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he was being persecuted; and the interpretation of the sayings teaches this more clearly. 2. "In you, O Lord, have I hoped; let me not be put to shame for ever." Sin, he says, has enveloped me with great shame; but I beseech that this not remain with me for long, because of the trust I have placed in you. "In your righteousness rescue me, and deliver me." Do not, he says, look upon my sin, but upon the lawlessness of those who persecute me; for by using this just decree, you will release me from the misfortunes that are upon me. 3. "Incline your ear to me; make haste to deliver me." Having heard my supplication, give swift help. "Be to me a God who is a protector, and a house of refuge, to save me. [4.] For you are my strength, and my refuge." These things he also said in the seventeenth psalm, indicating every kind of God's care. But "my strength," Aquila and Symmachus have interpreted as "my rock." The prophetic word seems to agree with the evangelical word, which points to the wise man who built his house upon the rock, which neither the assault of winds, nor of rains and rivers damaged on account of its firmness. "And for your name's sake you will lead me, and you will nourish me." But "you will nourish," Symmachus has put "you will care for me." And he says that You will deem me worthy of every kind of providence, because of your name in which I have trusted. And through all of the interpreted sayings, indeed, we have learned the humility of his mind. For he did not ask to receive 80.1080 divine assistance on account of his own virtue, but on account of the name of God, and the righteousness of God, and because he hoped in him. 5. "You will bring me out of this trap, which they have hidden for me; for you are my protector, O Lord." Through these words he indicated the counsel of Ahithophel, which he proposed against him, as we have also already said before. 6. "Into your hands I will commend my spirit, you have redeemed me, O Lord, the God of truth." Having many times fallen into many misfortunes, I was freed from these through your influence; for which reason, indeed, I entrust my own soul to your providence. For here again he calls "hands" providence. 7. "You have hated all who regard vain vanities." They, then, he says, have not trusted in you, but have employed their own vain reasonings; and you are accustomed to completely turn away from such people. "But I have hoped in the Lord. [8.] I will be glad, and I will rejoice in your mercy." For even being in misfortunes I call upon your assistance, and enjoying it, I ascribe the cause of good things to your love for mankind. "Because you have looked upon my humiliation, you have saved my soul from necessities. [9.] And you have not shut me up into the hands of enemies; you