Eusebius of Caesarea, Commentary on Psalms 1

it is necessary to suppose that he used a loud voice and a shout; for God hears even the silent; thus also it is said that he spoke to Moses: Why do you cry to me? But he who possesses great doctrines about God, and asks something from God with an exceeding disposition and faith, so cried out to him; therefore he also says with confidence: Since I am such a one, and cry out such things, attend to my voice when I cry to you; as having a mind not only pure, but also a voice through the lips free from falsehood, perjury, and reviling. To which he also added consequently: The lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice. You will understand this from the Apostle's saying: I desire that the men pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger and grumbling; for he mentioned both those things according to the mind, and those according to action; but the ungodly never lift up their hands; therefore it has been said to them: When you stretch out your hands to me, I will turn my face from you; but one must lift up actions to a height, and perform them pleasingly to God. Incline not my heart to words of wickedness, to make excuses for sins. Do not permit my mind, once simply fashioned, to be turned aside and to incline to the contrary; but instead of, to make excuses for sins, Symmachus has, to think unlawful thoughts, interpreting the theory of the word more clearly. Then he again moves to the practical, saying, with men who work iniquity, and I will not be united with their elect. For which again Symmachus interpreted more clearly, saying, With men who work unrighteousness, nor may I eat of their delicacies. For I will not be with them, he says, if you, Lord, set a guard to my mouth, and preserve the treasure prepared for me. Their elect would be those who make excuses for the evil they do; since those who sin without excuse and openly are worse. Their judges have been swallowed up near the rock. But Symmachus: For my prayer is still within their evils; their judges will be plucked out by the hands of a rock; they will hear my most pleasant words; as a farmer when he breaks the earth, so your bones were scattered beside Hades. He now adds the reason for not being united with sinners; for their fellowship, he says, is sufficient to scatter my soul, and to receive their evils within. But "will be plucked out" declares that they might see their own rulers and judges torn up from the roots, as if plucked out by the power of the firm word. Do not take away my soul. Symmachus instead of, do not take away, has "do not empty out," that is, do not permit the good treasure laid up in my soul to be emptied out; for then I will depart without fear, he says, when sinners are entangled in their own nets.

PSALM 141.

Of understanding, for David, when he was in the cave, a prayer. And the 50th

has a similar inscription, thus: To the end, do not destroy, for David for a pillar-inscription, when he was fleeing from the face of Saul into the cave. And the story is found in the first of Kings: And David went up from there, and dwelt in the strongholds of Engaddi; and it came to pass when Saul returned from following the Philistines; and they reported to him, saying, Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engaddi. And Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel, and

