# Questions on Kings and Chronicles - Author: [Theodoret of Cyrus](https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/authors/theodoret-of-cyrus/) - Latin title: *Quaestiones in libros Regnorum et Paralipomenon* - Date: ca. 453 (approximate) - Source: J.-P. Migne, ed., Patrologia Graeca 80 (Paris, 1864), cols. 528-858 (Kingdoms and Chronicles) - Translation: Claude, from the original text, unless a passage says otherwise; each passage below gives the translator - Editions and translations: N. Fernandez Marcos and J. R. Busto Saiz, eds., Theodoreti Cyrensis Quaestiones in Reges et Paralipomena (Madrid, 1984); R. C. Hill, trans., Theodoret of Cyrus: The Questions on the Octateuch, 2 vols. (Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 2007) - Work page: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/ - Passages: 239 ## 1 Kingdoms Question 1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-1/#p-1-1 - Source: PG 80 80:529 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Theodoret traces Samuel's descent from Levi through Kohath, Izhar and Korah: he was a Levite, not a priest. ### Greek text ῾Ο Σαμουήλ ἱερεὺς ἦν, ἢ Λευΐτης, Τριῶν ὁ Λευί γεγένηται παίδων πατήρ τοῦ Γηρσὼν τοῦ Καὰθ, καὶ τοῦ Μεραρή. Τοῦ δὲ Καὰθ ἐγένοντο παῖδες Ἀμβρὰμ, καὶ Ἰσαὰρ, καὶ Χεβρώμ, καὶ ᾿Οζιήλ· τοῦ δὲ Ἀμβρὰμ Ααρών, Μωσῆς, καὶ Μαριάμ. Τοῦ δὲ Ἰσαὰρ ἔκγονος μὲν ὁ Κορὲ, ἀπόγονος δὲ Ἑλκανὰ τοῦ Σαμουὴλ ὁ πατήρ. Ὁ τοίνυν Σαμουήλ πέμπτος καὶ δέκατος μὲν ἀπὸ Λευῖ· τῆς δὲ Καάθ ἦν πατριᾶς· ἡ τῶν ἄλλων προεκέκριτο, τῷ τοὺς ἀρχιερέας ἐξ αὐτῆς ἡνθηκέναι· διὸ δὴ καὶ φέρειν αὐτοῖς ἀπενεμήθη τὰ σκεύη τὰ ἅγια. ### English translation (Claude) Was Samuel a priest or a Levite? Levi became the father of three sons: Gershon, Kohath and Merari. To Kohath were born sons: Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel; to Amram, Aaron, Moses and Miriam. From Izhar descended Korah, and from him in turn Elkanah, the father of Samuel. Samuel, then, was fifteenth from Levi, and he belonged to the clan of Kohath, which was preferred above the others because the high priests had sprung from it; for this reason it was also assigned to carry the holy vessels. ### Scripture references - 1 Chr 6:1: allusion, high confidence - Exod 6:16: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Chr 6:22: allusion, medium confidence - Num 4:15: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The printed question ends with a comma rather than a question mark, which is why the staging flagged a possible lost question; the question is present. A displaced passage from the preface (on translation into another language and on when the books of Kingdoms were written) had been printed inside the genealogy and is removed by a logged correction. The genealogy follows 1 Chr 6:1–3, 22–28 and Exod 6:16–21; the duties of the Kohathites, Num 4:4–15. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.1 (PG 80 80:529; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-1). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-1/#p-1-2 - Source: PG 80 80:531 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The law tolerated Elkanah's two wives as a concession to weakness, neither permitting nor forbidding it. ### Greek text Διατί ὁ Ἑλκανὰ δύο εἶχε γυναῖκας; Οὔτε ἐπέτρεψεν ὁ νόμος δυσὶν ἢ πλείοσι γυναιξὶν ἐννόμως συναφθῆναι, οὔτε μὴν ἐκώλυσε - συγχωρῶν τὸ ἔλαττον, ἵνα κωλύσῃ τὸ μεῖζον. Τῇ δυνάμει γὰρ τῶν δεχομένων ἐμέτρει τοὺς νόμους. Τοῦτό φησι καὶ ὁ θεῖος ᾿Απόστολος· Οὐδὲν γὰρ ἐτελείωσεν ὁ νόμος. ### English translation (Claude) Why did Elkanah have two wives? The law neither permitted a man to be lawfully joined to two or more wives, nor did it forbid it: it conceded the lesser thing in order to prevent the greater. For it measured its laws by the strength of those who received them. The divine Apostle says this too: “For the law made nothing perfect.” ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 1:2: allusion, high confidence - Heb 7:19: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Theodoret treats the law's silence on polygamy as a concession to weakness, not an approval; translated as written. Quotation: Heb 7:19. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.2 (PG 80 80:531; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-2). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-1/#p-1-3 - Source: PG 80 80:531 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God, not marriage alone, gives children; Hannah's prayer, meekness and faith are praised, and her song is read as prophecy of Christ and the church. ### Greek text Τί ἐστι τὸ, ( ᾿Απέκλεισε Κύριος τὰ περὶ τὴν μήτραν αὐτῆς; Διδάσκει τοὺς ἐντυγχάνοντας οὗτος ὁ λόγος, μὴ τῷ γάμῳ θαῤῥεῖν, ἀλλὰ τὸν ποιητὴν εἰς ἐπικουρίαν καλεῖν. "Ωσπερ γὰρ ἴδιον μὲν τοῦ γεωργοῦ τὸ καταβάλλειν τὰ σπέρματα, τοῦ δὲ Θεοῦ τὸ τελεσιουργεῖν τὰ σπειρόμενα· οὕτως ἴδιον τοῦ γάμου μὲν ἡ κοινωνία, τοῦ δὲ Θεοῦ τὸ νεῦσαι τῇ φύσει, καὶ διαπλάσαι τὸ ζῶον. Τοῦτο ἡ Ἄννα σαφῶς ἐπισταμένη (πολὺν γὰρ τῷ ἀνδρὶ συνοικήσασα χρόνον, καρπὸν οὐκ ἐβλάστησε), πρὸς αὐτὸν ἔδραμε τὸν Δημιουργὸν, καὶ τῇ σπουδαίᾳ προσευχῇ, καὶ τοῖς δάκρυσι, τὴν πεπηρωμένην ἐθεράπευσε μήτραν, καὶ κεκλεισμένην ἀνέωξεν. "Αξιον δὲ αὐτῆς θαυμάσαι καὶ τὴν τῶν ἠθῶν μετριότητα. Παροινουμένη γὰρ ὡς μεθύουσα πράως ἤνεγκε, καὶ τὴν ὑποψίαν ἀποσκευασαμένη τὴν ἐψευσμένην, τὸ πάθος ἐδίδαξε, καὶ τῆς ἀρχιερατικῆς ἔτυχεν εὐλογίας. Ἤκουσε γὰρ, Πορεύου ἐν εἰρήνῃ, Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσραὴλ δώη σοι πᾶν αἴτημά σου, οὗ ᾐτήσω παρ' αὐτοῦ.» Οὕτω δὲ πιστῶς τῆς εὐλογίας ἐπήκουσεν, ὡς πᾶσαν ἀποῤῥίψαι ἀχθηδόνα, καὶ μετὰ θάρσους ἐπανελθεῖν πρὸς τὸν ἄνδρα, καὶ παραυτίκα συνελθεῖν, καὶ κυῆσαι. Καὶ τεκοῦσα δὲ πεπλήρωκε τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν. Ἐφύλαξε γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὴν κόμην, καὶ τὴν ὑδροποσίαν ἐδίδαξεν. Οὗτος γὰρ τῶν Ναζιραίων ὁ νόμος. Εὐθὺς δὲ μετὰ τὴν θηλὴν αὐτὸν προσενήνοχε τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ σὺν αὐτῷ μόσχον ὁμόχρονον, τὴν ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ σφαγὴν καὶ ἱερουργίαν δεξάμενον. ᾿Αντέλαβε δὲ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ παῖδας ἑτέρους· τρεῖς μὲν υἱοὺς, θυγατέρας δύο. Φιλότιμος γὰρ καὶ μεγαλόδωρος ὁ Κύριος περὶ τοὺς μεμνημένους τῶν προτέρων χαρίτων. ᾿Αξιάγαστος δὲ αὐτῆς καὶ ἡ ὑμνῳδία. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον ἐφ᾽ οἷς ἔλαβεν ἀνύμνησε τὸν δοτῆρα, ἀλλὰ καὶ προφητείᾳ τὸν ὕμνον ἐκέρασε, καὶ τῆς τοῦ παιδὸς μετέλαχε χάριτος. Κυήσασα γὰρ προφήτην, προφητεύει μετὰ τὸν τόκον. Τὸ γὰρ, Κύριος ἀσθενῆ ποιήσει τὸν ἀντίδικον αὐτοῦ, προδηλοῖ τὴν τοῦ διαβόλου κατάλυσιν· καὶ τὸ, Κύριος ἀνέβη εἰς οὐρανοὺς, καὶ ἐβρόντησε,, τὴν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἀνάληψιν προθεσπίζει, καὶ τὴν τοῦ παναγίου Πνεύματος ἐπιφοίτησιν, καὶ τῶν ἀποστολικῶν κηρυγμάτων τὸ μεγαλόφωνον. Καὶ μέντοι καὶ τὴν δευτέραν ἐπιφάνειαν τοῦ Δεσπότου προαγορεύει Χριστοῦ· Αὐτὸς γὰρ, φησὶ, κρινεῖ ἄκρα γῆς δίκαιος ὧν Προλέγει δὲ αὐτοῦ καὶ τοὺς κατὰ σάρκα γεγενημένους προγόνους, οἱ ἀπὸ Δαβὶδ μέχρι τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας διήρκεσαν. Δώσει γὰρ, φησὶν, ἰσχὺν τοῖς βασιλεῦσιν ἡμῶν. Καὶ διδάσκουσα τὴν αἰτίαν, δι᾽ ἣν ἐκεῖνοι τῆς θείας ἀπήλαυσαν προμηθείας, ἐπήγαγε· Καὶ ὑψώσει κέρας Χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ. Πρὸς δὲ τούτοις, ἐδίδαξε μὴ πλούτῳ θαῤῥεῖν, μὴ σοφίᾳ, μὴ δυναστείᾳ, ἀλλὰ μόνῳ τῷ δυναμένῳ καὶ ζωὴν χορηγεῖν, καὶ θάνατον ἐπάγειν, καὶ τὴν εὐπραξίαν μεταβάλλειν εἰς δυσπραγίαν, καὶ τὴν εὐκληρίαν εἰς δυσκληρίαν. Καὶ μέντοι καὶ τὸ, Στείρα ἔτεκεν ἑπτὰ, τὴν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας προκηρύττει πολυγονίαν. Ὁ γὰρ ἑπτὰ ἀριθμὸς τοῦ πλήθους δηλωτικός. Ἐν ἑπτὰ γὰρ ἡμέραις ἅπας χρόνος ἀνακυκλεῖται, καὶ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας οἱ παῖδες τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐπλήρωσαν. Ἡ δὲ πολλή ἐν τέκνοις ἠσθένησε. Πολύπαις γὰρ οὖσα ἡ Ἰουδαία, καὶ πολλοὺς προφήτας καὶ δικαίους γεγεννηκυῖα, νῦν ἀκαρπίαν νοσεῖ. ### English translation (Claude) What is the meaning of “The Lord had shut up her womb”? This saying teaches its readers not to trust in marriage, but to call the Maker to their help. For as it belongs to the farmer to sow the seed, but to God to bring what is sown to maturity, so the union belongs to marriage, but to God belongs the assent to nature and the shaping of the living creature. Hannah knew this clearly: though she had lived with her husband a long time, she had borne no fruit; so she ran to the Creator himself, and by earnest prayer and by tears she healed the barren womb and opened what had been shut. Her gentleness of character also deserves admiration. When she was insulted as though drunk, she bore it mildly; she removed the false suspicion, explained her grief, and obtained the high priest's blessing. For she heard, “Go in peace; the Lord God of Israel grant you every request you have asked of him.” And she received the blessing with such faith that she threw off all her sorrow, went back confidently to her husband, at once came together with him, and conceived. And when she had given birth, she fulfilled her promise. She kept his hair uncut and taught him to drink water, for that is the law of the Nazirites. As soon as he was weaned she brought him to God, and with him a calf of the same age, which received the slaughter and sacrifice on his behalf. In return she received other children from God, three sons and two daughters; for the Lord is generous and lavish toward those who remember earlier favors. Her hymn too is admirable. For she did not only praise the Giver for what she had received; she also mixed prophecy into the hymn and shared in the grace of her child. Having conceived a prophet, she prophesies after the birth. For “The Lord will make his adversary weak” foretells the overthrow of the devil; and “The Lord went up into the heavens and thundered” foretells the ascension of our Savior, the coming of the all-holy Spirit, and the loud voice of the apostolic preaching. And she also foretells the second appearing of Christ the Master: “He himself,” she says, “will judge the ends of the earth, being righteous.” She also foretells his ancestors according to the flesh, who lasted from David until the captivity: “He will give strength,” she says, “to our kings.” And teaching the reason why they enjoyed God's providence, she added, “and he will exalt the horn of his anointed.” Besides this, she taught people not to trust in wealth, or wisdom, or power, but only in him who can both give life and bring death, and turn prosperity into adversity and good fortune into misfortune. Further, “The barren has borne seven” proclaims beforehand the many children of the church. For the number seven signifies a multitude: all time revolves in seven days, and the children of the church have filled the world. “But she who had many children has grown weak”: for Judea, which had many children and had borne many prophets and righteous men, is now sick with barrenness. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 1:6: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 1:17: quotation, high confidence - Num 6:5: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Sam 1:24: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 2:21: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 2:10: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 2:5: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 2:6: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Quotations: 1 Sam 1:6; 1:17; 2:10 (LXX, “The Lord went up into the heavens and thundered”); 2:5. The Nazirite law, Num 6:1–5. “Calf of the same age”: Theodoret's reading of 1 Sam 1:24. The reading of “she who had many children” as Judea is Theodoret's own; translated as written. Stray marks and split words are corrected (logged). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.3 (PG 80 80:531; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-3). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-1/#p-1-4 - Source: PG 80 80:533 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Eli descended from Ithamar, and his line lost the high priesthood because of his sons' wickedness. ### Greek text Ἡλεὶ ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς ἐκ ποίας ἦν πατριᾶς; Ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Ἰθάμαρ· ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν τῶν παίδων πονηρίαν, ἅπαν αὐτοῦ τὸ γένος τῆς ἀρχιερατικῆς ἐστερήθη τιμῆς. Ἡλίκας γὰρ ἐτόλμων παρανομίας, ἡ ἱστορία διδάσκει. ### English translation (Claude) From which family was Eli the high priest? From that of Ithamar. But because of the wickedness of his sons his whole line was deprived of the high-priestly honor. The history teaches what lawless deeds they dared. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 2:12: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Sam 2:22: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Eli's descent from Ithamar is inferred from 1 Chr 24:3 and 1 Kgs 2:27; his sons' sins, 1 Sam 2:12–17, 22. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.4 (PG 80 80:533; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-4). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-1/#p-1-5 - Source: PG 80 80:533 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The ephod, which Aquila calls a special outer garment, was a means by which God revealed hidden things. ### Greek text Τί ἐστιν Ἐφούδ, Ὁ Ἀκύλας ἐπένδυμα ἐξαίρετον τοῦτο κέκληκεν. Εἰρήκαμεν δὲ ἤδη, καὶ τὴν Ἔξοδον ἑρμηνεύοντες, καὶ μέντοι καὶ τοὺς Κριτὰς, ὡς διὰ τούτου πλεῖστα προεδήλου τῶν ἀγνοουμένων ὁ Δεσπότης Θεός. Ἐλισάβετ δὲ τῆς Ἰωάννου μετέλαβε χάριτος, καὶ ἡ Μαρία τῆς Ἰησοῦ. τ. θείας ἔτυχον χάριτος. ### English translation (Claude) What is the ephod? Aquila called it “a special outer garment.” We have already said, in interpreting Exodus and also Judges, that through it God the Master made known beforehand very many things that were not known. [Elizabeth shared in the grace of John, and Mary in that of Jesus; … they obtained divine grace.] ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 2:18: allusion, medium confidence - Luke 1:41: allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - The printed question ends with a comma; the question is present. The bracketed last sentence does not belong to this answer: it is a fragment that appears to continue the remark in question 1.3 that Hannah shared in her child's grace; it is translated here where it is printed, and its last words are incomplete (“…”). Aquila was a second-century Greek translator of the Hebrew Bible; Theodoret refers back to his own Questions on Exodus and Judges. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.5 (PG 80 80:533; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-5). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-1/#p-1-6 - Source: PG 80 80:535 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Eli probably let the gifted Nazirite boy share the ephod; a note ascribed to Diodorus explains why Samuel thought Eli had called him. ### Greek text Τι δήποτε Λευΐτης ὢν ὁ Σαμουὴλ τῷ ἐφοὐδ ἐκέχρητο; μόνῳ γὰρ ἀφώριστο τῷ ἀρχιερει. Εἰκὸς δὲ τὸν Ἡλεὶ, τὴν θείαν αὐτῷ χάριν ἐπανθοῦσαν ἑωρακότα, καὶ παραδόξως τεχθέντα, καὶ πρὸ ὠδίνων ἐπαγγελθέντα, καὶ ἔνδον τρεφόμενον ἐν τῇ θείᾳ σκηνῇ, ὡς ἁγίῳ καὶ Ναζιραίῳ, καὶ θεαιτήτῳ· τοῦτο γὰρ ἐρμηνεύει τοῦ Σαμουήλ τοὔνομα καὶ κομιδῇ νέῳ μεταδοῦναι ταύτης τῆς τιμῆς. [Διοδώρου.] Οἰκονομίας δὲ Θεοῦ ἦν, τὸ τὸν Σαμουὴλ καλούμενον ὑπ᾿ αὐτοῦ, ἀπιέναι πρὸς Ἡλεὶ οἰόμενον ὑπ᾿ αὐτοῦ καλεῖσθαι, καὶ ἅπαξ, καὶ δὶς, καὶ τρίτον. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἤμελλεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸ τῷ Ἡλεὶ κακὰ προλέγειν διὰ τοῦ Σαμουήλ, ἵνα μὴ νομισθῇ πλάσαι ὁ Σαμουήλ τὴν ἀποκάλυψιν, ᾠκονόμει ὁ Θεὸς ἐκεῖνον οἰηθέντα ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἡλεὶ καλεῖσθαι πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀπιέναι· ἵνα ὅτ᾽ ἂν ὁ μὲν Ἡλεὶ νοήσῃ ὅτι Θεός ἐστιν ὁ καλῶν τὸν Σαμουήλ, ἐκεῖνος δὲ μετὰ ταῦτα τὰ ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ διαγγέλλων, μὴ ὑποπτευθῇ, ὡς πλασάμενος τὴν ἀποκάλυψιν· ἀλλὰ πιστευθῇ, ὅτι ἀληθῶς ὁ Θεὸς ἀποκάλυψιν ἀνήγγειλεν. ### English translation (Claude) Why did Samuel, though a Levite, wear the ephod? For it was reserved for the high priest alone. Probably Eli, seeing divine grace blossoming in him, and that he had been born wondrously, promised before the birth-pangs, and brought up inside the divine tabernacle as holy, a Nazirite, and “asked of God” (for that is what the name Samuel means), gave him a share in this honor even though he was very young. [Of Diodorus.] It was God's arrangement that Samuel, when called by him, went to Eli thinking he was being called by him, once, twice and a third time. For since God was going to foretell through Samuel the evils that would come on Eli, he arranged that Samuel should go to Eli thinking he was called by him, so that when Eli understood that it was God who was calling Samuel, Samuel, when he afterward announced what God had said, would not be suspected of having invented the revelation, but would be believed that God had truly made the revelation known. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 2:18: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 1:20: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Sam 3:4: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The paragraph headed “[Of Diodorus]” is marked in the edition as an extract from Diodorus of Tarsus inserted into Theodoret's text, not Theodoret's own answer. The staging notes that the OCR read the question number as 3. Samuel's ephod, 1 Sam 2:18; the threefold call, 1 Sam 3:4–8. The meaning “asked of God” follows 1 Sam 1:20. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.6 (PG 80 80:535; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-6). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-1/#p-1-7 - Source: PG 80 80:535 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Eli was punished for honoring his sons above God; the prophecy against his house points to the end of the Jewish priesthood and to Christ, the faithful priest, and historically to Zadok. ### Greek text Τίνος χάριν ὁ Ἡλεὶ δίκας ὑπὲρ τῶν παίδων ἔτισε, καὶ ταῦτα παραινέσας αὐτοὺς τὰ προσήκοντα; Οὐκ ἠπίων ἐδεῖτο φαρμάκων ἡ τῶν παίδων παρανομία, ἀλλ᾽ αὐστηροτάτων καὶ δριμυτάτων. Ἔδει τοίνυν μετὰ τὴν πρώτην καὶ δευτέραν παραίνεσιν τῇ πονηρίᾳ προσμείναντας ἐξελάσαι τῶν ἱερῶν – περιβόλων. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον αὐτοὶ παρηνόμουν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐγίνοντο παρανομίας ἀρχέτυπον. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ προτετίμηκε τοῦ πεποιηκότος τὴν φύσιν, τῆς θεοσδότου χάριτος ἐγυμνώθη. Τοῦτο γὰρ αὐτῷ καὶ διὰ τοῦ προφήτου δεδήλωκεν ὁ Θεός· Ἱνατί γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐπέβλεψας ἐπὶ τὸ θυμίαμά μου, καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν θυσίαν μου ἀναιδεῖ ὀφθαλμῷ, καὶ ἐδόξασας τοὺς υἱούς σου ὑπὲρ ἐμὲ, ἐν εὐλογεῖσθαι ἀπαρχὴν πάσης θυσίας Ἰσραὴλ ἔμπροσθέν μου; Διὰ τοῦτο τάδε λέγει Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσραήλ Εἶπον, Ὁ οἶκός σου, καὶ ὁ οἶκος τοῦ πατρός σου, διελεύσονται ἐνώπιόν μου ἕως αἰῶνος. Καὶ νῦν οὐχ οὕτω φησὶ Κύριος, μηδαμῶς ἐμοὶ, ἀλλ᾿ ἢ τοὺς δοξάζοντάς με δοξάσω, καὶ οἱ ἐξουθενοῦντές με ἐξουθενωθήσονται Καὶ δοκεῖ μὲν ἡ πρόῤῥησις τὸ τούτου γένος τῆς ἀρχιερωσύνης γυμνοῦν αἰνίττεται δὲ πάσης τῆς Ἰουδαϊκῆς ἱερωσύνης τὸ τὴν παῦλαν. Φησὶ γὰρ, Ὁ οἶκός σου, καὶ ὁ οἶκος τοῦ πατρός σου, διελεύσονται ἐνώπιόν μου ἕως αἰῶνος. Τοῦτο δὲ οὐ τῷ Ἰθάμαρ ὑπέσχετο, ἀλλὰ τῷ ᾿Ααρών. Οὐκοῦν κατὰ πάσης αὐτῶν ἀπεφήνατο τῆς φυλῆς. Καὶ μαρτυρεῖ τὰ ὁρώμενα. Ἐξ οὗ γὰρ ὁ Δεσπότης ἐσταυ - ρώθη Χριστὸς, καθῃρέθη μὲν αὐτῶν ὁ ναὸς, ἔρημα δὲ γεγένηνται τῶν ἁγίων τὰ ῞Αγια, καὶ ἀρχιερωσύνης καὶ προφητείας ἐστέρηνται. Τοῦτο δηλοῖ καὶ τὰ ἐπαγόμενα. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ ἡμέραι ἔρχονται, καὶ ἐξολοθρεύσω τὸ σπέρμα σου, καὶ τὸ σπέρμα τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ πατρός σου, καὶ οὐκ ἔσται σου πρεσβύτης ἐν οἴκῳ . Καὶ ἐπιβλέψει κραταίωμα ὃν ἐν πᾶσιν οἷς ἀγαθύνει τὸν Ἰσραήλ Καὶ οὐκ ἔσται πρεσβύτης πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ σου. -- Κραταίωμα δὲ ὂν, τοῦ ὄντος λέγει Θεοῦ. Ἐγὼ γάρ εἰμι, φησὶν, ὁ ὤν. Καὶ Ἱερεμίας, Ὁ ὢν, Δέσποτα Κύριε. Τούτου κραταίωμα κέκληκε τὴν ἱερωσύνην, τὴν κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδέκ. Τοῦτο δὲ σαφέστερον μετ᾿ ὀλίγα δεδήλωκεν. ᾿Αναστήσω γὰρ, ἔφη, ἐμαυτῷ ἱερέα πιστὸν, ὃς πάντα τὰ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ μου, καὶ τὰ ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ μου ποιήσει· καὶ οἰκοδομήσω αὐτῷ οἶκον πιστὸν, καὶ διελεύσεται ἐνώπιον τῶν χριστῶν μου πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας. Ταῦτα δὲ ἁρμόττει ἀνθρώπων μὲν οὐδενὶ, μόνῳ δὲ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστῷ, ὃς ἀρχιερεὺς ἡμῶν κατὰ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον ὠνομάσθη. Ἔχοντες γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀρχιερέα μέγαν διεληλυθότα τοὺς οὐρανοὺς, Ἰησοῦν τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν. Καὶ πάλιν· Οὐ γὰρ ἔχομεν ἀρχιερέα μὴ δυνάμενον συμπαθῆσαι ταῖς ἀσθενείαις ἡμῶν· πεπειρασμένον δὲ κατὰ πάντα καθ' ὁμοιότητα χωρὶς ἁμαρτίας. Καὶ τὸ πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας, οὐ προσῆκεν ἀνθρώποις θνητοῖς ὀλίγον βιοτεύουσι χρόνον. Χριστοὺς δὲ αὐτοὺς κέκληκε τοὺς ἱεροὺς ἀποστόλους, καὶ τοὺς τὴν ἐκείνων διαδεξαμένους διδασκαλίαν. Οὐκοῦν ἡ πρόῤῥησις κυρίως μὲν ἁρμόττει τῷ Σωτῆρι Χριστῷ· κατὰ δὲ ἱστορίαν τῷ Σαδοὺκ, ὃς ἐκ τοῦ Ἑλεάζαρ κατάγων τὸ γένος, τὴν ἀρχιερωσύνην διὰ τοῦ Σολομῶντος ἐδέξατο ### English translation (Claude) Why did Eli pay the penalty for his sons, even though he had given them the proper advice? The lawlessness of his sons needed not gentle remedies but very harsh and sharp ones. After the first and second warning, then, he ought to have driven them out of the sacred precincts when they persisted in their wickedness; for they not only broke the law themselves but became a model of lawlessness to others. But because he honored nature above its Maker, he was stripped of the grace God had given. God made this plain to him through the prophet: “Why,” he says, “did you look on my incense and on my sacrifice with a shameless eye, and honor your sons above me, so that they are blessed with the first portion of every sacrifice of Israel before me? Therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel: I said, Your house and your father's house shall pass before me forever. But now the Lord says, Not so, far be it from me; but those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be despised.” The prophecy seems to strip only his line of the high priesthood, but it hints at the end of the whole Jewish priesthood. For he says, “Your house and your father's house shall pass before me forever.” He promised this not to Ithamar but to Aaron. So he pronounced sentence against their whole tribe. And what we see bears witness. For since Christ the Master was crucified, their temple has been destroyed, the Holy of Holies has become desolate, and they have been deprived of high priesthood and prophecy. What follows also shows this: “Behold, the days are coming, and I will destroy your seed and the seed of your father's house, and there shall not be an old man of yours in the house. And he will look upon the strength of the One Who Is in all the good he does for Israel, and there shall not be an old man in your house all the days.” By “strength of the One Who Is” he means the God who is, for he says, “I am the One Who Is,” and Jeremiah says, “O One Who Is, Master, Lord.” He called the priesthood according to the order of Melchizedek the strength of this One. He showed this more plainly a little later: “I will raise up for myself,” he said, “a faithful priest, who will do all that is in my heart and in my soul; and I will build him a faithful house, and he shall walk before my anointed ones all the days.” These words fit no human being, but only our Lord Jesus Christ, who was named our high priest as man. “Since then we have,” he says, “a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus our Lord”; and again, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” And “all the days” does not suit mortal men who live a short time. By “anointed ones” he meant the holy apostles and those who succeeded to their teaching. So the prophecy properly fits Christ the Savior, but historically it fits Zadok, who traced his descent from Eleazar and received the high priesthood through Solomon. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 2:29: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 2:30: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 2:31: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 2:32: quotation, high confidence - Exod 3:14: quotation, high confidence - Jer 1:6: quotation, medium confidence - Ps 110:4 (109:4 LXX): allusion, medium confidence - 1 Sam 2:35: quotation, high confidence - Heb 4:14: quotation, high confidence - Heb 4:15: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 2:35: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Quotations: 1 Sam 2:29–30, 31–32, 35 (LXX); Exod 3:14; Jer 1:6 LXX (“O One Who Is, Master, Lord”, rendering the Hebrew interjection); Heb 4:14–15. The application of the prophecy to the Jewish priesthood after the crucifixion is Theodoret's own reading; translated as written. A displaced fragment (a garbled form of the question “Why did Samuel, called by God, go to Eli…?”, see 1.6) printed in the middle of the answer is removed by a logged correction. Zadok, 1 Kgs 2:35. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.7 (PG 80 80:535; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-7). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-1/#p-1-8 - Source: PG 80 80:537 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The note on the lamp dates Samuel's vision to the early night, before the lamp was refilled. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον τὸ, ῾Ο λύχνος τοῦ Θεοῦ πρὶν ἢ κατασκευασθῆναι ; Αἰνίττεται ὁ λόγος, ὡς εὐθὺς μετὰ τὴν ἑσπέραν, ἀρξαμένων τῶν ἀνθρώπων καθεύδειν, ἐπεφάνη τῷ Σαμουήλ ὁ Δεσπότης Θεός. Ἐν ἑσπέρᾳ γὰρ τὸν ἱερὸν λύχνον ἅπτειν εἰώθασι· περὶ μέσας δὲ τὰς νύκτας ἐπέβαλλον ἔλαιον. Τὸν καιρὸν τοίνυν ὁ συγγραφεὺς δηλῶσαι θελήσας, ἔφη μηδέπω κατασκευασθῆναι τὸν λύχνον. ### English translation (Claude) How should “before the lamp of God was trimmed” be understood? The saying hints that immediately after evening, when people had begun to go to sleep, God the Master appeared to Samuel. For they used to light the sacred lamp in the evening, and around midnight they added oil. Wishing, then, to show the time, the writer said that the lamp had not yet been trimmed. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 3:3: quotation, high confidence - Exod 27:21: allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 3:3 (LXX). Several displaced lines from the surrounding columns (fragments of 1.7) had been printed inside the sentence about the sacred lamp; they are removed by a logged correction. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.8 (PG 80 80:537; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-8). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-1/#p-1-9 - Source: PG 80 80:539 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God appeared to the boy Samuel to rebuke the aged Eli, who nonetheless showed piety in accepting God's sentence. ### Greek text Τί δήποτε κομιδῇ νέῳ ὄντι τῷ Σαμουὴλ ὁ τῶν ὅλων ὤφθη Θεός; Εἰς ἔλεγχον τοῦ γεγηρακότος ἀρχιερέως τὸ μειράκιον ἠξιώθη τῆς θείας ἐπιφανείας. Οὕτω γὰρ ἦν ἄγαν νέος, ὡς τὴν περὶ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ διδασκαλίαν μηδέπω δύνασθαι δέξασθαι. Αὐτίκα γοῦν ὁ Ἡλεὶ μετὰ τὴν τρίτην κλῆσιν συνεὶς ὡς ὁ Θεός ἐστιν ὁ καλῶν, ἔφη δέ Ἐὰν καλέσῃ σε δ καλῶν, ἐρεῖς, Λάλει Κύριέ μου, ὅτι ἀκούει δι δοῦλός σου. ᾿Αλλ᾿ ὅμως καὶ τὴν τοιαύτην ἡλικίαν τῆς πολιᾶς προτετίμηκεν ὁ Θεός καὶ τὸν ὀκτὼ καὶ ἐνενήκοντα ἔτη βεβιωκότα, καὶ τεσσαράκοντα ἔτη ἀρχῆς ἀξιωθέντα διπλῆς (καὶ κριτὴς γὰρ ἦν, καὶ ἀρχιερεὺς) καταλιπὼν, τῷ σμικροτάτῳ διειλέχθη παιδίῳ διδάσκων ὅσῳ πολιᾶς ἀμείνων νεότης ἀρετῇ κοσμουμένη. Ὁ μέντοι Ἡλεὶ δῆλός ἐστιν οἰκείοις μὲν κοσμούμενος κατορθώμασι διὰ δὲ τὴν τῶν παίδων πονηρίαν τῆς πανωλεθρίας τὴν ψῆφον δεξάμενος. Δηλοῖ δὲ αὐτοῦ τὴν εὐσέβειαν καὶ τὰ ῥήματα. Πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ οὐκ ἠσχύνθη παρακαλέσαι τὸν νέον μηνῦσαι τὰ θεόθεν ἀπαγγελθέντα· ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅρκοις αὐτὸν κατέδησε καὶ ἀραῖς, ὥστε μηδὲν ἀποκρύψαι τῶν δηλωθέντων. Εἶτα τὴν ἐξενεχθεῖσαν ψῆφον μαθὼν, τὴν ἀξιέπαινον ἀφῆκε φωνήν· Κύριός ἐστι, τὸ ἀρεστὸν ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ ποιήσει.» Καὶ μέντοι καὶ τῶν υἱῶν τὴν σφαγὴν ἐγνωκὼς, οὐκ ἀγεννῶς ἤνεγκεν ὁ πατὴρ καὶ πρεσβύτης· τὴν δέ γε κιβωτὸν δορυάλωτον γεγενῆσθαι μαθὼν, κατέπεσε μὲν ἀπὸ τοῦ δίφρου, τῇ δὲ τῆς ἀθυμίας ὑπερβολῇ τοῦ βίου τὸ τέλος ἐδέξατο. ### English translation (Claude) Why did the God of the universe appear to Samuel when he was very young? The youth was granted the divine appearance to rebuke the aged high priest. He was so very young that he could not yet receive teaching about God. Eli, for example, after the third call understood at once that it was God who was calling, and said, “If the one who calls calls you, you shall say, Speak, my Lord, for your servant is listening.” Yet God preferred even such an age to gray hair: passing over the man who had lived ninety-eight years and had been granted a double office for forty years (for he was both judge and high priest), he spoke with a very small child, teaching how much better than gray hair is youth adorned with virtue. Eli, however, is evidently adorned with good deeds of his own, but received the sentence of utter destruction because of his sons' wickedness. His words also show his piety. First, he was not ashamed to ask the boy to tell him what had been announced from God; he even bound him with oaths and curses to hide nothing of what had been revealed. Then, learning the sentence that had been pronounced, he uttered that praiseworthy word: “It is the Lord; he will do what is pleasing in his sight.” And when he learned of his sons' slaughter, the old father bore it with courage; but when he learned that the ark had been captured, he fell from his seat, and from the excess of his grief came to the end of his life. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 3:9: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 3:17: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 3:18: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 4:15: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 4:18: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Quotations: 1 Sam 3:9; 3:18. Eli's age and judgeship, 1 Sam 4:15, 18; his death, 4:17–18. A variant line from the margin (“he supposed that it was God who was calling”, with “it is superfluous to say”) had been printed in the text and is removed by a logged correction. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.9 (PG 80 80:539; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-9). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 10 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-1/#p-1-10 - Source: PG 80 80:539 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The capture of the ark taught Israel not to rely on it while breaking the law, and taught the Philistines God's power through plagues and the test of the cows. ### Greek text Τι δήποτε συνεχώρησεν ὁ Θεὸς δορυάλωτον γενέσθαι τὴν κιβωτόν; Διπλῆν τὸ γεγονὸς ὠφέλειαν ἐβλάστησε. Τοὺς μὲν γὰρ Ἑβραίους ἐδίδαξεν, ἐννόμως μὲν βιοῦντας τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ προμηθείᾳ θαῤῥεῖν παρανομοῦντας δὲ μήτ᾿ αὐτῷ, μήτε τῇ ἀψαύστῳ κιβωτῷ πεποιθέναι τί δήποτε γὰρ εἰς ἐπικουρίαν ἔλαβον παρανομούντες τὴν τὸν νόμον ἔνδον ἔχουσαν ἀποκείμενον; Οὗτοι μὲν οὖν ταύτην ἐντεῦθεν τὴν ὠφέλειαν ἐδέχοντο. Οἱ δέ γε ἀλλόφυλοι, δείσαντες μὲν ἡνίκα φανείσης τῆς κιβωτοῦ ἠλάλαξαν οἱ Ἑβραῖοι καταφρονήσαντες δὲ μετὰ τὴν νίκην, καὶ οἱονεὶ ἀκρο-θίνιον ταύτην τοῖς οἰκείοις ἀνατεθεικότες εἰδώλοις, ἔμαθον τῇ πείρᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ἰσχύν. Πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ εἶδον πρὸ τῆς κιβωτοῦ πεπτωκότα τὸν οἰκεῖον θεὸν, καὶ τῆς προσκυνήσεως ἐπιδεικνύντα τὸ σχῆμα. Εἶτα τοῦτον ἀναστήσαντες εὗρον τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ συντετριμμένον, καὶ τῶν ἄκρων πάντων ἑστερημένον. Ἔπειτα τὸ διάφορον γνῶναι μὴ βουληθέντες, καὶ τῇ κιβωτῷ τὸ προσῆκον μὴ ἀπονείμαντες σέβας, ποικίλοις νοσήμασι περιέπεσον. Ὡς μὲν γὰρ οἱ Έβδομήκοντα ἡρμήνευσαν, Εἰς τὰς ἕδρας ἐπλήγησαν, ὡς δὲ ὁ ᾿Ακύλας, τὸ τῆς φαγεδαίνης ἐσχήκασιν ἕλκος. Ὁ δέ γε Ἰώσηπος τὸ τῆς δυσεντερίας αὐτοῖς· ἐγγενέσθαι πάθος ἐδίδαξεν ἀλλὰ μηδεὶς διαφωνίαν νομιζέτω τὰς διαφόρους ἐκδόσεις. Τὴν γὰρ δυσεντερίαν τὸ τῆς ἕδρας διεδέξατο πάθος. Το γὰρ συχνὸν τῆς ἐκκρίσεως τὸ τῆς ἐκκρίσεως κατέκαυσε μόριον· εἰς φαγέδαιναν δὲ τῷ χρόνῳ τὸ ἕλκος μετέπεσε *. Τὸ δὲ τῆς ἕδρας ὑπέμειναν πάθος, ὡς δυσσεβῶς τὴν κιβωτὸν τὴν θείαν ἐδράσαντες παρὰ τὸν θεὸν τὸν ψευδώνυμον. Ταύτην οἱ ᾿Αζώτιοι πρῶτοι τὴν τιμωρίαν ἐδέξαντο. Τοπάσαντες γὰροἱ Γετθαῖοι μὴ θεήλατον εἶναι τὴν πληγήν, ἀλλὰ νό σον ἐκ λοιμικῆς τινος καταστάσεως γενομένην, μετέθεσαν εἰς τὴν Γὲθ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ κιβωτόν· ἀλλὰ παραυτίκα ταῖς αὐταῖς ὑπεβλήθησαν συμφοραῖς. Τὸ δὲ, Ἐποίησαν ἑαυτοῖς οἱ Γετθαῖοι ἕδρας χρυσᾶς, οἱ λοιποὶ οὕτως ἡρμήνευσαν, Καὶ περιελύθησαν αὐτῶν αἱ ἔδραι Τῶν δὲ Γετθαίων εἰς Ασκάλωνα μεταθεῖναι τὴν κιβωτὸν πειραθέντων, ἀντεῖπον ἐκεῖνοι, δείσαντες τὰς θεηλάτους πληγάς. Εἶτα μηδεμιᾶς πόλεως δέξασθαι τολμώσης τὴν κιβωτὸν, ἐν ὑπαίθρῳ ταύτην ἔξω κατέλιπον τόπῳ. Τοῦτο γὰρ ὁ ἱστοριογράφος ἐδίδαξεν τ· Ἐγένετο γὰρ, φησὶν, ἡ κιβωτὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων μῆνας ἑπτά. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ψήθησαν ἔξω μενούσης τῆς κιβωτοῦ τῶν θεηλάτων ἀπηλλάχθαι πληγῶν, ἐπήγαγεν ὁ Θεὸς καὶ Δεσπότης, καὶ τοῖς ἀψύχοις τὰς τιμωρίας Μυῶν ὁ γάρ τι πλῆθος καὶ ταῖς ἀμπέλοις, καὶ τοῖς ληΐοις ἐπέπεμψεν, οἱ πάντας αὐτῶν ἐλυμήναντο τοὺς καρπούς. Ἐδίδαξε δὲ διὰ τούτων, ὡς αὐτὸς καὶ τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις τὰς διαφόρους ἐπενήνοχε πληγάς. Ὅτι γὰρ ἔναυλον εἶχον ἐκείνων τὴν μνήμην, μαρτυρεῖ τὰ παρ᾿ αὐτῶν εἰρημένα. Καὶ γὰρ ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ τὴν κιβωτὸν θεασάμενοι, δέους ἐπλήσθησαν, καὶ θρηνοῦντες ἐβόων Οὐαὶ ἡμῖν, τίς ἐξέληται ἡμᾶς ἐκ χειρὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ στερεοῦ τούτου ; Οὗτος ὁ Θεὸς ὁ πατάξας τὴν Αἴγυπτον ἐν πάσῃ πληγῇ. Καὶ μετὰ τὴν πεῖραν δὲ τῶν κακῶν, οἱ ἱερεῖς αὐτῶν καὶ οἱ χρησμῳδοί πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἔλεγον, μετὰ δώρων ἐκπέμψαι τὴν κιβωτὸν, "Ὅπως κουφίσῃ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσραὴλ τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ ἀφ᾽ ὑμῶν, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν θεῶν ὑμῶν, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς ὑμῶν· καὶ ἵνα τί βαρύνετε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν, ὡς ἑβάρυνεν Αἴγυπτος καὶ Φαραὼ τὰς καρδίας αὐτῶν; Οὐχὶ ὅτε ἐνέπαιξεν αὐτοῖς, ἐξαπέστειλε τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀπῆλθον; Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα συμβεβουλευ κότες οἱ ἀσεβεῖς, καὶ δείξαντες τῶν οἰκείων θεῶν τὴν ἀσθένειαν (πρῶτον γὰρ αὐτοὺς συνέτριψεν ὁ Θεὸς, εἶτα τοὺς προσκυνοῦντας ἐπαίδευσε καὶ τότε τοὺς μῦς κατὰ τῶν τῆς γῆς βλαστημάτων ἐξέπεμψε), πείρα μαθεῖν ἡβουλήθησαν, εἴτε θεήλατος ἡ πληγή. εἴτε κατά τι συμβεβηκός γενομένη. Καινὴν γάρ κατασκευάσαντες ἅμαξαν, καὶ βοῦς ἀρτιτόκους ὑποζεύ( ξαντες τῶν μόσχων κεχωρισμένας, ἐπέθεσαν τὴν κι6ωτὸν, καὶ τῶν πέντε πόλεων ἰσαρίθμους μὺς τε καὶ ἕδρας ἐκ χρυσοῦ κατεσκευασμένας, δῶρα τῷ πεπαιδευκότι Θεῷ. Ἐνέθεσαν δὲ ταῦτα σκεύει τινὶ, ὁ οἱ μὲν Ἑβδομήκοντα προσηγόρευσαν βοεργὰζ Ἰώσηπος δὲ γλωσσόκομον. Ἐν τριόδῳ δὲ ἡνιόχου δίχα τὰς βοῦς ἀπολύσαντες, ἀνέμενον ἰδεῖν, εἴτε πρὸς τὸν τῶν μόσχων μυκηθμὸν ἀποστρέφονται, εἴτε πρὸς ἄλλην ὁδὸν ἀποκλίνουσι, τὴν πρὸς Ἑβραίους φέρουσαν καταλιποῦσαι· ἵνα εἰ μὲν τούτων δυοῖν θάτερον γένοιτο, ὡς ἀσθενοῦς καταγνῶσι τῆς κιβωτοῦ. Εἰ δὲ τὰς ἄλλας ὁδοὺς αἱ βόες καταλιποῦσαι, καὶ τῶν οἰκείων καταφρονήσασαι μόσχων, πρὸς τὴν Ἰσραηλῖτιν ἀπίωσι γῆν, γνῶσιν ἀληθῶς θεηλάτους εἶναι καὶ τὰς γεγενημένας πληγάς. Οὗ δὴ χάριν, καὶ πόῤῥωθεν εἴποντο, καὶ οὐ πρότερον ἀπέστησαν, ἕως τῶν Ἑβραίων οἱ ἀγχιτέρμονες τὸ ξένον θεασάμενοι πρᾶγμα, ἅμαξαν ὑπ᾿ οὐδενὸς ἀνθρώπων ἰθυνομένην, φορτίον δὲ καὶ ἡνίοχον τὴν κιβωτὸν ἔχουσαν, προσέδραμον ἄσμενοι, καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν νίκην ἐθαύμασαν. ### English translation (Claude) Why did God allow the ark to be captured? The event produced a double benefit. It taught the Hebrews to trust in God's providence when they lived by the law, but when they broke the law to rely neither on him nor on the untouchable ark. For why did they, while breaking the law, take as their help the ark that had the law laid up inside it? These, then, received this benefit from it. The foreigners, for their part, were afraid when the Hebrews shouted at the appearance of the ark, but after their victory they grew contemptuous and dedicated it to their own idols as a kind of trophy; and then they learned God's power by experience. First, they saw their own god fallen before the ark and displaying the posture of worship. Then, after they set it up, they found it the next day shattered and stripped of all its extremities. Then, refusing to recognize the difference and not paying the ark the reverence due to it, they fell into various diseases. As the Seventy translated, “They were struck in the seat”; as Aquila says, they had an ulcer of a spreading sore. Josephus taught that dysentery befell them. But let no one think the different versions disagree. The affliction of the seat followed the dysentery: the frequency of the discharge inflamed the part from which it is discharged, and in time the sore turned into a spreading ulcer. They suffered the affliction of the seat because they impiously seated the divine ark beside the falsely named god. The people of Azotus were the first to receive this punishment. The people of Gath, guessing that the blow was not sent by God but was a disease arising from some pestilential condition, moved the ark of God to Gath; but at once they were subjected to the same calamities. “The people of Gath made themselves golden seats” the others translated thus: “and their seats broke out.” When the people of Gath tried to move the ark to Ashkelon, the latter refused, fearing the blows sent by God. Then, since no city dared receive the ark, they left it outside in an open place. The historian taught this: “The ark of God,” he says, “was in the plain of the foreigners seven months.” And when they supposed that, with the ark remaining outside, they had been freed from the God-sent blows, God the Master brought punishment on lifeless things too: he sent a multitude of mice on both the vines and the crops, which ruined all their fruits. Through these he taught that he himself had brought the various plagues on the Egyptians too. That they kept the memory of those events ringing in their ears is shown by what they said. For when they saw the ark in the battle they were filled with fear and cried out lamenting, “Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of this mighty God? This is the God who struck Egypt with every plague.” And after experiencing these evils their priests and soothsayers told them to send away the ark with gifts, “so that the Lord God of Israel may lighten his hand from you and from your gods and from your land. And why do you harden your hearts, as Egypt and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? Was it not when he made sport of them that he sent his people away, and they departed?” But after giving this advice, and after their own gods had shown their weakness (for God first shattered them, then disciplined their worshipers, and then sent out the mice against the produce of the land), the impious wanted to learn by experiment whether the blow was sent by God or had come about by some accident. They built a new cart, yoked to it cows that had just calved, separated from their calves, and put on it the ark, and golden mice and seats, equal in number to the five cities, as gifts to the God who had disciplined them. They placed these in a vessel, which the Seventy called a bergaz and Josephus a chest. Then, releasing the cows at a crossroads without a driver, they waited to see whether they would turn back toward the lowing of their calves, or turn off onto another road, leaving the one leading to the Hebrews; so that if either of these two things happened they might judge the ark powerless; but if the cows, leaving the other roads and disregarding their own calves, went off to the land of Israel, they would know that the blows that had come were truly sent by God. That is why they followed far behind and did not leave until the Hebrews on the border, seeing the strange sight of a cart steered by no human being, with the ark as its load and driver, ran to it gladly and marveled at God's victory. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 4:3: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 4:8: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 5:3: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 5:4: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 5:6: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 5:9: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 5:10: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 6:1: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 6:5: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 6:6: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 6:7: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 6:12: allusion, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Josephus, Ant. 6.1 (Josephus (works)): allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The account follows 1 Sam 4–6 (LXX). Quotations: 5:6 (LXX “struck in the seat”), 5:9, 6:1, 4:8, 6:5–6. “Foreigners” renders ἀλλόφυλοι, the Septuagint's name for the Philistines. Aquila's rendering refers to a spreading ulcer; Josephus, Ant. 6.1.1, speaks of dysentery and calls the vessel a chest. Bergaz is the Septuagint's transliteration (ἐργάβ/βεργάζ) of an obscure Hebrew word in 1 Sam 6:8. Several marginal and displaced lines (variant readings and line numbers) printed in the text are removed by logged corrections. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.10 (PG 80 80:539; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-10). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-1/#p-1-11 - Source: PG 80 80:545 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God struck Beth-shemesh because the sons of Jechonias resented the ark and the people had abandoned it; Aminadab, who received it gladly, was blessed. ### Greek text Διατί τὸν λαὸν ἐπάταξεν ὁ Θεὸς ἐπανελθούσης τῆς κιβωτοῦ; Σαφῶς ἐδίδαξεν ἡ ἱστορία. Οὐκ ἠσμένισαν γὰρ, φησὶν, υἱοὶ Ἰεχονίου ἐν τοῖς ἀνδράσι Βεθσάμοις ὅτι εἶδον τὴν κιβωτὸν τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ ἐπάταξεν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἑβδομήκοντα ἄνδρας, καὶ πεντήκοντα χιλιάδας ἀνδρῶν ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ. ᾿Αλλ' οἱ μὲν Ἰεχονίου παῖδες, ὡς δυσσεβεῖς, καὶ τοῖς εἰδώλοις λατρεύοντες, ἐδυσφόρησαν ἰδόντες τὴν κιβωτὸν, καὶ μάλα εἰκότως τὴν τιμωρίαν ἐδέξαντο ὁ δὲ λαὸς ἐπαιδεύθη, ὡς τῆς κιβωτοῦ προκινδυνεῦσαι μὴ βουληθεὶς, καὶ ἑπτὰ μῆνας αὐτὴν παρὰ τοῖς ἀλλοφύλοις καταλιπῶν, καὶ τὸν ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς οὐκ ἀναδεξάμενος πόλεμον. Δείξας τοίνυν ὁ Δεσπότης Θεὸς, ὡς τῆς αὐτῶν συμμαχίας οὐ δεῖται· καὶ δείξας ὅσον ἔσχε σέβας παρὰ τῶν δυσσεβῶν ἀλλοφύλων, ἐκόλασεν αὐτοὺς ὡς τῶν ἀλλοφύλων δυσσεβεστέρους. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ οἱ ἐν Βεθσάμοις δείσαντες τὴν κιβωτὸν ἀπέπεμψαν, εἰρηκότες, Τίς δυνήσεται παραστῆναι ἐνώπιον Κυρίου τοῦ ἁγίου τούτου; προθύμως δὲ ταύτην ὁ ᾿Αμιναδάβ ἀπεδέξατο· πάσης αὐτοῦ τὴν οἰκίαν εὐλογίας ἐνέπλησεν. Ὅτι δὲ ἀσεβῶς ὁ λαὸς τῆς κιβωτοῦ κατεφρόνησε, τὰ ἑξῆς μαρτυρεῖ. Ὁ γὰρ θειότατος Σαμουήλ παρήνεσεν αὐτοῖς ἐπιστρέψαι πρὸς Κύριον ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ καρδίᾳ, καὶ ἐξᾶραι τοὺς θεοὺς τοὺς ἀλλοτρίους ἐκ μέσου αὐτῶν, καὶ τὰ ἄλση. Τὰ δὲ ἄλση ᾿Ασταρώθὁ ᾿Ακύλας ἡρμήνευσε, τουτέστι τὰ τῆς ᾿Αστάρτης ἀγάλματα. ᾿Αστάρτην δὲ καλοῦσι τὴν ᾿Αφροδίτην, ἐκ τοῦ ἄστρου τὴν ἐπωνυμίαν πεποιηκότες. Αὐτῆς γὰρ εἶναι τὸν Εωσφόρον μυθολογοῦσι ### English translation (Claude) Why did God strike the people when the ark came back? The history taught this clearly: “The sons of Jechonias,” it says, “were not glad among the men of Beth-shemesh, because they saw the ark of the Lord; and he struck among them seventy men, and fifty thousand men of the people.” The sons of Jechonias, being impious and serving idols, were displeased at seeing the ark, and very fittingly received punishment; and the people were disciplined because they had not been willing to run any risk for the ark, but left it seven months among the foreigners and did not take up the war on its behalf. So God the Master, having shown that he does not need their alliance, and having shown how much reverence it received from the impious foreigners, punished them as more impious than the foreigners. And since the people of Beth-shemesh, in fear of the ark, sent it away, saying, “Who will be able to stand before this holy Lord?”, but Aminadab received it eagerly, he filled his house with every blessing. That the people had impiously despised the ark is attested by what follows. For the most divine Samuel exhorted them to return to the Lord with all their heart, and to remove the foreign gods from among them, and the groves. Aquila translated “the groves” as Ashtaroth, that is, the statues of Astarte. They call Aphrodite Astarte, having given her the name from the star; for they tell the myth that the morning star is hers. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 6:19: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 6:20: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 7:1: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 7:3: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Quotations: 1 Sam 6:19–20 (LXX, which names “the sons of Jechonias”); 7:3. The blessing of Aminadab's house is Theodoret's reading (compare 2 Sam 6:11 on Obed-edom). Aquila was a second-century Greek translator of the Hebrew Bible. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.11 (PG 80 80:545; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-11). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-1/#p-1-12 - Source: PG 80 80:545 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Samuel could build an altar because the temple did not yet exist; the one-sanctuary law guarded a people prone to idolatry, while to the pious every place is holy. ### Greek text Τι δήποτε τοῦ Θεοῦ κελεύσαντος διὰ τοῦ νόμου ἐν ἑνὶ τόπῳ λατρεύειν, θυσιαστήριον ὁ Σαμουήλ ᾠκοδόμησεν; Οὐδέπω ὁ θεῖος ναὸς ᾠκοδόμητο, καὶ ἐν διαφόροις τόποις ἐλάτρευον τῷ Θεῷ. Πλὴν καὶ ἐντεῦθεν μανθάνομεν, ὡς τοῦ λαοῦ τὸ πρόχειρον εἰς ἀσέβειαν ἐπι στάμενος ὁ Θεὸς, ἐνὶ τὴν θείαν λατρείαν περιώρισε τόπῳ. Τοῖς γὰρ εὐσεβέσι, καὶ τὸν τοῦ νόμου σκοπὸν ἐπισταμένοις, ἅπας εἰς τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ λατρείαν καθα ιέρωτο τόπος. Καὶ γὰρ Ἠλίας ὁ πάνυ, τοῦ θείου νεὼ πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἅπαντας κατὰ τὸν νόμον καλοῦντος, ἐν τῷ Καρμήλῳ θυσιαστήριον ᾠκοδόμησε, καὶ θυσίαν προσήνεγκε. ### English translation (Claude) Why did Samuel build an altar, when God had commanded through the law that worship be offered in one place? The divine temple had not yet been built, and they served God in various places. Yet we learn from this too that God, knowing the people's readiness for impiety, confined divine worship to one place. For to the pious, who know the purpose of the law, every place was consecrated to the worship of God. Indeed, the great Elijah, at a time when the divine temple was summoning everyone to itself according to the law, built an altar on Carmel and offered sacrifice. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 7:17: allusion, high confidence - Deut 12:5: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 18:30: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Samuel's altar, 1 Sam 7:17; the law of the one place, Deut 12:5–14; Elijah on Carmel, 1 Kgs 18:30–38. A displaced line from question 1.11 (on Aminadab receiving the ark) had been printed in the middle of the answer and is removed by a logged correction. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.12 (PG 80 80:545; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-12). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 13 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-1/#p-1-13 - Source: PG 80 80:547 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Samuel's sons committed injustice, not sacrilege like Eli's sons, and Samuel, living far away, did not know of their bribery. ### Greek text Τίνος χάριν Σαμουὴλ διὰ τὰς τῶν παίδων παρανομίας οὐκ ἔτισε δίκας; ᾿Αδικήματα ἦν, οὐκ ἀσεβήματα, τὰ παρὰ τούτων γινόμενα. Οὔτε γὰρ γάμους διέῤῥηξαν, καὶ ταῖς τοιαύταις λαγνείαις καθύβρισαν τὴν θείαν σκηνήν· οὔτε τῇ γαστρὶ τὰ πρωτεῖα τῶν ἱερείων ἀπένειμαν, τὴν τῶν θυσιῶν ἀναστρέψαντες τάξιν. Δωροδοκίαν δὲ μόνον αὐτῶν ἡ ἱστορία κατηγορεῖ. Καὶ οὐδὲ ταύτην ὁ προφήτης ἠπίστατο. Πόῤῥωθεν γὰρ αὐτῶν διῆγεν. Αὐτὸς μὲν γὰρ ᾤκει τὴν ᾿Αρμαθέμ, ἐκεῖνοι δὲ τὴν Βερσαβεέ ### English translation (Claude) Why was Samuel not punished for his sons' lawless deeds? What they did were acts of injustice, not acts of impiety. They did not break up marriages and outrage the divine tabernacle with such debaucheries, nor did they give the first portions of the sacrifices to the belly, overturning the order of the offerings. The history accuses them only of taking bribes. And the prophet did not know even of this, for he lived far away from them: he dwelt at Ramathaim, they at Beersheba. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 8:3: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 8:2: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 2:22: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Samuel's sons, 1 Sam 8:1–3; Eli's sons, 1 Sam 2:12–17, 22; Ramathaim, 1 Sam 1:1; 7:17. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.13 (PG 80 80:547; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-13). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-1/#p-1-14 - Source: PG 80 80:547 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Samuel was grieved because asking for a king rejected God, who was already Israel's king. ### Greek text Τίνος ἕνεκεν ἤλγησεν αἰτήσαντος τοῦ λαοῦ βασιλέα; Ἐπειδὴ παρὰ τὸν θεῖον νόμον ἡ αἴτησις ἦν. Δεσπότης γὰρ Θεὸς καὶ Θεοῦ καὶ βασιλέως ἐπλήρου τὴν χρείαν· ὁ δὲ προφήτης ὑπουργὺς ἦν, οἷόν τις ὕπαρχος, ἢ στρατηγὸς, ἢ δημαγωγός. Καὶ τοῦτο δεδήλωκεν ὁ Θεὸς εἰπὼν πρὸς αὐτόν· ῎Ακουε τῆς φωνῆς τοῦ λαοῦ· διότι οὐ σὲ ἐξουθενήκασιν, ἀλλ᾿ ἐμὲ ἐξουθένησαν, τοῦ μὴ βασιλεύειν ἐπ᾿ αὐτοὺς, κατά πάντα τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν, ὁ ἐποίησάν μοι, ἀφ᾿ ἧς ἡμέρας ἐξήγαγον αὐτοὺς ἐξ Αἰγύπτου, καὶ ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας ταύτης, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. ### English translation (Claude) Why was he grieved when the people asked for a king? Because the request was contrary to the divine law. God the Master was filling the need for both God and king; the prophet was his servant, like a governor, or a general, or a leader of the people. God made this plain when he said to him, “Listen to the voice of the people; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them, according to all their deeds which they have done to me from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day,” and so on. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 8:6: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 8:7: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 8:8: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Quotation: 1 Sam 8:7–8. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.14 (PG 80 80:547; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-14). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 15 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-1/#p-1-15 - Source: PG 80 80:547 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Scripture calls Saul “good” for his looks and height, not for virtue. ### Greek text ᾿Αγαθὸν πῶς ἀνόμασε τὸν Σαούλ; Οὐ ψυχῆς ἀρετὴν αὐτῷ μεμαρτύρηκεν, ἀλλ' εἶδος καὶ μέγεθος. Τοῦτο γὰρ λέγει· Οὐκ ἦν ἀνὴρ ἀγαθὸς οὐδεὶς ἐν υἱοῖς Ἰσραὴλ ὑπὲρ αὐτόν· ὑπερωμίαν καὶ ἐπάνω ὑψηλὸς ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ### English translation (Claude) How could he call Saul good? He bore witness not to virtue of soul in him but to his appearance and stature. For this is what he says: “There was no man among the sons of Israel better than he; from his shoulders and upward he was taller than all the land.” ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 9:2: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Quotation: 1 Sam 9:2 (LXX). After the quotation the edition prints another form of question 1.13 (“[Why was not] Samuel [punished] like Eli?”, with a shorter answer on the difference between injustice and sacrilege) and a stray line of this answer; these lines are removed here by a logged correction, since they repeat 1.13. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.15 (PG 80 80:547; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-15). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 16 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-1/#p-1-16 - Source: PG 80 80:549 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Saul's thought of bringing Samuel a gift does not show that Samuel took payment; Samuel's public challenge proves his integrity. ### Greek text Τινές φασι τὸν Σαμουὴλ ἐπὶ χρήμασι προφητεῦσαι, τῷ εἰπεῖν τὸν Σαούλ, «Ἰδοὺ πορευσόμεθα, καὶ τί ἀποίσομεν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὅτι οἱ ἄρτοι ἡμῶν ἐκλελοίπασι; Τοῦτο τῆς τοῦ Σαούλ ὑποψίας, οὐ τῆς τοῦ προφήτου δωροδοκίας τεκμήριον. Ἐτόπασε γὰρ χρῆναί τι αὐτῷ προσενεχθῆναι, ὡς ἄρχοντι καὶ προφήτῃ· ἀλλ᾿ οὐδὲν προσενήνοχεν· ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον φιλοφροσύνης παμπόλλης ἀπήλαυσε. Τοῦ δὲ προφήτου τὸ ἀδωροδόκητον διδάσκουσιν αὐτοῦ οἱ λόγοι ἐπὶ τοῦ λαοῦ παντὸς εἰρημένοι. Μόσχον γὰρ, φησὶ, τίνος ὑμῶν εἴληφα; ἢ τίνα ὑμῶν καταδεδυνάστευκα; ἢ τίνα ἐξεπίεσα ὑμῶν; ἢ ἐκ χειρὸς τίνος ὑμῶν εἴληφα ἐξίλασμα, ἢ ὑπόδημα, καὶ ἀπέκρυψα τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς μου ἐν αὐτῷ εἴπατε κάμοὶ, καὶ ἀποδώσω ὑμῖν. Καὶ ἐβεβαίωσε τοῦ προφήτου τοὺς λόγους ἡ τοῦ λαοῦ μαρτυρία. ### English translation (Claude) Some say that Samuel prophesied for money, because Saul said, “Look, we are going; what shall we bring the man of God? For our bread has run out.” This is evidence of Saul's supposition, not of the prophet's taking bribes. Saul guessed that something had to be offered to him, as a ruler and prophet; but he offered nothing, and on the contrary enjoyed very great kindness. The prophet's incorruptibility is taught by his words spoken before all the people: “Whose calf have I taken?” he says. “Or whom of you have I oppressed? Or whom of you have I crushed? Or from whose hand have I taken a ransom or a sandal, and hidden my eyes with it? Tell me, and I will repay you.” And the people's testimony confirmed the prophet's words. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 9:7: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 12:3: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 12:4: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The question is put as an objection (“Some say…”). The staging notes that the OCR read the question number as 13. Quotations: 1 Sam 9:7; 12:3 (LXX, “a sandal”); the people's answer, 12:4–5. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.16 (PG 80 80:549; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-16). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 17 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-1/#p-1-17 - Source: PG 80 80:549 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The prophet is called a seer for his spiritual foresight; Aquila's renderings of several words are noted, and Saul's portion marks him as future king. ### Greek text Διατί βλέποντα τὸν προφήτην ἐκάλουν; Ὡς τὰ μέλλοντα προορῶντα. Οὐ γὰρ τῶν τοῦ σώματος ὀφθαλμῶν τοῦτο τὸ ὄνομα ἀλλὰ τῆς πνευματικῆς θεωρίας. Τὴν μέντοι βαμὰ, ὑψηλὴν ὁ ᾿Ακύλας ἡρμήνευσε· γαβαὰ δὲ, τὸν βουνόν ξένους δὲ, τοὺς κεκλημένους τὴν δὲ κωλέαν, κνήμην. Ταῦτην δὲ αὐτῷ παρατέθεικεν, ὡς μέλλοντι βασιλεύειν καὶ τοῦ λαοῦ προκινδυνεύειν. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἐπήγαγεν Ἰδοὺ μαρτύριον παράθες αὐτὸ ἐνὡπιόν σου, καὶ φάγε, ὅτι εἰς μαρτύριον τέθειταί σοι παρὰ τοῦ λαοῦ. ### English translation (Claude) Why did they call the prophet “seer”? Because he foresaw the future. This name refers not to the eyes of the body but to spiritual contemplation. Aquila translated bama as “high place”; gabaa as “the hill”; “guests” as “those who had been invited”; and “the shoulder” as “the leg.” He set this before him as one who was going to reign and to face danger first on behalf of the people. For he added, “Look, a testimony; set it before you and eat, because it has been kept as a testimony for you from the people.” ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 9:9: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 9:12: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Sam 9:22: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Sam 9:24: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 9:9, 12–13, 22–24 (LXX). Bama and gabaa are the Septuagint's transliterations of the Hebrew for “high place” and “hill”. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.17 (PG 80 80:549; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-17). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 18 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-1/#p-1-18 - Source: PG 80 80:549 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Samuel's kiss after anointing Saul imparted to him a share of the prophet's grace, as Christ breathed the Spirit on the apostles. ### Greek text Τίνος χάριν χρίσας αὐτὸν κατεφίλησε; Τῆς ἐνούσης αὐτῷ χάριτος μεταδέδωκε. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἐμφυσήσας τοῖς ἀποστόλοις ἔφη «Λάβετε Πνεῦμα ἅγιον.»-« Ἐκ γὰρ τοῦ πληρώματος αὐτοῦ ἡμεῖς πάντες ἐλάβομεν. Οὕτως ὁ προφήτης τὸν χειροτονηθέντα κατεφίλησε βασιλέα, ἵνα τῆς ἐνοικούσης αὐτῷ χάριτος μεταδῷ. ### English translation (Claude) Why did he kiss him after anointing him? He gave him a share of the grace that was in himself. So too the Lord breathed on the apostles and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit”; and “from his fullness we have all received.” In the same way the prophet kissed the king who had been appointed, in order to give him a share of the grace that dwelt in him. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 10:1: allusion, high confidence - John 20:22: quotation, high confidence - John 1:16: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 10:1; quotations: John 20:22; 1:16. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.18 (PG 80 80:549; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-18). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 19 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-1/#p-1-19 - Source: PG 80 80:549 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Samuel gave Saul several predicted signs to reassure him, since Saul doubted because of his humble origins. ### Greek text Τι δήποτε πολλὰ δέδωκεν αὐτῷ σημεῖα; Εἶδεν αὐτὸν ἀμφιβάλλοντα, καὶ τὴν οἰκείαν ὁμολογοῦντα πενίαν. Οὐχ υἱὸς γὰρ, φησὶν, Ἰεμιναίου ἀνδρὸς ἐγώ εἰμι, τοῦ σμικροτέρου σκήπτρου ἐκ τῶν φυλῶν τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἡ πατριά μου ὀλιγοστή παρὰ πάσας τὰς πατριὰς τοῦ Βενιαμίν; Τούτου χάριν βεβαιοῖ τὴν τῆς βασιλείας ἐπαγγελίαν ταῖς περὶ τῶν ἁπάντων προῤῥήσεσι. Καὶ πρῶτον τοὺς τὰ περὶ τῶν ὄνων αὐτῷ κομίζοντας εὐαγγέλια. Εἶτα τοὺς εἰς τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ προσκύνησιν εἰς Βαιθὴλ ἀπιόντας, καὶ ἐκ τῶν τῷ Θεῷ κομιζομένων ἀπαρχὰς αὐτῷ προσκομίζοντας. Ερωτήσουσι γάρ σε, φησὶ, τὰ εἰς εἰρήνην, καὶ δώσουσί σοι ἀπαρχὰς ἄρτων, καὶ λήψῃ ἐκ τῆς χειρὸς αὐτῶν. Ἔπειτα τῶν προφητῶν τὸν χορὸν, καὶ τῶν σὺν αὐτοῖς χορευόντων τὸν θίασον, αὐλοῖς καὶ κινύρᾳ κεχρημένων, καὶ ναύλαις, καὶ τυμπάνοις, καὶ τὴν ἐκεῖθεν ἐκπηδῶσαν τοῦ Πνεύματος χάριν, καὶ αὐτὸν προφητεῦσαι παρασκευάζουσαν. ### English translation (Claude) Why did he give him many signs? He saw that he was doubtful and confessed his own lowliness: “Am I not,” he says, “the son of a Benjaminite, of the smallest tribe of the tribes of Israel, and is not my family the least among all the families of Benjamin?” For this reason he confirms the promise of the kingdom by predictions about everything. First, about those who would bring him good news about the donkeys. Then, about those going up to Bethel to worship God, who would give him firstfruits from what they were bringing to God: “They will ask you,” he says, “about your welfare, and give you firstfruits of bread, and you will take them from their hand.” Then, about the band of prophets and the company dancing with them, using pipes and lyre and harp and drums, and the grace of the Spirit that would leap out from them and make him prophesy too. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 9:21: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 10:2: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 10:3: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 10:4: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 10:5: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 10:6: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Quotations: 1 Sam 9:21; 10:4 (LXX). The signs, 1 Sam 10:2–6. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.19 (PG 80 80:549; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-19). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 20 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-1/#p-1-20 - Source: PG 80 80:551 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God gave the farmer Saul a kingly mind when he made him king. ### Greek text Τί ἐστι, Μετέστρεψεν αὐτῳ ὁ Θεὸς καρδίαν ἑτέραν; Ἐπειδὴ ἄγροικος ἦν, γεωργεῖν ἐπιστάμενος μόνον, χειροτονήσας αὐτὸν βασιλέα, βασιλικὸν αὐτῷ φρόνημα δέδωκε. ### English translation (Claude) What does “God turned another heart to him” mean? Since he was a rustic, who knew only how to farm, God, having appointed him king, gave him a kingly mind. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 10:9: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 10:9 (LXX). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.20 (PG 80 80:551; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-20). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 21 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-1/#p-1-21 - Source: PG 80 80:551 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Saul's prophesying was a temporary sign, like that of the seventy elders chosen by Moses. ### Greek text Τί ἐστι, Συνετέλεσε προφητεύων; Οὐκ ἔσχε διηνεκὲς τῆς προφητείας τὸ χάρισμα. Εἰς ἔμφασιν δὲ καὶ δήλωσιν τῆς πνευματικῆς δωρεᾶς κατ' ἐκεῖνον προεφήτευσε τὸν καιρόν. Οὕτω καὶ οἱ ἑβδομήκοντα πρεσβύτεροι, οὓς ὁ μέγας ἐξελέξατο Μωσῆς, εὐθὺς μὲν ἐκλεγέντες προφητικῆς ἠξιώθησαν ἐνεργείας. Μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα προεφήτευον μὲν ἥκιστα· ὑπὸ δὲ τῆς θείας σοφιζόμενοι δωρεᾶς, τοῦ λαοῦ τὰς ἀμφισβητήσεις διέλυον. ### English translation (Claude) What does “he finished prophesying” mean? He did not have the gift of prophecy permanently; he prophesied at that time to display and show the spiritual gift. So too the seventy elders whom the great Moses chose: as soon as they were chosen they were granted prophetic activity, but afterward they prophesied hardly at all; made wise by the divine gift, they settled the people's disputes. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 10:13: quotation, high confidence - Num 11:25: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 10:13; the seventy elders, Num 11:16–25. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.21 (PG 80 80:551; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-21). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 22 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-1/#p-1-22 - Source: PG 80 80:551 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Samuel had the lot cast so that the people would see Saul's kingship as God's choice, not a human favor. ### Greek text Τι δήποτε χρίσας ὁ Σαμουήλ τὸν Σαούλ, καὶ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων ἀκούσας, ὡς αὐτὸν προσήκει βασιλέα χειροτονεῖν, κλήρους βαλεῖν ἐκέλευσε τὰς φυλάς, Οὐδὲ τοῖς θείοις προφήταις ἐπίστευον οἱ πονηρία συζῶντες. Ἵνα τοίνυν μὴ τοπάσωσι δε χάριτος ἀνθρωπίνης εἶναι τὴν ψῆφον, κλήρους βληθῆναι προσέταξεν. Εἶτα τῆς Βενιαμίτιδος κατακληρωθείσης φυλῆς, καὶ πάλιν εἰς πατριὰς, καὶ οἴκους, καὶ ἄνδρας διαιρεθείσης, τῷ Σαούλ ψῆφος ἀπεκληρώθη. Πειραθεὶς δὲ λαθεῖν (ἑώρα γὰρ τὴν ἐξουσίαν ὑπερβαί νουσαν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀξίαν), ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῷ προφήτη κατεμηνύθη, καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ χειροτονίαν ἐδέξατο. Τὸ δὲ οἰκεῖος αὐτοῦ, ᾿Ακύλας φησὶν, ἐπειράθη λαθεῖν, ὑπὲρ τὴν ἀξίαν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐξουσίαν ὁρῶν, ὑπὸ Θεοῦ δὲ τῷ προφήτῃ δειχθεὶς, τὴν ἐπὶ παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ χειροτονίαν ἐδέξατο. ### English translation (Claude) Why, after Samuel had anointed Saul and heard from the God of the universe that he should appoint him king, did he order the tribes to cast lots? Those who live in wickedness did not trust even the divine prophets. So that they would not guess that the decision came from human favor, he commanded that lots be cast. Then, when the lot fell on the tribe of Benjamin, and it was divided again into clans and households and men, the lot fell to Saul. He tried to hide (for he saw that the authority exceeded his worth), but he was revealed by God to the prophet and received appointment before all the people. As to “his kinsman,” Aquila says: he tried to hide, seeing that the authority was beyond his worth, but being shown to the prophet by God he received the appointment before all the people. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 10:1: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 10:20: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 10:21: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 10:22: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The printed question ends with a comma; the question is present. 1 Sam 10:17–24. The last sentence repeats the preceding one in another form, with a reference to Aquila; it is printed so in the edition and translated as it stands. A line from 1.21 (“made wise by God, they settled the people's disputes”) printed here is removed by a logged correction. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.22 (PG 80 80:551; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-22). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 23 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-1/#p-1-23 - Source: PG 80 80:553 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Nahash put out right eyes to make the Israelites unfit for battle, since the shield covers the left eye. ### Greek text Τίνος χάριν Ναὰς ὁ ᾿Αμμανίτης τῶν Ἰσραηλιτῶν τοὺς δεξιοὺς ἐξέκοπτεν ὀφθαλμούς; Ἀχρήστους αὐτοὺς εἰς πόλεμον ἀποφῆναι βουλόμενος. Ὁ γὰρ τὴν ἀσπίδα τῇ εὐωνύμῳ χειρὶ προβαλλόμενος, συγκαλύπτει ταύτῃ τὸν εὐώνυμον ὀφθαλμὸν, τῷ δεξιῷ δὲ τοὺς πολεμίους ὁρᾷ. Ὁ τοίνυν τὸν δεξιὸν ἀφῃρημένος εὐάλωτος ἐγίνετο πολεμῶν. ### English translation (Claude) Why did Nahash the Ammonite gouge out the right eyes of the Israelites? He wanted to make them useless for war. For the man who holds his shield out with his left hand covers his left eye with it, and sees the enemy with his right. So one who had lost his right eye was easily overcome in battle. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 11:2: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 11:2. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.23 (PG 80 80:553; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-23). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 24 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-1/#p-1-24 - Source: PG 80 80:553 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God gave Israel tall Saul because they wanted a war-leader and admired bodily size, not virtue. ### Greek text Διατί τὸν Σαούλ πρῶτον αὐτοῖς ἔδωκε βασιλέα; Ἐπειδὴ τῆς ἐν πολέμοις ἀνδραγαθίας ἕνεκα χειροτονηθῆναι αὐτοῖς ἤτησαν βασιλέα, καὶ οὐκ εὐσεβείας χάριν, ὥστε καὶ παρ᾿ αὐτοῦ τὰ θεῖα παιδεύεσθαι· τὸν πάντων μέγιστον ἐξελέξατο, ἐπειδήπερ οὐ ψυχῆς ἀρετὴν δε, ἀλλὰ σώματος ἐθαύμαζον μέγεθος. ### English translation (Claude) Why did he give them Saul as their first king? Since they asked for a king to be appointed for the sake of bravery in war, and not for the sake of piety, so as to be taught divine things by him, he chose the tallest of all, since they admired not virtue of soul but size of body. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 8:20: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 10:23: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 8:20; 10:23–24. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.24 (PG 80 80:553; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-24). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 25 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-1/#p-1-25 - Source: PG 80 80:553 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Handing his office to the king, Samuel had the people attest his blameless rule as a model of lawful authority. ### Greek text Τίνος ἕνεκα συναθροίσας τὸν λαὸν ὁ προφήτης, τῆς οἰκείας αὐτοῦ πολιτείας ἀνέμνησεν; Κριτὴς ὧν ἐξίστατο τῆς ἐξουσίας, καὶ ταύτην παρεδίδου τῷ βασιλεῖ. Μάλα τοίνυν εἰκότως τὰ καθ' ἑαυτὸν διηγήσατο, καὶ τῆς ἀξιεπαίνου πολιτείας σύμψηφον ἐποιήσατο τὸν λαὸν, τὴν ἔννομον ἐκεῖνον ἐξουσίαν διδάσκων. ### English translation (Claude) Why did the prophet gather the people and remind them of his own conduct? As judge he was giving up his authority and handing it over to the king. Very fittingly, then, he recounted his own record and made the people vote their approval of his praiseworthy conduct, teaching the king that lawful authority. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 12:1: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 12:3: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 12:1–5. “Teaching the king” renders ἐκεῖνον, which most naturally refers to Saul. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.25 (PG 80 80:553; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-25). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 26 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-1/#p-1-26 - Source: PG 80 80:553 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: “A son of one year” describes Saul's childlike simplicity, which lasted only two years of his reign. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον τὸ, «Υἱὸς ἐνιαυτοῦ Σαοὺλ ἐν τῷ βασιλεύειν αὐτόν; Ο Σύμμαχος οὕτως ἐξέδωκεν· Υἱὸς ὧν ἐνιαυσιαῖος Σαούλ ἐν τῷ βασιλεύειν αὐτόν. Δηλοῖ δὲ τοῦτο τὴν ἁπλότητα τῆς ψυχῆς, ἣν εἶχεν ὁ Σαούλ, ἡνίκα τῆς βασιλείας τὴν χειροτονίαν ἐδέξατο. Ταύτῃ δὲ οὐκ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἐχρήσατο. Ὅθεν ὁ ἱστοριογράφος ἐπήγαγε· «Καὶ δύο ἔτη ἐπὶ Ἰσραὴλ ἐβασίλευ«σεν, ἀντὶ τοῦ, Μετὰ τῆς ἁπλότητος ταύτης δύο ἔτη ἐβασίλευσεν· εἶτα εἰς πονηρίαν ἀποκλίνας, τῆς θείας χάριτος ἐγυμνώθη. Ὅθεν ὁ λοιπὸς χρόνος, ὃν βασιλεύων διετέλεσε, τῇ τοῦ Σαμουήλ δημαγωγία λελόγισται ### English translation (Claude) How should “Saul was a son of one year when he began to reign” be understood? Symmachus rendered it thus: “Saul was like a son of one year when he began to reign.” This shows the simplicity of soul that Saul had when he received appointment to the kingdom. But he did not keep it for long. So the historian added, “and he reigned two years over Israel,” meaning: with this simplicity he reigned two years; then he turned aside to wickedness and was stripped of divine grace. So the remaining time during which he continued to reign has been reckoned to the leadership of Samuel. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 13:1: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 13:1, a verse whose numbers are defective in the Hebrew (and absent from most Septuagint manuscripts); Theodoret reads it figuratively. Symmachus was a late second-century Greek translator. The staging notes that the OCR read the question number as 320. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.26 (PG 80 80:553; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-26). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 27 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-1/#p-1-27 - Source: PG 80 80:553 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Jonathan destroyed a Philistine guard post set up after their victory over Israel. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητεον τό· Ἐπάταξεν Ἰωνάθαν τὸ ὑπόστημα τῶν ἀλλοφύλων, τὸ ἐν τῷ βουνῷ; Οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι τοὺς Ἑβραίους νενικηκότες ἐν τοῖς ὀχυρωτέροις χωρίοις φρουρὰς ἐγκατέστησαν, Ὑπόστημα τοίνυν ἐκάλεσε τὴν φρουράν. Ταύτην ἄρδην ὁ Ἰωναθαν κατηκόντισε. Τὸ μέντοι, Ἠθετήκασιν οἱ δοῦλοι, ὁ ᾿Ακύλας, ᾿Ακουσάτωσαν οἱ Ἑβραῖοι ἡρμήνευσεν. ### English translation (Claude) How should “Jonathan struck the garrison of the foreigners that was on the hill” be understood? The foreigners, having defeated the Hebrews, set up guard posts in the stronger places. He called the guard post a “garrison.” Jonathan destroyed it completely. Aquila rendered “the slaves have rebelled” as “let the Hebrews hear.” ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 13:3: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 13:3 (LXX). A long displaced passage had been printed inside the word “garrison”: the end of an allegorical addition to question 1.23 (“…sees the enemy… so too the evil powers cut off the right side of our thoughts”) and a second form of the answer to 1.26. It is removed by a logged correction. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.27 (PG 80 80:553; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-27). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 28 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-1/#p-1-28 - Source: PG 80 80:555 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Saul's failure to wait for Samuel before sacrificing cost him the kingdom, which God promised to a man after his own heart. ### Greek text Τί ἐστι, Καὶ διέλιπεν ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας τῷ μαρτυρίῳ ὡς εἶπε Σαμουήλ; Παρηγγύησεν ὁ Σαμουήλ τῷ Σαούλ ἑπτὰ αὐτὸν προσμεῖναι ἡμέρας, εἶθ' οὕτω καλλιερησάμενον παρατάξασθαι. Ὁ τοίνυν Σαούλ τοὺς ἀλλοφύλους ἀθροισθέντας ἰδὼν, οὐκ ἀνέμεινε κατὰ τὰς ἐντολὰς τὸν προφήτην. Ὅθεν αὐτὸν θύοντα καταλαβὼν ὁ προφήτης, σφόδρα χαλεπῶς ἐπετίμησε, καὶ τῆς βασιλείας αὐτῷ τὴν στέρησιν προεμήνυσε. Ζητήσει γὰρ, φησὶν, ἑαυτῷ Κύριος ἄνθρωπον κατὰ τὴν καρδίαν αὐτοῦσσ· καὶ ἐντελεῖ αὐτὸν Κύριος εἰς ἄρχοντα ἐπὶ τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ, ὅτι οὐκ ἐφύλαξας ὅσα ἐνετείλατό σοι Κύριος. Ἐντεῦθεν ὁ καλλίνικος Στέφανος τέθεικε τὸ, Εὗρον Δαβὶδ τὸν τοῦ Ἰεσσαὶ, ἄνδρα κατὰ τὴν καρδίαν μου, ὃς ποιήσει πάντα τὰ θελήματά μου. Προφητικῶς γὰρ ταῦτα προειρήκει ὁ θειότατος Σαμουήλ. Γαβαὰ δὲ τὴν ἐν Σαβαῖν γῆν, τὴν ἐν τῇ κοιλάδι τῶν δορκάδων ὁ ᾿Ακύλας ἡρμήνευσεν ### English translation (Claude) What does “he waited seven days for the appointed time, as Samuel had said” mean? Samuel had charged Saul to wait seven days for him, and then, after offering favorable sacrifices, to draw up for battle. But Saul, seeing the foreigners gathered, did not wait for the prophet as he had been commanded. So the prophet, finding him sacrificing, rebuked him very severely and announced beforehand that he would be deprived of the kingdom: “The Lord,” he says, “will seek for himself a man after his own heart, and the Lord will appoint him ruler over his people, because you did not keep what the Lord commanded you.” From this the victorious Stephen took the words, “I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my heart, who will do all my will.” For the most divine Samuel had foretold this prophetically. Aquila translated Gibeah as “the land in Sabaim, in the valley of the gazelles.” ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 13:8: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 13:9: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 13:13: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 13:14: quotation, high confidence - Acts 13:22: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 13:18: allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 13:8–14 (quotation, 13:14). The words “I have found David…” are spoken by Paul in Acts 13:22, not by Stephen; Theodoret's attribution is translated as written. The last sentence on Aquila's rendering is obscure as printed (compare the “valley of Zeboim”, 1 Sam 13:18); translated literally. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.28 (PG 80 80:555; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-28). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 29 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-1/#p-1-29 - Source: PG 80 80:555 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Israel had no iron because the victorious Philistines had taken it and controlled the smiths. ### Greek text Διὰ ποίαν αἰτίαν σίδηρον οὐκ εἶχεν ὁ Ἰσραήλ; Νενικηκότες αὐτοὺς οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι πάντα τὸν σίδηρον ἔλαβον, καὶ κτήσασθαι ἕτερον διεκώλυσαν ὅθεν παρ᾿ αὐτοῖς τὰ γεωργικὰ κατεσκεύαζον ὄργανα. ᾿Ὀδόντα δὲ ὁ μὲν Σύμμαχος ΰνιν ὁ δὲ ᾿Ακύλας τὸ ἄροτρον ἡρμήνευσαν. Τὸν δὲ σίκλον στατῆρα ἐκάλεσαν. Ἐπὶ δὲ σταθμοῦ ὁ σίκλος λαμβανόμενος, ἡμιόγκιον εἶλκεν· ἐπὶ δὲ ἀργυρίου, εἴκοσιν ὀβολούς. ### English translation (Claude) For what reason did Israel have no iron? The foreigners, having defeated them, took all the iron and prevented them from acquiring more; so they had their farming tools made among the foreigners. Symmachus rendered “tooth” as “ploughshare,” and Aquila as “plough.” They called the shekel a stater. As a weight, the shekel weighed half an ounce; in silver, twenty obols. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 13:19: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 13:20: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 13:21: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 13:19–21. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.29 (PG 80 80:555; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-29). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 30 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-1/#p-1-30 - Source: PG 80 80:555 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Jonathan asked God for a sign before his daring attack, and God gave the victory; Saul then foolishly cursed anyone who ate before evening. ### Greek text Τί δήποτε ὁ Ἰωνάθαν προσβαλεῖν τοῖς πολεμίοις βουλόμενος, σημεῖά τινα δέδωκε τῷ ὀπλοφόρῳ; Οὐ συμβολικῶς δέδωκεν, ἀλλ' ὡς πιστὸς γνῶναι ἠθέλησε τὸ βούλημα τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ σημεῖα ἑαυτῷ δέδωκε τοῦ θείου θελήματος· ἵνα εἰ μὲν κληθεῖεν ὑπ' αὐτῶν προσβάλωσιν, ὡς τοῦ Θεοῦ προφανῶς συνεργοῦντος. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἔφη Καὶ ἀναβησόμεθα, ὅτι παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς Κύριος εἰς τὰς χεῖρας ἡμῶν· τοῦτο ἡμῖν τὸ σημεῖον. – Ἐὰν δὲ, φησὶν, εἴπωσιν ἡμῖν, ᾿Απόστητε ἐκεῖ, οὐκ ἀναβησόμεθα ἐπ᾿ αὐτούς. Ὅτι δὲ τῷ Θεῷ θαῤῥήσας εἰς προῦπτον ἑαυτὸν ἐξέδωκε κίνδυνον, μαρτυροῦσιν οἱ λόγοι. Δεῦρο γὰρ, φησί, διαβῶμεν εἰς τὴν ὑπόστασιν τῶν ἀπεριτμήτων τούτων, εἴπως ποιήσει τι Κύριος ἡμῖν, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι τῷ Κυρίῳ συνεχόμενον σώζειν ἐν πολλοῖς ἢ ἐν ὀλίγοις. Ταῦτα δὲ τὰ ῥήματα ψυχῆς ἐστι τῷ Θεῷ πεποιθυίας. Οὕτω δὲ θαῤῥήσας οὐκ ἐψεύσθη τῆς ἐλπίδος. Εὐθὺς γὰρ προσβαλών, καὶ βέλος ἀφιεὶς, καὶ λίθους ἀκοντίσας, συνέχεε τὴν τῶν πολεμίων παρεμβολήν. ᾿Αγνοοῦντες γὰρ ἀλλήλους ἀνῄρουν ἐκεῖνοι, ἐκ διαφόρων συνειλεγμένοι πόλεων ὄντες, καὶ ἀλλήλοις ὡς πολεμίοις ἐκέχρηντο. Τοῦτο πόρρωθεν ὁ Σαούλ θεασάμενος, καὶ διὰ τῆς ἱερατικῆς στολῆς τὴν νίκην μεμαθηκώς, ὥρμησε καὶ αὐτὸς κατὰ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων εἶτα τραπέντας ἐκείνους ἰδὼν, ἀνοήτως καὶ ἄγαν ἡλιθίως ἀνεθεμάτισε τὸν τροφῆς ἢ πιτοῦ πρὸ τῆς ἑσπέρας μεταλαμβάνοντα. ### English translation (Claude) Why did Jonathan, when he wished to attack the enemy, give certain signs to his armor-bearer? He did not give them as omens; as a believer he wished to know God's will, and he set himself signs of the divine will: if they were called by the enemy, they would attack, since God would plainly be working with them. For he said this: “And we will go up, for the Lord has given them into our hands; this shall be our sign.” “But if,” he says, “they say to us, Stand back there, we will not go up against them.” That he trusted in God and exposed himself to obvious danger is attested by his words: “Come,” he says, “let us cross over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; perhaps the Lord will do something for us, for nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many or by few.” These words are those of a soul that trusts in God. And trusting thus, he was not disappointed in his hope. As soon as he attacked, shooting arrows and hurling stones, he threw the enemy camp into confusion. Not recognizing one another, they killed one another, since they had been gathered from different cities, and treated one another as enemies. Saul, seeing this from far off and learning of the victory through the priestly vestment, rushed out himself against the foreigners; then, seeing them routed, he foolishly and very stupidly laid a curse on anyone who took food or drink before evening. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 14:6: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 14:9: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 14:10: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 14:13: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 14:20: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 14:18: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Sam 14:24: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 14:6–24 (quotations: 14:10, 9, 6). The “priestly vestment” is the ephod (14:18 LXX). The arrows and stones are Theodoret's elaboration of 14:13–14. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.30 (PG 80 80:555; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-30). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 31 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-31/#p-1-31 - Source: PG 80 80:557 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God's silence confirmed Saul's rash curse to teach that oaths must be respected; Jonathan, who broke it unknowingly, was saved by the people. ### Greek text Εἰ ἀνοήτως ἀνεθεμάτισε, τί δήποτε ὁ Θεὸς τὸν ἀναθεματισμὸν ἐβεβαίωσεν; Ἐρομένῳ γὰρ, εἰ πολεμητέον, οὐκ ἀπεκρίνατο. Πρῶτον αὐτὸν διελέγχει παραλόγως ἐπαρασάμενον. Ἔπειτα διδάσκει μηδὲ τῶν τοιούτων ἀναθεμάτων καταφρονεῖν. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ ὁ μὲν σκοπὸς εὐσεβὴς ἦν εἰς Θεοῦ γὰρ ὠρίσθη τιμήν. Αλλ' ἔδει σκοπῆσαι τῶν πολεμούντων τὸν πόνον, καὶ ὡς εἰκὸς ἦν τινας τῷ πόνῳ τρυχομένους πιεσθῆναι δίψει, καὶ βιασθῆναι παραβῆναι τὸν ὄρον. Τοῦτο γὰρ πέπονθε καὶ Ιωνάθαν ὁ θαυμάσιος· ἀλλ᾽ ἀγνοῶν παρέβη τὸν τοῦ ἀναθέματος ὅρον. Μετὰ γὰρ δὴ τὴν τοῦ μέλιτος γεῦσιν, ἤκουσε τοῦ πατρὸς τὴν ἀρὰν, ἑτέρων ἀπαγγειλάντων. ᾿Αλλ' ὅμως καὶ τὴν τῆς ἀγνοίας ἔχων άπολογίαν, ἄχρις αὐτῆς ἐκινδύνευσε τῆς ζωῆς. Ἀπηλλάγη δὲ τῆς σφαγῆς διὰ τὴν τοῦ λαοῦ δικαίαν συνηγορίαν καὶ ἱκετείαν σπουδαίαν. ### English translation (Claude) If he laid the curse foolishly, why did God confirm the curse? For when Saul asked whether he should go to war, God did not answer. First, God convicts him of cursing without reason. Then he teaches that even such curses must not be despised. In this case the purpose was pious, for the oath was fixed in honor of God. But he ought to have considered the toil of the fighting men, and that some, worn out by the toil, would probably be pressed by thirst and forced to break the ban. This is what happened to the admirable Jonathan; but he broke the terms of the curse in ignorance. For it was after tasting the honey that he heard of his father's curse, when others told him. Yet even though he had the excuse of ignorance, he was in danger of his very life. He was rescued from death by the just advocacy and earnest pleading of the people. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 14:37: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 14:27: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 14:45: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 14:27–45; God's silence, 14:37. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.31 (PG 80 80:557; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-31). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 32 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-31/#p-1-32 - Source: PG 80 80:557 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God's “regret” over Saul means a change of plan: he would give the kingdom to David, from whom Christ would be born. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον τὸ, Μεταμεμέλημαι ὅτι ἔχρισα τὸν Σαούλ εἰς βασιλέα; Πολλάκις εἰρήκαμεν, ὅτι μεταμέλεια Θεοῦ ἡ τῆς οἰκονομίας μεταβολή. Οἷον χειροτονηθῆναι προσέταξε τὸν Σαούλ διὰ τὸ τοῦ σώματος ἀξιοθέατον· οὐκ ἐπειδὴ μεγίστοις αὐτὸς ἐπιτέρπεται σώμασιν· αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστι καὶ τῶν μεγάλων, καὶ τῶν μικρῶν δημιουργός - ἀλλὰ τῷ λαῷ χαριζόμενος, τοῖς αἰσθητοῖς μόνοις ὀφθαλμοῖς κεχρημένῳ. Ὅτι γὰρ προτιμᾷ πολλάκις καὶ μικρὰ σώματα μεγάλων, καὶ νέους γεγηρακότων, μάρτυς ὁ Ζακχαῖος μικρὸς ὢν, καὶ τὸν Δεσπότην ὑποδεξάμενος. Μάρτυς ὁ Σαμουήλ νέος ὢν, καὶ τῆς θείας ἐπιφανείας ἀξιωθείς. Μάρτυς ὁ Δαβὶδ τῶν μειζόνων καὶ πρεσβυτέρων προτιμηθεὶς ἀδελφῶν. Τοῦτον ἐθελήσας βασιλέα χειροτονῆσαι, καὶ τῷ σπέρματι αὐτοῦ φυλάξαι τὴν βασιλείαν, διὰ τὸν ἐξ αὐτοῦ· τεχθησόμενον κατὰ σάρκα βασιλέα τῆς κτίσεως, ἀνθρωπίνοις ἐχρήσατο ῥήμασιν ἀνθρώποις διαλεγόμενος, καὶ εἶπε· Μεταμεμέλημαι ὅτι ἔχρισα τὸν Σαούλ εἰς βασιλέα, ὁ ἀντὶ τοῦ, Ἑτέρῳ βούλομαι δοῦναι τῆς βασιλείας τὴν ἐξουσίαν, τοῦτον δὲ παῦσαι τῆς δυναστείας. ### English translation (Claude) How should “I regret that I anointed Saul king” be understood? We have often said that God's regret is a change in his dispensation. For example, he commanded Saul to be appointed because of his striking appearance, not because he himself delights in very large bodies (for he is the creator of both great and small), but as a favor to the people, who used only the eyes of sense. That he often prefers even small bodies to large ones, and the young to the old, Zacchaeus is a witness, who was small and received the Master; Samuel is a witness, who was young and was granted the divine appearance; David is a witness, who was preferred to his older and bigger brothers. Wishing to appoint him king and to preserve the kingdom for his seed, for the sake of the King of creation who would be born from him according to the flesh, he used human words in speaking with human beings and said, “I regret that I anointed Saul king,” meaning, “I wish to give the authority of the kingdom to another and to end this man's rule.” ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 15:11: quotation, high confidence - Luke 19:3: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 16:11: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 15:11, 35 (LXX “I regret”). Zacchaeus, Luke 19:3–6; Samuel, 1 Sam 3; David, 1 Sam 16:6–13. Marginal abbreviations printed in the first answer sentence are removed by a logged correction. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.32 (PG 80 80:557; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-32). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 33 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-31/#p-1-33 - Source: PG 80 80:559 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Saul lost the kingdom for disobeying God's ban on Amalek out of greed; obedience is better than sacrifice, and God's sentence was irrevocable. ### Greek text Καὶ τὶ δήποτε διὰ φιλανθρωπίαν αὐτὸν τῆς βασιλείας ἐγύμνωσεν ; Προῄδει μὲν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰς ἐσομένας παρανομίας, τὰς κατὰ τῶν εὐεργετούντων ἐπιβουλὰς, τὰς τῶν ἱερέων σφαγὰς, τῶν ὅρκων τὰς παραβάσεις, τὸν πρὸς τὴν ἐγγαστρίμυθον δρόμον. Ἀπόχρη δὲ καὶ μόνη τῆς περὶ τοῦ ᾿Αμαλήκ ἐντολῆς ἡ παράβασις ἐσχάτην αὐτῷ τιμωρίαν ἐπενεγκεῖν. Ἔδει γὰρ συνιδεῖν τὸν ἠλίθιον, ὡς μία σταγὼν τῆς θείας φιλανθρωπίας πᾶσαν τὴν ἀγαθότητα τῶν ἀνθρώπων νικᾷ. ᾿Αλλ' ὁ δείλαιος τοῦ Θεοῦ κολάσαι κελεύσαντος ᾤκτειρε, καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ καταψηφισαμένου θάνατον, αὐτὸς ἀπένειμεν, ὡς ἐνόμιζε, τὴν ζωήν· καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ κελεύσαντος μηδὲν ἐκ τῆς λείας κερδᾶναι, αὐτὸς τὰ πίονα τῶν ποιμνίων, καὶ τῶν βουκολίων, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων τὰ κάλλιστα κομισάμενος ἐπανῆκε. Καὶ αὐτὸς μὲν ἀναθεματίσας μηδένα τροφῆς μεταβαλεῖν, ἢ ποτοῦ, τὸν ἐξ ἀγνοίας παραβάντα τὸν ὅρον ἀνελεῖν ἠβουλήθη - τοῦ δὲ τῶν ὅλων Θεοῦ τὸν Ἀμαλὴκ ἀναθεματίσαντος, οὐ διὰ τὴν εἰς αὐτὸν ἀσέβειαν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν περὶ τὸν λαὸν δυσμένειαν, οὐ σμικρά τινα, ἀλλὰ τὰ πλεῖστα τοῦ ἀναθήματος ἔλαβε. Καὶ οὐδὲ τοῦ ῎Αχαρ αὐτὸν ἐσωφρόνισε τὸ ὑπόδειγμα. Οὐ τοίνυν σμικρὸν, ἀλλὰ μέγιστον τὸ ἁμάρτημα. Ανέμνησε δὲ αὐτὸν ὁ προφήτης τῶν πρὸ τῆς βασιλείας λόγων, οὕτως εἰπών· Οὐχὶ σμικρὸς σὺ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ εἰς ἡγούμενον ἐκ σκήπτρου Βενιαμὶν, τῆς ἐλαχιστοτέρας φυλῆς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ Οὐ ταῦτα, φησὶν, ἔλεγες, ὅτι ᾿Ανὴρ Ἰεμιναῖος ἐγώ εἰμι, τῆς σμικροτέρας φυλῆς παρὰ πάσας τὰς φυλὰς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ;» Αλλ' ὅμως ἔχρισέ σε Κύριος εἰς βασιλέα ἐπὶ πάντα Ἰσραήλ· καὶ ἀπἐστειλέ σε Κύριος ἐν ὁδῷ. Εἶτα λέγει, ὅσας μὲν αὐτῷ δέδωκεν ἐντολὰς, ὅπως δὲ ταύτας παρέβη ὁρμήσας ἐπὶ τὰ σκῦλα. Οὐ τοσοῦτον γὰρ αὐτὸν ὁ παράνομος κατέκρινεν ἔλεος, ὅσον ἡ ἀπληστία, καὶ ἡ πλεονεξία, καὶ τῆς φιλοχρηματίας τὸ πάθος, ᾧ δουλεύσας παρέβη τὴν ἐντολήν. ᾿Αλλ᾿ ὁ Σαούλ τοῖς τοῦ ᾿Αδάμ ἐχρήσατο ῥήμασιν. Ἔφη γάρ· Διὰ τὸ ἀκοῦσαί με τῆς φωνῆς τοῦ λαοῦ. Οὕτω γὰρ κἀκεῖνος εἶπεν· Ἡ γυνὴ, ἣν ἔδωκας μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ, αὕτη μοι ἔδωκεν ἀπὸ τοῦ ξύλου, καὶ ἔφαγον. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ εἶπεν εἰς θυσίαν ἐνηνοχέναι τὰ βουκόλια καὶ τὰ ποίμνια, ἤκουσε παρὰ τοῦ προφήτου Ἰδοὺ οὐ θέλει Κύριος ὁλοκαυτώσεις καὶ θυσίας, ὡς τὸ ἀκοῦσαι τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ ἀκοὴ ἀγαθὴ ὑπὲρ θυσίαν, καὶ ἀκρόασις ὑπὲρ στέαρ κριῶν ὅτι οἰώνισμα ἁμαρτιά ἐστι, παραπικρασμὸς ἀδικία· καὶ θεραφίμ ἀδύνην καὶ πόνους ἐπάγουσιν. Ανθ' ὧν ἐξουδένωσας τὸ ῥῆμα Κυρίου, ἐξουδένωσέ σε Κύριος, τοῦ μὴ βασιλεύειν ἐπὶ Ἰσραήλ. Τὸ δὲ θεραφὶμ ὁ ᾿Ακύλας θεραπείαν καὶ ἀνθυφαίρεσιν ἡρμήνευσεν Τὸ δὲ οἰώνισμα αἰνίττεται, ὡς οἶμαι, τὴν ἐνίων ἄνοιαν. Εἰκὸς γάρ τινας οἰωνὸν ὑποπτεῦσαι κακὸν, τὸ νενικηκότα μὴ κερδᾶναι τὴν λείαν. Καὶ τὸ θεραφίμ δὲ ἀντὶ τῆς ἐπιτηρήσεως τέθεικεν. "Ωσπερ γὰρ τὸ ἐφοὐδ ἀνέκειτο τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ δι᾿ αὐτοῦ τοῖς ἐρωτῶσιν ἐσημαίνετο τὸ πρακτέον· οὕτω διὰ τοῦ θεραφὶμ αἱ τῶν εἰδώλων ἐδηλοῦντο προῤῥήσεις. Κατά γὰρ μίμησιν ἐκείνου τοῦτο τούτοις ἀνέκειτο. Καὶ τοῦτο σαφέστερον ἐν τῇ τῶν Κριτῶν ἐδηλώσαμεν βίβλῳ. Κατὰ δὲ τὴν τοῦ ᾿Ακύλα ἔκδοσιν, ἔστι καὶ ἑτέρως νοῆσαι. Θεραπεύει γάρ, φησὶ, τὸν Θεὸν τὸ τὰ προστεταγμένα πληροῦν, οὐ τὸ δῶρα προσφέρειν ῎Αδεκτος γὰρ ἡ παρὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ βουλὴν γενομένη θεραπεία, καὶ πρόξενος συμφορῶν. Διδάσκων δὲ ἄλυτον τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ἀπόφασιν ὁ προφήτης ἐπήγαγεν Οὐκ ἐπιστρέψει, οὐδὲ μετανοήσει ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, ὅτι οὐχ ὡς ἄνθρωπός ἐστι τοῦ μετανοῆσαι. Ἐντεῦθεν καὶ τὸ Μεταμεμέλημαι νοητέον. ### English translation (Claude) And why did he strip him of the kingdom for an act of kindness? He foreknew his future lawless deeds as well: the plots against his benefactors, the slaughter of the priests, the breaking of oaths, the running to the woman with a familiar spirit. But the transgression of the command about Amalek alone was enough to bring the extreme penalty on him. For the fool ought to have seen that one drop of God's love for humankind surpasses all human goodness. But the wretch pitied when God commanded him to punish; and when God had condemned to death, he himself, as he thought, granted life; and when God commanded him to take no gain from the spoil, he came back bringing the fat of the flocks and herds and the best of everything else. Having himself laid a curse that no one should take food or drink, he wanted to kill the one who had broken the ban in ignorance; but when the God of the universe had put Amalek under the ban, not for impiety toward himself but for hostility toward the people, he took not a little but most of what was under the ban. Not even the example of Achar brought him to his senses. So the sin was not small but very great. The prophet reminded him of his words before he became king, saying, “Were you not small in his eyes, to be leader of the tribe of Benjamin, the least tribe of Israel?” “Did you not say this,” he means, “‘I am a Benjaminite, of the smallest tribe among all the tribes of Israel’? But nevertheless the Lord anointed you king over all Israel, and the Lord sent you on a journey.” Then he states what commands he had given him, and how he broke them by rushing upon the spoils. It was not so much his unlawful mercy that condemned him as his insatiability, greed, and the passion of love of money, to which he was a slave when he broke the command. But Saul used Adam's words. He said, “Because I listened to the voice of the people.” For Adam too said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.” And since he said he had brought the herds and flocks for sacrifice, he heard from the prophet, “Behold, the Lord does not desire whole burnt offerings and sacrifices so much as obedience to his voice. For behold, good obedience is better than sacrifice, and hearkening than the fat of rams; for divination is sin, and teraphim bring grief and pains. Because you have despised the word of the Lord, the Lord has despised you, so that you shall not be king over Israel.” Aquila rendered teraphim as “service” and “substitution.” Divination, I think, hints at the folly of some. Some probably suspected an evil omen in a victor not profiting from the spoil. And he put teraphim for “observation.” For as the ephod was dedicated to God, and through it what was to be done was signified to those who inquired, so through the teraphim the predictions of the idols were made known; for this was dedicated among them in imitation of the ephod. We have explained this more clearly in the book of Judges. According to Aquila's version it can also be understood differently: to fulfill what is commanded serves God, he says, not to bring gifts; for service rendered contrary to his will is unacceptable and brings calamities. Teaching that God's sentence could not be undone, the prophet added, “The Holy One of Israel will not turn back or repent, for he is not like a human being, that he should repent.” From this the “I regret” must also be understood. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 15:3: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 15:9: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 22:18: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Sam 28:7: allusion, medium confidence - Josh 7:1: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 15:17: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 9:21: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 15:18: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 15:24: quotation, high confidence - Gen 3:12: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 15:22: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 15:23: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 15:29: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 15:11: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 15 (quotations: 15:17; 9:21; 15:17–18; 15:24; Gen 3:12; 15:22–23; 15:29, LXX). Saul's later sins: the priests of Nob, 1 Sam 22; the medium of Endor, 1 Sam 28. Achar (Achan), Josh 7. Theodoret's judgment of Saul is translated as written. A displaced passage (a second copy of the end of 1.32) had been printed inside the quotation of 15:17, and marginal fragments at the end; both are removed by logged corrections. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.33 (PG 80 80:559; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-33). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 34 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-31/#p-1-34 - Source: PG 80 80:563 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Samuel killed Agag at God's command, as Phinehas killed Zimri. ### Greek text Διατί τὸν ᾿Αγὰγ ἔσφαξεν ὁ προφήτης; Ὡς ὁ Φινεὲς τὸν Ζαμβρί. Πᾶν γὰρ τὸ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ κελευόμενον εὐσεβές. ### English translation (Claude) Why did the prophet slay Agag? As Phinehas slew Zambri. For everything God commands is pious. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 15:33: allusion, high confidence - Num 25:8: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 15:33; Num 25:7–8 (Zambri = Zimri). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.34 (PG 80 80:563; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-34). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 35 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-31/#p-1-35 - Source: PG 80 80:563 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Samuel's fear was natural to a human being, as Christ himself showed human fear before his passion. ### Greek text Διατί ἔδεισεν ὁ προφήτης, χρῖσαι τὸν Δαβὶδ κελευσθείς; Ἐπειδὴ οὐ μόνον προφήτης, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄνθρωπος ἦν. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ τοῦ προφήτου Δεσπότης, ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς, τὸ σωτήριον καταδεξάμενος πάθος, τῇ δειλίᾳ τὴν ἀνθρωπείαν ἔδειξε φύσιν, τίς οὕτω παθῶν ἐλεύθερος, ὡς τῷ προφήτῃ δείσαντι νεμεσῆσαι; ### English translation (Claude) Why was the prophet afraid when he was ordered to anoint David? Because he was not only a prophet but also a human being. For if the prophet's Master, our Lord Jesus Christ, when he accepted the saving passion, showed his human nature by fear, who is so free from passions as to blame the prophet for being afraid? ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 16:2: allusion, high confidence - Matt 26:38: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 16:2; Christ's fear, Matt 26:37–39. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.35 (PG 80 80:563; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-35). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 36 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-31/#p-1-36 - Source: PG 80 80:563 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God did not teach Samuel to lie: he really sacrificed, while keeping his main purpose hidden. ### Greek text Τολμῶσί τινες ἐπιμέμφεσθαι τῷ Θεῷ, ὡς ψεῦδος τὸν προφήτην διδάξαντι. Λάβε γὰρ, φησὶν, εἰς τὴν χεῖρὰ σου δάμαλιν βοῶν, καὶ ἐρεῖς, Θῦσαι τῷ Κυρίῳ ἥκω. Ἀλλὰ τοῦτο οὐ ψεῦδος. ᾿Αληθῶς γὰρ ἐπετέλεσε τὴν θυσίαν. Ἐῤῥέθη τοίνυν αὐτῷ, κρύψαι μὲν τὸ ἔργον, εἰπεῖν δὲ τὸ πάρεργον. ### English translation (Claude) Some dare to find fault with God for teaching the prophet a falsehood. For he says, “Take a heifer of the herd in your hand, and say, I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.” But this is not a falsehood, for he truly performed the sacrifice. He was told, then, to conceal the main task and to mention the secondary one. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 16:2: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 16:5: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The question is put as an objection; the staging flags a possible lost question, but the objection functions as the question. The staging notes that the OCR read the question number as 4. Quotation: 1 Sam 16:2. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.36 (PG 80 80:563; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-36). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 37 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-31/#p-1-37 - Source: PG 80 80:563 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Samuel did not know whom God had chosen, so that passing over all seven brothers made clear that the choice of David was God's. ### Greek text Τίνος χάριν τὸν ψηφισθέντα ὁ προφήτης ἠγνόησεν; Ὅτι οὐ Θεὸς ἦν, ἀλλ᾽ ἄνθρωπος. Θεοῦ γὰρ τὸ πάντα εἰδέναι προφήτου δὲ, τὸ τὰ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ δεικνύμενα. "Αλλως τε καὶ τοῦ προφήτου ἡ ἄγνοια τὴν θείαν ἀπεκάλυπτε ψῆφον. Εἰ γὰρ εὐθὺς ὥρμησεν ἐπὶ τὸν Δαβίδ, ὑποπτεύθη ἂν ἐκ προλήψεώς τινος τοῦτο πεποιηκέναι. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐπὶ τὸν πρῶτον ἦλθε, καὶ τὸν δεύτερον, καὶ τὸν τρίτον, καὶ τοὺς ἑπτὰ, ἔγνωσαν ὡς ὁ Θεὸς ἦν ὁ τούτους μὲν ἀποκρίνων, ἐκεῖνον δὲ ψηφιζόμενος. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ τῆς χειροτονίας οὕτω γεγενημένης, ἐγύμνωσαν οἱ ἀδελφοὶ τὸν φθόνον, ἐν τῇ παρατάξει τὸν Δαβὶδ θεασάμενοι, τί οὐκ ἂν ἔπαθον, εἰ μὴ τοῦτον ἐγεγόνει τὸν τρόπον; ### English translation (Claude) Why did the prophet not know the one who had been chosen? Because he was not God but a human being. To know all things belongs to God; to a prophet, to know what God shows. Besides, the prophet's ignorance revealed the divine choice. If he had gone straight to David, he would have been suspected of doing so from some prejudice. But since he came to the first, the second, the third and all seven, they knew that it was God who was rejecting these and choosing that one. For if, even when the appointment had been made in this way, the brothers showed their envy on seeing David at the battle line, what would they not have done had it not happened in this way? ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 16:6: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 16:10: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 17:28: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 16:6–13; the brothers' envy, 17:28. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.37 (PG 80 80:563; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-37). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 38 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-31/#p-1-38 - Source: PG 80 80:563 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: When God's Spirit left Saul, an evil spirit took its place, as the devil entered Judas when grace left him. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον τὸ, Πνεῦμα πονηρὸν παρὰ Κυρίου ἔπνιγε τὸν Σαούλ; Τοῦ θείου Πνεύματος ἀποστάντος, χώραν ἔλαβε τὸ παμπόνηρον πνεῦμα. Διδασκόμεθα δὲ ἐντεῦθεν μετὰ τοῦ Δαβὶδ βοᾷν· «Τὸ Πνεῦμά σου τὸ ἅγιον μὴ ἀντανέλῃς ἀπ᾿ ἐμοῦ. Οὕτω τῆς ἀποστολικῆς χάριτος τὸν Ἰούδαν καταλιπούσης, εἰσελήλυθεν εἰς αὐτὸν ὁ διάβολος. ### English translation (Claude) How should “an evil spirit from the Lord choked Saul” be understood? When the divine Spirit departed, the utterly evil spirit took its place. From this we are taught to cry out with David, “Do not take your Holy Spirit from me.” So too, when the apostolic grace left Judas, the devil entered into him. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 16:14: quotation, high confidence - Ps 51:11 (50:13 LXX): quotation, high confidence - John 13:27: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 16:14 (LXX “choked”); Ps 51:11 (LXX 50:13); John 13:27. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.38 (PG 80 80:563; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-38). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 39 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-31/#p-1-39 - Source: PG 80 80:565 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The evil spirit fell quiet at David's music because the divine Spirit was working through David. ### Greek text Πῶς τοῦ Δαβὶδ ψάλλοντος τὸ πονηρὸν ἡσύχαζε πνεῦμα; Τοῦ θείου Πνεύματος ὁ Δαβὶδ τὴν χάριν ἐδέδεκτο. Τούτου τοίνυν διὰ τοῦ Δαβὶδ ἐνεργοῦντος, τὸ πονηρὸν ἡσύχαζε πνεῦμα. ### English translation (Claude) How was the evil spirit quieted when David played the harp? David had received the grace of the divine Spirit. When that Spirit worked through David, the evil spirit was quieted. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 16:23: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 16:13: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 16:23. The staging notes that the OCR read the question number as 10. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.39 (PG 80 80:565; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-39). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 40 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-31/#p-1-40 - Source: PG 80 80:565 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Symmachus explains Jesse's instruction to David as learning what his brothers need. ### Greek text Τί ἐστι τὸ, «Ερσουβὰ αὐτῶν λήψῃ Ὁ Σύμμαχος ἡρμήνευσεν· "Όσα χρήζουσι γνώσῃ· τὸν σκοπὸν αὐτῶν μάθῃς ### English translation (Claude) What does “you shall take their errouba” mean? Symmachus translated: “You shall learn what they need”; that is, you shall learn their purpose. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 17:18: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 17:18 (LXX transliterates a Hebrew word meaning “pledge” or “token”). The printed question ends without a question mark; the question is present. The answer looks short: a passage that seems to continue it (“…[conduct] is also called a way of life. That is why Jesse, sending David, said, ‘And report to me their esoub, their conduct, and how they are getting on’”) is printed in the middle of question 1.41 and is removed there; it is not moved here. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.40 (PG 80 80:565; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-40). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 41 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-31/#p-1-41 - Source: PG 80 80:565 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: David, trusting God, defeated Goliath; his victory with a stone and with Goliath's own sword prefigures Christ's victory over the devil through the cross. ### Greek text Διατί ὁ Σαούλι, πάντων τὴν πρὸς τὸν Γολιάθ μονομαχίαν παραιτησάντων, ἀποτρέπει τὸν Δαβίδ τοῦτο προθυμούμενον· δρᾶσαι; Μειράκιον ἦν πεντεκαίδεκα ἐτῶν, ἢ ἐκκαίδεκα. Ἑβδομηκοντούτης μὲν γὰρ ἐτελεύτησε, τεσσαράκοντα δὲ ἐβασίλευσεν ἔτη. Τοιγάρτοι τριακοντούτης ἦν, ἡνίκα Σαούλ ἀνῃρέθη. Προείρηται δὲ, ὡς δύο ἔτη ὁ Σαούλ βασιλεύσας ἐννόμως, τῆς θείας χάριτος ἐγυμνώθη. Τὸν ἄλλον τοίνυν ἅπαντα χρόνον πολεμῶν τῷ Δαβὶδ διετέλεσε· πείθει δ᾽ ὅμως ὁ Δαβὶδ τὸν Σαούλ θαῤῥῆσαι τὴν νίκην. Ἠναγκάσθη γὰρ ἐξειπεῖν, ὅπως ποιμαίνων λέοντα καὶ ἄρκτον ἐπιοῦσαν ἀπέπνιξεν Καὶ ἔσται, φησὶν, ὁ ἀλλόφυλος οὗτος ὁ ἀπερίτμητος, ὡς ἓν τούτων· οὐχὶ πορεύσομαι καὶ πατάξω αὐτὸν, καὶ ἀφελῶ σήμερον ὄνειδος ἀπὸ Ἰσραήλ; Ὅτι τίς ἐστιν ὁ ἀπερίτμητος οὗτος, ὅτι ὠνείδισε παράταξιν Θεοῦ ζῶντος; Οὐδὲν, φησὶν, θηρίων διενήνοχεν ὁ δυσσεβείᾳ συζῶν, καὶ τῆς θείας ἐπικουρίας γεγυμνωμένος. Ἐγὼ δὲ ἐκείνῃ πέποιθα τῇ ῥοπῇ. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἐπήγαγε. Κύριος, ὃς ἐξεῖλετό με ἐκ στόματος λέοντος, καὶ ἐκ χειρὸς τῆς ἄρκτου, αὐτὸς ἐξελεῖταί με ἐκ χειρὸς τοῦ ἀλλοφύλου τοῦ ἀπεριτμήτου τούτου· Μετὰ ᾿ ταύτης ὁρμήσας τῆς πίστεως, οὐ διήμαρτε τῆς ἐλπίδος· ἀλλὰ γυμνὸς ὧν τὸν καθωπλισμένον ἐνίκησε· καὶ ὁ πρόβατα νέμων τὸν ἐν πολέμοις καὶ τροπαίοις γεγυμνασμένον· καὶ ὁ σμικρὸ; ὧν καὶ νέος, τὸν ἐπὶ τοσούτῳ γαυριῶντα μεγέθει. Εἶδε γὰρ αὐτὸν, φησὶ, Γολιάθ, καὶ ἐξουδένωσεν αὐτὸν, ὅτι ἦν παιδάριον καὶ αὐτὸς πυῤῥάκης μετά κάλλους ὀφθαλμῶν. Ἐμιμοῦντο γὰρ τοὺς τῆς ψυχῆς· οἱ τοῦ σώματος. Ὀξὺ γὰρ ἑώρων ἐκεῖνοι, καὶ τὸν ἀόρατον ἐθεώρουν ὅθεν ἔλεγεν· Ἐγὼ ἔρχομαι πρὸς σὲ ἐν ὀνόματι Κυρίου Σαβαώθ, Θεοῦ παρατάξεως Ἰσραὴλ, ὂν ὠνείδισας σήμερον· καὶ συγκλείσει σε Κύριος σήμερον εἰς τὰς χεῖράς μου, καὶ ἀποκτενῶ σε, καὶ ἀφελῶ τὴν κεφαλήν σου ἀπὸ σοῦ· καὶ δώσω τὰ κῶλά σου, καὶ τὰ κῶλα τῆς παρεμβολῆς τῶν ἀλλοφύλων, ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ταύτῃ τοῖς πετεινοῖς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ τοῖς θηρίοις τῆς γῆς· καὶ γνώσεται πᾶσα ἡ ἐκκλησία αὕτη, ὅτι οὐκ ἐν δόρατι, οὐδὲ ἐν μαχαίρᾳ σώζει Κύριος· ὅτι τοῦ Κυρίου ὁ πόλεμος, καὶ παραδώσει ὑμᾶς εἰς χεῖρας ἡμῶν. Προφητεύει δὲ παρατασσόμενος, καὶ προαγορεύει τὴν τῆς οἰκουμένης θεογνωσίαν· «Γνώσεται γὰρ, φησὶ, πᾶσα ἡ γῆ, ὅτι ἐστι Θεὸς ἐν Ἰσραήλ.» Καὶ τὸ μὲν στόμα χρησμολογεῖ, ἡ δὲ χεὶρ ἀριστεύει, καὶ λίθῳ τὸν ἀλλόφυλον ἀναιρεῖ. Ἐπειδὴ τὸν ἐξ αὐτοῦ κατὰ σάρκα τμηθέντα λίθον ὑμνεῖ. Λίθον γὰρ, φησὶν, ὃν ἀπεδοκίμασαν οἱ οἰκοδομοῦντες, οὗτος ἐγενήθη εἰς κεφαλὴν γωνίας. Καὶ τῇ ῥομφαίᾳ· τοῦ ἀλλοφύλου χρησάμενος, ἀπέτεμεν αὐτοῦ τὴν κεφαλὴν, τοῦ ἐξ αὐτοῦ κατὰ σάρκα βλαστήσαντος προδιαγράφων τὴν νίκην. Σταυρῷ γὰρ ὁ διάβολος τὸν ἡμέτερον προσηλώσας Δεσπότην, διὰ σταυροῦ τῆς τυραννίδος ἐξέπεσε. Καὶ ὥσπερ τοῦ Δαβὶδ νενικηκότος, ἡ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ στρατιὰ τὸ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων κατηκόντισε στίφος, οὕτω τοῦ ἡμετέρου Θεοῦ, καὶ Σωτῆρος τὸν διάβολον καταλύσαντος, οἱ πεπιστευκότες εἰς αὐτὸν τὴν τῶν δαιμόνων ἐτρέψαντο φάλαγγα ### English translation (Claude) Why, when everyone had declined single combat with Goliath, did Saul try to dissuade David, who was eager to do it? He was a youth of fifteen or sixteen. For he died at seventy and reigned forty years; so he was thirty when Saul was killed. It has been said before that Saul, after reigning lawfully two years, was stripped of divine grace; for all the rest of the time he kept on making war on David. Nevertheless David persuaded Saul to be confident of the victory. For he was compelled to tell how, while shepherding, he had strangled a lion and a bear that attacked him: “And this uncircumcised foreigner,” he says, “shall be like one of them. Shall I not go and strike him and take away reproach from Israel today? For who is this uncircumcised one, that he has reproached the army of the living God?” The man who lives in impiety and is stripped of divine help, he means, is no different from wild beasts; but I trust in that support. For he added, “The Lord who delivered me from the mouth of the lion and from the paw of the bear, he will deliver me from the hand of this uncircumcised foreigner.” Setting out with this faith, he was not disappointed in his hope: unarmed, he defeated the man in full armor; the shepherd of sheep defeated the man trained in wars and victories; the small youth defeated the one who prided himself on such great size. “For Goliath saw him,” it says, “and despised him, because he was a boy, ruddy, with beautiful eyes.” The eyes of his body matched those of his soul: for those saw sharply and beheld the Invisible One. So he said, “I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the army of Israel, which you have reproached today; and the Lord will shut you up into my hands today, and I will kill you and take your head from you, and I will give your limbs and the limbs of the camp of the foreigners this day to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth; and all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save by spear or sword; for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hands.” As he draws up for battle he prophesies, and foretells the knowledge of God throughout the world: “For all the earth,” he says, “shall know that there is a God in Israel.” His mouth utters oracles, his hand performs heroic deeds and slays the foreigner with a stone, since he sings of the stone cut out of him according to the flesh: “The stone,” he says, “which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner.” And using the foreigner's sword, he cut off his head, sketching beforehand the victory of the One who sprang from him according to the flesh. For the devil, having nailed our Master to a cross, fell from his tyranny through the cross. And as, when David had conquered, the army of Israel cut down the mass of the foreigners, so, when our God and Savior destroyed the devil, those who have believed in him routed the phalanx of the demons. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 17:33: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 5:4: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 17:34: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 17:36: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 17:26: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 17:37: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 17:42: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 17:45: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 17:46: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 17:47: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 17:49: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 17:51: allusion, high confidence - Ps 118:22 (117:22 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Dan 2:34: allusion, medium confidence - Col 2:15: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 17 (quotations: 17:36, 26, 37, 42, 45–47). David's age at death and the length of his reign, 2 Sam 5:4. The stone: Ps 118:22 (LXX 117:22), with an allusion to the stone “cut out” of Dan 2:34. A displaced passage that seems to belong to question 1.40 had been printed inside the word “defeated” and is removed by a logged correction (see the note on 1.40). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.41 (PG 80 80:565; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-41). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 42 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-31/#p-1-42 - Source: PG 80 80:567 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: David brought Goliath's head to Jerusalem to frighten the Jebusites who still held it. ### Greek text Μηδέπω τὴν Ἱερουσαλήμ οἰκήσας, πῶς εἰσεκόμισεν εἰς αὐτὴν τὴν τοῦ ἀλλοφύλου κεφαλήν; Οἱ Ἰεβουσαῖοι μὲν ἔτι κατῴκουν αὐτήν. Δεδίττεσθαι δὲ αὐτοὺς ἐθελήσας, ἐπέδειξεν αὐτοῖς τοῦ μεγάλου ἀριστέως τὴν κεφαλήν. ### English translation (Claude) Since he did not yet live in Jerusalem, how did he bring the foreigner's head into it? The Jebusites were still living there. He wanted to frighten them, and so he showed them the head of the great champion. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 17:54: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 17:54. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.42 (PG 80 80:567; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-42). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 43 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-31/#p-1-43 - Source: PG 80 80:567 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Saul either had not noticed David during his fits of madness or, out of envy, wanted to know his origins exactly. ### Greek text Πῶς ἡγνόησεν ὁ Σαούλ τὸν Δαβίδ Δυοῖν θάτερον νοητέον· ἢ ὅτι κορυβαντιῶν οὐκ ᾐσθάνετο τῇ κινύρᾳ χρωμένου ἢ ὅτι ὁ φθόνος αὐτὸν παρεκίνησεν ἀκριβῶς μανθάνειν ὅθεν ἐστίν. ### English translation (Claude) How could Saul not know David? One of two explanations must be understood: either that, being in a frenzy, he did not notice him when he played the lyre; or that envy moved him to learn exactly where he came from. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 17:55: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 16:23: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 17:55–58. The printed question lacks a question mark. A displaced line belonging with 1.42 (“not that he did this afterward, when he took Jerusalem”) had been printed in the answer and is removed by a logged correction. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.43 (PG 80 80:567; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-43). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 44 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-31/#p-1-44 - Source: PG 80 80:569 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The mandyas Jonathan gave David is a kind of cloak, as other passages show. ### Greek text Τί ἐστι μανδύας; Εἶδός ἐστιν ἐφεστρίδος. Οἶμαι δὲ ἢ ἀρκαδίκιν εἶναι, ἢ τὸ παρὰ πολλῶν μαντίον ὀνομαζόμενον. Καὶ γὰρ τῶν Ἑβδομήκοντα εἰρηκότων περὶ τοῦ μεμηνυκότος τῷ Ἡλεὶ τῶν υἱῶν τὴν ἀναίρεσιν, ὅτι διεῤῥηγμένα τὰ ἱμάτια εἶχεν, ὁ ᾿Ακύλας ἔφη μανδύαν διεῤῥηγμένον Καὶ τῶν Ἀμμανιτῶν ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀποσταλέντων παρὰ τοῦ μακαρίου Δαβὶδ τοὺς πώγωνας ἐξύρισε, καὶ τῶν μανδυῶν ἀφεῖλε τὸ ἥμισυ, ἕως τῆς ἀναβολῆς τῶν ἰσχίων αὐτῶν. ### English translation (Claude) What is a mandyas? It is a kind of cloak. I think it is either an arcadicin or what many call a mantion. For when the Seventy said of the man who told Eli of the killing of his sons that he had his garments torn, Aquila said, “a torn mandyas.” And the king of the Ammonites shaved the beards of those sent to him by the blessed David and cut off half of their mandyas, as far as the fold over their hips. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 18:4: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 4:12: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 10:4: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 18:4 (LXX μανδύας); 4:12 (Aquila); 2 Sam 10:4. Arcadicin and mantion are late Greek words for cloaks; their exact form is uncertain. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.44 (PG 80 80:569; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-44). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 45 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-31/#p-1-45 - Source: PG 80 80:569 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Jonathan loved David as himself, as the law commands love of neighbor. ### Greek text Τί ἐστιν, Ἡγάπησεν αὐτὸν ψυχὴν ἀγαπῶντος αὐτόν Ὁ ᾿Ακύλας ἔφη· Κατὰ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ. Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ θεῖος νόμος παρεγγυᾷ· ᾿Αγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου, ὡς σεαυτόν. ### English translation (Claude) What does “he loved him as his own soul” mean? Aquila said, “according to his soul.” The divine law also commands this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 18:1: quotation, high confidence - Lev 19:18: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 18:1 (LXX); Lev 19:18. The printed question lacks a question mark; the question is present. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.45 (PG 80 80:569; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-45). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 46 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-31/#p-1-46 - Source: PG 80 80:569 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Saul's “prophesying” under an evil spirit was frenzy like that of false prophets, while the Spirit of God was with David. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον τὸ, Πνεῦμα πονηρὸν ἔπαισε τὸν Σαούλ, καὶ προεφήτευσεν ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ οἶκου αὐτοῦ; Οἱ ψευδοπροφῆται ὑπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ πνεύματος ἐνεργούμενοι τοῖς Κορυβαντιῶσιν ἐοίκασι. Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Σαούλ ὑπέμεινεν ὑπὸ τοῦ δαίμονος ἐνοχλούμενος. Τὸ δὲ προεφήτευσεν ὁμωνύμως τέθεικεν. Καὶ γὰρ τοὺς ψευδοπροφήτας προφήτας ὠνόμαζον, καὶ θεοὺς τοὺς ψευδωνύμους θεούς. ᾿Αλλ' ἐκεῖνος μὲν τῆς θείας χάριτος ἐγυμνώθη· ὁ δὲ Δαβὶδ ταύτης φιλοτίμως ἀπήλαυε· καὶ ψάλλων τὴν μὲν τοῦ δαίμονος ἐκείνου μανίαν ἐπράῦνε, τὸν δὲ τοῦ Σαοὺλ οὐκ ἔπαυε φθόνον. "Οσῳ δὲ πλέον εὐηργέτητο, τοσούτῳ πλέον κατασφάττειν ἠπείγετο. Καὶ τὴν αἰχμὴν ἀφεὶς κατ᾿ αὐτοῦ, καὶ διαμαρτὼν, ἔγνω μὲν ὅτι Κύριος ἦν μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ, διετέλει δὲ πολεμῶν. Περὶ δὲ τοῦ Δαβὶδ ἡ θεία λέγει Γραφή, ὅτι ὧν συνιὼν ἐν πάσαις ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτοῦ. Καὶ Κύριος παντοκράτωρ μετ' αὐτοῦ. Οὕτω δὲ τὸ πανάγιον ὠνόμασε Πνεῦμα. Ταύτης γὰρ ἦν ἠξιωμένος τῆς χάριτος. ### English translation (Claude) How should “an evil spirit struck Saul, and he prophesied in the middle of his house” be understood? The false prophets, worked on by the evil spirit, are like the frenzied Corybants. Saul too suffered this when troubled by the demon. He used “prophesied” in an equivocal sense; for they called false prophets prophets, and the falsely named gods gods. But he had been stripped of divine grace, while David enjoyed it abundantly; and by his playing he calmed the demon's madness in Saul, but did not end Saul's envy. The more he was helped, the more eager he was to murder. He threw his spear at him and missed; he knew that the Lord was with him, yet he kept on making war. About David the divine Scripture says that he acted wisely in all his ways, “and the Lord Almighty was with him.” Thus it named the all-holy Spirit, for he had been granted this grace. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 18:10: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 18:11: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 18:12: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 18:14: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 18:10–14 (quotation, 18:10 and 18:14; “the Lord Almighty” as in 2 Sam 5:10). The Corybants were frenzied priests of the goddess Cybele. A stray marginal line repeating the lemma of 1.45 is removed by a logged correction. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.46 (PG 80 80:569; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-46). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 47 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-31/#p-1-47 - Source: PG 80 80:571 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Saul offered David his daughter as a trap, hoping the Philistines would kill him. ### Greek text Τι δήποτε καὶ φθονῶν τῷ Δαβίδ, καὶ λίαν αὐτῷ ἐχθραίνων, τὴν θυγατέρα αὐτῷ κατηγγύησεν ; Ἐδίδαξεν ἡ ἱστορία τὸν ἐκείνου σκοπόν. Εἶπε γὰρ, φησί, Σαούλ Μὴ ἔστω ἡ χείρ μου ἐπ᾿ αὐτὸν, ἀλλ᾿ ἔστω ἐν αὐτῷ ἡ χεὶρ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων. Καὶ πάλιν Δώσω αὐτὴν αὐτῷ, καὶ ἔσται αὐτῷ εἰς σκάνδαλον, καὶ ἔσται ἐπ᾿ αὐτὸν ἡ χεὶρ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων Τοιγαροῦν ἐπιβουλῆς ἦν, οὐκ εὐεργεσίας ὁ γάμος. ### English translation (Claude) Why, though envious of David and very hostile to him, did he betroth his daughter to him? The history taught his purpose. “For Saul said,” it says, “Let not my hand be upon him, but let the hand of the foreigners be upon him.” And again, “I will give her to him, and she will be a snare to him, and the hand of the foreigners will be upon him.” So the marriage was a plot, not a kindness. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 18:17: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 18:21: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 18:17, 21. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.47 (PG 80 80:571; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-47). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 48 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-31/#p-1-48 - Source: PG 80 80:571 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Saul demanded Philistine foreskins as proof and kept plotting David's death despite his oath to Jonathan. ### Greek text Τίνος χάριν οὐ κεφαλὰς, ἀλλ' ἀκροβυστίας ήτησεν; Πονηροῖς χρησάμενος λογισμοῖς, ἐτόπασεν ὅτι τῶν ὁμοφύλων τινὰς ἀνελὼν, οἴσει τούτων τὰς κεφαλάς· τούτου χάριν ἀκροβυστίας κομισθῆναι προσέταξεν. Ἡ γὰρ ἀκροβυστία δηλοῖ τὸ ἀλλόφυλον. Πάντα δὲ πόρον ἐκίνει, τὴν τοῦ εὐεργέτου καττύων σφαγήν καὶ οὔτε τὰς εὐεργεσίας ᾐδεῖτο, οὔτε τοὺς ὄρκους ηὐλαβεῖτο. Καὶ γὰρ τῷ Ἰωνάθαν ὀμωμόκει, ὅτι δὴ αὐτὸν οὐκ ἀποκτενεῖ. Ὤμοσε γὰρ, φησὶ, Σαούλ λέγων· Ζῇ Κύριος, εἰ ἀποθανεῖται. ### English translation (Claude) Why did he ask not for heads but for foreskins? With evil reasoning he guessed that David would kill some of his own countrymen and bring their heads; so he ordered foreskins to be brought, for the foreskin indicates a foreigner. He tried every means, contriving the murder of his benefactor, and neither respected his kindnesses nor feared his oaths. For he had sworn to Jonathan that he would not kill him: “Saul swore,” it says, “saying, As the Lord lives, he shall not die.” ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 18:25: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 19:6: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 18:25; 19:6. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.48 (PG 80 80:571; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-48). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 49 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-31/#p-1-49 - Source: PG 80 80:571 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Michal saved David with a dummy in his bed; Theodoret explains the obscure words for it with Aquila and other interpreters. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον τὰ κενοτάφια, καὶ τὸ ἦπαρ τῶν αἰγῶν Ὁ Ἀκύλας τὰ κενοτάφια μορφώματα ἡρμήνευσε, καὶ τὸ ἦπαρ τῶν αἰγῶν ἱματίων πλῆθος, καὶ στρογγύλωμα τριχῶν. Επειδὴ γὰρ ὀμωμοκὼς ὁ Σαούλ παρέβη τὸν ὅρκον, καὶ τὴν αἰχμὴν τῷ Δαβὶδ ἐπαφῆκεν· ἐκκλίνας δὲ ἐκεῖνος τὴν τοῦ δόρατος ῥύμην εἰς οἰκίαν ἀνεχώρησεν· γνοῦσα δὲ τοῦ πατρὸς ἡ Μελχὼλ τὰς ἐπιβουλὰς, τούτῳ μὲν συνεβούλευσεν ἀποδράσαι· καὶ δὴ καὶ καθῆκεν αὐτὸν διὰ τῆς φωταγωγοῦ· αὐτοῦ δὲ τὴν κλίνην εἰς ἀῤῥωστοῦντος ἐσχημάτισε τύπον, ἱματίων μὲν πλῆθος ἐπιβαλοῦσα, στρογγύλωμα δὲ τριχῶν ὑποθεῖσα τοῖς ἱματίοις, ὥστε μιμεῖσθαι τὴν κεφαλήν. Τινὲς δὲ μορφώματα τοῦ Δαβὶδ νενοήκασι τὴν εἰκόνα καὶ ταύτην ἔφασαν τοῖς ἱματίοις συγκαλυφθῆναι, πλὴν ἐνίων τοῦ προσώπου μορίων· τὸ δὲ τῶν αἰγῶν ἡπαρ ὑποτεθῆναι, ἵνα κινούμενον τὸ σχῆμα πιθανὸν ἀπεργάσηται Καὶ γάρ φασε τῶν αἰγῶν τὸ ἦπαρ κινεῖσθαι μέχρι πολλοῦ. Οὕτω μέντοι διετέλει φονῶν, ὅτι καὶ ἀῤῥωστοῦντα μεμαθηκὼς ἀχθῆναι προσέταξεν αὐτὸν, ὥστε δέξασθαι τὴν σφαγήν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἔγνω τὴν φυγήν, κατὰ τοὺς θηρευτὰς κύνας Ιχνηλατῶν αὐτὸν διετέλει. ### English translation (Claude) How should the cenotaphs and the goats' liver be understood? Aquila translated the cenotaphs as “figures,” and the goats' liver as “a heap of clothes” and “a round tuft of hair.” For when Saul, having sworn, broke his oath and hurled his spear at David, and David dodged the thrust of the spear and withdrew to his house, Michal, learning of her father's plots, advised him to run away and let him down through the window; and she arranged his bed in the shape of a sick man, throwing on a heap of clothes and putting a round tuft of hair under the clothes to imitate the head. Some have understood the “figures” as an image of David, and say that it was covered with the clothes except for some parts of the face, and that the goats' liver was put underneath so that its movement would make the figure convincing; for they say that a goat's liver keeps moving for a long time. Saul, however, went on with his murderous intent, for when he learned that David was sick he ordered him to be brought so that he could slay him. And when he learned of the flight, he kept tracking him like a hunting dog. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 19:13: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 19:10: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 19:12: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 19:14: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 19:10–17 (LXX “cenotaphs”, “liver of goats”). The printed question lacks a question mark; the question is present. A displaced duplicate of an earlier sentence (Michal advising flight and arranging the bed) printed near the end is removed by a logged correction. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.49 (PG 80 80:571; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-49). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 50 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-31/#p-1-50 - Source: PG 80 80:573 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God held back Saul's messengers, and Saul himself, by making them prophesy; Saul's lying naked signified the loss of his kingdom. ### Greek text Τι δήποτε οἱ παρ' αὐτοῦ πεμφθέντες πρὸς τὸν Δαβίδ καὶ τὸν Σαμουήλ, προεφήτευσαν· ὕστερον δὲ καὶ αὐτός; Διάφορα τοῦ Δεσπότου τὰ θήρατρα. Τοὺς μὲν γὰρ δι᾿ ἀνθρώπων ἀγρεύει, τοὺς δὲ ἀορασίᾳ θηρεύει. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἑλισσαίου γεγένηται. Τούτους δὲ διὰ προφητικῆς ἐζώγρησε χάριτος· καὶ τὸν Δαβὶδ ἀποκτεῖναι κεκώλυκεν. ᾿Αλλ' οὐδὲ τοῦτο τὴν φονικὴν αὐτοῦ κατεπράῦνε γνώμην. Απέστειλε γὰρ καὶ δὶς ἐπ᾿ αὐτόν· καὶ πάλιν μεμαθηκὼς τὰ θεῖα δεσμὰ, προσέθετο, φησὶν, ἀποστεῖλαι καὶ ἄλλους· καὶ τούτων δὲ ὡσαύτως ἐπισχεθέντων ὑπὸ τῆς χάριτος, ὕστερον αὐτὸς ἀπελήλυθε, καὶ τετύχηκε καὶ αὐτὸς τῶν τῆς φιλανθρωπίας δεσμῶν. Ἀλλὰ προεφήτευσε μὲν, οὐχ ὁμοίως δὲ τοῖς ἄλλοις. ᾿Ανάξιος γὰρ τῆς χάριτος ἦν. Οὗ δὴ χάριν γυμνωθεὶς τῆς ἐσθῆτος πανημέριον ἔκειτο· ἐδήλου δὲ τὸ σχῆμα τὴν τῆς βασιλείας ἀφαίρεσιν. ### English translation (Claude) Why did those he sent to David and Samuel prophesy, and later he himself as well? The Master's snares are various. Some he catches through men, others he traps with blindness, as happened in the case of Elisha. These he captured through prophetic grace, and prevented them from killing David. But not even this softened Saul's murderous intent. He sent a second time against him; and again, learning of the divine bonds, “he sent others too,” it says. And when these were likewise held back by grace, at last he went himself, and he too met with the bonds of God's love for humankind. He prophesied, but not like the others, for he was unworthy of the grace. That is why he lay stripped of his clothes all day; and his posture showed that the kingdom was being taken from him. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 19:20: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 19:21: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 19:23: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 19:24: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 6:18: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 19:18–24; the blinded Arameans, 2 Kgs 6:18. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.50 (PG 80 80:573; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-50). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 51 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-31/#p-1-51 - Source: PG 80 80:573 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Jonathan used a pretended archery practice to warn David secretly; Theodoret explains several obscure words of the account. ### Greek text Τι δήποτε μηνύσαι βουλόμενος τῷ Δαβὶδ ὁ Ἰωνάθαν τὰς τοῦ πατρὸς ἐπιβουλὰς, διὰ τῶν βελῶν, ἤγουν τῶν ἀκοντίων, ἐμήνυσεν ; Τινές φασι διὰ τὸν συνόντα οἰκέτην, ἵνα μὴ τὰ μηνυόμενα γνῷ. ᾿Αλλ᾿ εὐπετὲς ἦν αὐτῷ καὶ μόνῳ παραγενέσθαι. Οὐκοῦν ἕτερον ἔχει τὸ γεγενημένον σκοπόν. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ δῆλος γένηται τοῦ πατρὸς τὴν μιαιφόνον γνώμην καταμηνύων τῷ φίλῳ, τὴν τῆς τοξείας ὑποκρίνεται γυμνασίαν. Καὶ τοῖς μὲν πρὸς τὸν οἰκέτην λόγοις αἰνιγματωδῶς τῷ Δαβὶδ παραδηλοῖ τὴν σφαγήν. Τὸν ὁπλοφόρον δὲ μετὰ τῶν ὁπλων εἰς τὴν πόλιν προπέμψας, καὶ τὰ εἰρημένα δεδήλωκε, καὶ φυγεῖν συνεβούλευσε, καὶ τὸ τῆς βασιλείας αὐτῷ προηγόρευσε κράτος, καὶ τὰς τῆς φιλίας συνθήκας ἐκράτυνεν ὄρκοις. Τὸ δέ· Τρισσεύσεις, ἀντὶ τοῦ, Τρεῖς ἡμέρας ἀναμενεῖς. Τῇ γὰρ νουμηνίᾳ τοπάσας ὁ Σαούλ, ὡς μὴ κεκαθαρμένον, μηδὲ ἡγνισμένον τὸν Δαβὶδ παραιτήσασθαι τὸ συμπόσιον, ἐσίγησεν· Οὐκ ἐλάλησε γὰρ, φησὶ, Σαούλ οὐδὲν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ· ὅτι εἶπε· Σύμπτωμά τι φαίνεται, μὴ καθαρὸς εἶναι, διότι οὐ κεκάθαρται. Τῇ δὲ δευτέρᾳ ἤρετο· ὅτι οὐ παρεγένετο υἱὸς Ἰεσσαὶ καὶ χθὲς, καὶ σήμερον ἐπὶ τὴν τράπεζαν;» Τῇ δὲ τρίτῃ πρὸ τοῦ ἄστεος ὁ Ἰωνάθαν τὰ εἰρημένα μεμήνυκεν. Τὸ δὲ τρισσεύσω ἀντὶ τοῦ τρεῖς ἀφήσω σχίζας. Τὰς δὲ σχίζας βέλη ὁ ᾿Ακύλας ἡρμήνευσεν. Τὴν δὲ ἀματάραν ἐν τῇ τῶν Ἑβραϊκῶν ὀνομάτων ἐρμηνείᾳ οὕτως εὗρον κειμένην, παρὰ μὲν τοῖς Ἕλλησι τὰ φρον, παρὰ δὲ Ῥωμαίοις φοσσάτον, παρὰ δὲ τῷ Σύρῳ σκοπὸν, εἰς ὃν οἱ γυμναζόμενοι τὰ βέλη πέμπειν εἰώθασι Τὸ δὲ Ἀργοῦν· ὁ Ακύλας Ἐχόμενα τοῦ νοτίου ἡρμήνευσεν. Ἐγὼ δὲ οἶμαι κοϊλόν τινα οὕτω κεκλῆσθαι τόπον. Ἔφη γὰρ ἡ ἱστορία, Καὶ Δαβὶδ ἀνέστη ἀπὸ τοῦ ᾿Αργοῦν, καὶ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν.» ### English translation (Claude) Why did Jonathan, wishing to warn David of his father's plots, warn him by means of arrows, that is, javelins? Some say it was because of the servant with him, so that he would not learn what was being disclosed. But it was easy for him to come alone. So what happened has another purpose. So as not to be seen to be revealing his father's murderous intent to his friend, he pretends to be practicing archery. By his words to the servant he indicates the slaughter to David in a riddle. Then, sending the armor-bearer ahead to the city with the weapons, he told him what had been said, advised him to flee, foretold his royal power, and strengthened the covenant of their friendship with oaths. “You shall do it three times” means “you shall wait three days.” For on the new moon Saul, supposing that David had declined the banquet because he was not clean or purified, kept silent: “For Saul said nothing that day,” it says, “for he said, Something has happened; he is not clean, because he has not been purified.” On the second day he asked, “Why has the son of Jesse not come to the table both yesterday and today?” On the third day, before the city, Jonathan disclosed what had been said. “I will do it three times” means “I will let fly three shafts.” Aquila translated the shafts as arrows. The amattara I found explained thus in the interpretation of Hebrew names: among the Greeks a ditch, among the Romans fossatum, and among the Syrian a target at which those in training usually shoot their arrows. Aquila rendered Argoun as “near the south.” But I think it is some hollow place that is so called. For the history said, “And David rose from the Argoun and fell on his face to the ground.” ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 20:19: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 20:20: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 20:26: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 20:27: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 20:36: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 20:41: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 20:42: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 20 (quotations: 20:19–20, 26, 27, 41, LXX). The LXX transliterates several Hebrew words: “amattari” (target), “ergab”/“argob”. Fossatum is Latin; “the Syrian” is a Syriac interpreter. A stray marginal line printed inside the word amattara is removed by a logged correction. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.51 (PG 80 80:573; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-51). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 52 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-31/#p-1-52 - Source: PG 80 80:575 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: David was blameless in eating the holy bread, as Christ said; his act foreshadows the Eucharist open to all the baptized. ### Greek text Πῶς ἡνέσχετο τῶν ἀφιερωμένων ἄρτων μεταλαβεῖν ὁ Δαβίδ; Οὔτε τότε μέμψιν ὑπέμεινεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς Εὐαγγελίοις ἔδειξεν αὐτὸν κατηγορίας ἐλεύθερον· εἰς γὰρ τὴν ὑπὲρ τῶν μαθητῶν ἀπολογίαν τοῦτο εἴρηκε τὸ διήγημα. Προδηλοῖ μέντοι, τῶν μόνοις τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν ἀπονενεμημένων μεταλαβών, τὴν πᾶσι προτεθεισομένην τοῖς εὐσεβέσι τράπεζαν μυστικήν. Οὐ γὰρ οἱ ἱερωμένοι μόνοι μεταλαμβάνουσι τοῦ Δεσποτικοῦ σώματός τε καὶ αἵματος, ἀλλὰ πάντες οἱ τετυχηκότες τοῦ ἁγίου βαπτίσματος. ### English translation (Claude) How could David bring himself to eat the consecrated bread? He incurred no blame at the time, and the Lord too in the holy Gospels showed him free of accusation, for he cited this account in defending his disciples. By eating what had been assigned to the priests alone, however, he foreshadows the mystical table that would be set before all the pious. For not only the ordained partake of the Master's body and blood, but all who have received holy baptism. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 21:6: allusion, high confidence - Matt 12:3: allusion, high confidence - Mark 2:25: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 21:6; Matt 12:3–4 (Mark 2:25–26; Luke 6:3–4). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.52 (PG 80 80:575; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-52). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 53 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-31/#p-1-53 - Source: PG 80 80:575 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: David's “profane journey” means a non-priestly errand made holy by his prophetic gift, which entitled him to the holy bread. ### Greek text Τί ἐστι, Εἰ βέβηλος ἡ ὁδὸς αὕτη, σήμερον ἁγιασθήσεται διὰ τὰ σκεύη μου. Ἐρομένου τοῦ ἱερέως, εἴ γε κατ' ἐκείνην τὴν ἡμέραν ἡγνεύκει, τρεῖς ἔφη ἡμέρας ἡγνευκέναι καὶ προστέθεικεν, ὅτι διὰ τὴν προκειμένην ὁδὸν ἀναγκαίως τῆς ἱερᾶς τροφῆς μεταλήψεται, ἵν᾿ ὑπ᾿ αὐτῆς κρατυνθεὶς τὰ προκείμενα κατορθώσῃ. Τὸ δὲ βέβηλον οὐκ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀκαθάρτου τέθεικεν, ἀλλ᾽ ἐπὶ τοῦ μὴ ἱεροῦ. ᾿Αβέβηλον γὰρ καὶ ἅγιον, τὸ τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν ἀφωρισμένον· βέβηλον δὲ, τὸ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασιν ἀπονενεμημένον. Ὅθεν καὶ ὁ ᾿Ακύλας οὐ βέβηλον εἶπεν, ἀλλὰ λαϊκόν. Τουτέστιν, Εἰ καὶ ἱερεὺς οὐκ εἰμὶ, ἀλλὰ προφητικῆς τετύχηκα χάριτος. Οἶμαι γὰρ τοῦτο παραδηλοῦν τὸ· ῾Αγιασθήσεται διὰ τὰ σκεύη μου. Σκεύη γὰρ αὐτοῦ καὶ πανοπλία, ἡ πνευματικὴ δωρεά. ### English translation (Claude) What does “If this journey is profane, today it will be sanctified because of my vessels” mean? When the priest asked whether he had kept himself pure that day, he said he had kept himself pure for three days, and added that because of the journey before him he must take the holy food, so that, strengthened by it, he might accomplish what lay ahead. He used “profane” not of what is unclean but of what is not sacred. For what is not profane and is holy is what is set apart for the priests; the profane is what is allotted to everyone else. That is why Aquila said not “profane” but “lay.” That is: even if I am not a priest, I have received prophetic grace. For I think “It will be sanctified because of my vessels” hints at this; for his vessels and armor are the spiritual gift. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 21:5: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 21:4: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 21:4–5 (LXX). The printed question lacks a question mark; the question is present. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.53 (PG 80 80:575; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-53). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 54 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-31/#p-1-54 - Source: PG 80 80:575 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Doeg, detained at the sanctuary, betrayed Abimelech, and at Saul's order killed the priests of Nob, Saul's worst crime. ### Greek text Τι ἐστι, συνεχόμενος νεασάρ ἐνώπιον Κυρίου Τοῦτο τὸ ὄνομα πειρασμὸν ἀπαλὸν συνοχής ἑρμηνευόμενον εὖρον ἐν τῷ βιβλίῳ τῶν Ἑβραϊκῶν ὀνομάτων. Δῆλος τοίνυν ἐστὶν ὁ Δωὴκ ὑπό τινος ἐνοχλούμενος δαίμονος, ἢ νόσῳ κατεχόμενος, καὶ τούτου χάριν τῇ θεία προσεδρεύσας σκηνῇ. ᾿Αλλ᾿ ὁ παμπόνηρος οὐ μόνον κατεμήνυσε τῷ Σαούλ τὰ παρὰ τοῦ ᾿Αβιμέλεχ εἰρημένα καὶ δεδομένα, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντας τοὺς ἱερεῖς κατέκτεινεν. Αὕτη τοῦ Σαούλ ἡ μιαιφονία πασῶν τῶν ἄλλων ἁμαρτάδων δυσσεβεστέρα. Τοῦ μὲν γὰρ Θεοῦ προστεταχότος ἄρδην διολέσαι τὸν Ἀμαλὴκ, οὐ μόνον τὸν ᾿Αγὰγ διέσωσεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ποίμνια, καὶ βουκόλια, καὶ τοὺς ἀμπελῶνας, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ὅσα ἦν ἀξιόκτητα. Τοῦ θυμοῦ δὲ μόνου κεκινηκότος, οὐ μόνον τοὺς ἱερεῖς κατέκτεινεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν πόλιν αὐτῶν διώλεσεν αὔτανδρον οὐ μειράκιον, οὐ βρέφος, οὐ γύναιον διασωθῆναι κελεύσας. ᾿Αξιέπαινοι δὲ τοῦ Σαούλ οἱ δορυφόροι οὐδὲ γὰρ τοῦ βασιλέως προστεταχότος ἠνέσχοντο τῇ κατὰ τῶν ἱερέων μιαιφονίᾳ μιᾶναι τὰς χεῖρας ὁ δὲ Δωὴκ τὸν δυσσεβῆ τοῦτον ἐτόλμησε φόνον, καὶ τοὺς πεντήκοντα καὶ τριακοσίους ἱερεῖς κατέσφαξεν. Πρόσκειται δὲ τὸ Πάντας αἴροντας ἐφοὺδ, εἰς κατηγορίαν πλείονα τοῦ τολμήματος. Οὐ γὰρ Λευῖται ἦσαν, ἀλλ᾽ ἐξ ἀρχιερατικῆς ῥίζης κατῆγον τὸ γένος. ### English translation (Claude) What does “held back, neessar, before the Lord” mean? I found this name interpreted in the book of Hebrew names as “a tender trial of constraint.” So it is clear that Doeg was troubled by some demon, or held by a disease, and for this reason was attending at the divine tabernacle. But the utterly wicked man not only reported to Saul what Abimelech had said and given, but also killed all the priests. This murder of Saul's was more impious than all his other sins. For when God had commanded him to destroy Amalek utterly, he spared not only Agag but also the flocks, the herds, the vineyards, and everything else worth having; but when only his anger was roused, he not only killed the priests but destroyed their city with all its inhabitants, ordering that no youth, no infant, no woman be spared. Saul's bodyguards, however, deserve praise: even when the king commanded, they would not stain their hands with the murder of the priests. But Doeg dared this impious murder and slaughtered the three hundred and fifty priests. “All who wore the ephod” is added to make the charge against the outrage heavier: for they were not Levites but traced their descent from the high-priestly root. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 21:7: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 22:9: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 22:17: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 22:18: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 22:19: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 15:9: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 21:7 (LXX transliterates a Hebrew word; “held back” renders συνεχόμενος); 22:9–19. The meaning given from the book of Hebrew names is obscure; translated literally. The LXX of 22:18 gives 305 priests; Theodoret's figure is translated as printed. A stray gloss inside the reference to the book of Hebrew names is removed by a logged correction. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.54 (PG 80 80:575; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-54). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 55 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-31/#p-1-55 - Source: PG 80 80:577 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: David feigned madness at Gath; he consulted God at every step, Jonathan renewed their covenant, and God turned Saul back by a Philistine raid. ### Greek text Τί δήποτε τὴν ἐπίληψιν ὁ Δαβὶδ ὑπεκρίνετο; Τοῦ Σαούλ ἀποδιδράσκων κατέφυγεν εἰς τὴν Γέθ. Οὐ γὰρ ὑπέλαβε δῆλος ἔσεσθαι. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ᾔσθετο ἐγνωκότας ἐκείνους, ὡς αὐτὸς αὐτῶν ἀνῃρηκει τὸν πρόμαχον, μανίαν ὑποκρινάμενος διέφυγε τοῦ θανάτου τὸν κίνδυνον. Δηλοῖ δὲ αὐτοῦ τὴν εὐσέβειαν ἡ θεία Γραφή. ᾿Αεὶ γὰρ τοῦ Θεοῦ πυνθανόμενος, καὶ παρετάττετο, καὶ ἡσύχαζεν. Αὐτίκα γοῦν μαθὼν, ὡς ἔπεισι Σαούλ, ἐν τῇ Κεϊλᾶ διάγειν αὐτὸν ἐγνωκὼς, ἤρετο εἰ ἐκδώσουσιν αὐτὸν οἱ δι' αὐτοῦ τῆς σωτηρίας τετυχηκότες· καὶ μαθὼν ὡς ἐκδώσουσιν, εἰς ἕτερον μετέστη χωρίον. Τὸ δὲ, Ἐπορεύοντο οὗ ἐὰν ἐπορεύοντο, τὸν πλάνον δηλοῖ· ποτὲ μὲν γὰρ ἐν τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ, ποτὲ δὲ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ διῆγον. Τὸ δὲ Ἐκάθισε Δαβὶδ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ἐν Μεσερὰμ, οἱ λοιποὶ ἑρμηνευταὶ Ἐν τοῖς σπηλαίοις τοῖς ὀχυροῖς, ἐκδεδώκασιν. Ὁ μέντοι Ιωνάθαν δῆλος ἦν θερμότερον πεοὶ τὸν Δαβὶδ διακείμενος. Καὶ γὰρ τοῦ πατρὸς κατ' αὐτοῦ φονοῦντος, καὶ θηρεῦσαι ποθοῦντος, οὐκ ἤνεγκε τοῦ πόθου τὰ κέντρα· ἀλλ' ἔνθα διῆγεν ἀφίκετο, καὶ παραθαῤῥύνας τῇ τῆς βασιλείας προῤῥήσει, τὰς γεγενημένας συνθήκας αὖθις ἐκράτυνε. Τὴν δὲ καινὴν δρυμὸν ὁ ᾿Ακύλας ἡρμήνευσεν· τὴν Γαβαάδ δὲ, βουνόν Τὸ δὲ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ τῇ ἐπηκόῳ ἐν τοῖς ὀμαλοῖς. Ἔδειξε δὲ καὶ ὁ Κύριος τὴν οἰκείαν κηδεμονίαν. Μέλλοντος γὰρ θηρεύεσθαι τοῦ Δαβίδ, τῇ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων ἐφόδῳ τὸν κατὰ τοῦ Δαβὶδ ἐπέδησε δρόμον. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἐγνωκὼς ἀνέστρεψεν ὁ Σαούλ. ### English translation (Claude) Why did David pretend to have epilepsy? Fleeing from Saul, he took refuge in Gath, for he did not suppose he would be recognized. But when he perceived that they knew he had killed their champion, he pretended madness and escaped the danger of death. The divine Scripture shows his piety: he always inquired of God, both before going into battle and before keeping still. At once, for example, when he learned that Saul was coming against him, knowing that he was staying in Keilah, he asked whether those who had obtained deliverance through him would hand him over; and learning that they would, he moved to another place. “They went wherever they went” shows his wandering: sometimes they lived in Judea, sometimes in the wilderness. “David stayed in the wilderness in Meserem” the other translators rendered “in the strong caves.” Jonathan clearly had a warmer affection for David. For while his father was bent on killing him and longed to hunt him down, he could not bear the goad of his love, but came to where he was staying, encouraged him with the prophecy of the kingdom, and again strengthened the covenant they had made. Aquila translated “Kaine” as “thicket,” and “Gabaad” as “hill,” and “in the wilderness that hears” as “in the plains.” The Lord too showed his care; for when David was about to be caught, he checked Saul's pursuit of David by the foreigners' raid. Learning of it, Saul turned back. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 21:13: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 23:2: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 23:12: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 23:13: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 23:14: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 23:16: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 23:17: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 23:18: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 23:24: quotation, medium confidence - 1 Sam 23:27: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 23:28: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 21:10–15; 23:1–28 (LXX: 23:13, 14, 15, 19, 24). Displaced fragments printed in the text (“of the father … killing”) and stray letters are removed by logged corrections. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.55 (PG 80 80:577; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-55). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 56 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-31/#p-1-56 - Source: PG 80 80:579 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: David spared Saul in the cave, cutting only his cloak, and appealed to him with gentle words, honoring the Lord's anointed. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον τὸ, Εἰσῆλθε Σαούλ ἀνασκευάσασθαι εἰς τὸ σπήλαιον; Σεμνῶς ἡρμηνεύθη παρὰ τῶν Ἑβδομήκοντα. Ὁ δὲ ᾿Ακύλας αὐτὸ σαφέστερον εἴρηκεν. Εἰσῆλθε γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀποκενῶσαι. Ὁ δὲ Ἰώσηπος τὰς φυσικὰς ἐκκρίσεις ποιήσασθαι. Μέγιστον μέντοι τὸ σπήλαιον ἦν. Εἶχε γὰρ ἔνδον καὶ τὸν Δαβίδ, καὶ τοὺς σὺν αὐτῷ κεκρυμμένους. Ἐγύμνωσε δὲ κἀνταῦθα τὴν οἰκείαν φιλοσοφίαν ὁ θεῖος Δαβίδ. Τῶν γὰρ σὺν αὐτῷ ἀνελεῖν τὸν Σαούλ πειραθέντων, τὴν μὲν σφαγὴν διεκώλυσεν, εἰρηκώς Μηδαμῶς ἐμοὶ παρὰ Κυρίου, εἰ ποιήσω τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο τῷ κυρίῳ μου, τῷ χριστῷ Κυρίου· ἐπενεγκεῖν τὴν χεῖρά μου ἐπ' αὐτὸν, ὅτι χριστὸς Κυρίου ἐστίν. Τῆς διπλοΐδος δὲ τὸ πτερύγιον ἔτεμεν· εἰς ἔλεγχον μὲν τῆς ἐκείνου πονηρίας, ἀπόδειξιν δὲ τῆς οἰκείας φιλοσοφίας. Ἐδίδαξε δὲ ἡμᾶς ἡ ἱστορία τοῦ σώφρονος λογισμοῦ τὴν ἰσχύν. Ἐπάταξε γάρ, φησὶ, τὸν Δαβὶδ ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ, ὅτι ἀφεῖλε τὸ πτερύγιον τῆς διπλοΐδος ἀντὶ τοῦ, Μέχρι τούτου τὴν ἐπιχείρησιν συνεχώρησε, περαιτέρω δὲ παραβῆναι κεκώλυκεν. Ἐπειράθη δὲ τοῖς ἡπίοις λόγοις τὸν φθόνον ἰάσασθαι, καὶ τὸν θυμὸν κατασβέσαι Ἵνα τί γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀκούεις τῶν λόγων τοῦ λαοῦ λεγόντων, Ἰδοὺ ὁ Δαβὶδ ζητεῖ τὴν ψυχήν σου; Καί γε ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ταύτῃ ἐωράκασιν οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου, ὡς παρέδωκέ σε Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς εἰς τὰς χεῖράς μου· καὶ οὐκ ἠβουλήθην ἀποκτεῖναί σε, καὶ ἐφεισάμην σου, καὶ εἶπον, Οὐκ ἐποίσω τὴν χεῖρά μου ἐπὶ τὸν κύριόν μου, ὅτι χριστὸς Κυρίου ἐστὶν οὗτος, καὶ πατήρ μου Τίς οὐκ ἂν ἀγασθείη· τοῦ προφήτου τὴν ἀρετήν; Πατέρα κέκληκε τὸν ἐπίβουλον, καὶ κύριον ὁ τῆς βασιλείας τὴν χειροτονίαν δεξάμενος· καὶ χριστὸν Κυρίου τὸν ἐστερημένον τῆς χάριτος ᾐσχύνετο γὰρ καὶ λυθεῖσαν τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ χειροτονίαν. Εἰς βεβαίωσιν δὲ τῶν λόγων ἐπέδειξε τὸ πτερύγιον· ἵνα γνοὺς τὴν φιλοσοφίαν αἰδεσθῇ τὴν εὐεργεσίαν. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ εἶπε Γνῶθι καὶ ἴδε σήμερον, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν τῇ χειρί μου κακία, οὐδὲ ἀθέτησις, οὐδὲ ἀσέβεια καὶ οὐχ ἥμαρτον εἰς σέ. ### English translation (Claude) How should “Saul went into the cave to prepare himself” be understood? The Seventy rendered it modestly. Aquila said it more plainly: “He went in to relieve himself”; Josephus, “to perform the natural evacuations.” The cave was very large, for it held inside both David and those hidden with him. Here too the divine David showed his own wisdom. When those with him tried to kill Saul, he prevented the slaughter, saying, “Far be it from me before the Lord that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord's anointed, to put my hand on him, for he is the Lord's anointed.” But he cut off the edge of his double cloak, as proof of the other's wickedness and demonstration of his own wisdom. The history taught us the strength of a self-controlled mind: “David's heart struck him,” it says, “because he had cut off the edge of the cloak,” meaning: it allowed the attempt so far, but prevented him from going further. He tried to heal the envy and quench the anger with gentle words: “Why,” he says, “do you listen to the words of the people who say, Look, David seeks your life? See, this very day your eyes have seen how the Lord God gave you into my hands; and I would not kill you, and I spared you, and said, I will not put my hand on my lord, for he is the Lord's anointed, and my father.” Who would not admire the prophet's virtue? He called the plotter father, and the one who had received appointment to the kingdom called him lord, and the one stripped of grace he called the Lord's anointed; for he respected the appointment of God even when it had been dissolved. To confirm his words he showed the edge of the cloak, so that Saul, recognizing his wisdom, might respect his kindness. For he also said this: “Know and see today that there is no evil in my hand, nor rebellion, nor impiety, and I have not sinned against you.” ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 24:3: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 24:4: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 24:6: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 24:5: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 24:9: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 24:10: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 24:11: quotation, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Josephus, Ant. 6.13.4 (Josephus (works)): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 24:3–11 (LXX; quotations 24:6, 5, 9–11). Josephus, Ant. 6.13.4. The staging notes that the OCR read the question number as 350. A displaced phrase (“those hidden with him. Here too he showed…”) had been printed at the start of the answer; it is put back in its place within the answer by logged corrections. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.56 (PG 80 80:579; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-56). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 57 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-31/#p-1-57 - Source: PG 80 80:581 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: David left judgment to God and humbled himself; Saul confessed David's righteousness, foretold his kingship and asked him to spare his descendants. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον το, Ἐξ ἀνόμων ἐξελεύσεται πλημμέλεια, καὶ ἡ χείρ μου οὐκ ἔσται ἐπὶ σέ; Τὰ καθ᾿ ἑαυτὸν τῆς θείας ἐξήρτησε κρίσεως. Εἶπε γὰρ, Κρίναι Κύριος ἀνὰ μέσον ἐμοῦ καὶ σοῦ· ἡ δὲ χείρ μου οὐκ ἔσται ἐπὶ σέ. Εἶτα προσέθηκε τὴν παραβολήν. Δηλοῖ δὲ αὕτη, ὡς τῶν παρανόμων τὸ ἁμαρτάνειν, τῶν δὲ φιλοσοφεῖν πεπαιδευμένων τὸ φέρειν τι τὰ πλημμελούμενα. Αμέτρῳ δὲ κεχρημένος μετριότητι, τεθνηκότα κύνα", καὶ ψύλλαν ἑαυτὸν ὀνομάζει ὅπως τῇ τῆς ταπεινότητος ὑπερβολῇ τὴν ἀτεράμονα καταμαλάξῃ καρδίαν. Αὐτίκα γοῦν πληγεὶς ἐκεῖνος ὡμολόγησε τὴν εὐεργεσίαν. Εἶπε γὰρ πρὸς Δαβὶδ », Δίκαιος σὺ ὑπὲρ ἐμὲ· ὅτι σὺ μὲν ἀνταπέδωκάς μοι ἀγαθά· ἐγὼ δὲ ἀνταπέδωκά σοι κακά. Καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς δὲ τοὺς ἐπαίνους ἔχει, καὶ μετὰ τοὺς ἐπαίνους, τῆς βασιλείας αὐτῷ προσημαίνει τὸ κράτος. Γινώσκω γὰρ, ἔφη, ὅτι βασιλεύων βασιλεύσεις, καὶ στήσεται ἡ βασιλεία Ἰσραὴλ ἐν χειρί σου. Ἠξίωσε δὲ ἧς ἀπήλαυσε κηδεμονίας καὶ τὸ γένος " τυχεῖν. Όμοσον γάρ μοι, φησὶ, κατὰ τοῦ Κυρίου, ἵνα μὴ ἐξολοθρεύσῃς τὸ σπέρμα μου ὀπίσω μου· καὶ μὴ ἀφανιεῖς τὸ ὄνομά μου ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ πατρός μου. Καὶ ὤμοσε Δαβὶδ τῷ Σαούλ. Τοσαύτη ἡ τῆς κακίας ἀσθένεια. Ὁ τοσούτων μυριάδων ἡγούμενος, καὶ φυγάδα παρεκάλει, καὶ ὁ μετὰ πλήθους στρατεύων τὸν ἀποδιδράσκοντα μεταδοῦναι φιλανθρωπίας ἱκέτευε. ### English translation (Claude) How should “Out of the lawless will come transgression, but my hand shall not be on you” be understood? He made his own affairs depend on the divine judgment. For he said, “May the Lord judge between me and you; but my hand shall not be on you.” Then he added the proverb. It shows that sinning belongs to the lawless, but bearing wrongs belongs to those trained in wisdom. With boundless modesty he calls himself a dead dog and a flea, so as to soften the hard heart by the excess of his humility. At once, at any rate, Saul was struck and acknowledged the kindness. For he said to David, “You are more righteous than I; for you have repaid me good, but I have repaid you evil.” What follows also contains praise, and after the praise he foretells his royal power: “For I know,” he said, “that you will surely reign, and the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hand.” And he asked that his family too might receive the care he had enjoyed: “Swear to me,” he says, “by the Lord, that you will not destroy my seed after me, and will not blot out my name from my father's house.” And David swore to Saul. Such is the weakness of wickedness: the leader of so many thousands begged a fugitive, and the man who campaigned with a multitude implored the runaway to grant him kindness. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 24:13: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 24:12: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 24:14: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 24:17: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 24:20: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 24:21: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 24:22: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 24:12–22 (LXX; quotations 24:13, 12, 14, 17, 20, 21–22). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.57 (PG 80 80:581; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-57). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 58 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-31/#p-1-58 - Source: PG 80 80:581 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: David marched on Nabal because Nabal repaid his protection with insults, having no excuse such as Saul's power or envy. ### Greek text ῾Ο τοσαύτην ἐν τοῖς κατὰ τὸν Σαούλ ἐπιδείξας μακροθυμίαν, τί δήποτε τὸν Νάβαλ ἀνελεῖν ἐπειράθη; Πολλῆς καὶ ουτος εὐεργεσίας ἀπήλαυσε. Συνδιατρίβων γὰρ τοῖς τούτου ποιμέσιν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, οὐ μόνον τοὺς οἰκείους ἀφελεῖν τι τῶν ἐκείνῳ προσηκόντων ἐκώλυσεν· ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς ἑτέρωθεν ἐπιγινομένας διεσκέδασε βλάβας. Τοῦτο γὰρ οἱ ποιμένες τὴν ᾿Αβιγαίαν ἐδίδαξαν, ὅτι ᾿Αγαθοὶ ἡμῖν οἱ ἄνδρες σφόδρα, καὶ οὐκ ἀπεκώλυσαν ἡμᾶς, οὐδὲ ἐπιτετάχασιν ἡμῖν πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας, ἃς ἦμεν παρ' αὐτοῖς καὶ ἐν τῷ εἶναι ἡμᾶς ἐν ἀγρῷ, ὡσεὶ τεῖχος ἦσαν περὶ ἡμᾶς, καὶ τὴν ἡμέραν καὶ τὴν νύκτα, πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας ὄντων ἡμῶν μετ᾿ αὐτῶν, καὶ ποιμαινόντων τὰ ποίμνια ἡμῶν. Ἡ μὲν οὖν εὐεργεσία τοσαύτη· ἡ δὲ αἴτησις μετρία, καὶ τὴν σπάνιν τῶν ἀναγκαίων μηνύουσα Εὑρέτω γὰρ, φησὶ, τὰ παιδάρια χάριν ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς σου, ὅτι ἐφ᾿ ἡμέραν ἀγαθὴν ἡμεῖς ἥκομεν. Δὸς δὲ ὅ ἂν εὕρῃ ἡ χείρ σου τοῖς παισὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ σου Δαβίδ. Τί διαφέρει ταῦτα τὰ ῥήματα τῶν παρὰ τῶν προσαιτούντων προσφερομένων λόγων; ᾿Αλλὰ ὁ θηριώδης ἀνὴρ οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἔδωκεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ προσεπαροίνησε. Τίς γὰρ, φησὶ, Δαβίδ, καὶ τίς υἱὸς Ἰεσσαί; Σήμερον πεπληθυμένοι εἰσὶν οἱ δοῦλοι, οἱ ἀποδιδράσκοντες ἕκαστος ἀπὸ προσώπου τῶν κυρίων αὐτῶν. Τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν τοίνυν ἐκείνων ὁ Δαβὶδ μεμνημένος, καὶ τῆς παροινίας ἀκούσας ὥρμησεν ὁπλισάμενος. Ἐλογίσατο γὰρ, ὡς ὁ μὲν Σαούλ εἶχεν ἀφορμὴν τῆς ἀδικίας τὴν δυναστείαν, καὶ τὸν φθόνον τῆς βασιλείας οὗτος δὲ οὐδεμίαν πρόφασιν ἔχων ἀλαζονείας, ταῖς ἐσχάταις κατ᾿ αὐτοῦ λοιδορίαις ἐχρήσατο. ### English translation (Claude) Why did the man who showed such patience toward Saul try to kill Nabal? Nabal too had received great kindness. For while David was living with his shepherds in the wilderness, he not only prevented his own men from taking anything that belonged to Nabal, but also drove off harm that came from elsewhere. The shepherds told Abigail this: “The men were very good to us; they did not hinder us, nor give orders to us, all the days we were with them; and when we were in the field they were like a wall around us, both day and night, all the days we were with them tending our flocks.” Such was the kindness; and the request was modest and showed their lack of necessities: “Let the young men find favor in your eyes,” he says, “for we have come on a good day. Give whatever your hand finds to the servants of your son David.” How do these words differ from those of beggars? But the brutish man not only gave nothing but added insult: “Who is David,” he says, “and who is the son of Jesse? Today the slaves are many who run away, each from his master.” Remembering those kindnesses and hearing the insult, David set out armed. For he reasoned that Saul had his power and his envy for the kingdom as an occasion for his injustice, but this man, with no pretext for arrogance, had used the worst abuse against him. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 25:7: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 25:15: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 25:16: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 25:8: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 25:10: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 25:13: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 25:2–13 (quotations 25:15–16, 8, 10). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.58 (PG 80 80:581; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-58). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 59 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-59/#p-1-59 - Source: PG 80 80:583 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: David rightly broke a rash oath of vengeance at Abigail's plea; Theodoret explains several words and names in the story. ### Greek text Τι δήποτε όμωμοκὼς καὶ αὐτὸν, καὶ τοὺς σὺν αὐτῷ κτείνειν, παρέβη τὸν ὅρκον ; Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ὅρκος τοῦ δικαίου θυμοῦ, ἡ δὲ φειδώ τοῦ σώφρονος λογισμοῦ. Δεξάμενος γὰρ τῆς ᾿Αβιγαίας τὴν ἱκετείαν, ἔσβεσε τὸν θυμόν. ῎Αμεινον γὰρ ἦν παραβῆναι τῆς ἀπειλῆς τὸν ὅρκον, ἢ τοσοῦτον ἐργάσασθαι φόνον. Τὸ δὲ ὑφεὶ σάτα ὁ ᾿Ακύλας ἡρμήνευσε τὸ δὲ γόμορ ἰσόμετρον εἶναι τῷ ὑφεὶ μεμαθήκαμεν ἐκ τῆς τοῦ θεσπεσίου Ἐζεκιήλ προφητείας Τὸ δὲ Νάβαλ ὄνομα εἰς τὴν Ἑλλάδα φωνὴν μεταβαλλόμενον, τὴν ἀφροσύνην σημαίνει. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ἡ ᾿Αβιγαία δεδήλωκε, καὶ τῆς τῶν Ἑβραϊκῶν ὀνομάτων ἑρμηνείας ἡ βίβλος *. Ὁ δὲ ᾿Ακύλας οὕτως ἔφη, Νάβαλ ὄνομα αὐτῷ, καὶ ἀπόῤῥευσις μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ. Τὴν αὐτὴν δὲ ἔχει διάνοιαν· ἀποῤῥέοντος γὰρ τοῦ λογικοῦ, καὶ σβεννυμένου, τὸ τῆς ἀφροσύνης ἐπιγίνεται πάθος Τὸ δὲ, Καθὼς ἐκώλυσέ σε Κύριος τοῦ μὴ εἰσελθεῖν εἰς αἷμα ἀθῶον, καὶ σώζειν τὰς χεῖράς σου σοι· ὁ ᾿Ακύλας Τοῦ μὴ μυσάζειν εἴρηκεν, ἀντὶ τοῦ· ἵνα μὴ μύσους ἐκ τῆς μιαιφονίας ἀναπλησθῇς. Καὶ τὸ, Οὐκ ἔσται σοι βδελυγμὸς καὶ σκάνδαλον καρδίας τῷ κυρίῳ μου· ἀντὶ τοῦ βδελυγμός, νυγμὸς ὁ ᾿Ακύλας εἴρηκεν· αἰνίτ τεται δὲ τὰς τοῦ συνειδότος ἀκίδας. Τὸ δὲ Βαρούχ, Κύριος εὐλογητός. Τὸ δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ Δαβὶδ εἰρημένον, Εὐλογημένη σὺ εἶ, ἀποκωλύσασά με σήμερον ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ μὴ εἰσελθεῖν εἰς αἵματα, καὶ σῶσαι τὴν χεῖρά μου ἐμοὶ, ἁμάρτημα γραφικὸν εἶναι ὑπολαμβάνω. Οἱ γὰρ ἄλλοι ἐρμηνευταὶ μὴ μυσῶσαι, εἰρήκασιν, ἀντὶ τοῦ, μὴ μύσους μεταλαχεῖν Τὸν μέντοι Κάρμηλον ἐνταῦθα Εὐσέβιος ὁ Καισαρεὺς οὐ τὸ ὄρος εἴρηκεν, ἀλλὰ κώμην τινὰ μέχρι τοῦ νῦν οὕτως ὀνομαζομένην, νότοθεν τῆς Ἱερουσαλήμ κειμένην, ἐν ᾗ φασιν ᾠκηκέναι τὸν Νάβαλ. ### English translation (Claude) Why, having sworn to kill both him and those with him, did he break the oath? The oath came from just anger, the sparing from a self-controlled mind. Accepting Abigail's plea, he quenched his anger. For it was better to break the oath of his threat than to commit so great a murder. Aquila rendered the “ephi” as “sata”; and we have learned from the prophecy of the inspired Ezekiel that the gomor is equal in measure to the ephi. The name Nabal, turned into Greek, means folly. Abigail too made this plain, and so does the book of the interpretation of Hebrew names. Aquila put it thus: “Nabal is his name, and outflow is with him.” It has the same sense; for when reason flows away and is quenched, the passion of folly follows. For “as the Lord has kept you from coming into innocent blood and from saving your hands for yourself,” Aquila said “from defiling yourself,” meaning: so that you may not be filled with pollution from the murder. And for “there shall be no abomination or stumbling of heart to my lord,” Aquila said “pricking” instead of “abomination”: it hints at the stings of conscience. “Baruch” means “blessed be the Lord.” What David said, “Blessed are you, who have kept me today, on this day, from coming into blood and from saving my hand for myself,” I take to be a scribal error; for the other translators said “not to be defiled,” meaning “not to share in pollution.” Eusebius of Caesarea says that the Carmel here is not the mountain but a village still so called today, lying south of Jerusalem, in which they say Nabal lived. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 25:22: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 25:18: allusion, high confidence - Ezek 45:11: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Sam 25:25: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 25:26: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 25:31: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 25:32: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 25:33: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 25:2: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 25 (LXX; quotations 25:22, 18, 25, 26, 31, 32, 33). Ezek 45:11 equates the ephah and homer measures. The “book of the interpretation of Hebrew names” is a name-list Theodoret uses repeatedly. Eusebius, Onomasticon, on Carmel; no identifier for this work exists in the site's list, so it is not tagged. A displaced phrase is put back in its place within the answer, and stray repetitions are removed, by logged corrections. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.59 (PG 80 80:583; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-59). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 60 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-59/#p-1-60 - Source: PG 80 80:585 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Saul slept in the midst of his army; David entered boldly but spared him and restrained Abishai. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον τὸ Σαούλ ἐκάθευδεν ἐν τῇ λαμπίνῃ; Λαμπίνη μὲν ἐστιν εἶδος ἁρμαμάξης, ὥσπερ αὖ καὶ ἀπήνη. Ὁ δὲ” ᾿Ακύλας οὐκ εἶπε λαμπίνῃ ἀλλὰ τῇ στρογγυλώσει δηλοῖ δὲ ὁ λόγος, τὸ ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ λαοῦ ὁ κατακεκλῖσθαι" τὸν βασιλέα, καὶ πανταχόθεν ὑπὸ τῶν ὀπλοφόρων τειχίζεσθαι• καὶ τοῦτο μᾶλλον ἀληθέστερον εἶναι νομίζω· «Εἶπε γὰρ, φησὶ, Δαβίδ πρὸς ᾿Αχιμέλεχ τὸν Χέτταῖον, καὶ πρὸς Ἀβεσᾶ υἱὸν Σαρουῖα, ἀδελφὸν Ἰωάβ, λέγων· Τις εἰσελεύσεται μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ εἰς τὴν παρεμβολὴν πρὸς Σαούλ. Τοιγάρτοι δεδήλωκεν ὁ λόγος, ὡς μεταξὺ τῆς στρατιᾶς ἐκάθευδεν ὁ βασιλεύς. ᾿Αλλ' εἰσῆλθε μὲν θαῤῥαλέως, ἐφείσατο δὲ σωφρόνως, καὶ πεπεδημένον ὕπνῳ λαβὼν οὐκ ἀπέκτεινεν ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν ᾿Αβεσὰ τοῦτο δρᾶσαι βουληθέντα κεκώλυκεν. Εἶπε γὰρ, φησίν, πρὸς αὐτόν· Μὴ διαφθείρῃς αὐτὸν, ὅτι τίς ἐποίσει χεῖρα αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ χριστὸν Κυρίου, καὶ ἀθωωθήσεται; ### English translation (Claude) How should “Saul was sleeping in the lampene” be understood? A lampene is a kind of covered carriage, like an apene. But Aquila did not say “lampene” but “in the round enclosure.” The phrase shows that the king lay in the middle of the people and was walled in on every side by the men-at-arms; and I think this is more true. For “David said,” it says, “to Ahimelech the Hittite and to Abishai son of Zeruiah, brother of Joab, Who will go down with me into the camp to Saul?” So the phrase showed that the king was sleeping in the middle of the army. He went in boldly, but spared him with self-control; finding him bound by sleep he did not kill him, but even prevented Abishai, who wanted to do it. For he said to him, “Do not destroy him; for who will put his hand on the Lord's anointed and be guiltless?” ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 26:5: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 26:6: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 26:7: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 26:9: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 26:5–9 (LXX λαμπήνη). Lines repeating this question's lemma and the note on Carmel from 1.59 are printed after the answer and are removed by a logged correction. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.60 (PG 80 80:585; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-60). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 61 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-59/#p-1-61 - Source: PG 80 80:587 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: David leaves Saul's death to God and, after sparing him again, gently reproves him and commits his cause to God. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον· Ἐὰν μὴ Κύριος παίσῃ αὐτὸν, ἢ ἡ ἡμέρα αὐτοῦ ἔλθῃ καὶ ἀποθάνῃ; καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Τὸ, Κύριος παίσῃ αὐτὸν, τὴν θεήλατον σημαίνει πληγήν, ἣν καὶ τὰ πρωτότοκα τῶν Αἰγυπτίων ὑπέμεινε, καὶ ὁ λαὸς ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ πολλάκις, καὶ Νάβαλ ὁ Καρμήλιος. Τὸ δὲ, ἢ ἡμέρα αὐτοῦ ἔλθῃ, τὸν κατὰ φύσιν ἐπαγόμενον θάνατον, ὃς γίνεσθαι πέφυκεν, ἢ ἐκ πλησμονῆς, ἢ ἐξ ἐνδείας, ἤ τινος τῶν ἐν ἡμῖν χυμῶν πλεονάσαντος. Ὁ δ᾽ ἐν πολέμῳ γινόμενος βίαιος μᾶλλον ἐστιν· ἐῤῥωμένοι γὰρ τὰ σώματα κατακτείνονται. Τὸ μέντοι δόρυ, καὶ τοῦ ὕδατος τὸν φακὸν εἴληφεν ὁ Δαβὶδ ὁ θαυμάσιος, ἵνα τὴν γεγενημένην πάλιν εὐεργεσίαν ἐπιδείξῃ. Πανταχῆ δὲ ὁ συγγραφεὺς τὴν θείαν κηρύττει προμήθειαν. Εἰρηκὼς γὰρ ὅτι πάντες ἐκάθευδον, ἐπήγαγεν, ὅτι Θάμβος Κυρίου ἐπέπεσεν ἐπ᾿ αὐτούς. ᾿Αξιάγαστα δὲ καὶ αὐτὰ τοῦ προφήτου τὰ ῥήματα. Δηλοῖ γὰρ ἣν πεποίηται τοῦ δυσμενοῦς βασιλέως κηδεμονίαν· Ζῇ γὰρ Κύριος, φησὶν, ὅτι υἱοὶ θανάτου ὑμεῖς, οἱ μὴ φυλάττοντες τὸν κύριον ὑμῶν τὸν βασιλέα τὸν χριστὸν Κυρίου. Καὶ πρὸς τούτοις εἰπὼν, ὡς εἰσῆλθε τις τοῦ λαοῦ ἀποκτεῖναι τὸν κύριόν μου τὸν βασιλέα, ὑπέδειξε τὸ δόρυ καὶ τὸν φακόν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ Σαούλ ὁ παλίμβουλος, καὶ παμπόνηρος, τὴν φωνὴν ἐπιγνοὺς εἴρηκεν, Ἡ φωνή σου αὕτη, τέκνον Δαβίδ; ὑπολαβών ὁ θεῖος εἶπεν ἀνὴρ, Φωνή μου, Κύριέ μου· δοῦλος σὸς, Κύριέ μου βασιλεῦ. Καὶ τῆς βασιλικῆς χειροτονίας - γεγενημένης, καὶ τῆς πνευματικῆς χάριτος μεταστάσης, δοῦλον ἑαυτὸν ὠνόμαζε τοῦ γεγυμνωμένου τῆς χάριτος, καὶ τοῦ διψῶντος τοῦ αἵματος. Εἶτα πράως τῷ τῆς σφαγῆς ἐπιμέμφεται πόθῳ· Ἵνα τί τοῦτο καταδιώκει ὁ κύριός μου ὁ βασιλεὺς ὀπίσω τοῦ δούλου αὐτοῦ; Τί ἥμαρτον, ἢ τίς ἐν ἐμοὶ κακία εὑρέθη; Καὶ νῦν ἀκουσάτω δὴ ὁ κύριός μου ὁ βασιλεὺς τὰ ῥήματα τοῦ δούλου αὐτοῦ. Εἰ ὁ Θεὸς ἐπισείει σε ἐπ᾿ ἐμὲ, ὀσφρανθείη ἡ θυσία σου. Εἰ δὲ υἱοὶ ἀνθρώπων, ἐπικατάρατοι οὗτοι ἐνώπιον Κυρίου. Ἔφη δὲ καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν, δι᾽ ἣν αὐτοῖς ἐπηράσατο ὅτι Ἐξέβαλόν με σήμερον, μὴ ἐστηρίχθαι ἐν κληρονομία Κυρίου, λέγοντες, Πορεύου καὶ δούλευε θεοῖς ἑτέροις. Τοῦτο δὲ οὐ διὰ ῥημάτων ἔλεγον, ἀλλὰ διὰ πραγμάτων ἠνάγκαζον δρᾶν. Πάντοθεν γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐξελαύνοντες, ἀνάγκην ἐπῆγον εἰς τὰς τῶν ἀλλοφύλων πόλεις ὡς ὀχυρὰς καταφεύγειν. ᾿Απέδωκε δὲ καὶ τὸ δόρυ, καὶ τὸν φακὸν, καὶ τῷ δικαίῳ κριτῇ τὴν οἰκείαν κρίσιν ἀνέθηκεν. ### English translation (Claude) How should “unless the Lord strikes him, or his day comes and he dies,” and what follows, be understood? “The Lord strikes him” signifies a blow sent by God, such as the firstborn of the Egyptians suffered, and the people often in the wilderness, and Nabal of Carmel. “Or his day comes” means death that comes naturally, which tends to come either from surfeit, or from want, or from an excess of one of the humors in us. Death in war is rather violent, for men are killed while their bodies are strong. The admirable David took the spear and the jar of water to show again the kindness that had been done. Everywhere the writer proclaims divine providence: having said that all were asleep, he added, “a stupor from the Lord had fallen on them.” The prophet's words too are admirable, for they show the care he took for the hostile king: “As the Lord lives,” he says, “you are sons of death, who do not guard your lord the king, the Lord's anointed.” And besides saying that one of the people had come in to kill “my lord the king,” he showed the spear and the jar. And when Saul, changeable and utterly wicked, recognized his voice and said, “Is this your voice, my son David?”, the divine man answered, “It is my voice, my lord; your servant, my lord the king.” Though he had received royal anointing and the spiritual grace had passed to him, he called himself the servant of the man stripped of grace and thirsting for blood. Then he gently rebukes the desire to kill: “Why does my lord the king pursue his servant? What have I done wrong, or what evil has been found in me? Now let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If God stirs you up against me, let your sacrifice be fragrant; but if it is the sons of men, cursed are they before the Lord.” And he gave the reason for cursing them: “for they have driven me out today, so that I am not established in the Lord's inheritance, saying, Go, serve other gods.” They did not say this in words, but by their deeds they forced him to do it. For by driving him out from everywhere, they compelled him to flee to the cities of the foreigners as strongholds. He returned the spear and the jar and entrusted his case to the just Judge. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 26:10: quotation, high confidence - Exod 12:29: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 25:38: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 26:11: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 26:12: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 26:16: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 26:17: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 26:18: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 26:19: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 26:22: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 26:23: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 26:10–25 (LXX; quotations 26:10, 12, 16, 17, 18–19). The Egyptian firstborn, Exod 12:29; Nabal, 1 Sam 25:38. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.61 (PG 80 80:587; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-61). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 62 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-59/#p-1-62 - Source: PG 80 80:589 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Samuel's death is mentioned a second time to introduce the story of the medium of Endor. ### Greek text Τί δήποτε τὰ περὶ τῆς τελευτῆς τοῦ Σαμουὴλ συγγράψας ἔμπροσθεν, πάλιν αὐτῆς ἐμνήσθη; Μέλλων τὰ κατὰ τὴν ἐγγαστρίμυθον διηγεῖσθαι, ἠναγκάσθη μνησθῆναι Σαμουήλ τελευτῆς. ### English translation (Claude) Why, having recorded Samuel's death earlier, did he mention it again? Because he was about to narrate the affair of the woman with a familiar spirit, he was obliged to mention Samuel's death. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 25:1: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 28:3: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 25:1; 28:3. This short question holds one question and answer. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.62 (PG 80 80:589; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-62). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 63 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-59/#p-1-63 - Source: PG 80 80:589 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Neither the medium nor a demon brought up Samuel: God himself pronounced through an apparition in Samuel's form a true sentence on Saul, as the Chronicler and the order of events show. ### Greek text Πῶς τὰ κατὰ τὴν ἐγγαστρίμυθον νοητέον; Τινές φασιν, ἀληθῶς αὐτὴν ἀνενηνοχέναι τὸν Σαμουήλ. Τινὲς δὲ τοῦτον μὲν τὸν λόγον ἀνέτρεψαν, δαίμονα δὲ τινα λαοπλάνον ἔφησαν δεῖξαι τὸ σχῆμα τοῦ Σαμουήλ, καὶ εἰπεῖν ἃ πολλάκις ἀκήκοε τοῦ Σαμουήλ εἰρηκότος, ἀγνοῆσαι δὲ τὸν χρόνον τῆς τοῦ Σαούλ τελευτῆς. Ἐγὼ δὲ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἀνόσιον ἡγοῦμαι καὶ δυσσεβές. Οὐ πείθομαι γὰρ τὰς νέκυας, οὐδὲ τὴν τυχοῦσαν ἀνάγειν ψυχὴν, μήτοιγε προφήτου, καὶ τοσούτου προφήτου. Δῆλον γὰρ, ὡς ἐν ἄλλῳ τινὶ χωρίῳ διάγουσιν αἱ ψυχαὶ, προσμένουσαι τὴν τῶν σωμάτων ἀνάστασιν. Τοιγάρτοι κομιδῆ δυσσεβὲς τὸ πιστεύειν τοσαύτην ἔχειν τὰς ἐγγαστριμύθους ἰσχύν. Τὸ δὲ γε δεύτερον ἀνοίας μᾶλλον, ἢ δυσσεβείας ἐστί. Τὸν ἀνόσιον γὰρ ἐκεῖνον ἀνατρέψαι πειραθέντες λόγον, ψευδῆ τὴν γεγενημένην ὑπέλαβον πρόῤῥησιν, καὶ τούτου χάριν αὐτὴν τοῖς τοῦ ψεύδους διδασκάλοις ἀνέθεσαν δαίμοσιν. ἐγὼ δὲ ἀναγνοὺς τῶν Παραλειπομένων τὴν βίβλον, εὗρον οὕτως εἰρηκότα τὸν τὴν ἱστορίαν συγγεγραφότα Καὶ ἀπέθανε Σαούλ ἐν ταῖς ἀνομίαις αὐτοῦ, αἷς ἡνόμησεν ἐν Κυρίῳ κατὰ τὸν λόγον Κυρίου - διότι οὐκ ἐφύλαξεν αὐτὸν, καὶ ὅτι ἐπηρώτησε Σαούλ ἐν τῇ ἐγγαστριμύθῳ τοῦ ἐκζητῆσαι· καὶ ἀπεκρίνατο αὐτῷ Σαμουὴλ ὁ προφήτης Καὶ οὐκ ἐξεζήτησεν ἐν Κυρίῳ· καὶ ἀπέκτεινεν αὐτόν. Δῆλον τοίνυν ἐντεῦθεν, ὡς αὐτὸς ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς, σχηματίσας ὡς ἡβουλήθη τὸ εἶδος τοῦ Σαμουήλ, ἐξήνεγκε τὴν ἀπόφασιν, οὐ τῆς ἐγγαστριμύθου δρᾶσαι τοῦτο δυνηθείσης, ἀλλὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ διὰ τῶν ἐναντίων ἐξενεγκόντος τὴν ψῆφον. Ακούομεν γὰρ αὐτοῦ λέγοντος, Κἂν ἀπέλθῃ πρὸς τὸν ψευδοπροφήτην, ἐγὼ Κύριος ἀποκριθήσομαι αὐτῷ.» Οὕτω καὶ διὰ τοῦ Βαλαάμ ηὐλόγησε τὸν λαὸν, καὶ διὰ τοῦ δυσσεβοῦς μάντεως προηγόρευσε τὰ ἐσόμενα, καὶ τὴν τῆς οἰκουμένης προεθέσπισε σωτηρίαν, οὐ τοῦ μιαροῦ πνεύματος φθεγξαμένου, ἀλλὰ τοῦ θείου καὶ παναγίου Πνεύματος ἐνεργήσαντος. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τινες ψευδὴ τὴν πρόῤῥησιν ὑπειλήφασι, προύργου νομίζω καὶ περὶ τούτου βραχέα διεξελθεῖν. Προεῖπεν ὁ συγγραφεὺς, ὅτι Ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις συναθροίζουσιν οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι τὰς παρεμβολὰς αὐτῶν, τοῦ ἐξελθεῖν εἰς πόλεμον ἐπὶ Ἰσραήλ· καὶ ἐξέρχονται, καὶ παρεμβάλλουσιν εἰς Σωνάμ. Καὶ συναθροίζει Σαούλ πάντα ἄνδρα Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ παρεμβάλλουσιν εἰς Γελβουέ. Καὶ εἶδε Σαούλ τὴν παρεμβολήν τῶν ἀλλοφύλων, καὶ ἐφοβήθη, καὶ ἐξέστη ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ σφόδρα, καὶ ἐπηρώτησε Σαούλ διὰ τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ οὐκ ἀπεκρίθη αὐτῷ Κύριος, καὶ ἐν τοῖς ὕπνοις, καὶ ἐν τοῖς δήλοις, καὶ ἐν τοῖς προφήταις Δήλους δὲ ἐκάλεσε τὰ διὰ τοῦ ἐφοὺδ σημαινόμενα καὶ εἶπε Σαούλ τοῖς παισὶν αὐτοῦ, Ζητήσατέ μοι γυναῖκα ἐγγαστρίμυθον. Δῆλον τοίνυν, ὡς τῶν Ἑβραίων καὶ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων ἐστρατοπεδευκότων, ἐπεζήτησε τὴν ἐγγαστρίμυθον ὁ Σαούλ· Εἶδε γὰρ, φησὶ, τὴν παρεμβολὴν τῶν ἀλλοφύλων, καὶ ἐφοβήθη. καὶ ἐξέστη ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ σφόδρα. ᾿Απελθὼν δὲ πρὸς τὴν ἐγγαστρίμυθον, καὶ θεόθεν δεξάμενος τὴν ἀπόφασιν, ἔπεσε παραυτίκα, οὔτε νύκτωρ φαγὼν, ἡνίκα λάθρα καταλιπὼν τὸ στρατόπεδον, τῆς ἐγγαστριμύθου πευσόμενος παρεγένετο· οὔτε διὰ πάσης τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης. Δεξάμενος δὲ τῆς γυναικὸς – τὴν παράκλησιν ἐδείπνησε, καὶ διανυκτερεύσας κατέλαβε τὴν παράταξιν. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἐδίδαξεν ἡ ἱστορία. Καὶ προσήνεγκεν ἐνώπιον Σαούλ, καὶ ἐνώπιον τῶν παίδων αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔφαγον, καὶ ἀναστάντες ἀπῆλθον τὴν νύκτα ἐκείνην. Εἶτα τοῦ φωτὸς ἀνασχόντος γέγονεν ἡ παράταξις. ᾿Αληθὴς δε τοίνυν ἡ πρόῤῥησις, ὅτι Αὔριον σὺ ἀποθανῇ, καὶ Ἰωνάθαν υἱός σου μετὰ σοῦ, καὶ τὴν παρεμβολὴν Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ σὲ δώσει Κύριος εἰς χεῖρας τῶν ἀλλοφύλων. Τούτων δὲ οὐδὲν ἔτι περιὼν ὁ θεῖος Σαμουήλ προειρήκει, ἀλλὰ μόνην τῆς βασιλείας τὴν στέρησιν· τοῦ δὲ γε Ἰωνάθαν οὐδεμίαν ἐποιήσατο μνήμην. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ καὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ τοῦ Ἰωνάθαν προείπε τὸν ὄλεθρον, καὶ τοῦ λαοῦ τὴν ἧτταν, καὶ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων τὴν νίκην. ᾿Αλλ᾽ ὑποπτεύουσι πλείους ἐν τῷ μεταξὺ διεληλυθέναι ἡμέρας· καὶ τὸν συγγραφέα, κατὰ τὸ ἰδίωμα τῆς Γραφῆς, ἀναλαβεῖν τὴν περὶ τοῦ πολέμου διήγησιν. Καὶ συνιδεῖν οὐκ ἐθέλουσιν, ὅτι καὶ τοῦ Σαμουὴλ τὴν τελευτὴν προειπὼν ὁ ἱστοριογράφος, πάλιν μετὰ πολλὰ ἔφη διηγήματα Καὶ Σαμουὴλ ἀπέθανε, καὶ ἐκόψατο αὐτὸν πᾶς Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ θάπτουσιν αὐτὸν ἐν Ἀρμαθὲμ τῇ πόλει αὐτοῦ. ᾿Ανέλαβε δὲ τουτὶ τὸ διήγημα, ἵν᾿ ὡς ἔφην, τὰ κατὰ τὴν ἐγγαστρίμυθον διηγήσηται. Οὕτω καὶ τὰ κατὰ τὸν πόλεμον ἀνέλαβεν, ἵνα διδάξῃ ὅπως οἱ σατράπαι τῶν ἀλλοφύλων συμπαρατάξασθαι σφίσι τὸν Δαβὶδ διεκώλυσαν. ὅπως δὲ τὴν Κεϊλὰν καταλαβὼν ἀνάστατον εὗρε γεγενημένην, καὶ ὅτι διώξας τοὺς Αμαληκίτας κατὰ κράτος ἐνίκησε, καὶ πλὴν ὀλίγων κατηκόντισεν ἅπαντας, καὶ τὴν λείαν ἅπασαν ἐπανήγαγε, τὴν τε οἱκείαν καὶ τὴν ἐκείνων. Αὐτίκα γοῦν τοῦτο πεπληρωκὼς τὸ διήγημα, ἀνέλαβε τὸν περὶ τοῦ πολέμου τῶν ἀλλοφύλων λόγον· καὶ ἐδίδαξεν ὅπως Ἰωνάθαν καὶ Σαούλ ἀνῃρέθησαν. Μαρτυρεῖ δὲ τῷ χρόνῳ καὶ ἡ τῆς δευτέρας ἱστορία τῶν Βασιλειῶν ἀρχή. Ἐγένετο γὰρ, φησὶ, μετὰ τὸ ἀποθανεῖν Σαούλ, καὶ Δαβὶδ ἀνέστρεψε τύπτων τὸν ᾿Αμαλήκ, καὶ ἐκάθισε Δαβὶδ ἐν Σεκελὰ ἡμέρας δύο. Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἀνὴρ ἦλθεν ἐκ τῆς παρεμβολῆς τοῦ λαοῦ τοῦ μετὰ Σαούλ, καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ διεῤῥωγότα, καὶ γῆ ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ. ᾿Ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἀναγκαῖον οἶμαι πάλιν ἐν κεφαλαίῳ θεῖναι τὰ ῥήματα. Τῆς στρατιᾶς τῶν ἀλλοφύλων ἀθροιζομένης, εἶδον οἱ σατράπαι σὺν τῷ ᾿Αγχοῦς τὸν Δαβίδ, καὶ δυσχεράναντες ἔπεισαν ὡς πολέμιον ἀπολῦσαι τὸν Δαβίδ. ᾿Αναστρέψας δὲ εὗρε πορθηθεῖσαν τὴν Κεϊλάν. Εὐθὺς οὖν ὁρμήσας καὶ τοὺς ᾿Αμαληκίτας εὑρὼν τοῖς σκύλοις ἐγτρυφῶντας, κατὰ κράτος ἐνίκησε, καὶ σὺν τοῖς οἰκείοις τὸν ἐκείνων ἐκομίσατὸ πλοῦτον. Τούτων γινομένων, καταλιπὼν ὁ Σαούλ τὸ στρατόπεδον, πρὸς τὴν ἐγγαστρίμυθον ἦκε. Δεξάμενος δὲ τὴν ἀπόφασιν, καὶ μετ᾿ ὀδύνης δεδειπνηκώς, διὰ πάσης μὲν τῆς νυκτὸς ἐποιήσατο τὴν πορείαν, ἕωθεν δὲ κατέλαβε τὸ στρατόπεδον. Εἶτα τῆς συμπλοκῆς γενομένης ἐσφάγη. ᾿Αληθὴς τοίνυν ἡ πρόῤῥησις· θεία γὰρ ἦν οὐ διὰ τοῦ Σαμουήλ, ὡς οἶμαι, γεγενημένη. Ἐκείνη μὲν γὰρ εἴρηκεν ὁ ἐθεάσατο σχῆμα· ὁ δὲ Σαούλ ἐκ τοῦ σχήματος ἑτόπασεν εἶναι τὸν Σαμουήλ· ἡ δὲ ἱστορία τὸ ὀφθὲν Σαμουήλ ὀνομάζει, διὰ τὸ οὕτω ἐκεῖνον πεπιστευκέναι. Οὕτω τοὺς ὀφθέντας τῷ ᾿Ἀβραὰμ ἀγγέλους, καὶ τὸν ἐκείνων δεσπότην, ἄνδρας ὠνόμασεν· ἐπειδὴ τοῦτο νενομικὼς ὁ πατριάρχης παρατέθεικε τράπεζαν. Οὕτω τοὺς οὐκ ὄντας θεοὺς ὀνομάζει θεοὺς καὶ ὁ Κύριος γὰρ ἡμῶν παρὰ πάντας τοὺς θεούς οὕτω κάνταῦθα τὸν ὀφθέντα ἐν σχήματι τοῦ Σαμουήλ, εἴτε ἄγγελον, εἴτε φάσμα τοῦ Σαμουήλ τὸ σχῆμα δεικνύον, ὠνόμασε Σαμουήλ. ἵνα πιστῶς δεξάμενος τὴν ἀπόφασιν στένων ἐξέλθῃ τὸν βίον ### English translation (Claude) How should the affair of the woman with a familiar spirit be understood? Some say that she really brought up Samuel. Others overturned this account and said that a demon who leads people astray displayed the form of Samuel and said what it had often heard Samuel say, but did not know the time of Saul's death. I consider the first view unholy and impious. For I am not persuaded that they bring up the dead, not even an ordinary soul, let alone that of a prophet, and so great a prophet. For it is clear that souls live in some other place, awaiting the resurrection of bodies. So it is utterly impious to believe that women with familiar spirits have such power. The second view is a matter of folly rather than impiety. For in trying to overturn that unholy account, they supposed the prediction that was made to be false, and for this reason ascribed it to the demons, the teachers of falsehood. But I, reading the book of Chronicles, found that the writer of the history said this: “And Saul died in his lawless deeds which he committed against the Lord, according to the word of the Lord, because he did not keep it, and because Saul inquired of the woman with a familiar spirit, to seek; and Samuel the prophet answered him; and he did not seek the Lord; and he killed him.” It is clear from this that the God of the universe himself, shaping the form of Samuel as he wished, pronounced the sentence; not that the woman with a familiar spirit was able to do this, but God pronounced his verdict even through his adversaries. For we hear him say, “Even if he goes to the false prophet, I the Lord will answer him.” So too through Balaam he blessed the people, and through the impious soothsayer foretold what would happen and prophesied the salvation of the world; it was not the foul spirit that spoke, but the divine and all-holy Spirit that worked. And since some have supposed the prediction false, I think it useful to go through this briefly too. The writer said earlier: “In those days the foreigners gather their armies to go out to war against Israel; and they go out and encamp at Shunem. And Saul gathers every man of Israel, and they encamp at Gilboa. And Saul saw the camp of the foreigners, and was afraid, and his heart was greatly dismayed; and Saul inquired of the Lord, and the Lord did not answer him, either in dreams or by the Urim or by the prophets.” (He called “Urim” the things signified through the ephod.) “And Saul said to his servants, Seek me a woman with a familiar spirit.” It is clear, then, that Saul sought the woman with a familiar spirit when the Hebrews and the foreigners had already encamped: “For he saw,” it says, “the camp of the foreigners, and was afraid, and his heart was greatly dismayed.” Having gone to the woman and received the sentence from God, he collapsed at once, having eaten nothing either during the night, when he left the camp secretly and came to consult the woman, or during that whole day. Accepting the woman's urging he dined, and after spending the night on the road he reached the battle line. For the history taught this: “And she set it before Saul and before his servants, and they ate, and rose and went away that night.” Then, when the light came up, the battle took place. So the prediction was true: “Tomorrow you will die, and Jonathan your son with you, and the Lord will give the camp of Israel and you into the hands of the foreigners.” The divine Samuel had foretold none of this while he was alive, but only the loss of the kingdom; he made no mention at all of Jonathan. But here he foretold the destruction of both Saul and Jonathan, the defeat of the people, and the victory of the foreigners. But many suspect that several days passed in between; yet the writer, according to the idiom of Scripture, resumed the account of the war. They are unwilling to see that the historian, having told of Samuel's death earlier, said again after many narratives, “And Samuel died, and all Israel mourned him, and they bury him in Armathaim, his city.” He took up this narrative again, as I said, so as to tell of the woman with a familiar spirit. In the same way he took up the account of the war again, to teach how the satraps of the foreigners prevented David from fighting alongside them, and how, reaching Keilah, he found it laid waste, and how he pursued the Amalekites and defeated them by force, killed all but a few, and brought back all the spoil, both his own and theirs. At once, at any rate, having completed this narrative, he resumed the account of the war of the foreigners and taught how Jonathan and Saul were killed. The beginning of the second history of the Kingdoms also bears witness to the timing: “It came to pass,” it says, “after Saul died, that David returned from striking Amalek, and David stayed in Ziklag two days. And on the third day, behold, a man came from the camp of the people that was with Saul, with his clothes torn and earth on his head.” But I think it necessary to set out the events again in summary. When the army of the foreigners was being gathered, the satraps saw David with Achish, and in displeasure persuaded him to send David away as an enemy. Returning, David found Keilah sacked. At once he set out, found the Amalekites reveling in the spoils, defeated them by force, and recovered their wealth along with his own. While this was happening, Saul left the camp and came to the woman with a familiar spirit. Receiving the sentence and dining in grief, he traveled through the whole night, and at dawn reached the camp. Then, when battle was joined, he was slain. So the prediction was true; for it was divine, and was not, I think, made through Samuel. The woman said what form she saw; Saul guessed from the form that it was Samuel; and the history names what was seen Samuel because he believed so. So too it called the angels who appeared to Abraham, and their Master, men, because the patriarch, thinking this, set a table before them. So too it names as gods those who are not gods: “For our Lord is above all gods.” So here too it named Samuel the one who appeared in the form of Samuel, whether an angel or an apparition displaying the form of Samuel, so that Saul, receiving the sentence with belief, might depart this life groaning. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 28:7: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 10:13: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 10:14: quotation, high confidence - Ezek 14:7: quotation, medium confidence - Num 23:7: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Sam 28:4: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 28:5: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 28:6: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 28:20: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 28:25: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 28:19: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 25:1: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 29:4: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 30:1: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 30:17: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 31:2: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 1:1: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 1:2: quotation, high confidence - Gen 18:2: allusion, high confidence - Ps 135:5 (134:5 LXX): quotation, medium confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 28; 1 Chr 10:13–14 (quoted as Theodoret gives it); Ezek 14:7 (quoted loosely); Balaam, Num 22–24; Abraham's visitors, Gen 18:2–8; Ps 135:5 (LXX 134:5); 1 Sam 28:4–7, 19, 25; 25:1; 29–30; 2 Sam 1:1–2. Theodoret names Keilah where 1 Sam 30:1 has Ziklag; translated as written. The Greek of the sentence beginning “But many suspect” was damaged: its missing words (“that several days passed in between; and the writer”) had been displaced into the quotation of 28:6 and are put back by logged corrections. Further displaced matter is removed by logged corrections: a marginal variant (“not even an ordinary soul … can women with familiar spirits bring up, let alone a prophet”) printed before the Balaam sentence, and a longer variant paragraph printed inside the word “form” near the end, which makes the same point (the intervening narrative misleads readers unfamiliar with Scripture's idiom into thinking time passed between the prophecy and Saul's death). Theodoret's view of the souls of the dead is translated as written. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.63 (PG 80 80:589; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-63). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 64 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-59/#p-1-64 - Source: PG 80 80:595 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: A demon told the medium who Saul was; God kept David from fighting with the Philistines against Israel. ### Greek text Καὶ πόθεν ἡ ἐγγαστρίμυθος τὸν Σαούλ ἐπέγνω; Εὐπετὲς ἦν τῷ λαοπλάνῳ δαίμονι διδάξαι τίς ὁ διαλεγόμενος. Τὸ μέντοι τὸν Δαβὶδ μὴ συμπαρατάξασθαι τοῖς ἀλλοφύλοις, θείας οἰκονομίας εἶναι ὑπείληφα. Οὐ γὰρ ἂν περιεῖδε τὸν λαὸν διολλύμενον ἀλλὰ πᾶσαν καὶ τοῦ λαοῦ, καὶ τοῦ Σαούλ ἐποιήσατο πρόνοιαν. ### English translation (Claude) And how did the woman with a familiar spirit recognize Saul? It was easy for the demon who leads people astray to tell her who was speaking. That David did not fight alongside the foreigners I take to have been God's dispensation; for he would not have looked on while the people were destroyed, but took every care both of the people and of Saul. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 28:12: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 29:4: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 28:12; 29:1–11. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.64 (PG 80 80:595; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-64). ## 1 Kingdoms Question 65 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-59/#p-1-65 - Source: PG 80 80:595 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God allowed the raid on Ziklag so that David would destroy Amalek and gain spoil; David fairly shared the spoil with those left behind. ### Greek text Τι δήποτε συνεχώρησεν ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ τὰς γυναῖκας αὐτῶν ἐξανδραποδισθῆναι, καὶ τὰ παιδία; Ἵν᾿ ἀλγοῦντες τοῖς ᾿Αμαληκίταις ἐπιστρατεύσωσι, καὶ τὴν πανωλεθρίαν αὐτοῖς κατὰ τὴν θείαν ἐπενέγκωσι πρόῤῥησιν· πρὸς δὲ τούτοις, καὶ ἵνα λείαν πλείστην λαβὼν πέμψῃ τοῖς ἀλλοφύλοις. καὶ εἰς εὔνοιαν αὐτοὺς ἀφελκύσηται πλείονα. Τὸ δὲ σύστρεμμα γαδδούρ ὁ Ἑβραῖος καλεῖ, ὁ ἑτέρωθι ἑρμηνεύεται πειρατήριον. Καλεῖται δὲ οὕτω τὸ λῃστρικὸν σύστημα. Τοὺς δὲ διακοσίους ἄνδρας, ἀτονήσαντας ἐκ τοῦ δρόμου μεμενηκέναι φησὶν ὁ ᾿Ακύλας οἷς πονηροί τινες οὐκ ἠβουλήθησαν ἀπονεῖμαι τὴν προσήκουσὰν μοῖραν. Αλλ' ὁ δικαιότατος βασιλεὺς οὐ μόνον τότε δέδωκεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ νόμον τέθεικεν, ὥστε τοὺς σκευοφόρους τῶν ἴσων τοῖς παραταττομένοις μεταλαγχάνειν. Ιστέον μέντοι, ὡς ὁ ᾿Ακύλας τῷ Ἑβραίῳ ἑπόμενος οὐ διεῖλεν ἀπὸ τῆς πρώτης τὴν δευτέραν τῶν Βασιλειῶν ἱστορίαν, ἀλλὰ μίαν τὰς δύο πεποίηκεν. ### English translation (Claude) Why did God allow their wives and children too to be carried off as captives? So that in their grief they would march against the Amalekites and bring utter destruction on them according to the divine prophecy; and besides, so that David, taking a great deal of spoil, might send it to the foreigners and win their good will further. The Hebrew calls the band “gaddour,” which elsewhere is translated “raiding party”; a band of robbers is so called. Aquila says that the two hundred men stayed behind because they were exhausted from the march; certain wicked men were unwilling to give them their proper share. But the most just king not only gave it then, but also made a law that those who stay with the baggage should receive an equal share with those in the battle line. It should be known, however, that Aquila, following the Hebrew, did not divide the second history of the Kingdoms from the first, but made the two one. ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 30:2: allusion, high confidence - Exod 17:14: allusion, medium confidence - Deut 25:19: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Sam 30:8: quotation, medium confidence - 1 Sam 30:10: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 30:22: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 30:24: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 30:25: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 30:26: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 30 (LXX γεδδούρ, 30:8, 15; the two hundred, 30:10, 21–25). The sending of spoil was to the elders of Judah in 30:26–31; Theodoret says “to the foreigners”, translated as written. The Amalekites' destruction, Exod 17:14; Deut 25:19. A displaced line belonging to 1.63 (on Abraham's table and on “gods” that are not gods) printed after the answer is removed by a logged correction. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 1.65 (PG 80 80:595; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-65). ## 2 Kingdoms Question 1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-59/#p-2-1 - Source: PG 80 80:597 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: David rightly punished the Amalekite who gloated over Saul's death and falsely claimed to have killed him. ### Greek text Τινὲς ἐπιμέμφονται τῷ Δαβίδ, ὡς πεφονευκότι τὸν μεμηνυκότα τὸν θάνατον τοῦ Σαούλ; Θαυμάζειν οὖν, ἀλλ᾽ οὐ ψέγειν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο προσήκει, τὸν προφήτην καὶ βασιλέα. Δυσμενοῦς γὰρ ἀνδρὸς ἀκούσας σφαγὴν ἐθρήνησεν καὶ οὐ μόνον ἐθρήνησεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πικρῶς ὡλοφύρατο ὁ δὲ μεμηνυκὼς οὐδὲν ἠδικημένος ἐπετώθαζε τῷ θανάτῳ· καὶ ταῦτα οὐ μόνον τοῦ Σαούλ πεπτωκότος, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ Ἰωνάθαν, ὃς ἀξιέπαινος ἦν, καὶ πλείστου στρατοῦ σὺν ἐκείνοις. Ἔπειτα καὶ ψεῦδος τοῖς λόγοις προσέθηκεν, ἑαυτὸν σφαγέα τοῦ Σαούλ ὀνομάσας. Πρὸς δὲ τούτοις, καὶ ᾿Αμαληκίτης ἦν, καθ' οὗ ὁ τῶν ὅλων Κύριος πάλαι τοῦ θανάτου τὴν ψῆφον ἐξενηνόχει. Ἀξιάγαστα δὲ καὶ αὐτὰ τοῦ προφήτου τὰ ῥήματα Πῶς γὰρ, φησὶν, οὐκ ἐφοβήθης ἐπενεγκεῖν τὴν χεῖρά σου διαφθείραι τὸν χριστὸν Κυρίου; Τὸ αἷμά δὲ σου ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλήν σου· ὅτι τὸ στόμα σου ἀπεκρίθη κατὰ σοῦ, λέγον, Ἐγὼ τεθανάτωκα τὸν χριστὸν Κυρίου. ### English translation (Claude) Some find fault with David for having killed the man who reported Saul's death. The prophet and king ought rather to be admired, and not blamed, for this. On hearing of the slaughter of a man who was his enemy he lamented, and not only lamented but mourned bitterly; while the messenger, who had suffered no wrong, was gloating over the death; and this when not only Saul had fallen, but also Jonathan, who was praiseworthy, and a very large army with them. Then he added a lie to his words, naming himself Saul's slayer. Besides, he was an Amalekite, against whom the Lord of the universe had long ago pronounced the sentence of death. The prophet's words too are admirable: “How,” he says, “were you not afraid to put out your hand to destroy the Lord's anointed? Your blood be on your head; for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, I have put the Lord's anointed to death.” ### Scripture references - 2 Sam 1:10: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 1:12: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 1:13: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 1:14: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 1:16: quotation, high confidence - Exod 17:14: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The question is put as an objection; it holds one question and answer. 2 Sam 1:1–16 (quotations 1:14, 16). The ban on Amalek, Exod 17:14; Deut 25:19. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 2.1 (PG 80 80:597; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-1). ## 2 Kingdoms Question 2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-59/#p-2-2 - Source: PG 80 80:597 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The chlidon taken from Saul was a gold arm ornament. ### Greek text Τί ἐστι χλιδών; Κόσμος ἐστὶ χρυσοῦς, ἢ τοῖς βραχίοσι περιτιθέμενος, ἢ τοῖς καρποῖς τῶν χειρῶν. Τοῦτο κὰνταῦθα δεδήλωκε, καὶ τὸν χλιδόνα, τὸν ἐπὶ τοῦ βραχίονος αὐτοῦ. Ὅθεν ὁ ᾿Ακύλας βραχιάλιον αὐτὸ κέκληκεν. ### English translation (Claude) What is a chlidon? It is a gold ornament put either on the arms or on the wrists. Here too it showed this: “and the chlidon that was on his arm.” That is why Aquila called it an armlet. ### Scripture references - 2 Sam 1:10: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Sam 1:10 (LXX χλιδών). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 2.2 (PG 80 80:597; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-2). ## 2 Kingdoms Question 3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-59/#p-2-3 - Source: PG 80 80:597 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: David mourned for Jonathan, for the people, for the Philistines' victory, and for Saul himself. ### Greek text Τίνος χάριν ὁ προφήτης ἐπένθησεν ; Πολλὰ τὸν θρῆνον εἰργάσατο. Τοῦ Ἰωνάθαν ὁ πόθος, ἡ περὶ τὸν λαὸν φιλοστοργία, τῶν δυσσεβῶν ἀλλοφύλων ἡ νίκη· καὶ πρὸς τούτοις, τοῦ Σαούλ ἡ σφαγή. Ὃν γὰρ ἡδεῖτο ζῶντα, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἠλέει τεθνηκότα. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἡ ἱστορία διδάσκει Καὶ ἐκόψαντο, καὶ ἔκλαυσαν, καὶ ἐνήστευσαν ἕως δείλης, ἐπὶ Σαούλ, καὶ ἐπὶ Ἰωνάθαν τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν λαὸν Ἰούδα, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον Ἰσραὴλ, ὅτι ἐπλήγησαν ἐν ρομφαίᾳ. ### English translation (Claude) Why did the prophet mourn? Many things produced the lament: his longing for Jonathan, his love for the people, the victory of the impious foreigners, and besides these, the slaughter of Saul. For the one he respected while alive he pitied much more when dead. The history teaches this too: “And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of Judah and for the house of Israel, because they had been struck by the sword.” ### Scripture references - 2 Sam 1:12: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Sam 1:12 (LXX). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 2.3 (PG 80 80:597; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-3). ## 2 Kingdoms Question 4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-59/#p-2-4 - Source: PG 80 80:599 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The reference to the Book of the Upright shows that Kingdoms was compiled from earlier prophetic books. ### Greek text Ποῖόν ἐστι τὸ βιβλίον τὸ εὐθές Δῆλόν ἐστι κάντεῦθεν, ὡς ἐκ πολλῶν προφητικῶν βιβλίων ἡ τῶν Βασιλειῶν ἱστορία συνεγράφη. Εἰπὼν γὰρ ὁ συγγραφεὺς τὰ περὶ τοῦ θρήνου, προσέθηκεν· Ἰδοὺ γέγραπται ἐπὶ τοῦ βιβλίου τοῦ εὐθοῦς. ### English translation (Claude) What is the Book of the Upright? It is clear from this passage too that the history of the Kingdoms was composed from many prophetic books. For the writer, after telling of the lament, added, “Behold, it is written in the Book of the Upright.” ### Scripture references - 2 Sam 1:18: quotation, high confidence - Josh 10:13: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Sam 1:18. The printed question lacks a question mark; the question is present. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 2.4 (PG 80 80:599; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-4). ## 2 Kingdoms Question 5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-59/#p-2-5 - Source: PG 80 80:599 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: David's lament calls Israel to weigh the greatness of its loss and not let the Philistines rejoice. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον, «᾿Ακρίβασαι, Ἰσραὴλ, περὶ τῶν τεθνηκότων σου τραυματιῶν Μὴ σμικράν τινα, φησὶ, καὶ τὴν τυχοῦσαν ὑπολάβῃς εἶναι τὴν γεγενημένην πληγήν· ἀλλὰ λόγισαι τίνες οἱ πεπτωκότες, ὅτι βασιλεὺς, καὶ βασιλέως υἱὸς, καὶ τῶν ὁμοφύλων οἱ ἄριστοι. Ὅτι δὲ σφόδρα αὐτὸν ἠνίᾳ τὸ πάθος, μαρτυρεῖ τὰ ἑξῆς Μή ἀπέλθετε γὰρ, φησὶν, εἰς Γὲθ, μηδὲ εὐαγγελίσησθε ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς ᾿Ασκάλωνος, ὅπως μὴ εὐφρανθῶσι θυγατέρες ἀλλοφύλων, μηδὲ γαυριάσωσι θυγατέρες ἀπεριτμήτων.» ### English translation (Claude) How should “Consider carefully, Israel, concerning your dead, the wounded” be understood? Do not suppose, he says, that the blow that has fallen is small or ordinary; but reckon who have fallen: a king, and a king's son, and the best of our countrymen. That the calamity grieved him greatly is attested by what follows: “Do not go to Gath,” he says, “nor announce it in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the foreigners rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised exult.” ### Scripture references - 2 Sam 1:19: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 1:20: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Sam 1:19–20 (LXX). The printed question lacks a question mark; the question is present. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 2.5 (PG 80 80:599; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-5). ## 2 Kingdoms Question 6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-59/#p-2-6 - Source: PG 80 80:599 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: David's curse on the mountains of Gilboa expresses the intensity of his grief. ### Greek text Τι δήποτε τοῖς ὄρεσιν ἐπηράσατο τοῖς Γελβουέ; Δηλοῖ καὶ τοῦτο τὴν τῆς ὀδύνης ὑπερβολήν. Καθἀπερ γὰρ οἱ μόριόν τι τοῦ σώματος κακῶς διακείμενοι, ἢ τοῖς τοίχοις, ἢ τῇ κλίνῃ προσαράσσουσι τὰς χεῖρας, διὰ τὰς τῆς ἀλγηδόνος ἀκίδας οὕτως ὁ θεῖος ἐκεῖνος ἀνὴρ, ὑπὸ τῆς πολλῆς ἀθυμίας φλεγόμενος, τοῖς ἀψύχοις ὄρεσιν ἐπηράσατο. ### English translation (Claude) Why did he curse the mountains of Gilboa? This too shows the excess of his grief. As people suffering in some part of the body beat their hands against the walls or the bed because of the stabs of pain, so that divine man, burning with great despondency, cursed the lifeless mountains. ### Scripture references - 2 Sam 1:21: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Sam 1:21. The staging notes that the OCR read the question number as 3. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 2.6 (PG 80 80:599; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-6). ## 2 Kingdoms Question 7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-59/#p-2-7 - Source: PG 80 80:599 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: David's comparison of Jonathan's love to the love of women expresses the depth of a pure friendship that unites souls, as marriage unites two in one flesh. ### Greek text Τινὲς κωμῳδοῦσι τὸ περὶ τοῦ Ἰωνάθαν εἰρημένον, «Ἐπέπεσεν ἡ ἀγάπη σου ἐπ' ἐμὲ, ὡς ἡ ἀγάπη τῶν γυναικῶν Ὡς ἡλίθιοι τοῦτο πάσχουσιν. Ἔδει γὰρ αὐτοὺς συνιδεῖν, ὡς δεῖξαι βουληθεὶς τῆς φιλοστοργίας τὸ θερμόν τε καὶ γνήσιων, τὴν εἰκόνα παρήγαγε. Τοσαύτη γάρ ἐστι τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἡ περὶ τὴν γυναῖκα διάθεσις, ὡς τὸν περὶ τοῦ γάμου νόμον εἰπεῖν· ε Ἀντὶ τούτου καταλείψει ἄνθρωπος τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ, καὶ προσκολληθήσεται πρὸς τὴν γυναῖκα αὑτοῦ, καὶ ἔσονται οἱ δύο εἰς σάρκα μίαν. Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Ἐλκανᾶ δεδήλωκε τὴν "Ανναν ψυχαγωγῶν· «Οὐκ ἀγαθός σοι γὰρ ἐγὼ, ἔφη, ὑπὲρ δέκα δευτέρους ποιεῖν εἰς ἀγάπησιν. Ωσπερ τοίνυν ὁ ἔννομος γάμος τοὺς συναφθέντας σάρκα μίαν ποιεῖ, οὕτω τῶν εἰλικρινῶς ἀγαπώντων ἑνοῖ τὰς ψυχὰς ἡ διάθεσις. ### English translation (Claude) Some mock what is said about Jonathan: “Your love fell upon me like the love of women.” They react this way because they are fools. They ought to have seen that, wishing to show the warmth and genuineness of his affection, he brought in this comparison. For so great is a husband's attachment to his wife that the law concerning marriage says, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” Elkanah too showed this when he consoled Hannah: “Am I not better to you,” he said, “than ten children?” As, then, the union of those joined by the law of marriage makes them one flesh, so the affection of those who love sincerely unites their souls. ### Scripture references - 2 Sam 1:26: quotation, high confidence - Gen 2:24: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 1:8: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Sam 1:26 (LXX); Gen 2:24; 1 Sam 1:8 (LXX). The question is put as an objection and the printed text lacks a question mark. A displaced fragment (a line of the lament, 2 Sam 1:19, and a broken first form of the closing comparison) is removed by a logged correction; the edition prints the comparison twice and the fuller form is kept. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 2.7 (PG 80 80:599; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-7). ## 2 Kingdoms Question 8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-59/#p-2-8 - Source: PG 80 80:601 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: David went first to Hebron, the patriarchs' city and the chief city of his own tribe Judah, where Judah made him king, while Abner set up Saul's son as a rival. ### Greek text Τίνος χάριν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν Δαβὶδ πρῶτον εἰς τὴν Χεβρὼν ἀνελθεῖν προσέταξεν; Τὸ μὲν ἀληθὲς αὐτὸς ὁ κελεύσας ἐπίσταται ἐγὼ δὲ οἶμαι διὰ τὸ τοὺς πατριάρχας κατ' ἐκείνην τὴν πόλιν καὶ ζῶντας οἰκῆσαι, καὶ τελευτήσαντας ἀξιωθῆναι ταφῆς. Πρὸς δὲ τούτοις καὶ δι' ἕτερον, ἐκ τῆς Ἰούδα φυλῆς ὁ θειότατος Δαβίδ· ταύτης δὲ τῆς φυλῆς κατ᾿ ἐκεῖνον τὸν καιρὸν μητρόπολις ἦν ἡ Χεβρών· ἔτι γὰρ τὴν Ἱερουσαλήμ οἱ Ἰεβουσαῖοι κατεῖχον. Ἡ δὲ τοῦ Ἰούδα φυλὴ τὸν Δαβίδ, ὡς φυλέτην, πλέον τῶν ἄλλων ἠγάπα. Ὅτι δὲ τῶν ἄλλων ἐπρώτευσεν ἡ Χεβρών, ἡ ἱστορία διδάσκει. ᾿Ανῆλθον γὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ κατώκησαν ἐν ταῖς πόλεσι Χεβρών. Ὅτι δὲ καὶ τὸ ἕτερον ἀληθὲς, δηλοῖ τὰ ἑξῆς· Καὶ ἔρχονται οἱ ἄνδρες Ἰούδα, καὶ χρίουσιν ἐκεῖ τὸν Δαβίδ, τοῦ βασιλεύειν ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον Ἰούδα. Τὸ δὲ, χρίουσιν ἀντὶ τοῦ χειροτονοῦσι τέθεικεν. Ἐκεχρίκει γὰρ αὐτὸν τῷ θείῳ ἐλαίῳ Σαμουὴλ ὁ προφήτης. Ὁ δὲ ᾿Αβεννὴρ ἀντεχειροτόνησε τὸν Μεμφιβοσθὲ, τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ Σαούλ, ὃν οἱ ἄλλοι ἑρμηνευταὶ Ἱσβαὰλ ὀνομάζουσι καὶ καταλιπὼν τὴν Ῥαμὰ καὶ τὴν Γαβαὼν, τὰ τοῦ Σαοὺλ οἰκητήρια, διέβη τὸν Ἰορδάνην, καὶ τὰς καλουμένας παρεμβολὰς βασιλικὴν ἀπέφηνε πόλιν ### English translation (Claude) Why did God command David to go up to Hebron first? The one who gave the command knows the true reason; but I think it was because the patriarchs lived in that city during their life and were granted burial there after their death. And besides, for another reason: the most divine David was of the tribe of Judah, and at that time Hebron was the chief city of that tribe, since the Jebusites still held Jerusalem. The tribe of Judah loved David more than the others did, as a fellow tribesman. That Hebron was first among the others the history teaches: “They went up,” it says, “and settled in the cities of Hebron.” That the other point is true too is shown by what follows: “And the men of Judah come and anoint David there to reign over the house of Judah.” He put “anoint” for “appoint”; for Samuel the prophet had anointed him with the divine oil. Abner set up Mephibosheth, the son of Saul, as rival king (the other translators name him Isbaal); and leaving Ramah and Gibeon, Saul's residences, he crossed the Jordan and made the place called “the camps” the royal city. ### Scripture references - 2 Sam 2:1: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 2:3: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 2:4: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 2:8: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 2:9: allusion, high confidence - Gen 23:19: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Sam 16:13: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Sam 2:1–9 (quotations 2:3, 4). Theodoret calls Saul's son Mephibosheth where the Hebrew has Ish-bosheth (LXX Memphibosthe; Aquila and others Isbaal); translated as written. “The camps” renders the LXX Παρεμβολαί, i.e. Mahanaim. The patriarchs' burial at Hebron, Gen 23:19; 49:31; 50:13. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 2.8 (PG 80 80:601; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-8). ## 2 Kingdoms Question 9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-59/#p-2-9 - Source: PG 80 80:601 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Abner's “play” was a duel of picked young men that led to battle; pursued by Asahel, Abner spared him as long as he could before killing him. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἀβεννήρ εἰρημένον, Αναστήτω δὴ παιδάρια ἐνώπιον ἡμῶν, καὶ παιξάτωσαν ; Ἀγῶνα πολεμικὸν τοῖς τῶν νέων ἀρίστοις προτέθεικε. Παίγνιον δὲ καὶ Παιδιὰν τὴν τούτων προσηγόρευσε συμπλοκὴν, τῇ κοινῇ καὶ μεγίστῃ παρατάξει παρεξετάζων τὴν μερικήν Ἰσάριθμοι δὲ τῶν φυλῶν ἐξ ἑκατέρας συνελέγησαν φάλαγγος. Ἡ σφαγὴ δὲ τούτων οὐκ ἔπαυσε τὴν συμπλοκήν, ἀλλ᾽ ἡρέτισε. Τῆς δὲ τροπῆς γενομένης, καὶ τῆς μὲν τοῦ ᾿Αβεννήρ στρατιᾶς κατατάχος φευγούσης, τοῦ δὲ Ἰωάβ κατακράτος διώκοντος, ὁ ᾿Ασαὴλ ὁ νεώτατος τοῦ Ἰωὰβ ἀδελφὸς, ὠκύτατος ῶν, καὶ ὁ τοῖς ὀξυτάτοις ἁμιλλώμενος ζώοις, οὐδένα μὲν τῶν ἄλλων ἐδίωκεν, ἐγλίχετο δὲ μόνον κατακοντίσαι τὸν ᾿Αβεννήρ. Ὁ δὲ καὶ διωκόμενος πράως ἄγαν καὶ φιλικῶς παρήνεσε τὸν θυμὸν εἰς ἄλλον τινὰ κατακενῶσαι τῶν φευγόντων στρατιωτῶν, καὶ οὐδὲ τοῦτον ἀνελεῖν, ἀλλὰ μόνον λαβεῖν τὴν σκευὴν παρηγγύησεν ἵνα ἔχῃ τινὰ τοῦ πόνου καρπόν. Ἀπειθοῦντα δὲ ἰδὼν, ἡμέρως ἠπείλησεν, ᾿Απόστηθι ἀπ᾿ ἐμοῦ, ἵνα μὴ πατάξω σε εἰς τὴν γῆν· καὶ πῶς ἀρῶ τὸ πρόσωπόν μου πρὸς Ἰωάβ τὸν ἀδελφόν σου;» Ἐπειδὴ δὲ εἶδε τῆς αὐτοῦ σφαγῆς ὀρεγόμενον, τῷ σαυρωτῆρι πλήξας, καὶ τὸν δρόμον ἔπαυσε, καὶ τὴν ζωὴν προσαφείλετο. ### English translation (Claude) How should Abner's words “Let the young men rise up before us and play” be understood? He set a contest of war before the best of the young men. He called their combat a game and play, comparing the partial combat with the general and very great battle. They were gathered from each army equal in number to the tribes. Their slaughter did not end the fighting but stirred it up. When the rout came, and Abner's army fled in haste while Joab pursued with force, Asahel, Joab's youngest brother, who was very swift and rivaled the fastest animals, pursued none of the others but longed only to spear Abner. Abner, though pursued, very gently and in a friendly way advised him to spend his anger on someone else among the fleeing soldiers, and urged him not even to kill that man, but only to take his armor, so that he might have some fruit of his labor. Seeing him disobey, he threatened him mildly: “Turn aside from me, lest I strike you to the ground; and how could I lift up my face to Joab your brother?” But when he saw him bent on killing him, he struck him with the butt of his spear, ending both his running and his life. ### Scripture references - 2 Sam 2:14: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 2:15: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 2:17: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 2:18: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 2:21: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 2:22: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 2:23: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Sam 2:14–23 (quotations 2:14, 22). “Equal in number to the tribes”: twelve on each side, 2:15. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 2.9 (PG 80 80:601; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-9). ## 2 Kingdoms Question 10 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-59/#p-2-10 - Source: PG 80 80:603 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Abner persuaded Joab to stop the pursuit by reminding him of kinship and of the reversals of war. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον, Μὴ εἰς νίκος καταφάγεται ἡ ῥομφαία Οἱ τοῦ ᾿Αβεννὴρ στρατιῶται φεύγοντες εἴς τινα λόφον κατέφυγον. Ὁ δὲ Ἰωάβ σὺν τοῖς ὑπηκόοις προσβαλεῖν ἐπεχείρει. Πάλιν τοίνυν συνετῶς καὶ πράως ὁ ᾿Αβεννὴρ ἀνέμνησε τὸν ἀρχιστράτηγον τῶν τοῦ πολέμου μεταβολῶν. Τοῦτο γὰρ δηλοῖ, Μὴ εἰς νίκος καταφάγεται ἡ ῥομφαία; οὐκ οἶδας, ὅτι πικρὰ τὰ ἔσχατα, καὶ ἕως πότε οὐ μὴ εἴπης τῷ λαῷ ἀποστρέφειν ἀπὸ ὄπισθεν τῶν ἀδελφῶν αὐτῶν;» Καὶ τῆς συγγενείας ἀνέμνησεν, ἵνα τὴν δυσμένειαν παύσῃ, καὶ τῶν πολέμων ἐδήλωσε μεταβολάς - πολλάκις γὰρ οἱ νικῶντες ἡττῶνται, καὶ οἱ διώκοντες φεύγουσιν. ῎Αλλως τε οὐδὲ δίκαιόν φησι τοὺς νικῶντας θεασαμένους τροπὴν πανωλεθρίαν ἐπαγαγεῖν τοῖς ἡττημένοις ζητεῖν· τοῦτο γὰρ δηλοῖ τὸ Μὴ εἰς νίκος καταφάγεται ἡ ῥομφαία;» Τούτοις εἶξε τοῖς λόγοις ὁ Ἰωάβ· καὶ τῇ σάλπιγγι σημάνας, τὴν δίωξιν ἔπαυσεν. ### English translation (Claude) How should “Shall the sword devour forever?” be understood? Abner's soldiers in their flight took refuge on a hill, and Joab with his men was trying to attack. So Abner again, wisely and gently, reminded the commander-in-chief of the reversals of war. For this is what “Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that the end will be bitter? How long will you not tell the people to turn back from pursuing their brothers?” shows. He reminded him of their kinship, to end the hostility, and pointed out the reversals of wars; for often the victors are defeated and the pursuers flee. Besides, he says, it is not just for victors who have seen the enemy routed to seek to bring utter destruction on the defeated; for this is what “Shall the sword devour forever?” shows. Joab yielded to these words, and, sounding the trumpet, stopped the pursuit. ### Scripture references - 2 Sam 2:25: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 2:26: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 2:28: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Sam 2:25–28 (quotation 2:26, LXX “to victory”/“forever”). The printed question lacks a question mark; the question is present. The staging notes that the OCR read the question number as 3. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 2.10 (PG 80 80:603; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-10). ## 2 Kingdoms Question 11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-59/#p-2-11 - Source: PG 80 80:603 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: David could take Michal back because he had never dismissed her: Saul gave her to another by force, so that union was not a marriage and the law against return did not apply. ### Greek text Τοῦ νόμου διαγορεύοντος, τὴν ἀφισταμένην τοῦ ἀνδρὸς γυναῖκα, καὶ ἑτέρῳ συναπτομένην, μὴ ἐπανιέναι πρὸς τὸν πρότερον ἄνδρα, πῶς ὁ μακάριος Δαβὶδ ἠνέσχετο τὴν Μελχόλ πάλιν λαβεῖν γημαμένην ἑτέρῳ; Ὁ νόμος ἐκέλευσε τὴν παρὰ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἀπολυθεῖσαν, καὶ συναφθεῖσαν ἑτέρῳ, μὴ ἀναστρέφειν πρὸς τὸν πρότερον ἄνδρα. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ διὰ Ἱερεμίου τοῦ προφήτου δεδήλωκεν ὁ Θεός. Ἔφη δὲ οὕτως· «Ἐὰν ἀπολύσῃ ἀνὴρ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ, καὶ πορευθῇ, καὶ γένηται ἀνδρὶ ἑτέρῳ, μὴ ἀνακάμπτουσα ἀνακάμψει πρὸς αὐτὸν ἔτι; οὐ μιαινομένη μιανθήσεται ἡ γυνὴ ἐκείνη; Σὺ δὲ ἐξεπόρνευσας εἰς ποιμένας πολλοὺς, καὶ ἀνέκαμπτες πρός με, λέγει Κύριος. ᾿Αλλ' ὁ βασιλεὺς Δαβίδ οὐκ ἀπολελύκει τὴν Μελχόλ· ὁ δὲ ἐκείνης πατὴρ παρανόμως αὐτὴν τοῦ ὁμοζύγου ἀποστήσας, ἐδεδώκει ἑτέρῳ. Βία τοίνυν, οὐ γάμος ἦν ἡ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον συνάφεια. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ὁ θεῖος ᾿Απόστολος ἔφη ῎Ἄρα οὖν ζῶντος τοῦ ἀνδρὸς μοιχαλὶς χρηματίζει, ἐὰν γένηται ἀνδρὶ ἑτέρῳ. ῎Ακουσα δὲ αὕτη συνήφθη ἑτέρῳ. Οὐ τοίνυν Δαβὶδ παρέβη τὸν νόμον, ἀλλ᾽ ὁ ταύτην ἑτέρῳ συνάψας. Οὐδὲ γὰρ γάμος ὁ παρανόμως γεγενημένος· τῇ δὲ τοῦ πατρὸς βίᾳ συγγνοὺς ὁ Δαβίδ ἀνέλαβε τὴν γυναῖκα. ### English translation (Claude) Since the law declares that a wife who leaves her husband and is joined to another may not return to her former husband, how could the blessed David bring himself to take Michal back after she had married another? The law commanded that a woman dismissed by her husband and joined to another should not return to her former husband. God declared this also through Jeremiah the prophet, saying thus: “If a man dismisses his wife, and she goes and becomes another man's, will she ever return to him? Will not that woman be utterly defiled? But you have played the harlot with many shepherds, and yet you returned to me, says the Lord.” But King David had not dismissed Michal; her father had lawlessly taken her from her husband and given her to another. The union with that man, then, was violence, not marriage. The divine Apostle too said this: “Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she becomes another man's while her husband is alive.” She was joined to another against her will. So it was not David who transgressed the law, but the man who joined her to another. For a union made lawlessly is not a marriage; and David, pardoning her for her father's violence, took back his wife. ### Scripture references - Deut 24:4: allusion, high confidence - Jer 3:1: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 25:44: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 3:14: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 3:15: allusion, high confidence - Rom 7:3: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Sam 3:13–16; 1 Sam 25:44. The law: Deut 24:1–4; quotations: Jer 3:1 (LXX); Rom 7:3. Theodoret's reasoning on Michal's two unions is translated as written. A duplicated phrase (“by violence he had given”) printed inside the sentence is removed by a logged correction. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 2.11 (PG 80 80:603; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-11). ## 2 Kingdoms Question 12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-59/#p-2-12 - Source: PG 80 80:605 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Joab killed Abner out of envy under the pretext of vengeance; David lamented Abner, cursed Joab's house, and finally ordered Joab's death. ### Greek text Τίνος ἕνεκα τὸν Ἀβεννὴρ ἀνεῖλεν ὁ Ἰωάβ; Πρόφασιν μὲν ἔσχε τοῦ Ἀσαὴλ τὴν σφαγήν ἀληθῆ δὲ αἰτίαν, τὸν φθόνον. Ἤδει γὰρ ὡς τῆς στρατηγίας ἐκείνης ἀξιωθήσεται, πάντα τῷ βασιλεῖ προσάγων τὸν Ἰσραήλ. Ἡ φιλαρχία τοίνυν αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν μιαιφονίαν καθώπλισεν· ὁ δὲ τὰ πάντα ἄριστος βασιλεὺς, καὶ τὸν ἀδίκως ἀνῃρημένον ἐθρήνησε, καὶ τὸν ἀδίκως ἀνῃρηκότα πολλαῖς ὑπέβαλε καὶ παντοδαπαῖς ἀραῖς. ᾿Αθῷος γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐγὼ, καὶ ἡ βασιλεία μου ἀπὸ Κυρίου, ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν, καὶ ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος. Αἷμα ᾿Αβεννὴρ υἱοῦ Νὴρ ἐπὶ κεφαλὴν Ἰωάβ, καὶ ἐπὶ πάντα τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ· καὶ μὴ ἐκλίπῃ ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου Ἰωάβ γονοῤῥυὴς, καὶ λεπρὸς, καὶ κρατῶν σκυτάλην, καὶ πίπτων ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ, καὶ ἐλαττούμενος ἄρτων. Γονοῤῥυὴς δὲ καὶ λεπρὸς κατὰ τὸν νόμον ἀκάθαρτος, καὶ τῆς κοινῆς πολιτείας κεχωρισμένος. Σκυτάλῃ δὲ χρῶνται οἱ σῶμα πεπηρωμένοι. Ὅθεν ὁ ᾿Ακύλας τυφλὸν τὸν τοιοῦτον ὠνόμασεν Ἐπηράσατο τοίνυν τῷ ἐκείνου γένει, παντοδαπὴν ἀσθένειαν σώματος, πενίαν ἐσχάτην, τὴν διὰ ξίφους σφαγήν καὶ μέντοι καὶ τελευτῶν αὐτὸν ἀναιρεθῆναι προσέταξεν. ### English translation (Claude) Why did Joab kill Abner? He had the slaughter of Asahel as a pretext, but envy as the true cause. For he knew that Abner would be granted the command of the army for bringing all Israel over to the king. So love of power armed him for the murder. But the king, best in everything, both lamented the man unjustly killed and laid many curses of every kind on the one who had unjustly killed him: “I am innocent,” he says, “and my kingdom, before the Lord, from now and forever, of the blood of Abner son of Ner. May it fall on the head of Joab and on all his house; and may there never be lacking from the house of Joab one with a discharge, or a leper, or one who leans on a staff, or one who falls by the sword, or one who lacks bread.” One with a discharge and a leper were unclean according to the law and excluded from the common life. Those who are crippled in body use a staff; that is why Aquila called such a man blind. So he cursed that man's family with every kind of bodily weakness, extreme poverty, and death by the sword; and indeed at the end of his life he commanded that Joab himself be put to death. ### Scripture references - 2 Sam 3:27: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 3:28: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 3:29: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 3:33: allusion, high confidence - Lev 13:46: allusion, medium confidence - Lev 15:2: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Kgs 2:5: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 2:6: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Sam 3:27–39 (quotation 3:28–29, LXX); the law on discharge and leprosy, Lev 13:46; 15; David's charge, 1 Kgs 2:5–6. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 2.12 (PG 80 80:605; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-12). ## 2 Kingdoms Question 13 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-59/#p-2-13 - Source: PG 80 80:605 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: David laments that Abner, a wise and brave man, died not like Nabal by God's judgment but by treachery. ### Greek text Τι ἐστιν· «Εἰ κατὰ θάνατον Νάβαλ ἀποθανεῖται ᾿Αβεννήρ; Ἐκεῖνος, φησὶν, ὡς ἀπηνὴς, καὶ ἄδικος, καὶ ἀχάριστος, μάλα δικαίως ὑπεβλήθη θεηλάτῳ πληγῇ. Ὁ δὲ ᾿Αβεννὴρ, καὶ ἐν συμβουλαῖς ἴσος, καὶ ἐν πολέμοις ἀνδρεῖος. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἐπήγαγεν· Αἱ χεῖρές σου οὐκ ἐδέθησαν, οὐδὲ οἱ πόδες σου ἐν πέδαις· ἐνώπιον υἱοῦ ἀδικίας ἔπεσας. Οὐ παραταττόμενος, φησίν, ἡττήθης, καὶ ὡς δορυάλωτος ἐπεδήθης· ἀλλ᾽ ὑπόκρισίς σοι φιλίας ἐπήνεγκε τὴν πληγήν. Ὁ μὲν οὖν βασιλεὺς ἀλγήσας ἐθρήνησεν· ὁ δὲ θρῆνος τοῦ λαοῦ τὴν εὔνοιαν ηὔξησεν. ### English translation (Claude) What does “Should Abner die as Nabal died?” mean? That man, he says, was harsh, unjust and ungrateful, and very justly was subjected to a blow sent by God. But Abner was both wise in counsel and brave in war. For he added, “Your hands were not bound, nor your feet put in fetters; you fell before a son of injustice.” You were not defeated in battle, he says, and bound as a prisoner of war; but a pretense of friendship dealt you the blow. The king, then, lamented in his grief; and the lament increased the people's good will. ### Scripture references - 2 Sam 3:33: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 3:34: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 3:36: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 25:38: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Sam 3:33–37 (quotation 3:33–34, LXX). The staging notes that the OCR read the question number as 20. A displaced fragment on Michal (David judged his wife worthy of pardon, since she had acted under her father's compulsion; a variant of the end of 2.11) had been printed inside the last sentence and is removed by a logged correction. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 2.13 (PG 80 80:605; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-13). ## 2 Kingdoms Question 14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-59/#p-2-14 - Source: PG 80 80:607 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: David could not yet punish the powerful Joab and left him to God, but promptly executed the murderers of Saul's son. ### Greek text Τι δήποτε μετὰ τὴν ἄδικον σφαγὴν οὐκ ἀνεῖλε τὸν Ἰωάβ ; Αὐτὸς ἐν τοῖς λόγοις δεδήλωκεν Οὗτοι γὰρ, φησὶν, οἱ ἄνδρες οἱ υἱοὶ Σαρουΐα σκληρότεροί μου εἰσίν. Ὅθεν αὐτοὺς τῷ Θεῷ παραδέδωκεν Ανταποδῷ Κύριος τῷ ποιοῦντι πονηρὰ κατὰ τὴν κακίαν αὐτοῦ. Ἔνθα γὰρ αὐτῷ ῥάδιον χρήσασθαι τῷ δικαίῳ θυμῷ, οὐδεμίαν ποιεῖται φειδώ. Αὐτίκα γοῦν τοὺς τὸν Μεμφιβοσθὲ πεφονευκότας, καὶ τὴν ἐκείνου κομίσαντας κεφαλὴν, ἀκροτηριάσας ἐσταύρωσε, καίτοι νενομικότας πᾶσαν αὐτῷ προσάγειν τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ τὴν βασιλείαν τῇ τοῦ βασιλεύσαντος ἐκείνων σφαγῇ. ᾿Αλλ' ἐκείνους μὲν οὕτως ἀνεῖλε· τὴν δὲ τοῦ δυσμενοῦς κεφαλὴν ἐντίμως ταφῇ παρέδωκεν. ### English translation (Claude) Why, after the unjust slaughter, did he not kill Joab? He himself made it plain in his words: “For these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are harder than I.” So he handed them over to God: “May the Lord repay the evildoer according to his wickedness.” For where it was easy for him to exercise just anger, he showed no leniency. At once, for example, he had the murderers of Mephibosheth, who brought him his head, mutilated and hanged, although they thought they were bringing him the whole kingdom of Israel by the slaughter of their king. But he killed them so, and gave the head of his enemy an honorable burial. ### Scripture references - 2 Sam 3:39: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 4:7: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 4:12: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Sam 3:39 (quotation); 4:5–12. As in 2.8, Theodoret calls Saul's son Mephibosheth (Ish-bosheth in the Hebrew); translated as written. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 2.14 (PG 80 80:607; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-14). ## 2 Kingdoms Question 15 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-59/#p-2-15 - Source: PG 80 80:607 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: David's three anointings are Samuel's and the two appointments by Judah and then by all Israel. ### Greek text Τίνος χάριν ὁ Δαβὶδ τρίτον ἐχρίσθη, Τῆς μὲν βασιλικῆς χρίσεως διὰ τοῦ Σαμουήλ ἠξιώθη· τὰς δὲ τοῦ λαοῦ χειροτονίας χρίσεις ἡ ἱστορία καλεῖ. Προτέρα μὲν γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐχειροτόνησεν ἡ Ἰούδα φυλή. Ἑπτὰ δὲ ἔτεσιν ὕστερὸν καὶ ἄλλαι φυλαὶ κατεδέξαντο βασιλέα. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἡ ἱστορία δεδήλωκε Καὶ χρίουσι τὸν Δαβὶδ εἰς βασιλέα ἐπὶ πάντα τὸν Ἰσραήλ. Εἶτα ἐπήγαγε· Τριάκοντα ἐτῶν Δαβὶδ ἐν τῷ βασιλεύειν αὐτὸν, καὶ τεσσαράκοντα ἔτὴ ἐβασίλευσεν ἐν Χεβρὼν καὶ ἐπὶ Ἰούδαν ἔτη ἑπτὰ μῆνας ἕξ καὶ ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ τριάκοντα καὶ δύο ἔτη καὶ μῆνας ἓξ, ἐπὶ πάντα Ἰσραὴλ καὶ Ἰούδαν. ### English translation (Claude) Why was David anointed a third time? He was granted the royal anointing through Samuel; the history calls the people's appointments anointings. First the tribe of Judah appointed him; seven years later the other tribes too accepted him as king. The history showed this too: “And they anoint David king over all Israel.” Then it added: “David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years: in Hebron over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem thirty-two years and six months over all Israel and Judah.” ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 16:13: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 2:4: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 5:3: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 5:4: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 5:5: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Sam 16:13; 2 Sam 2:4; 5:3–5 (quotations, LXX; the Hebrew has thirty-three years in Jerusalem). The printed question ends with a comma; the question is present. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 2.15 (PG 80 80:607; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-15). ## 2 Kingdoms Question 16 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-59/#p-2-16 - Source: PG 80 80:607 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: David took Jerusalem from the Jebusites, perhaps through the water channel, and made Zion the city of David; “the Lord Almighty was with him” shows that the Spirit is Lord Almighty. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον τὸ, «Πᾶς ὁ τύπτων Ἰεβουσαῖον ἀπτέσθω ἐν παραξιφίδι; Ἑβραῖός τις εἶπε τὸ, Πᾶς τύπτων Ἰεβουσαῖον ἀπτέσθω ἐν παραξιφίδι, ἐκδεδωκέναι τὸν ᾿Ακύλαν, ῾Απτόμενος ἐν τῷ κρουνῷ τοῦτο λέγων, ὅτε φειδόμενος ὁ Δαβὶδ τοῦ τείχους τῆς πόλεως, διὰ τοῦ ὁλκοῦ τοῦ ὕδατος ἐπέταττε τοῖς ὁπλίταις εἴσω παρελθεῖν τῆς πόλεως. Οἱ γὰρ Ἰεβουσαῖοι μέχρις ἐκείνου τοῦ καιροῦ κατείχον τὴν Ἱερουσαλήμ. Παραυτίκα γοῦν τοῦ ἐμφυλίου πολέμου παυσαμένου, κατὰ τούτων ἐστράτευσε πρῶτον ὁ βασιλεύς. Ἐκεῖνοι δὲ καταφρονοῦντες τῆς στρατιᾶς, τοὺς τὸ σῶμα πεπηρωμένους ἐπὶ τὸ τεῖχος ἀναβιβάσαντες ἐπιτωθάζειν ἐκέλευον, καὶ λέγειν, ὡς οὐκ εἰσελεύσεται Δαβὶδ εἰς τὴν πόλιν. Ἑλὼν τοιγαροῦν τὴν ἀκρόπολιν· ταύτην γὰρ λέγει περιοχήν ἤλαυνε κατακράτος τοὺς πολεμίους, εἰς ἀνδρείαν παραθήγων τοὺς στρατιώτας, καὶ πάντας ἄρδην κατακοντίζειν κελεύων, κατὰ τὴν ἀρχῆθεν τοῦ Θεοῦ γεγενημένην ἀπόφασιν. Νενικηκὼς δὲ, καὶ τῶν ἀλλογενῶν ἐλευθερώσας τὴν πόλιν, Δαβὶδ αὐτὴν προσηγόρευσε πόλιν. Οὕτω δὲ τὴν Σιὼν ὀνομάζει, τουτέστι τὴν ἄνω πόλιν. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ἡ ἱστορία φησί Καὶ ἐκάθισε Δαβὶδ ἐν τῇ περιοχῇ, καὶ ἐκλήθη αὕτη ἡ πόλις Δαβίδ. Καὶ ᾠκοδόμησε τὴν πόλιν κύκλῳ ἀπὸ τῆς ἄκρας, καὶ τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ Εἶτα διδάσκει καὶ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ συμμαχίαν Καὶ ἐπορεύετο Δαβίδ πορευόμενος, καὶ μεγαλυνόμενος, καὶ Κύριος παντοκράτωρ μετ' αὐτοῦ. Οὗτος δὲ ὁ λόγος τῶν τὸ πανάγιον Πνεῦμα σμικρύνειν πειρωμένων ἐλέγχει τὴν βλασφημίαν. Κύριος γὰρ παντοκράτωρ ὠνομάσθη πολλάκις. ### English translation (Claude) How should “Let everyone who strikes a Jebusite attack with the dagger” be understood? A Hebrew said that Aquila rendered “Let everyone who strikes a Jebusite attack with the dagger” as “touching at the water channel,” saying that David, sparing the city's wall, ordered the armed men to get into the city through the water conduit. For the Jebusites held Jerusalem until that time. As soon as the civil war had ended, the king campaigned against them first. They, despising his army, had those who were crippled in body brought up onto the wall and told them to jeer and say that David would not enter the city. Having taken the citadel (for this is what he calls the stronghold), he drove the enemy back by force, spurring his soldiers to bravery and ordering them to cut them all down, according to the sentence God had pronounced from the beginning. Having conquered and freed the city from the foreigners, he called it the city of David. So he names Zion, that is, the upper city. For the history says this too: “And David dwelt in the stronghold, and it was called the city of David. And he built the city round about from the citadel, and his house.” Then it teaches God's alliance as well: “And David went on, growing greater, and the Lord Almighty was with him.” This saying refutes the blasphemy of those who try to belittle the all-holy Spirit; for he has often been called Lord Almighty. ### Scripture references - 2 Sam 5:6: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 5:8: quotation, high confidence - Deut 7:2: allusion, medium confidence - 2 Sam 5:9: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 5:10: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Sam 5:6–10 (LXX; quotations 5:8, 9, 10). The ban on the peoples of Canaan, Deut 7:1–2; 20:17. The closing remark is aimed at those who deny the full divinity of the Holy Spirit (the Pneumatomachians); translated as written. The printed question lacks a question mark; the staging notes that the OCR read its number as 13. A displaced line (“despising the army, those crippled in body”) printed inside the question is put back in its place later in the answer by logged corrections. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 2.16 (PG 80 80:607; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-16). ## 2 Kingdoms Question 17 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-59/#p-2-17 - Source: PG 80 80:609 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The “valley of the Titans” is the valley of Rephaim, named after giants who once fought there. ### Greek text Κοιλάδα Τιτάνων τίνα λέγει; Τοὺς γίγαντας καὶ Τιτᾶνας ὠνόμαζον· ὁ δὲ Ἑβραῖος 'Ραφαεὶμ αὐτοὺς κέκληκεν. Ἔσχε δὲ τοιούτους ἄνδρας καὶ ἡ Χεβρών, καὶ ἡ Γέθ· καὶ ἐκ τούτων ἦν καὶ ὁ Γολιάθ, καὶ ἄλλοι τινὲς, ὧν ὁ συγγραφεὺς ἐμνήσθη τῶν ἀριστέων, τοῦ Δαβίδ τὰς ἀνδραγαθίας συγγράφων. Εἰκὸς τοίνυν ἐν τῷδε τῷ χωρίῳ πάλαι τινὰ τούτων γενέσθαι παράταξιν, καὶ λαβεῖν ἐκ τούτων τὴν ἐπωνυμίαν τὸν τόπον. ### English translation (Claude) What does he mean by the valley of the Titans? They called the giants Titans as well; the Hebrew calls them Rephaim. Hebron had such men, and so did Gath; Goliath was one of them, as were some others of the champions whom the writer mentioned when recording David's brave deeds. It is likely, then, that a battle against some of them took place in that region long ago, and that the place took its name from them. ### Scripture references - 2 Sam 5:18: allusion, high confidence - Num 13:33: allusion, medium confidence - 2 Sam 21:22: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Sam 5:18, 22 (LXX “valley of the Titans”). Giants at Hebron, Num 13:22, 33; at Gath, 2 Sam 21:15–22. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 2.17 (PG 80 80:609; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-17). ## 2 Kingdoms Question 18 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/1-59/#p-2-18 - Source: PG 80 80:609 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God's changing commands trained David to rely on God's help rather than his own strength. ### Greek text Τί δήποτε ποτὲ μὲν κελεύει τῷ Δαβὶδ ὁ Θεὸς συμπλακῆναι τοῖς ἀλλοφύλοις, ποτὲ δὲ κώλύει; Ὡς πάνσοφος παιδοτρίβης αὐτὸν γυμνάζει πρὸς ἀρετὴν, καὶ πείθει μὴ τῇ οἰκείᾳ δυνάμει θαῤῥεῖν, ἀλλὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ προσμένειν ἐπικουρίαν. Ὅθεν αὐτῷ καὶ σημεῖα δίδωσι τῆς οἰκείας ἐπιφανείας. «Όταν γὰρ ἴδῃς, φησὶν, αὐτομάτως ἀνέμου δίχα τὰ ἄλση κινούμενα τότε κατάβηθι εἰς τὸν πόλεμον· ὅτι τότε ἐξελεύσεται Κύριος ἔμπροσθέν σου τύπτειν ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ τοὺς ἀλλοφύλους. ### English translation (Claude) Why does God sometimes command David to engage the foreigners, and sometimes prevent him? Like a most wise trainer he exercises him in virtue and persuades him not to trust in his own strength but to wait for God's help. That is why he also gives him signs of his own appearing: “When you see,” he says, “the groves moving of themselves without wind, then go down to battle; for then the Lord will go out before you to strike the foreigners in battle.” ### Scripture references - 2 Sam 5:19: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 5:23: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 5:24: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Sam 5:19–24 (quotation 5:24, paraphrased). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 2.18 (PG 80 80:609; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-18). ## 2 Kingdoms Question 19 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-19/#p-2-19 - Source: PG 80 80:609 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Uzzah, a Levite, died not for rashness but because the ark was carried on a cart against the law; David then had the priests carry it on their shoulders. ### Greek text Τίνος ἕνεκεν ὁ ᾿Οζᾶν θεηλάτῳ πληγῇ ἐτελεύτησεν ; Τινὲς μὲν προπετείας αὐτὸν δοῦναι δίκας εἶπον, ὡς ἐπαμῦναι πειραθέντα τῇ κιβωτῷ, ἢ παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ προστατεύουσα, τῆς ἑτέρων ἐπικουρίας οὐκ ἔχρηζεν. Ἰώσηπος δέ φησιν, ἐπειδὴ Λευΐτης οὐκ ἂν ἑτόλμησεν ἅψασθαι τῆς κιβωτοῦ, τὴν τιμωρίαν ἐδέξατο· τοῦτο δὲ ψευδὲς ἄντικρυς τοῦ γὰρ Αμιναδάβ ἦν υἱὸς, ᾧ παρέδοσαν τὴν κιβωτὸν οἱ ἐν Βεθσάμοις, ἀφεθεῖσαν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων τῆς δὲ Λευιτικῆς ἦν οὗτος φυλῆς· καὶ τοῦτο ἡ ἱστορία διδάσκει Καὶ ἡγίασε γὰρ, φησὶ, τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ Ἑλεάζαρ, φυλάσσειν τὴν κιβωτὸν διαθήκης Κυρίου. Ὅτι δὲ καὶ οὗτος τοῦ ᾿Αμιναδάβ ἦν υἱὸς, ἡ ἱστορία διδάσκει Καὶ ἐπεβίβασαν τὴν κιβωτὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπὶ ἄμαξαν καινὴν, καὶ ἦραν αὐτὴν ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου Ἀμιναδάβ τοῦ ἐν τῷ βουνῷ· καὶ Ὀζᾶν, καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ αὐτοῦ οἱ υἱοὶ ᾿Αμιναδάβ, ἦγον τὴν ἄμαξαν σὺν τῇ κιβωτῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καὶ Ὀζᾶν, καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ αὐτοῦ ἐπορεύοντο ἔμπροσθεν, καὶ ἐκ πλαγίων τῆς κιβωτοῦ. Οὐκ ἐξ ἄλλης τοιγαροῦν ἦν φυλῆς, ὡς ὁ Ἰώσηπος ἔφη, ἀλλὰ καὶ Λευΐτης ἦν. Οὔτε μὴν διὰ προπέτειαν τὴν τιμωρίαν ἐδέξατο. Κλιθείσης γὰρ τῆς ἁμάξης, ἐχρῆν προσερεῖσαι τὴν χεῖρα ἀλλ᾽ ἑτέρας παρανομίας ἔτισε δίκας. Τοῦ γὰρ Θεοῦ προστεταχότος τοὺς ἱερεῖς ἐπ᾽ ὤμων φέρειν τὴν κιβωτὸν, παρὰ τὸν νόμον ἐφ᾿ ἀμάξης ἑκόμισαν. Ἐξηπάτησε δὲ αὐτοὺς τὸ παρὰ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων οὕτως ἐκπεμφθεῖσαν μηδένα λυμήνασθαι. Ἀλλ᾿ ἐχρῆν συνιδεῖν, ὡς οὔτε τὸν νόμον ᾔδεισαν οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι, καὶ ἱερεῖς οὐ παρῆσαν, ἵνα κατὰ τὸν νόμον αὐτὴν μετενέγκωσιν. Ὅτι δὲ τοῦτο ἀληθὲς, τὰ ἑξῆς διδάσκει. Τοῦ γὰρ Ὀζᾶν πεπτωκότος, δείσας ὁ βασιλεὺς οὐκ εἰς τὰ βασίλεια τὴν κιβωτὸν ἐξενήνοχεν, ἔνθα καὶ τὴν θείαν κατεσκευάκει σκηνὴν, ἀλλ᾽ εἰς τὸν οἶκον ᾿Αβεδδαρά Ἐπειδὴ δὲ εἶδε παντοδαπῆς εὐλογίας ἐν τρισὶ μησὶ τὴν οἰκίαν πλησθεῖσαν ἐκείνην, εὐθὺς αὐτὴν εἰς τὰ βασίλεια μετεκόμισεν, οὐχ ἁμάξῃ χρησάμενος, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἱερεῦσι κατὰ τὸν νόμον. Ἧσαν γὰρ, φησὶ, μετ' αὐτῶν οἱ αἴροντες τὴν κιβωτὸν Κυρίου ἑπτὰ χοροὶ, καὶ θῦμα μόσχου καὶ ἀρνός καὶ Δαβὶδ ἀνεκρούετο ἐν ὀργάνοις ἡρμοσμένοις ἐνώπιον Κυρίου καὶ αὐτὸς ἐνδεδυμένος στολὴν ἔξαλλον·, οὕτω δὲ τὴν ποικίλην ὠνόμασε. Σαφέστερον δὲ τοῦτο ἐδίδαξεν ἡ βίβλος τῶν Παραλειπομένων· Ἥραν γὰρ, φησὶ, τὴν κιβωτὸν, ὡς ἐνετείλατο Μωσῆς ἐν λόγῳ Κυρίου Θεοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, ἐπ᾿ ἀναφορεῦσι, κατὰ τὴν γραφὴν, ἐν ὤμοις αὐτῶν. ### English translation (Claude) Why did Uzzah die by a blow from God? Some said that he paid the penalty for rashness, as having tried to help the ark, which, as protector of the whole people, did not need others' help. Josephus says that he received the punishment because, not being a Levite, he dared to touch the ark. But this is plainly false. For he was a son of Aminadab, to whom the people of Beth-shemesh handed over the ark when the foreigners released it; and Aminadab was of the tribe of Levi. The history teaches this: “For he consecrated,” it says, “his son Eleazar to guard the ark of the covenant of the Lord.” That this man too was a son of Aminadab the history teaches: “And they set the ark of God on a new cart and took it from the house of Aminadab on the hill; and Uzzah and his brothers, the sons of Aminadab, drove the cart with the ark of God. And Uzzah and his brothers went in front and at the sides of the ark.” So he was not of another tribe, as Josephus said, but was a Levite. Nor did he receive the punishment for rashness; for when the cart tilted he had to put out his hand to steady it. But he paid the penalty for another lawless act. For when God had commanded the priests to carry the ark on their shoulders, they brought it on a cart against the law. What deceived them was that no one had harmed the ark when it was sent away in this way by the foreigners. But they should have seen that the foreigners did not know the law, and that no priests were present to carry it according to the law. That this is true is taught by what follows. For when Uzzah had fallen, the king in fear did not bring the ark to the palace, where he had prepared the divine tent, but to the house of Abeddara. But when he saw that household filled with every kind of blessing within three months, he at once brought it to the palace, using not a cart but the priests, according to the law. “For there were with them,” it says, “those who carried the ark of the Lord, seven choirs, and a sacrifice of a calf and a lamb; and David played on tuned instruments before the Lord, and he was wearing a splendid robe” (he so named the embroidered one). The book of Chronicles taught this more clearly: “For they carried the ark,” it says, “as Moses commanded by the word of the Lord God of Israel, with poles, according to the scripture, on their shoulders.” ### Scripture references - 2 Sam 6:6: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 6:7: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 7:1: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 6:3: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 6:4: quotation, high confidence - Num 4:15: allusion, high confidence - Num 7:9: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Sam 6:11: allusion, medium confidence - 2 Sam 6:10: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 6:11: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 6:12: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 6:13: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 6:14: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 15:15: quotation, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Josephus, Ant. 7.4.2 (Josephus (works)): allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Sam 6:1–14 (LXX; quotations 1 Sam 7:1; 2 Sam 6:3–4, 13–14); 1 Chr 15:15. The law of carrying: Num 4:15; 7:9. Josephus, Ant. 7.4.2. Theodoret's statement that Aminadab was a Levite is his own inference from 1 Sam 7:1. A displaced passage (a second copy of the Aquila note on 2 Sam 5:8 from question 2.16) had been printed inside the first sentence of the answer and is removed by a logged correction. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 2.19 (PG 80 80:609; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-19). ## 2 Kingdoms Question 20 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-19/#p-2-20 - Source: PG 80 80:613 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Michal despised David's dancing for God; her childlessness was a punishment and also kept Saul's line from the throne. ### Greek text Διατί κατεγέλασεν ἡ Μελχὼλ τοῦ Δαβίδ ; Ψήθη βασιλέως ἀλλότριον τὸ δημοσίᾳ χορεύειν οὐ γὰρ ᾔδει τοῦ θείου πόθου τὰ κέντρα. "Οθεν ὁ βασιλεὺς σφοδρότερον ἐπετίμησεν αὐτῇ· Ἐναντίον γὰρ, φησὶ, Κυρίου ὀρχήσομαι καὶ παίξομαι ζῇ Κύριος, ὃς ἐξελέξατό με ὑπὲρ τὸν πατέρα σου καὶ ὑπὲρ πάντα τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ, τοῦ καταστῆσαί με εἰς ἡγούμενον ἐπὶ πάντα τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν Ἰσραήλ. Καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς δὲ τὴν αὐτὴν ἔχει διάνοιαν. Εἶτα ἐδίδαξεν ἡ ἱστορία, ὅτι τῇ Μελχώλ θυγατρὶ Σαούλ οὐκ ἐγένετο παιδίον, ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας τοῦ ἀποθανεῖν αὐτήν. ᾿Αλλ᾽ οὐ μόνον διὰ ταύτην τὴν αἰτίαν στεῖρα μεμένηκεν ἀλλ' ὥστε μηδένα ἐξ ἐκείνου βασιλεῦσαι τοῦ σπέρματος. Εἰκὸς γὰρ ἦν, τὸν λαὸν τὸν ἑκατέρωθεν εὐγενείᾳ λάμποντα προτιμῆσαι τῶν ἄλλων. ### English translation (Claude) Why did Michal laugh at David? She thought that dancing in public was unworthy of a king, for she did not know the goads of divine longing. That is why the king rebuked her rather sharply: “Before the Lord,” he says, “I will dance and play. As the Lord lives, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me leader over all his people Israel.” What follows has the same sense. Then the history taught that Michal, Saul's daughter, had no child until the day of her death. But she remained barren not only for this reason, but so that no one from that seed would reign. For the people would probably have preferred one shining with noble birth on both sides to the others. ### Scripture references - 2 Sam 6:16: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 6:21: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 6:23: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Sam 6:16–23 (quotations 6:21, 23, LXX). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 2.20 (PG 80 80:613; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-20). ## 2 Kingdoms Question 21 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-19/#p-2-21 - Source: PG 80 80:613 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Nathan, not knowing God's will, approved David's plan; God's promise of a house points beyond Solomon's temple to Christ's body and the church, and to Christ's eternal kingdom. ### Greek text Προφήτης ὢν ὁ Νάθαν πῶς ἠγνόησε τὸ βούλημα τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τῷ Δαβὶδ οἰκοδομῆσαι τὸν θεῖον οἶκον προσέταξεν; Καὶ ἤδη ἔφην, ὡς οὐκ ᾔδεισαν ἅπαντα οἱ προφῆται, ἀλλ᾽ ὥσπερ ἡ θεία χάρις αὐτοῖς ἀπεκάλυπτεν. Οὕτως ὁ Σαμουήλ ἠγνόει τίνα χρίσαι προσήκει οὕτως ὁ Ἑλισσαῖος τὸ τῆς Σωμανίτιδος πάθος· ῎Αφες γὰρ αὐτὴν, ἔφη, ὅτι κατώδυνος ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτῆς, καὶ Κύριος ἀπέκρυψεν ἀπ᾿ ἐμοῦ. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ Νάθαν ἐπαινέσας τὸν τοῦ βασιλέως σκοπὸν, ἐνόμισεν ἀρέσκειν τῷ τῶν ὅλων Θεῷ. Ὅθεν εἶπε· Πάντα ὅσα ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου βάδιζε καὶ ποίει, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς μετὰ σοῦ. ᾿Αλλὰ νύκτωρ ἐπιφανεὶς ὁ Δεσπότης Θεὸς ταῦτα ἔφη πρὸς τὸν Νάθαν· Поρεύου, καὶ εἰπὲ τῷ δούλῳ μου Δαβίδ· Τάδε λέγει Κύριος Οὐ σὺ οἰκοδομήσεις οἶκον τοῦ κατοικῆσαι με, ὅτι οὐ κατῴκηκα ἐν οἴκῳ, ἀφ᾿ ἧς ἡμέρας ἀνήγαγον τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραὴλ ἐξ Αἰγύπτου, ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας ταύτης.» Καὶ πρῶτον μὲν ἐψυχαγώγησεν αὐτὸν τῇ τῆς δουλείας προσηγορίᾳ· Εἰπὲ γὰρ, φησὶ, τῷ Δαβὶδ τῷ δούλῳ μου· ἄκρα δὲ τιμὴ τὸ δοῦλον ὀνομασθῆναι Θεοῦ. Ἔπειτα τὸ ἀνενδεὲς τῆς οἰκείας ἐδίδαξε φύσεως· Οὐ κατώκηκα γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐν οἴκῳ. Τὸ δὲ, ᾿Αφ᾿ ἧς ἡμέρας ἀνήγαγον τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραὴλ ἐξ Αἰγύπτου, ἀντὶ τοῦ, πάντα χρόνον ὃν συνεγενόμην ὑμῖν, ἔν τε τῇ ἐρήμῳ, καὶ ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ γῇ. Ὅτι γὰρ οὐδὲ πρὸ τούτου τοῦ χρόνου νεὼν ἔσχεν, αἱ πάλαι διδάσκουσιν ίστοριαι. Εἶτα τὴν ἄπειρον δύναμιν καὶ φιλανθρωπίαν δεικνὺς, ἐπήγαγε Καὶ ἤμην ἐμπεριπατῶν ἐν καταλύματι, καὶ ἐν σκηνῇ, ἐν πᾶσιν οἷς διῆλθον ἐν παντὶ Ἰσραήλ. Καὶ προστέθεικεν, ὡς οὐδενὶ τῶν κριτῶν, οἱ ἐκ διαφόρων ἦσαν φυλῶν, ἢ προσέταξεν οἰκοδομῆσαι ναὸν, ἢ ἐνεκάλεσεν ὡς τοῦτο μὴ δεδρακότι. Τοῦτο γὰρ εἶπεν Εἰ λαλῶν ἐλάλησα πρὸς μίαν φυλὴν τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, ᾧ ἐνετειλάμην ποιμαίνειν τὸν λαὸν μου τὸν Ἰσραὴλ λέγων· Τί ὅτι οὐκ ᾠκοδομήσατέ μοι οἶκον κέδρινον; Ἔπειτα τῷ τῆς εὐνοίας χρησάμενος ὀνόματι, καὶ δοῦλον αὐτοῦ προσαγορεύσας, ἀνέμνησε τῆς προβατείας, καὶ τῆς ἄλλης πενίας· ἐπέδειξε δὲ τῆς βασιλείας τὸ ὕψος, καὶ τὴν τῆς ἄλλης κηδεμονίας φιλοτιμίαν. Ἤμην γὰρ, φησὶ, μετὰ σοῦ ἐν πᾶσιν οἷς ἐπορεύου καὶ ἐξωλόθρευσα πάντας τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ἀπὸ προσώπου σου, καὶ ἐποίησά σοι ὄνομα μέγα κατὰ τὸ ὄνομα τῶν μεγάλων τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Ταῦτα δὲ εἰς τὴν τῆς εὐσεβείας καὶ εὐνομίας βεβαίωσιν εἴρηκεν, ἵνα τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν μεμνημένος θεραπεύῃ τὸν εὐεργέτην. Ὑπέσχετο δὲ καὶ τοῦ λαοῦ προμηθεῖσθαι· Θήσομαι γὰρ, φησὶ, τόπον τῷ λαῷ μου Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ καταφυτεύσω αὐτὸν, καὶ κατασκηνώσει καθ' ἑαυτόν Κατὰ τὸν θεῖον γὰρ πολιτευόμενος νόμον, τῶν ἄλλων ἐθνῶν ἐκεχώριστο. Τὸ δὲ, Οὐ προσθήσει υἱὸς ἀδικίας τοῦ ταπεινῶσαι αὐτὸν, τὰ ἑξῆς ἑρμηνεύει καθὼς ἀπ᾿ ἀρχῆς, φησὶ, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἡμερῶν ὧν ἔταξα κριτὰς ἐπὶ τὸν λαόν μου Ἰσραήλ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῶν κριτῶν, ποτὲ μὲν ᾿Αμμανίταις καὶ Μωαβίταις, ποτὲ δὲ Μαδιηνίταις καὶ ἀλλοφύλοις ἐδούλευσαν, ὑπέσχετο αὐτοῖς ἀκεραίαν σώζειν τὴν βασιλείαν, καὶ τῶν συχνῶν τούτων ἀπαλλάξειν μεταβολῶν. Εἶτα τὸν λογικὸν, καὶ θεῖον, καὶ σωτήριον αὐτοις οἰκοδομήσειν ναὸν ἐπηγγείλατο. Καὶ ἀπαγγελεῖ σοι γὰρ, φησὶ, Κύριος, ὅτι οἰκοδομήσει οἶκον ἑαυτῷ Ὅτι δὲ τὴν ἐκ τῆς ἁγίας Παρθένου σάρκα καὶ αὐτὸς ᾠκοδόμησε, καὶ αὐτὴν ναὸν προσηγόρευσεν, ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς ἡμᾶς Ἰωάννης ἐδίδαξε, τὴν Ἰουδαίων ἐρώτησιν καὶ τοῦ Δεσπότου Χριστοῦ τὴν ἀπόκρισιν τῇ συγγραφῇ τῶν ἱερῶν Εὐαγγελίων ἐντεθεικώς. Τῶν γὰρ Ἰουδαίων εἰρηκότων· Τί σημεῖον δεικνύεις ἡμῖν ὅτι ταῦτα ποιεῖς; ὑπολαβὼν ὁ Κύριος ἔφη· Λύσατε τὸν ναὸν τοῦτον, καὶ ἐν τρισὶν ἡμέραις ἐγερῶ αὐτόν. Τοπασάντων δὲ τῶν Ἰουδαίων περὶ τοῦ ἀψύχου ταῦτα εἰρῆσθαι ναοῦ, ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς ἐπήγαγεν Αὐτὸς δὲ ἔλεγε περὶ τοῦ ναοῦ τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ὅτε ἠγέρθη ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν, ἔγνωσαν οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ, ὅτι τοῦτο εἶπεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς, καὶ ἐπίστευσαν τῇ Γραφῇ, καὶ τῷ λόγῳ ᾧ εἶπεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς. ῾Ὁ δὲ θεῖος ᾿Απόστολος καὶ τῶν πιστῶν τὸν σύλλογον οἶκον Θεοῦ προσηγόρευσε. Χριστὸς γὰρ, φησὶν, ὡς υἱὸς ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ, οὗ ὁ οἶκός ἐσμεν ἡμεῖς. Ταῦτα προηγόρευσεν ὁ προφήτης· Καὶ ἀπαγγελεῖ σοι Κύριος, ὅτι οἶκον οἰκοδομήσει ἑαυτῷ. Περὶ δὲ τοῦ χειροποιήτου νεὼ οὕτως ἔφη· Καὶ ἔσται ὡς ἂν πληρωθῶσιν αἱ ἡμέραι σου, καὶ κοιμηθῇς μετὰ τῶν πατέρων σου, καὶ ἀναστήσω τὸ σπέρμα σου μετὰ σε ὃς ἔσται ὁ ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας σου· καὶ ἑτοιμάσω τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ. ὁ Οὗτος οἰκοδομήσει οἶκον τῷ ὀνόματί μου. Ταῦτα περὶ τοῦ Σολομῶντος εἰπὼν ἀναμίγνυσι τῇ προῤῥήσει τὰ περὶ τοῦ Δεσπότου Χριστοῦ· ᾿Ανορθώσω γὰρ, ἔφη, τὸν θρόνον αὐτοῦ ἕως εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα καὶ ἐγὼ ἔσομαι αὐτῷ εἰς πατέρα, καὶ αὐτὸς ἔσται μοι εἰς υἱόν. "Ὅτι δὲ ταῦτα περὶ τοῦ Δεσπότου ἐῤῥέθη Χριστοῦ, μάρτυς ὁ θεῖος ᾿Απόστολος, οὕτως εἰπὼν ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ἑβραίους Ἐπιστολῇ· Τίνι γάρ ποτε τῶν ἀγγέλων αὐτοῦ εἶπεν, Υἱός μου εἶ σὺ, ἐγὼ σήμερον γεγέννηκά σε;» καὶ πάλιν, Ἐγὼ ἔσομαι αὐτῷ εἰς πατέρα, καὶ αὐτὸς ἔσται μοι εἰς υἱόν; Εἶτα διδάσκει πόσης διὰ τοῦτον τὸν υἱὸν οἱ κατὰ σάρκα πρόγονοι καὶ παρανομοῦντες ἀπολαύουσι προμηθείας. Ἁμαρτάνοντας γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐλέγξω μὲν καὶ παιδεύσω· τὸν δὲ ἔλεόν μου οὐκ ἀποστήσω ἀπ' αὐτῶν, καθὼς ἀπέστησα ἀφ᾿ ὧν ἀπέστησα Τὸ δὲ, Ἐν ἀφαῖς υἱῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἀντὶ τοῦ, Ταῖς δι' ἀνθρώπων παιδείαις, τέθεικεν ἐπειδὴ διὰ χειρῶν καὶ ἡ ἀφὴ, καὶ ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη σφαγή. Καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς δὲ πάλιν ἥκιστα μὲν τοῖς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ βασιλεῦσιν ἁρμόττει ἐπὶ δὲ μόνου τοῦ Δεσπότου Χριστοῦ τὸ ἀληθὲς αὐτῶν δείκνυται. Πιστωθήσεται γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ οἶκος αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἡ βασιλεία αὐτοῦ ἕως αἰῶνος ἐνώπιόν μου, καὶ ὁ θρόνος αὐτοῦ ἔσται ἀνωρθωμένος εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Ὁ δὲ Σολομών οὐδὲ τὸ μακρόβιον τῶν ἄλλων ἔσχεν ἀνθρώπων, οὐδὲ εἰς τὸ τοῦ πατρὸς ἔφθασε γῆρας καὶ τοὺς ἐκ τούτου δὲ ἅπαντας κοινὸν διεδέξατο τέλος. Δυοῖν τοίνων θάτερον ἀνάγκη· ἢ τῷ Δεσπότη ταῦτα ἁρμόσαι Χριστῷ, ἢ ψευδῆ φάναι τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων τὴν πρόῤῥησιν ἀλλὰ τοῦτο δυσσεβὲς καὶ ἀνόσιον. ᾿Ανάγκη τοίνυν, κἂν μὴ θέλωσιν Ἰουδαῖοι, τὸ ἕτερον δέξασθαι. Τούτων ἀκούσας ὁ βασιλεὺς, τὸν μεγαλόδωρον ὕμνησε Κύριον· καὶ πρῶτον ὡμολόγησε τὴν οἰκείαν εὐτέλειαν· Τίς εἰμι ἐγὼ, Κύριέ μου, Κύριε, καὶ τίς ὁ οἶκος τοῦ πατρός μου, ὅτι ἡγάπησάς με ἕως τούτου;» Δηλοῖ δὲ ὁ λόγος τῶν δωρεῶν τὸ μέγεθος. Εἶτα τὸ παντοδύναμον τοῦ Δεσπότου διδάσκων ἐπήγαγε· Καὶ κατεσμίκρυνται σμικρὰ ταῦτα ἐνώπιόν σου, Κύριέ μου, Κύριε. Ἐθαύμασα, φησὶ, τὴν τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων ὑπερβολήν, εἰς ἐμαυτὸν ἀποβλέψας· σμικρὰ δὲ ταῦτα τῇ σῇ δυνάμει παραβαλλόμενα. Επειτα τὸν ὕμνον ἐκτείνας, καὶ βεβαιωθῆναι τὰς ἐπαγγελίας ἀντιβολήσας, Καὶ νῦν, Κύριέ μου, Κύριε, τὸ ῥῆμα ὁ ἐλάλησας ὑπὲρ τοῦ δούλου σου, καὶ ὑπὲρ τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ πιστωθήτω ἕως αἰῶνος. Καὶ ὅτι τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν ἐκείνην ἱκέτευε βεβαιωθῆναι, τὰ ἐπαγόμενα μαρτυρεῖ· Ὅτι σὺ, Κύριε παντοκράτωρ ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσραὴλ, ἀπεκάλυψας τὸ ὡτίον τοῦ δούλου σου λέγων, Οἶκον ἐκεῖνον οἰκοδομήσω σοι. Σὺ, φησὶν, ἀγνοοῦντα ἐδίδαξας, ὅτι τὸν οἶκον ἐκεῖνον οἰκοδομήσεις, δι' οὗ περίβλεπτος ἔσομαι πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις - ταύτην ἐμπεδωθῆναι τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν παρακαλῶ. ### English translation (Claude) How did Nathan, a prophet, fail to know God's will and tell David to build the divine house? I have already said that the prophets did not know everything, but only what divine grace revealed to them. So Samuel did not know whom he should anoint; so Elisha did not know the Shunammite's grief: “Let her alone,” he said, “for her soul is in anguish, and the Lord has hidden it from me.” So Nathan too, praising the king's intention, thought it pleased the God of the universe. That is why he said, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for God is with you.” But God the Master appeared at night and said this to Nathan: “Go and say to my servant David, Thus says the Lord: You shall not build me a house to dwell in, for I have not dwelt in a house since the day I brought the sons of Israel up out of Egypt to this day.” First he comforted him with the title of servant: “Say,” he says, “to David my servant”; and to be called God's servant is the highest honor. Then he taught that his own nature needs nothing: “For I have not dwelt,” he says, “in a house.” “Since the day I brought the sons of Israel up out of Egypt” means: all the time I have been with you, both in the wilderness and in this land. That he had no temple before that time either the ancient histories teach. Then, showing his boundless power and love for humankind, he added, “And I have been moving about in a lodging and in a tent, in all places where I went among all Israel.” And he added that he had neither commanded any of the judges, who came from various tribes, to build a temple, nor reproached them for not doing so. For he said this: “Did I ever speak a word to one tribe of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, Why have you not built me a house of cedar?” Then, using the name of good will and calling him his servant, he reminded him of his shepherding and his former poverty, and showed him the height of his kingship and the generosity of his other care: “For I was with you,” he says, “wherever you went, and I destroyed all your enemies before you, and made you a great name like the name of the great ones on the earth.” He said this to strengthen his piety and good order, so that, remembering the benefits, he might serve the benefactor. He also promised to provide for the people: “For I will appoint a place for my people Israel,” he says, “and plant them, and they shall dwell by themselves”; for living by the divine law, they were set apart from the other nations. “The son of injustice shall not again afflict them” is explained by what follows: “as from the beginning,” he says, “and from the days when I appointed judges over my people Israel.” For since in the time of the judges they were enslaved now to Ammonites and Moabites, now to Midianites and foreigners, he promised to keep their kingdom intact and to free them from these frequent reversals. Then he promised to build for them the rational, divine and saving temple: “And the Lord will declare to you,” he says, “that he will build a house for himself.” That he himself built the flesh from the holy Virgin and called it a temple, the evangelist John taught us, by including in the writing of the holy Gospels the question of the Jews and the answer of Christ the Master. For when the Jews said, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?”, the Lord answered, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” And when the Jews guessed that this was said of the lifeless temple, the evangelist added, “But he spoke of the temple of his body. So when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that Jesus said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.” And the divine Apostle called the assembly of the faithful too the house of God: “But Christ,” he says, “as a son over his house, whose house we are.” This is what the prophet foretold: “And the Lord will declare to you that he will build a house for himself.” Concerning the temple made with hands he said this: “And when your days are fulfilled and you sleep with your fathers, I will raise up your seed after you, who shall come from your body, and I will prepare his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name.” Having said this about Solomon, he mixes with the prophecy what concerns Christ the Master: “I will establish his throne forever,” he said, “and I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me.” That this was said of Christ the Master the divine Apostle is witness, saying thus in the Letter to the Hebrews: “For to which of the angels did he ever say, You are my Son, today I have begotten you? And again, I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me?” Then he teaches how great a providence the ancestors according to the flesh enjoy because of this Son, even when they break the law: “If they sin,” he says, “I will reprove and discipline them, but I will not take my mercy away from them, as I took it from those from whom I took it.” “With the strokes of the sons of men” he put for “with discipline through human beings,” since both striking and human slaughter are done with the hands. What follows again fits the kings of Israel very little, but its truth is shown in Christ the Master alone: “His house,” he says, “shall be made sure, and his kingdom forever before me, and his throne shall be established forever.” But Solomon did not even have the long life of other men; he did not reach his father's old age; and all his descendants met the common end. One of two things, then, is necessary: either to apply these words to Christ the Master, or to call the prophecy of the God of the universe false; but that is impious and unholy. So the other must be accepted, even if the Jews do not wish it. Hearing these things, the king praised the generous Lord, and first confessed his own lowliness: “Who am I, my Lord, Lord, and what is my father's house, that you have loved me so far?” The saying shows the greatness of the gifts. Then, teaching the omnipotence of the Master, he added, “And these small things have been made smaller still in your sight, my Lord, Lord.” I marveled, he says, at the abundance of the promises when I looked at myself; but these things are small compared with your power. Then, prolonging the hymn, and pleading that the promises be confirmed: “And now, my Lord, Lord, let the word you spoke concerning your servant and his house be made sure forever.” That he was begging that that promise be confirmed is attested by what follows: “For you, Lord Almighty, God of Israel, have uncovered the ear of your servant, saying, I will build you a house.” You, he says, taught me, who did not know it, that you will build that house through which I shall be renowned among all people; I beg that this promise may be made firm. ### Scripture references - 2 Sam 7:3: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 16:6: allusion, medium confidence - 2 Kgs 4:27: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 7:5: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 7:6: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 7:7: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 7:8: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 7:9: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 7:10: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 7:11: quotation, high confidence - John 2:18: quotation, high confidence - John 2:19: quotation, high confidence - John 2:21: quotation, high confidence - John 2:22: quotation, high confidence - Heb 3:6: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 7:12: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 7:13: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 7:14: quotation, high confidence - Heb 1:5: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 7:15: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 7:16: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 7:18: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 7:19: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 7:25: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 7:27: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Sam 7 (LXX; quotations 7:3, 5–6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12–13, 13–14, 14–15, 16, 18, 19, 25, 27); 2 Kgs 4:27; John 2:18–22; Heb 3:6; Heb 1:5. The application of the promise to Christ and the remark about the Jews are Theodoret's own; translated as written. Stray marks and a marginal fragment (“from Saul”) printed inside the word “apply” are removed by logged corrections. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 2.21 (PG 80 80:613; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-21). ## 2 Kingdoms Question 22 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-19/#p-2-22 - Source: PG 80 80:619 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: David's measuring of the Moabite prisoners shows the size of his victory; Aquila's renderings of two words are noted. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον τὸ, Ἑπάταξε Δαβὶδ τὴν Μωάβ, καὶ διεμέτρησεν αὐτοὺς ἐν σχοινίῳ, κοιμίσας αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ; Τοσοῦτον ἦν τῆς νίκης τὸ κράτος, καὶ τοσοῦτον τῶν ζωγρηθέντων τὸ πλῆθος, ὡς μὴ ἀνασχέσθαι τούτους ὑποβαλεῖν ἀριθμῷ. Ἐκέλευσε γὰρ αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καταβληθῆναι πρηνεῖς, τριχῆ διελών καὶ τὰς μὲν δύο μοίρας κατέκτεινε· τὴν δὲ μίαν ἐζώγρησε, καὶ φόρον φέρειν ἐκέλευσε. Τοὺς μέντοι χλιδῶνας τῶν Σύρων τοὺς χρυσοῦς κλοιοὺς ὁ ᾿Ακύλας ἡρμήνευσεν Ἐμὰθ δὲ τὴν Ἑπιφάνειαν τῆς Συρίας ### English translation (Claude) How should “David struck Moab and measured them with a line, making them lie down on the ground” be understood? So great was the force of the victory, and so great the number of prisoners, that he did not bother to count them. He ordered them to be thrown face down on the ground, divided them into three, killed two parts and kept one alive, and ordered them to pay tribute. Aquila rendered the chlidons of the Syrians as golden collars; and Hemath as Epiphania of Syria. ### Scripture references - 2 Sam 8:2: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 8:7: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 8:9: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Sam 8:2, 7, 9 (LXX). The LXX of 8:2 differs from the Hebrew in the proportion spared; Theodoret's account is translated as written. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 2.22 (PG 80 80:619; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-22). ## 2 Kingdoms Question 23 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-19/#p-2-23 - Source: PG 80 80:619 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: David obeyed the law against many horses, fulfilled Isaac's blessing over Edom, ruled justly, and honored Jonathan's son Mephibaal. ### Greek text Τί δήτοτε τὰ ἅρματα τῶν Σύρων τὰ πλεῖστα διέλυσεν ; Ὁ θεῖος παρακελεύεται νόμος, μὴ πολλοῖς ἵπποις κεχρῆσθαι τοὺς βασιλέας, ἵνα μὴ αὐτοῖς, ἀλλὰ τῇ θείᾳ δυνάμει θαῤῥῶσι. Τοῦτον τηρῶν τὸν νόμον, τὰ πλεῖστα τῶν ἁρμάτων διέλυσεν. Ἔστι δὲ αὐτοῦ ἀκοῦσαι καὶ ἐν τοῖς Ψαλμοῖς μελῳδοῦντος, καὶ λέγοντος . Οὐ σώζεται βασιλεὺς διὰ πολλὴν δύναμιν, καὶ γίγας οὐ σωθήσεται ἐν πλήθει ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ. Ψευδὴς ἵππος εἰς σωτηρίαν, ἐν δὲ πλήθει δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ οὐ σωθήσεται. Πεπλήρωκε δὲ καὶ Ἰσαὰκ τοῦ πατριάρχου τὴν εὐλογίαν τὴν τῷ Ἰακὼβ δοθεῖσαν· Γίνου γὰρ, ἔφη, κύριος τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου. Αὐτὸς δὲ τὴν Ἰδουμαίαν ἐπάταξε, καὶ ἔθετο φρουρὰν ἐν αὐτῇ. Τὸ δὲ, «Πάσῃ τῇ Ἰδουμαίᾳ ἔθηκεν ἐστηλωμένους δηλοῖ ὡς ἐν ἑκάστῃ πόλει κατέστησε τοὺς φρουρούς. Οὓς γάρ τινες καλοῦσιν ἐγκαθέτους, ἐστηλωμένους ὠνόμασεν. Εἶτα ἐπἡγαγε· Καὶ ἐγένοντο, φησὶ, πάντες οἱ Ἰδουμαῖοι δοῦλοι τῷ Δαβίδ. Ἐπέθηκε τοίνυν τῇ προγονικῇ προῤῥήσει τὸ τέλος. Ὁ δὲ συγγραφεὺς διηγεῖσθαι μέλλων τὴν παρανομίαν, ᾗ περιπέπτωκεν ὁ θεῖος ἀνὴρ, ἀναγκαῖον ψήθη πρῶτον ἐπιδεῖξαι τὴν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἀρετήν ἵνα γνῶμεν ὡς οὐ γνώμης ἦν, ἀλλὰ περιστάσεως τὸ πλημμέλημα. Ην γὰρ, φησὶ, Δαβὶδ ποιῶν κρίμα καὶ δικαιοσύνην εἰς πάντα τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ. Εἶτα λέγει τοὺς ἄρχοντας, ὅτι ὁ δεῖνα μὲν τήνδε τὴν ἀρχὴν, ὁ δεῖνα δὲ τήνδε ἐπιστεύθη. Ἐμνήσθη δὲ καὶ τῶν ἱερέων, τοῦ Σαδώκ καὶ τοῦ ᾿Αβιάθαρ. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ οἶμαι γραφικὸν εἶναι ἁμάρτημα. Οὐ γὰρ ὁ ᾿Αχιμέλεχ υἱὸς ᾿Αβιάθαρ, ἀλλ᾿ ὁ ᾿Αβιάθαρ υἱὸς Αχιμέλεχ Τὸν δὲ Φελεθὶ καὶ τὸν Χερεθὶ, τοὺς σφενδονήτας καὶ τοὺς τοξότας καλεῖ Ὁ δὲ περὶ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς φιλάνθρωπος, οὐκ ἄρα ἤμελλεν ἀμνημονήσειν τῶν φίλων. Ὅθεν ἤρετο, Εἰ ἔστι τις ἔτι ὑπολελειμμένος τῷ οἴκῳ Σαούλ, καὶ ποιήσω μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ ἔλεος ἕνεκεν Ἰωνάθαν; Διὰ γὰρ τὴν περὶ τοῦτον εὔνοιαν παρεώρα τὴν ἐκείνου δυσμένειαν. Εἶτα ἀξιοῖ τὸν Μεμφιβαάλ θεραπείας, πάντων μὲν αὐτὸν ἀποφήνας εἶναι τῶν τοῦ Σαούλ κτημάτων δεσπότην συνεῖναι δὲ αὐτῷ κελεύσας, καὶ ὁμοδίαιτον εἶναι διηνεκῶς. ### English translation (Claude) Why did he disable most of the Syrians' chariots? The divine law directs kings not to use many horses, so that they will trust not in them but in divine power. Keeping this law, he disabled most of the chariots. One can hear him singing in the Psalms too and saying, “A king is not saved by great power, and a giant will not be saved by the greatness of his strength. A horse is a false hope for safety, and by the greatness of its power it will not save.” He also fulfilled the blessing of the patriarch Isaac given to Jacob: “Be lord of your brother,” he said. For he struck Idumea and set a garrison in it. “He set men posted in all Idumea” shows that he stationed guards in each city; those whom some call agents he called “men posted.” Then he added, “And all the Idumeans became David's servants.” So he brought his forefather's prophecy to its fulfillment. The writer, being about to narrate the lawless deed into which the divine man fell, thought it necessary first to show the man's virtue, so that we might know that the offense came from circumstance, not from settled intent. “For David,” it says, “was doing justice and righteousness for all his people.” Then it names the officials: this one was entrusted with this office, that one with that. It also mentioned the priests, Zadok and Abiathar. Here I think there is a scribal error; for Ahimelech was not Abiathar's son, but Abiathar was Ahimelech's son. The Pelethites and Cherethites it calls slingers and archers. The man who was kind to his enemies was not going to forget his friends. So he asked, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?” For his affection for Jonathan made him overlook Saul's hostility. Then he honors Mephibaal, making him master of all Saul's property and ordering him to be with him and share his table always. ### Scripture references - 2 Sam 8:4: allusion, high confidence - Deut 17:16: allusion, high confidence - Ps 33:16 (32:16 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 33:17 (32:17 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Gen 27:29: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 8:14: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 8:15: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 8:17: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 22:20: allusion, medium confidence - 2 Sam 8:18: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 9:1: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 9:7: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Sam 8:4–18; 9:1–13 (quotations 8:14, 15; 9:1, LXX). The law, Deut 17:16; Ps 33:16–17 (LXX 32:16–17); Isaac's blessing, Gen 27:29. On Ahimelech and Abiathar compare 2 Sam 8:17 with 1 Sam 22:20. Marginal notes printed after the answer (on the officials of the royal household, called “domestics” in Chronicles, and on the spelling Mephibaal in the Hexapla) are removed by a logged correction. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 2.23 (PG 80 80:619; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-23). ## 2 Kingdoms Question 24 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-19/#p-2-24 - Source: PG 80 80:623 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: In a time of ease David fell into adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah; Nathan's parable led him to confess, and God forgave the death penalty but disciplined him. ### Greek text Πῶς τοῦ ᾿Αδρααζὰρ τὴν πανωλεθρίαν προειρηκώς, πάλιν αὐτὸν εἶπεν εἰς συμμαχίαν τῶν Ἀμμανιτῶν ἀφικέσθαι ; Τοῦ ᾿Αδρααζὰρ ἦτταν εἶπε, σφαγὴν οὐκ εἶπε. Συνάδει δὲ καὶ τὰ νῦν εἰρημένα τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν. ᾿Απέστειλε γὰρ, φησὶν, ᾿Αδρααζάρ, καὶ ἐξήγαγε τὸν Σύρον, τὸν ἐν τῷ πέραν τοῦ ποταμοῦ Χαλαμά. Εἰ δὲ δύναμιν εἶχεν οἰκείαν, οὐκ ἂν ἑτέρας προσεδεήθη. Ὅσον μέντοι ὀνίνησι συμφορά, καὶ θλίψις, καὶ μέριμνα, καὶ ἐκ τῆσδε τῆς ἱστορίας μανθάνομεν. Διωκόμενος γὰρ, φησὶν, ὑπὸ τοῦ Σαούλ ὁ θεῖος Δαβίδ, πᾶσαν κατώρθου φιλοσοφίαν καὶ παραταττόμενος δὲ, καὶ ταῖς φροντίσι τῶν πολέμων ἐνασχολῶν τὴν διάνοιαν, κατὰ τοὺς θείους ἐπολιτεύετο νόμους. Ἀνακωχῆς δὲ ὀλίγης τυχὼν, τὸν ὅλισθον ἐκεῖνον ὑπέμεινεν· Ἐγένετο γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς δείλης καὶ ἀνέστη Δαβὶδ ἀπὸ τῆς κοίτης αὐτοῦ, καὶ περιεπάτει ἐπὶ τοῦ δώματος τοῦ οἴκου τῶν βασιλείων, καὶ εἶδεν ἀπὸ τοῦ δώματος γυναῖκα λουομένην, καὶ ἡ γυνὴ καλὴ τῇ ὄψει σφόδρα. Πολὺς ὁ πόλεμος καὶ σφοδρὸς, ἄνεσις καὶ τρυφή, καὶ βασιλεία, καὶ ἐξουσία, καὶ σώματος ὥρα, καὶ μετὰ τροφῆς κόρον ἡ προσβολή· ὅτε καὶ τοῖς ἀσκοῦσιν ὁ σπινθήρ ὑποτύφεται, οἷον ἀρδείαν ἐλαίου δεχόμενος τὴν τροφήν. Δῆλος δέ ἐστι καὶ σφοδρότερον [ἢ] κατὰ φύσιν ἐσχηκὼς τῆς ἐπιθυμίας τὸ πάθος. Οὐ γὰρ ἂν πλείοσιν ἐχρήσατο γυναιξὶ, μὴ τῆς φύσεως τοῦτο δρᾶσαι βιασαμένης. ᾿Αλλ' ἐκεῖνο μὲν οὐδεὶς ἐκώλυσε νόμος· τοῦτο δὲ γε ἄντικρυς ὁ θεῖος ἀπηγόρευσε νόμος. Διακύψας τοίνυν ἁπλοϊκῶς, οὐ περιέργως, Εἶδε τὸ γύναιον λουόμενον·· ἀλλ᾽ οὐκ ἔφυγε τὴν θέαν, ὡς ὀλεθρίαν· ἀλλὰ καταθελχθεὶς τῷ τῆς ὥρας δελέατι, τὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας κατέπιεν ἄγκιστρον. Καὶ ταύτην μὲν αὐτῷ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἡ ἐπιθυμία προὐξένησεν· τὴν δὲ ἑτέραν αἰδώς. Κύειν γὰρ τὴν γυναῖκα μεμαθηκώς, ὑπείδετο μὲν τὸν ἔλεγχον, πᾶσαν δὲ μηχανὴν ἐκίνησεν, ὥστε τῇ δευτέρᾳ μὴ περιπεσεῖν ἀδικίᾳ. Μετεπέμψατο γὰρ τὸν Οὐρίαν, ὑπολαβὼν ὅτι διὰ χρόνου τὴν πόλιν καταλαβὼν συνελθεῖν ἐπιθυμήσει τῇ γυναικί. Ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐκεῖνος τὴν σωφροσύνην, καὶ τὴν ἀνδρείαν, καὶ τὴν περὶ αὐτὸν εὔνοιαν ἔδειξεν (ἐν γὰρ τοῖς προδόμοις τῶν βασιλείων μετὰ τῶν σωματοφυλάκων τὸν ὕπνον ἐδέξατο), μετεπέμψατο μὲν αὐτὸν τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ· ἐμέμψατο δὲ ὅτι τὸ σῶμα τῆς προσηκούσης οὐκ ἠξίωσε παραμυθίας. Ὁ δὲ, Οὐ δίκαιον ὑπολαμβάνω, φησὶ, τοῦ στρατηγοῦ καὶ τῆς στρατιᾶς ἀπάσης ἐν πολέμῳ καὶ πολιορκίᾳ ταλαιπωρούντων, ἐμέ τινα τῷ σώματι προσενεγκεῖν θεραπείαν καὶ τόνδε τὸν λόγον ἐβεβαίωσεν ὄρκῳ. ᾿Αλλ' ὁ βασιλεὺς πάλιν ἐπιμεῖναι αὐτὸν προστάξας ἐστίασε, καὶ ταῖς συχναῖς φιλοτησίαις πέραν τοῦ μέτρου πιεῖν κατηνάγκασεν, ἵνα τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἀρδεύσας ὁ οἶνος αὐτὸν ἐρεθίσῃ πρὸς κοινωνίαν. Ἐπεὶ δὲ ἅπαντα εἶδεν ἀσθενῆ τὰ σοφίσματα (πάλιν γὰρ ἐκεῖνος ἐν τῷ προδόμῳ τῶν βασιλείων σὺν τοῖς βασιλικοῖς ἐκαθεύδησε δορυφόροις), ὑπὸ τῆς αἰσχύνης κεντούμενός τε καὶ βιαζόμενος, τὰ πρὸς τὸν στρατηγὸν ὑπηγόρευσε γράμματα. Ὁ δὲ τῶν γεγραμμένων οὐδὲν ἐπιστάμενος ἀπῄει, τὸ ξίφος φέρων τῆς οἰκείας σφαγῆς. Εἶτα μετὰ τὴν ἐκείνου τελευτὴν, καὶ τὸ πένθος τῆς γυναικὸς, ὁ γάμος ἐγένετο. ᾿Αλλ' οὐκ εἴασε τὸ πάθος ἀνίατον ὁ τῶν ψυχῶν ἰατρὸς, οὐδὲ τὴν ἄδικον τελευτὴν περιεῖδεν οὐδὲ διὰ τὴν ἄλλην τοῦ Δαβὶδ ἀρετὴν τὸν ἠδικημένον εἴασεν ἀνεκδίκητον. Ἐφάνη γὰρ, φησὶ, πονηρὸν τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐνώπιον Κυρίου. Ἐπέμφθη τοίνυν Νάθαν ὁ προφήτης κατηγορία περιθεὶς εὐπρεπὲς προσωπεῖον. Ἑτέρως γὰρ ἐν ἄλλοις θεωροῦμεν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, καὶ ἄλλως θεωροῦμεν τὰ οἰκεῖα κακά. Ὅθεν οὐχ ὁμοίως ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις δικάζομεν. Ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ ἄλλων δικαίαν τὴν ψῆφον ἐκφέρομεν πολλάκις δὲ καὶ ὠμοτέραν τὴν πληγὴν ἐπιφέρομεν. Αὐτοὶ δὲ πλημμελοῦντες, ἢ παντάπασι τὴν αἴσθησιν τῆς διανοίας ἐκβάλλομεν, ἢ ὁρῶντες τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, συγγνώμην ὀρέγομεν. Τούτου χάριν ὁ προφήτης τὸ τοῦ πλουσίου καὶ τοῦ πένητος συντέθεικε δρᾶμα· καὶ τοῦ μὲν τὸν πλοῦτον διέγραψε, τοῦ δὲ τὴν ἐσχάτην πενίαν ἐλεεινῶς ἐτραγῴδησεν· Οὐκ ἦν γὰρ αὐτῷ, φησὶν, ἄλλο οὐδὲν, ἀλλ᾽ ἡ μία ἀμνὰς μικρὰ, ἣν ἐκτήσατο, καὶ περιεποιήσατο, καὶ ἐξέθρεψεν· καὶ συνανεστράφη μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ, καὶ μετὰ τῶν τέκνων αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό. Ἐκ τοῦ ἄρτου αὐτοῦ ἥσθιε, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ποτηρίου αὐτοῦ ἔπινε, καὶ ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ αὐτοῦ ἐκάθευδε, καὶ ἦν αὐτῷ ὡς θυγάτηρ αὐτοῦ. Ταῦτα δὲ πάντα διέξεισι, δεῖξαι βουλόμενος τὴν τῆς παρανομίας ὑπερβολήν. Ἐν δέ γε τοῖς ἑξῆς ἀπολογίαν τινὰ συνυφαίνει τοῖς λόγοις. Ὁδοιπόρον γὰρ τὴν κακὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ὠνόμασεν· ὡς νῦν μὲν παρὰ τοῦτον, νῦν δὲ παρ᾽ ἐκεῖνον φοιτῶσαν. Ξένον δὲ πάλιν αὐτὴν προσηγόρευσεν, ὡς ἀήθη τοῦ Δαβὶδ, καὶ γνώριμον οὐδὲ πώποτε γεγενημένην. Τοῦτο γὰρ αὐτὸν τῆς συγγνώμης μεταλαχεῖν παρεσκεύασεν. Οὐ γὰρ πονηροῖς ἐπιτηδεύμασιν ἐνετράφη, οὐδὲ ἐκ γνώμης, ἀλλ᾽ ἐκ περιστάσεως ἐδέξατο τὴν πληγήν· καὶ ῥαθυμίας ἦν, οὐ κακοηθείας, ἡ ἁμαρτία. ᾿Αλλ' ἐν τοῖς ἑξῆς τὴν κατηγορίαν ηὔξησεν. Ἔδει γὰρ ἐκ τῶν οἰκείων θῦσαι, καὶ μὴ τὴν ἀλλοτρίαν καὶ μόνην ἀμνάδα. Οὕτω τῆς γραφῆς ἐν ἀλλοτρίῳ γεγενημένης προσώπῳ, ὁ δικαστὴς δικαίαν τὴν ψῆφον ἐξήνεγκε· Ζῇ γὰρ, ἔφη, Κύριος, ὅτι ἄξιος θανάτου ὁ ἀνὴρ ὁ ποιήσας τοῦτο καὶ τὴν ἀμνάδα ἀποτίσει τετραπλασίονα ἀνθ' ὧν ἐποίησε τὸ πρᾶγμα τοῦτο, καὶ ὑπὲρ οὗ οὐκ ἐφείσατο. Ἐπειδὴ ὁ κατηγορούμενος τὴν καθ' ἑαυτοῦ ἀπόφασιν ἐξενήνοχε, τότε λοιπὸν ῥίψας ὁ προφήτης τὸ προσωπείον, γυμνὸν ἔδειξε τοῦ κατηγορουμένου τὸ πρόσωπον. Ἔφη γὰρ, Τάδε λέγει Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσραήλ· Ἐγὼ ἔχρισά σε εἰς βασιλέα ἐπὶ Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἐγὼ ἐξειλόμην σε ἐκ χειρὸς Σαούλ, καὶ ἔδωκά σοι τὰ πάντα τοῦ κυρίου σου, καὶ τὰς γυναῖκας αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν κόλπον σου· καὶ ἔδωκά σοι τὸν οἶκον Ἰσραὴλ καὶ Ἰούδα. Εἶτα ἐδήλωσε τῆς φιλοτιμίας τὸ ἄμετρον - Καὶ εἰ ὀλίγα σοἱ ἐστι, προσθήσω καθὼς ταῦτα. Πρὸ τῆς τομῆς ἡ θεραπεία, πρὸ τῆς τιμωρίας ἡ ψυχαγωγία· Καὶ εἰ ὀλίγα σοί ἐστι, προσθήσω καθὼς ταῦτα. Ἔπειτα τῆς κατηγορίας ὁ ἔλεγχος· «Καὶ ὅτι ἐξουδένωσας τὸν Κύριον τοῦ ποιεῖν πονηρὸν ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ. Κατεφρόνησάς μου τῶν νόμων, οὐκ ᾠήθης ἐφορᾶν με τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὰς πράξεις ὑπερετρύφησάς μου τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς, κατ᾿ ἐμοῦ τοῦ δεδωκότος ἐσκίρτησας. Τὸν Οὐρίαν τὸν Χετθαῖον ἐπάταξας ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ, καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ ἔλαβες σεαυτῷ γυναῖκα, καὶ αὐτὸν ἀπέκτεινας ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ τῶν υἱῶν ᾿Αμμών. Τὸν οὕτως εὔνουν περὶ σὲ γεγενημένον τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐξέδωκας, καὶ δι᾿ ἡδονὴν ὀλίγην δύο πεπάτηκας νόμους. Εἶτα ἡ τιμωρία· Καὶ νῦν οὐκ ἐξαρθήσεται. ῥομφαία ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου σου εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Ἕνεκεν τούτου οὗ ἐξουδένωσάς με, καὶ ἔλαβες τὴν γυναῖκα Οὐρίου τοῦ Χετθαίου σαυτῷ εἰς γυναῖκα. Αἰνίττεται δὲ ὁ λόγος, ὅτι πλέον ὁ Δεσπότης Θεὸς ἐχαλέπηνεν ἐπὶ τῷ γάμῳ, ἢ τῇ πρὸ τούτου γενομένῃ μοιχείᾳ. Ἐκεῖνο μὲν γὰρ ἐπιθυμίας ἦν σφοδροτάτης κάρον ἐργασαμένης τῷ λογισμῷ· τοῦτο δὲ καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ λογισμοῦ τὴν συγκατάθεσιν ἔχει, ὃν ἐχρῆν μετὰ τὸν ἄδικον φόνον θρηνεῖν καὶ στένειν, οὐ γάμῳ συναινεῖν παρανόμῳ. Εἶτα τὰς χαλεπὰς ἀπειλεῖ τιμωρίας, αἱ λαμπρότερον ἔδειξαν τοῦ θαυμαστοῦ βασιλέως τὸ κλέος. Αἱ γὰρ θεήλατοι πληγαὶ τὴν νόσον ἐκείνην ἐξήλασαν, καὶ τὴν προτέραν ὑγείαν ἀπέδοσαν. Τούτου γὰρ δὴ χάριν αὐτὰς ἐπενήνοχεν ὁ τῶν ψυχῶν ἰατρός. Προσέθηκε δὲ ταῖς ἀπειλαῖς, ὅτι Σὺ μὲν ἐποίησας ἐν κρυπτῷ· ἐγὼ δὲ ποιήσω τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο ἐνώπιον παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου. Λαθεῖν, φησὶν, ἐθέλησας, τὸν φόνον ἐκάττυσας· ἀλλ᾽ ἐγὼ σου τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἅπασι ποιήσω κατάδηλον. Τούτων ὁ Δαβὶδ ἀκούσας τῶν λόγων, οὐκ ἐδυσφόρησεν ὡς ὑπ' ἀνδρὸς πένητος ἐλεγχόμενος. Ἤδει γὰρ τὸν διὰ τούτου φθεγγόμενον, καὶ ἐβόησεν· Ἡμάρτηκα τῷ Κυρίῳ. ᾿Αλλ᾿ εὐθὺς ὁ προφήτης, τὴν τῆς ἁμαρτίας ὁμολογίαν δεξάμενος, καὶ τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίᾳ θαῤῥήσας, ἐπήγαγε Καὶ Κύριος ἀφεῖλε τὸ ἁμάρτημά σου, οὐ μὴ ἀποθάνῃς. Διπλοῦν ὤφειλε θάνατον· καὶ γὰρ ὁ μοιχὸς καὶ ὁ ἀνδροφόνος ἀνῃροῦντο κατὰ τὸν νόμον ἀλλ᾽ ἔλυσε τοῦ θανάτου τὴν ψῆφον ἡ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ὁμολογία. Παντοδαπαῖς δὲ αὐτὸν, οἷα δὴ πάνσοφος ἰατρὸς, παιδείαις ὑπέβαλε· τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ἡ ἱστορία διδάσκει. Εἰρηκὼς γὰρ ὁ προφήτης, Οὐ μὴ ἀποθάνῃς, ἐπήγαγε Πλὴν ὅτι παροργίζων παρώργισας ἐν τοῖς ὑπεναντίοις τὸν Κύριον ἐν τῷ λόγῳ τουτῳ Τοῦτο δὲ σαφέστερον ὁ ᾿Ακύλας ἡρμήνευσε, Παροξύνων παρώξυνας τοὺς ἐχθροὺς Κυρίου., Γυμνωθεὶς γὰρ τῆς θείας κηδεμονίας, παρεσκεύασε τοὺς ἀλλοφύλους νικᾶν, καὶ μέγα φρονεῖν κατὰ τοῦ τῶν ὅλων Θεοῦ. Πρῶτον μέντοι τὸ μοιχίδιον παιδίον ἐπάταξεν ὁ Θεός. Ὁ δὲ Οὐρίας ἔοικεν ἐκ μὲν τῶν ἀλλοφύλων ὡρμῆσθαι, προσήλυτος δὲ γεγενῆσθαι Χετθαῖον γὰρ αὐτὸν ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς προσηγόρευσε· καὶ ἔδειξεν ὡς ἀδικούμενον οὐδένα περιορᾷ, ἀλλὰ κἂν ἀλλόφυλος ὁ ἀδικούμενος ᾖ, ὁ δὲ ἀδικῶν Ἑβραῖος, ἐκείνῳ μὲν ἐπαμύνει, τὸν δὲ ἀδικοῦντα κολάζει. ### English translation (Claude) How could he say that Hadadezer came again as an ally of the Ammonites, having earlier spoken of his utter destruction? He spoke of Hadadezer's defeat, not of his slaughter. And what is said now agrees with what was said before: “For Hadadezer sent,” it says, “and brought out the Syrians who were beyond the river Chalama.” If he had had a force of his own, he would not have needed another. How much misfortune, affliction and anxiety benefit us, we learn from this history too. While he was being pursued by Saul, the divine David practiced every kind of wisdom; and while fighting, and occupying his mind with the cares of war, he lived according to the divine laws. But when he obtained a little respite, he suffered that fall: “It came to pass,” it says, “at evening, that David rose from his bed and walked on the roof of the royal house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to look at.” Great and violent is the war: ease and luxury, kingship and power, the bloom of the body, and the assault coming after a full meal; at such a time the spark smolders even in ascetics, receiving its fuel like a watering of oil. He clearly also had the passion of desire more violently than is natural; for he would not have used several wives if nature had not forced him to do so. But no law forbade that; this, however, the divine law expressly prohibited. So, stooping to look out innocently, not out of curiosity, he saw the woman bathing; but he did not flee the sight as deadly, but, bewitched by the bait of her beauty, he swallowed the hook of sin. Desire procured this sin for him; shame, the other. For learning that the woman was pregnant, he dreaded being exposed, and tried every device so as not to fall into the second injustice. He sent for Uriah, supposing that after a long absence, on reaching the city he would desire to come together with his wife. But when Uriah showed his self-control, his courage and his loyalty to him (for he slept in the vestibule of the palace with the bodyguards), he sent for him the next day and reproached him for not granting his body the proper relief. Uriah said, “I do not think it right, while the general and the whole army are suffering hardship in war and siege, that I should give my body any comfort,” and he confirmed this word with an oath. But the king, ordering him to stay again, feasted him and with frequent toasts forced him to drink beyond measure, so that the wine, watering his desire, might rouse him to intercourse. And when he saw all his tricks fail (for again Uriah slept in the vestibule of the palace with the royal guards), stung and driven by shame, he dictated the letter to the general. Uriah, knowing nothing of what was written, went off carrying the sword of his own slaughter. Then, after his death and his wife's mourning, the marriage took place. But the physician of souls did not leave the disease uncured, nor overlook the unjust death, nor, because of David's virtue in other respects, leave the wronged man unavenged. “For the deed appeared evil in the sight of the Lord,” it says. So Nathan the prophet was sent, putting a becoming mask on the accusation. For we view sin in others one way, and view our own evils another; so we do not judge ourselves and others alike. In the case of others we pronounce a just verdict, and often even inflict too harsh a blow; but when we ourselves offend, we either cast out all awareness from our mind, or, seeing the sin, we reach for pardon. For this reason the prophet composed the drama of the rich man and the poor man: he described the wealth of the one, and depicted the extreme poverty of the other with pathos: “For he had nothing else,” he says, “but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and kept and reared; and it grew up with him and with his children together. It ate of his bread and drank from his cup and slept in his bosom, and it was to him like a daughter.” He goes through all this to show the excess of the lawless deed. In what follows he weaves a certain defense into his words. He called evil desire a traveler, as visiting now this man, now that; again he called it a stranger, as unaccustomed to David and never before known to him. This is what enabled him to obtain pardon: he had not been brought up in wicked practices, and he received the blow not from settled intent but from circumstance; the sin was one of carelessness, not of malice. But in what follows he increased the accusation: he ought to have sacrificed from his own flock, and not the other man's only lamb. When the charge had thus been made in another person's name, the judge pronounced a just verdict: “As the Lord lives,” he said, “the man who did this deserves to die, and he shall repay the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing and because he had no pity.” When the accused had pronounced the sentence against himself, then at last the prophet threw off the mask and showed the face of the accused uncovered. For he said, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul, and gave you all that was your lord's, and his wives into your bosom; and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah.” Then he showed the boundlessness of his generosity: “And if these are few for you, I will add as much again.” Before the cutting, the treatment; before the punishment, the comfort: “And if these are few for you, I will add as much again.” Then the proof of the charge: “Why have you despised the Lord, to do evil in his sight?” You despised my laws, you did not think I watch the deeds of human beings; you grew wanton on my good things and kicked against me, the giver. “You struck Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and took his wife as your wife, and killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon.” The man so loyal to you you betrayed to the enemy, and for a little pleasure you trampled two laws. Then the punishment: “And now the sword shall not depart from your house forever, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.” The saying hints that God the Master was angrier at the marriage than at the adultery that came before it. For that was the work of a most violent desire that had stupefied his reason; but this had the consent of reason itself, which ought, after the unjust murder, to have lamented and groaned, not agreed to a lawless marriage. Then he threatens the severe punishments, which made the admirable king's glory shine more brightly. For the blows sent by God drove out that disease and restored his former health; for this reason the physician of souls brought them on him. To the threats he added, “For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all this people.” You wished to escape notice, he says, and contrived the murder; but I will make your sin plain to all. Hearing these words, David was not offended at being rebuked by a poor man; for he knew who was speaking through him, and he cried out, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And at once the prophet, accepting the confession of the sin and trusting in God's love for humankind, added, “And the Lord has taken away your sin; you shall not die.” He owed a double death, for both the adulterer and the murderer were put to death according to the law; but the confession of the sin undid the sentence of death. But like a most wise physician he subjected him to all kinds of discipline, as the history too teaches. For the prophet, having said “You shall not die,” added, “Nevertheless, because by this deed you have greatly provoked the Lord among his adversaries.” Aquila rendered this more clearly: “you have greatly provoked the enemies of the Lord.” For, stripped of divine care, he enabled the foreigners to win and to be arrogant against the God of the universe. First, however, God struck the child of the adultery. Uriah seems to have come from the foreigners but to have become a proselyte; for the God of the universe called him a Hittite, and showed that he overlooks no one who is wronged; even if the one wronged is a foreigner and the wrongdoer a Hebrew, he defends the one and punishes the wrongdoer. ### Scripture references - 2 Sam 10:16: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 11:2: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 11:4: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 11:5: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 11:6: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 11:9: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 11:11: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 11:13: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 11:15: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 11:27: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 12:1: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 12:3: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 12:4: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 12:5: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 12:6: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 12:7: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 12:8: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 12:9: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 12:10: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 12:12: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 12:13: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 12:14: quotation, high confidence - Lev 20:10: allusion, medium confidence - Exod 21:12: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Sam 10:16; 11–12 (LXX; quotations 10:16; 11:2, 11, 27; 12:3, 5–6, 7–10, 12, 13, 14). The law: Lev 20:10; Exod 21:12. Theodoret's statements that David had a stronger than natural desire, and that God was angrier at the marriage than at the adultery, are his own; translated as written. The square brackets around ἢ (“than”) in the edition are kept in sense. A displaced fragment of the quotation of 12:10 (“you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hit[tite]”) had been printed inside an earlier sentence; it is put back in its place by logged corrections. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 2.24 (PG 80 80:623; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-24). ## 2 Kingdoms Question 25 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-19/#p-2-25 - Source: PG 80 80:629 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God took the child of David's adultery so that it would not remain a living reproach to the king. ### Greek text Τί δήποτε τὸ ἀρτιγενὲς παιδίον θανάτῳ παρέδωκεν ὁ Θεός; Ἤμελλεν εἶναι ζῶν τῆς παρανομίας ἔλεγχος, καὶ τοῦ εὐσεβοῦς βασιλέως ὄνειδος. Τοῦ προφήτου τοίνυν κηδόμενος, ζῇν αὐτὸ οὐκ εἴασεν ὁ Δεσπότης. ### English translation (Claude) Why did God hand the newborn child over to death? If he lived he would be a proof of the lawless deed and a reproach to the pious king. Caring for the prophet, then, the Master did not let him live. ### Scripture references - 2 Sam 12:14: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 12:18: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Sam 12:14–18. A marginal line repeating the words “the enemies of the Lord in this deed” (from 2.24) printed inside the answer is removed by a logged correction. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 2.25 (PG 80 80:629; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-25). ## 2 Kingdoms Question 26 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-19/#p-2-26 - Source: PG 80 80:631 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Solomon's name Jedidiah is explained from Aquila and Symmachus. ### Greek text Τί ἑρμηνεύεται τὸ Ἰεδδίδει; Ὁ Ἀκύλας, ἕνεκεν Κυρίου ἡρμήνευσεν· ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος, εἰς βασιλέα ἀφωρισμένον ### English translation (Claude) What does Jedidi mean? Aquila translated it “for the Lord's sake”; Symmachus, “set apart as king.” ### Scripture references - 2 Sam 12:25: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Sam 12:25 (LXX Ἰεδδεδί). This short question holds one question and answer. The staging notes that the OCR read the question number as 320. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 2.26 (PG 80 80:631; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-26). ## 2 Kingdoms Question 27 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-19/#p-2-27 - Source: PG 80 80:631 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: David's harsh treatment of the Ammonites repaid their own cruelty to Israel. ### Greek text Τινὲς ὡς ἀπηνῆ τὸν Δαβὶδ ἐπιμέμφονται τοιαύταις τιμωρίαις τοὺς ᾿Αμμανίτας κολάσαντα. ᾿Αναμεμνῆσθαι δεῖ ὧν κατὰ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ τετολμήκασι Τοὺς δεξιοὺς γὰρ αὐτῶν ὀφθαλμοὺς ἐξώρυττον· καὶ τὰς ἄλλας δὲ αὐτῶν ὠμότητας οἱ προφῆται διδάσκουσι. Τὴν ἴσην τοίνυν ὧν ἐτόλμησαν ἔτισαν ποινήν. ### English translation (Claude) Some blame David as harsh for punishing the Ammonites with such punishments. One must remember what they had dared against Israel: they gouged out their right eyes, and the prophets tell of their other cruelties. So they paid a penalty equal to what they had dared. ### Scripture references - 2 Sam 12:31: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 11:2: allusion, high confidence - Amos 1:13: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The question is put as an objection; the printed text lacks a question mark. 2 Sam 12:31; 1 Sam 11:2; Amos 1:13. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 2.27 (PG 80 80:631; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-27). ## 2 Kingdoms Question 28 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-28/#p-2-28 - Source: PG 80 80:631 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Jonadab's “shrewdness” served evil; Tamar's rape began the troubles of David's house, leading through Amnon's murder and the Tekoite woman's ruse to Absalom's revolt and David's flight, where Ittai's loyalty is an example. ### Greek text Τὸν Ἰωναδάβ τοῦ Σαμαὰ τὸν υἱὸν τὸ δήποτε φρόνιμον ὠνόμασε, τοιαύταις χρησάμενον συμβουλίαις; Καὶ τὸν ὄφιν οὕτως ὁ Μωσῆς φρονιμώτατον εἶπεν εἶναι πάντων τῶν θηρίων τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Τοιγάρτοι ἰστέον, ὡς οὐ πανταχῆ τὸ φρόνιμον ἐπὶ ἐπαίνου τάττειν εἴωθεν ἡ θεία Γραφή. Σοφοὶ γάρ εἰσι, φησὶ, τοῦ κακοποιῆσαι. Καὶ ἐξελέξατο, φησὶν, ὁ Θεὸς τὰ μωρὰ τοῦ κόσμου, ἵνα καταισχύνῃ τοὺς σοφούς.» Καὶ ὁ Σολομών ἐσοφίσατο ὑπὲρ πάντας σοφοὺς Αἰγύπτου·» δυσσεβεῖς δὲ ἦσαν οἱ Αἰγύπτου σοφοί. Ἐνταῦθα οὐ τὴν συμβουλὴν τοῦ Ἰωναδάβ ἐπήνεσεν ἡ θεία Γραφή, ἀλλὰ τὰς ἐκείνου φρένας, ὡς ἐπιτηδείως ἐσχηκυίας πρὸς τὸ συνορᾶν τὸ πρακτέον. ᾿Αλλ' οὐκ ἐχρήσατο εἰς δέον τῇ φύσει· ἀλλὰ τῇ τοῦ ᾿Αμνὼν ἀκολασίᾳ συνέπραξε, καὶ τῆς τολμηθείσης παρανομίας μετέλαχεν. Εἰ ἐθεώρεις γὰρ, φησὶ, κλέπτην, συνέτρεχες αὐτῷ, καὶ μετὰ μοιχοῦ τὴν μερίδα σου ἐτίθεις. Τὸν δὲ χιτῶνα τὸν ἀστραγαλωτὸν, ὁ μὲν ᾿Ακύλας καρπωτὸν ἡρμήνευσεν, ἀντὶ τοῦ καρποὺς ἐνυφασμένους ἔχοντα· οἱ νῦν δὲ αὐτὸν καλοῦσι πλουμαρικόν. Ὁ δὲ Ἰώσηπος, τὸν μέχρις ἀστραγάλων διήκοντα. Η μέντοι κατὰ τὴν Θάμαρ ὑπόθεσις ἀρχή τίς ἐστι καὶ ῥίζα τῶν τῆς βασιλικῆς οἰκίας συμφορῶν. Ἤλγησε μὲν γὰρ ὁ βασιλεὺς τὴν παρανομίαν μαθών· φιλοστόργως δὲ ὡς περὶ πρωτότοκον υἱὸν τὸν Ἀμνὼν διακείμενος, τῆς πονηρᾶς πράξεως οὐκ εἰσέπραξε δίκας. Ὁ δὲ ὁμογάστριος αὐτῆς ἀδελφὸς, καὶ ἄλλως αὐθάδης ὢν καὶ θρασὺς, παραυτίκα μὲν ἔκρυψε τὴν ὀργὴν, δύο δὲ διεληλυθότων ἐτῶν, εἰς τὴν τῶν προβάτων κουρὰν τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς συγκαλέσας, κατέκτεινε τὸν ᾿Αμνών. Εἶτα πρὸς τὸν πάππον ἀπέδραμε τὸν πρὸς μητρός. Μααχὰ γὰρ ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ θυγάτηρ ἦν τοῦ Θολμὴ, ὃς τῆς Γεσσὶρ ἐβασίλευσεν. Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἐθρήνησεν ἀμφοτέρους, καὶ τὸν ἀνῃρηκότα, καὶ τὸν ἀναιρεθέντα. – Τριῶν δὲ διεληλυθότων ἐτῶν, καὶ τῆς ὀργῆς τῷ χρόνῳ σβεσθείσης, μηχανᾶται τοιοῦτόν τι ὁ στρατηγός. Ὑπέθετο γυναικί τινι συνετῇ δρᾶμα διαπλάσας, εἰς οἶκτον ἑλκῦσαι τὸν βασιλέα δυνάμενον. Ἡ δὲ τῷ βασιλεῖ προσελθοῦσα, κατὰ τὰς ὑποθήκας τοῦ στρατηγοῦ, χήρα μὲν ἔφησεν εἶναι, δύο δὲ μόνους παῖδας γεγεννηκέναι· τούτους δὲ εἰς ἄνδρας τελέσαντας εἰς ἔριν χαλεπὴν ἐμπεσεῖν, ἐκ δὲ τῆς ἔριδος τεχθῆναι διαμάχην· διαλῦσαι δὲ ταύτην οὐδενὸς ἐθελήσαντος, θάτερον ὑπὸ θατέρου πληγέντα τοῦ βίου τὸ τέλος καταλαβεῖν. Ἀλλ᾽ οἱ τὴν ἔριν ἐκείνην διαλῦσαι μὴ βουληθέντες, νῦν ἀθροισθέντες ἐκδοθῆναι σφίσιν ἀπαιτοῦσι τὸν ἕτερον. Εἰ δὲ τοῦτο γένοιτο, ἐγὼ μὲν πρὸς τῇ χηρείᾳ, καὶ τὴν ἀπαιδίαν ὀλοφυρομένη διατελέσω· σβεσθήσεται δὲ παντάπασιν ὁ τοῦ γένους σπινθὴρ, καὶ τοῦ ἀνδρός μου ἡ μνήμη παραδοθήσεται λήθῃ· τὸν βασιλέα δὲ διὰ τούτων ᾐνίττετο, μήτε τὸν Ἀμνὼν κολάσαντα, μήτε τοῦ ᾿Αβεσσαλώμ τὴν ἀθυμίαν διασκεδάσαντα ἀνηκέστου δὲ τοῦ πράγματος γεγονότος, διακενῆς ὀργιζόμενον. Τούτοις δὲ ὅμως καταθελχθέντος τοῖς λόγοις τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ προστάξειν ὑπισχνουμένου τῷ στρατηγῷ παύσειν τῶν φυλετῶν τὴν ὁρμὴν, πάλιν ἡ γυνὴ θεραπευτικοῖς ἐχρήσατο λόγοις, κατακηλοῦσα τοῦ βασιλέως τὴν ἀκοήν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὤμοσεν ὁ βασιλεύς Ζῇ γὰρ, ἔφη, Κύριος, εἰ πεσεῖται ἀπὸ τῶν τριχῶν τοῦ υἱοῦ σου ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, εὐθὺς ἐπήγαγεν ἡ γυνὴ, ὡς οὐχ οἷόν τε διαφυγεῖν τὸν υἱὸν αὐτῆς τὴν σφαγὴν, μὴ πρότερον τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐκ τῆς φυγῆς ἐπανελθόντος. Ἐκεῖνο γὰρ, φησὶν, ἔσται τούτου παράδειγμα. Εἰ δὲ ἐκεῖνο μὴ γένοιτο, ἀντιλέξουσιν οἱ φυλέται, εὔλογον αἰτίαν ἔχοντες τὴν τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ βασιλέως φυγήν. Τοῦτο γὰρ λέγει· Καὶ εἶπεν ἡ γυνή Ἵνα τί ἐλογίσθη οὕτως ἐπὶ λαὸν Κυρίου, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ παρελθεῖν τὸν βασιλέα τὸν λόγον τοῦτον, τοῦ ἐγκρατεύσασθαι τοῦ μὴ ἀποστρέψαι τὸν βασιλέα τὸν ἀπωσμένον ἀπ᾿ αὐτοῦ, ὅτι τέθνηκεν ὁ υἱός σου; Πῶς δύνασαι, φησὶ, τὸν υἱὸν μου τῆς σφαγῆς ἀπαλλάξαι μὴ ἐπανάγων σου τὸν υἱόν; Εἶτα περὶ τοῦ τεθνηκότος ψυχαγωγεῖ, ὅτι Τέθνηκεν ὁ υἱός σου, καὶ ὥσπερ τὸ ὕδωρ τὸ ἐκχεόμενον ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν οὐ συναχθήσεται, καὶ οὐκ ἐλπιεῖ ἐπ᾿ αὐτῷ ψυχή ᾿Αναστῆσαι, φησὶν, ἐκεῖνον οὐ δύνασαι, τί δήποτε καὶ τοῦτον σπεύδεις ἀναιρήσειν, ἵνα ἐστερημένος τῶν δύο βωτεύσῃς; - Οὕτω τὸν περὶ τοῦ ᾿Αβεσσαλώμ παρεμβαλοῦσα λόγον, πάλιν περὶ τοῦ οἰκείου δοκεῖ διαλέγεσθαι πάθους ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ ταῦτα ἐξεπίτηδες εἰρηκέναι Καὶ νῦν ὑπὲρ ὧν ἥκω λαλῆσαι πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα τὸν λόγον τοῦτον, καὶ ὄψεταί με ὁ λαὸς καὶ ἐρεῖ ἡ δούλη σου, Λαλησάτω δὴ ἡ δούλη σου πρὸς τὸν κύριόν μου τὸν βασιλέα, εἴ πως ποιήσῃ ὁ βασιλεὺς τὸ ῥῆμα τῆς παιδίσκης αὐτοῦ· ὅτι ἀκούσεται ὁ βασιλεὺς, καὶ ἐξελεῖταί με ἐκ χειρὸς τοῦ ἀνδρὸς τοῦ ζητοῦντος ἐξολοθρεῦσαί με, καὶ τὸν υἱόν μου κατὰ τὸ αὐτὸ, ἐκ τῆς κληρονομίας Κυρίου. Καὶ ἐρεῖ ἡ δούλη σου· Γενηθήτω δὴ ὁ λόγος τοῦ κυρίου μου τοῦ βασιλέως εἰς θυσίαν ὅτι καθὼς ἄγγελος Κυρίου, οὕτως καὶ ὁ κύριός μου ὁ βασιλεὺς, τοῦ εἰσακούειν τὸ ἀγαθὸν καὶ τὸ πονηρόν· καὶ Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου μετὰ σοῦ ἔσται. Τούτων παρὰ τῆς γυναικὸς εἰρημένων, συνῆκεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῦ δράματος τὴν ὑπόθεσιν, καὶ ἤρετο τὴν γυναῖκα, εἰ γνώμῃ τοῦ Ἰωὰβ τοῖσδε τοῖς λόγοις ἐχρήσατο. Ἡ δὲ συνωμολόγησε τούτων ἕκαστον τὸν Ἰωάβ ὑποθέσθαι· Ὅπως, φησὶ, κυκλώσῃ τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ λόγου τούτου ὅ ἐποίησεν Ἰωάβ ὁ δοῦλός σου τὸν λόγον τοῦτον. Ἑξ εὐθείας, φησὶν, οὐκ ἦν ἱκετεῦσαί σε· ὅθεν ὑπέθετο χρήσασθαί με τῷ κύκλῳ τῶν λόγων τούτων, ἵνα ἐν τῷ πεπλασμένῳ πάθει τὸ οἰκεῖον ἰδὼν, ἣν ἔμελλες ἐπιθεῖναι θεραπείαν ἐμοὶ, ταύτην ἐπιθῇς σαυτῷ· καὶ ἧς μεταδώσειν ἐπικουρίας ὑπέσχου τῷ ἐμῷ παιδὶ, ταύτης τῷ σῷ μεταδῷς. Τούτοις εἴξας τοῖς λόγοις ὁ βασιλεὺς, ἐπανἐλθεῖν μὲν τὸν ᾿Αβεσσαλώμ παρηγγύησεν, ἰδεῖν δὲ αὐτὸν διεκώλυσεν ὕστερον δὲ καὶ τοῦτο δέδρακε, τοῦ Ἰωάβ δεξάμενος τὴν παράκλησιν. ᾿Αλλὰ τεσσάρων διεληλυθότων ἐτῶν, τῇ χρηστότητι τῶν λόγων προκατασκευάσας τὴν τυραννίδα, τῇ σκήψει μὲν τῆς θυσίας εἰς τὴν Χεβρὼν ἀπελήλυθεν· ἐκεῖ δὲ τὴν πατρικὴν ἥρπασε βασιλείαν· ἐμελέτησε δὲ καὶ τοῦ πατρὸς τὴν σφαγήν. Τοῦτο μαθὼν ὁ βασιλεὺς, κατἐλιπε τὴν μητρόπολιν, ἀρίστην ἡγούμενος στρατηγίαν καὶ τὴν εἰς καιρὸν γενομένην φυγήν. Ἠχολούθησε δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ τῶν ἀσπιδοφόρων καὶ δορυφόρων πλῆθος. Ἠκολούθησε δὲ καὶ Ἰεθὶ ὁ Γετθαῖος σὺν ἑξακοσίοις λογάσιν, ἄρτι μὲν τὴν οἰκείαν πατρίδα καταλιπών, προσήλυτος δὲ μετὰ τῶν ὑπηκόων γενόμενος. Τοῦτον ὁ βασιλεὺς πεῖσαι μὲν ἐπεχείρησεν ἀναστρέψαι, ἵνα μὴ εὐθὺς αὐτοῖς συνοικήσας πάλιν γένηται μετανάστης· Τί γὰρ, φησί, πορεύῃ σὺ μεθ᾽ ἡμῶν; ᾿Ανάστρεφε καὶ κάθισον μετὰ τοῦ βασιλέως, ὅτι ἀλλότριος σὺ, καὶ ὅτι μετῴκησας ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου σου· εἰ ἐχθὲς παραγέγονας σὺ, καὶ σήμερον κινήσω σε τοῦ πορεύεσθαι μεθ' ἡμῶν· ἐγὼ δὲ πορεύσομαι οὗ ἐὰν πορεύωμαι. Ἐμὲ, φησὶ, ἀνάγκη μεταναστεύειν, σὲ δὲ οὐ δίκαιον ἀρτίως ἀφιγμένον σὺν ἡμῖν ὑπομένειν τὸν πόνον. ῎Αξιον δὲ θαυμάσαι τοῦ Δαβὶδ τὴν πραότητα. Καὶ διωκόμενος γὰρ, καὶ πολεμούμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ παμμιάρου παιδὸς, οὐ πατραλοίαν, οὐκ ἀδελφοκτόνον, ἀλλὰ βασιλέα ὠνόμαζε· καὶ πολλῆς δεόμενος βοηθείας, τῆς τοῦ προσηλύτου σωτηρίας ἐφρόντιζεν· ᾿Ανάστρεφε γὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ ἀπόστρεψον τοὺς ἀδελφούς σου μετὰ σοῦ, καὶ Κύριος ποιήσει μετὰ σοῦ ἔλεος καὶ ἀλήθειαν. ᾿Αλλ' ὅσῳ τὴν περὶ αὐτὸν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐδείκνυ κηδεμονίαν, τοσούτῳ ἐκεῖνος μείζονα τὴν εὔνοιαν ἀπεδείκνυτο. Ζῇ γὰρ, φησὶ, Κύριος, καὶ ζῇ ἡ ψυχή σου, κύριέ μου βασιλεῦ, ὅτι εἰς τὸν τόπον οὗ ἐὰν ἡ ὁ κύριός μου ὁ βασιλεὺς, ἐάν τε εἰς θάνατον, ἐάν τε εἰς ζωὴν, ἐκεῖ ἔσται ὁ δοῦλός σου. Τούτων ἕκαστον εἰς ἡμετέραν προεγράφη διδασκαλίαν, ἵνα μάθωμεν, ὡς οὐ χρὴ εὖ μὲν πράττουσι τοῖς φίλοις συνεῖναι, δυσπραγίᾳ δὲ περιπεσόντας ἐᾶν. ### English translation (Claude) Why did he call Jonadab son of Shimea shrewd, when he gave such advice? Moses too said in this way that the serpent was the shrewdest of all the beasts on the earth. One should know, then, that the divine Scripture does not always use “shrewd” as praise. “They are wise,” it says, “in doing evil.” And, “God chose,” it says, “the foolish things of the world to shame the wise.” And Solomon “was wiser than all the wise men of Egypt”; yet the wise men of Egypt were impious. Here the divine Scripture did not praise Jonadab's advice but his mind, as well suited to seeing what had to be done. But he did not use his nature as he should; he helped Amnon's licentiousness and shared in the lawless deed that was dared. “If you saw a thief,” it says, “you ran along with him, and you cast your lot with the adulterer.” Aquila translated the “tunic reaching to the ankles” as “with fruits,” that is, with fruits woven into it; people today call it “embroidered.” Josephus says it was one reaching down to the ankles. The affair of Tamar was a beginning and root of the calamities of the royal house. The king was grieved when he learned of the lawless deed; but because he loved Amnon dearly as his firstborn son, he did not exact punishment for the wicked act. Her brother by the same mother, who was in any case self-willed and bold, hid his anger for the moment; but when two years had passed, he invited his brothers to the sheep-shearing and killed Amnon. Then he fled to his grandfather on his mother's side; for his mother Maacah was the daughter of Tolmai, who reigned over Geshur. The king mourned both a very long time, the slayer and the slain. When three years had passed and his anger had been quenched by time, the general devised something like this. He coached a clever woman, composing a drama able to move the king to pity. She came to the king according to the general's instructions and said she was a widow and had borne only two sons; when they reached manhood they fell into a bitter quarrel, and from the quarrel a fight arose; and since no one would stop it, one, struck by the other, met the end of his life. But those who were unwilling to settle that quarrel had now gathered and demanded that the other be handed over to them. “If this happens, I shall go on lamenting childlessness besides widowhood; the spark of the family will be quenched altogether, and my husband's memory will be consigned to oblivion.” Through this she was hinting at the king, who had neither punished Amnon nor dispelled Absalom's despondency, but now that the thing could not be undone was angry to no purpose. When the king was charmed by these words and promised to order the general to stop the kinsmen's attack, the woman again used flattering words, soothing the king's ear. And when the king swore, “As the Lord lives,” he said, “not one of your son's hairs shall fall to the ground,” the woman at once added that her son could not escape slaughter unless the king's son first returned from exile. For that, she says, will be a precedent for this; if that does not happen, the kinsmen will object, having a reasonable ground in the exile of the king's son. For this is what it says: “And the woman said, Why have you thought thus against the people of the Lord? And from the king's speaking this word, as one guilty, the king does not bring back his banished one, because your son is dead.” How can you, she says, free my son from slaughter without bringing back your own son? Then she consoles him about the dead son: “Your son is dead, and like water spilled on the ground that cannot be gathered up, and no soul will hope in him.” You cannot raise that one, she says; why do you hasten to destroy this one too, so that you may live deprived of both? Having slipped in this word about Absalom, she again seems to talk about her own misfortune, so as not to seem to have said this on purpose: “And now, as to why I have come to speak this word to the king: the people will see me, and your servant will say, Let your servant speak to my lord the king; perhaps the king will do the word of his maidservant. For the king will hear and deliver me from the hand of the man who seeks to destroy me and my son together from the inheritance of the Lord. And your servant will say, Let the word of my lord the king be for a sacrifice; for as an angel of the Lord, so is my lord the king, to discern good and evil; and the Lord your God will be with you.” When the woman had said these things, the king understood the plot of the drama and asked the woman whether she had used these words by Joab's design. She admitted that Joab had suggested each of them: “In order,” she says, “to bring round the face of this matter your servant Joab has done this thing.” It was not possible, she means, to supplicate you directly; so he advised me to use this roundabout speech, so that, seeing your own case in the invented misfortune, you might apply to yourself the remedy you were going to apply to me, and give your own son the help you promised to my child. Yielding to these words, the king ordered Absalom to return, but forbade him to see him; later he did this too, at Joab's urging. But when four years had passed, having prepared his usurpation by the kindness of his words, he went off to Hebron on the pretext of a sacrifice; there he seized his father's kingdom, and he plotted his father's murder as well. Learning this, the king left the capital, considering a timely flight the best strategy. A crowd of shield-bearers and spearmen followed him. Ittai the Gittite also followed, with six hundred picked men; he had only recently left his own country and had become a proselyte with his subjects. The king tried to persuade him to go back, so that he would not, having only just settled among them, become a wanderer again: “Why are you going with us?” he says. “Go back and stay with the king, for you are a foreigner and have migrated from your home. You came only yesterday, and shall I today make you wander with us? I am going wherever I go.” I must go into exile, he means, but it is not right that you, who have just arrived, should share our hardship with us. David's gentleness deserves admiration. Though pursued and attacked by his utterly vile son, he did not call him parricide or fratricide but king; and though he needed much help, he took thought for the proselyte's safety: “Go back,” he says, “and take your brothers back with you, and the Lord will show you mercy and truth.” But the more care the king showed for him, the greater loyalty Ittai displayed: “As the Lord lives,” he says, “and as your soul lives, my lord the king, wherever my lord the king is, whether for death or for life, there your servant will be.” Each of these things was written beforehand for our instruction, so that we might learn that we must not stay with our friends when they prosper and abandon them when they fall into misfortune. ### Scripture references - 2 Sam 13:3: quotation, high confidence - Gen 3:1: allusion, high confidence - Jer 4:22: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 1:27: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 4:30 (3 Kgdms 5:10 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 50:18 (49:18 LXX): quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 13:18: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 13:14: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 13:21: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 13:23: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 13:29: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 13:37: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 3:3: allusion, medium confidence - 2 Sam 13:38: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 14:2: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 14:5: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 14:7: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 14:11: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 14:13: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 14:14: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 14:15: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 14:16: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 14:17: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 14:20: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 14:24: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 14:33: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 15:7: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 15:10: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 15:14: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 15:18: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 15:19: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 15:20: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 15:21: quotation, high confidence - Rom 15:4: echo, medium confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Josephus, Ant. 7.8.1 (Josephus (works)): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Sam 13–15 (LXX; quotations 13:3; 14:11, 13–14, 15–17, 20; 15:19–21). Gen 3:1; Jer 4:22; 1 Cor 1:27; 1 Kgs 4:30 (LXX 5:10); Ps 50:18 (LXX 49:18); Josephus, Ant. 7.8.1, on Tamar's robe. Several passages printed out of place are put back or removed by logged corrections: a duplicate form of the woman's story (printed inside the sentence on the precedent) is removed, and the closing words of her speech (“and the Lord your God will be with you. When … the woman had said these things”), printed inside the word “speech”, are restored to their place. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 2.28 (PG 80 80:631; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-28). ## 2 Kingdoms Question 29 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-28/#p-2-29 - Source: PG 80 80:637 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Remembering the ark's capture when it was misused, David sent it back and submitted to God's judgment for his adultery and murder, praying only that Ahithophel's counsel be frustrated. ### Greek text Τί δήποτε τοὺς ἱερέας καὶ τὴν κιβωτὸν ἀκολουθεῖν κεκώλυκεν; Καὶ εὐσεβὴς ὢν, καὶ προφήτης, ᾔδει τί πέπονθεν ἡ κιβωτὸς εἰς ἐπικουρίαν τῶν παρανόμων ληφθεῖσα. Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν γὰρ ἀνῃρέθησαν· αὕτη δὲ δορυάλωτος ἐδόθη τοῖς ἀλλοφύλοις. Ταῦτα δεδιδαγμένος, πρὸς Σαδούκ εἶπε τὸν ἱερέα, ᾿Απόστρεψον τὴν κιβωτὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰς τὴν πόλιν, καὶ καθισάτω εἰς τὸν τόπον αὐτῆς Ἐὰν εὕρω χάριν ἐνώπιον Κυρίου, καὶ ἐπιστρέψῃ με, καὶ ὄψομαι αὐτὴν, καὶ τὴν εὐπρέπειαν αὐτῆς· καὶ ἐὰν εἴπῃ μοι, Οὐ τεθέληκά σε, ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ, ποιείτω μοι τὸ ἀρεστὸν ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ Οὐ δύναμαι, φησὶ, μετ᾿ ἐμαυτοῦ τὸν κατήγορον περιφέρειν. Ἔνδοθεν ἀκούω φθεγγομένου τοῦ νόμου· Οὐ μοιχεύσεις, οὐ φονεύσεις ἐγὼ δὲ τοὺς δύο πεπάτηκα νόμους. Ὅταν ὁ νομοθέτης καθαριεῖ μου τὸν τῆς ψυχῆς ὀφθαλμὸν, τότε ἰδεῖν δυνήσομαι τὴν εὐπρέπειαν αὐτῆς· ἐὰν δέ με παντάπασι τῆς οἰκείας κηδεμονίας γυμνώσῃ, Δεσπότης ἐστὶν, ἐγὼ δὲ οἰκέτης ἐμαυτὸν ὑποτιθεὶς ταῖς παιδείαις. Ταῦτα δακρύων ἔλεγεν ὁ θεῖος ἀνὴρ, τὸ πένθιμον περικείμενος σχῆμα· ἐκεκάλυπτο μὲν γὰρ τὴν κεφαλὴν, γυμνοῖς δὲ τοῖς ποσὶ κεχρημένος ἐβάδιζεν· ἐκοινώνει δὲ τοῦ πένθους ἡ στρατιά. Οὕτω φεύγων ἔγνω τοῦ ᾿Αχιτόφελ τὴν προδοσίαν· ἀλλ᾽ εὐθὺς πρὸς τὸν οἰκεῖον Δεσπότην κατέφυγεν, οὐ κεραυνοῖς αὐτὸν βληθῆναι παρακαλέσας, ἀλλὰ ματαίαν αὐτοῦ ἀποφανθῆναι τὴν συμβουλήν. Καὶ γὰρ φησὶν, Ὁ Θεός μου, ματαίωσον δὴ τὴν βουλὴν ᾿Αχιτόφελ. Τὸ δὲ ματαίωσον, ὁ Ακύλας, ἀφρόνησον, εἴρηκεν ἀντὶ τοῦ, δεῖξον ἄφρονα καὶ ἀσύνετον. Τὸ δὲ ῥῶς τὴν ἄκραν λέγει. ᾿Ανελθὼν γάρ, φησὶν, εἰς ῥῶς, τουτέστιν εἰς τὴν ἄκραν (λέγει δὲ τὸν ἐλαιῶνα, ἀφ᾿ οὗ ὁ Δεσπότης ἀνελήφθη Χριστὸς), προσεκύνησεν ἐκεῖ τῷ Θεῷ, εἰς τὴν σκηνὴν, ὡς εἰκὸς, ἀποβλέψας, καὶ τὴν κιβωτὸν τὴν ἐν αὐτῇ κειμένην. ### English translation (Claude) Why did he prevent the priests and the ark from following him? Being pious and a prophet, he knew what had happened to the ark when it was taken to help the lawless. Those men were killed, and the ark was given as a captive to the foreigners. Taught by this, he said to Zadok the priest, “Take the ark of God back into the city, and let it stay in its place. If I find favor in the sight of the Lord, he will bring me back, and I shall see it and its beauty; but if he says to me, I have no pleasure in you, here I am; let him do to me what seems good in his sight.” I cannot, he says, carry my accuser about with me. I hear the law speaking from within: “You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder”; and I have trampled both laws. When the Lawgiver cleanses the eye of my soul, then I shall be able to see its beauty; but if he strips me altogether of his care, he is Master and I am a servant, submitting myself to his discipline. The divine man said this weeping, wearing the garb of mourning: his head was covered and he walked barefoot, and the army shared his mourning. While fleeing he learned of Ahithophel's betrayal; but at once he took refuge with his own Master, not asking that he be struck by thunderbolts, but that his counsel be shown to be vain. “My God,” he says, “frustrate the counsel of Ahithophel.” For “frustrate” Aquila said “make foolish,” meaning: show it to be foolish and senseless. By Rhos he means the summit. “Having gone up,” it says, “to Rhos,” that is, to the summit (he means the Mount of Olives, from which Christ the Master was taken up), he worshiped God there, looking, probably, toward the tent and the ark that lay in it. ### Scripture references - 2 Sam 15:24: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 4:11: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 15:25: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 15:26: quotation, high confidence - Exod 20:13: quotation, high confidence - Exod 20:14: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 15:30: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 15:31: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 15:32: quotation, high confidence - Acts 1:12: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Sam 15:24–32 (LXX; quotations 15:25–26, 31, 32). The capture of the ark, 1 Sam 4:10–11; Exod 20:13–14; the Ascension from the Mount of Olives, Acts 1:9–12. A displaced passage (a second form of the end of 2.28, on Ittai) printed after the first sentence of the answer is removed by a logged correction. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 2.29 (PG 80 80:637; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-29). ## 2 Kingdoms Question 30 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-28/#p-2-30 - Source: PG 80 80:639 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Hushai's deception is judged by its purpose: it served a pious king, as Herod's “truthful” keeping of an oath to kill John shows that truth can be culpable. ### Greek text Τινὲς οὐκ ἐπαινοῦσι τοῦ Χουσὶ τὸ ψεῦδος. Καὶ τῶν ἀγαθῶν καὶ τῶν ἐναντίων τὸν σκοπὸν ἐξετάζειν προσήκει. Οὕτω γὰρ κρίνοντες εὑρήσομεν καὶ κατηγορουμένην ἀλήθειαν. Ὁ γὰρ Ἡρώδης διὰ τοὺς ὅρκους, φησὶ, καὶ τοὺς συνανακειμένους, ἀπέκτεινε τὸν Ἰωάννην. ᾿Αλλ' οὐδεὶς οὕτως ἡλίθιος, ὡς ἐπαινέσαι τὴν ἐπὶ σφαγῇ γεγενημένην ἀλήθειαν. "Αμεινον γὰρ ἦν μὴ ὀμόσαι· ἐπεὶ δὲ ὤμοσε, τὸ ψεῦδος αἱρετώτερον τῆς σφαγῆς. Καὶ ἐνταῦθα τοίνυν ἡ ὑπόκρισις, οὐκ ἐπὶ κέρδει χρημάτων, οὐκ ἐπὶ λύμῃ ἑτέρων, ἀλλ ἐπὶ ζήλῳ προφήτου καὶ βασιλέως εὐσεβοῦντος, ἐγένετο. ### English translation (Claude) Some do not approve of Hushai's lie. In both good deeds and their opposites one must examine the purpose; judging thus, we shall find that even truth can be blameworthy. For Herod, it says, killed John because of his oaths and his fellow guests. But no one is so foolish as to praise truthfulness that ends in a slaughter. It would have been better not to swear; but once he had sworn, the lie was preferable to the slaughter. Here too, then, the pretense was made not for gain of money, nor to harm others, but out of zeal for a prophet and a pious king. ### Scripture references - 2 Sam 15:34: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 16:16: allusion, high confidence - Matt 14:9: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The question is put as an objection; the printed text lacks a question mark. 2 Sam 15:32–37; 16:16–19; Matt 14:9. Theodoret's view on the lie is translated as written. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 2.30 (PG 80 80:639; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-30). ## 2 Kingdoms Question 31 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-28/#p-2-31 - Source: PG 80 80:641 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: David was deceived by Ziba's plausible story but kept faith with Jonathan's son; he bore Shimei's curses as God's discipline, though the crimes of his sons were not God's doing. ### Greek text Μέμφονταί τινες τῷ Δαβίδ, ὡς τοῦ Σιβᾶ δεξαμένῳ τοὺς λόγους. Πολλάκις εἶπον, ὡς οὐχ ἅπαντα ἐγίνωσκον οἱ προφῆται· οὗτος δὲ καὶ πιθανοῖς ἐχρήσατο λόγοις. Αὐτὸς μὲν γὰρ ἀφίκετο πρὸς τὸν θεῖον Δαβίδ, ἐκεῖνον δὲ ἔφη τὴν βασιλείαν φαντάζεσθαι. Πρὸς δὲ τούτοις, καὶ δῶρα προσήνεγκε, τὴν οἰκείαν ἐπιδεικνὺς εὔνοιαν. Ὕστερον δὲ καὶ τοῦ Μεμφιβαάλ τοὺς λόγους δεξάμενος, ἀμφοτέροις μὲν τὴν κτῆσιν διένειμεν, ἐκεῖνον δὲ πάλιν τῆς αὐτῆς κηδεμονίας ἠξίωσε· καὶ τοῦ λιμοῦ γενομένου, καὶ τῶν Γαβαωνιτῶν ἑπτὰ τῶν τοῦ Σαοὺλ συγγενῶν αἰτησάντων, οὐκ ἐξέδωκε τὸν Μεμφιβαὰλ, ἀλλὰ τὰς πρὸς τὸν Ἰωνάθαν γεγενημένας συνθήκας ἐπλήρωσεν. ᾿Αξιἀγαστα δὲ τοῦ Δαβὶδ καὶ τὰ περὶ τοῦ Σεμεεὶ πρὸς τὸν ᾿Αβεσσὰ εἰρημένα. Ἐκείνου γὰρ αὐτὸν λίθοις βάλλοντος, καὶ τὸν χοῦν αὐτοῦ καταχέοντος, καὶ λόγοις ἑτέροις τε καὶ ἔργοις προπηλακίζοντος, καὶ ἄνδρα αἱμάτων καὶ παράνομον ἀποκαλοῦντος, ὁ μὲν ᾿Αβεσσὰ ὑποστράτηγος ὢν τὴν παροινίαν οὐκ ἤνεγκεν, ἀλλ᾽ ἔφη, Ἵνα τί καταρᾶται ὁ κύων ὁ ἐπικατάρατος οὗτος τὸν κύριόν μου τὸν βασιλέα; διελεύσομαι δὴ, καὶ ἀφελῶ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ. ᾿Αλλ᾿ ὁ πάντων πραότατος ὑπολαβὼν ἔφη, Τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοὶ, υἱὲ Σαρουΐα; ἄφετε αὐτὸν, διότι καταρᾶταί με, ὅτι ὁ Κύριος εἶπεν αὐτῷ κακολογεῖν τὸν Δαβὶδ καὶ τίς ἐρεῖ αὐτῷ, Τί ὅτι πεποίηκας οὕτως; Ἱμάς ἐστιν οὗτος, φησὶ, τοῦ Θεοῦ, ῥάβδος. Οὐχ ὁρῶ τὸν ἱμάντα, ἀλλὰ τὸν μαστιγοῦντα• ταῖς ἐμαυτοῦ παρανομίαις ἐπιγράφω τὰς συμφοράς· οὐχ ἅπτομαι τῆς ῥάβδου, ἵνα μὴ παροξύνω τὸν παίοντα. Συμφωνεῖ δὲ τούτοις δὲ καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· Εἶπε γὰρ, φησὶ, Δαβὶδ πρὸς ᾿Αβεσσὰ καὶ πρὸς πάντας τοὺς παῖδας αὐτοῦ, Ἰδοὺ ὁ υἱός μου, ὁ ἐξελθὼν ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας μου, ζητεῖ τὴν ψυχήν μου. Εἰ δὲ καὶ νῦν οὗτος ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ Ἰεμιναίου, ἄφετε αὐτὸν, καταράσθω δὲ, ὅτι Κύριος εἴρηκεν αὐτῷ, ὅπως ἴδοι τὴν ταπείνωσίν μου, καὶ ἀνταποδώσει μοι Κύριος ἀγαθὰ ἀντὶ τῆς κατάρας αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ταύτῃ. Οὐτος, φησὶν, ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Σαούλ ἐστι συγγενείας, παλαιάν ἔχων περὶ ἐμὲ τὴν δυσμένειαν καὶ εἰκὸς τινας εἰπεῖν, ὅτι καιρὸν εὑρὼν ἐγύμνωσε τὴν ἀπέχθειαν. Τὸν υἱόν μου, τὸν ὑπ᾿ ἐμοῦ καὶ σπαρέντα, καὶ τραφέντα, καὶ εἰς τοῦτο ἡλικίας ἐλάσαντα καὶ τιμῆς, τίς ἐκπεπολέμωκέ μοι ; Δῆλον τοίνυν ὡς ἡ ψῆφος ἄνωθεν ἐξενήνεκται· καὶ οἷς προεῖπεν ἐπιφέρει τὸ πέρας. Ἐγὼ δὲ φέρω καὶ τοὺς παροινοῦντας, καὶ τοὺς φονῶντας, ἵνα ταύτῃ πραΰνω τὴν θείαν ὀργήν. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ὁ θεῖος οὗτος εἶπεν ἀνήρ. Εἰδέναι δὲ χρὴ, ὡς οὐ τῆς θείας ἐστὶν ἑνεργείας, οὔτε τοῦ Αμνὼν ἡ παράνομος συνουσία, οὔτε τοῦ ᾿Αβεσσαλώμ ἡ ἀδελφοκτονία, καὶ ἡ κατὰ τοῦ πατρὸς γεγενημένη μανία ἀλλὰ τῆς θείας Προνοίας ἡ οἰκία γυμνωθεῖσα σκάφος ἀκυβέρνητον ἐμιμείτο, καὶ τῶν πονηρῶν δαιμόνων τὰς τρικυμίας ἐδέχετο. ### English translation (Claude) Some blame David for accepting Ziba's words. I have often said that the prophets did not know everything; and this man used plausible words. He himself came to the divine David, and said that the other was dreaming of the kingdom. Besides, he brought gifts, displaying his own loyalty. Later David accepted Mephibaal's words too and divided the property between them both, and again granted him the same care; and when the famine came, and the Gibeonites demanded seven of Saul's kinsmen, he did not hand over Mephibaal but kept the covenant made with Jonathan. Admirable too are David's words to Abishai about Shimei. When Shimei pelted him with stones, threw dust at him, insulted him with other words and deeds, and called him a man of blood and lawless, Abishai, who was a lieutenant-general, could not bear the insolence, but said, “Why does this cursed dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and take off his head.” But the gentlest of all men answered, “What have I to do with you, son of Zeruiah? Let him alone, because he curses me, since the Lord has told him to curse David; and who shall say to him, Why have you done so?” He is a strap of God, he says, a rod. I do not look at the strap, but at the one who wields the whip; I ascribe my misfortunes to my own lawless deeds; I do not touch the rod, so as not to provoke the one who strikes. What follows agrees with this: “For David said,” it says, “to Abishai and to all his servants, Behold, my son, who came out of my body, seeks my life; and now this Benjaminite! Let him alone and let him curse, for the Lord has told him, that he may look on my humiliation, and the Lord will repay me good instead of his cursing this day.” This man, he says, is of Saul's family and has an old hostility toward me; and one might well say that, finding his opportunity, he has bared his hatred. But my son, whom I begot and reared, and who has come to this age and honor, who has made him wage war on me? It is clear, then, that the sentence has been pronounced from above, and he is bringing what he foretold to its end. I bear both those who insult me and those who seek my blood, so that in this way I may soften the divine anger. This is what this divine man said. But one must know that neither Amnon's lawless intercourse, nor Absalom's fratricide and his madness against his father, was the work of God; but the household, stripped of divine Providence, was like a ship without a helmsman, and received the great waves of the evil demons. ### Scripture references - 2 Sam 16:1: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 16:3: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 19:29: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 21:7: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 16:6: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 16:7: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 16:9: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 16:10: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 16:11: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 16:12: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The question is put as an objection; the printed text lacks a question mark. 2 Sam 16:1–13 (quotations 16:9–11, 11–12); 19:24–30; 21:1–9. Theodoret's closing qualification (that the sons' crimes were not God's doing) is translated as written. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 2.31 (PG 80 80:641; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-31). ## 2 Kingdoms Question 32 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-28/#p-2-32 - Source: PG 80 80:643 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Ahithophel hid his wickedness from David; his counsel to Absalom was meant to prevent reconciliation, and when it failed he hanged himself, as God had frustrated his advice. ### Greek text Πῶς ἐχρῆτο συμβούλῳ τῷ ᾿Αχιτόφελ ὁ θεῖος Δαβὶδ πονηρὰ συμβουλεύοντι; Οἱ παμπόνηροι ἄνδρες κρύπτουσι τὴν πονηρίαν συνόντες τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς εὑρόντες δέ τινα τοῖς αὐτῶν ἐπιτηδεύμασι χαίροντα, γυμνοῦσι ταύτην, καὶ τὰ πρόσφορα τοῖς ἀκούουσι φθέγγονται. Τοιοῦτος ἦν καὶ οὗτος. Καὶ γὰρ τῷ θείῳ Δαβὶδ πρὸς τὸν ἄριστον αὐτοῦ σκοπὸν τὰς εἰσηγήσεις προσέφερε, καὶ τῷ ᾿Αβεσσαλώμ τὰ τῷ τρόπῳ κατάλληλα συνεβούλευε. Δεδιὼς γὰρ μὴ συναγάγῃ πάλιν αὐτοὺς ἡ φύσις, εἶτα τῶν καταλλαγῶν γενομένων δίκας ἀπαιτηθῇ προδοσίας, τὴν ἐσχάτην ἐκείνην παρανομίαν ὑπέθετο, ὥστε μηδεμίαν παρείσδυσιν γενέσθαι καταλλαγῶν. Ἔτισε δὲ παραυτίκα ποινὴν τῆς ἀνοσίας ἐκείνης καὶ πονηρᾶς εἰσηγήσεως καὶ ἐπειδὴ κατὰ τοῦ πατρὸς ὥπλισε τὸν υἱὸν, αὐτὸς πάλιν καθ' ἑαυτοῦ τὰς χεῖρας καθώπλισε καὶ ταύταις ἐμβαλὼν τῷ τραχήλῳ τὸν βρόχον, τρισάθλιον ὑπέμεινε τέλος. Ἱκανὸς γὰρ ὢν προϊδεῖν τῶν πραττομένων τὸ τέλος, μὴ δεχθείσης τῆς εἰσηγήσεως, ἔγνω τοῦ Δαβὶδ ἐσομένην τὴν νίκην· καὶ δείσας τὴν προδοσίαν, αὐτοχειρίᾳ τὴν τιμωρίαν ἐδέξατο. Ἐδίδαξε δὲ ἡ θεία Γραφή, ὡς ὁ Θεὸς συνέπραξε τῷ Χουσί. Κύριος γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐνετείλατο τοῦ διασκεδάσαι τὴν βουλὴν ᾿Αχιτόφελ τὴν ἀγαθὴν, ἀντὶ τοῦ, τὴν τῇ τυραννίδι συμφέρουσαν. Τούτου χάριν ψάλλων ὁ μακάριος ἔλεγε Δαβίδ· Ἰδοὺ ὠδίνησεν ἀδικίαν, συνέλαβε πόνον, καὶ ἔτεκεν ἀνομίαν. Λάκκον ὤρυξε, καὶ ἀνέσκαψεν αὐτὸν, καὶ ἐμπεσεῖται εἰς βόθρον ὃν εἰργάσατο. ### English translation (Claude) How could the divine David use Ahithophel as a counselor, who gave wicked advice? Thoroughly wicked men hide their wickedness while they are with good men; but when they find someone who delights in their own practices, they bare it and say what suits their hearers. Such was this man. To the divine David he offered suggestions in keeping with his excellent purpose, and to Absalom he gave advice suited to his character. For fearing that nature would bring them together again, and that once they were reconciled he would be called to account for his treachery, he suggested that extreme lawless act, so that no opening for reconciliation would remain. But he paid at once the penalty for that unholy and wicked suggestion: since he had armed the son against the father, he in turn armed his own hands against himself, and putting the noose around his neck with them, met a thrice-wretched end. For being capable of foreseeing the outcome of events, when his suggestion was not accepted he knew that the victory would be David's; and fearing punishment for his treachery, he inflicted the penalty on himself with his own hand. The divine Scripture taught that God worked together with Hushai: “For the Lord,” it says, “commanded to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel,” meaning the counsel that served the usurpation. For this reason the blessed David said in a psalm, “Behold, he was in labor with injustice, he conceived trouble and gave birth to lawlessness. He dug a pit and hollowed it out, and he will fall into the hole he made.” ### Scripture references - 2 Sam 16:21: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 17:14: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 17:23: allusion, high confidence - Ps 7:14 (7:15 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 7:15 (7:16 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Sam 16:20–17:23 (quotation 17:14); Ps 7:14–15 (LXX 7:15–16). Stray letters at the end are removed by a logged correction. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 2.32 (PG 80 80:643; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-32). ## 2 Kingdoms Question 33 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-28/#p-2-33 - Source: PG 80 80:645 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: David's men kept him from the battle as worth ten thousand of them; Absalom, caught by the head in a tree, was killed by Joab and buried under stones. ### Greek text Τί ἐστι, Καὶ νῦν ἀφαιρεθήσεται ἐξ ἡμῶν ἡ γῆ δέκα χιλιάσι; Κοινωνῆσαι τῆς συμπλοκῆς βουληθέντα τὸν βασιλέα διεκώλυσεν ὁ στρατηγὸς, καὶ δεδιὼς μή τι πάθῃ (εἰκὸς γὰρ ἦν κατ' αὐτοῦ μόνου χωρῆσαι τοὺς δυσμενεῖς), καὶ ἀγωνιῶν μὴ νικήσας οἰκτείρῃ τὸν τύραννον. Ἔφασαν τοίνυν, ὅτι Ἐὰν ἡττηθέντες ἀποδράσωμεν, τὴν ζωὴν ἔχομεν ἀποχρῶσαν παραψυχήν - ἐὰν δὲ τι σὺ πάθῃς, χωρήσει κατὰ πάντων ἡ συμφορά. Σὺ γὰρ μόνος μυρίαις μυριάσιν ὑπερέχεις πάντων ἡμῶν. Ταύτην γὰρ τὴν ἔννοιαν ὁ Σύμμαχος τέθεικεν Καὶ σὺ ὡς ἡμεῖς δέκα χιλιάσιν. Ὁ δὲ δίκαιος Κριτὴς τῷ μὲν Δαβὶδ ταύτας ἐπενεχθῆναι τὰς συμφορὰς συνεχώρησε, τὴν γεγενημένην παρανομίαν ἰώμενος· ἐκεῖνον δὲ τὸν ἀλιτήριον δίκας ἀξίας εἰσέπραξεν. Ἐλαύνοντι γὰρ ἐν τῷ δρυμῷ παρεσκεύασεν ὑπὸ φυτὸν εἰσελθεῖν, ὁ δύο κλάδους εἶχεν ἐπικλινεῖς ἐγκαρσίως βεβλαστηκότας, οὐ πολὺ διεστῶτας ἀλλήλων. Ἐκεῖθεν παριούσης τῆς ἡμιόνου, ἐνεπάρη μὲν μεταξὺ τῶν κλάδων ἡ κεφαλὴ, ἐξηρτήθη δὲ ἅπας διήλασε δὲ τὴν ἡμίονον τῶν φύλλων ὁ κτύπος μεμένηκε δὲ ἐκεῖνος ἐξηρτημένος, ἥδιστον θέαμα τοῖς εὐσεβέσι γενόμενος, καὶ τῆς πάντα πρυτανευούσης Προνοίας τὴν ψῆφον ἐπιδεικνύς. Τοῦτό τις τῶν ἄλλων στρατιωτῶν θεασάμενος, οὐκ ἐτόλμησεν ἐπενεγκεῖν αὐτῷ τὴν πληγὴν· ἐδεδίει γὰρ τοῦ βασιλέως τὸν νόμον. Ὁ δὲ στρατηγὸς, τὸν πατέρα κεχρῆσθαι τῇ εὐσπλαγχνίᾳ καταλιπὼν, ἐν τῇ μυσαρωτάτῃ καρδίᾳ τὰ βέλη κατέπηξεν. Εἶτα καθελὼν, καὶ εἰς τὴν παρακειμένην φάραγγα ῥίψας, τὸν λαὸν ἅπαντα καταλεῦσαι προσέταξεν, ὥστε γενέσθαι αὐτῷ τάφον τὴν τιμωρίαν. ### English translation (Claude) What does “And now the land will be taken from us ten thousand times” mean? The general prevented the king when he wished to take part in the battle, fearing that something might happen to him (for the enemy would probably have advanced against him alone), and anxious lest, after winning, he would pity the usurper. So they said: if we are defeated and flee, we have our life as sufficient consolation; but if anything happens to you, the disaster will fall on all. For you alone surpass all of us ten thousand times over. Symmachus gave this sense: “and you are as ten thousand of us.” The just Judge allowed these misfortunes to come upon David to heal the lawless deed that had been done, but exacted a fitting penalty from that wretch. As he rode through the forest, he caused him to go under a tree that had two branches bending crosswise, not far apart from each other. When the mule passed there, his head was caught between the branches, and he was left hanging entire; the rustling of the leaves drove the mule on, but he remained hanging, a most welcome sight to the pious, displaying the sentence of the Providence that governs all things. One of the other soldiers, seeing this, did not dare to strike him, for he feared the king's order. But the general, leaving the father to show his tender-heartedness, fixed the darts in that most foul heart. Then he took him down, threw him into the nearby ravine, and ordered all the people to stone him, so that his punishment became his tomb. ### Scripture references - 2 Sam 18:2: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 18:3: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 18:5: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 18:9: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 18:12: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 18:14: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 18:17: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Sam 18:2–17 (LXX 18:3); Symmachus's rendering agrees with the Hebrew. The staging notes that the OCR read the question number as 43. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 2.33 (PG 80 80:645; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-33). ## 2 Kingdoms Question 34 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-28/#p-2-34 - Source: PG 80 80:645 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Absalom had children who died, so he set up a pillar as his memorial; both statements are true. ### Greek text Τι δήποτε ἄνω μὲν ὁ συγγραφεύς εἴρηκεν ὅτι τρεῖς ἔσχεν υἱοὺς, μίαν δὲ θυγατέρα νῦν δὲ τουναντίον δεδήλωκεν, ὅτι στήλην ᾠκοδόμησεν, ὡς υἱὸν οὐκ ἔχων, τὴν δι' αὐτῆς αὐτῷ μηχανώμενος μνήμην; Ἑκάτερον ἀληθές· εἰκὸς γὰρ αὐτὸν καὶ παιδοποιῆσαι, καὶ τετελευτηκέναι τοὺς παῖδας. Ἰώσηπος δὲ ἔφη τοῦτο αὐτὸν δεδρακέναι, ὡς τῶν παίδων μὲν ἐπὶ πολὺ διαρκεῖν οὐ δυναμένων, τῆς δὲ οἰκοδομίας μᾶλλον φυλαττούσης τὴν μνήμην. ### English translation (Claude) Why did the writer say earlier that he had three sons and one daughter, but now has shown the opposite, that he built a pillar as having no son, contriving through it a memorial for himself? Both are true; for he probably had children, and the children died. Josephus said that he did this because children cannot last long, while a building preserves the memory better. ### Scripture references - 2 Sam 14:27: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 18:18: allusion, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Josephus, Ant. 7.10.3 (Josephus (works)): allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Sam 14:27; 18:18; Josephus, Ant. 7.10.3. A displaced fragment of 2.33 (“a sight to the pious; one of the soldiers seeing this did not dare to strike the one [hanging] by his hair”) printed after the answer, and a duplicated word in the question, are removed by logged corrections. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 2.34 (PG 80 80:645; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-34). ## 2 Kingdoms Question 35 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-28/#p-2-35 - Source: PG 80 80:647 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: David mourned Absalom out of fatherly love and because, dead, his son could no longer repent. ### Greek text Τίνος ἕνεκεν τοσοῦτον ἐθρήνησεν ὁ Δαβίδ τὸν μιαρώτατον παῖδα; Καὶ φιλόπαις ἦν, καὶ φιλάνθρωπος. Τεκμήριον δὲ τούτου καὶ τὸ ἐπὶ τοῦ Σαούλ γενόμενον πένθος. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ καὶ ἡ φύσις μείζους τὰς ὀδύνας εἰργάσατο. Πρὸς δὲ τούτοις, ἐθρήνησεν ὡς εὐσεβὴς τὸν διὰ μεταμελείας ἰαθῆναι μηκέτι δυνάμενον. Μετὰ γὰρ δὴ τὴν τελευτὴν ἀνίατος ἡ τῆς ἁμαρτίας πληγή. ### English translation (Claude) Why did David lament his utterly vile son so much? He loved his children and loved humankind. A proof of this is his mourning for Saul. Here nature made the pain greater. Besides, as a pious man he lamented one who could no longer be healed by repentance; for after death the wound of sin is incurable. ### Scripture references - 2 Sam 18:33: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 1:17: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Sam 18:33 (Hebrew 19:1). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 2.35 (PG 80 80:647; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-35). ## 2 Kingdoms Question 36 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-28/#p-2-36 - Source: PG 80 80:647 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: David, who disliked Joab's boldness, offered his command to Absalom's general Amasa; Joab, envious, treacherously killed him. ### Greek text Τι δήποτε τῷ ᾿Αβεσσα τὴν στρατηγίαν ἐπηγγείλατο, τοῦ Ἰωὰβ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ πολλοὺς ὑπομείναντος πόνους καὶ κινδύνους; Τὸ θρασὺ τοῦ Ἰωάβ ἀεὶ μισῶν διετέλεσεν. Ηνέσχετο δὲ αὐτοῦ, διά τε τὴν εὔνοιαν, ἣν εἶχε, καὶ ὑφορώμενος μή τι νεώτερον βουλεύσηται κατ᾿ αὐτοῦ. Θεασάμενος δὲ τὸν ᾿Αβεσσά· ἀδελφιδοῦς δὲ αὐτοῦ καὶ οὗτος ἐτύγχανεν· ὃν στρατηγὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ τυράννου πάσης χειροτονηθέντα τῆς στρατιᾶς, ἐπέστειλεν, ὑποσχόμενος αὐτῷ παραδώσειν τὴν τοῦ ᾿Ιωάβ στρατηγίαν. Τοῦτο μαθὼν ὁ Ἰωάβ, καὶ τοῦ φθόνου τὴν ἀκίδα δεξάμενος, καὶ πληττόμενος ἐπὶ τοῖς μεμηνυμένοις, ἐπήνεγκεν αὐτῷ τὴν σφαγὴν, εὔνοιαν καὶ φιλίαν ὑποκρινάμενος. ### English translation (Claude) Why did he promise the command of the army to Amessa, when Joab had endured many labors and dangers on his behalf? He always hated Joab's boldness. He put up with him because of the loyalty he had, and because he suspected that he might plot some revolt against him. But seeing Amessa (he too was his nephew), who had been appointed general of the whole army by the usurper, he sent to him, promising to hand over to him Joab's command. When Joab learned this, he received the sting of envy, and smarting at what had been reported, he murdered him, pretending good will and friendship. ### Scripture references - 2 Sam 19:13: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 17:25: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 20:9: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 20:10: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 3:39: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Sam 17:25; 19:13; 20:8–10. The printed name Ἀβεσσά (Abishai) must here mean Amasa (LXX Ἀμεσσαΐ), the general of Absalom whom David promised Joab's command; the translation follows the sense. The staging notes that the OCR read the question number as 301. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 2.36 (PG 80 80:647; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-36). ## 2 Kingdoms Question 37 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-28/#p-2-37 - Source: PG 80 80:647 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The ten tribes claimed a greater share in the king by number and by the birthright of Reuben and Joseph. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον τὸ, «Δέκα μοι χεῖρες ἐν τῷ βασιλεῖ; Ἔριδος γενομένης καὶ διαμάχης, καὶ τὴν φυλὴν τοῦ Ἰούδα τῶν ἄλλων αἰτιασαμένων, ὅτι δὴ προλαβοῦσα ὑπήντησε τῷ βασιλεῖ, ὑπολαβόντες ἔφασαν αὐτοὶ, φυλέτην αὐτῶν εἶναι τὸν βασιλέα, καὶ μᾶλλον αὐτοῖς προσήκειν διὰ τὴν πλησιαιτέραν συγγένειαν. Τούτου χάριν εἰρήκασιν οἱ τῶν ἄλλων φυλῶν, δέκα χεῖρας ἔχειν ἐν τῷ βασιλεῖ. Ἡ γὰρ Βενιαμῖτις τῇ Ἰούδα συνῆπτο. Προσέθηκαν δὲ, ὅτι καὶ τῶν πρωτοτοκίων ἔχουσι τὰ πρεσβεία, διά τε τὸν Ῥουβεὶμ, ὡς φύσει πρωτότοκον, καὶ διὰ τὸν Ἰωσὴφ, ὡς διὰ τὴν ἀρετὴν τοῦδε τοῦ κλήρου τετυχηκότα. Διπλῆν γὰρ μοῖραν οἱ πρωτότοκοι τῆς πατρώας κληρονομίας ἐλάμβανον. Διὸ καὶ ὁ πατριάρχης πρὸς τὸν Ἰωσὴφ ἔφη, Ἐφραὶμ καὶ Μανασσῆς ὡς Ῥουβεὶμ καὶ Συμεὼν ἔσωνταί μοι. ᾿ Αὐτίκα γοῦν καὶ Μωσῆς ὁ μέγας, καὶ Ἰησοῦς ὁ τοῦ Ναυῆ, ὁ τούτου διάδοχος, διπλοῦν αὐτοῖς ἀπένειμαν κλῆρον. ### English translation (Claude) How should “I have ten hands in the king” be understood? When strife and contention arose, and the others blamed the tribe of Judah for having gone ahead to meet the king, the men of Judah answered that the king was their fellow tribesman and belonged more to them because of their nearer kinship. For this reason those of the other tribes said that they had ten hands in the king, for the tribe of Benjamin was joined to Judah. They added that they also held the privilege of the birthright, because of Reuben, as firstborn by nature, and because of Joseph, who obtained this portion because of his virtue. For the firstborn received a double share of their father's inheritance. That is why the patriarch said to Joseph, “Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine as Reuben and Simeon.” Indeed Moses the great, and Joshua son of Nun, his successor, allotted them a double portion. ### Scripture references - 2 Sam 19:41: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 19:42: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 19:43: quotation, high confidence - Deut 21:17: allusion, medium confidence - Gen 48:5: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 5:1: allusion, medium confidence - Josh 17:14: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Sam 19:41–43 (quotation 19:43, LXX); Gen 48:5; Deut 21:17; Josh 16–17. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 2.37 (PG 80 80:647; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-37). ## 2 Kingdoms Question 38 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-28/#p-2-38 - Source: PG 80 80:649 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: David kept apart, but provided for, the concubines Absalom had violated; he could not lawfully live with them, and giving them to others would have been adultery and a pretext for rebellion. ### Greek text Τίνος χάριν Δαβίδ καθεῖρξε τὰς παλλακὰς παρὰ γνώμην τῷ δυσσεβεῖ τυράννῳ συγγενομένας; ᾿Ανόσιον ὑπέλαβε συνελθεῖν αὐταῖς μετὰ τὴν μυσαρὰν τοῦ παιδὸς συνουσίαν. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ὁ νόμος ἄντικρυς ἀπηγόρευσεν. Ἑτέρῳ δὲ οὐ συνῆψεν, ἵνα μὴ καὶ τοῦτο πρόφασις γένηται τυραννίδος ἄλλως τε δὲ οὐδὲ γάμος ἦν ὁ τοιοῦτος. Ζῶντος γὰρ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς μοιχαλίς χρηματίζει, ἐὰν γένηται ἀνδρὶ ἑτέρῳ, ᾗ φησιν ὁ θεῖος ᾿Απόστολος. Εἰ δὲ καὶ ὁ νόμος ἐπέτρεπε τὸν ἀπεχθανόμενον τῇ γυναικὶ βιβλίον ἀποστασίου διδόναι· ἀλλ᾽ ἐνταῦθα οὐ μίσος ἐχώριζεν, ἀλλ᾽ ἡ τοῦ παιδὸς παράνομος συνουσία. Τούτου χάριν εἰς ἑτέραν αὐτὰς μετέστησεν οἰκίαν, πάσης ἀξιῶν θεραπείας. ### English translation (Claude) Why did David shut up the concubines who had been with the impious usurper against their will? He considered it unholy to come together with them after his son's foul intercourse; the law too expressly forbade this. He did not join them to another man, so that this too would not become an occasion for usurpation; and besides, such a union would not have been a marriage. For “while her husband is alive she will be called an adulteress if she becomes another man's,” as the divine Apostle says. And even if the law permitted a man who hated his wife to give her a certificate of divorce, here it was not hatred that separated them, but the son's lawless intercourse. For this reason he moved them to another house and granted them every care. ### Scripture references - 2 Sam 20:3: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 16:22: allusion, high confidence - Lev 18:8: allusion, medium confidence - Rom 7:3: quotation, high confidence - Deut 24:1: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Sam 16:21–22; 20:3. The law: Lev 18:8; 20:11; Rom 7:3; the certificate of divorce, Deut 24:1. Theodoret's reasoning is translated as written. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 2.38 (PG 80 80:649; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-38). ## 2 Kingdoms Question 39 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-28/#p-2-39 - Source: PG 80 80:649 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The wise woman of Abel reminded Joab of the law requiring an offer of peace before a siege, and delivered Sheba's head to save her city. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον, Εἰ ἐξέλιπεν ἃ διέθεντο πιστοὶ τοῦ Ἰσραήλ;» Ὁ Σαβεὲ τυραννήσας, εἶτα φυγὼν, εἰς τὴν ᾿Αβὲλ κατέφυγε πόλιν ἔστι δὲ αὕτη πόλις τῆς Παλαιστίνης, ᾿Αβελᾶ νῦν ὠνομασμένη. Τοῦ στρατηγοῦ τοίνυν εἰς πολιορκίαν τὴν στρατιὰν παραστήσαντος, τῶν θείων αὐτὸν ἀνέμνησε νόμων ἡ σοφωτάτη γυνή. Ὁ γὰρ θεῖος ἐκέλευσε νόμος πρεσβείᾳ κεχρῆσθαι πρότερον, εἶθ᾽ οὕτως τοῖς ἀντιλέγουσι παρατάττεσθαι. Τοῦτο ἔφη καὶ αὕτη· Εἰ ἐξέλιπεν ἃ διέθεντο οἱ πιστοὶ τοῦ Ἰσραήλ;» τουτέστι, μὴ παραβῆναι χρὴ τὰ διηγορευμένα τοῖς νόμοις. Εἶτα ἐπήγαγεν Ἐγὼ δὲ εἰμι εἰρηνικὴ τῶν στηριγμάτων Ἰσραήλ· σὺ δὲ ζητεῖς θανατῶσαι πόλιν καὶ μητρόπολιν Ἰσραήλ· καὶ ἵνα τί ὅτι καταποντίζεις κληρονομίαν Κυρίου; Ἐπειδὴ σὺ, φησὶ, κατὰ τὸν θεῖον νόμον οὐκ ἐχρήσω τῇ πρεσβείᾳ· ἐγώ σε διδάσκω, ὡς πολεμικὸν ἡ πόλις οὐκ ἔχει σκοπὸν, ἀλλ᾽ εἰρήνης ὀρέγεται. Μὴ τοίνυν ἀνάστατον ἀποφήνῃς πόλιν, οὐκ ἀλλόφυλον, ἀλλ᾽ ὁμόφυλον, καὶ ὑπὸ τὸν αὐτὸν τελοῦσαν Θεὸν καὶ Δεσπότην. Τούτων ἀκούσας τῶν λόγων ὁ στρατηγὸς ἔφη, μήτε πολέμου, μήτε πολιορκίας ἐρᾶν μόνον δὲ ἐθέλειν χειρώσασθαι τὸν κατὰ τοῦ βασιλέως τυραννίδι χρησάμενον. Μαθοῦσα τοίνυν τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς πολιορκίας ἡ σοφωτάτη γυνή, τοὺς ἡγουμένους τῆς πόλεως ἔπεισε μὴ περιθεῖναι τῇ πόλει τοῦ πολέμου τὸν κίνδυνον, ἀλλ᾽ ἀναμνησθῆναι τῆς τοῦ βασιλέως εὐσεβείας καὶ εὐνομίας, καὶ τῆς ἐν πολέμοις ἀνδραγαθίας, καὶ ὡς διὰ τοὺς ἐκείνου πόνους εἰρήνης στερῥᾶς ἀπολαύουσι. Τούτοις χρησαμένη τοῖς λόγοις, τοῦ τυράννου τὴν κεφαλὴν εἰς τὸ στρατόπεδον ἔῤῥιψε, καὶ τὴν πολιορκίαν διέλυσεν. ### English translation (Claude) How should “Have the things that the faithful of Israel established failed?” be understood? Sheba, having rebelled and then fled, took refuge in the city of Abel; this is a city of Palestine, now called Abela. When the general had drawn up the army for a siege, the most wise woman reminded him of the divine laws. For the divine law commanded that an embassy be used first, and only then that one should fight those who refused. This is what she said: “Have the things that the faithful of Israel established failed?”, that is: one must not transgress what the laws have prescribed. Then she added, “I am one of the peaceable of the supports of Israel; but you seek to put to death a city and a mother-city in Israel. Why do you swallow up the inheritance of the Lord?” Since you, she says, did not use an embassy according to the divine law, I teach you that the city has no warlike purpose but longs for peace. Do not, then, lay waste a city that is not foreign but of the same people, and subject to the same God and Master. Hearing these words, the general said that he desired neither war nor siege, but wished only to lay hands on the man who had rebelled against the king. Learning the cause of the siege, the most wise woman persuaded the leaders of the city not to bring the danger of war on the city, but to remember the king's piety and good government and his bravery in war, and that it was through his labors that they enjoyed firm peace. Having used these words, she threw the usurper's head into the camp and ended the siege. ### Scripture references - 2 Sam 20:14: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 20:15: allusion, high confidence - Deut 20:10: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 20:18: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 20:19: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 20:21: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 20:22: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Sam 20:14–22 (LXX; quotations 20:18–19); the law, Deut 20:10. The staging notes that the OCR read the question number as 10. A marginal line repeating the lemma printed inside the word “piety” is removed by a logged correction. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 2.39 (PG 80 80:649; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-39). ## 2 Kingdoms Question 40 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-28/#p-2-40 - Source: PG 80 80:651 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The plinthion is a square formation; Benaiah commanded the royal guard while Joab commanded the army. ### Greek text Τί ἐστιν, Ἐπὶ τοῦ πλινθίου, καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς δυνατούς Πλινθίον οἶμαι καλεῖσθαι, ὁ παρὰ τοῖς ἔξωθεν συγγραφεῦσι πλαίσιον ὀνομάζεται. Εἶδος τοῦτο στρατιωτικῆς παρατάξεως τετράγωνον ἐχούσης τὸ σχῆμα. Ὥσπερ τοίνυν ὁ νῦν παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις μάγιστρος ὀνομαζόμενος τῶν περὶ τὸν βασιλέα πεζαιτέρων, ἀσπιδηφόρων φημὶ καὶ δορυφόρων, τὴν ἡγεμονίαν πεπίστευται· οὕτως ὁ Βανέας τῶν βασιλικῶν σωματοφυλάκων ἡγεῖτο, τῆς ἄλλης στρατιᾶς τελούσης ὑπὸ τὸν στρατηγὸν Ἰωάβ. ### English translation (Claude) What does “over the plinthion and over the mighty men” mean? I think what is called the plinthion is what secular writers call the plaision. This is a kind of military formation with a square shape. As the one now called magister among the Romans is entrusted with command of the foot soldiers around the emperor, I mean the shield-bearers and spearmen, so Benaiah commanded the royal bodyguards, while the rest of the army was under Joab the general. ### Scripture references - 2 Sam 20:23: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 8:18: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Sam 20:23 (LXX). The printed question lacks a question mark; the question is present. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 2.40 (PG 80 80:651; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-40). ## 2 Kingdoms Question 41 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-28/#p-2-41 - Source: PG 80 80:651 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Zadok and Abiathar were high priests, while the other priest served David in the palace. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον τὸ, Σαδώκ καὶ ᾿Αβιάθαρ ἱερεῖς, καὶ Ἰωδαὲ ὁ Ἰεθὲρ ἦν ἱερεὺς τῷ Δαβίδ ; Ὁ Σαδώκ καὶ ὁ ᾿Αβιάθαρ τὴν ἀρχιερατικὴν εἶχον ἀξίαν οὗτος δὲ ἱερεὺς ὢν ἔνδον ἐν τοῖς βασιλείοις διῆγε, τῇ θείᾳ κιβωτῷ προσεδρεύων, καὶ τὰς βασιλικὰς ἱερεύων θυσίας. ### English translation (Claude) How should “Zadok and Abiathar were priests, and Iodae the Iether was priest to David” be understood? Zadok and Abiathar held the high-priestly rank; but this man, being a priest, lived inside the palace, attending the divine ark and offering the royal sacrifices. ### Scripture references - 2 Sam 20:25: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 20:26: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Sam 20:25–26 (the Hebrew names Ira the Jairite; Theodoret's form of the name is translated as printed). This short question holds one question and answer. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 2.41 (PG 80 80:651; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-41). ## 2 Kingdoms Question 42 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-28/#p-2-42 - Source: PG 80 80:651 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Israel was punished with famine for Saul's breach of the oath to the Gibeonites, teaching that sworn covenants must be kept; Theodoret applies the Canaanites' blessing to the Gentile church. ### Greek text Τι δήποτε τοῦ Σαούλ τοὺς Γαβαωνίτας ἀνῃρηκότος, μετὰ τὴν ἐκείνου τελευτὴν ὁ λαὸς ἐπαιδεύθη; Ἅπας ὁ λαὸς ἐπεποιήκει τὰς πρὸς τοὺς Γαβαωνίτας συνθήκας· ἐκοινώνησε δὲ τῶν ὄρκων καὶ Ἐλεάζαρ ὁ ἱερεὺς, καὶ Ἰησοῦς ὁ προφήτης. Ἔδει τοίνυν τῶν ὀμωμοκότων τοὺς ἀπογόνους τὰς γεγενημένας μὴ παραβῆναι σπονδὰς, πεῖσαι δὲ καὶ τὸν παρανομοῦντα βασιλέα φυλάξαι τὸν ὅρκον. Τούτου χάριν καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἐκείνου τελευτὴν, τοῦ λιμοῦ τὴν παιδείαν ὑπέμειναν. Διδάσκει δὲ διὰ τούτων ἡμᾶς ὁ σοφῶς ἅπαντα πρυτανεύων, ὅτι κἂν παραυτίκα μακροθυμήσας μὴ ἐπενέγκῃ τὴν ὑπὲρ τῶν παραβεβασμένων νόμων ποινὴν, ἀλλ᾽ οὖν ὕστερον δίκας ἀξίας εἰσπράττεται ὥσπερ ἀμέλει καὶ τότε, τεσσαράκοντα ἤδη διεληλυθότων ἐτῶν, ἐπέδησε μὲν τῶν νεφῶν τὰς ὠδῖνας· τῷ δὲ τῆς ἀκαρπίας πάθει τὴν γῆν περιέβαλεν· ἐκόλασε δὲ λιμῷ τοὺς ταύτης οἰκήτορας. ᾿Αγνοῶν δὲ τὴν αἰτίαν ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς θεηλάτου πληγῆς, τὸν δίκαιον ἤρετο δικαστήν. Γνοὺς τοίνυν, ὡς τῆς ἀδίκου τῶν Γαβαωνιτῶν ἀναιρέσεως εὐθύνας εἰσπράττεται, αὐτοῖς ἐχρήσατο τοῖς ἡδικημένοις κριταῖς. Εἶπε γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ Δαβὶδ πρὸς τοὺς Γαβαωνίτας, Τί ποιήσω ὑμῖν, καὶ ἐν τίνι ἐξιλάσομαι, καὶ εὐλογήσετε τὴν κληρονομίαν Κυρίου;» Ἀλλὰ τούτων οὐκ ἐπακούουσιν Ἰουδαῖοι τῶν λόγων, ὅτι τῆς Χαναναίων εὐλογίας τὸ σπέρμα τοῦ ᾿Ἀβραὰμ ἐδεήθη· ἀλλ᾽ ἐπὶ τοῖς προγόνοις μέγα φρονοῦσι, καὶ συνιδεῖν οὐκ ἐθέλουσιν, ὡς ἀρετὴ πολλῷ περιφανεστέρα προγονικῆς εὐγενείας· καὶ κρινεῖ, κατὰ τὸν θεῖον Ἀπόστολον, ἡ ἐκ φύσεως ἀκροβυστία, τὸν νόμον πληροῦσα, τὸν διὰ γράμματος καὶ περιτομῆς παραβάτην νόμου. Ωσπερ τοίνυν οἱ τηνικάδε ἡμαρτηκότες Ἰσραηλῖται τῆς Χαναναίων ἐδεήθησαν εὐλογίας· οὕτω καὶ οἱ τὸν Δεσπότην ἐσταυρωκότες τῆς προγονικῆς ἐξέπεσον εὐλογίας, καὶ τῆς τῶν πεπιστευκότων ἐθνῶν διδασκαλίας προσδέονται. Κἀκεῖνο δὲ πρὸς τούτοις ἐπισημήνασθαι δεῖ, ὡς ὁ Σαούλ ζήλῳ χρησάμενος μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων Χαναναίων τοὺς Γαβαωνίτας κατέκτεινε. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἡ θεία διδάσκει Γραφή· Οὐκ ἦσαν γὰρ, φησὶν, οἱ Γαβαωνῖται ἐκ τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ, ὅτι ἀπὸ τῶν καταλοίπων Αμοῤῥαίων ἦσαν· καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ ὤμοσαν αὐτοῖς μὴ ἀπολέσαι αὐτούς καὶ ἐζήτησε Σαούλ τοῦ πατάξαι αὐτοὺς ἐν τῷ ζηλῶσαι αὐτὸν τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραὴλ καὶ Ἰούδα. Διδάσκει τοίνυν ἡμᾶς ὁ λόγος, μὴ παραβαίνειν τὰς ἐπὶ Θεοῦ μεθ' ὅρκων γινομένας συνθήκας, κἂν εἰς ἄλλων ὠφέλειαν ἡ παράβασις γίγνηται· Οἱ μέντοι Γαβαωνῖται ἑπτὰ ᾔτησαν ἄνδρας τῆς Σαούλ συγγενείας, ἰσαρίθμους ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐν αἷς ὁ χρόνος ἀνακυκλεῖται Οὐκ ἔστι γὰρ ἡμῖν, ἔφασαν, ἀργύριον, οὐδὲ χρυσίον μετὰ Σαούλ, καὶ μετὰ τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ· καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἡμῖν θανατῶσαι ἄνδρα ἐκ παντὸς Ἰσραήλ. Ὁ ἀνὴρ ὁ συντελέσας ἡμᾶς, καὶ διώξας ἡμᾶς, καὶ ὃς παρελογίσατο ἐξολοθρεῦσαι ἡμᾶς, ἀφανίσομεν αὐτὸν τοῦ μὴ καθίστασθαι αὐτὸν ἐν παντὶ ὁρίῳ Ἰσραήλ. Καὶ δοθήτωσαν ἡμῖν ἑπτὰ ἄνδρες ἐκ τῶν υἱῶν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐξιλασόμεθα ἐν αὐτοῖς τῷ Κυρίῳ ἐν τῷ βουνῷ τοῦ Σαούλ ἐκλεκτοὺς τῷ Κυρίῳ. Ἡ οὖν τῶν Γαβαωνιτῶν μητρόπολις Γαβαὼν ἐκαλεῖτο· μεταβαλλόμενον δὲ τοῦτο τὸ ὄνομα εἰς τὴν Ἑλλάδα γλῶσσαν βουνὸς ὀνομάζεται. Ἐν ἐκείνῳ τοίνυν τῷ χωρίῳ τοὺς ἐκδοθέντας αὐτοῖς ἀνεσκολόπισαν ἄνδρας, ἐν ᾧ τὰς παρανόμους ἐτόλμησεν ἐκεῖνος σφαγάς. Τὸ γὰρ ἐξηλίασαν, ὁ ᾿Ακύλας ἀνέπηξαν εἶπεν·. Οὗτοι δὲ ἦσαν δύο μὲν υἱοὶ τοῦ Σαούλ νόθοι, πέντε δὲ υἱωνοὶ αὐτοῦ. Ὕστερον δὲ ταφῆς καὶ τούτους ἠξίωσεν ὁ εὐσεβὴς βασιλεύς. Τῆσδε τῆς τιμωρίας γεγενημένης, ἵλεως ὁ Δεσπότης ἐγένετο, καὶ τῶν νεφελῶν ἔλυσε τὰς ὠδῖνας, καὶ Ἡμεῖς δὲ διὰ τοῦτο μανθάνομεν, ὡς γένους ὁ Δε ### English translation (Claude) Why, when Saul had killed the Gibeonites, were the people disciplined after his death? The whole people had made the treaty with the Gibeonites; Eleazar the priest and Joshua the prophet had also shared in the oaths. The descendants of those who had sworn, then, ought not to have broken the treaty that had been made, and ought to have persuaded the lawless king to keep the oath. For this reason they suffered the discipline of famine even after his death. Through this the One who governs all things wisely teaches us that, even if in his patience he does not immediately inflict the penalty for laws broken, he later exacts a fitting punishment; as indeed he did then, when forty years had already passed: he stopped the clouds' labor, wrapped the land in barrenness, and punished its inhabitants with famine. The king, not knowing the cause of the God-sent blow, asked the just Judge. Learning that he was exacting account for the unjust killing of the Gibeonites, he used the wronged men themselves as judges. “For David said,” it says, “to the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you, and with what shall I make atonement, so that you may bless the inheritance of the Lord?” But the Jews do not listen to these words, that the seed of Abraham needed the blessing of Canaanites; they pride themselves on their ancestors and will not see that virtue is far more illustrious than ancestral nobility; and, according to the divine Apostle, “the one who is physically uncircumcised but fulfills the law will judge you who, with the letter and circumcision, are a transgressor of the law.” As, then, the Israelites who sinned at that time needed the blessing of Canaanites, so those who crucified the Master have fallen from their ancestral blessing and need the teaching of the nations that have believed. Besides this, one must note that Saul in zeal killed the Gibeonites together with the other Canaanites. The divine Scripture teaches this: “For the Gibeonites,” it says, “were not of the sons of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; and the sons of Israel had sworn to them not to destroy them; and Saul sought to strike them in his zeal for the sons of Israel and Judah.” The passage teaches us, then, not to break covenants made with oaths before God, even if the breach is done for the benefit of others. The Gibeonites asked for seven men of Saul's family, equal in number to the days in which time revolves. “We have no silver or gold,” they said, “with Saul and with his house; and it is not for us to put any man in Israel to death. The man who consumed us and pursued us and planned to destroy us, let us wipe him out so that he has no place in all the territory of Israel. Let seven men of his sons be given to us, and we will make atonement with them to the Lord on the hill of Saul, chosen of the Lord.” The chief city of the Gibeonites was called Gabaon; this name, turned into the Greek language, is “hill.” In that place, then, where that man dared his lawless slaughters, they impaled the men handed over to them; for “exposed them to the sun” Aquila said “fixed them up.” These were two illegitimate sons of Saul and five of his grandsons. Later the pious king granted these too a burial. When this punishment had been carried out, the Master became merciful, released the labor of the clouds, and … We learn from this that the Master … of family … ### Scripture references - 2 Sam 21:1: allusion, high confidence - Josh 9:15: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 21:3: quotation, high confidence - Rom 2:27: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 21:2: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 21:4: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 21:5: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 21:6: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 21:8: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 21:9: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 21:14: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Sam 21:1–14 (LXX; quotations 21:3, 2, 4–6); the treaty, Josh 9:15; Rom 2:27. The remarks on the Jews are Theodoret's own; translated as written. The text breaks off in mid-sentence at the end (“and … we learn from this that the Master … of family”), and the closing words are lost; they are marked “…”. Its ending appears, displaced, inside question 2.43 (“…and commanded the earth to give its fruits as usual. We learn from this that the Master knows no distinction of race, but justly defends the wronged, even if they are foreigners”); it is not moved here. A displaced word from the lemma of 2.41 (“the Iarin”) printed in the answer is removed by a logged correction. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 2.42 (PG 80 80:651; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-42). ## 2 Kingdoms Question 43 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-43/#p-2-43 - Source: PG 80 80:655 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Old David, saved by Abishai, was kept from further battles; his song of victory (Psalm 18) foretells Christ, his last words show him a prophet, and his refusal of the Bethlehem water shows the self-mastery discipline had taught him. ### Greek text Πόθεν ὁ Δαβίδ παραταττόμενος ἐξελύθη; Πρεσβύτης ἦν· ἐνίκα δὲ τῇ προθυμίᾳ τοῦ σώματος τὴν ἀσθένειαν. Πολὺν δὲ πόνον ὑπομείνας ἐν τῇ συμπλοκῇ (πρόμαχος γὰρ τῆς φάλαγγος ἦν), διελύθη, ὡς ὁ ἱστοριογράφος ἐδίδαξε, τὸν πόνον οὐκ ἐνεγκών. ᾿Αναιρεθῆναι δὲ κινδυνεύσας ὑπὸ τοῦ προμάχου τῶν ἀλλοφύλων, παρὰ δόξαν ἐσώθη, τοῦ ᾿Αβεσσὰ προασπίσαντος, καὶ τὸν μέγιστον ἐκεῖνον πολέμιον κτείναντος. Κάντεῦθεν τοίνυν ἔστι μαθεῖν, ὡς γίγαντας ὠνόμαζον τοὺς μείζονα σώματα ἔχοντας. Καὶ γὰρ οὗτος ἀπόγονος ἦν γιγάντων. Τοῦ δὲ βασιλέως τὸν κίνδυνον μεμαθηκὼς ὁ στρατὸς, ὤμοσε μηκέτι δε συγχωρήσειν αὐτῷ, συμπλοκῆς κοινωνήσειν. Καὶ δίκαιον γὰρ καὶ συμφέρον εἶξαι τῷ γήρᾳ, καὶ ἔνδον καθήμενον διατάττειν τὴν στρατιάν. Ὁ δὲ ἱστοριογράφος καὶ ἄλλων ἐμνήσθη γιγάντων, οὓς διὰ ῥώμην καὶ μέγεθος σώματος οὕτως οἱ τότε ὠνόμαζον, καὶ οὔτε ὡς δυσσεβεῖς, καθά τινες ἔφασαν, οὔτε ὡς πολὺν βιώσαντας χρόνον. Μετὰ τούτους δὲ τοὺς πολέμους ἐπινίκιον τῷ Θεῷ συντέθεικεν ὕμνον ὁ θεῖος Δαβίδ. Ἔστι δὲ σύμφωνος τῷ ἑπτακαιδεκάτῳ ψαλμῷ· μᾶλλον δὲ ὁ αὐτός ἐστιν, ὀλίγας ἔχων ὀνομάτων ἐναλλαγάς. Ἐγὼ δὲ μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων ψαλμῶν καὶ τοῦτον ἑρμηνεύσας, περιττὸν ὑπέλαβον δευτέραν ἑρμηνείαν ποιήσασθαι. Ἔχει δὲ καὶ πρόῤῥησιν περὶ τοῦ Σωτῆρος Χριστοῦ Ἐξείλω με γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐκ λαοῦ, ἔθου με εἰς φῶς ἐθνῶν. Λαὸς ὃν οὐκ ἔγνων ἐδούλευσέ μοι· εἰς ἀκοὴν ὠτίου ὑπήκουσέ μου. Εἰς φῶς δὲ ἐθνῶν γέγονεν οὐχ ὁ Δαβίδ, ἀλλ᾽ ὁ ἐκ Δαβὶδ κατὰ σάρκα, ὁ τοῦ Δαβὶδ καὶ κύριος καὶ υἱός. Εἰ δὲ καὶ ὁ Δαβὶδ γέγονεν εἰς φῶς ἐθνῶν, δηλονότι τῇ μελῳδίᾳ καταυγάζων τοὺς τῷ Δεσπότη πεπιστευκότας Χριστῷ. ᾿Απάσαις γὰρ ταῖς κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην Ἐκκλησίαις ἡ πνευματικὴ τοῦ Δαβιδ ὑμνῳδία τὰς τῶν εὐσεβῶν φωτίζει ψυχάς. