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the mouth of death; but like the others he will be given over to the tomb. [The enemy, therefore, thought to be lord even over the apostles, and also the martyrs; when, therefore, he seemed to have prevailed over all, then, being crushed, he fell; for "to bow down" signifies to be crushed.] 11. "For he said in his heart, God has forgotten, He has turned away His face so as not to see to the end." [All these things the ungodly man commits against the poor of God, deceiving himself and thinking in his own reasonings that God is not an overseer. He said, therefore, in his heart, God has forgotten, He has turned away His face, so as not to look to the end.] And the impious words will profit him nothing, nor the thoughts of godlessness; but through the very deeds he will know that the ruler of all watches over human affairs. Greatly distressed by these 80.936 impious words, the Prophet again changes his speech to a prayer, saying, 12. "Arise, O Lord my God, let Your hand be lifted up; do not forget Your poor forever." Since those who live in impiety and lawlessness say by what they do that God has forgotten, teach them through experience that you have not forgotten, nor do you turn your face away; but you take care of the wronged. And being more vehemently vexed by their blasphemies, he added: 13. "Why has the ungodly man provoked God? For he said in his heart, He will not require it." But even if he should think these things ten thousand times, You see; for so it must be understood. [That is, "However much I devour man, there is no one who will seek him out," says the devil.] 14. "You see that you observe labor and anger, to deliver him into your hands." For so also Symmachus distinguished: You see that you watch over toil and provocation. And Aquila: You saw that you look upon labor and provocation. Even if, he says, those who live in impiety say ten thousand times that you do not look upon human affairs, we know that you see and watch over their lawlessness, and you exact from them a worthy punishment. For to You is the poor man left; You were a helper to the orphan. For this reason I beseech you. 15. "Break the arm of the sinner and the evil man." And this will be, if only you wish to seek out his sin. For if this happens, immediately he will be gone, and will be given over to utter destruction; for this he showed by saying: "His sin will be sought, and it shall not be found;" on account of the sin itself; and this Symmachus has said more clearly: His ungodliness will be sought out, so that he himself may not be found. For when that is sought and shown, he perishes. 16. "The Lord is king forever and ever." For since the ungodly said, He does not seek, nor does He see, fittingly the prophetic 80.937 word teaches that He will reign, and not simply reign, but unto the age of the age. For it is a king's own to provide for his subjects. "You shall perish, O nations, from His land," those living in lawlessness, those who did not receive the saving proclamation. 