The Hebrew scriptures significantly differ from the LXX translation in multiple ways, and the challenges present in both versions are such that the necessity of the Holy Spirit's guidance in interpreting the Scriptures is paramount. Now more than ever, we seek His illumination to disclose the messages conveyed by the prophets. The prophet once assured, “Open thy mouth, and I will fill it.” Geth, mentioned in the historical accounts of Kings, is one of the five cities of Palestine located near Judah’s boundary along the route from Eleutheropolis to Gaza; even today, it stands as a large settlement. Goliath, the warrior from Gath whom David defeated, originated from this place. If the prophet, that is, the Lord through the prophet, lamented, saying: “I will weep and wail; I will walk about, robed and naked; I will howl like dragons, and cry like owls, because the plague of Samaria is incurable and has reached Judah, touching even the gates of my people, Jerusalem,” I begin with the weeping lament: “Do not declare in Geth,” lest adversaries hear and rejoice; do not shed tears, lest your sorrow turn into loud lamentation. Conceal your grief, lest it be welcomed by your foes, and let your face be concealed in tears, even as your heart bears deep distress; do not venture out, but instead retreat to the house of dust and cover yourself with the ashes of your desolation. Depart, or let the people of Saphir, which means "beauty" in both Syriac and Hebrew, depart from you. Indeed, Samaria lies in the most splendid and fertile region of Judea, a fact still evident today. Hence, it is proclaimed: "O inhabitant of the most fertile land, since you are shrouded in disgrace, flee, so that they may not take you captive, lest some foreigner, seeing your afflictions, hears your wails." The subsequent phrase regarding “the inhabitants of Sennan have not gone forth,” alluding to a departure, or as rendered by Simmachus, “the abundant population has not departed,” pertains to Samaria, which stood at the very threshold of the Assyrian captivity, soon forced out of its territory and into enemy lands. The term “abundant” should have the same understanding as “beautiful,” as previously detailed.
Thus, it was not voluntarily that the inhabitants, whether those in exodus or those bountiful in number, were led forth; rather, they were seized by force into the heart of the Assyrians. The neighboring kingdom—often interpreted as Azel—namely Judah, though it remained intact following the capture of Samaria and with God as its protector, still endured sorrow from you. The residents of Maroth, also known as Ramoth, who were weak in their piety and overwhelmed by terror—essentially, a “population increased in sorrows,” or as Simmachus puts it, “a populace that heaps sorrows upon itself” due to the capture of the adjacent tribes—experienced tragedy as the Lord’s judgment came upon the gates of Jerusalem. At the moment, the Assyrians, after conquering Samaria, advanced towards Jerusalem during the siege of Rapsaces, whose details unfold further in the Fourth Book of Kings and in Isaiah's prophecies. It narrates that the king of Assyria dispatched forces from Lachish to Jerusalem and subsequently advanced to besiege Lobna.
O Lachish, city surrendered to idols, the horsemen of Assyria shall also come upon you, for within you reside the iniquities of Israel, and you have initiated the idolatry of Judah; through you, like a gateway, the wickedness of the ten tribes infiltrated Jerusalem. But chaos and horsemen shall spread not only through Lachish but also in Geth, the principal city of Palestine, of which I previously spoke, “Do not boast in Geth,” for the Assyrian will send his plunderers, whom he refers to as spies, seizing the abode of idol worship and the city of deceit that has been placed under the reign of Israel's kings.
The succeeding declaration, “And I will bring an heir to you who dwell in Mareshah,” aligns perfectly with the name of the city, for Mareshah means "heritage." The enemy invasion against it is termed heirs; extending even to Odollam, a city of Judah, which signifies “the heritage,” glorious amidst the cities of Israel. Simmachus translates it thus: “I will yet bring an heir to you who dwells in Mareshah, and even unto Odollam shall the glory of Israel reach.” This indicates that the captivity of Israel, extending to Lachish, Geth, and Mareshah, shall even encompass Odollam, emphasizing the implication of the term “the glories of Israel” to convey both its magnitude and all its disgrace.
Thus, I invite the reader to acknowledge the interpretation we previously offered regarding the prophet Morasfi's native land, standing as heritage, appearing again in the aforementioned verse: “therefore he shall send spies over the inheritance of Geth”; the Hebrew text indicates “maraseth geth,” referring to the same heritage. Until now, we have navigated as far as we could through the gravest and perilous passages, relying on the Hebrew text and our comprehension of the Jewish traditions; whether we have come to the port or continue to drift upon the vast sea will be for the reader to decide.
Now, with the aid of your prayers, let us proceed along the other path, striving to evade every potential shipwreck in this exploration of interpretation. Geth is understood as a place where grapes are crushed; thus, those who inhabit Geth, a location of grape pressing, may erroneously believe they have harvested the fruits of life and trampled the vines in the vineyard of Sorek, only to mistakenly exalt themselves, oblivious that the grapevines of Judah are no longer contained within the dominion of the foreigners. Do not take pride, He warns those dwelling in grape-pressing territories, for your vineyard is sourced from Sodom and your produce from Gomorrah; your grapes are steeped in bitterness and as gall; your wine, filled with the wrath of dragons and the rabid bite of asps. Therefore, even if you produce fruit, with grapes not only from Sodom and Gomorrah but from Egypt and other hostile tribes, the Lord shall surely deliver your produce to rust, your labor to locusts, your vineyards to hail, and your mulberry trees to ice.
