The beginning of his words is foolishness, and the end of his mouth is the worst error. And a fool multiplies words. A man does not know what has been done, and what will come after him, who will declare it to him? Still, there is a debate about the fool, whose lips bring down the wise, or according to another interpretation, make the fool himself fall. For the beginning of his speech is foolishness, and the end is the worst error; or as Symmachus translated, turmoil and a certain inconsistency of words; while he does not remain in the meaning, but thinks that he can escape sin in the multiplication of words. For when he does not remember the past, nor know the future, and is carried about in ignorance and darkness, promising himself false knowledge; in this he believes himself to be learned, in this he believes himself to be wise, if he multiplies words. This can also be applied to heretics, who do not understand the sayings of prudent men; but, preparing themselves for contradictory disputes, they mingle the beginning and end of speech with frivolity, noise, and error: and when they know nothing, they speak more than they know.
The toil of fools afflicts those who do not know how to go to the city. Also, join these previous verses: either generally about all fools who are ignorant of God, or specifically about heretics. Read Plato; examine the cleverness of Aristotle, look closely at Zeno and Carneades, and you will prove that what is said is true: The toil of fools afflicts them. Indeed, they searched for truth with all their efforts; but because they did not have a guide and a path, and they believed that they could comprehend wisdom with human senses, they did not reach the city at all, of which it is said in the psalm: O Lord, in your city you will disperse their image (Psalm 73:20). For the Lord will scatter all the shadows and various images and personas that they have taken on in their various doctrines. Concerning this, it is written elsewhere: The rushing of the river brings joy to the city of God (Psalm 46:5). And in the Gospel: A city set on a hill cannot be hidden (Matthew 5:14). And in Isaiah: I am a strong city, a city that is under attack (Isaiah 27:30, LXX). Indeed, all the wise of the world and the heretics strive to attack this city of truth and wisdom, even though it is strong and robust. And what we said about philosophers, the same must be thought about heretics, who labor and afflict themselves in the study of the Scriptures in vain, since they wander in the desert and are unable to find the city. About their error the psalmist also speaks, saying: 'They have wandered in the desert, in a place without water; they have not found the way to the city and its habitation.' (Psalm 106:4).
Woe to you, land, whose young king and leaders devour in the morning. Blessed is the land, whose king, your son, feasts with nobles in due season, in strength and not in confusion. It seems indeed to condemn the rule of the young and to condemn the extravagant judges, that in some the wisdom of age is weak, and in others even mature age is weakened by pleasures. And on the contrary, it approves a prince of good character and a liberal education, and it proclaims judges who by no means put pleasure before the affairs of the citizens, but after much toil and the administration of the state, they are compelled to take food as if by necessity. But what seems more sacred to me is hidden in the letter, that young people are called in Scripture, who depart from the ancient authority and despise the hoary precepts of their parents: who, neglecting God's commandment, desire to establish the traditions of men. Concerning whom, in Isaiah (Chapter VIII), the Lord of Israel threatens, because he did not want the water of Siloam, which flows gently, and he turned away the ancient pool, choosing for himself the streams of Samaria and the torrents of Damascus. And I will give, saith he, their princes in youth: and their wise men shall rule over them (Isaiah 3:4). Read Daniel, and you will find the God of ancient days (Daniel 7). Read the Apocalypse of John, and you will find the head of the Savior white as snow, and his hair white as wool (Revelation 1). Also, Jeremiah, because he was wise, and his grey hairs were considered as wisdom, is forbidden to say that he is young (Jeremiah 1). Woe to the land whose king is the devil, who is always eager for new things and even rebels against his parent in Abessalon: which has judges and rulers who love the pleasures of this world, who say before the day of death comes: Let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we shall die (Isaiah 22:13). Behold the blessed land of the Church, whose king is Christ the Son of the nobles: descending from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as well as the lineage of prophets and all the saints, to whom sin did not have dominion; and therefore they were truly free. From them was born the Virgin Mary, more free, having no root, no offspring from her side: but all her fruit blossomed, speaking in the Song of Songs: I am the flower of the field, and the lily of the valleys. The princes also include the Apostles and all the saints, who have the king as their son, born of free women, not of the slave Hagar, but of the freedom of Sarah. They do not eat in the morning, nor quickly. For they do not seek pleasure in the present age, but they will eat in their own time when the time of retribution comes, and they will eat in strength, and not in confusion. Every good of the present age is confusion, the future is perpetual strength. This is what is said in Isaiah: Behold, my servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry: and again, behold, my servants shall rejoice, but you shall be put to shame.
