John Chrysostom, Expositions on the Psalms

you see, and you understand, and you are long-suffering, until they themselves fall into your hands. What is, Until they themselves are given into your hands? He has spoken in a rather human way; what he says is this: You wait, you forbear, so that they may be given over by the excess of their wickedness. For you are able from the beginning to seize and subdue them; but the sea of your forbearance is unspeakable, seeing and not proceeding against them, but awaiting them for repentance. But if they are not willing, then you punish, when they gain nothing from your long-suffering. For that he has great regard for those who are wronged, hear how he establishes it through the following: To you is the 55.139 poor man left, to the orphan you were a helper. Another, You became. Another, You shall be. What he says is this: This is your work, this is your special province. He would not have left and betrayed his own. For as it is the work of a craftsman to build, and of a pilot to steer a vessel, and of the sun to give light, so indeed it is yours to preside over orphans, to stretch out a hand to the poor. No one is such a protector of these, but you alone. For the phrase, He is left, shows this. No one else, he says, but you alone are the protector of orphans and the poor. Break the arm of the sinner and the wicked man. His sin will be sought, and will not be found because of it. Another, Let his impiety be sought out, that he may not be found. He does not simply ask that the sinner be crushed, but his strength, his power, the kindling of his wickedness; then he asks that he be held to account, and give a reckoning of his deeds, and showing the magnitude of his injustice he says: If this should happen, he will not be able to stand, nor will he appear, but he will perish, he will be gone, he will be destroyed root and branch, when his deeds are examined. Let no one therefore lament orphanhood, let no one lament poverty. For the more these things are intensified, the more the help of God will be increased. Let no one be high-minded over power, nor be puffed up. For this position is precarious and precipitous, and it overturns with great ease those who do not pay attention. The Lord will reign for ever and for ever and ever. Here he answers those who are troubled and disturbed because sinners do not immediately pay the penalty. Why, he says, are you afraid? What do you fear? Is the judge temporary? Does his kingdom have an end? Even if he does not give it now, he will certainly give it. For the one who demands it abides, and he reigns perpetually. You will perish, O nations, from his land. You have heard the desire of the poor, O Lord; your ear has attended to the preparation of their heart. Another, Your ear has heard the purpose of their heart. Another, You will prepare their hearts for your ear to attend. To judge for the orphan and the humble, that man may no more presume to magnify himself upon the earth. Another, To judge for the orphan and the crushed. Do you see the prophet making a greater argument for the care of the wicked? For it is especially their lot to suffer badly. For to the one wronged the loss is of money, but for the other the danger concerns the last things. For what if they are not aware of the sickness in which they are? This is an increase of insensibility and for this reason especially one must pity them; this is a mark of an imperfect mind. Since children also take no account of fearful things, but often put their hands to a fire, yet are terrified and tremble when they see empty masks. To these the covetous are like, fearing poverty, which is not fearful, but is even a source of security; but they make much of unjust wealth and covetousness, which is more fearful than any fire. For everywhere covetousness is an evil. Therefore, the Prophet exhorts that this be cut out completely, threatening, terrifying, calling upon God to rise up for the punishment of such insensibility. Wherefore he also adds, saying: You will perish, O nations, from his land, threatening them with total destruction, 55.140 and asking him to be a helper and