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ Ἰουδαῖοι προφήτην αὐτὸν ὀνομάζειν οὐ βούλονται, ὡς ἐναργῶς ἄγαν τὰ περὶ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν καὶ τῆς τῶν ἐθνῶν προθεσπίσαντα πίστεως, ἀκουσάτωσαν αὐτοῦ λέγοντος, Πιστὸς Δαβὶδ ὁ υἱὸς Ἰεσσαὶ, πιστὸς ἀνὴρ, ὃν ἀνέστησεν ὁ Θεὸς χριστὸν, ὁ Θεὸς Ἰακώβ Καὶ ὡραῖος ὁ ψαλμὸς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ Πνεῦμα Κυρίου ἐλάλησεν ἐν ἐμοὶ, καὶ ὁ λόγος αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ γλώσσης μου. Εἶπεν ὁ Θεὸς Ἰακὼβ ἐν ἐμοὶ λαλῆσαι. Εἰ δὲ καὶ Πνεῦμα Κυρίου ἐλάλησεν ἐν αὐτῷ, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς Ἰακὼβ εὐδόκησεν ἐν αὐτῷ λαλῆσαι, προφήτης ἄρα ἐστὶ, καὶ προφήτης μέγιστος· ἐπειδὴ τὰ ἄδηλα καὶ τὰ κρύφια τῆς σοφίας αὐτοῦ ἐδήλωσεν αὐτῷ ὁ Θεὸς. Ὅσον μέντοι ὤνησεν αὐτὸν ἡ παιδεία, ἡ ἱστορία διδάσκει. Τῇ πείρᾳ γὰρ μαθὼν, ὅσων ἡ ἐπιθυμία πρόξενος συμφορῶν, ὠρέχθη μὲν ὕδατος ψυχροῦ, ἀνεμνήσθη δὲ τοῦ ἐν Βηθλεέμ. Τρεῖς δὲ οἱ τῶν ἀριστεύειν εἰωθότων ἐν μάχαις τῶν ἀλλοφύλων, περὶ τὴν Βηθλεέμ ἐστρατοπεδευκότων, ἐσπούδασαν, καὶ μὴ προστεταχότος τοῦ βασιλέως, κομίσαι τὸ ὕδωρ. Καὶ μέσην διελθόντες τῶν πολεμίων τὴν στρατιὰν, καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ ἀνιμήσαντο, καὶ κατατάχος ἀνέστρεψαν, οὐδενὸς τῶν ἀλλοφύλων προσβαλεῖν ἐπιχειρήσαντος. Ἔδεισαν γὰρ αὐτῶν τὴν τῆς εὐτολμίας ὑπερβολήν. Ἀλλ᾿ ὁ πάντα ἄριστος βασιλεὺς οὐκ ἠνέσχετο τοῦ ὕδατος ἐκείνου τοῦ πόθουμένου μεταλαχεῖν· ἀλλ᾽ εὐσεβεῖ λογισμῷ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας ἐκράτησεν· αἷμα γὰρ αὐτὸ τῶν κομισάντων ὠνόμασεν· ἐπειδὴ τοῦ βασιλέως τὴν θεραπείαν τῆς οἰκείας προτιμήσαντες σωτηρίας ῥιψοκινδύνως διέκοψαν τῶν πολεμίων τὴν φάλαγγα, καὶ παραδόξως ἐσώθησαν. Ὅθεν αὐτὸ σπονδὴν προσεκόμισε τῷ σεσωκότι Θεῷ· εἰς τοσαύτην αὐτὸν ἡ παιδεία φιλοσοφίαν ἤγαγεν. ### English translation (Claude) Why did David grow faint in battle? He was an old man; but he overcame the weakness of his body by his eagerness. Having endured great toil in the fighting (for he was the front-line fighter of the phalanx), he grew faint, as the historian taught, unable to bear the toil. In danger of being killed by the champion of the foreigners, he was saved against expectation when Abishai shielded him and killed that very great enemy. From this too one can learn that they called those with larger bodies giants; for this man was a descendant of giants. Learning of the king's danger, the army swore that it would no longer allow him to take part in battle. For it was both just and expedient to yield to old age, and to direct the army while sitting at home. The historian also mentioned other giants, whom the people of that time so named because of their strength and size of body, and not, as some have said, because they were impious or because they lived a long time. After these wars the divine David composed a hymn of victory to God. It agrees with the seventeenth psalm; rather, it is the same psalm, with a few changes of words. Since I have interpreted it with the other psalms, I thought it superfluous to make a second interpretation. It also contains a prophecy about Christ the Savior: “You delivered me,” he says, “from the people; you made me a light of the nations. A people I did not know served me; at the hearing of the ear they obeyed me.” It was not David who became a light of the nations, but the one from David according to the flesh, David's Lord and son. If David too became a light of the nations, it is clearly by enlightening with his song those who have believed in Christ the Master; for in all the churches throughout the world the spiritual hymnody of David enlightens the souls of the pious. And since the Jews will not call him a prophet, although he foretold so very clearly what concerns our Savior and the faith of the nations, let them hear him say, “Faithful is David the son of Jesse, faithful the man whom God raised up as anointed of the God of Jacob, and beautiful is the psalm of Israel. The Spirit of the Lord spoke in me, and his word was on my tongue. The God of Jacob said to speak in me.” If the Spirit of the Lord spoke in him, and the God of Jacob was pleased to speak in him, then he is a prophet, and a very great prophet; for God showed him the unknown and hidden things of his wisdom. How much his discipline benefited him the history teaches. Having learned by experience how many calamities desire brings, he longed for cold water and remembered that of Bethlehem. Three of those accustomed to excel in battle, when the foreigners were encamped around Bethlehem, eagerly undertook to bring the water, though the king had not commanded it. Passing through the middle of the enemy army, they drew the water and quickly returned, none of the foreigners attempting to attack them; for they feared the excess of their daring. But the king, best in everything, could not bring himself to partake of that longed-for water, but mastered his desire by pious reasoning; for he called it the blood of those who had brought it, since, preferring the king's service to their own safety, they had recklessly cut through the enemy's phalanx and had been saved against expectation. So he brought it as a libation to the God who had saved them; to such wisdom had discipline led him. ### Scripture references - 2 Sam 21:15: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 21:16: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 21:17: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 21:18: allusion, medium confidence - 2 Sam 22:1: allusion, high confidence - Ps 18:1 (17:1 LXX): allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 22:44: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 22:45: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 23:1: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 23:2: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 23:3: quotation, high confidence - Ps 51:6 (50:8 LXX): allusion, medium confidence - 2 Sam 23:15: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 23:16: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 23:17: allusion, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Theodoret, Interp. Ps. Ps 17 (Interpretation of the Psalms): allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Sam 21:15–22; 22 (= Ps 18, LXX 17; quotation 22:44–45, with Theodoret's “light of the nations”); 23:1–3 (quoted as Theodoret gives it); Ps 51:6 (LXX 50:8); 23:13–17. Theodoret refers to his own Commentary on the Psalms. The remark about the Jews is his own; translated as written. Displaced matter is removed or put back by logged corrections: the lost ending of question 2.42 (“…commanded the earth to give its fruits as usual … the Master knows no distinction of race, but justly defends the wronged, even if they are foreigners”) printed twice inside this answer is removed (not moved back to 2.42), and a displaced phrase about the army learning of the king's danger is restored to its place. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 2.43 (PG 80 80:655; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-43). ## 2 Kingdoms Question 44 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-43/#p-2-44 - Source: PG 80 80:657 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Abishai and Benaiah are ranked among David's heroes: honored for command and for guarding the king, though not equal to the first three in strength. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον, Οὗτος ἦν ὀνομαστὸς ἐν τοῖς τρισὶν, ἔνδοξος ὑπὲρ τοὺς δύο, καὶ ἦν αὐτοῖς εἰς ἄρχοντα, καὶ ἕως τῶν τριῶν οὐκ ἤρχετο; Τῶν τριῶν καὶ τὴν ῥώμην καὶ τὴν ἀνδρείαν ἐπῄνεσε. Τὸν δὲ ᾿Αβεσσὰ τῶν δύο μὲν εἴρηκε κρείττονα, τοῦ πρώτου δὲ ἥττονα. Ἐκεῖνος γὰρ ἐννακοσίους ἀνήρει παραταττόμενος, ἐξακοσίους δὲ οὗτος. Πρῶτος δὲ τῶν τριῶν, οὐ κατὰ τὸ ἔργον, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὴν ἀρχήν. Ἰστέον δὲ καὶ τοῦτο, ὡς Βανέας υἱὸς Ἰοδαὲ ἀδελφιδοῦς ἦν τοῦ βασιλέως· ἔκγονον γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐκάλεσε τοῦ Ἰεσσαὶ, υἱὸν δὲ τοῦ Ἰοδαὲ υἱοῦ Ἰεσσαί. Καὶ τούτου δὲ τὴν ἀνδραγαθίαν πολλάκις εἰπὼν, προστέθεικεν, ὅτι Ὑπὲρ τοὺς τρεῖς ἔνδοξος ἦν, καὶ πρὸς τοὺς τρεῖς οὐκ ἤρχετο. Τῆς γὰρ τῶν τριῶν λειπόμενος ῥώμης, ἔνδοξος ἦν, ὡς τὴν φυλακὴν τοῦ βασιλέως πεπιστευμένος· κατέστησε γὰρ αὐτὸν, φησὶ, Δαβὶδ ἐπὶ τὴν φυλακήν ### English translation (Claude) How should “He was renowned among the three, more honored than the two, and was their leader, but did not attain to the three” be understood? He praised both the strength and the courage of the three. He said that Abishai was better than the two, but inferior to the first; for that one killed nine hundred in battle, and this one six hundred. He was first of the three not in deeds but in command. One should also know that Benaiah son of Jehoiada was the king's nephew; for it called him a descendant of Jesse, and a son of Jehoiada son of Jesse. Having often mentioned his bravery too, it added that he was more honored than the three but did not attain to the three. For although he fell short of the strength of the three, he was honored as one entrusted with guarding the king: “David set him,” it says, “over the guard.” ### Scripture references - 2 Sam 23:8: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 23:18: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 23:19: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 23:20: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 23:22: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 23:23: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Sam 23:18–23 (LXX; quotations 23:19, 23). The first hero's nine hundred, LXX 23:8. Theodoret's statement that Benaiah was the king's nephew rests on his text of 23:20, which the extant witnesses do not support; translated as written. A duplicate form of the story of the Bethlehem water (from 2.43) printed inside the sentence on Benaiah is removed by a logged correction. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 2.44 (PG 80 80:657; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-44). ## 2 Kingdoms Question 45 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-43/#p-2-45 - Source: PG 80 80:659 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The census was the occasion, not the cause, of punishing Israel for its rebellion with Absalom; God permitted David's reasoning, David chose pestilence to share his people's lot, God lessened the punishment, and David bought the threshing floor where the temple would stand. ### Greek text Τί δήποτε τοῦ Δαβὶδ ἀριθμήσαντος, ὁ λαὸς τὴν τιμωρίαν ἀνεδέξατο; Οἰκείας παρανομίας δίκας ἔτισεν ὁ λαός. Καταλιπὼν γὰρ τὸν εὐσεβῆ βασιλέα, τυράννῳ δυσσεβεῖ καὶ πατραλοίᾳ παιδί συνεστράτευσε, φονῶντι κατὰ πατρὸς εὐσεβοῦς καὶ προφήτου, καὶ παρὰ τοῦ τῶν ὅλων Θεοῦ τῆς βασιλείας δεξαμένου τὴν χειροτονίαν. Αὔξει δὲ αὐτῶν τὴν κατηγορίαν, τὸ τὸν μὲν Σαούλ καταψηφισθέντα, καὶ τῆς θείας χάριτος γυμνωθέντα, μὴ καταλιπεῖν ἕως τοῦ βίου τὸ τέρμα κατέλαβε, καὶ ταῦτα τοῦ Δαβὶδ ὑπὸ προφήτου χρισθέντος· τὸν δὲ μυρίων αὐτοῖς ἀγαθῶν γενόμενον πρόξενον, καὶ τὸ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων καταλύσαντα θράσος, καὶ τὸν μὲν ᾿Αμαλὴκ παραδόντα πανωλεθρίᾳ, Ἰδουμαίους δὲ, καὶ Μωαβίτας, καὶ ᾿Αμμανίτας, καὶ Σύρους ἑκατέρους καὶ χειρωσάμενον καὶ δουλωσάμενον, καὶ φέρειν ἀναγκάσαντα φόρους, καὶ προφητικῆς ἀπολαύσαντα χάριτος, μὴ μόνον καταλιπεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀντιπαρατάξασθαι, καὶ δρᾶσαι τὰ πολεμίων τι, καὶ συμπρᾶξαι μιαιφόνῳ καὶ δυσσεβεῖ καὶ παρανόμῳ παιδί. Τούτων οὖν αὐτοὺς ὁ δίκαιος κριτὴς εἰσεπράξατο δίκας, καὶ διὰ τοῦ Δαβὶδ εἰσεπράξατο, ἐπειδήπερ αὐτὸν ἠδίκησαν. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἡ ἱστορία διδάσκει Καὶ προσέθετο ὀργὴ Θεοῦ, τοῦ θυμωθῆναι ἐν Ἰσραήλ Οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἐν Δαβίδ, ἀλλ᾽, «Ἐν Ἰσραήλ.» Τοιγάρτοι πρόφασις ἦν τῆς τιμωρίας ὁ γενόμενος ἀριθμός· Ἐπέσεισε γὰρ, φησὶ, τὸν Δαβὶδ εἰς αὐτοὺς, λέγων, Πορεύθητι, ἀρίθμησον τὸν Ἰσραὴλ καὶ τὸν Ἰούδαν.» ᾿Αλλ' οὐ διὰ λόγων ἐκελεύσθη· ἡ γὰρ ἂν, εὐθύνας τῆς ἀριθμήσεως εἰσπραττόμενος εἶπεν, ὡς Αὐτὸς ἐκέλευσας ἀριθμηθῆναι. Ἀλλὰ τοῦτο μὲν οὐκ ἔφη πεπλημμεληκέναι δὲ ὡμολόγησεν. Οὐ τοίνυν λόγῳ προσέταξε τὸν Ἱσραὴλ ἀριθμῆσαι, ἀλλ᾽ ἐνδέδωκε τούτῳ χρήσασθαι τῷ λογισμῷ τὸν Δαβίδ. Ἴλεως γὰρ ἂν ὁ Δεσπότης καὶ Θεὸς, ἐμποδὼν γίνεται τοῖς συνοίσειν οὐ μέλλουσι λογισμοῖς. Καὶ γὰρ βουλευσαμένῳ τὸν θεῖον οἰκοδομῆσαι νεὼν διὰ τοῦ προφήτου Ναθὰν δεδήλωκε μηδὲν τοιοῦτον βουλεύσασθαι, ἀλλὰ τῷ παιδὶ τὴν τῆς οἰκοδομῆς φυλάξαι φροντίδα. Ὅτι δὲ οὐκ ἐξ ἐνεργείας, ἀλλ᾽ ἐκ συγχωρήσεως ὁ τοιοῦτος αὐτῷ γέγονε λογισμὸς, σαφέστερον ἡ τῶν Παραλειπομένων ἐδίδαξε βίβλος. Λέγει δὲ οὕτως Καὶ ἀνέστη Σατᾶν ἐπὶ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ ἐπέσεισε τὸν Δαβίδ, τοῦ ἀριθμῆσαι τὸν Ἰσραήλ. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν, ᾿Ανέστη Σατᾶν ἐπὶ Δαβὶδ, ἀλλ᾽, ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰσραήλ., Σατᾶν δὲ τὸν ἀντικείμενον, ἢ ἀποστάτην, ἡ Ἑβραίων γλῶττα καλεῖ. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν ἐναντίος ταῖς θείαις ἐπαγγελίαις ὁ τοιοῦτος ἦν λογισμὸς (τῷ γὰρ Ἀβραὰμ ὁ τῶν ὅλων ἔφη Θεὸς, Ποιήσω τὸ σπέρμα σὸν ὡς τὴν ἄμμον τὴν παρὰ τὸ χείλος τῆς θαλάσσης, ἥτις οὐκ ἀριθμηθήσεται ἀπὸ τοῦ πλήθους»), τούτου χάριν Σατᾶν τὸν τοιοῦτον ὠνόμασε λογισμὸν, ὡς ἐναντίον τῇ ὑποσχέσει τῇ θείᾳ· ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ τιμωρίαν ὁ τοιοῦτος ἐγένετο λογισμός ᾿Ανέστη γὰρ, φησὶν, Σατᾶν ἐπὶ Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἐπέσεισε τὸν Δαβὶδ, τοῦ ἀριθμῆσαι τὸν Ἰσραὴλ καὶ τὸν Ἰούδα. Οὕτω κάνταῦθα, Προσέθετο ὀργὴ τοῦ Θεοῦ, τοῦ θυμωθῆναι ἐπὶ Ἰσραήλ· καὶ ἐπέσεισε τὸν Δαβὶδ εἰς αὐτοὺς, λέγων, Πορεύθητι, ἀρίθμησον τὸν Ἰσραὴλ καὶ τὸν Ἰούδα. Εἰ δὲ αὐτὸς προσέταξε, τί δήποτε χαλεπαίνει ; Οὐκοῦν τὴν θείαν συγχώρησιν διὰ τούτων δεδήλωκεν. Εἰ δὲ ὁ Δεσπότης Θεὸς τοῦτο προσετετάχει γενέσθαι, τί δήποτε μεταμελείται ὁ Δαβὶδ τὴν θείαν πεπληρωκὼς ἐντολήν; Ἐπάταξε γὰρ, φησὶν, ἡ καρδία Δαβὶδ αὐτὸν μετὰ ταῦτα, ὅτι ἠρίθμησε τὸν λαόν· καὶ εἶπε Δαβίδ, Ἡμάρτηκα τῷ Κυρίῳ τοῦ ποιῆσαι τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο. Καὶ νῦν, Κύριε, περίελε τὴν ἀδικίαν τοῦ δούλου σου, ὅτι ἐματαιώθη σφόδρα. Δῆλον τοίνυν, ὡς τὴν συγχώρησιν ἐκάλεσεν ἐντολήν· ἐπειδὴ κωλῦσαι δυνάμενος οὐκ ἐκώλυσε, παιδεῦσαι διὰ τούτου τοὺς παρανόμους βουλόμενος. Καὶ πρῶτον μὲν αὐτοὺς ἠθέλησε τῆς πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας γεγενημένης ἐπαγγελίας ἀναμνῆσαι, καὶ δεῖξαι ταύτης τὸ ἀληθές ἔπειτα διδάξαι, ὡς ἐξ ἑνὸς τοῦ Ἰακὼβ τοσαῦται μυριάδες ἐγένοντο, καὶ ὅτι τοσαύτης τετυχηκότες εὐεργεσίας ἀεὶ πονηρὰν ἐπεδείξαντο γνώμην. Τούτου χάριν ἀριθμηθῆναι συνεχώρησε πρῶτον εἶθ' οὕτως ἐκόλασεν, Γὰδ δὲ τὸν προφήτην πρὸς τὸν ἀριθμήσαντα πέπομφε τρεῖς αἱρέσεις προστῆναι ἢ λιμὸν τρισὶ συμμετρούμενον ἔτεσιν, ἢ πολεμίων ἔφοδον ἐπὶ μησὶ τρισὶ κατακράτος νικώντων καὶ διωκόντων, ἢ τὸν ἐκ τοῦ λοιμοῦ θάνατον ἐν τρισὶν ἡμέραις γινόμενον· ταῦτα δὲ εἰπὼν ὁ προφήτης τῷ προφήτῃ καὶ βασιλεῖ, ἤπειξε λαβεῖν τὴν ἀπόκρισιν Καὶ νῦν γὰρ, φησὶ, γνῶθι καὶ ἴδε τί ἀποκριθῶ ῥῆμα τῷ ἀποστείλαντί με. Ὁ δὲ σοφώτατος καὶ δικαιότατος βασιλεὺς, λογισάμενος ὡς τὸν λιμὸν αὐτὸς διαφυγεῖν δυνήσεται, πολὺν ὡς βασιλεὺς ἔχων ἀποκείμενον σῖτον, κατὰ μόνων δὲ τῶν πενήτων ἡ τιμωρία χωρήσει· καὶ ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ δὲ δυνατὸν αὐτὸν διαφυγεῖν τῶν πολεμίων τὰς χεῖρας, πρῶτον μὲν τοῖς ὀχυρωτάτοις καὶ δυσαλώτοις φρουρίοις χρησάμενον, ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ τοῖς ἀριστεύουσιν ἐκείνοις περιφραττόμενον οὐκ· ψήθη δίκαιον τῆς οἰκείας σωτηρίας φροντίσαι, ἀλλὰ συμμετασχεῖν τῶν ἐπιφερομένων κολάσεων τῷ λαῷ τοιοῦτος δὲ ὁ λοιμὸς, διαφορὰν πλουσίου καὶ πένητος οὐκ εἰδὼς, οὐδὲ δειλοῦ καὶ ἀνδρείου· οὐδὲ δούλου καὶ δεσπότου, οὐδὲ ἰδιώτου καὶ βασιλέως ἀλλὰ κατὰ πάντων ὁμοίως χωρῶν. Τούτου χάριν ταύτην τὴν τιμωρίαν τῶν ἄλλων προείλετο, ἧς αὐτὸς ἐστιν ὁ κολάζων διανομεύς· Εἶπε γὰρ, φησὶ, Δαβὶδ πρὸς Γάδ· Στενά μοι σφόδρα ἐστὶ καὶ τὰ τρία. Πλὴν ἐμπεσοῦμαι εἰς χεῖρας Κυρίου ὅτι πολλοὶ οἱ οἰκτιρμοὶ αὐτοῦ σφόδρα εἰς δὲ χεῖρας ἀνθρώπων οὐ μὴ ἐμπέσω καὶ ἐξελέξατο ἑαυτῷ Δαβὶδ τὸν θάνατον, καὶ τῆς ἐλπίδος οὐκ ἐψεύσθη. Τριῶν γὰρ ἡμερῶν ὁ Θεὸς θάνατον ἀπειλήσας, ἐν ἓξ μόναις ὥραις τὸν θάνατον ἐπήνεγκε. Συναριθμουμένων δὲ τῶν νυκτῶν ταῖς ἡμέραις, τὸ δωδεκατημόριον εὐρίσκεται τῆς ἀπειλῆς ἐπενεχθὲν τῷ λαῷ. Οὕτως ὁ φιλάνθρωπος Κύριος μείζοσι μὲν κέχρηται ταῖς ἀπειλαῖς τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας δεδιττόμενος· πολλῷ δὲ τῶν ἀπειλῶν ἐλάττους ἐπιφέρει τὰς τιμωρίας. Καὶ γὰρ, ἐννακοσίων χιλιάδων τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ εὑρεθεισῶν, καὶ τοῦ Ἰούδα τετρακοσίων, δηλονότι τῶν τὴν στρατεύσιμον ἡλικίαν ἀγόντων, καὶ τῶν προώρων καὶ τῶν ἐξώρων, καὶ μέντοι καὶ γυναικῶν ἐξῃρημένων, προσέτι δὲ καὶ τῶν Λευϊτῶν, καὶ τῆς Βενιαμίτιδος φυλῆς· μεταμεληθέντος γὰρ τοῦ βασιλέως οὐκ ἠριθμήθησαν ἑβδομήκοντα χιλιάδες ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀγγέλου ἀνῃρέθησαν μόναι καὶ ταῦτα πάντων ἐν ἀκαρεῖ διαφθαρῆναι δυναμένων. Οὐ γὰρ ἐδεῖτο χρόνου τιμωρὸς ἄγγελος. Ἐν ἀκαρεῖ γὰρ ἀνεῖλε καὶ τὰ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων πρωτότοκα, καὶ τὰς ἑκατὸν ὀγδοήκοντα πέντε χιλιάδας τῶν ᾿Ασσυρίων. Τῆς φιλανθρωπίας τοίνυν, ἀλλ᾽ οὐ τῆς ἀδυναμίας, ὁ χρόνος. Αὐτίκα γοῦν τῆς Ἱερουσαλήμ ἐπιβὰς ὤφθη ὁ ἄγγελος τῷ Δαβὶδ, τὴν ῥομφαίαν ἔχων γυμνὴν, ἵνα τὴν συγγνώμην αἰτήσῃ. ᾿Αξιάγαστα δὲ καὶ αὐτὰ τοῦ βασιλέως τὰ ῥήματα Ἰδοὺ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐγὼ ἥμαρτον, καὶ ἐγὼ ὁ ποιμὴν ἐκακοποίησα, καὶ οὗτοι τὸ ποίμνιον τί ἐποίησαν; γενέσθω ἡ χείρ σου ἐν ἐμοὶ, καὶ ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ πατρός μου. ᾿Αγνοῶν τὴν αἰτίαν, οἱκείαν ἁμαρτίαν τὸ γεγενημένον ἐκάλεσε καὶ αὐτῷ καὶ τῷ γένει δικαίαν ἐπενεχθῆναι ψῆφον ἱκέτευσε, λόγοις χρησάμενος ποιμένος ἀληθινοῦ, καὶ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ Κύριον μιμησάμενος, ὃς τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἔθηκεν ὑπὲρ τῶν προβάτων. Δεξάμενος δὲ τὴν ἱκετείαν ὁ ἀγαθὸς Κύριος, ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ χωρίῳ θυσιαστήριον οἰκοδομηθῆναι προσέταξεν, ἐν ᾧ τὴν τιμωρίαν ὁ θεῖος ἐκώλυσεν ἔλεος. Τὸ δὲ, Μετεμελήθη Κύριος, περιττὸν ἑρμηνεύειν. Πολλάκις γὰρ αὐτοῦ εἰρήκαμεν τὴν διάνοιαν, καὶ ὅτι τὴν τῆς οἰκονομίας σημαίνει μεταβολήν. Παραυτίκα τοίνυν ὁ βασιλεὺς δραμὼν ᾔτησεν Ὀρνίαν τὸν Ἰεβουσαῖον ἀποδόσθαι τὴν ἄλω. Ἐκείνου δὲ προῖκα δώσειν ὑποσχομένου καὶ τὴν ἄλω, καὶ τοὺς βοῦς, καὶ τῶν ἀρότρων τὰ ξύλα, ἵνα ἐν ἐκείνῃ μὲν δομήσηται τὸν βωμὸν, τούτους δὲ ἱερεύσῃ, τοῖς δὲ ξύλοις προσενέγκῃ τὸ πῦρ, δίκαιον εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεὺς, μὴ ἐξ ἀλλοτρίων τῷ Θεῷ δῶρα προσφέρειν, ἀλλ᾽ ἐξ οἱκείων. Ταῦτα παρ' αὐτοῦ μεμαθηκὼς ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ Σολομών, παραινεῖ λέγων, Τίμα τὸν Κύριον ἀπὸ σῶν δικαίων πόνων, καὶ ἀπάρχου αὐτῷ ἀπὸ σῶν καρπῶν δικαιοσύνης. Ταῦτα πληρῶν ὁ βασιλεὺς, πριάμενος τὸν βωμὸν ᾠκοδόμησε, καὶ τὴν θυσίαν προσήνεγκε, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν ἱλεώσατο. Ιστέον δὲ ὡς ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ χωρίῳ τὸν νεὼν ᾠκοδόμησεν ὁ σοφὸς Σολομών. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ἡ ἱστορία διδάσκει· Προσέθηκε γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ Σολομὼν ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον ἐπ᾿ ἐσχάτων, ὅτι μικρὸν ἦν ἐν πρώτοις μετὰ ταῦτα τὰ κατὰ Ὀρνίαν, ἢ ᾿Αδωνίαν (διώνυμος γὰρ ἦν), ὁ ἱστοριογράφος συνέγραψεν ὅπως μὲν ἐμελέτησε τυραννίδα ὅπως δὲ συμπόσιον λαμπρὸν ἐπετέλεσε, πρωτοκλίτους ἔχων τοῦ συμποσίου τὸν στρατηγὸν Ἰωάβ, καὶ ᾿Αβιάθαρ τὸν ἱερέα. Ἐτέλεσε δὲ τὸ συσσίτιον παρά τινα πηγὴν, πρὸ τοῦ ἄστεως ἀναβλύζουσαν, παρ᾿ ἣν βασιλικός ἐτεθήλει παράδεισος. Οὕτω γὰρ ὁ Ἰώσηπος ἔφη, καὶ ὁ Σύμμαχος δὲ τὴν ᾿Αὖν πηγὴν ἡρμήνευσεν ᾿Αϊνὰ δὲ αὐτὴν καὶ ὁ Σύρος καλεῖ ### English translation (Claude) Why, when David took the census, did the people receive the punishment? The people paid the penalty for their own lawlessness. For they abandoned the pious king and campaigned with an impious usurper, a son who would strike his father, who sought the blood of a pious father and prophet, one who had received appointment to the kingdom from the God of the universe. Their guilt is increased by the fact that they did not abandon Saul, though he had been condemned and stripped of divine grace, until he reached the end of his life, even though David had been anointed by a prophet; yet the man who had procured them countless benefits, who had destroyed the insolence of the foreigners, delivered Amalek to utter destruction, subdued and enslaved the Idumeans, Moabites, Ammonites and both kinds of Syrians, compelled them to pay tribute, and enjoyed prophetic grace, him they not only abandoned but fought against, did what enemies do, and joined a murderous, impious and lawless son. For this the just Judge exacted punishment from them, and exacted it through David, since it was him they had wronged. The history teaches this too: “And the anger of God was again kindled against Israel.” It did not say “against David” but “against Israel.” So the census that took place was the occasion of the punishment: “For he incited David against them,” it says, “saying, Go, number Israel and Judah.” But he was not commanded in words; for then, when called to account for the census, he would have said, “You yourself ordered it to be numbered.” But he did not say this; he confessed that he had sinned. So God did not command him in words to number Israel, but allowed David to follow this reasoning. For, as Master and God, he stands in the way of reasonings that will not be beneficial: when David planned to build the divine temple, he made known through the prophet Nathan that he should plan no such thing, but leave the care of the building to his son. That such a reasoning came to him not by God's working but by his permission, the book of Chronicles taught more clearly. It says this: “And Satan stood up against Israel and incited David to number Israel.” And it did not say, “Satan stood up against David,” but “against Israel.” The Hebrew language calls the adversary or apostate Satan. Since such a reasoning was contrary to the divine promises (for the God of the universe said to Abraham, “I will make your seed like the sand on the seashore, which cannot be numbered for multitude”), for this reason it named such a reasoning Satan, as contrary to the divine promise; but such a reasoning arose because of the punishment of Israel: “For Satan stood up,” it says, “against Israel, and incited David to number Israel and Judah.” So here too: “The anger of God was again kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, Go, number Israel and Judah.” If he himself commanded it, why is he angry? So by these words it showed God's permission. And if God the Master had commanded this to be done, why does David repent after fulfilling the divine command? “For David's heart struck him,” it says, “after he had numbered the people; and David said, I have sinned against the Lord in doing this thing. And now, Lord, take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.” It is clear, then, that it called the permission a command, since he did not prevent it though he could have, wishing to discipline the lawless through it. First he wished to remind them of the promise made to their fathers and to show its truth; then to teach them that from one man, Jacob, so many myriads had come, and that, having received such great benefits, they always displayed a wicked disposition. For this reason he first allowed them to be numbered, and then punished them. He sent Gad the prophet to the man who had taken the census to set before him three choices: either famine lasting three years, or an invasion of enemies for three months who would conquer and pursue them with force, or death by pestilence occurring in three days. Having said this, the prophet urged the prophet and king to give his answer: “And now,” he says, “know and see what answer I shall return to the one who sent me.” The most wise and most just king reckoned that he himself could escape the famine, since as king he had much grain stored up, and the punishment would fall on the poor alone; and in war too he could escape the hands of the enemy, by using the strongest and most impregnable fortresses and by surrounding himself with those champions. He did not think it just to look after his own safety, but to share with the people in the punishments being brought. Such is pestilence: it knows no distinction between rich and poor, coward and brave, slave and master, private citizen and king, but advances against all alike. For this reason he chose this punishment over the others, of which the one who punishes is himself the dispenser: “For David said to Gad,” it says, “All three are very hard for me; but let me fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercies are very great; but let me not fall into the hands of men.” And David chose death for himself, and was not disappointed in his hope. For though God threatened death for three days, he brought death for only six hours. If the nights are counted with the days, it is found that a twelfth part of the threat was brought upon the people. So the Lord who loves humankind uses greater threats to frighten sinners, but brings punishments much smaller than the threats. For though nine hundred thousand of Israel were found, and four hundred thousand of Judah (clearly those of military age, excluding the under-age and the over-age, and also the women, and besides these the Levites and the tribe of Benjamin, which were not numbered because the king repented), only seventy thousand were killed by the angel, and that when all could have been destroyed in an instant. For the avenging angel did not need time: in an instant he killed both the firstborn of the Egyptians and the hundred and eighty-five thousand of the Assyrians. So the time was a matter of love for humankind, not of inability. At once, at any rate, the angel, having come upon Jerusalem, appeared to David with his sword drawn, so that he might ask for pardon. The king's words too are admirable: “Behold,” he says, “I have sinned, and I the shepherd have done wrong; but these, the flock, what have they done? Let your hand be against me and against my father's house.” Not knowing the cause, he called what had happened his own sin, and begged that a just sentence be brought on himself and his family, using the words of a true shepherd and imitating his son and Lord, who laid down his life for the sheep. The good Lord accepted his plea and commanded an altar to be built in the place where divine mercy had stopped the punishment. It is superfluous to explain “The Lord repented”: we have often stated its sense, that it signifies a change in his dispensation. At once, then, the king hurried and asked Ornia the Jebusite to sell him the threshing floor. When Ornia promised to give as a gift the threshing floor, the oxen, and the wood of the ploughs, so that he could build the altar on the one, sacrifice the others, and use the wood to light the fire, the king said it was right to offer God gifts not from what belongs to others but from what is one's own. Solomon his son, having learned this from him, advises, “Honor the Lord from your just labors, and give him the firstfruits of your fruits of righteousness.” Fulfilling this, the king bought it, built the altar, offered the sacrifice, and appeased God. One should know that the wise Solomon built the temple in that place. The history teaches this too: “For Solomon,” it says, “added to the altar at the end, because it was small at first.” After this the historian recorded the affair of Ornia, or Adonia (for he had two names): how he plotted usurpation, and how he held a splendid banquet, having as guests of honor at the banquet Joab the general and Abiathar the priest. He held the feast by a spring that gushed up before the city, beside which a royal garden flourished. So Josephus said; and Symmachus translated Aun as “spring,” and the Syrian too calls it Aina. ### Scripture references - 2 Sam 24:1: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 15:12: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Sam 15:7: allusion, medium confidence - 2 Sam 8:14: allusion, medium confidence - 2 Sam 7:13: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Chr 21:1: quotation, high confidence - Gen 22:17: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 24:10: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 24:13: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 24:14: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 24:15: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 24:9: allusion, high confidence - 1 Chr 21:6: allusion, high confidence - Exod 12:29: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 19:35: allusion, high confidence - 1 Chr 21:16: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 24:16: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 24:17: quotation, high confidence - John 10:11: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 24:18: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 24:21: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 24:22: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 24:24: allusion, high confidence - Prov 3:9: quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 24:25: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 3:1: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Kgs 1:5: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 1:9: allusion, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Josephus, Ant. 7.14.4 (Josephus (works)): allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Sam 24 (LXX; quotations 24:1, 10, 13, 14, 17, 25 LXX addition); 1 Chr 21:1, 16; Gen 22:17; the firstborn of Egypt, Exod 12:29; the Assyrians, 2 Kgs 19:35; John 10:11; Prov 3:9 (LXX); Adonijah's feast, 1 Kgs 1:5–9; Josephus, Ant. 7.14.4. The name Ornia for Adonijah is printed so in the text; translated as written. The edition interleaves the answer with a second, parallel form of much of it (another recension of the same answer: on the census as permission rather than command, Jacob's descendants, the king's repentance, and the numbers); these duplicate passages, printed at four points inside the main text, are removed by logged corrections. “For, as Master and God, he stands in the way” translates a garbled opening (Ἴλεως γὰρ ἂν ὁ Δεσπότης) by the sense of the parallel form. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 2.45 (PG 80 80:659; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-45). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-43/#p-3-1 - Source: PG 80 80:667 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Nathan acted not from pique but because he knew God had chosen Solomon, and so had Bathsheba remind David of the promise. ### Greek text Τινὲς ὑπολαμβάνουσιν ἀλγῆσαι τὸν Νάθαν, ὡς μὴ κληθέντα εἰς τὸ συσσίτιον· καὶ τούτου χάριν παρασκευάσαι τὴν Βερσαβεὲ τὰ γεγενημένα μηνῦσαι τῷ βασιλεῖ. ᾿Ανοήτως ἄγαν τήνδε τὴν ὑποψίαν ἐσχήκασιν. ῾Ο γὰρ προφήτης, τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ψῆφον εἰδώς· (δι᾿ αὐτοῦ γὰρ ἐδήλωσε τῷ βασιλεῖ, Οὐ σὺ οἰκοδομήσεις οἶκον τοῦ κατοικῆσαί με ἐν αὐτῷ ἀλλ᾿ ἰδοὺ υἱὸς τίκτεταί σοι, οὗτος ἔσται ἀνὴρ ἀναπαύσεως, καὶ ἀναπαύσω αὐτὸν ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν ἐχθρῶν αὐτοῦ κυκλόθεν. Σολομὼν ὄνομα αὐτῷ καὶ εἰρήνην καὶ ἡσυχίαν δώσω ἐπὶ Ἰσραὴλ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις αὐτοῦ. Οὗτος οἰκοδομήσει οἶκον τῷ ὀνόματί μου· ») ταῦτα εἰδὼς ὁ προφήτης, καὶ θεασάμενος τὸν Ὀρνίαν παρὰ ἐμνησε διὰ τῆς Βερσαβεὲ τὸν βασιλέα τῆς θείας προῤῥήσεως· εἶτα εἰσελθὼν τοὺς ἐκείνης ἐβεβαίωσε λό ### English translation (Claude) Some suppose that Nathan was aggrieved at not being invited to the feast, and for this reason got Bathsheba to report what had happened to the king. They have formed this suspicion very foolishly. For the prophet knew God's decision, since God had made it known through him to the king: “You shall not build me a house to dwell in; but behold, a son will be born to you; he shall be a man of rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about. His name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days. He shall build a house for my name.” Knowing this, the prophet, seeing Ornia … reminded the king, through Bathsheba, of the divine prophecy; then he came in himself and confirmed her words. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 1:8: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Kgs 1:11: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 1:22: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 7:5: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 22:9: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 22:10: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The question is put as an objection; the printed text lacks a question mark. 1 Kgs 1:11–27; the prophecy as quoted combines 2 Sam 7:5, 13 and 1 Chr 22:9–10. Ornia is Theodoret's name for Adonijah (see 2.45). Words are lost after “seeing Ornia” (probably describing his attempt on the throne), and the last word of the answer is cut off; marked “…” and supplied by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.1 (PG 80 80:667; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-1). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-43/#p-3-2 - Source: PG 80 80:667 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gihon, a name of the Nile, was also given to the spring of Siloam, where Solomon was anointed by Zadok and Nathan. ### Greek text Τὸν Γηὼν τίνα καλεῖ, Γηὼν μὲν ὁ Νεῖλος ὠνόμασται εἷς γὰρ τῶν ποταμῶν ἐστι τῶν τεσσάρων. Καὶ τοῦτο σαφῶς αὐτὸς ὁ Θεὸς διὰ Ἱερεμίου ἐδίδαξεν εἰπών Καὶ νῦν τί σοὶ καὶ τῇ ὁδῷ Αἰγύπτου, τοῦ πιεῖν ὕδωρ Γηών;» Ἐπωνόμασαν δὲ καὶ τὸν Σιλοὰμ Γηών· ἢ ὡς ἄγαν μικρὸν εἰρωνικῶς οὕτω καλέσαντες ἢ ἐπειδὴ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐξ ἀφανῶν ἔξεισιν ὑπονόμων, ὥσπερ ὁ Νεῖλος. Χρίσαι δὲ τὸν Σολομῶντα προσετάχθησαν Σαδώκ ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς, καὶ Νάθαν ὁ προφήτης. Προτέτακται τοῦ προφήτου μὲν ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς, τοῦ στρατηγοῦ δὲ ὁ προφήτης. Συναπεστάλησαν δὲ καὶ οἱ σφενδονῖται καὶ οἱ τοξόται τούτους γὰρ καλεῖ Χερεθὶ καὶ Φελεθί ### English translation (Claude) Whom does he call Gihon? The Nile is called Gihon, for it is one of the four rivers. God himself taught this clearly through Jeremiah, saying, “And now what have you to do with the road to Egypt, to drink the water of Gihon?” They also named the Siloam Gihon, either calling it so ironically because it is very small, or because it too comes out of hidden underground channels, like the Nile. Zadok the high priest and Nathan the prophet were ordered to anoint Solomon. The high priest is placed before the prophet, and the prophet before the general. The slingers and the archers were also sent with them; for these he calls Cherethites and Pelethites. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 1:33: allusion, high confidence - Gen 2:13: allusion, high confidence - Jer 2:18: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 1:34: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 1:38: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 1:33–38; Gen 2:13; Jer 2:18 (LXX Γηών). The printed question ends with a comma; the question is present. A line that seems to belong to this answer (“…priest, then Nathan the prophet, and after them Benaiah son of Jehoiada the general, with the slingers”) is printed inside question 3.3 and is removed there; it is not moved here. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.2 (PG 80 80:667; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-2). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-43/#p-3-3 - Source: PG 80 80:669 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The officials could rightly wish Solomon greater than David, since fathers rejoice in sons who surpass them; David blessed God and charged Solomon to keep the whole law. ### Greek text Τι δήποτε καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες τὸν βασιλέα τὸν νέον ἐπὶ τοῦ πατρὸς εὐλογοῦντες εὐκλεέστερον γενέσθαι τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ περιφανέστερον ηὔξαντο; ᾿Αγαθύναι γὰρ, ἔφασαν, Κύριος τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ υἱοῦ σου Σολομῶντος ὑπὲρ τὸ ὄνομά σου, καὶ μεγαλύναι τὸν θρόνον αὐτοῦ ὑπὲρ τὸν θρόνον σου. Ἤδεσαν ὡς οὐδεὶς ἔχων πατρικὴν φιλοστοργίαν ἐζηλοτύπησε παῖδας καὶ ὡς ἴδιον πατέρων τὸ βούλεσθαι τοὺς παῖδας καὶ ἑαυτῶν λαμπροτέρους ὁρᾷν. ῎Αρειος γὰρ καὶ οἱ τούτου παῖδες ταύτην μόνοι νοσοῦσι τὴν ἄνοιαν. Ὁ δέ γε Δαβὶδ οὕτως τοῖς παρὰ τῶν ἀρχόντων εἰρημένοις ἐφήσθη, ὅτι καὶ τοῦ γήρως αὐτὸν ἀναστῆναι κωλύοντος, κατακεκλιμένος προσεκύνησε τὸν Θεὸν, τὸν ταῖς ὑποσχέσεσι δεδωκότα τὸ πέρας Εὐλογητὸς γὰρ, φησὶ, Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσραήλ, ὃς ἔδωκε σήμερον ἐκ τοῦ σπέρματός μου καθήμενον ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου μου, καὶ οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου βλέπουσι. Τῷ μὲν οὖν Θεῷ τοῦτον τὸν ὕμνον προσήνεγκε, τῷ δὲ διαδόχῳ τῆς βασιλείας παιδὶ φυλάττειν ἀκήρατον τὴν εὐσέβειαν παρεγγύησε. Πρῶτον δὲ τὸ κοινὸν ἐπέδειξε τέλος· «Ἐγὼ γὰρ, ἔφη, πορεύσομαι ἐν ὁδῷ πάσης τῆς γῆς, καὶ κραταιωθήσῃ, καὶ ἔσῃ εἰς ἄνδρα δυνάμεως καὶ φυλάξεις τὴν φυλακὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, τοῦ πορεύεσθαι ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ φυλάσσειν τὴν ὁδὸν αὐτοῦ· καὶ τὰ προστάγματα αὐτοῦ, ἀκριβάσματα αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὰ κρίματα αὐτοῦ, ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὰ μαρτύρια αὐτοῦ, καθὼς γέγραπται ἐν τῷ νόμῳ Μωσέως. Μηδὲ τὸ τυχὸν τῶν γεγραμμένων παραβῆναι τολμήσῃς. Τοῦτο γὰρ δηλοῖ τὰ ἀκριβάσματα, καὶ τὰ κρίματα, καὶ τὰ μαρτύρια, ἐντολὰς, καὶ προστάγματα. Ἐδίδαξε δὲ καὶ τὸ ἐντεῦθεν φυόμενον κέρδος "Όπως εὐοδωθῇ πάντα ἃ ποιήσεις, καὶ πανταχῆ οὗ ἐὰν ἐπιβλέψῃς ἐκεῖ Τούτων γὰρ, φησὶ, παρὰ σοῦ γινομένων, ἐμπεδώσει ὁ ἀγαθὸς ἡμῶν Κύριος τὴν παρ᾿ αὐτοῦ πρὸς ἐμὲ γεγενημένην ὑπόσχεσιν, ὅτι Οὐ μὴ ἐξαρθήσεταί σοι ἀνὴρ ἀπὸ τοῦ θρόνου Ἰσραήλ. ### English translation (Claude) Why did the officials, blessing the young king in his father's presence, pray that he would become more glorious and illustrious than his father? “May the Lord,” they said, “make the name of your son Solomon better than your name, and make his throne greater than your throne.” They knew that no one with a father's affection was ever jealous of his children, and that it is proper to fathers to wish to see their children even more brilliant than themselves. Arius and his children alone suffer from this folly. David was so pleased with what the officials said that, though old age prevented him from rising, he worshiped God lying down, God who had brought his promises to fulfillment: “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,” he says, “who has given one of my seed to sit on my throne today, while my eyes see it.” He offered this hymn to God, and he charged the son who succeeded him in the kingdom to keep his piety undefiled. First he pointed out the common end: “I am going,” he said, “the way of all the earth; be strong and be a man, and keep the charge of the God of Israel, to walk before him, to keep his way, his ordinances, his precepts, his judgments, his commandments and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses.” Do not dare to transgress even the least of what is written; for this is what the precepts, judgments, testimonies, commandments and ordinances mean. He also taught the gain that comes from this: “That all that you do may prosper, and wherever you look.” If you do these things, he says, our good Lord will make firm the promise he made to me, that “there shall not fail you a man on the throne of Israel.” ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 1:47: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 1:48: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 2:2: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 2:3: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 2:4: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 1:47–48; 2:2–4 (LXX). The remark on Arius (that only he and his followers think a father would be jealous of a son equal to or greater than himself) is aimed at the Arian view of the Son; translated as written. A displaced line (on the order of Zadok, Nathan and Benaiah, from 3.2) printed in the answer is removed by a logged correction. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.3 (PG 80 80:669; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-3). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-43/#p-3-4 - Source: PG 80 80:671 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: David left Joab's punishment to Solomon because he respected yet feared Joab, who had joined Adonijah and might threaten the young king; he also commended Barzillai's sons. ### Greek text Τίνος χάριν αὐτὸς μὴ κολάσας τὸν Ἰωὰβ, τῷ παιδὶ τοῦτο δρᾶσαι προσέταξε; Πρῶτον μὲν ἠδέσθη αὐτὸν, ἅτε τῶν πόνων καὶ κινδύνων γενόμενον κοινωνόν· ἔπειτα δὲ αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ θρασὺ ὑφωρᾶτο. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἐδήλωσε δι᾽ ὧν εἴρηκεν, ὅτι Υἱοὶ Σαρουΐα σκληρότεροί μού εἰσι. Πρὸς δὲ τούτοις, μαθὼν συγκατασκευάζοντα αὐτὸν τῷ Ὀρνίᾳ τὴν τυραννίδα, ἔδεισε μὴ τῇ συνήθει κακοηθείᾳ χρησάμενος, καταφρονήσῃ τῆς τοῦ Σολομῶντος νεότητος, καὶ δυοῖν θάτερον δράσῃ ἢ εὐνοίας προσωπείῳ χρησάμενος ἀνέλῃ λαθών, ὥσπερ δὴ τὸν ᾿Αβεννὴρ καὶ τὸν ᾿Αβεσσᾶ κατέκτεινεν· ἢ προφανῶς ἀντιπαρατάξηται, καὶ διέλῃ τὸν Ἰσραήλ. Ἐδίδαξε δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ τοῦ Βερσελῆ τὴν εὔνοιὰν, καὶ τοὺς ἐκείνου παῖδας πάσης ἀξιωθῆναι κηδεμονίας ἐκέλευσεν, ὀφείλειν αὐτῷ τοῦτο χρέος ὁμολογῶν. ### English translation (Claude) Why did he not punish Joab himself, but ordered his son to do it? First, he respected him as one who had shared his labors and dangers; and then he also suspected his boldness. He showed this by saying, “The sons of Zeruiah are harder than I.” Besides, learning that he was helping Ornia prepare his usurpation, he feared that Joab, using his customary malice, would despise Solomon's youth and do one of two things: either, using a mask of good will, kill him secretly, as he had killed Abner and Amessa; or oppose him openly and divide Israel. He also told him of Barzillai's loyalty, and ordered that his sons be granted every care, acknowledging that he owed him this debt. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 2:5: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 2:6: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 3:39: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 1:7: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 3:27: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 20:10: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 2:7: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 2:5–7; 2 Sam 3:39; 3:27; 20:10. The printed Ἀβεσσᾶ here means Amasa, as in 2.36. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.4 (PG 80 80:671; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-4). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-43/#p-3-5 - Source: PG 80 80:671 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: David warned Solomon about Shimei because he was seditious, foreseeing that he would break Solomon's terms. ### Greek text Διατὶ τῷ Σεμεῖ δεδωκώς τὴν συγγνώμην, τῷ Σολομῶντι κολάσαι τοῦτον προσέταξε; Τυραννικὸν ᾔδει τὸν ἄνδρα, καὶ ἄγαν θρασύν καὶ τῆς τοῦ παιδὸς προμηθούμενος σωτηρίας, ἐδίδαξεν αὐτὸν ἃ τετόλμηκεν, ἵνα τὴν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς φυλάττηται πονηρίαν. Ἤδει δὲ καὶ, ὡς προφήτης, ὅτι τοῦ Σολομῶντος παραβαίνων τὰς ἐντολὰς διαφθαρήσεται. Μιαρὸς γὰρ ἦν ὁ ἀνὴρ, καὶ στάσεων ἀρχηγός. ### English translation (Claude) Why, having given Shimei pardon, did he order Solomon to punish him? He knew the man to be seditious and very bold; and providing for his son's safety, he told him what Shimei had dared, so that he would guard against the man's wickedness. He also knew, as a prophet, that Shimei would transgress Solomon's commands and be destroyed. For the man was vile and a leader of factions. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 2:8: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 2:9: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 19:23: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 2:8–9; 2 Sam 19:23. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.5 (PG 80 80:671; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-5). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-43/#p-3-6 - Source: PG 80 80:671 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The city of David is Zion, where David was buried in a richly furnished tomb, as Josephus reports. ### Greek text Τί ἐστιν ἡ πόλις Δαβίδ; Τὴν Σιὼν ἡ θεία Γραφὴ πόλιν προσαγορεύει Δαβίδ. Οὕτω δὲ καὶ ἡ ἄνω πόλις ἐκέκλητο πᾶσα δὲ νῦν Ἱερουσαλήμ ὀνομάζεται. Ἐν ταύτῃ φησὶν ὁ Ἰώσηπος καὶ αὐτὸν ἀξιωθῆναι ταφῆς, καὶ τοὺς μετ᾿ αὐτὸν βασιλεῖς τὸ δὲ μνῆμα παρὰ τὴν Σιλοὰμ εἶναι, ἀντροειδὲς ἔχον τὸ σχῆμα, καὶ τὴν βασιλικὴν δηλοῦν πολυτέλειαν. Ἔφη δὲ καὶ πολὺν αὐτῷ συγκατορυγῆναι χρυσὸν παρὰ τοῦ παιδὸς Σολομῶντος καὶ τοῦτο γενέσθαι δῆλον ἐκ τῶν ὕστερον γενομένων. Ὑρκανὸν γὰρ τὸν ἀρχιερέα, πολιορκουμένης τῆς πόλεως ὑπὸ ᾿Αντιόχου τοῦ Δημητρίου παιδὸς, ἀνοῖξαι τὸ μνῆμα, καὶ τάλαντα ἐκεῖθεν ἐκφορῆσαι τρισχίλια. Δαβὶδ μέντοι ὁ βασιλεὺς ἑβδομηκοντούτης γενόμενος ἐδέξατο τοῦ βίου τὸ πέρας. Τριακοντούτης μὲν γὰρ ἐβασίλευσε, τεσσαράκοντα δὲ βασιλεύων ἐξήνυσεν ἔτη. ### English translation (Claude) What is the city of David? The divine Scripture calls Zion the city of David. So too the upper city was called; but now the whole is named Jerusalem. Josephus says that he was buried in it, and the kings after him; that the tomb is near Siloam, shaped like a cave and displaying royal magnificence. He also said that much gold was buried with him by his son Solomon, and that this was made clear by later events: for Hyrcanus the high priest, when the city was besieged by Antiochus son of Demetrius, opened the tomb and carried out three thousand talents from it. King David reached the end of his life at the age of seventy; for he became king at thirty and completed forty years as king. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 2:10: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 2:11: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 5:4: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 5:7: allusion, medium confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Josephus, Ant. 7.15.3 (Josephus (works)): allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 2:10–11; 2 Sam 5:4; Josephus, Ant. 7.15.3; 13.8.4. The staging notes that the OCR read the question number as 300. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.6 (PG 80 80:671; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-6). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-43/#p-3-7 - Source: PG 80 80:673 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Solomon, judged by the standard for kings, rightly executed Adonijah, whose request for David's concubine was a bid for the throne. ### Greek text Νεμεσῶσι τῷ Σολομῶντί τινες, ὡς ἀποκτείναντι τὸν ἀδελφόν. Διάφοροι τῶν ἀνθρώπων οἱ βίοι. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ τὴν ἄκραν φιλοσοφίαν ἀσκοῦσιν, οἱ δὲ τὴν καλουμένην πολιτικὴν ἀρετήν· ἄλλοι βασιλείαν, ἢ στρατηγίαν ἰθύνουσι. Χρὴ τοίνυν ἕκαστον ἐξετάζειν πρὸς τὴν πολιτείαν ἣν μέτεισι· τοιγάρτοι τὸν Σολομῶντα οὐ προφητικὴν ἀπαιτητέον, οὐδὲ ἀποστολικὴν τελειότητα, ἀλλὰ τὴν βασιλεῦσιν ἁρμόττουσαν. Ἤδει δὲ αὐτὸς τὸν Ὀρνίαν ἐφιέμενον τυραννίδος· καὶ γὰρ ἐπειράθη τὴν βασιλείαν ἁρπάσαι, Τῷ μὲν οὖν προτέρῳ συνέγνω τολμήματι, καὶ σωτηρίας ἀξιώσειν. ὑπέσχετο σωφρονεῖν ἀνεχόμενον. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἤτησε τὴν σύνευνον τοῦ πατρὸς, οὐκ ἔδωκε μὲν τὴν αἴτησιν τυραννίδος οὖσαν ὁδὸν τῇ βασιλείᾳ δὲ τὸ ἀστασίαστον μηχανώμενος, ἀναιρεθῆναι προσέταξεν. ### English translation (Claude) Some are indignant with Solomon for killing his brother. Human ways of life differ. Some practice the highest philosophy, others the so-called civic virtue; others govern a kingdom or command an army. Each must be examined according to the way of life he follows. So from Solomon one must demand not prophetic or apostolic perfection, but that which befits kings. He knew that Ornia aimed at usurpation, for he had tried to seize the kingdom. He pardoned the first attempt and promised to grant him safety if he consented to behave himself. But when he asked for his father's concubine, he did not grant the request, which was a road to usurpation, but, securing the kingdom from rebellion, ordered him to be killed. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 1:52: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 2:17: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 2:22: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 2:25: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The question is put as an objection; the printed text lacks a question mark. 1 Kgs 1:50–53; 2:13–25. The clause on the promise of safety is garbled in the printed text (σωτηρίας ἀξιώσειν. ὑπέσχετο σωφρονεῖν ἀνεχόμενον) and is translated by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.7 (PG 80 80:673; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-7). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-43/#p-3-8 - Source: PG 80 80:673 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The law allowed a murderer to be taken even from the altar; Shimei died for breaking his sworn agreement. ### Greek text Τι δήποτε τὸν Ἰωὰβ τῷ Θεῷ προσπεφευγότα κατέκτεινε; Ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ νόμος τοῦτο γενέσθαι διηγόρευσεν τὸν προσφεύγοντα γὰρ ἀνδροφόνον ἀναιρεῖσθαι προσέταξεν. Ὁ δὲ Σεμεεὶ αὐτὸς ἐφ᾽ ἑαυτὸν εἶλκυσε τοῦ θανάτου τὴν ψῆφον· τὴν γὰρ μητρόπολιν οἰκεῖν ὑποσχόμενος, καὶ ὅρκῳ τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν κρατύνας, παρέβη τὸν ὅρκον, καὶ παρὰ τὰς συνθήκας ἐκδημῆσαι τετόλμηκεν. ### English translation (Claude) Why did he kill Joab when he had taken refuge with God? The law of God ordained that this be done; for it commanded that a murderer who takes refuge be put to death. Shimei drew the sentence of death upon himself; for having promised to live in the capital and confirmed the promise with an oath, he broke the oath and dared to leave contrary to the agreement. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 2:28: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 2:34: allusion, high confidence - Exod 21:14: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 2:42: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 2:46: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 2:28–34; the law, Exod 21:14; Shimei, 1 Kgs 2:36–46. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.8 (PG 80 80:673; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-8). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-43/#p-3-9 - Source: PG 80 80:673 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Abiathar lost the priesthood for supporting Adonijah, which also fulfilled the prophecy against Eli's house. ### Greek text Τίνος χάριν τὸν Ἀβιάθαρ τῆς ἀρχιερωσύνης ἐγύμνωσεν; Ἐκοινώνησε μὲν τῷ Ὀρνίᾳ τῆς τυραννίδος. Τοῦτο γὰρ δηλοῖ καὶ τοῦ Σολομῶντος τὰ ῥήματα ᾿Απότρεχε γὰρ, φησὶν, εἰς τὸν ἀγρόν σου, καὶ εἰς τὸν οἱκόν σου, ὅτι ἀνὴρ θανάτου σὺ εἶ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ταύτῃ· καὶ οὐ θανατώσω σε, ὅτι ἦρας τὴν κιβωτὸν τῆς διαθήκης Κυρίου ἐνώπιον Δαβὶδ τοῦ πατρός μου· καὶ ὅτι ἐκακουχήθης ἐν πᾶσιν οἷς ἐκακουχήθη ὁ πατήρ μου. Ὑπέκειτο μὲν οὖν, ὡς ἔφην, καὶ τῇ κατηγορίᾳ τῆς τυραννίδος, ἅτε δὴ συνεργός γεγενημένος τῆς τοῦ Ὀρνία θρασύτητος. Πλὴν ὁ Σολομὼν καὶ τῆς θείας προῤῥήσεως γέγονεν ὑπουργός, Τῷ γὰρ Ἡλεὶ, καὶ διὰ τοῦ πανευφήμου Σαμουήλ, καὶ μέντοι καὶ δι' ἄλλου προφήτου, προηγόρευσεν ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ γένους τὴν ἀτιμίαν. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἡ ἱστορία δεδήλωκεν - λέγει γὰρ οὕτως· Καὶ ἐξέβαλε Σολομὼν τὸν ᾿Αβιάθαρ, τοῦ μὴ εἶναι εἰς ἱερέα Κυρίου τοῦ πληρωθῆναι τὸ ῥῆμα Κυρίου, ὁ ἐλάλησεν ἐν Σηλώμ ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον Ἡλεί. ### English translation (Claude) Why did he strip Abiathar of the high priesthood? He had shared in Ornia's usurpation. Solomon's words show this: “Go off to your field,” he says, “and to your house; for you are a man worthy of death this day; but I will not put you to death, because you carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord before David my father, and because you suffered in all that my father suffered.” He was liable, then, as I said, to the charge of usurpation, as an accomplice in Ornia's insolence. But Solomon also became the servant of the divine prophecy. For God foretold the dishonor of the family to Eli, both through the all-praised Samuel and through another prophet. The history showed this too, for it says: “And Solomon expelled Abiathar from being priest of the Lord, to fulfill the word of the Lord which he spoke in Shiloh against the house of Eli.” ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 2:26: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 2:27: quotation, high confidence - 1 Sam 2:27: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 3:11: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 2:26–27 (quotations); 1 Sam 2:27–36; 3:11–14. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.9 (PG 80 80:673; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-9). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 10 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-43/#p-3-10 - Source: PG 80 80:675 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Solomon's God-given wisdom surpassed even Egypt's famed sages, but he broke the law against foreign wives by marrying Pharaoh's daughter. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον τὸ, Ἐπλήθυνεν ἡ σοφία Σολομῶντος ὑπὲρ τὴν φρόνησιν πάντων τῶν υἱῶν ἀρχαίων, καὶ ὑπὲρ πάντας φρονίμους Αἰγύπτου; Ἐκ παραλλήλου δεῖξαι αὐτοῦ τὴν σοφίαν ὁ ἱστοριογράφος ἠθέλησεν. Τούτου χάριν καὶ τῶν πάλαι γεγενημένων σοφῶν ἀορίστως ἐμνήσθη καὶ τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους προστέθεικεν, ὡς δοκοῦντας παρὰ πάντας εἶναι σοφούς. Καὶ γὰρ, ὡς Ἕλληνες ἱστοροῦσι, καὶ Φερεκύδης ὁ Σύρος, καὶ Πυθαγόρας ὁ Σάμιος, καὶ ᾿Αναξαγόρας ὁ Κλαζομένιος, καὶ Πλάτων ὁ ᾿Αθηναῖος, πρὸς τούτους ἐξεδήμησαν, καὶ θεολογίαν καὶ φυσιολογίαν ἀκριβεστέραν μαθήσεσθαι παρὰ τούτων ἐλπίσαντες. Καὶ ἡ θεία δὲ Γραφὴ ἢ τὰ κατὰ τὸν Μωσῆν ἱστοροῦσα τὸν νομοθέτην ἔφη, ὅτι ἐπαιδεύθη ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ Αἰγυπτίων. Τούτους, φησὶν, ἅπαντας ὁ Σολομὼν ἀπέκρυψεν, ἅτε δὴ θεόθεν τῆς σοφίας τὸ δῶρον δεξάμενος τῷ δὲ τῆς σοφίας ἐπαίνῳ συνῆψε κατηγορίαν. Τὸν γὰρ περὶ τοῦ γάμου κείμενον ἄντικρυς νόμον παρέβη, ὃς ταῖς ἀλλοφύλοις ἐκώλυε συνάπτεσθαι γυναιξίν. Αὐτὸς γὰρ πρῶτος ἔλαβε γυναῖκα τοῦ Φαραὼ τὴν θυγατέρα. ### English translation (Claude) How should “Solomon's wisdom exceeded the understanding of all the sons of the ancients and all the wise men of Egypt” be understood? The historian wished to show his wisdom by comparison. That is why he mentioned the wise men of old indefinitely and added the Egyptians, as being thought wiser than all. For, as the Greeks relate, Pherecydes of Syros, Pythagoras of Samos, Anaxagoras of Clazomenae and Plato of Athens went abroad to them, hoping to learn more exact theology and natural philosophy from them. And the divine Scripture, in relating the story of Moses the lawgiver, said that he was educated “in all the wisdom of the Egyptians.” All these, he says, Solomon eclipsed, since he had received the gift of wisdom from God. But to the praise of his wisdom he joined an accusation: he broke the law plainly laid down about marriage, which forbade union with foreign women; for he was the first to take Pharaoh's daughter as wife. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 4:30 (3 Kgdms 5:10 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Acts 7:22: quotation, high confidence - Deut 7:3: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 3:1: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 11:1: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 4:30 (LXX 5:10); Acts 7:22; the law, Deut 7:3; Pharaoh's daughter, 1 Kgs 3:1. The Greek tradition of philosophers studying in Egypt is reported by Theodoret as the Greeks' account. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.10 (PG 80 80:675; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-10). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-43/#p-3-11 - Source: PG 80 80:675 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The officer “over the levies” directed the carriers; Solomon's rule from the Euphrates to Egypt fulfilled God's promise to Abraham. ### Greek text Τί ἐστι, Καὶ ᾿Αγικὰμ υἱὸς Θαρὰκ ἐπὶ τὰς ἄρσεις; Ἄρχων ἦν τῶν μετακομιζόντων τοὺς λίθους καὶ τὰ ξύλα. Τούτους δὲ τῶν Παραλειπομένων ἡ βίβλος νωτοφόρους ἐκάλεσεν ὠμοφόρους δὲ αὐτοὺς οἱ νῦν ὀνομάζουσιν. Ἡ μέντοι ἱστορία δηλοῖ, ὡς πέρας ἔλαβεν ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ ὑπόσχεσις. Ἐπηγγείλατο γὰρ δώσειν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ ἀπὸ τοῦ ποταμοῦ Αἰγύπτου, ἕως τοῦ ποταμοῦ τοῦ μεγάλου Εὐφράτου. «Ἧν γὰρ, φησὶν, ἄρχων ὁ Σολομὼν ἐπὶ πᾶσι τοῖς βασιλεῦσιν ἀπὸ τοῦ ποταμοῦ, καὶ ἕως γῆς ἀλλοφύλων, καὶ ἕως ὁρίων Αἰγύπτου. ### English translation (Claude) What does “And Agikam son of Tharak was over the levies” mean? He was in charge of those who carried the stones and the timber. The book of Chronicles called these “burden-bearers”; people today call them “porters.” The history shows that God's promise came to fulfillment. For he promised to give Israel the land from the river of Egypt to the great river Euphrates: “For Solomon,” it says, “was ruler over all the kings from the river to the land of the foreigners and to the border of Egypt.” ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 4:6: quotation, medium confidence - 2 Chr 2:18: allusion, high confidence - Gen 15:18: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 4:21: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 4:6 (the name is printed as in Theodoret's text); 2 Chr 2:18 (LXX νωτοφόροι); Gen 15:18; 1 Kgs 4:21 (LXX 5:1). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.11 (PG 80 80:675; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-11). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-43/#p-3-12 - Source: PG 80 80:675 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Sacrifice on the high places before the temple was irregular but not idolatry; at Gibeon Solomon asked for wisdom and received it with wealth and peace besides. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον, Καὶ ὁ λαὸς ἦν θυμιῶντες καὶ θύοντες ἐν τοῖς ὑψηλοτάτοις; Οὐκ εἰδωλολατρείαν αὐτῶν ἐνταῦθα κατηγορεῖ, ἀλλ' ὅτι παρὰ τὸν νόμον ἐν τοῖς ὑψηλοτάτοις χωρίοις τῷ Θεῷ θυσίας προσέφερον. Ὁ γὰρ νόμος ἐν ἑνὶ τόπῳ λατρεύειν προσέταξεν. Συγγνώμης δὲ ὅμως ἀπήλαυον, ἐπειδήπερ οὐδέπω ὁ θεῖος ναὸς ἐδεδόμητο. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ἡ ἱστορία δεδήλωκεν· Ἦσαν γὰρ θυμιῶντες καὶ θύοντες ἐν τοῖς ὑψηλοτάτοις, ὅτι οὐκ ᾠκοδομήθη ὁ οἶκος τῷ ὀνόματι Κυρίου ἕως τοῦ νῦν.» Ἐντεῦθεν νοητέον τὰ περὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἱστορούμενα βασιλέων, ὅτι ἐξῆραν τὰ ἄλση, καὶ τὰς στήλας τοῦ Βαἀλ συνέτριψαν· πλὴν τὰ ὑψηλὰ οὐκ ἐξῆραν. Καὶ γὰρ ᾿Ασὰ, καὶ Ἰωσαφάτ, καὶ ἄλλοι τινὲς, τὸ τοῖς δαίμοσι θύειν ἐκώλυσαν, καὶ τὰ ἐκείνων τεμένη κατέλυσαν οὐ μὴν ἐπαύσαντο τοῦ ἐν τοῖς ὑψηλοῖς τὰς θυσίας προσφέρειν. Τῷ μέντοι Ἰεζεκίᾳ, καὶ τῷ Ἰωσίᾳ, ταύτην τὴν τελειότητα μεμαρτύρηκεν ή θεία Γραφή. Ὅτι δὲ ἐν τοῖς ὑψηλοῖς τῷ Θεῷ τῶν ὅλων τὰς θυσίας προσέφερον, τὰ ἑξῆς μαρτυρεῖ· Ἠγάπησε γὰρ, φησὶ, Σολομὼν τὸν Κύριον, τοῦ πορεύεσθαι ἐν τοῖς προστάγμασι Δαβὶδ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ· πλὴν ἐν τοῖς ὑψηλοῖς ἔθυε καὶ ἐθυμία τουτέστιν οὐ πρὸ τῆς σκηνῆς, οὐδὲ πρὸ τῆς κιβωτοῦ, κατὰ τὸν θεῖον νόμον. Ὅτι δὲ οὐ τοῖς εἰδώλοις, ἀλλὰ τῷ Θεῷ τότε τὰς ἑκατόμβας καὶ χιλιόμβας προςέφερε, σαφῶς ἡμᾶς ἡ ἱστορία διδάσκει Ἐπορεύθη γάρ, φησί, Σολομὼν εἰς Γαβαὼν θῦσαι ἐκεῖ, ὅτι αὕτη ὑψηλοτάτη καὶ μεγάλη, χιλίαν ὀλοκαύτωσιν δεχομένη. Καὶ ἀνήνεγκε Σολομὼν ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον τὸ ἐν Γαβαὼν, καὶ ὤφθη Κύριος τῷ Σολομῶντι ἐν ὕπνῳ τὴν νύκτα καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ, Αίτησαι αἴτημα σεαυτῷ. Οὐκ ἂν δὲ, εἰ τοῖς εἰδώλοις τὰς θυσίας προσενηνόχει, ὁ Θεὸς αὐτῷ ἀνταπέδωκε τὰς παντοδαπὰς δωρεάς. Τούτων γὰρ ἀπάντων ὁμοῦ τῶν κατὰ τὸν βίον, ἢ ὄντων, ἢ δοκούντων ἀγαθῶν τὴν σοφίαν προελομένου, δέδωκεν ὁ μεγαλόδωρος σοφίας μὲν χάριν, ὅσην ἡ φύσις ἐδέχετο· πλοῦτον δὲ καὶ δυναστείαν, καὶ τὴν ἐν εἰρήνῃ βασιλείαν, ὑπὲρ πάντας τοὺς τηνικάδε βασιλέας ὥστε τούτου τὸ κλέος πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην διαδραμεῖν. ᾿Αξιάγαστα δὲ αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς προσευχῆς τὰ ῥήματα. ᾿Αναμνήσας γὰρ τῶν ὑπαρξάντων ἀγαθῶν τῷ πατρὶ, καὶ τὸν τούτων χορηγὸν ἀνυμνήσας, τὴν ὑπὲρ ἑαυτοῦ ἱκετείαν προσήνεγκε· Καὶ νῦν, Κύριέ μου, Κύριε, σὺ ἔδωκας τὸν δοῦλόν σου ἀντὶ τοῦ Δαβὶδ τοῦ πατρός μου· καὶ ἐγώ εἰμι παιδάριον μικρὸν, καὶ οὐκ οἶδα τὴν εἴσοδόν μου καὶ τὴν ἔξοδόν μου. Καὶ ὁ δοῦλός σου ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ λαοῦ σου, ὃν ἐξελέξω λαὸν πολὺν, ὡς ἡ ἄμμος τῆς θαλάσσης ἢ οὐ διαριθμηθήσεται ἀπὸ τοῦ πλήθους, καὶ οὐ διηγηθήσεται• καὶ δώσεις τῷ δούλῳ σου καρδίαν φρονίμην, τοῦ ἀκούειν καὶ διακρίνειν τὸν λαόν σου ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ, καὶ τοῦ συνιέναι ἀναμέσον ἀγαθοῦ καὶ κακοῦ. Διὰ δὲ τούτων καὶ τῆς φύσεως ἔδειξε τὴν ἀσθένειαν, καὶ τῆς ἡλικίας τὸ ἀτελὲς, καὶ τῆς δοθείσης ἐξουσίας τὸ μέγεθος, καὶ τὸ τῆς κρίσεως ἐπικίνδυνον, καὶ τῆς φρονήσεως τὸ ἀναγκαῖον, καὶ τὸ συνετὸν τῆς αἰτήσεως. Ὅθεν ὁ Δεσπότης Θεὸς ἐπαινέσας τὴν αἴτησιν, καὶ ταύτην ἔδωκε, καὶ τἄλλα προὐτέθεικε. Τοῦτο κὰν τοῖς ἱεροῖς Εὐαγγελίοις ὁ Δεσπότης ἐνομοθέτησεν· Αἰτεῖτε γὰρ, φησὶν, τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ πάντα προστεθήσεται ὑμῖν. Ταύτας μέντοι τῷ Σολομῶντι τὰς δωρεὰς δέδωκεν ὁ Θεὸς, πάσης δὲ αὐτὸν ἀξιώσειν προμηθείας ὑπέσχετο Ἐὰν πορευθῇς γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ μου, τοῦ φυλάσσειν τὰς ἐντολάς μου, καὶ τὰ προστάγματά μου, ἐν οἷς ἐπορεύθη Δαβὶδ ὁ πατήρ σου, καὶ μακρυνεῖς τὰς ἡμέρας σου. ### English translation (Claude) How should “And the people were burning incense and sacrificing on the high places” be understood? It does not accuse them of idolatry here, but of offering sacrifices to God on the high places contrary to the law; for the law commanded worship in one place. Nevertheless they received pardon, since the divine temple had not yet been built. The history showed this too: “For they were burning incense and sacrificing on the high places, because the house had not been built for the name of the Lord until now.” From this one must understand what is related about the other kings, that they removed the groves and broke the pillars of Baal, “but the high places they did not remove.” For Asa, Jehoshaphat and some others prevented sacrifice to demons and destroyed their precincts, but did not stop offering sacrifices on the high places. To Hezekiah and Josiah, however, the divine Scripture bore witness to this perfection. That they offered sacrifices to the God of the universe on the high places is attested by what follows: “For Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father; only he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places,” that is, not before the tabernacle or before the ark, according to the divine law. That he offered the hecatombs and thousands of victims then not to the idols but to God, the history clearly teaches us: “For Solomon went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, because it was the highest and great, receiving a thousand whole burnt offerings. And Solomon offered on the altar in Gibeon, and the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night and said to him, Ask a request for yourself.” If he had offered the sacrifices to idols, God would not have repaid him with every kind of gift. For when he preferred wisdom to all the goods of life together, real or apparent, the generous Giver gave him the grace of wisdom as much as nature could receive, and wealth and power and a kingdom in peace beyond all the kings of that time, so that his fame ran through the whole world. The words of his prayer too are admirable. Having recalled the good things granted to his father and praised their giver, he offered his petition for himself: “And now, my Lord, Lord, you have made your servant king in place of David my father; and I am a little child, and do not know my going out and my coming in. And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you chose, a great people, like the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered or counted for multitude. Give your servant an understanding heart, to hear and to judge your people in righteousness, and to discern between good and evil.” By these words he showed the weakness of nature, the immaturity of his age, the greatness of the authority given, the danger of judging, the necessity of understanding, and the good sense of his request. So God the Master praised the request, granted it, and added the other things as well. The Master laid this down as law in the holy Gospels too: “Seek,” he says, “the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all the rest will be added to you.” God gave Solomon these gifts, and promised to grant him every providence: “If you walk in my way,” he says, “keeping my commandments and my ordinances, as David your father walked, I will also lengthen your days.” ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 3:2: quotation, high confidence - Deut 12:5: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Kgs 15:14: quotation, medium confidence - 1 Kgs 22:43: allusion, medium confidence - 2 Kgs 18:4: allusion, medium confidence - 2 Kgs 23:8: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Kgs 3:3: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 3:4: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 3:5: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 3:12: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 3:13: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 3:6: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 3:7: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 3:8: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 3:9: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 3:10: allusion, high confidence - Matt 6:33: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 3:14: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 3:2–14 (LXX; quotations 3:2, 3, 4–5, 7–9, 14); the other kings, 1 Kgs 15:14; 22:43; 2 Kgs 18:4; 23; Matt 6:33. A displaced passage (a second form of the sentence on God's gifts to Solomon) printed inside the word “authority” is removed by a logged correction. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.12 (PG 80 80:675; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-12). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 13 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-43/#p-3-13 - Source: PG 80 80:679 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Solomon recognized his dream as a divine revelation and gave thanks before the ark. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον τὸ, Ἐξυπνίσθη Σολομών, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐνύπνιον ; Διαναστὰς, φησὶ, τοῦ ὀνείρατος ἀνεμνήσθη· καὶ συνεὶς θείαν οὖσαν τὴν ἀποκάλυψιν, ἐπανῆλθε μὲν εἰς τὴν μητρόπολιν, πρὸ δὲ τῆς θείας κιβωτοῦ χαριστήριον θυσίαν προσήνεγκεν. ### English translation (Claude) How should “Solomon awoke, and behold, it was a dream” be understood? Rising from the dream, he says, he remembered it; and understanding that the revelation was divine, he returned to the capital and offered a sacrifice of thanksgiving before the divine ark. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 3:15: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 3:15. This short question holds one question and answer. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.13 (PG 80 80:679; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-13). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-43/#p-3-14 - Source: PG 80 80:679 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The judgment between the two women shows Solomon's wisdom in letting a mother's nature reveal the truth. ### Greek text Τὸ κατὰ τὰς δύο ἑταίρας διήγημα τίνος χάριν τέθεικεν ὁ τὴν ἱστορίαν γραψάμενος; Ἐπιδεῖξαι τὴν τοῦ βασιλέως ἐβουλήθη σοφίαν. Σοφωτάτης γὰρ τῷ ὄντι διανοίας, τὸ τὰ λανθάνοντα δεῖξαι, καὶ τὰ κεκρυμμένα δηλῶσαι, καὶ προσενεγκεῖν τῇ φύσει τὴν βάσανον, καὶ αὐτῇ τῆς δίκης ἐπιτρέψαι τὴν ψῆφον. Αὐτίκα γοῦν ἡ μὲν μήτηρ ἐδείχθη, ἡ δὲ οὐ μήτηρ ἠλέγχθη, ### English translation (Claude) Why did the writer of the history include the story of the two harlots? He wished to show the king's wisdom. For it belongs to a truly most wise mind to show what is concealed, to make plain what is hidden, to put nature itself to the test, and to entrust the verdict of the case to nature. At once, at any rate, the mother was shown to be the mother, and the one who was not the mother was exposed. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 3:16: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 3:26: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 3:28: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 3:16–28. The printed answer ends with a comma, but the thought is complete; nothing appears to be lost. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.14 (PG 80 80:679; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-14). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 15 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-43/#p-3-15 - Source: PG 80 80:679 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Abiathar lost his high office but remained a priest by birth, so he is still named with Zadok. ### Greek text Παύσας τὸν ᾿Αβιάθαρ πῶς αὐτὸν πάλιν συνέταξε τῷ Σαδώκ ; Τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀφείλετο, οὐ τῆς ἱερωσύνης ἐγύμνωσεν. Τὴν γὰρ τῆς ἱερωσύνης ἀξίαν οὐκ ἐκ χειροτονίας, ἀλλ᾽ ἐκ γονικῆς εἶχον διαδοχῆς. ### English translation (Claude) Having removed Abiathar, how could he again rank him with Zadok? He took away his office but did not strip him of the priesthood. For they held the dignity of priesthood not by appointment but by hereditary succession. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 4:4: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 2:27: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 4:4; 2:27. This short question holds one question and answer. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.15 (PG 80 80:679; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-15). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 16 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-43/#p-3-16 - Source: PG 80 80:679 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The king's daily provisions fed his servants, guards and officials as well. ### Greek text Τὰ χορηγούμενα τῇ τραπέζῃ τοῦ βασιλέως τίνες ἀνήλισκον; Οὐχ οἱ θεράποντες μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν σωματοφυλάκων τὸ πλῆθος· ἀσπιδηφόροι καὶ δορυφόροι, καὶ οἱ συνεσθιόμενοι ἄρχοντες. ### English translation (Claude) Who consumed the provisions for the king's table? Not only the servants, but also the multitude of the bodyguards, shield-bearers and spearmen, and the officials who ate with him. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 4:22: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 4:27: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 4:22–23, 27 (LXX 5:2–3, 7). This short question holds one question and answer. The staging notes that the OCR read the question number as 13. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.16 (PG 80 80:679; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-16). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 17 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-43/#p-3-17 - Source: PG 80 80:679 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Ethan and Heman were famous wise men and temple singers whom Solomon surpassed. ### Greek text Τίνες οἱ περὶ τὸν Αἰθὰμ καὶ Αἰμὰν οὓς ἀπέκρυψεν ὁ Σολομών τῇ σοφία; Κατ᾿ ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ ἦσάν τινες ἐν σοφίᾳ ἐπίσημοι ὅθεν αὐτῶν καὶ ὀνομαστὶ ἐμνήσθη. Ὁ δὲ Αἰθὰμ καὶ Αἰμὰν τῶν ψαλτῳδῶν ἦσαν, ἐν κινύραις, καὶ ναύλαις, καὶ κυμβάλοις τὸν Θεὸν ἀνυμνοῦντες. ### English translation (Claude) Who are Ethan and Heman and the others whom Solomon surpassed in wisdom? At that time there were some men famous for wisdom; so he mentioned them by name. Ethan and Heman were among the psalm-singers, who praised God with lyres, harps and cymbals. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 4:31: allusion, high confidence - 1 Chr 15:19: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 4:31 (LXX 5:11); 1 Chr 15:19. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.17 (PG 80 80:679; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-17). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 18 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/2-43/#p-3-18 - Source: PG 80 80:681 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Solomon's study of plants and animals is, Theodoret thinks, the source from which medical writers drew their knowledge of remedies. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον τὸ, Ἐλάλησε περὶ τῶν ξύλων, ἀπὸ τῆς κέδρου τῆς ἐν τῷ Λιβάνῳ, καὶ ἕως τῆς ὑσσώπου τῆς ἐκπορευομένης ἐκ τοῦ τοίχου, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Καὶ τὰς φύσεις, καὶ τὰς δυνάμεις, καὶ τῶν βοτανῶν, καὶ τῶν δένδρων, καὶ μέντοι καὶ τῶν ἀλόγων ζώων πεφυσιολογηκέναι αὐτὸν εἴρηκεν· ἐντεῦθεν οἶμαι καὶ τοὺς τὰς ἰατρικὰς βίβλους συγγεγραφότας ἐρανίσασθαι πάμπολλα καὶ τῶν θερμῶν καὶ ψυχρῶν, καὶ μέντοι καὶ τῶν ξηρῶν καὶ τῶν ὑγρῶν συνθεῖναι τὰς τάξεις, καὶ ἥδε τῆσδε τῆς βοτάνης ὅσῳ τινὶ μέτρῳ θερμοτέρα ἢ ψυχροτέρα· καὶ τοῦδε τοῦ ζώου τόδε τὸ μόριον τίνος πάθους ἀλεξιφάρμακον οἷον ἡ τῆς ὑαίνης χολὴ, ἢ τὸ λεόντειον στέαρ, ἢ τὸ ταύρειον αἷμα, ἢ τῶν ἐχιδνῶν αἱ σάρκες. Περὶ τούτων γὰρ οἱ σοφοὶ τῶν ἰατρῶν συγγεγράφασιν, ἐκ τῶν Σολομῶντι συγγεγραμμένων εἰληφότες τῶν πρώτων, τὰς ἀφορμάς. ### English translation (Claude) How should “He spoke about trees, from the cedar in Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of the wall,” and what follows, be understood? It said that he studied the natures and powers of herbs and trees, and also of the irrational animals. From this, I think, those who wrote medical books gathered a great deal, and set out the ranks of hot and cold, and of dry and moist things: how much hotter or colder this herb is, and of this animal which part is a remedy for which ailment, such as hyena's gall, lion's fat, bull's blood, or the flesh of vipers. The wise among the physicians have written about these things, taking their first starting-points from what Solomon wrote. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 4:33: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 4:33 (LXX 5:13). The printed question lacks a question mark; the question is present. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.18 (PG 80 80:681; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-18). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 19 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-19/#p-3-19 - Source: PG 80 80:681 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Pharaoh gave the cities he had captured as his daughter's dowry. ### Greek text Τί ἐστι, Καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτὰς Φαραὼ ἀποστολάς τῇ θυγατρὶ αὐτοῦ, γυναικὶ Σολομῶντος "Ας εἶλε πόλεις προῖκα αὐτῇ δέδωκε, τῷ Σολομῶντι κατεγγυήσας ### English translation (Claude) What does “And Pharaoh gave them as a dowry to his daughter, Solomon's wife” mean? He gave the cities he had captured to her as a dowry when he betrothed her to Solomon. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 9:16: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 9:16 (LXX ἀποστολάς). The printed question lacks a question mark; this short question holds one question and answer. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.19 (PG 80 80:681; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-19). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 20 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-19/#p-3-20 - Source: PG 80 80:681 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Hiram did not literally anoint Solomon but, as David's friend, endorsed his accession. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον τὸ, ᾿Απέστειλε Χιράμ βασιλεύς Τύρου τοὺς παῖδας αὐτοῦ χρῖσαι τὸν Σολομῶντα ἀντὶ Δαβὶδ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ; Χρίσιν τὴν χειροτονίαν ἐκάλεσεν· οὐχ ὅτι ὁ ἀλλόφυλος ἔχριε τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ τὸν βασιλέα ἀλλ' ὡς πατρῷος φίλος, σύμψηφος ἐγένετο τῇ βασιλείᾳ. ### English translation (Claude) How should “Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to anoint Solomon in place of David his father” be understood? It called the appointment an anointing; not that the foreigner anointed the king of Israel, but that, as a friend of his father, he gave his vote to the kingship. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 5:1 (3 Kgdms 5:15 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 5:1 (LXX 5:15, “to anoint”). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.20 (PG 80 80:681; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-20). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 21 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-19/#p-3-21 - Source: PG 80 80:681 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Machir and beth (bath) are measures; Josephus gives the size of the bath. ### Greek text Τὸ μαχεὶρ τί σημαίνει; Μέτρον ἑρμηνεύεται· «Ἕδωκε γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ Σολομὼν τῷ Χιρὰμ εἴκοσι χιλιάδας κόρων πυροῦ μαχεὶρ τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἴκοσι χιλιάδας βέθ έλαίου κεκομμένου. Τὸ δὲ βὲθ οἱ ἄλλοι βάτον ἡρμήνευσαν. Ὁ δὲ βάτος μέτρον ἐστὶ Παλαιστίνων, ἑβδομήκοντα καὶ τέσσαρας χόας χωροῦν, ὡς Ιώσηπος ἔφησεν ### English translation (Claude) What does machir signify? It is interpreted as a measure. “For Solomon gave Hiram,” it says, “twenty thousand kors of wheat as machir for his household, and twenty thousand beth of beaten oil.” The others translated beth as bath. The bath is a measure of the Palestinians holding seventy-four choes, as Josephus said. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 5:11 (3 Kgdms 5:25 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Josephus, Ant. 8.2.9 (Josephus (works)): allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 5:11 (LXX 5:25); Josephus, Ant. 8.2.9. A displaced duplicate of the answer to 3.20 printed inside the word “translated” is removed by a logged correction. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.21 (PG 80 80:681; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-21). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 22 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-19/#p-3-22 - Source: PG 80 80:683 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Solomon spent three years preparing materials before laying the temple's foundations in his fourth year. ### Greek text Τι δήποτε οὐκ εὐθὺς βασιλεύσας, ἀλλ' ἐν τετάρτῳ ἔτει τῆς οἰκοδομίας ἤρξατο; Τὰς ὕλας ηὐτρέπισε πρότερον· εἶθ' οὕτω κατέπηξε τὰ θεμέλια τοῦτο καὶ ὁ ἱστοριογράφος ἐδίδαξε Καὶ ἡτοίμασε τοὺς λίθους, καὶ τὰ ξύλα, τρισὶν ἔτεσιν εἰς τὴν οἰκοδομὴν τοῦ οἴκου. ### English translation (Claude) Why did he begin the building not as soon as he became king, but in the fourth year? He first prepared the materials, and then laid the foundations. The historian taught this: “And he prepared the stones and the timber for three years for the building of the house.” ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 6:1: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 5:18 (3 Kgdms 5:32 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 6:1; 5:18 (LXX 5:32, “three years”). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.22 (PG 80 80:683; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-22). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 23 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-19/#p-3-23 - Source: PG 80 80:683 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Theodoret describes Solomon's temple: unhewn stones for the shrine, the forty-cubit Holy Place and twenty-cubit Holy of Holies, the side chambers, porch and windows. ### Greek text Εἰ λίθοις ἀπελεκήτοις τὸν ναὸν ᾠκοδόμησε, ποῦ τοσούτων ἐδεῖτο λατόμων; Αὐτὸν τὸν ναὸν ἐξ ἀπελεκήτων ᾠκοδόμησε λίθων, τῆς θείας Προνοίας τοιούτους αὐτοφυεῖς εὑρεθῆναι λίθους ἐθελησάσης, ὥστε μηδενὸς εἰς ἁρμονίαν δεηθῆναι σιδήρου, ἀλλ᾽ ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν οἰκοδομικὴν τέχνην ἀλλήλοις συναρμοσθῆναι. Τοῖς δὲ τμητοῖς λίθοις τὸν τοῦ ἱεροῦ περίβολον ἐδομήσατο, καὶ τὰ βασίλεια, καὶ τὸ τῆς μητροπόλεως τεῖχος, καὶ τὰς ἄλλας πόλεις, ἂς ὀχυρωτέρας ἀπέφηνεν. Ἐν κεφαλαίῳ δὲ τοῦ νεὼ τὴν οἰκοδομίαν ἐκφράσω. Τούτου τὸ μῆκος ἐξήκοντα πήχεων ἦν, εἴκοσι δὲ τὸ εὗρος. Ἐτέτραπτο δὲ οὐ πρὸς ἕω· ἵνα οἱ προσευχόμενοι μὴ τὸν ἥλιον ἀνίσχοντα προσκυνῶσιν, ἀλλὰ τὸν τοῦ ἡλίου Δεσπότην. Θαυμαζέτω δὲ μηδεὶς, εἰ τῆς θείας Γραφῆς τεσσαράκοντα πήχεων τὸ μῆκος, εἴκοσι δὲ τὸ εὗρος εἰρηκυίας τὸ μῆκος ἑξήκοντα εἶπον ἐγώ. Μετ' ὀλίγα γὰρ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων εἴκοσι ἐπιμέμνηται, τὰ ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων ἐπιδεικνῦσα. Ταῦτα καὶ Δαβεὶρ ὀνομάζει. Οὐκοῦν τεσσαράκοντα μὲν πήχεων ὁ ἄλλος ναὸς ἦν, εἴκοσι δὲ τῶν ἁγίων τὰ ῞Αγια. Συνῳκοδόμηντο δὲ τῷ ναῷ καὶ ἔξωθεν οἰκίσκοι ἕτεροι, ὥστε καὶ τὴν οἰκοδομὴν συνέχειν, καὶ μηδένα τῶν Λευῖτῶν προσψαύειν τοῖς τοῦ ναοῦ τοίχοις. Μόνοις γὰρ τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν εἰσιτητὸν ἦν εἰς τὸν πρῶτον ναὸν τὸν καλούμενον ῞Αγια· εἰς δὲ τὸ ἄδυτον καὶ ἀνάκτορον, ἅπερ ῞Αγια τῶν ἁγίων ὠνόμασεν, οὐδὲ τούτοις ἐπιβαίνειν ἐξῆν. Μόνος γὰρ ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς τῶν ἀψαύστων κατατολμᾷν ἐπετέτακτο καὶ οὐδ᾽ οὗτος ἀεὶ, ἀλλ᾽ ἐν τῷ ἑβδόμῳ μηνὶ, τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ ἱλασμοῦ. Ἐν δέ γε τοῖς οἰκίσκοις ἐκείνοις, τοῖς ἐν κύκλῳ τοῦ ναοῦ δεδομημένοις, τὰ τῆς θείας λειτουργείας ἀπετίθεντο σκεύη. Τοῦ δὲ τοῦ ναοῦ προπύλαιον, ὅπερ Αἱλὰμ ὠνόμασται τῇ Ἑβραίων φωνῇ, ἰσόμετρον μὲν εἶχε τῷ πλάτει τοῦ ναοῦ τὸ μῆκος, δέκα δὲ πήχεων τὸ εὗρος. Φωταγωγοὺς δὲ ὁ ναὸς εἶχεν, ἔνδοθεν μὲν εὐρείας, ἔξωθεν δὲ στενὰς ἄγαν, διατρήτοις δὲ λίθοις κεκαλυμμένας. Τοῦτο γὰρ δηλοῖ τὸ, Ἐποίησε τῷ οἴκῳ θυρίδας δικτυωτὰς κρυπτάς. Μέλαθρα δὲ καλεῖ, τοὺς ἐν κύκλῳ τοῦ ναοῦ δεδομημένους οἰκίσκους θαυμαζέτω δὲ μηδεὶς, εἰ πενταπήχεις μὲν οἱ ἐπίπεδοι ἦσαν, ἑξαπήχεις δὲ οἱ διώροφοι, ἑπταπήχεις δὲ οἱ τριώροφοι. Οἱ τοῖχοι γὰρ ἦσαν εὐρύτεροι κάτω, ὥστε φέρειν τῆς οἰκοδομίας τὸ βάρος. ᾿Αφαιρουμένου δὲ κατὰ μέρος τοῦ εὔρους, προσετέθη τοῖς μὲν διωρόφοις ὁ πῆχυς, τοῖς δὲ τριωρόφοις οἱ δύο. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ὁ ἱστοριογράφος ἐδίδαξεν, ὅτι διάστημα ἔδωκε τῷ τοίχῳ κύκλοθεν τοῦ οἴκου, ὅπως μὴ ἐπιλάβωνται τῶν τοίχων τοῦ οἴκου. Ἰώσηπος μέντοι φησὶ, καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν ναὸν διώροφον γεγενῆσθαι, καὶ πᾶν τὸ ὕψος ἑκατὸν εἴκοσι πήχεις εἶναι. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ τῶν Παραλειπομένων ἡ βίβλος διδάσκει. ### English translation (Claude) If he built the temple of unhewn stones, why did he need so many stonecutters? He built the temple itself of unhewn stones, since divine Providence willed that such stones be found naturally formed, so that no iron was needed to fit them, but they were joined to one another beyond all the art of building. With the cut stones he built the enclosure of the sanctuary, the palace, the wall of the capital, and the other cities that he made stronger. I will describe the construction of the temple in summary. Its length was sixty cubits and its breadth twenty. It did not face east, so that those who prayed would not worship the rising sun but the Master of the sun. Let no one be surprised if I said the length was sixty when the divine Scripture said forty cubits long and twenty wide. For a little later it mentions another twenty, pointing out the Holy of Holies, which it also calls the Dabeir. So the rest of the temple was forty cubits, and the Holy of Holies twenty. Other small chambers were built onto the temple on the outside, both to hold the building together and so that none of the Levites would touch the walls of the temple. For only the priests could enter the first temple, called the Holy Place; and the inner sanctuary and shrine, which it named the Holy of Holies, not even they could enter. Only the high priest was appointed to venture into the untouchable place, and not even he always, but in the seventh month, on the day of atonement. In those small chambers built around the temple the vessels of the divine liturgy were stored. The porch of the temple, which in Hebrew is called Aelam, had a length equal to the breadth of the temple, and a depth of ten cubits. The temple had windows, wide on the inside but very narrow on the outside, covered with pierced stones. For this is what “He made for the house windows latticed and hidden” shows. He calls the small chambers built around the temple “structures.” Let no one be surprised that those on the ground floor were five cubits wide, those on the second story six, and those on the third seven. For the walls were thicker below, so as to bear the weight of the building; and as their thickness was reduced step by step, a cubit was added to the second-story chambers and two to the third. The historian taught this too, that he made an offset in the wall around the house, so that the beams would not take hold of the walls of the house. Josephus, however, says that the temple itself had two stories and that its whole height was a hundred and twenty cubits; and the book of Chronicles teaches this too. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 6:7: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 5:17: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Kgs 6:2: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 6:16: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 6:5: allusion, high confidence - Lev 16:29: allusion, medium confidence - Heb 9:7: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Kgs 6:3: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 6:4: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 6:6: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 3:4: allusion, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Josephus, Ant. 8.3.2 (Josephus (works)): allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 6:2–10 (LXX; quotation 6:4); 1 Kgs 5:17–18; the day of atonement, Lev 16:29–34; Heb 9:7; Josephus, Ant. 8.3.2; 2 Chr 3:4. Theodoret's statement that the temple stones were unhewn and naturally fitted is his reading of 6:7; translated as written. A displaced fragment (a second form of the sentence on the Holy of Holies) printed inside the word “built” is removed by a logged correction. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.23 (PG 80 80:683; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-23). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 24 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-19/#p-3-24 - Source: PG 80 80:685 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Theodoret explains the temple's construction and furnishings: the silent building, the stories and dimensions, the cherubim, courts, bronze pillars, the bronze sea and the basins. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον τὸ, Σφύρα καὶ πέλυξ, καὶ πᾶν σκεῦος σιδηροῦν οὐκ ἠκούσθη ἐν τῷ οἰκοδομεῖσθαι αὐτόν; Καὶ ἤδη ἔφην, ὅτι τὸν ναὸν ἐξ αὐτοφυῶν ᾠκοδόμησε λίθων τοὺς δὲ γε τμητοὺς λίθους, δι' ὧν τοῦ ναοῦ τὸν περίβολον κατεσκεύασεν, ἐν τῷ ὄρει ξεσθῆναι, καὶ ἀλλήλοις συναρμοθῆναι προσέταξεν, ἵνα μηδεμίας λοιπὸν ἐργασίας προσδεηθῶσι. Καὶ ἐνταῦθα δὲ ὁ συγγραφεὺς ἡνίξατο, ὡς ὑπερῷα εἶχεν ὁ ναός. Εἰλικτὴ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἦν ἡ ἀνάβασις εἰς τὴν μέσην, καὶ ἐκ τῆς μέσης ἐπὶ τὰ τριώροφα. Εὐρύτατος γὰρ ὁ τοῖχος ὢν κοχλιώδη τὴν ἀνάβασιν εἶχε· τοῦτο γὰρ εἶπεν εἰλικτήν. Σανίσι δὲ αὐτὸν κεδρίναις συνεκάλυψεν ἅπαντα καὶ πάλιν χρυσῷ τὰς σανίδας κατέκρυψεν. Ἐνδέσμους δὲ τὰς ἱμαντίας ἐκάλεσεν. Ἔφη δὲ ταύτας ἐκ κέδρου κατεσκευάσθαι, καὶ κατὰ πέντε λίθων πήχεις ταύταις ἅπασαν τὴν οἰκοδομίαν δεθῆναι Ὅτι δὲ ἐξήκοντα πήχεων ἦν ὁ ναὸς, ἐντεῦθεν καταμαθεῖν εὐπετές. Εἰρηκὼς γὰρ ἤδη, ὅτι τεσσαράκοντα πήχεων ἦν τὸ μῆκος, μετὰ ταῦτα πάλιν ἐπήγαγε Καὶ ᾠκοδόμησε τοὺς εἴκοσι πήχεις, ἀπ᾿ ἄκρου τοῦ τοίχου τὸ πλευρὸν τὸ ἓν, ἀπὸ ἐδάφους ἕως τῶν δοκῶν, καὶ ἐποίησεν ἕως τοῦ Δαβεὶρ τὸν τοῖχον εἰς τὰ ῞Αγια τῶν ἁγίων. Καὶ τεσσαράκοντα πήχεων ἦν αὐτὸς ὁ ναὸς ὁ καταπρόσωπον τοῦ Δαβείρ· ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ οἴκου ἔσωθεν, τοῦ δοῦναι ἐκεῖ τὴν κιβωτὸν τῆς διαθήκης Κυρίου. Εἴκοσι πήχεων τὸ μῆκος, καὶ εἴκοσι πήχεων τὸ πλάτος, καὶ εἴκοσι πήχεων τὸ ὕψος αὐτοῦ, καὶ περιέσχεν αὐτὸ χρυσίῳ συγκεκλεισμένον. Οὐκοῦν τεσσαράκοντα μὲν πήχεων ἦν τὰ λεγόμενα ῞Αγια· εἴκοσι δὲ τὰ ῞Αγια τῶν ἁγίων. Ταῦτα δὲ καὶ Δαβεὶρ ὠνόμαστο. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἑξῆς σαφέστερον ἴδοι τις ἄν. Ἐποίησε γάρ, φησί, θυσιαστήριον κατὰ πρόσωπον τοῦ Δαβείρ. Τὸ γὰρ θυσιαστήριον τοῦ θυμιάματος πρὸ τοῦ καταπετάσματος ἔκειτο, ἔνθεν μὲν ἔχον τὴν τράπεζαν, ἔνθεν δὲ τὴν λυχνίαν. Εἶτα πάλιν ἐδίδαξεν ἡμᾶς, ὡς Δαβεὶρ τὰ ῞Αγια τῶν ἁγίων καλεῖ. ««Ἐποίησε γὰρ, φησὶ, τῷ Δαβεὶρ δύο Χερουβίμ. Τούτων δὲ ἕκαστος δεκάπηχυς ἦν, ὥστε θάτερον μὲν τῶν πτερῶν τοῖς τοίχοις πελάζειν, τὰς δὲ τῶν ἑτέρων ἀρχὰς ἀλλήλοις συνάπτεσθαι, καὶ συγκαλύπτειν τὴν κιβωτόν πάντα μέντοι χρυσῷ συνεκεκάλυπτο· καὶ ὁ ὄροφος, καὶ τὸ ἔδαφος, καὶ τὰ Χερουβίμ, καὶ οἱ τοῖχοι, καὶ αἱ θύραι· ὥστε μηδεμίαν ἑτέραν ἕνδον ὕλην ὁρᾶσθαι. Ὥσπερ δὲ τὰ ἔνδον διχῆ διήρητο· οὕτω δὴ καὶ τὰ ὕπαιθρα. Τούτων γὰρ τὰ μὲν ἦν βατὰ παντὶ τῷ λαῷ, τὰ δὲ τοῖς ἱερεῦσι καὶ τοῖς Λευίταις. Διεῖργε δὲ τούτους ἀπ᾿ ἐκείνων θριγκίον οὐχ ὑψηλὸν, ὥστε καὶ τοὺς ἀπεσχοινισμένους τῶν ἕνδον, ἔξωθεν θεωρεῖν τὴν τῶν θυσιῶν ἱερουργίαν. Κατεσκεύασε δὲ καὶ δύο στύλους ἐξ ὕλης χαλκοῦ, ἀξιοθέατον καὶ εἶδος καὶ μέγεθος ἔχοντας. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ ὕψος, δίχα τῶν κεφαλίδων, ὀκτωκαίδεκα πήχεων ἦν, τεσσαρεσκαίδεκα δὲ εἶχεν ὁ κύκλος. Τούτοις καὶ κεφαλίδας ἐκ τῆς αὐτῆς ὕλης ἐπέθηκε, καὶ κρίνα μέγιστα ταῖς κεφαλίσι, καὶ δικτυοειδή τινα κόσμον ῥόας ἐξηρτημένας ἔχοντα. Ἐκόσμουν δὲ τὸ προπύλαιον οὗτοι, μέλαθρον φέροντες ἐκ τῆς αὐτῆς ὕλης πεποιημένον. Μέλαθρον δὲ κέκληκε τὸ νῦν παρά τινων ἐπίστυλον προσαγορευόμενον. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἡ ἱστορία δεδήλωκεν, εἰποῦσα Ἐπίθεμα τὸ μέλαθρον, ἐπ᾿ ἀμφοτέρων τὸ ὕψος αὐτοῦ. Ἐποίησε δὲ καὶ λουτῆρα χαλκοῦν, ὃν διὰ τὸ μέγεθος ἐκάλεσε θάλασσαν. Εἶχε μὲν γὰρ εἶδος ἡμισφαιρίου δέκα πήχεων τὴν διάμετρον. Τρεῖς δὲ καὶ τριάκοντα πήχεις εἶχεν ὁ κύκλος• ἐπειδὴ σπιθαμῆς εἶχε μέτρον τὸ πάχος. Τῶν γὰρ δύο σπιθαμῶν, τῆς ἐντεῦθέν φημι, καὶ τῆς ἐκεῖθεν, τῇ διαμέτρῳ συμμετρουμένων, ἕνδεκα πήχεις εὑρίσκονται. Τριπλασιαζόμενοι δὲ οὗτοι ποιοῦσι τρεῖς καὶ τριάκοντα. Ταύτην ἔφερον δυοκαίδεκα μόσχοι, ἀνὰ τρεῖς πρὸς ἕκαστον ἄνεμον ἀποβλέποντες. Τοῦ δὲ λουτῆρος τὸ χεῖλος ἐπικλινὲς εἰς τὸ ἔξω ἦν, τοῦ κρίνου τὰ φύλλα μιμούμενον. Τὰς δὲ μεχωνώθ ᾿τῶν Παραλειπομένων ἡ βίβλος λουτῆρας ὠνόμασεν. Ὁ δὲ Ἰώσηπος τὰς μεχωνὼθ βάσεις εἶπε, τοὺς δὲ χυτρογαύλους λουτῆρας ἐπικειμένους ταῖς βάσεσιν. Ἐν δὲ τούτοις ἔπλυνὸν τὰ ἱερεῖα, καὶ τὰ τούτων ἐντὸς, καὶ τοὺς πόδας. Τοῦτο γὰρ σαφῶς ἡ τῶν Παραλειπομένων βίβλος ἐδίδαξε· Τοῦ πλύνειν γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐν αὐτοῖς τὰ ἔργα τῶν ὁλοκαυτωμάτων, καὶ ἐπικλύζειν ἐν αὐτοῖς. Καὶ ἡ θάλασσα εἰς τὸ νἱπτεσθαι τοὺς ἱερεῖς ἐν αὐτῇ. Τὰς δὲ τῶν λουτήρων βάσεις, ἃς μεχωνώθ προσηγόρευσε, τετραγώνους εἶπε κατεσκευάσθαι, τροχοὺς ἐχούσας ὑποκειμένους ἁρματιαίοις ἐοικότας τροχοῖς. Εἶχον δὲ αὗται ἄνω χειρῶν ἐκτυπώματα, στεφανοειδή φέροντα κύκλον, ᾧ ὁ λουτὴρ ἐπετίθετο. Θερμαστρεῖς δὲ κέκληκε τοὺς θερμαντῆρας, ἐν οἷς τὸ ὕδωρ θερμαίνειν εἰώθαμεν. Κατεσκεύασε δὲ καὶ δέκα λυχνίας χρυσᾶς, ἃς ἐν τῷ ναῷ τέθεικε κατὰ πρόσωπον τοῦ Δαβεὶρ, τουτέστι τοῦ Ἁγίου τῶν ἁγίων. ### English translation (Claude) How should “No hammer or axe or any iron tool was heard while it was being built” be understood? I have already said that he built the temple of naturally formed stones; and the cut stones with which he constructed the enclosure of the temple he ordered to be dressed and fitted to one another on the mountain, so that they would need no further work. Here too the writer hinted that the temple had upper rooms: “For there was a winding stair,” he says, “to the middle story, and from the middle to the third.” Since the wall was very thick, it had a spiral stair; that is what he called “winding.” He covered it all with cedar boards, and again covered the boards with gold. He called the cross-beams “bindings,” and said that they were made of cedar and that the whole building was bound with them at every five cubits of stone. That the temple was sixty cubits it is easy to learn from this: having already said that the length was forty cubits, he afterward added, “And he built the twenty cubits from the end of the wall, one side, from the floor to the beams, and he made it, as far as the Dabeir, the wall for the Holy of Holies. And the temple itself in front of the Dabeir was forty cubits, in the middle of the house within, to put there the ark of the covenant of the Lord. Twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and twenty cubits high, and he overlaid it with gold, closed in.” So what is called the Holy Place was forty cubits, and the Holy of Holies twenty; and the latter was also named Dabeir. One can see this more clearly in what follows: “For he made,” it says, “an altar in front of the Dabeir.” For the altar of incense stood before the veil, with the table on one side and the lampstand on the other. Then again it taught us that it calls the Holy of Holies Dabeir: “For he made,” it says, “two cherubim for the Dabeir.” Each of these was ten cubits, so that one of the wings touched the walls and the tips of the others met each other and covered the ark. Everything was covered with gold: the ceiling, the floor, the cherubim, the walls and the doors, so that no other material could be seen inside. And as the interior was divided in two, so too was the open-air court. Part of it was accessible to all the people, part to the priests and the Levites. A low parapet separated these from those, so that those shut out from the inner part could see the performance of the sacrifices from outside. He also made two pillars of bronze, remarkable both in form and in size. Their height, without the capitals, was eighteen cubits, and their circumference fourteen. He set capitals of the same material on them, and very large lilies on the capitals, and a network ornament with pomegranates hanging from it. These adorned the porch, bearing an architrave made of the same material. He called the architrave what some now call the epistyle. The history showed this too, saying, “The architrave was a covering over both, to their height.” He also made a bronze basin, which because of its size he called a sea. It had the shape of a hemisphere, ten cubits in diameter. Its circumference was thirty-three cubits, since its thickness measured a span. For when the two spans, this side and that, are measured with the diameter, eleven cubits are found; and tripled these make thirty-three. Twelve calves carried it, three facing toward each wind. The rim of the basin curved outward, imitating the petals of a lily. The book of Chronicles called the mechonoth basins. Josephus called the mechonoth bases, and the caldrons basins resting on the bases. In these they washed the victims, their entrails, and their feet. The book of Chronicles taught this clearly: “To wash in them,” it says, “the works of the whole burnt offerings, and to rinse them in them. And the sea was for the priests to wash in.” The bases of the basins, which he called mechonoth, he said were made square, with wheels underneath like chariot wheels. On top they had carvings of hands bearing a crown-shaped ring on which the basin was set. He called “heaters” the vessels in which we usually heat water. He also made ten golden lampstands, which he placed in the temple in front of the Dabeir, that is, the Holy of Holies. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 6:7: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 5:17: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Kgs 6:8: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 6:9: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 6:10: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 6:16: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 6:17: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 6:19: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 6:20: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 6:22: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 6:23: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 6:27: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 6:30: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 6:36: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 7:15: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 7:16: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 7:18: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 7:22: quotation, medium confidence - 1 Kgs 7:23: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 7:25: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 7:26: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 7:27: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 7:30: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 4:6: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 7:49: allusion, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Josephus, Ant. 8.3.6 (Josephus (works)): allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 6:7–36; 7:15–39, 49 (LXX; quotations 6:7, 8, 16–20, 20(21), 23; 7:22); 2 Chr 4:6; Josephus, Ant. 8.3.6. The figure of thirty-three cubits for the sea follows the LXX of 7:23. A marginal remark by a later reader, printed in the text (“…which I think Theodoret too followed … not by the thickness of the pillars”), is removed by a logged correction, and a displaced phrase is restored to its place in the sentence on the architrave. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.24 (PG 80 80:685; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-24). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 25 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-19/#p-3-25 - Source: PG 80 80:689 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The “holy things” were spoils and gifts dedicated to God. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον τὸ, Εἰσήνεγκε Σολομών τὰ ἄγια Δαβίδ· τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἄγια Σολομῶντος; ῞Αγια κέκληκε τὰ τῷ Θεῷ ἀνατεθέντα, καὶ τὰ ἐκ τῶν πολέμων ἀκροθίνια προσενεχθέντα οἷον ἀνεθεμάτισεν Ἰησοῦς ὁ τοῦ Ναυῆ τὴν Ἱεριχώ, πάντα τὸν χρυσὸν καὶ τὸν ἄργυρον ἀνέθηκε τῷ Θεῷ. Ἅγια τοίνυν κέκληκε τὰ ἀφορισθέντα τῷ τῶν ὅλων Θεῷ. ### English translation (Claude) How should “Solomon brought in the holy things of David his father and all the holy things of Solomon” be understood? It called “holy things” what had been dedicated to God, and the spoils offered from the wars; as Joshua son of Nun put Jericho under the ban and dedicated all the gold and silver to God. So it called holy the things set apart for the God of the universe. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 7:51: quotation, high confidence - Josh 6:19: allusion, high confidence - Josh 6:24: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 7:51 (LXX); Josh 6:19, 24. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.25 (PG 80 80:689; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-25). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 26 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-19/#p-3-26 - Source: PG 80 80:689 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The House of the Forest of Lebanon, named for its many cedar columns, was the great hall before Solomon's court of justice. ### Greek text Τίνα καλεῖ οἶκον δρυμοῦ τοῦ Λιβάνου Μέγιστον ἐν τοῖς βασιλείοις ᾠκοδόμησεν οἶκον, τοῦ δικαστηρίου πρόδομον. Τούτου ἑκατὸν πήχεων ἦν τὸ μῆκος, πεντήκοντα δὲ τὸ εὗρος. Εἶχε δὲ στύλους κεδρίνους πέντε καὶ τριάκοντα καὶ ἑκατόν. Οἷμαι τοίνυν αὐτὸν κληθῆναι οἶκον δρυμοῦ τοῦ Λιβάνου, ἐπειδὴ πλῆθος εἶχε κιόνων κεδρίνων, μιμουμένων τοῦ Λιβάνου τὸ ἄλσος. Αἰλὰμ δὲ πάλιν τὸ προπύλαιον ὠνόμασεν· οὗ τὸ μῆκος ἰσόμετρον ἦν τῷ πλάτει τοῦ οἴκου πεντήκοντα γὰρ πήχεων τὸ μῆκος, τριάκοντα δὲ τὸ εὗρος. Ὅτι δὲ τῷ δικαστηρίῳ συνἡρμοστο οὗτος ὁ οἶκος, ἱστορία διδάσκει. Καὶ τὸ Αἰλὰμ τῶν θρόνων, οὗ κρινεῖ ἐκεῖ Αἰλὰμ τοῦ κριτηρίου, καὶ ὁ οἶκος αὐτῶν, ἐν ᾧ καθήσεται ἐκεῖ, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Ὅτι δὲ εἰς τάσδε τὰς οἰκοδομίας τοῖς τμητοῖς ἐχρήσατο λίθοις, τὰ ἑξῆς διδάσκει. «Ταῦτα γὰρ πάντα, φησὶν, ἐκ λίθων τιμίων λαμμένων ἐκ διαστήματος ἔσωθεν, καὶ ἐκ τῶν θεμελίων ἕως τῶν γεισῶν Ὅτι δὲ Δαβεὶρ τὰ ῞Αγια τῶν ἁγίων καλεῖ, σαφέστερον ἐκ τῆς ἱστορίας μανθάνομεν. Εἰπὼν γὰρ ὁ συγγραφεὺς, ὅτι τῆς οἰκοδομῆς τέλος λαβούσης συνήγαγε τὸν λαὸν, ὥστε τῶν ἐγκαινίων ἐπιτελέσαι τὴν ἑορτὴν, ἐπήγαγε Καὶ ἐκφέρουσιν οἱ ἱερεῖς τὴν κιβωτὸν διαθήκης Κυρίου εἰς τὸν τόπον αὐτῆς, εἰς τὸ Δαβεὶρ τοῦ οἴκου, εἰς τὰ ῞Αγια τῶν ἁγίων, ὑπὸ τὰς πτέρυγας τῶν Χερουβείμ. ### English translation (Claude) What does he call the House of the Forest of Lebanon? He built a very large house in the palace as the vestibule of the court of justice. Its length was a hundred cubits and its breadth fifty. It had one hundred and thirty-five cedar pillars. I think, then, that it was called the House of the Forest of Lebanon because it had a multitude of cedar columns imitating the grove of Lebanon. Again he named the porch Aelam; its length was equal to the breadth of the house, for it was fifty cubits long and thirty wide. That this house was joined to the court of justice the history teaches: “And the Aelam of the thrones, where he will judge, the Aelam of judgment, and their house in which he will sit there,” and so on. That he used cut stones for these buildings is taught by what follows: “All these,” it says, “were of costly stones, cut to measure on the inside, from the foundations to the cornices.” That he calls the Holy of Holies Dabeir we learn more clearly from the history. For the writer, having said that when the building was completed he gathered the people to celebrate the feast of dedication, added, “And the priests bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, into the Dabeir of the house, into the Holy of Holies, under the wings of the cherubim.” ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 7:2: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 7:6: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 7:7: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 7:9: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 8:1: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 8:6: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 7:2–12 (LXX; quotations 7:7, 9); 8:6. The printed question lacks a question mark; the staging notes that the OCR read its number as 21. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.26 (PG 80 80:689; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-26). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 27 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-19/#p-3-27 - Source: PG 80 80:691 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Solomon's prayer acknowledges that the boundless God is not contained by the temple but shows himself there, and asks that all who pray toward it, Israelites, foreigners, penitents and captives, be heard. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον, "Α ἐλάλησας ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί σου, καὶ ἐν ταῖς χερσί σου ἐπλήρωσας, ὡς ἡ ἡμέρα αὕτη ; Διὰ τῆς γλώσσης λόγους προφέρομεν· διὰ δὲ τῶν χειρῶν ἐργαζόμεθα. ᾿Ανθρωπίνως τοίνυν τοῖς λόγοις χρησάμενος εἴρηκεν, ὅτι Οἷς εἶπας τὸ πέρας ἐπέθηκας. Ἐπαγγειλάμενος γὰρ τῷ ἐμῷ πατρὶ, σῷ δὲ θεράποντι, καὶ βασιλέα χειροτονήσειν τὸν ἐξ αὐτοῦ, καὶ δι᾿ αὐτὸν τὸν σὸν οἰκοδομήσειν ναὸν, ἔδειξας τῶν σῶν λόγων ἀλήθειαν. Φύσιν γὰρ ἀπερίληπτον ἔχων, καὶ μήτε τῷ ὁρωμένῳ, μήτε τῷ ὑπερτέρῳ χειρούμενος οὐρανῷ, χειροποίητον ναὸν σαυτῷ κατεσκεύασας, οὐκ ἐν τούτῳ περιγραφόμενος, ἀλλ᾽ ἐν τούτῳ τὴν οἰκείαν ποιούμενος ἐπιφάνειαν. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἔφη, τοῦ εἶναι τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς σου ἀνεωγμένους εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦτον ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτός ὥστε καὶ ἕνα καθ' ἑαυτὸν προσευχόμενον, καὶ κοινῇ τὸν λαόν σου δεόμενον, τῶν αἰτησεων ἀπολαύειν, καὶ μὴ τοὺς ἰθαγενεῖς μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἄλλοθεν ἀφικνουμένους, καὶ τῆς σῆς ἀγαθότητος δεομένους, ταῖς σαῖς ἐπικλύζεσθαι δωρεαῖς. Ἰκετεύω δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας μὲν, μεταμελείᾳ δὲ κεχρημένους, καὶ προσευχομένους ἐπιμελῶς, φειδοῦς ἀξιοῦσθαι, καὶ τοῦ σοῦ ἐλέους τοὺς κρουνοὺς αὐτοῖς χορηγεῖσθαι. Εἰ δὲ καὶ ἡττηθεὶς ἐν πολέμῳ, διὰ τὰς τολμηθείσας παρανομίας δορυάλωτος ὁ λαός σου γένοιτο, εἶτα δουλεύων εἰς αἴσθησιν ἔλθοι τῶν ἐπταισμένων, καὶ οἴκτου τυχεῖν ἱκετεύσοι εἰς τοῦτον τὸν ναὸν ἀποβλέπων, ἐπίβλεψον οὐρανόθεν ἐξ ἐκείνου τοῦ ἀκηράτου ναοῦ σου, καὶ τὴν προγονικὴν αὐτοῖς ἐλευθερίαν προσευξαμένοις ἀπόδος. Ταῦτα καὶ περὶ πολέμων, καὶ περὶ τῶν ἄλλων θεηλάτων πληγῶν τὸν φιλάνθρωπον Δεσπότην ἱκέτευσεν· ὥστε τοὺς μὲν ἐν τῇ πατρίδι διάγοντας, καὶ εἰς τὸν θεῖον ναὸν συνθέοντας, καὶ θερμῶς ἱκετεύοντας, συγγνώμης τυχεῖν. Τοὺς δὲ πόῤῥω ὄντας, καὶ εἰς τὴν πρὸς τοῦτον φέρουσαν τρεπομένους ὁδὸν, καὶ λάττεσθαι, καὶ τῶν καταθυμίων τυγχάνειν. ### English translation (Claude) How should “What you spoke in your name, and fulfilled with your hands, as on this day” be understood? We utter words with the tongue and work with the hands. Using words in a human way, then, he said: you have brought to fulfillment what you said. For having promised my father, your servant, both to appoint as king one born of him and through him to build your temple, you have shown the truth of your words. For though you have a nature that cannot be circumscribed, and are contained neither by the visible heaven nor by the heaven above it, you have prepared a temple made with hands for yourself, not being circumscribed in it, but making your own appearance in it. For he said this: “that your eyes may be open toward this house day and night,” so that both one person praying by himself and your people praying together may obtain their requests; and not only the natives, but also those who come from elsewhere and beg for your goodness, may be flooded with your gifts. I also beseech that those who sin, but repent and pray earnestly, may be granted forbearance, and that the streams of your mercy may be supplied to them. And if your people, defeated in war because of the lawless deeds they have dared, should become captives, and then in slavery come to a sense of their faults and beg for pity, looking toward this temple, look down from heaven, from that pure temple of yours, and restore to them, when they pray, the freedom of their fathers. He begged the Master who loves humankind for these things about wars and the other God-sent blows: that those living in their homeland, who run together to the divine temple and pray fervently, may obtain pardon; and those far away, who turn toward the road leading to it, may … be freed and obtain what they desire. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 8:24: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 8:15: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 7:12: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Kgs 8:27: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 8:29: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 8:30: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 8:41: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 8:46: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 8:47: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 8:48: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 8:33: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 8:37: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 8:15, 24, 27–53 (LXX; quotations 8:24, 29). Marginal readings printed in the text (variants such as “in your mouth” for “in your name” and “contained” for “subdued”, and notes on the Hexapla) are removed by a logged correction; the translation follows the marginal “contained” where the printed χειρούμενος makes no sense. Words before the last “be freed” are lost here: they appear, displaced, in question 3.28 (“entreating God, and from difficulties”), and are not moved; marked “…”. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.27 (PG 80 80:691; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-27). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 28 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-19/#p-3-28 - Source: PG 80 80:693 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God's dwelling “in darkness” signifies his invisible essence and the dim temple; David received the temple's plan from the Spirit, here called Lord, and passed it to Solomon. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον τὸ, «Ἥλιον ἔστησεν ἐν οὐρανῷ Κύριος, καὶ εἶπε τοῦ κατοικεῖν ἐν γνόφῳ; Μελῳδῶν ὁ μακάριος ἔφη Δαβίδ, Νεφέλη καὶ γνόφος κύκλῳ αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ, Καὶ ἔκλινεν οὐρανοὺς, καὶ κατέβη, καὶ γνόφος ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ἐπέβη ἐπὶ Χερουβίμ, καὶ ἐπετάσθη· ἐπετάσθη ἐπὶ πτερύγων ἀνέμων, καὶ ἔθετο σκότος ἀποκρυφὴν αὐτοῦ. Σκότος δὲ καὶ γνόφος τῆς θείας αἰνίττεται οὐσίας τὸ ἀόρατον. Ἔφη τοίνυν ὁ Σολομῶν, ὅτι τὸν ἥλιον ἐν οὐρανῷ τεθεικὼς, ὥστε τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἀπολαύειν τοῦ φωτὸς, αὐτὸς εἶπε τοῦ κατοικεῖν ἐν γνόφῳ. Οἶμαι δὲ ἐνταῦθα τὸν ναὸν αἰνίττεσθαι. Φωταγωγοὺς γὰρ εἶχε ἄγαν σμικροτάτους, ἐπειδὴ καὶ ἑτέρους οἰκίσκους εἶχε δεδομημένους. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἐπήγαγεν Οἰκοδόμησον οἰκόν μοι οἶκον εὐπρεπῆ σεαυτῷ, τοῦ κατοικεῖν ἐπὶ κενότητος. Οὐδὲ γὰρ αὐτὸς ἐδεῖτο τῆς τοιαύτης οἰκοδομίας, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων χρείαν οἰκοδομηθῆναι προσέταξεν. Ιστέον μέντοι, ὡς τῆς οἰκοδομίας τὸ σκάριφον, καὶ τὰ μέτρα, καὶ τὸν χρυσὸν, καὶ τὸν ἄργυρον, καὶ τὸν τῶν ἱερῶν ἀριθμὸν, ὁ θεῖος Δαβίδ ἐδεδώκει τῷ Σολομῶντι. Λέγει γὰρ ταῦτα καὶ τῶν Παραλειπομένων ἡ βίβλος· Καὶ ἔδωκε Δαβίδ Σολομῶντι τῷ υἱῷ αὐτοῦ τὸ παράδειγμα τοῦ ναοῦ, καὶ τῶν οἴκων αὐτοῦ, καὶ τῶν ὑπερῴων, καὶ τῶν ταμείων αὐτοῦ τῶν ἐφωτέρων, καὶ τοῦ ἱλαστηρίου· καὶ τὸ παράδειγμα πάντων, ὧν ἦν ἐν πνεύματι μετ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ τῶν αὐλῶν οἴκου Κυρίου, καὶ πάντων παστοφορίων τῶν κύκλῳ, τῶν εἰς τὰς ἀποθήκας οἴκου Κυρίου, καὶ τῶν ἀποθηκῶν τῶν Ἁγίων· καὶ τὰς διαιρέσεις τῶν ἐφημεριῶν τῶν ἱερέων καὶ τῶν Λευῖτῶν, εἰς πᾶσαν ἐργασίαν λειτουργίας οἴκου Κυρίου, καὶ τῶν ἀποθηκῶν τῶν λειτουργησίμων σκευῶν λατρείας οἴκου Κυρίου ἧς τὸ χρυσίον καὶ τὸ σταθμὸν τῆς ὁλκῆς αὐτοῦ, πᾶσι τοῖς σκεύεσι. Καὶ ἐφεξῆς καταλέγει καὶ τὰς λυχνίας, καὶ τὰς τραπέζας, καὶ τὰ πυρεῖα, καὶ τὰς κρεάγρας, καὶ τὰς φιάλας· καὶ ὅτι ὑπέδειξεν αὐτῷ καὶ τὸ παράδειγμα τοῦ ἰσχήματος τῶν Χερουβίμ τῶν διαπετομένων ἐν ταῖς πτέρυξι, καὶ σκιαζόντων ἐπὶ τῆς κιβωτοῦ τῆς διαθήκης Κυρίου. Πάντα ἐν γραφῇ ἐκ χειρὸς Κυρίου ἔδωκε Δαβὶδ τῷ Σολομῶντι. Δῆλον τοίνυν, ὅτι καθάπερ τῷ μεγάλῳ Μωσῇ ἔδειξεν ὁ Θεὸς τῆς σκηνῆς τὸ παράδειγμα, καὶ ἔφη πρὸς αὐτὸν, ὅτι Ποιήσεις πάντα κατὰ τὸν τύπον τὸν δειχθέντα σοι ἐν τῷ ὄρει· οὕτως τὸν μακάριον Δαβὶδ ἐδίδαξεν ἡ χάρις τοῦ Πνεύματος τῆς οἰκοδομίας τὸ εἶδος· αὐτὸς δὲ τοῦτο ὑπέδειξε τῷ παιδί. Ἐπισημήνασθαι δὲ χρὴ, ὅτι Κύριον τὸ πανάγιον ὠνόμασε Πνεῦμα. Εἰρηκὼς γὰρ ὁ συγγραφεὺς, ὅτι Ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ τὸ παράδειγμα πάντων ὧν ἦν ἐν πνεύματι μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ, ἐπήγαγε μετ' ὀλίγα, Πάντα ἐν γραφῇ ἐκ χειρὸς Κυρίου ἔδωκε Δαβὶδ τῷ Σολομῶντι. Ὡς δὲ ἡ τῶν Παραλειπομένων πάλιν ἐδίδαξε βίβλος, καὶ μαρμάροις ὁ ναὸς ἐπεποίκιλτο. Λίθους γὰρ ὄνυχος καὶ πληρώσεως, καὶ λίθους πολυτελεῖς, καὶ πάντα λίθον τίμιον, καὶ λίθους Παρίους εἰς πλῆθος. ### English translation (Claude) How should “The Lord set the sun in heaven, and said he would dwell in darkness” be understood? The blessed David said in song, “Cloud and darkness are round about him”; and elsewhere, “And he bowed the heavens and came down, and darkness was under his feet. And he rode on the cherubim and flew; he flew on the wings of the winds, and made darkness his hiding place.” Darkness and gloom hint at the invisibility of the divine essence. Solomon said, then, that having set the sun in heaven so that human beings might enjoy its light, he himself said that he would dwell in darkness. I think the temple is hinted at here; for it had very small windows, since it also had other chambers built around it. For he added, “Build my house, a house fit for yourself, to dwell in newness.” For he himself did not need such a building, but commanded it to be built for the sake of human need. One should know that the divine David had given Solomon the plan of the building, the measurements, the gold and silver, and the number of the sacred vessels. For the book of Chronicles says this: “And David gave Solomon his son the pattern of the temple and of its houses, its upper rooms, its inner chambers, and the place of atonement; and the pattern of all that he had in mind by the Spirit, for the courts of the house of the Lord and all the chambers round about, for the treasuries of the house of the Lord and the treasuries of the holy things; and the divisions of the courses of the priests and the Levites for all the work of the service of the house of the Lord, and for the storerooms of the vessels for the service of the house of the Lord; the gold and the weight of it for all the vessels.” And next it lists the lampstands, the tables, the fire-pans, the forks and the bowls, and that he showed him the pattern of the form of the cherubim spreading their wings and overshadowing the ark of the covenant of the Lord: “All this in writing from the hand of the Lord David gave to Solomon.” It is clear, then, that as God showed the great Moses the pattern of the tabernacle and said to him, “You shall make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain,” so the grace of the Spirit taught the blessed David the form of the building, and he showed it to his son. One should note that it named the all-holy Spirit Lord. For the writer, having said, “He gave him the pattern of all that he had in mind by the Spirit,” added a little later, “All this in writing from the hand of the Lord David gave to Solomon.” And as the book of Chronicles again taught, the temple was adorned with marble too: “For onyx stones and stones for setting, and costly stones, and every precious stone, and Parian stones in abundance.” ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 8:12: quotation, high confidence - Ps 97:2 (96:2 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 18:9 (17:10 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 18:10 (17:11 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 18:11 (17:12 LXX): quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 8:13: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 28:11: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 28:12: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 28:13: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 28:14: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 28:15: allusion, high confidence - 1 Chr 28:18: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 28:19: quotation, high confidence - Exod 25:40: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 29:2: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 8:12–13 (LXX 8:53a); Ps 97:2 (LXX 96:2); Ps 18:9–11 (LXX 17:10–12); 1 Chr 28:11–19; 29:2; Exod 25:40. The identification of the Spirit with “the Lord” in 1 Chr 28:12, 19 is Theodoret's argument for the Spirit's divinity; translated as written. A displaced fragment of the end of question 3.27 printed inside the word ἀποκρυφὴν is removed by a logged correction. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.28 (PG 80 80:693; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-28). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 29 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-19/#p-3-29 - Source: PG 80 80:695 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The “book of the song” is one of the many prophetic books used by the historian. ### Greek text Τί ἐστιν, Ἰδοὺ αὕτη γέγραπται ἐπὶ βιβλίου τῆς ᾠδῆς; Πολλάκις ἔφην, ὅτι πολλὰ ἦν βιβλία προφητικά· καὶ τοῦτο, σὺν Θεῷ φάναι, δηλώσομεν ἀκριβέστερον ἑρμηνεύσοντες τῶν Παραλειπομένων τὴν βίβλον. ### English translation (Claude) What does “Behold, this is written in the book of the song” mean? I have often said that there were many prophetic books; and this, God willing, we shall show more exactly when we interpret the book of Chronicles. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 8:53: quotation, medium confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 8:53a (LXX addition). Theodoret refers to his questions on Chronicles (book 5 of this work). This short question holds one question and answer. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.29 (PG 80 80:695; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-29). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 30 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-19/#p-3-30 - Source: PG 80 80:695 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The dedication and Tabernacles together made fourteen days of festival; then God warned Solomon that apostasy would bring exile and the temple's desolation. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον, Εὐφραινόμενος καὶ αἰνῶν ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας, καὶ τεσσαρεσκαίδεκα ἡμέρας καὶ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ὀγδόῃ ἐξαπέστειλε τὸν λαόν ; Ἐν τῇ τῆς Σκηνοπηγίας ἑορτῇ συνεκάλεσε τὸν λαόν. Ἐπανηγύρησαν οὖν τεσσαρεσκαίδεκα ἡμέρας· ἑπτὰ μὲν τῶν ἐγκαινίων· ἑπτὰ δὲ τῆς σκηνοπηγίας. Ογδόην τοίνυν καλεῖ, τὴν μετὰ τὰς ἑπτὰ τὰς τελευταίας ἡμέραν. Μετὰ δὲ τὸ τέλος τῆς ἑορτῆς, ὑποτίθεται πάλιν ὁ Δεσπότης Θεὸς τῷ Σολομῶντι, ταυτὶ τὴν σωτηρίαν πραγματευόμενος. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ τῆς φροντίδος ἀπαλλαγεὶς εἰς ῥαθυμίαν ἀποκλίνῃ, καὶ τῶν νόμων αὐτὸν ἀναγκαίως ἀνέμνησε, καὶ τὴν πρὸς τὸν πατέρα γεγενημένην ἐπαγγελίαν ἐμπεδώσειν ὑπέσχετο, καὶ ὄλεθρον ἠπείλησε παραβᾶσι τοὺς νόμους, καὶ τὸν ἁγιασθέντα νεὼν ἔρημον δι' αὐτοὺς καταλείψειν Ἐὰν γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀποστραφέντες ἀποστραφῆτε ὑμεῖς, καὶ τὰ τέκνα ὑμῶν, ἀπ᾿ ἐμοῦ, καὶ τὰ προστάγματά μου, ἃ ἔδωκε Μωσῆς ἐνώπιον ὑμῶν, μὴ φυλάξητε, καὶ πορευθῆτε καὶ δουλεύσητε θεοῖς ἑτέροις, καὶ προσκυνήσητε αὐτοῖς· καὶ ἐξαρῶ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς ἧς ἔδωκα αὐτοῖς, καὶ τὸν οἶκον τοῦτον, ὃν ἡγίασα τῷ ὀνόματί μου, ἀποῤῥίψω ἐκ προσώπου μου· καὶ ἔσται Ἱερουσαλήμ εἰς ἀφανισμὸν, καὶ εἰς λάλημα εἰς πάντας τοὺς λαούς καὶ ὁ οἶκος οὗτος ὁ ὑψηλὸς, πᾶς πορευόμενος δι' αὐτοῦ ἐκστήσεται καὶ συριεῖ καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς, ἃ δηλοῖ τὴν αἰτίαν τοῦ συριγμοῦ. Πυνθανόμενοι γὰρ, φησί, τί δήποτε ταῦτα πέπονθεν Ἰσραὴλ, μαθήσονται ὡς διὰ τὸ καταλιπεῖν αὐτοὺς τὸν Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν, ὃς τῶν Αἰγυπτίων αὐτοὺς ἐλευθερώσας δουλείας, ταύτην αὐτοῖς τὴν γῆν ἐδωρήσατο. ### English translation (Claude) How should “rejoicing and praising before God seven days and fourteen days; and on the eighth day he sent the people away” be understood? He called the people together at the feast of Tabernacles. So they kept festival for fourteen days: seven of the dedication and seven of Tabernacles. He calls “eighth” the day after the last seven. After the end of the feast, God the Master again counsels Solomon, working for his salvation. So that, freed from care, he would not slide into carelessness, he necessarily reminded him of the laws, promised to make firm the promise made to his father, threatened destruction if they broke the laws, and said that he would leave the consecrated temple desolate because of them: “For if you and your children,” he says, “turn away from me and do not keep my ordinances which Moses set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, I will cut Israel off from the land which I gave them, and this house which I have consecrated for my name I will cast out of my sight; and Jerusalem shall become a desolation and a byword among all the peoples; and this lofty house, everyone who passes by it will be astonished and will hiss,” and what follows, which shows the reason for the hissing. For when they ask, he says, why Israel has suffered these things, they will learn that it is because they forsook the Lord God, who freed them from slavery to the Egyptians and gave them this land. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 8:65: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 8:66: quotation, high confidence - Lev 23:34: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Kgs 9:2: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 9:4: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 9:6: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 9:7: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 9:8: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 9:9: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 8:65–66 (LXX); 9:1–9 (quotation 9:6–9). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.30 (PG 80 80:695; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-30). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 31 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-19/#p-3-31 - Source: PG 80 80:697 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Ezion-geber is identified, after Josephus, with Berenice. ### Greek text Ποία ἐστὶν ἡ Γασίων γαβέρ; Ὡς Ἰώσηπος ἔφη, ἡ νῦν καλουμένη Βερονίκη ἔστι δὲ αὕτη παράλιος πόλις Αἰθιόπων τῶν πρὸς Αἰγύπτῳ. ### English translation (Claude) What is Ezion-geber? As Josephus said, it is the city now called Berenice; this is a coastal city of the Ethiopians near Egypt. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 9:26: allusion, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Josephus, Ant. 8.6.4 (Josephus (works)): allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 9:26; Josephus, Ant. 8.6.4. This short question holds one question and answer. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.31 (PG 80 80:697; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-31). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 32 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-19/#p-3-32 - Source: PG 80 80:697 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Ophir (Sophera) is placed in India, the geographers' “Golden Land.” ### Greek text Σοφερὰ ποία ἐστίν ; Χώρα τις ἔστι τῆς Ἰνδίας, ἣν οἱ γεωγράφοι χρυσὴν ὀνομάζουσι γῆν. ### English translation (Claude) What is Sophera? It is a country of India, which the geographers call the Golden Land. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 9:28: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 9:28 (LXX Σωφηρά). This short question holds one question and answer. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.32 (PG 80 80:697; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-32). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 33 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-19/#p-3-33 - Source: PG 80 80:697 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The queen of Sheba, a Gentile led by natural law, sought Solomon's wisdom and praised God, an example praised by Christ and illustrating Paul's teaching on Gentiles. ### Greek text Σαβᾶ ποῖὸν ἐστιν ἔθνος ; Αἰθιοπικόν. Ἐντεῦθεν δὲ αὐτοὺς κεῖσθαί φασι τῆς θαλάσσης τῆς Ἰνδικῆς. Ὀνομάζουσι δὲ αὐτοὺς Ὁμηρίτας. Κατάντικρυ δὲ εἰσι τῶν Αὐξουμιτῶν· μέση δὲ τούτων κἀκείνων ἡ θάλασσα. Τούτων έβασίλευσεν ἡ θαυμασία ἐκείνη γυνὴ, ἧς ἐπήνεσε τὴν σπουδὴν ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς Εὐαγγελίοις ὁ Δεσπότης Χριστός. ᾿Ακούσασα γὰρ τὰ περὶ τῆς τοῦ Σολομῶντος σοφίας θρυλλούμενα, ὁδὸν παμπόλλων ἐξήνυσεν ἡμερῶν, καὶ κέρδος τὸν πόνον ὑπέλαβε, καὶ τοῦτον τῆς ἐν βασιλείοις τροφῆς προτετίμηκε, καὶ τῆς ἐν Σολομῶντι σοφίας τοσαύτην ὁδὸν ἀναμετρήσασα, διὰ τοῦ Σολομῶντος τὸν τῆς σοφίας ἀνύμνησε χορηγόν. Γένοιτο γὰρ, ἔφη, Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου εὐλογημένος, ὃς ἠθέλησεν ἐν σοὶ δοῦναί σε ἐπὶ θρόνον Ἰσραὴλ, τοῦ στῆσαι αὐτὸν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα· καὶ ἔθετό σε βασιλέα ἐπ᾿ αὐτοὺς, τοῦ ποιεῖν κρίμα ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ, καὶ ἐν κρίμασιν αὐτοῦ. Ἐγὼ δὲ τῆς ἀποστολικῆς ἀνεμνήσθην διδασκαλίας, ἢ τοὺς δίχα νόμου δικαιωθέντας ἐθαύμασεν. «Ὅταν γὰρ, φησὶν, ἔθνη τὰ μὴ νόμον ἔχοντα φύσει τὰ τοῦ νόμου ποιῇ, οὗτοι νόμον μὴ ἔχοντες ἑαυτοῖς εἰσι νόμος. Καὶ αὕτη γὰρ ἀλλόφυλος οὖσα, καὶ μήτε νόμον δεξαμένη θεῖον, μήτε προφητικῆς ἀπολαύσασα γεωργίας, ἠρκέσθη τῷ τῆς φύσεως νόμῳ, καὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην ἐθαύμασε, καὶ τὴν δικαίαν κρίσιν εὐφήμισε, καὶ διὰ τοῦ δεξαμένου τῆς σοφίας τὸ δῶρον, τὸν μεγαλόδωρον ὕμνησεν. ### English translation (Claude) What nation is Sheba? An Ethiopian one. They say that they live on this side of the Indian sea, and call them Homerites. They are opposite the Axumites, with the sea between the two. Over them reigned that admirable woman whose zeal Christ the Master praised in the holy Gospels. For hearing the reports about Solomon's wisdom, she completed a journey of very many days, regarded the toil as gain and preferred it to the luxury of the palace, and, having measured so long a road for the sake of Solomon's wisdom, through Solomon she praised the giver of wisdom: “May the Lord your God be blessed,” she said, “who was pleased to set you on the throne of Israel, to establish it forever; and he made you king over them, to execute judgment in righteousness and in his judgments.” I was reminded of the apostolic teaching which admired those justified without the law: “For when the Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature what the law requires, these, though not having the law, are a law to themselves.” For she, a foreigner, who had neither received the divine law nor enjoyed the cultivation of the prophets, was content with the law of nature, admired righteousness, praised just judgment, and through the one who had received the gift of wisdom she praised the generous Giver. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 10:1: allusion, high confidence - Matt 12:42: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 10:9: quotation, high confidence - Rom 2:14: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 10:1–9 (quotation 10:9, LXX); Matt 12:42; Rom 2:14. The Homerites (Himyarites) of South Arabia and the Axumites of Ethiopia are Theodoret's identifications. A duplicated line printed inside the quotation of 10:9 is removed, and its phrase (“having measured so long a road for Solomon's wisdom”) restored to its place, by a logged correction. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.33 (PG 80 80:697; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-33). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 34 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-19/#p-3-34 - Source: PG 80 80:699 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The harp and lyre both have ten strings; one is plucked with fingers, the other with a plectrum. ### Greek text Τίνα διαφορὰν ἡ ναύλα πρὸς τὴν κινύραν ᾿Ανὰ δέκα μὲν φθόγγους καὶ αὕτη κἀκείνη ἔχει. Φασὶ δὲ τὴν μὲν ναύλαν δακτύλοις, τὴν δὲ κινύραν ἀνακρούεσθαι πλήκτρῳ. ### English translation (Claude) What difference is there between the harp and the lyre? Each has ten strings. They say that the harp is played with the fingers and the lyre with a plectrum. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 10:12: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 10:12. The printed question lacks a question mark; this short question holds one question and answer. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.34 (PG 80 80:699; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-34). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 35 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-19/#p-3-35 - Source: PG 80 80:699 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The “unhewn timber” was smooth, knot-free wood, called pine by Josephus. ### Greek text Ξύλα ἀπελέκητα ποῖα καλεῖ; Οἶμαι ὅτι τὰ λεῖα, καὶ ὀρθὰ, καὶ ὄζων ἀπηλλαγμένα. Ὁ δὲ Ἰώσηπος πεύκινα αὐτὰ εἴρηκεν, ἥκιστα τοῖς παρ᾿ ἡμῖν ἐοικότα πευκίνοις. Τοῦ συκίνου γὰρ ξύλου καὶ λευκότερα εἶναι, καὶ λειότερα, καὶ στρυφνότερα εἴρηκε. ### English translation (Claude) What does he call unhewn timber? I think it means smooth, straight wood, free of knots. Josephus called it pine, though very unlike our pines; for he said it was whiter than fig wood, smoother and more astringent. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 10:11: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 10:12: allusion, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Josephus, Ant. 8.7.1 (Josephus (works)): allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 10:11–12 (LXX ξύλα ἀπελέκητα); Josephus, Ant. 8.7.1. This short question holds one question and answer. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.35 (PG 80 80:699; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-35). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 36 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-19/#p-3-36 - Source: PG 80 80:699 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Tarshish is placed in India (or Carthage); Solomon, despite God's gifts, took many foreign wives against the law, built shrines for their gods, and lost most of his kingdom for his son. ### Greek text Ποία πόλις ἐστὶν ἡ Θαρσεῖς Ἐνταῦθα Ἰνδικήν τινα χώραν ὠνόμασεν. Οἱ δὲ τὸν Ἐζεκιὴλ ἑρμηνεύσαντες, τὴν Καρχηδόνα τῆς γῆς Λιβύης προκαθημένην οὕτως ἐκάλεσαν. Σολομών μέντοι ὁ πολυθρύλλητος, ὁ τοσούτων παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ δωρεῶν ἀξιωθεὶς, καὶ τοὺς βασιλεῖς τοὺς πελάζοντας ὑποτελεῖς ἐσχηκὼς, καὶ τοῖς ἀπὸ τοῦ Εὐφράτου μέχρι Νείλου δασμὸν ἐπιθεὶς, τῶν θείων δωρεῶν ἐπελήσθη. Λαγνίστατος γὰρ γενόμενος, παμπόλλαις μὲν ὡμίλησε γυναιξίν· Οὐκ ἠρκέσθη δὲ τοῖς ἐγχωρίοις, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὸν νόμον καὶ ἀλλοφύλους ἠγάγετο. Πρῶτον μὲν τοῦ Φαραὼ τὴν θυγατέρα, ἔπειτα δὲ Μωαβίτιδας, καὶ Σύρας, καὶ Ἰδουμαίας, καὶ ᾿Αμοῤῥαίας, ἐξ ὧν ἀπηγόρευσεν ὁ Θεὸς τὰς ἐπιγαμίας ποιεῖσθαι, ἵνα μὴ ὁ περὶ ταύτας ἔρως δουλεῦσαι τοῖς τούτων ἀναγκάσῃ θεοῖς. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ οὗτος ὑπέμεινε. Ὠκοδόμησε γὰρ ὑψηλὸν τῷ Χαμὼς εἰδώλῳ Μωάβ, καὶ τῷ Μελχὼλ εἰδώλῳ υἱῶν ᾿Αμμών, καὶ τῇ ᾿Αστάρτῃ βδελύγματι Σιδωνίων. Καὶ οὕτως ἐποίησε πάσαις ταῖς γυναιξὶν αὐτοῦ ταῖς ἀλλοτρίαις. Ἐθυμία καὶ ἔθυε τοῖς εἰδώλοις αὐτῶν. Οἱ δὲ ἄλλοι ἑρμηνευταὶ Ἐθυμίων, εἶπον, καὶ ἔθυον. Δῆλος δὲ ὁ λόγος, ὅτι αὐτὸς μὲν ᾠκοδόμησεν αὐταῖς τὰ τεμένη, ἐκεῖναι δὲ τοῖς εἰδώλοις ἐλάτρευον. ᾿Αλλ' οὐδὲ οὕτω τῆς κατηγορίας ἦν ἐλεύθερος. Ἐποίησε γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ Σολομὼν τὸ πονηρὸν ἐνώπιον Κυρίου, καὶ οὐκ ἐπορεύθη ὀπίσω Κυρίου, ὡς Δαβὶδ ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ Καὶ ὠργίσθη Κύριος ἐπὶ Σολομῶντι, ὅτι ἐξέκλινε τὴν καρδίαν ἀπὸ Κυρίου Θεοῦ Ἰσραὴλ τοῦ ὀφθέντος αὐτῷ δὶς, καὶ ἐντειλαμένου αὐτῷ περὶ τοῦ λόγου τούτου, τὸ παράπαν μὴ πορευθῆναι ὀπίσω θεῶν ἀλλοτρίων, καὶ φυλάξαι καὶ ποιῆσαι ἃ ἐνετείλατο αὐτῷ Κύριος Οὐκ ἦν ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ τελεία μετὰ Κυρίου κατὰ τὴν καρδίαν Δαβὶδ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ. Εἰς ἐπίτασιν δὲ κατηγορίας, τῆς θείας ἀποκαλύψεως τῆς δὶς γενομένης ἐμνήσθη. Οὐδὲ γὰρ δι' ἄλλου προφήτου, φησὶ, τὸ πραχτέον αὐτῷ ὑπέδειξεν· ἀλλ᾿ αὐτὸς αὐτῷ πρὸ πάντων ἀπηγόρευσε τῶν ψευδωνύμων θεῶν τὴν λατρείαν εἶτα καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους νόμους φυλάττειν ἐκέλευσεν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ διὰ τῆς ἀκολασίας εἰς ἀσέβειαν ἀπέκλινε, καὶ γέγονεν ἡ λαγνεία τῆς τῶν εἰδώλων πρόξενος θεραπείας, τῆς οἰκείας κηδεμονίας αὐτὸν ἐγύμνωσεν. Διαῤῥήξω γὰρ, ἔφη, τὴν βασιλείαν ἐκ χειρός σου, καὶ δώσω αὐτὴν τῷ δούλῳ σου. Εἶτα δείκνυσι τὴν ἄμετρον ἀγαθότητα· Πλὴν ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις σου οὐ ποιήσω ταῦτα διὰ Δαβὶδ τὸν πατέρα σου· ἐκ χειρὸς τοῦ υἱοῦ σου λήψομαι αὐτήν. Σὺ μὲν γὰρ ἔχεις ἐπικουροῦντα τὸν πατέρα· ἐκεῖνος δὲ πατρικῆς βοηθείας γεγύμνωται. Πλὴν ὅλην τὴν βασιλείαν οὐ μὴ λάβω. Εν σκῆπτρον δώσω τῷ υἱῷ σου, διὰ Δαβὶδ τὸν δοῦλόν μου, καὶ διὰ Ἱερουσαλήμ, τὴν πόλιν ἣν ἐξελεξάμην. Προσθήσω, φησὶ, τὸν Βενιαμίν τῇ τοῦ Ἰούδα φυλῇ. Μάλα δὲ εἰκότως συνῆψε τὰς δύο φυλάς· τὸ μὲν γὰρ βασιλικὴν γένος εἶχεν ἡ τοῦ Ἰούδα, τὸν δὲ θεῖον ναὸν ἡ τοῦ Βενιαμίν. Τῆς γὰρ Ἱερουσαλήμ ὁ κλῆρος τῆς Βενιαμίτιδος ὑπῆρχε φυλῆς. Ἐντεῦθεν δὲ λέγει τοὺς ἐπαναστάντας πολεμίους τῷ Σολομῶντι, ὅτι ἕως μὲν τῆς θείας ἀπήλαυε προμηθείας, ἐν εἰρήνῃ καὶ γαλήνῃ διῆγε, πάντας ἔχων ὑποκειμένους, καὶ δασμὸν κομίζοντας ὅτι μάλιστα πλεῖστον. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ταύτης ἐγυμνώθη, τοῖς δυσμενέσιν εὐεπιχείρωτος γέγονεν. ### English translation (Claude) What city is Tharsis? Here he named some region of India. Those who translated Ezekiel called Carthage, which stands before the land of Libya, by this name. Solomon, however, the far-famed, who had been granted so many gifts by God, who had the neighboring kings as tributaries and had laid tribute on those from the Euphrates to the Nile, forgot the divine gifts. For he became very lustful and consorted with very many women. He was not content with women of his own country, but against the law took foreign women as well: first Pharaoh's daughter, then Moabite, Syrian, Idumean and Amorite women, with whom God had forbidden intermarriage, so that love for them would not compel them to serve their gods. And this is what he too suffered. For he built a high place for Chemosh, the idol of Moab, and for Melchol, the idol of the sons of Ammon, and for Astarte, the abomination of the Sidonians. “And so he did for all his foreign wives. He burned incense and sacrificed to their idols.” The other translators said, “they burned incense and sacrificed.” The passage is clear: he built the precincts for them, and they served the idols. But even so he was not free of blame: “For Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord,” it says, “and did not follow the Lord as David his father did. And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because he turned his heart from the Lord God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice and commanded him concerning this thing, not to go after other gods at all, and to keep and do what the Lord commanded him. His heart was not perfect with the Lord, like the heart of David his father.” To heighten the charge it mentioned the divine revelation that came twice. Not through another prophet, he means, did God show him what to do; but he himself forbade him above all the worship of the falsely named gods, and then commanded him to keep the other laws. And since through licentiousness he turned aside into impiety, and lust became the occasion of serving idols, God stripped him of his care: “I will tear the kingdom,” he said, “out of your hand and give it to your servant.” Then he shows his boundless goodness: “Yet in your days I will not do this, for the sake of David your father; I will take it from the hand of your son.” For you have your father to help you, but he is stripped of a father's help. “Yet I will not take the whole kingdom; I will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city I have chosen.” I will add, he means, Benjamin to the tribe of Judah. Very fittingly he joined the two tribes; for Judah had the royal family, and Benjamin the divine temple, since Jerusalem lay in the allotment of the tribe of Benjamin. From here it tells of the enemies who rose against Solomon: as long as he enjoyed divine providence, he lived in peace and calm, having all subject to him and bringing in the greatest possible tribute; but when he was stripped of it, he became easy for his enemies to attack. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 10:22: allusion, high confidence - Ezek 27:12: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Kgs 10:15: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Kgs 4:21: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Kgs 11:1: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 11:2: allusion, high confidence - Deut 7:3: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 11:7: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 11:5: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 11:8: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 11:6: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 11:9: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 11:10: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 11:4: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 11:11: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 11:12: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 11:13: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 11:14: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 11:23: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 10:22; Ezek 27:12 (LXX “Carthaginians”); 1 Kgs 11:1–25 (quotations 11:8, 6, 9–11 (with 11:4), 11–13); the law, Deut 7:3–4; Exod 34:16. “Melchol” is Theodoret's form of Milcom/Molech. Theodoret's judgment of Solomon is translated as written. Stray letters and a stray phrase at the end (“and did not keep”) are removed by logged corrections. The staging flags a possible lost question: the printed question lacks a question mark, and the staging notes that the OCR read its number as 301; the question is present. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.36 (PG 80 80:699; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-36). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 37 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-19/#p-3-37 - Source: PG 80 80:703 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: “Satan” means adversary; Ahijah's torn garment foretold the division of the kingdom because Solomon himself served idols. ### Greek text Τίνα λέγει Σατᾶν ; Τὸν ἀποστάτην, τὸν ἀνθιστάμενον, τὸν ἐναντιούμενον. Ὅτι δὲ δύο φυλὰς τῇ Δαβιδικῇ καταλέλοιπε βασιλείᾳ, τὰ ἑξῆς δηλοῖ. ᾿Αχιὰ γὰρ ὁ προφήτης ὁ Σιλωνίτης διελὼν τὴν ἀμπεχόνην εἰς δυοκαίδεκα μόρια, δέκα λαβεῖν προσέταξε τῷ Ἱεροβοάμ. Εἶτα λύει τὸ αἴνιγμα· Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ῥήξω τὴν βασιλείαν ἐκ χειρὸς Σολομῶντος, καὶ δώσω σοι τὰ δέκα σκῆπτρα, καὶ δύο σκῆπτρα δώσω αὐτῷ διὰ Δαβὶδ τὸν δοῦλόν μου, καὶ διὰ Ἱρουσαλήμ τὴν πόλιν, ἣν ἐξελεξάμην ἐμαυτῷ ἐκ πασῶν φυλῶν Ἰσραὴλ, ἀνθ᾽ οὗ ἐγκατέλιπέ με, καὶ ἐδούλευσε τῇ ᾿Αστάρτῃ βδελύγματι Σιδωνίων, καὶ τῷ Χαμὼς εἰδώλῳ Μωάβ, καὶ τῷ Μελχόλ προσοχθίσματι υἱῶν ᾿Αμμών. Ἐκ τούτων δῆλόν ἐστιν, ὡς καὶ αὐτὸς τοῖς εἰδώλοις ἐλάτρευσεν. ### English translation (Claude) Whom does he call Satan? The apostate, the one who resists, the adversary. That he left two tribes to the kingdom of David is shown by what follows. For Ahijah the prophet, the Shilonite, divided his garment into twelve pieces and told Jeroboam to take ten. Then he solves the riddle: “Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and give you the ten tribes, and two tribes I will give him, for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city I have chosen for myself out of all the tribes of Israel, because he forsook me and served Astarte, the abomination of the Sidonians, and Chemosh, the idol of Moab, and Melchol, the abomination of the sons of Ammon.” From this it is clear that he himself also served the idols. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 11:14: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 11:29: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 11:30: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 11:31: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 11:32: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 11:33: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 11:14, 23, 25 (LXX “Satan”); 11:29–33 (quotation, LXX “two tribes”). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.37 (PG 80 80:703; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-37). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 38 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-19/#p-3-38 - Source: PG 80 80:703 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God's “will” for David is his choice of David's line to reign in Jerusalem; Solomon's reign and death are recorded with Josephus's figures. ### Greek text Τί ἐστιν, «῞Οπως ἡ θέλησις Δαβίδ τοῦ δούλου μου διαμείνῃ πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας ἐνώπιόν μου ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ, τῇ πόλει ἣν ἐξελεξάμην έμαυτῷ, τοῦ θέσθαι τὸ ὄνομά μου ἐκεῖ; ῎Ανωθεν, φησὶ, προϊδὼν τὴν τοῦ Δαβὶδ ἀρετὴν, ἐξελεξάμην αὐτὸν, καὶ εὐδόκησα ἐν αὐτῷ· τοῦτο γὰρ λέγει θέλησιν· καὶ ὥρισα καὶ αὐτὸν, καὶ τὸ γένος αὐτοῦ, βασιλεύειν τῆς Ἱερουσαλήμ, ἐν ᾗ ἠβουλήθην τὸ ἐμὸν ὄνομα σέβεσθαι. Ὁ δὲ ἱστοριογράφος τὰ κατὰ τὸν Σολομῶντα πεπληρωκὼς ἐπήγαγε Καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ τῶν λόγων Σολομῶντος, καὶ πάντα ὅσα ἐποίησε, καὶ πᾶσα ἡ φρόνησις αὐτοῦ, οὐκ ἰδοὺ ταῦτα γέγραπται ἐν βίβλῳ λόγων τῶν Ἡμερῶν Σολομῶντος;» Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἡ τῶν Παραλειπομένων βίβλος δηλοῖ, ἑτέραν εἶναι βίβλον ταῦτα σημαίνουσαν. Ἐβασίλευσε δὲ κατὰ μὲν τὴν Γραφὴν τεσσαράκοντα ἔτη κατὰ δὲ τὸν Ἰώσηπον ὀγδοήκοντα ἐτελεύτησε δὲ, ὡς ἐκεῖνος ἔφησε, τεττάρων καὶ ἐνενήκοντα. Τούτου δὲ τελευτήσαντος, τὴν βασιλείαν ῾Ροβοάμ ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ διεδέξατο. ### English translation (Claude) What does “So that the will of David my servant may remain all the days before me in Jerusalem, the city I have chosen for myself, to put my name there” mean? Long ago, he says, foreseeing David's virtue, I chose him and was pleased with him (that is what he calls “will”), and I appointed him and his family to reign over Jerusalem, where I willed my name to be worshiped. The historian, having completed the account of Solomon, added, “And the rest of the words of Solomon, and all that he did, and all his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the Acts of Solomon?” The book of Chronicles too shows this, that there was another book recording these things. According to Scripture he reigned forty years; according to Josephus, eighty; and he died, as Josephus said, at ninety-four. When he died, his son Rehoboam succeeded to the kingdom. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 11:36: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 11:41: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 9:29: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 11:42: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 11:43: allusion, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Josephus, Ant. 8.7.8 (Josephus (works)): allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 11:36 (LXX), 41–43; 2 Chr 9:29; Josephus, Ant. 8.7.8. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.38 (PG 80 80:703; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-38). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 39 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-19/#p-3-39 - Source: PG 80 80:703 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Rehoboam's boast means his little finger is thicker than his father's loins, as Chronicles makes clear. ### Greek text Τί ἐστιν, Ἡ σμικρότης μου παχυτέρα ἐστὶ τῆς ὀσφύος τοῦ πατρός μου; Τῶν Παραλειπομένων ἡ βίβλος σαφέστερον τοῦτο δηλοῖ· Ὁ βραχύτατος γάρ μου, φησὶ, δάκτυλος παχύτερος τῆς ὀσφύος τοῦ πατρός μου ἐστιν. Οὕτω δὲ καὶ ὁ Σύρος ἡρμήνευσε· καὶ Ἰώσηπος ὡσαύτως ### English translation (Claude) What does “My littleness is thicker than my father's loins” mean? The book of Chronicles shows this more clearly: “My smallest finger,” it says, “is thicker than my father's loins.” The Syrian translated it this way too, and Josephus likewise. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 12:10: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 10:10: quotation, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Josephus, Ant. 8.8.2 (Josephus (works)): allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 12:10 (LXX); 2 Chr 10:10; Josephus, Ant. 8.8.2. This short question holds one question and answer. The staging notes that the OCR read the question number as 10. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.39 (PG 80 80:703; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-39). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 40 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-19/#p-3-40 - Source: PG 80 80:705 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God allowed Rehoboam's folly to fulfill his sentence; the kingdom split, and Rehoboam's Ammonite mother shows that even the royal line was of foreign blood. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον, Καὶ οὐκ ἤκουσεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῦ λαοῦ, ὅτι παρὰ Κυρίου ἦν ἡ μεταστροφή· καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς; Ὡς τὸ, Ἐσκλήρυνε Κύριος τὴν καρδίαν Φαραώ.» Ὅταν γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ Θεός τινα καταλείπῃ, ὡς ἀκυβέρνητον φέρεται σκάφος· ἀλλ᾽ ὅμως τοῖς ἀνοήτοις ἐκείνοις χρησάμενος λόγοις, πληρωθῆναι παρεσκεύασε τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ἀπόφασιν. Τούτων δὲ οὕτω ῥηθέντων, ἀφίστανται μὲν αἱ δέκα φυλαὶ, καὶ χειροτονοῦσι τὸν Ἱεροβοὰμ βασιλέα· μόνων δὲ τῶν δύο φυλῶν ὁ Ῥοβοὰμ ἐβασίλευσε, καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ὅσοι τούτοις συνῴκουν, ἐκ τῶν ἄλλων ὄντες φυλῶν. Εἶτα βουληθέντα στρατεῦσαι τὰ κατὰ τῶν δέκα φυλῶν, διὰ Σαμαίου τοῦ προφήτου κεκώλυκεν· ᾿Αναστρεφέτω γὰρ, ἔφη, ἕκαστος εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ, ὅτι ἐξ ἐμοῦ γέγονε τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο. Δηλοῖ δὲ ὁ ἱστοριογράφος καὶ τῆς μητρὸς τοῦ Ῥοβοὰμ τὸ γένος, εἰς ἔλεγχον τῆς τοῦ γεγεννηκότος παρανομίας· Ονομα γὰρ, φησὶ, τῇ μητρὶ τὸ αὐτοῦ Ναανὰ, θυγάτηρ ᾿Ανάν, υἱοῦ Ναὰς βασιλέως υἱῶν ᾿Αμμών. Ἱκανὸν δὲ τοῦτο καὶ τὴν Ἰουδαίων βδελυρίαν ἐντρέψαι, οἱ ἐπὶ τῇ εὐγενείᾳ βρενθύονται, καὶ τοὺς ἐξ ἐθνῶν τῷ Σωτῆρι πεπιστευκότας ἀλλογενεῖς ὀνομάζουσιν. Εὑρίσκεται γὰρ αὐτῶν καὶ τὸ βασιλικὸν γένος ἀλλόφυλον· ὁ δὲ Ῥοβοὰμ τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς παρανομίαν ἐζήλωσεν. ### English translation (Claude) How should “And the king did not listen to the people, because the turn of events was from the Lord,” and what follows, be understood? Like “The Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart.” For when God abandons someone, he says, he drifts like a ship without a helmsman; yet by using those foolish words he brought about the fulfillment of God's sentence. When these words had been spoken, the ten tribes revolted and appointed Jeroboam king; Rehoboam reigned only over the two tribes and over those from the other tribes who lived among them. Then, when he wished to campaign against the ten tribes, God prevented him through Shemaiah the prophet: “Let each man return to his house,” he said, “for this thing is from me.” The historian also shows the family of Rehoboam's mother, to expose the lawlessness of his father: “His mother's name,” it says, “was Naana, daughter of Anan, son of Naas, king of the sons of Ammon.” This is enough to put to shame the loathsomeness of the Jews, who pride themselves on their noble birth and call those from the nations who have believed in the Savior foreigners; for even their royal family is found to be of foreign blood. Rehoboam imitated his father's lawlessness. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 12:15: quotation, high confidence - Exod 4:21: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 12:16: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 12:20: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 12:21: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 12:24: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 14:21: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 14:22: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 12:15–24 (quotations 12:15, 24); Exod 4:21; LXX 1 Kgs 12:24a (Rehoboam's mother; compare 14:21, 31). The remark about the Jews is Theodoret's own; translated as written. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.40 (PG 80 80:705; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-40). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 41 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-19/#p-3-41 - Source: PG 80 80:705 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The historian repeats and reorders events because he narrates two kingdoms; Ahijah's oracle against Jeroboam's son and house came after Jeroboam's impiety. ### Greek text Τι δήποτε καὶ δὶς τὰ αὐτὰ ὁ ἱστοριογράφος λέγει, καὶ πολλάκις τὰ ὕστερα πρότερα; καὶ γὰρ ἐνταῦθα τὴν κατὰ τοῦ παιδὸς Ἱεροβοάμ ἀπόφασιν προτέραν τῆς βασιλείας τέθεικεν Δὶς μὲν τὰ αὐτὰ καὶ πολλάκις ἀναγκάζεται λέγειν· ἐπειδὴ περὶ δύο βασιλειῶν διηρημένων συγγράφει• καὶ ἔστιν ὅτε πολλὰ περὶ θατέρας τιθεὶς διηγήματα, εἶτα εἰς τὴν ἑτέραν διαβαίνων, ἀναγκάζεται, ἀναλαβεῖν τὰ ἤδη προειρημένα, ὥστε τὴν ἀκολουθίαν φυλάξαι. Ἡ δὲ τοῦ παιδὸς ἀῤῥωστία, καὶ ἡ κατ' αὐτοῦ γεγενημένη ἀπόφασις, δηλονότι μετὰ τὴν ἀσέβειαν γέγονε. Προειπὼν γὰρ τοῦ παιδίου τὴν τελευτὴν ὁ προφήτης, καὶ τὴν κατὰ παντὸς τοῦ γένους ἐξενήνοχε ψῆφον. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ Ἱεροβοάμ τὴν γυναῖκα μετὰ τῶν ξενίων πρὸς τὸν προφήτην ἀπέστειλεν. Ἀμβλυώττων δὲ ὁ πρεσβύτης ἔνδον καθήμενος ἤσθετο πόῤῥωθεν ἀφικνουμένης ἐκείνης, καὶ τὸν ὑπηρέτην ἀποστείλας, συντόμως αὐτὴν εἰσελθεῖν ἐκέλευσεν, ὡς ἀλγεινὰ πευσομένην. Καὶ πρῶτον μὲν ἐπιμέμφεται τοῖς δώροις Ἵνα τί ἐνήνοχάς μοι ἄρτους, καὶ σταφυλὴν, καὶ κολλύρια, καὶ στάμνον μέλιτος; Τὸ δὲ δηλῶσαι τὰ κομισθέντα πείθει τοῖς ῥηθησομένοις πιστεῦσαι. Εἶτα τοῦ παιδὸς ἀπαγγείλας τὴν τελευτὴν, ἐπήγαγεν, ὅτι Τάδε λέγει Κύριος· Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐξολοθρεύσω τοῦ Ἱεροβοὰμ οὐροῦντα πρὸς τοῖχον. Καὶ οὐ μόνον σφαγὴν αὐτοῖς προηγόρευσεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀτάφους μεῖναι μετὰ σφαγὴν, καὶ προτεθῆναι θοίνην καὶ βορὰν οἰωνοῖς καὶ θηρίοις. Ἔπειτα τὴν αἰτίαν ἐπάγει, Ὅτι οὐχ εὑρέθη ἐν αὐτῷ ῥῆμα καλὸν περὶ τοῦ Κυρίου. Οὐροῦντα δὲ πρὸς τοῖχὸν λέγει τὸν ἀσθενῶς διακείμενον, καὶ στῆναι δίχα τοῦ ἐρείδεσθαι τῷ τοίχῳ παντελῶς μὴ δυνάμενον. ### English translation (Claude) Why does the historian say the same things twice, and often put later things first? For here too he has placed the sentence against Jeroboam's child before his reign. He is often obliged to say the same things twice, since he writes about two divided kingdoms; and sometimes, after giving many narratives about one, then passing over to the other, he is obliged to take up again what has already been said, so as to keep the sequence. The child's illness and the sentence pronounced against him clearly came after the impiety. For the prophet, having foretold the child's death, also pronounced the sentence against the whole family. Jeroboam sent his wife to the prophet with gifts. The old man, who was dim-sighted and sitting inside, perceived her coming from afar, sent his servant, and told her to come in quickly, as one about to hear painful news. First he finds fault with the gifts: “Why have you brought me loaves and grapes and cakes and a jar of honey?” Revealing what had been brought persuades her to believe what will be said. Then, having announced the child's death, he added, “Thus says the Lord: Behold, I will destroy from Jeroboam him who urinates against the wall.” He foretold not only their slaughter, but that they would remain unburied after the slaughter and be set out as a feast and food for birds and beasts. Then he gives the reason: “Because no good word concerning the Lord was found in him.” By “him who urinates against the wall” he means one who is weak and quite unable to stand without leaning on the wall. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 14:1: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 14:4: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 14:3: quotation, medium confidence - 1 Kgs 14:10: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 14:11: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 14:13: quotation, medium confidence - 1 Kgs 12:24: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - LXX 1 Kgs 12:24g–n (the Septuagint's additional account of Jeroboam's son, read in the place the question describes); compare 1 Kgs 14:1–14. Quotations follow the LXX addition. Theodoret's explanation of the idiom “one who urinates against the wall” is his own; translated as written. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.41 (PG 80 80:705; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-41). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 42 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-42/#p-3-42 - Source: PG 80 80:707 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Ahijah and later Shemaiah both foretold Jeroboam's kingdom; but Jeroboam, distrusting God, set up the golden calves at Bethel and Dan to keep his people from Jerusalem. ### Greek text Τί δήποτε ἄνω μὲν τὸν Ἀχιὰ τὸν Σιλωνίτην εἶπε ῥῆξαι τὸ περιβόλαιον, καὶ δοῦναι δέκα ῥήγματα τῷ Ἱεροβοάμ, ἐνταῦθα δὲ Σαμαίαν τὸν Ἐλαμίτην; Δὶς ταῦτα γεγένηται. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ Ἀχιὰ ζῶντος ἔτι τοῦ Σολομῶντος, καὶ τοῦ Ἱεροβοὰμ δουλεύοντος, τὴν ἀμπεχόνην διέῤῥηξεν. Ὅθεν μετὰ χρηστῆς ἐλπίδος Ἱεροβοὰμ εἰς τὴν Αἴγυπτον ἔφυγε. Σαμαίας δὲ ὁ Ἐλαμίτης μετὰ τὴν τοῦ Σολομῶντος τελευτὴν, καὶ τοῦ Ἱεροβοὰμ τὴν ἐπάνοδον, ταυτὸ τοῦτο πεποίηκεν, ἀναμιμνήσκων αὐτὸν τῆς θείας προῤῥήσεως, ὥστε μαθεῖν θεόσδοτον εἶναι τὴν βασιλείαν, καὶ τοῖς θείοις νόμοις κατακοσμῆσαι τὴν ἐξουσίαν. Ἀλλὰ ὁ δείλαιος καὶ τρισάθλιος, θεόθεν τὴν δυναστείαν λαβὼν, ἀνθρωπίναις αὐτὴν καὶ δυσσεβέσιν ἔχειν ἐπεχείρησε μηχαναῖς. Λογισάμενος γὰρ, ὡς ὁ τῶν θυσιῶν νόμος δραμεῖν ἅπαντας εἰς τὴν μητρόπολιν ἀναγκάζει, ἀνιόντες δὲ συναφθῆναι τοῖς ἄλλοις πεισθήσονται, καὶ ὑπὸ τὴν Δαβιδικὴν βασιλείαν γενήσονται, δύο δαμάλεις χρυσᾶς κατεσκεύασε, καὶ τοῖς ὁρίοις τῆς βασιλείας ἐπέστησεν· ἵν' οἱ μὲν πρὸς ἐκείνην ἀποτρέχοντες, καὶ διὰ τοῦ πελάζειν μὴ δυσχεραίνοντες, ἀσπαστῶς δέξοιντο τὸ μὴ τρέχειν εἰς τὴν μητρόπολιν. "Οριον δὲ τῆς τῶν δέκα φυλῶν βασιλείας ἀπὸ νότου μὲν, ἡ Βαιθήλ· ἀπὸ βοῤῥᾶ δὲ, ἡ Δάν. Ἔδει δὲ συνιδεῖν τὸν ἐμβρόντητον, ὡς ὁ δωρησάμενος τὴν βασιλείαν ἱκανὸς ταύτην κρατῦναι. Ἐξήλασε δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἱερέας καὶ τοὺς Λευΐτας, τοὺς ἐν ταῖς δέκα φυλαῖς οἱκοῦντας, καὶ τῶν δαμάλεων τοὺς τυχόντας ἱερέας ἐχειροτόνησε. Τοῦτο μόνον κατὰ λόγον πεποιηκώς· οὐ γὰρ ἔδει τοῦ Θεοῦ τοὺς ἱερέας τοῖς οὐκ οὖσι λατρεύειν θεοῖς. ### English translation (Claude) Why did he say above that Ahijah the Shilonite tore his cloak and gave ten pieces to Jeroboam, but here Shemaiah the Enlamite? This happened twice. Ahijah tore his garment while Solomon was still alive and Jeroboam was a servant; so Jeroboam fled to Egypt with good hope. Shemaiah the Enlamite did the very same after Solomon's death and Jeroboam's return, reminding him of the divine prophecy, so that he would learn that the kingdom was God-given and adorn his authority with the divine laws. But the wretched and thrice-miserable man, having received power from God, tried to hold it by human and impious devices. Reckoning that the law of sacrifices obliged everyone to go to the capital, and that those who went up would be persuaded to unite with the others and come under the kingdom of David, he made two golden heifers and set them up at the borders of the kingdom, so that those who ran to them, finding it no burden because they were near, would gladly accept not having to go to the capital. The border of the kingdom of the ten tribes was Bethel to the south and Dan to the north. The thunderstruck man ought to have seen that the one who gave the kingdom was able to make it secure. He also expelled the priests and Levites who lived among the ten tribes, and appointed any chance persons as priests of the heifers. This alone he did reasonably; for the priests of God should not serve gods that are not. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 11:29: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 11:30: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 11:40: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 12:24: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 12:26: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 12:27: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 12:28: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 12:29: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 12:31: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 11:14: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 11:29–31, 40; LXX 1 Kgs 12:24o (Shemaiah the Enlamite tears a garment); 12:26–31. The printed question lacks a question mark; the question is present. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.42 (PG 80 80:707; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-42). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 43 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-42/#p-3-43 - Source: PG 80 80:709 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Jeroboam's self-made feast was condemned by the man of God from Judah, who was later killed by a lion for disobeying God's command after being deceived by the old prophet of Bethel, whom Theodoret regards as a true prophet who lied out of desire for a blessing. ### Greek text Εἰ τὴν ἑορτὴν τοῦ Ἰούδα ἐποίησεν Ἱεροβοάμ ἐν Βαιθήλ, πῶς ἔφη ὁ συγγραφεὺς, Ἐν τῇ ἑορτῆ ἣν ἐπλάσατο ἀπὸ καρδίας αὐτοῦ; Τῇ πεντεκαιδεκάτῃ τοῦ ἑβδόμου μηνὸς ἐπιτελεῖν εἰώθασι κατὰ τὸν νόμον τῆς σκηνοπηγίας τὴν ἑορτήν· οὗτος δὲ τῇ πεντεκαιδεκάτῃ τοῦ ὀγδόου μηνὸς τῶν δαμάλεων ἐπετέλεσε τὴν πανήγυριν. 'Αλλ' οὐδὲ οὕτως παρεῖδεν αὐτὸν πλανώμενον ὁ φιλάνθρωπος Κύριος. ᾿Απέστειλε γὰρ προφήτην, ἐντειλάμενος αὐτῷ, μηδὲν μὲν πρὸς ἐκεῖνον εἰπεῖν, τῷ ἀψύχῳ δὲ θυσιαστηρίῳ προσενεγκεῖν τὴν ἀπόφασιν Θυσιαστήριον, θυσιαστήριον, τάδε λέγει Κύριος· ἰδοὺ υἱὸς τίκτεται τῷ οἴκῳ Δαβίδ, Ἰωσίας ὄνομα αὐτῷ, καὶ θύσει ἐπὶ σὲ τοὺς ἱερέας τῶν ὑψηλῶν, καὶ τοὺς θύοντας ἐπὶ σὲ· καὶ ὀστᾶ ἀνθρώπων κατακαύσει ἐπὶ σέ. Εἶτα δίδωσι πέρας τῇ θαυματουργίᾳ, δεικνὺς τῶν εἰρημένων τὸ ἀψευδές· Ἰδοὺ γὰρ, ἔφη, ῥαγήσεται τὸ θυσιαστήριον, καὶ ἐκχυθήσεται ή πιότης ἡ οὖσα ἐπ᾿ αὐτῷ. ᾿Αλλ᾽ ὁ παμπόνηρος ἐκεῖνος, δέον ἐκπλαγῆναι τοῦ προφήτου τὸ θαῦμα, καὶ δεῖσαι τὸν πεπομφότα, ἐκτείνας τὴν χεῖρα συλληφθῆναι τὸν προφήτην προσέταξεν· ἀλλ᾽ ἔμεινε τὸ τῆς ἐκτάσεως ἔχουσα σχῆμα ἡ χεὶρ, τῶν μυῶν καὶ τῶν νεύρων διαλυθέντων. Καὶ τοῦ μὲν βωμοῦ τὸ πάθος αὐτὸν οὐ κατέπληξε τὸ δὲ τῆς χειρὸς ἄγαν ἡνίασε. Λίαν δὲ ἡλίθιος ὢν, προφήτην ἱκέτευσεν αἰτῆσαι αὐτῷ παρὰ τοῦ πεπομφότος, οὐ τῆς παρανομίας τὴν ἄφεσιν, ἀλλὰ τῆς χειρὸς τῆς ξηρανθείσης τὴν ἴασιν. Ἔδειξε δὲ καὶ ὁ προφήτης τὸ ἥμερον, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς τὸ φιλάνθρωπον. Καὶ οὗτος γὰρ ᾔτησε• καὶ ὁ Θεὸς τὴν ἴασιν ἔδωκεν. Ὁ δέ γε προφήτης φενακισθεὶς ἀνιαροῖς περιέπεσεν· ὁ μὲν γὰρ βασιλεὺς αὐτὸν κοινωνῆσαί οἱ τραπέζης ἀξιώσας οὐκ ἔπεισεν. Ἔφη γὰρ τὸν πεπομφότα προστεταχέναι, μὴ τροφῆς, μὴ ποτοῦ μεταλαβεῖν ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ γῇ. ῎Ἄλλος δέ τις προφήτης, ὄν τινες ψευδοπροφήτην νομίζουσι, λόγοις αὐτὸν ἐξαπατήσας μεταλαβεῖν σιτίων ἀνέπεισεν. Ἐγὼ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ μὲν καὶ τὸν ἄλλον προφήτην ὑπείληφα· ψευδέσι δὲ χρήσασθαι λόγοις πρὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον τοῦ Θεοῦ, οὐχ ἵνα τοῦτον βλάψῃ, ἀλλ᾽ ἵνα αὐτὸς μεταλάβῃ τῆς εὐλογίας. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἡ ἱστορία διδάσκει. Οὐ γὰρ ἁπλῶς εἶπεν, ὅτι προφήτης καὶ πρεσβύτης κατώκει ἐν Βαιθήλ· ἀλλὰ καὶ προφήτης ἄλλος πρεσβύτης κατώκει ἐν Βαιθήλ. Δηλοῖ δὲ προφήτην ὄντα, καὶ οὐ ψευδοπροφήτην, τὸ καὶ τὸν Θεὸν δι' αὐτοῦ προειπεῖν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ ἐσόμενον πάθος, καὶ πρὸς τούτοις τὸ πιστεῦσαι τοῖς περὶ τοῦ Ἰωσίου προῤῥηθεῖσι, καὶ τοῖς υἱέσιν ἐντείλασθαι, ὥστε αὐτὸν τελευτήσαντα ἐκείνου τῷ σώματι συνθάψαι. Οὗτος τῶν υἱέων ἀκούσας διηγουμένων τὰ περὶ τὸν τῶν δαμάλεων γεγενημένα βωμὸν, πρῶτον μὲν ἐπἐστρεψε τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἐκπλαγεὶς τὰς θείας θαυματουργίας· εἶτα μεμαθηκώς διὰ ποίας ὁδοῦ τὴν πορείαν πεποίηται, ἐπέσαξε μὲν τὴν ὄνον, ἐξήνυσε δὲ τὴν ὁδὸν ὅτι τάχιστα. Κατέλαβε δὲ αὐτὸν ὑπὸ δρυὸς σκιὰν καθεζόμενον· καὶ πυθόμενος ὅστις εἴη, καὶ μαθὼν τὸ ποθούμενον, ἱκέτευσεν ἀναστρέψαι, καὶ σὺν αὐτῷ τροφῆς μεταλαχεῖν. Ἑκείνου δὲ πάλιν τὰ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ κελευθέντα εἰρηκότος, καὶ ὡς οὐχ οἷόν τε τὸν θεῖον παραβῆναι νόμον προσετάχθη γὰρ, μὴ τροφῆς, μὴ ποτοῦ μεταλαβεῖν ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ γῇ ὑπολαβὼν ἔφη, Κἀγὼ προφήτης εἰμὶ ὡς σὺ, καὶ ἄγγελος ἐλάλησε πρός με ἐν λόγῳ Κυρίου λέγων, Ἐπίστρεψον αὐτὸν μετὰ σοῦ εἰς τὸν οἶκόν σου, καὶ φαγέτω ἄρτον, καὶ πιέτω ὕδωρ. Εἶτα καὶ ὁ ἱστοριογράφος ἐπήγαγε· Καὶ ἐψεύσατο αὐτῷ. Τοῦτο ἔγωγε ἐν τούτοις ἡμαρτηκέναι τὸν πρεσβύτην φημὶ, καὶ κατὰ τοῦτο μόνον ψευδοπροφήτην εἶναι, ὡς θείας φωνὰς διαπλάσαντα. Οὐ μὴν κακοηθείᾳ τινὶ χρήσασθαι ἡγοῦμαι τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον τῇ τῆς εὐλογίας ἐπιθυμίᾳ τῷ ψεύδει καταχρῶσαι τοὺς λόγους. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀνέστρεψε, καὶ σιτίων μετέλαβεν, ἐγένετο, φησὶ, λόγος Κυρίου πρὸς τὸν προφήτην τὸν ἐπιστρέψαντα αὐτὸν, καὶ εἶπε πρὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸν ἥκοντα ἐξ Ἰούδα Τάδε λέγει Κύριος παντοκράτωρ· ᾿Ανθ' ὧν παρεπίκρανας τὸ ῥῆμα Κυρίου, καὶ οὐκ ἐφύλαξας τὴν ἐντολὴν, ἣν ἐνετείλατό σοι Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου, καὶ ἐπέστρεψας, καὶ ἔφαγες ἄρτον, καὶ ἔπιες ὕδωρ ἐν τῷ τόπῳ τούτῳ, ἐν ᾧ ἐλάλησα πρὸς σὲ, λέγων, Μὴ φάγῃς ἄρτον, καὶ μὴ πίῃς ὕδωρ, οὐ μὴ εἰσέλθῃ τὸ σῶμά σου εἰς τὸν τάφον τῶν πατέρων σου. Τῆς θείας τοίνυν Γραφῆς, καὶ προφήτην αὐτὸν καλούσης, καὶ διδασκούσης ὡς δι' αὐτοῦ τὴν κατὰ τοῦ ἑτέρου ψῆφον ἐξενήνοχεν ὁ Θεὸς, τολμηρὸν οἶμαι ψευδοπροφήτην ὀνομάζειν αὐτόν. Τί δήποτε γὰρ αὐτὸν ὡς ἐκεῖνον οὐκ ἐκόλασεν ὁ Θεὸς, εἴπερ ἄρα καὶ ψευδοπροφήτην αὐτὸν ὄντα φαίην ἂν κἀγὼ τὸν ἄνθρωπον ψευδοπροφήτην, ὡς ἀληθείας φωνὰς διαπλάσαντα οὐ μὴν ὡς δαιμονίαν ᾔδει, καὶ κακοηθείᾳ κατὰ τοῦ θείου προφήτου χρησάμενον; ἴσως γὰρ καὶ τὸν σκοπὸν αὐτοῦ καθορῶν ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ τῷ ψεύδει συγγνώμην ἀπένειμεν. Ὁ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἄνθρωπος εὐθὺς ἐκδημήσας περιέπεσε λέοντι. Καὶ ἀνεῖλε μὲν αὐτὸν τὸ θηρίον, μεταλαβεῖν δὲ τοῦ σώματος οὐκ ἐτόλμησεν· ἀλλ᾽ εἰστήκει, καὶ τὴν ὄνον καὶ τὸ σῶμα φυλάττων, ὥστε μηδὲν ἄλλο θηρίον ἢ πτηνὸν τολμῆσαι λυμήνασθαι αὐτό. Τούτου δὲ μηνυθέντος ἔδραμε πάλιν ὁ προφήτης. Δηλοῖ δὲ αὐτοῦ τὸ εὐσεβὲς καὶ τὰ ῥήματα. Εἶπε γὰρ, φησὶν, Ὁ ἄνθρωπος τοῦ Θεοῦ οὗτος, ὃς παρεπίκρανε τὸ ῥῆμα Κυρίου. Εἶτα δραμὼν εὖρε τοῦ μὲν προφήτου τὸ σῶμα νεκρὸν, ἀλώβητον δὲ τὴν ὄνον· τὸν λέοντα δὲ οἷόν τινα φύλακα παρεστῶτα· ὃς ἰδὼν αὐτὸν ἀφιγμένον ὑπεχώρησεν, ὡς οὐκέτι φυλακῆς δεομένου τοῦ σώματος. Ἔπειτα μετακομίσας, καὶ τῶν νομιζομένων ἀξιώσας, ἐνετείλατο τοῖς υἱέσι μιᾷ θήκῃ ἀμφότερα παραδοῦναι τὰ σώματα, ὡς τῆς θείας προῤῥήσεως δεξαμένης τὸ πέρας. Ἐκ δὲ τούτου τοῦ διηγήματος διδασκόμεθα, ὡς δυνατοὶ δυνατῶς ἐτασθήσονται. Οὐ γὰρ ἔδει τὸν τῆς θείας ἀκηκοότα φωνῆς ἀνθρωπίνῃ πιστεῦσαι τάναντία λεγούσῃ, ἀλλ᾽ ἀναμεῖναι τὸν προστεταχότα λῦσαι ὅπερ γενέσθαι προσέταξεν. Ἐγὼ δὲ οἶμαι καὶ εἰς βεβαίωσιν τῆς περὶ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου προῤῥήσεως τήνδε γενέσθαι τὴν τιμωρίαν. Οὐ γὰρ οἷόν τε ἦν λαθεῖν ἀνδρὸς τοσούτου διήγημα· τοῖς δὲ ἀκούουσιν ἱκανὸν ἦν τοῦτο δέος ἐνθεῖναι. Εἰ γὰρ τροφῆς μετάληψις παρὰ τὴν θείαν ἐντολὴν γενομένη, καὶ οὐκ ἐξ ἡδονῆς, ἀλλ᾽ ἐξ ἀπάτης γεγενημένη, τοσαύτην ἀνδρὶ δικαίῳ τιμωρίαν ἐπήνεγκεν, ὁποίαις περιπεσοῦνται κολάσεσιν οἱ τὸν μὲν πεποιηκότα καταλελοιπότες Θεὸν, τὰ δὲ τῶν ἀλόγων προσκυνοῦντες ἐνδάλματα; Τετίμηκε δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ μετὰ τὴν τελευτὴν ὁ Θεός. Ἐπέστησε γὰρ αὐτῷ φύλακα τὸν φονέα· ταύτῃ μὲν τιμῶν ὡς προφήτην, ἐκείνῃ δὲ κολάζων ὡς παραβάτην· δεδιττόμενος δὲ καὶ τοὺς τηνικάδε, καὶ τοὺς νῦν, ὥστε μηδὲ τῶν σμικρῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ καταφρονεῖν ἐντολῶν. Μηνύει δὲ τοῦ προφήτου τὸ πάθος τῶν νεκρῶν τὴν ἀνάστασιν. Ὁ γὰρ περιόντα μὲν ἐκδεδωκὼς τῷ θηρίῳ, τελευτήσαντα δὲ ἀξιώσας τιμῆς, καὶ τιμήσας οὐ τὴν ψυχὴν, ἀλλὰ τὸ σῶμα μόνον, δῆλον ὡς οὐ περιόψεται διαλυθὲν καὶ φθαρὲν, ἀλλ᾿ ἀναστήσει, καὶ τῇ ψυχῇ τὸ ὄργανον ἀποδώσει, δι' οὗ τὸν ποιητὴν τεθεράπευκεν. "Ανθρωπος μέντοι Θεοῦ οὐ πᾶς προφήτης ὠνόμασται, ἀλλ᾽ οἱ τελείαν τὴν ἀρετὴν κεκτημένοι, ὡς Μωσῆς καὶ Ἠλίας, καὶ εἴ τις ἐκείνοις παρόμοιος. Δεδήλωκε τοίνυν ἡ προσηγορία, ὡς τοῦ πρεσβύτου προφήτου πολλῷ τιμιώτερος ἦν. ### English translation (Claude) If Jeroboam held the feast of Judah at Bethel, how could the writer say “at the feast which he devised from his own heart”? According to the law they used to celebrate the feast of Tabernacles on the fifteenth of the seventh month; but he held the festival of the heifers on the fifteenth of the eighth month. Even so the Lord who loves humankind did not overlook him in his error. He sent a prophet, commanding him to say nothing to Jeroboam, but to deliver the sentence to the lifeless altar: “Altar, altar, thus says the Lord: Behold, a son will be born to the house of David, Josiah by name, and he will sacrifice on you the priests of the high places who sacrifice on you, and he will burn human bones on you.” Then he gives a completion through a miracle, showing the truth of what was said: “For behold,” he said, “the altar will be split, and the fat that is on it will be poured out.” But that utterly wicked man, when he ought to have been astounded at the prophet's miracle and to have feared the one who sent him, stretched out his hand and ordered the prophet to be seized; but the hand remained in the posture of stretching out, its muscles and sinews loosened. The fate of the altar did not dismay him, but that of his hand grieved him greatly. Being very foolish, he begged the prophet to ask for him from the one who had sent him, not forgiveness of his lawlessness, but the healing of his withered hand. Both the prophet showed his gentleness and God his love for humankind: the prophet asked, and God gave the healing. But the prophet, being deceived, fell into misfortune. The king invited him to share his table but could not persuade him; for he said that the one who sent him had commanded him to take neither food nor drink in that land. But another prophet, whom some think a false prophet, deceived him with words and persuaded him to take food. I suppose that the other too was a prophet of God, but used false words to the man of God, not to harm him but to share in his blessing himself. The history teaches this; for it did not simply say that a prophet and old man lived in Bethel, but “and another old prophet lived in Bethel.” That he was a prophet and not a false prophet is shown by God's foretelling through him to the man of God the suffering that would come; and besides, by his believing the prophecies about Josiah and commanding his sons to bury him, when he died, with the other's body. Hearing his sons tell what had happened at the altar of the heifers, he first turned his face, astounded at the divine miracles; then, learning by which road the other had gone, he saddled his donkey and covered the way as fast as possible. He found him sitting in the shade of an oak; and asking who he was, and learning what he wanted, he begged him to return and share food with him. When the other again stated God's commands, and that it was not possible to transgress the divine law (for he had been commanded to take neither food nor drink in that land), he answered, “I too am a prophet like you, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord, saying, Bring him back with you to your house, and let him eat bread and drink water.” Then the historian added, “And he lied to him.” In this I say the old man sinned, and in this alone was a false prophet, as having fabricated divine words. I do not think the man acted from any malice, but rather misused words with a lie out of desire for the blessing. When he had returned and eaten, “the word of the Lord came,” it says, “to the prophet who had brought him back, and he said to the man of God who had come from Judah, Thus says the Lord Almighty: Because you have rebelled against the word of the Lord, and have not kept the commandment which the Lord your God commanded you, but returned and ate bread and drank water in this place, of which I said to you, Eat no bread and drink no water, your body shall not come into the tomb of your fathers.” Since the divine Scripture both calls him a prophet and teaches that God pronounced the sentence against the other through him, I think it rash to call him a false prophet. For why did God not punish him as he did the other, if indeed he was a false prophet? I too would call the man a false prophet, as one who fabricated divine words, but not as … using malice against the divine prophet; for perhaps God, seeing his purpose, granted pardon for the lie. The man of God, as soon as he set out, met a lion. The beast killed him but did not dare to touch the body; it stood guarding both the donkey and the body, so that no other beast or bird dared to harm it. When this was reported, the prophet ran out again. His words too show his piety: “It is the man of God,” he says, “who rebelled against the word of the Lord.” Then, running, he found the prophet's body dead, the donkey unharmed, and the lion standing by like a guard; and when it saw him arrive it withdrew, since the body no longer needed guarding. Then he brought the body back and gave it the customary rites, and commanded his sons to lay both bodies in one tomb, since the divine prophecy would be fulfilled. From this story we are taught that “the mighty will be mightily tested.” For one who had heard the divine voice ought not to have believed a human voice saying the opposite, but to have waited for the one who had commanded to undo what he had commanded. I think this punishment also happened to confirm the prophecy about the altar. For the story of so great a man could not be hidden, and it was enough to put fear into those who heard it. For if taking food against the divine command, done not from pleasure but from deception, brought such a punishment on a righteous man, into what punishments will they fall who have forsaken the God who made them and worship the images of irrational beasts? God honored him even after death; for he set his slayer as his guard, in this way honoring him as a prophet, in that way punishing him as a transgressor, and frightening both the people of that time and those of now, so that they would not despise even the small commandments of God. The prophet's fate also points to the resurrection of the dead. For the one who gave him over to the beast while he lived but granted him honor when dead, and honored not the soul but the body alone, clearly will not overlook it when dissolved and corrupted, but will raise it and give back to the soul the instrument through which it served the Maker. Not every prophet is called a man of God, but those who possessed perfect virtue, such as Moses and Elijah and anyone like them. So the title showed that he was far more honorable than the old prophet. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 12:32: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 12:33: quotation, high confidence - Lev 23:34: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Kgs 13:1: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 13:2: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 13:3: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 13:4: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 13:6: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 13:8: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 13:9: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 13:11: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 13:14: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 13:18: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 13:20: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 13:21: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 13:22: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 13:24: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 13:26: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 13:28: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 13:31: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 23:18: allusion, medium confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Wis 6:6 (Wisdom of Solomon): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 12:32–33; 13:1–32 (LXX; quotations 13:2, 3, 11, 18, 20–22, 26). “The mighty will be mightily tested”: Wis 6:6. Theodoret's view of the old prophet is his own; translated as written. The sentence beginning “I too would call the man a false prophet” is garbled in the printed text (it seems to combine two forms of the same remark); translated by sense, with a gap marked “…”. Displaced words of the quotation of 13:20 (“the word of the Lord to the prophet who had brought him back”), printed earlier inside the sentence on the divine law, are restored to their place by logged corrections. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.43 (PG 80 80:709; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-43). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 44 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-42/#p-3-44 - Source: PG 80 80:713 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: “Filling the hand” means consecrating someone to offer sacrifices as a priest. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον τό· ῾Ο βουλόμενος ἐπλήρου τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ; Τὸ ἐπαγόμενον δηλοῖ· Καὶ ἐγένετο ἱερεὺς τῶν ὑψηλῶν· τουτέστιν ἱεράτευε, καὶ ταῖς χερσὶ τὸ θυμίαμα προσέφερεν. ### English translation (Claude) How should “Whoever wished, he filled his hand” be understood? What follows shows it: “And he became a priest of the high places,” that is, he served as priest and offered the incense with his hands. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 13:33: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 13:33. This short question holds one question and answer. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.44 (PG 80 80:713; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-44). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 45 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-42/#p-3-45 - Source: PG 80 80:715 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The division did not cause the apostasy, for Judah, which kept the temple, sinned as much or more, as the prophets testify; so God let Shishak plunder Jerusalem. ### Greek text Προειδὼς ὁ Θεὸς ὡς ἀσεβήσει ὁ λαὸς, τί δήποτε γενέσθαι τὴν διαίρεσιν συνεχώρησεν; Τί γὰρ τὸν Ἰούδαν καὶ τὸν Βενιαμὶν ὤνησε τὸ τὸν θεῖον ἔχειν νεών; Τὴν γὰρ αὐτὴν καὶ οὗτοι παρανομίαν ἐτόλμων· Ὠκοδόμησαν γὰρ, φησὶν, αὐτοῖς ὑψηλὰ καὶ στήλας, καὶ ἄλση, ἐπὶ πάντα βουνὸν ὑψηλὸν, καὶ ὑποκάτω παντὸς ξύλου ἀλσώδους Καὶ σύνδεσμος ἐγένετο ἐν τῇ γῇ. Τὸν δὲ σύνδεσμον ἀντὶ τῆς ἀποστάσεως τέθεικε. Καὶ γὰρ ἡ Ἰεζάβελ τοῦ Ἰωρὰμ μεμαθηκυῖα τὴν τελευτὴν, καὶ τὸν Ἰοὺ τῆς βασιλείας τὴν χειροτονίαν δεξάμενον, ἐβόησε, Σύνδεσμος σύνδεσμος, τουτέστιν, ἀποστασία καὶ τυραννίς. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς δηλοῖ· Καὶ ἐποίησαν ἀπὸ πάντων βδελυγμάτων τῶν ἐθνῶν, ὧν ἐξώρισε Κύριος ἀπὸ προσώπου τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραηλ. Οὐ τοίνυν διὰ τὴν τῆς βασιλείας διαίρεσιν ἐξώκειλαν εἰς ἀσέβειαν αἱ δέκα φυλαὶ, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν οἰκείαν παρανομίαν. Αὐτίκα γοῦν μείζους ποιοῦνται τῆς Ἰούδα φυλῆς οἱ προφῆται κατηγορίας. Καὶ γὰρ Ὡσηὲ πόρνην μὲν προσετάχθη λαβεῖν, εἰς ἔλεγχον τῆς προφανοῦς ἀσεβείας τῶν δέκα φυλῶν· προφανής γὰρ ἡ τῆς πόρνης ἀκολασία· μοιχεύτριαν δὲ εἰς τύπον τῆς Ἰουδαίας, ὅτι τῷ Θεῷ διὰ τοῦ ναοῦ συνῆφθαι δοκοῦσα, λάθρα τοῖς εἰδώλοις ἐλάτρευεν. Ἱερεμίας δὲ ὁ προφήτης φησίν· Ἐδικαίωσεν αὐτὴν ἡ ἀποστροφὴ Ἰσραὴλ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀσυνθέτου Ἰούδα. Ἰεζεκιήλ δὲ ὁ προφήτης, οὐ τὴν Σαμάρειαν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ Σόδομα τῆς Ἱερουσαλήμ ἐκάλεσεν ἀδελφήν. ᾿Αποστάντες τῆς εὐσεβείας τῆς θείας ἐγυμνώθησαν προμηθείας. Σουσακεὶμ γὰρ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων ὁ βασιλεὺς πολλὰς μὲν τῶν Ἰουδαίων εἶλε πόλεις, ὡς ἡ τῶν Παραλειπομένων ἐδίδαξε βίβλος· ἐπέβη δὲ καὶ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καὶ οὐ μόνον τοὺς βασιλικοὺς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς θείους ἐσύλησε θησαυρούς. Ἔλαβε δὲ καὶ τὰ ὅπλα τὰ χρυσᾶ, καὶ ἃ Δαβὶδ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀπὸ τῶν Σύρων εἰλήφει, καὶ ἃ ὁ Σολομὼν ἐπεποιήκει. ### English translation (Claude) Since God foreknew that the people would act impiously, why did he allow the division to take place? What good did it do Judah and Benjamin to have the divine temple? For they too dared the same lawlessness: “For they built themselves,” it says, “high places and pillars and groves on every high hill and under every shady tree; and there was a conspiracy in the land.” It used “conspiracy” for “apostasy.” For Jezebel too, learning of Joram's death and that Jehu had received appointment to the kingdom, cried out, “Conspiracy, conspiracy,” that is, apostasy and usurpation. What follows shows this too: “And they did according to all the abominations of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the sons of Israel.” So the ten tribes did not run aground on impiety because of the division of the kingdom, but because of their own lawlessness. Indeed the prophets bring heavier charges against the tribe of Judah. Hosea was commanded to take a harlot, to expose the open impiety of the ten tribes (for the harlot's licentiousness is open), but an adulteress as a type of Judea, because, while seeming to be joined to God through the temple, she secretly served the idols. Jeremiah the prophet says, “Apostate Israel has justified herself compared with faithless Judah.” And Ezekiel the prophet called not only Samaria but also Sodom the sister of Jerusalem. Having departed from piety, they were stripped of divine providence. For Shishak king of the Egyptians took many cities of the Jews, as the book of Chronicles taught; he also came up against Jerusalem, and plundered not only the royal treasures but also the divine ones. He also took the golden shields, both those King David had taken from the Syrians and those Solomon had made. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 14:22: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 14:23: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 14:24: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 9:23: allusion, high confidence - Hos 1:2: allusion, high confidence - Hos 3:1: allusion, high confidence - Jer 3:11: quotation, high confidence - Ezek 16:46: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 12:4: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 14:25: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 14:26: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 8:7: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 14:22–26 (LXX; quotations 14:23–24); 2 Kgs 9:23 (it is Joram, not Jezebel, who cries out in the text; Theodoret's attribution is translated as written); Hos 1:2; 3:1; Jer 3:11; Ezek 16:46; 2 Chr 12:2–9; 2 Sam 8:7. Theodoret's contrast between the harlot and the adulteress is his own reading; translated as written. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.45 (PG 80 80:715; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-45). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 46 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-42/#p-3-46 - Source: PG 80 80:715 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Rehoboam's bronze shields were carried by the royal guard and left at the temple door when the king went in to worship. ### Greek text Τί ἐστιν· ᾿Απηρείδοντο αὐτὰ εἰς τὸ Θεκουὲ τῶν παρατρεχόντων; Ἐν μὲν τῇ τῶν Ἑβραϊκῶν ὀνομάτων ἑρμηνεία Θεκουέ, κρουσμὸς καὶ σαλπισμὸς κείμενον εὗρον. Ἡ δὲ τῶν Παραλειπομένων βίβλος οὕτω ταῦτα διδάσκει - Καὶ ἐποίησε Ῥοβοὰμ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀντ᾿ αὐτῶν θυρεοὺς χαλκοῦς, καὶ κατέστησεν ἐπὶ χεῖρας ἀρχόντων τῶν παρατρεχόντων, τῶν φυλασσόντων τὰς θύρας τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ βασιλέως. Καὶ ἐγένετο ἀπὸ ἱκανοῦ, ἐν τῷ εἰσπορεύεσθαι τὸν βασιλέα εἰς οἶκον Κυρίου, εἰσεπορεύοντο οἱ φυλάσσοντες, καὶ οἱ παρατρέχοντες· καὶ οἱ ἐπιστρέφοντες εἰς ἀπάντησιν τῶν παρατρεχόντων, ἐλάμβανον τοὺς θυρεοὺς, καὶ ἀποκαθίστων εἰς τὴν τάξιν τῶν παρατρεχόντων.» Ἐδίδοτο, φησί, τοῖς δορυφόροις καὶ ἀσπιδηφόροις τοῖς περὶ τὸν βασιλέα, οἳ παρὰ τὰς θύρας τῶν βασιλείων ἑστῶτες τὰς εἰσόδους ἐφρούρουν. Προϊόντος δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως, οἱ μὲν προηγοῦντο, οἱ δὲ παρέτρεχον. Ηνίκα δὲ εἰς τὸν ναὸν παρεγένετο, ἀπήντων οἱ ἐπιστρέφοντες, ἀντὶ τοῦ, οἱ τοῦ ναοῦ φύλακες, καὶ ἐδέχοντο ταῦτα παρ᾿ αὐτῶν, καὶ αὐτοὶ ταῦτα κατέχοντες πρὸ τῆς πύλης εἰστήκεισαν τοῦ νεὼ, ἵνα τὰ μὲν ὅπλα μείνῃ πρὸ τῶν θυρῶν, οἱ δὲ ταῦτα κομίζοντες σὺν τῷ βασιλεῖ τὸν Θεὸν προσκυνήσωσιν. Εἰκὸς δὲ καὶ οἶκον γενέσθαι πρὸ τῶν θυρῶν, ὥστε τοῦ βασιλέως ἀφικνουμένου, τοὺς ὁπλοφόρους ἐκεῖ τὰ ὅπλα ἀποτίθεσθαι. ### English translation (Claude) What does “They brought them back to the Thekoue of the runners” mean? In the interpretation of Hebrew names I found Thekoue explained as “beating” and “trumpet-blast.” The book of Chronicles teaches this as follows: “And King Rehoboam made bronze shields in place of them, and committed them to the hands of the officers of the runners who guarded the door of the king's house. And whenever the king went into the house of the Lord, the guards and the runners went in; and those who returned to meet the runners took the shields and put them back in the place of the runners.” They were given, he says, to the spearmen and shield-bearers around the king, who stood at the doors of the palace guarding the entrances. When the king went out, some went before and others ran beside him. When he reached the temple, those who returned, that is, the guards of the temple, met them and received the shields from them, and they themselves, holding them, stood before the gate of the temple, so that the weapons would remain before the doors while those who carried them worshiped God with the king. It is likely that there was also a house before the doors, so that when the king arrived the armed men could lay down their weapons there. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 14:27: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 14:28: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 12:10: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 12:11: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 14:27–28 (LXX “Thekoue”); 2 Chr 12:10–11 (quoted). Stray words printed inside the quotation (“of the twelve tribes … Israel”) are removed by a logged correction. The staging notes that the OCR read the question number as 45. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.46 (PG 80 80:715; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-46). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 47 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-42/#p-3-47 - Source: PG 80 80:717 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God preserved David's line for David's sake; Asa purged idolatry and was victorious by faith, yet left the high places and later trusted Syria rather than God. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον τὸ, ὅτι - Διὰ Δαβὶδ ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ ὁ Θεὸς κατάλειμμα, ἵνα στήσῃ τὰ τέκνα αὐτοῦ μετ᾿ αὐτόν; Διηγησάμενος καὶ τοῦ ῾Ῥοβοὰμ καὶ τοῦ ᾿Αβιᾶ τὴν ἀσέβειαν, τοῖσδε τοῖς λόγοις ἐχρήσατο, διδάσκων ὡς διὰ τὸν πρόγονον μέχρι πολλοῦ τῶν ἀπογόνων τὴν βασιλείαν ἐφύλαξεν. Εἶτα ἐπαινέσας τὴν τοῦ Δαβὶδ ἀρετὴν, τῆς μιᾶς ἁμαρτίας ἐμνήσθη. Ἐποίησε γὰρ, φησί, Δαβίδ, τὸ εὐθὲς ἐνώπιον Κυρίου, καὶ οὐκ ἐξέκλινεν ἀπὸ πάντων ὧν ἐνετείλατο αὐτῷ πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς αὐτοῦ, ἐκτὸς ἐν ῥήματι Οὐρίου τοῦ Χετθαίου Τοῦ δὲ 'Αβιᾶ τὰ πρῶτα ἐπήνεσε τῶν Παραλειπομένων ἡ βίβλος• τῶν δὲ τελευταίων ὁμοίως καὶ αὐτὴ κατηγόρησε. Σαφέστερον δὲ ταῦτα δηλώσομεν ἐκείνην ἑρμηνεύοντες, σὺν Θεῷ φάναι, τὴν βίβλον. Τοῦ δὲ ᾿Ασᾶ τὰ πρῶτα τῆς βασιλείας ἡ τῶν Βασιλειῶν ἐπήνεσε βίβλος. Ἐποίησε γὰρ, φησὶν, ᾿Ασὰ τὸ εὐθὲς ἐνώπιον Κυρίου, ὡς ὁ Δαβὶδ ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἀφεῖλε τὰς στήλας ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, καὶ ἐξῆρε πάντα τὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα, ἃ ἐποίησαν οἱ πατέρες αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὴν ῎Ανναν τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ μετέστη τοῦ μὴ εἶναι ἡγουμένην, καθότι ἐποίησε σύνοδον ἐν τῷ ἄλσει αὐτῆς· καὶ ἐξέκοψεν αὐτὰ Ασὰ, καὶ πάσας τὰς καταδύσεις αὐτῆς, καὶ ἐνέπρησεν ἐν πυρὶ ἐν τῷ χειμάῤῥῳ κεδρῶν. Τὰ δὲ ὑψηλὰ οὐκ ἐξῆρε. Πάλιν ἐνταῦθα δεδήλωκεν, ὡς τὰ μὲν τῶν εἰδώλων τεμένη κατέλυσε, καὶ πρόῤῥιζα τὰ ἄλση ἐξέκοψε τὰ δὲ τῷ Θεῷ ἐν τοῖς ὑψηλοῖς ἀνακείμενα θυσιαστήρια καταλέλοιπε. Καὶ τοῦτο, τῆς θείας χάριτος συνεργούσης, σαφέστερον ἀποδείξομεν ἑρμηνεύοντες τὸ κατὰ τὸν Ἐζεκίαν διήγημα. Ἔδειξε μέντοι καὶ τὸν ὑπὲρ τοῦ Θεοῦ ζῆλον, καὶ τὴν μητέρα τῆς ἐξουσίας γυμνώσας, διὰ τὴν σύνοδον καὶ τὴν ἑορτὴν, ἣν ἐπετέλεσεν ἐν τῷ ἄλσει, καὶ αὐτὸ ἐκκόψας, καὶ πάντας τοὺς εἰδωλικοὺς αὐτῆς καταλύσας τόπους, καὶ πυρὶ παραδούς. Προσέθηκε δὲ, ὅτι καὶ τοὺς κίονας, οὓς καὶ αὐτὸς καὶ ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ ἐξ ὕλης ἀργύρου κατεσκεύασε καὶ χρυσοῦ, τῶν βασιλείων ἐξενεγκὼν ἀνέθηκε τῷ Δεσπότῃ Θεῷ· καὶ ἄλλον πλεῖστον καὶ ἄργυρον καὶ χρυσὸν, ἐπίσημόν τε καὶ ἄσημον, καὶ σκεύη ἱερὰ καὶ πολύτιμα· ἀτελῆ δὲ αὐτὸν ὅμως ὠνόμασεν. Ἔφη γάρ· Πλὴν ἡ καρδία ᾿Ασὰ οὐκ ἦν τελεία μετὰ Κυρίου πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας αὐτοῦ. Καὶ τοῦτο σαφέστερον ἡ τῶν Παραλειπομένων ἱστορία διδάσκει. Πιστῶς δὲ προσευξάμενος, τὰς ἑκατὸν τῶν Αἰθιόπων κατηγωνίσατο μυριάδας, καὶ ἄρδην κατηκόντισεν ἅπαντας. Βαασὰ δὲ τοῦ τῶν δέκα φυλῶν βασιλέως ἐπιθεμένου, καὶ τὴν Ῥαμὰ ἐπιτειχίσαι πειραθέντος, καταλιπὼν τὸν Θεὸν, τὴν τῶν Σύρων ἠσπάσατο συμμαχίαν. ### English translation (Claude) How should “For David's sake God gave him a remnant, to establish his children after him” be understood? Having narrated the impiety of Rehoboam and Abijah, he used these words, teaching that for the sake of their forefather he preserved the kingdom of the descendants for a long time. Then, having praised David's virtue, he mentioned his one sin: “For David,” it says, “did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and did not turn aside from anything he commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.” The book of Chronicles praised Abijah's first deeds, but likewise accused his last ones. We shall show this more clearly, God willing, when we interpret that book. The book of Kingdoms praised the first part of Asa's reign: “For Asa,” it says, “did what was right in the sight of the Lord, like David his father; and he removed the pillars from the land, and took away all the practices his fathers had done; and he removed Anna his mother from being queen, because she had made an assembly in her grove; and Asa cut down her images, and all her hiding places, and burned them with fire in the brook Kidron. But the high places he did not remove.” Here again it showed that he destroyed the precincts of the idols and cut down the groves root and branch, but left the altars dedicated to God on the high places. We shall show this more clearly, with the help of divine grace, when we interpret the story of Hezekiah. He also displayed his zeal for God by stripping his mother of her authority because of the assembly and the feast she held in the grove, cutting it down, destroying all her idol shrines, and giving them to the fire. It added that he brought out of the palace the columns that he and his father had made of silver and gold and dedicated them to God the Master, together with very much other silver and gold, coined and uncoined, and sacred and very precious vessels; and yet it called him imperfect: “But Asa's heart was not perfect with the Lord all his days.” The history of Chronicles teaches this more clearly. Praying with faith, he defeated the million Ethiopians and cut them all down. But when Baasha, king of the ten tribes, attacked him and tried to fortify Ramah against him, he abandoned God and embraced the alliance of the Syrians. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 15:3: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 15:4: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 15:5: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 13:4: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Kgs 15:11: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 15:12: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 15:13: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 15:14: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 15:15: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 14:9: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 14:12: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 15:17: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 15:18: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 16:7: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 15:3–5, 11–15, 18–20 (LXX; quotations 15:4, 5, 11–14, 14); 2 Chr 13; 14:9–15; 15:16–17; 16:1–9. Theodoret refers to his questions on Chronicles (book 5) and to his treatment of Hezekiah (book 4). “But Asa's heart was not perfect” follows the LXX of 15:14. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.47 (PG 80 80:717; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-47). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 48 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-42/#p-3-48 - Source: PG 80 80:719 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Asa sinned by seeking physicians instead of God; the successive destructions of the houses of Jeroboam and Baasha show God punishing the wicked by the wicked; the name Samaria comes from the hill Omri bought. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον· Ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τοῦ γήρως ἐποίησεν ᾿Ασὰ τὸ πονηρὸν καὶ ἐπόνεσε τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ; Σαφέστερον καὶ τοῦτο τῶν Παραλειπομένων ἡ βίβλος ἐδίδαξεν. Ἐν γὰρ τῇ ἀῤῥωστίᾳ αὐτοῦ, φησὶν, οὐκ ἐζήτησε τὸν Κύριον, ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἰατρούς. Ἐγὼ δὲ δυοῖν θάτερον ὑπολαμβάνω, ἢ τοὺς ἐπῳδαῖς κεχρημένους καὶ μαγγανείαις κληθῆναι ἰατροὺς, ἢ ὅτι μόνον ἐπίστευσε τοῖς ἰατροῖς, τὴν εἰς τὸν Θεὸν οὐκ ἔχων ἐλπίδα. Οἱ γὰρ εὐσεβείᾳ κοσμούμενοι κέχρηνται μὲν τοῖς ἰατροῖς, ὡς ὑπουργοῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ, εἰδότες ὅτι καὶ τὴν ἰατρικὴν αὐτὸς ἔδωκε τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, ὥσπερ δὴ καὶ τὰς ἄλλας τέχνας, καὶ τὰς βοτάνας αὐτὸς ἐκ τῆς γῆς βλαστῆσαι προσέταξεν. Ἴσασι δὲ ὅμως, ὡς οὐδὲν ἰσχύει τῶν ἰατρῶν ἡ τέχνη μὴ βουλομένου Θεοῦ ἀλλὰ τοσαῦτα δύναται, ὅσα αὐτὸς βούλεται. Τοῦ δὲ Ἱεροβοὰμ ὁ οἶκος τὴν πανωλεθρίαν ὑπέμεινε, κατὰ τὴν πρόῤῥησιν Ἀχιὰ τοῦ Σιλωνίτου. Ἐπάταξε γὰρ, φησὶ, Βαασὰ βασιλεὺς Ἰσραὴλ ὅλον τὸν οἶκον Ἱεροβοάμ· καὶ οὐχ ὑπελείπετο πᾶσα πνοὴ ἐν τῷ Ἱεροβοὰμ, ἕως τοῦ ἐξολοθρεῦσαι αὐτὸν πάντας κατὰ τὸ ῥῆμα Κυρίου, ὁ ἐλάλησεν ἐν χειρὶ τοῦ δούλου αὐτοῦ Ἀχιὰ τοῦ Σιλωνίτου. Τὰ αὐτὰ δὲ καὶ Βαασὰ πέπονθε. Τὴν αὐτὴν γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς δυσσέβειαν καὶ παρανομίαν ἠσπάσατο. Κεϊλᾶ δὲ ὁ τούτου παῖς παρὰ Ζαμβρῆ ἐδέξατο τὴν πληγήν. Οὗτος δὲ πάλιν, κατὰ τὴν γεγενημένην πρόῤῥησιν, πάντα τὸν τοῦ Βαασά κατέλυσεν οἶκον. Τοῦ δὲ λαοῦ τὸν Ζαμβρῆ χειροτονήσαντος βασιλέα, πολιορκούμενος ὁ Ζαμβρῆ τὸν οἱκον ἐν ᾧ διῆγεν ἐνέπρησε, καὶ σὺν ἐκείνῳ καυθεὶς τετελεύτηκε. Διδασκόμεθα δὲ διὰ τούτων ἡμεῖς, ὡς τοὺς πονηρίᾳ συζῶντας δι' ἀλλήλων Δεσπότης κολάζει Θεός. Καὶ τῷ πονηροτέρῳ τὸν πονηρὸν παραδίδωσιν, οἷόν τισι δημίοις κεχρημένος αὐτοῖς. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τινες ζητοῦσι, πόθεν οἱ Σαμαρεῖται τήνδε τὴν προσηγορίαν ἐσχήκασιν, ἐκ τῆς προκειμένης ἱστορίας τοῦτο καταμαθεῖν εὐπετές. Ἐκτήσατο γὰρ, φησὶ, Ζαμβρὴ τὸ ὄρος τῶν Σεμερῶν τὰ παρὰ Σεμμὴρ τοῦ Κυρίου αὐτοῦ δύο ταλάντων ἀργυρίου, καὶ ᾠκοδόμησε τὸ ὄρος, καὶ ἐπεκάλεσε τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ τὸ τοῦ ὄρους, οὗ ᾠκοδόμησεν, ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι Σεμμὴρ τοῦ κυρίου τοῦ ὄρους Σομόρων. Τοιγαροὖν ἀπὸ τοῦ Σεμμὴρ τὸ ὄρος ὠνομάσθη Σομόρων, ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ ὄρους ἡ πόλις Σαμάρεια. Σαμάρεια δέ ἐστιν ἡ νῦν Σεβαστὴ προσαγορευομένη. Ἐν ταύτῃ δὲ ἦν τῶν δέκα φυλῶν τὰ βασίλεια. Ἐξανδραποδισθεισῶν δὲ τῶν δέκα φυλῶν, καὶ τῆς γῆς ἐκείνης ἐρήμου γεγενημένης, μετέστησάν τινας ἐκ τῶν ἑῴων μερῶν εἰς ἐκείνας τὰς πόλεις τῶν ᾿Ασσυρίων οἱ βασιλεῖς. Οὗτοι δὲ ἐκ τῆς Σαμαρείας ὠνομάσθησαν Σαμαρεῖται. Ταῦτα περὶ Ζαμβρῆ εἰρηκὼς, ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰούδαν μετέβη καὶ τεθαύμακε μὲν τὸ τὸν Ἰωσαφάτ ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις, καὶ ἔφη αὐτὸν τὸ εὐθὲς ἐνώπιον Κυρίου πεποιηκέναι. Ἐμέμψατο δὲ, ὡς τὴν ἐν τοῖς ὑψηλοῖς λατρείαν μὴ παύσαντα· ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ ᾿Αχαάβ τὴν συγγένειαν ἀσπασάμενον. Ταῦτα δὲ σαφέστερον καὶ ὁ τὴν ἱστορίαν συγγεγραφὼς εἰς ἐκείνην ἡμᾶς ### English translation (Claude) How should “In the time of his old age Asa did evil and was diseased in his feet” be understood? The book of Chronicles taught this too more clearly: “In his illness,” it says, “he did not seek the Lord, but the physicians.” I take it to mean one of two things: either that those who use incantations and sorceries are called physicians, or that he trusted only in the physicians, having no hope in God. For those adorned with piety use physicians as servants of God, knowing that he himself gave medicine to human beings, as he did the other arts, and that he himself commanded the herbs to spring from the earth; yet they know that the art of physicians has no power unless God wills, but can do as much as he wills. The house of Jeroboam suffered utter destruction, according to the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite: “For Baasha king of Israel,” it says, “struck the whole house of Jeroboam; he left no breath to Jeroboam until he had destroyed them all, according to the word of the Lord which he spoke by the hand of his servant Ahijah the Shilonite.” Baasha suffered the same, for he too embraced the same impiety and lawlessness. His son Ela received the blow from Zambri. And he in turn, according to the prophecy that had been made, destroyed the whole house of Baasha. When the people appointed Zambri king, Zambri, besieged, set fire to the house in which he was living and died, burned with it. From these things we are taught that God the Master punishes those who live in wickedness through one another, and hands over the wicked to the more wicked, using them as executioners. And since some ask where the Samaritans got this name, it is easy to learn it from the history before us: “For Zambri bought,” it says, “the hill of Semeron from Semmer its lord for two talents of silver, and built on the hill, and called the name of the hill which he built after the name of Semmer, the lord of the hill, Somoron.” So the hill was named Somoron after Semmer, and the city Samaria after the hill. Samaria is the city now called Sebaste. In it was the palace of the ten tribes. When the ten tribes had been carried off into captivity and that land had become desolate, the kings of the Assyrians transferred people from the eastern regions into those cities. These were named Samaritans after Samaria. Having said this about Zambri, he passed to Judah, and admired Jehoshaphat in other respects, saying that he did what was right in the sight of the Lord. But he blamed him for not stopping the worship on the high places, and also for embracing kinship with Ahab. These things … more clearly … and the writer of the history … us to that book. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 15:23: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 16:12: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 15:29: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 16:3: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 16:9: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 16:12: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 16:16: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 16:18: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 16:24: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 17:24: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 22:43: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 22:44: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 15:23; 2 Chr 16:12; 1 Kgs 15:29; 16:9–18; 16:24 (LXX); 22:43–44; 2 Kgs 17:24. The LXX uses the same form Ζαμβρί for Zimri and for Omri; Theodoret's “Zambri” who bought the hill of Samaria is Omri. The end of the answer is incomplete: its missing words (“…the book of Chronicles taught; for this reason [the writer] referred [us to it]”) appear, displaced, inside question 3.49 and are not moved; marked “…”. A displaced line and stray marks at the start of the answer are corrected by a logged correction. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.48 (PG 80 80:719; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-48). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 49 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-42/#p-3-49 - Source: PG 80 80:721 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The reference to the royal annals shows that both Kings and Chronicles drew on earlier written records. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον Οὐκ ἰδοὺ ταῦτα γέγραπται ἐπὶ βιβλίου Λόγων τῶν ἡμερῶν τῶν βασιλέων Ἰούδα; Καὶ ἐντεῦθεν δῆλον, ὡς ἅπαντα συνεγράφη τὰ τηνικαῦτα γενόμενα· καὶ ἐξ ἐκείνων τῶν βιβλίων, τὰς μὲν οὗτος ὁ συγγραφεὺς, τὰς δὲ οἱ τὰς Παραλειπομένας συγγεγραφότες, ἔλαβον τῆς ἱστορίας τὰς ἀφορμάς. ### English translation (Claude) How should “Are these things not written in the book of the Acts of the Days of the Kings of Judah?” be understood? From this too it is clear that everything that happened at that time was written down; and from those books both this writer and those who wrote Chronicles took the materials of their history. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 22:45: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 15:23: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 22:45 (LXX 16:28d); compare 15:23. Words belonging to the end of question 3.48 (“…the book of Chronicles taught; for this reason … referred”) had been printed inside the word “Chronicles” and are removed by a logged correction; they are not moved to 3.48. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.49 (PG 80 80:721; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-49). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 50 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-42/#p-3-50 - Source: PG 80 80:723 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Baal was the god of Tyre and Astarte, called Aphrodite by the Greeks, the goddess of Sidon. ### Greek text Τίνα δὲ λέγει τὸν Βαάλ; Ὡς Ἰώσηπος ἔφη, Τυρίων ἦν οὗτος θεός ἡ δὲ 'Αστάρτη Σιδωνίων. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ἐν τοῖς πρόσθεν ἐδίδαξε τὰ περὶ τοῦ Σολομῶντος συγγράφων, ὅτι τέμενος ᾠκοδόμησε τῇ ᾿Αστάρτῃ βδελύγματι Σιδωνίων. Ταύτῃ καὶ τὰ ἄλση φυτεύοντες ἀνετίθεσαν· ᾿Αστάρτη δὲ ἐστιν ἡ παρ' Ἕλλησιν ᾿Αφροδίτη προσαγορευομένη. ### English translation (Claude) Whom does he call Baal? As Josephus said, this was the god of the Tyrians, and Astarte that of the Sidonians. He taught this earlier too, when writing about Solomon, that he built a precinct to Astarte, the abomination of the Sidonians. To her also they dedicated the groves they planted. Astarte is the one called Aphrodite among the Greeks. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 16:31: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 16:33: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 11:5: allusion, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Josephus, Ant. 8.13.1 (Josephus (works)): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 16:31–33; 11:5, 33; Josephus, Ant. 8.13.1. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.50 (PG 80 80:723; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-50). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 51 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-42/#p-3-51 - Source: PG 80 80:723 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Elijah's oath about the rain was not rash, for he spoke by the Spirit and his word was fulfilled. ### Greek text Οὐ δοκεῖ τολμηρὸν εἶναι τὸ περὶ τοῦ Ἠλιοῦ ῥηθὲν, Εἰ ἔσται τὰ ἔτη ταῦτα δρόσος ἢ ὑετὸς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, εἰ μὴ διὰ στόματός μου;» Τολμηρόν ἐστι τὸ κατὰ τῶν πνευματικῶν ἀνδρῶν τοιούτους εἰσδέχεσθαι λογισμούς. Προφήτης γὰρ ἦν, καὶ προφητῶν κορυφαῖος, καὶ τῷ θείῳ πυρπολούμενος ζήλῳ. Καὶ ταῦτα τοῦ θείου Πνεύματος ἐνεργοῦντος εἴρηκεν. Ὅθεν καὶ τὸ πέρας είληφεν. ### English translation (Claude) Does not Elijah's saying seem rash: “There shall be neither dew nor rain on the earth these years, except by the word of my mouth”? It is rash to entertain such thoughts about spiritual men. He was a prophet, the chief of prophets, burning with divine zeal; and he said this through the working of the divine Spirit. That is why it was also fulfilled. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 17:1: quotation, high confidence - Jas 5:17: allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 17:1. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.51 (PG 80 80:723; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-51). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 52 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-42/#p-3-52 - Source: PG 80 80:723 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God himself fed Elijah by unclean ravens, showing that such purity laws were concessions to Israel's weakness, which God could set aside. ### Greek text Πῶς ὁ ἅγιος ὢν, καὶ κατὰ νόμον πολιτευόμενος, ἤσθιε τὴν διὰ τῶν κοράκων αὐτῷ κομιζομένην τροφήν; Αὐτὸς ὁ νομοθέτης ταύτην αὐτῷ διὰ τῶν κοράκων προσέφερεν. Αὐτὸς γὰρ αὐτῷ καὶ προσέταξεν ἐν τῷ χειμάῤῥῳ διάγειν τῷ χόῤῥαν, ὑποσχόμενος πέμψειν αὐτῷ διὰ κοράκων τροφὴν, καὶ πεπλήρωκε τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν. Προσέφερον γὰρ οἱ κόρακες ἄρτους μὲν ἔωθεν, δείλης δὲ κρέα. Διδάσκει δὲ διὰ τούτων ἡμᾶς ὁ νομοθέτης, ὡς τῆς Ἰουδαίων ἀσθενείας ἕνεκα τοὺς τοιούτους ἐτεθείκει νόμους, οὓς ποτὲ μὲν αὐτὸς παραβῆναι προσέταττεν· ἐν σαββάτῳ γὰρ ἐπτάκις κυκλῶσαι τὴν Ἱεριχώ, καὶ Ἰησοῦν τὸν προφήτην, καὶ Ἐλεάζαρ τὸν ἀρχιερέα, καὶ τοὺς σὺν αὐτῷ ἱερέας καὶ Λευΐτας ἐκέλευσε, καὶ ἅπαντα τὸν λαόν καὶ νῦν τὸν μέγαν Ἠλίαν δέχεσθαι τὴν διὰ τῶν κοράκων κομιζομένην αὐτῷ τροφήν· ποτὲ δὲ τοὺς τοιούτους παραβεβηκόσι νόμους οὐκ ἐπεμέμψατο. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ Σαμψὼν διὰ μὲν τὴν μέθην, καὶ τὴν λαγνείαν, τῆς θείας ἐγυμνώθη χάριτος - φαγὼν δὲ τὸ κηρίον τοῦ μέλιτος, ὁ ἐν νεκρῷ λέοντι ἐξύφηναν μέλισσαι, κατηγορίαν οὐδεμίαν ἐδέξατο. ### English translation (Claude) How could he, being holy and living according to the law, eat the food brought to him by ravens? The Lawgiver himself brought it to him through the ravens. For he himself commanded him to stay by the brook Chorrath, promising to send him food through ravens, and he fulfilled the promise: the ravens brought him bread in the morning and meat in the evening. Through this the Lawgiver teaches us that he had laid down such laws because of the weakness of the Jews; laws which sometimes he himself commanded to be broken: for he ordered Joshua the prophet and Eleazar the high priest, and the priests and Levites with them, and all the people, to go around Jericho seven times on the Sabbath; and now he ordered the great Elijah to receive the food brought to him by the ravens. At other times he did not blame those who broke such laws. Samson, for instance, was stripped of divine grace because of drunkenness and lust; but he received no accusation for eating the honeycomb that bees had woven in a dead lion. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 17:3: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 17:4: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 17:6: allusion, high confidence - Lev 11:15: allusion, medium confidence - Josh 6:15: allusion, high confidence - Judg 14:9: allusion, high confidence - Judg 16:1: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 17:3–6; Josh 6:3–15 (Theodoret holds that the seventh circuit fell on a Sabbath); Judg 14:8–9; 16:1–20. The raven was unclean under the law, Lev 11:15. Theodoret's view of the ceremonial laws is translated as written. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.52 (PG 80 80:723; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-52). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 53 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-42/#p-3-53 - Source: PG 80 80:725 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God sent Elijah to a Gentile widow, who in her poverty fed him in faith; she prefigures the Gentile church that received the persecuted apostles. ### Greek text Τίνος χάριν πρὸς χήραν ἀλλόφυλον ἐκέλευσεν αὐτὸν ἀπελθεῖν; Καὶ τοῦτο πάλιν τῶν τοιούτων νόμων τὰς αἰτίας διδάσκει. Εἰ γὰρ ᾔδει στεῤῥὸν τῶν Ἰουδαίων τὸ φρόνημα, καὶ τὴν πίστιν ἐδραίαν, οὐκ ἂν αὐτοῖς φυγεῖν τῶν ἀλλοφύλων ἐπιμιξίαν προσέταξεν· ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον ἐκέλευσεν ἂν αὐτοῖς συνδιάγειν, καὶ κηρύττειν αὐτοῖς τὴν εὐσέβειαν. Τοῦτο γὰρ διδάσκει καὶ ἡ τοῦ νόμου αἰτία. Εἰρηκώς γάρ· Οὐ δώσεις τὰς θυγατέρας σου τοῖς υἱοῖς τῶν ἀλλοφύλων, καὶ τὰς θυγατέρας αὐτῶν τοῖς υἱοῖς σου, ἐπήγαγεν· ἵνα μὴ ἐκπορνεύσωσιν οἱ αὐτῶν τὰς θυγατέρας ὑμῶν, καὶ αἱ θυγατέρες αὐτῶν τοὺς υἱοὺς ὑμῶν, ὅπισθεν Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ ὑμῶν. Τὸν δέ γε προφήτην, ὡς εὐεργετῆσαι δυνάμενον, οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἐκώλυσεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ προσέταξεν ἀπελθεῖν. Οἶμαι δὲ ὅτι καὶ δεῖξαι βουλόμενος αὐτῷ δαπανωμένην τῷ λιμῷ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὴν φύσιν, πρῶτον μὲν εἰς τὸν χειμάῤῥουν ἐπήγαγεν εἶτα τοῦτον ξηράνας, πρὸς τὴν χήραν ἀπήγαγε γυναῖκα, οὐδὲν ἔχουσαν πλὴν ὀλίγης τροφῆς εἰς μίαν ἀποχρώσης ἡμέραν. Ζῇ γὰρ, ἔφη, Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου, εἰ ἔστι μοι ἐγκρυφίας, ἀλλ᾽ ἢ ὅσον δράξ ἀλεύρου ἐν τῇ ὑδρίᾳ, καὶ ὀλίγον ἔλαιον ἐν τῷ καμψάκῃ καὶ ἰδοὺ συλλέξω δύο ξυλάρια, καὶ εἰσελεύσομαι, καὶ ποιήσω αὐτὸ ἐμαυτῇ καὶ τοῖς τέκνοις μου, καὶ φαγόμεθα καὶ ἀποθανούμεθα. Μόνην, φησὶν, ἔχω τὴν τελευταίαν τροφὴν, μεθ᾽ ἣν τὴν τοῦ λιμοῦ προσμένω πληγήν. Ἐγὼ δὲ ἄγαμαι τῆς γυναικὸς τὸ πρᾶον τῆς ἀποκρίσεως. Οὐ γὰρ ἐδυσχέρανεν, ὡς ἐν τηλικαύταις συμφοραῖς αἰτηθεῖσα τροφὴν, ἀλλὰ μόνην ἔδειξε τὴν ἐσχάτην πενίαν. ᾿Αλλ' ὁ μέγας ἐκεῖνος καὶ δίκαιος· ἀνὴρ ὑπέσχετο μὲν τὰς τοῦ ἀλεύρου καὶ ἐλαίου πηγάς. Προσέταξε δὲ αὐτῷ πρώτῳ ποιῆσαι καὶ κομίσαι τὸν ἄρτον. Ἡ δὲ πάλιν οὐκ ἐδυσφόρησεν, ὡς πενίας, καὶ χηρείας, καὶ παιδοτροφίας τηκομένη φροντίσιν· ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν δεξαμένη πιστῶς, προσήνεγκε τὴν τροφὴν, καὶ ταῦτα οὐκ εἰδυῖα τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἀλλόφυλος γὰρ ἦν· προφητικῆς δυνάμεως πεῖραν οὐ δεδεγμένη. Οἶμαι δὲ ἐν ταύτῃ προτυπωθῆναι τὴν ἐξ ἐθνῶν Ἐκκλησίαν. Τὸν γὰρ ὑπὸ τῶν Ἰσραηλιτῶν διωκόμενον πιστῶς ὑπεδέξατο, καθάπερ καὶ ἐκκλησία τοὺς ἀποστόλους ὑπ᾿ αὐτῶν τούτων ἐξελαθέντας. ### English translation (Claude) Why did he order him to go to a foreign widow? This again teaches the reasons for such laws. If he had known that the Jews' mind was firm and their faith steadfast, he would not have commanded them to avoid mixing with foreigners; on the contrary he would have ordered them to live with them and proclaim piety to them. The reason given for the law teaches this. For having said, “You shall not give your daughters to the sons of foreigners, nor their daughters to your sons,” he added, “so that their sons do not lead your daughters to play the harlot, and their daughters your sons, after other gods, away from the Lord your God.” But the prophet, since he was able to do good, he not only did not forbid but even commanded to go. I think too that, wishing to show him human nature being consumed by famine, he first brought him to the brook, then dried it up and led him to the widow, a woman who had nothing but a little food sufficient for one day. “As the Lord your God lives,” she said, “I have no cake, but only a handful of flour in the jar and a little oil in the cruse; and see, I am gathering two sticks, and I will go in and make it for myself and my children, and we will eat it and die.” I have only this last food, she means, after which I await the blow of famine. I admire the gentleness of the woman's answer. She was not annoyed at being asked for food in such calamities, but only showed her extreme poverty. But that great and righteous man promised her springs of flour and oil, and told her to make the bread and bring it to him first. Again she was not resentful, though worn down by the cares of poverty, widowhood and raising children; but receiving the promise with faith, she brought the food, and that without knowing the man, for she was a foreigner and had no experience of prophetic power. I think that the church from the nations was prefigured in her. For she received with faith the one persecuted by the Israelites, just as the church received the apostles driven out by these same people. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 17:9: allusion, high confidence - Deut 7:3: quotation, high confidence - Deut 7:4: quotation, high confidence - Exod 34:16: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Kgs 17:7: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 17:12: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 17:13: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 17:14: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 17:15: allusion, high confidence - Luke 4:26: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 17:7–16 (quotation 17:12); the law, Deut 7:3–4 (quoted loosely; compare Exod 34:16). The typology of the widow as the Gentile church is Theodoret's own; translated as written. The words “to go” of the question had been displaced to the beginning of the printed text and are put back in place, and stray letters at the end are removed, by logged corrections. The staging flags a possible lost question because of this displacement; the question is present. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.53 (PG 80 80:725; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-53). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 54 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-42/#p-3-54 - Source: PG 80 80:727 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God let the widow's son die to rouse Elijah's compassion and to confirm the widow's faith by his resurrection; then God himself asked Elijah to end the drought. ### Greek text Τίνος χάριν τὸν τῆς χήρας τελευτῆσαι υἱὸν συνεχώρησεν ὁ Θεός; ᾿Αφθόνως ὁ προφήτης ἀπολαύων τροφῆς τῆς τῶν ἄλλων ἀνθρώπων ἐπελάθετο συμφορᾶς. Οὗ δὴ χάριν καὶ τῆς χήρας αὐτῷ ὁ Θεὸς ἐπεστράτευσεν οἰμωγάς. Ἐπέγνω δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς τὴν αἰτίαν· Οἴμοι γὰρ, φησὶ, Κύριε, ὁ μάρτυς τῆς χήρας μεθ᾿ ἧς ἐγὼ οἰκῶ μετ᾿ αὐτῆς, σὺ ἐκάκωσας τοῦ θανατῶσαι τὸν υἱὸν αὐτῆς. ᾿Αξιάγαστα δὲ τῆς χήρας τὰ ῥήματα· Εἰσῆλθες γὰρ, φησὶ, πρός με, τοῦ ἀναμνῆσαι τὰς ἁμαρτίας μου, καὶ θανατῶσαι τὸν υἱὸν μου. Τῷ σῷ φωτί, φησὶν, ἐγυμνώθη τὰ κεκρυμμένα μου πλημμελήματα καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν, οἷα δὴ ἀλλόφυλος οὖσα, Οιωνός μοι γέγονας πονηρὸς, πρόξενος κακῶν μοι ἡ σὴ γεγένηται παρουσία· ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον ταῖς οἰκείαις ἁμαρτίαις τὸ συμβὰν ἀνατέθεικε. Τοσοῦτον ὤνησεν αὐτὴν ἡ τοῦ προφήτου διδασκαλία. Τοιγάρτοι καὶ δι᾿ αὐτὴν ἡ τοῦ παιδὸς γέγονε τελευτή ἵνα θεασαμένη τὴν παρὰ φύσιν γεγενημένην ἀνάστασιν, βεβαίαν δέξηται τὴν εὐσέβειαν. Ὁ δὲ προφήτης προςηύξατο πρὸς Κύριον περὶ τοῦ τεθνηκότος παιδαρίου· μετὰ τὴν προσευχὴν δὲ τρὶς ἐμφυσήσας τῷ μειρακίῳ εἰς ζωὴν ἐπανήγαγε. Δηλοῖ δὲ ὁ μὲν ἀριθμὸς τὴν προσκυνουμένην Τριάδα τὸ δὲ ἐμφύσημα, τὴν ἐν ἀρχῇ τῆς ψυχῆς γεγενημένην δημιουργίαν. Αλλ' ὁ προφήτης ἐμφυσήσας οὐκ ἄλλην ψυχὴν ἐδημιούργησεν ἀλλὰ τὴν χωρισθεῖσαν τοῦ σώματος ἐπανήγαγεν. Ὁ δὲ φιλάνθρωπος καὶ φιλοικτείρμων Θεὸς, τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὸ γένος ὁρῶν διολλύμενον, καὶ τὸν προφήτην αἰτῆσαι τὸν ἔλεον μὴ βουλόμενον, καὶ τοὺς μὲν οἱκτείρων, καὶ δοῦναι τὸν ἔλεον ἐπειγόμενος, τὸν δὲ γεραίρων, καὶ παρὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ γνώμην λῦσαι τὴν ἐξενεχθεῖσαν οὐκ ἀνεχόμενος ψῆφον, αὐτὸς ἔρχεται πρεσβευτὴς πρὸς τὸν οἰκέτην ὁ δεσπότης, πρὸς τὸν πηλὸν ὁ δημιουργὸς, καὶ πείθει λῦσαι τῶν νεφῶν τὰς ὠδῖνας τὴν πεδήσασαν γλῶσσαν Ἐγένετο γὰρ, φησὶ, μεθ᾽ ἡμέρας πολλὰς, καὶ ῥῆμα Κυρίου ἐγένετο πρὸς Ἠλίαν ἐν τῷ ἐνιαυτῷ τῷ τρίτῳ, λέγον· Πορεύου καὶ ὄφθητι ᾿Αχαάβ, καὶ δώσω ὑετὸν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον τῆς γῆς. ### English translation (Claude) Why did God allow the widow's son to die? Enjoying abundant food, the prophet forgot the calamity of other people. For this reason God set the widow's laments against him. He himself recognized the cause: “Alas, Lord,” he says, “witness of the widow with whom I am staying, you have done evil in killing her son.” The widow's words are admirable: “You came to me,” she says, “to bring my sins to remembrance and to kill my son.” By your light, she means, my hidden offenses have been exposed. She did not say, as a foreigner might, “You have been a bad omen to me; your coming has brought me evils”; but rather attributed what happened to her own sins. So much had the prophet's teaching benefited her. So the child's death happened for her sake too, so that, seeing a resurrection that happened beyond nature, she might receive piety firmly. The prophet prayed to the Lord about the dead child; and after the prayer, breathing on the boy three times, he brought him back to life. The number signifies the worshiped Trinity, and the breathing the creation of the soul in the beginning. But the prophet, by breathing, did not create another soul, but brought back the one separated from the body. God, who loves humankind and is full of compassion, seeing the human race perishing, and the prophet unwilling to ask for mercy, both pitying the people and hastening to give mercy, and honoring the prophet and not consenting to undo the sentence he had pronounced against his will, himself comes as an envoy, the Master to the servant, the Creator to the clay, and persuades the tongue that had bound the clouds' labor to release it. “For it came to pass,” it says, “after many days, that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go and show yourself to Ahab, and I will give rain on the face of the earth.” ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 17:17: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 17:20: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 17:18: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 17:21: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 17:22: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 17:24: allusion, high confidence - Gen 2:7: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 18:1: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 17:17–24 (quotations 17:20, 18); 18:1 (quoted). The three breaths are LXX 17:21 (“breathed on the child three times”); Gen 2:7. The trinitarian reading of the number is Theodoret's; translated as written. Displaced words of the quotation of 18:1 printed inside the preceding sentence are restored to their place by logged corrections. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.54 (PG 80 80:727; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-54). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 55 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-42/#p-3-55 - Source: PG 80 80:727 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Ahab sought Elijah everywhere to force or kill him; Obadiah, who hid a hundred prophets, shows his piety in word and deed. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον· Εἰ ἔστιν ἔθνος ἢ βασιλεία, οὗ οὐκ ἀπέσταλκεν ὁ Κύριος μου ζητεῖν σε, καὶ εἶπον, Οὐκ ἔστιν ; Ἐπειδὴ ὁ προφήτης εἰρήκει τῷ Ἀχαάβ, Ζῇ Κύριος ὁ Θεός μου, εἱ ἔσται τὰ ἔτη ταῦτα ὑετὸς ἢ δρόσος, εἰ μὴ διὰ λόγου στόματός μου, λαβὼν τῆς τῶν λόγων ἀληθείας τὴν πεῖραν ὁ ᾿Αχαάβ, ἀναγκαίως ἐπεζήτει τὸν τῇ γλώττῃ τὰ νέφη καθείρξαντα, ἵνα δυοῖν θάτερον δράσῃ, ἢ ἀνοῖξαι πείσῃ, ἢ μὴ πειθόμενον διολέσῃ. Ὁ δὲ ᾿Αβδιοὺ τῶν ἄγαν ἦν εὐσεβῶν· καὶ τοῦτο διδάσκει οὐ μόνον αὐτοῦ τὰ ῥήματα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ πράγματα. Πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ ἀναιρουμένους ὑπὸ τῆς Ἰεζάβελ τοὺς προφήτας ὁρῶν, οὐ μόνον κατέκρυψεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ διέθρεψε, καὶ οὐ τρεῖς, οὐδὲ τέσσαρας, οὐδὲ πέντε, καὶ δέκα, ἀλλ᾽ ἑκατὸν διχῆ διελών. Καὶ οὐκ ἔδεισε τῆς κρατούσης μιαιφονίαν, ἀλλὰ πάντων προετίμησε τὴν εὐσέβειαν. Ἔπειτα δὲ τὸν μέγαν Ἠλίαν ἰδὼν, ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἶπεν· Εἰ σὺ εἶ αὐτὸς, κύριέ μου Ἠλίας; Καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς δὲ δείκνυσιν αὐτοῦ τὴν εὐσέβειαν. Ἔσται γὰρ, φησὶν, ὅτε ἀπέλθω ἀπὸ σοῦ, καὶ Πνεῦμα Κυρίου ἄρῃ σε εἰς γῆν ἣν οὐκ οἶδα. ᾿Ανδρὸς γὰρ ταῦτα μελετῶντος τὰ θεῖα, καὶ τοῦ θείου Πνεύματος ἐπισταμένου τὴν δύναμιν. ### English translation (Claude) How should “There is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent to seek you; and they said, He is not here” be understood? Since the prophet had said to Ahab, “As the Lord my God lives, there shall be neither rain nor dew these years, except by the word of my mouth,” Ahab, having experienced the truth of the words, necessarily sought the one who had shut up the clouds with his tongue, so as to do one of two things: either persuade him to open them, or, if he would not be persuaded, destroy him. Obadiah was one of the very pious, and not only his words but also his deeds teach this. First, when he saw the prophets being killed by Jezebel, he not only hid them but fed them, and not three, or four, or five and ten, but a hundred, dividing them into two groups. He did not fear the murderousness of the queen, but preferred piety to everything. Then, seeing the great Elijah, he fell on his face and said, “Is it you, my lord Elijah?” What follows also shows his piety: “It will happen,” he says, “that when I go from you, the Spirit of the Lord will carry you off to a land I do not know.” These are the words of a man who meditated on divine things and knew the power of the divine Spirit. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 18:10: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 17:1: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 18:3: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 18:4: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 18:7: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 18:12: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 18:10 (LXX); 17:1; 18:4, 7, 12. A displaced line (a second form of a sentence of 3.54, on God's pity and the prophet's unwillingness to ask for mercy) printed inside the sentence on Obadiah is removed by a logged correction. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.55 (PG 80 80:727; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-55). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 56 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-42/#p-3-56 - Source: PG 80 80:729 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Elijah could build an altar on Carmel because the one-sanctuary law was for the unstable, and the divided kingdom made Jerusalem inaccessible for his demonstration. ### Greek text Τι δήποτε, τοῦ νόμου διαγορεύοντος ἐν ἑνὶ τόπῳ λατρεύειν, ὁ Ἠλίας ἐν τῷ Καρμήλῳ θυσιαστήριον ᾠκοδόμησεν ; Ὅτι Τῷ δικαίῳ νόμος οὐ κεῖται, κατὰ τὸν θεῖον ᾿Απόστολον, ἀνόμοις δὲ καὶ ἀνυποτάκτοις. γὰρ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ διὰ τὴν εὐκολίαν τῆς γνώμης ἐν ἑνὶ χωρίῳ λατρεύειν ἐνομοθέτησεν, ἵνα μὴ λαβόντες ἄδειαν προσκυνήσωσι καὶ τοῖς ψευδωνύμοις θεοῖς. Ὁ δὲ προφήτης δεῖξαι ἠβουλήθη τῶν μὲν λαοπλάνων δαιμόνων τὸ ἀσθενὲς, τοῦ δὲ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων τὸ παντοδύναμον· ἀγαγεῖν δὲ αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸν ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις ναὸν οὐχ οἷόν τε ἦν, διχῆ τῆς βασιλείας διηρημένης. "Οθεν αὐτοὺς ἀνήγαγεν εἰς τὸν Κάρμηλον, ἔνθα τὰς πλείους ἐποιεῖτο διατριβάς. ### English translation (Claude) Why, when the law ordained worship in one place, did Elijah build an altar on Carmel? Because “the law is not laid down for the righteous,” according to the divine Apostle, “but for the lawless and disobedient.” For he legislated that Israel worship in one place because of the fickleness of their mind, so that they would not take licence to worship the falsely named gods as well. But the prophet wished to show the weakness of the demons who lead the people astray and the omnipotence of the God of the universe; and it was not possible to bring them to the temple in Jerusalem, since the kingdom was divided in two. So he brought them up to Carmel, where he spent most of his time. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 18:19: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 18:30: allusion, high confidence - 1 Tim 1:9: quotation, high confidence - Deut 12:5: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 18:19–20, 30; 1 Tim 1:9; Deut 12:5–14. The staging notes that the OCR read the question number as 350. The subject of “he legislated” has dropped out of the printed text (ἀνυποτάκτοις. γὰρ …); translated by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.56 (PG 80 80:729; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-56). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 57 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-42/#p-3-57 - Source: PG 80 80:729 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Elijah rebukes Israel for wavering between the Lord and Baal, loyal to neither. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον· Ἕως πότε χωλανεῖτε ἐπ᾿ ἀμφοτέραις ταῖς ἰγνύαις ὑμῶν Καὶ τὸν Θεὸν προσεκύνουν, καὶ τοῖς εἰδώλοις ἐλάτρευον. Ὅθεν ἐπήγαγεν· Εἰ ἔστι Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς, δεῦτε καὶ πορευθῶμεν ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ. Εἰ δὲ ὁ Βάαλ ἐστὶν, πορεύεσθε ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ. Οὔτε ὁ Θεὸς βούλεται, φησὶ, τιμᾶσθαι τοὺς ψευδωνύμους θεοὺς, οὔτε αὐτοὶ τὸν ἀληθινὸν προσκυνεῖσθαι Θεόν. Ὑμεῖς δὲ ταῦτα κἀκεῖνα ποιεῖτε, καὶ οὐδετέρῳ φυλάττετε βεβαίαν τὴν εὔνοιαν. ### English translation (Claude) How should “How long will you go lame on both your hams?” be understood? They both worshiped God and served the idols. So he added, “If the Lord is God, come, let us follow him; but if Baal is, go after him.” Neither does God wish, he says, that the falsely named gods be honored, nor do they wish that the true God be worshiped; but you do both this and that, and keep firm loyalty to neither. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 18:21: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 18:21 (LXX). The printed question lacks a question mark; the question is present. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.57 (PG 80 80:729; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-57). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 58 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-58/#p-3-58 - Source: PG 80 80:729 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Elijah gave Baal's prophets every advantage, mocked their failure, and then, after drenching the sacrifice three times, called down fire from God, before ending the drought. ### Greek text Τίνος ἕνεκα τοῖς ἱερεῦσι τοῦ Βάαλ τὸν πίονα βοῦν ἐκλέξασθαι, καὶ πρώτοις ἐπιτελέσαι τήν θυσίαν προσέταξεν; Ὁ ὅντως Θεὸς οὐδενὸς τούτων ἐνδεής ἐστιν. Ἵνα τοίνυν καταισχυνθέντες οἱ τοῦ ψεύδους ὑπηρέται μὴ εἶπωσι χαλεπαίνειν τὸν Βάαλ, ὡς μὴ τὸ πρῶτον δεξάμενον γέρας, τῶν πρωτείων αὐτοῖς παρεχώρησεν. Επεὶ δὲ καὶ τούτων γεγενημένων οὐδὲν ἐπέραινον· τὰ γὰρ εἴδωλα τῶν ἐθνῶν ἀργύριον καὶ χρυσίον, ἔργα χειρῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὦτα ἔχουσι καὶ οὐκ ἀκούσονται ἐπικερτομῶν αὐτοῖς ἔλεγεν ὁ προφήτης· Επικαλεῖσθε ἐν φωνῇ μεγάλῃ ἅμα, μήποτε ἀδολεσχία τις αὐτῷ ἐστι μήποτε χρηματίζει αὐτὸς, ἢ μήποτε καθεύδει, καὶ ἐξαναστήσεται. Εἰκὸς αὐτὸν, φησὶ, καθεύδειν, ἢ ἕτερά τινα πρυτανεύειν, ἢ περὶ ἄλλα σχολάζειν, ὅθεν ἑνὸς οὐκ ἐπαΐῃ καλοῦντος. Προσήκει τοίνυν κοινῇ πάντας βοῆσαι, ἵνα τὸ μέγα τῆς βοῆς ἐξελάσῃ τὸν ὕπνον. Ὑπήχθησαν δὲ τοῖς λόγοις οἱ λίαν ἀνόητοι, καὶ κοινὴν ἀφῆκαν βοὴν, καὶ κατετέμνοντο ἐν μαχαίραις καὶ σειρομάσταις ἑαυτοὺς ἕως ἐκχύσεως αἵματος. Μιαιφόνοι γὰρ ὄντες οἱ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀλάστορες τοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων αἴμασιν ἐπιτέρπονται. Οὗ δὴ χάριν τοῦτον αὐτοὺς τὸν τρόπον οἱ ἱερεῖς ἐθεράπευον. Καὶ τοῦτο δεδήλωκεν ὁ συγγραφεὺς εἰρηκὼς, Κατετέμνοντο κατὰ τὸν ἐθισμὸν αὐτῶν. Τούτων οὕτως τὴν ἀπάτην γυμνώσας, καὶ τῷ τῶν πρωτείων παραχωρῆσαι, καὶ τῷ πᾶσαν αὐτοῖς σχεδὸν τὴν ἡμέραν ἐνδοῦναι, περὶ αὐτὰς τὰς ἡλίου δυσμάς τοῦτο γὰρ ἡ ἱστορία δεδήλωκεν ὡς Εγένετο γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ καιρὸς τοῦ ἀναβῆναι τὴν θυσίαν· συνήθροισε μὲν ἅπαντα τὸν λαὸν, ἰσαρίθμους δὲ τῶν φυλῶν αὐτῶν, οὐ τῶν δέκα, ἀλλὰ τῶν δυοκαίδεκα λίθους κομισθῆναι κελεύσας, τὸ κατεσκαμμένον τοῦ Θεοῦ θυσιαστήριον ᾠκοδόμησε· καὶ τὰ ξύλα συντεθεικὼς, τὸ ἱερεῖον ἐπέθηκεν. Ἐν κύκλῳ δὲ διορύξας, δοχεῖον ἐποίησεν ὕδατος. Τοῦτο ὁ μὲν Ἑβραῖος θααλά προσηγόρευσεν ὁ δὲ Ἰώσηπος δεξαμενήν. Προσήνεγκε δὲ οὐ πῦρ, ἀλλ᾽ ὕδωρ τοῖς ξύλοις. Ἰσαρίθμους γὰρ πάλιν τῶν φυλῶν ἀμφορέας ἐνεχθῆναι κελεύσας, καὶ τούτους ὕδατος ἐμπλήσας, ἐπέχεεν τῇ θυσίᾳ. Οὐχὶ ἅπαξ δὲ μόνον, οὐδὲ δὶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τρὶς τοῦτο πεποίηκε, τῆς προσκυνουμένης πάλιν Τριάδος ἐμφαίνων τὸν ἀριθμόν. Βοῇ δὲ χρησάμενος ἱκέτευσε τὸν τῶν πατέρων Θεὸν δεῖξαι τὸ διάφορον, καὶ τὸν ἐξαπατημένον ἐπιστρέψαι λαὸν, καὶ θεοσδότῳ πυρὶ τὴν θυσίαν ὁλοκαυτῶσαι· καὶ τῆς εὐχῆς μηδέπω δεξαμένης τὸ πέρας, κατηνέχθη τὸ πῦρ, ὃ καὶ κατηνάλωσεν οὐ μόνον τὰ ξύλα καὶ τὸ θῦμα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν χοῦν, καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ, καὶ τοὺς λίθους· ὥστε μὴ καθυβρισθῆναι τὸ θεῖον θυσιαστήριον, τῶν δυσσεβῶν ἐν ἐκείνῳ προσφερόντων θυσίας τοῖς δαίμοσι. Τούτου γενομένου τοῦ θαύματος, προσέταξεν ἀναιρεθῆναι τοὺς τοῦ ψεύδους τεχνίτας, καὶ τότε τῶν νεφῶν ἔλυσε τὰς ὠδῖνας. ### English translation (Claude) Why did he order the priests of Baal to choose the fat bull and to perform their sacrifice first? The true God needs none of these things. So that the servants of falsehood, when put to shame, would not say that Baal was angry at not receiving the first honor, he yielded first place to them. And when, even after this, they accomplished nothing (for “the idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands; they have ears and will not hear”), the prophet mocked them and said, “Call with a loud voice together; perhaps he is chatting, perhaps he is doing business, or perhaps he is asleep and will wake up.” He is probably sleeping, he means, or managing other affairs, or busy with other things; so he does not hear one person calling. You should all shout together, so that the loudness of the shout drives away his sleep. The very foolish men were led on by the words, raised a common shout, and cut themselves with knives and lances until the blood poured out. For the avenging spirits that destroy human beings, being murderous, delight in human blood; for this reason the priests served them in this way. The writer showed this too by saying, “They cut themselves according to their custom.” Having thus exposed their deception, both by yielding first place to them and by giving them almost the whole day, around sunset itself (for the history showed this: “For it was,” it says, “the time of offering the sacrifice”) he gathered all the people, ordered stones to be brought equal in number to their tribes, not the ten but the twelve, and rebuilt the altar of God that had been torn down; and having arranged the wood, he laid the victim on it. Digging around it, he made a channel for water. The Hebrew called this thaala, and Josephus a reservoir. He brought not fire but water to the wood. For he ordered jars equal in number to the tribes to be brought, filled them with water, and poured it on the sacrifice. He did this not once, nor twice, but three times, again showing the number of the worshiped Trinity. Crying out, he begged the God of the fathers to show the difference, to turn back the deceived people, and to consume the sacrifice with God-given fire; and before the prayer was even finished, the fire came down, which consumed not only the wood and the victim but also the dust, the water and the stones, so that the divine altar would not be outraged by the impious offering sacrifices to the demons on it. When this miracle had happened, he ordered the craftsmen of falsehood to be killed, and then released the labor of the clouds. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 18:25: allusion, high confidence - Ps 115:4 (113:12 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 115:6 (113:14 LXX): quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 18:26: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 18:27: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 18:28: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 18:29: quotation, medium confidence - 1 Kgs 18:31: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 18:32: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 18:33: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 18:34: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 18:36: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 18:37: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 18:38: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 18:40: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 18:45: allusion, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Josephus, Ant. 8.13.5 (Josephus (works)): allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 18:25–45 (LXX; quotations 18:27, 28, 29 (36), 32 θααλά); Ps 115:4–6 (LXX 113:12–14); Josephus, Ant. 8.13.5. The reading of the threefold pouring as a sign of the Trinity is Theodoret's; translated as written. A stray line from 3.57 (“how long will you go lame on two, doubting?”) printed inside the word “yielded” is removed by a logged correction. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.58 (PG 80 80:729; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-58). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 59 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-58/#p-3-59 - Source: PG 80 80:731 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God let Elijah fear Jezebel to keep him humble, and showed him at Horeb that he governs by gentleness and patience rather than by wind, earthquake and fire. ### Greek text Τίνος ἕνεκεν τοσαύτην ἔχων δύναμιν ἐφοβήθη μόνην τὴν Ἰεζάβελ; Ὅτι οὐ μόνον προφήτης, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄνθρωπος ἦν· ἄλλως τε καὶ τῆς θείας ἦν οἰκονομίας τὸ δέος. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ τῆς θαυματουργίας τὸ μέγεθος ἐπάρῃ τὸ φρόνημα, ἐνδέδωκεν ἡ χάρις φύσει τὴν δειλίαν εἰσδέξασθαι, ἵνα ἐπιγνῷ τὴν οἰκείαν ἀσθένειαν. Τούτου χάριν αὐτῷ καὶ μεμήνυκεν ὁ Δεσπότης, ὅτι χιλιάδες ἑπτὰ διέμειναν τῆς ἀσεβείας ἐλεύθεραι. Πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ἐδίδαξεν αὐτὸν, ὡς ἡμερότητι καὶ μακροθυμίᾳ πρυτανεύειν ἐδοκίμασε τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὸ γένος καὶ ὅτι ῥάδιον ἦν αὐτῷ, καὶ κεραυνοὺς καὶ σκηπτοὺς ἐπιπέμψαι τοῖς δυσσεβέσι, καὶ κλονῆσαι τὴν γῆν, καὶ τάφον αὐτοῖς αὐτοσχέδιον ἀποφῆναι, καὶ βιαίοις ἀνέμοις ἄρδην ἅπαντας διολέσαι. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἔφη· Καὶ πνεῦμα μέγα κραταιὸν, καὶ διαλύον ὅρη, καὶ συντρίβον πέτρας, ἐνώπιον Κυρίου· οὐκ ἐν τῷ πνεύματι Κύριος· καὶ μετὰ τὸ πνεῦμα, συσσεισμὸς, καὶ οὐκ ἐν τῷ συσσεισμῷ Κύριος· καὶ μετὰ τὸν συσσεισμὸν πῦρ, καὶ οὐκ ἐν τῷ πυρὶ Κύριος· καὶ μετὰ τὸ πῦρ φωνὴ αὔρας λεπτῆς. Διὰ δὲ τούτων ἔδειξεν, ὅτι μακροθυμία καὶ φιλανθρωπία μόνη φίλη Θεῷ ἕκαστον δὲ τῶν ἄλλων ἡ πονηρία τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐφέλκεται. ### English translation (Claude) Why, having such great power, did he fear Jezebel alone? Because he was not only a prophet but also a human being; and besides, the fear was part of God's dispensation. So that the greatness of his miracles would not puff up his mind, grace allowed nature to receive fear, so that he would recognize his own weakness. For this reason the Master also told him that seven thousand had remained free from impiety. Besides, he taught him that he had chosen to govern the human race with gentleness and patience, and that it would have been easy for him to send thunderbolts and lightning on the impious, to shake the earth and make for them an improvised grave, and to destroy them all utterly with violent winds. For he said this: “And a great and strong wind, splitting mountains and shattering rocks, before the Lord; the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, and the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, and the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a gentle breeze.” By these he showed that patience and love for humankind alone are dear to God; each of the others is drawn down by human wickedness. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 19:3: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 19:18: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 19:11: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 19:12: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 19:3, 11–12 (quotation, LXX), 18. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.59 (PG 80 80:731; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-59). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 60 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-58/#p-3-60 - Source: PG 80 80:733 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: By anointing Elisha, Elijah anointed Hazael and Jehu too, for Elisha later conferred their kingship. ### Greek text Τι δήποτε τὸν ᾿Αζαὴλ, καὶ τὸν Ἰοὺ, καὶ τὸν Ἑλισσαῖον χρίσαι προσταχθεὶς, μόνον τὸν προφήτην ἔχρισεν ; Εἰ τὸν προφήτην ἔχρισε, καὶ τῆς πνευματικῆς αὐτῷ μετέδωκε χάριτος, ταύτῃ καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἔχρισε. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ Ἑλισσαῖος, δι' αὐτοῦ τὴν προφητικὴν δεξάμενος χάριν, προσήνεγκεν ἐκείνοις τὸ χάρισμα, καὶ τῆς βασιλικῆς αὐτοῖς μετέδωκε χάρίτος. ### English translation (Claude) Why, having been ordered to anoint Hazael, Jehu and Elisha, did he anoint only the prophet? If he anointed the prophet and gave him a share of spiritual grace, through him he anointed the others too. For Elisha, having received prophetic grace through him, brought the gift to them and gave them a share of royal grace. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 19:15: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 19:16: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 19:19: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 8:13: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 9:6: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 19:15–16, 19; 2 Kgs 8:13; 9:1–6. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.60 (PG 80 80:733; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-60). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 61 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-58/#p-3-61 - Source: PG 80 80:733 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Jezebel staged a fast and a false charge that Naboth had “blessed” (that is, cursed) God and the king, to give his murder a show of justice. ### Greek text Τί ἐστιν· Εὐλόγησε Ναβουθαὶ Θεὸν καὶ βασιλέα Η παμμίαρος Ἰεζάβελ τὴν συκοφαντίαν ἐξέφηνε. καὶ πρῶτον μὲν ἐκέλευσεν αὐτὸν τῆς συνήθους ἀξιωθῆναι τιμῆς, καὶ προεδρεῦσαι τῶν ἄλλων· εἶτα τοὺς συκοφάντας εἰσενεγκεῖν, καὶ τὴν τῆς βλασφημίας γραφὴν προθέσθαι· εὐφήμως γὰρ τὸ Εὐλόγησε τέθεικεν, ἀντὶ τοῦ ἐβλασφήμησε. Τὴν δὲ νηστείαν γενέσθαι προσέταξεν, ὥστε ταύτῃ δεῖξαι τοῦ φόνου τὸ δίκαιον. ### English translation (Claude) What does “Naboth blessed God and the king” mean? The utterly vile Jezebel laid out the false accusation. First she ordered that he be granted his customary honor and seated before the others; then that the false accusers be brought in and the charge of blasphemy be laid. For “blessed” is put euphemistically for “blasphemed.” She ordered the fast to be held, so as to show by it that the murder was just. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 21:9 (3 Kgdms 20:9 LXX): allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 21:10 (3 Kgdms 20:10 LXX): quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 21:13 (3 Kgdms 20:13 LXX): allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 21:9–13 (LXX 20:9–13; the Septuagint places the story of Naboth before Ahab's Syrian wars). The printed question lacks a question mark; the question is present. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.61 (PG 80 80:733; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-61). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 62 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-58/#p-3-62 - Source: PG 80 80:733 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Fickle Ahab, led into sin by Jezebel, mourned Naboth, and God postponed his punishment and even gave him victory over the boasting Syrians. ### Greek text Πῶς ὁ ᾿Αχαὰβ ὀρεχθεὶς τοῦ ἀμπελῶνος, καὶ δυσχεράνας ὅτι δὴ τοῦτον οὐκ ἔλαβεν, ἤλγησεν ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ Ναβουθαὶ τελευτῇ; Κοῦφος ἦν ὁ τρισάθλιος, καὶ ῥᾳδίως τῇδε κἀκεῖσε μεταφερόμενος ὅθεν αὐτὸν καὶ τὸ παμπόνηρον γύναιον εἰς τὸ τῆς ἀσεβείας ἐμβέβληκε βάραθρον. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ἡ ἱστορία διδάσκει· - Δωρεάν γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐπράθη ὁ ᾿Αχαάβ τοῦ ποιῆσαι τὸ πονηρὸν ἐνώπιον Κυρίου, ὡς μετέστησεν αὐτὸν Ἰεζάβελ ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἑβδελύχθη ὀπίσω τῶν βδελυγμάτων, κατὰ πάντα ὅσα ἐποίησεν ὁ Ἁμοῤῥαῖος, ὃν ἐξωλόθρευσε Κύριος ἀπὸ προσώπου τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραήλ. Τὸν δὲ Ἀμοῤῥαῖον ἐνταῦθα οὐ τὸ ἔθνος λέγει, ἀλλὰ πάντας τοὺς Χαναναίους. Ἀμοῤῥαῖος γὰρ τῇ Ἑβραίων φωνῇ καὶ ὁ κατοικῶν ὀνομάζεται. Ἡ δὲ τῆς ἀγαθότητος ἄβυσσος ὁ Δεσπότης Θεὸς, διὰ μὲν τὴν μιαιφονίαν τὴν πανωλεθρίαν ἠπείλησε· διὰ δὲ τὸν ἐπὶ τῷ φόνῳ θρῆνον, τὴν τῆς τιμωρίας ἀναβολὴν ἐχαρίσατο. Αὐτίκα γοῦν τῶν Σύρων πολλὰς κατ' αὐτοῦ μυριάδας συνειληχότων, καὶ βρενθυομένων, καὶ λεγόντων, Εἰ ἐκποιήσει ὁ χοῦς Σαμαρείας ταῖς δραξὶ παντὶ τῷ λαῷ τοῖς πεζοῖς μου; ταῦτα δὲ ἔλεγον ἀπειλοῦντες τῆς πολιορκίας τὰ χώματα τὸν προφήτην ἀποστείλας ὁ Δεσπότης Θεὸς, διέλυσε τοῦ τρισαθλίου βασιλέως τὸ δέος, τοῖσδε τοῖς λόγοις χρησάμενος· Ἑώρακας πάντα τὸν ἦχον τὸν μέγαν τοῦτον. Ἰδοὺ δίδωμι αὐτὸν ἐγὼ εἰς τὰς χεῖράς σου, καὶ γνώσῃ, ὅτι ἐγὼ Κύριος. Μάλα δὲ ἁρμοδίως ἦχον ὠνόμασε τῶν ἀπειλητικῶν ῥημάτων τὸν ψόφον διελύθη γὰρ συντόμως τῇ θείᾳ ῥοπῇ. ### English translation (Claude) How could Ahab, who longed for the vineyard and was vexed at not getting it, grieve over Naboth's death? The thrice-wretched man was fickle and easily carried this way and that; that is how his utterly wicked wife threw him into the pit of impiety. The history teaches this: “For Ahab sold himself for nothing,” it says, “to do evil in the sight of the Lord, as Jezebel his wife changed him; and he became abominable in following abominations, according to all that the Amorite did, whom the Lord destroyed before the sons of Israel.” By “the Amorite” here it means not the nation but all the Canaanites; for in the Hebrew language “Amorite” also means inhabitant. God the Master, that abyss of goodness, threatened utter destruction because of the murder, but because of Ahab's lament over the murder granted a postponement of the punishment. At once, at any rate, when the Syrians had gathered many tens of thousands against him and were boasting, saying, “Will the dust of Samaria suffice for handfuls for all my foot soldiers?” (they said this threatening siege mounds), God the Master sent the prophet and dispelled the fear of the thrice-wretched king, using these words: “Have you seen all this great noise? Behold, I give it into your hands, and you shall know that I am the Lord.” Very aptly he called the din of the threatening words a noise, for it was quickly dissolved by divine power. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 21:27 (3 Kgdms 20:27 LXX): allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 21:25 (3 Kgdms 20:25 LXX): quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 21:26 (3 Kgdms 20:26 LXX): quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 21:29 (3 Kgdms 20:29 LXX): allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 20:10 (3 Kgdms 21:10 LXX): quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 20:13 (3 Kgdms 21:13 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 21:25–29 (LXX 20:25–29; quotation 21:25–26); 20:10, 13 (LXX 21:10, 13). Theodoret's explanation of “Amorite” is his own; translated as written. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.62 (PG 80 80:733; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-62). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 63 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-58/#p-3-63 - Source: PG 80 80:735 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God defeated the Syrians first with a handful of young men, then in the plain, to show that he is not a local god of the hills. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον τὸ· «Ἐν τοῖς παιδαρίοις τῶν ἀρχόντων τῶν χωρῶν; Οὐ χρήζω πλήθους, φησὶν, ἐγώ. Ἐν ὀλίγοις γὰρ μειρακίοις, καὶ πολέμων ἀπείροις, τὴν παμπόλλην ταύτην στρατιὰν διολέσω. ᾿Αριθμήσας γοῦν αὐτοὺς Αχαάβ τριάκοντα καὶ διακοσίους εὖρε. Διὰ τούτων ὁ παντοδύναμος Κύριος τριάκοντα καὶ δύο βασιλέων διέλυσε στρατιάν. Τούτῳ δὲ κατακράτος νενικηκότι προμηνύει τῶν Σύρων τὴν ἔφοδον, τὴν ἐσομένην εἰς νέωτα. Ἐροῦσι γὰρ, φησὶν, οἱ Σύροι· Θεὸς ὀρέων ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ οὐ Θεὸς κοιλάδων τουτέστιν, ἐν τοῖς ὅρεσιν ἔχει τὴν δύναμιν, ἐν δὲ τοῖς πεδίοις ἡττᾶται. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τοιούτους εἶναι τοὺς οἰκείους θεοὺς ὑπελάμβανον, ψήθησαν καὶ τὸν ἀληθινὸν τῶν ὅλων δημιουργὸν μερικὸν εἶναι Θεόν. ᾿Αλλ' ἔδειξε καὶ τοῖς οἰκείοις, καὶ τοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις, τὴν ἰδίαν ἰσχύν. Τῆς γὰρ συμπλοκῆς ἐν πεδίῳ γεγενημένης, δυοκαίδεκα μυριάδας τῶν ἀντιπάλων ὁ Ἰσραὴλ κατηκόντισεν. Ἵνα δὲ κἀκεῖνοι καὶ οὗτοι μάθωσιν, ὡς θεήλατος ή πληγὴ, τῶν διαφυγόντων εἰς τὴν ᾿Αφηκὰ πόλιν καταπεφευγότων καταπεσὸν τὸ τεῖχος ἑπτὰ καὶ εἴκοσι χιλιάδας κατέχωσεν. ### English translation (Claude) How should “By the young men of the governors of the provinces” be understood? I do not need numbers, he says; with a few young men inexperienced in war I will destroy this enormous army. When Ahab counted them, he found two hundred and thirty. Through these the almighty Lord broke up the army of thirty-two kings. To him, after his decisive victory, he foretold the attack of the Syrians that would come the next year: “For the Syrians will say,” he says, “The God of Israel is a God of the mountains, and not a God of the valleys”; that is, he has power in the mountains but is defeated in the plains. Since they supposed their own gods to be like that, they thought that the true Creator of the universe too was a local god. But he showed his own strength both to his own people and to the foreigners. For when the battle took place in the plain, Israel cut down a hundred and twenty thousand of the enemy. And so that both they and these might learn that the blow was from God, when those who escaped fled to the city of Aphek, the wall fell and buried twenty-seven thousand. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 20:14 (3 Kgdms 21:14 LXX): quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 20:15 (3 Kgdms 21:15 LXX): allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 20:16 (3 Kgdms 21:16 LXX): allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 20:22 (3 Kgdms 21:22 LXX): allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 20:23 (3 Kgdms 21:23 LXX): allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 20:28 (3 Kgdms 21:28 LXX): quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 20:29 (3 Kgdms 21:29 LXX): allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 20:30 (3 Kgdms 21:30 LXX): allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 20:14–30 (LXX 21:14–30; quotations 20:14, 28). The LXX numbers differ in places from the Hebrew; Theodoret's figures are translated as printed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.63 (PG 80 80:735; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-63). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 64 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-58/#p-3-64 - Source: PG 80 80:737 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Prophets use parables so that hearers condemn themselves; so the disguised prophet led Ahab to condemn himself for releasing Ben-hadad. ### Greek text Διατί παραβολαῖς οἱ προφῆται κεχρημένοι τὰς θείας προῤῥήσεις προφέρουσιν; ἵνα ἀγνοοῦντες οἱ τῶνδε τῶν λόγων ἀκούοντες, ὡς καθ' ἑαυτῶν τὴν ψῆφον ἐκφέρουσι, δικαίως ψηφίσωνται. Αλλως γὰρ ἐν ἑαυτοῖς, καὶ ἄλλως ἐν ἄλλοις τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ὁρῶμεν. Ταῦτα καὶ Νάθαν πεποίηκεν. Οὐ γὰρ εὐθὺς τῷ Δαβὶδ τὸν ἔλεγχον προσενήνοχεν· ἀλλὰ πρότερον τοῦ πένητος τὴν συμφορὰν διηγήσατο· εἶτα δικαίαν τὴν ψῆφον ἰδὼν, τὸ τῆς κατηγορίας ἐγύμνωσε πρόσωπον. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐνταῦθα πεποίηκεν ὁ προφήτης. Τελαμῶνι γὰρ τὸ πρόσωπον, καὶ τὰς ὀφρῦς συγκαλύψας, τῷ ᾿Αχαάβ προσελήλυθεν. Εἶτα ἐδίδαξεν, ὡς ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ δορυάλωτος αὐτῷ παρεδόθη, φυλάξαι τοῦτον τοῦ παραδεδωκότος κελεύσαντος, καὶ προσαπειλήσαντος, ὡς εἰ φύγοι θανάτῳ ζημιωθήσεται. Ἐμοῦ δὲ, φησὶ, τὴν παράταξιν θεωμένου, πέφευγε χώραν λαβών. Τούτων ἀκούσας ὁ ᾿Αχαάβ, ἀνδροφόνον αὐτὸν ἀπεκάλεσεν. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ, φησὶ, δικαστής σὺ παρ' ἐμοὶ ἐφόνευσας πολέμιον γὰρ ἀπέλυσας, ἵνα πολλοὺς ἐκεῖνος πάλιν ἐργάσηται φόνους. Τότε λοιπὸν ὁ προφήτης τελαμῶνα λύσας, ἔδειξεν ὅστις ἐστί καὶ προσήνεγκε τὴν θείαν ἀπόφασιν Τάδε λέγει Κύριος· Διότι ἐξαπέστειλας ἄνδρα ὀλέθριον ἐκ τῆς χειρός σου, ἰδοὺ ἡ ψυχή σου αὐτοῦ. ### English translation (Claude) Why do the prophets use parables when they deliver the divine prophecies? So that those who hear these words, not knowing that they are pronouncing sentence against themselves, may judge justly. For we see sin one way in ourselves and another way in others. Nathan did this: he did not bring the rebuke to David at once, but first told the misfortune of the poor man; then, seeing the sentence was just, he uncovered the face of the accusation. The prophet did this here too. Covering his face and eyebrows with a bandage, he came to Ahab. Then he told him how a prisoner of war had been handed over to him in the battle, the one who handed him over ordering him to guard him and threatening that if he escaped he would be punished with death; “but while I was watching the battle,” he says, “he took the chance and escaped.” Hearing this, Ahab called him a murderer: “Behold,” he says, “you have killed the judge with me”; for you let an enemy go, so that he would commit many murders again. Then at last the prophet loosed the bandage, showed who he was, and delivered the divine sentence: “Thus says the Lord: Because you let go out of your hand a man doomed to destruction, behold, your life for his …” ### Scripture references - 2 Sam 12:1: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 20:38 (3 Kgdms 21:38 LXX): allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 20:39 (3 Kgdms 21:39 LXX): allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 20:40 (3 Kgdms 21:40 LXX): quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 20:41 (3 Kgdms 21:41 LXX): allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 20:42 (3 Kgdms 21:42 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 20:38–42 (LXX 21:38–42; quotations 20:40, 42, LXX); 2 Sam 12:1–7. The quotation of 20:42 breaks off here; its continuation (“…life, and your people for his people”) is printed at the beginning of question 3.65, so the boundary between 3.64 and 3.65 appears misplaced by a few words; the text is not moved. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.64 (PG 80 80:737; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-64). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 65 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-58/#p-3-65 - Source: PG 80 80:737 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Ahab was punished for sparing Ben-hadad because kindness to Israel's enemy, from a man cruel to the prophets, was injustice. ### Greek text ἀντὶ τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὁ λαός σου ἀντὶ τοῦ λαοῦ Καὶ διατί φιλανθρωπίας ἀπῃτήθη δίκας; Ὅτι χρὴ τῇ φιλανθρωπίᾳ συγκιρνᾶν τὸ δίκαιον. Ουτος δὲ ὠμότητι χρησάμενος κατὰ τῶν προφητῶν, καὶ πάντας ἄρδην βουληθεὶς διαφθεῖραι, καὶ τοὺς ἁλόντας ἀνελὼν ἅπαντας, περὶ τὸν τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ πολέμιον τὸ ἥμερον ἔδειξεν. "Ὅτι δὲ πλεῖστα ἐξήμαρτε διὰ τὴν εὐκολίαν τῆς γνώμης, τὰ ἑξῆς μαρτυρεῖ. ᾿Απῆλθε γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἰσραὴλ συνεχόμενος καὶ κλαίων. Πεῖραν γὰρ τῶν θείων ἔχων προῤῥήσεων· δὶς γὰρ ἐνίκησε κατὰ τοὺς θείους χρησμούς. τὴν προσενεχθεῖσαν ἔδεισεν ἀπειλήν ἀλλ᾽ εὐθὺς πάλιν εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν ἐπανῆλθεν ἀσέβειαν. ### English translation (Claude) [… life, and your people for his people.] And why was he made to pay a penalty for an act of kindness? Because justice must be mixed with kindness. This man, who used cruelty against the prophets, wished to destroy them all utterly, and killed all who were caught, showed gentleness toward the enemy of Israel. That he sinned very often through the fickleness of his mind is attested by what follows: “For the king of Israel went away,” it says, “troubled and weeping.” Having experience of the divine prophecies (for he had twice won victories according to the divine oracles), he feared the threat that had been delivered; but at once he returned again to his own impiety. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 20:42 (3 Kgdms 21:42 LXX): quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 20:43 (3 Kgdms 21:43 LXX): quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 18:4: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The bracketed opening words are the end of the quotation of 1 Kgs 20:42 begun in question 3.64; they are printed at the head of this question in the edition and are translated where they stand. 1 Kgs 20:43 (LXX 21:43, quoted); 18:4, 13. Stray marginal words at the end are removed by a logged correction. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.65 (PG 80 80:737; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-65). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 66 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-58/#p-3-66 - Source: PG 80 80:739 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The prophet's order to strike him came from the Spirit, so the man who refused was killed by a lion. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον· Πάταξόν με ἐν λόγῳ Κυρίου Οὐκ ἐγώ σοι, φησὶν, ἐπιτάσσω, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἐν ἐμοὶ Πνεῦμα. Διὸ δὴ τῷ ἀντειπόντι τὸν διὰ τοῦ λέοντος ἐπήνεγκεν ὄλεθρον. ῎Ἄλλος δὲ τοῦτο δρᾶσαι κελευσθεὶς πιστῶς ὑπήκουσε, καὶ πατάξας συνέτριψε, τουτέστιν ἐτραυμάτισεν. ### English translation (Claude) How should “Strike me by the word of the Lord” be understood? It is not I, he says, who command you, but the Spirit in me. That is why he brought destruction by the lion on the one who refused. Another, ordered to do this, obeyed faithfully, and striking him, “crushed” him, that is, wounded him. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 20:35 (3 Kgdms 21:35 LXX): quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 20:36 (3 Kgdms 21:36 LXX): allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 20:37 (3 Kgdms 21:37 LXX): allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 20:35–37 (LXX 21:35–37). The printed question lacks a question mark; the staging notes that the OCR read its number as 305. Since this question comes after 3.64–3.65 although it concerns the verses before them, the order of 3.64–3.66 in the edition may not be the original order; the text is not moved. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.66 (PG 80 80:739; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-66). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 67 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-58/#p-3-67 - Source: PG 80 80:739 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Jehoshaphat agreed to join Ahab but piously insisted on consulting a true prophet; Micaiah refused to flatter the king. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον· Καθὼς σὺ, οὕτω κἀγώ· καὶ καθὼς ὁ λαός σου, οὕτως καὶ ὁ λαός μου;» Παρακληθεὶς ὁ Ἰωσαφάτ κοινωνῆσαι τῆς παρατάξεως τοῦτο δράσειν ὑπέσχετο. Τὰ αὐτά σοι, φησὶ, δράσω ὡς παρατάττῃ παρατάττομαι· καὶ ὡς ὁ λαός σου, καὶ ὁ ἐμὸς πολεμήσει. Ἔδειξε δ' ὅμως αὐτοῦ τὴν εὐσέβειαν πυθέσθαι γὰρ πρότερον τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων ἀναγκαῖον ὑπέλαβεν Εἶπε γὰρ, φησί, πρὸς Ἀχαάβ· Ἐρωτήσωμεν δὴ τὸν Κύριον. Ἐκείνου δὲ τοὺς προφήτας τοῦ Βαὰλ ἀθροίσαντος, πάλιν ὁ Ἰωσαφάτ ἐκείνους μὲν ἐβδελύξατο, θεῖον δὲ προφήτην εὐσεβῶς ἐπεζήτησεν Οὐκ ἔστι γὰρ, φησὶν, ὧδε προφήτης Κυρίου, καὶ ἐπερωτήσομεν τὸν Κύριον δι᾿ αὐτοῦ; Ἐκείνου δὲ εἰρηκότος εἶναι μὲν, καὶ Μιχαίαν κεκλῆσθαι· ἐχθραίνειν δὲ αὐτῷ, ὡς οὐ τὰ θυμήρη χρησμολογοῦντα, ὁ Ἰωσαφάτ εὐλαβῶς ἀπεκρίνατο· Μὴ λεγέτω οὕτως ὁ βασιλεύς. ᾿Αλλ' ἐν τούτοις μὲν ἀξιέπαινος. Ἐλωβήσατο δὲ αὐτοῦ τὴν εὐσέβειαν ἡ φιλία καὶ ἡ συγγένεια τοῦτο γὰρ ἡ τῶν Παραλειπομένων ἱστόρησε βίβλος. Ὁ δὲ προφήτης Μιχαίας, καὶ τοῦ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀποσταλέντος εὐνούχου χρηστὰ ἀπαγγείλαι παρεγγυήσαντος, οὐκ ἠνέσχετο χαρίσασθαι τὸ ψεῦδος τῷ βασιλεῖ. Ζῇ γὰρ, ἔφη, ὁ Κύριος, ὅτι ἃ ἂν εἴπῃ Κύριος πρός με, ταῦτα λαλήσω. ### English translation (Claude) How should “As you are, so am I; and as your people, so is my people” be understood? Jehoshaphat, asked to join in the campaign, promised to do so. I will do the same as you, he means: as you take the field, I take the field; and as your people, so mine will fight. Yet he showed his piety; for he thought it necessary first to inquire of the God of the universe: “For he said,” it says, “to Ahab, Let us inquire of the Lord.” And when Ahab gathered the prophets of Baal, Jehoshaphat again loathed them and piously asked for a divine prophet: “Is there not here,” he says, “a prophet of the Lord, that we may inquire of the Lord through him?” When Ahab said there was, called Micaiah, but that he hated him because he did not utter pleasing oracles, Jehoshaphat answered reverently, “Let the king not say so.” In these things he was praiseworthy; but friendship and kinship marred his piety, as the book of Chronicles related. The prophet Micaiah, when the eunuch sent to him urged him to announce good things, could not bring himself to grant the king a lie: “As the Lord lives,” he said, “whatever the Lord says to me, that I will speak.” ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 22:4: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 22:5: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 22:6: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 22:7: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 22:8: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 18:1: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 19:2: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Kgs 22:13: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 22:14: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 22:4–8, 13–14 (quotations 22:4, 5, 7, 8, 14); 2 Chr 18:1; 19:2. The prophets gathered by Ahab are called prophets of Baal by Theodoret. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.67 (PG 80 80:739; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-67). ## 3 Kingdoms Question 68 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-58/#p-3-68 - Source: PG 80 80:739 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Micaiah first mocked Ahab with the false prophets' answer, then under oath foretold his defeat; the vision of the lying spirit expresses God's permission, not his command; Ahab died as foretold, and Jehoshaphat, rescued by God, erred in preferring friendship to piety. ### Greek text Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν ἐρωτηθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἀχαὰβ, Ἵνα ἀναβῶ εἰς ῾Ῥαμώθ Γαλαάδ, ἔφη, Ανάβαινε, καὶ εὐοδώσει Κύριος ἐν χειρὶ τοῦ βασιλέως; ᾿Ανέμεινεν ὀρκωθῆναι, εἶθ' οὕτω φάναι τὸ ἀληθές. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὑπελάμβανεν ᾿Αχαάβ διὰ μίσος τὸν προφήτην προλέγειν τὰ λυπηρά, πρότερον τὰ καταθύμια εἴρηκεν. Εἶτα ὁρκωθεὶς τὰ θεῖα μεμήνυκε. Τοῦ γὰρ ᾿Αχαάβ εἰρηκότος· Ποσάκις ὀρκίζω σε ἐγὼ, ὅπως λαλήσῃς πρός με ἀλήθειαν ἐν ὀνόματι Κυρίου; τὸ δὲ ποσάκις ἀντὶ τοῦ πολλάκις τέθεικεν ἐπήγαγεν ὁ Μιχαίας Οὐχ οὕτως, ἀντὶ τοῦ, οὐ καλῶς, ἔφην ἐκεῖνα. Εώρακα γὰρ πάντα τὸν Ἰσραὴλ διεσπαρμένον ἐν τοῖς ὅρεσιν, ὡς πρόβατα οἷς οὐκ ἔστι ποιμήν. Δηλοῖ δὲ διὰ τούτων, ὡς ἡ ἐκείνου πονηρία τὴν ἧτταν ἐργάζεται· εἰ γὰρ ποιμένος ἔτυχον εὐσεβοῦς, κατακράτος ἂν τοὺς πολεμίους ἐνίκησαν. Εἶτα καὶ τρόπον ἀποδείκνυσι σωτηρίας. Εἶπε γὰρ, φησὶ, Κύριος· Εἰ κυρίως αὐτοὶ πρὸς Θεὸν ἀποστραφήτω δὴ ἕκαστος εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτου ἐν εἰρήνῃ. Εἰ πιστεύοντες τῷ Θεῷ μαθεῖν βούλεσθε παρ' αὐτοῦ τὸ πρακτέον, τὴν στρατιάν διαλύσατε. Τοῦ δὲ ᾿Αχαάβ πρὸς τὸν Ἰωσαφὰτ εἰρηκότος Οὐκ εἶπόν σοι, ὅτι οὐ προφητεύει οὗτος ἐμοὶ καλὰ, ἀλλ᾽ ἢ κακά; εἶπεν ὁ προφήτης· «Οὐκ ἐγώ ἄκουσον τὸν λόγον Κυρίου. Εἶδον Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν Ἰσραὴλ καθήμενον ἐπὶ θρόνου αὐτοῦ, καὶ πᾶσα ἡ στρατιὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ εἰστήκει περὶ αὐτὸν ἐκ δεξιῶν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐξ εὐωνύμων αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἶπε· Τίς ἀπατήσει τὸν ᾿Αχαάβ βασιλέα Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἀναβήσεται εἰς Ῥαμώθ Γαλαάδ, καὶ πεσεῖται ἐκεῖ; Καὶ εἶπεν οὕτως οὗτος, καὶ οὗτος οὕτως. Καὶ εἶπεν, Οὐ δυνήσῃ Καὶ ἐξῆλθε πνεῦμα, καὶ ἔστη ἐνώπιον Κυρίου, καὶ εἶπεν Ἐγὼ ἀπατήσω αὐτόν. Καὶ εἶπε Κύριος πρὸς αὐτὸν, Ἐν τίνι; Καὶ εἶπεν· Ἐξελεύσομαι, καὶ ἔσομαι πνεῦμα ψευδὲς ἐν στόματι πάντων αὐτοῦ τῶν προφητῶν, καὶ ἀπατήσω αὐτόν. Καὶ εἶπε, Δυνήσῃ, ἔξελθε καὶ ποίησον. Ταῦτα δὲ προσωποποιία τίς ἐστι, διδάσκουσα τὴν θείαν συγχώρησιν. Οὐ γὰρ ὁ ἀληθῶς Θεὸς καὶ τῆς ἀληθείας διδάσκαλος προσέταττεν ἀπατηθῆναι τὸν ᾿Αχαάβ, ὁ διὰ τοῦ προφήτου εἰπών Εἰ κυρίως αὐτοὶ πρὸς Θεὸν, ἀναστραφήτω δὴ ἕκαστος εἰς τὸν ἑαυτοῦ οἶκον ἐν εἰρήνῃ. Διὰ τούτων τοίνυν ὁ προφήτης ἐδίδαξεν, ὡς τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς ἀπάτης, ὀργάνοις χρώμενον τοῖς δυσσεβέσιν ἀνθρώποις, ψευδῶς ὑπισχνεῖται τὴν νίκην. Τοῦτο δὲ γίνεται τοῦ Θεοῦ συγχωρήσαντος. Κωλῦσαι γὰρ δυνάμενος, οὐκ ἐκώλυσεν, ἐπείπερ ὁ ᾿Αχαὰβ τῆς θείας ἦν κηδεμονίας ἀνάξιος. Ὁ δὲ Ἰώσηπος τὸν Μιχαίαν ἔφησεν εἶναι, τὸν ἤδη πρότερον τῷ τελαμῶνι χρησάμενον, καὶ τὰ λυπηρὰ τῷ ᾿Αχαάβ προαγγείλαντα, τεκμαιρόμενος τῷ φάναι τὸν ᾿Αχαάβ, ὅτι Μεμίσηκα αὐτὸν, ὅτι οὐ λέγει περὶ ἐμοῦ ἀγαθὰ, ἀλλ᾽ ἢ κακά. Καὶ νῦν δὲ αὐτὸν εἰς τὸ δεσμωτήριον ἔπεμψεν, τροφῆς αὐτὸν ὀλίγης ἄγαν μεταλαμβάνειν προστεταχὼς, ᾗ μόνον κωλύειν ἔμελλε τὴν ἐκ λιμοῦ τελευτήν. ᾿Αλλ' οὐδὲ οὕτως ὁ προφήτης ἐξέστη τῆς παῤῥησίας, ἀλλ᾿ ἔφη βοῶν· Ἐὰν ἐπιστρέφων ἐπιστρέφῃς ἐν εἰρήνῃ. οὐ λελάληκε Κύριος ἐν ἐμοί. Καὶ τούτων δὲ ἀκούσας τῶν λόγων ὥρμησεν εἰς τὸν πόλεμον· συναπῆρε δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ ὁ Ἰωσαφὰτ, τῆς οἰκείας εὐσεβείας ἀνάξια δεδρακώς. Ἐπιζητήσας γὰρ προφήτην, καὶ τοὺς ψευδοπροφήτας ἀποπεμψάμενος, καὶ τὸ πρακτέον παρὰ τοῦ Μιχαίου μεμαθηκὼς, τῆς εὐσεβείας προτετίμηκε τὴν φιλίαν. Πλὴν διὰ τὴν ἄλλην αὐτοῦ ἀρετὴν τῆς θείας κηδεμονίας ἀπήλαυσε. Τῶν γὰρ Σύρων ἐκ τῆς βασιλικῆς ἀμπεχόνης τοπασάντων αὐτὸν εἶναι τὸν βασιλέα Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ κατ᾿ αὐτοῦ χωρησάντων, ὁ μὲν τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ἐπικουρίαν ἐκάλεσεν ὁ δὲ συντόμως αὐτῷ τὴν σωτηρίαν ἐπόρισεν. Ἡ δὲ θεία πρόῤῥησις τὸ πέρας ἐδέξατο. Τρωθεὶς γὰρ ὁ ᾿Αχαάβ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἑστὼς ἐπὶ τοῦ ἅρματος διετέλεσεν, ἵνα μὴ τροπὴν ἐργάζηται τῇ φυγῇ· τὸ δὲ αἷμα φερόμενον ἐνεπάγη τῷ ἄρματι. Τοῦτο παρὰ κρήνην τινὰ τῷ ἄστει πελάζουσαν ὁ ἡνίοχος ἔπλυνεν· οἱ δὲ κύνες ἐξέλειχον. Αἱ δὲ πόρναι ὑπὸ τὴν ἕω κατὰ τὸ ἔθος ἐλούσαντο, οὐκ ἐξεπίτηδες εἰς τὸ αἷμα βουλόμεναι λούσασθαι, ἀλλ᾽ εἰς τὸ πηγαῖον ὡς εἰώθησαν ὕδωρ Τοῦτο δὲ ἦν κεχρωσμένον τῷ αἵματι. ### English translation (Claude) Why then, when Ahab asked him, “Shall I go up to Ramoth-gilead?”, did he say, “Go up, and the Lord will give it into the king's hand”? He waited to be put on oath, and then to speak the truth. Since Ahab supposed that the prophet foretold sad things out of hatred, he first said what was pleasing; then, put on oath, he made known the divine message. For when Ahab said, “How many times shall I adjure you to speak the truth to me in the name of the Lord?” (he put “how many times” for “many times”), Micaiah added, “Not so,” meaning: I did not say those things rightly. “For I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, like sheep that have no shepherd.” By this he shows that Ahab's wickedness was causing the defeat; for if they had had a pious shepherd, they would have defeated the enemy by force. Then he also points out a way of salvation: “For the Lord said: If they are truly turned to God, let each return to his house in peace.” If, trusting in God, you wish to learn from him what to do, disband the army. When Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that this man does not prophesy good about me, but only evil?”, the prophet said, “Not I; hear the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord God of Israel sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing around him on his right and on his left; and he said, Who will deceive Ahab king of Israel, so that he goes up to Ramoth-gilead and falls there? And this one spoke thus, and that one thus. And he said, You will not be able. And a spirit came out and stood before the Lord and said, I will deceive him. And the Lord said to him, By what means? And he said, I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets, and I will deceive him. And he said, You will be able; go out and do so.” This is a kind of personification, teaching God's permission. For the true God, the teacher of truth, did not command Ahab to be deceived, he who through the prophet had said, “If they are truly turned to God, let each return to his own house in peace.” Through these words, then, the prophet taught that the spirit of deceit, using impious men as instruments, falsely promises the victory; and this happens by God's permission. For though he could have prevented it, he did not, since Ahab was unworthy of divine care. Josephus said that Micaiah was the one who earlier used the bandage and foretold sad things to Ahab, inferring this from Ahab's saying, “I hate him, because he does not speak good concerning me, but only evil.” And now Ahab sent him to prison, ordering that he be given very little food, only enough to prevent death from starvation. But even so the prophet did not abandon his boldness, but said, crying out, “If you return in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me.” And having heard these words too, he set out for the war; and Jehoshaphat set out with him, doing what was unworthy of his own piety. For having asked for a prophet, sent away the false prophets, and learned from Micaiah what to do, he preferred friendship to piety. Yet because of his virtue in other respects he enjoyed divine care. For when the Syrians, guessing from the royal robe that he was the king of Israel, advanced against him, he called on God's help, and God quickly provided him salvation. And the divine prophecy was fulfilled. For Ahab, wounded, stood in his chariot a very long time, so as not to cause a rout by fleeing; and the blood that flowed congealed in the chariot. The charioteer washed it at a spring near the city, and the dogs licked it. The harlots bathed there at dawn according to custom, not wishing deliberately to bathe in the blood, but in the spring water as they were used to; but this was stained with the blood. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 22:15: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 22:16: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 22:17: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 22:18: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 22:19: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 22:20: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 22:21: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 22:22: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 20:38 (3 Kgdms 21:38 LXX): allusion, medium confidence - 1 Kgs 22:8: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 22:27: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 22:28: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 22:29: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 22:32: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 18:31: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 22:35: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 22:38: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 21:19 (3 Kgdms 20:19 LXX): allusion, medium confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Josephus, Ant. 8.14.5 (Josephus (works)): allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 1 Kgs 22:15–38 (LXX; quotations 22:15, 16, 17, 18, 19–23, 28); 2 Chr 18:31; Josephus, Ant. 8.14.5. Theodoret's form of 22:17 (“If they are truly turned to God…”) differs from the extant texts and is translated as he gives it. The view that the vision of the lying spirit is a personification of God's permission is Theodoret's; translated as written. A long passage printed inside the quotation of 22:22 is removed by a logged correction: it is a separate scholion on visions (visions show God's will in bodily forms and human words; the Spirit is not a dove; the lying spirit and Job's tempter act by God's permission), apparently by another writer, with corrupt and repeated words. A displaced phrase of the sentence on Josephus is restored to its place by logged corrections. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 3.68 (PG 80 80:739; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-68). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-58/#p-4-1 - Source: PG 80 80:745 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Moab rebelled after Ahab's death, despising his son. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον τό· ᾿Ἠθέτησε Μωάβ ἐν Ἰσραήλ; Δασμὸν ἔφερον οἱ Μωαβίται τῷ ᾿Αχαάβ, ὡς ὑπήκοοι· τελευτήσαντος δὲ ἐκείνου, κατεφρόνησαν τοῦ υἱέος, καὶ οὐκ ἠθέλησαν ἄρχεσθαι. ### English translation (Claude) How should “Moab rebelled against Israel” be understood? The Moabites paid tribute to Ahab as subjects; but when he died, they despised his son and refused to be ruled. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 1:1: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 3:5: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 1:1; 3:4–5. This short question holds one question and answer. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.1 (PG 80 80:745; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-1). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-58/#p-4-2 - Source: PG 80 80:745 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The latticed upper room was a summer room with many lattice windows. ### Greek text Ὁποῖόν ἐστι τὸ δικτυωτὸν ὑπερῷον; Οἶκος ἦν ὥρᾳ θέρους ἐπιτήδειος πολλὰς ἔχων φωταγωγοὺς δικτυοειδῶς κατεσκευασμένας, ἃς διατρήτους ὀνομάζουσιν οἱ πολλοί. ### English translation (Claude) What sort of thing is the latticed upper room? It was a room suited to the summer season, with many windows made in lattice form, which most people call “pierced.” ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 1:2: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 1:2. This short question holds one question and answer. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.2 (PG 80 80:745; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-2). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-58/#p-4-3 - Source: PG 80 80:745 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Scripture calls idols “loathsome”; Theodoret laments those who made a god of the fly (Baal-zebub). ### Greek text Προσοχθίσαι τί ἐστι; Καὶ προσοχθίσματα καὶ βδελύγματα, τὰ εἴδωλα προσαγορεύειν εἴωθεν ἡ θεία Γραφή. Καὶ γὰρ βδελυγμίας μεστὰ, καὶ μίσους ἄξια. Τὸ γὰρ προσόχθισμα τὸ μίσος δηλοῖ. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ εἴρηκεν ὁ Ἰσαάκ· Προσώχθισα τῇ ψυχῇ μου διὰ τὰς θυγατέρας τῶν Χαναναίων·, τουτέστι, μεμίσηκα. Καὶ ὁ μακάριος Δαβὶδ ἔφη Παρέστη πάσῃ ὁδῷ οὐκ ἀγαθῇ, κακίᾳ δὲ οὐ προσώχθισε· τουτέστιν, Οὐκ ἐμίσησε τὴν κακίαν. "Αξιον δὲ θρηνῆσαι τῶν δυσσεβῶν τὴν ἀλογίαν. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον τὰ μέγιστα τῶν ζώων ἐθεοποίησαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ σμικρότατα καὶ εὐτελέστατα, καὶ μύσους μεστά. Τί γὰρ μυσαρώτερον μυίας; ᾿Αλλ' ὅμως τὴν εἰκόνα ταύτης θεὸν ἀνηγόρευσαν, καὶ τὸν ὄντως καταλελοιπότες Θεὸν, τὸ αὐτῆς ἴνδαλμα περὶ ζωῆς ἐπηρώτων· καὶ ἣν ζῶσαν ταῖς ῥιπίσιν ἐλαύνουσι, ταύτης τὸν τύπον θεὸν προσηγόρευσαν. ### English translation (Claude) What is “to loathe”? The divine Scripture usually calls idols “loathsome things” and “abominations,” for they are full of abomination and worthy of hatred. For “loathing” signifies hatred. So Isaac said, “I loathe my life because of the daughters of the Canaanites,” that is, I hate it. And the blessed David said, “He set himself on every way that is not good, and did not loathe evil,” that is, he did not hate evil. One should lament the senselessness of the impious. They deified not only the largest animals but also the smallest and most worthless, full of filth. For what is filthier than a fly? Yet they proclaimed its image a god, and, having forsaken the true God, they inquired of its likeness about life; and the creature they drive off with fans while it lives, its image they called a god. ### Scripture references - 1 Kgs 11:5: allusion, medium confidence - Gen 27:46: quotation, high confidence - Ps 36:4 (35:5 LXX): quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 1:2: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 1:3: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The term is used of idols, e.g. 1 Kgs 11:5, 7; Gen 27:46; Ps 36:4 (LXX 35:5). The fly-god is Baal-zebub, 2 Kgs 1:2–3. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.3 (PG 80 80:745; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-3). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-58/#p-4-4 - Source: PG 80 80:745 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God, not Elijah, sent the fire on the captains who shared the king's hostile purpose; the third, who approached humbly, was spared. ### Greek text Τινὲς ὠμότητα τοῦ προφήτου κατηγόρησαν, ὅτι δὴ τοὺς δύο πεντηκοντάρχους μετὰ τῶν ὑπηκόων οὐρανίῳ πυρὶ παραδέδωκεν. Οἱ τοῦ προφήτου κατηγοροῦντες κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ προφήτου κινοῦσι τὰς γλώττας· αὐτὸς γὰρ ἐπαφῆκε τὸ πῦρ. Τολμηρὸν τοίνυν ἄγαν τὸ νεμεσῆσαι ταῖς θείαις οἰκονομίαις. Χρὴ γὰρ εἰδέναι τῆς θείας προμηθείας τὸ δίκαιον, καὶ ὡς ἐνδίκως κολάζει τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας, καὶ εὐεργετεῖ τοὺς θεραπεύοντας. Δῆλοι δὲ ἦσαν οἱ πεντηκόνταρχοι, καὶ οἱ τούτων ὑπήκοοι, συμβαίνοντες τῷ σκοπῷ τοῦ πεπομφότος. Ὅθεν καὶ τὰς θεηλάτους τιμωρίας ὑπέμειναν. Ὁ γὰρ τρίτος πεντηκόνταρχος, ἐπιεικείᾳ καὶ πίστει κοσμούμενος, καὶ τῇ πείρᾳ μαθὼν τοῦ προφήτου τὴν δύναμιν, ἠπίοις λόγοις χρησάμενος τὴν τιμωρίαν διέφυγεν. ### English translation (Claude) Some have accused the prophet of cruelty for delivering the two captains of fifty, with their men, to fire from heaven. Those who accuse the prophet move their tongues against the prophet's God; for he it was who sent the fire. So it is very rash to be indignant at God's dispensations. One must know the justice of divine providence, that it justly punishes sinners and does good to those who serve him. The captains of fifty and their men evidently agreed with the purpose of the one who had sent them; so they also suffered the God-sent punishments. For the third captain of fifty, adorned with reasonableness and faith, and having learned the prophet's power by experience, used gentle words and escaped the punishment. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 1:9: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 1:10: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 1:12: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 1:13: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 1:15: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The question is put as an objection; the printed text lacks a question mark. 2 Kgs 1:9–15. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.4 (PG 80 80:745; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-4). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-58/#p-4-5 - Source: PG 80 80:747 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: In the absence of a son, the throne passed to a brother, as later from Jeconiah to his uncle Zedekiah. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον τό· Τότε ἐβασίλευσεν ἐπὶ Ἰσραὴλ Ἰωρὰμ ἀδελφὸς Ὀχοσίου ἀντ᾽ αὐτοῦ, ὅτι οὐκ ἦν αὐτῷ υἱός;» Νόμος ἦν τῶν βασιλέων τοὺς παῖδας τὴν βασιλείαν κληρονομεῖν. Παίδων δὲ οὐκ ὄντων, τὸν πρεσβύτατον ἀδελφὸν, ἢ τὸν ἐπιτηδειότατον. Αὐτίκα γοῦν τὴν Δαβιδικὴν βασιλείαν μέχρι τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας παῖς παρὰ πατρὸς παραλαμβάνοντες, διετέλεσαν οἰκονομοῦντες. Τοῦ δὲ Ἰεχονίου πρὸ τῆς παιδοποιίας δορυαλώτου ληφθέντος Μετθανίας, ὁ καὶ Σεδεκίας, κατέσχε τὴν βασιλείαν, θεῖος αὐτοῦ ὢν πρὸς πατρός. ### English translation (Claude) How should “Then Joram the brother of Ahaziah reigned over Israel in his place, because he had no son” be understood? It was a law that the sons of kings inherit the kingdom; but if there were no sons, the eldest brother, or the most suitable one. Indeed, they continued to administer the kingdom of David, son receiving it from father, until the captivity. But when Jeconiah was taken captive before he had children, Matthaniah, also called Zedekiah, held the kingdom, being his uncle on his father's side. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 1:17: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 24:15: allusion, medium confidence - 2 Kgs 24:17: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 1:17 (LXX); 24:17. The printed text of the question has a mark after it but no question mark; the question is present. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.5 (PG 80 80:747; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-5). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-58/#p-4-6 - Source: PG 80 80:747 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: “Sons of the prophets” means prophets, by Hebrew idiom; the many prophets of Bethel and Jericho foreknew Elijah's assumption. ### Greek text Τίνας υἱοὺς τῶν προφητῶν ἡ θεία προσαγορεύει Γραφή; Αὐτοὺς τοὺς προφήτας, κατὰ τὸ Ἑβραίων καὶ Σύρων ἰδίωμα. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους εἴωθεν ὀνομάζειν. Υἱοὶ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀνθρώπων, ἕως πότε βαρυκάρδιοι; Καί· Κατὰ τὸ ὕψος σου ἐπολυώρησας τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων·, τουτέστι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους. Δηλοῖ δὲ καὶ ὁ λόγος πολλοὺς γεγενῆσθαι προφήτας. Καὶ γὰρ οἱ τὴν Ἱεριχὼ καὶ τὴν Βαιθήλ οἰκοῦντες, καὶ προεγνώκεισαν καὶ προειρήκεισαν τὴν τοῦ μεγάλου Ἠλιοῦ ἀνάληψιν. Ἐγνώκει δὲ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ τῶν ὅλων πρωτεύων Ἑλισσαῖος ὁ πάνυ. Διὸ καὶ τούτοις ἔφη κάκείνοις· Καί γε ἐγὼ ἔγνωκα, σιωπᾶτε. Τοσοῦτον δὲ ἦν τῶν προφητῶν τὸ πλῆθος, ὅτι πεντήκοντα μὲν αὐτοῖς πόῤῥωθεν ἠκολούθησαν. Μετὰ δὲ τὴν Ἠλιοῦ τοῦ μεγάλου ἀνάληψιν, τὸν τῆς χάριτος κληρονόμον συναθροισθέντες ἔπεισαν ἀποστεῖλαί τινας εἰς ἐπιζήτησιν τοῦ κοινοῦ διδασκάλου· καὶ ἀπέστειλαν εὐζώνους πεντήκοντα· τοὺς γὰρ τοιούτους υἱοὺς δυνάμεως προσηγόρευσεν, ἀντὶ τοῦ, δυνατούς. Ἐκ δὲ τῶν ἀποσταλέντων σκοπητέον τῶν ἀποστειλάντων τὸ πλῆθος. ### English translation (Claude) Whom does the divine Scripture call “sons of the prophets”? The prophets themselves, according to the idiom of the Hebrews and the Syrians. For it usually names human beings so too: “Sons of men,” it says, “how long will you be heavy-hearted?” And, “According to your height you have cared for the sons of men,” that is, for human beings. The passage also shows that there were many prophets. For those living in Jericho and Bethel both foreknew and foretold the taking up of the great Elijah. And Elisha, the very first of them all, knew this too; so he said to both, “I too know it; be silent.” So great was the number of the prophets that fifty followed them at a distance. After the taking up of the great Elijah, they gathered and persuaded the heir of his grace to send some to search for their common teacher; and they sent fifty strong men (he called such men “sons of power,” that is, strong men). From those sent one should reckon the number of those who sent them. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 2:3: quotation, high confidence - Ps 4:2 (4:3 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 12:8 (11:9 LXX): quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 2:5: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 2:7: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 2:16: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 2:17: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 2:3–7, 15–17 (quotation 2:3, 5); Ps 4:2 (LXX 4:3); Ps 12:8 (LXX 11:9). The staging notes that the OCR read the question number as 3. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.6 (PG 80 80:747; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-6). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-58/#p-4-7 - Source: PG 80 80:749 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Elijah called Elisha's request hard out of concern for the people, since a double portion would mean double punishments such as a seven-year famine. ### Greek text Τι δήποτε, τοῦ Ελισσαίου διπλὴν τοῦ πνεύματος τὴν χάριν αίτησαμένου, ὁ μέγας εἶπεν Ἠλίας, Ἐσκλήρυνας τοῦ αἰτῆσαι; Οὐ φθονῶν τῆς χάριτος τῷ μαθητῇ τοῦτο ἔφη, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἀνθρώπων κηδόμενος. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τρισὶν ἔτεσι καὶ μησὶν ἓξ λιμῷ δυσσεβοῦντας τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἐπαίδευσεν· ἀνάγκη δὲ ἦν, τὸν τῆς διπλῆς κληρονομοῦντα χάριτος διπλάσια ἐργάσασθαι θαύματα· ἓν δὲ τούτων ἦν ἡ διὰ τοῦ λιμοῦ τιμωρία φειδοῖ κεχρημένος εἶπεν· Ἐσκλήρυνας τοῦ αἰτῆσαι. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἐκ τῆς ἱστορίας μανθάνομεν. Ἑπτὰ γὰρ ἔτεσιν ἐπηνέχθη τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἡ τιμωρία. ### English translation (Claude) Why, when Elisha asked for a double share of the spirit's grace, did the great Elijah say, “You have asked a hard thing”? He did not say this begrudging his disciple the grace, but caring for other people. For since he had disciplined the impious people with famine for three years and six months, and the heir of a double grace had to work twice as many miracles, one of which was punishment by famine, he spoke out of compassion: “You have asked a hard thing.” We learn this from the history too: for the punishment was brought upon the people for seven years. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 2:9: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 2:10: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 18:1: allusion, medium confidence - Luke 4:25: allusion, medium confidence - 2 Kgs 8:1: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 2:9–10 (LXX); the three and a half years, 1 Kgs 17–18 with Luke 4:25; the seven-year famine, 2 Kgs 8:1. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.7 (PG 80 80:749; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-7). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-58/#p-4-8 - Source: PG 80 80:749 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Elisha called Elijah Israel's chariot and horseman because he alone was worth an army. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον· Πάτερ, πάτερ, ἄρμα Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἱππεὺς αὐτοῦ; Οἱ τῶν ἄλλων ἐθνῶν βασιλεῖς ἵπποις κεχρημένοι καὶ ἅρμασι παρετάττοντο. Τούτου χάριν τὸν μέγαν Ἠλίαν ἄρμα Ἰσραὴλ καὶ ἱππέα προσηγόρευσεν, ὡς ἀποχρῶντα καὶ μόνον καταλῦσαι τοὺς πολεμίους, καὶ παρασχεῖν τοῖς ὁμοφύλοις τὴν νίκην. ### English translation (Claude) How should “Father, father, the chariot of Israel and its horseman” be understood? The kings of the other nations went into battle using horses and chariots. For this reason he called the great Elijah the chariot and horseman of Israel, as being enough by himself to destroy the enemies and give his countrymen the victory. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 2:12: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 2:12. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.8 (PG 80 80:749; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-8). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-58/#p-4-9 - Source: PG 80 80:749 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Elisha, finding the mantle alone ineffective, invoked Elijah's God, “the hidden one.” ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον· Ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς Ἠλιοῦ ἀφφῶ Διαβῆναι βουληθεὶς τὸν Ἰορδάνην ὁ προφήτης ἐμιμήσατο τὸν διδάσκαλον, καὶ τῇ μηλωτῇ τὸ ὕδωρ ἐπάταξεν οὐδὲν εἰρηκὼς, ἀλλ᾿ ἀποχρῇν νομίσας εἰς θαυματουργίαν τὴν μηλωτήν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὐχ ὑπήκουσε τῶν ὑδάτων ἡ φύσις, ἐκάλεσε τὸν τοῦ διδασκάλου Θεὸν, τὸν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἀόρατον καὶ ἀνέφικτον. ᾿Αφφὼ γὰρ ὁ κρύφιος ἑρμηνεύεται, κατὰ τὴν ἔκδοσιν τῶν ἄλλων ἑρμηνευτῶν ### English translation (Claude) How should “Where is the God of Elijah, aphpho?” be understood? Wishing to cross the Jordan, the prophet imitated his teacher and struck the water with the mantle, saying nothing, but thinking the mantle sufficient for the miracle. When the nature of the waters did not obey, he called on his teacher's God, who is invisible and inaccessible to human beings. For aphpho means “the hidden one,” according to the version of the other translators. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 2:14: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 2:8: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 2:14 (LXX ἀφφώ). The printed question lacks a question mark; the question is present. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.9 (PG 80 80:749; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-9). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 10 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-58/#p-4-10 - Source: PG 80 80:749 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Elisha healed the waters with salt as Moses did with wood; God can change nature by any means. ### Greek text Τίνος χάριν δι' ἀλῶν τὴν πικρὰν τῶν ὑδάτων ἰάσατο φύσιν ; Μωσῆς ὁ μέγας ξύλον ἐμβαλὼν τὴν πικρὰν τῶν ὑδάτων ποιότητα εἰς γλυκεῖαν μετέβαλεν. Οὗτος δὲ τοῖς ἀλσὶ τῆς λυμαντικῆς ἠλευθέρωσεν ἐνεργείας. Ῥάδιον γὰρ τῷ Δεσπότῃ Θεῷ καὶ βουλήσει, καὶ λόγῳ, καὶ δι᾽ ὧν ἐθέλει, μεταβάλλειν τῶν στοιχείων τὰς φύσεις. ### English translation (Claude) Why did he heal the bitter nature of the waters with salt? The great Moses, by throwing in a piece of wood, changed the bitter quality of the waters into sweetness; this man freed them from their harmful action with salt. For it is easy for God the Master to change the natures of the elements by his will, by his word, and by whatever means he wishes. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 2:21: allusion, high confidence - Exod 15:25: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 2:19–22; Exod 15:25. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.10 (PG 80 80:749; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-10). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-58/#p-4-11 - Source: PG 80 80:749 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Mesha was a sheep-breeder paying tribute; the kings in need came to Elisha, who rebuked Joram and helped only for Jehoshaphat's sake. ### Greek text Τί ἐστι· Καὶ Μωσὰ βασιλεὺς Μωάβ ἦν νωκηδεί; Οἱ ἄλλοι ἑρμηνευταὶ τὸ νωκηδεὶ ἀρχιποιμένα, ἡρμήνευσαν. Δηλοῖ δὲ καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς, Καὶ ἦν φέρων φόρον τῷ βασιλεῖ. Ἰσραὴλ ἑκατὸν χιλιάδας ἀρνῶν, καὶ ἑκατὸν χιλιάδας κριῶν ἐπιπόκων. Ἀντὶ ἐγκωμίου μέντοι περὶ τοῦ Ἑλισσαίου εἰρήκασιν, ὅτι ἐπέχεεν ὕδωρ ἐπὶ χεῖρας Ἠλιοῦ. Τοσοῦτον εἶχον θαῦμα τοῦ μεγάλου προφήτου. Ἡ δὲ χρεία καὶ τοὺς δυσσεβοῦντας βασιλέας ἠνάγκασε πρὸς τὸν πανεύφημον Ἑλισσαῖον δραμεῖν. Ὁ δὲ τῇ τοῦ διδασκάλου παῤῥησίᾳ χρησάμενος, Τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοὶ, ἔφη; Δεῦρο πρὸς τοὺς προφήτας τοῦ πατρός σου, καὶ πρὸς τοὺς προφήτας τῆς μητρός σου. Ἡ δὲ ἀνάγκη καὶ τοὺς θρασεῖς ἐπιεικεῖς ἀπεργάζεται. Αὐτίκα γοῦν ὁ Ἰωρὰμ πράως ὑπολαβὼν ἔφη Μὴ ὅτι κέκληκε Κύριος τοὺς τρεῖς βασιλεῖς τούτους, τοῦ παραδοῦναι αὐτοὺς εἰς χεῖρας Μωάβ; ᾿Αλλ᾽ οὐδὲ οὕτως ἔπεισε τὸν προφήτην, μὴ διελέγξαι αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀσέβειαν. Ἔφη γάρ· Ζῇ Κύριος τῶν δυνάμεων, ᾧ παρέστην ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ, ὅτι εἰ μὴ πρόσωπον Ἰωσαφάτ βασιλέως Ἰούδα ἐγὼ λαμβάνω, εἰ ἐπἐβλεψα ἂν πρὸς σὲ, καὶ εἶδόν σε.» Τῆς χρείας οὖν κατενεγκάσης τῆς δυναστείας τὸν τύφον, εἰς καιρὸν ὁ ἔλεγχος προσεφέρετο. ### English translation (Claude) What does “And Mesha king of Moab was a nokedei” mean? The other translators rendered nokedei as “chief shepherd.” What follows shows it too: “And he brought as tribute to the king of Israel a hundred thousand lambs and a hundred thousand rams with their wool.” By way of praise they said of Elisha that he “poured water on the hands of Elijah,” such admiration did they have for the great prophet. Need compelled even impious kings to run to the all-praised Elisha. He, using his teacher's boldness, said, “What have I to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and the prophets of your mother.” Necessity makes even the bold reasonable. At once, at any rate, Joram answered mildly, “No; for the Lord has called these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab?” But even so he did not persuade the prophet not to expose his impiety. For he said, “As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, were it not that I respect Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not look at you or see you.” Since need had brought down the arrogance of power, the rebuke was delivered at the right moment. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 3:4: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 3:11: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 3:12: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 3:13: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 3:14: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 3:4–14 (LXX; quotations 3:4, 11, 13, 14). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.11 (PG 80 80:749; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-11). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-58/#p-4-12 - Source: PG 80 80:751 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Elisha called for a Levite musician, and while he played the Spirit (“the hand of the Lord”) told him to have pits dug to receive water. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον τὸ, Λάβετέ μοι ψάλλοντα;» Ὁ θειότατος Δαβίδ, καὶ βασιλικῆς καὶ προφητικῆς χάριτος ἠξιωμένος, καὶ τὴν ἱερατικὴν σοφῶς ἔταξε λειτουργίαν, καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἱερέας κατὰ τὸν Μωσαϊκὸν νόμον ταῖς σάλπιγξι κεχρῆσθαι προσέταξε, τοὺς δὲ Λευΐτας ταῖς κινύραις, καὶ νάβλαις, καὶ κυμβάλοις, καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ὀργάνοις. Ἐχρῶντο δὲ οὗτοι τῇ πνευματικῇ τοῦ Δαβὶδ μελῳδίᾳ. Τούτων ἕνα μετακληθῆναι προσέταξεν ὁ προφήτης. Ἐκείνου δὲ ψάλλοντος, ἡ τοῦ πνεύματος χάρις τὸ πρακτέον ἐσήμαινεν· ἐν γὰρ τῷ χειμάῤῥῳ βόθρους μεγίστους ὀρυγῆναι προσέταξεν ἵνα τῆς χαράδρας πόῤῥωθεν ἐνεχθείσης, πληρωθῶσιν οἱ βόθροι τοῦ ὕδατος, καὶ τὴν χρείαν παράσχωσι τῷ στρατῷ. Ἐπισημαντέον δὲ, ὡς χεῖρα Κυρίου τὴν πνευματικὴν ὠνόμασε χάριν. Ἐγένετο γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐπ᾿ αὐτὸν χεὶρ Κυρίου, καὶ εἶπε· Τάδε λέγει Κύριος. ### English translation (Claude) How should “Bring me a harpist” be understood? The most divine David, who had been granted both royal and prophetic grace, also wisely arranged the priestly liturgy: he ordered the priests to use trumpets according to the law of Moses, and the Levites lyres, harps, cymbals and the other instruments. They used David's spiritual song. The prophet ordered one of these to be summoned. While he played, the grace of the spirit indicated what was to be done: he ordered very large pits to be dug in the wadi, so that when the torrent came from far off the pits would be filled with water and supply the army's need. One should note that he called the spiritual grace “the hand of the Lord.” “For the hand of the Lord came upon him,” it says, “and he said, Thus says the Lord.” ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 3:15: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 15:16: allusion, high confidence - 1 Chr 16:6: allusion, medium confidence - Num 10:8: allusion, medium confidence - 2 Kgs 3:16: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 3:17: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 3:15–17 (quotations 3:15–16); 1 Chr 15:16–24; 16:4–6; Num 10:8. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.12 (PG 80 80:751; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-12). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 13 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-58/#p-4-13 - Source: PG 80 80:751 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The besiegers withdrew in pity when the king of Moab sacrificed his heir on the wall. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον· Καὶ ἐγένετο μετάμελος μέγας ἐπὶ Ἰσραήλ; Τῶν Μωαβιτῶν ἄρδην ἀναιρουμένων, ἐπειράθη μὲν τούτων φυγεῖν ὁ βασιλεύς. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τὸ στεῤῥὸν καὶ γενναῖον τῆς φάλαγγος οὐκ ἐνδέδωκε, τὸν πρωτότοκον υἱὸν, ὃν τῆς βασιλείας εἶχε διάδοχον, ἐπί τινος ὡλοκαύτωσε πύργου. Τοῦτο θεασάμενον τῶν πολεμίων τὸ πλῆθος, ᾤκτειρε τὸ πάθος καὶ τὴν πολιορκίαν κατέλυσεν. ### English translation (Claude) How should “And there was great regret upon Israel” be understood? As the Moabites were being destroyed utterly, the king tried to escape them. But since the firm and noble phalanx did not give way, he offered his firstborn son, whom he had as successor to the kingdom, as a whole burnt offering on a tower. When the mass of the enemy saw this, they pitied his suffering and broke off the siege. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 3:26: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 3:27: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 3:26–27 (LXX μετάμελος). Theodoret explains the withdrawal as the besiegers' pity; translated as written. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.13 (PG 80 80:751; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-13). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-58/#p-4-14 - Source: PG 80 80:753 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The widow's husband is identified by some with Obadiah; Elisha multiplied her oil, and the passage shows that pious people remained even under impious kings. ### Greek text Περὶ τίνος ἔφησεν ἡ γυνή· ῾Ο δοῦλός σου ἀνήρ μου τετελεύτηκε, καὶ σὺ· οἶδας, ὅτι δοῦλος ἦν τοῦ Κυρίου ; Τινές φασι τὸν ᾿Αβδιοῦ εἶναι τὸν οἰκονόμον τοῦ Ἀχαάβ, ὃς τοὺς ἑκατὸν ἄνδρας ἐν δυσὶ κατακρύψας σπηλαίοις, διέθρεψεν αὐτοὺς ἄρτῳ καὶ ὕδατι καὶ τὸ χρέος διὰ τὴν ἐκείνων ἐπιμέλειαν γεγενῆσθαι. Θαυμάσαι δὲ ἄξιον τῶν προφητῶν τὴν δύναμιν, ὅτι τὰ ὄντα πηγάζειν παρασκευάζοντες, παρέχουσι τοῦ βίου τὰς ἀφορμάς. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ μέγας Ἠλίας τὸ βραχύτατον ἄλευρόν τε καὶ ἔλαιον ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἐξαρκέσαι πεποίηκε· καὶ ὁ διπλασίαν τὴν ἐκείνου χάριν δεξάμενος, τῆς ἑτέρας χήρας τὸ ὀλίγιστον ἔλαιον παμπόλλοις ἀγγείοις ἐμβληθῆναι κελεύσας, καὶ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἐξέτισε τὸ χρέος, καὶ αὐτὴν καὶ τοὺς παῖδας διέθρεψε. Καὶ ἐντεῦθεν δὲ ῥάδιον γνῶναι, ὡς καὶ τοῦ λαοῦ παρανομοῦντος, καὶ δυσσεβούντων τῶν βασιλέων, ἦσάν τινες εὐσεβεῖς. Ἐκ τούτων γὰρ ὁ ᾿Αβδιοῦ, καὶ οἱ ἑπτακισχίλιοι, οἱ μὴ κάμψαντες γόνυ τῇ Βάαλ· καὶ ἡ θαυμασία Σωμανίτις, ἣ πολλῆς θεραπείας τὸν προφήτην ἠξίου. Ἧς τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν ἀμειβόμενος ὁ προφήτης, ἤρετο εἰ ἔστιν αὐτῇ λόγος λαλῆσαι πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα, ἢ πρὸς τὸν ἄρχοντα τῆς δυνάμεως· καὶ δυνάμενος αὐτῇ παρασχεῖν τὴν θείαν ἐπικουρίαν, καὶ θείας. ### English translation (Claude) About whom did the woman say, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he was a servant of the Lord”? Some say it was Obadiah, Ahab's steward, who hid the hundred men in two caves and fed them with bread and water, and that the debt arose from his care of them. One should admire the power of the prophets, who make existing things gush forth and supply the means of life. For the great Elijah made the very little flour and oil suffice for a very long time; and the one who received double his grace ordered the other widow's tiny amount of oil to be poured into very many vessels, and both paid her husband's debt and fed her and her children. From this too it is easy to know that, even while the people broke the law and the kings acted impiously, there were some pious people. Among them were Obadiah, the seven thousand who had not bowed the knee to Baal, and the admirable Shunammite, who gave the prophet great care. Repaying her care, the prophet asked whether she had any matter to speak of to the king or to the commander of the army; and being able to provide her divine help, and divine … ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 4:1: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 18:4: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 17:16: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 4:6: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 4:7: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 19:18: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 4:8: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 4:13: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 4:1–7, 8–13 (quotations 4:1, 13); 1 Kgs 18:4; 17:16; 19:18. The answer breaks off in mid-sentence at the end (“and divine …”); the rest is lost and is marked “…”. A fragment that seems to continue it (“…he wishes to grant her human provi[dence]”) is printed at the start of question 4.16 and is not moved here. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.14 (PG 80 80:753; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-14). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 15 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-58/#p-4-15 - Source: PG 80 80:753 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The Shunammite meant that she lived quietly and needed no favors. ### Greek text Τί ἐστιν· Ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ λαοῦ μου ἐγὼ κατοικῶ; ᾿Απραγμοσύνῃ, φησὶ, χαίρω, καὶ εἰρηνικῶς διάγω, καὶ πρός τινα ἔχειν ἀμφισβήτησιν οὐκ ἀνέχομαι. ### English translation (Claude) What does “I dwell in the midst of my people” mean? I am content with a quiet life, she says, and live peaceably, and do not care to have a dispute with anyone. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 4:13: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 4:13. This short question holds one question and answer. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.15 (PG 80 80:753; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-15). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 16 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-58/#p-4-16 - Source: PG 80 80:753 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Elisha's categorical promise of a son shows God speaking through him; the Shunammite trusted him to raise her dead child, though God had not revealed her grief to him. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον· Κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον, ὡς ἡ ὥρα αὕτη, ζῶσα σὺ, καὶ συμπεριειληφυῖα υἱόν; Τοῦτο καὶ πρὸς τὸν πατριάρχην ᾿Ἀβραὰμ ὁ τῶν ὅλων ἔφη Θεός· Κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον ἐλεύσομαι, καὶ ἔσται τῇ Σάῤῥᾳ υἱός. Δηλοῖ τοίνυν δι' ὧν εἴρηκεν ὁ προφήτης, ὡς αὐτὸς ἐφθέγγετο δι᾿ αὐτοῦ ὁ τῶν ὅλων Κύριος. Οὗ δὴ χάριν καὶ ἀποφαντικῶς δέδωκε τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν ὑπερβαίνουσαν τῆς φύσεως τὴν ἀσθένειαν. Τῇ πείρᾳ μέντοι μαθοῦσα τοῦ προφήτου τὴν δύναμιν, καὶ τελευτῆσαν τὸ παιδίον ἤλπισεν ἀναστήσεσθαι. Ἐν τῇ κλίνῃ γὰρ τοῦτο τοῦ προφήτου νεκρὸν κατακλίνασα, καὶ τὴν θύραν ἀποκλείσασα βαδίζουσα πρὸς τὸν προφήτην ἀφίκετο, οὐδὲ τῷ ἀνδρὶ τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς ἀποδημίας μηνύσασα. Ἐκεῖνος οὖν ἀγνοῶν ἤρετο· Τί ὅτι σὺ πορεύῃ σήμερον πρὸς αὐτόν; Οὐ νουμηνία, οὐδὲ Σάββατον. Καὶ ἐν τοῖς Σάββασι, καὶ ἐν ταῖς νουμηνίαις γὰρ ἑορτάζειν εἰώθεισαν. Ἡ δὲ εἶπεν, Εἰρήνη· προσειπεῖν αὐτὸν, φησὶ, βούλομαι. Πόῤῥωθεν δὲ αὐτὴν ὁ προφήτης ἰδὼν, ἤρετο διὰ τοῦ Γιεζεὶ ὅπως ἔχουσι καὶ αὐτὴ, καὶ ὁ ἀνὴρ αὐτῆς, καὶ τὸ παιδάριον τοῦτο γὰρ δηλοῖ τὸ, Εἰρήνη σοί; εἰρήνη τῷ ἀνδρί σου; εἰρήνη τῷ παιδαρίῳ; ἀντὶ τοῦ, Καλῶς διάγετε, ὑγιαίνετε; Ἡ δὲ πρὸς μὲν τὸν Γιεζεὶ εἶπεν, Εἰρήνη, τῶν δὲ τοῦ προφήτου ποδῶν ἐπιλαβομένη, τὸ πάθος ἐμήνυσεν. Ἐδήλου δὲ τὴν ὀδύνην τὰ δάκρυα. ᾿Αναστῆσαι δὲ αὐτὴν πειρωμένου τοῦ Γιεζεὶ, ὁ προφήτης εἶπεν· «῎Αφες αὐτὴν, ὅτι κατώδυνος ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτῆς, καὶ Κύριος ἀπέκρυψεν ἀπ᾿ ἐμοῦ, καὶ οὐκ ἀνήγγειλέ μοι. Δῆλον τοίνυν κἀντεῦθεν, ὡς οὐχ ἅπαντα προήδεισαν οἱ προφῆται, ἀλλ᾽ ἅπερ ἡ θεία χάρις αὐτοῖς ἀπεκάλυπτεν. ### English translation (Claude) How should “At this season, about this time, you will be alive and embracing a son” be understood? The God of the universe said this to the patriarch Abraham too: “At this season I will come, and Sarah shall have a son.” By what he said, then, the prophet showed that the Lord of the universe himself spoke through him. That is why he gave the promise categorically, though it surpassed the weakness of nature. Having learned the prophet's power by experience, she hoped that the child, when he died, would be raised. For she laid him dead on the prophet's bed, shut the door, and went to the prophet, not even telling her husband the reason for her journey. He, not knowing, asked, “Why are you going to him today? It is not new moon or Sabbath.” For they used to keep festival on Sabbaths and new moons. She said, “Peace”: I wish to greet him, she means. The prophet, seeing her from afar, asked through Gehazi how she, her husband and the child were; for this is what “Is it well with you? Is it well with your husband? Is it well with the child?” shows, meaning, “Are you getting on well, are you in health?” To Gehazi she said, “Well”; but taking hold of the prophet's feet she disclosed her suffering. Her tears showed her pain. When Gehazi tried to make her get up, the prophet said, “Let her alone, for her soul is in anguish, and the Lord has hidden it from me and has not told me.” It is clear from this too that the prophets did not foreknow everything, but only what divine grace revealed to them. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 4:16: quotation, high confidence - Gen 18:10: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 4:21: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 4:22: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 4:23: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 4:26: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 4:27: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 4:16–28 (quotations 4:16, 23, 26, 27); Gen 18:10. A displaced fragment (“…he wishes to grant her human provi[dence]”), apparently the continuation of the broken last sentence of question 4.14, is printed at the start of this answer and is removed by a logged correction; it is not moved to 4.14. The staging notes that the OCR read the question number as 13. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.16 (PG 80 80:753; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-16). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 17 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-58/#p-4-17 - Source: PG 80 80:755 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Elisha forbade Gehazi to greet anyone because his vanity would make him boast and hinder the miracle. ### Greek text Τί δήποτε εἰς τὴν ἀνάστασιν τοῦ παιδὸς ἀποστείλας τὸν Γιεζεί, παρηγγύησεν αὐτῷ· Ἐὰν εὕρῃς τινὰ ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ, μὴ εὐλογήσῃς αὐτὸν· καὶ ἐὰν εὐλογήσῃ σε τις, μὴ ἀποκριθῇς αὐτῷ; Ἤδει αὐτὸν φιλότιμον καὶ κενόδοξον, καὶ ὅτι τοῖς κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν ἐντυγχάνουσι τοῦ δρόμου τὴν αἰτίαν ἐρεῖ· ἡ δὲ κενοδοξία τὴν θαυματουργίαν κωλύει. ### English translation (Claude) Why, when he sent Gehazi to raise the boy, did he charge him, “If you meet anyone on the road, do not greet him; and if anyone greets you, do not answer him”? He knew that he was ambitious and vainglorious, and that he would tell those he met on the way the reason for his errand; and vainglory hinders miracles. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 4:29: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 4:31: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 4:29. This short question holds one question and answer. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.17 (PG 80 80:755; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-17). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 18 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/3-58/#p-4-18 - Source: PG 80 80:755 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Elisha's breathing on the dead boy echoes God's breathing life into Adam, though the prophet only restored an existing soul. ### Greek text Τί δηλοῖ τὸ, «Ἐλαὰδ ἐπ᾿ αὐτόν ; Τοῦτο οἱ ἄλλοι ἑρμηνευταὶ ἐνεφύσησεν εἰρήκασιν. Ωσπερ γὰρ τῶν ὅλων ὁ ποιητὴς τοῦ ᾿Ἀδὰμ τὸ σῶμα δημιουργήσας, διὰ τοῦ ἐμφυσήματος ἐνεφύσησε τὴν ψυχήν· οὕτως ὁ προφήτης ἐμφυσήσας ἀνέστησε τὸ μειράκιον. ᾿Αλλ᾿ ὁ μὲν δημιουργὸς ἐμφυσήσας ἐδημιούργησε τὴν οὐκ οὖσαν ψυχήν· ὁ δὲ γε προφήτης τὴν οὖσαν εἰς τὸ οἰκεῖον ἐπανήγαγε σῶμα. Τὸ δὲ ἐνέπνευσεν ἐπ' αὐτὸν, συνεκάλυψεν οἱ ἄλλοι εἰρήκασι Τὰ δὲ οἰκεῖα αἰσθητήρια τοῖς ἐκείνου προσήρμοσεν, ὀφθαλμοὺς ὀφθαλμοῖς, στόμα στόματι, χεῖρας χερσίν ἵνα τῆς τοῦ ζῶντος ὁ τεθνεὼς μεταλάβῃ ζωῆς, τῆς πνευματικῆς δηλονότι χάριτος τὴν ζωὴν χορηγούσης. ### English translation (Claude) What does “Elaad upon him” signify? The other translators said “he breathed into.” For as the Maker of the universe, having fashioned Adam's body, breathed the soul into it by his breath, so the prophet, breathing, raised the youth. But the Creator by breathing created the soul that did not exist; the prophet brought back the existing soul into its own body. For “he breathed upon him” the others said “he bent over.” He fitted his own sense organs to the boy's, eyes to eyes, mouth to mouth, hands to hands, so that the dead might share in the life of the living, the spiritual grace, of course, supplying the life. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 4:34: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 4:35: allusion, high confidence - Gen 2:7: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 4:34–35 (LXX transliterates; ἐλαάδ); Gen 2:7. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.18 (PG 80 80:755; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-18). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 19 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-19/#p-4-19 - Source: PG 80 80:757 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The prophets' poverty was powerful: Elisha cured the poisoned pot, fed a hundred, healed Naaman and refused his gifts, punished Gehazi's greed, and made the axe-head float, a figure of the incarnation. ### Greek text Τί ἐστι· συλλέξαι ἀριώθ;, Οἱ ἄλλοι ἄγρια λάχανα ταῦτα ἡρμήνευσαν. Τούτοις τὴν τολύπην οἱ συλλέγοντες ἀγνοοῦντες ἀνέμιξαν· ἀλλὰ τοῦ δηλητηρίου τὴν ἐνέργειαν ἤμβλυνεν ὁ προφήτης, ἄλευρον ἐπιβληθῆναι κελεύσας τῷ λέβητι. Ἤμβλυνε δὲ οὐχ ἡ τοῦ ἀλεύρου φύσις, ἀλλ᾽ ἡ τοῦ προφήτου χάρις. Οὕτω καὶ τῶν ὑδάτων ἀγονίαν εἰς πολυγονίαν οὐχ οἱ ἅλες μετέβαλον, ἀλλ᾿ ἡ τοῦ προφητικοῦ πνεύματος δύναμις. Τῶν μέντοι προφητῶν τὸν ἀκτήμονα βίον ἡ ἱστορία διδάσκει. Ὁ γὰρ τούτων πρωτεύων νῦν μὲν ἀγρίοις αὐτοὺς λαχάνοις εἰστίασε· νῦν δὲ κριθίνους εἴκοσιν ἑκατὸν ἀνδράσι παρέθηκε, καὶ τούτους ὑφ᾽ ἑτέρων προσενεχθέντας. Τοσαύτης δὲ αὐτοῖς εὐλογίας μετέδωκεν, ὡς καὶ τῶν ἑκατὸν πληρῶσαι τὴν χρείαν, καὶ μετὰ τὸν ἐκείνων κόρον ἱκανοὺς περιττεῦσαι. Τοσαύτη δὲ ἦν τῆς πενίας ἐκείνης ἡ δύναμις, ὡς τὸν βασιλέα τῶν Σύρων ἐκείνης δεηθῆναι τῆς χάριτος, καὶ Νεεμὰν ἀποστεῖλαι τὸν στρατηγὸν, ὥστε αὐτὸν διὰ τῆς προφητικῆς προσευχῆς ἀπαλλαγῆναι τῆς λέπρας· καὶ ὁ μὲν βασιλεὺς Ἰσραὴλ τοῖς τοῦ Σύρου ἐντυχὼν γράμμασι, δι' ἀπορίαν τὴν ἐσθῆτα διέῤῥηξεν. Ὁ δέ γε προφήτης ὁ πένης αὐτῷ μὲν ἐνεμέσησεν· ἀποσταλῆναι δὲ αὐτῷ τὸν Νεεμάν παρηγγύησε, καὶ ἰδεῖν μὲν αὐτὸν, ὡς λεπρὸν, οὐκ ἠνέσχετο τὸν νόμον φυλάττων, ὡς ὑπὸ τῷ νόμῳ πολιτευόμενος· ἑπτάκις δὲ λούσασθαι ἐν τῷ Ἰορδάνῃ αὐτὸν προσέταξε ποταμῷ. Σώματος δὲ ἦν ἡ λέπρα· ἐκ δὲ τῶν τεσσάρων τοῦτο στοιχείων συνέστηκεν· ἐν ἑπτὰ δὲ ἡμέραις ὁ παρὼν βίος ἀνακυκλοῦται. Τῆς δὲ ψυχῆς ἡ κάθαρσις κατὰ τὸν ἀριθμὸν τῆς ἁγίας ἀποτελεῖται Τριάδος. Ὁ δὲ Νεεμὰν τὸ πρῶτον μὲν ἀντεῖπε, βελτίους εἶναι τοὺς Δαμασκοῦ ποταμοὺς εἰρηκώς· τὴν εἰσήγησιν δὲ τῶν οἰκείων δεξάμενος, ἀπελήλυθε· καὶ τοῦ πάθους ἀπαλλαγεὶς προσελήλυθε τῷ προφήτῃ. Καὶ πρῶτον μὲν αὐτῷ τὰ πολύτιμα προσενήνοχε δῶρα· ὁ δὲ προφήτης τὴν πολυπόθητον πενίαν παντὸς προτετίμηκε πλούτου, καὶ τὴν εὐαγγελικὴν νομοθεσίαν πρὸ τῆς νομοθεσίας πεπλήρωκε. Δωρεάν γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐλάβετε, δωρεάν δότε. Ὁ δὲ θαυμάσιος ἐκεῖνος ἀνὴρ, καὶ αὐτὴν τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ τὴν γῆν ἡγιᾶσθαι πιστεύων, ἠξίωσε δύο γόμους ἡμιονικοὺς ἐκ ταύτης λαβεῖν, ὥστε ἐπὶ ταύτης μόνῳ προσφέρειν τῷ Δεσπότῃ Θεῷ τὰς νενομισμένας θυσίας. Οὐ γὰρ ποιήσει, φησὶν, ὁ δοῦλός σου ὁλοκαύτωμα ἢ θυσίαν θεοῖς ἑτέροις, ἀλλ᾽ ἢ τῷ Κυρίῳ μόνῳ. Καὶ περὶ τοῦ λόγου τούτου ἱλάσεταί μοι Κύριος τῷ δούλῳ σου, καὶ ἐν τῷ εἰσπορεύεσθαι τὸν κύριόν μου εἰς οἶκον Ῥεεμάν προσκυνῆσαι ἐκεῖ, ὅτι αὐτὸς ἐπαναπαύεται ἐπὶ τῆς χειρός μου· καὶ ἐν τῷ προσκυνεῖν αὐτὸν εἰς οἶκον Ῥεεμάν, προσκυνήσω ἅμα αὐτῷ Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ ἱλάσεται Κύριος τῷ δούλῳ σου περὶ τοῦ λόγου τούτου. Ἀνάγκη με, φησί, συνεισιέναι τῷ βασιλεῖ τὸν ψευδώνυμον θεὸν προσκυνεῖν βουλομένῳ. ᾿Αλλ' εἰσιὼν ἐγὼ τὸν ἀληθινὸν προσκυνήσω Θεόν· συγγνώμης τυχεῖν ἱκετεύων, ὅτι δὴ διὰ τὴν βασιλικὴν ἀνάγκην εἰσελθεῖν πρὸς τὸν ψευδώνυμον θεὸν ἀναγκάζομαι. Τοῦτο γὰρ δεδήλωκεν, εἰρηκώς· Ἱλάσεταί μοι Κύριος τῷ δούλῳ σου περὶ τοῦ λόγου τούτου. Ταῦτα δὲ τὰ ῥήματα τῆς Ἰουδαϊκῆς πληθύος κατηγορεῖ, ὅτι καὶ νόμον ἔχοντες, καὶ προφήτας, καὶ ἱερέας, καὶ θαυματουργίας καὶ θεοσημίας ὁρῶντες, τὴν τῶν εἰδώλων θεραπείαν τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ προτετιμήκασι θεραπείας. ῎Αξιον δὲ θαυμάσαι τοῦ προφήτου καὶ τῆς χάριτος τὴν ἰσχὺν, καὶ τῆς ψήφου τὸ δίκαιον. Καὶ γὰρ ἔγνω τοῦ Γιεζεὶ τὴν κλοπὴν, καὶ τὴν λέπραν αὐτῷ τοῦ Νεεμὰν ἀπεκλήρωσεν. Οὐχὶ ἡ καρδία μου, φησὶν, ἦν μετὰ σοῦ, ὅτε κατεπήδησε Νεεμὰν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἅρματος αὐτοῦ εἰς συνάντησίν σου; Καὶ νῦν ἔλαβες τὸ ἀργύριον, καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια, καὶ λήψῃ ἐν αὐτῷ κήπους, καὶ ἐλαιῶνας, καὶ ἀμπελῶνας, καὶ ποίμνια, καὶ βουκόλια, καὶ δούλους, καὶ δούλας· καὶ ἡ λέπρα Νεεμὰν κολληθήσεται ἐν σοὶ, καὶ ἐν τῷ σπέρματί σου ἕως αἰῶνος. Αλλ᾽ ἐκεῖνος μὲν ἐραστὴς χρημάτων γεγονὼς ἀπεφάνθη λεπρός· ὁ δὲ τῶν προφητῶν χορὸς τὴν ἐσχάτην πενίαν ἠσπάσατο. Οὐδὲ γὰρ οἰκίας εἶχον, ἀλλὰ καλύβαις ἐχρῶντο. Διὸ τὸν μέγαν προφήτην ἱκέτευσαν συναπελθεῖν αὐτοῖς ξύλα τέμνουσιν εἰς τὴν τούτων κατασκευήν. Τοσαύτῃ δὲ ἐχρῶντο πενίᾳ, ὡς μηδὲ ἀξίνην ἀνέχεσθαι κτήσασθαι. Αὐτίκα γουν μιᾶς εἰς τὸν ποταμὸν ἐμπεσούσης, εἴρηκεν ὁ ταύτην χρησάμενος, Ὦ δὴ Κύριε, καὶ αὐτὸ κεχρημένον.» ᾿Αλλὰ μηδεὶς ἡγείσθω βλάσφημον τὴν φωνήν. Ἐπει καὶ ὁ προφήτης Δαβὶδ ἐν τῇ πνευματικῇ μελῳδίᾳ φησίν· Ὦ Κύριε, σῶσον δὴ, ὦ Κύριε, εὐόδωσον δή. Παραδόξως δὲ ἄγαν ὁ προφήτης ἀνήγαγε τὸ σιδήριον. Ξύλον γὰρ ἐμβαλὼν, παρεσκεύασεν ἐπιπολάσαι τὸ σιδήριον. Τοῦτο δὲ πάλιν προετύπου τὴν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν οἰκονομίαν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τὸ μὲν κουφότατον ξύλον ὑποβρύχιον γέγονεν, τὸ δὲ βαρύτατον ἐπεπόλασε σιδήριον οὕτω τῆς θείας φύσεως ἡ κατάβασις τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως ἐπραγματεύσατο τὴν ἀνάβασιν. ### English translation (Claude) What does “to gather arioth” mean? The others translated these as wild herbs. Those gathering them unknowingly mixed in the wild gourd; but the prophet blunted the action of the poison by ordering flour to be thrown into the pot. It was not the nature of the flour that blunted it, but the prophet's grace. So too it was not the salt that changed the barrenness of the waters into fruitfulness, but the power of the prophetic spirit. The history teaches the propertyless life of the prophets. For their leader at one time feasted them on wild herbs, and at another set twenty barley loaves before a hundred men, and these brought by others. He gave them such a blessing that they met the need of the hundred, and after they were satisfied enough was left over. So great was the power of that poverty that the king of the Syrians needed that grace and sent Naaman his general, so that he might be freed from leprosy through the prophet's prayer. The king of Israel, on reading the Syrian's letter, tore his clothes in perplexity. But the poor prophet was indignant with him and told him to send Naaman to him; he would not see him, as a leper, keeping the law, as one who lived under the law; and he ordered him to wash seven times in the river Jordan. The leprosy was of the body, and the body is composed of the four elements; and the present life revolves in seven days. But the purification of the soul is completed according to the number of the Holy Trinity. Naaman at first objected, saying that the rivers of Damascus were better; but accepting the advice of his servants, he went, and freed of his affliction came to the prophet. First he offered him very valuable gifts; but the prophet preferred much-desired poverty to all wealth, and fulfilled the evangelical law before it was given: “Freely,” he says, “you have received; freely give.” That admirable man, believing that the very land of Israel was sanctified, asked to take two mule-loads of it, so as to offer the customary sacrifices to God the Master alone upon it: “For your servant,” he says, “will no longer offer whole burnt offering or sacrifice to other gods, but only to the Lord. In this matter may the Lord pardon your servant: when my lord goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leans on my hand, and I worship in the house of Rimmon with him, I will worship the Lord God; and may the Lord pardon your servant in this matter.” I am obliged, he says, to go in with the king when he wishes to worship the falsely named god; but when I go in I will worship the true God, asking for pardon because I am compelled by royal necessity to go in to the falsely named god. For he showed this by saying, “May the Lord pardon your servant in this matter.” These words accuse the multitude of the Jews, who, having the law, prophets, priests, and seeing miracles and divine signs, preferred the worship of idols to the worship of God. One should admire the strength of the prophet's grace and the justice of his sentence. For he knew of Gehazi's theft and allotted Naaman's leprosy to him: “Did not my heart go with you,” he says, “when Naaman sprang down from his chariot to meet you? And now you have taken the silver and the garments, and with it you will acquire gardens, olive groves, vineyards, flocks, herds, male and female slaves; and the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your seed forever.” He, having become a lover of money, was made a leper; but the choir of the prophets embraced extreme poverty. They did not even have houses, but used huts. So they begged the great prophet to go with them as they cut timber to build them. They lived in such poverty that they could not even own an axe. At once, at any rate, when one fell into the river, the man who had used it said, “Alas, Lord, and it was borrowed!” Let no one think the word blasphemous; for the prophet David too says in his spiritual song, “O Lord, save now; O Lord, prosper now.” The prophet brought up the iron in a very wonderful way: throwing in a piece of wood, he made the iron float. This again prefigured the dispensation of our Savior. For as the lightest wood went under the water and the heaviest iron floated, so the descent of the divine nature brought about the ascent of human nature. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 4:39: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 4:41: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 2:21: allusion, medium confidence - 2 Kgs 4:42: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 4:43: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 4:44: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 5:1: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 5:7: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 5:8: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 5:10: allusion, high confidence - Lev 13:46: allusion, medium confidence - 2 Kgs 5:12: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 5:14: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 5:16: allusion, high confidence - Matt 10:8: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 5:17: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 5:18: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 5:26: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 5:27: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 6:2: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 6:5: quotation, high confidence - Ps 118:25 (117:25 LXX): quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 6:6: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 4:38–44; 5:1–27; 6:1–7 (LXX; quotations 4:39 ἀριώθ, 5:17–18, 26–27; 6:5); Matt 10:8; Ps 118:25 (LXX 117:25); the leper law, Lev 13:46. The symbolic readings (the four elements, seven days, the Trinity; the axe-head as the incarnation) are Theodoret's; translated as written. Displaced lines are removed by logged corrections: a variant form of the note in 4.18 (“…he bent over, the others said”) printed after “that admirable”, and a phrase of 5:17 (“to your servant a load of a pair of mules”) printed inside the word “think”. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.19 (PG 80 80:757; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-19). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 20 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-19/#p-4-20 - Source: PG 80 80:761 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: “Phelmouni” means “such a place”; Elisha blinded the Syrians who came to seize him, led them into Samaria, and had them fed and released so that their king would learn God's power. ### Greek text Τί ἐστιν· Εἰς τὸν τόπον τὸν Φελμουνί; Ὡς ἄν τις εἴποι, Εἰς τόνδε τὸν τόπον τοῦτο γὰρ δηλοῖ τὸ φελμουνί ᾿Αξιάγαστον δὲ τοῦ προφήτου καὶ τοῦτο. Θηρευθεὶς γὰρ ἐθήρευσε τοὺς θηρεύσαντας, καὶ ἀχλὺν τοῖς τούτων ὀφθαλμοῖς ἐπαγαγὼν, εἰς τὴν βασιλεύουσαν αὐτοὺς εἰσήγαγε πόλιν. Εἶτα τὴν ἀχλὺν ἀποσκεδάσαι τὸν Θεὸν ἱκετεύσας, γνῶναι παρεσκεύασεν ὡς εἴσω τῶν ἀρκύων ἐλήφθησαν· καὶ ὅτι ζωγρῆσαι πειραθέντες ἐζώγρηνται. ᾿Αξιέπαινον δὲ αὐτοῦ κἀκεῖνο. Τοῦ γὰρ βασιλέως ἀνελεῖν πειραθέντος, ἔφη· Οὐ πατάξεις οὓς οὐκ ἠχμαλώτευσας ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ σου καὶ τόξῳ σου. Παράθες αὐτοῖς ἄρτους καὶ ὕδωρ, καὶ φαγέτωσαν, καὶ πιέτωσαν, καὶ ἀποστατήτωσαν πρὸς τὸν κύριον αὐτῶν. Εἰ σφαγεῖεν, φησὶν, οὐ γνωσθήσεται τῆς θαυματουργίας τὸ μέγεθος· εἰ δὲ ὑγιεῖς ἀπέλθοιεν πρὸς τὸν ἀποστείλαντα, μαθήσεται κἀκεῖνος τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ἡμετέρου τὴν δύναμιν. ### English translation (Claude) What does “to the place Phelmouni” mean? As one might say, “to such and such a place”; for this is what phelmouni signifies. This too of the prophet is admirable: being hunted, he hunted the hunters, and bringing a mist over their eyes, he led them into the royal city. Then, praying God to scatter the mist, he made them realize that they had been caught inside the nets, and that those who had tried to take him captive had been taken captive. This too of his is praiseworthy: when the king tried to kill them, he said, “You shall not strike those whom you have not taken captive with your sword and your bow. Set bread and water before them, and let them eat and drink and go back to their master.” If they were slaughtered, he means, the greatness of the miracle would not be known; but if they went back unharmed to the one who sent them, he too would learn the power of our God. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 6:8: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 6:18: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 6:19: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 6:20: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 6:21: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 6:22: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 6:23: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 6:8–23 (LXX; quotations 6:8, 22). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.20 (PG 80 80:761; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-20). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 21 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-19/#p-4-21 - Source: PG 80 80:761 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: During the siege, dove's dung was used as a substitute for salt. ### Greek text Ἡ κόπρος τῶν περιστερῶν ποίαν χρείαν ἐπλήρου; Ἡ τῆς πολιορκίας ἀνάγκη, καὶ τοῦ λιμοῦ τὸ μέγεθος, ἠνάγκασεν αὐτοὺς ἀντὶ ἁλῶν κεχρῆσθαι τῇ κόπρῳ. ### English translation (Claude) What need did the dove's dung meet? The necessity of the siege and the severity of the famine forced them to use the dung instead of salt. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 6:25: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 6:25. This short question holds one question and answer. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.21 (PG 80 80:761; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-21). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 22 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-19/#p-4-22 - Source: PG 80 80:761 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Elisha had the door barred against the king's executioner, yet prayed and ended the siege; he warned the Shunammite of a seven-year famine on Israel, twice the length of Elijah's. ### Greek text Τι δήποτε προσέταξεν ὁ προφήτης κλεισθῆναι τὴν θύραν, καὶ ἐπισχεθῆναι τὸν παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως σταλέντα ; Ὁ ἐμβρόντητος βασιλεὺς, τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τῆς μητρὸς τὴν μιαιφονίαν ἐζηλωκὼς, προσέταξεν ἀποτεμεῖν τοῦ προφήτου τὴν κεφαλὴν· καὶ ταῦτα σάκκον περιβεβλημένος, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν ἱκετεύων λῦσαι καὶ σκεδάσαι τὸ στυγνὸν ἐκεῖνο νέφος καὶ τετρηγός. Καὶ δέον ἱκετεῦσαι τὸν προφήτην, ὥστε τὴν ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ πρεσβείαν προσενεγκεῖν τῷ Θεῷ, τοῦτο μὲν οὐκ ἐποίησεν, ἠπείλησε δὲ κατασφάττειν ὡς ἀμελοῦντα, ἢ ὡς ἑκόντα παρορῶντα τῆς συμφορᾶς τὴν ὑπερβολήν. Ἀλλ᾿ εὐθὺς μεταμεληθεὶς ἔδραμεν ἐπέχων τὸν φόνον. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ὁ προφήτης δεδήλωκεν Εἰ ἑωράκατε γὰρ, φησὶν, ὅτι καὶ ἀπέστειλεν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ φονευτοῦ οὗτος ἀφελεῖν τὴν κεφαλήν μου; Ἴδετε ὡς ἐὰν εἰσέλθῃ ὁ ἄγγελος, ἀποκλείσατε τὴν θύραν, καὶ ἐκθλίψατε αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ θύρᾳ· οὐκ ἰδοὺ ἡ φωνὴ τῶν ποδῶν τοῦ Κυρίου αὐτοῦ κατόπισθεν αὐτοῦ; ῎Αλλ᾿ ὅμως καὶ ταῦτα πάσχων ὁ προφήτης ἱκέτευσε τὸν Δεσπότην, καὶ τὴν πολιορκίαν ἀθρόως διέλυσε. Μετὰ τοῦτο τὸ διήγημα, ὁ τὴν ἱστορίαν συγγράψας ἐδίδαξεν ἡμᾶς, ὡς τῇ Σωμανίτιδι τὸν ἐσόμενον λιμὸν ὁ προφήτης προείρηκεν. Μεμήνυκε δὲ καὶ τὸν χρόνον. Κύριος γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐκάλεσε λιμὸν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, καὶ παρέσται ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ἑπτὰ ἔτη. Αἰνίττεται δὲ ὁ λόγος, ὡς ὁ Ἰσραὴλ τοῦ λιμοῦ τὴν τιμωρίαν ἐδέξατο. Διὸ δὴ τῇ Σωμανίτιδι παρεγγύησε λέγων· ᾿Ανάστηθι καὶ πορεύου σὺ, καὶ ὁ υἱός σου καὶ ὁ οἶκός σου καὶ παροίκει οὗ ἐὰν εὕρῃς ἐκεῖ Εἰ δὲ κοινὸς ἦν πάσης τῆς γῆς ὁ λιμὸς, οὐκ ἂν αὐτὴν ἑτέρωσε ἀπεστάλκει. Δῆλον τοίνυν, ὡς ὁ Ἰσραὴλ ταῖς θεηλάτοις πληγαῖς ἐπαιδεύετο, ὡς μετὰ τοσαύτην ἐπιμέλειαν δυσσεβῶς πολιτευόμενος. Μανθάνομεν δὲ καὶ ἐντεῦθεν, ὡς διπλῆς τετύχηκε χάριτος ὁ προφήτης τοῦδε γὰρ τοῦ λιμοῦ ὁ χρόνος διπλάσιος. ### English translation (Claude) Why did the prophet order the door to be shut and the man sent by the king to be held back? The thunderstruck king, imitating the murderousness of his father and mother, ordered the prophet's head to be cut off; and this while wearing sackcloth and begging God to dissolve and scatter that gloomy, harsh cloud. When he ought to have begged the prophet to intercede with God for him, he did not do this, but threatened to slay him as negligent, or as willingly overlooking the extremity of the calamity. But at once, repenting, he ran after him to stop the murder. The prophet showed this: “Do you see,” he says, “that this son of a murderer has sent to take off my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door and press him back at the door; is not the sound of his master's feet behind him?” Yet even suffering this, the prophet begged the Master, and ended the siege all at once. After this story, the writer of the history taught us that the prophet foretold to the Shunammite the coming famine, and stated its length: “For the Lord,” he says, “has called a famine upon the land, and it will come upon the land seven years.” The passage hints that Israel received the punishment of the famine. That is why he charged the Shunammite, “Arise and go, you and your son and your household, and sojourn wherever you can.” If the famine had been common to the whole earth, he would not have sent her elsewhere. It is clear, then, that Israel was being disciplined by God-sent blows, as living impiously after so much care. We learn from this too that the prophet had received double grace; for the duration of this famine was double. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 6:30: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 6:31: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 6:32: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 7:1: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 8:1: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 8:2: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 6:30–7:20; 8:1–2 (quotations 6:32; 8:1). The phrase “of our God and Savior”, printed inside the word ὑπερβολήν, is a stray line and is removed by a logged correction together with other slips. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.22 (PG 80 80:761; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-22). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 23 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-19/#p-4-23 - Source: PG 80 80:763 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Elisha, completing Elijah's commission, told Hazael he would be king and that Ben-hadad would die, but had him spare the sick king despair; he wept foreseeing Hazael's cruelty to Israel. ### Greek text Τί δήποτε τοῦ Βαραδάδ ὁ προφήτης τὴν τελευτὴν προειπὼν τῷ ᾿Αζαὴλ, παρεσκευάσατο εἰπεῖν αὐτῷ, Ζωῇ ζήση; Ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς Ἠλίᾳ τῷ μεγάλῳ παρεκελεύσατο χρίσαι μὲν τὸν Ἑλισσαῖον προφήτην, τὸν δὲ ᾿Αζαὴλ εἰς βασιλέα Συρίας, καὶ τὸν Ἰηοῦ εἰς βασιλέα Ἰσραήλ. ᾿Αλλὰ τὸν μὲν Ἑλισσαῖον ἔχρισεν, ὡς προσετάχθη, τοὺς βασιλεῖς δὲ οὐκ ἔχρισεν ἔφθασε γὰρ ἀναληφθῆναι, Ὁ δὲ Ἑλισσαῖος, διπλὴν τὴν ἐκείνου χάριν δεξάμενος, πρῶτον εἰς τὴν Δαμασκὸν ἀπελήλυθεν, ὥστε χρίσαι τὸν ᾿Αζαήλ. Ο τοίνυν Βαραδάδ (ἓν γάρ ἐστιν ὄνομα, υἱὸς "Αδερ), μαθὼν τοῦ προφήτου τὴν παρουσίαν, ἀπέστειλε τὸν ᾿Αζαήλ, καὶ δῶρα πολυτελῆ καὶ φιλότιμα, ὥστε μαθεῖν εἰ τῆς ἀῤῥωστίας ἀπαλλαγήσεται. Αφικομένῳ τοίνυν τῷ ᾿Αζαὴλ ὁ προφήτης προεῖπε καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ βασιλείαν, καὶ τοῦ πεπομφότος τὸν θάνατον. Εἶπε δὲ αὐτῷ, μὴ μηνῦσαι τὸν θάνατον, ἵνα μὴ ἀθυμῶν ὑπεξέλθῃ τοῦ βίου. Ἰδὼν μέντοι τὸν ᾿Αζαὴλ ὁ προφήτης, τὰς τῶν δακρύων ἀφῆκε λιβάδας προεώρα γὰρ τὰς ἐσομένας δι᾿ αὐτοῦ τῷ Ἰσραὴλ συμφοράς Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ αὐτῷ προμεμήνυκεν. ### English translation (Claude) Why did the prophet, having foretold Ben-hadad's death to Hazael, have him say to Ben-hadad, “You shall surely live”? The God of the universe ordered the great Elijah to anoint Elisha as prophet, Hazael as king of Syria, and Jehu as king of Israel. He anointed Elisha, as he was commanded, but not the kings, for he was taken up first. Elisha, having received his double grace, first went to Damascus to anoint Hazael. Ben-hadad (for it is one name, son of Ader), learning of the prophet's arrival, sent Hazael with costly and generous gifts to learn whether he would recover from his illness. When Hazael arrived, the prophet foretold both his kingship and the death of the one who sent him. But he told him not to announce the death, so that the king would not depart this life in despondency. Seeing Hazael, the prophet shed streams of tears, for he foresaw the calamities that would come upon Israel through him; and he told him this too. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 8:10: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 19:15: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 19:16: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 8:7: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 8:8: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 8:11: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 8:12: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 8:13: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 8:7–13; 1 Kgs 19:15–16. Stray words from the quotation in 4.22 (“wherever you can sojourn”) at the end are removed by a logged correction. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.23 (PG 80 80:763; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-23). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 24 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-19/#p-4-24 - Source: PG 80 80:765 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Hazael smothered Ben-hadad, a fitting end for an impious ingrate; Joram of Judah, married to Ahab's daughter, followed Ahab's impiety. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον τό· ῎Ελαβε τὸ στρῶμα καὶ ἔβαψεν αὐτὸ ὕδατι, καὶ ἐπέβαλεν ἐπὶ τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀπέθανεν ; Ὁ Ἰώσηπος τὸν ᾿Αζαὴλ εἴρηκε τοῦτο πεποιηκέναι, καὶ βιαίαν ἐπενεγκεῖν αὐτῷ τελευτήν Δυσσεβὴς γὰρ ἦν καὶ μιαιφόνος. Αὐτὸς γὰρ εἴρηκε· Θεὸς ὀρέων ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ οὐ Θεὸς κοιλάδων καὶ σωθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ ᾿Αχαάβ ἀχάριστος περὶ τὸν εὐεργέτην ἐγένετο. Ἐδίδαξε δὲ ἡμᾶς ἡ ἱστορία τῆς κακῆς συγγενείας τὴν βλάβην· ὁ γὰρ ἕτερος Ἰωρὰμ, ὁ τῆς Ἰούδα φυλῆς βασιλεὺς, ἔφυ μὲν ἐκ τοῦ Ἰωσαφάτ ἀνδρὸς εὐσεβοῦς τοῖς δὲ τῆς ὁμοζύγου ὑπαχθεὶς λόγοις, τῆς ἀσεβείας μετέλαχεν Ἐπορεύθη γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐν ὁδῷ τῶν βασιλέων Ἰσραὴλ, καθὼς ἐποίησεν ὁ οἶκος ᾿Αχαάβ, ὅτι θυγάτηρ ᾿Αχαάβ ἦν αὐτῷ εἰς γυναῖκα, καὶ ἐποίει τὸ πονηρὸν ἔναντι Κυρίου. ### English translation (Claude) How should “He took the coverlet and dipped it in water and spread it over his face, and he died” be understood? Josephus said that Hazael did this and brought on him a violent death. For he was impious and murderous: he it was who said, “The God of Israel is a god of the mountains and not a god of the valleys,” and, after being saved by Ahab, he was ungrateful to his benefactor. The history taught us the harm of an evil kinship. For the other Joram, king of the tribe of Judah, was born of Jehoshaphat, a pious man; but, led on by the words of his wife, he shared in impiety: “For he walked,” it says, “in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab did, for Ahab's daughter was his wife, and he did evil before the Lord.” ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 8:15: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 20:28 (3 Kgdms 21:28 LXX): quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 20:34 (3 Kgdms 21:34 LXX): allusion, medium confidence - 2 Kgs 8:16: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 8:18: quotation, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Josephus, Ant. 9.4.6 (Josephus (works)): allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 8:15–18 (quotations 8:15, 18); Josephus, Ant. 9.4.6. Theodoret ascribes the boast and the ingratitude to the dying king; compare 1 Kgs 20:23, 28, 31–34 (LXX 21). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.24 (PG 80 80:765; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-24). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 25 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-19/#p-4-25 - Source: PG 80 80:765 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Edom's revolt from Judah fulfilled Isaac's prophecy to Esau. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον τό· Ἐπάταξε τὸν Ἐδὼμ, καὶ τὸν λαὸν τὸν κυκλοῦντα αὐτὸν, καὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας μετὰ τῶν ἁρμάτων, καὶ ἔφυγεν ὁ λαὸς εἰς τὰ σκηνώματα αὐτοῦ; Ἦρχε τῶν Ἰδουμαίων ὁ τῆς Ἰούδα φυλῆς βασιλεύς· ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὴν τοῦ πατριάρχου Ἰσαὰκ προφητείαν, τὴν τῆς δουλείας ἀπεσείσαντο ζεύγλην. Ἔσται γὰρ, φησὶ, καιρὸς, ἡνίκα ἂν καθέλῃς τὸν ζυγὸν αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τοῦ τραχήλου σου. Στρατεύσαντες τοίνυν κατ᾿ αὐτῶν, ἐκείνους μὲν ἀνεῖλον, καὶ εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν ἐπανῆλθον γῆν. Οἱ δὲ Ἰδουμαῖοι καὶ νικηθέντες ἄρχεσθαι λοιπὸν οὐκ ἠνέσχοντο. ### English translation (Claude) How should “He struck Edom, and the people surrounding him, and the commanders with the chariots, and the people fled to their tents” be understood? The king of the tribe of Judah ruled the Idumeans; but, according to the prophecy of the patriarch Isaac, they shook off the yoke of slavery: “There will come a time,” he says, “when you will break his yoke from your neck.” So they campaigned against them, killed those, and returned to their own land. But the Idumeans, even though defeated, would no longer submit to be ruled. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 8:20: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 8:21: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 8:22: allusion, high confidence - Gen 27:40: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 8:20–22 (quotation 8:21, LXX); Gen 27:40. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.25 (PG 80 80:765; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-25). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 26 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-19/#p-4-26 - Source: PG 80 80:765 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Elisha had Jehu anointed secretly by a disciple so that Joram could be removed swiftly without a war. ### Greek text Τίνος χάριν δι' ἄλλου προφήτου τὸν Ἰηοῦ κέχρικεν ὁ Ἑλισσαῖος; Λάθρα τοῦτο γενέσθαι συνέφερεν, ὥστε συντόμως ἀναιρεθῆναι τὸν Ἰωράμ· εἰ γὰρ προῄσθετο, παρετάξατο ἄν. Ἐν δὲ τῇ παρατάξει, καὶ πολλοὺς ἦν ἀνάγκη πεσεῖν ἑκατέρωθεν. ### English translation (Claude) Why did Elisha anoint Jehu through another prophet? It was expedient that this be done secretly, so that Joram would be killed quickly; for if he had perceived it in advance, he would have drawn up for battle, and in a battle many would necessarily have fallen on both sides. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 9:1: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 9:6: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 9:1–10. This short question holds one question and answer. The staging notes that the OCR read the question number as 320. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.26 (PG 80 80:765; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-26). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 27 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-19/#p-4-27 - Source: PG 80 80:765 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The young prophet was to flee immediately, since God wants us to use ordinary prudence. ### Greek text Διατί δὲ χρίσαντα φυγεῖν εὐθὺς παρηγγύησεν; ἵνα μὴ συλληφθεὶς κινδυνεύσῃ· βούλεται γὰρ ἡμᾶς Δεσπότης Θεὸς καὶ ἀνθρωπίναις οἰκονομίαις κεχρῆσθαι. Τοὺς γὰρ λόγῳ τιμηθέντας εἰς δέον προσήκει κεχρῆσθαι τῷ λόγῳ. ### English translation (Claude) Why did he charge the one who anointed him to flee at once? So that he would not be caught and endangered. For God the Master wishes us to use human prudence too; those honored with reason ought to use reason as is fitting. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 9:3: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 9:10: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 9:3, 10. This short question holds one question and answer. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.27 (PG 80 80:765; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-27). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 28 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-19/#p-4-28 - Source: PG 80 80:765 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Jehu's officers mocked the prophet as mad; Jehu at first concealed his anointing, then revealed it. ### Greek text Διατί ἐπίληπτον τὸν προφήτην ἐκάλεσαν; Ὡς δυσσεβοῦντες ὕβριζον τοὺς θεράποντας τοῦ Θεοῦ· καὶ μαινομένους ἐκάλουν, ὡς παῤῥησίᾳ χρωμένους· ὁ δὲ Ἰηοῦ οὐχ ὡς παροινῶν ἀδολέσχην ὠνόμασεν, ἀλλὰ κρύψαι τὰ εἰρημένα πειρώμενος. Ἐπεὶ δὲ εἶδεν ἐπικειμένους, ἐμήνυσεν. ### English translation (Claude) Why did they call the prophet “epileptic”? As impious men they insulted the servants of God, and called them mad because they spoke freely. Jehu called him a babbler not out of insolence, but trying to hide what had been said. But when he saw them pressing him, he disclosed it. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 9:11: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 9:12: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 9:11–12 (LXX ἐπίληπτος). This short question holds one question and answer. A stray phrase (“before the Lord”) printed inside the word “called” is removed by a logged correction. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.28 (PG 80 80:765; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-28). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 29 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-19/#p-4-29 - Source: PG 80 80:767 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The officers spread their cloaks on the steps for Jehu as king; Aram means the Syrians. ### Greek text Τι ἐστι· Καὶ ἔλαβεν ἀνὴρ τὸ ἱμάτιον αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔθηκεν ὑποκάτωθεν Ἰηοῦ ἐφ᾽ ἓν τῶν γαρείμ; Τὰ ἑξῆς ἑρμηνεύει τοῦ λόγου τὸ ἀσαφές· Ἐπήγαγεν· ἐπὶ μίαν τῶν ἀναβαθμίδων Γνόντες δὲ τὴν θείαν χειροτονίαν, ὡς βασιλεῖ προσήνεγκαν τὴν τιμήν. Αραμεὶν δὲ τοὺς Σύρους ἐκάλεσεν· ᾿Αραμὰ γὰρ οἱ Σύροι Οὕτω δὲ καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι ἡρμήνευσαν. ### English translation (Claude) What does “And each man took his garment and put it under Jehu on one of the garem” mean? What follows explains the obscurity of the passage; for he added, “on one of the steps.” Knowing of the divine appointment, they paid him honor as king. He called the Syrians Aramein; for the Syrians are Aram. So the other translators too rendered it. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 9:13: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 8:28: allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 9:13 (LXX γαρεμ); the remark on the Syrians refers to 2 Kgs 8:28–29 (LXX). This short question holds one question and answer, with a note on another word. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.29 (PG 80 80:767; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-29). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 30 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-19/#p-4-30 - Source: PG 80 80:767 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The watchman recognized Jehu by his furious driving; some copies read that God was driving him. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον· Καὶ ἡ ἀγωγὴ, ἀγωγὴ Ἰηοῦ υἱοῦ Ναμεση διότι ἡ παραλλαγὴ ἦγεν; Πόῤῥωθεν ὁ σκοπὸς θεασάμενος, ὡς οἱ μὲν ἀποσταλέντες οὐκ ἀνέστρεψαν, ὁ δὲ τοῦ πλήθους ἡγούμενος ἐῴκει εἶναι Ἰηοῦ (τοῦτο γὰρ τὸ σχῆμα ἐδήλου), ἐμήνυσεν ὅπερ ἑώρακεν. Ἔνια μέντοι τῶν ἀντιγράφων ἔχει, Καὶ ὁ ἄγων ἦγε τὸν Ἰηοῦ», τουτέστιν ὁ Θεός ### English translation (Claude) How should “And the driving is the driving of Jehu son of Nimshi, for he drove furiously” be understood? The watchman, seeing from afar that those sent had not returned, and that the leader of the troop seemed to be Jehu (for his manner showed this), reported what he had seen. Some copies, however, have “and the driver was driving Jehu,” that is, God. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 9:20: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 9:18: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 9:20 (LXX). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.30 (PG 80 80:767; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-30). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 31 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-19/#p-4-31 - Source: PG 80 80:767 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: A “burden” is a prophecy spoken by the Spirit; Jehu saw Elijah's oracles against Ahab's house fulfilled in Joram, Jezebel and Ahab's seventy sons. ### Greek text Τί ἐστι, Καὶ Κύριος ἐλάλησεν ἐπ᾿ αὐτὸν τὸ λῆμμα τοῦτο; Τὰς προφητείας καὶ ὁράσεις ἐκάλουν καὶ λήμματα. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ τῶν προφητῶν ἢ δι᾽ ἐνυπνίων, ἢ ὕπαρ ἑώρων τινά· καὶ τοῦτο τὸ εἶδος ὄρασις ἐκαλεῖτο. Τινὲς δὲ τοῦ θείου Πνεύματος δι᾿ αὐτῶν ἐνεργοῦντος ἐφθέγγοντο, καὶ προὔλεγον τὰ ἐσόμενα· τοῦτο ἐκάλουν λῆμμα. ᾿Ανεμίμνησκε τοίνυν ὁ Ἰηοῦ τῆς Ἠλιοὺ τοῦ μεγάλου προῤῥήσεως, ὅτι ἔνθα τοῦ Ναβουθὲ ἔλειξαν οἱ κύνες τὸ αἷμα, ἐκεῖ τὸ αἷμα τοῦ ᾿Αχαάβ λείξουσιν. Οὗ δὴ χάριν καὶ τοῦ Ἰωρὰμ ἐκεῖ τὸ σῶμα ῥιφῆναι προσέταξε· καὶ τῆς Ἰεζάβελ δὲ τὸ σῶμα μεμαθηκὼς ὑπὸ κυνῶν ἀνηλῶσθαι, ἐθαύμασεν ὁ Ἰηοῦ τὸ τῆς προῤῥήσεως ἀψευδές. Ἐν τῇ μερίδι γὰρ, ἔφη, Ἰεσδραήλ καταφάγονται οἱ κύνες τὰς σάρκας Ἰεζάβελ, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Τῶν δὲ ἄλλων παίδων τοῦ ᾿Αχαάβ ἀναιρεθέντων ὑπὸ τῶν θρεψαμένων, σοφῶς ἄγαν πρὸς τὸν λαὸν ὁ Ἰηοῦ ἔφη Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ συνεστράφην ἐπὶ τὸν ἐμαυτοῦ κύριον, καὶ ἀπέκτεινα αὐτὸν, καὶ τούτους πάντας τίς ἐπάταξεν ; Ἴδετε ἀφφὼ, ὅτι οὐ πεσεῖται ἀπὸ τῶν λόγων Κυρίου ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, ὧν ἐλάλησε κατὰ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ Ἀχαάβ. Ἐγὼ, φησὶν, ὡς τυραννῆσαι βουλόμενος ἀνεῖλον τὸν Ἰωράμ· τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς αὐτοῦ ἑβδομήκοντα ὄντας τὸν ἀριθμὸν τίς ἀνεῖλεν; Οὐχὶ ἡ θεήλατος ὀργὴ τοῖς οἰκειοτάτοις ὑπουργοῖς χρησαμένη; ᾿Αψευδεῖς ἄρα τῶν προφητῶν αἱ προῤῥήσεις. ### English translation (Claude) What does “And the Lord spoke this burden against him” mean? They called prophecies and visions “burdens” too. For some of the prophets saw something either in dreams or awake, and this kind was called a vision; others spoke through the working of the divine Spirit in them and foretold the future, and this they called a burden. So Jehu was recalling the prophecy of the great Elijah, that where the dogs licked Naboth's blood, there they would lick Ahab's blood. That is why he ordered Joram's body to be thrown there; and when he learned that Jezebel's body had been consumed by dogs, Jehu marveled at the truthfulness of the prophecy: “In the portion of Jezreel,” he said, “the dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel,” and so on. When Ahab's other sons had been killed by those who reared them, Jehu very wisely said to the people, “Behold, I conspired against my lord and killed him; but who struck all these? See, aphpho, that nothing will fall to the ground of the words of the Lord which he spoke against the house of Ahab.” I, he means, killed Joram as one who wished to usurp; but who killed his brothers, seventy in number? Was it not the God-sent wrath, using as its servants those closest to them? So the prophecies of the prophets are unfailing. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 9:25: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 9:26: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 21:19 (3 Kgdms 20:19 LXX): allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 9:36: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 9:37: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 21:23 (3 Kgdms 20:23 LXX): allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 10:7: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 10:9: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 10:10: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 9:25–26, 36–37; 10:6–10 (LXX; quotations 9:25, 36; 10:9–10); 1 Kgs 21:19, 23 (LXX 20). A stray line (a gloss on 9:20, “he was driving Jehu son of Nimshi”) printed inside the word “shall eat” is removed by a logged correction. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.31 (PG 80 80:767; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-31). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 32 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-19/#p-4-32 - Source: PG 80 80:769 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The “knowers” are soothsayers who claim to know the future. ### Greek text Γνώστας τίνας καλεῖ; Τοὺς μάντεις, τοὺς οἰομένους εἰδέναι τὰ μέλλοντα. Ωσπερ γὰρ ὁρῶντας καὶ βλέποντας τοὺς προφήτας ὠνόμαζον, ὡς τὰ μέλλοντα προορῶντας· οὕτω καὶ τοὺς μάντεις γνώστας ἐκάλουν, ὡς καὶ γινώσκειν τὰ κεκρυμμένα οἰομένους, καὶ προγινώσκειν τὰ μηδέπω γεγενημένα. ### English translation (Claude) Whom does he call “knowers”? The soothsayers, who think they know the future. As they named the prophets “seers” and “those who see,” as foreseeing the future, so they called the soothsayers “knowers,” as thinking they know what is hidden and foreknow what has not yet happened. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 21:6: allusion, medium confidence - 2 Kgs 23:24: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Sam 9:9: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The LXX γνώσται, e.g. 2 Kgs 21:6; 23:24; 1 Sam 28:3. The staging notes that the OCR read the question number as 3. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.32 (PG 80 80:769; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-32). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 33 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-19/#p-4-33 - Source: PG 80 80:769 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Jonadab son of Rechab, whose family lived in tents and abstained from wine, was a pious man whom Jehu honored; there were godly people even in Israel. ### Greek text Τί ἐστιν Ἰωναδάβ ὁ τοῦ ῾Ρηχάβ; Εὐσεβὴς ἀνὴρ ἦν καὶ αὐτὸς, καὶ τὸ γένος αὐτοῦ. Ἐν σκηναῖς γὰρ διετέλεσαν κατοικοῦντες, καὶ τῆς τοῦ οἴνου πόσεως ἀπεχόμενοι. Τούτων καὶ ὁ προφήτης Ἱερεμίας σὺν ἐπαίνοις ἐμνήσθη. Καὶ αὐτὰ δὲ ἡ ἱστορία δηλοῖ αὐτῶν τὴν εὐσέβειαν. Πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ ἰδὼν αὐτὸν ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἰηοῦ εὐλόγησεν αὐτὸν, τουτέστι προσεῖπεν αὐτῷ. Εἶτα ἤρετο· Εἱ ἔστιν εὐθεῖα ἡ καρδία σου μετὰ τῆς καρδίας μου, καθώς ἐστιν ἡ καρδία μου μετὰ τῆς καρδίας σου; Τοῦ δὲ εἰρηκότος· Ἔστιν, εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰηοῦ· Εἰ ἔστι, δὸς τὴν χεῖρά σου. Ἔπειτα αὐτὸν σύνεδρον εἰς τὸ ἅρμα αὐτοῦ λαβὼν ἔφη Δεῦρο μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ, καὶ ἴδε ἐν τῷ ζηλῶσαί με τῷ Κυρίῳ· καὶ ἐπεκάθισεν αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ ἅρματι αὑτοῦ. Καὶ ἐντεῦθεν τοίνυν δῆλον, ὡς καὶ ἐν ταῖς δέκα φυλαῖς ἦσαν τινες εὐσεβείᾳ κοσμούμενοι, δι' οὓς καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ὁ σοφῶς πάντα πρυτανεύων ἠνείχετο. ### English translation (Claude) What is Jonadab son of Rechab? He too was a pious man, and so was his family. They lived continually in tents and abstained from drinking wine. The prophet Jeremiah mentioned them with praise. The history itself shows their piety. First, King Jehu, on seeing him, “blessed” him, that is, greeted him. Then he asked, “Is your heart right with my heart, as my heart is with your heart?” When he said, “It is,” Jehu said to him, “If it is, give me your hand.” Then, taking him as companion in his chariot, he said, “Come with me and see my zeal for the Lord”; and he made him ride in his chariot. From this too it is clear that even among the ten tribes there were some adorned with piety, for whose sake the One who governs all things wisely bore with the others. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 10:15: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 10:16: quotation, high confidence - Jer 35:6: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 10:15–16 (quotations); Jer 35:1–19. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.33 (PG 80 80:769; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-33). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 34 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-19/#p-4-34 - Source: PG 80 80:769 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Jehu's pretended devotion to Baal served to gather and destroy all Baal's priests; he removed Baal worship but kept the golden calves. ### Greek text Τι δήποτε μέλλων κατασφάττειν τῶν εἰδώλων τοὺς ἱερεῖς ἐψεύσατο; "Εφη γάρ· ᾿Αχαάβ ἐδούλευσε τῷ Βάαλ ὀλίγα, καί γε ἐγὼ δουλεύσω αὐτῷ πολλά. Καὶ τῶν λόγων καὶ τῶν ἔργων τὸν σκοπὸν ἐξετάζειν δεῖ. Τοῦτο κἀνταῦθα ποιητέον. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ Ἰηοῦ μηδένα διαφυγεῖν βουλόμενος τὴν σφαγὴν, ἐκείνοις ἐχρήσατο τοῖς λόγοις, ἵνα θαῤῥήσαντες πάντες παραγένωνται. Ἵνα δὲ μήτις τῶν θείων ἱερέων μεταλάχῃ τῆς τιμωρίας, ὡς ἀναξίους δῆθεν τῆς ἑορτῆς ἐξελαθῆναι προσέταξεν· εἶθ' οὕτω μόνους ἐκείνους κατηκόντισεν ἅπαντας. Καὶ τοῦ Βάαλ δὲ τὴν στήλην ἐνέπρησε, καὶ τὰ ἄλση ἐξέκοψε, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων εἰδώλων πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἠλευθέρωσε. Τὰς δέ γε χρυσᾶς δαμάλεις σέβων διατετέλεκε. Βααλεὶμ δὲ τὸν τοῦ Βάαλ σηκὸν προσηγόρευσεν. ### English translation (Claude) Why, when about to slaughter the priests of the idols, did he lie? For he said, “Ahab served Baal a little; but I will serve him much.” The purpose of both words and deeds must be examined; this must be done here too. For Jehu, wishing that none should escape the slaughter, used those words so that all would come with confidence. And so that none of the priests of God would share in the punishment, he ordered them to be driven out as supposedly unworthy of the feast; and then he cut down those alone, all of them. He burned the pillar of Baal, cut down the groves, and freed the whole land of Israel from the other idols. But he continued to worship the golden heifers. He called the precinct of Baal Baaleim. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 10:18: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 10:19: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 10:23: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 10:25: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 10:26: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 10:27: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 10:28: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 10:29: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 10:18–29 (quotation 10:18). Theodoret's judgment on Jehu's deception is translated as written. Displaced words are put back in their place by logged corrections: a variant phrase (“it is right to examine”) and words belonging to the end of the answer (“he freed… he continued to worship the golden heifers… he called”) had been printed inside the sentence on Jehu's purpose. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.34 (PG 80 80:769; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-34). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 35 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-19/#p-4-35 - Source: PG 80 80:771 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Athaliah tried to exterminate David's line, but God had joined the priestly and royal families, and Jehosheba and Jehoiada saved and crowned Joash. ### Greek text Τίνος χάριν ἡ Γοθολία καὶ τοὺς ἐκγόνους ἀνεῖλεν ; Ὡς δυσσεβὴς καὶ τυραννικὴ, ἅπαν τοῦ Δαβίδ τὸ γένος, ὡς εὐσεβὲς, ἐκκόψαι πρόῤῥιζον ἠβουλήθη· ἵνα ἐπειλημμένη τῆς δυναστείας ἐκπαιδεύσῃ τὸν λαὸν τὴν οἰκείαν ἀσέβειαν. ᾿Αλλ᾿ ὁ πάντα σοφῶς ἰθύνων Δεσπότης παρεσκεύασεν αὖθις τῇ βασιλικῇ τὴν ἱερατικὴν μιγῆναι φυλὴν, καὶ τὸν Ἰωδαὲ τὸν σοφώτατον ἱερέα γῆμαι τὴν Ἰωσαβεὲ τοῦ Ἰωρὰμ τὴν θυγατέρα, ἵνα φυλαχθῇ τοῦ βασιλικοῦ σπέρματος ὁ σπινθήρ. Αὕτη γὰρ ὁρῶσα τὸ βασιλικὸν ἀναιρούμενον γένος, καὶ ἔκλεψε καὶ ἔκρυψε τὸν ἀδελφιδοῦν Ἰωὰς, καὶ διετέλεσεν ἔνδον ἐν τῷ ναῷ διατρέφουσα, καὶ ἓξ μὲν ἔτη κατέσχε διέπουσα τὴν βασιλείαν ἡ μιαρωτάτη Γοθολία· τῷ ἑβδόμῳ δὲ ἔτει ὁ πάνσοφος ἀρχιερεὺς τὴν βασιλείαν εἰς τὸ βασιλικὸν ἐπανήγαγε γένος. ### English translation (Claude) Why did Athaliah kill even her grandsons? As an impious and tyrannical woman, she wished to cut off the whole family of David root and branch, as pious, so that, having seized power, she might train the people in her own impiety. But the Master who governs all things wisely had arranged in turn that the priestly tribe be mixed with the royal one, and that Jehoiada, the most wise priest, marry Jehosheba the daughter of Joram, so that the spark of the royal seed might be preserved. For she, seeing the royal family being killed, stole and hid her nephew Joash, and kept him inside the temple, rearing him; and for six years the most foul Athaliah held and ran the kingdom; but in the seventh year the all-wise high priest brought the kingdom back to the royal family. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 11:1: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 11:2: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 22:11: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 11:3: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 11:4: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 11:1–4; 2 Chr 22:10–12 (Jehosheba as Jehoiada's wife). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.35 (PG 80 80:771; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-35). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 36 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-19/#p-4-36 - Source: PG 80 80:771 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The runners and guards were divided into three groups to secure the palace and temple gates. ### Greek text Παρατρέχοντας τίνας καλεῖ; Τοὺς ἡγουμένους τοῦ βασιλέως· Χοῤῥὶ δὲ καὶ Ῥασεὶμ ἀσπιδηφόρους καὶ δορυφόρους. Τούτους τριχῆ διελὼν, τοὺς μὲν ἐκέλευσε φυλάσσειν τοῦ βασιλέως τὸν οἶκον, τοὺς δὲ τὴν εἴσοδον τοῦ θείου ναοῦ, τοὺς δὲ τὴν πύλην τὴν ἑτέραν. ### English translation (Claude) Whom does he call “runners”? Those who go before the king; and the Chorri and Rasim are shield-bearers and spearmen. Dividing these into three, he ordered some to guard the king's house, others the entrance of the divine temple, and others the other gate. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 11:4: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 11:5: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 11:6: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 11:4–6 (LXX). This short question holds one question and answer. The staging notes that the OCR read the question number as 301. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.36 (PG 80 80:771; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-36). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 37 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-19/#p-4-37 - Source: PG 80 80:771 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Theodoret explains the guard arrangements at Joash's coronation, with help from the other translators, Chronicles and Josephus. ### Greek text Τι σημαίνει τό· Φυλάξατε τὴν φυλακὴν τοῦ οἴκου μεσσαέ; Τὸ μεσσαὲ οἱ λοιποὶ ἑρμηνευταὶ ἀπὸ διαφθορᾶς εἰρήκασι τουτέστι μετὰ πάσης φυλακῆς, ὥστε μηδεμίαν γίνεσθαι βλάβην ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τῷ θείῳ. Τὸ δὲ, Δύο χεῖρες ὑμῖν ἀντὶ τοῦ, ἄρτιοί ἐστε καὶ ὑγιεῖς, καὶ ἱκανοὶ φυλάξαι καὶ τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τὸν τοῦ βασιλέως. Ἐκέλευσε δὲ τοὺς Λευΐτας μαχαιροφόρους εἶναι, καὶ τὸν βασιλέα φρουρεῖν. Τὸ δὲ, Εἰσερχόμενος εἰς τὰ σαδηρώθ ἀποθανεῖται, τῶν Παραλειπομένων ἡ βίβλος οὕτως ἔχει Εἰσπορευόμενος εἰς τὸν οἶκον ἀποθανεῖται. Οὕτω δὲ καὶ ὁ Ἰώσηπος εἴρηκε. Τὸ δὲ, «Ἀπὸ τῆς ὠμίας τοῦ οἴκου τῆς δεξιᾶς, ἕως ὠμίας τοῦ οἴκου τῆς ἀριστερᾶς, δηλοῖ ὡς μονοειδὲς σχῆμα οἱ Λευῖται πεποιηκότες, τὰ κέρατα εἶχον συνημμένα τῷ οἴκῳ, καὶ ἐν μέσῳ δὲ ὄντα τὸν βασιλέα ἐφρούρουν, ὁ δὲ στρατὸς ὁπλοφόρων ἔξω εἰστήκει, τοὺς εἰσιέναι πειρωμένους ἐπέχων. ### English translation (Claude) What does “Keep the watch of the house messae” signify? The remaining translators rendered messae “from destruction,” that is, with all vigilance, so that no harm would happen in the divine house. “Two hands are yours” means: you are fit and sound and able to guard both the house of God and that of the king. He ordered the Levites to bear swords and guard the king. For “Whoever enters the saderoth shall die,” the book of Chronicles has, “Whoever enters the house shall die”; and Josephus said so too. “From the right corner of the house to the left corner of the house” shows that the Levites, having formed a single line, had its ends joined to the house and guarded the king in the middle, while the army of armed men stood outside, holding back any who tried to enter. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 11:6: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 11:7: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 11:8: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 23:7: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 11:11: quotation, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Josephus, Ant. 9.7.2 (Josephus (works)): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 11:6–11 (LXX; quotations 11:6, 7, 8, 11); 2 Chr 23:7; Josephus, Ant. 9.7.2. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.37 (PG 80 80:771; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-37). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 38 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-19/#p-4-38 - Source: PG 80 80:773 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The “holy thing” was the anointing and the “testimony” the crown; Athaliah, crying “conspiracy,” was executed outside the temple. ### Greek text Τι ἐστιν· "Εδωκεν ἐπ' αὐτὸν τὸ ἁγίασμα καὶ τὸ μαρτύριον ; Ἡ βίβλος τῶν Παραλειπομένων οὕτως ἔχει· Ἔδωκεν ἐπ' αὐτὸν τὸ βασίλειον, καὶ τὸ μαρτύριον· καὶ ἐβασίλευσαν αὐτὸν, καὶ ἔχρισαν αὐτὸν Ἰωδαὲ καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἶπον, Ζήτω ὁ βασιλεύς. Ὡς εἶναι δῆλον, ὅτι τὸ μὲν ἁγίασμα χρίσμα ἐκάλεσε· μαρτύριον δὲ τὸν βασιλικὸν στέφανον, ὡς τῆς βασιλείας δηλωτικόν σύνδεσμον δὲ τὴν τυραννίδα εἰώθασιν ὀνομάζειν Τοιαύτη δὲ ἦν τῆς Γοθολίας ἡ πονηρία, ὅτι τὸν ἔκγονον βεβασιλευκότα θεασαμένη, καὶ τὴν ἐσθῆτα διέρρηξε, καὶ ἐβόησε· Σύνδεσμος, σύνδεσμος. ᾿Αλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἑκατοντάρχοις ἐκέλευσεν ὁ σοφώτατος ἱερεὺς ἔξω τῶν ἱερῶν ἀνελεῖν αὐτὴν περιβόλων. Κἀνταῦθα δὲ ἡ μὲν τῶν Βασιλειῶν βίβλος, ἔξωθεν τῶν σαδηρώθ, ἔχει, τῶν δὲ Παραλειπομένων, ἐκτὸς τοῦ οἴκου. ### English translation (Claude) What does “He put upon him the holy thing and the testimony” mean? The book of Chronicles has this: “He put upon him the crown and the testimony; and they made him king, and Jehoiada and his sons anointed him, and said, Long live the king.” So it is clear that he called the anointing the holy thing, and the royal crown the testimony, as signifying the kingship. They usually call usurpation “conspiracy.” Such was Athaliah's wickedness that, seeing her grandson made king, she tore her clothes and cried, “Conspiracy, conspiracy.” But the most wise priest ordered the centurions to kill her outside the sacred precincts. Here too the book of Kingdoms has “outside the saderoth,” and that of Chronicles “outside the house.” ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 11:12: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 23:11: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 11:14: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 11:15: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 23:14: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 11:16: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 11:12–16 (LXX; quotations 11:12, 14, 15); 2 Chr 23:11, 13–14. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.38 (PG 80 80:773; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-38). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 39 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-19/#p-4-39 - Source: PG 80 80:773 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Jehoiada bound king and people by covenant to serve the Lord; Joash did right while Jehoiada taught him, though sacrifice on the high places continued. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον τό· Διέθετο Ιωδαὲ ὁ ἱερεὺς διαθήκην ἀναμέσον Κυρίου, καὶ ἀναμέσον τοῦ λαοῦ, τοῦ εἶναι εἰς λαὸν Κυρίου; Τὴν διαθήκην πανταχοῦ οἱ ἄλλοι ἑρμηνευταὶ συνθήκην εἰρήκασι. Τέθεικε, φησὶ, καὶ ὅρους καὶ νόμους, καὶ τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ τῷ λαῷ, ὥστε μόνῳ τῷ Κυρίῳ δουλεύειν, καὶ κατὰ τοὺς αὐτοῦ πολιτεύεσθαι νόμους. Ὅσον δὲ ὀνίνησι διδάσκαλος εὐσεβὴς, καὶ ἡ ἱστορία διδάσκει· Εποίησε γὰρ, φησὶ, Ἰωὰς τὸ εὐθὲς ἐνώπιον Κυρίου πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας, ἃς ἐφώτισεν αὐτὸν Ἰωδαὲ ὁ ἱερεύς. Τὸ δὲ ἀτελὲς καὶ τοῦδε τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ τοῦ λαοῦ, ὁ ἱστοριογράφος ἐδίδαξεν. Ἐπήγαγε γάρ «Πλὴν τῶν ὑψηλῶν οὐκ ἀπέστησαν ἔτι ὁ λαὸς ἐθυσίαζον καὶ ἐθυμίων ἐν τοῖς μετεώροις. Οἶμαι δὲ νῦν μὴ τῶν ψευδωνύμων αὐτοῖς θεῶν ἐπιμέμφεσθαι λατρείαν, ἀλλὰ τὰς παρὰ τὸν Μωσαϊκὸν νόμον ἔξω τοῦ Θεοῦ νεὼ γεγενημένας θυσίας. ### English translation (Claude) How should “Jehoiada the priest made a covenant between the Lord and the people, that they should be the Lord's people” be understood? The other translators everywhere rendered “covenant” as “compact.” He laid down, he means, both boundaries and laws, for the king and the people, so that they would serve the Lord alone and live by his laws. How much a pious teacher benefits, the history too teaches: “For Joash did what was right in the sight of the Lord all the days that Jehoiada the priest instructed him.” The writer also taught the imperfection of this king and of the people; for he added, “Only they did not remove the high places; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the heights.” I think that he does not now blame them for worship of the falsely named gods, but for sacrifices offered outside God's temple contrary to the law of Moses. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 11:17: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 12:2: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 12:3: quotation, high confidence - Deut 12:13: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 11:17; 12:2–3 (LXX; quotations). The staging notes that the OCR read the question number as 10. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.39 (PG 80 80:773; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-39). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 40 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-19/#p-4-40 - Source: PG 80 80:775 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The “silver of valuation” was money from vows, which Joash had the priests use for repairing the temple's damage (bedek). ### Greek text Τι ἐστι· «᾿Αργύριον συντιμήσεως ἀνδρὸς, ἀργύριον συντιμήσεως ψυχῶν , Τούτων τὸν νοῦν τὸ Δευτερονόμιον ἑρμηνεύοντες δεδηλώκαμεν. Προσέταξε γὰρ ὁ Δεσπότης τοὺς ὑπισχνουμένους τὴν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν τιμὴν προσφέρειν τῷ Σωτῆρι Θεῷ πόσους σίκλους προσήκει διδόναι. Ἐκέλευσε τοίνυν ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἰωὰς ἅπαν τὸ προσφερόμενον ἀργύριον τοὺς ἱερέας κομίσασθαι, καὶ αὐτοὺς ποιεῖσθαι τὴν προσήκουσαν θεραπείαν τοῦ νεώ. Τοῦτο γὰρ λέγει, Αὐτοὶ κραταιώσουσι τὸ βεδὲκ οἴκου Κυρίου, εἰς πάντα οὗ ἐὰν εὑρεθῇ ἐκεῖ. Βεδὲκ δὲ καλεῖ τῶν ἐφθαρμένων ξύλων ἢ λίθων τὴν θεραπείαν Ἡ δὲ τῶν Παραλειπομένων βίβλος ἀντὶ τοῦ ποιῆσαι τὸ βεδέκ, ἐπισκευάσαι τὸν οἶκον Κυρίου,» λέγει, καὶ πάλιν, τοῦ θεραπεῦσαι τὸν οἶκον Κυρίου. ### English translation (Claude) What does “the silver of a man's valuation, the silver of valuation of souls” mean? We explained its sense when interpreting Deuteronomy. For the Master commanded how many shekels those who vowed to offer their own value to God the Savior should give. So King Joash ordered the priests to receive all the silver offered and to make the necessary repairs to the temple. For this is what he says: “They shall repair the bedek of the house of the Lord, wherever any is found there.” He calls “bedek” the repair of decayed timbers or stones. The book of Chronicles, instead of “to make the bedek,” says “to repair the house of the Lord,” and again, “to restore the house of the Lord.” ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 12:4: quotation, high confidence - Lev 27:2: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 12:5: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 24:5: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 24:12: quotation, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Theodoret, Quaest. Oct. (Questions on the Octateuch): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 12:4–5 (LXX; quotations); Lev 27:1–8; 2 Chr 24:4–5, 12. Theodoret refers to his own Questions on the Octateuch (on the vow-valuations). The printed question lacks a question mark; the question is present. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.40 (PG 80 80:775; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-40). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 41 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-19/#p-4-41 - Source: PG 80 80:775 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God's “repentance” toward Israel was his change from punishment to restoration after Hazael had nearly destroyed them. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον Καὶ μετεμελήθη Κύριος, καὶ ᾤκτειρεν αὐτοὺς διὰ τὴν διαθήκην αὐτοῦ πρὸς ᾿Ἀβραὰμ, καὶ Ἰσαὰκ, καὶ Ἰακώβ Ἰωάχας ὁ τοῦ Ἰηοῦ υἱὸς, ὁ τῶν δέκα φυλῶν βασιλεὺς, εἰς ἀσέβειαν ἀποκλίνας, κοινωνὸν ἔσχε τὸν λαὸν τῆς τῶν εἰδώλων λατρείας. Δίκας τοίνυν αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεὸς εἰσπραττόμενος, τῷ ᾿Αζαὴλ παρέδωκεν ὃν χειροτονῶν βασιλέα Συρίας Ἑλισσαῖος ὁ μέγας πλεῖστα ἐξέχεε δάκρυα· ἅτε δὴ προβλέπων τὸν ὅλεθρον, ὃν ἔμελλεν ποιήσων ταῖς δέκα φυλαῖς. Οὕτω γὰρ αὐτοὺς ἀνήλωσεν, ὡς ἱππεῖς μὲν αὐτοῖς ὑπολειφθῆναι πεντήκοντα, ἅρματα δὲ δέκα, πεζοὺς δὲ μυρίους. Πλείους δὲ πολλάκις τῶν ἑκατὸν ἐσχήκασι μυριάδων. ᾿Αλλ' ᾤκτειρε πάλιν αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ τὰς οἰκείας αὐτοῖς ἀποδέδωκε πόλεις. Ταύτην ἐκάλεσεν ὁ συγγραφεὺς μεταμέλειαν, τουτέστιν, ἀπὸ τῆς δυσκληρίας εἰς εὐκληρίαν μεταβολήν. ### English translation (Claude) How should “And the Lord repented and had compassion on them because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” be understood? Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of the ten tribes, turned aside to impiety and had the people as his partner in the worship of idols. So God, exacting punishment from them, handed them over to Hazael, at whose appointment as king of Syria the great Elisha shed many tears, foreseeing the destruction he would bring on the ten tribes. He so wasted them that they were left fifty horsemen, ten chariots and ten thousand foot soldiers, when they had often had more than a million. But God had compassion on them again and gave them back their cities. The writer called this “repentance,” that is, a change from misfortune to good fortune. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 13:23: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 13:2: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 13:3: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 8:12: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 13:7: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 13:25: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 13:1–7, 22–25 (quotation 13:23, LXX); 8:11–12. The printed question lacks a question mark; the question is present. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.41 (PG 80 80:775; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-41). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 42 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-19/#p-4-42 - Source: PG 80 80:775 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Elisha's sign of the arrows foretold Joash's victories, limited to three by his half-hearted striking; even dead, Elisha raised a man, proving his double portion. ### Greek text Τί δήποτε μέλλων τελευτᾷν ὁ προφήτης Ἰωάχας τῷ τοῦ Ἰωᾶς ὑἱῷ διὰ τόξου καὶ βέλους τὴν ἐσομένην ἐμήνυσε νίκην ; Οὐχ οὕτως ἐπίστευεν τοῖς λόγοις, ὡς ταῖς δι᾿ ἔργων προῤῥήσεσιν. Οὗ δὴ χάριν καὶ τόξον τεῖναι ἐκέλευσε, καὶ προσαρμόσαι τούτῳ τὸ βέλος. Ὑπολαβὼν δὲ ὡς αὐτομάτως ἀφήσει πολλά, ἔφη τοῦ πρώτου πεμφθέντος, Βέλος σωτηρίας Κυρίῳ, καὶ βέλος σωτηρίας ἐν Ἰσραὴλ καὶ πατάξεις τὴν Συρίαν ἐν ᾿Αφὲκ ἕως συντελείας. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τρία μόνον ἐξέπεμψεν, ἠχθέσθη λίαν ὁ προφήτης, ὡς τρὶς τῆς Συρίας μόνον ἡττωμένης, καὶ πανωλεθρίαν οὐ δεχομένης. Ὁ δὲ προφήτης καὶ τελευτήσας τὸν νεκρόν ἀνέστησε τὸν πελάσαντα· ἵνα καὶ τοῦτο μαρτυρῇ τὸ θαῦμα, ὡς διπλασίαν τοῦ διδασκάλου τὴν χάριν ἐδέξατο. ### English translation (Claude) Why did the prophet, when about to die, show Joash son of Jehoahaz the coming victory by means of a bow and arrow? He did not trust words as much as predictions made through actions. That is why he ordered him to draw the bow and fit the arrow to it. Supposing that he would shoot many of his own accord, he said of the first one shot, “An arrow of salvation for the Lord, and an arrow of salvation in Israel; and you shall strike Syria in Aphek to the end.” But since he shot only three, the prophet was very vexed, since Syria would be defeated only three times and would not suffer utter destruction. The prophet, even after his death, raised the dead man who touched him, so that this miracle too might testify that he had received double his teacher's grace. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 13:14: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 13:15: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 13:17: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 13:18: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 13:19: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 13:21: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 2:9: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 13:14–21 (quotation 13:17, LXX). The printed question reads “Jehoahaz the son of Joash”, reversing the names; the king was Joash son of Jehoahaz, and the translation follows the sense. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.42 (PG 80 80:775; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-42). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 43 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-19/#p-4-43 - Source: PG 80 80:777 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Jehoash's parable of the thistle and the cedar warned proud Amaziah, who ignored it and was defeated, with Jerusalem plundered. ### Greek text Τί δηλοῖ ἡ παραβολὴ τοῦ ἄκαν, καὶ τῆς κέδρου ; Ὁ ᾿Αμεσσίας τῶν Ἰδουμαίων πολέμου νόμῳ κρατήσας, ἤλπισε καὶ τὰς δέκα νικήσειν φυλὰς, καὶ τὸν ἐκείνων εἰς μάχην προὐκαλέσατο βασιλέα. Ἐκεῖνος δὲ ἀντεδήλωσεν, ὡς ὁ ἄκαν τῇ κέδρῳ δεδήλωκε κατεγγυῆσαι τῷ παιδὶ τὴν θυγατέρα. Τῶν δὲ περὶ τοῦ γάμου γινομένων λόγων, τὰ θηρία διελθόντα συνεπάτησε τὸν ἄκαν καὶ διέφθειρε. Διὰ δὲ τούτων τῶν λόγων ἀπείκασεν ἑαυτὸν μὲν τῇ κέδρῳ, τὸν δὲ ᾿Αμεσσίαν τῷ ἄκαν. Τοῦτο γὰρ δηλοῖ τὰ ἑξῆς· Πατάξας γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐπάταξας τὴν Ἰδουμαίαν, καὶ ἐπῆρε σε ἡ καρδία σου ἡ βαρεία ἐνδοξάσθητι, ἐνδοξάσθητι ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ σου. Καὶ ἵνα τί ἐρίζεις ἐν κακίᾳ; Καὶ πεσῇ σὺ, καὶ ὁ Ἰούδας μετὰ σοῦ. Αὕτη δὲ ἡ παραίνεσις ἀλαζονικὴ μὲν, συμφέρουσα δέ· καὶ τὸ τέλος ἐδίδαξε. Μή πεισθεὶς γὰρ ὁ ᾿Αμεσσίας παρετάξατο μὲν, ἡττηθεὶς δὲ καὶ δορυάλωτος γενόμενος, εἰσαγαγεῖν τὸν πολέμιον εἰς τὴν πόλιν τὴν βασιλικὴν ἠναγκάσθη. Ὁ δὲ τῶν Ἱεροσολύμων γενόμενος ἐγκρατὴς, τετρακοσίους πήχεις τῶν περιβόλων κατέλυσε, καὶ τοὺς θείους θησαυροὺς, καὶ τοὺς βασιλικοὺς συλήσας ἀνέστρεψεν. Ἔλαβε δὲ καὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν συμμίξεων τῶν βδελυγμάτων τουτέστι τοὺς τῶν ψευδωνύμων θεῶν ἱερέας. ### English translation (Claude) What does the parable of the thistle and the cedar signify? Amaziah, having conquered the Idumeans by the law of war, hoped to defeat the ten tribes as well, and challenged their king to battle. He replied that the thistle sent to the cedar asking it to betroth its daughter to his son; but while the talk of marriage was going on, the wild beasts passed by, trampled the thistle and destroyed it. By these words he likened himself to the cedar and Amaziah to the thistle. What follows shows this: “You have indeed struck Idumea,” he says, “and your heavy heart has lifted you up. Be glorified, be glorified in your house. Why do you contend in evil? You will fall, and Judah with you.” This advice was arrogant but useful; and the outcome showed it. For Amaziah, not persuaded, joined battle, was defeated and taken prisoner, and was forced to bring the enemy into the royal city. The enemy, master of Jerusalem, tore down four hundred cubits of the walls, plundered the divine and royal treasures, and returned. He also took “the sons of the minglings,” that is, of the abominations, the priests of the falsely named gods. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 14:7: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 14:8: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 14:9: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 14:10: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 14:11: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 14:13: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 14:14: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 14:7–14 (LXX; quotations 14:9–10, 14 “sons of the minglings”, i.e. hostages). Theodoret's explanation of “sons of the minglings” as idol-priests is his own; translated as written. The sentence describing the thistle's message is garbled in the printed text (ὡς ὁ ἄκαν τῇ κέδρῳ δεδήλωκε κατεγγυῆσαι…) and is translated by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.43 (PG 80 80:777; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-43). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 44 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-19/#p-4-44 - Source: PG 80 80:777 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Elath (Ailon) is the city of Aila on the Red Sea gulf. ### Greek text Ποία πόλις Αἰλών; Ἣν νῦν ὀνομάζουσιν Αἰλάν. Κεῖται δὲ ἐν τῷ στόματι τοῦ ᾿Αραβικοῦ κόλπου, ὃν Ἑρυθρὰν προσαγορεύουσι θάλασσαν. ### English translation (Claude) What city is Ailon? The one now called Ailan. It lies at the mouth of the Arabian gulf, which they call the Red Sea. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 14:22: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 16:6: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 14:22; 16:6. This short question holds one question and answer. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.44 (PG 80 80:777; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-44). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 45 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-19/#p-4-45 - Source: PG 80 80:777 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Jonah's prophecy about Jeroboam II's borders is not in the book of Jonah, which records only the Nineveh episode. ### Greek text Τὴν ταῖς Βασιλείαις ἐγκειμένην προφητείαν τοῦ Ἰωνᾶ οὐχ εὔρομεν ἐν τῇ βίβλῳ τοῦ Ἰωνᾶ. Τὰ κατὰ τὴν Νινευὴ ἐν ἐκείνῃ μόνα συνέγραψε· τούτου χάριν ἑτέραν οὐ συνῆψε προφητείαν ἐκείνοις. ### English translation (Claude) We did not find the prophecy of Jonah contained in the Kingdoms in the book of Jonah. In that book he wrote only what concerned Nineveh; for this reason he did not attach another prophecy to it. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 14:25: allusion, high confidence - Jonah 1:2: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 14:25. The question is put as a statement (a difficulty), and the printed text lacks a question mark; this short item holds one question and answer. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.45 (PG 80 80:777; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-45). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 46 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-19/#p-4-46 - Source: PG 80 80:779 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Uzziah's leprosy is explained in Chronicles; Jotham ruled well but left the high places, and Ahaz surpassed all in impiety. ### Greek text Διατί ᾿Οζίας ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐλεπρώθη; Σαφέστερον τὰ κατὰ τοῦτον ἡ τῶν Παραλειπομένων ἐδίδαξε βίβλος. Ἐκείνην τοίνυν ἑρμηνεύοντες, σὺν Θεῷ φάναι, τὴν αἰτίαν ἐροῦμεν. Τὸ δὲ, Ἐκάθητο ἐν οἴκῳ ᾿Αφφουσὼθ κρυφαίως οἱ λοιποὶ ἐκδεδώκασι· τουτέστιν, ἔνδον ἐν θαλάμῳ ὑπ᾿ οὐδενὸς ὁρώμενος. Ἴθυνε δὲ τὴν βασιλείαν Ἰωαθὰμ ὁ τούτου υἱός· καὶ ταῦτα δύο καὶ πεντήκοντα τοῦ Ὀζίου βασιλεύσαντος ἔτη. Καὶ τοῦ πατρὸς δὲ τελευτήσαντος, αὐτὸς τῆς βασιλείας ἐγένετο κληρονόμος, καὶ τῆς μὲν ἄλλης ἀσεβείας τὸν λαὸν ἠλευθέρωσε, καὶ τοῦ θείου νεὼ τὴν πύλην τὴν ὑψηλὴν ᾠκοδόμησε. Τελείαν δὲ οὐκ εἶχε τὴν εὐφημίαν· τὴν γὰρ ἐν τοῖς ὑψηλοῖς λατρείαν οὐκ ἔπαυσεν. "Αχαζ δὲ ὁ τούτου υἱὸς τῇ τῆς δυσσεβείας ὑπερβολῇ τῶν ἄλλων ἀπέκρυψε τὴν ἀσέβειαν. ### English translation (Claude) Why was King Uzziah struck with leprosy? The book of Chronicles taught the events concerning him more clearly; so, God willing, we shall state the reason when we interpret it. For “He lived in a house apphousoth” the others rendered “secretly,” that is, inside a chamber, seen by no one. His son Jotham directed the kingdom, though Uzziah reigned fifty-two years. And when his father died, he became heir of the kingdom, freed the people from other impiety, and built the upper gate of the divine temple. But he did not have perfect praise, for he did not stop the worship on the high places. Ahaz his son, by the excess of his impiety, eclipsed the impiety of the others. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 15:5: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 26:19: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 15:2: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 15:34: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 15:35: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 16:2: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 16:3: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 15:5, 32–35; 16:2–3 (LXX ἀφφουσώθ); 2 Chr 26:16–21. Theodoret refers to his questions on Chronicles. The staging notes that the OCR read the question number as 45. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.46 (PG 80 80:779; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-46). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 47 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-19/#p-4-47 - Source: PG 80 80:779 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Ahaz's passing his sons through fire is compared with a fire-leaping purification rite Theodoret had seen in his own day. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον τὸ, Διῆγε τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτοῦ ἐν πυρί ; Ὁ μὲν Ἰώσηπος ἔφη, καὶ τὸν ἕνα αὐτῶν τῶν υἱέων ὁλοκαυτῶσαι τῷ Βάαλ. Ἐγὼ δὲ οἶμαι τὸ μέχρις ἡμῶν φθάσαν τῆς πλάνης εἶδος τὸν λόγον αἰνίττεσθαι. Εἶδον γὰρ ἔν τισι πόλεσιν ἅπαξ τοῦ ἔτους ἐν ταῖς πλατείαις ἁπτομένας πυρὰς, καὶ ταύτας τινὰς ὑπεραλλομένους, καὶ πηδῶντας, οὐ μόνον παῖδας, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄνδρας· τὰ δέ γε βρέφη παρὰ τῶν μητέρων παραφερόμενα διὰ τῆς φλογός. Ἐδόκει δὲ τοῦτο ἀποτροπιασμὸς εἶναι καὶ κάθαρσις. Ταύτην οἶμαι καὶ τοῦ ῎Αχαζ γεγενῆσθαι τὴν κατηγορίαν. ### English translation (Claude) How should “He made his sons pass through fire” be understood? Josephus said that he burned one of his sons as a whole burnt offering to Baal. But I think the passage hints at a form of the error that has come down to our own time. For I have seen in some cities, once a year, fires lit in the squares, and some leaping and jumping over them, not only children but also men; and infants were carried through the flame by their mothers. This was thought to be a rite of aversion and purification. I think this is the charge against Ahaz too. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 16:3: quotation, high confidence - Deut 18:10: allusion, medium confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Josephus, Ant. 9.12.1 (Josephus (works)): allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 16:3; Josephus, Ant. 9.12.1. Theodoret's eyewitness description is his own; translated as written. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.47 (PG 80 80:779; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-47). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 48 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-19/#p-4-48 - Source: PG 80 80:779 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Ahaz's new altar, copied from Damascus, was for foreign gods, as Chronicles confirms; he also dismantled temple furnishings and profaned the precincts. ### Greek text Τίνι τὸ θυσιαστήριον ἐπέταξεν ὁ Ἄχαζ οἰκοδομηθῆναι ἐν τῷ θείῳ νεῷ; Οὐκ οἶμαι αὐτὸ τῷ τῶν ὅλων κατεσκευακέναι Θεῷ, ἀλλὰ τινὶ τῶν ψευδωνύμων θεῶν. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἡ τῶν Παραλειπομένων αἰνίττεται βίβλος. Λέγει δὲ οὗτως· Καὶ προσέθηκεν "Αχαζ ἀποστῆναι ἀπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεὺς ῎Αχαζ, Ζητήσω τοὺς θεοὺς Δαμασκοῦ τοὺς τύπτοντάς με· καὶ εἶπεν, ὅτι Θεοὶ βασιλέως Συρίας κατισχύουσιν αὐτούς. Τοίνυν θύσω αὐτοῖς, καὶ ἀντιλήψονταί μου. Καὶ ἐγένοντο αὐτῷ αὐτοὶ εἰς σκῶλον, καὶ παντὶ Ἰσραήλ. Καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς δὲ τοῦτο δηλοῖ· Καὶ ἀπέστησεν "Αχαζ τὰ σκεύη οἴκου Κυρίου, καὶ κατέκοψεν αὐτὰ, καὶ ἀπέκλεισε τὰς θύρας οἴκου Κυρίου, καὶ ἐποίησεν ἑαυτῷ θυσιαστήριον ἐν πάσῃ γωνία Ἱερουσαλήμ. Ταῦτα καὶ τούτοις ἀκόλουθα διεπράττετο. Καὶ αὐτὴ δὲ ἡ τῶν Βασιλειῶν βίβλος τοῦτο σημαίνει. Ἐπορεύθη γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ βασιλεὺς ῎Αχαζ ἐπὶ συνάντησιν τῷ Θεγλαθφαλασάρ βασιλεῖ ᾿Ασσυρίων εἰς Δαμασκόν καὶ εἶδε τὸ θυσιαστήριον τὸ ἐν Δαμασκῷ, καὶ ἀπέστειλεν ὁ βασιλεὺς "Αχαζ πρὸς Οὐρίαν τὸν ἱερέα τὸ μέτρον, καὶ τὴν ὁμοίωσιν καὶ τὸν ῥυθμὸν αὐτοῦ κατὰ πᾶσαν ποίησιν αὐτοῦ. Αὐτίκα γοῦν καὶ τὸ χαλκοῦν θυσιαστήριον, ὃ Σολομὼν κατεσκευάκει, μετέθηκε τὸ δὲ νεοποίητον ἐν τῷ ἐκείνου ἔθηκε τόπῳ. Ὅτι δὲ καὶ αἱ μεχωνώθ βάσεις ἦσαν τὰ ἑξῆς διδάσκει. Συνέκοψε γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ βασιλεὺς "Αχαζ τὰ συγκλείσματα τῶν μεχωνὼθ, καὶ μετῆρεν ἀπ' αὐτῶν τὸν λουτῆρα. Ἐτόλμησε δὲ καὶ ἑτέραν ἀσέβειαν. Τῶν γὰρ βασιλείων τὴν θύραν ἔνδον ἐν τῷ θείῳ ναῷ μετέθηκε, τὴν δίοδον διὰ τῶν ἱερῶν περιβόλων ποιούμενος. Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ ἡμᾶς ἡ ἱστορία διδάσκει, ὡς ᾿Αδραμέλεχ ὁ Αἰθίοψ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ κατώκει. Μαναὰ δὲ δῶρα ἡρμήνευσαν οἱ λοιποί ### English translation (Claude) To whom did Ahaz order the altar to be built in the divine temple? I do not think he made it for the God of the universe, but for one of the falsely named gods. The book of Chronicles hints at this. It says thus: “And Ahaz added to his apostasy from the Lord, and King Ahaz said, I will seek the gods of Damascus who strike me; and he said, The gods of the king of Syria strengthen them; so I will sacrifice to them and they will help me. And they became a stumbling block to him and to all Israel.” What follows shows this too: “And Ahaz removed the vessels of the house of the Lord and cut them up, and shut the doors of the house of the Lord, and made himself an altar in every corner of Jerusalem.” These and similar things he did. The book of Kingdoms itself indicates this too: “For King Ahaz went to meet Tiglath-pileser king of the Assyrians at Damascus, and saw the altar that was in Damascus; and King Ahaz sent to Uriah the priest its measure and likeness and pattern, according to all its workmanship.” At once, at any rate, he moved the bronze altar that Solomon had made, and put the newly made one in its place. That the mechonoth were bases is taught by what follows: “For King Ahaz cut off the panels of the mechonoth and removed the basin from them.” He dared another impiety too: he moved the door of the palace inside the divine temple, making his passage through the sacred precincts. The history also teaches us that Adrammelech the Ethiopian lived in Egypt. The others translated manaa as “gifts.” ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 16:10: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 28:22: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 28:23: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 28:24: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 16:11: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 16:14: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 16:17: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 16:18: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 17:4: allusion, medium confidence - 2 Kgs 17:3: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 16:10–18 (quotations 16:10, 17); 2 Chr 28:22–24 (quoted); 2 Kgs 17:3–4 (LXX μανααν; some Greek manuscripts name “Adrammelech the Ethiopian living in Egypt”). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.48 (PG 80 80:779; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-48). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 49 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-49/#p-4-49 - Source: PG 80 80:781 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Israel and Judah alike filled the land with idolatry, leading to exile and the mixed worship of the Samaritans; Hezekiah alone removed the high places and destroyed the bronze serpent, a type of Christ's passion misused as an idol. ### Greek text Τί ἐστιν, Ἀπὸ πύργου φυλασσόντων, ἕως πόλεως ὀχυρᾶς; Ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ, φησί, βωμοὺς τοῖς δαίμοσιν ᾠκοδόμησε, καὶ οὐ μόνον ἐν πόλεσι καὶ κώμαις, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τοῖς κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν πύργοις, ἐν οἷς ὀλίγοι τινὲς εἰώθασι φρουρεῖν. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ τὰ ὑψηλὰ τὰ τεμένη τῶν εἰδώλων ἐκάλεσεν. Ὠκοδόμησαν γὰρ, φησὶν, ἑαυτοῖς ὑψηλὰ ἐν πάσαις ταῖς πόλεσιν αὐτῶν· καὶ ἐστήλωσαν ἑαυτοῖς οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ στήλας καὶ ἄλση, ἐν παντὶ βουνῷ ὑψηλῷ, καὶ ὑποκάτω παντὸς ξύλου ἀλσώδους· καὶ ἐθυμίων ἐκεῖ ἐν τοῖς ὑψηλοῖς, καθὼς τὰ ἔθνη ἃ ἀπῴκισε Κύριος ἐκ προσώπου αὐτῶν. Κοινωνοὺς δὲ οἶμαι εἰρῆσθαι τὴν πρὸς τὰ ἔθνη συμφωνίαν, καὶ τοὺς ἐξ ἐκείνων ὁρμωμένους, καὶ διδάξαντας τῆς ἀσεβείας τοὺς νόμους. Τοῦτο γὰρ αἰνίττεται τὰ ἑξῆς· «Καὶ ἐποίησαν κοινωνοὺς καὶ ἤρξαντο παροργίσαι Κύριον, καὶ ἐλάτρευσαν τοῖς εἰδώλοις, οἷς εἶπε Κύριος αὐτοῖς, Οὐ ποιήσετε τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο. Πανταχοῦ δὲ ἄλσος οἱ λοιποὶ ᾿Ασταρώθ ἑρμηνεύουσι. Δηλοῖ δὲ τοῦτο τὴν ᾿Αστάρτην, ἤγουν τὴν ᾿Αφροδίτην. Τὸ δὲ Ἐποίησαν ἐφοὺδ καὶ θεραφίμ· τὸ μὲν ἐφοὺδ κατὰ μίμησιν τοῦ ἱερατικοῦ ἐνδύματος, τὸ δὲ θεραφὶμ ταῖς μαντικαῖς ἦν ἀρμόττον προῤῥήσεσιν. Ἵνα δὲ μή τις εἰς ἀπολογίαν προφέρῃ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, τὸ τῆς ἀσεβείας αἰτίαν γενέσθαι τὴν τῆς βασιλείας διαίρεσιν, καὶ τὸ πόῤῥω τῶν Ἱεροσολύμων διάγειν, ἀναγκαίως τῆς Ἰούδα φυλῆς ἀπέδειξε τὴν ἀσέβειαν. Ἔφη δὲ οὕτως· Καί γε καὶ Ἰούδας καὶ αὐτὸς οὐκ ἐφύλαξε τὰς ἐντολὰς Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐπορεύθη ἐν τοῖς δικαιώμασι παντὸς Ἰσραὴλ οἷς ἐποίησαν, καὶ ἀπώσαντο τὸν Κύριον ἐξ αὐτῶν "Ὅτι δὲ χρόνῳ ὕστερον τῶν Βασιλειῶν συνεγράφη ἡ βίβλος ἐκ τῶν ὑπὸ τῶν προφητῶν καθ᾿ ἕκαστον συγγραφέντων καιρὸν, καὶ τόδε τὸ χωρίον διδάσκει. ᾿Απῳκίσθη γὰρ, φησὶν, Ἰσραὴλ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς αὐτοῦ εἰς Ἀσσυρίους ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας ταύτης. Καὶ τοῦτο πολλάκις εἴρηκεν ὁ τὴν ἱστορίαν συγγεγραφώς. Ἐδίδαξε δὲ καὶ τὰ κατὰ τοὺς νῦν καλουμένους Σαμαρείτας, ὅθεν τε μετῳκίσθησαν, καὶ ὅπως τὸν Μωσαϊκὸν φυλάττειν ἠναγκάσθησαν νόμον. Ὑπὸ γὰρ τῶν θηρίων ἀναλισκόμενοι, ἱκέτευσαν ἕνα τῶν Ἰσραηλιτῶν αὐτοῖς ἱερέων ἀποσταλῆναι, ἵνα οὗτος ἐκπαιδεύων αὐτοὺς τοῦ Θεοῦ τῆς γῆς τὸν νόμον, τῆς ἐπικειμένης λώβης ἐλευθερώσῃ. Ἐτόπαζον γὰρ μερικὸν εἶναι τῶν ὅλων τὸν ποιητήν. ᾿Αλλ' ὅμως καὶ τοῦ ἱερέως ἀποσταλέντος, καὶ τὸν νόμον διδάσκοντος, Τὸν Κύριον, φησὶν, αὐτοὶ ἐφοβοῦντο, καὶ τοῖς θεοῖς δὲ αὐτῶν ἐλάτρευον κατὰ τὸ κρίμα τῶν ἐθνῶν. Ὅθεν ἀπῴκισεν αὐτοὺς ἐντεῦθεν ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας ταύτης. Οὕτως ἐποίουν κατὰ τὸ κρῖμα αὐτῶν τὸ ἀπ᾿ ἀρχῆς. Ταῦτα περὶ τῶν Σαμαρειτῶν εἰρηκὼς, ἐπὶ τὴν Ἰούδα μετέβη φυλὴν, καὶ τὸν Ἐζεκίαν ἠγάσθη, ὡς τῷ Δαβὶδ παραπλησίως τὸν τῶν ὅλων τεθεραπευκότα Θεόν. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον τὰς στήλας συνέτριψε, καὶ τὰ ἄλση συνέκοψεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ ὑψηλὰ ἐξῆρεν, ὅπερ οὐδεὶς τῶν πρὸ αὐτοῦ πεποίηκε. Συνέτριψε δὲ καὶ τὸν χαλκοῦν ὄφιν, ὃν ὁ μέγας Μωσῆς κατεσκεύασεν, οὐχ ἵνα προσκυνῆται, ἀλλ᾽ ἵνα προτυπώσῃ τὸ σωτήριον πάθος Τούτῳ, φησὶν, ὁ λαὸς θυμιῶν διετέλεσε, καὶ ἐκάλεσαν αὐτὸν Νεεσθάν. Τοῦτο δὲ ἐν τῇ τῶν Ἑβραϊκῶν ὀνομάτων ἑρμηνείᾳ κείμενον εὖρον, Χαλκός αὕτη Οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ, τὸν Νεεσθὰν Νάας. Ἐντεῦθεν οἶμαι καὶ τοὺς ὀφίτας, αἵρεσις δὲ αὕτη δυσσεβεστάτη, Ναασηνοὺς ὀνομάζεσθαι. ### English translation (Claude) What does “from the tower of the watchmen to the fortified city” mean? Everywhere, he says, they built altars to the demons, not only in cities and villages but also in the towers along the roads, in which a few usually keep guard. Here he called the precincts of the idols “high places.” “For they built themselves,” it says, “high places in all their cities; and the sons of Israel set up for themselves pillars and groves on every high hill and under every shady tree; and they burned incense there on the high places, like the nations whom the Lord removed before them.” By “partners” I think is meant their agreement with the nations, and those who came from them and taught them the laws of impiety. What follows hints at this: “And they made partners and began to provoke the Lord, and served the idols, of which the Lord had said to them, You shall not do this thing.” Everywhere the others translate “grove” as Ashtaroth; this signifies Astarte, that is, Aphrodite. “They made an ephod and teraphim”: the ephod in imitation of the priestly vestment, and the teraphim was suited to divinatory predictions. So that no one might put forward as a defense for Israel that the division of the kingdom and living far from Jerusalem were the cause of their impiety, he necessarily showed the impiety of the tribe of Judah too. He said thus: “And Judah also did not keep the commandments of the Lord his God, and walked in the statutes of all Israel which they made, and they rejected the Lord.” That the book of Kingdoms was written at a later time from what the prophets wrote in each period, this passage too teaches: “For Israel was carried away,” it says, “from its land to the Assyrians to this day.” The writer of the history has said this often. He also taught about those now called Samaritans: where they were transplanted from, and how they were compelled to keep the law of Moses. For being devoured by wild beasts, they begged that one of the Israelite priests be sent to them, so that by teaching them the law of the god of the land he might free them from the scourge upon them; for they guessed that the Maker of the universe was a local god. Yet even after the priest was sent and taught the law, “they feared the Lord,” it says, “and served their own gods according to the custom of the nations from which he had carried them away, to this day. Thus they did according to their custom from the beginning.” Having said this about the Samaritans, he passed to the tribe of Judah and admired Hezekiah, as having served the God of the universe like David. For he not only broke the pillars and cut down the groves, but also removed the high places, which none before him had done. He also broke the bronze serpent which the great Moses had made, not to be worshiped, but to prefigure the saving passion. “To it,” he says, “the people continued to burn incense, and they called it Nehushtan.” I found this in the interpretation of Hebrew names as “this is bronze”; the others render Nehushtan as “Naas.” From this I think the Ophites too, a most impious heresy, are named Naassenes. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 17:9: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 17:10: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 17:11: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 17:15: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 17:12: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 17:16: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 17:19: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 17:23: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 17:24: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 17:25: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 17:27: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 17:33: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 17:34: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 18:3: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 18:4: quotation, high confidence - Num 21:9: allusion, high confidence - John 3:14: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 17:9–41; 18:3–4 (LXX; quotations 17:9, 9–11, 15, 19, 23, 33–34; 18:4); Num 21:8–9; John 3:14. On the Ophites/Naassenes, a Gnostic sect named from the serpent (Hebrew nahash). Displaced words are put back by logged corrections: part of the quotation of 17:23 (“Israel from its land to the Assyrians to the”), printed inside the word “priestly”, is restored to its place; stray marginal phrases (“of the altar”, “they did evil things”, and “the seed of Israel” at the end) are removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.49 (PG 80 80:781; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-49). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 50 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-49/#p-4-50 - Source: PG 80 80:785 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The siege of Samaria lasted three full years. ### Greek text Τί ἐστιν, Εἰς τὸ τέλος τριῶν ἐτῶν ; Τρία τέλεια, φησὶν, ἔτη ἐπὶ τῆς Σαμαρείας κατέσχεν ἡ πολιορκία. ### English translation (Claude) What does “at the end of three years” mean? The siege of Samaria lasted three full years, he says. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 18:10: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 17:5: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 18:10 (LXX). This short question holds one question and answer. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.50 (PG 80 80:785; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-50). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 51 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-49/#p-4-51 - Source: PG 80 80:785 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Hezekiah had stopped paying the tribute Ahaz had promised Assyria, and paid it again when Sennacherib invaded. ### Greek text Τί δήποτε δῶρα δώσειν τῷ Σεναχηρεὶμ ὁ Ἐζεκίας ὑπέσχετο ; ῎Αχαζ ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ τὸν Θεγλαθφαλασὰρ εἰς συμμαχίαν κατὰ τῶν Σύρων καλέσας, φόρον τελέσειν ὑπέσχετο. Τοῦτον ἐκεῖνος διετέλεσε παρέχων. ῾Ο δὲ Ἐζεκίας τὸν ἐπικείμενον δασμὸν οὐκ ἐξέτισε· τὴν δὲ στρατιὰν θεασάμενος, δώσειν ὑπέσχετο, καὶ ἔδωκε τριακόσια τάλαντα ἀργυρίου, καὶ τριακόσια τάλαντα χρυσίου. Τοσοῦτον γὰρ ὁ ᾿Ασσύριος δασμὸν παρέχειν ἐκέλευσεν. ### English translation (Claude) Why did Hezekiah promise to give gifts to Sennacherib? Ahaz his father, having called Tiglath-pileser into alliance against the Syrians, promised to pay tribute, and continued to pay it. Hezekiah did not pay the tribute imposed; but when he saw the army, he promised to give it, and gave three hundred talents of silver and three hundred talents of gold. For the Assyrian ordered him to pay that much tribute. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 16:7: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 16:8: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 18:7: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 18:13: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 18:14: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 16:7–8; 18:7, 13–14. The Hebrew and LXX of 18:14 give thirty talents of gold; the printed text of Theodoret has three hundred, translated as printed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.51 (PG 80 80:785; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-51). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 52 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-49/#p-4-52 - Source: PG 80 80:785 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Hezekiah paid Sennacherib from the temple treasures to save the city; when Rabshakeh blasphemed, he turned to prayer and Isaiah, and God destroyed the Assyrian army; Theodoret refers to his commentary on Isaiah for the rest. ### Greek text Τι δήποτε τὸ Θεῖον θεραπεύειν σπουδάζων, ἐκ τῶν ἱερῶν χρημάτων παρέσχε τὸν φόρον; Οὐκ ἀπέχρων οἱ βασιλικοὶ θησαυροί. Ἔθος οὖν ἐν ταῖς τοιαύταις ἀνάγκαις καὶ τοὺς ἱεροὺς θησαυροὺς δαπανᾷν, καὶ πάλιν αὐτοὺς ἐκ τῶν πολεμίων ἀναπληροῦν. Ἡ ἀνάγκη δὲ παρεσκεύασε καὶ τὰς πύλας χωνεῦσαι τὰς χρυσᾶς, ἃς οὗτος κατεσκεύασε, καὶ τοὺς σταθμοὺς τῶν θυρῶν. Τούτους γὰρ ἐστηριγμένα οἶμαι κληθῆναι· ἵνα μὴ πολέμῳ κρατήσας ὁ Σεναχηρεὶμ, καὶ τὸν ναὸν καὶ τὴν πόλιν ἐμπρήσῃ καὶ ἐνταῦθα δὲ πάλιν δεδήλωκεν ὁ τὴν ἱστορίαν συγγράψας, ὅτι οὐ μόνον τὰ τεμένη τῶν εἰδώλων ὑψηλὰ ὀνομάζουσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ τῷ Θεῷ τῶν ὅλων ἐν τοῖς ὑψηλοῖς τόποις δεδομημένα θυσιαστήρια. Ἐὰν γὰρ εἴπητε, φησὶ, πρός με, Επὶ Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν ἡμῶν πεποίθαμεν· οὐχὶ αὐτὸς Ἐζεκίας ἀπέστησε τὰ ὑψηλὰ αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὰ θυσιαστήρια αὐτοῦ, λέγων τῷ Ἰούδα καὶ τῇ Ἱερουσαλήμ, Ἐνώπιον τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου προσκυνήσατε ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ ; Καὶ ταῦτα ἔλεγεν ὁ Ῥαψάκης, Ἑβραῖος ὢν οἶμαι, πρὸς ἐκείνους αὐτομολήσας, ἢ τοῖς ἐξανδραποδισθεῖσιν ἤδη συναπαχθεὶς, καὶ ὡς εὔνοιαν δείξας τοῖς ᾿Ασσυρίοις τὴν στρατηγίαν θαῤῥηθείς· τῇ γὰρ Ἑβραῖδι φωνῇ χρώμενος ἐποιεῖτο τοὺς λόγους αὐτίκα γοῦν αὐτὸν οἱ ἄρχοντες διαλεχθῆναι Συριστὶ παρεκάλεσαν, ὥστε μὴ γνῶναι τὸν λαὸν τὰ γενόμενα Ἐκεῖνος δὲ μαθὼν ἀνιᾷν τοὺς ἄρχοντας τὸ τὸν λαὸν ἐπαΐειν τῶν λεγομένων, τῇ Ἑβραίων φωνῇ χρώμενος τὰς δυσσεβεῖς ἐκείνας βλασφημίας ἐτόλμησε, τοῖς ψευδωνύμοις θεοῖς τὸν ἀληθινὸν ἀπεικάσας Θεόν. ᾿Αλλ' ὁ σοφώτατος βασιλεὺς, οὐχ ὅπλα ταῖς ἐκείνου βλασφημίαις, ἀλλὰ προσευχὴν καὶ δάκρυα, καὶ σάκκον ἀντέταξε, καὶ τὸν προφήτην Ἡσαΐαν γενέσθαι πρεσβευτὴν ἠντιβόλησεν. ᾿Αξιάγαστα δὲ αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ ῥήματα. Ἡμέρα γὰρ, ἔφη, θλίψεως, καὶ ὀνειδισμοῦ, καὶ ἐλεγμοῦ, καὶ παροργισμοῦ ἡ ἡμέρα αὕτη, ὅτι ἦλθον οἱ υἱοὶ ἕως ὠδίνων, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἰσχὺς τῇ τικτούσῃ. Ἐμπιπράμεθα, φησὶ, καὶ ἐξαπτόμεθα τῷ θυμῷ, τῶν ἀῤῥήτων ἐκείνων βλασφημιῶν ἐπακούσαντες, κολάσαι δὲ τοὺς ἄνδρας ἐκείνους τοὺς δυσσεβεῖς οὐ δυνάμεθα. Ὅθεν ἱκετεύομεν τὸν τῶν βλασφημιῶν ἐκείνων ἀκηκοότα Δεσπότην, διδάξαι τοὺς ἀνοσίους, ὡς οὐκ ἔστιν εἷς τῶν καλουμένων θεῶν. Παραυτίκα δὲ τὴν ἱκετείαν δεξάμενος ὁ φιλάνθρωπος Θεὸς, ἀπεσκέδασε τοῦ βασιλέως τὸ δέος Ἰδοὺ γὰρ, ἔφη, δίδωμι πνεῦμα ἐν αὐτῷ, καὶ ἀκούσεται ἀγγελίαν πονηρὰν, καὶ ἀποστραφήσεται εἰς τὴν χώραν αὐτοῦ· καὶ καταβαλῶ αὐτὸν ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ ἐν τῇ γῇ αὐτῶν Τὸ δὲ, Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ δίδωμι πνεῦμα ἐν αὐτῷ, τὴν δειλίαν οἶμαι δηλοῦν. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ θεῖος ᾿Απόστολος οὕτως ἔφη Οὐ γὰρ ἔδωκεν ἡμῖν πνεῦμα δειλίας. Ἡ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ πρόῤῥησις εὐθὺς τὸ τέλος ἐδέξατο. Φήμης γὰρ θρυλληθείσης ὡς τῶν Αἰθιόπων ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπεστράτευσε, δείσας ὁ Σεναχηρεὶμ ὑπεχώρησε τῆς πάσης δυσσεβείας μεστὴν ἀποστείλας ἐπιστολήν. Ἀλλὰ ταύτην ὁ σοφώτατος βασιλεὺς ἀναπτύξας ἐν τῷ ναῷ, τὴν θαυμασίαν ἐκείνην προσενήνοχε φωνήν - Κύριε παντοκράτωρ ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσραὴλ, ὁ καθήμενος ἐπὶ τῶν Χερουβίμ, σὺ εἶ ὁ Θεὸς μόνος ἐπὶ πάσαις ταῖς βασιλείαις τῆς γῆς· σὺ ἐποίησας τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν. Ἐκεῖνοί σε, φησὶν, ἕνα νομίζουσι τῶν πολλῶν τῶν οὐκ ὄντων ἐγὼ δὲ σε μόνον οἶδα Θεὸν, ποιητὴν τῶν ἁπάντων· Κλίνον, Κύριε, τὸ οὖς σου, καὶ ἄκουσον - ἄνοιξον τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς σου, καὶ ἴδε· καὶ ἄκουσον τῶν λόγων Σεναχηρεὶμ βασιλέως Ασσυρίων, οὓς ἀπέστειλεν ὀνειδίζειν Θεὸν ζῶντα. Τὸ δὲ, Κλῖνον καὶ ἄκουσον, ἀνθρωπίνως τέθεικε, μετ' εὐμενείας δεχθῆναι τὴν ἱκετείαν ἀντιβολῶν. Ἐπ᾿ ἀληθείας γὰρ, Κύριε, ἠρήμωσαν βασιλεῖς ᾿Ασσυρίων καὶ τὰ ἔθνη, καὶ τὴν γῆν αὐτῶν, καὶ ἔδωκαν τοὺς θεοὺς αὐτῶν εἰς τὸ πῦρ. Οὐ γὰρ ἦσαν θεοὶ, ἀλλ᾽ ἔργα χειρῶν ἀνθρώπων, ξύλα καὶ λίθοι, καὶ ἀπώλεσαν αὐτούς. Τοῦτο, φησὶ, τὸν ἀνόσιον τοῦτον ἐκίνησεν εἰς ἀσέβειαν. Ψήθη γὰρ ὅμοιόν σε εἶναι τῶν οὐκ ὄντων θεῶν· ἀλλὰ τῇ πείρᾳ μαθέτω, Δέσποτα, ὅσον τὸ διάφορον ἀληθινοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ ψευδοῦς. … γὰρ περιττὸν οἶμαι ταυτολογεῖν. Ταῦτα γὰρ τὸν προφήτην Ησαΐαν ἑρμηνεύων ἀνέπτυξα. Συντόμως τοίνυν ἐρῶ, ὡς τὴν ἱκετείαν ὁ Δεσπότης δεξάμενος, νύκτωρ ἐν ἀκαρεῖ ὀκτὼ καὶ δέκα μυριάδας τῶν ᾿Ασσυρίων, καὶ πεντακισχιλίους, τῷ θανάτῳ παρέπεμψεν. Ὁ δὲ Σεναχηρεὶμ τὸν θάνατον διέφυγεν· ἵνα πᾶσι μηνύσῃ ὅση τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἡ δύναμις. Εὐθὺς δὲ παρὰ τῶν παίδων ἐδέξατο τὴν δικαίαν πληγήν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ κατὰ τοῦ πεποιηκότος ἐλύττησεν, ὑπὸ τῶν φύντων ὑπέμεινε τὴν ἀναίρεσιν. ᾿Αραρὰτ δὲ τὴν ᾿Αρμενίαν ἐκάλεσεν Ἡ γὰρ προφητεία τοῦ Ἡσαΐου ταύτην ἔχει τὴν ἑρμηνείαν. Καὶ τὰ περὶ τῆς ἀῤῥωστίας δὲ ἐν τῇ τοῦ θεσπεσίου Ἡσαΐου προφητείᾳ δῆλα πεποιηκὼς, παρέλκον οἶμαι δὶς τὴν αὐτὴν ἑρμηνείαν ποιήσασθαι. Τὸ μέντοι κατὰ τὸν ἥλιον θαῦμα εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην διέδραμε. Πᾶσι γὰρ ἐγένετο γνώριμος ἀναστρέψας ὁ ἥλιος. Οὗ δὴ χάριν τῶν Βαβυλωνίων ὁ βασιλεὺς, καὶ τὸν ὅλεθρον ἐγνωκὼς, καὶ τὰ κατὰ τὸν ἥλιον παραδόξως γεγενημένα μεμαθηκώς, καὶ πρέσβεις καὶ δῶρα τῷ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἀπέστειλε βασιλεῖ καὶ οὓς ἐξανδραποδίζειν εἰώθεσαν, τούτους ὡς κρείττους ἐτίμησαν. Οὕτως αὐτοὺς ἐπισήμους ὁ παρ᾿ αὐτῶν θεραπευθεὶς Θεὸς ἀπέφηνεν. ### English translation (Claude) Why did Hezekiah, eager to serve God, pay the tribute from the sacred funds? The royal treasures were not sufficient. It was customary in such necessities to spend the sacred treasures too, and to refill them again from the enemy. Necessity also led him to melt down the golden doors he had made, and the door-posts; for I think these are what are called “the supports.” He did this so that Sennacherib, conquering in war, would not burn both the temple and the city. Here again the writer of the history showed that they call “high places” not only the precincts of the idols but also the altars built to the God of the universe on high places. “For if you say to me,” he says, “We trust in the Lord our God, is it not he whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, Worship before this altar in Jerusalem?” Rabshakeh said this, being, I think, a Hebrew who had deserted to them, or had been carried off with those already taken captive, and having been entrusted with the command because he had shown loyalty to the Assyrians; for he made his speech using the Hebrew language. At once, at any rate, the officials asked him to speak in Syrian, so that the people would not know what was happening. But he, learning that it vexed the officials that the people understood what was said, used the Hebrew language and dared those impious blasphemies, likening the true God to the falsely named gods. But the most wise king set against his blasphemies not weapons but prayer, tears and sackcloth, and begged the prophet Isaiah to become an intercessor. His words too are admirable: “This day,” he said, “is a day of affliction, reproach, rebuke and provocation; for the children have come to the birth, and there is no strength to bring forth.” We are burning, he means, and inflamed with anger at hearing those unspeakable blasphemies, but we cannot punish those impious men. So we beseech the Master who heard those blasphemies to teach the unholy men that he is not one of the so-called gods. The God who loves humankind at once accepted the plea and dispelled the king's fear: “Behold,” he said, “I put a spirit in him, and he will hear a bad report and return to his own land; and I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.” “Behold, I put a spirit in him” I think signifies cowardice; for the divine Apostle too said thus: “For he did not give us a spirit of cowardice.” God's prophecy was fulfilled at once. For when a rumor spread that the king of the Ethiopians was marching against him, Sennacherib in fear withdrew, sending a letter full of every impiety. But the most wise king spread it out in the temple and uttered that admirable cry: “Lord Almighty, God of Israel, who sit upon the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth; you made heaven and earth.” They think you, he means, one of the many gods that are not; but I know you as the only God, the Maker of all things. “Incline your ear, Lord, and hear; open your eyes and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib king of the Assyrians, which he sent to reproach the living God.” “Incline and hear” he put in a human way, begging that the plea be received with favor. “For truly, Lord, the kings of the Assyrians have laid waste the nations and their land, and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but the work of human hands, wood and stone, and they destroyed them.” This, he means, moved this unholy man to impiety; for he thought you were like the gods that are not. But let him learn by experience, Master, how great is the difference between the true God and a false one. … For I think it superfluous to repeat myself, since I have explained these things when interpreting the prophet Isaiah. So I will say briefly that the Master accepted the plea and in an instant, by night, sent a hundred and eighty-five thousand of the Assyrians to death. Sennacherib escaped death, so that he might make known to all how great is the power of the God of the Jews. But at once he received a just blow from his sons: since he raged against his Maker, he was killed by those he had begotten. He called Armenia Ararat. For the prophecy of Isaiah has this interpretation. And since I have made plain the account of his illness in the prophecy of the inspired Isaiah, I think it superfluous to make the same interpretation twice. The miracle of the sun, however, ran through the whole world; for the sun's turning back became known to all. That is why the king of the Babylonians, having learned of the destruction and of the wonder that had happened with the sun, sent envoys and gifts to the king of the Jews; and those whom they used to take captive they honored as superior. So the God whom they served made them illustrious. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 18:15: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 18:16: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 18:22: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 18:26: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 18:28: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 18:33: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 19:1: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 19:2: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 19:3: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 19:4: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 19:7: quotation, high confidence - 2 Tim 1:7: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 19:9: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 19:14: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 19:15: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 19:16: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 19:17: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 19:18: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 19:35: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 19:37: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 20:1: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 20:11: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 20:12: allusion, high confidence - Isa 37:36: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 18:15–20:13 (quotations 18:22; 19:3, 7, 15–18); Isa 36–39; 2 Tim 1:7. Theodoret refers to his own Commentary on Isaiah. The printed text interleaves Theodoret's answer, line by line, with a separate verse-by-verse scholion on 2 Kgs 18:21–19:34 (headed by verse numbers such as “23–25”; it discusses Rabshakeh as an Amorite, the messengers' wording, “to reproach the living God”, the remnant from Mount Zion and the apostles, and why David and not Hezekiah is named), apparently from another commentator. The scholion's fragments are removed by logged corrections. Where they are taken out after the comparison of true and false gods, the beginning of Theodoret's next sentence is lost; marked “…”. The figure 185,000 is given in the Greek as eighteen myriads and five thousand. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.52 (PG 80 80:785; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-52). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 53 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-49/#p-4-53 - Source: PG 80 80:791 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Hezekiah erred in displaying his wealth rather than God's power; his son Manasseh, by choice, reversed his piety and filled even the temple with idolatry. ### Greek text Τι δήποτε μέμψιν ὑπέμεινεν Εζεκίας ὁ βασιλεύς, τοὺς θησαυροὺς τοῖς τῶν Βαβυλωνίων πρεσβευταῖς ὑποδείξας ; Ὅτι δέον τοῦ Θεοῦ διδάξαι τὴν δύναμιν, καὶ τὴν κηδεμονίαν ἧς ἔτυχε, τὸν πλοῦτον ὑπέδειξε, τὸν οὐδὲν ἔχοντα μόνιμον. Ὅτι δὲ οὐ φύσις, ἀλλὰ γνώμη ἐν τοῖς ψυχικοῖς κρατεῖ, μαρτυρεῖ Μανασσῆς, τὴν εὐσεβῆ τοῦ πατρὸς πολιτείαν καταλιπών, καὶ τὴν ἐναντίαν ὁδεύσας. Ὠκοδόμησε γὰρ, φησὶ, τὰ ὑψηλὰ, ἃ κατέσκαψε καὶ κατέσπασεν Ἐζεκίας ὁ πατήρ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀνέστησε θυσιαστήριον τῷ Βάαλ· καὶ ἐποίησεν ἄλση, καθὼς ἐποίησεν ᾿Αχαάβ βασιλεὺς Ἰσραήλ· καὶ προσεκύνησε πάσῃ τῇ στρατιᾷ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ἐδούλευσεν αὐτοῖς. Στρατιὰν δὲ λέγει τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, τὸν ἥλιον, καὶ τὴν σελήνην, καὶ τοὺς ἀστέρας· καὶ τὸ πάντων δυσσεβέστατον, ᾠκοδόμησε θυσιαστήριον ἐν οἴκῳ Κυρίου, ἐνᾧ εἶπεν, Ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ θήσω τὸ ὄνομά μου. Καὶ οὐχ ἓν μόνον, ἀλλὰ πλεῖστα. Πάσῃ γὰρ τῇ στρατιᾷ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐν ταῖς δύο αὐλαῖς οἴκου Κυρίου ᾠκοδόμησε καὶ ἐκληδονίζετο, καὶ οἰωνίζετο, καὶ ἐποίησεν ἐγγαστριμύθους καὶ γνώστας ἐπλήθυνε. Κληδὼν δὲ ἐστιν ἡ διὰ λόγων παρατήρησις· οἰώνισμα δὲ ἡ διὰ πτηνῶν. Γνώστας δὲ οἶμαι τοὺς δι᾽ ἤπατος μαντευομένους κληθῆναι Τὸ δὲ πάντων ἀνοσιώτατον, τὸ ἐν τῷ θείῳ στῆσαι ναῷ τὸ τῆς ἀκολάστου δαίμονος ἄγαλμα «Ἔθηκε γὰρ, φησὶ, τὸ γλυπτὸν τοῦ ἄλσους ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ Κυρίου. Καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς διδάσκει τὴν τῆς ἀσεβείας ὑπερβολήν. ### English translation (Claude) Why was King Hezekiah blamed for showing his treasures to the Babylonian envoys? Because when he ought to have taught them the power of God and the care he had received, he showed them his wealth, which has nothing lasting about it. That not nature but will prevails in matters of the soul is attested by Manasseh, who abandoned his father's pious way of life and went the opposite way. “For he built,” it says, “the high places which Hezekiah his father had demolished and pulled down, and set up an altar to Baal, and made groves, as Ahab king of Israel had done; and he worshiped all the host of heaven and served them.” By the host of heaven he means the sun, the moon and the stars. And, most impious of all, “he built an altar in the house of the Lord, of which he said, In Jerusalem I will put my name.” And not one only, but very many: “For he built altars to all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord; and he practiced augury and divination, and made mediums, and multiplied wizards.” Augury is observation through words, divination through birds. I think those who divine by livers are called wizards. Most unholy of all was setting up in the divine temple the statue of the licentious demon: “For he put,” it says, “the carved image of the grove in the house of the Lord.” What follows teaches the excess of his impiety. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 20:13: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 20:17: allusion, medium confidence - 2 Kgs 21:2: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 21:3: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 21:4: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 21:5: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 21:6: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 21:7: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 20:12–19; 21:1–7 (LXX; quotations 21:3, 4, 5–6, 7). Theodoret's distinctions between kinds of divination are his own. Displaced fragments printed inside the word “Jerusalem” are removed by a logged correction: part of the interleaved scholion of 4.52 (on why God names David rather than Hezekiah, and Isaiah) and a passage on medicine as God's gift (compare 3.48). ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.53 (PG 80 80:791; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-53). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 54 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-49/#p-4-54 - Source: PG 80 80:793 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Jerusalem would suffer Samaria's fate because of Manasseh's idolatry and bloodshed (including, by tradition, Isaiah's martyrdom); Josiah's repentance on hearing the book of the law spared him, and he destroyed the idols. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον τὸ «Ἐκτενῶ ἐπὶ Ἱερουσαλήμ τὸ μέτρον Σαμαρείας ; Ταῖς αὐταῖς, φησὶ, καὶ τούτους περιβαλῶ συμφοραῖς. Καὶ ὥσπερ ἐκείνων τοὺς μὲν ὁ λιμὸς, τοὺς δὲ ὁ πόλεμος ἐδαπάνησε, τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς ἐξανδραποδίσαντες εἰς ἑτέραν μετέστησαν γῆν· οὕτω καὶ τοῖς ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ οἰκοῦσι τοσαύτας τιμωρίας ἐποίσω. Καὶ ὥσπερ τοῦ ᾿Αχαὰβ τὸν οἶκον πανωλεθρίᾳ παρέδωκα οὕτω τῆς Ἱερουσαλήμ μεταβαλῶ τὴν ὑπερηφανίαν εἰς εὐτέλειαν. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον εἰς τὴν τῶν εἰδώλων ἐλύττησε πλάνην, ἀλλὰ καὶ αἷμα ἀθῶον ἐξέχεε Μανασσῆς σφόδρα, ἕως οὗ ἐνέπλησε τὴν Ἱερουσαλήμ στόμα ἐπὶ στόμα ᾿Ανῄρει δὲ διαφερόντως τοὺς τῆς εὐσεβείας ἀντεχομένους, καὶ τὴν θείαν ὀργὴν αὐτοῖς σημαίνοντας. Τοῦτόν φασι καὶ τὸν προφήτην Ἡσαΐαν διαπρίσαι ξυλίνῳ χρησάμενον πρίονι. Αλλ' οὗτος μὲν, ὡς ἡ τῶν Παραλειπομένων ἐδίδαξεν ἱστορία, μεταμελείᾳ χρησάμενος τῆς ἀφέσεως ἔτυχεν. Αμμὼν δὲ ὁ τούτου υἱὸς, τὴν μὲν τοῦ πατρὸς ἐμιμήσατο πονηρίαν· τὴν δὲ μεταμέλειαν οὐκ ἐζήλωσεν. Ὁ δὲ ἔκγονος τὴν ἄκραν ἤσκησεν ἀρετὴν, καὶ τοῦ προγόνου Δαβὶδ ἐκτήσατο τὴν εὐσέβειαν. Καὶ πρῶτον μὲν τὰ θεραπείας δεόμενα τοῦ θείου νεὼ πάσης ἐπιμελείας ἠξίωσεν· ἔπειτα τῶν θείων λογίων ἀκούσας, τῶν δὲ ἐν τῷ Δευτερονομίῳ κειμένων, καὶ τὴν ἐσθῆτα διέῤῥηξε, καὶ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἐθρήνησε, καὶ μαθεῖν τὸ πρακτέον περὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων ἐζήτησεν. Εἰς τοσαύτην δὲ τῶν θείων ἀμέλειαν ἐξώκειλαν ἅπαντες, ὡς μηδὲ τῶν θείων ἐπακούειν λογίων. Τοῦτο γοῦν τὸ βιβλίον ἔν τινι τῶν ἱερῶν οἴκων Χελκίας ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς ἐῤῥιμμένον εὑρὼν, ἀπέστειλε τῷ βασιλεῖ. Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τὰ ἐγκείμενα γνούς, καὶ τοὺς ἀρχιερέας, καὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας πρὸς Ὀλδὰν ἀπέστειλε τὴν προφῆτιν. Ὁ δὲ Θεὸς διὰ ταύτης κατὰ μὲν τοῦ λαοῦ, καὶ τοῦ ναοῦ, καὶ τῆς πόλεως, τὴν ψῆφον ἐξήνεγκε διὰ τὰς παρ᾿ αὐτῶν τολμηθείσας παρανομίας· τῷ εὐσεβεῖ δὲ βασιλεῖ χρηστὰ προηγόρευσεν ᾿Ανθ᾽ ὧν γὰρ, φησὶν, ἤκουσας τῶν λόγων μου, καὶ ἡπαλύνθη ἡ καρδία σου, καὶ ἐνετράπης ἀπὸ προσώπου μου, ὡς ἤκουσας ὅσα ἐλάλησα ἐπὶ τὸν τόπον τοῦτον, καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐνοικοῦντας ἐν αὐτῷ, τοῦ γενέσθαι εἰς ἀφανισμὸν, καὶ διέῤῥηξας τὰ ἱμάτιά σου, καὶ ἔκλαυσας ἐνώπιόν μου· καί γε ἐγὼ ἤκουσα, φησὶ Κύριος. Οὐχ οὕτως· ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ προστίθημι σε πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας σου, καὶ συναχθήσῃ εἰς τὸν τάφον σου ἐν εἰρήνῃ· καὶ οὐκ ὄψονται οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου πάντα τὰ κακὰ, ἃ ἐπάγω ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον τοῦτον, καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς κατοικοῦντας αὐτόν Τοσοῦτον κατάνυξις καὶ δάκρυον τοὺς χρωμένους ὀνίνησι· τοσοῦτον εὐσεβὴς εὐεργετεῖ βασιλεὺς, ὅσον οἱ δυσσεβεῖς τοῖς ἀρχομένοις πημαίνονται. Ὥσπερ γὰρ Αμμὼν καὶ Μανασσῆς εἰς ἀσέβειαν ἐξέκλιναν τὸν λαὸν, καὶ ἄλση φυτεύσαντες, καὶ τεμένη τοῖς δαίμοσιν ἀναστήσαντες· οὕτως Ἰωσίας ὁ εὐσεβής βασιλεὺς τὰ τῷ Βάαλ, καὶ τῇ Αστάρτῃ, καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις εἰδώλοις κατασκευασθέντα σκεύη ἐν τῷ χειμάῤῥῳ τῶν κέδρων συνέτριψε καὶ ἐχώνευσεν· ἐν δὲ τῇ Βαιθὴλ τοὺς τῶν εἰδώλων ἱερέας κατέκαυσε. Τὸ δὲ Μαζουρώθ ἀστέρος οἶμαι ὄνομα εἶναι, καὶ γὰρ οὕτως ἔφη· Καὶ ἐθυμίων τῷ Βάαλ, καὶ τῷ ἡλίῳ, καὶ τῇ σελήνῃ, καὶ τοῖς Μαζουρώθ, καὶ πάσῃ τῇ στρατιᾷ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. Μαζουρώθ τοπάζω τὸν ἑωσφόρον οὕτως ὠνομάσθαι. ### English translation (Claude) How should “I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria” be understood? I will cast these too, he says, into the same calamities. And as famine consumed some of those people and war others, and the rest were taken captive and transferred to another land, so I will bring as many punishments on those who live in Jerusalem. And as I gave the house of Ahab over to utter destruction, so I will turn the arrogance of Jerusalem into lowliness. For Manasseh not only raged into the error of the idols, but also shed very much innocent blood, until he filled Jerusalem from end to end. He killed especially those who held to piety and announced the divine anger to them. They say that he even sawed asunder the prophet Isaiah, using a wooden saw. But he, as the history of Chronicles taught, repented and obtained forgiveness. Amon his son imitated his father's wickedness but did not emulate his repentance. His grandson practiced the highest virtue and acquired the piety of his forefather David. First he gave every care to the parts of the divine temple needing repair; then, hearing the divine oracles contained in Deuteronomy, he tore his clothes, lamented a very long time, and sought to learn from the God of the universe what to do. For all had run aground on such neglect of divine things that they did not even listen to the divine oracles. Hilkiah the high priest found this book thrown aside in one of the sacred chambers and sent it to the king. The king, learning its contents, sent the high priests and the officials to Huldah the prophetess. Through her God pronounced sentence against the people, the temple and the city because of the lawless deeds they had dared, but to the pious king he foretold good things: “Because you heard my words,” he says, “and your heart was softened, and you humbled yourself before me when you heard what I spoke against this place and those who dwell in it, that it would become a desolation, and you tore your clothes and wept before me, I too have heard, says the Lord. Not so; behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your tomb in peace; and your eyes shall not see all the evils that I am bringing upon this house and upon those who dwell in it.” So much do compunction and tears benefit those who use them; so much does a pious king do good, as much as impious kings harm their subjects. For as Amon and Manasseh turned the people aside to impiety by planting groves and setting up precincts to demons, so Josiah the pious king broke and melted down in the brook of the cedars the vessels made for Baal, Astarte and the other idols, and in Bethel burned the priests of the idols. I think Mazouroth is the name of a star; for it said thus: “And they burned incense to Baal, and to the sun, and to the moon, and to the Mazouroth, and to all the host of heaven.” I guess that the morning star was so named. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 21:13: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 21:16: quotation, high confidence - Heb 11:37: allusion, low confidence - 2 Chr 33:12: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 33:13: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 21:20: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 22:5: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 22:8: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 22:11: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 22:14: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 22:16: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 22:19: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 22:20: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 23:4: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 23:6: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 23:15: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 23:5: quotation, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Ascen. Isa. 5.1 (Ascension of Isaiah): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 21:13, 16, 18–22; 22:3–20; 23:4–15 (LXX; quotations 21:13, 16; 22:19–20; 23:5); 2 Chr 33:12–13. The tradition that Manasseh sawed Isaiah in two is found in the Ascension of Isaiah (compare Heb 11:37). Displaced words are put back by logged corrections: the Mazouroth note and part of the quotation of 23:5 had been printed inside the quotation of 22:20, and are restored to their place at the end, where the word Μαζουρώθ is completed from its first syllables; a stray fragment of the next question's lemma at the end is removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.54 (PG 80 80:793; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-54). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 55 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-49/#p-4-55 - Source: PG 80 80:795 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The “house of the Kadeseim” housed cult prostitutes or idols of Astarte, which Josiah destroyed; the priests of the high places, who had served God there, were tolerated but excluded from the altar. ### Greek text λέγει τὸν οἶκον τῶν Καδησεὶμ, τῶν ἐν οἴκῳ Κυρίου; Ὁμωνύμως ἐκάλεσεν ἁγίους τοὺς δαίμονας. Τὸ γὰρ Κάδης ἅγιος ἑρμηνεύεται Ἐν τούτῳ δὲ τῷ οἴκῳ ὕφαινον, φησὶν, αἱ γυναῖκες στολὰς τῷ ἄλσει. Τὸ δὲ ἄλσος, ὡς ἔφην πολλάκις, οἱ ἄλλοι ἑρμηνευταὶ ἢ ᾿Ασηρώθ, ἢ ᾿Ασταρώθ ὀνομάζουσιν. Ὄνομα δὲ τοῦτο τῆς ᾿Αφροδίτης αὐτὴν γὰρ καλοῦσιν ᾿Αστάρτην. Ταύτης δὲ καὶ τὸ ξόανον ἔνδον ἔστησαν ἐν τῷ θείῳ ναῷ ᾿Αλλ᾿ ὁ ἀξιάγαστος βασιλεὺς καὶ τὸ ἄλσος ἐξέκοψε, καὶ τὸ ξόανον ἐξενήνοχε, καὶ πυρὶ παραδέδωκεν· οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν ᾿Ακύλαν τὸ καδησείμ ουτως ἡρμήνευσαν, ἐποίουν ἐνδύματα τοῖς ἐκπορνεύουσιν ἀπὸ Κυρίου Ὅτι δὲ ὑψηλὰ οὐ μόνον οἱ τῶν εἰδώλων ἐκαλοῦντο βωμοὶ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ ἐν τοῖς ὑψηλοῖς χωρίοις δομηθέντα τῷ Θεῷ θυσιαστήρια, πάλιν ἡ ἱστορία διδάσκει. Λέγει γὰρ οὕτως· Πλὴν οὐκ ἀνέβησαν οἱ ἱερεῖς τῶν ὑψηλῶν πρὸς τὸ θυσιαστήριον Κυρίου ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ, εἰ μὴ ἔφαγον ἄζυμα ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ἀδελφῶν αὐτῶν. Δῆλον δὲ, ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ ἱερατικοῦ γένους ὑπῆρχον οὗτοι. Εἰ δὲ τοῖς εἰδώλοις ἐλάτρευσαν, οὐκ ἂν αὐτοὺς ὁ εὐσεβής βασιλεὺς συγγνώμης ἠξίωσεν. ### English translation (Claude) [What] does he call the house of the Kadeseim in the house of the Lord? He called the demons “holy ones” equivocally; for kades means “holy.” In this house, he says, the women wove robes for the grove. As I have often said, the other translators call the grove Aseroth or Astaroth. This is a name of Aphrodite, whom they call Astarte. They had even set up her wooden image inside the divine temple. But the admirable king cut down the grove, brought out the wooden image and gave it to the fire. Aquila and his school translated kadeseim thus: “they made garments for those who prostitute themselves away from the Lord.” That not only the altars of the idols were called high places, but also the altars built to God on high places, the history teaches again. It says thus: “Only the priests of the high places did not go up to the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem, but they ate unleavened bread among their brothers.” It is clear that these were of the priestly family. If they had served idols, the pious king would not have granted them pardon. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 23:7: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 23:6: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 23:9: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 23:8: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 23:6–9 (LXX; quotations 23:7, 9). The first word of the question (“What”) seems to have been printed at the end of question 4.54, where it is removed; it is supplied here in brackets. Aquila's rendering of 23:7 refers to cult prostitution; translated as given. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.55 (PG 80 80:795; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-55). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 56 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-49/#p-4-56 - Source: PG 80 80:797 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Topheth was the place of child sacrifice to Molech, which Josiah defiled; the preservation of the old prophet's bones with the man of God's confirms he was a true prophet. ### Greek text Τὸ Ταφέθ τί δηλοῖ; Ἐν τῇ τῶν Ἑβραϊκῶν ὀνομάτων ἑρμηνείᾳ πτῶσιν εὗρον σημαῖνον τὸ ὄνομα. Τόπος δὲ ἦν οὗτος, ἐν ᾧ διῆγον ἐν πυρὶ τὰ παιδία τῷ Μελχώλ 'Αμμανιτῶν δὲ ἦν τοῦτο τὸ εἴδωλον. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἡ ἱστορία δεδήλωκεν. Ἐμίανε γὰρ, φησὶ, τὸ Ταφέθ τὸ ἐν φάραγγι υἱοῦ Ἐννὸμ, τοῦ μὴ διάγειν ἄνδρα τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ἐν πυρὶ τῷ Μελχώλ. Τὸ δὲ φαρουρὶμ τοῦ φρουρίου οἱ περὶ τὸν Σύμμαχον ἡρμήνευσαν. Ὅπως δὲ τοῦτον ἐμίανεν ὁ εὐσεβὴς βασιλεὺς, ἡ ἱστορία διδάσκει· Ἔπλησε γὰρ, φησὶ, τοὺς τόπους αὐτῶν ὀστέων ἀνθρώπων. Καὶ πάλιν· ᾿Απέστειλε καὶ ἔλαβε τὰ ὀστᾶ ἐκ τῶν τάφων, καὶ κατέκαυσεν αὐτὰ ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον, κατὰ τὸ ῥῆμα Κυρίου, ὁ ἐλάλησεν ὁ ἄνθρωπος τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐν τῷ ἑστᾶναι Ἱεροβοὰμ ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον τὰ ἐν τῇ ἑορτῇ. Ὅτι δὲ οὐ ψευδοπροφήτης ἦν ὁ τὸν ἄνθρωπον τοῦ Θεοῦ παραπείσας τροφῆς μεταλαβεῖν παρ' αὐτῷ, καὶ ἐντεῦθεν καταμαθεῖν εὐπετές. Διεσώθη γὰρ, φησὶ, τὰ ὀστᾶ τοῦ πρεσβυτέρου τοῦ προφήτου, τοῦ κατοικοῦντος ἐν Βαιθήλ, μετὰ τῶν ὀστῶν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ἥκοντος ἐξ Ἰούδα, καὶ λελαληκότος πάντα τὰ ἔργα, ἃ ἐποίησεν Ἰωσίας. ### English translation (Claude) What does Topheth signify? In the interpretation of Hebrew names I found the name to mean “fall.” This was the place where they made their children pass through fire to Melchol; this was the idol of the Ammonites. The history showed this too: “For he defiled,” it says, “Topheth in the valley of the son of Hinnom, so that no one might make his son pass through fire to Melchol.” Symmachus and his school rendered pharourim “of the fortress.” How the pious king defiled this place the history teaches: “For he filled their places with human bones.” And again: “He sent and took the bones from the tombs and burned them on the altar, according to the word of the Lord which the man of God spoke when Jeroboam stood by the altar at the feast.” That the one who persuaded the man of God to take food with him was not a false prophet is easy to learn from this too: “For the bones of the old prophet who lived in Bethel were preserved,” it says, “with the bones of the man of God who came from Judah and foretold all the deeds that Josiah did.” ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 23:10: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 23:11: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 23:14: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 23:16: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 23:18: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 13:2: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 13:31: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 23:10–18 (LXX; quotations 23:10, 14, 16, 18); 1 Kgs 13 (see 3.43). The staging notes that the OCR read the question number as 120. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.56 (PG 80 80:797; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-56). ## 4 Kingdoms Question 57 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-49/#p-4-57 - Source: PG 80 80:797 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The praise of Hezekiah and Josiah as without equal compares them with other kings, not with each other or with David; Josiah, too, erred in fighting Neco against God's warning. ### Greek text Τι δήποτε καὶ περὶ τοῦ Ἐζεκίου, καὶ περὶ τοῦ Ἰωσίου, τὰ αὐτὰ ἔφη· ὅτι ὅμοιος αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐγένετο ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ, καὶ μετ᾿ αὐτὸν οὐκ ἀνέστη ὅμοιος αὐτῷ; Οὔτε ἐκεῖνον τούτῳ συνέκρινεν, οὔτε τοῦτον ἐκείνῳ, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις τοῖς δόξασιν εὐσεβεῖν, τῷ ᾿Ασᾷ, καὶ τῷ Ἰωσαφάτ, καὶ τῷ Ἰωάθαμ· καὶ τοῦτον κἀκεῖνον παρεξετάσας, τούτους κρείττους ἀπέφηνεν. Ἐὰν δὲ τις ψιλῷ προσέχῃ τῷ γράμματι, εὑρεθήσεται κἀκεῖνος καὶ οὗτος τοῦ Δαβὶδ ὑπερκείμενος. Καὶ περὶ ἐκείνου γὰρ, καὶ περὶ τούτου ἔφη ὅτι Ὅμοιος αὐτῷ οὐκ ἐγένετο βασιλεὺς ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ. Ἀλλὰ δῆλον, ὡς οὔτε τὸν Ἐζεκίαν τοῦ Δαβίδ προὐτέθεικεν, οὔτε τοῦ Ἐζεκίου τὸν Ἰωσίαν, καὶ τοῦ Δαβὶδ ἀπέφηνε κρείττονα· ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις αὐτοὺς εὐσεβέσι συνέκρινεν. Εἰ δὲ τις ὑπείληφε μεμφθῆναι τὸν Ἐζεκίαν, ὡς φρονήματι χρησάμενον ὑψηλῷ, καὶ τοῖς Βαβυλωνίου πρεσβευταῖς τοὺς θησαυροὺς ὑποδείξαντα, ὄψεται καὶ τὸν Ἰωσίαν οὐ παντάπασιν αἰτίας ἐλεύθερον. Ἡνίκα γὰρ Φαραὼ Νεχαὼ κατὰ τῶν ᾿Ασσυρίων ἐστρατεύσατο, ἐπικουρῆσαι τοῖς ᾿Ασσυρίοις ἐσπούδασε· καὶ ὡς ἡ τῶν Παραλειπομένων ἐδίδαξε βίβλος, ἔφη πρὸς αὐτὸν Φαραώ· Τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοὶ, βασιλεῦ Ἰούδα; Οὐκ ἐπὶ σὲ ἥκω σήμερον ποιῆσαι πόλεμον, ἀλλ᾿ ἢ ἐπὶ τὸν τόπον τοῦ πολέμου καὶ ὁ Θεὸς εἶπε τοῦ κατασπεῦσαί με. Πρόσεχε σὺ ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ μετ' ἐμοῦ, μὴ καταφθείρῃ σε. Καὶ οὐκ ἀπέστρεψεν Ἰωσίας τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ· ἀλλ᾽ ἐκραταιώσθη τοῦ πολεμεῖν αὐτόν· καὶ οὐκ ἤκουσεν Ἰωσίας τῶν λόγων Φαραὼ Νεχαὼ ἐκ στόματος Κυρίου καὶ ἦλθε τοῦ πολεμεῖν ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ Μαγεδδώ. Καὶ ἑτόξευσαν οἱ τοξόται Φαραὼ ἐπὶ τὸν βασιλέα Ἰωσίαν. Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῖς παισὶν αὑτοῦ, Ἐξαγάγετέ με, ὅτι ἐπόνεσα σφόδρα. Ὁ δὲ Ἔσδρας οὕτω φησί Καὶ διεπέμψατο ὁ βασιλεὺς Αἰγύπτου πρὸς Ἰωσίαν, λέγων, Τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοὶ, βασιλεῦ τῆς Ἰουδαίας; Οὐχὶ πρὸς σὲ ἐξαπέσταλμαι ὑπὸ Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἐπὶ γὰρ τοῦ Εὐφράτου ὁ πόλεμός μοί ἐστι. Καὶ νῦν Κύριος μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ ἐπισπεύδων ἐστίν ἀπόστηθι, καὶ μὴ ἐναντιοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ. Καὶ οὐκ ἀπέστρεψεν ἑαυτὸν Ἰωσίας ἐπὶ τὸ ἄρμα αὐτοῦ· ἀλλὰ πολεμεῖν αὐτὸν ἐπεχείρει, οὐ προσέχων ῥήμασιν Ἱερεμίου τοῦ προφήτου ἐκ στόματος Κυρίου· ἀλλὰ συνεστήσατο πρὸς αὐτὸν πόλεμον ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ μετὰ ἀδίκου. Οὐ τοίνυν αὐτοὺς ἀλλήλοις συγκρίνει, οὐδὲ ἀλλήλων ὑπερτίθησι. Τὸ γὰρ οὕτω νοεῖν ἀνοίας ἐστὶν ἐσχάτης· ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις αὐτοὺς παρεξήτασε βασιλεῦσι. Τὰ δὲ κατὰ τὸν Ἰωαχίμ, καὶ Ἰωακεὶμ, καὶ Ἰεχονίαν, καὶ Σεδεκίαν, πλατύτερον ὁ θεῖος Ἱερεμίας συνέγραψε. Κάκείνην δὲ τὴν βίβλον διὰ τῆς θείας χάριτος πᾶσαν ἡρμηνεύσαμεν. Παρέλκον τοίνυν ὑπολαμβάνω δὶς τοὺς αὐτοὺς ἀνελίττειν λόγους. Τὸν δὲ Ἰωαχίμ, τὸν τοῦ Ἰωακεὶμ υἱὸν, ὁ θεῖος Ἱερεμίας Ἰεχονίαν καλεῖ· ἡ δὲ τῶν Παραλειπομένων βίβλος Ἰωακείμ. Τοῦτον ὁ Εὐϊλὰτ Μερωδὰχ τῆς εἰρκτῆς ἀπαλλάξας, ὁμοδίαιτον εἶχε καὶ ὁμοτράπεζον. Ὁ τύπτων γὰρ καὶ ἰώμενος τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐκδεδωκὼς, πάλιν αὐτὸν ἐλευθερίας ἠξίωσεν. ### English translation (Claude) Why did he say the same thing about Hezekiah and about Josiah, that “there was none like him before him, and after him none arose like him”? He compared neither the one with the other nor the other with the one, but with the others who seemed to be pious, Asa, Jehoshaphat and Jotham; and comparing both with these, he showed them to be better. If one attends to the bare letter, both the one and the other will be found to surpass David; for about both he said, “There was no king like him before him.” But it is clear that he neither preferred Hezekiah to David, nor showed Josiah better than Hezekiah and David; he compared them with the other pious kings. And if anyone supposes that Hezekiah was blamed for being proud and showing the treasures to the Babylonian envoys, he will see that Josiah too was not entirely free of blame. For when Pharaoh Neco marched against the Assyrians, Josiah was eager to help the Assyrians; and, as the book of Chronicles taught, Pharaoh said to him, “What have I to do with you, king of Judah? I have not come against you today to make war, but against the place of war; and God has told me to hurry. Beware of God who is with me, lest he destroy you. But Josiah did not turn his face from him, but strengthened himself to fight him, and did not listen to the words of Pharaoh Neco from the mouth of the Lord, and came to fight in the plain of Megiddo. And the archers of Pharaoh shot at King Josiah; and the king said to his servants, Take me out, for I am badly wounded.” Esdras says thus: “And the king of Egypt sent to Josiah, saying, What have I to do with you, king of Judea? I have not been sent against you by the Lord God; for my war is on the Euphrates. And now the Lord is with me, urging me on; stand aside and do not oppose the Lord. But Josiah did not turn back his chariot, but tried to fight him, not heeding the words of Jeremiah the prophet from the mouth of the Lord, but joined battle with him in the plain …” So he does not compare them with each other, nor put one above the other; to understand it so is extreme folly; he measured them against the other kings. The affairs of Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jeconiah and Zedekiah the divine Jeremiah recorded more fully; and by divine grace we have interpreted that whole book. So I think it superfluous to unroll the same words twice. The divine Jeremiah calls Joachim, the son of Joakim, Jeconiah, and the book of Chronicles Joakim. Evil-merodach released him from prison and had him live and eat with him. For the one who strikes and heals, having given him over to the enemy, again granted him freedom. ### Scripture references - 2 Kgs 18:5: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 23:25: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 15:11: allusion, medium confidence - 2 Kgs 20:13: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 23:29: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 35:21: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 35:22: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 35:23: quotation, high confidence - 2 Kgs 25:27: allusion, high confidence - 2 Kgs 25:29: allusion, high confidence - Jer 52:31: allusion, medium confidence - Jer 22:24: allusion, medium confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - 1 Esd 1:26 (1 Esdras): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - 2 Kgs 18:5; 23:25 (quoted); 2 Chr 35:21–23 (quoted); 1 Esd 1:26–28 (quoted as “Esdras”; the end of the quotation in the printed text, “in the plain with injustice” (μετὰ ἀδίκου), is corrupt and is marked “…”); 2 Kgs 23:29–25:30; 25:27–30; Jer 22–52. Theodoret refers to his own commentary on Jeremiah. The names of the last kings follow Theodoret's forms. Stray abbreviations and a word split (“Pha…raoh”) are corrected by logged corrections. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 4.57 (PG 80 80:797; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/4-57). ## 1 Chronicles, exposition (before question 1) - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/5-1/#p-5-1 - Source: PG 80 80:801 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Theodoret surveys 1 Chronicles: its purpose as a supplement to Kingdoms written after the exile, the genealogies (Nathan, Judah's leadership pointing to Christ, the priests and singers), the Nethinim, the temple service, Saul's death and the medium, the Spirit called Lord Almighty, and the moving of the ark. ### Greek text Τῆς βίβλου τῶν Παραλειπομένων τὴν ὑπόθεσιν ἡ προσηγορία δηλοῖ. Ὅσα γὰρ παρέλιπεν ὁ τὰς Βασιλείας συγγεγραφὼς, ταῦτα συντέθεικεν ὁ τόνδε τὸν πόνον ἀναδεξάμενος, ἐκ πολλῶν αὐτὰ προφητικῶν βιβλίων συναγαγών. Πολλὰ δὲ καὶ τῶν ἐκεῖ συγγεγραμμένων τούτοις συνήρμοσεν, ἵνα φυλάξῃ τῆς ἱστορίας τὴν ἁρμονίαν· ῎Ανωθεν δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς γενεαλογίας ἤρξατο, ἵνα δείξῃ συντόμως, ὡς ἐξ ἑνὸς ἀνθρώπου πάντα τὰ φῦλα τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἑβλάστησεν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ μόνης τῆς Ἰούδα βασιλείας ποιεῖ τὴν μνήμην, διδάσκει τίνες αἱ τούτων πόλεις καὶ κῶμαι, καὶ ἐκ τίνων τὰς προσηγορίας ἐσχήκασιν. Ἐντεῦθεν μανθάνομεν ὡς Νάθαν, ἐξ οὗ τὸν Σωτῆρα καὶ Κύριον ἡμῶν ἐγενεαλόγησεν ὁ Λουκᾶς ὁ θαυμάσιος, καὶ τοῦ Δαβὶδ ἦν υἱὸς, καὶ τοῦ Σολομῶντος ὁμομήτριος ἀδελφός. Οὗτοι γὰρ, φησὶ, τῷ Δαβὶδ ἔτέχθησαν ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ, Σαμαὰ, καὶ Σωβάβ, καὶ Νάθαν, καὶ Σολομών, υἱοὶ τέσσαρες τῆς Βηρσαβεὲ θυγατρὸς Ἠλᾶς. Καὶ τὸν Ῥηχὰβ δὲ, τὸν πολλαχοῦ τῆς Γραφῆς ἐπαινούμενον, αὕτη δείκνυσιν ἡ βίβλος ἐκ τῆς Ἰούδα ὄντα φυλῆς. Διδάσκει δὲ σαφέστερον τὴν αἰτίαν, δι᾽ ἣν ὁ μὲν Ῥουβεὶμ τῶν πρωτοτοκίων ἐξέπεσεν, ὁ δὲ Ἰωσὴφ τούτων τετύχηκεν, ἡ δὲ Ἰούδα φυλὴ τιμῆς ἀπήλαυσε πλείονος. Υἱοὶ γὰρ, φησὶ, Ῥουβεὶμ πρωτοτόκου Ἰσραὴλ, ὅτι αὐτὸς ὁ πρωτότοκος. Ἐν δὲ τῷ βεβηλῶσαι τὴν στρωμνὴν τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ, ἔδωκε τὰ πρωτοτόκια αὐτοῦ τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰωσὴφ, καὶ οὐκ ἐγενεαλογήθη εἰς πρωτοτόκια ὁ Ῥουβείμ, ὅτι Ἰούδας δυνατὸς ἰσχύει ἐν τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἰς ἡγούμενον ἐξ αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὰ πρωτοτόκια τῷ Ἰωσήφ. Δηλοῖ δὲ ὁ λόγος, ὡς τὰ μὲν πρεσβεῖα τῶν πρωτοτοκίων ὁ Ἰωσὴφ ἐκομίσατο, τὴν δὲ ἡγεμονίαν Ἰούδας ἐδέξατο διὰ τὸν ἐξ αὐτοῦ κατὰ σάρκα βλαστήσαντα Κύριον. Τοῦτο γὰρ αἰνίττεται τὸ εἰς ἡγούμενον ἐξ αὐτοῦ. Οὐ γὰρ μόνους τοὺς ἐξ αὐτοῦ βασιλέας ὁ λόγος δηλοῖ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν αἰώνιον βασιλέα, ὃς οὔτε ἀρχὴν ἔσχεν ἡμερῶν, οὐδὲ τέλος λήψεται. Διδάσκει δὲ, ὅπως καὶ αἱ πέραν τοῦ Ἰορδάνου φυλαὶ, ἡ τοῦ ῾Ῥουβεὶμ, καὶ ἡ τοῦ Γὰδ, καὶ τὸ ἥμισυ τῆς Μανασσήτιδος φυλῆς, συνεπλάκησαν τοῖς ᾿Αγαρηνοῖς, καὶ τοῖς Ἰτουραίοις καὶ Ναφισαίοις, καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις τοῖς μετὰ τούτων παρατασσομένοις, καὶ ὡς μάχης καρτερᾶς γενομένης κατακράτος ἐνίκησαν, καὶ τοὺς ᾿Αγαρηνοὺς ἐξήλασαν. Λέγει δὲ καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς νίκης, Ὅτι τῷ Θεῷ, φησὶν, ἐβόησαν ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ, καὶ ἐπήκουσεν αὐτῶν, ὅτι ἐπεποίθεισαν ἐπ᾿ αὐτῷ. Συνέγραψε δὲ καὶ τῆς λείας τὸν ἀριθμόν Πεντήκοντα γὰρ, φησὶ, χιλιάδας καμήλων ἔλαβον, καὶ προβάτων διακοσίας καὶ πεντήκοντα χιλιάδας, καὶ ὄνους δισχιλίους, καὶ ψυχὰς ἀνθρώπων ἑκατὸν χιλιάδας. Τραυματίαι γὰρ πολλοὶ ἦσαν, ὅτι παρὰ Θεοῦ ἦν ὁ πόλεμος, καὶ κατώκισαν ἀντ᾿ αὐτῶν ἕως τῆς ἀποικίας. Γενεαλογεῖ δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἱερέας, καὶ τοὺς Λευίτας· καὶ λέγει τὸν Σαδοὺκ, τὸν ἐπὶ τοῦ Δαβὶδ ἀρχιερατεύσαντα, ἑνδέκατον ἀπὸ Ἀαρὼν γεγενῆσθαι· ᾿Αζαρίαν δὲ, ὃς ἔκγονος ἦν τοῦ Σαδοὺκ, πρῶτον ἐν τῷ ναῷ οἰκοδομηθέντι ὑπὸ τοῦ Σολομῶντος ἱερατεῦσαι. Ἐκ τούτων ἦν καὶ Ἰωσεδέκ, ὃς δορυάλωτος εἰς Βαβυλῶνα μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἀπήχθη. Τούτου υἱὸς ἦν Ἰησοῦς ὁ ἱερεὺς ὁ μέγας, ὃς σὺν τῷ Ζοροβάβελ τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν ἐπανήγαγε, καὶ τὸν θεῖον ναὸν ᾠκοδόμησεν. Ἐντεῦθεν μανθάνομεν, ὡς Κορὲ ὁ κατὰ Μωσῆ τοῦ μεγάλου τὴν στάσιν ἐγείρας, τοῦ Σισαὰρ ἦν ἔκγονος· ὃς τοῦ μὲν Καὰθ ἦν υἱὸς, ἀδελφὸς δὲ Ἀμρὰμ τοῦ πατρὸς ᾿Ααρὼν καὶ Μωσῆ· τοιγάρτοι ἀνεψιδοῦς ἦν τοῦ νομοθέτου. ᾿Αλλ' οὗτος μὲν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ δίκας εἰσεπράχθη τῆς τυραννίδος οἱ δὲ υἱοὶ τῆς τιμωρίας οὐκ ἐκοινώνησαν τῷ γεννήτορι. Αὐτίκα γοῦν Σαμουὴλ ὁ μέγας ἐκ τούτου κατάγει τὸ γένος. Καὶ Αἰμὰν δὲ ὁ ψαλτῳδὸς ἔκγονος ἦν Σαμουὴλ τοῦ προφήτου· υἱὸς γὰρ ἦν Ἰωὴλ τοῦ υἱοῦ Σαμουήλ. Ὁ δὲ Ασάφ, εἷς δὲ καὶ οὗτος τῶν ψαλτῳδῶν, ἐκ τοῦ Γερσών κατῆγε τὸ γένος, ὃς υἱὸς μὲν ἦν τοῦ Λευΐ, ἀδελφὸς δὲ τοῦ Καάθ. Ὁ δὲ Λίθὰμ, καὶ οὗτος δὲ τῶν ἀδόντων ἐτύγχανεν ὢν, πρόγονον εἶχε τὸν Μεραρί, τὸν τρίτον υἱὸν τοῦ Λευί. Διδάσκει δὲ καὶ τῶν ἱερέων, καὶ τῶν Λευϊτῶν τὸ διάφορον. Λέγει γὰρ τοὺς Λευΐτας δεδόσθαι εἰς πᾶσαν δουλείαν τῆς σκηνῆς οἴκου τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καὶ ᾿Ααρών, φησὶ, καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ, θυμιῶντες ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον τῶν ὁλοκαυτωμάτων, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον τοῦ θυμιάματος, καὶ εἰς πάντα τὰ ἔργα τοῦ Ἁγίου τῶν ἁγίων, καὶ τοῦ ἐξιλάσκεσθαι περὶ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, κατὰ πάντα ὅσα ἐνετείλατο Μωσῆς ὁ δοῦλος τοῦ Θεοῦ. Δοκεῖ δὲ καὶ αὕτη ἡ βίβλος μετὰ τὴν ἐπάνοδον συγγραφῆναι τὴν ἀπὸ Βαβυλῶνος. Μέμνηται γὰρ καὶ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας, καὶ ταύτης τὴν αἰτίαν διδάσκει. Πᾶς γὰρ, φησὶν, Ἰσραὴλ ἐγενεαλογήθησαν, καὶ ἰδού εἰσι γεγραμμένοι ἐπὶ βιβλίου ἡμερῶν βασιλέων Ἰσραὴλ καὶ Ἰούδα, καὶ ἀπῳκίσθησαν εἰς Βαβυλῶνα διὰ τὴν ἀσυνθεσίαν αὐτῶν, ἣν ἠδίκησαν· καὶ οἱ κατοικοῦντες πρότερον ἐν ταῖς κατασχέσεσιν αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐν ταῖς πόλεσιν αὐτῶν Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ οἱ ἱερεῖς, καὶ οἱ Λευῖται, καὶ οἱ Ναθιναῖοι. Ταῦτα δὲ δηλοῖ μεταγενεστέραν εἶναι τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας τὴν συγγραφήν. Οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἱστορίαν συγγράφων τὰ μεταγενέστερα λέγει, ἀλλ᾿ ἢ τὰ πρότερα, ἢ τὰ ἐπ᾿ αὐτοῦ γεγενημένα. Προφητῶν γὰρ ἴδιον τὸ προλέγειν τὰ μέλλοντα. Ἔφη δὲ, ὅτι σὺν αὐτοῖς ἠχμαλωτεύθησαν καὶ οἱ πρὸ αὐτῶν τὴν γῆν ἐκείνην κατεσχηκότες. Πολλοὶ γὰρ καὶ Χαναναῖοι, καὶ Χετθαῖοι, καὶ Ἰεβουσαῖοι συνῴκουν αὐτοῖς, καὶ τῆς συμφορᾶς ἐκοινώνησαν. Σὺν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ δὲ καὶ οἱ ἱερεῖς, καὶ οἱ Λευῖται ἀπήχθησαν δορυάλωτοι. Ναθιναίους δὲ οἶμαι καλεῖσθαι τοὺς ἱεροδούλους ὀνομαζομένους. Πολλοὶ γὰρ ἑαυτοὺς ἀφιέρουν εἰς τὰς τῶν ἱερέων καὶ Λευϊτῶν ὑπουργίας. Ἐχρῆν γὰρ καὶ τοὺς ἐκ τῶν ἄλλων φυλῶν, καὶ ὑδροφορεῖν, καὶ ξυλοκοπεῖν, καὶ τἄλλα ὅσα τοιαῦτα ἐργάζεσθαι. Εἰ γὰρ τοὺς Γαβαωνίτας, ἀλλοφύλους ὄντας, Ἰησοῦς ὁ πανεύφημος ἐκέλευσεν ὑδροφόρους εἶναι τῆς σκηνῆς, καὶ ξυλοκόπους, πολλῷ μᾶλλον Ἰσραηλίταις ἡ τοιαύτη πρόσφορος ἦν λειτουργία. Εὗρον δὲ καὶ ἐν τῇ τῶν Ἑβραϊκῶν ὀνομάτων ἑρμηνείᾳ τοῦτο δηλοῦν τὸ ὄνομα δόσιν Ἰαὼ, τουτέστι, τοῦ ὄντος Θεοῦ. Μέμνηται δὲ καὶ τῶν τῆς Ἱερουσαλήμ οἰκητόρων· καὶ λέγει τούτους εἶναι ἐκ τῶν υἱῶν Ἰούδα, καὶ Βενιαμὶν, καὶ Ἐφραὶμ, καὶ Μανασσή. Μέμνηται καὶ ἱερέων καὶ Λευϊτῶν, τῶν ἐκείνην ᾠκηκότων τὴν πόλιν. Κορηνοὺς δὲ καλεῖ τοῦ Κορὲ τοὺς ἀπογόνους. Ἐκ τούτων λέγει καὶ πυλωροὺς τῷ θείῳ γεγενῆσθαι ναῷ καὶ τὴν διάταξιν ταύτην ὑπὸ Σαμουήλ καὶ Δαβὶδ γεγονέναι. Τούτους γὰρ, φησὶν, ἠρίθμησε καὶ έστησε Σαμουήλ καὶ Δαβὶδ ὁ ὁρῶν ἐν τῇ πίστει αὐτῶν· οὗτοι καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τῶν πυλῶν οἴκου Κυρίου, καὶ τοῦ οἴκου τῆς σκηνῆς, τοῦ φυλάσσειν αὐτὴν εἰς τοὺς τέσσαρας ἀνέμους. Τῆς δὲ σκηνῆς ἐμνημόνευσεν, ἐπειδὴ ὑπὸ Σαμουήλ καὶ Δαβὶδ οὐδέπω ὁ θεῖος ναὸς ᾠκοδόμητο, ἀλλ' ἐν τῇ σκηνῇ ἐπετέλουν τὰς ἱερὰς λειτουργίας. Ἡρμήνευσε δὲ καὶ τὰς ἐφημερίας. Οὐ γὰρ καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἡμείβοντο, ἀλλὰ κατὰ ἑπτὰ ἡμερῶν ἀριθμόν. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἐπήγαγε· Καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ αὐτῶν ἐν ταῖς ἐπαύλεσιν αὐτῶν ἤρχοντο εἰς τὰ ἔβδομα τῶν καιρῶν, τοῦ εἰσπορεύεσθαι κατὰ ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας ἀπὸ καιροῦ εἰς καιρὸν μετὰ τούτων. Καὶ τὰ σκεύη δὲ τῆς λειτουργίας ἕτεροι ἦσαν Λευῖται πεπιστευμένοι. Καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐπὶ τὰ σκεύη τῆς λειτουργίας· ὅτι ἐν ἀριθμῷ εἰσοίσουσι, καὶ ἐν ἀριθμῷ ἐξοίσουσιν αὐτά· καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν καθιστάμενοι ἐπὶ τὰ σκεύη, καὶ ἐπὶ πάντα τὰ σκεύη τὰ ἅγια, καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς σεμιδάλεως, καὶ τοῦ οἴνου, καὶ τοῦ ἐλαίου, καὶ τοῦ λιβάνου, καὶ τῶν ἀρωμάτων. Τὸ μέντοι θυμίαμα οἱ ἱερεῖς κατεσκεύαζον. ᾿Απὸ γὰρ τῶν ἱερέων, φησί, μυρεψοὶ τοῦ μύρου ἐν τοῖς ἀρώμασι. Περὶ δὲ τοῦ τάφου τοῦ Σαούλ σαφέστερον ἐνταῦθα συγγέγραπται. Ἐν μὲν γὰρ τοῖς Βασιλείοις ἀνέγνωμεν, ὅτι ἔλαβον τὰ ὀστᾶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔθαψαν ὑπὸ τὴν ἄρουραν ἐν Ἰαβείς· ἐνταῦθα δὲ ὑπὸ τὴν δρῦν ἐν Ἰαβείς. Καὶ τὰ περὶ τῆς ἐγγαστριμύθου σαφέστερον ἐνταῦθα δεδήλωται. ᾿Απέθανε γὰρ, φησὶ, Σαοὺλ ἐν ταῖς ἀνομίαις αὐτοῦ, αἷς ἠνόμησε Κυρίῳ, κατὰ τὸν λόγον Κυρίου, διότι οὐκ ἐφύλαξεν αὐτὸν, καὶ ὅτι ἐπηρώτησε Σαούλ ἐν τῇ ἐγγαστριμύθῳ τοῦ ἐκζητῆσαι· καὶ ἀπεκρίνατο αὐτῷ Σαμουὴλ ὁ προφήτης. Δηλοῖ δὲ ὁ λόγος, ὡς οὐχὶ γοητείαις τῆς ἐγγαστριμύθου τὸν Σαμουήλ ἀνήγαγεν· ἀλλ᾽ ὅτι μὲν ἐκεῖνος δυσσεβῶς καὶ παρανόμως δι' ἐκείνης ᾔτησε τοῦτο γενέσθαι· ὁ δὲ Θεὸς κατ' αὐτοῦ τῆς τιμωρίας τὴν ψῆφον ἐξήνεγκε. Διδάσκει δὲ ταῦτα σαφῶς, ὡς οὐ ψευδής, καθ' ἅ τινες εἶπον, ἡ γενομένη πρόῤῥησις. ᾿Απεκρίθη γὰρ αὐτῷ, φησὶ, Σαμουὴλ ὁ προφήτης. Οἶμαι δὲ οὕτως ὠνομάσθαι τὴν ὄψιν, ἐπειδὴ παρὰ τοῦ Σαμουήλ ὁ Σαούλ μαθεῖν τὸ πρακτέον ἐπόθησεν. Εἴτε δὲ ἄγγελος ἦν ὁ ὀφθεὶς, ἐν τύπῳ τοῦ Σαμουὴλ τὸ σχῆμα δεικνύων· εἴτε αὐτοῦ τοῦ Σαμουήλ ἡ ψυχὴ ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ ὄψει· ἰστέον ὡς οὐ τῇ μαγγανείᾳ τῆς ἐγγαστριμύθου τοῦτο γεγένηται· ἀλλὰ τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφίᾳ τε καὶ δυνάμει· ὃς καὶ διὰ δυσσεβούντων πολλὰ τῶν ἐσομένων πολλάκις προείρηκε διὰ τοῦ Φαραώ, τὴν εὐθηνίαν καὶ τὸν λιμόν· καὶ διὰ τοῦ Ναβουχοδονόσορ, τὰς μεγίστας βασιλείας τῆς οἰκουμένης. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ ἀποχρώντως περὶ τούτων ἐν τῇ τῶν Βασιλειῶν εἰρήκαμεν ἑρμηνείᾳ. Ἐπὶ τὰ λοιπὰ τοίνυν ἰτέον. Τὸν Δαβὶδ ἔφη κεχρίσθαι ἐν τῇ Χεβρών κατὰ τὸν λόγον Κυρίου, διὰ χειρὸς Σαμουήλ, ἐπειδὴ τῷ Σαμουὴλ ἐνετείλατο ὁ Θεὸς χρίσαι αὐτόν. Τὸ δὲ, Ἐπορεύετο Δαβίδ, πορευόμενος καὶ μεγαλυνόμενος, καὶ Κύριος παντοκράτωρ ἦν μετ' αὐτοῦ, δηλοῖ τοῦ παναγίου Πνεύματος τὴν ἀξίαν. Κύριον γὰρ παντοκράτορα τὸ πανάγιον ἐκάλεσε Πνεῦμα. Πεντάπηχυν δὲ τὸν Αἰγύπτιον ἔφη, ὂν Βανέας ἀνεῖλε. Πῶς οὖν ἔφασάν τινες μὴ γεγενῆσθαί τινας μεγάλα σώματα ἐσχηκότας; Γεδούρ δὲ τῶν ᾿Αμαληκιτῶν τὸ στίφος ὠνόμασεν· ἡ δὲ τῶν Βασιλειῶν βίβλος σύστρεμμα αὐτὸ κέκληκε. Καταλέγων δὲ τοὺς συνελθόντας εἰς τὴν Χεβρών ὁ συγγραφεὺς, ἔφη καὶ ταῦτα· Ἀπὸ τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσαὰρ, γινώσκοντες σύνεσιν εἰς τοὺς καιρούς αὐτῶν, γινώσκοντες τί ποιήσει Ἰσραὴλ εἰς τὰς ἀρχὰς αὐτοῦ, διακόσιοι, καὶ πάντες ἀδελφοὶ αὐτῶν μετ᾿ αὐτῶν. Τούτους δὲ ἐπὶ σοφίᾳ τεθαύμακεν, ὡς ἱκανοὺς καὶ δεινοὺς ἰδεῖν τὸ πρακτέον, καὶ προἰδεῖν, οὐ προφητικῶς, ἀλλὰ συνετῶς, τὰ ἐσόμενα, καὶ τὰ συμφέροντα εἰσηγήσασθαι. Τῆς κιβωτοῦ δὲ μετακομιζομένης, ὁ Ὀζὰ περιτρεπομένην ἰδὼν προσήρεισε τὴν χεῖρα· ἐκολάσθη δὲ, ὡς Λευΐτης ὢν, καὶ οὐχ ἱερεὺς, ὅτι πελάσαι ταύτῃ τετόλμηκε. Μόνων γὰρ ἦν τῶν ἱερέων τὸ ταύτην φέρειν ἐπ᾿ ὤμων. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ δείσας ὁ Δαβὶδ εἰς τὸν βασιλικὸν αὐτὴν οἶκον εἰσαγαγεῖν οὐκ ἐτόλμησεν, ἀλλ᾽ εἰς τὸν οἶκον ᾿Αβεδδαρᾶν τοῦ Χετθαίου κατέστησε· δεικνὺς ὁ Θεὸς, ὡς οὐκ οἶδεν Ἰσραηλίτου καὶ ἀλλοφύλου διαφορὰν, ἀλλ᾽ εὐσέβειαν μόνην τιμᾷ, ἐπέκλυσε παντοδαπαῖς εὐλογίαις τοῦ ἀλλοφύλου τὴν οἰκίαν. Ταύτας ὁ Δαβὶδ τὰς πηγὰς θεασάμενος, εἰς τὰ βασίλεια πάλιν τὴν κιβωτὸν μετατέθεικεν. Ἔγνω δὲ τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς τοῦ Ὁζᾶ τιμωρίας· οὗ δὴ χάριν αὐτὴν οὐ δι᾽ ἁμάξης, ἀλλὰ διὰ τῶν ἱερέων μετήνεγκεν. Ἡραν γὰρ αὐτὴν, φησὶν, ὡς ἐνετείλατο Μωσῆς ἐν λόγῳ Κυρίου Θεοῦ Ἰσραὴλ κατὰ τὴν γραφὴν ἐν ἀναφορεῦσιν ἐπ᾿ ὤμοις αὐτῶν.» Εἶτα λέγει καὶ τὰς διατάξεις τῶν ψαλτῳδῶν, καὶ τίνες μὲν ἐν κινύραις ᾖδον, τίνες δὲ ἐν νάβλαις, τίνες δὲ ἐν κυμβάλοις. Τὴν δὲ τῶν μουσικῶν ὀργάνων διαφορὰν ἐν ταῖς Βασιλείαις εἰρήκαμεν. ### English translation (Claude) The title of the book of Chronicles shows its subject. For what the writer of the Kingdoms left out, the one who undertook this work put together, collecting it from many prophetic books. He also fitted in many things written there, so as to preserve the harmony of the history. He began from the genealogy at the very beginning, to show briefly that all the races of human beings sprang from one man. Since he records only the kingdom of Judah, he teaches what their cities and villages were and from whom they got their names. From this we learn that Nathan, from whom the admirable Luke traced the genealogy of our Savior and Lord, was both a son of David and a full brother of Solomon. “For these,” he says, “were born to David in Jerusalem: Shimea, Shobab, Nathan and Solomon, four sons of Bathsheba the daughter of Ela.” This book also shows that Rechab, who is praised in many places of Scripture, was of the tribe of Judah. It teaches more clearly the reason why Reuben lost the birthright, Joseph obtained it, and the tribe of Judah enjoyed greater honor: “For the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel, for he was the firstborn; but because he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph, and Reuben was not enrolled in the genealogy for the birthright; for Judah was strong among his brothers, and a leader came from him, but the birthright belonged to Joseph.” The passage shows that Joseph received the privileges of the birthright, but Judah received the leadership because of the Lord who sprang from him according to the flesh. For “a leader came from him” hints at this; for the passage signifies not only the kings who came from him but also the eternal King, “who had no beginning of days and will have no end.” He also teaches how the tribes beyond the Jordan, Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh, fought with the Hagarenes, the Itureans, the Naphisites and the others who fought with them, and how, after a hard battle, they won by force and drove out the Hagarenes. He also states the cause of the victory: “Because they cried to God,” he says, “in the battle, and he heard them, because they trusted in him.” He also recorded the amount of the spoil: “For they took fifty thousand camels, two hundred and fifty thousand sheep, two thousand donkeys, and a hundred thousand human beings. For many fell slain, because the war was of God; and they dwelt in their place until the exile.” He also gives the genealogy of the priests and the Levites; and he says that Zadok, who was high priest in David's time, was eleventh from Aaron, and that Azariah, a descendant of Zadok, was the first to serve as priest in the temple built by Solomon. From these came Jehozadak, who was taken captive to Babylon with the others. His son was Jeshua the great priest, who with Zerubbabel brought back the captivity and built the divine temple. From this we learn that Korah, who raised the revolt against the great Moses, was a descendant of Izhar, who was a son of Kohath and brother of Amram, the father of Aaron and Moses; so he was a cousin of the lawgiver. But he paid the penalty for his usurpation in the wilderness; his sons did not share their father's punishment. Indeed the great Samuel traced his descent from him. And Heman the psalm-singer was a descendant of Samuel the prophet, for he was son of Joel the son of Samuel. Asaph, also one of the psalm-singers, traced his descent from Gershon, who was a son of Levi and brother of Kohath. Ethan, he too one of the singers, had as ancestor Merari, the third son of Levi. He also teaches the difference between the priests and the Levites. For he says that the Levites were given for all the service of the tabernacle of the house of God; “and Aaron,” he says, “and his sons offered on the altar of whole burnt offerings and on the altar of incense, for all the work of the Holy of Holies, and to make atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of God commanded.” This book too seems to have been written after the return from Babylon. For it mentions the captivity and teaches its cause: “For all Israel were enrolled by genealogies, and behold, they are written in the book of the days of the kings of Israel and Judah; and they were carried away to Babylon because of their faithlessness, in which they did wrong; and those who dwelt earlier in their possessions and in their cities, Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, and the Nethinim.” This shows that the writing is later than the captivity. For no one writing history tells of later events, but either earlier ones or those of his own time; to foretell the future is proper to prophets. He said that those who had held that land before them were also taken captive with them; for many Canaanites, Hittites and Jebusites lived among them and shared their calamity. With Israel the priests and Levites too were carried off captive. I think those called temple servants are called Nethinim. For many dedicated themselves to the service of the priests and Levites. For people of the other tribes too had to draw water, cut wood, and do other such work. If Joshua the all-praised ordered the Gibeonites, who were foreigners, to be water-carriers and wood-cutters for the tabernacle, much more was such service fitting for Israelites. I also found in the interpretation of Hebrew names that this name means “gift of Iao,” that is, of the God who is. He also mentions the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and says they were of the sons of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim and Manasseh. He mentions too the priests and Levites who lived in that city. He calls the descendants of Korah Korahites. From these, he says, came gatekeepers of the divine temple, and this arrangement was made by Samuel and David: “For these,” he says, “Samuel and David the seer numbered and established in their trust: they and their sons were over the gates of the house of the Lord and of the house of the tabernacle, to guard it toward the four winds.” He mentioned the tabernacle because under Samuel and David the divine temple had not yet been built, but they performed the sacred services in the tabernacle. He also explained the courses: they did not change every day, but by a period of seven days. For he added, “And their brothers in their villages came for the seventh of the seasons, to come in for seven days from time to time with these.” Other Levites were entrusted with the vessels of the service: “And some of them,” he says, “were over the vessels of the service, for they brought them in by number and took them out by number; and some of them were appointed over the vessels and over all the holy vessels, and over the fine flour, the wine, the oil, the frankincense and the spices.” But the priests prepared the incense: “For some of the priests,” he says, “were perfumers of the ointment with the spices.” Saul's burial is recorded more clearly here. In the Kingdoms we read that they took his bones and buried them under the field in Jabesh; here, under the oak in Jabesh. The affair of the woman with a familiar spirit is also made clearer here: “For Saul died,” he says, “in his lawless deeds which he committed against the Lord, according to the word of the Lord, because he did not keep it, and because Saul inquired of the woman with a familiar spirit, to seek; and Samuel the prophet answered him.” The passage shows that it was not by the sorceries of the woman that Samuel was brought up, but that Saul impiously and lawlessly asked that this be done through her, and God pronounced the sentence of punishment against him. It teaches this clearly, that the prophecy given was not false, as some have said: “For Samuel the prophet answered him,” it says. I think the apparition was so named because Saul longed to learn from Samuel what to do. Whether it was an angel who appeared, showing the form in the likeness of Samuel, or the soul of Samuel himself in this apparition, one should know that this did not happen by the woman's sorcery, but by the wisdom and power of God, who has often foretold many future things even through the impious: through Pharaoh, the plenty and the famine; through Nebuchadnezzar, the greatest kingdoms of the world. But we have spoken sufficiently about these things in the interpretation of the Kingdoms. Let us go on, then, to the rest. He said that David was anointed in Hebron “according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Samuel,” since God had commanded Samuel to anoint him. “David went on, growing greater, and the Lord Almighty was with him” shows the dignity of the all-holy Spirit; for he called the all-holy Spirit Lord Almighty. He said that the Egyptian whom Benaiah killed was five cubits tall. How then could some say that there were no people with very large bodies? He called the band of the Amalekites gedour, while the book of Kingdoms called it a troop. Listing those who came together at Hebron, the writer also said this: “Of the sons of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times, knowing what Israel should do at their beginnings, two hundred, and all their brothers with them.” He admired these for wisdom, as able and skillful to see what had to be done, and to foresee the future, not prophetically but intelligently, and to propose what was expedient. When the ark was being moved, Uzzah, seeing it tilting, put out his hand to steady it; he was punished because, being a Levite and not a priest, he dared to touch it. For only the priests were to carry it on their shoulders. Since David, in fear, did not dare to bring it into the royal house, but placed it in the house of Abeddara the Hittite, God, showing that he knows no difference between Israelite and foreigner, but honors piety alone, flooded the foreigner's house with every kind of blessing. Seeing these springs of blessing, David brought the ark back to the palace. He recognized the cause of Uzzah's punishment; for this reason he brought it not on a cart but by the priests: “For they carried it,” he says, “as Moses commanded by the word of the Lord God of Israel, according to the scripture, with poles on their shoulders.” Then he tells the arrangements of the psalm-singers, and which sang with lyres, which with harps, and which with cymbals. We have spoken of the difference between the musical instruments in the Kingdoms. ### Scripture references - 1 Chr 1:1: allusion, medium confidence - Luke 3:31: allusion, high confidence - 1 Chr 3:5: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 2:55: allusion, high confidence - Jer 35:6: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Chr 5:1: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 5:2: quotation, high confidence - Heb 7:3: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Chr 5:18: allusion, high confidence - 1 Chr 5:19: allusion, high confidence - 1 Chr 5:20: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 5:21: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 5:22: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 6:8: allusion, high confidence - 1 Chr 6:10: allusion, high confidence - 1 Chr 6:15: allusion, high confidence - Hag 1:1: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Chr 6:22: allusion, high confidence - Num 16:1: allusion, high confidence - Num 26:11: allusion, high confidence - 1 Chr 6:33: allusion, high confidence - 1 Chr 6:39: allusion, high confidence - 1 Chr 6:44: allusion, high confidence - 1 Chr 6:48: allusion, high confidence - 1 Chr 6:49: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 9:1: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 9:2: quotation, high confidence - Josh 9:27: allusion, high confidence - 1 Chr 9:3: allusion, high confidence - 1 Chr 9:19: allusion, high confidence - 1 Chr 9:22: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 9:23: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 9:24: allusion, high confidence - 1 Chr 9:25: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 9:28: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 9:29: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 9:30: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 10:12: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 31:13: allusion, high confidence - 1 Chr 10:13: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 10:14: quotation, high confidence - Gen 41:25: allusion, medium confidence - Dan 2:36: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Chr 11:3: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 11:9: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 11:23: allusion, high confidence - 1 Chr 12:32: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 13:9: allusion, high confidence - 1 Chr 13:10: allusion, high confidence - 1 Chr 13:13: allusion, high confidence - 1 Chr 13:14: allusion, high confidence - 1 Chr 15:15: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 15:16: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Migne prints the exposition of 1 Chronicles as an unnumbered preface; it has no question, which is why the staging flags a possible lost question. 1 Chr 1–16 (quotations 3:5; 5:1–2, 20, 21–22; 6:49; 9:1–2, 22–23, 25, 28–30; 10:13–14; 11:3, 9; 12:32; 15:15); Luke 3:31; Heb 7:3; Josh 9:27; Gen 41; Dan 2. Theodoret's view that Uzzah, a Levite, was punished for touching the ark differs from his answer in 2.19; both are translated as written. A displaced phrase (“Aaron and Moses; so he was a cousin”) printed in the sentence on the tribes beyond the Jordan is put back in its place in the sentence on Korah by logged corrections, and stray marks are removed. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 5.1 (PG 80 80:801; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/5-1). ## 1 Chronicles, question 1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/5-1/#p-5-2 - Source: PG 80 80:809 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: On 1 Chronicles 15–29: David's ephod was not priestly; the psalms are David's; his altar on Ornan's floor was accepted by fire from heaven; he was not to build the temple because Christ, his son, would build the churches and Solomon prefigured his peace; the singers prophesied; the Spirit who gave the temple plan is Lord. ### Greek text Πῶς ὁ Δαβὶδ οὐκ ὢν ἱερεὺς ἐφοὺδ ἠμπίσχετο; Καὶ ἐπὶ Δαβὶδ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐφούδιο μόνον. Πολλάκις εἰρήκαμεν, ὅτι τὸ ἐφοὐδ ἐπένδυμα ὁ ᾿Ακύλας εἶπεν· ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος ἐπωμίδα. ᾿Αλλ᾽ ἦν ἐπένδυμα, ἐπενδύματα ἱερατικὰ, ἦν δὲ καὶ κοινά. Δῆλον δὲ, ὡς ὁ μέγας Δαβίδ, καὶ θεοσεβής ὧν καὶ θεοφιλής ἀνὴρ, οὐκ ἂν παρέβη τὸν νόμον, οὐδ᾽ ἱερατικὴν ἐτόλμησε περιβαλέσθαι στολήν. Αλλὰ διδάσκει λόγος, ὡς ἡγούμενος τῆς κιβωτοῦ, καὶ χορεύων, οὐ τὸ βασιλικὸν περιεβέβλητο σχῆμα, ἀλλ᾽ ἐξωμίδα μόνην, ἣν νῦν καλοῦσιν ᾿Αρκαδίκιν. Τὸ δὲ χερχάλ ἀντὶ κολλυρίδα ἐν ταῖς Βασιλείαις εὑρήκαμεν. Αἰνίττεται δὲ ἡ βίβλος, ὡς τοῦ πανευφήμου Δαβίδ εἰσιν ἅπαντες οἱ ψαλμοί. Λέγει δὲ οὕτως Ἔταξε Δαβὶδ ἐν ἀρχῇ τοῦ αἰνεῖν τὸν Κύριον ἐν χειρὶ ᾿Ασάφ, καὶ τῶν ἀδελφῶν αὐτοῦ. Διηνεκῶς δὲ τῆς ὑμνῳδίας ἐπετέλουν τὰς λειτουργίας, τῇ διαδοχῇ τὸν πόνον συλῶντες. Νῦν μὲν γὰρ οὗτοι, νῦν δὲ ἐκεῖνοι, τῷ ποιητῇ τῶν ὅλων ὕμνον προσέφερον. Λέγει δὲ ὅτι καὶ ἐν τῇ Γαβαὼν Σαδοὐκ τὸν ἱερέα προσφέρειν τὰς θυσίας ἐκέλευσεν, ἐπειδήπερ ἡ ὑπὸ Μωσῆ κατασκευασθεῖσα σκηνὴ ἐν ἐκείνῃ ἐπεπήγει τῇ πόλει. Ἡνίκα δὲ ὁ θεήλατος θάνατος ἐπηνέχθη τῷ λαῷ, καὶ τὸν ἄγγελον ἐπάγοντα τὸν ὅλεθρον ἐθεάσατο, ἐν τῇ ἁλῷ Ὀρνᾶ θυσιαστήριον ᾠκοδόμησεν, καὶ τὴν ὑπὲρ τοῦ λαοῦ θυσίαν προσήνεγκεν· οὐχ ὡς τὸν θεῖον παραβαίνων νόμον, ὃς ἐκέλευσεν ἐν τῷ πρὸ τῆς σκηνῆς θυσιαστηρίῳ τὰς θυσίας προσφέρειν ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν τοῦ λαοῦ τιμωρίαν ἠπείχθη τὸν Θεὸν ἱλεώσασθαι. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ἡ ἱστορία ἐδίδαξε. Καὶ ἡ σκηνὴ γὰρ, φησὶ, Κυρίου, ἣν ἐποίησε Μωσῆς ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, καὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον τῶν ὁλοκαυτωμάτων, ἐν τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ ἦν ἐν Βαμᾷ τῇ ἐν Γαβαών· καὶ οὐκ ἠδυνήθη Δαβὶδ τοῦ πορευθῆναι ἔμπροσθεν αὐτῆς τοῦ ἐκζητῆσαι τὸν Θεὸν, ὅτι οὐ κατέπαυσεν ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς ῥομφαίας τοῦ ἀγγέλου Κυρίου. Εἶτα τὸν τόπον, ἐν ᾧ τὸν Θεὸν ἱλεώσατο τὴν θυσίαν προσενεγκὼν, ἀφιέρωσεν, ὥστε ἐν αὐτῷ τὸν θεῖον οἰκοδομηθῆναι ναόν. Εἶπε γὰρ, φησὶ, Δαβίδ, Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ οἶκος τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τοῦτο τὸ θυσιαστήριον εἰς ὀλοκαύτωσιν τῷ Ἰσραήλ. Ὅτι δὲ οὐκ ἐμέμφθη πόῤῥω τῆς σκηνῆς τὴν θυσίαν προσενεγκὼν, ἡ ἱστορία διδάσκει. Τὰ γὰρ ἱερεῖα κατέκαυσεν οὐ χειροποίητον πῦρ, ἀλλ᾽ οὐρανόθεν καταπεμφθέν. Ἐβόησε γὰρ, φησὶ, Δαβὶδ πρὸς Κύριον, καὶ ἤκουσεν αὐτοῦ Κύριος ἐν πυρὶ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον τῆς ὁλοκαυτώσεως. Ἐκέλευσε δὲ καὶ πάντας ἀριθμηθῆναι τοὺς προσηλύτους καὶ τοὺς μὲν λιθοτόμους ἀπέφηνε, τοὺς δὲ μετακομίζειν τοὺς τεμνομένους λίθους προσέταξεν. Ἐνετείλατο δὲ τοὺς λίθους ἐν αὐταῖς ταῖς λιθοτομίαις καθαιρεῖσθαι καὶ ἀποξέεσθαι, εἶθ' οὕτω μετακομίζεσθαι. Τὸ δὲ, Σὺ οὐκ οἰκοδομήσεις οἶκον τῷ ὀνόματί μου, ὅτι αἵματα πολλὰ ἐξέχεας ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐναντίον μου, εἰρῆσθαι οἶμαι εἰς ὠφέλειαν τῶν τὰς μιαιφονίας ἐργαζομένων. Οὐ γὰρ ἂν δίκαιον φόνον ἐπεμέμψατο βασιλεῖ, ὁ τοῦ Φινεές τὸν δίκαιον φόνον θυσίαν προσαγορεύσας. Καίτοι Φινεὲς ἱερεὺς ἦν ἐπαινούμενος. Φινεὲς γὰρ, φησὶν, υἱὸς Ἐλεάζαρ ἔστησε τὸν θυμόν μου ἐν τῷ ζηλῶσαι αὐτὸν τὸν ζῆλόν μου. Καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ προφήτης Δαβὶδ μετὰ πολλὰς ἔφη γενεάς Καὶ ἔστη Φινεὲς, καὶ ἐξιλάσατο, καὶ ἐκόπασεν ἡ θραῦσις, καὶ ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην, εἰς γενεὰν καὶ γενεὰν ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος. Καὶ Μωσῆς δὲ ὁ νομοθέτης τρισχιλίους ἀνεῖλε τελεσθέντας τῷ μόσχῳ, τοῖς Λευίταις χρησάμενος ὑπουργοῖς· καὶ Σαμουήλ δὲ ὁ μέγας αὐτόχειρ ἐγένετο τοῦ ῎Αγαγ· καὶ Ἠλίας ὁ μέγας πεντήκοντα πρὸς τοῖς ὀκτακοσίοις κατέκτεινε τοῦ Βάαλ προφήτας καὶ ἱερέας. Δι' ἑτέραν τοιγαροῦν αἰτίαν οὐκ αὐτὸς, ἀλλ᾽ ὁ τούτου παῖς, τὸν θεῖον νεὼν ᾠκοδόμησεν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἔμελλεν ὁ Χριστὸς, ὁ κατὰ σάρκα μὲν υἱὸς τοῦ Δαβὶδ, ὡς Θεὸς δὲ, καὶ κύριος τοῦ Δαβὶδ καὶ δεσπότης, τὰς κατὰ πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην οἰκοδομήσειν ἐκκλησίας, οὐκ εἴασε τὸν Δαβὶδ τὸν Ἰουδαϊκὸν οἰκοδομῆσαι νεών· ἀλλὰ τὸν ἐκείνου υἱὸν τοῦτο δρᾶσαι προσέταξεν, οὗ ἡ προσηγορία τὴν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν προετύπου εἰρήνην. Καὶ γὰρ Σολομῶν εἰρηνικὸς ἑρμηνεύεται καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν εἰρήνη προσαγορεύεται. Καὶ μάρτυς ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος βοῶν· Αὐτός ἐστιν ἡ εἰρήνη ἡμῶν, ὁ ποιήσας τὰ ἀμφότερα ἓν, καὶ τὸ μεσότοιχον τοῦ φραγμοῦ λύσας.» Ἡ μέντοι ἱστορία διδάσκει τὸν τῶν Λευϊτῶν ἀριθμὸν, καὶ πόσαι μὲν χιλιάδες τῇ οἰκοδομίᾳ ἐπιστατεῖν προσετάγησαν, πόσαι δὲ κρίνειν, καὶ παιδεύειν τὸν νόμον, πόσαι δ᾽ αὖ πάλιν πυλωρεῖν, καὶ φυλάσσειν τοῦ ναοῦ τὰς εἰσόδους, πόσαι δὲ ἄδειν καὶ τῶν ὅλων τὸν Κύριον ἀνυμνεῖν. Λέγει δὲ ὅπως καὶ τοῦ Μωσέως τοὺς ἀπογόνους τοῖς Λευίταις συνέταξε Μωσῆς γὰρ, φησὶν, ἄνθρωπος τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ, ἐκλήθησαν ἐπὶ τῆς φυλῆς Λευί. Εδίδαξε δὲ καὶ ὡς Σαδοὐκ ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς τοῦ Ελεάζαρ ἀπόγονος ἦν, ὁ δὲ ᾿Αβιμέλεχ τοῦ Ἰθάμαρ· καὶ ὅτι πλειόνων εὑρεθέντων ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἐλεάζαρ καταγόντων τὸ γένος, δύο μοίρας ἐν ταῖς ἐφημερίαις ἀπένειμε τούτοις, μίαν δὲ τοῖς ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἰθάμαρ Διεῖλε γὰρ καὶ αὐτοὺς, φησὶ, Δαβὶδ τοῖς υἱοῖς Ελεάζαρ ἄρχοντας κατ' οἴκους πατριῶν αὐτῶν, καὶ διεῖλεν αὐτοὺς ἐν κλήροις. Τούτων τῶν ἐφημεριῶν καὶ ὁ μακάριος μέμνηται Λουκᾶς ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου ἀρχῇ. Ἔφη γὰρ εἶναι τὸν Ζαχαρίαν ἐξ ἐφημερίας ᾿Αβιᾶ· τοῦτον δὲ τὸν ᾿Αβιᾶν ἔβδομον εἰληχέναι κλῆρον ἡ προκειμένη βίβλος ἐδίδαξε. Τὸν δὲ ᾿Ασάφ, καὶ Αἰμὰν, καὶ Ἰδιθοὺμ τῶν ψαλτῳδῶν τοὺς ἄρχοντας, τινὲς μὲν ἔφασαν οὐ τοῦ Θεοῦ κεκλῆσθαι προφήτας, ἀλλὰ τοῦ Δαβίδ, ἐπειδὴ παρ' αὐτοῦ τοὺς ὕμνους λαμβάνοντες ᾖδον ἐν τοῖς ὀργάνοις. Ἐγὼ δὲ οἶμαι καὶ αὐτοὺς προφητικοῦ μετειληχέναι χαρίσματος. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ἡ ἱστορία διδάσκει Ἔστησε γὰρ, φησί, Δαβὶδ ὁ βασιλεὺς, καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες τῆς δυνάμεως, εἰς τὰ ἔργα τοὺς υἱοὺς ᾿Ασάφ, Αἰμὰν καὶ Ἰδιθοὺμ, τοὺς προφητεύοντας ἐν κινύραις, καὶ νάβλαις, καὶ κυμβάλοις. Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα Υἱοὶ ᾿Ασὰφ ἐχόμενοι Ασάφ τοῦ προφήτου, ἐχόμενοι τοῦ βασιλέως. Καὶ πάλιν τῷ Ἰδιθούμ, Οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰδιθοὺμ ἐχόμενοι τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτῶν Ἰδιθούμ ἐν κινύραις τοῦ προφητεύοντος ἐξομολόγησιν καὶ αἴνεσιν τῷ Κυρίῳ. Καὶ μετὰ βραχέα· Πάντες οὗτοι υἱοὶ τοῦ Αἰμὰν τοῦ ὁρῶντος τῷ βασιλεῖ ἐν λόγοις Θεοῦ τοῦ ὑψῶσαι κέρας. Καὶ ἔδωκεν ὁ Θεὸς τῷ Αἰμὰν υἱοὺς τέσσαρας καὶ δέκα, καὶ θυγατέρας τρεῖς. Πάντες οὗτοι μετὰ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτῶν ὑμνοῦντες ἐν οἴκῳ Κυρίου ἐν κυμβάλοις, καὶ νάβλαις, καὶ κινύραις, εἰς τὴν δουλείαν οἴκου τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐχόμενοι τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ ᾿Ασάφ, καὶ Ἰδιθοὺμ, καὶ Αἰμάν. Καὶ Μωσέως δὲ τοῦ μεγάλου τοὺς ἀπογόνους τῶν ἱερῶν θησαυρῶν ἀπέφηνε φύλακας. ᾿Απέκειντο δὲ ἐν τούτοις, καὶ τὰ ἐκ τῶν πολέμων ἀκροθίνια, καὶ τὰ δῶρα τὰ προσφερόμενα τῷ Θεῷ. Ὅσα γὰρ, φησὶν, ἡγίασε Δαβὶδ ὁ βασιλεὺς, καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες τῶν πατριῶν, χιλίαρχοι, καὶ ἑκατόνταρχοι, καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες τῆς δυνάμεως, ἃ ἔλαβον ἐκ τῶν πολέμων, καὶ ἐκ τῶν λαφύρων, καὶ ἡγίασεν ἀπ᾿ αὐτῶν τοῦ μὴ καθυστερῆσαι τὴν οἰκοδομὴν τοῦ οἴκου Κυρίου, καὶ ἐπὶ πάντων ἁγίων τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὅσα ἡγίασε Σαμουὴλ ὁ ὁρῶν, καὶ Σαούλ ὁ τοῦ Κὶς, καὶ ᾿Αβεννὴρ ὁ τοῦ Νὴρ, καὶ Ἰωὰβ ὁ τοῦ Σαρουΐα, καὶ πᾶς ὁ ἁγιάζων διὰ χειρὸς Σαλωμὴθ, καὶ τῶν ἀδελφῶν αὐτοῦ. Μηδεὶς δὲ νομιζέτω διαφωνίαν εἶναι, τῷ τὸν Βανέαν ἐν ταῖς Βασιλείαις αὐλάρχην εἰρῆσθαι, καὶ τοῦ βασιλέως ἀδελφιδοῦν, ἐνταῦθα δὲ ἱερέα. Ὁμώνυμοι γάρ εἰσιν· ἀλλ᾽ οὗτος μὲν ἐκ τῆς ἱερατικῆς, καὶ οὐκ ἐκ τῆς βασιλικῆς ἦν φυλῆς. Αξιάγαστος δὲ τοῦ Δαβὶδ ἡ παραίνεσις, ἣν πρὸς τὸν υἱὸν ἐποιήσατο. Γνῶθι γὰρ, ἔφη, τὸν Θεὸν τῶν πατέρων σου, καὶ δούλευε αὐτῷ ἐν καρδίᾳ τελείᾳ καὶ ψυχῇ θελούσῃ, ὅτι πάσας καρδίας ἐξετάζει Κύριος, καὶ πᾶν ἐνθύμημα διανοιῶν γινώσκει. Τὴν ἀναγκαστὴν, φησὶ, δουλείαν οὐκ ἀποδέχεται· τὴν δὲ ἐθελούσιον ἐπαινεῖ, καὶ τὴν τελείαν ἀγαπᾷ προθυμίαν. Ἐὰν ζητήσῃς αὐτὸν, εὑρεθήσεταί σοι, καὶ ἂν ἐγκαταλείψῃς αὐτὸν, ἐγκαταλείψῃ σε εἰς τέλος.» Εὐαγγελικὴ ὑπόσχεσις· Ζητεῖτε γὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ εὑρήσετε· κρούετε καὶ ἀνοιγήσεται ὑμῖν. Ἴδε τοίνυν ὅτι προείλετό σε, φησὶν, ἐμοῦ οἰκοδομῆσαι αὐτῷ οἶκον εἰς ἁγίασμα· ἀνδρίζου καὶ ποίει. Προέκρινέ σε, φησὶν, ἐμοῦ· ἐγὼ ἠβουλήθην οἰκοδομῆσαι, καὶ σοὶ τὸ ἔργον ἐπέτρεψε. Σὺν πάσῃ τοιγαροῦν προθυμίᾳ τὸ κελευσθὲν ἀποπλήρωσον. Εἶτα ὡς νέῳ, καὶ ἀγνοοῦντι καὶ τὰ μέτρα καὶ τὸ σχῆμα τῆς οἰκοδομίας, σκαριφεύσας ἔδωκεν. Ἔδωκε γὰρ, φησί, Δαβίδ Σολομῶντι τῷ υἱῷ αὐτοῦ τὸ παράδειγμα τοῦ ναοῦ, καὶ τῶν οἴκων αὐτοῦ, καὶ τῶν ἀποθηκῶν καφφωρέ αὐτοῦ, καὶ τῶν ὑπερῴων, καὶ τῶν ταμιείων αὐτοῦ τῶν ἐσωτέρων, καὶ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ ἱλαστηρίου. Καὶ διδάσκων, ὡς οὐ λογισμὸς ἀνθρώπινος ταῦτα διέγραψεν, ἀλλ᾽ ἡ χάρις τοῦ Πνεύματος, ἐπήγαγε Καὶ τὸ παράδειγμα πάντων ὧν ἦν ἐν πνεύματι μετ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ τῶν αὐλῶν οἴκου Κυρίου, καὶ πάντων παστοφορίων τῶν κύκλῳ, τῶν εἰς τὰς ἀποθήκας οἴκου Κυρίου. Ἐδίδαξε δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ πόσου σταθμοῦ προσήκει εἶναι τὰς λυχνίας τὰς χρυσᾶς, πόσου δὲ τὰς τραπέζας. Ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ τὰ πυρεῖα, καὶ τὰς κρεάγρας, καὶ τὰ σπονδεῖα, καὶ τὰς φιάλας. Καφφωρέ δὲ καλεῖ σκεύη τινὰ χρυσᾶ καὶ ἀργυρᾶ, ἐν οἷς ἐφύρων τὴν σεμίδαλιν τῷ ἐλαίῳ. Καὶ ἄλλα δὲ πάντα διεξελθών, ἐπήγαγε Πάντα ἐν γραφῇ ἐκ χειρὸς Κυρίου ἔδωκε Δαβὶδ τῷ Σολομῶντι, κατὰ τὴν περιγενηθεῖσαν αὐτῷ σύνεσιν, τοῦ συνιέναι τὴν κατεργασίαν τοῦ παραδείγματος. Ἐπισημαντέον δὲ, ὡς ἄνω μὲν ἐν πνεύματι δεδόσθαι τὴν γνῶσιν εἴρηκεν· ἐνταῦθα δὲ, ἐκ χειρὸς Κυρίου. Κύριος ἄρα τὸ πανάγιον Πνεῦμα, κἂν μὴ θέλωσιν οἱ τῷ Πνεύματι πολεμοῦντες. Μετὰ διορισμοῦ δὲ τὴν θείαν αὐτῷ κηδεμονίαν ὑπέσχετο. Οὐκ ἀνήσει γάρ σε, φησὶν, οὐδὲ μὴ ἐγκαταλίπῃ, ἕως τοῦ συντελέσαι σε πᾶσαν ἐργασίαν οἴκου Κυρίου. Οἰκοδομῶν γὰρ ηὐσέβει, καὶ τῆς θείας προνοίας ἀπήλαυσε· μετὰ δὲ τὴν οἰκοδομίαν, εἰς ἀσέβειαν ἀποκλίνας, ἔρημος τῆς θείας κηδεμονίας ἐγένετο. Ὅτι δὲ καὶ μαρμάροις ὁ ναὸς ἐπεποίκιλτο, ἡ ἱστορία διδάσκει. Λίθους γὰρ, φησὶν, ὄνυχος, καὶ λίθους πληρώσεως, λίθους πολυτελεῖς καὶ ποικίλους, καὶ πάντα λίθον τίμιον, καὶ λίθους Παρίους εἰς πλῆθος. Δείξας δὲ ὁπόσας μυριάδας ταλάντων χρυσοῦ καὶ ἀργύρου συνήγαγε, καὶ χαλκὸν καὶ σίδηρον ὑπερβαίνοντα τοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων λογισμούς, προέτρεψε τοὺς ἄρχοντας ἑκόντας προσενεγκεῖν δῶρα τῷ Δεσπότη Θεῷ. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἔφη· Καί τις έκουσιάσεται πληρῶσαι τὰς χεῖρας αὑτοῦ σήμερον τῷ Κυρίῳ;» Τὴν δὲ τοῦ λαοῦ θεασάμενος προθυμίαν, βανον τῷ μεγαλοδώρῳ Δεσπότῃ Θεῷ προσήνεγκε. Τίς γὰρ, φησὶν, εἰμὶ ἐγὼ, καὶ τίς ὁ λαός μου, ὅτι Ισχύσαμεν τοῦ ἑκουσιάσασθαί σοι οὕτως, ὅτι σά ἐστι τὰ πάντα, καὶ ἐκ τῶν σῶν δεδώκαμέν σοι. Ὅτι πάροικοί ἐσμεν ἐναντίον σου, καὶ παρεπίδημοι καθὼς πάντες οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν ἐσμεν, καὶ ὡσεὶ σκιαὶ αἱ ἡμέραι ἡμῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Οὕτω τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως τὴν ἀσθένειαν ὁμολογήσας, ᾔτησε καὶ τῷ λαῷ, καὶ τῷ βασιλεῖ τῆς εὐσεβείας τὴν κτῆσιν. Δὸς γὰρ αὐτῷ, φησὶ, καρδίαν ἀγαθὴν τοῦ ποιεῖν τὰς ἐντολάς σου, καὶ τὰ μαρτύριά σου, καὶ τὰ προστάγματά σου. Εἶτα πάντα τὸν λαὸν κοινωνῆσαι τῆς ὑμνῳδίας παρεγγυᾷ, καὶ κοινῇ πάντας κλίναι τὰ γόνατα, καὶ προσενεγκεῖν τὴν προσκύνησιν. Ἔπειτα χιλιόμβην προσενεγκὼν, καὶ θυσίας ἑτέρας ἐπιτελέσας, τοῦ λαοῦ παρόντος ἐχειροτόνησε τὸν υἱόν. Τὸ δὲ, Ἐκάθισε Σολομὼν ἐπὶ θρόνου Κυρίου εἰς βασιλέα ἀντὶ Δαβὶδ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ, ἀντὶ τοῦ, Εἰς τὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ δοθέντα θρόνον ἐκάθισε. Δηλοῖ δὲ τῆς προτέρας ἱστορίας τὸ τέλος, ὡς καὶ Σαμουὴλ ὁ ὁρῶν, καὶ Νάθαν δὲ ὁ προφήτης, καὶ Γὰδ ὁ ὁρῶν βίβλους εἶχον συγγεγραμμένας. ### English translation (Claude) How did David, though not a priest, wear an ephod? “For upon David,” it says, “was only an ephod.” We have often said that Aquila called the ephod an outer garment, and Symmachus a shoulder-piece. There were outer garments that were priestly, and there were also common ones. It is clear that the great David, a God-fearing man and dear to God, would not have broken the law or dared to put on a priestly robe. But the passage teaches that, leading the ark and dancing, he was not wearing royal attire but only a short tunic, which they now call an arcadicin. For cherchal we found “cake” in the Kingdoms. The book hints that all the psalms are by the all-praised David. It says thus: “David then first appointed the praising of the Lord by the hand of Asaph and his brothers.” They performed the service of hymnody continually, relieving the labor by succession: now these, now those offered a hymn to the Maker of the universe. It says that he also ordered Zadok the priest to offer the sacrifices at Gibeon, since the tabernacle made by Moses had been pitched in that city. When the God-sent death was brought on the people and he saw the angel bringing the destruction, he built an altar on the threshing floor of Ornan and offered the sacrifice for the people; not as transgressing the divine law, which commanded sacrifices to be offered on the altar before the tabernacle, but because the punishment of the people made him hasten to appease God. The history taught this too: “For the tabernacle of the Lord,” it says, “which Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offerings, were at that time in the high place at Gibeon; and David could not go before it to inquire of God, for he was terrified before the sword of the angel of the Lord.” Then the place in which he appeased God by offering the sacrifice he dedicated, so that the divine temple should be built on it: “For David said,” it says, “This is the house of God, and this is the altar for burnt offering for Israel.” That he was not blamed for offering the sacrifice far from the tabernacle the history teaches: for not a man-made fire but one sent down from heaven consumed the victims. “For David cried to the Lord,” it says, “and the Lord answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering.” He also ordered all the proselytes to be counted, and made some stonecutters and ordered others to carry the cut stones. He commanded that the stones be dressed and smoothed in the quarries themselves, and then carried. “You shall not build a house for my name, because you have shed much blood on the earth before me”: I think this was said for the benefit of those who commit murders. For he would not have blamed the king for just killing, he who called the just killing of Phinehas a sacrifice; though Phinehas was a priest, he was praised: “Phinehas son of Eleazar,” he says, “turned back my wrath when he was zealous with my zeal.” And the prophet David himself said, many generations later, “And Phinehas stood up and made atonement, and the plague ceased; and it was reckoned to him as righteousness from generation to generation forever.” Moses the lawgiver too killed three thousand who had been initiated to the calf, using the Levites as servants; the great Samuel slew Agag with his own hand; and the great Elijah killed eight hundred and fifty prophets and priests of Baal. So it was for another reason that not he but his son built the divine temple. For since Christ, who according to the flesh is the son of David, but as God is the Lord and Master of David, was going to build churches throughout the whole world, he did not allow David to build the Jewish temple, but commanded his son to do so, whose name prefigured the peace of our Savior. For Solomon means “peaceable,” and our Lord is called peace; and the blessed Paul is witness, crying, “For he is our peace, who has made both one and has broken down the dividing wall.” The history teaches the number of the Levites, and how many thousands were appointed to oversee the building, how many to judge and teach the law, how many again to be gatekeepers and guard the entrances of the temple, and how many to sing and praise the Lord of the universe. It says how he also ranked the descendants of Moses with the Levites: “For Moses the man of God and his sons were named among the tribe of Levi.” It also taught that Zadok the high priest was a descendant of Eleazar, and Abimelech of Ithamar; and that since more were found descended from Eleazar, he assigned two parts in the courses to them and one to those from Ithamar: “For David divided them,” it says, “the sons of Eleazar as heads by their fathers' houses, and divided them by lots.” The blessed Luke mentions these courses at the very beginning of his Gospel: he said that Zechariah was of the course of Abijah; and the present book taught that this Abijah received the seventh lot. Some have said that Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun, the leaders of the psalm-singers, were called prophets not of God but of David, since they received the hymns from him and sang them on the instruments. But I think that they too shared in the prophetic gift. The history teaches this: “For King David,” it says, “and the commanders of the army set apart for the work the sons of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun, who prophesied with lyres, harps and cymbals.” And a little later: “The sons of Asaph, under the direction of Asaph the prophet, under the direction of the king.” And again of Jeduthun: “The sons of Jeduthun under the direction of their father Jeduthun with lyres, who prophesied in thanksgiving and praise to the Lord.” And shortly after: “All these were sons of Heman, the king's seer in the words of God, to lift up the horn. And God gave Heman fourteen sons and three daughters. All these were with their father, singing hymns in the house of the Lord with cymbals, harps and lyres, for the service of the house of God, under the direction of the king, and of Asaph, Jeduthun and Heman.” He also appointed the descendants of the great Moses guardians of the sacred treasuries. In these were stored the spoils from the wars and the gifts offered to God: “All that King David,” it says, “and the heads of the families, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and the commanders of the army had dedicated, which they took from the wars and the spoils, and dedicated from them so as not to delay the building of the house of the Lord; and over all the holy things of God, all that Samuel the seer, Saul the son of Kish, Abner the son of Ner and Joab the son of Zeruiah had dedicated, and everyone who dedicated, through the hand of Shelomith and his brothers.” Let no one think there is a disagreement in that Benaiah is called in the Kingdoms commander of the court and the king's nephew, but here a priest. They have the same name; but this one was of the priestly, not the royal, tribe. David's exhortation to his son is admirable: “Know,” he said, “the God of your fathers, and serve him with a perfect heart and a willing soul; for the Lord searches all hearts, and knows every thought of the mind.” Forced service, he means, he does not accept; but he praises the willing and loves perfect eagerness. “If you seek him, he will be found by you; and if you forsake him, he will forsake you forever.” An evangelical promise: “Seek,” he says, “and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” “See then that he has chosen you rather than me to build him a house for a sanctuary; be strong and do it.” He preferred you to me, he means: I wished to build, and he entrusted the work to you. So complete what is commanded with all eagerness. Then, since Solomon was young and did not know the measurements and form of the building, he gave him a sketch. “For David gave Solomon his son the pattern of the temple and of its houses, its kaphphore storerooms, its upper rooms, its inner chambers, and the house of the place of atonement.” And teaching that it was not human reasoning that drew these up but the grace of the Spirit, he added, “and the pattern of all that he had in mind by the Spirit, for the courts of the house of the Lord and all the chambers round about, for the treasuries of the house of the Lord.” He also taught him what weight the golden lampstands should be, and what the tables; likewise the fire-pans, forks, libation cups and bowls. He calls kaphphore certain vessels of gold and silver in which they mixed the fine flour with the oil. Having gone through everything else, he added, “All this in writing from the hand of the Lord David gave to Solomon, according to the understanding given him, to understand the execution of the pattern.” One should note that above he said the knowledge was given “by the Spirit,” and here “from the hand of the Lord.” So the all-holy Spirit is Lord, even if those who war against the Spirit do not wish it. He promised him divine care with a condition: “He will not fail you or forsake you,” he says, “until you have finished all the work of the house of the Lord.” For while building he was pious and enjoyed divine providence; but after the building he turned to impiety and was left bereft of divine care. That the temple was adorned with marble the history teaches: “Onyx stones,” it says, “and stones for setting, costly and varied stones, and every precious stone, and Parian stones in abundance.” Having shown how many tens of thousands of talents of gold and silver he had gathered, and bronze and iron beyond human reckoning, he urged the officials to offer gifts willingly to God the Master. For he said this: “And who will offer willingly to fill his hands today for the Lord?” Seeing the eagerness of the people, he offered … to God the generous Master: “For who am I,” he says, “and who are my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly to you? For all things are yours, and of your own we have given you. For we are sojourners before you, and strangers, as all our fathers were; our days on the earth are like a shadow.” Having thus confessed the weakness of human nature, he asked for the people and for the king the possession of piety: “Give him,” he says, “a good heart to do your commandments, your testimonies and your ordinances.” Then he urges all the people to share in the hymn, and all together to bend the knee and offer worship. Then, having offered a thousand victims and performed other sacrifices, he appointed his son in the presence of the people. “Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king in place of David his father” means: he sat on the throne given by God. The end of the former history shows that Samuel the seer, Nathan the prophet and Gad the seer had written books. ### Scripture references - 1 Chr 15:27: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 16:3: allusion, high confidence - 1 Chr 16:7: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 16:39: allusion, high confidence - 1 Chr 21:15: allusion, high confidence - 1 Chr 21:26: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 21:28: allusion, high confidence - 1 Chr 21:29: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 21:30: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 22:1: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 22:2: allusion, high confidence - 1 Chr 22:8: quotation, high confidence - Num 25:11: quotation, high confidence - Ps 106:30 (105:30 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 106:31 (105:31 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Exod 32:28: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 15:33: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 18:40: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 18:19: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Chr 22:9: allusion, high confidence - Eph 2:14: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 23:3: allusion, high confidence - 1 Chr 23:4: allusion, high confidence - 1 Chr 23:14: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 24:3: allusion, high confidence - 1 Chr 24:4: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 24:10: allusion, high confidence - Luke 1:5: allusion, high confidence - 1 Chr 25:1: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 25:2: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 25:3: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 25:5: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 25:6: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 26:26: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 26:27: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 26:28: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 27:5: allusion, high confidence - 2 Sam 23:20: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Chr 28:9: quotation, high confidence - Matt 7:7: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 28:10: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 28:11: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 28:12: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 28:17: allusion, high confidence - 1 Chr 28:19: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 28:20: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 29:2: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 29:5: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 29:14: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 29:15: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 29:19: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 29:20: allusion, high confidence - 1 Chr 29:21: allusion, high confidence - 1 Chr 29:22: allusion, high confidence - 1 Chr 29:23: quotation, high confidence - 1 Chr 29:29: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Migne prints this as question I of 1 Chronicles. 