do not be zealous among evil-doers, nor be zealous of those who do lawlessness. To be zealous and to be provoked to jealousy differ. For to provoke to jealousy is said to be to irritate, and to move to jealousy, such as: They have provoked me to jealousy with that which is not God; that is, they stirred up zeal in me, and as it were provoked me to anger by practicing idolatry. But to be zealous is to wish for oneself also to have, what one has considered a good thing to belong to one's neighbor. Therefore it says this: Neither provoke another who is doing evil so that he might rise up against you. That is, do not do such things as to receive evil zeal against you, since he plots against you. For example: If the young women sang the hymn, 'David has slain in his myriads,' with David's approval; he himself was the one provoking jealousy among evil-doers, in Saul. Neither again imitate or 17.120 call blessed such people, seeing them prosper. For flourishing for a little while, they are withered. For all flesh is grass. What then do they have that is enviable, who, having flourished for a little while, tomorrow are thrown into the oven? as the Savior says. For I would not say that the temporary prosperity of those who do evil is in any way worthy of envy for those who wish to live worthily. But one ought rather to consider to what kind of end choosing to live wickedly will come. Therefore, do not be zealous of such people, it says, nor be provoked to the imitation of those who love sin, even if they should seem to have the luxuries in the present life. Flee therefore the comparison, looking to the things that will be; for things will not always be in this state. Wherefore it adds: For they shall soon be withered like the grass, and shall soon fall away like the green herbs. Verse 3. Hope in the Lord, and do kindness, and dwell in the land, and thou shalt be fed with its wealth. That is, Love to be well-pleasing; thirst for the possession of the sacred gifts; love the things that have been kept for the saints and have been treasured up with God. And do kindness; as if it were saying to the field: Produce this fruit. So to you, the hearer of the divine lessons: Give to the field, says the Word; do kindness, which is one of the fruits of the Spirit. The name of kindness here signifies every manner of virtue. And dwell by the land; devoting yourself to the care and cultivation of the soul; For whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. Perhaps by 'land' it names the God-inspired Scripture, in which is the wealth of the saints, that is, the promises. And it exhorts us to hold always to the divine oracles, out of love for the good things laid up in them for the saints. Or it has put 'dwell' instead of 'you will