Eusebius of Caesarea, Commentary on Psalms 1

they say, we became as ones dreaming, but not in a waking state imagining our freedom 24.17; but our joy will be a waking and clear reality, when our remaining brothers also return from captivity; for which the nations will also bless us, as having recovered our own members; for the body of those who are saved is one. Then our mouth was filled with joy. For those who speak divine things, upon which is the fruit of the spirit, joy to those who hear, their mouth becomes and was filled with joy, and their tongue with gladness, from which flow joy and gladness; and when these things happen, those from the nations who are taught say: The Lord has done great things for them; and concerning themselves they also say, giving thanks: The Lord has done great things for us; we became joyful. By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept; but when the Lord turned back the captivity, our mouth was filled with joy; When we set a guard on our mouth; and the saying, The mouth of the righteous meditates wisdom; and the saying, Open your mouth, says God; and similar things; Our mouth is open to you, Corinthians; then, speaking the truth, we shall say: Then our mouth was filled with joy. And after a little; But when we guard the ways from sinning, then our tongue will be filled with gladness; and Philip's mouth was also filled with joy, when opening his mouth, and beginning from, As a sheep he was led to the slaughter, he preached Jesus to the Ethiopian eunuch. The Lord has done great things for us. Above, the two verses have been spoken as if the return from captivity has already happened; but now, as if still in captivity, the Prophet says these things, the first, I think, prophesying concerning the apostles, and the second speaking in the person of the nations; for the things from, The Lord has done great things for us, until, as torrents in the south, belong to those in the nations. Turn back, O Lord, our captivity. Consistently, they added these things also to the first; for not being insensitive, he says, to the good deed already done for us, do we say these things, but confessing that God has done great things for us, and we have already come into gladness; and being in this state, we nevertheless pray and beseech on behalf of our remaining members, saying: Turn back, O Lord, our captivity as torrents in the south; for it is absurd for those deprived of divine knowledge to marvel at the philanthropy shown to us, while we who have obtained piety are sick with ingratitude. Those who sow in tears, etc. He who sows in tears, sows into the spirit of those blessed for their tears; but in gladness he reaps eternal life, he who already happens to laugh in the spirit. -To those asking about the remaining captives the Divine answers, Blessed are those who mourn 24.20 for they shall laugh; which if those in Ba 24.20 bylon do, sowing good hopes through their weeping, they will reap gladness; instead of the tears which they had while being loved, receiving the joy of the return; and if at that time they kept some small seed of godliness, yet having cultivated their own souls there, returning they will bear many fruits. Until the 7th ode, the things concerning the captives from the circumcision were prophesied.

PSALM 126.

According to the Hebrew and all the interpreters, the present ode now

is Solomon's, just as other psalms are inscribed to others, spoken prophetically by him when he was building the temple; for of the Jews