In laziness, the building will be humbled, and in the weakness of our hands, the house will drip. Our house, which was built with the stature of man, and the dwelling we have in the heavens, if we are lazy and slow to good works, will be humbled. And every building that should bear the summit aloft, falling to the ground, will oppress its inhabitant. And when the help of our hands and virtues is numb, all the storms from above rush down upon us like a whirlwind of rain. Furthermore, what we have interpreted in one man can be better applied to the Church: that through the negligence of its leaders, all of its greatness collapses, and there vices may be found where virtues were thought to exist.
For they make bread and wine with laughter, so that the living may feast. And they obey silver in all things. I think that what follows depends on what has come before. For in laziness and in the negligence of the magisters, the Church is humiliated, and its highest point is brought down, and its beams are washed away, as we have explained above. Now, therefore, he speaks about these same magisters. And because it had been seen that he was accusing them, why they were silent and did not use the office of magisters, and the bishops and presbyters who were established in the Church did not labor in speech and teaching, as Titus is admonished to do (Titus 1:5), and Timothy is instructed not to neglect the grace which he had received by the laying on of hands: and also that they should value the presbyters and bishops in that they receive what is beneficial and seek double honor for those who labor in teaching and speech (1 Timothy 4:14); now, on the contrary, he accuses those who speak indeed in the Church and teach the people, but they teach those things which please the people to hear, that they may touch sinners in vice and stir up the noise of the listeners. Surely, when in the Church prayer (or speaker), and promises of blessedness, and the kingdoms of heaven to the multitude, it seems to you to make bread in laughter, and mix wine for the joy of the living? Whether it be that those who teach, acquire riches, and food, and wealth through pleasing promises: or that they make the bread of the Church, which is the bread of mourners and not of those who laugh (for blessed are those who mourn, for they themselves will laugh), in joy and rejoicing. But that which follows: everything obeys money or silver, is to be understood in two ways. Either that the doctors, once enriched by flattery, exercise dominion over the people: or certainly, because silver is always accepted in place of speech: For the words of the Lord are pure words: silver refined by fire, purified sevenfold. (Ps. II, 7): this confirms that the common people readily yield to eloquence and speech, which is composed of the foliage of words. Otherwise: Those who have a spouse with them, and therefore are prohibited from mourning and fasting, make bread with laughter. From this laughter, both Isaac received his name and they prepare the wine for those drinking in joy. Therefore, every holy man, who, as Christ commanded, is the teacher of the Church, makes bread with laughter and serves cups of wine in joy. Moreover, the money, to which all things obey, are the five talents from the Gospel, and the two, and one, which are given to the head of the household, and the ten minas, which are entrusted to the servants in business (Matt. XXV, 15. et seqq).
In your mind, do not curse the king, and in the secrecy of your bedroom, do not curse the rich, for the bird of the sky will carry the message, and with wings, it will proclaim the word. And a simple instruction builds those who listen: let us not be overcome by anger and fury, to burst into curses and slander against kings and princes, for sometimes it happens against all expectation that those to whom we have cursed are informed, and we incur the danger of immoderate speech. But when he says, 'The bird of the sky will take away the voice, and having wings will proclaim the word,' it is to be understood hyperbolically, just as we often say that even the walls, to which we speak knowingly, will not conceal what they have heard. But it is better to hear this precept in such a way that we know it is a commandment for us: not only should we speak nothing rashly against Christ, but even in the secret depths of our hearts, though we may be weighed down by various tribulations, we should think nothing blasphemous or impious. And because we show love to Christ, we also owe it to our neighbor: For you shall love the Lord your God, and your neighbor as yourself, we are also commanded, so that we may not easily detract from the saints after the king: and that we may not harm those whom we see to be enriched with wisdom, knowledge, and virtues with the sharpness of our tongues: for the angels who go around the earth and are the administrators of spirits, speak in Zechariah: We have gone around the earth, and behold all the earth is inhabited, and silent (Zechariah 1:11): like birds, let our words and thoughts be carried to heaven: and let what we secretly think not escape the knowledge of God.
