§15«Πᾶς ἀπερίτμητος οὐκ ἕδεται ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ. » Πᾶν γέννημα ψυχῆς νοητὸν ὑπερβαῖνον τὰ ὑλικὰ (ὑλικὰ δὲ τὰ θήλεα) περιτέμνειν καὶ καθαίρειν δεῖ, ἵνα οὕτως μεταλαμβάνῃ τις τῶν κρεῶν τοῦ Πάσχα· ὡς αὐτόχθων δὲ τῆς γῆς, καὶ ὁ προσήλυτος γίνεται· οὐ γὰρ τὰ σπέρματα προτιμᾷ ὁ Θεὸς τὰ εὐγενῆ, ἀλλὰ προαίρεσιν ἀποδέχεται.
«No uncircumcised person shall eat of it.» Every intellectual offspring of the soul that transcends material things (and material things are the feminine) must be circumcised and purified, so that in this way one may partake of the flesh of the Passover; and the proselyte becomes like a native of the land; for God does not prefer noble lineages, but accepts free choice.
§16Τοῦ αὐτοῦ.
By the same author.
Ἀπερίτμητον τῇ σαρκὶ τὸν μὴ περιτεμνόμενον τὰ σαρκικά φησιν, ὥσπερ καὶ ἀπερίτμητον ὀφθαλμοῖς τὸν βλέποντα πρὸς ἃ μὴ δεῖ.
He says that the one who is uncircumcised in the flesh is the one who does not circumcise fleshly things, just as the one who looks at what is not proper is uncircumcised in the eyes.
Τοῦ αὐτοῦ.
By the same author.
Ὁρᾶτε μή τις ὑμῶν ἀπερίτμητός ἐστι τῇ καρδίᾳ μήτις οὐ περιτέτμηται τὰς περιτομὰς ἃς ὁ λόγος διδάσκει περιτέμνεσθαι.
See to it that none of you is uncircumcised in heart, and that no one has not been circumcised with the circumcisions which the word (logos) teaches us to be circumcised with.
Ποίας δὲ ταύτας;
And what kind of circumcisions are these?
ἀπερίτμητοι τὰ ὦτα ὀνειδίζονταί τινες ὄντες· καὶ ὅσοι οὐ περιτέτμηνται τὴν ἀκοὴν, ἀκάθαρτοί εἰσιν.
Some are reproached for being uncircumcised in their ears; and as many as are not circumcised in hearing are unclean.
Ἀπερίτμητος χείλεσιν, ὁ μὴ περιτεμνόμενος τοὺς λόγους τοὺς ἐναντίους καὶ ἀκαθάρτους.
Uncircumcised in lips is the one who does not circumcise contrary and unclean words.
Οὕτως ἔστι καὶ ἀπερίτμητον τῇ σαρκὶ εἰπεῖν, τὸν μὴ περιτεμνόμενον τὰ σαρκικὰ πράγματα· καὶ ἀπερίτμητον ὀφθαλμοῖς, τὸν βλέποντα ἃ μὴ δεἴ, καὶ μὴ καθαίροντα τὸ ὁρατικόν· καὶ ἀπερίτμητον σαρκὶ, τὸν πράττοντα ἃ μὴ δεῖ.
Thus it is also possible to call 'uncircumcised in flesh' the one who does not circumcise fleshly matters; and 'uncircumcised in eyes' the one who looks at what is not proper and does not purify his sight; and 'uncircumcised in flesh' the one who practices what is not proper.
