It declares, 'They coveted the fields, and seized them by violence'; it adds, 'They coveted the houses, and plundered those they desired, and not only did they slander their spouses and households, but also their innocent children; they ravaged them with cruel greed. Therefore, because of your actions, and having devised what is futile, I, the Lord, will devise calamity upon this generation. This will not be perceived as evil by me, but it will appear so to those who endure it, as it will weigh upon you heavily, rendering you unable to stand upright or walk as proud individuals, you to whom the time of captivity has come. At that moment, or soon after, they will speak of you in a parable, and your miseries will become the theme of a lament, 'By destruction we are desolate to the end, the heritage of my people.' My temple, He professes, which I have exalted above all among the nations—this temple shall be laid waste. How can the Assyrian distance himself from me, when he returns to partition my land? Thus, O people of Israel, upon whom I plan misfortune, you shall not partake in the inheritance of the upright. Yet even in the depths of anguish during captivity, it will be evident that all this befell you as a consequence of having crucified the Lord, as the Seventy render it. For the glory of Israel has been stripped, mourning for children that once were cherished; but were anything to restore its glory, it would be cut short again by further shaming and humiliation. Their thoughts turned to toil, and their slumbering minds brought forth labor; everything they did was undone once the light of Christ shone forth and judgment arrived. They recognized that Israel triumphed when Moses held his hands aloft to the Lord and was subdued when he lowered them, yet they did not lift their hands to God. Instead, they committed myriad injustices against the needy and the people of God, coveting fields and robbing widows, destroying husbands, wives, and children. Thus the Lord has plotted calamities for this tribe—not for all twelve tribes, but for a single tribe steeped in corruption and sins—causing their heads to remain bowed and unable to rise. Even now, they live under Roman dominion, burdened by captivation, unable to rise up. The term ἐξαίφνης, which means ‘suddenly’, does not appear in the Hebrew texts, yet we shall state, Therefore, says the Lord, Behold, I plan sudden calamities upon this tribe, such that they cannot lift themselves upright, nor stand, for the time is evil. Just as they have done wrong against the Lord Jesus, they shall endure continuous captivity, falling into despair, their songs transformed into wails. What they shall utter is nothing but, ‘We have become exceedingly wretched.’ The promised land, originally distributed by lot across the Jordan to the two and a half tribes according to the measure established by Moses, and later allocated to the remaining tribes by Joshua, is now fragmented among foreign nations as the Romans divide it among themselves, and none can halt their conquest over all peoples; among the Jews, none possess the ancient land with the freedom once prevalent.
If we prefer to interpret this in a spiritual sense, viewing this discussion in light of the human soul, which through Adam's fall from Paradise has become ensnared in worldly captivity, we can perceive that all our thoughts are labors and grief, our beds are too often filled with wickedness, and the most evident light is intertwined with darkness; whatever we contemplate at night, we explore in darkness. Indeed, who among us raises holy hands to God without anger or doubt? Who among us does not yearn for the material possessions of this age, neglecting the treasures of Paradise? Do you not witness how some attach fields to fields and parcels to parcels, never satisfied with the meager belongings of the earthly body? Thus, the Lord intends calamities upon us, from which we too will be unable to rise and walk uprightly, for the times are dire, in accordance with John's assertion, 'The world lies in evil' (1 John 5:19). This is mirrored in the Gospel by the parable of the daughter of Abraham, the noble soul, whom Satan has bound. Only upon the arrival of the Lord can she rise to her true stature to behold her Creator. Therefore, the Saviour proclaimed, ‘This... daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has held captive, should she not be released from these bonds on the Sabbath day?’ (Lk. 13:16). Therefore, since all your glory has been obscured, and we have enhanced our state of shame, those will arise who, like Jeremiah, will mourn for us, making a parable of our state, echoing the Apostle’s words, ‘I will mourn for many who have sinned previously and have not repented’ (2 Cor. 12:21). Indeed, who would not weep when they see that the souls of humanity are shackled by myriad vices and demonic influences, akin to household goods? One demon measures fornication, another avarice; each prescribes humanity’s murders, this one promotes perjury: a portion of God’s people is divided by these vices, and the lands that were once holy and paradisiacal, fragrant to Isaac from Jacob (Gen. 27:27), have been surrendered to the Assyrians and the king of Babylon; while the foxes possess their dens and the birds of the air their nests, the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head (Matt. 8:20).
To the best of my ability, I have also delineated the first captivity at the hands of the Assyrians and Babylonians, the second through Roman oppression, and the third spiritual captivity into which we all fell with Adam's transgression, in which we now find ourselves ensnared. From this captivity, the Lord, upon His arrival, will elevate those who are marginalized and free those who are bound (Psalm 144:14), turning captives of the enemy into His domain, fulfilling the psalmist’s declaration: ‘He who ascended on high has taken captivity captive’ (Psalms 67:19). In this framework, one could consider a fourth captivity concerning the Church, from which each soul departs through sin, and from whose restoration—symbolized by Ezra, meaning ‘the helper’, that is, the Word of God—comes a return to Jerusalem (1 Ezra 7: 6-7). However, should anyone, deep in the Word of the Lord day and night, possess the diligence, natural ability, leisure, and grace to enrich this discourse with more fitting truths concerning this passage, I harbor no envy nor disdain; for I cherish the opportunity to learn from what I do not yet know, willingly acknowledging myself as his disciple, eager to listen, but never to scorn. For there is nothing easier than for those who are idle and in love with sleep to challenge the merit of the labors and attentiveness of others.
THEOSIS