(Chap. XI.)
(Chapter XI) Send your bread upon the face of the water: for in the multitude of days you will find it. He encourages almsgiving because it should be given to everyone who asks and done discreetly. For just as the one who sows Beside the waters expects the fruit of the seed to come, so the one who gives to the needy does not sow a grain of seed, but himself sows bread, expecting a certain interest to be multiplied. And when the day of judgment comes, he will receive much more than he had given (or found). Otherwise: in whomever you see that water, of which it is said: Rivers of living water will flow from his belly (John 7:38), do not hesitate to provide the bread of wisdom, the reasonable bread, the bread of discourse. For if you do this frequently, you will find that you have not sown the seed of teachings in vain. I think something similar is said in Isaiah: Blessed is he who sows upon the water, where the ox and the donkey tread (Isaiah 32:20). That teacher is considered worthy of blessedness who sows upon the receptive hearts of the listeners, gathered from both the Jewish and the Gentile people.
Give a part (Al. parts) of seven, and indeed eight: because you do not know what evil may come upon the earth. And in Ezekiel, seven and eight steps are read for the ascent to the temple (Ezek. 40:26, 31). And after that ethical psalm, that is, the one hundred and eighty-fifth, fifteen steps of the psalm are counted, by which we are first instructed in the law, and when the number seven is completed, then we ascend to the Gospel by the number eight. Therefore, it is commanded that we believe with equal veneration in both instruments, namely the old and the new. The Jews accepted seven parts, believing in the Sabbath; but they did not accept eight parts, denying the resurrection of the Lord's day. On the contrary, heretics such as Marcion and Manichaeus, and all who tear apart the old Law with rabid mouth, accept eight parts, embracing the Gospel; but they do not attribute the same number to the sevenfold, rejecting the old Law. Therefore, let us believe in both Testaments. For we cannot understand worthy torments and a worthy punishment with our minds now, which are set aside for those who dwell on the earth, both for the Jews and for the heretics, one of whom denies one of the two. The Hebrews understand this place in the following way: Observe both the Sabbath and circumcision, lest if you should perhaps not do this, an unexpected evil come upon you.
If the clouds become full, they will pour rain upon the earth. And if a tree falls to the south or to the north: where it falls, there it will be. Keep the commandments that have been given to you above, so that the clouds may pour their rain upon you. For wherever you have prepared a place for yourself and a future dwelling, whether to the south or to the north: there, when you have died, you will remain. Otherwise: Therefore, we have said above: Send your bread upon the face of the water, and give to everyone who asks of you: for when the clouds are full, they bestow their riches upon mortals, and you, like a tree, even if you are long-lived, will not be forever, but suddenly, as the winds, so overturned by the storms of death, wherever you fall, there you will constantly remain, whether the final time finds you stern and fierce, or kind and merciful. Otherwise: It is said in the Psalms to God: Your truth reaches to the clouds (Psalm 36:6). And in Isaiah, God threatens the sinner of the vineyard: I will command the clouds, so that they do not rain on it (Isaiah 5:6). Therefore, the clouds are the Prophets, and every holy man, who, when he has gathered many disciplines in his heart, then he will be able to make the precepts of teachings rain and to say: Let my speech be awaited like rain, let it pour down on the earth (Deuteronomy 32:2): to which it is said: Let the earth hear the words of my mouth. But what follows: And if a tree falls to the south or to the north: in the place where the tree falls, there it will be: let us take the example of Habakkuk, in which it is written: God will come from Teman (Hab. III, 3), which other interpreters have stated as, God will come from the south. And as far as I can tell, the south is always understood in a positive sense. Hence, in the Song of Songs it is said: Arise, O north wind (Song 4:16), that is, go away, and come, O south wind. Therefore, the wood that falls in this life and is cut by the condition of mortality either sinned before it stood and is placed in the northern part afterwards or if it brought forth worthy fruits from the south, it will lie in the southern region. There is no wood that is not either towards the north or towards the south. This same thing is also signified by that which is written in Isaiah: I will say to the north: Give up, and to the south: Do not withhold (Isaiah 43:6). For the south and east winds never drive ships to their destination, because it is necessary for them to be on other coasts, which are then led to the east and south. Therefore, the north wind brings its inhabitants to the south, and the southwest wind to the east. For they cannot make progress if they persist in their former abodes.
