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you have brought down those dwelling in high places and their cities, you have brought them down, making an end of mortal life, or you have destroyed their impious ways of life. These things are in harmony with what has been said, that you have turned cities into a mound, fortified cities, so that their foundations fall; but your meek men, whom you said would inherit the earth, who were formerly humble, you have exalted in the time of your just judgment, making them overcome the heads of those who were formerly proud, when the way of the impious is also straight, with no one standing in their way any longer, for which the just judgment of God is the cause. Some have interpreted the preceding passage in relation to the advent of the Savior. For he who delivered the mystical symbols, concerning which he spoke, those who received them will know to be God, even if he came in the flesh. They say the word is fitting for those of Israel, who were also expecting him, having learned from the Scriptures that he would come; as both Simeon and Zacharias showed, as has been said, having obtained the hope they held. Such men also profess that upon this mountain God will give rest, that is, the Church 2217, for Christ also cried out: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." For through him we have put off the burden of sin, and the fears of the punishments for it. And the good things in hope are added. For it is written concerning the saints, that everlasting joy is upon their heads. Then he shows the destruction of idolatry upon the transmission of the mysteries, with Satan being brought under the feet of believers, because of the one who gave them power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. And through one idolatrous land, he indicated all. But he will drop his hands, he says, the inventor of idolatry, his power being dissolved, by which he humbled man. Instead of 'power' he has used 'hand', by which he subjected to himself those created by God for good works. Turning the argument to Moabitis herself, the height of the refuge of the wall being humbled, he says that he who presides over deceit and idolatry .... θιεʹ. 9We have hoped in your name, and in the remembrance which my soul desired. From the night my spirit rises early to you, O God, because your commandments are a light upon the earth. Learn righteousness, you who dwell upon the earth. For the impious one has ceased9, etc. ... until the coming day. And just as the soul is nourished by every word of God, so also it is illuminated by every commandment. Let there be zeal, therefore, to learn righteousness. For it is taught, not natural, like seeing and hearing, but Christ is the initiator into this, of whom it is said: 'They will all be taught by God.' This the prophet now also exhorts to those from the nations who have believed, which is similar to: "Hear these things, all you nations; give ear, all you who inhabit