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that law was not legislated, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the impious and sinners and the like. For Moses 23.245 legislated for these, ordaining according to their hardness of heart. But I, he says, have not subjected myself to the legislation of Moses. Therefore I did not promise a sacrifice through the slaughter of animals, but a sacrifice of shouting, in a newer way than according to the laws of Moses. Therefore I ask to receive a new legislation from you. You, therefore, show me your way; or enlighten me, according to Aquila. Not only show me nor legislate for me, O Lord, but also guide me in a straight path, so that I might not strike my foot against a stone, because of my enemies. Do not deliver me to the souls of those who afflict me. For I ask that you lead me through a smooth and peaceful road for the time of my life. For they are not only enemies, but also unjust slanderers and false witnesses, and do all the things of enemies. Then indeed iniquity lies to itself, when it is not directed against facts, nor prevails over those who are falsely testified against. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living. But perhaps he also refers to the request above; saying "the good things of the Lord" means his aforementioned face, about which he said: Your face, Lord, I will seek. Do not turn your face from me. Therefore according to Aquila it is said: I believed to see in the good of the Lord; but according to Symmachus: I believed to see the goodness of the Lord. But he will see the face of the Lord and the good things of the Lord, not in this earthly place, nor in the region of mortals, but in the land of the living, which the Savior also promised, saying: Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. OF DAVID 27. To you, Lord, I will cry, my God, do not be silent to me, lest you be silent to me, and I become like those who go down into the pit. Not having forgotten what we have said before about those psalms inscribed "to David," or "of David," without any addition, we will add to those things for the present the tradition that has come down to us. The children of the Hebrews say, therefore, that for those having such an inscription, one must go back to the ones above, and see what kind of psalm was placed at the beginning of those that follow, either entirely without an inscription, or inscribed "to David"; and having learned the title from that one, to apply to it also the meaning of the subsequent connected ones. The one at hand, being the 27th, has this title, and the 20th and the 25th and the 24th; but the 23rd psalm was "to David," and likewise the 22nd. It is therefore consequent, according to the Hebrew tradition, to suppose all the succeeding psalms to be such, so that, according to this reasoning, the one at hand is also considered to be a psalm containing a supplication. For he himself shows this, proceeding and saying: Hear the voice of my supplication in my 23.248 supplication to you. But what meaning the word of supplication contains, let us consider. He says he cries to the Lord, and calls upon him as his own God. For you, he says, who deigned to be called my God, according to the promise you made to the saints, saying: And I will be their God, and they will be my people. Receive my supplication. And do not be silent to me, lest you be silent to me, and I become like those who go down into the pit. He said these things while in agony; lest he might be likened to those who, after the departure of this mortal life, go down into the pit of death. For although he had especially said in the preceding psalm: I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living; yet as a man, still clothed in flesh, he was in agony

