The Fear and Sorrow of the Philistine Cities
The people have become dizzy, referring allegorically to the sea, because the stored silver has not benefited them, as the earth's dust has made it worthless; nor has the gathered gold helped, as it is no safer than muddy roads.argue and wander about, the things they toil for will be lost to destruction.
For how will not the wealth of those walking according to the truth, 'those bearing the image of the pig,' be thrown into the dust, just as the gold which they gathered is made like the mud of roads? For those walking are treading upon the mud of impious teachings, as if encountering countless slips. However, even if Tyre travels opposingly for a long time, she will be tested by a punishing fire, after which that about which the Savior said, 'I came to cast fire upon the earth, and would I it were already kindled' (Luke 12:49), so that every harmful plant which is thorn, thistle, and weed may be consumed by it.
For it will be a good thing for Tyre to be tested by being thus consumed by fire, according to what was said by the Savior: 'Every one shall be salted with fire' (Mark 9:49). And it is also profitable for all her power to be cast down into the sea, in which the stored silver becomes like dust, and the gathered gold becomes like the mud of roads.
When her lofty power has been shattered into the sea, and she herself has been consumed by fire, what remains first shall be inherited by the Lord, which is His own handiwork; for so also all the nations shall become His inheritance, having turned away from all impiety and much-godly wandering.
Let all things said concerning Tyre be taken to heart concerning Sidon also; for the wickedness and impiety are the same, and the repentance and return to God are the same. Sidon has much proximity to Tyre in the healing of idols.
Ashkelon shall see and be afraid, and Gaza shall be in great pain, and Accalon, because she has been shamed from her hope. And a king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited. And foreigners shall dwell in Azotus, and I will cut down the insolence of other tribes. And I will draw their blood from their mouths and their abominations from the midst of their teeth, and they shall be left, and of...
to our God, and they shall be as a commander in Judah and in Achzib like a Jebusite. And I will set a dedication in my house so that it may not be dispersed nor overturned, and I will not come upon them again, having driven them out, because now I have seen with my eyes.
3.100 Having seen the dark things happening to the Tyrians, Ashkelon had fear, dreading that she might one day fall to the same, and Gaza had much distress, but even Achzib endured shame, her hope having failed. 3.101 But what is the cause of Gaza's great distress, whether it is the loss of her king, or the fear of Ashkelon, whether it is that she has endured cruelties from those dwelling in her? Similarly, it will apply to Achzib and Azotus and generally to the other peoples. 3.102 Thus, regarding those who have the word toward the spoken text, one should consider the things toward the promised outcome. Ashkelon, having been weighed as something precious and well-founded, taking up a mindful purpose, will see, no longer being blinded by the immediate pleasure and other passions, how to take up reverence, how to be numbered among those possessing such virtue, concerning which the proverbial decree says regarding wisdom and her father: 'He will guard the way of those who revere him' (Proverbs 3:6). The prophet lying there exhorts all men to arrive at this praiseworthy state, rather the word within him, saying: 'Let all flesh fear from the face of the Lord' (Psalm 2:11) Almighty. 3.103 Because not only dark things have happened to Tyre, but the existing prophecy has also pre-delivered the change toward better things, Ashkelon, having seen these, had a perfect reverence present from: 'The fear of the Lord surpassed all' (Psalm 34:7), and from: 'There is no lack to those fearing the Lord' (Psalm 34:9), all beneficial things being fulfilled, 'nothing being lacking to all good things of those seeking the Lord' (Psalm 34:10).
3.104 Consequently, for Ashkelon, having been frightened by the clear imposition of the praiseworthy change of Tyre, and Gaza will be greatly distressed, just as the one being wept over through repentance says: 'I will wet my bed every night, in my tears I will wet my couch' (Psalm 6:6). But when will the painful state be for Gaza, either when, knowing herself, she knows the coming thing, her innate strength, that from the divine...
