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Hence our Savior and Lord in his own dialogues was accustomed to use, for confirmation of what was said by him: Amen I say to you; a meaning which Aquila interpreted more clearly, saying, faithfully, faithfully. But since the whole book of the Psalms is divided into five parts, the first part is defined here, beginning from the 1st psalm, and ending with the one at hand. It is time then to move on to the second; which begins from the 41st psalm, and is completed at the 71st.

TO THE END, FOR UNDERSTANDING, FOR THE SONS OF KORAH 41.

The first part of the book of Psalms contained 40 psalms, and all by David; the one at hand, 31; of which eight are of the sons of Korah, and one of Asaph, and one of Solomon; but the rest are of David. And since these, those of the sons of Korah, are first, let us consider them, in order to understand what is said. The sons of Korah through the inscriptions urge us not to make use of the reading of what is said in a cursory manner.

And the present psalm introduces the prophetic choir with its soul exceedingly sorrowful and downcast at the fall of the people of the circumcision; and it asks for both redemption and freedom from evils through saving help. Which indeed is also sealed at the end of the word, saying: Hope in God, for I will confess to him; the salvation of my countenance and my God.

The inscription contains neither psalm, nor song, nor anything of the sort; and reasonably so. Since what is said next is filled with rather somber words, for this reason it is simply inscribed "to the end." For it contains prophecies not of things that exist, but of those that will someday be. For the sons of Korah were in the desert in the time of Moses.

Then, when their father Korah stirred up sedition against Moses, and perished with his own company, it happened that his children did not perish with their father; because they had not partaken in the impiety of their father, but having shown repentance and very great reverence toward God, they were deemed worthy of such acceptance from God, as to even partake of the prophetic gift.

And from their succession in the time of David, there comes another Korah, of the same name as the first, and of him, other children. Whether these, then, or the former ones, prophesy through the psalm at hand the captivity of the people which happened long after and the dispersion of the Jewish nation into all the nations.

For proceeding, they say: And those who hate us plundered for themselves. You have given us as sheep for eating, and you have scattered us among the nations. You sold your people for no price; and you have made us a reproach to our neighbors. For history does not relate that these things happened in the time of David; for this reason it is inscribed "to the end."

And it is necessarily said for divine understanding for the one who is to comprehend these things, for understanding.

And instead of, to the sons of Korah, Aquila and Symmachus translated in agreement, of the sons of Korah, teaching that the prophecies are theirs; who confessed to thirst for God himself, and to have a longing and yearning and desire for the spring that is with him, about which it is said: For with you is the spring of life, in your light we shall see light.

Therefore they said: As the deer longs for the springs of waters, so my soul longs for you, O God.

The deer is a horn-bearing animal; but 23.369 also clean according to the law, and indeed also a killer of snakes, and destructive of all reptiles, but also one of those who range the deserts. Such was the prophetic choir, a lover of the desert and withdrawn. For they are said to have made their abodes in deserts and mountains and caves; but they also were destructive of every opposing power, and of every reptile of the mind, as having the power themselves also to tread upon

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ἔνθεν ὁ Σωτὴρ καὶ Κύριος ἡμῶν ἐν τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ διαλόγοις εἰς πίστωσιν τῶν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ λεγομένων παραλαμβάνειν εἴωθε τό· Ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν· οὗ τὴν διάνοιαν σαφέστερον ἡρμήνευσεν ὁ Ἀκύλας εἰπὼν, πεπιστωμένως, πεπιστωμένως. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ διῃρημένης τῆς ὅλης βίβλου τῶν ψαλμῶν εἰς πέντε μέρη, τὸ πρῶτον μέρος ἐνταῦθα περιγράφεται, ἀρχόμενον μὲν ἀπὸ τοῦ αʹ ψαλμοῦ, τελευτῶν δὲ εἰς τὸν μετὰ χεῖρας. Ὥρα δὴ οὖν μεταβῆναι ἐπὶ τὸ δεύτερον· ὅπερ ἄρχεται μὲν ἀπὸ τοῦ μαʹ ψαλμοῦ, συμπεραιοῦται δὲ εἰς τὸν οαʹ. ΕΙΣ ΤΟ ΤΕΛΟΣ, ΕΙΣ ΣΥΝΕΣΙΝ ΤΟΙΣ ΥΙΟΙΣ ΚΟΡΕ ΜΑʹ. ὸ μὲν πρῶτον μέρος τῆς τῶν ψαλμῶν βίβλου μʹ ψαλμοὺς, καὶ πάντας τοῦ ∆αυῒδ, περιεῖχε· τὸ δὲ μετὰ χεῖρας λαʹ· ὧν ὀκτὼ μέν εἰσι τῶν υἱῶν Κορὲ, εἷς δὲ τοῦ Ἀσὰφ, καὶ Σολομῶνος εἷς· οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ τοῦ ∆αυΐδ. Πρώτους δὲ τούτων ὄντας, τοὺς τῶν υἱῶν Κορὲ, διασκεψώμεθα, ἐπὶ τὸ συνιέναι τὰ λεγόμενα. Παρορμῶσιν ἡμᾶς οἱ υἱοὶ Κορὲ διὰ τῶν προγραφῶν πρὸς τὸ μὴ παρέργως χρήσασθαι τῇ τῶν λεγομένων ἐντεύξει. Εἰσάγει δὲ ὁ παρὼν ψαλμὸς τὸν προφητικὸν χορὸν περίλυπον καὶ σκυθρωπὸν τὴν ψυχὴν ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ λαοῦ τοῦ ἐκ περιτομῆς ἐκπτώσει· καὶ ἐξαιτεῖ τε λύτρωσιν καὶ κακῶν ἐλευθερίαν διὰ τῆς σωτηρίου βοηθείας. Ὃ δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τέλει τοῦ λόγου ἐπισφραγίζεται εἰπών· Ἔλπισον ἐπὶ τὸν Θεὸν, ὅτι ἐξομολογήσομαι αὐτῷ· σωτήριον τοῦ προσώπου μου καὶ ὁ Θεός μου. Οὔτε ψαλμὸν, οὔτε ᾠδὴν, οὔτε τι τῶν τοιούτων ἡ προσγραφὴ περιέχει· καὶ εἰκότως. Ἐπειδήπερ σκυθρωποτέρων λόγων πεπλήρωται τὰ ἑξῆς ἐπιλεγόμενα, διὰ ταῦτα ἁπλῶς εἰς τὸ τέλος ἐπιγέγραπται. Μὴ γὰρ ὑφεστώτων πραγμάτων, μελλόντων δέ ποτε ἔσεσθαι, προῤῥήσεις περιέχει. Γεγόνασι μὲν γὰρ οἱ υἱοὶ Κορὲ ἐπὶ τῆς ἐρήμου κατὰ τοὺς χρόνους Μωϋσέως. Εἶτα τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτῶν τοῦ Κορὲ καταστασιάσαντος Μωϋσέως, καὶ ἀπολομένου τῇ αὑτοῦ φρατρίᾳ, τοὺς τούτου παῖδας συνέβη μὴ συναπολέσαι τῷ πατρί· διὰ τὸ μὴ κεκοινωκέναι αὐτοὺς τῇ τοῦ πατρὸς δυσσεβείᾳ, μετάνοιαν δὲ ἐνδειξαμένους καὶ πλείστην περὶ τὸν Θεὸν εὐλάβειαν, τοσαύτης ἀποδοχῆς ἠξιωκέναι παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ, ὡς καὶ προφητικοῦ χαρίσματος μετασχεῖν. Ἐκ δὲ τῆς τούτων διαδοχῆς κατὰ τοὺς χρόνους ∆αυῒδ γίνεται ἕτερος Κορὲ, ὁμώνυμος τῷ προτέρῳ, καὶ τούτου ἕτεροι παῖδες. Εἴτ' οὖν οὗτοι, εἴτε οἱ πρότεροι, τὴν μακρὰν ὕστερον γενομένην αἰχμαλωσίαν τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ τὴν εἰς πάντα τὰ ἔθνη τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους διασπορὰν θεσπίζουσι διὰ τὸν μετὰ χεῖρας. Προϊόντες γοῦν φασι· Καὶ οἱ μισοῦντες ἡμᾶς διήρπαζον αὐτούς. Ἔδωκας ἡμᾶς ὡς πρόβατα βρώσεως, καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι διέσπειρας ἡμᾶς. Ἀπέδου τὸν λαόν σου ἄνευ τιμῆς· καὶ ἔθου ἡμᾶς ὄνειδος τοῖς γείτοσιν ἡμῶν. Οὐ γὰρ ἐπὶ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ ταῦτα ἡ ἱστορία γεγενῆσθαι περιέχει· διὰ τοῦτο προγέγραπται εἰς τὸ τέλος. Καὶ ἐπὶ θεϊκῆς δὴ συνέσεως τῷ μέλλοντι ταῦτα νοεῖν ἀναγκαίως εἴρηται, εἰς σύνεσιν. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, τοῖς υἱοῖς Κορὲ, συμφώνως ὁ Ἀκύλας καὶ ὁ Σύμμαχος, τῶν υἱῶν Κορὲ, ἡρμήνευσαν, διδάσκοντες αὐτῶν εἶναι τὰς προφητείας· οἳ διψῇν ὡμολόγουν αὐτὸν τὸν Θεὸν, πόθον τε καὶ ἵμερον, καὶ ἐπιθυμίαν ἔχειν τῆς παρ' αὐτῷ πηγῆς, περὶ ἧς εἴρηται· Ὅτι παρὰ σοὶ πηγὴ ζωῆς, ἐν τῷ φωτί σου ὀψόμεθα φῶς. ∆ιὸ ἔλεγον· Ὃν τρόπον ἐπιποθεῖ ἔλαφος ἐπὶ τὰς πηγὰς τῶν ὑδάτων, οὕτως ἐπιποθεῖ ἡ ψυχή μου πρὸς σὲ, ὁ Θεός. Κερασφόρον ζῶον ἡ ἔλαφος· ἀλλὰ 23.369 καὶ καθαρὸν κατὰ τὸν νόμον, ἤδη δὲ καὶ ὀφιοκτόνον, καὶ πάντων ἑρπετῶν ἀναιρετικὸν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν τὰς ἐρήμους μεταδιωκόντων. Τοιοῦτος δὲ ἦν ὁ προφητικὸς χορὸς, φιλέρημος καὶ ἀνακεχωρηκώς. Ἐν ἐρημίαις γοῦν καὶ ὄρεσι, καὶ σπηλαίοις πεποιῆσθαι λέγονται τὰς διατριβάς· ἀλλὰ καὶ πάσης ἐτύγχανον ἀντικειμένης δυνάμεως, καὶ παντὸς τοῦ κατὰ διάνοιαν ἑρπετοῦ ἀναιρετικοὶ, ὡς ἂν ἔχοντες καὶ αὐτοὶ πατεῖν