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"And of my own will I will confess to him." That is, Not by force, but willingly do I offer him the hymn; thus he also says elsewhere, "I will sacrifice to you willingly," and again, "Accept, I pray, O Lord, the freewill offerings of my mouth." 8. "The Lord is the strength of his people, and he is the defender of the salvation of his Christ." I hymn him as a good Master, who lavishly provides strength, and might, and salvation, both to the king and to the people; for he calls himself Christ as king. For this was a common name for kings, and prophets, and priests. 9. "Save your people, and bless your inheritance, and shepherd them, and lift them up forever." Therefore, he says, impart this blessing and salvation to your people, guiding and shepherding them, and showing them to be superior to their enemies. And the prayer for the people is also fitting for a king; and this of the great David is also admirable, that even when persecuted by the people—for they fought alongside Saul—he offered supplication to God for them; for he foresaw their future change, and he did not see their injustice, but their future servitude.

80.1061 INTERPRETATION OF PSALM 28. 1. "A Psalm of David; of the going out of the tabernacle." I did not find this inscription in the Hexapla, but in certain copies; starting from here some of the writers thought that the blessed David had spoken this psalm when he brought back the ark. But the words of the psalm do not have any such meaning; for the psalm prophesies other things. Nevertheless, it has a twofold prophecy; one fitting for Hezekiah the king, and the other for the king of us all, who, having destroyed the error of idols, enlightened the world with the rays of the knowledge of God; but I will briefly speak of the prophecy concerning Hezekiah, and at greater length of our own, as it is more fitting for us. The wondrous Hezekiah, having overcome the Assyrians, and exulting in the unexpected victory, exhorts the people to repay God with sacrifices, and to offer him hymns and doxology, and to perform the customary worship in his holy court. Since the temple was inaccessible to the many, but was accessible only to the priests there. Then he teaches the cause of these things, pointing out the divinely-sent plague of the Assyrians, mentioning voice and thunder together; and tropically calling the multitude of the enemies a multitude of waters; then again he calls them cedars, thereby indicating their loftiness and density; and he says that these were shattered, but the beloved people were likened to the son of unicorns; since, indeed, they worship one God, and through him destroyed the many myriads of the invading foes. But indeed, he says, he also cut them down and scattered them like a flame, and shook the phalanx in the wilderness of God, and stripped bare the place that resembled a forest because of the density of those encamped in it, of those who had been destroyed there; but us, who had received the cowardice of deer, he perfected, and made us to stand instead of to flee. For this reason, then, it is right for all to run together in the temple, and to offer him the returns of hymns. For having freed us from these things, he will prepare us also to rebuild and inhabit again the things outside the walls, which were destroyed by the enemies, and as it were flooded. 80.1064 For we shall easily accomplish all things, having the eternal king, who has both given us to be strong, and has granted us peace. That the present psalm, therefore, is spoken of the blessed Hezekiah, the interpretation has shown. But since the old is a type of the new, come, let us place the body beside the shadow and show the similarity. There a pious king, and here Christ the teacher of piety; there a people obedient to him, and here a people saved by this one; there the war and destruction of the Assyrians, and here of demons

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"Καὶ ἐκ θελήματός μου ἐξομολογή σομαι αὐτῷ." Ἀντὶ τοῦ, Οὐ βίαιον, ἀλλ' ἐθελούσιον αὐτῷ προσφέρω τὸν ὕμνον· οὕτω καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ φησιν, "Ἑκουσίως θύσω σοι," καὶ πάλιν, "Τὰ ἑκούσια τοῦ στόματός μου εὐδόκησον δὴ, Κύριε." ηʹ. "Κύριος κραταίωμα τοῦ λαοῦ αὑτοῦ ἐστιν, καὶ ὑπερασπιστὴς τῶν σωτηρίων τοῦ Χριστοῦ αὑτοῦ ἐστιν." Ὑμνῶ δὲ αὐτὸν ὡς ἀγαθὸν ∆εσπότην, ἰσχὺν, καὶ ῥώμην, καὶ σωτηρίαν, καὶ βασιλεῖ, καὶ λαῷ φιλοτίμως παρέχοντα· Χριστὸν γὰρ ἑαυτὸν ὡς βασι λέα καλεῖ. Κοινὸν γὰρ τοῦτο τὸ ὄνομα καὶ βασιλέων, καὶ προφητῶν, καὶ ἱερέων ὑπῆρχε. θʹ. "Σῶσον τὸν λαόν σου, καὶ εὐλόγησον τὴν κλη ρονομίαν σου, καὶ ποίμανον αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἔπαρον αὐτοὺς, ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος." Ταύτης τοίνυν, φησὶ, τῆς εὐλογίας καὶ σωτηρίας τῷ σῷ μετάδος λαῷ ἰθύνων καὶ ποιμαίνων, καὶ ὑπερτέρους ἀποφαίνων τῶν πολεμίων. Καὶ βασιλεῖ δὲ πρέπουσα ἡ ὑπὲρ τοῦ λαοῦ προσευχή· ἀξιάγαστον δὲ καὶ τοῦτο τοῦ μεγά λου ∆αβὶδ, ὅτι καὶ διωκόμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ λαοῦ· συν επολέμουν γὰρ τῷ Σαούλ· τὴν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ἱκετείαν προσέφερε τῷ Θεῷ· προεώρα γὰρ αὐτῶν τὴν ἐσομένην μεταβολὴν, καὶ οὐχ ἑώρα τὴν ἀδικίαν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐσομένην δουλείαν.