Whoever watches the wind will not sow, and whoever looks at the clouds will not reap. Whoever considers whom to benefit and does not grant himself to everyone who asks often passes by the one who deserves to receive (Luc. VI, 30). Otherwise: Whoever preaches the word of God only at the time when the people willingly listen and the second breath of rumor blows, is a neglectful and lazy sower. For in prosperity itself, while we are ignorant, adversity arises. But at the right time, or at the wrong time, in its own way, the word of God must be preached (2 Timothy 4:2): and the storm of adversities must not be taken into account at the time of faith. Concerning which it is said in Proverbs: Like a violent and useless rain: so those who abandon wisdom and praise wickedness (Proverbs 28:3-4). Therefore, without considering the clouds and fearing the winds, we must sow in the midst of storms. And we must not say: this time is convenient, this one is useless, since we do not know which way and which will is the spirit of the one who orders all things.
How do you not know the way of the spirit, and like the bones in the womb of a pregnant woman, you do not know the works of God, who creates all things? Just as you do not know the path of the spirit and the soul entering into the child, and you are ignorant of the varieties of bones and veins in the womb of a pregnant woman, how from a humble element the body of a man is transformed into various forms and limbs, and from the same seed, one part becomes soft in flesh, another hardens in bones, another throbs in veins, and another is bound in nerves: in the same way, you will not be able to know the works of God, who is the maker of all things. From this, it teaches that the opposite should not be feared, nor should judgment be made rashly about winds and clouds, which we have mentioned above: since the sower should proceed with his own course and path, and leave the outcome of the Lord's sentence. For it is not of the one who wills or the one who runs, but of God who shows mercy (Rom. IX, 16).
In the morning, sow your seed, and in the evening, do not let your hand rest: for you do not know whether this, or that, will please, although both, as one good, is. And it is sweet to see the light, and good for the eyes to behold the sun: for if a man shall live many years, let him rejoice in all these, and remember the days of darkness, for they shall be many. All that comes to pass is vanity. Do not choose to whom you may do good, but even when you have done good, never cease from doing good deeds. May morning find justice, and evening gather the rising mercy of the sun. It is uncertain which work is more pleasing to God, and from which the fruit of justice is prepared for you. However, it may happen that both please God, not just one. Otherwise: Let there be equal effort for you in youth and in old age. Do not say: while I was able, I worked; I must rest in old age. For you do not know whether you please God in your youth or in old age. Frugality in youth is not profitable if old age is spent in luxury. For on whatever day the righteous man may have erred, the ancients cannot free him from death. But if you have always acted well according to both interpretations, and have followed an equal course in every age, you will see God the Father, the most sweet light; you will see Christ, the sun of righteousness. Moreover, if you live for many years and have all good things, or perform good works, and know that you will always die and before your eyes the coming of darkness always turns about: you despise present things as if they were fleeting, fragile, and perishable. Symmachus interpreted the end of this sentence as follows: If a man lives for many years and rejoices in all these things, he must remember the days of darkness: for they will be many, and in all of them it will come to an end. Another: Scripture promises in another place, God saying: I will give you both the former and the later rain (Deut. XI, 14), that is, the old Testament and the new, and with both I will water you by rain. Hence we are now admonished to read the old Law in this way, so that we do not despise the Gospel; to seek spiritual understanding in the old Instrument, so that we do not believe that the only thing that is said in the Gospel, in the Evangelists and the Apostles. For indeed it is ignorance for us in what manner knowledge is attributed to us by God and grace, and for him to be happy, who has shared both in common, and has made them as one body. He who has achieved this will see the light, will see Christ, the sun of justice. And if he lives for many years, he will be in the highest joy and delight, having knowledge of the Scriptures, and will be more compelled to this labor by the remembrance of the future judgment: because a perpetual time of darkness will come, and eternal punishments will be prepared for those who have not sown in the morning and in the evening, and have in no way shared in both: neither have they seen the light, nor the sun, from which the same light proceeds.
(Chap. XII.)
(Chapter 12) Rejoice, young man, in your youth, and let your heart be good in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and in the sight of your eyes. And know this, that God will bring you to judgment above all these things. And remove anger from your heart, and take away malice from your flesh, because youth and foolishness are vanity. And remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of evil come and the years approach in which you will say: I have no pleasure in them. In this chapter, there was an explanation of various things and almost as many opinions as there are people. Because it would be tedious to list all the opinions and explain the arguments by which they wanted to support their opinions, it is enough to indicate to the wise what they thought and, as it were, to paint a brief map of the lands, showing the vastness of the whole world and the extent of the ocean in a small space.
The Hebrews consider it pertinent to the Israelite people's commandment, which instructs them to enjoy their wealth before the time of captivity arrives and to exchange their youth for old age: to indulge in whatever is pleasurable or delightful to the heart and eyes while it is available, but in such a way that they know they will be judged by everyone. They should also flee both evil thoughts and desires, aware that folly is associated with youth. They should always remember their Creator before the days of Babylonian and Roman captivity arrive, when they will not be able to have their own will. And all this place from what he says: Before the sun is darkened, and the moon, and the stars, up to that place where Scripture commemorates: And the dust will return to its earth as it was, and the spirit will return to the Lord who gave it: they explain about the state of their condition. These things, as we have said above, are disjointed and lengthy, so we will touch on them briefly and succinctly. Rejoice therefore in your youth, O Israel, and do those things which have already been mentioned before captivity comes and your honor and glory fade away, and your judges and holy ones (whom they wish to be understood as the sun, moon, and stars) are taken away. Before Nebuchadnezzar comes, or Titus, son of Vespasian, called by the prophets and their prophecies fulfilled. On the day when the angelic guardians of the temple depart, and the strongest warriors in your army are troubled, and the words of the teachers and prophets, who used to receive the light of their visions from the heavens, will grow dim: when the gates of the temple are closed, and Jerusalem is humbled, and the Chaldeans come, provoked by the voices of Jeremiah like the song of a bird (Jeremiah 9), and the daughters of song in the choir of psalmists are silenced in the temple. At that time, when they come to Jerusalem, the enemies of God themselves will fear the greatness, and on the way they will hesitate, they will fear the destruction of Sennacherib. For this is what is said: They will fear the high places and be afraid on the way (Isaiah XXXVII). In those days, the almond tree will flourish, the staff and rod that Jeremiah saw in the beginning of his prophecy, and the caper will bear fruit (Jeremiah I), the friendship of God with Israel. What the caper desires for itself, however, will be more fully explained when we begin to speak of individual things. But all of this will happen to Israel: because man is about to depart to his eternal home, and to return from God's protection to the heavenly places. As he departs to his tent, they will go about in the street weeping and lamenting, and being surrounded by the siege of enemies. Therefore, rejoice, Israel, in your youth, before the silver cord is broken, that is, before your glory departs from you, before the golden ribbon is unraveled, that is, before the ark of the covenant is taken away: before the water jar is shattered at the spring, and the wheel is rolled upon the pool, that is, before you transgress the holy commandments of the law and the grace of the Holy Spirit departs, and before you return to Babylon, from where you came out of Abraham's loins, and you begin to be oppressed in Mesopotamia, from where you once set out: and may all the grace of prophecy, with which you were once inspired, return to its giver. The Jews still argue about this today, and they apply their own understanding to the meaning of this chapter.
