The Blood of the Covenant
Logical expositions are being made about them with elegance, because their marriage seems to possess sweetness.
Zechariah 9:11-12: 'And you also in blood of covenant sent forth your prisoners from a pit not having water; you shall sit in a stronghold, prisoners of the assembly, and instead of one day of your sojourning, double I will repay you.' The word commanded by the one in the prophet, or rather God, to Zion and Jerusalem—to the one to rejoice exceedingly, and to the other to proclaim the coming king, saving and strong and being gentle—turns the word toward him who is coming, saying: 'And you also in blood of covenant sent forth your prisoners from a pit not having water' (Zechariah 9:11). For where was it necessary for the prisoners to be, or to be cast down into a pit not having water by those laboring against them? One finds many of the holy men having been cast into waterless pits by those attacking and murdering against them.
For instance, Joseph, being envied because of the goodness and beauty coming toward him, was thrown by those unjustly envying into a pit not having water. Likewise also the wisest Daniel, the friend of God, was thrown by the Babylonians into a pit not having water, so that he might be shown to be without water, being led through there by the lions, not being able to live if he had been filled with waters. And again Jeremiah, the great prophet, the opponents threw into a pit full of mire. And no one of those thus attacked remained without help, God of them having sent them unhurt out of the waterless pit.
And since these things were being fulfilled symbolically, see lest the pit is waterless, being shown through the symbols, the Hades of the ungodly and sinners, there not being any life-giving water, because there is no praiseworthy moisture there at all.
Immediately, for instance, the rich one having been made there, of purple and fine linen... text broken...daily... in fire a flame... a shower of water... he did not find... as the earth... of death... the burning and the flame...
The blasphemer, called a tongue... has already been given as the word... and Jeremiah, from this... through the dry pit... in hunger. In the dry pit... before the arrival of the Savior... having been cast by the tyrants... in Hosea the prophet... 'I will test them in the bonds of my love' (Hosea 2:14).
The bonds and the feet of wisdom are equal, having a longing for it: 'Place your feet into its feet' (Proverbs 4:26). Those having been thus born, for a certain time, are sent from there according to a certain house, after their death. 'Not by corruptible silver or gold, but by the precious blood as of an unblemished lamb, handed down from the father in a futile manner' (1 Peter 1:18-19), and this is Christ.
Having received, having given, the new covenant is a cup... with this blood of Christ Jesus... having died... they went forward into the holy... clearly being of the bonds of the blood of the covenant. Undergoing the death of the covenant, as the Apostle writes: 'For a covenant upon the dead is valid, lest it cease when the one who establishes it lives' (Hebrews 9:17).
Immediately also Moses, the great high priest, having received the book of the law of the covenant, having taken blood to the dead, said: 'This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord commanded and established toward you' (Exodus 24:8). For whom death...
Greek
