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being in honor, he did not understand; he is compared to the senseless cattle, and is made like them." Therefore here also he says: "Let the nations know that they are men."

PSALM 10 ACCORDING TO THE HEBREWS. 1, 2. "Why, O Lord, have You stood from afar? You overlook in times of opportunity, in

tribulations? While the wicked one acts arrogantly, the poor one is set on fire; they are caught in the counsels which they devise." You seem to stand from afar, O Master, and not to see human affairs, not defending those who are wronged; but from despondency, like some fire, the wronged are consumed, seeing the arrogance of the wrongdoers. Very aptly has he used 'is set on fire' of the despondent; for the despondent are like those being burned, and send up a groan through the mouth like some smoke. But harm, he says, will come to them from despondency, as they use unseemly reasonings, and disagree about Your providence. For this is what 'they are caught in the counsels which they devise' signifies. And teaching the cause, he added: 3. "Because the sinner is praised in the desires of his soul, and the one who does wrong is blessed." For while doing countless terrible things, they also reap praises from flatterers. 4. "The sinner has provoked the Lord according to the multitude of his wrath." Here one must place a stop, and then add, "He will not seek." Meaning, he provoked the Lord by saying, "He will not seek." For using madness and rage, as if no one were watching, he rushes into every transgression, not thinking that the judge will seek out what is being done. Then he says this more clearly: 5. "God is not before him." [The unbeliever and the sinner never set God before his eyes; but every day and at every time he defiles and pollutes his ways, not believing that there is a judgment.] And what is the cause of this? "His ways are profaned at all times. Your judgments are taken away from his presence." He completely despises Your laws; he spends all his time in transgression. [For the unbeliever belittles and cheapens the commandments of God.] "He will have dominion over all his enemies." But nevertheless, while doing such things, he prospers. Then he depicts the excess of his pride. 80.933 6. "For he said in his heart, I shall not be moved from generation to generation without evil." Symmachus interpreted this more clearly: "I shall not be overthrown for generation and generation, nor will I be in affliction." And he uses this audacity; and he thinks he will suffer nothing terrible while pursuing all forms of wickedness. 7. "His mouth is full of cursing, and bitterness, and deceit; under his tongue is toil, and trouble." For he contrives deceits, and devises evils, and his life consists of plots against the poor. [Useless toil and profitless trouble; without this he does not move or stir his tongue.] 8. "He sits in ambush with the rich in secret places, to kill the innocent." And sitting in assemblies, and in councils, he prepares certain ambushes and schemes for the blameless. [Those rich in impiety always live by irony; for they lie in wait for the guileless; and besides, the rich lie in wait for the poor. For the devil secretly sought to kill Christ; for God alone is innocent in his hands and pure in heart.] 9, 10. "His eyes look upon the poor man; he lies in wait in a secret place, as a lion in his den; he lies in wait to seize the poor man when he draws him in. In his snare he will humble him." Just as the lion shifts its gaze here and there seeking prey; so this one devises schemes of plunder and greed night and day; but nevertheless "he will stoop and fall." [As the lion in its cave always lies in wait to seize, so also the devil in the synagogue of the Jews, as in a den, hunted Christ, thinking him to be a mere man.] "when he has dominion over the poor." For when he overcomes all, he will least of all escape

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ἐν τιμῇ ὢν οὐ συνῆκε· παρασυνεβλήθη τοῖς κτήνεσι τοῖς ἀνοήτοις, καὶ ὡμοιώθη αὐτοῖς." ∆ιόπερ κἀνταῦθά φησι· "Γνώτωσαν ἔθνη, ὅτι ἄνθρωποί εἰσιν."