17. "You have heard the desire of the poor, O Lord, to the preparation of their heart Your ear has paid attention." And Symmachus has called the preparation "purpose". You know, he says, precisely what the poor desire, and what purpose they have. Then he teaches this more clearly. 18. "To judge for the orphan and the humble." This, he says, is what each of the wronged desires; "That man may no longer presume to boast upon the earth." For when those who practice impiety and lawlessness are punished, there will be a very great benefit for other men who look to these, and do not dare to do similar things. But the prophet did not simply attach these things to the preceding psalm; but first wishing to show how the nature of men was formerly disposed, and that the only-begotten Word of God, having become man in due time, applied remedies suitable to the wounds. And besides these things he teaches that those who wished to receive no benefit from the good deed, the God of all will deliver over to greater punishments on the day of the second appearing.
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τοῦ θανάτου τὸ στόμα· ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις παραπλησίως τῷ τάφῳ παραδοθήσεται. [ ̓Ενόμισε οὖν ὁ ἐχθρὸς καὶ αὐτῶν τῶν ἀποστό λων κυριεύειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν μαρτύρων· ὅταν οὖν ἔδοξε πάντων κεκρατηκέναι, τότε συντριβεὶς ἔπεσε· τὸ γὰρ κύψει συντριβῆναι δηλοῦται.] ιαʹ. "Εἶπε γὰρ ἐν καρδίᾳ αὑτοῦ, Ἐπιλέλησται ὁ Θεὸς, ἀπέστρεψε τὸ πρόσωπον αὑτοῦ τοῦ μὴ βλέπειν εἰς τέλος." [Ταῦτα δὲ πάντα ὁ ἀσεβὴς κατὰ τῶν πενήτων τοῦ Θεοῦ διαπράττεται· ἑαυτὸν ἀπατῶν καὶ τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ λογισμοῖς μὴ εἶναι Θεὸν ἔφορον διανοούμενος. Εἶπε γοῦν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὑτοῦ, Ἐπιλέ λησται ὁ Θεὸς, ἀπέστρεψε τὸ πρόσωπον αὑτοῦ, τοῦ μὴ ἐπιβλέπειν εἰς τέλος.] Καὶ οὐδὲν αὐτὸν ὀνήσει τὰ δυσσεβῆ ῥήματα, καὶ οἱ ἀθεότητος λογισμοί· ἀλλὰ δι' αὐτῶν γνώσεται τῶν πραγμάτων, ὡς ἐφορᾷ τὰ ἀνθρώπεια τῶν ὅλων ὁ πρύτανις. Ἐκ τῶν δυσσεβῶν 80.936 τούτων ῥημάτων λίαν ἀνιαθεὶς ὁ Προφήτης, πάλιν εἰς εὐχὴν τὸν λόγον μεταβάλλει, λέγων, ιβʹ. "Ἀνάστηθι, Κύριε ὁ Θεός μου, ὑψωθήτω ἡ χείρ σου· μὴ ἐπιλάθῃ τῶν πενήτων σου εἰς τέλος." Ἐπειδὴ οἱ δυσσεβείᾳ καὶ παρανομίᾳ συζῶντες δι' ὧν πράττουσι λέγουσιν, ὡς ἐπιλέλησται ὁ Θεὸς, δίδα ξον αὐτοὺς διὰ τῆς πείρας, ὡς οὐκ ἐπιλέλησαι, οὐδ' ἀποστρέφεις τὸ πρόσωπόν σου· ἀλλὰ τῶν ἀδικουμέ νων κηδεμονίαν ποιεῖς. Καὶ σφοδρότερον ἀχθε σθεὶς ταῖς ἐκείνων βλασφημίαις ἐπήγαγεν· ιγ. "Ἕνεκεν τίνος παρώργισεν ὁ ἀσεβὴς τὸν Θεόν; εἶπε γὰρ ἐν καρδίᾳ αὑτοῦ, Οὐκ ἐκζητήσει." Ἀλλὰ κἂν μυριάκις ἐκεῖνος ταῦτα λογίσηται, σὺ βλέπεις· οὕτως γὰρ νοητέον. [Τουτέστιν, Ὅσον ἂν καταπίω τὸν ἄνθρωπον, οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ ἐκζητῶν αὐτὸν, φησὶν ὁ διάβολος.] ιδʹ. "Βλέπεις ὅτι σὺ πόνον καὶ θυμὸν κατανοεῖς, τοῦ παραδοῦναι αὐτὸν εἰς χεῖράς σου." Οὕτως γὰρ καὶ ὁ Σύμμαχος διέστειλεν· Ὁρᾷς ὅτι σὺ μόχθον καὶ παροργισμὸν ἐποπτεύεις. Καὶ ὁ Ἀκύλας· Εἶδες ὅτι σὺ πόνον καὶ παροργισμὸν ἐπιβλέπεις. Κἂν μυριάκις, φησὶν, εἴπωσιν οἱ δυσσεβείᾳ συζῶντες, ὅτι οὐκ ἐπιβλέπεις τὰ ἀν θρώπεια, ἡμεῖς ἴσμεν ὅτι βλέπεις καὶ ἐποπτεύεις τὰς τούτων παρανομίας, καὶ τὴν ἀξίαν αὐτοὺς εἰσπράττῃ ποινήν. Σοὶ (γὰρ) ἐγκαταλέλειπται ὁ πτωχὸς, ὀρφανῷ σὺ ἦσθα βοηθός. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό σε ἱκετεύω. ιεʹ. "Σύντριψον τὸν βραχίονα τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ, καὶ πονηροῦ." Ἔσται δὲ τοῦτο, ἐὰν μόνον τὴν ἁμαρτίαν αὐτοῦ ζητῆσαι θελήσῃς. Εἰ γὰρ τοῦτο γένηται, παραυτίκα φροῦδος ἔσται, καὶ πανωλε θρίᾳ παραδοθήσεται· τοῦτο γὰρ ἐδήλωσεν εἰρη κώς· "Ζητηθήσεται ἡ ἁμαρτία αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐ μὴ εὑρεθῇ·" δι' αὐτὴν μὲν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν· καὶ τοῦτο δὲ σαφέστερον ὁ Σύμμαχος εἴρηκεν· Ἐκζητηθήσεται ἡ ἀσέβεια αὐτοῦ, ἵνα μὴ εὑ ρεθῇ αὐτός. Ἐκείνης γὰρ ζητουμένης καὶ δεικνυμέ νης, οὗτος ἀπόλλυται. ι ϛʹ. "Κύριος βασιλεὺς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος." Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οἱ δυσσεβεῖς ἔλεγον, Οὐ ζητεῖ, οὐδὲ βλέπει, εἰκότως ὁ προφητικὸς 80.937 λόγος διδάσκει ὅτι βασιλεύσει, καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς βασιλεύσει, ἀλλ' εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος. Ἴδιον δὲ βασιλέως προμηθεῖσθαι τῶν ἀρχομένων. "Ἀπο λεῖσθε, ἔθνη, ἐκ τῆς γῆς αὐτοῦ," τὰ παρανομίᾳ συζῶντα, τὰ τὸ σωτήριον μὴ δεξάμενα κήρυγμα. ιζʹ. "Τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν τῶν πενήτων εἰσήκουσας, Κύ ριε, τῇ ἑτοιμασίᾳ τῆς καρδίας αὐτῶν προσέσχε τὸ οὖς σου." Τὴν δὲ ἑτοιμασίαν τὴν πρόθεσιν ὁ Σύμμαχος εἴρηκεν. Οἶδας, φησὶν, ἀκριβῶς τίνος ἐπιθυμοῦσιν οἱ πένητες, καὶ ποίαν πρόθε σιν ἔχουσιν. Εἶτα ταύτην διδάσκει σαφέστερον. ιηʹ. "Κρῖναι ὀρφανῷ καὶ ταπεινῷ." Τούτου, φησὶν, ἐφίεται τῶν ἀδικουμένων ἕκαστος· "Ἵνα μὴ προσθῇ ἔτι τοῦ μεγαλαυχεῖν ἄνθρωπος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς." Τῶν γὰρ ἀσεβείᾳ καὶ παρανομίᾳ χρωμένων κολαζομένων, ὄφελος ἔσται μέγιστον τῶν ἄλλων ἀνθρώπων εἰς τούτους ἀφορώντων, καὶ δρᾷν τὰ ὅμοια μὴ τολμώντων. Ταῦτα δὲ οὐχ ἁπλῶς ὁ προ φήτης τῷ προκειμένῳ συνῆψε ψαλμῷ· ἀλλὰ πρῶτον μὲν δεῖξαι βουλόμενος ὅπως διέκειτο πάλαι τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἡ φύσις, καὶ ὅτι ὁ μονογενὴς τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος εἰς καιρὸν ἐνανθρωπήσας κατάλληλα τοῖς τραύμασιν ἐπέθηκε φάρμακα. Πρὸς δέ γε τούτοις διδάσκει, ὡς τοὺς ὄνησιν οὐδεμίαν ἐκ τῆς εὐεργε σίας δέξασθαι βουληθέντας μείζοσι παραδόσει κολαστηρίοις ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς ἐν τῇ τῆς δευτέρας ἐπιφανείας ἡμέρᾳ.