§17« Ἐξάραντες δὲ οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ ἐκ Σοκχὼθ, ἐστρατοπέδευσαν ἐν Ὀθὼμ παρὰ τὴν ἔρημον. » Ἐν τοῖς Ἀριθμοῖς κεῖται, « ἀπὸ Βουθὰ ἐπὶ στόμα Ἰρώθ· δ ἐστιν ἀπέναντι Bεελσεπρὼν ἐχόμενα τοῦ Βοῤῥᾶ, » παρεμβεβληκέναι τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραήλ. §18« Καὶ ἔλαβε ἑξακόσια ἅρματα ἐκλεκτὰ, καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν ἵππον τῶν Aἰγυπτίων,καὶ τριστάτας ἐπὶ πάντων. » Τοὺς πρὸς τρεῖς δυναμένους μάχεσθαι, ἢ τοὺς ἐν τῇ παρατάξειμετὰ τὸν πρωτοστάτην καὶ τὸν δευτεροστάτην ἱσταμένους ἐν τῇ τρίτῃ τάξει.
«And the children of Israel set out from Succoth, and encamped in Etham near the wilderness.» In Numbers it is written that the children of Israel encamped "from Butha to the mouth of Iroth, which is opposite Baal-zephon, adjacent to the north." «And he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the cavalry of the Egyptians, and tristatai over them all.» Those who are able to fight against three, or those who stand in the third rank in the battle array, after the first-ranker and the second-ranker.
Ἄλλοι δέ φασιν, ὡς εἰς τὰς χεῖρας τῶν πολεμίων ἅρματα ἐποίουν μεγάλα, ὥστε καὶ τρεῖς χωρεῖν, ἵνα ὁ μὲν εἷς ἡνιοχεῖ, οἱ δὲ δύο πολεμοῦσιν· ἢ τοὺς ἐπὶ τριῶν ἵππων βεβηκότας.
And others say that they made chariots large for the hands of the enemies, so that even three could fit, so that one drove while the other two fought; or those who rode upon three horses.
Οἱ γὰρ παλαιοὶ ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις ἐπὶ δύο ἢ τριῶν ἵππων ἐπωχοῦντο ἐξιόντες ἁρματηλάται.
For the ancients, when going out to wars as charioteers, rode upon two or three horses.
Ἤ τριστάτην λέγει τὸν ἐν τῷ καθέζεσθαι τὸν βασιλέα, τρίτον ἱστάμενον, ἤτοι τρίτην ἔχοντα καθέδραν· οἷος ἦν ὁ Δαυΐδ παρὰ Σαοὺλ, ὡς ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ τῶν Βασιλειῶν εὑρήσεις.
Or by 'tristates' it means the one who stands third when the king is seated, that is, having the third seat; such as David was with Saul, as you will find in the First book of Kingdoms.
§19« Ἐκεῖ ἔθετο αὐτῷ ὁ Θεὸς δικαιώματα καὶ κρίσεις, καὶ ἐκεῖ αὐτὸν ἐπείρασε. » Ὅτε Θεὸς πειράζει, ἐπʼ ὠφελείᾳ πειράζει, οὐκ ἐπὶ τῷ κακοποιῆσαι· διὸ καὶ ἐλέχθη, ὅτι Ὁ Θεὸς ἀπείραστός ἐστι κακῶν, » ὡς καὶ μετʼ ὀλίγα ἐπάγει ὁ λόγος· « Ἐὰν ἀκοῇ ἀκούσῃς Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ σου, πᾶσαν νόσον, ἥν ἐπήγαγον τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις, οὐκ ἐπάξω ἐπὶ σέ. » Ὁ οὖν φέρων τοὺς πειρασμοὺς γενναίως, στεφανοῦται.
«There God set for him ordinances and judgments, and there He tested him.» When God tests, He tests for benefit, not for doing harm; therefore it was also said: 'God cannot be tempted by evil,' as the word also adds after a little: 'If you will diligently listen to the Lord your God, every disease which I brought upon the Egyptians, I will not bring upon you.' The one, therefore, who bears temptations nobly is crowned.
Ἄλλο δέ ἐστιν ἐπὶ τοῦ διαβόλου· ἐκεῖνος γὰρ πειράζει, ἵνα τοὺς πειθομένους αὐτῷ θανατώσῃ· καὶ ὁ μὲν Θεὸς πειράζει οὐκ ἀγνοῶν τὸ ἐσόμενον, πλὴν διδοὺς τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ πράττειν ὃ θέλει διὰ τὸ αὐτεξούσιον.
