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he calls the security of providence; for the movement of wings is very easy. "My enemies surrounded my soul. [10,] They have enclosed their own fat, their mouth has spoken pride." Some have called "fat" prosperity and well-being. But to me it seems that he thus calls goodwill and brotherly love; the sequence of the sayings indicates this; for having shut out, he says, all natural compassion, and having given no place to thoughts of philanthropy, they utter high and arrogant things; but they set up all kinds of snares and ambushes for me. 11. "Having cast me out, they have now surrounded me; they have set their eyes to turn aside in the land." They themselves have driven me from my ancestral land; and again they run here and there, desiring to seize me; since they do not wish to look at what is straight; but they have the eye of their mind inclined to another way. For so also Symmachus interpreted: "They have set their eyes to incline otherwise in the land." 12. "They have taken me as a lion ready for the prey, and as a young lion dwelling in secret places." Having cast off the rational part of their nature, they imitate beasts desiring food, and looking around for it, and rushing forth suddenly. 13, 14. "Arise, O Lord, prevent them, and trip them up; deliver my soul from the wicked one: your sword, from the enemies of your hand." Of them, O Master, hinder their rush with such hindrances as you know; for he said "trip them up," from the metaphor of those who secretly throw down runners. But free me from their plot, using your sword against them. For so Symmachus has said, Into your sword, O Lord, from the few of the earth. For by your decree, he says, you send men over to death. For you 80.972 said: "You are earth, and to earth you shall return." Divide them in their life; and let their belly be filled with your hidden things." But I, although it is easy for you to send them to death, nevertheless beseech that they be scattered while living, and that their evil conspiracy be dissolved, and that they may partake of the punishments laid up by you. And so also in the song of the great Moses, God himself says: "Behold, are not all these things gathered together with me, and sealed up in my treasures? In the day of vengeance I will repay, at the time when their foot shall stumble. They were satisfied with sons, and they left their remnants to their infants." And Symmachus interpreted this thus: Sons shall be satisfied, and they shall leave their remains to their infants. I know, he says, that you will bring your just punishment not only upon them, but also upon their sons, and their descendants, who have imitated the wickedness of their ancestors; and "they will be satisfied" means they will have their fill of evils. 15. "But I shall appear in righteousness before your face, I shall be satisfied when your glory appears to me," to your Child; for they indeed will pay such penalties; but I will delight in the good things from your just providence, having received the greatest proof of your beneficence.

INTERPRETATION OF PSALM 17. 1. "For the end; for the servant of the Lord, for David, what he spoke to the Lord, the

words of this song, in the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul, and he said." The inscription is clear, and needs no interpretation. The meaning of this psalm is also found in the history of the Kingdoms. But the philosophy of the prophet is worthy of admiration. For having endured so many plots from Saul, he did not class him with his enemies; but having separated him from his foes, he did not mention him as an enemy; and "for the end" is added, since it also contains a prophecy of the calling of the nations, and of the alienation of the Jews; which things happened long ages after. 2, 3. "I will love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my firmament, and my refuge, and my deliverer; my God is my helper, and I will hope in him; my 80.973 protector, and the horn of my salvation, and my helper."

