Questions on the Octateuch 6.15–7.12
Greek text: PG 80.English: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), public domain (CC0).
Prologue 6
6.15PG 80 80:475
Πῶς νοητέον τὸ, Παρὰ Κυρίου έγενετο κατισχύσαι τὴν καρδίαν αὐτῶν, ὥστε συναντᾷν αὐτοὺς εἰς πόλεμον ἐπὶ Ἰσραὴλ, ἵνα ἐξολοθρευθῶσι, καὶ ὅπως μὴ δοθῇ αὐτοῖς ἔλεος τοῦ ἀφανισθῆναι αὐτοὺς, ὃν τρόπον εἶπε Κύριος πρὸς Μωσῆν; Περὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἐθνῶν ἐνομοθέτησε τῷ Ἰσραὴλ ὁ Θεός ὥστε εἰ πολιορκούντων αὐτῶν τὴν πόλιν πρεσβεύσαιντο ἐκεῖνοι, καὶ φιλίαν ἀσπάσαιντο, δέξασθαι τὴν πρεσβείαν, καὶ λῦσαι τὴν πολιορκίαν. καὶ σπείσασθαι τὴν εἰρήνην. Διδάσκει τοίνυν ἡμᾶς ὁ λόγος, ὡς σταθμῷ καὶ μέτρῳ πάντα πρυτανεύων ὁ Θεὸς συνεχώρει τούτοις ἀντιπαρατάττεσθαι τῷ λαῷ, ἵνα μηδεμιᾶς ἀξιωθῶσι φειδοῦς, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸν θεῖον ὅρον ἀναιρεθῶσιν.
Pōs noēteon to, Para Kyriou egeneto katischysai tēn kardian autōn, hōste synantąn autous eis polemon epi Israēl, hina exolothreuthōsi, kai hopōs mē dothę̄ autois eleos tou aphanisthēnai autous, hon tropon eipe Kyrios pros Mōsēn? Peri tōn allōn ethnōn enomothetēse tǭ Israēl ho Theos hōste ei poliorkountōn autōn tēn polin presbeusainto ekeinoi, kai philian aspasainto, dexasthai tēn presbeian, kai lysai tēn poliorkian. kai speisasthai tēn eirēnēn. Didaskei toinyn hēmas ho logos, hōs stathmǭ kai metrǭ panta prytaneuōn ho Theos synechōrei toutois antiparatattesthai tǭ laǭ, hina mēdemias axiōthōsi pheidous, alla kata ton theion horon anairethōsin.
How is “It came from the Lord to harden their heart, so that they would come out to war against Israel, that they might be utterly destroyed, and that no mercy might be given them, so that they would be wiped out, as the Lord said to Moses” to be understood? Concerning the other nations God legislated for Israel that, if while they were besieging a city its people sent envoys and sought friendship, they should receive the embassy, lift the siege and make peace. The passage teaches us, then, that God, who governs all things by weight and measure, allowed these to draw up against the people so that they would be granted no mercy but be destroyed according to the divine decree.
Josh 11:20 (quotation, high confidence) · Deut 20:10–11 (allusion, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: God allowed the Canaanites to fight Israel so that, unlike other nations offered peace, they would be destroyed by his decree.
- Josh 11:20 (Septuagint); Deut 20:10–11; Wis 11:20 (“measure and number and weight”). The decree of destruction is translated as written.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR letter): Κύμιος → Κύριος.
Extrabiblical texts: Wis 11:20 (Wisdom of Solomon [in RC, EO, ETH canons]; echo)
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Quaest. Oct. 6.15 (PG 80 80:475; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-octateuchum/6-15). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-octateuchum/6-15
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 80 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
6.16PG 80 80:475
Διατί τοῖς μὲν Μωσῆς διανέμει τοὺς κλήρους τῆς γῆς, τοῖς δὲ Ἰησοῦς Καὶ τοῦτο πάλιν προτυποῖ τὴν ἀλήθειαν. Τοῖς μὲν γὰρ ἐπέκεινα τοῦ Ἰορδάνου Μωσῆς διεῖλε τὴν γῆν τοῖς δὲ μετὰ τὸν Ἰορδάνην ὁ Ἰησοῦς. Καὶ τῶν μὲν Ἰουδαίων ἔχουσι τὸν τύπον οἱ διὰ Μωσέως εἰληφότες τοὺς κλήρους οἱ δέ γε διὰ Ἰησοῦ, τῶν πεπιστευκότων ἐθνῶν. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ πρωτότοκος ὁ Ἰσραὴλ, οἱ πρωτότοκοι διὰ Μωσέως τοὺς κλήρους ἐδέξαντο, Ῥουβὴν, καὶ Γὰδ, καὶ Μανασσῆς. Διαβαίνουσι μέντοι καὶ οὗτοι εὔζωνοι πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων. Οἱ γὰρ ἐξ Ἰουδαίων πεπιστευκότες τοῖς ἔθνεσι τὴν σωτηρίαν προσήνεγκαν. Κατελείφθησαν δὲ ὅμως καὶ Ἰεβουσαῖοι, καὶ Χαναναῖοι, καὶ ἕτερα ἔθνη τῶν ἀλλοφύλων, καὶ συνῴκουν τῷ Ἰσραήλ. Καὶ τούτου δὲ τοῦ τύπου τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἔστιν εὑρεῖν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἅπαντες τὸν σωτήριον ἐδέξαντο λόγον, ἀλλ᾽ ἐπέμειναν ἀντιλέγοντες καὶ Ἰουδαῖοι, καὶ Ἕλληνες, τὰς αὐτὰς ἡμῖν καὶ πόλεις καὶ κώμας οἰκοῦντες οὓς οὐκ ἄν τις ἀποσφαλείη Χαναναίους, καὶ Χετταίους, καὶ Ἱεβουσαίους ὀνομάζων. Ταύτης δὲ ἄξιοι τῆς προσηγορίας καὶ οἱ τὰ μυσαρὰ τῶν αἱρέσεων θρησκεύοντες δόγματα. Διά τοι τοῦτο καὶ ὁ θεῖος ᾿Απόστολος ἔφη· Νῦν δὲ οὕπω ὁρῶμεν αὐτῷ τὰ πάντα ὑποτεταγμένα. Καὶ πάλιν Δεί γὰρ αὐτὸν βασιλεύειν ἄχρις οὗ θῇ πάντας τοὺς ἐχθροὺς αὐτοῦ ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ.
Diati tois men Mōsēs dianemei tous klērous tēs gēs, tois de Iēsous Kai touto palin protypoi tēn alētheian. Tois men gar epekeina tou Iordanou Mōsēs dieile tēn gēn tois de meta ton Iordanēn ho Iēsous. Kai tōn men Ioudaiōn echousi ton typon hoi dia Mōseōs eilēphotes tous klērous hoi de ge dia Iēsou, tōn pepisteukotōn ethnōn. Kai epeidē prōtotokos ho Israēl, hoi prōtotokoi dia Mōseōs tous klērous edexanto, Rhoubēn, kai Gad, kai Manassēs. Diabainousi mentoi kai houtoi euzōnoi pro tōn allōn. Hoi gar ex Ioudaiōn pepisteukotes tois ethnesi tēn sōtērian prosēnenkan. Kateleiphthēsan de homōs kai Iebousaioi, kai Chananaioi, kai hetera ethnē tōn allophylōn, kai synǭkoun tǭ Israēl. Kai toutou de tou typou tēn alētheian estin heurein. Oude gar hapantes ton sōtērion edexanto logon, all᾽ epemeinan antilegontes kai Ioudaioi, kai Hellēnes, tas autas hēmin kai poleis kai kōmas oikountes hous ouk an tis aposphaleiē Chananaious, kai Chettaious, kai Hiebousaious onomazōn. Tautēs de axioi tēs prosēgorias kai hoi ta mysara tōn haireseōn thrēskeuontes dogmata. Dia toi touto kai ho theios ᾿Apostolos ephē; Nyn de houpō horōmen autǭ ta panta hypotetagmena. Kai palin Dei gar auton basileuein achris hou thę̄ pantas tous echthrous autou hypo tous podas autou.
Why does Moses distribute the allotments of the land to some, and Joshua to others? This too prefigures the reality. To those beyond the Jordan Moses divided the land, to those across the Jordan Joshua. Those who received their allotments through Moses are a type of the Jews, those who received them through Joshua a type of the nations who believed. And since Israel is the firstborn, the firstborn received their allotments through Moses: Reuben, Gad and Manasseh. Yet these too cross over, armed, before the others; for those of the Jews who believed brought salvation to the nations. The Jebusites, the Canaanites and other foreign nations, however, were left and lived with Israel. Of this type too one can find the reality. For not all received the saving word: both Jews and Greeks continued to contradict it, living in the same cities and villages as we; and one would not go wrong in calling them Canaanites, Hittites and Jebusites. Those who hold the loathsome doctrines of the heresies also deserve this name. For this reason the divine Apostle said, “But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him”; and again, “For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.”
Josh 13:8 (allusion, high confidence) · Josh 14:1–2 (allusion, high confidence) · Exod 4:22 (allusion, medium confidence) · Josh 1:14 (allusion, high confidence) · Josh 4:12 (allusion, high confidence) · Josh 15:63 (allusion, high confidence) · Josh 16:10 (allusion, high confidence) · Heb 2:8 (quotation, high confidence) · 1 Cor 15:25 (quotation, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: The division of the land by Moses and Joshua prefigures Jews and believing nations; the Canaanites left in the land figure unbelievers and heretics not yet subdued.
- The question is intact; the edition prints it without a question mark. Josh 13:8; 14:1–2; Exod 4:22; Josh 1:14; 4:12; Josh 15:63; 16:10; 17:12–13; Heb 2:8; 1 Cor 15:25. Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh received land east of the Jordan; Theodoret calls them “the firstborn.” His typology of Jews, Greeks and heretics is translated as written.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (stray letter): τὰς Η αὐτὰς → τὰς αὐτὰς.
Topics: Heresy
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Quaest. Oct. 6.16 (PG 80 80:475; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-octateuchum/6-16). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-octateuchum/6-16
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 80 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
6.17PG 80 80:477
Τι δήποτε τὴν Χεβρὼν ὁ Χαλέβ ᾔτησεν ; Εὐσεβείᾳ κοσμούμενος πάντων προτέταχε τὴν πόλιν, ἐν ᾗ παρῴκησαν οἱ παντάριστοι πατριάρχαι, καὶ ταφῇ παρεδόθησαν. Δηλοῖ δὲ ὁ τούτου λόγος, ὡς ἐπταετῆ πολεμήσαντες χρόνον τὴν γῆν διενείμαντο. Ἔφη γὰρ οὕτως ὁ Χαλέβ· Τεσσαράκοντα ἐτῶν ἤμην, ὅτε ἀπέστειλέ με Μωσῆς ὁ παῖς Κυρίου ἐκ Κάδης Βαρνῆ κατασκοπεῦσαι τὴν γῆν, καὶ νῦν διέθρεψέ με Κύριος ὃν τρόπον εἶπε. Τοῦτο τεσσαρακοστὸν καὶ πέμπτον ἔτος ἀφ᾿ οὗ ἐλάλησε Κύριος πρὸς Μωσῆν. Μετὰ δὲ τὴν τῶν ἑξακοσίων χιλιάδων ἀπόφασιν τοῦ Θεοῦ, τριάκοντα καὶ ὀκτὼ διετέλεσαν ἔτη ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ διάγοντες ἑπτὰ τοίνυν ἐστὶ τὰ λειπόμενα τοῖς πέντε καὶ ὀγδοήκοντα. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ὁ τῶν ὅλων Δεσπότης διὰ τοῦ θειοτάτου προείρηκε Μωσέως· Ὡς ἂν εἰσαγάγῃ σε Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου εἰς τὴν γῆν ἣν ἐπηγγείλατο τοῖς πατράσι σου, μετὰ ἑπτὰ ἔτη ἀναγνώσῃ τὸν νόμον τοῦτον παντὶ τῷ λαῷ. Ἐπισημήνασθαι δὲ προσήκει, ὡς τὴν Ἱερουσαλήμ Ἰεβοῦς ὀνομάζει καὶ ταύτην λέγει τῷ Βενιαμίν κληρωθῆναι. Ὁ δὲ γε Συμεὼν κατὰ τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς πρόῤῥησιν διεσπαρμένον ἔσχε τὸν κλῆρον. Ἐγενήθη γὰρ, φησὶν, ἡ κληρονομία αὐτοῦ ἀνὰ μέσον κλήρου υἱῶν Ἰούδα. Εἶτα τὰς πόλεις εἰπὼν, ἐπήγαγεν Αὕτη ἡ κληρονομία φυλῆς υἱῶν Συμεών. Ὅτι ἐγενήθη ἡ μερὶς τῆς κληρονομίας υἱῶν Ἰούδα μείζων αὐτῶν· καὶ ἐκληρονόμησαν υἱοὶ Συμεὼν ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ κλήρου αὐτῶν.
Ti dēpote tēn Chebrōn ho Chaleb ę̄tēsen ? Eusebeią kosmoumenos pantōn protetache tēn polin, en hę̄ parǭkēsan hoi pantaristoi patriarchai, kai taphę̄ paredothēsan. Dēloi de ho toutou logos, hōs eptaetē polemēsantes chronon tēn gēn dieneimanto. Ephē gar houtōs ho Chaleb; Tessarakonta etōn ēmēn, hote apesteile me Mōsēs ho pais Kyriou ek Kadēs Barnē kataskopeusai tēn gēn, kai nyn diethrepse me Kyrios hon tropon eipe. Touto tessarakoston kai pempton etos aph᾿ hou elalēse Kyrios pros Mōsēn. Meta de tēn tōn hexakosiōn chiliadōn apophasin tou Theou, triakonta kai oktō dietelesan etē en tę̄ erēmǭ diagontes hepta toinyn esti ta leipomena tois pente kai ogdoēkonta. Touto de kai ho tōn holōn Despotēs dia tou theiotatou proeirēke Mōseōs; Hōs an eisagagę̄ se Kyrios ho Theos sou eis tēn gēn hēn epēngeilato tois patrasi sou, meta hepta etē anagnōsę̄ ton nomon touton panti tǭ laǭ. Episēmēnasthai de prosēkei, hōs tēn Hierousalēm Iebous onomazei kai tautēn legei tǭ Beniamin klērōthēnai. Ho de ge Symeōn kata tēn tou patros prorrhēsin diesparmenon esche ton klēron. Egenēthē gar, phēsin, hē klēronomia autou ana meson klērou huiōn Iouda. Eita tas poleis eipōn, epēgagen Hautē hē klēronomia phylēs huiōn Symeōn. Hoti egenēthē hē meris tēs klēronomias huiōn Iouda meizōn autōn; kai eklēronomēsan huioi Symeōn en mesǭ tou klērou autōn.
Why did Caleb ask for Hebron? Adorned with piety, he preferred above all others the city in which the most excellent patriarchs had sojourned and been buried. His words show that they divided the land after fighting for seven years. For Caleb spoke thus: “I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land; and now the Lord has kept me alive, as he said. This is the forty-fifth year since the Lord spoke to Moses.” After God's sentence on the six hundred thousand, they spent thirty-eight years living in the wilderness; so seven are what remain of the forty-five. This the Master of all had also foretold through the most divine Moses: “When the Lord your God brings you into the land which he promised to your fathers, after seven years you shall read this law to all the people.” One should note that he calls Jerusalem Jebus and says that it was allotted to Benjamin. Simeon, according to his father's prediction, had a scattered allotment: “For his inheritance,” it says, “was in the midst of the allotment of the sons of Judah.” Then, having named the cities, he added: “This is the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Simeon. For the portion of the inheritance of the sons of Judah was greater than theirs, and the sons of Simeon inherited in the midst of their allotment.”
Josh 14:6–15 (allusion, high confidence) · Gen 23:19 (allusion, medium confidence) · Josh 14:7 (quotation, high confidence) · Josh 14:10 (quotation, high confidence) · Deut 31:10–11 (quotation, medium confidence) · Josh 18:28 (allusion, high confidence) · Gen 49:7 (allusion, high confidence) · Josh 19:1 (quotation, high confidence) · Josh 19:9 (quotation, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Caleb chose Hebron for the patriarchs' tombs; his age shows the conquest took seven years; Simeon's scattered allotment fulfils Jacob's prophecy.
