Micah 1

Let us first consider what Micah signifies in Latin. It means 'Who is from God' or as we find elsewhere 'who is this man,' the son of the Morasthite, that is, the heir? Now, who is this heir, but the Son of God, Who says, All things are given unto Me of My Father; and Who, being Himself the Heir, would have us His co-heirs. And well may we say 'Who is that man?' not one of the people, but chosen to receive the grace of God, in whom the Holy Spirit speaks, who began to prophesy in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah kings of Judah. By which order is signified the course of the vision, for the progress is from the times of evil kings to that of a good king.

Letters, Letter 70

(Chapter 1, Verse 1) The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem, or according to the Septuagint, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem. The word of the Lord came to Micah after Hosea, Amos, and Isaiah, who prophesied during the reign of Uzziah. From this we understand that Micah did not prophesy during the times of Uzziah, but rather during the times of his sons Jotham, after whom Ahaz reigned, and Hezekiah, who succeeded his father Ahaz and during whose reign the ten tribes were taken into captivity by the Assyrians (2 Kings 18). Therefore, it pertains to history according to the order of the captivity (because Samaria, the capital of Israel, was captured first, then the city of Jerusalem) that the title of prophecy is first placed concerning Samaria, and secondly concerning Jerusalem. But as for the mystical understanding, because Samaria is always understood in heresies, and Jerusalem in the Church, we say that the word of the Lord becomes for the humble (or Jerusalem) and for the coheir of Christ, about perverse doctrines, and about the Church, if she has perhaps committed any sins, and to weave together the order of the whole volume. But as for Samaria and the ten tribes, who were separated from the kingdom of Jeroboam of the Davidic lineage (3 Kings 12), they may be considered as heretics, and this is testified not only by the entire Scripture, but especially by the prophet Hosea, and even this very book, which calls them impious heretics and sinful church members. For immediately afterwards it says: What is the wickedness of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? And what is the sin of the house of Judah? Is it not Jerusalem? This translation is according to the Seventy translators. Furthermore, how it is read in Hebrew, we will briefly explain. But also, that which heretics always rely on as if in the sublimity of their dogmas and despise the simplicity of the Church, is said elsewhere: Woe to those who despise Zion and trust in the mountain of Samaria (Amos 6:1); for from Zion shall come forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:3). Moreover, Samaria has made for itself golden calves, which indeed have beauty on the surface but do not possess the breath of life; and it was made in the house of God, which is interpreted as Bethel. For the people of Israel could not receive gods except those that were made from scriptures, and in the house of God. Although they call their assemblies Bethel, after the making of idols, Bethel ceased to be and is called Bethaven, which means house of idols. This is in reference to the title. Now let's come to the beginning of the prophecy and invoke the coming of the Holy Spirit while the Lernaean Hydra beast rages. You, O Paula and Eustochium, pour forth prayers to the Lord and Savior, that envy may not harm me, but that my free mind may think only of that which it strives to explain, and may not feel the blows of insults, which the Lord despised in His suffering (Mark 14 and John 16, 18).

Commentary on Micah

(Verse 2.) Hear, all people, and let the earth and its fullness attend, and may the Lord God be a witness to you, the Lord from his holy temple. LXX: Hear, all people, and let the earth and all who are in it listen, and may the Lord God be a testimony to you, the Lord from his holy house. Because according to the narrative the meaning is clear, I leave it to the discernment of the wise reader. But according to the figurative interpretation, he calls all people to listen, that is, the churches of the whole world, and to listen to the earth, because earthly doctrines of heretics have been constructed in it. But when heresies are numbered among the works of the flesh, which is always referred to as earthly, and the Apostle to the Galatians does not remain silent (Gal. 5), and the Lord in the Gospel indicates to the wise listener: 'He who is of the earth speaks of the earth.' And in distinction to them, he again says of the Ecclesiastics: 'He who comes from heaven is above all' (John 3:31). And: 'What he has seen and heard, this he testifies.' But if this that he says, 'Hear, O people,' refers to that saying of the Lord: 'He who has ears to hear, let him hear' (Luke 8:8), it sounds like something more than what is later added: 'Let the earth attend, we will adjust to the Church, Hear, O all people.' But let those heretics who have accepted earthly doctrine take notice: let the earth and all those who are on it attend, so that both these people, if they hear, and those people, if they pay attention, may not suffer the things which the word of the Lord threatens afterwards. And may the Lord be a witness to them, as it is read in Hebrew, a witness, or as Symmachus has more clearly interpreted, testifying and testifying not from elsewhere, but from his own house, which is the Church, or certainly in the Son, that is, in our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the temple of the Father, and from whose mouth the Father speaks, penetrating the depths and marrow of those who wish to pay attention and hear.

