God is ready to do good but hesitant to punish those who deserve punishment. In fact, though he can inflict punishment on those whom he has sentenced without saying anything, without prior warning, he never does. For when he sentences, he says so, and the speaking is a way to turn the person to be condemned away from the sentencing. It is possible to take many examples of these sentences from Scripture, but for now it will suffice² to mention a few in order to arrive at the vision³ of the passage just read.

(2) The Ninevites had become sinners...

God did not make death and he does not delight in the destruction of living things; for he created all things that they might exist and the creatures of the world are wholesome and there is no destructive poison in them and the dominion of Hades is not on earth.¹ Passing over, then, a little passage, I will ask: From where, then, did death come? By the envy of the Devil death came into the world.² If, then, there is something excellent³ in our regard, God has made it, but we have created evil and sins for ourselves. For the...

The lord says in the beginning of the reading that he had neither become a desert nor a land made dry to Israel. Who then, faced with this reading, would not scrutinize it to seek the purpose of what was written? Suppose that God had not become a desert to Israel, had not become to Israel a land made dry. Does this mean then that the Lord has become a desert to Israel today or is now a land made dry to it? What then? When he was not a desert or a land made dry to Israel, was he...

The letter¹ itself of the text just read has something unclear that we need to understand first. Then, after this, if God wills, we shall know his mystical² plan.

(2) He wants us then to know in these words, just as it is written in Kings,³ that the people were divided in those times into the kingdom of ten tribes under Jeroboam and the kingdom of two tribes under Roboam. And those under Jeroboam were called Israel, and those under Roboam Judah. And the division of the people persisted, according to the history, until today. For we know of nothing...

It is written clearly in the Acts of the Apostles that the Apostles first came into the synagogues of the Jews,¹ announcing to them, as descendents of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob,² what had been written concerning the coming of Jesus Christ.³ But when these did not receive what was said, it was necessary that there be other hearers of what was said. Then after explaining to them, they left them. For it was written that there ought to be announced to you the word of God. But since you did not think yourselves worthy, behold we turn to the...

Lord, he says, your eyes are toward faith.¹ As the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,² for from unrighteous things he turns them, so the eyes of the Lord are toward faith, for he turns them away from unbelief. Thus it has been well stated, by one who understands, what he says in the prayer: Lord, your eyes are toward faith.

(2) Here then it is written: Lord, your eyes are toward faith. But since, if someone of understanding hears a wise saying, he will praise it and add to it,³ let us see how much there is...

God, who judges little by little those punished, gives a chance of repentance,¹ and, by not punishing all at once for the sinning, holds off for the sinner the consummation² of the punishment. Because of this, by judging³ little by little he punishes, and the example of this⁴ is in Leviticus. For in the curses on those who transgress the Law there is written after the prior punishments: “And it will happen, if after these things you do not return,” says the Lord, “I will also bring upon you seven plagues.”⁵ And again he speaks of another punishment: And it...

The prophet, when he reports three so-called virtues of God—his strength and his wisdom and his prudence—assigns¹ to each of them a certain work of their own: to his strength earth, and to his wisdom the inhabited world, and to his prudence heaven.² For hear the text which says: The Lord who made the earth in his strength, who set right the inhabited world in his wisdom, and in his prudence he stretched forth the heaven.³ And we need the strength of the Lord with respect to our earth (for it is written regarding Adam, You are earth),⁴...

According to the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ as historically told, his dwelling was in a body and a kind of universal event which illuminated the whole world, when the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.¹ For he was the true light which enlightens every man who comes into the world. He was in the world and the world arose through him, and the world did not know him. To his own he came, and his own did not receive him.² However, it is necessary to know that he was also dwelling prior to this, yet not...

If the oracles of god are in Law and Prophets, in Gospels and Apostles, it will be necessary that the one who is instructed in the oracles of God assign God as teacher. For, the one who teaches men knowledge is God, as is written also in the Psalms,¹ and the Savior testifies also that you do not need to be assigned a certain teacher on earth when he says: And do not call anyone a teacher on the earth. For there is one who is your teacher, the Father who is in heaven.² And the “Father who is in...

Who is the one who says: On account of me all of the earth was obliterated in destruction?¹ Christ says this, since before his coming many sins had occurred in the people, but not of such a nature that they were altogether forsaken and delivered for a long time into captivity. But when they filled up the measure of their fathers² and continued denying the Prophets³ and persecuting the righteous, killing the Christ of God,⁴ then the verse Your house is forsaken has been realized. And on account of him they have suffered these things and all of the earth...

What the prophet is appointed to say for God ought to be worthy of God,³ but it appears that it is not worthy of God when we rely on the letter,⁴ for someone might say when hearing the letter: These texts are foolish. But the unspiritual man will say this, for the unspiritual man does not receive what is of the spirit of God. For it is folly to him.⁵ Observe then the text which says: And you will say⁶ to this people, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel,”—let what the Lord God of Israel says be worthy...

We want to understand the words said to Jerusalem with much foreboding, expressed thus: “Who will spare you, Jerusalem? Or who will feel sad for you? Or who will return to plead for your peace? You have turned away from me,” says the Lord, “you will go back. And I will stretch out my hand on you and destroy you, and no longer will I forbear you.¹ And I will scatter them in a dispersion,” then,² I was bereaved of children.³

(2) A difficulty has occupied me. I take as an example a certain proven enemy of a ruler of...

