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For a remembrance. O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger, nor chasten me in your wrath. With the same words and the same syllables the 6th psalm also begins in a similar way, and the rest of the sixth psalm happens to be akin to what is presented in the present one. But in the sixth the inscription contained: For the end, in hymns, for the eighth, a psalm of David; but in the present one, none of these, but only a psalm of David for a remembrance is indicated. Moreover, the addition, for a remembrance, seems to refer us to the inscription in the sixth, so that the present things are for the end, and, in hymns, and for the eighth; for for a remembrance would be representative of all these. But since, when going through the things in the sixth, we have spoken of the things that fall under the inscription, we too shall refer the reader to the remembrance of those things. But it seems to me that David, having confessed in many different ways concerning the trespass committed by him, has specifically set apart the present psalm for himself for a remembrance, so as to always and continually bear it in his mouth. And to have used it as a charm for the healing of his own soul. At any rate, he sends up a supplication to God, by which he turns away the wrath that hangs over all sinners, and he propitiates the good Lord with voices of exceeding confession. And saying: O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger, he is not refusing the rebuke, but that with anger; nor does he flee from being chastened, but that with wrath; as if someone undergoing treatment for an ailment, with a physician offering remedies through cautery and steel and bitter antidotes, would say: Do not heal me by fire, nor by steel and incisions, but by gentle and milder medicines. For such a one does not deny the healing, 23.340 but the painful manner of the remedies. And it has often been said that what are called the wrath and anger of God in the divinely-inspired Scriptures do not signify passions concerning God, for the Divine is foreign to every passion; but the language of Scripture is accustomed to name such things metaphorically, as also the eyes of God, and ears and hands and fingers, and feet and the other members; which things are usefully administered as if for humans, condescending to the childishness of the listeners. Thus, then, he also depicts the punishments brought upon sinners according to the judgment of God, being grim and painful to those who suffer them, as if brought on by wrath and anger. At any rate, the holy Apostle also teaches this, saying: But because of your hardness and your unrepentant heart, you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation and righteous judgment of God, who will render to each one according to his works; as if someone were also to call the punishments imposed by the law on the murderer wrath and anger; not that the law is truly angry and wrathful, but that the one being punished has supposed the punishment to be the wrath of the law. And indeed, the evil demons who administer punishments against the ungodly, and such ministering powers of God, have been called wrath and anger. Thus, at any rate, it is said in the account of the ten plagues brought upon the Egyptians: He sent upon them anger and wrath, a sending by evil angels. Thus the right hand of God is said to be the things supplied by the right and good powers to the worthy. David therefore beseeches not to be rebuked by evil powers, nor to be chastened by a sending of grim angels; but by words of salvation, and beneficial teachings, and in another way he entreats not to be kept for the day of wrath and revelation and righteous judgment of God, but now, from this point, in the present life before death to wash away his sins; and he did indeed attain his purpose. At any rate, he appears to have paid the penalty, through what he suffered before his death, as we have learned from the history of the Kingdoms. And in another way, he himself punished himself, subjecting himself to all kinds of afflictions