But we, returning to the order of the previous discussion, will strive to explain each point. Rejoice, young man, in your youth, and let your heart be cheerful in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and in the sight of your eyes. And know this above all: God will bring you to judgment. It has been said that the light of this world is very sweet, and that man should rejoice in the days of his life and pursue pleasure with all his might. For the eternal night of death will soon come, when we will no longer be able to enjoy the things we have gathered and, like a shadow, everything we have experienced will pass away. Now therefore he encourages the man, and says: O young man, before old age and death approach you, rejoice in your youth, and take whatever seems good to your heart, and enjoy it as you please, with the things of the world. Again, lest it be thought that in saying this he is inciting man to luxury and falling into the doctrine of Epicurus, he removes this suspicion, adding: And know, that for all these things God will bring you to judgment. So, he said, abuse the things of the world, so that you know that you will be judged in the end. And remove anger from your heart, and take away malice from your body: because youth and foolishness are vanity. In anger, all disturbances of the mind are included. In the malice of the body, all the pleasures of the flesh are indicated. So therefore, he said, enjoy the goods of this world, so that you do not sin either by desire or by the flesh. Leave behind the old vices, with which you served vanity and foolishness in your youth: because youth is joined to foolishness. And remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, 'I find no pleasure in them'— before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars grow dark, and the clouds return after the rain; when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men stoop, when the grinders cease because they are few, and those looking through the windows grow dim; when the doors to the street are closed and the sound of grinding fades; when people rise up at the sound of birds, but all their songs grow faint; when people are afraid of heights and of dangers in the streets; when the almond tree blossoms and the grasshopper drags itself along, and desire no longer is stirred. Then people go to their eternal home and mourners go about the streets. Remember him—before the silver cord is severed, and the golden bowl is broken; before the pitcher is shattered at the spring, and the wheel broken at the well, and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. 'Meaningless! Meaningless!' says the Teacher. 'Everything is meaningless!'
Before the sun, and light, and moon, and stars grow dark, and the clouds return after the rain. If we understand this in the context of the general consummation of the world, this chapter is consistent with the words of the Lord, in which he says: 'There will be tribulation and distress, such as has not been from the beginning of the creation, but will never be. For the sun will grow dark, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken' (Matth. XXIV), referring to the guardians of the house, so that the house may be understood as this world, and strong men, deceived by error, and the opposing strengths will be destroyed. But if the perfection of each individual is referred to the end of this life: both the sun, and the moon, and the stars, and the clouds, and the rain will cease for him who is dead. Otherwise: Rejoice, young man, O Christian people, and enjoy the good things that have been granted to you by God, and in all these things know that you will be judged by the Lord. And do not think that because the previous branches were broken off, and you have been grafted into the root of the good olive tree, that you are therefore secure: but remove from your heart and body pleasures and other vices, remembering your Creator, before the day of evil comes upon you, and the incurable, in which punishments are prepared for sinners: lest when you sin, the sun of justice at midday kills you, and the light of knowledge perishes, and the brightness of the moon, that is, the Church, is taken away, and the stars fall, of which it is written: In which you shine as luminaries in the world having the rule of life (Philippians 2:15). And elsewhere: one star differs from another star in glory. Before the clouds return after the rain (III Cor. XV, 1), [so that] the Prophets, who water the hearts of believers with their words and their rains, may not return to their seat once they have perceived that you are unworthy of their rain: to Him, namely, from whom they were sent.
On the day when the guardians of the house are moved, and the men of valor perish. The guardians of the house can be understood as either the sun and moon, and the rest of the chorus of stars, or as the Angels who preside over this world. But the men of valor, whether interpreted as the strong men who will perish according to Symmachus, or as the demons who will wander according to Aquila, are also felt, having derived the name of the strong ones themselves from the strong devil. The Lord overcomes and binds him, as the parable of the Gospel says, and lays waste to his house (Luke 11). Otherwise: The guardians of the house, who refer everything that is written back to the body of man, believe that the ribs are meant, because the intestines are enclosed by them, and the entirety of the soft stomach is preserved. But they consider strong men to be the legs: they connect the sun, the moon, and the stars to the eyes, ears, nostrils, and all the senses of the head. However, they do this because they are compelled by necessity to understand not about angels and demons, the sun, the moon, and the stars, but about the body parts of man that follow.