Dealers of bodies, since they are around the sick and always give themselves freely to the cure of the sick in accordance with the purpose of the healing arts, view what is terrible¹ and touch what is loathsome, and² they reap their own pains by others’ misfortunes³ and their life is always in crisis. For they are never with those who are well but always with the wounded,⁴ with those who have contagions, with those filled with pus, fevers, all kinds of illnesses. And if someone wants to prepare for medicine, he should not feel irritated nor should he neglect...

There are those who bless the Prophets and¹ who in blessing them pray to have a lot with the Prophets, gathering² from the prophetic words the remarkable qualities of their prophecy. By seeking, they could then persuade themselves—if they live under the same conditions, if also something hard will meet them in this life so that they might imitate the prophetic life—that they might bring about the final rest and the blessedness with the Prophets. So it is possible in many places to gather together the remarkable qualities of the Prophets, freedom, vigor, vigilance, vehemence. Yet when they...

It is recorded in the gospel according to Matthew that our Savior came beside the sea of Galilee and saw Simon and Andrew, his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. Then the word states that the Savior, when he saw them, said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him,² and Jesus has made them to take up fishing for men.³ And he found two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with their father mending the nets, and...

We have come to the famous question to see what is the partridge, about which the Scripture now tells: The partridge cried out; she has gathered what she did not lay, making her riches not with judgment. In the midst of her days, they will leave her behind; at her end she will be a fool.¹ Out of what exists on the nature of animals it is necessary² to extract what may be recorded about the partridge, so that, by knowing something concerning the animal, we may know whether,³ in order to classify now what is said about the partridge,...

Next in what was read there are two visions of Jeremiah. Of these the former contains what concerns the clay vessel in the hand of the potter which is capable of reconstruction after crushing, for it is possible to remold it. But the other vision contains what concerns the earthen wine vessel which if broken has no remedy. For when it was clay, if it broke, even if it was already formed, it allows itself, since it was clay, to be kneaded a second time and be created a second time. But when, after being clay it becomes earthen and...

Of the sense of the scripture, that which comes up in the eye when it comprehends the clarity of the sacred Scriptures.² These things are said to me in the prologue, which arouses and raises up both myself and those who listen to what was offered in the passages read, in order that we might ask that Jesus come and make clear to us and teach us now³ what is written here.

11. Jeremiah prophesied, and the priest Paschor son of Emmer heard the words of the prophecy, and such other listeners heard Jeremiah, in light of what is reasonable...

Everything recorded about God, even if it may be immediately unsuitable, must be understood worthy of a good God. For who will not say that what is brought up regarding God, that he has anger, that he uses wrath, that he regrets, and that he even now sleeps, does not seem unsuitable?² But each of these qualities, with the knowledge to hear dark words,³ will be found worthy of God. For his anger is not fruitless, but just as his word instructs, so his anger instructs. He instructs with anger those who were not instructed by the word, and it...

How, he says, was the hammer of the whole earth broken and crushed? How was Babylon brought to destruction?¹ One needs to inquire here who is the hammer of all the earth or in what way its brokenness is prophesied, since it was broken before it was crushed, so that after bringing together what has been written elsewhere about the hammer, when we find its name, we will also investigate the meaning of the name from these examples that we have brought forth.²

(2) At one time there was constructed a house of God, according to the third book of...

Just as our body bases itself in some place of the earth, in the same way also the soul according to its condition, is in a comparable place of the earth. What I am saying will become more clear in this way. Our body is in Egypt or in Babylon or in Palestine or in Syria or in some other place. Likewise the soul is in some place with the same name as the earth; one is in Babylon, another in Egypt, another in the region of the Ammanites; and so, according to the meaning of Scriptures, souls are spiritually...

And as all of the gifts of God are far greater than the mortal being, so too the Word—who is precise about the wisdom of all these things since he is with the God¹ who arranges to write them, if the Father of the Word wishes—may arise in the soul which is utterly purifed with all respect and with awareness of the human weakness about the basis of wisdom. But if a person dedicates himself rashly, without comprehending what is esoteric of the wisdom of God and of the Word who is in the beginning with God² and...

For the righteous is not in youth,¹ since being perfected in a short time he fulfilled long years.² For regarding one who is not in blamable ways the text says, Do not say, ”I am too young,”³ as was Roboam, who forsook the counsel of the elders and followed the ways of the younger men;⁴ for that reason he also has not maintained the kingdom in the way he received it.⁵

2. The caldron on the fire is fired up from the face of the north.⁶ For he is an enemy and also at the same time an avenger. Hence...

What was read is lengthy, and since there is need to give a summary, here are¹ the sections. The order of events of what concerns Nabal the Carmelite was read first,² then the history which concerns David hiding with the Ziphites and being at variance with them, and then that Saul, wanting to seize David, came, and once he had come he bided his time. But David sneaked up on Saul and, while he and his guards were sleeping, he³ took the spear and pitcher of water, and, after this, he lectured those who were entrusted to guard Saul and...