Commentary on Micah

Now let us also consider Jesus’ statement, “I have proceeded and come from God.” It seems useful to me to juxtapose to these words the following words from Micah: “Hear my words, you people, and let the earth and all who are in it pay attention; and the Lord shall be among you for a witness, the Lord from his holy house. Therefore behold, the Lord proceeds from his place and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth, and the mountains will be shaken under him, and the valleys will be dissolved like wax, before fire and like water tumbling down in a waterfall.” Now consider whether the statement, “I have proceeded from God,” is equivalent to the statement, “The Lord proceeds from his place,” since, when the Son is in the Father, being in the form of God before he empties himself, God is his place, as it were.… Unless you understand that the Son is in the Father in a different way than he was before he proceeded from God, it will seem contradictory that he has both proceeded from God, and, after he has proceeded from God, is still in God.

Commentary on the Gospel of John 20:152-56

“I have descended,” the text says, “to see.” When responses are delivered to Abraham, God is not said to descend but to stand before him, as we explained above. “Three men,” the text says, “stood before him.” But now because sinners are involved, God is said to descend.Beware lest you think of ascending and descending spatially. For these metaphors are frequently found in the sacred literature, as in the prophet Micah. “Behold,” Scripture says, “the Lord departed from his holy place and came down and will tread upon the high places of the earth.” Therefore God is said to descend when he deigns to have concern for human frailty. This should be discerned especially of our Lord and Savior, who “thought it not robbery to be equal with God but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant.” Therefore he descended. For “no other has ascended into heaven, but he that descended from heaven, the Son of man who is in heaven.” For the Lord descended not only to care for us but also to bear what things are ours. “For he took the form of a servant,” and although he himself is invisible in nature, inasmuch as he is equal to the Father, nevertheless he took a visible appearance “and was found in appearance as a man.”

Homilies on Genesis 4:5

3–5

(Verse 3, sequence) Because behold the Lord will go out from his place, and he will come down and tread upon the heights of the earth, and the mountains will be consumed beneath him, and the valleys will be split like wax before the fire, like waters flowing down a steep slope. Because of the wickedness of Jacob, all this, and because of the sins of the house of Israel. What wickedness of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? And what heights of Judah? Is it not Jerusalem? LXX: Behold, the Lord will go out from his place, and he will come down, and he will ascend upon the heights of the earth, and the mountains will tremble beneath him, and the valleys will wither like wax before the fire, and like water flowing down: because of the impiety of Jacob, all these things, and because of the sin of the house of Israel. What is the wickedness of the house of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? And what is the sin of the house of Judah? Is it not Jerusalem? O Samaria and Jerusalem, listen, and carefully heed the Lord testifying against you from His temple, and proclaiming whatever He will do. Behold, the Lord will come out from His place. For He who is humble and kind, and whose nature is mercy, is forced for your sake to assume a role of cruelty that He does not possess. And he shall come down and tread upon the high places of the earth. The descent of God is, and his majesty runs down to lower things, to tread upon the earth, and to crush even the powerful. And they shall be consumed, he says, whether the mountains waste away, and the valleys beneath him, whom we understand to be the leaders and the people. And just as nearby fire does not sustain wax, and flowing water is carried headlong: so shall the pride of all the wicked, when the Lord comes, be dissolved and flow away. But all this will happen because of the sins of the ten tribes, which Jacob and Israel called, and because of the transgression of Judah; for in the ten tribes Samaria was the metropolis, and in the kingdom of Judah Jerusalem, idolatry was practiced: this is according to the literal sense. However, the Lord will come out from his place, whom we can understand as either the Son or all the saints. For the Son himself says: I am in the Father, and the Father in me (John 14:10). And of the saints: I will dwell and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people (Leviticus 26:12). Therefore, concerning these things, it goes forth, not that He may abandon them; for even concerning the apostles, the word of the Lord went forth to those who heard, and yet He did not abandon them. And such places, that is, those that deserve to have God as a guest, have been raised up, as if resurrected with Christ, and seated with Him in heavenly places. And it is said that he descends to those who cannot hear his teaching on the mountain. And when he descends, he will not ascend to the lowly and those who are in a low position; but those who are called high and who understand the majesty of the coming of the Lord, they will be moved. And although there are mountains, they will still fear the presence of such a charioteer and ascender. But the valleys, that is, souls inserted into earthly bodies, and not rising with the celestial man, will not be able to bear his presence; but whatever is hard in them will be dissolved, and thus flow, just as if flat waters are carried swiftly into the depths. Therefore, the terrible Lord will come to teach, that is, to move mountains, and to dissolve the low things of valleys, because Jacob has committed impiety, and Israel has sinned. The impiety of Jacob is indeed the meeting places of heretics, which are called Samaria. And the sin of Judah, that is, of him who confesses the Lord, is none other than Jerusalem, in which many crimes are found. And as for the fact that the house of Judah refers to Christ, whose Church it is, and as we have often said, let us also consider this for the present: Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies. (Genesis 49:8). It can also be understood in this way, that because of the impieties of Samaria and the crimes of Judah, the Lord went out from his former place, and said to the Jews (Matt. 23:38): Behold, your house will be left desolate for you (Luke 13:35). And he will come down from heaven, and ascend above the heights of the earth, that is, above those who, believing in the humility of the Gentiles, have deserved to be exalted. And the mountains, the doctrines of the philosophers, and the lofty kingdoms were moved, and those who remained humble were consumed and broken by the coming of the Savior and the growing Church, and by the idols falling into the depths when the mountains rose up high. Therefore the Lord has left his place, and the Church has been built among the nations, so that the mountains would tremble under his feet, and the deep valleys would be dissolved, because Jacob acted wickedly, and Israel sinned, and all the tribes denied the Lord.

