et non alterceris cum illa in vino, ne forte declinet cor tuum in illam, et sanguine tuo labaris in perditionem.
The Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach, or Ecclesiasticus 9:13 Commentary
1 historical voiceHow the Church has read Sirach 9:13 across two millennia — Matthew Henry, John Calvin, Augustine of Hippo, John Chrysostom and more, gathered verse by verse from the public domain.
Voices across the centuries
Church Fathers 1
HOMILIES ON THE SONG OF SONGS 2:12
“Know that you are walking in the midst of snares and that you are going about on the city battlements.” Everything is full of nets; the devil has filled up everything with snares. But if the Word of God comes to you and begins to appear through the nets, you will say, “Our soul has been freed like a sparrow from the snare of the hunters; the snare has been broken, and we have been freed. We are blessed by the Lord who has made heaven and earth.” The bridegroom “appears” then “through the nets.” Jesus has prepared the way for you. He descended to earth and submitted himself to the nets of the world. Seeing the great flock of humanity imprisoned in the nets and seeing that only he could tear them, he came to the nets and assumed a human body and subjected it to the snares of the powerful enemy and tore them apart for you. Thus, you can say, “See. He is at the back, behind our wall, watching through the windows, appearing through the nets.”