βλέπεις, καὶ κατανοεῖς, καὶ μακροθυμεῖς, ἕως ἂν αὐτοὶ ἐμπέσωσιν εἰς χεῖράς σου. Τί ἐστιν, Ἕως ἂν αὐτοὶ δοθῶσιν εἰς χεῖράς σου; Ἀνθρωπινώτερον εἴρηκεν· ὃ δὲ λέγει τοῦτό ἐστιν· Ἀναμένεις, ἀνεξικακεῖς, ὥστε τῇ ὑπερβολῇ τῆς πονηρίας αὐτοὺς παραδοθῆναι. ∆υνατὸς μὲν γὰρ εἶ καὶ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἑλεῖν, καὶ χειρώσασθαι· ἀλλ' ἄφατόν σου τῆς ἀνεξικακίας τὸ πέλαγος, ὁρῶντος, καὶ οὐκ ἐπεξιόντος, ἀλλ' ἀναμένοντος αὐτοὺς εἰς μετάνοιαν. Εἰ δὲ μὴ βούλονται, τότε κολάζεις, ὅταν μηδὲν ἐκ τῆς μακροθυμίας κερδαίνωσιν. Ὅτι γὰρ πολὺς αὐτῷ τῶν ἀδικουμένων ὁ λόγος, ἄκουσον πῶς αὐτὸ διὰ τῶν ἑξῆς κατασκευάζει· Σοὶ ἐγκατα 55.139 λέλειπται ὁ πτωχὸς, ὀρφανῷ σὺ ἦσθα βοηθός. Ἄλλος, Σὺ ἐγένου. Ἄλλος, Σὺ ἔσῃ. Ὃ δὲ λέγειτοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· Τοῦτο ἔργον σὸν, τοῦτο ἐξαίρετον σόν. Οὐκ ἂν δὲ τὸ ἑαυτοῦ εἴασε, καὶ προὔδωκεν. Ὡς γὰρ τεχνίτου τὸ οἰκοδομεῖν, καὶ κυβερνήτου τὸ εὐθύνειν τὸ σκάφος, καὶ ἡλίου τὸ φωτίζειν· οὕτω δὴ καὶ σὸν τὸ ὀρφανῶν προΐστασθαι, τὸ πτωχοῖς χεῖρα ὀρέγειν. Οὐδεὶς οὕτω προστάτης τούτων, ἀλλὰ σὺ μόνος. Τὸ γὰρ, Ἐγκαταλέλειπται, τοῦτο παρίστησιν. Οὐδεὶς, φησὶν, ἄλλος, ἀλλὰ σὺ μόνος ὀρφανῶν καὶ πτωχῶν προστάτης. Σύντριψον τὸν βραχίονα τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ καὶ πονηροῦ. Ζητηθήσεται ἡ ἁμαρτία αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐ μὴ εὑρεθῇ δι' αὐτήν. Ἄλλος, Ἐκζητηθήτω ἡ ἀσέβεια αὐτοῦ, ἵνα μὴ εὑρεθῇ αὐτός. Οὐχ ἁπλῶς τὸν ἁμαρτωλὸν ἀξιοῖ συντριβῆναι, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἰσχὺν, τὴν δυναστείαν, τὸ ὑπέκκαυμα αὐτοῦ τῆς πονηρίας· εἶτα ἀξιοῖ εὐθύνας αὐτὸν ὑποσχεῖν, καὶ λόγον δοῦναι τῶν πεπραγμένων, καὶ δεικνὺς τὸ μέγεθος τῆς ἀδικίας φησίν· Ἂν τοῦτο γένηται, οὐδὲ στῆναι δυνήσεται, οὐδὲ φανεῖται, ἀλλ' ἀπολεῖται, οἰχήσεται, πρόῤῥιζος ἀφανισθήσεται, τῶν πεπραγμένων αὐτῷ ἐξεταζομένων. Μηδεὶς οὖν ὀρφανίαν θρηνείτω, μηδεὶς πτωχείαν. Ὅσῳ γὰρ ἂν ἐπιτείνηται ταῦτα, τοσούτῳ τὰ τῆς βοηθείας αὐξηθήσεται τοῦ Θεοῦ. Μηδεὶς ἐπὶ δυναστείᾳ μεγαλοφρονείτω, μηδὲ φυσάσθω. Ἐπισφαλὲς γὰρ τοῦτο τὸ χωρίον καὶ κατάκρημνον, καὶ τοὺς μὴ προσέχοντας περιτρέπει μετ' εὐκολίας πολλῆς. Βασιλεύσει Κύριος εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος. Ἐνταῦθα πρὸς τοὺς θορυβουμένους καὶ ταραττομένους, διὰ τὸ μὴ δοῦναι δίκην εὐθέως τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας, ἀποκρίνεται. Τί, φησὶ, φοβῇ; τί δέδοικας; Μὴ γὰρ πρόσκαιρος ὁ δικαστής; μὴ γὰρ τέλος ἔχει τὰ τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ; Κἂν μὴ νῦν δῷ, δώσει πάντως. Μένει γὰρ ὁ ἀπαιτῶν, καὶ βασιλεύει διηνεκῶς. Ἀπολεῖσθε, ἔθνη, ἐκ τῆς γῆς αὐτοῦ. Τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν τῶν πενήτων εἰσήκουσας, Κύριε· τὴν ἑτοιμασίαν τῆς καρδίας αὐτῶν προσέσχε τὸ οὖς σου. Ἄλλος, Τὴν πρόθεσιν τῆς καρδίας αὐτῶν ἠκροάσατο τὸ οὖς σου. Ἄλλος, Ἑτοιμάσεις καρδίας αὐτῶν προσέχειν οὖς σου. Κρῖναι ὀρφανῷ καὶ ταπεινῷ, ἵνα μὴ προσθῇ ἔτι τοῦ μεγαλαυχεῖν ἄνθρωπος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Ἄλλος, Κρῖναι ὀρφανῷ καὶ τεθλασμένῳ. Ὁρᾷς τὸν προφήτην τὸν πλείονα λόγον ὑπὲρ τῆς τῶν πονηρῶν ἐπιμελείας ποιούμενον; Τούτων γὰρ μάλιστα τὸ κακῶς πάσχειν. Τῷ μὲν γὰρ ἀδικουμένῳ χρημάτων ἡ ζημία, τῷ δὲ περὶ τῶν ἐσχάτων ὁ κίνδυνος. Τί γὰρ, εἰ καὶ μὴ αἰσθάνονται τῆς ἀῤῥωστίας ἔνθα εἰσίν; Ἐπίτασις τοῦτο ἀναισθησίας καὶ διὰ τοῦτο μάλιστα αὐτοὺς χρὴ ἐλεεῖν· τοῦτο ἀτελοῦς διανοίας. Ἐπεὶ καὶ τὰ παιδία τῶν μὲν φοβερῶν οὐδένα ποιοῦνται λόγον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πυρὶ πολλάκις ἐπαφιᾶσι τὰς χεῖρας, προσωπεῖα δὲ διάκενα δεδίττονται καὶ τρέμουσιν ὁρῶντα. Τούτοις ἐοίκασιν οἱ πλεονέκται, πενίαν μὲν δεδιότες, ὅπερ οὐκ ἔστι φοβερὸν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀσφαλείας ὑπόθεσις· πλοῦτον δὲ ἄδικον καὶ πλεονεξίαν περὶ πολλοῦ ποιούμενοι, ὃ πυρός ἐστι παντὸς φοβερώτερον. Πανταχοῦ γὰρ ἡ πλεονεξία κακόν. Ταύτην τοίνυν διὰ παντὸς ἐκκοπῆναι παρακαλεῖ ὁ Προφήτης, ἀπειλῶν, φοβῶν, τὸν Θεὸν παρακαλῶν ἐπὶ τὴν κόλασιν ἀναστῆναι τῆς τοιαύτης ἀναλγησίας. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐπάγει λέγων· Ἀπολεῖσθε, ἔθνη, ἐκ τῆς γῆς αὐτοῦ, πανωλεθρίαν αὐτοῖς 55.140 ἀπειλῶν, καὶ ἀξιῶν γενέσθαι βοηθὸν καὶ