Commentary on Micah

On another occasion when he was sitting by himself some place reading the book of the twelve prophets, he came to the prophet Micah. An angel of the Lord appeared to him and asked him about this verse from Micah: “Like water coming down from its source.” He said to him, “What do you think it means?” While he was still puzzling over it, trying to understand, the angel answered, “Theodore, why do you not perceive its meaning? Is it not obvious that it is the water of the river coming down from paradise?” As soon as the angel had said this, he ceased to see him.

Life of Pachomius (bohairic) 1:155

As wax cannot endure the nearness of the fire, and as the waters are carried headlong, so all of the ungodly, when the Lord comes, shall be dissolved and disappear.

Commentary on Micah 1:1.4

6–9

(Verse 6 onwards): And I will make Samaria a heap of stones in the field, when a vineyard is planted, and I will pour down her stones into the valley, and will lay bare her foundations. And all her carved images shall be beaten to pieces, and all her wages shall be burned with fire, and all her idols will I lay desolate: for she gathered it of the hire of an harlot, and they shall return to the hire of a harlot. Therefore I will wail and howl, I will go stripped and naked: I will make a wailing like the dragons, and mourning as the owls. For her wound is incurable; for it is come unto Judah; he is come unto the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem. LXX: And I will make Samaria a caretaker of fruits in the field, and a plantation of vineyards; and I will uncover its foundations and reveal all of its carved images, and all of its wages will be burned with fire, and all of its idols I will put to destruction, because it gathered them from the wages of prostitution, and destroyed them with the wages of prostitution. Because of this, it will lament and mourn, it will go barefoot and naked, it will make a lamentation like the dragons, and a mourning like the daughters of Sirens, because its wound has obtained, because it has come to Judah and has touched the gate of my people, even Jerusalem. According to the order of sins, there is an order of punishments. Samaria was the first to sin, and they made idols and worshiped calves instead of the Lord: therefore, let it perish first. I will destroy it when the Assyrians come, and I will make it like a heap of stones when a vineyard is planted, so that it is turned into mounds. And I will remove its stones into the valley. It was indeed situated in the mountains, where Sebaste is now, and it is where the bones of the holy John the Baptist are buried. And I will reveal its foundations. Such will be the ruin and the destruction of the city, that not only the walls and buildings will collapse, but even the foundations will be exposed to the very last stone. And all its sculptures and treasures, which were gathered by various kings, will be brought down and burned by fire, and reduced to nothingness. For the riches and abundant possessions, which were presumed to be the result of idolatry, will be taken to another harlot, that is, to Nineveh. Just as they committed fornication with the idols they made in their own land, so they will go to another land of idols and prostitution, that is, to the Assyrians. So far concerning Samaria. And because the same calamity will happen to Jerusalem (for it also sinned with a similar error, abandoning its God and making idols), therefore the prophet attributes a kind of personification to God, and under his own persona he expresses a lamenting affection, and says: About this I will mourn and wail; I will go stripped and naked (for I have lost ten tribes), and I will make a lamentation like jackals, and mourning like ostriches. For just as dragons roar with a terrifying hiss, according to the accounts of those who have written about natural history, at the time when they are defeated by elephants; and just as ostriches are forgetful of their eggs, as if they had not laid them, and leave their young to be trampled on by the feet of beasts in the sand (Job 39); as it is more fully described in the book of Job: so I also, stripped of children and naked, will go on my way. And I shall do this, because her wound is desperate, that is, Samaria. And the same sin, or rather the same punishment of sin, which destroyed Samaria, will come even to Judah, and even to the gate of my city Jerusalem. For just as Samaria was overthrown by the Assyrians, so