At least, I think that in places that we do not understand we have found a story that is not entirely contradictory. Wherefore see if it is not possible to deduce from this speech the idea that those who belonged to circumcision were "a thousand vines of grapes, a thousand shekels." For "thou hast brought the vine out of Egypt," having cast out "tongues, and planted them" (cf. Psalm 79:9). And he, having at first been fruitful, is afterwards despised for having "turned into sorrow" (cf. Jeremiah 2:21), and "his bulwark" is cast down, and he has become a plunder "passing by" (cf. Psalm 79:13). It was these fruitful vineyards that turned into "flies" and places overgrown with thorns, when the enemy army ascended with thousands of arrows and bows, bringing devastation with them. And the mountains of "Oremy" are the souls that believe in Christ. Formerly they were desolate and uncultivated, so until the coming of Christ they remained wild and brought thorns. But since Christ came "to fall and to rise for many" (Luke 2:34) and called "that which is not, that it may abolish it" (1 Corinthians 1:28), those who belonged to circumcision, having lost their freshness and fruitfulness, turned into "frogs"; and the congregation of the Gentiles, which is called Mount Orema, is cultivated, being free from all fear and fear of the enemy. Thus, the mountain is the soul, exalted by the teaching of Christ. When the Lord came, Israel was "broken off" and the Gentiles were grafted in, "so that by their fall" the "salvation" of all would be arranged (cf. Rom. 11:17, 11), and on these mountains the sheep and oxen that graze fearlessly are of abundant benefit. It is obvious that sheep are more good-natured, and oxen are more industrious to do what is necessary.

Commentary on Chapter 8

(1) "And the Lord said unto me, Take unto thee a great scroll, and write in it a man's letter, that thou shalt soon bring captivity to gain, for thou hast come!" (2) "And make faithful men witnesses to me, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the son of Barachiah." (3) "And come to the prophetess, and in the womb thou shalt conceive, and bear a son. And the Lord said to me, "His name is Thou who hast taken captive, and plundereth impudently," (4) "And before the child knoweth to name his father or mother, he shall receive the power of Damascus, and the covetousness of Samaria before the king of Assyria."

Apparently, the Prophet was commanded to do one thing, and he did the other. For what is there in common between the commandment, "Take unto thee a great scroll," and that which is added, "And come to the prophetess, and be conceived in the womb"? And therefore some may say that what is added does not serve as an explanation of the preceding, but that one thought is finished, and another thought is attached, which has its own beginning. For although it is not added that the Prophet took "a great scroll," it must be implied that he fulfilled the commandment. The words: "And he came to the prophetess, and was conceived in the womb" are understood as having another beginning. For if the Prophet had contradicted the commandment, the contradiction would have been recorded, as in Ezekiel, who refused to eat bread baked in the human line. But there the Prophet denies, saying: "By no means, O Lord God!" "Behold, my soul is not defiled in uncleanness, and all flesh is an abomination in my mouth" (cf. Ezekiel 4:12, 14). That is why it is permitted for him to "make bread in beef bloodworms" (cf. Ezekiel 4:15). And here, since there is no denial, the silence clearly shows agreement, although it is not attested that the command was carried out, as in the case of Hosea. He was told: "Go, take for yourselves a woman of fornication, and bring forth children of fornication." Then the word, testifying of him that he had fulfilled what was commanded, adds: "And Gomer went and sang the daughter of Devilaimlu" (Hos. 1:2, 3). In other places we find that the command has been spoken, but whether it has been put into effect is not attested, but this is ascertained by us from the obedience of those who accepted the command. For example, about Ezekiel, to whom it is said: "Thou shalt sleep on thy left side" and again, "Thou shalt sleep on thy right side" (Ezekiel 4:4, 6), it is not added that he slept on his left or right side, but is silent about this, however, it is implied by us from the obedience of the Prophet. So here, too, our perplexity can be answered by saying that the Prophet did not begin to do another after receiving the first command, but when he had fulfilled the command, then he began to tell us about the prophetess again.

And the "scroll is new" and "great" may be an image of the New and Great Testament, written "by human writing," because the Gospel broadcasts are written in human language, understandable to many. In the Gospel it is also written that "the captivity of self-interest shall soon be wrought." For the teaching of the Gospel quickly, faster than any lightning, reached the boundaries of the universe; it takes away the gain of the prince of this world, and brings those who are captive by him into obedience to Christ. "Captivity" is the division of self-interest, and God has entrusted this to the guardians of the human race, the Angels, for the protection and observance of it. For this reason it is written: "Soon the captivity of gain will be wrought," for the Gospel is near, preaching the gospel from heaven of old, as having already come to us. And let the witnesses of what is written in the Gospel be, it is said, "Uriah" and "Zechariah." And "Uriah" is a priest and symbolically signifies the law given through Moses; "Zechariah" is the Prophet; and the gospel is established by the witness of the law and the prophets. In translation, they mean "Uriah" – "the enlightenment of God", "Zechariah" – "remembrance of God", and "son of Barachiah" – "son of God's blessing". Wherefore which of men is it proper to be a faithful witness? To him who is enlightened by God, who has an unceasing remembrance of God.

