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INTERPRETATION OF THE 10TH PSALM. 1. "To the end, a psalm of David." The most divine David, when he was being persecuted by Saul, spoke this psalm to those who were advising him to procure his safety by flight. And it is fitting for everyone who is wronged, and who possesses hope in God. And it is inscribed "To the end," as it contains a prophecy of the just judgment of God, and of the punishment that will be brought upon the lawless. 2. "In the Lord I have put my trust; how will you say to my soul, 'Flee to the mountains like a sparrow'?" Why, he says, do you advise me to flee, and to wander about the mountains like a frightened sparrow, and to move my tents here and there, when I have a firm hope in God, and on account of that hope do not fear the enemy? 3. "For behold the sinners have bent their bow; 80.940 they have prepared their arrows for the quiver, to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart. Some have connected these things also to the aforementioned verses; but what follows does not permit it. For he continues: 4. "For what you have perfected, they have destroyed." From this we are taught that the prophet turned his words to God, using intercession, and teaching how the enemies are prepared, both the bows and the arrows, and that their purpose is, as in some darkness and moonless night, to use ambushes and snares against us. For he called the secret and hidden nature of the plot "darkness"; and this name signifies the moonless night. And he called them "upright in heart," not testifying to his own supreme virtue, but knowing that he had never done anything to harm Saul, but had always acted with the greatest good will toward him. "For what you have perfected, they have destroyed." I did not seize the kingdom, he says, but I received the appointment from your grace. But they are trying to destroy me, arming themselves against your decree. "But what has the just man done? [5, 6.] The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord's throne is in heaven; his eyes look upon the world, his eyelids examine the sons of men. The Lord examines the just, and the wicked." They, therefore, use wickedness against me; but you, the just judge, seated on the heavenly thrones, and making your own appearance in the temple on earth, oversee the entire world, and the eyelids of your eyes alone are sufficient for you to comprehend all human affairs. And you know precisely the deeds of both the unjust and the just, and you weigh out the recompenses for their works. It must be known that he speaks of eyes, and eyelids, and thrones, and all other such things, in a more corporeal sense, teaching men divine things from human affairs, and applying the names of human parts to the divine energies. "But he who loves injustice, hates his own soul." He who loves his soul, hates injustice; but he who is well-disposed toward that, contrives destruction for his soul; for he draws upon himself the divine wrath, about which the prophetic word will treat. 7. "For he will rain upon sinners snares, fire and brimstone, and a spirit of tempest." He forms the punishments from the things that already happened concerning Sodom; for upon those cities the Lord rained from the Lord fire and brimstone from heaven. Therefore, he threatened these things here also; not that he would bring these things in every case, but through these he signifies all sorts of 80.941 punishments. "This is the portion of their cup." These things, he says, they allotted to themselves, having chosen lawlessness. And here he calls the punishment a cup. Thus also in another psalm, that "A cup is in the hand of the Lord of unmixed wine full of mixture;" and after a little; "All the sinners of the earth shall drink." The blessed Jeremiah was commanded to offer this cup to the nations. 8. "For the Lord is just, and has loved righteousness; his face beholds uprightness." These things, he says, the Lord of all brings upon those who live with evil; since he is the fount of righteousness, and using uprightness as a kind of rudder, he directs all things.

