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injustice doing this. And one must hate these things, which are primarily our enemies. And just as from perfection comes righteousness and moderation, so too does such hatred. Therefore, everyone who hates someone, hates in vain; which was the point to be proven. Such also is the saying, They hated me without a cause. But also because of those who said before to his soul, There is no salvation for him in his God, he now says: You have broken the teeth of sinners, that is, you have removed the words and the blasphemies against me; but you have also crushed those themselves who uttered such things against me, being impious and rejoicing in evil, and you have put their voices to shame. And not only to me after I had fallen asleep and risen up did you grant this, but also to all your people who are to be called yours. It must be observed that, instead of "Salvation," the Hebrew word has taken the name of Jesus; and indeed the conclusion of the whole contains two teachings: that the power of the Lord is saving, and that he himself will provide the blessing to his people, who have been saved through him, and a blessing that is entirely spiritual according to the Apostle who said: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Hence, at the birth of the Savior, it was said to Joseph by the angel: And you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people, whom the word also declared blessed. These things, then, are according to the contemplation of what is set forth. But one might also say that they have been fulfilled literally; spoken beforehand by David prophetically at the time of the circumstance when his son was persecuting him, and brought to fulfillment not long after, when in the engagement of the war Absalom fell, and those who were loyal to him also fell; and the prophecy of David which said, prevailed: For you have struck all who hated me in vain; you have broken the teeth of sinners. Salvation is of the Lord, and your blessing is upon your people. These things were therefore spoken prophetically, as if the people had already been saved, and had come to be under David.

EXPLANATION OF PSALM 4. To the end, in psalms, a song for David.

To the end, in hymns, a psalm for David. Just as the end of every art and science is ......... for the one pursuing it to attain; so for every rational nature, to be made alive in Christ is the end, as in the first to the Corinthians Paul says, speaking of his own order: It seems not ......... to subscribe for all, as for each one being made alive according to worth after trials. Or also apart from these, Christ, having made alive in himself all those who are dying in Adam, reigns over those made alive; to which the inscription "to the end" was exhorting those who understand. For everyone who competes, the end is victory. Many, then, are the individual victories, and the end or as Paul sometimes says: In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us; and at another time: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith; henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord will award to me. Therefore, those inscribed "to the end for David" announce the end and victory of Christ, who is called David; and instead of "to the end," according to Aquila, "of the one who gives victory." For he will acquire victory for everyone who has been conquered. For one who is conquered by Christ has conquered evil, making it disappear by being subjected to Christ. For he does not conquer them unwillingly, but by persuading them as the Word of God. And such hymns or psalms, Theodotion inscribed "for the victory;" and Symmachus, "triumphal." And so to understand

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ἀδικίας τοῦτο ποιούσης. Καὶ δεῖ ταῦτα μισεῖν ἐχθρὰ τυγχάνοντα προηγουμένως ἡμῶν. Καὶ ὥσπερ ἀπὸ τελειότητος ἔρχεται δικαιοσύνη καὶ σωφροσύνη, οὕτω καὶ τὸ τοιόνδε μῖσος. Οὐκοῦν πᾶς ἐχθραίνων τινὶ ματαίως ἐχθραίνει· ὃ δὴ προὔκειτο δεῖξαι. Τοιοῦτόν ἐστι καὶ τὸ, Ἐμίσησάν με δωρεάν. Ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τοὺς ἀνωτέρω εἰρηκότας τῇ ψυχῇ αὐτοῦ, Οὐκ ἔστι σωτηρία αὐτῷ ἐν τῷ Θεῷ αὐτοῦ, νῦν φησιν· Ὀδόντας ἁμαρτωλῶν συνέτριψας, τουτέστι τοὺς λόγους καὶ τὰς κατ' ἐμοῦ βλασφημίας περιεῖλας· ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοὺς τοὺς κατ' ἐμοῦ τὰ τοιαῦτα φθεγξαμένους, ἀσεβεῖς ὄντας καὶ ἐπιχαιρεσικάκους, συνέτριψας, καὶ τὰς φωνὰς αὐτῶν κατῄσχυνας. Καὶ οὐ μόνον γε ἐμοὶ μετὰ τὸ κοιμηθῆναι καὶ ἀναστῆναι παρέσχου, ἀλλὰ καὶ παντὶ τῷ μέλλοντι χρηματίζειν σου λαῷ. Τηρητέον δὲ, ὡς, ἀντὶ τοῦ Σωτηρία, ἡ Ἑβραϊκὴ φωνὴ τὸ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ὄνομα παρείληπται· καὶ δὴ τὸ συμπέρασμα τοῦ παντὸς δύο περιέχει διδασκαλίας· ὅτι τε ἡ τοῦ Κυρίου δύναμις σωτήριός ἐστι, καὶ ὅτι αὐτὸς τῷ αὐτοῦ λαῷ, τῷ δι' αὐτοῦ σεσωσμένῳ, τὴν εὐλογίαν παρέξει, Εὐλογία δὲ πάντως πνευματικὴ κατὰ τὸν Ἀπόστολον εἰπόντα· Εὐλογητὸς ὁ Θεὸς καὶ Πατὴρ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ· ὁ εὐλογήσας ἡμᾶς ἐν πάσῃ εὐλογίᾳ πνευματικῇ ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις ἐν Χριστῷ. Ἔνθεν ἐπὶ τῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος γενέσεως λέλεκται τῷ Ἰωσὴφ ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀγγέλου· Καὶ καλέσεις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦν· αὐτὸς γὰρ σώσει τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ, οὓς καὶ μακαρίους ὁ λόγος ἔφασκε. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν τις κατὰ θεωρίαν τῶν προκειμένων. Εἴποι δ' ἄν τις καὶ πρὸς λέξιν πεπληρῶσθαι αὐτά· προλεχθέντα μὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ προφητικῶς ἐν καιρῷ τῆς περι 23.101 στάσεως, ὁπηνίκα ὁ υἱὸς ἐδίωκεν αὐτὸν, ἐπὶ πέρας δὲ ἠγμένα μετ' οὐ πολὺ, ὅτε ἐν τῇ τοῦ πολέμου συμβολῇ πίπτει μὲν ὁ Ἀβεσσαλὼμ, πίπτουσι δὲ καὶ οἱ τὰ φίλα αὐτῷ φρονοῦντες· κρατεῖ δὲ ἡ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ πρόῤῥησις ἡ φήσασα· Ὅτι σὺ ἐπάταξας πάντας τοὺς ἐχθραίνοντάς μοι ματαίως· ὀδόντας ἁμαρτωλῶν συνέτριψας. Τοῦ Κυρίου ἡ σωτηρία, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν λαόν σου ἡ εὐλογία σου. Ἐλέγετο γοῦν ταῦτα προφητικῶς, ὡς ἂν ἤδη τοῦ λαοῦ σεσωσμένου, καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ γενημένου.