- Gen 23; 49:29–31; Josh 14:6–15 (14:7, 10 quoted, Septuagint); Num 14:33–34; Deut 31:10–11 (“after seven years” as Theodoret reads the reading of the law); Josh 18:16, 28; Gen 49:7; Josh 19:1, 9.
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Quaest. Oct. 6.17 (PG 80 80:477; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-octateuchum/6-17). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-octateuchum/6-17
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 80 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
6.18PG 80 80:477
Τίνος ἕνεκα τοῖς ἄλλοις διανείμας τὴν γῆν ὁ θειότατος Ἰησοῦς, οὐκ ἀπένειμεν ἑαυτῷ κλῆρον, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τοῦ λαοῦ τὴν Θαμνασαχὰρ ἐκομίσατο; Μιμεῖται κὰν τούτῳ τοῦ Δεσπότου τὴν μετριότητα. Μάθετε γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀπ᾿ ἐμοῦ, ὅτι πρᾶός εἰμι καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ, καὶ εὑρήσετε ἀνάπαυσιν ταῖς ψυχαῖς ὑμῶν. Καὶ τὴν ἐσχάτην δὲ μετῆλθε πενίαν, ὡς μηδὲ οἰκίας εὐπορῆσαι. Ὁ γὰρ Υἱός φησι τοῦ ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἔχει ποῦ τὴν κεφαλὴν κλίναι.» Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν τύπος αὐτοῦ ἦν ὁ ὁμώνυμος Ἰησοῦς, οὐκ ἀπένειμεν ἑαυτῷ κλῆρον, τὸν δὲ προσενεχθέντα ἐδέξατο διδάσκων τοὺς ἀρχήν τινα πεπιστευμένους, μὴ τῆς οἰκείας θεραπείας, ἀλλὰ τῆς τῶν ὑπηκόων ὠφελείας φροντίζειν.
Tinos heneka tois allois dianeimas tēn gēn ho theiotatos Iēsous, ouk apeneimen heautǭ klēron, alla para tou laou tēn Thamnasachar ekomisato? Mimeitai kan toutǭ tou Despotou tēn metriotēta. Mathete gar, phēsin, ap᾿ emou, hoti praos eimi kai tapeinos tę̄ kardią, kai heurēsete anapausin tais psychais hymōn. Kai tēn eschatēn de metēlthe penian, hōs mēde oikias euporēsai. Ho gar Huios phēsi tou anthrōpou ouk echei pou tēn kephalēn klinai.» Epeidē toinyn typos autou ēn ho homōnymos Iēsous, ouk apeneimen heautǭ klēron, ton de prosenechthenta edexato didaskōn tous archēn tina pepisteumenous, mē tēs oikeias therapeias, alla tēs tōn hypēkoōn ōpheleias phrontizein.
For what reason did the most divine Joshua, having distributed the land to the others, not assign an allotment to himself, but received Thamnasachar from the people? In this too he imitates the Master's humility: “Learn from me,” he says, “for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” And he embraced the utmost poverty, so as not even to have a house: “For the Son of Man,” he says, “has nowhere to lay his head.” Since, then, his namesake Joshua was a type of him, he did not assign himself an allotment, but accepted the one offered him, teaching those entrusted with any rule to care not for their own interest but for the benefit of their subjects.
Josh 19:49–50 (allusion, high confidence) · Matt 11:29 (quotation, high confidence) · Matt 8:20 (quotation, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Joshua took no allotment for himself, prefiguring Christ's humility and teaching rulers to seek their subjects' good.
- Josh 19:49–50 (Septuagint “Thamnasachar”, Timnath-serah); Matt 11:29; Matt 8:20.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR punctuation; repeated letters; split word): ὁ θειότατος ως Ἰη Ἰησοῦς → ὁ θειότατος Ἰησοῦς; ὁμώ νυμος → ὁμώνυμος; ὑπηκόων ὠφελείας φροντίζειν, → ὑπηκόων ὠφελείας φροντίζειν..
Topics: Church office
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Quaest. Oct. 6.18 (PG 80 80:477; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-octateuchum/6-18). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-octateuchum/6-18
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 80 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
6.19PG 80 80:479
Τί δήποτε τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν ἐν τῇ Ἰούδα φυλῇ, καὶ τῇ Βενιαμίν, καὶ τῇ Συμεὼν, τὰς πόλεις ἀπένειμεν; Κὰν τῇ ἐρήμῳ τὴν πορείαν ποιούμενοι τῇ Ἰούδα φυλῇ συνεζεύχθησαν. Τὸ γὰρ ἐῷον ἕλαχον τμῆμα, καὶ οἱ ἱερεῖς καὶ ἡ Ἰούδα φυλή καὶ ἐνταῦθα πάλιν συνεκληρώθησαν τῇ Ἰούδα φυλῇ, ἐπειδὴ καὶ ἐπιμιξία τούτων ἐγένετο τῶν φυλῶν. Ἀαρὼν γὰρ ὁ πρῶτος ἀρχιερεὺς τὴν τοῦ Ἀμιναδάβ ἠγάγετο θυγατέρα καὶ Ἰωδαὲ ὁ πανεύφημος ἀρχιερεὺς τοῦ Ὀχοζίου τὴν ἀδελφήν. Συνεχώρησε δὲ τὰς φυλὰς ταύτας ὁ Δεσπότης ἐπιμιγῆναι, ὃς ἐκ τῆς Ἰούδα' κατὰ σάρκα βλαστήσας, οὐ βασιλεὺς μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀρχιερεὺς ἐχρημάτισεν. Ἔδει δὲ αὐτοὺς καὶ ἐν τῇ Βενιαμίτιδι φυλῇ κατοικεῖν· ἐπειδὴ καὶ ὁ θεῖος νεὼς ἐν τῇ ἐκείνων ἔμελλεν οἰκοδομεῖσθαι φυλῇ. Ἔλαβον δὲ καὶ ἐκ τῆς Συμεωνίτιδος φυλῆς ἐνίας πόλεις ἐπειδὴ καὶ ὁ τούτων κλῆρος ἐπέλαζε τῷ νεῷ. Καθάπερ γὰρ τῶν ἀπὸ γῆς καρπῶν καὶ τῶν βοσκημάτων τὰς δεκάτας τοῖς ἱερεῦσι καὶ τοῖς Λευίταις ἀπένειμεν οὕτω καὶ τῶν πόλεων οἱονεὶ δεκάτας αὐτοῖς δοθῆναι προσέταξε. Ταύτας μέντοι δώσειν τῷ Θεῷ τὰς δεκάτας ὁ πατριάρχης Ἰακὼβ ἐπηγγείλατο. Πάντων γὰρ, ἔφη, ὧν ἐάν μοι δῷς, δεκάτην ἀποδεκατώσω αὐτά σοι. Χρέος τοίνυν πατρῷον ἐξέτινεν ὁ λαὸς, οὐ δῶρον προσέφερε. Πρὸς δὲ τούτῳ, κατείχεν αὐτῶν καὶ τὸν κλῆρον τῆς γῆς. Παυσαμένου μέντοι τοῦ πολέμου, καὶ τῆς διαιρέσεως γενομένης, ἀπελύθησαν μὲν οἱ πέραν τοῦ ποταμοῦ τοὺς κλήρους εἰληφότες, Πρὶν δέ γε διαβῆναι τὸν ποταμὸν, βωμὸν ᾠκοδόμησαν μέγιστον. Τὸν δὲ τῆς οἰκοδομίας ἠγνοηκότες σκοπὸν οἱ τῶν ἐννέα φυλῶν, ἀσεβείας δὲ ἀρχὴν τὴν οἰκοδομίαν τοπάσαντες, πανδημεὶ στρατεῦσαι κατ' αὐτῶν ἠβουλήθησαν, τῆς συγγενείας προτιμήσαντες τὴν εὐσέβειαν· ἀλλ᾽ οἱ πάνσοφοι Ἰησοῦς καὶ Ἐλεάζαρ τὸν Φινεὲς ἀπέστειλαν, ὡς τῷ ζήλῳ κατὰ τῆς ἀσεβείας ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ χρησάμενον ὥστε καὶ τῶν προγόνων, καὶ τῶν θεοσδότων ἀγαθῶν ἀναμνῆσαι, καὶ τὴν τολμηθεῖσαν παῦσαι παρανομίαν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀπελθόντες ἔγνωσαν οὐ θρησκείας χάριν τολμηθεῖσαν τὴν καινοτομίαν ἀλλὰ τῆς περὶ τὴν εὐσέβειαν κοινωνίας μνημεῖον κληθῆναι τὸν γεγενημένον συνεῖδον βωμόν· ἵν᾿ ἔχοιεν οἱ ἀπόγονοι δεικνύναι τοῦτον εἰς ἔλεγχον τῶν ἀπείργειν αὐτοὺς τῶν θείων πανηγύρεων πειρωμένων, ἀνέστρεψαν γεγηθότες, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν ἀνυμνοῦντες ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν ἀδελφων εὐσεβείᾳ, καὶ τῇ κοινῇ πάντων εἰρήνῃ. Τοῦτο ἐχρῆν καὶ τοὺς νῦν Ἰουδαίους εἰδέναι τε καὶ λέγειν, ὡς ὁ βωμὸς αὐτῶν οὐ τὸ ἀληθινὸν ἦν θυσιαστήριον, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἀληθινὸν προετύπου. Μέλλων τοίνυν τὸν βίον ὁ προφήτης ὑπεξιέναι, συνεκάλεσε πάντα τὸν λαὸν καὶ παρήνει αὐτοῖς ὥστε μηδεμίαν πρὸς ἐγχωρίους ἐπιγαμίαν ποιήσασθαι, ὡς τῆς τοιαύτης ἐπιμιξίας τὰς τῆς ἀσεβείας παρεχούσης προφάσεις προστέθεικε δὲ τῇ παραινέσει καὶ ἀπειλάς· Ἐὰν γὰρ, φησὶ, τοῦτο ποιήσητε, γινώσκετε ὅτι οὐ μὴ προσθῇ Κύριος ἐξολοθρεῦσαι τὰ ἔθνη ταῦτα ἀπὸ προσώπου ὑμῶν· καὶ ἔσται ὑμῖν εἰς παγίδας, καὶ εἰς σκάνδαλα ἐν ταῖς πλευραῖς ὑμῶν, καὶ σκῶλα ἐν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ὑμῶν, ἕως ἂν ἀπόλησθε ἐκ τῆς γῆς τῆς ἀγαθῆς ταύτης, ἣν ἔδωκεν ὑμῖν Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ὑμῶν. Ταῦτα δὲ σαφέστερον ἡμᾶς ἐδίδαξεν ἡ τῶν Κριτῶν ἱστορία. Ἔγνωμεν δὲ καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν, δι᾽ ἣν κατὰ τὴν θείαν ἐπαγγελίαν οὐχ ἁπάσης τῆς γῆς τὴν δεσποτείαν παρέλαβον. Ασπασάμενοι γὰρ τῶν δυσσεβῶν ἐθνῶν τὴν συγγένειαν, καὶ μιμησάμενοι τὴν ἀσέβειαν, τῆς θείας ἐγυμνώθησαν προμηθείας, καὶ δουλεύειν αὐτοῖς ἠναγκάζοντο. Θαυμαστὸς δὲ αὐτοῦ καὶ φιλόσοφος καὶ ὁ περὶ θανάτου λόγος· Ἐγὼ γὰρ, ἔφη, ἀποτρέχω τὴν ὁδὸν καθὼς πάντες οἱ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Δείκνυσι δὲ αὐτοῖς καὶ τὸ τῆς θείας προῤῥήσεως ἀψευδές· Καὶ γνώσεσθε ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ ὑμῶν, καὶ ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ ὑμῶν, διότι οὐ διέπεσε λόγος εἷς ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν λόγων τῶν καλῶν, ὧν εἶπε Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ὑμῶν πρὸς ὑμᾶς πάντα ἃ εἴρηκεν ἡμῖν, δέδωκεν ἡμῖν οὐδὲν διαπεφώνηκεν ἐξ αὐτῶν. Τὸ ἀληθὲς, φησὶ, τῶν θείων ἐπαγγελιῶν ἐκ τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν μεμαθήκατε. Πεπλήρωκε γὰρ ἅπερ ὑπἑσχετο. Τοιγαροῦν ἐντεῦθεν μάθετε καὶ τὸ τῶν ἀπειλῶν ἀψευδές. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἐπήγαγεν· Καὶ ἔσται ὃν τρόπον ἦλθεν ἐφ᾽ ὑμᾶς πάντα τὰ ῥήματα τὰ καλὰ, ἃ ἐλάλησε Κύριος ἐφ᾽ ὑμᾶς οὕτως ἐπάξει Κύριος ἐφ᾽ ὑμᾶς πάντα ῥήματα τὰ πονηρὰ, ἕως ἂν ἐξολοθρεύσῃ ὑμᾶς ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς τῆς ἀγαθῆς ταύτης, ἧς ἔδωκεν ὑμῖν Κύριος, ἐν τῷ παραβῆναι ὑμᾶς τὴν διαθήκην Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ ὑμῶν, ἣν ἐνετείλατο ὑμῖν. Διδάσκων δὲ ὡς οὐκ ἀνθρώπινα ταῦτα τὰ ῥήματα, ἐπήγαγεν· Ὅτι τάδε λέγει Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσραήλ. Καὶ ἀναμιμνήσκει Θάῤῥα τοῦ πατρὸς Ἀβραὰμ καὶ Ναχώρ· τέθεικε δὲ τὸν Ναχὼρ διὰ τὸ μητρῷον γένος· ἐξ ἐκείνου γὰρ ἡ Ρεβέκκα, καὶ ἡ Λεία, καὶ ἡ Ραχήλ. Εἶτα διδάσκει, ὡς ὁ Θάρρα θεοῖς ἑτέροις ἐλάτρευσε, καὶ ὡς τούτου χάριν ὁ Δεσπότης Θεὸς χωρίσας τὸν Ἀβραὰμ εἰς τὴν γῆν ἐκείνην μετέστησεν. Προστέθεικε δὲ καὶ τὴν εἰς Αἴγυπτον τοῦ Ἰακὼβ κάθοδον καὶ τὴν διὰ Μωσέως γεγενημένην ἔξοδον· καὶ τῆς θαλάττης τὸ θαῦμα καὶ τὴν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ διαγωγὴν, καὶ τὴν τῶν Ἀμοῤῥαίων πανωλεθρίαν· καὶ τὰς τοῦ Βαλὰκ ἐπινοίας, καὶ τὰς παρὰ γνώμην τοῦ Βαλαάμ εὐλογίας· καὶ τοῦ ποταμοῦ τὴν ξένην διάβασιν· καὶ τὴν τῶν ἐπαναστάντων πολεμίων ἀναίρεσιν· καὶ τὴν τῶν παντοδαπῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀπόλαυσιν. Καὶ παραινεῖ, τῆς μὲν τῶν ἀλλοτρίων θεῶν ἀπαλλαγῆναι δουλείας, μόνῳ δὲ λατρεύειν τῷ πεποιηκότι καὶ σεσωκότι Θεῷ. Προστέθεικε δὲ αὐτοῖς καὶ αἴρεσιν Ἐκλέξασθε γὰρ, φησὶν, ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς σήμερον, τίνι λατρεύσητε εἴτε τοῖς θεοῖς τῶν πατέρων ὑμῶν τοῖς ἐν τῷ πέραν τοῦ ποταμοῦ· εἴτε τοῖς θεοῖς τῶν ᾿Αμοῤῥαίων, ἐν οἷς ὑμεῖς κατοικεῖτε ἐν τῇ γῇ αὐτῶν. Οὕτω τοῖς ἄλλοις προστεθεικώς τὴν αἵρεσιν, αὐτὸς τὸ τῆς οἰκείας γνώμης ἐπέδειξεν εὐσεβές. Ἔφη γάρ· Ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ ἡ οἰκία μου λατρεύσομεν Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ ὅτι ἅγιός ἐστιν. Εἶτα τοῦ λαοῦ ὑποσχομένου δὲ μόνῳ δουλεύειν τῷ σεσωκότι Θεῷ, ὑπολαβὼν ὁ θειότατος Ἰησοῦς ἔφη πρὸς αὐτούς· «Οὐ μὴ δυνήσησθε λατρεύειν Κυρίῳ, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ἄγιός ἐστι· καὶ ὁ ζηλώσας ὑμᾶς οὐκ ἀνοίσει ὑμῶν τὰ ἀνομήματα, καὶ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα ὑμῶν, ἡνίκα ἂν ἐγκαταλίπητε Κύριον, καὶ λατρεύσητε θεοῖς ἑτέροις· καὶ ἀπελθὼν κακώσει ὑμᾶς, καὶ ἐξαναλώσει ὑμᾶς, ἀνθ᾽ ὧν εὖ ἐποίησεν ὑμῖν. Μὴ προσδοκήσητε, φησὶν, ὅτι καὶ παρανομοῦντες τῶν αὐτῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀπολαύσεσθε. Οἶδε γὰρ οὐ μόνον εὐεργετεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ κολάζειν τοὺς παραβαίνοντας ὁ Δεσπότης Θεός. Ἐκείνων δὲ καὶ ταύτην δεξαμένων τὴν πρότασιν, καὶ ὑποσχομένων τῷ Κυρίῳ δουλεύειν, ἀναγκαίως ἐπήγαγε· Μάρτυρες ὑμεῖς καθ' ὑμῶν ὅτι ὑμεῖς ἐξελέξασθε Κύριον λατρεύειν αὐτῷ. Ἐδίδαξε δὲ καὶ ταῦτα ἡ ἱστορία, ὡς παραινέσας αὐτοῖς τῆς τῶν ἀλλοτρίων θεῶν ἀπαλλαγῆναι λατρείας, καὶ τὰ περὶ τῆς εὐσεβείας νομοθετήσας, οὐκ ἄγραφα ταῦτα κατέλιπεν, ἀλλ᾽ ἀνάγραπτον αὐτῶν τὴν μνήμην ἐποίησεν.
