Chapter XXXIII.—Ps. cx. is not spoken of Hezekiah. He proves that Christ was first humble, then shall be glorious.

“And,” I continued, “I am not ignorant that you venture to expound this psalm as if it referred to king Hezekiah; but that you are mistaken, I shall prove to you from these very words forthwith. ‘The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent,’ it is said; and, ‘Thou art a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek,’ with what follows and precedes. Not even you will venture to object that Hezekiah was either a priest, or is the everlasting priest of God; but that this is spoken of our Jesus, these expressions show. But your ears are shut up, and your hearts are made dull.85    πεπήρωνται. Maranus thinks πεπώρωνται more probable, “hardened.” For by this statement, ‘The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent: Thou art a priest for ever, after the order of Melchizedek,’ with an oath God has shown Him (on account of your unbelief) to be the High Priest after the order of Melchizedek; i.e., as Melchizedek was described by Moses as the priest of the Most High, and he was a priest of those who were in uncircumcision, and blessed the circumcised Abraham who brought him tithes, so God has shown that His everlasting Priest, called also by the Holy Spirit Lord, would be Priest of those in uncircumcision. Those too in circumcision who approach Him, that is, believing Him and seeking blessings from Him, He will both receive and bless. And that He shall be first humble as a man, and then exalted, these words at the end of the Psalm show: ‘He shall drink of the brook in the way,’ and then, ‘Therefore shall He lift up the head.’

[33] Καὶ τοῦτον τὸν ψαλμὸν ὅτι εἰς τὸν Ἑζεκίαν τὸν βασιλέα εἰρῆσθαι ἐξηγεῖσθαι τολμᾶτε, οὐκ ἀγνοῶ, ἐπεῖπον: ὅτι δὲ πεπλάνησθε, ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν λόγων αὐτίκα ὑμῖν ἀποδείξω. Ὤμοσε κύριος καὶ οὐ μεταμεληθήσεται, εἴρηται, καὶ Σὺ ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδέκ, καὶ τὰ ἐπαγόμενα καὶ τὰ προάγοντα. ἱερεὺς δὲ ὅτι οὔτε γέγονεν Ἑζεκίας οὔτε ἐστὶν αἰώνιος ἱερεὺς τοῦ θεοῦ, οὐδὲ ὑμεῖς ἀντειπεῖν τολμήσετε: ὅτι δὲ περὶ τοῦ ἡμετέρου Ἰησοῦ εἴρηται, καὶ αὐταὶ αἱ φωναὶ σημαίνουσι. τὰ δὲ ὦτα ὑμῶν πέφρακται καὶ αἱ καρδίαι πεπώρωνται. τὸ γὰρ Ὤμοσε κύριος καὶ οὐ μεταμεληθήσεται: Σὺ ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδέκ: μεθ' ὅρκου ὁ θεὸς διὰ τὴν ἀπιστίαν ὑμῶν ἀρχιερέα αὐτὸν κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδὲκ εἶναι ἐδήλωσε, τοῦτ' ἔστιν, ὃν τρόπον ὁ Μελχισεδὲκ ἱερεὺς ὑψίστου ὑπὸ Μωυσέως ἀναγέγραπται γεγενῆσθαι, καὶ οὗτος τῶν ἐν ἀκροβυστίᾳ ἱερεὺς ἦν, καὶ τὸν ἐν περιτομῇ δεκάτας αὐτῷ προσενέγκαντα Ἀβραὰμ εὐλόγησεν, οὕτως τὸν αἰώνιον αὐτοῦ ἱερέα καὶ κύριον ὑπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος καλούμενον, ὁ θεὸς τῶν ἐν ἀκροβυστίᾳ γενήσεσθαι ἐδήλου: καὶ τοὺς ἐν περιτομῇ προσιόντας αὐτῷ τοῦτ' ἔστι πιστεύοντας αὐτῷ καὶ τὰς εὐλογίας παρ' αὐτοῦ ζητοῦντας, καὶ αὐτοὺς προσδέξεται καὶ εὐλογήσει. καὶ ὅτι ταπεινὸς ἔσται πρῶτον ἄνθρωπος, εἶτα ὑψωθήσεται, τὰ ἐπὶ τέλει τοῦ ψαλμοῦ δηλοῖ. Ἐκ χειμάρρου γὰρ ἐν ὁδῷ πίεται, καὶ ἅμα: Διὰ τοῦτο ὑψώσει κεφαλήν.