φασὶν, ἐγενήθημεν ὡς ἐνυπνιαζόμενοι, ἀλλ' οὐχ ὕπαρ τὴν ἐλευθε 24.17 ρίαν ἡμῶν φανταζόμενοι· ἔσται δὲ ὕπαρ καὶ ἐναργὴς ἡμῶν ἡ χαρὰ, ἐπειδὰν καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ ἡμῶν ἀδελφοὶ ἀπὸ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας ἐπανέλθωσιν· ἐφ' ᾧ καὶ τὰ ἔθνη μακαριοῦσιν ἡμᾶς, ὡς ἴδια μέλη κομισαμένους· ἓν γὰρ τὸ σῶμα τῶν σωζομένων. Τότε ἐπλήσθη χαρᾶς τὸ στόμα ἡμῶν. Τοὺς λέγοντας τὰ θεῖα ἐφ' οἷς καρπὸς πνεύματος, χαρὰ τοῖς ἀκούουσιν τὸ μὲν στόμα γίνεται καὶ ἐπληρώθη χαρᾶς, ἡ δὲ γλῶσσα ἀγαλλιάσεως, ἀφ' ὧν ῥεῖ χαρὰ καὶ ἀγαλλίασις· τούτων δὲ γινομένων, οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν διδασκόμενοι λέγουσιν· Ἐμεγάλυνε Κύριος τοῦ ποιῆσαι μετ' αὐτῶν· καὶ περὶ ἑαυτῶν δέ φασιν εὐχαριστοῦντες· Ἐμεγάλυνε Κύριος τοῦ ποιῆσαι μεθ' ἡμῶν· ἐγενήθημεν εὐφραινόμενοι. Ἐπὶ μὲν τῶν ποταμῶν Βαβυλῶνος ἐκαθίσαμεν καὶ ἐκλαύσαμεν· ἐν δὲ τῷ ἐπιστρέψαι τὸν Κύριον τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν, ἐπλήσθη χαρᾶς τὸ στόμα ἡμῶν· Ἐπὰν ποιήσωμεν τῷ στόματι φυλακήν· καὶ τὸ, Στόμα δικαίου μελετᾷ σοφίαν· καὶ τὸ, Ἄνοιγε σὸν στόμα, λέγει Θεός· καὶ ὅμοια· Τὸ στόμα ἡμῶν ἀνέῳγε πρὸς ὑμᾶς, Κορίνθιοι· τότε ἀληθεύοντες φήσομεν· Τότε ἐπλήσθη χαρᾶς τὸ στόμα ἡμῶν. Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· Ἐπὰν δὲ φυλάξωμεν τὰς ὁδοὺς τοῦ μὴ ἁμαρτάνειν, τότε πληρωθήσεται ἡ γλῶσσα ἡμῶν ἀγαλλιάσεως· ἐπλήσθη δὲ χαρᾶς καὶ τὸ Φιλίππου στόμα, ὅτε ἀνοίξας τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀρξάμενος ἀπὸ τοῦ, Ὡς πρόβατον ἐπὶ σφαγὴν ἤχθη, εὐηγγελίσατο τὸν Ἰησοῦν τῷ εὐνούχῳ Αἰθίοπι. Ἐμεγάλυνε Κύριος τοῦ ποιῆσαι μεθ' ἡμῶν. Ἀνωτέρω μὲν ὡς ἤδη ἐπιστροφῆς ἀπὸ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας γινομένης, εἴρηνται οἱ δύο στίχοι· νῦν δὲ ὡς ἔτι ἐν αἰχμαλωσίᾳ ὢν, ταῦτά φησιν ὁ Προφήτης, τὸ μὲν πρότερον προφητεύων, οἶμαι, περὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων, τὸ δὲ δεύτερον ἐκ προσώπου λέγων τῶν ἐθνῶν· τῶν γὰρ ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσίν ἐστιν τὰ ἀπὸ τοῦ, Ἐμεγάλυνε Κύριος τοῦ ποιῆσαι μεθ' ἡμῶν, ἕως τοῦ, ὡς χειμάῤῥους ἐν τῷ νότῳ. Ἐπίστρεψον, Κύριε, τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν ἡμῶν. Ἀκολούθως καὶ ταῦτα προσέθηκαν τοῖς πρώτοις· οὐ γὰρ ἀναισθητοῦντες, φησὶ, τῆς εἰς ἡμᾶς ἤδη γενομένης εὐεργεσίας, ταῦτά φαμεν, ἀλλ' ὁμολογοῦντες, ὅτι μεγάλα μὲν ἐποίησε μεθ' ἡμῶν ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ ἤδη γεγόναμεν ἐν εὐφροσύνῃ· οὕτω δὲ ἔχοντες, ὅμως ὑπὲρ τῶν καταλοίπων μελῶν ἡμῶν δεόμεθα καὶ ἱκετεύομεν λέγοντες· Ἐπίστρεψον, Κύριε, τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν ἡμῶν ὡς χειμάῤῥους ἐν τῷ νότῳ· ἄτοπον γὰρ τοὺς μὲν τῆς θείας γνώσεως ἐστερημένους, τὴν εἰς ἡμᾶς γεγενημένην φιλανθρωπίαν θαυμάζειν, ἡμᾶς δὲ τοὺς τῆς εὐσεβείας τετυχηκότας, ἀχαριστίαν νοσεῖν. Οἱ σπείροντες ἐν δάκρυσιν, κ.τ.λ. Ὁ σπείρων ἐν δάκρυσι, εἰς τὸ πνεῦμα σπείρει τῶν ἐπὶ τοῖς δάκρυσι μακαριζομένων· ἐν ἀγαλλιάσει δὲ θερίζει ζωὴν αἰώνιον, ὁ τυγγάνων ἤδη τοῦ γελᾷν τῷ πνεύματι. -Τοῖς περὶ τῶν λοιπῶν αἰχμαλώτων αἰτήσασι τὸ Θεῖον ἀποκρίνεται τὸ, Μακάριοι οἱ κλαίοντες 24.20 ὅτι αὐτοὶ γελάσονται· ὅπερ εἰ ποιήσουσιν οἱ ἐν Βα 24.20 βυλῶνι, ἀγαθὰς ἐλπίδας δι' ὧν κλαίουσι σπείροντες, θεριοῦσιν ἀγαλλίασιν· ἀντὶ δακρύων ἅπερ ἔσχον ἀγαπώμενοι, δεξόμενοι τὴν τῆς ἐπανόδου χαράν· καὶ εἰ τότε βραχύ τι σπέρμα θεοσεβείας ἐφύλαττον, ἀλλὰ τὰς ἑαυτῶν ἐκεῖ ψυχὰς γεωργήσαντες, πολλοὺς ἐπανιόντες οἴσουσι τοὺς καρπούς. Μέχρι τῆς ζʹ ᾠδῆς τὰ περὶ τῶν ἐκ περιτομῆς αἰχμαλώτων προεθεσπίσθη.

ΨΑΛΜΟΣ ΡΚʹ.

Κατὰ τὸ Ἑβραϊκὸν καὶ τοὺς ἑρμηνεύσαντας ἅπαντας, ἡ παροῦσα νῦν ᾠδὴ

Σολομῶντός ἐστιν ὥσπερ ἄλλοι ἄλλων εἰσὶν ἐπιγεγραμμένοι ψαλμοὶ προφητικῶς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ λεχθεῖσα ὁπηνίκα τὸν ναὸν κατεσκεύαζε· τῶν γὰρ Ἰουδαίων