26

INTERPRETATION OF THE 11TH PSALM. It has the inscription for the eighth, since it recalls the just judgment of God,

which the just judge will render after the seventh, as we have said before. For this reason it is also inscribed "to the end," as it will come to pass in later times of the prophecy. 2. "Save me, Lord, for the devout man has ceased to exist, for truths have diminished from the sons of men." I beseech to enjoy the salvation from you, O Master. Because the matter of truth is in danger of being extinguished, since all, so to speak, are sick with mistrust towards one another. Then he relates more clearly what is being dared. 3. "Every one has spoken vanity to his neighbor." They feign friendship, and do the works of enemies. "Deceitful lips in the heart, and in the heart he has spoken evil things." With deceit, he says, they converse with one another. And this one, using his lips, sends falsehoods into the heart of his neighbor; and that one in turn likewise sends back the same things. Henceforth, then, he threatens them with punishment. 4. "The Lord will destroy all deceitful lips, a boasting tongue." And what is the form of this boasting? 80.944 5. "Those who have said, 'We will magnify our tongue, our lips are our own; who is lord over us?'" They do not bear, he says, to measure their words by nature, nor do they wish to look to the divine laws, but using unguarded mouths, with impunity they utter whatever they wish, despising the divine long-suffering, and not even considering themselves to be under the dominion of God. Such was Pharaoh; for which reason he also said, "I do not know the Lord." Such was Rabshakeh, daring to say: "Let not your God, in whom you trust, deceive you, that he will deliver Jerusalem from my hand." Such was Nebuchadnezzar, threatening those noble youths, and not shuddering to say, "Who is the God who will deliver you from my hands?" But nevertheless, those men paid the penalty for what they dared, and these, about whom the prophetic word speaks, will pay the worthy penalties; and signifying this he added: 6. "Because of the misery of the poor, and the groaning of the needy, now I will arise, says the Lord; I will set them in safety, I will speak freely in it." For I will not overlook them as they lament and groan because of the transgression dared against them; but shaking off long-suffering as if it were a kind of sleep, I will make their salvation manifest and splendid. For thus Symmachus interpreted it, "I will set a manifest salvation." And teaching that the things spoken will truly be, he adds: 7. "The words of the Lord are pure words, silver fired, a test in the earth, purified seven times." He has put seven times instead of many times; for this is customary in the divine Scripture. 8. "You, O Lord, will keep us, and will preserve us from this generation, and forever." For, being guarded by your grace, not only will we escape the snares of the present generation, but we will also attain eternal salvation. 9. "The wicked walk around in a circle, according to your height you have greatly cared for the sons of men." Those therefore who live with impiety, having abandoned the divine way, wander here and there, trying to encircle and, as it were, besiege the more gentle. But you, appearing from the height of your nature, deem those warred against by them worthy of your care, now comforting them in their afflictions, and after a little while bestowing perfect salvation.

80.945 INTERPRETATION OF THE 12TH PSALM. 1. "To the end, a psalm of David."

And this one he applied to himself, the

psalm, the great David, not indeed when being pursued by Saul, but when being warred against by Absalom. For the events concerning Saul were before the sin, and for this reason with

26

ΕΡΜΗΝ. ΤΟΥ ΙΑʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΥ. Ὑπὲρ δὲ τῆς ὀγδόης τὴν ἐπιγραφὴν ἔχει ἅτε δὴ τῆς δικαίας τοῦ Θεοῦ κρίσεως