dwell'; and it speaks of that land, the one promised to the meek, evidently; in which having come to be, you will be fed, it says, on its wealth. And the wealth of the city above is the abundant provision of divine gifts. Perhaps, however, it compares this temporary life to a tent; and wishes us to use it, as a tent in passing, mastering it, not being mastered by it, and using it for what is expedient, not for pleasures. For thus we shall be shepherded by a good Shepherd, enjoying this as fruit, if there is any wealth of the divine doctrines, so as to say: The Lord shepherds me, and I shall want nothing. Verse 4. Delight in the Lord, and may he give you the requests of your heart. It is the custom for Scripture to introduce two men; and the better one has almost all the things of the worse one. For there is a certain food also of the inner man, about which it is said: Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. There is also a certain drink; For we drink from a spiritual following rock. And clothing; whence the sinner clothed himself with a curse as with a garment, but the 17.121 righteous one, the Lord Jesus, and bowels of mercies, and the full armor of God. Thus the one who only hears his exhorting words is fed; but the one who gives himself to the interpretation of the law, to the exposition of the prophets, to the solving of evangelical parables, to the clarification of apostolic words, delights in the Lord; and eats not for necessity, nor only for nourishment. It teaches us, therefore, to delight in the Lord. For God also, from the beginning wishing us to delight

παραζήλου ἐν πονηρευομένοις, μηδὲ ζήλου τοὺς ποιοῦντας τὴν ἀνομίαν. ∆ιαφέρει τὸ ζηλοῦν καὶ παραζηλοῦν. Παραζηλοῦν μὲν γὰρ λέγεται τὸ ἐρεθίζειν, καὶ κινεῖν εἰς ζηλο τυπίαν, ὁποῖον τό· Αὐτοὶ παρεζήλωσάν με ἐπ' οὐ Θεῷ· τουτέστιν ἐκίνησαν ἐν ἐμοὶ ζῆλον, καὶ οἷον εἰς ὀργήν με ἠρέθισαν εἰδωλολατροῦντες. Ζηλοῦν δέ ἐστιν τὸ βούλεσθαι καὶ ἑαυτῷ ὑπάρχειν, ὃ παρεῖ ναι τῷ πέλας νενόμικεν ἀγαθόν. Τοῦτο οὖν λέγει· Μήτε ἕτερον ἐρέθιζε πονηρευόμενον πρὸς τὸ ἀνα στῆναι αὐτὸν κατὰ σοῦ. Ἤγουν, Μὴ ποιήσῃς τοιαῦτα, ὡς τὸν πονηρὸν ζῆλον λαβεῖν κατὰ σοῦ, ἐπεὶ ἐπιβου λεύει σοι. Οἷον· Εἰ μετὰ γνώμης τοῦ ∆αβὶδ τὸν ὕμνον ἔλεγον αἱ νεάνιδες, τὸ, Ἐπάταξεν ὁ ∆αβὶδ ἐν μυριάσιν αὐτοῦ· αὐτὸς ἦν ὁ παραζηλῶν ἐν πο νηρευομένοις, τῷ Σαούλ. Μήτε πάλιν μιμοῦ ἢ μα 17.120 κάριζε τοὺς τοιούτους, εὐθηνοῦντας ὁρῶν. Πρὸς ὀλί γον γὰρ ἀνθοῦντες, ξηραίνονται. Πᾶσα γὰρ σὰρξ, χόρτος. Τί οὖν ἔχουσι ζηλωτὸν, οἵτινες, πρὸς ὀλί γον ἀνθήσαντες, αὔριον εἰς κλίβανον βάλλονται; καθά φησιν ὁ Σωτήρ. Οὐ γάρ τοι φαίην ἂν εἶναί πως ἀξιοζήλωτον τοῖς ἐθέλουσι ζῇν ἀξιοπρεπῶς τὴν τῶν πονηρευομένων πρόσκαιρον εὐημερίαν. Ἐννοεῖν δὲ χρὴ μᾶλλον εἰς οἷον ἐκβήσεται πέρας τὸ διαβιοῦν ἑλέσθαι κακῶς. Μὴ τοίνυν ζήλου τοὺς