Ephraem the Syrian
The Lord cherished the ancestors due to their righteous deeds and selected the offspring that succeeded them from all peoples, instructing their descendants to walk in holiness. However, if they turned away from righteousness, He would subject them to captivity as a means of discipline. And if they remained unrepentant, He would reject them for their lack of faith, just as He expelled the nations that scorned Him for their idolatrous practices.