the world. For now also the prophet calls all who dwell throughout the whole earth to the evangelical righteousness, not only those from Israel, as did the law of Moses; but to disobey is not without penalty. For the impious one who has gone to destruction has ceased, everyone who does not learn righteousness nor practice truth, that is, worship and adoration in spirit and in truth. For the law had a shadow of the good things to come. But Christ alone is truth, who also has become for us righteousness from the Father, and what he commands is both righteousness and truth. And the impious one is taken away, so that he may not see the glory of the Lord. For he says: "If you do not believe that I am he, you will die in your sins." And again: "He who believes in the Son is not judged; but he who does not believe is judged already." For not being with Christ, how will he see his glory? This is also taken to refer to the devil 2220, and the ungrateful Jews. For as God threatens those who do not learn righteousness, the prophet came to a remembrance of Israel's ignorance from disobedience. For the Son of God, called the arm of the Father, through whom all things were made, having been incarnate so that

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καθεῖλες τοὺς ἐνοικοῦντας ἐν ὑψηλοῖς καὶ τὰς πόλεις αὐτῶν, καθεῖλες, συντέλειαν τοῦ θνητοῦ ποιησάμενος βίου, ἢ τὰς ἀσεβεῖς αὐτῶν πολιτείας ἠφάνισας. Συνῳδὰ ταῦτα τοῖς εἰρημένοις, ὅτι ἔθηκας πόλεις εἰς χῶμα, πόλεις ὀχυρὰς, τοῦ πεσεῖν αὐτῶν τὰ θεμέλια· τοὺς δὲ σοὺς πραεῖς ἄνδρας, οὓς ἔφης κληρονομῆσαι τὴν γῆν, ταπεινοὺς ὄντας πρότερον, κατὰ τὸν τῆς δικαιοκρισίας σου καιρὸν ἀνύψωσας, κατακρατεῖν αὐτοὺς τῶν πάλαι ποιήσας ὑπερηφάνων τὰς κεφαλὰς, ὅτε καὶ ἡ τῶν ἀσεβῶν ὁδὸς εὐθεῖα, μηδενὸς αὐτοῖς ἐκ ποδῶν ἔτι καθεστῶτος, οὗπερ αἴτιον ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ δικαιοκρισία. Τὴν δὲ προκειμένην ῥῆσίν τινες ἐπὶ τῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἐπιδημίας ἐξέλαβον. Τὸν γὰρ τὰ σύμβολα παραδεδωκότα τὰ μυστικὰ, περὶ ὧν ἔλεγεν, Θεὸν ὄντα γνώσεσθαι τοὺς ταῦτα λαβόντας, εἰ καὶ γέγονεν ἐν σαρκί. Τὸν δὲ λόγον ἁρμόττειν φασὶ τοῖς ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ, οἳ καὶ προσεδόκων αὐτὸν, ἐκ τῶν Γραφῶν ὡς ἥξει μαθόντες· ὡς ἐδήλωσε Συμεών τε, καὶ Ζαχαρίας, ὡς εἴρηται, τυχόντες ἧς εἶχον ἐλπίδος. Οἱ δὲ τοιοῦτοι προσομολογοῦσιν ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος τοῦτο δώσειν ἀναπαύσειν τὸν Θεὸν, δηλονότι τὴν Ἐκκλη 2217 σίαν, καὶ Χριστὸς γὰρ ἐβόα· "∆εῦτε πρός με οἱ κοπιῶντες καὶ πεφορτισμένοι, κἀγὼ ἀναπαύσω ὑμᾶς." ∆ι' αὐτοῦ γὰρ ἀπεθέμεθα τὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας φορτίον, καὶ τοῦ φόβοι τῶν ἐπὶ ταύτῃ κολάσεων. Προστέθειται δὲ καὶ τὰ ἐν ἐλπίσιν ἀγαθά. Γέγραπται γὰρ περὶ τῶν ἁγίων, ὅτι εὐφροσύνη αἰώνιος ὑπὲρ κεφαλῆς αὐτῶν. Εἶτα δείκνυσι τὴν ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν μυστικῶν παραδόσει τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας κατάλυσιν, τοῖς τῶν πιστευόντων