Ti dēpote tois hiereusin en tę̄ Iouda phylę̄, kai tę̄ Beniamin, kai tę̄ Symeōn, tas poleis apeneimen? Kan tę̄ erēmǭ tēn poreian poioumenoi tę̄ Iouda phylę̄ synezeuchthēsan. To gar eǭon helachon tmēma, kai hoi hiereis kai hē Iouda phylē kai entautha palin syneklērōthēsan tę̄ Iouda phylę̄, epeidē kai epimixia toutōn egeneto tōn phylōn. Aarōn gar ho prōtos archiereus tēn tou Aminadab ēgageto thygatera kai Iōdae ho paneuphēmos archiereus tou Ochoziou tēn adelphēn. Synechōrēse de tas phylas tautas ho Despotēs epimigēnai, hos ek tēs Iouda' kata sarka blastēsas, ou basileus monon, alla kai archiereus echrēmatisen. Edei de autous kai en tę̄ Beniamitidi phylę̄ katoikein; epeidē kai ho theios neōs en tę̄ ekeinōn emellen oikodomeisthai phylę̄. Elabon de kai ek tēs Symeōnitidos phylēs enias poleis epeidē kai ho toutōn klēros epelaze tǭ neǭ. Kathaper gar tōn apo gēs karpōn kai tōn boskēmatōn tas dekatas tois hiereusi kai tois Leuitais apeneimen houtō kai tōn poleōn hoionei dekatas autois dothēnai prosetaxe. Tautas mentoi dōsein tǭ Theǭ tas dekatas ho patriarchēs Iakōb epēngeilato. Pantōn gar, ephē, hōn ean moi dǭs, dekatēn apodekatōsō auta soi. Chreos toinyn patrǭon exetinen ho laos, ou dōron prosephere. Pros de toutǭ, kateichen autōn kai ton klēron tēs gēs. Pausamenou mentoi tou polemou, kai tēs diaireseōs genomenēs, apelythēsan men hoi peran tou potamou tous klērous eilēphotes, Prin de ge diabēnai ton potamon, bōmon ǭkodomēsan megiston. Ton de tēs oikodomias ēgnoēkotes skopon hoi tōn ennea phylōn, asebeias de archēn tēn oikodomian topasantes, pandēmei strateusai kat' autōn ēboulēthēsan, tēs syngeneias protimēsantes tēn eusebeian; all᾽ hoi pansophoi Iēsous kai Eleazar ton Phinees apesteilan, hōs tǭ zēlǭ kata tēs asebeias en tę̄ erēmǭ chrēsamenon hōste kai tōn progonōn, kai tōn theosdotōn agathōn anamnēsai, kai tēn tolmētheisan pausai paranomian. Epeidē de apelthontes egnōsan ou thrēskeias charin tolmētheisan tēn kainotomian alla tēs peri tēn eusebeian koinōnias mnēmeion klēthēnai ton gegenēmenon syneidon bōmon; hin᾿ echoien hoi apogonoi deiknynai touton eis elenchon tōn apeirgein autous tōn theiōn panēgyreōn peirōmenōn, anestrepsan gegēthotes, kai ton Theon anymnountes epi tę̄ tōn adelphōn eusebeią, kai tę̄ koinę̄ pantōn eirēnę̄. Touto echrēn kai tous nyn Ioudaious eidenai te kai legein, hōs ho bōmos autōn ou to alēthinon ēn thysiastērion, alla to alēthinon proetypou. Mellōn toinyn ton bion ho prophētēs hypexienai, synekalese panta ton laon kai parēnei autois hōste mēdemian pros enchōrious epigamian poiēsasthai, hōs tēs toiautēs epimixias tas tēs asebeias parechousēs prophaseis prostetheike de tę̄ parainesei kai apeilas; Ean gar, phēsi, touto poiēsēte, ginōskete hoti ou mē prosthę̄ Kyrios exolothreusai ta ethnē tauta apo prosōpou hymōn; kai estai hymin eis pagidas, kai eis skandala en tais pleurais hymōn, kai skōla en tois ophthalmois hymōn, heōs an apolēsthe ek tēs gēs tēs agathēs tautēs, hēn edōken hymin Kyrios ho Theos hymōn. Tauta de saphesteron hēmas edidaxen hē tōn Kritōn historia. Egnōmen de kai tēn aitian, di᾽ hēn kata tēn theian epangelian ouch hapasēs tēs gēs tēn despoteian parelabon. Aspasamenoi gar tōn dyssebōn ethnōn tēn syngeneian, kai mimēsamenoi tēn asebeian, tēs theias egymnōthēsan promētheias, kai douleuein autois ēnankazonto. Thaumastos de autou kai philosophos kai ho peri thanatou logos; Egō gar, ephē, apotrechō tēn hodon kathōs pantes hoi epi tēs gēs. Deiknysi de autois kai to tēs theias prorrhēseōs apseudes; Kai gnōsesthe en tę̄ kardią hymōn, kai en tę̄ psychę̄ hymōn, dioti ou diepese logos heis apo pantōn tōn logōn tōn kalōn, hōn eipe Kyrios ho Theos hymōn pros hymas panta ha eirēken hēmin, dedōken hēmin ouden diapephōnēken ex autōn. To alēthes, phēsi, tōn theiōn epangeliōn ek tōn euergesiōn memathēkate. Peplērōke gar haper hypescheto. Toigaroun enteuthen mathete kai to tōn apeilōn apseudes. Touto gar epēgagen; Kai estai hon tropon ēlthen eph᾽ hymas panta ta rhēmata ta kala, ha elalēse Kyrios eph᾽ hymas houtōs epaxei Kyrios eph᾽ hymas panta rhēmata ta ponēra, heōs an exolothreusę̄ hymas apo tēs gēs tēs agathēs tautēs, hēs edōken hymin Kyrios, en tǭ parabēnai hymas tēn diathēkēn Kyriou tou Theou hymōn, hēn eneteilato hymin. Didaskōn de hōs ouk anthrōpina tauta ta rhēmata, epēgagen; Hoti tade legei Kyrios ho Theos Israēl. Kai anamimnēskei Tharrha tou patros Abraam kai Nachōr; tetheike de ton Nachōr dia to mētrǭon genos; ex ekeinou gar hē Rebekka, kai hē Leia, kai hē Rachēl. Eita didaskei, hōs ho Tharra theois heterois elatreuse, kai hōs toutou charin ho Despotēs Theos chōrisas ton Abraam eis tēn gēn ekeinēn metestēsen. Prostetheike de kai tēn eis Aigypton tou Iakōb kathodon kai tēn dia Mōseōs gegenēmenēn exodon; kai tēs thalattēs to thauma kai tēn en tę̄ erēmǭ diagōgēn, kai tēn tōn Amorrhaiōn panōlethrian; kai tas tou Balak epinoias, kai tas para gnōmēn tou Balaam eulogias; kai tou potamou tēn xenēn diabasin; kai tēn tōn epanastantōn polemiōn anairesin; kai tēn tōn pantodapōn agathōn apolausin. Kai parainei, tēs men tōn allotriōn theōn apallagēnai douleias, monǭ de latreuein tǭ pepoiēkoti kai sesōkoti Theǭ. Prostetheike de autois kai airesin Eklexasthe gar, phēsin, hymin autois sēmeron, tini latreusēte eite tois theois tōn paterōn hymōn tois en tǭ peran tou potamou; eite tois theois tōn ᾿Amorrhaiōn, en hois hymeis katoikeite en tę̄ gę̄ autōn. Houtō tois allois prostetheikōs tēn hairesin, autos to tēs oikeias gnōmēs epedeixen eusebes. Ephē gar; Egō de kai hē oikia mou latreusomen Kyriǭ tǭ Theǭ hoti hagios estin. Eita tou laou hyposchomenou de monǭ douleuein tǭ sesōkoti Theǭ, hypolabōn ho theiotatos Iēsous ephē pros autous; «Ou mē dynēsēsthe latreuein Kyriǭ, hoti ho Theos agios esti; kai ho zēlōsas hymas ouk anoisei hymōn ta anomēmata, kai ta hamartēmata hymōn, hēnika an enkatalipēte Kyrion, kai latreusēte theois heterois; kai apelthōn kakōsei hymas, kai exanalōsei hymas, anth᾽ hōn eu epoiēsen hymin. Mē prosdokēsēte, phēsin, hoti kai paranomountes tōn autōn agathōn apolausesthe. Oide gar ou monon euergetein, alla kai kolazein tous parabainontas ho Despotēs Theos. Ekeinōn de kai tautēn dexamenōn tēn protasin, kai hyposchomenōn tǭ Kyriǭ douleuein, anankaiōs epēgage; Martyres hymeis kath' hymōn hoti hymeis exelexasthe Kyrion latreuein autǭ. Edidaxe de kai tauta hē historia, hōs parainesas autois tēs tōn allotriōn theōn apallagēnai latreias, kai ta peri tēs eusebeias nomothetēsas, ouk agrapha tauta katelipen, all᾽ anagrapton autōn tēn mnēmēn epoiēsen.
Why did he assign cities to the priests in the tribe of Judah, of Benjamin and of Simeon? In the wilderness too, when they journeyed, they were joined with the tribe of Judah, for both the priests and the tribe of Judah received the eastern section; and here again they were allotted together with the tribe of Judah, since there had also been intermarriage between these tribes. Aaron, the first high priest, married the daughter of Amminadab, and Jehoiada, the all-praiseworthy high priest, the sister of Ahaziah. The Master allowed these tribes to intermarry, he who, sprung from Judah according to the flesh, was called not only king but also high priest. They also had to live in the tribe of Benjamin, since the divine temple was to be built in their tribe. And they took some cities from the tribe of Simeon too, since its allotment was also near the temple. For as he assigned to the priests and Levites the tithes of the fruits of the earth and of the cattle, so he commanded that tithes, as it were, of the cities be given them. The patriarch Jacob promised to give these tithes to God: “Of all that you give me,” he said, “I will give a tenth to you.” The people, then, was paying an ancestral debt, not offering a gift. Besides this, it held their allotment of the land. When the war had ended and the division had been made, those who had received their allotments beyond the river were dismissed. Before they crossed the river, they built a very great altar. The nine tribes, not knowing the purpose of the building and supposing it to be the beginning of impiety, wished to march against them in full force, preferring piety to kinship. But the all-wise Joshua and Eleazar sent Phinehas, as one who had shown zeal against impiety in the wilderness, to remind them of their forefathers and of the God-given benefits and to stop the lawlessness they had dared. When they went and learned that the innovation had not been dared for the sake of worship, but realized that the altar had been built to be called a memorial of their fellowship in piety, so that their descendants could point to it to refute those who might try to exclude them from the divine festivals, they returned rejoicing, praising God for the piety of their brothers and the common peace of all. The Jews of today should know and say this too: that their altar was not the true altar but prefigured the true one. When the prophet was about to depart this life, he called together all the people and urged them to make no marriages with the inhabitants of the land, since such mixing provides occasions of impiety. And he added threats to the exhortation: “For if you do this,” he says, “know that the Lord will not again destroy these nations before you; and they will be snares and stumbling blocks to you, nails in your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land which the Lord your God has given you.” The history of the Judges taught us this more clearly. We have also learned the reason why they did not take possession of the whole land according to the divine promise: for embracing kinship with the impious nations and imitating their impiety, they were stripped of divine providence and forced to serve them. His saying about death is admirable and philosophical: “For I,” he said, “am going the way of all the earth.” He also shows them that the divine prediction does not lie: “And you shall know in your heart and in your soul that not one word has failed of all the good words which the Lord your God spoke to you; all that he said to us he has given us; not one of them has failed.” You have learned, he means, the truth of the divine promises from the benefits; for he has fulfilled what he promised. Learn from this, therefore, that the threats too do not lie. For he added: “And as all the good words which the Lord spoke concerning you have come upon you, so the Lord will bring upon you all the evil words, until he destroys you from this good land which the Lord has given you, when you transgress the covenant of the Lord your God which he commanded you.” Teaching that these words are not human, he added: “For thus says the Lord God of Israel.” And he recalls Terah, the father of Abraham and Nahor. He mentioned Nahor because of the maternal line, for from him came Rebekah, Leah and Rachel. Then he teaches that Terah served other gods, and that for this reason God the Master separated Abraham and moved him to that land. He added the descent of Jacob into Egypt and the exodus through Moses; the wonder of the sea and the life in the wilderness; the destruction of the Amorites; the schemes of Balak and the blessings of Balaam against his will; the strange crossing of the river; the destruction of the enemies who rose up; and the enjoyment of every kind of good thing. And he urges them to be freed from the service of foreign gods and to serve only the God who made and saved them. He also set before them a choice: “Choose for yourselves today,” he says, “whom you will serve: whether the gods of your fathers beyond the river, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.” Having thus put the choice to the others, he showed the piety of his own mind: “But I and my house will serve the Lord God, for he is holy.” Then, when the people promised to serve only the God who had saved them, the most divine Joshua answered them: “You will not be able to serve the Lord, for God is holy; and, being jealous, he will not bear your lawless deeds and your sins when you forsake the Lord and serve other gods; and he will turn and harm you and consume you, after having done you good.” Do not expect, he means, that you will enjoy the same good things while breaking the law; for God the Master knows not only how to do good but also how to punish transgressors. When they accepted this proposal too and promised to serve the Lord, he necessarily added: “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.” The history has also taught that, having urged them to be freed from the worship of foreign gods and having legislated about piety, he did not leave these things unwritten, but made a written record of them.
Josh 21:4 (allusion, high confidence) · Josh 21:9–19 (allusion, high confidence) · Num 2:3 (allusion, medium confidence) · Num 3:38 (allusion, medium confidence) · Exod 6:23 (allusion, high confidence) · 2 Chr 22:11 (allusion, high confidence) · Gen 28:22 (quotation, high confidence) · Josh 22:1–34 (allusion, high confidence) · Num 25:7–13 (allusion, medium confidence) · Josh 23:12–13 (quotation, high confidence) · Josh 23:14–16 (quotation, high confidence) · Josh 24:2–13 (allusion, high confidence) · Josh 24:15 (quotation, high confidence) · Josh 24:18–20 (quotation, high confidence) · Josh 24:22 (quotation, high confidence) · Josh 24:26 (allusion, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Theodoret explains the priestly cities, the altar by the Jordan, and Joshua's farewell warnings against intermarriage and idolatry and his covenant renewal at Shechem.
