The Hebrew text presents several discrepancies when compared to the LXX translation, creating challenges for both my version and theirs. This complex situation underscores our need for the Spirit of God—a necessity we always face in interpreting Scripture, but one that is particularly pressing now, as we seek His guidance to uncover the messages conveyed by the prophets. The Lord once promised, “Open thy mouth, and I will fill it.” Geth, mentioned in the historical accounts from the book of Kings, is one of the five cities in Palestine, located near the borders of Judah, along the route from Eleutheropolis to Gaza; even today, it is a significant settlement. Goliath, the giant slain by David, hailed from there.
If the prophet, representing the Lord, proclaimed, “I will weep and wail; I will walk as robed and naked; I will howl like dragons and cry like owls, because the plague of Samaria is hopeless and irreversible; it has reached Judah and has touched Jerusalem, the gates of my people,” then I begin with the laments of the mourners: “Do not declare in Geth,” so that your adversaries do not hear and find delight; do not let your tears flow, lest your sorrow erupt into loud weeping. Conceal your grief, for your enemies might welcome it; let your faces reflect sorrow, even if your hearts are tormented. Stay in your homes, cover yourselves with dust and ashes from your ruins. Depart, or consider the “people of Saphir,” which signifies beauty in both Syriac and Hebrew, to depart from you. Samaria was indeed positioned in a lush and fertile region in Judea, a reality that persists even today. To her, it was declared: “O inhabitant of the most fruitful land, because you are cloaked in shame, flee swiftly, that you may be led away as captives, lest a foreigner hear your lamentations amid your great suffering.”
The phrase “the inhabitants of Sennan have not departed,” indicating an exodus, aligns with Simmachus's interpretation of “the populous have not left.” This refers to the same Samaria, which stood on the brink of Assyrian captivity, swiftly entering the foes’ territory after being expelled from its own. The term “populous” should connect with the previously explained concept of “beautiful.” Thus, the residents did not leave voluntarily, but were forcibly taken into the hands of the Assyrians. Following this, the neighboring kingdom—interpreted through the word Azel—namely Judah, although still intact after Samaria’s fall and protected by God, will experience sorrow from your plight.
The residents of Maroth, who are weak in righteousness and shaken by terror—or as Simmachus notes, “a populace that inflicts sorrows upon themselves”—are indeed those who will suffer greatly. The devastation from the Lord has descended upon the gates of Jerusalem, as the Assyrian invader approached during Rabsaces’ incursions—the events of which are further explained in the fourth book of Kings and the book of Isaiah. This scenario reveals that the king of Assyria sent messengers from Lachish to lay siege to Jerusalem, and after seizing Lachish, he advanced against Lobnah. O Lachish, city tarnished by idolatry, you shall also face the riders and horses from Assyria. For in you are the transgressions of Israel, and you were the starting point of Judah’s idolatry; through you, the iniquity of the ten tribes entered into Jerusalem.
Fear and chaos will hence extend not only in Lachish but also in Geth, the principal city in Palestine, which I mentioned earlier: “Do not boast over Geth,” for the Assyrians will send forth their marauders, whom they refer to as spies, and will claim the house of idolatry and the city built upon deceit that has aligned itself with the kings of Israel. The subsequent proclamation, “And I will bring an heir unto you that dwelleth in Mareshah,” perfectly resonates with the name of the city, as Mareshah means inheritance; which the invading enemies shall call heirs. The prophecy continues even to Odollam, a city in Judah, signaling the “inheritance” that Mareshah represents to Odollam, a place of glory among the territories of Israel. Simmachus translates it similarly: “I will yet bring an heir to dwell in Mareshah, and even unto Odollam shall reach the glory of Israel.”
This promise indicates that the impending captivity of Israel, which is approaching Lachish, Geth, and Mareshah, shall also reach Odollam, pointedly stressing the “glories of Israel” to underscore its expansive impact and the accompanying disgrace. Therefore, the interpretive insights shared concerning Morasthi, the birthplace of the prophet, as denoting inheritance, resurface in this quoted verse, “therefore he shall send spies over the inheritance of Geth.” The Hebrew variant expresses this as “maraseth geth.”
As we navigate this challenging terrain, I pray for assistance, hoping to alternatively elucidate the commentary while steering clear of potential pitfalls in this interpretation. Geth, understood as a winepress, becomes a place where those residing there believe they have harvested life's fruits, energetically seeking self-aggrandizement, yet remain oblivious to the fact that the fruitful vines of Judah have vanished into foreign lands.
“Be not proud,” He warns, “residents of the wine presses; for your vine originates from Sodom, and your fruit from Gomorrah; your grapes are bitter, and your wine represents the wrath of dragons.” Thus, even when your yield seems plentiful, remember that the Lord will allow your blessings to decay, your toil to be devoured by locusts, your vineyards to be ravaged by hail, and your silk-producing trees to succumb to frost. Let not the superficial allure of fine wine mislead you; do not confuse bitterness with sweetness. Examine thoroughly, and you shall find poison among what masquerades as the wine of Sorek.
Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of the Lord and direct your paths to the true winepress, the one from which He who emerges from Edom and dons crimson from Bosra declared through the prophet Isaiah, “I trod the winepress alone, and of the nations there was no man with me.” And amidst the foreign nations, laden with iniquity, who claim, “We have faced defeat, but shall restore what has been broken,” the prophet establishes both the parameters of wickedness and the people upon whom God’s wrath shall fall: “They that dwell in Bahim will not mock their dwellings.”
In our vernacular, Bakhim signifies woes and lamentations; all, except the LXX, translate it as “lamentation.” Therefore, you who engage in deeds and thoughts meriting sorrow, refrain from constructing a house of mockery, and do not mistake your endeavors as divinely ordained. Do not build on shaky ground, lest your efforts be mocked when storms assail, and your pointless labor becomes fodder for ridicule.
How much more prudent it will be when you recognize the foolishness of constructing such a mockery of a home, casting dust and ashes upon your heads, and repenting for your misguided efforts to build a dwelling that must inevitably collapse. Next, we read, “She that dwelleth well in her cities shall not escape that dwelleth in Senaan.” These words suggest that the proud inhabitants of Cephas and Bahima, in vain pursuits of a house unworthy of honor, should humble themselves by covering in ashes and performing penance for seeking to partake of vile wines and create what is contrary to God’s design.
The Church of Christ, flourishing in her cities and interconnected in the unity of the Spirit, possesses strength through her foundations in the law, the prophets, the gospel, and the apostles; she has remained anchored in her bounds as defined by the Holy Scriptures, as she resides in the “beauty” of her inheritance. She embodies the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, through whom all spiritual gifts of grace and virtues abound. Thus it is proclaimed: “Peace be within your walls and abundance within your palaces.”
However, heretics residing near Senaan—the overflowing church—mourn for their own fate, having erected a house of mockery, eagerly crushing grapes, all while building on a foundation not in of holy Scriptures, but on mere facsimiles. The house they have constructed is one deserving not of celebration but of tears and lamentation. Therefore, we have the exhortation to mourn over the house next to her, that is, over Senaan; and further that “she shall feel the plagues of affliction,” this admonition refers to those heretics who are commanded to weep over their nearby house, as the adversary, the devil, shall hand them over as punishment, inflicting upon them sufferings instead of an unholy structure— to evoke recognition of their sins and elicit repentance, transforming their sorrow into salvation.
Moreover, this alludes to the Church’s future sorrow for her wayward children and hints at her role in their eventual redemption if they choose to return to their grieving mother. The subsequent words “for calamity came from the Lord upon the gates of Jerusalem” are misappropriated by both the Marcionites and the Manicheans to assert that the God of the Old Testament orchestrates evil. In response, we assert: calamities did indeed arise from the Lord, just as the Saviour stated in the Gospel, “I saw Satan falling from heaven like lightning.”
Just as the dawn fell from the heavens and was cast down to the ground by those sent among the nations, so also the calamities descending upon the gates of Jerusalem were indeed a byproduct of divine will, transforming into calamities not due to their nature but by the fact they were ordained by God. To recognize the slyness of the adversaries, the text notes, “they came to the gates of Jerusalem,” acknowledging that these gates are fortified, established through the apostles entrusted with Jerusalem’s keys; the adversaries rush to these gates, seeking to take down those wishing to exit.
Thus, he who abides in Jerusalem, living righteously within those walls, remains secure, while those outside, seduced by the prideful exaltation of Geth, dwell in Bahima and construct houses of mockery. The calamities soon to descend from the Lord at Jerusalem’s gates will create a cacophony of chariots and riders, bringing devastation through the very words that catch those attempting to escape. Next, it is stated regarding Lachish that she embodies “the beginning of the sin of the daughter of Zion.” Lachish means “way” or “path.”
These remnants launched into chariots and sought steeds, crafting an uproar that the righteous within their cities shall proclaim: “These trust in chariots, and these in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.” For they have chosen to follow every wind of misleading doctrine, distancing themselves from the Church, which signifies the epitome of truth— Zion— and hence have sown the seeds of sin. Likewise, the reputation of Lachish reflects the corrupt practices that have led to Israel’s separation from the established kingdom of God. The residents of Lachish represent the epitome of sin’s beginnings while embodying a lifestyle that constantly vacillates between wickedness.
The spies will search for evidence even to inheritance in Geth, that infamous place symbolizing the very essence of poison, raised against the house of God—a false sanctuary of mockery. These empty edifices were of no service to Israel’s rulers, defined historically by the offenses outlined in the accounts of Kings and Chronicles, as well as sacramentally regarding the leaders of heretical teachings. These constructs of vanity shall endure only until the true inheritors established by God arise to claim their destiny.
THEOSIS