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it is reasonable, even if they are not inscribed to David, but “for the end,” perhaps to Asaph, or to the sons of Korah, because all the saints have received the image of Christ. But that which is in the psalms according to the Seventy and Aquila, Symmachus rendered more clearly, “with stringed instruments” he published it teaching ......... the song was said ......... the stringed instruments more ......... instruments through which is sung “for the end,” or “the song of victory,” or “to the one who gives victory,” which “for victory in hymns” according to Theodotion also seems to indicate. This song, therefore, or melody, or psalm, having the aforementioned subject, announces this more commonly in the prophet David, but more mystically in Christ, who takes up the person 23.104 of the saints, and who makes their afflictions and the enlargements of the saints his own; for it is the voice of the saints, “Troubled on every side, yet not distressed;” and turning back also all who happen to be heavy of heart, both those who love vanity and those who seek falsehood. The melody, in addition to the song, seems to indicate also the artistry of the mystical rhythm; and according to a correct anagogical interpretation, it is a way of life for the glory of God with sound doctrines and words also profitable to others. When I called, the God of my righteousness heard me, in affliction you have enlarged me. The psalm before this one was said when David was fleeing from the face of Absalom his son; but the present one seems to have been said next after that one, after the victory over Absalom; after which he offers the present psalm as a hymn of victory to God who gives victory, through which we also are taught not to be unmindful of God’s benefits toward us. Reasonably, therefore, in the one before this he said: Lord, how they are increased that trouble me? but in this one: In affliction you have enlarged me. And he says these things concerning the calamity regarding Absalom; during which, having called upon God, he found Him attentive; and being in affliction on account of the people, and the ark of God, he was deemed worthy of relief and enlargement, when the war had ceased, and a very deep peace had taken hold of both him and all the people. Or else, he says these things concerning the transgression of Uriah, and the rebellion of his son, and all the other evils concerning his house which befell him. For on account of these things, having afflicted himself, and having given himself over to repentance and confession, and having punished himself in a manner equal to the transgression, and having propitiated God with works of righteousness and good fruits of all beneficence, and having obtained a