- Josh 21:4, 9–19 (priestly cities); Num 2:3; 3:38; Exod 6:23; 2 Chr 22:11; Gen 28:22; Josh 22:1–34; Num 25:7–13; Josh 23:12–13 (Septuagint); 23:14–16; Josh 24:2–13; 24:15, 18–20, 22, 26; Gen 11:27–29; 24:15; 29:10–16. The sentence about the Jews of today is translated as written. Marginal catchwords printed inside the quotation of Josh 23:16 are removed.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR accent; OCR letter; marginal catchwords leaked into the quotation; split word): ἐξέτινεν ό λαὸς → ἐξέτινεν ὁ λαὸς; ἠδουλήθησαν → ἠβουλήθησαν; ὑμᾶς τὴν βείας καινοτομίας. εἰκότα παρήνεσαν. διαθήκην Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ ὑμῶν, ἣν ἐντείλατο ὑμῖν. τῶν μὲν ψευδωνύμων ἀπαγορεύσαντος τὴν λατρείαν, Διδάσκων → ὑμᾶς τὴν διαθήκην Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ ὑμῶν, ἣν ἐνετείλατο ὑμῖν. Διδάσκων; Προσ τέθεικε → Προστέθεικε; Κυ ρίῳ → Κυρίῳ.
Topics: Marriage
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Quaest. Oct. 6.19 (PG 80 80:479; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-octateuchum/6-19). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-octateuchum/6-19
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 80 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
6.20PG 80 80:485
Τι δήποτε τὸν λίθον στήσας εἴρηκεν· Ἰδού ὁ λίθος οὗτος ἔσται ἐν ὑμῖν εἰς μαρτύριον, ὅτι οὗτος ἀκήκοε πάντα τὰ λεχθέντα παρὰ Κυρίου, ἃ ἐλάλησε πρὸς ὑμᾶς σήμερον ; ῎Αψυχος μὲν ὁ λίθος εἰς ἔλεγχον δὲ τῶν ἐμψύχων καὶ λογικῶν, διὰ τῶν ἀψύχων μαρτύρεται· ἐχρήσατο δὲ καὶ τῷ ἔθει τῷ παλαιῷ. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ Ἰακώβ καὶ ὁ Λάβαν ποιησάμενοι τὰς συνθήκας, τὸν βουνὸν ἐκάλεσαν μάρτυρα τῶν συνθηκῶν. Ὅσον μέντοι ὀνίνησιν ἄρχων εὐσεβὴς καὶ φιλόθεος, ἡ ἱστορία διδάσκει. Ἑλάτρευσε γὰρ, φησὶν, Ἰσραὴλ τῷ Κυρίῳ πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας Ἰησοῦ, καὶ πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῶν πρεσβυτέρων, ὅσοι ἐφείλκυσαν τὸν χρόνον μετὰ Ἰησοῦ, καὶ ὅσοι εἶδον πάντα τὰ ἔργα Κυρίου, ὅσα ἐποίησε μετὰ τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. Μετὰ δὲ τὴν τούτων τελευτὴν, ἀπέκλιναν εἰς ἀσέβειαν· τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ τῆς ἱστορίας τὸ τέλος ἐδίδαξεν. ᾿Αλλ' ἔδοσαν δίκας τῆς ἀσεβείας· τῆς γὰρ θείας γυμνωθέντες κηδεμονίας, ὑπεβλήθησαν τῷ τῆς δουλείας ζυγῷ, καὶ Δεσπότην ἔσχον τὸν τῶν Μωαβιτῶν βασιλέα. ᾿Αλλ᾿ ὁ φιλάνθρωπος Κύριος, τῆς πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας μεμνημένος ἐπαγγελίας, ὀκτωκαιδεκαετεῖ χρόνῳ περιώρισε τὴν δουλείαν.
Ti dēpote ton lithon stēsas eirēken; Idou ho lithos houtos estai en hymin eis martyrion, hoti houtos akēkoe panta ta lechthenta para Kyriou, ha elalēse pros hymas sēmeron ? ᾿Apsychos men ho lithos eis elenchon de tōn empsychōn kai logikōn, dia tōn apsychōn martyretai; echrēsato de kai tǭ ethei tǭ palaiǭ. Kai gar ho Iakōb kai ho Laban poiēsamenoi tas synthēkas, ton bounon ekalesan martyra tōn synthēkōn. Hoson mentoi oninēsin archōn eusebēs kai philotheos, hē historia didaskei. Helatreuse gar, phēsin, Israēl tǭ Kyriǭ pasas tas hēmeras Iēsou, kai pasas tas hēmeras tōn presbyterōn, hosoi epheilkysan ton chronon meta Iēsou, kai hosoi eidon panta ta erga Kyriou, hosa epoiēse meta tou Israēl. Meta de tēn toutōn teleutēn, apeklinan eis asebeian; touto gar kai tēs historias to telos edidaxen. ᾿All' edosan dikas tēs asebeias; tēs gar theias gymnōthentes kēdemonias, hypeblēthēsan tǭ tēs douleias zygǭ, kai Despotēn eschon ton tōn Mōabitōn basilea. ᾿All᾿ ho philanthrōpos Kyrios, tēs pros tous pateras memnēmenos epangelias, oktōkaidekaetei chronǭ periōrise tēn douleian.
Why, having set up the stone, did he say, “Behold, this stone shall be a witness among you, for it has heard all that was said by the Lord, which he spoke to you today”? The stone is lifeless, but to convict living and rational beings he calls lifeless things to witness; and he used the ancient custom. For Jacob and Laban, having made their agreement, called the hill a witness of the agreement. How much a pious and God-loving ruler benefits his people the history teaches: “For Israel served the Lord,” it says, “all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, and who had seen all the works of the Lord which he did with Israel.” After their death they turned aside to impiety; for the end of the history taught this too. But they paid the penalty for their impiety: stripped of divine care, they were put under the yoke of slavery and had the king of the Moabites as their master. But the loving Lord, remembering his promise to the fathers, limited the slavery to a period of eighteen years.
Josh 24:27 (quotation, high confidence) · Gen 31:44–48 (allusion, high confidence) · Josh 24:31 (quotation, high confidence) · Josh 24:33 (allusion, high confidence) · Judg 3:12–14 (allusion, medium confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: The witness stone convicts the living by the lifeless; Israel stayed faithful while Joshua and the elders lived, then fell into idolatry and servitude to Moab.
- Josh 24:27 (Septuagint); Gen 31:44–48; Josh 24:31; the Septuagint ending of Joshua (24:33, an addition not in the Hebrew) tells of Israel's idolatry and eighteen years under Eglon king of Moab (cf. Judg 3:12–14). A footnote marker and a stray marginal word at the end are removed.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (footnote marker; marginal catchword leaked into the line; stray marks): εἴρηκεν ·. Ιδού → εἴρηκεν· Ἰδού; Ἰησοῦ 3*, → Ἰησοῦ,; τὴν δουλείαν. δεκαέτην χρόνον. → τὴν δουλείαν..
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Quaest. Oct. 6.20 (PG 80 80:485; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-octateuchum/6-20). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-octateuchum/6-20
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 80 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
Prologue 7
7.1PG 80 80:485
Διατί Κριταὶ τὸ βιβλίον ὠνόμασται; "Ωσπερ τῶν Βασιλειῶν ἡ βίβλος πολλὰ μὲν ἔχει καὶ διάφορα διηγήματα, ὠνομάσθη δὲ Βάσιλεῖαι, ἐπειδὴ τὰ τῷ λαῷ συμβεβηκότα κατὰ τὸν τῶν βασιλέων καιρὸν ἱστορεῖ· οὕτω καὶ τὸ προκείμενον βιβλίον προσηγορεύθη Κριτῶν, ἐπειδὴ τὰ κατὰ τὸν τῆς δημαγωγίας καιρὸν γεγενημένα διδάσκει. Τὴν μέντοι τῆσδε τῆς ἱστορίας ἀρχὴν ἀνακεφαλαίωσιν οἶμαι εἶναι τῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Ναυῆ κατορθωμένων. Μέμνηται γὰρ καὶ τοῦ ᾿Αδωνιβεζὲκ, καὶ τοῦ κατ᾿ αὐτὸν πολέμου, καὶ τῆς ἥττης αὐτοῦ, καὶ τῆς ἀναιρέσεως. Μέμνηται δὲ καὶ τῆς Χεβρών, ὡς ἀπονεμηθείσης τῷ Χαλὲβ, καὶ τῆς τῶν τριῶν γιγάντων ἀναιρέσεως, τοῦ Ἐσσὶ, καὶ τοῦ Ἀχμὰν, καὶ τοῦ Θολομῖ οὓς τοῦ Ἐνὰκ ἀπογόνους ὠνόμασεν. Εἰκὸς δὲ τότε μὲν προῤῥηθῆναι τὴν τούτων ἀναίρεσιν, ὕστερον δὲ λαβεῖν τὴν πρόῤῥησιν τέλος.
Diati Kritai to biblion ōnomastai? "Ōsper tōn Basileiōn hē biblos polla men echei kai diaphora diēgēmata, ōnomasthē de Basileiai, epeidē ta tǭ laǭ symbebēkota kata ton tōn basileōn kairon historei; houtō kai to prokeimenon biblion prosēgoreuthē Kritōn, epeidē ta kata ton tēs dēmagōgias kairon gegenēmena didaskei. Tēn mentoi tēsde tēs historias archēn anakephalaiōsin oimai einai tōn hypo tou Iēsou tou Nauē katorthōmenōn. Memnētai gar kai tou ᾿Adōnibezek, kai tou kat᾿ auton polemou, kai tēs hēttēs autou, kai tēs anaireseōs. Memnētai de kai tēs Chebrōn, hōs aponemētheisēs tǭ Chaleb, kai tēs tōn triōn gigantōn anaireseōs, tou Essi, kai tou Achman, kai tou Tholomi hous tou Enak apogonous ōnomasen. Eikos de tote men prorrhēthēnai tēn toutōn anairesin, hysteron de labein tēn prorrhēsin telos.
Why is the book called Judges? As the book of the Kingdoms contains many different narratives but was named Kingdoms because it recounts what happened to the people in the time of the kings, so the present book was called Judges because it teaches what happened in the time of the judges' leadership. The beginning of this history, however, I think is a recapitulation of what was achieved by Joshua son of Nun. For it mentions Adonibezek, the war against him, his defeat and his death. It also mentions Hebron as assigned to Caleb, and the killing of the three giants, Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai, whom it called descendants of Anak. It is likely that their killing was foretold then and the prediction fulfilled later.
Judg 1:5–7 (allusion, high confidence) · Judg 1:10 (allusion, high confidence) · Judg 1:20 (allusion, high confidence) · Josh 15:13–14 (allusion, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Judges is named for the period of the judges; its opening recapitulates events of Joshua's time.
- Judg 1:5–7, 10, 20 (Septuagint name forms); Josh 15:13–14.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR letter; column marker; split word): ὠνόμασται (8'); → ὠνόμασται;; Ι'έμνηται → Μέμνηται; Θο λομῖ → Θολομῖ.
Topics: Scripture and canon
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Quaest. Oct. 7.1 (PG 80 80:485; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-octateuchum/7-1). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-octateuchum/7-1
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 80 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
7.2PG 80 80:487
Εἰ κατ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν καιρὸν ἀνάστατος Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐγεγόνει, πῶς ὕστερον αὐτὴν βασιλεύων ὁ Δαβὶδ εἶλε πολιορκία; Πολλὰς ἔσχε μεταβολὰς ὁ λαὸς, ὡς ἡ τῶν Κριτῶν ἱστορία διδάσκει. Ποτὲ μὲν γὰρ ἐνίκων, ποτὲ δὲ ἡττῶντο καὶ ποτὲ μὲν ἦρχον τῶν ἀλλοφύλων, ποτὲ δὲ ἐδούλευον. Δῆλον τοίνυν, ὡς ἐμπρησθεῖσαν τὴν Ἱερουσαλήμ πάλιν ἀνῳκοδόμησαν οἱ Ἱεβουσαῖοι, τῆς τοῦ λαοῦ δυσκληρίας ἐπιλαβόμενοι. Καὶ ταύτην δὲ ὕστερον οἶμαι συγγραφῆναι τὴν βίβλον, τεκμηρίῳ χρώμενος τῷ τήνδε τὴν πόλιν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ὀνομάζειν τὴν ἱστορίαν· ὕστερον γὰρ ταύτην ἔσχε τὴν προσηγορίαν, Ἱεβοῦς ὠνομασμένη
Ei kat' ekeinon ton kairon anastatos Hierousalēm egegonei, pōs hysteron autēn basileuōn ho Dabid eile poliorkia? Pollas esche metabolas ho laos, hōs hē tōn Kritōn historia didaskei. Pote men gar enikōn, pote de hēttōnto kai pote men ērchon tōn allophylōn, pote de edouleuon. Dēlon toinyn, hōs emprēstheisan tēn Hierousalēm palin anǭkodomēsan hoi Hiebousaioi, tēs tou laou dysklērias epilabomenoi. Kai tautēn de hysteron oimai syngraphēnai tēn biblon, tekmēriǭ chrōmenos tǭ tēnde tēn polin Hierousalēm onomazein tēn historian; hysteron gar tautēn esche tēn prosēgorian, Hiebous ōnomasmenē
If Jerusalem was laid waste at that time, how did David, when he was king, take it later by siege? The people underwent many changes, as the history of the Judges teaches: sometimes they won and sometimes they were defeated, sometimes they ruled the foreigners and sometimes they served them. It is clear, then, that after Jerusalem was burned the Jebusites rebuilt it, taking advantage of the people's misfortune. I think this book too was written later, using as evidence the fact that the history names this city Jerusalem; for it received this name later, having been called Jebus.
Judg 1:8 (allusion, high confidence) · Judg 1:21 (allusion, high confidence) · 2 Sam 5:6–9 (allusion, high confidence) · Judg 19:10 (allusion, medium confidence) · 1 Chr 11:4–5 (allusion, medium confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: The Jebusites rebuilt Jerusalem after its burning; the name Jerusalem shows Judges was written later.
- Judg 1:8, 21; 19:10; 2 Sam 5:6–9; 1 Chr 11:4–5.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (stray mark): ποτὲ – δὲ → ποτὲ δὲ.
Topics: Scripture and canon
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Quaest. Oct. 7.2 (PG 80 80:487; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-octateuchum/7-2). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-octateuchum/7-2
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 80 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
7.3PG 80 80:487
Τί έστι, Δός μοι λύτρωσιν ὕδατος, καὶ λύτρωσιν μετεώρων, καὶ λύτρωσιν ταπεινῶν ; Οἱ περὶ τὸν Σύμμαχον ἀρδείαν ὕδατος καὶ ἀντὶ τοῦ ταπεινῶν, πεδινῶν ἡρμήνευσαν. Ὑπεβλήθη δὲ παρὰ τοῦ Γοθονιὴλ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς αὐτῆς ἡ Ἁσχὰν αἰτῆσαι ἀγρόν ἤτῆσε τοίνυν ἀρδείαν ὕδατος καὶ ἔλαβεν ὥσπερ ᾔτησεν οὐ μόνον πεδιάδα γῆν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὄρειον. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ κατὰ τὴν καρδίαν αὐτῆς, τὸ καταθύμιον σημαίνει. Μετέωρα δὲ τὰ ὄρεια κέκληκε, ταπεινὰ δὲ τὰ ὕπτια.
Ti esti, Dos moi lytrōsin hydatos, kai lytrōsin meteōrōn, kai lytrōsin tapeinōn ? Hoi peri ton Symmachon ardeian hydatos kai anti tou tapeinōn, pedinōn hērmēneusan. Hypeblēthē de para tou Gothoniēl tou andros autēs hē Haschan aitēsai agron ētēse toinyn ardeian hydatos kai elaben hōsper ę̄tēsen ou monon pediada gēn, alla kai oreion. To men gar kata tēn kardian autēs, to katathymion sēmainei. Meteōra de ta oreia keklēke, tapeina de ta hyptia.
What is the meaning of “Give me the redemption of water, the redemption of the high places and the redemption of the low places”? Symmachus and the others rendered “a watering of water,” and instead of “low places,” “plains.” Achsah was prompted by Othniel her husband to ask for a field. She asked, then, for a watering of water, and received, as she asked, not only plain land but also hill land. “According to her heart” means what she desired. He called the hill country “high places” and the flat land “low places.”
Judg 1:15 (quotation, high confidence) · Judg 1:12–14 (allusion, high confidence) · Josh 15:16–19 (allusion, medium confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Achsah asked for watered land and received both upland and plain.
- Judg 1:12–15 (Septuagint, “redemption of water”); Josh 15:16–19. Symmachus is a second-century Greek translator.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR accent and stray mark): Το μὲν γὰρ κατὰ τὴν καρδίαν᾿ αὐτῆς → Τὸ μὲν γὰρ κατὰ τὴν καρδίαν αὐτῆς.
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Quaest. Oct. 7.3 (PG 80 80:487; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-octateuchum/7-3). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-octateuchum/7-3
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 80 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
7.4PG 80 80:487
Πῶς ἐνταῦθα τοῦ νομοθέτου τὸν κηδεστὴν Ἰωβὰβ ὠνόμασεν, Ἰοθὼρ καὶ Ῥαγουὴλ ἐν ἐκείναις ταῖς ἱστορίαις ὠνομασμένον; Καὶ ἤδη ἔφην ὡς ὁ Ἰωβὰβ ἐκείνου ἦν υἱός· πενθερὸν δὲ αὐτὸν κέκληκεν, ὡς τῆς γαμετῆς ἀδελφόν. Καὶ γὰρ νῦν πολλοὶ τοὺς τοιούτους πενθερίδας καλοῦσι. Τοῦ Ἰωβὰβ τοίνυν οἱ παῖδες ἔκγονοι τοῦ Ἰοθώρ εἰσιν.
Pōs entautha tou nomothetou ton kēdestēn Iōbab ōnomasen, Iothōr kai Rhagouēl en ekeinais tais historiais ōnomasmenon? Kai ēdē ephēn hōs ho Iōbab ekeinou ēn huios; pentheron de auton keklēken, hōs tēs gametēs adelphon. Kai gar nyn polloi tous toioutous pentheridas kalousi. Tou Iōbab toinyn hoi paides ekgonoi tou Iothōr eisin.
How does he here name the lawgiver's father-in-law Hobab, when he was named Jethro and Raguel in those histories? I have already said that Hobab was his son. He called him “father-in-law” as the brother of his wife; for even now many call such men “in-laws.” The sons of Hobab, then, are descendants of Jethro.
Judg 1:16 (allusion, high confidence) · Judg 4:11 (allusion, high confidence) · Num 10:29 (allusion, high confidence) · Exod 3:1 (allusion, medium confidence) · Exod 2:18 (allusion, medium confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Hobab was Jethro's son, called Moses' father-in-law loosely as his brother-in-law.
- Judg 1:16; 4:11 (Septuagint); Num 10:29; Exod 3:1; 2:18. The reference back is to Theodoret's question on Num 10:29 (4.16 above).
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Quaest. Oct. 7.4 (PG 80 80:487; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-octateuchum/7-4). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-octateuchum/7-4
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 80 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
7.5PG 80 80:489
Πόλιν φοινίκων ποίαν καλεῖ; Τὴν Ἱεριχώ. Νομίζω δὲ οὕτως αὐτὴν προσαγορεύεσθαι διὰ τὸν τῶν φοινίκων καρπόν. Καὶ γὰρ ἐν τῇ πρὸ ταύτης βίβλῳ, εὐθὺς τοῦ λαοῦ διαβάντος τὸν Ἰορδάνην, ὁ συγγραφεὺς ἔφη ὅτι· Ἔφαγον ἀπὸ τοῦ καρποῦ τῆς γῆς ἄζυμα καινὰ, καὶ ὅτι ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐξέλιπε τὸ μάννα, μετὰ τὸ βεβρωκέναι αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ τοῦ σίτου τῆς γῆς. Καὶ οὐκ ἔτι ὑπῆρχε τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραὴλ μάννα· ἐκαρπώσαντο δὲ τὴν γῆν τῶν φοινίκων ἐν τῷ ἐνιαυτῷ ἐκείνῳ. Καὶ ἡ δευτέρα δὲ τῶν Παραλειπομένων περὶ ὧν ἠχμαλώτευσαν ἐκ τῆς Ἰούδα φυλῆς αἱ δέκα φυλαὶ διηγουμένη οὕτως ἔφη Καὶ κατέστησαν αὐτοὺς εἰς Ἱεριχὼ τὴν πόλιν τῶν φοινίκων πρὸς τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς αὐτῶν.»
Polin phoinikōn poian kalei? Tēn Hierichō. Nomizō de houtōs autēn prosagoreuesthai dia ton tōn phoinikōn karpon. Kai gar en tę̄ pro tautēs biblǭ, euthys tou laou diabantos ton Iordanēn, ho syngrapheus ephē hoti; Ephagon apo tou karpou tēs gēs azyma kaina, kai hoti en autę̄ tę̄ hēmerą exelipe to manna, meta to bebrōkenai autous apo tou sitou tēs gēs. Kai ouk eti hypērche tois huiois Israēl manna; ekarpōsanto de tēn gēn tōn phoinikōn en tǭ eniautǭ ekeinǭ. Kai hē deutera de tōn Paraleipomenōn peri hōn ēchmalōteusan ek tēs Iouda phylēs hai deka phylai diēgoumenē houtōs ephē Kai katestēsan autous eis Hierichō tēn polin tōn phoinikōn pros tous adelphous autōn.»
Which city does he call the city of palms? Jericho. I think it was so called because of the fruit of the palm trees. For in the book before this one, as soon as the people had crossed the Jordan, the writer said, “They ate of the fruit of the land, new unleavened bread,” and that on that very day the manna ceased, after they had eaten of the grain of the land; “and the sons of Israel no longer had manna, but they reaped the land of the palms in that year.” And the second book of Chronicles, relating the matter of those whom the ten tribes took captive from the tribe of Judah, said thus: “And they settled them in Jericho, the city of palms, with their brothers.”
Judg 1:16 (allusion, high confidence) · Josh 5:11–12 (quotation, high confidence) · 2 Chr 28:15 (quotation, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: The city of palms is Jericho, named for its date palms.
- Judg 1:16; Josh 5:11–12 (Septuagint, “the land of the palms”); 2 Chr 28:15.
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Quaest. Oct. 7.5 (PG 80 80:489; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-octateuchum/7-5). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-octateuchum/7-5
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 80 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
7.6PG 80 80:489
Πῶς νοητέον, Καὶ ἦν Κύριος μετὰ Ἰούδα, καὶ ἐκληρονόμησε τὸ ὄρος, ὅτι οὐκ ἐδύνατο κληρονομῆσαι τοὺς κατοικοῦντας τὴν κοιλάδα, ὅτι ῾Ρηχάβ διεστείλατο αὐτοῖς Τοῦ Ῥηχὰβ, ὡς εὐσεβοῦς ἄγαν πολλαχοῦ ἡ θεία μνημονεύει Γραφή· καὶ ὅτι μέχρι τῶν ἀπογόνων αὐτοῦ διέδραμεν ἡ εὐσέβεια· τοῦτον εἰσηγήσασθαι λέγει τῇ Ἰούδα φυλῇ, τὴν κοιλάδα καταλιπεῖν, καὶ τὸ ὄρος οἰκῆσαι. Ἦν δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς τῆς Ἰούδα φυλῆς, ὡς ἡ τῶν Παραλιπομένων διδάσκει βίβλος. Οἶμαι δὲ αὐτὸν συμβεβουλευκέναι τὴν κοιλάδα φυγεῖν διὰ τὴν τῶν περιοίκων ἀσέβειαν καὶ μέντοι καὶ διὰ τὸ τῆς θαλάττης γειτόνημα. Οἱ γὰρ θαλάττῃ πελάζοντες, καὶ τοὺς πόῤῥωθεν καταπλέοντας δέχονται, καὶ αὐτοὶ ναυτιλίας ὀρέγονται. Ἡ δὲ τῶν ἀλλογενῶν ἐπιμιξία, τὴν νομικὴν ἐλυμαίνετο πολιτείαν.
Pōs noēteon, Kai ēn Kyrios meta Iouda, kai eklēronomēse to oros, hoti ouk edynato klēronomēsai tous katoikountas tēn koilada, hoti ῾Rēchab diesteilato autois Tou Rhēchab, hōs eusebous agan pollachou hē theia mnēmoneuei Graphē; kai hoti mechri tōn apogonōn autou diedramen hē eusebeia; touton eisēgēsasthai legei tę̄ Iouda phylę̄, tēn koilada katalipein, kai to oros oikēsai. Ēn de kai autos tēs Iouda phylēs, hōs hē tōn Paralipomenōn didaskei biblos. Oimai de auton symbebouleukenai tēn koilada phygein dia tēn tōn perioikōn asebeian kai mentoi kai dia to tēs thalattēs geitonēma. Hoi gar thalattę̄ pelazontes, kai tous porrhōthen katapleontas dechontai, kai autoi nautilias oregontai. Hē de tōn allogenōn epimixia, tēn nomikēn elymaineto politeian.
How is “And the Lord was with Judah, and he inherited the hill country, for he could not inherit those living in the valley, because Rechab had given them instructions” to be understood? The divine Scripture mentions Rechab in many places as very pious, and says that his piety reached even his descendants. It says that he advised the tribe of Judah to leave the valley and live in the hill country. He too was of the tribe of Judah, as the book of Chronicles teaches. I think he advised them to avoid the valley because of the impiety of the neighbouring peoples, and also because of the nearness of the sea. For those near the sea both receive people who sail in from far away and themselves are drawn to seafaring; and mixing with foreigners was ruining the life of the law.
Judg 1:19 (quotation, high confidence) · Jer 35:1–19 (42:1-Jer LXX) (allusion, high confidence) · 1 Chr 2:55 (allusion, high confidence) · 2 Kgs 10:15 (allusion, medium confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Theodoret reads the Septuagint's “Rechab” as the pious ancestor of the Rechabites, who advised Judah to keep to the hills away from pagan neighbours and the sea.
- The question is intact; the edition prints it without a question mark. Judg 1:19 (the Septuagint reads “Rechab” where the Hebrew has rekeb, “chariots”); Jer 35:1–19 (42:1–19 in the Septuagint); 1 Chr 2:55; 2 Kgs 10:15.
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Quaest. Oct. 7.6 (PG 80 80:489; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-octateuchum/7-6). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-octateuchum/7-6
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 80 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
7.7PG 80 80:489
Τί δήποτε μὴ πάσας εἶλον τὰς πόλεις, ἀλλὰ πλῆθος αὐτοῖς συνῴκει τῶν ἀλλοφύλων ἐθνῶν; Πρῶτον διὰ νωθείαν πάσης τῆς γῆς οὐκ ἐκράτησαν· ἔπειτα καὶ διὰ πλεονεξίαν. Ἔθετο γὰρ, φησὶ, τὸν Χαναναῖον εἰς φόρον, καὶ ἐξαίρων οὐκ ἐξῆρεν αὐτόν. Καὶ τοῦτο περὶ ἑκάστης ὁ συγγραφεὺς εἶπε φυλῆς. Πρὸς δὲ τούτοις, τὸν θεῖον παραβάντες νόμον, καὶ τοῖς τῶν ἀλλοφύλων δεδουλευκότες θεοῖς, τῆς θείας ἐγυμνώθησαν προμηθείας Οὗ δὴ χάριν ὁ πάνσοφος Κύριος οὐκ ἄρδην τὸ τῶν Χαναναίων ἐθνῶν διέφθειρε γένος· ἀλλ' εἴασε πολλοὺς γειτονεύειν αὐτοῖς· ἵνα πολεμούμενοι, καὶ δουλεύειν ἀναγκαζόμενοι, αἰσθάνωνται μὲν τῆς ἀπὸ τῆς πλάνης γεγενημένης βλάβης, προσθῶσι δὲ τῷ σεσωκότι Θεῷ, καὶ τῆς παρ᾿ αὐτοῦ ῥοπῆς ἀπολαύωσι. Καὶ ὅτι ταῦτα οὐ λογισμοῖς ἀνθρωπίνοις κεχρημένος λέγω, ἀλλὰ παρ᾿ αὐτῆς διδαχθεὶς τῆς ἱστορίας, αὐτίκα δηλώσω. ᾿Ανέβη γὰρ, φησὶν, ἄγγελος Κυρίου ἀπὸ Γαλγάλ ἐπὶ τὸν κλαυθμῶνα, καὶ ἐπὶ Βαιθήλ, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον Ἰσραὴλ ἀπὸ Γαλγάλων. Καὶ Γάλγαλ δὲ ὁ τῶν ἀκροβυστιῶν ὠνομάσθη τόπος. Δηλοῖ δὲ τοὔνομα κατὰ τὴν Ἑβραίων φωνὴν, τὴν ἐλευθερίαν. Ἐκεῖθεν πέμπει τὸν ἄγγελον· ἀναμιμνήσκων αὐτοὺς τῆς τε τοῦ ποταμοῦ διαβάσεως, καὶ τῆς γεγενημένης περιτομῆς. Εἶτα λέγει καὶ τίνα τὰ ῥηθέντα ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀγγέλου· Κύριος ἀνήγαγεν ὑμᾶς ἐξ Αἰγύπτου, καὶ εἰσήγαγεν ὑμᾶς εἰς τὴν γῆν, ἣν ὤμοσε τοῖς πατράσιν ὑμῶν δοῦναι ὑμῖν, καὶ εἶπεν ὑμῖν, Οὐ μὴ διασκεδάσω τὴν διαθήκην μου τὴν μεθ' ὑμῶν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Καὶ ὑμεῖς οὐ διαθήσεσθε διαθήκην τοῖς ἐγκαθημένοις ἐν τῇ γῇ ταύτῃ, οὐδὲ τοῖς θεοῖς αὐτῶν οὐ μὴ προσκυνήσετε ἀλλὰ τὰ γλυπτὰ αὐτῶν συντρίψετε, καὶ τὰ θυσιαστήρια αὐτῶν κατασκάψετε· καὶ οὐκ εἰσηκούσατε τῆς φωνῆς μοῦ, ὅτε ταῦτα ἐποιήσατε. Καὶ ἐγὼ, φησὶν, οὐ προσθήσω τοῦ μετοικίσαι τὸν λαὸν, ὃν εἶπον τοῦ ἐξῶσαι αὐτὸν ἀπὸ προσώπου ὑμῶν καὶ ἔσονται ὑμῖν εἰς συνοχάς· καὶ οἱ θεοὶ αὐτῶν ἔσονται ὑμῖν εἰς σκάνδαλον. Παρέβητέ μου, φησὶ, νόμον, οὐκ ἐφυλάξατε τὰς ἐντολάς μου εἰρήνην ἐσπείσασθε πρὸς τοὺς τῆς ἁμαρτίας διδασκάλους, καὶ τοῖς τούτων θεοῖς ἐδουλεύσατε. ᾿Απολαύετε τοιγαροῦν ὧν ἐποθήσατε, καὶ ἀμήσατε τῶν σπερμάτων ὑμῶν τὰ δράγματα. Οἵ τε γὰρ διαφυγόντες τὸν ἐκ πολέμου θάνατον, πολεμοῦντες ὑμῖν διατελέσουσι· καὶ οἱ τούτων θεοὶ τὰς ὑμετέρας ἐξανδραποδιοῦσι ψυχάς. Τούτων ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀγγέλου ῥηθέντων, ἐθρήνησεν ὁ λαός· ὅθεν καὶ ὁ τόπος ὠνομάσθη κλαυθμών. Ἐντεῦθεν ὑπέλαβον τὰ πλείονα τῶν εἰρημένων ἀνακεφαλαίωσιν εἶναι τῶν ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ πεπραγμένων. Ἔφη γὰρ ὁ συγγραφεύς· Καὶ ἐξαπέστειλεν Ἰησοῦς τὸν λαὸν, καὶ ἀπῆλθον οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ ἕκαστος εἰς τὸν τόπον αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἕκαστος εἰς τὴν κληρονομίαν αὐτοῦ, κατακληρονομῆσαι τὴν γῆν Καὶ ἐδούλευσεν ὁ λαὸς τῷ Κυρίῳ πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τοῦ Ἰησοῦ, καὶ πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῶν πρεσβυτέρων, ὅσοι ἐμακροημέρευσαν μετὰ Ἰησοῦν· ὅσοι ἔγνωσαν πᾶν τὸ ἔργον Κυρίου τὸ μέγα, ὁ ἐποίησε τῷ Ἰσραήλ. Λέγει δὲ καὶ ὅσων ἐτῶν ἐτελεύτησε, καὶ ἔνθα ἕκαστος ἐτάφη· καὶ προστέθεικεν, ὅτι ἀνέστη γενεὰ ἑτέρα μετ᾿ αὐτοὺς, καὶ οὐκ ἔγνωσαν τὸν Κύριον, καὶ τὸ ἔργον ὁ ἐποίησε τῷ Ἰσραήλ. Καὶ ὅτι τοῖς Χαναναίοις, καὶ τοῖς Φερεζαίοις, καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις συνοικοῦντες ἀλλοφύλοις, τάς τε πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐπιγαμίας ἐποιήσαντο, καὶ διὰ τῆς ἐπιγαμίας τῆς ἀσεβείας μετέλαχον. Ἐλάτρευσαν γὰρ τοῖς Βααλεὶμ, καὶ τοῖς ᾿Ασταρώθ. Διδασκόμεθα δὲ διὰ τούτων, ὅσον τοὺς ὑπηκόους ὀνίνησιν ἡ τῶν ἀρχόντων εὐσέβεια, καὶ ὅσον ἡ ἀναρχία λυμαίνεται, καὶ αὖ πάλιν ἡ τῶν πονηρῶν ἡγεμονία. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ἥδε ἡ ἱστορία διδάσκει. Ἤγειρε γὰρ αὐτοῖς, φησὶ, Κύριος Κριτάς, καὶ ἔσωσεν αὐτοὺς ἐκ χειρὸς τῶν προνομευσάντων αὐτούς. Καὶ ὅτε ἤγειρεν αὐτοῖς τοὺς Κριτὰς, καὶ ἦν Κύριος μετὰ τοῦ Κριτοῦ, καὶ ἔσωσεν αὐτοὺς ἐκ χειρὸς τῶν ἐχθρῶν αὐτῶν πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τοῦ Κριτοῦ. Καὶ μετ᾿ ὀλίγα Καὶ ἐγένετο ὡς ἀπέθνησκεν ὁ Κριτὴς, καὶ ἀπέστρεφον καὶ διέφθειρον πάλιν ὑπὲρ τοὺς πατέρας αὐτῶν τοῦ πορευθῆναι ὀπίσω θεῶν ἑτέρων, τοῦ λατρεύειν αὐτοῖς, καὶ προσκυνεῖν αὐτοῖς. Οἶμαι δὲ καὶ ἑτέραν αἰτίαν εἶναι, δι᾽ ἣν οὐ πᾶσαν τὴν ἐπηγγελμένην ἐκομίσαντο γῆν· ἔστι δὲ αὕτη. Στενωτάτης ἐδεῖτο γῆς τῆς νομικῆς πολιτείας ἡ φυλακή· τρὶς γὰρ τοῦ ἔτους ἑορτάζειν ὁ νόμος ἐκέλευσεν εἰς ἓν πάντας χωρίον συντρέχοντας, ἐν ᾧ τὸν θεῖον νεὼν ἐδομήσαντο. Ἐκεῖ καὶ τὰς ἀπαρχὰς, καὶ τὰς δεκάτας, καὶ τὰ τῶν θρεμμάτων πρωτότοκα, καὶ μέντοι καὶ τὰς ἄλλας θυσίας κομίζειν ἐκέλευσεν. Εἰκότως τοίνυν αὐτοὺς σμικρῷ περιώρισε τόπῳ, ὥστε ῥᾳδίως καὶ τοὺς νωθεῖς εἰς τὸν ἀφιερωμένον νεὼν συναγείρεσθαι.