πάντως φωνῇ μεγάλῃ καὶ βοῇ κεχρῆσθαι αὐτὸν προσήκει ὑπολαμβάνειν· καὶ σιωπώντων γὰρ ἀκούει ὁ Θεός· οὕτω καὶ Μωϋσῇ λέγεται εἰρηκέναι· Τί βοᾷς πρὸς μέ; Ἀλλ' ὁ μεγάλα δόγματα περὶ Θεοῦ κεκτημένος, ὑπερβαλλούσῃ τε διαθέσει καὶ πίστει αἰτῶν τι παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, οὕτως ἐκέκραξε πρὸς αὐτόν· διὸ καὶ θαρσῶν φησιν· Ἐπειδὴ τοιοῦτός εἰμι, καὶ τοιαῦτα βοῶ, πρόσχες τῇ φωνῇ μου ἐν τῷ κεκραγέναι με πρὸς σέ· ὡς καθαρὰν ἔχων οὐ μόνον τὴν διάνοιαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν διὰ τῶν χειλέων φωνὴν ἀπὸ ψεύδους, ἐπιορκίας τε καὶ λοιδορίας. Οἷς καὶ ἀκολούθως ἐπήγαγεν· Ἔπαρσις τῶν χειρῶν μου θυσία ἑσπερινή. Νοήσεις δὲ τοῦτο ἀπὸ τοῦ λέγειν τὸν Ἀπόστολον· Βούλομαι τοὺς ἄνδρας προσεύχεσθαι ἐπαίροντας ὁσίους χεῖρας, χωρὶς ὀργῆς καὶ διαγογγυσμῶν· κἀκεῖνος γὰρ ὁμοῦ καὶ τῶν κατὰ διάνοιαν ἐμνημόνευσε, καὶ τῶν κατὰ πρᾶξιν· οἱ δὲ ἀσεβεῖς οὐδέποτε χεῖρας ἐπαίρουσι· διὸ λέλεκται πρὸς αὐτούς· Ὅτ' ἂν τὰς χεῖρας ἐκτείνητε πρὸς μὲ, ἀποστρέψω τὸ πρόσωπόν μου ἀφ' ὑμῶν· ἐπαίρειν δὲ δεῖ εἰς ὕψος τὰς πράξεις, καὶ ἀρεσκόντως αὐτὰς τῷ Θεῷ ἐπιτελεῖν. Μὴ ἐκκλίνῃς τὴν καρδίαν μου εἰς λόγους πο νηρίας, τοῦ προφασίζεσθαι προφάσεις ἐν ἁμαρτίαις. Μὴ συγχωρήσῃς παρατραπῆναι καὶ παρακλιθῆναι εἰς τὸ ἐναντίον τὴν ἅπαξ ἁπλῶς κατασκευασθεῖσάν μου διάνοιαν· ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, προφασίζεσθαι προφάσεις ἐν ἁμαρτίαις, ὁ Σύμμαχος, ἐννοεῖν ἐννοίας παρανόμους ἐξέδωκε, σαφέστερον ἑρμηνεύσας τὴν θεωρίαν τοῦ λόγου. Εἶτα πάλιν μεταβαίνει ἐπὶ τὸ πρακτικὸν φάσκων, σὺν ἀνθρώποις ἐργαζομένοις τὴν ἀνομίαν, καὶ οὐ μὴ συνδυάσω μετὰ τῶν ἐκλεκτῶν αὐτῶν. Ἀνθ' οὗ πάλιν ὁ Σύμμαχος σαφέστερον ἡρμήνευσεν εἰπὼν, Σὺν ἀνθρώποις ἐργαζομένοις ἀδικίαν, μηδὲ συμφάγοιμι τὰ ἡδέα αὐτῶν. Οὐκ ἔσομαι γὰρ, φησὶν, ἅμα τούτοις, ἐὰν σὺ, Κύριε, φυλακὴν τῷ στόματι θείης, καὶ τὸν προκατασκευασθέντα μοι θησαυρὸν διατηρήσῃς. Ἐκλεκτοὶ δὲ τούτων εἶεν οἱ σκηπτόμενοι προφάσεις ἐφ' οἷς δρῶσι κακῶς· χειρόνων ὄντων τῶν ἄνευ προφάσεως, καὶ ἀνεπικαλύπτως ἀνομούντων. Κατεπόθησαν ἐχόμενα πέτρας οἱ κριταὶ αὐτῶν. Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος· Ἔτι γὰρ καὶ ἡ προσευχή μου ἐντὸς τῶν κακιῶν αὐτῶν· ἐκτιλήσονται ἐν χερσὶ πέτρας οἱ κριταὶ αὐτῶν· ἀκούσονται ῥήσεις μου ἡδίστας· ὥσπερ γεωργὸς ὅτ' ἂν ῥήσσῃ τὴν γῆν, ὡς ἐσκορπίσθη ὑμῶν τὰ ὀστᾶ παρὰ τὸν ᾅδην. Τὴν αἰτίαν δὲ νῦν ἐπάγει τοῦ μὴ συνδυάζειν ἁμαρτωλοῖς· ἱκανὴ γὰρ αὐτῶν ἡ κοινωνία, φησὶ, διασκορπίσαι μου τὴν ψυχὴν, καὶ τῶν κακιῶν αὐτῶν ἔνδον 24.45 ἀπολαβεῖν· τὸ δὲ ἐκτιλήσονται δηλοῖ, ὅτι καὶ τοὺς ἑαυτῶν ἄρχοντας καὶ κριτὰς ἴδωσι κατασπωμένους ἐκ ῥιζῶν, ὥσπερ ἀποτιλλομένους δυνάμει τοῦ στερεοῦ λόγου. Μὴ ἀντανέλῃς τὴν ψυχήν μου. Ὁ Σύμμαχος ἀντὶ τοῦ, οὐκ ἀντανέλῃς, μὴ ἀποκενώσῃς, τουτέστι, μὴ συγχωρήσῃς τὸν ἀποκείμενον ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ μου ἀγαθὸν θησαυρὸν ἀποκενωθῆναι· τότε γὰρ ἀφόβως ἀπελεύσομαι, φησὶν, ὅτ' ἂν ἁμαρτωλοὶ τοῖς ἑαυτῶν περιπαρῶσι δικτύοις.

ΨΑΛΜΟΣ ΡΜΑʹ.

Συνέσεως τῷ ∆αυῒδ, ἐν τῷ εἶναι αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ σπηλαίῳ, προσευχή. Καὶ ὁ νʹ

ὁμοίαν ἔχει τὴν ἐπιγραφὴν οὕτως· Εἰς τὸ τέλος, μὴ διαφθείρῃς, τῷ ∆αυῒδ εἰς στηλογραφίαν, ἐν τῷ αὐτὸν ἀποδιδράσκειν ἀπὸ προσώπου Σαοὺλ εἰς τὸ σπήλαιον. Κεῖται δὲ ἡ ἱστορία ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ τῶν Βασιλειῶν· Καὶ ἀνέβη ∆αυῒδ ἐκεῖθεν, καὶ ἐκάθισεν ἐν τοῖς σπηλαίοις τοῖς ὀχυροῖς Ἐγγαδδί· καὶ ἐγένετο ὡς ἐπέστρεψε Σαοὺλ ὄπισθεν τῶν ἀλλοφύλων· καὶ ἀνήγγειλαν αὐτῷ λέγοντες, Ἰδοὺ ∆αυῒδ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ Ἐγγαδδί. Καὶ παρέλαβε Σαοὺλ τρισχιλίους ἄνδρας ἐκλεκτοὺς ἐκ παντὸς Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