THEOSISJerome of Stridon
On that day when the protectors of the household are shaken and the powerful men will be lost, the guardians of the household refer either to the sun, moon, and the other heavenly bodies, or to the angels who oversee creation. The powerful men, referred to as ‘strong’ by Simmah and as those who ‘will go astray’ by Akila, represent the demons, who have derived their strength from the chief adversary. The Lord, having triumphed over and bound the devil, according to the Gospel parable, empties his abode (Lk. 11:22).
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Alternatively, those who interpret this text through the lens of humanity contend that the guardians of the household symbolize the bones, which encase the vital organs and protect the softer parts of the body; they identify the shins as the strong men, with the sun, moon, and stars representing the eyes, ears, nostrils, and all sensory perceptions of the head. This interpretation arises because they must relate the subsequent concepts to human anatomy rather than to angels or celestial bodies. "And they that grind shall cease to grind, because they are diminished; and they that look in the openings shall be darkened." At the end of time, when many people's love will grow cold and the number of teachers capable of providing spiritual nourishment to the faithful diminishes, those who have briefly experienced the light of understanding in this world will begin to find themselves engulfed in darkness. For if it is declared to Moses, "I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, and thou shalt see my back" (Ex. 33:22), how much more shall not every soul perceive the truth only through a small opening and through darkened gaps? Alternatively, these two grinding stones, referenced in the Gospel—where one is taken and the other remains—imply that as they decrease in number and cease functioning, the illumination of knowledge is necessarily withdrawn from the eyes. Another view suggests that "they that grind shall cease to grind, because they are diminished" pertains to the teeth; when advanced age arrives, the teeth that chew food may decay or become lost. Similarly, the phrase "they that look in the openings shall be darkened" pertains to the eyes, indicating that elderly individuals often suffer from blindness as their sight diminishes.