Prayer for Rain and Spiritual Instruction
In a fitting time, 'from the end of the earth He brings clouds and makes lightning into rain' (Jeremiah 31:37), as was prophetically announced in Jeremiah. The word, instilling confidence, exhorts one to ask for rain in its proper season; it brought forth: 'The Lord made a vision and a winter rain.' And not once, but many times from above—unless ungodliness having prevailed among the Hebrews has so much disposed them as to make them unworthy of receiving God-sending gifts.
Since, therefore, God always gives drink to the earth for the sake of men, it is proper to seek Him out when drought occurs, and not to pay attention to false divinations, [the text is broken here regarding the toil and labors of those who speak of dreams and deceivers]. This was held [as it was already said concerning Elijah, a servant of God], a single time; for then and then rain occurred. As it is written regarding Jacob, he addressed us by letter, saying: 'Elijah, a man with passions like ours (James 5:17), prayed that it might not rain, and it did not rain for three years and six months,' when drought came upon the land, to which he added: 'The prayer of a righteous man is powerful in its working (James 5:16).'
From these things being done thus, it is necessary to flee always toward God in times of affliction, and not to pay attention to demonic deceptions, the proof of which has been our seeking of God, which will clearly be seen with those in royal histories. Sufficiently, as I think, in accordance with the explicit word of Zechariah, one must also attend to the lifting up. Spiritual rain is the God-given teaching, which has been written thus: 'Let the clouds rain down righteousness' (Zechariah 9:6), by which command is given not to give rain when, allegorically speaking, a vineyard is bearing fruit...
early... late
Greek
κα̣ι̣ρ̣ι´̣ως ἐν καταλλήλῳ ὥρᾳ «παρὰ τοῦ ἀνάγοντος νεφέλας ἐξ ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς καὶ ποιοῦντος εἰς ὑετὸν ἀστραπάς», κατὰ τὰ ἐν Ἰερεμίᾳ προφητικῶς ἀπαγγελλόμενα. 3.242 Θάρσος ἐμποιῶν ὁ λόγος οἷς προτρέπει δια······ αἰτεῖσθαι ὑετὸν καθ' ὥραν αὐτοῦ, ἐπήγαγεν· «Κύριος ἐποίησεν φαντασίαν καὶ ὑετὸν χειμερινόν»· καὶ οὐχ ἅπαξ γε ···· πολλάκις ἄνωθεν, εἰ μή που ἀσέβεια κρατήσασα τῶν Ἑβραίων εἰς τοσοῦτον διέθηκεν ὡς ἀναξίους παρασκευάσαι αὐτοὺς θεοπέμπτων δωρεῶν. 3.243 Ἐπεὶ τοίνυν ἀεὶ Θεὸς ποτίζει τὴν γῆν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἕνεκα, αὐτὸν ἐξευμενίζεσθαι προσήκει ἀβροχίας γινομένης, καὶ οὐ ψευδομάντεσιν προσέχειν, τῆς προγνω·························· μοχθηρὰν καὶ κόπους ἐν ·························· κὴν προαναφώνησιν ω̣······························ κόπους λαλεῖν τοὺς ἀπ····························· ας καὶ ἐνύπνια διασφαλ···························· τοὺς ἀπατωμένους, ου······························ τωντος. 3.244 Τοῦτο ἐκρατη························· ὡς ἤδη ἐλέχθη ἐπὶ Ἠλίᾳ τ̣························· Θεοῦ χρηματίσαντος, κλ···························· μονευθέντα χρόνον, εω······························ τότε γὰρ τότε ὑετὸς γέγονεν ························ ψεν ὡς τὸν Ἰάκωβον γράφειν ························ προσεφώνησεν ἐπιστολῇ, λέγων· «Ἠλίας ἄνθρωπος ὁμοιοπαθὴς ἡμῖν τυγχάνων προσηύξατο τοῦ μὴ βρέξαι καὶ οὐκ ἔβρεξεν τρία ἔτη καὶ μῆνας ἕξ», ἀβροχίας ἐπιγενομένης, οἷς ἐπηγίοχεν· «Πολὺ ἰσχύει δέησις δικαίου ἐνεργουμένη.» 