Глава IX

Jer. 9:1. Who will give my head water?' I, he says, do not naturally have such a multitude of tears that would correspond to the magnitude of the misfortune. since those who mourned usually alleviated their great grief with tears, therefore I, he says, wanted to more strongly arouse nature so that I would have water and flow unhindered, since there was nothing else left, he says, but to cry. Jer. 9:1. About the beaten daughters of my people. What are you saying? Is it necessary to mourn those infected with evil? Yes, he says, I mourn them. Why? For this reason: not because they are punished, but because all (hope) for correction has been taken away. Either 84 - by enemies, or - by sin. Jer. 9:2. Who gives me the last place to live in the desert, and I will leave my people and go away from them. Prophet: Oh, if only it were possible to live in the desert! Jer. 9:2. They all commit fornication, a bunch of criminals. That is, they had consent to evil, so they cannot ask God for sins. Do you leave them and go? Yes, he says. If there had been anyone listening to the words, even if there was only one, I would not have left, but now I am a congregation of criminals. Jer. 9:2. And I will leave my people. As one of the people, he calls his people his own by blood and origin. Jer. 9:2. Everyone commits fornication. What kind of fornication is he talking about here? Isn’t it really about that which consists in (falling away from) God? This fornication is grievous and lawless, the most grievous in proportion as the One to Whom the offense is greater, in proportion as the covenants and faith are greater. Jer. 9:2. A gathering of criminals. Because they are like-minded against evil, as well as against Christ. Jer. 9:3. And slosh your tongue like an onion. He speaks of their hostile and unchanging disposition. Jer. 9:3. Lies and infidelity have taken hold on earth. That is, they are filled with hypocrisy. Jer. 9:4. Let everyone beware of what is sincere. Do you see the complete malice when they don’t trust their loved ones, when they are separated? This is the purpose of the devil’s malice - to divide members when neither a brother, nor a friend, nor anyone else enjoys trust. Jer. 9:4. And do not trust in your brethren. That is, do not trust anyone, as Christ also says: and for the increase of lawlessness, love will dry up (Matthew 24:12). This is not the destruction of friendship, but the pretense of it. Jer. 9:4. Every brother stutters, and every brother will not speak the truth. When there is evil everywhere, when even the small, healthy part does not have the truth. Jer. 9:5. You're not truthful and you don't want to. Do you see? Sins are not by nature. Look how they accuse people differently, sometimes of sins against their neighbor: they are untruthful and do not want to convert, then (as) everywhere - that their evil is unchangeable. Jer. 9:5. Having taught your tongue to say lies. No kind of evil is so hateful as when one thing appears and another is said. Jer. 9:7. For this sake I will kindle them and tempt them. Testing is not a matter of inexperience; He knew that they were evil, but I would tempt them, I wanted to put them to the test. Therefore, let us not avoid punishment, but let us avoid sin, since it makes us unfit, or even tried. Jer. 9:8. An arrow that pierces their tongue. In the Hebrew text: destroyer. How can a tongue ever hurt? It hurts more painfully than any arrow: it strikes not the body, but reaches the very soul. Jer. 9:9. Flattering verbs. Everyone is accused of this, of cunning, of hypocrisy. Jer. 9:9. I won’t attend any food? He speaks in accordance with the question, as if setting them up as judges of the former. Is it fair, he says, not to see this? Should such obvious deeds be left without retribution? Who can say it? Jer. 9:10. On the mountains, hear the cry. As if I were impoverished. Weep not for men, he says, but for the mountains, which were the occasion for wickedness, and for the paths. Look how the word makes the word mournful everywhere, when not only people perish, but for their sake the earth, deserted and inhabited, and everything else. It is as if those who fled were captured there, because out of fear of the enemies they left the city. Jer. 9:13. And the Lord said 85: Having forsaken my law, I gave it before them. He doesn’t just say: in front of them, but in their presence, when they testified and approved of what was being said. Reminds me of the miracles on Mount Sinai. Jer. 9:15. For this reason the Lord speaks thus. Thus says the Lord; He didn’t say: he does this, but he says this. Until now - words and, if you want, will forever remain words. If he speaks for any reason, destroy the reason. If anger were a passion, you would have reason to fear; if he speaks therefore, destroy it and he will not speak. The God of Israel is not alien, not cruel, not