have set my feet in a broad place." And I was not mistaken in always using these reasonings; for many times having fallen into the snares and ambushes of enemies, and having come within the nets spread for me, I escaped those who were hunting me. For this is what he said: "You have not shut me up into the hands of the enemy." And history also teaches that having been caught many times by Saul, and indeed even having been confined in the cave, he escaped his hands; and at another time, the men of Gath, by feigning madness. 10. "Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am afflicted; my eye is troubled with anger, my soul, and my belly." Symmachus has said this thus: My eye was dimmed because of provocation. For having provoked you through sin, I am compelled to weep continually; and indeed my soul also is filled with turmoil and confusion. But here he called "belly" the storehouse of reasonings; for the reasonings, but not the belly, were troubled. 80.1081 11. "For my life has failed in pain, and my years in groaning." All my life, he says, I have spent in pains and tears. "My strength has grown weak in poverty, and my bones were troubled." And want, and the lack of necessities, has wasted away my body. And history also remembers this want, and says: "Shobi the son of Nahash, the Ammonite, and Barzillai the Gileadite, brought wheat and

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ἐδιώκετο· καὶ τοῦτο σαφέστερον ἡ τῶν ῥητῶν ἑρμηνεία διδάσκει. βʹ. "Ἐπὶ σοὶ, Κύριε, ἤλπισα· μὴ καταισχυνθείην εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα." Αἰσχύνῃ με, φησὶν, ἡ ἁμαρτία περιέβαλε πολλῇ· ἱκετεύω δὲ μὴ μέχρι πολλοῦ ταύ την ἐπιμεῖναί μοι, διὰ τὴν ἐπὶ σοί μοι γεγενημένην πεποίθησιν. "Ἐν τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ σου ῥῦσαί με, καὶ ἐξελοῦ με." Μὴ εἰς τὴν ἐμὴν, φησὶν, ἀποβλέψῃς ἁμαρτίαν, ἀλλ' εἰς τὴν τῶν διωκόντων με παρανο μίαν· ταύτῃ γὰρ τῇ δικαίᾳ ψήφῳ χρησάμενος, τῶν ἐπικειμένων ἀπαλλάξεις με συμφορῶν. γʹ. "Κλῖνον πρός με τὸ οὖς σου· τάχυνον τοῦ ἐξ ελέσθαι με." Ἀκούσας μου τῆς ἱκετείας, ταχεῖαν δὸς τὴν βοήθειαν. "Γενοῦ μοι εἰς Θεὸν ὑπερασπιστὴν, καὶ εἰς οἶκον καταφυγῆς, τοῦ σῶσαί με. [δʹ.] Ὅτι κραταίωμά μου, καὶ καταφυγή μου εἶ σύ." Ταῦτα καὶ ἐν τῷ ἑπτα καιδεκάτῳ εἶπε ψαλμῷ, τὴν παντοδαπὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ κηδεμονίαν παραδηλῶν. Τὸ δὲ κραταίωμά μου, Ἀκύλας καὶ Σύμμαχος, πέτρα μου ἡρμήνευσαν. Ἔοικε δὲ ὁ προφητικὸς λόγος τῷ εὐαγγελικῷ συμ φωνεῖν, ὃς τὸν φρόνιμον ὑποδείκνυσιν ἐπὶ τῆς πέτρας τὴν οἰκίαν οἰκοδομήσαντα, ἢν οὔτε πνευμάτων, οὔτε ὑετῶν καὶ ποταμῶν προσβολὴ διὰ τὸ στεῤῥὸν ἐλω βήσατο. "Καὶ ἕνεκεν τοῦ ὀνόματός σου ὁδηγήσεις με, καὶ διαθρέψεις με." Τὸ δὲ διαθρέψεις ὁ Σύμ μαχος τημελήσεις με τέθεικεν. Λέγει δὲ, ὅτι Παν τοδαπῆς με προνοίας ἀξιώσεις, διὰ τὸ ὄνομά σου ἐφ' ᾧ πέποιθα. ∆ιὰ πάντων δέ γε