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νόμος ἐκεῖνος οὐ νενομοθέτητο, ἀλλ' ἀνόμοις καὶ ἀνυποτάκτοις, ἀσεβέσι καὶ ἁμαρτωλοῖς καὶ τοῖς παραπλησίοις. Τούτοις 23.245 γὰρ ὁ Μωϋσῆς ἐνομοθέτει, κατὰ τὴν σκληροκαρδίαν αὐτῶν διαταττόμενος. Ἐγὼ δὲ, φησὶν, οὐ τῇ Μωϋσέως νομοθεσίᾳ ὑποβέβληκα ἐμαυτόν. ∆ιὸ οὐδὲ τὴν διὰ ζώων σφαγῆς θυσίαν ἐπηγγειλάμην, ἀλλὰ θυσίαν ἀλαλαγμοῦ, καινότερον τρόπον ἢ κατὰ τὰ Μωϋσέως νόμιμα. ∆ιόπερ ἀξιῶ καινῆς νομοθεσίας παρὰ σοῦ τυχεῖν. Αὐτὸς οὖν τὴν σὴν ὁδὸν ἐπίδειξόν μοι· ἢ φώτισον, κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν. Μὴ μόνον δὲ ὑποδείξῃς μηδὲ νομοθετήσῃς μοι, ὦ Κύριε, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁδήγησόν με ἐν τρίβῳ εὐθείᾳ, πρὸς τὸ μὴ προσκόψαι πρὸς λίθον τὸν πόδα μου, ἕνεκεν τῶν ἐχθρῶν μου. Μὴ παραδῷς με εἰς ψυχὰς θλιβόντων με. ∆ι' ὁμαλῆς γὰρ ὁδοῦ καὶ εἰρηνικῆς ὅπως διαγάγῃς με ἀξιῶ τὸν τῆς ζωῆς μου χρόνον. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον πολέμιοι τυγχάνουσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ συκοφάνται ἄδικοι καὶ ψευδομάρτυρες, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐχθρῶν πράττοντες. Τότε δὲ ἀληθῶς ἑαυτῇ ψεύδεται ἡ ἀδικία, ὅταν μὴ κατὰ πραγμάτων φέρηται, μηδὲ κατισχύῃ τῶν ψευδομαρτυρουμένων. Πιστεύω τοῦ ἰδεῖν τὰ ἀγαθὰ Κυρίου ἐν γῇ ζώντων. Μήποτε δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν ἀνωτέρω αἴτησιν ἀναπέμπει· ἀγαθὰ Κυρίου λέγων τὸ ἀνωτέρω εἰρημένον πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ, περὶ οὗ ἔφασκε· Τὸ πρόσωπόν σου, Κύριε, ζητήσω. Μὴ ἀποστρέψῃς τὸ πρόσωπόν σου ἀπ' ἐμοῦ. ∆ιὸ κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν εἴρηται· Ἐπίστευσα τοῦ ἰδεῖν ἐν ἀγαθῷ Κυρίου· κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον· Ἐπίστευον ἰδεῖν τὴν ἀγαθοσύνην Κυρίου. Ἀλλ' ὄψεταί γε τοῦ Κυρίου τὸ πρόσωπον καὶ τὰ ἀγαθὰ Κυρίου, οὐκ ἐν τῷ περιγείῳ τόπῳ, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἐν τῷ τῶν θνητῶν χωρίῳ, ἀλλ' ἐν γῇ ζώντων, ἣν καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ ἐπηγγείλατο λέγων· Μακάριοι οἱ πραεῖς, ὅτι αὐτοὶ κληρονομήσουσι τὴν γῆν. ΤΩ ∆ΑΥΙ∆ ΚΖʹ. Πρὸς σὲ, Κύριε, κεκράξομαι, ὁ Θεός μου, μὴ παρασιωπήσῃς ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, μήποτε παρασιωπήσῃς ἐπ' ἐμοὶ, καὶ ὁμοιωθήσομαι τοῖς καταβαίνουσιν εἰς λάκκον. Οὐκ ἐπιλελησμένοι τῶν ἔμπροσθεν ἡμῖν λελεγμένων περὶ τῶν ἄνευ τινὸς προσθήκης ἐπιγεγραμμένων τῷ ∆αυῒδ, ἢ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ, προσθήσομεν ἐκείνοις ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος τὴν εἰς ἡμᾶς ἐλθοῦσαν παράδοσιν. Φασὶ τοίνυν Ἑβραίων παῖδες ἐπὶ τῶν τοιαύτην ἐχόντων γραφὴν, δεῖν ἀνατρέχειν ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀνωτέρω, καὶ σκοπεῖν ὁποῖος ἦν ὁ ἐν ἀρχῇ προτεταγμένος ψαλμὸς τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα, ἤτοι παντελῶς ἀνεπιγράφων, ἢ τῷ ∆αυῒδ ἐπιγεγραμμένων· καὶ μαθόντες ἐξ ἐκείνου τὴν προγραφὴν, ἐφαρμόζειν αὐτῇ καὶ τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα συνημμένων τὴν διάνοιαν. Ὁ μὲν οὖν μετὰ χεῖρας, κζʹ ὢν, ταύτην ἔχει τὴν προγραφὴν, καὶ ὁ κʹ καὶ ὁ κεʹ καὶ ὁ κδʹ· ἀλλ' ὁ κγʹ ψαλμὸς ἦν τῷ ∆αυῒδ, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ ὁ κβʹ. Οὐκοῦν ἀκόλουθόν ἐστι, κατὰ τὴν Ἑβραϊκὴν παράδοσιν, καὶ τοὺς ἐφεξῆς πάντας ψαλμοὺς εἶναι ὑπολαμβάνειν, ὡς, κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν λόγον, καὶ τὸν μετὰ χεῖρας ἡγεῖσθαι εἶναι ψαλμὸν, περιέχοντα δέησιν. Τοῦτο γὰρ παρίστησιν αὐτὸς προϊὼν καὶ λέγων· Εἰσάκουσον τῆς φωνῆς τῆς δεήσεώς μου ἐν τῷ 23.248 δέεσθαί με πρὸς σέ. Τίνα δὲ διάνοιαν περιέχει ὁ τῆς δεήσεως λόγος, φέρε κατανοήσωμεν. Βοᾷν φησὶ πρὸς Κύριον, ἐπικαλεῖσθαί τε αὐτὸν ὡς ἴδιον αὐτοῦ Θεόν. Σὺ γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ καταξιώσας ἐμὸς χρηματίσαι Θεὸς, καθ' ἣν περιποιῆσαι πρὸς τοὺς ἁγίους ἐπαγγελίαν εἰπών· Καὶ ἔσομαι αὐτῶν Θεὸς, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἔσονταί μοι λαός. Παράδεξαί μου τὴν δέησιν. Καὶ μὴ παρασιωπήσῃς ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, μήποτε παρασιωπήσῃς ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, καὶ ὁμοιωθήσομαι τοῖς καταβαίνουσιν εἰς λάκκον. Ταῦτα δ' ἔφασκεν ἐν ἀγωνίᾳ καθεστώς· μή πη ἄρα τοῖς μετὰ τὴν ἀνάλυσιν τοῦ θνητοῦ βίου καταβαίνουσιν εἰς τὸν τοῦ θανάτου λάκκον παρομοιωθείη. Εἰ γὰρ τὰ μάλιστα ἐν τῷ πρὸ τούτου ἔλεγε ψαλμῷ· Πιστεύω τοῦ ἰδεῖν τὰ ἀγαθὰ Κυρίου ἐν γῇ ζώντων· ἀλλ' ὅμως ὡς ἄνθρωπος, ἔτι σάρκα περικείμενος, ἠγωνία