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What else, he says, do I hope for, than in you, the one dwelling not in the Jerusalem below, but in heaven; but it is fitting for those alone to say this who have been delivered from captivity, and are strong in the soul's discernment; for the eye of the soul, looking upward, is benefited; but looking downward, it is harmed.

PSALM 123.

When men rose up against us. Those who said, Have mercy on us, O Lord,

have mercy on us, now as having been heard give thanks to God; but the discerning one is taught to say the present things, having God before his eyes; for thus Israel offers a victory song to the victory-giving God; and the aged teach the 24.16 young, and the disciples obey; but Israel of the one having God in himself, the ability to say: If it had not been that the Lord was with us. Such was the Israel that came to be under Moses, to whom it was said: Be silent, and hear, O Israel; and the Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace. Then they would have swallowed us up alive. And the circumstantial time, though fierce, is yet short-lived like a winter torrent. Blessed be the Lord, etc. And whom should we bless and praise for not being captured by the men who wanted to swallow us alive, other than the Lord who is among us? Those who rushed to hunt us, in order to devour us, have not been able to do as they hastened; for the savage, cruel-hearted lions yearned to hunt us with their teeth; but they did not attain what they were eager for, as the Lord did not give us up; whom we also bless for delivering us from those murderously disposed against us.

PSALM 124.

Mountains are round about her. These things say they who have returned after the long

journey to the physical Jerusalem, as being now at last in safety, trusting not in the place, but in the confidence of the Lord; which indeed is better than dwelling in Jerusalem; and since this is so, in what respect was the people better? of the place, it is said mountains are round about; but of the people, for whose sake the place is also honored, truly God is, who also guards the place, when the people is worthy. The Lord shall lead away with them that work iniquity. The 'will lead away' means 'will deliver up'; to the uncleanness which they chose, both to passions of dishonor and a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting.

PSALM 125.

When the Lord turned back the captivity of Zion. The apostles these things

are prophesied to say concerning themselves and those among the Gentiles, and after these things to declare concerning seed and harvest; in the time of David there was no captivity; perhaps, therefore, he says these things concerning the spiritual captivity; but another will say that the future is declared prophetically. -Some part of the captivity, having returned from Babylon, and recovered Jerusalem, sends up the present song for those who remained in Babylon with good expectations; and they say that the things of our joy are not yet completely fulfilled; but this will be when the whole nation returns from the enemy's land to their own; and the interpretation of the others presents this thought; for instead of, we became as those comforted, all unanimously

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ἄλλο τι, φησὶν, ἐλπίζω, ἢ ἐπὶ σὲ τὸν οὐκ ἐν τῇ κάτω Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ἀλλ' ἐν οὐρανῷ κατοικοῦντα· μόνοις δὲ τοῦτο λέγειν ἁρμόττει τοῖς ἀπηλλαγμένοις αἰχμαλωσίας, καὶ τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς διορατικὸν ἐῤῥωμένοις· ψυχῆς δὲ ὀφθαλμὸς ἄνω μὲν ὁρῶν, ὠφελεῖται· κάτω δὲ, βλάπτεται.

ΨΑΛΜΟΣ ΡΚΓʹ.

Ἐν τῷ ἐπαναστῆναι ἀνθρώπους ἐφ' ἡμᾶς. Οἱ φήσαντες, Ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς, Κύριε,

ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς, νῦν ὡς ἐπακουσθέντες εὐχαριστοῦσι Θεῷ· τὰ δὲ παρόντα διδάσκεται λέγειν ὁ διορατικὸς, τὸν Θεὸν ἔχων πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν· οὕτως γὰρ Ἰσραὴλ ἐπινίκιον ᾠδὴν τῷ νικοποιῷ προσάγων Θεῷ· διδάσκουσι δὲ τοὺς 24.16 νέους οἱ γεγηρακότες, καὶ οἱ μαθηταὶ ὑπακούουσιν· Ἰσραὴλ δὲ τοῦ ἔχοντος ἐν ἑαυτῷ τὸν Θεὸν, τὸ δύνασθαι λέγειν· Εἰ μὴ ὅτι Κύριος ἦν ἐν ἡμῖν. Τοιοῦτος ἦν ὁ ὑπὸ Μωϋσέως γενόμενος Ἰσραὴλ, ᾧ ἐλέγετο· Σιώπα, καὶ ἄκουε, Ἰσραήλ· καὶ Κύριος πολεμήσει ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν, καὶ ὑμεῖς σιγήσεσθε. Ἄρα ζῶντας ἂν κατέπιον ἡμᾶς. Καὶ ὁ περιστατικὸς δὲ καιρὸς, εἰ καὶ σφοδρὸς, ἀλλὰ χειμάῤῥου δίκην ὀλιγοχρόνιος. Εὐλογητὸς Κύριος, κ.τ.λ. Καὶ τίνα εὐλογεῖν καὶ ὑμνεῖν ἔδει ἐπὶ τῷ μὴ ἁλῶναι τοῖς βουλομένοις ζῶντας καταπιεῖν ἡμᾶς ἀνθρώποις, ἢ τὸν Κύριον τὸν ὄντα ἐν ἡμῖν; Οἱ ἐπὶ τὸ θηρεῦσαι ἡμᾶς ὁρμήσαντες, ἵνα καταφάγωσιν ἡμᾶς, οὐ δεδύνηνται ὡς ἔσπευδον διαθεῖναι· ἐξηγριωμένοι γὰρ οἱ ὠμόθυμοι λέοντες τοῖς ὀδοῦσιν αὐτῶν θηρεῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἐγλίχοντο· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐπέτυχον τοῦ σπουδαζομένου, μὴ δόντος ἡμᾶς τοῦ Κυρίου· ὃν καὶ εὐλογοῦμεν ῥυσάμενον ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τῶν φονικῶν καθ' ἡμῶν διατεθέντων.

ΨΑΛΜΟΣ ΡΚ∆ʹ.

Ὄρη κύκλῳ αὐτῆς. Ταῦτά φασιν οἱ μετὰ τὴν μακρὰν ἐπανελθόντες

ὁδοιπορίαν ἐπὶ τὴν αἰσθητὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ὡς ἤδη λοιπὸν ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ γενόμενοι, οὐ τῷ τόπῳ, τῇ δὲ πεποιθήσει τοῦ Κυρίου θαῤῥοῦντες· ὃ δὴ κρεῖττον τοῦ κατοικεῖν Ἱερουσαλήμ· καὶ ἐπεὶ τοῦτο ποῦ κρείττων ἦν ὁ λαός; τοῦ μὲν τόπου ὄρη λέγεται κύκλῳ· τοῦ δὲ λαοῦ, δι' ὃν καὶ ὁ τόπος τετίμηται, ὄντως ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ καὶ τὸν τόπον φυλάττων, ὅτε ἄξιος ὁ λαός. Ἀπάξει Κύριος μετὰ τῶν ἐργαζομένων τὴν ἀνομίαν. Τὸ ἀπάξει, τὸ παραδώσει δηλοῖ· εἰς τὴν ἀκαθαρσίαν ἣν εἵλοντο, εἰς πάθη τε ἀτιμίας καὶ ἀδόκιμον νοῦν, ποιεῖν τὰ μὴ καθήκοντα.

ΨΑΛΜΟΣ ΡΚΕʹ.

Ἐν τῷ ἐπιστρέψαι Κύριον τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν Σιών. Οἱ ἀπόστολοι ταῦτα

προφητεύονται λέξειν περὶ ἑαυτῶν καὶ τῶν ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἀποφανεῖσθαι περὶ σπόρου καὶ θερισμοῦ· κατὰ τοὺς τοῦ ∆αβὶδ χρόνους οὐκ ἦν ἡ αἰχμαλωσία· τάχα οὖν περὶ τῆς νοητῆς ταῦτά φησιν· ἐρεῖ δὲ ἄλλος, ὅτι προφητικῶς τὸ μέλλον δηλοῦται. -Μέρος τι τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας ἐπανελθὸν ἀπὸ τῆς Βαβυλῶνος, καὶ ἀπολαβὸν τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, περὶ τῶν ἀπομεινάντων ἐν Βαβυλῶνι τὴν προκειμένην ᾠδὴν ἐπ' ἀγαθαῖς προσδοκίαις ἀναπέμπει· φασὶ δὲ, ὅτι οὔπω μὲν τελείως τὰ τῆς ἡμετέρας χαρᾶς πεπλήρωται· ἔσται δὲ τοῦτο ὅτε τὸ πᾶν ἔθνος ἀπὸ τῆς πολεμίας ἐπὶ τὴν οἰκείαν γῆν ἐπανέλθῃ· ταύτην δὲ τὴν διάνοιαν παρίστησιν ἡ τῶν λοιπῶν ἑρμηνεία· ἀντὶ γὰρ τοῦ, ἐγενήθημεν ὡς παρακεκλημένοι, συμφώνως οἱ πάντες