John Chrysostom, On David and Saul

enemies, having never received any good from them? Was it not necessary after this for him to be inscribed as master, and to be proclaimed the common savior of the city, he who, after the grace of God, preserved both the form of the kingdom, and the foundation of the cities, and the life of all? For what other benefaction was greater than this? For he did not bestow the benefaction on his wealth, nor on his glory and power, but on his very soul, and he called him back from the very gates of death, and, as far as a human is concerned, because of him the king lived thereafter, and enjoyed his rule. With what then did he repay him after this? For if someone were to see the magnitude of his achievements, not even if he had taken the crown from his own head and placed it on David's, would he have yet given him his due, but would still owe the greater part. For that one had granted him both life and kingdom; but this one was only going to cede the kingdom to him. But nevertheless, let us see his rewards. What then were they? He held him in suspicion thereafter, and looked askance at him from that day. For what reason, and why? For it is necessary to state the cause of the suspicion. For whatever one might say, one will say nothing just. For against the one who granted his soul, and gave his life, what just pretext for suspicion was there? But nevertheless, let us see the very cause of the enmity, so that you may learn that he was worthy to be honored for these things no less than for the victory, for which he was suspected and plotted against after this. What then was the cause of the suspicion? When he took the head of the barbarian, and was returning with the spoils, "The dancing women came out," it says, "singing and saying: Saul has struck his thousands, and David his ten thousands." And Saul was angered, and was looking askance at David from that day and beyond. For what reason, tell me? For indeed, even if these things were said unjustly, he should not have been so hostilely disposed toward him, but having learned his good will from what had happened, and that with no one compelling or forcing him, he had endured so great a danger out of his own good will, he should no longer suspect anything evil concerning him. But as it was, the praises also had justice; and if one must say something marvelous, they favored Saul more than David by saying these things; and he ought to have loved him, because at least they gave him the thousands. Why then is he indignant, because they gave the ten thousands to that one? For if he had accomplished something in the war, and had contributed at least some small part, these things would have been well said, that Saul in thousands, and David in ten thousands. But if he himself sat inside, fearing and trembling, expecting to die each day, while this one did the whole thing, how was it not absurd for the one who contributed nothing to those dangers to be indignant that he did not receive the greater part of the praise? For if it was necessary to be indignant, David ought to have been indignant, because having accomplished the whole thing himself, he had another as a sharer of the praise. 3. But nevertheless I say none of these things, but I would say that; let it be that the women had done badly, and 54.680 were worthy of accusations and charges; what is this to David? For he did not himself compose the songs, nor did he himself persuade those women to say what they were saying, nor did he arrange for the praise to happen in this way. So that if it was necessary to be indignant, it was necessary to be indignant with them, not with the common benefactor of the city, and one worthy of ten thousand crowns. But he, leaving them aside, went after this one. And if the blessed one, elated by that praise, had envied the ruler and been insolent toward him, and had scorned his kingdom, perhaps the envy would have had some reason; but if he became more reasonable and milder, and remained keeping the rank of the ruled, what just pretext did the grief have? For when the one who is honored is puffed up against the

