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in their mouth, and a sword in their lips: for who has heard?" Because the words they utter, they use instead of a sword. These things, he says, they do, as if no one were watching over them. For this is what "For who has heard?" indicates. For as if no one either sees or hears what is happening, nor exacts penalties, thus they dare these things. For Symmachus has interpreted this thought. For instead of 'For who has heard,' he has put 'as if no one hears'. Therefore, foreseeing such a thought of theirs, David adds, saying: 9. "And you, O Lord, will laugh at them." They 80.1309 therefore dare those things; but you both hear and see, and laugh at their vanity. "You will bring to naught all the nations." For it is easy for you to overcome not only them, but also all the nations. Thus also the divine Isaiah said, striving to show the excess of divine power, "If all the nations are reckoned and will be reckoned as a drop from a bucket, and as the turn of a scale, and as spittle, to whom have you likened the Lord? And to what likeness have you likened him?" 10. "My strength I will keep for you, for you, O God, are my helper." You, he says, I have as both the helper and guardian of my strength; for I continue to enjoy your providence. 11. "My God, his mercy will go before me." You always anticipate the requests, O Master, and through an excess of love for humanity you do not wait for supplications. "My God will show me upon my enemies." The prophet considers the enemies of the Savior to be common enemies. Then he foretells to them the things that will be. 12. "Do not kill them, lest they forget your law." I beseech, he says, that they not suffer utter destruction. For there are many among them who are being healed by the medicines of repentance. "For in death there is no one who remembers you; and in Hades who will give you thanks?" What punishment then do you wish them to pay? "Scatter them by your power; and bring them down, my defender, O Lord." Scatter them, he says, into all the inhabited world, and make them dispersed and wanderers; since they have used a wicked agreement against you. And what this is, he teaches. 13. "The sin of their mouth, the word of their lips." These things are also in agreement with what has been previously interpreted. For above he said: "Behold, they will speak out with their mouth, and a sword is in their lips." And here again he accuses the sin of the mouth, and the word of the lips; teaching through all things, that they are paying the 80.1312 penalties for that cry, which they uttered in agreement, corrupting the just verdict of Pilate; for when he wished to release him as innocent, they shouted: "Away, away, crucify him; his blood be on us, and on our children." But these things Symmachus has interpreted more clearly. For instead of, 'Scatter them by