Judah and Jerusalem will be overthrown by the Chaldeans. And indeed, as we understand, Samaria was once the Church of heretics, which, separated from God, became a gathering of the people; the Lord himself threatens that he will make it a place for the keeping of apples, an orchard and a planting ground for a vineyard. For it is much better to overthrow an useless city, and its stones with which it was built, to be thrown down, and to prepare it as an orchard and a plantation of vineyards, than to remain in the worst kind of construction. For when it has been destroyed, and its foundations have been revealed (by which it seemed to hide its mysteries, and to have firm doctrines on which it stood, and all idols appeared to have a kind of beauty, composed by skillful craftsmanship, and have been cut down by the ministers of God, that is, by the Ecclesiastical men), then in the place of the worst construction, various fruits of the Church will be born, and not only will they be born, but they will also be guarded, and the vineyard of Sorek will be planted, from which wine will be made, which the Lord promised to drink in the kingdom of the Father (Mark 14). Not only, however, will the foundations of that which was previously hidden in the earth be opened and brought forth into the open, and the idols which they had fashioned for themselves be overthrown; but even the glory and wealth which she seemed to possess through her fornication and her error will be consumed by my fire, of which I spoke in the Gospel: I have come to cast fire upon the earth, and how I wish that it were already kindled (Luke 12:49): and they shall be burned up and reduced to nothing, for they have been contracted not from the truth of doctrines, but from the fornication of the soul and from errors collected from here and there. For heretics, indeed, do not have riches coming from paternal inheritance, but daily they find what they cultivate, and they fashion idols for themselves with skillful hand and curious mind. Therefore, when their field has been converted into a custody of fruits, and prepared for vineyards, and the stones with which the city was built have been removed into the depths, and their foundations have been revealed, and all the carved and burnt images, and the rewards that they promised themselves with empty hope, and whatever they seemed to worship as God, have been reduced to nothing, because in the fornication of the soul, they had obtained all their price for themselves: then, understanding their former error, having turned back upon themselves, they will lament in those things at which they previously laughed, and they will mourn in those things in which before, in a certain manner, they rejoiced in their fornication. And the deponents will cast off from their feet whatever is deadly, and they will be barefoot, for the ground on which they stand is holy, and they will throw away all the clothes of their fornication, and they will be naked so that they can be clothed in the garment of Christ, and they will lament like dragons. For sometimes even dragons lament when they see the greatest dragon captured and hanging on the hook of a fisherman, and the sea deserted. And they shall lament like the daughters of the Sirens, for the songs of heretics are sweet, and deceive the people with their sweet voices. None can pass by their songs unless they stop up their ears and become deaf. Therefore, Samaria shall weep and mourn for these things, for the arrow of the Lord has wounded her, and she shall recognize the error of her ways. Not only has she sinned herself, but she also desires to bring her iniquity and error into the gates of Judah. It is said of her: She came up to Judea and touched up to the gates of my people, up to Jerusalem. She touched the gates, as we understand them with our ears. However, she could not enter the middle city: for if she had entered, she would have made Samaria from Jerusalem. How often we see some in the Church scandalized by the heretical teachings and seeking how to answer their questions, yet not leaving the Church, let us say, she came to Samaria, or the region of Samaria up to the confessing people, up to the ears of God's people, up to the ears of Jerusalem. For what is said touches as well the gates of my people, it is to be understood in general, so that it may be supplied, it also touches even the gates of Jerusalem. Up to this point, against Samaria and against Jerusalem, let us see the rest, which follows.