πολεμίους, μηδὲν μηδέποτε παρ' αὐτῶν εὖ παθόντα; Ἆρα οὐκ ἔδει αὐτὸν μετὰ ταῦτα δεσπότην ἐπιγράφεσθαι, καὶ σωτῆρα κοινὸν τῆς πόλεως ἀναγορεύειν, τὸν καὶ τὸ σχῆμα τῆς βασιλείας, καὶ τὸ τῶν πόλεων ἔδαφος, καὶ τὴν ἁπάντων ζωὴν μετὰ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριν διατηρήσαντα; Ποία γὰρ ταύτης εὐεργεσίας μείζων ἑτέρα ἦν; Οὐ γὰρ εἰς χρήματα, οὐδὲ εἰς δόξαν καὶ δυναστείαν, ἀλλ' εἰς αὐτὴν αὐτοῦ τὴν ψυχὴν τὴν εὐεργεσίαν κατέθετο, καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν αὐτὸν ἀνεκαλέσατο τῶν τοῦ θανάτου πυλῶν, καὶ τό γε εἰς ἄνθρωπον ἧκον, δι' ἐκεῖνον ἔζη λοιπὸν ὁ βασιλεὺς, καὶ ἀπέλαυε τῆς ἀρχῆς. Τίσιν οὖν αὐτὸν μετὰ ταῦτα ἠμείψατο; Εἰ μὲν γὰρ αὐτό τις τῶν κατορθωμάτων ἴδοι τὸ μέγεθος, οὐδ' εἰ τὸν στέφανον ἀπὸ τῆς αὐτοῦ λαβὼν κεφαλῆς ἐπὶ τὴν τοῦ ∆αυῒδ ἔθηκεν, οὐδέπω τὴν ἀξίαν ἦν ἀποδεδωκὼς, ἀλλὰ τὸ πλέον ὀφείλων. Ἐκεῖνος μὲν γὰρ καὶ ζωὴν καὶ βασιλείαν αὐτῷ ἐχαρίσατο· οὗτος δὲ βασιλείας αὐτῷ παραχωρεῖν ἔμελλε μόνης. Πλὴν ἀλλ' ἴδωμεν αὐτοῦ τὰς ἀμοιβάς. Τίνες οὖν ἦσαν αὗται; ∆ι' ὑποψίας εἶχεν αὐτὸν λοιπὸν, καὶ ὑπεβλέπετο ἀπὸ τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης. Τίνος ἕνεκεν, καὶ διὰ τί; Ἀναγκαῖον γὰρ καὶ τῆς ὑποψίας τὴν αἰτίαν εἰπεῖν. Οὐδὲν μὲν γὰρ, ὅπερ ἂν εἴπῃ τις, ἐρεῖ δίκαιον. Πρὸς γὰρ τὸν τὴν ψυχὴν χαρισάμενον, καὶ τὴν ζωὴν δωρησάμενον, ποία δικαίας ὑποψίας πρόφασις ἦν; Πλὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὴν τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς ἔχθρας ἴδωμεν, ἵνα μάθητε, ὅτι καὶ τῆς νίκης οὐκ ἔλαττον καὶ διὰ ταῦτα τιμᾶσθαι δίκαιος ἦν, δι' ἅπερ ὑπωπτεύετο καὶ ἐπεβουλεύετο μετὰ ταῦτα. Τίς οὖν ἡ αἰτία τῆς ὑποψίας ἦν; Ἐπειδὴ τοῦ βαρβάρου τὴν κεφαλὴν ἔλαβε, καὶ τὰ λάφυρα ἔχων ἐπανῄει, Ἐξῆλθον αἱ χορεύουσαι, φησὶν, ᾄδουσαι καὶ λέγουσαι· Ἐπάταξε Σαοὺλ ἐν χιλιάσιν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ∆αυῒδ ἐν μυριάσιν αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ὠργίσθη Σαοὺλ, καὶ ἦν ὑποβλεπόμενος τὸν ∆αυῒδ ἀπὸ τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης καὶ ἐπέκεινα. Τίνος ἕνεκεν, εἰπέ μοι; Μάλιστα μὲν γὰρ, εἰ καὶ ἀδίκως ταῦτα ἐλέγετο, οὐδὲ οὕτως πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀπεχθῶς διατεθῆναι ἔδει, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῶν γεγενημένων τὴν εὔνοιαν αὐτοῦ μαθόντα, καὶ ὅτι μηδενὸς ἀναγκάζοντος, μηδὲ βιαζομένου, ἐξ οἰκείας εὐνοίας τοσοῦτον ὑπέμεινε κίνδυνον, μηδὲν μηκέτι λοιπὸν ὑποπτεύειν περὶ αὐτοῦ πονηρόν. Νυνὶ δὲ καὶ τὸ δίκαιον εἶχον αἱ εὐφημίαι· καὶ εἰ χρή τι θαυμαστὸν εἰπεῖν, τῷ Σαοὺλ ἐχαρίσαντο μᾶλλον, ἢ τῷ ∆αυῒδ ταῦτα λέγουσαι· καὶ ἀγαπᾷν αὐτὸν ἐχρῆν, ὅτι τὰς χιλιάδας γοῦν ἔδωκαν αὐτῷ. Τί οὖν ἀγανακτεῖ, ὅτι ἔδωκαν τὰς μυριάδας ἐκείνῳ; Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἦν τι συντελέσας εἰς τὸν πόλεμον, καὶ μικρὰν γοῦν τινα μοῖραν εἰσενεγκὼν, καλῶς ταῦτα ἐλέγετο, ὅτι Σαοὺλ ἐν χιλιάσι, καὶ ∆αυῒδ ἐν μυριάσιν. Εἰ δὲ αὐτὸς μὲν δεδοικὼς καὶ τρέμων ἔνδον ἐκάθητο, καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἀποθανεῖσθαι προσδοκῶν, οὗτος δὲ τὸ πᾶν εἰργάσατο, πῶς οὐκ ἄτοπον ἦν, τὸν μηδὲν εἰς τοὺς κινδύνους ἐκείνους συμβαλλόμενον ἀγανακτεῖν, ὅτι μὴ τὸ πλέον τῆς εὐφημίας ἔλαβεν; Εἰ γὰρ ἀγανακτεῖν ἐχρῆν, τὸν ∆αυῒδ ἀγανακτεῖν ἔδει, ὅτι τὸ πᾶν αὐτὸς κατορθώσας, μεριστὴν ἕτερον ἔσχε τῆς εὐφημίας. γʹ. Πλὴν ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τούτων λέγω, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνο ἂν εἴποιμι· ἔστω κακῶς πεποιηκέναι τὰς γυναῖκας, καὶ 54.680 ἐγκλημάτων ἀξίας εἶναι καὶ κατηγορίας· τί ταῦτα πρὸς τὸν ∆αυΐδ; Οὐ γὰρ δὴ τὰ ᾄσματα αὐτὸς συνέθηκεν, οὐδὲ ἐκείνας λέγειν ἅπερ ἔλεγον αὐτὸς ἀνέπεισεν, οὐδὲ κατεσκεύασε τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον γενέσθαι τῆς εὐφημίας. Ὥστε εἰ καὶ ἀγανακτεῖν ἔδει, ἐκείναις ἐχρῆν ἀγανακτεῖν, οὐ τῷ κοινῷ τῆς πόλεως εὐεργέτῃ, καὶ μυρίων στεφάνων ἀξίῳ. Ὁ δὲ ἐκείνας ἀφεὶς, ἐπὶ τοῦτον ᾔει. Καὶ εἰ μὲν ἀπὸ τῆς εὐφημίας ἐκείνης ἐπαρθεὶς ὁ μακάριος ἐφθόνει τῷ κρατοῦντι καὶ ὕβριζεν εἰς αὐτὸν, καὶ διέπτυσεν αὐτοῦ τὴν βασιλείαν, τάχα εἶχέ τινα λόγον ὁ φθόνος· εἰ δὲ ἐπιεικέστερος ἐγίνετο καὶ πραότερος, καὶ τὴν τῶν ἀρχομένων ἔμενε διατηρῶν τάξιν, ποίαν εἶχε δικαίαν πρόφασιν ἡ λύπη; Ὅταν μὲν γὰρ ὁ τιμώμενος ἐπαίρηται κατὰ τοῦ