Two senses of thirst and hunger: emptiness-need and chronic want
Let us see what is meant by “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again.” In bodily speech, “to thirst” and “to hunger” each carry two senses. One is the need we feel when emptied and drawn toward food or drink because moisture has run short. The other is the way the poor, short of necessities, keep saying they hunger or thirst even when they have just taken something.
The first sense is plain in Exodus: when they lacked food they murmured; when they lacked water and thirsted they murmured against Moses, “What shall we drink?” And at Rephidim the people thirsted for water and murmured against Moses.
The second sense has a clear parallel in Paul: “To the present hour we hunger and thirst and are poorly clothed.” The first sort of hunger and thirst necessarily visits healthy bodies; the second visits those already worn down by want.
Greek
Ἴδωμεν οὖν τί σημαίνεται ἐκ τοῦ· Πᾶς ὁ πίνων ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος τούτου διψήσει πάλιν. ἔστι δὲ ἐκ τῆς διψῆν φωνῆς καὶ ἐκ τῆς πεινῆν κατὰ τὸ σωματικὸν δύο σημαινόμενα· ἓν μὲν καθ’ ὃ δεόμεθα τροφῆς κενωθέντες καὶ ὀρεγόμενοι αὐτῆς ὑπὸ τοῦ ὑγροῦ ἡμῖν ἐπιλείποντος· ἕτερον δὲ καθ’ ὃ πολλάκις οἱ πένητες καὶ ἐν ἀπορίᾳ ὄντες τῶν ἐπιτηδείων φασὶ κεκορεσμένοι τὸ πεινῆν ἢ διψῆν.
καὶ μαρτύριόν γε τοῦ μὲν πρώτου ἐν τῇ Ἐξόδῳ, ὅτε ἀποροῦντες τροφῶν διεγόγγυζον, καὶ ὕδατος ἀποροῦντες καὶ διψῶντες διεγόγγυζον κατὰ Μωϋσέως λέγοντες· Τί πιόμεθα; καὶ ἐν Ῥαφιδεὶν ἐδίψησεν ὁ λαὸς ὕδατι καὶ ἐγόγγυζεν ἐπὶ Μωϋσῆν.
δόξει δὲ τοῦ δευτέρου τῶν σημαινομένων εἶναι παρὰ Παύλῳ παράδειγμα λέγοντι· Ἄχρι τῆς ἄρτι ὥρας καὶ πεινῶμεν καὶ διψῶμεν καὶ γυμνιτεύομεν. τὸ μὲν οὖν πρῶτον, πεινῆν καὶ διψῆν, ἀναγκαίως γίνεται τοῖς ὑγιαίνουσιν σώμασιν· τὸ δὲ δεύτερον τοῖς πεπονημένοις συμβαίνει.
About this text
Origen’s Commentary on John, Book 13 (later tomoi). Complete on this page: §§1–64.
English follows Preuschen, Origenes Werke IV (GCS 10, 1903). Heine FOTC was not used as wording. This page is Book 13 §§1–64 of the later books (13, 19, 20, 28, 32).
Witnesses
- Copy-text Preuschen, Origenes Werke IV = GCS 10 (1903) (Greek · Book 13 §§1–64)
English is newly prepared for study from the stated edition. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.