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In accordance with these things, the blessed David also in this 80.992 psalm instructs people, and in the same order. First, indeed, the one in creation proclaiming the Creator; then the one given through Moses, instilling a greater knowledge of the Creator in those willing to pay attention; after this, the one of grace, completely purifying souls, and freeing them from the present corruption; for the sake of which the psalm also sends us to the end, foretelling the new covenant at the end. 2. "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims the work of his hands." For it is enough, he says, for even the visible beauty and size of the heavens alone to proclaim the power of the Creator; for if one who beholds a very great and beautiful building marvels at the builder; and one who sees a vessel well and beautifully constructed, thinks of the shipwright; and with the sight of a picture the memory of the painter enters in as well; by much more, surely, does creation, when seen, guide those who see to the Creator. He mentioned heaven and firmament in accordance with the teaching of the great Moses. For he first said that the heaven came to be, then he also narrates the creation of the firmament; which again he called the heaven of heavens, he says. Let the plural name of the heavens surprise no one. For it is a custom in Scripture to name it sometimes in the singular, sometimes in the plural. And in the singular the blessed David names it; "For the heaven," he says, "of heaven is the Lord's." And again; "To him who covers the heaven with clouds." And again in the plural, the same says, "Praise him," he says, "you heavens of heavens." And it has the same meaning, "The heaven of heaven is the Lord's." For the visible heaven was constructed for the earth like a kind of roof; and the one above is to this one, what this one is to the earth. For this reason it is called heaven of heaven, and they are named heavens of heavens. And it is possible to see even cities among us having a double name. For we say both Tarsos and Tarsoi, for the one city; and Thebe and Thebai, for the same city. Thus the ancients called it both Mykene and Mykenai, knowing the one city named in the plural. These things have not been said by me simply, but on account of those who try to count many heavens. 3. "Day to day utters speech; and night to night proclaims knowledge." For the ordered succession of night and day indicates the boundaries set by the Crea 80.993 tor, which the inanimate creation does not endure to transgress. For according to the need of men, day and night, both increasing and decreasing, and borrowing time from one another, and again paying the debt to one another, indicate the providence presiding over them. But, "utters speech, and proclaims knowledge, and declare glory," does not teach that the things seen are animate; but it is a kind of personification, teaching all to be guided from the things seen to the unseen God, and to offer hymnody to him. 4, 5. "There are no speeches nor words, whose voices are not heard. Their sound has gone out into all the earth; and their words to the ends of the inhabited world." Symmachus interpreted this more clearly, saying; And night to night proclaims knowledge; not with sayings, nor with words, whose voices are not heard, but their sound has gone out into all the earth; or according to Aquila, their rule. For uttering neither words, nor sayings, but indicating their rule, and their own order, they call all the land and sea to divine hymnody. 6, 7. "In the sun he has set his tabernacle; and he, like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber. He will rejoice like a giant to run his course; his going out is from the end of heaven; and his circuit to the end of heaven." And these things the three interpreted more clearly. In the sun he set his tabernacle, he says, in them; that is, in the heavens. For so also the great Moses taught; "And God made the two great lights; and he set them in the firmament of the

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Σύμφωνα τούτοις καὶ ὁ μακάριος ∆αβὶδ ἐν τῷδε 80.992 τῷ ψαλμῷ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους παιδεύει, καὶ κατὰ τὴν αὐτὴν τάξιν. Πρῶτον μὲν τὸν ἐν τῇ κτίσει κηρύττοντα τὸν δημιουργόν· εἶτα τὸν διὰ Μωσέως δοθέντα, τοῦ δημιουργοῦ πλείονα γνῶσιν τοῖς προσέχειν ἐθέλουσιν ἐντιθέντα· μετὰ τοῦτον, τὸν τῆς χάριτος, τέλεον τὰς ψυχὰς ἀποκαθαίροντα, καὶ τῆς παρούσης ἐλευθεροῦντα φθορᾶς· οὗ δὴ χάριν καὶ εἰς τὸ τέλος ἡμᾶς ὁ ψαλμὸς παραπέμπει, τὴν καινὴν ἐν τῷ τέλει διαθήκην προαγορεύων. βʹ. "Οἱ οὐρανοὶ διηγοῦνται δόξαν Θεοῦ· ποίησιν δὲ χειρῶν αὐτοῦ ἀναγγέλλει τὸ στερέωμα." Ἀρ κεῖ, φησὶ, καὶ μόνον φαινόμενον τῶν οὐρανῶν τὸ κάλλος καὶ μέγεθος, τοῦ ∆ημιουργοῦ τὴν δύναμιν κηρύξαι· εἰ γὰρ ὁ μεγίστην καὶ καλλίστην οἰκοδο μίαν θεώμενος, τὸν οἰκοδόμον θαυμάζει· καὶ ὁ σκάφος ὁρῶν εὖ καὶ καλῶς κατεσκευασμένον, τὸν ναυπηγὸν ἐννοεῖ· καὶ τῇ θεωρίᾳ τῆς εἰκόνος ἡ τοῦ ζωγράφου συνεισέρχεται μνήμη· πολλῷ δήπου θεν ἡ κτίσις ὁρωμένη πρὸς τὸν δημιουργὸν ποδηγεῖ τοὺς ὁρῶντας. Οὐρανοῦ δὲ καὶ στερεώματος ἐμνημό νευσεν ἀκολούθως τῇ τοῦ μεγάλου Μωσέως διδα σκαλίᾳ. Καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος πρῶτον εἶπε γεγενῆσθαι τὸν οὐρανὸν, εἶτα διηγεῖται καὶ τὴν τοῦ στερεώματος δημιουργίαν· ὃν πάλιν οὐρανὸν οὐρανῶν προσ ηγόρευσε, φησί. Τὸ δὲ πληθυντικὸν ὄνομα τῶν οὐρανῶν ξενιζέτω μηδένα. Ἔθος γὰρ τῇ Γραφῇ ποτὲ μὲν ἑνικῶς, ποτὲ δὲ πληθυντικῶς ὀνομάζειν. Καὶ ἑνικῶς μὲν ὁ μακάριος ὀνομάζει ∆αβίδ· "Οὐρανὸς γὰρ, φησὶ, τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ." Καὶ πάλιν· "Τῷ περιβάλλοντι τὸν οὐρανὸν ἐν νεφέλαις." Πληθυντικῶς δὲ πάλιν ὁ αὐτὸς, "Αἰνεῖτε αὐτὸν, φησὶν, οἱ οὐρανοὶ τῶν οὐρανῶν." Τὴν αὐτὴν δὲ ἔχει σημασίαν τὸ, "Ὁ οὐρανὸς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τῷ Κυ ρίῳ." Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ὁρώμενος οὐρανὸς, οἷόν τις ὄρο φος κατεσκευάσθη τῇ γῇ· ὁ δὲ ἀνώτερος τοῦτό ἐστι τούτῳ, ὅπερ οὗτος τῇ γῇ. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο οὐρανὸς οὐρανοῦ καλεῖται, καὶ οὐρανοὶ οὐρανῶν ὀνομάζον ται. Ἔστι δὲ ἰδεῖν καὶ πόλεις παρ' ἡμῖν διπλῆν τὴν ὀνομασίαν ἐχούσας. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ Ταρσὸν λέγομεν καὶ Ταρσοὺς, τὴν μίαν πόλιν· καὶ Θήβην καὶ Θήβας, τὴν αὐτὴν πόλιν. Οὕτω Μυκήνην τε καὶ Μυκήνας ἐκάλουν οἱ παλαιοὶ, μίαν πόλιν εἰδότες τὴν πληθυντικῶς ὀνομαζομένην. Ταῦτα δέ μοι οὐχ ἁπλῶς εἴρηται, ἀλλὰ διὰ τοὺς πολλοὺς οὐρανοὺς ἀριθμεῖν πειρωμένους. γʹ. "Ἡμέρα τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐρεύγεται ῥῆμα· καὶ νὺξ νυκτὶ ἀναγγέλλει γνῶσιν." Καὶ γὰρ ἡ τεταγμένη νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας διαδοχὴ, τοὺς ὑπὸ τοῦ ∆ημιουρ 80.993 γοῦ τεθέντας ὑποδείκνυσιν ὅρους, οὓς παραβαί νειν ἡ ἄψυχος οὐκ ἀνέχεται κτίσις. Πρὸς γὰρ τὴν χρείαν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἡμέρα καὶ νὺξ αὐξανόμεναί τε καὶ μειούμεναι, καὶ παρ' ἀλλήλων τὸν χρόνον δανειζόμεναι, καὶ πάλιν ἀλλήλαις τὸ χρέος ἐκτιν νύουσαι, τὴν ἐφεστῶσαν αὐταῖς ὑποδεικνύουσι προ μήθειαν. Τὸ δὲ, "Ἐρεύγεται ῥῆμα, καὶ ἀναγ γέλλει γνῶσιν, καὶ διηγοῦνται δόξαν," οὐκ ἔμψυχα εἶναι διδάσκει τὰ ὁρώμενα· ἀλλὰ προσωποποιία τίς ἐστι, παιδεύουσα πάντας ἀπὸ τῶν ὁρωμένων ἐπὶ τὸν ἀόρατον ποδηγεῖσθαι Θεὸν, κἀκείνῳ προσφέ ρειν τὴν ὑμνῳδίαν. δʹ, εʹ. "Οὐκ εἰσὶ λαλιαὶ οὐδὲ λόγοι, ὧν οὐκ ἀκούονται αἱ φωναὶ αὐτῶν. Εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἐξῆλ θεν ὁ φθόγγος αὐτῶν· καὶ εἰς τὰ πέρατα τῆς οἰκου μένης τὰ ῥήματα αὐτῶν." Τοῦτο σαφέστερον ὁ Σύμμαχος ἡρμήνευσεν εἰπών· Καὶ νὺξ νυκτὶ ἀναγγέλλει γνῶσιν· οὐ ῥήσεσιν, οὐδὲ λό γοις, ὧν οὐκ ἀκούονται αἱ φωναὶ, ἀλλ' εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἐξῆλθεν ὁ ἦχος αὐτῶν· ἢ κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν, ὁ κανὼν αὐτῶν. Οὔτε γὰρ λόγους, οὔτε ῥήματα προφέρουσαι, ἀλλὰ τὸν κανόνα, καὶ τὴν οἰκείαν τάξιν ὑποδεικνῦσαι, πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν καὶ θάλατταν εἰς τὴν θείαν καλοῦσιν ὑμνῳ δίαν. ʹ, ζʹ. "Ἐν τῷ ἡλίῳ ἔθετο τὸ σκήνωμα αὑτοῦ· καὶ αὐτὸς ὡς νυμφίος ἐκπορευόμενος ἐκ παστοῦ αὑτοῦ. Ἀγαλλιάσεται ὡς γίγας δραμεῖν ὁδόν· ἀπ' ἄκρου τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἡ ἔξοδος αὐτοῦ· καὶ τὸ κατάντημα αὐτοῦ ἕως ἄκρου τοῦ οὐρανοῦ." Καὶ ταῦτα σαφέστερον οἱ τρεῖς ἡρμήνευσαν. Ἐν τῷ ἡλίῳ ἔθετο τὸ σκήνωμα, φησὶν, ἐν αὐτοῖς· τουτ έστιν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ ὁ μέγας ἐδίδαξε Μωσῆς· "Καὶ ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς τοὺς δύο φωστῆρας τοὺς μεγάλους· καὶ ἔθετο αὐτοὺς ἐν τῷ στερεώματι τοῦ