Therefore, what do the words "and come to the prophetess" mean? That is, by the spirit and foreknowledge of the future, I approached the prophetess. For he comprehended, as it were, approached by prophetic understanding, saw Her conception from afar, foreseeing by means of a prophetic gift that She had given birth to a Son, of Whom the Lord said: "Call His name: Quickly take captive, impudently plunder." Soon he captured the strong, guarding his possessions, that is, those who were sold under sin and kept in the chains of death. And He took him captive, and divided his gains to His own strength, giving the faithful over to the holy Angels for safekeeping and keeping, of whom He Himself said: "Your angels behold the face of My Father in heaven" (cf. Matt. 18:10). For this is the one who "impudently" plundered; it is written of Him: "Ascending on high, He took captivity captive, and received gifts among men" (cf. Psalm 67:19). And that Mary is the prophetess to whom Isaiah approached through the approach of knowledge, no one will contradict this, if he remembers the words of Mary spoken by Her prophetically. For what does he say? "My soul magnifies the Lord, and My spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for He hath looked upon the humility of His servant, for behold, from henceforth all shall bless Me" (Luke 1:46-48). And having delved into all Her words, you will not refuse to call Her a prophetess, because the Spirit of the Lord descended upon Her and the power of the Most High overshadowed Her.

Therefore, what was commanded to be written in this scroll, then, approaching the Prophetess, he saw it come true. For there it is said: "Write to men, if soon the captivity of gain will be wrought," and here, after the words "conceived in the womb and bring forth a son," it is written: "And the Lord said: Narls are His name: Quickly take captive, impudently plunder." Thus, in different expressions and ideas: "Take thee a scroll" and "Come to the prophetess," the same thing is said, and this addition does not contain anything inconsistent with the preceding one.

And this one, born of a prophetess, received "the power of Damascus, and the gain of Samaria." The "power of Damascus" is the Gentile believers, and the "gains of Samaria" are those who believe from circumcision, because Damascus is the chief city of Syria, and Samaria is the chief city of Israel. Meanwhile, the commandments and valiant deeds of Him who was born of the Prophetess are added to Him from the Lord instead of names, just as the name Jesus was given to the Lord for the salvation granted to us by God. For it is said: "Thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins" (Matt. 1:21).

(5) "And the Lord added to me to speak again, saying:" (6) "For these people did not desire the waters of Siloamli flowing yew, but desired to have Rasson and the son of Romelius king over you,"(7) "For this reason the Lord is raising up against you the waters of the river strong and abundant, the king of Assyria and his glory; and he will ascend into every of your wilderness, and will go round around every wall of yours,"(8) "and he will take away from Judah a man who is able to raise up a head, or who is able to do anything; and his army will fill the breadth of Thy country, God is with us!"

What is the reason for this that God threatens the people in every way for the water of Siloam? And why do the people not want the water of Siloam, which, according to history, was not disease-causing and did no other harm to those who used it? Moreover, what is the correspondence to him who does not want the water of Siloam to desire Rasson and the son of Romeliev? For what fellowship is there between inanimate water and the king who rules and rulers over his subjects? But the word "Siloam" must be understood in a figurative sense: according to the teaching of the Gospel, it is interpreted as "sent." For this is how it is translated in the Gospel of John: "Go and wash in the font of Siloamste, as it is said that he was sent" (John 9:7). Therefore, who is he who is sent and flowing "yew" if not the One of Whom it is said: "The Lord hath sent Me and His Spirit" (Isaiah 48:16), and yet "shall not speak or cry out, His voice shall be heard at the crossroads" (cf. Matt. 12:19)? And so, those who do not accept Him who is sent from heaven despise His meekness, but attract to themselves the son of Romelium, that is, a teaching which contains false opinions, but assures that it is based on the Divine Scriptures, and Rasson, who means "exalted" and carries the hearer beyond the boundaries of faith in accordance with the Divine Scriptures, puffs him up and leads him away from the foundation of faith. For Aram is interpreted as "exalted."

For this reason, whoever contemptuously treats firm teaching, does not accept that which is constant, quiet, and virtuous, but adds to the incomprehensible passages of Scripture something borrowed from outside the Faith, he is threatened by the prophetic word, which will bring down upon them "mighty and abundant water, the king of Assyria," that is, the prince of this world. And that the Scriptures often understand the adversary by the name of Assyrian, is evident from the following passage in the same Prophet. He says: "And it will come to pass, when the Lord has finished all that He has done in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, He will bring a great mind to the prince of Assyria, and to the height of glory in his eyes. For he said: "With the strength of my hand I will make, and with the wisdom of understanding I will take away the boundaries of tongues, and I will take captive their power, and I will shake the inhabited cities, and the whole world with my hand as a nest, and as the eggs that I have left behind, I will take and carry, whosoever flees from me, or speaks against me" (Isaiah 10:12-14). Probably, even now the Prophet speaks of the same prince of Assyria, who is truly "much water," like a stream that forcibly and swiftly draws away those who meet. And those who are worthy to pass through this stream harmlessly, say: "Our soul has passed through the stream, but the water is not constant" (cf. Psalm 123:4, 5). And the Gospel mentions the same water in the parable, when it likens him who has heard the teaching and does not do it to a man "who has built his tabernacle without foundation; but the flood was," as it is said, the tabernacle did not stand, but "fell, and there was a great destruction of that tabernacle" (cf. Luke 6:48, 49).

But this "great water," says the Prophet, "will rise up on all your wilderness." And the wilds are the hollows of the earth. Why is it said that the waters will rise and not fall? For every humiliation in people produced by sin is incomparably higher than the first streams and, as it were, the beginnings of deceit. And as soon as they are given over to the opposing forces, they will go around "every wall" of apostates, that is, every confirmed teaching of theirs, everything that they consider a stronghold for themselves.

For by giving themselves over to the broad and broad path, they become worthy to serve as a battlefield for the opposing force, not as they are necessarily condemned for this, but as having chosen for themselves a worse fate. For since "they did not tempt to have God in their minds, God gave them over to an unskilled mind, creating unlike" (Romans 1:28).

"God is with us!" (9) "Understand, ye tongues, and repent, ye shall hear even to the ends of the earth!"