Greek
ἀνθρώπων ζάλην, θάλασσαν ἀλληγορικῶς ὀνομαζομένην, οὐκ ὠφελησάντων αὐτὴν τοῦ θησαυρισθέντος ἀργυρίου, διὰ πλῆθος ἢ τὸ εὐτελὲς τῷ χνῷ τῆς γῆς παραβαλλομένου, οὐδὲ τοῦ συναχθέντος χρυσίου πηλοῦ ὁδῶν δίκην συμβαλλομένου πρὸς ἀσφάλειαν αὐτῆς· κἂν γὰρ μυρία σοφιστεύωσιν καὶ περινοῶσιν οἱ τῆς ἀσεβείας συνήγοροι, ἀπωλείᾳ παραδοθήσεται τὰ σπουδαζόμενα. 3.95 Πῶς γὰρ οὐ χῷ παραβληθήσεται ὁ πλοῦτος τῶν ἐμμανέντων κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας, «τῶν τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ χοϊκοῦ φερόντων», ὡσαύτως εὐτελιζομένου καὶ τοῦ χρυσίου οὗ συνηγίοχαν παραπλησίως πηλῷ ὁδῶν; Οἱ γὰρ ὁδεύοντες τὰς δυσσεβεῖς διδασκαλίας πηλὸν πατοῦσιν, ὡς ὀλίσθους μυρίους ὑφίστασθαι. Ὅμως κἂν ἐπὶ πολὺ ἀντιτείνουσα ἡ Τύρος ἀντικειμένως ὁδεύῃ, πειραθήσεται πυρὸς κολαστικοῦ, μεθ' ὃ 90 κἀκείνου περὶ οὗ ὁ Σωτὴρ εἶπεν· «Πῦρ ἦλθον βαλεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, εἴθε ἤδη ἀνήφθη», ἵνα καταναλωθῇ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ πᾶν βλάστημα βλαβερὸν ὃ ἄκανθα καὶ τρίβολος καὶ ζιζάνιον ὑπάρχει. 3.96 Πρὸς καλοῦ γὰρ τῇ Τύρῳ ἔσται πειραθῆναι τοῦ οὕτω ὑπὸ πυρὸς ἀναλωθῆναι, κατὰ τὸ λεχθὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ Σωτῆρος· «Πᾶς πυρὶ ἁλισθήσεται.» Ἐπωφελὲς δὲ καὶ τὸ πᾶσαν τὴν δύναμιν αὐτῆς καταχθῆναι εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν, ἐν ᾗ καὶ τὸ θησαυρισθὲν ἀργύριον ὡς χοῦς, καὶ τὸ συναχθὲν χρυσίον ὁμοιούμενον πηλῷ ὁδῶν τυγχάνουσιν. 3.97 Κατασπασθείσης εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν τῆς ὑπεραύχου δυνάμεως αὐτῆς, καὶ αὐτῆς ὑπὸ πυρὸς καταναλωθείσης, τὸ ὑπολειπόμενον πρῶτον ὑποκείμενον ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου κληρονομηθήσεται, ὂν αὐτοῦ ποίημα· οὕτω γὰρ καὶ τὰ ἔθνη πάντα κληρονομία αὐτοῦ γενήσεται, ἀποστραφέντα πᾶσαν δεισιδαιμονίαν καὶ πολύθεον πλάνην. 3.98 Πάντα τὰ εἰρημένα περὶ τῆς Τύρου ἐκλαμβανέσθω καὶ περὶ τῆς Σιδῶνος· ὡς γὰρ κακία καὶ ἀσέβεια ἡ αὐτή, καὶ μετάνοια καὶ ἐπιστροφὴ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἡ αὐτή. Πολλὴν ἐγγύτητα ἡ Σιδὼν πρὸς τὴν Τύρον ἔχει κατὰ τὸ εἴδωλα θεραπεύειν. 3.99 Zach. IX, 5®8: Ὄψεται Ἀσκαλὼν καὶ φοβηθήσεται, καὶ Γάζα καὶ ὀδυνηθήσεται σφόδρα, καὶ Ἀκκαρών, ὅτι ᾐσχύνθη ἀπὸ τῆς ἐλπίδος αὐτῆς. Καὶ ἀπολεῖται βασιλεὺς ἀπὸ Γάζης, καὶ Ἀσκαλὼν οὐ μὴ κατοικηθῇ. Καὶ κατοικήσουσιν ἀλλογενεῖς ἐν Ἀζώτῳ, καὶ καθελῶ ὕβριν ἀλλοφύλων. Καὶ ἐξαρῶ τὸ αἷμα αὐτῶν ἐκ στόματος αὐτῶν καὶ τὰ βδελύγματα αὐτῶν ἐκ μέσου ὀδόντων αὐτῶν, καὶ ὑπολειφθήσονται καὶ οὗτοι τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν, καὶ ἔσονται