good promise, on account of which he said prophetically in the preceding psalm: But You, O Lord, are my helper, my glory, and the lifter up of my head, and the rest of what the preceding discourse presented, he says consequently through the present words: When I called, the God of my righteousness heard me, in affliction you have enlarged me. Have mercy on me and hear my prayer. Having been first heard when calling upon the Lord, he is not puffed up nor does he become indifferent; but immediately he prays again concerning the future time, asking always to have God attentive; and he supplicates to be heard according to pity, not according to what is owed. For even if some fruit of righteousness was present in him, yet he said not to be confident in this, but in the mercy and compassion of God. O sons of men, how long will you be heavy of heart? Why do you love vanity, and seek falsehood? Those whose understanding is dull, and are slow concerning obedience to the divine word, he called heavy of heart, or those whose conscience is weighed down by wicked thoughts; and striking these with the word, he says: How long do you remain in your sins, 23.105 when it is necessary to hasten to repentance and the confession that is dear to God? And according to the historical sense, David seems to say these things to those who are agitated and disturbed by trials and circumstances, and do everything else rather than take refuge in God. For why is it necessary to trouble and be troubled, he says, in times of adversity? Why

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εὔλογον, κἂν μὴ τῷ ∆αυῒδ ὦσιν ἐπιγεγραμμένοι, ἀλλ' εἰς τὸ τέλος τυχὸν τῷ Ἀσὰφ, ἢ τοῖς υἱοῖς Κορὲ, τῷ τοὺς ἁγίους ἀναδεδέχθαι πάντας τὴν εἰκόνα Χριστοῦ. Τὸ δὲ ἐν ψαλμοῖς παρὰ τοῖς Ἑβδομήκοντα καὶ Ἀκύλας, σαφέστερον ὁ Σύμμαχος, διὰ ψαλτηρίων ἐξέδωκε διδασκο ......... τὴν ᾠδὴν εἰρῆσθαι ......... τὰ ψαλτήρια πλείω ......... ὄργανα δι' ὧν ᾄδεται τὸ εἰς τὸ τέλος, ἢ ὁ ἐπινίκιος, ἢ τῷ νικοποιῷ, ὃ δηλοῦν ἔοικε καὶ τὸ εἰς νῖκος ἐν ὕμνοις παρὰ τῷ Θεοδοτίωνι. Αὕτη τοίνυν ἡ ᾠδὴ, ἢ τὸ μελῴδημα, ἢ ψαλμὸς τὴν εἰρημένην ἔχων ὑπόθεσιν ἐπαγγέλλεται ταύτην κοινώτερον μὲν ἐν τῷ προφήτῃ ∆αυῒδ, μυστικώτερον δὲ τῷ Χριστῷ, τὸ πρόσωπον 23.104 τῶν ἁγίων ἀναλαμβάνοντι, τὰς δὲ θλίψεις αὐτῶν ἰδιοποιημένῳ καὶ τοὺς πλατυσμοὺς ἁγίων· ἁγίων γὰρ, φωνὴ τὸ, Ἐν παντὶ θλιβόμενοι, ἀλλ' οὐ στενοχωρούμενοι· ἐπιστρέφοντι δὲ καὶ τοὺς ὅσοι τυγχάνουσι βαρυκάρδιοι, τούς τε ἀγαπῶντας τὰ μάταια καὶ ζητοῦντας τὸ ψεῦδος. Τὸ δὲ μελῴδημα παρὰ τὴν ᾠδὴν ἔοικε δηλοῦν καὶ τὸ τοῦ μυστικοῦ ῥυθμοῦ τεχνικόν· κατὰ δὲ ἀναγωγὴν ὀρθὴν, πολιτεία πρὸς δόξαν Θεοῦ μετὰ δογμάτων ὑγιῶν καὶ λόγων καὶ ἑτέροις ὠφελίμων. Ἐν τῷ ἐπικαλεῖσθαί με, εἰσήκουσέ μου ὁ Θεὸς τῆς δικαιοσύνης μου, ἐν θλίψει ἐπλάτυνάς με. Ὁ μὲν πρὸ τούτου ψαλμὸς ἐλέγετο ἐν τῷ ἀποδιδράσκειν ∆αυῒδ ἀπὸ προσώπου Ἀβεσσαλὼμ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ· ὁ δὲ παρὼν ἔοικεν ἑξῆς ἐκείνῳ εἰρῆσθαι μετὰ τὴν κατὰ τοῦ Ἀβεσσαλὼμ νίκην· μεθ' ὃν ὕμνον ἐπινίκιον τῷ νικοποιῷ Θεῷ ἀνατίθησι τὸν παρόντα ψαλμὸν, δι' οὗ καὶ ἡμεῖς παιδευόμεθα μὴ ἀμνημονεῖν τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰς ἡμᾶς εὐεργεσιῶν. Εἰκότως οὖν ἐν μὲν τῷ πρὸ τούτου ἔλεγεν· Κύριε, τί ἐπληθύνθησαν οἱ θλίβοντές με; ἐν δὲ τούτῳ· Ἐν θλίψει ἐπλάτυνάς με. Λέγει δὲ ταῦτα περὶ τῆς κατὰ τὸν Ἀβεσσαλὼμ συμφορᾶς· καθ' ἣν τὸν Θεὸν ἐπικαλεσάμενος, ἔτυχεν αὐτοῦ ἐπηκόου· καὶ γενόμενος ἐν θλίψει διὰ τὸν λαὸν, καὶ τὴν κιβωτὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀνέσεως καὶ πλατυσμοῦ ἠξιώθη, παυσαμένου μὲν τοῦ πολέμου, εἰρήνης δὲ βαθυτάτης διαλαβούσης αὐτόν τε καὶ πάντα τὸν λαόν. Ἢ ἄλλως λέγει ταῦτα ἐπὶ τοῦ πταίσματος τῆς τοῦ Οὐρίου, καὶ ἡ τοῦ υἱοῦ ἐπανάστασις, καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ πάντα τὰ κατὰ τὸν οἶκον κακὰ ἃ συμβέβηκεν αὐτῷ. Ἐπὶ τούτοις γὰρ ἑαυτὸν κακώσας, μετανοίᾳ τε καὶ ἐξομολογήσει ἑαυτὸν παραδοὺς, καὶ τῷ πταίσματι ἐφαμίλλως ἑαυτὸν τιμωρησάμενος, ἔργοις τε δικαιοσύνης καὶ καρποῖς ἀγαθοῖς πάσης εὐποιίας τὸν Θεὸν ἱλασάμενος, καὶ τυχὼν ἐπαγγελίας ἀγαθῆς, δι' ἣν τῷ πρὸ τούτου ψαλμῷ προφητικῶς ἔλεγε· Σὺ δὲ, Κύριε, ἀντιλήπτωρ μου εἶ, δόξα μου καὶ ὑψῶν τὴν κεφαλήν μου, καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ ὅσα παρίστη ὁ πρὸ τούτου λόγος, ἀκολούθως διὰ τῶν προκειμένων φησίν· Ἐν τῷ ἐπικαλεῖσθαί με εἰσήκουσέ μου ὁ Θεὸς τῆς δικαιοσύνης μου, ἐν θλίψει ἐπλάτυνάς με. Οἰκτείρησόν με καὶ εἰσάκουσον τῆς προσευχῆς μου. Τὸ πρῶτον ἐπακουσθεὶς ἐν τῷ ἐπικαλεῖσθαι τὸν Κύριον, οὐκ ἐπαίρεται οὐδὲ ἀποῤῥᾳθυμεῖ· ἀλλ' εὐθὺς περὶ τοῦ μέλλοντος χρόνου πάλιν δέεται, πάντοτε τὸν Θεὸν ἐπήκοον ἔχειν παρακαλῶν· ἱκετεύει τε κατ' οἶκτον ἐπακουσθῆναι, οὐ κατ' ὀφειλήν. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ παρῆν τις αὐτῷ καρπὸς δικαιοσύνης, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐπὶ τούτῳ θαρσεῖν ἔλεγεν· ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῷ ἐλέῳ καὶ τοῖς οἰκτιρμοῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ. Υἱοὶ ἀνθρώπων, ἕως πότε βαρυκάρδιοι; ἵνα τί ἀγαπᾶτε ματαιότητα, καὶ ζητεῖτε ψεῦδος; Τοὺς τὴν διάνοιαν πεπαχυμμένους, καὶ περὶ τὴν ὑπακοὴν τοῦ θείου λόγου βραδεῖς, βαρυκαρδίους ὠνόμασεν, ἢ τοὺς βεβαρημένους τὸ συνειδὸς ὑπὸ μοχθηρῶν λογισμῶν· πλήττων δὲ τούτους τῷ λόγῳ φησίν· Ἕως ποτε ταῖς ἑαυτῶν ἁμαρτίαις παραμένετε, σπεύδειν 23.105 δέον ἐπὶ μετάνοιαν καὶ τὴν φίλην τῷ Θεῷ ἐξομολόγησιν; κατὰ δὲ τὴν ἱστορίαν, ἔοικεν ὁ ∆αυῒδ πρὸς τοὺς ἐπὶ τοῖς πειρασμοῖς καὶ ταῖς περιστάσεσι ταραττομένους, καὶ θορυβουμένους, καὶ πάντα μᾶλλον πράττοντας ἢ ἐπὶ τὸν Θεὸν καταφεύγοντας, ταῦτα λέγειν. Τί γὰρ χρὴ ταράττειν καὶ ταράττεσθαι, φησὶν, ἐν τοῖς περιστατικοῖς καιροῖς; Τί