Thus, the cypress trees and cedars of Lebanon rejoice, as it is written in the Psalms: "You brought grapes out of Egypt; you drove out nations and planted them; you made the mountains your abode and the cedars of God your branches." These cedars, having sinned previously, were surrendered by the Lord to be shattered through discipline. In another Psalm, it is said, "The Lord breaks down the cedars of Lebanon." The cypress trees symbolize all the exalted and distinguished servants of the Lord, who with one voice proclaimed, “Now that you are in slumber.” It is noteworthy that death is referred to as sleep. No one will come to cut us down, for after triumphing over the strong one and plundering his treasures, the rest of his followers also fell. Hence, the Lord also proclaims in the Gospel, “Depart into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” How many have been felled by these woodcutters! Hell, which trembled when the true Nebuchadnezzar entered, is a realm of punishment and suffering, where the rich man clad in purple is observed; to this place, the Lord descended to liberate captives from their confinement. The term hell may also refer to the angel responsible for administering punishments in the abyss, who summoned all the giants, sometimes translated as Rephaim or Titans. They are called giants based on the accounts of the pagans who regard them as beings born of the earth. However, according to the Greek derivation, we can interpret giants as those engrossed in earthly matters. Thus, all the earthly rulers rose from their thrones at the arrival of the one who was once their sovereign, so that he, who had previously been honored for his power, might now be regarded in chastisement. They asked, “Are you bruised as we are? Have you become like us?” This statement conveys the thought that they believed their own weakness prevented them from resisting God’s might, and that only He could remain exalted. Yet, circumstances reveal that you, too, have been wounded, enslaved, and have become like us, thus those previously separated in life are now equalized through punishment. Your arrogance is cast down to the grave; your glory is lost, and your body is laid low, or as the Septuagint translates, your numerous joys, which you once delighted in through dominion over nations. Below you shall be decay, and worms shall wrap around you. This is the resting place of the devil, the bed of the tempter—who became so prideful that he dared to tempt the Lord by saying, “I will give you all these things if you bow down.” In this decay, moth, and worms, one can perceive either eternal torment stemming from a guilty conscience or physical suffering arising from one’s own transgressions. Just as worms arise from decay as long as the corpse's substance persists, so do the penalties from the essence of sins. Therefore, after defeating death, which was prophetically declared through Hosea: “I will be your death, O death; I will be your sting, hell,” the Apostle Paul articulates, “Where, O death, is your strength? Where, O death, is your sting?” For following death, there is no one to plant us, and there will be no sin to sow, since the sting of death is sin.
And the cypress trees rejoiced over you, and the cedars of Lebanon proclaimed: since you have fallen into sleep, no one comes to cut us down. The cypress trees and cedars of Lebanon reference the officials of the nations who fell under Nebuchadnezzar's might; they, rejoicing, declare, since you have been cast into hell, none else will rise to sow the great and strong.
The depths below have stirred to greet your arrival; it has summoned mighty beings in your honor. All the rulers of the earth have risen from their thrones; every leader of the nations will respond to you. This is to be understood metaphorically, as a staged production, not as it actually was but as it might have been; unless one assumes the king of Babylon was greeted joyfully by the souls of the kings he subdued. It serves as solace in adversity to witness one's adversaries share in suffering.
And you are wounded as we are, and you have become like us! Your pride is cast down to the grave; your body is laid low, with decay and worms covering you. This utterance by the mighty and the princes of the earth, represented by the aforementioned cedars and cypress trees, is directed to the king of Babylon who has descended into the abyss. We do not mourn our being felled when you also succumb to the same fate. All your power and pride, once exalted to the heavens, has now been cast down to the ground. Therefore, will not your body also be subject to decay, and will not a multitude of worms engulf it? You, who envisioned possessing God's authority, now recognize your own human insignificance in your death.
THEOSIS