80.1061 ΕΡΜΗΝ. ΤΟΥ ΚΗʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΥ. αʹ. "Ψαλμὸς τῷ ∆αβίδ· ἐξόδου σκηνῆς." Οὐδὲ ταύτην εὗρον ἐν τῷ Ἑξαπλῷ

τὴν ἐπιγραφὴν, ἀλλ' ἔν τισιν ἀντιγράφοις· ἐντεῦθέν τινες τῶν συγγραφέων ὁρμώμενοι ᾠήθησαν τὸν μακάριον ∆αβὶδ τοῦτον εἰρηκέναι τὸν ψαλμὸν, ἡνίκα τὴν κιβωτὸν ἐπαν ήγαγεν. Οὐδεμίαν δὲ τοιαύτην διάνοιαν ἔχει τοῦ ψαλμοῦ τὰ ῥήματα· ἕτερα γὰρ ὁ ψαλμὸς προθε σπίζει. ∆ιπλῆν δὲ ὅμως ἔχει τὴν προφητείαν· τὴν μὲν ἁρμόττουσαν Ἐζεκίᾳ τῷ βασιλεῖ, τὴν δὲ τῷ πάντων ἡμῶν βασιλεῖ, ὃς τῶν εἰδώλων καταλύ σας τὴν πλάνην, ταῖς ἀκτῖσι τῆς θεογνωσίας τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐφώτισεν· ἐγὼ δὲ τὴν μὲν εἰς τὸν Ἐζε κίαν προφητείαν συντόμως ἐρῶ, διὰ πλειόνων δὲ τὴν ἡμετέραν, ὡς μᾶλλον ἡμῖν προσήκουσαν. Ὁ θαυμάσιος Ἐζεκίας τῶν Ἀσσυρίων περιγινόμενος, καὶ τῷ παραδόξῳ τῆς νίκης ἐπαγαλλόμενος, παρα κελεύεται τῷ λαῷ θυσίαις ἀμείβεσθαι τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ ὕμνους αὐτῷ καὶ δοξολογίαν προσφέρειν, καὶ ἐν τῇ αὐλῇ αὐτοῦ τῇ ἁγίᾳ τὴν νενομισμένην λατρείαν ἐπιτελεῖν. Ἐπειδήπερ ὁ ναὸς ἄβατος ἦν τοῖς πολλοῖς, μόνοις δὲ εἰσιτητὸς ἦν τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν ἐκεῖ. Εἶτα τούτων τὴν αἰτίαν διδάσκει, τὴν θεήλατον πληγὴν τῶν Ἀσσυρίων ἐπιδεικνὺς, φωνῆς ὁμοῦ καὶ βροντῆς μεμνημένος· καὶ τροπικῶς πλῆθος ὑδάτων τῶν πολεμίων ὀνομάζων τὸ πλῆθος· εἶτα πάλιν κέδρους αὐτὰς ἀποκαλεῖ, τὸ ὑψηλὸν καὶ πυκνὸν ἐντεῦθεν παραδηλῶν· καὶ λέγει ταύτας μὲν συντρι βῆναι, τὸν δὲ ἠγαπημένον λαὸν υἱῷ μονοκερώτων ἀπεικασθῆναι· ἅτε δὴ ἕνα προσκυνοῦντα Θεὸν, καὶ διὰ τούτου καταλύσαντα τῶν ἐπελθόντων δυσμενῶν τὰς πολλὰς μυριάδας. Ἀλλὰ μὴν, φησὶ, καὶ δίκην φλογὸς αὐτοὺς διέκοψε καὶ διεσκέδασε, καὶ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἔρημον συνέσεισε φάλαγγα, καὶ τὸν δρυμὸν μιμούμενον χῶρον διὰ τὴν τῶν ἐν αὐτῷ στρατο πεδευσαμένων πυκνότητα, τῶν ἐκεῖ καταλυσάντων ἐγύμνωσεν· ἡμᾶς δὲ τοὺς ἐλάφων δεξαμένους δει λίαν κατήρτισε, καὶ μένειν ἀντὶ τοῦ φεύγειν πεποίηκε. Τούτου δῆτα χάριν καὶ συντρέχειν ἅπαντας ἐν τῷ ναῷ δίκαιον, καὶ τῶν ὕμνων αὐτῷ προσφέρειν τὰς ἀντιδόσεις. Τούτων γὰρ ἡμᾶς ἐλευθερώσας, παρασκευάσει καὶ τὰ τῶν περιβόλων ἔξω, τὰ ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων διαφθαρέντα, καὶ οἱονεὶ κατακλυ 80.1064 σθέντα αὖθις ἀνοικοδομῆσαι καὶ κατοικῆσαι. Ῥᾳδίως γὰρ ἅπαντα κατορθώσομεν τὸν αἰώνιον ἔχοντες βασιλέα, ὃς καὶ τὸ κρατεῖν ἡμῖν δέδωκε, καὶ τὴν εἰρήνην δεδώρηται. Ὅτι μὲν οὖν εἰς τὸν μακά ριον Ἐζεκίαν εἴρηται ὁ προκείμενος ψαλμὸς, ἡ ἑρμηνεία δεδήλωκεν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τύπος τῆς νέας ἡ παλαιὰ, φέρε τῇ σκιᾷ παραθέντες τὸ σῶμα, τὴν ὁμοιότητα δείξωμεν. Ἐκεῖ βασιλεὺς εὐσεβὴς, καὶ ἐνταῦθα Χριστὸς ὁ τῆς εὐσεβείας διδάσκαλος· ἐκεῖ λαὸς ἐκείνῳ πειθόμενος, καὶ ἐνταῦθα λαὸς ὑπὸ τούτου σωζόμενος· ἐκεῖ Ἀσσυρίων πόλεμός τε καὶ ὄλεθρος, καὶ ἐνταῦθα δαιμόνων