THEOSISCyrill of Alexandria
For this reason, I will lament profoundly, akin to the mourning of Jazir for the vineyards of Sebamaniah. Your trees, Ecephron, have been visited and have borne witness to your harvest and the winnowing of the wine, yet everything will fall. The joy and delight from the grapes will vanish, and there will be no happiness found in your vineyards, nor will the wine be pressed from the winepresses, for it has been lost. The prophetic message reveals a sorrowful visage mourning the calamities of the Moabites, particularly for Jazir, even more than for the other cities that have endured devastation. Thus, I grieve for the other towns as I ought to have mourned for Jazir.
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The inhabitants of these cities are likened to grapes and trees, and the prophet recounts the cities that have faced destruction, such as Sebama and Heshbon. The enemy has declared, “To your harvest and to the winnowing of the wine,” and they have proclaimed, “And all shall fall.” Furthermore, they have remarked, “The joy and gladness of your grapes shall disappear.” The Moabites cherished their festivities, engaged in many sacred practices in honor of false gods, spending entire nights at their altars, finding reasons to celebrate. Yet now, they will weep and grieve, far removed from any pleasures of the heart; for there will be no joy, and they will not press wine in the winepresses, for it will be gone. Indeed, there will be no fruit on the vine, as both the grapes and what they produce will be lost. In the case of the grapes, if they were entirely cut off, this declaration would hold true. Yet if it pertains to us, as an example of human circumstances, it further teaches that those who are born of the parents will meet the same fate, as even the most fruitful women will find no mercy from their enemies. Jerusalem experienced this during the Roman conflict. Thus, the Savior foretold the calamity that would befall it, declaring that it would be encircled by armies, and in those days, there would be great sorrow, especially for the mothers and the unfruitful (Matt. 24:19).