ὡς χιλίαρχος ἐν Ἰούδᾳ καὶ Ἀκκαρὼνὡς Ἰεβουσαῖος. Καὶ ὑποστήσομαι τῷ οἴκῳ μου ἀνάστεμα τοῦ μὴ διαπορεύεσθαι μηδὲ ἀνακάμπτειν, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἐπέλθῃ ἐπ' αὐτοὺς οὐκέτι ἐξελαύνων, διότι νῦν ἑόρακα ἐν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς μου. 3.100 Τὰ συμβάντα σκυθρωπὰ τοῖς Τυρίοις θεασαμένη ἡ Ἀσκαλὼν φόβον ἔσχεν, δεδιττομένη μή ποτε τοῖς αὐτοῖς ὑποπέσῃ, καὶ Γάζα σφόδρα ὀδύνην ἔσχεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ Ἀκκαρὼν αἰσχύνην ὑπέμεινεν, διαπεσούσης τῆς ἐλπίδος αὐτῆς. 3.101 Τί δὲ τὸ αἴτιον τοῦ σφόδρα τὴν Γάζαν ὠδυνῆσθαι, ἢ τὸ τὸν βασιλέα αὐτῆς ἀπολέσθαι, καὶ τοῦ πεφοβῆσθαι τὴν Ἀσκαλῶνα, ἢ τὸ τοὺς κατοικοῦντας αὐτὴν ἀνιαρὰ ὑπομεμενηκέναι; Παραπλησίως ἐκδέξει καὶ περὶ τῆς Ἀκκαρὼ καὶ Ἀζώτου καὶἁπαξαπλῶς τῶν ἀλλοφύλων. 3.102 Οὕτως τῶν πρὸς τὸ ῥητὸν ἐχόντων, θεωρητέον τὰ πρὸς ἀνηγμένην ἀπόδοσιν. Ἡ Ἀσκαλών, ἐσταθμισμένη τις οὖσα διὰ τὸ τίμιον καὶ εὖ τεθεμελιῶσθαι, νοῦν σκοπητικὸν ἀναλαβοῦσα, ὄψεται, οὐ τυφλώττουσα ἔτι ἐκ χειρίστης ἡδονῆς καὶ τῶν ἄλλων παθῶν, ὡς εὐλάβειαν ἀναλαβεῖν, ὡς ἀριθμηθῆναι τοῖς ταύτην τὴν ἀρετὴν κεκτημένοις, περὶ ὧν τὸ παροιμιῶδες θέσπισμα περὶ τῆς σοφίας φησὶν καὶ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτῆς· «Ὁδὸν εὐλαβουμένων αὐτὸν διαφυλάξει.» Εἰς ταύτην τὴν ἐπαινετὴν κατάστασιν ἰέναι προτρέπων πάντας ἀνθρώπους ὁ ἐκκείμενος προφήτης, μᾶλλον δ' ὁ ἐν αὐτῷ λόγος, προτρέπει, φάσκων· «Εὐλαβείσθω πᾶσα σὰρξ ἀπὸ προσώπου Κυρίου» παντοκράτορος. 3.103 Ἐπείδη δὲ μὴ μόνα σκυθρωπὰ συμβεβηκέναι τῷ Τύρῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ τὰ βελτίω ἀλλοίωσιν προαποδε´̣δωκεν ἡ ἐκκειμένη προφητεία, ταῦτα θεασαμένη ἡ Ἀσκαλὼν εὐλάβειαν τελείαν ἔσχεν τὴν παρισταμένην ἐκ τοῦ· «Φόβος Κυρίου πάντα ὑπερέβαλεν», καὶ τοῦ· «Οὐκ ἔστιν ὑστέρημα τοῖς φοβουμένοις τὸν Κύριον», πληρωθεῖσιν πάντων ὠφελίμων, «οὐκ ἐλαττουμένων παντὸς ἀγαθοῦ τῶν ἐκζητούντων τὸν Κύριον». 3.104 Ἑπομένως τῇ Ἀσκαλῶνι, φοβηθείσῃ ἐκ τοῦ διορατικῶς ἐπιβεβληκέναι τῇ ἐπαινετῇ ἀλλοιώσει τῆς Τύρου, καὶ ἡ Γάζα σφοδρῶς ὀδυνηθήσεται, ὡσαύτως τῷ διὰ μετάνοιαν ὀλοφυρομένῳ λέγοντι· «Λούσω καθ' ἑκάστην νύκτα τὴν κλίνην μου, ἐν δάκρυσίν μου τὴν στρωμνήν μου βρέξω.» Πότε δὲ ὑπάρξεται ἡ ὀδυνηρὰ κατάστασις τῇ Γάζῃ, ἢ ὅταν γνοῦσα ἑαυτὴν γνῷ τὴν προσοῦσαν, τὴν σύμφυτον ἰσχὺν αὐτῆς, τὴν ἐκ θείου
About this text
Didymus the Blind on Zechariah.
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Khazarzar scan
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- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
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