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ΕΡΜΗΝ. ΤΟΥ Ιʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΥ. αʹ. "Εἰς τὸ τέλος, ψαλμὸς τῷ ∆αβίδ." Τοῦτον τὸν ψαλμὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ Σαοὺλ διωκόμενος ὁ θειότατος ∆αβὶδ εἴρηκε πρὸς τοὺς παραινοῦντας αὐτῷ φυγῇ τὴν σωτηρίαν πορίσασθαι. Ἁρμόττει δὲ παντὶ ἀδικουμένῳ, καὶ τὴν εἰς Θεὸν ἐλπίδα κεκτημένῳ. Εἰς τὸ τέλος δὲ ἐπιγέγραπται, ἅτε δὴ πρόῤῥησιν περιέχων τῆς δικαίας τοῦ Θεοῦ κρίσεως, καὶ τῆς ἐπενεχθησομένης τοῖς παρανόμοις κολάσεως. βʹ. "Ἐπὶ τῷ Κυρίῳ πέποιθα· πῶς ἐρεῖτε τῇ ψυχῇ μου, Μεταναστεύου ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη, ὡς στρουθίον;" Τί δήποτε, φησὶ, παραινεῖτέ μοι φυγεῖν, καὶ τὰ ὄρη περινοστεῖν, στρουθίου δίκην ἐπτοημένου, καὶ τὰς σκηνὰς τῇδε κἀκεῖσε μεταβαίνειν, βε βαίαν ἔχοντι τὴν εἰς Θεὸν ἐλπίδα, καὶ δι' ἐκείνην τοὺς δυσμενεῖς μὴ δειμαίνοντι; γʹ. "Ὅτι ἰδοὺ οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ ἐνέτειναν τόξον· 80.940 ἡτοίμασαν βέλη εἰς φαρέτραν, τοῦ κατατοξεῦσαι ἐν σκοτομήνῃ τοὺς εὐθεῖς τῇ καρδίᾳ. Τινὲς καὶ ταῦτα συνῆψαν τοῖς εἰρημένοις στίχοις· ἀλλὰ τὰ ἐπιφε ρόμενα οὐκ ἐᾷ. Ἐπάγει γάρ· δʹ. "Ὅτι ἃ σὺ κατηρτίσω, αὐτοὶ καθεῖλον." Ἐντεῦθεν δὲ διδασκόμεθα, ὡς πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἔτρεψε τοὺς λόγους ὁ προφήτης, ἐντεύξει χρώμενος, καὶ διδάσκων ὡς εὐτρεπῆ τῶν πολεμίων, καὶ τὰ τόξα, καὶ τὰ βέλη, καὶ σκοπὸς αὐτοῖς οἷον ἐν σκοτομήνῃ τινὶ καὶ ἀσελήνῳ νυκτὶ, τοῖς λόχοις καὶ ταῖς ἐνέδραις χρήσασθαι καθ' ἡμῶν. Τὸ γὰρ τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς λαθραῖον καὶ κεκρυμμένον σκοτομήνην ἐκάλεσε· τοῦτο δὲ τὸ ὄνομα τὴν ἀσέληνον νύκτα δηλοῖ. Εὐθεῖς δὲ τῇ καρδίᾳ ὠνόμασεν, οὐ τὴν ἄκραν ἀρετὴν ἑαυτῇ μαρτυρῶν· ἀλλ' εἰδὼς ὅτι πρὸς βλάβην τοῦ Σαοὺλ οὐδὲν εἰργάσατο πώποτε, ἀλλ' εὐνοίᾳ πλείστῃ περὶ αὐτὸν χρησάμενος διετέλεσεν. "Ὅτι ἃ σὺ κατηρ τίσω, αὐτοὶ καθεῖλον." Οὐχ ἥρπασα, φησὶ, τὴν βασιλείαν, ἀλλὰ τὴν χειροτονίαν παρὰ τῆς σῆς χάριτος ἐδεξάμην. Ἐκεῖνοι δέ με καταλῦσαι πειρῶν ται κατὰ τῆς σῆς ὁπλιζόμενοι ψήφου. "Ὁ δὲ δίκαιος τί ἐποίησε; [εʹ, ϛʹ.] Κύριος ἐν ναῷ ἁγίῳ αὑτοῦ, Κύριος ἐν οὐρανῷ ὁ θρόνος αὐτοῦ· οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ ἐπιβλέπουσι τὴν οἰκουμένην, τὰ βλέφαρα αὐτοῦ ἐξετάζει τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Κύριος ἐξετάζει τὸν δίκαιον, καὶ τὸν ἀσεβῆ." Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν οὖν τῇ κατ' ἐμοῦ κέχρηνται πονηρίᾳ· σὺ δὲ ὁ δίκαιος κριτὴς ἐγκαθήμενος τοῖς οὐρα νίοις θώκοις, καὶ τὴν οἰκείαν ἐπιφάνειαν ἐν τῷ ναῷ τῷ ἐπὶ γῆς ποιούμενος, ἐποπτεύεις μὲν τὴν οἰκουμένην ἅπασαν, ἀρκεῖ δέ σοι μόνον τῶν ὀμμά των τὰ βλέφαρα, τὰ ἀνθρώπεια πάντα καταμαθεῖν. Οἶσθα δὲ ἀκριβῶς καὶ ἀδίκων καὶ δικαίων τὰς πρά ξεις, καὶ ταλαντεύεις τοῖς ἔργοις τὰς ἀντιδόσεις. Ἰστέον δὲ, ὅτι καὶ ὀφθαλμοὺς, καὶ βλέφαρα, καὶ θρόνους, καὶ τἄλλα ὅσα τοιαῦτα, σωματικώτερον λέγει, ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων πραγμάτων τοὺς ἀν θρώπους τὰ θεῖα διδάσκων, καὶ ταῖς θείαις ἐνερ γείαις τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων μορίων τὰς προσηγορίας τιθείς. "Ὁ δὲ ἀγαπῶν τὴν ἀδικίαν, μισεῖ τὴν ἑαυ τοῦ ψυχήν." Ὁ τὴν ψυχὴν ἀγαπῶν, τὴν ἀδικίαν μισεῖ· ὁ δὲ περὶ ἐκείνην εὖ διακείμενος, ὄλεθρον τῇ ψυχῇ μηχανᾶται· ἐπισπᾶται γὰρ τὴν θείαν ὀργὴν, περὶ ἧς ὁ προφητικὸς διέξεισι λόγος. ζʹ. "Ὅτι ἐπιβρέξει ἐπὶ ἁμαρτωλοὺς παγίδας, πῦρ καὶ θεῖον, καὶ πνεῦμα καταιγίδος." Ἀπὸ τῶν ἤδη περὶ τὰ Σόδομα γινομένων σχηματίζει τὰς τιμωρίας· καὶ γὰρ εἰς ἐκείνας τὰς πόλεις ἔβρεξε Κύριος παρὰ Κυρίου πῦρ καὶ θεῖον ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. Ταῦτα τοίνυν κἀνταῦθα ἠπείλησεν· οὐχ ὡς πάντως ταῦτα ἐπάξων, ἀλλὰ διὰ τούτων τὰς παντοδαπὰς 80.941 κολάσεις παραδηλῶν. "Ἡ μερὶς τοῦ ποτηρίου αὐτῶν." Ταῦτα, φησὶν, ἑαυτοῖς ἀπεκλήρωσαν τὴν παρανομίαν ἑλόμενοι. Ποτήριον δὲ ἐνταῦθα τὴν τιμωρίαν ὀνομάζει. Οὕτω δὲ καὶ ἐν ἑτέρῳ ψαλμῷ, ὅτι "Ποτήριον ἐν χειρὶ Κυρίου οἴνου ἀκράτου πλῆρες κεράσματος·" καὶ μετ' ὀλίγον· "Πίονται πάντες οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ τῆς γῆς." Τοῦτο τὸ ποτήριον ὁ μακάριος Ἱερεμίας τοῖς ἔθνεσι προσενεγκεῖν ἐκελεύσθη. ηʹ. "Ὅτι δίκαιος Κύριος, καὶ δικαιοσύνας ἠγά πησεν· εὐθύτητας οἶδε τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ." Ταῦτα, φησὶν, ἐπιφέρει τοῖς κακίᾳ συζῶσι τῶν ὅλων ὁ Κύριος· ἐπεὶ δικαιοσύνης ὑπάρχει πηγὴ, καὶ οἷόν τινι πηδαλίῳ τῇ εὐθύτητι χρώμενος ἰθύνει τὰ σύμπαντα.