Commentary on Micah

10–15

(Vers. 10 seq.) In Geth, do not announce, do not weep with tears, sprinkle yourselves with dust in the house of dust: pass by, you inhabitants of Saphir (Beautiful), confused with disgrace, she who dwells in Sennan (Exit) has not come out. The lament of the house of Asel (Neighboring) will receive you: she who stood for herself, because she is weakened in good, she who dwells in Maroth (Bitterness): for evil descends from the Lord to the gate of Jerusalem. The tumult of chariots has amazed the inhabitants of Lachish, the beginning of sin is the daughter of Zion: for in you were found the wickedness of Israel? Therefore, He will send messengers over the inheritance of Gath: the houses of falsehood for deceit to the kings of Israel. Yet I will bring the heir to you, O inhabitant of Mareshah; to Adullam the glory of Israel will come. LXX: Those in Gath, do not boast; those in Beth-leaphrah, do not rebuild the house of mockery: sprinkle your mockery on the land, you who inhabit the towns! The inhabitant of Sennacherib has not come forth. Mourn for the house near her; it will receive a blow of sorrow, who has taken for good what dwells in sorrow? For evils have come down from the Lord upon the gates of Jerusalem. The sound of chariots and horsemen is heard in Lachish: the prince of sin is the daughter of Zion: for in you have been found the iniquities of Israel. Therefore, he will give emissaries to the inheritance of Gath: empty houses: they have been in vain for the kings of Israel: until I bring heirs to you, who dwell in Lachish, the inheritance will come as far as Odollam. The Hebrew greatly disagrees with the Septuagint translation, and both translations are involved in such great difficulties, both mine and theirs, that if at any time we are in need of the Spirit of God (but we always need His coming in the interpretation of holy Scriptures), now especially we desire Him to be present and to unfold what He has said in the prophets, so that it may also be understood about us, as He deigns to promise elsewhere: Open your mouth, and I will fill it (Ps. LXXX, 11). Moreover, as the history of the kingdom also testifies (1 Samuel 17), Gath is one of the five cities of Palestine, near the border of Judah, and as one travels from Eleutheropolis to Gaza, it is now just a small village or even a large hamlet, where that Philistine giant Goliath, whom David killed in battle, was from. Therefore, because the prophet, or rather the Lord through the prophet, had said, 'I will mourn and wail, I will go stripped and naked; I will make a lament like the dragons and mourn like the ostriches,' since the wound of Samaria is despairing and incurable and had come even to Judah, and had touched the gate of my people Jerusalem, therefore in a voice still lamenting I command: 'Do not announce it in Gath, lest the enemies hear and rejoice; do not weep with tears, that is, do not let even the pain burst forth into sobs; suppress your weeping, lest the adversaries rejoice, lest they have tears in their mouths while their hearts have sorrow; do not go out, but rather sprinkle yourselves with the dust of the ruins in your house, and scatter yourselves with the falling ashes.' Pass through (Al. Passes through) to you, the dwelling of Saphir (which is called beautiful in the Syro-Hebraic language). For Samaria is situated in the most beautiful part of Judaeaea, and is also abundant in resources. It is said to her: O you who dwell in the most fertile region, because you are disgraced and confused, pass through like this, be led into captivity in such a way that, because of the magnitude of your evils, not even a foreigner will hear your voice. Furthermore, what follows: She has not gone out who dwells in Sennam, which means exit, or as Symmachus translates, the abundant dwelling has not gone out, it is said of the same Samaria which is within the gates of Assyria's captivity, and as soon as it moves from its borders, it enters hostile land. The dwelling, as we said above, is abundant and beautiful. Therefore, she who resides (or resided) did not leave by her own will, but was led by force into Assyria. Hence, the neighboring house on the side, which is interpreted as Asel, namely the kingdom of Judah, will receive lamentation from you, which now, in the meantime, after Samaria was captured, has been restored and had God as its defender. But she received lamentation, and she is struck with fear, and her prosperity is weakened, who dwells in Maroth (or Ramoth), that is, in bitterness, or as Symmachus translates, a dwelling that incites bitterness, i.e. a dwelling that causes bitterness; which in Hebrew is called Josebeth Maroth, because of the captivity of the neighboring tribes, for evil comes down from the Lord to the gate of Jerusalem, for the Assyrians, having laid waste Samaria, also came to Jerusalem, at the time when Rabshakeh was sent to insult, of whom the fourth book of the Kingdoms (2 Kings 18) and Isaiah (Isaiah 36) write more fully. Where it is said that the Assyrian king sent from Lachish to Jerusalem, and afterwards, after Lachish was captured, he passed over to besiege Libnah. Therefore, the city of Lachish, dedicated to idols, will come, and to you the chariot and horsemen of the Assyrians, because the crimes of Israel were also found in you, and you were the beginning of idolatry in Judah: for through you, as through a gate, the impiety of the ten tribes migrated to Jerusalem. But not only will there be tumult over Lachish and chariots, but