3.245 Ἐκ τῶν οὕτω πραττομένων ἀεὶ ερ············ι̣ας πρὸς Θεὸν καταφεύγειν δεῖ θεηλάτων συν̣········ κατασκηπτουσῶν, καὶ μὴ προσέχειν δαίμοσι κ··········τιαν ἐπιψευδομένων ὧν ἔλεγχος γέγονεν το̣······· Θεὸν ἐξευμενισαμένου, ἃ σαφῶς εἴσεται ὁ σὺν πο·········νων ταῖς βασιλικαῖς ἱστορίαις. 3.246 Αὐτάρκως ··ὡς νομίζω, πρὸς ῥητὸν εἰρημένης τῆς Ζαχαρίου λέξεως, ἐπιστατέον καὶ τῇ ἀναγωγῇ. 3.247 Ὑετὸς πνευματικὸς ἡ θεόσδοτος διδασκαλία εἴρηται ἐν τῷ γεγραμμένῳ οὕτ̣ως· «Αἱ νεφέλαι ῥανάτωσαν δικαιοσύνην», αἷς ἐντολὴ δίδοται μὴ διδόναι ὑετὸν ὅτε ······················ κατ' ἀλληγορίαν ὄντος ἀμπελῶνος ·························α̣ καρποφορεῖν ὑπὸ ἀγγε······························η τῶν νεφελῶν τυγχα·····························σαι διὰ τὸ ἀκάνθας καὶ τριβόλους ···················λων δίκην οἱ μακάριοι ἄνδρες ···························ι̣δευσιν ἀκουστέον τοῦ 3.248 ······················ς· «Προσδοκάσθω ὡς ὑετὸς τὸ ἀπόφθεγμά μου καὶ καταβήτω ὡς δρόσος τὰ ῥήματά μου, καὶ ὡς ὄμβρος ἐπ' ἄγρωστιν» ········· καὶ ἕκαστος τῶν Θεοῦ κα······························η τὸν πνευματικὸν ὄμβρον ···················μιαν οἱ τεθέντες ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ ἀπόστολοι καὶ προφῆται, διδάσκαλοί τε καὶ εὐαγγελισταί. ························· κατὰ τὴν παλαιὰν διαθήκην ······················ εὐαγγελικὰ καὶ ἀποστολικὰ μαθήματα. Ὄψιμος ·········αιος ἐστιν περὶ οὗ αἴτησιν Θεῷ προσάγειν δεῖ, ἵνα δ̣·········χθῃ τῷ καὶ τὸν πρόϊμον δεδωκότι, ἵν' ἕκαστο············ον καρποφορήσῃ Θεοῦ δεδωκότος βοτάνην ···········ς ἀναγομένων. 3.249 Ὁ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἀπόστολος καὶ αὐτὸς κατ' ἀναγωγὴν ὢν νεφέλη Ἑβραίοις γράφει· Γῆ, φησίν, ·········· πολλάκις ἐπ' αὐτὴν ἐρχόμενον ὑετὸν βοτάνην ·········ως ἡ ἀποστολικὴ φωνή· «Γῆ γὰρ ἡ πιοῦσα τὸν ἐπ' αὐτῆς πολλάκις γενόμενον ὑετὸν καὶ τίκτουσα βοτάνην εὔθετον ἐκείνοις δι' οὓς καὶ γεωργεῖται, μεταλαμβάνει εὐλογίας παρὰ Θεοῦ· ἐκφέρουσα δὲ ἀκάνθας καὶ τριβόλους ἀδόκιμος καὶ κατάρας ἐγγύς, ἧς τὸ τέλος εἰς καῦσιν.» Ὅπως μὴ ταῦτα πρὸς ἱστορίαν αὐτὸν γεγραφέναι νομίσῃ τις, ἁρμονίως ἐπενήνοχεν· «Πεπείσμεθα δὲ περὶ ὑμῶν, ἀγαπητοί, τὰ κρείσσονα καὶ ἐχόμενα σωτηρίας», καρποφορησάντων δηλονότι ἐκ τοῦ πεπωκέναι πρόϊμον καὶ ὄψιμον ὑετόν, οὐ τέλειον καρπὸν φερόν̣των τῶν θάτερον μόνον δεξαμένων. 3.250 Οἱ ἐκ περιτομῆς τὸν μόνον τὸν πρόϊμον δεξάμενοι οὐ προσήκαντο τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, οὐ πιστεύσαντες τῷ Σωτῆρι· ὡς αὖ οἱ μετὰ τὴν ἐπιδημίαν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἑτερόδοξοι, τοῦ ὀψίμου μόνου μετεσχηκότες, οὐδαμῶς ἀπολαύσαντες τοῦ προΐμου, ἀτελεῖς αὐτοὶ καὶ 104 ἡ διδασκαλία αὐτῶν ὤφθησαν, μόνης τῆς ἀποστολικῆς Ἐκκλησίας καρποὺς τελείους γλυκεῖς τε καὶ ἐδωδίμους φερούσης διὰ τὸ ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων τῶν ὑετῶν τέλειον ἔχειν ποτισμόν. Ταύτην τὴν θεωρίαν ὑποβάλλει καὶ ἡ τοῦ Ὠσῆε προφητεία ὧδε ἔχουσα· «∆ιώξωμεν τοῦ γνῶναι τὸν Κύριον, ὡς ὄρθρον ἕτοιμον εὑρήσομεν αὐτόν, καὶ ἥξει
About this text
Didymus the Blind on Zechariah.
Original English Translation — new OET from PG Greek.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.