But it is different in the case of the devil; for he tests in order to put to death those who obey him; and God indeed tests, not being ignorant of what will happen, but giving to man to do what he wishes on account of free will.
§20« Τοῦτο τὸ ῥῆμα ὃ ἐλάλησε Κύριος· Σάββατα, ἀνάπαυσις ἁγία τῷ Κυρίῳ αὕριον. » Ἀπογράφομαι τὰ περὶ τοῦ σαββάτου εἰρημένα· πρῶτον κατὰ τὸ ῥητὸν, ἵνʼ ἴδωσι τί σημαίνει τὸ γράμμα· δεύτερον δὲ κατὰ τὴν ἀναγωγὴν, καθʼ ἣν εἴποιμι ἂν ἡμέραν σαββάτου ἐνεστηκέναι τῷ δικαίῳ καταλύσαντι τὰ τοῦ κόσμου ἔργα. καὶ δοξάζοντι τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ σχολάζοντι, μήτε τοῦ τόπου ἐν ᾧ ἔστηκε τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἀφισταμένῳ· μήτε πῦρ καίοντι, κατὰ τὸ μηδὲν ἁμαρτάνειν· μήτε βαστάγματα αἵροντι.
«This is the word which the Lord spoke: Tomorrow is the Sabbath, a holy rest to the Lord.» I write down what has been said concerning the Sabbath; first according to the literal sense, so that they may see what the letter means; and second according to the anagoge, according to which I would say that the day of the Sabbath has arrived for the righteous person who has ceased from the works of the world, and who glorifies God, and rests, neither departing from the place of Christ in which he stands, nor burning fire, according to the principle of committing no sin, nor lifting burdens.
Βάσταγμα ὅρους βαρύτερον πᾶσα ἁμαρτία· διὸ ἔλεγεν ὁ ῾ Υμνῳδὸς· « Ὡσεὶ φορτίον βαρὺ ἐβαρύνθησαν ἐπʼ ἐμέ. » Ἑτέρα δὲ ἀπογραφὴ ἂν εἴη σαββάτου, καθʼ ἥν « ἀπολείπεται σαββατισμὸς τῷ λαῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ, » ἀνάπαυσις ἱερὰ καὶ ἁγία.
Every sin is a burden heavier than a mountain; therefore the Psalmist said: 'Like a heavy burden they weighed heavily upon me.' And there would be another interpretation of the Sabbath, according to which 'there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God,' a sacred and holy rest.
Ὁ δὲ ποιήσας πάντα τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ, ἄξιος κρίνεται ἐκείνου τοῦ σαββάτου· σχολάζων οὐδενὶ ἢ τῇ θεωρίᾳ τῆς ἀληθείας, καὶ τῆς σοφίας.
And the one who has done all his works is judged worthy of that Sabbath, resting from nothing other than the contemplation of truth and wisdom.
Ταῦτα δὲ διὰ τὸ μεμνῆσθαι ἐνταῦθα τὸν Μωυσέα περὶ τοῦ σαββατίζειν, παρεθέμεθα.
And we have set forth these things because Moses here mentions keeping the Sabbath.
§21« Καὶ πατάξεις τὴν πέτραν, καὶ ἐξελεύσεται ἐξ αὐτῆς ὕδωρ. » Πέτρᾳ παρεικάζεται ὁ Χριστὸς διὰ τὸ ἄσειστον καὶ ἀκλόνητον.
«And you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it.» Christ is compared to a rock because of His unshakeable and immovable nature.
Ἐρήρεισται γὰρ ἐν τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς ἡ θεία τε καὶ ὑπερτάτη φύσις.
For the divine and supreme nature is firmly established in good things.