Lecture 10

^1:10^ Jod. The enemy has put out his hand to all her desirable things: for she has seen the gentiles enter into her sanctuary, of whom you gave commandment that they should not enter into your church.

10. Here he weeps over their servitude as regards the looting of their goods, which they endured from their victorious enemies.

And first, he presents the looting of goods as regards those things which their enemies carried away.

Second, as regards those things which they themselves destroyed, at all her people sigh (Lam 1:11).

Concerning the first, he does two things.

First, the plunder of goods: the enemy, the Chaldean conqueror, all her desirable things, namely, the treasures of the house of God and the house of the king and of all the others. All our lovely things are turned into ruins (Isa 64:11).

Second, he presents the desecration of these things: for she, namely, the people of Judah, has seen, as if he were to say, “In this way, it has been possible for everything to be carried away, even that which was in the temple.” The holy places are come into the hands of strangers (1 Macc 2:8).

Or else: he, namely, the Lord, has seen the gentiles, priests in name but living like gentiles, when they set up an idol in the temple, of whom you gave commandment that they should not enter into your church. No one, even of the offspring of Aaron, on whom there is a stain, may eat what has been consecrated to the Lord (Lev 22:4). And so, because they acted against this law, they were taken captive, since fault is the cause of punishment.