Ti dēpote mē pasas eilon tas poleis, alla plēthos autois synǭkei tōn allophylōn ethnōn? Prōton dia nōtheian pasēs tēs gēs ouk ekratēsan; epeita kai dia pleonexian. Etheto gar, phēsi, ton Chananaion eis phoron, kai exairōn ouk exēren auton. Kai touto peri hekastēs ho syngrapheus eipe phylēs. Pros de toutois, ton theion parabantes nomon, kai tois tōn allophylōn dedouleukotes theois, tēs theias egymnōthēsan promētheias Hou dē charin ho pansophos Kyrios ouk ardēn to tōn Chananaiōn ethnōn diephtheire genos; all' eiase pollous geitoneuein autois; hina polemoumenoi, kai douleuein anankazomenoi, aisthanōntai men tēs apo tēs planēs gegenēmenēs blabēs, prosthōsi de tǭ sesōkoti Theǭ, kai tēs par᾿ autou rhopēs apolauōsi. Kai hoti tauta ou logismois anthrōpinois kechrēmenos legō, alla par᾿ autēs didachtheis tēs historias, autika dēlōsō. ᾿Anebē gar, phēsin, angelos Kyriou apo Galgal epi ton klauthmōna, kai epi Baithēl, kai epi ton oikon Israēl apo Galgalōn. Kai Galgal de ho tōn akrobystiōn ōnomasthē topos. Dēloi de tounoma kata tēn Hebraiōn phōnēn, tēn eleutherian. Ekeithen pempei ton angelon; anamimnēskōn autous tēs te tou potamou diabaseōs, kai tēs gegenēmenēs peritomēs. Eita legei kai tina ta rhēthenta hypo tou angelou; Kyrios anēgagen hymas ex Aigyptou, kai eisēgagen hymas eis tēn gēn, hēn ōmose tois patrasin hymōn dounai hymin, kai eipen hymin, Ou mē diaskedasō tēn diathēkēn mou tēn meth' hymōn eis ton aiōna. Kai hymeis ou diathēsesthe diathēkēn tois enkathēmenois en tę̄ gę̄ tautę̄, oude tois theois autōn ou mē proskynēsete alla ta glypta autōn syntripsete, kai ta thysiastēria autōn kataskapsete; kai ouk eisēkousate tēs phōnēs mou, hote tauta epoiēsate. Kai egō, phēsin, ou prosthēsō tou metoikisai ton laon, hon eipon tou exōsai auton apo prosōpou hymōn kai esontai hymin eis synochas; kai hoi theoi autōn esontai hymin eis skandalon. Parebēte mou, phēsi, nomon, ouk ephylaxate tas entolas mou eirēnēn espeisasthe pros tous tēs hamartias didaskalous, kai tois toutōn theois edouleusate. ᾿Apolauete toigaroun hōn epothēsate, kai amēsate tōn spermatōn hymōn ta dragmata. Hoi te gar diaphygontes ton ek polemou thanaton, polemountes hymin diatelesousi; kai hoi toutōn theoi tas hymeteras exandrapodiousi psychas. Toutōn hypo tou angelou rhēthentōn, ethrēnēsen ho laos; hothen kai ho topos ōnomasthē klauthmōn. Enteuthen hypelabon ta pleiona tōn eirēmenōn anakephalaiōsin einai tōn epi tou Iēsou pepragmenōn. Ephē gar ho syngrapheus; Kai exapesteilen Iēsous ton laon, kai apēlthon hoi huioi Israēl hekastos eis ton topon autou, kai hekastos eis tēn klēronomian autou, kataklēronomēsai tēn gēn Kai edouleusen ho laos tǭ Kyriǭ pasas tas hēmeras tou Iēsou, kai pasas tas hēmeras tōn presbyterōn, hosoi emakroēmereusan meta Iēsoun; hosoi egnōsan pan to ergon Kyriou to mega, ho epoiēse tǭ Israēl. Legei de kai hosōn etōn eteleutēse, kai entha hekastos etaphē; kai prostetheiken, hoti anestē genea hetera met᾿ autous, kai ouk egnōsan ton Kyrion, kai to ergon ho epoiēse tǭ Israēl. Kai hoti tois Chananaiois, kai tois Pherezaiois, kai tois allois synoikountes allophylois, tas te pros autous epigamias epoiēsanto, kai dia tēs epigamias tēs asebeias metelachon. Elatreusan gar tois Baaleim, kai tois ᾿Astarōth. Didaskometha de dia toutōn, hoson tous hypēkoous oninēsin hē tōn archontōn eusebeia, kai hoson hē anarchia lymainetai, kai au palin hē tōn ponērōn hēgemonia. Touto gar kai hēde hē historia didaskei. Ēgeire gar autois, phēsi, Kyrios Kritas, kai esōsen autous ek cheiros tōn pronomeusantōn autous. Kai hote ēgeiren autois tous Kritas, kai ēn Kyrios meta tou Kritou, kai esōsen autous ek cheiros tōn echthrōn autōn pasas tas hēmeras tou Kritou. Kai met᾿ oliga Kai egeneto hōs apethnēsken ho Kritēs, kai apestrephon kai diephtheiron palin hyper tous pateras autōn tou poreuthēnai opisō theōn heterōn, tou latreuein autois, kai proskynein autois. Oimai de kai heteran aitian einai, di᾽ hēn ou pasan tēn epēngelmenēn ekomisanto gēn; esti de hautē. Stenōtatēs edeito gēs tēs nomikēs politeias hē phylakē; tris gar tou etous heortazein ho nomos ekeleusen eis hen pantas chōrion syntrechontas, en hǭ ton theion neōn edomēsanto. Ekei kai tas aparchas, kai tas dekatas, kai ta tōn thremmatōn prōtotoka, kai mentoi kai tas allas thysias komizein ekeleusen. Eikotōs toinyn autous smikrǭ periōrise topǭ, hōste rhądiōs kai tous nōtheis eis ton aphierōmenon neōn synageiresthai.
Why did they not take all the cities, but a multitude of foreign nations lived with them? First, they did not gain control of the whole land through sluggishness; then also through greed. “For he put the Canaanite under tribute,” it says, “and did not drive him out completely.” The writer said this about each tribe. Besides this, having transgressed the divine law and served the gods of the foreigners, they were stripped of divine providence. For this reason the all-wise Lord did not utterly destroy the race of the Canaanite nations, but let many live near them, so that, being warred upon and forced to serve, they would perceive the harm that came from their error, turn to the God who had saved them, and enjoy his aid. And that I say this not using human reasonings but taught by the history itself I will show at once. “For an angel of the Lord,” it says, “went up from Gilgal to the place of weeping, and to Bethel, and to the house of Israel, from Gilgal.” Gilgal was the name given to the place of the foreskins; and in the Hebrew language the name means freedom. He sends the angel from there, reminding them both of the crossing of the river and of the circumcision that took place. Then he tells what the angel said: “The Lord brought you up out of Egypt and brought you into the land which he swore to your fathers to give you, and said to you, ‘I will never break my covenant with you; and you shall make no covenant with those who dwell in this land, nor worship their gods, but you shall break their carved images and tear down their altars.’ But you did not listen to my voice when you did these things. And I,” he says, “will no longer drive out the people whom I said I would expel before you; and they will be troubles to you, and their gods will be a stumbling block to you.” You have transgressed my law, he means, you have not kept my commandments; you have made peace with the teachers of sin and served their gods. Enjoy, therefore, what you longed for, and reap the sheaves of your own seed. For those who escaped death in war will go on making war on you, and their gods will enslave your souls. When the angel had said these things the people wept; hence the place was named Weeping. From this I supposed that most of what was said is a recapitulation of what was done under Joshua. For the writer said: “And Joshua sent the people away, and the sons of Israel went each to his place and each to his inheritance, to inherit the land. And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who knew all the great work of the Lord which he did for Israel.” He also tells at what age Joshua died and where each was buried; and he added that another generation arose after them that did not know the Lord or the work he had done for Israel; and that, living with the Canaanites, the Perizzites and the other foreigners, they intermarried with them and through intermarriage shared in their impiety: for they served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. We are taught by these things how much the piety of rulers benefits their subjects, how much anarchy ruins them, and again the rule of the wicked. This history too teaches it: “For the Lord raised up judges for them,” it says, “and saved them from the hand of those who plundered them. And when he raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge and saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge.” And a little later: “And when the judge died, they turned back and acted more corruptly than their fathers, going after other gods to serve them and worship them.” I think there is also another reason why they did not receive the whole promised land, namely this: the keeping of the life of the law required a very small land. For the law commanded them to keep festival three times a year, all running together to one place, in which they built the divine temple. There he commanded them to bring the firstfruits, the tithes, the firstborn of the flocks and the other sacrifices. Fittingly, then, he confined them to a small area, so that even the sluggish could easily gather at the consecrated temple.
Judg 1:28 (quotation, high confidence) · Judg 2:1–3 (quotation, high confidence) · Josh 5:9 (allusion, medium confidence) · Judg 2:4–5 (allusion, high confidence) · Judg 2:6–7 (quotation, high confidence) · Judg 2:8–10 (allusion, high confidence) · Judg 3:5–7 (allusion, high confidence) · Judg 2:11–13 (allusion, high confidence) · Judg 2:16 (quotation, high confidence) · Judg 2:18–19 (quotation, high confidence) · Exod 23:14–17 (allusion, high confidence) · Deut 12:5–6 (allusion, medium confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Israel failed to take the whole land through sloth, greed and idolatry, and God left the Canaanites to discipline them; a small land also suited the law's pilgrimage feasts.
- Judg 1:28; 2:1–3 (Septuagint, “the place of weeping”); Josh 5:9; Judg 2:4–5; 2:6–13; 3:5–7; 2:16–19; Exod 23:14–17; Deut 16:16; Deut 12:5–6. In the edition a block of this section is printed with its lines interleaved and mixed with marginal catchwords; the lines are put back in order and the catchwords removed (logged).
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (interleaved OCR lines put back in order; marginal catchwords and a footnote marker removed; split word; stray letter and split word; stray mark): ἐθα νῶν → ἐθνῶν; τῆς, γεγενημένης → τῆς γεγενημένης; ᾿Απο–λαύετε → ᾿Απολαύετε; ὅσοι ἐμαἔργον Κυρίου τὸ μέγα, ὁ ἐποίησε τῷ Ἰσραήλ. Λέγει δὲ καὶ ὅσων ἐτῶν ἐτελεύτησε **, καὶ ἔνθα Ο κροημέρευσαν μετὰ Ἰησοῦν· ὅσοι ἔγνωσαν πᾶν τὸ ἀπὸ Γαλαάδ. καὶ Γάλγαλα, τὴν τῶν Ἑβραίων ἐλευθ. τὰς ἐντολὰς, οὐκ ἐφυλ. μου τὸν νόμον. τῆς ἀσεβείας. διεκφυγόντες. εἰς τ. τόπ. αὐτ. καὶ τοῦ κατακληρονομῆσαι. ἦν ὅτε ἐτελεύτησε. ἡμετέρας. ἕκαστος ἐτάφη· → ὅσοι ἐμακροημέρευσαν μετὰ Ἰησοῦν· ὅσοι ἔγνωσαν πᾶν τὸ ἔργον Κυρίου τὸ μέγα, ὁ ἐποίησε τῷ Ἰσραήλ. Λέγει δὲ καὶ ὅσων ἐτῶν ἐτελεύτησε, καὶ ἔνθα ἕκαστος ἐτάφη·.