also over Gath, the metropolis of Philistia, of which I have spoken above: Do not announce it in Gath: for the Assyrian will send his robbers, whom he calls messengers, and will possess the house of idolatry and the city of deceit, which was a snare for the kings of Israel. But as for what follows: 'I will still bring an heir to you, who dwells in Maresa,' he beautifully alluded to the name. For Maresa, which means 'inheritance,' he called the arrival of the enemy against the heirs, and he will come to the city of Odollam, which is Judah, Maresa, that is, inheritance. And Odollam is glorious in its cities of Israel. Finally, Symmachus translated it as follows: 'I will still bring an heir and a dwelling to you in Maresa, until the glory of Israel comes to Odollam,' that is, I will still bring an heir to you and a dwelling in Maresa until the glory of Israel comes to Odollam, that is, you who are glorious among the cities of Israel. And where it is said 'of glory', the genitive case should be in the singular number, 'of this glory', and not in the nominative case, 'of these glories'. Or certainly understand it thus: The captivity of Israel which came to Lachish, and Gath, and Mareshah, will also come to Odollam. And the phrase 'the glory of Israel' should be read more closely, so that the meaning of κατὰ ἀντίφρασιν, 'shame' or 'devastation', may be felt. Furthermore, what we have interpreted above as the inheritance of the city of the prophet Micah, let the reader know in the same verse which we have set down: Therefore He will send envoys over the inheritance of Gath, in Hebrew instead of the inheritance of Gath, Maraseth Gath (also called Morasseth) is placed. Thus far, according to the Hebrew, as much as we were able and as it seemed to us, certainly as we heard from the Hebrews, we have steered our little boat between rocks and sharpest cliffs, which whether it has entered the harbor or is still floating on the sea, it is for the reader's judgment. Now, let us continue with your prayers to other waves, and with the imminent danger of shipwreck on all sides, if we can, let us escape. 'Geth' is interpreted as a press, so those who are in Geth, that is, in a press, thinking that they have gathered the fruits of life and squeezed the juice from the vine of Sorek, are lifted up in pride, not knowing that the cluster of the land of Judah is not found in the borders of foreign nations. Do not boast, says the Lord, you who are in the wine presses: For your vineyard is of Sodom, and your offspring of Gomorrah: And your grapes are of bitterness, and your clusters of gall to you, and the wine of fury of dragons is your wine, the fury of invincible asps. For if you also produce fruit (since your vineyard is not only from Sodom and Gomorrah, but also from Egypt and other enemy nations) the Lord will give your fruit to rust, and your labors to locusts, and He will destroy your vineyards with hail, and your mulberry trees with frost. Do not let the appearance of wine deceive you, and do not say that sweet is bitter: taste your wine carefully, and you will find that it is like the wine of Sorec, the fury of dragons and the venom of asps. Therefore, do not be proud, but humble yourselves under the mighty hand of the Lord, and go to that winepress from which I, who am coming from Edom, am red in my speech, as Isaiah the prophet says: I have trodden the winepress alone, and there is no man from the nations with me. Again, there are those who speak of aliens and others (for the province of the Allophylians has many regions and cities) who, through their evil works and contrary senses, speak against God: 'We have been destroyed, but let us rebuild that which has been destroyed.' Hence they are called the boundaries of impiety, and the people whom the Lord is angry with. It is said to them: 'Do not build with derision from the house in Bachim.' Bachim () in our language means lamentation and weeping. Finally, with the exception of the Septuagint, all have translated κλαυθμὸν, which means weeping. So, who are you then in such works and sentiments that are worthy of tears, do not build up a bad edification, nor consider your understanding as the construction of God, nor build upon sand (Matt. VII), lest when the storm comes and your house collapses, your futile labor may provide laughter for onlookers. Rather, understanding that your edification is worthy of ridicule, sprinkle your heads with its ruins and dust, and repent for wanting to build a house without counsel. It follows: Those who dwell well in their own cities have not gone forth dwelling in Senna. This seems to me to have this meaning: You, who boast in Geth and in Bachim, attempt in vain to build a house worthy of laughter: sprinkle yourselves with dust and repent, because you desired to crush detestable wine and to build a construction contrary to God. But the Church of Christ, which dwells well and possesses churches in the whole world, is joined together by the unity of the Spirit and has the cities of the Law, the Prophets, the Gospel, and the Apostles. It has not gone forth from its limits, that is, from the holy Scriptures; but it retains the possession that it began; because it dwells in Senna, which is interpreted, as we said above, by Symmachus as abundance; for it has the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, with whom all spiritual graces and abundant virtues are. And it is said to her: Let peace be made in your strength, and abundance in your towers (Psalm 121, 7). But you, who