κεκομψευμένως γινόμεναι περὶ αὐτῶν λογικαὶ διέξοδοι, διὰ τὸ δοκεῖν γλυκύτητα ἔχειν τὴν πόσιν αὐτῶν. 3.160 Zach. IX, 11®12: Καὶ σὺ ἐν αἵματι διαθήκης ἐξαπέστειλας τοὺς δεσμίους σου ἐκ λάκκου οὐκ ἔχοντος ὕδωρ· Καθήσεσθε ἐν ὀχυρώματι, δέσμιοι τῆς συναγωγῆς, καὶ ἀντὶ μιᾶς ἡμέρας παροικεσίας σου, διπλᾶ ἀνταποδώσω σοι. 3.161 Προστάξας ὁ ἐν τῷ προφήτῃ λόγος, μᾶλλον δὲ ὁ Θεός, τῇ Σιὼν καὶ Ἰερουσαλήμ, τῇ μὲν σφόδρα χαίρειν, τῇ δὲ κηρύττειν τὸν ἐρχόμενον βασιλέα σῴζοντα καὶ ἰσχύοντα καὶ πρᾷον ὄντα, πρὸς αὐτὸν τὸν ἐρχόμενον τρέπει τὸν λόγον, φάσκων· «Καὶ σὺ ἐν αἵματι διαθήκης ἐξαπέστειλας δεσμίους σου ἐκ λάκκου οὐκ ἔχοντος ὕδωρ.» Ποῦ γὰρ ἔδει εἶναι τοὺς δεσμίους ἢ ἐν λάκκῳ ὕδωρ οὐκ ἔχοντι καθειργμένους ὑπὸ τῶν καταπονούντων; Εὑρεῖν οὖν ἔστιν πολλοὺς τῶν ἁγίων ἀνδρῶν εἰς ἀνύδρους λάκκους βεβλημένους πρὸς τῶν ἐπιβουλευόντων καὶ φ̣ο̣νώντων κατ' αὐτῶν. 3.162 Τὸν Ἰωσὴφ γοῦν φθονούμενον διὰ προσοῦσαν καλοκἀγαθίαν, οἱ ἀδίκως φθονοῦντες εἰς λάκκον οὐκ ἔχοντα ὕδωρ ἔβαλον. Ὡσαύτως καὶ τὸν σοφώτατον ∆ανιήλ, τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ φίλον, εἰς οὐκ ἔχοντα ὕδωρ λάκκον ἔρριψαν οἱ Βαβυλώνιοι, τοῦ ἄνυδρον αὐτὸν εἶναι παρισταμένου ἐκ τοῦ λέοντας ἐκεῖ διάγειν, οὐ δυναμένων ζῆν εἰ πεπληρωμένος ὑδάτων ὑπῆρχεν. Καὶ τὸν Ἰερεμίαν γοῦν, τὸν μέγαν προφήτην, οἱ ἀντικείμενοι εἰς λάκκον βορβόρου πλήρης ἔρριψαν. Καὶ οὐδεὶς τῶν οὕτως ἐπιβουλευθέντων ἀβοήθητος ἔμεινεν, ἀποστείλαντος αὐτοὺς τοῦ Θεοῦ αὐτῶν ἀβλαβεῖς ἐκ τοῦ ἀνύδρου λάκκου. 3.163 Καὶ ἐπεὶ ταῦτα συμβολικῶς ἐτελεῖτο, ὅρα μὴ ἄνυδρός ἐστιν λάκκος, διὰ τῶν συμβόλων δηλούμενος, τῶν ἀσεβῶν καὶ ἁμαρτωλῶν ὁ ᾅδης, οὐκ ὄντος ἐκεῖ ὕδατος ζωτικοῦ, διὰ τὸ μηδαμῶς εἶναι ἐκεῖ ὑγρότητα ἐπαινετήν. 3.164 Αὐτίκα γοῦν ἐκεῖ γενάμενος ὁ πλούσιος ὁ πορφύραν καὶ βύσσαν κ̣································· καθ' ἡμέραν ευ·································· ἐν πυρὶ φλογὸς τ̣········································ ῥανίδα ὕδατος 96 ···································· οὐχ εὗρεν ······································· 3.165 ὡς ἡ γῆ σα········η̣ τ····················· ματος τη········ν····························· τὴν καῦσιν καὶ τὸν φλογμόν ··················· βλασφήμου, γλώττης καλου̣μένου ························ ἀποδέδοται ἤδη ὡς ἡ λε····························· καὶ Ἰερεμίας, ἀπὸ τούτου ························· τος δι' ἀνύδρου λάκκου κα̣··························· πειν. 3.166 Ἐν τῷ ἀνύδρῳ λάκκῳ ···················· νον, πρὸ τῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἐπιδημίας ·················· χθέντες ὑπὸ τῶν τῆς αι̣························ εὐεργέτης ἐν Ὠσῆε τῷ προφήτῃ ·················· τυραννικῶν ἀνδρῶν· «Ἐξέτεινα αὐτοὺς ἐν (τοῖς) δεσμοῖς ἀγαπήσεώς μου.» 3.167 Ἰσοδυναμοῦσιν ···················· δεσμὰ καὶ αἱ πέδαι τῆς σοφίας ························ πόθον αὐτῆς ἔχοντα· «Ἔμ̣βαλλε τοὺς πόδας σου εἰς τὰς πέδας αὐτῆς.» Οἱ οὕτω̣ γ̣ε̣νάμενοι ·················· πρός τινα καιρόν, κατά τινα οἰκ······················ κω ἀποστέλλονται ἐκεῖθεν εν̣························· 3.168 αὐτῶν ἀποθανόντος καὶ αν̣····················· «ἐκ τῆς ματαίας ἀναστροφῆς πατροπαραδότου ··········· οὐ φθαρτοῖς ἀργυρίῳ ἢ χρυσίῳ, ἀλλ̣ὰ τιμίῳ αἵματι ὡς ἀμώμου ἀμνοῦ», οὗτος δ' ἐστὶν ὁ Χριστός. Α············· ····································· ·ες λαβών, ····································· ἐπιδούς, εἰ῀̣3.169 πεν ····························· ποτήριον ἡ καινὴ διαθήκη ····················· τούτῳ τῷ αἵματι ·························· Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ δέσμιοι ····························σ̣κ̣········τος εκει······························κ̣ετ̣α̣ι̣ ω̣·····υξεν, ·····························ς γοῦν ··τεθνηκότος 3.170 ··························· προῆγον εἰς τὴν ἁγίαν ························· δηλονότι τῶν δεσμίων ἐκ τοῦ ······················· αἷμα̣ τῆς διαθήκης. Ὁ θάνατος ··························ς̣ διαθήκης ὑποστάντος ······················· ὡς γράφει ὁ Ἀπόστολος κατὰ ····· «∆ιαθήκη γὰρ ἐπὶ νεκροῖς βεβαία, ἐπεὶ μήποτε ἰσχύει ὅτε ζῇ ὁ διαθέμενος.» 3.171 ·· αὐτίκ̣α γοῦν καὶ Μωϋσῆς ὁ μέγας ἱεροφάντης ··········· λαβὼν τὸ βιβλίον τοῦ νόμου τῆς διαθήκης ····················τος, λαβὼν αἷμα ἱερουργη······················ νεκροῖς εἶπεν· «Τοῦτο τὸ αἷμα τῆς διαθήκης ἧς ἐνετείλατ̣ο» Κύριος «καὶ διέθετο πρὸς ὑμᾶς». 3.172 ·······················ουτινος θάνατον
About this text
Didymus the Blind on Zechariah.
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Khazarzar scan
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- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.