For whom hast thou been solicitous and afraid, that thou hast lied, and hast not been mindful of me, nor thought on me in thy heart? for I am silent, and as one that seeth not, and thou hast forgotten me.
וְאֶת־מִ֞י דָּאַ֤גְתְּ וַתִּֽירְאִי֙ כִּ֣י תְכַזֵּ֔בִי וְאוֹתִי֙ לֹ֣א זָכַ֔רְתְּ לֹא־שַׂ֖מְתְּ עַל־לִבֵּ֑ךְ הֲלֹ֨א אֲנִ֤י מַחְשֶׁה֙ וּמֵ֣עֹלָ֔ם וְאוֹתִ֖י לֹ֥א תִירָֽאִי׃
2 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Whom did you fear and allow to frighten you, leading you to become unfaithful and forget Me in your heart? There was no reason for such fear, for you were unaware of the magnificence of My strength and their frailty. It is evident that this has only resulted in your dishonor.
Whom did you dread that made you fear? For you deceived and did not recall Me, nor reflected in your heart, as I remained silent and as if I did not observe, leading you to forget about Me. The Greek version states: Whom you feared, you have lied to Me, and you have not remembered Me. You did not contemplate Me in your mind or heart. You disregarded Me, and yet you did not fear. Because, when your barns were full and you placed your trust in wealth, you refrained from asking Me; you were afraid of many. You could not declare, The Lord is my helper, and I will look upon my foes (Psalms 117:7); and again, The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? (Psalms 26:1). If, against your own awareness, you ever wished to speak such words, you have deceived yourself.
How could you call upon Me when you have not remembered Me, nor thought of the commandments from Him who says, Honor the Lord, and you shall be strengthened: beside Him, you shall fear no other (Proverbs 7:1). For I am He who, as per Symmachus and Aquila, always remained silent regarding your transgressions, as though indifferent to them, leaving your offenses unattended, that you might turn back to Me—not out of fear of Me, but through the patience which I test in mankind, scrutinizing not with physical eyes, but with divine perception (Psalm 10). Yet, you have instead forgotten Me and must bear the words, 'You have forgotten the law of your God, and I will also forget your children' (Hos. 4:6), and again, 'They have walked in wrath against Me, and I will walk in wrath against them.' The connection of the mind and heart, present in the Septuagint, is not explicitly noted in the Hebrew, but is added to clarify the understanding intended by the term heart in Scripture.
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS