THEOSISJerome of Stridon
See vv. 22 Therefore, O Holla, the Lord God declares: Look, I will incite all your lovers, those from whom you have derived satisfaction. I will assemble them against you from every direction: the children of Babylon, all the Chaldeans, the nobles, the tyrants, the princes, and all the children of the Assyrians, the young men of striking appearance, the leaders and dignitaries, and the principal commanders. A multitude of nations will advance upon you with chariots and wheels; armed with armor, shield, and helmet, they will surround you on every side. I will bring judgment upon them, and they will judge you by their own standards; I will unleash my jealousy upon you, which they will execute upon you with great anger.
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They will sever your nose and ears, and those who remain will be slain by the sword. They will seize your sons and daughters, and what is left of you shall be consumed by fire; they will strip you of your garments and take away your treasures. I will cause your iniquity and your fornication from the land of Egypt to cease, and you shall no longer raise your eyes toward them, nor remember Egypt anymore. LXX: Therefore, Oolibah, the Lord God declares: Behold, I will bring your lovers against you, those from whom you have turned away, and will gather them from every side: the children of Babylon and all the Chaldeans, along with the Assyrians, young men of choice, leaders, and dignitaries. They shall come upon you from the north with chariots and wheels, an assembly of nations, equipped with shields, and they will guard you closely. I will execute judgment in their presence, and they will bring their own judgments upon you. My jealousy will burn against you, and they will enact vengeance upon you in their wrath. They will take away your nose and ears, and the rest of you shall be slain by the sword. They shall seize your sons and daughters, and the rest of you shall be consumed by fire, and they will strip away your garments, taking your treasures. They will end your wickedness and your fornication from the land of Egypt; you will no longer lift your eyes toward them, nor remember Egypt anymore. Because you have regarded the flesh of the Egyptians, imitating the vile practices of a defiled people who honor idols of creatures, I will send your lovers against you, from whom you have turned away, intoxicated by their companionship, leading your once-great affection to become hatred. The children of Babylon, and all the Chaldeans—nobles, tyrants, and princes will come against you; the Hebrew references to Phasud, Sce, and others likely relate to eastern nations, though these names do not appear in the accounts of Kings, the Paralipomenon, or even Jeremiah, who recounts Jerusalem's captivity, nor elsewhere in sacred Scripture. It is curious that the LXX uses these specific Jewish names, whereas Simmachus and Theodotion employ similar terminology. It speaks of all Assyrians, horsemen, and handsome youth, leaders and dignitaries—all identified as chief rulers. Regarding them, we read in Exodus that chosen horsemen are leaders (Ex 15:4); in Latin, they are simply referred to as chief leaders. However, the Greek term signifies a rank just below royal dignity. This passage refers to the distinguished leaders responsible for cavalry, infantry, and resources, whom we call the heads of military departments. All, he states, with chariots and horses, armed with armor, helmets, and shields will encircle you, and I will turn over judgment to them, allowing you to be judged by those you have forsaken, whose covenant you have violated; they will judge you as an unfaithful spouse. My jealousy will turn against you, which they will carry out with fervor. My jealousy arises from enmity due to breach of trust. They will sever your nose and ears as a woman guilty of adultery, so that, disfigured, you may lose your allure. Just as beauty is found in the nose and ears adorned with precious jewels, so too will the dignity of kings and judges be destroyed by their swords. They shall take your sons and daughters—not mine, for they are the offspring of your unfaithfulness—and the rest shall be consumed by fire. They will take away the garments I have adorned you with, and the vessels of your glory—silver and gold meant for sacrifices in the temple; of which it is written, "I gave them gold and silver, and they made Baal of them" (Hos 2:8). However, I will enact all these things so that you, having lost your beauty and your former charm, may finally forsake your iniquity and desire for wickedness learned in Egypt; that upon losing your nose and ears, you might not dare to gaze upon the Chaldeans, nor reveal your disfigurement to your former lovers, nor recall your appetites for the Egyptians, whose flesh once captivated you. All of this is expressed through the imagery of an adulterous woman disfigured by her actions, so that she no longer boasts of her beauty but instead feels shame for the ugliness earned through sin. What is said in an allegorical sense about Jerusalem can also be applied to the soul, which, having once been united with God through virtue, subsequently turned into an adulteress due to vice. After the revelation of her transgressions, she was exposed and disgraced so that she might finally renounce her sin and no longer celebrate the high regard of her name but, in the awareness of her vices and the memory of Egypt, would no longer dare to look up to heaven. Thus, the cutting off of her nose and ears signifies the transformation of fragrance into foulness, and how she has heeded the judgments of blood, which pertains not only to smell and hearing but also to sight, as was the case with Samson and Samuel when they succumbed to their transgressions. (Ex 4:11) This signifies that their words will no longer traverse the earth, and they will be bereft of all sensation, having lost their eternal life. This is to ensure that all things may be purified by fire, that the Egyptian fornication may be eradicated, and she may no longer turn her gaze toward evil.