THEOSISJerome of Stridon
The passage from the LXX divides the prophetic message into four segments, yet the imagery of the fire, the sword, and the dispersion confirms the presence of only three parts. Therefore, it was unnecessary to separate the one section designated for burning into two parts. However, in this instance, they have instead divided the initial segment into two distinct parts, stating: One fourth of you shall die by the sword, another fourth shall perish by famine among you, a further fourth shall fall in your vicinity, and the last fourth shall be scattered to every wind. It is worth noting that the phrase regarding death by the sword seems to have been added from Theodotion's version. Nonetheless, according to the original Hebrew text, three segments are indeed identified.
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Concerning the first, it is written: and a third part of you shall die by pestilence and perish by famine among you. It is preferable to translate the text accurately rather than uphold a flawed translation. This distortion cannot solely be attributed to those granted authority by antiquity but is rather a result of amendments made through generations by scribes and readers. Although figures like Aristeas, Josephus, and the entire Jewish tradition affirm that only five books of Moses were rendered by the Seventy, we would do well to leave this discussion here for now. I wish only to address the notion contained in the words: I will fulfill My fury and quench My anger against them, and they will be consoled, and they shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken in My zeal, having executed My wrath against them. Our understanding of God’s wrath, anger, and jealousy has been previously clarified; it is essential to grasp that God speaks in terms familiar to human experience—not implying that He possesses anger, but rather that we endure the consequences of divine chastisement. Jealousy here is metaphorical, akin to a husband’s care for his wife; although he loves her dearly, he may feel jealousy when she is neglected. He may eventually express: 'My jealousy will depart from you, and I will no longer be angry with you' (Ezekiel 16:42). Furthermore, those who are scattered to the winds will grasp the significance of God’s judgment through the suffering of others—not merely those diminished by famine or plague or those who have fallen by the sword nearby, but rather through the trials faced by others, they will come to recognize the wrath of God, whose kindness they have chosen to ignore.