τῶν ἑρμηνευμένων ῥητῶν τὸ μέτριον αὐτοῦ τοῦ φρονήματος μεμαθή καμεν. Οὐ γὰρ ᾔτησε διὰ τὴν οἰκείαν ἀρετὴν τῆς 80.1080 θείας ἐπικουρίας τυχεῖν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ ὄνο μα, καὶ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ δικαιοσύνην, καὶ ὅτι ἐπ' αὐτῷ ἤλπισεν. εʹ. "Ἐξάξεις με ἐκ παγίδος ταύτης, ἧς ἔκρυψάν μοι· ὅτι σὺ εἶ ὁ ὑπερασπιστής μου, Κύριε." Τὴν βουλὴν τοῦ Ἀχιτόφελ διὰ τούτων ἐδήλωσεν, ἢν εἰσ ηγήσατο κατ' αὐτοῦ, ὡς καὶ ἤδη προειρήκαμεν. ʹ. "Εἰς χεῖράς σου παραθήσομαι τὸ πνεῦμά μου, ἐλυτρώσω με, Κύριε, ὁ Θεὸς τῆς ἀληθείας." Πολλαῖς πολλάκις περιπεσὼν συμφοραῖς, τούτων διὰ τῆς σῆς ἠλευθερώθην ῥοπῆς· οὗ δὴ χάριν τὴν ἐμαυ τοῦ ψυχὴν τῇ σῇ παρατίθημι προμηθείᾳ. Χεῖρας γὰρ πάλιν ἐνταῦθα τὴν προμηθείαν ὀνομάζει. ζʹ. "Ἐμίσησας πάντας τοὺς διαφυλάσσοντας ματαιότητας διακενῆς." Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν οὖν, φησὶν, οὐ σοὶ τεθαῤῥήκασιν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ματαίοις αὐτῶν κέ χρηνται λογισμοῖς· εἴωθας δὲ τοὺς τοιούτους παντε λῶς ἀποστρέφεσθαι. "Ἐγὼ δὲ ἐπὶ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἤλπισα. [ηʹ.] Ἀγαλλιάσομαι, καὶ εὐφρανθήσομαι ἐπὶ τῷ ἐλέει σου." Καὶ γὰρ ἐν συμφοραῖς ὢν τὴν σὴν ἐπικουρίαν καλῶ, καὶ ταύτης ἀπολαύων, τῇ σῇ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τῶν ἀγα θῶν ἀνατίθημι τὴν αἰτίαν. "Ὅτι ἐπεῖδες τὴν ταπείνωσίν μου, ἔσωσας ἐκ τῶν ἀναγκῶν τὴν ψυχήν μου. [θʹ.] Καὶ οὐ συνέκλει σάς με εἰς χεῖρας ἐχθρῶν· ἔστησας ἐν εὐρυχώρῳ τοὺς πόδας μου." Οὐ διήμαρτον δὲ τούτοις ἀεὶ χρη σάμενος τοῖς λογισμοῖς· ἐνέδραις γὰρ πολεμίων πολλάκις, καὶ λόχοις περιπεσὼν, καὶ εἴσω τῶν περιταθέντων μοι δικτύων γενόμενος, διέφυγον τοὺς θηρεύοντας. Τοῦτο γὰρ εἶπεν· "Οὐ συνέκλει σάς με εἰς χεῖρας ἐχθροῦ." ∆ιδάσκει δὲ καὶ ἡ ἱστορία, ὅτι πολλάκις καταληφθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ Σαοὺλ, καὶ μέντοι καὶ ἐν τῷ σπηλαίῳ καθειρχθεὶς, τὰς ἐκεί νου χεῖρας διέφυγε· καὶ ἄλλοτε τοὺς Γετθαίους, παραπληξίαν σχηματισάμενος. ιʹ. "Ἐλέησόν με, Κύριε, ὅτι θλίβομαι· ἐταράχθη ἐν θυμῷ ὁ ὀφθαλμός μου, ἡ ψυχή μου, καὶ ἡ γαστήρ μου." Τοῦτο ὁ Σύμμαχος οὕτως εἴρηκεν· Ἐθολώθη διὰ παροργισμὸν ὁ ὀφθαλμός μου. Παροργίσας γάρ σε διὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας, δακρύειν διηνεκῶς ἀναγ κάζομαι· καὶ μὲν δὴ καὶ ἡ ψυχή μου ζάλης καὶ θο ρύβου ἐμπέπλησται. Γαστέρα δὲ ἐνταῦθα τὸ τῶν λογισμῶν ταμιεῖον ἐκάλεσεν· οἱ λογισμοὶ γὰρ, ἀλλ' οὐχ ἡ γαστὴρ, ἐταράττετο. 80.1081 ιαʹ. "Ὅτι ἐξέλιπεν ἐν ὀδύνῃ ἡ ζωή μου, καὶ τὰ ἔτη μου ἐν στεναγμοῖς." Πάντα μου, φησὶ, τὸν βίον εἰς ὀδύνας καὶ δάκρυα δεδαπάνηκα. "Ἠσθένησεν ἐν πτωχείᾳ ἡ ἰσχύς μου, καὶ τὰ ὀστᾶ μου ἐταράχθη σαν." Καὶ ἡ ἔνδεια δὲ, καὶ τῶν ἀναγκαίων ἡ σπάνις, κατέτηξέ μου τὸ σῶμα. Ταύτης δὲ τῆς ἐν δείας καὶ ἡ ἱστορία μέμνηται, καί φησιν· "Οὐν ησβὶ ὁ τοῦ Ναὰς υἱὸς, ὁ Ἀμμανίτης, καὶ Βερ ζελλεὶ ὁ Γαλααδίτης, ἤνεγκαν πυροὺς καὶ