He says it is a sign of the establishing power of God that the earth, being the heaviest element, has been fixed above the waters and remains unmoved forever, since the underlying abyss is surely not able to support it nor make it firm, but covers it in the manner of garments, so that its foundation is ineffable and of the power of God, not of the nature of the elements. 176 Ps 103,10 The earth gives forth springs of water gushing from the beginning, and these too by the power of God, and he says that often, being dried up, they disappear out of fear of God, which is stated more clearly in the seventy-third [Psalm]: "You broke open springs and torrents; you dried up other rivers." He marvels also at the position of the mountains, raised unchangeably above the plains and not being dragged down from their appointed support to cover the things beneath, according to "They will say to the mountains, 'Cover us.'" 177 Ps 103,13 He calls the air the upper rooms of God, as if for a single house of the whole cosmos. He says the rain is a work of the son, from which the earth is filled with fruit. He might be calling the drawing up of waters from the sea a work. 178 Ps 103,17b And concerning the heron it is said through Jeremiah, "Even the stork in the heaven knows its appointed times." 179 Ps 103,26b God is said to play with it, that is, to count its cunning as nothing. For God laughs at everyone who opposes him because of his futility, and makes a plaything of him because of his vulnerability, as he says concerning the Egyptians, "How I have made sport of the Egyptians." 180 Ps 103,27.28 [Others have taken the preceding verses to be about the food supplied to the animals. For when it is present, it thrives and rejoices, but when it is absent, it is pressed by need and is confounded by the lack of necessities.] 181 Ps 103,29.30 This is a work of Christ, who also says that he is the resurrection and the life, and has promised to raise all, and, when he was present, he gave life to whom he wished, so that the things said are of the Father with respect to origin, of the Son with respect to execution, and of the Spirit with respect to participation, as it is partaken of and, as it were, instilled through the Son into the life of all, according to "He will give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you." The Spirit is therefore life-giving through the life which it works, and deifying through the participation which it grants, and the human spirit is named after it according to its formation by it. 182 Ps 103,31 Eternal is the glory of him who preserves his works forever; and since the glory is eternal, the things that glorify are eternal. 183 Ps 103,32 The greatness of the glory is shown by the fear of creation, and fear indicates subjection. Thus the psalm says that the sea, in being subjected, was afraid. For that which is afraid is subjected; and the subjection of the earth is the trembling from the oversight of God, and the smoking of the mountains, as if burning, which was also seen happening physically upon Mount Sinai. 184 Ps 103,33.34 This is the profit of life, for this it is worthwhile to live, for this reason death is terrible which silences the singer of hymns; and death is destruction because "There is no one in death who is mindful of you," and life is the only existence because "The living," he says, "will praise you." For in union with the one who is, we have our being, and separation is corruption. "May my meditation be sweet to him, and I will rejoice in the Lord;" and it is also worthy of prayer, that God might rejoice in our hymns, and for us there is certainly gladness through hymns. And if this is so throughout, so that all our actions are a hymn to God, God will rejoice in us in whom he rejoiced from the beginning.

185 Ps 104,7 It must not be ignored, he says, that he is the Lord our God, whose

providence governs the whole cosmos with divine judgments, so that nothing happens without judgment nor without his providence. 186 Ps 104,15a They were anointed ones, having received the invisible anointing through the spirit, or even as having become chosen. 187 Ps 104,27-36 He has used the order of the plagues indifferently and does not even list them all, because, I think, the power of the

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λέγει τῆς ἱδρύσεως θεοῦ δυνάμεως δεῖγμα τὸ γῆν οὖσαν στοιχεῖον τὸ βαρύτατον ὑπὲρ ὑδάτων πεπῆχθαι καὶ μένειν δι' αἰῶνος ἀμετακίνητον, οὐ δή που τῆς ὑπούσης ἀβύσσου στηρίζειν αὐτὴν δυναμένης οὐδὲ ἑδρασούσης ἀλλ' ἱματίων τρόπῳ σκεπούσης, ὡς εἶναι τὴν ἕδραν ἄρρητον καὶ θεοῦ δυνάμεως, οὐ στοιχείων φύσεως. 176 Ps 103,10 Πηγὰς ὕδατος ἀναβλυστανούσας τῆς ἀρχῆς καὶ ταῦτα θεοῦ δυνάμει ἡ γῆ δίδωσι, ξηραινομένας τε πολλάκις θεοῦ φόβῳ φησὶν εἰς ἀφανὲς ἀπιέναι ὅπερ ἐν ἑβδομηκοστῷ τρίτῳ σαφέστερον εἴρηται Σὺ διέρρηξας πηγὰς καὶ χειμάρρους, σὺ ἐξήρανας ποταμοὺς ἑτέρους. Θαυμάζει καὶ τῶν ὀρῶν τὴν θέσιν ἀμεταστάτων ἐγηγερμένων ὑπὲρ τὰ πεδία καὶ μὴ κατασυρομένων ὑπὸ τῆς ταχθείσης ἐρείσεως εἰς τὸ καλύψαι τὰ ὑποκείμενα κατὰ τὸ Ἐροῦσι τοῖς ὄρεσι Συγκαλύψατε ἡμᾶς. 177 Ps 103,13 Ὑπερῷα θεοῦ τὸν ἀέρα καλεῖ καθάπερ ἐπὶ μιᾶς οἰκίας τοῦ παντὸς κόσμου. ἔργον δὲ τοῦ υἱοῦ λέγει τὸν ὑετὸν ἀφ' οὗ καρποῦται πλησμονὴν ἡ γῆ. ἔργον δὲ τὴν ἐκ θαλάσσης ἀναγωγὴν τῶν ὑδάτων ἂν λέγοι. 178 Ps 103,17b Καὶ περὶ τοῦ ἐρῳδιοῦ δὲ λέγεται διὰ Ἱερεμίου Καί γε ὁ ἀρῳδιὸς ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ἔγνω τοὺς καιροὺς αὐτοῦ. 179 Ps 103,26b Καταπαίζειν δὲ αὐτοῦ λέγεται ὁ θεὸς τουτέστιν ἐν μηδενὶ τίθεσθαι τὴν πανουργίαν αὐτοῦ. πάντα γὰρ τὸν ἐναντιούμενον αὐτῷ γελᾷ θεὸς διὰ τὸ μάταιον καὶ παιδιὰν τίθεται διὰ τὸ εὐάλωτον, ὡς περὶ Αἰγυπτίων φησὶν Ὅσα ἐμπέπαιχα τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις. 180 Ps 103,27.28 [Ἄλλοι δὲ περὶ τῆς χορηγουμένης τοῖς ζῴοις τροφῆς ἐξειλήφασι τὰ προκείμενα. ταύτης γὰρ παρούσης εὐθαλεῖ καὶ χαίρει, ἀπούσης δὲ ἐνδείᾳ πιέζεται καὶ συγχεῖται τῇ τῶν ἀναγκαίων ἐλλείψει.] 181 Ps 103,29.30 Τοῦτο ἔργον Χριστοῦ ὃς καί φησιν ἀνάστασιν εἶναι καὶ ζωὴν καὶ ἀναστήσειν πάντας ἐπήγγελται καί, ὅτε παρῆν, ἐζωοποίησεν οὓς ἐβούλετο, ὥστε τὰ λεγόμενα πατρὸς μέν ἐστιν ἀρχικῶς, υἱοῦ δὲ ἐξεργαστικῶς καὶ πνεύματος δὲ μετοχικῶς αὐτοῦ μετεχομένου καὶ οἷον ἐμβιβαζομένου δι' υἱοῦ εἰς τὴν ἁπάντων ζωὴν κατὰ τὸ Ζωοποιήσει τὰ θνητὰ σώματα ὑμῶν διὰ τοῦ ἐνοικοῦντος πνεύματος ἐν ὑμῖν. ζωοποιὸν μὲν οὗν τὸ πνεῦμα δι' ἧς ἐργάζεται ζωῆς, θεοποιὸν δὲ δι' ἧς ἐνδίδωσι μετοχῆς καὶ ὁμώνυμον αὐτῷ τὸ πνεῦμα ἀνθρώπινον κατὰ τὴν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ μόρφωσιν. 182 Ps 103,31 Αἰώνιος ἡ δόξα τοῦ φυλάσσοντος εἰς αἰῶνα τὰ ἔργα· καὶ ἐπείπερ αἰώνιος ἡ δόξα, αἰώνια τὰ δοξάζοντα. 183 Ps 103,32 Τὸ μέγεθος τῆς δόξης δηλοῦται τῷ τῆς κτίσεως φόβῳ, τὴν δ' ὑπόταξιν ὁ φόβος μηνύει. οὕτω τὸ θάλασσαν ὑποταχθῆναι φοβηθῆναί φησιν ὁ ψαλμός. τὸ γὰρ φοβούμενον ὑποτάσσεται· καὶ γῆς ὑπόταξις ὁ τρόμος τῆς ἐποπτείας τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ὀρῶν καπνισμὸς οἷον καιομένων ὃ καὶ σωματικῶς ἐπὶ τοῦ Σινᾶ γινόμενον ὄρους ἑωρᾶτο. 184 Ps 103,33.34 Τοῦτο τῆς ζωῆς τὸ κέρδος, ἐπὶ τοῦτο καὶ ζῆν ἄξιον, διὰ τοῦτο δεινὸς ὁ θάνατος ὁ κατασιγάζων τὸν ὑμνητήν· ἀπώλειά τε ὁ θανάτος διότι Οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν τῷ θανάτῳ ὁ μνημονεύων σου, καὶ μόνη ὕπαρξις ἡ ζωὴ ὅτι Οἱ ζῶντές σε, φησίν, αἰνέσουσιν. ἐν γὰρ τῇ πρὸς τὸν ὄντα συναφείᾳ τὸ εἶναι ἔχομεν, καὶ ἡ διάστασις φθορά. Ἡδυνθείη αὐτῷ ἡ διαλογή μου, ἐγὼ δὲ εὐφρανθήσομαι ἐπὶ τῷ κυρίῳ· καὶ εὐχῆς δὲ ἄξιον, ἵνα τοῖς ὕμνοις ἡμῶν θεὸς εὐφράνηται, ἡμῖν δὲ πάντως εὐφροσύνη δι' ὑμνῶν. κἂν ᾖ δι' ὅλου τοῦτο ὥστε καὶ τὰς πράξεις ἁπάσας ἡμῶν ὕμνον εἶναι θεοῦ, εὐφρανθήσεται ἡμῖν θεὸς οἷσπερ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ηὐφραίνετο.

185 Ps 104,7 Οὐκ ἀγνοητέον, φησίν, ὅτι αὐτός ἐστι κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν οὗ

πρόνοια τὸν σύμπαντα κόσμον θείοις κρίμασι διοικεῖ ὡς μηδὲν ἀκρίτως μηδὲ ἄνευ τῆς αὐτοῦ προνοίας γίγνεσθαι. 186 Ps 104,15α Χριστοὶ ἦσαν τὴν χρῖσιν λαβόντες τὴν διὰ πνεύματος ἀόρατον ἢ καὶ ὡς ἐκλεκτοὶ γενόμενοι. 187 Ps 104,27-36 Ἀδιαφόρως τῇ τάξει κέχρηται τῶν πληγῶν καὶ οὐδὲ πάσας καταλέγει, ὅτι, οἶμαι, τὸ δυνατὸν τοῦ

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