128

80.1301 they shall be dissolved as they melt away, and they shall be deprived of life. For this he said: "And they did not see the sun;" as those who are dying are not able to see the sun's ray. 10. "Before your thorns have understood the bramble, he will swallow them up as though living, as if in wrath." But Symmachus interpreted this more clearly: Before your thorns grow, so as to become a bramble, a whirlwind will snatch them away while yet living, as a completely withered thing. And what he says is this. The divine Scripture calls every sin a thorn; but the bramble is a thorn, but a very large one, and imitating a tree [and casting forth a most dangerous poison]. The prophecy therefore threatens both Saul and his collaborators with swift punishment. For before, he says, your wickedness grows, so as to be likened to a bramble, that is, to the greatest thorn, [which is the most worthless evil,] a scourge from God will seize you and will make you vanish. For this he said, he will swallow up. For just as that which is [ground fine by the mill of the teeth and] swallowed finally becomes invisible, so also you, he says, will be delivered to oblivion; which indeed also happened. For after a short time, having received the blow in the war with the foreigners, [Saul] no longer increased his wickedness, but unwillingly ended the war against David. 11. "The righteous will rejoice, when he sees the vengeance; he will wash his hands in the blood of the sinner." But the one who cares for virtue rejoices, seeing the worker of wickedness being punished; not gloating over him, but seeing divine providence, not enduring to overlook those wronged by them. And he washes his hands, not reddening and staining them with the blood; but showing himself innocent, and separated from that one's wickedness. For not, as some have supposed, is he washed in the blood, but he is washed at the sight of the blood, as having had no communion with him. 12. "And a man will say, Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely there is a God who judges them on the earth." The "surely" here is used declaratively; and he says that everyone seeing the one who has lived with impiety pay the penalty in this life, will confess both that God exists, and oversees what happens, and wisely governs all things; and to the righteous he allots 80.1304 their fitting rewards, but from those who have chosen the opposite he exacts justice, and inflicts worthy punishments.

INTERPRETATION OF THE 58TH PSALM. 1. "For the end, Do not destroy, for David for an inscription on a pillar. When

Saul sent, and guarded his house to put him to death." Saul, being a slave to envy, was hunting for the death of David; and once, while he was feasting with him, he wanted to pierce him with his spear. But when he turned aside and escaped death, he tried again to capture him, and sending some men, he ordered them to guard the house, having shown his manifest hostility. But David's wife, and Saul's daughter, made this known to her husband, and prepared for him to escape through a certain window. And taking the cenotaphs (for so the history teaches) she arranged the bed, and fashioned an image of a sick person with the clothes; and she shows from afar to those ordered to keep guard, saying that David was afflicted by some illness. These things happened at night; but when day came, the deed became very clear to Saul and to his spearmen. At that time, therefore, the blessed David, having escaped that plot, wrote this psalm. But of the things that happened then he says little, and foretells most things, having received the splendor of the divine Spirit, and having foreseen the madness of the Jews against our Savior [God]. For indeed the Jews, having guarded the Master's tomb with soldiers, when day came, found the clothes, but they no longer saw the dead one who was being guarded; for he rose, having destroyed the power of death.

128

80.1301 τηκομένου διαλυθήσονται, καὶ τῆς ζωῆς στερηθήσον ται. Τοῦτο γὰρ εἶπε· "Καὶ οὐκ εἶδον τὸν ἥλιον·" ὡς τῶν τελευτώντων τὴν ἡλιακὴν οὐ δυναμένων ἰδεῖν ἀκτῖνα. ιʹ. "Πρὸ τοῦ συνιέναι τὰς ἀκάνθας ὑμῶν τὴν ῥά μνον, ὡσεὶ ζῶντας ὡσεὶ ἐν ὀργῇ καταπίεται αὐ τούς." Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος σαφέστερον τοῦτο ἡρ μήνευσε· Πρὶν ἢ αὐξηθῶσιν αἱ ἄκανθαι ὑμῶν, ὥστε γενέσθαι ῥάμνον, ἔτι ζῶντας ὡς ὁλόξηρον λαί λαψ ἀρεῖ. Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοῦτό ἐστι. Πᾶσαν μὲν ἁμαρτίαν ἄκανθαν ἡ θεία Γραφὴ καλεῖ· ἡ δὲ ῥά μνος ἄκανθα μέν ἐστι, μεγίστη δὲ, καὶ δένδρον μι μουμένη [καὶ ἰὸν χαλεπώτατον βάλλουσα]. Ἀπει λεῖ τοίνυν ἡ πρόῤῥησις, καὶ τῷ Σαοὺλ, καὶ τοῖς ἐκεί νου συνεργοῖς, ταχεῖαν τὴν τιμωρίαν. Πρὶν γὰρ, φησὶν, αὐξηθῇ ὑμῶν ἡ πονηρία, ὥστε ῥάμνῳ ἀπει κασθῆναι, τοῦτ' ἔστι, τῇ μεγίστῃ ἀκάνθῃ, [ἥτις ἐστὶ φαυλοτάτη κακία,] θεήλατος ὑμᾶς πληγὴ κατα λήψεται, καὶ φρούδους ἐργάσεται. Τοῦτο γὰρ εἶπε, καταπίεται. Καθάπερ γὰρ τὸ [ὑπὸ τῶν μυλῶν τῶν ὀδόντων λεπτυνόμενον καὶ] καταπινόμενον ἀφανὲς λοιπὸν γίνεται, οὕτω καὶ ὑμεῖς, φησὶ, παραδοθήσεσθε λήθῃ· ὅπερ δὴ καὶ συνέβη. Μετ' ὀλίγον γὰρ χρόνον, ἐν τῷ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων πολέμῳ δεξάμενος τὴν πληγὴν, οὐκ ἔτι τὴν πονηρίαν ἐπηύξησεν [ὁ Σαοὺλ], ἀλλ' ἄκων τὸν κατὰ τοῦ ∆αβὶδ κατέλυσε πόλεμον. ιαʹ. "Εὐφρανθήσεται δίκαιος, ὅτ' ἂν ἴδῃ ἐκδίκησιν· τὰς χεῖρας αὑτοῦ νίψεται ἐν τῷ αἵματι τοῦ ἁμαρτω λοῦ." Εὐφραίνεται δὲ ὁ τῆς ἀρετῆς φροντιστὴς, τὸν τῆς κακίας ἐργάτην ὁρῶν κολαζόμενον· οὐκ ἐπι τωθάζων ἐκείνῳ, ἀλλὰ τὴν θείαν ὁρῶν προμή θειαν, παρορᾷν οὐκ ἀνεχομένην τοὺς ὑπ' ἐκείνων ἀδικουμένους. Τὰς δὲ χεῖρας αὑτοῦ νίπτεται, οὐ τῷ αἵματι ταύτας φοινίττων καὶ μολύνων· ἀλλὰ δει κνὺς ἑαυτὸν ἀθῶον, καὶ τῆς ἐκείνου πονηρίας κεχω ρισμένον. Οὐ γὰρ, ὥς τινες ὑπέλαβον, ἐν τῷ αἵμα τι νίπτεται, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῷ αἵματι νίπτεται, ὡς οὐ δεμίαν πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ἐσχηκὼς κοινωνίαν. ιβʹ. "Καὶ ἐρεῖ ἄνθρωπος, Εἰ ἄρα ἐστὶ καρπὸς τῷ δικαίῳ; ἄρα ἐστὶν ὁ Θεὸς κρίνων αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ γῇ." Τὸ ἄρα ἐνταῦθα ἀποφαντικῶς κεῖται· λέγει δὲ, ὅτι πᾶς ὀρῶν τὸν δυσσεβείᾳ συνεζηκότα ποινὴν τίσαντα κατὰ τόνδε τὸν βίον, ὁμολογήσει καὶ Θεὸν εἶναι, καὶ ἐφ ορᾷν τὰ γινόμενα, καὶ σοφῶς ἅπαντα πρυτανεύειν· καὶ τοῖς μὲν δικαίοις τοὺς καταλλήλους ἀπονέμειν 80.1304 καρποὺς, τοὺς δὲ τἀναντία προελομένους δί κας εἰσπράττειν, καὶ τὰς ἀξίας τιμωρίας ἐπ άγειν.