inhuman. Remember the time when Israel was called. Jer. 9:15. Behold, I feed (φωμίζω) 86 this people in cramped conditions, and I will give them gall water to drink. I will make their life very bitter; when the soul is sad, food changes nature. Just as for the eyes light can be darkness, so for the tongue the sweetest can be the bitterest, when the most important thing is spoiled. So, he does not say that he will change the nature of water, but he says that he will bring such sorrow that substances, while maintaining their nature, will seem different. Just as sweet things seem bitter to the sick, so do those who mourn, and to them more than that. Jer. 9:16. And I will scatter them into tongues. He does not speak of complete destruction, but (of the scattering) of some there, others in other places. After all, the captives had to become more intelligent not only through captivity, but also through the death of those captured. Jer. 9:17. This is the speech of the Lord: call the mourners. What are you saying? He orders mourners to be summoned from everywhere and calls them wise. Why is this so? According to the usual opinion - wise in their business. He usually calls someone who knows something wise, so when he says: we become wise because we are wise (Ps. 57:6), and: where is the essence of the wisdom of Tanes 87 (Is. 19:12)? Why does he command to do this? To lead them in faith and correction; not for this to happen, since he does not want them to simply cry: in the hosts of the Lord (ἐν ἐκκλησίαις γὰρ 88 do not cry, he says, with tears (Mic. 2:6), but to confirm and convince them in the future. Jer. 9:20. And teach your daughters how to weep and cry sincerely every time. Having said before: call the mourners and let them come, he added this, making it clear that you are in vain calling others to cry, that it is better for you to learn this yourself, since there will not be enough of them with the multitude of those affected. Jer. 9:21. Death has already gone through your windows. Not from fights, not from battle and war. Jer. 9:22. And dead men will be an example on the face of the field. The dead will remain unburied; again, this seemed like the greatest shame, since it could have happened when there was no burying person at all. Jer. 9:23. Let not the wise man boast. Watch where the speech leads. Although there are, of course, among you, he says, some strong, rich, wise, but none of this, he says, will bring you any benefit. When there is no fear of God, poverty, punishment, and weakness appear. Pay attention to the great and amazing lessons of philosophy, that there is nothing worthy of which one can boast. If anyone, he says, is perfect among the sons of men, but you do not have wisdom, then it will be considered as nothing. Jer. 9:24. Hedgehog understand and know. What does it mean to know God if not to care about a life worthy of wonder? Jer. 9:25–26. These days are coming, says the Lord, and I will visit all who have the circumcision of their flesh, Egypt, Judah (ἐπὶ Ί ούδαν) 89 and the children of Ammon. Hitherto I spoke to those who, in view of the church, did not expect captivity. And since they presented circumcision as a sign of (their) closeness to God, God says that I will bring punishment on the other circumcised nations. Circumcision does not mean closeness to Me, but I seek life (τὸν τρόπον). Then showing that the Jews are worse than those, saying: Jer. 9:26. To Egypt and Idumea. Even if they had circumcision, they remain uncircumcised in the flesh, because they do it not according to the law; This is how the Edomites and others are considered circumcised. The better the heart, the worse this uncircumcision is. Some say that the Egyptians were circumcised, and Herodotus tells about this. I think it's the Saracens. What are you saying? They were not circumcised. Moreover, you are not circumcised in heart. But (the Jews) are circumcised? Just as this action did not bring benefit to those, so it did not benefit you either; you are worse than those. Speaking; and against everyone who cuts the hair of his face, he means the Saracens, who leave the hair on the back (of the head), and cut only the part above the forehead, decorating the hair; they are now called gentilii (γεντίλιοι). Having said that they are not circumcised in heart compared to all nations, and showing that what was said is not a simple reproach, he adds: This fragmentary expression probably refers to the words: about the beaten... Greek words corresponding to Slav. B.: to me, the text of Patrology is not readable. So, instead of what is usually read in the lists: φωμιῶ - I will drink in Slav. B. In ancient sp. translation of the 70 usually reads: ἐν ἐκκλησ ίᾳ... in the host..., and these words form the end of the 5th verse. In ancient sp. translation of 70, as in Slav. B., έπι Ἰούδαν is not read, but is read in the Hebrew text.