μεμνημένος, ἣν μετὰ τὴν ἑβδόμην ποιήσεται, καθὰ προειρήκα μεν, ὁ δίκαιος κριτής. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ εἰς τὸ τέλος προγέγραπται, ὡς χρόνοις ὕστερον τῆς προῤῥή σεως ἐσομένης. βʹ. "Σῶσόν με, Κύριε, ὅτι ἐκλέλοιπεν ὅσιος, ὅτι ὠλιγώθησαν αἱ ἀλήθειαι ἀπὸ τῶν υἱῶν τῶν ἀνθρώ πων." Τῆς παρὰ σοῦ, ∆έσποτα, σωτηρίας ἀπολαῦσαι παρακαλῶ. Ἐπειδὴ κινδυνεύει τῆς ἀληθείας ἀπο σβεσθῆναι τὸ χρῆμα, πάντων, ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν, τὴν πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἀπιστίαν νενοσηκότων. Εἶτα διηγεῖται σαφέστερον τὰ τολμώμενα. γʹ. "Μάταια ἐλάλησεν ἕκαστος πρὸς τὸν πλησίον αὑτοῦ." Ὑποκρίνονται φιλίαν, καὶ τὰ πολεμίων ἐργάζονται. "Χείλη δόλια ἐν καρδίᾳ καὶ ἐν καρδίᾳ ἐλάλησε κακά." Μετὰ δόλου, φησὶν, ἀλλήλοις προσδιαλέγονται. Καὶ οὗτος τοῖς χείλεσι χρώμε νος εἰς τὴν τοῦ πέλας καρδίαν τὰ ψευδῆ παρα πέμπει· κἀκεῖνος πάλιν ὁμοίως ἀντιπέμπει τὰ ὅμοια. Ἐντεῦθεν λοιπὸν αὐτοῖς ἀπειλεῖ τιμω ρίαν. δʹ. "Ἐξολοθρεύσει Κύριος πάντα τὰ χείλη τὰ δόλια, γλῶσσαν μεγαλοῤῥήμονα." Τί δὲ τῆς μεγα λοῤῥημοσύνης τὸ εἶδος; 80.944 εʹ. "Τοὺς εἰπόντας, Τὴν γλῶσσαν ἡμῶν μεγα λυνοῦμεν, τὰ χείλη ἡμῶν παρ' ἡμῖν ἐστι· τίς ἡμῶν κύριός ἐστιν;" Οὐκ ἀνέχονται, φησὶ, μετρῆσαι τῇ φύσει τοὺς λόγους, οὐδὲ εἰς τοὺς θείους ἀποβλέπειν ἐθέλουσι νόμους, ἀλλ' ἀθυρώτοις στόμασι κεχρη μένοι, μετ' ἀδείας ὅπερ βούλονται φθέγγονται, τῆς θείας μακροθυμίας καταφρονοῦντες, καὶ μηδὲ τελεῖν ὑπὸ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ δεσποτείαν νομίζοντες. Τοιοῦτος ἦν ὁ Φαραώ· διόπερ καὶ ἔλεγεν· "Οὐκ οἶδα τὸν Κύριον." Τοιοῦτος ἦν ὁ Ῥαψάκης, λέγειν τολμῶν· "Μή σε ἀπατάτω ὁ Θεός σου, ᾧ σὺ πέποιθας ἐπ' αὐτῷ ὅτι ῥύσεται τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐκ χειρός μου." Τοιοῦτος Ναβουχοδονόσωρ τοὺς γενναίους ἐκείνους δεδιττόμενος παῖδας, καὶ λέγειν οὐ φρίττων, "Τίς ὁ Θεὸς ὃς ἐξελεῖται ὑμᾶς ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν μου;" Ἀλλ' ὅμως κἀκεῖνοι ποινὴν ἔδοσαν ὧν ἐτόλμησαν, καὶ οὗτοι περὶ ὧν ὁ προφητικὸς διέξεισι λόγος τὰς ἀξίας τίσουσι δίκας· καὶ τοῦτο σημαίνων ἐπ ήγαγεν· ϛʹ. "Ἕνεκεν τῆς ταλαιπωρίας τῶν πτωχῶν, καὶ τοῦ στεναγμοῦ τῶν πενήτων, νῦν ἀναστήσομαι, λέγει Κύριος· θήσομαι ἐν σωτηρίῳ, παῤῥησιάσο μαι ἐν αὐτῷ." Οὐ περιόψομαι γὰρ αὐτοὺς ὀλο φυρομένους, καὶ στένοντας διὰ τὴν εἰς αὐτοὺς τολμωμένην παρανομίαν· ἀλλὰ τὴν μακροθυμίαν καθάπερ τινὰ ὕπνον ἀποσεισάμενος, περιφανῆ καὶ λαμπρὰν αὐτῶν τὴν σωτηρίαν ποιήσομαι. Οὕτω γὰρ ὁ Σύμμαχος ἡρμήνευσε, "Τάξω σωτήριον ἐμφανές." Καὶ διδάσκων ὡς ἀληθῶς ἔσται τὰ εἰρημένα, προστέθεικε· ζʹ. "Τὰ λόγια Κυρίου λόγια ἁγνὰ, ἀργύριον πεπυρωμένον, δοκίμιον ἐν τῇ γῇ, κεκαθαρισμέ νον ἑπταπλασίως." Τὸ ἑπταπλασίως ἀντὶ τοῦ πολλαπλασίως τέθεικε· τοῦτο γὰρ σύνηθες τῇ θείᾳ Γραφῇ. ηʹ. "Σὺ, Κύριε, φυλάξεις ἡμᾶς, καὶ διατηρήσεις ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τῆς γενεᾶς ταύτης, καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα." Ὑπὸ γὰρ τῆς σῆς φρουρούμενοι χάριτος οὐ μόνον τῆς παρούσης γενεᾶς τὰς πάγας διαφευξό μεθα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς αἰωνίου σωτηρίας τευξόμεθα. θʹ. "Κύκλῳ οἱ ἀσεβεῖς περιπατοῦσι, κατὰ τὸ ὕψος σου ἐπολυώρησας τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων." Οἱ μὲν οὖν δυσσεβείᾳ συζῶντες, τὴν θείαν κατα λιπόντες ὁδὸν, τῇδε κἀκεῖσε περιπλανῶνται, κυκλοῦν καὶ οἱονεὶ πολιορκεῖν τοὺς ἐπιεικεστέρους πειρώ μενοι. Σὺ δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ τῆς φύσεως ὕψους φαινόμενος τῆς σῆς ἀξιοῖς κηδεμονίας τοὺς ὑπ' ἐκείνων πολεμουμένους, νῦν μὲν ψυχαγωγῶν ἐν ταῖς θλίψεσι, μετὰ βραχὺ δὲ τελείαν τὴν σωτηρίαν δω ρούμενος.

80.945 ΕΡΜΗΝ. ΤΟΥ ΙΒʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΥ. αʹ. "Εἰς τὸ τέλος, ψαλμὸς τῷ ∆αβίδ." Καὶ τοῦτον εἰς ἑαυτὸν ἤνεγκεν τὸν

ψαλμὸν ὁ μέγας ∆αβὶδ, οὐ μὴν ὑπὸ τοῦ Σαοὺλ διωκόμενος, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἀβεσσαλὼμ πολεμούμενος. Τὰ μὲν γὰρ κατὰ τὸν Σαοὺλ πρὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἦν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο μετὰ