ΕΡΜΗΝ. ΤΟΥ ΝΗʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΥ. αʹ. "Εἰς τὸ τέλος, Μὴ διαφθείρῃς, τῷ ∆αβὶδ εἰς στηλογραφίαν. Ὁπότε

ἀπέστειλε Σαοὺλ, καὶ ἐφύ λαξε τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ τοῦ θανατῶσαι αὐτόν." Φθόνῳ δουλεύων ὁ Σαοὺλ τὸν τοῦ ∆αβὶδ ἐτύρευε θάνατον· καί ποτε συνεστιώμενον ἠβουλήθη κατακοντίσαι τῷ δόρατι. Ἐκκλίναντα δὲ, καὶ διαφυγόντα τὸν θάνατον, ἐπεχείρησε πάλιν χειρώσασθαι, καί τινας ἀποστεί λας, τὴν οἰκίαν φρουρῆσαι προσέταξε, προφανῆ τὴν δυσμένειαν δείξας. Ἀλλ' ἡ μὲν τοῦ ∆αβὶδ γα μετὴ, τοῦ δὲ Σαοὺλ θυγάτηρ, γνώριμον μὲν τοῦτο ποιεῖ τῷ ὁμοζύγῳ, καὶ διά τινος αὐτὸν ἀποδρά ναι παρασκευάζει φωταγωγοῦ. Τὰ κενοτάφια δὲ λαβοῦσα (οὕτω γὰρ ἡ ἱστορία διδάσκει) σχηματίζει τὴν κλίνην, καὶ ἀῤῥωστοῦντος εἰκόνα διὰ τῶν ἱμα τίων διατυποῖ· καὶ δείκνυσι πόῤῥωθεν τοῖς φρου ρῆσαι προστεταγμένοις, ὑπό τινος τὸν ∆αβὶδ ἐν οχλεῖσθαι νοσήματος λέγουσα. Ταῦτα μὲν νύκτωρ ἐγέ νετο· ἡμέρας δὲ γενομένης, κατάδηλον τῷ Σαοὺλ καὶ τοῖς δορυφόροις τὸ δράμα ἐγένετο. Τηνικαῦτα τοίνυν ὁ μακάριος ∆αβὶδ, τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν ἐκείνην δια φυγὼν, τὸν ψαλμὸν τοῦτον συνέγραψεν. Ἀλλὰ τῶν μὲν τότε γενομένων ὀλίγα λέγει, τὰ δὲ πλείονα προ λέγει, τοῦ θείου Πνεύματος τὴν αἴγλην δεξάμενος, καὶ τὴν κατὰ τοῦ Σωτῆρος [Θεοῦ] ἡμῶν τῶν Ἰου δαίων προθεασάμενος λύτταν. Καὶ γὰρ οἱ Ἰου δαῖοι τὸν δεσποτικὸν διὰ στρατιωτῶν φυλάξαντες τάφον, ἡμέρας γενομένης, τὰ μὲν ἱμάτια εὗρον, τὸν δὲ φυλαττόμενον οὐκ ἔτι εἶδον νεκρόν· ἀνέστη γὰρ καταλύσας τοῦ θανάτου τὸ κράτος.