And the grinding will cease: for they are diminished: and they that look out of the windows are darkened. And in the consummation of the world, when the charity of many shall grow cold, and the souls of the masters, who can provide celestial food to the believers, shall be diminished and translated into heaven, then those who have partially looked upon the light of knowledge in this world shall be enveloped in darkness. For if it is said to Moses, 'I will put thee in a hole of the rock, and I will cover thee with my hand until I pass.' (Exod. XXXIII, 22): how much more does each soul see the truth through a hole and some dark caves! Alternatively: There are two grinding mills, of which one will be taken and the other left, the Gospel does not remain silent (Matthew 24:41). When these are diminished and have stopped, it is necessary that all the light of knowledge be taken away from the eyes. Alternatively: They think that the saying about milling teeth refers to the mills stopping because they have been diminished. When extreme old age has arrived, teeth also either wear down or fall out: with these ground up, the food is sent into the stomach. But as they grow darker, they believe they see through holes: because in those worn by age the eye grows dim, and the sight is obscure.
And they will close the gates in the street in the humility of the grinding voice: and the voice of the bird will rise; and all the daughters of song will be silenced. When the voice of the grinder is weakened, and the teaching of the masters ceases, consequently all things will cease: among which, the gates will be closed in the street, so that, like the foolish virgins of the Gospel (Matthew 25), each one may have their street doors closed, and they will not be able to buy oil. Certainly, foolish virgins wandering in the street close the chamber of the bridegroom when they enter with him. For if the way that leads to life is narrow and confined, and the way that leads to death is broad and spacious (Matthew VII), then rightly, with the cooled charity of many, the door of teachings is closed in the streets. In the following verse, in that which he says: 'And he will rise at the voice of the bird, or the sparrow, let us use in time, if and when we see a sinner rising at the voice of the bishop or the priest through penance.' Moreover, we can also understand this extraordinarily, although we do not follow the context of the chapter, and accept it concerning the final resurrection when the dead will rise at the voice of the archangel. It is not surprising if we compare the trumpet of angels to a sparrow, since every voice compared to Christ is weak. And as far as I can recall, I have never known a sparrow to be read in a negative sense of the law. The righteous man speaks in the tenth psalm: In the Lord I trust; how do you say to my soul, 'Fly away to the mountain like a sparrow.' And elsewhere: I have watched, and have become as a solitary sparrow on the housetop (Psalm 101:8). Also, in another place: Even the sparrow has found a home for herself (Psalm 83:4). In another way: Closed doors in the streets want to receive the steps of the weak old man: that he may always sit and not be able to walk. Moreover, the humility of the grinding voice is interpreted from the jaws, because it cannot chew food and its voice is barely heard with constricted breath. Furthermore, he gets up at the sound of a bird, because, with the blood already freezing and the moisture drying up, which are the substances that nourish sleep, he awakens at the slightest noise, and in the middle of the night, when the rooster crows, he quickly gets up: unable to turn his limbs on the bed any more. He also becomes mute, or as it is better expressed in Hebrew, he becomes deaf to daughters of song, meaning that the hearing of the elderly becomes heavier, and they are unable to distinguish between voices, nor to take pleasure in songs. Indeed, this is what Berzellai says to David, not wanting to cross the Jordan.
But even those from on high will fear and be afraid on the way. That is, they will not be able to enter the difficult path, and with weary knees and trembling step, even on a level road, they will fear stumbling.