ΨΑΛΜΟΣ Ιʹ ΚΑΤΑ ΤΟΥΣ ΕΒΡΑΙΟΥΣ. αʹ, βʹ. "Ἵνα τί, Κύριε, ἀφέστηκας μακρόθεν; ὑπερ ορᾷς ἐν εὐκαιρίαις, ἐν

θλίψεσιν; Ἐν τῷ ὑπερηφα νεύεσθαι τὸν ἀσεβῆ ἐμπυρίζεται ὁ πτωχὸς, συλλαμ βάνονται ἐν διαβουλίοις οἷς διαλογίζονται." ∆ο κεῖς πόῤῥωθεν ἑστάναι, ∆έσποτα, καὶ μὴ ὁρᾷν τὰ ἀνθρώπεια, τοῖς ἀδικουμένοις οὐκ ἐπαμύνων· ὑπὸ δὲ τῆς ἀθυμίας, οἷόν τινος πυρὸς, οἱ ἀδικούμενοι κατατήκονται τῶν ἀδικούντων τὴν ἀλαζονείαν θεώ μενοι. Σφόδρα δὲ προσφυῶς τὸ ἐμπυρίζεται ἐπὶ τῶν ἀθυμούντων τέθεικεν· ἐμπιπραμένοις γὰρ οἱ ἀθυμοῦντες ἐοίκασι, καὶ οἷόν τινα καπνὸν διὰ στό ματος τὸν στεναγμὸν ἀναπέμπουσι. Βλάβη δὲ αὐτοῖς, φησὶν, ἀπὸ τῆς ἀθυμίας γενήσεται, λο γισμοῖς οὐκ εὐπρεπέσι χρωμένοις, ἀλλὰ περὶ τῆς σῆς διχονοοῦσι προνοίας. Τοῦτο γὰρ σημαίνει τὸ, "συλλαμβάνονται ἐν διαβουλίοις οἷς διαλογίζον ται." Καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν διδάσκων ἐπήγαγεν· γʹ. "Ὅτι ἐπαινεῖται ὁ ἁμαρτωλὸς ἐν ταῖς ἐπιθυ μίαις τῆς ψυχῆς αὑτοῦ, καὶ ὁ ἀδικῶν εὐλογεῖται." Μύρια γὰρ δεινὰ δρῶντες, καὶ ἐπαίνους παρὰ τῶν κολάκων καρποῦνται. δʹ. "Παρώξυνε τὸν Κύριον ὁ ἁμαρτωλὸς κατὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῆς ὀργῆς αὑτοῦ." Ἐνταῦθα ὑποστικτέον, εἶτα ἐπενεκτέον, "οὐκ ἐκζητήσει." Ἀντὶ τοῦ, παρώξυνε τὸν Κύριον λέγων, "Οὐκ ἐκζητήσει." Μα νίᾳ γὰρ καὶ λύττῃ χρώμενος, ὡς οὐδενὸς ἐφορῶν τος, εἰς πᾶσαν ἄττει παρανομίαν, οὐχ ἡγούμενος ἐκζητεῖν τὸν κριτὴν τὰ γινόμενα. Εἶτα τοῦτο σα φέστερον λέγει· εʹ. "Οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ Θεὸς ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ." [Ὁ ἄπι στος καὶ ὁ ἁμαρτωλὸς οὐδέποτε τίθεται πρὸ ὀφθαλ μῶν αὑτοῦ τὸν Θεόν· ἀλλ' ἑκάστης ἡμέρας καὶ ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ μιαίνει καὶ ῥυποῖ τὰς ὁδοὺς αὑτοῦ, μὴ πιστεύων ὅτι ἔστι κρίσις.] Τί δὲ τούτου τὸ αἴ τιον; "Βεβηλοῦνται αἱ ὁδοὶ αὐτοῦ ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ. Ἀνταναιρεῖται τὰ κρίματά σου ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐ τοῦ." Παντελῶς τῶν σῶν νόμων καταφρονεῖ· πάντα καιρὸν εἰς παρανομίαν δαπανᾷ. [Σμικρύνει γὰρ καὶ εὐτελίζει τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ Θεοῦ ὁ ἄπιστος.] "Πάντων τῶν ἐχθρῶν αὑτοῦ κατακυριεύσει." Ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ τοιαῦτα δρῶν κατευοδοῦται. Εἶτα τοῦ τύ φου τὴν ὑπερβολὴν ζωγραφεῖ. 80.933 ϛʹ. "Εἶπε γὰρ ἐν καρδίᾳ αὑτοῦ, Οὐ μὴ σαλευθῶ ἀπὸ γενεᾶς εἰς γενεὰν ἄνευ κακοῦ." Σαφέστερον τοῦτο ὁ Σύμμαχος ἡρμήνευσεν· "Οὐ περιτραπήσο μαι εἰς γενεὰν καὶ γενεὰν, οὔτε ἔσομαι ἐν κακώ σει." Καὶ ταύτῃ κέχρηται τῇ θρασύτητι· καὶ ἡγεῖ ται μηδὲν δεινὸν ὑποστήσεσθαι πάντα μετιὼν τῆς κακίας τὰ εἴδη. ζʹ. "Οὗ ἀρᾶς τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ γέμει, καὶ πι κρίας, καὶ δόλου· ὑπὸ τὴν γλῶσσαν αὐτοῦ κόπος, καὶ πόνος." ∆όλους γὰρ ῥάπτει, καὶ τυρεύει κακὰ, καὶ βίον ἔχει τὰς κατὰ τῶν πενήτων ἐπιβουλάς. [Κό πος ἀνόνητος καὶ πόνος ἀκερδής· δίχα τούτου τὴν γλῶσσαν οὐ κινεῖ καὶ σαλεύει.] ηʹ. "Ἐγκάθηται ἐν ἐνέδρᾳ μετὰ πλουσίων ἐν ἀποκρύφοις, τοῦ ἀποκτεῖναι ἀθῶον." Καὶ ἐν συλλόγοις δὲ, καὶ ἐν συνεδρίοις καθήμενος, ἐνέδρας τινὰς καὶ μηχανὰς τοῖς ἀναιτίοις κατασκευάζει. [Οἱ πλουτοῦντες τῇ ἀσεβείᾳ διαπαντὸς τῇ εἰρω νείᾳ ζῶσιν· ἐνεδρεύουσι γὰρ τοὺς ἀκάκους· ἄλλως τε καὶ οἱ πλούσιοι ἐνεδρεύουσι τοὺς πένητας. Ὁ διάβολος λεληθότως γὰρ τὸν Χριστὸν ἐζήτησεν ἀποκτεῖναι· ἀθῶος γὰρ ταῖς χερσὶ καὶ καθαρὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ μόνος ὁ Θεός.] θʹ, ιʹ. "Οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν πένητα ἀπο βλέπουσιν· ἐνεδρεύει ἐν ἀποκρύφῳ, ὡς λέων ἐν τῇ μάνδρᾳ αὑτοῦ· ἐνεδρεύει τοῦ ἁρπάσαι πτωχὸν ἐν τῷ ἑλκῦσαι αὐτόν. Ἐν τῇ παγίδι αὑτοῦ ταπεινώ σει αὐτόν." Καθάπερ ὁ λέων τῇδε κἀκεῖσε μεταφέ ρει τὸ ὄμμα θήραν ἐπιζητῶν· οὕτως οὗτος νύκτωρ καὶ μεθ' ἡμέραν ἁρπαγῆς καὶ πλεονεξίας ἐπινοεῖ μηχανάς· ἀλλ' ὅμως "κύψει καὶ πεσεῖται." [Ὡς ὁ λέων ἐν τῷ σπηλαίῳ ἀεὶ ἐνεδρεύει ἁρπάσαι, οὕτω καὶ ὁ διάβολος ἐν τῇ συναγωγῇ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ὡς ἐν μάνδρᾳ ἐθήρευσε τὸν Χριστὸν, νομίσας αὐτὸν ψιλὸν ἄνθρωπον εἶναι.] "Ἐν τῷ αὐτὸν κατακυριεῦ σαι τῶν πενήτων." Ὅταν γὰρ πάντων περιγένηται, ἥκιστα διαφεύξεται