusion, high confidence - Jer 40:4 (47:4 LXX): allusion, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Pr Azar 26-27 (Prayer of Azariah and Song of the Three Young Men): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Preface to Jonah, part 1. Latin debris at the opening and a line lost in the scan in the second sentence are marked "…". "Elisha" restores the scan's "[…]σαῖον". Quotations: Hos 9:8, Josh 2:9–11, 1 Sam 4:8. The dew in the furnace and the youths' hymn belong to the Greek additions to Daniel (Prayer of Azariah and Song of the Three Youths). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 5.0.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-0-1). ## Commentary on Jonah, Preface, part 2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-0-1/#p-5-0-2 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God sent Jonah to Nineveh to show his care for the nations before the incarnation, refuting Marcion's two gods; Jonah fled toward Tharsis, which cannot be India. ### Greek text Οὕτω καὶ τὸν μακάριον Ἰωνᾶν Νινευϊτῶν ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς προφήτην ἐχειροτόνησε. Πόλις δὲ ἣν αὕτη πά. λαι μεγίστη, καὶ τοῦ τῶν ᾿Ασσυρίων βασιλέως τὰ βασίλεια δεξαμένη. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἔμελλεν ὁ μονογενὴς. τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος δι᾽ ἀνθρωπείας φύσεως ἐπιφαίνεσθαι τοῖς; ἀνθρώποις, καὶ ἅπαντα τὰ ἔθνη τῷ τῇ: θεογνωσίας καταφωτίζειν φωτὶ, καὶ πρὸ τῆς οἰκείας ἕνανθρωπήσεως τὴν θείαν αὑτοῦ τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ὑποδείκνυσι προμήθειαν, ἵνα τοῖς; προλαθοῦσ: τὰ ἐσόμενα ϑεδαισῃ, καὶ διδάξῃ πάντας, ὡς οὐκ Ἰουδαίων ὁ Θεὸς μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐθνῶν, καὶ τῆς Παλαιᾶ, καὶ Νέας Διαθήκης τὴν συγγένειαν δείξῃ. Εἰ γὰρ μηδεμίαν τῶν ᾿ ἐθνῶν πρὸ τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως ἐποιήσατο πρόνοιαν, ἕτερον ἂν αὐτὸν ὑπέλαθον Ἰουδαῖοι Θεὼν, ὡς ἐναντία δρῶντα τῷ δεδωκότι τὸν νόμον’ ὁ μὲν γὰρ μόνον Ἶουδαίων ἐφρόντιζεν' οὗτος ὃὲ πάντων ἀνθρώπων ἑποιεῖτὸ τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν, Τοῦτο ὃὲ πέπονθε Μαρκίων ὁ βδελυρὸς, ἄλλον τοῦτον παρ᾽ ἐκεῖνον φῆσας Θεὸν, καὶ ταῦτα κἀν τῇ Παλαιᾷ τὴν περὶ πάντας ἀνθρώπους αὐτοῦ θεασάμενὸς πρόνοιαν. ᾿Αλλ᾽ ἵνα μὴ πέρα τοῦ μέτρου μηχύνωμεν, ἐπ᾽ αὐτὴν ἔλθωμεν τοῦ προφῆτου τὴν ἑρμηνείαν Ὁ μακάριος Ἰωνᾶς καὶ ἄλλας ἐποιήσατο προφητείας " οὐκ ἐμφέρονται δὲ αὗται τῷ συγγράμματι τούτῳ" μεμαθήκαμεν δὲ ἐκείνας ἐκ τῆς τετάρτης τῶν Βασιλειῶν. Περὶ γὰρ τοῦ Ἱεροθοὰμ, ὃς τρίτος ἐξ Ἰποῦ γεγονὼς τῶν δέκα φυλῶν ἐδασίλευσε, τοιαὔτα ἡ Γραφὴ διδάσκει “ Αὐτὸς ἀπροχατέστησε τὸ ὅριον Ἰσραὴλ ἀπὸ εἰσύδου Ἤμὰϑ, ἕως τῆς "' θαλάσσης τῆς πρὸς ἑσπέραν, κατὰ τὸ ῥῆμα Κυρίου Θεοῦ Ἰ:ραῆλ, ὃ ἐλάλησεν ἕν χειρὶ δούλου αὑτοῦ Ἰωνᾷ, τοῦ υἱοῦ ᾿Αμαθεὶ, τοῦ προφήτου τοῦ ἀπὸ Γεθοφρᾷ. Καὶ ἡ προφητεία δὲ τὴν αὐτὴν ἔχει τοῦ πατρὸς προσηγορίαν. Τοῦτον ἐκέλευσεν ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς εἰς Νινευῖ τὴν πόλιν ἀφικέσθαι, καὶ τὴν ἔσομένην αὐτοῖς διὰ τὴν πολλὴν παρανομίαν προαγγεῖαι κακίας αὐτῶν δ πρός με. ν» Τουτέστιν, εἰς πολλὴν μίας τοὺς ὄρους. ᾿Αλλὰ τούτων ὁ προφήτης τῶν λόγων ἀκούσας, φυγὴν τῆς ὑπαχοῖςς καὶ ἀποδρᾶναι τετόλμηκεν εἰς Θαροίς. Τὴν δὲ θαρσὶς, τινὲς μὲν Ταρσὸν ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ ὀνόματο: νείας ὑπέλαθον εἶναι, τινὲς δὲ τὴν Ἰνδίαν οὕτως ἔφασαν ὠνομᾶσθαι " δυνιδεῖν οὐκ ἐθελήσαντες, ὡς τῶν ᾿Ασσυρίων ἡ βασιλεία τῆς Ἰνδῶν ἔστιν ὅμορος δι βθρίθης ( ἦθος δὲ τοῖς φεύγουσι τὰ ἑῷα ἐπὶ τὴν ἑσπέραν χωρεῖν, καὶ τοῖς τὰ νότια δραπετεύουσιν ἐπὶ τὰ δόρεια τρέχειν " ἄλλως τε καὶ εἰ; τὴν Ἰόππην χατῖλθε, πόλιν παραλίαν τῆς Παλαιστίνης, ἵνα ἐκεῖθεν ἀπάρῃ, ἐπίκειται δὲ τῇ πρὸς ἑσπέραν κειμένῃ θαλάττῃ. ### English translation (Claude) So too the God of all appointed the blessed Jonah prophet of the Ninevites. This city was once very great and held the palace of the king of the Assyrians. For since the only-begotten Word of God was going to appear to human beings through human nature and to enlighten all the nations with the light of the knowledge of God, even before his own incarnation he shows his divine providence to the nations, so as to confirm what was to come by what went before, to teach all that he is God not of the Jews only but also of the nations, and to show the kinship of the Old and New Testaments. For if he had made no provision for any of the nations before the incarnation, the Jews would have supposed him to be another God, as doing the opposite of the one who gave the law; for the one cared only for the Jews, while this one took care of all human beings. This is what happened to the abominable Marcion, who said that this God is another beside that one, and that although he saw in the Old Testament too his providence for all human beings. But lest we go on at excessive length, let us come to the interpretation of the prophet itself. The blessed Jonah also made other prophecies; they are not included in this book, but we have learned of them from the fourth book of the Kingdoms. For concerning Jeroboam, who was the third from Jehu to reign over the ten tribes, Scripture teaches as follows: "He restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath to the sea of the west, according to the word of the Lord God of Israel, which he spoke by the hand of his servant Jonah the son of Amathi, the prophet from Gath-hepher." And the prophecy too gives the same name for his father. The God of all commanded him to go to the city of Nineveh and announce beforehand the [destruction] that would come upon them for their great lawlessness: "[for the cry of] their wickedness [has come up] to me." That is, [it has reached] the limits of great [wicked]ness. But when the prophet heard these words, [he chose] flight [instead] of obedience and dared to run away to Tharsis. Some supposed from the likeness of the name that Tharsis is Tarsus, and others said that India is so named, not willing to see that the kingdom of the Assyrians borders that of the Indians …; and it is the custom for those fleeing the east to go to the west, and for those escaping the south to run to the north. Besides, he went down to Joppa, a coastal city of Palestine, to set sail from there; and it lies on the western sea. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 14:25: quotation, high confidence - Jonah 1:1–3: allusion, high confidence - Jonah 1:2: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Preface to Jonah, part 2, with a paraphrase of Jonah 1:1–3 and a quotation of 1:2. The other prophecy of Jonah is 2 Kgs 14:25. Marcion taught that the God of the Old Testament was a different god from the Father of Jesus; Theodoret's description of him as "abominable" is translated as written. Words are lost in the scan in the paraphrase of 1:2 and in the argument about India; marked "…" or supplied in brackets by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 5.0.2 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-0-2). ## Commentary on Jonah, Preface, part 3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-0-1/#p-5-0-3 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Tharsis is Carthage, not India; Jonah fled not from fear but because he foresaw that God would spare repentant Nineveh and make his prophecy seem false, and God sent a storm on his ship alone. ### Greek text Διὰ τούτου δὲ τοῦ πελάγους οὐκ ἂν ναντιλίᾳ τις χρώμενος εἰς Ἰνδίαν ἀπέλθοι " μεταξὺ γὰρ τῆς τε ἦμεν τέρας θαλάττης, καὶ τῆς Ἰνδιχῆς, ἤπειρός ἐστι δὲς γίστη, ἡ μὲν οἰκουμένη, ἢ δὲ παντελῶς ἔρημος ᾿ καὶ βρη δὲ πλεῖστα καὶ μέγιστα, μεθ᾽ ἃ τῆς Ἐρυθρῖς θαλάστης ὁ κόλπος, ᾧ τὸ Ἰνδικὸν ἀναμέμιχται πε’ λαγος. Καὶ ἵνα μή τις ὑπολάδῃ λογισμοῖς ἡμᾶς παραλογίζεσθαι τὴν ἀλήθειαν, τὴν θείαν Γρὰαφὴν ταρἐξομαι μάρτυρα, ὡς θαρσὶς ἡ Καρχηδών ἐστι τς ᾿Αφρικῆς προχαθημένη. Ἐν γὰρ Ἡσαΐᾳ τῷ τῷ. εἰρηκότων, « Ὀλολύξετε, πλοῖα Καρχηδόνος, ὅτι ἀπόλωλε τὸ ὀχύρωμα ὑμῶν» »Ακύλας, καὶ '6 Σύμμαχος, καὶ Θεοδοτίων, θυρσὶς ἀντὶ τῆς Καρχηδόνος τεθείκασι. Τοῦτο γὰρ τὸ ὄνομά Ἰωνᾷς ἑρμηνεύεται ὑψίστου πονοῦντος ἢ περιστεράς ω ς ἦν ἐκ γῆς κα νρνὴ τὸ πλνσίον ᾿Αζώτου πόλεως λλήνων κατὰ. Νινευῇ) καὶ κηρύξας καὶ ἀναχάμψας οὐκ ἕ κήτους ἀπελθὼν εἰς Νινευῖ ( ὀὼν τὴν μητέρα αὑτοῦ, παρῴκησεν ἐν τῇ ᾿Ασσοὺρ χώρᾳ ἀλλοφύλων ἐθνῶν. θάλασσαν. Καὶ ἐχθρασθεὶς ἐκ τοῦ εινεν ἐν τῇ γῇ αὐτοῦ" ἀλλὰ παραϊτξ Ἔλεγεν γὰρ, ὅτι οὕτως ἀφελῶ τὸ ὄνειδός μου, ὅτι ἐψευσάμην προφητεύσας κατὰ Νινευῖ τῆς μεγάλης πόλεως. Διήγησις,, ὧν ὁ λαὸς τῶν Ἰουδαίων καὶ οἱ τόκου, ἱερεῖς ἡσέθουν καὶ ἡμάρτανον. τῆς “ὦ καὶ ἡ Ἑόδραίων ἔχει γραφή. Οὕτω δὲ καὶ τοῦ μένον, καὶ παρὰ τῷ Ἑόραίῳ, καὶ παρὰ τῷ Σύρῳ εὑρήκαμεν «τὸ Θαρσίς. Ἐξ ὧν ποδηγηθέντες, τὸν μακάριόν φαμεν Ἰωνᾶν οὐκ εἰς Ἰνδίαν, ἀλλ᾽ εἰς Καρχηδόνα ποιήσασθαι τὴν φυγήν. Πεποίηκε δὲ τοῦτο σαφῶς μὲν εἰδὼς, ἅτε δὴ προφήτης, ὡς πανπαχοὺ πάρεστι τῶν ὅλων ὁ Κύριος, καὶ τόπος οὐδεὶς ἔρημος τῆς αὑτοῦ προμηθείας" ὑπολαμθάνων δὲ ὅμως ἐν μόνῃ τῇ Ἱερουσαλὴμ αὐτὸν ποιεῖσθαι τὴν ἐπιςάνειαν. Οὐκ ὄκνος δὲ αὐτῷ τῆς φυγῆς, οὐδὲ δέος ἐγένετο πρόξενον - ἀλλὰ τὰς τοῦ ἐλέου πηγὰς ἐπιστάμενος, αἷς χρώμενος ὁ κηρῦξαι κελεύσας ἅπαντα πρυτανεύει, καὶ εἰδὼς ὡς εἰ μεταμελείᾳ χρήσονται Νινευῖται, τεύξονται πάντως τῆς θείας φιλανθρωπίας, ἀπρεπὲς ἐνόμισε ψευδῆ δειχθῆναι τὴν πρόῤῥησιν, καὶ ψεύστης ἀντὶ προφήτου κληθῆναι. Ταύτην δὲ αὐτῷ τὴν ὑποψίαν ἐντέθειχε καὶ αὐτὸ τῆς ἀπειληθείσης τιμωρίας τὸ κήρυγμα. Ἐσχόπι,σΞ γὰρ, ὡς οὐκ ἂν προεμήνυσεν, εἴπερ κολάσαι ἠθούλετο " ἀλλὰ μετανοίας ἐστὶ δήπουθεν προτροπὴ, τῆς τιμωρίας ἡ ἀπειλή. Πρὸς δὲ τούτῳ καὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων κατηγορίαν ὑπέλαθδεν ἔσεσθαι τὴν τῶν Νινευϊτῶν εὐπείθειαν, ὡς τῶν μὲν ἀγνῶτ'ι καὶ ἀλλοφύλῳ χότων ἀνδρὶ, τῶν ὃὲ μυρίοις προφήταις ὁμοφύλοις, μετὰ θαυματουργίας τὴν προφητείαν ποιουμένοις, διηνεχῶ; ἀπειθούντων, καὶ ὄνησιν οὐδεμίαν παρ᾽ αὐτῶν δεχομένων. Διὰ ταῦτα τὸ κελευσθὲν εὐθὺς οὐ πεποίηκεν᾽ ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν διὰ θαλάτσης φυγὴν ἐποιήσατο, νομίσας ὅτι τάχιστα τῆς τοιαύτης ὑπουργίας ἀπαλλαγήσεται. "Ἔδωκε δὲ καὶ τὸν τῆς ναυτιλίας μισθὸν, οὐδὲ τῆς ἐντεῦθεν αὐτὸν ξημίας ἐπισχεῖν δυνηθείσης. ᾿Αλλ᾽ ὁ γῆς, καὶ θαλάττης, καὶ τῶν οὐρανῶν Ποιητὴς, ἐγείρει κατὰ τοῦ σκάφους κλύδωνα, καὶ τὰ "7 τῶν κυμάτων περιθδάλλει τῷ πλοίῳ δεσμὰ, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων πάντων ἐξουρίων φερομένων, περὶ τοῦτο μόνον τὸ πλοῖον ἐγίνετο τῆς θαλάττης ἡ ζάλη, καὶ τὸ ῥόθιον ἔζει. Καὶ τοῦτο ἡμᾶς τῶν ναυτῶν ὁ κλῆρος διδάσκει σαφῶς " οὐ γὰρ ἂν, εἴπερ κοινὸς ἣν ὁ κλύδων, κλήρῳ μαθεῖν ἐπεχείρησαν τὸν τοῦ κλύδωνος αἴτιον " ἀλλ᾽ ἐπειδὴ τοὺς ἄλλους ἑώρων δύνως διατέμνοντας τῆς θαλάττης τὰ νῶτα, τὴν δὲ ταῖς τρικυμίαις, πρῶτὸν μὲν ἐτράποντο πρὸς εὐχὰς, ὃν ἕκαστος ἐνόμιζε Θεὸν ἱκετεύοντες " οὐδένα ὃὲ πόρον δ σωτηρίας ἐντεῦθεν εὑρίσκοντες, ὕπνῳ τὸν Ἰωνᾶν κατεχόμενον ἀφυπνίζουσιν. Ὑπὸ γὰρ τοῦ συνειδότος κεντούμενος, καὶ τῇ ἀθυμίᾳ βαλλόμενος, καὶ τῶν λογισμῶν τὰς ἀχίδας οὐ φέρων, ἐμηχανήσατο τὴν ὑπὸ τοῦ ὕπνου παραψυχῆν. Καὶ τοτούτου κατὰ τοῦ σκάφους γιγνομένου θορύδου, τῶν κυμάτων ἔξωθεν προσρηγνυμένων, καὶ τῶν ναυτῶν ἔνδοθεν ταραττομένων, αὐτὸς οὐκ ἁπλῶς οὐδὲ μετρίως ἐκάθευδεν, ἀλλὰ βαθεῖ κατἐχόμενος ὕπνῳ καὶ ἔρεγχεν, ὡς αὐτὸς συγγράψας ἐδίδαξεν. ᾿Αλλὰ διαναστήσας αὐτὸν ὁ πρωρεὺς, τὸ μὲν πρῶτον εὐχὰς πρησφέρξιν τῷ οἰκείῳ Θεῷ κατ- ### English translation (Claude) No one sailing through this sea could reach India; for between our sea and the Indian there is a very large continent, partly inhabited and partly utterly desert, and very many and very great mountains, and after them the gulf of the Red Sea, with which the Indian Ocean is mingled. And lest anyone suppose that we are reasoning our way past the truth, I will offer the divine Scripture as witness that Tharsis is Carthage, which lies at the front of Africa. For in Isaiah, where the Seventy said, "Wail, ships of Carthage, for your stronghold has perished," Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion put "Tharsis" instead of "Carthage". For the Hebrew Scripture too has this name. So too we have found "Tharsis" in the Hebrew and in the Syriac … Guided by these, we say that the blessed Jonah made his flight not to India but to Carthage. He did this knowing clearly, as a prophet, that the Lord of all is present everywhere and that no place is devoid of his providence, yet supposing that he made his appearance in Jerusalem alone. It was neither sloth nor fear that caused his flight. Rather, he knew the springs of mercy by which the one who commanded him to preach governs all things, and he knew that if the Ninevites repented they would certainly obtain the divine kindness; so he thought it unseemly for the prediction to be shown false, and for himself to be called a liar instead of a prophet. This suspicion was put into him by the very proclamation of the threatened punishment. For he reasoned that God would not have announced it beforehand if he wished to punish; the threat of punishment is surely an exhortation to repentance. Besides this, he supposed that the Ninevites' ready obedience would become an accusation of the Jews: for the one people obeyed an unknown and foreign man, while the other continually disobeyed countless prophets of their own race who prophesied with wonders, and received no benefit from them. For these reasons he did not at once do what he was commanded, but made his flight by sea, thinking he would very quickly be rid of such a service. And he even paid the fare, and not even the loss could hold him back. But the Maker of earth, sea, and heavens raises a storm against the vessel and throws the bonds of the waves around the ship; and while all the others were borne along by fair winds, around this ship alone the sea raged and the surf boiled. And the sailors' lot teaches us this clearly: for if the storm had been common to all, they would not have tried to learn its cause by lot. But since they saw the others cutting painlessly across the back of the sea, and their own ship [battered] by the waves, they first turned to prayers, each entreating the god he believed in; and finding no way of safety from this, they woke Jonah, who was sunk in sleep. For, stung by his conscience, struck by despondency, and unable to bear the barbs of his thoughts, he had contrived the relief of sleep. And while such an uproar arose on the vessel, the waves dashing against it outside and the sailors in turmoil within, he slept not simply nor moderately, but was sunk in deep sleep and snoring, as he himself, who wrote the book, has taught us. But the ship's master roused him, and first [bade him] offer prayers to his own God … [In the scan the following notice is printed within this section: "Jonah is interpreted 'of the Most High, toiling', or 'dove'. He was from the land of Kariathmaous, near Azotus, a city of the Greeks, by the sea. And having been cast out by the sea monster and gone to Nineveh, and having preached and returned, he did not stay in his own land, but took his mother and sojourned in the land of Assour, a land of foreign nations. For he said: 'Thus I will take away my reproach, that I lied in prophesying against Nineveh the great city.'" And a heading: "Narrative of the things in which the people of the Jews and the priests were impious and sinned."] ### Scripture references - Isa 23:1: quotation, high confidence - Jonah 1:3–6: allusion, high confidence - Jonah 1:5: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Preface to Jonah, part 3, with a paraphrase of Jonah 1:3–6. The quotation is Isa 23:1 (LXX "ships of Carthage"). The notice on Jonah set in brackets at the end follows the tradition of the Lives of the Prophets, which Migne prints with the commentary; its fragments are scattered through this section in the scan and have been gathered here; the final heading is of uncertain reference. Lines are lost in the scan after "in the Syriac" and at the end; marked "…". ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 5.0.3 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-0-3). ## Commentary on Jonah, Preface, part 4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-0-1/#p-5-0-4 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The lot falls on Jonah, and the sailors question him as judges about his origin and occupation. ### Greek text ηνάγκασεν, ἀγνοῶν ὡς τὴν τοιαύτην ἀφεῖλεν ἡ φυγὴ εἶδ παῤῥησίαν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ λύσιν οὐδαμόθεν ἐλάμθανε τὰ δεινὰ, κλήρῳ μαθεῖν ἠδυνήθησαν τὸν τοῦ χλύδωνος αἴτιον, εἰδότες, ὡς εἰκὸς (τὴν γὰρ φυσικὴν ἐκέκτηντο γνῶσιν), ὡς ἔστι τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσιν ἀποἀξίας. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τοῦ προφήτου κατήγορος καὶ μάρτυς ὁ κλῆρος ἐγένετο, ἄγεται εἰς τὸ κριτήριον, καὶ δρῶσιν οἱ ναῦται τὰ δικαστῶν, καὶ ἀπαιτοῦσιν εὐθύνας τῶν βεδιωμένων τὸν Ἰωνᾶν. η΄. ε« ᾿Απάγγειλον γὰρ, φασὶν "", ἡμῖν, τίς σου" ἡ ἐργασία ἐστὶ, καὶ πόθεν ἔρχῃ, καὶ ποῦ πορεύῃ, «8 καὶ ἐκ ποίας χώρας, καὶ ἐκ ποίου λαοῦ εἶ σύ. ν θῦτον μετὰ ἀχριδείας ἁπάσης ἐξήταζον, πανταχόθεν μαθεῖν ἐθέλοντες τὴν τοῦ χειμῶνος αἰτίαν" οὗ χάριν οὗ μόνον πόθεν τε ἀπῆρε, καὶ ποῦ βαδίζει κελεύουσιν εἰπεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκ ποίου ἔθνους κατάγει τὸ γένος, ἵνα καὶ ἐκ τῶν κοινῶν τοῦ ἔθνους ἐπιτηδευμάτων μάθωσι τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τὸν βίον. Πρὸ; ταῦτα τοίνυν ἀποκρινόμενος ὁ μακάριος Ἰωνᾶς ἔλεγε" ### English translation (Claude) … compelled, not knowing that his flight had taken away such boldness. And since the terrors found no release from anywhere, they were able to learn the cause of the storm by lot, knowing, as is likely (for they possessed natural knowledge), that it is [the lot] of sinners [to suffer what they] deserve. And since the lot became the prophet's accuser and witness, he is brought to court, and the sailors act as judges and demand of Jonah an account of his life. 8. "Tell us," they say, "what is your occupation, and where do you come from, and where are you going, and from what country and from what people are you?" They examined this with all precision, wishing to learn the cause of the storm from every side; for this reason they bid him say not only where he had set out from and where he was going, but also from what nation he traced his descent, so that from the common customs of the nation they might learn the man's way of life. In answer to this, then, the blessed Jonah said: ### Scripture references - Jonah 1:6–7: allusion, high confidence - Jonah 1:8: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Preface to Jonah, part 4, with a paraphrase of Jonah 1:6–7 and the lemma of 1:8. The section opens in mid-sentence after Latin debris, and words are lost in the scan about the lot ("…", with bracketed words supplied by sense). It ends in mid-sentence; the lemma follows in the next section. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 5.0.4 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-0-4). ## Commentary on Jonah 1:9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-0-1/#p-5-1-9 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Jonah, though facing death, proclaims the Creator of sea and land; the sailors reproach him, and only after trying to row ashore do they reluctantly throw him into the sea. ### Greek text θ΄, ε Δοῦλος Κυρίου ἐγώ εἶμι, καὶ Κύριον" τὸν θεὸν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐγὼ σέθομαι, ὃς ἐποίησε τὴν θάλασσαν καὶ τὴν ξηράν. ν θαυμάσιος ἀληθῶς ὁ προφήτης, καὶ πάσης ἄξιος εὐφημίας. Καὶ γὰρ θανάτου προσδεχόμενος ψῆφον, κήρυξ γίνεται τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων δυνάμεως, ποιητὴν αὐτὸν τῶν ἁπάντων καὶ Δεσπότην ἀποκαλῶν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἰδώλοις ἐλάτρευον τὸ τηνικαῦτα τῶν ἀνθρώπων οἱ πλεῖστοι, τὸν δὲ τῶν ἀπάντων ἠγνόουν Δημιουργόν᾽ ἀναγκαίως ὁ μακάριος προφήτης τοῦτον τοῖς ἀγνοοῦσιν ἀποχαλύπτει " ὁμολογεῖ δὲ καὶ τὴν πρόφασιν τῆς φυγῆς, ὅτι τοῦτον ὅν οἶδα, οὐ μόνον γῆς καὶ θαλάττης, ἀλλὰ ε Καὶ εἶπον πρὸς αὐτόν“ Τί τοῦτο πεποίηκας;» Ταῦτα, φασὶν, ἐπιστάμενος, καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους διδά, σχεῖν πεπιστευμένος, πῶς ἠνέσχου φυγεῖν τὸν πανταχοῦ παρόντα Θεόν; Τοσαύτην φέρει τὴν αἰσχύνην τὸ μὴ εἴκειν Θεῷ " καὶ γὰρ ὁ προφήτης, ὁ τῶν ἄλλων διδάσκαλος, ὑπὸ τῶν ἀγνοίᾳ κατεχομένων τῆς μέμψεως τὴν ψῆφον ἐδέχετο. ᾿Αλλ᾽ ὅμως καὶ τῶν παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ λόγων ἀχφύσαντες, καὶ λίαν αὐτῷ μεμ ἀναμένουσι τὸ πρακτέον δηλῶσαι. ια΄, ς Τί σοι γὰρ, φασὶ, ποιήσομεν, καὶ χοπάσει ἡ θάλασσα ἀφ' ἡμῶν; ν Σφοδρότερος γὰρ ὁ κλύδων καὶ μετὰ τὸν κλῆρον ἐγένετο. Τότε λοιπὸν ὁ μακάριος προφήτης τὴν θείαν ὀργὴν ἐγνωκὼς, αὐτὸς θάνατον. ιβ΄. «Ἄρατε γάρ με, φησὶ, καὶ ἐμδάλετε εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν, καὶ χοπάσει ἡ θάλατσα ἀφ᾽ ὑμῶν, διότι ἔγνωκα ἐγὼ, ὅτι δι᾽ ἐμὲ ὁ κλύδων ὁ μέγας οὗτός ἔστιν ἐφ᾽ ὑμῶν "". » ᾿Αλλὰ καὶ τούτων ἀκούσαντες τῶν λόγων, οὐκ εὐθὺς τὸ κελευσθὲν ξδρᾶἔσεσθαι τῶν κακῶν, καὶ ταῖς χώπαις χρώμενοι γαταχθῆναι πρὸς τὴν γῆν ἐπειράθησαν. Ὡς δὲ καὶ Α τοῦτο ποιεῖν διεχώλυς τῆς θαλάττης ἡ βία, εὐχῇ τὸν Θεὸν ἰλασάμενοι πρότερον, οὕτω τὸν Ἰωνᾶν τῇ θα- ### English translation (Claude) 9. "I am a servant of the Lord, and I worship the Lord God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land." The prophet is truly wonderful and worthy of all praise. For while he expects a sentence of death, he becomes a herald of the power of the God of all, calling him Maker and Master of all things. For since at that time most human beings served idols and did not know the Creator of all, the blessed prophet necessarily reveals him to those who did not know him; and he also confesses the reason for his flight, that … this one, whom I know [to be Lord] not only of land and sea but … 10. "And they said to him: Why have you done this?" Knowing these things, they say, and entrusted with teaching others, how could you bring yourself to flee the God who is present everywhere? Such is the shame that not yielding to God brings: for the prophet, the teacher of others, received the verdict of blame from those held in ignorance. Nevertheless, having heard his words and [blamed] him severely, they wait for him to show what must be done. 11. "For what shall we do to you," they say, "that the sea may grow calm and leave us?" For the storm grew more violent even after the lot. Then at last the blessed prophet, recognizing the divine wrath, himself [chose] death. 12. "Take me up," he says, "and throw me into the sea, and the sea will grow calm and leave you; for I know that it is because of me that this great storm is upon you." But even when they had heard these words, they did not at once do what he bade, but [hoping] to escape the evils [some other way], they used their oars and tried to bring the ship back to land. And when the violence of the sea prevented this too, they first propitiated God with prayer, and then [cast] Jonah into the sea … ### Scripture references - Jonah 1:9: quotation, high confidence - Jonah 1:10: quotation, high confidence - Jonah 1:11: quotation, high confidence - Jonah 1:12: quotation, high confidence - Jonah 1:13: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Jonah 1:9, 1:10, 1:11, and 1:12, with a paraphrase of 1:13. The scan interleaves Migne's Latin column with the Greek throughout; the debris is removed by logged corrections, and words lost with it are marked "…" or supplied in brackets by sense. The section ends in mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 5.1.9 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-1-9). ## Commentary on Jonah 1:14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-0-1/#p-5-1-14 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The sailors pray not to be guilty of Jonah's blood; the sea grows calm, they worship God, and Jonah lives three days unharmed in the sea monster. ### Greek text ιδ΄. « Μηδαμῶς γὰρ, φασὶ, Κύριε, μὴ ἀπολώμεθα ἕνεκεν τῆς ψυχῆς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τούτου, καὶ μὴ δῷς ἐφ᾽ ἡμᾶς αἷμα δίκαιον " διότι σὺ, Κύριε, ὃν τρόπον ἠθούλου, πεποίηκας. » Καὶ σαφῶς μεμαθηκότες ὑπὸ τοῦ Θε:οῦ τὴν κατ᾽ αὐτοῦ ψῆφον ἐξενηνέχθαι, ἔχετεύουσι μὴ δοῦναι δίκας ὑπουργοῦντες τῇ ψήφῳ" « Μὴ δῷς γὰρ, φασὶν, ἐφ᾽ ἡμᾶς αἷμα δίκαιον" » τουτέστιν, Ὑπὲρ ἀθώου αἵματος μὴ τίσωμεν, ὦ Δέσποτα, δίκας. Οὕτω δὲ καὶ τοῦ προφήτου τῇ θαλάττῃ παραδοθέντος, ἐπτορέσθη μὲν τῶν κυμάτων ἢ ζάλη, δέος δὲ πλέον εἰσεδέξαντο ταῖς ψυχαῖς οἱ τούτου γενόμενοι θεαταὶ, ὡς καὶ θυσίας προσενεγκεῖν μετὰ τὴν ἐπάνοδον τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ πιστεῦσαι τοῦτον εἶναι μόνον τῶν ἁπάντων Δεσπότην. Τὸν δὲ Ἰωνᾶν θείῳ νεύματι (τοῦτο γὰρ εἶπε "5, Προσέταξεν ὁ Θεὸς) κῆτος ὑπεδέξατο "" μέγιστον οὐδεμίαν ᾿' αὑτῷ λώδην διὰ τῶν ὀδόντων προσενεγχκών δ. ἡ δὲ κοιλία τοῦ κήτους οἴκησις ἐγένετο τῷ προφήτῃ τρεῖς ἡμέρας καὶ νύκτας τοσαύτας, καὶ ἡ ἀλλοιωτιχὴ δύναμις τῆς γαστρὸς ἐνεργεῖν ἐκωλύετο. Ἐν τοσαύτῃ δὲ ὁ προφήτη; εὐρυχωρίᾳ διῆγεν, ὡς χαι προσευχὴν προσενεγκεῖν τῷ θεῷ. ### English translation (Claude) 14. "By no means, Lord," they say, "let us not perish because of this man's life, and do not lay righteous blood upon us; for you, Lord, have done as you wished." Having clearly learned that the sentence against him had been passed by God, they beg not to pay a penalty for serving the sentence: "Do not lay righteous blood upon us," they say; that is, let us not pay the penalty for innocent blood, O Master. And so, when the prophet was handed over to the sea, the surge of the waves was calmed, and those who witnessed it received greater fear into their souls, so as even to offer sacrifices to God after their return and to believe that he alone is Master of all. And Jonah, by a divine nod (for this is what "God commanded" means), was received by a very great sea monster, which did him no harm with its teeth; and the belly of the monster became the prophet's dwelling for three days and as many nights, and the digestive power of its stomach was prevented from working. And the prophet lived in such roominess that he even offered a prayer to God. ### Scripture references - Jonah 1:14: quotation, high confidence - Jonah 1:15–16: allusion, high confidence - Jonah 1:17 (2:1 LXX): allusion, high confidence - Jonah 2:1 (2:2 LXX): allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Jonah 1:14, with a paraphrase of 1:15–17 and 2:1 (Hebrew and LXX 2:1–2). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 5.1.14 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-1-14). ## Commentary on Jonah 2:3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-0-1/#p-5-2-3 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Jonah found God present even in the sea monster's belly, which he calls Hades as a type of Christ's three days in the heart of the earth. ### Greek text Υ΄. ε« Ἐδόησα γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐν θλίψει μου πρὸς Κύριον τὸν Θεόν μου, καὶ εἰσήκουσέ μου, ἐκ ἄδου τῆς " κραυγῆς μου. » Ἐγὼ γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ πάλαι νομίζων ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις μόνον αὐτὸν ἐπειφαίνεσθα! τοῖς προφήταις, καὶ ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ τοῦ κήτοὺς ηὗρον παρόντα, καὶ προσενεγκὼν ἱκετηρίαν τῆς παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ φιλανθρωπίας ἀπήλαυσα. Λδου δὲ κοι- “1ἰαν τὴν κοιλίαν τοῦ κήτους ἐκάλεσεν, ἐπε:δὴ καὶ τὸ θηρίον θανατηφόρον, καὶ τῇ φύσει δὲ "" τῶν γεγενημένων νεκρὸς ἦν, ἔζη δὲ μόνῃ τῇ χάριτι. "Λλλως τε καὶ ὡς τύπος τοῦ Δεσπότου Χριστοῦ, τοῦ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ τῆς γῆς τρεῖς ἡμέρας καὶ νύκτας τρεῖς πεποιηκότος " εἰκότως ἑαυτὸν ἐν κοιλίᾳ ἄδου γεγενῆσθαί φησι. Καὶ τὸ πάντων παραδοξότατον, ὅτι ὁ μὲν ἀληθῶς τοῦ θανάτου γευσάμενος, ἑν τῇ κοιλίᾳ " τῆς γῆς ἔφη ἔσεσθαι τρεῖς ἡμέρα: καὶ τρεῖς νύκτας" ὁ δὲ ὑπὸ τὴν σκιὰν τοῦ θανάτου, ἄδου κοιλίαν καλεῖ ρ πὴν τοῦ κήτους κοιλίαν. Τῷ μὲν γὰρ Ἰωνᾷ οὐκ ἐν τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ ἦν ἡ ζωὴ - τῷ δὲ Δεσπότῃ Χριστῷ, καὶ τούτον χάριν ἐκεῖ μὲν ὃ ὅπου ὥἅδης καὶ θάνατος, καρδία γῆς προσηγόρευται" ἐνταῦθα δὲ ᾷδης ἡ κοι- "Δία τοῦ κήτους ὠνόμασται. ε« "ἤκουσας, φησὶ, φωνῆς μου" » οὐ γὰρ ἂν μέχρι τοῦ παρόντος ### English translation (Claude) 3. "I cried," he says, "in my affliction to the Lord my God, and he heard me; out of the belly of Hades [you heard] my cry." For I, he says, who formerly thought that he appeared to the prophets in Jerusalem alone, found him present even in the belly of the sea monster, and when I offered supplication I enjoyed his kindness. He called the belly of the monster the belly of Hades, since the beast brings death, and by the nature of what had happened he was dead, and was alive by grace alone. Besides, as a type of the Master Christ, who spent three days and three nights in the heart of the earth, he fittingly says that he was in the belly of Hades. And the most paradoxical thing of all is that the one who truly tasted death said that he would be in the belly of the earth three days and three nights, while the one who was under the shadow of death calls the monster's belly the belly of Hades. For with Jonah life was not in his own power, but with the Master Christ it was; and for this reason there, where Hades and death are, it is called "the heart of the earth", while here the belly of the monster is named Hades. "You heard," he says, "my voice"; for I would not until now … ### Scripture references - Jonah 2:2 (2:3 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Matt 12:40: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Jonah 2:2 (Hebrew and LXX 2:3; Migne's numbering follows the Greek). The saying of Christ is Matt 12:40, which Theodoret quotes once as "belly" and once as "heart" of the earth. The section ends in mid-sentence, with words lost in the scan. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 5.2.3 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-2-3). ## Commentary on Jonah 2:4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-0-1/#p-5-2-4 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Jonah, cast into the depths, fears he has lost God's care and will never see the temple again. ### Greek text δ΄. « ᾿Απέῤῥιψάς με εἰς βάθη καρδίας θαλάσσης, καὶ ποταμοὶ ἐκύκλωσάν με. » Πάλιν τῆς καρδίας ἡ μνήμη δείχνυσε τὴν σκιὰν ἐοικυΐαν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ " Ποταμοὺς δὲ λέγει τῶν κυμάτων τὰς προσέολάς. « Πάντες οἱ μετεωρισμοί σου καὶ τὰ κύματά φω ἐπ᾿ ἐμὲ διῆλθον, (ε΄.) Κἀγὼ εἶπον ᾿Απῶσμαι ἐξ ὀφθαλμῶν σου. » Τῇ τῶν κακῶν κατεχόμενος ἀωρίᾳ, καὶ πάλαι μὲν μετέωρος ὑπὸ τῶν κυμάτων φερόμεγος, νῦν δὲ ὡς ἐν δεσμωτηρίῳ ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ τοῦ κήτοὺς χαθειργόμενας ᾿", ἔγνων ὅτι τῆς σῆς ἐγυμνώ. θην προνοίας, καὶ τούτου χάριν τούτων ὄχαστον ὑπομένω. « ἿΑρα προσθήσω τοῦ ἐπιδλέψαι μα πρὸς ναὸν τὸν ἅγιόν σου; (ς΄.) Περιεχύθη μοι ὕδωρ ἕω; ψυχῆς μου, ἄδυσσος ἐχύχλωσέ με ἐσχάτη. » Ὑπ᾿ αὐτῆς γὰρ τῆς ἀδύσαου κυκλούμενος, καὶ ἐν μέσῳ τοσούτων ὑδάτων γεγενημένος, ἐνδοιάζω, καὶ δέδια μὴ παντελῶς στερηθῶ τῆς ἐπεράστου μοι θεωρέας τοῦ σοῦ ναοῦ. ### English translation (Claude) 4. "You cast me into the depths of the heart of the sea, and rivers surrounded me." Again the mention of the "heart" shows the shadow resembling the truth … And he calls the onsets of the waves "rivers". "All your billows and your waves passed over me. 5. And I said: I have been driven out of your sight." Held fast by evils that came so untimely, borne aloft by the waves before and now shut up in the belly of the monster as in a prison, I knew that I had been stripped of your providence, and that for this reason I am enduring each of these things. "Shall I indeed look again toward your holy temple? 6. Water was poured around me up to my soul; the uttermost deep surrounded me." For surrounded by the deep itself and in the midst of so many waters, I am in doubt and fear lest I be wholly deprived of the beloved sight of your temple. ### Scripture references - Jonah 2:3 (2:4 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Jonah 2:4 (2:5 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Jonah 2:5 (2:6 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Jonah 2:3, 2:4, and 2:5 (Hebrew and LXX 2:4–6). Latin debris and Migne's footnotes are removed; a line lost with them after "resembling the truth" (the comparison with Christ's "heart of the earth") is marked "…". ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 5.2.4 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-2-4). ## Commentary on Jonah 2:7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-0-1/#p-5-2-7 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: From the depths, near death, Jonah remembers God and prays to return to life and to worship in the temple. ### Greek text ζ΄. « Ἔδυ ἡ κεφαλή μου εἰς σχισμὰς ὀρέων, καὶ χατέθην εἰς γῆν, ἧς οἱ μοχλοὶ αὐτῆς κάτοχοι αἰώνοι. » Ὁρῶ γὰρ ἐμαυτὸν ὑπό τινων ὀρῶν μεγίστων θεν περ:εἰργόμενον᾽ αἰνίττεται δὲ διὰ τούτων οὗ μόνον τοῦ κήτους τὸ μέγεθος, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ἄφυκτον τῶν κατεχόντων κακῶν " εἰκὸς δὲ καὶ ὄρη τινὰ λέγειν τὰ τοῖς ὕδασι τοῖς θαλαττίοις χρυπτόμενα, οἷς ἔστιν ὅτε καὶ τὰ σκάφη προσρηγνύμενα διαφθείρεται, ἃ σαφῶς οἱ ναῦται γινώσκοντες, τὰς ὑφάλους πέτρας διαφεύγειν σπουδάζουσι. « Καὶ ἀναθήτω ἐκ φθορᾶς ἡ ζωή μου πρὸς σὲ, Κύριε, ὁ Θεός μου. (η΄.) Ἐν τῷ ἐκλείπειν ἀπ᾽ ἐμῶ τὴν ψυχήν μου, τοῦ Κυρίου ἐμνήσθην, καὶ ἔλθοι πρὸς σὲ ἡ προσευχή μου εἰς 5 ναὸν ἅγιόν σον.» Ἐπειδὴ, φησὶ, παρ᾽ αὐτὰς ὧν τοῦ θανάτου τὰς πύλας τὴν περὶ σοῦ λήθην ἐν ἐμοὶ γενέσθαι οὐκ ἠνεσχόμην, ταύτης με, Δέσποτα, τῆς φθορᾶς ἐλευθερώσας εἰ τὴν ζωὴν ἐπανάγαγε, ἵνα πάλιν ἐν τῷ ἀφιερωμένῳ σοι ναῷ τὰς συνήθεις προσευχὰς προσενέγχω. ### English translation (Claude) 7. "My head went down into the clefts of the mountains; I went down into a land whose bars are everlasting barriers." For I see myself enclosed on every side by certain very great mountains. He hints by this not only at the size of the monster but also at the inescapability of the evils that held him. It is likely, too, that he means certain mountains hidden by the waters of the sea, on which ships sometimes strike and are wrecked; the sailors know them well and take care to avoid the underwater rocks. "And let my life go up from corruption to you, Lord my God. 8. When my soul was failing me, I remembered the Lord; and may my prayer come to you, into your holy temple." Since, he says, though I was at the very gates of death I did not allow myself to forget you, free me, Master, from this corruption and bring me back to life, so that I may again offer the accustomed prayers in the temple dedicated to you. ### Scripture references - Jonah 2:6 (2:7 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Jonah 2:7 (2:8 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Jonah 2:6 and 2:7 (Hebrew and LXX 2:7–8). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 5.2.7 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-2-7). ## Commentary on Jonah 2:9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-0-1/#p-5-2-9 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Jonah vows thanksgiving and later recorded his own flight and rescue, as David recorded his sin; freed from the monster, he obeys and goes to Nineveh. ### Greek text θ΄. « Φυλασσόμενοι τὰ " μάταια καὶ ψευδῆ, ἔλεον αὑτῶν 38 ἐγκατέλιπον. » Οἱ τὰ ψευδῇ, φησὶ, χὶ μάταια δεδιδαγμένοι, τῷ κλήρῳ πεισθέντες ἀφειδῶς μὲ τῇ θαλάττῃ παρέδοσαν 3", ὑς « Ἐγὼ δὲ μετὰ φωνῇς αἰνέσεως καὶ ἔξομο: λογήσεως θύσω σοι, ὅσα ηὐξάμην ἀποδώτω σοι εἰς σωτηρίαν μου τῷ Κυρίῳ. ν» ᾿Απαλλαγεὶς γὰρ τῶν Ὁ κατεχόντων δεινῶν, τὰς σωτηρίας σοι προσοίσω σίας, διηγούμενος καὶ " τῆς σῆς εὐεργεσίας πὴν μῖ΄ γαλουργίαν, καὶ τῆς ἐμῆς φυγῆς τὴν ζημίαν. Ὑπὸοσχόμενος δὲ ταῦτα καὶ "ἴ πεπλήρωκεν ὁ μακάρι: Ἱωνᾶς, καὶ συγγραφῇ παρέδωκεν ἅπαντα, ὥστε Π μόνον τοὺς τηνικάδε ἀνθρώπους, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἀψγόνους τὰ κατ᾽ αὐτὸν μαθεῖν. Καὶ καθάπερ ὁ μακάριος Δαδὶδ ἀνάγραπτον πεποίηκε τὴν οἰκείαν ἀμ τίαν, καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν κηρύττων, καὶ ταῖς ἁμαρτάνουαι τὰ φάμμαχα τῆς μετανοίας δεικνύς οὕτως ὁ θαυμάσιος Ἰυνᾶς καὶ τὴν φυγὴν,Α καὶ τὴν ἐπενεχθεῖσαν αὐτῷ τιμωρίαν, καὶ τὴν δωρηθεῖσαν σωτηρίαν παραδέδωκεν ἱστορίᾳ. Ὃ δὲ φιλἀνθρωπος Δεσπότης δεξάμενος τὴν εὐχὴν, οἷον ἀπό τινος εἱρκτῆς τῆς τοῦ κήτους κοιλίας τὸν προφήτην ἐξήγαγεν. ᾿Αλλὰ πάλιν εὐθὺς παρηγγύησεν ἐκεῖνα δρᾶσαι, ἃ πρότερον ἤκουσε, καὶ τὴν μεγάλην πόλιν ἐχείνην καταλαδεῖν, καὶ τὸ κήρυγμα προσενεγκεῖν τῆς φοῦερᾶς ἀπειλῆς" μαθὼν δὲ τῇ πείρᾳ τὴν ζημίαν ἣν φέρει τὸ ἀντιτείνειν Θεῷ, ποιεῖται τὴν πορείαν ὡς προσετάχθη, καὶ χαταλαμθάνει τὴν Νινευῖ, Μηδεὶς δὲ ἀνοήτως πολυπραγμονείτω, πῶξ αὐτὸν τὸ κῆτος ἐξήμεσε " πάντα γὰρ δυνατὰ βουλομένου Θεοῦ " μήτε μὴν παρὰ ποίαν αὐτὸν ἐξήγαγεν ἣϊόνα " καὶ τοῦτο γὰρ τῶν ἄγαν ἐστὶ περιττῶν. ᾿Αρχείσθω δὲ πᾶς εὺ- ### English translation (Claude) 9. "Those who keep vain and false things have forsaken their mercy." Those who were taught false and vain things, he says, persuaded by the lot, handed me over to the sea without pity … "But I, with the voice of praise and confession, will sacrifice to you; what I vowed I will render to you for my salvation, to the Lord." For when I am freed from the terrors that hold me, I will offer you sacrifices of salvation, recounting the magnificence of your benefaction and the loss that my flight brought. And the blessed Jonah, having promised these things, fulfilled them, and committed everything to writing, so that not only the people of that time but also those who came after might learn what concerned him. And just as the blessed David put his own sin on record, proclaiming God's kindness and showing sinners the remedies of repentance, so the wonderful Jonah too handed down in history his flight, the punishment brought upon him, and the salvation granted to him. The loving Master received the prayer and brought the prophet out of the belly of the monster as out of a prison. But at once he charged him again to do what he had heard before, to reach that great city and bring the proclamation of the fearful threat. And having learned by experience the loss that resisting God brings, he makes the journey as he was commanded and reaches Nineveh. Let no one foolishly busy himself with how the monster vomited him out, for all things are possible when God wills it; nor on what shore it put him out, for that too is quite superfluous. Let everyone be content … ### Scripture references - Jonah 2:8 (2:9 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Jonah 2:9 (2:10 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Jonah 2:10 (2:11 LXX): allusion, high confidence - Jonah 3:1–3: allusion, high confidence - Ps 51:1 (50:3 LXX): allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Jonah 2:8 and 2:9 (Hebrew and LXX 2:9–10), with a paraphrase of 2:10 and 3:1–3. A line is lost in the scan after the comment on 2:8; marked "…". A scholion in Migne's notes, applying the passage to the Lord's resurrection, is printed in the scan inside this section; it is removed with the other footnotes. The section ends in mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 5.2.9 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-2-9). ## Commentary on Jonah 3:3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-0-1/#p-5-3-3 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Nineveh was dear to God for its many people; its "three days' journey" means the time needed to go around it preaching. ### Greek text γ΄. «ἼῈῸ ἐὲ Νινευῖ, φησὶν, ἦν πόλις μεγάλη τῷ Θεῷ, ὡσεὶ πορείας ὁδοῦ ἡμερῶν τριῶν. » Περὶ πολλοῦ, φησὶν, ὁ Θεὸς τὴν ταύτης ἐποιεῖτο σωτηρίαν, ἅτε δὴ πολλοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ διαπλάσας ἀνθρώπους. Ἐὸ δὲ, « ὭὩσεὶ πορείας ὁδοῦ ἡμερῶν τριῶν, » τινὲς μὲν περὶ «ἧς χώρας ἐξειλήφασι τῆς ὑπὸ τὴν πόλιν τελούσης, ὡς τριῶν ἡμερῶν ὁδὸν κατά τε τὸ μῆκος, καὶ τὸ εὖρος ἐχούσης " τινὲς δὲ ὡς τοῦ κηρύττοντος διὰ τριῶν ἡμερῶν ἅπασαν περινοστῆσαι δυναμένου τὴν πόλιν. Εἴτε δὲ τοῦτο, εἴτε ἐκεῖνό τις δέξαιτο, οὐδὲν λυμανεῖται τῇ ἀληθείᾳ " ἀλλ᾽ ὅμως ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ τὸ δεύτερον α, ἀληθέστερον εἶναι" τοῦτο δέ με προαιρεῖαθαι τὸ ἐπαγόμενον ἀναγκάζει. ### English translation (Claude) 3. "Now Nineveh," he says, "was a great city to God, about three days' journey." God, he says, set great store by its salvation, since he had formed many human beings in it. "About three days' journey" some have understood of the territory that belonged to the city, as measuring three days' journey in length and breadth; others as meaning that the preacher could go around the whole city in three days. Whichever of these one accepts, it will do no harm to the truth; yet the second seems to me truer, and what follows compels me to prefer it. ### Scripture references - Jonah 3:3: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Jonah 3:3. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 5.3.3 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-3-3). ## Commentary on Jonah 3:4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-0-1/#p-5-3-4 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Jonah preaches; the Ninevites, king and people and even animals, fast in sackcloth and turn from evil, so God spares them, and Jonah, ashamed that his prophecy seems false, asks to die. ### Greek text δ΄. « Ἤρξατο γὰρ, φησὶν, Ἰωνᾶς τοῦ εἰσπορεύεσθαι εἰς τὴν πόλιν ὡσεὶ πορείαν " ἡμέρας μιᾶς. » Οὐ κατ᾽ εὐθὺ τῆς πόλεως ὁδεύων, ἀλλ᾽ ἀγορὰς καὶ ἀγυιὰς, καὶ ῥύμας περινοστῶν, καὶ κηρύττων, ὅτι Ταύτας δὲ καὶ ὁ ᾿Ακύλας, καὶ ὁ Σύμμαχο;, καὶ ὁ Θεοδοτίων, τεσσαράκοντα, ἔφασαν, συμφωνοῦσι δὰ τούτοις καὶ ὁ Σύρος, καὶ ὁ Ἑδραῖος " ἔχει δὲ καὶ τὸ εἰκὸς οὗτος ὁ ἀριθμός. Καὶ γὰρ τρισὶν ἡμέραις ποτὲ μὲν ἅπασαν ἐνόστησε. τὴν πόλιν ὁ Ἰωνᾶς, ποτὲ δὲ τὴν μετάνοιαν τὴν ἐπίπονον ἐχείνην οἱ Νινευΐῖται τῷ Θεῷ προσενεγχόντες, τῆς παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ σωτηρίας ἀπήλαυσαν᾽ ποτὲ δὲ πρὸ τῶν πυλῶν καθήμενος τὸ τῆς ἢ προφητείας ἀνέμενε τέλος. Διό μοι δοκεῖ τὸ τῶν τεσσαράνοντα ἡμερῶν ἀληθέστερον εἶνας. Εἰκὸς δὲ καὶ τοὺς Ἑδδομήχουτα σύμφωνον τοῖς ἄλλοις τεθεικέναι πὃν ἀριθμόν - τοὺς δὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐγγραψαμένους ἁμαρτεῖν περὶ τοῦτα, εἶτα οὕτω γενέσθαι πᾶσι τῶν ἀντιγράφων τὴν ἔκδοσιν. Οἱ ὃς. Νινενῖται ἄνδρα καὶ ἀλλόφυλον θεασάμενοι ἀπηχὲς ποιούμενον τισαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῇ προῤῥήσει πιστεύσαντες, σάκκον ἀμπεχόμενοι, τῷ Θεῷ τὰς ἱχετείας προσέφερον, οἵ τε οἱ καὶ οἱ πενίᾳ τυζῶντες " τοῦτο γὰρ εἶπεν" ε ᾿Απὸ μικροῦ καὶ ἕως μεγάλου αὑτῶν. » Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶνδε τῶν λόγων κατέλιπε θρόνον, καὶ τὴν ἁλουργίδα ὡς ἀνόνητον ἀπεδύσατο, τὴν δὲ τοῦ σάκκου περιδολὴν ἀντὶ ταύτη; ἐδέξατο" πάντας δὲ οὐ μόνον ἄνδρας καὶ γυναῖκας ἀσιτίᾳ προσέχειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἀλόγων προσέταξς τὰ γένη μηδεμιᾶς ἀπολαῦσαι τροφῆς, ὡς ἂν τῷ λιμῷ πιεζομένων, καὶ τῶν μὲν μυχωμένων, τῶν δὲ βληχομένων, καὶ ἑκάστων τῇ οἰκείᾳ κεχρη μένων φωνῇ, θερμότερα μὲν οἱ ἄνθρωποι προσενέγχαιεν δάχρνα, ἀνοίξαιεν δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰς τοῦ ἐλέου πηγά:. Οὐ μόνον δὲ τῷ σάκκῳ, καὶ τῇ νηστείᾳ χρώμενοι, τῷ Θεῷ τὰς ἱκεσίας "Ὁ προσέφερον, ἀλλὰ, « Καὶ ἀπέστρεψεν ἕκαστος ἀπὸ τῆς ὁδοῦ αὑτοῦ τῆ; πονηρᾶς, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀδικίας τῆς ἐν χερσὶν αὑτῶν, λέγοντες " (θ'.) Τίς οἶδεν, εἰ ἐπιστρέψει ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ παραχληθήσεται, καὶ ἀποστρέψει ἀπὸ ν᾽ ὀργῆς θυμοῦ αὑτοῦ, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀπολώμεθα; » Οὗτος γὰρ ὅρος ἀληθοῦς μετανοίας. « ΓἜχχλινον γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀπὸ κακοῦ, καὶ ποίησον ἀγαθόν. ν Καὶ πάλιν" « Παύσασθε ἀπὸ τῶν πονηριῶν ὑμῶν, μάθετε καλὸν ποιεῖν.» Καὶ οἱ Νινευῖται τοίνυν, τῆς προτέρας παυσάμενοι ἁμαρτίας "8, καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ κρεῖττον μεταθδολὴν τοῦ τρόπου δεξάμενοι, τῆς θείας εὐμενείας ἀπήλαυσαν. ὑ. « Εἴδε γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ Θεὸς τὰ ἔργα αὑτῶν, ὅτι ἀπέστρεψαν ἀπὸ τῶν ὁδῶν αὑτῶν τῶν πονηρῶν, καὶ μετενόησεν ὁ Θεὸς ἐπὶ τῇ κακίᾳ, ἢ ἐλάλησε τοῦ ποιῆσαι αὐτοῖς, καὶ οὐκ ἐποίησεν. » Οὐ τῇ νηστείι προσέσχεν, ἀλλὰ τῇ ἀποχῇ τῶν κακῶν " διὸ χαρίζεται μετανοίᾳ μετάνοιαν, οὐκ ὁμοίως ἡμῖν μετανοῶν (οὗ γὰρ νῦν μὲν τοῦτο, νῦν δὲ ἐκεῖνο βούλεται ὁ ἀλλὰ τὴν μεταθδολὴν τῆς ἀπειλῆς μετάνοιαν προῦ ηγόρευσε" τούτου γὰρ ἕνεκα καὶ Ἠπείλησε ᾿ χολάτειν δὲ βουλόμενος, οὐκ ἂν προσήνεγκεν ἀπειλὴν, ἀλλ᾽ αὐτὴν τὴν τιμωρίαν ἐπέφερεν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ μόνῃ καίρει τῇ σωτηρίᾳ, ἀπειλεῖ τὰ λυπηρὰ, ἵνα μὴ ἐπαγάγῃ τὰ λυπηρά. Κακίαν δὲ τὴν ἀπειλὴν προσηγόρευσεν, οὐκ ὡς φύσει κακὴν οὖσαν " πῶς γὰρ ἂν εἴη κακὴ, ἡ κακίας μὲν παῦλαν, ἀρετῆς δὲ καὶ εὐνομίας κτῆσιν εἰσαγαγοῦσα; Τοῖς δὲ παρ᾽ ἡμῖν. πολιτευομένοις ὀνόμασιν ἡ θεία χκεχρημένη Γραφὴ, κακίαν' ὠνόμασε τῆς τιμωρίας τὴν ἀπειλὴν, ὡς κακοῦν καὶ ἀνιᾷν Ὁ νην. Ταύτην τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν "ὁ θεασάμενο; ὁ προφήτης, ἀθυμεῖ καὶ ἀνιᾶται, ὡς τῆς προῤῥήσεως ἐλεγχομένης, καὶ ψευδοῦς φαινομένης. Εἶτα τῷ θεῷ προσευχόμενος, καὶ τῆς φυγῆς τὴν αἰτίαν διδάσκων, β΄. « Οὐκ οὗτοι οἱ λόγοι μου "΄, φησὶν, ἦσαν ἔτι ὄντος μου ἐν τῇ γῇ μου; Διὰ τοῦτο πρηέφθασα το) φυγεῖν εἰς Θαρσίς. ν Ταῦτα ἐπιστάμενος (ἑώρεν γάρ σε πολλὴν καὶ περὶ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ μακροθυμίαν ἐπιδεικνύμενον' ἐλεήμων γὰρ εἴ καὶ οἰκτίρμων, μακρόθυμος καὶ πολυέλεος, καὶ μετανοῶν ἐπὶ ταῖς κακίαις), τὴν φυγὴν ἐχείνην ἐποιησάμην, εἶτα κλύδωνι καὶ χήτει παραδοθεὶς, ἱχέτευσα πάλιν ἐπανελθεῖν εἷς ζωήν νῦν δὲ τοὐναντίον ἀντιδολῶ " Υ΄. «Δέσποτα Κύριε, λάθδε " τὴν ψυχήν μου ἀπ᾽ ἐμοῦ "., ὅτι χαλόν μοι δ τὸ ἀποθανεῖν με, ἢ ζῇν με "".», Προαιροῦμαε γὰρ θάνατον τῆς μετ᾽ αἰσχύνης ζωῆς " αἰσχύνομαι δὲ, καὶ ἐγχαλύπτομαι, ψεύστης ἀπὸ τοσούτῶν ὀνομαζόμενος. ᾿Αλλ᾽ ὁ ἀγαθὸς ἀποχρίνεται Δεσπότης, καί φησι τῷ προφήτῃ " δ΄. ε Εἰ σφόδρα λελύπησαι σύ; » Τοῦτο σαφέστερον ὁ Σύμμαχος ἡρμήνευσεν" ἔφη γάρ’ Ἄρα δικαίως ἐιλυπήθης; οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ εἰρήκασιν Εἰ καλῶς σπήθης; ἀντὶ τοῦ, Σκόπησον παρ᾽ ἑαυτῷ, εἰ δικαίας ἔχεις τῆς ἀθυμίας ἀφορμάς. Καὶ ἐνταῦθα μὲν αὑτῷ εὑρέσθας λογισμῷ κελεύει τῆς ἀθυμίας παραψυχὴν" ἐν δὲ τῷ τέλει τῆς προφητείας, καὶ αὐτοῦ τὴν οὐ καλὴν ἀθυμίαν ἐλέγχε!, καὶ τῆ; οἰκείας ψήφου τὸ εὔλογον δείκνυσι. ### English translation (Claude) 4. "For Jonah began," he says, "to go into the city about a day's journey." He did not walk straight across the city, but went around its marketplaces, streets, and lanes, proclaiming that … These days Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion said were forty, and the Syriac and the Hebrew agree with them; and this number also has probability on its side. For in three days when could Jonah have gone around the whole city, when could the Ninevites have offered God that laborious repentance and enjoyed salvation from him, and when could he have sat before the gates and awaited the outcome of the prophecy? So the forty days seems truer to me. And it is likely that the Seventy too put down the number in agreement with the others, but that those who first copied it made a mistake here, and so the text of all the copies came to be as it is. The Ninevites, seeing a man, and a foreigner, making a harsh [proclamation], not only … but believed the prediction, and putting on sackcloth they offered their supplications to God, both the … and those living in poverty; for this is what he said: "From the least of them to the greatest." And since the king himself, [hearing] these words, left his throne, stripped off the purple as useless, and put on a garment of sackcloth instead, and commanded not only all the men and women to keep the fast but also the kinds of irrational animals to take no food, so that, when the animals were pressed by hunger, some lowing and others bleating, each with its own voice, the human beings might offer warmer tears and open the springs of God's mercy. And they offered their supplications to God not only with sackcloth and fasting, but: "And each turned from his evil way and from the injustice that was in their hands, saying: 9. Who knows whether God will turn and be appeased and turn from the wrath of his anger, so that we do not perish?" For this is the definition of true repentance: "Turn away from evil and do good." And again: "Cease from your wickedness, learn to do good." So the Ninevites, ceasing from their former sin and accepting a change of their ways for the better, enjoyed the divine favor. 10. "For God saw their works, that they turned from their evil ways, and God repented of the evil which he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it." He did not attend to the fasting, but to the abstaining from evils; therefore he grants repentance in return for repentance, not repenting as we do (for he does not wish now this, now that), but Scripture called the change of the threat "repentance"; for this is why he threatened. If he had wished to punish, he would not have offered a threat but would have brought on the punishment itself. But since he delights only in salvation, he threatens painful things so as not to bring painful things. And it called the threat "evil", not as being evil by nature; for how could that be evil which brought in an end of wickedness and the acquisition of virtue and good order? But the divine Scripture, using the names current among us, called the threat of punishment "evil", as doing harm and causing grief. Seeing this kindness of God, the prophet is despondent and grieved, as though his prediction had been refuted and shown to be false. Then, praying to God and teaching the reason for his flight: 2. "Were not these my words," he says, "while I was still in my own land? That is why I hastened to flee to Tharsis." Knowing these things (for I saw you showing great long-suffering toward Israel too; for you are merciful and compassionate, long-suffering and abounding in mercy, and you repent of evils), I made that flight; then, handed over to the storm and the sea monster, I begged to return to life again; but now I entreat the opposite: 3. "Master, Lord, take my soul from me, for it is better for me to die than to live." For I prefer death to a life of shame; I am ashamed and hide my face, being called a liar by so many. But the good Master answers and says to the prophet: 4. "Are you very grieved?" Symmachus rendered this more clearly, for he said: "Were you justly grieved?" And the others said: "Were you rightly grieved?", that is: consider within yourself whether you have just grounds for your despondency. And here he bids him find consolation for his despondency by his own reasoning; but at the end of the prophecy he both refutes his ill-founded despondency and shows the reasonableness of his own sentence. ### Scripture references - Jonah 3:4: quotation, high confidence - Jonah 3:5–7: allusion, high confidence - Jonah 3:8–9: quotation, high confidence - Jonah 3:10: quotation, high confidence - Ps 34:14 (33:15 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Isa 1:16–17: quotation, high confidence - Jonah 4:1: allusion, high confidence - Jonah 4:2: quotation, high confidence - Jonah 4:3: quotation, high confidence - Jonah 4:4: quotation, high confidence - Exod 34:6: echo, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Jonah 3:4, 3:5 paraphrased, 3:8–9, 3:10, and Jonah 4:2, 4:3, and 4:4 (chapter 4 begins inside this section). The words of the proclamation ("Yet three days, and Nineveh will be overthrown", LXX) are lost in the scan; Theodoret argues that the LXX's "three days" is a copyists' error for the "forty days" of the Hebrew and the other versions. Words are lost in the scan in the sentence on the Ninevites' response; marked "…". Quotations: Ps 34:14 (LXX 33:15), Isa 1:16–17; compare Exod 34:6 and Joel 2:13 for Jonah 4:2. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 5.3.4 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-3-4). ## Commentary on Jonah 4:5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-4-5/#p-5-4-5 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Jonah's booth outside Nineveh is told out of order; it preceded his despondency, and God consoled him with a gourd. ### Greek text ε΄. « Καταλιπὼν δὲ δ' τὴν πόλιν ὁ Ἰωνᾶς ἐκάθισεν ἀπέναντι αὐτῆς, καὶ ἐποίησεν ἑαυτῷ σκηνὴν, καὶ ἐκάθητο ὑποχάτω αὐτῆς, ἕως οὗ ἐπίδῃ τέ ἔσται τῇ πόλει. ν» Τοῦτο, δὲ πρῶτον γενόμενον, τελευταῖον τέθεικεν ὁ προφήτης. Διηγησάμενος γὰρ τῶν Νινευϊπῶν τὴν μετάνοιαν, ἢδουλήθη ταύτῃ συνάψαι τὴν θείαν φιλανθρωπίαν, καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ ταύτης αὐτῷ συμ.- Θᾶσαν ἀθυμίαν. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ τὰ μεταξὺ γενόμενα λέγει, ὅτι κηρύξας ἐξῆ)θε τοῦ ἄστεως, καὶ πηξάμενος σκηνὴν τὸ τέλος ἀνέμενε τῆς προῤῥήσεως" τοῦτο δὲ δῖλον ὡς; πρὸ τῆς ἀθυμίας ἐγένετο" μετὰ γὰρ τὸ τῶν ὡρισμένων ἡμερῶν τέλος, θεασάμενος μηδὲν ἐχείνην ὑπομείνασαν τὴν πόλιν, τὴν μετ᾽ ὀδύνης “προσήνεγκε τῷ Θεῷ προσευχήν. ᾿Αλλ’ ὅμως καὶ «τούτῳ πάλιν μηχανᾶται παραψυχὴν, καὶ διά τινος αὐτῷ χολοχύνθης, ὡς αὐτὸς ἠθέλησε, παραυτίκα βλαστησάσης, καὶ ἐχταθείσης, καὶ κόμην ὅτι “προσφέρει. Τὸ δὲ, ### English translation (Claude) 5. "And Jonah left the city and sat opposite it, and made himself a booth and sat under it, until he should see what would happen to the city." The prophet has put last what happened first. For having narrated the Ninevites' repentance, he wished to join to it God's kindness and the despondency that befell him because of it. Here he tells what happened in between: that after preaching he went out of the town, pitched a booth, and awaited the outcome of the prediction. And this clearly happened before his despondency; for after the end of the appointed days, seeing that the city had suffered nothing, he offered his prayer to God in distress. Nevertheless God again contrives consolation for him, through a gourd which, as he himself willed, sprang up at once, spread out, and put forth very full foliage. And the phrase ### Scripture references - Jonah 4:5: quotation, high confidence - Jonah 4:6: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Jonah 4:5. The section ends in mid-sentence; the phrase is quoted in the next section. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 5.4.5 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-4-5). ## Commentary on Jonah 4:6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-4-5/#p-5-4-6 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God's "command" to the gourd, as to the sea monster, means his will; the gourd cheers Jonah until God sends a worm to destroy it. ### Greek text ς΄. « Πρυσέταξε Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς δ" χολοχύνθῃ, » τέθεικεν, οὐ φωνὴν ἐνταῦθα θείαν παραδηλῶν, ἀλλὰ διδάτχων, ὡς ἅμα τε ἠθέλησεν ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ τὸ φυτὸν εἰς τὸ εἶναι παρήχθη. Οὕτω καὶ ἄνω ἔφη « Προσἔταξεν ὁ Θεὸς χῆτει,» οὐ φωνῇ θείᾳ τοῦτο γεγενῆσϑαι λέγων, ἀλλὰ βουλῇ " πρόσταγμα γὰρ καλεῖ τὸ βούλημα. Οὕτως ὁ μακάριος ᾿Ιωνᾶς εὐθυμίαν ἀντὶ λύπης ἐδέξατο. ᾿Αλλὰ πάλιν ὁ Θεὸς ὑπὸ τὴν ἕω διά τινος σκώληκος τῆς κολοχύνθης διαφθείρας τὴν ῥί- Τούτου δὲ γενομένου, καὶ σφοδρότερον τῆς ἀκτῖνος, Ὦ κχατὰ τὸ εἰωθὸς, τῇ κεφαλῇ προσδαλούσης " ### English translation (Claude) 6. "The Lord God commanded a gourd" he put down, not indicating here a divine voice, but teaching that as soon as God willed it, the plant was brought into being. So above too he said, "God commanded the sea monster", not saying that this happened by a divine voice but by his will; for he calls the will a command. So the blessed Jonah received good cheer instead of grief. But again God at dawn destroyed the root of the gourd by means of a worm … And when this had happened, and the sun's ray struck his head more violently than usual, ### Scripture references - Jonah 4:6: quotation, high confidence - Jonah 4:7: allusion, high confidence - Jonah 1:17 (2:1 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Jonah 4:6, with a paraphrase of 4:7. "Above": Jonah 1:17 (LXX 2:1). A line is lost in the scan after "by means of a worm"; marked "…". The section ends in mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 5.4.6 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-4-6). ## Commentary on Jonah 4:8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-4-5/#p-5-4-8 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God answers Jonah's grief over the gourd by asking him to judge whether God should not spare Nineveh, full of children and cattle; Theodoret closes with praise of God's mercy. ### Greek text η΄. « Προσέταξε γὰρ "5 ὁ Θεὸς πνεύματι καύσωνος συγκαίοντι, καὶ ἐπάταξεν ὁ ἥλιος ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν δὶς ὀδύνην ἐπανῆλθε μείζονα, καὶ καθίστατο δ τῆς ζωτς τὸν θάνατον προαιρούμενος. ᾿Αλλ᾽ αὖθις ὁ καὶ τὸν ἁμαρτωλῶν χηδύμενος καὶ τῶν δικαίων προμηθοῦ. μένος, ἤρετο τὸν προφήτην, εἰ λίαν ἐπὶ τῇ χολοχύνθτ, λελύπηται- τοῦ δὲ τοῦτο πάσχειν ὁμολογήσαντος, ὡς καὶ θάνατον τούτου γε εἵνεκα τῇς ζωῆς προτιμᾶν" Σοὶ, φησὶν ὁ Θεὸς, χρῶμαι κριτῇ " σχόπηπον εἰ δίκαιον, σὲ μὲν ὑπὲρ τῆς χολοχύνθης ἀλγεῖν, ἔ; οὗ γεγένησαι γεωργὸς (οὖτα γὰρ ἐφύτευσαξς, οὔτε ἤρδευσας, ἀλλ᾽ ὑπὸ τὴν ἕω γενομένη, σκώληκος τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ καὶ ἡλίου γεγένηται παρανάλωμα), ἐμὲ ὃὲ ἀφειδῶς τοταύτῃ χρήσασθαι πόλει, ὑπ᾽ ἐμοῦ τὸ εἶνας λαδούσῃ, ἐν ἧ κατοικοῦσι πλείους ἢ δώδεκα μυριάδες ἀνθρώπων, οἵτινες οὐκ ἔγνωσαν δεξιὰν αὑτῶν, ἀριστερὰν αὑτῶν, καὶ κτήνη πολλά. Τοῦτο τοίνυν λογιζόμενος, θαύμασον τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν, ὡς τὸ εὖλογον ἔχουσαν. Τὸ δὲ, « Οὐκ ἔγνωσαν δεξιὰν αὐτῶν ἣ ἀριστερὰν αὑτῶν, » τινὲς ἐπὶ ἁπλότητος ἐξειλήφασιν᾿ ἐμοὶ δὲ δοκεῖ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἐνοικούντων νέο) αἰνίττεσθαι" καὶ ὁ σχοπὸ; δὲ τῶν εἰρημένων πρὸς ταύτην ἡμᾶς ποδηγεῖ τὴν διάνοιαν. Εἰ γὰρ οὐκ ἔδει, φησὶ, δέξασθαι τὴν τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν μετάνοιαν, ἐχρῆν γοῦν οἶκτόν τινα λαθεῖν τοσούτων μυριάζων, οἷς διὰ τὸ νέον τῆς ἡλικίας, οὐ τῆς δεξιᾶς καὶ ἄρ!:στερᾶς χειρὸς ἡ γνῶσις ἐνετέύη. Πρὸς δὲ τούτοις καὶ κτήνη νικῶντα τὸν ἀριθμὰν ἡ πόλις ἔχει, οὐδε μίαν οὐδὲ αὐτὰ δίκην ὑπὲρ ἁμαρτημάτων ὀφείλοντα. Ὥσπερ οὖν τὰ κτήνη διὰ τοῦτο προστέθειχεν, οὕτω καὶ τὴν ἄωρον ἡλικίαν 57.» ὡς μήτε τούτων, μήτε ἐχείνων, ποινὴν ὑπὲρ ἁμαρτημάτων ἐνδίκως εἰσπραττομένων. Τῆς μὲν οὖν προφητείας τοῦτο τὸ τέλος. Ἡμεῖς δὲ τὸν ἀγαθὸν ἡμῶν Δεσπότην ὑμνήσωμεν, ὃς οὐ βουλόμενος τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ τὸν θάνατον, ὡς τὸ ἐπιστρέψαι καὶ ζῆν αὐτὸν, καὶ λυπεῖν ἔστιν ὅτε τοὺς ἁγίους ἄνδρας ἀνέχεται, καὶ μὴ βουλομένων αὐτῶν ὀρέγει τὸν ἔλεον. Οὕτω; Ἠλία τοῦ πάνυ τὸν ὑετὸν ἐπισχόντος, αὑτὸς οἷόν τις πρεσδευτὴ : πα;γίνεται πρὸς τὸν δοῦλον, « Πορεύθητι, λέγων, καὶ ὄφθητι τῷ ᾿Αχαὰδ, καὶ δώσω τὸν ὑετὸν ἐπὶ προτὦπου τῆς γῆς. ν Τοσαύτης τοιγαροῦν ἡμερότητος ἀπολαύοντες, ταῖς εὐεργεσίαις ἁρμόττουσαν τὴν Ὑνώμτν ἐπιδειξώμεθα, καὶ κατὰ τοὺς θείους αὐτοῦ πολιτευσώμεθα νόμους, ἵνα δρεψώμεθα τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς Ὁ τούτων καὶ ἐπεράστους καρποὺς, χάριτι τοῦ Κυρίου “᾿ ἡμῶν Ἰητοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ᾽ οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡ δόξα, σὺν ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς; τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν ### English translation (Claude) 8. "For God commanded a burning wind of scorching heat, and the sun struck on the head …" … he fell back into greater pain and set himself to prefer death to life. But again the one who cares for sinners and provides for the righteous asked the prophet whether he was very grieved over the gourd; and when he confessed that he felt this, so much as even to prefer death to life on account of it, God says: "I make you the judge. Consider whether it is just for you to grieve over the gourd, which you did not cultivate (for you neither planted it nor watered it; it came into being at dawn and the next day became the prey of a worm and of the sun), and for me not to spare so great a city, which received its being from me, in which live more than twelve myriads of human beings who did not know their right hand [or] their left, and many cattle. Reckon this, then, and marvel at my kindness, as having good reason." Some have understood "They did not know their right hand or their left" of simplicity; but to me it seems to hint at the multitude of young people living there, and the aim of what is said guides us to this meaning. For if, he says, I ought not to have accepted the repentance of sinners, I ought at least to have felt some pity for so many myriads, in whom, because of their youth, the knowledge of the right and left hand had not yet been implanted. Besides, the city also has cattle past numbering, which themselves owe no penalty for sins. Just as he added the cattle for this reason, so also the untimely age, since neither these nor those can justly be made to pay a penalty for sins. This, then, is the end of the prophecy. But let us praise our good Master, who, not willing the death of the sinner so much as that he should turn and live, sometimes bears even with holy men who are grieved, and holds out his mercy even when they do not wish it. So when the great Elijah held back the rain, he himself comes to his servant as a kind of envoy, saying: "Go and show yourself to Ahab, and I will give rain on the face of the earth." Enjoying such great gentleness, then, let us show a disposition that fits his benefits, and live according to his divine laws, so that we may gather their good and lovely fruits, by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom be glory to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, now and always and to the ages of ages. ### Scripture references - Jonah 4:8: quotation, high confidence - Jonah 4:9–10: allusion, high confidence - Jonah 4:11: quotation, high confidence - Ezek 33:11: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 18:1: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Jonah 4:8, with a paraphrase of 4:8–11 and a quotation of 4:11. The end of the lemma and the opening of the comment are lost in the scan among Latin debris and Migne's footnotes; marked "…". Theodoret takes those who do not know right from left to be young children. Quotations and allusions: Ezek 33:11, 1 Kgs 18:1. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 5.4.8 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-4-8). ## Commentary on Micah, Preface, part 1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-4-5/#p-6-0-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Theodoret introduces Micah as one of the many prophets God sent to heal Israel, a contemporary of Hosea, Joel, and Amos. ### Greek text Τῆ; τοῦ θεσπεσίου Μικαίου προφητείας μενος, τῆς Δεσποτιχῆς ἀνεμνήσθην φωνῆς, ἣν ἐν ποἷς ἱεροῖς ἀφῆκεν Εὐαγγελίοις, τῶν ᾿Ιουδαίων τραγῳδῶν τὴν μοχθηρίαν, καὶ ἀγνώμονα γνώμην" ε Ἱερουσαλὴμ, Ἱερουσαλὴμ,, ἡ ἀποκτείνουσα τοὺς προαὑτὴν, ποσάκις ἠθέλησα ἐπισυναγαγεῖν τὰ τέχνα σου, ὃν τρόπον ὄρνις ἐπισυνάγει τὰ νοσσία ἑαυτῆς ὑπὸ τὰς πτέρυγας, καὶ οὐκ ἠθελήσατε [ » Τοσούτοις γὰρ καὶ τοιούτοις ἀνδράσι τὴν προφητικὴν δωρησάμενος χάριν, τοῖς χαλεποῖς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἰατροὺς ἐπέστησεν ἕλκεσι. Τούτων δὲ εἷς καὶ ὁ μακάριος Μικαίας, τὴν αὐτὴν ποιησάμενος πρόῤῥησιν τοῖς θαυμασίοις ἐκείνοις Ὡσηξ, καὶ Ἰωὴλ, καὶ ᾿Αμώς " κοινωνεῖ δὲ αὐτοῖς καὶ τοῦ χρόνου, εἰ καὶ σμικρῷ τινι προὔλαδον ἐκεῖνοι, ἐν τῇ Ὁζίου βασιλείᾳ τῆς προφητείας ἀρ. ξάμενοι " καὶ οὗτος γὰρ ἐν ἡμέραις Ἰωάθαμ, καὶ Ἄχαζ, καὶ Ἐζεχίου, βασιλέων Ἰούδα, εἶδεν ἃ εἶδξ περὶ Σαμαρείας καὶ Ἱερουσαλήμ ἐπὶ τούτων δὲ καὶ ὁ μακάριος προεφήτευσεν Ὡσηέ, Διὰ πλειόνων δὲ ὁ Δεσπότης Θεὸς ταυτὰ προαγορεύει, ἵνα τῶν προφητῶν αἰδεσθέντες τὸ πλῆθος οἱ τὴν ἀναλγησίαν νοσοῦντες, ὀψὲ γοῦν ποτε τῆς δυσσεδείας καὶ πονηρίᾳς 8 ἀπαλλαγῶσιν. "Ἄρχεται δὲ ὁ θειότατος Μικαία: οὕτω τῆς προφητείας “ - ### English translation (Claude) As I was [about to begin] the [interpretation] of the prophecy of the inspired Micah, I recalled the Master's voice, which he left in the holy Gospels, lamenting the wickedness and ungrateful mind of the Jews: "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets [and stones those sent to] her, how often I wanted to gather your children, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing!" For having given the prophetic grace to so many men, and such men, he set physicians over the grievous wounds of Israel. One of these is the blessed Micah, who made the same prediction as those wonderful men Hosea, Joel, and Amos; and he shares their time too, even if they preceded him a little, beginning their prophecy in the reign of Uzziah; for he too saw what he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and under these the blessed Hosea also prophesied. The Master God foretells the same things through several, so that those suffering from insensibility, out of respect for the number of the prophets, might at last be freed from impiety and wickedness. The most divine Micah begins his prophecy thus: ### Scripture references - Matt 23:37: quotation, high confidence - Luke 13:34: echo, medium confidence - Mic 1:1: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Preface to Micah. The opening words are partly lost in the scan; the bracketed words supply the sense. The quotation is Matt 23:37 (compare Luke 13:34); the dating follows Mic 1:1. Theodoret's description of the Jews follows his reading of the Gospel passage and is translated as written. The preface ends in mid-sentence; the lemma follows in the next section. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.0.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-0-1). ## Commentary on Micah 1:2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-4-5/#p-6-1-2 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Micah summons the "peoples", the two divided kingdoms, to hear God's testimony from his temple. ### Greek text β΄. ε« ᾿Ακούσατε, λαοὶ πάντες, λόγους 4', καὶ προσ- ἐχέτω ἡ γῆ, καὶ πάντες οἱ κατοικοῦντες “ ἐν αὐτῇ, καὶ ἔσται 5 Κύριος "" ὁ Θεὸς ὑμῖν “5 εἰς μαρτύριον, Κύριος ἐξ οἴχου ἁγίου αὑτοῦ. ν» Ἐπειδὴ περὶ Σαμαρείας καὶ Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἔφη, πρὸ; αὐτὸν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων γεγενῆσθα! τοὺς λόγους "5, εἰκότως οὐ λαὸν, ἀλλὰ λαοὺς εἰς ἀχρώασιν δυναγείρει. Τὰς δὲ “' διῃρημένας εἰς δύο βασιλείας φυλὰς, οὐ λαὸν, ἀλλὰ λαοὺς ὀνομάζει, καὶ παρεγγνᾷ προσέχειν ἅπαντας τοὺς ἐχείνην οἰκοῦντας τὴν γῆν, ὡς τοῦ Δεσπότου Θεοῦ μαρτυρομένου, γκαὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ θείου νεὼ ὁ" ποιουμένου ποὺς λόγους. ### English translation (Claude) 2. "Hear, all you peoples, my words, and let the earth give heed, and all who dwell in it; and the Lord God will be among you for a witness, the Lord from his holy house." Since he said that the words had come to him from the God of all concerning Samaria and Jerusalem, he fittingly gathers not a people but peoples to listen. He names the tribes divided into two kingdoms not a people but peoples, and he charges all who inhabit that land to give heed, since the Master God bears witness and speaks the words from the divine temple. ### Scripture references - Mic 1:2: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mic 1:2. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.1.2 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-1-2). ## Commentary on Micah 1:3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-4-5/#p-6-1-3 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God, who is in no place, is said to come out from his temple to shake the proud and judge Samaria's idolatry and Jerusalem's lawlessness. ### Greek text γ΄, δ. « Ἰδοὺ γὰρ Κύριος ἐκπορεύεται ἐκ τοῦ τόπου αὑτοῦ, καὶ χσταθήσεται, καὶ ἐπιδέσεται ἐπὶ τὰ ὕψη, τῆς γῆς. Καὶ σαλευθήσεται ὄρη ὑποκάτωθεν αὑτοῦ, καὶ αἱ κοιλάδες τακήσονται ὡς χηρὸς ἀπὸ προσώπου πυρὸς, καὶ ὡς ὕδωρ καταγόμενον ἐν καταδάσει. » Ὅτι οὐκ ἐν τόπῳ ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς (ἀσώματος γὰρ καὶ ἀπερίγραφος, καὶ φέρων τὰ σύμπαντα τῷ ῥήματι τῆς δυνάμεως αὑτοῦ), ὑπὸ τῆς θείας Γραφῆς διδασκόμεθα. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐν τῇ Ἱερουσαλὴμ τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν ἐποιεῖτο, τόπος αὐτοῦ ὁ νεὼς εἰκότως προσαγορεύεται. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ διὰ τοῦ μεχάλου Μωσέως νομοθετεῖ" « Οὐκ ἕξεστέ "6 σοι ποιῆσαι τὸ Πάσχα ἐν μιᾷ τῶν πόλεών σου, ἀλλ᾽ ἣ εἰς τὸν τόπον, ὃν ἂν ἐκλέξηται Κύριος ὁ Θεός σον. ν Ἐκ τούτου τοῦ τόπου φησὶν αὐτὸν ὁ προρήτης ρΞύτοθαι, καὶ τῶν ὑψηλῶν ἐπιδαίνειν τόπων, καὶ σείειν τὰ ὄρη τῇ παρουσίᾳ, καὶ τήχειν τὰς χοιλάξας κηροῦ δίκην πυρὶ προσπελάζοντος. Ταῦτα δὲ καὶ κατὰ τὸ ῥητὸν γίνεται βουλομένου τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τροπικῶς νοούμενα τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἔχει. “θρη γὰρ σειόμενα ποὺς ἐπὶ δυναστείᾳ μεγαλοφρονοῦντας καὶ τηχομέγνας, τῶν ἀρχομένων τὸ πλῆθος, οἵ δίκην χοιλάδων ὄρεσιν ὑποκειμένων ὑπὸ τὴν τῶν δυνασιενόντων ἐξουσίαν τελοῦσι “ καὶ ὕδατι δὲ παραπλησίως, ῥοίζῳ κατὰ τοῦ πρανοῦς φερομένῳ, τὰς πιμωρίας τοῖς ἀξίοις ἐπάγει. Καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν διδάσκων. πάντα ταῦτα, καὶ δι' ἁμαρτίαν οἴχου Ἱσρχήλ. ν» Εἶτα δεικνὺς τῆς ἀπεθείας καὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας τὸν τρόπον, κατ᾽ ἐρώτησιν καὶ ἀπόχριτιν ποιεῖται τὸν ἔλεγχον. ε« Τίς ἢ ἀσέθεια οἴχου Ἰαχώδ; οὐκὶ 75 Σαμάρεια; Καὶ τίς ἡ ἁμαρτία οἴχον Ἰούδα; οὐκὶ Ἱερουσαλήμ; ν» Οἱ μὲν Ὑὰρ Σαμάρειαν εἰδώλων ἐνέπλησαν " οἱ δὲ τὴν Ἴξρουσαλῖυ. οἰκοῦντες, καὶ τὸν θεῖον νόμον ἐν τῷ νεῷ παιδευόμενοι, παρανομίᾳ διετέλουν συζῶντες. Προσεκτέον ὃ » ὅτι ὃν ἄνω οἶκον ᾿Ισραὴ.} ὠνόμασε, τοῦτον κατιὼν οἶκον ᾿Ιούδα κέκληκε. Καὶ τὰς μὲν δέκα φυλὰς οἶκον Ιακὼδ προσηγόρευσε, τῷ φυσικῷ χρησάμενος ὀνόματι " τὸ δὲ πνευματικὸν ὄνομα, τὸ τοῦ Ἰσραὴ 1, ἐπιτέθειχε τῷ Ἰούδᾳ, ἐπειδὴ τὸν θεῖον ἔχοντὲς νεὼν εἶχον πολλοὺς εὐσεθδεῖς. ### English translation (Claude) 3, 4. "For behold, the Lord goes out from his place, and he will come down and tread upon the heights of the earth. And the mountains will be shaken beneath him, and the valleys will melt like wax before fire, and like water rushing down a slope." That the God of all is not in a place (for he is incorporeal and uncircumscribed, and bears all things by the word of his power), we are taught by the divine Scripture. But since he made his appearance in Jerusalem, the temple is fittingly called his place. For so he legislates through the great Moses too: "You may not make the Passover in one of your cities, but only in the place which the Lord your God will choose." From this place, the prophet says, he goes forth and treads upon the high places, shakes the mountains by his presence, and melts the valleys like wax brought near the fire. These things both happen literally when God wills, and also hold the truth when understood figuratively. For he calls the mountains that are shaken those who think proudly of their power, and the melting valleys the multitude of subjects, who, like valleys lying below mountains, are under the authority of the powerful; and like water rushing with a roar down a slope he brings the punishments on those who deserve them. And teaching the reason: 5. "[For the impiety of Jacob are] all these things, and for the sin of the house of Israel." Then, showing the manner of the impiety and of the sin, he makes his rebuke by question and answer: "What is the impiety of the house of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? And what is the sin of the house of Judah? Is it not Jerusalem?" For the one filled Samaria with idols; and those who lived in Jerusalem, though taught the divine law in the temple, went on living in lawlessness. One should note that what he named above "the house of Israel" he called, as he went on, "the house of Judah". He named the ten tribes the house of Jacob, using the natural name; but the spiritual name, that of Israel, he gave to Judah, since, having the divine temple, they had many pious people. ### Scripture references - Mic 1:3–4: quotation, high confidence - Mic 1:5: quotation, high confidence - Heb 1:3: allusion, high confidence - Deut 16:5–6: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Mic 1:3–4 and 1:5. The opening words of the lemma of 1:5 are lost in the scan among Latin debris and are supplied in brackets from the LXX. References: Heb 1:3; Deut 16:5–6. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.1.3 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-1-3). ## Commentary on Micah 1:6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-4-5/#p-6-1-6 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Samaria will be so utterly destroyed that vineyards will grow where its streets stood. ### Greek text ς΄. « Καὶ θήσομαι Σαμάρειαν εἰς ὁπωροφυλάκιον “1 ἀγροῦ, καὶ εἰς φυτείαν ἀμπελῶνο:, καὶ χκατασπάσω εἰς χάος τοὺς λίθους αὐτῆς, καὶ τὰ θεμέλια αὐτῆς ἀποκαλύψω. » Τοσαύτῃ γὰρ ἐρημίᾳ παραδοθήσεται, ὡς φρούδους μὲν αὐτῆς καὶ παντελῶς ἀφανεῖς γενέσθαι τοὺς λίθους " ἀνιὶ δὲ ἀγορῶν" καὶ ἀγνιῶν, καὶ οἰκιῶν, τοὺς τῶν ἀμπέλων λαδεῖν ὀρχάτους, ὥστε καὶ σκηνάς τινα; τῶν ἀμπέλων τοὺς φύλακας ἐν αὐτῇ χαταπῆξαι. Ἔχ βάθρων δὲ καὶ τὰ τῶν εἰδώλων ἀνα- ### English translation (Claude) 6. "And I will make Samaria a hut for guarding the fruit of a field, and a planting of a vineyard, and I will pull down her stones into the abyss, and I will lay bare her foundations." For she will be handed over to such desolation that her stones will vanish and disappear entirely, and the rows of vines will take the place of her marketplaces, streets, and houses, so that the vine-keepers pitch huts in her. And from their foundations the … of the idols … ### Scripture references - Mic 1:6: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mic 1:6. The section ends in mid-sentence, with words lost in the scan. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.1.6 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-1-6). ## Commentary on Micah 1:7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-4-5/#p-6-1-7 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Samaria's idols, bought like a harlot's wages, will be burned; Theodoret also sees an allusion to temple prostitution. ### Greek text ζ΄. « Καὶ πάντα" τὰ μισθώματα αὐτῆς ἐμπρήσουσιν ἐν πυρὶ, καὶ πάντα τὰ εἴδιυλα αὐτῆς θήσομαι εἰς ἀφανισμόν" διότι ἐκ μισθωμάτων πόρνης 7" συνἤγαγεν αὐτὰ 5, καὶ ἐκ μισθωμάτων πορνείας ὁυυἐστρεψεν 16,» Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐμὲ καταλιποῦσα τὴν τῶν εἰδώλων θεραπείαν προείλετο, καὶ οἷόν τινα μισθὸν τοῖς εἰδώλοις προσφέρουσα, καὶ βωμοὺς ἐδείματο καὶ τεμένη, καὶ ἀναθημάτων" προσενένοχε πλῆθος, καὶ ταῦτα σὺν αὐτῇ "5 παραδιύσω τοῖς πολεμίοις " τοῦτο δὲ αὐτῆς 5 καὶ διὰ Ἰεζεκιὴλ ἐγκαλεῖ τὸν προφήτου" « Ἐγένετο γάρ σοι, φησὶν, ἐναντία παρὰ πάσας τὰς γυναῖκας τὰς ὁμοίας σοι, ὅτι γυνὴ πόρνη μισθὸν λαμθάνει, σὺ δὲ μισθὸν ἐδίδους τοῖς ἐρασταῖς σου. » Εἰχὺὸς δὲ καὶ τὰς πορνευου ἐνας γυναΐῖχας αἰνίττεσθαι, αἵ τῆς ἀκολασίας κομι-. ζόμεναι τὸν μισθὸν, τὰς ἐντεῦθεν ἀπαρχὰς τῷ ἀκολάστῳ πρσσέφερον δαίμονι. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ μέχρι τοῦ παρόντος ποιεῖν τολμῶσί τινες. ### English translation (Claude) 7. "And all her hires they will burn with fire, and all her idols I will make a desolation; because from the hires of a harlot she gathered them, and from the hires of harlotry she has returned them." For since she abandoned me and preferred the worship of idols, and, as though offering a kind of hire to the idols, built altars and precincts and offered a multitude of votive gifts, I will hand these too over to the enemies along with her. He accuses her of this through the prophet Ezekiel too: "For you were the opposite," he says, "of all women like you; for a harlot receives a hire, but you gave hire to your lovers." It is likely that he also hints at the women who prostituted themselves, who, when they received the wages of their licentiousness, offered the firstfruits of them to the licentious demon. For some dare to do this even to the present day. ### Scripture references - Mic 1:7: quotation, high confidence - Ezek 16:33–34: quotation, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mic 1:7. The quotation is a free citation of Ezek 16:33–34. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.1.7 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-1-7). ## Commentary on Micah 1:8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-4-5/#p-6-1-8 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Samaria will mourn its ruin with wailing like serpents and Sirens. ### Greek text η΄. ε Ἕνεχεν τούτου, φησὶ, χόψεται καὶ θρηνήσει" πορεύσεται ἀνυπόδητος καὶ γυμνή" ποιήσεται κοπετὸν ὡς δρακόντων, καὶ πένθος ὡς θυγατέρων Σειρήνων. » Ποιήσει δὲ τὴν τοῦ πένθους ὑπερδολὴν ἡ τῆς ### English translation (Claude) 8. "Because of this," he says, "she will beat her breast and lament; she will go barefoot and naked; she will make a lament like serpents and a mourning like daughters of Sirens." The excess of the mourning will be caused by the … ### Scripture references - Mic 1:8: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mic 1:8. The comment breaks off in the scan; it continues in the next section. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.1.8 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-1-8). ## Commentary on Micah 1:9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-4-5/#p-6-1-9 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The Assyrian blow will reach Jerusalem itself; the Philistines of Gath, descendants of the giant Anak, must not gloat but mourn their own coming disasters. ### Greek text θ΄, ε Ὅτι χατεχράτησεν ἡ πληγὴ αὐτῆς διότι ἦλθεν" ἕως Ἰούδα, καὶ ἥψατο ἕως πύλης λαοῦ μου, ἕως ᾿Ἱερουσαλήμ. » Διὰ τούτων προσημαίνει τῶν Ἅτσυβίων τὴν ἔφοδον, Θεγλαθφαλασὰρ, Σενναχηρείμ" οἱ μὲν γὰρ τὰς δέκα φυλὰς ἐξανδραρεὶμ τὴν Λάκις 5 καὶ τὰς ἄλλας πόλεις τῆς Ἰδυμέχρι δὲ τῶν τῇς Ἱερουσαλὴμ πυλῶν μετὰ Ῥαψάχου πέμψας τῆς στρατιᾶς "" πὸ πλεῖστον, τῇ πείρᾳ μεμάθηκεν, ὡ; οὐδενὸς πβριέσται μὴ βουλομένου Θεοῦ. Τὸ δὲ, « Ποιήσεται ὡς χοκενὸν δρακόντων, καὶ πένθος ὡς θυγα- τέρων Σειρήνων, » εἴρηκεν δ᾽ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐν τοῖς μύθοις ἐκ βουληθείς. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἰώθασι καὶ μετά τινος μέλους οἱ πενθοῦντες θρηνεῖν, καὶ δίκην δρακόντων συριττόντων ἐκ τῆς πυρπολουμένης καρδίας ἀναπέμπειν τὸ πνεῦμα, καὶ μετά τινος βίας τοῦτο προαφέρειν τε καὶ προΐεσθαι, τέθεικεν ἐκείνας τὰς προεἰρημένας εἰκόνας. Ἐ πειδὴ δὲ ἀλγεῖν ἁπάπαις ταῖς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ φυλαῖς προηγόρευσε, προεώρα δὲ τοὺς ἀλλοφύλους τοῖς τούτων ἐφησθησομένους κακοῖς, πρὸς αὐτοὺς τρέπει τὸν λόγον, καί φησιν" 1. «Οἱ ἐν Γὲθ, μὴ μεγαλύνεσθε, καὶ οἱ Ἐναχὶμ, μὴ ἀνοικοδομεῖτε ἐξ οἴχου χαταγέλωτα δ " γῆν χαταπάσσασθε εἰς τὸν χαταγέλωτα ὑμῶν. » Μὴ μεγαφρονεῖτε, ταῖς τούτων συμφοραῖς ἐφηδόμενοι, ὡς αὖτοὶ μένοντες ἀχήρατοι " ἀλλ᾽ ἀντὶ τοῦ γέλωτος, ᾧ κατὰ τῶν Ἰσραηλιτῶν χέχρησθε, γῆν χαταπαττόμενοι τὰς οἰκείας ὁλοφύρεσθε συμφοράς. Ἐναχὶμ. δὲ οὗχ, ὥς τινες ὑπέλαδον, ἄλλη τις πόλις ἐστὶ παρὰ τὴν Γὲθ, ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἐνοικοῦντας τὴν Γὲθ, Ἐνγακχὶμ ὀνομάζει, ὡς ᾿Ενὰχ τοῦ γίγαντος ἀπογόνους ὄντας. Καὶ τοῦτο πολλαχόθεν μαθεῖν δυνατὸν παρὰ τῆς θείας Γραφῆς. ### English translation (Claude) 9. "For her blow has prevailed; for it has come as far as Judah, and has reached as far as the gate of my people, as far as Jerusalem." By this he foretells the attack of the Assyrians, Tiglath-pileser and Sennacherib: for the one [enslaved] the ten tribes, and [Sennacherib, having taken] Lachish and the other cities of Judea and sent the greater part of his army with Rabshakeh as far as the gates of Jerusalem, learned by experience that he will overcome no one if God does not will it. "She will make a lament like serpents and a mourning like daughters of Sirens" he said, wishing [to take an image] from those in the myths. For since mourners are accustomed to lament with a kind of melody, and, like hissing serpents, to send up their breath from a burning heart and to bring it out and release it with a kind of force, he set down those images mentioned above. And since he had foretold that all the tribes of Israel would grieve, and foresaw that the foreigners would gloat over their evils, he turns his discourse to them and says: 10. "You in Gath, do not exalt yourselves; and you Enakim, do not rebuild a laughingstock from the house; sprinkle earth on yourselves for your laughingstock." Do not think highly of yourselves, rejoicing at their calamities as though you remain untouched; but instead of the laughter you used against the Israelites, sprinkle yourselves with earth and lament your own calamities. Enakim is not, as some supposed, another city besides Gath; but he names those who live in Gath Enakim, as being descendants of Anak the giant. This can be learned from many places in the divine Scripture. ### Scripture references - Mic 1:9: quotation, high confidence - Mic 1:8: quotation, high confidence - Mic 1:10: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 15:29: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 18:13–17: allusion, high confidence - Josh 11:22: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Mic 1:9 and 1:10, with a further comment on 1:8 ("like daughters of Sirens": Theodoret explains the image as drawn from the myths). Words are lost in the scan in the account of the Assyrian kings and of the Sirens; bracketed words supply the sense. History: 2 Kgs 15:29; 18:13–17. On the Anakim at Gath, compare Josh 11:22. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.1.9 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-1-9). ## Commentary on Micah 1:11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-4-5/#p-6-1-11 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The neighboring towns that would not grieve with Israel will share its disaster. ### Greek text ια΄, ε Κατοικούσης δ᾽ καλῶς. » Καθελῶ τὰ; πόλεις αὐτῇς. Οὐδὲν γὰρ ὑμς ὀνήσει, οὔτε τῶν οἶκοδομημάτων τὸ κάλλος, οὔτε ἡ τῶν χωρίων ἀσφάλεια" ἀλλ' ἀνάστατο! ὑμῶν αἱ πόλεις γενήσονται, ε Οὐκ νον αὐτῆς" λήψεται ἐξ ὑμῶν πληγὴν ὀδύνης.» Ἐπειδὴ συναλγῆσαι ὑμῖν οὐκ ἠθέλησε, καὶ ταῖς ὑμετέραις σωφρονισθῆναι παιδείαις, κοινωνήσει ὑμῖν ἄκουσα τῆς συμφορᾶς" μία δὲ τῶν γειτονενουσῶν αὐτοῖς πόλεων ἦν ἡ Αἰνάν. ὃ ### English translation (Claude) 11. "[She who] dwells [in her] fair [cities] …" I will take down her cities. For neither the beauty of your buildings nor the security of your places will benefit you; but your cities will be laid waste. "[She who dwells in Sennaar] did not [come out to mourn the house next to] her; she will receive from you a blow of pain." Since she would not grieve with you or be brought to her senses by your chastisements, she will share your calamity against her will. Ainan was one of the cities neighboring them. ### Scripture references - Mic 1:11: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mic 1:11. Words of the lemma are lost in the scan and are supplied in brackets from the LXX; Theodoret's comment names the town "Ainan". ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.1.11 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-1-11). ## Commentary on Micah 1:12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-4-5/#p-6-1-12 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: It is God himself, not any human enemy, who brings disaster on prosperous Jerusalem. ### Greek text ιβ΄. « Τίς ἤρξατο εἰς ἀγαθὰ κατοιχούσῃ ὀδύνας; » Ἐντεῦθεν πρὸς τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ μεταφέρει τὸν λόγον" ἔστι δὲ ἡ σύνταξις τῶν ῥητῶν συμπεπλεγμένη καὶ λίαν ἀσαφής. Χρὴ τοίνυν οὕτω συντάξαντας εὑρεῖν τὴν διάνοιαν" «Τὶς ἤρξατο εἰς δ᾽ ὀδύνας χατοιχούτῃ ἀπολαυούσῃ, καὶ εὐπραξίας πολλῖις, τίς αἴτιος ἐγέγετο τῶν συμφορῶν; Δεΐῖξαι δὲ βούλεται, ὡς οὐκ ἄνθρωπος αὐτῇ, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς, ἐπάγει τὰς τιμωρίας, ποινὴν πραττόμενος ὧν ἢσέδησε. Τούτου χάριν ἐπάγει" « Ὅτι χατέδη κακὰ παρὰ Κυρίου ἐπὶ πύλας Ἱερουσαλήμ. » Καὶ δεικνὺς ποῖα καῦτα, προστέθεικε “ ### English translation (Claude) 12. "Who has begun [to bring] pains on her who dwells for good things?" From here he turns his discourse to Jerusalem. The construction of the words is involved and very unclear; one must therefore arrange it as follows to find the meaning: "Who has begun [to bring] pains on her who dwells …", that is, who became the cause of the calamities for her who enjoyed [good things] and much prosperity? He wishes to show that it is not a human being but the God of all himself who brings the punishments upon her, exacting the penalty for her impiety. For this reason he adds: "For evils came down from the Lord upon the gates of Jerusalem." And showing what these are, he added: ### Scripture references - Mic 1:12: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mic 1:12. A few words are lost in the scan in Theodoret's rearrangement of the verse; marked "…". The section ends in mid-sentence; the lemma follows in the next section. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.1.12 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-1-12). ## Commentary on Micah 1:13 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-4-5/#p-6-1-13 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The chariots of the invaders are God's instrument; Lachish, which led Jerusalem into Israel's sins, will be punished first. ### Greek text ιγ΄. ε« Ψόφος ἁρμάτων καὶ ἱππευόντων.» Ταῦτα καὶ διὰ Ἡσαΐου τοῦ προφήτου σαφῶς ἡμᾶς ἐπαίδευ σεν " « Οὐαὶ ᾿Ασσυρίοις ἡ ῥάῤδος τοῦ θυμοῦ μου ἐν καἷς χερσὶν αὐτῶν, τὴν ὀργήν μου εἰς ἔθνος ἄνομον ἀποστελῶ, καὶ ἐν τῷ ἐμῷ λαῷ συντάξω ποιῆσαι σκῦλα καὶ προνομήν. ν Οὕτω κἀνταῦθα " « Τίς ἤρξατο εἰς ἀγαθὰ κατοιχούσῃ ὀδύνας; ὅτι χατέδη παρὰ Κυρίου ἐπὶ πύλας Ἱερουσαλὴμ ψόφος ἁρμάτων καὶ ἱππευόντων. ν» Ἐγὼ γὰρ, φησὶ, τῇ ἀγαθῶν ἀπολαύσει παντοδαπῶν τὰς ὀδύνας ἐπήγαγον, τῶν πολεμίων αὑτοῖς ἐπιστήσας τὸ πλῆθος. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ πρὸ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ. ἡ Λάκις ἐπορθήθη (τὴν μὲν γὰρ Ἵερουσαλὴμ ὁ Ναθουχοδονόσορ, τὴν δὲ Λάκις ὁ Σενναχήρεὶμ ἐξεπόρθησε). πρὸς αὑτὴν τρέπει τὸν λόγον. « Κατοιχοῦσα Λάλις, ἀρχηγὸς ἁμαρτίας αὐτή τῇ θυγατρὶ Σιὼν, ὅτι ἕν σοὶ εὑρέθησαν αἱ ἀσέδειαι Α τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. » Σὺ δὲ, Λάκις, προτέρα δέξῃ τὴν τιμωρίαν, τῶν δέκα φυλῶν ζηλώσασα τὴν ἀσέδειαν, καὶ εἰς τὴν παρανομίαν τὴν ᾿Ιερουσαλὴμ χατασύρασα. ### English translation (Claude) 13. "A noise of chariots and horsemen." He taught us this clearly through the prophet Isaiah too: "Woe to the Assyrians; the rod of my anger is in their hands; I will send my wrath against a lawless nation, and I will order [them] against my people to take spoil and plunder." So here too: "Who has begun [to bring] pains on her who dwells for good things? For there came down from the Lord on the gates of Jerusalem a noise of chariots and horsemen." For I, he says, brought pains upon the enjoyment of all kinds of good things, setting the multitude of the enemies upon them. And since Lachish was sacked before Jerusalem (for Nebuchadnezzar sacked Jerusalem, but Sennacherib Lachish), he turns his discourse to it: "You who dwell in Lachish, she is the beginning of sin for the daughter of Zion, for in you were found the impieties of Israel." You, Lachish, will receive the punishment first, since you emulated the impiety of the ten tribes and dragged Jerusalem into lawlessness. ### Scripture references - Mic 1:13: quotation, high confidence - Mic 1:12: quotation, high confidence - Isa 10:5–6: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 18:14: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mic 1:13. The quotation is a free citation of Isa 10:5–6. On Sennacherib at Lachish, 2 Kgs 18:14. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.1.13 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-1-13). ## Commentary on Micah 1:14–15 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-4-5/#p-6-1-14 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Judah's land will be laid waste until God brings back its heirs; following Aquila's singular "heir", Theodoret also sees Christ, the heir of the parable, who freed the world from idols. ### Greek text ιδ΄, ιε΄, « Διὰ τοῦτο δώσεις ἐξα ποστελλομένους ἕως κληρονομίας Γὲθ, οἴκους ματαίους, εἰς κενὸν ἐγένοντο τοῖς βασιλεῦσιν Ἰσραήλ. Ἕως τοὺς κληρονόμους σου ἀγάγω". » Τούτου χάριν καὶ παρὰ σοῦ πλῆθος αἰχμ-: αλώτων οἱ πολέμιοι λήψονται " τούτους γὰρ ἐξαπαστελλομένους ὠνόμασε - καὶ ἕως Γὲθ ἔῤημος ἡ γῆ σου γενήσεται, ἐπειδὴ τῇ τῶν ἀνοήτων τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ βασιλέων ἠχολούθησας ἀσεθείᾳ. Ἐν ταύτῃ δὲ γενήσῃ τῇ ἐρημίᾳ, ἕως τοὺς χληρονόμου; ἀγάγω σου "", τουτἐστιν, Ἕως ἂν τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους ἀπαχθέντας ἐλευθερώσας, ἐπαναγάγω πάλιν, καὶ τὴν πατρῴαν αὐτοῖς ἀποδῶ κληρονομίαν. Τινὲς "" δὲ τοὺς κληρονόμους, ἴδ τοὺς πολεμίους ἡρμήνευσαν, οὕτω τὸ χωρίον νοήσαντες " εΟἰκήσει " τοὺς οἴκους τοὺς ματαίους, οἵτινες εἰς κενὸν ἐγένοντο τοῖς βασιλεῦσιν Ἰσραἣλ, ἕως τοὺς κληρονόμους, » ἀντὶ τοῦ, τοὺς πολεμίους, « ἀγάγω σοι.» Κατὰ δὲ τὸν ᾿Ακύλαν ἑνικῶς τεθεικότα τὸν κληρονόμον, καὶ βαθυτέραν εὑρίσκομεν. διάνοιαν. Ἐν ἐρημίᾳ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἔσῃ τοὺς ματαίους οἴκους οἰκοῦσα, ἕως τὸν κληρονόμον ἀγάγω σοι, ὃν πόῤῥωθεν οἱ κακοὶ γεωργοὶ θεασάμενοι, κατὰ τὴν Δεσποτικὴν παραδολὴν, εἶπον « Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ κληρονόμος, δεῦτε, ἀποκτείνωμεν αὐτὸν, καὶ "" ἡμῶν. ἔσται ἡ κληρονομία. » Οὗτος παραγενόμενος, οὐ τὴν΄ Λάκις μόνην, ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην, τῆς τῶν ματαίων εἰδώλων δουλείας ἀπήλλαξε, Τούτοις ἐπάγει " ε Κατοιχοῦσα Λάκις κληρονομίαν "5 ἕως ὈΟδολλὰμ ἤξει. ν Αὕτη δὲ, φησὶν, ἡ ἐρημία οὐ μόνον σὲ καθέξει, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἕως τῆς Ὀδαλλὰμ καὶ τὴν ἔνδοξον Ἱερουσαλὴμ καταλήψεται. Αὐτὴν. γὰρ θυγατέρα Σιὼν, προσηγόρευσε " πρὸς ἣν καὶ. τὸν λόγον τρέψας φησίν" « Ἡ δόξα τῆς θυγατρὸς Σιὼν, (ις’.) ξύρησαι, καὶ κεῖραι ἐπὶ τὰ τέχνα σοὺ τὰ τρυφερὰ, ἐμπλάτυνον τὴν ξύρησίν σου, ὡς ἀετὸς, ὅτι ἠχμαλωτεύθησαν ἀπὸ σοῦ.» Πένθιμον ἀνάλαδε σχῆμα, καὶ τὸν ἀπὸ τῶν τριχῶν ἄφελε κόσμον, ἀετὸν. μιμουμένη, πάντων εἰς καιρὸν κατὰ τὸν τῆς φύσεως νόμον γυμνούμενον τῶν “πτερῶν ᾿ ὃς "5 κατὰ τουτονὶ τὸν καιρὸν οὐδὲ θηρεύειν ἔσχύει, οὐδὲ φοδερός ἐστιν οἷς πρότερον ἦν φοδερός. Ὑούτῳ παραπλησίως καὶ σὺ, τῆς ἐμῆς γυμνουμένη προνοίας, εὐάλωτος ἔσῃ τοῖς πολεμίοις, ὡς τῶν οἰκητόρων σου πάντων ἔρημος. γιγνομένη. ### English translation (Claude) 14, 15. "Therefore you will give those who are sent out as far as the inheritance of Gath, vain houses; they became nothing to the kings of Israel. Until I bring your heirs." For this reason the enemies will also take from you a multitude of captives (for these he named "those sent out"), and your land will be desolate as far as Gath, since you followed the impiety of the foolish kings of Israel. And you will be in this desolation "until I bring your heirs", that is, until I set free those who were led away captive, bring them back again, and restore to them their ancestral inheritance. Some, however, interpreted the heirs as the enemies, understanding the passage thus: "She will inhabit the vain houses, which became nothing to the kings of Israel, until I bring you the heirs", that is, the enemies. But according to Aquila, who put "heir" in the singular, we find a deeper meaning too. For you will be in desolation, he says, inhabiting the vain houses, until I bring you the heir, of whom the wicked tenants, seeing him from afar, said, according to the Master's parable: "This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours." He, when he came, freed not Lachish alone but the whole world from slavery to the vain idols. To this he adds: "You who dwell in Lachish, the inheritance will come as far as Adullam." This desolation, he says, will not only hold you but will reach as far as Adullam and seize the glorious Jerusalem; for he called her the daughter of Zion. And turning his discourse to her he says: "The glory of the daughter of Zion: 16. shave yourself and cut your hair for your delicate children; widen your baldness like an eagle, for they have been taken captive from you." Take on the garb of mourning and remove the ornament of your hair, imitating the eagle, which at a certain season, by the law of nature, is stripped of all its feathers, and at that time is neither strong enough to hunt nor fearsome to those it formerly frightened. Like it, you too, stripped of my providence, will be easy prey for the enemies, as you become bereft of all your inhabitants. ### Scripture references - Mic 1:14–15: quotation, high confidence - Mic 1:16: quotation, high confidence - Matt 21:38: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Mic 1:14–15 and 1:16. The parable is Matt 21:38. Theodoret reports both a literal reading (the returning exiles) and, following Aquila, a Christological one. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.1.14 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-1-14). ## Commentary on Micah 2:1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-4-5/#p-6-2-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The powerful plot by night and by day seize fields, orphans, and houses. ### Greek text α΄. ε Ἐγένοντο" " γὰρ λογιζόμενοι κόπους, καὶ ἐργαζόμενοι κακὰ ἐν ταῖς κοίταις αὑτῶν, καὶ ἅμα «τῇ ἡμέρᾳ συνετέλουν αὐτά, » Οὐδὲ γὰρ τὰς νύκτας δίχα παρανομίας διῆγον, ἀλλὰ νύκτωρ τὴν πονηρίαν προμελετῶντες, καὶ τοῖς λογισμοῖς ταύτην διαγράφοντες, μεθ᾽ ἡμέραν ταῖς βουλαῖς ἐ πετίθουν τὰ ἔργα. Τίνα δὲ ταῦτα καὶ ὅσα, ἀπαριθμεῖται. « Διότι οὐκ ἦραν χεῖρας πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν αὑτῶν, (β΄.) Καὶ ἐπεθύμουν ἀγροὺς, καὶ ἥρπαζον" ὀρφανοὺς, καὶ οἴκους χατεδυνάστευον, καὶ διήρπαζον" ἄνδρα καὶ τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ, ἄνδρα καὶ τὴν κληρονομίαν αὐὖτοῦ. ν Καὶ τὰ: παρανομίας διεξελθὼν, προλέγει τὴν τιμωρίαν. ### English translation (Claude) 1. "They were devising troubles and working evils on their beds, and at daybreak they carried them out." For they did not even spend the nights without lawlessness, but rehearsed their wickedness by night and sketched it out in their reasonings, and by day they put the deeds to their plans. What these are, and how many, he enumerates: "Because they did not lift up their hands to their God. 2. And they coveted fields and seized orphans, and oppressed houses, and plundered a man and his house, a man and his inheritance." And having gone through the lawless deeds, he foretells the punishment. ### Scripture references - Mic 2:1: quotation, high confidence - Mic 2:2: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Mic 2:1 and 2:2 (Theodoret's text reads "orphans" where the LXX has "fields" a second time). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.2.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-2-1). ## Commentary on Micah 2:3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-4-5/#p-6-2-3 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God will bow Judah's proud neck under captivity, as he did the other tribes. ### Greek text Υ΄. «Διὰ τοῦτο τάδε λέγει Κύριος " Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ λογίζομαι ἐπὶ τὴν φυλὴν ταύτην κακὰ, ἐξ ὧν οὐ μὴ ἄρητε τοὺς τραχήλους ὑμῶν, καὶ οὐ μὴ πορευθῆτε ὀρθοὶ ἐξαίφνης ", ὅτι καιρὸς πονηρός ἐστι. ν» Τοὺς χήλους, καὶ τῷ μεγέθει τῆς παιδείας χκύπτειν ἢ εἰς γῖν ἀναγκάσω " ταῖς γὰρ ἄλλαις φυλαῖς παραπλησίως, καὶ τήνδε παραδώσω τὴν φυλὴν τῇ δουλείᾳ διὰ ### English translation (Claude) 3. "Therefore thus says the Lord: Behold, I am devising evils against this tribe, from which you will not lift up your necks, and you will not walk upright suddenly, for it is an evil time." … necks … I will force them to bend down to the ground under the greatness of the chastisement; for like the other tribes I will hand this tribe too over to slavery because of … ### Scripture references - Mic 2:3: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mic 2:3. Words are lost in the scan at the beginning and end of the comment; marked "…". ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.2.3 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-2-3). ## Commentary on Micah 2:4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-4-5/#p-6-2-4 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Israel's fate will become a byword as foreigners divide its land; the people should mourn their sin rather than their punishment and show repentance in deeds. ### Greek text δ΄. ε Ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ληφθήσεται ἐφ᾽ ὑμᾶς παραθολὴ, καὶ θρηνηθήσεται θρῆνος ἐν μέλει λεγόν» των ὃ - Ταλαιπωρίᾳ ἐταλαιπωρήσαμεν. » Ἐντεῦθεν καὶ τὰ πρόσθεν εἰρημένα ῥᾷον ἄν τις νοήσειεν " ὃ γὰρ εἶπεν ἄνω πένθος Σειρήνων, τοῦτο ἐνταῦθα θρῆνον ἐμμελῆ καλεῖ. Ὡς εἶναι δῆλον, ὅτι χάχεξ τὸν ἐμμελῆ θρῆνον πένθος Σειρήνων κατὰ τὸν περιφερόμενον ἐκάλεσε μῦθον, Τούτων, φησὶν, ἐ πενεχθέντων αὐτῇ τῶν κακῶν, οὐ θρηνήσουσι μόνον ὑμᾶς οἱ τὰ καθ᾽ ὑμᾶς ἀκούοντες, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἷόν τινε παραδολὴῇ γεχρημένοι, ἑτέροις τὰ ὑμέτερα προσοίσουσι διηγήματα. Καὶ ὑμεῖς δὲ πρὰς ἀλλήλους ἐρεξτε" «Μερὶς λαοῦ μου χατεμετρήθη ἐν σχοινέιμ, καὶ Ὁ οὐκ ἦν ὁ κωλύσων" αὐτὸν, τοῦ ἀποσερέψαε οἱ ἀγροὶ. ἡμῶν διεμερίσθησαν ὅ. (ς΄.) Διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἔσται σοι βάλλων σχοινίον ἐν χλέρῳ. » Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ, τούτων αἰχμαλώτων ἀπαχθέντων, οἱ περίοικοι τὴν ὑπὸ τούτῶν γεωργουμένην διενείμαντο γῆν, τοῦτο, τὴ σὺν ἀκούοντες, ὀλοφυρόμενοι καὶ δακρύοντες πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἐρεῖτε, ὅτι Ἡ θεόθεν ἀφορισθεῖσα μερὶς τῷ Ἰσραὴλ, ὑπὸ τῶν ἐχθίστων ἀλλοφύλων μετρηθεῖσα διήρηται, οὐδενὸς ἀπείργοντος καὶ τὴν πλεονεξίαν παύοντος " κἀγὼ μὲν ἐκεῖθεν ἐχδέδλημαι, καὶ τὸν δοθέντα χλῖρον οὐκ ἔχω τοὺς δὲ ἐμοὶ προσ. ἧκοντας ἀγροὺς ἕτεροι διανέμονται. Οὕτω τὰ λυπηρὰ διαγγείλας, παραίνεσιν εἰσφέρει τὸ χρήσιμον ἔχουσαν. : « Ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ Κυρίου, (ς΄, ζ΄.) μὴ ὃχχρύετε 5 δάκρυσι, μηδὲ δαχρυέτωσαν ἐπὶ τούτοις οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ὑμῶν" " οὐ γὰρ ἀπώσεται ὀνείδη ὁ λέγων " Οἶκος Ἰαχὼδ παρώργισε Πνεῦμα Κυρίου. Εἰ ταῦτα ἐπιτηδεύματα αὐτοῦ ἐστιν, οὐκὶ οἱ λόγοι αὐτοῦ καλοΐ εἰσι μετ᾽ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὀρθοὶ πεπόρευνται; » Οὐ χρὴ, φησὶν, ἀλγεῖν ὑμᾶς ἐπὶ τῇ τιμωρίᾳ, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἁμαρῖτίαν θρηνεῖν " οὐδὲ λόγῳ τὴν παρανομίαν ὁμολογεῖν, ἀλλ' ἔργῳ δ δειχνύνα: τὴν τῶν πραγμάτων μεταθολήν᾽ τοὺς γὰρ τοῖς ἔργοις χοσμουμένους λόγους ἐπαινεῖ Θεός. ### English translation (Claude) 4. "In that day a parable will be taken up against you, and a lament will be sung in a melody, saying: We have been utterly wretched." From this one can more easily understand what was said before; for what he called above the "mourning of Sirens" he here calls a melodious lament. So it is clear that there too he called the melodious lament a mourning of Sirens, following the current myth. When these evils are brought on her, he says, not only will those who hear of your affairs lament you, but, using them as a kind of parable, they will tell your story to others. And you will say to one another: "The portion of my people was measured out with a line, and there was no one to prevent him from turning it back; our fields were divided. 5. Therefore you will have no one to cast a line by lot." For since, when they had been led away captive, the neighbors divided among themselves the land they had cultivated, hearing this you will say to one another, lamenting and weeping: "The portion set apart for Israel by God has been measured out and divided by the bitterest foreigners, with no one to prevent it or stop the greed; and I have been cast out of it and do not have the lot that was given, and others are dividing the fields that belonged to me." Having thus announced the painful things, he brings in an exhortation that is useful: "In the assembly of the Lord, 6, 7. do not weep with tears, nor let your eyes weep over these things; for he will not drive away reproaches who says: The house of Jacob has provoked the Spirit of the Lord. Are these his practices? Are not his words good with him, and have they not walked upright?" You should not, he says, grieve at the punishment, but lament the sin; nor confess the lawlessness in word, but show in deed the change of your actions; for God praises words adorned with deeds. ### Scripture references - Mic 2:4: quotation, high confidence - Mic 2:5: quotation, high confidence - Mic 2:6–7: quotation, high confidence - Mic 1:8: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Mic 2:4, 2:5, and 2:6–7. Theodoret explains the "mourning of Sirens" of Mic 1:8 by the "melodious lament" here. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.2.4 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-2-4). ## Commentary on Micah 2:8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-4-5/#p-6-2-8 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: By opposing God's laws Israel lost its peace and protection and was given over to war. ### Greek text η΄. « Καὶ ἔμπροσθεν ὁ λαός μου εἰς ἔχθραν ἀντέστη κατέναντι τῆς εἰρήνης αὐτοῦ.» Τοῖς γὰρ ἐμοῖς νόμας ἐναντία δρῶν ἑαυτὸν τῆς εἰρήνης ἐστέρησε. « Τὴν δορὰν αὐτοῦ ἐξέδειραν, τοῦ ἀφελέσθαι ἐλπίδα ", συντριμμὸν πολέμον. » Διὰ γὰρ ταύτην τὴν μοχθηρίαν τρόπον τινὰ τῆς οἰκείας ἐγυμνώθη δορᾶς, ἔρημος τῆς ἐμῆς προνοίας γενόμενος, καὶ τὴν ἀγαθὴν ἀπολέσας ἐλπίδα, τῇ τοῦ πολέμου συντριδῇ “παρεδόθη. ### English translation (Claude) 8. "And formerly my people stood in enmity against his peace." For by doing what is contrary to my laws he deprived himself of peace. "They flayed off his skin, to take away hope, a crushing of war." For because of this wickedness he was in a way stripped of his own skin, bereft of my providence; and having lost good hope, he was handed over to the crushing of war. ### Scripture references - Mic 2:8: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mic 2:8. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.2.8 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-2-8). ## Commentary on Micah 2:9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-4-5/#p-6-2-9 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Israel's leaders, deceived by false prophets, will be driven from their luxury into exile and scattered like frightened sheep. ### Greek text θ΄. « Καὶ οἱ ἡγούμενοι δὲ τοῦ λαοῦ μου ἀποῤῥιφήσονται “ ἐκ τῶν οἰκιῶν τρυφῆς αὐτῶν, διὰ τὰ πονηρὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα αὑτῶν ἐξώσθησαν. » Σὺν τοῖς ἄλλοις Ὑὰρ καὶ οἱ βασιλεῖς, καὶ οἱ ἱερεῖς, τῆς προτέρας στερηθέντες τρυφῆς, τὴν ἀλλοτρίαν δουλοπρεπῶς οἰκεῖν ἠναγκάσθησαν, δίκας ὧν ἐπλημμέλησαν τίνοντες. « Ἐγγίσατε ὄρεσιν αἰωνίοις, (ι΄, ια΄.) ᾿Ανάστηθι 1! καὶ πορεύου, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι σοι αὕτη ἀνάπαυσις " χθητε οὐδενὸς διώκοντος. ν Τῇ γὰρ παρανομίᾳ σφᾶς αὑτοὺς ἐκδεδωκότες, αὐθαίρετοι μὲν εἴλεσθε τὴν πονηρίαν, πρόχειροι δὲ τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐγένεσθε, τὰ ὄρη τοίνυν ἐχείνων βαδίζετε, ἃ ἄνωθεν ὁ Θεὸς ἐκεῖ δημιουργήσας ἐφύτευσε " τῆς ἐνταῦθα γὰρ διαίτῆς διὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐστέρησθε. ε Πνεῦμα γὰρ ἔστησε ψευδὲς, ξοτάλαξέ σοι ὡς οἶνον καὶ μέθυσμα.ν» Τὸ γὰρ τῆς "" ἐξαπάτης πνεῦμα, ἐν τοῖς Ψευδοπροφήταις φθεγγόμενον, τὰς ψευδεῖς σοι προῤῥήσεις ἐνέσταξε, καὶ τὴν ἐντεῦθεν ἐνειργάσατο μέθην. « Καὶ ἔσται, ἐκ τῆς σταγόνος τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου (ιβ΄.) συναγόμενος συναχθήσεται: Ἰαχώθ " σὺν πᾶσιν ἐπχδεχόμενος ἐχδέξομαι τοὺς καταλοίπους τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ θήσομαι τὴν ἀποστροφὴν αὐτοῦ "".» Αὕτη δὲ, φησὶν, ἡ ἐξαπάτη, ἡ παρὰ τῶν δαιμόνων διὰ τῶν Ψευδοπροφητῶν ἐν ὑμῖν γινομένη, παρααχευάσει καὶ ὑμᾶς τὰς δέκα φυλὰς εἰς τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν χαταλαδεῖν " ἐκεῖ γὰρ πάντας ἀπάξω, κοινὴν ὑμῖν ἐπάγων τὴν τιμωρίαν᾽ ἧς καταλαδούσης, ε Ὡς πρόθατα ἐν Ολίψει, ὡς ποίμνια 15 ἐν μέσῳ κοίτης αὐτῶν, ἐξαλοῦνται ἐξ ἀνθρώπων. » Καθάπερ γὰρ ἡσυχῆ καθήμενα μετὰ πολλοῦ δέους ἀνίσταται " οὕτω: ὑμεῖς ἐπελθόντας θεασάμενοι τοὺς πολεμίους, θορύδου καὶ δέους ὑμεῖς ἀναπλησθήσεσθε. Εἶτα προλέγει τὰ ὑπὸ Σεδεκίου γεγενημένα, ἃ 15 γαὶ ὁ μακάριος Ἰεζεχιὴλ ὁ προφήτης Ἐροείρηκεν, ἡνίχα σχεύηῃ, αἰχμαλωσίας τοῦ Θεοῦ λαθεῖν προσετάχθη, καὶ διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων προαγορεῦσαι τὴν ἐχείνου τοῦ βασιλέως φυγήν. ### English translation (Claude) 9. "And the leaders of my people will be cast out from their houses of luxury; because of their evil practices they were driven out." For along with the others, the kings and the priests too, deprived of their former luxury, were compelled to live like slaves in a foreign land, paying the penalty for their offenses. "Draw near to the everlasting mountains. 10, 11. Arise and go, for this is not your rest; … you fled with no one pursuing." For having given yourselves over to lawlessness, you chose wickedness of your own accord and became easy prey for the enemies. Go, then, to their mountains, which God created and planted there from the beginning; for you have been deprived of your way of life here because of your sin. "For he set up a false spirit; it dripped on you like wine and strong drink." For the spirit of deceit, speaking in the false prophets, instilled false predictions into you and produced the drunkenness that comes from them. "And it will be, from the drop of this people: 12. Jacob will surely be gathered with all; receiving I will receive the remnant of Israel; I will set their return together." This deceit, he says, worked in you by the demons through the false prophets, will bring you too, the ten tribes, into captivity; for I will lead all of you away there, bringing a common punishment upon you. And when it overtakes you, "like sheep in affliction, like flocks in the midst of their fold, they will leap away from men." For just as sheep sitting quietly rise up in great fear, so you, when you see the enemies coming, will be filled with turmoil and fear. Then he foretells what happened under Zedekiah, which the blessed prophet Ezekiel also foretold when he was commanded to take the baggage of captivity and to foretell by actions that king's flight. ### Scripture references - Mic 2:9: quotation, high confidence - Mic 2:10–11: quotation, high confidence - Mic 2:12: quotation, high confidence - Ezek 12:3–13: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Mic 2:9, 2:10–11, and 2:12. Words of the lemma of 2:10–11 are lost in the scan; marked "…". The reference to Ezekiel is Ezek 12:3–13. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.2.9 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-2-9). ## Commentary on Micah 2:13 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/5-4-5/#p-6-2-13 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The prophecy of the breach is fulfilled in King Zedekiah's flight and capture; the rulers who devoured the poor will cry to God in vain. ### Greek text ιγ΄. «᾿Ανάδηθι " διὰ τῆς διαχοπῆς ν) πρὸ προσπου αὐτῶν διέχοψαν᾽'", καὶ διῆλθον πύλην, καὶ ἐξῆλθαν δι’ αὐτῆς, καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ὁ βασιλεὺς αὐτῶν “πρὸ προσώπου αὐτῶν. » Αἰσθόμενος γὰρ ἐπιδάντας ποὺς Χαλδαίους, τῆς πόλεως διορύξας τὸ τεῖχος σὺν ὀλίγοις ἀπέδρα " ἁλοὺς δὲ, πρῶτον μὲν εἶδε τὴν τῶν παίδων σφαγήν " εἶτα στερηθεὶς τῶν ὀμμάτων, πεπεδημένος ἀπήχθη. « Ὁ δὲ Κύριος ἡγήσεται αὐτῶν» οὐκ ἀμύνων, ἀλλὰ προϊέμενος δηλονότι. α'-δ. « Καὶ ἐρεῖ - ᾿Ακούσατε δὴ, αἱ ἀρκαὶ τοῦ Ἰακὼθ, καὶ οἱ κατάλοιποι οἴχου Ἰσραήλ᾽ οὐκ ὑμῖν ἔστι γνῶναι" τὸ κρῖμα; Οἱ"5 μισοῦντες τὰ χαλὰ, καὶ ζητοῦντες τὰ πονηρά ἁρπάζοντες τὰ δέρματα αὑτῶν ἀπ᾽ αὐτῶν, καὶ τὰς σάρκας αὐτῶν ἀπὸ τῶν ὀστῶν αὐτῶν. Ὃν τρόπον χατέφαγον τὰς σάρκας τοῦ λαοῦ μον, καὶ τὰ δέρματα αὑτῶν ἀπ᾽ αὐτῶν ἐξέδειραν, καὶ τὰ ὀστᾶ αὐτῶν συνέθλασαν, καὶ ἐμέλισαν ὡς σάρκας εἰς λέδητα, καὶ ὡς κρέας εἰς χύτραν" οὕτω χεχράξονται πρὸς Κύριον, καὶ οὐκ εἰσαχούσεται αὐτῶν" κκαὶ ἀποστρέψει τὸ πρόσωπον αὑτοῦ ἀπ᾽ αὐτῶν ἐν τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, ἀνθ᾽ ὧν ἐπονηρεύσαντο ἐν τοῖς ἐπιτηδεύμασιν αὑτῶν ἐν αὑτοῖς "". ν» Πρὸς τοὺς ἄρχοντας ποιεῖται τὸν λόγον" οἱ πεπιστευμένοι γὰρ τὸ κρίνειν, ἐπάτουν τὸ δίκαιον “ διότι κατ᾽ ἐρώτησιν πρὸς αὐτοὺς λέγει Οὐκ ὑμεῖς εἴχετε τοῦ κρίνειν τὴν ἐξουσίαν, ὥστε κολάζειν μὲν τοὺς πλημμελοῦντας, ἀθώους δὲ ἀφιέναι τοὺς ἀνευθύνους; Πῶς τοίνυν τῶν νόμων προστατεύειν στευμένοι,: ἀπεστρέφεέσθε μὲν τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἔργων τὴν πρᾶξιν, θερμῶς δὲ περὶ τὰ πονηρὰ διέχεισθε: Τοσαύτῃ δὲ πλεονεξίᾳ κατὰ τῶν πενήτων ἐκέχρησθε, ὥστε πάντων αὐτοὺς τῶν ὑπαρχόντων γυμνοῦν. Τοῦτο γὰρ παρεδήλωσεν εἰρηκώς " « ᾿Αρπάζοντες "5 τὰ δέρματα αὑτῶν ἀπ' αὑτῶν, γκαὶ τὰς σάρκας αὖμηχότες, κἂν μυριάκις τὴν παρ᾽ "" ἐμοῦ συμμαχία» αἰτήσητε, ἐπικουρίας οὐδεμιᾶς ἀπολαύσετε. Οὕτω τοῖς ἄρχουσιν ἀπειλήσας, ἐπὶ τοὺς προφήτας μεταφέρει τὸν λόγον. ### English translation (Claude) 13. "Go up through the breach before them; they broke through and passed through the gate and went out through it, and their king went out before them." For when he perceived that the Chaldeans had entered, he dug through the wall of the city and escaped with a few; but when he was caught, he first saw the slaughter of his children, and then, deprived of his eyes, he was led away in fetters. "And the Lord will lead them": not defending them, clearly, but giving them up. 3:1–4. "And he will say: Hear now, rulers of Jacob and remnant of the house of Israel: Is it not for you to know judgment? You who hate the good and seek the evil, who tear their skins from them and their flesh from their bones. As they devoured the flesh of my people, and flayed their skins off them, and broke their bones, and cut them up like flesh into a cauldron and like meat into a pot, so they will cry to the Lord, and he will not hear them; and he will turn his face from them at that time, because they did evil in their practices among themselves." He addresses his word to the rulers; for those entrusted with judging trampled on justice. So he says to them by way of a question: Did you not have the authority to judge, so as to punish the offenders and let the guiltless go free? How, then, when you were entrusted with presiding over the laws, did you turn away from doing good deeds and give yourselves warmly to evil? You used such greed against the poor as to strip them of all their possessions. For this is what he indicated by saying: "Tearing their skins from them and [their] flesh [from their bones]" … even if you ask ten thousand times for my help, you will enjoy no aid. Having thus threatened the rulers, he turns his discourse to the prophets. ### Scripture references - Mic 2:13: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 25:4–7: allusion, high confidence - Mic 3:1–4: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Mic 2:13 and Mic 3:1–4 (chapter 3 begins inside this section). Zedekiah's flight: 2 Kgs 25:4–7. Words are lost in the scan before "even if you ask"; marked "…". ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.2.13 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-2-13). ## Commentary on Micah 3:5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-3-5/#p-6-3-5 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The false prophets who promised peace for gain are the true cause of the war. ### Greek text ε΄. «Τάδε λέγει Κύριος ἐπὶ τοὺς προφήτας, τοὺς πλανῶντας τὸν λαόν μου, τοὺς δάχνοντας ἐν τοῖς ὀδοῦσιν αὑτῶν, καὶ κηρύσσοντας ἐπ᾽ αὐτῶν "7 εἰρήνην, καὶ οὐκ ἐδόθη εἰς τὸ στόμα αὐτῶν ἡγίασαν ᾿5 ἐπ’ αὐτὸν πόλεμον. » Ῥεύδη, φησὶν, οἱ τῆς ἀτάτης προφῆται χρησμολογοῦντες, οἷόν τισι δήγμασι τῇ κολακείᾳ τῶν λόγων τὸν λαὸν ἐλυμήναντο, ἐναντία μὲν τοῖς ἐμοῖς προφήταις φθεγγόμενοι, εἰρήνην δὲ αὐτοῖς ὑπισχνούμενοι. ᾿Αλλ᾽ οἱ μὲν ἐχείνων λόγοι τὴν εἰρήνην ἔσχον, τὰ ὃὲ πράγματα τὸν πόλεμον δείκνυσι. Πρόξενοι δὲ τῶν ἐκ τοῦ πολέμου χκαχῶν οἱ Ὁ τὴν εἰρήνην ἐπαγγειλάμενοι, καὶ ἐμποδὼν τῇ τοῦ λαοῦ μεταμελείᾳ γενόμενοι. Τὸ δὲ, ε Ἡγίασαν ἐπ᾿ αὐτὸν πόλεββιν, » ἀντὶ τοῦ ἀφρώρισαν τέθεικε, τουτ- ### English translation (Claude) 5. "Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who lead my people astray, who bite with their teeth and proclaim peace to them; and when nothing was given into their mouth, they sanctified war against him." The prophets of deceit, he says, uttering lying oracles, harmed the people as with bites by the flattery of their words, speaking contrary to my prophets and promising them peace. But while their words held peace, the facts show war. Those who promised peace and stood in the way of the people's repentance are the causes of the evils of war. "They sanctified war against him" he put for "they set apart", that is … ### Scripture references - Mic 3:5: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mic 3:5. The section ends in mid-sentence; the end of the comment is lost in the scan. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.3.5 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-3-5). ## Commentary on Micah 3:6–7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-3-5/#p-6-3-6 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: When war comes instead of the promised peace, the false prophets will be shamed and mocked. ### Greek text ς΄, ζ'. « Διὰ τοῦτο νὺξ ὑμῖν ἔσται ἀπὸ ὁράσεως, καὶ σκοτία ὑμῖν ἔσται ἐκ " μαντείας, καὶ δύσεται ὁ ἥλιος ἐπὶ τοὺς προφήτας, καὶ συσχοτάσει ἐπ᾽ αὐτοὺς ἡ ἡμέρα. Καὶ χαταισχυνθήσοντετι οἱ ὁρῶντες τὰ ἐνύπνια, καὶ χαταγελασθήσονται οἱ μάντεις, καὶ χαταλαλήσουσι κατ᾽ αὐτῶν πάντες αὐτοὶ, διότι οὐκ ἔσται ὑπακούων ᾽᾽ αὑτῶν. ν Τῶν γὰρ πραγμάτων ἕναντίων φαινομένων, καὶ ἀντὶ τῇ; ὑπ᾽ αὑτῶν θρυλλουμένης εἰρήνης τῆς συμπλοκῆς ὁρωμένης, γέλωτα λυπτόμενοι δὲ βαδιοῦντας οἱ τοῖς ἐνυπνίοις θαῤῥεῖν παραχελευσάμενοι" μεσούσης δὲ ἡμέρας ἐν σκότῳ διάξουσι, καὶ νύκτα τὴν ἡμέραν ἡγήσονται, τῷ φόδῳ κῶν ὁρωμένων βαλλόμενοι " πολλαῖς δὲ αὐτοὺς πλυνοῦσι λοιδορίαις οἱ ταῖς ἐχείνων ἀπαχθέντες μαν- ### English translation (Claude) 6, 7. "Therefore you will have night instead of vision, and darkness instead of divination; and the sun will set on the prophets, and the day will grow dark over them. And the seers of dreams will be put to shame, and the diviners will be laughed at, and all of them will speak against them, because there will be no one who listens to them." For when events turn out the opposite, and instead of the peace they kept talking about, battle is seen, [they will incur] laughter, and those who bade people trust in dreams will go about in grief. At midday they will live in darkness and think the day night, struck by fear of what they see; and those who were led away by their divinations will heap many reproaches on them … ### Scripture references - Mic 3:6–7: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mic 3:6–7. The section ends in mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.3.6 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-3-6). ## Commentary on Micah 3:8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-3-5/#p-6-3-8 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Micah, filled with the Spirit's power, will boldly expose the people's sins. ### Greek text η΄. ε« Ἐγὼ δὲ 3, φησὶν ὁ προφήτης, ἐνεπλήσθην ἰσχύος ἐν Πνεύματι Κυρίου, καὶ κρίματος, καὶ δυναστείας, τοῦ ἀπαγγεῖλαι τῷ Ἰαχὼδ αὑτοῦ, καὶ τῷ οἴκῳ "5 Ἰσραὴλ ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν. » Οὔτε γὰρ ὅμοια τοῖς παρανόμοις ἐκείνοις δρᾶσαι τολμήσω ᾿" ὑπὸ δὲ τῆς τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος χάριτος ἐνεργούμενος, καὶ τῆς τοιαύτης δυνάμεως ἐμπιπλάμενος, σὺν παῤῥησίᾳ τοῦ λαοῦ τὴν ἀσέθδειαν διἐλέγξω. Οὕτως ὑποσχόμενος διαῤῥήδην ἐλέγξειν τὰς ὑπ᾽ αὐτῶν τολμωμένας παρανομίας, ἀντικρὺς βοᾷ " ### English translation (Claude) 8. "But I," says the prophet, "was filled with strength in the Spirit of the Lord, and with judgment and power, to declare to Jacob his impieties and to the house of Israel their sins." For I will not dare to act like those lawless men; but moved by the grace of the Holy Spirit and filled with such power, I will expose the impiety of the people with boldness. Having thus promised to expose openly the lawless deeds they dare, he cries out directly: ### Scripture references - Mic 3:8: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mic 3:8. The section ends in mid-sentence; the lemma follows in the next section. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.3.8 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-3-8). ## Commentary on Micah 3:9–20 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-3-5/#p-6-3-9 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Jerusalem's corrupt rulers, priests, and prophets bring on its destruction, fulfilled by Nebuchadnezzar and finally after the rejection of Christ; the exalted mountain of Mic 4 is the Church spread through the world, not the return from Babylon. ### Greek text θ’, κ΄, « ᾿Ακούσατε δὴ ταῦτα, οἱ ἧγουμενοι οἴχου Ἰαχκὼδ, καὶ οἱ κατάλοιποι οἴχου Ἰσραὴλ, οἱ βδελυσσόμενοι κρῖμα, καὶ πάντα τὰ ὀρθὰ διαστρέφοντες. Οἱ οἰκοδομοῦντες Σιὼν ἐν αἴμασι, καὶ Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐν ἀδικίαις. » Τὸ κρίνειν, φησὶ, πεπιστευμένοι, χατἐχξειν ἀχλινῶς οὐκ ἠδουλήθητε τὰ τῆς δίκης ζυγά" ἀλλὰ τοῦ δικαίου μὲν ἐποιεῖσθε λόγον οὐδένα, τὸ δὲ ἄδικον δίκαιον ἐπειρᾶσθε δεικνύναι, καὶ ταύτῃ κεχργ μένοι τῇ γνώμῃ, αἱμάτων ἀδίκων τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐνεπλήσατε᾽ δωροδηχίᾳ μὲν οἱ ἄρχοντες χρώμενοι, οἱ δὲ ἱερεῖς τὰς περὶ τῶν νομίμων ἀποκρίσεις μετὰ χρημάτων ποιούμενοι, καὶ προῖκα τὴν θείαν ἐκτελεῖν λειτουργίαν οὐκ ἀνεχόμενοι" οἱ δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν ἐναντίων πνευμάτων ἐνεργούμενοι προφῆται, ἔμμισθὸν τὴν ψευδῆ μαντείαν παρέχοντες, καὶ μετὰ δώρων τὴν ἀπάτην προσφέροντες, καὶ τοῦτο δ" δρῶντες τὴν θείαν ἔχειν ἐφαντάζοντο συμμαχίαν, λέγοντες " « Οὐκὶ Κύριος ἐν ἡμῖν ἐστιν; Οὐ μὴ ἐπέλθῃ ἐφ᾽ ὑμᾶς ᾽" κακά. » ᾿'Βπειδὴ τοίνυν παρανομίᾳ πάτῃ συζῶντες, μάτην ἐπερείδεσθε τῇ θείᾳ προσηγορίᾳ, γινώσκετε, ὅτι ι8’. ε Διὰ τοῦτο δι᾽ ὑμᾶς, Σιὼν, ὡς ἀγρὸς ἀροτριαθήσεται, καὶ Ἱερουσαλὴμ εἰς ὀπωροφυλάκιον ἔσται, καὶ τὸ ὄρος τὸ τοῦ οἴχου εἰς ἄλσος δρυμοῦ. » Τοσαὐτη, φησὶν, ἐρημία τὴν πολυθρύλληπον ταύτην καταλήψεται πόλιν, ὡς τὸν μὲν θεῖον οἶκον φυτῶν ἀναπλησθῆναι, καὶ ἀπειχασθῆναι δρυμῷ " τὰ δὲ τῶν τειχῶν ἕνδον, τὰ πάλαι ὑπὸ τῶν ἐνοικούντων στενοχωρούμενα, ταῖς ἔξω τῶν περιθόλων ἀρούραις νεουργεῖσθαι παραπλησίως, καὶ σπείρεσθαι, ὡς μηδὲν ὁπωροφυλαχίου τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ διαφέρειν, ὃ μετὰ τὴν τῶν καρπῶ" συλλογὴν ἔρημον μένει, τοῦ πρώην φυλάττοντος οἴκαδε ἐπανιόντης. Ταῦτα δὲ πέρας μὲν ἔλαύςε καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ναξουχοδονόσορ, ἡνίχα τὴν πόλιν ἑλὼν σὺν τῷ βασιλεῖ τοὺς ἐνοικοῦντας αἰχμαλώτους ἀπήγαγεν " ἀκριδέστερον δὲ ἔστιν ἰδεῖν τῆς προφητείας τὸ τέλος μετὰ τὴν κατὰ τοῦ Σωτῇρο; ἡμῶν τῶν Ἰουδαίων λύτταν καὶ μανίαν γεγε. ἐκεῖνος νεὼς ἐκ βάθρων ἀνασπασθεὶς ἐρημίᾳ παντελεῖ παρεδόθη, ὡς ἀγνοεῖν τοὺς ὁρῶντας, ποῖος Ἂν τῶν πάλαι ἁγίων ὁ τόπος. Οὗτω τοίνυν ἡ θεία χάρις διὰ «ἧς προφητικῆς γλώττης τὰ περὶ ἐχείνου προσγορεύσασα τοῦ νεὼ, τῆς εἰς τὸν Κύριον Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν πεπιστευκυίας Ἐκκλησίας πραθεσπίζει τὴν περιφάνειαν. Λέγει δὲ οὕτως " α’-γ΄. « Καὶ ἔσται ἐπ᾽ ἐσχάτου τῶν ἡμερῶν 5 ἐμφανὲς τὸ ὄρος Κυρίου, ἕτοιμον ἐπὶ κορυφὰς “5 τῶν ὁρέων, καὶ μετεωρισθήσεται ὑπεράνω τῶν βουνῶν, καὶ σπεύσουσιν ἐπ᾽ αὐτὸ λαοί. Καὶ πορεύσονται ἔϑνη πολλὰ, καὶ ἐροῦσι" Δεῦτε, ἀναδῶμεν εἰς τὸ ἔρος Κυρίου, καὶ 5 εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Θεοῦ Ἰαχὼδ, καὶ δείξουσιν ἧμῖν τὴν ὁδὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ πορευσόμεθα ἐν ταῖς τρίδοις αὐτοῦ" ὅτι ἐκ Σιὼν ἐξελεύσεται νόμος, καὶ λόγος Κυρίου ἐξ Ἱερουσαλήμ. Καὶ κρινεῖ ἄναμέσον λαῶν πολλῶν, καὶ ἐλέγξει ἔθνη ἔσχυρὰ εἰς ὅ᾽ μακράν. » Μέχρι γὰρ τῶν ἐσχάτων τῆς γῆς τὸ εὐαγγελικὸν καὶ θεῖον διέδραμε κήρυγμα, κατὰ τὴν ἐπὶ τοῖς ἱεροῖς Εὐαγγελίοις φερομένην τοῦ Κυρίου πρόῤῥησιν, «Κηρυχθήσεται γὰρ, ἔφη, τοῦτο τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον εἰς πάντα τὰ ἔθνη εἰς μαρτύριον αὐτοῖς. » Καὶ τοῖς ἁγίοις δὲ ἀποστόλοις παρηγγύησε, λέγων" ε Πορευθέντες μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, βαπτίζοντες αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Πατρὸς, καὶ τοῦ ΥἹοῦ, καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος, διδάσχοντε- αὑτοὺς τηρεῖν πάντα ὅσα ἐνετειλάμην ὑμῖν. ν Οὗτος ὁ εὐαγγελεχὴς νόμος, καὶ ἀποστολικὸς λόγος, ἀπὸ τῆς Ἱερουσαλτα, οἷον ἀπό τινος πηγῆς ἀρξάμενος, πᾶσαν τὴν οἴκουμένην διέδραμε, τοῖς μετὰ πίστεως προσιοῦσι τὴν ἀρδείαν προσφέρων. Ἔστι δὲ ἰδεῖν καὶ τοὺς θείους οἴκους ἐν μέσῳ καὶ πόλεων, καὶ κωμῶν, καὶ ἀγρῶν, καὶ ἐσχατιῶν διακειμένους, καὶ μεγέθε!:, καὶ κάλλει διαπρέποντας, ὡς καὶ αὐτῶν τῶν ὑψηλοτάτων ὁρῶν ἐπισημοτέρους εἶναι, καὶ περιφανεστέρους. Εἰ δὲ καὶ βουνοὺς καὶ ὄρη, τὰ πάλαι ἐν τούδοις τῶν ἀλαστόρων δαιμόνων τεμένη νοῆσαί τις ἐθελήσειε, καὶ οὕτως εὑρήσει τὸν προφητιχὰν λόγον ἀληθείᾳ χοσμούμενον' τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἐκ βάθρων ἀνεσπασμένα. φροῦδά ἔστι παντελῶς" οἱ δὲ θεῖοι ναοὶ, τῶν κατ᾽ οὐρανὸν ἀστέρων καὶ τὸ πλῆθος καὶ τὸ κάλλος μιμοῦνται. Ἰουδαῖοι ἔξ καῦτα νοεῖν οὖκ ἐθέλουσιν οὕτως, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἐκ Βαβυλῶνος ἐπανόδου πρόῤῥησιν ταῦτα εἶναξ φασι καὶ τὸ μὲν ἐκείνους ἠλιθίους ὄντα: οὕτω νοεῖν, θαυμαστὸν οὐδέν " συμθαίνει γὰρ αὐτῶν ταῖς ἄλλαις παρνοίαις " καὶ ὁ περὶ τήνδε τὴν προφητείαν πλάνο; τὸ δὲ καί τινας τῶν τῆς εὐσεύείας διδασκάλων τὴν αὐτὴν ἑρμηνεΐαν ἐνθεῖναι τοῖς οἰκείοις συγγράμμασιν, οὐκ ἀνεκτὸν, οὐδὲ συγγνώμης ἄξιον εἶναί μοι δοχεξ. Ποῖα γὰρ ἔθνη καὶ πελάξοντα, καὶ πόῤῥωθεν ἀπς χισμένα, μετὰ τὴν ἐπάνοδον συνέδραμον εἰς τὸν Ἰουδαίων ναὸν, τὸν ἐκείνων ἀσπασάμενα νόμον, καὶ ᾿Αναμέσον δὲ ποίων ἐθνῶν, ἢ λαῶν παμπόλλων, οὗτ΄ ς ὁ λόγος διέκρινε, τὰ κακῶς ὑπ᾽ αὐτῶν γινόμενα διεὐέγχων; Καὶ τὰ ἐπαγόμενα δὲ, ἀντικρὺς τῆς ἐρμηνείας ἐκείνης διθλέγχει τὸ Ψεῦδο; " μετὰ γὰρ τὴν ἀπὸ Βαδυλῶνος ἐπάνοδον, ὡς καὶ τοῖς οὕτω νενοηχόσι δοκεῖ, καὶ Βὼγ καὶ Μαγὼγ μετὰ πλείστων ἐθνῶν ἐπεστράτευσαν Ἰουδαίοις, καὶ οἱ περίοιχοι δὲ πάντε; αὐτοὺς πολεμοῦντες διετέλεσαν, ξνθεν μὲν Ἰδουμαῖοι, καὶ ᾿Αμμανῖται, καὶ Μωαῤῖται " ἐκεῖθεν δὲ ἀλλόφυλοι καὶ Σαμαρεῖτας " καὶ ὀλίγου δὲ διελθόντος χρόνου, τὰ Μαχεδονικὰ αὐτοῖς ἐπέστη κακὰ, ἃ τῶν θεῖαν. « Κατακόγουσι γὰρ τὰς μακαίρας αὑτῶν εἰς ἄροτρα, καὶ τὰ δόρατα αὑτῶν εἰς δρέπανα, καὶ οὐκ ἕτι οὐ μὴ ἄρῃ ἔθνος ἐπὶ "" ἔθνος; μάχαιραν, καὶ οὐκ ἔτι οὗ μὴ μάθωτ! πολεμεῖν. (δ΄.) Καὶ ἀναπαύσεται ἔκαστος ὑποχάτω ἀμπέλου αὑτοῦ, καὶ ἕχαστος ὑποχάτω συκῆς αὑτοῦ, καὶ οὐκ ἔσται ὁ ἐχφοδῶν. » Καὶ δεικνὺς τῶν εἰρημένων τὸ ἀψευδὲς, τοῦ εἰρηκότος τὸ ἀξιόπιστον ὅτιλον ποιεῖ τοῖς ἀκούουσι. ε« Τὸ γὰρ στόμα Κυρίου παντοκράτορος ἐλάλησε ταῦτα. » Τότε δὴ, τότε ### English translation (Claude) 9, 10. "Hear now these things, you leaders of the house of Jacob and remnant of the house of Israel, who abhor judgment and pervert all that is right; who build Zion with blood and Jerusalem with injustices." Though you were entrusted with judging, he says, you would not hold the scales of justice level; you made no account of what is just and tried to show the unjust as just. And with this mind you filled Jerusalem with unjust bloodshed: the rulers taking bribes; the priests giving their answers about the legal ordinances for money and not bearing to perform the divine liturgy without pay; and the prophets, moved by opposing spirits, providing lying divination for hire and offering deceit in return for gifts, and while doing this imagining that they had God on their side, saying: "Is not the Lord among us? No evils will come upon us." Since, then, you live in all lawlessness and lean in vain on the divine name, know that: 12. "Therefore because of you Zion will be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem will be like a fruit-guard's hut, and the mountain of the house like a grove in the forest." Such desolation, he says, will seize this celebrated city that the divine house will be filled with plants and look like a forest, and the space within the walls, once crowded with inhabitants, will be plowed and sown like the fields outside the walls, so that Jerusalem will be no different from a fruit-guard's hut, which is left deserted after the fruits are gathered, when the one who guarded it has gone home. These things were fulfilled in the time of Nebuchadnezzar, when he took the city and led away its inhabitants captive with the king; but one can see the end of the prophecy more precisely after the frenzy and madness of the Jews against our Savior. For that temple, torn up from its foundations, was given over to utter desolation, so that those who see the place do not know where the holy things of old once stood. So the divine grace, having foretold through the prophetic tongue the fate of that temple, foretells the splendor of the Church that has believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. It speaks thus: 4:1–3. "And it will be in the last days that the mountain of the Lord will be manifest, prepared on the tops of the mountains, and it will be lifted above the hills, and peoples will hasten to it. And many nations will go and say: Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord and to the house of the God of Jacob, and they will show us his way, and we will walk in his paths; for out of Zion will go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he will judge between many peoples and rebuke strong nations far away." For the divine preaching of the gospel ran to the ends of the earth, according to the Lord's prediction recorded in the holy Gospels: "For this gospel," he said, "will be preached to all the nations as a testimony to them." And he charged the holy apostles, saying: "Go and 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 that I have commanded you." This gospel law and apostolic word, beginning from Jerusalem as from a spring, ran through the whole world, offering its water to those who come with faith. And one can see the divine houses set in the midst of cities, villages, fields, and remote places, excelling in size and beauty, so as to be more conspicuous and splendid than the highest mountains themselves. And if anyone wishes to take the hills and mountains as the precincts of the avenging demons that once stood in groves, even so he will find the prophetic word adorned with truth: for those, torn up from their foundations, have utterly vanished, while the divine temples imitate the stars of heaven in number and in beauty. The Jews will not understand these things so, but say that they are a prediction of the return from Babylon. That they, being foolish, understand it so is no wonder; for their error about this prophecy fits their other follies. But that some of the teachers of piety have put the same interpretation in their own writings seems to me intolerable and unpardonable. For what nations, whether near or far away, ran together to the temple of the Jews after the return and embraced their law? Between what nations or very many peoples did their word judge, exposing what they did wrongly? And what follows plainly refutes the falsehood of that interpretation. For after the return from Babylon, as even those who understand it so believe, Gog and Magog with very many nations campaigned against the Jews, and all their neighbors continually made war on them, on one side Idumeans, Ammonites, and Moabites, on the other foreigners and Samaritans; and after a short time the Macedonian evils came upon them, which … the divine [prophecy]: "For they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into sickles, and nation will no longer lift sword against nation, and they will no longer learn to make war. 4. And each will rest under his vine and each under his fig tree, and there will be no one to frighten them." And showing the truthfulness of what was said, he makes plain to the hearers the trustworthiness of the speaker: "For the mouth of the Lord Almighty has spoken these things." Then indeed, then … ### Scripture references - Mic 3:9–10: quotation, high confidence - Mic 3:11: quotation, high confidence - Mic 3:12: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 25:8–11: allusion, medium confidence - Mic 4:1–3: quotation, high confidence - Matt 24:14: quotation, high confidence - Matt 28:19–20: quotation, high confidence - Mic 4:4: quotation, high confidence - Ezek 38:2: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Mic 3:9–10, a paraphrase of 3:11, 3:12, and Mic 4:1–3 and 4:3b–4 (chapter 4 begins inside this section). Quotations: Matt 24:14; Matt 28:19–20. Theodoret rejects the reading of 4:1–4 as a prophecy of the return from Babylon, held by the Jews and by "some of the teachers of piety" (unnamed). His statements about the Jews are his own polemic, translated as written. Gog and Magog (Ezek 38–39) are placed by Theodoret after the return from exile. Latin debris and Migne's footnotes are removed by logged corrections; a few words lost with them are marked "…". ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.3.9 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-3-9). ## Commentary on Micah 4:5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-3-5/#p-6-4-5 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The peace foretold in Mic 4 is the peace of the Roman world under which the gospel spread, not anything the Jews received. ### Greek text ε΄. ε« Πάντες οἱ λαοὶ πορεύσονται ἔκαστος τὴν ὁδὸν αὑτοῦ - ἡμεῖς δὲ πορευσόμεθα ἐν ὀνόματι Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν εἰ: τὸν αἰῶνα, καὶ ἐπέκεινα. » Ὅτι μὲν οὖν τούτων οὐδὲν Ἰουδαίοις ἁρμόττει, τὰ πράγματα μαρτυρεῖ " οἱ μὲν γὰρ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐγένοντο, σποράδες ἀλώμενοι, καὶ τὴν κατὰ νόμον λειτουργίαν ἐκπληροῦν οὐ δυνάμενοι" ὁ δὲ προφητικὸς λόγος ὑπισχνεῖται, τοὺς πεπιστευκότας ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Κυρίου, πορεύεσθαι εἰ: τὸν αἰῶνα καὶ ἐπέκεινα. Ὅτι δὲ τὸν μετὰ τὴν τοῦ Κυρίου πχρουτίαν προσημαίνει ταῦτα καιρὸν, πάλιν τὰ πράγματα μονονουχὶ φωνὴν ἀφιέντα τὴν μαρτυρίαν παρέχεται. Πρὺ μὲν γὰρ τῆς Ῥωμαίων βατιλείας, συχναὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν γατ᾽ ἀλλήλων ἐπαναστάσεις ἐγίνοντο, ἅτε δὴ καθ᾽ ἔκαστον Ἔθνος τῆς βασιλείας μεμερισμένης. ἸΙάσης δὲ τῆς ἡγξμονίας εἰς Ῥωμαίους μετατεθείσης, καὶ τῆς καθ᾽ ἕκαστον ἔθνος βασιλείας ἐπὶ τῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος Τμ͵ῶν παρουπίας ἀναιρεθείσης, εἰρήνη βαθεῖα κατἐσχε τὴν οἰκουμένην, ὡς μηκέτι ἔθνος κατ᾽ ἔθνο! ἐπιστρατεύειν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν παρασχεθεῖσαν θεόθεν εἰρήνην, εἰς ὄργανα γεωργικὰ μεταδαλεῖν τὰ πολεμικὰ, καὶ τῇ γηπονίᾳ προσέχοντας, τῶν ἐντεῦθεν ἀδεῶς ἀγαθῶν ἀπολαύειν. Κα! τοῖς ἄλλοις δὲ ἅπασιν ἐπιτηδεύμασιν ὡς ἐν εἰρήνῃ προσέχουσιν, οἱ μὲν ταῖς παντοδαπαῖς χρώμενοι τέχνα!ς, οἱ ὃὲ ἐμπορίαν καὶ ναυτιλίαν αἱρούμενοι, οἱ δὲ τῇς τελειότητος ὀρεγόμενοι, τὴν θείσν ὁδὸν, καὶ τοῦ Δεσπότου τὴν θεραπείαν, ὑποῤῥεόντων "᾽ κερδῶν προαιρούμενοι, Καὶ τὴ) αἰώνιον ἐντεῦθεν χληρονομοῦντες ζωήν, Τούτοις ἐπάγει " ### English translation (Claude) 5. "All the peoples will walk each in his own way; but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and beyond." That none of this fits the Jews the facts testify: for they were cast out of Jerusalem and wander scattered, unable to fulfill the worship prescribed by the law; whereas the prophetic word promises that those who have believed in the name of the Lord will walk forever and beyond. And that these things foretell the time after the Lord's coming, again the facts testify, all but raising their voice. For before the Roman empire there were frequent uprisings of the nations against one another, since the rule was divided nation by nation. But when all dominion had passed to the Romans, and the kingship of each nation had been abolished at the coming of our Savior, deep peace held the world, so that nation no longer campaigned against nation; but because of the peace granted by God they turned the instruments of war into farming tools and, devoting themselves to agriculture, enjoyed without fear the good things that come from it. And they devote themselves to all the other pursuits as in time of peace: some practice crafts of every kind, others choose trade and seafaring, and others, longing for perfection, choose the divine way and the service of the Master over gains that flow away, and thereby inherit eternal life. To these words he adds: ### Scripture references - Mic 4:5: quotation, high confidence - Mic 4:3: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mic 4:5. Latin debris (with a displaced Greek fragment: "and the prophetic word promises peace") is removed by logged corrections. Theodoret's linking of the end of national wars with the Roman empire at Christ's coming, and his statements about the Jews, are translated as written. The section ends in mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.4.5 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-4-5). ## Commentary on Micah 4:6–7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-3-5/#p-6-4-6 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The gathering of the crushed and outcast is Christ's gathering of sinners into the Church, where he reigns forever; the "tower of the flock" is the temple, which Babylon will attack. ### Greek text ς΄, ζ΄. « Ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις "5, καὶ ἐν τῷ χαιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, συνάξω τὴν συντετριμμένην, καὶ τὴν ἀπὠσμένην εἰσδέξομαι, καὶ οὺς ἀπωσάμην. Καὶ θήσομαι τὴν συντετριμμένην εἰς ὑπόλειμμα, καὶ τὴν ἂπὠσμένην εἰς ἔθνος ἰσχυῤόν. » Καὶ σαφῶς διδάσκων, ὡς; οὐ περὶ Ἰουδαίων ταῦτά φησι, προστέθεικε " « Καὶ βασιλεύσει Κύριος ἐπ᾽ αὐτοὺς ἐν ὄρει Σιὼν ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. » Εἰ μὲν οὖν διέμεινεν ἐν τῇ Σιὼν ἡ Ἰουδαίων βασιλεία, καὶ τῆς αἰωνίου καὶ διηνεκοῦς ἀπολαύουσι παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων χη. δεμονίας, εἰκότως καὶ Ἰουδαῖοι τὴν προφητείαν ἁρπάζουσι, καὶ οἱ παραπλησίως ἐκείνοις ταῦτα νενοηκότες συνομολογοῦσιν ἐκείνοις, Εἰ δὲ πέπαυται μὲν τῶν Ἰουδαίων πάλαι ἡ βασιλεία, πόῤῥω δὲ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ οἰκοῦντες δουλεύουσι, τῆς δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ κηδεμονίας προφανῶς ἐγυμνώθησαν, μήτε Ἰουδαῖοι αἰῶνα. Οὕτω τὰ περὶ τῆς ἐξ ἐθνῶν Ἐκκλησίας σαλὴμ ἐπανέρχεται λόγους. ληρείτωσαν, καὶ οἱ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας διδάσχαλο! τῇ αγορεύει ψυχὰς, δι᾽ ἃς ὁ μονογενὴς τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος ἐνανθρωπήσας ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ὥφθη, καὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις συνανεστράφη. Καὶ τούτων μάρτυς αὐτὸς πρὸς Ἰουδαίους λέγων" « Οὐ χρείαν ἔχουσιν οἱ ἰσχύοντες ἰατροῦ, ἀλλ᾽ οἱ κακῶς ἔχοντες. » Καὶ, « ΟὐὩς ἦλθον καλέσαι δικαίους, ἀλλὰ ἀμαρτωλοὺς εἰς μετάνοιαν. ν Διὸ τελώνην, καὶ πόρνην, καὶ λῃστὴν, καὶ τοὺς τοιούτους συναγαγὼν, καὶ τὸν τούτων τρόπον εἰς τὸ χρεῖττον μεταθαλὼν, Ἐκκλησίαν ἁγίαν ἀπέφηνε, βασιλεύων αὐτῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν καὶ ἕως εἰς τὸν προθεσπίσας ὁ προφήτης, εἰς τοὺς κατὰ τῆς Ἵερου͵ π΄. «Καὶ σὺ, πύργος ποιμνίου αὐχμώδης, θύγατερ Σιὼν, ἐπὶ σὲ ἥξει καὶ εἰσελεύσεται"" ἡ ἀρχὴ, ἡ πρώτη βασιλεία Βαδυλῶνος "5.» Οὕτω καὶ ὁ μαχέρἷος Ἡσαῖας, μᾶλλον δὲ ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς διὰ τῇς ἐχείνου γλώττης, τροπικῶς αὐτὴν ὀνομάζει. Εϊρτιχὼς γὰρ, ὅτι « Ἐφύτευσα ἄμπελον Σωρὴκ "5, καὶ προλήνιον ὥρυξα ἐν αὐτῷ», ἐπήγαγε" «Καὶ πύργον ᾧκοδόμησα ἐν μέσῳ αὐτοῦ, ν» τὸν ναὸν οὕτω καλῶν, δι᾽ οὗ φρουρεῖν ἐδόκει τὸν ἀμπελῶνα. Τοῦτον τὸν πύργον ὁ μακάριος Μικαίας αὐχμώδη διὰ τὴν τῶν οἰκητόρων ἀσέδειαν " τῆς γὰρ ἐννόμου πολιτείας τὸ διειδὲς θολώσαντες, οἷον αὐχμόν τινα τὴν οἰκείαν παρανομίαν ἐπεισήγαγον, Τούτοις τὴν Βαδυλωνίων ἀπειλεῖ στρατείαν " τούτων γὰρ εὐθὺς Ὁ ἐν τῷ τρίτῳ ἕτει τῆς βασιλείας Ἰωακείμ. Διὸ καὶ ἀρχὴν πρώτην τὴν βασιλείαν ἐκείνην ὠνόμασεν, ὡς εὐθὺς μετὰ τὴν τῆς βασιλείας χειροτονίαν τοῦ Ναβουχοδονόσορ ποιησαμένου τὴν στρατείαν. Εἶτα κατ᾽ εἰρωνείαν πυνθάνεται" ### English translation (Claude) 6, 7. "In those days and at that time I will gather her who is crushed, and receive her who has been driven out, and those whom I drove out. And I will make her who is crushed a remnant, and her who has been driven out a strong nation." And teaching clearly that he does not say these things about the Jews, he added: "And the Lord will reign over them on Mount Zion from now and forever." If, then, the kingdom of the Jews had remained in Zion, and they enjoyed the eternal and continual care of the God of all, the Jews would have good reason to seize on the prophecy, and those who understand these things as they do would be right to agree with them. But if the kingdom of the Jews ceased long ago, and they live far from Jerusalem in servitude, and have been plainly stripped of God's care, let neither the Jews talk nonsense, nor the teachers of the Church [agree with] … He foretells … the souls for whose sake the only-begotten Word of God was made man, was seen on earth, and lived among human beings. And he himself is witness of this, saying to the Jews: "Those who are strong have no need of a physician, but those who are ill." And: "I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Therefore, gathering the tax collector, the harlot, the robber, and people like them, and changing their ways for the better, he made them a holy Church, reigning over them from now and to the ages. Having thus foretold the things concerning the Church from the nations, the prophet returns to his words against Jerusalem. 8. "And you, parched tower of the flock, daughter of Zion, to you will come and enter the rule, the first kingdom of Babylon." So the blessed Isaiah too, or rather the God of all through his tongue, names her figuratively. For having said, "I planted a vine of Sorek and dug a winepress in it," he added, "and I built a tower in the midst of it," so calling the temple, by which he seemed to guard the vineyard. This tower the blessed Micah [calls] parched because of the impiety of its inhabitants; for, muddying the clearness of the way of life prescribed by the law, they brought in their own lawlessness like a kind of drought. Against them he threatens the campaign of the Babylonians; for [Nebuchadnezzar came] against them at once, in the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim. Therefore he called that kingdom the "first rule", since Nebuchadnezzar made the campaign immediately after his appointment to the kingdom. Then he asks ironically: ### Scripture references - Mic 4:6–7: quotation, high confidence - Mic 4:8: quotation, high confidence - Matt 9:12: quotation, high confidence - Matt 9:13: quotation, high confidence - Isa 5:2: quotation, high confidence - Dan 1:1: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Mic 4:6–7 and 4:8. The scan prints the lines of this section out of order (the sentence on the return to Jerusalem stands in the middle of the argument about the Church); they are translated in the order the sense requires, and words lost in the scan are marked "…". Quotations: Matt 9:12, 13; Isa 5:2. On the third year of Jehoiakim, Dan 1:1. Theodoret's statements about the Jews are his own polemic, translated as written. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.4.6 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-4-6). ## Commentary on Micah 4:9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-3-5/#p-6-4-9 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Neither king nor counselors will save Zion from the pangs of exile in Babylon, but God will redeem her from there. ### Greek text θ΄, «ε Καὶ νῦν ἱνατὶ ἔγνως κακά; μὴ βασιλεὺς οὖκ ἦν ἐν" σοὶ, ἣ ἡ "5 βουλή σου ἀπώλετο, ὅτε χατεχρά- τησάν σου "" ὠδῖνες ὡς πικτούσης; ν» Πόθεν, φησὶ, πεῖραν ἔλαθες τῶν κακῶν; Καὶ μὴν καὶ συμόούλους εἶχες τοὺς τὸ δέον εὑρεῖν δυναμένους, καὶ βασιλέα τούτου γε εἴνεκα ἤτησας, ὥστε σου προχινδυνεύειν ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις “ καὶ ἔλαδες δὲ παραυτίκα " δέδωκα γάρ σοι τὴν αἴτησιν. Μάνθανε τοίνυν, ὡς οὐδέν σε οἱ σύμθουλοι, οὔτε τῶν συμδούλων ἡ φρόνησις, οὔτε ἡ τοῦ βασιλέως ὀνήσει προστασία. ὑ΄. « Καὶ ὦδινε, καὶ ἀνδρίζου, καὶ ἔγγιζε, δ θύγατερ Σιὼν, ὡς ἡ τίκτουσα. » Δέχου, φησὶν, ὠδινούσης γυναικὲς παραπλησίως ὀδύνας, καὶ ὁμοίως ἐκείνῃ, τὰ ἐπιόντα θεωμένη κακὰ, βάλλου ταῖς τῶν ἀλγηχατασχηνώσεις ἐν πεδίῳ, καὶ ἥξεις ἕως Βαδυλῶνος " ἐκεῖθεν ῥύσεταί σε, καὶ ἐκεῖθεν λυτρώσεταί σε δ' Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου ἐκ χειρὸς ἐχθρῶν σον.» Μὴ ἀναμείνῃς, φησὶ, νῦν τῶν ἐπιόντων σοι κακῶν τὴν ἀπαλλαγήν " δεῖ γάρ σε ταύτης μὲν ἐξελαθῆναι τῆς πόλεως " ἀπαγομένην δὲ, ὡς ἔτυχεν, ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς καταλύειν" ἐπὶ πλεῖστον δὲ οἰκῆσαι τὴν Βαδυλῶνα, μετὰ χρόνον τῆς ἐλευθερίας τυχεῖν, καὶ εἰς τὴν ἐνεγχοῦσαν ἐπανελθεῖν. Οὕτω τὴν αἰχμαλωσέαν καὶ τὴν ἐπάνοδου αὐτοῖ; προθεσπίσας, περὶ τῶν Σχυθιχῶν ἐθνῶν ποιεῖται τὴν πρόῤῥησιν, ἃ μετὰ τὴν ### English translation (Claude) 9. "And now why have you known evils? Was there no king in you, or has your counsel perished, that pangs have seized you like a woman in labor?" How, he says, did you come to experience evils? Yet you had counselors able to find what was needed, and you asked for a king for this very reason, that he might face danger for you in war; and you received one at once, for I granted your request. Learn, then, that neither the counselors, nor their prudence, nor the protection of the king will benefit you. 10. "Be in pain, and be brave, and draw near, daughter of Zion, like a woman giving birth." Receive, he says, pains like a woman in labor, and like her, seeing the evils that are coming, be struck by the pangs … "[for now you will go out of the city] and you will encamp in the field and come as far as Babylon; from there he will rescue you, and from there the Lord your God will redeem you from the hand of your enemies." Do not expect deliverance now, he says, from the evils that are coming upon you; for you must be driven out of this city and, as you are led away, lodge on the roads as chance has it, and live a long time in Babylon, and after a time obtain freedom and return to the land that bore you. Having thus foretold their captivity and return, he makes the prediction about the Scythian nations, which after the … ### Scripture references - Mic 4:9: quotation, high confidence - Mic 4:10: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 8:5: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Mic 4:9 and 4:10 (words of 4:10 lost in the scan are supplied in brackets from the LXX). On the request for a king, 1 Sam 8:5. The section ends in mid-sentence, with words lost in the scan. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.4.9 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-4-9). ## Commentary on Micah 4:11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-3-5/#p-6-4-11 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The nations who gather to gloat over Zion are gathered by God, without being forced, to be threshed by Zion with the strength he gives. ### Greek text τα’, ι3΄. « Καὶ νῦν ἐπισυνήχθησαν" ἐπὶ σὲ ἔθνη πολλὰ, καὶ λαοὶ" λέγοντες “ Ἐπιχαρούμεθα, καὶ ἐπόψονται ἐπὶ Σιὼν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἡμῶν. Καὶ αὐτοὶ οὖκ ἔγνωσαν τὸν λογισμὸν Κυρίου, καὶ οὐ συνῆκαν “πὴν βουλὴν σὐτοῦ, ὅτι συνήγαγεν αὐτοὺς ὡς δράγματα ἅλωνος.» Συνάγει δὲ ὁ Θεὸς, οὐκ ἀναγκάζων καὶ βιαζόμενος, ἀλλὰ ταῖς ὁρμαῖς συγχωρῶν, καὶ τῷ αὐτεξουσίῳ παραχωρῶν. Ταῦτα δὲ καὶ τοὺς αὶ. « ᾿Ανάστηθι καὶ ἀλόα αὐτοὺς, θύγατερ Σιὼν, ὅτι τὰ χέρατά σου θήσομα: σιδηρᾷ, καὶ τὰς ὁπλάς σου θήσομαι χαλκᾶς" καὶ χατατήξεις δ" ἐν αὐτοῖς δδ ξθνη, καὶ λεπτυνεῖ; λαοὺς πολλοὺς, καὶ ἀναθήσεις πῷ Κυρίῳ τὸ πλῆθος αὐτῶν, καὶ τὴν ἰσχὺν αὑτῶν τῷ "5 Κυρίῳ πάτης τῆς γῆς. » Τῆς γὰρ ἐμῆς ἀπολαύουσα προμηθείας, οἷόν τισι κέρασι σιδηροῖ:, καὶ χαλχαῖς ὁπλαῖς, χεχρημένη τῇ παρ' ἐμοῦ σοι χορηγουμένῃ δυνάμει, ἄρδην αὑτοὺς ἅπαντας ἁφανίσεις καὶ παραδώσεις πανωλεθρίᾳ " ἐμοὶ τὴν τούτων ἀνατιθεῖσα νίκην, καὶ διαῤῥήδην ὁμπολογοῦσα, ὡς ἐγώ σο! ταύτης γεγένημαι χορηγός. ### English translation (Claude) 11, 12. "And now many nations and peoples have gathered against you, saying: We will rejoice, and our eyes will look upon Zion. But they did not know the thought of the Lord and did not understand his counsel, that he gathered them like sheaves of the threshing floor." God gathers them, not compelling or forcing them, but permitting their impulses and yielding to their free will. And these things … 13. "Arise and thresh them, daughter of Zion, for I will make your horns iron and your hooves bronze; and you will melt nations among them and crush many peoples, and you will dedicate their multitude to the Lord and their strength to the Lord of all the earth." For enjoying my providence, and using the power I supply you as iron horns and bronze hooves, you will utterly destroy them all and hand them over to total ruin, ascribing the victory over them to me and confessing openly that I have been the giver of it to you. ### Scripture references - Mic 4:11–12: quotation, high confidence - Mic 4:13: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Mic 4:11–12 and 4:13. Theodoret takes these nations to be the Scythian peoples (Gog) who would attack after the return from exile. Words are lost in the scan after "free will"; marked "…". ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.4.11 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-4-11). ## Commentary on Micah 4:14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-3-5/#p-6-4-14 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Zion will be besieged and humiliated, but God will protect her for the sake of the king to be born from her. ### Greek text α΄. Νὺν ἐμφραχθήσεται θυγάτηρ ἐμφραγμῷ " συνοχὴν ἔταξεν ἐφ᾽ ἡμᾶς" - ἐν ῥάθδῳ πατάξουσιν ἐπὶ σιαγόνα τὰς φυλὰς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. ν Ἐκεῖνοι, φησὶν, οὐδ προορῶντες τὸ τέλο;, οἷόν τινι φραγμῷ τῇ αἱρήσειν ἐλπίζοντες, καὶ πάσῃ παροινίᾳ κατὰ τῶν ἐνοικούντων χρήσεσθαι προσδοκήσαντες. Τοῦτο γὰρ εἶπε, « Ῥάδδῳ πατάξουσιν ἐπὶ σιαγόνα, ν ὡς τῆς τοιαύτης πληγῆς μείζονα τὴν ἀτιμίαν δ᾽ ἐχούσης. ᾿Αλλὰ μὴ δείσῃς " τεύξῃ γὰρ κηδεμονίας, οὐ διὰ τὴν σὴν εὐνομίαν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸν ἐκ σοῦ κατὰ σάρκα πεχθησόμενον βασιλέα. Καὶ τοῦτο σαφῶς διδάσκων ἐπήγαγε" ### English translation (Claude) 1. "Now the daughter will be hemmed in with a fence; he has laid siege against us; with a rod they will strike the tribes of Israel on the cheek." Those men, he says, not foreseeing the end, [surrounded the city] as with a fence, hoping to take it and expecting to use every outrage against its inhabitants. For this is what he said: "With a rod they will strike on the cheek", since such a blow carries more dishonor [than pain]. But do not fear; for you will obtain care, not because of your good order, but because of the king who will be born from you according to the flesh. And teaching this clearly he added: ### Scripture references - Mic 5:1: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mic 5:1 (Hebrew 4:14). Words lost in the scan among Latin debris are supplied in brackets by sense. The section ends in mid-sentence; the lemma follows in the next section. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.4.14 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-4-14). ## Commentary on Micah 5:1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-3-5/#p-6-5-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The ruler from Bethlehem whose goings forth are from eternity is the eternal Word born in the flesh, not Zerubbabel; "she who is in labor" is the Church of Jews and Gentiles. ### Greek text β΄. « Καὶ οὐ “5, Βηθλεὲμ, οἶκος τοῦ Ἐφραθὰ, μὴ" ὀ)ιγοστὸς εἶ τοῦ εἶναι ἐν χιλιάσιν Ἰούδα “ ἐκ σοῦ μοι ἐξελεύσεται, τοῦ εἶναι εἰς ἄρχοντα ἐν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ αἱ ἔξοδοι αὐτοῦ ἀπ᾽ ἀρχῆς ἐξ ἡμερῶν αἰῶνος.» Μὴ ἀποδλέψῃς, φησὶν, εἰς τὴν βραχύτητα τῶν ἑνοικούντων, ὦ Βηθλεέμ ΄ ἔχεις γὰρ ἀφορμὴν εἰς περιφάνειαν, οἵαν οὐδεμία πόλις τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐν σοὶ γὰρ κατὰ σάρκα τεχθήσετα! ὁ πρὸ αἰώνων ἐκ τοῦ Πατρὸς γεννηθεὶς, « οὗ αἱ ἕξοδοί ἀπ᾿ ἀρχῖ;ς. » Τοῦτο δὲ ἀντικρὺς τῷ τοῦ Εὐαγγελέον ἔο!:: προοιμίῳ" « Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ Λόγος, καὶ ὁ Λόγος ἣν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ Θεὸς ἦν ὁ Λόγος “ οὗτος ἦν ἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸς τὸν θεόν. » "Ἔοικε δὲ καὶ τοῖς διὰ τοῦ μακαρίου Δαδὶδ ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰρημένοις " « Ἔχ γαστρὸς πρὸ ἑωσφόρου ἐγέννησά σε. » Οὗτος τοίνυν ὁ προαἰώνιος, ὁ ἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸς τὴν Θεὸν, θεὸς Λόγος, καὶ τὰς ἐκεῖθεν ἐξόδους ἀπ᾽ ἀρχῆς ἔχων, ἐν σοὶ, φησὶ, τὴν κατὰ -σάργα δέξεται γέννησιν, λαμπράν σε ποιῶν καὶ περίόλεπτον, τὴν ἐν ταῖς τοῦ Ἰούδα χιλιάτιν ἐλαττουμένην. Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ οἱ νῦν“ Ἰουδαξοι εἰς τὸν Ζοροδάδελ λχαδεῖν τετολμήκασι, προφανῶς τῇ ἀληθείᾳ μαχόμενοι. Καὶ οὐκ ἐρυϑριῶσιν ἀκούοντες, ὡς αἱ τούτου ἔξοδοι ἀπ᾽ ἀργῆς ἐξ ἡμερῶν αἰῶνος" ὁ δὲ Ζοροθάθελ μετὰ τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν ἐν τῇ Βαθυλῶνι τεχθεὶς, ἀπὸ τοῦ τόπου καὶ τὴν προσηγορίαν ἐδέξατο. Οἱ πάλαι δὲ Ἰουδαῖοι οὐ παραπλτ,σίως τούτοις τήνδε τὴν προφητείαν ἐνότσαν" ἀλλὰ μετὰ 45 τὸν Ζοροδάθδελ καὶ πολὺν ἐτῶν ἀριθμὸν, ἔρωτηθέντες ὑπὸ Ἡρώδου, ποῦ ὁ Χριστὸς γεννᾶτα:, ταύτην αὐτῷ τὴν μαρτυρίαν προσήνεγκαν. Δῖιλοι ποίνυν εἰσὶν οἱ νῦν Ἰουδαῖοι χαχουργοῦντες περὶ τὴν ἑρμηνείαν. ᾿Αλλὰ τὴν τούτων ἄνοιαν καταλιπόντες, ἐπὶ τὰ συνεχῆ τῆς ἑρμηνείας βαδίσωμεν. Ὑ..« Διὰ τοῦτο δώσεις “' αὑτοὺς ἕως καιροῦ τιχτού- ᾿ σης " τέξεται, καὶ οἱ ἐπίλοιποι τῶν ἀδελφῶν αὐτοῦ “ἢ Ὁ ἐπιστρέψουσιν ἐπὶ τοὺς νἱοὺς Ἰσραήλ.» Μέχρι γὰρ πότε, φησὶ, μαχροθυμήσεις, καὶ τῆς σῆς μεταδώσεις Ἰουδαίοις κηδεμονίας, ἕως ἂν ἡ τίκτουσα τέκῃ. Δηλοῖ δὲ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, περ: ἧς καὶ Ἡσαῖας βοᾷ" «Εὐφράνθητι, στεῖρα, ἡ οὐ τίκτουσα" ῥῆξον καὶ βόησον, ἡ οὐκ ὠδίνουσα " ὅτε πολλὰ τὰ τέχνα τῆς ἐρὴῆμου μᾶλλον ἢ τῆς ἐχούσης τὸν ἄνδρα.» Τὰ δὲ ἐκ ταύτης τιχτόμενα, φησὶ, τοῖς ἐκ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ τιστεύουσι συναφθήσετα!ι. Ἐκ γὰρ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ὁ θεῖος τῶν ἀποστύλων χορὺς, καὶ οἱ μετ᾽ ἐκείνους ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου τὴν ἀνάστασιν κατὰ ταυτὸν εὑρεθέντες ἑκατὸν εἴ- Κύριος ὥφθη, καὶ οἱ τρισχίλιοι, καὶ οἱ πενταχισχίλιοι, οὓς ὁ ἁλιεὺ: ἐσαγήνευσε Πέτρος, καὶ αἱ πολλαὶ μυριάδες, περὶ ὧν ὁ θεσπέσιος Ἰάχωδος ἔφη τῷ θειοτάτῳ Παύλῳ «θεωρεῖς, ἀδελφὲ, πόσα: μυριάδες εἰσὶ τῶν πεπιστευχύτων Ἰουδαίων. » ποῖνυν, φησὶν, ἐντεῦθεν κἀκεῖθεν Ἐκκλησία γενήσεται, καὶ ἐν τούτοις ὁ ἐκ Βηθλεεμ Κύριος στῆσεται. ### English translation (Claude) 2. "And you, Bethlehem, house of Ephrathah, are you too small to be among the thousands of Judah? From you will come forth for me one to be ruler in Israel, and his goings forth are from the beginning, from the days of eternity." Do not look, he says, at the small number of your inhabitants, O Bethlehem; for you have a cause of glory such as no city on earth has. For in you will be born according to the flesh the one begotten of the Father before the ages, "whose goings forth are from the beginning". This is plainly like the opening of the Gospel: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God; he was in the beginning with God." It is also like what was said by God through the blessed David: "From the womb before the morning star I begot you." This one, then, the eternal God the Word, who was in the beginning with God and has his goings forth from there from the beginning, will receive in you, he says, his birth according to the flesh, making you illustrious and renowned, you who were small among the thousands of Judah. The Jews of today have dared to apply this too to Zerubbabel, plainly fighting against the truth. And they do not blush to hear that "his goings forth are from the beginning, from the days of eternity", whereas Zerubbabel was born in Babylon after the captivity and took his name from the place. But the Jews of old did not understand this prophecy as these do; long after Zerubbabel and after a great number of years, when they were asked by Herod where the Christ was to be born, they offered him this testimony. It is clear, then, that the Jews of today deal dishonestly with the interpretation. But leaving their folly aside, let us go on to what follows in the interpretation. 3. "Therefore you will give them up until the time of her who is in labor; she will give birth, and the rest of his brothers will return to the sons of Israel." For how long, he says, will you be long-suffering and give the Jews a share of your care? Until she who is in labor gives birth. He means the Church, of which Isaiah too cries out: "Rejoice, barren one who does not bear; break forth and shout, you who are not in labor; for the children of the desolate are many more than of her who has a husband." And those born from her, he says, will be joined to those from Israel who believe. For from Israel came the divine choir of the apostles, and those after them: the hundred and twenty found together after the Lord's resurrection, [the more than five hundred to whom] the Lord appeared, the three thousand and the five thousand whom Peter the fisherman caught in his net, and the many myriads of whom the inspired James said to the most divine Paul: "You see, brother, how many myriads there are of the Jews who have believed." So, he says, the Church will be formed from both sides, and among them the Lord from Bethlehem will stand. ### Scripture references - Mic 5:2: quotation, high confidence - John 1:1–2: quotation, high confidence - Ps 110:3 (109:3 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Matt 2:4–6: allusion, high confidence - Mic 5:3: quotation, high confidence - Isa 54:1: quotation, high confidence - Acts 1:15: allusion, high confidence - 1 Cor 15:6: allusion, high confidence - Acts 2:41: allusion, high confidence - Acts 4:4: allusion, high confidence - Acts 21:20: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Mic 5:2 (Hebrew 5:1) and 5:3. Quotations: John 1:1–2; Ps 110:3 (LXX 109:3); Isa 54:1; Acts 21:20; allusions to Matt 2:4–6, Acts 1:15, 1 Cor 15:6, Acts 2:41, 4:4. Theodoret's charge that the Jews of his day interpret dishonestly is his own polemic, translated as written. Words lost in the scan (the five hundred of 1 Cor 15:6) are supplied in brackets. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.5.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-5-1). ## Commentary on Micah 5:3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-3-5/#p-6-5-3 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The Lord's shepherding and worldwide glory are fulfilled in the Church; the defeat of the Assyrian serves as a pledge of it. ### Greek text δ'. « Καὶ ὄψετα!ι δ΄, καὶ ποιμανξῖ τὸ ποίμνιον αὐτοῦ “' ἐν ἰσχύϊ Κύριος, καὶ ἐν τῇ δόξῃ τοῦ ὀνόματος Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ αὑτῶν ὑπάρξουσι᾽ διότι νῦν μεγαλυνθήσεται “5 ἕως ἄκρου τῆς γῆς. ν» Καὶ ἔστιν ἰδεῖν, καὶ τὴν ἱερὰν τοῦ Θεοῦ Ἐκκλησίαν ἐπὶ τῷ Δεσποτιχῷ σεμνυνομένην ὀνόματι, καὶ τὸ θεῖον ὄνομα πανταχοῦ γῆς καὶ θαλάττης ὑμνούμενον. Πρὸ δὲ τῆς χῆς ἐπιφανείας, καὶ τοῦ σωτηρίου πάθους, καὶ τῆς κλήσεως τῶν ἑἐῤνῶν, τούτων οὐδὲν δείξουσιν Ἰουδαῖοι γεγενημένον. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ μακροῖς ὕστερον χρόνοις ταῦτ᾽ ἤμελλεν ἔσεσθαι, ἀπὸ τῶν κατ᾽ ἐκεῖνον τὸν χαιρὴν γενησομένων πιστοῦται τὴν πρόῤῥησιν. Ἵνα γὰρ μάθητε, φησὶν, ὡς ἀληθῆ τὰ σηένα, ἐνέχυρον ἐχείνων λάβετε τὰ παρόντα, θόντα γὰρ ὑμῖν τὸν ᾿Ασσύριον καταλύσω, καὶ βαθεῖαν νος ὑμῖν τὴν εἰρήνην δωρήσομαι. ### English translation (Claude) 4. "And he will see and shepherd his flock in strength, the Lord, and they will dwell in the glory of the name of the Lord their God; for now he will be magnified to the end of the earth." And one can see the holy Church of God taking pride in the Master's name, and the divine name hymned everywhere on land and sea. But the Jews will not show that any of these things happened before his appearing, his saving passion, and the calling of the nations. And since these things were to happen long afterward, he confirms the prediction from what would happen at that time. For so that you may learn, he says, that what is foretold is true, take the present as a pledge of it: for I will destroy the Assyrian when he comes against you, and I will grant you deep peace. ### Scripture references - Mic 5:4: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mic 5:4. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.5.3 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-5-3). ## Commentary on Micah 5:4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-3-5/#p-6-5-4 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God will give Judah peace by defeating Assyria and later Babylon, the land of Nimrod; these deliverances are pledges of the Gospel's spread to the nations. ### Greek text ε΄. « Καὶ ἔσται αὕτη ἡ “ εἰρήνη, ὅταν ὁ Αστύριος ἐπέλθῃ ἐπὶ τὴν γὴν ὑμῶν, καὶ 15 ὅταν ἐπιβῇ ἐπὶ τὴν χώραν ὑμῶν, » Δώσω γὰρ ὑμῖν εἰρήνην Τ' ἐπελθόντος ἐχείνου, παρὰ πᾶσαν ἀνθρωπίνην ἐλπίδα. « Καὶ ἐπεγεργήτονται 1" ἐπ᾽ αὐτὸν ἑπτὰ ποιμένες, καὶ ὀκτὼ δήματα ἀνθρώπων. {τ΄.) Καὶ ποιμανοῦσε οἱ τὸν ᾿Ασσοὺρ ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ, καὶ τὴν γῆν Νεδρὼδ 15 ἐν τῇ τάφρῳ αὐτῆς καὶ ῥύσεταί σε ἐκ τοῦ ᾿Ασσοῦὺρ, ὅταν ἐπέλθῃ '' ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ὑμῶν, καὶ ὅταν ἐπιθῇ τὰ ὅρια ὑμῶν. ν ᾿Εντεῦθεν σαφῶς ἐδιδάχθημὲν, ὡς καὶ τῆς Βαδυλῶνος ὁ ᾿Ασσύριος σεν" ὁ γὰρ Νεθρὼδ, ὡς ὁ μακάριος ἐδίδαξε Μωσῆς, πυραννίδι χρησάμενος, τὴν Βαδυλῶνα πρώτην ὑποχείριον ἔσχεν. « Ἐγένετο γὰρ, φησὶν, ἡ ἀρχὴ τῆς 'Ἔπτὰ δὲ αὐτῷ, φησὶ, βατιλέας ἐπαναστῆσιυ (ποιμένας γὰρ τοὺς βασιλέας καλεῖ;, καὶ ὀκτὼ πληγαῖς αὐτοῦ γεγενημένας πολεμικὰς προσθολάς. Ταύτας γὰρ δήγματα ἀνθρώπων. καλεῖ. Σημαίνει δὲ κατ᾽ αὐτὸν 18 καὶ τῆς Βαθυλῶνος τὴν ἄλωσιν. Νὺν μὲν γὰρ, φησὶ, τοῦτον τοιούτοις πεοιθαλῶ κακοῖς " μλετ᾽ ὀλίγον δὲ, καὶ τὸν τοῦτον διαδεξόμενον, καὶ τὴν καὶ οὐδεμίαν ὄνησιν, οὐκ ἀπὸ τῶν ἰσχυροτάτων τειχῶν, οὐκ ἀπὸ τῆς ἔξωθεν περιθεούσης εὑρήσει τάφρου: σὺ δὲ τούτων ἀπαλλαγήσῃ, οὐ τότε μόνϑδ», ὅταν αὐτοῖς ἄλλους πολεμίους ἐπαναστήσω, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος, ἡνίχα πολλῇ χρώμενο! στρατείᾳ κατὰ τῇς σῖ΄ς παραγίνοντα! πόλεως " νῦν γὰρ αὑτοῖς ἀόρατον δ. ἀγγελικῆς ὑπουργίας ἐπάξω τὸν ὄλεθρον. Οὕτω τῶν ὕστερον ἐσομένων ἐνέχυρα δεξωχὼς τὰ τότε γενόμενα, ἐπ᾽ ἐκεῖνα πάλιν μεταφέρει τὸν λόγον, καὶ διδάσκει, ὅπως τῷ ἐν Βηθλεὲμ γενγηθέντι Κυρίῳ πεπιστευκότες, οἵτε ἱεροὶ ἀπόστολοι καλ οἱ μετὰ τούτων 15, τοῦ θείον κηρύγματος προχειρισθέντες διάκονοι, τοῖς ἀλλογενέσιν ἔθνεσι τὴν εὐαγγελικὴν διδασκαλίαν προσοίσουσι. Φησὶ ὃὲ οὕτως" ### English translation (Claude) 5. "And this will be the peace, when the Assyrian comes upon your land, and when he sets foot on your country." For I will give you peace when he comes, beyond all human hope. "And seven shepherds will be raised against him, and eight bites of men. 6. And they will shepherd Assur with the sword, and the land of Nebrod in its trench; and he will rescue you from Assur, when he comes upon your land and when he sets foot on your borders." From this we are clearly taught that the Assyrian also [ruled] Babylon; for Nebrod, as the blessed Moses taught, exercising tyranny, first brought Babylon under his hand: "For the beginning of his kingdom," he says, "was Babylon." He says that he will raise up seven kings against him (for he calls the kings shepherds), and eight warlike attacks with blows made upon him; for these he calls "bites of men". He also signifies the capture of Babylon. For now, he says, I will surround this king with such evils; and after a little I will surround also the one who succeeds him, and … and he will find no benefit, neither from the strongest walls nor from the trench that runs around outside. But you will be freed from these, not only then, when I raise up other enemies against them, but also at present, when they come against your city with a great army; for now I will bring destruction on them invisibly through the ministry of an angel. Having thus given the events of that time as pledges of what would happen later, he turns his discourse back to those later things, and teaches how, having believed in the Lord born in Bethlehem, both the holy apostles and those after them who were appointed ministers of the divine proclamation will bring the gospel teaching to the foreign nations. He speaks thus: ### Scripture references - Mic 5:5: quotation, high confidence - Mic 5:6: quotation, high confidence - Gen 10:10: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 19:35: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Mic 5:5 and 5:5b–6 ("Nebrod" is the LXX form of Nimrod). The quotation is Gen 10:10; the angelic destruction of Sennacherib's army is 2 Kgs 19:35. The scan interleaves Migne's Latin and footnotes throughout this section; they are removed by logged corrections, and words lost with them are marked "…" or supplied in brackets by sense. The section ends in mid-sentence; the lemma follows in the next section. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.5.4 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-5-4). ## Commentary on Micah 5:6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-3-5/#p-6-5-6 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The believing remnant, the apostles, will water the nations like dew and consume impiety like lambs grazing. ### Greek text ζ΄. ε Καὶ ἔσται τὸ ὑπόλειμμα τοῦ Ἰαχὼδ ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν" ἐν μέσῳ λαῶν πολλῶν, ὡς δρόσο: παρὰ Κυρίου ἐπιπίπτουσα δ', καὶ ὡς ἄρνες ἐπ᾽ ἄγρωστιν. ὅπως μὴ συναχθῇ δ᾽ μηδεὶς, μηδὲ ὑποστῇ ἐν υἱοῖς ἀνθρώπων. » Ὑπόλειμμα δὲ πανταχοῦ τοὺς σεπωσμένους καλεῖ. Οὕὔτιυ καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ" ε« Ἐὰν ἣ ὁ ἀριθμὸς τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ ὡς ἡ ἄμμος τῆς θαλάσστς, τὸ κατάλειμμα σωθήσεται. » Οὕτω τοίνυν, φησὶν, οἱ πεπιστευκότες, καὶ τὸ εὐαγγελικὸν τοῖς ἔθνεσ: διαπορθμεύοντες κήρυγμα, δρόσου δίκην οὐρανόθεν ςερομένης τὴν οἰκουμένην ἀρδεύσουσι" καὶ καθάπερ ἄρνες πεινῶντες δαπανῶσι τὴν ἄγρωστιν, οὕτω; οὗτο! τὴν ἀγρώστεως δίκην ταῖς χεχερσωμέναις τυχαῖς ὥστε μηκέτι τοιοῦτον ἀνθρώπων σύλλογον εὑρεθῆναι. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οἱ δαίμονες ἀνήκεστα νοσοῦντες διέμει-. ναν, εἰκότως τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον μετὰ διορισμοῦ τὴν πρόῤῥησιν ἐποιήσατο « “Ὅπως μὴ συναχθῇ μηδεὶς, μηδὲ ὑποστῇ ἐν υἱοῖς ἀνθρώπων.» “Ὥστε, φησὶ, μηδένα σύλλογον ἐξ ἀσεόῶν ἀνθρώπων συνειλεγμένον εὑρεθῆναι λοιπόν. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ δρόσῳ καὶ ἀρνίοις αὑτοὺς ἀπείχασε, τὴν δεδομένην δὲ αὐτοῖς δύναιν ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ διὰ τούτων οὐκ ἀποχρώντως ἐδήλωσε, καὶ ἄλλην τοῖς εἰρημένοις εἰκόνα προστίθησι. ### English translation (Claude) 7. "And the remnant of Jacob will be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, like dew falling from the Lord and like lambs on the grass, so that no one may gather or stand among the sons of men." Everywhere he calls those who are saved "the remnant". So too elsewhere: "If the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, the remnant will be saved." So, he says, those who have believed and who carry the gospel proclamation across to the nations will water the world like dew borne from heaven; and as hungry lambs consume the grass, so these will consume [the impiety that grows] like grass in souls gone to waste, so that no such gathering of human beings will be found any longer. For since the demons remained incurably sick, the Holy Spirit fittingly made the prediction with a qualification: "so that no one may gather or stand among the sons of men", that is, so that no assembly gathered from impious human beings will be found any more. And since in likening them to dew and lambs he had not adequately shown the power given them by God, he adds another image to what he has said. ### Scripture references - Mic 5:7: quotation, high confidence - Rom 9:27: quotation, high confidence - Isa 10:22: echo, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mic 5:7. The quotation is Rom 9:27 (Isa 10:22). Words lost in the scan are supplied in brackets by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.5.6 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-5-6). ## Commentary on Micah 5:7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-3-5/#p-6-5-7 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The apostles began as lambs among wolves, but once emperors entered the Church its teachers became like lions against falsehood. ### Greek text η΄. ε Καὶ ἔσται τὸ κατάλειμμα 58 τοῦ ἹἸαχὼδ ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἐν μέσῳ λαῶν πολλῶν, ὡς λέων ἐν τοῖς ν᾿ κτήνεσι τοῦ δρυμοῦ, καὶ ὡς σκύμνος ἐν ποιμνίοις προδάτων, ὃν τρόπον ὅταν διέλθῃ, καὶ διαστείλας ἁρπάσῃ, καὶ μὴ ἧ ὁ ἐξαιρούμενος "5. » Τὰ μὲν γὰρ προοίμια τῶν ἱερῶν ἀποστόλων δρόσῳ ἑῴκει φερομένῃ, καὶ ὡς ἄρνες "6 δὲ τὴν τῆς ἀσεδείας ἐδαπάνων διδασκαλίᾳ καὶ θαύμασιν, ὡς ἄρνες ἐν μέσῳ λύκων πολιτευόμενοι, κατὰ τὴν πρόῤῥησιν τοῦ Δεσπότου. ε Ἰδοὺ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀποστέλλω ὑμᾶς ὡς πρόθατα "1 ἐν μέσῳ λύκων. » Μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα, δεξαμένης τῆς οἰκουμένης τὸ κήρυγμα, καὶ στρατηγῶν καὶ βασιλέων τὸν τῆς ᾿Ἐκκλησίας πληρούντων κατάλογον, εἰς τοὺς τῆς ἀληθείας ἐναντίους μετέδη τὸ δέος" καὶ οἱ μὲν κτήνεσιν ἐοικότες, δειμαίνουσὲ τὲ καὶ φρίττουσιν, οὐδένα οὐδαμόθεν ἐπίχοσρον ἔχοντες οἱ δὲ τῶν εὐαγγελικῶν ὑποφρῆται δογμάτων, λεόντειον ἐνδεικνύμενοι φρόνημα, σὺν παῤῥησίᾳ πολλῇ τῷ τῆς ἀληθείας καταγωνίζονται λόγῳ τοὺς συνηγόρους τοῦ ψεύδους. Τότε, φησὶν, ### English translation (Claude) 8. "And the remnant of Jacob will be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion among the beasts of the forest and like a young lion among flocks of sheep, which, when it passes through, tears and seizes, and there is no one to rescue." For the beginnings of the holy apostles were like falling dew, and like lambs they consumed the [grass] of impiety by teaching and miracles, living like lambs in the midst of wolves, according to the Master's prediction: "For behold," he says, "I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves." But after this, when the world had received the proclamation, and generals and kings filled the roll of the Church, the fear passed to the opponents of the truth; and they, like beasts, are afraid and shudder, having no helper from anywhere, while the interpreters of the gospel doctrines, showing a lion's spirit, contend with great boldness by the word of truth against the advocates of falsehood. Then, he says, ### Scripture references - Mic 5:8: quotation, high confidence - Matt 10:16: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mic 5:8. The quotation is Matt 10:16. The section ends in mid-sentence; the lemma follows in the next section. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.5.7 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-5-7). ## Commentary on Micah 5:8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-3-5/#p-6-5-8 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The believing remnant will prevail; the unbelieving will lose their kingdom and, scattered among the converted nations, will be weaned from idols; the mountains are called to witness God's past deliverances. ### Greek text θ΄. « 'Ὑψωθήσεται ἡ χείρ σου ἐπὶ τοὺς θλίδοντάς σε, καὶ πάντες οἱ ἐχθροί σου ἐξολοθρευθήτονται. » Οὐκέτι γὰρ σὺ παρ᾽ ἐκείνων ἐξελαύνῃ, ἀλλὰ σὺ τὰ ἐχείνων καταλύσεις τεμένη. Οἱ μὲν οὖν πεπιστευχότοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, ταύτης τεύξονται τῆς δυνάμεως" οἱ δὲ τῇ ἀπιστίᾳ προσμείναντες, τῆς οἰκείας ἔρημοι καταστήσονται βασιλείας, καὶ οὔτε ἱππιχὸν ἕξουσιν, οὔτε πεζὸν στρατιώτην, οὔτε πόλεις τείχεσιν ὠχυρωμένας. ᾿Αλλὰ καὶ ταῦτα, φησὶ, πρὸς χαλόν σοι γενήσεται. ε΄ Ἐξολοθρεύσω 35 γὰρ, φησὶ, τὰ φάρμακά σου ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν σον, καὶ ἀποφθεγγόμενοι Οὐκ ἔσονται ἐν 59 σοί. » ᾿Αποφθεγγομέγνους δὲ τοὺς μάντεις καλεῖ. ε Καὶ ἐξολοθρεύσω τὰ γλυπτά σου καὶ τὰς στήλας σου ἐκ μέσου σου, καὶ οὐκέτι οὐ 59 μὴ προπσχυνήσεις τοῖς ἔργοις τῶν χειρῶν σου. Καὶ ἐχκόψω τὰ ἄλση ἐκ μέσου σου, καὶ ἀφανιῶ 3' τὰς πόλεις σου. Καὶ ποιήσω ἐν ὀργῇ καὶ ἐν θυμῷ ἐκδίκησιν ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, ἀνθ᾽ ὧν οὐκ εἰσήχουσαν 95.) Καὶ ταῦτα δὲ διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων καταμαθεῖν ῥάδιον. Μετὰ γὰρ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐνανθρώπησιν, ὁρῶντες Ἰουδαῖοι τῶν ἐθνῶν τὴν εὐσέδειαν, καὶ τὴν τῆς πλάνης ἀπαλλαγὴν, ἄκοντες καὶ αὐτοὶ τῆς τῶν εἰδώλων ἀπηλλάγησαν θεραπείας. Ἐρυθριῶσι γὰρ προφανῶς ἀσεθεῖν, τοὺς ἔξω νόμου σωφρονοῦντας ὁρῶντες. Προθεσπίξει τοίνυν αὐτοῖς, ὡς καὶ τῶν πόλεων τῶν οἰκείων ἐξελαθήσονται, καὶ εἰς τὰ ἔθνη διασπαρέντες, τῆς περὶ τὰ εἴδωλα πλάνης ἀπαλλαγήσονται. Ταύτην κατ' αὐτοὺς 3" ἐξενεγχὼν τὴν ἀπόφασιν, ἄγει πάλιν αὐτοὺς εἰς κριτήριον "", καὶ τοῖς ἀψύχοις ὄρεσιν ἐπιτρέπει τὴν χρίσιν- οὐκ ὡς ἔμψυχα χαλῶν, οὐδὲ ὡς πρὸς λογικὰ τοὺς λόγους ποιούμενος " ἀλλ᾽ ἐπειδὴ τὰ ὄρη, καὶ αἱ μεταξὺ τούἴων νάπαι καὶ φάραγγες, ποτὲ μὲν ἐδέξαντο τοὺς ᾿Ασσυρίων νεκροὺς, διὰ τῆς ἀγγελικῆς ἐνεργείας ἀναιρεθέντας, ποτὲ ὃὲ τῶν Σχυθιχῶν ἐθνῶν "6 τὰς μυρίας σφαγάς" διὰ τῶν ὁρῶν, καὶ βουνῶν, καὶ κοιλάδων, τῶν ἐν τούτοις γεγενημένων ἀναμιμνήσκει. ### English translation (Claude) 9. "Your hand will be lifted up over those who afflict you, and all your enemies will be utterly destroyed." For no longer are you driven out by them, but you will destroy their precincts. Those of Israel who have believed will obtain this power; but those who persisted in unbelief will be left without a kingdom of their own, and will have neither cavalry nor infantry nor cities fortified with walls. But even these things, he says, will turn out for your good. 12. "For I will destroy your sorceries from your hands, and there will be no soothsayers in you." He calls the diviners "soothsayers". 13, 14. "And I will destroy your carved images and your pillars from your midst, and you will no longer worship the works of your hands. And I will cut down the groves from your midst, and I will destroy your cities. 15. And I will execute vengeance in anger and wrath on the nations, because they did not listen." This too is easy to learn from the facts. For after the incarnation of our God and Savior, the Jews, seeing the piety of the nations and their deliverance from error, were themselves, against their will, set free from the worship of idols; for they blush to be openly impious when they see those outside the law living soberly. He foretells to them, then, that they will be driven out of their own cities and, scattered among the nations, will be set free from their error about idols. Having passed this sentence against them, he brings them again to judgment and entrusts the judgment to the soulless mountains: not calling them living things, nor addressing his words to rational beings; but since the mountains and the glens and ravines between them received at one time the dead of the Assyrians, slain by the action of an angel, and at another the countless slain of the Scythian nations, through the mountains, hills, and valleys he reminds them of what happened in them. ### Scripture references - Mic 5:9: quotation, high confidence - Mic 5:10–11: allusion, high confidence - Mic 5:12: quotation, high confidence - Mic 5:13–14: quotation, high confidence - Mic 5:15: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 19:35: allusion, high confidence - Ezek 39:11: allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Mic 5:9, a paraphrase of 5:10–11, 5:12, 5:13–14, and 5:15. Theodoret's account of the Jews after the incarnation is his own polemic, translated as written. The Assyrian dead are those of 2 Kgs 19:35; the Scythian slain, those of Gog (Ezek 39:11). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.5.8 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-5-8). ## Commentary on Micah 6:1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-6-1/#p-6-6-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God summons his people to plead their case before the mountains that witnessed his help. ### Greek text α'. «᾿Αχούδατε δὴ ἃ εἶπε Κύριος " ᾿Ανάστηθι, καὶ χρίθητι πρὸς τὰ ὄρη, καὶ ἀκουσάτωσαν βουνοὶ φωνὴν σου. » ᾿Απόδλεψον εἰς τὰ ὄρη, τὰ διὰ τῆς ἐμῆς ἐπικουρίας νεκροὺς τοὺς σοὺς πολεμίους δεξάμενα, Καὶ εἰπὲ μετὰ παῤῥησίας, εἴπερ ἄρ᾽ ἂν δύνασαι, καὶ μὴ ἐμφράττῃ σου τὸ στόμα τῆς εὐεργεσίας τὸ μέγεθος" τοιγάρτοι σοῦ τοῦτο ποιεῖν οὐ δυναμένου, ἐγὼ ### English translation (Claude) 1. "Hear now what the Lord has said: Arise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice." Look to the mountains that, through my help, received your enemies as corpses, and speak with boldness, if indeed you can, and if the greatness of the benefaction does not stop your mouth. But since you cannot do this, I ### Scripture references - Mic 6:1: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mic 6:1. The section ends in mid-sentence; the comment continues in the next section. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.6.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-6-1). ## Commentary on Micah 6:2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-6-1/#p-6-6-2 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Because the people are insensible, God calls the lifeless hills as judges. ### Greek text β΄. ε᾿Αχούσατε, βουνοὶ "", τὴν χρίσιν τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ αἱ φάραγγες, θεμέλια τῆς γῆς. ὅτι χρίσις τῷ Κυρίῳ πρὸς τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ μετὰ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ νοσοῦσι, κριταῖς τοῖς; ἀψύχοις κατὰ τῶν λογικῶν χρήσομαι. ### English translation (Claude) 2. "Hear, you hills, the judgment of the Lord, and you ravines, foundations of the earth; for the Lord has a case against his people, and [he will argue] with Israel." … since you are sick [with insensibility], I will use the soulless as judges against the rational. ### Scripture references - Mic 6:2: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mic 6:2. Words are lost in the scan with the Latin debris; marked "…", with bracketed words supplied by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.6.2 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-6-2). ## Commentary on Micah 6:3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-6-1/#p-6-6-3 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God challenges his people to say what wrong he has done them. ### Greek text Υ΄. «Λαός μον, τί ἐποίησά σοι, ἣ τί ἐλύπησά σς-, ρᾶσαι παρ᾽ ἐμοῦ. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ σιγᾷν ἣν ἀνάγκη μιδὲν μοι" » εἴτι λέγειν ἔχεις, εἰπὲ προφανῶς. ### English translation (Claude) 3. "My people, what have I done to you, or how have I grieved you …" … from me. And since you must keep silent, having nothing to say against me, if you have anything to say, say it openly. ### Scripture references - Mic 6:3: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mic 6:3. Most of the lemma and the opening of the comment are lost in the scan; marked "…". ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.6.3 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-6-3). ## Commentary on Micah 6:4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-6-1/#p-6-6-4 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God recalls the exodus, the leadership of Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, and Balaam's blessing, all given to keep his promise to Abraham. ### Greek text δ΄. « Διότι ἀνήγαγόν σε ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου, καὶ ἐξ οἴχου δουλείας ἐλυτρωσάμην σε, καὶ πρὸ προτώπου σου τὸν Μωσῆν, καὶ ᾿Ααρὼν, καὶ Μαριάμ. ν» ᾿Αλλ' ἄρα μὴ τοῦτο ὡς ἀδίκημα προῦφέρεις, ὅτι σε τῆς πικρᾶς τῶν Αἰγυπτίων ἀπαλλάξας δουλείας, ἀχραιφνὴ σοι τὴν ἐλευθερίαν μην, ὑπουργοῖς ἀνδράσι θαυμασίοις καὶ ἀοιδίμοις χρησάμενος, τῷ Μωσῇ, καὶ τῷ ᾿Ααρὼν, οὐδὲ τὰς γυναῖκας τῆς προσηκούσης ἀποστερήπας ἐπιμελείας, καὶ ταύταις τὴν Μαριὰμ ἐπιστήσας, καὶ προφττιχοῦ χαρίσματος ἐμπλήσας : ᾿Αλλ᾽ εἰ τούτων ἀμνη μονῆσαι θέλεις, τῶν κατὰ τὸν Βαλαὰμ ἀναμνήσύττι, καὶ σκόπησον, ἐπὶ τίσι μὲν αὑτὸν ὁ Βαλαὰμ μετεπέμψατο" ὅπως δὲ ἐκεῖνος, ὑπὸ τῆς ἐμῆς δυνάμεω; ἐνεργούμενος, οὐκ ἀρὰν ὑμῖν, ἀλλ᾽ εὐλογίαν προσἤνεγκε. Τούτων δὲ ἔδρων ἕχαστον, οὐ μισθόν συ: δικαιοσύνης "ὀρέγων, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ ξιχαιοσύντ,» δήλην ποιῶν ὑποσχόμενος γὰρ τῷ ὑμετέρῳ πρηπάτορι, τὰς πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ἐπλήρουν συνθῆκας. Τούτοὺς "Ἶ ὁ προφήτης ὡς ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ ποιησάμενος τοὺς λόγους, καὶ τοῦ λαοῦ τὴν ἀναλγνη σία» θεώμενος, αὐτὸς ἀντὶ τοῦ λαοῦ τοὺς τῆς εὐσεδείας ἀναχινεῖ λογισμοὺς, καί φησιν" ### English translation (Claude) 4. "For I brought you up out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, and [I sent] before your face Moses and Aaron and Miriam." Can it be that you bring this forward as an injury: that, having freed you from the bitter slavery of the Egyptians, I [gave] you unmixed freedom, using wonderful and celebrated men as my ministers, Moses and Aaron, and not depriving even the women of fitting care, but setting Miriam over them and filling her with the prophetic gift? But if you wish to forget these things, remember what happened with Balaam, and consider for what purpose [Balak] summoned him, and how he, moved by my power, offered you not a curse but a blessing. And I did each of these things not as holding out to you a reward for righteousness, but as making my own righteousness plain; for having made promises to your forefather, I was fulfilling my covenant with him. Having thus spoken these words as in the person of God, and seeing the insensibility of the people, the prophet himself, in place of the people, stirs up the thoughts of piety and says: ### Scripture references - Mic 6:4: quotation, high confidence - Mic 6:5: allusion, high confidence - Num 22:5–24:25: allusion, high confidence - Exod 15:20: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mic 6:4, with a paraphrase of 6:5. The scan reads "Balaam summoned him"; the sense requires Balak (Num 22:5), and the translation supplies it in brackets. Miriam as prophetess: Exod 15:20. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.6.4 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-6-4). ## Commentary on Micah 6:6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-6-1/#p-6-6-6 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The prophet, speaking for the people, asks what offering could repay God or atone for sin, and concludes that no sacrifice suffices. ### Greek text ς΄. « Ἐν τίνι καταλάδω τὸν Κύριον; ἀντιλὴτομαι Θεοῦ μου ὑψίστου; » Πῶς ἀμείψομαι τὸν τοσούτων μοι πρόξενον ἀγαθῶν; ποίαις ἀντιδόσεσι « Εἰ καταλήψομαι αὑτὸν ἐν ὁλοχαυτώμασιν, ἐν χιλιάσι χριῶν, ἢ μυριάσι χιμάρων πιόνων; εἰ δώσω "ἢ πρωτότοκά μου ὑπὲρ ἀσεθείας μου ", καρπὸν κοιλίας μου ὑπὲρ ἁμαρτίας ψυχῖ'ς μου; ν» Οὐδὲν, φησὶ, τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων, οὐ μόσχων πλῆθος, οὐκ ὁλόκληρα ποίμνια, οὐ μυριάδες ἐρίφων (χιμάρους γὰρ τοὺς ἕνιαυσίους ἐρίφους καλεῖ), οὐκ οἱ πρῶτοι λύσαντε: τὰς ὠδῖνας παῖδες, εἰς θυσίαν τῷ Θεῷ προσφερόμενο:, λῦσαί μου τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἀρχοῦσι τὸ πλῖθος. Εἰ δὲ ἄπαντα ταῦτα εἰς ἁμαρτημάτων λύσιν οὐκ ἀπόχρη, τίσι τὰς θείας εὐεργεσίας ἀμείψομαι; οὕτω τοὺς ἀνθρωπίνου; προτεθειχὼς λογισμοὺς, τὴν θείαν προσφέρει πάλιν ἀπόκρισιν. ### English translation (Claude) 6. "With what shall I come before the Lord and lay hold of my God most high?" How shall I repay the one who has provided me with so many good things? With what return gifts? "Shall I come before him with whole burnt offerings, with thousands of rams or myriads of fat goats? Shall I give my firstborn for my impiety, the fruit of my womb for the sin of my soul?" Nothing human, he says, not a multitude of calves, nor whole flocks, nor myriads of kids (for he calls the yearling kids "goats"), nor the children who first loosed the pangs of birth, offered to God in sacrifice, is enough to loose the multitude of my sins. And if all these do not suffice for the loosing of sins, with what shall I repay the divine benefits? Having thus set out human reasonings, he again brings forward the divine answer. ### Scripture references - Mic 6:6–7: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mic 6:6–7. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.6.6 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-6-6). ## Commentary on Micah 6:8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-6-1/#p-6-6-8 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God asks not for sacrifices but for justice, mercy, and obedience, as the Psalms and the law of love also teach. ### Greek text η΄. « ᾿Ανηγγέλη ᾽ σοι, ἄνθρωπε, τί χαλόν" καὶ τί Κύριο; ἐκζητεῖ παρὰ σοῦ, ἀλλ᾽ ἢ τοῦ " ποιεῖν κρῖμα, καὶ ἀγαπᾷν ἔλεον δ, καὶ ἕτοιμον εἶναι τοῦ πορΞύεσθαι ὀπίσω" Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ σου; » Τοῦτο καὶ διὰ μακαρίου 1 Δα) ὁ τῶν ὅλων ἔφη Θεός ἐχθαλὼν' γὰρ ἅπαντα τῶν θυσιῶν τὸν χατάληγον, καὶ εἰρηκώς " «Οὐ δέξομαι ἐκ τοῦ οἴχου σου μόσχους, οὐδὲ ἐκ τῶν ποιμνίων σου χιμάρους" ἐμὰ γάρ ἔστι πάντα τὰ θηρία τοῦ δρυμοῦ 5" » ἐπήγαγε " ε Θῦσον τῷ Θεῷ θυσίαν αἰνέσεως, καὶ ἀπόδος τῷ τὰς εὐχάς σου " καὶ ἐπικάλεσαΐ με ἐν ἡμέρᾳ θλίψεώς σου, καὶ ἐξελοῦμαΐ σε, καὶ δοξάσεις με. » Καὶ πάλιν" «Ὅτ: εἰ ἠθέλτσας θυσίαν, ἔδωκα ἄν" ὁλοκαυτώματα οὖκ εὐδοκήσεις. Θυσία τῷ Θεῷ πνεῦμα συντετριμμένον" καρδίαν συντετριμμένην καὶ τεταπεινωμένην ὁ Θεὺς οὐκ ἐξουδενώσει,» Ἕαυτὰ δὲ καὶ παρὰ πᾶσιν εὕροι τις ἂν τοῖς προφέταις. ε Λέγει τοίνυν κἀνταῦθα, ὅτι Δηλά ἔστι τὰ παρ᾽ ἐμοῦ σοι νομοθετηθέντα. τὰρ ἐπιμελεῖσθαί σε τοῦ δικαίηυ, καὶ περὶ τὸν πέλας εἶναι φιλάνθρωπον, καὶ εἰς ἅπαντα ὑπακούειν τῷ πεποιηκότι Θεῷ. Ταυτὰ δὲ καὶ δικ Μωσέως ἐνομοθέτησεν" « ᾿Αγαπήσεις Κύριον τὸν Θεόν σον ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας σου, καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ψυχῆς σον, καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς διανοίας σου, καὶ ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου, ὡς σεαυτόν. » Τούτων τοίνυν ὑπὸ σοῦ γιγνομένων, ἕ ### English translation (Claude) 8. "It has been told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord seek from you but to do justice, and to love mercy, and to be ready to walk after the Lord your God?" The God of all said this through the blessed David too. For having rejected the whole list of sacrifices and said, "I will not accept calves from your house, nor goats from your flocks; for all the beasts of the forest are mine," he added: "Offer to God a sacrifice of praise, and pay your vows to [the Most High]; and call upon me in the day of your affliction, and I will deliver you, and you will glorify me." And again: "For if you had desired sacrifice, I would have given it; you will not delight in whole burnt offerings. A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; a broken and humbled heart God will not despise." One could find the same things in all the prophets. Here too, then, he says: What I have legislated for you is plain; [I command] you to care for justice, to be kind toward your neighbor, and to obey in all things the God who made you. He legislated the same things through Moses too: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself." If, then, these things are done by you, ### Scripture references - Mic 6:8: quotation, high confidence - Ps 50:9–10 (49:9-Ps LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 50:14–15 (49:14-Ps LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 51:16–17 (50:18-Ps LXX): quotation, high confidence - Deut 6:5: quotation, high confidence - Lev 19:18: quotation, high confidence - Matt 22:37–39: echo, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mic 6:8. Quotations: Ps 50:9–10, 14–15 (LXX 49); Ps 51:16–17 (LXX 50:18–19); Deut 6:5 and Lev 19:18, in the form of Matt 22:37–39. The section ends in mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.6.8 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-6-8). ## Commentary on Micah 6:9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-6-1/#p-6-6-9 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God's saving voice protects those who fear him, while injustice destroys a city like fire. ### Greek text θ΄. « Φωνὴ Κυρίου τῇ πόλει ἐπικληθήσεται Ρ, καὶ σώσει φοδηουμένους τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ. » Δι᾿ αὐτῶν γὰρ τῶν πραγμάτων τῆς παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ προνοίας ἀπολαύοντες, δόξετε ἀκούειν καὶ αὐτῆς τοῦ Κυρίου τῆς φωνῆς ποριζούσης ὑμῖν τὴν σωτηρίαν. « ἽἌχουε, φυλή τίς κοσμήσει πόλιν; (.) Μὴ πῦρ, καὶ οἶκος ἀνόμου θησαυρίξων θηταυροὺς ἀνόμους, καὶ μετὰ ὕθρεως ἀδικία:: » Καθάπερ γὰρ οὐ κόσμον πόλει τὸ πῦρ, ἀλλ᾽ ἐμπρησμὸν ἐπάγει καὶ ὅλεθρον- οὕτως ἡ ἐπὶ τὴν ἀδικίαν ῥοπὴ, μετὰ θρασύμένους. ### English translation (Claude) 9. "The voice of the Lord will be called upon the city, and he will save those who fear his name." For enjoying his providence through the facts themselves, you will seem to hear the very voice of the Lord procuring salvation for you. "Hear, O tribe: who will adorn a city? 10. Is it not fire, and the house of the lawless man storing up lawless treasures, and injustice with insolence?" For just as fire brings a city no adornment but burning and destruction, so the inclination toward injustice, with [insolence] … ### Scripture references - Mic 6:9: quotation, high confidence - Mic 6:10: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Mic 6:9 and 6:10. The end of the section is lost in the scan; marked "…". ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.6.9 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-6-9). ## Commentary on Micah 6:11–12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-6-1/#p-6-6-11 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Cheating merchants and liars will be punished with repeated disasters. ### Greek text ια', ιβ', ε« Εἰ δικαιωθήσεται ἐν ζυγῷ ἄδικος "5, καὶ ἐν μαρτίππῳ στάθμια δόλου; Ἐξ " ὧν τὸν πλοῦτον αὑτῶν ἀδικίας ἐνέπλησαν "5, καὶ οἱ ἕνοιχοῦντες ἐν αὐτῷ ἐλάλουν ψευδῇ "2, καὶ ἡ γλῶσσα αὐτῶν ὑψώθη ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτῶν. » Πρὸς τῇ γὰρ ἀσεδείᾳ καὶ παρανομίᾳ, ἐτόλμων ὧν ἀρτίως τὴν κατηγορίαν ἐποιήσατο στάθμια μὲν ἄδικα καὶ ζυγὰ κεκτημένοι, ἐκ πλεονεξίας δὲ τὸν πλοῦτον συλλέγοντες, ψευδέσι δὲ λόγοις τὴν γλῶτταν μολύνοντες. Τούτου χάριν, φησὶν, ἀρχὴν τῆς κατὰ σοῦ τιμωρίας ποιήσομαι, καὶ δίκας σε τῆς παρανομίας εἰσπράξομαι, καὶ συχνά σοι καὶ ἐπάλληλα ἐπάξω κακά. Τοῦτο γὰρ εἶπε" ### English translation (Claude) 11, 12. "Will the unjust man be justified by the balance, and deceitful weights in the bag? From which they filled their wealth with injustice, and those who live in it spoke lies, and their tongue was exalted in their mouth." For besides impiety and lawlessness, they dared the things of which he has just accused them: they kept unjust weights and balances, gathered their wealth from greed, and defiled their tongue with lying words. For this reason, he says, I will make a beginning of the punishment against you, and exact the penalty for your lawlessness, and bring frequent and successive evils upon you. For this is what he said: ### Scripture references - Mic 6:11–12: quotation, high confidence - Mic 6:13: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mic 6:11–12; the lemma of 6:13 is lost in the scan. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.6.11 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-6-11). ## Commentary on Micah 6:14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-6-1/#p-6-6-14 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Israel will labor without satisfaction or harvest because it followed the works of Ahab's house. ### Greek text ιδ΄. ε« Σὺ φάγεσαι, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἐμπλησθῇς. » Περιθαλῶ δέ σΞ τῷ ζόφῳ τῶν συμφορῶν, καὶ φνγῇ χρησάμενος οὐκ ἀπαλλαγή σῃ τῶν πολεμούντων. » Ἐχνεύσεις ᾽ γὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ οὐ μὴ διασωθῇς, καὶ ὅσοι ἐὰν "Ὁ διασωθῶσιν, ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ "6 παραδοθήσονται. » ᾿Αλλὰ καὶ πολλὰ πονήσας περὶ τὴν γῆν, τῶν ἐξ αὑτῇς ". » “Ἔοικα, οὐκ ἀπολαύσῃ καρπῶν. « Καὶ ἀφαν:σθήσεται νόμιμα λαοῦ μου. » Καὶ ξιδάσχων, ὡς νῦν οὐ περὶ τοῦ νόμου λέγει τοῦ θείου, ἀλλὰ τῆς παρανόμου πολιτείας, ἐπἦγάγε " «Καὶ πάντα τὰ ἔργα οἴχου ᾿Αχαάδ.ν ᾿Ἔ χείνην γὰρ ζηλώσαντες τὴν ἀσέδειαν, τούτοις παραδοθήσεσθε τοῖς κακοῖ;, ὥστε τοὺς ὁρῶντας τὰς συμδαινούσας ὑμῖν συμφορὰς, τῷ συριγμῷ σημαίνειν τὸ μέγεθος. Ταῦτα πάντα εἰρηχὼὺς ὁ προφήτης ὀλοφύρεται, ὡς πολλοῖς μὲν λόγοις χρησάμενος, ἀνόνητα δὲ πο- ### English translation (Claude) 14. "You will eat and not be satisfied." I will surround you with the gloom of calamities, and even by flight you will not be rid of those who make war on you. "For you will turn aside," he says, "and you will not be saved, and whoever are saved will be given over to the sword." And even if you labor much over the land, you will not enjoy its fruits. "And the statutes of my people will be destroyed." And teaching that he is speaking here not of the divine law but of their lawless way of life, he added: "and all the works of the house of Ahab." For having emulated that impiety, you will be handed over to these evils, so that those who see the calamities befalling you will signify their greatness by hissing. Having said all this, the prophet laments, as having used many words to no profit … ### Scripture references - Mic 6:14: quotation, high confidence - Mic 6:15: allusion, high confidence - Mic 6:16: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 16:30–33: allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Mic 6:14, with a paraphrase of 6:15 and quotations of 6:16. Latin debris and Migne's footnotes (with a displaced phrase of Mic 7:1) are removed by logged corrections. The section ends in mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.6.14 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-6-14). ## Commentary on Micah 7:1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-6-1/#p-6-7-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The prophet laments that he finds no godly person left, only murderous judges and rulers who demand bribes. ### Greek text α΄. « Οἵ μοι! ὅτι ἐγενήθην ὡς συνάγων καλάμην ἐν ἀμητῷ, καὶ ὡς ἐπιφυλλίδα ἐν τρυγητῷ, οὐκ ὑπάρχοντος βότρυος’ τοῦ φαγεῖν τὰ πρωτόγονα ἐπεπόφησὶ, τοῖς τοὺς ἔἐχπίπτοντας ἀστάχυας συλλέγουσι, ἣ τὰς ὑπὸ τῶν τρυοὐδένα γὰρ οὐδὲ ἐγὼ βότρυν εὐπειθείας τὗρον, καὶ καὖτα λίαν ποθήσας εὑρεῖν τι ἐπέραστον, καὶ ἀπαρχῆς ἄξιον" τοῦτο γὰρ εἶπε" « Τοῦ φαγεῖν τὰ πρωτόγονα ἐπεπόθησεν ἡ φυχή μον. » Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τῷ Θεῷ τὰ πρωτότοκα προσεφέρετο, τὸ ἀξιέραστον εἰκότως πρωτόγονον προσηγόρευσε. Καὶ εἰρημένα, σαφῇ ποιῆσαι βουλόμενος, ἐπήγαγεν " « Οἵ μοι, Ψυχὴ ! (β΄.) ὅτι ἀπόλωλεν εὐλαδὴς ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, καὶ ὁ 86 κατορθῶν ἐν ἀνθρώποις οὐκ ὑπάρχει. ν Εἶτα ποιεῖται τῶν ἀμαρτημάτων κατάλογον. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ δικάζοντες, φησὶ, τὴν ἄδικον κατὰ τῶν ἀνευθύνων ἐπιφέρουσι "᾽ ψῆφον, καὶ φόνους παρανόμους τολμῶσι - τῶν δὲ λοιπῶν ἕκαστος τοῦ πλείονος ἐφιέμενος σφετερίζεται τὰ τοῦ γείτονος. Ὃ δὲ κατὰ τοὺς νόμους δικάζειν πεπιστευμένος, οὐδὲ τοὺς προσφέροντας ἀναμένει, ἀλλ᾽ αὐτὸς αἰτεῖ δωροδόχῳ κεχρη μένος γνώμῃ. « Ὁ γὰρ ἄρχων, φησὶν, αἰτεῖ, καὶ ὁ κριτὴ; εἰρηνικοὺς λόγους ἐλάλησε" ἐπηεμις Ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ ἐστιν. » Δεξάμενος γὰρ τὰ δῶρα παρὰ τῶν ἀδικούντοιν, τὴν καταθύμιον αὐτοῖς ὑπισχνεῖται νίκην. Ταύτου χάριν φησίν" ### English translation (Claude) 1. "Woe is me! For I have become like one gathering straw at the harvest, and like a gleaning at the vintage, when there is no cluster to eat; my soul longed for the firstfruits." [I am like], he says, those who gather the fallen ears, or the [grapes left] by the vintagers; for I too found no cluster of obedience, though I greatly longed to find something lovely and worthy to be firstfruits. For this is what he said: "My soul longed to eat the firstfruits." For since the firstborn were offered to God, he fittingly called what is lovely "firstborn". And wishing to make what he had said clear, he added: "Woe is me, my soul! 2. For the godly man has perished from the earth, and there is no one among human beings who does right." Then he makes a list of the sins. Those who judge, he says, bring unjust sentences against the guiltless and dare lawless murders; and each of the rest, desiring more, appropriates what belongs to his neighbor. And the one entrusted with judging according to the laws does not even wait for those who bring gifts, but asks for them himself, with a mind set on bribes. "For the ruler," he says, "asks, and the judge spoke peaceable words; it is the desire of his soul." For having received gifts from the wrongdoers, he promises them the victory they desire. For this reason he says: ### Scripture references - Mic 7:1: quotation, high confidence - Mic 7:2: quotation, high confidence - Mic 7:3: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Mic 7:1, 7:2, and part of 7:3 (with a paraphrase of 7:2b–3). Words are lost in the scan in the comment on 7:1; bracketed words supply the sense. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.7.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-7-1). ## Commentary on Micah 7:4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-6-1/#p-6-7-4 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Judgment will eat away Israel like a moth, and in the disaster friends, families, and kings will abandon one another. ### Greek text ᾿ δ΄. Ἐξελοῦμαι τὰ " ἀγαθὰ αὐτῶν " ὡς σὴς ἐχτρώγῶν, καὶ βαδίζων ἐπὶ κανόνος ἐν ἡμέρᾳ σκοπιᾶς σου.» Δίκην γὰρ σητὸς ἔνδοθεν ξύλου βαδίζοντος, χ' καὶ ἅπαν τοῖς ὁδοῦσι διαφθείροντ τος, ἀναλώσει 5ε ἡ κατὰ σοῦ φερομένη ψῆφος ἐν τῇ τῆς τιμωρίας ἡμέρᾳ. Ταύτην γὰῤ ἐκάλεσε σκοπιὰν, τουτέστι, τὴν κατ᾽ αὐτὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπιφάνειαν, Εἴτα θρηνητικῶς ὁ φιλάνθρωπος πατὴρ ν" παιδεύοντι ἐοικώς " « Οὐαὶ, οὐἀάλ, αἱ ἐκδικήσεις σου ἦκασι] νῦν ἔσονται χλαυθμοὶ αὑτῶν.» Τούτων δὲ, φησὶ, γινομένων, οὔτε φίλος φίλου προστήσεται, οὔτε βασιλεὺς φροντιεῖ τῶν ὑπηκόων, ἀλλ' ἕκαστος τῆς οἰκείας φροντιεῖ σωτηρίας, τὴν ἀποφυτὴν περισχοπῶν τῶν κακῶν, ὡς μήτε υἱὸν τῷ πατρὶ τὴν προσήκουσαν ἀπονέμειν τιμὴν, μῆτε θυγατέρα μητρὶ τὸ γέρας ἀποδιδόναι, μήτε νύμφην τῆς χηδεστρίας ἐπιμελεῖσθαι " πάντων οἷον ἐν διαστάσει τινὶ γιγνομένων, καὶ ἀλλήλων ὑπερορώντων, καὶ μόλις τῆς οἰκείας σωτηρίας προμηθουμένων. ᾽Αλλ᾽ ἐκεῖνοι μὲν ἐν τούτοις ἔσονται " ἐγὼ δὲ, φησὶν ### English translation (Claude) 4. "I will take away their good things like a devouring moth, and walking on a rule in the day of your watch." For like a moth that walks inside wood and destroys everything with its teeth, the sentence brought against you will consume you in the day of punishment; for this is what he called the "watch", that is, God's appearing upon it. Then, like a loving father chastising his child, he speaks in lament: "Woe, woe, your vengeances have come; now will be their weeping." When these things happen, he says, neither will friend stand by friend nor king care for his subjects, but each will care for his own safety, looking about for an escape from the evils, so that neither will a son render fitting honor to his father, nor a daughter pay her mother due respect, nor a daughter-in-law care for her mother-in-law; all will be as in a kind of civil strife, overlooking one another and scarcely providing for their own safety. But those will be in this condition; but I, he says, ### Scripture references - Mic 7:4: quotation, high confidence - Mic 7:5–6: allusion, high confidence - Matt 10:35–36: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Mic 7:4, with a paraphrase of 7:5–6 (compare Matt 10:35–36). The section ends in mid-sentence; the lemma follows in the next section. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.7.4 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-7-4). ## Commentary on Micah 7:7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-6-1/#p-6-7-7 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The prophet waits in hope for God, who will hear him. ### Greek text ζ΄. « Ἐν τῷ Κυρίῳ ἐπιδλέψομαι 5, ὑπομενῶ ἐπὶ τῷ Θεῳ τῷ Σωτῆρί μου,» Καὶ δεικνὺς, οἷος τῆς ὑπομονῆς ὁ καρπὸς, «ε ᾿Επακούσεταί μου, φησὶν, ὁ Θεός μον. » Οὕτω σαφῶς διδάξας τῆς εἰς Θεὸν ἐλπίδος τὸ κέρδος, τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἀναλαμδάνει τὸ πρόσωπον, χοαὶ πρὸς τὴν Ἰδουμαίαν ποιεῖται τοὺς λόγους, ἐχθρὰν οὖσαν ἀεὶ καὶ πολεμίαν. ### English translation (Claude) 7. "But I will look to the Lord; I will wait for God my Savior." And showing what the fruit of patience is: "My God will hear me," he says. Having thus clearly taught the gain of hope in God, he takes up the person of Jerusalem and addresses Idumea, which was always her enemy and foe. ### Scripture references - Mic 7:7: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mic 7:7. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.7.7 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-7-7). ## Commentary on Micah 7:8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-6-1/#p-6-7-8 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Jerusalem accepts God's just punishment but awaits judgment on her gloating enemy, Edom, who with Tyre, Syria, and the neighbors will be trampled like mud. ### Greek text η΄. « Μὴ ἐπίχαιρέ μοι, ἡ ἐχθρᾷ μου, ὅτι πέπτωχα. » ᾿Αναστήσομαι γὰρ τῆς θείας ἀπολαύουσα κηδεμονίας " αὐτὸς γὰρ καὶ ἐν σκότῳ σῇ τὴν οἰκείαν αἴγλην παρέξει. Νὺν δὲ ὀργὴν Κυρίου ὑποίσω, ὅτι ἥμαρτον αὐτῷ " οἶδα γὰρ τῆς τινωρίας τὸ δίκαιον, εἰς τὸ μέγεθος ἀποδλέπων τῆς ἁμαρτίας. ᾿Αναμένω δὲ ὅμως τὴν δικαίαν κατὰ τῶν πολεμησάντων ὅδ χρίσιν, ΕἸ γὰρ καὶ ἐγὼ δίκας ἔτισα ὑπὲρ ὧν ἐπλημμέλησα, ἀλλ᾽ ἐκεῖνοι ἀδίκῳ κατ᾽ ἐμοῦ ἐχρήσαντο γνώμῃ. Ταυτὴν ἔχει τὴν ἔννοιαν τὸ, « Ἕως ἂν ᾽ διχαιώσῃ τὴν δίκην μον, καὶ ποιήσῃ ᾽Ἶ τὸ κρῖμά μου, καὶ ἐξάξῃ με εἰς τὸ φῶς, καὶ 5 ὅψομαι τὴν δικαιοσύνην αὐτοῦ. ν Ὑπὸ μὲν γὰρ αὐτοῦ χαταχέχριμαι δικαίως " κατὰ δὲ ἐχείνων ἔχω δίκαια πάμπολλα, καὶ τούτου χάριν τὴν θείαν ψί,φον προσμενῶ - ὅταν δὲ ταύτην ἐξενεχθεῖσαν θεάσωμαι, καὶ τῆς ἐχείνων δουλείας ἀπαλλαγῶ,.΄4. « ὍὌφεται ἡ ἐχθρά μου, καὶ καλύψει αὐτὴν αἰσχύνη Ἶ), ἡ λέγουσα πρός με δ Ποῦ ἐστιν 3' ὁ Θεός σον; » Οὐ μόνον δὲ αὔτη ὄψεταί μον τὴν εὖημερίαν, καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ μου τὴν δύναμιν, καθ᾽ οὗ τὴν γλῶσσαν ἐξέτεινεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐγὼ τὴν αὐτῆς ὄψομαι͵ «Οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου γὰρ ἐπόψονται αὐτὴν - νῦν ἕξσται εἰς καταπάτημα, ὡς πηλὸς ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς. (ι1α΄.) Ἡμέρα ἀλοιφῆς πλίνθου, ἐξάλειψίς συν ἡ ἡμέρα ἐκείνη᾽ καὶ ἀπώσεται νόμιμά σου. Ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ 35 καὶ αἱ πόλεις σου ἥξουσιν εἰς συγκλεισμὸν, καὶ " εἰς διαμερισμὸν ᾿Ασσυρίων. ν Καθάπερ γὰρ ὁ εἰς ἀλοιφὴν καὶ χρίσμα τῶν πλίνθων χατασχευαξόμενος πηλὸς, θύραζε ῥιπτούμενος, ὑπὸ τῶν παριόντων ἁπάντων καταπατεῖται, ὥστε εἰς δέον τὰς βώλους διαλυθῆναι - οὕτως ἔσῃ πρόχειρος ἅπασι καὶ εὐπατουμένη. Τότε σου καὶ οἱ παράνομοι νόμοι λήψονται πέρας, καὶ αἱ πόλεις ὑπομενοῦσι πολιορκίαν". τοῦτο γὰρ ἐκάλεσε συγκχιλεισμόν᾽" καὶ τῶν ἕνοικούντων τὸ πλῆθος ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων διαιρούμενον δουλεύειν ἀναγκασθήσεται. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ αἱ ἄλλαι περίοικοι πόλεις ταῖς Ἰουδαίων ἐφήδοντο συμφοραῖς, ἀναγκαίως καὶ Τύρου, καὶ Συρίας, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων μέμνηται πόλεων, τῶν ὑπὸ ᾿Ασσυρίων καὶ Βαβυλωνίων ἐχπορθηθεισῶν λέγει δὲ καὶ τίνες αὗται, ἀπὸ τῶν ὄρων δήλας αὐτὰς ποιῶν. ε« ᾽Α πὸ φησὶν, ἕως θαλάσσης, καὶ ἀπὸ ὅρους ἕως τοῦ ὅρους. » Τουτέστιν, ἀπὸ τῆς Ἐρυθρᾶς θαϊάσσης, τῆς τρὺς ἕω κειμένης, ἕως τῆς πρὸς ἑσπέραν, καὶ ἀπὸ ποῦ ἔρους τῶν Ἰδουμαίων ἕως τοῦ Διθάνου, πάντες εἶ ἕν μέσῳ τοῖ; πολεμίοις παραδοθήτοντχι. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἐπήγαγεν εἰρηκώς "ε Ἡμέρα ὕδατος καὶ θορύδου Δίκην γὰρ ὕδατος ῥοίζῳ φερομένον, τῆς στρατιᾶς ὁ ἐκείνης προσθαλεῖ τὸ πλῆθος, καὶ τὴν μὲν γὴν ἐρημίᾳ περιθαλεῖ, σφαγῇ 57 ξὲ καὶ δουλείᾳ τοὺς οἰκήτορας; παραδώσει. Καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν δεικνὺς, « ᾿Απὸ καρπῶν, φησὶν, ἐπιτηδευμάτων αὑτῶν. » Οὕτω τὰ ἐσόμενα τοῖς ὁμόροις ἔθνεσι προθεσπίσας, τὴν μετὰ τὴν ἐπάνοξον εἰρήνην τῷ λαῷ προαγγέλλει. ### English translation (Claude) 8. "Do not rejoice over me, my enemy, because I have fallen." For I will rise, enjoying the divine care; for even in darkness he will give me his own radiance. 9. "Now I will bear the wrath of the Lord, because I sinned against him"; for I know the justice of the punishment when I look at the greatness of the sin. But nevertheless I await the just judgment against those who made war on me. For even if I paid the penalty for my offenses, they treated me with an unjust mind. This is the meaning of: "Until he justifies my cause and executes my judgment, and he will bring me out into the light, and I will see his righteousness." For by him I was justly condemned, but against them I have very many just claims, and for this reason I will wait for the divine verdict. And when I see it pronounced and am freed from their slavery, 10. "my enemy will see, and shame will cover her who says to me: Where is the Lord your God?" Not only will she see my prosperity and the power of my God, against whom she stretched out her tongue, but I too will see hers. "For my eyes will look upon her; now she will be for trampling, like mud in the roads. 11. A day of plastering brick, that day will be your blotting out, and it will reject your statutes. In that day your cities too will come to a siege and to the division of the Assyrians." For just as the mud prepared for plastering and coating bricks, when it is thrown out of doors, is trampled by all who pass by, so that the lumps are broken up as needed, so you will be at hand for all and easily trampled. Then your lawless laws too will come to an end, and your cities will endure a siege (for this is what he called "shutting in"), and the multitude of the inhabitants, divided up by the enemies, will be compelled to serve. And since the other neighboring cities also rejoiced at the calamities of the Jews, he necessarily mentions Tyre, Syria, and the other cities sacked by the Assyrians and Babylonians, and says which they are, making them plain by their boundaries: "From [Tyre to the river]," he says, "[and from sea] to sea, and from mountain to the mountain"; that is, from the Red Sea, lying toward the east, to the sea toward the west, and from the mountain of the Idumeans to Lebanon, all who are in between will be handed over to the enemies. For this is what he added in saying: "A day of water and tumult." For like water rushing with a roar, the multitude of that army will attack, will surround the land with desolation, and will hand its inhabitants over to slaughter and slavery. And showing the cause: "From the fruits of their practices," he says. Having thus foretold what would happen to the neighboring nations, he announces to the people the peace after the return. ### Scripture references - Mic 7:8: quotation, high confidence - Mic 7:9: quotation, high confidence - Mic 7:10: quotation, high confidence - Mic 7:11–12: quotation, high confidence - Mic 7:13: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Mic 7:8, 7:9, 7:10, and 7:11–12, with a paraphrase of 7:12–13. Words of 7:12 lost in the scan are supplied in brackets from the LXX. Latin debris and Migne's footnotes are removed by logged corrections. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.7.8 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-7-8). ## Commentary on Micah 7:14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-6-1/#p-6-7-14 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God will shepherd his returned people as in the exodus, and the nations will be struck dumb with fear. ### Greek text ιδ΄, « Ποίμαινε τὸν λαόν σου ἐν ῥάβδ.»σου, πρόδατα χληρυνομίας σον. ν Καὶ ἐπειδὴ τροπικῶς τοὺς ἀνθρώπου; ἐχάλεσξ πρόξατα, ἐπέ με{:]|νε τῇ τῶν ἐθνῶν, φησὶ, πάντων χεχωρισμένους, καὶ ἰδιά ζουσαν ἔχοντας τὴν νομήν. Τὸ δὲ, ᾿Εν ἑάδδῳ σου, τὴν τοῦ Ἰούδα σημαίνει φυλήν. Ἐκείνη γὰρ μετὰ τὴν ἐπάνοδον, τῶν ἄλλων ἡγεῖτο, διαιρέσεως οὐκέτι τῶν φυλῶν γενομένης. Εἶτα διδάσκων, ὡς ἅπασαν ἣν πρὸ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας χατεῖχον γῆν μετὰ τὴν ἐπάνοδον, ἐπήγαγς ᾿ « Δρυμὸν ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ Καρμήλου νεμήσονται, τὴν Βασανῖτιν καὶ τὴν Γαλααδῖτιν, κατὰ τὰς ἡμέρας τοῦ αἰῶνος. (τιε΄.) Καὶ κατὰ τὰς ἡμέρας ἐξοδίας σου ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου δείξω αὑτοῖς θαυμάσια ᾽ν.» “Ὅσην γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐξελθοῦσιν ὑμῖν ἐξ Αἰγύπτου χώραν ἐξωρησάμην, τοσαύτην ὑμῖν ἀπὸ Βαδυλῶνος ἐπανελθοῦσι παρὑμᾶς πειῤωμένους. Ταῦτα γὰρ τὰ ἔθνη θεώμενα, αἱτχύνης ἀναπλησθήσεται, καὶ τῆς οἰκείας δυνάμεως τὴν ἀσθένειαν βλέποντα, « Ἐπιθήσουσι ") χεῖρας ἐπὶ τὸ στόμα αὑτῶν, καὶ τὰ ὦτα αὐτῶν ἀποχωφωθήσεται. (ιζ΄.) Λείξουσι γὰρ χοῦν ὡς ὄφεις σύροντες γῆν", συγχυθήσοντα: "3 ἐν συγκλεισμῷ αὑτῶν ἐπὶ Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν : ἐκστήσονται καὶ φοδηθήσοντα' ἀπὸ σοῦ. » Ὁρῶντες γάρ σου τὴν ἐξαίφνης γινομένην εὐπραξίαν, καὶ τὴν παρ᾽ ἐμοῦ χορηγουμένην βοήθειάν, οὐδὲ λόγους ἀπηχεῖς κατὰ σοῦ τολμήσουσι φθέγξασθα: " ἀλλὰ δίκην ὄφεων εἰς γῆν ἱλυσπωμένων χαταπεσοῦνται, οὐδὲν οὔτε δρᾶσαι, οὔτε εἰπεῖν τι τολμῶντες. Τούτοις ὁ προφήτης διαχονήσας τοῖς λόγοις, τὴν θείαν ἐχπλητ- ### English translation (Claude) 14. "Shepherd your people with your rod, the sheep of your inheritance." And since he figuratively called the people sheep, he kept to the figure: [dwelling alone], he says, separated from [the flocks] of all the nations and having a pasture of their own. "With your rod" signifies the tribe of Judah; for after the return it led the others, since there was no longer a division among the tribes. Then, teaching that after the return [they will possess] all the land they held before the captivity, he added: "They will graze the forest in the midst of Carmel, Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old. 15. And as in the days of your exodus from the land of Egypt I will show them wonders." For as much land, he says, as I granted you when you came out of Egypt, so much [I will give] you when you return from Babylon, [and I will punish those who] try you. For when the nations see these things they will be filled with shame, and seeing the weakness of their own power, 16. "they will lay their hands on their mouth, and their ears will be deafened. 17. They will lick dust like serpents crawling on the earth; they will be confounded in their enclosure; they will be amazed at the Lord our God and will fear you." For seeing your sudden prosperity and the help supplied by me, they will not dare to utter even harsh words against you, but like serpents crawling on the ground they will fall down, daring neither to do nor to say anything. The prophet, having ministered these words, [marvels at] the divine … ### Scripture references - Mic 7:14: quotation, high confidence - Mic 7:15: quotation, high confidence - Mic 7:16–17: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Mic 7:14, 7:14b–15, and 7:16–17. Words lost in the scan are supplied in brackets by sense; the section ends in mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.7.14 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-7-14). ## Commentary on Micah 7:18 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-6-1/#p-6-7-18 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: No god is like the Lord, who forgives when he sees repentance and does not keep his anger. ### Greek text ιη΄. ε Τίς θεὸς ὥσπερ σὺ ἐξαίρων ἀδικίας"), καὶ νομία: αὐτοῦ; » ᾿λῤῥήτῳ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀγαθότητι, Δέσποτα, κεχρημένος, καὶ λόγων νικώσῃ διήγησιν, οὐκ ἀπαιτεῖς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους εὐθύνας τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἀξίας " ἀλλ᾽ ὅταν παιδεύσας μικρὰν μεταμέλειαν ἴδῃς, παρορᾷ: τὰ ἐπταισμένα,, ὑπερθαίνεις τὰ ἡσεδημένα " ὅπερ δὴ καὶ νῦν εἰς τὸν σὸν εἰργάσω λαόν. « Οὐ συνέσχεν " εἰς μαρτύριον ὀργὴν αὑτοῦ, ὅτι θελητὴς ἐλέους ἐστίν. ν Τοῦτο ἔοικε τῷ ὑπὸ τοῦ μαται, οὔτε εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα μηνιεῖ " οὐ κατὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν ἐποίησεν ἡμῖν, οὐδὲ κατὰ τὰς ἀνομίας ἡμῶν ἀνταπέδωχεν ἡμῖν. » Καὶ ὁ θεσπέσιος τοίνυν λεηικαίας βοᾷ, ὅτ: Τὴν ὀργὴν οὐκ ἐφύλαξεν ἐπὶ πλεῖστον εἰς ἔλεγχον καὶ μαρτυρίαν τῆς τοῦ λαοῦ παρα- ### English translation (Claude) 18. "Who is a God like you, taking away iniquities and [passing over] his lawlessness?" For using ineffable goodness, Master, he says, that surpasses all telling, you do not exact from human beings the account their sins deserve; but when, after chastising a little, you see repentance, you overlook the stumbles and pass over the impieties, as you have now done for your people. "He did not hold his anger as a testimony, for he delights in mercy." This is like what was said by the blessed [David]: "[He will not be angry to the end], nor will he keep his wrath forever; he has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor repaid us according to our iniquities." And so the inspired Micah too cries out that he did not keep his anger for long as a refutation and testimony of the people's [transgression] … ### Scripture references - Mic 7:18: quotation, high confidence - Ps 103:9–10 (102:9-Ps LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mic 7:18. The quotation is Ps 103:9–10 (LXX 102:9–10); its opening words and the psalmist's name are lost in the scan and supplied in brackets. The section ends in mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.7.18 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-7-18). ## Commentary on Micah 7:19 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-6-1/#p-6-7-19 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God not only forgives sins but forgets them, casting them into the depths of the sea. ### Greek text ιθ΄, ε« Ἐπιστρέψει, καὶ υἰχτειρήσει ἡμᾶς, καταδύσει τὰ; ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν, καὶ ἀποῤῥιφήσονται εἰς τὰ βάθη τῆς θαλάσσης πᾶσαι αἱ ἁμαρτίαι "" ἡμῶν. ν Τούτοις παραπλήσια καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ τῶν ὅλων θεὸς διὰ Ἡσαΐου τοῦ προφήτου βοᾷ" « Ἐγώ εἶμι, ἐγώ εἰμι αὑτὸς ὁ ἐξαλείφων τὰς ἀνομίας σου, καὶ οὐ μὴ μνησθῶ τῶν ἀδικιῶν σου.» Τοῦτο γὰρ δὴ τὸ παράδοξον, ὅτι οὐ μόνον ἀφίησιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς μνήμης ἐχθάλλει, καὶ οἷόν τινι βυθῷ παραδίδωσι τῇ λήθῃ. Τοῦτο γὰρ παραδηλῶν καὶ ὁ μακάριος ἔφη Μικαίας " «ε Καταδύσει τὰ; ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν, καὶ ἀποῤῥιφήσονται εἰς τὰ βάθη τῆς θαλάσσης πᾶσα: αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ἡμῶν. ν Ὥσπερ γὰρ τὸ εἰς τὸν βυθὸν τῆς θαλάττης βὰλλόμένον, ἀφανές ἔστι παντελῶς - οὕτω, φησὶ, καὶ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν λήθῃ παντελεῖ παραδώσει, διὰ τὰς πρὸς τοὺς ἡμετέρους προγόνους συνγήχας. Καὶ τοῦτα δηλῶν ἐπήγαγε" ἥ ### English translation (Claude) 19. "He will turn and have compassion on us; he will sink our sins, and all our sins will be cast into the depths of the sea." The God of all himself cries out similar things through the prophet Isaiah: "I am, I am he who blots out your transgressions, and I will not remember your sins." For this is the marvel: that he not only forgives but also casts them out of his memory and hands them over to oblivion as to a kind of abyss. Indicating this, the blessed Micah said: "He will sink our sins, and all our sins will be cast into the depths of the sea." For just as what is thrown into the depths of the sea vanishes entirely, so, he says, he will hand our sins over to utter oblivion because of the covenants with our ancestors. And showing this he added: ### Scripture references - Mic 7:19: quotation, high confidence - Isa 43:25: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mic 7:19. The quotation is Isa 43:25. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.7.19 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-7-19). ## Commentary on Micah 7:20 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-6-1/#p-6-7-20 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God keeps his oath to the patriarchs; as Israel's sins were cast into the sea, ours are blotted out in baptism, prefigured by the Red Sea crossing. ### Greek text χ΄. « Δώσεις ἀλήθειαν" τῷ Ἰαχὼδ, ἔλεον τῷ ᾿Αδρλὰμ, καθάπερ ὥμοσας τοῖς πατράσιν ἡμῶν κατὰ τὰς ἡμέρας τὰς ἔμπροσθεν. ν Οὕτω καὶ ὁ μακάριος λέγει Δαδίδ- ε« Ἐμνήσθη εἰ; τὸν αἰῶνα διαθήκης αὑτοῦ λόζου οὗ ἐνετείλατο εἰς χιλίας γενεὰς, ὃν διέθετο τῷ ᾿Αδραὰμ,, καὶ τοῦ ὄρκου αὑτοῦ τῷ Ἰσαάκ᾽ καὶ ἔστησεν αὐτὴν τῷ Ἰαχὼδ εἰς πρόσταγμα, καὶ τῷ Ἵπραΐλ εἰς διαθήκην αἰώνιον. » Τὰς μὲν οὖν ἐκείνων ἁμαρτίας εἰς τὸν τῆς ὑαλάττης βυθὸν ὁ Δεσπότης ἀπέῤῥιψε" τὰς δὲ ἡμετέρας εἰς τὴν ἱερὰν καὶ θείαν ἐξαλείφει χολυμδήθραν, ἧς ἢ Ἐρυθρὰ θάλασσα, κατὰ τὸν θεῖον ᾿ΑΛπόστολον, γεγένητα! τύπος, ἣν διελθὼν ὁ λαὺς, τῆ; Αἰγύπτου ἀπηλλάγη δουλείας. Κατ᾽ ἐκεῖνον καὶ ἡμεῖς τὸν τύπον, διὰ τῆς ἁγίας χολυμδήθρας τῆς τοῦ διαδόλου τυραννίδος ἑλευθερούμενοι, τῆς οἰκείας σωτηρίας φροντίδωμεν " διηνεκῶς τὸν εὐεργέτην ὑμνοῦντες, καὶ τοῖς ἐχείνου νόμοις ἀκολουθοῦντες, καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν ἁγίων τετριμμένην πορείαν ὁδεύοντες ἵνα σὺν αὐτοῖς εἰς τὸ ἀγαθὸν τῆς ὁδοῦ φθάσωμεν τέλος, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ᾽ οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡ δόξα, σὺν τῷ ἀγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων, ᾿Αμήν. ### English translation (Claude) 20. "You will give truth to Jacob, mercy to Abraham, as you swore to our fathers in the days of old." So too the blessed David says: "He remembered his covenant forever, the word he commanded for a thousand generations, which he made with Abraham, and his oath to Isaac; and he established it for Jacob as an ordinance and for Israel as an everlasting covenant." Their sins, then, the Master cast into the depths of the sea; but ours he blots out in the holy and divine font, of which the Red Sea, according to the divine Apostle, became a type: passing through it, the people was freed from slavery in Egypt. According to that type we too, set free through the holy font from the tyranny of the devil, let us take care of our own salvation, continually praising our benefactor, following his laws, and walking the road worn smooth by the saints, so that with them we may reach the good end of the road, by the grace and kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom be glory to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, now and always and to the ages of ages. Amen. ### Scripture references - Mic 7:20: quotation, high confidence - Ps 105:8–10 (104:8-Ps LXX): quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 10:1–2: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mic 7:20. The quotation is Ps 105:8–10 (LXX 104:8–10); the Apostle's typology is 1 Cor 10:1–2. Latin debris and Migne's footnotes at the end of the section are removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 6.7.20 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-7-20). ## Commentary on Nahum, Preface, part 1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-6-1/#p-7-0-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Nineveh, spared after Jonah's preaching, fell back into wickedness and attacked Israel; Nahum foretells its destruction as God's just punishment of an arrogant instrument. ### Greek text Οἱ Νινευῖται τὴν θείαν δείσαντες ἀπειλὴν, ἦν ὁ θεσπέσιος αὑτοῖς ἐκήρυξεν Ἰωνᾶς, μεταμελείᾳ σπουδαίᾳ χρησάμενοι, τὴν σωτηρίαν ηῦραντο. ᾿Αντὶ γὰρ κίας ἀπήλαυσαν. Χρόνου δὲ βραχέος διελθόντος, τῆς ἀφάτου μὲν ταύτης ἐπελάθοντο χάριτος, εἰς δὲ τὴν προτέραν πονηρίαν ἐπανελθόντες, ἄλλα τε μυρία παράνομα δεδράχασι, καὶ τὰς κατὰ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ τεπολμήκχασι στρατείας " καὶ τὰς μὲν δέκα φυλὰς θεαἰχμαλώτους ἀπήγαγον " κατὰ δὲ τῆς Ἰουδαία: Σενναχηρεὶμ στρατεύσας, ἄλλας τε πόλεις εἷλε πολιορκίᾳ, καὶ δὴ κατὰ" τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ τὴν στρατιὰν" ἀποστείλας, κατ᾽ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων τὴν γ) ῶτταν ἐκίνησεν. ᾿Αλλὰ παραυτίκα μὲν ἀοράτως δι᾽ ἀγγέλου ἑνὸς αἱ πολλαὶ τῷ θανάτῳ μυριάδες - καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ τούτων βασιλεὺς, ταύτην διαφυγὼν τὴν πληγὴν, καὶ κῆρυξ τῆς θεηλάτου τιμωρίας γενόμενος (τούτου γὰρ χάριν σῶον αὑτὸν διαφυγεῖν ἐνδέδωχεν ὁ Θεὸς), ἐν αὐτοῖς τοῖς βασιλείοις ὑπὸ τῶν φύντων δέχεται τὴν πληγήν. Καὶ μικρὸν ὕστερον εἰς Βαδυλῶνα τῆς βασιλείας μετατεθείστς, ἐσδέσθη μὲν ἅπαν τοῦτο τῶν βασιλέων τὸ γένο;, ἀνάστατος δὲ ἡ πόλις ἐγένετο, καὶ ἐρημέᾳ παντελεῖ παρεδόθη. Τοῦτον τῇς Νινευΐ τὸν ὄλεθρον ὁ μαχάριο; Ναοὺμ ὁ προφήτης προλέγει, τοῦ θείου Πνεύματο; δεξάμενος τὴν ἐνέργειαν, καὶ δι᾽ ὧν θεσπίζει διδάσκει, ὡς οὐδὲν ἀτημέλητον, οὐδὲ ἀπρονόητον παρὰ τῷ Δεσπότῃ Θεῷ, ψήφῳ δὲ δικαίᾳ κεχρημένος τῶν βεδιωμένων ἕκαστον ἀπαιτεῖ τὰς εὐθύνας. Οὗ χάριν τὸν μὲν Ἰσραὴλ ἡσεόηκότα παραδέδωκεν ᾿Ασσυρίοις " ᾿Ασσυρίους δὲ θηριωδῶς τούτοις προσενεχθέντας, καὶ ὠμότητι χρησαμένους, πολλὰς δι᾽ ἑτέρων πάλιν εἰσεπράξατο δίκας. Οὔτε γὰρ ὡς θείᾳ βουλῇ διαχονούμενοι τὴν κατὰ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἐποιήσαντο στρατείαν, ἀλλ᾽ αὐθαδείᾳ καὶ ὑρασύτητι χρώμενοι, καὶ τὴν οἰκείαν δυναστείαν κατὰ πάντων ἐκτείνειν πειρώμενοι. Εἴασε δὲ αὑτοὺς ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς εἰς ἔργον ἀγαγεῖν τὸ ἐγχείρημα, δέκας δι᾿ αὐτῶν τὸν Ἰσραὴλ εἰσπρατγόμενος. Ὡς ἂν δὲ μὴ νομίσῃ ἐν οἰκείᾳ δυνάμει μένους πόλεων, παρ᾽ αὐτοὺς τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ τοὺς περιβόλους τὰς πολλὰς κατηχόντισε μυριάδας 5, Ταύτας ἔχει τὰς προῤῥήσεις ἡ τοῦ μακαρίου Ναοὺμ προφητεία " ἀρκτέον δὲ λοιπὸν τῆς τῶν ῥητῶν ἑρμηνείας. ### English translation (Claude) The Ninevites, fearing the divine threat which the inspired Jonah proclaimed to them, repented earnestly and found salvation; for instead of [destruction] they enjoyed [kindness]. But after a short time they forgot this ineffable grace and returned to their former wickedness; they did countless other lawless things and dared to make campaigns against Israel. They led the ten tribes away captive; and Sennacherib, campaigning against Judea, took other cities by siege, and sending his army against Jerusalem, he moved his tongue against the God of all himself. But at once the many myriads [were handed over] to death, invisibly, through a single angel; and their king himself, who escaped this blow and became a herald of the punishment sent by God (for this is why God let him escape safe), received his blow from his own sons in his very palace. And a little later, when the kingdom passed to Babylon, this whole line of kings was extinguished, and the city was laid waste and given over to utter desolation. This destruction of Nineveh the blessed prophet Nahum foretells, having received the working of the divine Spirit; and through what he prophesies he teaches that nothing is neglected or left without providence by the Master God, but that he demands from each, by a just verdict, an account of how they have lived. For this reason he handed impious Israel over to the Assyrians, and the Assyrians, who treated them savagely and cruelly, he punished severely in turn through others. For they did not make their campaign against Israel as servants of the divine will, but out of arrogance and boldness, trying to extend their own dominion over all. Yet the God of all let them carry out their attempt, exacting justice from Israel through them. And lest [Sennacherib] should think that by his own power [he had become master] of cities, he shot down those many myriads before the very walls of Jerusalem. These are the predictions that the prophecy of the blessed Nahum contains; and now we must begin the interpretation of the words. ### Scripture references - Jonah 3:10: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 17:6: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 18:13: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 19:35–37: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Preface to Nahum. Words are lost in the scan in the first sentences and near the end; bracketed words supply the sense. History: 2 Kgs 17:6; 18:13; 19:35–37. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 7.0.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/7-0-1). ## Commentary on Nahum 1:1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-6-1/#p-7-1-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Theodoret explains the "burden" (lēmma) of Nahum as the Spirit's seizing of the prophet's mind, one of the ways in which the Spirit inspired the prophets. ### Greek text α΄. « Λῆμμα δ' Νινευΐ " βιδλίον ὁράσεως Ναοὺμ τοῦ Ἐλχεσαίου. ν» Ἢ τοῦ παναγίου Πνεύματος χάρις διαφόρως ἕν τοῖς θαυμασίοις ἐνεργοῦσα' προφήταις, τοὺς μὲν ὁρᾷν τινα παρ:σχεύαξζεν, ὡς τὸν θεσπέσιον Ἢσαϊαν, καὶ Μικαίᾳν, καὶ Δανιὴλ, καὶ καὶ Ζαχαρίαν" τισὶ δὲ ἐνήχει τινὰ ὡς ἐβούλετο, καὶ ἐνέπνει τὴν προφητείαν, καὶ διὰ τῆς ἐχείνων ἐφθέγγξτο ἃ ἐδούλετο γλώττης. Ἐξαπιναίως γὰρ τῆς τούτων ἐπιλαμδανομένη διανοίας ἡ προφητικὴ χάρις, καὶ τῶν ἀνθρωπείων αὐτοὺς ἁπάντων χωρίξουσα, ὑπουργεῖν καὶ διακονεῖν τοῖς προφητικοῖς παρεσκεύαζε λόγοις. Τοῦτο οὖν δ ὁ προφήτης προσηγόρευσε, τῆς διανοίας τὴν λῆψιν, καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων μετάθεσιν. Ληφθεῖσᾳ γάρ μου, φησὶν, ὑπὸ τοῦ θείου Πνεύματος ἡ διάνοια, προεῖδε τὰ ### English translation (Claude) 1. "The burden of Nineveh; the book of the vision of Nahum the Elkesite." The grace of the all-holy Spirit, working in different ways in the wonderful prophets, made some of them see certain things, as the inspired Isaiah, Micah, Daniel, … and Zechariah; into others it sounded what it wished and breathed the prophecy, and spoke what it wished through their tongue. For the prophetic grace, suddenly seizing their mind and separating them from all human things, made them serve and minister to the prophetic words. This, then, is what the prophet called "burden" (literally "taking"): the seizing of the mind and its removal from human things. For my mind, he says, being seized by the divine Spirit, foresaw the … ### Scripture references - Nah 1:1: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Nah 1:1. Theodoret plays on λῆμμα ("burden", literally "what is taken") and λῆψις ("seizing"). A name is lost in the scan in the list of prophets; the section ends in mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 7.1.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/7-1-1). ## Commentary on Nahum 1:2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-6-1/#p-7-1-2 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God's "jealousy" is his just anger against the Assyrians who blasphemed him. ### Greek text β΄. « ὍΣ Θεὸς ζηλωτῆς, καὶ ἐκδικῶν Κύριος "Ὁ τοὺς ὑπεναντίους αὑτοῦ, καὶ ἐξαίρων αὐτὸς τοὺς αὶ ἐχθροὺς αὑτοῦ. ν Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ κατὰ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ λυττήσαντες βλασφήμοις κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων ἐχρήσαντο λέγοις, εἰκότως ὑπεναντίους αὐτοὺς καὶ ἐχθροὺς ὀνομάζει, καὶ τὸν ὄλεθρον ἀπειλεῖ. Ζῆλον δὲ τὴν δικαίαν ὀργὴν προσηγόρευσεν. Οὕτω γὰρ ὅδ ὁ νομοθετῶν φησιν “ « Οὐ ποιήσεις παντὸς ἁμοίωμᾳ, ὅσα ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ἄνω, καὶ ὅσα ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς κάτω, καὶ ὅσα ἐν τοῖς ὕδασιν ὑποχάτω τῆς γῆς» ᾷτι ἐγὼ Κύριος ὁ Θεύς σου, θεὸς ζηλωτὴς, πῦρ καταναλίσκον.ν Οὕτω καὶ ὁ μέγας Ἠλίας φησί " ε Ζηλῶν δζήλωσα Κυρίῳ παντοκράτορι Θεῷ Ἰσραήλ " » ἀντὶ τοῦ, Κατὰ τῶν εἰς θεὸν ἀσεδούντων ἀγαναχτῶ ὅδ. ### English translation (Claude) 2. "God is jealous, and the Lord avenges his adversaries, and he himself removes his enemies." For since, raging against Jerusalem, they used blasphemous words against the God of all, he fittingly calls them adversaries and enemies and threatens destruction. He called the just anger "jealousy". For so the lawgiver says: "You shall not make the likeness of anything that is in heaven above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth; for I am the Lord your God, a jealous God, a consuming fire." So too the great Elijah says: "I have been very jealous for the Lord God Almighty of Israel", instead of "I am indignant against those who are impious toward God." ### Scripture references - Nah 1:2: quotation, high confidence - Exod 20:4–5: quotation, high confidence - Deut 4:24: quotation, medium confidence - 1 Kgs 19:10: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Nah 1:2. Quotations: Exod 20:4–5 combined with Deut 4:24; 1 Kgs 19:10. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 7.1.2 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/7-1-2). ## Commentary on Nahum 1:3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-6-1/#p-7-1-3 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God is long-suffering, as Nineveh's earlier rescue shows, but will not leave the unrepentant unpunished; the notice on Nahum's life follows. ### Greek text γ΄. « Κύριος μακρόθυμος, καὶ μεγάλη ἡ ἰσχὺς αὖτοῦ, καὶ ἀθωῶν οὐκ ἀθωύσει δ, » Οὐκ εὐθὺς, φησὶ, καὶ παραυτίκα τὰς τιμωρίας ἐπάγει, ἀλλὰ μακροθυμίᾳ πλείστῃ χρώμενος. Τούτου μάρτυρες ὑμεῖς οἱ Νινευῖται, μεταμελείᾳ χρησάμενοι, καὶ τὴν σωτηρίαν εὑράμενοι, καὶ πάλιν πονηρίᾳ πλείστῃ χρησάμενοι, καὶ τέως δίκας ὑπὲρ ταύτης οὐ τίσαντες " ἀλλὰ Ναοὺμ ἑρμηνεύεται παράκλησις. Οὗτος ἣν ἀπὸ Ἐλχεσεῖν πέραν τοῦ βάριν (Ε΄. πείραν ταύτην βάριν) ἐκ φυλῆς Συμεών. υὗτος μετὰ τὸν ᾿Ιωνᾶν τέρας ἔδωκεν, ὅτι ἀπὸ ὑδάτω" γλυκέων καὶ πυρὸς ἀπολεῖται, ὃ καὶ γέγονεν" ἣ γὰρ περιέχουσα αὐτὴν (Α αὐτῇ) λίμνη χατἐχλεισεν αὐτὴν ἐν σεισμῷ, καὶ πῦρ ἐκ τῆς ἐρήμου τὸ ὑψηλότερον αὐτῆς μέρος ἐνέπρησεν. ᾿λπέθανεν δὲ ἐν εἰρήνῃ, καὶ ἐτάφη ἐν τῇ γῇ αὐτοῦ. Πρόσταγμα κηρυχθῆναι, οἵα ὁ λαὸς μὲν τῶν Ἰουδαίων δξήμαρτεν, ὁ Χοιστὸς δὲ διὰ τοῦ μυστηρίου καὶ τῆς ἀναπτάσεως καὶ τῆς ἀναλήψεως τῆς εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἔπραξεν. ρὼν ἐπὶ πλεῖστον τὰς τῶν ἀνθρώπων παρανομίας, καὶ τιμωρίαν τοῖς μὴ μεταμελουμένοις ἐπάγειν, Τοῦτο γὰρ εἶπεν ε« ᾿Αθωῶν οὐκ ἀθωώσει"» ἀντὶ τοῦ, τὸν κολάσεως ἄξια πλημμελήσαντα, τῆς τιμωρίας οὐκ ἀπαλλάξει. « Κύριος δ", ἐν συντελείᾳ καὶ ἐν συττεισμῷ ἡ ὁδὸς αὐτοῦ. ν Οὐκέτι φιλανθρωπέας. μεταδώσει ὑμῖν ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς, ἀλλὰ τὸν δλεῦρον ἐπάξει. Τούτῳ ἔοικε τὸ ἐν τῷ ψαλμῷ εἰρη μένον " « Πᾶσαι αἱ ὁδοὶ Κυρίου ἕλεος καὶ ἀλήθεια. » Ἢ τὰρ ἀλήθεια οὐ φιλανθρωπίαν μόνην, ἀλλὰ καὶ τι πωρέαν ἔχει δικαίαν. Οδὸν' τοίνυν κἀνταῦθα κἀκεῖ τὴν ποῖξιν νοητέον. « Καὶ νεφέλαι χον!ορτὸς ποδῶν αὐτοῦ.» ᾿Αρμοδίως μάλα τὸν κονιορτὸν τῇ ὁδῷ προπτέθειχε. Βούλεται δὲ εἰπεῖν, ὅτι Νὺν οὐκέτι μαχροθυμέχ χροΐ σεται, ἀλλ᾽ ὄλεθρον ὑμῖν ἐπάξει, πανταχήδεν ὑμῖν τῶν κακῶν ἐπιστήσας τὸ νέφος. Καὶ διδάτχων, ὡς ῥαδίως πᾶν ὅ τι ἂν ἐθελήση ποιεῖ, ἐπήγαγεν " ### English translation (Claude) 3. "The Lord is long-suffering, and his strength is great, and he will not acquit the guilty." Not at once, he says, nor immediately does he bring on punishments, but he uses very great long-suffering. You Ninevites are witnesses of this: you repented and found salvation, and then again practiced very great wickedness, and have not yet paid the penalty for it. But though he bears for a very long time with the lawless deeds of human beings, [he also knows how] to bring punishment on those who do not repent. For this is what he said: "He will not acquit the guilty", that is, he will not free from punishment one who has committed offenses that deserve chastisement. "The Lord: in consummation and in shaking is his way." The God of all will no longer give you a share of his kindness, but will bring destruction on you. Like this is what is said in the psalm: "All the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth." For truth includes not kindness only but also just punishment. So both here and there one must understand "way" as action. "And clouds are the dust of his feet." Very aptly he has joined the dust to the way. He means: now he will no longer use long-suffering but will bring destruction on you, setting the cloud of evils over you on every side. And teaching that he easily does whatever he wishes, he added: [In the scan the following notice is printed within this section: "Nahum is interpreted 'consolation'. He was from Elkesei beyond Bet[habara], of the tribe of Simeon. After Jonah he gave a sign that Nineveh would perish by fresh water and by fire, which also happened: for the lake that surrounded it flooded it in an earthquake, and fire from the desert burned its higher part. He died in peace and was buried in his own land." And a heading: "Prediction: to be proclaimed, the sins of the people of the Jews, and what Christ accomplished through the mystery, the resurrection, and the ascension into heaven."] ### Scripture references - Nah 1:3: quotation, high confidence - Ps 25:10 (24:10 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Nah 1:3. The quotation is Ps 25:10 (LXX 24:10). The notice on Nahum set in brackets at the end follows the tradition of the Lives of the Prophets, which Migne prints with the commentary (the place-name is damaged in the scan; a variant reading is omitted); the heading after it is of uncertain origin. Latin debris and Migne's footnotes are removed by logged corrections. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 7.1.3 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/7-1-3). ## Commentary on Nahum 1:4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-6-1/#p-7-1-4 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God can dry up sea and rivers in an instant; he used Assyria to punish Bashan, Carmel, and Lebanon. ### Greek text δ΄. « ᾿Απειλῶν θαλάσσῃ, καὶ" ξηραίνων αὐτὴν, καὶ πάντας τοὺς ποταμοὺς ἐξερημῶν ",. ν» ΕἸ γὰρ δηχ"μάσειεν ἅπαν τῆς τε θαλάττης καὶ τῶν ποταμῶν φροῦδον ποιῖσαι τὸ ὕδωρ, ἐν ἀκαρεῖ τοῦτο δρᾶσαι δυνήσετα! " καὶ τούτον τὴν ἀπόδειξιν ἀπὸ τῶν ἤδη γεὲὁ ἹΚάρμτλος, καὶ πάντα “5 τὰ ἐξανθοῦντα τοῦ Λιδάνου ἐξέλιπε. » Ποινὴν γὰρ ἀπαιτῆσαι βουληθεὶς τούς τε τὴν Βασανῖτιν, καὶ τὸν Κάρμηλον, καὶ τὸν Αἰδανον οἰκοῦντας, ὑμῖν τούτους παρέδωκα. Ὑμεῖς δὲ τὰς τούτων χώρας δῃώσαντες, καὶ τὰς πόλεις πορ- ### English translation (Claude) 4. "Threatening the sea and drying it up, and making all the rivers desolate." For if he should wish to make all the water of the sea and of the rivers vanish, he will be able to do it in an instant; and [he gives] the proof of this from what has already [happened] … "[Bashan was made small], and Carmel, and all the blossoms of Lebanon failed." For wishing to exact a penalty from those who lived in Bashan, Carmel, and Lebanon, I handed them over to you. But you, having ravaged their lands and sacked their cities, … ### Scripture references - Nah 1:4: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Nah 1:4. Words are lost in the scan in the middle and at the end of the section; marked "…", with bracketed words supplied from the LXX and by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 7.1.4 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/7-1-4). ## Commentary on Nahum 1:5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-6-1/#p-7-1-5 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God shakes the whole earth by a nod, showing he is not the God of the Jews alone. ### Greek text ε΄. « Τὰ ὅρη ἐσείσθησαν “' ἀπ᾽ αὐτοῦ, καὶ οἱ βουνοὶ ἐσαλεύθησαν, καὶ ἀνεστάλη ἡ γῇ ἀπὸ προσώπου αὖτοῦ ἡ σύμπασα, καὶ πάντες οἱ κατοικοῦντες ἐν αὐτῇ. » Ἐπειδὴ γάρ τινες ὑπελάμθανον αὐτὸν μόνον Ἰουδαίων εἶναι Θεὸν, εἰκότως ὁ προφήτης διδάσκει, ὅτι ὄρη, καὶ βουνοὺς, καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν σὺν “οἷς κατοικοῦσι γεύματι μόνῳ συσσείει " τὸ δὲ, ἀνεστά, ἰὴ ἡ γῆ, ὁ μὲν ᾿Ακύλας, ἔφριξεν, εἴπεν' ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος, ἐκινήθη. ### English translation (Claude) 5. "The mountains were shaken by him, and the hills were moved, and the whole earth was lifted up before his face, and all who dwell in it." For since some supposed that he was the God of the Jews alone, the prophet fittingly teaches that he shakes the mountains and hills and the whole earth with its inhabitants by a nod alone. For "the earth was lifted up" Aquila said "shuddered", and Symmachus "was moved". ### Scripture references - Nah 1:5: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Nah 1:5. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 7.1.5 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/7-1-5). ## Commentary on Nahum 1:6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-6-1/#p-7-1-6 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: No one can withstand God's anger, yet he is good to those who wait for him in affliction. ### Greek text ς΄. « Πρὸ 45 προσώπου ὀργῆς 55 αὐτοῦ τίς ὑποστήσεται; καὶ τίς ἀντιστήσεται ἐν ὀργὴ θυμοῦ αὐποῦ; Ὃ θυμὸς αὐτοῦ τήκει ἀρχὰς, καὶ πέτρα: δ διεθρύδησαν ἀπ᾽ αὐτοῦ. » Εἰ γὰρ τοὺς ἐπὶ δυναστείαις βρενθυομένους, καὶ πετρῶν ἔχειν ἰσχὺν λύει" τίς ἱκανὸς ἀντιστῆναι τῇ ἐκεῖθεν φερομένη παιδείᾳ; ᾿Αλλ᾽ ὥσπερ τοὺς ἀλαζόνα: χαταλύξι ῥᾳδίως, οὕτως χρηστός ἔστι Κύριος τοῖς ὑπομένουσιν αὐτὸν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ θλίψεως, καὶ γινώσκων τοὺς εὐλαθουμένους αὐτόν. Δείξας δὲ, ὅπως προσφέρεται τοῖς τὰς ἐπιφερομένας ὑπομένουσι παιδείας, καὶ μηδὲν ἀπηχὲς φθεγγομένοις, πάλιν τὴν κατὰ τῶν ἀνοσίων διεξέρχεται τιμωρίαν. ### English translation (Claude) 6. "Who will stand before the face of his anger? And who will resist in the wrath of his anger? His anger melts rulers, and the rocks were shattered by him." For if he destroys those who swagger in their dominion and have the strength of rocks, who is able to withstand the chastisement that comes from him? But just as he easily destroys the boastful, so "the Lord is good to those who wait for him in the day of affliction, and he knows those who revere him." Having shown how he treats those who endure the chastisements brought upon them and say nothing harsh, he again sets out the punishment of the wicked. ### Scripture references - Nah 1:6: quotation, high confidence - Nah 1:7: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Nah 1:6, with a quotation of 1:7 woven into the comment. Migne's footnotes at the end of the section are removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 7.1.6 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/7-1-6). ## Commentary on Nahum 1:8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-6-1/#p-7-1-8 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God will sweep away his enemies like a flood and pursue them with darkness. ### Greek text η΄. « Καὶ ἐν χατχχλυσμῷ πορείας συντέλειαν ποιήσεται " τοὺς ἐξεγειρομένους 5" καὶ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς αὐτοῦ διώξεται σκότος. » Πανωλεθρίᾳ γὰρ καὶ σκότῳ διηνεκεῖ τοὺς κατ᾽ αὐτοῦ θρατυνομένους παραδώσει. θρίαν ἐκάλεσεν. Εἶτα κατ᾽ ἐρώτησιν " ### English translation (Claude) 8. "And with a flood of his course he will make an end of those who rise up, and darkness will pursue his enemies." For he will hand over those who are emboldened against him to total destruction and perpetual darkness. … he called the total destruction [a flood]. Then, by way of a question: ### Scripture references - Nah 1:8: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Nah 1:8. A line is lost in the scan before "he called"; marked "…", with the bracketed word supplied by sense. The section ends in mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 7.1.8 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/7-1-8). ## Commentary on Nahum 1:9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-6-1/#p-7-1-9 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God will destroy Nineveh at one stroke, as fire consumes dry stubble. ### Greek text θ΄. «Τί λογίζεσθε ἐπὶ τὸν Κύριον; » Ποίαν, φησὶν, ὑπολαμθάνετε δύναμιν αὐτὸν ἔχειν; Συντέλειαν οαὐτὺς ποιήσει, καὶ 57 οὐκ ἐκδικήσει δὶς ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ ἐν θλίψει. » ᾿Αθρόαν, φησὶν, ὑμῖν ἐπάξει τὴν τίμωεἴαν, ὥστε μὴ δεηθῆναι δευτέρας πληγῆς. υ΄ς «Ὅτι Ξως θεμελίου" αὑτῶν χερσωθήσονται, καὶ καλάμη ξηρασίας μεστή. ν» Ὥσπερ γὰρ τὸ πῦρ ξηρὰν 1' καλάμην καταναλίσκει ῥᾳδίως, καὶ ἡ παρὰ τοὺς φραγμοὺς φυομένη βοτάνη, καὶ τοῖς παλιούροις μάλιστα συμπλεχομένη, οὔτε ἐκείνους ἀνθεῖν ἐᾷ, καὶ αὕτη τῷ χρόνω διαφθείρεται - οὕτως ὑμεῖς τὰς τῶν ἄλλων καταλύσαντες βασιλείας, καὶ τῆς βασιλείας Καὶ τῆς τιμωρίας τὸ δίκαιον δεικνὺς, ἐπήγαγεν " ### English translation (Claude) 9. "What do you devise against the Lord?" What kind of power, he says, do you suppose he has? "He himself will make an end, and he will not take vengeance twice at the same time in affliction." He will bring the punishment on you all at once, he says, so that there will be no need of a second blow. 10. "For they will be laid bare to their foundation, and like stubble full of dryness [they will be consumed]." For just as fire easily consumes dry stubble, and the weed that grows by the hedges and is most entangled with the thorns neither lets them flower and is itself destroyed in time, so you, having destroyed the kingdoms of others, [will lose] your own kingdom too … And showing the justice of the punishment, he added: ### Scripture references - Nah 1:9: quotation, high confidence - Nah 1:10: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Nah 1:9 and 1:10. Words lost in the scan are supplied in brackets by sense; the section ends in mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 7.1.9 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/7-1-9). ## Commentary on Nahum 1:11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-6-1/#p-7-1-11 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Nineveh will be punished for Sennacherib's blasphemous boasting against God. ### Greek text ια΄, « Ἐκ σοῦ ἐξελεύσεται λογισμὸς κατὰ τοῦ Κυρίου, πονηρὰ βουλευόμενος ἐναντία. γ Ταῦτα δὲ πείπῃ διὰ τὰς μανιχὰς τῆς σῆς ἐννοίας ὠδῖνας, Διδάσκει δὲ ταύτας ἡμᾶς καὶ ἡ τετάρτη τῶν Βασιλειῶν ἱστορία, καὶ ὁ θεσπέσιο; Ἡσαΐας. Ἐν ἐκείναις γὰρ φημίαν ἐχείνην κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων λυττήσας " « Εἴπατε ἙἘζεχίᾳ " Τάδε λέγε: ὁ βασιλεὺς ὁ μέγας, ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν ᾿Ασσυρίων " Μή σε ἀπατάτω ὁ Θεός σου ἕν ᾧ σὺ πέποιθας ἐπ᾽ αὐτῷ, ὅτι ῥύσεται τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐκ χειρός μου.» Καὶ τὰ ἄλλα τὰ τούποῖ; προσόμοια. Ταύτην αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀλαζονείαν ὑποδεικνὺς ὁ Θεὸς ἔλεγε διὰ τοῦ προφῆτου "ε Ἐπισκχέψομαι ἐπὶ τὸν νοῦν τὸν μέγαν, τὸν βασιλέα τῶν ᾿Ασπυρίων " » οὕτω τῶν λογισμῶν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀλαζο- ### English translation (Claude) 11. "From you will come forth a reasoning against the Lord, devising evil, contrary things." You will suffer these things because of the mad pangs of your thought. The fourth history of the Kingdoms and the inspired Isaiah teach us about these. For in them [is recorded] the blasphemy that he uttered, raging against the God of all: "Say to Hezekiah: Thus says the great king, the king of the Assyrians: Do not let your God, in whom you trust, deceive you, saying that he will deliver Jerusalem from my hand", and the other things like these. Pointing out this arrogance of his, God said through the prophet: "I will visit upon the great mind, the king of the Assyrians"; so the arrogance of his thoughts … ### Scripture references - Nah 1:11: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 19:10: quotation, high confidence - Isa 37:10: quotation, high confidence - Isa 10:12: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Nah 1:11. Quotations: 2 Kgs 19:10 (Isa 37:10); Isa 10:12. The section ends in mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 7.1.11 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/7-1-11). ## Commentary on Nahum 1:12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-6-1/#p-7-1-12 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The Babylonian army, like many waters, will besiege and silence Nineveh. ### Greek text ιβ΄. ε Τάδε λέγει Κύριος, χατάρχων ὑδάτων πολλῶν, καὶ οὕτω διασταλήσονται. ν Π11ῆθος ὑδάτων τὸ πλῇθος τῶν Βαθυλωνίων χαλεξ, τὸ κατὰ τῆς Νινευῖΐ στρατεῦσαν, ὃ δίκην ὑδάτων τοῖς λόχοις διαιρεθὲν, εἰς τὴν τῆς πόλεως πολιορκίαν ἐχώρησε. Τούτου δὲ, φησὶ, τϑνομένον, « Ἢ ἀκοή σου οὐκ ἐναχουφθύσεται ἔτι, » ### English translation (Claude) 12. "Thus says the Lord, ruling over many waters: even so they will be divided." He calls the multitude of the Babylonians that campaigned against Nineveh a multitude of waters; divided into companies like waters, it advanced to besiege the city. And when this happens, he says, "your report will be heard no more." ### Scripture references - Nah 1:12: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Nah 1:12. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 7.1.12 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/7-1-12). ## Commentary on Nahum 1:13 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-6-1/#p-7-1-13 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God will break Assyria's rod, the authority he once gave it. ### Greek text γ΄. « Κἀὶ νῦν συντρίψω τὴν ῥάθδον αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ σοῦ, καὶ τοὺς; δεσμούς σου 13 διαῤῥήξω. » Αήψομαι γὰρ παρὰ σοῦ τὴν ἐξουσίαν, ἣν ἔδωκά σοι πάλαι" καὶ καταλύσω σου τὴν δυναστείαν, τοὺς ταύτης διαῤῥήξας συνδέσμους. Ῥάδδον γὰρ τὴν ἐξουσίαν καλεῖ " καὶ τοῦτο σαφῶς ἡμᾶς διὰ Ἡσαῖου τοῦ προφήτου διδάσκει " « Οὐαὶ ᾿Ασσυρίοις ἡ ῥάθδος τοῦ θυμοὺ μου καὶ τῆς ὀργῆς μου ἔστιν ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν αὐτῶν. » ### English translation (Claude) 13. "And now I will break his rod from you, and I will burst your bonds." For I will take from you the authority I gave you long ago, and I will destroy your dominion, bursting its bonds. For he calls authority a rod; and this he teaches us clearly through the prophet Isaiah: "Woe to the Assyrians; the rod of my anger and of my wrath is in their hands." ### Scripture references - Nah 1:13: quotation, high confidence - Isa 10:5: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Nah 1:13. The quotation is Isa 10:5. Latin debris and Migne's footnotes are removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 7.1.13 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/7-1-13). ## Commentary on Nahum 1:14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/6-6-1/#p-7-1-14 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Nineveh's name and idols will perish, and messengers will bring Judah the good news of peace, so that it can keep its feasts again. ### Greek text ιδ΄. ε Καὶ ἐντελεῖται περὶ σοῦ Κύριος. » Ἐμοῦ γὰρ νεύοντος ταῦτα πείσῃ. « Οὐ σπαρήσεται ἔχ τοῦ ὀνόματός σου ἕτι.ν Οὐκέτι γὰρ ἡ σὴ προσηγορέα τοῖς ὑπηκόοις ἐπιτεθήσεται "ἔθος γὰρ ἀπὸ τῶν βασιλευόντὼν τοὺς ἀρχομένους καλεῖσθαι " οὕτως ἀπὴ Βαόδυλῶνος Βαθυλώνιοι " καὶ ἀπὸ Κύρου τὸῦ Πέρσου Πέρσαι - καὶ Μακεδόνες ἀπὸ Μακεδόνων ὕστερον" καὶ νῦν ἀπὸ Ῥώμης Ῥωμαῖοι. « Ἐξ οἴχαυ Θεοῦ σου ἐξολοθρεύσω γλυπτὰ, καὶ χωνευτὰ θήσομαι ταφήν σου, ὅτι ἠτιμώθης 1"..» Κοινωνήσουσι δέ σοξ τῆς ἀπωλείας καὶ οἱ χειρόχμητοί σου θεοὶ, οὺς εἰς τὴν γῆν καταχρύψεις, καὶ ὡς ἐν τάφοις τισὶ χαταχώσεις, ἵνα ᾿μὴ καὶ αὐτοὶ λάφυρα γένωνται τῶν πολεβίων. κεἰ, « Ὅτι ταχεῖς ἰδοὺ ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη πόδες "5 εὐαγγελιζομένου, καὶ ἀπαγγέλλοντος εἰρήνην. » Τούτων δὲ κατὰ σοῦ γιγνομένων, πολλοὶ δραμοῦνται τοῖς τὴν Ἰουδαίαν οἰκοῦσι τὰ τῆς εἰρήνης κομίζοντες εὐα ἐλια. « Ἑόρταξε, Ἰούδα 35, τὰς ἑορτάς" σου ἀπόδος τῷ Θεῷ "7 τὰς εὐχάς σου. Διότι οὗ μὴ προστεθῶσι" ἕτι τοῦ διελθεῖν εἰς παλαίωσιν " συντετέλεσται, ἐξ, ρται 8.» Ὑμεῖς δὲ, φησὶν, ἀκούσαντες τὴν τῶν το- Θεῷ πανηγύρεις, καὶ τὰς ἐξ ἔθους θυσίας προυφέρετε " παντελῇ γὰρ ὑπέμεινε τὸν ὄλεθρον ὁ τὰς ς πολλὰς καθ᾽ ὑμῶν ποιησάμενος στρατείας, καὶ ἢ οὐκέτι οἱονεὶ ἀναλῶσαι καὶ δαπανῆσαι ὑμᾶς ἐπι- ### English translation (Claude) 14. "And the Lord will give a command concerning you." For you will suffer these things at my nod. "Your name will no longer be sown." For your name will no longer be given to your subjects (for it is customary for the ruled to be named after those who rule: so from Babylon came Babylonians, from Cyrus the Persian Persians, later Macedonians from the Macedonians, and now from Rome Romans). "From the house of your god I will destroy carved images and molten images; I will make it your grave, for you have been dishonored." Your handmade gods will share your destruction; you will hide them in the earth and bury them as in tombs, so that they too may not become spoils of the enemies. 15. "For behold, on the mountains the swift feet of one who brings good news and announces peace." When these things happen against you, many will run to those who live in Judea, bringing them the good news of peace. "Celebrate your feasts, Judah; pay your vows to God. For they will no longer pass through you to bring you to decay; it is finished, it is cut off." And you, he says, having heard the good news …, held festivals to God and offered the customary sacrifices; for the one who had made so many campaigns against you suffered total destruction, and [is] no longer [able] to consume and devour you … ### Scripture references - Nah 1:14: quotation, high confidence - Nah 1:15 (2:1 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Nah 1:14 and 1:15 (Hebrew and LXX 2:1). Words are lost in the scan in the comment on 1:15; marked "…". The section ends in mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 7.1.14 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/7-1-14). ## Commentary on Nahum 2:2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/7-2-2/#p-7-2-2 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God's "breathing" that rescues Judah from Assyria is a type of Christ's breathing the Spirit on the apostles; Judah is to take courage, while Nineveh's chariots and warriors will be useless. ### Greek text α'. « ᾿Ανέθη ἐμφυσῶν εἰς πρόσωπόν σον, ἐξαιρούμενός σε ὅ ἐκ θλίψεως. » Τούτων δέ σοι αἴτιος ὁ Θεὸς. τῷ οἰκείῳ νεύματι, οἷόν τινι ἐμφυσήματι, ἐκξίνους μὲν καταλύσας, σὲ δὲ τῆς ἐχείνων δυναστείας ἐλευθερώσας. "Ὥσπερ γὰρ τῷ ᾿Αδὰμ ἐμφυσήσας πνοὴ» ζωῆς, ἐποίησεν αὐτὸν εἰς ψυχὴν ζῶσαν " οὕτω σοὶ τῷ τῆς ζωῆς ἐμφυσήματι τὴν σωτηρίαν παρέχει. Τοῦτο καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν ὁ Δεσπότης Χριστὸς τοῖς ἱεροῖς δέδωκεν ἀποστόλοις. Ἐπειδὴ Ὑὰρ ἀπώλεσεν ᾿Αδὰμ τὸ κατ᾽ εἰκόνα, ὃ διὰ τοῦ θείου ἔλαδεν ἔμφυσήματος, εἰκότως ταύτην ἀνακαινίσας ὁ Δεσπότης " Χριστὸς τοῖς ἱεροῖς ἀποδέδωκεν ἀποστόλοις, καὶ δι᾽ αὑτῶν ἄπασι τοῖς πιστεύουσιν. Ἐνεφύσησε γὰρ αὖτοῖς, καὶ εἶπε " « Λάθδετε Πνεῦμα ἅγιον. » Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν τύπος τῶν νέων τὰ παλαιὰ, νοήσωμεν ᾿Αδσυρίων μὲν βασιλείαν καταλυομένην, τοῦ διαθόλου τὴν τυραννίδα διὰ τοῦ Δεσπότου πανομένην Χριστοῦ" τὸν δὲ Ἰούδαν ἐπιτωθάζοντα τούτῳ καὶ ἑορτάζοντα, τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐπὶ τῇ σωτηρίᾳ χορεύουσαν, ἅτε δὴ ῦ τὴν πνευματικὴν χάριν διὰ τοῦ Δεσποτικοῦ ἀπειληφυῖαν ἐμφυσήματος, τῆς δὲ πικρᾶς τῶν δαιμόνων τυραννίδος ἀπαλλαγεῖσαν. ᾿Αλλ᾽ ἐπὶ τὴν ἱστορίαν ἐπανέλθωμεν. ἰσχύϊ σφόδρα. (8'.) Διότι ἀπέστρεψε Κύριος τὴν ὕδριν Ἰακὼό, καθὼς ὕδριν Ἰσραΐλϑ5,, Τοῦτο, οὐκ ὥς τιγες ὑπέλαθον, πρὸς τὸν ᾿Ασσύριόν φησιν, ἀλλ᾽ ἔτι τῷ Ἰούδᾳ προσδιαλέγεται, καὶ παρακελεύεται αὐτὸν περισκοπεῖν τὰ; ὁδοὺς, καὶ τοὺς ἀγγέλους χαραδοχεῖν, καὶ τὰ παρ᾽ ἐχείνων χομιζόμενα εὐαγγέλια δέχεσθαι, καὶ ἀντὶ τῆς προτέρας δειλίας ἀνδρείαν ἀναλαθεῖν. Τοῦτο γὰρ εἶπε, Κράτησον ἐσφύος " ἀντὶ ποῦ, Τὴν προτέραν ἀπόθονυ δειλίαν. Οὕτως ὁ μακάριος λίας ἔσφιγξε τὴν ὀσφὺν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔτρεχε πρὸ τοῦ ἅρματος τοῦ ᾿Αχαάδ. Οὕτως τῷ Ἰώδ φησιν ὁ Θεός « ζῶσαι ὡς ἀνὴρ τὴν ὀσφύν σου. » Καὶ ὁ θεῖος παρακελεύεται Παῦλος, ζώσασθαι "3 τὰς ὀσφύας ἐν ἁληθείχ. Κἀνταῦθα τοίνυν θαῤῥεῖν τῷ ᾿Ιούδαλ παρακελεύεται, ὅτι ἀπέστρεψε Κύριος τὴν ὕδριν τοῦ Ἰα- Ἰσραήλ. Ἰστέον δὲ, ὅτι τὸ μὲν ᾿Ιαχὼδ ὄνομα ὑπὸ τῶν πατέρων ἐτέθη τῷ Ἰαχώδπὸ δὲ ᾿Ισραὴ1 ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ " ἀμφοτέρων δὲ τῶν ὀνομάτων μετέλαχεν ὁ ἐξ Ἰαχὼθ λαός. Λέγει τοίνυν, ὅτι Τῶν εἰς σὲ τὸν Ἰαχὼδ γεγενημένων ὑπὸ τῶν ᾿Ασσυρίων δεινῶν δίχα: αὐτοὺς εἰσεπραξάμην διὰ τὴν τοῦ προπάτορος ἀρετὴν, ἧ: εἵνεκα καὶ τὴν Ἰσραὴλ αὐτῷ προσηγορίαν ἐπέθηχα. « Διότι ἐχτινάσσοντες ἐξετίναξαν αὐτοὺς, καὶ τὰ κλήματα αὑτῶν διέφθειραν. (1..) Ὅπλα δυναστείας αὐτοῦ ἐξ ἀνθρώπων. » Ὃν τρόπον οἱ τὰ τῆς ἀμπέλου, φησὶν "", ἐχτινάσσοντες κλήματα, πάντα διαφθείρουσι τὸν καρπόν " οὕτως οἱ τούτοις ἐπελθόντες πολέμιοι, καὶ τὴν δυναστείαν αὑτῶν κατέλυσαν, καὶ τὰς πανοπλίας ἀφείλοντο, καὶ τοὺς τὸν θάνατον φυγόντας δουλεύειν ἠνάγκασαν. Καὶ δεικνὺς, ὡς οὐ δι᾿ ἀσθένειαν ταῦτα πείσονται, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν ὑπ᾽ αὐτοῦ κατ᾽ αὐτῶν ἐξενεχθεῖσαν ψῆφον, ἐπήγαγεν " « Ανδρες δυνατοὶ ἐμπαίζοντες δ᾽ ἐν πυρί, » Τοσαύτῃ γὰρ ἐχρῶντο θρασύτητι, ὡς καὶ αὐτοῦ κατατολμᾷν τοῦ “τυρός. «Αἱ ἡνίαι τῶν ἁρμάτων αὐτῶν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἕτοι- (8".) Ἐν ταῖς ἐδοῖς συγχυθήσεται 8 τὰ ἅρματα, καὶ συμ- “πλαχήσονται ἐν ταῖς πλατείαις. » Οὐδὲν γάρ, φησὶν, ὑμᾶς ὀνήσει, οὐ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ηὐτρεπισμένων ἀρμάτων, οὐκ ἡ ἱππικὴ δύναμις " ἀπὸ γὰρ τοῦ θορύθου πῶν ἐπιόντων πολεμίων ἄχρηστα πάντα γενήσεται ἀλλήλοις ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς συμπλεκόμενα, καὶ ὑπὸ ἀλλήλων συμπατούμενα. ε« Ἧ ὅρασις αὐτῶν ὡς λαμπάδες πυρὸς, καὶ ὡς ἀστραπαὶ διατρέχουσαι. ν Καὶ μὴν, φησὶ, γενναῖον εἴχετε πάλαι φρόνημα, καὶ τὸ θυμοειδὲς διὰ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ἐδηλοῦτε, καὶ οἷόν τισι ἀλλ᾽ ἐν τῇ τῶν πολεμίων προσθδολῇ δειλία ὑμᾶς ἀντὶ τῆς ἀνδρείας καθέξει. Τοῦτο γὰρ διὰ τῶν ἐπαγομένων ἐδήλωσε. ### English translation (Claude) 1. "One who breathes into your face has come up, rescuing you from affliction." God is the cause of these things for you, by his own nod, as by a kind of breathing, destroying them and freeing you from their dominion. For just as by breathing into Adam the breath of life he made him a living soul, so by the breathing of life he grants you salvation. This the Master Christ also gave to the holy apostles after the resurrection. For since Adam lost the image which he received through the divine breathing, the Master Christ fittingly renewed it and gave it back to the holy apostles, and through them to all who believe. For he breathed on them and said: "Receive the Holy Spirit." Since, then, the old things are a type of the new, let us understand the destruction of the kingdom of the Assyrians as the ending of the tyranny of the devil through the Master Christ, and Judah mocking him and keeping festival as the world dancing over its salvation, since it has received spiritual grace through the Master's breathing and been freed from the bitter tyranny of the demons. But let us return to the history. "[Watch the way, strengthen your loins,] be very strong in strength. 2. For the Lord has turned away the insolence of Jacob, as the insolence of Israel." This he says not to the Assyrian, as some supposed, but he is still addressing Judah, and bids him watch the roads, look out for the messengers, receive the good news they bring, and take up courage instead of his former cowardice. For this is what he said: "Strengthen your loins", that is, put away your former cowardice. So the blessed Elijah girded his loins and ran before Ahab's chariot. So God says to Job: "Gird your loins like a man." And the divine Paul exhorts us to gird our loins with truth. Here too, then, he bids Judah take courage, because the Lord has turned away the insolence [of Jacob, as the insolence of] Israel. One should know that the name Jacob was given to Jacob by his parents, but Israel by God; and the people descended from Jacob shared in both names. He says, then: For the terrible things done to you, Jacob, by the Assyrians I have exacted justice from them because of the virtue of your forefather, for whose sake I also gave him the name Israel. "For those who shook them out shook them out and destroyed their branches. 3. The weapons of his power are from men." Just as those who shake the branches of the vine destroy all the fruit, so the enemies who came upon them destroyed their dominion, took away their armor, and forced those who escaped death to serve. And showing that they will suffer these things not through weakness but because of the verdict he has passed against them, he added: "Mighty men mocking in fire." For they used such boldness as to dare even against fire itself. "The reins of their chariots in the day of his preparation … 4. In the roads the chariots will be confused and entangled in the squares." For nothing, he says, will benefit you, neither the multitude of chariots made ready nor your cavalry; for in the tumult of the attacking enemies all will become useless, entangled with one another in the roads and trampled by one another. "Their appearance is like torches of fire and like lightnings running through." Yet you had a noble spirit of old, he says, and showed your high temper through your eyes, and as by … ; but in the attack of the enemies cowardice will hold you instead of courage. For he showed this through what follows. ### Scripture references - Nah 2:1 (2:2 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Gen 2:7: allusion, high confidence - John 20:22: quotation, high confidence - Nah 2:2 (2:3 LXX): quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 18:46: allusion, high confidence - Job 38:3: quotation, high confidence - Eph 6:14: allusion, high confidence - Nah 2:3 (2:4 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Nah 2:4 (2:5 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Nah 2:1–4 (Hebrew and LXX 2:2–5). Words of the lemma of 2:1 lost in the scan are supplied in brackets from the LXX. References: Gen 2:7; John 20:22; 1 Kgs 18:46; Job 38:3; Eph 6:14. Latin debris and Migne's footnotes are removed by logged corrections. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 7.2.2 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/7-2-2). ## Commentary on Nahum 2:6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/7-2-2/#p-7-2-6 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Nineveh's nobles will try to defend the walls, but the gates will open and the palace treasures be taken. ### Greek text ε΄. ε« Μνησθήτονται γὰρ, φησὶν, οἱ μεγιστᾶνες αὖτῶν, καὶ φεύξονται ἡμέρας "5, καὶ ἀσθενήσουτιν ἐν τῇ πορείᾳ αὐτῶν - σπεύσουσιν ἐπὶ τὰ τείχη, καὶ ἕτοιμάσουσι τὰς προφυλακὰς αὑτῶν.» Οἱ γάρ ἐπὶ τῇ δυναστείᾳ πάλαι μέγα φρονοῦντες, πάντα πόρον χινήσουσι διαφυγεῖν πειρώμενοι" καὶ τούτου δὲ διακαὶ τῆς φυλακῆς φροντιοῦσι τῆς πόλεως " (ς΄.) ἀλλ᾽ ὅμως οὐδὲν ἧττον καὶ αἱ πύλαι ἀνοιγήσονται, καὶ τὰ βατίλεια ὑπὸ τοῖς πολεμίοις γενήσεται, καὶ οἱ ἐν ποῖς βασιλείοις ληφθήσονται θησαυροί, Τοῦτο γὰρ παρεδήλωσεν εἰρηκώς" « Ἢ ὑπόστασις "Αντὶ τοῦ, τὰ πάλαι κεκρυμμένα, καὶ πολλοῖς χλείθροῖς ἠἡσφαλισμένα, δῆλα πᾶσιν ἐγένετο. « Καὶ αὕτη ἀνέθαινε. γ Τὴν Νινενῖ λέγει " περὶ αὐτῆς γὰρ προλέγει, ### English translation (Claude) 5. "Their nobles will remember and flee by day, and they will be weak in their march; they will hasten to the walls and prepare their guards." For those who once thought highly of their dominion will try every means in their effort to escape; and … they will take thought for the guarding of the city. 6. But nevertheless the gates will be opened, the palace will fall to the enemies, and the treasures in the palace will be taken. For this he indicated by saying: "The substance [was uncovered]", that is, what had long been hidden and secured with many locks became plain to all. "And she was going up." He means Nineveh; for it is about her that he foretells, ### Scripture references - Nah 2:5 (2:6 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Nah 2:6 (2:7 LXX): allusion, high confidence - Nah 2:7 (2:8 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Nah 2:5 (Hebrew and LXX 2:6), with a paraphrase of 2:6 and part of 2:7. Words lost in the scan are marked "…" or supplied in brackets from the LXX. The section ends in mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 7.2.6 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/7-2-6). ## Commentary on Nahum 2:8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/7-2-2/#p-7-2-8 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Nineveh's subject towns will be led away with her, moaning like doves. ### Greek text ζ΄, « Καὶ αἱ δοῦλαι αὐτῆς ἤγοντο, καὶ ὡς περιστεραὶ φθεγγόμεναι ἐν καρδίᾳ ἑαυτῶν. » Κοινωνήσουτι δὲ αὐτῇ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας καὶ αἱ ὑπήκοοι πόλεις καὶ κῶμαι, κατὰ διάνοιαν στενάξουσαι, καὶ τῶν περιστε- ### English translation (Claude) 7. "And her maidservants were led away, moaning like doves in their heart." The cities and villages subject to her will share her captivity, groaning in their minds and [imitating] the doves' … ### Scripture references - Nah 2:7 (2:8 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: part of Nah 2:7 (Hebrew and LXX 2:8). The section ends in mid-sentence; the rest is lost in the scan. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 7.2.8 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/7-2-8). ## Commentary on Nahum 2:9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/7-2-2/#p-7-2-9 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Nineveh, full of people like an overflowing pool, will empty in flight. ### Greek text η΄. « Καὶ Νινευῖ, ὡς ὕδατα χολυμδήβθρας τὰ ὕξατα αὐτῆς, καὶ αὐτοὶ φεύγοντες οὐκ ἔστησαν, καὶ οὐκ ἣν ὁ ἐπιδλέπων. » Τοσοῦτο: γὰῤ ὄντες οἱ τὴν πόλιν ἐχείνην οἰκοῦντες, ὡς ἀπεικάζεσθαι αὐτὴν χολυμδήθρᾳ ὑδάτων πεπληρωμένῃ, καὶ ὀχδλυζούσῃ τὰ περιττὰ, πρὸς φυγὴν εἶδον ἅπαντες, οὐδὲ ἐπιστραφῆναι πάλιν εἰς τοὐπίσω τολμήσαντες. Εἶτα τὴν προπέραν αὐτῶν ἀδικίαν διέξεισι. ### English translation (Claude) 8. "And Nineveh: her waters are like the waters of a pool; and they fled and did not stand, and there was no one to look back." For those who lived in that city were so many that it was likened to a pool full of water and overflowing with its surplus; yet all of them looked to flight, not even daring to turn back again. Then he sets out their former injustice. ### Scripture references - Nah 2:8 (2:9 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Nah 2:8 (Hebrew and LXX 2:9). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 7.2.9 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/7-2-9). ## Commentary on Nahum 2:10 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/7-2-2/#p-7-2-10 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Nineveh's ill-gotten treasures will be plundered. ### Greek text θ΄. « Διήρπαζον τὸ ἀργύριον, διήρπαζον τὸ χρυσίον, καὶ οὐκ ἦν πέρας τοῦ κόσμου "᾽ αὐτῆς. ν ᾿Αλλ᾽ ἃ κακῶς συνήθροισεν ἑτέροις παραδοθήσεται. ε Βεθάρυνται γὰρ ὑπὲῤ πάντα τὰ σχεύη αὑτῆς "" τὰ ἐπ'θνμητά. » Κατὰ τούτων γὰρ, φησὶ, τῶν θησαυρῶν τὸ πλῆθος χωρήσει τῶν πολεμίων. Ὡς γεγενημένα δὲ τὰ ἐσόμενα λέγει, κατὰ τὸ οἰκεῖον τῆς Γραφῖς ἰδίωμα. ### English translation (Claude) 9. "They plundered the silver, they plundered the gold, and there was no end to her adornment." But what she gathered wickedly will be handed over to others. "For she has been weighed down beyond all her desirable vessels." For against these treasures, he says, the multitude of the enemies will advance. He speaks of what is to come as having happened, according to the idiom proper to Scripture. ### Scripture references - Nah 2:9 (2:10 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Nah 2:9 (Hebrew and LXX 2:10). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 7.2.10 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/7-2-10). ## Commentary on Nahum 2:11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/7-2-2/#p-7-2-11 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Terror at the attack will shake Nineveh like an earthquake and turn its people's faces livid. ### Greek text τ΄. « Ἐκτιναγμὸς, καὶ ἀνατιναγμὸς, καὶ βρασμὸς ", καὶ καρδίας θόρυθος 55, καὶ ὑπόλυσις γονάτων, καὶ ὠδῖνες ἐπὶ πᾶσαν ὀσφὺν, καὶ τὰ πρότωπα πάντων ὡς πρόσχαυμα χύτρας. ν» “Ἃ ἐπὶ τῶν σεισμῶν εἴωδε γίνεσθαι τινασσομένης τῆς γῆς, καὶ παλλούσης, ταὖτὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς τῶν πολεμίων τέθεικε προσβολῆς" ὅτι τῶν καρδιῶν τῷ δέει βαλλομένων, καὶ αὲ τῶν γονάτων ἁρμονίαι λυθήσονται, καὶ ταῖς τιχτούσαις παραπλησίως ὀδυνήσονται, καὶ τὰ πρόσωπα, τοῦ αἷμᾶτος παγέντος, πελιδνωθήσονται, ὡς ἐκείνῳ τῷ μέρει τῆς χύτρας προσΞξοικέναι, ὅ τῷ πυρὶ προῦομιλεῖν εἴωθε. ### English translation (Claude) 10. "Shaking and shaking up and tossing, and confusion of heart, and loosening of knees, and pangs on every loin, and the faces of all like the scorching of a pot." What usually happens in earthquakes, when the earth shakes and quivers, he has applied to the attack of the enemies: their hearts will be struck by fear, the joints of their knees will be loosened, they will be in pain like women in childbirth, and their faces, as the blood congeals, will turn livid, so as to look like the part of a pot that usually touches the fire. ### Scripture references - Nah 2:10 (2:11 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Nah 2:10 (Hebrew and LXX 2:11). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 7.2.11 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/7-2-11). ## Commentary on Nahum 2:12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/7-2-2/#p-7-2-12 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Nineveh, the lions' den that fed on the plunder of nations, stands helpless before its enemies. ### Greek text ια΄, « Πηῦ ἔστι τὸ 5 κατοικητήριον τῶν λεόντων, καὶ ἡ νομὴ ἡ οὖσα τοῖς σχύμνοις; » Καὶ καλεῖ μὲν δὴ τὸ κατοικητήριον τῶν εόντων τὴν Νινευῖ, λέοντας δὲ τοὺς βασιλεῖς, σκύμγους δὲ τοὺς τούτων υἱεῖς 55, γομὴν δὲ, τούτων τὰς ὑπηκόους πόλεις, Οἱ πάλαι, φησὶ, λεόντων δίκην τὴν Νινευΐ μὲν οἰκοῦντες, πᾶσι δὲ ἀδεῶς ἐπιόντες, καὶ τροφὴν τοῖς σχύμνοις ζοντες, πῶς νῦν οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον δρᾶτε, πολεμίων δεῖν ἐπελθόντων; Καὶ ἐπιμένων τῇ τροπῇ " « Ποῦ ἐπορεύθη, φησὶ, λέων τοῦ εἰσελθεῖν; » ᾿Αλλ᾽ ἄρα, φησὶ, μὴ κατά τινων στρατείαν χινῆδας ἀποδημῶν ἐτύγἀλλ᾽ οὐκ ἔστι ταῦτα' « Ἐχεξζ γὰρ, φησὶ, σκύμνοι λέοντος "5, καὶ "᾽ οὐκ ἦν ὁ ἐχφοδῶν. » Οὐκ αὐτὸς γὰρ μόνος τηνικαῦτα ἐνδημῶν ἐτύγχανες, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ στρατηγοὶ ἅπαντες, οἱ πάλαι μηδένα δειμαίνοντες, ἀλλὰ τὰς ἄλλας καταλύοντες βασιλείας, καὶ τὸν ἐκεῖθεν φόρον ἀθροίζοντες, καὶ τοῖς ἐκγόνοις τροφὴν πορίζοντες ᾽. Τοῦτο γὰρ παρεδήλωσε ἡ δι᾽ ὧν ἐπἠγαγε" τβ΄.,. « Λέων ἥρπασε τὰ ἑχανὰ αὑτοῦ " τοῖς σχύανοις, καὶ ἀπέπνιξε τοῖς λέουσιν αὑτοῦ " καὶ ἔπλησε θήρας νοσσιὰν αὑτοῦ, καὶ " τὸ κατοικητήριον αὑτοῦ ἁρπαγῆς. » Εἴωθε γὰρ τὰ θηρία ἀποπνίγειν τὰ θηφώμενα ζῶα, καὶ οὕτω τοῖς ἐξ αὑτῶν προσφέρειν τροφήν. Καὶ οἱ ᾿Ασσύριοι δὲ, τὰς τῶν ἐθνῶν καταλύοντες βασιλείας, τὸν ἐκεῖθεν ἑχαρποῦντο Ταύτης δὲ τῆς παρανομίας ἐγώ δε εἰσπράξομαι δίκας. ### English translation (Claude) 11. "Where is the dwelling of the lions, and the pasture that belonged to the cubs?" He calls Nineveh the dwelling of the lions, the kings lions, their sons cubs, and their subject cities pasture. You who once, he says, like lions lived in Nineveh and attacked all without fear, and [provided] food for the cubs, how is it that you now do nothing of the kind when the enemies have come? And keeping to the figure: "Where has the lion gone to enter?" Was it perhaps, he says, that you had gone abroad leading a campaign against someone? But this is not so: "For the lion's cubs were there, and there was no one to frighten them." For not only were you at home at the time, but also all your generals, who formerly feared no one but destroyed other kingdoms, gathered tribute from them, and provided food for their offspring. For this he indicated through what he added: 12. "The lion seized enough for his cubs and strangled prey for his lions, and he filled his den with prey and his dwelling with plunder." For beasts are accustomed to strangle the animals they hunt and so bring food to their young. And the Assyrians too, destroying the kingdoms of the nations, reaped the fruit of them. And I will exact justice for this lawlessness. ### Scripture references - Nah 2:11 (2:12 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Nah 2:12 (2:13 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Nah 2:11 and 2:12 (Hebrew and LXX 2:12–13). Migne's footnotes inside the comment are removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 7.2.12 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/7-2-12). ## Commentary on Nahum 2:14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/7-2-2/#p-7-2-14 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God will smoke out the lions of Nineveh; for its idolatry and sorcery it will be shamed before the nations, and, unlike Egypt which suffered from it and may now rejoice, it will fall like ripe figs. ### Greek text ιγ΄. ε« Ἰδοὺ γὰρ ἐγὼ ἐπὶ σὲ, λέγει Κύριος παντοκράτωρ, καὶ ἐχχαύσιυ ἐν καπνῷ πλῆθός δου, καὶ ποὺς λέοντάς σηυ καταφάγεται μάχαιρα δ, καὶ ἐξολοθρεύσω ἐκ τῆς ὁ γῆς τὴν θήραν σου, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀκουσθῇ ἔτι τὰ ἔργα σου. » Ἐπειδὴ τροπικῶς ἄνω λεόντων, καὶ σχύμνων, καὶ θήρας, καὶ νομῆς ἐμνημόνευσεν, εἰκότως καὶ τὴν τούτων ἀναίρεσιν τροπικῶς προθεσπίζει, Καὶ ἐπειδὴ τὰ ἐν ἄντροις τισὶ κεκρυμμένα θηρία, καὶ προκύπτειν οὐ βουλόμενα, καπνὸν ταῖς εἰσόδοις προσφέροντες οἱ θηρεύοντες, ἐξιέναι χαταναγχάζουσι, καὶ ἐξιόντα δέχονται ταῖς αἰχμαῖς, εἰκότως ἔφη καπνῷ παραδώσειν τὸ πλῆθος, καὶ τοὺς λέοντας τῇ ῥομφαίᾳ" σημαίνει δὲ τὸν τῆς πόλεως ἐμπρησμὸν, καὶ τὴν τῶν βασιλέων σφαγὴν, ὧν γενομένων καὶ ἡ θήρα παῦλαν ἔλαθεν. Εἴτα κατὰ ταυτὸν καὶ τραγῳδεῖ αὐτῆς τὴν πονηρίαν, ψευδὴ ἅπασαν καὶ ἄδικον ἀκοχαλῶν καὶ διηγεῖται τὰ ἐπελθόντα δεινὰ, σεισμῷ ἑοικέναι λέγων πῶν ἁρμάτων τὸν κτύπον, καὶ τὸν τῶν ἵππων χρεμετισμὸν, καὶ τῶν ἱππέων τὸν θόρυθον. “ξι ὃὲ καὶ τῇ περὶ τῶν ὅπλων ἐξηγήσει, ἀστράπτειν λέγων τοὺ; θώρακας καὶ τὰς ῥομφαίας. Προλέγει δὲ καὶ τῶν πιπτόντων τὸ πλῆθος, καὶ τῶν εἰς ἐπίχου ραν συνελθόντων ἐθνῶν τὴν ἀναέρεσιν. Ὀλίγους δὲ ποὺς ἐντεῦθεν διασωζομένους φησί. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἐδή« ᾿Ασθενήσουσιν ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν αὑτῶν. (δ΄.) ᾿Απὸ πλήθους πορνείας. » Εϊς ὀλίγους γὰρ, φησὶ, περίλειφθήσεται τὸ πλῆθος αὐτῶν, διά τε τὴν περὶ τὰ εἴδωλα πλάνην, καὶ τὴν πλείστην ἀκολασίαν " ἀμφότερα γὰρ ἐνταῦθα πορνείαν' καλεῖ. Καὶ τοῦτο σαφέστερον τὰ ἡγουμένη φαρμάκων. ν͵ ᾿Ασεδείᾳ γὰρ καὶ παρανομία συξῶσα λαμπρά τις εἶναι καὶ περιφανὴς ἐδόκεις τοῖς οὖκ ὀρθῶς κρίνειν ἐπισταμένοις τῶν πραγμάτων τὴν φύσιν, καὶ τὸν Ποιητὴν καὶ Σωτῆρα καταλιποῦσα, ὃς φιλανθρωπίας σε πλείστης μεταμεληθεῖσαν ἠξίωσε, τῇ γοητείᾳ σαυτὴν ἀνατέθεικας, καὶ δι᾽ ἐκείνης ἅπαντα διετέλεσας δρῶσα. « Ἡ πωλοῦσα τὰ Ἶ ἔθνη ἐν «ἧ πορνείᾳ αὑτῆς, καὶ φυλὰς ἐν τοῖς φαρμάκοις αὖτῆς. » Τῇ οἰκείᾳ δὲ ἀσεδείᾳ μὴ ἀρκουμένη, καὶ τοὺς ὑπηκόους ἡνάγχαζες ταυτὰ σοὶ φρονεῖν. Τούτον κάιν, ἔ ε΄, ς΄. « Ἐγὼ τῶν ὅλων ὁ Κύριος ἀποκαλύψω τὰ ὀπίσω σου ἐπὶ τὸ πρόσωπόν σου, καὶ δείξω ἔθνεσι τὴν αἰσχύνην σου, καὶ βασιλείαις τὴν ἀτιμίαν σον. Καὶ ἐπιῤῥίψω ἐπὶ σὲ βδελυγμὸν κατὰ τὰς ἀκαθαρσίας σου.» Τὸ, « ᾿Αποκαλύψω τὰ ὀπίσω σου ἐπὶ τὸ πρόσωπόν σου,. ἐκ μεταφορᾶς εἴρηται τῶν εἰς μένων 5, Λέγει δὲ, ὅτι Δήλην ἅπασι διὰ τῆς τιμωρίας τὴν παρανομίαν σου καταστήσω, καὶ βασιλεῦσι, καὶ ἔθνεσιν, ἵνα καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ὠφελείας γένῃ παράδε:γμα. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἐπήγαγε" « Καὶ θέσομαί σε παράδειγμα ". (ζ.) Καὶ ἕσται, πᾶς ὁ ὁρῶν σε καταδήσεται ἀπὸ σοῦ, καὶ ἐρεῖ Δειλαία Νινενῖ, τίς στενάξει ἐπ᾽ αὐτῇ ""; πόθεν ζητήσω καράχλησιν αὐτῇ. » Τοσαύτῃ γὰρ ἐρημίᾳ σε παραδώσω, ὡς τοὺς πρόσθεν δυσχεραίνοντας τὴν δυναστείαν, εἰς ἔλεον ἐπιχαμφθῆναι. Τοῦτο γὰρ εἶπε“ « Καταδήσεται ἀπὸ σοῦ, ν καὶ θρήνου τρόπον ἐπιζητήσει τῆς ἐρημίας ἄξιον. ἡ. «Ἄρμοσαι χορδὴν, ἑτοίμασαι "", μερὶς ᾿λμβὼν, ἡ χατοιχοῦσα ἐν ποταμοῖς" ὕδωρ κύκλῳ αὐτῆ“, ἧς ἢ ἀρχὴ αὐτῆς θάλασσα, καὶ ὕδωρ τὰ τείχη αὖ- «ἧς. » Τῇ Αἰγύπτῳ ταῦτα παρακελεύεται δεινὰ καὶ ἀλγεινὰ παρὰ ᾿Ασσυρίων παθούσῃ. Καὶ τοῦτο ἀπὸ τῶν ἄλλων μεμαθήκαμεν προφητῶν, οἱ τοῖς Ἰσραηλίπαις προηγόρευσαν, ὡς οὐδὲ φυγόντες εἰς τὴν Αἴγυπτον σωτηρίας τεύξονται, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖ χαταληφϑέντες ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων θανάτῳ παραδοθήσονται. Ὥσπερ ποίνυν ἐντοῖς ἔμπροσθεν εἰρημένοις τῷ Ἰούδᾳ παραχελεύετα: ἑορτάζειν, ἅτε δὴ τῆς Νινευϊτῶν χαταλυθείστς βασιλείας " οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα τῇ Αἰγύπτῳ χορεύειν παρακελεύεται. Μερίδα δὲ Ἀμμὼν, ὡς οἶμαι, αὐτὰν καλεῖ, ὡς ᾿Αμμῶνι ἀναχειμένην τῷ δαίμονι. Οὗτις γὰρ ἦν ἐπίσημος πάλαι, ὡς καὶ πολλοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς Ἑλλάδος χρησμῶν χάριν ἐκεῖσε ἀπαίρειν. Φασὶ δὲ καὶ ᾿Αλέξανδρον, τὸν τῶν "" Μακεδόνων βασιλεύσαντα πρῶτον, οἱ τὰ ἐχείνου συγγεγραφότες, πρὸς ἐκεῖνον δραμεῖν, καὶ χρησμοὺς ἐκεῖθεν λαδεῖν. δαίμονος τούτου διαφερόντως ἡ Αἴγυπτος, μερίδα αὖτὴν ᾿Αμμὼν ὀνομάζει, καὶ παρακελεύεται αὐτῇ χορεύειν, ὡς τῆς Νινευῖΐ τὸν ὄλεθρον δεξαμένης. Ποταμοὺς δὲ κύκιλῳ αὑτῆς τὰς διόρυγας λέγει. Εἶτα τοὺς ἐπικούρους ἀπαριθμεῖται, τοὺς Αἰθίοπας, τοὺς καλουμένους " Φοὺδ γὰρ τούτους ἐκάλεσεν. ᾿Αλλ᾽ ὅμω: καὶ τοσούτους ἔχουσα συμμάχους, καὶ ὑπὸ θαλάσσης καὶ ποταμῶν χυχλουμένη, οὐδὲ αὕτη, φησὶν, ἀπείρατος μενεῖ κακῶν, ἀλλ᾽ εἰς μετοικεσίαν πορεύσεται αἰχμάλωτος. ε Καὶ τὰ νήπια αὐτῆς ἐδαφιοῦσιν ἐπ᾽ ἀρχαῖς ᾽" ὁδῶν αὐτῆς, καὶ ἐπὶ πάντα τὰ ἔνδοξα αὐτῆς βαλοῦσι κλήρους, καὶ πάντες οἱ μεγιστᾶνες αὐτῆς δεθήσονται χειροπέδαις. ν Ταῦτα δὲ καὶ Ναθουχοδονόσορ εἰς αὐτὴν εἰργάσατο, καὶ Καμβύσης ὕστερον ὁ Κύρου, τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτῆς καταλύσας, ὑπὸ τὴν αὐτοῦ δυναστείαν τελεῖν χατηνάγχασε" καὶ ᾿Αλέξανδρος δὲ μετὰ πολλὰς γενεὰς ὑπὸ τὴν Μαχεδονιχὴν αὐτὴν ἐποέησε βασιλείαν. Ταῦτα περὶ τῆς Αἰγύπτου προθεσπίσας, πάλιν πρὸς τὴν Νινευῖ μεταφέρει τὸν λόγον. τα, « Καὶ σὺ μεθυσθήσῃ, καὶ ἔσῃ παρεωραμένη, καὶ σὺ ζητήσεις ἑαυτῇ στάσιν ἐξ ἐχθρῶν σοὺ '". » Καθάπερ γάρ τινι μέθῃ παραδοθήσῃ τῇ συμφορᾷ, καὶ τῇδε κἀκεῖσε διαθέουσα, ἀπαλλαγὴν τινα τῶν κατεχόντων ζητήσεις δεινῶν, καὶ οὐκ εὑρήσεις, Παραπλησίως δὲ σοὶ καὶ αἱ ὀχυραί σου πόλεις παραδὸ θήσονται τοῖς πολεμίοις. Τοῦτο γὰρ διὰ τῆς εἰκόνος ἐδήλωσε. ιβ΄. « Πάντα τὰ ὀχυρώματά σου ὡς 1 συχαΐ σχοποὺς 15 ἔχουσαι, ἐὰν σαλευθῶσι, καὶ πεσοῦνται εἰς στόμα ἐσθίοντος. » Δίκην, φησὶ, συκῶν ὑπ᾽ ἀνέμου λουσῶν, γυμνωθήσῃ τῶν οἰκητόρων᾽ καὶ οἱ γενναῖοι δέ σου στρατιῶται οὐδὲν διοίσουσι γυναικῶν, δειλίᾳ κατεχόμενο!" ἀνοιχθήσονται δέ σου αἱ πύλαι ῥᾳδίως, τοῦ πυρὸς τοὺς μοχλοὺς δαπανῶντος, καὶ τῶν ἕναν- «ίων χειμάῤῥου δίκην διὰ τούτων εἰσδαλλόντων. ### English translation (Claude) 13. "For behold, I am against you, says the Lord Almighty, and I will burn up your multitude in smoke, and the sword will devour your lions, and I will destroy your prey from the earth, and your works will no longer be heard." Since above he spoke figuratively of lions and cubs, of prey and pasture, he fittingly foretells their destruction figuratively too. And since hunters, when beasts hide in caves and will not come out, put smoke at the entrances and force them out, and receive them on their spears as they come out, he fittingly said that he would give the multitude to smoke and the lions to the sword. He means the burning of the city and the slaughter of the kings; and when these happened, the hunting too came to an end. Then at the same time he laments her wickedness, calling her wholly false and unjust, and recounts the terrors that came upon her, saying that the crash of the chariots, the neighing of the horses, and the tumult of the horsemen are like an earthquake. He goes on to describe the weapons too, saying that the breastplates and swords flash like lightning. He also foretells the multitude of the fallen and the destruction of the nations that came together to help, and he says that few will escape from there. For this he showed [by saying]: "They will be weak among their nations. 4. From the multitude of harlotry." For their multitude, he says, will be reduced to a few, because of their error about the idols and their very great licentiousness; for here he calls both of these "harlotry". And this … more clearly: "[a harlot fair and graceful], leader in sorceries." For living in impiety and lawlessness, you seemed splendid and illustrious to those who do not know how to judge rightly the nature of things; and abandoning the Maker and Savior, who counted you worthy of very great kindness when you repented, you devoted yourself to sorcery and went on doing everything through it. "She who sells nations by her harlotry and tribes by her sorceries." Not content with your own impiety, you also compelled your subjects to think as you do. For this reason, 5, 6. "I, the Lord of all, will uncover your hinder parts upon your face, and I will show the nations your shame and the kingdoms your dishonor. And I will cast abomination upon you according to your uncleannesses." "I will uncover your hinder parts upon your face" is said by a metaphor taken from … He says: I will make your lawlessness plain to all through the punishment, both to kings and to nations, so that you may become an example for the benefit of others too. For this is what he added: "And I will make you an example. 7. And it will be that everyone who sees you will go down from you and will say: Wretched Nineveh, who will groan over her? Where shall I seek comfort for her?" For I will hand you over to such desolation that even those who formerly resented your dominion will be moved to pity. For this is what he said: "He will go down from you", and he will seek a form of lament worthy of the desolation. 8. "Tune a string, make ready, portion of Ammon, you who dwell among rivers; water is around her, whose dominion is the sea, and water her walls." He bids Egypt do this, since it had suffered terrible and painful things from the Assyrians. And we have learned this from the other prophets, who foretold to the Israelites that not even by fleeing to Egypt would they find safety, but that they would be caught there by the enemies and handed over to death. Just as in what was said before he bids Judah keep festival, since the kingdom of the Ninevites has been destroyed, so here too he bids Egypt dance. And he calls it "portion of Ammon", I think, as dedicated to the demon Ammon. For this one was famous of old, so that many traveled there from Greece for the sake of oracles. And those who wrote the history of Alexander, the first Macedonian to reign [there], say that he too hastened to him and received oracles from there. [And since] Egypt [honored] this demon above all, he names her "portion of Ammon", and bids her dance, since Nineveh has received destruction. He calls the canals "rivers around her". Then he lists her allies, the Ethiopians and those called …; for he called these Phud. Yet even though she has so many allies and is surrounded by sea and rivers, not even she, he says, will remain untouched by evils, but will go into exile as a captive. "And they will dash her infants at the heads of her roads, and cast lots on all her glorious ones, and all her nobles will be bound with manacles." These things Nebuchadnezzar did to her, and later Cambyses son of Cyrus, who destroyed her kingdom and compelled her to be under his dominion; and Alexander, many generations afterward, made her part of the Macedonian kingdom. Having foretold these things about Egypt, he turns his word again to Nineveh. 11. "And you will be drunk, and you will be overlooked, and you will seek for yourself a standing place from your enemies." For you will be handed over to calamity as to a kind of drunkenness, and, running here and there, you will seek some deliverance from the terrors that hold you, and you will not find it. Like you, your strong cities too will be handed over to the enemies; for this he showed by the image: 12. "All your strongholds are like fig trees with watchmen; if they are shaken, they will fall into the mouth of the eater." Like figs [falling] in the wind, he says, you will be stripped of your inhabitants; and your brave soldiers will be no different from women, held fast by cowardice; and your gates will be opened easily, as the fire consumes the bars and the enemies pour in through them like a torrent. ### Scripture references - Nah 2:13 (2:14 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Nah 3:1–3: allusion, high confidence - Nah 3:3–4: quotation, high confidence - Nah 3:5–6: quotation, high confidence - Nah 3:7: quotation, high confidence - Nah 3:8: quotation, high confidence - Nah 3:9: allusion, high confidence - Nah 3:10: quotation, high confidence - Nah 3:11: quotation, high confidence - Nah 3:12: quotation, high confidence - Nah 3:13: allusion, high confidence - Jer 42:15–17 (49:15-Jer LXX): allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Nah 2:13 (Hebrew and LXX 2:14), a paraphrase of Nah 3:1–3, and 3:3b–4, 3:4b, 3:5–6, 3:6b–7, 3:8, 3:10, 3:11, and 3:12, with a paraphrase of 3:9 and 3:13 (the section runs across the chapter break). Words of 3:4 lost in the scan are supplied in brackets from the LXX. Theodoret applies the address of 3:8 ("portion of Ammon", the LXX's rendering of No-Amon, Thebes) to Egypt as a whole. Latin debris and Migne's footnotes are removed by logged corrections; lines lost with them are marked "…". The Greek historians of Alexander's visit to the oracle of Ammon are not named. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 7.2.14 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/7-2-14). ## Commentary on Nahum 3:14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/7-2-2/#p-7-3-14 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Nineveh's fortifications and wealth will not save it; its allies will scatter like locusts in the sun, and its kings will sleep in death at the hand of the Babylonian, whom Scripture also calls the Assyrian. ### Greek text ιδ΄. ε Ὕδωρ γὰρ, φησὶ, τῇ. » Εἶτα κατ᾽ εἰρωνείαν" «ε Καὶ χαταχράτησον τῶν ὀχυρωμάτων. ν» Χρῆσαι, φησὶ, τῇ δυνάμει σου, λων. ε Ἔμθηθι εἰς πηλὸν, καὶ συμπατήϑητι ἐν ἀχύροις, καὶ χαταχράτησον ὑπὲρ πλίνθον. (ιε΄, ις".) Ἐκεῖ καταφάγεταί σε πῦρ, ἐξολοθρεύσει σε μάχαιρα "7, καὶ καταφάγεταί σε ὡς ἀχρὶς, καὶ βαρυνθήσῃ ὡς βροῦχος. Ἐπλήθυνας τὰς ἐμπορίας σου ὑπὲρ 8 τὰ ἄστρα "ποῦ οὐρανοῦ. » Μὴ θάῤῥει, φησὶ, τοῖς ὀχυρώμασιν" οὐδεμίαν γὰρ ἕξεις ἐκεῖθεν βοήθειαν" ἀλλὰ δίκην πηλοῦ εἰς πλινθουργίαν μετ᾽ ἀχύρου συμπατουμένου, ὑπὸ τῶν ἐπιόντων σοι πολεμίων συμπατηθήσῃ" καὶ τὴν μὲν πόλιν ἐμπρήσουσιν, ὑμᾶς δὲ τοὺς κατοι-. ἀκρίδος δὲ δίκην καὶ βρούχου ἄρδην ἅπαντας ὑμᾶς καὶ ὃν πανταχόθεν συνηθροίσατε πλοῦτον, οὐδὲ ἀριθμηθῆνα: ῥᾳδίως δυνάμενον καθάπερ τὰ ἄττρα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, οἱ δυσμενεῖς λήψονται. « Βροῦχος ὥρμησε, καὶ ἐξεπετάσθη. (ιζ΄.) Ἐξἥλατο ὡς ἀττέλαδος ᾽" ὁ σὐμμικτός σου, ὡς ἀχρὶς ἐπιθεθηχυΐα ἐπὶ φραγμὸν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ πάγους " ὁ ἧλιος ἀνέτειλε, καὶ ἀφήλατο 35, καὶ οὐκ ἐπεγνώσθη ὁ τόπος αὐτῇ". » Καθάπερ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀχρὶς καὶ βροῦχος, καὶ τὰ τούτοις προσόμοια, δρόσου μὲν ἐπικειμένης ἐφιζάνενι τοῖς θάμνοις, ἀποπτῆναι μὴ δυνάμενα" τῆς δὲ ἡλιχχῆς προσθαλλούσης ἀκτῖνος ἀνίσταται, καὶ πετάννυσι τὰ πτερὰ, καὶ εἰς ἕτερον μεταθαίνει τόπον" οὕτως οἱ εἰς ἐπικουρίαν σου πανοι, τῆ: σφῶν αὐτῶν σωτηρίας φροντιοῦσι, καὶ φυγῇ « Οὐαὶ αὑτοῖς ! {ιη.) Ἑνύστάξαν οἱ ποιμένες σου, βασιλεὺς ᾿Λσσύριος ᾽ ἐχοΐμισς τοὺς δυνάστας σου" ἀπῖιρεν ὁ λαός σου ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη, καὶ οὐκ ἣν ὁ ἔκδεχόμενος. » Καὶ ἐκ τούτων δῆλον, ὡς καὶ τὸν Βαδυλώνιον ᾿Ασσύριον ἣ θΞία προσαγορεύει Γραφή. Οὔτω δὲ καὶ οἱ ἔξω συγγραφεῖς αὑτὸν ὀνομάζουσι. Τοὺς μὲν γὰρ τῇς Νινευῖ βασιλέας ἔφη νυστάξαι" ὕπρον δὲ τὺν θάνατον ὀνομάζει. Οὕτω γὰρ λέγει καὶ ὁ μακάριος Δαθίδ᾽ « ᾿Απὸ ἐπιτιμήσεώς σου, ὁ θεὰς Ἰαχὼδ, ἐνύσταξαν οἱ ἐπιδεθηκχότες τοῖς ἵπποις.» Τούτου; δὲ τοὺς βασιλέα: κοιμηθῆναι εἴρηκε" « Βασιλεὺς ᾿Ασσύριος ἐχοίμισε τοὺς δυνάστας σου. » Τούτων δὲ ἀναιρεθέντων ἀπῆρεν ὁ λαός σου ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη φυγῇ χρώμενος, καὶ οὐκ ἦν ὁ ἐκδεχόμενος, οὐξὲ ἀντιστῆναι δυνάμενος. Εἶτα τὸ ἀνήκεστον τῶν κακῶν ### English translation (Claude) 14. "[Draw] water [for the siege]," he says. Then ironically: "And strengthen your fortifications." Use your power, he says, … "Go into the clay and be trampled in the straw, and make it stronger than brick. 15. There fire will devour you, the sword will destroy you, and it will devour you like a locust, and you will be weighed down like a larva. 16. You multiplied your trade beyond the stars of heaven." Do not trust in your fortifications, he says; for you will have no help from them. But like clay trampled with straw for brickmaking, you will be trampled by the enemies who attack you; they will burn the city, and you, its inhabitants, … and like the locust and larva … you all utterly … and the wealth that you gathered from everywhere, which could not easily even be counted, like the stars of heaven, the enemies will take. "The larva rushed and flew off. 17. Your mixed multitude leaped away like a grasshopper, like a locust settled on a hedge on a day of frost; the sun rose and it leaped away, and its place was not known." For just as the locust and the larva and creatures like them settle on the bushes while the dew lies on them and cannot fly off, but when the sun's ray strikes them they rise, spread their wings, and pass to another place, so those who [came] to help you will take thought for their own safety and [save themselves] by flight. "Woe to them! 18. Your shepherds slumbered; the Assyrian king put your mighty men to sleep; your people departed to the mountains, and there was no one to receive them." From this too it is clear that the divine Scripture calls the Babylonian also "Assyrian"; and the outside writers name him so too. He said that the kings of Nineveh slumbered; and he calls death sleep. For so too the blessed David says: "At your rebuke, O God of Jacob, those mounted on horses slumbered." He said that these kings were put to sleep: "The Assyrian king put your mighty men to sleep." And when these were killed, your people departed to the mountains in flight, and there was no one to receive them or able to resist. Then the incurableness of the evils … ### Scripture references - Nah 3:14: quotation, high confidence - Nah 3:15–16: quotation, high confidence - Nah 3:16–17: quotation, high confidence - Nah 3:18: quotation, high confidence - Ps 76:6 (75:7 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemmas: Nah 3:14, 3:14b–16, 3:16b–17, and 3:18. The opening of the lemma of 3:14 is lost in the scan; bracketed words are supplied from the LXX. Words lost with the Latin debris are marked "…". The quotation is Ps 76:6 (LXX 75:7). The section ends in mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 7.3.14 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/7-3-14). ## Commentary on Nahum 3:19 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/7-2-2/#p-7-3-19 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Nineveh's wound is incurable, and all whom it oppressed will applaud its fall; Theodoret ends the commentary on Nahum with an exhortation to fear God's judgment. ### Greek text ιθ΄. « Οὐκ ἔστιν ἴασις τῇ συντριδῇ σου.» Ἐπειδὴ τροπικῶς τὴν συντριθὴν καὶ τὴν ἴασιν τέθεικεν, ὡσαύτως ἐπῆγαγεν “ ε Ἐφλέγμανεν ἣ πληγή σου. » 'Λλνιάτοις, φησὶ, παρεδόθησαν Ἶ5 κακοῖς. ε Πάντες οἱ ἀκούσαντες τὴν ἀγγελίαν σου, κροτήσουσι χεῖρας ἐτὰ σὲ, διότι ἐπὶ τίνα οὐκ ἦλθεν Ἶ" ἡ κακία σου διαπαντός.» ᾿Αναμιμνησχόμενοι, φησὶ, τῶν εἰς αὐτοὺς ὑπὸὴ σοῦ γενομένων κακῶν, ἐφησθήσονταί σοι ταῦτα παἢθούσῃ, καὶ τὰ: χεῖρας χροτήσουσιν. Εἰδότε; τοίνυν τοῦ Κριτοῦ τὸ δίκαιον, δείσωμεν τὸ κριτήριον, ἵνα τὴν ἐκεῖθεν ἐκφερομένην κατὰ τῶν παρανομούντων διαφύγωμεν ψῆφον, καὶ τῶν αἰωνίων ἀπολαύσωμεν ἀγαθῶν χάριτι "5 καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἱτ, σοῦ, Χριστοῦ, μεθ᾽ οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡ δόξα, σὺν τῷ ἀτγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. ᾿Δμήν. ### English translation (Claude) 19. "There is no healing for your fracture." Since he has spoken figuratively of fracture and healing, he added in the same way: "Your wound has festered." They have been handed over, he says, to incurable evils. "All who hear the report of you will clap their hands over you, for upon whom has your wickedness not come continually?" Remembering the evils you did to them, he says, they will rejoice over you when you suffer these things and will clap their hands. Knowing, then, the justice of the Judge, let us fear his judgment seat, so that we may escape the sentence issued from it against the lawless and enjoy the eternal good things, by the grace and kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom be glory to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, now and always and to the ages of ages. Amen. ### Scripture references - Nah 3:19: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Nah 3:19. Migne's footnotes at the end of the section are removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 7.3.19 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/7-3-19). ## Commentary on Habakkuk, Preface, part 1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/7-2-2/#p-8-0-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Theodoret introduces Habakkuk: like the author of Psalm 73, the prophet voices other people's perplexity at the prosperity of the wicked in order to give God's answer to it. ### Greek text Εἰσί τινες, οἵ κομιδῇ δυσχεραίνουτι τοὺς ἀδικοῦντὰς εὐημεροῦντας θεώμενοι" καὶ οἱ μὲν ἐνδυάξουσιν Ἶδ εἰ προμηθεῖται τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεύς᾽ οἱ ὃὲ πιστεύουσι μὲν τοῖς περὶ προνοίας λότοις, ἐπαποροῦτι δὲ τί δήποτε τοῦτον οἱκονομεῖται τὸν τρόπον τὰ πράγματα. Τούτων τῶν δευτέρων τὸ πρόσωπον ὁ θαυμάσιος ᾿Αμδαχοὺμ ὁ προφήτης ἀναλαθὼν, ἐπαπορεῖ μὲν, ὡς δῆθεν αὐτὸς μαθεῖν ἐφιέἅενος τὴν αἰτίαν τῶν γιγνομένων " ἐπιφέρει δὲ τὴν λύσιν, ἣν ἡ τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐχορήγησε χάρις. Οὐ γὰρ, ὥς τινες ὑπέλαδον, αὐτὸς τοῦτό γε τὸ πάθος ὑπέμεινεν᾽ ἀλλὰ τὸ " παρὰ τῶν ἄλλων εἰσφέρει, καὶ τὴν περὶ τῶν ζητουμένων ἐπιφέρει διδάσκαλίαν. Ταυτὸ δὴ τοῦτο πεποίηκε καὶ ὁ θεῖος Δαόίδ " εἰσάγει γὰρ πρόπωπον δυσκόλως ἔχον πρὸς τὰς τῶν πονηρῶν Β εὑπραξίας, καί φησιν’ « Ἐμοῦ δὲ παρὰ μικρὸν ἐσαλεύθησαν οἱ πόδες, παρ᾽ ὀλίγον ἐξεχύθη τὰ διλδήματά ον, ὅτι ἐζήλωσα τοῖς ἀνόμοις εἰρήνην ἀμαρπωλῶν θεωρῶν. » Καὶ πολλὰ τοιαῦτα τούτοις προσθεὶς, ὑπέδειξε τῶν ζητουμένων τὴν λύσιν. ε Τοῦτο γὰρ, φησὶ, κόπος ἐστὶν ἐνώπιόν μου, ἕως οὗ εἰσέλθω εἰς τὸ ἁγιαστήριον τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ συνῶ εἰς τὰ ἔσχατα αὐτῶν. » Τοῦτο δὲ μαθὼν ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ Πνεύματος χάριτος, ἐπήγαγε" « Πλὴν διὰ τὰς δολιότητας αὖπῶν ἔθου αὐτοῖς κακά χατέθαλες αὐτοὺς ἐν τῷ ἐπαρθῆναι" πῶς ἐγένοντο εἰς ἐρήμωσιν; ἐξάπινα ἐξέλιπον, ἀπώλοντο διὰ τὴν ἀνομίαν αὑτῶν, ὡσεὶ ἰνύπνιον ἐξεγειρομένων. » Καὶ μετ᾽ ὀλίγα, διδάσκων μὴ πολυπραγμονεῖν τὰς θείας οἰκονομίας, ἀλλ᾽ ἁπλοῖχὼς τὸὺς θείους ὑποδέχεσθαι λόγου; "« Ἀτηνώδης, φησὶν, ἐγενόμην παρὰ σοὶ, χἀγὼ διὰ παντὸς μετὰ σοῦ.» Ιροσήχει γάρ με, φησὶ, καθάπερ ἕπεται τὸ κτῆνος τῷ ἡγουμένῳ καὶ ἄγοντι, μὴ περιεργαζόμενον ποῦ βαδίζει, οὕτω τοῖς σοῖς λόγοις πιστεύειν, καὶ … τοῖς σοῖς νόμοις ἀκολουθεῖν " τοῦτο γὰρ ποιῶν, τῆς σῆς κηδεμονίας ἔρημος οὐ γενήσομαι. Ὅτι δὲ τὰς προειρημένας ζητήσεις τέθεικεν, οὐκ ὡς αὐτὸς ἐνδυάξζων δ, ἀλλὰ τοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων λογισμοὺς διαγράφων, καὶ αὐτὸ δηλοῖ τοῦ ψαλμοῦ τὸ προοίμιον " « Ὡς ἀγαθὸς γὰρ, φησὶ, τῷ Ἰσραὴλ ὁ Θεὸς, τοῖς εὐθέσι τῇ χαρξίᾳ. » Ὁ δὲ ἀγαθὸν τὸν Θεὸν ὁμολογήσας, δῆλον ὅτι καὶ ἀγαθῶν εἶναι πρύτανιν σὺνὁμολογεῖ. Τοιαῦτα πολλὰ καὶ ἐν ἄλλοις ψαλμοῖς, καὶ παρὰ ἄλλοις προφήταις εὑρίσκομεν. Τούτοις ἔοικε καὶ τοῦ θεσπεσίου ᾿Αμδαχοὺμ ἡ προφητεία. Δοκεΐ γὰρ ἐπαπορεῖν, ἀνθ᾽ ὅτον τῶν ἐπιειχεστέρων οἱ θρασύτεροι μᾶλλον εὖ πράττουσι, καὶ τί δήποτε παραπόδας τοῖς παρανομοῦσιν ἡ τιμωρία οὐκ ἕπεται. Ὅτι δὲ οὐ τοὺς οἰκείους ἡμῖν προτέθειχε λογισμοὺς, ἀλλὰ τοῖς νοτοῦσιν ᾽ ἀλεξίχαχον φάρμακον χατατχευάζων, εἰς ἐπαπόρησιν καὶ λύσιν σχηματίζει τὴν προφητείαν, καὶ αὐτὸ μαρτυρεῖ τὸ προοίμιον … ### English translation (Claude) There are some who are thoroughly vexed when they see wrongdoers prospering. Some of them doubt whether the God of all exercises providence over human beings; others believe the arguments about providence but are further perplexed as to why affairs are managed in this way. The wonderful prophet Habakkuk takes on the role of these latter and raises the difficulty, as though he himself wished to learn the cause of what happens; but he adds the solution which the grace of the Spirit supplied. For it was not, as some have supposed, that he himself underwent this feeling; rather he brings in the [feeling] of others and adds the teaching on the questions raised. The divine David did this very same thing: he brings in a character ill at ease with the prosperity of the wicked, and says: "But my feet were almost shaken, my steps had nearly slipped, because I was envious of the lawless, seeing the peace of sinners." And having added many such things to these, he showed the solution of the questions raised: "For this," he says, "is trouble before me, until I enter the sanctuary of God and understand their last end." Having learned this from the grace of the Spirit, he went on: "But because of their deceits you have set evils for them; you cast them down when they were lifted up. How have they come to desolation? Suddenly they failed, they perished because of their lawlessness, like the dream of one who wakes." And a little later, teaching us not to pry into the divine dispensations but to receive the divine words simply, he says: "I became like a beast before you, and I am continually with you." It befits me, he says, just as a beast of burden follows the one who leads and drives it without inquiring where it is going, so to trust your words and … to follow your laws; for if I do this, I shall not be left without your care. That he set out the questions mentioned above not as one doubting himself but as describing the reasonings of human beings, the very opening of the psalm makes plain: "How good," he says, "is God to Israel, to the upright in heart!" And one who has confessed God to be good plainly confesses also that he is the dispenser of good things. We find many such things both in other psalms and in other prophets. The prophecy of the inspired Habakkuk resembles these. For he seems to raise the difficulty why the bolder rather than the more reasonable fare well, and why punishment does not follow lawbreakers at once. That he has not set before us his own reasonings but, preparing a medicine against harm for the sick, shapes the prophecy into question and solution, the opening itself bears witness … ### Scripture references - Ps 73:2 (72:2 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 73:3 (72:3 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 73:16 (72:16 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 73:17 (72:17 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 73:18 (72:18 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 73:19 (72:19 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 73:20 (72:20 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 73:22 (72:22 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 73:23 (72:23 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 73:1 (72:1 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Preface to Habakkuk. Ps 73 (LXX 72) is quoted at length. Lines of Migne's Latin column read as Greek letters are removed; a few Greek words lost with them are marked …. The section breaks off at the column end; the opening lemma follows in 1.1. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 8.0.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/8-0-1). ## Commentary on Habakkuk 1:1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/8-1-1/#p-8-1-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The heading of Habakkuk's prophecy introduces the complaint that follows. ### Greek text α'. Εἱρηκὼς γάρ’ ε Τὸ λῆμμα, ὃ εἶδεν ᾿Αμδαχοὺμ ὁ προφήτης, ν» εὐθὺς ἐπήγαγεν " ### English translation (Claude) 1. For having said, "The burden which Habakkuk the prophet saw," he at once went on: ### Scripture references - Hab 1:1: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hab 1:1. The sentence continues in 1.2. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 8.1.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/8-1-1). ## Commentary on Habakkuk 1:2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/8-1-1/#p-8-1-2 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The prophet's complaint about injustice in Jerusalem voices the perplexity of others, and God's answer follows as its cure. ### Greek text β', γ. « Ἕως τίνος, Κύρ!ε, κεκράξομαι, καὶ οὐ μὴ εἰσαχούσεις; βοήσομαι πρὸς σὲ ἀδικούμενος, καὶ οὐ μὴ σώσεις; Ἱνατί μοι ἔδειξας κόπους καὶ πόνους; ἐπιδλέπειν ἐπὶ ταλαιπωρίαν καὶ ἀσέθειαν; » Λῆμμα δὲ καλεῖ τῆς διανοίας τὴν λῆψιν, καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων μετάδασιν ἐπὶ τὴν θείαν ἀποκάλυψιν. Εὶ τοίνυν ἐκ πνευματικῆς ἔνεργείας τὰ προειρημένα ἐφθέγξατο, εὔδηλον ὡς οὐκ αὐτὸς τὸ πάθος ὑπέμεινεν, ἀλλὰ τῶν οὕτω διακειμένων τὸ ἕλκος γυμνοῖ, καὶ τὸ φάρμακον ἐπιτίθησι. Τοιγάρτοι προστίθησι 3" τοῖς εἰρημένοις, καὶ λέγε:" « Ἐξεναντίας μου γέγονε χρίσις, καὶ ὁ κριτὴς λαμβάνει. » Χρήμασι γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀπεμπολοῦσι τὸ δίχκαιὸν οἱ διχάζοντες, καὶ τῆς τῶν νόμων φυλακῇς οὐδεμίαν ποιοῦνται φροντίδα, Τοῦτο γὰρ δι᾽ ὧν ἐπδ᾽, ε Διὰ τοῦτο διεσκέδασται νόμος, καὶ οὐ διεξάγεται εἰς τέλος κρῖμα " ὅτι ἀσεδὴς ᾽᾽ χαταδυναστεύει τὸν δίκαιον " ἕνεκεν τούτον ἐξελεύσεται τὸ κρῖμα διεστραμμένον. » Ταῦτα δὲ περὶ τῶν ἐν Ἵερουσαλὴμ παρανομούντων διεξελήλυθεν " ὁ γὰρ Ἰσραὴλ ὑπὸ ᾿Ασσυρίων ἐξανδραποδισθεὶς ἤδη τὴν ἀλλοξδαπὴν ᾧκει. Οὕτιυ τοῦ δυσχεραίνοντος προσώπου τοὺς λόγους προτεθειχὼς, διὰ τῆς θείας ἀποκρίσεως ποιεῖται τὴν ἴασιν. ### English translation (Claude) 2–3. "How long, O Lord, shall I cry out, and you will not hear? Shall I shout to you when I am wronged, and you will not save? Why have you shown me toils and labors, to look upon misery and ungodliness?" He calls the "burden" the seizing of the mind and its passage from human things to divine revelation. If, then, he uttered the words above from the working of the Spirit, it is clear that he did not himself suffer this feeling, but lays bare the sore of those so disposed and applies the medicine. Accordingly he adds to what has been said: "Against me judgment has come about, and the judge takes." For those who judge, he says, sell justice for money and take no care to keep the laws. This is what he means by the words: "Therefore the law is scattered, and judgment is not carried through to the end; for the ungodly man oppresses the righteous; for this reason judgment will go forth perverted." He has gone through these things concerning those who transgressed the law in Jerusalem; for Israel, enslaved by the Assyrians, was already living in a foreign land. Having thus set out the words of the vexed character, he effects the healing through the divine answer. ### Scripture references - Hab 1:2: quotation, high confidence - Hab 1:3: quotation, high confidence - Hab 1:4: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hab 1:2–3; Theodoret also quotes Hab 1:3b–4. "The judge takes" (LXX): takes bribes, as Theodoret explains. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 8.1.2 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/8-1-2). ## Commentary on Habakkuk 1:5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/8-1-1/#p-8-1-5 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God warns the scornful of coming judgment even though he foreknows their unbelief, because he does not punish on foreknowledge alone. ### Greek text ε΄, «Ἴδετε, οἱ καταφρονηταὶ, καὶ ἐπιδλέψατε, καὶ Ὁ θαυμάσατε, καὶ ἴδετε 3 θαυμάσια, καὶ ἀφανίσθητε "6" διότι ἔργον "" ἐγὼ ἐργάζομαι ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ὑμῶν, ὃ οὐ μὴ πιστεύσητε, ἐάν τις ἐχδιηγῆται "".» Καταφρογητὰς καλεῖ τοὺς ἀδεῶς παρανομοῦντας "2, καὶ ἀναλγησίαν νοσοῦντας. Τούτοις παρακελεύεται μὲν τοῖς θεσπιζομένοις προσχεῖν, καταπλαγῆναι, καὶ δεῖσαι τὴν ἀπειλήν. Οἷδε δὲ ὅμως, ἅτε δὴ ἅπαντα καὶ πρὶν γενέσθαι σαφῶς ἐπιστάμενος, ὡς ἀπιττήσουσι τοῖς λεγομένοις, καὶ πρὸ τῆς πείρας τῶν πραγμάτων ψευδεῖς τοὺς περὶ τούτων νομιοῦσι λόγους. ᾿Αλλ᾽ ὅμως ἀγαθὸς ὧν καὶ δίκαιος, κρίνειν ὑπὸ μόνης τῆς προγνώσεως οὐκ ἀνέχεται - ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἀπιστοῦσι τὰς προῤῥήσεις προσφέρει, καὶ θεραπείαν οὐ δεχομένοις τὴν τιμωρίαν ἐπάγει. ### English translation (Claude) 5. "Look, you despisers, and observe, and marvel, and see marvels, and vanish; for I am working a work in your days which you will not believe if anyone tells it." He calls "despisers" those who transgress without fear and suffer from insensibility. He bids them pay attention to what is prophesied, be struck with amazement, and fear the threat. Yet he knows, since he knows all things clearly before they happen, that they will disbelieve what is said and, before they experience the events, will consider the words about them false. But nevertheless, being good and just, he does not allow himself to judge on foreknowledge alone; he offers the predictions even to those who disbelieve, and brings the punishment on those who do not accept the cure. ### Scripture references - Hab 1:5: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hab 1:5 (quoted in Acts 13:41). Migne's marginal summary (on God's love for humankind and the ingratitude of the Jews, with an appeal to them to share the conversion of the Gentiles and the confession of the thief saved at the cross) and his footnotes on variant readings had leaked into the middle of the comment; they are removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 8.1.5 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/8-1-5). ## Commentary on Habakkuk 1:6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/8-1-1/#p-8-1-6 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God answers that he will bring the savage Chaldeans on the lawless people of Judah. ### Greek text ς΄. «Διὸ " ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐγείρω τοὺς Χαλδαίους, τὸ ἔθνος τὸ πικρὸν καὶ τὸ ταχινὸν, καὶ "5 τὸ πορευόμενον ἐπὶ τὰ πλάτη τῆς γῆς, τοῦ χκαταχληρονομῇσαι σκηνώματα οὐκ αὐτοῦ. ν Ὑμῖν γὰρ τοῖς ἀδικίᾳ καὶ παρανομίᾳ συζῶσι δι᾽ οὖς δυσχεραίνουσιν οἱ τῆς Προνοίας ἀγνοοῦντες τοὺς νόμους, τοὺς ὠμοτάτους καὶ ὀξυτάτους ἐπάξω Χαλδαίους, οἱ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων ἐφιέμενοι, κατὰ πάντων στρατεύουσι τῶν ἐθνῶν. ### English translation (Claude) 6. "Therefore, behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, the bitter and swift nation, which goes over the breadth of the earth to take possession of dwellings not its own." For upon you, he says, who live with injustice and lawlessness, on whose account those who do not know the laws of providence are vexed, I will bring the most savage and swiftest Chaldeans, who covet what belongs to others and campaign against all the nations. ### Scripture references - Hab 1:6: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hab 1:6. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 8.1.6 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/8-1-6). ## Commentary on Habakkuk 1:7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/8-1-1/#p-8-1-7 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The Chaldeans are a law to themselves, and their strength and speed are pictured by the eagle, the leopard, and the wolf. ### Greek text ζ΄, « Φοδερὸς καὶ ἐπιφανής ἐστιν ἐξ "6 αὐτοῦ τὸ κρῖμα αὐτοῦ ἔσται, καὶ τὸ λῆμμα αὐτοῦ ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἐξελεύσεται. » Ἐπίσημός ἐστι, καὶ ἱκανὸς ἐκ μόνης ἐχδειματῶσαι τῆς φήμης. Δικάζει δὲ, οὐ νόμοις ἀλλοτρίοις ἀκολουθῶν, ἀλλὰ τὸ παραστὰν ποιεῖται νόμον. Τοῦτο δὲ ὁ Σύμμαχος σαφέστερον τέθεικεν’ « Αὐτὸς ἑαυτῷ δικάσει, καὶ δόγμα τὸ "7 ἑαυτοῦ π΄. ε Καὶ ἐξαλοῦνταιδ ὑπὲρ παρδάλεις οἱ ἵπποι αὐτοῦ ",, καὶ "᾽ ὀξύτεροι ὑπὲρ τοὺς λύχονς τῆς ᾿Αραδίας " καὶ ἐξιππάσονται οἱ ἱππεῖς αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὁρμή σουσι μακρόθεν, καὶ πετασθήσονται ὡς ἀετὸς πρόθυμὸς εἰς τὸ φαγεῖν. » Διὰ πάντων δὲ τὴν ῥώμην ς αὐτῶν, καὶ τὴν ἀνδρείαν, καὶ τὴν ταχύτητα προεσήμῆνε. Τοιοῦτος γὰρ ἐν μὲν πτηνοῖς ὁ ἀετὸς, ᾧ τοὺς ἱππέας εἴκασεν" ἐν δὲ θηρίοις αἱ παρδά(λεις, καὶ τῆς ᾿Αραδίας οἱ «ἰύκοι, οἷς τῶν ἵππων παρέθαλε τὴν ὀξύτητα. ### English translation (Claude) 7. "He is fearsome and conspicuous; his judgment will be from himself, and his burden will go forth from himself." He is notable, and able to strike terror by his fame alone. He judges not by following the laws of others, but makes a law of whatever he pleases. Symmachus put this more clearly: "He will judge for himself, and his own decree …" (8) "And his horses will leap beyond leopards, and they are swifter than the wolves of Arabia; and his horsemen will ride out and rush from afar, and will fly like an eagle eager to eat." Through all these he signified in advance their strength, their courage, and their speed. For such among birds is the eagle, to which he likened the horsemen; and among beasts the leopards and the wolves of Arabia, to which he compared the swiftness of the horses. ### Scripture references - Hab 1:7: quotation, high confidence - Hab 1:8: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hab 1:7–8. The end of the quotation from Symmachus is lost in the scan. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 8.1.7 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/8-1-7). ## Commentary on Habakkuk 1:9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/8-1-1/#p-8-1-9 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The Chaldeans will destroy the ungodly and overthrow kings and strongholds as if in sport, but God will have pity on their victims. ### Greek text θ΄. « Συντέλεια ἐπ᾽ 5' ἀσεδεῖς ἥξει, ἀνθεστηχότας προσώποις αὐτῶν ἐξεναντίας. » Οὗτοι τοῖς δυσσεθέσι» ὄλεθρον ἐπάξουσι παντελῆ, καὶ ταῦτα πολεμεῖν αὐτοῖς καὶ παρατάττεσθαι πειρωμένοις. Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ σαφέστερον ὁ Σύμμαχος τέθεικε" ε Πάντα εἰς πλεονεξίαν ἥξει, ἡ πῥῤόσοψις τοῦ προσώπου αὐτῶν ἄνεμος καύσων. » Καθάπερ γὰρ τῶν ἵπκων καὶ τῶν ἱππέων παραθολιχῶς ἔδειξε τὴν ταχύτητα“ οὕτῳ καὶ τῶν προσώπων τὸ θηριῶδες ἀνέμῳ ἀπείχααςε καύσωνι. "Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος καίει τὰ γυμνὰ τῶν Ρ σωμάτῳν, οὕτως ἱκανὴ τῶν Χαλδαίων ἡ θέα τῶν ὁρώντων κατασθέσαι τὸ ἄνθος. « Καὶ συνάξει ὡς ἄμμον αἱ ν. Καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν βασιλεῦσιν ἐντρυφήῆσει, καὶ τύραννος παίγυια αὐτοῦ καὶ αὐτὸς εἰς πᾶν ὀχύρωμα ἐμπαίξεται, καὶ βαλεῖ χῶμα, καὶ κρατήσει αὐτοῦ. » Παίξων γὰρ μᾶλλον, ἣ σπουδάζων, καὶ τὰς ἐννόμους βασιλείας, "5 καὶ τὰς παρανόμους καταλύσει τυραννίδας, καὶ χώμασι καὶ μηχανήμασι κεχρημένος, πάντα περί- … ὕολον ὀχυρὸν ἐκ βάθρων ἀνασπάτ:: “ ἀλλὰ ταύτην αὐτοῦ τὴν μανίαν ὁ ἀγαθὸς θεασάμενος Δεσπότης, ἐλεήσει τοὺς ταῖς συμφοραῖς ταύταις περιπεσόντας. ### English translation (Claude) 9. "An end will come upon the ungodly, those who stand against their faces directly." These will bring complete destruction on the impious, even when they try to make war on them and draw up against them. Symmachus put this too more clearly: "All will come for gain; the look of their face is a burning wind." For just as he showed figuratively the speed of the horses and horsemen, so he likened the ferocity of their faces to a burning wind. For as that wind scorches the bare parts of the body, so the very sight of the Chaldeans is enough to quench the bloom of those who see them. "And he will gather captives like sand. (10) And he will make sport among kings, and tyrants are his playthings; and he will mock at every stronghold, and will cast up a mound and take it." For in sport rather than in earnest he will overthrow both lawful kingdoms and lawless tyrannies, and, using mounds and siege engines, … tear up every stronghold from its foundations. But the good Master, seeing this madness of his, will have pity on those who have fallen into these calamities. ### Scripture references - Hab 1:9: quotation, high confidence - Hab 1:10: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hab 1:9; Theodoret goes on to Hab 1:10. In the scan the word "captives" (αἰχμαλωσίαν) is cut short. Migne's Latin column and footnotes, which had leaked into the comment on 1:10, are removed; a few Greek words were lost with them (…). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 8.1.9 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/8-1-9). ## Commentary on Habakkuk 1:11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/8-1-1/#p-8-1-11 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Theodoret reads the verse of God turning his wrath into mercy, which the prophet hails as God's strength. ### Greek text ια΄. « Τότε γὰρ, φησὶ, μεταξαλεῖ τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ "5, καὶ διελεύσετας, καὶ ἐξιλάτετα:. » Ἐΐς οἶκτον γὰρ μεταδαλὼν τὴν ὀργὴν Ὥεως ἔσται, καὶ σδέσ.: τὰ λυπηρά. Διὸ λίαν ἐκπλαγεὶς ὁ προφήτης τὴν θείαν φιλανθρωπίαν, ἐδόησεν" ε« Αὕὔτη ἡ ἰσχὺς τῷ Θεῷ μου. » Σοὶ γὰρ μόνῳ πρόσεστιν, ὦ Δέσποτα, δύναμες, καὶ χολάξειν ὡς βούλει, καὶ μεταθάλλειν τὴν τιμωοίαν εἰς ἕλεον. ᾿ ### English translation (Claude) 11. "Then," he says, "he will change his spirit, and will pass through, and will make propitiation." For changing his wrath into pity he will be merciful and quench what is grievous. Therefore the prophet, greatly astonished at the divine love for humankind, cried out: "This is the strength of my God." For to you alone, O Master, belongs the power both to punish as you will and to change the punishment into mercy. ### Scripture references - Hab 1:11: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hab 1:11. Theodoret takes the subject of the verse to be God. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 8.1.11 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/8-1-11). ## Commentary on Habakkuk 1:12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/8-1-1/#p-8-1-12 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The prophet confesses the eternal, holy God as the source of salvation and says he was made to reprove sinners and foretell their punishment. ### Greek text ιβ΄. ε« Οὐκὶ σὺ ἀπ᾽ ἀρχῆς, Κύριε δ", ὁ Θεός μου "5 ὁ ἅγιος, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀποθάνωμεν; ν ΣῈ γὰρ ἄνωθεν Δεσπότην καὶ Θεὸν ἐγνωκότες, καὶ τῶν ὄντων ἀπάντων ὑπέρτερον, τῆς παρὰ σοῦ σωτηρίας τυγχάν»» μεν. » Κύριε, εἰς κρῖμα τέταχας αὐτὸν 5, καὶ ἔπλασέ με τοῦ ἐλέγχειν παιδείαν αὐτοῦ. » Εἰς τοῦτό με, φησὶν, ἄνωθεν εἰς τὸ εἶναι παρήγαγες, ὥστε καὶ τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας διελέγχειν, καὶ τὰ: ἔπεφερημένας προλέγειν παιδείας. ### English translation (Claude) 12. "Are you not from the beginning, O Lord, my holy God, and we shall not die?" For having known you from of old as Master and God, higher than all that exists, we obtain the salvation that comes from you. "O Lord, you have appointed him for judgment, and he has formed me to reprove his discipline." For this, he says, you brought me into being from the beginning: that I should both reprove those who sin and foretell the punishments brought upon them. ### Scripture references - Hab 1:12: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hab 1:12. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 8.1.12 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/8-1-12). ## Commentary on Habakkuk 1:13 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/8-1-1/#p-8-1-13 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The prophet voices the question why God lets the Chaldeans, worse than Judah, devour those more righteous than themselves, as if people were fish without a ruler. ### Greek text «Υ', ιδ΄, « Καθαρὸς ὁ" ὀφθαλμός σου" τοῦ μὴ ὁρᾶν πονηρὰ, καὶ ἐπιδλέπειν ἐπὶ 5 πόνους οὗ δυνήτῃ " σεις δ' ἐν τῷ χαταπίνειν ἀσεδῇ τὸν δίκαιον 5"; Καὶ ποιήσεις. τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ὡς τοὺς ἰχθύας τῆς θαλάσ.σης, καὶ ὡς ἑρπετὰ 55 οὐκ ἔχοντα ἡγούμενον; » Τὴν μὲν οὖν ἐν τῷ προοιμίῳ κειμένην ἐπαπόρησιν διὰ τοὺς ἐν τῇ Ἱερουσαλὴμ παρανομοῦντας τέϑειχε, προθεσπίσας δὲ τὴν διὰ δ᾽ τῶν Χαλδαίων ἐπαχθησο. μένην αὐτοῖς τιμωρίαν, καὶ εἰδὼς ὡς καὶ περὴ τοὺτοῦ πολλοῖς τεχθήσεται ζήτησι;, ἀνθ᾽ ὅτου τοῖς πονηροτάτοις τοὺς μείζονα πταίσαντας παραδέδωκε, τὰ νῦν εἰρημένα τέθεικεν, οὐκ ὡς αὐτὸς τὴν θείαν περιεργαζόμενος πρόνοιαν, (πῶς γὰρ ὅγε εἰς ἔλεγχον τῶν ἄλλων διαπλασθῆναι φήσας:) ἀλλὰ τῶν τὰ τοιαὔτα ζητούντων τοὺς λογισμοὺς διαγράψας. Καί φησιν “ Ὅτι πᾶσαν βδελύττῃ πονηρίαν, ἐπίσταμαι" δικαιοσύνης γὰρ ὑπάρχεις πηγή" ἐφέεμαι δὲ μαθεῖν, τί δήπότε τοὺς ἀλαζόνας καὶ ἀναλγγ,σίαν νοσοῦντας, εὐπράττειν ἑᾷς, καὶ περιορᾷς ὑπὸ τῶν δυσσεθούντων τοὺς οὐ τοιούτους ἀδικουμένους. Τὸν γὰρ δίκαιον ἐνταῦθα οὐ τὸν ἐν ἅπασι δίκαιον κέκληκεν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ σύγκρισιν τὸν τοῦ ἀδιχοῦντος δικαιότερον. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ ὁ ᾿Ακύλας, καὶ ὁ Σύμμαχος, καὶ θεοἀσεθοῦς τὸν δικαιότερον αὑτοῦ. » Οὕτω δὲ καὶ τούτῶν γιγνομένων, οὐδὲν διοίσει τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἡ φύσις, τῶν ἐν τοῖς ὕδασι διαιτωμένων ἀλόγων, ἃ οὔτε νομοθέτας, οὔτε κριτὰς ἔχουσιν" ἀλλ᾽ εἰς βορὰν τοῖς δυνατωτέροις οἱ ἀσθενέστεροι πρόκεινται. Κατὰ τούτους γὰρ καὶ οὗτος κακῶς τῇ δυναστείᾳ χρώμενος. Λέγει ### English translation (Claude) 13–14. "Your eye is pure so as not to see evil, and you cannot look upon toils. [Why do you look upon despisers? Will you be] silent while the ungodly swallows up the righteous? And will you make human beings like the fish of the sea, and like creeping things that have no leader?" He set down the perplexity at the beginning on account of those who were transgressing in Jerusalem; but having foretold the punishment to be brought on them through the Chaldeans, and knowing that many would raise the question about this too, why he had handed over those who had sinned to the most wicked, who sinned more greatly, he has set down what is now said, not as himself prying into divine providence (for how could he, when he said he had been formed to reprove others?), but describing the reasonings of those who ask such things. And he says: That you abhor all wickedness I know, for you are the fountain of righteousness; but I wish to learn why you let the boastful and those who suffer from insensibility prosper, and overlook those who are not such being wronged by the impious. For here he has called "righteous" not one righteous in all things, but, by comparison, one more righteous than the wrongdoer. So too Aquila and Symmachus: "… the ungodly … one more righteous than himself." And when these things happen in this way, the nature of human beings will differ in nothing from the irrational creatures that live in the waters, which have neither lawgivers nor judges, but the weaker lie as food for the stronger. For like these, this man too uses his power wickedly. He says ### Scripture references - Hab 1:13: quotation, high confidence - Hab 1:14: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hab 1:13–14. Part of the lemma is lost in the scan and is supplied in brackets from the LXX. The renderings of Aquila and Symmachus are garbled in the scan (…). The sentence continues in the next section. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 8.1.13 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/8-1-13). ## Commentary on Habakkuk 1:15 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/8-1-1/#p-8-1-15 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The Babylonian king, who nets nations like fish, credits his own power and demands worship, as Daniel and Isaiah also show. ### Greek text ιε΄, ττ΄. ε« Συντέλειαν “5 ἐν ἀγκίστρῳ ἀνέσπασεν "᾽ αὑτὸν, καὶ εἴλκυσεν αὐτὸν ἐν ἀμφιδλήστρῳ αὑτοῦ, καὶ συνήγαγεν αὑτὸν ἐν ταῖς σαγήναις αὐτοῦ. Ἕνεχεν τούτου εὐφρανθήσεται, καὶ χαρήπεται ἧ καρδία αὐτοῦ 55, Ενξχεν τούτου θύσει τῇ σαγήνῃ αὑτοῦ, καὶ θυμιάσε: τῷ ἀμφιδλήστρῳ αὑτοῦ " ὅτι 5 ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐλίπανε μερίδα αὑτοῦ, καὶ τὰ βρώματα αὐτοῦ ἐχλεχτά. ν Τοσαύτην γὰρ περίκειται! δύναμιν, ὡς ὁλόκληρα ἔθνη καθάπερ τινὶ σαγήνῃ καὶ ἀγχί» στρῳ θηρεύειν, καὶ τῇ θήρᾳ ἐπεντρυφᾶν. Εἰς δὲ τὸ τῆς ἀλαζονείας πάθος ἐντεῦθεν ἐκπίπτων, αἰτίαν τῶν γιγνομένων μόνην τὴν οἰκείαν οἴεται δύναμιν, καὶ ταύτῃ τὰς θείας προσφέρειν παραχελεύει τιμάς. Τοῦτο δὲ σαφέστερον ἡμᾶς ὁ θεῖος ἐδίδαξε Δανιὴλ, χρυπῖν αὐτὸν εἰκόνα κατασκευάσαι φἧσας, καὶ ταύτὴν προσκυνῇσαι τῶν ὑπηκόων ἀναγκάσαι τὸ πλῆθος, καὶ πρὸς τοῖς ἀρχομένοις τοὺς ἄρχοντας. Καὶ ὁ θεῖος δὲ Ἡσαΐας, καὶ τὴν ἀλαζονείαν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν τιμω- Οἷαν κατὰ ταυτὸν τραγῳδῶν, καὶ τοὺς λογισμοὺς αὑτοῦ δήλους ποιῶν, φησίν" « ᾿Αναδήσομαι ἐπὶ τῶν νεφελῶν, ἐπάνω τῶν ἄστρων τοῦ οὐρανοῦ θήσω τὸν θρόνον μου " καταλήψομαι τὴν οἰκουμένην ὡς νοσσιὰν, καὶ ὡς καταλελειμμένα ὡὧλ ἀρῶ. ν Οἷς εὐθὺς ἐπιφὲρει: " « Ὑποχάτω σου στρώσουσι σῆψιν, καὶ τὸ κάλυμμά σου σκώληξ. » Καὶ ὁ μακάριος "Λμθακοὺμ ὁ προφήτης φησί " « θύσει τῇ σαγήνῃ αὑτοῦ, καὶ θυμιάσει τῷ ἀμφιθλήστρῳ αὑτοῦ, ὅτι ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐλίπανε μερίδα αὑτοῦ, καὶ τὰ βρώματα αὐτοῦ ἐκλεχτά. (τζ΄.) Διὰ τοῦτο ἀμφιβαλεῖ τὸ ἀμφίόληστρον αὑτοῦ, καὶ διαπαντὸς ἀποκτενεῖ ἔθνη, καὶ 75 οὐ φείσεται.» ᾿Εξουρίων γὰρ φερόμενος, καὶ ῥᾳδίως σαγηνεύων οὖς βούλεται, καὶ κακοῦ τινος πεῖραν τέως οὐδεμίαν λαθὼν, καὶ κατὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἐθνῶν ἐπιχειρήσε:, καὶ οὐ παύσεται ### English translation (Claude) 15–17. "He drew up the end with a hook, and dragged it in his casting net, and gathered it in his dragnets. Therefore he will rejoice, and his heart will be glad. Therefore he will sacrifice to his dragnet and burn incense to his casting net, because by them he has fattened his portion, and his foods are choice." For he is invested with such power as to hunt whole nations as with a dragnet and a hook, and to revel in the catch. Falling from there into the passion of arrogance, he thinks his own power the only cause of what happens, and orders divine honors to be offered to it. The divine Daniel taught us this more clearly, saying that he made a golden image and forced the multitude of his subjects, and the rulers besides the ruled, to worship it. And the divine Isaiah, lamenting his arrogance and his punishment together and making his thoughts plain, says: "I will go up upon the clouds; above the stars of heaven I will set my throne; I will seize the world like a nest, and take it up like abandoned eggs." To this he at once adds: "Beneath you they will spread rot, and the worm will be your covering." And the blessed Habakkuk the prophet says: "He will sacrifice to his dragnet and burn incense to his casting net, because by them he has fattened his portion, and his foods are choice. (17) Therefore he will cast his casting net, and will continually kill nations, and will not spare." For being carried along by favorable winds, easily netting whom he wishes, and having had as yet no experience of any misfortune, he will attack the other nations as well and will not cease ### Scripture references - Hab 1:15: quotation, high confidence - Hab 1:16: quotation, high confidence - Hab 1:17: quotation, high confidence - Dan 3:1: allusion, high confidence - Isa 14:13: quotation, high confidence - Isa 14:14: quotation, high confidence - Isa 10:14: quotation, high confidence - Isa 14:11: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hab 1:15–17. Daniel: Dan 3:1–7. Isaiah: Isa 14:13–14 combined with 10:14, then 14:11. Migne's footnotes and Latin column, which had leaked into the lemma and the comment, are removed. The sentence continues in the next section. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 8.1.15 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/8-1-15). ## Commentary on Habakkuk 2:1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/8-2-1/#p-8-2-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The prophet waits on his watchtower for God's answer, and God tells him to write the vision for later readers, since it will surely be fulfilled after a long time. ### Greek text α΄. « Ἐπὶ τῆς φυλακῆς μου στήσομα!, καὶ ἐπιδῆσομαι ἐπὶ πέτραν, καὶ ἀποσχοπεύσω τοῦ ἰδεῖν τί λαλήσει ἐν ἐμοὶ, καὶ τί ἀποχριθῶ ἐπὶ τὸν ἔλεγχόν μον.ν Ἔοικε τοῦτο τοῖς ὑπὸ τοῦ μακαρίου Δαβὶδ εἰρημένοις " « Τοῦτο κόπος ἐστὶν ἐναντίον μου, ἕως οὗ εἰσέλθω ἐπὶ, 15 τὸ ἁγιαστήριον τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ συνῶ εἰς τὰ ἔσχατα αὑτῶν. » Καὶ ἐνταῦθα γὰρ ὁ προφήτὴς Ἐφ᾽ ἧς ἐτάχθην, φησὶ, τάξεως μενῶ, τὸ στεῤὑὸν οὐ καταλείψω " ἀλλ᾽ ἐπὶ τῆς τοιαύτης πέτρας ἑστὼς, ἐφ᾿ Ὡς καὶ Μωῦέα τὸν μέγαν ἔστησεν ὁ Θεὸς, τοῖς προφητικοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς θεωρήσω τῶν ζητουμένων τὴν λύσιν. Καὶ ἐντεῦθεν δὲ σαφῶς μεμαθήκα- Ὀ μεν, ὡς οὐ τοῦ θείου προφήτου, ἀλλ᾽ ἄλλων αἱ τοιαῦται προτάσεις, Εἶπε γάρ" « ᾿Αποσχοπεύσω τοῦ ἰδεῖν τί λαλήσει ἐν ἐμοὶ Κύριος, καὶ τί ἀποχριθῶ ἐπὶ τὸν ἔλεγχόν μου.» Προσήκει γάρ με μαθεῖν, ποίαν με χρὴ προσφέρειν ἀπόκρισιν τοῖς βουλομένοις παρ᾽ ἐμοῦ τὰ τοιαῦτα μανθάνειν. ᾿ 8, γ΄. Καὶ ἀπεχρίθη Κύριος 5 πρός με, καὶ εἶπε" « Γράψον ὅρασιν σαφῶς 7" εἰς πυξίον, ὅπως διώχῃ ὁ ἀναγινώσκων αὐτά 5, Διότι ἔτι ὅρασις εἰς καιρὸν μακρὸν δ, καὶ ἀνατελεῖ εἰς πέρας, καὶ οὐκ εἰς Μὴ μόνοις, φησὶ, τοῖς νῦν περὶ τούτων ἐνδυάζουσι π΄ προσενέγκῃς τοὺς λόγους, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς εἰς ὕστερον ἐσομένοις ἀνάγραπτον τὴν περὶ τούτων μνήμην παράπεμψον" μᾶλλον δὲ ἐκείνοις ἣ τούτοις ἁρμόττει τὰ ῥηθησόμενα " μετὰ συχνὸν γὰρ χρόνον δέξεται πέρας ἡ προφητεία. Εἶτα καὶ παραινεῖ τὸ τἕλος προσμένειν, καὶ μὴ ἐνδυάζειν διὰ τὸν ἐν μέσῳ δαπανώμενον χρόνον. ε Ἐὰν ὑστερήσῃ, ὑπόμεινον αὐτὸν, ὅτι ἐρχόμενος ἥξει, καὶ οὗ χρονιεῖ 5,» ᾿Αληθὴς, φησὶν, ὁ τῆς προῤῥήσεως λόγος " μὴ τοίνυν ἐνδυάσῃς, κᾷν πολλοῦ διελθόντος χρόνου μὴ θεάσῃ τὸ τέλος “ περανθήσεται γὰρ πάντως, "καὶ 8 ἀτέλεστος οὐ μενεῖ. ### English translation (Claude) 1. "I will stand upon my watch, and mount upon a rock, and look out to see what he will say in me, and what I shall answer to my reproof." This resembles what was said by the blessed David: "This is trouble before me, until I enter the sanctuary of God and understand their last end." For here too the prophet says: I will remain at the post to which I was assigned; I will not abandon my firmness; but standing on such a rock as that on which God set the great Moses, I shall behold with prophetic eyes the solution of the questions raised. From this too we have learned clearly that such propositions are not the divine prophet's but others'. For he said: "I will look out to see what the Lord will say in me, and what I shall answer to my reproof." For it befits me, he says, to learn what answer I ought to give to those who wish to learn such things from me. (2–3) "And the Lord answered me and said: Write the vision clearly on a tablet, so that the one who reads it may run. For the vision is still for a long time, and it will rise at the end, and not [in vain]." Do not offer the words, he says, only to those who now doubt about these things, but send on a written record of them to those who will come later; indeed what will be said suits those more than these, for the prophecy will receive its fulfillment after a long time. Then he exhorts them to wait for the end and not to doubt because of the time spent in between: "If it delays, wait for it, for it will surely come and will not tarry." The word of the prediction, he says, is true; do not doubt, then, even if after much time has passed you do not see the end; for it will certainly be accomplished and will not remain unfulfilled. ### Scripture references - Hab 2:1: quotation, high confidence - Hab 2:2: quotation, high confidence - Hab 2:3: quotation, high confidence - Ps 73:16 (72:16 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 73:17 (72:17 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Exod 33:21: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hab 2:1–3. David: Ps 73:16–17 (LXX 72). The rock of Moses: Exod 33:21–22. Migne's Latin column and footnotes, which had leaked into the lemma of 2:2, are removed; the last words of 2:3a are lost with them and are supplied in brackets from the LXX. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 8.2.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/8-2-1). ## Commentary on Habakkuk 2:4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/8-2-1/#p-8-2-4 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God refuses his care to whoever doubts his predictions, while the righteous who trusts them and lives accordingly will live. ### Greek text δ'. « Ἐὰν ὑποστείληται, οὐκ εὐδοκεΐ ἡ ψυχή μου ἐν αὐτῷ - ὁ δὲ δίκαιός μου δοὲχ πίστεως ζήσεται.» Ὁ μὲν γὰρ περὶ τὰς ὑπ᾽ ἐμοῦ γιγνομένας προῤῥήσεις ἀμφιδόλῳ χρώμενος γνώμῃ, τῆς ἐμῆς κηδεμονίας ἀνάξιος " ὁ δὲ τοῖς ὑπ᾽ ἐμοῦ λεγομένοις πιστεύων, καὶ τῇ πίστει πρόσφορον μετερχόμενος βίον, τὸν τῆς ζωῆς τρυγήσει καρπόν. Ταῦτα τοίνυν ἐπιστάν μενος, πιστῶς δέξαι τὰ περὶ τοῦ Βαθυλωνίου στ! προδηλούμενα. Εἶτα τὸν τῦφον αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν ἄπληστον διηγεῖται πλεονεξίαν. ### English translation (Claude) 4. "If he draws back, my soul has no pleasure in him; but my righteous one will live by faith." For one who holds a doubtful opinion about the predictions I make is unworthy of my care; but one who believes what I say and pursues a life fitting for faith will gather the fruit of life. Knowing these things, then, receive in faith what is revealed in advance about the Babylonian. Then he describes his conceit and his insatiable greed. ### Scripture references - Hab 2:4: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hab 2:4 (cited in Rom 1:17; Gal 3:11; Heb 10:38). Theodoret reads "faith" as trust in God's predictions shown in a fitting life. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 8.2.4 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/8-2-4). ## Commentary on Habakkuk 2:5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/8-2-1/#p-8-2-5 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The arrogant Babylonian, insatiable as death, will not keep his power long. ### Greek text ε΄. « Ὁ δὲ κατοιόμενος, καὶ καταφρονητῆς, ἀνὴρ ἀλαζὼν οὐθὲν οὐ μὴ περανεῖ 5". ν» Ἴσθι τοίνυν, ὡς ὁ οἷήσει χρώμενος, καὶ ἐφ᾽ ἑαυτῷ μέγα φρονῶν, καὶ ( τῆς ἐμῆς μακροθυμίας καταφρονῶν, οὐ μέχρι πὼλοῦ ταύτῃ κατὰ τῶν ἄλλων χρήσεται τῇ δυναστείξ. « Ὃς ἐπλάτυνε καθὼς ὁ ἄδης τὴν ψυχὴν αὑτοῦ, χεὶ αὐτὸς ὡς θάνατος οὐκ ἐμπιπλάμενος 5 " καὶ ἐπισυν" ἀξει πρὸς "3 αὐτὸν πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, καὶ προσδέξεται πρὸς ἑαυτὸν πάντας τοὺς λαούς. ν “Αδῃ γὰρ καὶ θανάτῳ παραπλησίως χόρον λαδεῖν οὐκ ἐθέλει, καὶ πάντας ἀνθρώπους ὑφ᾽ ἑαυτὸν ποιούμενος, οὐκ ἐμ" πίπλησι τῆς ἐπιθυμίας τὴν δυναστείαν. ### English translation (Claude) 5. "But the conceited man and the despiser, the arrogant man, will accomplish nothing." Know, then, that the one who indulges conceit, thinks great things of himself, and despises my long-suffering, will not use this power of his against others for long. "He has widened his soul like Hades, and he is like death, never satisfied; and he will gather to himself all the nations and receive to himself all the peoples." For like Hades and death he refuses to be sated, and though he brings all human beings under himself, his power does not satisfy his desire. ### Scripture references - Hab 2:5: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hab 2:5. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 8.2.5 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/8-2-5). ## Commentary on Habakkuk 2:6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/8-2-1/#p-8-2-6 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The nations will mock the king who enriches himself with others' goods and crushes his subjects with tribute. ### Greek text ς΄. « Οὐκὶ ταῦτα πάντα παραθολὴν "' κατ᾽ αὐτοῦ λήψονται, καὶ πρόδλημα εἰς διήγησιν αὐτοῦ; Καὶ ἐροῦτιν " Οὐαὶ ὁ πληθύνων 85 τὰ οὐκ ὄντα αὐτοῦ! ἕως τίνος καὶ βαρύνας 5 τὸν χλοιὸν αὐτοῦ στιδαρῶς;} “Λπας γὰρ εὖ φρονῶν ἅδῃ μὲν αὐτοῦ καὶ θανάτῳ τὴν ἀπληστίαν παραθαλεῖ - θρηνήσει δὲ αὐτὸν, ἐξ Ὁ ἀλλοτρίων κακῶν τὴν περιουσίαν αὔξοντα, καὶ χόρον λαδεῖν οὐκ ἐθέλοντα, ἀλλὰ τῷ δασμῷ καὶ τῷ φόρῳ τοὺς ἀρχομένους βαρύνοντα - καὶ ἐρεῖ " Μέχρι πότε κόρον οὐ λαμδάνεις τῆς ἀπληστίας; ᾿Αλλὰ γὰρ ἄκων τῆς ἀδικίας παύσεται. ### English translation (Claude) 6. "Will not all these take up a parable against him, and a riddle to tell about him? And they will say: Woe to him who multiplies what is not his own! How long? And he who makes his collar heavy, harshly!" For everyone of sound mind will compare his insatiability to Hades and death, and will lament him as one who increases his wealth from the misfortunes of others, will not be sated, and burdens his subjects with tribute and tax; and he will say: How long will you not be sated in your insatiability? But he will cease from injustice against his will. ### Scripture references - Hab 2:6: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hab 2:6. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 8.2.6 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/8-2-6). ## Commentary on Habakkuk 2:7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/8-2-1/#p-8-2-7 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Those whom the Babylonian oppressed will rise up and plunder him in turn. ### Greek text ζ΄, η΄. «ε Ὅτι ἐξαίφνης ἀναστήσονται δάκχνογτις αὐτὸν, καὶ ἐχνήψουσιν οἱ ἐπίδουλοί σου, καὶ ἔσῇ αὑτοῖς " εἰς διαρπαγήν. Διότι σὺ ἐσχύλευσας ἔθνη λαοί. » Τοὺς γὰρ πλείστους καταγωνισάμενος, ὑπ᾽ τες οἱ τῆς σῆς ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἀνασχόμενοι τυραννίδος, τὸν σὸν τυρεύσουσιν ὄλεθρον, καὶ δώσεις δίκας τῶν μυρίων σφαγῶν, καὶ τῆς πολλῆς δυσσεδείας, καὶ τῆς εἰς τὰς πόλεις παρανομία;, ἃς τῶν οἰκητόρων ### English translation (Claude) 7–8. "For suddenly those who bite him will rise up, and those who plot against you will wake up, and you will be plunder for them. Because you despoiled [many] nations, [all the remaining] peoples [will despoil you]." For having overcome most [nations] … those who endured your tyranny for a very long time will contrive your destruction, and you will pay the penalty for your countless slaughters, your great impiety, and your lawlessness against the cities, which … of their inhabitants ### Scripture references - Hab 2:7: quotation, high confidence - Hab 2:8: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hab 2:7–8. Words are lost in the scan in the lemma (supplied in brackets from the LXX) and in the comment (…); the section breaks off in mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 8.2.7 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/8-2-7). ## Commentary on Habakkuk 2:9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/8-2-1/#p-8-2-9 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The one who builds his house high by unjust gain falls the further and brings shame on his house. ### Greek text θ΄. « Ἢ ὁ πλεονεκτῶν πλεονεξίαν κακὴν τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ, τοῦ τάξαι εἰς ὕψος νοσσιὰν ἑαυτοῦ, τοῦ ἐκσπασθῆναι"» ἐκ χειρὸς κακῶν, » ΓΑθλιος ἀληθῶς καὶ τρισάθλιος, ὁ τοῦ πλείονος ἐφιέμενος, καὶ ἔχ τοιούτων πόρων": αὔξειν τὸν οἶκον πειρώμενος, καὶ πάντων ἀνθρώπων ὑπέρτερος γενέσθαι φιλονεικῶν " μείζονα γὰρ ὁ τοιοῦτος ὑπομενεῖ τὴν πτῶσιν, ἅτε δὴ ἐξ ὕψους μείζονος εἰς βάθος φερόμενος. τς ε Ἐδουλεύσω αἰσχύνην τῷ οἴκῳ σου, συνεπέρανας λαοὺς "" πολλοὺς, καὶ ἐξήμαρτεν ἡ ψυχή σου. » Μυρία γὰρ κατὰ πολλῶν ἐθνῶν δράσας δεινὰ, τὴν μὲν σὴν ψυχὴν περιέπειρας ἁμαρτίαις, αἰσχύνῃ δὲ τὴν οἰκίαν περιέδαλες πᾶπαν. ### English translation (Claude) 9. "O he who covets an evil gain for his house, to set his nest on high, to be drawn out of the hand of evils!" Wretched truly, and thrice wretched, is the one who desires more and tries to enlarge his house from such sources, and strives to become higher than all human beings; for such a one will suffer a greater fall, since he is carried from a greater height into the depth. (10) "You have counseled shame for your house; you have finished off many peoples, and your soul has sinned." For having done countless dreadful things against many nations, you have pierced your soul through with sins and clothed your whole house in shame. ### Scripture references - Hab 2:9: quotation, high confidence - Hab 2:10: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hab 2:9; Theodoret goes on to Hab 2:10. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 8.2.9 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/8-2-9). ## Commentary on Habakkuk 2:11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/8-2-1/#p-8-2-11 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Even stones and wood will cry out against the Babylonian's madness, a hyperbole like the Lord's saying about the stones. ### Greek text ια΄, «Διότι λίθος ἐκ τοίχου βοήσεται, καὶ κάνθαρος ἐκ ξύλου φθέγξεται αὐτά. » Οὐ γὰρ μόνον οἱ λόγου Μετειληχότες, ἀλλὰ τυχὸν καὶ τὰ ἄψυχα, καὶ τὰ ἄλογα ταῦτα περὶ τῆς σῆς ἀνοίας καὶ μανίας βοήσονται. Δῆλον δὲ ὡς ὑπερθδολικῶς τὸ τοῦ λέθου καὶ τοῦ κανθάρου πρόκειται. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ Κύριος τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις περὶ τῶν παιδίων ἔφη " « ᾿Αμὴν " λέγω ὑμῖν, κἂν οὗτοι σιγήσωσιν, οἱ λίθοι κεχράξονται. » ᾿Αντὶ δὲ τοῦ χάγθαρος, σύνδεσμος ξύλινος ὁ Σύμ- ### English translation (Claude) 11. "For a stone will cry out from the wall, and a beetle from the wood will utter these things." For not only those who share in reason, but perhaps even lifeless and irrational things, will cry out these things about your folly and madness. It is clear that the stone and the beetle are put by way of hyperbole. For the Lord too said to the Jews about the children: "Amen I say to you, if these are silent, the stones will cry out." Instead of "beetle", Symmachus [has] "a wooden joint" … ### Scripture references - Hab 2:11: quotation, high confidence - Luke 19:40: quotation, high confidence - Matt 21:15: allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hab 2:11. The Lord's saying: Luke 19:40 (spoken to the Pharisees about his disciples; Theodoret recalls it as said about the children, cf. Matt 21:15–16). Migne's Latin column, which had leaked into the quotation, is removed. The section breaks off in the middle of Symmachus's name; the rest is lost in the scan. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 8.2.11 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/8-2-11). ## Commentary on Habakkuk 2:12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/8-2-1/#p-8-2-12 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The Babylonian who built his kingdom on slaughter will drink the cup of God's punishment for his crimes against Jerusalem, while the whole earth will come to know God; idols made by hands are senseless. ### Greek text ιβ΄, ιδ΄, «Οὐαὶ ὁ οἰκοδομῶν πόλιν ἐν αἵμασι, καὶ ἑτοιμάζων πόλιν ἐν ἀδικίαις Οὐ ταῦτά ἐστι παρὰ Κυρίου παντοκράτορος; Καὶ ἐξέλιπον λαοὶ ἱκανοὶ ἐν πυρὶ, καὶ ξθνη πολλὰ ὠλιγοψύχησαν, Ὅτι πλησθήσεται "" ἡ γῇ τοῦ γνῶναι τὴν" δόξαν Κυρίου 8, ὡς ὕδωρ πολὺ "7 καλύψαι "8 θαλάσσας.» θρήνων ἀληθῶς καὶ ὀδυρμῶν ἄξιος εἴ, ἐξ ἀδίκων σφαγῶν τὴν οἰκείαν βασιλείαν αὐξήσας, καὶ μὴ συνιεὶς, ὡς τῶν" ὅλων Θεὸς εὐθύνας τοὺς παραγνομοῦντας εἰσπράττεται εἰ γὰρ ταύτην ἐδέξω τὴν γνῶσιν, οὐκ ἂν οἷόν τινι πυρὶ τῇ δυνάμει ' κατὰ πολλῶν ἐθνῶν ἐχρήσω, ἀνηκέστους αὐτοῖς τιμωρίας ἐπάγων. Καὶ μὴ νόμιξε τῶν δυσκόλων εἶναι τὴν τῆς θείας γνώσεως κτῆσιν" εὖ ἴσθι γὰρ, ὡς ἅπαντα τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὰ γένη ταύτην ὅτι τάχιστα δέξεται τὴν ἀκτῖνα, καὶ τῇ" τῆς θεογνωσίας αἴγλῃ χαταυγασθήσεται, ὡς καλυφθῆναι τὴν πικρὰν τῆς ἀπιστίας θάλασσαν τοῖς " γλυχέσι τῆς γνώσεως ὕδασιν. ι΄, τς΄. ε« Ὃ ὁ ποτίζων τὸν πλησίον αὑτοῦ ἀνατροπὴν θολερὰν, καὶ μεθύσχων ὅπως ἐπιθλέπη ἐπὶ τὰ σπήλαια αὐτῶν. Καὶ πλησμονὴν ἀτιμίας ἐκ δόξης, Πίε καὶ σὺ, καὶ διασαλεύθητι", καὶ σείσθητι, ν Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οἷόν τι θολῶδες πόμα τὴν τιμωρίαν «τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐπέφερες, τοὺς χατορωρυγμένους ἀναζητῶν θησαυροὺς, δέξαι καὶ σὺ ὃ ἐχέρασας καὶ πιὼν ἀπόθου μὲν τὴν προτέραν εὔκλειαν, ἀτιμίᾳ « Ἐχύχλωσεν ἐπὶ σὲ ποτήριον δεξιᾶς Κυρίου, καὶ" συνήχθη ἀτιμία ἐπὶ τὴν δόξαν σου. » “Ἐφθασέ σε διχκαία παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τιμωρία. Ποτήριον Ὑὰρ καὶ οἵνον τὴν τιμωρίαν καλεῖ, καθὰ πολλάκις εἰρίχαμεν. ιζ΄."« Διότι ἀσέδεια τοῦ Λιδάνου καλύψει σε, καὶ ταλαιπωρία θηρίων πτοήσει σε, δι᾽ αἵματα ἀνθρώπων, καὶ ἀσεδείας γῆς, καὶ πόλεως, καὶ πάντων τῶν χατοιχούντωυν αὐτὴν δ. » Τίσεις, φησὶ, ποινὴν ὧν κατὰ τῆς Ἱερουσαλῆμ τετόλμηχας " Αἰδαγον γὰρ ταύτην ὠνόμασε" καὶ οἷόν τισι θηρίοις τος πολεμίοις παραδοθήσῃ, τῶν παντοδαπῶν σου κακῶν ἀπαιτούμενος δίκας. ιη, «Τί ὠφελεῖ γλυπτὸν, ὅτι ἔγλυψαν αὐτό; ἜἜπλασαν ᾿᾽ αὐτὸ χώνευμα, φαντασίαν ψευδῆ ᾿ ὅτι πέποιθεν ὁ πλάσας ἐπὶ τὸ πλάσμα αὑτοῦ, τοῦ ποιῆσα: εἴδωλα κωφά. ν» Τί ἀνοητότερον τῶν τὰ χϑιροποίητα εἴδωλα προσκυνούντων : οἵ καὶ τὴν ὕλην καὶ τὴν τέχνην ὁρῶντες, ὡς θεοῖς τὸ σέδας προσφέρουσιν. ### English translation (Claude) 12–14. "Woe to him who builds a city with blood and prepares a city with injustice! Are not these things from the Lord Almighty? And many peoples have failed in fire, and many nations have lost heart. For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as much water to cover seas." You are truly worthy of laments and wailing, since you enlarged your own kingdom from unjust slaughters and did not understand that the God of all calls lawbreakers to account. For had you received this knowledge, you would not have used your power like a fire against many nations, bringing incurable punishments upon them. And do not think that acquiring the knowledge of God is a difficult thing; know well that all the races of human beings will very soon receive this ray and be lit up by the brightness of the knowledge of God, so that the bitter sea of unbelief will be covered by the sweet waters of knowledge. (15–16) "O he who gives his neighbor a muddy overthrow to drink, and makes him drunk, so as to look upon their caves! A fill of dishonor instead of glory. Drink, you too, and be shaken and quake." For since you brought the punishment upon others like some muddy drink, searching out the buried treasures, you too receive what you mixed; and having drunk it, put off your former good fame and … with dishonor. "The cup of the Lord's right hand has come round to you, and dishonor has gathered upon your glory." A just punishment from God has overtaken you. For he calls the punishment a cup and wine, as we have often said. (17) "For the impiety of Lebanon will cover you, and the misery of beasts will terrify you, because of the blood of human beings and the impieties of the land and of the city and of all who dwell in it." You will pay the penalty, he says, for what you dared against Jerusalem, for he called it Lebanon; and you will be handed over to enemies as to beasts, made to pay the penalty for all your manifold evils. (18) "What does a carved image profit, that they carved it? They fashioned it a molten thing, a false appearance; for the one who fashioned it has trusted in his own handiwork, to make dumb idols." What is more senseless than those who worship idols made by hands? They see both the material and the craft, and yet offer them reverence as gods. ### Scripture references - Hab 2:12: quotation, high confidence - Hab 2:13: quotation, high confidence - Hab 2:14: quotation, high confidence - Hab 2:15: quotation, high confidence - Hab 2:16: quotation, high confidence - Hab 2:17: quotation, high confidence - Hab 2:18: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hab 2:12–14; Theodoret goes on to 2:15–16, 2:17 and 2:18. "Lebanon" is taken to mean Jerusalem. Migne's Latin column and footnotes, which had leaked into the lemma of 2:15–16, are removed; a few Greek words are lost in the comment on 2:16 (…). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 8.2.12 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/8-2-12). ## Commentary on Habakkuk 2:19 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/8-2-1/#p-8-2-19 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Those who call on lifeless idols of gold and silver to wake are to be lamented. ### Greek text ιθ΄, « Οὐαὶ ὁ λέγων τῷ ξύλῳ" "Εχνηψον, θητι - καὶ 5 τῷ λίθῳ Ὑψώθητι “ καὶ αὐτό ἐστι φαντασία " τοῦτο δέ ἐστιν ἔλασμα ᾿ἐχ " χρυσίου καὶ ἀργυρίου, καὶ πᾶν πνεῦμα οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν αὐτοῖς"... Τίς οὐκ ἂν εἰκότως θρηνήσεις τοῖς ἐκ χρυσοῦ καὶ γὰρ οἱονεὶ καθεύδοντας αὐτοὺς διεγείροντες " καὶ ταῦτα εἰδότες ὡς ἄψυχα πάμπαν ἐστὶν, ἐνεργεῖν διὰ τῶν φαινομένων αἰσθητηρίων οὐ δυνάμενα. ### English translation (Claude) 19. "Woe to him who says to the wood, Wake up, [arise]! and to the stone, Be lifted up! And it is an appearance; it is a plating of gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in them." Who would not rightly lament those who … of gold …? For they rouse them as though they were asleep, though they know that they are wholly lifeless, unable to act through the sense organs they appear to have. ### Scripture references - Hab 2:19: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hab 2:19. A word of the lemma is lost in the scan (supplied in brackets from the LXX), and words are lost in the comment (…). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 8.2.19 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/8-2-19). ## Commentary on Habakkuk 2:20 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/8-2-1/#p-8-2-20 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: After God's answer that the Babylonian, who despised the true God's temple, will be punished, Theodoret reads Habakkuk's prayer (chapter 3) as a prophecy of Christ's incarnation, cross, and the apostles' mission to the nations, and the prophet's grief over his unbelieving kinsmen, rejecting a purely historical reading of it as about the return from Babylon. ### Greek text χ΄, « Ὁ δὲ Κύριος ἐν ναῷ ἁγίῳ αὑτοῦ, καὶ" εὐλαδείσθω ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ πᾶσα ἡ γῆ. ν Τὰ μὲν γὰρ εἴδωλα κωφά εἰσι, καὶ πάσης δυνάμεως ἔρημα᾽ ὁ δὲ ἡμέτερος Δεσπότης ἔχει μὲν οἷόν τινα ναὺν τὸν οὐρανὸν, ἔχει δξ καὶ ἐν τῇ γῇ τὸν ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἀφιερωμένον τόπον " καὶ πάντων ἕνεκα δίκαιος δὲ- Ὁ χεσθαι παρὰ τῆς κτίσεως ἁπάσης τὸ σέθας. Καὶ ταῦτα δὲ δῆλον, ὡς πρὸς τὸν Βαδυλώνιον εἴρηται, χαταφρονήσαντα μὲν τοῦ ὄντος Θεοῦ, καὶ τὸν ὑπ αὐτοῦ νεὼν παραδεδωχότα τῷ." πυρὶ, τοῖς δὲ ὑπ᾽ ἀπονείμαντα θεραπείαν. Οὕτω διαμορφώσας ὁ μα’ χάριος προφήτης τοῦ λόγου τὸν χαρακτῆρα, χεὶ σχηματίσας εἰς ἐρώτησιν καὶ ἀπόκρισιν, εἰς ἐπαπόρῆσιν καὶ λύσιν τῶν ζητουμένων, καὶ δείξας τοῦ θεὲ) τὸ δίκαιον, καὶ ὅπως Ἰουδαίους μὲν διὰ Βαδυλωνίων, καὶ" Βλδυλωνίους δὲ δι᾿ ἑτέρων εἰσπράττεται δίκας, εἰς ὑμνῳδίαν μεταθάλλει τὸν λόγον καὶ προσευχὴν, πάλιν ἐν προσχήματι προσευχῆς τὰ ἐσόμενα προθε- Β΄. « Κύριε, εἰσακήκοα τὴν ἀκοήν σον, καὶ ἐφοθήθην Κύριε, κατενόησα τὰ ἔργα σου, καὶ ἐξέστην.» Δίους μὲν ἐνεπλήσθην, ὦ Δέσποτα, τῶν σῶν ἐπακούσας ῥημάτων θεώμενος δέ σου τῆς ψήφου τὸ δίκαίον, καὶ τῶν» γιγνομένων ἔκαστον ἐνδίχω: νξυόμενον, σφόδρα θαυμάζων διατελῶ. ε« Ἐν μέσῳ δύο ζώων γνωσθήσῃ. » Τοῦτο ὑπό τινων διαφόρως νενόηται. Οἱ μὲν δύο ζῶα νενοήχασιν ἀγγέλους καὶ ἀνθρώπους " οἱ δὲ τῶν ἀσωμάτων δυνάμεων τὰ τῇ θείᾳ δόξῃ πελάζοντα, τὰ Χερουθδὶμ καὶ τὰ Σεραφίμ" ἄλλοι δὲ Ἰουδαίους καὶ Βαδυλωνίους. Ἐμοὶ δὲ δοκεῖ μὴ ζῶα, ἀλλὰ ζωὰς εἰρηκέναι τὸν προφήτην. τὴν τε παροῦσαν, καὶ τὴν μέλλουσαν, ὧν μέσος ὁ δίκαιος Κριτὴς ἀναφαίνεται. « Ἐν τῷ ἐγγίζειν τὰ ἔτη, ἐπιγνωσθήσῃ " ἐν τῷ παρεῖναι τὸν καιρὸν, ἀναδειχθήσῃ.» Τοῦ γὰρ χρόνου προϊόντος, καὶ τῶν πραγμάτων φαινομένων, δείκνυταί σου τὸ τῶν προῤῥήσεων ἁψευδές. ε« Ἐν τῷ ταραχθῆναι τὴν ψυχὴν μου, ἐν ὀργῇ ἐλέους μνησθήσῃ. ν Καὶ ταῖς παιδείαις δὲ διαταράττων τὰς τῶν ἀνθρώπων Ψυχὰς, πάλιν ἐλέῳ χε- Υ᾽. «Ὁ θεὸς ἀπὸ Θαιμὰν ἥξει, καὶ ὁ ἅγιος ἐξ ὄρους κατασκίον '". » Τὸ Θαιμὰν οἱ.5 μὲν Λίδα, οἱ δὲ ο Νότον ἡρμηνεύχκασι. Προθεσπίζει δὲ ὁ προφήτης, καὶ προαγορεύει τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐνανθρώπησιν, τὴν ἐν Βηθλεὲμ γενομένην, ἥτις ἀπὸ Νότου καὶ Λιθὸς τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ διόχειται " ὄρος δὲ κατάσκιον αὐτὴν τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ. καλεῖ, χαρίσμασι παντοδαποῖς πάλαι χομάσασαν, καὶ τῇ νεφέλῃ σχιασθεῖσαν, καὶ ἐν σκέπῃ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ αὖλισθεῖσαν. ε« Ἐκάλυψεν "5 οὐρανοὺς ἡ ἀρετὴ αὐτοῦ, καὶ τῆς: αἰνέσεως αὐτοῦ πλήρης ἡ γῆ. » Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ μακάριος ἔφη Δαθδίδ' « Κύρις, ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν, ὡς θαυμαστὺν τὸ ὄνομά σου ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ ! ὅτι ἐπήρθη ἡ μεγαλοπρέπειά σου ὑπεράνω τῶν οὐρανῶν. » Ἐνανθρωπῆσας γὰρ ὃ μονογενὴς τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος τῆς μὲν ἀγνοίας τὸν ζόφον ἐσχέδασε, ταῖς δὲ τῆς θεογνωσίας ἀκτῖσι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἐφώτισε, καὶ πάντας ἐδίδαξεν, ὡς οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς, καὶ τῶν ἁπάντων ἐστὶ Ποιητής "7. δ΄. « Καὶ φέγγος αὐτοῦ, ὡς φῶς ἔσται. » Φανοτάτην χὰρ ἀφῆκεν ἀκτῖνα, δι’ ἧς τὴν οἰκουμένην χατηύγαζε. « Κέρατα ἐν χερσὶν αὐτοῦ ὑπάρχει αὐτῷ "5" καὶ ἔθετο "" ἀγάπησιν κραταιὰν ἰσχύος αὑτοῦ.» Οὐ μόνον δὲ τῷ φωτὶ τῆς διδασκαλίας χρησάμενος ἔδειξε τὴν ἀλήθειαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῇ δυνάμει τῆς θαυματουργίας εἰς θαύματα πᾶσαν γλῶτταν ἐκίνησεν" ἑκάτερον δὲ πεποίηκε λίαν ἀγαπήσας τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὴν φύσιν " τοῦτο δὲ καὶ αὑτὸς ὁ Κύριος ἐν τοῖς [εροῖς Εὐαγγελίοις εἶπεν " « Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλός" ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλὸς τὴν ψυχὴν αὑτοῦ τίθησιν ὑπὲρ τῶν προδάτων. » Καί ε Μείζονα ταύτης ἀγάπην οὐδεὶς δύναται δεῖξαι", ἵνα τις θῇ" τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ὑπὲρ τῶν φίλων αὐτοῦ. » Κέρατα δὲ τὴν δύναμιν προσηγόρευσεν, ἐπειδὴ ὄπλα ταῦτα τῶν κεκτημένων ζώων, Τοιοῦτόν ἔστι τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ μακάριου Δαδὶδ εἰρημένον. ε Ἐν σοὶ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἡμῶν κερατιοῦμεν.» ε΄. «Πρὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ πορεύσεται λόγος, καὶ ἐξελεύσεται εἰς παιδείαν κατὰ πόδας αὐτοῦ, » Ἡγεῖται γὰρ τῶν ἔργων ὁ λόγος, καὶ προαγορεύων τὰ Β ἐσόμενα, οὕτως ἐπάγει τὰ πράγμακα σφόδρα τοῖς λόγοῖς συμδαίνοντα. Τὸ δὲ, εἰς παιδοίαν, ἕνια μὲν τῶν ἀντιγράφων μετὰ τοῦ νῦ" ἔχει, καὶ δηλοῖ, ὡς καὶ τοῖς λόγοις, καὶ τοῖς ἔργοις ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς εἰς παιδείαν τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ διδασκαλίαν κέχρηται " ἔνια δὲ ἄνευ τοῦ γνῦ, καὶ σημαίνεϊ ὅτι μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς εὑκολίας, ὡς ἐν ἱππηλάτῳ πεδίῳ, τρέχει τὰ πράγματε ταῖς προφητείαις ἀκολουθοῦντα. ς΄. ε« Ἔστη, καὶ ἐσαλεύθη ἢ γῆ ᾿ ἐπέδλεψε, καὶ ἐτάκη ἔθνη " διεθρύδη τὰ ὄρη βίᾳ, ἐτάχησαν βουνοὶ αἰώνιοι, πορείαις αἰωνίοις 33 αὐτοῦ. ν» Διὰ πάντων δὲ τῶν εἰρημένων τὴν ἄῤῥητον τοῦ Θεοῦ δύναμιν ἡμᾶς ἐδίδαξε" τῇ βουλῇ γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὸ ἔργον ἀκολουθεΐ, καὶ θελήσας μόνον (τοῦτο γὰρ εἶπεν, ἔστη καὶ ἐπἐδιλεψε), κλονεῖ τὴν γῆν, διαλύει τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὴν" φύσιν, ῥήγνυσι τὰ ὄρη, καὶ τοὺς βουνοὺς κηροῦ δίκὴν χατατήχει. Ταῦτα γὰρ καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα εἰς ὠφέλειαν ἀνθρώπων ποιῶν διατετέλεχε. Πορείας γὰρ τὰ ἔργα καλεῖ, Σημαίνει δὲ διὰ τῶν εἰρημένων, καὶ τὸν πηγάσαντα πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις τὴν σωτηρίαν σταυρόν" ἐφ᾽ οὗ ἔστη μὲν ὁ Δεσπότης Χριστὸς, διέσεισε δὲ τὴν γῆν, καὶ τὰ ὄρη χλονήσας διέῤῥηξε, χατέπληξε δὲ τῷ δέει τῶν δαιμόνων τὰ γένη, καὶ τὰ ἐν ὄρεσι καὶ βουνοῖς τεμένη κατέλυσε. Ταῦτα ἄνωθεν μὲν, καὶ πὶ τῆς τοῦ κόσμου συστάσεως δοκιμάσας, ἐπ᾽ ἐσχάτου δὲ τῶν ἡμερῶν ἀποπληρώσας. ζ΄. ε ᾿Αντὶ δὲ" χόπων ὧν εἶδον, σκηνώματα Αἱθιόπων πτοηθήσονται, καὶ 5 σκηναὶ γῆς Μαδιάμ. » Ὁ ᾿Αλλὰ γὰρ μετὰ τὰ σωτήρια παθήματα εἶδον χαταπεπτωχὸς τῶν δαιμόνων τὸ γένος, οἵ τὴν φυσικὴν τῶν Αἰθιόπων χρόαν ἕν τῇ προαιρέσει μιμούμενοι, τὰς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐξαπατῶσι ψυχάς. Εἰ δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ταῦτά τις ἐθέλει νοεῖν, τοῦ τῆς θείας Γραφῆς οὐκ ἐκπεσεῖται σκοποῦ " μετὰ γὰρ τὸν σωτήριον σταυρὸν, καὶ τὸ κάθος, καὶ τὴν ἀνάστασιν ὁ θεῖος τῶν ἀποστόλων χορὸς, καὶ τοῦ Μαδιὰμ τὰς σκηνὰς, καὶ τῶν Αἰθιόπων τὰς οἰκήσεις ἐθεάσατο, καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην τῆς θείας ἐνέπλησε γνώσεως. ᾿ η΄. « Μὴ ἐν ποταμοῖς ὠργίσθης, Κύριε, ἣ ἐν ποπαμοῖς ὁ θυμό: σου, ἣ ἐν θαλάσσῃ τὸ ὅρμημά σου; » ἹΚλονῶν, φησὶν, ὦ Δέσποτα, τὴν γῆν, καὶ τὰ ὄρη συντρίδων, μὴ πᾶσιν ὀργίξῃ τοῖς ἔθνεσι, καὶ πανὠλεθρίαν ἅπασιν ἐπιφέρεις ἀνθρώποις; Ποταμοὺς γὰρ καὶ θάζασσων τὰ ἔθνη προσηγόρευσεν. « Ὅτι ἐπιδήσῃ ἐπὶ τοὺς ἵππους σὴν, καὶ ἡ ΐἴππασία σου σωτηρία. (θ΄.) Ἐντείνων ἐντενεῖς τὸ τόξον σου ἐπὶ σκῆπτρα, λέγει Κύριος. » ᾿Αλλὰ γὰρ δῆλον, ὡς τῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων προμηθούμενος σωτηρίας ταῦτα χατεδέξω τὰ πάθη. Διὸ") καθάπερ τισὶν ἵπποις ἐποχούμενος τοῖς ἱεροῖς ἀποστόλοις, πᾶσι τοῖς Β “πιστεύουσι παρέξεις δ᾽ τὴν σωτηρίαν " τοῖς δὲ χολαστικοῖς ὅπλοις κατὰ τῶν ἀντιλεγόντων χρήσῃ, ὧν πρωτεύουσιν αἱ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ φυλαί’ σκῆπτρα γὰρ ὠνόμασε τὰς φυλάς. Τούτῳ ἔοικε, τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου περὶ τοῦ μακαρίου Παύλου πρὸς τὸν ᾿Ανανίαν εἰρημένον ἐν Δαμασκῷ " «ε Πορεύου, ὅτι σκεῦος ἐκλογῆς ὅο: ἐστὶν οὗτος, τοῦ βαστάσαι τὸ ὄνομά μου ἐνώπιον ἐθνῶν καὶ βασιλέων, καὶ τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραήλ. » Τὸ δὲ, « Ἐντείνων ἐντενεῖς τὸ τόξον σου,» σφόδρα συμδαίνει τῷ ὑπὸ τοῦ μακαρίον Δαβὶδ εἰρημένῳ τεῖνον, καὶ κατευοδοῦ, καὶ βασίλευε" » καὶ μετ᾽ ὀλίγα" ε Τὰ βέλη σου ἠκονημένα, Δυνατὲ, λαοὶ ᾽ ὑποχάτω σου πεσοῦνται ἐν καρδίᾳ τῶν ἐχθρῶν τοῦ βασιλέως. » -- ε Ποταμοῖς ῥαγήσεται ἣ γῇ Καθάπερ γὰρ οἱ γηπόνοι εἰς διώρυγας διαιροῦσι τοὺς ποταμοὺς, ἀρδείαν τῇ γῇ σοφιζόμενοι - οὕτως οἷόν τινας ποταμοὺς, τοὺς θείους ἀποστόλους καὶ τοὺς ἐχείνων ἀκολούθους διαιρήσεις, καὶ τὴν πνευματικὴν ἁρδείαν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις προσοίσεις. ν΄. ε Ὄψονταί σε, καὶ ὠδινήσουσι λαοί. ν Διπλῆν δὲ ποῦτο διάνοιαν ἔχει. Οἵ τε γὰρ πεπιστευκότες ὁρῶντές σου προφαινομένην τὴν δύναμιν ἐρῶσι, καὶ οἱονεὶ ὠδίνουσιν, ἰδεῖν σου ποθοῦντε; τὴν αἰώνιον βασιλείαν " οἵ τε ἀπιστίᾳ κατεχόμενοι ὀδύναις γυναικὸς ὠδινούσης βληθήσονται, φθονοῦντες καὶ βασκαίνοντές σου τῇ δόξῃ. ε Σχορπίξζων ὕδατα πορείας αὐτοῦ 3". » Καὶ τοῦτο τοῖς εἰρημένοις συμδαίνει. Τὰ γὰρ τῆς θείας αὑτοῦ διδασκαλίας ὕδατα διὰ τῶν θείων ἀποστόλων εἰς πάντα τὰ ἔθνη διένειμεν. « Ἔδωκεν ἡ ἄδυσσος φωνὴν αὑτῆς, ὕψος φαντασίας αὐτῆς ἐπήρθη 33. (.α΄.) Ὁ 35 ἥλιος καὶ ἡ σελήνη ἔστη ἐν τῇ τάξει αὑτῆς. » Ἐπέμεινε τῇ τροπῇ, καὶ τὴν τῶν νοημάτων ἀκολουθίαν ἐφύλαξε. Ποταμοὺς γὰρ τοὺς ἱεροὺς ἀποστόλους προσαγορεύσας, σῶν ὀνομάζει τὰ ἔθνη τῇ τῆς ἀσεθείας θ… εἰς πέλαγος πολὺς ἦχος καὶ ψόφο; ἀποτελεῖται, τῶν θαλαττίων κυμάτων εἰργόντων, καὶ ἐπεχόντων τὴν εἰσδολήν " οὕτως τῶν θείων ἀποστόλων τὰ ἔθνη πεεινοστούντων, καὶ τὸ σωτήριον διαπορθμευόντων κήτῶν ἀπίστων ἀντιλεγόντων, καὶ σδεννύναι πειρω»μένων τῆς διδασκαλίας τὴν φλόγα. Καὶ τοῦτο σαφῶς ἡμᾶς ἡ τῶν Πράξεων ἱστορία διδάσκει. Ἐν Ἐφέσῳ μὲν γὰρ Δημήτριος ὁ ἀργυροκόπος τὴν κατὰ τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐχίνησε ταραχὴν ἐν Κορίνθῳ δὲ ἕτεροι ἐδόων " « Οἱ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἀναστατώσαντες, οὗτοι καὶ ἐνθάδε πάρεισιν. » Ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις δὲ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι πᾶσαν τὴν πόλιν κατὰ τοῦ θεσπεσίου Παύλου κινήσαντες, Ῥωμαίοις, τὸ τελευταῖον, παρέδοσαν. Καὶ ἄλλα δὲ μυρία τοιαῦτα ἔστιν εὑρεῖν «Εἰς φῶς βολίδες σον πορεύσονται - εἰς φέγγος ἀστραπῆς ὅπλων σου. (ι8'.) Ἐν ἀπειλῇ συμπατῆςσεις δ γῆν, καὶ ἐν θυμῷ πατάξεις 5 ἔθνη. » Καὶ τούτων γινομένων εἰς τοὺς ἀπὸ σοῦ πεμφθέντας τοῖς ἔθνεσι κήρυκας, μαχροθυμεῖς, φησὶν, ἄῤῥητον μὲν ἔχων τὴν δύναμιν, ὅπλων δὲ χολαστιχῶν παντοδαπῶν εὐπορῶν, καὶ διὰ μόνη; ἀπειλῆς τὴν σύμπαξαν γῆν μετὰ τῶν οἰκητόρων διαφθεῖραι δυνάμενος. Τῇ ὃς ιγ΄, ε Ἐξῆλθες εἰς σωτηρίαν τοῦ "5 λαοῦ σγυ, τοῦ σῶσαι τοὺς χριστούς σου. » Καὶ ταῦτα ἔο:χε τοῖς ὑπὸ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐν τοῖς; ἱεροῖς Εὐαγγελίοι; εἰρημένοις " « Ἧ᾽λθεν " ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου εἰς Ο τὸ» κόσμον, οὐκ ἵνα κρίνῃ τὸν κόσμον, ἀλλ᾽ ἵνα σωθῇ ὁ κόσμος δι᾽ αὐτοῦ. » Χριστοὺς δὲ καλεῖ τοὺς τῆς χλήσεω; ἀξιωθέντας, καὶ πιστῶς δεξαμένους τὸ κήρυγμα, καὶ τῆς τοῦ θείου Πνεύματος χάριτο; ἄπολαύσαντας. « "Ἔδαλες εἰς κεφαλὰς ἀνόμων θάνατον, ἐξέγειρας δεσμοὺς ἕως τραχήλου εἰς πέλος. » Το; μὲν οὖν πεπιστευκόσιν ὥρεξας τὴν σωτηρέαν " τοὺς δὲ διὰ τέλους ἡπιστηχότας τῷ θανάτν παρέδωκας", περιτεθειχὼς αὐτοῖς τὰ τούτου δεσμά. ιδ΄. ς Διέχοψας ἐν ἐκστάσει κεφαλὰς δυναστῶν, τῶν, ὡς ὁ ἐσθίων πτωχὸς λάθρα. » Δήλης δέ σου πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις τῆς δυνάμεως γενομένης, καὶ οἱ τὰς μεγάλας περικείμενοι δυναστείας ἐν δέει τοτούτῳ γενήσονται, ὡς τοὺς ἐναντίους λόγους μὴ σὺν παῤ- … οὺς εἰκότως ἄν τις παραδάλοι πτωχῷ τιν: προτανῶ; τοῦ στόματος ταύτην ἔνδον λεπτύνοντι. ιξ΄. ε Καὶ ἐπεδίδασας τοὺς ἵππου; δου " εἰς θὰτῶν ποταμῶν εἰσθαλλόντων εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν τὴν ζάλην εἶπε γενήσεσθαι “ ἐνταῦθα δὲ, οὺς ποταμοὺς προσηγόρευσεν, ἵππους πάλιν ὠνόμασεν " ὧν τὰ ἔθνη περιόντων, συνίστατο μὲν τὰ χλυδώνια, διεδὲ- χετο δὲ ταῦτα γαλήνη βαθεῖλ. Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς Εὐαγγελίοις εἶπεν " « Οὐκ ἦλθον βαλεῖν εἰρήνην εἰς; τὴν οἰχουβένην, ἀλλὰ μάχαιραν, δικάσαι ἄνθρωπον ἀπὸ τοῦ πλησίον δ" αὑτοῦ, υἱὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ πατρὺς αὐτοῦ, θυγατέρα ἀπὸ " τῆς μητρὺς αὑτῆς, καὶ νύμφην ἀπὸ τῆς πενθερᾶς αὐτῆς.» Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ συμφώνως ᾿σπάζοντο τὴν ἀσέόειαν, τῇ καλῇ διαιρέσει λύει τὴν κακὴν συμφωνίαν, καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἐπαινουμένην διαφωνίαν, τὴν τῆς εὐπσεδείας ις΄. ε« Ἐφυλαξάμην, καὶ ἐπτοήθη ἡ κοιλία "" μου ἀπὸ φωνῆς προτευχῆς χειλέων μου" καὶ εἰσῆλθε πρόμος εἰς τὰ ὁστῇ μου, καὶ ὑποκάτωθέν μου "" τιράχθη ἡ ἕξις "δ μου. » Λογισάμενος ὁ [Προφήτης, ἀπὸ τῶν εἰρημένων οἷα συμδήσεται Ἰουδαίοις ἀπιστοῦσι, τῶν ἐθνῶν πιστευόντων, συμπαθείᾳ περὶ ποὺς ὁμοφύλους χρησάμενος, τρέμειν ἔφη, καὶ δεδιέναι τῶν διὰ τῆς προσευχῆς; εἰρημένων προῤῥήσεων ἕνεκα, ᾿Αλλ᾽ ὅμω; ἔχω, φησὶ, παραφυχὴν, τὸ μὴ γενέσθα: τῆς ἐχείνων κακοπραγίας αὐτόπτητ. ἀναδῆνχι" εἰς λαὸν παροικίας μου. » Πρὸ γὰρ τῆς ἐχράσεως: τῶν προῤῥήπεων τέλος τοῦ βίου δέξομαι, καὶ τῇ; τοῦ παρόντος βίου παροικίας ἀπαλλαγήἐξ, « Διότι συκῆ οὐ χαρποφορήσει, καὶ οὐκ ἔσται: Ὑεννέματα ἐν ταῖς ἀμπέλοις " ψεύσεται ἔργον ἐλαίας, καὶ τὰ πεδία οὐ ποιήσει βρῶσιν" ἐξέλιπεν ἀπὸὺ σεως πρόθατα, καὶ οὐκ ὑπάρξουσι βόες ἐπὶ φάτνᾶις. » Οὐκ ὄψομαι, φητὶν, οὔτε συχῆῇς οὔτε ἐλαίας ἀγονίαν, οὔτε ἄμπελον τῶν βοτρύων ἐστερημένην, οὐδὲ πεδία τῶν ἀσταχύων γυμνὰ, οὐ λιμῷ τὰ κτήνη φθειρόμενα. Καὶ τούτων δὲ ἕκαστον τροπικῶς εἴρηται. Συκὴν μὲν γὰρ τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ προτηγόρευσεν" οὕτω γὰρ ἡμᾶς νοεῖν ὁ Κύριος ἐδίἣν ὁ φυτουργὸς διὰ τὴν ἀχαρπίαν ἐκτεμεῖν ἧδου λήθη" ὁ δὲ γεωργὸς ὀλίγον ἐνδοθῆναι χρόνον ἱχέ- “Αμπελον ὃξ τὸν λσὺὴν ἣ θεία Γραφὴ πολλάκις ὠνόμασε " καὶ ἵνα τὰς ἄλλας καταλείπω μαρτυρίας, διὰ Ἡσαῖου φησὶν ὁ Θεός" « Ὁ γὰρ ἀμπελὼν Κυ- Οἷου Σαδαὼθ οἶκος Ἰσραήλ ἔστι, καὶ ὁ οἶκος τοῦ Ἰούδα νεόφυτον ἡγαπημένον. “Ἔμεινα τοῦ ποιῆσαι κοίσιν, ἐποίησε δὲ ἀνομίαν, καὶ οὐ δικαιοσύνην, ἀλλὰ κραυγῆν. ν ᾿Ε.λαίαν ὃὲ ἄγονον, τοὺς Φαρισαίους καὶ Σαδῥουκαίους οὐκ ἄν τις ἀμάρτοι προσαγορεύσας, οἱ ἐπὶ τῷ τῆς δικαιοσύνης ὀνόματι βρενθυόμενοι, ἔρημοι τῶν ταύτης ὑπῆρχον καρπῶν. “Ὅτι δὲ εἰς εἰκόνα δικαίων αὕτη παραλαμθάνεται, μάρνυς ὁ μέγας Δαδὶδ βοῶν" « Ἐγὼ δὲ ὡτεὶ ἐλαία κατάκαρπος ἐν τῷ οἴχαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἤλπισα ἐπὶ τὸ ἕλεος τοῦ Θεοῦ μου εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. ν Πεδία δὲ πρὸς οὺς καὶ Ἱερεμίας βοᾷ" « Νεώσατε ἑαυτοῖς γεώματα, καὶ μὴ σπείρητε ἐπ᾽ ἀκάνθαις. » Καὶ πρόδατα δὲ τοὺς ἀρχομένους καλεῖ, οἷς τὸν λιμὸν ἀπειλεῖ. ε« Ἰδοὺ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐγὼ ἐπάξω λιμὸν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, οὐ λιμὸν ἄρτου, οὐδὲ δίψαν ὕδατος, ἀλλὰ λιμὸν τοῦ ἀκοῦσαι λόγον Κυρίου, » Βόας δὲ οὐκ ὑπάρχοντας ἐν φάτναις τοὺς ἱερέας λέγει "1, ὧν ρια " καθάπερ γὰρ οἱ βόε; γεωργοῦσι τὴν γῆν, οὖτως οἱ ἱερεῖς ἐνεούργουν τοῦ λαοῦ τὰς ψυχὰς, οἷόν τινα τροφὴν παρ᾽ αὑτυῦ χοβιζόμενοι τὰ τοῖς θείοις Περὶ τούτων καὶ ὁ μακάριος ἔφη Παῦλος " «ε Οὐ φιμώτσεις βοῦν ἀλοῶντα. ν Καὶ πάλιν - « Οἱ τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ προσεδρεύοντες, τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ συμ.’ μερίξονται. ν ᾿Αλλ᾽ οὗτοι μὲν τοιαύταις περιπεσοῦνται δυσπραξία:ς " ιθ΄. « Ἐγὼ δὲ ἐν τῷ Κυρίῳ ἀγαλλιάσομαι" χαρήσομαι ἐπὶ τῷ Θεῷ τῷ Σωτῆρί μου, Κύριος ὁ Θεός μου δύναμίς μον, καὶ τάξει τοὺς πύδας μου ὡσεὶ ἐλάφου", καὶ " ἐπὶ τὰ ὑτηλὰ ἐπιδιδᾷ με, τοῦ νιχῆδαί μὲ ἐν τῇ δῇ αὐτοῦ. » Εἰ γὰρ καὶ δι᾽ ἐκείνους ἀθυμίας ἐνεπλήσθην καὶ δέους, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ μου δόξαν τὴν ἅπασιν ἀνθρώποις Ὑπερείσει γάρ μου τῆς φύσεως τὴν ἀσθένειαν, καὶ δίκην ἐλάφου τοὺς ὄφεις, καὶ τοὺς σκορπίους, καὶ τὰ πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας παρασχευάσει πατεῖν, ἕως ἂν τοῦ ὕψους τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐφιχόμενος, τὸν ἐπινίκιον ὕμνον ἄσω τῷ Σωτῆρι καὶ Ποιητῇ. Οἷδι μὲν οὖν, ὥς τινες ἄπασαν τὴν τοῦ ᾿Αμδαχοὺμ προσευχὴν ἱστορικῶς νενοηκότες, περὶ τῆς ἐκ Βαδυλῶνος ἐπανόδου ἔφασαν τὸν Προφήτην ταῦτα προειρηκέναι " ἐγὼ ὃὲ, εἰ μὲν καὶ τυπικῶς ἐπ᾽ ἐχεένοις τὶς ταῦτα προΞξιρῆσθαι βούλεται, οὐ διενεχθήσομαι " τοῖς γὰρ ὑφ᾽ ἡμῶν ἑρμηνευθεῖσι συμόκλίνει καὶ ἢ τοιαύτη διάνοια, εἴπερ ἀληθῶς τύπος; ἐναργὴς τῶν νέων τὰ παλαιά. "Ἄτοπον δὲ φήθην, τῆς ἀληθείας κρατούσης, καὶ τῆς σκιᾶς ὑπὸ τοῦ σώματος χαλυφθείπσης, εἰς ἕτερα τὴν προφητείαν λαθεῖν, μηδὲ παντελῶς ἐκείνοις ἁρμόττουσαν. Εἰ δέ τις ἀχριδῶς μαθεῖν ἐθέλει, ἐρευνησάτω τὴν προφητείαν, καὶ ὄγεται αὐτῆς τὰ πλεῖστα μηδαμῶς τοῖς τύποις ἁρμόττοντα" ἀλλὰ περὶ μὲν τούτων ἧ 5 βούλεταί τις κρινέτω" ἐγὼ δὲ τοὺς ἐντυγχάνοντας παρακαλῶ, τὴν ἐκ τῶν ἡρμηνευμένων ὠφέλειαν συλλέξαι, καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς θείας Ὁ βοηθουμένους δυνάμεως τὸν δρόμον τελέσαι, καὶ τῶν νιχηφόρων ἐπιθυμῆσαι στεφάνων, ὧν ὁ Δεσπότης Χριστὸς, ᾧ πρέπει δόξα πᾷτα εἰς τοὺς ἀϊῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. '᾿λμέν. ### English translation (Claude) 20. "But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be reverent before his face." For the idols are dumb and devoid of all power; but our Master has heaven as a kind of temple, and on earth too he has the place consecrated in Jerusalem; and on every account he is entitled to receive reverence from the whole creation. It is clear that this too is said to the Babylonian, who despised the God who is and handed over to the fire the temple [built] for him, while giving worship to those [made] by [hands]. Having thus shaped the character of his discourse and cast it into question and answer, into the difficulty and the solution of the questions raised, and having shown the justice of God and how he exacts penalties from the Jews through the Babylonians and from the Babylonians through others, the blessed prophet turns his discourse into a hymn and a prayer, once again foretelling what will be under the form of a prayer. [Hab 3:2] "O Lord, I have heard the report of you and was afraid; O Lord, I have considered your works and was astonished." I was filled with fear, O Master, on hearing your words; but beholding the justice of your sentence, and each thing that happens being judged justly, I continue to marvel greatly. "In the midst of two living creatures you will be known." This has been understood differently by different people. Some have understood the two living creatures as angels and human beings; others as those bodiless powers that draw near to the divine glory, the cherubim and the seraphim; others as Jews and Babylonians. To me it seems that the prophet spoke not of "living creatures" but of "lives", the present and the future, between which the just Judge appears. "When the years draw near you will be recognized; when the time is present you will be shown." For as time goes on and the events appear, the truthfulness of your predictions is shown. "When my soul is troubled, in wrath you will remember mercy." And while you trouble the souls of human beings by chastisements, you again [deal with them] in mercy. [Hab 3:3] "God will come from Teman, and the Holy One from a shady mountain." Some have interpreted Teman as "south-west", others as "south". The prophet foretells and proclaims in advance the incarnation of our God and Savior that took place in Bethlehem, which lies to the south and south-west of Jerusalem; and he calls Jerusalem itself the shady mountain, which of old flourished with all manner of gifts, was shaded by the cloud, and dwelt in the shelter of the God of heaven. "His excellence covered the heavens, and the earth is full of his praise." The blessed David also said this: "O Lord, our Lord, how wonderful is your name in all the earth! For your magnificence is lifted up above the heavens." For the only-begotten Word of God, having become man, scattered the darkness of ignorance, enlightened human beings with the rays of the knowledge of God, and taught all that he is the Maker of heaven and earth and of all things. [Hab 3:4] "And his brightness will be as light." For he sent forth a most brilliant ray, by which he lit up the world. "Horns are in his hands, and he has set a strong love of his strength." Not only by using the light of teaching did he show the truth, but by the power of his wonder-working he also moved every tongue to wonder; and he did both out of great love for the nature of human beings. The Lord himself said this too in the holy Gospels: "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." And: "No one can show greater love than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." He called power "horns", since these are the weapons of the animals that have them. Such is what was said by the blessed David: "In you we will gore our enemies." [Hab 3:5] "Before his face a word will go, and it will go out for discipline at his feet." For the word leads the deeds, and foretelling what will be, he then brings on events in close agreement with the words. As for "for discipline", some of the copies have it with the nu, and this indicates that the God of all uses both words and deeds for the discipline and instruction of human beings; some have it without the nu, and this signifies that with great ease, as on a plain fit for riding, events run on following the prophecies. [Hab 3:6] "He stood, and the earth was shaken; he looked, and nations melted; the mountains were shattered by force, the everlasting hills melted, at his everlasting goings." Through all these words he taught us the ineffable power of God: for the deed follows his will, and by merely willing (for this is what he meant by "he stood" and "he looked") he shakes the earth, dissolves the nature of human beings, breaks the mountains, and melts the hills like wax. For he has continually done these and similar things for the benefit of human beings; he calls his works "goings". Through these words he also signifies the cross that made salvation spring forth for all human beings, on which the Master Christ stood, and shook the earth, and split the mountains with the shaking, and struck the races of demons with fear, and destroyed the sacred precincts on mountains and hills. These things he determined from above, from the foundation of the world, and fulfilled in the last of the days. [Hab 3:7] "Instead of troubles which I saw, the tents of the Ethiopians will be terrified, and the tents of the land of Midian." But after the saving sufferings I saw the race of demons fallen, who imitate by their choice the natural color of the Ethiopians and deceive the souls of human beings. And if anyone wishes to understand this of human beings, he will not miss the aim of divine Scripture; for after the saving cross, the passion, and the resurrection, the divine choir of the apostles beheld the tents of Midian and the dwellings of the Ethiopians, and filled the whole world with divine knowledge. [Hab 3:8] "Were you angry with rivers, O Lord, or was your wrath against rivers, or your onrush against the sea?" Shaking the earth, O Master, he says, and crushing the mountains, are you angry with all the nations, and bringing total destruction on all human beings? For he called the nations rivers and sea. "For you will mount upon your horses, and your riding is salvation. (9) Bending, you will bend your bow against scepters, says the Lord." But it is clear that you accepted these sufferings out of care for the salvation of human beings. Therefore, riding upon the holy apostles as upon horses, you will provide salvation to all who believe; but you will use your punishing weapons against those who speak against you, among whom the tribes of Israel come first; for he called the tribes "scepters". Like this is what the Lord said to Ananias in Damascus about the blessed Paul: "Go, for this man is a chosen vessel to me, to bear my name before nations and kings and the sons of Israel." And "Bending, you will bend your bow" agrees closely with what was said by the blessed David: "[Bend your bow], and prosper, and reign"; and a little after: "Your arrows are sharpened, O Mighty One; peoples will fall under you, in the heart of the king's enemies." "The earth will be split with rivers." For just as farmers divide rivers into channels, contriving irrigation for the land, so you will divide the divine apostles and their followers like rivers, and will bring spiritual irrigation to human beings. [Hab 3:10] "Peoples will see you and be in travail." This has a double meaning. Those who have believed, seeing your power shown in advance, love it and are, as it were, in travail, longing to see your eternal kingdom; while those held by unbelief will be stricken with the pangs of a woman in labor, envying and begrudging your glory. "Scattering the waters of his course." This too agrees with what has been said; for he distributed the waters of his divine teaching to all the nations through the divine apostles. "The abyss gave its voice; the height of its appearance was lifted up. (11) The sun and the moon stood still in their order." He has kept to the figure and preserved the sequence of thought. For having called the holy apostles rivers, he names the nations the sea of impiety. … For [just as when rivers flow] into the open sea much roaring and noise is produced, as the sea waves hold back and check their inflow, so, when the divine apostles went around the nations and ferried across the message of salvation, the unbelievers spoke against them and tried to quench the flame of the teaching. The history of the Acts teaches us this clearly. For in Ephesus Demetrius the silversmith stirred up the tumult against the apostles; in Corinth others shouted, "These men who have turned the world upside down have come here too." And in Jerusalem the Jews, having stirred up the whole city against the inspired Paul, finally handed him over to the Romans. And one can find countless other such things. "Your darts will go into light, into the brightness of the lightning of your weapons. (12) In threatening you will trample the earth, and in wrath you will strike down nations." Though these things are done to the heralds you sent to the nations, he says, you are long-suffering, though you have ineffable power, abound in punishing weapons of every kind, and could destroy the whole earth with its inhabitants by a threat alone. … [Hab 3:13] "You went out for the salvation of your people, to save your anointed ones." This too resembles what our Savior said in the holy Gospels: "The Son of Man came into the world not to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him." He calls "anointed ones" those who were counted worthy of the calling, received the preaching in faith, and enjoyed the grace of the divine Spirit. "You cast death upon the heads of the lawless; you raised bonds up to the neck, to the end." To those who believed, then, you held out salvation; but those who remained in unbelief to the end you handed over to death, having put its bonds around them. [Hab 3:14] "You cut off in amazement the heads of the mighty; [they will be shaken by it; they will open their bridles] like a poor man eating in secret." When your power has become plain to all human beings, even those invested with great dominions will be in such fear as not to [speak] the opposing words with [boldness] …; whom one might fairly compare to a poor man who … his mouth and grinds his food small inside. [Hab 3:15] "And you mounted your horses into the [sea, troubling many waters]." [There] he said that a surge arises when rivers flow into the sea; here he has again named "horses" those whom he called rivers. While they went around the nations, the billows rose, but a deep calm succeeded them. The Lord too said this in the holy Gospels: "I did not come to cast peace upon the world, but a sword, to set a man against his neighbor, a son against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a bride against her mother-in-law." For since they embraced impiety in concord, he dissolves the evil concord by a good division, and after the praiseworthy discord [establishes] the [concord] of piety. [Hab 3:16] "I kept watch, and my belly was terrified at the sound of the prayer of my lips; and trembling entered into my bones, and beneath me my frame was troubled." The prophet, reckoning from what had been said what would happen to the Jews in their unbelief while the nations believed, felt sympathy for his kinsmen and said that he trembled and was afraid on account of the predictions spoken through the prayer. But nevertheless, he says, I have a consolation: that I shall not become an eyewitness of their misfortune. "[I shall rest in the day of affliction], to go up to the people of my sojourning." For before the outcome of the predictions I shall receive the end of life and be released from the sojourning of the present life. (17) "For the fig tree will not bear fruit, and there will be no produce on the vines; the work of the olive will fail, and the plains will yield no food; the sheep have failed from [the pasture], and there will be no oxen at the mangers." I shall not see, he says, the barrenness of fig or olive, nor the vine robbed of its clusters, nor the plains bare of ears of grain, nor the cattle perishing with famine. And each of these is said figuratively. He called Jerusalem the fig tree; for so the Lord taught us to understand it, [the fig tree] which the planter wished to cut down for its unfruitfulness, while the vinedresser begged that a little time be granted. The divine Scripture often called the people a vine; and, to leave aside the other testimonies, God says through Isaiah: "For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the house of Judah a beloved new plant. I waited for it to do justice, but it did lawlessness, and not righteousness, but a cry." One would not be wrong to call the Pharisees and Sadducees a barren olive: they prided themselves on the name of righteousness but were devoid of its fruits. That the olive is taken as an image of the righteous, the great David is witness, crying: "But I am like a fruitful olive in the house of God; I have hoped in the mercy of my God forever." The plains are those to whom Jeremiah too cries: "Break up fallow ground for yourselves, and do not sow among thorns." And he calls the subjects sheep, whom he threatens with famine: "For behold," he says, "I will bring a famine upon the land, not a famine of bread nor a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the word of the Lord." By the oxen that are not at the mangers he means the priests …; for just as oxen till the land, so the priests tilled the souls of the people, receiving from it as a kind of food what [is offered] to the divine … About these the blessed Paul too said: "You shall not muzzle an ox that treads out the grain." And again: "Those who attend the altar share with the altar." But these will fall into such misfortunes; … [Hab 3:18–19] "But I will exult in the Lord; I will rejoice in God my Savior. The Lord God is my strength, and he will set my feet like a deer's, and set me upon the heights, so that I may conquer by his song." For even if I was filled with despondency and fear because of them, yet because of the glory of my God [that shines] on all human beings [I rejoice]. For he will support the weakness of my nature, and will make me, like a deer, trample on snakes and scorpions and the spiritual forces of wickedness, until, having reached the height of virtue, I sing the hymn of victory to the Savior and Maker. I know, then, that some have understood the whole prayer of Habakkuk historically and said that the prophet foretold these things about the return from Babylon. For my part, if anyone wishes these things to have been foretold of those events typologically, I will not quarrel; for such a meaning also agrees with what we have interpreted, since the old things are truly a clear type of the new. But I thought it out of place, when the truth prevails and the shadow has been covered by the body, to take the prophecy to other things that do not fit them at all. If anyone wishes to learn precisely, let him search the prophecy, and he will see that most of it in no way fits the types. But about these things let each judge as he wishes; I exhort my readers to gather the benefit from what has been interpreted, and, helped by the divine power, to finish the race and to long for the crowns of victory, which the Master Christ [gives], to whom be all glory to the ages of ages. Amen. ### Scripture references - Hab 2:20: quotation, high confidence - Hab 3:2: quotation, high confidence - Hab 3:3: quotation, high confidence - Hab 3:4: quotation, high confidence - Hab 3:5: quotation, high confidence - Hab 3:6: quotation, high confidence - Hab 3:7: quotation, high confidence - Hab 3:8: quotation, high confidence - Hab 3:9: quotation, high confidence - Hab 3:10: quotation, high confidence - Hab 3:11: quotation, high confidence - Hab 3:12: quotation, high confidence - Hab 3:13: quotation, high confidence - Hab 3:14: quotation, high confidence - Hab 3:15: quotation, high confidence - Hab 3:16: quotation, high confidence - Hab 3:17: quotation, high confidence - Hab 3:18: quotation, high confidence - Hab 3:19: quotation, high confidence - Ps 8:1 (8:2 LXX): quotation, high confidence - John 10:11: quotation, high confidence - John 15:13: quotation, high confidence - Ps 44:5 (43:6 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Matt 27:51: allusion, medium confidence - Acts 9:15: quotation, high confidence - Ps 45:4 (44:5 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 45:5 (44:6 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Acts 19:24: allusion, high confidence - Acts 17:6: quotation, high confidence - Acts 21:30: allusion, high confidence - John 3:17: quotation, high confidence - Matt 10:34: quotation, high confidence - Matt 10:35: quotation, high confidence - Luke 13:6: allusion, high confidence - Isa 5:7: quotation, high confidence - Ps 52:8 (51:10 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Jer 4:3: quotation, high confidence - Amos 8:11: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 9:9: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 9:13: quotation, high confidence - Luke 10:19: allusion, high confidence - Eph 6:12: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hab 2:20, then the whole of chapter 3: the verse numerals of chapter 3 were not recognized as a new chapter, so the comment on Hab 3:2–19 sits inside this section; the bracketed verse markers show where each comment begins (3:1, the title of the prayer, is not quoted). Theodoret reads the prayer christologically and states that a typological reading of it as the return from Babylon also agrees, but that a purely historical one does not fit. The judgment on the Jews' unbelief (3:9, 3:16–17) is Theodoret's own view. Corinth: the shout of Acts 17:6 was raised at Thessalonica. "For discipline": εἰς παιδείαν; without the nu, εἰς πεδία, "into plains". "Anointed ones": χριστούς. Migne's Latin column and footnotes, which had leaked into the text in many places, are removed by logged corrections; Greek words lost in the scan are marked … or supplied in brackets from the LXX or by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 8.2.20 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/8-2-20). ## Commentary on Zephaniah, Preface, part 1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/8-2-1/#p-9-0-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Theodoret sets Zephaniah under Josiah, after the apostasy of Manasseh and Amon, outlines the book, and explains the threat that even animals will perish with the lawless people they served. ### Greek text Μετὰ" τὸν Ἐζεχίαν τὸν εὐσεθῃ κκαὶ θεοφιλῆ βασιλέα, ὁ τούτου παῖς Μανασοῆς βασιλεύσας εἰς ἔσχατον ἤλασεν ἀσεθείας " καὶ μέντοι καὶ τὸν λαὸν εἰς παρανομίαν καὶ θεραπείαν εἰδώλων ἐξοχεῖλαι πεποίηκε. Καὶ ὁ τούτου δὲ υἱὸς ᾿Αμὼν, ὀλίγον βασιλεύσας χρόνον, τῇ μὲν δυσσεδείᾳ τοῦ πατρὺς ἦκολούθησε, τὴν ἐχείνου δὲ μετάνοιαν οὐκ ἐζήλωσεν" ἀλλ᾽ ὁμοίως καὶ αὐτὸς εἰς πᾶν εἶδος κακίας ἐπαιδοτρίδησε τὸν λαόν. Ἔχ τούτου φὺς ὁ τρισμαχάριος Ἰωσίας, τὴν ἐναντίαν τούτοις ἐκ διαμέτρου πορείαν ἀρετῆς, τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ θεραπείαν πάντων ὁμοῦ προαἱρούμενος. Ἐπὶ τούτου τήνδε τὴν προφητείαν ὁ θεσπέσιος ἐποιήσατο Σοφονίας “ καὶ ὁ θειότατος δὲ Ἱερεμίας ἐν ἔτει τρίτῳ καὶ δεκάτῳ τῆς τούτον βασιλείας τοῦ προφητεύειν ἤρξατο. Προλέγει δὲ ὁ θαυμάσιος οὗτος προφήτης τὰ συμδησόμενα τῇ τε Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καὶ τῇ Ἰούδα φυλῇ " προαγορεύει ὃὲ καὶ τοῖς γειτονεύουσιν αὐτοῖς ᾿Δλλοφύλοις ἀνιαρὰ, καὶ τοῖς ᾿Ασσυρίοις δὲ προθεσπίζει πανωλεθρίαν. Εἶτα τοῦ λαοῦ τὴν ἀνάκλησιν προμηνύει, καὶ τὴν δοομένην πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσι μετὰ τὴν Δεσποτικὴν ἐνἀνθρώπησιν σωτηρίαν δ, Ἢ μὲν οὖν ὑπόθεσις ἐν κεφαλαίῳ τῆς προφητείας αὕτη " ἄρχεται δὲ τῆς προῤῥήσεως οὕτως" α'-Υ΄. « Λόγος Κυρίου, ὃς ἐγενήθη πρὸς Σοφονίαν, τὸν τοῦ Κουσὶ, υἱοῦ Γοδολίου, τοῦ ᾿Αμαρίου, τοῦ Ἐζεχίου, ἐν ἡμέραις Ἰωσίου υἱοῦ ᾿Αμὼν βασιλέως Ἰούδα. Ἐκλείψει ἐχλιπέτω πάντα ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς γῆς, λέγει Κύριος, Ἐχλιπέτω ἄνθρωγᾷ, καὶ κτήνη" ἐχλειπέτω τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ οἱ ἰχθύες τῆς θαλάσσης. » Καὶ δ᾽ δεικνὺς τῆς προφητείας τὸ δίκαιον, ἐπάγει " « Καὶ τὰ σκάνδαλα σὺν τοῖς ἀσ:ἐσι " χκαὶδ᾽ ἐξαρῶ τοὺς ἀνόμους ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς γῆ:. λέγει Κύριος. » Τῆς γὰρ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἕνεκα δυσσεδείας τε καὶ παρανομίας, καὶ τὰ διὰ τούτους γεγενημένα, καὶ εἰς τὴν τού: τῶν χρείαν πεποιημένα τῶν ἀλόγων γένη χαταν» αλώσω. Ὥσπερ γὰρ εἰς θεραπείαν αὐτῶν, καὶ πτηνὰ, καὶ νηκτὰ, καὶ κτήνη πεποίηκα, οὕτως σὺν αὐτοῖς καὶ ταῦτα διαφθερῶ. Περιττὴ γὰρ τούτων ἣ χρεία, τῶν ἀπολαυόντων οὐκ ὄντων. Καὶ διδάσκων τίσι χαλεπαίνει, καὶ κατὰ τίνων ὀργίζεται, ἐπιφέρει " ### English translation (Claude) After Hezekiah, the pious and God-loving king, his son Manasseh became king and went to the utmost of impiety; he also made the people run aground into lawlessness and the worship of idols. His son Amon, who reigned a short time, followed his father's impiety but did not emulate his repentance; he too likewise trained the people in every kind of wickedness. From him sprang the thrice-blessed Josiah, who chose the path of virtue diametrically opposed to theirs, preferring the worship of God to everything. Under him the inspired Zephaniah made this prophecy; and the most divine Jeremiah began to prophesy in the thirteenth year of his reign. This wonderful prophet foretells what would happen to Jerusalem and the tribe of Judah; he also predicts grievous things for the foreigners who were their neighbors, and prophesies total destruction for the Assyrians. Then he announces in advance the recall of the people and the salvation given to all the nations after the Lord's incarnation. This, in summary, is the theme of the prophecy; and he begins the prediction thus: (1–3) "The word of the Lord which came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah. Let all things utterly fail from the face of the earth, says the Lord. Let man and beasts fail; let the birds of the heaven fail, and the fish of the sea." And showing the justice of the prophecy, he adds: "And the stumbling blocks with the ungodly; and I will remove the lawless from the face of the earth, says the Lord." For because of the impiety and lawlessness of human beings, I will destroy also the kinds of irrational creatures that came to be on their account and were made for their use. For just as I made birds, swimming creatures, and cattle for their service, so I will destroy these too together with them; for there is no use for them when those who enjoy them no longer exist. And teaching with whom he is angry and against whom he is wrathful, he adds: ### Scripture references - Zeph 1:1: quotation, high confidence - Zeph 1:2: quotation, high confidence - Zeph 1:3: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 21:1: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 33:12: allusion, medium confidence - 2 Kgs 21:19: allusion, high confidence - Jer 1:2: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Preface to Zephaniah, then the lemma Zeph 1:1–3. Migne's footnotes, a notice on Zephaniah from the Lives of the Prophets (his tribe, his prophecies, his burial in his field) and Migne's summary of the chapter (an accusation of Israel according to the flesh) had leaked into the lemma; they are removed. Words of the comment displaced by the scan ("swimming creatures and cattle I made") are restored to their place by a logged correction. History: 2 Kgs 21; 2 Chr 33:12–13 (Manasseh's repentance); Jer 1:2. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 9.0.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-0-1). ## Commentary on Zephaniah 1:4–5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-1-4/#p-9-1-4 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God threatens Judah's idolaters, those who swear both by the Lord and by Melchom, the royal house and those who wear foreign dress, calling their slaughter his sacrifice. ### Greek text ᾿ δ', ε΄. « Καὶ ἐκτενῶ τὴν χεῖρά μον ἐπὶ Ἰούδα, καὶ ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς κατοικοῦντας Ἱερουσαλήμ" καὶ ἐξαρῶ ἐκ τοῦ τόπου τούτου τὰ ὀνόματα τῶν "ἡ Βααλεὶμ, καὶ τὰ ὀνόματα τῶν ἱερέων μετὰ τῶν ἱερῶν. Καὶ τοὺς προσκυνοῦντας ἐπὶ τὰ δώματα τῇ στρατιᾷ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. ν» Ὃ χατάλογο, τῶν ἁμαρτη͵,θρωπίας γὰρ καὶ ἡ τιμωρία μεστή ἀπαλλαγὴν γὰρ ὑπισχνεῖται τῆς πλάνης, καὶ λήθην οὐ μόνον τῆς τῶν εἰδώλων θεραπεία;, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτῆς αὐτῶν τῆς προσηγορίας. Στρατιὰν δὲ οὐραγοῦ προσηγόρευσε τῶν κατ᾽ οὐρανὸν φωστήρων τὴν τάξιν τούτοις γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν δωμάτων τὰς θυσίας προσέφερον, ἀχριθέστερον αὐτοὺς ὁρᾷν ἐφιέμενοι. ε Καὶ τοὺς ὀμνύοντας κατὰ τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ τοὺς ὀμνύοντας κατὰ Μελχὼμ 56" (ς΄.) καὶ τοὺς ὅ7 ἐκκλίνοντας ἀπὸ δ" τοῦ δ Κυρίου, καὶ τοὺς μὴ ζητοῦντας τὸν Κύριον, καὶ τοὺς μὴ ἀντεχομένους 5“ τοῦ Κυρίου. ν» Ἴσως ἄν τις ζητήσειε, τίνος χάριν δι᾽ ἑτέρου προφήτου ἐξᾶραι μὲν τὰ Βααλεὶμ ἐκ τοῦ στόματος παρεγγυᾷ, ὀμόσαι δὲ, Ζῇ Κύριος, μετὰ ἀληθείας, παρακελεύεται, ἕνπαῦθα δὲ τιμωρίαν ἀπειλεῖ τοῖς κατὰ τοῦ Κυρίου ὀμνύουσιν. ᾿Αλλ᾽ αὐτίκα τὴν λύσιν ῥάδιον εὑρεῖν. « Τοὺς ὀμνύοντας γὰρ, φησὶ", κατὰ τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ τοὺς ὀμνύοντας κατὰ Μελχώμ. » Εἴδωλον δὲ τοῦτο ᾿Αμμανιτῶν ἦν, ὥ; γε καὶ παρὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις προφήταις εὑρίσκομεν, καὶ ἐν τῇ τρίτῃ τῶν Βασιλειῶν. « Ἐλάτρευσε γὰρ, φησὶ, Σολομὼν τῇ ᾿Αστάρτῃ βασιλέστῃ Σιδωνίων, καὶ τῷ Μελχὼμ εἰδώλῳ υἱῶν. ᾿Αμμών. » 'Αλπειλεῖ τοίνυν κόλασιν τοῖς κατὰ ταυτὸν κατά τε τοῦ ἀληθῶς Θεοῦ καὶ Κυρίον, κατά τε τῶν αἱ προφητεῖαι, Καὶ γὰρ ἐν ἐκείνῃ λέγει" ε« Ἐλν ἐξάρῃς τὰ Βααλεὶμ ἐκ τοῦ στόματός σου, καὶ ὁμόσῃς, Ζῇ Κύριος 53, μετὰ ἀληθείας " ν» καὶ ἐνταῦθα ὅμως ἐγκαλεῖ τοῖς δουλεύειν μὲν τῷ Θεῷ προσποιουκένοις, τὴν ὃὲ τῶν εἰδώλων θεραπείαν προα!ρουμένοις, Οὕτως ἀπειλήσας τὰ ἀλγεινὰ, χεράννυσι παρα! ἐσει τὴν ἀπειλὴν, ἵνα μὴ ἀπογνόντες τὴν σωτηρίαν εἰς χαλεπωτέραν ἐξοχείλωσι πονηρίαν, διότι ἐγγὺς ἡ ἡμέρα τοῦ Κυρίον, ὅτι ἡτοίμασε Κύρίος πὴν θυσίαν αὑτοῦ, ἡγίατε τοὺς κλητοὺς αὑτοῦ.» θυσίας δ' πολλάκις ὁ προφητικὸς καλεῖ λόγος καὶ τὴν τῶν παρανόμων σφαγήν" καὶ τοῦτο ἔστι μὲν καὶ παρ᾽ ἄλλοις προφήταις εὑρεῖν, ἔστι δὲ καὶ παρὰ τῷ θεσπεσίῳ Ἰεζεχιήλ. Κιλητοὺς δὲ ὀνομάζει τοὺς πολεμίους " τὸ δὲ ἡγίασεν ἀντὶ τοῦ, ἀφώρισε, τέθεικεν᾿ οὕτως καὶ διὰ Ἡταῖου φησίν " ε Ἡγιασμένοι εἰσὶ, καὶ ἐγὼ ἄγω αὐτούς " » ἀντὶ τοῦ, εἰς τοῦτυ ἀφωρισμένοι. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ καὶ τὸ ὄντως ἅγιον ἀφὥρισται, καὶ τῶν βεβήλων χεχιύρισται " καὶ τοὺς εἰς τιμωρίαν ἀφωρισμένους, ὡς ὑπ᾽ αὑτοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων ἀφωρισμένους, ἡγιασμένους καλεῖ. Οὕτω καὶ τὴν θυσίαν γαταχρηστιχῶς ὠνόμασεν. Οὕτω καὶ τὸ ἀγάθημα διπλῇ!"ν] ἔχει τὴν ἔννοιαν " οὐ γὰρ μόνον Β τὸ ἀνακείμενον τῷ Θεῷ, ἀλλὰ. καὶ τὸ ἀλλοτριούμενον ἀνάθημα κέκληκε. π΄, θ΄, Καὶ ἔσται ἐν τῇ “δ ἡμέρᾳ θυσίας Κυρίου, καὶ ἐκδικήσω ἐπὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς ἐνδεδυμένους ἐνδύματα ἀλλότρια. Καὶ ἐκδικήσω ἐπὶ πάντας ἐμφανῶς, ἐπὶ τὰ πρόπυλα ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ, τοὺς πληροῦντας τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Θεοῦ αὑτῶν 66 ἀσεδείας καὶ δόλου.» Ἐπειδὴ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις Ἰωσίου τοῦ θεοσεδοῦς βασιλέως ἡ τῆς τιμωρίας ἐξεφέρετο ψῆφος, οὐκ ἦν δὲ τούτοις ὁ βασιλεὺς ὑπεύθυνος " οἱ δὲ ἐχείνου παῖδες καὶ ἔκγονοι ἐτόλμησαν, εἰκότως. οὐκ. εἶπεν" ᾿Εκδικήσω ἐπὶ τὸν βασιλέα, ἀλλ᾽ ε ἐπὶ τὸν οἶχυν τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ αὶ ποὺς ἄρχοντας. ν Ἐγδύμωτα δὲ ἀλλότρια, τινὲ: μὲν τὰ ἐξ ἁρπαγῆς καὶ πλεονεξίας ἔφασαν " τινὲς δὲ τὰ δι᾽ ἄκραν ἀκολασίαν γενόμενα" καὶ ἄνδρες γὰρ ναι, τὰ ἀνδρῶν ἀμφιέννυνται. Ἐμοὶ δὲ δοκεῖ καὶ ἕτερον ὁ λόγος αἰνίττεσθαι - ἀπαγορεύει γὰρ ὁ νόμος τὰ ἰχ λίνου καὶ δὲ ἦν, τοὺς ἐπὶ πλούτῳ βρενθυομένους, καὶ χλιδῇ προστετηχότας, τῶν γειτνιαξζόντων ἐθνῶν τὴν ἐσθῆτα μιμήσασθαι, καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἁλουργῶν ἐρίων τοῖς λινοῖς χιτωνίσχοις πολύν τινα καὶ περίεργον κόσμον ἐπεμ- Θαλεῖν ἐναντίον δὲ ἦν τοῦτο ἀντικρὺς τῇ θείᾳ νομοθεσίᾳ. ᾿Απειλεὲ τοίνυν καὶ τούτοις, καὶ τοῖς σὺν ἀσεδείᾳ καὶ δόλῳ εἰς τὸν θεῖον εἰσιοῦσιν ναόν. Αἱνίττεται δὲ διὰ τοῦ δόλου, ὡς πρόσχημα μὲν εἶχον τὴν εὐσέθειαν, λάθρα δὲ τὴν τῶν εἰδώλων ἢσπάξοντο θεραπείαν, Διὰ ταύτας, φησὶν, ὑμῶν τὰς παρανομίας, ὑς ε Ἔσται ἐν ἐκείνῃ 57 τῇ ἡμέρᾳ, λέγει Κύριος, φωνὴ χραυγῖς ἀποχεντούντων δ ἀπὸ πύλης, καὶ ὁλολυγμὸς ἀπὸ τῆς δευτέρας, καὶ συντριμμὸς μέγας ἀπὸ τῶν βουνῶν. » Τῶν γὰρ πολεμίων τὸ τεῖχος ῥητάντων, καὶ τὰς πύλας διανοιξάντων, μετὰ βοῆς καὶ ### English translation (Claude) 4–5. "And I will stretch out my hand upon Judah and upon all who dwell in Jerusalem; and I will remove from this place the names of the Baals and the names of the priests with the priests, and those who bow down on the housetops to the host of heaven." The list of the sins … for even the punishment is full of love for humankind: he promises release from error, and forgetfulness not only of the worship of the idols but even of their very name. He called the array of the luminaries in heaven "the host of heaven"; for they offered sacrifices to these on the housetops, wishing to see them more exactly. "And those who swear by the Lord and those who swear by Melchom, (6) and those who turn aside from the Lord, and those who do not seek the Lord, and those who do not hold fast to the Lord." Someone might ask why through another prophet he enjoins removing the Baals from the mouth and bids them swear "As the Lord lives" in truth, while here he threatens punishment on those who swear by the Lord. But the solution is easy to find at once: "Those who swear," he says, "by the Lord, and those who swear by Melchom." This was an idol of the Ammonites, as we find in the other prophets and in the third book of Kingdoms: "For Solomon served Astarte of the Sidonians, and Melchom, the idol of the sons of Ammon." He threatens punishment, then, on those who at the same time [swear] both by the one who is truly God and Lord and by the … the prophecies. For in that passage he says: "If you remove the Baals from your mouth and swear 'As the Lord lives' in truth"; and here likewise he accuses those who pretend to serve God but prefer the worship of the idols. Having thus threatened painful things, he mixes exhortation with the threat, so that they might not despair of salvation and run aground into worse wickedness: (7) "… For the day of the Lord is near, for the Lord has prepared his sacrifice; he has sanctified his invited ones." The prophetic word often calls the slaughter of the lawless a sacrifice; this can be found in other prophets, and also in the inspired Ezekiel. He names the enemies "invited ones"; and he put "sanctified" for "set apart", as he also says through Isaiah: "They are sanctified, and I lead them," that is, set apart for this. For since what is truly holy is set apart and separated from the profane, he calls those set apart for punishment "sanctified", as set apart by the God of all himself. So too he called it a sacrifice by an extension of the word. So too "anathema" has a double sense: for he has called anathema not only what is dedicated to God, but also what is cut off. (8–9) "And it will be on the day of the Lord's sacrifice that I will take vengeance on the rulers and on the house of the king and on all who wear foreign clothing. And I will take vengeance on all openly at the gateways on that day, on those who fill the house of their God with impiety and deceit." Since the sentence of punishment was pronounced in the days of Josiah, the God-fearing king, and the king was not answerable for these things, but his sons and descendants dared them, he rightly did not say "I will take vengeance on the king," but "on the house of the king and on the rulers." Some have said that the foreign clothing is what comes from robbery and greed; others, what is worn out of extreme licentiousness, for men [put on women's clothes, and women] put on men's. To me the word seems to hint at something else as well: the law forbids [garments made] of linen and [wool together]; and [it was likely] that those who prided themselves on wealth and were given over to luxury imitated the dress of the neighboring nations, and wove much elaborate ornament of purple wool into their linen tunics; and this was directly contrary to the divine legislation. He threatens these, then, and those who enter the divine temple with impiety and deceit. By "deceit" he hints that they held up piety as a pretext but secretly embraced the worship of the idols. Because of these transgressions of yours, he says, … (10) "There will be on that day, says the Lord, a sound of the cry of those who pierce, from the gate, and a wailing from the second [city], and a great crushing from the hills." For when the enemies break the wall and open the gates, with shouting and … ### Scripture references - Zeph 1:4: quotation, high confidence - Zeph 1:5: quotation, high confidence - Zeph 1:6: quotation, high confidence - Zeph 1:7: quotation, high confidence - Zeph 1:8: quotation, high confidence - Zeph 1:9: quotation, high confidence - Zeph 1:10: quotation, high confidence - Hos 2:17 (2:19 LXX): quotation, medium confidence - Jer 4:2: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 11:5: quotation, high confidence - Isa 13:3: quotation, high confidence - Ezek 39:17: allusion, medium confidence - Deut 22:11: allusion, high confidence - Deut 22:5: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zeph 1:4–5; Theodoret goes on to 1:6, 1:7b, 1:8–9 and 1:10. The first words of 1:7 ("Be reverent before the face of the Lord God") are displaced in the scan to the beginning of the next section (1.7). The other prophet: Hos 2:17 combined with Jer 4:2. Solomon: 1 Kgs 11:5 (3 Kingdoms); the scan's word for Astarte's title is garbled. Isaiah: Isa 13:3. The sacrifice in Ezekiel: Ezek 39:17. The law on mixed fabrics: Deut 22:11 (Lev 19:19); on men's and women's clothing: Deut 22:5. Words are lost in the scan in several places (…, or supplied by sense in brackets). Migne's marginal references are removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 9.1.4 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-1-4). ## Commentary on Zephaniah 1:7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-1-4/#p-9-1-7 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Those who flee to the temple, the mountains, or the rooftops will not escape the enemy. ### Greek text ζ΄, « Εὐλαδεῖσθε ἀπὸ προτώπου Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ δ, … κραυγῆς εἰς τὸ τοῦ ἱεροῦ καταφεύξεσθε τεῖχος " ἀλλ᾽ ὅμως οὐδὲν ἧττον κἀκείνης τοῖς ἐναντίοις ἀνοιχθείσης τῆς πύλης, οἰμωγῇ χρώμενοι χαταχοντισθήσεσθε’ κἄν τινες δὲ ἐξ ὑμῶν τὰς κορυφὰς τῶν ὀρῶν χματαλάθονσιν, ἣ εἰς τὰς ὑψηλὰς ἀνέλθωσιν οἰκίας, τὸν αὐτὸν ὄλεθρον ὑποστήτονται. ### English translation (Claude) 7. "Be reverent before the face of the Lord God." … [and with] shouting you will flee for refuge to the wall of the temple; but nonetheless, when that gate too is opened to the enemies, you will be shot down amid wailing; and even if some of you seize the peaks of the mountains or go up to the high houses, they will suffer the same destruction. ### Scripture references - Zeph 1:7: quotation, high confidence - Zeph 1:10: allusion, high confidence - Zeph 1:11: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The lemma is the first words of Zeph 1:7, displaced in the scan; the comment that follows is the end of the comment on Zeph 1:10–11 (the cries at the gates), which began in the previous section. Migne's Latin column and footnotes are removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 9.1.7 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-1-7). ## Commentary on Zephaniah 1:11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-1-4/#p-9-1-11 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Jerusalem, which imitated Canaan, will share its fate; God will search it out with a lamp and punish those who deny his providence. ### Greek text ια΄. ε Θρηνεῖτε, οἱ κατοικοῦντες τὴν χαταχεχομμένην, ὅτι ὡμοιώθη πᾶς ὁ λαὸς Χαναὰν, ἐξωλοθρεύθησαν πάντες οἱ ἐπηρμένοι ἀργυρίῳ. ν Καταχεκομμόνην τὶν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἀπὸ τοῦ συμδεδηχότος προσηγόρευσε πάθους, καὶ θρηνεῖσθαι ται τῶν οἰκητόρων ἔρημον γενομένην. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τῶν Χαναναίων ἐζήλωσαν τὴν ἀσέδειαν, τῶν Χαναναίων τὴν πανωλεθρίαν ὑπέμειναν, καὶ οὐδὲν τῆς ιβ8', ε Καὶ ἔσται ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, ἐξερευνήσω τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ μετὰ λύχνου. » Οὐδεὶς, φησὶ, τῶν ὀφειλόντων δίκην διαφεύξεται τὴν τιμωρίαν, ἀλλὰ πάντας αὑτοὺς παραδώσω σφαγῇ. Τροπικῶς δὲ τοῦτο τέθεικεν, ἐκ μεταφορᾶς τῶν λύχνῳ κεχρημένων εἰς ἐπιζήτησίν τινων ἀπολωλότων, καὶ μὴ πρότερον ἀφισταμένων ἕως ἂν εὕρωσι. ε Καὶ ἐκδικήσω ἐπὶ «τοὺς ἄνδρας τοὺς καταφρονοῦντας ἐπὶ τὰ φυλάγματα αὑτῶν. » Φυ.λάγματα τὰ νόμιμα λέγει, ἃ φυλάττειν ὁ νόμος παρεκελεύσατο. ε Τοὺς λέγοντας “ ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις αὑτῶν" Οὐ μὴ ἀγαθοποιήσῃ Κύριος, οὐδὲ μὴ κακώσῃ. » ᾿Ενταῦθα τῶν τὴν Πρόνοιαν ἐχδαλλόντων κατηγορεῖ, καὶ ὡς ἔτυχε φέρεσθαι 1 τὰ πράγματα λέγειν τολμώντων " τὸν δὲ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸν μήτε εὐεργετεῖν, μήτε κολάζειν φασκόντων " οἷς ἁρπαγὴν ἀπειλεῖ, καὶ οἰκιῶν ἀφανισμὸν, καὶ πόνων ἀχαρπίαν. « Οἰκοδομήσουσι γὰρ, φησὶν, οἰκίας, καὶ οὐ μὴ κατοικήσουσιν ἐν αὐταῖς " καὶ χαταφντεύσουσιν "" ἀμπελῶνας, καὶ οὐ μὴ πίωσι τὸν οἶνον αὐτῶν.» Καὶ ἵνα μὴ νομίσωτιν ἀναδολὴν ἔχειν τὴν τιμωρίαν, ἐπήγαγεν " ### English translation (Claude) 11. "Lament, you who dwell in the one cut down, for all the people has become like Canaan; all who were lifted up by silver have been utterly destroyed." He called Jerusalem "cut down" from the calamity that befell it, and [said that it is] lamented, having become bereft of its inhabitants. For since they emulated the impiety of the Canaanites, they suffered the total destruction of the Canaanites, and nothing of the … (12) "And it will be on that day that I will search Jerusalem with a lamp." None of those who owe a penalty, he says, will escape punishment, but I will hand them all over to slaughter. He put this figuratively, by a metaphor from those who use a lamp to search for something lost and do not stop until they find it. "And I will take vengeance on the men who despise their observances." By "observances" he means the ordinances which the law commanded them to keep. "Those who say in their hearts: The Lord will not do good, nor will he do evil." Here he accuses those who banish providence and dare to say that affairs are carried along at random, and claim that the God of all neither does good nor punishes; on them he threatens plunder, the destruction of houses, and fruitless labor: (13) "For they will build houses," he says, "and will not dwell in them; and they will plant vineyards and will not drink their wine." And lest they think the punishment can be postponed, he went on: ### Scripture references - Zeph 1:11: quotation, high confidence - Zeph 1:12: quotation, high confidence - Zeph 1:13: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zeph 1:11; Theodoret goes on to 1:12–13. Words are lost in the scan after "nothing of the". Migne's Latin column is removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 9.1.11 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-1-11). ## Commentary on Zephaniah 1:14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-1-4/#p-9-1-14 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The day of the Lord is great because it brings complete punishment. ### Greek text ιδ΄, ε« Ὅτι 15 ἐγγὺς ἡ ἡμέρα Κυρίου ἡ μεγάλη, ἐγγὺς καὶ ταχεῖα σφόδρα. ν» Μεγάλην δὲ αὐτὴν προσηγόρευσεν, οὐ μερικὴν φέρουσαν παιδείαν, ἀλλὰ παντελῆ τιμωρίαν " εἶτα σφοδρότερον τοῖς ἀκούουσιν ἐντιθεὶς τὸ δέος, περὶ αὐτῆς ἐκείνης διέξεισι τῇ; ἡμέρας. ### English translation (Claude) 14. "For the great day of the Lord is near, near and very swift." He called it great because it brings not a partial chastisement but complete punishment; then, instilling fear more strongly in his hearers, he describes that very day. ### Scripture references - Zeph 1:14: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zeph 1:14a. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 9.1.14 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-1-14). ## Commentary on Zephaniah 1:15–16 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-1-4/#p-9-1-15 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The day of the Lord will bring war and darkness on Judah, and no wealth will buy release from it. ### Greek text ιε΄, τς΄. ε Φωνὴ "ὁ ἡμέρας Κυρίου πικρὰ καὶ σκληρὰ τέτακται δυνατή ἡμέρα ὀργῆς ἡ ἡμέρα ἐκείνη, ἡμέρα θλίψεως καὶ ἀνάγκης, ἡμέρα ἀωρίας ᾽᾽ καὶ ἀφανισμοῦ, ἡμέρα σκότους καὶ γνόφου "5, ἡμέρα ν:φέλης καὶ ὁμίχλης. Ἡμέρα σάλπιγγος καὶ κραυγῆς ἐπὶ τὰς πόλεις τὰς ὀχυρὰς, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς γωνίας τὰς ὑψηλάς. » Γωγίας ὑψηλὰς τοὺς πύργους λέγει, σάλπιγγας δὲ καὶ κραυγὴν τῶν πολεμέων τὴν ἔφοδον " σκότος δὲ καὶ γνόφον, καὶ γεφέλην καὶ ὁμίχλην, τὴν τῶν κακῶν ὠνόμασε προσδολήν ὧν ἐπιόντων οὔτε ἥλιος φωτεινὸς τοῖς ὁρῶσιν, οὔτε ἡμέρα 18 λαμπρὰ, ἀλλὰ πάντα ζόφου εἶναι ἔμπλεα δοκεῖ" καὶ τοῦτο διδάσκων ὁ Προφήτης ἐπήγαγε " ιζ᾿. ε Καὶ ἐχθλίψω τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, καὶ πορεύσον- “ ται ὡς τυφλοί, » Εἶτα τὴν. αἰτίαν “τ Ὅτι τῷ Κυρίῳ ἐξήμαρτον, καὶ ἐκχεῶ 77 τὸ αἷμα αὐτῶν ὡς χοῦν, καὶ τὰς σάρκας αὐτῶν, ὡς βόλδιτα. » ᾿Αντὶ τοῦ, οὐδὲ τῶν τεύξονται. τη, ε Καὶ τὸ ἀργύριον 79, καὶ τὸ χρυσίον αὐτῶν, οὐ μὴ δύνηται ἐξελέσθαι αὐτοὺς ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ὀργῆς Κυρίου, ὅτε ἐν πυρὶ ζήλου αὐτοῦ καταναλωθήσεται πᾶσα ἡ γῆ" διότι συντέλειαν καὶ σπουδὴν ποιήσει ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς κατοικοῦντας τὴν γῆν. » ᾿᾽Ανόνητος, φησὶν, ἔσται καὶ τοῖς πλουσίοις ὁ πλοῦτος ἀπαλλαγῆς γὰρ τῶν κακῶν διὰ τῶν χρημάτων οὐ τεύξονται, ἀλλ᾽ ὑπὸ τῆς θείας ὀργῆς οἷον ὑπό τινος πυρὸς χαταναλωθήσονται, ἥτι; σύντομον ἐποίσει τοῖς τήνδε τὴν γῆν κατοικοῦσι τὸν ὄλεθρον. Οὕτως ἀπειλήσας τὰ σκυθρωπὰ, μεταμελείας αὐτοῖς προσφέρει παραίνεσιν. ### English translation (Claude) 15–16. "The sound of the day of the Lord is bitter and harsh; it is set as mighty. That day is a day of wrath, a day of affliction and distress, a day of untimeliness and destruction, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of cloud and mist, a day of trumpet and shouting against the fortified cities and against the high corners." He calls the towers "high corners", and the assault of the enemy "trumpets and shouting"; and he named the onset of evils "darkness and gloom, cloud and mist": when they come on, the sun is not bright to those who look, nor the day clear, but everything seems full of gloom. Teaching this, the prophet went on: (17) "And I will afflict human beings, and they will walk like the blind." Then [he gives] the cause: "For they have sinned against the Lord; and I will pour out their blood like dust, and their flesh like dung." That is, they will not even obtain … (18) "And their silver and their gold will not be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath, when in the fire of his jealousy all the earth will be consumed; for he will make an end, and with haste, upon all who dwell in the land." Wealth, he says, will be useless even to the rich; for they will not obtain release from the evils by their money, but will be consumed by the divine wrath as by a fire, which will bring swift destruction on those who dwell in this land. Having thus threatened gloomy things, he offers them an exhortation to repentance. ### Scripture references - Zeph 1:15: quotation, high confidence - Zeph 1:16: quotation, high confidence - Zeph 1:17: quotation, high confidence - Zeph 1:18: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zeph 1:15–16; Theodoret goes on to 1:17–18. A word is lost in the scan after "they will not even obtain" (perhaps burial). Migne's footnotes and Latin column are removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 9.1.15 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-1-15). ## Commentary on Zephaniah 2:1–4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-1-4/#p-9-2-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Zephaniah calls Judah to bind its wounds with repentance and to seek the Lord in justice and meekness, so as to be sheltered when the Philistine cities fall. ### Greek text α', δ'. ε« Συνάχθητε, καὶ συνδέθητε, τὸ ξῦνος τὸ ἀπαίδευτον. Πρὸ τοῦ γενέσθα: ὑμᾶς ὡς ἄνθος παραπορευόμενον ἡμέρας 85, πρὸ τοῦ ἐπελθεῖν ἐφ᾽ ὑμᾶς ὀργὴν θυμοῦ "' Κυρίου. » Τινὲς τὸ χωρίον μὴ νενοηκότες, τὸ συγδέθητε, συγδεήθητε τεθείκασι" τὰ δὲ πλεῖστα τῶν ἀντιγράφων, συνδέθητε ἔχει. Αἰνίττεται δὲ ὁ λόγος τὴν διὰ φαρμάκων καὶ χαταδέσμων ἴασιν τροπεχῶς νοουμένην" τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ παρὰ τῷ θ:σπεσίῳ Ἡσαῖχ εὑρίσκομεν " τὸ ἀνίατον γὰρ τῶν ᾿Ἰουδαϊκῶν ὑποδεικνὺς τραυμάτων βοᾷ' ε Οὐκ ἔστ: μάλαγμα ἐπιθεῖναι, οὔτε ἔλαιον, οὔτε καταδέσμους.» Συνδέθητε τοίνυν, φησὶ, τοῖς τῆς μεταμελείας φαρμάκοις τε καὶ ἐπιδέσμοις, ὦ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀμαθεῖς καὶ ἀπαίδευτοι, καὶ προφθάσατε τὸ πρότωπον αὐτοῦ ἐν ἐξομολογήσει, ἵνα μὴ ἄνθεσιν ἐαρινοῖς παραπλησίως διαῤῥεύτητε, τῆς θείας ὑμῖν ἐπερχομένης ὀργῆς. γ΄. «Ζητήσατε τὸν Κύριον, πάντες ταπεινοὶ γῆς.» ᾿Απούλέψατε, φησὶν, εἰς τὴν τῆς φύσεως εὐτέλειαν, καὶ εἰς τὸν χοῦν τὸν προπάτορα, καὶ τὸν πλάστην ἐπιζητήσατε τὸν τοσούτοις ὑμᾶς ἀγαθοῖς ἐπιχλύσαυτα. Εἶτα καὶ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ζητήσεως τὸν τρόπον διδάσκει. ε« Κοῖμα ἐργάζεσθε, καὶ ζητήσατε δικαιοσύνην" ζητήσατε πραότητα 5 καὶ ἀποκρίνασθε αὐτά.» Ὀρθότητος, φησὶ, καὶ δικαιοσύνης ἀντέχεσθε 55, καὶ τὸν ἐπιεικῇ καὶ μέτριον ἁσπάζεσθε βίον “ καὶ σύνθεσϑε διὰ τέλους ταῦτα διώκειν. Τοῦτο γὰρ σημαίνει, « Καὶ ἀποκρίνασθε αὐτά. ν Εἶτα τούτων ἀποδείκνυσι τὸν καρπόν. « Ὅπως σχεπασθῆτε ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ὀργῆς Κυρίου. εἰς ἀφανισμὸν, καὶ ται, καὶ ᾿Ακκαρὼν ἐχριξωθήσεται. ν Ὑμεῖς γὰρ εἰ ἀπολαύσεσθε, αἱ δὲ ἀλλόφυλοι: πόλεις τὰ προλεχθέντα πείσονται. ### English translation (Claude) 1–2. "Gather together and be bound up, O undisciplined nation, before you become like a flower passing by in a day, before the anger of the Lord's wrath comes upon you." Some, not understanding the passage, have put "pray" for "be bound up"; but most of the copies have "be bound up". The word hints at the cure by medicines and bandages, understood figuratively; for we find this also in the inspired Isaiah, who, showing that the wounds of the Jews were incurable, cries: "There is no poultice to apply, nor oil, nor bandages." Be bound up, then, he says, with the medicines and bandages of repentance, you who are ignorant and undisciplined in good things, and come before his face in confession, so that you may not waste away like spring flowers when the divine wrath comes upon you. (3) "Seek the Lord, all you humble of the earth." Look, he says, at the lowliness of your nature and at the dust, your forefather, and seek out the Fashioner who has flooded you with so many good things. Then he also teaches the way of seeking God: "Do justice and seek righteousness; seek meekness, and answer them." Hold fast, he says, to uprightness and righteousness, and embrace the gentle and moderate life; and agree to pursue these things to the end; for this is what "and answer them" means. Then he shows the fruit of these: "So that you may be sheltered in the day of the Lord's wrath. (4) [For Gaza will be plundered, and Ashkelon will be] for destruction, and [Ashdod will be cast out at noon,] and Ekron will be uprooted." For you will enjoy [protection], while the foreign cities will suffer what was foretold. ### Scripture references - Zeph 2:1: quotation, high confidence - Zeph 2:2: quotation, high confidence - Zeph 2:3: quotation, high confidence - Zeph 2:4: quotation, high confidence - Isa 1:6: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zeph 2:1–2; Theodoret goes on to 2:3–4. "Be bound up" (συνδέθητε) against the variant "pray" (συνδεήθητε). Isaiah: Isa 1:6. Most of 2:4 is lost in the scan and is supplied in brackets from the LXX. Migne's Latin column and footnotes at the end of the section are removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 9.2.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-2-1). ## Commentary on Zephaniah 2:5–6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-1-4/#p-9-2-5 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Theodoret explains the names Zephaniah gives the Philistine coast, which is threatened with desolation. ### Greek text ε', ς΄. ε Οὐαὶ, οἱ γατοιχοῦντες τὸ σχοίνισμα τῆς θαλάσσης, πάροικοι Κρητῶν! λόγος Κυρίον ἐφ᾽ ὑμᾶς, Χαναὰν, γῆ ᾿Αλλοφύλων, καὶ ἀπολῶ ὑμᾶς ἐκ χατοιχίας. Καὶ ἔσται Κρήτη νομὴ ποιμνίων, καὶ παραλίαν καλεῖ’ σχοίνισμα γὰρ ὁ κλῆρος ὑπὸ τῇς εἰας χαλεῖτα! Γραφῆς, παρὰ τὸ σχοινίῳ μετρεῖσθα: τὴν γῆν, καὶ ἐκάστῳ τὴν προσήκουσαν ἀπονέμεσθα!. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν καὶ τοὺς ᾿Αλλοφύλους, ἐκ τοῦ Χαναὰν πὸ γένος χατάγοντας, ἐν τῇ παραλίῳ κατέλιπεν ὁ Θεὸς, οἷόν τινὰ κλῆρον ταύτην αὐτοῖς ἀπονείμας τὴν γῆν, σχοίνισμα θαλάσσης αὑτοὺς προσηγόρευσε. Παροίχους δὲ Κρητῶν ἀντὶ τοῦ ἀποίκους τέθεικεν. Ὡς ἐν παραθαλασσίοις γὰρ πόλεσιν, εἰχό; τινας ἀπὸ Κρήτης ἀφικέσθαι, καὶ κατοικῆσαι. Καὶ Χαναὰνΐ τοίνυν, καὶ σχοίνισμα θαιϊάσσης, καὶ Κρήτην, καὶ παροίχους Κρητῶν, τὰ παραθαλάσσια τῆς Παλαιστίνης ὠνόμασε χωρία, οἷς ἐρημίαν ἠπείλησε. ### English translation (Claude) 5–6. "Woe to you who dwell in the measured portion of the sea, sojourners of the Cretans! The word of the Lord is against you, Canaan, land of the foreigners, and I will destroy you from your dwelling. And Crete will be a pasture of flocks …" [He calls] the coastland [the measured portion of the sea]; for the divine Scripture calls an allotment a "measured portion", from the land being measured with a cord and the proper share assigned to each. Since, then, God left the foreigners, who trace their descent from Canaan, on the coast, assigning them this land as a kind of allotment, he called them "the measured portion of the sea". He put "sojourners of the Cretans" for "colonists"; for it was likely that, as in coastal cities, some came from Crete and settled there. So by Canaan, the measured portion of the sea, Crete, and the sojourners of the Cretans he named the coastal districts of Palestine, which he threatened with desolation. ### Scripture references - Zeph 2:5: quotation, high confidence - Zeph 2:6: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zeph 2:5–6. Words are lost in the scan at the end of the lemma and the start of the comment (supplied by sense in brackets). "Measured portion": σχοίνισμα, from σχοινίον, "cord". That the Philistines descend from Canaan is Theodoret's own view. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 9.2.5 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-2-5). ## Commentary on Zephaniah 2:7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-1-4/#p-9-2-7 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The promise that Judah's remnant will possess the coast and the lands of Moab, Ammon and Damascus was partly fulfilled under the Maccabees, but exactly in the apostles, the remnant chosen by grace. ### Greek text ζ΄, ε« Καὶ ἔσται τὸ σχοίνισμα τῆς θαλάσσης τοῖς χαταλοίποις οἴκου Ἰούδα" ἐπ᾽ αὐτοὺ : νεμήσονται ἐν ποῖς οἴκοις ᾿Ασχάλωνος " δείλης χαταλύσουτιν δ" ἀπὸ προτώπου υἱῶν Ἰούδα, ὅτι ἐπιτχέπτεται δ᾽ αὐτοὺς Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς αὐτῶν "5, καὶ ἀπέστρεψε τὴν αἷχμαλωσίαν αὑτῶν. ν Ταῦτα μετὰ τὴν ἐπάνοδον πέρατος ἔτυχεν. Εὑρίσκομεν γὰρ καὶ ἕν τοῖς Μακχχαξαϊχοῖς, καὶ Ἰωνάθην, καὶ Σίμωνα, καὶ Γάζης, καὶ ᾿Ασχάλωνος, καὶ Πτολεμαῖδος περιγενομένους, καὶ ὑπὸ τὴν οἰκείαν αὐτὰς ἡγεμονίαν πεποιηκότας. Τὸ δὲ ἀχριθὲς καὶ ἀναντίῤῥητον τέλος τῆς προφητείας ἔστιν ἰδεῖν μετὰ τὴν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἀνάληψιν καὶ τῶν ἁγίων ἀποστόλων τὸ κήρυγμα. Οὗτοι γὰρ ἐξ Ἶουδαίων ὁρμώμενοι, δείλης ἐν ταύταις κατέλυσαν ταῖς πόλεσι - τουτέστι. πρὸ τῆς ἑσπέρας τῆς συντελείας, τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων ἐπισχεψαμένου τὰ ἔθνη, καὶ τῆς πικρᾶς αὐτὰ "7 δουλείας τε καὶ αἰχμαλωσίας ἐλευθερώσαντος. Ἐντεῦθεν κατὰ Μωαδιτῶν καὶ ᾿Αμμανιτῶν ἐκφέρει τὴν ψῆφον " οὗτοι γὰρ συγγενεῖς ὄντες τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ Λὼτ τὸ γένος κατάγοντες, ἐφἧδοντό τε ταῖς συμφοραῖς, καὶ βλασφημίαις κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων ἐχρῶντο, ὡς μηδεμιᾶς Ἰουδαίοις παρ᾽ αὑτοῦ βοηθείας παρασχεθείσης. Διό φησιν ὃ Θεός" τύ, ε« Ἤκουσα ὀνειδισμοὺς Μωὰδ, καὶ χονδυλισμοὺς υἱῶν ᾿Αμμὼν, ἐν οἷς ὠνείδιζον τὸν λαόν μου, υ καὶ ἐμεγαλύνοντο ἐπὶ τὰ ὅριά μου. Διὰ τοῦτο, Ζῶ ἐγὼ, λέγει Κύριος τῶν δυνάμεων, ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ "8 Ἰσραΐλ, ὅτι" Μωὰδ ὡς Σόδομα ἔσται, καὶ υἱοὶ ᾽λμμὼν ὡς Γόμοῤῥα, καὶ Δαμασχὸς ἐχλελιχμημένη ν,, ὡς θημωνία ἄλωνος, καὶ ἠφανισμένη εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα" καὶ οἱ κατάλοιποι λαοῦ μου διαρπῶνται αὐτοὺς, καὶ οἱ κατάλοιποι ἔθνους μου κληρονομήσουσιν αὖτούς. Αὕτη αὐτοῖς ἀντὶ τῆς ὕδρεως αὐτῶν" διότι ὠνείδισαν, καὶ ἐμεγαλύνθησαν ἐπὶ τὸν λαὸν " Κυρἷου παντοκράτορος. » Βασιλέας εἶχον καὶ Μωαέδῖται, καὶ ᾿Αμμανῖται, καὶ ἡ Δαμασκὸς πάσης ἐδασἕλευτε τῆς Συρίας" ἀλλὰ ταύτας ἁπάσας κατέλυσαν Βαδυ- Α λώνιοι" μόνοις δὲ Ἰουδαίοις ὁ τῶν ὅλων θεὸς διὰ Κύρου τοῦ Πέρσου τὴν ἐπάνοδον ἐδωρήσατο. Καὶ ἀνήνθησαν "" πάλιν, καὶ ἀνεχτήσαντο τὴν προτέραν ἡγεμονίαν, καὶ δέος ἅπασι τούτοις. παρεῖχον τοῖς ἔθνεσι" καὶ αὐτοὶ μὲν τὰ ἐχείνων ἐνέμοντο, ἐκεῖνοι δὲ τούτοις ἀντιτείνειν οὐκ ἴσχυον. Οὗ χάριν ὁ θεῖος προαγορεύει "5 λόγος, Μωαδίτας μὲν καὶ ᾿Αμμανίτας ἐρημίᾳ παντελεῖ παραδοθήσεσθα!, τὴν δὲ Δαμασχὸν Ταῦτα δὲ ὑπέμειναν ἐν τῇ τῶν Χαλδαίων ἐφόδῳ. ᾿Αφανισθῆνα! δὲ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα λέγει τὴν Δαμασχὸν, διὰ τὸ ἐξ ἐχείνου, καὶ εἰς τὸν ἔπειτα χρόνον, ἀπολέσαι αὐτὴν τῆς βασιλείας τὴν δυναστείαν, καὶ μηκέτι Χχρατῆσαι τῶν ὑπηκόων ἐθνῶν, ἀλλ᾽ ὑπόφορον γενέσθαι τῶν βεδασιλευκότων Βαδυλωνίων, Περσῶν τε καὶ Μακεδόνων, καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος Ῥωμαίων. ᾿Αλλ' ὅμως κἀνταῦθα τὸ ἀχριδὲς τέλος ἡ προφητεία διὰ τῶν ἱερῶν ἔλαδεν ἀποστόλων, καὶ τῶν ἐκείνους διαδεξαμένων ἁγίων " τούτους γὰρ καὶ ὁ θεῖος ᾿Απόστολο; κατάλειμμα προσηγόρευσε. Τεθεικὼς γὰρ τὴν προφητείαν, τὴν διαῤῥήδην βοῶταν, « Ἕὰν ἢ ὁ ἀριθμὸς τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ ὡς ἡ ἄμμος τῆς θαλάνσης, τὸ κατάλειμμα σωθήσεται, » ἑρμηνεύει λέγων " « Οὕτως καὶ ἐν τῷ νῦν καιρῷ λεῖμμα κατ' ἐκλογὴν χάριτος γέγονξ. » Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Δεσπότης διὰ τοῦ μακαρίου Σοφονίου φησί" « Καὶ οἱ κατάλοιποι ἔθ- ἡ γους μοῦ κληρονομήσουσιν αὐτούς, ν Εἶτα σαφέστερὸν ἑρμηνεύει" ### English translation (Claude) 7. "And the measured portion of the sea will be for the remnant of the house of Judah; they will pasture upon them in the houses of Ashkelon; in the evening they will lodge before the sons of Judah, for the Lord their God has visited them and turned back their captivity." These things received fulfillment after the return. For we find in the books of the Maccabees that Jonathan and Simon prevailed over Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ptolemais and brought them under their own rule. But the exact and indisputable fulfillment of the prophecy can be seen after the ascension of our Savior and the preaching of the holy apostles. For these, setting out from among the Jews, lodged in these cities "in the evening", that is, before the evening of the consummation, when the God of all visited the nations and freed them from bitter slavery and captivity. From here he pronounces the sentence against the Moabites and the Ammonites; for these, being kin of Israel and tracing their descent from Lot, gloated over their calamities and used blasphemies against the God of all, as though no help had been given to the Jews by him. Therefore God says: (8) "I have heard the reproaches of Moab and the insults of the sons of Ammon, with which they reproached my people and magnified themselves against my borders. (9) Therefore, as I live, says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Moab will be like Sodom and the sons of Ammon like Gomorrah, and Damascus licked clean like a heap on a threshing floor, and made desolate forever; and the remnant of my people will plunder them, and the remnant of my nation will inherit them. (10) This is theirs in return for their insolence, because they reproached and magnified themselves against the people of the Lord Almighty." The Moabites and the Ammonites had kings, and Damascus reigned over all Syria; but the Babylonians overthrew them all, and to the Jews alone the God of all granted the return through Cyrus the Persian. And they flourished again and recovered their former rule, and inspired fear in all these nations; they themselves possessed what belonged to those nations, while those could not resist them. For this reason the divine word foretells that the Moabites and Ammonites will be handed over to complete desolation, and Damascus … These things they suffered at the invasion of the Chaldeans. He says that Damascus would be made desolate forever because from that time, and in the time after, it lost the power of kingship and no longer ruled subject nations, but became tributary to those who reigned: Babylonians, Persians and Macedonians, and at present the Romans. But here too the prophecy received its exact fulfillment through the holy apostles and the saints who succeeded them; for the divine Apostle called these "the remnant". Having cited the prophecy which cries out plainly, "If the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, the remnant will be saved," he interprets it, saying: "So too at the present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace." The Master too says this through the blessed Zephaniah: "And the remnant of my nation will inherit them." Then he interprets more clearly: ### Scripture references - Zeph 2:7: quotation, high confidence - Zeph 2:8: quotation, high confidence - Zeph 2:9: quotation, high confidence - Zeph 2:10: quotation, high confidence - Gen 19:37: allusion, medium confidence - Ezra 1:1: allusion, medium confidence - Rom 9:27: quotation, high confidence - Isa 10:22: quotation, medium confidence - Rom 11:5: quotation, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - 1 Macc 10:86-89 (1 Maccabees): allusion, medium confidence - 1 Macc 11:60-62 (1 Maccabees): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zeph 2:7; Theodoret goes on to 2:8–10. Damascus in 2:9 is in the LXX only. Maccabees: 1 Macc 10:86–89; 11:60–62; 13:43–48. Lot: Gen 19:36–38. Cyrus: Ezra 1:1–4. The Apostle: Rom 9:27 (Isa 10:22) and Rom 11:5. Words are lost in the scan after "and Damascus". Migne's Latin column and footnotes are removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 9.2.7 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-2-7). ## Commentary on Zephaniah 2:11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-1-4/#p-9-2-11 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The worship of God by the nations "each from his own place" is fulfilled not in the Jerusalem temple but in the Gospel, as Jesus told the Samaritan woman. ### Greek text ια΄. « Ἐπιφανήσεται ὅδ Κύριος ἐπ᾽ αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἐξολοθρεύσει πάντας τοὺς θεοὺς τῶν ἐθνῶν 5" τῆς γῆς, καὶ προσκυνήσουσιν "5 αὐτῷ͵ ἕκαστος ἐκ τοῦ τόπου αὑτοῦ, πᾶσαι "᾽ αἱ νῆσοι τῶν ἐθνῶν. » Ταῦτα οὐδὲ τὴν ἀναίσχυντον Ἰουδαίων ἀντίῤῥησιν δέχεται. Εἰ γὰρ λέγοιεν, ὅτι μετὰ τὴν ἀπὸ Βαδυλῶνος ἐπἄνοδον πολλοὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν, εἰς τὸν τῶν ὅλων πεπιστευκότες Θεὸν, εἰς τὸν ἐν ἹἹεροσολύμοις νεὼν τὴν νομικὴν ἐπετέλουν λατρείαν, ψευδηγοροῦντες σαφῶς ἐλεγχθήσονται ’ ὁ γὰρ προφητικὸς λόγος φησὶν, ὅτι « Προσκυνήσουσιν αὐτῷ ἕκαστος ἐκ τοῦ τόπου αὑτοῦ, » Τοῦτο δὲ οὐ κατὰ νόμον, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὴν εὐαγγελικὴν διδασκαλίαν γεγένηται - ὁ μὲν γὰρ νόμος πάντας εἰς τὸν ἕνα ἐκεῖνον συνῆγε νεών " ὁ δὲ Κύριος ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις τῇ Σχμαρείτιδί φησιν" « ᾿Αμὴν ", ἀμὴν λέγω δο!:, γύναι, ὅτι ἔρχεται ὥρα, ὅτε οὔτε ἐν Ἱερο- Ὁ σολύμοις, οὔτε ἐν τῷ τόπῳ τούτῳ, ἀλλ᾽ ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ προσκυνήσουσι τῷ Πατρί. ν Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ θεσπέσιος Σοφονίας βοᾷ" ε« Ἐπιφανήσεται Κύριος ἐπ’ αὐτούς " » τουτέστι, τοὺς προῤῥηθέντας ἅπαντας, ᾿Αλλοφύλους, ἀαμασχηνοὺς, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα ἔθνη. ε Καὶ ἐξολο- θρεύσει ἅπαντας τοὺς θεοὺς τῶν ἐθνῶν τῆς γῆ; καὶ ἀγαθοί. προσκυνήσουσιν αὐτῷ ἕκαστος ἐκ τοῦ τόπου αὑτοῦ, πᾶσαι αἱ νῆσοι τῶν ἐθνῶν. » Οὐ γὰρ μόνον αἱ ἐν τῇ ἡἩπείρῳ πόλεις, οὐδὲ αἱ παραθαλάσσιοι, ἀλλὰ καὶ αἱ ἐν τῷ πελάγει διαχείμεναι. Τούτοις ἐπάγει ᾿ ### English translation (Claude) 11. "The Lord will appear against them, and will utterly destroy all the gods of the nations of the earth, and they will worship him, each from his own place, all the islands of the nations." These words do not admit even the shameless objection of the Jews. For if they should say that after the return from Babylon many of the nations, having believed in the God of all, performed the worship of the law in the temple at Jerusalem, they will be clearly convicted of speaking falsely; for the prophetic word says, "They will worship him, each from his own place." This has come about not according to the law but according to the teaching of the Gospel; for the law gathered all into that one temple, whereas the Lord in the Gospels says to the Samaritan woman: "Amen, amen, I say to you, woman, the hour is coming when neither in Jerusalem nor in this place, but in every place, they will worship the Father." The inspired Zephaniah also cries this: "The Lord will appear against them," that is, against all those named before, the Philistines, the people of Damascus, and all the other nations. "And he will utterly destroy all the gods of the nations of the earth, and they will worship him, each from his own place, all the islands of the nations." Not only the cities on the mainland, nor only those on the coast, but also those lying out in the open sea. To these he adds: ### Scripture references - Zeph 2:11: quotation, high confidence - John 4:21: quotation, high confidence - Mal 1:11: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zeph 2:11. Theodoret's argument against the Jewish reading is translated as written. The saying to the Samaritan woman (John 4:21) is quoted with "in every place", a phrase from Mal 1:11. Migne's Latin column and marginal references are removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 9.2.11 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-2-11). ## Commentary on Zephaniah 2:12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-1-4/#p-9-2-12 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The Ethiopians' fall also signifies the demons and the godless overcome by the cross; the prophet then turns to Assyria. ### Greek text ιβ΄. « Καὶ ὑμεῖς, Αἰθίοπες, τραυματίαι ῥομφαίας μου ἐστέ", ν» Σημαίνει δὲ ὁ λόγος καὶ τῶν δαιμόνων τὸ στῖτος καταλυθὲν τῇ τοῦ σωτηρίου σταυροῦ προῦδολῇ " καὶ τοὺς μέλανας τὴν ψυχὴν, καὶ ἀντιθέου; ἀνθρώπους, τῇ θείᾳ τρωθέντας πληγῇ. Οὕτω περὶ τῆς τῶν ἐθνῶν προθεσπίσας σωτηρίας, ἐπὶ τὴν τῆς ἱστορίας ἀκολουθίαν μεταφέρει πὔν λόγον, καὶ τοῖς ᾿Λσσυρίοις τὸν ὄλεθρον ἀπειλεῖ " οὐδέπω γὰρ ἡ Νι' ### English translation (Claude) 12. "And you, Ethiopians, are slain by my sword." The word signifies also the host of demons destroyed by the onset of the saving cross, and human beings who are black in soul and opposed to God, wounded by the divine blow. Having thus foretold the salvation of the nations, he turns his discourse to the sequence of the history and threatens the Assyrians with destruction; for Nineveh had not yet … ### Scripture references - Zeph 2:12: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zeph 2:12. The section breaks off in mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 9.2.12 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-2-12). ## Commentary on Zephaniah 2:13–14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-1-4/#p-9-2-13 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Nineveh will become a desolate haunt of flocks, beasts and ravens because of its cedar-like pride. ### Greek text ιγ΄, ιδ΄. « Καὶ ἐκτενεῖ τὴν χεῖρα αὑτοῦ " ἐπὶ βυῤἐᾶν", καὶ ἀπολεῖ" τὸν ᾿Ασσύριον. καὶ θήσει τὴν Νινεῦϊ εἰς ἀφανισμὸν ἄνυδρον, ὡς ἔρημον. Νεμήσει: ται" ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῆς ποίμνια, καὶ πάντα τὰ θηρία τῆς γῆς, καὶ χαμαιλέοντες καὶ ἐχῖνοι ἐν τοῖς φατνώἐν τοῖς διορύγμασιν αὐτῆς, καὶ κόρακες ἐν τοῖς πυλῶσιν αὐτῆς, διότι κέδρος τὸ ἀνάστημα αὐτῆς.» Ἐρημίας ἅπαντα τὰ προειρημένα σημεῖα, ποιμνίων γομαὶ, καὶ θηρίων διαφόρων οἰκήσεις, καὶ χηράχων νεοττιαί. ᾿Αλλὰ ταῦτα πάντα, φησὶ, πείσεται διὰ τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς ἀλαζονείαν. Κέδρῳ γὰρ ἔῴνει τὸ ὑψηλὸν αὑτῆς φρόνημα. Εἶτα τοῦτο σαφέστερον διηγυύμεκς ### English translation (Claude) 13–14. "And he will stretch out his hand against the north and destroy the Assyrian, and he will make Nineveh a waterless desolation, like a wilderness. And flocks will pasture in its midst, and all the beasts of the earth; and chameleons and hedgehogs [will lodge] in its ceilings, … in its breaches, and ravens in its gateways, for its height is a cedar." All the things mentioned are signs of desolation: pastures for flocks, dwellings of various beasts, and nests of ravens. But it will suffer all these things, he says, because of the arrogance of its soul; for he likened its lofty mind to a cedar. Then, describing this more clearly, ### Scripture references - Zeph 2:13: quotation, high confidence - Zeph 2:14: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zeph 2:13–14. Words of the lemma are lost in the scan (…). The sentence continues in the next section. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 9.2.13 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-2-13). ## Commentary on Zephaniah 2:15 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-1-4/#p-9-2-15 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Proud Nineveh, which thought itself beyond all harm, will become a desolation at which passers-by hiss. ### Greek text ιε΄, « Αὕτη ἡ πόλις ἡ φαυλίστρια. » ᾿Αντὶ τοῦ, ἡ" πᾶσαν πόλιν καὶ βασιλείαν εὐτελῆ καὶ σμικρὰν ἦγον» μένη. ε« Ἦ κατοικοῦσα ἐπ᾽ ἐλπίδι.» Ἡ μηδὲν σχυ" θρωπὸν ὑπομεῖναί ποτε δοχήσασα. ε« Ἢ λέγονσα ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὑτῆς " Ἐγώ εἰμι, καὶ οὐκ ἔστι μετ ἐμὲ ἔτι. ν» Εἴτα κατ᾽ εἰρωνείαν ἐπιτωθάζων, « Πῶς ἐγές νεταϑ, φησὶν 5, εἰς ἀφανισμὸν νομὴ θηρίων; » κα τὰ ἐξ ἔθους συμθαίνοντα " « Πᾶς ὁ παραπορενόμενος ' δι᾽ αὐτῆς συριεῖ, καὶ κινήσει τὰς χεῖρας αὖτοῦ. ν Εἰώθασι γὰρ οἱ πλεῖστοι τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐπὶ τοῖς παρ᾽ ἐλπίδα γινομένοις ἀνιαροῖς καὶ συρίττειν, καὶ τὰς χεῖρας κινεῖν. Οὕτω περὶ τῆς Νινευξ προαγορεύσας "". πρὴς τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ τρέπει τὸν λόγον. ### English translation (Claude) 15. "This is the contemptuous city." That is, the one that held every city and kingdom cheap and small. "Which dwells in hope": the one that thought it would never suffer anything gloomy. "Which says in its heart: I am, and there is no one besides me any more." Then, mocking it with irony, he says: "How has it become a desolation, a pasture of beasts?" And [he adds] what usually happens: "Everyone who passes through it will hiss and shake his hands." For most people are accustomed to hiss and shake their hands at grievous things that happen unexpectedly. Having thus foretold about Nineveh, he turns his discourse to Jerusalem. ### Scripture references - Zeph 2:15: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zeph 2:15. "Contemptuous": LXX φαυλίστρια. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 9.2.15 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-2-15). ## Commentary on Zephaniah 3:1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-3-1/#p-9-3-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Jerusalem, once famous, often saved by God and comely as a dove, is now to be lamented for its sins. ### Greek text α'. Ὦ ἐπιφανὴς καὶ λελυτρωμένη "5 πόλις, ἡ περι στερά. ν Θρήνων ἀληθῶς ἀξία καὶ ὀδυρμῶν ἡ " τὸς λις, ἐπίσημος μὲν ἐν εὐπραγίᾳ γενομένη καὶ πρὶν" ἢ θρύλλητος " σωτηρίας δὲ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων πολλάκις τυχοῦσα, καὶ πνευματικῶν ἀπολαύσατα χαρισμάτων. Ἢ τοῦτο γὰρ διὰ τῆς περιστερᾶς αἷνίξασθαι τὸν προφήτην ὑπολαμθάνω, ἣ τὴν εὐπρὲπειαν καὶ τὸ χάλλο: τῆς πόλεως " εὐπρεπὲς τὰρ χὸ πόδε τὸ ζῶον. Εἰχκὸς δὲ καὶ τοῦτο παραδηλῶσαι, δ: “Καθάπερ ἡ περιστερὰ ταῖς ἀφωρισμέναις οἰκίαις ἐμ’ φιλοχωρεῖ, οὕτως ἡνίκα ηὐσεθεῖτε, οἱ ἐν τῇ Ἱερνν" ν ἐστέ. "ἃ διηγεῖται τὰ πλημμελήματα, καὶ 15 πρώτην τὴν ### English translation (Claude) 1. "O the illustrious and redeemed city, the dove!" Truly worthy of laments and wailing is the city which was formerly famous in prosperity and renowned, which many times obtained salvation from the God of all and enjoyed spiritual gifts. For I take it that by the dove the prophet hints at this, or else at the comeliness and beauty of the city, for the creature is very comely. It is likely that he also indicates this: just as the dove loves to haunt the houses set apart for it, so, when you were pious, you who are in Jerusalem … Then he recounts the offenses, and first the ### Scripture references - Zeph 3:1: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zeph 3:1 as Theodoret reads it (LXX: "illustrious and redeemed"). Migne's Latin column and footnotes are removed; words are lost in the scan before the list of offenses (…). The sentence continues in the next section. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 9.3.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-3-1). ## Commentary on Zephaniah 3:2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-3-1/#p-9-3-2 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Zephaniah lists Jerusalem's sins: deafness to God, unbelief, and savage rulers and judges. ### Greek text β΄. ε Οὐκ εἰσήκουσε γὰρ φωνῆς. » Εἶτα τὸ ἀπαίδευτον’ « Οὐδὲ "6 ἐδέξατο παιδείαν. ν Πρὸς τούτοις τὸ ἄπιστον « Ἐπὶ τῷ Κυρίῳ οὐκ ἐπεποίθησςε "΄, καὶ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν αὐτῆ: οὐκ ἤγγισεν. » “Ἔπειτα τῶν ἀρχόντων τὸ θηριῶδες καὶ ἄδικον" Υ. «Οἱ ἄρχοντες αὐτῆς ἐν αὐτῇ, ὡς λέοντε; ὠρυόμενο!. » Καὶ τῶν κριτῶν τὸ παράνομόν τε καὶ βίαιον: « Οἱ κριταὶ αὐτῆς, ὡς λύκοι τῆς ᾿Αραδίας " οὐκ ὑπελίποντο εἰς τὸ πρωΐ. » Τῶν μάντεων τὸ ψευδὲ; τε καὶ ἄθεον" ### English translation (Claude) 2. "For it did not hear a voice." Then its lack of discipline: "Nor did it receive discipline." Besides these, its unbelief: "It did not trust in the Lord, and it did not draw near to its God." Then the savagery and injustice of its rulers: (3) "Its rulers within it are like roaring lions." And the lawlessness and violence of its judges: "Its judges are like wolves of Arabia; they left nothing for the morning." The falsehood and godlessness of its diviners: ### Scripture references - Zeph 3:2: quotation, high confidence - Zeph 3:3: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zeph 3:2; Theodoret goes on to 3:3. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 9.3.2 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-3-2). ## Commentary on Zephaniah 3:4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-3-1/#p-9-3-4 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Jerusalem's false prophets are empty and its priests profane the holy things. ### Greek text δ'. « Οἱ προφῆται αὐτῆς πνευματορόροι, ἄνδρες καταφρονηταί. ν Προρήτας γὰρ τοὺς ψευδοπροφήτὰς καλεῖ, Εἶτα καὶ τῶν ἱερέων τὸ δυσσεδὲ; καὶ Β ἀνόσιον" ε Οἱ ἱερεῖς αὐτή; βεθδηλοῦσι τὰ ἅγια, καὶ ἀσεδοῦσιν εἰς τὸν '5 νόμον.» ᾿Αλλὰ καὶ τούτων ἀπάντῶν, φησὶν, ἐν αὐτῇ τολμωμένων, ### English translation (Claude) 4. "Its prophets are wind-bearers, contemptuous men." He calls the false prophets prophets. Then the impiety and unholiness of the priests: "Its priests profane the holy things and act impiously against the law." But though all these things, he says, are dared within it, ### Scripture references - Zeph 3:4: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zeph 3:4. The sentence continues in the next section. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 9.3.4 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-3-4). ## Commentary on Zephaniah 3:5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-3-1/#p-9-3-5 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The righteous Lord will judge Jerusalem swiftly and openly and not let injustice prevail. ### Greek text ε΄. « Ὃ Κύριος" δίκαιος ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῆς, καὶ οὐ μὴ ποιήσῃ ἄδικον" πρωΐ, πρωῖ δώσει κρῖμα αὑτοῦ εἰ; φῶς, καὶ οὐκ ἀπεχρύθῃ, καὶ οὐκ ἔγνω ἀδικίαν ἐν ἀπαιτήσει, καὶ οὐκ εἰς νῖκος "5 ἀδικίαν. » Ταχίστὴν, φησὶν, ἐποίσει τὴν τιμωρίαν τοῖς τοσαῦτα τε- “ολμηχόσι κακά" διὰ γὰρ τοῦ πρωΐ, πρωῖ, τὸ τάχος παρεδήλωσε " τὸ ὃὲ δἰς ρῶς, ἀντὶ τοῦ, προφανῶς, καὶ οὐ λάθρα. Ταῦτα δὲ ποιήσει, φησὶ, καταλύων τῆς ἀδικίας τὸ θράσος, καὶ οὐκ ἐῶν αὐτὴν μέχρι τέλους κρατεῖν. : ### English translation (Claude) 5. "The Lord is righteous in its midst, and will not do what is unjust; morning by morning he will give his judgment to the light, and it was not hidden; and he did not know injustice in exaction, nor injustice unto victory." He will bring the punishment very swiftly, he says, on those who have dared such great evils; for by "morning by morning" he indicated the speed, and "to the light" means openly and not in secret. He will do these things, he says, destroying the boldness of injustice and not letting it prevail to the end. ### Scripture references - Zeph 3:5: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zeph 3:5. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 9.3.5 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-3-5). ## Commentary on Zephaniah 3:6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-3-1/#p-9-3-6 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God, having destroyed the proud nations, urges Jerusalem to repent quickly and promises that even the remnant of the Assyrians will fall to Babylon. ### Greek text ς΄. Ἐν διαφθορᾷ ") χκατέσπασα ὑπερηφάνου: " ὥφθησαν "5 γωνίαι αὐτῶν " ἐξερημώσω 2 τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτῶν τὸ παράπαν τοῦ μὴ διοδεύειν 3, ἐξέλιπον αἱ πόλεις αὑτῶν παρὰ τὸ μὴ “δ ὑπάρχειν, μηδὲ κατοικεῖν. » Ὥσπερ τὰς οἱκοδομίας αἱ γωνίαν συνδοῦσιν, φθορᾷ τοίνυν τοὺς ὑπερηφανίᾳ συζῶντας παραδιδοὺς, εἰς ἔδαφος αὐτῶν χατασπάσω τὸ ὕψος, ὥστε μηδὲ τὴν μνήμην αὐτῶν εἰς τοὺς ἐσομένους παραπεμφθῆναι, καὶ τὰς πόλεις δὲ αὐτῶν ἐρημίᾳ παντελεῖ παραδώσω. Οὕτως ἀπειλήσας ὁ φιλάνθρωπος, πάλιν παραινεῖ, καὶ συμδουλεύει δεῖσαι τὰ εἰρημένα, καὶ τὴν προσήκουσαν δέξασθαι διδασκαλίαν “ φυγεῖν τῶν ἠπειλημένων τὸν ὄλεθρον, ὃν ἡ παρανομία γεγέννηκε" μὴ μελλῆσαι, μηδὲ ἀναδαλέσθαι, ἀλλὰ ταχέως προσενεγκεῖν τὴν μετάνοιαν. « Ἑτοιμάζου γὰρ, φησὶν, ὄρθρισον. » Τουτέστι, Κατὰ τάχος τὰ τῆς μεταμελείας, ἐπίδειξχι. « Διέφθαρται πᾶσα ἡ ἐπιφυλλὶς αὐτῶν. ν Νὴ δείσῃς, φησὶ, τοὺς ᾿Ασσυρίους, ὧν τὸ πλῆθος πρὸ τῶν σῶν πυλῶν χατηχόντισα ᾿ καὶ γὰρ τὴν ἐπιρυλλίδα αὐτῶν, καὶ τοὺς ἐχείνην διαφυγόντας τὴν τιμωρίαν, παραδώσω Βαδυλωνίοις. ### English translation (Claude) 6. "In ruin I have pulled down the arrogant; their corners were made desolate; I will lay waste their ways utterly, so that none may pass through; their cities have failed, so that no one is there or dwells there." As corners bind buildings together, [so …]; handing over to ruin, then, those who live in arrogance, I will pull their height down to the ground, so that not even their memory is passed on to those who will come after, and I will hand their cities over to complete desolation. Having thus threatened, the lover of humankind exhorts again, and counsels them to fear what has been said and to receive the fitting teaching, to flee the destruction threatened, which their lawlessness has brought forth, not to delay or put it off, but to offer repentance quickly. (7) "Make ready," he says, "rise early." That is, show the works of repentance quickly. "All their gleaning has been destroyed." Do not fear the Assyrians, he says, whose multitude I shot down before your gates; for I will hand over to the Babylonians even their gleaning, those who escaped that punishment. ### Scripture references - Zeph 3:6: quotation, high confidence - Zeph 3:7: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 19:35: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zeph 3:6; Theodoret goes on to 3:7 as his text reads it ("Make ready, rise early; all their gleaning has been destroyed"). Words are lost in the scan after the comparison with corners (…). The Assyrians before the gates: 2 Kgs 19:35. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 9.3.6 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-3-6). ## Commentary on Zephaniah 3:8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-3-1/#p-9-3-8 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God bids his people wait for the day when he will rise to judge the nations and overthrow unjust kingdoms. ### Greek text η΄. « Διὰ τοῦτο ὑπόμεινόν με, λέγει Κύριος, ἐν ἡμέρᾳ" ἀναστάσεώς μου εἰς μαρτύριον, διότι τὸ χκρῖμά μου εἰς συναγωγὰς ἐθνῶν, τοῦ εἰπτδέξασθαι βασιλεῖς, τοῦ ἔχχέχι ἐπ᾽ αὐτοὺς τὴν "΄ ὀργὴν θυμοῦ μου, διότι ἐν πυρὶ ζήλου μου καταναλωθήσεται πᾶσα ἡ γῆ. ν Μὴ νομίσης με, φησὶν, ἀμελεῖν τῶν ἀνθρω πείων πραγμάτων, ἀλλ᾽ ἀνάμεινον, καὶ ὄψει μὲ διανιστάμενον, καὶ κρίνοντα δικαίως, καὶ τὰς ἀδίχοὺυς καταλύοντα βασιλείας, καὶ οἷόν τινι πυρὶ τῷ ζήλῳ μοῦ πᾶσαν ἐχχαθαίροντα τὴν οἰκουμένην. Καὶ τοῦτο σαφέστερον ἑρμηνεύων, ἐπήγαγεν" ### English translation (Claude) 8. "Therefore wait for me, says the Lord, on the day of my rising up for a witness; for my judgment is for the assemblies of the nations, to receive kings, to pour out upon them the anger of my wrath; for in the fire of my jealousy the whole earth will be consumed." Do not think, he says, that I neglect human affairs; but wait, and you will see me rising up, judging justly, overthrowing unjust kingdoms, and cleansing the whole world with my jealousy as with a fire. And interpreting this more clearly, he went on: ### Scripture references - Zeph 3:8: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zeph 3:8. Migne's Latin column and footnotes, which had leaked into the lemma, are removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 9.3.8 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-3-8). ## Commentary on Zephaniah 3:9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-3-1/#p-9-3-9 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God will purify the tongues of the nations from polytheism, so that all call on the one Lord. ### Greek text θ΄. « Ὅτι" τότε μεταστρέψω ἐπὶ λαοὺς γλῶσσαν εἰς γενεὰς αὐτῶν "», τοῦ ἐπικαλεῖσθαι πάντας δ τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου, τοῦ ᾽" δουλεύειν αὐτῷ ὑπὸ ζυγὸν ἕνα.» Τοῦτο σαφέστερον ᾿Ακύλας, καὶ Θεοδοτίων, καὶ Σύμμαχὸς ἡρμηνεύχασιν. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ᾿Ακύλας καὶ Θεοδοτίων φασί" ε Τότε στρέψω πρὸς πάντας τοὺς λαοὺς χεῖλος ἐξειλεγμένον " » ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος " « Τότε μεταστρέφω ἐν τοῖς λαοῖς χεῖλος καθαρόν᾽ » καθαρὸν δὲ χεῖλος. τὸ μὴ θεοὺς, ἀλλὰ Θεὸν ὀνομάζον. Τοιαῦτα καὶ διὰ Ἡσαΐου εἴρηκεν ὁ Θεός - ε Αἱ γλῶσσαι αἱ ψελλίζουσαι μαθήσονται λαλεῖν εἰρήνην. » Καὶ πάλιν « Τρανὴ ἔσται γλῶσσα μογιλάλων. » Τὰς γλώσσας τοίνυν ἐκείνας, τὰς τὴν πολυθεΐαν πεπαιδευμένας, μεταστρέψει, καὶ ἐχλεχτὰς ποιήσει, καὶ καθαράς " ὥστε « Πάντας ἐπικαλεῖσθαι τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου, καὶ δουλεύειν αὑτῷ ἅπαντα τὰ ἔθνη ὑπὸ ζυγὸν ἕνα. » Καὶ μέντοι καὶ τοὺς ᾿ ! ### English translation (Claude) 9. "For then I will turn upon the peoples a tongue for their generations, so that all may call on the name of the Lord, to serve him under one yoke." Aquila, Theodotion and Symmachus have interpreted this more clearly. Aquila and Theodotion say: "Then I will turn to all the peoples a chosen lip"; and Symmachus: "Then I turn among the peoples a pure lip"; and a pure lip is one that names not gods but God. God said such things through Isaiah too: "The stammering tongues will learn to speak peace." And again: "The tongue of the stammerers will be clear." He will turn, then, those tongues that were schooled in polytheism, and make them chosen and pure, so that "all call on the name of the Lord, and all the nations serve him under one yoke." And indeed also the … ### Scripture references - Zeph 3:9: quotation, high confidence - Isa 32:4: quotation, high confidence - Isa 35:6: quotation, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zeph 3:9. Isaiah: Isa 32:4; 35:6. The section breaks off in mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 9.3.9 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-3-9). ## Commentary on Zephaniah 3:10 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-3-1/#p-9-3-10 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The farthest nations, taught by the apostles whom God scattered, will offer him spiritual sacrifices. ### Greek text ι΄. «Ἔχ περάτων ποταμῶν Αἰθιοπίας προσδέξομαι", τοὺς 83 ἱκετεύοντά; με’ υἱοὶ δ τῶν διεσπαρμένων οἴσουσι θυσίας μοι. ν Οἱ γὰρ τὰς ἐσχατιὰς οἰκοῦντες, τῶν διασπαρέντων ὑπ᾽ ἐμοῦ χηρμύχων τὴν διδασκαλίαν δεξάμενοι, τὴν τῆς αἰνέσεώς μοι θυσίαν προσοἰσουσιν. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ ὁ Σύμμαχος ἡρμήνευσε" Πέραθεν ποταμῶν Αἰθιοπίας ἱχετεύοντά με τέχνα τῶν διεσχορπισμένων ὑπ᾽ ἐμοῦ ἐνέγχωσι δῶρον ἐμοί, γ» Οἱ τάχνα γενόμενοι τῶν ὑπ’ ἐμοῦ σχεδασθέντων εἰς πάντα τὰ ἔθνη τῆς εὐσεθδείας κηρύκων, τὰ πνευματικά μοι δῶρα προσχομιοῦσιν. ### English translation (Claude) 10. "From the ends of the rivers of Ethiopia I will receive those who supplicate me; the sons of the dispersed will bring me sacrifices." For those who live in the farthest regions, having received the teaching of the heralds scattered by me, will offer me the sacrifice of praise. So too Symmachus interpreted: "From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia those who supplicate me, the children of those scattered by me, will bring me a gift." Those who have become children of the heralds of piety whom I scattered among all the nations will bring me spiritual gifts. ### Scripture references - Zeph 3:10: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zeph 3:10. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 9.3.10 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-3-10). ## Commentary on Zephaniah 3:11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-3-1/#p-9-3-11 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Jerusalem's believers will be freed from shame, and the meek and humble remnant, the apostles, will replace the stubborn people. ### Greek text ια΄. « Ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ οὐ μὴ καταισχυνθῇς ἐκ πάντων τῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων σου", ὧν ἠσέδησας ἢ εἰς ἐμξ, ὅτι τότε περιελῶ ἀπὸ σοῦ τὰ φαυλίσματα τῆς ὕὈδρεώς σου, καὶ οὐκέτι οὐ 57 μὴ προσθῇ ς 3" τοῦ μεγαλαυχῆσαι ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος τὸ ἅγιόν μου. » Τούτων γιγνομένων, καὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν τῆς σωτηρίας ἀπολαυόν- ᾿σων, καὶ ὑμεῖς οἱ τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ οἰκοῦντες, τὴν διὰ πίστεως δεχόμενοι σωτηρίαν, τῆς μὲν προτέρας τῶν ἐμῶν ἐντολῶν, οὐδὲ ἐπὶ τῷ παλαιῷ νεῷ φρονήσετε. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ οὐ πάντες ἔμελλον τῇ εὐχγπρολέγει" εβ’, ιγ΄. ε« Καὶ ὑπολήψομαι ἐν σοὶ λαὸν ποᾶον ἢ, καὶ ταπεινὸν, καὶ εὐλαδηθήσονται ἀπὸ τοῦ ὀνόματος Κυρίου οἱ κατάλοιποι τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ οὐ ποιή πουσιν ἀδικίαν, καὶ οὐ λαλήσουσι μάταια, καὶ οὐ μὴ εὑρεθῇ ἐν τῷ "6 στόματι αὐτῶν γλῶσσα δολία " διότι αὐτοὶ νεμήσονται. καὶ χοιτασθήσονται, καὶ οὐκ ἔσται " ὁ ἐχφοθῶν αὐτούς. » Καὶ ταῦτα τὸν ἀποστολικὸν ἡμῖν σαφῶς χορὸν ὑποδείκνυσιν, ὃν ὁ Δεσπότης μακαρίζων ἔλεγε" ε« Μακάριοι οἱ πραεῖς, ὅτι αὐτοὶ κληρονομήσουσι τὴν γῆν. » Καὶ πάλιν" ε Μάθετε ἀπ᾽ ἐμοῦ, ὅτι πρᾶός εἰμι, καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ, καὶ εὑρήσετε ἀνάπαυσιν ταῖς ψυχαῖς ὑμῶν. ν Τοῦτον ὁ μακάριος Σοφονίας τὸν λαὸν πράον καὶ ταπειγὺν ἀποκαλεῖ᾽ ὁ γὰρ Ἰσραηλιτιχὸς οὐ τοιοῦτος, ἀλλὰ λαὸς "3 μωρὺς, καὶ οὐκὶ σοφό;. Καὶ κατ᾽ ἄλλον προφήτην « Νεῦρον σιδηροῦν ὁ τράχηλος αὑτοῦ, καὶ τὸ μέτωπον αὐτοῦ χαλκοῦν. κ Τούτους ἀδικίας ἐλευθέρους ἀποκαλεῖ, δόλου γλῶσσαν γῊ» ἔχογτας. Τοιοῦτον τοίνυν δεξαμένη λαὸν, ἀντὶ τοῦ μοχθηροῦ, καὶ θρασέως, καὶ δυσσεθοῦς, ### English translation (Claude) 11. "On that day you will not be put to shame for all your practices, by which you acted impiously against me; for then I will take away from you the contemptuous deeds of your insolence, and you will no longer continue to boast on my holy mountain." When these things happen and the nations enjoy salvation, you too who dwell in Jerusalem, receiving salvation through faith, [will be freed from the shame] of your former [transgression] of my commandments, nor will you pride yourselves on the old temple. And since not all were going to [accept] the [faith], he foretells: (12–13) "And I will leave in you a meek and humble people, and the remnant of Israel will revere the name of the Lord, and will not do injustice nor speak vain things, and a deceitful tongue will not be found in their mouth; for they will pasture and lie down, and there will be none to make them afraid." These words too clearly show us the choir of the apostles, whom the Master blessed when he said: "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." And again: "Learn from me, for I am meek and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." This is the people the blessed Zephaniah calls meek and humble; for the Israelite people was not such, but "a foolish people and not wise"; and according to another prophet, "your neck is an iron sinew and your forehead bronze." These he calls free from injustice, not having a tongue of deceit. Having received, then, such a people instead of the wicked, bold, and impious one, ### Scripture references - Zeph 3:11: quotation, high confidence - Zeph 3:12: quotation, high confidence - Zeph 3:13: quotation, high confidence - Matt 5:5: quotation, high confidence - Matt 11:29: quotation, high confidence - Deut 32:6: quotation, high confidence - Isa 48:4: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zeph 3:11; Theodoret goes on to 3:12–13. Words are lost in the scan in the comment on 3:11 (supplied by sense in brackets). Theodoret's contrast between the remnant and the Israelite people is translated as written. Quotations: Matt 5:5; 11:29; Deut 32:6; Isa 48:4. The sentence continues in the next section. Migne's Latin column is removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 9.3.11 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-3-11). ## Commentary on Zephaniah 3:14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-3-1/#p-9-3-14 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Zion's joy and the promise to gather the oppressed fit the return from Babylon but are fulfilled exactly in Christ, whose salvation is a free gift; Theodoret ends Zephaniah with a call to stand in Christ's freedom. ### Greek text ιδ΄. ε Χαῖρε, θύγατερ Σιὼν, σφόδρα "3 χέρυσσε, θύγατερ Ἱερουσαλήμ’ εὐφραίνου "" καὶ εὐτέρπου ἐξ ὅλης καρδίας σὴν, θύγατερ Ἱερουσαλήμ. » Τῶν τε γὰρ εἰδώλων ὁ Θεός σε καθαρὰν ἀπέφηνε, καὶ τῆς τῶν δηλητηρίων δαιμόνων ἡἠλευθέρωτε δουλείας. ις΄-ἰη. ε« Ἐν τῷ χαιρῷ ἐκείνῳ ἐρεῖ Κύριος τ Ἱερουσαλήμ Θάρσει, Σιὼν, μὴ παρείσθωδαν αἱ χεῖρές σον Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου "δ ἐν σοὶ, δυνατὸς σώσε: σε" ἐπάξει ἐπὶ σὲ εὐφροσύνην, καὶ σε ἐν τῇ ἀγαπήσει "6 αὑτοῦ, καὶ εὐφρανθήσεται ἐν σοὶ, ἐν τέρψε:;, ὡς ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἑορτῆς, καὶ συνάξω κοὺς συντετριμμένους σου "7. ν Οἷδα μὲν, ὡς ταῦτά τινες εἰς τὴν ἀπὸ Βαδυλῶνος ἐπάνοδον, καὶ τῆς Ἴερουσαλὴμ τὴν ἀνανέωσιν ἐξειλήφασι, καὶ οὐκ ἄντι- “λέγω τοῖς εἰρημένοις " ἁρμόττει γὰρ καὶ τοῖς τηνικάδε γεγενημένοις ἡ προφητεία" ἀχριθῆ δὲ τὴν ἔχθασιν ἔστιν εὑρεῖν μετὰ τὴν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐνανθρώπησιν " τότε γὰρ τοὺς συντετριμμένους τὴν καρδίαν διὰ τῆς τοῦ λουτροῦ παλιγγενεσίας ἰάσατο " τότε ἀνεκαίνισε τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὴν φύσιν, οὕτω; ἡμᾶς ἀγαπήσας, ὡς καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν αὑτοῦ δοῦναι ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν. ε Μείζονα γὰρ, φησὶ, ταύτης ἀγάπην οὐδεὶς δύναται δεῖξα: Ν5 ἵνα τις θῇ 5 τὴν ψυχὴν αὖτοῦ ὑπὲρ τῶν φίλων αὑτοῦ. » Καὶ πάλιν" « Οὕτως ἠγάπησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν χέσμον, ὥστε τὸν Υἱὸν αὑτοῦ τὸν μονογενῆ ἔδωκεν, ἵνα πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν μὴ ἀπόληται, ἀλλ᾽ ἔχῃ ζωὴν αἰώνιον. » Εἶτα ἀπειλεῖ καὶ τοῖς τότε. τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ὀνειδίσασι, καὶ τοῖς μιτὰ ταῦτα κατὰ ταυτὸ τοῦτο τολμῶσι " διπλῇ γὰρ ἡ προφητεία. « Οὐαέ! τίς ἔλαδεν ἐπ᾽ αὐτὴν ὀνειδισμόν; (ιθ΄, χ΄.) Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ποιῶ ἐν σοὶ ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ δ, λέγει Κύριος, ἐν τῷ χαιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, καὶ σώσω τὴν ἐχπεπιεσμένην, καὶ τὴν ἀπωσμένην εἰσδέξομαι, καὶ θήσομαι αὐτοὺς εἰς καύχημα, καὶ ὀνομαστοὺς ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ " καὶ οὐ καταιτχυνθήσοντα!. Ἐν τῷ χαιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, ὅταν τῶν κηρύκων τῆς ἀληθείας καλῶς ὑμῖν ποιήσω, καὶ ἐν τῷ καιρῷ, ὅταν εἰσδέξωμαιε ὑμᾶ;" διότι δώσω ὑμᾶς ὀνομαστοὺς, καὶ εἰς χαύχηυα ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς λαοῖς τῆς γῆς, ἐν τῷ ἐπιστρέφειν με τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν ὑμῶν "' ἐνώπιον ὑμῶν, λέγει Κύριος. » Ἢ τῶν ἀνθρώπων σωτηρία μόνης ἤρτηται τῆς θείας φιλανθρωπίας " οὔτε γὰρ μισθὸν δικαιοσύνης ταύτην καρπούμεθα, ἀλλὰ τῆς θείας ἐστὶν ἀγαθότητος δῶρον" διό φησι Δεσπότης Ἕνεκεν' ἐμοῦ καλ σώσω καὶ δέξομαι, καὶ τὴν ἀλλοτρίαν γεγενημένην προδοιἀοίδιμον αὐτὴν παρὰ πᾶσιν ἐργάσομαι, καὶ τῆς προτέρας αἰσχύνης ἐλευθερώσω, καὶ ἀντ᾽ αἰχμαλώτων καὶ δούλων ἐλευθέρους τε καὶ οἰκείους ἐμοὺς ἀποδείξιυ. Ταῦτα δὲ, ὡς ἔφην, καὶ τοῖς ἐκ Βαδυλῶνος ἐπανελθοῦσιν ἐδωρήσατο τηνικαῦτα, καὶ πᾶσιν ἀν- 1} θρώποις μετὰ ταῦτα κεχάρισται " οὗ γὰρ πάλαι τῷ διαθόλῳ δουλεύοντες, τῆς πικρᾶς ἐκείνης πἰχμαλωσίας ἀπαλλαγέντες, καὶ τῆς πολυθέον πλάνης ἐπιλατὴν προφητείαν, παρ᾽ “Ἕλλησι καὶ βαρδάροις γενόμένοι" καὶ οἱ δ᾽ πάλαι μακρὰν ὄντε;, ἐγγὺ: γεγενήμεθα, κατὰ τὸν θεῖον ᾿Απόστολον. Προσήκει τοίνυν ἡμᾶ; τῇ ἀποστολικῇ παραινέσει πεισθῆναι δια ῤῥήδὴν βοώσῃ « Τῇ ἐλευθερίᾳ, ἧ Χριστὸς ἡμᾶς ἡλευθέρωσε, στήκετε, καὶ μὴ πάλιν ζυγῷ δουλείας ἐνἐχεσθε. » Οὕὔτω γὰρ τῆς τε τοῦ τυράννου πικρᾶς ἀπαλλαγησόμεθα δυναστείας, καὶ τὸν ἡμέτερον θεραπεύσαντες Δεσπότην, τῆς τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀπολαυσόμεθα βασιλείας, χάριτι τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ᾽ οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡ δόξα, σὺν τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι» νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων δ᾽, ᾿Αμὴν, “τ, ### English translation (Claude) 14. "Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion; proclaim, daughter of Jerusalem; be glad and delight with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem." For God has made you clean from the idols and set you free from slavery to the destructive demons. (16–18) "At that time the Lord will say to Jerusalem: Take courage, Zion; let your hands not grow slack. The Lord your God is in you; the Mighty One will save you; he will bring gladness upon you, and [will renew] you in his love, and will rejoice over you with delight as on a day of festival; and I will gather your broken ones." I know that some have taken these words of the return from Babylon and the renewal of Jerusalem, and I do not contradict what they have said; for the prophecy fits what happened at that time too. But its exact outcome can be found after the incarnation of our Savior; for then he healed the broken in heart through the washing of regeneration; then he renewed the nature of human beings, having loved us so much as to give even his life for us. "For no one," he says, "can show greater love than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." And again: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life." Then he threatens both those who at that time reproached Jerusalem and those who later dare the same; for the prophecy is double. "Woe! Who has taken up a reproach against her? (19–20) Behold, I am acting in you for my own sake, says the Lord, at that time; and I will save her who is oppressed and receive her who is thrust out, and I will make them a boast and renowned in all the earth, and they will not be put to shame. At that time, when I do good to you, and at the time when I receive you; for I will make you renowned and a boast among all the peoples of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before you, says the Lord." The salvation of human beings depends on the divine love for humankind alone; for we do not reap it as a wage for righteousness, but it is a gift of the divine goodness. That is why the Master says: For my own sake I will save and receive; I will [take back] her who had become a stranger and make her celebrated among all, free her from her former shame, and make free men and members of my household out of captives and slaves. These things, as I said, he granted at that time to those who returned from Babylon, and afterwards bestowed on all human beings; for we who formerly served the devil, released from that bitter captivity and [forgetting] the error of polytheism, [have come to him] according to the prophecy, … we who lived among Greeks and barbarians; and we who were once far off have been brought near, according to the divine Apostle. It befits us, then, to obey the apostolic exhortation, which cries out plainly: "Stand fast in the freedom with which Christ has set us free, and do not again be held in a yoke of slavery." For so we shall be freed from the bitter dominion of the tyrant, and, having served our Master, shall enjoy the kingdom of heaven, by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom be glory to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, now and always and to the ages of ages. Amen. ### Scripture references - Zeph 3:14: quotation, high confidence - Zeph 3:16: quotation, high confidence - Zeph 3:17: quotation, high confidence - Zeph 3:18: quotation, high confidence - Zeph 3:19: quotation, high confidence - Zeph 3:20: quotation, high confidence - Titus 3:5: allusion, high confidence - John 15:13: quotation, high confidence - John 3:16: quotation, high confidence - Eph 2:13: allusion, high confidence - Gal 5:1: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zeph 3:14; Theodoret goes on to 3:16–18a, 3:18b and 3:19–20 (3:15 is not quoted). He accepts a reading of the passage as the return from Babylon but holds that it is fulfilled exactly after the incarnation. In the lemma of 3:20 the scan has the words "of the heralds of the truth", probably displaced from the comment; they are not translated. Words lost in the scan are supplied by sense in brackets or marked …. Quotations: Titus 3:5 ("washing of regeneration"); John 15:13; John 3:16; Eph 2:13; Gal 5:1. Migne's Latin column and footnotes are removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 9.3.14 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-3-14). ## Commentary on Haggai, Preface, part 1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-3-1/#p-10-0-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Theodoret sets Haggai in the reign of Darius, when the rebuilding of the temple, begun under Cyrus and halted under Cambyses, was resumed and finished. ### Greek text Κύρος μὲν, ὁ πρῶτος Περσῶν βασιλεύσας, εὐδὺς τὴν βασιλείαν παραλαθὼν, ἐλευθερίαν τοῖς τῶν Ἴουἐπέτρεψε τὴν ἐνεγχοῦσαν χαταλαύεῖν, καὶ τὸν θεῖον ἀνεγεῖραι νεών. Καὶ δὴ χαταπεισθέντες δδ ὅσοι τοῖς προφητικοῖς ἐνετράφησαν λόγοις, καὶ τὴν προτεθεσπισμένην ἀνάκλησιν ἤδεισαν, ἐπανῆλθον προθύμως, καὶ τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ οἰχήσαντες, ἐπειράθτσαν οἶκοδομῆσαι τὸν θεῖον νεών " εἰρχθέντες δὲ ὑπό τε τῶν ἀστυγειτόνων ἀλλοφύλων, καὶ ὑπὸ Καμθύσου τοῦ Κύρου υἱέος, ὃς τοῖς ἐχείνων ὑπαχθεὶ; λόγοις, τὰναντία τῷ γεγεννηκότι προσέταξεν, ἡσυχίαν ἀγαγεῖν ἐναγχάσθησαν. Χρόνου δὲ συχνοῦ διελθόντος, βασιλεύει μὲν ὁ Ὑστάσπου Δαρεῖος " δείμασθαι δὲ τὸν θεῖον κελεύει νεὼν, ὥσπερ ὁ Κύρος. Οἱ ὃΣ ἤρξαντο μὲν τῆς οἰκοδομίας ἐν τῷ δευτέρῳ ἕτει τῆς ἐχείγου δδ6 βασιλείας, τῷ ἔκτῳ δὲ τούτου 57 συνεπλήρωσαν. Τούτου χάριν καὶ οἱ Φαρισαῖοι πρὸς τὸν Κα ριον 8 ἔλεγον’ ε Ἕν τεσσαράχοντα καὶ ἕξ ἔτεσιν ᾧκοδομήθη ὁ ναὺς οὗτος, καὶ σὺ ἐν τρισὶν ἡμέραις ἐγερεῖς αὐτόν; ν ᾿Αρξάμενοι γὰρ οἰκοδομεῖν ἐπὶ Κύρου διἐχωλύθησαν' εἶτα Κύρου καὶ Καμθύσου, καὶ τῶν μετὰ πούτους βασιλευσάντων Μάγων τελευτησάντων, ἐν τῷ ἔκτῳ ἕτει τῆς βατιλείας Δαρείου τὸ προσῆκον ἡ οἰκοδομία τέλος ἐδέξατο. Ἐπὶ τούτου τῆς προφητικῆς ἠξιώθη χάριτος ὁ θεσπέσιος ᾿Αγγαῖος " καὶ τῇ τούτον γλώττῃ χρώμενος ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς, αἰτιᾶται μὲν Ἰυυδαίου;, ὡς ὄκνῳ περὶ τὴν οἰχοδομίαν κατ᾽ ἐκεῖνον τυγχάνοντι τὸν καιρὸν, καὶ Ἰησοῦ τῷ ἀρχιερ:ΐ, ἅψασθαι τῆς οἰκοδομίας εὐθέως " καὶ ὑπισχνεῖται πλῆθος ὅτι πλείστων ἐθνῶν μετὰ πολλῆς ο ἀθροίΐσειν εὐπορίας χρημάτων, κἀκεῖ πάντας παραδώσειν θανάτῳ, καὶ τὸν ἐχείνων πλοῦτον εἰς τὰ τῆς οἰκοδομία; αὐτῆς δαπανήματα χορηγήσειν ὅδ. Αὕτη μὲν οὖν ἡ τῆσδε τῆς προφητείας νείας εἰσόμεθα, ### English translation (Claude) Cyrus, the first king of the Persians, as soon as he took over the kingdom, [granted] freedom to the [captives] of the Jews and permitted them to return to the land that bore them and to raise up the divine temple. And all who had been nourished on the prophetic words and knew of the recall foretold were persuaded and returned eagerly, and, settling in Jerusalem, tried to build the divine temple; but being hindered both by the neighboring foreigners and by Cambyses son of Cyrus, who, led on by their words, ordered the opposite of what his father had ordered, they were forced to keep quiet. After a long time had passed, Darius son of Hystaspes became king, and he ordered the divine temple to be built, as Cyrus had. They began the building in the second year of his reign and completed it in his sixth. This is why the Pharisees said to the Lord: "This temple was built in forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?" For having begun to build under Cyrus, they were hindered; then, after Cyrus and Cambyses and the Magi who reigned after them had died, the building received its fitting completion in the sixth year of the reign of Darius. Under him the inspired Haggai was counted worthy of the grace of prophecy; and using his tongue, the God of all blames the Jews for being slothful about the building at that time, and [urges Zerubbabel] and Jesus the high priest to set their hands to the building at once; and he promises that he will gather a very great multitude of nations with great abundance of riches, and there hand them all over to death, and supply their wealth for the expenses of the building itself. This, then, is [the theme] of this prophecy; [the details] we shall learn [from the interpretation]. ### Scripture references - Ezra 1:1: allusion, high confidence - Ezra 4:4: allusion, high confidence - Ezra 4:24: allusion, high confidence - Ezra 6:15: allusion, high confidence - John 2:20: quotation, high confidence - Hag 1:1: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Preface to Haggai. History: Ezra 1:1–4; 4:1–24; 6:15; Hag 1:1. The identification of the king who stopped the work with Cambyses, and the reckoning of John 2:20 from Cyrus to Darius, are Theodoret's own. Words are lost in the scan (supplied by sense in brackets). Debris of Migne's Latin column at the start is removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 10.0.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/10-0-1). ## Commentary on Haggai 1:1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-3-1/#p-10-1-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Haggai dates his prophecy by the Persian king, and God, through Zerubbabel and Jesus the high priest, accuses the people of adorning their own houses while leaving his house unbuilt. ### Greek text α'. « Ἐν τῷ δευτέρῳ ἕτει ἐπὶ Δαρείου τοῦ δ᾽ βασιλέως, ἐν τῷ μηνὶ τῷ ἕκτῳ, μιᾷ τοῦ μηνὸς, ἐγένετο λόγος Κυρίου ἐν χειρὶ ᾿Αγγαίου τοῦ προφήτου, λέγων"» Πρὸ μὲν τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας, τῶν τοῦ Ἰούδα καὶ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ βασιλέων ἐπέγραφον οἱ προφῆται τοὺς χρόνους " μετὰ δὲ τὴν ἐπάνοδον, ὡς ἀδασιλεύτων Ἰουδαίων μεμενηχότων, τοῦ Περσῶν βασιλέως ὁμαχάριος ᾿Αγγαῖος τὸν χρόνον προτίθησι 5, Μέμνηται ὃΣ οὐκὶ ἔτους μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ μηνὸς, καὶ ἡμέρας " δεῖξαι βουλόμενος οὐ μόνον τῆς οἰκοδομίας τὸ σύντομὴν. ἀλλχλ καὶ τῆς ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων τοῖς δ 6 Καὶ δῆτα πεισθέντες. … ὑπόθεσις " ἀκριθέστερον δὲ ταύτης τὸν νοῦν ἐκ τῆς κατὰ μέρος ἕρμη… φ'λοτιμίαν. Κελεύει γὰρ αὑτοῖς μετ᾽ ὀλίγα παρεξετάσαι, τά τε πρὸ τῆς οἰκοδομίας, καὶ τὰ μετὰ ταῦτα, καὶ διὰ τῆς πείρας μαθεῖν ἐν ὅσῃ μὲν ἦσαν σπάνει τῶν ἀναγκαίων ἀναθαλλόμενοι τοῦ νεὼ τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν" ὅσων δὲ ἀπέλαυσαν ἀγαθῶν ταύτην ἀναδεξάμενοι τὴν σπουδήν. Τὸ δὲ, Ἔν χειρὶ τοῦ προφήτου δ᾽͵ δι ᾿Αγγαίου «Εἰπὸν πρὸς Ζοροθδάδελ, τὸν τοῦ Σαλαθιὴλ ἐκ φυλῆς Ἰούδα, καὶ πρὸς Ἰησοῦν, τὸν τοῦ Ἰωτεδὲχ τὸν ἱερέα τὸν μέγαν, λέγων " (ξ'..δ΄.) Τάδε λέγει Κύριος παντοχράτωρ 5. Ὃ λαὸς οὗτος λέγουσιν Οὐκ ἧχει ὁ καιρὸς τοῦ οἰκοδομῆσαι τὴν οἶκον Κυρίου. Καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος Κυρίου ἐν χειρὶ ᾿Αγγαίου τοῦ προφήτου, λέγων ΕἸ καιρὸς μὲν ὑμῖν ἔστι τοῦ οἰκεῖν ἐν οἴκοις ὑμῶν χοιλοστάθμοις, ὁ δὲ οἶκος δ᾽ οὗτος Ἱερέα μέγαν τὸν ἀρχιερέα καλεῖν ἔθος τῇ θείχ Γραφῇ. 'Λρχιερεῖ τοίνυν ὄντι τῷ Ἰησοῦ, καὶ τῷ Ζοροδάδελ δημαγωγοῦντ!, οἷόν τισι κριταῖς ὁ Θεὸς κεχρημένος, τὴν τοῦ λαοῦ διὰ τοῦ ΠΙροφῆτου ποιεῖται κατηγορίαν. Ὁρᾶτε γὰρ, φησὶν, ὅσης μὲν καὶ ὁποίας ἐπιμελείας τὰς σφετέρας οἰκίας ἀξιοῦσιν " οὗ γὰρ μόνον οἰκοδομοῦσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ χαλλωπίζουσι ταύτας ' τὸν δὲ θεῖον οἶκον, δι᾽ οὗ χοινῃῆς σωτηρίας ἀπολαύουσι πάντες, οἰκοδομεῖν οὐκ ἐθέλουσιν, ἀνεπιτήδειον εἰς ### English translation (Claude) 1. "In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, saying:" Before the captivity the prophets dated their prophecies by the times of the kings of Judah and Israel; but after the return, since the Jews remained without kings, the blessed Haggai sets down the date by the king of the Persians. He mentions not only the year but also the month and the day, wishing to show not only the speed of the building but also the [generosity] of the God of all toward those [who obeyed] … [Lines displaced from the end of the preface: "And indeed, persuaded … the theme; but we shall learn its meaning more precisely from the detailed interpretation."] For a little later he bids them examine what happened before the building and after it, and learn by experience how great a lack of necessities they suffered while they put off the care of the temple, and how many good things they enjoyed once they took up this zeal. "By the hand of the prophet" [means] through Haggai. "Say to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel of the tribe of Judah, and to Jesus son of Josedek, the great priest, saying: (2–4) Thus says the Lord Almighty: This people say, The time has not come to build the house of the Lord. And the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, saying: Is it a time for you to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house [lies desolate]?" It is the custom of divine Scripture to call the high priest "the great priest". Since, then, Jesus was high priest and Zerubbabel leader of the people, God uses them as judges, as it were, and brings his accusation of the people through the prophet. See, he says, with how much and what kind of care they treat their own houses; for they not only build them but also beautify them; but the divine house, through which all enjoy the common salvation, they refuse to build, [saying that the time is] unsuitable for … ### Scripture references - Hag 1:1: quotation, high confidence - Hag 1:2: quotation, high confidence - Hag 1:3: quotation, high confidence - Hag 1:4: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hag 1:1; Theodoret goes on to 1:2–4. Lines that belong to the end of the preface (0.1) are displaced in the scan into this comment; they are translated in brackets where they stand. A notice on Haggai from the Lives of the Prophets (born in Babylon, of the tribe of Levi, buried near the tombs of the priests), Migne's summary of the chapter, his footnotes and his Latin column had leaked into the text; they are removed. The section breaks off in mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 10.1.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/10-1-1). ## Commentary on Haggai 1:5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-3-1/#p-10-1-5 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God bids the people consider how their neglect of his temple left them hungry and poor, and calls them to cut timber and build. ### Greek text ε΄. « Καὶ νῦν τάδς λέγει Κύριος παντοχράτωρ᾽ Τάξατ: τὰς δ' καρδίας ὑμῶν εἰς τὰς ὁδοὺς ὑμῶν. » τῶν ὑμετέρων ἐπιτηδευμάτων, καὶ μάθετε τῆς περὶ τὰ θεῖα σπουδῆς τε καὶ ῥᾳθυμίας τὸ διάφορον ὅσον. Εἶτα λέγε:, ὅτι πολὺν χαταθαλλόμενοι σπόρον, ὁλί- Ὕιστον γαρπὸν ἐκομίσαντο, ὡς ἀεὶ καὶ πεινῆν, καὶ διψῆν, καὶ κόρου μηδαμῶς ἀπολαύειν, ἀλλ᾽ ἐν πενίᾳ καὶ ταλαιπωρίᾳ διάγειν, ὡς καὶ αὐττὶς τῶν περιδοκαὶ οὐκ ἐθερμάνθητς ἐν αὐτοῖς, καὶ ὁ τοὺ: μισθοὺς συνάγων, συνήγαγεν εἰς ἀπόδεσιλον τετρυπὴ μένον. » Πρὺς γὰρ αὐτοῖς τοῖς δ᾽ κεκτημένοις, καὶ οἱ ἀποχεικαὶ τὸν μισθὸν συναθροίζειν, οὐδὲν τῶν πολλῶν ἀπώναντο πόνων, τῶν πάντων προελέσθαι τοῦ θείου ναοῦ τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν, καὶ τὰς ἀμφιλαφεῖς χαταλαθεῖν κορυφὰς, καὶ τὰ ἁρμόδια τῇ οἰκοδομίᾳ ξύλα τεμεῖν " ὑπισχνούμενος μιμνήσχει δὲ αὑτοὺς καὶ τῆς προτέρας ἐνδείας, ἴνα μάθωσιν οἷα τῆς ῥᾳθυμίας τὰ ἐπίχειρα. ### English translation (Claude) 5. "And now thus says the Lord Almighty: Set your hearts on your ways." [Consider the course] of your practices, and learn how great is the difference between zeal and sloth in divine things. Then he says that, though they sowed much seed, they brought in very little fruit, so that they were always hungry and thirsty and never enjoyed fullness, but lived in poverty and misery, so that even … "[you clothed yourselves] and were not warmed by them; and he who collects wages has collected them into a bag with holes." For besides those who owned [land], those who [worked for hire and] gathered wages also gained nothing from their many labors. … to prefer the care of the divine temple to everything, and to go up to the thick-wooded peaks and cut timber fit for the building; while promising [blessing], he also reminds them of their former want, so that they may learn what the wages of sloth are. ### Scripture references - Hag 1:5: quotation, high confidence - Hag 1:6: quotation, high confidence - Hag 1:7: allusion, high confidence - Hag 1:8: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hag 1:5; Theodoret paraphrases 1:6 and 1:7–8. Several lines are lost in the scan (…, or supplied by sense in brackets). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 10.1.5 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/10-1-5). ## Commentary on Haggai 1:9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-3-1/#p-10-1-9 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God sent drought and failure because the temple lay waste, not because he needs a house but to keep the law in force until Christ, the heir; when the leaders obeyed, he promised to be with them. ### Greek text θ΄. ε Ἑδλέψατε 56 γὰρ εἰς πολλὰ, καὶ ἐγένετο ὀλίγα" εἰἱτηνέχθη εἰς τὸν οἶκον, καὶ ἐξεφύσησα αὐτὰ.» Πολλοὺς δρέψασθαι καρποὺς προσδοκήσαντες τἢ; “ἐλπίδος ἐψεύσθητε, καὶ ὀλίγα δὲ συναθροίσαντες οὐδὲ τούτων ἀπελαύσατε᾽ καὶ ἐξ αὑτῶν γὰρ αὐτὰ τῶν « Διὰ τοὐτολέγει 51 Κύριος παντοχράτωρ " ᾿Ανθ᾽ ὧν ὁ οἶκός μου ἐστὶν ἔρημος, ὑμεῖς δὲ διώκετε ἔκαστος εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὑτοῦ. (ι᾽, ια΄.) Διὰ τοῦτο ἀνέξει ὁ οὐὖρανὸς ἀπὸ δρότου, καὶ ἡ γῆ στελεῖται κ᾽ τὰ ἐχφρόρια αὑτῆς ἐφ᾽ ὑμᾶ: “5. Καὶ ἐπάξω ῥομφαίαν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ ὅρη, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν σῖτον, καὶ ἐπὶ 75 τὸ ἔλαιον, καὶ ἐπὶ πάντα 17: ὅσα ἐχέρει ἡ γῆ, καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺ; ἀνθρώπους, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ κτήνη, καὶ ἐπὶ πάντας “οὺς πόνους τῶν χειρῶν αὐτῶν. » Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὑμεῖς πῆς ἐμῆς ἀμελεῖτε θεραπείας, καὶ τῶν οἰκιῶν δὲ τῶν ὑ χλετέρων πολλὴν ποιεῖσθε κηδεμονίαν " οὕτως χἀγὼ πεδήσω μὲν τῶν νεφῶν τὰς ὠδῖνας, ἄγονον δὲ χελεύσω γενέσθαι τὴν γῆν ᾿ τὴν δὲ χολαστιχὴν δύναμιν, καθάπερ τινὰ ῥομφαίαν, οὐ μόνον κατὰ τῶν τῆς γῆς ἐπάξω καρπῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατὰ τῶν ἐργαζομένων ταύτην ἀνθρώπων" κοινωνήσει δὲ αὑτοῖς τῆς τιμωρίας καὶ τὰ εἰς τὴν τούτων ὑπουργίαν γεγενημῖνα κτήνη. Ταῦτα δὲ ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὺς ἀπειλεῖ ποιήσειν, διὰ τὴν περὶ τὸν θεῖον οἶκον ἀμέλειαν, οὐκ ὡς ἐκείνου δεόμενος" οὔτε γὰρ οὐρανοῦ δεῖται τῶν ὅλων ὁ ποιητὴ;, πάντα δὲ διὰ φιλανθρωπίαν ἐδημιούργησε μόνην ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτῶν ἐχείνων ἐπιμελούμενος, καὶ τῆς σωτηρίας αὐτῶν προμηθούμενος, τὸν νεὼν οἰκοδομηθῆναι κελεύει, ἵν᾽ ἐν ἐκείνῳ τὸν νόμον πληροῦντες, τὴν ἐντεῦθεν ὠφέλειαν καρπώσωνται, καὶ τὴν νομικὴν λατρείαν ἕως τῆς τοῦ χληρονόμου παρουσίας, κατὰ τὸν θεζον ᾿Λπόστολον, ἐπιτελεῖσθαι βουλόμενος " μετὰ γὰρ τὴν τοῦ Σωτῇρὸς ἡμῶν ἐνανθρώπησιν, τῆς Καινῆς Διαθήκη; ἀναφανείσης, ἔλαδε τέλος ἡ Παλαιὰ, καὶ ὁ παιδαγωγὸς νόμος τὸν σοφώτατον ἡμῖν ὑποδείξας Διδάσκαλον ὑπεχώρησεν, ὦ; οὐκέτι τῶν ὑπ᾽ αὐτοῦ παιδχγωγηθέντων τῆ: στοιχειώδους εἰσαγωγῆς αὐτοῦ δεομένων. α ᾿Δλλ᾽ ἡμεῖς εἰς τὴν ἀκολουθίαν ἐπανέλθωμεν τῆς. προφητείας ταύτης. ᾿Ακούσαντες τῆς ἀπειλῆς ὁ τε Ζοροθάθελ, καὶ Ἰησοῦς ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς, καὶ ὁ ὑπὸ τούτῶν ποιμαινόμενος λεὼς, δέους μὲν ἐπλήσθησαν, εἶξαν δὲ τοῖς ὑπὸ τοῦ προφήτου τεθεσπισμένοις " παραυτίκα δὲ ὁ φιλάνθρωπος Δεσπότης, τὸ εὐπειθὲς αὑτῶν θεασάμενος, διὰ τοῦ προφήτου βοᾷ" « Ἐγώ εἶμι μεθ᾽ ὑμῶν, λέγει Κύριος. » Θαῤῥεῖτε 7", φησὶν, ὡς συνεργόν με καὶ βοηθὸν ἔχοντες. ### English translation (Claude) 9. "You looked for much, and it became little; it was brought into the house, and I blew it away." Expecting to gather many fruits, you were cheated of your hope; and gathering a little, you did not enjoy even that; for … "Therefore, says the Lord Almighty, because my house is desolate, while you each run to his own house, (10–11) therefore the heaven will withhold its dew, and the earth will hold back its produce from you. And I will bring a sword upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the grain and upon the oil, and upon all that the earth brings forth, and upon human beings and upon cattle, and upon all the labors of their hands." For just as you neglect my service and take great care of your own houses, so I too will fetter the travail of the clouds and command the earth to become barren; and the punishing power, like a sword, I will bring not only against the fruits of the earth but also against the human beings who work it; and the cattle made for their service will share in their punishment. The God of all threatens to do these things because of their neglect of the divine house, not as though he needed it (for the Maker of all does not need even heaven, but created everything out of love for humankind alone), but caring for them and providing for their salvation he orders the temple to be built, so that by fulfilling the law in it they might reap the benefit that comes from it; for he wished the worship of the law to be carried out until the coming of the heir, according to the divine Apostle. For after the incarnation of our Savior, when the New Covenant appeared, the Old came to an end, and the law, the tutor, having pointed out to us the wisest Teacher, withdrew, since those it had tutored no longer needed its elementary introduction. But let us return to the sequence of this prophecy. Hearing the threat, Zerubbabel and Jesus the high priest and the people shepherded by them were filled with fear and yielded to what the prophet had declared; and at once the Master who loves humankind, seeing their obedience, cries through the prophet: "I am with you, says the Lord." Take courage, he says, since you have me as fellow worker and helper. ### Scripture references - Hag 1:9: quotation, high confidence - Hag 1:10: quotation, high confidence - Hag 1:11: quotation, high confidence - Hag 1:12: allusion, high confidence - Hag 1:13: quotation, high confidence - Gal 3:19: allusion, medium confidence - Gal 3:24: allusion, high confidence - Gal 4:1: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hag 1:9; Theodoret goes on to 1:9b–11 and 1:12–13. The Apostle: Gal 3:19, 24; 4:1–2 (the heir, the tutor, the elementary principles). Words are lost in the scan after "you did not enjoy even that". Migne's footnotes and Latin column are removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 10.1.9 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/10-1-9). ## Commentary on Haggai 1:14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-3-1/#p-10-1-14 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God stirs up the leaders and the people to work on the temple. ### Greek text ιδ΄. ε Καὶ ἐξήγειρε Κύριος τὸ πνεῦμα Ζοροδάθελ τοῦ Σαλαθιὴλ ἐκ φυλῆς Ἰούδα, καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Ἰωτεδὲχ, τοῦ ἱερέως τοῦ μεγάλου, κυὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τῶν καταλοίπων παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ, καὶ εἰσῆλθον, καὶ ἐποίουν τὰ ἔργα ἐπὶ τῷ οἴκῳ Κυρίου παντο- ### English translation (Claude) 14. "And the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel of the tribe of Judah, and the spirit of Jesus son of Josedek, the great priest, and the spirit of the remnant of all the people; and they came in and did the works on the house of the Lord Almighty ### Scripture references - Hag 1:14: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hag 1:14; the quotation continues in the next section. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 10.1.14 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/10-1-14). ## Commentary on Haggai 1:15 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-3-1/#p-10-1-15 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The people began building within weeks of the prophecy, and God, through Haggai, laments the poverty of the new house compared with the old. ### Greek text α΄. ε Τῇ τετράδι καὶ εἰκάδι τοῦ μηνὸς τοῦ ἔκτου, ν» Ἑντεῦθεν σαφῶς μεμαθήκαμεν, ὡς εὐθὺς προαιρού- μενο! τὰ ἀγαθὰ τῆς θείας ἐπικουρίας τυγχάνομεν " καὶ τὰρ οὗτοι νεύσαντες ἐπὶ τὸ χρεῖττον τῆς ὑεία; συμπνοίας ἀπέλαυσαν, καὶ προθυμοτέρους αὐτοὺς ἡ θεία χάρις εἰργάσατο ὡς τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς οἰκοδὸμίας ποιήσασθαι τῇ τετράδι καὶ εἰκάδι τοῦ μηνὸς, ἐν ὃὲ τῇ νουμηνίᾳ τὴν προφητείαν ἐδέξαντο. Εἶτα πάλιν ἐν τῷ ἑθδόμῳ μηνὶ παρεγγυὰ ὁ Δεσπότης τῷ προτἧτη ταῦτα πρὺς αὑτοὺς διαπορθμεῦσαι τὰ ῥήματα. « Τίς ἐξ ὑμῶν, ὃς εἶδε τὸν οἶκον τοῦτον ἐν τῇ δόξῃ αὐτοῦ τῇ ἔμπροσθεν, καὶ πῶς ὑμεῖς βλέπετε αὐτὸν νῦν καθὼς οὐκ ὁ ὑπάρχοντα ἐνώπιον ὑμῶν; » Πῶ; ἀνἐχεσθε μεμνημένοι τῖῖς προτέρας αὑτοῦ περιφανείας τε καὶ λαμπρότητος, ὁρᾷν αὐτὸν τοσαύτῃ χατεγόμενὴν ἐρημίᾳ; εἴπερ ἄρα τινές εἰσιν ἐξ ὑμῶν ἐξ ### English translation (Claude) 1. on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month." From this we have learned clearly that as soon as we choose [what is better] we obtain the good things of divine help; for these too, turning toward the better, enjoyed the divine cooperation, and the divine grace made them more eager, so that they made the beginning of the building on the twenty-fourth day of the month, whereas they had received the prophecy on the first of the month. Then again, in the seventh month, the Master enjoins the prophet to carry these words across to them: (3) "Who among you saw this house in its former glory? And how do you see it now, as though it were not there before you?" How do you bear it, remembering its former splendor and brilliance, to see it held in such desolation, if indeed there are some among you from … ### Scripture references - Hag 1:15: quotation, high confidence - Hag 2:1: allusion, high confidence - Hag 2:3: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hag 1:15, the end of the date begun in 1:14 (Migne numbers it 2:1; in some editions this half-verse opens chapter 2). Theodoret then paraphrases 2:1–2 and quotes 2:3. Migne's Latin column and footnotes are removed. The section breaks off in mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 10.1.15 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/10-1-15). ## Commentary on Haggai 2:4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-3-1/#p-10-2-4 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God encourages the builders with his presence and Spirit, and Theodoret reads the shaking of the nations as the defeat of Gog and Magog, whose wealth went to the temple. ### Greek text ε', ς΄. «Καὶ νῦν χατίσχυΞ Ζοροθάδελ, λέγε: Κύριος, καὶ χατίσχυς Ἰτσοῦ ὁ τοῦ Ἰωσεδὲκ, ὁ ἱερεὺς ὁ μέγας, καὶ χατισχυέτω πᾶς 16 ὁ λαὺς τῆς γῆς, λέγει Κύριος, καὶ ποιεῖτε, διότι ἐγώ εἰμ: μεθ᾽ ὑμῶν, λέγει Κύρις παντοχράτωρ. Καὶ ὃ λόγος μου ΤἼ, δ) διεθέξχην ὑμῖν, ἐξελθόντων ὑμῶν ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου ἴδ, καὶ τὸ “πνεῦμά μου ἐφέστηκεν ἐν μέσῳ ὑμῶν. ν» Πᾶσαν ἑᾳστώνην καὶ δειλίαν ἀποσεισάμενοι, δέξαδθε τὴν παρ᾽ ἐμοῦ χορηγουμένην ὑμῖν ἰσχὺν, κἀμὲ διὰ τῆς νομοθεσίας ὑμῖν συνεῖναι πιστεύοντες, καὶ τοῦ παναγίου Πνεύμᾶτος προμηθεῖσθαι ὑμῶν τὴν χάριν. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ πολλὰ ἣν τὰ κωλύματα, καὶ πενία, καὶ τῶν ἀνα; καίων ἣ σπάνις, καὶ τῶν ἀστυγειτόνων αἱ πρησθδολοσὶ, « Θαρσεῖτε, (ζ᾽, η΄.) Διότι τάδε λέγει Κύριος παντοχράτωρ᾽ Ἔτι ἅπαξ ἐγὼ σείω Τ᾽ τὸν οὐρανὸν, καὶ τὴν Υἷἣν, καὶ τὴν θάλασσαν, καὶ τὴν ξηράν. Καὶ συσσείτω πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, καὶ ἥξει τὰ ἐχλεχτὰ πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν, καὶ πλήσω τὸν οἶκον τοῦτον δύξη-:, λέγεϊ Κύρ'οξ παντοχράτωρ. ν Περὶ τοῦ Γὼγ καὶ Μαγὼγ προαγορεύει, οἷς ϑουληθεῖσιν ἐπιστρατεῦσαι κατὰ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ μετὰ πλείστων ἐθνῶν συνεχώρησε, καὶ κατ᾿ ἀλλήλων αὐτοὺς ὁπλίσας, ὑπ᾽ ἀλλέλων αὐτοὺς ἢ ἀναιρεθῆναι πεποίηκε, καὶ τὸν ἐχείνων πλοῦτον τοῖς οἰκοδομοῦσι παρέσχε. Καὶ θεραπεύων τῶν ἀκουόντων τὴν ἀκοὴν, ### English translation (Claude) 4–5. "And now be strong, Zerubbabel, says the Lord; and be strong, Jesus son of Josedek, the great priest; and let all the people of the land be strong, says the Lord, and work; for I am with you, says the Lord Almighty. And my word which I covenanted with you when you came out of the land of Egypt, and my Spirit, stands in your midst." Shake off all slackness and cowardice, and receive the strength I supply to you, believing that I am with you through the legislation and that the grace of the all-holy Spirit watches over you. And since the hindrances were many (poverty, the lack of necessities, and the attacks of the neighbors), "Take courage. (6–7) For thus says the Lord Almighty: Once more I will shake the heaven and the earth and the sea and the dry land. And I will shake all the nations together, and the choice things of all the nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord Almighty." He is foretelling about Gog and Magog, whom, when they wished to march against Jerusalem with very many nations, he allowed to do so, and, arming them against one another, made them be destroyed by one another, and gave their wealth to the builders. And healing the hearing of his hearers, ### Scripture references - Hag 2:4: quotation, high confidence - Hag 2:5: quotation, high confidence - Hag 2:6: quotation, high confidence - Hag 2:7: quotation, high confidence - Ezek 38:2: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hag 2:4–5; Theodoret goes on to 2:6–7. He applies the shaking of the nations to Gog and Magog (Ezek 38–39), whose defeat he places in the time of the second temple; this is his own reading. The sentence continues in the next section. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 10.2.4 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/10-2-4). ## Commentary on Haggai 2:8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/9-3-1/#p-10-2-8 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God, owner of all silver and gold, will make the second temple's glory greater by destroying the nations that come against it; after the priests' ruling on holiness and uncleanness and the promise of plenty, Theodoret ends Haggai by rejecting a reading that puts Gog and Magog at the end of the age. ### Greek text θ΄. « Ἐμὸν, φησὶ, τὸ ἀργύριον, καὶ ἐμὸν τὸ χρυσίον, λέγει Κύριος παντοχράτωρ. ν Οὐκ ἀλλότρια σφετερίξομαι, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἐμαυτοῦ πάλιν ἀπολαμδάνω" Ὁ ἔδωκα αὑτοῖς τὸν πλοῦτον φιλοτιμίᾳ χρησάμενος, καὶ ἐπειδὴ τὸν χορηγὸν οὐκ ἔγνωσαν, τῶν δωρεῶν ἐνδ:τ. « Καὶ ἔσταιϑ' ἡ δόξα τοῦ οἴχου τούτου ἡ ἐσχάτη ὑπὲρ τὴν πρώτην, λέγει Κύριος παντοχράτωρ. » Οὐ τῷ μεγέθει καὶ τῷ κάλλει τῆς οἰκοδομίας λέγει τὸν οἶκον ἐνδοξότερον ἔσεσθαι, ἀλλὰ τῷ τρόπῳ τῆς τῶν ἐθνῶν ἀναιρέσεως " πάντοσε γὰρ τῆς φήμης διαδραμούσης, ἐδείχθη τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων τὸ κράτος. Διὸ σεισμὸν οὐρανοῦ, καὶ γῆς, καὶ θαλάσσης τὸ γεγενημένον καλεῖ ὡς πάντων ἐχπληττομένων, καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ θαύματο; διεγειρομένων εἰς ὑμνῳδίαν, οὐ μόνον τῶν Α τὴν ἤπειρον οἰκούντων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἐν ταῖς νήσοις βιοτεύειν προαιρουμένων. πρὸς δὲ τούτοις καὶ τῶν ἀοράτων δυνάμεων, αἷ τὸν αἰθέρα καὶ αὐτὸν περιτολοῦσι τὸν οὐρανόν. «ε Καὶ ἐν τῷ τόπῳ τούτῳ δώτω εἰρήνην, λέγει Κύριος παντοχράτωρ᾽᾿ καὶ εἰρήνην ψυχῆς εἰς περιποίησιν παντὶ τῷ χτίζοντι, τοῦ ἀναστῆσαι τὸν ναὸν τοῦτον. » Οὐ γὰρ μόνον τοὺς ἀνθρωπείους καταπαύσω πολέμους, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν θείαν αὐτοῖς χαριοῦμα: εἰρήνην, ἣ ταῖς ψυχαῖς προξενεῖ σωτηρίαν" τοῦτα δὲ ἔσται τοῖς οἰχοδομοῦτι μισθός " πάλιν ἐν τῷ ἐννάτῳ μηνὶ, προστάττεται ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων ὁ προφήτης ἐπερωτῆσαι τοὺς ἱερέας, εἰ τὸ ἁγιχσθὲν ἱμάτιον ὑπὸ θυσίας ἱερᾶς ἁγιάξειν ἀπόχρη τὰ πελάξζοντα " οἷον ἢ δ᾽ ἄρτον, ἢ οἶνον, ἣ ἔλαιον, ἢ ἄλλο τι τῶν τοιούτων, Εἶτα τῶν ἱερέων ἀποφτ σάυτων, πυνθάνεσθαι πάλιν κελεύεται, εἰ μια(ομολογησάντων δὲ τοῦτο τῶν ἱερέων, πρηστάττεται εἰπεῖν ὁ προφήτης ταῦτα. « Οὕτως ὁ λαὺς οὗτος, καὶ οὔτως «Ὁ ἔθνος τοῦτο ἐνώπιόν μου, λέγει Κύριος " καὶ οὕτω; πάντα τὰ ἔργα τῶν χειρῶν αὐτῶν - καὶ ὃ: ἐχν ἐγγίσῃ, ἐκεῖ μιανθέσεται. ν» Καθάπερ, φησὶ, «ὃ ἁγιασῦὲν ἱμάτιον ἁγιάξειν μὲν ἄλλο τι τῶν πελαζόντων οὐ δύναται, ὑπὸ ὃὲ τῶν κατὰ τὸν δ' νόμον ἀκαθάρτων πλησιαζόντων μιαίνεται " οὕτω; ὁ λαὸς τος ὠφέλειαν ἀπὸ τῶν ἁγίων διὰ καχεξίαν οὐδεμίαν πειρώμενος. Εἶτα καὶ τὰς αἰτίας αὐτῶν διδάσκει. ε« Ἕνεχεν τῶν λημμάτων αὐτῶν τῶν ὀρθρινῶν, ὁδυνήσονται δ᾽ ἀπὸ προσώπου τῶν δ᾽ πονηριῶν αὑτῶν" καὶ ἐμισεῖτε ἐν πύλαις ἐλέγχοντας 7,» “Ὅρθρην, φησὶν, ὑπολάμποντος, ἀγαθοῦ μὲν οὐδενὸς ἐποιεῖσθε “τρόνοιαν, τῶν δὲ κακῶν ἐπεμελεῖσθε κερδῶν' δυσμενῶς δὲ περὶ τοὺς ἐλέγχοντας τὴν ὑμετέραν πουγ ρίαν διέχεισθε, οἱ τὰ: πύλας καταλαμβάνοντες, καὶ τοῖς εἰσιοῦσι, “καὶ τοῖς ἐξιοῦσι, τοὺς θείόυς λόγους προσέφερον. ᾿Αλλὰ νῦν γοῦν σὺν ἀχριδείᾳ πάσῃ σχοπήσατε, τένες μὲν ἦτε τῆς οἰκοδομίας ἀμελοῦντες, καὶ ὅσῃ σπάνει τῶν μένοι μέτρα, τὰ δὲ ἐμίση μόγις εὑρίσκοντες, καὶ πεντέχοντα μὲν ἐκ τῶν ληνῶν οἴνου προσδοκῶντες ἀρύεσθαι μετρητὰς, εἴκοσι δὲ μόνους εὑρίσκοντες. Ἐμοῦ διαφόρους ὑμῖν παιδείας ἐπάγοντος, ἀφορίαν, καὶ ἀνεμοφθορίαν, καὶ χάλαζαν ᾿ ἀλλ᾽ ὅμως διὰ τὴν “πολλὴν ὑμῶν ἀναλγησίαν οὐδὲ τῆς παιδείας ἡσθάπόσης εὐετηρίας ἀπολαύσετε μετὰ τὴν τῆς οἰκοδομίας ἀρχὴν" τοσαύτην γὰρ ὑμῖν ἀφθονίαν χυρηγήσω τῶν ἀγαγκαίων, ὡς καὶ αὐτὰ λοιπὸν ἀγνοῆσαι τῆς ἅλω πὰ μέτρα" καὶ τοὺς ὑγροὺς δὲ ὑμῖν ᾿ εὐλογίας παρέξω χαηποὺς, καὶ τῶν ἀκροδρύων τὴν φορὰν χορηγήσω, Καὶ πρὸς τούτοις δὲ, ὦ Ζοροθάξελ, γὰχείνους ἐμπεδώσω τοὺς λόγους, οὖς περὶ τοῦ Γὼγ καὶ … «Καὶ χαταστρέψω θρόνον βασιλέων, καὶ ἐξολοθρεύσω δύναμιν βασιλέων ἐθνῶν», καὶ χαταἵπποι καὶ ἀναδάται αὐτῶν ἕχαστος ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ πρὸς τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὑτοῦ. » ὕλπονον ὑμῖν, φησὶ, παρέξω τὴν νίκην. Παραπληξίᾳ γὰρ αὑτοὺς καὶ φρενοῦλαθείᾳ βαλὼν, κατ᾿ ἀλλήλων ὁπλίσω, ὥστε πάντας ἄρδην σὺν τοῖς ἵπποις ἀναιρεθῆναι. Τὸ δὲ, « Ἔτι ἅπαξ ἐγὼ σείων τὸν οὐρανὸν, καὶ τὴν γῆν, καὶ τὴν θάλασσαν, καὶ τὴν ξηρὰν, » οὐκ ἁπλῶς εἴρηκεν, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἐπὶ τοῦ Σενναχηρεὶμ εὐεργεσίας ἀναμιμνήσκει " καὶ γὰρ ἐκείνοις αἰφνίδιον ἐπαγαγὼν ὄλεθρον, ἅπασαν γὴν καὶ θάλατταν τοῦ φριχώδους ἐνέπλησε διηγήματος. γδ΄. « Ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, λέγει Κύριος παντοχράτωρ, λήψομαί σε, Ζοροδάδελ, τὸν τοῦ Σαλαθιὴλ, τὸν δοῦλόν μον, λέγει Κύριος, καὶ θήσομαί σε ὡς σφραγῖδα" διότι σὲ " ἡρέτισα, λέγει Κύριος παντοχράτωρ. » Ἐνταῦθα τοῦ Ἰησοῦ οὐκ ἐμνημόνευσεν, ἀλλὰ μόνου τοῦ Ζοροδάδελ, ἐπειδὴ περὶ πολέμων "" καὶ στρατηγίας ἐποιεῖτο τοὺς λόγους, οὗτος δὲ μόνος τῆς στρατηγίας ἐφρόντιζε, Λέγει τοίνυν ὅτι κατὶ ἐχείγην τὴν ἡμέραν, τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐχείνων ἀναερεθέντων, σὲ τὸν Ζοροδάδε., ὃν εἰς δουλείαν καὶ θεραπείαν ἐξελεξάμην ἐμὴν, περιφανῇ ποιήσω καὶ περίθλεπτον, καὶ διὰ σοῦ τῷ λαῷ παρέξω πᾶσαν ἀσφάλειαν, οἷόν τινι σφραγῖδί σοι κεχρημένος - ἣ γὰρ σφραγὶς καὶ θύραις ἐπιτιθεμένη, καὶ χιδωτίοις, πορίζει πᾶσαν τοῖς ἐναποχειμένοις ἀσφάλειαν. Ἡ μὲν οὖν ἑρμηνεία τῆς προφητείας τὸ τέλος ἐδέξατο. τοῖς οὕτω σαφῶς τεθεσπισμένοις ἐναντίαν διάνοιαν ἐπενεγκεῖν ἐπεχείρησε, φήσας τοῦ Γὼγ καὶ τοῦ Μαγὼγ τὴν στρατείαν οὐδέπω γενέσθαι, ἀλλὰ περὶ τὴν τοῦδε τοῦ αἰῶνος συντέλειαν ἔσεσθαι. Ἰζαὶ οὐ προῦἐσχεν ὁ σοφώτατος τῇ τῆς προφητείας ἀκολουθίᾳ᾽ ὅτι μετὰ τὴν πρόῤῥησιν τῆς ἐχείνων σφαγῆς εὐθὺς ἐπἤγαγεν ὁ προφήτης" «Ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, λέγει Κύριος παντοχράτωρ, λήψομαί σε Ζοροξάθελ τὸν δοῦλόν μον, λέγει Κύριος, » καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. ΕἸ μὲν οὖν καὶ ἄλλον τινὰ Ζοροδάδελ ἐν ταῖς οἰκείαις ἀναπλά-τει μυθολογίαις κατ᾽ ἔκεῖνον ἐσόμενον τὸν καιρὸν, τέλειον ἡμῖν ἀναπλάσει τὸν μῦθον " εἰ ὃ οὗτος μόνος ἐστὶ Ζοροθάδελ, ὁ μετὰ τὴν ἐπάνοδον τοῦ λαοῦ Ὁ στατεύσας, ἐπὶ τούτον καὶ ὁ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐχείνων καταναλώθη στρατὸς, καὶ μετὰ τὸν ἐχείνου ὄλεθρον ἐπίσημος ὁ Ζοροθάδελ ἐγένετο, καὶ περίδλεπτος. Ἔδει δὲ αὑτὸν καὶ τοῦτο συνιδεῖν, ὅτι καὶ διὰ πενίαν τῆς οἰκοδομίας τὴν ἀναθολὴν σχεπτομένοις 5" ὑπἔσχετο τῶν ὅλων ὁ Κύριος ταῦτα συνάξειν τὰ ἔθνη, καὶ τὴν τούτων εὐπορίαν εἰς τὰ τῆς οἰκοδομίας δαπανή ματα χορηγήσειν. Διὸ καὶ ἐπ΄γαγεν " « Ἑμὸν τὺ ἀργύριον, καὶ ἐμὸν τὸ χρυσίον, καὶ μεγάλη ἔσται ἡ δόξα τοῦ οἴχου τούτου ἡ ἐσχάτη ὑπὲρ τὴν πρώτην. » ᾿Αλλὰ τοῦτον ληρεῖν καταλιπόντες, ἡμεῖς τῆς ἀληθείας ἐχώμεθα, καὶ τὸν φιλάνθρωπον ἡμῶν ἱχετεύσωμεν Δεσπότην, δοῦναι καὶ ἡμῖν εἰρήνην, καὶ εἰρήνην ψυχῇς “ἵν᾽ ἐν πᾶσιν αὑτὸν θεραπεύοντες, καὶ τῆς παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ ῥοπῆς ἀπολαύοντες, διαφύγωμεν τὰς τῶν ἀοράτων πολεμίων ἐπιδουλὰς, κατὰ δὲ τοὺς θείους αὐτοῦ πολιτευσάμενοι νόμους, τύχωμεν τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων ἀγαθῶν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ᾽ οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡ δόξα, σὺν τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. ᾿Αμὴν. ### English translation (Claude) 8. "Mine," he says, "is the silver, and mine is the gold, says the Lord Almighty." I am not appropriating what belongs to others, but taking back my own; I gave them their wealth out of generosity, and since they did not know the giver, [they deserve to be deprived] of the gifts. (9) "And the latter glory of this house will be greater than the former, says the Lord Almighty." He does not say that the house will be more glorious through the size and beauty of the building, but through the manner of the destruction of the nations; for when the report ran everywhere, the might of the God of all was shown. That is why he calls what happened a shaking of heaven, earth, and sea: all were struck with amazement and roused by the wonder to sing hymns, not only those who live on the mainland but also those who have chosen to live in the islands, and besides these the invisible powers that dwell in the ether and in heaven itself. "And in this place I will give peace, says the Lord Almighty, and peace of soul for a possession to everyone who builds, to raise up this temple." For not only will I put an end to human wars, but I will also grant them the divine peace, which brings salvation to souls; and this will be the wage of those who build. Again, in the ninth month, the prophet is commanded by the God of all to ask the priests whether a garment sanctified by a holy sacrifice suffices to sanctify what it touches, such as bread, or wine, or oil, or anything else of the kind. Then, when the priests had said no, he is told to ask again whether …; and when the priests agreed to this, the prophet is commanded to say these things: (14) "So is this people, and so is this nation before me, says the Lord; and so are all the works of their hands; and whoever draws near there will be defiled." Just as, he says, the sanctified garment cannot sanctify anything else that touches it, but is defiled when what is unclean according to the law comes near it, so the people …, gaining no benefit from the holy things because of its bad condition. Then he also teaches the causes: "Because of their early-morning gains they will be pained before the face of their wickedness; and you hated those who reprove in the gates." At dawn, he says, you took thought for nothing good, but busied yourselves with evil gains; and you were hostile toward those who reproved your wickedness, who took their stand at the gates and offered the divine words to those coming in and going out. But now at least consider with all exactness what you were when you neglected the building, and in what want of … measures, barely finding ten, and expecting to draw fifty measures of wine from the presses but finding only twenty, while I brought various chastisements on you: barrenness, blight, and hail; and yet, because of your great insensibility, you did not even perceive the chastisement. … what abundance you will enjoy after the beginning of the building; for I will supply you with such plenty of necessities that you will no longer even know the measures of the threshing floor; I will give you the liquid fruits of blessing and supply the yield of the fruit trees. And besides this, O Zerubbabel, I will confirm those words which [I spoke] about Gog and … (21–22) "… and I will overturn the thrones of kings, and destroy the power of the kings of the nations, and … horses and their riders, each by the sword against his brother." I will give you, he says, a victory without toil. For I will strike them with madness and frenzy and arm them against one another, so that all are utterly destroyed together with their horses. And "Once more I will shake the heaven and the earth and the sea and the dry land" he did not say idly, but he recalls the benefit in the time of Sennacherib; for, bringing sudden destruction on those men, he filled every land and sea with the dreadful story. (23) "On that day, says the Lord Almighty, I will take you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, my servant, says the Lord, and I will make you like a seal; for I have chosen you, says the Lord Almighty." Here he did not mention Jesus but only Zerubbabel, since he was speaking about wars and generalship, and Zerubbabel alone had charge of the generalship. He says, then, that on that day, when those nations have been destroyed, I will make you, Zerubbabel, whom I chose for my service and worship, illustrious and admired, and through you I will provide all security to the people, using you as a kind of seal; for a seal placed on doors and chests provides all security to what is stored inside. The interpretation of the prophecy has thus reached its end. [But someone] has tried to bring a contrary meaning to what has been so clearly prophesied, saying that the campaign of Gog and Magog has not yet happened but will take place at the consummation of this age. This most wise man did not pay attention to the sequence of the prophecy: that right after foretelling their slaughter the prophet went on at once, "On that day, says the Lord Almighty, I will take you, Zerubbabel my servant, says the Lord," and what follows. If, then, he fashions in his own fables another Zerubbabel who is to come at that time, he will make the fable complete for us; but if this is the only Zerubbabel, the one who led the people after their return, it was under him that the army of those nations was consumed, and after its destruction Zerubbabel became illustrious and admired. He ought also to have seen that, since they were considering putting off the building because of poverty, the Lord of all promised to gather these nations and to supply their wealth for the expenses of the building. That is why he added: "Mine is the silver, and mine is the gold, and the latter glory of this house will be greater than the former." But leaving this man to his nonsense, let us hold to the truth, and let us beseech our Master who loves humankind to give us too peace and peace of soul, so that, serving him in all things and enjoying his aid, we may escape the plots of the invisible enemies and, living by his divine laws, obtain the promised good things, by the grace and love for humankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom be glory to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, now and always and to the ages of ages. Amen. ### Scripture references - Hag 2:8: quotation, high confidence - Hag 2:9: quotation, high confidence - Hag 2:10: allusion, high confidence - Hag 2:12: allusion, high confidence - Hag 2:13: allusion, high confidence - Hag 2:14: quotation, high confidence - Hag 2:16: allusion, high confidence - Hag 2:17: allusion, high confidence - Hag 2:19: allusion, high confidence - Hag 2:21: quotation, high confidence - Hag 2:22: quotation, high confidence - Hag 2:23: quotation, high confidence - Hag 2:6: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 19:35: allusion, medium confidence - Ezek 38:2: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Hag 2:8; Theodoret goes on to 2:9 (with the LXX addition on peace of soul), paraphrases 2:10–13, quotes 2:14 with the LXX addition, paraphrases 2:15–20, and quotes 2:21–23. Sennacherib: 2 Kgs 19:35. The name of the commentator whose eschatological reading of Gog and Magog Theodoret rejects is lost with the start of the sentence; Theodoret's sarcasm about him is translated as written. Many lines are lost in the scan (…, or supplied by sense in brackets). Migne's footnotes and Latin column are removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 10.2.8 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/10-2-8). ## Commentary on Zechariah, Preface, part 1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-0-1/#p-11-0-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Theodoret introduces Zechariah, who with Haggai taught the returned exiles and, through visions, foretold Christ's meek kingdom, his passion, and the Jews' rejection and its consequences. ### Greek text Σφόδρα πάλαι προμηθούμενος Ἰουδαίων ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς, οὐκ ἕνα προφήτην αὐτοῖς, ἀλλὰ καὶ δύο χα; «ρεῖς, πολλάχι: δὲ καὶ πλείους ἐφίστη, τά τε προυἤχοντα παιδεύοντας, καὶ τὰ ἔσεσθαι μέλλοντα προ-. Ἢσαϊου, κατὰ ταὐτὸν προηγόρευον τὰ ἐσόμενα ὭὩτηξ, καὶ Ἰωὴλ, καὶ ᾿Αμὼς, καὶ Μικαίας οἱ μακάρίοι. Ῥάδιον δὲ τοῖς βουλομένοις ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν προφητειῶν τοὺς χρόνους καταμαθεῖν. Οὕτω καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἀπὸ Βαδυλῶνος ἐπάνοδον, καὶ διὰ τοῦ θειοτάτου ᾿Αγγαίου τὸ δέον αὐτοὺς ἐξεπαίδευσεν ὁ Δεσπότης, καὶ διὰ τοῦ θεσπεσίου Ζαχαρίου τό τὲ πρακτέον ἐδ. δᾶσχε, καὶ τὰ ἐσόμενα προεθέσπιξε σκυθρωπὰ καὶ θυμήρη, τὰ μὲν εἴχουσι τοῖς λεγομένοις, τὰ ὃξ ἀντιλέγουσιν. Ὑποδείκνυσι δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ πραγμάτων τινῶν εἰκόνας καὶ τύπους, ἴνα πιστοτέρους ἀποφήνῃ τῇ θεωρίᾳ τοὺ; λόγους. Προλέγει δὲ καὶ 35 δι᾽ αὐτοῦ, καὶ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Χριστοῦ τὴν παρουσίαν, καὶ τὴν πραότητος αὐτοῦ 355 γέμουσαν βασιλείαν, καὶ τὴν Ιουδαίων μανίαν, καὶ τὸ σωτήριον πάθος, τὸ τῶν … τὰ τυμδάντα Ἰουδαίοις ἐκ τῆς λύττης ἐκείνης κακά Καὶ ἵνα μὴ σφόδρα τὴν ὑπόθεσιν μηχκύνας, τι)ψὰς τῶν ἐντευξομένων τοῖσδε τόζς ὑπομνή μασιν, ἐπ᾿ αὐτὴν ἥξω λοιπὸν τῶν ῥητῶν τὴν σαφήνειαν. ### English translation (Claude) The God of all, caring very greatly for the Jews from of old, set over them not one prophet but two or three at once, and often even more, to teach them what was fitting and to foretell what was going to happen. [So in the time of] Isaiah, the blessed Hosea, Joel, Amos and Micah foretold what was to come at the same time; and it is easy for anyone who wishes to learn their times from the prophecies themselves. So too after the return from Babylon the Master taught them their duty through the most divine Haggai, and through the inspired Zechariah he taught what was to be done and foretold what was to come, both gloomy and pleasing: the pleasing to those who yielded to what was said, the gloomy to those who spoke against it. He also shows him images and figures of certain events, to make the words more credible by the vision. Through him he foretells also the coming of our Savior Christ, his kingdom full of meekness, the madness of the Jews, the saving passion, … the evils that befell the Jews from that madness. And so as not to weary those who will read these commentaries by drawing out the theme too long, I shall now come to the explanation of the words themselves. ### Translation notes - Preface to Zechariah. Words are lost in the scan after "to foretell" (supplied by sense in brackets) and after "the saving passion" (…). "The madness of the Jews" is Theodoret's own expression for the rejection of Christ, translated as written. Migne's Latin column is removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.0.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-0-1). ## Commentary on Zechariah 1:1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-0-1/#p-11-1-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Zechariah began prophesying two months after Haggai, in the second year of Darius, and names his father and grandfather to distinguish himself from false prophets of the same name. ### Greek text α΄. « Ἐν τῷ ὀγδήῳ μηνὶ ἔτους δευτέρον, ἐπὶ 3:τοῦ Βαραχίον, υἱὸν ᾿Αδδὼ, τὸν προφήτην, λέγων. » Ἐν ἑνὶ μὲν ἕτει καὶ ὁ θειότατος ᾿Αγγαῖος, καὶ ὅ θεσπέσιος Ζχγαρίας, ἤρξαντο τῆς προφητείας “ ἀλλ᾽ ἐκεῖνος μὲν ἐν τῷ ἕκτῳ μηνὶ, οὗτος δὲ ἐν τῷ ὀγδόῳ " ὡς εἶναι δῆλον, ὅτι δύο μησὶν ἐκεῖνος τούτου κατὰ τὴν προφητείαν πρεσδύτερος. οὐσι δὲ τῶν χρόνων, ἵνα καὶ τῆς ἐπανόδου δηλώσωτι τὸν χα!ρὺν, καὶ σαφῶς ἡμᾶς διδάξωσι, ὡς τηνικάδε βασιλεὺς Ἑδραῖος οὐκ ἐδασίλευσε. Πρὸς δὲ τούτοις καὶ τῶν πρὸ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας προτεθεσπιχότων προγὰῤ ἐκεῖνος, οὐ τὴν πολιορκίαν μόνην τῆς Ἱεεουσαλὴμ, καὶ τὴν πόρθησιν, καὶ τὸν ἀνδραποδισμὸν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας τὸν χρόνον, καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ Βα- Θυλῶνος ἐπάνοδον. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν πέρας ἔλαδεν ἅπαντα, καὶ ὁ χαταψηφισθεὶς αὑτῶν ἀναλώθη χρόνος, καὶ κατὰ τὰς προῤῥήσεις τῆς ἐλευθερίας ἀπέλαυσαν, εἰκότως οἱ μακάριοι ᾿Αγγαῖος καὶ Ζαχαρίας τὸ δεύτερον ἔτος τῆς Δαρείου τοῦ έρσου βασιλείας. Ἔν τούτῳ γὰρ τῷ ἕτει "" τῇ τῆς πόλεως καὶ τοῦτο ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς προφητείας καταμαθεῖν δυνατόν. Διδάσκει δὲ, ἐκ τίνος τε ἔφυ πατρὸς, καὶ τίς ὁ ἐκείνου πατήρ " ἐποιδὴ «αἱ ψευδοπροφῆται κατ᾽ ἐκεῖνον τὸν καιρὸν πολλοὶ τὰ ψευδή προηγόθένον, καὶ συνέδαινεν, ὡς εἰκὸς, καὶ ὁμωνύμους εἶναι τῶν προφητῶν τινας. Ἵνα τοίνυν μὴ ἡ ὅμωνυμία τῇ ἀληθείᾳ λυμήνηται, τῶν ψευδῶς εἰρημένων, ὡς τῶν ἀληθῶς προηγορευμένων, πᾶσιν ἁπλῶς προσφερομένων, δῆλον ἑαυτὸν ὁ προφήτης ἀπὸ τοῦ γθους πεποίηκεν. Εἶτα λέγει, τί εἰπεῖν προσετάχθη. ### English translation (Claude) 1. "In the eighth month of the second year, [in the reign of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah son] of Berechiah, son of Iddo, the prophet, saying:" The most divine Haggai and the inspired Zechariah began to prophesy in the same year, but the former in the sixth month and the latter in the eighth, so that it is clear that the former was two months senior to the latter in prophecy. They [mention] the times in order to indicate the time of the return and to teach us clearly that at that time no Hebrew king reigned; besides this, [to show the truth] of those who had prophesied before the captivity. … For he foretold not only the siege of Jerusalem, its sacking and the enslavement, but also the length of the captivity and the return from Babylon. Since, then, all things had reached their end, the time decreed against them had been spent, and in accordance with the predictions they enjoyed freedom, the blessed Haggai and Zechariah rightly [mention] the second year of the reign of Darius the Persian. For in this year … of the city; and this can be learned from the prophecy itself. He teaches from what father he sprang and who that father's father was, since at that time many false prophets were foretelling falsehoods, and it happened, as was likely, that some of them had the same names as the prophets. So that the sameness of names might not damage the truth, with false and true utterances alike offered to everyone without distinction, the prophet made himself plain by his family. Then he says what he was commanded to say. ### Scripture references - Zech 1:1: quotation, high confidence - Jer 25:11: allusion, medium confidence - Jer 29:10: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 1:1. Words are lost in the scan in the lemma (supplied in brackets from the LXX) and in the comment (…); the prophet who foretold the length of the captivity is Jeremiah (Jer 25:11–12; 29:10). Migne's Latin column is removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.1.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-1-1). ## Commentary on Zechariah 1:2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-0-1/#p-11-1-2 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Zechariah opens by recalling God's anger at the fathers, so that the returned exiles might seek his favor. ### Greek text β΄. « Ὠργίσθη Κύριας ἐπὶ τοὺς πατέρας ὑμῶν ὀργὴν μεγάλην. ν Σοφίας μεστὸν τὸ τῆς προφητείας προοίμιον, καὶ τοῖς τηνικάδε τὰ θεξα κατάλληλον" ἔναυλον γὰρ ἔχοντες τῶν συμδεδηκότων τοῖς πατράσι τὴν μνήμην, καὶ μανθάνοντες ὡς αἱτία τῶν ἀῤῥήτων ἐχεένων συμφορῶν ἡ δικαΐα τοῦ Θεοῦ καθέστηκε χένησις, ἐσπούδαζον, ὡς εἰκὸς, ἔκεῖνα καὶ λέγειν καὶ πράττειν, ἅπερ ἴλεων τὸν φιχάνθρωτο πὸν ἐποίει Δεσπότην, καὶ τὴν τῶν ἀγαθῶν αὐτοῖς προὐξένει φοράν. Καὶ ὅτι οὗτος ὁ τῶν εἰρημένων αχοπὸς, τὰ ἑξῆς μαρτυρεῖ " Φησὶ γάρ" ### English translation (Claude) 2. "The Lord was angry with your fathers with great anger." The opening of the prophecy is full of wisdom and suited to the people of that time. For with the memory of what had befallen their fathers ringing in their ears, and learning that the cause of those unspeakable calamities was God's just anger, they would be eager, as is likely, both to say and to do the things that made the Master who loves humankind merciful and brought them an abundance of good things. That this is the aim of what was said, what follows testifies; for he says: ### Scripture references - Zech 1:2: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 1:2. Migne's Latin column is removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.1.2 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-1-2). ## Commentary on Zechariah 1:3–4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-0-1/#p-11-1-3 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God calls the people to return to him, unlike their fathers who ignored the prophets, and names himself Lord Almighty to show his power to bless. ### Greek text γ΄, δ΄. « Καὶ ἐρεῖς ' πρὸς αὑτούς " Τάδε λέγει Κύρίος παντοχράτωρ' Ἐπιστρέψατε πρὸς με, λέγει Αὶ Κύριος τῶν δυνάμεων, καὶ ᾽ ἐπιστραφήσομαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς, λέγει Κύριος τῶν δυνάμεων. Καὶ μὴ γίνεσθε καθὼς οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν, οἷς ἐνεκάλουν " αὐτοῖς οἱ προφῆται οἱ ἔμπροσθεν, λέγοντες Τάδς λέγει Κύριος παντοχράτωρ ᾿᾿Απουτρέψατε δὴ ἀπὸ τῶν ὁδῶν ὑμῶν τῶν πυνηρῶν, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων ὑμῶν τῶν πονηρῶν “ καὶ οὐκ εἰσήχουσαν, καὶ οὐ προσἔσχον τοῦ εἰσαχοῦσαΐ μου, λέγε: Κύριος παντοχράτωρ". ν» Εἰδότες, φησὶν, ὁπόσα διὰ τῶν προφητῶν κοῖς ὑμετέροις πατράτι παρήνεσα, καὶ ὅπως αὐτοὺς ἐχείνων τὴν μίμησιν, προσέχετε ὃὲ τοῖς ὑπ᾽ ἐμοῦ λεγομένοις, ὅπως τῆς ἐμῆς ἀπολαύσητε προμηθείας, Ἴὸ γὰρ, ε« Ἐπιστρέψατε πρός με, καὶ ἐπιστραφήσημαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ν τοῦτο σημαίνει. Τούτῳ ἔοικε τὸ ἀλλαχοῦ εἰρημένον " « Ἔδωκαν ἐπὶ μὲ νῶτα, καὶ οὐ πρόσωπα αὑτῶν. » Ὁ γὰρ τῶν θείων λογίων σπουδχίως ἐπαῖειν οὐκ ἀνεχόμενος, τῷ ἀποστρεφομένῳ γαὶ τὰ νῶτα διδόντι ἔοικεν ἀχριδῶς. Λέγει τοίνυν, ὅτι Ἐὰν τοῖς ἐμοῖς προσχεῖν ἐθελήσητε νόμοις, τῆς ἐμῆς τεύξεσθε προμηθείας " καὶ διδάσκων, ὅτι ῥάδιον αὐτῷ πᾶσαν αὐτοῖς παρασχεῖν τῶν ἀγαθῶν τὴν ἀφθονίαν, πολλάκις ἑαυτὸν καὶ Κύριον παγτοχράτορα καὶ Κύριον τῶν δυνάμεων προσηγόρευσεν, ἵνα μάθωσιν ὡς ὁ τῶν ἁπάντων κρατῶν καὶ βασιλεύων, οἷα δὴ ποιητὴς καὶ δημιουργὸς, καὶ αὐτῶν τῶν δυνάμεων Δεσπότης ὑπάρχων, εὐπετῶς μάλα μεταδάλλει τῶν πραγμάτων τὰς φύσεις, καὶ ἐξ εὐχλησῆας εἰς δυσχληρίαν μετάγει, καὶ εἰς εὐημερίαν ἐπανάγει ### English translation (Claude) 3–4. "And you shall say to them: Thus says the Lord Almighty: Return to me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. And do not be like your fathers, whom the former prophets accused, saying: Thus says the Lord Almighty: Turn back now from your evil ways and from your evil practices; and they did not listen and did not attend so as to listen to me, says the Lord Almighty." Knowing, he says, how many exhortations I gave your fathers through the prophets, and how [I punished] them, [flee] their imitation and attend to what I say, so that you may enjoy my providence. For this is what "Return to me, and I will return to you" means. Like this is what is said elsewhere: "They turned their backs to me and not their faces." For one who will not attend eagerly to the divine oracles is exactly like one who turns away and shows his back. He says, then: If you are willing to attend to my laws, you will obtain my providence. And teaching that it is easy for him to provide them every abundance of good things, he has often called himself "Lord Almighty" and "Lord of hosts", so that they might learn that the one who rules and reigns over all, as maker and creator and Master of the hosts themselves, very easily changes the natures of things, leading from good fortune to misfortune and back again to prosperity. ### Scripture references - Zech 1:3: quotation, high confidence - Zech 1:4: quotation, high confidence - Jer 2:27: quotation, high confidence - Jer 32:33: quotation, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 1:3–4. "They turned their backs": Jer 2:27; 32:33. Words are lost in the scan in the paraphrase (supplied by sense in brackets). Migne's Latin column is removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.1.3 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-1-3). ## Commentary on Zechariah 1:5–6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-0-1/#p-11-1-5 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The fathers and the prophets have died, but the prophets' words were proved true by events, and the people confess that God's punishment was just. ### Greek text ε΄, ς΄. «Οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν ποῦ εἶσι, καὶ οἱ προφῇ- Ο ται; μὴ εἰς ὅ τὸν αἰῶνα ζήσονται; Ἠλὴν τοὺς λόγους μου καὶ τὰ νόμιμά μου δέχεσθε, ὅτα ὁ ἐγὼ ἐντέλλομᾶι ἐν πνεύματί μου 7 τοῖς δούλοις μου τοῖς προφήκαι, ἃ χατέλαδον τοὺς πατέρας ὑμῶν,» Βλέπετε, φησὶ, τῶν λόγων μου τὴν ἀλήθειαν, ὅτι καὶ τῶν προφητῶν τὸν βίον ὑπεξελθόντων, καὶ τῶν πατέρων ὑμῶν τῇ τιμωρέχ παραδοθέντων, μεμενήκασιν οὗτοι, διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων κηρύττοντες τὴν ἀλήθειαν, καὶ τοὺς συγγεγραφότας προφήτας συνηγόρους οὐκ ἔχοντες “ ἐδέξαντο γὰρ ἐκεῖνο! τοῦ θανάτου τὸν ὅρον " βοῶσι, καὶ μαρτυροῦσιν, ὡς οὐδὲν ὑπ᾽ ἐχείνῶν ἐῤῥέθη ψευδές. ε Δέξασθε τοίνυν προθύμως τὰ ὑπὸ τοῦ παναγίου Πνεύματος διὰ τῶν προφητῶν ὑμῖν προσφερόμενα. Καὶ ἀπεχρίθησαν, καὶ εἶπον " " Καθὼς παρατέτακται Κύριος παντοχράτωρ τοῦ ποιῆσαι ἡμῖν κατὰ τὰς ὁδοὺς ἡμῶν, καὶ κατὰ τὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα ἡμῶν, οὕτως ἐποίησεν ἡμῖν. » Συνέθευτο τοῖς εἰρημένοις, καὶ στυνωμολόγησαν τὴν ἀλήθειαν, καὶ αἴσθησιν τῶν πεπλημμελημένων ἐδέξχντο, καὶ ἔφασαν ἀληθῆ τὴν πρόῤῥησιν εἶναι, καὶ δικαίαν τὴν ἀγανάκτησιν, καὶ τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ τὴν τιμω- … ### English translation (Claude) 5–6. "Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, will they live forever? But receive my words and my ordinances, which I command by my Spirit to my servants the prophets, which overtook your fathers." See, he says, the truth of my words: though the prophets have departed this life and your fathers have been handed over to punishment, these words have remained, proclaiming the truth through the events, without having the prophets who wrote them as advocates; for those have met the limit of death; [yet the words] cry out and bear witness that nothing false was spoken by them. Receive eagerly, then, what is offered to you by the all-holy Spirit through the prophets. "And they answered and said: As the Lord Almighty determined to do to us according to our ways and according to our practices, so he has done to us." They agreed with what was said, confessed the truth, and came to a sense of their offenses, and they said that the prediction was true, the indignation just, and the punishment [fitting] the sin … ### Scripture references - Zech 1:5: quotation, high confidence - Zech 1:6: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 1:5–6. Migne's Latin column is removed; the end of the section is lost in the scan. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.1.5 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-1-5). ## Commentary on Zechariah 1:7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-0-1/#p-11-1-7 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Theodoret explains Zechariah's night visions (the rider among the shady mountains, the four horns and craftsmen, the man with the measuring line) as angelic care for the returned exiles, and reads "the Lord Almighty has sent me" as showing two persons, Father and Son, equal in honor, the Son sent as man. ### Greek text ζ΄, Τῇ τετράδι καὶ εἰκάδι τοῦ ἐνζεχάτου μηνὸς ", οὗτος ὁ μὴν ἐστ! 19 Σαδὰτ, ἐν τῷ δευτέρῳ ἕτει ἐπὶ Δαρείου ἐγένετο λόγος Κυρίου πρὸς Ζαχαρίαν, τὸν τοῦ Βαραχίου υἱὸν "" ᾿Αδδὼ, τὸν προφήτην. ν Ἑόραϊῖος ὧν ὁ προφήτης τῶν Ἑδραίων τέθεικεν ἀριθμόν. Ἑδραῖοι δὲ τὸν Ξανθιχὸν πρῶτον ἴσασι μῆνα " οὕτω γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἐνομοθέτησεν ὁ μέγας Μωσῆς διαῤῥήδην βοῶν - « Οὗτος ὁ μὴν ὑμῖν ἀρχὴ μηνῶν, πρῶτος ὑμῖν ἔσται ἐν τοῖς μησὶ τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ. » Ἐκεῖθεν τοίνυν ἀριθμεῖν ἀρχομένοις ἐνδέκατος ὁ Σαδὰτ εὑρεθήσεται" ἔστι δὲ ὁ κατὰ Μακεδόνας Περίτιος. Λέγει τοίνυν ὁ προφήτης, ὅτι ἐν τούτῳ τῷ μηνὶ, μηδέπω τοῦ δευτέρου ἔτους συμπληρωθέντος, ἐνἐργειαν θείας πάλιν ἐδέξατο χάριτος “ κἂν γὰρ λόγον εἴπῃ, κἂν ῥῆμα, κἂν λῆμμα, κἂν χεῖρα, τῆς θείας χάριτος αἰνίττεται τὴν ἐνέργειαν. Ὑπὸ ταύτης φωτιζόμενος, καὶ ἰδών τινα θεωρίαν, ἀνάγραπτον αὐτὴν καταλέλοιπεν ἡμῖν, καί φησιν " ητια, ε Ἑώρακα τὴν νύκτα, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἀνὴρ ἐπιθεδηχὼς ἐπὶ ἵππον πυῤῥὸν, καὶ οὗτος εἰστήκει ἀναμέσον τῶν ὀρέων τῶν χατασχίων, καὶ ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ ἵπποι πυῤῥοὶ, καὶ ψαροὶ, καὶ ποικίλοι, καὶ λευκοί. Καὶ εἶπον "3 - Τί οὗτοι, Κύριε; Καὶ εἴπε πρός με ὁ ἄγγελος, ὁ λαλῶν ἐν ἐμοί - Ἐγὼ δείξω σοι, τί ἐστι ταῦτα. Καὶ ἀπεκρίθη ὁ ἀνὴρ ὁ ἐφεστηχὼς ἀναμέσον" τῶν ὁρέων, καὶ εἶπε πρός με" Οὗτοί εἰσιν οὕς ἐξἀπέστειλε Κύριος περιοδεῦσαι τὴν γῆν. Καὶ ἀπεχρίθησαν τῷ ἀγγέλῳ Κυρίου τῷ ἐφεστῶτι ἀναμέσον τῶν ὁρέων, καὶ εἶπον " Περιωδεύσαμεν τὴν γῆν ἄπασαν"", καὶ ἰδοὺ πᾶσα ἡ γῆ χατοιχεῖτα: καὶ ἦσυχάζει. » Οἱ μὲν ὀφθέντες δῆλον ὅτι ἀόρατο! δυνάμεις ὑπάρχουσιν, εἰς διακονίαν ἀποστελλόμεναι, κατὰ τὸν θεῖον ᾿ΑΛπόστολον, διὰ τοὺς μέλλοντας κληρονομεῖν σωτηρίαν. ρῶνται δὲ αὑτῶν οὐκ αἱ φύσεις " ἀσώματοι γὰρ αὗται ᾿ ἀλλὰ κατὰ χρείαν ἑκάστην ἐχτυποῖ τούτων τὴν θεωρίαν ὁ τούτων καὶ τῶν ἀπάντων Δεσπότης. Καὶ τοῦτο ἡμᾶς σαφῶς ἡ ὕὑεία διδάσκει Τ᾽ραφὴ, διάφορα αὐτῶν ὑποδειχνῦσα τὰ σχήματα" ἄλλως μὲν γὰρ αὐτοὺς ἴδεν ὃ Δανιὴλ, καὶ ἄλλως Ἰεζεκιὴλ, καὶ Ἡσαῖχς καὶ Μικαίας ἐν σχῆμᾶσιν ἑτέροις. Οὐ πολύμορφοι δὲ, ἀλλ᾽ ἀσώματο: αἱ νοηταὶ φύσεις, πρὸς δὲ τὸ χρήσιμον ὁ τούτων Δεσπό. τῆς σχηματίζει τὰς θεωρίας. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ μακαρίου Ζαχαρίου πεποίηκε " δείκνυσι γὰρ αὐτῷ ἄγγελον τὸν τοῦ λαοῦ προστατεύοντα " ὁ δὲ ἅγιος Μιχαὴλ οὗτος ἦν, ὡς ὁ προπδιαλεγόμενος τῷ Δανιδὰλ ἄγγελος ἔφη " ἐκεῖνος γάρ φησιν " «Οὐκ ἔστιν εἰς ἀντεχόμενος μετ᾽ ἐμοῦ περὶ τούτων, ἀλλ᾽ ἢ Μιχαὴλ δ᾽ ἄρχων ὑμῶν. » Τοῦτον ὁρᾷ ἐποχούμενον μὲν ἵππῳ διὰ τὴν ὀξύτητα τῶν δρωμένων " τὸ δὲ τοῦ ἵππον πυῤῥὸν τὴν κατὰ τῶν πολεμίων ἐθνῶν ἀγανάκτησιν δηλοῖ " ὕφαιμον γὰρ καὶ ὑπέρυθρον τὸ θυμοειδές " πὰδὲ ὅρη οὐ μόνον τὶ, στ: ῤῥὼὸν,. ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ὑψηλὸν δείκνυσι τῶν εἰς ἐπικουρίαν τεταγμένων ἀγγέλων " τὸ δὲ ἀμριλαρὲς καὶ κατάσκιον τῶν ὁρῶν τὴν θείαν αἰνίττεται πρόνοιαν, ἣν τοῖς εἰς τὸν Θεὸν ἡλπιχόσιν ὁ μακάριος ὑπισχνεῖται Δαδίδ " « Ὃ κατοικῶν γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐν βοηθείᾳ τοῦ ὙΨίστου, ἐν σκέπῃ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ αὐλισθήσεται.» Καὶ πάλιν" ε Ἐν τοῖς μεταφρένοις αὑτοῦ ἐπισκιάσει σοι. » Καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ " « Ἐν σκέπῃ τῶν πτερύγων σου με. » Καὶ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ δὲ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ στύλος νεφέλης ἐπέσχεπε, Τούτου χάριν κἀνταῦθα ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ὀρέων τῶν χατασχίων ὁ τοῦ λαοῦ προστατεύων ἄγγελος ἐστηκὼς ἑωρᾶτο, τὴν θείαν ἐπικουρίαν διὰ τούτῶν μηνύων. Οὲ δὲ περὶ τὸν ᾿Ακύλαν καὶ Σύμμαχον, “αὶ μυρσιγεῶνας τὰ ὄρη προσηγορεύχασιν " εὐῶδες δὲ τὸ φυτὸν, καὶ τὰ θερμὰ τῶν παθῶν κατ ἀφθχειν δυνάμενον. Παραδηλοῖ τοίνυν καὶ τοῦτο τὴν ἐσομένην Ἰουδαίοις παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων ψυχαγωγίαν. Θεασάμενος δὲ καὶ τοὺς ὄπισθεν ἀναφανέντας πυῤῥούς τε καὶ ψαροὺς, καὶ ποικίλους, καὶ λευκοὺς ἵἴππους, πυνθάνεται μὲν μαθεῖν ἐφιέμενος, τίς ἡ τῶν δεικνυμένων αἱτία. Διδάσκεται δὲ παρὰ τοῦ πρώτου ὀφθέντος ἀγγέλου, ὅς μεταξὺ τῶν ὀρῶν εἱστήκει τῶν χατασχίων, ὅτι πᾶσαν ἐποπτεῦσαι τὴν ὙΥἦν ἀπεστάλησαν " καὶ εἰς βεδαίωσιν τῶν εἰρημένων, καὶ οἱ τοῖς παντοδαποῖς ἐκείνοις ἐποχούμενο: ἵπποις, ἔφασαν πρὸς τὸν ἐφεστῶτα ἐκείνοις τοῖς ὄρεσι" ἄγνὴν, εὕραμεν εἰρήνης ἀπολαύουσαν καὶ γαλήνης. Τούτων δὲ ἀκούσας ὁ τοῦ λαοῦ τὴν προστασίαν πεπιστευμένος ἄγγελος, καὶ σφόδρα δυσχεράνας, ὅτι πάντων εἰρήνης ἀπολαυόντων ὁ ὑπ᾽ αὐτῷ τεταγμένος λαὸς "5 μυρίαις ἔτι συμφοραῖς προσπαλαίει, ἱκετείαν τῷ Δεσπότῃ προσφέρει" ε Κύριε "7 παντοχράτωρ, ἕως τίνος οὐ μὴ ἐλεήσῃς τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καὶ τὰς 'ἢ πόλεις Ἰούδα, ἃς ὑπερεῖδες; Τοῦτο ἑδδομηχοστὸν ἕτος.» Ἰστέον δὲ ὡς τῆς μὲν προτέρας αἰχμαλωσίας ὃ χρόνος συνεπληρώθη ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ ἔτει Κύρου "ὃ ποῦ Περσῶν βασιλεύσαντος, τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ κκαὶ φιλανθρώπου Δεσπότου, τῇ πείρᾳ τῶν κακῶν καὶ τὸν τῆς “προῤῥήσεως συναριθμήσαντος χρόνον " καὶ τοῦτο ἀκχριδέστερον ἐν τῇ τοῦ Ἰεζεχιὴλ ἀπεδείξαμεν ἐρμηνείᾳ. Τῇ δὲ ἐρημίᾳ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ ὁ ἑδδομηπκοντούτης συνεπληρώθη χρόνος ἐν τῷ δευτέρῳ ἔτει «ἧς Δαρείου βασιλείας. Τούτου δὲ ἄρχεσθαι προσἤκει τοῦ ἀριθμοῦ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐνδεκάτου ἕτους Σεδεκίου τοῦ βασιλέως, ἐφ᾽ οὗ ἥλω ἡ πόλις. Εἰ γάρ τις ἐκεῖθεν ἀρξάμενος ἑρευνήσοι, εὑρήσει τοῦτον συμπληρούμενον τὸν χρόνον ἐν τῷ δεντέρῳ ἔτει τῆς Δαρείου «κοῦ Ὑστάσπου βασιλείας. Τοῦτο τοίνυν ὁ τοῦ λαοῦ προμηθούμενος ἄγγελος τὸν τῶν ὅλων ἱκετεύει Θεὸν, εἷς τε τὴν πρέῤῥησιν ἀπιδεῖν, καὶ τὸν χρόνον πεπληρωμένον ἰδεῖν, καὶ τὴν ἀφιερωμένην αὐτῷ πόλιν ἐρημίᾳ παντελεῖ παραδεδομένην ἐπιπλεῖστον μὴ … « τῷ λαλοῦντι ἐν ἐμοὶ, ῥήματα χαλὰ καὶ λόγους παραχλητιχούς. » Οὐκ ἄλλον δὲ ἄγγελον τοῦτον ἔφη παρ᾽ ἐκεῖνον τὸν μεταξὺ τῶν ὁρῶν ἐστηκότα, ἀλλ᾽ αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνον, καὶ αὐτῷ προτδιαλεγόμενον, καὶ ὑπὲρ τοῦ λαοῦ πρεσθενόμενον. Λέγει δὲ αὐτὸν ἐν αὐτῷ λαλεῖν,: ἐπειδὴ οὐ λόγοις ἐκέχρητο, καὶ φωνῇ κινήσει γλώττης καὶ ἀέρος ἀντιτυπίᾳ διαρθρουμέντι, ἀλλ᾽ ἔνδοθεν ἐνηχουμένῃ, καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ τυπουμένη. Θαρτέσας τοίνυν τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ εὑμενείᾳ ὁ ἅγιος ἄγγελος παρακελεύεται τῷ προφήτῃ βοῆσαι, καὶ εἰπεῖν " « Τάδε λέγει ἐζύριας παντοχράτωρ᾽ Ἔ Σήλωσλ πὴν Σιὼν καὶ τὴν Ἱερουταλὴμ ζῆλον μέγαν. (τιε".) Καὶ ἀργὴν μεγάλην ἐγὼ ὀργίζομαι ἐπὶ τὰ ἔθνη τὰ αὑτοὶ δὲ συνεπέθεντο εἰς χκαχά. » Οὐκέτι, φησὶν, ἀνέξομαι περιιδεῖν τὰ κατὰ τῆ: Ἱερουσαλὴμ τολμώμενα, ἀλλὰ δίκας εἰσπράξομαι τοὺς ὑπερβάντας πλείονα τῶν χαταψηφισθέντων ἐπαγαγεῖν αὐτῇ τετολμηκότας κακά. Ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ αὐτὴν ποινὴν εἰσπραττόμενος ᾽3, ὡς εἰς τοὺς ἐμοὺς πεπαρανόμηχε νόμους, τῆς ἐμῆς αὐτὴν προνοίας ἐγύμνωσα " ἔκεϊνοι δὲ τὴν ἐντεῦθεν ἄδειαν εἰληφότες, χόρον λαθεῖν τῶν κατ᾽ αὐτῆς κακῶν οὐκ ἠθέλησαν διὸ ζήλῳ δικαίῳ χρησάμενος, αὐτὴν μὲν ἀξιώσω φειδοῦς, ἐκείνους δὲ τῶν τετολμημένων ἀπαιτήσιυ δέκας. Εἶτα λέγει καὶ τοῦ ἐλέου τὸν τρόπον, καὶ τῆς τοῦ θείου οἴχου οἰκοδομῆς ὑπισχνεῖται τὴ τέλος, καὶ τῆς πόλεως τὴν νεουργίαν, καὶ τὴν τῶν περιθόλων ἀνάστασιν. Τοῦτο γὰρ δηλοῖ᾽ ε Τὸ μέτρον ἐχταθήσεται ἐπὶ Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἔτι.» Καὶ αὖθις δὲ αὐτῷ " ὁ ἅγιος ἄγγελος παρηγγύησε βοῆσαι, καὶ εἶπεν" « Τάδε λέγει Κύριος παντοχράτωρ " ΓἜτ: διαχυθήσονται πόλεις ἐν ἀγαθοῖς, καὶ ἐλεήσει ἔτι Κύριος τὴν Σιὼν, καὶ αἱρετιεῖ ἔτι τὴν ᾽" Ἱερουσαλήμ.» Πολλαῖς μὲν πόλεσι τῆς Ἰουδαίας παρέξει τῶν ἀγαθῶν τὴν ἀφθονίαν τοῦτο γὰρ παρεδήλωσεν εἰρηκώς ᾿ « Ἔτι διαχυθήσονται πάλεις ἐν ἀγαθοῖς" » ἀλλ᾽ ὅμως ἔτι τῶν ἄλλων προτιμήσει τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καὶ τὰ παλαιὰ παρέξει προνόμια. νασθαι δὲ προσήκει, ὡς οὐκ αἰώνιον αὐτοῖς τὴν εὑπραξίαν ὑπέσχετο, ἀλλὰ χρόνον τινὰ παρεδήλωσεν, εἰρηκὼς, Ἔτι, προδιδάσχων ὡς τοῦ χληρονόμου φανέντος, ὁ οἰκονόμου καὶ ἐπιτρόπου τάξιν ἐπέχων νόμος ἀργὸς ἀναφανεῖται - σὺν τούτῳ καὶ 35 ὁ τόπος, ὁ τὴν κατὰ τοῦτον λατρείαν δεξάμενος. Ἐντέῦθεν εἰς ἑτέρας ὀπτασίας διήγησιν μεταφέρει τὸν λόγον, καί φησι τέσσαρα μὲν πεθεᾶσθαι χέρατα, μεμαθηκένα: δὲ δι᾽ ἐρωτήσεως ἀπὸ 5 τοῦ ἀγγέλου, ὅτι τοιαῦτά Ἵ ἐστι τὰ διασχορπίσαντα τὸν Ἰούδαν καὶ τὴν Ἱερουσαλήμ. Εἶτα λέγει πάλιν, ὑπὸ τοῦ ΘεΞοῦ τῶν ὅλων δειχθῆναι αὐτῷ τέχτονας ἰσαρίθμους, καὶ πάλιν πυθέσθαι, καὶ ἀκηκοέναι, ὅτι ε Ταῦτα τὰ χέρατα τὸν Ἰούδαν καὶ τὸν Ἰσραήλ σχορπίσαντα" καὶ 35 ἔξτλθον οὗτοι ὀξῦναι αὐτὰ εἰς χεῖρας αὑτῶν " τὰ τέσσαρα χέρατα ἔθνη ἐπαιρόμενα χέρας" ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν Κυρίου, τοῦ διασχορπκέσαι αὐτήν. ν» Λέγει τοίνυν ὅτι αἱ ἀόρασοι δυνάμεις ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων προδετάᾶχθησαν κατ᾽ ἀλλήλων ἐγεῖραι καὶ παροξῦναι ταῦτα τὰ ἔθνη, ὥστε δύ᾽ ἀλλήλων δοῦναι δίκας ὧν κατὰ τοῦ ᾿Ἰαραὴλ ἐπλημμέλησαν. Τοῦτο γὰρ παρεδήλωσε " « Τοῦ ὀξῦναι αὐτὰ εἰς χεῖρας αὐτῶν. » Τέσσαρα δὲ λέγει, οὐκ ἐθνῶν τινων ἀριθμὸν δηλῶν, ἀλλ᾽ ἐπειδὴ σέσσαρὰ τῆς οἰκουμένης τὰ τμήματα, πὸ ἔῷον,, τὸ ἑσπέριον, τὸ νάτιον, τὸ βόρειον " ἐπἤγθον δὲ αὐτοῖς οἱ μὲν ἔνθεν, οἱ δὲ ἐκδῖθεν “ ποτὲ μὲν ᾿Ασσύριοι, καὶ Βαδυλώνιοι " ποτὲ δὲ ἀλλόφυλοι, καὶ ᾿Ἄμμανῖται " τέσσαρα κέρατα τοὺς ἐκ τῶν τεσσάρων τμημάτων» αὐτοῖς ἐπελθόντας προσηγόρευσε. Τούτοις ἰσαρίθμους ἐπέστησεν ἀοράτους δυνά "εις, ᾿Αλλὰ γὰρ αὖθις εἰς ἑτέραν θεωρίαν τὴν διήγησιν μετατίθησι, καί φησι τεθεᾶσθαι ἄνδρα σχοινίον -ἐπτιφερόμενον γεωμετριχόν" εἶτα ἐρέσθαι αὐτὸν ὅποι πορεύεται" κἀκεῖνον φάναι, ὅτι τὴν διαμετρήσων ἄπεισιν, ὥστε “μαθεῖν ὁπόσον αὐτῆ: τό τε μῆκός ἐστι, καὶ τὸ εὖρος. Ἡροστίθησι δὲ καὶ καῦτα τῷ διηγήματι, ὅτι ὁ ἄγγελος ἐκεῖνος ὁ τούτοὺς ἐνηχῶν αὐτῷ τοὺς λόγους εἰστήκει " ἕτερος δὲ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀφυχόμενος ἄγγελος δραμεῖν αὐτῷ παρἡγγύησς πρὸς τὸν τὸ μέτρον ἐπιφερόμενον νεανίαν, καὶ εἰπεῖν “ πλήθους ἀνθρώπων καὶ κτηνῶν ἐν μέφῳ αὐτῆς. (9..) Καὶ ἐγὼ ἔσομαι αὐτῇ, λέγει Κύριος, τεῖχος “υρὸς κυκλόθεν, καὶ εἰς δόξαν ἔσοιια, ἐν μέσῳ αὖτῆς. ν Ὅρα γὰρ, φησὶ, μὴ σμιχρύνης τὰ τῆς πόλεως μέτρα, ἀλλὰ παρ᾽ ἐμοῦ τοῦ σοῦ καὶ ταύτης Δεσπότου μανθάνων, ὡς πλεῖστον ὅσον αὐτὴν πλῆθος καὶ ἀνθρώπων καὶ τετραπόδων οἰκήσει, διάγρα- Ψον ἀναλογοῦν τῷ πλήθει τῶν οἰκητόρων τὸ μέγεθος, Ηρὸς γὰρ τούτοις χἀγὼ αὐτῇ διὰ τῆς ἐμῆς χάριτος τεῖχος ἄμαχόν τὸ καὶ ἀνυπέρβατον ἔσομαι. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἐκάλεσε τεῖχος πυρός. Καθάπερ γὰρ πυρὰν μεγίστην ὑπερδῆναι τῶν ἀδυνάτων " οὕτως ἀδύνατον ἡττηθῆναι τὸν ὑπὸ τῆς θείας φρουρούμενον χάριτος. Οὐ μόνον δὲ αὐτῇ πᾶταν ἀσφάλειαν χορηγήσω, ἀλλὰ καὶ περίδλεπτον αὐτὴν ἀποφανῶ, ὥστε αὐτῆς πάντοσε διαδραμεῖν τὸ κλέος. Ταῦτα δὲ ἅπαντα ὁ προφήτης ἑώρα, καὶ τοῦ προστατεύοντος ἀγγέλου τὴν κηδεμονίαν, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἀγγέλων τὸν δρόμον, καὶ τὰ τῆς πόλεω; μέτρα, ἵνα καὶ αὐτὸς βεθαίΐως δέξηται τὰς ἀγαθὰς περὶ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ ὑποσχέσεις, καὶ ὁ λαὸς ἀχριθῶς τοῖς λεγομένοις πιστεύσῃ, οὐ λόγους ἁπλῶς προσφερομένους, ἀλλὰ πράγματα θεωρῶν προτυπούμενα. Εὐθὺς μὲν οὖν ὑποδείξας ἐκεῖνα τῷ προφήτῃ κελεύει βοᾷν" ς΄, ζ΄. ε« Ὦ, ὦ, φεύγετε ἀπὸ γῆς βοῤῥᾶ, λέγει Κύριος " διότι ἐκ τῶν τεσσάρων ἀνέμων τοῦ οὐρανοῦ συνάξω ὑμᾶς, λέγε: Κύριος. Εἰς Σιὼν ἀνατώζεσῦξ, πα κατ᾽ ἀλλήλων αὐτοὺς διεγειρούσας, ἵν᾽ ὑπ᾽ ἀλλήλων οἱ κατοικοῦντες θυγατέρα Βαβυλῶνος. » Ταύτας ἔχοντες τὰς ἐπαγγελίας, μὴ μόνον ὑμεῖς οἱ ἤδη ἐπανελθόντες θαῤῥεῖτε, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ ἔτι τὴν Βαδυλῶνα κατὰ γνώμην οἰκοῦντες ( ἐπιτραπέντες γὰρ ἐπανελθεῖν, ἀνεδάλεσθε) - εἰς τὴν ὑμετέραν ἐλθεῖν ἐπείγεσθε 5 πατρίδα, ἣν εἰς τὴν προτέραν εὐπραἡ’, θ΄. ε Διότι τάδε λέγει Κύριος παντοχράτωρ᾽ Ὀπίσω δόξης ἀπέσταλκέ με ἐπὶ τὰ ἔθνη τὰ σκυλεύσαντα ὑμᾶς " διότι ὁ ἁπτόμενος ὑμῶν, ὡς ὁ ἀπτόμενος τῆς κόρης τοῦ ὀφθαλμοῦ αὑτοῦ. Διότι ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐπιφέρω τὴν χεῖρά μου ἐπ᾽ αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἔσονται σκῦλα τοῖς δουλεύουσιν 33 αὐτοῖς, καὶ γνώσεσθε ὅτι Κύριος παντοχράτωρ ἀπέσταλκέ με. » Τοσαύτη: γὰρ ἀπολαύσετε παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων κηδεμονίας, ὅτι πάντα τὸν ἡμῖν ἐπὶ τῷ λυπῆσαι πελάζοντα, τῇ τοῦ ὀφθαλμοῦ κόρῃ πελάζειν οὖκ ἐπειδὴ σῶμα περίκειται, καὶ εἰς μέλη διήρηται" ἀσώματος γὰρ καὶ ἀπερίγραφος δ᾽ τῶν ὅλων Θεός " ἀλλ᾽ ἣν ἔχει διάθεσιν ἀνθρωπένως λωσε. Ταύτην καὶ ὁ μακάριος Δαδὶδ παρ᾽ αὑτοῦ τὴν κηδεμονίαν αἰτεῖ ᾿ « Φύλαξόν με, Κύριε, ὡς κόρην ὀφθαλμοῦ. Τούτου, φησὶ, χάριν ἅπαντας ἐκείνους τοὺς ληϊσαμένους ὑμᾶς καὶ σχυλεύσαντας τοῖς ὑπηκόοις αὐτῶν ὑποχειρίους ποιήσω" καὶ ταῦτα πείτονται παρ᾽ ἐχείνων, οἷα περὶ ὑμᾶς διέθηκαν" καὶ δι’ αὐτῶν μαθήσεσθε τῶν πραγμάτων τὴν τῶν θείων λογίων ἀλήθειαν. Ταῦτα δὲ τυπικῶς ἐκείνοις συνέδη- ἡ δὲ τῆς προφητείας ἀλήθεια ἐφ᾽ ἡμῶν Ὁ ἀχριθεστέραν ἔσχε τὴν ἔχθασιν. Τοὺς γὰρ σχυλεύσαντας ἡμᾶ; δαίμονας, καὶ τὴν ἡμετέραν σφετερισαμένους διάνοιαν, καὶ ἅπαντα ἡμῶν ἐξανδραποδίσαντας τὰ μέλη τοῦ σώματος, καταλύσας ὃ Δεσπότης Χριστὸς ὑποχειρίους τοῖς ἁγίοις αὑτοῦ πεποίηκε δούλοις. Καὶ τοῦτο σαφέστερον διὰ τοῦ θεσπεσίου διδήλωχεν Ἡσαΐου βοῶν" ε Οὗς ἐφοθεῖσθε θήσονται ἀφ᾽ ὑμῶν - ἄγγελοι ἀποσταλήτονται ἀξιοῦντες εἰρήνην πικρῶς κλαίοντες " ἐρημωθήσονται γὰρ αἱ τούτων ὁδοί. » Οὕτως ἑθόων οἱ δαίμονες " « Ἔα, τὶ ἡμῖν καὶ σοὶ, Ἰησοῦ, υἱὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ; Ἦλθες", πρὸ καιροῦ βασανίσαι ἡμᾶς. ν» Καὶ πάλιν "« Ὃρ- ᾿χίζω σε ᾽5 μή με βασανίσῃς. » Οὕτως ἣ πυθομάντις ἐν Φιλίπποις ἐθόα " « Οὗτοι οἱ ἄνθρωποι δοῦλοι τοῦ ἢ θεοῦ τοῦ ὑψίστου εἰσὶν, οἴτινες καταγγέλλουσιν ὑμῖν ὁδὸν σωτηρίας. » Οὕτω καὶ πρὸ τῶν χαλλινίχων μαρτύρων μέχρι καὶ τήμερον βοῶσι, καὶ τὴν ἐχείνων ἄκοντες ἀναχηρύττουσι νίκην, καὶ τὴν οἰκείαν ἀσθένειαν διελέγχουσι. Τούτους τοίνυν τοὺς πάλαι σκυλεύσαντας ἡμᾶς οἷόν τινα σκῦλα τοῖς σχυλευθεῖσι παρέδωκεν ὁ ὀπίσω δόξης ἀποσταλεὶς, ἵνα τὴν παλαιὰν δόξαν, ἣν ἐξαπατηθεὶς ἀπώλεσεν ὁ γενάρχης ᾿λδὰμ, ταύτην ἡ φύσις ἡμῶν ἀναχτήσητα:, καὶ Ὑνῶμεν τὸν εὐεργέτην, καὶ Σωτῆρα τῶν ἡμετέρων ψυχῶν, καὶ τὸν ἀποστείλαντα αὐτὸν διὰ φιλανθρωπίαν Πατέρα. ᾿Απεστάλη δὲ, οὐκ ὡς Θεὸς, ἀλλ᾽ ὡς ἄνθρωπος “ ὡς γὰρ Θεὺς, τοῦ γεγεννηκότος ὁμότιμος. « Ἐγὼ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐν τῷ Πατρὶ, καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ἐν ἐμοί. ν Καί " ε« Ὁ Πατὴρ ὁ "ὁ ἐν ἐμοὶ μένων αὐτὸς ποιεῖ τὰ ἔργα. ν Καί ' ε« Ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν,» Καί" « Ὁ ἑωρακὼς ἐμὲ ἑώρακε τὸν Πατέρα. ν Πέμπεται δὲ ὡς ἄνθρωπος, τὴν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν οἰχονολίαν πληρῶν, οὐ τὴν θείαν φύσιν χατασμικρύνων. « Ἐν μορφῇ γὰρ θεοῦ ὑπάρχων, οὐκ ἀρπαγμὸν ἡγήσατο τὸ εἶναι ἔσα Θεῷ " ἀλλ᾽ ἑαυτὸν ἐκένωσε, μορφὴν δούλου λαθών, » Ὑπέδειξε "7 τοίνυν ἡμῖν ὁ Προφήτης, οὐ μόνον τὴν δυάδα τῶν προσώπων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ὁμότιμον τῶν προσώπων. « Τάδε γὰρ 3 λέγει Κύριος παντοχράτωρ᾽ Ὀπίσω δόξης ἀπέσταλκέ με. ν Καὶ δεικνὺς τίς ὁ ἀποστείλας, ἐπάγει" ε Καὶ γνώσεσθε ὅτι Κύριος παντοχράτωρ ἀπέσταλκέ με. » Τοιγαροῦν καὶ ὁ ἀποστείλας Κύριος παντοχράτωρ, καὶ ὁ ἀποσταλεὶς Κύριος παντοχράτωρ, καὶ οὐδεμία ἀξιωμάτων διαφορά. ᾿Δλπἐστάλη δὲ, ὡς ἔφην, ἀνθρωπίνως, οὐ θεϊκῶς, τὴν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν οἰκονομίαν πληρῶν " καὶ ἀποσταλεὶς δὲ εἶχεν ὃν ἑαντῷ τὸν πεπομφότα πατέρα" ε Ὁ Πατὴρ γάρ μου, ὁ ἐν ἐμοὶ μένων, αὐτὸς ποιεῖ τὰ ἔργα. » Τούτοις ὃ προφήτης ἀκολούθως ἐπάγει " ὑ, ια΄. « Τέρπου καὶ εὐφραίνου, θύγατερ Σιὼν, διότι ἰδοὺ ὁ ἐγὼ ἔρχομαι, καὶ κατασκηνώσω ἐν μέσῳ σου, λέγει Κύριος. Καὶ καταφεύξονται ἔθνη πολλὰ ἐπὶ τὸν Κύριον ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, καὶ ἔσονται ἀὐτῷ εἰς λαὸν, καὶ κατασκηνώσουσιν" ἐν μέσῳ σου, καὶ γνώσῃ" ὅτι Κύριος παντοχράτωρ ἐξαπέσταλκέ "" με πρὸς σέ. » ᾿Αντικρὺς καὶ ταῦτα ς, ἡμῖν ἀρμόζει τοῖς ἐξ ἐθνῶν κεκλημένοις, καὶ τῆς σωτηρίας τετυχηχόσιν, οἷς καὶ τὸ καίρειν καὶ τὸ εὐφραίνεσθαι παρακελεύεται, ὡς ἕνοικον ἐσχηχόσι τὸν τοῦ παντὸς Κύριον. Ἔστι δὲ ἰδεῖν καὶ αὐτὴν τὴν αἰσθητὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ὑπὸ τῶν εἰς τὸν Βύριον πεπιστευκότων οἰκουμένην ἐθνῶν. Κἀνταῦθα ὃὲ ὁμοίως, καὶ τὴν δυάδα τῶν προσώπων, καὶ τὸ ὁμότιμον ἐδιδάχθημεν τῶν προσώπων. « Ἰδοὺ γὰρ ἔρχομαι, καὶ χχατασχηνώσω ἐν μέσῳ σου, λέγει Κύριος " καὶ γνώσῃ ὅτι Κύριος παντος κράτωρ ἐξαπέσταλκέ με πρὸς σέ. (:8'.) Καὶ χατακληρονομήσει Κύριος τὸν Ἰούδαν, τὴν "5 μερίδα αὔτοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν ἁγίαν γὴν "", καὶ αἱρετιεῖ ἔτι τὴν ἽἹΞρουσαλήμ.» Ἔχ γὰρ τοῦ Ἰούδα τὴν τοῦ δούλου μορφὴν ἀνέλαθεν ὁ Δεσπότης, καὶ οἰκίαν αὐτὴν ἐποιήσατο μερίδα " καὶ μάρτυς ὁ θεσπέσιος Παῦλος βοῶν " « ἸΙρόδηλον δὲ ὅτι Ἰούδα ἀνατέταλκεν ὁ Κύριος.» Καὶ Ξιχνὺς ὡς οὐ μόνον τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ἀλλὰ πᾶσαν τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὴν φύσιν εἰς οωτηρίαν καλεΐ, ἐπάγει" ### English translation (Claude) 7. "On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month (this is the month Shebat), in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah son of Berechiah, son of Iddo, the prophet." Being a Hebrew, the prophet has used the Hebrew numbering. The Hebrews count Xanthicus as the first month; for so the great Moses legislated for them, crying out plainly: "This month shall be for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first for you among the months of the year." For those who begin counting from there, Shebat will be found to be the eleventh; it is Peritius in the Macedonian reckoning. The prophet says, then, that in this month, before the second year was complete, he again received the working of divine grace; for whether he says "word", or "saying", or "burden", or "hand", he hints at the working of divine grace. Enlightened by it, and seeing a certain vision, he has left it to us in writing, and says: (8–11) "I saw by night, and behold, a man mounted on a red horse, and he was standing between the shady mountains, and behind him red horses, and dappled, and piebald, and white. And I said: What are these, Lord? And the angel who spoke in me said to me: I will show you what these are. And the man who stood between the mountains answered and said to me: These are those whom the Lord has sent out to go round the earth. And they answered the angel of the Lord who stood between the mountains and said: We have gone round the whole earth, and behold, all the earth is inhabited and at rest." Those who were seen are clearly invisible powers, sent out for service, according to the divine Apostle, for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation. It is not their natures that are seen, for these are bodiless; but the Master of these and of all things shapes the vision of them according to each need. Divine Scripture teaches us this clearly, showing their various forms; for Daniel saw them in one way, Ezekiel in another, and Isaiah and Micah in other forms. The intelligible natures are not multiform but bodiless, and their Master shapes the visions for what is useful. This he did also for the blessed Zechariah: he shows him the angel who protects the people; this was the holy Michael, as the angel who conversed with Daniel said; for he says: "There is no one who holds with me about these things except Michael your prince." He sees him riding on a horse because of the speed of what is done; the red color of the horse shows the indignation against the hostile nations, for the spirited temper is bloodshot and ruddy; the mountains show not only the firmness but also the height … of the angels appointed to help; and the thick shade of the mountains hints at the divine providence which the blessed David promises to those who have hoped in God: "He who dwells," he says, "in the help of the Most High will lodge in the shelter of the God of heaven." And again: "With his shoulders he will overshadow you." And elsewhere: "[Shelter] me in the shelter of your wings." And the pillar of cloud sheltered Israel in the wilderness. For this reason here too the angel who protects the people was seen standing in the midst of the shady mountains, signifying the divine help by these things. Aquila and Symmachus have called the mountains "myrtle groves"; the plant is fragrant and able to cool the heat of the passions. This too, then, indicates the comfort that the God of all would give the Jews. Seeing also the red, dappled, piebald and white horses that appeared behind, he asks, wishing to learn the cause of what was shown. He is taught by the angel who appeared first, who stood between the shady mountains, that they had been sent to survey the whole earth; and to confirm what was said, those riding those various horses said to the one standing over those mountains: [Having gone round the whole] earth, we found it enjoying peace and calm. Hearing this, the angel entrusted with the protection of the people, greatly distressed that, while all enjoyed peace, the people placed under him still wrestled with countless calamities, offers supplication to the Master: (12) "O Lord Almighty, how long will you not have mercy on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, which you have disregarded? This is the seventieth year." One should know that the time of the earlier captivity was completed in the first year of Cyrus, king of the Persians, since the good Master, who loves humankind, counted the experience of the evils together with the time of the prediction; we showed this more exactly in the interpretation of Ezekiel. But the seventy-year time of Jerusalem's desolation was completed in the second year of the reign of Darius. This count should begin from the eleventh year of King Zedekiah, under whom the city was taken; for if one begins from there and investigates, he will find this time completed in the second year of the reign of Darius son of Hystaspes. This, then, is what the angel who cares for the people beseeches the God of all: to look to the prediction, to see that the time is fulfilled, and not to [overlook] for very long the city consecrated to him and handed over to complete desolation. (13) "[And the Lord Almighty answered] the angel who spoke in me good words and words of comfort." He did not say that this was another angel besides the one standing between the mountains, but that very one, who was conversing with him and interceding for the people. He says that he spoke "in" him, since he did not use words and a voice articulated by the movement of a tongue and the striking of the air, but one that sounded within and was formed in him. Encouraged, then, by God's kindness, the holy angel bids the prophet cry out and say: (14–15) "Thus says the Lord Almighty: I have been jealous for Zion and Jerusalem with great jealousy. And I am angry with great anger with the nations that join in attacking; [for I was angry a little,] but they joined in attacking for evil." No longer, he says, will I bear to overlook what is dared against Jerusalem, but I will exact penalty from those who overstepped the bounds and dared to bring on her more evils than were decreed. For I, exacting the penalty from her because she transgressed my laws, stripped her of my providence; but they, taking license from this, refused to be sated with evils against her. Therefore, using a just jealousy, I will count her worthy of mercy and demand from them the penalty for what they dared. Then he tells the manner of his mercy, and promises the completion of the building of the divine house, the renewal of the city and the raising of its walls. For this is what is meant by (16) "The measuring line will still be stretched out over Jerusalem." And again the holy angel enjoined him to cry out, and he said: (17) "Thus says the Lord Almighty: Cities will again overflow with good things, and the Lord will again have mercy on Zion, and will again choose Jerusalem." He will give an abundance of good things to many cities of Judea; for this is what he indicated by saying, "Cities will again overflow with good things"; but still he will honor Jerusalem above the others and give it its ancient privileges. One should [note] that he did not promise them prosperity forever, but indicated a certain time by saying "again", teaching in advance that when the heir appeared, the law, which held the rank of steward and guardian, would be shown to be idle, and together with it the place that received the worship according to it. From here he moves on to the account of another vision, and says that he saw four horns and learned by asking the angel that these are what scattered Judah and Jerusalem. Then he says that the God of all showed him craftsmen equal in number, and that he asked again and heard: "These are the horns that scattered Judah and Israel; and these came out to sharpen them into their hands, the four horns, the nations that lift up a horn against the land of the Lord to scatter it." He says, then, that the invisible powers were appointed by the God of all to rouse and sharpen these nations against one another, so that by one another they might pay the penalty for the wrongs they did against Israel. For this is what he indicated by "to sharpen them into their hands". He says four, not to show the number of certain nations, but because there are four quarters of the world, east, west, south and north; and some attacked them from one side and some from another, now Assyrians and Babylonians, now foreigners and Ammonites; he called those who attacked them from the four quarters "four horns". Against these he set invisible powers of equal number. But he again moves the account on to another vision, and says he saw a man carrying a surveyor's cord; that he asked him where he was going; and that the man said he was going away to measure [Jerusalem], to learn how great its length and its breadth were. He adds to the story that the angel who sounded these words within him was standing, and that another angel, coming up to him, bade him run to the young man carrying the measure and say: "[Jerusalem will be inhabited as a fruitful land because of the] multitude of human beings and cattle in its midst. (5) And I will be to it, says the Lord, a wall of fire round about, and I will be for glory in its midst." See, he says, do not make the city's measurements small, but, learning from me, your Master and hers, that a very great multitude of human beings and four-footed animals will inhabit it, draw its size in proportion to the multitude of its inhabitants. For besides this I myself, by my grace, will be to it a wall unassailable and insurmountable; this is what he called a wall of fire. For just as it is impossible to cross a very great fire, so it is impossible for one guarded by divine grace to be defeated. And not only will I provide it with all security, but I will also make it admired, so that its fame will run everywhere. The prophet saw all these things, the care of the protecting angel, the running of the other angels, and the measurements of the city, so that he himself might firmly receive the good promises about Jerusalem, and the people might believe exactly what was said, seeing not words simply offered but events prefigured. Having at once shown him these things, he bids the prophet cry out: (6–7) "O, O, flee from the land of the north, says the Lord; for I will gather you from the four winds of heaven, says the Lord. Escape to Zion, you who dwell in the daughter of Babylon." [Words displaced in the scan from the comment on the horns: "… rousing them against one another, so that by one another …"] Having these promises, then, take courage, not only you who have already returned, but also you who still dwell in Babylon by your own choice (for though you were permitted to return, you put it off): hasten to come to your fatherland, which [I will restore] to its former prosperity. (8–9) "For thus says the Lord Almighty: After glory he has sent me to the nations that despoiled you; for whoever touches you is like one who touches the pupil of his eye. For behold, I bring my hand upon them, and they will be spoil to those who serve them; and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me." For you will enjoy such care from the God of all that he [regards] everyone who comes near us to grieve us as coming near the pupil of his eye: not because he is clothed with a body and divided into members, for the God of all is bodiless and uncircumscribed; but he [expressed] in a human way the disposition he has. The blessed David too asks him for this care: "Guard me, O Lord, as the pupil of the eye." For this reason, he says, I will make all those who plundered and despoiled you subject to their own subjects; and they will suffer from them such things as they did to you; and through the events themselves you will learn the truth of the divine oracles. These things happened to them typologically; but the truth of the prophecy received its more exact outcome in us. For the Master Christ, having destroyed the demons who despoiled us, appropriated our mind, and enslaved all the members of our body, has made them subject to his holy servants. He declared this more clearly through the inspired Isaiah, crying: "Those whom you feared will be taken from you; angels will be sent asking for peace, weeping bitterly; for their ways will be made desolate." So the demons cried out: "Ah, what have we to do with you, Jesus, Son of God? Have you come before the time to torment us?" And again: "I adjure you, do not torment me." So the pythoness in Philippi cried out: "These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation." So too before the triumphant martyrs they cry out even to this day, and against their will proclaim the martyrs' victory and expose their own weakness. These, then, who despoiled us of old, the one sent "after glory" has handed over like spoils to those they had despoiled, so that our nature might regain the ancient glory which the first father Adam lost when he was deceived, and that we might know the benefactor and Savior of our souls, and the Father who sent him out of love for humankind. He was sent not as God, but as man; for as God he is equal in honor with the one who begot him. "For I," he says, "am in the Father, and the Father in me." And: "The Father who dwells in me does the works himself." And: "I and the Father are one." And: "He who has seen me has seen the Father." He is sent as man, fulfilling the dispensation for our sake, not diminishing the divine nature. "For being in the form of God, he did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant." The prophet, then, has shown us not only the duality of the persons, but also the equality in honor of the persons. "For thus says the Lord Almighty: After glory he has sent me." And showing who the sender is, he adds: "And you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me." So the one who sent is Lord Almighty, and the one who was sent is Lord Almighty, and there is no difference of dignity. He was sent, as I said, in a human way, not in a divine way, fulfilling the dispensation for our sake; and even when sent he had in himself the Father who sent him: "For my Father, who dwells in me, does the works himself." In keeping with this the prophet adds: (10–11) "Delight and be glad, daughter of Zion, for behold, I am coming and will dwell in your midst, says the Lord. And many nations will flee to the Lord on that day, and they will be a people to him, and they will dwell in your midst; and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you." These words too fit us directly, who have been called from the nations and have obtained salvation, whom he bids rejoice and be glad as having the Lord of all dwelling within. And one can see even the perceptible Jerusalem inhabited by nations who have believed in the Lord. Here too, likewise, we have been taught both the duality of the persons and their equality of honor: "For behold, I am coming and will dwell in your midst, says the Lord; and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you. (12) And the Lord will inherit Judah, his portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem." For from Judah the Master took the form of the servant and made it his own portion; and the inspired Paul is witness, crying: "For it is evident that our Lord has sprung from Judah." And showing that he calls not only Jerusalem but the whole nature of human beings to salvation, he adds: ### Scripture references - Zech 1:7: quotation, high confidence - Zech 1:8: quotation, high confidence - Zech 1:9: quotation, high confidence - Zech 1:10: quotation, high confidence - Zech 1:11: quotation, high confidence - Zech 1:12: quotation, high confidence - Zech 1:13: quotation, high confidence - Zech 1:14: quotation, high confidence - Zech 1:15: quotation, high confidence - Zech 1:16: quotation, high confidence - Zech 1:17: quotation, high confidence - Zech 1:18 (2:1 LXX): allusion, high confidence - Zech 1:19 (2:2 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Zech 1:21 (2:4 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Zech 2:1 (2:5 LXX): allusion, high confidence - Zech 2:4 (2:8 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Zech 2:5 (2:9 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Zech 2:6 (2:10 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Zech 2:7 (2:11 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Zech 2:8 (2:12 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Zech 2:9 (2:13 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Zech 2:10 (2:14 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Zech 2:11 (2:15 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Zech 2:12 (2:16 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Exod 12:2: quotation, high confidence - Heb 1:14: allusion, high confidence - Dan 10:21: quotation, high confidence - Ps 91:1 (90:1 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 91:4 (90:4 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 17:8 (16:8 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Exod 13:21: allusion, medium confidence - Isa 33:7: quotation, high confidence - Isa 33:8: quotation, high confidence - Matt 8:29: quotation, high confidence - Mark 5:7: quotation, high confidence - Acts 16:17: quotation, high confidence - John 14:10: quotation, high confidence - John 10:30: quotation, high confidence - John 14:9: quotation, high confidence - Phil 2:6: quotation, high confidence - Phil 2:7: quotation, high confidence - Heb 7:14: quotation, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Theodoret, Comm. Ezech. (Commentary on Ezekiel): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 1:7; the verse numerals from 1:8 to 2:12 were lost or not recognized, so the comment on Zech 1:8–2:12 (Protestant numbering; the LXX, like the Hebrew, numbers 1:18–21 as 2:1–4 and 2:1–13 as 2:5–17) sits inside this section, with the verse numbers in parentheses. Theodoret paraphrases 1:18–20 and 2:1–3. Quotations: Exod 12:2; Heb 1:14; Dan 10:21; Ps 91:1, 4 (LXX 90); Ps 17:8 (LXX 16) twice; Exod 13:21; Isa 33:7–8; Matt 8:29; Mark 5:7; Acts 16:17; John 14:10–11; 10:30; 14:9; Phil 2:6–7; Heb 7:14. The interpretation of Ezekiel is Theodoret's own commentary. The trinitarian argument (two persons, equal in honor; the Son sent as man) is translated exactly. Migne's Latin column and footnotes, which had leaked into the text in many places, are removed by logged corrections; lost words are marked … or supplied in brackets from the LXX or by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.1.7 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-1-7). ## Commentary on Zechariah 2:17 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-0-1/#p-11-2-17 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The prophets are the clouds from which God appears; the verse fits the return from Babylon but is fulfilled exactly in the nations' coming to Christ. ### Greek text ιγ΄. « Εὐλαδείσθω πᾶσα σὰρξ ἀπὸ προσώπου Κυρίου, ὅτι ἐγήγερται "5 ἐκ νεφελῶν ἀγέων αὑτοῦ. ν Οὕτω καὶ ὁ Δαδίδ φησι" « Ηρὸς σὲ πᾶσα σὰρξ ἧξει.» Οὕτω καὶ Ἡσαῖας" « Καὶ ὄψετα: πᾶσα σὰρξ τὴν σωτηρίαν τὴν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν, Δεφρέϊας δὲ τοὺς ἁγίους προφήτας εἰκότως καλεῖ, οὐδὲν οἰκεῖον γομένους, ἀλλ᾽ ὡς ἔχ τινος θαλάσσης τῆς τοῦ Πντύματος χάριτος τὸν προφητικὸν ἔλχοντας ὑετόν. ᾿Απὸ τούτων αὐτὸν ἐγείρεσθαι καὶ ἐπιφαίνεσθα: λέγει, ἐπειδὴ διὰ τούτων τὴν οἰκείαν προχγορεύσσς ἐπι:φάνειαν, καὶ οἷς προξθέσπισεν ἐπιθεὶς τὸ τέλος, ἔδειξε διὰ τῆς ἀληθείας θείαν τὴν ποοφητείαν. Ταῦτα μὲν εἰ δ καὶ Ἰουδαίοις ἤρμοσε κατὰ τὸν τῆς ἐπανόδο») καιρὸν, ὡς τινες ἡρμτνεύχασιν, οὗ λίαν ἀντιλέγω. Ὅτι δὲ ἢ πρόῤῥησις τὴν ἀληθῆ καὶ ἀναντἰῤῥηπτον ἔχδασιν μετὰ τὴν ἐνανθρώπησιν τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐδέξατο, αὐτόθεν ἔστι μαθεῖν" ἐξ ἐχείνου γὰρ καὶ τὰ μυρία ἔθνη, τὴν προτέραν καταλιπόντα πλάνην, κατέφυγον " ἐπὶ τὸν τῶν ὅλων Θεὸν, καὶ λαὸς ἐχρημάτισε θεῖος. Ἐξ ἐχείνου τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ τὸ. ἐκ τῶν ἐθνῶν συλλεγὲν κατῴκησε σύστημα. Ἐξ ἐχείνου πᾶσα σὰρξ, καὶ τὴν προτέραν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἐδέξατο παρουσίαν, καὶ τῆν δευτέραν πέφριχεν ἐπιφάνειαν, ᾿Αλλ᾽ ἐπὶ τὴν ἔρμη- ### English translation (Claude) 13. "Let all flesh be reverent before the face of the Lord, for he has been roused from his holy clouds." So too David says: "To you all flesh will come." So too Isaiah: "And all flesh will see the salvation from our God." He fittingly calls the holy prophets clouds, since they say nothing of their own, but draw up the prophetic rain as from a sea, the grace of the Spirit. He says that he is roused and appears from these, since through them he foretold his own appearing, and by bringing what he had foretold to its end he showed through its truth that the prophecy was divine. Even if these things fitted the Jews at the time of the return, as some have interpreted, I do not much object. But that the prediction received its true and indisputable outcome after the incarnation of our God and Savior can be learned from the facts themselves: from then the countless nations, leaving their former error, fled for refuge to the God of all and were called a divine people; from then the community gathered from the nations has inhabited Jerusalem; from then all flesh has both received the first coming of the Savior and trembles at his second appearing. But [let us return] to the interpretation. ### Scripture references - Zech 2:13 (2:17 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 65:2 (64:3 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Isa 40:5: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 2:13 (LXX 2:17). Quotations: Ps 65:2 (LXX 64:3); Isa 40:5 (LXX; cf. Luke 3:6). The word "clouds" is garbled in the scan at the start of the comment. The section breaks off in mid-word at the end. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.2.17 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-2-17). ## Commentary on Zechariah 3:1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-3-1/#p-11-3-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Satan's accusation of Jesus the high priest, rebuked by the Lord, prefigures the devil's attack on Christ the great high priest; the priest's filthy clothes, taken away, stand for the people's sins forgiven. ### Greek text α΄, 8'. « Καὶ ἔδειξέ μοι Κύριος τὸν Ἰησοῦν, τὸν ἱερέα τὸν μέγαν, ἑστῶτα πρὸ προσώπου ἀγγέλου “5 Κυρίου, καὶ ὁ διάδολος εἰστήκει ἐκ δεξιῶν αὐτοῦ, τοῦ ἀντι» κεῖσθαι αὐτῷ. Καὶ εἶκε Κύριος πρὸς τὸν διάδολον " Ἐπιτιμήσαι Κύριος ἐν σοὶ, διάδολε, καὶ ἐπιτιμῆσαι Ἑύριος ἐν σοὶ, ὁ ἐκλεξάμενος τὴν Ἱερουσαλήμ. » Καὶ ταῦτα δὲ τύπος τῶν ἡμετέρων. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐκείνῳ τῷ Ἰησοῦ ἀρχιερεῖ ὄντι, καὶ τὰς ὑπὲρ τοῦ λαοῦ πρετθείας προσφέροντι τῷ Θεῷ, ἀντέκειτο λίαν ὁ ἀλάστωρ καὶ πονηρὸς διάδολος" οὕτως Ἰησοῦ τῷ μεγάλῳ ἀρχιερεῖ, τῷ κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχ' σεδὲκ, τῷ αἴροντι τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ γχόσμου, πάλιν ὁ αὐτὸς οὗτος πολέμιος, ὑποσχελίσαι βουλόμένος " ἀλλὰ τούτῳ Ἰησοῦς 5 μὲν ὁ τοῦ Ἰωσεδὲκ οὐκ ἐπετίμησεν, ἀλλ᾽ ὁ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ Δεσπότης. Ἡνίχα δὲ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Σωτῆρι τῆς οἰκουμένης προσῆλθεν, ὑπ᾽ αὐτοῦ ἐπιτιμᾶται, οἷα δὴ ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Δεσπότου, καὶ ἀκούει" ε Ὕπαγε ὀπίσω μου", Β Σατανᾶ. ν» Οὕτω τοίνυν ἀπαλλάξας τοῦ διαδόλου τὸν Ἰωσεδὲκ Ἰησοῦν, οἷα δὴ Θεὸς, ὁ Δεσπότης ἐπήγαγεν" « Οὐκ ἰδοὺ τοῦτο ὡς δαλὸς ἐξεσπασμένος ἐκ πυρός» Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἀρτίως ἀπὸ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας ἔπανελγλυθότες, τὰ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας ἐπεφέροντο σημεῖα, τὴν πενίαν, τὴν ἐρημίαν, εἰκότως αὐτοὺς δα ῖ᾽ν ὀνομάζει, Δα.λὸς δέ ἔστιν ἡμιφλεγὲς ξύλον ἀπὸ πυρὸς ἁρπαγέν. Εἶτα διηγεῖται πάλιν ὁ προφήττς, ὡς ἱμάτια μὲν πιναρὰ καὶ ἐῤῥυπωμένα ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς περιέχιιτο' ὁ δὲ τοῦ λαοῦ προστατεύων ἄγγελος "6 αὐτὸν τῆς ἐσθῆτος γυμνῶσαι. Καὶ διδάσκων, ὡς ἕτερόν τι διὰ τῶν ἱματίων αἰνίττεται, ἐπήγαγε" « Καὶ εἶπε πρὸς αὐτόν’ ᾿Ιδοὺ ἀφήρηκα ἀπὸ σοῦ τὰς ἀνομίας σου. » Εἰκὸς μὲν γὰρ ἣν καὶ αὐτὸν ἔχειν ὡς ἄνθρωπον τινὰ πλημμελήματα. Ἡγοῦμαι δὲ ὅτι οἷα δὴ ἀρχιερεὺς ᾧκχειοῦτο τὴν τοῦ λαοῦ παρανομίαν, καὶ ὡς συνημαρτηχὼς ἐκείνοις τὰς δεήσεις πρησέφερξε " καὶ τούτου χάριν, ὡς οἰκείαν ἄφεσιν δέχεται τῆς τοῦ λαοῦ παρανομίας τὴν ἄφεσιν. ᾿Αλλὰ ΥΧρ οὕτω, φησὶν, ἀπαλλαγεὶς τοῦ πενθιχοῦ σχήματὸς, καὶ τοὺς θυμηδίας μεστοὺς δεξάμενος λόγους, ἀπιλαμθάνει καὶ τὴν τῆς ἱερωσύνῃ: στολήν. Παρεγγυᾷ γὰρ τοῖς παρεστῶσιν ὁ ἐκεῖνα εἰρηκώς τε καὶ δεδραχὼς, τόν τε ποδήρη αὐτὸν ἐνδύσαι, καὶ τὴν μίτραν καὶ τὴν κίδαριν ἐπιθεῖναι τῇ κεφαλῇ. Καὶ τούτων γενομένων, διαμαρτύρεται αὐτὸν ὁ ἅγιος ἄγγελος, καὶ φησι" ### English translation (Claude) 1–2. "And the Lord showed me Jesus the great priest standing before the face of the angel of the Lord, and the devil stood at his right hand to oppose him. And the Lord said to the devil: May the Lord rebuke you, devil; may the Lord who chose Jerusalem rebuke you." These things too are a type of ours. For just as the avenging and wicked devil strongly opposed that Jesus, who was high priest and offered intercessions to God for the people, so this same enemy again [opposed] Jesus, the great high priest according to the order of Melchizedek, who takes away the sin of the world, wishing to trip him up. But it was not Jesus son of Josedek who rebuked him, but the Master of Jesus; whereas when he approached Jesus the Savior of the world, he is rebuked by him as by God and Master, and hears: "Get behind me, Satan." Having thus freed Jesus son of Josedek from the devil, the Master, as God, added: "Is not this like a brand plucked from the fire?" For since they had just returned from captivity and bore its marks, poverty and desolation, he rightly calls them a brand; a brand is a half-burnt piece of wood snatched from the fire. Then the prophet relates again that the high priest was clothed in dirty and soiled garments, and that the angel who protects the people [ordered those standing by] to strip him of the clothing. And teaching that he hints at something else through the garments, he added: "And he said to him: Behold, I have taken away your iniquities from you." It was likely that he too, as a man, had some offenses. But I think that, as high priest, he made the lawlessness of the people his own and offered the prayers as one who had sinned with them; and for this reason he receives the forgiveness of the people's lawlessness as his own forgiveness. And so, he says, freed from the garb of mourning and having received words full of joy, he also receives back the vestment of the priesthood. For the one who had said and done those things enjoins those standing by to clothe him in the long robe and to put the mitre and the turban on his head. And when these things had been done, the holy angel solemnly charges him and says: ### Scripture references - Zech 3:1: quotation, high confidence - Zech 3:2: quotation, high confidence - Zech 3:3: allusion, high confidence - Zech 3:4: quotation, high confidence - Zech 3:5: allusion, high confidence - Heb 6:20: allusion, high confidence - John 1:29: allusion, high confidence - Matt 4:10: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 3:1–2; Theodoret goes on to 3:2b and paraphrases 3:3–5. Typology: Heb 6:20 (order of Melchizedek); John 1:29; Matt 4:10. Migne's footnotes and Latin column are removed; a few words lost with them are supplied by sense in brackets. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.3.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-3-1). ## Commentary on Zechariah 3:7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-3-1/#p-11-3-7 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The restored high priest is promised that if he keeps God's ways his line will continue to govern the people. ### Greek text ζ΄. «Τάδε λέγει Κύριος παντοχράτωρ - Ἐὰν ἐν 5" ταῖς ὁδοῖς μου πορεύσῃ δ5, καὶ ἐχν τὰ προστά- Ὑματά μου φυλάξῃς ὅδ, καὶ σὺ διαχρινεῖς τὸν οἶκόν οὐ, καὶ ἐὰν φυλάσσῃς δ᾽ τὴν αὐλὴν μον, καὶ δώτω σο: ἀναστρεφομένους ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ἑστηκότων τούτῶν.» Τὴν ἱερατικὴν ἀξίαν ἀπολαθὼν, κατὰ τοὺς ἱερωσύνης πολιτεύου νόμους, φυλάττων ἅπαντα, ὅσα δρῇν διηγόρευτα, Ταῦτα γὰρ ποιῶν, καὶ σὺ ἐν ταύτῃ βιώσει τῇ τιμῇ, καὶ μέχρις ἐκγόνων παραπέμψεις τὸ γέρας, τῶν ἐκ σοῦ τὸν λαὸν τοῦτον οἰκονομούντων. Τοῦτο γὰρ εἶπε " ε Δώσω σοι ἀναστρεφομένους ἐν μέσι τῶν ἑστηκότων τούτων. » ### English translation (Claude) 7. "Thus says the Lord Almighty: If you walk in my ways and keep my commands, you also will judge my house; and if you guard my court, I will also give you men who walk about among these who stand here." Having received back the priestly dignity, live by the laws of the priesthood, keeping all that they prescribed. For if you do these things, you too will live in this honor and pass on the privilege to your descendants, those of your line who govern this people. For this is what he said: "I will give you men who walk about among these who stand here." ### Scripture references - Zech 3:7: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 3:7. Theodoret takes "men who walk about" as the high priest's successors. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.3.7 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-3-7). ## Commentary on Zechariah 3:8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-3-1/#p-11-3-8 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The "stone" with seven eyes is Zerubbabel, a type of Christ the stone; the golden lampstand and two olive trees signify God's providence and the kingship and priesthood of Zerubbabel and Jesus, who succeed by God's Spirit, not their strength. ### Greek text τ΄. « ΓἌχουε δὴ, Ἰησοῦ ὁ ἱερεὺς ὁ μέγας, σὺ γαὶ ῦ οἱ πλησίον σου οἱ καθήμενοι πρὸ προσώπον σου, διότι ἄνδρες τερχτοσχόποι εἰσί, ν Τερατοσχόπους δὲ λέγει οὐκ ὥς τινες ὑπέλαδον οἰωνοσχόπους, καὶ χληδόσι κεχρημένους " οὐ γὰρ ἂν πρὸς τοιούτους τοιούτοις ἐχρήσατο λόγοις, οὐδ᾽ ἂν αὐτὸς ὁ Ἰησοῦς εὐτερὴς ὧν τὸν τοιοῦτον ἡσπάσατο σύλλογον " ἀλλὰ γνῶσιν αὐτοῖς μαρτυρεῖ, καὶ τὴν περὶ τὰ θεῖα ὅδ σπουδὴν, Τὰ γὰρ ὑκὸ τῶν προφητῶν διδόμενα τέρατα καὶ σημεῖα περισχοκοῦντες ὡς εὐσεύεῖς διετέλουν, καὶ τὸ τούτων ἀναμένοντες τέλος. Πρὸς πούτους τοίνυν καὶ τὸν Ἰησοῦν λέγει τὰ ἐπαγόμενα " «Διότι ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἄγω τὸν δοῦλόν μου, ᾿Ανατολῇ ὄνομα αὐτῷ ὅ7, (θη). Διότι λίθος ὃν δέδωκα πρὸ προσώπου Ἰησοῦ ὅν, ἐπὶ τὸν λίθον τὸν ἕνα ἑπτὰ ὀφθαλμοί εἰσιν. » Διακοσμήσας τὸν ἑερέα, καὶ τὸ μὲν πένθιμον ἀποδύπας σχῆμα, τὴν δὲ ἱερατικὴν ἐνδύσας στολὴν, καὶ τὸ πρακτέον ὑποδείξας, καὶ τὸ διαρκὲς ἐπὶ πλεῖστον τοῖς ἐγγόνοις ἐπαγγειλάμενος, εἰ τοὺς θεοὺς νόμους φυλάξοιεν, ἐπὶ τὸ βασιλικὸν μεταδαίνει γένος, καὶ τὸν Ζοροθάδελ ἔκγονον ὄντα τοῦ Ἐχονίου, ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ Δαδὶδ τὸ γένος χατάγοντα, οὕτω περιφανῇ καὶ περίδλεπτον ὑπισχνεῖται ποιή σειν, ὡς τῷ λαμπροτάτῳ τῆς ἀνατολῆς φωτὶ πᾶραδάλλεσθαι. Τοῦτον λέγει δεδωκέναι τὸν λίθον πρὸ προσώπου τοῦ ἱερέως ἑπτὰ χοσμούμενον ὀφθαλμοῖς. Οὔτε δὲ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς, ὀφθαλμοὺς νοητέον, οὔτε τὸν ἑπτὰ ἀριθμὸν ἐπὶ ῥητοῦ ἀριθμοῦ ληπτέον. γὰρ τῖς θείες χάριτος ἐνέργειαν ὀρθαλμοὺς προστγόρευσεν " ἑπτὰ δὲ αὑτοὺς ὠνόμασε, τὸ πλῖθος αὑτῆς καὶ τὸ μέγεθος διὰ τούτων σημαίνων. Οὕτω καὶ ἡ ὕλννα φασίν" « Στεῖρα ἕτεκεν ἑπτὰ,» οὔχ ὡρισμένον ἀριθμὸν λέγουσα, ἀλλὰ τὸ πλῆθος παραδηλοῦσα. Καὶ ὁ μακάριος Δαβίδ " «᾿Απόδος τοῖς γείτοσιν ἡμῶν ἑπταπλασίονα εἰς τὸν κόλπον αὐτῶν " δίκην. Αἰθον ὃὲ αὐτὸν ὀνομάζει διὰ τὸ στεῤῥὸν καὶ ἀκαταγώνιστον" ἄλλως τε δ᾽ καὶ τύπος ἣν τοῦ σπότου Χριστοῦ, ὃς λίθος ὑπὸ τῆς θείας πολλαχοῦ προσηγορεύθη Γρσφῆς. Ὃ μὲν γὰρ θειότατος ἔφη Β λαδίδ' Λίθον, ὃν ἀπεδοκίμασαν οἱ οἰκοδομοῦντες, οὗτος ἐγενέθη εἰς κεφαλὴν γωνίας. ν Διὰ δὲ τοῦ θεσπεσίου Ἡσαῖου ὁ τῶν ὅλων λέγει Θεός" « Ἰδοὺ τίθημι ἐν Σιὼν λίθον πολυτελῆ, ἐκλεκτὸν, ἀκρογωνιαῖον, ἔντιμον “', εἰς τὰ θεμέλια αὐτῆς, καὶ πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων ἐπ᾽ αὐτῷ οὐ μὴ καταισχυνθῇ. » Οὕτω καὶ ὁ μακάριος Δανιὴλ εἶδε τμηθέντα ἀπὸ ὄρους λίθου ἄνευ χειρῶν, καὶ τὴν μὲν εἰκόνα πατάξαντα, καὶ τὰς ὕλας λεπτύναντα, γενόμενον δὲ εἰς ὅρος μέγας καὶ τὴν οἰκουμένην καλύψαντα. Ταῦτα πεπαιδευμένος καὶ ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος βοᾷ᾽ « Ἔπινον γὰρ ἐκ πνευματιχῇῆς ἀκολουθούσης πέτρας " ἡ δὲ πέτρα Ὧν ὁ Χριστός.» Καὶ πάλιν" εΘεμέλιον ἄλλον οὐδεὶς δύνατα! θεῖναι παρὰ τὸν κείμενον, ὅς ἐστιν Ἰησοῦς ὁ Χριστός.» Τοῦτον ἐν ἑαυτῷ φέρων τὸν λίθον ὁ Π Ζοροθάθδελ (ἐξ αὑτοῦ γὰρ τὸ κατὰ σάρκα βεδλάτῆχεν ὁ τῆς οἰκουμένης Σωτὴρ), εἰκότως καὶ αὐτὸς ὀνομάζεται λίθος, παντοδαποῖς διαλάμπων σμασιν. Οὕτω τὴν θεόσδοτον τοῦ Ζοροδάδελ ὑποδείξας χάριν, προλέγει καὶ τῆς λαμπρᾶς αὐτοῦ στρατηγίας τὰ τρόπαια" ε Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ὀρύσσω βόθρον, λέγει Κύριος παντοχράτωρ, καὶ ψηλαφήσω πᾶσαν τὴν ἀδικίαν τῇς γῆς ἐκείνης ἐν ἡμέρᾳ μιᾷ, » Ταῦτα περὶ τοῦ καὶ Μαγὼγ προηγόρευσεν, οἷς ἐν ἡμέρᾳ μιᾷ τὴν πανωλεθρίαν ἐπήγαγε" καὶ ἅπαντας κατ᾽ αὐτὸν 5; θανάτῳ παρέπεμψεν, ὃν τροπικῶς προσηγόρευσε βόθρον. Τούτου δὲ, φησὶν, γενομένου, ἅπαντες οἱ ὑπὸ τῷ Ζοροδάδελ στρατευόμενοι, οἷα δὴ νιχτ γενόμενοι, ἀδεῶς λοιπὸν ὑπὸ τὰς ἀμπέλους καὶ τὰς θήσονται, τὴν τῶν πολεμίων οὐ δειμαίνοντες ἔφοδον. Τούτων ὁ προφήτης ἀκούσας, καὶ ἐν τῇ θεωρίᾳ τῶν τοσούτων καὶ τοιούτων ἀποκαλύψεων γεγονὼς, ἔξω μὲν τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων πραγμάτων κατέστη, ὃν ἐκείνοῖς ὃὲ τὴν διάνοιαν ἔχων, ἐῴκει τινὶ λίαν χεχαρωμένῳ καὶ ὕπνῳ χατεχομένῳ " οὗ χάριν ὁ ἅγιος ἄγγελος, ὁ τοῦ τε λαοῦ προστατεύων, καὶ περὶ τὰς ὀπτας σἰὰς αὐτὸν ποδηγήσας ἁπάσας, α'-γ' Προσελθὼν, φησὶν, ἐξήγειρέ με, ὃν τρόπον ὅταν ἐξεγερθῇ ἄνθρωπος ἐξ ὕπνου αὐτοῦ. Καὶ εἶπε πρός με. Τί σὺ βλέπεις; Καὶ εἶπον - Ἑώρακα, καὶ ἰδοὺ λυχνία χρυσῇ ὅλη, καὶ τὸ λαμπάδιον ἐπάνω αὐτῆς, καὶ ἑπτὰ λύχνοι ἐπάνω αὐτῆς, καὶ ἑπτὰ ἐπαρυστρίδὲς τοῖς λύχνοις τοῖς ἐπάνω αὑτῆς. Καὶ δύο ἐλαῖαι ἐπάνω αὐτῆς, μία ἐκ δεξιῶν τοῦ λαμπαδίου αὐτῆς, καὶ μία ἐξ εὐωνύμων. » Καὶ ταῦτα δὲ πάντα αἰνί» Ὑματά ἔστιν ἑτέρων πραγμάτων. Νῦν γὰρ χρυσῆν εἰς τύπον τῆς θείας ἔδειξε προμηθείας, ἣ καὶ τὰ οὐράνια καὶ τὰ ἐπίγεια πρυτανεύει" οἱ δὲ ἑπτὰ «ύχγοι τῶν ἑπτὰ τῆς ἑδδομάδος ἡμερῶν ἰσάριθμοι, τὸ διηνεκὲς καὶ διαρκὲς τῆς θείας παραδηλοῦσι προνοίας" αἱ δὲ ἐπαρυστρίδες, αἱ τὸ ἔλαιον ἐπιχέουσαι, τὴν ἄφθονον φιλοτιμίαν τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίας σημαίνουσιν. Οὕτω διὰ τοῦ αμπαδίου τὴν τὰ πάντα χαταφωτίζουσαν χάριν ἡνίξατο. Δύο δὲ ἐλαίας ἐχστέρωθεν τεθηλυίας, τὴν βασιλείαν καὶ τὴν ἱερωσύνην ἐκάλεσε, τῇ θείᾳ χάριτι χοσμουμένας" τοὺς δὲ δύο κλάδους, τοὺς μέχρι τῶν λύχνων διήχοντας, τὸν Ἰησοῦν καὶ τὸν Ζοροθάθελ, τὸν μὲν ἐκ τῆς ἱερατικῇς, τὸν δὲ ἐκ τῆς βασιλικῆς βεδλαστηχότα φυλῆς. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τοῖς ἀνθρωπίνοις λογιαμοῖς χεχρημένοις ἄπιστον ἐδόκει καὶ λίαν ἀπίθανον, ἄνδρας ὀλίγους, καὶ πένητας, καὶ μόγις ὀψέ ποτε τὴν μακρὰν ἐχείνην αἰχμαλωσίαν διαφυγόνιας, τοσαῦτα καὶ τοιαῦτα κατορθῶσαι ἀνδραγαὁ Θεὸς, διδάσκων, ὡς οὐ τῆς αὐτῶν δυνάμεως, ἀλλὰ «ἧς αὐτοῦ χάριτός ἐστιν ἡ κατόρθωσις. Καὶ ταύτην τὴν ἑρμηνείαν παρ᾽ αὑτοῦ μεμαθήκαμεν τοῦ τὴν ὄψιν ἐχείνην ὑποδείξαντος Δεσπότου " τοῦ γὰρ προφήτου πυθομένου τὰ δειχθέντα τίνων ἐστὶ πραγμάτὼν αἰνίγματα, ὁ θεῖος ἄγγελος ἔφη" «Οὗτος ὁ λόγος Κυρίου πρὸς Ζοροθάδελ, λέγων - Οὐκ ἐν δυνάμει μεγάλη, οὐδὲ ἐν ἰσχύϊ, ἀλλ᾽ ἐν Πνεύματί μου, λέγει Κύριο; παντοχράτωρ. ν Μήτε εἰς τὴν “παροῦσαν εὐτέλειαν, ὦ Ζοροδάδελ, ἀποδλέπιων τῶν μήτε πάλιν κατορθώσας σαυτῷ τὴν νίκην ἐπιγράψῃ ὑπὸ “ γὰρ τῆς ἐμῆς βοηθούμενος χάριτος, τὸ κατὰ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐχείνων τρόπαιον ἀναστήσεις. Εἶτα πρὸς αὑτοὺς ἐκείνους τρέπει τὸν λόγον. ### English translation (Claude) 8. "Hear now, Jesus the great priest, you and your neighbors who sit before your face, for they are men who watch for portents." He calls them "watchers of portents" not, as some have supposed, as augurs and users of omens; for he would not have used such words to such men, nor would Jesus himself, being pious, have welcomed such a company; rather he bears witness to their knowledge and their zeal for divine things. For as pious men they continually watched for the portents and signs given by the prophets and awaited their outcome. To these, then, and to Jesus he says what follows: "For behold, I am bringing my servant; Dawn is his name. (9) For the stone which I have set before the face of Jesus: upon the one stone are seven eyes." Having adorned the priest, stripped off his garb of mourning and put on him the priestly vestment, shown him what he must do, and promised that his office would last a very long time for his descendants if they kept the divine laws, he passes on to the royal line, and promises to make Zerubbabel, a descendant of Jeconiah who traced his descent from David, so illustrious and admired that he will be compared to the brightest light of the dawn. He says that he has set this man as the stone before the face of the priest, adorned with seven eyes. Neither are the eyes to be understood as eyes, nor the number seven to be taken as a literal number. For he called the working of divine grace "eyes", and named them seven, signifying by them its abundance and greatness. So also Hannah says: "The barren has borne seven," not stating a definite number but indicating a multitude. And the blessed David: "Repay our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom." He names him a stone because of his firmness and invincibility; and besides, he was a type of Christ the Master, who is often called a stone by divine Scripture. For the most divine David said: "The stone which the builders rejected, this has become the head of the corner." And through the inspired Isaiah the God of all says: "Behold, I lay in Zion a costly stone, chosen, a cornerstone, precious, for its foundations, and everyone who believes in it will not be put to shame." So too the blessed Daniel saw a stone cut from a mountain without hands, which struck the image, crushed its materials, and became a great mountain and covered the world. Taught by these things, the blessed Paul too cries: "For they drank from a spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ." And again: "No one can lay another foundation besides the one that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." Zerubbabel, bearing this stone in himself (for from him the Savior of the world sprang according to the flesh), is rightly himself called a stone, shining with gifts of every kind. Having thus shown the God-given grace of Zerubbabel, he also foretells the trophies of his brilliant generalship: "Behold, I dig a pit, says the Lord Almighty, and I will feel out all the injustice of that land in one day." He foretold these things about [Gog] and Magog, on whom he brought total destruction in one day, sending them all together to death, which he called figuratively a pit. When this has happened, he says, all who serve under Zerubbabel, having become victors, will from then on [sit] fearlessly under their vines and their [fig trees], not dreading the attack of enemies. Hearing these things, and caught up in the contemplation of so many and such great revelations, the prophet was outside human affairs; and having his mind on those things, he was like someone in a deep stupor and held by sleep. For this reason the holy angel, who protected the people and had guided him through all the visions, (4:1–3) "came," he says, "and roused me, as when a man is roused from his sleep. And he said to me: What do you see? And I said: I have seen, and behold, a lampstand all of gold, and the bowl on top of it, and seven lamps on it, and seven pourers for the lamps on it; and two olive trees above it, one on the right of its bowl and one on the left." All these things too are riddles of other things. For he showed the golden [lampstand] as a type of divine providence, which governs the things of heaven and earth; the seven lamps, equal in number to the seven days of the week, indicate the continuity and constancy of divine providence; and the pourers, which pour on the oil, signify the abundant generosity of God's love for humankind. So by the bowl he hinted at the grace that enlightens all things. The two olive trees flourishing on either side he called kingship and priesthood, adorned with divine grace; and the two branches reaching to the lamps, Jesus and Zerubbabel, the one sprung from the priestly tribe and the other from the royal tribe. For since to those who used human reasoning it seemed incredible and very unlikely that a few poor men, who had only lately escaped that long captivity, could accomplish such great deeds of valor, … God, teaching that the achievement is not of their power but of his grace. We have learned this interpretation from the Master himself, who showed that vision; for when the prophet asked of what things the things shown were riddles, the divine angel said: (6) "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, saying: Not by great power nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty." Do not, O Zerubbabel, look at the present poverty …, nor again, when you succeed, ascribe the victory to yourself; for, helped by my grace, you will set up the trophy over those nations. Then he turns the discourse to the people themselves. ### Scripture references - Zech 3:8: quotation, high confidence - Zech 3:9: quotation, high confidence - Zech 3:10: allusion, high confidence - Zech 4:1: quotation, high confidence - Zech 4:2: quotation, high confidence - Zech 4:3: quotation, high confidence - Zech 4:6: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 2:5: quotation, high confidence - Ps 79:12 (78:12 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 118:22 (117:22 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Isa 28:16: quotation, high confidence - Dan 2:34: allusion, high confidence - Dan 2:35: allusion, high confidence - 1 Cor 10:4: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 3:11: quotation, high confidence - Ezek 38:2: allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 3:8; Theodoret goes on to 3:9, 3:9b–10, then 4:1–3 and 4:6, paraphrasing 4:4–5. "Dawn" (LXX Ἀνατολή) as a name of Zerubbabel is Theodoret's reading. The "pit" as the destruction of Gog and Magog in Zerubbabel's time is his own reading, as in his commentary on Haggai. Quotations: 1 Sam 2:5; Ps 79:12 (LXX 78:12); Ps 118:22 (LXX 117:22); Isa 28:16; Dan 2:34–35; 1 Cor 10:4; 1 Cor 3:11. Migne's Latin column and footnotes are removed; lost words are marked … or supplied by sense in brackets. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.3.8 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-3-8). ## Commentary on Zechariah 4:7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-3-1/#p-11-4-7 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The great mountain of hostile nations will not stop Zerubbabel, whom God makes a firm stone; the flying sickle, the woman in the measure, and the four chariots show God judging all sin, removing Israel's guilt to Babylon, and sending his angels over the whole earth. ### Greek text ζ΄. «ε Τίς εἴ σὺ τὸ ὅρος τὸ μέγα τὸ πρὸ προσώπου Ἱωροδάδελ, τοῦ κατορθῶσαι;» Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ κκαὶ τὰ μυρία ἔθνη ἐκεῖνα ὄρος καλεῖ, καὶ τοῦ θείου ναοῦ τὴν οἰχοδομίαν κωλύσαι πειρώμενα, καὶ τοῦ λαοῦ τὸ λειπόμενον καταλῦσαι. ᾿Αλλ᾽ οὐδὲν ἰσχύσετε ταῦτα βουλευόμενοι. ε Ἑξοίσω γὰρ τὸν λίθον τῆς κληρονομίας, ἰσότητα χάριτος χάριτα αὑτῆς.» Ὃ δὲ λέγει τοιοῦτόν ἐστε᾽ κἂν μυριάκις λυττήσητε ἐμποδὼν τῷ Ζοροθάθδελ γιγνόμενοι, κενὰς ὑμῶν ἀποφανῶ τὰς ἐλπίδας" πάσης γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐμπλήσας χάριτος, καὶ τελείᾳ αὐτὸν χαταχοτμήσας χάριτι, καὶ στεῤῥὸν ἀποφήνας οἷα δὴ λίθον, ἄπαντας ὑμᾶς ὑπερ… ὥστε τὸ ἐλλεῖπον τῇ ἀνθρωπείᾳ δυνάμει ἀναπληρῶσαι καὶ δξισῶσαι τῇ ἄνωθεν χάριτι. Εἰνώσχετε τοίνυν, ὅτι αὖ χεῖρες Ζοροδόδελ ἐθεμελίωσαν τὸν οἶκον τοῦτον, καὶ αἱ χεῖρες αὐτοῦ ἐχτελοῦσιν αὐτὸν, καὶ δι᾽ αὐτῶν μαϑἤσεσθε τῶν πραγμάτων, ὅτι θείσις διακονούμενὸς λόγοις ταύτην ὑμῖν διεπόρθμευσα νὴν προφητείαν. «εὐ διότι τίς ἐξουδένωσεν εἰς ἥμέραφ μακράς δ :ν Ἕοικε τοῦτο τοῖς ἐν τῷ Δευτερονομέιρ᾽ τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγοις " « Ἐγὼ ἀποκτενῶ, καὶ ξὴν ποιῆσον" πατάξω, χἀγὼ ἰάσομαι. » Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἡμέρας μακρὰς, καὶ ἑδδομήχοντα ἑτῶν ἔργ μίαν χἀπεψηφισάμην αὐτῆς" οὕτω μοι ῥάδιον εἰς τὴν προτέραν αὐτὴν ἐπαναγαγεῖν εὐπραξίαν. … ὁρῶντες ε Χαρήσονται, καὶ ὄψονται τὸν χίθον τὸν χασσιτέρινον ἐν χειρὶ Ζοροδάδελ. ν Γνώσονται, φησὶ, διὰ τῆς πείραφ, ὡς ὁ νῦν παρ᾽ αὐτῶν καταφρυνούμενος Θεὸς, αὐτὸς διὰ τοῦ Ζοροδάδελ κατορθώσει τὴν νίκην. Τὸν γὰρ κασσίτερον ἐπ᾽ εὐτελείας ἐν» ταῦθα τέθεικεν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ καὶ ὁ θεῖδς νεὼς ἐμπέπρηστο, καὶ ὁ λαὸς ἐξηνδραπόδιστο, καὶ ἡ πόλις ἀνάστατος ἐγεγόνει, ὑπώπτευον δὲ ἅπαντες, οὐ διὰ" τὴν τοῦ λαοῦ παρανομίαν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν ἀσθένειαν τοῦ παρ᾽ αὑτῶν τιμωμένου Θεσῦ, ταῦτα πάντα συμθῆναι, λίθον χασσιτέρινον κατὰ τὴν ἐχοίνων ὑπόνοιαν τὴν θείαν βοήθειαν προσηγόρευσε, διδάσκων ὅτι αὕτη ἡ παρὰ τῶν ἀπίστων εὐτελής τις νομιζομένη καὶ ἀσθενῆς, δι᾽ ἑνὸς ἀνδρὸς τοῦ Ζοροδάθελ τὴν οἱκείαν ἐπιδείξεται δύναμιν. Ὅθεν εὐθὺς ἐπήγαγεν " ε Ἑπτὰ οὗτοι ὀφθαλμοὶ Κυρίου εἰσὶν, οἱ ἐπιδλέποντες ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν. » Ὁ γὰρ τῶν ἁπάντων "“Ἑφορός τε καὶ Πρύτανις, καὶ πάντα μὲν ἐφορῶν, πάντα δὲ ἀκούων, αὐτὸς ὑπερασπίσει 51 τοῦ Ζορο- -δάδελ. Ἑούτων οὕτως εἰρημένων, ἔρεται μὲν ὁ προφήτης περί τῶν ἑκατέρωθεν τῆς λυχνίας τεθηλυιῶν ἐλαιῶν, πυνθάνεται δὲ περὶ τῶν δύο κλάδων τῶν μέχρις αὐτῶν διηχόντων τῶν λύχνων, καὶ μανθάνει, ὅτι οἱ δύο υἱοὶ τῆς πιότητος, οἱ παρεστήκασι τῷ Κυρίῳ πάσης τῆς γῆς. Λέγει δὲ Ἰησοῦν τὸν ἀρχιερέα Καὶ Ζοραδάδελ τὸν στρατηγὸν, τὸν μὲν ἐκ τοῦ βασιλικοῦ, τὸν δὲ ἐκ τοῦ ἱερατικοῦ γένους ἀνθῇσαντα. ἵ Οὕτω ταῖς παντοδαπαῖς θεωρίαις τοὺς περὶ τῆς βασιλείας καὶ τῆς ἱερωσύνης βεδα:ωπάμενος λόγους, καὶ τῆς οἰκοδομίας τοῦ θείϑυ ναοῦ πρ:αγορεύσας τὰ πέλο:, ἀπειλῇ "᾽ τιμωρίας δεδίττεναι τοὺς ἀκούοντας, κακίας ἀποτρέπων, καὶ προτρέπων εἰς ἀρετήν" καὺ δείκνυσι τῷ προφήτῃ δρέπανον 1 μέγιστον αἰωρούβενον, καὶ διὰ τοῦ ἀέρος φερόμενον, δέκα μὲν τὸ εὗρος πήχεων, εἴκοσι δὲ τὸ μῆκος. Καὶ διδάσκεται, ὅτι αὕτη ἡ ἀρὰ, ἡ ἐχπορευομένη ἐπὶ πρόδωτον πάσης τῆς γῆς. « Διότι πᾶς ὁ κλέπτης ἐκ τούτου ἕω: θανάτου ἐχδιχεθήσεται "", (δ΄.) Καὶ ἐξοίδω αὐτὸ ᾽", λέγει Κύριος παντοχράτωρ, καὶ εἰσελεύσεται εἰς νὸν οἶκον τοῦ χλέπτον, καὶ εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ ὀμνύοντος ἐπὶ 1" τῷ ὀνόματί μου ἐπὶ ψεύδει, καὶ καταλύσει ἐν μέσ τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ, καὶ συντελέσει αὐτὸν, καὶ τὰ ξύλα αὖτοῦ, καὶ τοὺς λίθους αὐτοῦ. » ᾿Αρὰν τὴν τιμωρίαν ἐκάλεσε, τὴν κατὰ πάσης χωροῦσαν τῆς οἰκουμένης, καὶ τοῖς. τῆς ἀδικίας ἐργάταις ἐπαγομένην. Ἐδιδάχϑη δὲ διὰ τούτων καὶ ὁ προφήτης, καὶ ὁ λαὸς, ὡς πάντων ἀνθρώπων κριτῆς ἐστιν ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς, καὶ ἅπαντας ἀξίας εἰσπράξεται δίκας, πανῳλεθρίαν ἐπάγων οὐ μόνον τοῖς εἰς αὐτὸν ἀσεδοῦσιν, ἀλλὰ. καὶ τοῖς ἀδικοῦσι τὸν πέλας. Μὴ γάρ τις οἰόσθω, κατὰ κλεπτῶν μόνων καὶ ἐπιόρχων ταύτην γαγενῆσθαι τὴν ἀπειλὴν" κατὰ πάσης γὰρ παρανομίας τὴν ψῆφον ἐξήνεγκεν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὅλος ὁ νόμος καὶ οἱ προφῆται ἐν τούτῳ τῷ λόγῳ χρέμανται, ἐν τῷ, ε ᾿Αγαπῆσεις Κύριον τὸν Θεόν σου. ἐξ ὄλης τῆ: καρδίας σου, καὶ ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον φον ὡς σεαυτόν, » διὰ τῆς ἐπιορκίας, καὶ τῆς κλοπῆς, πᾶν εἶδος ἁμαρτίας συνήγαγεν. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ τῶν ὄρκων παράθασις ἀσεδείας ἐστὶ τὸ κεφάλαιον " ἀγάπης δὲ θείας ἔρημος ὁ τοιοῦτος. Ἢ δὲ κλοπὴ τὴν εἰς τὸν πέλας ἀδικίαν δηλοῖ οὐδεὶς ὃὲ ἀγαπῶν τὰν πλησίον ἀδικεῖν τοῦτον ἀνέξεται “ περιεχτιχὰ τοίνυν ἐστὶ τῶν ἄλλων νόμων ταῦτα τὰ κεφάλαια, καὶ εἰκότως τοῖς 1" παραθδάταις τὴν τιμωρίαν ἐχείνην ἠπείλησς. ε΄, ς΄.« Καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ὁ ἄγγελος ὁ λαλῶν ἂν ἐμοὶ, καὶ εἶπε πρός με" ᾿Ανάδλεψον τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς σου, καὶ ἴδε τί 3 τὸ ἐκπορευόμενον τοῦτο "6, Καὶ εἶπον " Τί ἔστι; Καὶ εἶπε " Τοῦτο τὸ μέτρον τὸ ἐκπορευόμενον. Καὶ εἶπεν: Αὕτη ἡ ἀδικία αὐτῶν ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ. » Διδασκόμεθα καὶ ἡμεῖς διὰ τούτου, ὡς πάντα μέτρῳ καὶ σταθμῷ πρυτανεύει ὁ τῶν ὅλων Κύριος. Οὕτω καὶ τῷ ᾿Αδραὰμ. πάροικον ἔσεσθαι αὐτοῦ τὸ σπέρμα προαγορεύσας, καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν διδάσκει " « Οὔπρ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀναπεπλήρωνται αἱ ἁμαρτία: τῶν ᾿Αμοῤῥαίων ἕως τοῦ νῦν. » Οὐδέπω, φησὶν, ἄξια πανωλεθρίας πεπλημμελήχασι " διόπερ οὐκ ἀνέξομαι νῦν αὐτοὺς παραδοῦναι σφαγῇ, ἀλλὰ τῆς παρανομίας τὸ μέτρον ἀναμενῶ. Οὕτω τοῖς ἐπὶ τοῦ Νῶε εἴκοσι καὶ ἑκατὸν ἔτεσι τὴν ζωὴν περιορίσας, ἐπειδὴ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν αὐξανομένην καὶ πλημμυροῦσαν εἶδεν, οὐκ ἀνέμεῖνε τὴν κυρίαν, ἀλλὰ τὴν προθεσμίαν συνέτεμε, καὶ τῷ ἑκατοστῷ ἔτει πᾶσιν ἐπήγαγε τὸν τῶν ὑδάτων “ κατακλυσμόν. ζ', η΄. « Καὶ ἰδοὺ τάλαντον μολίόδον καὶ ἰδοὺ γυνὴ μία ἐκάθητο ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ μέτρου. Καὶ εἶπεν Λὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ ἀνομία. Καὶ ἔῤῥιψεν αὑτὴν ἐν ἔσῳ τοῦ μέτρου, καὶ ἔῤῥιψε τὸ τάλαντον δ τοῦ μολίθδου εἰς τὸ στόμα αὐτῆς. » Τὴν μὲν οὖν ἀρετὴν μαργαρίτως ὁ θεῖος ἀπειχάξει λόγος ᾿ « Ὁμοία γάρ ἔσϑιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀνθρώπῳ 7" ζητοῦντι καλοὺς μαργαρίτας. » Τὴν δὲ τῆς ἁμαρτία: τιμωρίαν μόιλιδδον ἣ ἱερὰ προσαγορεύει Γραφή “ φύσει δὰ οὗτος βαρὺς, βαρύτατον δὲ καὶ τὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας φορτίον. Καὶ τοῦτο ὁ θεῖος ἡμᾶς διδάσκει Δαδίδ" « Αἱ ἀνομίαι μον, λέγων, ὑπερῆραν τὴν κεφαλήν μου, ὡσεὶ φορτίον βαρὺ ἐδαρύνθησαν ἐπ᾽ ἐμέ. » Τοιγάρτοι καὶ ὁ θεσπέσιο: Ζαχαρίας ὁρᾷ μὲν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐν τύπῳ γυναικὸς φαινομένην " ἐξ ἡδυπαθείας γὰρ τὰ πλείονα τίκτεται τῶν κακῶν. Ὁρᾷ δὲ τὴν τιμωρίαν καθάπερ τινὰ βαρύτατον μόλιδδον τῷ τῆς ἀνομίας ἐπικείμενον στόματι, κατὰ τὴν ψαλμῳδίαν τὴν λέγουσᾶν " ε« Πᾶσα ἀνομία ἐμφράξει τὸ στόμα Καρπὸς δὲ τῆς ἁμαρτίας αἰσχύνη. » Οὕτω καὶ ὁ μακάριος λέγει Παῦλος " « Ἐλευθερωθέντες ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ἐδουλώθητε τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ" τίνα οὖν καρπὸν εἴχετε τότε ἐφ᾽ οἷς νῦν ἐπαισχύνεσθε; ν Ἐδιδάχθη τοίνυν ὁ προφήτης, ὡς τοῦ λαοῦ τὴν" ἁμαρτίαν ἔλυσεν ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ τὴν τιμωρίαν κατέπαυσεν. ᾿Αμέλει δύο θεωρεῖ γυναῖκας ὑποπτέρους, ῥοίζῳ τινὶ ςε- ᾿ρομένας" ἔποπος δὲ πτεροῖς, φηόϊν, ἐῴκει τὰ τούτων πτερά. Ὀξύτατον δὲ τοῦτο τὸ ὄρνεον, σάρχκα᾽ μὲν βραχεῖαν ἔχον, πτερὰ δὲ τῆς σαρκὸς μείζονα. Αὗται τοίνυν, φησὶ, λαθοῦῖσαι τὸ μέτρον ἐκεῖνο, διὰ μέσου τοῦ ἀέρος ἐφέροντο. Ἐγὼ δὲ τὸν θεῖον ἡρόμην ἄγγελον, ποῦ τὸ μέτρον αὗται κομίζουσι " καὶ ἐδεδάχθην ὡς εἰς τὴν Βαδυλῶνα ἀπίασιν, ὥστε αὐτὸ μὴ μόνον ἐπιθεῖναι τῇ πόλει, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἰκίαν αὐτῷ οἰχοδομῇῆσαι, καὶ θεῖναι αὐτὸ ἐκεῖ ἐπὶ τὴν ἕτοιμα σίαν αὐτοῦ. Οὐδὲ γὰρ καθάπερ, φησὶ, τῇ Ἱερουσαλὴμ ῥητὸν ὥρισα χρόνον εἰς ἐρημίαν, εἶτα πάλιν αὑτὴν φειδοῦς ἠξίωσα καὶ συγγνώμης, οὕτω καὶ τῇ δέξεται τιμωρίαν ἀντὶ 5' τῆς πολλῆς ἀσεδείας. Οὕτω ταύτην συμπεράνας τὴν ἑπτασίαν, ἑτέρας θεωρίας προσφέρει διήγησιν, καὶ λέγει τεθεᾶσθαι ἅρματα τέσσαρα τὸν ἀριθμὸν ἐκ δύο χαλκῶν ὁρέων ἐχπορευόμενα, καὶ τῷ μὲν πρώτῳ ἅρματι ἵππους ἐπεζεῦχθαι πυῤῥοὺς, τῷ δευτέρῳ δὲ μέλανας, καὶ τῷ τρίτῳ λευκοὺς, ποικίλους δὲ καὶ ψαροὺς τῷ τετάρτῳ. Εἶτα καὶ πυθέσθαι λέγει, καὶ μεμαθηκέναι παρὰ τοῦ ἀγγέλου, ὅτι ταῦτά ἐστιν οἱ τέσσαρες ἄνἐμὸι τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, οἵ ἐκπορεύονται παραστῆναι τῷ Κυρίῳ πάσης τῆς γῆς. Τέσσαρας δὲ ἀγέμους τὰ Ὦ τέσσαρα τμήματα τῆς οἰκουμένης καλεῖ - ἰσαρίθμους … γὰρ οἱ πολλοὶ τούτοις καὶ τοὺς ἀνέμους ὑπολαμδάνουσιν εἶναι. Διδάσκεται τοίνυν ὁ προφήτης, ὡς ταῖς ἀοράτοις δυνάμεσιν ὑπουργοῖς κεχρημένος ὁ τῶν ὅλων θεὸς 5" καὶ τὰ ἀγαθὰ χορηγεῖ, καὶ τὰ λυπηρὰ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐπάγει. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ μακάριος λέγει Δαδίδ' « Παρεμδαλεῖ ἄγγελος Κυρίον κύκλῳ τῶν φοδουμένων αὐτὸν, καὶ ῥύσεται αὐτούς.» Περὶ δὲ τῆς τιμωρίας ἐν ἑτέρῳ ψαλμῷ φησιν" ε Ἐξαπέστειλεν εἰς αὐτοὺς; ὁργὴν θυμοῦ αὑτοῦ " θυμὸν καὶ ὀργὴν, καὶ θλίψιν, ἀποστολὴν δι᾽ ἀγγέλων πονηρῶν. » Οὕτω καὶ ὁ θεσπέσιος Ζαχαρίας ὁρᾷ τοὺς μὲν μέλανας ἴππους ἐπὶ τὰ βόρεια μέρη τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐλάσαντας, αἰνίττεται δὲ διὰ τούτου τῆς Βαδυλῶνος τὸν ὄλεθρον. « Καὶ οἱ λευκοὶ δὲ ἐξεπορεύοντο χατόπισθεν αὐτῶν,» οὐκ ἵνα ἐκείνοις χορηγήσωσι τὰ ἀγαθὰ, ἀλλ᾽ ἵνα των Ἑδραίων εἰς τὴν Ἰουδαίαν ἐπαναγάγωσι. ε Καὶ οἱ πυῤῥοὶ ἐξεπορεύοντο ἐπὶ γῆν 55 νότου, ν ἀπειλοῦντες κακὰ τοῖς ἑπανισταμένοις κατὰ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ἔθνεσι" διὰ τοῦ πυῤῥοῦ γὰρ χρώματος τὸ θυμοειδὲς ὁ λόγος ἠνίξατο. ζ΄. ε« Καὶ οἔ. ποικίλοι καὶ οἱ δ' ψαροὶ ἐξεπορεύοντο, καὶ ἐζήτουν, καὶ δ ἐπέδλεπον τοῦ περιοδεῦσαι τὴν γῆν " καὶ εἶπε Πορεύεσθε καὶ περιοδεύσατε τὴν γῆν. Καὶ 86 περιώδευσαν τὴν γῆν. » Γῆν ἐνταῦθα χαλεξ, οὗ τὴν τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, ἀλλὰ πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην. ποικίλους δὲ αὐτοὺς λέγει καὶ φαροὺς, ὡς παντο- Β διαπὰ οἰχονομοῦντας καὶ χολάζοντας οὗ δεῖ, καὶ εὐερ- ### English translation (Claude) 7. "Who are you, great mountain, before the face of Zerubbabel, to prevail?" For he calls those countless nations too a mountain, since they tried to prevent the building of the divine temple and to destroy what was left of the people. But you will have no strength in planning these things. "For I will bring out the stone of the inheritance, equality of grace, its grace." What he says is this: Even if you rage ten thousand times, standing in Zerubbabel's way, I will make your hopes empty; for having filled him with all grace, adorned him with perfect grace, and made him firm like a stone, [I will make him surpass] you all, so as to fill up what is lacking to human power and make it equal to the grace from above. (9) Know, then, that the hands of Zerubbabel laid the foundation of this house, and his hands will complete it; and through the events you will learn that, as a servant of the divine words, I have ferried this prophecy across to you. (10) "For who has despised [them] for long days?" This resembles God's words in Deuteronomy: "I will kill, and I will make alive; I will strike, and I will heal." For here too … for long days, and seventy years [of desolation] I decreed against her; so easy is it for me to bring her back to her former prosperity. … seeing: "They will rejoice, and will see the tin stone in the hand of Zerubbabel." They will know by experience, he says, that the God now despised by them will himself achieve the victory through Zerubbabel. For he has put "tin" here to denote cheapness. For since the divine temple had been burned, the people enslaved, and the city laid waste, and all suspected that all these things had happened not because of the people's lawlessness but because of the weakness of the God they honored, he called the divine help a tin stone, in keeping with their suspicion, teaching that this help, thought by the unbelievers to be cheap and weak, will show its own power through one man, Zerubbabel. Hence he at once added: "These seven are the eyes of the Lord, which look upon all the earth." For the Overseer and Ruler of all, who oversees all and hears all, will himself shield Zerubbabel. These things having been said, the prophet asks about the olive trees flourishing on either side of the lampstand, inquires about the two branches reaching to the lamps themselves, and learns that they are the two sons of fatness, who stand by the Lord of all the earth. He means Jesus the high priest and Zerubbabel the general, the one sprung from the royal and the other from the priestly line. Having thus confirmed by visions of every kind the words about the kingship and the priesthood, and foretold the completion of the building of the divine temple, he frightens his hearers with a threat of punishment, turning them from wickedness and urging them toward virtue; and he shows the prophet a very large sickle suspended and carried through the air, ten cubits in breadth and twenty in length. And he is taught that this is the curse that goes out over the face of all the earth. (5:3–4) "For every thief will be punished by it until death. And I will bring it out, says the Lord Almighty, and it will enter into the house of the thief and into the house of the one who swears falsely by my name, and will lodge in the midst of his house, and will finish it off, its timbers and its stones." He called the punishment that goes over the whole world and is brought on the workers of injustice a curse. Through these things both the prophet and the people were taught that the God of all is the judge of all human beings and will exact fitting penalties from all, bringing total destruction not only on those who are impious toward him but also on those who wrong their neighbor. Let no one think that this threat was made only against thieves and perjurers; for he pronounced the sentence against every transgression. For since the whole law and the prophets hang on this word, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself," by perjury and theft he gathered up every kind of sin. For the transgression of oaths is the sum of impiety, and such a man is devoid of love for God; theft shows injustice toward one's neighbor, and no one who loves his neighbor will bear to wrong him. So these chief points comprehend the other laws, and he rightly threatened their transgressors with that punishment. (5–6) "And the angel who spoke in me went out and said to me: Look up with your eyes and see what this is that goes out. And I said: What is it? And he said: This is the measure that goes out. And he said: This is their injustice in all the earth." By this we too are taught that the Lord of all governs all things by measure and weight. So too, when he foretold to Abraham that his seed would be sojourners, he also teaches the cause: "For the sins of the Amorites," he says, "are not yet filled up until now." They have not yet, he says, committed offenses worthy of total destruction; therefore I will not now bear to hand them over to slaughter, but will wait for the measure of their lawlessness. So too, having limited the life of those in Noah's time to one hundred and twenty years, when he saw sin increasing and overflowing, he did not wait for the appointed day, but cut short the time limit and in the hundredth year brought the flood of waters upon all. (7–8) "And behold a talent of lead; and behold, a woman was sitting in the midst of the measure. And he said: This is lawlessness. And he threw her into the midst of the measure, and threw the talent of lead into her mouth." The divine word likens virtue to pearls: "For the kingdom of heaven is like a man seeking fine pearls." But the holy Scripture calls the punishment of sin lead; for lead is heavy by nature, and the burden of sin is heaviest of all. The divine David teaches us this too, saying: "My iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden they have weighed on me." Accordingly the inspired Zechariah sees sin appearing in the form of a woman, for most evils are born of love of pleasure; and he sees the punishment like a very heavy lead laid upon the mouth of lawlessness, according to the psalm that says: "All lawlessness will stop its mouth." And the fruit of sin is shame. So also the blessed Paul says: "Having been freed from sin, you have become slaves of righteousness; what fruit, then, did you have from the things of which you are now ashamed?" The prophet was taught, then, that God had dissolved the people's sin and put an end to their punishment. Indeed, he sees two winged women, borne along with a whirring; their wings, he says, were like a hoopoe's wings. This bird is very swift, with little flesh and wings larger than its flesh. These, then, he says, took up that measure and were carried through the midst of the air. I asked the divine angel where they were taking the measure, and was taught that they were going away to Babylon, not only to place it on the city but also to build a house for it and set it there on its base. For not as I fixed a definite time of desolation for Jerusalem and then again counted her worthy of sparing and pardon, so [will Babylon fare] …; it will receive punishment in return for its great impiety. Having thus finished this vision, he gives the account of another, and says that he saw four chariots coming out from between two bronze mountains, the first chariot yoked with red horses, the second with black, the third with white, and the fourth with dappled and gray. Then he says that he asked and learned from the angel that these are the four winds of heaven, which go out to stand by the Lord of all the earth. He calls the four quarters of the world four winds, equal in number …, for most people suppose the winds to be these. The prophet is taught, then, that the God of all, using the invisible powers as servants, both supplies good things to human beings and brings painful things upon them. So also the blessed David says: "The angel of the Lord will encamp around those who fear him and will deliver them." And about punishment he says in another psalm: "He sent upon them the anger of his wrath, wrath and anger and affliction, a sending by evil angels." So the inspired Zechariah too sees the black horses driving to the northern parts of the world, and by this he hints at the destruction of Babylon. (6) "And the white went out after them," not to supply good things to those, but to bring back [the remnant] of the Hebrews to Judea. "And the red went out to the land of the south," threatening evils to the nations that rose up against Jerusalem; for by the red color the word hinted at anger. (7) "And the dappled and the gray went out, and sought, and looked, to go round the earth; and he said: Go and go round the earth. And they went round the earth." Here he calls "earth" not the land of Israel but the whole world. He calls them dappled and gray as managing all kinds of things, punishing where needed and doing good … ### Scripture references - Zech 4:7: quotation, high confidence - Zech 4:9: allusion, high confidence - Zech 4:10: quotation, high confidence - Zech 4:11: allusion, high confidence - Zech 4:12: allusion, high confidence - Zech 4:14: allusion, high confidence - Zech 5:1: allusion, high confidence - Zech 5:2: allusion, high confidence - Zech 5:3: quotation, high confidence - Zech 5:4: quotation, high confidence - Zech 5:5: quotation, high confidence - Zech 5:6: quotation, high confidence - Zech 5:7: quotation, high confidence - Zech 5:8: quotation, high confidence - Zech 5:9: allusion, high confidence - Zech 5:11: allusion, high confidence - Zech 6:1: allusion, high confidence - Zech 6:2: allusion, high confidence - Zech 6:3: allusion, high confidence - Zech 6:5: allusion, high confidence - Zech 6:6: quotation, high confidence - Zech 6:7: quotation, high confidence - Deut 32:39: quotation, high confidence - Matt 22:37: quotation, high confidence - Matt 22:39: quotation, high confidence - Matt 22:40: allusion, high confidence - Gen 15:13: allusion, high confidence - Gen 15:16: quotation, high confidence - Gen 6:3: allusion, high confidence - Matt 13:45: quotation, high confidence - Ps 38:4 (37:5 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 107:42 (106:42 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Rom 6:18: quotation, high confidence - Rom 6:21: quotation, high confidence - Ps 34:7 (33:8 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 78:49 (77:49 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 4:7; Theodoret goes on through 4:9–14, 5:1–11 and 6:1–7, partly paraphrasing; the verse numbers of chapters 5–6 were not recognized, so that comment sits in this section. Quotations: Deut 32:39; Matt 22:37–40; Gen 15:13, 16; Gen 6:3; Matt 13:45; Ps 38:4 (LXX 37:5); Ps 107:42 (LXX 106:42); Rom 6:18, 21; Ps 34:7 (LXX 33:8); Ps 78:49 (LXX 77:49). That the flood came in the hundredth of the 120 years is Theodoret's own reckoning. Migne's Latin column and footnotes (one of them gives the LXX variant "every perjurer" in 5:3) are removed; lost words are marked … or supplied by sense in brackets. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.4.7 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-4-7). ## Commentary on Zechariah 6:8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-3-1/#p-11-6-8 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: After judgment falls on Babylon, the prophet is told to crown Jesus the high priest and to announce "Dawn", whom Theodoret takes to be Zerubbabel, who will rebuild the temple and rule in concord with the priest. ### Greek text η΄. « Καὶ ἐδόησε 57, καὶ ἐκάλεσέ με 58, καὶ ἐλάλησε πρὸς με, λέγων" Ἰδοὺ οἱ ἐχπορενόμενοι ἐπὶ γῆν Βοῤῥᾶ ἀνέπαυσαν 55 τὸ πνεῦμά μου ἐπὶ γῆν Βοῤῥᾶ. ν Δικαίαν γὰρ, φησὶ, τοῖς Βαδυλωνίοις ἐπήγαγον τιμωρίαν, ἣν ἐκ πολλοῦ μὲν ὥφειλον, διὰ δὲ τὴν ἐμὴν μακροθυμίαν οὐκ ἕτισαν. Μετὰ ταύτας τὰς θεωρίας, ὁ προφήτης κελεύεται τὰ χομισθέντα παρὰ τῶν αἰχμαλώτων δῶρα λαθεῖν, ἀλλ᾽ οὐκ ἁπλῶς παρὰ πάντων, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τῶν ἀρχόντων, καὶ παρὰ τῶν χρησίμων αὐτῆς, καὶ παρὰ τῶν ἐπεγνωκότων αὐτήν. "Ὅσοι γὰρ, φησὶν, αἴσθησιν ἔλαθον τῶν κακῶν, καὶ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας ἔγνωσαν τὴν αἰτίαν, καὶ τὸ ταύτης κατέμαθον χρήσιμον, προσφερέτωσαν τὰ δῶρα. Εἶτα Γς μέμνηται " καὶ ὀνομάτων Ἐ.1δαῖ, καὶ Τωδίου, καὶ ᾿δείου. Κελεύεται δὲ καὶ ε εἰς τὸν οἶκον εἰσελθεῖν Ἰωσίου τοῦ Σοφονίου, ν τοῦ νῦν ἥκοντος ἐκ Βαδυλῶνος, καὶ λαθεῖν ἀργύριον καὶ χρυσίον, καὶ στέφανον ἐκ τούτων κατασκευάσαι, καὶ τὴν τοῦ ἀρχιερέως Ἰησοῦ κεφαλὴν ταινιῶσαι, καὶ τοὺς θείους αὐτῷ "" λόγους διαπορθμεῦσαι, καὶ εἰπεῖν " ᾿ ιβ8', ιγ΄. ε« Τάδε λέγει Κύριος παντοχράτωρ᾽ Ἰδοὺ ἀνὴρ, ᾿Ανατολὴ ὄνομα αὑτῷ, καὶ ὑποκάτωθεν αὐτοῦ ἀνατελεῖ, καὶ οἰκοδομήσει τὸν οἶκον Κυρίου. Καὶ αὖτὸς λήψεται ἀρετὴν, καὶ καθιεῖται, καὶ κατάρξει ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου αὑτοῦ, καὶ ἔσται ὁ ἱερεὺς 'ὲχ δεξιῶν αὑτοῦ, καὶ βουλὴ εἐρηνιχὴ ἔσται ἀναμέσον ἀμφοτέρων. ν Ταῦτα δὲ ἅπαντα "" περὶ τοῦ Ζοραδάθελ προαγορεύει, οὐκ ὡς μηδέπω τεχθέντος, ἀλλ᾽ ὡς μηδέπω τὴν ἡγεμονίαν παρειληφότος, ᾿Αγνατοιϊὴν δὲ αὐτὸν ὀνομάζει, ἐπειδὴ δίκην φωτὸς τοῖς τηνικάδε τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ οἰκοῦσιν ἀνέτειλεν, ἀωρίᾳ κακῶν καὶ σκοτομήνῃ χατεχομένοις. Τοῦτον λέγει καὶ τὸν θεῖον τελειώσειν οἴχον, καὶ τοῖς βασιλικοῖς ἐνιδρυσθήσεσθαι θρόνοις, καὶ τὸν ἀρχιερέα πάσης ἀξιώσειν τιμῆς, καὶ τοσαύτην πρὸς αὐτὸν σχήσειν ὁμόνοιαν, ὡς μηδὲν δίχα τῆς ἐκείνου γνώμης δράσαι ποτέ. Οὐ μόνον ὃὲ τούτοις ταῦτα ὑπέσχετο, ἀλλὰ καὶ κοῖς ὑπομένουσι τὸν ἀγήρω στέφανον, οὃς χρησίμους καὶ ἐπεγνωκότας αὐτὴν ὀνομάζει. Καὶ ὁ τῷ στεφάνῳ δὲ χορηγήσας τὰς ὕλας, ἼἸωσέας ὁ τοῦ Σοφονίου, ὃς 5" τῆς ἐντεῦθεν εὐκλείας ἀξιωθήσεται" τοῦτο γὰρ εἶπε" ε Καὶ εἰς χάριτα υἱοῦ Σοφονίου. » Εἶτα καὶ περὶ τῶν θείων λέγει 3" χωρῶν. « Καὶ εἰς ψαλμὸν ἐν οἴκῳ Κυρίου. (ι:’.) Καὶ οἱ μακρὰν ἀπ' αὐτῶν ἥξουσι, καὶ οἰκοδομήσουσιν ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ Κυρίου - καὶ γνώσεσθε ὅτι Κύριος παντοχράτῶρ ἑξαπέσταλκέ δ με πρὸς ὑμᾶς. » Οὐ γὰρ μόνον ὑμεῖς οἱ παρόντες ταῦτα δράσετε, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ πόῤῥωθεν ὑμῶν οἰκοῦντας πανταχόθεν συνδραμοῦνται, καὶ τῶν χαλῶν ὑμὲᾶν τούτων χρινωνήσουσι πόνων. Καὶ ἔσται, ἐὰν ἀκούοντες "5 εἰσακούσητε τῆς φωνῆῇς Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ ὑμῶν.. Ταῦτα δὲ, φησὶν, ἔσται, καὶ τὸ προσῆκον δέξεται πέρας, ἐὰν ὑμεῖς τοῖς θεώις ### English translation (Claude) 8. "And he cried out and called me and spoke to me, saying: Behold, those who go out to the land of the north have given my spirit rest in the land of the north." For I brought a just punishment on the Babylonians, he says, which they had long owed but because of my long-suffering had not paid. After these visions the prophet is commanded to take the gifts brought by the captives, not simply from everyone, but "from the rulers, and from its useful men, and from those who have known it." All who came to a sense of the evils, he says, and knew the cause of the captivity and learned its usefulness, let them bring the gifts. Then he mentions … and the names of Heldai, Tobijah and Jedaiah. He is also commanded to "enter the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah, who has now come from Babylon," take silver and gold, make a crown of them, bind it on the head of Jesus the high priest, convey the divine words to him, and say: (12–13) "Thus says the Lord Almighty: Behold a man, Dawn is his name, and from beneath him he will rise, and he will build the house of the Lord. And he will receive virtue, and will sit, and will rule on his throne, and the priest will be at his right hand, and a counsel of peace will be between the two." All these things he foretells about Zerubbabel, not as not yet born, but as not yet having received the leadership. He names him "Dawn" since he rose like a light for those who then lived in Jerusalem, held in the untimely night of evils and in moonless darkness. He says that he will complete the divine house and be established on the royal throne, count the high priest worthy of all honor, and have such concord with him as never to do anything apart from his judgment. (14) He promised these things not only to these, but also to those who await the unaging crown, whom he names "useful" and "those who have known it". And Josiah son of Zephaniah, who supplied the material for the crown, will be counted worthy of the renown that comes from it; for this is what he said: "And for the grace of the son of Zephaniah." Then he speaks also of the divine choirs: "And for a psalm in the house of the Lord. (15) And those far off from them will come and build in the house of the Lord; and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you." For not only you who are present will do these things, but those living far from you will also run together from everywhere and share in these noble labors of yours. "And it will be, if you indeed listen to the voice of the Lord your God." These things, he says, will be and will receive their fitting end, if you [obey] the divine … ### Scripture references - Zech 6:8: quotation, high confidence - Zech 6:10: allusion, high confidence - Zech 6:11: allusion, high confidence - Zech 6:12: quotation, high confidence - Zech 6:13: quotation, high confidence - Zech 6:14: quotation, high confidence - Zech 6:15: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 6:8; Theodoret paraphrases 6:9–11 and quotes 6:12–15. He reads "Dawn" (LXX Ἀνατολή) in 6:12 as Zerubbabel, not as the Messiah; this is translated as written. Words are lost in the scan before the names (…). Migne's Latin column and footnotes are removed; the section breaks off in mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.6.8 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-6-8). ## Commentary on Zechariah 7:1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-3-1/#p-11-7-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Foreign leaders living near Judah send to ask whether they should go on fasting for the temple, and God answers through Zechariah. ### Greek text α',γ'. « Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ νετάρτῳ ἕτει ἐπὶ Διαρεΐου τοῦ βασιλέως, ἐγένετο λόγος Κυρίου πρὸς Ζαχαρίαν τετράδι τοῦ μηνὸς τοῦ ἐννάτου ᾿7, ὅς ἔστι Χασλεῦ "ὁ (ὃν ἡμεῖς Ἀπέ.1.λαιον ὀνομάζομεν) ᾿ Καὶ ἀπέστειλεν εἰς Βεθὴλ Σαρασὰρ καὶ ᾿Αρθεσεὲρ ὅ ὁ βασιλεὺς, καὶ οἱ ἄνδρες οἱ μετ᾽ ᾽ αὐτοῦ, ἐξιλάσασθαι: τὸν Κύριον, λέγων πρὸς τοὺς ἱερεῖς τοὺς ἐν τῷ οἴκῃ Κυρίον παντοκράτορος, καὶ πρὸς τοὺς προφήτας ". Εἰ εἰσηλθεν ᾽ ὧδε ἐν τῷ πέμπτῳ " μηνὶ τὸ ἁγίασμα, ἣ νηστεύσω " καθότι ἐποίησα " ἤδη ἱκανὰ ἔτη; ν Τούποὺς τινὲς τῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ Σαλμανασὰρ Χουθαίων τε καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ὀθνῶν, οὗς Σαμαρεέτας αἱ μετὰ ταῦτα προσηγορεύχασιν, ἡγεμόνας ἔφασαν εἶναι. Εἴτε δὲ τούτων, εἴτε ἄλλων ἐθνῶν (οὐ γὰρ ἐδέδαξεν ἡμᾶς ἡ θεία Γραφὴ), δῆλον ὡς ἀλλόφυλοι ὄντες ἀλλοφύλων ἡγοῦντο᾽ ἀλλ᾽ ἅμως ἐκ γειοόνων οἰχοῦννὸς πολλὴν παρὰ τῶν προφητῶν καὶ τῶν ἄλλεον εὐσεδῶν ὠφέλειαν ἐδέξαντο" “ὅθεν θυσίας ἐξέπεμψαν τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ μαθεῖν παρὰ τῶν ἱερέων καὶ παρὰ τῶν προφητῶν ἐπόθησαν, εἰ τὸν προσήκοντα κόσμον ὁ θεῖος ἀπέλαδεν οἶκος, ἣ 1 δεῖ, φησὶ, διὰ νηστείας πάλιν ἐξιλεώδσασθαι τὸν Θεὸν, ὅπερ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον δρῶντες διετελέσαμεν. Ταῦτα ἐχείνων πυθομένων, ποιεῖται μὲν ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς πρὸς τὸν λαὸν τὴν Ὁ διάλεξιν " διὰ τούτων δὲ κἀκείνους τὸ πρακτέον. διδά- ### English translation (Claude) 1–3. "And it came to pass in the fourth year of Darius the king, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, which is Chislev (which we call Apellaeus). And Sarasar and Arbeseer the king and his men sent to Bethel to propitiate the Lord, saying to the priests in the house of the Lord Almighty and to the prophets: Has the sanctuary come in here in the fifth month, or shall I fast, as I have done already for many years?" Some have said that these were leaders of the Cuthaeans and the other nations settled by Shalmaneser, whom later generations called Samaritans. Whether of these or of other nations (for the divine Scripture has not taught us), it is clear that they were foreigners leading foreigners; yet, living as neighbors, they received much benefit from the prophets and the other pious men; hence they sent sacrifices to God, and longed to learn from the priests and the prophets whether the divine house had received its fitting adornment, or whether, they say, we must again propitiate God by fasting, which we have continued doing for a very long time. When they asked these things, the God of all addresses his discourse to the people, and through it teaches those men too what must be done. ### Scripture references - Zech 7:1: quotation, high confidence - Zech 7:2: quotation, high confidence - Zech 7:3: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 17:24: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 7:1–3. The Cuthaeans: 2 Kgs 17:24. Theodoret takes the senders to be foreigners and leaves their identity open. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.7.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-7-1). ## Commentary on Zechariah 7:5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-3-1/#p-11-7-5 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God gains nothing from fasting: like eating and drinking, it benefits those who do it, as the prophets taught of old. ### Greek text ε', ς΄. « Ἐϊπὲ πρὸς πάντα τὸν λαὸν τῆς γῆς καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἱερεῖς, λέγων" Ἐὰν νηστεύσητε, ἢ χόψητε" ἐν τῷ πέμπτῳ καὶ ἐν τῷ -ἑθδόμῳ ", καὶ ἰδοὺ ἑδδομήχοντα ἔτη, «μὴ νηστείαν νενηστεύκατέ μοις Καὶ ἐὰν φάγητε, ἢ πίητε, οὐκ ὑμεῖς ἐσθίετε, καὶ πίνετε "ὃ: » ΜΕ) οἴεσθε, φησὶν, ἐμοί τι κέρδος ἀπὸ τῆς ὑμετέρας πορίζειν νηστείας “ κἂν γὰρ μυριάκις “πκαις καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἑθδάμαι; ἐπιτελέσητε, ὄφελος οὐδὲν ἐντεῦθεν χαρπώσομαι. Καὶ ὅτι ταῦθ᾽ οὕτως ἔχει, μάρτυς τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας ὁ χρόνος " ἐν ἑόδομήκοντα ὰρ ἔτεσιν οὐδεμίαν μοι διὰ νηστείας προσηνέγκατε -θερᾳπείαν. ὥσπερ τοίνυν ἐσθίοντες καὶ πίνοντες ὑμεῖς τῆς ἐντεῦθεν ἡδονῆς ἀπολαύετε, οὕτω καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς νηστείας ὑμεῖς ὠφέλειαν χαᾳρποῦσθε. Καὶ «μὴ γομίσητε καιγὴν εἶναι ταύτην τὴν διδασκαλίαν" “«άλαι γὰρ καὶ πρόπαλαι ταῦτα διὰ τῶν προφητῶν τοῖς ἁμετέροις προγόνοις καὶ πατράσι διετέλεσα λέ. γων. ### English translation (Claude) 5–6. "Say to all the people of the land and to the priests, saying: If you fasted or mourned in the fifth and in the seventh [months], and behold, for seventy years, did you fast a fast to me? And if you eat or drink, is it not you who eat and drink?" Do not think, he says, that you procure some gain for me from your fasting; for even if you kept fasts ten thousand times in the fifth and seventh months, I would reap no benefit from it. And that this is so, the time of the captivity is witness; for in seventy years you offered me no service through fasting. Just as, when you eat and drink, you enjoy the pleasure that comes from it, so too you reap the benefit that comes from fasting. And do not think that this teaching is new; for long ago, very long ago, I kept saying these things through the prophets to your ancestors and fathers. ### Scripture references - Zech 7:5: quotation, high confidence - Zech 7:6: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 7:5–6. Migne's footnotes on variant readings are removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.7.5 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-7-5). ## Commentary on Zechariah 7:7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-3-1/#p-11-7-7 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God recalls that the earlier prophets demanded justice and mercy toward widows, orphans, strangers and the poor, and that the fathers' refusal brought his wrath. ### Greek text ζ΄. « Οὐκ αὗτοι γὰρ, φησὶν, οἱ λόγοι εἰσὶν "", οὖς ἐλάλησε Κύριος ἐν χερσὶ ᾽"" τῶν προφητῶν τῶν ἔμπροτθεν; Ὅτε ὧν Ἱερουσαλὴμ κατοιχουμένη, καὶ εὐθηνοῦσα "", καὶ αἱ '" πόλεις αὐτῆς '" κυκλόθεν, καὶ ἡ ὀρεινὴ, καὶ ἢ πεδινὴ χατῳχεῖτο. » Οὕτω δείξας κὴν τοῦ κηρύγματος ἀρχαιότητα, τίνα τὰ θερα- “κεύογτα αὐτὸν κατ᾽ εἶδος διδάσκει" « Κρῖμα δίκαιον κρίνατε 15, καὶ ἔλεον καὶ οἰχτιρ- {μὸν ποιεῖτε, ἕχαστος πρὰς τὸν ἀδελρὸν αὑτοῦ. (ι.) ἸΚ αἱ χῆραν, καὶ ὀρφανὸν, καὶ προσήλυτον, καὶ πέντα μὴ χαταδυναστεύσητε, καὶ κακίαν ἕχαστος τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὑτοῦ μὴ μνησιχαχεῖτε ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὁμῶν. » Ἕλεγον, φησὶ, τοῖς ὑμετέροις πατράσι, δικάζοντας ἴσην καὶ δικαίαν ἐκφέρειν τὴν ψῆφον, ἐλέῳ δὲ περὶ τοὺς 5 πέλας κεχρῆσθαι, τὰς δὲ τὸν ϑαρὺν τῆς χηρείας ἑλχούσας ζυγὸν, καὶ κοὺς ὀρφανίαν ὀδυρομένους, μὴ πιέζειν τῇ δυναστείᾳ, μηδὲ ἀφορμὴν εἰς πλεονεξίαν τὴν τῶν πενήτων λαμδάνγειν Ό Διαθένειαν" πρὸς δὲ τούτοις τὴν μνηαιχαχίαν τεσθαι, καὶ μὴ ἀμύνεσθαι τοὺς ἄρξαντας ἀδικίας. Ταῦτα ἐγὼ μὲν ἔλεγον᾽ ἐκεῖνοι δὲ ὑκαχαύειν 1" οὐκ ἤθελον. ε ᾿Αλλ ἔδωκαν, φησὶ, νῶτον αὑτῶν 39 παραφρονοῦντα. ν Καὶ δεχόμενοι μάστιγας ἀναλγησίαν οἰκετῶν, καὶ ὄνησιν ἐκεῖθεν μὴ καρπουμένων. » 4 Καὶ τὰ ὦτα αὑτῶν ἐδάρυναν τοῦ μὴ εἰσακούειν. (ι8..) Καὶ τὴν καρδίαν αὑτῶν ἔταξαν ἀπειθῇ, τοῦ μὴ εἰσαναύειν τοῦ νόμον μου- "καὶ τῶν λόγων μου ὧν δξαπέσταλχε Κύριος παντοχράτωρ, ἐν Πνεύματι αὑτοῦ, ἐν χερσὶ προφητῶν." τῶν ἔμπροσθεν.» ᾿Αλλὰ «ἧς ἀπειθείας ὀδρέψαντο τὸν καρπόν. « Ἐγένετο γὰρ ὀργὴ μεγάλη παρὰ Κυρίον παντοκράτορος. (1γ΄.) Καὶ ἔσται ἂν τρόπον εἶπον ᾿5, καὶ οὐκ εἰσήχουσαν αὐτοῦ "5, οὕτω κεχράξονται, καὶ οὐ αἣ εἰσαχούσω, λέγει Κύριος παντοχράτωρ. » Ἐναλλάςτει τὸ σχῆμα τοῦ χρόνου " τὰ γὰρ ἤδη γεγενημένα ὡς μέλλοντα λέγει" τὸ γὰρ, χεχράξονται, ἀντὶ τοῦ ἔγραξα», καὶ τὸ οὐ μὴ εἰσεικούσω, ἀντὶ τοῦ οὐκ ἤκουσα. ἀν.» ### English translation (Claude) 7. "For are not these," he says, "the words which the Lord spoke by the hand of the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and prospering, and her cities round about, and the hill country and the plain were inhabited?" Having thus shown the antiquity of the preaching, he teaches in detail the things that serve him: (9–10) "Judge just judgment, and do mercy and compassion each to his brother. And do not oppress the widow and orphan and stranger and poor, and let none of you bear a grudge in your hearts for the wrong of his brother." I told your fathers, he says, when judging, to give an equal and just verdict, to treat their neighbors with mercy, not to crush with their power the women drawing the heavy yoke of widowhood nor those who lament their orphanhood, and not to take the weakness of the poor as an occasion for greed; and besides this, to [cast off] rancor and not to take vengeance on those who began the wrong. These things I said; but they would not listen. (11) "But they turned," he says, "a senseless back." Even when they received lashes, [they showed] the insensibility of [bad] servants who reap no benefit from them. "And they made their ears heavy so as not to hear. (12) And they set their heart disobedient so as not to hear my law and my words which the Lord Almighty sent by his Spirit by the hand of the former prophets." But they reaped the fruit of their disobedience: "For great wrath came from the Lord Almighty. (13) And it will be: as I spoke and they did not listen to him, so they will cry out, and I will not listen, says the Lord Almighty." He changes the tense; for he speaks of what has already happened as future: "they will cry out" stands for "they cried out", and "I will not listen" for "I did not hear". ### Scripture references - Zech 7:7: quotation, high confidence - Zech 7:9: quotation, high confidence - Zech 7:10: quotation, high confidence - Zech 7:11: quotation, high confidence - Zech 7:12: quotation, high confidence - Zech 7:13: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 7:7; Theodoret goes on to 7:9–13 (7:8 is not quoted). Words are lost in the scan (supplied by sense in brackets). Migne's Latin column is removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.7.7 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-7-7). ## Commentary on Zechariah 7:14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-3-1/#p-11-7-14 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The future tenses describe the fathers' past exile, not a new threat to the returned exiles. ### Greek text ιδ΄, « Καὶ ἐχδαλῶ αὐτοὺς "5 εἰς πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, ἅ οὐκ ἔγνωσαν" ν ἀντὶ τοῦ ἐξέδαιον. ε« Καὶ ἡ τῇ ἀφανισθήσεται χατόπισθεν αὐτῶν ἐκ διοδεύοντος, καὶ ἐξ ἀναστρέφοντος" » τουτέστιν, ἠραγίσθη" καὶ δηλοῖ τὰ ἐπαγόμενα. Μετέδαλε γὰρ τὸ σχῆμα, καί φησι" « Καὶ ἔταξαν γῆν ἐπιθυμητὴν εἰς ἀφανισμόν. ν» Ταῦτα περὶ τῆς τῶν πατέρων αὐτῶν ἀπειθείας τε καὶ τιμωρίας διεξελήλυθεν. Οὔτε γὰρ εἰκὸς ἦν, τοῖς πικρᾶς δουλεία; λαθοῦσι τὴν πεῖραν, καὶ ἔναγχος ταύτης ἀπαλλαγεῖσι, καὶ μηδέπω τὴν πόλιν οἰχοδομήσασι, τοιαῦτα πάλιν ἀπειλῆσαι δεινά. ! ### English translation (Claude) 14. "And I will cast them out into all the nations which they did not know," for "I cast them out". "And the land will be made desolate behind them, of anyone passing through or returning," that is, it was made desolate; and what follows shows this. For he changed the form and says: "And they made the desirable land a desolation." He has gone through these things about the disobedience and the punishment of their fathers. For it was not likely that he would again threaten such dreadful things to those who had experienced bitter slavery, had only recently been freed from it, and had not yet built the city. ### Scripture references - Zech 7:14: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 7:14. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.7.14 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-7-14). ## Commentary on Zechariah 8:1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-8-1/#p-11-8-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God's jealousy for Jerusalem, his bride, explains both her punishment and the blessings now promised. ### Greek text α', β΄. ε Καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος Κυρίου παντοκράτορος πρός με "8, λέγων Τάδε λέγει Κύριος παντοχράτωρ᾽ Ἐζήλωχα τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ καὶ τὴν Σεὼν ζῆλον μέαν, καὶ θυμῷ μεγάλῳ ἐξήλωσα ᾽" αὐτήν. : Ταύτην αὑτῇ, φησὶ, τὴν τιμωρίαν ἐπήγαγον, τῆς εἰς ἐμὲ δυσσεδείας ποινὴν εἰσπραττόμενος. Ζῆ.1ον δὲ προσαγορεύει τὴν δικαίαν ὀργήν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἀνὴρ αὖ» τῆς ἐχρημάτιζε, καὶ γυναῖκα αὐτὴν ὠνόμαζεν, ἀναγκαίως καὶ τὸ τοῦ ζήλου τοῖς λόγοις προστέθεικεν ἵὕνομα. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ ταύτης ἀρξάμενος ἑαυτὸν προσηγόρευσεν" ε« Ἐγώ εἶμι, λέγων 5, Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου, ὁ Θεὸς ζηλωτὴς, πῦρ χκαταναλίσχον. » Οὕτω δείξας τῆς ὀργῆς τὴν αἰτίαν, ὑπισχνεῖται λοιπὸν τὰ ἀγαθά. ' ### English translation (Claude) 1–2. "And the word of the Lord Almighty came to me, saying: Thus says the Lord Almighty: I have been jealous for Jerusalem and Zion with great jealousy, and with great wrath I have been jealous for her." I brought this punishment on her, he says, exacting the penalty for her impiety toward me. He calls the just anger "jealousy". For since he was called her husband and named her his wife, he necessarily added the word "jealousy" to his words. For so too, when he began his dealings with her, he called himself: "I am," he says, "the Lord your God, a jealous God, a consuming fire." Having thus shown the cause of the anger, he then promises good things. ### Scripture references - Zech 8:1: quotation, high confidence - Zech 8:2: quotation, high confidence - Deut 4:24: quotation, high confidence - Exod 20:5: quotation, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 8:1–2. Quotation: Deut 4:24 combined with Exod 20:5. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.8.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-8-1). ## Commentary on Zechariah 8:3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-8-1/#p-11-8-3 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God's return to Zion was fulfilled in type after Zerubbabel's rebuilding and in truth after the incarnation. ### Greek text γ΄. ε Τάδε λέγεε Κύριος Ἐπιστρέψω ἐπὶ Σιὼν, καὶ κατοικήσω" ἐν μέσῳ Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καὶ χληϑήσεται Ἱερουσαλὴμ πόλις ἀληθινὴ, καὶ τὸ ὄρος Κυῥίου παντοκράτορος, ὄρος ἅγιόν. » Ταῦτα τυπικῶς μετὰ τὴν Ζοροδάδελ 5" οἰχοδομίαν ἐγένετο " τὴν δὲ ἀλήθειαν τῆς προφητείας μετὰ τὴν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐνανθρώπησιν διέγνωσαν ἅπαντες. Πρὸς τούτοῖς ὑπισχνεῖται καὶ πλῆθος οἰκητόρων παρέξειν τῇ πόλει, καὶ εἰς γῆρας αὐτοὺς ἐλάσειν βαθὺ, ὥστε καὶ βαχτηρίαις σχηριπτομένους κατὰ τὴν ἀγορὰν ἱέναι, καὶ ἐν τοῖς συνήθεσι συλλόγοις καθῆσθαι, καὶ μεῖιραχίων παιζόντων πληροῦσθαι τὰς ἀγυιὰς, ὅπερ ᾽ ἐν ταῖς πολυανθρώποις εἴωθε γίνεσθαι δ᾽) πόλεσι. Ταῦτα γὰρ ἐδήλωσεν, εἰρηκώς " ### English translation (Claude) 3. "Thus says the Lord: I will return to Zion and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; and Jerusalem will be called a true city, and the mountain of the Lord Almighty a holy mountain." These things happened typologically after the building under Zerubbabel; but all recognized the truth of the prophecy after the incarnation of our Savior. Besides this, he promises to provide the city with a multitude of inhabitants and to bring them to deep old age, so that they will go about the marketplace leaning on staffs and sit in their usual gatherings, and the streets will be filled with youths at play, as usually happens in populous cities. This is what he showed by saying: ### Scripture references - Zech 8:3: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 8:3. Migne's Latin column and marginal references are removed. The sentence continues in the next section. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.8.3 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-8-3). ## Commentary on Zechariah 8:4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-8-1/#p-11-8-4 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Jerusalem will again be full of the aged and of children at play. ### Greek text δ', ε΄. ε« Ἔτι χαθήσονται πρεσθύτεροι καὶ πρεσδύ- ᾿ τεραι ἐν. ταῖς πλατείαις Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ἕχαστος τὴν ῥάδδον αὑτοῦ ἔχων ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὑτοῦ, ἀπὸ πλήθους ἡμερῶν. Καὶ αἱ πλατεῖαι τῆς πόλεως πλησθήσονται Ὁ παιδαρίων καὶ χορασίων παιζόντων ἐν ταῖς πλατείαις αὐτῆς. » Εἶτα πιστοῦται τοὺς λόγους τὴν οἰκείαν δύναμιν παρέχων ἐχέγγυον. ### English translation (Claude) 4–5. "Old men and old women will again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with his staff in his hand because of the multitude of days. And the streets of the city will be filled with boys and girls playing in its streets." Then he confirms his words, offering his own power as a pledge. ### Scripture references - Zech 8:4: quotation, high confidence - Zech 8:5: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 8:4–5. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.8.4 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-8-4). ## Commentary on Zechariah 8:6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-8-1/#p-11-8-6 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: What seems impossible to the small, poor remnant is not impossible to God, who will gather his people and dwell among them. ### Greek text ς΄. « Τάδε λέγει Κύριος παντοχράτωρ᾽ Εἰ ἀδυνατήσει ἐνώπιον τῶν χαταλοίπων τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου ᾽" ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις, μὴ καὶ ἐνώπιόν μου ἀδυναπτήσει; λέγεν Κύριος παντοχράτωρ.» Ὑμεῖς μὲν γὰρ, φησὶν, εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν ἀφορῶντες ὀλιγότητα καὶ πενίαν, τῶν ἀγαθῶν τούτων οὐ δέχεσθε τὴν "5 ἐλπίδα, Προσήκει δὲ ὑμᾶς τοῦ ὑποσχομένου τὸ δυνατὸν εἰδότας, ἀνενδοιάστως δέχεσθαι τὰ λεγόμενα, καὶ πιστεύειν ὡς σωτηρίας ἀπάσης τὸν ἐμὸν ἀξιώσω λαὸν, καὶ πάντοθεν αὐτὸν συναθροίσας εἰς τὴν πατρῴαν γῆν ἐπανάξω᾽ χἀγὼ συνήθως ἐν τῇ Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ποιήσομαι τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ ἐπιφάνειαν. Τοῦτο γὰρ λέγει" «ε Κατασκηνώσω ἐν μέσῳ Ἱερουσαλήμ. » Καὶ αὑτὸς μὲν ἐμὸς χρηματίσει λαός" ἐγὼ δὲ αὐτοῦ Θεὸς ὀνομασθήσομαι, οὐκ ὥσπερ πάλαι ψευδῶς, ἀλλ᾽ ἐν ἁληθείᾳ καὶ ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ. ### English translation (Claude) 6. "Thus says the Lord Almighty: If it will be impossible in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, will it also be impossible in my sight? says the Lord Almighty." For you, he says, looking at your own fewness and poverty, do not accept the hope of these good things. But you ought, knowing the power of the one who promises, to accept what is said without doubting, and to believe that I will count my people worthy of every salvation, gather them from everywhere, and bring them back to their ancestral land; and I will make my appearance in Jerusalem as before. For this is what he says: (8) "I will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem." And they will be called my people, and I will be named their God, not falsely as of old, but in truth and in righteousness. ### Scripture references - Zech 8:6: quotation, high confidence - Zech 8:7: allusion, high confidence - Zech 8:8: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 8:6; Theodoret paraphrases 8:7–8. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.8.6 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-8-6). ## Commentary on Zechariah 8:9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-8-1/#p-11-8-9 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God encourages the builders with promises of peace and plenty, and commands truth, peaceful judgment, freedom from rancor, and honest oaths before he speaks of fasting. ### Greek text θ' ε Τάδε λέγε: Κύριος παντοχράτωρ᾽ Κατισχυέτωσαν αἱ χεῖρες ὑμῶν τῶν ἀκουόντων ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις «αὐταις τοὺς λόγους τούτους ἐκ στόματος τῶν προφητῶν, ἀφ᾽ ἧς ἡμέρας τεθεμελίωται ὁ οἶκος Κυρίου παντοκράτορος, καὶ ὁ ναὸς ἀφ᾽ οὗ οἰκοδομεῖται 3. » "Ἔχοντες, φησὶ, τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς ἐμῆς ἐπαγγελίας ψυχαγωγίαν, θαῤῥοῦντες τὸν θεῖον οἶκον οἰχοδομήσατε, ὅπως τάς τε νομιχὰς ἐν αὐτῷ λατρείας ἐπιτελέσητε, καὶ τὰς θείας δι᾽ αὐτοῦ χάριτας ὑποδέξησθε. ν΄. «Διότι πρὸ τῶν ἡμερῶν ἐχείνων ὁ μισθὸς τῶν ἀνθρώπων οὐκ ἦν "5. εἰς ὄνησιν, καὶ ὁ μισθὸς τῶν κτηνῶν οὐκ ὑπῆρχε "", καὶ τῷ ἐχπορενομένῳ καὶ τῷ εἰἱσπορευομένῳ "" οὐκ ἦν" εἰρήνη ἀπὸ τῆς θλίψεως.» Ἡνίχα μὲν γὰρ τῆς οἰκοδομίας χατημελεῖτε, φησὶν, ἀχερδὴς μὲν ἦν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὁ πόνος, ἀνόνητος δὲ τῶν κτηνῶν ὁ μισθὸς, ἐν δέει"" δὲ διηνεκεῖ χαθειστήχεισαν ἅπαντες, καὶ ἀποδημοῦντες, καὶ ἐνδημοῦντες. « Καὶ ἐξαποστελῶ πάντας τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, ἕχαστον πρὸς τὸν πλησίον αὑτοῦ. ν Ἐγὼ γὰρ διὰ τὴν περὶ τὰ θεῖα ὀλιγωρίαν τοὺς ἐπαλλήλους ὑμῖν θορύδους ἐπήγειρα. Νῦν ὃὲ ὁρῶν ὑμῶν τὴν περὶ τὴν οἰχοδομίαν σπουδὴν, δώσω μὲν ὑμῖν πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων "3 ἁπάντων τῆς εἰρήνης τὸ δῶρον " ἀπολαύσετε δὲ καὶ τῶν ἀπὸ γῆς καρπῶν, ἄνωθεν τῶν ὑετῶν ἀφθόνως ιγῦ. «Καὶ ἔσται, ὃν τρόπον ἦτο ἐν κατάρᾳ "" ἐν «τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, οἶκος Ἰούδα, καὶ οἶκος Ἰσραὴλ, οὕτω διασώσω ὑμᾶς", καὶ ἔσεσθε ἐν εὐλογίᾳ. » Εἰώθασι' γὰρ οἱ ἄνθρωποι, καὶ ἑπαρώμενοι, τοὺς συμφοραῖς περιπεπτωκότας φέρειν εἰς μέσον, καὶ λέγειν " μάθοις τοιαῦτα οἷα ὁ δεῖνα πέπονθε " καὶ ἐπευχόμενοί τισι τῶν τῆς θείας εὐλογίας ἠξιωμένων προσφέρειν τὴν μνήμην" «Θαρσεῖτε, καὶ χατισχύετε ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν ὑμῶν" ιν (ιδ',, ιε΄.) Διότι τάδε λέγει Κύριος παντοχράτωρ᾽ Ὃν πρόπον διενοήθην τοῦ κακῶσαι ὑμᾶς ἐν τῷ παροργίσαι με τοὺς πατέρας ὑμῶν, λέγει Κύριος παντοχράτῶρ, καὶ οὐ μετενόησα " οὕτω παρατέταγμαι, καὶ διανενόημαι ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ταύταις, τοῦ" καλῶς “οιῆσαι τὴν Κ΄ Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καὶ τὸν οἶκον "6 Ἰούδα. » Καθάπερ, φησὶν, ἀληθεῖς ἔδειξα τῆς τιμωρίας τὰς ἀπειλὰς, οὕτω καὶ ταῖς ἀγαθαῖς οἰχονομίαις ἐπιθήσω τὸ πέρας. Οὕτω παραθαῤῥύνας αὐτοὺς, πάλιν ἐπ᾿ ἀρετὴν προτρέπει, καὶ εἰσηγεῖται τὰ πρακτέα. « Θαρσεῖτε " (ις΄.) Οὗτοι οἱ λόγοι, οὗς ποιήσετε"), » Πρὸ πάντων τιμᾶν ἀλήθειαν κελεύει. ε Λαλεῖτε γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀλήθειαν ἐχαστος πρὸς τὸν πλησίον αὑτοῦ. ν Εἶτα καὶ τοῖς περί τινων ζυγομαχηῦσι πραγμάτων εἰρήνην βραδεύειν. ε Κρῖμα γὰρ εἰρηνικὸν κρίνατε" ἐν ταῖς πύλαις ὑμῶν. » Καὶ τὴν μνησικακίαν δὲ τῶν ἀξ’, «Καὶ ἕχαστος γὰρ, φησὶν, τοῦ πλησίον αὖτοῦ δ' τὴν κακίαν μὴ λογίζεσθε ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν. » Καὶ ὀμνύντας δὲ ἐμπεδοῦν τοὺς ἄρχους, καὶ τὸ ψεῦδος μυσάττεσθαι. ε Ὅρκον γὰρ, τσὶ, ψευδῆ Β μὴ ἀγαπᾶτε’ πάντα γὰρ τὰ τοιαῦτα 5" ἐμίσησα, λέγει Κύριος παντοχράτωρ. » Εἶτα, ἐπειδὴ ἄνω ἔφη αὐτὸς μηδεμίαν ἐκ τῆς νῃστείας ὠφέλειαν χαρποῦσθα; (ἔφη δὲ τοῦτο διὰ τοὺς οἱομένους τούτῳ μόνῳ τὸν Θεὸν θεραπεύεαθαι), διδάξας ἅπαντα τὰ εἴδη τῆς ἀρετῆς, νομοθετεῖ μετὰ τούτων καὶ τὴν νηστείαν, ### English translation (Claude) 9. "Thus says the Lord Almighty: Let your hands be strong, you who hear in these days these words from the mouth of the prophets, from the day the house of the Lord Almighty was founded and the temple has been built." Having, he says, the comfort of my promise, take courage and build the divine house, so that you may perform the worship of the law in it and receive the divine graces through it. (10) "For before those days the wages of human beings were of no benefit, and there were no wages for cattle, and for the one going out and the one coming in there was no peace from affliction." When you neglected the building, he says, the toil of human beings was profitless and the hire of cattle useless, and all were in constant fear, both those abroad and those at home. "And I will send out all human beings, each against his neighbor." For I raised up successive disturbances against you because of your neglect of divine things. But now, seeing your zeal for the building, I will give you, before all else, the gift of peace; and you will enjoy the fruits of the earth, with the rains from above [falling] abundantly. (13) "And it will be: as you were a curse among the nations, house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you, and you will be a blessing." For people are accustomed, when cursing, to bring forward those who have fallen into calamities and say, "May you suffer what so-and-so has suffered"; and, when blessing, to recall some of those who have been counted worthy of the divine blessing. "Take courage, and be strong in your hands. (14–15) For thus says the Lord Almighty: As I planned to do you harm when your fathers provoked me to anger, says the Lord Almighty, and I did not repent, so I have set myself and planned in these days to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah." Just as, he says, I showed the threats of punishment to be true, so I will also bring the good dispensations to their end. Having thus encouraged them, he again urges them toward virtue and introduces what must be done: "Take courage. (16) These are the words which you shall do." Before all he bids them honor truth: "Speak truth," he says, "each to his neighbor." Then to arbitrate peace for those who quarrel over any matter: "Judge a judgment of peace in your gates." And [he banishes] rancor: (17) "And let none of you," he says, "reckon the wrong of his neighbor in your hearts." And [he bids] those who swear to keep their oaths and to abhor falsehood: "Do not love a false oath," he says, "for all such things I hate, says the Lord Almighty." Then, since he said above that he himself reaps no benefit from fasting (he said this because of those who think that God is served by this alone), having taught all the kinds of virtue, he legislates fasting along with them, ### Scripture references - Zech 8:9: quotation, high confidence - Zech 8:10: quotation, high confidence - Zech 8:12: allusion, medium confidence - Zech 8:13: quotation, high confidence - Zech 8:14: quotation, high confidence - Zech 8:15: quotation, high confidence - Zech 8:16: quotation, high confidence - Zech 8:17: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 8:9; Theodoret goes on to 8:10, 8:13–17 (8:11–12 are paraphrased). Words are lost in the scan (supplied by sense in brackets). Migne's Latin column and footnotes are removed. The sentence continues in the next section. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.8.9 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-8-9). ## Commentary on Zechariah 8:19 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-8-1/#p-11-8-19 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months will become feasts of joy; fasting is to be kept gladly, together with love of truth and peace. ### Greek text ιθ΄, ε Τάδε λέγε: Κύριος παντοχράτωρ " Νηστεία ἡ σετρὰς ὅ3, καὶ νηστεία ἡ πέμπτη, καὶ νηστεία ἣ ἑδδόμη, καὶ νηστϑία ἣ δεκάτη, ἔσονται τῷ οἴκῳ "Ιούδα εἰς χαρὰν καὶ εὐφροσύνην"", καὶ εἰς ἑορτὰς ἀγαθὰς, καὶ εὐφρανθήσέσθε, καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν καὶ τὴν εἰρήνην ἀγαπήσατε. ν Δῆλον δὲ ὅτι τετράδα "5, καὶ πέμπτην, καὶ ἑθδόμην, οὐ τῆς ἑδδομάδος, ἀλλὰ τοῦ μηνὸς ὀνομάζει, διότι καὶ δεκάτην ἐπήγαγε. Νηστεύοντες, φηδὶ, μὴ ἀνιᾶσθε διὰ τὴν ἀσιτίαν, ἀλλὰ διᾶ τὴν ἐκ τῆς κακουχίας φυομένην ὠφέλειαν εὑφραίνεσθε " καὶ μετὰ νηστείας δὲ καὶ ἄνευ ταύτης πὴν περὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν καὶ τὴν εἰρήνην διάθεσιν ΄ ἔχετε. Ἰστέον δὲ ὡς οἱ ἄλλοι ἑρμηνευταὶ, ᾿Ακύλας, φημὶ, καὶ Θεσδοτίων, καὶ Σύμμαχος, οὐ τὴν τετράδα" λέγει, καὶ πέμπτην, καὶ ἐἑδδόμην, καὶ δεκάτην νηστεύειν, ἀλλὰ γηστείαγ ἔφασαν συμφώνως οἱ τρεῖς, ἡ τοῦ τοτάρτον, καὶ ἡ τοῦ πέμπτου, καὶ ἢ ποῦ ἐδδόμον, καὶ ἡ ποῦ δεκάτου" ὡς εἶναι δῆλον, ει ἐν τῷ τετάρτῳ, καὶ τῷ πάμπτῳ, καὶ τῷ ἑδδόμῳ, καὶ τῷ δεκάτῳ μηνὶ νηστείαν προσέταξε. ### English translation (Claude) 19. "Thus says the Lord Almighty: The fast of the fourth, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth will be to the house of Judah for joy and gladness and for good feasts; and you will rejoice, and love truth and peace." It is clear that by the fourth, the fifth and the seventh he means not days of the week but of the month, since he added "the tenth" too. When fasting, he says, do not be grieved by the lack of food, but rejoice because of the benefit that grows from the hardship; and with fasting and without it keep your disposition toward truth and peace. One should know that the other translators, Aquila, I mean, Theodotion and Symmachus, do not say to fast on the fourth, the fifth, the seventh and the tenth [day], but the three agreed in saying "the fast of the fourth, and that of the fifth, and that of the seventh, and that of the tenth [month]"; so that it is clear that he commanded a fast in the fourth, the fifth, the seventh and the tenth month. ### Scripture references - Zech 8:19: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 8:19 (8:18 is not quoted). Theodoret first reads the LXX ordinals as days of the month, then reports that Aquila, Theodotion and Symmachus make them months. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.8.19 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-8-19). ## Commentary on Zechariah 8:20 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-8-1/#p-11-8-20 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Many nations will stream to Jerusalem to seek God, dimly after the rebuilding and fully in the pilgrims who come to the places of Christ's passion. ### Greek text χ' κβ'. «Τάδε λέγει Κύριος παντοχράτωρ “ "Ἔτι ἥξουσι λαοὶ πολλοὶ δ᾽, καὶ κατοικοῦντες πόλεις πολλάς. Καὶ σρμνελεύσονται κατοικοῦντες πέντε πόλεις" εἰς μίαν πόλιν, λέγοντες "Πορευθῶμεν πρρενόμενοι δὲ δεηθῆναι πρῦ προσώπρυ Κυρίου παντοκράτορος “δ. Καὶ ἥξονσι λαοὶ πολλοὶ, καὶ ἔθνη. πολλὰ, ἐκζητῆσαι τὸ πρόσωπον Κυρίον παντοκράτορος ἐν ᾿Ιερουσαλὴμ, καὶ ἐξιλάσασθαι τὸ πρόσωπον -Κυρίου. » Οὕτως ἐπίσήημὸς ἔσται καὶ περίόλεπτος ἡ Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ὡς τοὺς τὰς ἄλλας οἰκοῦντας πόλεις παρ᾽ ἀλλήλους δ φοιτῶντας προτρέπειν εἰς εὐαέδειαν «ἀλλήλους, καὶ διεγείρειν" ὥδ:ε τὰ ἐν γεροὶ καταλιπόντας, εἷς ταύτην συνιέναι τὴν πόλιν, κοὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ ζητεῖν τὴν εὐμένειαν " καὶ λέγειν ἕκαστον " Κἀγὼ πορεύσομαι, καὶ σὺν ὑμῖν ἀπελεύσομαι. Καὶ τοῦτο ποιήσουσιν, οὐ “ μόνον 5 οἱ ἐξ Ἱερουσαλὴμ τὸ γένος κατάγοντες, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀλλόφυλα ἔθνη τῆς θείας ἐπικουρίας ἀπολαῦσαι ποθοῦντα. Καὶ ταῦνα γεγένηται μὲν ἀμυδρῶς μετὰ τὴν ἐπὶ τοῦ Ζοροδάδελ γεγενημένην οἰχοδομίαν " μετὰ δὲ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν διὰ σαρκὸς ἐπιφάνειαν, πᾶσαν γῆν καὶ θάλατταν ἔστιν ἰδεῖν εἰς ἐχείνην τὴν πόλιν συντρέχουσαν, καὶ τὰ τῶν σωτηρίων παθημάτων χωρία ποθοῦσαν ἰδεῖν. Τούτοις καὶ ### English translation (Claude) 20–22. "Thus says the Lord Almighty: Many peoples will yet come, the inhabitants of many cities. And the inhabitants of five cities will come together into one city, saying: Let us go, going to entreat before the face of the Lord Almighty. And many peoples and many nations will come to seek the face of the Lord Almighty in Jerusalem and to propitiate the face of the Lord." Jerusalem will be so famous and admired that those who live in the other cities, visiting one another, will urge one another to piety and stir one another up, so as to leave what they have in hand and come together to this city and seek the favor of God; and each will say: I too will go, and I will go away with you. And not only those who trace their descent from Jerusalem will do this, but also foreign nations longing to enjoy divine help. These things happened dimly after the building under Zerubbabel; but after the appearance of our God and Savior in the flesh one can see every land and sea running together to that city and longing to see the places of the saving sufferings. To these too ### Scripture references - Zech 8:20: quotation, high confidence - Zech 8:21: quotation, high confidence - Zech 8:22: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 8:20–22 as Theodoret's text reads it. Theodoret points to the pilgrims of his own day who visit the holy places. Migne's footnotes are removed. The sentence continues in the next section. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.8.20 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-8-20). ## Commentary on Zechariah 8:23 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-8-1/#p-11-8-23 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The ten men clinging to a Jew's hem are the Gentile converts who followed the Jewish apostles, such as Paul's companions; any fulfillment after the return is a type of this. ### Greek text κγ΄. « Τάδε λέγει Κύριος παντοχράτωρ- Ἐν ταῖς “ἡμέραις ἐκείναις ἐπιλήψοντα: ") δέκα ἄνδρες ἐκ πασῶν τῶν γλωσσῶν τῶν ἐθνῶν, καὶ ἐπιλήψονται "' τοῦ κρασπέδου ἀνδρὸς Ἰουδαίου, λέγοντες “ Πορευσόμεθα μετὰ σοῦ, διότι ἀκηκόαμεν ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς μεθ᾽ ὑμῶν ἐστιν δ.» Οὕτως; τοὺς ἱεροὺς ἀποστόλους, ἐξ Ἴουδαίων τὸ γένος κατάγοντας, ἐπόθουν οἱ ἐξ ἐθνῶν τῆς κλήσεως ἀξιωθέντες, πιστεύοντες δι᾽ αὐτῶν ἀπολαύσεσθαι τῆς σωτηρίας, Οὕτω Φιλιππήσιοι τὸν θεσπέσιον Παῦλον ἐπόθουν" οὕτω Θεσσαλονικεῖς, οὕτω Κορίνθιοι, οὕτω πάντα τὰ ἔθνη " οὕτως ὁ μακάριος ᾿Ὀνησιφόρος εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἔδραμεν, ἵνα αὐτῷ τῆς θεραπείας προσενέγκῃ τὸ χρέος" οὕτως ὁ μακάριος Τίτος, οὕτως ὁ Τρόφιμος, μέχρις ἐσχάτων αὐτῷ κινδύνω»" ἀκολουθήσαντες. Εἰ δὲ καὶ Ἰουδαίων ἐπανελθόντων ἐκ Βαδυλῶνος ἐθαύμασάν τινες τῶν ἐθνῶν τὸ τῆς ἐλευθερίας παράδοξον, καὶ τὸν τούτων Θεὸν ἀληθῇ Θεὸν ἐπίστευσαν εἶναι, καί τισι τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἀκολουθήσαντες, μαθεῖν παρ' αὐτῶν ἐπόθησαν τὴν ἀλήθειαν, οὐ λυμαίνεται τοῖς παρ' ἡμῶν εἰρημένοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ προσμαρτνυρεῖ τὴν ἀλήθειαν. Τύπος γὰρ τῶν ἡμετέρων τὰ παλαιά. Ὁμοιότητα δὲ προσήκει τὴν εἰκόνα ἔχειν πρὸς τὸ ἀρχέτυπον. "Ὥστε εἰ ἀληθὴς ουτὴς ὁ λόγος, κατ᾽ Ἰουδαίους, ἀληθὴς κἀκεῖνος " σκιὰ γὰρ ταῦτα ἐκείνων. ᾿Ἀλλ᾽ ἐπὶ τὴν ἀκολουθίαν τῆς ἑρμηνείας ἐπανέλθωμεν. ### English translation (Claude) 23. "Thus says the Lord Almighty: In those days ten men from all the languages of the nations will take hold, and they will take hold of the hem of a Jewish man, saying: We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you." So those of the nations who were counted worthy of the calling longed for the holy apostles, who traced their descent from the Jews, believing that through them they would enjoy salvation. So the Philippians longed for the inspired Paul; so the Thessalonians, so the Corinthians, so all the nations; so the blessed Onesiphorus ran to the city to pay him the debt of service; so the blessed Titus, so Trophimus, who followed him into the utmost dangers. And if, when the Jews returned from Babylon, some of the nations marveled at their unexpected freedom, believed their God to be the true God, followed some of the Jews and longed to learn the truth from them, this does not damage what we have said but rather bears added witness to the truth. For the old things are a type of ours, and the image ought to have a likeness to the archetype; so that if that reading, the Jews' reading, is true, this one is true too; for those things are a shadow of these. But let us return to the sequence of the interpretation. ### Scripture references - Zech 8:23: quotation, high confidence - 2 Tim 1:16: allusion, high confidence - 2 Tim 1:17: allusion, high confidence - 2 Tim 4:20: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 8:23. Onesiphorus: 2 Tim 1:16–17; Trophimus: 2 Tim 4:20; Acts 21:29. The last sentence is compressed in the Greek; it is rendered by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.8.23 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-8-23). ## Commentary on Zechariah 9:1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-8-1/#p-11-9-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The burden on Hadrach, Damascus and Hamath foretells that these once idolatrous cities will offer sacrifice to God, who cares for all peoples. ### Greek text α', β΄. ε Λῆμμα λόγου Κυρίου ἐν γῇ 'Αδρὰχ, καὶ Δαμασχὸς θυσία αὐτοῦ (οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν ᾿Ακύλαν ἦρμῆνευσαν, Καὶ ἐν δ Δαμαοκῷ ἀνάπαυσις αὐτοῦ" τι 8 Κύριος ἐφορᾷ ἀνθρώπους. » « Καὶ πάσας τὰς φυλὰς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ … ἐν τοῖς ὁρίοις αὑτῆς. » Ἢ κατὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἑρμηνευτάς" Καὶ“ ἐν Ἠμὰθ τῇ ὁμορούσῃ αὐτῇ. Προλέγει τοίνυν τι καὶ αὗται αἱ πάλαι δυσσεθοῦσαι πόλεις, ᾿Αδρὰχ, καὶ δαμασχὺς, καὶ Ἠμὰθ, θυσίας προσοίσουσι τῷ Θεῷ, τῆς προτέρας πλάνης ἀπαλλαγεῖσαι 15, Ὃ γὰρ πάντας ἐφορῶν ἀνθρώπους, καὶ.οὐ μόνας τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ τὰς φυλὰς, καὶ τούτων ἐπιμελήσεται. ᾿Αδρὰχ δὲ πόλις ἐστὶ τῆς μένη" Ἢμὰθ δὲ τὴν μεγάλην τὴν ᾿Εμίσαν ὀνομά- ζει ἡ θεία Γραφή. Αὗται μὲν οὖν, τῷ τῆς θεογνωσίας Τύρος δὲ καὶ Σιδὼν, ὅτε ἐφρόνησαν 1; σφόδρα. ### English translation (Claude) 1–2. "The burden of the word of the Lord in the land of Hadrach, and Damascus his sacrifice" (Aquila and his school interpreted: "and in Damascus his resting place"), "for the Lord oversees human beings and all the tribes of Israel, and … in its borders." Or, according to the other translators: "And in Hamath, which borders on it." He foretells, then, that these cities too, which were formerly impious, Hadrach, Damascus and Hamath, will offer sacrifices to God, freed from their former error. For he who oversees all human beings, and not only the tribes of Israel, will care for these too. Hadrach is a city of …; and the divine Scripture names the great Emesa "Hamath". These, then, [will be lit up] by the [light] of the knowledge of God … "Tyre and Sidon, because they were very wise." ### Scripture references - Zech 9:1: quotation, high confidence - Zech 9:2: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 9:1–2. Words of the lemma and of the comment are lost in the scan (…). Migne's Latin column and footnotes are removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.9.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-9-1). ## Commentary on Zechariah 9:3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-8-1/#p-11-9-3 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The judgments on Tyre and the Philistine cities were partly fulfilled under the Maccabees and fully when those peoples turned to God; the king riding on a colt is Christ, whose peaceful rule over the world, under the Roman peace, Theodoret defends against the Jewish application to Zerubbabel. ### Greek text (γ΄ -ε΄.) Καὶ ᾧκοδόμησε Τύρος ὀχύρωμα αὑτῆς, καὶ ἐθησαύρισεν ἀργύριον ὡς χοῦν, καὶ χρυσίον ὡς πηλὸν ὁδῶν. Διὰ τοῦτο Κύριος κληρονομήσει αὐτοὺς, καὶ πατάξει εἰς θάλασσαν τὴν δύναμιν αὑτῆς, καὶ αὕτη καὶ ὀδυνηθήσεται σφόδρα, καὶ … ᾿Ακκάρων, ὅτι κατῃσχύνθη 75 ἐπὶ τῷ παραπτώματι … λων οὐ μὴ κατοικηθήσεται 1". » Ἡ Τύρος, φησὶ, καὶ συμφοραῖς παντοίαις παραδείξει - τὰ δὲ πυρὶ καταναλωθήσεται, τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων ταύτην κατ᾽ αὐτῶν τὴν ψῆφον ἐχφέροντος. Τὸ δὲ, Κύριος κληρονομήσει αὐτοὺς, ταύτην ἔχει τὴν ἑρμηνείαν " Ἐπειδὴ σφᾶς πῃ αὐτοὺς τῆς θείας κηδεμονίας ἀφώρισαν, πεῖραν τῆς αὐτοῦ δυνάμεως λήψονται. Ταῦτα δὲ ἡ ᾿Ασχάλων͵ ὁρῶσα, καὶ ἡ Γάζα, περιδεεῖς ἔσονται, καὶ μετὰ τῆς το- ᾿Ακκάρων ὀλοφυρόμενοι διατελοῦσιν “ ὅτι κατῃτουτέστι ἡ Τύρος, ἐπὶ τῷ παραπτώμαει βασιλείαν, καὶ τὴν ᾿Ασχάλωνα γυμνὴν τῶν οἰκητόρων καὶ ἀλλογενεῖς αὐτὴν τε καὶ τὴν Ἄζωτον Τὸ γὰρ, ᾿Ασκάλων οὗ μὴ κατοικηθῇ, περὶ τῶν τότε ἀνθρώπων λέγει, οὖς σφαγῇ τε καὶ δουλείᾳ παρέδωκε. Διότι "δ ἐπή- ς", ζ΄. «ε Καὶ κατοικήσουσιν ἀλλογενεῖς ἐν ᾿Αζώτῳ, καὶ καθελῶ ὕδριν ἀλλοφύλων, καὶ ἐξαρῶ τὸ αἷμα στόματος αὐτῶν, καὶ τὰ βδελύγματα. αὐτῶν ἐκ μέσου τῶν 15 ὀδόντων αὐτῶν. » Μήτηρ … " διὰ ταύτην γὰρ καὶ τοὺς ἀλλοφύλους ἔφη τῆς τοῦ δὲ Θεοῦ τὴν ἐπίγνωσιν δέχεσθα:. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἐδήλωσεν εὐθὺς ἐπαγαγών " « Καὶ ὑπολειφθήσονται καὶ οὗτοι τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν, καὶ ἔσονται ὡς χιλίαρχοι "᾽ ἐν τῷ "' Ἰούδᾳ, καὶ ὁ") ᾿Ακκάρων ὡς ὁ Ἱεδουσαῖος. ν γὰρ τὰς τῶν εἰδώλων θυσίας, ὧν πρὶν νυν ἐσθ ἐνεπίμπλαντο, ὑπὸ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ κηδεμονίαν ἑαυτοὺς καὶ τῷ Ἰούδᾳ συγκαταλεγόμενοι, δίκην τινῶν καὶ τοῖς οἰκοῦσι τὴν Ἵερουσα- λὴμ ὁμότιμοι γενήσονται. Τούτους γὰρ εδουσαίους ἐκάλεσεν ’ Ἰεθοὺς γὰρ αὕτη πάλαι προσηγορεύετο. πὶ η΄. « Καὶ ὑποστήσομαι τῷ οἴκῳ μου ἀνάστημα, τοῦ μὴ διαπορεύεσθαι, μηδὲ ἀναχάμπτειν, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἐπέλθῃ ἐφ’ ὑμᾶς" οὐκέτι ἐξελαύνων " διότι νῦν ἑώρακα ἐν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς μου, » Περίδλεπτον τὸν ἐμὸν οἶκον ἀποφανῶ, καὶ δυνάμενος τὸν ἐμὸν λαὸν, ὥστε τοὺς ἐπιέναι τολμῶντας αὐτοῖς "πολεμίους μὴ ἀναστρέφειν, μηδὲ τὰ οἰκεῖα καταλαμθάνειν, αὐτοῦ δεχομένου; τὴν τιμωρίαν " τοὺς δὲ ἄλλους τὰ τούτων θεωμένους πάθη, οἴκοι μένειν δεδιότας, καὶ τὰς κατὰ τοῦ λαοῦ προσδολὰς μὴ θαῤῥεῖν ταύτην γὰρ αὑτῶν ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος ἐδοχέμασα τὴν κηδεμονίαν ποιήσασθαι. Ταῦτα μέντοι καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν Μαχχαδαίων τὸ τέλος ἐδέξατο, Ἰούδα, καὶ Ἰωνάθα, καὶ Σίμωνος στρατηγούντων " μετὰ γὰρ τὴν νίκην, τὰς τῶν ἀλλοφύλων κατεδουλώσαντο 5" πόλεις, καὶ Ἰουδαίους ἀντ᾽ ἐχείνων κατῴκισαν, καὶ μέντοι καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν ἐχείνων πολλοὺς παρεσχεύασαν μεταμαθεῖν τὴν εὐσέδειαν,. Ἢ δὲ ἀχριδὴς τῆς προφητείας μετὰ τὴν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐπιφάνειαν ὥφθη " νῦν γὰρ τὴν τῶν εἰδώλων ἀρνησάκαὶ οἱ ἄλλοι ἀλλόφυλοι, τὸ τῆς θεογνωσίας εἰσεδέξαντο φῶς " καὶ οἱδδ ἐξ αὐτῶν ποιμαίνειν αὐτοὺς λαχόντες, οἷόν τινες χιλίαρχοι καὶ στρατηγοὶ διαλάμπουσιν. Οὗ χάριν τὸ πανάγιον Πνεῦμα προθεσπίσαν ἐκεῖνα, καὶ τὸν τούτων τῶν "ὁ ἀγαθῶν αἴτιον δείκνυσι, καὶ βοᾷ διὰ τοῦ προφήτου " Ὁ’. ε Χαῖρε σφόδρα, θύγατερ Σιὼν, κήρυσσε, θύγατερ Ἱερουσαλήμ" ἰδοὺ ὁ βασιλεύς σου ἔρχεταί σοι δίκαιος καὶ σώξων “ οὗτος πρᾶος", καὶ ἐπιδεδηχὼς ἐπὶ "5 ὑποξύγιον, καὶ πῶλον νέον. ν» Ταῦτα δὲ σαφῇ διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων ἔχει τὴν ἑρμηνείαν " ἧκε γὰρ ὁ προφητευόμενος βασιλεὺς, καὶ τῇ οἰκείᾳ δικαιοσύνῃ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν κατέπαυσε, καὶ τῇ πραότητι τοῦ δια- (όλου τὴν ἀλαζονείαν κατέλυσε, καὶ πώλῳ ὄνου χρησάμενος, τοὺς ἐπὶ χρυσῶν καὶ λιθοχολλήτων ὀχημάτῶν φερομένους βασιλέας ἔχει προσκυνητάς. Περὶ τούτου τοῦ πώλου καὶ ὁ μακάριος Ἰαχὼδ ζει, λέγων " « Δεσμεύων πρὸς ἄμπελον τὸν. πῶλον τῆς ὄνου αὑτοῦ. » ὕ. «Καὶ ἐξολοθρεύσει ἅρματα ἐξ 'Ἐφραῖμ, καὶ ἵππον ἐξ Ἱερουσαλήμ " καὶ ἐξολοθρευθήσεται τόξον πολεμικὸν, καὶ πλῆθος καὶ εἰρήνη 5 ἐξ ἐθνῶν. » “Ταύτῃ, φησὶ, κεχρημένος τῇ μετριότητι, τῶν "' ὅλων Παμδασιλεὺς ἐξωλόθρευσεν ἄρματα ἐξ ᾿Εφραῖμ, καὶ ἵππον ἐξ Ἱερουσαλὴμ, τὴν θρασύτητα αὐτῶν καὶ τὴν μανιχὴν καταλύσας βασιλείαν " ἐξωλόθρευσε δὲ καὶὺ τόξον πολεμικὸν, καὶ πλῆθος διὰ τῆς Ῥωμαίων εἰρένης βραθεύσας τοῖς ἔθνεσι, καὶ εὐκολίαν τοῖς τῆς ἀληθείας χἤρυξι χαρισάμενος. Μιᾶς γὰρ γενομένης τῆς βασιλείας, ἐπαύσαντο μὲν αἱ κατ᾿ ἀλλήλων τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐπαναστάσεις, εἰρήνη δὲ κατὰ πᾶσαν τὴν οἶκουμένην ἐπολιτεύετο, ἀδεῶς δὲ διέτρεχον οἱ τὸ τῆς εὖσεδείας κήρυγμα πιστευθέντες ἀπόστολοι, καὶ τὴν εἰς ζωήν. Καὶ τὸ πάντων παραδοξότατον, ὅτι ποῦ κλῖναι τὴν κεφαλὴν οὐκ ἔχων ὁ τῷ πώλῳ χρησάμενος, πάσης γῆς καὶ θαλάσσης ἐθελήσας ἐκράτησε. Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ προφητικὸς προεθέσπιας λόγος" «ε Καὶ χα- τάρξει ὑδάτων "᾽ ἀπὸ θαλάσσης " ἕως θαλάσσης, καὶ" ἀπὸ ποταμῶν ἕω; τῶν διεχθολῶν γῆς". » ᾿Εγὼ ὃς τῶν Ἰουδαίων τὴν ἐμδροντησίαν θαυμάζω, εἰς τὸν “ολμώντων. “Ὅτι γὰρ ὁ Ζοροβάθελ οὐδὲ πάσης τῆς Παλαιστίνης ἐκράτησεν, ἀλλὰ μόνης τῆς Ἰουδαίας, καὶ αὐτοὶ συνομολογήσαιεν " ὁ δὲ προφήτης τὸν ἐπὶ ποῦ πώλου ὀχούμενον πάσης προεῖπεν ἄρξειν τῆς οἰκουμένης. Ἄλλως τε καὶ τὸν μὲν Κύριον πώλῳ χρησάμενον ἔγνωμεν, τὸν δὲ Ζοροδάδελ τοῦτο πεποιηκότα οὐδεὶς ἔφη μέχρι καὶ τήμερον τῶν τὰ θεῖα συγγεγραφότων. Εἰ τοίνυν ἐχρήσατο μὲν ὁ Δεσπότης Χριστὸς τῷ πώλῳ κατὰ τὴν προφητείαν, ἐχράτηε δὲ τῆς οἰκουμένης, καὶ Θεὸς ἀληθινὸς εἶναι πιστεύεται καὶ κηρύττεται, κατέλυσε δὲ τοῦ ἙἘφραῖμ καὶ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ τὴν βασιλείαν " περὶ αὐτοῦ ταῦτα προεθέσπισεν ὁ προφήτης, καὶ ἔλαδε σαφῶς ἣ προφητεία πὸ τέλος. Συμθαίνει δὲ τούτοις καὶ τὰ ἐπαγόμενα. ### English translation (Claude) 3–5. "And Tyre built her stronghold, and heaped up silver like dust and gold like the mud of the streets. Therefore the Lord will inherit them and strike her power into the sea, and she [will be consumed with fire. Ashkelon will see and fear, and Gaza] will be in great pain, and Ekron, for she has been put to shame at her transgression; … Ashkelon will not be inhabited." Tyre, he says, will [be delivered] to calamities of every kind, and those things will be consumed by fire, since the God of all pronounces this sentence against them. And "The Lord will inherit them" has this interpretation: since they separated themselves from the divine care, they will have experience of his power. Ashkelon, seeing these things, and Gaza, will be terrified, and with … Ekron they continue lamenting, because … that is, Tyre, at her transgression … the kingdom, and Ashkelon bare of its inhabitants, and foreigners [will inhabit] both it and Ashdod. For "Ashkelon will not be inhabited" he says of the people of that time, whom he handed over to slaughter and slavery. For he went on: (6–7) "And foreigners will dwell in Ashdod, and I will bring down the insolence of the foreigners, and I will take their blood out of their mouth and their abominations out from between their teeth." Mother … for because of her he said that the foreigners too would receive the knowledge of God. For he showed this by at once adding: "And these too will be left to our God, and they will be like chiliarchs in Judah, and Ekron like the Jebusite." For [abandoning] the sacrifices to idols, with which they formerly … filled themselves, [they will place] themselves under God's care and, being counted together with Judah, will become like some … equal in honor with those who live in Jerusalem. For he called these Jebusites, since Jerusalem was called Jebus of old. (8) "And I will set up a rampart for my house, so that none may pass through or return, and none will come upon you any more to drive you out; for now I have seen with my eyes." I will make my house admired, he says, and [strengthen] my people, so that the enemies who dare to attack them will not return or reach their own homes, but will receive punishment; and the others, seeing what these suffer, will stay at home in fear and will not dare to make attacks against the people; for I have decided to exercise this care for them at present. These things received their end under the Maccabees, when Judas, Jonathan and Simon were generals; for after their victory they subjugated the cities of the foreigners, settled Jews in them in their place, and brought many even of the foreigners themselves to learn piety. But the exact [fulfillment] of the prophecy was seen after the appearance of our Savior; for now, having renounced the [error] of the idols, [the people of Ashdod and Ekron] and the other foreigners have received the light of the knowledge of God; and those of them who have been allotted to shepherd them shine like chiliarchs and generals. For this reason the all-holy Spirit, having foretold those things, shows also the cause of these good things, and cries through the prophet: (9) "Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion; proclaim, daughter of Jerusalem; behold, your king comes to you, righteous and saving; he is meek, and mounted on a beast of burden and a young colt." These words have a plain interpretation through the events; for the foretold king came, put an end to sin by his own righteousness, overthrew the devil's arrogance by his meekness, and, having used the colt of a donkey, has as his worshipers kings who are carried in golden and jewel-studded carriages. About this colt the blessed Jacob too prophesies, saying: "Binding his colt to the vine, the colt of his donkey." (10) "And he will destroy chariots from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem, and the bow of war will be destroyed, and multitude and peace from the nations." Using this moderation, he says, the King of all destroyed chariots from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem, overthrowing their boldness and their mad kingdom; and he also destroyed the bow of war and the multitude, arbitrating peace for the nations through the Romans and granting ease to the heralds of the truth. For when there came to be one kingdom, the risings of the nations against one another ceased, peace prevailed throughout the world, and the apostles entrusted with the preaching of piety ran through it fearlessly, and [preached] the [way] to life. And most wonderful of all, the one who used the colt, who had nowhere to lay his head, ruled over every land and sea by willing it. This too the prophetic word foretold: "And he will rule over waters from sea to sea, and from rivers to the ends of the earth." I marvel at the stupidity of the Jews, who dare [to apply this] to … For they would themselves agree that Zerubbabel did not rule even over all Palestine, but only over Judea; whereas the prophet foretold that the one riding on the colt would rule over the whole world. Besides, we know that the Lord used a colt, but none of those who have written the divine histories has said, even to this day, that Zerubbabel did this. If, then, Christ the Master used the colt according to the prophecy, ruled over the world, is believed and proclaimed to be true God, and overthrew the kingdom of Ephraim and of Israel, the prophet foretold these things about him, and the prophecy has clearly received its end. And what follows agrees with these things. ### Scripture references - Zech 9:3: quotation, high confidence - Zech 9:4: quotation, high confidence - Zech 9:5: quotation, high confidence - Zech 9:6: quotation, high confidence - Zech 9:7: quotation, high confidence - Zech 9:8: quotation, high confidence - Zech 9:9: quotation, high confidence - Zech 9:10: quotation, high confidence - Gen 49:11: quotation, high confidence - Matt 8:20: allusion, high confidence - Matt 21:5: allusion, medium confidence - John 12:14: allusion, medium confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - 1 Macc (1 Maccabees): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 9:3–5; Theodoret goes on to 9:6–10. Many words are lost in the scan in the lemma of 9:4–5 and in the comment on it (…, or supplied in brackets from the LXX or by sense). Quotations: Gen 49:11; Matt 8:20 (nowhere to lay his head); John 12:14–15. Theodoret's polemic against the Jewish interpretation is translated as written. Migne's Latin column and footnotes are removed by logged corrections. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.9.3 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-9-3). ## Commentary on Zechariah 9:11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-8-1/#p-11-9-11 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Christ by the blood of the new covenant freed humanity from the waterless pit of death and idolatry. ### Greek text ια΄, «ε Καὶ σὺ ἐν αἵματι διαθήκης σου "" ἑξαπέστε:λας δεσμίους ἐκ λάκκου οὐκ ἔχοντος ὕδωρ. » Οὺς γὰρ, φησὶ, τῷ τιμίῳ σου αἴματι 57 ἐξηγόρασάς τε καὶ ἡλευθέρωσας, τούτους μετὰ τῶν σωτηρίων δου συνθηκχῶν ἐξαπέστειλας, ὥστε πᾶσι κηρύξαι τὴν ἔλευθερίαν, ἀπαλλάξας αὐτοὺς τοῦ λάκκου, τοῦ μὴ ἔχοντος ὕδωρ. Τοῦτον δὲ τὸν λάκκον, εἴτε τὸν αἰώνιον θάνατον, εἴτε τῶν εἰδώλων τὴν πλάνην βούλεταί τις νοεῖν, τῷς ἀληθείας οὐκ ἁμαρτήσεται. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ διὰ Ἵερεμίου φησὶν ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεός’ ε Δύο καὶ πονηρὰ ἐποίησεν ὁ λαός μου’ ἐμὲ ἐγκατέλιπον 98 πηγὴν ὕδατος ζῶντος, καὶ ὥρυξαν ἑαυτοῖς λάκκους συντετριμμένους, οἵ οὐ δυνήσονται συσχεῖν ὕδωρ. » Οὕτω δὲ τὴν ἐπίπονον καὶ ἀνόνητον τῶν εἰδώλων προσηγόρευσε λατρείαν. Ταλαιπωρούμενοι γὰρ τῇ περὶ ταῦτα "" θεραπείᾳ, οὐδὲν μὲν ἐκ τούτων ἐδρέποντο κέρδος, τὴν ἀληθῆ δὲ προσεζημιοῦντο ζωήν. Ἐν τούτῳ τῷ λάκκῳ δεσμώτας ὄντας τοὺς ἀνθρώπους λύσας, καὶ ἀνασπάσας ὁ Δεσπότης Χριστὸς, καὶ τῷ τιμίῳ αἵματι τὴν ἐλευθερίαν αὐτοῖς δωρησάμονος, εἰς τὴν τῆς ζωῆς ὁδὸν ἐξαπέστειλε, τὴν καινὴν αὐτοῖς δεδωκὼς διαθήκην. Πρὸς τούτους πάλιν φησί" ### English translation (Claude) 11. "And you, by the blood of your covenant, have sent out prisoners from a pit that has no water." Those whom you bought and set free by your precious blood, he says, you sent out with your saving covenants to proclaim freedom to all, having released them from the pit that has no water. Whether one wishes to understand this pit as eternal death or as the error of idols, he will not miss the truth. For so too the God of all says through Jeremiah: "My people have done two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and dug for themselves broken cisterns, which cannot hold water." So he named the laborious and useless worship of idols; for, toiling at their service, they reaped no gain from them and lost the true life besides. Having loosed and drawn up the human beings who were prisoners in this pit, and granted them freedom by his precious blood, Christ the Master sent them out on the way of life, having given them the new covenant. To these he says again: ### Scripture references - Zech 9:11: quotation, high confidence - Jer 2:13: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 9:11. Quotation: Jer 2:13. Migne's Latin column is removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.9.11 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-9-11). ## Commentary on Zechariah 9:12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-8-1/#p-11-9-12 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Judah and Ephraim, God's bow and sword against the Greeks, are the apostles armed with spiritual weapons against the philosophers, prefigured by the Maccabean victories over the Macedonians. ### Greek text ιβ΄, « Καθήσεσθε ἐν ὀχυρώματι δέσμιοι τῆς συναγωγῆς, καὶ ἀντὶ μιᾶς ἡμέρας παροικίας ' σου διπλᾶ ἀνταποδώσω σοι ὅ. »᾿Αντὶ γὰρ ἐχείνων τῶν χαλεπῶν Ὁ δεσμῶν, ἕτερά σοι ἥδιστα τῆς ἐμῆς ἀγάπης περιπέθειχκα δεσμὰ, προσεδρεύειν μοι παραινέσας, καὶ ποὺς ἐμοὺς ἐχπαιδεύεσθαι νόμους, καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς ὀχυρᾶς κηδεμονίας φρουρεῖσθαι, καὶ ἀντὶ τῆς προτέρας αἰχμαλωσίας, ἐλευθερίας ὁμοῦ καὶ ζωῆς ἀπολαύειν. Περὶ γὰρ τούτων, ἔφη, τῶν πραγμάτων διπλᾶ ἀνταυγ΄. «Διότι ἐνέτεινά σς ἐμαυτῷ, Ἰούδα, ὡς " τόξον, Ἰὰ "τ... ἔπλησα τὸ» Ἐχρραῖμ, χοῖ ἐξέγερῶ τὰ τέχνα σου, Σιὼν, ἀπὲ τὰ ἐέχνα τῶν ᾿Ἑλλήνωνν καὶ ψηλαφήσω; σε ὡς ῥομφαίαν μαχητοῦ. » ᾿λούδαν καὶ ᾿Εφραῖμ «τοὺς ἐκ τούτων χατάγοντας. τὸ. γένας καλεξ, οὺς ἐπὶ τὰ τέχνα τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἑἐσυράτευσεν, ὅπλα αὐτοῖς δεδωκὼς, οὗ σαρκικὰ, ἀλλὰ ϑυνατὰ τῷ Θεῷ πρὸς καθαίρεσιν ὀχυρωμάτων, ὥττε αὐτοὺς ἀνθρωπίνους " λογισμοὺς καθελεῖν,. καὶ πᾶν ὕψωμα ἐπαιρόμενον κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως. τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὺ αἰχμαχωτεῦσαι πᾶν νόημα εἰς τὴν ὑπακοὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Τούτους ἔφη, ὡς τόξον ἐντεῖναι, καὶ ὡς ῥομφαίαν μαχητοῦ φῆσαι. Διὰ τούτων τὴν τῶν φιλοσόφων μεταιοτεχνίαν κατέλυσε " διὰ τούτων τὴν οἰχσυμένην ἐδίδαξε τὴν εὐσέδειαν. Περὶ τούτων ὁ προφητικὸς οὔνω φησὶ λόγος" « Τὰ βόλη σου ἠκονημένα, δυνατὲ, ἕν καρδίᾳ " τῶν ἔχθρῶν τοῦ βασιλέως. » ᾿Αλλὰ γὰρ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν Μακεδόνων, ὡς ἐν τύπῳ, πέρας ἔσχεν ἡ προφητείᾳ. Ὁρμήσαντα γὰρ τῆς Σιὼν τὰ τέχνα ἐπὶ τὰ τῶν 'Εχλήνων, ἐτρέψαντό τε τὰς πολλὰς τῶν Μακεδόνων μυριάδας, καὶ τρόκαιον ἀγείραντος ἐπανῆλθον νικηφόροι, καὶ τὸ χαταλυθὲν θυσιαστήριον ἤγειραν. Ταῦτα δὰ εἰργάδαντο, τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων ὑπερμαχήσαντος, καὶ τὴν ἄμαχον παρασχόντος ὀπιχουρίαν, Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ὁ προφήτης φησί. ### English translation (Claude) 12. "You will sit in a stronghold, prisoners of the congregation, and for one day of your sojourning I will repay you double." For instead of those harsh bonds I have put on you other, most sweet bonds of my love, exhorting you to attend on me, to be educated in my laws, to be guarded by my strong care, and, instead of your former captivity, to enjoy freedom and life together. For these things, he said, [I will] repay double. (13) "For I have bent you for myself, Judah, as a bow; I have filled Ephraim, and I will rouse your children, Zion, against the children of the Greeks, and I will wield you as the sword of a warrior." He calls Judah and Ephraim those who trace their descent from them, whom he led on campaign against the children of the Greeks, having given them weapons not fleshly but powerful through God for the destruction of strongholds, so that they might destroy human reasonings and every height lifted up against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. These he said he bent like a bow and wielded like a warrior's sword. Through these he overthrew the vain art of the philosophers; through these he taught the world piety. About these the prophetic word says: "Your arrows are sharpened, O Mighty One, in the heart of the king's enemies." But under the Macedonians too, as in a type, the prophecy had its end. For the children of Zion, rushing against those of the Greeks, routed the many myriads of the Macedonians, set up a trophy, returned victorious, and raised up the altar that had been destroyed. They accomplished these things because the God of all fought for them and provided invincible help. For this is what the prophet too says. ### Scripture references - Zech 9:12: quotation, high confidence - Zech 9:13: quotation, high confidence - 2 Cor 10:4: quotation, high confidence - 2 Cor 10:5: quotation, high confidence - Ps 45:5 (44:6 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - 1 Macc 4:36-59 (1 Maccabees): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 9:12; Theodoret goes on to 9:13. Quotations: 2 Cor 10:4–5; Ps 45:5 (LXX 44:6). The Maccabean victory and the rebuilt altar: 1 Macc 4:36–59. Migne's footnotes are removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.9.12 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-9-12). ## Commentary on Zechariah 9:14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-8-1/#p-11-9-14 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God fights for his people with storm and hail, and their victory is pictured as drinking their enemies' blood, which Theodoret explains as a figure of joy, not literal drinking. ### Greek text ιδ΄. « Καὶ Κύριος ἐπ᾽ αὐτοὺς ὀφθήσεται 7, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ὁ παντοχράτωρ ἐν σάλπιγγι σαλπιεῖ, καὶ πορεύσεται " ἐν σάλῳ ἀπειλῆς αὑτοῦ. ν ᾿Επαμῦναι … καὶ ἀστραπαῖς ἐχδειματώσει, καὶ οἷόν τισι σφενδόναις τοῖς νέφεσι χρώμενος, τοῖς τῆς χαλάζης λίθοις χαταται, φησὶ, τὸ αἷμα αὐτῶν, ὡς ὕδωρ 1". » ᾿Αντὶ τοῦ, ἡδονὴν ἀπὸ τῆς νίκης πλείστην ὅσην χαρπώσονται. Θὺ γὰρ αἵματος ἀνθρωπείου πόσιν λέγει " πῶς γὰρ, ὅς γε καὶ τῶν κτηνῶν τὸ αἷμα, καὶ τοῖς πρὸ νόμον, καὶ τοῖς ἐν νόμῳ, ἐσθίειν ἀπαγορϑύει;; ε« Καὶ πλήδουσιν ὡς φιάλας θυσιαστήριον 5" » ἀντὶ τοῦ, τῶν ἀπὰ “«ἣς λείας θυμάτων. ### English translation (Claude) 14. "And the Lord will appear over them, and God Almighty will sound the trumpet, and will go in the tossing of his threat." To defend [them] … he will terrify [the enemies] with [thunder] and lightnings, and, using the clouds as slings, [will strike them] with hailstones. (15) "… [and they will drink]," he says, "their blood like water." That is, they will reap very great pleasure from the victory. For he does not mean the drinking of human blood; how could he, when he forbade eating even the blood of cattle both to those before the law and to those under the law? "And they will fill the altar like bowls," that is, with the sacrifices from the spoils. ### Scripture references - Zech 9:14: quotation, high confidence - Zech 9:15: quotation, high confidence - Gen 9:4: allusion, high confidence - Lev 17:10: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 9:14; Theodoret goes on to 9:15. Words of the comment and of 9:15 are lost in the scan (…, or supplied by sense in brackets). The prohibition of blood: Gen 9:4; Lev 17:10–14. Migne's Latin column is removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.9.14 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-9-14). ## Commentary on Zechariah 9:16 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-8-1/#p-11-9-16 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: For the sake of the holy ones God will save his flock and give it grain and wine. ### Greek text ις΄. « Καὶ σώσει αὐτοὺς Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς αὐτῶν ἐν τῇ ἡμέοχ ἐκείνῃ, ὡς πρόθατα λαὸν αὑτοῦ " διότι λίθου ἅγιοι χυλίονται ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς αὐτοῦ. » Τῶν γὰρ ἁγίων εἴνεγα καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους περισώσει ὁ θεὸς, καὶ οἵα δὴ πρόθατα οἰκεῖα τῶν ἐπιόντων ἐλευθερώσει θηρίων. ἐξ, «Ε΄ τι γὰρ ἀγαθὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἴ τι καλὸν παρ᾽ "5 αὐτοῦ, σἴτος νεανίσχοις, καὶ οἶνος εὐωδιάζων εἰς παρθένους. » ### English translation (Claude) 16. "And the Lord their God will save them on that day, his people as sheep; for holy stones roll upon his land." For the sake of the holy ones God will save the others too, and will free them, as his own sheep, from the beasts that attack. (17) "For if there is anything good of his, and anything beautiful from him: grain for young men, and fragrant wine for virgins." ### Scripture references - Zech 9:16: quotation, high confidence - Zech 9:17: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 9:16; Theodoret goes on to 9:17, whose comment follows in the next section. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.9.16 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-9-16). ## Commentary on Zechariah 10:1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-8-1/#p-11-10-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God, who gives grain and wine, rain and lightning, is to be asked for the seasonal rains. ### Greek text α'. « Λἰτεῖσθε παρὰ Κυρίου ὑετὸν καθ᾽ ὥραν πρῳῖμον καὶ ὄψιμον" Κύριος ἐποίησε φαντασίας, καὶ ὑετὸν χειμέριον " δώσει αὐτοῖς, ἐκάστῳ βοτάνην ἐν ἀγρῷ. » Αὐτὸς, φησὶ, καὶ σῖτον καὶ οἶνον χορηγεῖ, ὥστε καὶ νεανίσκους τῷ σίτῳ στηρίζεσθαι, καὶ τὰς παρθένους τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ οἴνου εὐφροσύνην καρποῦσθαι. Ἐπὶ τῆς εὐφροσύνης γὰρ τὸν οἶνον κἀνταῦθα τέθεικε. Ταῦτα τοίνυν εἰδότες, καὶ τὸν πρώϊμον, καὶ πὸν ὄψιμον ὑετὸν εἰς καιρὸν αἰτεῖτε τὸν δοῦναι δυνάμενον. Αὐτὸς γὰρ καὶ ὑετοῦ 15 χορηγὸς, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων δημιουργὸς, ἃ εἰς φόδον εἴωθε γίνεσθαι τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀστραπὰς γὰρ εἰς ὑετὸν ἐποίησε. Τὰ τοιαῦτα φαντασίαν ἐκάλεσεν, ὡς ἐκπλήττοντα 5 τοὺς ἀνθρώπους " διὰ τούτων δὲ καὶ ἀπὸ “7 γῆς γεννῶνται καρποί. Ὁ 5 μὲν οὖν ἀληθὴς Θεὸς τὰ τοιαῦτα καὶ ἐργάζεται καὶ χαρίζεται. ### English translation (Claude) 1. "Ask from the Lord rain in season, early and late; the Lord has made appearances, and he will give them winter rain, to each grass in the field." He himself, he says, supplies grain and wine, so that the young men are strengthened by the grain and the virgins reap the gladness that comes from wine; for here too he has put wine for gladness. Knowing these things, then, ask the one who is able to give for the early and the late rain in its season. For he is both the giver of rain and the maker of the other things that usually happen to frighten human beings; for he made lightnings for the rain. Such things he called "appearances", since they astonish human beings; and through them the fruits are born from the earth. The true God, then, both works and grants such things. ### Scripture references - Zech 10:1: quotation, high confidence - Zech 9:17: allusion, high confidence - Ps 135:7 (134:7 LXX): quotation, medium confidence - Jer 10:13: quotation, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 10:1. The comment begins with the end of the comment on 9:17 (grain and wine), displaced in the scan after the lemma. "He made lightnings for the rain": Ps 135:7 (LXX 134:7); Jer 10:13. Migne's Latin column and footnotes are removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.10.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-10-1). ## Commentary on Zechariah 10:2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-8-1/#p-11-10-2 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The diviners and dream-interpreters are exposed as false and punished. ### Greek text β΄. «Οἱ δὲ "" ἀποφθεγγόμενοι ἐλάλησαν κόπους, καὶ οἱ μάντεις ὁράσεις ψευδεῖς καὶ τὰ ἐνύπνια " Β ψευδῆ ἐλάλουν 3} μάταια παρεκάλουν " διὰ τοῦτο ἐξηράνθησαν ὡς ᾽" πρόδατα, καὶ ἐκαχώθησαν, ὅτι οὐκ ἦν ἴασις. » Πάντα τοῦ διαδόλου τὸν γορὸν εἰς μέσον παραγαγὼν, τοὺς μάντεις, τοὺς ἀστερομάντεῖς, τοὺς ὀνειροπόλους, καὶ τὸ ψεῦδος αὐτῶν διήλεγξε, καὶ τὴν τιμωρίαν ὑπέδειξεν. ### English translation (Claude) 2. "For those who utter oracles have spoken troubles, and the diviners false visions; and they spoke false dreams, they gave empty comfort; therefore they withered like sheep and were afflicted, because there was no healing." Bringing the devil's whole company into the open, the diviners, the astrologers and the interpreters of dreams, he exposed their falsehood and showed their punishment. ### Scripture references - Zech 10:2: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 10:2. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.10.2 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-10-2). ## Commentary on Zechariah 10:3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-8-1/#p-11-10-3 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God punished the bad shepherds and will make the restored flock of Judah a war horse that tramples its enemies with no help but his. ### Greek text γ΄. «Εἰς "} τοὺς ποιμένας παρωξύνθη ὁ θυμός μου, καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀμνούς μου Ἶ" ἐπισκέψομαι. » Τοὺς μὲν γὰρ κακῶς ἄρξαντας αἰχμαλωσίᾳ παρέδωκα, τοὺς δὲ ἀρχομένους ἐκεῖθεν ἐπανήγαγον, καὶ τῆς ἐμῆς ἀξιῶ κηδεμονίας. ε« Καὶ ἐπισκέψεται Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ὁ παντοχράτωρ τὸ ποίμνιον αὑτοῦ, τὸν οἶκον Ἰούδα" καὶ τάξει αὐτοὺς ὡς ἵππον " εὐπρετῇ αὑτοῦ ἐν πολέμῳ. » Καὶ ἀποδείξω αὐτοὺς, φησὶν, ἐν τῷ τοῦ πολέμου καιρῷ, οἷόν τινα ἵππον ἐπὶ κάλλει καὶ ( δυνάμει γαυριῶντα, καὶ ἀδεῶς ἐπὶ τὰ πρόσωπα χωροῦντα, καὶ οὐ δεηθήσεται βοηθείας ἑτέρας. ᾿ δ᾽, ε΄. « Ἐξ αὐτοῦ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐπέδλεψε, καὶ ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἔταξε, καὶ ἐξ αὐτοῦ τὸ "5 τόξον αὐτοῦ ἐν πνεύματι θυμοῦ "7, ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἐξελεύσεται πᾶς ἐξελαύνων " ἐν αὐτῷ ". Καὶ ἔσοντα: ὡς μαχηταὶ πατοῦντες πηλὸν ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς ἐν πολέμῳ, καὶ παρατάξονται, ὅτι 35, Κύριος μετ᾽ αὐτῶν, καὶ καταισχυνθήσονται ἵππων. » Οὔτε ὅπλοις, φησὶν, ἀλλοτρίοις χρήσονται, οὔτε ξενιχὰ 3' μισθώσονται " ἀλλ᾽ ἐξ αὐτῶν ὁ στραἀριπτεύοντες, καὶ δίκην πηλοῦ συμπατήσουσι τῶν πολεμίων τὴν φάλαγγα. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐκχεῖνο; 5 τοῖς ποσὶν ἐπιβαίνουσιν εἴχει, οὕτω κἀκεῖνοι τραπήσονται, καὶ φεύγοντες χαταχοντισθήσονται, ἐπειδὴ τῶν ὅλων ὁ Κύριος ταύτης ἡγεῖται τῆς στρατηγίας. ### English translation (Claude) 3. "Against the shepherds my anger was provoked, and I will visit upon the lambs." For I handed over to captivity those who ruled badly, but brought back from there those who were ruled, and I count them worthy of my care. "And the Lord God Almighty will visit his flock, the house of Judah, and will set them as his comely horse in war." And I will show them, he says, in the time of war, to be like a horse exulting in its beauty and strength and advancing fearlessly against the front; and they will need no other help. (4–5) "For from him," he says, "he looked, and from him he set in order, and from him is his bow in the spirit of wrath; from him will come forth everyone who drives out, together. And they will be like warriors trampling mud in the streets in war, and they will draw up for battle, for the Lord is with them, and the riders of horses will be put to shame." They will neither use foreign weapons, he says, nor hire foreign [troops]; but from themselves [will come] the [general, and they], excelling, will trample the enemies' battle line like mud. For as mud yields to the feet that tread on it, so those too will be routed and shot down as they flee, since the Lord of all leads this campaign. ### Scripture references - Zech 10:3: quotation, high confidence - Zech 10:4: quotation, high confidence - Zech 10:5: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 10:3; Theodoret goes on to 10:4–5. Words are lost in the scan (supplied by sense in brackets). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.10.3 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-10-3). ## Commentary on Zechariah 10:6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-8-1/#p-11-10-6 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God will restore Judah and Joseph so fully that they will forget the captivity, and their children will rejoice in him. ### Greek text ς΄. « Καὶ χατισχύσω τὸν οἶκον Ἰούδα, καὶ τὸν οἶκον Ἰωσὴφ σώσω, καὶ χατοιχιῶ αὐτούς. ν Οὕτω δὲ πάντας, φησὶν, αὐτῶν τοὺς ἐχθροὺς παραδοὺς τῷ θανάτῳ, οἰκῆσαι αὐτοὺς ἐν εἰρήνῃ τὴν γῆν τὴν παπρῴαν παρασκευάσω. Καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν δεικνὺς, ἐπή- ηγαγεν" « Ὅτι ἢγάπῃσα αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἔτονται ὃν τρό- Α πον οὐκ ἀπεστρεψάμην αὑτούς. ν» Τοῦτο σαφέστερον ὁ Σύμμαχος ἡρμήνευσε " « Καὶ ἔσοντα! ὡς ἂν εἰ μὴ ἀπωσάμην αὐτούς. » Οὕτω γὰρ αὐτοὺς, φησὶν, ἀνθῇσαι παρασχευάσω, ὥστε μηδὲ αἴσθησιν ἔχειν τῆς γεγενημένης αἰχμαλωσία;:, τὴν προτέραν ὁρῶντας εὐπραξίαν. « Διότι ἐγὼ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐπακούσομαι αὐτῶν 3. (ζ΄) Καὶ ἔσονται ὡς μαχηταὶ οἱ 8 τοῦ Ἐφραῖμ, καὶ χαρήσεται ἡ καρδία αὐτῶν ὡς ἀπὸ οἴνου 85, καὶ τὰ τέχνα αὐτῶν ὄψονται καὶ εὐφρανθήσονται, καὶ χαρήσεται ἡ καρδία αὑτῶν ἐπὶ τῷ Κυρίῳ. ν Κύριο; γὰρ αὐτῶν, φησὶν, ὧν καὶ Θεὸς, καὶ τὰς δεήσεις δέξομα', καὶ παραπχευάσω. Καὶ τὰ τέχνα ὃ αὐτῶν ὁμοίως αὐτοῖς ἐν ἡδονῇ πάσῃ διάξει, ἐπ᾽ ἐμοὶ σεμνυνόμενα, καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ δυνάμει μου γαυριῶντα. ### English translation (Claude) 6. "And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will settle them." So, having handed all their enemies over to death, he says, I will prepare them to inhabit their ancestral land in peace. And showing the cause, he added: "For I loved them, and they will be as when I had not turned away from them." Symmachus interpreted this more clearly: "And they will be as if I had not rejected them." For I will make them flourish so, he says, that, seeing their former prosperity, they will not even feel the captivity that took place. "For I am the Lord their God, and I will hear them. (7) And those of Ephraim will be like warriors, and their heart will rejoice as from wine; and their children will see and be glad, and their heart will rejoice in the Lord." For being their Lord, he says, and their God, I will both receive their prayers and prepare … And their children likewise will live with them in all delight, priding themselves on me and exulting in my power. ### Scripture references - Zech 10:6: quotation, high confidence - Zech 10:7: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 10:6; Theodoret goes on to 10:7. Migne's footnotes are removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.10.6 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-10-6). ## Commentary on Zechariah 10:8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-8-1/#p-11-10-8 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God will gather his people and make them so numerous that they spread to other cities and bring salvation to others. ### Greek text η΄. « Σημανῶ αὐτοῖς “7, καὶ εἰσδέξομαι αὐτοὺς, ἦσαν πολλοί, » Καὶ εἰς πλῆθος δὲ, φησὶν, αὐξηθσονται, τῆς πολυγονίας τὴν εὐλογίαν δεξάμενοι, ὥστε μὴ ἀρκουμένους ταῖς οἰκείαις πόλεσι, καὶ εἰς ἑτέρας ἀποιχισθῆναι πόλεις, καὶ γενέσθαι καὶ ἄλλοις δι’ αὐτῶν πρόφασιν φυτηρίας, Τοῦτο γὰρ ἐσήμανεν, εἰρηκώς " ### English translation (Claude) 8. "I will signal to them and receive them, [and they will be as many as] they were." And they will increase to a multitude, he says, receiving the blessing of many offspring, so that, not content with their own cities, they will be settled in other cities too, and through them others will find an occasion of salvation. For this is what he signified by saying: ### Scripture references - Zech 10:8: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 10:8; words of the lemma are lost in the scan (supplied in brackets from the LXX). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.10.8 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-10-8). ## Commentary on Zechariah 10:9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-8-1/#p-11-10-9 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God will scatter and then gather his people from Egypt and Assyria into Gilead and Lebanon. ### Greek text θ΄. « Καὶ σπερῶ αὐτοὺς ἐν λαοῖς, καὶ οἱ μακρὰν μνησθήσονταί μου, καὶ " ἐχθρέψουσι τὰ τέχνα αὖὗτῶν. ν Ὁρῶντες γὰρ, φησὶν, αὐτῶν τὴν εὐσέδειαν «ε … ε Καὶ ἐπιστρέψω αὐτοὺς ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου, καὶ ἐξ ᾿Ατουρίων εἰσδέξομαι αὐτοὺς, καὶ εἰς τὴν Γαλααδῖτιν, καὶ εἰς τὸν Αἰόανον εἰσάξω αὐτοὺς, καὶ οὐ μὴ ὑπολειφθῇ ἐξ αὐτῶν οὐδείς "". » Ἐπανάξω) δὲ αὖτοὺ;, φησὶ, καὶ ἐξ Αἰγύπτου, καὶ ἐξ ᾿Ασσυρίων, καὶ πῆν τε πατρῴαν Γαλααδῖτιν ἐξ αὐτῶν ἐμπλήσω, καὶ μέχρις αὐτοῦ τοῦ Λιδάνου τὴν οἴκησιν αὐτοῖς δωρήσομαι, καὶ οὐδὲν αὐτοῖς ἐμποδὼν γενήσεται, ἐπειδὴ πάντας τοὺς πολεμεῖν αὐτοῖς πειρῶ μένους ὀλέθρῳ παραδώσω. Τοῦτο γὰρ παραδηλοῖ τὸ, ### English translation (Claude) 9. "And I will sow them among the peoples, and those far off will remember me, and they will rear their children." For seeing their piety, he says, … (10) "And I will bring them back from the land of Egypt, and from the Assyrians I will receive them, and I will bring them into Gilead and into Lebanon, and not one of them will be left behind." I will bring them back, he says, both from Egypt and from the Assyrians; I will fill their ancestral Gilead with them and grant them a dwelling as far as Lebanon itself; and nothing will stand in their way, since I will hand over to destruction all who try to make war on them. For this is what he indicates by: ### Scripture references - Zech 10:9: quotation, high confidence - Zech 10:10: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 10:9; Theodoret goes on to 10:10. Words of the comment on 10:9 are lost with Migne's Latin column, which is removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.10.9 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-10-9). ## Commentary on Zechariah 10:11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-8-1/#p-11-10-11 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God will bring his people through great dangers, humble Assyria and Egypt, and make Israel renowned. ### Greek text ια΄. « Διελεύσονται "" ἐν θαλάσσῃ στενῇ, καὶ πατάξουσιν ἐν θαλάσσῃ κύματα, καὶ ξηρανθήσονται "Ὁ" πάντα τὰ βάθη ποταμῶν. » Ἐν μεγίστοις γὰρ ἀποληφθέντες κινδύνοις, καὶ μικροῦ δεῖν τὴν σωτηρίαν ἀπαγορεύσαντες (τοῦτο γὰρ στεγὴν ἐκάλεσε θάιϊασ σαν), τὰ τῶν δυσμενῶν ἐπάταξαν κύματα καὶ οἷόν τινας βαθεῖς ποταμοὺς ξηροὺς ἀπέφηναν, τοὺς ἐκεί- « Καὶ γαθαιρεθήσεται " πᾶσα ἡ δ ὕθρις ᾿Ασσυρίων, καὶ σκῆπτρον Αἰγύπτου περιαιρεθήσεται. (ι3..) Καὶ κατισχύσω αὐτοὺς ἐν Κυρίῳ θεῷ αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐν ὀνόματι "5 αὐτοῦ καυχήσονται "7, λέγει Κύριος. » … καὶ ἡ ᾿Ασσυρίων ὑπερηφανία σέεσθήσε:ται" καὶ οὗτοι δὲ, οἱ ἐκείνοις πάλαι δουλεύσαντες, διὰ τῇς ἐμῆς ἐπικουρίας ἐπίσημοι καὶ πολυθρύλλητοι παρὰ πᾶσι γενήσονται. ### English translation (Claude) 11. "They will pass through a narrow sea, and will strike waves in the sea, and all the depths of the rivers will be dried up." For when they were caught in the greatest dangers and had almost despaired of salvation (this is what he called a narrow sea), they struck the waves of their enemies and made their [armies] dry like deep rivers. "And all the insolence of the Assyrians will be brought down, and the scepter of Egypt will be taken away. (12) And I will strengthen them in the Lord their God, and in his name they will boast, says the Lord." … and the arrogance of the Assyrians will be quenched; and these, who served them of old, will through my help become famous and celebrated among all. ### Scripture references - Zech 10:11: quotation, high confidence - Zech 10:12: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 10:11; Theodoret goes on to 10:11b–12. Migne's Latin column and footnotes are removed; a few words lost with them are marked …. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.10.11 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-10-11). ## Commentary on Zechariah 11:1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-11-1/#p-11-11-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The fall of Lebanon's cedars and the wailing of shepherds and lions describe the humbling of the proud nations that attacked the Jews after the return. ### Greek text α', β΄. ε Διάνοιξον, ὁ Λίθανος, τὰς θύρας σου, καὶ χαταφαγέτω "" πὺρ τὰς κέδρους σου. Ὀλολνξάτω 5 πίτυς, διότι πέπτωκε κέδρος. ν» Πάντες τοίνυν οἱ ἐπὶ δυνάμει μέγα φρονοῦντες, καὶ τοῦ Λιθάνου τὸ ὕψος τῇ τῆς ἀλαζονείας φαντασίᾳ μιμούμενοι, εὑτρεπεῖς ἑαυτοὺς πρὸς τὴν ἐπιφετομένην ὑμῖν χαταστήσατε τιμωρίαν. Οἱ δὲ τούτων ὑποδεέστεροι (τούτοὺς γὰρ πίτυς καλεῖ), τὸν τῶν δυνατωτέρων ὄλεθρον θεωροῦντες, τὰς οἰκείας ὁλοφύρεσθε συμφοράς. « ὉὈλολυξάτω γὰρ, φησὶ, πίτυς, ὅτι πέπτωκε κέδρος. » Καὶ ἑρμηνεύων ἃ τροπικῶς εἴρηκεν» ἐπήγαγεν" Ε « Ὅτι μεγιστᾶνες δ' μεγάλως ἐταλαιπώρησαν ὀλολύξατε, δρύες τῆς Βασανίτιδος, ὅτι χατεσπάσθη ὁ δρυμὸς ὁ σύμφυτος. (γ΄.) Φωνὴ θρηνούντων ποιμένων, ὅτι τεταλαιπώρηκεν ἡ μεγαλωσύνη αὐτῶν" φωνὴ ὠρυομένων λεόντων, ὅτι τεταλαιπώρηχε τὸ φρύαγμα ὅδ" τοῦ Ἰορδάνου. » Τροπικῶς μὲν κατὰ τὸ οἰκεῖον ἰδίωμα εἴρηκεν ἅπαντα. Λέοντας δὲ ὅμως καὶ ποιμένας, τοὺς βασιλέας καὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας ὀνομάζει" δριμὸν δὲ σύμφυτον, τὴν ἄκαρπον δυναστείαν. Τούτους δὲ ἅπαντας ὀδύρεσθαι καὶ θρηνεῖν ἔφη, μέγα μὲν κατὰ τοῦ ἹἸορδάνονυ φρονήσαντας, ( τῆς δὲ ἐλπίδος ψευσθέντας. Διά τε τοῦ Ἰορδάνου τὴν Ιουδαίων ἡνίξατο γῆν" δι’ αὐτῆς γὰρ οὗτος τὴν πορείαν ποιεῖται " ταῦτα μὲν οὖν περὶ τῆς ἐσομένης Ἰουδαίοις μετὰ τὴν ἐπάνοδον εὐπραξίας ὁ θεῖο; προηγόρευσε Ζαχαρίας. Ἐντεῦθεν δὲ λοιπὸν τὰ χαταληψόμενα αὐτοὺς διὰ τὴν οἰκείαν παρανομίαν προθεσπίζει κακά. ### English translation (Claude) 1–2. "Open your doors, O Lebanon, and let fire devour your cedars. Let the pine wail, for the cedar has fallen." All of you, then, who think great things of your power and imitate the height of Lebanon in the fancy of your arrogance, make yourselves ready for the punishment coming upon you. And you who are lesser than these (for he calls these pines), seeing the destruction of the mightier, lament your own calamities: "Let the pine wail," he says, "for the cedar has fallen." And interpreting what he said figuratively, he added: "For the great men have been greatly afflicted; wail, you oaks of Bashan, for the dense forest has been pulled down. (3) A voice of shepherds lamenting, for their greatness has been afflicted; a voice of lions roaring, for the pride of the Jordan has been afflicted." He has said everything figuratively, according to his own idiom; but he names the kings and rulers lions and shepherds, and the fruitless dominion a dense forest. He said that all these lament and wail, having thought great things against the Jordan but been cheated of their hope. By the Jordan he hinted at the land of the Jews, for the river makes its course through it. These things, then, the divine Zechariah foretold about the prosperity that the Jews would enjoy after the return. From here on he foretells the evils that would overtake them because of their own lawlessness. ### Scripture references - Zech 11:1: quotation, high confidence - Zech 11:2: quotation, high confidence - Zech 11:3: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 11:1–2; Theodoret goes on to 11:2b–3. He reads these verses as the downfall of Israel's enemies; from 11:4 he turns to the evils that befell the Jews. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.11.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-11-1). ## Commentary on Zechariah 11:4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-11-1/#p-11-11-4 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The shepherd of the sheep of slaughter is Christ, who receives the Father's command as man, being as God equal in honor to the Father. ### Greek text δ΄. « Τάδε λέγει Κύριος παντοχράτωρ᾽ Ποίμαινε τὰ πρόθατα τῆς σφαγῆς.» Τίς δὲ ταῦτα ἑἐποίμανεν ἣ ὁ Δεσπότης Χριστὸς, ὁ ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς Εὐαγγελίοις βοῶν ᾿ ε« Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλός " ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλὸς τὴν ψυχὴν αὑτοῦ τίθησιν ὑπὲρ τῶν ᾿Αλλὰ μηδεὶς αὐτὸν, ὡς ποιμένα καλούμενον, σμιχρύνειν τολμάτω᾽ οὗτος γὰρ τῆς ἡμετέρας εἴνεκα σωτηρίας οὐ μόνον ποιμὴν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀμγὸς ὡνομά Ὁ σθη. καὶ πρόδατον. Καὶ τί λέγω πρόθατον καὶ ἀμνόν; κατάρα γὰρ καὶ ἁμαρτία προσηγαρεύθη, ἵνα τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν λύσῃ, καὶ τὴν κατάραν. Τούτῳ τοίνυν ὁ Πατὴρ λέγει " ε Ποίμαινε τὰ πρόθατα τῆς σφαγῆς "» ἑλομένῳ λαθεῖν τὴν τοῦ δούλου μορφὴν, ἵνα τῆς δουλείας ἐλευθερώσῃ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὴν φύσιν. Ὥς ἄνθρωπος τοίνυν, οὐκ ὡς Θεὸς, ταῖτας λαμθάνει τὰς ἐντολάς " ὡς μὲν γὰρ θεὸς, τοῦ γεγεννηκότος ὁμότιμος " ὡς δὲ ἄνθρωπος, βοΐ" «᾿Ἀπ' ἐμαυτοῦ οὐ λαλῶ" ἐντολὴν ἔλαθον, τί εἴπω, καὶ τί λαλήσω. » Οὕτως αὐτῷ καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἐντέλλεται" « Ποίμαινε τὰ πρόδατα τῆς σφαγῆς. » Καὶ διδάσκων τίνος αὑτὰ χάριν οὕτως προσαγορεύει, ἐπήγαγεν" ### English translation (Claude) 4. "Thus says the Lord Almighty: Shepherd the sheep of slaughter." Who shepherded these but Christ the Master, who cries in the holy Gospels: "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down his life for the [sheep]." But let no one dare to belittle him because he is called a shepherd; for, for the sake of our salvation, he was named not only shepherd but also lamb and sheep. And why do I say sheep and lamb? He was called curse and sin, so that he might undo both the sin and the curse of human beings. To him, then, the Father says, "Shepherd the sheep of slaughter," since he chose to take the form of the servant in order to free the nature of human beings from slavery. As man, then, not as God, he receives these commands; for as God he is equal in honor to the one who begot him, but as man he cries: "I do not speak from myself; I received a command, what to say and what to speak." So here too he is commanded: "Shepherd the sheep of slaughter." And teaching why he calls them so, he added: ### Scripture references - Zech 11:4: quotation, high confidence - John 10:11: quotation, high confidence - John 1:29: allusion, medium confidence - Gal 3:13: allusion, high confidence - 2 Cor 5:21: allusion, high confidence - Phil 2:7: allusion, high confidence - John 12:49: quotation, high confidence - John 14:10: quotation, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 11:4. Quotations and allusions: John 10:11; John 1:29; Gal 3:13; 2 Cor 5:21; Phil 2:7; John 12:49 with 14:10. The distinction between what Christ receives as man and his equality with the Father as God is translated exactly. Migne's footnotes and Latin column are removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.11.4 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-11-4). ## Commentary on Zechariah 11:5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-11-1/#p-11-11-5 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The sheep sold and slaughtered are the Jews oppressed by impious kings and by priests who bought the priesthood, as Maccabees and Josephus relate. ### Greek text ε΄. « Ἃ οἱ κτησάμενοι χατέσφαζον, καὶ οὐ μετεμέλοντο, καὶ οἱ πωλοῦντες αὐτὰ ἔλεγον " Εὐλογητὸς Κύριος, καὶ πεπλουτήκαμεν᾽ καὶ οἱ ποιμένες αὐτῶν οὐκ ἔπασχον οὐδὲν ἐπ᾽ αὐτοῖς. » Ὑπὸ δυσσεδῶν γὰρ βασιλέων, καὶ παρανόμων ἱερέων ἀγόμενοι, μυρία ὅσα ὑπ᾽ αὐτῶν ἔπασχον δεινά. Πλήρης δὲ τῶνδε τῶν διηγημάτων τῶν τε Μαχχαθαίων ἡ ἱστορία, καὶ τὰ Ἰωσήππου συγγράμματα. Φιλοτιμίας γὰρ καὶ ἱερωσύνας εἰργάσαντο, καὶ τὴν οὐδαμόθεν προσἤκουσαν αὐτοῖς ἀξίαν ἐπρίαντο. 'Εντεῦθεν τὰ μυρία Ἰουδαίοις συνέδη δεινά. Τούτου γε εἴνεκα τοῖς μὲν ποιμέσιν ἀπειλεῖ τιμωρίαν, τῶν δὲ προδάτων πᾶσαν ποιεῖται χιδεμονίαν. Περὶ δὲ τῶν δυσσεθούντων φησί" ### English translation (Claude) 5. "Which those who acquired them slaughtered and did not repent, and those who sold them said: Blessed be the Lord, and we have become rich; and their shepherds suffered nothing over them." For, led by impious kings and lawless priests, they suffered countless dreadful things from them. The history of the Maccabees and the writings of Josephus are full of these accounts. For they made the priesthoods objects of rivalry, and bought a dignity that in no way belonged to them. From this countless dreadful things befell the Jews. For this reason he threatens the shepherds with punishment and takes every care for the sheep. And about the impious he says: ### Scripture references - Zech 11:5: quotation, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - 2 Macc 4:7-10 (2 Maccabees): allusion, medium confidence - Josephus (Josephus (works)): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 11:5. The purchase of the high priesthood: 2 Macc 4:7–10, 23–24; Josephus, Antiquities 12. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.11.5 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-11-5). ## Commentary on Zechariah 11:6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-11-1/#p-11-11-6 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God abandons the impious to one another's hands but cares for the better sort. ### Greek text ς΄. « Διὰ τοῦτο οὐ φείσομαι οὐκέτι ἐπὶ τοὺς κατοικοῦντας τὴν γῆν, λέγει Κύριος. Καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ παραδίδωμι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἕχαστον εἰς χεῖρας δ τοῦ πλησίον αὑτοῦ "", καὶ χαταχόψουσι τὴν γῆν, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἐξέλωμαι ἐκ τῆς δ᾽ χειρὸς αὐτῶν.» Ἐκείνους δὲ, φησὶ, διὰ τὴν οἰκείαν παρανομίαν ἀτημελήτους καταλιπὼν, τῶν ἐπιειχεστέρων πᾶσαν ποιήσομαι πρόνοιαν. Τοῦτο γὰρ δι᾽ ὧν ἐπήγαγε παρεδήλωσε. ### English translation (Claude) 6. "Therefore I will no longer spare those who dwell in the land, says the Lord. And behold, I hand over the people, each into the hands of his neighbor, and they will cut the land to pieces, and I will not deliver from their hand." Leaving those uncared for because of their own lawlessness, he says, I will take every forethought for the more reasonable. For he indicated this by what he added. ### Scripture references - Zech 11:6: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 11:6. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.11.6 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-11-6). ## Commentary on Zechariah 11:7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-11-1/#p-11-11-7 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Christ shepherds believers in every land and, through the two rods, gathers Jews and Gentiles into one flock. ### Greek text ζ'. « Καὶ ποιμανῶ τὰ πρόθατα τῆς σφαγῆς ἐν τῇ γῇ Χαναάν"ϑ, » Τοῦτο τισὶ μὲν ἔδοξε τὴν Παλαιστίνην αἰνίττεσθαι ἐμοὶ δὲ δοκεῖ τὴν ἀλλοτρίαν σημαίνειν " διὰ γὰρ τοῦ Χαναὰν τοὺς ἀλλοτρίους αἷνίττεται. Λέγει τοίνυν’ Τοὺς ὁπουδήποτε πιστεῦσαί μοι προαιρουμένους ὑπὸ τὴν ἐμὴν τάξω κηδεμονίαν. ε Καὶ λήψομαι ἐμαυτῷ δύο ῥάδδους" τὴν μίαν Τὶ ἐκάλεσα Κάλλος, καὶ τὴν ἑτέραν ἐπεχάλεσα σμα " καὶ ποιμανῶ τὰ πρόδατα. » Δύο ῥάδδους καλεῖ τὰ ἔθνη καὶ Ἰουδαίους. Δύο γὰρ "᾽ πάλαι γενιχὰ δόγματα, τὸ μὲν θεοσέδειαν ἔχπα!δεῦον, ὃ παρὰ ᾿Ιουδαίους ἐκράτει" τὸ δὲ πρεσδεῦον τῶν εἰδώλων τὴν πλάνην, ἦ" διαφόρως ἅπαντα πάλαι τὰ ἔθνη κατείχετο. Καὶ ἐκ τούτων τοίνυν, φησὶ, καὶ ἐξ ἐκείνων συναθροίσω πρόδατα, καὶ μίαν ἑκατέρωθεν ἐργάτομαι ποίμνην. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς Εὐαγχελίοις ἔφη « Καὶ ἄλλα πρόδατα ἔχω, ἃ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τῆς αὐλῆς ταύτης " κἀκεῖνά με δεῖ ἀγαγεῖν, καὶ «ἧς φωνῆς μου ἀκούσουσι, καὶ γενήσεται μία ποίμνη, καὶ εἷς ποιμήν. Τοὺς γὰρ ἐξ ἐθνῶν πεπιστευκότας ποῖς ἐξ Ἰουδαίων ἀνέμιξε, καὶ αἱαν ποίμνην ἀπ- ### English translation (Claude) 7. "And I will shepherd the sheep of slaughter in the land of Canaan." To some this seemed to hint at Palestine; but to me it seems to signify a foreign land, for by Canaan he hints at the foreigners. He says, then: Those who choose to believe in me, wherever they may be, I will place under my care. "And I will take for myself two rods; one I called Beauty and the other I called Cord; and I will shepherd the sheep." He calls the nations and the Jews two rods. For of old there were two general doctrines: the one teaching the worship of God, which prevailed among the Jews; the other championing the error of idols, by which all the nations were held in various ways of old. From these, then, he says, and from those I will gather sheep, and make one flock out of both. This he said also in the holy Gospels: "And I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; those too I must bring, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd." For he mingled those who believed from the nations with those from the Jews, and [made] one flock ### Scripture references - Zech 11:7: quotation, high confidence - John 10:16: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 11:7 as Theodoret's text reads it ("in the land of Canaan"; the second rod's name, Cord, is cut short in the scan). Quotation: John 10:16. The sentence continues in the next section. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.11.7 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-11-7). ## Commentary on Zechariah 11:8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-11-1/#p-11-11-8 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The three shepherds removed are the Jews' kings, prophets and priests; because the people roared against God, he gave them up, and the breaking of the rod Beauty separates believers from unbelievers among the nations. ### Greek text τ΄. « Καὶ ἐξαρῶ τρεῖς 4᾽ ποιμένας ἐν μηνὶ ἑνί. » Τοὺς Ἰουδαίων λέγει βασιλέας, καὶ προφήτας, καὶ ἱερεῖς· διὰ γὰρ τούτων τῶν τριῶν ἑποιμαίνοντο … ταγμάτων. Καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν δεικνὺς ἐπάγει" «ε Καὶ βαρυνθήτεται ἢ φυχῆ μου ἐπ᾽ αὐτούς" καὶ γὰρ αἱ ψυκαὶ αὑτῶν ἑπωρύοντο " ἐπ᾽ ἐμέ. ν Τοῦτο σαφέστερὸν αὑτὸς ὁ Δεσπότης διὰ τοῦ προφήτου Ἱερεμίου διδάσκει, λέγων" ε Ἐγκχαταλέλοιπα τὸν οἶκόν μου, ἀφῖνχα τὴν κληρονομίαν μου" ἔδωκα τὴν ἢγαπημένην ψυχὴν μου εἰς χεῖρας ἐχϑρῶν αὑτῆς " ἐγένετο ἡ κληρονομία μου ἐμοὶ, ὡς λέων ἐν δρυμῷ " ἔδωκεν ἐπ᾿ ἐμὲ τὴν φωνὴν αὑτῆς, διὰ τοῦτο ἐμίσησα αὑτῆν. » Καὶ μέντοι καὶ διὰ Ἡσαΐου βοᾷ" «!Ἔμεινα τοῦ σαι χρίσιν, ἐποίησε δὲ ἀνομίαν, καὶ οὐ δικαιοσύνην, ἀλλὰ κραυγῆν. ν Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν θηριωδὺς μοι προσῆλθον οἱονεὶ βρυχώμενοι, καὶ τὴν ἐμὴν διψῶντες σφαγὴν, Β φ΄,ε Κἀγώ φημι πρὸ; αὐτούς " Οὐ ποιμανῶ ὑμᾶ:" τὸ ἀποθνῆσκον ἀποθνησχέτω, καὶ 5" τὸ ἐκλεῖπον ἐχλιπέτω, καὶ τὰ κατάλοιπα χατεσθιέτω " ἔκαστος τὰς σάρκας τοῦ πλησίον αὑτοῦ. » Ταῦτα δὲ ἅπαντα συμβαίνειν ἀνάγκη τοῖς τῆς θείας γυμνουμένοις ἰς ε Καὶ λήψομαι τὴν ῥάδδον μου τὴν καλὴν, καὶ ἀποῤῥίψω αὐτὴν τοῦ διασχεδάται τὴν διαθήκην μου, ἣν διεθέμην εἰς "' πάντας τοὺς λαοὺς τῆς γῆς “".» Τῶν Υὰρ δεξαμένων τῆς θεογνωσίας τὸ κήρυγμα τῷ θείῳ πτύῳ διαχριθέντων, καὶ οἷόν τινος σίτου τῶν ἀχύρων ἀποχριθέντων, ἀνάγκη πᾶσα τὸ ἄχυρον χαταχαυθῆναι πυρὶ ἀσθέστῳ, κατὰ τὴν τοῦ μεγάλου Ἰωάννου φωνήν. ### English translation (Claude) 8. "And I will remove three shepherds in one month." He means the kings, the prophets and the priests of the Jews; for through these three they were shepherded … commands. And showing the cause, he adds: "And my soul will be weighed down upon them; for their souls also roared against me." The Master himself teaches this more clearly through the prophet Jeremiah, saying: "I have forsaken my house, I have abandoned my inheritance; I have given my beloved soul into the hands of her enemies; my inheritance became to me like a lion in a thicket; it gave its voice against me; therefore I hated it." And indeed through Isaiah he cries: "I waited for it to do justice, but it did lawlessness, and not righteousness but a cry." Since, then, they came at me savagely, roaring as it were and thirsting for my slaughter, (9) "I said to them: I will not shepherd you; what dies, let it die, and what fails, let it fail, and let the rest eat, each the flesh of his neighbor." All these things must befall those who are stripped of the divine [care]. (10) "And I will take my beautiful rod and cast it away, to break my covenant which I made with all the peoples of the earth." For when those who received the preaching of the knowledge of God have been sifted by the divine winnowing fan, and the chaff has been separated as from wheat, the chaff must be burned with unquenchable fire, according to the voice of the great John. ### Scripture references - Zech 11:8: quotation, high confidence - Zech 11:9: quotation, high confidence - Zech 11:10: quotation, high confidence - Jer 12:7: quotation, high confidence - Jer 12:8: quotation, high confidence - Isa 5:7: quotation, high confidence - Matt 3:12: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 11:8; Theodoret goes on to 11:8b–10. His reading of the three shepherds and of God's rejection of the people is translated as written. Quotations: Jer 12:7–8; Isa 5:7; Matt 3:12. Migne's Latin column and marginal references are removed; a few words lost with them are marked …. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.11.8 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-11-8). ## Commentary on Zechariah 11:11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-11-1/#p-11-11-11 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gentile believers, the "Canaanites", will see the unbelievers' ruin and recognize the prophecy as God's word. ### Greek text τα’, ε Καὶ διασχεδασθήσεται ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐχείνῃη.» Καὶ ὅτι οὐ περὶ πάντων λέγει ταῦτα τῶν ἐξ ἐθνῶν “,, ἀλλὰ περὶ τῶν ἀπίστων μόνον, τὰ ἐπαγόμενα μαρτυρεῖ, ε« Καὶ γνώσονται οἱ Χαναναῖοι τὰ πρόδατα φυλασσόμενά μοι “7, ὅτι " λόγος Κυρίου ἐστί, » Χαγαγαίους δὲ τοὺς ἐξ ἐθνῶν πεπιστευκότας, ἅτε δὴ, ἀλλοφύλους καλεῖ " πρόδατω δὲ αὐτοὺς φυλακῆς ἄξια λέγει, δι᾿ ἣν ἐκτήσαντο πίστιν. Οὗτοι, φησὶ, θεασάμενοι τῶν ἀπίστων τὸν ὄλεθρον, μαθήσονται διὰ τῆς πείρας, ὡς θεῖος λόγος ὁ προφητικὸς λόγος. Ταῦτα περὶ τῶν ἐξ ἐθνῶν καὶ ἠπιστηχότων καὶ πεπιστευκότων εἰπὼν, μεταφέρει τὸν λόγον πρὺς Ἴου- ### English translation (Claude) 11. "And it will be broken on that day." That he does not say these things about all those from the nations but only about the unbelievers, what follows bears witness: "And the Canaanites will know the sheep that are kept for me, that it is the word of the Lord." He calls those from the nations who have believed Canaanites, as being foreigners; and he calls them sheep worthy of being kept, because of the faith they acquired. These, he says, seeing the destruction of the unbelievers, will learn by experience that the prophetic word is divine. Having said these things about both the unbelieving and the believing from the nations, he transfers the discourse to the Jews. ### Scripture references - Zech 11:11: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 11:11. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.11.11 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-11-11). ## Commentary on Zechariah 11:12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-11-1/#p-11-11-12 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The thirty pieces of silver weighed out as the shepherd's wage are fulfilled in Judas's sale of Christ, and the temple is a furnace where penitents are renewed. ### Greek text ιβ΄, ιγ΄. ε Καὶ “ ἐρῶ πρὸς αὑτούς " Εἰ χαλὸν ἐνὦπιον ὑμῶν ἔστι, δότε τὸν μισθόν μου, ἣ ἀπείπασθε. Καὶ ἔστησαν τὸν μισθόν μον τριάκοντα ἀργυροῦς. Καὶ εἶπε Κύριος πρός με’ Κάθες αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ χωγευτήριον, καὶ σκέψαι εἰ δόκιμόν ἐστιν, ὃν τρόπον ἐδοκιμάσθην ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν. αἱ ἔλαθον τοὺς τριάκοντα ἀργυροῦς, καὶ χαθῆχα 5, καὶ ὀνέθαλον αὐτοὺς Ἷ" εἰς τὸν οἶκον Κυρίον, εἰς τὸ χωνευτήριον. » Ταῦτα, ὡς οἶμαι, οὐδεμιᾶς ἑρμηνείας προσδεῖται, τῆς τῶν ἱερῶν Εὐαγγελίων ἱστορίας ἐχούσης τούτων τὴν ἑρμηνείαν. Καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖ τοσούτων στατήρων ὁ Ἰούδας τὸν Δεσπότην ἀπέδοτο, καὶ μεταμεληθεὶς ἀ πέδωχε μὲν τούτους τοῖς δεδωχόσιν " ἐπειδὴ δὲ λαθεῖν αὐτοὺς ἐκεῖνοι οὐκ ἢδουλήθησαν, ῥίψας αὐτοὺς ἀνεχώρησε, τὸν δίκαιον τῆς ἀδικίας μισθὸν, τὴν ἀγχόνην φημὶ, παρὰ τοῦ χριτοῦ τῆς ἀδικίας τοῦ διαδόλου δεξάμενος. Καὶ ἐνταῦθα τοίνυν αἰτεῖ μὲν αὐτοὺς ὁ Δεσπότης μ'σθὸν τῆς εὐεργεσίας τὴν πίστιν" οἱ δὲ ἀντὶ ταύτης τοὺ; τριάκοντα ἔδησαν ἀργυροῦς " αὐτὸς δὲ τῷ προφήτῃ παρακελεύεται, ὡς ἐν πυρί τινι δοκιμάσαι, εἰ ἄξιος ὁ τῆς εὐεργεσίας μισθός - Ὁ δὲ τούτους εἰς τὸν οἶκον ἔφη τοῦ Θεοῦ καταδεδληχέναι, ὃν εἰκότως ὠνόμασε χωγευτήριογ. Ἔν ἐκείνῳ γὰρ διὰ τῆς μετανοίας οἱ προσιόντες, ὡς ἐν χωνευτηρίῳ τινὶ νεουργοῦνται, τὸν τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἰὸν ἀποδάλλοντες, καὶ τῆς θείας φιλανθρωπίας τυγχάνοντες. Διὰ τοῦτό φησι" ### English translation (Claude) 12–13. "And I will say to them: If it is good in your sight, give me my wage, or refuse. And they weighed out my wage, thirty pieces of silver. And the Lord said to me: Put them into the furnace, and see whether it is approved, as I was approved for them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver and put them, and cast them into the house of the Lord, into the furnace." These things, I think, need no interpretation, since the history of the holy Gospels contains their interpretation. For there Judas sold the Master for so many staters, and, repenting, gave them back to those who had given them; and since they would not take them, he threw them down and departed, having received from the judge of injustice, the devil, the just wage of injustice, the noose, I mean. Here, then, the Master asks of them faith as the wage of his benefaction; but instead of this they weighed out the thirty pieces of silver. He bids the prophet test, as in a fire, whether the wage for the benefaction is worthy. And he said that he cast them down into the house of God, which he rightly named a furnace; for in it those who come through repentance are renewed as in a furnace, throwing off the rust of sin and obtaining the divine love for humankind. For this reason he says: ### Scripture references - Zech 11:12: quotation, high confidence - Zech 11:13: quotation, high confidence - Matt 26:15: allusion, high confidence - Matt 27:3: allusion, high confidence - Matt 27:5: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 11:12–13. Fulfillment: Matt 26:15; 27:3–10. Migne's footnotes are removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.11.12 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-11-12). ## Commentary on Zechariah 11:14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-11-1/#p-11-11-14 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The breaking of the second rod is the end of God's care for unbelieving Israel, shown by the loss of temple and worship; the prophet then turns to the Antichrist whom the Jews will accept. ### Greek text ιδ΄. « Καὶ 75 ἀπέῤῥιψα τὴν ῥάδδον τὴν δευτέραν, πὸ Σχοίνισμα, τοῦ διασκεδάσαι τὴν διαθήκην τὴν ἀναμέσον Ἰούδα καὶ ἀναμέσον Ἰσραήλ. ν» Καὶ ἐκ «ούτων γὰρ τοὺς πεπιστευκότας τῶν ἀπίστων ἀποχρίνας, τοὺς λοιποὺς τῆς οἰκείας ἐπιμελείας ἐγύμνωσε, Καὶ μαρτυρεῖ τῇ προφητείᾳ τὰ νῦν θεωρούμενα" ἔρημοι γὰρ Ἰουδαῖοι, καὶ προφητῶν, καὶ ἱερέων, καὶ βασιλέων, καὶ ναοῦ, καὶ χιδωτοῦ, καὶ βωμοῦ, καὶ ἱλαστηρίου, καὶ θυσιαστηρίου, καὶ λυχνίας, καὶ τραπέζης, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων, δι᾽ ὧν ἢ κατὰ νόμον λατρεία ἐπληροῦτο, ἔρημοι δὲ καὶ τῆς ἄνωθεν κηδεμονίας γεγένηνται " καὶ σποράδες, καὶ μέτοιχοι, καὶ μετανάσται γενόμενοι, τοῖς τὸν Χριστὸν κηρύσσουσι παρὰ γνώμην δουλεύουσιν " καὶ αὑτοῦ μὲν ἀρνοῦνται τὴν δεσποτείαν, τοῖς δὲ δούλοις αὐτοῦ τὴν δουλείαν μὲν οὖν ὁ Προφήτης περὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Χριστοῦ προαγορεύσας, καὶ τὴν Ἰουδαίων ἀντκιτυπίαν ἐλέγξας, εἰχότω: εὐθὺς ἐπὶ τὸν ἀντίθεον Χριστὸν μεταφέρει τὴν προφητείαν, ὅν Ἰουδαῖοι “ππροσμένουσιν, ὡς αὐτοί φασι. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ "3 ὁ Κύριοξ πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς Εὐαγγελίοις ἔφη " « Ἐγὼ ἦλθον" ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Πατρός μου, καὶ οὐκ ἐδέξασθέ με" ἔρχεται ἄλλος ἐν τῷ ἰδίῳ ὀνόματι, καὶ πιστεύσετε αὐτῷ. » Τοῦτο περὶ αὐτῶν καὶ ὁ μακάριος ἔφη Παῦλος " « ᾿Ανθ᾽ ὧν τὴν ἀγάπην τῆς ἀληθείας οὐκ ἐδέξαντο, εἰς τὸ σωθῆναι αὐτοὺς, πέμ- Ψεῖι αὐτοῖς ὁ Θεὸς ἐνέργειαν πλάνης, εἰς τὸ πιστεῦσαι αὐτοὺς τῷ ψεύδει, ἵνα κριθῶσι πάντες οἱ μὴ πι- Ὦ στεύσαντες τῇ ἀληθείᾳ, ἀλλ᾽ εὐδοκήσαντες τῇ 1" ἀδικίᾳ. » Τοιαῦτα καὶ ὁ μακάριος 16 Ζαχαρίας τοῦ θείου Πνεύματος δεξάμενος τὴν ἐνέργειαν προθεσπίζει. ### English translation (Claude) 14. "And I cast away the second rod, Cord, to break the covenant between Judah and Israel." For having separated the believers among these too from the unbelievers, he stripped the rest of his care. What is seen now bears witness to the prophecy: for the Jews are bereft of prophets, priests and kings, of temple, ark, altar, mercy seat, altar of sacrifice, lampstand and table, and of the other things through which the worship according to the law was fulfilled; and they have become bereft also of the care from above; and having become scattered, sojourners and wanderers, they serve against their will those who preach Christ; they deny his mastery, while [submitting] to slavery to his servants. Having foretold these things about our God and Savior Christ and convicted the Jews' resistance, the prophet rightly passes at once to the prophecy of the anti-God Christ, whom the Jews, as they themselves say, await. The Lord too said this to them in the holy Gospels: "I have come in my Father's name, and you did not receive me; another comes in his own name, and you will believe him." The blessed Paul too said this about them: "Because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved, God sends them a working of error, so that they believe the lie, so that all may be judged who did not believe the truth but took pleasure in injustice." Such things the blessed Zechariah too, having received the working of the divine Spirit, foretells. ### Scripture references - Zech 11:14: quotation, high confidence - John 5:43: quotation, high confidence - 2 Thess 2:10: quotation, high confidence - 2 Thess 2:11: quotation, high confidence - 2 Thess 2:12: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 11:14. Theodoret's statements about the Jews of his day are translated as written. Quotations: John 5:43; 2 Thess 2:10–12. Migne's Latin column and marginal references are removed; words lost with them are supplied by sense in brackets. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.11.14 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-11-14). ## Commentary on Zechariah 11:15 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-11-1/#p-11-11-15 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The foolish shepherd who devours the flock is the Antichrist, whose persecution matches the great tribulation foretold by Christ. ### Greek text ιε΄, τς΄. « Καὶ εἶπε Κύριος πρός με΄ Ἔτι λάδε σξαυτῷ σχεύη ποιμενιχὰ ποιμένος ἀπείρου. Διότι ἐξεγερῶ 17 ποιμένα ἄπειρον 5 ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν " τὸ ἐκλεῖπον οὐκ ἐπισκέψεται 79, καὶ τὸ ἐσχορπισμένον οὐ μὴ ζητήσῃ, καὶ τὸ συντετριμμένον οὐ μὴ ἰάσηται, καὶ τὸ ὁλόκληρον οὐ μὴ χατευθύνῃ, καὶ τὰ κρέα τῶν ἐχλεχτῶν καταφάγεται, καὶ τοὺς ἀστραγάλους αὖτῶν ἐχστρέψει 89, ») Ταῦτα τὰ δεινὰ καὶ χαλεπὰ διηγήματα, καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς Εὐαγγελίοις ὁ Δεσπότῆς προλέγει. « Ἔσται "' γὰρ, φησὶ, θλίψις μεγάλη, οἵα οὐ γέγονεν ἀπ᾿ ἀρχῆς αἰῶνος, οὐδ᾽ οὐ μὴ γένηται" καὶ εἰ μὴ ἐκολοδώθησαν αἱ ἡμέραι ἐκεῖναι, οὐκ ἂν ἐσώθη πᾶσα σάρξ διὰ δὲ τοὺς ἐκλεκτούς μου χολοθωθήσονται αἱ ἡμέραι ἐκεῖνα!.» Ταῦτα καὶ ὁ Προφήτης φησὶν, ὅτι ε« Τὰ κρέα τῶν ἐκλεκτῶν καταφάγεται, καὶ τοὺς ἀστραγάλους αὐτῶν ἐχστρέψει" ν τὴν ὑπερδολὴν τῶν κακῶν διὰ τούτων σημαίνων. Ποιμένα δὲ αὐτῶν ἄπειρον, ἣ ἄφρονα, κατὰ τοὺς ἄλλους ἑρμηνουτὰς, ὀνομάζει, ὡς ἐξχπατώμενον μὲν ὑπὸ τῆς διαδολικχῖς ἐνεργείας, τὸν ὡρισμένον δὲ αὖ- Β τῶν ὄλεθρον ἀγνοοῦντα " ἄφρονα δὲ ἡ θεία Γραφὴ καὶ τὸν δυσσεδῆ εἴωθεν ὀνομάζειν. ἐ Εἶπε γὰρ, φησὶν, ἄφρων ἐν καρδίᾳ αὑτοῦ "Οὐκ ἔστι Θεός.» Δείξας αὐτοῦ τοίνυν ὁ Προφήτης τὴν θηριώδη γνώμην, καὶ τὴν ἐσομένην αὐτῷ πανωλεθρίαν σημαίνει. ### English translation (Claude) 15–16. "And the Lord said to me: Take for yourself yet again the implements of a shepherd, of an inexperienced shepherd. For behold, I will raise up an inexperienced shepherd over the land: what fails he will not visit, what is scattered he will not seek, what is broken he will not heal, and what is whole he will not set straight; and he will devour the flesh of the choice ones and twist their ankles." These dreadful and harsh things the Master also foretells in the holy Gospels: "For there will be," he says, "great affliction, such as has not been from the beginning of the world, nor ever will be; and if those days had not been cut short, no flesh would have been saved; but for the sake of my elect those days will be cut short." The prophet too says this: "He will devour the flesh of the choice ones and twist their ankles," signifying by these words the excess of the evils. He names their shepherd "inexperienced", or "foolish" according to the other translators, as one deceived by the devil's working and ignorant of the destruction appointed for him; and the divine Scripture is accustomed to call the impious man foolish as well: "The fool," it says, "said in his heart: There is no God." Having shown, then, his savage mind, the prophet also signifies the total destruction that will come upon him. ### Scripture references - Zech 11:15: quotation, high confidence - Zech 11:16: quotation, high confidence - Matt 24:21: quotation, high confidence - Matt 24:22: quotation, high confidence - Ps 14:1 (13:1 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 11:15–16. Theodoret identifies the shepherd with the Antichrist (see 11:17). Quotations: Matt 24:21–22; Ps 14:1 (LXX 13:1). Migne's Latin column and footnotes are removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.11.15 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-11-15). ## Commentary on Zechariah 11:17 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-11-1/#p-11-11-17 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The worthless shepherd struck in arm and eye is the Antichrist, whom Antiochus Epiphanes prefigured; Christ will destroy him at his coming. ### Greek text ιζ΄, ε Ὦ οἱ ποιμαίνοντες τὰ μάταια, καὶ πκαταλελοιπότες τὰ πρόθατα!» Ταῦτα πρὸς τοὺς ἐκείνῳ πειθομένους εἰρηκὼς, καὶ θρηνῆσας αὐτοὺς, ὡς μὲν τῶν προθάτων τὴν κοινωνίαν χαταλελοικότας, τὴν ματαίαν δὲ καὶ ὀλέθριον τιμὴν τὴν ὑπ᾽ ἐχείνου δεδομένην προελομένους, τὰ περὶ ἐκείνου διέξεισι. « Μάχαιρα ἐπὶ τοῦ βραχίονος αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν αὐτοῦ 3 τὸν δεξιόν. » Ὁ μὲν γὰρ πρὸς τὸν αἰώνιον ὄλεθρον ποδηγεῖ τοὺς πειθομένους, ὁ δὲ τοὺς ἀντι- Ὁ λέγοντας σφαγῇ παραδίδωσιν. Ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τῆς σφαγῆς τὸν βραχίονω τέθεικεν " ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς ἐξαπάτῆς τὸν ὀφθαλμόν" ἀλλ᾽ ὅμως καὶ « ὁ βραχίων αὐτοῦ ξηραινόμενος ξηρανθήσεται, καὶ ὁ ὀφθαλμὸς αὐτοῦ ὁ δεξιὸς δ" ἐχτυφλούμενος ἐχτυφλωθήσεται. » Καταλήψεται γὰρ αὐτὸν θεήλατος πληγή. οὕτω καὶ ὁ ᾿Απόστολός φησιν" « Ὃν ὁ Κύριος Ἰησοῦς ἀναλώ» σει τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ στόματος αὑτοῦ, καὶ χαταργήσε: τῇ ἐπιφανείᾳ τῆς παρουσίας αὑτοῦ " οὗ ἔστιν ἧ παρουσία κατ᾽ ἐνέργειαν τοῦ Σατανᾶ, ἐν πᾶσι" σημείοις καὶ τέρασι ψεύδους. » Ταῦτα ᾿Αντιόχῳ τῷ Ἐπιφανεῖ προσήρμοσάν τινες τῶν τόνδε τὸν προφήτην ἑρμηνενχότων, ποιμένα ἄπειρον αὑτὸν ὦνομᾶσθαι φήσαντες. Πολλῷ τοίνυν τούτῳ μᾶλλον ἀρμόττει, ἐπειδὴ τούτου τύπος ἐκεῖνος. Καθάπερ γὰρ Ὁ ἐκεῖνος τὴν περὶ τὸν Θεὸν ἀνεδέξατο μάχην, ἐν τῷ γαῷ δαιμόνων ἀναστήσας βωμὸν, καὶ τοὺς ἀνακειμένους τῷ Θεῷ θύειν δαίμοσιν ἀναγκάσας " οὕτω καὶ οὗτος ἀρνηθῆναι μὲν τὸν Δεσπότην Χριστὸν τιροστάξει τοὺς εὐσεδοῦντας, τοὺς δὲ μὴ πειθομένους τιμωρίαις παραδώσει παντοδαπαῖς. ΕἸ τοίνυν ᾿Αντιόχῳ ἡ προφητεία ἁρμόττει, καὶ τούτῳ πάντως ἁρμόσει" ᾿ μείζονα γὰρ οὗτος ἣ ἐκεῖνος τολμῆσει, ἅτε δὴ πρὸς μείζους ἀναδεχόμενος μάχην. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν τούτῳ καὶ μὲν Ἰουδαῖοι πιστεύουσι, τὸν δὲ Σωτῆρα καὶ Κύριον ἠρνήθησαν, προρανῶς προλέγει διὰ τοῦ Προφήτου τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα τὰ δ᾽ ἀπιστίαν αὐτοῖς συμδησόμενα σκυθρωπά. ### English translation (Claude) 17. "O you who shepherd vain things and have abandoned the sheep!" Having said these things to those who obey that man, and lamented them as having abandoned the fellowship of the sheep and chosen the vain and destructive honor he gives, he goes through what concerns him: "A sword upon his arm and upon his right eye." For he leads those who obey him to eternal destruction and hands over to slaughter those who speak against him. He has put the arm for the slaughter and the eye for the deception. But nevertheless "his arm will utterly wither, and his right eye will be utterly blinded"; for a blow sent by God will overtake him. So also the Apostle says: "Whom the Lord Jesus will consume with the spirit of his mouth and destroy by the appearance of his coming; whose coming is according to the working of Satan, with all lying signs and wonders." Some of those who have interpreted this prophet applied these things to Antiochus Epiphanes, saying that he is named the inexperienced shepherd. They fit this one much better, since that man was his type. For just as that man took up the fight against God, setting up an altar of demons in the temple and forcing those dedicated to God to sacrifice to demons, so this one too will order the pious to deny Christ the Master and will hand over those who do not obey to punishments of every kind. If, then, the prophecy fits Antiochus, it will certainly fit this one too; for he will dare greater things than that one, since he takes up a greater fight. Since, then, the Jews will believe in him, but denied the Savior and Lord, the Holy Spirit through the prophet clearly foretells the gloomy things that will befall them because of their unbelief. ### Scripture references - Zech 11:17: quotation, high confidence - 2 Thess 2:8: quotation, high confidence - 2 Thess 2:9: quotation, high confidence - Dan 11:31: allusion, medium confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - 1 Macc 1:54 (1 Maccabees): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 11:17. The interpreters who applied the passage to Antiochus Epiphanes are not named. Theodoret's statement that the Jews will believe in the Antichrist is translated as written. Quotation: 2 Thess 2:8–9. Antiochus's altar: 1 Macc 1:54; Dan 11:31. Migne's marginal references and footnotes are removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.11.17 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-11-17). ## Commentary on Zechariah 12:1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-11-1/#p-11-12-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The Creator of heaven, earth and every human soul is the one who speaks this burden on Israel. ### Greek text α΄. « Λῆμμα λόγου Κυρίον ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰσραήλ Λέγει Κύριος, ἐκτείνων τὸν δ΄ οὐρανὸν, καὶ θεμελιῶν τὴν γῆν, καὶ πλάσσων πνεῦμα ἀνθρώπου ἐν αὐτῷ. » Οὐκ ἐγὼ, φησὶν ὁ Προφήτης, ταῦτα πρὸς ὑμᾶς μαι, ἀλλ᾽ ὁ τοὐδς τοῦ παντὸς ποιητὴς καὶ δημιουργός " ὁ ἔτι νῦν ἐν ταῖς νηδύσι τὰ σώματα διαπλάττων, καὶ ψυχὰς σὺν αὐτοῖς δημιουργεῖσθαι κελεύων, οὗτος δι᾽ ἐμοῦ φθέγγεται "1. ### English translation (Claude) [Zech 12:1] 1. "The burden of the word of the Lord upon Israel, says the Lord, who stretches out the heaven and lays the foundation of the earth and forms the spirit of man within him." It is not I, says the prophet, who [say] these things to you, but the Maker and Creator of this universe, who even now forms bodies in the womb and commands souls to be created together with them: he speaks through me. ### Scripture references - Zech 12:1: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 12:1. That each soul is created together with its body is Theodoret's own statement. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.12.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-12-1). ## Commentary on Zechariah 12:2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-11-1/#p-11-12-2 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God will make Jerusalem easy prey for the nations. ### Greek text β΄. « Καὶ ἰδοὺ 55 ἐγὼ τίθημι τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ὡς πρόθυρα σαλευόμενα πᾶτι τοῖς λαοῖς κύκλῳ, καὶ ἐν τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ " ἔσται περιοχὴ ἐν τῇ ᾿Ιεραυσαλήμ. » Εὐάλωτον, φησι. καὶ εὐχαταγώνιστον πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἀποκαταστήσω τήνδε τὴν πόλιν, καὶ ἐοικυΐαν μέλλουσιν, ὥστε τοὺς πολεμίους τῆς ἐμῆς προνοίας καὶ τὰ φυόμενα ἐντεῦθεν ἐπαγαγεῖν κακά. ### English translation (Claude) 2. "And behold, I make Jerusalem like shaken thresholds for all the peoples round about, and in Judea there will be a siege against Jerusalem." I will make this city easy for all the nations to capture and overcome, he says, and like … so that the enemies [deprived] of my providence … bring on the evils that grow from it. ### Scripture references - Zech 12:2: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 12:2. The comment is garbled in the scan (…). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.12.2 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-12-2). ## Commentary on Zechariah 12:3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-11-1/#p-11-12-3 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Jerusalem, trampled by the nations after it rejected the precious stone, was earlier protected by God against the Macedonians, whose horses he struck with blindness. ### Greek text Υ΄. « Καὶ ἔσται ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, θήσομαι τὴν. σιϑ. πᾶς ὁ καταπατῶν αὐτὴν ἐμπαίζων ἐμπαίξεται, καὶ ἐπισυναχθήσεται ἐπ᾽ αὐτὴν πάντα τὰ ἔθνη τῆς γῆς.» Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τὸν λίθον ἐκεῖνον, τὸν πολυτελῆ, τὸν ἐκλεκτὸν, τὸν ἔντιμον, κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Ἢσαϊου προφητείαν, τὸν γενόμενον εἰς κεφαλὴν λίθῳ παραπλησίως, καταπατεῖσθαι αὐτὴν ὑπὸ πάντων παρασχενάσω ἐμπαροινούντων, καὶ ἐφ᾽ ὕδρει συναγομένων. Αὕτη δὲ ἡ προφητεία τῶν πραγμάτων ἔχει τὴν μαρτυρίαν. Ἔστι γὰρ ἰδεῖν τὸν πάλαι ἅγιον καὶ σεπτὸν χαταπατούμενον τόπον. ᾿Αλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν αὐτοῖς μετὰ τὸ σταυρὸν καὶ τὴν μανίαν ἐχείνην συνέθη " πρὸ δὲ παύτης τῆς τόλμης, τῆ; θείας κηδεμονίας διηνεκῶς ἀπολαύοντες διετέλεσαν, Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ὁ προφητικὸς διδάσκει λόγος, τοῦ θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων προσφέροντος τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν, ὅτι Τῶν Μακεδονικῶν αὐτοῖς ἐπελθόντων ἐθνῶν 35, καὶ τοὺς ἵππους τῆς φυσιχῇῆς θρασύτητος, καὶ τούτους μετὰ τῶν ὀχουμένων ἀνοίᾳ καὶ δειλίᾳ περιθαλῶ, τὸν δὲ Ἰούδαν τῆς ἐμῆς ἀξιώσω προνοίας. Τοῦτο γὰρ παρεδήλωσεν, εἰρηκώς " δ᾽, ε΄. « Ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, λέγει Κύριος παντοχράτωρ, πατάξω πάντα ἵππον ἐν ἐκστάσει, καὶ τὸν ἀναδάτην αὐτοῦ ἐν παραφρονήσει “ ἐπὶ δὲ "" τὸν οἶκον Ἰούδα διανοίξω τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς μου, καὶ πάντας τοὺς ἵππους τῶν λαῶν πατάξω ἐν ἀποτυφλώσει. Καὶ ἐροῦσιν οἱ χιλίαρχοι Ἰούδα πάντες 3" ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις αὑτῶν " Εὐρήσομεν ἑαυτοῖς τοὺς κατοἰκοῦντας ἹἹερουσαλὴῆμ, ἐν Κυρίῳ παντοκράτορι Θεῷ αὐτῶν. ν Οὐδὲν, φησὶ, τυφλωττόντων … οἱ ἵπποι τῶν πολεμίων τῇδε κἀκεῖσε περιπλανώμενοι, ὥστε θαῤῥήσαντας τῶν ᾿Ιουδαίων τοὺς στρατηγοὺς πρὸς ἀλλήλους εἰπεῖν, ὅτι Πλήρης ἡ Ἱερουσαλὴμ διὰ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ ῥοπὴν οἰκητόρων γενήσεται. ### English translation (Claude) 3. "And it will be on that day that I will make [Jerusalem a stone trodden by all the nations]; everyone who tramples it will utterly mock it, and all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it." For since [they rejected] that stone, the precious, the chosen, the honored, according to the prophecy of Isaiah, which became the head [of the corner], I will make the city, like a stone, trampled by all, who will treat it with drunken insolence and gather against it to outrage it. The events bear witness to this prophecy: for one can see the place, once holy and venerable, trampled underfoot. But these things befell them after the cross and that madness; before this audacity they continued constantly to enjoy the divine care. The prophetic word teaches this too, when the God of all offers the promise that, when the Macedonian nations come against them, he will cover both the horses, for all their natural boldness, and their riders with folly and cowardice, but will count Judah worthy of his providence. For this is what he indicated by saying: (4–5) "On that day, says the Lord Almighty, I will strike every horse with bewilderment and its rider with madness; but upon the house of Judah I will open my eyes, and I will strike all the horses of the peoples with blindness. And all the chiliarchs of Judah will say in their hearts: We will find for ourselves the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the Lord Almighty their God." The enemies' horses, he says, [differing] in nothing from the blind, … wandering here and there, so that the generals of the Jews took courage and said to one another that Jerusalem will be full of inhabitants because of God's aid. ### Scripture references - Zech 12:3: quotation, high confidence - Zech 12:4: quotation, high confidence - Zech 12:5: quotation, high confidence - Isa 28:16: allusion, high confidence - Ps 118:22 (117:22 LXX): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 12:3 (words lost in the scan are supplied in brackets from the LXX); Theodoret goes on to 12:4–5. The stone: Isa 28:16; Ps 118:22. Theodoret's view that Jerusalem's ruin followed the crucifixion is translated as written. Migne's Latin column and footnotes are removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.12.3 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-12-3). ## Commentary on Zechariah 12:6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-11-1/#p-11-12-6 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Judah's commanders will consume their enemies, and Jerusalem will live apart under the law. ### Greek text ς΄. ε Ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ θήσομαι τοὺς χιλιάρχους Ἰούδα, ὡς δαλὸν πυρὸς ἐν ξύλοις, καὶ ὡς λαμπάδα πυρὸς ἐν καλάμῃ, καὶ καταφάγονται ἐκ δεξιῶν καὶ ἐξ εὐωνύμων πάντας τοὺς λαοὺς κυκλόθεν. » Καθάπερ γὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ δαλὸς ἐξάπτει τὰ ξύλα, καὶ φλὸξ ἀναλίσκει καλάμην" οὕτως οὗτοι τοὺς πάντοθεν αὐτοῖς ἐπιόντας χαταναλώσουσι πολεμίους. « Καὶ κατοικήσει Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἔτι καθ᾽ ἑαυτήν "5" » ἀντὶ ποῦ, κατὰ νόμον πολιτευομένη, καὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν κεχωρισμένη. Τούτου δὲ ἀπήλαυσεν, ἕως κατὰ τοῦ ### English translation (Claude) 6. "On that day I will make the chiliarchs of Judah like a firebrand among wood and like a torch of fire among stubble, and they will devour on the right and on the left all the peoples round about." For just as a firebrand kindles wood and a flame consumes stubble, he says, so these will consume the enemies who come against them from all sides. "And Jerusalem will yet dwell by itself," that is, living according to the law and separated from the nations. It enjoyed this until, against the … ### Scripture references - Zech 12:6: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 12:6. The section breaks off in mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.12.6 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-12-6). ## Commentary on Zechariah 12:7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-11-1/#p-11-12-7 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God saves Judah first so that neither the royal house nor Jerusalem may boast of its own strength. ### Greek text ζ΄. «Καὶ σώσει Κύριος" τὰ σκηνώματα Ἰούδα καθὼς ἀπ᾽ ἀρχῆς, ὅπως μὴ μεγαλύνηται καύχημα οἴχου Δαβὶδ, καὶ ἕπαρσις τῶν κατοικούντων Ἵερουσαλὴμ ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰούδαν.» Γνώσονται γὰρ διὰ τῆς πείρας, ὡς δίχα τῆς θείας ῥοπῆς οὐδὲν κατορθῶσαι δεδύνηνται. Τοῦτο δὲ μαθόντες, οὔτε τῇ βασιλικῇ δυνάμει μεγαφρονήσουσιν, οὔτε τῷ μεγέθει τῶν ### English translation (Claude) 7. "And the Lord will save the tents of Judah as from the beginning, so that the boast of the house of David and the exaltation of the inhabitants of Jerusalem may not be magnified over Judah." For they will know by experience that without divine aid they have been able to accomplish nothing. And having learned this, they will neither pride themselves on royal power nor on the greatness of … ### Scripture references - Zech 12:7: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 12:7. The section breaks off in mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.12.7 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-12-7). ## Commentary on Zechariah 12:8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-11-1/#p-11-12-8 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God's protection made the Maccabean house of David renowned, yet the people pierced him when he came; at his glorious return they will mourn him as a firstborn, tribe by tribe. ### Greek text η΄. «Καὶ ἔσται ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, ὑπερασπιεῖ Κύριος ὑπὲρ τῶν κατοικούντων τὴν "" Ἱερουσαλήμ " καὶ ἔσται ὁ ἀσθενῶν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ, ὡς οἶκος Δα- 6ἰδ- ὁ δὲ οἶκος Δαδὶδ, ὡς οἶκος Κυρίου, ὡς ἄγγελος Κυρίου ἐνώπιον αὐτῶν. ν» Καὶ τῆς θείας προμηθείας ( ἑξαρτήσουσι τὰς ἐλπίδας, οὗ χάριν τῶν ἁπάντων ὁ Κύριος πάσης αὐτοὺς ἀντιλήψεως ἀξιώσει, καὶ τοσαὐτὴν αὐτοῖς παρέξει ῥώμην, ὥστε τὸν ἀσθενέστατον τῷ βασιλικῷ παραδάλλεσθαι οἴκῳ (τοῦτον "5 γὰρ ἐκάλεσεν οἶκον Δαδίδ),, τὸν δὲ βασιλικὸν οἶκον τοῦ θείου οἴχου μιμεῖσθαι τὸ ἄσυλον, ὥστε πάντα: εἰς αὐτὸν, ὡς εἰς τὸν θεῖον καταφεύγειν νεὼν, ἣ ὡς ἀγγέλῳ εἰς σωτηρίαν ἀπεσταλμένῳ θαῤῥεῖν " τοσοῦτον γὰρ ἀπὸ τῆς νίκης οἱ περὶ Ἰούδαν καὶ Ἰωνάθαν ἑχαρπώσαντο κλέος, ὥστε τοὺς περιοίκους, σαι τὴν συμμαχίαν ᾿ οὐ μόνον δὲ οἱ πελάξοντες, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ παμπόλλων ἡμερῶν ὁδὸν ἀφεστηκότες, καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἑσπερίοις κατοικοῦντες μέρεσι ᾿Ρωμαῖοι, καὶ Σπαρτιᾶται, τὴν τούτων συμμαχίαν μετὰ πολ- Ὁ λῆς ἠσπάσαντο προθυμίας. 0΄, ἡ’ «Καὶ ἔσται ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, ζητήσω ἐξᾶραι πάντα τὰ ἔθνη τὰ ἐρχόμενα ἐπὶ Ἱερουσαλήμ. Καὶ ἐκχεῶ ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον Δαδὶδ, καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς κατοἰκοῦντας Ἱερουσαλὴμ, Πνεῦμα χάριτος καὶ οἰκτιρμοῦ.» ᾿Αλλ' ἐγὼ μὲν αὐτοὺς τοσαύταις εὐεργεσίαις ἐπέχλυσα τοὺς μὲν ἐπιόντας αὐτοῖς πολεμίους παντοδαπαῖς εἰδέα:ς " θανάτου παραδιδοὺς, αὑτοῖς δὲ ἀνοΐγων τὰ; τοῦ ἐλέον πηγὰς, καὶ παντοίας αὐὖτοὺς ἀναπιμπλῶν χάριτος " αὐτοὶ δὲ με παραγενόμενον τοῖς ἐναντίοις ἡμείψαντο, καὶ σταυρῷ τὴν πλευρὰν … διδτέλεσαν. ᾿Αλλ᾽ ὅμως οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν ὄψονταί με μετὰ τῆς θείας ἐπιφαινόμενον δόξης, καὶ τὴν οἰκείαν παραφροσύνην θρηνήσουσι, καὶ πρωτοτόκου νεανίου μεμήσονται πένθος, παραπλησίως τοῖς ἐκεῖνον ὁλο- « Ὄψονται γὰρ, φησὶ, πρός με, εἰς ὃν ἐξεκέντησαν 35, καὶ κόψονται ἐπ᾽ αὐτῷ κοπετὸν, ὡς ἐπ᾽ ἀγαπητῷ, καὶ ὀδυνηθήσονται ἐφ᾽ ἑαυτοῖς ὀδύνην, ὡς ἐπὶ πρωτοτόκῳ", (τα΄.) Ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ μεγαλυνθήσεται ὁ κοπετὸς Ἱερουσαλὴμ", ὡς κοπετὸς ῥοῶνος ἐν πεδίῳ ἐχχοπτομένου. » Καθάπερ γὰρ ὑλοτόμοι ῥόας ὅτι πλείστα; ἐχτέμνοντες κτύπον ἀποτελοῦσι πολύν " οὕτως ὁ τούτων χομμὸς χαταχτυπήσει πάντων τὰς ἀκοάς. Οὐκ ἁπλῶς δὲ, τὰ ἄλλα δένδρα καταλιπὼν, τῆς ῥόας τέθεικε τὴν εἰκόνα." ἀλλ᾽ ἐπειδὴ καὶ ἀγαπητοῦ καὶ πρωτοτόκου πένθει τὸ ἐχείνων ἀπείχασε πένθος ἀγάπης δὲ τύπος ἡ ῥόα, συνημμένους ἔχουσα λίαν καὶ ἡνωμένους τοὺς κόκκους, εἰκότως τῇ τούτων τῶν δένδρων τομῇ τὸν ἐκεῖνον ιβ'-ἰδ, ε Καὶ κόψεται ἡ γῆ κατὰ φυλάς " - φυλὴ οἵχου Δαδὶδ καθ᾽ ἑαυτὴν, καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες αὐτῶν καθ᾽ ἑαυτάς. Φυλὴ οἴχου Νάθαν καθ᾽ ἑαυτὴν, καὶ αἱ γυναΐῖχες αὐτῶν καθ᾽ ἑαυτάς " φυλὴ οἴχου Λευῖ καθ᾽ ἑαυτὴν, καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες αὐτῶν καθ' ἑαυτάς " φυλὴ τοῦ ὃ Συμεὼν καθ᾽ ἑαυτὴν, καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες αὖτῶν χαϑ᾽ ἑαυτάς. Πᾶσαι αἱ ὑπολελειμμέναι φυλαὶ, φυλὴ καθ᾽ ἑχυτὴν,, καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες αὐτῶν καθ᾽ ἑαυτάς. ν Τοῦτο λέγει, ὅτι κατὰ φυλὰς διαιρεθέντες, ς χωρὶς μὲν ἄνδρε:, χωρὶς δὲ γυναῖκες τοῦτο δράδφᾳυσι. Καὶ μέμνηται οὐ μόνον φυλῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πατριῶν, «ἧς τε τοῦ Δαδὶδ, ἣ τὰ; περὶ τοῦ Δεσπότου Χριστοῦ ἐπαγγελίας ἐδέξατο, καὶ τοῦ Νάθαν, ὃς τηνικάδε προφητεΐων, καὶ τῆς τοῦ Δαδὶδ ἤχουτε προφητείας, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐκείνῳ προσέφερε τὰ οἰκεῖα θεσπίσματα. Μνημονεύσας δὲ καὶ τῆς τοῦ Λευῖ φυλῆς καὶ τῆς «οὔ Συμεὼν, ὕστερον ἐπήγαγε " ε Πᾶσαι αἱ ὑπολελειμμέναι φυλαὶ, φυλὴ" καθ᾽ ἑαυτὴν χόψεται, καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες αὐτῶν καθ᾽ ἑαυτάς. » Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς Εὐαγγελίοις προείρηχε “«Τότε ὄψονται " πὸ σημεῖον τοῦ ΥἹοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, καὶ τότε κόψονται πᾶσαι αἱ φυλαὶ τῆς γῆς.» Δῆλον δὲ, ὅτι ὅσοι τὸ θεῖον οὐκ ἐδέξαντο κήρυγμα, θρηνήσουσι τὸν οἰκεῖον προσμένοντες ὄλεθρον. ᾿Αλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ἔσται κατὰ τὸν τῆς συντελείας καιρόν. Τέως δὲ, φησὶ, τῆς ἐμῆς αὐτοὺς ἀξιώσω προμηθείας, καὶ ταῦτα εἰδὼς ὡς παραγενόμενον ἐπ᾽ εὐεργεσίᾳ σταυ- ### English translation (Claude) 8. "And it will be on that day that the Lord will shield the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and the weak among them on that day will be like the house of David, and the house of David like the house of the Lord, like the angel of the Lord before them." And they will hang their hopes on divine providence; for this reason the Lord of all will count them worthy of every help and give them such strength that the weakest will be compared to the royal house (for this is what he called the house of David), and the royal house will imitate the inviolability of the divine house, so that all flee to it as to the divine temple, or take courage as in an angel sent for salvation. For Judas and Jonathan and their men reaped such fame from their victory that their neighbors [sought] their alliance; and not only those nearby, but also those many days' journey away who lived in the western parts, the Romans and the Spartans, welcomed alliance with them with great eagerness. (9–10) "And it will be on that day that I will seek to remove all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour out upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem a Spirit of grace and compassion." But I, though I flooded them with so many benefits, handing over to death of every kind the enemies who came against them, opening for them the springs of mercy and filling them with grace of every kind, was repaid by them, when I came, with the opposite: on the cross they [pierced] my side … But nevertheless before long they will see me appearing with divine glory, and will lament their own madness, and will imitate the mourning for a firstborn young man, like those who lament him: "For they will look," he says, "on me, whom they pierced, and they will beat their breasts over him with a lament as over a beloved one, and grieve for themselves with grief as over a firstborn. (11) On that day the lament of Jerusalem will be great, like the lament of a pomegranate grove cut down in the plain." For just as woodcutters cutting down a great many pomegranates make a great noise, so their mourning will strike the ears of all. He did not set down the image of the pomegranate idly, passing over the other trees; but since he had likened their mourning to mourning for a beloved and firstborn, and the pomegranate is a type of love, having its seeds very closely joined and united, he rightly [compared their lament] to the cutting of these trees. (12–14) "And the land will mourn by tribes: the tribe of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the tribe of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves; the tribe of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the tribe of Simeon by itself, and their wives by themselves; all the remaining tribes, each tribe by itself, and their wives by themselves." He means that, divided by tribes, men apart and women apart, they will do this. And he mentions not only tribes but also families: that of David, which received the promises about Christ the Master, and that of Nathan, who prophesied at that time, heard David's prophecy, and himself brought him his own oracles. Having mentioned also the tribe of Levi and that of Simeon, he added afterwards: "All the remaining tribes, each tribe by itself, will mourn, and their wives by themselves." The Lord too foretold this in the holy Gospels: "Then they will see the sign of the Son of Man in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn." It is clear that all who did not receive the divine preaching will lament as they await their own destruction. But these things will be at the time of the consummation. Meanwhile, he says, I will count them worthy of my providence, even knowing that, when I came for their benefit, they [would] crucify … ### Scripture references - Zech 12:8: quotation, high confidence - Zech 12:9: quotation, high confidence - Zech 12:10: quotation, high confidence - Zech 12:11: quotation, high confidence - Zech 12:12: quotation, high confidence - Zech 12:13: quotation, high confidence - Zech 12:14: quotation, high confidence - John 19:34: allusion, high confidence - John 19:37: allusion, high confidence - Matt 24:30: quotation, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - 1 Macc 8:1-32 (1 Maccabees): allusion, medium confidence - 1 Macc 12:1-23 (1 Maccabees): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 12:8; Theodoret goes on to 12:9–14. The alliances: 1 Macc 8 (Romans); 12:1–23 (Spartans). Fulfillment: John 19:34, 37; Matt 24:30. The mourning is placed at the consummation. Words lost in the scan are supplied by sense in brackets or marked …; Migne's footnotes are removed. The sentence continues in the next section. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.12.8 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-12-8). ## Commentary on Zechariah 13:1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-11-1/#p-11-13-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The fountain opened for David's house is Christ, the source of living water, and the sprinkling is baptism for the forgiveness of sins. ### Greek text α΄. « Πᾶς τόπος διανοιγόμενος ἔσται τῷ οἴκῳ Δαθὶδ καὶ τοῖς κατοικοῦσιν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, εἰς τὴν μεταχίνησιν καὶ εἰς τὸν ῥαντισμόν. ν» Οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν Σύμμαχον, «Ἔσται, φησὶν, ἄνοιγομένη πηγὴ τῷ οἴκῳ Δαδίδ. » Τίς δὲ αὕτη, αὑτὸς ὁ Κύριος διὰ μίου διδάσκει" ε« Ἐμὲ ἐγκατέλιπον, πηγὴν ὕδατος ζωῆς. » Καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς Εὐαγγελίοις φησίν" τις διψᾷ, ἐρχέσθω πρός με, καὶ πινέτω.» Καὶ, « Ἔσται τὸ ὕδωρ, ὅ ἐγὼ δώσω αὐτῷ, πηγὴ ὕδατος ζῶντος, ἀλλομένου εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον. » Αὕτη ἀνεῴγη τῷ οἴκῳ Δαδίδ - ἐξ ἐκείνης γὰρ τῆς συγγενείας τὴν ἀνθρωπείαν φύσιν ἀνέλαδεν. ᾿Ανεῴγη δὲ καὶ τοῖς κατοικοῦσιν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, εἰς τὴν μεταχίνησιν τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς Παλαιᾶς Διαθήκης ἐπὶ τὴν Καινὴν γεγενημένην, καὶ εἰς τὸν ῥαντισμὸν τοῦ ἁγίου βαπτίσματος, δι' οὗ τὴν ἄφεσιν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἐδεξάμεθα. Τηνικαῦτα, φησὶν ὁ τῶν δυνάμεων Κύριος" ### English translation (Claude) [Zech 13:1] 1. "Every place will be opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for removal and for sprinkling." Symmachus and his school [render]: "There will be," he says, "an opened fountain for the house of David." What this is, the Lord himself teaches through [Jeremiah]: "They have forsaken me, the fountain of the water of life." And in the holy Gospels he says: "[If] anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink." And: "The water that I will give him will be a fountain of living water, springing up to eternal life." This fountain was opened for the house of David, for from that kinship he took human nature. And it was opened also for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for the removal from the Old Covenant to the New, and for the sprinkling of holy baptism, through which we have received the forgiveness of sins. At that time, says the Lord of hosts: ### Scripture references - Zech 13:1: quotation, high confidence - Jer 2:13: quotation, high confidence - John 7:37: quotation, high confidence - John 4:14: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 13:1. Quotations: Jer 2:13; John 7:37; John 4:14. Migne's Latin column and footnotes are removed; a few words lost with them are supplied in brackets. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.13.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-13-1). ## Commentary on Zechariah 13:2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-11-1/#p-11-13-2 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Through those who believed in Christ, idolatry and divination were so discredited that families would not tolerate a diviner, and false prophets disowned their craft. ### Greek text β΄ -δ. Ἐξολοθρεύσω τὰ ὀνόματα τῶν εἰδώλων ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, καὶ οὐκέτι ἔσται αὐτῶν μνεία " - καὶ τοὺς ψευδοπροφήτας, καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἀκάθαρτον ἐξαρῶ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς. Καὶ ἔσται ἐὰν προφητεύσῃ ἄνθρωπος ἔτι, καὶ ἐροῦσι " πρὺς αὐτὸν ὁ πατὴρ αὖτοῦ καὶ ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ, οἱ γεννήσαντες αὐτόν" Οὐ ζήσῃ, ὅτι ψευδῆ ἐλάλησας ἐν" ὀνόματι Κυρίου " καὶ συμποδιοῦσιν αὐτὸν ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἡ μήτηρ αὖτοῦ, οἱ γεννήσαντες αὐτὸν, ἐν τῷ προφητεύειν αὐτόν. Καὶ ἔσται ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, καταισχυνθήσονται οἱ πρυφῆται, ἕχαστος ἐκ τῆς ὁράσεως αὑτοῦ, ἐν τῷ προφητεύειν αὐτοὺς ", καὶ ἐνδύσονται δέῤῥιν τριχίγην, ἀνθ᾽ ὧν ἐψεύσαντο. » Δῆλον δὲ, ὅτι καὶ τοῦτο διὰ τῶν εἰς τὸν Χριστὸν πεπιστευκότων ἐγένετο. Οὗ μόνον δὲ τῶν εἰδώλων, φησὶ, κατασθέσω τὸ ψεῦδος, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς μαντείαις χρωμένους, καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ πνεύματος ἐνεργουμένους, ταύτης ἐλευθερώτω τῆς πλάνης. Τοσαύτη γὰρ εὐσέθεια καθέξει τὴν οἰκουμένην, ὥστε μήτε πατέρα, μήτε μητέρα φείδεσθαι καιδὸς πειρωμένου μαντεύεσθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ δεσμὰ αὐτῷ περιδάλλειν, καὶ μάστιγας ἐπιφέρειν, καὶ θάνατον ἀπειλεῖν. Καὶ πάντες δὲ οἱ τὸ ψευδῇ προλέγειν αἱρούμενοι, θεώμενοι τῆς εὐσεδεΐας τὴν ἐπικράτειαν, πένθιμον περιδαλοῦνται σχῆμα. Τὸ γὰρ, « Ἐνδύσονται δέῤῥιν τριχίνην, » τοῦτο δηλοῖ. Τοσούτῳ δὲ κατασχεθήσονται δέει, ὡς ἀρνηθῆναι μὲν ἣν πλάνην, γεωργίαν δὲ ἀντ᾽ ἐκείνης ἀσπάξεσθα!, καὶ λέγειν πᾶσιν, ὅτι Εὐθὺς τεχθεὶ; ταύτην παρὰ τῶν πατέρων ἐδιδάχθην τὴν τέχνην. ### English translation (Claude) 2–4. "I will destroy the names of the idols from the land, and there will no longer be any remembrance of them; and the false prophets and the unclean spirit I will remove from the land. And it will be, if a man still prophesies, his father and his mother who bore him will say to him: You shall not live, because you have spoken falsehoods in the name of the Lord; and his father and his mother who bore him will bind his feet when he prophesies. And it will be on that day that the prophets will be ashamed, each of his vision, when they prophesy, and they will put on a hairy skin, because they lied." It is clear that this too came about through those who believed in Christ. Not only will I extinguish the falsehood of the idols, he says, but I will also free from this error those who practice divination and are worked on by the evil spirit. For such piety will possess the world that neither father nor mother will spare a child who tries to practice divination, but they will even put bonds on him, beat him, and threaten him with death. And all who choose to foretell falsehoods, seeing piety prevail, will put on the garb of mourning; for this is what "they will put on a hairy skin" shows. And they will be held by such fear as to deny their error, embrace farming instead, and say to all: As soon as I was born I was taught this craft by my parents. ### Scripture references - Zech 13:2: quotation, high confidence - Zech 13:3: quotation, high confidence - Zech 13:4: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 13:2–4. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.13.2 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-13-2). ## Commentary on Zechariah 13:5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-11-1/#p-11-13-5 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The former diviner denies his calling, and the wounds his parents gave him betray him. ### Greek text ε΄, ς΄. ε Ἐρεΐ γὰρ, φησίν " Οὐκ εἰμὶ προφήτης ἐγὼ, ὅτι "5 ἄνθρωπος ἐργαζόμενος γῆν "" ἐγώ εἶμι καὶ '"" ἄνθρωπος ἐγέννησέ με ἐκ νεότητός μου. Καὶ ἐροῦσι "5 πρὸς αὐτόν " Τί αἱ πληγαὶ αὗται ἀναμέσον τῶν ὥμων '" σου; Καὶ ἐρεῖ - Ἐπλήγην "ἢ ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ ἀγαπητοῦ " μου.» Τοιαύτας γὰρ δέξεται παρὰ τῶν γεγεννηκότων πληγὰς, ὡς μέχρι πολλοῦ φέρειν ἐναργῆ τὰ σημεῖα, καὶ ἐρωτώμενον ὑπὸ τῶν ταῦτα ὁρώντων, πόθεν ταύτας ἐδέξατο τὰς αἰκίας, λέγειν προφανῶς, ὅτι ταύτας αὐτῷ οἱ γεγεννηχότες ὡς …᾿ ### English translation (Claude) 5–6. "For he will say: I am not a prophet, for I am a man who works the land, and a man begot me [to this] from my youth. And they will say to him: What are these wounds between your shoulders? And he will say: I was struck in the house of my beloved." For he will receive such blows from his parents that he bears their marks plainly for a long time; and when he is asked by those who see them where he received these injuries, he will say openly that his parents [inflicted] them on him as … ### Scripture references - Zech 13:5: quotation, high confidence - Zech 13:6: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 13:5–6. Migne's footnotes at the end are removed; the section breaks off in mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.13.5 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-13-5). ## Commentary on Zechariah 13:7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-11-1/#p-11-13-7 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The sword against the shepherd is the Father's permission of Christ's willing passion, which then struck the apostles; Christ applied the verse to himself. ### Greek text ζ΄. ε Ῥομφαία, ἐξεγέρθητι ἐπὶ τὸν ποιμένα μου, καὶ ἐπὶ ἄνδρα πολίτην αὑτοῦ "7, λέγει Κύριος παντοαράτωρ' 5" πάταξον τὸν ποιμένα, καὶ διασχορπισθήσεται ᾽᾽ τὰ πρόδατα.» Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἔφη - Ἐπιθλέψονται πρός με, εἰς ὃν ἐξεκέντησαν, ν ἵνα μὴ νομίσωσι παρὰ γνώμην αὐτὸν τὸ σωτήριον ὑπομεῖναι πάθος, διδάσκει διὰ τοῦ Προφήτου, ὡς ἑκὼν ἐλήλυθε, καὶ ἐσυτὸν ἐταπείνωσε γενόμενος ὑπήκοος μέχρι θαγάτου, θανάτου δὲ σταυροῦ. Οὗπερ ἕνεκεν ὁ προφηπιχὸς λόγος τὴν θείαν σχηματίζει συγχώρησιν, καὶ ῥομφαίαν δείκνυσιν ὑπὸ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἐπιτρε πρότερον " εἶθ᾽ οὔτω κατὰ τοῦ ποιμένος χωροῦσαν " καὶ μετ᾽ ἔκεῖνον, κατὰ τῶν ἐχείνου ποιλιτῶν, ἢ συμφύλων 35, κατὰ τὸν ᾿Ακύλαν. Μετὰ γὰρ τὸν Δεσπότην, καὶ κατὰ τῶν εὔνων αὐτοῦ θεραπόντων ἐχώρησεν, τῶν ἱερῶν ἀποστόλων, φημὶ, καὶ τῶν ἐκείνους διαδεξαμένων κηρύκων. Ταύτης δὲ τῆς μαρτυρίας καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἐν τοῖς θείοις Εὐαγγελίοις μέμνηται. Εἰρηκὼς γάρ’ « Ἐν τῇ νυκτὶ ταύτῃ σκανδαλισθή- ᾿σεσθε ἐν ἐμοί" ν ἐπήγαγε" «Γέγραπται γάρ Πατάξω τὸν ποιμένα, καὶ διασχορπισθήσεται τὰ πρόδατα τῆς ποίμνης. » Εἶτα ὁ προφητικὸς ἐπάγει λόγος " « Καὶ ἐπιστρέψω ν᾽ τὴν χεῖρά μου ἐπὶ τοὺς μικροὺς ποιμένας "5,.ν» τοὺς ὄνομα ποιμένων ἔχοντας, ἱερέας καὶ διδατχάλους, τοῦ δὲ πράγματος ἐρήμους ὑπἄρχοντας. ### English translation (Claude) 7. "Sword, awake against my shepherd and against the man who is his fellow citizen, says the Lord Almighty; strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered." For since he had said, "They will look on me, whom they pierced," so that they might not think that he endured the saving passion against his will, he teaches through the prophet that he came willingly and humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. For this reason the prophetic word depicts the divine permission, and shows the sword first [permitted] by the Father, then advancing against the shepherd, and after him against his fellow citizens, or kinsmen, according to Aquila. For after the Master it advanced also against his loyal servants, the holy apostles, I mean, and the heralds who succeeded them. The Lord too recalls this testimony in the divine Gospels. For having said, "This night you will all fall away because of me," he added: "For it is written: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered." Then the prophetic word adds: "And I will turn my hand against the little shepherds," those who bear the name of shepherds, priests and teachers, but are devoid of the reality. ### Scripture references - Zech 13:7: quotation, high confidence - Zech 12:10: quotation, high confidence - Phil 2:8: quotation, high confidence - Matt 26:31: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 13:7. Quotations: Phil 2:8; Matt 26:31. Migne's marginal verse number is removed; words lost in the scan are supplied by sense in brackets. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.13.7 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-13-7). ## Commentary on Zechariah 13:8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-11-1/#p-11-13-8 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The third part refined by fire is the Jews who believed in Christ, from the apostles to the many thousands in Acts. ### Greek text η', θ΄, ε Καὶ ἔσται ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ " λέγει Κύριος, τὰ δύο αὐτῆς μέρη 5 ἐξολοθρευθήσεται καὶ ἐκλείψει " τὸ δὲ «τρίτον ὑπολειφθήσεται ἐν αὐτῇ. Καὶ διάξω τὸ τρίτον διὰ πυρὸς, καὶ πυρώσω αὐτοὺς, ὡς πυροῦται τὸ ἀργύριον, καὶ δοχιμῶ 35 αὐτοὺς, ὡς δοχιμάξεται τὸ χρυσίον. » Κατ᾽ ἐκεῖνον, φησὶ, τὸν καιρὸν, μετὰ ταύτην αὐτῶν τὴν λύτταν, τὰς δύο μοίρας τοῦ πλήθους παραδώσω σφαγῇ, τὸ δὲ τρίτον καθάπερ ἀργύριον καὶ χρυσίον διὰ πυρὸς δοχιμάσω, τοῖς παντοδαποῖς παραδιδοὺς πειρασμοῖς "ὧν καταφρονοῦντες, χἀὶ διὰ καρτερίας τῶν λυπηρῶν ἁπάντων περιγιγνόμενοι, εἰλικρινῆ μοι καὶ γνησίαν δείξουτι δ τὴν διάθεσιν. ε Αὐτὸς γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐπικαλέσεται τὸ ὄνομά μου, καὶ ἐγὼ ἐπακούσομαι αὐτοῦ "Ἵ, καὶ ἐρῶ" Λαός μου οὗτός ἔστι. Καὶ αὐτὸς ἐρεῖ" Κύριος ὁ Θεός μου. ν» Λέγει ταῦτα περὶ τῶν ἐξ Ἰουδαίων πεπιστευκότων. Πρὸς γὰρ τοῖς δώδεκα ἀποστόλοις καὶ ἑτέρους ἐθδομήχοντα ξελέξχτο᾽ μετὰ δὲ τὴν ἀνάστασιν, χὰὶ ἑκατὸν εἴκοσι κατὰ ταυτὸν εὑρέθησαν ὄντες. ὋὉ δὲ θεσπέσιος Παῦλος καὶ πεντακοσίοις αὐτὸν ὁμοῦ συνηγμένοῖς ἔφησεν ὀφθῆναι. Ὁ δὲ θειότατος Πέτρος δημηγορήσας, νῦν μὲν τρισχιλίους, νῦν δὲ πεντακισχιλίους εἰς ζωὴν ἐσαγήνευσεν. Ὁ δὲ μέγας Ἰάχωὅος τῷ μακαρίῳ Παύλῳ φησί" «Θεωρεῖς, ἀδελφὲ» πόσαι μυριάδες εἰσὶ τῶν πεπιστευκότων δ Ἴουδαίων. » Ταῦτα διὰ τοῦ θεσπεσίου Ζαχαρίου προ- ᾿εἴρηκεν ὁ Θεὸς, ὅτι τὰ δύο μέρη διὰ τὴν ἀπιστίαν ἐξολοθρευθήσεται, τὸ δὲ τρίτον τοῖς πειραπμοῖς ματίσει, Κύριον αὐτὸν καὶ Θεὸν ὀνομάζων. Τοῦτο καὶ δι᾿ ἄλλου προφήτου φησὶν ὁ Θεός - « Ἐὰν ἧ ὁ ἀριθμὸς τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ ὡς ἡ ἄμμος τῆς θαλάσσης, τὸ κατάλειμμα σωθήσεται. » Τοῦτο καὶ διὰ τῶν ἐπαγομένων πάλιν ὁ μακάριος Ζαχαρίας ἔφη "". ### English translation (Claude) 8–9. "And it will be on that day in all the land, says the Lord, that two parts of it will be destroyed and fail, but the third will be left in it. And I will bring the third through fire, and refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested." At that time, he says, after this madness of theirs, I will hand over two parts of the multitude to slaughter, but the third I will test through fire like silver and gold, handing them over to temptations of every kind; despising these, and overcoming all hardships by endurance, they will show me a sincere and genuine disposition. "For he," he says, "will call on my name, and I will hear him, and say: This is my people. And he will say: The Lord is my God." He says these things about those from the Jews who have believed. For besides the twelve apostles he chose seventy others; and after the resurrection a hundred and twenty were found together. The inspired Paul says that he appeared to five hundred gathered together. The most divine Peter, preaching, netted for life now three thousand, now five thousand. And the great James says to the blessed Paul: "You see, brother, how many myriads of Jews there are who have believed." These things God foretold through the inspired Zechariah: that two parts would be destroyed because of unbelief, and the third, [tested] by temptations, [would be called his people], naming him Lord and God. God says this also through another prophet: "If the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, the remnant will be saved." This the blessed Zechariah also said again in what follows. ### Scripture references - Zech 13:8: quotation, high confidence - Zech 13:9: quotation, high confidence - Luke 10:1: allusion, high confidence - Acts 1:15: allusion, high confidence - 1 Cor 15:6: allusion, high confidence - Acts 2:41: allusion, high confidence - Acts 4:4: allusion, high confidence - Acts 21:20: quotation, high confidence - Isa 10:22: quotation, high confidence - Rom 9:27: quotation, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 13:8–9. References: Luke 10:1; Acts 1:15; 1 Cor 15:6; Acts 2:41; 4:4; 21:20; Isa 10:22 (Rom 9:27). Migne's marginal references and Latin column are removed; words lost with them are supplied by sense in brackets. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.13.8 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-13-8). ## Commentary on Zechariah 14:1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-14-1/#p-11-14-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: On the day of the Lord Jerusalem's spoils will be divided by its enemies. ### Greek text α΄. « Ἰδοὺ ἡμέρα "᾽ ἔρχεται Κυρίου ᾽", καὶ διαμερισθήσεται 3 τὰ σκῦλά σου ἐν σοί. » Τῶν πολεμίων δηλονότι ταῦτα διανεμομένων. ### English translation (Claude) [Zech 14:1] 1. "Behold, a day of the Lord comes, and your spoils will be divided in you," clearly as the enemies distribute them. ### Scripture references - Zech 14:1: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 14:1. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.14.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-14-1). ## Commentary on Zechariah 14:2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-14-1/#p-11-14-2 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The capture of Jerusalem is its fall to Vespasian and Titus, from which the Christians escaped by a revelation, as Christ foretold; the Lord fought against the Jews, with his angels. ### Greek text β΄. « Καὶ ἐπισυνάξω 3 πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ἐπὶ Β σαλὴμ εἰς πόλεμον, καὶ ἁλώσεται ἡ πόλις, καὶ διαρπαγήσονται αἱ οἰκίαι, καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες μολυνθήσονται" καὶ ἐξελεύσεται τὸ ἥμισυ Ζἧῇς πόλεως ἐν αἰχμαλωσίᾳ" οἱ δὲ κατάλοιποι τοῦ λαοῦ μοὺ οὐ μὴ ἐξολοθρευθῶσιν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως " » Φασὶ γὰρ, Οὐεἐσπασιανοῦ καὶ Τίτου μελλόντων ἐπιστρατεύειν, τοὺς τηνικαῦτα πιστοὺς ἐξ ἀποκαλύψεως τὴν πόλιν καταλιπεῖν. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ διὰ τῶν θείων Εὐαγγελίων σεν ὁ Δεσπότης Χριστός “ε Ὅταν ἴδητε χυχλουμέγην ὑπὸ στρατοπέδων τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, γινώσχετς ὅτι ἐγγὺς τὸ τέλος αὐτῆς " τότε οἱ ἐν τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ φευγέτωσαν εἰς τὰ ὄρη, καὶ ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ δώματος μὴ καταθάτω ἄραΐ τι ἐκ τῆς οἰκίας. » Περὶ τούτων καὶ διὰ τοῦ μακαρίου προεθέσπισε Ζαχαρίου, ὅτι « Οἱ κατάλοιποι ᾽" οὐ μὴ ἐξολοθρενθῶσι. (γ΄.) Καὶ ἐξελεύσεται Κύριος ἐν παρατάξει " ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἐκείνοις, καθὼς ἡμέρα παρατάξεως αὑτοῦ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ πολέμον. » Παρατάξεται δὲ, οὐκ Ἰουδαίων ὑπερμαχῶν, ἀλλὰ κατ᾽ ἐχείνων στρατηγῶν. ε Καὶ 3 παρέσται Κύριος ὁ Θεός μου, καὶ πάντες οἱ ἅγιοι 8" μετ᾽ αὐτοῦ. » Λέγει δὲ τῶν ἀγγέλων τὰ τάγματα. ### English translation (Claude) 2. "And I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem for war, and the city will be taken, and the houses plundered, and the women defiled; and half of the city will go out into captivity, but the rest of my people will not be destroyed from the city." For they say that when Vespasian and Titus were about to march against it, the faithful of that time left the city because of a revelation. Christ the Master [foretold] this also in the divine Gospels: "When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, know that its end is near; then let those in Judea flee to the mountains, and let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything from his house." About these he also foretold through the blessed Zechariah that "the rest will not be destroyed. (3) And the Lord will go out in battle array against those nations, as on the day of his battle array in a day of war." He will draw up for battle not as the champion of the Jews, but as a general against them. (5) "And the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him." He means the ranks of the angels. ### Scripture references - Zech 14:2: quotation, high confidence - Zech 14:3: quotation, high confidence - Zech 14:5: quotation, high confidence - Luke 21:20: quotation, high confidence - Luke 21:21: quotation, high confidence - Matt 24:17: quotation, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Eusebius, Hist. eccl. 3.5.3 (Church History): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 14:2; Theodoret goes on to 14:3 and 14:5b. The flight of the faithful before the siege: Eusebius, Hist. eccl. 3.5.3. Christ's warning: Luke 21:20–21 with Matt 24:17. Theodoret's reading that the Lord fought against the Jews is translated as written. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.14.2 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-14-2). ## Commentary on Zechariah 14:4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-14-1/#p-11-14-4 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The splitting of the Mount of Olives, from which Christ ascended, signifies the Roman siege lines around Jerusalem and recalls the convulsions of nature at the crucifixion. ### Greek text δ΄. ε Καὶ στήσονται οἱ πόδες αὑτοῦ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος τῶν Ἐλαιῶν, τὸ κατέναντι σαλὴμ ἐξ ἀνατολῶν. » “Ὅθεν γὰρ εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀνἐλήφθη, ἐκεῖθεν δίδωσι τοῖς κατ᾽ Ἰουδαίων στρατευομένοις τὴν νίκην. Εἶτα λέγει, ὅτι διαιρεθήσεται τετραχὰ τὸ ὄρος, ὡς τὸ μὲν κατ᾽ ἀνστολὰς, τὸ δὲ κατὰ δυσμὰς, τὸ δὲ κατὰ βοῤῥᾶν, τὸ δὲ κατὰ νότον Ὁ χωρῆσαι. « Καὶ δ σχισθήσεται γὰρ, φησὶ, τὸ ὄρος τῶν Ἐλαιῶν, τὸ ἥμισυ αὐτοῦ 3 πρὸς ἀνατολὰς, καὶ τὸ" ἥμισυ αὐτοῦ πρὸς δύσιν θάλασσαν "", χάος μέγα σφόδρα, καὶ κλινεῖ τὸ ἥμισυ τοῦ ὄρους πρὸς βοῤῥᾶν, καὶ τὸ ἥμισυ αὐτοῦ πρὸς νότον, φάραγξ μεγάλη "3. (Ξ..) Καὶ ἐμφραχθήσεται ἡ "2 φάραγξ τῶν ὁρέων ἕως Ἰατσὰ, καὶ ἐμφραχθήσεται, ὃν τρόπον ἐνεφράγη ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ σεισμοῦ ἐν ἡμέραις Ὀξίου βασιλέω; Ἰούδα. ν» "Ὅρος δὲ, ὡς οἶμαι, καλεῖ τὴν φάλαγγα τῶν πολεμίων, εἰς τὴν τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ πολιορκίαν διαιρουμένην, καὶ τοὺς μὲν τὸ ἑῷον αὑτῆς μέρος, τοὺς δὲ τὸ ἑσπέριον καὶ ἄλλους μὲν τὰ βόρεια, ἄλλους δὲ τὰ νότια φρουροῦντας. Εἰκὸς δὲ ἣν καὶ τὸ ὄρος αὐτὸ τὴν διαίρεσιν ταύτην ὑπομεῖναι, τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν κατ᾽ αὐτῶν δεικνύντος ὀργὴν. Καὶ γὰρ ἡνίχα τὸν Δεσπότην τῷ σταυρῷ προσήλωσαν, σκότος μὲν ἐξεχύθη κατὰ πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην, χλονουμένη δὲ ἡ γῆ τάφος αὑτοῖς αὐτοσχέδιος γενέσθαι ἠπείγετο, τὰ δὲ ὄρη κατ᾽ αὐτῶν ἐφίει τὰς πτέρυγας. Λέγει τοίνυν ὅτι τούτων τῶν ὀρέων ῥαγέντων, καὶ τῶν φαράγγων αἱ διαθάσεις ἐμφραχθήσοντα:’ καθάπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ὀζίου τοῦ μεγάλου σεισμοῦ γενομένου. Εἰ γὰρ δι᾽ ἐκεῖνον ἐλάττονα πλημμελήσαντα, καὶ τῆς ἱερωσύνης παρανόμως κατατολμήσαντα, οὕτως ἔσεισε τὴν γῆν τῶν ὅλων ὁ Κύριος "5, μειζόνων οὗτοι πειραθῆναι δίκαιοι συμφορῶν, τὰ μείζονα τολμήσαντες δυσσεδήματα. Οὐδὲ γὰρ θεασάμενοι συγχινουμένην τὴν κτίσιν ἐπὶ τῷ τολμήματι τοῦ σταυροῦ, τὰ τῆς μεταμελείας προσεδέξαντο φάρμακα. Διόπερ ὁ Ἡροφήτης καταλιπὼν τὰ ἐν τῷ χαιρῷ τῆς τιμωρίας γεγενημένα, μεταφέρει τὸν λόγον ἐπὶ τὰ συμόάντα κατὰ τὴν τῆς παρανομίας ἡμέραν. ### English translation (Claude) 4. "And his feet will stand on that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is opposite Jerusalem on the east." For from the place where he was taken up into heaven he gives victory to those who campaign against the Jews. Then he says that the mountain will be divided in four, so that one part goes east, one west, one north and one south. "For the Mount of Olives," he says, "will be split, half of it toward the east and half of it toward the west, toward the sea, a very great chasm; and half of the mountain will lean toward the north and half of it toward the south, a great ravine. (5) And the ravine of the mountains will be blocked up as far as Iasa, and it will be blocked up as it was blocked up before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah." By "mountain", I think, he means the enemies' battle line, divided for the siege of Jerusalem, some guarding its eastern part, some the western, others the northern and others the southern. It is likely that the mountain itself also underwent this division, as God showed his anger against them. For when they nailed the Master to the cross, darkness was poured out over the whole world, the earth, shaken, hastened to become an improvised tomb for them, and the mountains let loose their slopes against them. He says, then, that when these mountains are broken, the passages of the ravines will also be blocked, as when the great earthquake occurred under Uzziah. For if, because of that king, who sinned less when he lawlessly presumed upon the priesthood, the Lord of all so shook the earth, these men, who dared greater impieties, deserve to experience greater calamities. For not even when they saw creation shaken at the audacity of the cross did they accept the medicines of repentance. Therefore the prophet, leaving aside what happened at the time of the punishment, transfers the discourse to what happened on the day of the transgression. ### Scripture references - Zech 14:4: quotation, high confidence - Zech 14:5: quotation, high confidence - Acts 1:12: allusion, high confidence - Matt 27:45: allusion, high confidence - Matt 27:51: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 26:16: allusion, high confidence - Amos 1:1: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 14:4; Theodoret goes on to 14:5. Uzziah: 2 Chr 26:16–21; Amos 1:1. The ascension from the Mount of Olives: Acts 1:12. The darkness and earthquake: Matt 27:45, 51. Theodoret's view of the siege as God's judgment on the Jews is translated as written. Migne's footnotes (one gives a variant reading of 14:5) are removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.14.4 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-14-4). ## Commentary on Zechariah 14:6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-14-1/#p-11-14-6 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The day without light is the day of the crucifixion, when darkness covered the world and the night was cold. ### Greek text ς΄. ε« Ἐν ἐκείνῃ γὰρ, φησὶ, τῇ ἡμέρᾳ, » καθ᾽ ἣν ὁ τῆς οἰκουμένης σταυρωθήσεται Σωτὴρ, ε οὐκ ἔσται φῶς. ν Καὶ τοῦτο ἡ ἱστορία ἐδίδαξεν " ε ᾿Απὸ "5 γὰρ ἕκτης ὥρας μέχρις ἐννάτης σκότος ἐγένετο καθ᾽ ὅλης τῆς οἰκουμένης, ν ἵνα πάντες οἱ ἄνθρωποι τῇ τῆς προφητείας μαρτυρήσωσιν ἀληθείᾳ. ε ᾿Αλλὰ "7 ψύχος καὶ πάγος ἔσται μίαν ἡμέραν "5. » Καὶ τούτον δὲ οἱ εὐαγγελισταὶ μάρτυρες, καὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων ὁ κορυφαῖος ἐν τῷ πυλῶνι παρὰ τὴν ### English translation (Claude) 6. "For on that day," he says (the day on which the Savior of the world will be crucified), "there will be no light." The history taught this too: "For from the sixth hour until the ninth there was darkness over the whole world," so that all human beings might bear witness to the truth of the prophecy. "But there will be cold and frost for one day." Of this too the evangelists are witnesses, and the chief of the apostles in the gateway beside the … ### Scripture references - Zech 14:6: quotation, high confidence - Matt 27:45: quotation, high confidence - John 18:18: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 14:6. The darkness: Matt 27:45; the cold: John 18:18 (Peter warming himself). The section breaks off in mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.14.6 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-14-6). ## Commentary on Zechariah 14:7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-14-1/#p-11-14-7 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The day neither day nor night is the day of the crucifixion; the living water is the gospel and the water and blood from Christ's side; the one Lord will reign over all nations. ### Greek text ζ΄. « Καὶ ἡ ἡμέρα ἐκείνη γνωστὴ "" τῷ Κυρίῳ. » ΚΆνω γὰρ ἅπαντα προεγίνωσκεν ὁ θεός. ε Καὶ οὐκὶ "ὁ ἡμέρα, καὶ οὐδ' νύξ,» Ἐὰν γὰρ ἡμέραν αὑτὴν προσαγορεῦσαι θελήσω, ἐπέχει με τῆς μεσημδρίας τὸ σκότος " ἐὰν δὲ γύχτα βουληθῶ ὀνομάσαι διὰ τὸ σκότος, κωλύει με τὸ μέχρις ἔκτης ὥρας, καὶ τὸ μετὰ τὴν ἐννάτην γενόμενον φῶς. Τοῦτο καὶ διὰ τοῦ Προφήτου προλέγει" ε Καὶ δ πρὸς ἑσπέραν ἔσται φῶς. » Εἶτα τὰ ἐντεῦθεν φυόμενα ἀγαθά. π΄. ε Ἐν" τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἐξελεύσεται ὕδωρ ζῶν ἐξ Ἱερουσαλῆμ,, καὶ δ" τὸ ἥμισυ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν ῦ θάλασσαν τὴν πρώτην, καὶ τὸ ἥμισυ αὑτοῦ εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν τὴν δ ἐσχάτην. » Αἰἱνέττετα! δὲ διὰ τούτου τὸ σωτήριον κήρυγμα, τὸ κατὰ πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην δραμὸν, καὶ τά τε ἑῷα, τά τε ἑσπέρια τῆς θείας διδασκαλίας ἐμπλῆσαν. Καὶ κατ᾽ αὐτὴν μέντοι τὴν ἱστορίαν ἔστιν ἰδεῖν τὴν τῆς προφητείας ἀλήθειαν ᾿ κατ᾽ ἐχείνην γὰρ τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκ τῆς ἁγίας ἄνεστυ- πλευρᾶς ἢ τῆς σωτηρίας πηγὴ, ἀφ᾽ ἧς τὰ διπλᾶ τῶν μυστηρίων ἐδεξάμεθα νάματα “ τὸ ὕδωρ, φημὶ, καὶ τὸ αἶμα, ἅπερ ὁ ἑωρακὼς μεμαρτύρηκε. Τὸ μὲν καθαΐρον ἡμᾶς, καὶ τῶν ἀμαρτημάτων ἔλευπαρασχενάζον. Λέγει δὲ καὶ τὸν καιρὸν ἐν ᾧ ταῦτα συνέδη. ε Ἐν θέρει καὶ ἔαρι ἔσται οὕτως. » Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οἱ μὲν διχὰ εἰς χειμῶνα καὶ θέρος, οἱ δὲ τετραχὰ εἰς ἔαρ, καὶ θέρος, καὶ μετόπωρον, καὶ χειμῶνα, τὸν ἐνιαυτὸν διαιροῦσιν, ἀμφότερα τέθεικε διὰ τὴν τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἀναίδειαν, ἵνα καὶ κατὰ τούτους καὶ κατ᾽ ἐκείνους τὴν ἀλήθειαν δείξῃ. Εἴτε γὰρ εἰς θέρος καὶ χειμῶνα τὸν ἐνιαυτὸν διαιρεῖτε, θέρους ἔσται "6 ἀρχὴ, ὅτε ταῦτα συμθήσεται" εἴτε τέσσαράς φατε τὰς τροπὰς, γινώσκετε ἕαρος εἶναι: καιρὸν τὸν τούτου καιρόν. Τότε προφανῶς βασιλεύσει τῆς οἴκουμένης ὁ παρ᾽ ὑμῶν ἀνασχολοπισθεὶς, καὶ ἡ μὲν πολύθεος πλάνη λήψεται πέρας. θ΄’. « Ἔσται 5 δὲ Κύριος εἷς, καὶ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ἕν, χκυχλοῦν "δ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν καὶ τὰν ἔρημον. » Οὐ γὰρ μόνον Ἰουδαῖοι ταῦτα φρανήσουσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πὰ πάλαι θεογνωσία; ἔρημα ἔθνη, τά τε ἀπὸ νότου τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καὶ τὰ ἀπὸ βοῤῥᾶ τοῦτα γὰρ εἶπεν ὁ Προφήτης. ΄ς ε 'Απὸ Γαθαᾶ δ, κκαὶ ἕως Ῥεεμὼν "5, κατὰ νότον Ἰερουσαλήμ " Ῥαμᾶ δὲ ἐπὶ τοῦ τόπου μενεῖ, ἀπὸ τῆς πύλης Πενιαμὶν, ἕως τῆς πύλης “' τῖς πρώτης. ν Αἰνίττεται δὲ διὰ τούτων τὴν Βηθλεέμ" καὶ γὰρ ὁ μακάριος Ματθαῖος, τῶν παίδων ἱστορήσας τὸν φόνον, τὴν προφητικὴν τέθεικε μαρτυρίαν, βοῶσαν- ε Φωνὴ ἐν Ῥαμὰ ἠκούσθη, θρῆνος “"᾽ καὶ κλαυθμὸς καὶ ὀδυρμὸς πολύς " Ῥαχὴλ κλαίουσα τὰ τέχνα αὑτῆς. ν Λέγει δὲ, ὅτι τῶν δυσσεδῶν ἐχεΐνων ἀναιρεθέντων, οἱ πεπιστευκότες χατοιχήσουσι καὶ τὴν τῷ Βενιαμὶν προστήχουσαν γῆν. κα’, « Καὶ ἀνάθεμα οὐκ ἔσται ἕτι, καὶ κατοικήσει τὴν "3 Ἱερουσαλὴμ πεποιθότως. » Διὰ δὲ τοῦ ἀγὰθέματος τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐσήμανεν ἀλλοτρίωσιν " οὐκἐτι γὰρ εἰδώλοις προσέξουσιγ οἱ εἰς Χριστὸν πεπιστευκότες, ἀλλὰ μετ᾽ εὐσεθείας τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ οἰχήσουσιν. Οὕτω ταῦτα προειρηκὼς, μεταφέρει τὸν λόγον ἐπὶ τὸν Γὼγ καὶ Μαγὼγ, καὶ τοὺς σὺν ἐκείνοις κατὰ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ στρατεύσαντας. Φησὶ ### English translation (Claude) 7. "And that day is known to the Lord." For God foreknew all things from above. "And it is not day, nor night." For if I wish to call it day, the darkness at noon stops me; and if I wish to name it night because of the darkness, the light until the sixth hour and the light after the ninth prevent me. This he also foretells through the prophet: "And toward evening there will be light." Then the good things that grow from this: (8) "On that day living water will go out from Jerusalem, half of it to the first sea and half of it to the last sea." By this he hints at the saving preaching, which ran through the whole world and filled both east and west with divine teaching. And according to the very history one can see the truth of the prophecy; for on that day the spring of salvation gushed out from the holy side, from which we have received the twofold streams of the mysteries, the water, I mean, and the blood, to which he who saw it bore witness: the one cleansing us and [freeing us] from sins, the other … And he also tells the season in which these things happened: "In summer and spring it will be so." For since some divide the year in two, into winter and summer, and others in four, into spring, summer, autumn and winter, he put both because of the shamelessness of the Jews, so as to show the truth by the reckoning of both. For if you divide the year into summer and winter, it will be the beginning of summer when these things happen; and if you speak of four seasons, know that the time of this event is spring. Then the one whom you impaled will plainly reign over the world, and the error of many gods will come to an end. (9) "And the Lord will be one, and his name one, encircling all the earth and the wilderness." For not only the Jews will think so, but also the nations formerly bereft of the knowledge of God, both those to the south of Jerusalem and those to the north; for the prophet said this: (10) "From Gabaa to Rimmon, south of Jerusalem; and Rama will remain in its place, from the gate of Benjamin to the first gate." By these he hints at Bethlehem; for the blessed Matthew, recounting the murder of the children, set down the prophetic testimony that cries: "A voice was heard in Rama, lamentation and weeping and much mourning, Rachel weeping for her children." He says that when those impious ones have been destroyed, those who have believed will dwell also in the land belonging to Benjamin. (11) "And there will no longer be a curse, and Jerusalem will dwell securely." By "curse" he signified alienation from God; for those who have believed in Christ will no longer attend to idols, but will inhabit Jerusalem with piety. Having foretold these things thus, he transfers the discourse to Gog and Magog and those who campaigned with them against Jerusalem. He says ### Scripture references - Zech 14:7: quotation, high confidence - Zech 14:8: quotation, high confidence - Zech 14:9: quotation, high confidence - Zech 14:10: quotation, high confidence - Zech 14:11: quotation, high confidence - John 19:34: allusion, high confidence - John 19:35: allusion, high confidence - Matt 2:18: quotation, high confidence - Jer 31:15 (38:15 LXX): quotation, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 14:7; Theodoret goes on to 14:8–11. The water and blood: John 19:34–35, the "twofold streams of the mysteries". Rama: Matt 2:18 (Jer 31:15). The remark on the Jews' calendar is Theodoret's polemic, translated as written. Migne's Latin column and marginal verse numbers are removed; a few words lost with them are marked … or supplied in brackets. The sentence continues in the next section. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.14.7 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-14-7). ## Commentary on Zechariah 14:12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-14-1/#p-11-14-12 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God will strike the nations that attack Jerusalem with wasting plagues and mutual slaughter, and the Jews will take their spoil. ### Greek text ιβ΄. ε« Καὶ αὕτη ἔσται ἡ πτῶσις, ἣν χόψει Κύριος πάντας τοὺς λαοὺς, ὅσοι ἐπεστράτευσαν ἐπὶ Ἵερουσαλήμ' Τακήσονται αἱ σάρκες αὐτῶν ἐστηκότων ἑ πὶ τῶν ποδῶν" αὑτῶν, καὶ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτῶν ῥυῇσονται ἐκ τῶν ὁπῶν αὑτῶν, καὶ ἡ γλῶσσα αὑτῶν τακήσεται ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτῶν. » Διδάσκει οἵαις θεηλάτοις παραδοθήσονται τιμωρίαις " τά τε γὰρ σώματα αὐτῶν ἐχταχίχσονται, φησὶ, καὶ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὑτῶν ὀχχοπήσονται, καὶ φθορὰν ὑπομενοῦσιν αἱ γλῶσσαι " ἔξω δὲ αὐτοὺς τῶν οἰκείων χαταστήτας φρενῶν τῶν ὅλων ὁ Κύριος, κατ᾽ ἀλλήλων αὐτοὺς χωρῆσαι παρασχευάσει, ὥστε ταῖς ἀλλήλων δεξιαῖς τῷ θανάτῳ -καραπεμφθῆναι “ οἱ δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ στρατηγούμενοι Ἰουδαῖοι θξαταὶ μόνον τοῦ θανάτου γενόμενοι, τὸν ἐχείνων σχυλεύσουσι πλοῦτον, χρυδὸν ὅτι πλεῖστον, καὶ ἄργυρον, καὶ ἐσθῆτα πολύνυ ἂττιμον κομιζόμενοι " οἱ γὰρ ἵπποι, σὺν τοῖς ὄνοις, καὶ ἡμιόνοις, καὶ καμήλοις, φθορᾷ μετὰ τῶν ἀνθρώ- ### English translation (Claude) 12. "And this will be the downfall with which the Lord will strike all the peoples who campaigned against Jerusalem: their flesh will melt while they stand on their feet, and their eyes will flow out of their sockets, and their tongue will melt in their mouth." He teaches to what God-sent punishments they will be handed over: their bodies, he says, will waste away, their eyes will be gouged out, and their tongues will suffer corruption; and the Lord of all, putting them out of their minds, will make them turn against one another, so that they are sent to death by one another's hands; while the Jews, led by God as their general, having been only spectators of their death, will strip off their wealth, a very great amount of gold and silver and much clothing, carrying off …; for the horses, with the donkeys, mules and camels, [will be handed over] to destruction together with the men … ### Scripture references - Zech 14:12: quotation, high confidence - Zech 14:13: allusion, high confidence - Zech 14:14: allusion, high confidence - Zech 14:15: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 14:12; Theodoret paraphrases 14:13–15. The section breaks off in mid-word. Migne's Latin column is removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.14.12 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-14-12). ## Commentary on Zechariah 14:16 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-14-1/#p-11-14-16 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The surviving nations will come yearly to Jerusalem for the feast of Tabernacles, and those who later neglect it will be punished. ### Greek text τς΄. ε Καὶ ἔσται, ὅσοι ἐὰν χαταλειφθῶσιν ἐκ πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν τῶν ἐλθόντων ἐπὶ Ἱερουσαλὴμ, παὶ ἀναδήσονται ἐν'αυτὸν δ κατ᾽ ἐνιαυτὸν τοῦ προσπυνεῖν δ6 τῷ βασιλεῖ Κυρίῳ παντοκράτορι, καὶ τοῦ ἑορτάζειν 5 τὴν ἑορτὴν τῆς Σκηνοπηγίας. » Ταύτης δὲ τῆς νίκης, φησὶ, γενομένης, τοσοῦτο δέος ἐπιπεσεῖται τοῖς χαταλειπομένοις τῶν ἀλλοφύλων ἐθνῶν, ὡς κατ᾽ ἐνιαυτὸν εἰς τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ τρέχειν, καὶ τῷ Κυρίῳ τῶν ὅλων τὸ σέδας προσφέρειν, καὶ μετὰ τοῦ λαοῦ πανηγυρίζειν τῆς Σκηνοπηγίας τὴν ἔορτὴν " ἐπιτήδειος γὰρ εἰς ἀποδημίας ὁ ταύτης καιρὸς, θέρους ὑπάρχων καιρός. ιζ’-ἰθ΄, « Καὶ ἔσται, ὅσοι δ΄ μὴ ἀναδῶσιν ἐκ πασῶν τῶν φυλῶν τῆς γῆς εἰς Ἱερουσαλὴς 55, τοῦ προσκυνῆσαι τῷ βασιλεῖ Κυρίῳ παντοκράτορι, καὶ οὗτοι ἐκείνοις 75 προστεθήσονται, καὶ 1' οὐκ ἔσται ἐπ᾿ αὐτοὺς ὑετός. ᾿Εὰν δὲ φυλὴ Αἰγύπτου μὴ ἀναθδῇ, μηδὲ ἔλθῃ ἐκεῖ 13, καὶ ἐπὶ τούτους 15 ἔσται ἡ πληγὴ 7", ἣν πατάξει 15 Κύριος πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, ὅσα ἂν μὴ αὶ ἀναθῇ τοῦ ἑορτάσαι τὴν ἑορτὴν τῆς Σκηνοπηγίας, Αὕτη 6 ἔσται ἡ ἀμαρτία Αἰγύπτου, καὶ ἡ ἁμαρτία πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν, ὅσα ἂν μὴ ἀναδῇ τοῦ ἑορτάσαι τὴν ἑορτὴν τῆς Σκηνοπηγίας. χα Ὅσοι δὲ, φησὶ, τῶν εἶτα κατολιγωρήσαντες ὧν εὖ καὶ καλῶς προείλαντο, μὴ ἀφίκωνται κατὰ τὸ ἔθος εἰς τὴν προειρημένην πανήγυριν, ταντὰ πείσονται τοῖς ἐπιστρατεύσασι καὶ δεξαμένοις τὴν τιμωρίαν. Καὶ οὗτοι γὰρ, φησὶν, ε ἐκείνοις προστεθήσονται, καὶ οὐκ ἔσται ἐπ᾽ αὐνοὺς δετός " » ἀντὶ τοῦ, φιλανθρωπίας οὐδεμιᾶς ἀπολαύσουσιν. Εἴτε δὲ Αἰγύπτιοι, εἴτε ἄλλοι τινὲς, ἐκπλαγέντες τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ δύναμιν, καταμελήσωσι ταύτης τῆς ἑορτῆς, καὶ τὸ προσῆκον ἐν αὐτῇ τῷ Θεῷ μὴ προσενέγκωσι καὶ ἐπ᾿ αὑτοῖς, φησὶν ἔσται ἡ πτῶσις" ἐπειδὴ χαλεπὰ πλημμελοῦσι, μεμαθηκότες μὲν τὴν τῶν οἰκείων εἰδώλων ἀσθένειαν, προφανῶς δὲ θεασάμενοι τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ἰσχὺν, καὶ τῇ προτέρᾳ ξεθυρίᾳ προσμένοντες. ### English translation (Claude) 16. "And it will be that all who are left of all the nations that came against Jerusalem will go up year by year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to keep the feast of Tabernacles." When this victory has taken place, he says, such fear will fall on those left of the foreign nations that they will run to Jerusalem year by year, offer reverence to the Lord of all, and celebrate the feast of Tabernacles with the people; for its season is suitable for travel, being the season of summer. (17–19) "And it will be that whoever of all the tribes of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, these too will be added to those, and there will be no rain upon them. And if the tribe of Egypt does not go up nor come there, upon these too will be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the nations that do not go up to keep the feast of Tabernacles. This will be the sin of Egypt and the sin of all the nations that do not go up to keep the feast of Tabernacles." Those of [the nations], he says, who afterwards neglect what they well and rightly chose and do not come, as is the custom, to the festival mentioned, will suffer the same as those who campaigned and received punishment. "For these too," he says, "will be added to those, and there will be no rain upon them," that is, they will enjoy no kindness. And whether Egyptians or any others, after being astonished at God's power, neglect this feast and do not offer God what is fitting at it, "upon them too," he says, "will be the downfall"; for they offend grievously, having learned the weakness of their own idols and plainly seen the might of God, and yet remaining in their former superstition. ### Scripture references - Zech 14:16: quotation, high confidence - Zech 14:17: quotation, high confidence - Zech 14:18: quotation, high confidence - Zech 14:19: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 14:16; Theodoret goes on to 14:17–19. He reads these verses of the nations' pilgrimages to the second temple. Migne's Latin column is removed; words lost in the scan are supplied by sense in brackets. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.14.16 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-14-16). ## Commentary on Zechariah 14:20 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-14-1/#p-11-14-20 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The holy bridles and cauldrons are the spoils dedicated to God after the nations' defeat; Theodoret ends Zechariah praying that no "Canaanite" be found among Christians. ### Greek text χ', κα΄. « Ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἔσται τὰ ἐπὶ τὸν χαλινὸν 77 τοῦ ἵππου ἅγιον Κυρίῳ 1" παντοκράτορι͵ καὶ ἔσονται οἱ λέδητες ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ Κυρίου, ὡς φιάλαι πρὸ πρααώπον τοῦ θυσιαατηρίου. Καὶ ἕσται πᾶς λέβης ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ καὶ ἐν τῷ Ἰούδᾳ ἅγιος 5 τῷ Κυρίῳ παντοκράτορι, καὶ ἥξουσι πάντες οἱ θυσιάζοντες, καὶ λήψονται ἐξ αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐψήσουσιν ἐν αὐτοῖς. ν Τῶν γὰρ μυρίων ἐκείνων ἀναιρεθέντων ἐθνῶν, οἷον ἀκροθίνια προσέφερον τῷ Θεῷ τῶν σκύλων τὰ πλεῖστα. Καὶ χαλινοὺς γὰρ ἀνέθηκαν, χάριν ὁμολογοῦντες ὑπὲρ τῆς τῶν ἵππων σφαγῆς " καὶ λέ- (ητας δὲ ὅτι πλείστους, οἷόν τινας φιάλας πρὸ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίον τεθείκασιν, εἰς τὰς χρείας τῶν πανταχόθεν ἀφικνουμένων, καὶ προσφερόντων τὰ θύματα. Πᾶς γὰρ δεόμενος ἕνα τούτων λαμδάνων ἥψει τῶν ἱερέων τὰ κρέα. Κατ᾽ ἐκεῖνον δὲ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς ναῖος ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ Κυρίου παντοκράτορος. » Τοντέστι, τὰ Χαναναίων φρονῶν, ἀσεδείᾳ συζῶν, παρανομίᾳ Β χρώμενος. Παράσχοι δὲ τῶν ὅλων ὁ Κύριος τήνδε πὴν φωνὴν ἐπαληθεῦσαι καὶ νῦν, καὶ μηδένα ἐν ἡμῖν Χαναναῖον ὀφθῆναι, ἀλλὰ πάντας κατὰ τοὺς εὐανγελιχοὺς πολιτεύεσθαι νόμους, καὶ τὴν μακαρίαν περιμένειν ἐλπίδα, καὶ τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν τοῦ μεγάλου Θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ᾽ οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡ δόξα, σὺν τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. ᾿Αμήν. ### English translation (Claude) 20–21. "On that day what is on the bridle of the horse will be holy to the Lord Almighty, and the cauldrons in the house of the Lord will be like bowls before the altar. And every cauldron in Jerusalem and in Judah will be holy to the Lord Almighty, and all who sacrifice will come and take from them and boil in them." For when those countless nations had been destroyed, they offered most of the spoils to God as first-fruits. They dedicated bridles, giving thanks for the slaughter of the horses; and they set up a great many cauldrons, like bowls, before the altar, for the use of those who came from everywhere and offered sacrifices; for everyone who needed one took one of these and boiled the meat of the victims. And at that time "[there will no longer be a] Canaanite in the house of the Lord Almighty," that is, one who thinks as the Canaanites, lives with impiety, and practices lawlessness. May the Lord of all grant that this word come true now too, and that no Canaanite be seen among us, but that all live according to the laws of the Gospel and await the blessed hope and the appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, with whom be glory to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, now and always and to the ages of ages. Amen. ### Scripture references - Zech 14:20: quotation, high confidence - Zech 14:21: quotation, high confidence - Titus 2:13: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Zech 14:20–21. The last words of the lemma are partly lost in the scan (supplied in brackets from the LXX). Closing echo: Titus 2:13. Migne's Latin column is removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 11.14.20 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-14-20). ## Commentary on Malachi, Preface, part 1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-14-1/#p-12-0-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Theodoret summarizes Malachi: rebukes to priests and people, prophecies of Christ's coming, the calling of the nations, the Jews' unbelief, and the second coming. ### Greek text δὲ χωρὶς μὲν τοῖς ἱερεῦσι, χωρὶς δὲ τοῖς ἄλλοις, τὰς ὑπ᾽ αὐτῶν τολμωμένας παρανομίας φέρων εἰς μέσον. Προκηρύττει δὲ τοῦ Δεσπότου Χριστοῦ τὴν κατὰ σάρκα παρουσίαν, καὶ τὴν σωτηρίαν, ἧς διὰ ταύτην ἀπήλαυσε τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὸ γένος. Προθεσπίξει δὲ καὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν τὴν κλῆσιν, καὶ Ἰουδαίων τὴν ἀπιστίαν, καὶ πρὸς τούτοις τὴν δευτέραν τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐπιφάνειαν. ΓΆγγελος δὲ τῇ Ἑλλάδι καλεῖται φωνῇ, Μαιλαχίας δὲ τῇ Ἑδραίων. ἤλρχεται δὲ τῆς προφητείας οὕτως δ᾽" ### English translation (Claude) … separately to the priests and separately to the others, bringing into the open the lawless deeds they dare. He proclaims beforehand the coming of Christ the Master in the flesh, and the salvation which the human race enjoyed through it. He foretells also the calling of the nations and the unbelief of the Jews, and besides these the second appearing of our God and Savior. In the Greek tongue he is called Angelos, and Malachi in that of the Hebrews. He begins his prophecy thus: ### Translation notes - The end of the preface to Malachi; its beginning is lost in the scan. "Angelos" translates the name Malachi ("my messenger"). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 12.0.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-0-1). ## Commentary on Malachi 1:1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-14-1/#p-12-1-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Malachi calls himself God's messenger because he serves the divine words, and bids the people take them to heart. ### Greek text α΄. « Λῆμμα λόγου Κυρίου ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ, ἐν χειρὶ ἀγγέλου αὐτοῦ. » Δηφθεῖσά μου, φησὶν, ἡ διάνοια ὑπὸ θείας χάριτος, καὶ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ἁπάνπων ἐκτὸς γενομένη, τὴν περὶ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἐδέξατο φρηαγόρευτιν " οὐκ ἵνα μόνος ταύτην ἔχω τὴν γνῶσιν, ἀλλ᾽ ἵνα καὶ αὐτοῖ; ἐπαγγείλω δ΄ τὰ δηλωθέντα, Τούτου χάριν ἑαυτὸν ἄγγελον προσηγόρευσεν, ὡς τοῖς θείοις λόγοις ὑπηρετοῦντα. Οὕτως ὑποδείξας τὸν δι᾽ αὐτοῦ φθεγγόμενον Κύριον, παραινεῖ τῷ λαῷ προσέχειν τοῖς λεγομένοις. ε Θέσθε δὴ ἐπὶ τὰς χαὸδίας ὑμῶν. » ᾿Αντὶ τοῦ, Σὺν ἀκριδείᾳ πάσῃ τοῖς θείοις λογίοις προσέχετε. ### English translation (Claude) 1. "The burden of the word of the Lord upon Israel by the hand of his messenger." My mind, he says, seized by divine grace and placed outside all human things, received the prediction about Israel, not so that I alone should have this knowledge, but so that I might also announce to them what was revealed. For this reason he called himself a messenger, as one who serves the divine words. Having thus shown that the Lord speaks through him, he exhorts the people to attend to what is said: "Set it, then, on your hearts." That is, attend with all exactness to the divine oracles. ### Scripture references - Mal 1:1: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mal 1:1, with the LXX addition "Set it, then, on your hearts". "Messenger" (ἄγγελος) renders the name Malachi. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 12.1.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-1-1). ## Commentary on Malachi 1:2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-14-1/#p-12-1-2 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God shows his love for Israel by recalling that he preferred Jacob to his twin Esau, whom he rejected for his wickedness and whose land he left desolate. ### Greek text β΄. « Ἠγάπησα ὑμᾶς, λέγει Κύριος, καὶ εἴπατε" Ἐν τίνι ἢγάπησας ἡμᾶς δ᾽, ν Οὐκ ὡς ἐρωτήσεως τοιαύτης ὑπὸ τοῦ λαοῦ γενομένης τέθεικεν " ἀλλὰ τὸ ἄγνωμον αὐτῶν τῆ: διανοίας ἐλέγχει, ὅτι τοσαύτης ἀγάπης παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων ἀπολαύσαντες, οὐ μόνον ἀγνώμονες περὶ τὸν εὐεργέτην ἐγένοντο, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸ τοῦτο ἡγνόησαν, ὅτι ἡγαπήθησαν. Διόπερ αὶ ἐλέγχει αὐτῶν τὴν ἀχάριστον γνώμην, ἄνωθεν ἐκ τῶν προγόνων δεικνὺ: τὴν τῆς ἀγάπης ὑπερ- « Οὐκ ἀδελφὸς ἦν Ἡσαῦ τοῦ Ἰακὼό, λέγει Κὺρίος " καὶ ἠγάπησα τὸν Ἰαχὼθ (γ'.), τὸν δὲ Ἡσαῦ ἐμίσησα; ν Ἴστε σαφῶς, φησὶ, καὶ ὑμεῖς ταῖς Μωκαὶ ὁ Ἰαχὼδ ὁ ὑμέτερος γενάρχης, καὶ τὸν αὐτὸν ἔσχον πατέρα, καὶ ἐκ μιᾶς ἐθλάστησαν μήτρας, καὶ τὴν αὐτὴν κατ᾽ αὐτὸν " ᾧκησαν γαστέρα " ἀλλ᾽ ὅμως οὐδὲ ἡ κοινωνία τῆς φύσεως, οὔτε ὁ χρόνος τῆς γεννήσεως εἷς ὧν ἀμφοτέρων, ἴσην αὐτοῖς παρεσκεύασε τὴν ἐμὴν δοῦναι διάθεσιν " ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ πατρὸς τοῖς «ἧς φύσεως νόμοις ἀχολουθοῦντος, καὶ τῷ Ἢσαῦ … ἔξαι δοῦναι τὰ προντοτόχια φιλονεικοῦντος, τὸν ἀντ᾽ ἐκείνου τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἐμίσησα, » διὰ τὴν πονηρίαν τοῦ τρόπου": « Καὶ μέντοι καὶ τὸ γένος τοῦ Ἡσαῦ, ἐπειδὴ τοῦ παρ᾽ ἐμοῦ διετέλεσς. Διόπερ καὶ τὴν ἐρημίαν ταὐτὴν ὑπέμεινε " τοῦτο γὰρ διὰ τῶν ἐπαγομένων ἐδῇ- « Καὶ ἔταξα τὰ ὅρια αὐτοῦ εἰς ἀφανισμὸν, καὶ τὴν κληρονομίαν αὐτοῦ εἰς δώματα ἐρήμου. (δ'.) Διότι ἐὰν εἴπῃ "' Ἡ Ἰδουμαία κατέστραπται, καὶ ἐπιαὑτῆς ᾿ τάδε λέγει Κύριος παντοχράτωρ᾽ Αὐτοὶ οἱθήσεται αὐτοῖς ὅρια ἀνομίας, καὶ λαὺς, ἐφ᾽ ὄν παρατέτακται Κύριος ἕως αἰῶνος. » Κἂν γὰρ ἐπιχειρῇσωσι 5΄ τὰς οἰκείας οἰκοδομῆσαι πόλεις, ψευδεῖς αὑτῶν ἀποφανῶ τὰς ἐλπίδας, καὶ λήψονται τῆς ἀνομίας τὴν ἐρημίαν καρπόν. Τοῦτο γὰρ εἶπε " « Καὶ ἐπιχληθήσεται αὐτοῖς ὄρια ἀνομίας. ν Καὶ ταύτην παρ᾽ ἐμοῦ μέχρι τέλους λήψονται τὴν ἀράν. ### English translation (Claude) 2. "I have loved you, says the Lord; and you said: In what have you loved us?" He has not put this as though the people had asked such a question; but he exposes the ingratitude of their mind: having enjoyed such love from the God of all, they not only became ungrateful to their benefactor, but did not even know this very thing, that they were loved. Therefore he exposes their thankless mind, showing the excess of his love from of old, from their ancestors: "Was not Esau Jacob's brother? says the Lord; and I loved Jacob, (3) but Esau I hated." You too know clearly, he says, [from reading] Moses' [books, that Esau] and Jacob your forefather had the same father, sprang from one womb, and dwelt in the same belly together; and yet neither the sharing of nature nor the one time of birth of both made them receive an equal disposition from me; but even when their father followed the laws of nature and [favored] Esau, … striving to give him the birthright, [I preferred] the other in his place; "but Esau I hated," because of the wickedness of his character. And indeed the race of Esau too, since it continued [estranged] from me, therefore also suffered this desolation; for he showed this by what follows: "And I made his borders a desolation and his inheritance dwellings of the wilderness. (4) For if Idumea says: It has been overthrown, [let us return and rebuild the desolate places], thus says the Lord Almighty: They [will build, and I will tear down; and] they will be called borders of lawlessness, and a people against whom the Lord has set himself forever." For even if they try to build their own cities, I will make their hopes false, and they will reap desolation as the fruit of their lawlessness. For this is what he said: "And they will be called borders of lawlessness." And they will receive this curse from me to the end. ### Scripture references - Mal 1:2: quotation, high confidence - Mal 1:3: quotation, high confidence - Mal 1:4: quotation, high confidence - Gen 25:24: allusion, high confidence - Gen 27:1: allusion, medium confidence - Rom 9:13: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mal 1:2; Theodoret goes on to 1:3–4. He ties God's hatred of Esau to Esau's wickedness. History: Gen 25:22–26; 27:1–4. Cf. Rom 9:13. Words lost in the scan are supplied in brackets from the LXX or by sense, or marked …. Migne's Latin column and footnotes are removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 12.1.2 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-1-2). ## Commentary on Malachi 1:5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-14-1/#p-12-1-5 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Edom's ruin will show Israel how greatly God cares for it. ### Greek text ε΄. ε« Καὶ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ὑμῶν ὄψονται, καὶ ὑμεῖς ἐρεῖτε - ᾿Εμεγαλύνθη Κύριος ὑπεράνω τῶν ὁρίων Ἰσραὴλ 3ν. ν Τοῦτο δὲ θεασάμενοι γνώσεσθε, ὅσης ὑμεῖς ἀπολαύετε παρ᾽ ἐμοῦ προμηθείας, Οὔτω δείξας ἣν ἔσχε περὶ αὐτοὺς ἀγάπην, τὴν πολλὴν αὐτῶν ἀγνυ- ### English translation (Claude) 5. "And your eyes will see, and you will say: The Lord has been magnified beyond the borders of Israel." Seeing this, you will know how much providence you enjoy from me. Having thus shown the love he had for them, [he exposes] their great ingratitude ### Scripture references - Mal 1:5: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mal 1:5. The sentence continues in the next section. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 12.1.5 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-1-5). ## Commentary on Malachi 1:6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-14-1/#p-12-1-6 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God, Israel's Father and Lord, receives neither honor nor fear, and the priests above all despise his name. ### Greek text ς΄. ε Υἱὸς δοξάζει πατέρα, καὶ δοῦλος τὸν χύριον αὑτοῦ 3 φοδηθήσεται" καὶ εἰ πατήρ εἰμι ἐγὼ, ποῦ ἔστιν ἡ δόξα μου; καὶ εἰ Κύριός εἰμι ἐγὼ, ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ φόδος μου; λέγει Κύριος παντοχράτωρ. » Δύο, φησὶ, διαθέσεις ἐν τοῖς ἀρχομένοις ἅπασι πολιτεύογται, ἀγάπη καὶ φόθος " ἀλλ᾽ ἡ μὲν υἱοῖς, ἡ δὲ δούλοις ἁρμόττει. Ἐγὼ δὲ ὑμῖν ἀμφοτέρων τῶν ὀνομάτων μετέδωχα᾽ οὐ γὰρ μόνον δούλους, ἀλλὰ καὶ υἱοὺς προσηγόρευπα' « Ἐγὼ γὰρ εἶπον " Θεοί ἔστε, καὶ υἱοὶ ὙΨίστου πάντες. » Καί - «ε ΥἹοὺς ἐγέννηπα καὶ ὕψωσα. ν Καί " ε ΥἹὸς πρωτότοκός μου Ἰσραήλ.» Εἰ μὲν οὖν τὴν τῶν υἱῶν προσηγορίαν ἀσπάζεσθε, δείξασθε "9 τὸ γέρας, ὅπερ ὡς πατρὶ προσφέρει» ἐπείγεσθς. Εἰ δὲ δούλους σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ὑπολαμδάνετε, τί δήποτε τὸ δέος, ὃ προσήκει δούλους ἔχειν, οὐκ ἔχετε; καὶ ταῦτα τοιοῦτον ἔχοντες Κύριον, ὃς πάντων ὁμοῦ τῶν ὁρωμένων καὶ τῶν ἀοράτων κρατεῖ; Μέχρι μὲν οὖν τούτου κοινῇ πᾶσιν αὐτοῖς ἐπεμέμψατο ἐντεῦθεν δὲ κατὰ διαίρεσιν τὴν κατηγορίαν ποιεῖται " καὶ πρῶτον τῶν ἱερέων διελέγχει τὰ πλημμελήματα, ἐπειδὴ καὶ μειζόνων ἐγκλημάτων ἦσαν ἄξιοι, οὐ μόνον αὐτοὶ παρανομοῦντες, ἀλλὰ καὶ παρανομίας ἀρχέτυπον τοῖς ἄλλοις γενόμενοι ᾽". « Ὑμεῖς οἱ ἱερεῖς, οἱ φαυλίξοντες τὸ δνομά μοῦ, καὶ εἴπατε - Ἐν τίνι ἐφαυλίσαμεν τὸ ὄνομά σον} Ἡ περὶ τὴν ἱερατικὴν λειτουργίαν ὑμῶν χαταφρό. νήσις εὐτελῆ μέ τινα καὶ οὐδενὸς ἄξιον λόγου παρ τοῖς πολλοῖς δείκνυσιν " ὑμεῖς δὲ οὐδὲ τούτου λαμδά- Α νετε αἴσθησιν, οὐδὲ γινώσχειν τὸ πλημμελούμενον βούλεσθε. Τὸ γάρ « Εἴπατε " Ἐν τίνι ἐφαυλίσαμεν τὸ ὄνομά σο); » τοῦτο δηλοῖ - οὐκ ἐπειδὴ ῥήμασι τοιούτοις ἐχέχρηντο, ἀλλ᾽ ἐπειδὴ λογισμοὺς τοιούτους ἐκέκτηντο. Εἶτα καὶ τοῦ φαυλισμοῦ λέγει τὰ αἴτια, ### English translation (Claude) 6. "A son honors his father, and a servant will fear his master; and if I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am Lord, where is my fear? says the Lord Almighty." Two dispositions, he says, govern all who are ruled, love and fear; but the one befits sons and the other servants. I have given you a share in both names; for I called you not only servants but also sons: "For I said: You are gods, and all sons of the Most High." And: "I have begotten sons and raised them up." And: "Israel is my firstborn son." If, then, you embrace the name of sons, show the honor which you ought to hasten to offer as to a father. But if you take yourselves to be servants, why do you not have the fear that servants ought to have, and that when you have such a Lord, who rules over all things, visible and invisible alike? Up to this point he has reproached them all in common; from here he makes his accusation by groups. And first he exposes the offenses of the priests, since they deserved the greater charges, not only transgressing themselves but becoming a pattern of transgression for the others: "You priests who despise my name, and you said: In what have we despised your name?" Your contempt for the priestly service makes me seem to the many cheap and of no account; and you do not even perceive this, nor do you wish to recognize the offense. For this is what "You said: In what have we despised your name?" shows: not that they used such words, but that they had such thoughts. Then he also tells the causes of the contempt: ### Scripture references - Mal 1:6: quotation, high confidence - Ps 82:6 (81:6 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Isa 1:2: quotation, high confidence - Exod 4:22: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mal 1:6. Quotations: Ps 82:6 (LXX 81:6); Isa 1:2; Exod 4:22. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 12.1.6 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-1-6). ## Commentary on Malachi 1:7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-14-1/#p-12-1-7 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The priests insult God by offering defiled bread and blind and lame victims that no human governor would accept. ### Greek text ζ΄. ε Προσάγοντες πρὸς τὸ θυσιαστήριόν μου τοὺς ἄρτους ἡλισγημένους, καὶ εἴπατε " Ἔν τίνι ἡλισγήσαμεν αὐτούς; Ἐν τῷ λέγειν ὑμᾶς" Τράπεζα Κυρίου σατε "δ, » Τοὺς ἠλισγημένους οἱ περὶ τὸν ᾿Ακύλαν τοῦ, οὐ κατὰ νόμον εἰργασμένους, ἀλλὰ παρανόμω: γεγενημένους. Ταῦτα δὲ ἑἐτολμᾶτε, οὐκ ἡγούμενοι σεπτὴν εἶναι τὴν ἀφιερωμένην μοι τράπεζαν. Εἰ γὰρ ἐκείνῃ τὸ ") προσῆκον ἀπενείμετε σέδας, πάσης ἂν ἠξιώσατε σπουδῆς τὰ ἐπ᾽ αὐτῆς μοι προσφερόμενα. Ἔπειτα οὐ δεσποτικῶς, ἀλλὰ πατρικῶς αὐτοῖς ἐγκαλεῖ, ὅτι καὶ τυφλὰ καὶ χωλὰ προσέφερον θύματα, ἄρτια τοῦ νόμου σαφῶς ἱερατεύειν κελεύοντος. Καὶ δεικνὺς τὴν τῆς ἀσεδείας ὑπερθολήν᾽ « Προσάγαγε δὴ, φησὶν, αὐτὸ τῷ ἡγουμένῳ σου, εἰ προσδέξεται 3", εἰ λήψεται πρόσωπόν σου, λέγει Κύριος παντοχράτωρ. » Εἰ γὰρ ὁ τὴν αὐτὴν σοι περικείμενος φύσιν ὕδριν ἡγεῖται καὶ παροινίαν τὴν τοιαύτην τιμὴν, καὶ οὐδὲ παρόντα ἐρυθριᾷ σε, ἀλλὰ τὸ κακῶς πρώοσφερόμενον ἀποπέμπεται δῶρον, σκόπησον, ἡλίκον ἐστὶν ἀσέθδημα τὸ τῷ Δημιουργῷ τῶν ὅλων τοιαῦτα προσφέρειν. Εἶτα χρήσασθαι μεταμελείᾳ συμόουλεύει, καὶ τὴν οἰκείαν εὐμένειαν ὑπισχνεῖται. ### English translation (Claude) 7. "Bringing to my altar polluted loaves, and you said: In what have we polluted them? In your saying: The table of the Lord [is despised]." The "polluted" loaves Aquila and his school [render …], that is, made not according to the law but lawlessly. These things you dared, not thinking the table dedicated to me venerable. For had you given it the fitting reverence, you would have thought what is offered to me upon it worthy of all zeal. Then he charges them not as a master but as a father, that they offered blind and lame victims, though the law clearly commanded them to sacrifice perfect ones. And showing the excess of the impiety: (8) "Bring it, then," he says, "to your governor, whether he will accept it, whether he will receive your person, says the Lord Almighty." For if one who has the same nature as you considers such an honor an insult and drunken outrage, and does not respect you even when you are present, but sends back the badly offered gift, consider how great an impiety it is to offer such things to the Creator of all. Then he counsels them to use repentance and promises his own favor. ### Scripture references - Mal 1:7: quotation, high confidence - Mal 1:8: quotation, high confidence - Lev 22:22: allusion, high confidence - Deut 15:21: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mal 1:7; Theodoret paraphrases 1:8a and quotes 1:8b. Aquila's rendering is lost in the scan. The law: Lev 22:22; Deut 15:21. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 12.1.7 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-1-7). ## Commentary on Malachi 1:9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-14-1/#p-12-1-9 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God calls the priests to repent, foretells that he will shut the temple and end the sacrifices of the law, and announces the pure sacrifice of the nations. ### Greek text θ΄. « Καὶ" νῦν ἐξιλάσχεσθε τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ θεοῦ ὑμῶν, καὶ δεήθητε αὐτοῦ, ν ἵνα ἐλεήσῃ ὑμᾶς. Καὶ πλείονα αὐτοῖς αἴσθησιν ἐντιθεὶς τοῦ τολμήματος, ἐναργέστερον ποιΞξῖται τὸν ἔλεγχον Ἐν χερσὶν ὑμῶν γέγονε ταῦτα, οὐ πατρῴαν ὑμῖν ἐγκαλῶ παρανομίαν, ἀλλ᾽ ἔτι καὶ νῦν ὑφ᾽ ὑμῶν τολμωμένην. « Εἰ λήψομαι ἐξ ὑμῶν πρόσωπα; λέγει Κύριος παντοχράτωρ. » Τοῦτο 3 κατ᾽ ἐρώτησιν ἀναγνωστέον " Δίχα γὰρ μεν΄. εΔιότι καὶ ἐν ὑμῖν συγχλεισθήσονται θύραι, καὶ οὐκ ἀνάψετε"δ τὸ θυσιαστήριόν μου δωρεάν. » Ἐξπειδὴ δὲ ἀναλγησίαν ἐσχάτην νοσεῖτε, οἶδα ὡς τῆς ἐμῆς ὑμᾶς αὐλῆς ἀποπέμψομαι, καὶ οἷόν τινας θύρας ἀποχλείσω, τὴν κατὰ νόμον παύων λατρείαν ᾿ οὐ γὰρ ἀνέξομαι μάτην θυσίας προσφέρεσθαι, οὐδενὸς τὴν ἐντεῦθεν ὄνησιν δεχομένον. Οὕτως Ἰουδαίοις προαγορεύσας 3 τῆς νομικῆς ἱερουργίας τὴν παῦλαν, τὴν καθαρὰν καὶ ἀναίμακτον τῶν ἐθνῶν προκηρύττει θυσίαν. Καὶ πρῶτον μὲν πρὸς αὐτοὺς Ἰουδαίου: φησίν " εΟὐχ ἔστι μοι ' θέλημα ἐν ὑμῖν, λέγει Κύριος παντοχράτωρ ἢ, καὶ θυσίαν οὐ προσδέξομαι ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν ὑμῶν. » Εἶτα τῶν ἐθνῶν προδηλοῖ τὴν εὐσέθειαν " … Ο θείαν πρόῤῥησιν ἀπεδλήθησαν" διό φησιν πρὸς … ### English translation (Claude) 9. "And now propitiate the face of your God and entreat him," that he may have mercy on you. And instilling in them a fuller sense of their audacity, he makes the reproof more vivid: "These things have come about by your hands": I do not charge you with your fathers' lawlessness, but with what you still dare even now. "Shall I receive your persons? says the Lord Almighty." This must be read as a question; for apart from … (10) "For the doors will also be shut among you, and you will not kindle my altar for nothing." Since you suffer from the utmost insensibility, I know that I will send you away from my court and, as it were, shut the doors, putting an end to the worship according to the law; for I will not bear that sacrifices be offered in vain, when no one receives benefit from them. Having thus foretold to the Jews the end of the sacrificial service of the law, he proclaims in advance the pure and bloodless sacrifice of the nations. And first he says to the Jews themselves: "I have no pleasure in you, says the Lord Almighty, and I will not accept a sacrifice from your hands." Then he reveals in advance the piety of the nations. … were cast off according to the divine prediction; therefore he says to … ### Scripture references - Mal 1:9: quotation, high confidence - Mal 1:10: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mal 1:9; Theodoret goes on to 1:10. His reading of 1:10 as the end of the Jewish sacrificial worship is translated as written. Several lines are lost in the scan with Migne's Latin column, which is removed (…). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 12.1.9 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-1-9). ## Commentary on Malachi 1:11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-14-1/#p-12-1-11 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The pure sacrifice offered in every place among the nations is the Christian worship in which the spotless Lamb alone is sacrificed, replacing the Jerusalem sacrifices, as Christ told the Samaritan woman. ### Greek text ια΄, Διότι" ε ᾿Απὸ ἀνατολῶν ἡλίου, καὶ" ἕως δὺυσμῶν, τὸ ὄνομά μου δεδόξασται ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι, καὶ ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ θυμίαμα " προσάγεται" τῷ ὀνόματί μου, καὶ θυσία καθαρά᾽ διότι μέγα τὸ ὄνομά μου ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι, λέγει Κύριος παντοχράτωρ. » Ὑμᾶς μὲν οὖν ἀπώσομαι παντελῶς - βδελύττομαι γὰρ κομιδῇ τὰ παρ' ὑμῶν γινόμενα " διότι καὶ τὰ; παρ᾽ ὑμῶν προσφερομένας ἀποστρέφομαι θυσίας " ἀνθ᾽ ὑμῶν δὲ πᾶσαν ἔχω σεδομένην τὴν οἰκουμένην. Οἱ γὰρ πᾶσαν οἰκοῦντες τὴν γῆν, ἣν ἥλιος ἀνίσχων τε καὶ δυόμενος καταλάμπει, καὶ θυμίαμά μοι προσοίσουσι πανταχοῦ, καὶ τὴν θυσίαν ἱερεύσουσι τὴν καθαρὰν καὶ φίλτν ἐμοί. Γνώσονται γάρ μου τὸ ὄνομα, καὶ τὸ βούλημα, καὶ τὸ πρόσφορον προπάξουτι σέθας. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ Κύριος πρὸς τὴν Σαμαρεῖτιν ἔφη " ε Γύναι, πίστευσόν Ὦ μοι, ὅτι ἔρχεται ὥρα, καὶ νῦν ἐστιν ἵ, ὅτε οὔτε ἐν τῷ ὄρει τούτῳ, οὔτε ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις προτχυνήσετε τῷ Πατοί.»--- Πνεῦμα γὰρ ὁ θεὸς, καὶ τοὺς προσχυνωῦντας αὐτὸν ἐν πνεύματι καὶ ἀληθείᾳ δεῖ προσγυνεῖν. » Ταῦτα πεπαιδευμένος ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος, ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ κελεύει προσεύχεσθαι, αἴροντας ὃ ὁσίους χεῖρας χωρὶς ὀργῆς καὶ διαλογισμῶν. Καὶ ὁ θεῖο; δὲ Μ΄λαχίας σαφῶς ἡμᾶς διὰ τούτων ἐδίδαξε τὴν νῦν πολιγραμμένη τῶν ἱερέων λατρεία, κᾶς δὲ τόπος ἐπιτίδξιος εἰς τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ θεραπείαν νενόμισται “ καὶ τῶν μὲν ἀλόγων θυμάτων τέλος ἔλαθεν ἡ σφαγῇ, μόνος δὲ ὁ ἄμωμος ἁμνὸ; ἱερξύεται, ὁ αἴρων ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου, καὶ ὥσπερ τ' σύμβολον ἀρετῆς τὸ εὐῶδες θυμίαμα. Ἰουδαῖοι δὲ κατὰ “ἣν τῆς τὴν αὖτοὺς ἡ « Ὅτι μέγα τὸ ὄνομά μου ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν. Ὑμεῖς δὲ βεδηλοῦτε αὐτὸ, ἐν τῷ λέγειν ὑμᾶς; " Τράἐξουδένωται βρώματα. αὐτοῦ. ν» Εἰς τοσαύτην γὰρ ἀσέδειαν ἐξετράπητε, ὡς μὴ μόνον παρανόμως προῖφέρειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ εὐτελῆ προσαγορεύειν τὴν ἀφιερωμένην μοι τράπεζαν ’ καὶ ἐγκαλούμενοι, τί δήποτε τοιαῦτα δῶρα προσφέρετε, εἰπεῖν τετολμήχατε, ὡς Καὶ ταῦτα μετὰ πολλῶν ἱδρώτων καὶ χόπων γοόμεν, Οὗ χάριν καὶ ταύτης ὑμᾶς γυμνώσω τῆς εὑπορίας " ταῦτα γὰρ διὰ τῶν ἐπαγομένων ἐσήμανε. ### English translation (Claude) 11. "For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name has been glorified among the nations, and in every place incense is offered to my name, and a pure sacrifice; for my name is great among the nations, says the Lord Almighty." You, then, I will thrust away completely, for I utterly abhor what you do; and therefore I turn away from the sacrifices you offer; but instead of you I have the whole world worshiping me. For those who inhabit the whole earth, which the sun lights up as it rises and sets, will offer me incense everywhere and sacrifice the pure sacrifice dear to me. For they will know my name and my will, and will offer the fitting reverence. So too the Lord said to the Samaritan woman: "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming, and now is, when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. … God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." Taught these things, the blessed Paul bids us pray in every place, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing. And the divine Malachi has clearly taught us by these words the [order] now [in force]: the … worship of the priests [has ceased], and every place is considered suitable for the service of God; the slaughter of irrational victims has come to an end, and only the spotless Lamb is sacrificed, who takes away the sin of the world, and the fragrant incense, like a symbol of virtue. But the Jews, according to … (12) "For my name is great among the nations. But you profane it by your saying: The table [of the Lord is polluted, and the] foods [set on it] are despised." For you have turned to such impiety that you not only offer lawlessly but even call the table dedicated to me cheap; and when charged with offering such gifts, you have dared to say: "And these we [provide] with much sweat and toil." For this reason I will strip you of this abundance too; for he signified this by what follows. ### Scripture references - Mal 1:11: quotation, high confidence - Mal 1:12: quotation, high confidence - John 4:21: quotation, high confidence - John 4:23: quotation, high confidence - John 4:24: quotation, high confidence - 1 Tim 2:8: allusion, high confidence - John 1:29: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mal 1:11; Theodoret goes on to 1:12. Quotations: John 4:21, 23–24; 1 Tim 2:8; John 1:29. Words are lost in the scan in the conclusion drawn from the verse and in the lemma of 1:12 (…, or supplied in brackets from the LXX or by sense). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 12.1.11 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-1-11). ## Commentary on Malachi 1:13 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/11-14-1/#p-12-1-13 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God rejects the maimed offerings of those who keep back their promised victims and will make his kingship known to all. ### Greek text ιγ΄. ε Καὶ εἴπατε Ταῦτα ἐκ κακοπαθείας ἐστί. Ὁ Καὶ ἐξεφύσησα αὐτὰ, λέγε: Κύριος παντοχράτωρ. ν … μάτων, καὶ ὑποσχομένοις ἱερεῖα ταῦτα προσοΐσειν, καὶ καταλιμπάνουτιν μὲν ἐκεῖνα, ἄλλα δὲ ἀντ᾽ ἐχεὶγων πεπηρωμένα προσφέρουσι. Δι᾿ αὐτῶν γὰρ, φησὶ, μαθεῖν ὑμᾶς δεῖ τῶν πραγμάτων τῆς ἐμῆς βασιλείας καὶ δυναστείας τὸ μέγεθος, ὃ γνώριμον ποιήσω πᾶσι … ### English translation (Claude) 13. "And you said: These things come from hardship. And I blew them away, says the Lord Almighty." … animals, and promise to offer these as victims, but leave them aside and offer others in their place that are maimed. Through the events themselves, he says, you must learn the greatness of my kingdom and dominion, which I will make known to all … ### Scripture references - Mal 1:13: quotation, high confidence - Mal 1:14: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mal 1:13; the rest of 1:13–14 and the start of the comment are lost in the scan (…). Migne's Latin column and footnotes are removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 12.1.13 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-1-13). ## Commentary on Malachi 2:1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-2-1/#p-12-2-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God threatens to curse the priesthood, the priests' "blessing", because they dishonor it. ### Greek text α΄. « Καὶ νῦν ἡ ἐντολὴ αὕτη πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ὦ ἰ-ρεῖς". » Ἐὰν δὲ μὴ βουληθῆτε σπουδαίως προσχεῖν ποῖς ὑπ᾽ ἐμοῦ λεγομένοις, καὶ πάντων ὁμοῦ τὸ σέδας τὸ ἐμὸν προτιμῆσαι, ε Ἐξχποστελῶ ἐφ᾽ ὑμᾶς τὴν κατάραν, καὶ ἐπιχαταράσομαι τὴν εὐλογίαν ὑμῶν, καὶ καταράσομαι αὐτὴν, καὶ διασγεδάσω τὴν εὐὖλο- Υίαν ὑμῶν 5, καὶ οὐκ ἔσται ἐν 1" ὑμῖν, ὅτι ὑμεῖς οὐ τίθεσθε εἰ; καρδίαν ᾽" ὑμῶν. » Εὐμογίαν καλεῖ τὴν ἱερωτύνην αὐτὴν, ἣν κατὰ θείαν ἔλαδον χάριν " ταύτὴν ἠπείλησε καταλύσειν καὶ διασχεδάσειν διὰ τὴν περὶ αὐτὴν γεγενημένην ἀτοπίαν. ### English translation (Claude) 1. "And now this commandment is to you, O priests." And if you will not attend earnestly to what I say and honor my worship above all things, (2) "I will send the curse upon you, and I will curse your blessing, and I will curse it, and scatter your blessing, and it will not be among you, because you do not lay it to heart." He calls the priesthood itself, which they received by divine grace, a "blessing"; this he threatened to destroy and scatter because of the outrage they had committed against it. ### Scripture references - Mal 2:1: quotation, high confidence - Mal 2:2: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mal 2:1; Theodoret goes on to 2:2. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 12.2.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-2-1). ## Commentary on Malachi 2:3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-2-1/#p-12-2-3 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Instead of the breast and shoulder due to the priests, God will throw the dung of their feasts in their faces, a sign of the shame of a priesthood that has abandoned piety and virtue. ### Greek text γ΄. ε Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἀφορίξω ὑμῖν τὸν ὦμον"5, καὶ διχαχορπιῶ ἔνυστρον ᾽" ἐπὶ τὰ πρόσωπα ὑμῶν, ἔνυστρον ἑορτῶν ὑμῶν, καὶ λήψομαι ὑμᾶς εἰς τὸ αὐτό. ν» Τοῦτο ὁ ᾿Ακύλας ἡρμήνευσεν " « Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐπιτιμῶ ὑμῖν σὺν τῷ βραχίονι, καὶ λιχλήσω κόπρον ἐπὶ πρόσωπα ὑμῶν, κόπρον ἑορτῶν ὑμῶν. ν 'Ἐπειδὴ Ὑὰρ τοῖς ἱερεῦσι κατὰ νόμον ἀφώριστό τε τὸ στηθύνιον, καὶ ὁ βραχίων ὁ δεξιὸς, ἀπειλεῖ καὶ αὐτοὺς ἀποῤῥίψειν, καὶ τὸν ἀφορισθέντα αὐτοῖς βραχίονα " ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ στηθυνίου τὸ ἔγυστρον τέθεικε, τὸ τῆς κόπρου δοχεῖον. Πάλαι μὲν γὰρ αὐτοῖς εὐσεδοῦτιν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν βραχίονα τὸν δεξιὸν ἀπένειμεν, ὡς σύμξολον τῆς πραχτιχῖς ἀρετῆς " τὸ δὲ στηθύνιον, ὃ τῆς δογμάτων. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ τῆς εὐσεδείας ἑχόντες ἐξἔστησαν, καὶ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐγυμνώθησαν, τὸ ἔνυστρον λέγει, τὸ τῆς κύπρου δοχεῖον, εἰς τὰ πρόσωπα αὐτῶν σκ:δοννύναι, τὴν αἰσχύνην καὶ τὴν ἀτιμίαν διὰ τούτῶν σημαίνων. Τούτου δὲ, φησὶ, γινομένου, γνώσεσθε ὡς ἐγὼ τοῖς ὑμετέροις προγόνοις ἔδωκα τὴν πεοὶ τῶν θυσιῶν ἐντολήν. Εἶτα μέμνηται διὰ τοῦ Λευΐ ποῦ ᾿Ααρὼν τοῦ πρώτου ἱερέως. Ἔφη γὰρ οὐτως" ### English translation (Claude) 3. "Behold, I will set apart the shoulder for you, and I will scatter the maw on your faces, the maw of your feasts, and I will take you to the same." Aquila rendered this: "Behold, I rebuke you along with the arm, and I will winnow dung on your faces, the dung of your feasts." For since by the law the breast and the right shoulder were set apart for the priests, he threatens to cast away both them and the shoulder set apart for them; and instead of the breast he has put the maw, the receptacle of dung. For of old, when they were pious, God assigned to them the right shoulder as a symbol of practical virtue, and the breast as [a symbol of the knowledge] of doctrines. But since they willingly departed from piety and were stripped of virtue, he says that he scatters the maw, the receptacle of dung, in their faces, signifying by this shame and dishonor. When this happens, he says, you will know that I gave your ancestors the commandment about the sacrifices. Then through Levi he recalls Aaron, the first priest. For he spoke thus: ### Scripture references - Mal 2:3: quotation, high confidence - Lev 7:34: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mal 2:3 (LXX: "maw", ἔνυστρον, the fourth stomach of a ruminant). The priests' portions: Lev 7:31–34. Words of the comment are lost in the scan (supplied by sense in brackets). Migne's Latin column is removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 12.2.3 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-2-3). ## Commentary on Malachi 2:4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-2-1/#p-12-2-4 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The punishment will show that God's commandment and covenant with Levi came from him. ### Greek text δ'. « Καὶ ἐπιγνώσεσθε, ὅτι 15 ἐγὼ Κύριος ἐξαπἔτταλκα "5 πρὸς ὑμᾶς τὴν ἐντολὴν ταύτην, τοῦ εἶναι τὴν διαθήκην μὸν πρὸς τοὺς Ατυῖτας, λέγει Κύριος παυντοχράτωρ. » Εἶτα τούτοις ἐπήγαγεν" ### English translation (Claude) 4. "And you will know that I, the Lord, have sent this commandment to you, so that my covenant may be with the Levites, says the Lord Almighty." Then he added to these words: ### Scripture references - Mal 2:4: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mal 2:4. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 12.2.4 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-2-4). ## Commentary on Malachi 2:5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-2-1/#p-12-2-5 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God's covenant with Levi promised life and peace to the priest who feared him. ### Greek text ε΄, « Ἢ διαθήκη μου ἣν μετ᾽ αὐτοῦ τῆς ζωῆς καὶ τῆς εἰρήνης, καὶ ἔδωκα αὐτῷ φόδῳ" φοθεϊσηαί με, καὶ ἀπὸ προσώπου ὀνόματός μου στέλλεσθαι αὐτόν. » Ταῦτα γὰρ ποιοῦντι, φησὶ, ζωὴν καὶ εἰρήνην ἐπηγγειλάμην μισθόν " τούτου γὰρ εἵνεκα ξωῆς καὶ εἰρήνὺς αὐτὴν προσηγόρευσς διαγήκη», ὡς ταῦτα προ- ### English translation (Claude) 5. "My covenant was with him, of life and of peace, and I gave him [the charge] to fear me with fear and to shrink from the face of my name." For to him who does these things, he says, I promised life and peace as a wage; for this reason he called it a covenant of life and peace, as [promising] these things ### Scripture references - Mal 2:5: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mal 2:5. The sentence continues in the next section. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 12.2.5 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-2-5). ## Commentary on Malachi 2:6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-2-1/#p-12-2-6 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Levi once taught truth and turned many from sin, but the priests have corrupted his covenant by partiality and blemished sacrifices, and God has made them despised among the nations. ### Greek text ς΄. «Νόμος ἀληθείας ἣν ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀδικία οὐκ ηὑρέθη ἐν τοῖς χείλεσιν αὐτοῦ " ἐν εἰρήνῃ κατευθύνων ἐπορεύθη μετ᾽ ξμοῦ, καὶ πολλοὺς ἐπέστριψεν 9. ἀπὸ ἀδικίας. » Ἢ γὰρ ἁμαρτίχ τὴν ποὺς Θοὺν ἔχθραν ἐργάξετυ!" ἡ δικαιοσύνη δὲ πραγματτύεται τὴν εἰρήνην. Λέγει τοίνυν ὅτι τὴν εὐθεῖαν ὁδεύων, καὶ τιμῶν τὴν ἀλήθειαν, καὶ τὴν ἀδικίαν μυσαττόμενος, λεών με εἶχεν, καὶ τῆς ἐμῆς ἀπολαύων εἰρήνης, πολλοῖς πλανωμένοις ἐγένετο πρὸς ἀλήθειαν ποδηγός " δίκαιον γὰρ διαφερόντως τὸν ερέα εἶναι τῶν θείων νόμων ἐργάτην - ἅτε δὴ χεχειροτονημένον τῶν ἄλλων διδάσκαλον, καὶ τὰ θεῖα λόγια διαπορθμεύειν πεπιστευμένον " ἄγγελος γὰρ Κυρίου παντοκράτορός ἐστιν, ἀπαγγέλλων τοῖς ἄλλοις τοῦ Θεοῦ βούλημα. τὴς ε Ὑμεῖς δὲ ἐξεχλίνστε ἔχ τῆς ὁδοῦ μου ᾽ν, καὶ ἐσθενήσατε πολλοὺς ἐν νόμῳ", διεφθείρατε τὴν διαθήκην τοῦ Λευῖ, λέγε: Κύριος παντοχράτωρ. » Τὸ, ᾿Ακύλας καὶ Σύμμαχος. Λέγει δὲ, ὅτι Τὴν παρανομίαν ἀσπασάμενοι, καὶ ἄλλοις λώδης ἐγένεσθε πρόξενοι. Εἴτα αὑτοῖς προλέγει τὰ νῦν αὐτοὺς χατειληθ.. «Καὶ ἐγὼ ἔδωκα᾽" ὑμᾶς ἐξουδενωμένους, καὶ ἀπεῤῥιμμένους εἰς πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, ἀνθ᾽ ὧν ὑμεῖς οὐκ ἐφυλάξατε 5 τὰς ὁδούς μου, ἀλλ᾽ ἐλαμόάνετς πρόσωὠπα ἐν νόμῳ. » Ὁ Σύμμαχος ἡρμήνενσεν, ὠπεῖσθε πρόσωπα ἐν τόμῳ. ἈΑἰτιᾶτα: δὲ αὑτοὺς, ὡς παραθάτας τοῦ νόμου γεγενημένους, καὶ εἰς χάριν τινῶν παρανόμως δικάζοντας, ἣ χρήματα χομιζομένους παρὰ τῶν προσφερόντων τὰ θύματα, καὶ δεχομένους παρ᾽ αὑτῶν τά τινα λώθδην ἐν τοῖς μέλεσιν ἔχοντα. (. «Οὐκὶ πατὴρ εἷς πάντων ὑμῶν; οὐκὶ Θεὸς εἷς ἔχτιτεν ὑμᾶς; τί ὅτι ἐγκατελίπετε ἔκαστος τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὑτοῦ, τοῦ" βεδηλῶσαι τὴν ᾽" διαθήκην τῶν πατέρων ὑμῶν; » ὙΦφ᾽ ἑνὸς, φησὶ, δημιουργηθέντες Θεοῦ, ὃς δίκην πατρὸς εἰς ἅπαντας ὑμᾶς τὴν οἰκείαν ἀγάπην ἐπεδείξατο, οὕτω τῶν ὁμοφνῶν καὶ οὔτε τῆς φύσεως, οὔτε τῆς χάριτος τὴν χοινωἀδελφοὺς χατελίπετε, καὶ περιείδετε τῶν ἐμῶν νόμων παραδάτας γεγενημένους -" καὶ ταῦτα ἔχοντες τὸν Ἰούδαν καὶ τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ὠφελείας παράδειγμα. ### English translation (Claude) 6. "The law of truth was in his mouth, and injustice was not found on his lips; walking straight in peace he went with me, and he turned many from injustice." For sin produces enmity toward God, while righteousness brings about peace. He says, then, that, walking the straight way, honoring truth and loathing injustice, he had me gracious to him, and, enjoying my peace, he became for many who were wandering a guide to the truth. For it is right that the priest above all should be a doer of the divine laws, since he has been appointed teacher of the others and entrusted with conveying the divine oracles; for he is a messenger of the Lord Almighty, announcing God's will to the others. … (8) "But you turned aside from my way, and made many weak in the law; you corrupted the covenant of Levi, says the Lord Almighty." [For "made weak"] Aquila and Symmachus [render …]. He says that, having embraced lawlessness, you became the cause of ruin for others too. Then he foretells to them what has now overtaken them: (9) "And I have made you despised and cast out among all the nations, because you did not keep my ways but showed partiality in the law." Symmachus rendered: "… persons in the law." He accuses them of having become transgressors of the law, judging lawlessly to favor some, or taking money from those who offered the victims and accepting from them victims with some blemish in their limbs. (10) "Has not one father created all of you? Did not one God create you? Why have you each forsaken his brother, to profane the covenant of your fathers?" Created by one God, he says, who like a father showed his love to you all, you … your kinsmen, [respecting] neither the community of nature nor that of grace; you abandoned your brothers and overlooked them when they became transgressors of my laws, and that though you had Judah and Jerusalem as an example of benefit. ### Scripture references - Mal 2:6: quotation, high confidence - Mal 2:7: allusion, high confidence - Mal 2:8: quotation, high confidence - Mal 2:9: quotation, high confidence - Mal 2:10: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mal 2:6; Theodoret paraphrases 2:7 and quotes 2:8–10. Words are lost in the scan in several places (…, or supplied by sense in brackets); the renderings of Aquila and Symmachus are only partly legible. Migne's Latin column and footnotes are removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 12.2.6 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-2-6). ## Commentary on Malachi 2:11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-2-1/#p-12-2-11 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Judah has profaned God's holy things by turning to foreign gods. ### Greek text ια΄. ε« Ἐγκατελείφθη γὰρ Ἰούδας, καὶ βδέλυγμα ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, διότι ἐδεθήλωσεν Ἰούδας τὰ ἅγια Κυρίου, ἐν οἷς ἢγάπησε. » Καὶ δεικνὺς σαφῶς, ἃ ἠγάπησε, ἐπήγαγε " « Καὶ ἐπετήδευσεν εἰς θεοὺς ἀλλοτρίους. » Ὁ γὰρ Ρ Ἰούδας, φησὶ, καὶ ἐν τῷ Ἰσραὴμῖ, καὶ ἐν τῇ Ἱερουκαὶ τοὺς θείους νόμου: πατήσας, καὶ τοὺς οὐκ ὄντας ἀντὶ τοῦ ὄντος προσκυνήσας θεούς. Εἶτα κοινὴν κατὰ τῶν τοιούτων ἁπάντων ἐκφέρει τὴν ἀπειλὴν" ### English translation (Claude) 11. "For Judah has been forsaken, and an abomination has come about in Israel and in Jerusalem, because Judah has profaned the holy things of the Lord, in which he delighted." And showing clearly what he loved, he added: "And he devoted himself to foreign gods." For Judah, he says, [committed abomination] both in Israel and in Jerusalem, … trampling on the divine laws and worshiping the gods that are not instead of the one who is. Then he pronounces a common threat against all such people: ### Scripture references - Mal 2:11: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mal 2:11. Words are lost in the scan in the comment (…, or supplied by sense in brackets). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 12.2.11 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-2-11). ## Commentary on Malachi 2:12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-2-1/#p-12-2-12 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God rejects the sacrifices of men who abandon their wives, whose tears cover his altar, and recalls that he joined man and woman as one flesh from the beginning; marriage is for chastity, not only for offspring. ### Greek text ιβ΄, ε« Ἐξολοθρεύσε: Κύριος τὸν ἄνθρωπον τὸν ποιοῦντα ταῦτα, ἕως ἂν καὶ ταπεινωθῇ ἐκ σκηνωμάτων Ἰαχὼδ, καὶ ἐκ προσαγόντων θυσίαν Κυρίῳ παντοκράτορι. ν Τοῦ γὰρ συλλόγου τῶν εὐσεδῶν ἀλμεταφέρει κατηγορίαν τὸν λόγον " ἐγκαλεῖ γὰρ αὑτοῖς, ὅτι τὰς ὁμόζυγας καταλιπόντες ἑτέραις παρανόμως … «Καὶ ταῦτα, ἃ ἐμίσουν, ἐποιεῖτε "7, ἃ δὲ μισεῖ ὁ Θεὸς, ἄθλιος ὁ φιλῶν. Τί δὲ ταῦτά ἐστι, διδάσκει. « Ἐχαλύπτετε ἐν "5 δάκρυσι τὸ θυτιαστήριον Κυρίου, καὶ κλαυθμῷ, καὶ στεναγμῷ ἐκ χόπων. » Αἱ γὰρ ὑπὸ τῶν οἰκείων ἀνδρῶν ἀδιχούμεναι γυναΐκες, τῶν δάκρυσι χεχρημέναι, τὸν δίκαιον ἐκάλουν κριτὴν " ταῦτα δὲ ἠναγκάζοντο δρᾷν ὑπὸ τῆς συνεχούσης ὀδύνης. Τοῦτο γὰρ εἶπεν, ἐκ κόπων. Τοιγάρτοι τούτῶν γιγνομένων, «Ἔτι ἄξιον ἐπιδλέψαι εἰς θυσίαν ὑμῶν 35; (ιδ'.) Καὶ εἴπατε" “Ενεχεν τίνος; » Τῆς γὰρ παρανομίας μυσαρὰ δε:χνύσης τὰ ὑφ᾽ ὑμῶν προσφερόμενα, ἀναλ- Ὑήτως ἔτι διάχεισθε, καὶ τούτου τὴν αἰτίαν ἀγνοεῖν προσποιεῖσθε. Δι᾽ ὃ τῇ συνήθει μακροθυμίᾳ χρώμενος, καύτην ὑμᾶς διδάσκω. « Ὅτι Κύριος ἐμαρτύρατο "' ἀναμέσον σοῦ καὶ ἀναμέσον γυναικὸς νεότητός σου, ἣν ἐγκατέλιπες " καὶ αὕτη κοινωνός σου, καὶ γυνὴ διαθήκης σου. (ιε΄.) Καὶ οὐκ ἄλλος ἐποίησε, καὶ ὑπόλειμμα πνεύματός σου "ἢ. » ᾿Αναμνήσθητε γὰρ τοῦ πρώτου νόμου τοῦ δοθέντος τῷ ᾿Αδὰμ καὶ τῇ Εὔᾳ᾽ εὐθὺς γὰρ τὴν γυναῖκα δημιουργήσας, καὶ οἱονεὶ νυμφοστόλος γενόμενος, προσάγει μὲν αὐτὴν τῷ ἀνδρί " δίδωσι δὲ τοῦ γάμου τοὺς νόμους " «᾿Αντὶ τούτου, φήσας, καταλείψει ἄνθρωπος τὸν πατέρα αὑτοῦ, καὶ τὴν μητέρα αὑτοῦ, καὶ ἔσονται οἱ δύο εἰς σάρκα μίαν. ν Αὐτοῦ ποίνυν τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων, καὶ δημιουργήσαντος ἀμφοτέρους, καὶ συνάψαντος, καὶ τοῦτον τεθειχότος τὸν νόμον, πῶς τολμᾶτε παραθαίνειν προφανῶς τὰ ἄνωθεν ὡρισμένα, οὐδὲ 5 τῆς θείας εὐλογίας ἀναμιμνήσκεσθε τῆς τοῖς ὑμετέροις πατράσιν ἐπηγγελμένης ’ «ε Αὐξάνεσθε καὶ πληθύνεσθε, καὶ πληρώσατε τὴν γῆν; » Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ἐνταῦθά φησι" « Καὶ ὑπόλειμμα πνεύματός σου. » Θνητὴν γὰρ ἔχοντες φύσιν, διὰ τῶν τικτομένων ἐπὶ πλεῖστον τὴν ὑμετέραν ᾿ διασώζετε μνήμην " ἀλλὰ ταῦτα τοῦ Θεοῦ νομοθετήσαντος, ὑμεῖς ἀντιλέγετε φάσκοντες, οὐ γάμων σω- «φρόνων, ἀλλὰ πολυπαιδία: κήδεσθαι τὸν Θεόν. « Εἴπατε γὰρ, Τί ἄλλο ζητεῖ ὁ Θεὸς ἢ σπέρμα ὃ; ν ᾿Αλλ᾽ ἐγὼ παρεγγυὼ ὑμῖν, τούτων ἀποστάντας τῶν λόγων, τοὺς θείους νόμους φυλάξαι, καὶ τὴν ἐξ ἀρχῆς συζευχθεῖσαν γυναῖκα τοῦ ζυγοῦ μὴ χωρίσαι. Εἴτα τῆς ἐν ### English translation (Claude) 12. "The Lord will utterly destroy the man who does these things, until he is humbled, from the tents of Jacob and from among those who bring a sacrifice to the Lord Almighty." [He will remove him] from the assembly of the pious … He then moves the discourse on to another accusation; for he charges them that, leaving their wives, they lawlessly [joined themselves] to others … (13) "And these things, which I hated, you did"; and what God hates, wretched is he who loves it. What these things are, he teaches: "You covered the altar of the Lord with tears, and with weeping, and with groaning from troubles." For the wives wronged by their own husbands, [coming] with tears, called on the just Judge; and they were forced to do this by the pain that gripped them. This is what he meant by "from troubles". Accordingly, when these things are happening, "Is it still worthy to look upon your sacrifice? (14) And you said: Why?" For though your lawlessness shows the offerings you bring to be loathsome, you still remain insensible and pretend not to know the cause of it. Therefore, using my usual long-suffering, I teach you this too: "Because the Lord bore witness between you and the wife of your youth, whom you have forsaken; and she is your companion and the wife of your covenant. (15) And no other made [her], and the remnant of your spirit." Remember the first law, given to Adam and Eve. For as soon as he had created the woman, he became, as it were, the one who leads the bride, and brought her to the man, and gave the laws of marriage: "For this reason," he said, "a man will leave his father and his mother, and the two will become one flesh." Since, then, the God of all himself created both, joined them, and laid down this law, how do you dare openly to transgress what was determined from the beginning? Do you not even remember the divine blessing promised to your fathers: "Increase and multiply, and fill the earth"? For this is what he says here too: "And the remnant of your spirit." For since you have a mortal nature, you preserve your memory for a very long time through those born of you. But though God legislated these things, you contradict him, claiming that God cares not for chaste marriages but for having many children: "For you said: What else does God seek but offspring?" But I urge you to leave these words, to keep the divine laws, and not to separate from the yoke the wife yoked to you from the beginning. Then of the … ### Scripture references - Mal 2:12: quotation, high confidence - Mal 2:13: quotation, high confidence - Mal 2:14: quotation, high confidence - Mal 2:15: quotation, high confidence - Gen 2:22: allusion, high confidence - Gen 2:24: quotation, high confidence - Gen 1:28: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mal 2:12; Theodoret goes on to 2:13–15. The divorce of wives is translated exactly. Quotations: Gen 2:24; Gen 1:28; cf. Gen 2:22. Words are lost in the scan in the opening of the comment (…). Migne's footnotes are removed. The section breaks off in mid-sentence. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 12.2.12 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-2-12). ## Commentary on Malachi 2:16 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-2-1/#p-12-2-16 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Theodoret reads "if you hate her, send her away" as a concession, like Moses' bill of divorce, permitting the lesser evil of divorce to prevent the murder of a hated wife, while Christ restores the original law of one man and one woman and forbids divorce except for sexual immorality. ### Greek text ις΄. « ᾿Αλλ᾽ ἐὰν μισήσῃς, ἐξαπόστειλον 35, λέγει Κύριος Ἰσραὴλ 5. ν Καὶ γὰρ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ διαγορεύει δοῦναι βιθλίον ἀποστασίου τῇ γυναικὶ τὸν οὐκ εὖ περὶ αὐτὴν διακείμενον. Τοῦτον δὲ τὸν νόμον ἐρμηνεύων ὁ Κύριος τοῖ; Φαρισαίοις φησί" « Μωσῆς πρὸς τὴν σκληροκαρδίαν ὑμῶν ἐνομοθέτησεν οὕτως " ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὃὲ οὐκ ἐγένετο οὕτω; ὁ γὰρ ποιήσας αὖ- τοὺς, ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ. ἐποίησεν αὑτούς" » ἀντὶ τοῦ, ἀμ … ἕνα καὶ μίαν, οὐκ ἕνα ἄνδρα καὶ δύο γυναῖκας, ἵνα ταύτην μισήσας συναφθῇ τῇ ἑτέρᾳ. Οὐκοῦν ἡ "7 δημιουργία σωφροσύνης ἦν νομοθεσία. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἔδει τῶν Ἰουδαίων τὸ μανικὸν ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς, ὅτι τῆς μισουμένης ἀπαλλαγῆναι βουλόμενοι μὲν, οὐ δυνάμένοι δὲ διὰ τὸν νόμον, καὶ φόνον ταύτης τολμήσουσι" συγχωρεῖ τὸ ἔλαττον χακχὸν, ἵνα κωλύσῃ τὸ μεῖζον" χα φησιν" « Ἐὰν μισήσῃς, ἐξαπόστειλον. » Συναφθήσεται γὰρ ἑτέρῳ, καὶ μετ᾽ ὀδύνης οὐ βιώσεται. Ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς Εὐαγγελίοις παιδεύων ἀρετὴν ἀντικρὺς βοᾷ " ε Πᾶς ὁ ἀπολύων τὴν γυναῖκα αὑτοῦ παρεκτὸς λόγου πορνείας, ποιεῖ αὑτὴν μοιχευθῆναι καὶ ὁ ἀπολελυμένην γαμῶν μο:γᾶτα!:. » Καὶ ἐνταῦθα ὃὲ ταυτὸ τοῦτο αἰνίττεται ᾿« Γυμνωθήσεται, φησ, Β τὰ κεκρυμμένα ὑμῶν βουλεύματα, λέγει Κύριος παντοχράτωρ. » Κἂν μὴ διά τινα πρόφασιν δικαίαν καὶ εὔλογον διαλύσητε τὸν γάμον, κριτὴς ὑμῶν ἔσται τῶν ὅλων ὁ Κύριος. Τοιγαροῦν ε Φυλάξασθε ἐν τῷ πνεύματι ὑμῶν, καὶ μὴ ἐγχαταλίπητε τὴν συνθήκην ὅν...» Χαλινώσατε, φησὶ, τὰς κακὰς ὁρμὰς 5, καὶ τὰς περὶ τοῦ γάμον γεγενημένας μὴ διασπάσὴτε συνθήκας. Οὕτω τῆσδε τῇς παρανομίας κατο ηγορήσας, καὶ τῷ πάθει τὴν πρόσφορον ἐπιθεὶς θεραπείαν, βλασφημίας τινὸς παρ᾽ αὐτῶν τολμωμένης ποιεῖται τὸν ἔλεγχον, χαΐ φησιν" ### English translation (Claude) 16. "But if you hate her, send her away, says the Lord [God] of Israel." For in the law too he enjoins the man who is not well disposed toward his wife to give her a bill of divorce. The Lord, interpreting this law, says to the Pharisees: "Moses legislated thus because of your hardness of heart; but from the beginning it was not so; for he who made them [from the beginning] made them male and female," that is, … one man and one woman, not one man and two women, so that, hating this one, he might be joined to the other. So the creation was a legislation of chastity. But since the God of all knew the madness of the Jews, that, wishing to be rid of a hated wife but unable to be because of the law, they would dare even to murder her, he permits the lesser evil in order to prevent the greater; [therefore] he says: "If you hate her, send her away." For she will be joined to another and will not live in pain. [But the Master,] teaching virtue in the holy Gospels, cries out directly: "Everyone who divorces his wife except for the reason of sexual immorality makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery." And here too he hints at this very thing: "Your hidden counsels will be laid bare, says the Lord Almighty." If you dissolve the marriage not for some just and reasonable cause, the Lord of all will be your judge. Therefore, "Guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not forsake the compact." Bridle, he says, your evil impulses, and do not tear apart the compacts made in marriage. Having thus accused this lawlessness and applied the fitting remedy to the passion, he refutes a blasphemy they dared to utter, and says: ### Scripture references - Mal 2:16: quotation, high confidence - Deut 24:1: allusion, high confidence - Matt 19:8: quotation, high confidence - Matt 19:4: quotation, high confidence - Matt 5:32: quotation, high confidence - Matt 19:9: echo, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mal 2:16 as Theodoret's text reads it ("But if you hate her, send her away"; the Hebrew and other Greek witnesses differ), with the continuation he quotes ("Your hidden counsels will be laid bare"), and the end of 2:16 ("Guard yourselves in your spirit…"). Theodoret's account of the concession and of the Jews is translated as written. The law: Deut 24:1. Christ: Matt 19:8, 4; Matt 5:32 (cf. 19:9). Πορνεία is rendered "sexual immorality" and μοιχεύω "commit adultery". Migne's Latin column is removed; a few words lost with it are supplied by sense in brackets or marked …. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 12.2.16 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-2-16). ## Commentary on Malachi 2:17 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-2-1/#p-12-2-17 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God rebukes those who say he favors the wicked, and promises a time of just recompense, beginning with the coming of Christ and his forerunner. ### Greek text ιζ΄. « Οἱ παροξύνοντες τὸν Θεὸν ἐν τοῖς λόγοις ὑμῶν, καὶ εἴπατε - Ἐν τίνι παρωξύναμεν αὑτόν ""; Ἐν τῷ λέγειν ὑμᾶς" Πᾶ: ποιῶν πονηρὸν, χαλὸν ἐνώπιον Κυρίου, καὶ ἐν αὐτοῖς ηὐδόκησε "5" καὶ ποῦ ἔστιν ὁ Θεὸ; τῆς δικαιοσύνης;» Τινὲς γὰρ ὑπ᾽ ἀνοίας ἐσχάτης ὁρῶντές τινας πονηρία συζῶντας, εὐπραξίας δὲ ἀπολαύοντας, ἐτόλμων λέγειν ὅτι καίρειν ξοιχε τοῖς πονηροῖς ὁ Θεός" οὐ γὰρ ἂν αὐτοῖς τοσαύτην εὐκληρίαν ἀπένειμεν. Αὕτη με λίαν ἡ βλασφημία "3 πρὸς ὑμετέραν παρεχίνησε τιμωρίαν. Ὑμεῖς δὲ τὴν μεγέστὴν ἀσέθδειαν. Ταύτην γὰρ αὐτῶν τὴν ἀναλγησίαν ἐλέγχων ἔφη " « Καὶ εἴπατε" Ἕν τίνι παρωξύναμεν αὑτόν; » Ἔδε: δὲ συνιδεῖν ὑμᾶς, ὡς ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς δικαιοσύνης ὑπάρχει πηγή" τοῦτο δὲ ὧν τοὺς τὴν κακίαν ἀσπαζομένους βδελύττεται, ΓΑῤῥητος δὲ τῆς οἰκονομίας ὁ λόγος. Διδάσκω δὲ ὅμως ὑμᾶς, ὡς ἥξει τῆς δικαίας ἀνταποδόσεως ὁ καιρός. Καὶ τοῦτο δῆλον ἢ ποιῆσα: βουλόμενος, πρῶτον μὲν προθεσπίζει τὴν προτέραν τοῦ Δεσπότου Χριστοῦ παρουπίαν, καὶ δείκνυσι τὸν μέγαν Ἰωάννην τὸν Βαπτιστὴν τῆς ἐπι- ### English translation (Claude) 17. "You who provoke God with your words; and you said: In what have we provoked him? In your saying: Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he has taken pleasure in them; and where is the God of justice?" For some, out of extreme folly, seeing certain people living in wickedness but enjoying prosperity, dared to say that God seems to rejoice in the wicked, for otherwise he would not have allotted them such good fortune. This blasphemy greatly provoked me to punish you; but you [do not recognize] the greatest impiety. Exposing this insensibility of theirs, he said: "And you said: In what have we provoked him?" But you ought to have perceived that the God of all is the fountain of justice, and being so he abhors those who embrace wickedness; but the reason of his dispensation is beyond words. Nevertheless I teach you that the time of just recompense will come. And wishing to make this plain, he first foretells the first coming of Christ the Master, and shows the great John the Baptist as [the herald] of his ### Scripture references - Mal 2:17: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mal 2:17. A few words are lost in the scan (supplied by sense in brackets). The sentence continues in the next section. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 12.2.17 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-2-17). ## Commentary on Malachi 3:1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-2-1/#p-12-3-1 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The messenger is John the Baptist and the Lord who comes to his temple is Christ, whose temple is the human nature he assumed; at his second coming he refines like fire, and he cleanses by the Spirit and grace, making believing Levites like Barnabas offer the bloodless sacrifice. ### Greek text α΄. « Ἰδοὺ γὰρ ἐγὼ δὲ, φησὶν, ἐξαποστελῶ τὸν ἄγγελόν μον, καὶ ἐπιθλέψεται ὁδὸν πρὸ " προσώπου μον, καὶ ἐξαίφνης ἥξει: εἰς τὸν ναῦν αὑτοῦ Κύριος "5, ὃν ὑμεῖς ζητεῖτε, καὶ ὁ ἄγγελος τῆς διαθήκης, ὅν ὑμεῖς θέλετε. » Ταύτην δὲ τοῦ Προφήτου τὴν μαρτυρίαν καὶ ἕν τοῖς ἱεροῖς Εὐαγγελίοις κειμένην εὑρίσκομεν. Καὶ ὁ μακάριος δὲ Ζαχαρίας, ὁ τοῦ θειοτάτου Ἰωάννου παπἣρ, ἐν ταῖν χεροῖν αὐτὸν λαθὼν, ἔφη πρὸς αὐτόν "“ ", ε Καὶ σὺ, παιδίον, προφήτης ὙΨίστου κληθήσῃ " προπορεύσῃ γὰρ πρὸ προσώπου Κυρίου ἑτοιμάσαι ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ. » Καὶ ἐνταῦθα διὰ τοῦ Μαλαχίου εἶπεν ὁ Θεός “ ε Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐξαποστελῶ τὸν ἄγγελόν καὶ ἐπιδλέψεται ὁδὸν πρὸ προσώπου μου, καὶ ἐξαίφνης ἥξει εἰς τὸν ναὸν αὑτοῦ Κύριος, ὃν ὑμεῖς θέλετε.» Πάντων γὰρ ἀγνοούντων ὁ σωτήριος ἐγένετο τόκος, Ναὸν γὰρ τὴν ἀνθρωπείαν ὠνόμασε φύσιν, ἣν δὲ ὁ Θεὺς Λόγος ἀνέλαδεν. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Δεσπότης Χριστὸς πρὸς Ἰουδαίους ἔφη" « Λύσατε τὸν ναὸν τοῦτον, καὶ ἐν τρισὶν ἡμέραις ἐγερῶ αὐτόν.» Καὶ τοῦτο ἑρμηνεύων ὁ Εὐαγγελιστὴς ἐπήγαγεν « Αὐτὸς δὲ ἔλεγε περὶ τοῦ ναοῦ τοῦ σώματος αὑτοῦ καὶ ὅτε ἠγέρθη ἐκ νεκρῶν, ἔγνωσαν οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ, ὅτι τοῦτο εἶπεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς, καὶ ἐπίστευσαν τῇ Ρ Γραφῇ, καὶ τῷ λόγῳ, ᾧ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς. » Πρὸ; δὲ τῇ προτέρᾳ αὐτοῦ παρουσίχ, καὶ τὴν δευτέ- ᾿ ρᾶν αὐτοῦ ἐπιφάνειαν προθεσπέίζει " « Ἰδοὺ ἔρχεται, λέγει Κύριος παντοχράτωρ. (β'.) « Καὶ τίς ὑπομενεῖ ἡμέραν εἰσόδου αὐτοῦ, ἣ τίς ὑποστήσεται ἐν τῇ ὀπτασίᾳ αὐτοῦ; » Οὕτω καὶ ὁ Ζαχαρίας περὶ τῆς δευτέρας. ἐπιφανείας ἔφη" « "Ὄψονται εἰς ὃν ἐξεκέντησαν, καὶ κόψεται ἡ γῇ κατὰ φυλὰς φυλάς.» Εἶτα διδάσκει τὰ ὑπ᾽ αὐτοῦ δρώμενα. «Διότι αὐτὸς εἰσπορεύεται ὡς πῦρ χωνευτηρίου, ο καὶ ὡς πόα πλυνόντων. (γ΄.) Καὶ καθιεῖται χωνεύων εἱ καὶ καθαρίζων, ὡς τὸ ἀργύριον καὶ τὸ χρυσίον. » Οὕτω "3 καὶ ὁ μακάριος Παῦλός φησιν" « Ὅτι ἐν πυρὶ ἀποκαλύπτεται, καὶ ἐκάστου τὸ ἔργον, ὁποῖόν ἐστι, τὸ πῦρ δοκιμάσει 5". εἴ τινος τὸ ἔργον μενεῖ ὅδ, ͵ ὃ ἐπῳχοδόμησε, μισθὸν λήψεται" εἴ τινος τὸ ἔργον χαταχαύσεται, ζημιωθήσεται. » Ἡγοῦμαι δὲ διὰ τῶν εἰρημένων τὸν Προφήτην μὴ μόνον ἐκεῖνο σημαΐνειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν τοῦ ἁγίου "' Πνεύματος κάθαρσιν " καὶ γὰρ ἐν τούτῳ μυστικῶς τοὺς προσ… χρώμενος. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ ὁ μέγας Ἰωάννης φησίν’ « « Αὐτὸς ὑμᾶς βαπτίσει ἐν Ἡνεύματι ἁγίῳ, καὶ πυρί.» Καὶ μέντοι καὶ τῇ θείᾳ χάριτι χρώμενος καθάπερ τινὶ πόᾳ, τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἐχχαθαίρει τὸν ῥύπον. Καὶ τῇ μὲν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ὁ μακάριος Ἱερεμίας φησιν " « Ἐὰν ἀποπλύνῃ ἐν νίτρῳ, καὶ πληθύνῃς σεαυτῇ πόαν, κεκηλίδωσαι ἐν ταῖς ἀνομίαις σου, λέγει Κύριος. ν Ἐκείνη γὰρ τὴν νομικὴν εἶχεν, οὐ τὴν τῆς χάριτος πόαν. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ ὑποδείκνυσιν ἡμῖν ὁ προς φητιχὸς λόγος, οἷόν τινα δημιουργὸν, τὸν Δεσπότην καθάπερ πόᾳ τινὶ τὸν τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἀποσμέγι χοντα ῥύπον, καὶ οἷόν τινι πυρὶ τοῦ ταύτης ἰοῦ τὰς ἡμετέρας ἐλευθεροῦντα ψυχάς. Τοῦτο δὲ ποτήσει καὶ κοῖς εἰς αὐτὸν πεπιστευκόσι Λενῖταις-. Ἔχ τούτων δὲ ἦν γαὶ ὁ μακάριος Βαρνάβας, ὡς ἱστορία διδάσκε: τῶν Πράξεων, καὶ ἕτεροι δὲ πολλοὶ μετὰ τούτου κιστεύσαντες τῆς αὐτῆς σωτηρίας ἀπήλαυσαν. Καθοριεῖ 53 γὰρ, φησὶ, τοὺς υἱοὺς Λευΐ, καὶ ἐχχεεῖ αὖτοὺς "5, ὡς τὸ χρυσίον, καὶ ὡς δ" τὸ ἀργύρ:ον " καὶ οὗτοι ὅδ, φησὶν, ἔσονται: τῷ Κυρίῳ προτάγοντες θυσαν 5 ἐν διχαιοτύνῃ. » Οὐκ ἔχείντν τὴν νομικῆν, περὶ ἧς εἶπε" « Θισίαν οὐ προσδέξομαι ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν ὑμῶν" ἀλλὰ τὴν λογικὴν γκαὶ ἀναίμακτον. ν» Διὰ ἐπήγαγε“ ### English translation (Claude) 1. "For behold, I," he says, "will send out my messenger, and he will look over the way before my face; and suddenly the Lord, whom you seek, will come to his temple, and the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire." We find this testimony of the prophet set down also in the holy Gospels. And the blessed Zechariah, the father of the most divine John, taking him in his arms, said to him: "And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways." And here God said through Malachi: "Behold, I will send out my messenger, and he will look over the way before my face; and suddenly the Lord whom you desire will come to his temple." For the saving birth took place while all were unaware. He named the human nature which God the Word assumed a temple. For so the Master Christ himself said to the Jews: "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." And the evangelist, interpreting this, added: "But he was speaking of the temple of his body. And when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that Jesus had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken to them." Besides his first coming he also foretells his second appearing: "Behold, he comes, says the Lord Almighty. (2) And who will endure the day of his coming, or who will stand at his appearing?" So too Zechariah said about the second appearing: "They will look on him whom they pierced, and the land will mourn tribe by tribe." Then he teaches what will be done by him: "For he enters like the fire of a furnace and like the soap of launderers. (3) And he will sit refining and purifying, as silver and gold." So too the blessed Paul says: "For it is revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one's is. If anyone's work which he built on remains, he will receive a wage; if anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss." But I think that by these words the prophet signifies not only that, but also the cleansing of the Holy Spirit; for in him too he mystically [cleanses] those who come, using … For so the great John too says: "He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." And using divine grace like a kind of soap, he cleanses away the filth of sins. To Jerusalem the blessed Jeremiah says: "If you wash yourself with lye and multiply soap for yourself, you are stained in your iniquities, says the Lord." For she had the soap of the law, not that of grace. But here the prophetic word shows us the Master as a kind of craftsman, wiping off the filth of sins as with a kind of soap and freeing our souls from its rust as with a kind of fire. He will do this also for the Levites who have believed in him. Of these was the blessed Barnabas, as the history of the Acts teaches; and many others who believed together with him enjoyed the same salvation. "For he will purify," he says, "the sons of Levi, and pour them out like gold and like silver; and these," he says, "will be bringing to the Lord a sacrifice in righteousness": not the sacrifice of the law, about which he said, "I will not accept a sacrifice from your hands," but the rational and bloodless one. Therefore he added: ### Scripture references - Mal 3:1: quotation, high confidence - Mal 3:2: quotation, high confidence - Mal 3:3: quotation, high confidence - Mark 1:2: allusion, medium confidence - Luke 1:76: quotation, high confidence - John 2:19: quotation, high confidence - John 2:21: quotation, high confidence - John 2:22: quotation, high confidence - Zech 12:10: quotation, high confidence - Zech 12:12: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 3:13: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 3:14: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 3:15: quotation, high confidence - Matt 3:11: quotation, high confidence - Jer 2:22: quotation, high confidence - Acts 4:36: allusion, high confidence - Mal 1:10: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mal 3:1; Theodoret goes on to 3:2–3. Quotations: Luke 1:76; John 2:19, 21–22; Zech 12:10, 12; 1 Cor 3:13–15; Matt 3:11; Jer 2:22; Mal 1:10. Barnabas: Acts 4:36. Migne's Latin column, which is interleaved line by line with the Greek through most of this section, and his footnotes are removed by logged corrections; a few Greek words lost with them are marked …. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 12.3.1 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-3-1). ## Commentary on Malachi 3:4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-2-1/#p-12-3-4 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The new sacrifice that pleases God is eternal, not temporary. ### Greek text δ΄. ε Καὶ ἀρέσει τῷ Κυρίῳ θυσία ᾿ούδα καὶ Ἵερουσαλὴμ, κατὰ τὰς ἡμέρας 57 τοῦ αἰῶνος, καὶ κατὰ" Β τὰ ἔτη τὰ ἔμπροσθεν. ν Οὐκ ἔστι γὰρ αὕτη πρόσχαιρης, ἀλλ᾽ αἰώνιος. Ἐντεῦθεν πάλιν ἀπειλεῖ τιμω- ### English translation (Claude) 4. "And the sacrifice of Judah and Jerusalem will please the Lord, as in the days of old and as in the former years." For this sacrifice is not temporary but eternal. From here he again threatens punishment ### Scripture references - Mal 3:4: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mal 3:4. The sentence continues in the next section. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 12.3.4 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-3-4). ## Commentary on Malachi 3:5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-2-1/#p-12-3-5 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God himself will be the swift witness against sorcerers, adulteresses, perjurers, and those who defraud workers and oppress widows, orphans and strangers. ### Greek text ε΄. « Προσελεύσομαι "δ᾽ γὰρ, φησὶ, πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐν χρίσει, καὶ ἔσομαι μάρτυς ταχὺς ἐπὶ τὰς φαρμαχούς. » Ταχεῖαν, φησὶν, ἐπάξω κόλασιν οἷς εἶδον κακοῖς " οὐ δέομαι γὰρ μαρτύρων ἑτέρων, ἀλλ᾽ αὐτὁπτης εἰμὶ τῆς πονηρίας. ε Καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς μοιχαλίδας, καὶ “ ἐπὶ τοὺς ὀμνύοντας ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματί μου ἐτὶ ψεύδει “', καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀποστεροῦντας μισθὸν μισϑωτοῦ, καὶ χαταδυναστεύοντας χήρας, καὶ κονδυλίζονταὶ 5" ὀρφανοὺς, καὶ τοὺς ἐκκλίνοντας χρίαιν προῦἡλύτου, καὶ τοὺς μὴ φοδουμένους με, λέγει Κύροος καὶ τὰς μοιχευτρίας 55, καὶ τοὺς ψευδῶς ὀμνύνει τολμῶντας, καὶ τῶν μισθωτῶν τὸν μὲν πόνον χαρπουμένουξ, τὸν δὲ μισθὸν παρέχειν οὐ βουλομένους, καὶ ἁπαξαπλῶς πάντα δυναστείᾳ χρώμενον κατὰ τῶν ὀρφανίαν καὶ χηρείαν ὀδυρομένων, καὶ τοῖς με τοίχοις καὶ προσηλύτοις κακῶς δικάζειν αἱρουμένων, καὶ τὴν ἐμὴν οὐ δειμαίνοντα κρίσιν, εἰσπράξω ποινὴν, καὶ οὐκ ἀνέξομαι τοὺς ἀδικουμένους περιιδεῖν. ### English translation (Claude) 5. "For I will come near to you in judgment," he says, "and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers." I will bring swift punishment, he says, on those whom I have seen in evil; for I need no other witnesses, but am myself an eyewitness of the wickedness. "And against the adulteresses, and against those who swear falsely by my name, and against those who withhold the wage of the hired laborer, and who oppress widows and strike orphans, and those who pervert the judgment of the stranger, and those who do not fear me, says the Lord." [From the sorcerers] and the adulteresses, and those who dare to swear falsely, and those who reap the toil of hired laborers but will not pay their wage, and, in a word, from everyone who uses power against those who lament orphanhood and widowhood, chooses to judge resident aliens and strangers unjustly, and does not fear my judgment, I will exact a penalty, and I will not bear to overlook those who are wronged. ### Scripture references - Mal 3:5: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mal 3:5. "Adulteresses": μοιχαλίδες. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 12.3.5 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-3-5). ## Commentary on Malachi 3:6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-2-1/#p-12-3-6 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The unchanging God charges the people with defrauding him of tithes and first-fruits, which belong to the priests and the poor, promises plenty if they pay them, and rebukes those who say serving God is useless. ### Greek text ς΄. « Διότι ἐγὼ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ὑμῶν" 5", καὶ οὐκ ἡἠλλοίωμαι. ν» Φύσιν γὰρ ἔχω μεταδολὴν οὐ δεχομένην. ἴστε δὲ ὅπως τοὺς πρὸ ὑμῶν καὶ σφαγῇ παρέδωκε, « Καὶ ὑμεῖς, υἱοὶ Ἰαχὼδ, οὐκ ἀπέχεπθε (ζ΄.) ἀπὸ ᾿τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν τῶν πατέρων ὑμῶν" ἐξεκλένατε νόμτμα 55, καὶ οὐκ ἐφυλάξασθε 44. » Ταυτὰ τοίνυν τοῖς πατράσι τολμῶντες, ταυτὰ πείσεσθε τούτοις. Κεὶ ἑτέρας δὲ παρανομίας κατηγορίαν προστίθησιν. πρὸς ὑμᾶς, λέγει Κύριος παντοχράτωρ. (η᾽.) Κεὶ εἴπατε " Ἐν τίνι ἐπιστρέψομεν; Εἰ πτερνιεῖ ἄνθρωπὸς Θεὸν, διότι ὑμεῖς πτερνίζετέ με; καὶ εἴπατε" Ἐν τίνι ἑἐπτερνίσαμέν σε; » Οἱ περὶ ᾿Ακύλαν Σύμμαχον τὸ, ἐπτερνίσαμέν σε οὕτως ἡρμῆτνευτε." « Μὴ ἀποστερήσει 47 ἄνθρωνπὸς Θεὸν, ὅτι ὑμεῖ; ἀποστεροῖτέ με; Καὶ εἴπατε" Ἐν τίνι ἀπεστερήσαμέν « Ὅτι τὰ ἐπιδέχατα καὶ αἱ ἀπαρκαὶ μεθ᾽ ὑμῶν εἶσι. (θ΄.) Καὶ ἀποδλέποντες ὑμεῖς ἀποδλέπετε αὐτὰ “5, καὶ ἐμὲ ὑμεῖς πτερνίζετε" τὸ ἔτος συνετελέσθη δ᾽, καὶ εἰσηνέγχατε πάντα τὰ ἐχφόρια εἰς τοὺς θησαυροὺς, καὶ 75 ἁρπαγὴ 1" τοῦ πτωχοῦ ἐν τοῖς οἴκοις ὑμῶν. » Τοῦ νόμον γὰρ διαγορεύοντος τὰς ἀπαρχὰς καὶ τὰς δεκάτας πρώτας τῷ Θεῷ προσφέρειν, εἴθ᾽ οὕτω τὰ λειπόμενα λαμθάνειν, ὑμεῖς ἅπαντα κατ᾽ αὐτὸν εἰς τὰ ὑμέτερα εἰσενέγχατε δοχεῖα, οὐ λογισάμενοι, ὅτι πτωχῶν ἔστιν ἁρπαγὴ, τῶν ἀπαρχῶν καὶ τῶν δεχατῶν ἡ στέρησις. Τοῖς γὰρ ἱερξῦσι τούτου χάριν γῆς οὐκ ἔδωκα κλῆρον, ἴνα τῇ θείᾳ προσεδρεύοντες λειπουργίᾳ, καὶ τὰ; ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν θυσίας προσφέροντες, ἐκ τῶν ἐμοὶ προσφερομένων ἀπαρχῶν καὶ δεχατῶν διατρέφωνται, καὶ τοῖς προσεδρεύουσι πτωχοῖς τῷ θείῳ ναῷ 15 ἐπαρχῶσιν ἐκ τούτων. Τοιγάρτοι τῆς πλεονεξίας ταύτης παυσάμενοι, ἀπόδοτε τὰ νενομισμένα τοῖς ἱερεῦσ', καὶ δοχιμάσατε, εἰ μὴ πλειόνων ὑμῖν ἀγαθῶν μετουσία γενήσεται; Τὸ γὰρ, « Ἐπιστρέψατε ἐν τούτῳ, » οἱ περὶ τὸν ᾿Ακύλαν ε Πειράσατε » ἡρμηνεύχασι. Δώσω γὰρ ὑμῖν ὑετῶν ἀφθονίαν, καὶ γῆς εὐκαρπίαν, καὶ τὴν ἐντεῦθεν εὐπορίαν, ὥστε τοὺς ἐκ γειτόνων ζηλωτοὺς ὑμᾶς καὶ μακαρίους ἀποκαλεῖν, ἅτε δὴ τοιαύτης ἀπολαύοντας παρ' ἐμοῦ προμηθείας. Πάλιν ἕτερον πάθος ἐνοχλοῦν αὐτοῖς θεραπεύει, καί φησιν" ε Ἑδαρύνατε ἐπ᾽ ἐμξ τοὺς λόγους ὑμῶν, λέγει Κύριος παντοχράτωρ 75, εἴπατε 7 Ἐν τίνι χατελαλήσαμεν κατὰ σοῦ Καὶ 16 εἴπατε " Μάταιος ὃ δουλεύων Θεῷ, καὶ τί πλεῖον, ὅτι ἐφυλάξαμεν τὰ φυλάγματα αὐτοῦ 75, καὶ διότι ἐπορεύθημεν ἱκέται πρὸ προσώπου Κυρίου παντοκράτορος; Καὶ νῦν πάντες ποιοῦντες ἀνομήματα 77. ἀντέστησαν 75 Θεῷ, καὶ ἐσώθησαν. » Μοχθηρᾷ, φησὶ, χρώμενοι γνώμῃ, ἀνόνητον καὶ ἀχερδῇ τὴν ἐμὴν ὠνομάσατε δεσποτείαν, καὶ τοὺς ἀνομίᾳ συζῶντας ἐν εὐημερίᾳ καὶ εὐθυμίᾳ ζῇν φατε" ὑμᾶς δὲ τοὺς ὑπὸ τὴν ἐμὴν κηδεμονίαν κέναι, μαχαρίζξειν δὲ τῶν ἄλλων τὴν εὐκληρίαν. ν ### English translation (Claude) 6. "For I am the Lord your God, and I have not changed." For I have a nature that admits no change. You know how … those before you and handed them over to slaughter. (7) "And you, sons of Jacob, have not kept away from the sins of your fathers; you turned aside from my ordinances and did not keep them." Daring, then, the same things as your fathers, you will suffer the same things as they. And he adds an accusation of another transgression: "[Return to me, and I will return] to you, says the Lord Almighty. And you said: In what shall we return? (8) Will a man trip up God, since you trip me up? And you said: In what have we tripped you up?" Aquila and Symmachus interpreted "we tripped you up" thus: "Will a man defraud God, since you defraud me? And you said: In what have we defrauded [you]?" "Because the tithes and the first-fruits are with you. (9) And looking, you look at them, and you trip me up; the year has been completed, and you have brought all the produce into the storehouses, and the plunder of the poor is in your houses." For though the law enjoins offering the first-fruits and the tithes to God first, and only then taking what remains, you have brought everything at once into your own vessels, not reckoning that the withholding of the first-fruits and the tithes is plunder of the poor. For this reason I gave the priests no allotment of land, so that, attending on the divine service and offering the sacrifices on your behalf, they might be nourished from the first-fruits and tithes offered to me, and from these help the poor who attend the divine temple. Cease, then, from this greed, give the priests what is prescribed, and test whether you will not have a share in more good things. For "Return in this" Aquila and his school rendered "Test [me]". For I will give you abundance of rain, fruitfulness of the land, and the plenty that comes from it, so that your neighbors will call you enviable and blessed, since you enjoy such providence from me. Again he heals another passion that troubled them, and says: (13) "You have made your words heavy against me, says the Lord Almighty; and you said: In what have we spoken against you? (14) And you said: Vain is he who serves God; and what is the gain that we kept his observances and walked as suppliants before the face of the Lord Almighty? (15) And now … all who do lawless deeds stood against God and were saved." Using an evil mind, he says, you called my mastery useless and profitless, and you say that those who live with lawlessness live in prosperity and good cheer, while you who are under my care [are] …, and you call the good fortune of the others blessed. ### Scripture references - Mal 3:6: quotation, high confidence - Mal 3:7: quotation, high confidence - Mal 3:8: quotation, high confidence - Mal 3:9: quotation, high confidence - Mal 3:10: allusion, high confidence - Mal 3:12: allusion, high confidence - Mal 3:13: quotation, high confidence - Mal 3:14: quotation, high confidence - Mal 3:15: quotation, high confidence - Num 18:20: allusion, high confidence - Deut 14:29: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mal 3:6; Theodoret goes on to 3:7–9 (LXX numbering differs slightly from the Hebrew here), paraphrases 3:10–12, and quotes 3:13–15. "Trip up": LXX πτερνίζω; Aquila and Symmachus have "defraud". The priests' portion: Num 18:20–24; Deut 14:28–29. Words lost in the scan are marked … or supplied in brackets. Migne's Latin column and footnotes are removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 12.3.6 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-3-6). ## Commentary on Malachi 3:16 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-2-1/#p-12-3-16 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God records those who fear him in a book of remembrance and will claim them as his own, like a father his faithful son, on the day of judgment. ### Greek text ις΄. ε Ταῦτα κατελάλησαν οἱ φοδούμενοι τὸν Κύριον, ἔκαστος πρὸς τὸν πλησίον αὑτοῦ’ καὶ προσἐσχε Κύριος, καὶ εἰσήκουσε, καὶ ἔγραψε βιδλίον μνημοσύνου ἐνώπιον αὑτοῦ τοῖς φοδουμένοις τὸν Κύριον, καὶ εὐλαθουμένοις τὸ ὄνομα αὑτοῦ. » Ταῦτα, φησὶν, ἀκούσας ἐγὼ τῶν θρυλλιζόντων πρὸς ἀλλήλους τῶν ἀνακειμένων ἐμοὶ, ἀνάγραπτον ὑπόσχεσιν ἀγαθῶν ποἷς φοθουμένοις με δίδωμι. Τοῦτο γὰρ λέγει" « Καὶ ἔγραψε βιδλίον μνημοσύνου ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ τοῖς φοθουμένοις τὸν Κύριον, καὶ εὐλαδουμένοις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, » Οὗτοι τοίνυν, φησὶν, οἱ τὴν ἐμὴν θεραπείαν περὶ πολλοῦ ποιούμενοι, καὶ δεδιότες τι τῶν οὐκ ἀρεσκόντων μοι δρᾶται" « ΓἜσονταί μοι εἰς ἡμέραν, ἣν ἐγὼ ποιῶ, εἰς περιποίησιν. » Οἰχκειώσομαι αὖτοὺς, φησὶν, ἐν τῆς χρίσεως ἡμέρᾳ, » Καὶ αἱρετιῶ αὐτοὺς, ὃν τρόπον αἱρετίζει ἄνθρωπος τὸν υἱὸν αὑτοῦ τὸν εὖ δ᾽ δουλεύοντα αὑτῷ. » Πατρὸς γὰρ δίκην, περὶ υἱὸν εὐγνώμονα διακειμένου, καὶ προτιμῶντος αὖτὸν, τῶν ἀγνωμόνων προτιμήσω τούτους ἐγὼ τῶν τἀναντία βουλευταμένων. Τὸ δὲ ε αἱρετιῶ ν οἱ περὶ τὸν "Ακύλαν, ε Φείπομα!, ἑρμηνεύχασιν ὡς φείδεται ἄνθρωπος τοῦ υἱοῦ αὑτοῦ. » ### English translation (Claude) 16. "Those who fear the Lord spoke these things, each to his neighbor; and the Lord paid attention and heard, and wrote a book of remembrance before him for those who fear the Lord and revere his name." Having heard these things, he says, from those devoted to me as they murmured to one another, I give to those who fear me a written promise of good things. For this is what he says: "And he wrote a book of remembrance before him for those who fear the Lord and revere his name." These, then, he says, who make much of my service and fear to do anything that does not please me, (17) "will be mine for a possession on the day that I make." I will make them my own, he says, on the day of judgment. "And I will choose them as a man chooses his son who serves him well." For like a father who is well disposed toward a grateful son and prefers him to the ungrateful, I will prefer these to those who have planned the opposite. For "I will choose" Aquila and his school rendered "I will spare, as a man spares his son". ### Scripture references - Mal 3:16: quotation, high confidence - Mal 3:17: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mal 3:16; Theodoret goes on to 3:17. Migne's Latin column and marginal verse number are removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 12.3.16 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-3-16). ## Commentary on Malachi 3:18 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-2-1/#p-12-3-18 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The returned people will see the difference between the righteous and the wicked. ### Greek text ιη΄. « Καὶ ἐπιστραφήσεσθε 5', καὶ ἔφεσῦε ἀναμέσον δικαίου καὶ ἀναμέσον ἀδίκου 5", καὶ ἀναμέσον τοῦ δουλεύοντος τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ ἀναμέπον "" τοῦ μὴ δου- ### English translation (Claude) 18. "And you will turn and see [the difference] between the righteous and the unrighteous, and between the one who serves God and the one who does not serve ### Scripture references - Mal 3:18: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mal 3:18; the quotation breaks off and continues in the next section. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 12.3.18 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-3-18). ## Commentary on Malachi 3:19 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-2-1/#p-12-3-19 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The burning day will test all and consume the wicked, while for those who fear God Christ rises as the sun of righteousness, both at his first coming and at his second, when he will raise the dead. ### Greek text α΄. « Ὅτι ἰδοὺ ἡμέρα ἔρχεται καιομένη ὡς χυϊξα. νος, καὶ φλέξει αὐτούς. ν Τότε, φησὶ, μαθήσεσῦθς ὅσον ἀδίκου καὶ δικαίου τὸ μέσον, καὶ ὅση διαφορὰ τοῦ δουλεύοντος τῷ Θεῷ πρὸς τὸν μὴ δουλεύοντα. Μὴ γὰρ δὴ νομίσητε τὸν παρόντα βίον ἔχειν τὸ διαρκές- λυθήσεται γὰρ οὗτος, « Καὶ ἕξει τις ἡμέρα χαιϊομένη ὡς κλίδανος, καὶ φλέξει αὐτούς. Καὶ ἔσονται πάντες οἱ ἀλλογενεῖς, καὶ πάντες οἱ ποιοῦντες τὰ "δ ἄνομα, χχλάμη, καὶ ἀνάψει αὐτοὺς ἡ ἡ μέρα ἡ ἐρχομένη, λέγει Κύριος παντοχράτωρ, καὶ οὗ μὴ ὑπολειφθῇ αὐτῶν 886 ῥίζα, οὐδὲ κλῆμα.» Τοὺς δὲ ἀ.1.1ογενεῖς οἱ περὶ τὸν ᾿Ακύλαν ὑπερηράγρους ἡρμήνευσαν. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ θεῖος ᾿Απόστολος ἔφη" ε Εἰ δέ τις ἐποικοδομεῖ ἐπὶ τὸν θεμέλιον τοῦτον, χρυσὸν, ἄργυρον, λίθους τιμίους, ξύλα, χόρτον, καλάμην, ἑκάστου τὸ ἔργον φανερὸν γενήσεται" ἡ γὰρ ἐμέρα δηλώσει, ὅτι ἐν πυρὶ ἀποχαλύττεται, καὶ ἑκάστου τὸ ἔργον ὁποῖόν ἐστι, τὸ πῦο αὐτὸ 5᾽ δοκιμάσει. Εἴ τινος τὸ ἔργον μενεῖ, ὃ ἐπῳχοδόμησε, μισθὸν λήψετα: " εἴ τινος τὸ ἔργον καταχαΐ σεται, ζημιωθήσεται.» Οὕτω προαγορεύσας τοῖς ἀσε- Θεία συζῶσι τὸν ὄλεθρον, δείκνυσιν οἷα τῶν εὐσεδῶν 8΄. « Καὶ ἀνατελεῖ "8 ὑμῖν 5. τοῖς τοθουμένοις τὸ ὄνομά μου ἅλιος δικαιοσύνης, καὶ ἴασις ἐν ταῖς πτέρυξιν αὑτοῦ.» Ταῦτα δὲ καὶ τῇ προτέρᾳ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἁρμόττει παρουπίᾳ, καὶ τῇ δευτέρᾳ. Καὶ ὑῃ δὲν τῇ προτέρᾳ οἷόν τις ἥλιος ἡμῖν ἀνέτειλεν, σκότει καὶ σκιᾷ θανάτου χαθημέ οἱς καὶ τῆς κίας ἐλευθερώσας δικαιοσύνης μετέδωκε, γαὶ τοῖς πνευματικοῖς χαρίσμασιν οἷόν τισι πτεροῖς συγχαλύψας, ἴασιν ταῖς ἡμετέραις παρέσχε ψυχαῖς. Καὶ ἐν τῇ δευτέρᾳ δὲ παρουσίᾳ τοῖς κατὰ τὸν παρόντα βίον τρυχομένοις, ἣ πυρὰ γνώμην, ἣ κατὰ γνώμην ἐπιφανεὶς, οἷα δίκαιος δικαίως δικάσει, καὶ τὰ … ἅλιος ἀνίσχων τοὺς ὕπνῳ κατεχομένους πρὸς ἐργαασίαν ἐγείρει :" οὕτως οὗτος ἐπιφαινόμενος τοὺς τῷ μακρῷ ὕπνῳ τῷ θανάτῳ κατεχομένους ἀνίστησι. Τότε δὴ, τότε, φησὶ, ε Καὶ ἐξελεύσεσθε, καὶ σχιρ- “τήσετε, ὡς μοσχάρια ἐκ δεσμῶν ἀνειμένα. » ᾿Απηλλάγητε γὰρ τῶν τῆς ἁμαρτίας δεσμῶν. ### English translation (Claude) 1. "For behold, a day comes burning like an oven, and it will burn them up." Then, he says, you will learn how great is the difference between the unrighteous and the righteous, and how great the difference between one who serves God and one who does not. For do not think that the present life is lasting; it will be dissolved: "And a day will come burning like an oven, and it will burn them up. And all the foreigners and all who do lawless things will be stubble, and the coming day will set them ablaze, says the Lord Almighty, and neither root nor branch of them will be left." For "foreigners" Aquila and his school rendered "arrogant". So too the divine Apostle said: "If anyone builds on this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become manifest; for the day will disclose it, because it is revealed by fire, and the fire itself will test what sort of work each one's is. If anyone's work which he built on remains, he will receive a wage; if anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss." Having thus foretold destruction to those who live in impiety, he shows what [good things await] the pious: (2) "And for you who fear my name the sun of righteousness will rise, and healing in its wings." These words fit both the first coming of our Savior and the second. For in the first he rose for us like a sun, as we sat in darkness and the shadow of death; freeing us from injustice he gave us a share in righteousness, and, covering us with spiritual gifts as with wings, provided healing for our souls. And in the second coming, appearing to those worn down in the present life, whether against their will or by their own choice, he will, as righteous, judge righteously, and … as the sun when it rises rouses those held by sleep to work, so he, when he appears, raises those held by the long sleep of death. Then indeed, then, he says, "you will go out and leap like calves loosed from bonds." For you have been freed from the bonds of sin. ### Scripture references - Mal 4:1 (3:19 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Mal 4:2 (3:20 LXX): quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 3:12: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 3:13: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 3:14: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 3:15: quotation, high confidence - Luke 1:79: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mal 4:1 (LXX and Hebrew 3:19); Theodoret goes on to 4:2. Quotation: 1 Cor 3:12–15. "Darkness and the shadow of death": Luke 1:79 (Isa 9:2). Migne's footnotes are removed; a few words lost in the scan are marked … or supplied in brackets. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 12.3.19 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-3-19). ## Commentary on Malachi 3:21 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-2-1/#p-12-3-21 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The righteous will tread down the wicked, as the martyrs over their persecutors; then the prophet recalls Moses' law. ### Greek text γ΄. ε Καὶ χαταπατήσετε ἀνόμους, καὶ ἔσονται σποδὸ;: ὑποχάτω τῶν ποδῶν ὑμῶν, ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἧ ἐγὼ ποιῶ, λέγει Κύριος παντοχράτωρ.» Οὕτως ἣν ὁ νοῖς οἱ ἄδικοι, τοῖς 39 ἁγίοις μάρτυσιν οἱ τύραννοι καὶ διῶκται, Εἶτα αὐτοὺς ἀναμιμνήσκει ὧν Τερὶ τοῦ Δεσπότου Χριστοῦ Μωσῆς προηγόρευσε " καὶ χελεύε! σὺν ἀχριδείᾳ τὸν νόμον ἀναγινώσκοντας πείθεσθαι αὐτῷ, καὶ μηδαμῶς ἀντιλέγειν. ### English translation (Claude) 3. "And you will trample the lawless, and they will be ashes under your feet, on the day that I make, says the Lord Almighty." So the unjust [will be to the just], and the tyrants and persecutors to the holy martyrs. Then he reminds them of what Moses foretold about Christ the Master, and bids them read the law with exactness, obey it, and in no way speak against it. ### Scripture references - Mal 4:3 (3:21 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mal 4:3 (LXX and Hebrew 3:21). Words are lost in the scan (supplied by sense in brackets). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 12.3.21 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-3-21). ## Commentary on Malachi 3:22 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-2-1/#p-12-3-22 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God bids Israel remember Moses' law and, foreseeing their rejection of Christ, promises to send Elijah. ### Greek text δ', 9ὴς Μνήσθητε τοῦ ν᾽ νόμου Μωσῆ δούλου μου, καθότι ἐνετειλάμην αὐτῷ ἐν Χωρὴδ πρὸς πάντα τὸν Ἰσραὴλ προστάγματα καὶ δικαιώματα. » Εἶτα σαφῶς ἐπιστάμενος, ὡς οὔτε τῷ νόμῳ πεισθήσονται, οὔτε αὐτὸν παραγινόμενον ὑποδέξονται, ἀλλὰ σταυρῷ παραδώσουσιν, ἀφάτῳ φιλανθρωπίᾳ χρώμενος, ὑπτσχνεῖται αὐτοῖς, πάλιν τὸν Ἦλίαν πέμψειν χήουχα σωτηρίας, καὶ φησιν" ### English translation (Claude) 4. "Remember the law of Moses my servant, as I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel, ordinances and statutes." Then, knowing clearly that they would neither obey the law nor receive him when he came, but would hand him over to the cross, he uses an ineffable love for humankind and promises them that he will send Elijah again as a herald of salvation, and says: ### Scripture references - Mal 4:4 (3:24 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mal 4:4 (Hebrew 3:22, the number used here; in Rahlfs's LXX this verse stands last, as 3:24; Theodoret's text has the Hebrew order). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 12.3.22 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-3-22). ## Commentary on Malachi 3:23 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-2-1/#p-12-3-23 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Elijah will come before Christ's second coming to unite the Jews with the believing Gentiles in one Church; the warning applies to Christians too, who must prepare for the day of judgment. ### Greek text ε΄. ε« Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἀποστέλλω ὑμῖν Ἡλίαν τὸν Θεσδί. τὴν.» Καὶ σημαίνων τὸν καιρὸν, ἐπήγαγε" « Πρὶν ἐλθεῖν τὴν ἡμέραν Κυρίου τὴν μεγάλην καὶ ἐπιφανῇ. » Τὴν τῆς δευτέρας ἐπιφανείας ὠνόμασε - διδάσκει δὲ ἅπερ ὁ μέγας Ἠλίας ποιήσει παραγενόμενος. υἱὸν, καὶ καρδίαν ἀνθοιύπου πρὴς τὸν πλησίον αὖτοῦ. ν Καὶ δεικνὺς τὴν σκοπὸν, δι᾽ ὃν Ἠλίας πρότερος παραγίνεται, ἐπήγαγε" ε Μὴ ἐλθὼν πατάξω τὴν ἣν ἄρδην. » Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ εὑρὼν ὑμᾶς πάντας ἐν ἀπιστίᾳ, ἅπαντας ὑμᾶς εἰς τὴν ἀτελεύτητον κόλασιν παραπέμψω, ἥξει πρότερος Ἠλίας, καὶ τὴν ἐμὴν ὑμᾶ; παρουσίαν διδάξει, καὶ πείσει ὑμᾶ:, ὦ δαῖοι, τοῖς ἐξ ἐθνῶν εἰς ἐμὲ πεπιστευκόσιν ἀνενδοιάστως ἑνωθῆναι, καὶ μίαν ἀποφῆναι τὴν ἐμὴν Ἐκκλησίαν. Πατέρας δὲ 93 καλεῖ Ἰουδαίους, ὡς προτέ-ρους κληθέντας - υἱοὺς δὲ τὰ ἔθνη, ὡς μετ᾽ ἐκείνους σωθέντας. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν ἡμεῖς μὲν καὶ νῦν Ἶουδαίους προτρέπομεν εἰς εὐσέδειαν, ἐκεῖνοι δὲ ἀπειθοῦντες διατελοῦσι, τὴν ἡμετέραν σωτηρίαν ζηλωτυποῦντες, εἰκότως ἔφη τὸν Ἠλίαν πατρὸς καρδίαν πρὸς υἱὸν ἀποκαταστήσειν " ἐκείνους γὰρ πείσει τὴν πρὸς ἡμᾶς δέξασθαι κοινωνίαν.. Ταῦτα δὲ οὐ μόνον Ἰουδαίοις ἀπόχρη δέος ἐνθεῖναι, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡμᾶς ἀγαθῶν, τοσούτῳ καὶ μείζους εὐθύνας ὀφείλομεν τῷ κριτῇ. Οὗ χάριν ἡμᾶς προσήκει πρὸς ἐχείνην εὑτρεπεῖς τὴν ἡμέραν γενέσθαι." ἵνα σὺν παῤδησίᾳ τῷ νων ἀπολαύσωμεν ἀγαθῶν. Ἐγὼ δὲ τοὺς ἐντευξοἰν ### English translation (Claude) 5. "Behold, I send you Elijah the Tishbite." And indicating the time, he added: "Before the great and manifest day of the Lord comes." He named [the day] of the second appearing; and he teaches what the great Elijah will do when he comes: (6) "[Who will restore the heart of the father to the] son, and the heart of a man to his neighbor." And showing the purpose for which Elijah comes first, he added: "Lest I come and strike the land utterly." For so that I may not find you all in unbelief and send you all to endless punishment, Elijah will come first, teach you of my coming, and persuade you, O Jews, to be united without hesitation with those from the nations who have believed in me, and to make my Church one. He calls the Jews fathers, as having been called first, and the nations sons, as having been saved after them. Since, then, we even now urge the Jews to piety, but they continue in disobedience, envying our salvation, he rightly said that Elijah will restore the heart of the father to the son; for he will persuade them to accept fellowship with us. These things are enough to instill fear not only in the Jews but also in us; for [the more] good things [we have enjoyed], the greater the account we owe to the Judge. For this reason we ought to make ourselves ready for that day, so that with confidence [we may stand before the Judge and] enjoy the [eternal] good things. And I [exhort] those who read ### Scripture references - Mal 4:5 (3:22 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Mal 4:6 (3:23 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Matt 17:11: echo, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mal 4:5 (Hebrew 3:23; Rahlfs 3:22); Theodoret goes on to 4:6 (Hebrew 3:24; Rahlfs 3:23), whose opening words are displaced in the scan into the next section. He places Elijah's coming before the second coming of Christ (cf. Matt 17:11). His statements about the Jews are translated as written. Words are lost in the scan near the end (supplied by sense in brackets); the conclusion of the commentary breaks off. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 12.3.23 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-3-23). ## Commentary on Malachi 3:24 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-2-1/#p-12-3-24 - Source: PG 81 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The opening words of Malachi 4:6, displaced in the scan; the comment on the verse stands in the preceding section. ### Greek text ς΄. ε« Ὃς ἀποχαταστήίσει καρδίαν πατρὸς πρὸς … ### English translation (Claude) 6. "Who will restore the heart of the father to …" ### Scripture references - Mal 4:6 (3:23 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Lemma: Mal 4:6 (Hebrew 3:24; Rahlfs 3:23), only its first words. The rest of the section is Migne's Latin column read as Greek letters and is removed; the comment on this verse is in the previous section. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Comm. Proph. min. 12.3.24 (PG 81; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-interpretatio-prophetas-minores/12-3-24).