dwell near Sennan, that is, near the abundant Church, oh heretics, oh contrary teachings, lament yourselves, because you have built a house for yourselves in mockery, and you have pressed the winepress in pride, not in the Scriptures, but in the vicinity of the Scriptures, a house worthy of not laughter, but lamentation, and you have built it with tears. Where it is joined, lament the house which is next to it, that is, next to Sennan. But also this which is added, it shall receive from you a blow of sorrow, it is said to the same heretics, to whom it is commanded to lament the neighboring house of the Church, that the enemy and avenger devil, to whom they are to be handed over for punishment, himself may inflict blows on them, and may extract from them the pain of wounds for the purpose of evil edification. Which are therefore inflicted, so that they may feel the sins which they have committed, may do penance, and may make the habitation of sorrows an occasion for good things. Whether the Church is indicating its grief because it laments its former sons, and is itself the cause of the salvation of heretics if they wish to return to their mourning mother. Furthermore, what is brought forth: For evils have descended from the Lord upon the gates of Jerusalem: and the Marcionites and Manichaeans use this scripture, because the God of the Law is the creator of evils. Let us say that evils have descended from the Lord, just as the Savior speaks in the Gospel: I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven (Luke X, 18). For just as Lucifer, who rose in the morning (Isaiah 14), fell from heaven and was crushed upon the earth, so too these evils that have fallen from the Lord and have come to the gates of Jerusalem were not evils before they fell; but because they have fallen from the Lord, they have become evils. And so that we may know the snares of evils: they came, he says, to the gates of Jerusalem, which, because they are secure and made of adamant, are closed off by the apostles, to whom the keys of Jerusalem have been entrusted; before these gates the enemies lurk, and those whom they see leaving, they kill. If someone is from Jerusalem, who lives well in his own cities, he does not go out when he dwells in abundance; but he always remains within, and does not go out of its gates, for whoever goes out of them is killed: he is killed by those who rise up in Geth, and dwell in Bachim, and build a house for mockery. Finally, the evils that have descended from the Lord to the gates of Jerusalem only have the noise of chariots and the tumult of horses, and a confused sound in place of the gates of Jerusalem, so that they will kill with their spear anyone they see wandering. After this was written: You who dwell in Lachish are the chief of sin for the daughter of Zion. Lachish is interpreted as 'walk' or 'journey'. And those who went up in their chariots and had horses, and made only empty noise and sound, concerning whom she who dwells well in her cities spoke: these are in chariots and these are on horses: but we will invoke in the name of the Lord our God (Ps. XIX, 8); for they have moved their feet, and have been carried about by every wind of false doctrine (Ephesians IV), and they desired to go out of the Church, which is interpreted as 'watchtower', that is, Zion, the chiefs of sin were the daughters of Zion. And in the same, that is, in Latin, were found the impieties of Israel, which separated the people of God from their former kingdom. Therefore, the leader of sin is the daughter of Zion, who dwells in Lachish, that is, in the worst way of life, constantly wavering in her steps, and the impieties of Israel are found in those who always move their feet and are said to dwell in Lachish. There will also be emissaries sent to the inheritance of Gath: Gath, the worst and the press of poisons, which is built against the house of God, where there are vain houses that have been built for ridicule. And these vanity homes, made in vain, were among the kings of Israel. As far as history is concerned, these are the kings whose sins are written in the Books of Kings and Chronicles: but as far as the anagoge is concerned, they are the princes of heretics and leaders of perverse doctrines; for these homes are vainly built and in vain. And as long as they persevere, until the heirs who are to be brought by the Lord possess them. After this follows: You who dwell in Lachish, the inheritance will come all the way to Odollam. The word 'testimonium' here is interpreted as the act of drawing or taking in water. In Greek, it is more significantly called 'μαρτυρία ἀντλήσεως', meaning the testimony of their drawing. We read in Proverbs: 'If you are wicked, you will alone drink in evil' (Prov. IX, 21). So, what dwells in Lachis, that is, in a very difficult situation, will come to the point of complete exhaustion, which it will completely drain and drink according to the measure of its works. Or certainly it should be distinguished in this way, that what is said, 'you who dwell in Lachis,' refers to the things above, and the order and meaning are as follows: I will bring your heirs from the Church, you who dwell in Lachis, because you will be of the inheritance of the Lord when you have drawn and received what you deserve. I beg the reader at the end of this chapter not to think of it as a necessity, a desire, or a lengthy explanation, but rather to marvel at finding something in such difficult places and not overlooking anything that needs to be said.