your power,' he said thus, 'Make them wanderers by your power, and cast them down, our defender, O Lord, for the sin of their mouth, for the word of their lips.' Make them wanderers, he says, and declare them slaves instead of free men; because of the sin of their mouth, and the word of their lips. Thus also in the case of the tower-building, he dissolved the evil agreement by disagreement and to the disease of harmful unanimity, he applied the division of tongues as a protecting remedy. "And let them be caught in their pride." For those things which they dared, he says, for these let them pay the penalty; and not enduring to serve Christ who saved them, but embracing the kingdom of Caesar, they will be delivered to the slavery of Caesar. "And for their cursing and lying they will be spoken of. [14] In the consummation, in the wrath of consummation, and they shall not be." This Symmachus has interpreted more clearly: 'Let them be caught with their pride; bring to an end those who speak cursing and lies; in wrath consume them, that they may not be.' For since they used slanders, saying that he had commanded not to give tribute to Caesar; and this after they had heard him enjoining to give the things of Caesar to Caesar, and the things of God

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στόματι αὐτῶν, καὶ ῥομφαία ἐν τοῖς χείλεσιν αὐτῶν· ὅτι τίς ἤκουσεν;" Ὅτι οἷς προσφέρουσι λόγοις, ἀντὶ ῥομφαίας κέχρηνται. Ταῦτα δὲ, φησὶ, δρῶσιν, ὡς μηδενὸς ἐφορῶντος. Τοῦτο γὰρ δηλοῖ, "Ὅτι τίς ἤκουσεν;" Ὡς μηδενὸςγὰρ μήτε ὁρῶντος, μήτε ἀκούοντος τὰ γινό μενα, καὶ τὰς εὐθύνας εἰσπράττοντος, οὕτω ταῦτα τολμῶσι. Ταύτην γὰρ τὴν διάνοιαν ὁ Σύμμαχος ἡρμήνευσεν. Ἀντὶ γὰρ τοῦ, Ὅτι τίς ἤκουσεν, ὡς μηδενὸς ἀκούοντος τέθεικεν. Τοιγαροῦν τοιαύ την αὐτῶν διάνοιαν προθεωρῶν ὁ ∆αβὶδ ἐπάγει λέγων· θʹ. "Καὶ σὺ, Κύριε, ἐκγελάσεις αὐτούς." Ἐκεῖ 80.1309 νοι μὲν οὖν ἐκεῖνα τολμῶσι· σὺ δὲ καὶ ἀκούεις, καὶ βλέπεις, καὶ γελᾷς αὐτῶν τὴν ματαιό τητα. "Ἐξουδενώσεις πάντα τὰ ἔθνη." Οὐ μόνον γὰρ ἐκείνων, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν πε ριγενέσθαι σοι ῥᾴδιον. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ θεσπέσιος Ἡ σαΐας ἔφη, τὴν τῆς θείας δυνάμεως ὑπερβολὴν δεῖξαι φιλονεικῶν, "Εἰ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, ὡς σταγὼν ἀπὸ κά δου, καὶ ὡς ῥοπὴ ζυγοῦ, καὶ ὡς σίελος ἐλογίσθη σαν καὶ λογισθήσονται, τίνι ὁμοιώσατε Κύριον; καὶ τίνι ὁμοιώματι ὁμοιώσατε αὐτόν;" ιʹ. "Τὸ κράτος μου πρὸς σὲ φυλάξω, ὅτι σὺ ὁ Θεὸς ἀντιλήπτωρ μου." Σὲ, φησὶν, ἔχω τῆς ἐμῆς δυνάμεως ἀντιλήπτορά τε καὶ φύλακα· τῆς γὰρ σῆς ἀπολαύων προμηθείας διατελῶ. ιαʹ. "Ὁ Θεός μου, τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ προφθάσει με." Προλαμβάνεις ἀεὶ τὰς αἰτήσεις, ὦ ∆έσποτα, καὶ διὰ φιλανθρωπίας ὑπερβολὴν οὐκ ἀναμένεις τὰς ἱκε τείας. "Ὁ Θεός μου δείξει μοι ἐν τοῖς ἐχθροῖς μου." Κοινοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὁ προφήτης