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προνοίας ἀσφάλειαν ὀνομάζει· ῥᾴστη γὰρ τῶν πτερύγων ἡ κίνησις. "Οἱ ἐχθροί μου τὴν ψυχήν μου περιέσχον. [ιʹ,] Τὸ στέαρ αὑτῶν συνέκλεισαν, τὸ στόμα αὐτῶν ἐλάλησεν ὑπερηφανίαν." Τὸ στέαρ τινὲς εὐημερίαν καὶ εὐ εξίαν ὠνόμασαν. Ἐμοὶ δὲ δοκεῖ τὴν εὔνοιαν καὶ φιλαδελφίαν οὕτω καλεῖν· τοῦτο ἡ τῶν ῥητῶν ἀκο λουθία παραδηλοῖ· πᾶσαν γὰρ φυσικὴν ἀποκλείσαν τες, φησὶν, εὐσπλαγχνίαν, καὶ οὐδεμίαν χώραν τοῖς τῆς φιλανθρωπίας λογισμοῖς δεδωκότες, φθέγγονται μὲν ὑψηλὰ καὶ ὑπέρογκα· ἐνέδρας δέ μοι παντοδα πὰς καὶ λόχους ἱστᾶσιν. ιαʹ. "Ἐκβαλόντες με νυνὶ περιεκύκλωσάν με, τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν ἔθεντο ἐκκλῖναι ἐν τῇ γῇ." Αὐτοί με τῆς πατρῴας ἐξήλασαν γῆς· καὶ πάλιν τῇδε κἀκεῖσε διατρέχουσι συλλαβεῖν ἐφιέμενοι· ἐπειδὴ τὸ εὐθὲς οὐκ ἐθέλουσι βλέπειν· ἀλλ' ἑτερο κλινὲς ἔχουσι τῆς διανοίας τὸ ὄμμα. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ ὁ Σύμμαχος ἡρμήνευσε· "Τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν ἔταξαν ἑτεροκλινεῖν ἐν τῇ γῇ." ιβʹ. "Ὑπέλαβόν με ὡσεὶ λέων ἕτοιμος εἰς θή ραν, καὶ ὡσεὶ σκύμνος οἰκῶν ἐν ἀποκρύφοις." Τὸ λογικὸν τῆς φύσεως ἀποῤῥίψαντες, θηρία μι μοῦνται τροφῆς ἐφιέμενα, καὶ ταύτην περισκο ποῦντα, καὶ ἐξαπιναίως ὁρμῶντα. ιγʹ, ιδʹ. "Ἀνάστηθι, Κύριε, πρόφθασον αὐτοὺς, καὶ ὑποσκέλισον αὐτούς· ῥῦσαι τὴν ψυχήν μου ἀπὸ ἀσεβοῦς· ῥομφαίαν σου, ἀπὸ ἐχθρῶν τῆς χειρός σου." Ἐκείνων μὲν, ∆έσποτα, κώλυσον τὴν ὁρμὴν, οἷς οἶδας κωλύμασι· τοῦτο γὰρ ὑποσκέλισον εἶπεν, ἐκ μεταφορᾶς τῶν λαθραίως τοὺς θέοντας καταβαλ λόντων. Ἐμὲ δὲ τῆς ἐκείνων ἐπιβουλῆς ἐλευθέρω σον, τῇ ῥομφαίᾳ σου χρώμενος κατ' αὐτῶν. Οὕτω γὰρ ὁ Σύμμαχος εἴρηκεν, Εἰς μάχαιράν σου, Κύ ριε, ἀπὸ ὀλίγων τῆς γῆς. Τῷ ὅρῳ σου γὰρ, φησὶ, τοὺς ἀνθρώπους παραπέμπεις θανάτῳ. Σὺ 80.972 γὰρ εἶπας· "Γῆ εἶ, καὶ εἰς γῆν ἀπελεύσῃ." ∆ια μέρισον αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ ζωῇ αὐτῶν· καὶ τῶν κε κρυμμένων σου ἐμπλησθήτω ἡ γαστὴρ αὐτῶν." Ἐγὼ δὲ, εἰ καὶ σοὶ τῷ θανάτῳ παραπέμψαι ῥᾴ διον, ἀλλ' οὖν ἱκετεύω ζῶντας αὐτοὺς σκεδασθῆναι, καὶ τὴν κακὴν αὐτῶν συμφωνίαν διαλυθῆναι, καὶ τῶν ἀποκειμένων σοὶ τιμωριῶν μετασχεῖν. Οὕτω δὲ καὶ ἐν τῇ ᾠδῇ τοῦ μεγάλου Μωσέως, αὐτὸς ὁ Θεός φησιν· "Οὐκ ἰδοὺ ταῦτα πάντα συνῆκται παρ' ἐμοὶ, καὶ ἐσφράγισται ἐν τοῖς θησαυροῖς μου; ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἐκδικήσεως ἀνταποδώσω, ἐν καιρῷ ὅταν σφαλῇ ὁ ποῦς αὐτῶν. Ἐχορτάσθησαν υἱῶν, καὶ ἀφῆκαν τὰ κατάλοιπα αὑτῶν τοῖς νηπίοις αὑτῶν." Καὶ τοῦτο ὁ Σύμμαχος οὕτως ἡρμήνευσε· Χορτα σθήσονται υἱοὶ, καὶ ἀφήσουσι τὰ λείψανα αὑ τῶν τοῖς νηπίοις αὑτῶν. Οἶδα, φησὶν, ὡς τὴν δικαίαν σου τιμωρίαν οὐ μόνον αὐτοῖς ἐπάξεις, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς υἱέσι, καὶ τοῖς ἐγγόνοις, τὴν τῶν προγόνων πονηρίαν μιμησαμένοις· τὸ δὲ χορτασθήσονται, ἀντὶ τοῦ, εἰς κόρον μεθέξουσι τῶν κακῶν. ιεʹ. "Ἐγὼ δὲ ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ ὀφθήσομαι τῷ προσ ώπῳ σου, χορτασθήσομαι ἐν τῷ ὀφθῆναί μοι τὴν δόξαν σου," τῷ Παιδί σου· ἐκεῖνοι μὲν γὰρ τοιαύτας δώσουσι δίκας· ἐγὼ δὲ τοῖς παρὰ τῆς δι καίας σου προνοίας ἀγαθοῖς ἐντρυφήσω, πεῖραν με γίστην τῆς σῆς εὐεργεσίας δεξάμενος.

ΕΡΜΗΝ. ΤΟΥ ΙΖʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΥ. αʹ. "Εἰς τὸ τέλος· τῷ παιδὶ Κυρίου, τῷ ∆αβὶδ, ἃ ἐλάλησε τῷ Κυρίῳ, τοὺς

λόγους τῆς ᾠδῆς ταύ της, ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ᾗ ἐῤῥύσατο αὐτὸν Κύριος ἐκ χειρὸς πάντων τῶν ἐχθρῶν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐκ χειρὸς Σαοὺλ, καὶ εἶπεν." ∆ήλη ἡ ἐπιγραφὴ, καὶ ἑρμηνείας οὐ δεομένη. Ἔγκειται δὲ καὶ τῇ τῶν Βασιλειῶν ἱστο ρίᾳ τοῦδε τοῦ ψαλμοῦ ἡ διάνοια. Θαυμάσαι δὲ ἄξιον τὴν τοῦ προφήτου φιλοσοφίαν. Τοσαύτας γὰρ ἐπι βουλὰς παρὰ τοῦ Σαοὺλ ὑπομείνας, οὐ συνέταξεν αὐτὸν τοῖς ἐχθροῖς· ἀλλὰ τῶν πολεμίων χωρίσας, οὐχ ὡς δυσμενοῦς ἐμνημόνευσεν· εἰς τὸ τέλος δὲ πρόσκειται, ἐπειδὴ καὶ προφητείαν ἔχει τῆς τῶν ἐθνῶν κλήσεως, καὶ τῆς Ἰουδαίων ἀλλοτριώ σεως· ἃ μακροῖς ὕστερον ἐγένετο χρόνοις. βʹ, γʹ. "Ἀγαπήσω σε, Κύριε, ἡ ἰσχύς μου. Κύριος, στερέωμά μου, καὶ καταφυγή μου, καὶ ῥύστης μου· ὁ Θεός μου βοηθός μου, καὶ ἐλπιῶ ἐπ' αὐτόν· ὑπερ 80.973 ασπιστής μου, καὶ κέρας σωτηρίας μου, καὶ ἀντιλήπτωρ μου."