ΕΞΗΓΗΣΙΣ ΨΑΛΜΟΥ ∆ʹ. Εἰς τὸ τέλος ἐν ψαλμοῖς ᾠδὴ τῷ ∆αυΐδ.

Εἰς τὸ τέλος ἐν ὕμνοις ψαλμὸς τῷ ∆αυΐδ. Ὥσπερ πάσης τέχνης καὶ ἐπιστήμης τέλος ἐστὶν ......... καταντῆσαι τὸν μετερχόμενον· οὕτω πάσης λογικῆς φύσεως, τὸ ἐν Χριστῷ ζωοποιηθῆναι τέλος ἐστὶν, ὡς ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ πρὸς Κορινθίους ὁ Παῦλός φησι λέγων τῷ ἰδίῳ τάγματι· ∆οκεῖ μη ......... εν ὑπογράφειν ἁπάντων, ὡς αἱ ἑκάστου ζωοποιουμένου πρὸς τὴν ἀξίαν μετὰ βασάνους. Ἢ καὶ τούτων χωρὶς ζωοποιήσας δὲ πάντας Χριστὸς ἐν ἑαυτῷ τοὺς τῷ Ἀδὰμ ἀποθνήσκοντας βασιλεύει τῶν ζωοποιηθέντων· ἐφ' ὃ παρεκάλει τοὺς συνιέντας ἡ εἰς τὸ τέλος ἐπιγραφή. Παντὶ δὲ ἀγωνιζομένῳ τέλος ἡ νίκη. Πολλαὶ μὲν οὖν αἱ κατὰ μέρος νίκαι, καὶ τέλος ἢ ποτὲ μὲν λέγοντος Παύλου· Ἐν τούτοις πᾶσιν ὑπερνικῶμεν διὰ τοῦ ἀγαπήσαντος ἡμᾶς· ποτὲ δέ· Τὸν ἀγῶνα τὸν καλὸν ἠγώνισμαι, τὸν δρόμον τετέλεκα, τὴν πίστιν τετήρηκα· λοιπὸν ἀπόκειταί μοι ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης στέφανος, ὃν ἀποδώσει μοι ὁ Κύριος. Οἱ οὖν ἐπιγεγραμμένοι εἰς τὸ τέλος τῷ ∆αυῒδ, τέλος καὶ νίκην ἀπαγγέλλουσι τοῦ Χριστοῦ λεγομένου ∆αυΐδ· καὶ ἀντὶ τοῦ, εἰς τέλος, κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν, νικοποιοῦ. Παντὶ γὰρ νενικημένῳ περιποιήσεται νίκην. Ὑπὸ Χριστοῦ γάρ τις νικώμενος, τὴν κακίαν νενίκηκε, ταύτην ἐξαφανίζων τῷ ὑποτετάχθαι Χριστῷ. Νικᾷ γὰρ οὐκ ἄκοντας, ἀλλὰ πείθων ὡς λόγος Θεοῦ. Τοὺς δὲ τοιούτους ὕμνους ἢ ψαλμοὺς, εἰς τὸ νῖκος, Θεοδοτίων ἐπέγραψε· Σύμμαχος δὲ, ἐπινικίους. Οὕτω δὲ νοεῖν