THEOSISTheodoret of Cyrus
The prophets have misled My people, proclaiming that peace is present when in truth, there is no peace. I had warned them about impending conflict, suffering, and captivity, all intended to bring them back to righteousness. Yet these prophets, acting against My will, falsely assured them of tranquility. One claims to fortify the wall, but I ask, will it stand? Tell those who believe it is secure, will it withstand the storm? The people create a weak structure based on lies and malevolence, while the prophets offer flattering predictions, treating the flawed wall as if it were deserving of praise when it actually needs to be torn down and rebuilt. Those who anoint the wall presume that their actions will lend it strength.
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Thus, declare to them that this wall will crumble and be utterly ruined. A deluge will occur, and I shall strike their walls with destructive force, leading to their collapse; the very winds that seem to hold the wall together will scatter it. The wall is destined to fall. God has illustrated these events metaphorically, likening them to a wall to convey the enemy's invasion; the king and the princes serve as the wall, binding the populace together like crucial supports. The Chaldeans are represented as the overwhelming storm and the destructive forces that undermine the wall. Consequently, when the wall collapses, God continues, will they not inquire, where is your assurance, where is your certainty? When they realize your prophecies are untrue, and instead of the anticipated peace, they face war, suffering, and bondage, will they not question your soothing words and promises of harmony? Therefore, God restates these truths with added clarity, warning of an onslaught of arrows, a storm of stones, and the ruin of a poorly constructed wall, while reproaching those who have proclaimed the good as false, revealing the message more plainly. For He declares: