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lest one should think He is ignorant of the things dared by men, He added in due time; 15. "He who fashioned their hearts one by one, who understands all their works." I said, he says, that the God of all looks down, not as one who is ignorant and desires to learn, but as one who judges and gives sentence. For how is it possible for the one who made the soul to be ignorant of its movements? For He has put "hearts" for the rational faculty. 16, 17. "A king is not saved by great power, and a giant will not be saved by the abundance of his strength. A horse is a false hope for salvation, and in the abundance of his power he will not be saved." We have learned from the events themselves that one must not be confident in the strength of the body, nor in the courage of the soul, nor in the swiftness of horses, nor in a multitude of subjects; for Sennacherib, being rich in all these things, gained nothing from them, but received utter destruction; what then must be done? Show us, O prophet. 18, 19. "Behold, the eyes of the Lord are upon those who fear him, upon those who hope in his mercy. To deliver their souls from death, and to feed them in famine." Piety, he says, is the agent of all good things; for it draws down divine providence, and this prevents both impending death and want; and it grants an abundance of good things. And it is likely that during that siege, those who were shut in fell into a lack of necessities, and then through the destruction of the enemies were delivered also from this misfortune. 20, 21. "But our soul will wait for the Lord; for He is our helper and our defender. For our heart shall rejoice in Him; and in His holy name we have hoped." Therefore, having enjoyed so many good things, we have a firm hope in God; and we shall always await His help; for He Himself has also given us our pres 80.1101 ent delight. Then, having said that "in His holy name we have hoped," he beseeches to receive mercy equal in measure to his hope. 22. "Let (for he says) your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, just as we have hoped in you." The saying is of the greatest boldness, and audacious for those in our time. For who has hoped in such a way as to say confidently, "Measure out your mercy by my hope?" Yet the Master taught this also in the holy Gospels: "With the measure you use, it will be measured back to you;" let us, therefore, acquire a perfect and genuine hope, and a life suitable to that hope, so that we may reap much mercy.

INTERPRETATION OF THE 33RD PSALM. 1. "To David, when he changed his countenance before Abimelech, and

he sent him away, and he departed." The divine David, having observed the bitter and envious mind of Saul, and having used the wonderful Jonathan as an advisor, fled, and reached the city of Nob. There, then, meeting with Ahimelech the priest, he concealed his flight, and said that he had been sent by the king on some urgent business, and having asked for bread, he found no other, but only that which was assigned to the priests, and he took this, the priest having given it contrary to the ordinance of the law. For such food was assigned to the priests alone; but nevertheless the mysteries of grace were prefigured, and the door of divine generosity was being opened beforehand to believers; for no longer is the divine food set apart for the priests alone, but participation in the divine things is set before those who wish it. Moreover, at that time the great David also took the sword of Goliath, which he had dedicated to God as firstfruits from that battle; and he called Ahimelech Abiathar, as having two names. Since, therefore, while fleeing, he did not make known his flight to the priest, but said he was carrying out some royal business, his countenance is said to have been changed, as not using his accustomed truth [and having assumed another countenance instead of his usual one]. But some of the writers have given another hypothesis for the psalm. For they said that David changed his countenance, when before Achish

