And the whole valley of the dead bodies, and of the ashes, and all the fields unto the brook of Kidron, unto the corner of the horse gate toward the east, shall be holy unto the LORD; it shall not be plucked up, nor thrown down any more forever.
All Commentaries on Jeremiah 31:40 Go To Jeremiah 31
Jerome
AD 420
Invoking the Lord and Savior “who has the key of David, who opens and no one closes, who closes and no one opens,” … let us approach the edifice of the city to which the prophetic words were directed: “Glorious things are said of you, O city of God,” and “the river’s flow delights the City of God.” Thus, the church is built from the tower “of obedience” or “grace” or “the gifts of God”—for this is what Hananel means—to the corner gate. Even though the church may appear to have a sublime beginning, we are unable to possess the straight line of truth as long as we are in the flesh, but we stand on a corner with broken lines, where the measuring line goes out beyond the corner gate to the hill Gareb, which, in our language, is translated either “sojourn” or “itch,” to teach us that we are foreigners and wanderers with ears itching to provide easy agreement to the worst of new doctrines.
And “it will go around Goah,” it says, which the Septuagint translates as “a circuit around chosen stones,” who wish to be on the face of the earth and are bound together by the cornerstone, with the apostle Peter saying, “like living stones, be built into a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” It continues, “And it goes around the entire valley of Phagarim,” which means “ruins” and “ashes,” so that even though we appear to be in the hills, we may always yet fear the ruins and consider the ashes and say penance with David: “I ate ashes like bread and mixed tears into my drink.” Hence, to the sleeping it is said, “Is it not true that one who falls rises again, says the Lord?” It also says “the entire Sademoth,” which we translate as the “region of death,” from sade, which means “region,” and moth, which means “death.” But Aquila translates it “suburban,” or “field” and “country.” But the “region of death” is the region of sinners and “suburban” the region of pleasures, which continues all the way to the river Kidron, where the Lord was betrayed, which is translated “darkness.” See how many places the church has and how the apostolic word that it is to be “without spot or wrinkle” is reserved for the future in heaven. You heard about the corner, you heard about the itchy ears, you heard about the ruins and the ashes and the region of death and the darkness, and still you glory in your virtue and your sinlessness!