τοιούτους, φησὶ, μηδὲ κατερεθίζου πρὸς μίμησιν τῶν φιλα μαρτημόνων, κἂν εἰ δοκοῖεν ἔχειν τὰς ἐν τῷ παρόντι βίῳ τρυφάς. Φεῦγε οὖν τὴν ἰσοῤῥοπίαν, εἰς τὰ ἐσό μενα βλέπων· οὐ γὰρ ἐν τούτοις ἔσται διηνεκῶς τὰ πράγματα. ∆ιὸ ἐπάγει· Ὅτι ὡσεὶ χόρτος ταχὺ ἀποξηρανθήσονται, καὶ ὡσεὶ λάχανα χλόης ταχὺ ἀποπεσοῦνται. Στίχ. γʹ. Ἔλπισον ἐπὶ Κύριον, καὶ ποίει χρηστό τητα, καὶ κατασκήνου τὴν γῆν, καὶ ποιμαν θήσῃ τῷ πλούτῳ αὐτῆς. Τουτέστιν, Ἀγάπησον τὸ εὐδοκιμεῖν· δίψησον τῶν ἱερῶν χαρισμάτων τὴν κτῆσιν· ἀγάπησον τὰ τοῖς ἁγίοις τετηρημένα καὶ παρὰ Θεῷ τεθησαυρισμένα. Καὶ ποίει χρηστότητα· ὡς εἰ ἔλεγε τῷ ἀγρῷ· Ποίει τόνδε τὸν καρπόν. Οὕτως σοι τῷ ἀκροατῇ τῶν θείων μαθημάτων· ∆ὸς ἀγρῷ, φησὶν ὁ Λόγος· ποίει χρηστότητα, ἥτις μία ἐστὶ τῶν καρπῶν τοῦ Πνεύμα τος. Τὸ τῆς χρηστότητος ὄνομα ἐνταῦθα καταση μαίνει πάντα τρόπον ἀρετῆς. Καὶ κατοίκει παρὰ τὴν γῆν· προσδιατρίβων τῇ τῆς ψυχῆς ἐπιμελείᾳ καὶ γεωργίᾳ· Ὅτι ὃ ἐὰν σπείρῃ ἄνθρωπος, ἐκεῖνο καὶ θερίσει. Ἴσως δὲ γῆν, τὴν θεόπνευστον ὀνομάζει Γραφὴν, ἐν ᾗ ὁ πλοῦτος τῶν ἁγίων, τουτέστιν αἱ ἐπαγγελίαι. Καὶ παραινεῖ διαπαντὸς τῶν θείων ἔχε σθαι λογίων, ἔρωτι τῶν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἀποκειμένων τοῖς ἁγίοις ἀγαθῶν. Ἣ τὸ μὲν κατασκήνου τέθεικεν ἀντὶ τοῦ κατασκηνώσεις· γῆν δὲ ἐκείνην λέγει τὴν τοῖς πραέσιν ἐπηγγελμένην δηλονότι· ἐν ᾗ γεγονὼς, ποι μανθήσῃ, φησὶν, ἐπὶ τῷ πλούτῳ αὐτῆς. Πλοῦτος δὲ τῆς ἄνω πόλεως, ἡ τῶν θείων χαρισμάτων ἀμφιλαφὴς χορηγία. Τάχα δὲ σκηνῇ ἀπεικάζει τὸν πρόσκαιρον βίον· καὶ βούλεται ἡμᾶς χρᾶσθαι αὐτῷ, ὡς σκηνῇ κατὰ πάροδον, κυριεύοντας αὐτοῦ, οὐ κυριευομένους ὑπ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ πρὸς τὸ συμφέρον, οὐ πρὸς ἡδονὰς ἀποχρωμένους. Οὕτω γὰρ ποιμανθησόμεθα ὑπὸ Ποι μένι καλῷ, εἴ τις πλοῦτός ἐστι τῶν θείων δογμάτων, τοῦτον καρπούμενοι, ὥστε λέγειν· Κύριος ποιμαίνει με, καὶ οὐδέν με ὑστερήσει. Στίχ. δʹ. Κατατρύφησον τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ δῴη σοι τὰ αἰτήματα τῆς καρδίας σου. Ἔθος τῇ Γραφῇ δύο ἀνθρώπους εἰσάγειν· καὶ σχεδὸν πάντα τὰ τοῦ χείρονος ἔχει καὶ ὁ κρείττων. Ἔστι γάρ τις τροφὴ καὶ τοῦ ἔσω ἀνθρώπου, περὶ ἧς λέγεται· Οὐκ ἐπ' ἄρτῳ μόνῳ ζήσεται ἄνθρωπος, ἀλλ' ἐν παντὶ ῥήματι ἐκπορευομένῳ διὰ στόματος Θεοῦ. Ἔστι τι καὶ ποτόν· Πίνομεν γὰρ ἐκ πνευματικῆς ἀκολουθούσης πέτρας. Καὶ ἔνδυμα· ὅθεν ὁ μὲν ἁμαρτωλὸς ἐνεδύσατο κατάραν ὡς ἱμάτιον, ὁ 17.121 δὲ δίκαιος τὸν Κύριον Ἰησοῦν, καὶ σπλάγχνα οἰ κτιρμῶν, καὶ πανοπλίαν Θεοῦ. Οὕτως ὁ μὲν τῶν αὐτοῦ μόνον ἀκούων λόγων προτρεπτικῶν τρέφεται· ὁ δὲ ἐπιδιδοὺς ἑαυτὸν ἑρμηνείᾳ νόμου, διηγήσει προ φητῶν, λύσει παραβολῶν εὐαγγελικῶν, σαφηνείᾳ λό γων ἀποστολικῶν, κατατρυφᾷ τοῦ Κυρίου· καὶ ἐσθίει οὐ πρὸς ἀνάγκην, οὐδὲ πρὸς μόνην τροφήν. ∆ιδάσκει οὖν ἡμᾶς κατατρυφῆσαι τοῦ Κυρίου. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς, ἀπ' ἀρχῆς βουλόμενος ἡμᾶς τρυφᾷν