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at the time the calamity was spoken of, he teaches many generations beforehand, so that they may be encouraged by the prophecy and instructed by the teaching. For this reason the psalm is inscribed "for the end," since after a very long period of time the things spoken of came to their fulfillment. "For understanding" is also added, since this is especially needed by those who fall into calamities. 2. "As the hart longs for the fountains of waters, so my soul longs for you, O God." They say that harts feast on venomous beasts, and from this are kindled to a more intense thirst, and more ardently desire waters. Therefore, the aforementioned people, living with the Babylonians, dwelling with men of impiety and lawlessness, and who are simply like crawling beasts, were said to thirst for God in a manner similar to the harts, longing for release from there, and awaiting divine intervention. 3. "My soul has thirsted for God, the strong, the living: when shall I come, and appear before the face of God?" I long, he says, and thirst for the worship of my living God. For "to appear before the face of God" means to worship him according to the law; and such worship is confined to Jerusalem. And not only does the blessed Moses teach these things, but also the three blessed martyrs, Ananias, Azarias, and Misael, entreating God in the furnace. And very fittingly they name God strong and living, paying heed to the lifeless and motionless idols of the Babylonians. 4, 5. "My tears have been my bread day and night, while they say to me daily, Where is your God? These things I remembered, and I poured out my soul upon myself." By night, he says, and by day, lamenting, I have had no fill, but I make my tears a kind of food, while receiving the reproaches concerning you. For my enemies mock me, presenting your care as weak, and unable to overcome their strength. Therefore, continually considering these things, I have unceasing lamentation. For, "I poured out my soul upon myself," signifies this, 80.1172 instead of, I was dissolved and moved to wailing. "For I will go to the place of the wondrous tabernacle, even to the house of God, with a voice of exultation and praise, with the sound of a festival." He calls the protection of God a tabernacle. Therefore, after the sorrowful things, he proclaims the joyful things, and teaches beforehand that they will most swiftly obtain their restoration, and guided by divine grace, they will return to the desired land, and rebuild the divine house, and will celebrate the accustomed festivals, and will receive the festive sound and the spiritual melody in their hearing. And the blessed Isaiah also prophesies that they will return with the greatest honor, riding on litters of mules, and covered by parasols, and having put away the pain of the sun's ray. And