1 Chr 15:27; 16:3, 7, 39; 21:26–22:2; 22:8; 23–29 (quotations 15:27; 16:7; 21:26, 29–30; 22:1, 8; 23:14; 24:4; 25:1–5, 6; 26:26–28; 28:9–12, 19–20; 29:2, 5, 14–15, 19, 23, 29); Num 25:11; Ps 106:30–31 (LXX 105:30–31); Exod 32:28; 1 Sam 15:33; 1 Kgs 18:40 (with 18:19); Eph 2:14; Luke 1:5; Matt 7:7. The LXX of 1 Chr 24:10 assigns Abijah the eighth lot; Theodoret says “seventh”, translated as written. The aim at “those who war against the Spirit” is Theodoret's polemic against the Pneumatomachians. A word in the sentence on David's thanksgiving (printed βανον) is garbled and is marked “…”. Displaced words are put back in their places by logged corrections: words of 1 Chr 21:30 and of 28:9 that had been printed inside other sentences, and the last sentences of the answer, which the OCR had printed out of order. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 5.2 (PG 80 80:809; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/5-2). ## 2 Chronicles, exposition (before question 1) - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/5-1/#p-5-3 - Source: PG 80 80:819 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: On 2 Chronicles 1–9: Solomon's confession that no house can contain God, the agreement of Chronicles and Kings on the temple's measurements, Zion as David's city, the psalms as David's, and the prophetic books of Nathan, Ahijah and Joel (whom Theodoret identifies with the man of God of 1 Kings 13). ### Greek text Ἡ δευτέρα τῶν Παραλειπομένων βίβλος διδάσκει, ὡς ἡ σκηνὴ μὲν, ἣν ὁ μέγας Μωσῆς κατεσκεύασεν, ἐν τῇ Γαβαὼν εἰστήκει, ἡ δὲ κιβωτὸς ἐν τοῖς βασιλείοις, τῇ ἑτέρᾳ κεκαλυμμένη σκηνῇ. Ὁ δὲ Σολομών ἐν τῷ Μωσαϊκῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ χιλιόμβας ἱερατεύσας, ἱκέτευσε τὸν Θεὸν καὶ σοφίας τυχεῖν καὶ συνέσεως. Τῷ δὲ Χειρὰμ ἐπιστέλλων, τὴν οἰκείαν θεογνωσίαν ἀπέδειξε· «Τίς γὰρ, φησὶν, ἰσχύσει οἰκοδομῆσαι οἶκον τῷ Θεῷ, ὅτι ὁ οὐρανὸς, καὶ ὁ οὐρανὸς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, οὐχ ὑποίσουσιν αὐτόν; Καὶ τίς εἰμι ἐγὼ ὁ οἰκοδομῶν αὐτῷ οἶκον, ἀλλ᾽ ἢ τοῦ θυμιᾷν κατέναντι αὐτοῦ; Τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ, φησὶ, χρείαν πληρῷ. Τὴν αὐτοῦ γὰρ χωρῆσαι φύσιν οὐδὲ ὁ ὑπέρτερος οὐρανὸς δύναται· προσφέρειν δὲ αὐτῷ τὸ δυνατὸν ἐμοὶ βουλόμενος σέβας, χειροποίητον οἶκον οἰκοδομῶ. "Ὅσον δὲ ὀνίνησιν ἡ τῶν εὐσεβῶν φιλία, δεδήλωκεν ὁ Χειράμ ἀντιγράφων. Οὕτως γὰρ ἔφη Εὐλογητὸς Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσραὴλ, ὃς ἐποίησε τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν· ὃς ἔδωκε τῷ βασιλεῖ Δαβὶδ υἱὸν σοφὸν, καὶ εἰδότα φρόνησιν καὶ ἐπιστήμην, ὃς οἰκοδομήσει οἶκον τῷ Κυρίῳ. Δῆλον δὲ, ὡς ἐκ τῆς πρὸς τὸν Δαβὶδ συνηθείας μεμάθηκεν οὗτος, ὡς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ὁ Θεὸς οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς ἐστι ποιητής. Μηδεὶς δὲ νομιζέτω, τήνδε τὴν βίβλον πρὸς τὰς Βασιλείας διαφωνεῖν, ἐπειδὴ τοῦ ναοῦ τὸ μῆκος ἐξήκοντα μὲν πήχεων ἐνταῦθα εὑρίσκομεν, ἐκεῖ δὲ τεσσαράκοντα. Εὑρήσει γὰρ πρὸς τοῖς τεσσαράκοντα ἄλλους εἴκοσι τοῦ καλουμένου Δαβεὶρ, τουτέστι τοῦ ῾Αγίου τῶν ἁγίων· εἴκοσι δὲ προστιθεμένων τοῖς τεσσαράκοντα, ἐξήκοντα γίνονται. Οὕτως πάλιν τὸ ὕψος πέντε μὲν καὶ εἴκοσι πήχεων ἐν ταῖς Βασιλείαις εὑρίσκομεν, ἐνταῦθα δὲ εἴκοσι καὶ ἑκατόν. ᾿Αλλ᾽ ἐν τῷ παραδείγματι δεδήλωκεν ὁ θεῖος Δαβὶδ, ὡς οὐχ ἕνα μόνον ὄροφον εἶχεν ὁ θεῖος νεώς Τὸν οἶκον γὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ τὰ ὑπερῷα αὐτοῦ ποιήσεις. Καὶ ἡ ἱστορία δὲ τῶν Βασιλειῶν διδάσκει, ὅτι οὐ μόνον διώροφα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τριώροφα εἶχεν ὁ οἶκος. Πόλιν δὲ Δαβὶδ τὴν Σιὼν ὠνόμασεν. Ἐξεκκλησίασε γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ Σολομών πάντας τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ πάντας τοὺς ἄρχοντας τῶν φυλῶν, καὶ τοὺς ἡγουμένους τῶν πατριῶν τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ, τοῦ ἀνενεγκεῖν τὴν κιβωτὸν διαθήκης Κυρίου ἐκ πόλεως Δαβίδ· αὕτη δὲ Σιών. Οὕτω δὲ καλεῖ τὴν ἀνωτέραν πόλιν. Ως ὀχυρωτέραν γὰρ τειχίσας, ἐν αὐτῇ τὰ βασίλεια ᾠκοδόμησε· Καὶ ἐξεκκλησιάσθη πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα Σολομῶντα πᾶς ἀνὴρ Ἰσραὴλ ἐν τῇ ἑορτῇ· οὗτος μὴν ἔβδομος. Ἑορτὴν δὲ τὴν σκηνοπηγίαν καλεῖ αὕτη γὰρ τρίτη ἦν ἑορτή. Καὶ εἰσήνεγκαν οἱ ἱερεῖς τὴν κιβωτὸν διαθήκης Κυρίου εἰς τὸν τόπον αὐτῆς, εἰς τὸ Δαβεὶρ τοῦ οἴκου, εἰς τὰ ῞Αγια τῶν ἁγίων, ὑποκάτω τῶν Χερουβείμ. Καὶ ἐντεῦθεν οὖν δῆλον, ὡς Δαβεὶρ τὸ ἄδυτον, καὶ ἄψαυστον, καὶ ἀνάκτορον ἐκάλεσε τοῦ ναοῦ, ὅπερ ῞Αγια ἁγίων ὀνομάζειν φίλον τῇ θείᾳ Γραφῇ. Τοῦ μέντοι Σολομῶντος προσευξαμένου, καὶ πέρας ἐπιτεθεικότος τῇ προσευχῇ, πῦρ κατενεχθὲν οὐρανόθεν τὰς προσενεχθείσας θυσίας ἀνάλωσε. Πάλιν μέντοι ἡ ἱστορία διδάσκει, ὡς τοῦ πανευφήμου Δαβίδ εἰσιν οἱ ψαλμοί. Λέγει δὲ οὕτως Καὶ οἱ Λευῖται ἐν ὀργάνοις ᾠδῶν Κυρίου, ὧν ἐποίησε Δαβὶδ ὁ βασιλεὺς, τοῦ ἐξομολογεῖσθαι ἔναντι Κυρίου, ὅτι ἀγαθὸς, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ, ἐν ὕμνοις Δαβὶδ διὰ χειρὸς αὐτοῦ. Τοσαύτη δὲ ἦν ἡ τοῦ Σολομῶντος εὐσέβεια, ὅτι τοῦ Φαραὼ τὴν θυγατέρα εἰς τὰ νεόδμητα μετέστησε βασίλεια, λέγων· Οὐ κατοικήσει ἡ γυνή μου ἐν οἴκῳ Δαβὶδ βασιλέως Ἰσραὴλ, ὅτι ἅγιος οὗτος, οὗ εἰσῆλθεν ἐκεῖ ἡ κιβωτὸς Κυρίου. Κατέστησε δὲ καὶ τοὺς πυλωροὺς, καὶ τοὺς ᾠδοὺς, κατὰ τὰς τοῦ Δαβὶδ διατάξεις. Τὰ δὲ ἀγώγιμα ξύλα πεύκινα ὁ Ἰώσηπος κέκληκε. Ταῦτα τῶν μὲν Βασιλειῶν ἡ βίβλος ὑποστηρίγματα ἔφη γεγενῆσθαι τοῦ οἴκου Κυρίου, καὶ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ βασιλέως· ἡ δὲ προκειμένη ἱστορία, ἀναβάσεις τῷ οἴκῳ Κυρίου, καὶ τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ βασιλέως. Πάλιν μέντοι μανθάνομεν ἐντεῦθεν, ὡς Νάθαν ὁ προφήτης, καὶ Ἀχιὰ ὁ Σιλωνίτης, καὶ Ἰωὴλ ὁ κατὰ τοῦ Ἱεροβοὰμ τὴν ψῆφον ἐξενεγκών, βίβλους εἶχον συγγεγραμμένας. Καὶ οἱ κατάλοιποι γὰρ, φησὶ, τῶν λόγων Σολομῶντος, οἱ πρῶτοι καὶ οἱ ἔσχατοι, οὐκ ἰδοὺ οὗτοι γεγραμμένοι ἐπὶ τῶν λόγων Νάθαν τοῦ προφήτου, καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν λόγων ᾿Αχιὰ τοῦ Σιλωνίτου, καὶ ἐν ταῖς ὀράσεσιν Ἰωὴλ τοῦ ὁρῶντος περὶ Ἱεροβοάμ υἱοῦ Ναβάτ; Μεμαθήκαμεν δὲ ἐντεῦθεν, καὶ ὅτι ὁ ἄνθρωπος τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὁ τὸ ἐν Βαιθήλ θυσιαστήριον ῥαγῆναι κελεύσας, ὃν ὁ λέων συνέτριψε τοῦ Θεοῦ παραβεβηκότα τὴν ἐντολὴν, Ἰωὴλ προσηγορεύετο. ### English translation (Claude) The second book of Chronicles teaches that the tabernacle which the great Moses made stood at Gibeon, while the ark was in the palace, covered by the other tent. Solomon, having offered a thousand victims on the altar of Moses, begged God to obtain wisdom and understanding. Writing to Hiram, he showed his knowledge of God: “For who,” he says, “will be able to build a house for God, since heaven and the heaven of heaven cannot contain him? And who am I to build him a house, except to burn incense before him?” I am meeting my own need, he means. For not even the highest heaven can contain his nature; but wishing to offer him the reverence possible to me, I am building a house made with hands. How much the friendship of the pious benefits, Hiram showed in his reply. For he said thus: “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, who has given King David a wise son, endowed with prudence and understanding, who will build a house for the Lord.” It is clear that he had learned from his familiarity with David that the God of Israel is the Maker of heaven and earth. Let no one think that this book disagrees with the Kingdoms because here we find the length of the temple to be sixty cubits and there forty. For besides the forty he will find another twenty of the so-called Dabeir, that is, the Holy of Holies; and twenty added to forty make sixty. So again we find the height in the Kingdoms to be twenty-five cubits, but here a hundred and twenty. But in the pattern the divine David showed that the divine temple did not have only one story: “The house,” he says, “and its upper rooms you shall make.” And the history of the Kingdoms teaches that the house had not only two-storied but also three-storied parts. He named Zion the city of David: “For Solomon assembled,” it says, “all the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes and the leaders of the families of the sons of Israel, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the city of David; this is Zion.” So he calls the upper city. For having walled it as stronger, he built the palace in it. “And every man of Israel assembled to King Solomon at the feast; this is the seventh month.” He calls Tabernacles the feast; for this was the third feast. “And the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, into the Dabeir of the house, into the Holy of Holies, under the cherubim.” From this too it is clear that he called Dabeir the inner sanctuary, the untouchable shrine of the temple, which divine Scripture likes to call the Holy of Holies. When Solomon had prayed and finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the sacrifices offered. Again the history teaches that the psalms are by the all-praised David. It says thus: “And the Levites with the instruments of the songs of the Lord, which King David made, to give thanks before the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever, with the hymns of David by their hand.” So great was Solomon's piety that he moved Pharaoh's daughter into the newly built palace, saying, “My wife shall not live in the house of David king of Israel, for it is holy, because the ark of the Lord has entered it.” He also appointed the gatekeepers and the singers according to David's ordinances. Josephus called the imported timber pine. The book of Kingdoms said these were made into supports for the house of the Lord and the king's house; the present history, into steps for the house of the Lord and the king's house. Again we learn from this that Nathan the prophet, Ahijah the Shilonite, and Joel, who pronounced the sentence against Jeroboam, had written books: “For the rest of the words of Solomon,” it says, “first and last, are they not written in the words of Nathan the prophet, and in the words of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Joel the seer concerning Jeroboam son of Nebat?” We have learned from this too that the man of God who ordered the altar at Bethel to be split, whom the lion killed for transgressing God's command, was named Joel. ### Scripture references - 2 Chr 1:3: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 1:4: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 1:6: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 1:10: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 2:6: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 2:12: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 3:3: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 3:4: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 6:2: allusion, high confidence - 1 Chr 28:11: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 6:6: allusion, medium confidence - 2 Chr 5:2: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 5:3: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 5:7: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 7:1: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 7:6: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 8:11: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 8:14: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 9:10: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 9:11: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 10:12: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 9:29: quotation, high confidence - 1 Kgs 13:1: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 13:24: allusion, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Josephus, Ant. 8.7.1 (Josephus (works)): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Migne prints the exposition of 2 Chronicles as an unnumbered preface; it has no question, which is why the staging flags a possible lost question. 2 Chr 1:3–12; 2:6, 12; 3:3–4; 5:2–7, 13; 7:1, 6; 8:11, 14; 9:10–11, 29 (quoted); 1 Kgs 6:2, 10; 10:12; 1 Chr 28:11; Josephus, Ant. 8.7.1. The LXX of 2 Chr 9:29 names the seer Ἰωήλ (Hebrew Iddo); Theodoret's identification of him with the man of God of 1 Kgs 13 is his own, translated as written. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 5.3 (PG 80 80:819; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/5-3). ## 2 Chronicles, question 1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/5-4/#p-5-4 - Source: PG 80 80:821 - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Theodoret's running commentary on 2 Chronicles 10–36 supplements Kings: God divides the kingdom and spares Judah for David's sake; pious kings (Abijah, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, Josiah) are rewarded and their lapses punished; impious ones (Joram, Joash, Amaziah, Uzziah, Ahaz) are disciplined; Manasseh repents; the book was compiled from prophetic sources after the exile. ### Greek text Πῶς νοητέον τὸ, Οὐκ ἤκουσεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῦ λαοῦ, ὅτι ἦν μεταστροφὴ ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἵνα στήσῃ Κύριος τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ, ὃν ἐλάλησεν ἐν χειρὶ ᾿Αχιὰ τοῦ Σιλωνίτου; | Οἱ τῆς θείας κηδεμονίας ἀπολαύοντες συνορῶσι τὸ πρακτέον ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφιζόμενοι. Οἱ δὲ ταύτης ἐστερημένοι τῆς χάριτος, ὡς ἔτυχε φέρονται. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἐνταῦθα ὁ λόγος δεδήλωκεν, ὅτι ἔδοξε τῷ Δεσπότῃ Θεῷ ῥῆξαι διχῆ τὴν βασιλείαν διὰ τὰς τοῦ πατρὸς παρανομίας. Τῆς μέντοι διαιρέσεως γενομένης, καὶ τοῦ Ἱεροβοὰμ τὰς χρυσᾶς δαμάλεις κατασκευάσαντος, οἱ ἐν ταῖς δέκα φυλαῖς οἰκοῦντες ἱερεῖς καὶ Λευῖται πρὸς τὴν Δαβιδικὴν μετέστησαν βασιλείαν· ἐν ἐκείνῃ γὰρ ὁ θεῖος ναός. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ ἡ ἱστορία διδάσκει, ὅτι καὶ ἄκοντας αὐτοὺς ἐξέβαλεν Ἱεροβοάμ, καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ, τοῦ δὲ μὴ λειτουργεῖν τῷ Κυρίῳ· καὶ κατέστησεν αὐτῷ ἱερεῖς τῶν ὑψηλῶν, καὶ τοῖς εἰδώλοις, καὶ τοῖς ματαίοις, καὶ ταῖς δαμάλεσιν αἷς ἐποίησεν Ἱεροβοάμ. Ἠκολούθησαν δὲ τοῖς ἱερεῦσι, καὶ τοῖς Λευΐταις, καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἄλλων φυλῶν εὐσεβεῖς· ᾿Απῆλθον γὰρ, φησὶν, ὀπίσω αὐτῶν ἀπὸ πασῶν φυλῶν Ἰσραὴλ, οἳ ἔδωκαν καρδίαν αὐτῶν ζητῆσαι Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν Ἰσραήλ. Καὶ, Ἦλθον εἰς Ἱερουσαλήμ θῦσαι Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ αὐτῶν, καὶ κατισχῦσαι τὴν βασιλείαν Ἰούδα. Ὁ δὲ φιλάνθρωπος Δεσπότης δυσσεβήσαντα μὲν τὸν Ἱεροβοὰμ τῷ Σουσακεὶμ παραδέδωκε. Διὰ Σαμαίου δὲ τοῦ προφήτου καὶ αὐτῷ καὶ τοῖς ἄρχουσιν εἰπὼν, Ὑμεῖς ἐγκατελίπετέ με, καὶ ἐγὼ ἐγκαταλείψω ὑμᾶς ἐν χειρὶ Σουσακείμ· ὡς εἶδεν ἐντραπέντας, καὶ τὴν ἀσέβειαν ὁμολογήσαντας, ἔφη τῷ προφήτῃ· Ἐνετράπησαν, οὐ καταφθερῶ αὐτοὺς, καὶ δώσω αὐτοὺς ὡς εἰς σμικρὸν εἰς σωτηρίαν· ἀντὶ τοῦ, Τὸν σπινθῆρα τῆς εὐλογίας τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐν αὐτοῖς διαφυλάξω καὶ οὐ μὴ στάξῃ ὁ θυμός μου ἐπὶ Ἱερουσαλήμ ἐν χειρὶ Σουσακείμ. Οὐ νῦν αὐτοὺς, φησὶ, παραδώσω πανωλεθρίᾳ, ἀλλ᾽ εἰς ὕστερον φυλάξω τὴν τιμωρίαν· ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ παρόντος αὐτοῖς τὸν τῆς δουλείας ἐπιθήσω ζυγόν. Ἔσονται γὰρ αὐτῷ, φησὶν, εἰς δούλους, καὶ γνώσονται τὴν δουλείαν μου, καὶ τὴν δουλείαν τῆς βασιλείας τῆς γῆς. ᾿Απὸ συγκρίσεως, φησὶν, αὐτοὺς διδάξω, ὅπως χρηστὸς ὁ ἐμὸς ζυγὸς, καὶ ὅπως βαρὺς ὁ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ζυγός. Πάλιν δὲ καὶ ἑτέρας ἐδιδάχθημεν γεγενῆσθαι βίβλους προφητικάς· Οἱ λόγοι γὰρ, φησὶ, ῾Ῥοβοάμ, οἱ πρῶτοι καὶ οἱ ἔσχατοι, οὐκ ἰδού εἰσι γεγραμμένοι ἐν τοῖς λόγοις Σαμαίου τοῦ προφήτου, καὶ Ἰαδώκ τοῦ ὁρῶντος τοῦ γενεαλογῆσαι, καὶ αἱ πράξεις αὐτοῦ; ῎Ἄξιον δὲ θαυμάσαι τὴν τοῦ ᾿Αβιᾶ δημηγορίαν. Τῶν γὰρ δέκα φυλῶν ὀκτακοσίας χιλιάδας κατ' αὐτοῦ στρατευομένας ἰδών ἡγεῖτο δὲ αὐτῶν Ἱεροβοάμ· οὗτος μετὰ τετρακοσίων χιλιάδων παραταττόμενος, πρὸς τοὺς ἀντιπαρατασσομένους ἔφη· Οὐχ ὑμῖν γνῶναι, ὅτι Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσραὴλ ἔδωκε βασιλείαν τῷ Δαβὶδ ἐπὶ Ἱερουσαλήμ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, καὶ τοῖς υἱοῖς αὐτοῦ διαθήκην ἁλὸς αἰωνίαν; Οὐχ ὑμᾶς, φησὶν, ἔδει γνῶναι, ὡς θεόσδοτος ἡ τοῦ Δαβὶδ βασιλεία, καὶ τέλος οὐ δεχομένη κατὰ τὴν θείαν ὑπόσχεσιν; Πῶς οὖν ἀνεστήσατε τύραννον τοῦ πατρός μου τὸν δοῦλον ; Διαθήκην δὲ ἁλὸς αἰωνίαν τὸ βέβαιον τῆς βασιλείας ἐκάλεσεν· ἐπειδὴ καὶ βάρβαροι πολλάκις συνεσθίοντες πολεμίοις βεβαίαν εἰρήνην φυλάττουσι, τῶν ἁλῶν μεμνημένοι. ᾿Αλλ' ὁ ἐμὸς πατὴρ, φησί, διὰ νεότητα καὶ δειλίαν παρεχώρησε τῇ τυραννίδι ἐγὼ δὲ ὑμῖν ἐπιμέμφομαι, ὅτι κατὰ τῆς θείας βασιλείας θρασύνεσθε, ἣν τῷ γένει τοῦ Δαβὶδ ὁ τῶν ὅλων ἐδωρήσατο Κύριος καὶ θαῤῥεῖτε τῷ πλήθει, καὶ ταῖς χρυσαῖς δαμάλεσι, δι᾽ ἂς καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοὺς ἱερέας ἐξελάσαντες, ἑτέρους ἀντ' αὐτῶν κατεστήσατε, παραπλήσια δρῶντες τοῖς ἔθνεσι. Καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι τοὺς τυχόντας ἱερέας χειροτονοῦσι τοῖς οὐκ οὖσι θεοῖς. Ἡμεῖς δὲ τῷ ἀληθινῷ θαῤῥοῦμεν Θεῷ, οὗ καὶ τοὺς ἱερέας, καὶ τοὺς Λευίτας γεραίρομεν, καὶ κατὰ τὸν θεῖον νόμον τὰς θυσίας προσφέρομεν, καὶ κατὰ τὰς τούτου διατάξεις παρατασσόμεθα, ταῖς θείαις σάλπιγξι τὸν πόλεμον προσημαίνοντες. Διὸ παρεγγυῶ μὲν ὑμῖν μὴ ἀντιπαρατάξασθαι τῷ Δεσπότῃ Θεῷ, ὃς τῆς ἡμετέρας φάλαγγος στρατηγεῖ. Μεταγνώσεσθε γὰρ τοῦτο ποιήσαντες. Τούτων εἰρημένων, ἑκύκλωσαν μὲν τὸν Ἰούδαν αἱ δέκα φυλαί· ἠλάλαξαν δὲ οὗτοι, καὶ τὴν θείαν ῥοπὴν εἰς ἐπικουρίαν ἐκάλεσαν. Ὁ δὲ κληθεὶς εἰς συμμαχίαν Θεός εἰς δειλίαν τῶν πολεμίων τὸ θράσος μετέβαλε· καὶ τραπέντες ἀπέδρασαν πάντες, καὶ πεντήκοντα μυριάδες ἀνηλώθησαν φεύγουσαι. Λέγει δὲ καὶ τῆς φυγῆς τὴν αἰτίαν· Καὶ κατίσχυσαν οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰούδα, ὅτι ἤλπισαν ἐπὶ Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν τῶν πατέρων αὐτῶν. Ἕλαβον δὲ καὶ πόλεις ὑποκειμένας ἐκείνοις. Τὸν δὲ Ἱεροβοάμ αὐτὸς ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς τῷ θανάτῳ παρέδωκεν. Ἐπαινεῖ δὲ καὶ τοῦ ᾿Ασὰ τὴν προτέραν εὐσέβειαν Ἐποίησε γὰρ, φησὶν, Ασὰ τὸ εὐθὲς ἐνώπιον Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀπέστησε τὰ θυσιαστήρια τὰ ἀλλότρια, τουτέστι, τὰ τῶν εἰδώλων. Εἶτα ἐπήγαγε, καὶ τὰ ὑψηλά. Ἐγὼ δὲ οἶμαι διὰ τούτων αἰνίττεσθαι τὰ παρανόμως τῷ Θεῷ ἐν τοῖς βουνοῖς ἀνακείμενα. Καὶ συνέτριψε τὰς στήλας, καὶ ἐξέκοψε τὰ ἄλση. Καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἑξῆς δὲ τοὺς ἐπαίνους διέξεισι. Μετὰ τῆς εὐσεβείας δὲ τὰ ταύτης παραταξάμενος ἐτρέψατο τοὺς Αἰθίοπας, καὶ διώκων ἅπαντας κατηνάλωσεν. Ὁμόρους δὲ λέγει τούτους αὐτῶν γεγενῆσθαι. Ἐσκύλευσαν γὰρ, φησὶ, σκῦλα πολλὰ, καὶ ἐξέκοψαν τὰς κώμας αὐτῶν κύκλῳ Γεράρων, ὅτι ἐγένετο ἔκστασις Κυρίου ἐπ᾿ αὐτούς καὶ διήρπασαν τὰς πόλεις αὐτῶν, ὅτι σκῦλα πολλὰ ἐγενήθη αὐτοῖς. Καὶ γε τὰς σκηνάς κτηνῶν, καὶ τοὺς ᾿Αμαζονεὶμ ἐξέκοψαν, καὶ ἔλαβον πρόβατα πολλά, καὶ καμήλους, καὶ ὑπέστρεψαν εἰς Ἱερουσαλήμ. Ὅτι δὲ τὰ Γέραρα τῆς Παλαιστίνης ἐστὶν, οὐδένα ἀντερεῖν οἶμαι. Περὶ γὰρ τὴν καλουμένην Ἐλευθερόπολιν Γεραρηνῶν σαλτὸν μέχρι τοῦ παρόντος ὠνόμασται. Εἰκὸς τοίνυν ἀποίκους Αἰθιόπων ἐκείνην οἰκῆσαι τὴν χώραν· καὶ ἄλλους δέ τινας Αμαζονεὶμ ὠνομασμένους, οὓς κατ' αὐτῶν στρατεύσαντας ἄρδην κατέκτειναν ἅπαντας. Μετὰ μέντοι τὴν νίκην, ᾿Αζαρίας υἱὸς Ὀδὴδ ὁ προφήτης Πνεύματος θείου πλησθεὶς ἀπαντήσας τῇ στρατιᾷ, καὶ τῆς θείας ἐπικουρίας ἐμνημόνευσε, καὶ προσμένειν τῇ εὐσεβείᾳ παρέτρεψεν Ἐὰν γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐκζητήσητε αὐτὸν, καὶ εὑρεθήσεται ὑμῖν· καὶ ἐὰν ἐγκατελίπητε αὐτὸν, ἐγκαταλείψει ὑμᾶς. Επιδείκνυσι δὲ αὐτοῖς καὶ τῶν δέκα φυλῶν τὴν ἀσέβειαν· Ἡμέραι γὰρ, φησὶ, πολλαὶ τῷ Ἰσραὴλ ἐν οὐ Θεῷ ἀληθινῷ, καὶ οὐχ ἱερέως ὑποδεικνύντος, καὶ ἐν οὐ νόμῳ. Καὶ ἐκάθισαν ἐν στενότητι καὶ ἐπιστρέψουσιν ἐν θλίψει ἐπὶ Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν Ισραήλ· καὶ ζητήσουσιν αὐτὸν, καὶ εὑρεθήσεται αὐτοῖς. Μὴ ζηλώσητε, φησὶ, τῶν ἀδελφῶν ὑμῶν τὴν ἀσέβειαν. Ἐκεῖνοι γὰρ οὐ τῷ ἀληθινῷ Θεῷ, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ψευδωνύμοις λατρεύουσι καὶ ἐστέρηνται ἱερέων καὶ διδασκάλων ἐκπαιδευόντων τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ νόμον· ἀλλὰ μαθήσονται τῇ πείρᾳ ὅσον κακὸν ἡ ἀσέβεια. Παντοδαπαῖς γὰρ συμφοραῖς περιπεσόντες τὴν θείαν ἐπικουρίαν ζητήσουσι· καὶ τεύξονται ταύτης διὰ τὴν ἄφατον ἀγαθότητα. Προλέγει δὲ καὶ τῶν ᾿Ασσυρίων τὴν ἔφοδον Ἐν γὰρ τοῖς καιροῖς, φησὶν, ἐκείνοις οὐκ ἔστιν εἰρήνη τῷ ἐκπορευομένῳ, ὅτι ἔκστασις Κυρίου πολλὴ ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς κατοικοῦντας γαίας. Καὶ πολεμήσει ἔθνος πρὸς ἔθνος, καὶ πόλις πρὸς πόλιν, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ἐξέστησεν αὐτοὺς ἐν πάσῃ θλίψει. Εἶτα αὐτοῖς εισηγεῖται τὴν εἰς τὸν Θεὸν ἐλπίδα κατέχειν ἀσάλευτον Καὶ ὑμεῖς γὰρ, φησὶν, ἰσχύσατε καὶ μὴ ἐκλυέσθωσαν αἱ ὀσφύες ὑμῶν, ὅτι ἔστι μισθὸς τῆς ἐργασίας ὑμῶν. Τούτων ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀκούσας, ὅσα ἦν ὑπόλοιπα τῶν εἰδώλων τεμένη κατέλυσε, καὶ ὅσας παρέλαβε τῶν δέκα φυλῶν ἐξεκάθηρε πόλεις. Ἐδίδαξε δὲ ἡ ἱστορία καὶ τοῦτο, ὡς ἐκ τῶν ἄλλων φυλῶν πλῆθος πολὺ τῇ πείρᾳ μεμαθηκὸς τῶν δύο φυλῶν τὴν εὐσέβειαν, καὶ τὴν θείαν κηδεμονίαν, ἧς ἀπολαύουσι, τὰς μὲν οἰκείας κατέλιπον πόλεις, εἰς δὲ τὰς τούτων κατέφυγον, καὶ τὸ παροικεῖν ἐν ἀλλοτρίαις τοῦ τὰς οἰκείας οἰκεῖν προετίμησαν. Τούτους μετὰ τῶν δύο φυλῶν συναγαγὼν ὁ ᾿Ασὰ, ἑορτὴν ἐπινίκιον ἐπετέλεσε· καὶ πάμπολλα θύματα προσενεγκὼν τῷ Θεῷ, ὀμόσαι παρεσκεύασεν ἅπαντας, ὡς τῆς ἐννόμου πολιτείας οὐκ ἀποστήσονται, ἀλλὰ μόνῳ λατρεύσουσι τῷ σεσωκότι Θεῷ. Οὕτω δὲ θερμῶς τοὺς θείους ἠσπάσατο νόμους, ὅτι καὶ τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ, τῇ ᾿Αστάρτῃ λατρεῦσαι προειλομένην, τῆς βασιλείας ἐγύμνωσε• καὶ τὸ εἴδωλον συγκόψας κατέκαυσεν ἐν τῷ χειμάρῥῳ Κέδρων. ᾿Αλλ' οὐκ ἐν ἅπασι τέλειος ἦν. Πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ οὐχ ἅπαντα ἐξῆρε τὰ ὑψηλὰ, τουτέστι τοὺς ἐν τοῖς ὑψηλοῖς χωρίοις ἀνακειμένους τῷ Θεῷ τῶν ὅλων βωμούς. ᾿Απηγόρευτο γὰρ ἑτέρωσε θύειν - ἑνὶ γὰρ ἡ κατὰ νόμον λατρεία περιώριστο τόπῳ. Ἔπειτα δὲ τοῦ Βαασᾶ στρατεύσαντος κατ᾿ αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὴν Ῥαμὰ τοῖς Ἱεροσολύμοις ἐπιτειχίσαντος, δέον εἰς συμμαχίαν καλέσαι τὸν τοσούτων ἀγαθῶν αὐτῷ γενόμενον χορηγὸν, τὸν βασιλέα τῆς Συρίας εἰς συμμαχίαν ἐκάλεσεν ἐκ τῶν βασιλικῶν θησαυρῶν, καὶ μέντοι καὶ τῶν θείων, χρυσὸν αὐτῷ πέμψας ὅτι μάλιστα πλεῖστον. ᾿Αλλ' οὐκ εἴασεν αὐτὸν ἀνίατον ὁ φιλάνθρωπος Κύριος· ᾿Ανανὶ δὲ τὸν προφήτην ἀποστείλας, τὴν ἀπιστίαν διήλεγξε, τάδε εἰπών· Ἐν τῷ πεποιθέναι σε ἐπὶ βασιλέα Συρίας, καὶ μὴ πεποιθέναι ἐπὶ Κύριον τὸν Θεόν σου, διὰ τοῦτο διεσώθη ἡ δυνάμις βασιλέως Ἰσραήλ. Ἡ σή, φησὶν, ἀπιστία προὐξένησεν ἐκείνοις τὴν σωτηρίαν. Εἰ γὰρ συνήθως ἐπίστευσας, ἄρδην ἂν πάντας κατέκτεινας. ᾿Αναμιμνήσκει δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ τῶν Αἰθιόπων, καὶ τῶν Λιβύων, καὶ τῶν ἵππων, καὶ τῶν ἁρμάτων, καὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ πίστεως, δι᾿ ἣν αὐτοὺς κατηνάλωσεν ἅπαντας· ὅτι Ὀφθαλμοὶ Κυρίου, φησὶν, ἐπιβλέπουσιν ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν, κατισχῦσαι ἐν πάσῃ καρδίᾳ· πλήρει πρὸς αὐτόν. Πᾶς γὰρ, φησὶ, γνησίως αὐτὸν καλῶν, τεύξεται τῆς σωτηρίας. Εἶτα σαφέστερον ἐλέγχει· Ἠγνόησας ἐπὶ τούτῳ· ἔπειτα προλέγει τὰ ἐσόμενα σκυθρωπά ᾿Ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν γὰρ, φησὶν, ἔσται σοι πόλεμος. Ἐντεῦθεν ἔστι μαθεῖν, ὡς οἱ ᾿Αμαζονεὶμ Λιβυκόν ἐστιν ἔθνος. Οὓς γὰρ ἄνω Αμαζονεὶμ ὠνόμασεν, ἐνταῦθα Λίβυας κέκληκεν. Ὁ δὲ ᾿Ασὰ, δέον ἀλγῆσαι, καὶ θρηνῆσαι, καὶ τὴν θείαν καλέσαι φιλανθρωπίαν, οὐ μόνον ὠργίσθη, ἀλλὰ καὶ δεσμωτηρίῳ τὸν προφήτην παρέδωκε. Συναπήλαυσε δὲ καὶ ὁ λαὸς τῆς τούτου πλημμελείας. Ἐλυμήνατο γάρ, φησὶν, ᾿Ασὰ ἐν τῷ λαῷ, ἐν τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ. Ἐπιμέμφεται δὲ αὐτῷ, ὅτι ἀῤῥωστήσας οὐ τὸν Κύριον ἐζήτησεν, ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἰατρούς. ᾿Αλλὰ τούτου τὴν σαφήνειαν ἐν τῇ τετάρτῃ τῶν Βασιλειῶν τεθεικὼς, ἐπὶ τὰ ἑξῆς βαδιοῦμαι τῆς ἑρμηνείας. Ἐπαινεῖ τὸν Ἰωσαφάτ ἡ ἱστορία, ὡς κατ᾿ ἀρχὰς τοῦ Δαβὶδ ζηλώσαντα τὴν ἀρετήν· τοῦτο γὰρ λέγει τὸ Ἐν ταῖς πρώταις. Διηγεῖται δὲ αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ ἀξιέπαινα κατορθώματα. Κύριον γὰρ, φησὶ, τὸν Θεὸν τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ ἐξεζήτησε, καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἐντολαῖς αὐτοῦ ἐπορεύθη, καὶ οὐ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα Ἰσραήλ. Δείκνυσι δὲ καὶ τὸν τούτων καρπόν· Καὶ κατεύθυνε Κύριος τὴν βασιλείαν ἐν χειρὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐγένετο αὐτῷ πλοῦτος καὶ δόξα πολλή.» Τὸ δὲ, Ὑψώθη. ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ, οὐκ ἐπὶ κατηγορίας, ἀλλ᾽ εὐφημίας ἔθηκεν. Ἐπήγαγε γὰρ, Ἐν ὁδοῖς Κυρίου, καὶ ἐξῆρε τὰ ἄλση ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς Ἰούδα. Ἐπέστησε δὲ καὶ παντὶ τῷ λαῷ διδασκάλους τοῦ θείου νόμου, καὶ ἱερέας, καὶ Λευῖτας, καὶ ἄρχοντας. Ἐκομίζετο δὲ παρὰ τοῦ Δεσπότου Θεοῦ τῆς εὐσεβείας τὰ ἐπίχειρα. Ἐγένετο γὰρ, φησὶν, ἔκστασις ἐπὶ πάσας τὰς βασιλείας τῆς γῆς τῆς κύκλῳ Ἰούδα καὶ οὐκ ἐπολέμουν τῷ Ἰωσαφάτ. Τοσοῦτο δὲ πᾶσιν ἐπέπεσε δέος, ὅτι καὶ ἀλλόφυλοι καὶ οἱ ῎Αραβες δασμὸν αὐτῷ προσεκόμιζον. Ταύτην ἔχων τὴν ἀφθονίαν, καὶ πόλεις ᾠκοδόμησε, καὶ οἰκίας ἐδείματο, καὶ τὰς ἀτειχίστους ὠχύρωσε κώμας. Ἑκουσιαζόμενον δὲ τῷ Κυρίῳ λέγει τὸν οὐχ ὑπὲρ ἁμαρτημάτων προσφέροντα, ἀλλὰ δῶρα προσκομίζοντα τῷ Θεῷ. Ἐπιμέμφεται δὲ αὐτῷ τὴν γαμικὴν ἐπιμιξίαν, ἣν πρὸς τὸν ᾿Αχαάβ ἐποιήσατο.» Γυθολίαν γὰρ τοῦ ᾿Αχαάβ τὴν θυγατέρα κατηγγύησε τῷ παιδί. Τέθεικε δὲ καὶ τὸ κατὰ τὸν Μιχαίαν διήγημα, καὶ τοὺς ψευδοπροφήτας, ὅπερ ἐν ταῖς Βασιλείαις ἡρμήνευται παρ' ἡμῶν. Τὸ δὲ παρ᾽ ἐκείνου τοῦ συγγραφέως παραλειφθὲν, ἐνταῦθα δὲ τεθὲν, ἀναγκαῖον οἶμαι εἰπεῖν. Ἐπανιόντι γὰρ ἀπ' ἐκείνης τῆς παρατάξεως τῷ Ἰωσαφάτ ἀπήντησεν Ἰηοῦ ὁ τοῦ ᾿Ανανὶ ὁ προφήτης, καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Βασιλεῦ Ἰωσαφάτ, εἰ ἁμαρτωλῷ σὺ βοηθεῖς, εἰ μισουμένῳ ὑπὸ Κυρίου σὺ φιλιάζεις; διὰ τοῦτο ἐγένετο ἐπὶ σὲ ὀργὴ παρὰ Κυρίου· ἀλλ᾽ ἢ λόγοι ἀγαθοὶ εὑρέθησαν ἐν σοὶ, ὅτι ἐξῆρας τὰ ἄλση ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς Ἰούδα, καὶ κατηύθυνας τὴν καρδίαν σου ἐκζητῆσαι τὸν Κύριον. Ἐντεῦθεν μανθάνομεν, ὡς ἐλαττοῖ τὰς ἐπὶ τοῖς ἁμαρτήμασι τιμωρίας τὰ προγενόμενα κατορθώματα. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ δίκαιος κριτὴς ταῦτα ἐκείνοις ἀντιμετρῶν οὕτως ἐκφέρει τὴν ψῆφον. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τούτου πεποίηκεν. Ἐχαλέπαινε μὲν γὰρ κατ᾿ αὐτοῦ διὰ τὴν συγγένειαν διὰ δὲ τὴν ἄλλην ἀρετὴν, τῶν προσβαλόντων καὶ - κυκλωσάντων ἠλευθέρωσε πολεμίων. Προσήκει τοίνυν ἡμᾶς, ταῦτα μεμαθηκότας, φεύγειν τῶν θεομισῶν καὶ τὴν συγγένειαν, καὶ τὴν φιλίαν. Ὁ δὲ συγγραφεὺς τὸν ψόγον καταλιπὼν, εἰς τὸν τῆς εὐφημίας μετέβη κατάλογον, καὶ διδάσκει τοὺς ἐντυγχάνοντας, ὡς τὸν ἔλεγχον ὁ βασιλεὺς δεξάμενος, ἐσπούδασεν ἐν τοῖς εὐσεβέσι πόνοις τὴν τῆς συγγενείας ἐξαλείψαι κηλίδα. Πάλιν γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐξῆλθεν Ἰωσαφὰτ εἰς τὸν λαὸν ἀπὸ Βερσαβεὲ ἕως ὅρους Ἐφραὶμ, καὶ ἐπέστρεψεν αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν αὐτῶν. Καὶ οὐ μόνον τῆς εὐσεβείας, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς ἄλλης ἐφρόντισεν εὐνομίας. Κατέστησε γὰρ, φησὶ, κριτὰς ἐν πάσαις ταῖς πόλεσιν Ἰούδα ταῖς ὀχυραῖς. ᾿Αξιάγαστα δὲ αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ πρὸς τοὺς κριτὰς ῥήματα· Ἴδετε γάρ, φησὶ, τί ὑμεῖς ποιεῖτε, ὅτι οὐκ ἀνθρώπῳ ὑμεῖς κρίνετε, ἀλλ᾽ ἢ τῷ Κυρίῳ, καὶ μεθ᾽ ὑμῶν λόγοι κρίσεως. Καὶ νῦν γενέσθω ὁ φόβος Κυρίου ἐφ᾽ ὑμᾶς, καὶ φυλάσσετε, καὶ ποιεῖτε, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι μετὰ Κυρίου Θεοῦ ὑμῶν ἀδικία, οὐδὲ θαυμάσαι πρόσωπον, οὐδὲ λαβεῖν δῶρα. Ἔδειξεν αὐτοῖς τὸν τῶν ὅλων ὀπτῆρα, καὶ τὸ τούτου δέος ἐντέθεικεν, ἵνα μὴ δώροις, μηδὲ φιλίᾳ πωλῶσι τὸ δίκαιον. Παραπλησίως δὲ καὶ τοῖς τῆς Ἱερουσαλήμ κριταῖς ἐνετείλατο, ὥστε μὴ μόνον τοῖς πολίταις δικάζειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἑτέρωθεν ἀφικνουμένων τὰς ἀμφιβολίας διαλύειν ἐνδίκως, καὶ παραινεῖν τὰ προσήκοντα. Διαστελεῖτε γὰρ αὐτοῖς, φησὶ, καὶ οὐχ ἁμαρτήσονται τῷ Κυρίῳ· καὶ οὐκ ἔσται ὀργὴ ἐφ᾽ ὑμᾶς, καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ὑμῶν. Οὕτω ποιήσετε, καὶ οὐχ ἁμαρτήσεσθε. | Επέστησε δὲ αὐτοῖς Ἀμαρίαν τὸν ἱερέα, ὥστε εἰ ἀγνοοῖεν οἱ δικάζοντες, ὅπως ἐξενεγκεῖν τὴν ψῆφον, παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ μάθοιεν δι᾽ ἐκείνου. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ, ἔφη, Ἀμαρίας ὁ ἱερεὺς ἡγούμενος ἐφ᾽ ὑμᾶς εἰς πάντα λόγον Κυρίου· καὶ Ζαβαδίας υἱὸς Ἰσμαήλ, ἡγούμενος τῷ οἴκῳ Ἰούδα εἰς πάντα λόγον τοῦ βασιλέως· καὶ γραμματεῖς, καὶ οἱ Λευῖται ἐνώπιον ὑμῶν. Εἴ τι οὖν ἔρεσθαι τὸν Θεὸν βούλεσθε, διὰ τοῦ ἱερέως τοῦτο γινέσθω· δὲ τὸν βασιλέα, διὰ τοῦ ἄρχοντος· εἰ δὲ τὰ δοκοῦντα τῷ νόμῳ μαθεῖν θέλετε, παρὰ τῶν Λευϊτῶν τῶν διδασκόντων τὸν νόμον μάθετε. Τοὺς γὰρ διδασκάλους γραμματέας ἐκάλεσεν. Εἶτα ἐπήγαγεν· δρίζεσθε, καὶ ποιεῖτε, καὶ ἔσται Κύριος μετὰ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ. Οὐχ ἁπλῶς εἶπε, μεθ᾽ ὑμῶν, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ, τουτέστι, τοῦ σκοπὸν ἀγαθὸν ἔχοντος, καὶ πρὸς τοῦτο ῥέποντος. Καὶ τῶν παμπόλλων δὲ πολεμίων κατ᾿ αὐτοῦ στρατευσάντων, οὔτε τῷ πλήθει τῶν ὑπηκόων, οὔτε τοῖς ὅπλοις ἐθάῤῥησεν. ᾿Αλλ' ἔδωκε, φησὶ, τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ, ἐκζητῆσαι τὸν Κύριον· καὶ ἐκήρυξε νηστείαν ἐν παντὶ Ἰούδα. Εἶτα πάντων συνειλεγμένων, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν ἱλεουμένων, αὐτὸς τὴν ὑπὲρ ἁπάντων προσενήνοχε προσευχὴν, Κύριον μὲν αὐτὸν καὶ Θεὸν τῶν πατέρων ὀνομάσας, οὐρανοῦ δὲ καὶ γῆς ποιητὴν, καὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἁπάντων Δεσπότην. Εἶτα ἀναμιμνήσκει τῆς γεγενημένης εὐεργεσίας τε καὶ θαυματουργίας Σὺ γὰρ εἶ, φησὶ, Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν, ὁ ἐξολοθρεύσας τοὺς κατοικοῦντας τὴν γῆν ταύτην ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ λαοῦ σου Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἔδωκας αὐτὴν τῷ σπέρματι Ἀβραὰμ τοῦ φίλου σου. ᾿Ανέμνησε δὲ τοῦ προπάτορος, ἵνα διὰ τῆς πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ἐπαγγελίας τύχῃ τῆς βοηθείας. Ἔφη δὲ καὶ ὅπως ὁ ναὸς ᾠκοδομήθη, καὶ ὅπως Σολομών προσευξάμενος ᾔτησεν, ὡς εἰ πολεμίων ἐπεληλυθότων προσδράμῃ ὁ λαὸς τῷ ναῷ, καὶ τὸν τούτου καλέσῃ Θεόν, τῆς ἄνωθεν αὐτοὺς ἀπολαῦσαι ῥοπῆς. Οἶδας δὲ, φησὶν, ὡς οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν, διϊόντες τὴν ἔρημον, καὶ εἰς τήνδε τὴν γῆν ἀφικνούμενοι, οὔτε τοῖς Ἴδουμαίοις, οὔτε τοῖς Αμμανίταις, οὔτε Μωαβίταις ἐλυμήναντο παριόντες κατὰ τὰς σὰς ἐντολάς. ᾿Αλλ' οὗτοι νῦν κατὰ ταυτὸν ἀθροισθέντες ἐξελάσαι πειρῶνται ἡμᾶς τῆς ὑπὸ σοῦ ἡμῖν δεδομένης κληρονομίας. Εἶτα ἐρωτηματικῶς· Οὐ κρινεῖς ἐν αὐτοῖς; Ὁμολογεῖ δὲ καὶ τὴν οἰκείαν ἀσθένειαν· ὅτι Οὐκ ἔστιν ἡμῖν ἰσχὺς τοῦ ἀντιστῆσαι πρὸς τὸ πλῆθος τὸ πολὺ τοῦτο τὸ ἐλθὸν ἐφ᾽ ἡμᾶς. Καὶ οὐκ οἴδαμεν τί ποιήσομεν ἡμεῖς, ὅτι ἐπὶ σοὶ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἡμῶν. Τούτων λεγομένων, ἅπαν εἰστήκει τὸ πλῆθος μετὰ βοῆς τὸν Θεὸν ἱκετεῦον. Αἱ δὲ γυναῖκες σὺν ὀλολυγμῷ καὶ κωκυτῷ τὰς ἱκετηρίας προσέφερον. Ὁ δὲ φιλοικτίρμων Θεὸς, Ἰεζεὴλ τῷ Λευΐτῃ χρησάμενος ὑπουργῷ, ἔλυσε τὸ δέος τῇ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ὑποσχέσει· Ἐγένετο γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐπ᾿ αὐτὸν πνεῦμα Κυρίου ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ, καὶ εἶπεν· ᾿Ακούσατε, πᾶς Ἰούδα, καὶ οἱ κατοικοῦντες Ἱερουσαλήμ, καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἰωσαφάτ. Τιμῆς ἡ διαίρεσις χωρὶς γὰρ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐμνήσθη, καὶ χωρὶς τῶν τὴν Ἱερουσαλήμ οἰκούντων πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων φυλῶν ᾤχουν ἐκείνην τὴν πόλιν. Τάδε λέγει Κύριος ὑμῖν· Μὴ φοβηθῆτε ὑμεῖς, μηδὲ πτοηθῆτε ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ ὄχλου τοῦ πολλοῦ τούτου· ὅτι οὐχ ὑμῖν ἐστιν ἡ παράταξις, ἀλλ᾽ ἢ τῷ Θεῷ. Εἶτα κελεύει ἐπί τινος στῆναι κορυφῆς, καὶ θεατὰς γενέσθαι τῆς παρατάξεως· Οὐχ ὑμῖν γὰρ, φησὶ, πολεμῆσαι ἐν ταύτῃ. Στῆτε, καὶ συνίετε, καὶ ἴδετε τὴν σωτηρίαν Κυρίου τὴν μεθ᾽ ὑμῶν. Ἰούδα καὶ Ἱερουσαλήμ, μὴ φοβεῖσθε, μηδὲ δειλιᾶτε ἐξελθεῖν αὔριον εἰς ἀπάντησιν αὐτῷ, καὶ ὁ Κύριος μεθ᾽ ὑμῶν. Ἔδωκε τὸ τοῦ θάρσους ἐνέχυρον, καὶ ἐξήλασε τὸ ἀνθρώπινον δέος. Τούτων εἰρημένων ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἰεζεήλ, προσεκύνησαν ἅπαντες· οἱ δὲ Λευῖται ταῖς ὑμνῳδίαις ἐχρήσαντο. Ἐξιόντας δὲ τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ ὁ βασιλεὺς περιεθάῤῥυνε, λέγων· ᾿Ακούσατέ μου, υἱοὶ Ἰούδα, καὶ οἱ κατοικοῦντες Ἱερουσαλήμ, πιστεύσατε Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ ὑμῶν, καὶ ἐμπιστεύσατε ἐν τοῖς προφήταις αὐτοῦ, καὶ εὐοδωθήσεσθε. Εἶτα τῆς στρατιᾶς ἡγεῖσθαι προσέταξεν, οὐ τοὺς προμάχους ὁπλοφοροῦντας, ἀλλὰ τοὺς Λευίτας ὑμνοῦντας. Ὁ δὲ διασκεδάζων φυλὰς ἐθνῶν, καὶ ἀθετῶν λογισμοὺς λαῶν, καὶ ἀθετῶν βουλὰς ἀρχόντων, καὶ ἀποστρέφων φρονίμους εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω, καὶ τὴν βουλὴν αὐτῶν μωραίνων, κατ᾿ ἀλλήλων τοὺς πολεμίους διήγειρε. Καὶ πρῶτον μὲν Αμμανῖται καὶ Μωαβῖται τοὺς Ἰδουμαίους ἀνήλωσαν· εἶτα κατ᾿ ἀλλήλων χωρήσαντες τὰ παραπλήσια ἀλλήλοις διέθηκαν. Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς σὺν τοῖς ὑπηκόοις τὰς τῶν πολεμίων ἐθεώρει σφαγάς. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἅπαντες ἔπεσον, καὶ οὐδὲ εἷς διέφυγεν, ἵνα τοῖς οἰκείοις μηνύσῃ τὸ πάθος, ἀδεῶς τοὺς νεκροὺς ἐσκύλευσαν, καὶ τὴν λείαν ἀπήγαγον ἅπασαν. Ἐν τρισὶ δὲ τοῦτο δεδρακότες ἡμέραις, τῇ τετάρτῃ τὸν δοτῆρα τῆς νίκης ἀνύμνησαν. Ἔλαβε δὲ καὶ τὸ πεδίον ἐκεῖνο τῆς εὐλογίας τὴν ἐπωνυμίαν· Κοιλὰς γὰρ εὐλογίας ἐκλήθη. Τὸ δὲ τῆς νίκης παράδοξον ἐξεδειμάτωσεν ἅπαντας τῶν ὁμόρων τοὺς βασιλεῖς. ᾿Ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς μεγίστης ταύτης θαυματουργίας γεγενημένης ἔτι, φησὶν, Ὁ λαὸς οὐ κατηύθυναν τὴν καρδίαν αὐτῶν πρὸς Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν τῶν πατέρων αὐτῶν. Ἐμνημόνευσε δὲ πάλιν ἡ ἱστορία τῆς τοῦ Ἰηοῦ τοῦ ᾿Ανανł ἐγγράφου προφητείας. Ἔφη δὲ οὕτως· Καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ λόγοι Ἰωσαφάτ, οἱ πρῶτοι καὶ οἱ ἔσχατοι, οὐκ ἰδοὺ γεγραμμένοι εἰσὶν ἐν λόγοις Ἰηοῦ ᾿Ανανί, οὖς κατέγραψεν ἐπὶ βιβλίου λόγων βασιλέων Ἰσραήλ; Ἐπιμέμφεται δὲ πάλιν τῷ Ἰωσαφάτ, ὅτι τῷ Οχοζίᾳ τῷ υἱῷ ᾿Αχαάβ ἐκοινώνησε· καὶ ἐπήγαγε· «Καὶ αὐτὸς ἡνόμησε τοῦ ποιῆσαι καὶ πορευθῆναι εἰς Θαρσεῖς· καὶ ἐποίησε ναῦς ἐν Γασίων Γαβέρ. Καὶ ἤδη δὲ ἔφην, ὅτι πόλις ἦν αὕτη τῷ Ἰνδικῷ πελάγει παρακειμένη, Αἰθίοπας οἰκήτορας ἔχούσα. Καλοῦσι δὲ αὐτὴν κατὰ τὴν Ἑλλάδα φωνὴν Βερονίκην. Ὁ δὲ τῶν ψυχῶν ἰατρὸς, Ἐλιέζερ τὸν τοῦ Δωδίου, τὸν προφήτην, πρὸς τὸν Ἰωσαφὰτ ἀποστείλας, ἐπεμέμψατο τῇ φιλίᾳ, καὶ τὴν παιδείαν προεἶπεν· ῾Ὡς ἐφιλίασας γὰρ, φησὶ, τῷ Ὀχοζίᾳ, καὶ ἐκοινώνησας μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ, διέκοψε Κύριος τὰ ἔργα σου, καὶ συνετρίβησαν αἱ νῆές σου, καὶ οὐκ ἠδυνήθησαν τοῦ πορευθῆναι εἰς Θαρσεῖς. Ὅσων δὲ κακῶν πρόξενος ἡ δυσσεβὴς ἐκείνη συγγένεια, τὰ ἑξῆς διδάσκει τῆς ἱστορίας· Ἰωρὰμ γὰρ, ὁ τοῦ Ἰωσαφάτ υἱὸς, ᾿Αχαὰβ τοῦ κηδεστοῦ ἐζήλωσε τὴν ἀσέβειαν. Οὗτος καὶ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς κατέκτεινεν ἅπαντας, καὶ διὰ πάσης ὥδευσε πονηρίας. Ἐπορεύθη γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ βασιλέων Ἰσραὴλ, ὡς ἐποίησεν οἶκος ᾿Αχαάβ, ὅτι θυγάτηρ ᾿Αχαάβ ἦν αὐτῷ γυνή καὶ ἐποίησε τὸ πονηρὸν ἐνώπιον Κυρίου, καὶ οὐκ ἠβούλετο Κύριος ἐξολοθρεῦσαι τὸν οἶκον Δαβὶδ διὰ τὴν διαθήκην, ἣν διέθετο τῷ Δαβίδ, ὃν τρόπον εἶπε δοῦναι αὐτῷ λύχνον, καὶ τοῖς υἱοῖς αὐτοῦ, πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας. Ἐντεῦθεν ἐδιδάχθημεν ὅσον ὀνίνησιν ἡ τῶν προγόνων εὐσέβεια. ᾿Ανέχεται γὰρ καὶ πονηρῶν ὁ φιλάνθρωπος, τῆς τῶν κατοιχομένων ἀρετῆς μεμνημένος. Ἐδρέψατο δὲ καὶ τοὺς τῆς εὐσεβείας καρπούς. ᾿Απώσατο μὲν γὰρ Ἰδουμαία τὸν τῆς δουλείας ζυγόν ἀπέστη δὲ καὶ Λομνὰ, πόλις οὖσα τῆς Ἰουδαίας. Ὁ δὲ Δεσπότης διὰ Ἡλιοῦ τοῦ πάνω τὴν ψῆφον κατ᾿ αὐτοῦ ἐξενήνοχεν. Ἀλλ᾿ οὐκ αὐτὸς ὁ προφήτης ἀφίκετο, διὰ γραμμάτων δὲ μεμήνυκε θείαν ἀπόφασιν . Ἦλθε γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐγγραφὴ παρὰ Ἠλίου τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος Τάδε λέγει Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ πατρός σου· ᾿Ανθ᾽ ὧν οὐκ ἐπορεύθης ἐν ὁδῷ Ἰωσαφάτ τοῦ πατρός σου, καὶ ἐν ὁδοῖς ᾿Ασά βασιλέως Ἰούδα, καὶ ἐπορεύθης ἐν ὁδοῖς βασιλέων Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἐξεπόρνευσας τὸν Ἰούδαν, καὶ τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ, ὃν τρόπον ἐξεπόρνευσεν ὁ οἶκος ᾿Αχαάβ καὶ τοὺς ἀδελφούς σου, καὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς τοῦ πατρός σου τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς ὑπὲρ σὲ ἀπέκτεινας· διὰ τοῦτο ἰδοὺ Κύριος πατάσσει πληγὴν μεγάλην ἐν τῷ λαῷ σου, καὶ ἐν τοῖς υἱοῖς σου, καὶ ἐν ταῖς γυναιξί σου, καὶ ἐν πάσῃ τῇ οἰκίᾳ σου. Καλ σὺ ἔσῃ ἐν ἀῤῥωστίαις πονηραῖς, ἐν ἀῤῥωστίᾳ κοιλίας σου, ἕως οὗ ἐξέλθῃ τὰ ἔντερά σου ἀπὸ τῆς ἀῤῥωστίας ἐξ ἡμερῶν εἰς ἡμέρας. Ἐντεῦθεν μανθάνομεν, ὡς καὶ ᾿Ασὰ καὶ Ἰωσαφάτ οὐ παντάπασιν ἦσαν ἀδόκιμοι· ἀλλ᾽ εἰ καί τινα ἐπλημμέλησαν, ἐν τοῖς πλείοσι τὸν Θεὸν ἐθεράπευσαν. Καὶ γὰρ οὗτος ἐνεκλήθη, ὡς τὴν ἐκείνων πορείαν καταλιπών. Ἔλαβε δὲ πέρας ἡ πρόῤῥησις. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον ἀλλόφυλοι τῷ Ἰωρὰμ ἐπεσράτευσαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ῎Αραβες, καὶ τῶν Αἰθιόπων οἱ πρόσοικοι, καὶ προσβαλόντες κατακράτος ἐνίκησαν, καὶ τὴν πόλιν ἀνεῖλον, καὶ τὸ πλῆθος ἐξηνδραπόδισαν, καὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰς θυγατέρας κατέκτειναν, καὶ τὸν βασιλικὸν ἐσφετερίσαντο πλοῦτον. Μόνος δὲ Οχοζίας διέφυγε, τῶν παίδων νεώτατος. Ἐπέσκηψε δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ τῆς γαστρὸς τὸ πάθος, κατὰ τὴν πρόῤῥησιν, καὶ οὐδὲ μετὰ θάνατον βασιλικῆς ἠξιώθη ταφῆς. Οὐκ ἐποίησε γὰρ αὐτῷ, φησὶν, ὁ λαὸς ἐκφορὰν καὶ καῦσιν, κατὰ τὴν καῦσιν τῶν πατέρων αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔθαψαν αὐτὸν οὐκ ἐν τάφοις βασιλέων. ᾿Αληθῶς φοβερὸν τὸ ἐμπεσεῖν εἰς χεῖρας Θεοῦ ζῶντος. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ ἄῤῥητος, οὕτω καὶ ἡ κόλασις ἀνυπόστατος. Ἐκ ταύτης τῆς ἱστορίας μανθάνομεν, ὡς οἱ ᾿Αμαζονιεὶμ πρόσοικοι Αἰθιόπων εἰσίν. Ἄνω γὰρ τοὺς ἐπελθόντας πολεμίους τῷ Ἰωρὰμ ὁ συγγραφεὺς ἐδίδαξεν ὁμόρους εἶναι τῶν Αἰθιόπων. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ εἰπὼν, ὅτι καὶ τὸν Οχοζίαν ἐβασίλευσαν ἀντ᾿ αὐτοῦ, τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν νεώτερον, ἐπήγαγεν, ὅτι πάντας τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους ἀπέκτεινε τὸ λῃστήριον, τὸ ἐλθὸν ἐπ᾿ αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ τὰ τῶν βαρβάρων, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν Ἀμαζονιεὶμ ἐν τῇ παρεμβολῇ. Καὶ οὗτος δὲ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐζήλωσε τὴν ἀσέβειαν. Διδάσκαλον γὰρ εἶχε τὴν μιαρωτάτην μητέρα. Τοῦτον ἀνεῖλεν ὁ Ἰηοῦ, σὺν τῷ Ἰωράμ τῷ βασιλεῖ Ἰσραήλ. Ἔτυχε μέντοι ταφῆς διὰ τὴν τοῦ πάππου εὐσέβειαν ἔθαψε γὰρ αὐτὸν Ἰηοῦ, Ὅτι, εἶπεν, υἱός ἐστιν Ἰωσαφάτ, ὅστις ἐζήτησε τὸν Κύριον ἐν ὅλῃ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ. Μετὰ ταῦτα ἐξηγεῖται τὰ κατὰ τὸν Ἰωὰς, ἅπερ ἐν τῇ τετάρτῃ τῶν Βασιλειῶν ἠρμηνεύσαμεν· ἐροῦμεν δὲ ὅσα ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ βίβλῳ μὴ εὐρήκαμεν κείμενα. Ὁ γὰρ τὰς Παραλειπομένας συγγεγραφὼς βίβλους, ἐδίδαξεν, ὡς ὑπὸ θαυμαστοῦ ἀρχιερέως εἰς ζῆλον ὁ λαὸς πυρσευθεὶς κατέσπασε τοῦ Βάαλ τὴν στήλην, καὶ συνέτριψε, καὶ ἐκ βάθρων ἀνέσπασε τὰ θυσιαστήρια, καὶ τὰς τῶν δαιμόνων εἰκόνας ἐλέπτυνε. Ματθὰν δὲ τοῦ Βάαλ τὸν ἱερέα κατέκτεινε τὰς δὲ τῶν ἱερέων ἐφημερίας ἐκράτυνε, καὶ τῶν Λευϊτῶν τὴντάξιν, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ἀπαξαπλῶς, ὅσα Δαβὶδ ὁ βασιλεὺς εἰς τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ διετάξατο θεραπείαν. Συνήργει δὲ τοῖς ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀρχιερέως πραττομένοις ὁ βασιλεὺς φωτιζόμενος ὑπ' αὐτοῦ Ἐποίησε γὰρ, φησὶν, Ἰωὰς τὸ εὐθὲς ἐνώπιον Κυρίου πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας Ἰωδαὲ ἱερέως. Προσήνεγκε δὲ καὶ τῇ οἰκοδομίᾳ τοῦ ναοῦ τὴν ἁρμόττουσαν θεραπείαν. Ἐν γὰρ δὲ τῷ παρελθόντι χρόνῳ ἠμελήθη, ὅτι Γοθολία, φησὶν, ἡ ἄνομος, καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτῆς, κατέσπασαν τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἀγια Κυρίου ἐποίησαν τοῖς Βααλείμ. Τούτων δὲ πάντων ὁ ἀξιάγαστος ἀρχιερεὺς αἰτιώτατος, ὃς διὰ τὴν εὐσέβειαν, καὶ τὴν πολλὴν ἀρετὴν, ἐβίω μὲν ἔτη τριάκοντα καὶ ἑκατὸν, θήκης δὲ ἠξιώθη βασιλικῆς. Ἔθαψαν γὰρ αὐτὸν, φησὶν, ἐν πόλει Δαβὶδ μετὰ τῶν βασιλέων, ὅτι ἐποίησεν ἀγαθωσύνην ἐν Ἰσραήλ, καὶ μετὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ. Εκείνου δὲ τελευτήσαντος, ὁ Ἰωὰς ἀπέκλινεν εἰς ἀσέβειαν τοῖς ἄρχουσιν ὑπαχθείς· ἀλλ᾽ οὐκ ἠμέλησεν ὁ τῶν ψυχῶν ιατρός. ᾿Απέστειλε γὰρ, φησὶ, Κύριος εἰς αὐτοὺς προφήτας, ἐπιστρέψαι αὐτοὺς πρὸς Κύριον· καὶ διεμαρτύρατο αὐτοὺς, καὶ οὐκ ἤκουσαν. Ἑνὸς δὲ προφήτου καὶ ὀνομαστὶ ἐμνήσθη· Πνεῦμα γὰρ, φησὶ, Κυρίου ἐνέδυσε τὸν Ζαχαρίαν, τὸν τοῦ Ἰωδαὲ τοῦ ἱερέως, καὶ ἀνέστη ἐπάνω τοῦ λαοῦ, καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, Τάδε λέγει Κύριος· Ἱνατί ὑμεῖς παραπορεύεσθε τὰς ἐντολὰς Κυρίου ; Καὶ οὐκ εὐοδωθήσεσθε, ὅτι ἐγκατελίπετε τὸν Κύριον, καὶ ἐγκαταλείψει ὑμᾶς. ᾿Αλλ' οὐ μόνον τοῖς θείοις λόγοις ἀντεῖπον, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατέλευσαν τὸν προφήτην, τοῦ βασιλέως κελεύσαντος, καὶ κατέλευσαν αὐτὸν ἔνδον ἐν τῷ ὑπαίθρῳ τοῦ ναοῦ. Τοιαύτην οὗτος ἀχαριστίαν ἐνόσησε, καὶ περὶ τὸν σεσωκότα Θεὸν, καὶ περὶ τὸν ὑπουργηκότα τῇ σωτηρίᾳ. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἡ ἱστορία διδάσκει. Καὶ οὐκ ἐμνήσθη, φησὶν, Ἰωὰς ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῦ ἐλέους, οὗ ἐποίησεν Ἰωδαὲ ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐθανάτωσε τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ. Ὡς δὲ ἀπέθνησκεν, εἶπεν· Ἴδοι Κύριος, καὶ κρίναι. Καὶ οὐ διήμαρτε τῆς αἰτήσεως. Ἐνιαυτοῦ γὰρ διελθόντος, ὀλίγη μὲν αὐτοῖς Σύρων προσέβαλε στρατιά ἐξεδόθησαν δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ καταφρονηθέντος Δεσπότου καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἀνεῖλον, τοὺς δὲ ἐξανδραποδίσαντες ᾤχοντο. Οὗτος δὲ ἀῤῥωστίᾳ περιπεσὼν ὑπὸ τῶν ὑπηκόων ἐσφάγη. Ταύτην γὰρ κατ᾿ αὐτοῦ τὴν ψῆφον ἐξήνεγκεν ὁ Δεσπότης, ὡς ὁ ἱστοριογράφος ἔφη· Καὶ μετὰ Ἰωὰς ἐποίησε κρίματα, καὶ ἐπέθεντο τῷ Ἰωὰς οἱ παῖδες αὐτοῦ ἐν αἵμασιν υἱῶν Ἰωδαὲ τοῦ ἱερέως, καὶ ἐθανάτωσαν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τῆς κλίνης αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀπέθανε, καὶ ἔθαψαν αὐτὸν ἐν πόλει Δαβὶδ, καὶ οὐκ ἔθαψαν αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ τάφῳ τῶν βασιλέων. ᾿Αληθὴς ἄρα ὁ λόγος πρὸς τὸν Νῶε ῥηθεὶς, Ὁ ἐκχέων αἷμα ἀνθρώπου, ἀντὶ τοῦ αἵματος αὐτοῦ ἐκχυθήσεται, ὅτι ἐν εἰκόνι Θεοῦ ἐποίησα τὸν ἄνθρωπον. Καὶ τούτους δὲ ὁ τοῦ Ἰωὰς υἱὸς Ἀμασίας βασιλεύσας κατέκτεινεν. Οὐ γὰρ ζήλῳ θείῳ πυρσευθέντες ἀνεῖλον, ἀλλὰ μιαιφόνῳ χρησάμενοι γνώμῃ. ᾿Αντ᾿ αὐτοῦ δὲ ἐβασίλευσεν ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ ᾿Αμασίας. Οὗτος στρατεῦσαι βουληθεὶς κατὰ τῶν Ἰδουμαίων, ἐμισθώσατο Ἰσραηλιτῶν ἑκατὸν χιλιάδας ἰσαρίθμων ταλάντων. ᾿Αλλ' ὁ προφήτης πρὸς αὐτὸν θεόθεν ἀποσταλεὶς ταῦτα ἔφη· Βασιλεῦ, μὴ πορευέσθω μετὰ σοῦ δύναμις Ἰσραὴλ, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι Κύριος μετὰ Ἰσραὴλ πάντων τῶν υἱῶν Ἐφραΐμ. Ὅτι ἐὰν ὑπολάβῃς κατισχῦσαι ἐν τούτοις ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ, τροπώσεταί σε Κύριος ἐναντίον τῶν ἐχθρῶν σου, ὅτι ἐστὶν ἰσχὺς τῷ Κυρίῳ τοῦ βοηθῆσαι καὶ τοῦ τροπώσασθαι. ᾿Αρκῶ σοι, φησὶν, εἰς βοήθειαν οὐ χρήζεις πλήθους παρατασσόμενος, μὴ λάβῃ εἰς ἐπικουρίαν τοὺς εὐσεβείας γεγυμνωμένους. Τούτου δὲ εἰρηκότος, Καὶ τί ποιήσω τοῖς ἑκατὸν ταλάντοις, οἷς ἔδωκα τῇ δυνάμει Ἰσραήλ; ὑπολαβὼν ὁ προφήτης ἔφη· Ἔστι τῷ Κυρίῳ δοῦναί σοι πλεῖον τούτων. Πιστεύσας δὲ τοῖς εἰρημένοις ἀπῆλθε, καὶ κατέκτεινε μυρίους, ἐξηνδραπόδισε δὲ τοσούτους· ἀλλὰ τῆς θείας ἐπικουρίας τυχών, οὐκ ἔγνω τὸν εὐεργέτην. Τῶν γὰρ ἡττηθέντων τοὺς θεοὺς, οὓς μετὰ τῶν λαφύρων ἐκόμισεν, ὡς δοτῆρας τῆς νίκης ἐτίμησε, καὶ ἱερουργίαις ἐγέραιρεν. ᾿Αλλ'᾽ ἤλεγξεν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀσέβειαν ὁ Θεὸς διὰ τοῦ προφήτου. Εἶπε γὰρ αὐτῷ, Τί ἐζήτησας τοὺς θεοὺς τοῦ λαοῦ, οἳ οὐκ ἐξείλοντο τὸν λαὸν αὐτῶν ἐκ χειρός σου ; Ἐπὶ πολὺν, φησὶ, ῾χρόνον τούτους ἐθεράπευσαν Ἰδουμαῖοι, ἀλλ᾽ οὐκ ἀπώσαντο τῆς θεραπείας· οὐδεμιᾶς γὰρ παρ' αὐτῶν ἐπικουρίας ἀπήλαυσαν. Σὺ δὲ τῆς ἐμῆς ἀπολαύσας ῥοπῆς, οὐ μόνον κατέκτεινας ἐκείνους, ἀλλὰ καὶ τούτους ἐξηνδραπόδισας. Τούτων οὐδὲν ὤνησε τὸν ἀνόητον. Ἔφη γὰρ πρὸς τὸν προφήτην, Μὴ σύμβουλον τοῦ βασιλέως δέδωκά σε ; πρόσεχε σεαυτῷ, ἵνα μὴ πατάξω σε. Ὁ δὲ προφήτης εἶπε σὺν παῤῥησίᾳ· Ἔγνων ὅτι ἐβουλεύσατο Κύριος τοῦ διαφθεῖραί σε, ὅτι ἐποίησας τοῦτο, καὶ οὐκ ἤκουσας τῆς συμβουλίας Οὕτω τῆς θείας γυμνωθεὶς προμηθείας, προσκαλεῖται μὲν εἰς πόλεμον τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ τὸν βασιλέα· πέπονθε δὲ ἅπερ ἐν ταῖς Βασιλείαις εἰρήκαμεν. Ὁμοίως δὲ τῷ πατρὶ καὶ τὸ πέρας ἐδέξατο. Ἐπαινεῖ δὲ τὸν Ὀσίαν ἡ θεία Γραφή. «Ην γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐκζητῶν τὸν Κύριον ἐν φόβῳ Κυρίου, ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις Ζαχαρίου τοῦ συνιόντος ἐν ὀράσει Θεοῦ. Λέγει δὲ καὶ τοὺς τῆς εὐσεβείας καρπούς· Καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις αὐτοῦ ἐξεζήτησε τὸν Κύριον, καὶ κατηύθυνεν αὐτὸν Κύριος ὁ Θεός. Ἐντεῦθεν μανθάνομεν, ὡς πολλοὶ Ζαχαρίαι γεγένηνται. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ τοῦ Ἰωδαὲ υἱὸς, ὃν Ἰωὰς κατέλυσε, Ζαχαρίας ὠνόμασται· καὶ οὗτος ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ὀζίου Ζαχαρίας κέκληται. Οἶμαι δὲ τοῦτον εἶναι, περὶ οὗ πρὸς τὸν Ἡσαΐαν ἔφη Θεός· Ποίησόν μοι μάρτυρας πιστοὺς ἀνθρώπους, τὸν Οὐρίαν τὸν ἱερέα, καὶ Ζαχαρίαν υἱὸν Βαραχίου. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ Ἡσαΐας κατ᾿ ἐκεῖνον προεφήτευσε τὸν καιρόν· Ὅρασις γὰρ, φησὶν, ἣν εἶδεν Ἡσαΐας υἱὸς Ἀμὼς, ἣν εἶδε κατὰ τῆς Ἰουδαίας, καὶ κατὰ Ἱερουσαλήμ, ἐν ἡμέραις Ὀζίου, καὶ Ἰωάθαμ, καὶ ῎Αχαζ, καὶ Ἐζεκίου, οἱ ἐβασίλευσαν τῆς Ἰουδαίας. Λέγει δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ ἐν πολέμοις ἀνδρεῖον, καὶ ἐν οἰκοδομαῖς φιλότιμον, καὶ ἐν γεωργίαις φιλόκαλον. Πέτρας δὲ τῆς πόλεως τοὺς οἰκήτορας Αραβας ὀνομάζει. Ἀλλ᾿ οὐκ ἤκουσε τοῦ προγόνου Δαβίδ, λέγοντος, Εἰς τὸ τέλος μὴ διαφθείρης. ᾿Αλαζονικῷ γὰρ φρονήματι χρησάμενος, ἔργον ἀρχιερατικὸν ἐπιτελέσαι τετόλμηκεν· Ὡς γὰρ κατίσχυσε, φησὶν, Οζίας, ὑψώθη ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ τοῦ διαφθεῖραι, καὶ ἠδίκησεν ἐν Κυρίῳ Θεῷ αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸν ναὸν Κυρίου, τοῦ θυμιᾶσαι ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον τῶν θυμιαμάτων. Οὐ γὰρ ἐν τῷ βωμῷ τῶν ὁλοκαυτωμάτων τοῦτο δρᾶσαι τετόλμηκεν, ἀλλ᾿ ἔνδον ἐν τῷ ναῷ. Ἀλλ᾿ οὐ παρεχώρησεν ὡς βασιλεῖ ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς, ἀλλ᾽ ἐν παῤῥησίᾳ διήλεγξεν. Εἰσῆλθε γὰρ, φησὶν, ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ Ζαχαρίας ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς, καὶ μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ ὀγδοήκοντα ἱερεῖς, υἱοὶ δυνάμεως· καὶ ἐπέστησαν τὸν Ὀζίαν τὸν βασιλέα, καὶ εἶπον αὐτῷ· Οὐ σοί, Ὀζία, τοῦ θυμιάσαι τῷ Κυρίῳ, ἀλλ᾽ ἢ τοῖς ἱερεῦσι τοῖς υἱοῖς ᾿Ααρών, τοῖς ἡγιασμένοις τοῦ θυμιάσαι. Ἔξελθε ἀπὸ τοῦ ἁγιάσματος, ὅτι ἀπέστης ἀπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ οὐκ ἔσται σοι εἰς δόξαν παρὰ Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ. Διόρισται, φησὶ, παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰ τοῖς βασιλεῦσι προσήκοντα, καὶ τὰ τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν ἁρμόττοντα. Γενικὸν ἔχουσι τὸ γέρας οἱ ἱερεῖς. Τί πατεῖς τὸν θεόσδοτον νόμον; τί παραβαίνεις τοὺς ὄρους; ἁρπάζων τὰ μὴ προσήκοντα, καὶ τὰ οἰκεῖα προσαπολέσεις. Αλλ' οὐ μόνον οὐκ εἶξεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐχαλέπηνε πρὸς τοὺς λόγους, καὶ ἐπέμεινε τῆς ἱερουργίας κατατολμῶν. ᾿Αλλ᾿ ἀντὶ τῆς δόξης ἀτιμίαν ἐδρέψατο. Ἀνέτειλε γὰρ, φησὶν, ἡ λέπρα ἐν τῷ μετώπῳ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ Κυρίου ἐναντίον τῶν ἱερέων, ἐπάνω τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου τῶν θυμιαμάτων. Παραυτίκα δὲ οἱ ἱερεῖς τὴν θεήλατον πληγὴν θεασάμενοι, καὶ ἄκοντα αὐτὸν ἐξήλασαν τοῦ νεώ καὶ τὰ αὐτὰ πέπονθεν ᾿Αδὰμ τῷ προπάτορι. Καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος ἐπιθυμήσας γενέσθαι Θεὸς, καὶ τὸ εἶναι εἰκὼν Θεοῦ προσαπώλεσεν καὶ οὗτος πειραθεὶς τὴν ἱερωσύνην ἁρπάσαι, καὶ τῆς βασιλείας ἐξέπεσεν. Ἔνδον γὰρ ἐν θαλάμῳ ἐκάθητο, τῆς ἐν τῷ μετώπῳ λέπρας τὴν ἐν τῷ πλήθει διατριβὴν καὶ παῤῥησίαν ἀπειργούσης. Ἔφερε γὰρ ἐν τῷ μετώπῳ τῆς παρανομίας τὸν ἔλεγχον. Ἰωάθαμ δὲ ὁ τούτου παῖς ἰθύνων διετέλει τὴν βασιλείαν. Αὐτὸς γὰρ καὶ τοῦ πατρὸς τελευτήσαντος τὰ σκῆπτρα παρέλαβεν. Ἠρίστευσε δὲ καὶ οὗτος ἐν πολέμοις, καὶ τοὺς Αμμανίτας δασμὸν φέρειν ἠνάγκασε. Λέγει δὲ καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν ὁ συγγραφεὺς, ὅτι ἡτοίμασε τὰς ὁδοὺς αὑτοῦ ἕναντι Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ αὐτοῦ.» ῎Αχαζ δὲ ὁ τούτου παῖς ἐν ταῖς τῆς ἀσεβείας ἐπινοίαις τοὺς ὁμοίους ἀπέκρυψεν ἅπαντας. Τοῦτο καὶ τῶν Βασιλειῶν ἡ βίβλος ἐδίδαξεν. Αὕτη δὲ πρὸς τούτοις ἡ ἱστορία καὶ τὴν συμφορὰν ἐδήλωσεν, ἣν ὑπέμεινε. Πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ ἐξεδόθησαν Σύροις· καὶ πολλοὶ μὲν ἀνῃρέθησαν, πολλοὶ δὲ ἐξηνδραποδίσθησαν. Ἔπειτα δὲ Φακεὲ, τῶν δέκα φυλῶν ὁ βασιλεὺς, ἐν μιᾷ συμπλοκῇ δώδεκα αὐτῶν μυριάδας κατέκτεινε, καὶ τοῦ βασιλέως τοὺς παῖδας, καὶ τοὺς στρατηγούς· εἴκοσι δὲ μυριάδας ἐξηνδραπόδισεν. Ὠδὴδ δὲ ὁ προφήτης τοῖς νενικηκόσιν ὑπαντήσας ἠπείλησε τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ὀργὴν, ὅτι δὴ παρὰ τὸν θεῖον νόμον εἰς δουλείαν ἦγον οὓς ἠχμαλώτευσαν. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ, φησὶν, ὀργὴ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν ἐπὶ Ἰούδαν· καὶ παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὰς χεῖρας ὑμῶν, καὶ ἀπεκτείνατε ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐν ὀργῇ, καὶ ἕως τῶν οὐρανῶν ἔφθασε. Καὶ νῦν υἱοὺς Ἰούδα καὶ Ἱερουσαλὴμ ὑμεῖς λέγετε κατακτήσασθαι εἰς δούλους καὶ δούλας. Ἰδοὺ οὐκ εἰμὶ μεθ᾽ ὑμῶν, μαρτύρεται Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ὑμῶν. Καὶ νῦν ἀκούσατέ μου, καὶ ἀποστρέψατε τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν ἣν ἠχμαλωτεύσατε ἀπὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ὑμῶν, ὅτι ὀργὴ θυμοῦ Κυρίου ἐφ' ἡμᾶς. Ἠβουλήθη, φησὶν, ὁ Δεσπότης Θεὸς δίκας ἐκείνοις εἰσπράξασθαι τῆς ἀσεβείας. Τοῦτο κἀκείνοις τὴν ἧτταν, καὶ ὑμῖν παρέσχε τὴν νίκην. Ὑμεῖς δὲ νενικηκότες ἐπελήθητε τῆς συγγενείας, τὴν φύσιν εἰς νοῦν οὐκ ἐλάβετε, ἀλλ᾿ ὡς βαρβάροις καὶ ἀλλοφύλοις τοῖς ὁμοφύλοις ἐχρήσασθε. Καὶ οὐκ ἠρκέσθητε ταῖς μυρίαις σφαγαῖς, ἀλλὰ καὶ δουλεύειν τοὺς ὁμογενεῖς ἀναγκάζετε. Μαρτύρομαι τοίνυν ὑμᾶς, ὡς χαλεπώτερα πείσεσθε. Εἶξαν οἱ ἄρχοντες τῷ προφήτῃ· καὶ τῷ λαῷ παρήνεσαν, καὶ θεραπείας τοὺς δορυαλώτους ἠξίωσαν. Ἐνέδυσαν γὰρ, φησὶ, τοὺς γυμνοὺς, καὶ ἀλοιφὴν αὐτοῖς προσήνεγκαν καὶ τροφὴν, καὶ τοῖς ἀσθενεστέροις ἔδωκαν ὑποζύγια, καὶ μέχρι τῆς Ἱεριχοῦς ἀπήγαγον πόλεως. Ἐπισημαντέον δὲ, ὅτι πόλιν φοινίκων τὴν Ἱεριχὼ κεκληκε. Κατέστησαν γὰρ αὐτοὺς, φησὶν, εἰς τὴν Ἱεριχώ, τὴν πόλιν τῶν φοινίκων. Ἐδίδαξε δὲ καὶ τοῦτο ἡ ἱστορία, ὡς ἐπιμείναντες τῇ ἀσεβείᾳ παρεδόθησαν τοῖς ἀλλοφύλοις, καὶ εἰς τὰς τούτων πόλεις ᾤκησαν οἱ πολέμιοι. Ἐταπείνωσε γὰρ, φησὶ, Κύριος τὸν Ἰούδα, διὰ τὸν "Αχαζ τὸν βασιλέα Ἰούδα, ἀνθ᾽ ὧν ἀπεκάλυψεν ἐν τῷ Ἰούδα ἀσέβειαν, καὶ ἀπέστη ἀποστάσει ἀπὸ Κυρίου. Τὸ δὲ ἀπέκαμψεν, ἀντὶ τοῦ, ἐδίδαξεν αὐτὸν ἃ μὴ δεῖ. Ξένα γὰρ εἰσήγαγεν ἔθη, καὶ τοὺς τῶν ἄλλων ἐθνῶν θεοὺς παρεσκεύασε σέβειν. Καλέσας δὲ τὸν ᾿Ασσύριον εἰς ἐπικουρίαν, διήμαρτε τῆς σπουδῆς. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἐπἠγαγεν· Οὐκ εἰς βοήθειαν αὐτῷ, ἀλλ᾽ ἢ τοῦ θλιβῆναι αὐτόν. Καὶ ταύταις δὲ πάσαις ταῖς τιμωρίαις ὑποβληθεὶς ἐπέτεινε τὴν ἀσέβειαν. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἔφη· Καὶ προσέθηκεν "Αχαζ ἀποστῆναι ἀπὸ Κυρίου. Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεὺς "Αχαζ· Ζητήσω τοὺς θεοὺς Δαμασκοῦ τοὺς τύπτοντάς με· καὶ εἶπεν, ὅτι οἱ θεοὶ Συρίας κατισχύουσιν αὐτούς. Θύσω τοίνυν αὐτοῖς, καὶ ἀντιλήψονταί μου· καὶ ἐγένοντο αὐτοὶ αὐτῷ εἰς σκῶλον. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον οὐκ ἐπεκούρησαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ παντοδαπῶν αὐτῷ συμφορῶν ἐγένοντο πρόξενοι. Εἰς ἐσχατην δὲ πονηρίαν ἐλάσας, Καὶ τὰ ἱερὰ κατέκοψε σκεύη, καὶ τοῦ θείου ναοῦ τὰς θύρας ἀπέκλεισε, καὶ ἐποίησεν ἑαυτῷ θυσιαστήρια ἐν πάσῃ γωνίᾳ ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ. Καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς δὲ τὴν αὐτὴν ἔχει κατηγορίαν. Τοῦτον ἀποθανόντα τῆς μετὰ τῶν εὐσεβῶν βασιλέων ταφῆς οὐκ ἠξίωσαν. Ἐζεκίας δὲ ὁ τούτου υἱὸς τὴν ἀκροτάτην κατώρθωσεν ἀρετήν. Ἐποίησε γὰρ, φησὶν, Εζεκίας τὸ εὐθὲ, ἐνώπιον Κυρίου, κατὰ πάντα ὅσα ἐποίησε Δαβὶδ ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ. Καὶ πρῶτον ἀνέῳξε τὰς θύρας τοῦ οἴκου Κυρίου, καὶ ἀπεσκεύασεν αὐτάς. Εἶτα τοὺς ἱερεῖς καὶ τοὺς Λευῖτας ἁγιάσας, ἐκκαθῆραι παρηγγύησε τὸν θεῖον ναόν. Οἱ δὲ παραυτίκα ἐξέβαλον, φησὶ, πᾶσαν τὴν ἀκαθαρσίαν, τὴν εὑρεθεῖσαν ἐν οἴκῳ Κυρίου, εἰς τὴν αὐλὴν οἴκου Κυρίου· καὶ ἐδέξαντο οἱ Λευῖται ἐξενεγκεῖν εἰς τὸν χειμάῤῥουν Κέδρων ἔξω. Ἔπειτα τούτων γεγενημένων τὰς νενομισμένας θυσίας προσήνεγκεν, οὐχ ὑπὲρ μόνων τῶν δύο φυλῶν, ἀλλ᾽ ὑπὲρ τῶν δώδεκα. Ἐξιλάσατο γὰρ, φησὶ, περὶ παντὸς Ἰσραήλ, ὅτι περὶ παντὸς Ἰσραὴλ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεὺς προσενεχθῆναι τὰ ὁλοκαυτώματα, καὶ τὰ περὶ ἁμαρτίας· καὶ ἔστησε τοὺς Λευίτας ἐν οἴκῳ Κυρίου, αἰνοῦντας ἐν κυμβάλοις, καὶ ἐν κινύραις, καὶ ἐν ναύλαις, κατὰ τὴν ἐντολὴν Δαβὶδ τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ Γὰδ τοῦ ὁρῶντος τῷ βασιλεῖ, καὶ Νάθαν τοῦ προφήτου· ὅτι δι᾽ ἐντολὴν Κυρίου τὸ πρόσταγμα ἦν ἐν χειρὶ τῶν προφητῶν αὐτοῦ. Τοῦτο διελέγχει τῶν Ἰουδαίων τὴν ἀφροσύνην, οἳ τὸν μέγαν Δαβὶδ προφήτην καλεῖν οὐκ ἀνέχονται. Ἐνταῦθα γὰρ ἡ Γραφὴ τῶν τριῶν μνημονεύουσα ἐπήγαγεν, Ὅτι δι' ἐντολὴν Κυρίου τὸ πρόσταγμα ἐν χειρὶ τῶν προφητῶν αὐτοῦ. Μετ᾿ ὀλίγα δὲ ὁ λόγος αἰνίττεται, ὅτι καὶ ὁ ᾿Ασάφ ὑμνοποιὸς ἐγεγόνει. Εἶπε γὰρ, φησὶν, Ἐζεκίας ὁ βασιλεὺς, καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες, τοῖς Λευίταις, τοῦ ὑμνεῖν τὸν Κύριον ἐν λόγοις Δαβίδ, καὶ Ἀσὰφ τοῦ προφήτου. Διδάσκει δὲ ἡμᾶς πάλιν ἡ ἱστορία, ὅτι τῶν ἱερέων οὐκ ἀποχρώντων ἀποδεῖραι τὴν ὁλοκαύτωσιν, ἀντελάβοντο αὐτῶν οἱ ἀδελφοὶ αὐτῶν οἱ Λευῖται, ἕως οὗ συνετελέσθη τὸ ἔργον, καὶ ἕως οὗ ἡγιάσθησαν οἱ ἱερεῖς, ὅτι οἱ Λευίται προθύμως ἡγιάσθησαν παρὰ τοὺς ἱερεῖς. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ νῦν ἔστιν εὑρεῖν γιγνόμενον. Πρεσβυτέρου γὰρ οὐ παρόντος, καὶ τῆς χρείας κατεπειγούσης, ἀναγκάζεται καὶ διάκονος προσφέρειν τῷ δεομένῳ τὸ βάπτισμα. Ὁ μέντοι βασιλεὺς ἄγαν ὢν εὐσεβὴς, καὶ τοὺς ἐν ταῖς πόλεσι τῶν δέκα φυλῶν οἰκοῦντας εἰς τὴν ἑορτὴν συνεκάλεσε. Καί τινες μὲν ἐκωμῴδουν τοὺς συγκαλοῦντας, τινὲς δὲ ὑπακούοντες ᾔεσαν. Πλείστου δὲ πλήθους συναθροισθέντος, ἐπετελέσθη τοῦ Πάσχα ἡ ἑορτή. Πάλιν μέντοι οὐκ ἐξαρκούντων τῶν ἱερέων, οἱ Λευῖται ἔθυον τῷ πλήθει τὰ θύματα, καὶ τοῖς ἱερεῦσι τὸ αἷμα προσέφερον οἱ δὲ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου προσέχεον βάσει. Ἐξαπίνης δὲ κληθέντες πρὶν ἁγνισθῆναι τῶν ἱερείων μετέλαβον. Τοῦτο καὶ ἡ ἱστορία διδάσκει, ὅτι τὸ πλεῖστον τοῦ λαοῦ, ἀπὸ Ἐφραΐμ, καὶ Μανασσῆ, καὶ Ἰσάχαρ, καὶ Ζαβουλών, οὐχ ἡγιάσθησαν, ἀλλ᾽ ἔφαγον τὸ Φασέκ τοῦτο παρὰ τὴν θείαν Γραφήν. Ἔτυχον δὲ συγγνώμης διὰ τὴν τοῦ βασιλέως εὐσέβειαν. Προέθεσαν δὲ τῇ ἑορτῇ ἑτέρας ἰσαρίθμους ἡμέρας, τῶν ἀρχόντων παρεσχηκότων φιλοτίμως τὰ θύματα. Ἔφη δὲ τοιαύτην ἑορτὴν ἐκ τῶν ἡμερῶν Σολομῶντος μὴ γεγενῆσθαι. Ἐντεῦθεν ὁρμήσαντες, καὶ τὰ τεμένη τῶν εἰδώλων κατέλυσαν, καὶ τὰ ἄλση ἐξέτεμον, καὶ μετὰ τούτων τὰ ἐν τοῖς ὑψηλοῖς ἀνατεθέντα τῷ Θεῷ θυσιαστήρια ἐκ βάθρων ἀνέσπασαν. Ἐφρόντισε δὲ καὶ τῆς ἱερατικῆς τάξεως, καὶ τὴν ὑπὸ τοῦ προγόνου γεγενημένην ἐκράτυνε, καὶ τὸν λαὸν παρεσκεύασε τὰς κατὰ νόμον ἀπαρχὰς ἀποδοῦναι τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν. Εἶτα ὁ συγγραφεὺς ἐπήγαγεν, ὡς μετὰ τοὺς λόγους τούτους, καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν ταύτην, ἦλθε Σεναχηρεὶμ ὁ βασιλεὺς ᾿Ασσυρίων. Δηλοῖ δὲ ὁ λόγος, ὅτι καὶ τοὺς θεοσεβεῖς ἄνδρας δοκιμάζων ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς, συμφοραῖς παραπεσεῖν συγχωρεῖ, εἶτα ἐπικουρῶν διαλύει τὰ σκυθρωπά. Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τῷ Θεῷ θαῤῥῶν, καὶ τὰ παρ' αὐτοῦ συνεισφέρων, πρῶτον τὰς πρὸ τῆς πόλεως πηγὰς ἐνέφραξεν ἵνα μὴ προσεδρεύων πολιορκῇ ἔχων τὴν ἀφθονίαν τοῦ ὕδατος. Ἔπειτα τοὺς περιβόλους ὠχύρωσε, καὶ τοὺς πύργους εἰς ὕψος ἀνέστησε, καὶ προτείχισμα προσῳκοδόμησεν ἕτερον. ᾿Αλλ' οὔτε τούτοις, οὔτε τοῖς ὅπλοις ἐθάῤῥησεν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸ πλῆθος ἔφη· ᾿Ανδρίζεσθε, καὶ ἰσχύσατε· μὴ φοβηθῆτε, μηδὲ πτοηθῆτε ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ βασιλέως Ασσυρίων, καὶ ἀπὸ προσώπου παντὸς ἔθνους τοῦ μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ, ὅτι μεθ᾽ ἡμῶν πλείους ὑπὲρ τοὺς μετ' αὐτοῦ. Μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ βραχίονες σάρκινοι, μεθ' ἡμῶν Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν, τοῦ σῶσαι ἡμᾶς, καὶ τοῦ πολεμεῖν τὸν πόλεμον ἡμῶν. Διὰ δὲ τούτων ἐδίδαξε καὶ τῆς θείας ἐπικουρίας τὸ ἄμαχον, καὶ τῆς ἀνθρωπείας φύσεως τὸ πρόσκαιρον καὶ ἐπίκηρον. Τὰ δὲ λοιπὰ καὶ ἡ τετάρτη τῶν Βασιλειῶν ἔχει. Ἐπιμέμφεται δὲ αὐτῷ ἡ ἱστορία, ὅτι καὶ τοσαύτην νίκην νενικηκὼς, καὶ τῆς ἀῤῥωστίας ἀπαλλαγεὶς παραδόξως, οὐ κατὰ τὸ ἀνταπόδομα ὃ ἀνταπέδωκεν αὐτῷ Κύριος, ἀνταπέδωκεν αὐτῷ Ἐζεκίας, ἀλλ᾽ ὑψώθη ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐγένετο ὀργὴ ἐπὶ Ἰούδα, καὶ ἐπὶ Ἱερουσαλήμ, καὶ ἐπ᾿ αὐτόν. Καὶ ἐταπεινώθη Ἐζεκίας ἀπὸ τοῦ ὕψους τῆς καρδίας αὐτοῦ, αὐτὸς καὶ οἱ κατοικοῦντες Ἱερουσαλήμ. Καὶ οὐκ ἦλθεν ἐπ᾿ αὐτοὺς ὀργὴ Κυρίου ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις Ἐζεκίου. ᾿Αληθὴς ἄρα ὁ λόγος ἐκεῖνος, ὅτι «Ὁ ὑψῶν ἑαυτὸν ταπεινωθήσεται, καὶ ὁ ταπεινῶν ἑαυτὸν ὑψωθήσεται. Οὗτος μέντοι διὰ τὴν εὐσέβειαν αὐτόπτης οὐκ ἐγένετο τῶν λυπηρῶν, ἀλλὰ πρὸ τῆς ἐφόδου τῶν πολεμίων τοῦ βίου τὸ τέλος κατέλαβε. Γηὼν δὲ, ὡς προείρηται, τὸν Σιλωάμ καλεῖ. Ὅτι μέντοι διὰ τὸ ἀναστρέψαι τὸν ἥλιον τοὺς δέκα ἀναβαθμοὺς, ἀπέστειλε πρὸς αὐτὸν τῶν Βαβυλωνίων ὁ βασιλεὺς, ἡ ἱστορία διδάσκει. Διηγησαμένη γὰρ ὂν συνήγαγε πλοῦτον, καὶ ὅσους κατεσκεύασε θησαυροὺς, ἐπήγαγε· Καὶ εὐωδώθη Ἐζεκίας ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ἔργοις αὐτοῦ. Καὶ οὕτως ἐν τοῖς πρεσβευταῖς τῶν ἀρχόντων τῶν ἀπὸ Βαβυλῶνος, τοῖς ἀποσταλεῖσι πρὸς αὐτὸν πυθέσθαι παρ᾿ αὐτοῦ τὸ τέρας ὁ ἐγένετο ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, καὶ ἐγκατέλιπεν αὐτὸν Κύριος, τοῦ πειρᾶσαι αὐτὸν εἰδέναι τὰ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ. Δηλοῖ δὲ ὁ λόγος, ὅτι ἄμεινον ἐν Κυρίῳ καυχᾶσθαι. Δέον γὰρ αὐτὸν τὰ περὶ τῆς θείας δυνάμεως ἐξηγήσασθαι, τοὺς θησαυροὺς ἐπέδειξε, τοὺς οὐδὲν μόνιμον ἔχοντας. Τὸ δὲ πειρᾶσαι αὐτὸν εἰδέναι τὰ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ, τοῦτο σημαίνει, ὅτι ἠθέλησε γυμνῶσαι τοὺς λογισμοὺς αὐτοῦ. Οὐ γὰρ αὐτὸς ἀγνοεῖ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὰ ἐνθυμήματα ὁ ἐπιστάμενος καρδίας μονώτατος· ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀποκαλύπτει τὰ κεκρυμμένα. ᾿Απήλαυσε δὲ καὶ ἐπιταφίων λαμπρῶν. Μετὰ πολλῆς γὰρ αὐτὸν τιμῆς καὶ δόξης κατέθηκαν. Τοῦ Μανασσῆ δὲ τὴν ἀσέβειαν καὶ ἡ τῶν Βασιλειῶν ἐδίδαξε βίβλος. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον τοὺς δυσσεβεῖς βασιλεῖς ὑπερηκόντισεν· ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ ἔθνη, φησίν, ἃ ἐξῆρε Κύριος ἀπὸ προσώπου τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραήλ. Ἔτισε δὲ καὶ δίκας τῆς ἀσεβείας. Παρεδόθη γὰρ τῷ βασιλεῖ τῶν ᾿Ασσυρίων, καὶ ἀπήχθη πεπεδημένος εἰς Βαβυλῶνα. ᾿Αλλὰ τῆς φιλανθρωπίας ἡ ἄβυσσος μετέδωκε καὶ τούτῳ τῶν τοῦ ἐλέους κρουνῶν· Ὡς γὰρ ἐθλίβη, φησὶ, Μανασσῆς, ἐδεήθη τοῦ προσώπου Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἑταπεινώθη σφόδρα ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν πατέρων αὐτοῦ. Καὶ προσηύξατο πρὸς αὐτὸν, καὶ ἐπήκουσε τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐπέστρεψεν αὐτὸν εἰς Ἱερουσαλήμ ἐπὶ τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔγνω Μανασσῆς, ὅτι Κύριος αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ Θεός. Τοσοῦτον ἡ παιδεία τοὺς βουλομένους ὀνίνησι. γὰρ βασιλεύων οὐκ εἶχε, ταῦτα δουλεύων ἐκτήσατο. Τῆς γὰρ δουλείας ἀπαλλαγείς, περιεῖλε, φησὶ, τοὺς θεοὺς τοὺς ἀλλοτρίους, καὶ τὸ γλυπτὸν ἐξ οἴκου Κυρίου, καὶ πάντα τὰ θυσιαστήρια, ἃ ᾠκοδόμησεν ἐν ὄρει οἴκου Κυρίου, καὶ ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ· καὶ ἐξέβαλεν ἔξω τῆς πόλεως, καὶ κατώρθωσε θυσιαστήριον Κυρίου, καὶ ἔθυσεν ἐπ᾿ αὐτῷ θυσίαν σωτηρίου καὶ αἰνέσεως. Εδίδαξε δὲ καὶ τὸν λαὸν εὐσεβεῖν. Εἶπε γὰρ, φησὶ, Μανασσῆς τῷ Ἰούδα, δουλεύειν Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ Ἰσραήλ. Τὸ δὲ ἀτελὲς τοῦ λαοῦ πάλιν ὁ λόγος δεδήλωκεν. Ἐπήγαγε γὰρ, ὅτι ἔτι ὁ λαὸς ἐπὶ τῶν ὑψηλῶν ἐθυσίαζεν. Ὅτι δὲ τῷ Θεῷ ἐν τοῖς ὑψηλοῖς ἔθυον, σαφῶς ἐνταῦθα ἡ ἱστορία δεδήλωκεν· ἐπήγαγε γάρ· Πλὴν εἰς κενὸν Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ αὐτῶν. Τὰ δὲ κατὰ τὸν Ἀμὼν καὶ Ἰωσίαν ἐν τῇ τετάρτῃ τῶν Βασιλειῶν ἡρμηνεύσαμεν. Ζητητέον δὲ, πῶς ἔνδον οὔσης τῆς κιβωτοῦ ἐν τῷ ᾿Ἁγίῳ τῶν ἁγίων, τοῖς Λευΐταις ὁ Ἰωσίας ἀγνισθῆναι προσέταξε, τοῦ δοῦναι τὴν κιβωτὸν τὴν ἁγίαν ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ Κυρίου. Καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς δὲ τοῦτο δηλοῖ· Καὶ ἔθηκαν τὴν κιβωτὸν τὴν ἁγίαν ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ, ὃν ᾠκοδόμησε Σολομών, ὁ υἱὸς Δαβὶδ τοῦ βασιλέως Ἰσραήλ. Ἐγὼ δὲ οἶμαι, ἢ τὸν ᾿Ασσύριον ἐπὶ τοῦ Μανασσῆ τὴν πόλιν ἑλόντα ἐξαγαγεῖν τὴν κιβωτὸν ἔνδοθεν· ἡ τινα τῶν δυσσεβῶν βασιλέων, τῶν μετὰ τὸν Ἐζεκίαν βεβασιλευκότων, ἢ τὸν Μανασσὴν, ἢ τὸν ᾿Αμών· εἶτα τοῦτο τὸν Ἰωσίαν μεμαθηκότα εἰς τὸν οἰκεῖον ἀποκαταστῆσαι τόπον. Πάλιν μέντοι ἡ ἱστορία τὸν ᾿Ασάφ, καὶ Αἰμὰν, καὶ Ἰδιθοὺμ προφήτας ἐκάλεσε. Κατὰ τὰς ἐντολὰς, φησὶ, Δαβίδ, καὶ ᾿Ασάφ, καὶ Αἰμὰν, καὶ Ἰδιθοὺμ, τῶν προφητῶν τοῦ βασιλέως. Τὸ δὲ Κερεσεὶμ εἶδος εἶναι μαντείας ὑπολαμβάνω· τοῖς γὰρ ἐγγαστριμύθοις, καὶ τοῖς γνώσταις, καὶ τοῖς θεραφίμ συνῆπται. Τοσαύτη δὲ ἦν τοῦδε τοῦ βασιλέως ἡ ἀρετὴ, ὅτι καὶ θρῆνον ὁ προφήτης Ἱερεμίας συνέγραψε, καὶ τοῦτον τοῖς ᾠδοῖς δέδωκε, καὶ ταῖς ἀδούσαις, ὥστε τοῦτον ἄδειν καθ᾿ ἕκαστον ἐνιαυτὸν ἐπιτελοῦντας τὴν μνήμην. Τὰ δὲ κατὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς βασιλεῖς ὁ προφήτης Ἱερεμίας διὰ πλειόνων ἐδίδαξεν. Ἡμεῖς δὲ διὰ τῆς θείας χάριτος κἀκείνην τὴν βίβλον ἑρμηνεύσαντες αὖθις ἑρμηνεῦσαι ταύτην περιττὸν ὑπειλήφαμεν. Ὅτι δὲ ἐκ πολλῶν προφητικῶν βίβλων ταῦτα ὁ ἱστοριογράφος μετὰ πολύν χρόνον συνήγαγε, τὸ τέλος τῆς βίβλου ἐκδιδάσκει· μέμνηται γὰρ Κύρου τοῦ ### English translation (Claude) How should “The king did not listen to the people, for the turn of events was from God, that the Lord might establish his word which he spoke by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite” be understood? Those who enjoy divine care see what must be done, being made wise by God; but those deprived of this grace are carried along at random. This is what the passage showed here: that it seemed good to God the Master to tear the kingdom in two because of the father's lawless deeds. When the division had taken place, and Jeroboam had made the golden heifers, the priests and Levites living among the ten tribes moved to the kingdom of David, for the divine temple was in it. Here the history teaches that Jeroboam and his sons even drove them out against their will, so that they could not minister to the Lord, “and he appointed for himself priests for the high places, and for the idols, and for the vanities, and for the heifers which Jeroboam had made.” The pious from the other tribes too followed the priests and Levites: “For there went after them,” it says, “from all the tribes of Israel those who set their heart to seek the Lord God of Israel.” And, “They came to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the Lord God of their fathers, and they strengthened the kingdom of Judah.” The Master who loves humankind handed Rehoboam over to Shishak when he acted impiously. But when he had said through Shemaiah the prophet to him and to the officials, “You have forsaken me, and I will forsake you into the hand of Shishak,” and saw them humbled and confessing their impiety, he said to the prophet, “They have humbled themselves; I will not destroy them, and I will grant them some deliverance,” meaning: I will preserve in them the spark of the world's blessing; “and my wrath shall not drip upon Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak.” I will not now hand them over to utter destruction, he says, but will keep the punishment for later; for the present I will put on them the yoke of slavery: “For they shall be his servants,” he says, “and they shall know my service and the service of the kingdoms of the earth.” By comparison, he says, I will teach them how kind my yoke is and how heavy the yoke of human beings. Again we have been taught that there were other prophetic books too: “For the words of Rehoboam,” it says, “first and last, are they not written in the words of Shemaiah the prophet and of Iado the seer, to record the genealogy, and his acts?” One should admire the address of Abijah. For seeing the ten tribes marching against him eight hundred thousand strong (Jeroboam led them), he, drawn up with four hundred thousand, said to those opposing him, “Ought you not to know that the Lord God of Israel gave the kingdom over Jerusalem to David forever, and to his sons by a covenant of salt forever?” Ought you not, he says, to have known that David's kingdom was given by God and, according to the divine promise, admits no end? How then did you set up my father's servant as usurper? He called the stability of the kingdom a “covenant of salt forever,” since even barbarians, when they have eaten with enemies, often keep a firm peace, remembering the salt. But my father, he says, gave way to the usurpation through youth and timidity; I blame you for being insolent against the divine kingdom which the Lord of the universe gave to the family of David, and for trusting in your numbers and in the golden heifers, for whose sake you even drove out the priests of God and appointed others in their place, acting like the nations; for they too appoint any chance persons as priests of gods that are not. But we trust in the true God, whose priests and Levites we honor, and we offer the sacrifices according to the divine law and draw up for battle according to its ordinances, announcing the war with the divine trumpets. So I urge you not to fight against God the Master, who commands our phalanx; for you will regret it if you do. When this had been said, the ten tribes surrounded Judah; but these raised the war cry and called on the divine power for help. And God, called into alliance, turned the boldness of the enemy into cowardice; and they all turned and fled, and five hundred thousand were destroyed as they fled. It states the cause of the flight too: “And the sons of Judah prevailed, because they trusted in the Lord God of their fathers.” They also took cities subject to them. And Jeroboam the God of the universe himself handed over to death. It also praises Asa's earlier piety: “For Asa did what was right in the sight of the Lord his God, and removed the foreign altars,” that is, those of the idols. Then it added, “and the high places.” I think that by these it hints at those dedicated to God unlawfully on the hills. “And he broke the pillars and cut down the groves.” In what follows too it goes through his praises. Drawn up with piety and its arms, he routed the Ethiopians and, pursuing them, destroyed them all. It says that these had been their neighbors: “For they took much spoil,” it says, “and destroyed their villages round about Gerar, for the terror of the Lord was upon them; and they plundered their cities, for there was much spoil in them. And they also destroyed the tents of cattle and the Amazoneim, and took many sheep and camels, and returned to Jerusalem.” That Gerar is in Palestine no one, I think, will deny; for near the city called Eleutheropolis the Gerarene forest is so named to this day. It is likely, then, that colonists of the Ethiopians lived in that region, and some others called Amazoneim, who marched against them and were all utterly killed. After the victory, Azariah son of Oded the prophet, filled with the divine Spirit, met the army, reminded them of the divine help, and urged them to persevere in piety: “If you seek him,” he says, “he will be found by you; and if you forsake him, he will forsake you.” He also shows them the impiety of the ten tribes: “For many days Israel has been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law; and they sat in distress, and they will turn in affliction to the Lord God of Israel, and seek him, and he will be found by them.” Do not emulate the impiety of your brothers, he means; for they serve not the true God but the falsely named ones, and are deprived of priests and teachers to instruct them in the law of God; but they will learn by experience how great an evil impiety is. For falling into all kinds of calamities they will seek divine help, and obtain it through his unspeakable goodness. He also foretells the attack of the Assyrians: “In those times,” he says, “there is no peace for him who goes out, for great terror from the Lord is upon all the inhabitants of the lands; and nation will fight against nation and city against city, for God has troubled them with every affliction.” Then he urges them to keep their hope in God unshaken: “And you,” he says, “be strong and let your loins not be weakened, for there is a reward for your work.” Hearing this, the king destroyed whatever precincts of the idols remained, and purified the cities he had taken from the ten tribes. The history also taught that a great multitude from the other tribes, having learned by experience the piety of the two tribes and the divine care they enjoyed, left their own cities and took refuge in theirs, preferring to sojourn in others' cities to living in their own. Gathering these with the two tribes, Asa held a feast of victory; and having offered very many victims to God, he made them all swear that they would not depart from the lawful way of life, but would serve only the God who had saved them. He embraced the divine laws so warmly that he even stripped his mother of her royal rank, since she had chosen to serve Astarte, and he cut down the idol and burned it in the brook Kidron. But he was not perfect in everything. First, he did not remove all the high places, that is, the altars dedicated to the God of the universe on high places; for it was forbidden to sacrifice elsewhere, lawful worship being confined to one place. Then, when Baasha marched against him and fortified Ramah against Jerusalem, when he ought to have called to his aid the one who had supplied him with so many good things, he called the king of Syria into alliance, sending him a very great quantity of gold from the royal treasuries and also from the divine ones. But the Lord who loves humankind did not leave him uncured: sending Hanani the prophet, he exposed his unbelief, saying this: “Because you relied on the king of Syria and did not rely on the Lord your God, therefore the army of the king of Israel escaped.” Your unbelief, he says, procured their safety; for if you had believed as you used to, you would have killed them all utterly. He also reminds him of the Ethiopians and the Libyans, their horses and chariots, and of his faith, through which he destroyed them all; “for the eyes of the Lord,” he says, “look upon all the earth, to strengthen every heart that is perfect toward him.” For everyone, he means, who calls on him sincerely will obtain salvation. Then he rebukes him more plainly: “You acted foolishly in this”; then he foretells the gloomy future: “For from now on,” he says, “you will have war.” From this one can learn that the Amazoneim are a Libyan nation; for those he called Amazoneim above he has here called Libyans. Asa, when he ought to have grieved, lamented and called on God's love for humankind, not only became angry but even put the prophet in prison. The people too shared in the consequences of his offense: “For Asa oppressed some of the people,” it says, “at that time.” It blames him because, when he fell ill, he sought not the Lord but the physicians. But since I have explained this in the fourth book of the Kingdoms, I will go on to what follows in the interpretation. The history praises Jehoshaphat as having emulated David's virtue at the beginning; for this is what “in the first ways” means. It also recounts his praiseworthy achievements: “For he sought the Lord God of his father and walked in his commandments, and not according to the works of Israel.” It also shows the fruit of these: “And the Lord established the kingdom in his hand, and he had riches and great glory.” It put “His heart was lifted up” not as a charge but as praise; for it added, “in the ways of the Lord; and he removed the groves from the land of Judah.” He also set over all the people teachers of the divine law, priests, Levites and officials. And he received from God the Master the rewards of piety: “For terror came,” it says, “upon all the kingdoms of the lands around Judah, and they did not make war on Jehoshaphat.” Such fear fell on all that even the foreigners and the Arabs brought him tribute. Having such abundance, he built cities, erected houses, and fortified the unwalled villages. It calls “one who offers willingly to the Lord” the person who brings gifts to God, not offerings for sins. It blames him for the marriage alliance he made with Ahab; for he betrothed Gotholia, Ahab's daughter, to his son. It also included the story of Micaiah and the false prophets, which we have interpreted in the Kingdoms. But what that writer left out and this one included I think it necessary to state. For as Jehoshaphat was returning from that battle, Jehu son of Hanani the prophet met him and said to him, “King Jehoshaphat, do you help a sinner, and are you a friend to one hated by the Lord? Because of this wrath has come upon you from the Lord; but good things have been found in you, for you removed the groves from the land of Judah and set your heart to seek the Lord.” From this we learn that earlier good deeds lessen the punishments for sins. For the just Judge weighs these against those and so pronounces his verdict. He did this in this case too: he was angry with him because of the kinship, but because of his virtue in other respects he freed him from the enemies who had attacked and surrounded him. So we who have learned these things ought to flee both kinship and friendship with those hated by God. The writer, leaving the blame, passed on to the catalogue of praise, and teaches readers that the king, accepting the rebuke, was eager to wipe out the stain of the kinship by pious labors: “For Jehoshaphat went out again among the people from Beersheba to Mount Ephraim, and brought them back to the Lord God of their fathers.” He took care not only of piety but also of good order in other respects: “For he appointed judges,” it says, “in all the fortified cities of Judah.” His words to the judges too are admirable: “See what you are doing,” he says, “for you judge not for man but for the Lord, and the words of judgment are with you. And now let the fear of the Lord be upon you; keep it and do it, for there is no injustice with the Lord our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts.” He showed them the Overseer of all and put the fear of him into them, so that they would not sell justice for gifts or friendship. Likewise he charged the judges of Jerusalem not only to judge the citizens but also to settle justly the disputes of those who came from elsewhere, and to give them proper advice: “You shall warn them,” he says, “and they will not sin against the Lord; and there shall be no wrath upon you and your brothers. Thus you shall do, and you will not sin.” He set over them Amariah the priest, so that if the judges did not know how to pronounce the verdict they might learn it from God through him: “Behold,” he said, “Amariah the priest is over you in every matter of the Lord, and Zebadiah son of Ishmael is leader of the house of Judah in every matter of the king; and the scribes and the Levites are before you.” If then you wish to ask God anything, he means, let it be done through the priest; if the king, through the officer; and if you wish to learn what the law holds, learn it from the Levites who teach the law. For he called the teachers scribes. Then he added, “Be strong and do it, and the Lord will be with the good.” He did not simply say “with you,” but “with the good,” that is, with the one who has a good purpose and inclines toward it. And when very many enemies marched against him, he trusted neither in the number of his subjects nor in arms; “but he set his face,” it says, “to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast in all Judah.” Then, when all had gathered and were propitiating God,he offered the prayer on behalf of all, naming him Lord and God of the fathers, Maker of heaven and earth, and Master of all the nations. Then he recalls the kindness and the miracles that had been done: “For you are the Lord our God,” he says, “who destroyed the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and gave it to the seed of Abraham your friend.” He recalled the forefather, so as to obtain help through the promise made to him. He also told how the temple was built, and how Solomon prayed and asked that if enemies came against them and the people ran to the temple and called on its God, they would enjoy help from above. You know, he says, that our fathers, passing through the wilderness and coming into this land, did not harm the Idumeans, the Ammonites or the Moabites as they passed by, according to your commands. But these have now gathered together and are trying to drive us out of the inheritance you gave us. Then, by way of question: “Will you not judge them?” He also confesses his own weakness: “For we have no strength to stand against this great multitude that has come against us; and we do not know what we shall do, for our eyes are on you.” While this was being said, the whole multitude stood beseeching God with a loud cry, and the women offered their supplications with wailing and lament. The compassionate God, using Jahaziel the Levite as his servant, dispelled the fear with the promise of good things: “For the Spirit of the Lord came upon him in the assembly, and he said, Hear, all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat.” The distinction is one of honor: he mentioned the king separately, and separately those who lived in Jerusalem; for many from the other tribes too lived in that city. “Thus says the Lord to you: Do not be afraid or dismayed before this great multitude; for the battle is not yours but God's.” Then he tells them to stand on a height and be spectators of the battle: “It is not for you to fight in this; stand and understand and see the salvation of the Lord with you. Judah and Jerusalem, do not fear or be afraid to go out tomorrow to meet them, and the Lord will be with you.” He gave the pledge of courage and drove out human fear. When Jahaziel had said this, they all worshiped, and the Levites sang hymns. When they went out the next day the king encouraged them, saying, “Hear me, sons of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: believe in the Lord your God and trust in his prophets, and you will prosper.” Then he ordered not armed champions but the Levites singing hymns to lead the army. And he who scatters the tribes of the nations, who frustrates the reasonings of peoples and sets aside the counsels of rulers, who turns the wise backward and makes their counsel foolish, roused the enemies against one another. First the Ammonites and Moabites destroyed the Idumeans; then, turning on one another, they did the same to each other. The king with his subjects watched the slaughter of the enemy. When all had fallen and not one escaped to tell his own people the disaster, they stripped the dead without fear and carried off all the spoil. Having done this in three days, on the fourth they praised the giver of the victory. That plain received the name of blessing; for it was called the valley of blessing. The extraordinary nature of the victory terrified all the kings of the neighboring lands. But even after this very great miracle, “the people,” it says, “had not yet set their hearts on the Lord God of their fathers.” The history again mentioned the written prophecy of Jehu son of Hanani. It said thus: “And the rest of the words of Jehoshaphat, first and last, are they not written in the words of Jehu son of Hanani, which he recorded in the book of the words of the kings of Israel?” It again blames Jehoshaphat for joining with Ahaziah son of Ahab; and it added, “And he acted lawlessly in making ships to go to Tharsis; and he made the ships in Ezion-geber.” I have already said that this was a city lying on the Indian sea, inhabited by Ethiopians; in the Greek language they call it Berenice. The physician of souls, sending the prophet Eliezer son of Dodavahu to Jehoshaphat, rebuked the friendship and foretold the discipline: “Because you have made friends,” he says, “with Ahaziah and joined with him, the Lord has destroyed your works.” And the ships were wrecked and could not go to Tharsis. How many evils that impious kinship procured, the following part of the history teaches. For Joram son of Jehoshaphat emulated the impiety of his father-in-law Ahab. He killed all his brothers and went through every kind of wickedness: “For he walked,” it says, “in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab did, for Ahab's daughter was his wife; and he did evil before the Lord; yet the Lord would not destroy the house of David because of the covenant he had made with David, as he said he would give a lamp to him and to his sons for all days.” From this we have been taught how much the piety of forefathers benefits. For the One who loves humankind bears even with the wicked, remembering the virtue of the departed. He also reaped the fruits of his impiety: Idumea threw off the yoke of slavery, and Libnah, a city of Judea, revolted. The Master pronounced the sentence against him through Elijah the great. The prophet did not come himself, but announced the divine sentence by letter: “For there came a writing,” it says, “from Elijah the prophet, saying, Thus says the Lord God of your father: Because you have not walked in the way of Jehoshaphat your father, or in the ways of Asa king of Judah, but have walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and have made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem play the harlot, as the house of Ahab played the harlot, and have killed your brothers, the sons of your father, who were better than you; therefore behold, the Lord will strike with a great blow your people, your sons, your wives and all your household. And you shall be in grievous sicknesses, in a sickness of your bowels, until your bowels come out because of the sickness from day to day.” From this we learn that Asa and Jehoshaphat were not entirely unapproved; even if they offended in some things, in most they served God. For this man was accused of having abandoned their way. And the prophecy was fulfilled. Not only the foreigners marched against Joram, but also the Arabs and the neighbors of the Ethiopians; attacking, they won by force, took the city, carried off the multitude as captives, killed his sons and daughters, and seized the royal wealth. Ahaziah alone, the youngest of the sons, escaped. The disease of the belly struck him too, according to the prophecy, and not even after death was he granted a royal burial: “For the people,” it says, “made no funeral procession and burning for him like the burning for his fathers, and they buried him not in the tombs of the kings.” Truly it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God; for as his mercy is unspeakable, so his punishment is irresistible. From this history we learn that the Amazoneim are neighbors of the Ethiopians. For above the writer taught that the enemies who attacked Joram were neighbors of the Ethiopians; and here, having said that they made Ahaziah his youngest son king in his place, he added that the band of raiders that came against them from the barbarians and from the Amazoneim in the camp had killed all the elder ones. He too emulated his father's impiety, for he had his most foul mother as teacher. Jehu killed him together with Joram king of Israel. He was granted burial, however, because of his grandfather's piety; for Jehu buried him, “for,” he said, “he is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the Lord with all his heart.” After this it relates the affairs of Joash, which we interpreted in the fourth book of the Kingdoms; we will state what we did not find in that book. The writer of Chronicles taught that the people, kindled to zeal by the admirable high priest, pulled down the pillar of Baal and broke it, tore the altars up from their foundations, and ground the images of the demons to powder; they killed Mattan the priest of Baal; and he strengthened the courses of the priests, the order of the Levites, and in short everything else that King David had ordained for the service of God. The king, enlightened by him, cooperated in what the high priest did: “For Joash did what was right in the sight of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest.” He also gave the building of the temple the repairs it needed; for it had been neglected in the past, because “Athaliah the lawless,” it says, “and her sons had broken down the house of God, and used all the holy things of the Lord for the Baals.” The admirable high priest was the principal cause of all this; because of his piety and great virtue he lived a hundred and thirty years and was granted a royal tomb: “For they buried him,” it says, “in the city of David with the kings, because he had done good in Israel, both toward God and his house.” When he died, Joash turned aside to impiety, led on by the officials; but the physician of souls did not neglect him: “For the Lord sent prophets to them,” it says, “to bring them back to the Lord; and he testified against them, but they did not listen.” One prophet it even mentioned by name: “For the Spirit of the Lord clothed Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest, and he stood above the people and said to them, Thus says the Lord: Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord? You will not prosper; because you have forsaken the Lord, he will forsake you.” But they not only contradicted the divine words, but also stoned the prophet at the king's command; they stoned him inside the open court of the temple. Such was the ingratitude this man suffered from, both toward the God who saved him and toward the one who served his salvation. The history teaches this: “And King Joash did not remember the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, and he killed his son. And as he was dying he said, May the Lord see and judge.” And he was not disappointed in his request. For when a year had passed, a small army of Syrians attacked them; and they were given over by the Master whom they had despised; the Syrians killed some, took others captive, and departed. Joash himself, fallen ill, was slain by his subjects. For the Master pronounced this sentence against him, as the historian said: “And on Joash they executed judgments; and his servants conspired against Joash for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and killed him on his bed, and he died; and they buried him in the city of David, but did not bury him in the tomb of the kings.” True, then, is the word spoken to Noah: “Whoever sheds the blood of a man, in return for his blood his own shall be shed, for in the image of God I made man.” Amaziah son of Joash, when he became king, killed these men too; for they did not kill him kindled by divine zeal, but with a murderous intent. His son Amaziah reigned in his place. Wishing to march against the Idumeans, he hired a hundred thousand Israelites for as many talents. But the prophet sent to him by God said this: “O king, let not the army of Israel go with you, for the Lord is not with Israel, with all the sons of Ephraim. For if you think to prevail with these in the war, the Lord will rout you before your enemies; for the Lord has power to help and to rout.” I am enough for you, he means, for help; you do not need numbers when you go into battle; do not take as your help those stripped of piety. When he said, “And what shall I do about the hundred talents which I gave to the army of Israel?”, the prophet answered, “The Lord is able to give you more than these.” Believing what was said, he went and killed ten thousand, and took as many captive; but having obtained divine help, he did not acknowledge his benefactor. For the gods of the defeated, which he brought with the spoils, he honored as the givers of the victory and venerated with sacred rites. But God exposed his impiety through the prophet. For he said to him, “Why have you sought the gods of the people, which did not deliver their people out of your hand?” For a long time, he means, the Idumeans served these, but did not drive you back from their service; for they received no help from them. But you, having enjoyed my aid, not only killed those people but also took these gods captive. None of this helped the fool. For he said to the prophet, “Have I made you the king's counselor? Take care, lest I strike you.” The prophet said with boldness, “I know that the Lord has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my counsel.” Thus stripped of divine providence, he challenged the king of Israel to war, and suffered what we have described in the Kingdoms; and he met the same end as his father. The divine Scripture praises Uzziah: “For he sought the Lord,” it says, “in the fear of the Lord, in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the vision of God.” It also states the fruits of piety: “And in his days he sought the Lord, and the Lord God prospered him.” From this we learn that there were many Zechariahs. For the son of Jehoiada, whom Joash killed, was named Zechariah, and this one in Uzziah's time was called Zechariah. I think this is the one of whom God said to Isaiah, “Make me faithful witnesses: Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Barachiah.” For Isaiah prophesied at that time: “The vision,” it says, “which Isaiah son of Amoz saw, which he saw against Judea and against Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, who reigned over Judea.” It says that he was brave in war, generous in building, and fond of agriculture. It calls the inhabitants of the city of Petra Arabs. But he did not heed his forefather David, who said, “For the end; do not destroy.” With an arrogant mind he dared to perform a high-priestly act: “For when Uzziah became strong,” it says, “his heart was lifted up to his destruction, and he did wrong against the Lord his God, andwent into the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.” For he did not dare to do this at the altar of burnt offerings, but inside the temple. But the high priest did not give way to him as king, but rebuked him boldly: “For Azariah the high priest went in after him,” it says, “and with him eighty priests, men of valor; and they withstood King Uzziah and said to him, It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Go out of the sanctuary, for you have departed from the Lord, and it will not be to your glory before the Lord God.” What belongs to kings and what befits priests, he means, has been determined by God; the priests hold their privilege by descent. Why do you trample the God-given law? Why do you overstep the boundaries? By seizing what does not belong to you, you will lose what is yours as well. But he not only did not yield, but was angered at the words and persisted in daring the sacred rite. But instead of glory he reaped dishonor: “For leprosy broke out on his forehead,” it says, “in the house of the Lord, before the priests, beside the altar of incense.” At once the priests, seeing the God-sent blow, drove him out of the temple even against his will; and he suffered the same as Adam the forefather. For he, desiring to become God, lost even being the image of God; and this man, trying to seize the priesthood, fell from the kingdom too. For he sat inside in a chamber, since the leprosy on his forehead kept him from mixing with the people and from speaking freely; for he bore on his forehead the proof of his lawlessness. Jotham his son continued to direct the kingdom; and when his father died he received the scepter. He too excelled in wars and compelled the Ammonites to pay tribute. The writer states the reason too: that “he prepared his ways before the Lord his God.” Ahaz his son eclipsed all his like in devising impiety. The book of Kingdoms taught this too; but this history further showed the calamity he suffered. First they were handed over to the Syrians, and many were killed and many taken captive. Then Pekah, king of the ten tribes, killed a hundred and twenty thousand of them in one battle, along with the king's sons and generals, and carried off two hundred thousand as captives. Oded the prophet met the victors and threatened them with God's wrath, because, contrary to the divine law, they were leading those they had captured into slavery: “Behold,” he says, “the wrath of the God of our fathers was upon Judah, and he gave them into your hands; and you have killed among them in a rage that has reached up to heaven. And now you say that you will subdue the sons of Judah and Jerusalem as male and female slaves. Behold, am I not with you? The Lord your God bears witness. And now hear me, and send back the captives whom you have taken out of your sight, for the fierce wrath of the Lord is upon us.” God the Master, he means, wished to exact punishment from them for their impiety; this gave them defeat and you victory. But you, having won, forgot your kinship, did not take nature into account, but treated your countrymen as barbarians and foreigners. Not content with countless slaughters, you are also forcing those of your own race to be slaves. So I testify to you that you will suffer worse things. The officials yielded to the prophet, advised the people, and granted the captives every care: “For they clothed the naked,” it says, and brought them ointment and food, gave the weaker ones beasts of burden, and led them back as far as the city of Jericho. One should note that it called Jericho the city of palm trees: “For they set them down,” it says, “at Jericho, the city of palm trees.” The history also taught that, persisting in impiety, they were handed over to the foreigners, and the enemy settled in their cities: “For the Lord humbled Judah,” it says, “because of Ahaz king of Judah, because he made Judah bare in impiety, and fell away in apostasy from the Lord.” “He led astray” means: he taught him what he should not; for he introduced foreign customs and induced them to worship the gods of the other nations. Calling the Assyrian to his aid, he failed in his aim; for it added, “not to help him, but to afflict him.” And though subjected to all these punishments, he increased his impiety. For it said this: “And Ahaz added to his apostasy from the Lord. And King Ahaz said, I will seek the gods of Damascus who strike me; and he said, The gods of Syria strengthen them; so I will sacrifice to them, and they will help me. And they became a stumbling block to him.” Not only did they not help, but they brought him all kinds of calamities. Having reached the extreme of wickedness, he “cut up the sacred vessels, shut the doors of the divine temple, and made himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem.” What follows contains the same charge. When he died, they did not grant him burial with the pious kings. Hezekiah his son achieved the highest virtue: “For Hezekiah did what was right in the sight of the Lord,” it says, “according to all that David his father had done.” And first he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them. Then, having sanctified the priests and Levites, he charged them to purify the divine temple. They at once, it says, “brought out all the uncleanness that was found in the house of the Lord into the court of the house of the Lord, and the Levites received it to carry it out to the brook Kidron.” Then, when this had been done, he offered the customary sacrifices, not for the two tribes only, but for the twelve: “For he made atonement,” it says, “for all Israel, because the king had said that the whole burnt offerings and sin offerings should be offered for all Israel. And he stationed the Levites in the house of the Lord, praising with cymbals, lyres and harps, according to the commandment of David the king, of Gad the king's seer, and of Nathan the prophet; for the ordinance was by the commandment of the Lord through his prophets.” This refutes the folly of the Jews, who will not call the great David a prophet. For here Scripture, mentioning the three, added, “for the ordinance was by the commandment of the Lord through his prophets.” A little later the passage hints that Asaph too was a composer of hymns: “For Hezekiah the king and the officials told the Levites to praise the Lord with the words of David and of Asaph the prophet.” The history again teaches us that, since the priests were not enough to flay the whole burnt offering, “their brothers the Levites helped them until the work was finished and until the priests had sanctified themselves, for the Levites were more eager to sanctify themselves than the priests.” One can find this happening now too: when a presbyter is not present and the need is pressing, even a deacon is obliged to administer baptism to the one who asks for it. The king, being very pious, also invited to the feast those living in the cities of the ten tribes. Some mocked those who invited them, but others obeyed and came. When a very great multitude had gathered, the feast of the Passover was celebrated. Again, since the priests were not sufficient, the Levites slaughtered the victims for the multitude and brought the blood to the priests, who poured it at the base of the altar. Having been summoned suddenly, they ate of the victims before being purified. The history teaches this: that most of the people, from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun, had not been sanctified, but ate this Phasek contrary to the divine Scripture. But they obtained pardon because of the king's piety. They added to the feast as many days again, the officials generously supplying the victims. It said that no such feast had taken place since the days of Solomon. Setting out from there, they destroyed the precincts of the idols, cut down the groves, and with them tore up from their foundations the altars dedicated to God on the high places. He also took care of the priestly order, strengthened the one his forefather had established, and induced the people to give the priests the firstfruits according to the law. Then the writer added that “after these words and this faithfulness, Sennacherib king of the Assyrians came.” The passage shows that the God of the universe, testing even God-fearing men, allows them to fall into misfortunes, and then, coming to their help, dispels the gloom. The king, trusting in God and contributing his own part, first stopped up the springs outside the city, so that the besieger would not have abundance of water; then he fortified the walls, raised the towers high, and built another outer wall. But he trusted neither in these nor in arms, but said to the multitude, “Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or dismayed before the king of the Assyrians and before all the nation with him; for more are with us than with him. With him are arms of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God, to save us and to fight our battle.” By this he taught both the invincibility of divine help and the transience and perishability of human nature. The fourth book of Kingdoms contains the rest. The history blames him because, after winning so great a victory and being delivered wonderfully from his illness, “Hezekiah did not repay according to the benefit the Lord had done him, but his heart was lifted up, and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem and upon him. And Hezekiah humbled himself from the pride of his heart, he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and the wrath of the Lord did not come upon them in the days of Hezekiah.” True, then, is that saying: “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” Because of his piety he did not see the sad events, but reached the end of his life before the attack of the enemy. As has been said before, he calls Siloam Gihon. That the king of the Babylonians sent to him because the sun went back ten steps the history teaches. For having told of the wealth he gathered and the treasuries he made, it added, “And Hezekiah prospered in all his works. And so, in the matter of the envoys of the rulers of Babylon, who were sent to him to inquire about the sign that had happened in the land, the Lord left him, to test him and to know what was in his heart.” The passage shows that it is better to boast in the Lord. For when he ought to have related the power of God, he showed his treasures, which have nothing lasting. “To test him and to know what was in his heart” means that he wished to lay bare his thoughts; for he who alone knows hearts is not ignorant of human thoughts, but he reveals to others what is hidden. He enjoyed a splendid funeral; for they laid him to rest with great honor and glory. The book of Kingdoms too taught Manasseh's impiety. For he surpassed not only the impious kings, but also “the nations,” it says, “which the Lord removed before the sons of Israel.” He paid the penalty for his impiety: he was handed over to the king of the Assyrians and led away in fetters to Babylon. But the abyss of love for humankind gave him too a share in the streams of mercy: “For when Manasseh was afflicted,” it says, “he entreated the face of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers; and he prayed to him, and he heard his voice and brought him back to Jerusalem to his kingdom; and Manasseh knew that the Lord is God.” So much does discipline benefit those who are willing. What he did not have as king, he acquired as a slave. For freed from slavery, “he took away,” it says, “the foreign gods and the carved image from the house of the Lord, and all the altars he had built on the mount of the house of the Lord and in Jerusalem, and threw them out of the city; and he restored the altar of the Lord and offered on it a sacrifice of peace offerings and praise.” He also taught the people to be pious: “For Manasseh told Judah,” it says, “to serve the Lord God of Israel.” The passage again showed the imperfection of the people; for it added that the people still sacrificed on the high places. That they sacrificed to God on the high places the history showed clearly here; for it added, “but in vain, to the Lord their God.” The affairs of Amon and Josiah we interpreted in the fourth book of the Kingdoms. One must ask how, when the ark was inside in the Holy of Holies, Josiah ordered the Levites to purify themselves “to put the holy ark in the house of the Lord.” What follows shows this too: “And they put the holy ark in the house which Solomon son of David king of Israel built.” I think either that the Assyrian, when he took the city in Manasseh's time, brought the ark out from within, or that one of the impious kings who reigned after Hezekiah, either Manasseh or Amon, did so; and then Josiah, learning of it, restored it to its proper place. Again the history called Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun prophets: “According to the commandments,” it says, “of David, Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun, the king's prophets.” I take keresim to be a kind of divination; for it is joined to mediums, wizards and teraphim. So great was this king's virtue that the prophet Jeremiah composed a lament and gave it to the male and female singers, so that they would sing it every year, keeping his memory. The prophet Jeremiah taught at greater length about the remaining kings. Since we have interpreted that book too by divine grace, we thought it superfluous to interpret this again. That the historian collected these things from many prophetic books long afterward the end of the book teaches; for it mentions Cyrus the … ### Scripture references - 2 Chr 10:15: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 11:13: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 11:14: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 11:15: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 11:16: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 12:2: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 12:5: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 12:6: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 12:7: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 12:8: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 12:15: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 13:3: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 13:5: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 13:6: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 13:8: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 13:9: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 13:12: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 13:15: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 13:17: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 13:18: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 13:19: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 13:20: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 14:2: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 14:3: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 14:12: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 14:14: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 14:15: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 15:1: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 15:2: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 15:3: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 15:4: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 15:5: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 15:6: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 15:7: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 15:8: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 15:9: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 15:12: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 15:16: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 15:17: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 16:1: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 16:2: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 16:7: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 16:8: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 16:9: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 16:10: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 16:12: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 17:3: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 17:4: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 17:5: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 17:6: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 17:7: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 17:10: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 17:11: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 17:12: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 17:16: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 18:1: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 19:2: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 19:3: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 19:4: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 19:5: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 19:6: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 19:7: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 19:8: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 19:10: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 19:11: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 20:1: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 20:3: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 20:6: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 20:7: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 20:9: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 20:10: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 20:11: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 20:12: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 20:13: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 20:14: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 20:15: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 20:17: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 20:18: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 20:20: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 20:21: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 20:23: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 20:25: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 20:26: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 20:33: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 20:34: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 20:35: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 20:36: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 20:37: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 21:4: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 21:6: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 21:7: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 21:8: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 21:10: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 21:12: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 21:13: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 21:14: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 21:15: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 21:16: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 21:17: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 21:19: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 21:20: quotation, high confidence - Heb 10:31: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 22:1: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 22:3: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 22:9: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 23:17: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 23:18: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 24:2: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 24:7: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 24:15: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 24:16: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 24:17: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 24:19: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 24:20: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 24:21: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 24:22: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 24:23: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 24:24: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 24:25: quotation, high confidence - Gen 9:6: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 25:3: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 25:6: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 25:7: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 25:8: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 25:9: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 25:11: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 25:14: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 25:15: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 25:16: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 25:17: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 25:27: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 26:5: quotation, high confidence - Isa 8:2: quotation, high confidence - Isa 1:1: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 26:6: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 26:10: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 26:16: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 26:17: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 26:18: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 26:19: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 26:20: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 26:21: allusion, high confidence - Gen 3:5: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 27:5: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 27:6: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 28:5: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 28:6: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 28:8: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 28:9: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 28:10: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 28:11: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 28:15: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 28:18: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 28:19: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 28:20: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 28:22: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 28:23: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 28:24: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 28:27: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 29:2: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 29:3: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 29:5: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 29:16: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 29:24: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 29:25: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 29:30: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 29:34: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 30:1: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 30:10: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 30:11: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 30:16: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 30:17: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 30:18: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 30:20: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 30:23: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 30:26: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 31:1: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 31:2: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 31:4: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 32:1: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 32:3: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 32:5: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 32:7: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 32:8: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 32:25: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 32:26: quotation, high confidence - Luke 14:11: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 32:30: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 32:27: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 32:31: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 32:33: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 33:9: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 33:11: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 33:12: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 33:13: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 33:15: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 33:16: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 33:17: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 35:3: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 35:15: quotation, high confidence - 2 Chr 33:6: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 35:25: allusion, high confidence - 2 Chr 36:22: allusion, high confidence - Ps 57:1 (56:1 LXX): quotation, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Migne prints this as question I of 2 Chronicles; it is a long continuous exposition of 2 Chr 10:15–36:23 introduced by one question, and is one item. Quotations are from the LXX of 2 Chronicles, with Gen 9:6; Isa 1:1; 8:2; Luke 14:11; Heb 10:31; Ps 57 title (LXX 56:1). Theodoret refers to his own expositions of Kings (books 1–4 of this work) and of Jeremiah. Where the printed text names Jeroboam as handed over to Shishak, the context (2 Chr 12) shows Rehoboam is meant, and the translation follows the sense; likewise “the fruits of piety” reaped by Joram is translated “the fruits of his impiety” by the sense. The remarks on the Jews and on the deacon who baptizes when no presbyter is present are Theodoret's own; translated as written. In Gen 9:6 the printed text adds two stray words (“drinks it”), removed by a logged correction. Several displaced phrases (a gloss on the deacon's baptism, words of 2 Chr 29:16, and others) are put back in their places by logged corrections. The text breaks off in mid-sentence at the very end (“it mentions Cyrus the …”); the rest is lost. ### Citation (SBL) Theodoret, Quaest. Reg. 5.4 (PG 80 80:821; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-quaestiones-regnorum/5-4).