ποσὶν ὑπενηνεγμένου τοῦ Σατανᾶ, διὰ τὸν δόντα πατεῖν αὐτοῖς ἐπάνω ὄφεων καὶ σκορπίων, καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ ἐχθροῦ. ∆ιὰ μιᾶς δὲ χώρας εἰδωλολατρούσης, πάσας ἐδήλωσεν. Τὰς δὲ χεῖρας ἀνήσει, φησὶν, ὁ τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας εὑρετὴς, ἐκλυομένης αὐτοῦ τῆς δυνάμεως, δι' ἧς ἐταπείνου τὸν ἄνθρωπον. Ἀντὶ δὲ τῆς ἐνεργείας τὴν χεῖρα παρείληφε, δι' ἧς ὑπέταξεν ἑαυτῷ τοὺς ἐπ' ἔργοις ἀγαθοῖς ἐκτισμένους ὑπὸ Θεοῦ. Πρὸς αὐτὴν δὲ τὸν λόγον ἀποστρέψας τὴν Μωαβῖτιν, ὕψος καταφυγῆς τοῦ τοίχου τὸ ταπεινούμενον αὐτόν φησι τὸν τῆς ἀπάτης καὶ τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας προεστηκότα .... θιεʹ. 9Ἠλπίσαμεν ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματί σου, καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ μνείᾳ ᾖ ἐπεθύμει ἡ ψυχή μου. Ἐκ νυκτὸς ὀρθρίζει τὸ πνεῦμά μου πρὸς σὲ, ὁ Θεὸς, διότι φῶς τὰ προστάγματά σου ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. ∆ικαιοσύνην μάθετε, οἱ ἐνοικοῦντες ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Πέπαυται γὰρ ὁ ἀσεβὴσ9, κ.τ.λ ... εἰς τὴν ἐπιοῦσαν ἡμέραν. Ὥσπερ δὲ ἐν παντὶ ῥήματι Θεοῦ τρέφεται ἡ ψυχὴ, οὕτω καὶ ἐν παντὶ προστάγματι καταυγάζεται. Σπουδὴ τοίνυν ἔστω τὴν δικαιοσύνην μαθεῖν. ∆ιδακτὸν γὰρ οὐ φυσικὸν, ὡς τὸ ὁρᾷν τε καὶ ἀκούειν, μυσταγωγὸς δὲ πρὸς τοῦτο Χριστὸς, ἐφ' οὗ λέγεται τό· Ἔσονται πάντες διδακτοὶ Θεοῦ. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ νῦν τοῖς ἐκ τῶν ἐθνῶν πεπιστευκόσιν ὁ προφήτης παρακελεύεται, ὅπερ ἔοικε τῷ· "Ἀκούσατε ταῦτα, πάντα τὰ ἔθνη· ἐνωτίσασθε, πάντες οἱ κατοικοῦντες τὴν οἰκουμένην. Καὶ νῦν γὰρ ὁ προφήτης πάντας καλεῖ πρὸς τὴν εὐαγγελικὴν δικαιοσύνην τοὺς ἀνὰ πᾶσαν οἰκοῦντας τὴν γῆν, οὐ τοὺς ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ μόνους, ὡς τοῦ Μωσέως ὁ νόμος· τὸ δὲ ἀπειθεῖν οὐκ ἀζήμιον. Πέπαυται γὰρ ὁ ἀσεβὴς οἰχόμενος πρὸς ἀπώλειαν, πᾶς ὃς ἂν μὴ μάθῃ δικαιοσύνην μηδὲ ποιήσῃ ἀλήθειαν, τὴν ἐν πνεύματι καὶ ἀληθείᾳ δηλονότι λατρείαν τε καὶ προσκύνησιν. Σκιὰν γὰρ εἶχεν ὁ νόμος τῶν μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν. Χριστὸς δὲ μόνος ἀλήθεια, ὃς καὶ γέγονεν ἡμῖν παρὰ τοῦ Πατέρος δικαιοσύνη, καὶ ἃ δεῖ παραγγέλλει δικαιοσύνη τέ ἐστι καὶ ἀλήθεια. Αἴρεται δὲ ὁ ἀσεβὴς, ἴνα μὴ ἴδῃ τὴν δόξαν Κυρίου. Φησὶ γάρ· "Ἐὰν μὴ πιστεύσητε ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι, ἐν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ὑμῶν ἀποθανεῖσθε." Καὶ πάλιν· "Ὁ πιστεύων εἰς τὸν Υἱὸν, οὐ κρίνεται· ὁ δὲ μὴ πιστεύων, ἤδη κέκριται." Μὴ συνὼν γὰρ Χριστῷ, πῶς ὄψεται τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ; Λαμβάνεται δὲ τοῦτο καὶ εἰς τὸν διά 2220 βολον, καὶ τοὺς ἀγνώμονας Ἰουδαίους. Ἀπειλοῦντος γὰρ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῖς μὴ μανθάνουσι δικαιοσύνην, εἰς ἀνάμνησιν ὁ προφήτης ἦλθε τῆς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἐξ ἀπειθείας ἀγνοίας. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ Θεοῦ Υἱὸς βραχίων λεγόμενος τοῦ Πατέρος, δι' οὗ τὰ πάντα γέγονε, σαρκωθεὶς ἵνα