Aquila also hinted at this, "I will enter in a thicket, leading them to the house of God, with a voice of praise and thanksgiving of a celebrating multitude." Dancing, he says, and praising God the Savior, and enjoying shade along the way, thus we shall reach the divine house, making our return as in some procession. Having heard this prophecy, they encourage themselves, saying: 6, 7. "Why are you very sad, O my soul? and why do you trouble me? Hope in God, for I will give praise to him; he is the salvation of my countenance, and my God." Having received these promises, he says, O soul, cease being distressed and grieved; but being strengthened by hope, await the fulfillment of the prophecy; in which, seeing the salvation that has occurred, you will offer hymns to God who has saved you. "My soul was troubled within me: therefore I will remember you from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the little mountain." It is a kind of personification of the soul speaking to itself. For when it said, "Cease being disheartened, having received the promises of good things," it answers to these things, saying, that "I am not distressed in vain, nor do I employ the aforesaid laments; for the memory of the fatherland moves me

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ἐν τῷ τῆς συμφορᾶς ῥηθῆναι καιρῷ, πρὸ πολλῶν γενεῶν προδιδάσκει, ἵνα τῇ προῤ ῥήσει ψυχαγωγῶνται, καὶ τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ παιδεύων ται. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ εἰς τὸ τέλος ὁ ψαλμὸς ἐπιγέ γραπται, ἐπειδὴ μετὰ πλείστην χρόνου περίοδον τὰ λεγόμενα τέλος ἐλάμβανε. Πρόσκειται δὲ καὶ εἰς σύνεσιν, ἐπειδὴ ταύτης μάλιστα δεῖ τοῖς περιπί πτουσι συμφοραῖς. βʹ. "Ὃν τρόπον ἐπιποθεῖ ἡ ἔλαφος ἐπὶ τὰς πη γὰς τῶν ὑδάτων, οὕτως ἐπιποθεῖ ἡ ψυχή μου πρὸς σὲ, ὁ Θεός." Φασὶ τὰς ἐλάφους τὰ ἰοβόλα θοινᾶσθαι θηρία, καὶ σφοδρότερον ἐντεῦθεν εἰς δίψαν ἐκκαί εσθαι, καὶ θερμότερον τῶν ὑδάτων ὀρέγεσθαι. Βαβυλωνίοις τοίνυν οἱ προειρημένοι συνόντες, ἀν δράσι δυσσεβείᾳ καὶ παρανομίᾳ συζῶσι, καὶ ἀτεχνῶς τοῖς ἑρπυστικοῖς ἐοικόσι θηρίοις, εἰκότως ταῖς ἐλά φοις παραπλησίως διψᾷν ἔλεγον τὸν Θεὸν, τὴν ἐκεῖ θεν ποθοῦντες ἀπαλλαγὴν, καὶ προσμένοντες τὴν θείαν ῥοπήν. γʹ. "Ἐδίψησεν ἡ ψυχή μου πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν τὸν ἰσχυρὸν τὸν ζῶντα· πότε ἥξω, καὶ ὀφθήσομαι τῷ προσώπῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ·" Ποθῶ δὲ, φησὶ, καὶ διψῶ τὴν τοῦ ζῶντος Θεοῦ μου λατρείαν. Τὸ γὰρ ὀφθῆ ναι τῷ προσώπῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ, τὸ λατρεύειν αὐτῷ κατὰ τὸν νόμον λέγει· τῇ δὲ Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἡ τοιαύτη περιώρισται λατρεία. Καὶ ταῦτα οὐ μόνος ὁ μα κάριος διδάσκει Μωσῆς, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ τρεῖς μακά ριοι μάρτυρες, Ἀνανίας, Ἀζαρίας, καὶ Μιζαὴλ, ἐν τῇ καμίνῳ τὸν Θεὸν ἀντιβολοῦντες. Μάλα δὲ ἁρ μοδίως ἰσχυρὸν καὶ ζῶντα τὸν Θεὸν ὀνομάζουσι, τοῖς ἀψύχοις καὶ ἀκινήτοις τῶν Βαβυλωνίων εἰδώ λοις προσέχοντες. δʹ, εʹ. "Ἐγενήθη τὰ δάκρυά μου ἐμοὶ ἄρτος ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτός· ἐν τῷ λέγεσθαί μοι καθ' ἑκά στην ἡμέραν, ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ Θεός σου; Ταῦτα ἐμνή σθην, καὶ ἐξέχεα ἐπ' ἐμὲ τὴν ψυχήν μου." Νύ κτωρ, φησὶ, καὶ μεθ' ἡμέραν ὀλοφυρόμενος κόρον οὐκ ἔλαβον, ἀλλ' οἷόν τινα τροφὴν ποιοῦμαι τὰ δά κρυα, τὰ περὶ σοῦ ὀνείδη δεχόμενος. Οἱ γὰρ δυσμε νεῖς ἐπιτωθάζουσί μοι, τὴν σὴν κηδεμονίαν προσφέ ροντες ὡς ἀσθενῆ, καὶ τῆς αὐτῶν ῥώμης περιγενέ σθαι μὴ δυνηθεῖσαν. Τοιγάρτοι ταῦτα διηνεκῶς λογιζόμενος, ἄπαυστον ἔχω τὸν θρῆνον. Τὸ γὰρ, "Ἐξέχεα ἐπ' ἐμὲ τὴν ψυχήν μου," τοῦτο σημαί 80.1172 νει, ἀντὶ τοῦ, διεχύθην καὶ ἐκινήθην εἰς ὀδυρμούς. "Ὅτι διελεύσομαι ἐν τόπῳ σκηνῆς θαυμαστῆς ἕως τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐν φωνῇ ἀγαλλιάσεως καὶ ἐξομολογήσεως ἤχου ἑορτάζοντος." Σκηνὴν κα λεῖ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ σκέπην. Μετὰ τὰ σκυθρωπὰ τοί νυν, τὰ θυμήρη διαγορεύει, καὶ προδιδάσκει ὡς τάχιστα τῆς ἀνακλήσεως τεύξονται, καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς θείας ποδηγούμενοι χάριτος, εἰς τὴν ποθουμένην ἐπανήξουσι γῆν, καὶ τὸν θεῖον ἀνοικοδομήσουσιν οἶκον, καὶ τὰς συνήθεις ἐπιτελέσουσι πανηγύρεις, καὶ τὸν ἑορταστικὸν ἦχον, καὶ τὴν πνευματικὴν με λῳδίαν ταῖς ἀκοαῖς εἰσδέξονται. Προθεσπίζει δὲ καὶ ὁ μακάριος Ἡσαΐας, ὡς μετὰ πλείστης ἐπαν ήξουσι τιμῆς, ἐν λαμπίναις ἡμιόνων ὀχούμενοι, καὶ σκιαδίοις σκεπόμενοι, καὶ τῆς ἀκτῖνος τὸ λυ ποῦν ἀποθέμενοι. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ὁ Ἀκύλας ᾐνίξατο, "Εἰσελεύσομαι ἐν συσκίῳ, παραβιβάζων αὐτοὺς ἕως οἴκου τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐν φωνῇ αἰνέσεως καὶ εὐ χαριστίας ὄχλου ἑορτάζοντος." Χορεύοντες, φησὶ, καὶ τὸν Σωτῆρα Θεὸν ἀνυμνοῦντες, καὶ σκιᾶς κατὰ τὴν πορείαν ἀπολαύοντες, οὕτω τὸν θεῖον οἶκον καταληψόμεθα, ὡς ἐν πομπῇ τινι ποιούμενοι τὴν ἐπάνοδον. Ταύτης ἀκούσαντες τῆς προῤῥήσεως, σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ψυχαγωγοῦσι λέγοντες· ʹ, ζʹ. "Ἱνατί περίλυπος εἶ, ἡ ψυχή μου; καὶ ἱνατί συνταράσσεις με; ἔλπισον ἐπὶ τὸν Θεὸν, ὅτι ἐξομολογήσομαι αὐτῷ, σωτήριον τοῦ προσώπου μου, καὶ ὁ Θεός μου." Ταύτας, φησὶν, ὦ ψυχὴ, δεξαμένη τὰς ὑποσχέσεις, παῦσαι μὲν ἀλύουσα καὶ ἀσχάλλουσα· τῇ δὲ ἐλπίδι στηριζομένη, πρόσμει νον τὸ τῆς προῤῥήσεως τέλος· ἐν ᾧ τὴν γεγενημέ νην ὁρῶσα σωτηρίαν, ὕμνους προσοίσεις τῷ σεσω κότι Θεῷ. "Πρὸς ἐμαυτὸν ἡ ψυχή μου ἐταράχθη, διὰ τοῦτο μνησθήσομαί σου ἐκ γῆς Ἰορδάνου, καὶ Ἑρμωνιεὶμ, ἀπὸ ὄρους μικροῦ." Ἠθοποιία τίς ἐστι τῆς ψυχῆς πρὸς ἑαυτὴν διαλεγομένης. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶπε, Παῦσαι ἀθυμοῦσα τῶν ἀγαθῶν δεξαμένη τὰς ὑποσχέσεις, ἀποκρίνεται πρὸς ταῦτα λέγουσα, ὅτι Οὐ μάτην ἀλύω, καὶ τοῖς εἰρημένοις κέχρημαι θρήνοις· ἡ γὰρ μνήμη τῆς πατρῴας γῆς κινεῖ μοι