Commentary on Micah

(Verse 16.) Shave and shear the sons of your delights, spread your baldness like an eagle, for captives have been led away from you. LXX: Glory of the daughter of Israel, shave and shear the sons of your delicacy; spread your baldness like an eagle, for captives have been led away from you. This that was spoken by the Seventy, glory of the daughter of Israel, with the daughters adding it, the Hebrews read at the end of the previous chapter. But it is necessary for us, as you have desired, to interpret the Scriptures in the way they are read in the Church, and moreover not to neglect the Hebrew truth. It is therefore said to Israel for the time being according to the letter, so that we may understand that either the ten tribes were taken to Samaria or all Israel together; because the people were led captive, and all Judaea was devastated by the Assyrians and Babylonians, let them assume lamentation and weep for their children. And just as an eagle, which is the queen of birds, loses its feathers at a certain time and remains featherless, so too let Israel cast off all its former glory, with which it was once adorned, and lament for the sons subjected to the power of the enemy. And as for the eagle, it is accustomed to lose its feathers at a certain time, and it is written in the Psalter: 'Your youth will be renewed like the eagle’s' (Ps. 103:5). And the comic poet says in The Self-Tormenter: 'Indeed, it is true, as they say, that the eagle grows old' (Terence, Act III, Scene 2). However, if we want to take this same thing in regard to the present time of the Judean destruction, we will see that all the favor that once flourished with God has completely departed from them. For where is the prophet? Where is the teacher of the Law? Where are the defenses of the angels? Where, on the other hand, is the unexpected (or expected) victory against many by a few? Jerusalem has been bald, losing all the hair of its former glory, and its children, who cried out against the Lord, 'Crucify him, crucify him,' have been led into captivity. I read in the Commentaries of someone that this which is said, to shave and tear over the sons of your delights, can be understood about the condition of humanity: as God to Adam, or to heavenly Jerusalem, to direct conversation. O human soul! O city once the mother of the saints, which you were first in paradise, and you enjoyed the delights of various trees, and you had the most beautiful hair: now since you have been cast down from the heights and brought to Babylon, and you have come to a place of captivity, and you have lost your hair, shave and assume the habit of a penitent, and mourn your sons, mourn your offspring, who is led captive from you.

Commentary on Micah

What happened to her we know was said through the prophet concerning Judea: Enlarge your baldness like the eagle. For the baldness of a man usually occurs only on the head, but the baldness of an eagle occurs over the whole body, because when it has grown very old, its feathers and plumes fall from all its limbs. Therefore she enlarges her baldness like an eagle, because she has lost her feathers, she who has lost her people. The feathers of her wings also fell, with which she was accustomed to fly to prey, because all her powerful men have perished, through whom she seized the things of others.

Homilies on Ezekiel, Homily 18 (2:6)