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and a cloud will overshadow all that is round about her by day and as smoke and as the light of a burning fire by night, by all glory she shall be covered. And there shall be a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a covering and for a secret place from hardship and rain. Here he calls the cloud the refreshment that arises from evils; and the fire, the splendor that is added with the comfort. For what a cloud is in heat, this a fire brightly kindled is in darkness and deepest night. For the one drives away the drought, the other dispels the gloom. Therefore he compared splendor to the brightness of the fire, and relief to the shadow of the cloud. Then showing that these things will not be as the troubles are gradually resolved, but the change will happen all at once at the very height of the sorrows, so that from this they might also learn that the change for the better has not happened by some chance or coincidence, but the whole thing has been accomplished by the power from above; As a fire burning by night, he says, so will the change happen; And it shall be for a shadow in the daytime. What shall be? The help of God, he says, and His alliance, like a shadow in the heat and like a roof or a cave's shelter, when a violent rainstorm breaks forth, preserving in safety the one who has taken refuge there; so indeed also the alliance of God will not permit any terrible thing to be suffered, even with so great a war breaking out, for those whom He has chosen from the beginning to save.

5. CHAPTER 5

5.1 Let me sing now to my beloved a song of my beloved for my vineyard.

Having frightened with sorrows, having gladdened with good things, having worked a varied treatment, he leads the discourse again to another beginning, a beginning similar to the preface of the prophecy. For just as at the beginning he reported the benefactions of God that had come to them, saying: I have begotten sons and exalted them, and bringing on the transgressions dared by them and adding, that: They have rejected me and that: But Israel did not know me, and my people did not understand me; so indeed here also with different words, but with the same thoughts, he points out the same things as before. But for what reason, when about to accuse, does he call the accusation a song? For Moses reasonably did this with Maria, since he was about to sing the victory song, and reasonably beginning thus he said: Let us sing to the Lord; for he has been gloriously glorified, he has thrown horse and rider into the sea. And Deborah too, after that wondrous trophy and the unexpected victory, reasonably weaves that victory song, offering praise to God. But this one, being about to accuse and needing an intense word and a soul not relaxed but strained, promises us to sing and calls the charges a song. Not only he himself, but also that great Moses who then sang the victory song, accusing the Jews, has made the charges a long song, saying: Do you thus repay the Lord? This people is foolish and not wise; and having composed many accusations, he legislated that they should say these things singing; and still even now we too say these things singing. For what reason, then, do they make the accusations a song? Using spiritual wisdom and wishing to place a great benefit in the souls of the hearers. For since nothing is so useful as to remember transgressions continually, and nothing makes a memory so lasting as melody, so that they would not, because of the excessiveness of the accusations, hesitate and shrink back and flee from remembering their own sins continually, by the tune of the song stealing away the shame from the memory and consoling the unbearable despondency, he has made them songs, so that, being compelled by the desire for melody to utter them continually, they might be continually mindful of them, and being mindful, they might continually have a certain teacher of virtue, the continual remembrance of sins

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καὶ πάντα τὰ περικύκλῳ αὐτῆς σκιάσει νεφέλη ἡμέρας καὶ ὡς καπνοῦ καὶ ὡς φωτὸς πυρὸς καιομένου νυκτός, πάσῃ τῇ δόξῃ σκεπασθήσεται. Καὶ ἔσται εἰς σκιὰν ἡμέρας ἀπὸ καύματος, καὶ ἐν σκέπῃ καὶ ἐν ἀποκρύφῳ ἀπὸ σκληρότητος καὶ ὑετοῦ. Νεφέλην ἐνταῦθα τὴν ἐκ τῶν κακῶν ἐγγινομένην παραψυχήν φησι· πυρὰν δὲ τὴν μετὰ τῆς παραμυθίας περιφάνειαν προσγινομένην. Ὅπερ γάρ ἐστιν ἐν καύματι νεφέλη, τοῦτο ἐν σκότῳ καὶ νυκτὶ βαθυτάτῃ πυρὰ λαμπρῶς ἀναπτομένη. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ τὸν αὐχμὸν ἀποκρούεται, ἡ δὲ διαλύει τὸν ζόφον. Τὴν μὲν οὖν περιφάνειαν τῇ λαμπρότητι τῆς πυρᾶς, τὴν δὲ ἄνεσιν τῇ σκιᾷ τῆς νεφέλης παρέβαλεν. Εἶτα δεικνὺς ὡς οὐ κατὰ μικρὸν τῶν δεινῶν λυομένων ταῦτα ἔσται, ἀλλὰ ἀθρόον ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ τῶν λυπηρῶν ἀκμῇ ἡ μεταβολὴ γενήσεται, ἵνα καὶ ἐντεῦθεν μάθωσιν, ὅτι οὐχὶ ἐκ περιφορᾶς τινος καὶ συντυχίας ἡ πρὸς τὸ βέλτιον γέγονε μετάστασις, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῆς ἄνωθεν δυνάμεως τὸ πᾶν κατώρθωται· Ὡς πυρὸς καιομένου νυκτός, φησίν, οὕτως ἡ μεταβολὴ γενήσεται· Καὶ ἔσται εἰς σκιὰν ἡμέρας. Τίς ἔσται; Ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ βοήθεια, φησί, καὶ ἡ συμμαχία, ὥσπερ σκιὰ ἐν καύματι καὶ ὥσπερ ὄροφος ἢ κατάδυσίς τις σπηλαίου, ὄμβρου καταρρηγνυμένου σφοδροῦ, ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ τὸν ἐκεῖ καταφυγόντα διατηροῦσα· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ συμμαχία οὐκ ἀφήσει δεινὸν οὐδὲν παθεῖν, καὶ τοσούτου καταρρηγνυμένου πολέμου, οὓς ἂν ἕληται ἐξ ἀρχῆς διασῶσαι.

5.τ ΚΕΦΑΛ. Εʹ

5.1 Ἄσω δὴ τῷ ἠγαπημένῳ ᾆσμα τοῦ ἀγαπητοῦ μου τῷ ἀμπελῶνί μου.

Φοβήσας τοῖς λυπηροῖς, εὐφράνας τοῖς χρηστοῖς, ποικίλην τὴν θεραπείαν ἐργασάμενος, εἰς ἀρχὴν πάλιν ἑτέραν ἀνάγει τὸν λόγον, ἀρχὴν ἐοικυῖαν τῷ προοιμίῳ τῆς προφητείας. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἀρχόμενος τὰς εὐεργεσίας ἀπήγγειλε τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰς εἰς αὐτοὺς γεγενημένας, λέγων· Υἱοὺς ἐγέννησα καὶ ὕψωσα, καὶ τὰς παρανομίας τὰς ὑπ' αὐτῶν τολμηθείσας ἐπάγων καὶ προστιθείς, ὅτι· Αὐτοὶ δή με ἠθέτησαν καὶ ὅτι· Ἰσραὴλ δέ με οὐκ ἔγνω καὶ ὁ λαός μου ἐμὲ οὐ συνῆκεν· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα λέξεσιν μὲν ἑτέραις, νοήμασι δὲ τοῖς αὐτοῖς τὰ αὐτὰ τοῖς προτέροις ἐνδείκνυται. Ἀλλὰ τίνος ἕνεκεν κατηγορεῖν μέλλων, ᾆσμα τὴν κατηγορίαν καλεῖ; Μωϋσῆς μὲν γὰρ εἰκότως τοῦτο ἐποίησε μετὰ τῆς Μαρίας, ἅτε τὴν ἐπινίκιον μέλλων ᾄδειν ᾠδὴν καὶ εἰκότως οὕτως ἀρχόμενος ἔλεγεν· Ἄσωμεν τῷ Κυρίῳ· ἐνδόξως γὰρ δεδόξασται, ἵππον καὶ ἀναβάτην ἔρριψεν εἰς θάλασσαν. Καὶ ἡ ∆εβόρα δὲ μετὰ τὸ θαυμαστὸν ἐκεῖνο τρόπαιον καὶ τὴν παράδοξον νίκην, εἰκότως ᾠδὴν ὑφαίνει τὴν ἐπινίκιον ἐκείνην, εὐφημίαν ἀναφέρουσα τῷ Θεῷ. Οὗτος δὲ κατηγορεῖν μέλλων καὶ συντόνου λόγου δεόμενος καὶ ψυχῆς οὐκ ἀνειμένης, ἀλλὰ συντεταμένης, ᾄσειν ἡμῖν ἐπαγγέλλεται καὶ ᾆσμα τὰ ἐγκλήματα καλεῖ. Οὐκ αὐτὸς δὲ μόνος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ μέγας ἐκεῖνος Μωϋσῆς ὁ τὴν ἐπινίκιον τότε ᾄσας ᾠδήν, κατηγορῶν τῶν Ἰουδαίων, μακρὰν ᾠδὴν τὰ ἐγκλήματα πεποίηκε λέγων· Ταῦτα τῷ Κυρίῳ ἀνταποδίδοτε; Οὗτος ὁ λαὸς μωρὸς καὶ οὐχὶ σοφός· καὶ πολλὰς συνθεὶς κατηγορίας, ᾄδοντας αὐτοὺς ταῦτα λέγειν ἐνομοθέτει· καὶ ἔτι καὶ νῦν ᾄδοντες ταῦτα λέγομεν καὶ ἡμεῖς. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν τὰς κατηγορίας ᾠδὴν ποιοῦσι; Σοφίᾳ κεχρημένοι πνευματικῇ καὶ πολὺ τὸ κέρδος ἐνθεῖναι ταῖς τῶν ἀκουόντων βουλόμενοι ψυχαῖς. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οὐδὲν οὕτω χρήσιμον, ὡς τὸ πλημμελημάτων μεμνῆσθαι διηνεκῶς, μνήμην δὲ οὐδὲν οὕτω μόνιμον ὡς μελῳδία ποιεῖ, ἵνα μὴ διὰ τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τῶν κατηγοριῶν ὀκνοῦντες καὶ ἀναδυόμενοι φεύγωσι τὸ συνεχῶς μεμνῆσθαι τῶν οἰκείων ἁμαρτημάτων, τῷ μέλει τῆς ᾠδῆς ὑποκλέπτων τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς μνήμης αἰσχύνην καὶ τὴν ἀφόρητον ἀθυμίαν παραμυθούμενος, ᾄσματα αὐτὰ πεποίηκεν, ἵνα τῷ πόθῳ τῆς μελῳδίας ἀναγκαζόμενοι συνεχῶς αὐτὰ φθέγγεσθαι, συνεχῶς αὐτῶν ὦσι μεμνημένοι, καὶ μεμνημένοι διηνεκῶς ἔχωσί τινα διδάσκαλον ἀρετῆς τὴν διηνεκῆ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων