Lecture 5

^1:5^ He. Her adversaries are become her lords, her enemies are enriched: because the Lord has spoken against her for the multitude of her iniquities: her children are led into captivity: before the face of the oppressor.

5. Here he weeps over the oppression with regard to the captives.

And first, he weeps over the captivity of the children;

second, of the adults, at and from the daughter of Zion all her beauty is departed (Lam 1:6).

Concerning the first, he makes three points.

First, the exaltation of her enemies in power: her adversaries, namely, the Chaldeans, are become her lords, as if dominating over them. And as for riches: her enemies are enriched. He shall be as the head, and you shall be the tail (Deut 28:44).

Second, he gives the reason for this exaltation: because the Lord has spoken, pronouncing, as it were, judgments against her, either by inspiring nations to come or by making predictions through Moses. And this is for the multitude of her iniquities. I will suddenly speak against a nation, and against a kingdom, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy it (Jer 18:7).

Third, he presents the captivity: her children, that is, the little children of the people. Therefore is my people led away captive, because they had not knowledge (Isa 5:13).

At the top of this verse is placed the letter, he, that is, these are the judgments which the Lord spoke through Moses.

This is the eighth topic of complaint. (See previous note.) Where it is said, for the multitude, this is the first part of the assumed general condition, which is called concession. (“And the judicial kind is itself also distributed under two divisions—one absolute, and one which takes in something besides as an addition, and which may be called assumptive. The absolute division is that which of itself contains in itself an inquiry into right and wrong. The assumptive one is that which of itself supplies no firm ground for objection, but which takes to itself some topics for defense derived from extraneous circumstances. And its divisions are four—concession, removal of the accusation from oneself, a retorting of the accusation, and comparison. Concession when the person on his trial does not defend the deed that has been done, but entreats to be pardoned for it: and this again is divided into two parts—purgation and deprecation. Purgation is when the fact is admitted, but when the guilt of the fact is sought to be done away. And this may be on three grounds—of ignorance, of accident, or of necessity. Deprecation is when the person on his trial confesses that he has done wrong, and that he has done wrong on purpose, and nevertheless entreats to be pardoned. But this kind of address can be used but very rarely” (Cicero, De inventione 1.11).)

Allegorically, her adversaries, heretics, extinguishing knowledge in the Church; are become her lords: prevailing in contentions; they are enriched: by their eloquence; the Lord has spoken: permissively; her children: beginners; are led into captivity: separated from the Church.

Morally, her adversaries, the demons, are become her lords, corrupting the intention; they are enriched by the multiplicity of sins; the Lord has spoken, permitting her children, the motions and affections of the soul; the oppressor: the demon. They that trouble me will rejoice when I am moved (Ps 12:5).