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from the hand of sinners, that is, of wicked actions or powers; because they hoped in him. Therefore, this psalm is also placed in its proper number among those spoken in it. for it is the thirty-sixth. this number is both triangular and square. using eight as its side, it is triangular, and the eighth is the day of the savior's resurrection. the square has as its side the number six, which is a perfect number; for six times six is thirty-six. and it is triangular in this way: for if you count consecutively from one up to eight, you will find no other number than this.

373 Ps 37,2 A confessing person is introduced in this psalm. for

if I have done, he says, something of such a kind that it is worthy to be reproved by wrath and to be disciplined by anger, yet having repented, I entreat to be reproved by reason and not by wrath, and to be disciplined by teaching and not by anger. 374 Ps 37,3a The term "arrows" sometimes also signifies punishments, as has been said in the preceding passages. He says, therefore: since I have committed sins which punishment follows, Your arrows have already been fixed in me. 375 Ps 37,4b When my sins appear; for the sign that they are still present is that their face is seen. 376 Ps 37,5-7a He says that his iniquities have gone over his head, so as to press down and weigh heavily on his ruling faculty, which is tropically called the head, and that these have weighed upon him like a burden; for since wickedness is by nature downward-tending and very heavy, so as to be compared to a talent of lead, only the one who repents perceives its weight, while the one who practices it with pleasure thinks it to be very light. Hence Jesus calls those who labor and are heavy laden to come to him through repentance, having perceived the burden of sin and having labored from it. And he says that the bruises which he had from the fiery darts of the evil one have turned to decay and stench because of the foolishness which he had; for not just any wickedness is constituted with foolishness, just as things according to virtue are practiced with prudence. What follows should perhaps be read thus: since until the end, that is, throughout my life, I was bent down, thinking of things below and looking to the earth, it followed that I was miserable and wretched, which is represented by "I was afflicted." 377 Ps 37,7b.8 Either of my thoughts or of evil spirits; for this reason I went about mourning all my life, with all cheerfulness taken away. But since there are readings, of which one is "My loins," and the other is "My loins have been filled with mockings," it must be said that, since in the loins and flanks the seeds contributing to procreation are formed, these are filled with mockings when it is not for procreation but for fornication that it is accomplished. For this reason he says there is no healing in my flesh because my soul perceived the present mockings; for the flesh is very weak when it is dissolute and not temperate, hence also "He who commits fornication sins against his own body." 378 Ps 37,9b.10 From the depth of repentance bringing forth groans for repentance, not superficially and feignedly like the hypocrites of repentance; wherefore he also says with confidence: To you, Lord, thus the desire of my heart is before you; for every appetite for evil things is far from you and hidden from you, but my heart, in turning from wickedness to virtue, desiring genuine repentance, has a good desire, which is not in visions. He can also speak of evil desire: since the evil appetite inherent in me has not escaped your notice, confessing this, I groan, so that the groan about it, being full of confidence, is not hidden from you; for it is praiseworthy to groan over evil things. 379 Ps 37,11-13 My heart, that is, my intellectual faculty, undergoing turmoil, my strength according to common notions has forsaken me, but also the knowledge of true things, being the light of my eyes, that is, of my mind

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χειρὸς ἁμαρτωλῶν τουτέστιν πράξεως η δυνάμεων πονηρῶν· διότι Ηλπισαν ἐπ' αὐτόν. ∆ιὸ καὶ ὁ ψαλμὸς ουτος ἐν οἰκείῳ ἀριθμῷ τῶν λεγομένων ἐν αὐτῷ τέτακται. εστιν γὰρ τριακοστὸς εκτος. ουτος δὲ ὁ ἀριθμὸς ὁμοῦ τρίγωνος καὶ τετράγωνός ἐστιν. χρώμενος μὲν ἡ τρίγωνός ἐστιν πλευρὰ τῇ ὀγδοάδι, εστι δὲ ἡ ὀγδοὰς ἀναστάσιμος τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμέρα. ἡ δὲ τετράγωνος πλευρὰν εχει τὸν εξ οντα ἀριθμὸν τέλειον· ἑξάκις γὰρ τριάκοντα εξ. τρίγωνος δὲ κατὰ τοῦτο· εἰ γὰρ ἀπὸ μονάδος ἑξῆς εως ὀγδοάδος ἀριθμήσεις, οὐκ αλλον τούτου εὑρήσεις ἀριθμόν.

373 Ps 37,2 ̓Εξομολογούμενον πρόσωπον εἰσάγεται ἐν τῷ ψαλμῷ τούτῳ. εἰ

γὰρ πέπρακταί μοι, φησίν, τι τοιοῦτον ἐφ' ῳ αξιον ὑπὸ θυμοῦ ἐλεγχθῆναι καὶ ὑπὸ ὀργῆς παιδευθῆναι, ἀλλά γε μετανοήσας παρακαλῶ ὑπὸ λόγου καὶ μὴ ὑπὸ θυμοῦ ἐλεγχθῆναι καὶ ὑπὸ διδασκαλίας καὶ μὴ ὑπὸ ὀργῆς παιδευθῆναι. 374 Ps 37,3a ∆ηλοῖ δέ ποτε ἡ τῶν βελῶν προσηγορία καὶ τὰς κολάσεις, ὡς ἐν τοῖς προάγουσιν ειρηται. φησὶ τοίνυν· ἐπεὶ ἁμαρτίας πεποίηκα αις ἀκολουθεῖ κόλασις, Τὰ βέλη σου ηδη ἐνεπάγησάν μοι. 375 Ps 37,4b ̓Επιφαινομένων τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν μου· δεῖγμα γὰρ τοῦ ετι αὐτὰς παρεῖναι τὸ ὁρᾶσθαι αὐτῶν τὸ πρόσωπον. 376 Ps 37,5-7a Τὰς μὲν ἀνομίας ὑπερηρκέναι τὴν κεφαλὴν ἑαυτοῦ φησιν, ωστε πιέσαι καὶ βαρύναι τὸ ἡγεμονικὸν αὐτοῦ τροπικῶς κεφαλὴν ὀνομαζόμενον, ταύτας δὲ καὶ τρόπον φορτίου βεβαρύνθαι ἐπ' αὐτόν· τῆς γὰρ κακίας φύσει κατωφεροῦς καὶ βαρυτάτης ουσης ὡς ταλάντῳ μολίβδου παραβάλλεσθαι, μόνος ὁ μετανοῶν αισθησιν τοῦ βάρους αὐτῆς λαμβάνει, οἰομένου κουφοτάτην αὐτὴν ὑπάρχειν τοῦ σὺν ἡδονῇ ἐνεργοῦντος αὐτήν. οθεν ̓Ιησοῦς τοὺς κοπιῶντας καὶ πεφορτισμένους διὰ μετανοίας ηκειν πρὸς αὐτὸν καλεῖ αἰσθηθέντας τοῦ αχθους τῆς ἁμαρτίας καὶ κοπιάσαντας ἀπ' αὐτοῦ. τοὺς δὲ μώλωπας ους εσχεν ἀπὸ τῶν πεπυρωμένων τοῦ πονηροῦ βελῶν εἰς σῆψιν καὶ δυσωδίαν τετράφθαι φησὶν ἀπὸ προσώπου ης εσχεν ἀφροσύνης· σὺν ἀφροσύνῃ γὰρ οὐχ ἡ τυχοῦσα συνίσταται κακία, ὡς αυ μετὰ φρονήσεως τὰ κατ' ἀρετὴν ἐνεργεῖται. Τὰ δ' ἑξῆς τάχα ουτως ἀναγνωστέον· ἐπεὶ εως τέλους, τουτέστιν διὰ βίου, κατεκάμφθην τὰ κάτω φρονῶν καὶ ἐπὶ γῆν βλέπων, ἠκολούθησεν τὸ οἰκτρὸν καὶ ἐλεεινόν με ειναι, ο παρίσταται ἐκ τοῦ ̓Εταλαιπώρησα. 377 Ps 37,7b.8 Ητοι τῶν λογισμῶν μου η τῶν πονηρῶν πνευμάτων· τούτου ενεκα διὰ βίου σκυθρωπάζων ἐπορευόμην, πάσης ἱλαρίας ἀφαιρεθείσης. ἐπειδὴ δὲ φέρονται γραφαί, ων ἡ μὲν Ψύαι μου, ἡ δὲ Αἱ λαγόνες μου ἐπλήσθησαν ἐμπαιγμῶν, ῥητέον οτι, ἐπεὶ περὶ τὰς ψύας καὶ τὰς λαγόνας συνίσταται τὰ σπέρματα εἰς παιδοποιΐαν συντείνοντα, ἐμπαιγμῶν ἐμπίπλαται ταῦτα, οτ' αν μὴ εἰς παιδοποιΐαν ἀλλὰ πορνικῶς ἐπιτελῆται. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο γάρ φησιν μηδὲ ιασιν ειναι ἐν τῇ σαρκί μου διὰ τὸ ᾐσθῆσθαι τὴν ψυχήν μου τῶν παρόντων ἐμπαιγμῶν· πάνυ γὰρ ἀσθενεῖ ἡ σὰρξ ῥέουσα καὶ μὴ σωφρονοῦσα, οθεν καὶ ̔Ο πορνεύων εἰς τὸ ιδιον σῶμα ἁμαρτάνει. 378 Ps 37,9b.10 ̓Απὸ βάθους μετανοίας τοὺς ἐπὶ μετανοίᾳ στεναγμοὺς προφέρων, οὐκ ἐξ ἐπιπολῆς καὶ ἐπιπλάστως ὡς οἱ μετανοίας ὑποκριταί· διὸ καὶ θαρρῶν λέγει· Σοί, κύριε, ὡς αρα ἡ ἐπιθυμία τῆς καρδίας μου ἐναντίον σού ἐστιν· πᾶσα μὲν γὰρ φαύλων ορεξις μακράν σου καὶ κέκρυπταί σε, ἡ δὲ τῆς ἐμῆς καρδίας τῷ μετελθεῖν ἐκ κακίας εἰς ἀρετὴν γνησίαν μετάνοιαν ποθοῦσα ἀγαθὴν ἐπιθυμίαν εχει, ητις ἐν οψεσιν οὐ τυγχάνει. ∆ύναται καὶ περὶ τῆς φαύλης ἐπιθυμίας λέγειν· ἐπεὶ ἡ ἐγκειμένη μοι πονηρὰ ορεξις οὐκ ελαθέν σε, περὶ ταύτης ἐξομολογούμενος στενάζω, ὡς τὸν στεναγμὸν τὸν περὶ αὐτὸν εὐπαρρησίαστον οντα μὴ κεκρύφθαι ἀπὸ σοῦ· ἐπαινετὸν γὰρ τὸ ἐπὶ φαύλοις στένειν. 379 Ps 37,11-13 Τῆς καρδίας μου τουτέστιν τῆς διανοητικῆς μου δυνάμεως τάραχον ὑπομενούσης, ἡ ἰσχύς μου ἡ κατὰ τὰς κοινὰς ἐννοίας ἐγκατέλιπέν με, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ τῶν ἀληθῶν γνῶσις φῶς τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν μου τουτέστιν τοῦ νοῦ τυγχάνουσα