THEOSISJerome of Stridon
And it was revealed to me in the eleventh year, in the first month, on the seventh day of that month, the word of the Lord came forth, saying, Son of man! I have shattered the strength of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and look, it is not bound up to heal or wrapped in cloth or treated with plaster so that, once strengthened, it may wield a sword. Therefore, declares the Lord God, Behold, I will confront Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and I will weaken his powerful and fractured strength, and I will remove the sword from his hand, scattering Egypt among the nations, spreading them far and wide. I will fortify the power of the king of Babylon, placing the sword in his hand, and I will break Pharaoh's might, causing the downtrodden to moan before him.
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As it is stated, they shall bring forth the sword against Egypt, plundering his treasures. Thus: I will bolster the power of the king of Babylon, and the strength of Pharaoh will be brought low, and they shall know that I am the Lord when I hand my sword to the king of Babylon, who will raise it over the land of Egypt, dispersing Egypt among the nations, scattering it across the earth, so they will know that I am the Lord. Returning to the order of prophecy, the eleventh year follows the twenty-seventh year. The earlier mention of the Lord's word against Tyre appears in the eleventh year, which precedes this utterance to Pharaoh in the tenth year, followed by the mention of the twenty-seventh year, as stated, culminating now in the eleventh. Regarding the arrangement of the Psalms, we ponder why the third Psalm precedes those where David altered his demeanor before Abimelech (Ps. 56) and the fiftieth Psalm of repentance, which notes his encounter with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, even though these psalms should logically come before the third Psalm, which recounts his flight from Absalom. In relation to the Psalms, the response is straightforward: it is a lyrical piece, and for such works, historical sequence is not necessary but rather a poetic portrayal of specific incidents. Concerning historical narratives, it should be noted that details provided at various times about one subject should not be fragmented but presented cohesively. For instance, accounts regarding Egypt should be understood through a continuous reading. Nonetheless, we still question why the Lord's word to Pharaoh initially appeared in the eleventh year, followed by the twenty-seventh, and then the tenth year, when logically, each prophecy should have been prefaced in chronological order starting from the tenth year, then the eleventh, and lastly the twenty-seventh. To this, we may reflect on the profound depth of the riches, wisdom, and knowledge of God! For His judgments are beyond scrutiny, His ways beyond investigation (Rom. 11:33). In another passage: who can fathom the depths of wisdom? (Sir. 1:3). It can also be suggested that while historical order is not necessarily followed in prophecies, it is not universally applicable; some prophecies are divinely inspired predictions rather than retrospective accounts. Conversely, historical texts such as the five books of Moses, the Gospels of Jesus, the book of Judges, Ruth, Esther, Samuel, and Kings, along with the book of Chronicles and Nehemiah connected with it, maintain a consistent chronological flow. These observations suffice regarding the sequence of the years.