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Quaest. Oct. 7.7 (PG 80 80:489; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-octateuchum/7-7). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-octateuchum/7-7
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 80 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
7.8PG 80 80:493
Πῶς νοητέον τόδε τὸ χωρίον, Ταῦτα τὰ ἔθνη ἀφῆκεν Ἰησοῦς, ὥστε πειρᾶσαι ἐν αὐτοῖς τὸν Ἰσραὴλ, πάντας τοὺς μὴ ἐγνωκότας τοὺς πολέμους Χαναάν· πλὴν διὰ τὰς γενεὰς τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ, τοῦ διδάξαι αὐτοὺς πολεμεῖν πλὴν οἱ ἔμπροσθεν αὐτῶν οὐκ ἔγνωσαν αὐτά; Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Ναυῆ στρατηγοῦντος οὐ κατὰ πολεμικὴν τέχνην ὁ λαὸς ἐνίκα παραταττόμενος, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἄνωθεν ἀπολαύων ἐπικουρίας· ᾿Αποστελῶ γὰρ, ἔφη, τὰς σφηκίας ἔμπροσθεν ὑμῶν· καὶ ἐξολοθρεύσει τὸν Χαναναῖον, καὶ τὸν Χετταῖον, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Καὶ μέντοι καὶ σκηπτοὺς ἄνωθεν ἀφιεὶς, καὶ χάλαζαν λίθων ἔχουσαν μέτρον, τοὺς πολεμίους ἀνήλισκε. Λέγει τοίνυν, ὅτι τούτου χάριν οὐ πάντας ἄρδην διώλεσε τοὺς τὴν γῆν ἐκείνην οἰκοῦντας Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Ναυῆ στρατηγοῦντος, ἵνα καὶ οἱ μετ᾿ ἐκεῖνον τῇ πειρᾳ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ διδαχθῶσι κηδεμονίαν, καὶ διὰ τὴν πολεμικὴν ἀνάγκην τὸν Δεσπότην καλῶσιν εἰς συμμαχίαν. Τὸ μέντοι πειρᾶσαι ὁ Σύμμαχος ἀσκῆσαι φησιν αὐτοὺς ἡβουλήθη, καὶ διδάξαι τοῦ πολέμου τὴν τέχνην. Καὶ τὸ πειρᾶσαι δὲ κατὰ τοὺς Ἑβδομήκοντα κείμενον, οὐ τὴν ἄγνοιαν τοῦ Θεοῦ δηλοῖ. Οὐδὲ γὰρ τὸν ᾿Ἀβραὰμ τούτου χάριν ἐπείραζεν, ἵνα μάθῃ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ τὴν γνώμην. Κἀκεῖ γὰρ ἐδίδαξεν, ὅτι ᾔδει ὁ Θεὸς, ὅτι συντάξει ᾿Ἀβραὰμ τοῖς υἱοῖς αὐτοῦ, καὶ τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ μετ᾿ αὐτὸν, φυλάσσειν πάντα τὰ κρίματα Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ. Οὐχ ἵνα τοίνυν αὐτὸς μάθῃ πειράζει, ἀλλ᾽ ἵνα τοὺς ἀγνοοῦντας διδάξῃ. "Ωσπερ τοίνυν εἰς γυμνασίαν τοῦ λογικοῦ τῷ Ἀδὰμ ἐδεδώκει τὴν ἐντολήν· οὕτω κἀνταῦθα ἔνια τῶν ἐθνῶν καταλέλοιπεν· ὥστε τῶν μὲν δεῖξαι τὸ εὐσεβὲς, τῶν δὲ διελέγξαι τὸ δυσσεβές. Τοῦτο γὰρ λέγει Ὥστε πειρᾶσαι ἐν αὐτοῖς τὸν Ἰσραὴλ, τοῦ γνῶναι εἰ ἀκούσονται τὰς ἐντολὰς, ἃς ἐνετείλατο τοῖς πατράσιν αὐτῶν ἐν χειρὶ Μωσῆ.» Καὶ αὐτὰ δὲ διδάσκει τὰ πράγματα, ὡς αὐτοὶ αἴτιοι γεγένηνται τῶν μὴ παντάπασιν ἀπαλλαγῆναι τῶν δυσσεβῶν ἐκείνων ἐθνῶν. Ἐννέα γὰρ καὶ εἴκοσι βασιλέας, δίχα τῶν τῆς Ἱεριχοῦς καὶ τῆς Γαὶ στρατηγῶν, ὁ Ἰησοῦς σὺν ταῖς στρατείαις αὐτῶν κατηκόντισε, μὴ πόλιν ἔχων, μὴ ὁρμητήριον, μὴ στρατιώτας ἐμπειρίαν ἠσκημένους πολεμικήν. Οἱ δέ γε μετ᾿ ἐκεῖνον, καὶ πόλεις ὀχυρὰς ἐσχηκότες, καὶ πλοῦτον ὅτι μάλιστα πλεῖστον ἐκ τῶν λαφύρων κτησάμενοι, καὶ πανοπλίας ἔχοντες, καὶ τείχη καὶ περιβόλους, περιγενέσθαι τῶν ὑπολειφθέντων οὐκ ἴσχυσαν διὰ τὴν οἰκείαν ἀσέβειαν.
Pōs noēteon tode to chōrion, Tauta ta ethnē aphēken Iēsous, hōste peirasai en autois ton Israēl, pantas tous mē egnōkotas tous polemous Chanaan; plēn dia tas geneas tōn huiōn Israēl, tou didaxai autous polemein plēn hoi emprosthen autōn ouk egnōsan auta? Iēsou tou Nauē stratēgountos ou kata polemikēn technēn ho laos enika paratattomenos, alla tēs anōthen apolauōn epikourias; ᾿Apostelō gar, ephē, tas sphēkias emprosthen hymōn; kai exolothreusei ton Chananaion, kai ton Chettaion, kai ta hexēs. Kai mentoi kai skēptous anōthen aphieis, kai chalazan lithōn echousan metron, tous polemious anēliske. Legei toinyn, hoti toutou charin ou pantas ardēn diōlese tous tēn gēn ekeinēn oikountas Iēsou tou Nauē stratēgountos, hina kai hoi met᾿ ekeinon tę̄ peirą tēn tou Theou didachthōsi kēdemonian, kai dia tēn polemikēn anankēn ton Despotēn kalōsin eis symmachian. To mentoi peirasai ho Symmachos askēsai phēsin autous hēboulēthē, kai didaxai tou polemou tēn technēn. Kai to peirasai de kata tous Hebdomēkonta keimenon, ou tēn agnoian tou Theou dēloi. Oude gar ton ᾿Abraam toutou charin epeirazen, hina mathę̄ tou Abraam tēn gnōmēn. Kakei gar edidaxen, hoti ę̄dei ho Theos, hoti syntaxei ᾿Abraam tois huiois autou, kai tǭ oikǭ autou met᾿ auton, phylassein panta ta krimata Kyriou tou Theou. Ouch hina toinyn autos mathę̄ peirazei, all᾽ hina tous agnoountas didaxę̄. "Ōsper toinyn eis gymnasian tou logikou tǭ Adam ededōkei tēn entolēn; houtō kantautha enia tōn ethnōn kataleloipen; hōste tōn men deixai to eusebes, tōn de dielenxai to dyssebes. Touto gar legei Hōste peirasai en autois ton Israēl, tou gnōnai ei akousontai tas entolas, has eneteilato tois patrasin autōn en cheiri Mōsē.» Kai auta de didaskei ta pragmata, hōs autoi aitioi gegenēntai tōn mē pantapasin apallagēnai tōn dyssebōn ekeinōn ethnōn. Ennea gar kai eikosi basileas, dicha tōn tēs Hierichous kai tēs Gai stratēgōn, ho Iēsous syn tais strateiais autōn katēkontise, mē polin echōn, mē hormētērion, mē stratiōtas empeirian ēskēmenous polemikēn. Hoi de ge met᾿ ekeinon, kai poleis ochyras eschēkotes, kai plouton hoti malista pleiston ek tōn laphyrōn ktēsamenoi, kai panoplias echontes, kai teichē kai peribolous, perigenesthai tōn hypoleiphthentōn ouk ischysan dia tēn oikeian asebeian.
How is this passage to be understood: “These are the nations Joshua left, to test Israel by them, all those who had not known the wars of Canaan; only for the sake of the generations of the sons of Israel, to teach them war; only those before them did not know them”? When Joshua son of Nun was general, the people did not win their battles by the art of war but by enjoying help from above: “For I will send the hornets before you,” he said, “and they will destroy the Canaanite and the Hittite,” and so on. And indeed, sending thunderbolts from above and hailstones of great size, he destroyed the enemy. He says, then, that for this reason he did not utterly destroy all who inhabited that land while Joshua son of Nun was general, so that those after him too might be taught God's care by experience and, through the necessity of war, call on the Master as their ally. Symmachus says that he wished to train them by “testing” and to teach them the art of war. And “to test,” as it stands in the Seventy, does not indicate ignorance on God's part. For he did not test Abraham in order to learn Abraham's mind; there too it taught that God knew that Abraham would command his sons and his household after him to keep all the judgments of the Lord God. He does not test, then, so that he himself may learn, but to teach those who do not know. As, then, he had given Adam the commandment to exercise his reason, so here he left some of the nations, to show the piety of some and to expose the impiety of others. For this is what it says: “To test Israel by them, to know whether they would listen to the commandments which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.” The events themselves also teach that they were the cause of their not being entirely freed from those impious nations. For Joshua struck down twenty-nine kings with their armies, besides the commanders of Jericho and Ai, though he had no city, no base of operations, no soldiers trained in the experience of war. But those after him, though they had strong cities, had gained very great wealth from the spoils, had full armour, walls and ramparts, could not overcome those who were left, because of their own impiety.
Judg 3:1–2 (quotation, high confidence) · Exod 23:28 (quotation, high confidence) · Josh 10:11 (allusion, high confidence) · Gen 18:19 (quotation, high confidence) · Gen 22:1 (allusion, high confidence) · Gen 2:16–17 (allusion, high confidence) · Judg 3:4 (quotation, high confidence) · Josh 12:9–24 (allusion, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: God left some nations to train later generations in war and to test their faithfulness, not because he lacked knowledge; Israel's own impiety kept it from completing the conquest.
- Judg 3:1–2 (Septuagint), 3:4; Exod 23:28; Josh 10:11; Gen 18:19 (Septuagint); Gen 22:1; Gen 2:16–17; Josh 12:9–24 (thirty-one kings in all). Symmachus is a second-century Greek translator.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (joined words; split word; stray letters; stray mark): ᾿Αποστελῶγὰρ → ᾿Αποστελῶ γὰρ; πολέ - μου → πολέμου; αὐτοῦ δι μετ᾿ → αὐτοῦ μετ᾿; τὸν – Ἰσραὴλ → τὸν Ἰσραὴλ; οἰκείαν ( ἀσέβειαν → οἰκείαν ἀσέβειαν.
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Quaest. Oct. 7.8 (PG 80 80:493; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-octateuchum/7-8). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-octateuchum/7-8
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 80 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
7.9PG 80 80:495
Πῶς ὁ Γοθονιὴλ καὶ τοῦ Χαλέβ ἀδελφὸς, καὶ τοῦ Κενὲζ υἱός; ὁ γὰρ Χαλέβ Ἰεφονή υἱὸς ἦν Εἰκὸς καὶ διώνυμον εἶναι τὸν Ἰεφωνῆ, καὶ καλεῖσθαι καὶ Κενέζ. Εἰκὸς καὶ ἐκ διαφόρων εἶναι πατέρων αὐτοὺς, μιᾶς δὲ μητρός καὶ τὸν μὲν Χαλὲβ τὸν Ἰεφωνῆ ἐσχηκέναι πατέρα· μετὰ δὲ τὴν τούτου τελευτὴν γήμασθαι τὴν αὐτοῦ μητέρα τῷ Κενὲζ, καὶ τεκεῖν τὸν Γοθονιήλ. Ὅτι μέντοι τὴν Ἱεριχὼ τὴν πόλιν φοινίκων ὠνόμασε, τὰ κατὰ τὸν Ἐγλὼμ διδάσκει. Ἐπορεύθη γὰρ, φησὶν, Ἐγλὼμ, καὶ ἐπάταξε τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἐκληρονόμησε τὴν πόλιν τῶν φοινίκων. Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· «Καὶ Ἐγλώμ ἀνέστρεψεν ἀπὸ τῶν εἰδώλων τῶν ἐν Γαλγάλοις. Καὶ εἶπεν ᾿Αὼδ τῷ Ἐγλώμ Λόγος μοι κρύφιος πρὸς σὲ, βασιλεῦ. Ἡ δὲ Γάλγαλα τῇ Ἱεριχὼ πελάζει. Φλόγα δὲ τὸ σιδήριον τῆς μαχαίρας ὠνόμασε, παραξιφίδα δὲ τὴν λαβήν. Τοῦτο γὰρ λέγει· Καὶ ἔλαβε τὴν μάχαιραν αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τοῦ μηροῦ αὐτοῦ τοῦ δεξιοῦ, καὶ ἐνέπηξεν αὐτὴν εἰς τὴν κοιλίαν Ἑγλὼμ, καὶ ἐπεισήνεγκεν καὶ τὴν λαβὴν ὀπίσω τῆς φλογὸς, καὶ ἀπέκλεισε τὸ στέαρ τὴν παραξιφίδα
Pōs ho Gothoniēl kai tou Chaleb adelphos, kai tou Kenez huios? ho gar Chaleb Iephonē huios ēn Eikos kai diōnymon einai ton Iephōnē, kai kaleisthai kai Kenez. Eikos kai ek diaphorōn einai paterōn autous, mias de mētros kai ton men Chaleb ton Iephōnē eschēkenai patera; meta de tēn toutou teleutēn gēmasthai tēn autou mētera tǭ Kenez, kai tekein ton Gothoniēl. Hoti mentoi tēn Hierichō tēn polin phoinikōn ōnomase, ta kata ton Eglōm didaskei. Eporeuthē gar, phēsin, Eglōm, kai epataxe tous huious Israēl, kai eklēronomēse tēn polin tōn phoinikōn. Kai met' oliga; «Kai Eglōm anestrepsen apo tōn eidōlōn tōn en Galgalois. Kai eipen ᾿Aōd tǭ Eglōm Logos moi kryphios pros se, basileu. Hē de Galgala tę̄ Hierichō pelazei. Phloga de to sidērion tēs machairas ōnomase, paraxiphida de tēn labēn. Touto gar legei; Kai elabe tēn machairan autou apo tou mērou autou tou dexiou, kai enepēxen autēn eis tēn koilian Heglōm, kai epeisēnenken kai tēn labēn opisō tēs phlogos, kai apekleise to stear tēn paraxiphida
How is Othniel both Caleb's brother and the son of Kenaz? For Caleb was the son of Jephunneh. It is likely that Jephunneh had two names and was also called Kenaz. It is also likely that they were of different fathers but one mother: that Caleb had Jephunneh as father, and that after his death his mother married Kenaz and bore Othniel. That he called Jericho the city of palms, the account of Eglon teaches: “Eglon went,” it says, “and struck the sons of Israel and took possession of the city of palms.” And a little later: “And Eglon returned from the idols at Gilgal. And Ehud said to Eglon, ‘I have a secret word for you, O king.’” Gilgal is near Jericho. He called the iron of the sword its “flame” and the hilt its “guard.” For this is what he says: “And he took his sword from his right thigh and thrust it into Eglon's belly, and drove in the hilt also after the flame, and the fat closed over the guard.”
Judg 1:13 (allusion, high confidence) · Judg 3:9 (allusion, high confidence) · Num 13:6 (allusion, medium confidence) · Judg 3:13 (quotation, high confidence) · Judg 3:19 (quotation, high confidence) · Judg 3:21–22 (quotation, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Othniel and Caleb were probably half-brothers; the Eglon story confirms that the city of palms is Jericho.
- Judg 1:13; 3:9; Josh 15:17; Num 13:6. Judg 3:13, 19, 21–22 (Septuagint). The printed text says Eglon returned from the idols; in Judg 3:19 it is Ehud who turns back. Marginal catchwords printed inside the quotation are removed.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (marginal catchwords leaked into the line; split word): καλεῖ σθαι → καλεῖσθαι; τε λευτὴν → τελευτὴν; Καl ἀσκησαι ἡρμήνευσεν· ἀσκῆσαι γάρ. δι καὶ τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ δε μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ. ἐντολὰς Κυρίου. εἶπεν → Καὶ εἶπεν.
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Quaest. Oct. 7.9 (PG 80 80:495; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-octateuchum/7-9). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-octateuchum/7-9
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 80 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
7.10PG 80 80:497
Τὰ κατὰ τὸν Ἱαβὶν τὸν βασιλέα ᾿Ασὼρ ἱστορεῖ καὶ ἡ ἱστορία τοῦ Ἰησοῦ· εἰ τοίνυν ἐπ᾿ ἐκείνου ἀνῃρέθη, πῶς μετὰ πολὺν χρόνον ἐπανέστη τῷ Ἰσραήλ; ῎Ἄλλος ἦν ἐκεῖνος, καὶ ἄλλος οὗτος· ὁμώνυμοι δὲ ἦσαν, τὴν αὐτὴν ἐσχηκότες βασιλείαν. Εἰκὸς δὲ τοῦτον καὶ υἱὸν ἐκείνου γενέσθαι. Ἔστι γὰρ πολλοὺς εὐρεῖν τὰς τῶν πατέρων ἐσχηκότας προσηγορίας. αὐτίκα γοῦν Κωνσταντίνου τοῦ βασιλέως ὁ πρῶτος υἱὸς Κωνσταντῖνος ὠνόμασται.
Ta kata ton Hiabin ton basilea ᾿Asōr historei kai hē historia tou Iēsou; ei toinyn ep᾿ ekeinou anę̄rethē, pōs meta polyn chronon epanestē tǭ Israēl? ᾿Allos ēn ekeinos, kai allos houtos; homōnymoi de ēsan, tēn autēn eschēkotes basileian. Eikos de touton kai huion ekeinou genesthai. Esti gar pollous eurein tas tōn paterōn eschēkotas prosēgorias. autika goun Kōnstantinou tou basileōs ho prōtos huios Kōnstantinos ōnomastai.
The story of Jabin king of Hazor is also told by the history of Joshua. If, then, he was killed in Joshua's time, how did he rise against Israel long afterwards? That one was one man and this another; they had the same name and held the same kingdom. It is likely that this one was even the son of that one. For one can find many who have their fathers' names; thus, for example, the first son of the emperor Constantine was named Constantine.
Josh 11:1 (allusion, high confidence) · Josh 11:10 (allusion, high confidence) · Judg 4:2 (allusion, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: The Jabin of Judges was a different king, perhaps a son of the one killed by Joshua.
- Josh 11:1, 10; Judg 4:2. Constantine II, eldest son of Constantine the Great.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (stray mark): δὲ ·ἦσαν → δὲ ἦσαν.
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Quaest. Oct. 7.10 (PG 80 80:497; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-octateuchum/7-10). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-octateuchum/7-10
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 80 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
7.11PG 80 80:497
᾿Αλλ' ἡ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἱστορία οὐ μόνον τὸν Ἰαβὶν εἶπεν ἀναιρεθῆναι ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν Ασὼρ ἐμπρησθῆναι. Οὐδὲν ἀπεικὸς καὶ τότε κατασκαφῆναι, καὶ αὖθις οἰκοδομηθῆναι. Πλὴν ἐνταῦθα μέμνηται μὲν τῆς Ἀσὼρ, οὐ μὴν ἐν αὐτῇ κατοικεῖν αὐτὸν ἔφησεν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ᾿Ασηρώθ Ἐπισημαντέον δὲ καὶ τοῦτο, ὅτι Κιναίους τοὺς ἀπογόνους τοῦ Ἰοθὼρ καλεῖ.
᾿All' hē tou Iēsou historia ou monon ton Iabin eipen anairethēnai alla kai tēn Asōr emprēsthēnai. Ouden apeikos kai tote kataskaphēnai, kai authis oikodomēthēnai. Plēn entautha memnētai men tēs Asōr, ou mēn en autę̄ katoikein auton ephēsen, alla tēn ᾿Asērōth Episēmanteon de kai touto, hoti Kinaious tous apogonous tou Iothōr kalei.
But the history of Joshua said not only that Jabin was killed but also that Hazor was burned. There is nothing improbable in its being razed then and built again. Yet here it mentions Hazor, but did not say that he lived in it, but in Haseroth. One should also note that it calls the descendants of Jethro Kenites.
Josh 11:10–11 (allusion, high confidence) · Judg 4:2 (allusion, high confidence) · Judg 4:11 (allusion, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Hazor may have been rebuilt after Joshua burned it; the Kenites are Jethro's descendants.
- The section has no question in the edition; it opens with an objection that continues 7.10. Josh 11:10–11; Judg 4:2 (Septuagint name forms); Judg 4:11.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR letter lost; repeated mark): ᾿Αλλ'᾿ ἡ → ᾿Αλλ' ἡ; τὸν αβὶν → τὸν Ἰαβὶν.
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Quaest. Oct. 7.11 (PG 80 80:497; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-octateuchum/7-11). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-octateuchum/7-11
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 80 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
7.12PG 80 80:497
Τί δήποτε γυνή προφητευει ; Ἐπειδὴ ἀνδρῶν καὶ γυναικῶν μία ἡ φύσις. Ἐκ γὰρ τοῦ ᾿Ἀδὰμ ἡ γυνὴ διεπλάσθη, καὶ λόγου μετείληχεν ὡς ἐκεῖνος. Διὸ καὶ ὁ ᾿Απόστολός φησιν, Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ οὐκ ἔνι ἄῤῥεν καὶ θῆλυ. Οὕτω καὶ Μωσῆς προφήτης, καὶ Μαριάμ προφῆτις. Οἶμαι δὲ καὶ τὴν Δεββώραν εἰς ἔλεγχον τῶν τότε ἀνδρῶν τῆς προφητείας ἀξιωθῆναι. Οὐδενὸς γὰρ ἐξ ἐκείνων εὐρεθέντος ἀξίου τῆς χάριτος, αὕτη τῆς τοῦ παναγίου Πνεύματος τετύχηκε δωρεᾶς καὶ οὕτω δήλη ἦν, ὅτι τῆς ἄνωθεν ἠξίωτο χάριτος, ὡς τὸν Βαρὰκ μὴ τολμῆσαι δίχα ταύτης εἰς τὴν παράταξιν ἐξελθεῖν τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἐν τῇ ᾠδῇ αὐτῆς ἔφη Ἐξέλιπον οἱ κρατοῦντες ἐν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ, ἕως οὗ ἐξανέστη Δεββώρα μήτηρ ἐν Ἰσραήλ. Λέγει δὲ καὶ τὴν τῶν ὁμοφύλων ἀσέβειαν· Ἡρέτισαν θεοὺς κενοὺς ὡς ἄρτον κρίθινον Τὴν πολλὴν αὐτῶν ἀφροσύνην διὰ τῆς εἰκόνος διήλεγξεν Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἀνόητος ὁ τῶν πυρίνων ἄρτων προτιμῶν τοὺς κριθίνους, οὕτως ἄγαν ἐμβρόντητος, ὁ τοὺς ψευδωνύμους Θεοὺς τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ προτιθείς. Δηλοῖ δὲ καὶ τὸ πιστὸν τῆς γνώμης· Ἐὰν γὰρ ἴδω, φησὶ, σειρομαστῶν τεσσαράκοντα χιλιάδας ἡ καρδία μου ἐπὶ τὰ διατεταγμένα τῷ Ἰσραήλ. Ταῦτα δὲ ὁ θεῖος διηγόρευσε νόμος. Ἐὰν γὰρ, φησὶν ἴδῃς πλῆθος πολεμίων, καὶ ἵππων, καὶ ἁρμάτων μὴ φοβηθῇς, ὅτι Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου πολεμήσει ὑπὲρ σοῦ. Κελεύει δὲ οὐ μόνον τοῖς πένησιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἐπὶ πλούτῳ μέγα φρονοῦσιν, ὑμνεῖν τὸν Θεόν. Οἱ δυνάσται γὰρ, φησὶ, τοῦ λαοῦ εὐλογεῖτε τὸν Κύριον, ἐπιβεβηκότες ἐπὶ ὑποζυγίων, καθήμενοι ἐπὶ λαμπίνων· καὶ φθέγξασθε φωνὴν ἀνακρουομένων ἀναμέσον εὐφραινομένων. Ἐκεῖ δώσουσι δικαιοσύνην τῷ Θεῷ Μοσφαθὲμ δὲ, ἀγροὶ ἐρμηνεύονται, μαδαρὼθ δὲ, ἀβλεψία. Τὸ δὲ καταράσασθαι μαζὼρ καταράσασθαι ἐν τῷ κραταιῷ. Διδασκόμεθα δὲ διὰ τῆς ἱστορίας, ὡς πατρικῇ φιλοστοργίᾳ κεχρημένος ὁ Δεσπότης Θεὸς, καὶ παρανομοῦντα τὸν λαὸν παρεδίδου τοῖς ἀλλοφύλοις οἷόν τινι ῥάβδῳ κεχρημένος, καὶ μάστιγι· καὶ πάλιν μεταμελόμενος ἐλέει, καὶ παντοδαπῆς ἠξίου κηδεμονίας. Αὐτίκα γοῦν μετὰ τὴν διὰ τῆς Δεββώρας εὐεργεσίαν, εἰς ἀσέβειαν ἐξωκείλαντα Μαδιηναίοις παρέδωκεν. Εἶτα μετὰ τὴν παιδείαν, τῆς ἐπικουρίας ἠξίωσε. Διά τινος δὲ τοῦ προφήτου πρῶτον ἐξήλεγξεν αὐτῶν τὴν ἀσέβειαν. ᾿Ανέμνησε δὲ καὶ τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν ὧν ἀπήλαυσαν· εἶτα διά τινος ἀγγέλου τὸν Γεδεὼν παραθαῤῥύνας παρατάξασθαι τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐκέλευσεν.
Ti dēpote gynē prophēteuei ? Epeidē andrōn kai gynaikōn mia hē physis. Ek gar tou ᾿Adam hē gynē dieplasthē, kai logou meteilēchen hōs ekeinos. Dio kai ho ᾿Apostolos phēsin, Christǭ Iēsou ouk eni arrhen kai thēly. Houtō kai Mōsēs prophētēs, kai Mariam prophētis. Oimai de kai tēn Debbōran eis elenchon tōn tote andrōn tēs prophēteias axiōthēnai. Oudenos gar ex ekeinōn eurethentos axiou tēs charitos, hautē tēs tou panagiou Pneumatos tetychēke dōreas kai houtō dēlē ēn, hoti tēs anōthen ēxiōto charitos, hōs ton Barak mē tolmēsai dicha tautēs eis tēn parataxin exelthein touto de kai en tę̄ ǭdę̄ autēs ephē Exelipon hoi kratountes en tǭ Israēl, heōs hou exanestē Debbōra mētēr en Israēl. Legei de kai tēn tōn homophylōn asebeian; Hēretisan theous kenous hōs arton krithinon Tēn pollēn autōn aphrosynēn dia tēs eikonos diēlenxen Hōsper gar anoētos ho tōn pyrinōn artōn protimōn tous krithinous, houtōs agan embrontētos, ho tous pseudōnymous Theous tou alēthinou protitheis. Dēloi de kai to piston tēs gnōmēs; Ean gar idō, phēsi, seiromastōn tessarakonta chiliadas hē kardia mou epi ta diatetagmena tǭ Israēl. Tauta de ho theios diēgoreuse nomos. Ean gar, phēsin idę̄s plēthos polemiōn, kai hippōn, kai harmatōn mē phobēthę̄s, hoti Kyrios ho Theos sou polemēsei hyper sou. Keleuei de ou monon tois penēsin, alla kai tois epi ploutǭ mega phronousin, hymnein ton Theon. Hoi dynastai gar, phēsi, tou laou eulogeite ton Kyrion, epibebēkotes epi hypozygiōn, kathēmenoi epi lampinōn; kai phthenxasthe phōnēn anakrouomenōn anameson euphrainomenōn. Ekei dōsousi dikaiosynēn tǭ Theǭ Mosphathem de, agroi ermēneuontai, madarōth de, ablepsia. To de katarasasthai mazōr katarasasthai en tǭ krataiǭ. Didaskometha de dia tēs historias, hōs patrikę̄ philostorgią kechrēmenos ho Despotēs Theos, kai paranomounta ton laon paredidou tois allophylois hoion tini rhabdǭ kechrēmenos, kai mastigi; kai palin metamelomenos eleei, kai pantodapēs ēxiou kēdemonias. Autika goun meta tēn dia tēs Debbōras euergesian, eis asebeian exōkeilanta Madiēnaiois paredōken. Eita meta tēn paideian, tēs epikourias ēxiōse. Dia tinos de tou prophētou prōton exēlenxen autōn tēn asebeian. ᾿Anemnēse de kai tōn euergesiōn hōn apēlausan; eita dia tinos angelou ton Gedeōn paratharrhynas parataxasthai tois polemiois ekeleusen.
Why does a woman prophesy? Because men and women have one nature. For the woman was formed from Adam and shares in reason as he does. Hence the Apostle too says, “In Christ Jesus there is neither male nor female.” So too Moses was a prophet and Miriam a prophetess. I think Deborah was granted prophecy to shame the men of that time; for since none of them was found worthy of the grace, she obtained the gift of the all-holy Spirit. And it was so clear that she had been granted grace from above that Barak did not dare go out to battle without her. She said this in her song too: “The rulers in Israel ceased, until Deborah arose, a mother in Israel.” She also speaks of the impiety of her countrymen: “They chose new gods like barley bread.” By the image she exposed their great folly: as he is foolish who prefers barley loaves to wheat ones, so he is utterly thunderstruck who puts the falsely named gods before the true one. She also shows the faithfulness of her mind: “If I see forty thousand spearmen, my heart is toward what is ordained for Israel.” The divine law prescribed this: “If you see a multitude of enemies, horses and chariots, do not be afraid, for the Lord your God will fight for you.” She commands not only the poor but also those proud of their wealth to praise God: “You mighty ones of the people,” she says, “bless the Lord, riding on beasts of burden, seated on carriages; and utter the sound of those who strike up music amid those who rejoice. There they will ascribe righteousness to the Lord.” “Mosphathem” means fields, and “madaroth” blindness. And “curse Mazor” means “curse in the mighty one.” We are taught by the history that God the Master, using a father's affection, handed the people over to foreigners when they transgressed, as if using a rod and a whip, and again, when they repented, had mercy and granted them every kind of care. Immediately after the benefit through Deborah, for example, when they ran aground on impiety, he handed them over to the Midianites; then, after the chastisement, he granted them help. Through a certain prophet he first exposed their impiety and reminded them of the benefits they had enjoyed; then through an angel he encouraged Gideon and commanded him to draw up against the enemy.
Judg 4:4 (allusion, high confidence) · Gen 2:21–22 (allusion, high confidence) · Gal 3:28 (quotation, high confidence) · Exod 15:20 (allusion, high confidence) · Judg 4:8 (allusion, high confidence) · Judg 5:7 (quotation, high confidence) · Judg 5:8 (quotation, high confidence) · Judg 5:9 (quotation, high confidence) · Deut 20:1 (quotation, high confidence) · Judg 5:10–11 (quotation, high confidence) · Judg 5:23 (allusion, high confidence) · Judg 6:1 (allusion, high confidence) · Judg 6:7–10 (allusion, high confidence) · Judg 6:11–14 (allusion, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Women can prophesy because they share one nature with men; Deborah was given the gift to shame the men of her day; God disciplined Israel as a father.
- Judg 4:4, 8; Gen 2:21–22; Gal 3:28; Exod 15:20; Judg 5:7, 8, 9–11, 23 (Septuagint; Theodoret's text of 5:8 reads “barley bread”); Deut 20:1; Judg 6:1, 7–10, 11–14. The glosses on the Hebrew words of Judg 5 are Theodoret's. A footnote number, the words “it was clear” and marginal catchwords at the end are removed.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR letter; marginal catchwords leaked into the line; number and words from a neighbouring line leaked into the quotation): ἐξανέστη 142.δῆλον ἦν. Δεββώρα → ἐξανέστη Δεββώρα; Αέγει δὲ → Λέγει δὲ; ἐκέλευσεν. ἀξιοῖ. τότε ἐπολέμησαν πόλεις ἀρχόντων. → ἐκέλευσεν..
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Quaest. Oct. 7.12 (PG 80 80:497; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-octateuchum/7-12). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-octateuchum/7-12
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 80 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain or FOTC English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.