Now, what will you do on the feast day of the Lord? Since they remain silent, He answers Himself, or rather perceives with divine insight what they will do: for, He states, calamities and desolations burden them, and the Assyrians and Chaldeans are eager to ensnare them in bonds of captivity, leading them to flee to Egypt. There they are laid to rest in Memphis, which at that time served as Egypt's capital, before Alexandria, once called Noh, gained prominence as the chief city through Alexander the Great. Regarding what is stated in the translation of the LXX, "Machmas" will bury them, the Hebrew text does not mention Machmas but rather "mamad," which means coveted. Thus, it is clear that they were misled by the similarity of the letters dalet and kaph, and instead of mamad, which translates to coveted, they misread it as "mashmas," interpreting it as the punishment of the city of Egypt. The phrases, "For behold, they are gone due to desolation; Egypt will gather them; Memphis will bury them," can also refer to the tribe of Judah because, after Gedaliah was slain by Ishmael, the remnant of the people, along with the prophet Jeremiah, sought refuge in Egypt and were later captured or buried by the pursuing Chaldeans. The coveted treasures, which the thorns will claim, can be understood as estates and all their embellishments acquired with silver. The subsequent expression, "The burdock shall be in their tents," signifies lasting devastation, where their homes once stood, only burdock, thorns, and nettles will thrive. There is also a message for the heretics: What will you do when that solemn day arrives? Instead of "solemn day," Aquila translated it as "time." Therefore, it is evident that this refers not to a particular solemn day but to a time of recompense, as stated next: the days of visitation have come, the days of your recompense are upon you. Behold, you have been laid waste by numerous enemies; the Assyrians and Chaldeans have destroyed you; you have sought refuge in the world and have become like other nations; there shall Memphis bury you, referring to how you will receive punishment for your blasphemies based on your words; the coveted doctrines you have constructed through eloquence, symbolized by silver, will be taken over by thorns, which will torment you forever, and burdock or thistles will be found in your abodes. For thorns shall sprout in the hands of those intoxicated with the cup of Babylon. In the Gospel, we read that shameful thoughts, worldly concerns, and deeply rooted vices are referred to as thorns that choke the wheat growing among the grass.
THEOSIS