And the almond tree shall blossom, and the locust shall fatten, and the caper plant shall be dispersed: for man shall go to his everlasting home, and they shall go around the streets weeping. By metaphor, even now, the sermon is about the limbs of man. When old age comes, the hair turns gray, the feet swell, desire cools, and man is dissolved by death. Then he shall return to his own land and to the house of his everlasting tomb: with proper funeral rites, let a crowd of mourners precede the funeral procession. However, the flower of the almond, which we have placed for the dogs, is interpreted by some as a sacred thorn, because as the flesh of the nuts diminishes, the thorn grows and blossoms. Furthermore, when it says 'the locust will fatten up', it should be understood that in our codices it is written 'locust', which is an ambiguous word for them. It can be translated as either 'anklebone' or 'locust'. So how, in the beginning of Jeremiah, does the word 'Soced' mean both 'nut' and 'vigils' when the accent is changed? And it is said to him: Jeremiah, what do you see? And He answered: A nutcracker. And the Lord said to him: You have seen well: for I will watch over my word to perform it (Jerem. I, 11), or that one: and it has the etymology of a nut, that God will watch and repay the people what they deserve (Als. it is owed), and this is the occasion of the word. So now the ambiguity of the word through its etymology indicates swollen legs of the old and burdened with gout humors. Not that this happens to all old men, but that it often occurs, συνεκδοχικῶς on one side, may be called the whole. In that place where we have it, it is called capparis in Hebrew (): which itself is also ambiguous, and is interpreted as love, desire, or longing, or capparis. And as we have said above, it signifies that the libido of old men diminishes and the organs of intercourse are weakened. This is because these words, when pronounced in their own terms, and almond, and locust, and capparis, have different meanings, and they are derived figuratively to refer to the senses that are fitting for an old man. It should also be known that where the Seventy Interpreters now placed the almond, the word itself is Soced, which is in the beginning of Jeremiah; but there it is turned into a hazelnut, here into an almond. Symmachus, sensing something different in this place, interpreted it much differently. For he says: 'Upon these things also they shall see from on high, and there shall be terror in the way, and the vigilant shall fall asleep, and the spirit of strength shall be dissolved. For a man shall go into the house of his eternity, and they shall go around in the street mourning.' Following the interpretation of Laodicea, it is neither pleasing to the Jews nor to the Christians: as it is far from the Hebrews, and it rejects following the Septuagint translators.
Before the silver cord is snapped, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern, and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the breath returns to God who gave it. Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. He concludes the sentence begun with the grand parenthesis (which he had inserted after the words: And remember your Creator in the days of your youth: before the days of trouble come and the years draw near when you will say, \"I have no pleasure in them\"), with a similar ending, saying: Before the silver cord is snapped, or this or that happens. But the silver cord, this white life, and the breath that is given to us from heaven, it shows. The returning of the golden thread also signifies the soul that returns to where it came from. Furthermore, the two remaining things that follow, the breaking of the water jar above the fountain, and the breaking of the wheel above the lake, are mysteries of death by metaphor. For just as a water jar that is broken ceases to draw water, and a wheel by which water is lifted from a lake and wells, if it is broken: or as the Seventy Interpreters ((Others)) wished, if it is rolled up in its cord, the use of water is interrupted: so also when the silver cord is interrupted, and the stream of the soul returns to the source, the human being will perish. And as it follows more clearly: Dust will return to its own earth from which it was taken: and the spirit will return to the Lord who gave it. From this it is clear how ridiculous it is to think that souls are produced together with bodies and not by God, but by the parents of the bodies. For when the flesh returns to the earth and the spirit returns to God, who gave it, it is evident that God is the parent of souls, not humans. After describing the mortality of human beings, beautifully repeating the opening of his book, he says: Vanity of vanities, says Ecclesiastes, all is vanity. For when all the labor of mortals, which has been discussed throughout the entire volume, comes to this point, that they return as dust to their own earth, and their soul returns to the place from which it was taken, it is of great vanity to toil in this world and acquire nothing profitable.
And furthermore, because the wise Ecclesiastes became: he taught knowledge to the people, and caused them to hear: and searching, he composed proverbs. Ecclesiastes sought much, in order to find the words of the will, and to correctly write the words of truth. The wisdom which Solomon surpassed all the human race with, now also in the end of his small work he professes that he was not content with the institution of the old Law: but he plunged himself into deep questions, and composed proverbs and parables to teach the people, promising one thing in the core and another on the surface. Indeed, we learn in the Gospels (Matthew 13 and 15) that proverbs do not always mean what is written. The Lord spoke to the people in parables and proverbs, but he explained them privately to the Apostles. Therefore, it is evident that the Book of Proverbs contains not straightforward instructions as some may think, but rather hidden teachings that need to be diligently sought out, like gold in the earth, a kernel in a nut, or a hidden fruit in the prickly coverings of chestnuts. In them, the divine meaning must be searched deeply. Moreover, he added that he wanted to understand the causes and nature of things, as well as the arrangement and wisdom of God: why each thing was made, or how it was made. He desired to know this so that, after the dissolution of body and soul, he hoped to see the return to heaven, saying: I will see the heavens, the work of your fingers (Psalm 8:4). This is what Solomon endeavored to find in the present, to comprehend with the human mind, enclosed in the barrier of the body, the truth known only to God.