Allow not the deceptive facade of wine to mislead you; do not label bitter as sweet; fully taste your wine, and you will discover that instead of the wine of Sorek, you harbor the furious poison of dragons. For this reason, do not take pride; rather, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of the Lord and turn to the true winepress, the one from which He who emerges from Edom, stained red from Bosra, declares through Isaiah: “I have trodden the winepress alone, and among the nations no one was with me.”
Moreover, regarding the outsiders among the nations—who have many cities and provinces, yet entice with wickedness and rebellion against God—claiming “we are defeated, but we shall restore what has been destroyed,” the prophet specifies the boundaries of iniquity and the wrath of God against them: “Those who dwell in Bahim shall not make their houses targets of mockery.” Bahim in our language signifies lamentation, and all, save for the LXX, translate this as mourning. Therefore, oh you who give yourselves to deeds and thoughts deserving sorrow, do not reconstruct the dwelling of the wicked; do not mistake the works of your mind for divine action; do not build upon shifting sands, lest your fragile structure collapses at the storm’s onset, rendering your futile efforts a spectacle for mockers.
How much better it would be, realizing the folly of your construction, to cover your head with dust and ashes as a penitent, regretting your reckless ambition to construct a house destined to fall. Next follows: “she who dwells securely in her cities shall not outlast her who resides in Sennan.” These words seem to imply: “O arrogant ones of Cephas and Bahima, your attempts to erect a home deserving ridicule are futile; cover yourselves with ashes and repent, recognizing your pursuit of vile wine and the construction of a house against God.”
However, the Church of Christ, which thrives in her territories and spans the globe, is united by the Spirit. She is fortified by the law, the prophets, the gospel, and the apostles; she remains steadfast within her bounds, clinging to the Holy Scriptures. She is enriched by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the source of all spiritual gifts and virtues. Thus it is said concerning her: “Let there be peace in your strongholds, and abundance within your towers.” But you, heretics residing near Sennan, the bountiful church, you, whose doctrines stand erroneous, weep for yourselves, having constructed a house of mockery, proudly crushing grapes; having built your abode not on the Scriptures but rather an imitation, deserving not of joyous laughter, but of lamentation and tears.
Hence the word of mourning: “Weep over the house that is close to her,” i.e., Sennan; and that added phrase, “will receive from you the plagues of affliction,” pertains to those heretics commanded to lament over the neighboring house of the church, for the enemy and avenger, the devil, to whom they shall be delivered as a form of punishment, will inflict upon them plagues, replacing their unholy structure with the pains of their afflictions. These trials shall serve to make them recognize their transgressions and incite repentance, transforming the house of calamity into a source of blessing for them.
Alternatively, this may signify the grief of the church, which shall one day mourn for its children, becoming the agent of salvation for the heretics willing to return to their sorrowing mother. The verse that follows, “for calamity came from the Lord upon the gates of Jerusalem,” is often misinterpreted by both Marionites and Manichaeans as implying that the God of the Old Testament orchestrates evil. We assert otherwise: calamities descended from the Lord, akin to the Savior stating in the Gospel, “I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning.”
Just as there fell from heaven a dawn breaking in the morning light and was cast to the earth by the One sent to the nations—so the calamities that originated from the Lord and approached the gates of Jerusalem were not intended as calamities; rather they became calamities because they came from God. Recognizing the schemes of the adversaries, it was declared: “they came to the gates of Jerusalem,” which are strongly fortified, as if crafted from diamond, secured by the apostles, to whom the keys of Jerusalem were appointed. The enemies rush toward the gates, threatening those desiring to escape. A true inhabitant of Jerusalem, who lives within its secure boundaries, does not venture out, for he resides in abundance, staying within, understanding that whoever departs from there will meet their demise at the hands of those boasting in Geth, dwelling in Bahima, and constructing mockeries.
Consequently, the calamities dispatched from the Lord to the gates of Jerusalem shall cause such uproar through chariots and horsemen, producing such turmoil that they will terrify those seen fleeing. Following this, it is remarked regarding “the inhabitant of Lachish,” who represents “the origin of the sin of the daughter of Zion.” Lachish translates to “the path or journey”; thus, these individuals, mounting chariots and acquiring horses, create alarming disturbances; and she who dwells securely within her cities shall declare, “Behold, these ride on chariots and those on horses; yet we shall invoke the name of the Lord our God.” Since they have lifted their feet, swept away by every gust of false doctrine, they yearn to flee from the Church, symbolic of height and Zion, thus becoming the source of sin for the daughter of Zion. Likewise, wickedness found its way into the Romans, much like that of Israel, which estranged the people from God’s former dominion.
THEOSIS