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ἀγνοεῖν οἰηθῇ τὰ παρὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τολμώ μενα, εἰς καιρὸν ἐπήγαγεν· ιεʹ. "Ὁ πλάσας κατὰ μόνας τὰς καρδίας αὐ τῶν, ὁ συνιεὶς πάντα τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν." Εἶπον, φησὶν, ἐπιβλέψαι τὸν τῶν ὅλων Θεὸν, οὐχ ὡς ἀγνοοῦντα καὶ μαθεῖν ἐφιέμενον, ἀλλ' ὡς κρίνοντα καὶ δικά ζοντα. Πῶς γὰρ οἷόν τε ἀγνοεῖν τῆς ψυχῆς τὰ κινή ματα τὸν ταύτην πεποιηκότα; Τὰς καρδίας γὰρ ἐπὶ τοῦ λογικοῦ τέθεικεν. ιʹ, ιζʹ. "Οὐ σώζεται βασιλεὺς διὰ πολλὴν δύναμιν, καὶ γίγας οὐ σωθήσεται ἐν πλήθει ἰσχύος αὑτοῦ. Ψευδὴς ἵππος εἰς σωτηρίαν, ἐν δὲ πλήθει δυνάμεως αὑτοῦ οὐ σωθήσεται." ∆ι' αὐτῶν μεμαθήκαμεν τῶν πραγμάτων, ὡς οὐ δεῖ θαῤῥεῖν, οὐ ῥώμῃ σώματος, οὐκ ἀνδρείᾳ ψυχῆς, οὐχ ἵππων ὀξύτητι, οὐχ ὑπηκόων πλήθει· ἐν τούτοις γὰρ ἅπασιν ὁ Σενναχηρεὶμ πλουτῶν, οὐδὲν ἐντεῦθεν ἀπώνατο, ἀλλὰ τὴν παν ωλεθρίαν ἐδέξατο· τί οὖν ποιητέον, ὑπόδειξον, ὦ προ φῆτα. ιηʹ, ιθʹ. "Ἰδοὺ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ Κυρίου ἐπὶ τοὺς φο βουμένους αὐτὸν, τοὺς ἐλπίζοντας ἐπὶ τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ. Ῥύσασθαι ἐκ θανάτου τὰς ψυχὰς αὐτῶν, καὶ δια θρέψαι αὐτοὺς ἐν λιμῷ." Ἁπάντων, φησὶ, τῶν ἀγα θῶν πρόξενος ἡ εὐσέβεια· τὴν γὰρ θείαν προμή θειαν ἐφέλκεται, αὕτη δὲ καὶ θάνατον τὸν ἐπιόντα κωλύει καὶ ἔνδειαν· χαρίζεται δὲ τῶν ἀγαθῶν τὴν φοράν· εἰκὸς δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς πολιορκίας ἐκείνης, ἐν σπάνει γενέσθαι τῶν ἀναγκαίων τοὺς καθειργμέ νους, εἶτα τῷ τῶν πολεμίων ὀλέθρῳ καὶ ταύτης ἀπαλλαγῆναι τῆς συμφορᾶς. κʹ, καʹ. "Ἡ δὲ ψυχὴ ἡμῶν ὑπομενεῖ τῷ Κυρίῳ· ὅτι βοηθὸς καὶ ὑπερασπιστὴς ἡμῶν ἐστιν. Ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ εὐφρανθήσεται ἡ καρδία ἡμῶν· καὶ ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τῷ ἁγίῳ αὐτοῦ ἠλπίσαμεν." Τοσούτων τοίνυν ἀγαθῶν ἀπολαύσαντες, βεβαίαν ἔχομεν εἰς τὸν Θεὸν τὴν ἐλπίδα· καὶ τὴν παρ' αὐτοῦ βοήθειαν προσμενοῦμεν ἀεί· αὐτὸς γὰρ ἡμῖν καὶ τὴν παροῦ 80.1101 σαν θυμηδίαν δεδώρηται. Εἶτα εἰρηκὼς ὅτι ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τῷ ἁγίῳ αὐτοῦ ἠλπίσαμεν, ἱκετεύει λαβεῖν ἰσόμετρον τῇ ἐλπίδι τὸν ἔλεον. κβʹ. "Γένοιτο (γὰρ φησὶν), Κύριε, τὸ ἔλεός σου ἐφ' ἡμᾶς, καθάπερ ἠλπίσαμεν ἐπὶ σέ." Παῤῥησίας δὲ μεγίστης ὁ λόγος, καὶ τοῖς καθ' ἡμᾶς τολμηρός. Τίς γὰρ οὕτως ἤλπισεν, ὡς θαῤῥαλέως εἰπεῖν, Τῇ ἐμῇ ἐλπίδι τὸν ἔλεον μέτρησον; Τοῦτο μέντοι καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς Εὐαγγελίοις ὁ ∆εσπότης ἐδίδαξεν· "Ὧ μέτρῳ μετρεῖτε, ἀντιμετρηθήσεται ὑμῖν·" καὶ τὴν ἐλπίδα τοίνυν τελείαν καὶ γνησίαν κτησώ μεθα, καὶ τὸν ἄλλον βίον τῇ ἐλπίδι κατάλληλον, ἵνα ἔλεον πολὺν καρπωσώμεθα.

ΕΡΜΗΝ. ΤΟΥ ΛΓʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΥ. αʹ. "Τῷ ∆αβίδ, ὁπότε ἠλλοίωσε τὸ πρόσωπον αὑτοῦ ἐναντίον Ἀβιμέλεχ, καὶ

ἀπέλυσεν αὐτὸν, καὶ ἀπῆλθεν." Τοῦ Σαοὺλ τὴν πικρὰν γνώμην καὶ βάσκανον θεασάμενος ὁ θεῖος ∆αβὶδ, καὶ συμβούλῳ χρησάμενος τῷ θαυμασίῳ Ἰωνάθαν, ἀπέδρα, καὶ Νομβὰν τὴν πόλιν κατέλαβεν. Ἐκεῖ τοίνυν Ἀβιμέλεχ τῷ ἱερεῖ συγγενόμενος, ἔκρυψε τὴν φυγὴν, ἀπεστάλθαι δὲ εἴρηκεν ὑπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως εἴς τινα χρείαν σπουδαίαν, καὶ ζητήσας ἄρτους, ἑτέρους μὲν οὐχ εὗρε, μόνους δὲ τοὺς τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν ἀπονενεμημέ νους, καὶ τούτους ἔλαβεν, δεδωκότος τοῦ ἱερέως παρὰ τὸ δόγμα τοῦ νόμου. Μόνοις γὰρ τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν ἀπονενέμητο ἡ τοιαύτη τροφή· ἀλλ' ὅμως προδι εγράφη τῆς χάριτος τὰ μυστήρια, καὶ προανεῴγει τοῖς πιστεύουσι τῆς θείας φιλοτιμίας ἡ θύρα· οὐκ ἔτι γὰρ μόνοις τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν ἀφώρισται ἡ θεία τρο φὴ, ἀλλὰ πρόκειται τοῖς βουλομένοις ἡ τῶν θείων μετάληψις. Ἔλαβε μέντοι κατ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν καιρὸν ὁ μέγας ∆αβὶδ καὶ τοῦ Γολιὰθ τὴν ῥομφαίαν, ἣν ὥσπερ ἀκροθίνιον ἐξ ἐκείνης τῆς παρατάξεως ἀν έθηκε τῷ Θεῷ· Ἀβιμέλεχ δὲ τὸν Ἀβιάθαρ προσηγόρευσε, ὡς διώνυμον. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν φεύγων, οὐκ ἐγνώρισε τῷ ἱερεῖ τὴν φυγὴν, ἀλλὰ βασιλικὴν ἔφη χρείαν ἐξανύειν τινὰ, ἠλλοιῶσθαι τὸ πρόσ ωπον λέγεται, ὡς μὴ τῇ συνήθει χρησάμενος ἀληθείᾳ [ἕτερον δὲ πρόσωπον ἀντὶ τοῦ εἰωθότος ἀνειληφώς]. Τινὲς δὲ τῶν συγγραφέων ἑτέραν ἔδω καν ὑπόθεσιν τῷ ψαλμῷ. Ἔφασαν γὰρ ἠλλοιωκέ ναι τὸ πρόσωπον τὸν ∆αβὶδ, ἡνίκα πρὸς τὸν Ἀγχοὺς