ἡγεῖται τοὺς τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἐχθρούς. Εἶτα προλέγει τούτοις τὰ ἐσόμενα. ιβʹ. "Μὴ ἀποκτείνῃς αὐτούς· μή ποτε ἐπιλάθων ται τοῦ νόμου σου." Ἱκετεύω, φησὶ, μὴ πανωλε θρίαν αὐτοὺς ὑπομεῖναι. Εἰσὶ γὰρ ἐν αὐτοῖς πολλοὶ τοῖς τῆς μεταμελείας φαρμάκοις θεραπευόμενοι. "Ἐν γὰρ τῷ θανάτῳ οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ μνημονεύων σου· ἐν δὲ τῷ ᾅδῃ τίς ἐξομολογήσεταί σοι;" Ποίαν τοί νυν αὐτοὺς βούλει τίσαι ποινήν; "∆ιασκόρπισον αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ δυνάμει σου· καὶ κατάγαγε αὐτοὺς, ὁ ὑπερασπιστής μου, Κύριε." Εἰς πᾶσαν αὐτοὺς, φησὶ, σκέδασον τὴν οἰκουμένην, καὶ ποίησον σπορά δας καὶ μετανάστας· ἐπειδὴ κακῇ κατὰ σοῦ κέχρην ται συμφωνίᾳ. Τίς δὲ αὕτη, διδάσκει. ιγʹ. "Ἁμαρτία τοῦ στόματος αὐτῶν, λόγος χειλέων αὐτῶν." Σύμφωνα καὶ ταῦτα τοῖς προηρ μηνευμένοις. Καὶ γὰρ ἄνω ἔφη· "Ἰδοὺ αὐτοὶ ἀπο φθέγξονται ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτῶν, καὶ ῥομφαία ἐν τοῖς χείλεσιν αὐτῶν." Καὶ ἐνταῦθα πάλιν τῆς τοῦ στόμα τος ἁμαρτίας, καὶ τοῦ λόγου τῶν χειλέων κατηγορεῖ· διὰ πάντων διδάσκων, ὡς ἐκείνης τῆς φωνῆς εἰσπράτ 80.1312 τονται δίκας, ἢν συμφώνως ἀφῆκαν, τὴν δικαίαν τοῦ Πιλάτου παραφθείραντες ψῆφον· ἐκείνου γὰρ ὡς ἀθῶον ἀφεῖναι βουλομένου, οὗτοι δὲ ἐβόων· "Αἶρε, αἶρε, σταύρωσον αὐτόν· τὸ αἷμα αὐτοῦ ἐφ' ἡμᾶς, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ τέκνα ἡμῶν." Ταῦτα δὲ σαφέστερον ὁ Σύμμαχος ἡρμήνευσεν. Ἀντὶ γὰρ τοῦ, ∆ιασκόρπισον αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ δυνάμει σου, οὕτως ἔφη, Ἀνα στάτωσον αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ δυνάμει σου, καὶ κάθελε αὐτοὺς, ὑπερασπιστὰ ἡμῶν, Κύριε, τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ τοῦ στόματος αὐτῶν, τῷ λόγῳ τῶν χειλέων αὐτῶν. Ἀναστάτους αὐτοὺς, φησὶ, ποίησον, καὶ δούλους ἀντ' ἐλευθέρων ἀπόφηνον· διὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ στόματος αὐτῶν, καὶ τὸν λόγον τῶν χειλέων αὐ τῶν. Οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς πυργοποιίας τὴν κακὴν συμ φωνίαν τῇ διαφωνίᾳ διέλυσε καὶ τῇ νόσῳ τῆς βλαβερᾶς ὁμονοίας, φάρμακον ἀλεξίκακον προσενή νοχε τῶν γλωσσῶν τὴν διαίρεσιν. "Καὶ συλληφθή τωσαν ἐν τῇ ὑπερηφανίᾳ αὐτῶν." ∆ι' ὧν, φησὶν, ἐτόλμησαν, διὰ τούτων δότωσαν δίκας· καὶ δουλεύειν οὐκ ἀνεχόμενοι τῷ σεσωκότι Χριστῷ, ἀλλὰ τὴν τοῦ Καίσαρος ἀσπασάμενοι βασιλείαν, τῇ τοῦ Καίσαρος δουλείᾳ παραδοθήσονται. "Καὶ ἐξ ἀρᾶς καὶ ψεύδους διαγγελήσονται. [ιδʹ] Ἐν συντελείᾳ, ἐν ὀργῇ συντελείας, καὶ οὐ μὴ ὑπάρξωσιν." Τοῦτο σαφέστερον ὁ Σύμμαχος ἡρ μήνευσεν· Συλληφθήτωσαν μετὰ τῆς ὑπερηφα νίας αὐτῶν· ἀρὰν καὶ ψεῦδος λαλοῦντας συν τέλεσον· ἐν θυμῷ ἀνάλωσον, ἵνα μὴ ὦσιν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ συκοφαντίαις ἐχρήσαντο, λέγοντες αὐτὸν προστεταχέναι μὴ δοῦναι Καίσαρ· κῆνσον· καὶ ταῦτα ἀκηκοότες παρεγγυῶντος αὐτοῦ δοῦναι τὰ τοῦ Καίσαρος Καίσαρι, καὶ τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