Lecture 9

^2:9^ Teth. Her gates are sunk into the ground: he has destroyed, and broken her bars: her king and her princes are in the gentiles: the law is no more, and her prophets have found no vision from the Lord.

31. Here he weeps over the destruction of men.

And first of all, of those whose misfortune is more intensely miserable according to the degree of their dignity;

second, of those whose misfortune is miserable because of reverence for their condition, at the ancients sit upon the ground, they have held their peace (Lam 2:10);

third, of those whose misfortune is miserable because of their lack of years, at my eyes have failed with weeping (Lam 2:11).

Concerning the first, he makes two points.

First, as regards the temporal princes, he uses a parable or metaphor: her gates are sunk into the ground, that is, they have been so wrapped up in tribulations that they cannot easily escape. I stick fast in the mire of the deep: and there is no sure standing (Ps 68:3). Her gates represents kings, to whom belonged the power of judgment, which was exercised at the gates; he has destroyed, by capturing, and broken, by leading into captivity, her bars, the princes, by whom the kingdom was strengthened, as a door by its bars. And he explains: her king and her princes are in the gentiles, that is, among the gentiles. He has broken gates of brass, and burst the iron bars (Ps 106:16). Her gates shall lament and mourn, and she shall sit forsaken on the ground (Isa 3:26).

Second, as regards the spiritual princes, namely, the priests: the law is no more, to be taught by the priests. The lips of the priest shall keep knowledge, and they shall seek the law at his mouth (Mal 2:7). And the prophets: and her prophets have found no vision from the Lord. There is now no prophet: and he will know us no more (Ps 73:9).