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Εἰς ἀνάμνησιν. Κύριε, μὴ τῷ θυμῷ σου ἐλέγξῃς με, μηδὲ τῇ ὀργῇ σου παιδεύσῃς με. Αὐτοῖς ῥήμασι καὶ αὐταῖς συλλαβαῖς καὶ ὁ ʹ ψαλμὸς τούτῳ παραπλησίως ἄρχεται, καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ δὲ τοῦ ἕκτου τοῖς ἐν τῷ προκειμένῳ φερομένοις συγγενῆ τυγχάνει. Ἀλλ' ἐν μὲν τῷ ἕκτῳ ἡ προγραφὴ περιεῖχεν· Εἰς τὸ τέλος ἐν ὕμνοις ὑπὲρ τῆς ὀγδόης ψαλμὸς τῷ ∆αυΐδ· ἐν δὲ τῷ παρόντι τούτων μὲν οὐδὲν, μόνον δὲ τὸν ψαλμὸν τῷ ∆αυῒδ εἰς ἀνάμνησιν δέδεικται. Ἥ γε μὴν προσθήκη ἡ, εἰς ἀνάμνησιν, ἔοικεν ἀναπέμπειν ἡμᾶς εἰς τὴν ἐν τῷ ἕκτῳ προγραφὴν, ὥστ' εἶναι τὰ παρόντα εἰς τὸ τέλος, καὶ, ἐν ὕμνοις, καὶ ὑπὲρ τῆς ὀγδόης· πάντων γὰρ ἂν εἴη τούτων παραστατικὸν τὸ, εἰς ἀνάμνησιν. Ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ διεξιόντες τὰ ἐν τῷ ἕκτῳ, τὰ ὑποπεσόντα εἰς τὴν προγραφὴν εἰρήκαμεν, εἰς τὴν ἐκείνων ἀνάμνησιν καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀναπέμψομεν τὸν ἐντυγχάνοντα. ∆οκεῖ δέ μοι ὁ ∆αυῒδ, διαφόρως ἐν πολλοῖς περὶ τοῦ πραχθέντος αὐτῷ πλημμελήματος ἐξομολογησάμενος, ἰδίως τὸν παρόντα ψαλμὸν ἀφωρικέναι ἑαυτῷ εἰς ἀνάμνησιν, ὡς ἀεὶ καὶ διὰ παντὸς φέρειν αὐτὸ ἀνὰ στόμα. Κεχρῆσθαι δὲ αὐτῷ ἀντὶ ἐπῳδῆς ἐπὶ θεραπείᾳ τῆς αὑτοῦ ψυχῆς. Ἱκετηρίαν γοῦν ἀναπέμπει τῷ Θεῷ, δι' ἧς ἀποστρέφει μὲν τὴν ὀργὴν τὴν πᾶσι τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσιν ἐπηρτημένην, ἱλάσκεται δὲ τὸν ἀγαθὸν Κύριον ταῖς μεθ' ὑπερβαλλούσης ἐξομολογήσεως φωναῖς. Λέγων δέ· Κύριε, μὴ τῷ θυμῷ σου ἐλέγξῃς με, οὐ τὸν ἔλεγχον παραιτεῖται, ἀλλὰ τὸν μετὰ θυμοῦ· οὐδὲ τὸ παιδευθῆναι φεύγει, ἀλλὰ τὸ μετὰ ὀργῆς· ὡσεὶ καὶ ἰατρῷ τις τὰ διὰ καυτῆρος καὶ σιδήρου καὶ πικρῶν ἀντιδότων προσφέροντι βοηθήματα ἐπὶ θεραπείᾳ πάθους ὑποκείμενος λέγοι· Μὴ διὰ πυρός με θεραπεύσῃς, μηδὲ διὰ σιδήρου καὶ τομῶν, ἀλλὰ διὰ ἠπίων καὶ πραοτέρων φαρμάκων. Ὁ γὰρ τοιοῦτος οὐ τὴν θεραπείαν ἀρ 23.340 νεῖται, ἀλλὰ τὸν ἐπίπονον τρόπον τῶν βοηθημάτων. Πολλάκις δὲ εἴρηται, ὡς ὀργὴ καὶ θυμὸς Θεοῦ λεγόμενα ἐν ταῖς θεοπνεύστοις Γραφαῖς οὐ πάθη περὶ τὸν Θεὸν σημαίνει, παντὸς γὰρ πάθους ἀλλότριον τὸ Θεῖον· κατὰ μεταφορὰν δὲ τὰ τοιαῦτα εἴωθεν ὀνομάζειν ὁ τῆς Γραφῆς λόγος, ὡς καὶ ὀφθαλμοὺς Θεοῦ, καὶ ὦτα καὶ χεῖρας καὶ δακτύλους, καὶ πόδας καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ μέλη· ἅπερ ὡς πρὸς ἀνθρώπους χρησίμως οἰκονομεῖται, συγκατιὼν τῇ τῶν ἀκροωμένων νηπιότητι. Οὕτως οὖν καὶ τὰς ἐπαγομένας τιμωρίας τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσι κατὰ Θεοῦ κρίσιν, σκυθρωπὰς οὔσας καὶ ἀλγεινὰς τοῖς πάσχουσιν, ὡσανεὶ ἐξ ὀργῆς καὶ θυμοῦ ἐπαγομένας ὑποτυποῦται. Τοῦτο γοῦν διδάσκει καὶ ὁ ἱερὸς Ἀπόστολος λέγων· Κατὰ δὲ τὴν σκληρότητά σου καὶ ἀμετανόητον καρδίαν θησαυρίζεις σεαυτῷ ὀργὴν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ὀργῆς καὶ ἀποκαλύψεως καὶ δικαιοκρισίας τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὃς ἀποδώσει ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ· ὡς εἴ τις καὶ τὰς ἐκ τοῦ νόμου τῷ ἀνδροφόνῳ ἐπηρτημένας κολάσεις ὀργὴν καὶ θυμὸν ὀνομάζοι· οὐκ ἀληθῶς τοῦ νόμου θυμουμένου καὶ ὀργιζομένου, τοῦ δὲ κολαζομένου ὀργὴν τοῦ νόμου τὴν τιμωρίαν ὑπειληφότος. Ἤδη δὲ καὶ οἱ τὰς κολάσεις διακονούμενοι κατὰ τῶν ἀσεβῶν πονηροὶ δαίμονες, αἵ τε ὑπηρετικαὶ δυνάμεις τοῦ Θεοῦ αἱ τοιαίδε, ὀργὴ καὶ θυμὸς ὠνομάσθησαν. Οὕτω γοῦν εἴρηται ἐν τῷ περὶ τῆς δεκαπλήγου τῆς κατ' Αἰγυπτίων ἐπαχθείσης λόγῳ τό· Ἀπέστειλεν ἐπ' αὐτοὺς θυμὸν καὶ ὀργὴν, ἀποστολὴν δι' ἀγγέλων πονηρῶν. Οὕτω δεξιὰ λέλεκται Θεοῦ τὰ διὰ τῶν δεξιῶν καὶ ἀγαθῶν δυνάμεων τοῖς ἀξίοις χορηγούμενα. Ἱκετεύει τοίνυν ὁ ∆αυῒδ μὴ διὰ πονηρῶν δυνάμεων ἐλεγχθῆναι, μηδὲ δι' ἀποστολῆς ἀγγέλων σκυθρωπῶν παιδευθῆναι· διὰ λόγων δὲ σωτηρίων, καὶ μαθημάτων ὠφελίμων καὶ ἄλλως δὲ ἀντιβολεῖ μὴ τηρηθῆναι εἰς ἡμέραν ὀργῆς καὶ ἀποκαλύψεως καὶ δικαιοκρισίας τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἤδη δὲ ἐντεῦθεν κατὰ τὸν παρόντα βίον πρὸ τῆς τελευτῆς ἀπολούσασθαι τὰ ἁμαρτήματα· καὶ ἔτυχέ γε τοῦ σκοποῦ. Φαίνεται γοῦν δίκην δεδωκὼς, δι' ὧν ἔπαθε πρὸ τῆς τελευτῆς, ὡς ἐκ τῆς ἱστορίας τῶν Βασιλειῶν μεμαθήκαμεν. Καὶ ἄλλως δὲ αὐτὸς ἑαυτὸν ἐτιμωρεῖτο παντοίαις ὑποβάλλων κακώσεσιν