132

I call philanthropy. The blessed David, seeing these things from afar with prophetic eyes, both foretold the calamities of the Jews, and promised that he himself would always hymn the Master; and he fulfills his promises by offering the hymnody through the pious. [For just as after the night, at dawn when the sun has risen, all that is under heaven is illuminated; so the presence of the sun of righteousness banished the darkness of sin, but bestowed the light of the knowledge of God on those who believe in him, and providing it daily he does not cease.]

INTERPRETATION OF PSALM 59. 1, 2. "For the end, for those who will be changed, for a stele inscription, for David for instruction. When he burned Mesopotamia of Syria, and Syria of Sobal, and Joab returned, and struck Edom in the valley of salt, twelve thousand." These things have already happened, and have been written down in the second book of Kings. But the inscription "for the end" teaches us to understand that something of prophecy has been mixed with the history; and to the inscription is added also, "For those who will be changed." The change hints at some transformation, and a transformation not of things that have happened, but of things that will be. For he did not say: For those who have been changed, but For those who will be changed. And the stele inscription is significant of the victory; but it is necessary to state the theme of the prophecy 80.1317 in summary. The blessed David, having won the aforementioned victories, foresaw with the eyes of the spirit the future transgression of the people, and the captivity that would happen because of it. He also foresaw the return from there that would happen by divine grace, and he thought it necessary to write beforehand both the sorrowful and the pleasing things, for the benefit of the people who would be living at the time of those events. 3. "O God, you have cast us off, and you have destroyed us." Here he foretells the captivity; then God's justice and philanthropy. "You were angry and you pitied us." For because of the transgressions you were angry, but after the punishment you had mercy. 4. "You have shaken the earth, and have troubled it." Through these words he indicated the incursions of the Assyrians and Babylonians; for like an earthquake they utterly destroyed everything. Then he asks for philanthropy. "Heal its breaches, for it has been shaken." Again he recounts what has happened. 5. "You have shown your people hard things." What are these? "You have made us drink the wine of compunction." By the multitude, he says, of calamities, as with some wine, you have brought stupor upon us, and have filled our souls with pain. For so also did Aquila interpret it: You have made us drink the wine of stupor. 6. "You have given to those who fear you a sign to flee from the face of the bow." The blessed prophet Ezekiel teaches this more clearly. For he said that he had seen an angel, commanded by the God of all to go around the entire city, and to place on the foreheads a sign of those who were groaning over the transgressions of the people. But that was a type of our things; for we have received the true sign from divine grace; using which we become superior to the arrows of the enemy. 7. "That your beloved may be delivered." By this sign, he says, you guard those who are dedicated to you, who on account of their own virtue have been deemed worthy of loving affection, [being made immortal through the regeneration of the font. Well, therefore, did the prophet add:] "Save with your right hand, and hear me." Change, he says, the calamities that lie upon your people; 80.1320 and as with a right hand, raise up those who lie under your care [that the only-begotten Son of God the Father is called his right hand, none of those who believe in him would doubt]. Having thus offered the supplication [the prophetic mind,] receives the answer, and does not endure to hide it, but teaches all. 8. "God has spoken in his holy one." That is, through the grace of the all-holy Spirit using the prophet as an instrument

132

φιλανθρω πίας καλῶ. Ταῦτα ὁ μακάριος ∆αβὶδ πόῤῥωθεν προφητικοῖς ἰδὼν ὀφθαλμοῖς, καὶ τὰς Ἰουδαίων προείρηκε συμφορὰς, καὶ αὐτὸς ὑμνήσειν ἀεὶ τὸν ∆εσπότην ὑπέσχετο· καὶ πληροῖ γε τὰς ὑποσχέσεις διὰ τῶν εὐσεβῶν τὴν ὑμνῳδίαν προσφέρων. [Ωσπερ γὰρ μετὰ τὴν νύκτα ἐν ὄρθρῳ ἀνατείλαν τος τοῦ ἡλίου φωτίζεται πᾶσα ἡ ὑπ' οὐρανόν· οὕτω ἡ παρουσία τοῦ ἡλίου τῆς δικαιοσύνης τὸ μὲν σκότος τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἠφάνισεν, τὸ δὲ φῶς τῆς θεογνωσίας τοῖς εἰς αὐτὸν πιστεύουσιν ἐχαρίσατο, καὶ παρέχων ὁσημέραι οὐ παύεται.]

ΕΡΜΗΝ. ΤΟΥ ΝΘʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΥ. αʹ, βʹ. "Εἰς τὸ τέλος, τοῖς ἀλλοιωθησομένοις, εἰς στηλογραφίαν, τῷ ∆αβὶδ εἰς

διδαχήν. Ὁπότε ἐν επύρισε τὴν Μεσοποταμίαν Συρίας, καὶ τὴν Συ ρίαν Σωβὰλ, καὶ ἐπέστρεψεν Ἰωὰβ, καὶ ἐπά ταξε τὸν Ἐδὼμ ἐν τῇ φάραγγι τῶν ἁλῶν, δώ δεκα χιλιάδας." Ταῦτα μὲν ἤδη καὶ γεγένηται, καὶ ἐν τῇ δευτέρᾳ τῶν Βασιλειῶν ἀναγέγραπται. Ἡ δὲ εἰς τὸ τέλος ἐπιγραφὴ διδάσκει νοεῖν, ὡς τῇ ἱστο ρίᾳ καὶ προφητείᾳ τις ἀνακέκραται· καὶ πρόσκει ται τῇ ἐπιγραφῇ καὶ, "Τοῖς ἀλλοιωθησομένοις." Ἡ δὲ ἀλλοίωσις μεταβολήν τινα αἰνίττεται, καὶ μεταβολὴν οὐ γεγενημένων, ἀλλ' ἐσομένων πραγμά των. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν· Τοῖς ἀλλοιωθεῖσιν, ἀλλὰ Τοῖς ἀλλοιωθησομένοις. Καὶ ἡ στηλογραφία δὲ τῆς νί κης σημαντική· ἐν κεφαλαίῳ δὲ τῆς προφητείας 80.1317 τὴν ὑπόθεσιν ἀναγκαῖον εἰπεῖν. Τὰς προειρημένας νίκας νενικηκὼς ὁ μακάριος ∆αβὶδ, προεῖδε τοῖς τοῦ πνεύματος ὀφθαλμοῖς τὴν ἐσομένην τοῦ λαοῦ παρα νομίαν, καὶ τὴν δι' αὐτὴν συμβησομένην αἰχμα λωσίαν. Προεῖδε δὲ καὶ τὴν ἐκεῖθεν θείᾳ χάριτι γενη σομένην ἐπάνοδον, καὶ ἀναγκαῖον ᾠήθη καὶ τὰ λυ πηρὰ καὶ τὰ θυμήρη προγράψαι, εἰς ὠφέλειαν τῶν ἐπ' ἐκείνων τῶν πραγμάτων ἐσομένων ἀνθρώ πων. γʹ. "Ὁ Θεὸς, ἀπώσω ἡμᾶς, καὶ καθεῖλες ἡμᾶς." Ἐνταῦθα τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν προλέγει· εἶτα τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ δίκαιον καὶ φιλάνθρωπον. "Ὠργίσθης καὶ ᾠκτείρησας ἡμᾶς." ∆ιὰ μὲν γὰρ τὰς παρανο μίας ὠργίσθης, μετὰ δὲ τὴν τιμωρίαν ἠλέη σας. δʹ. "Συνέσεισας τὴν γῆν, καὶ συνετάραξας αὐτήν." Τὰς τῶν Ἀσσυρίων καὶ Βαβυλωνίων ἐφόδους διὰ τούτων ἐδήλωσε· σεισμοῦ γὰρ δίκην ἄρδην ἠφάνισαν ἅπαντα. Εἶτα τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν αἰτεῖ. "Ἴασαι τὰ συντρίμματα αὐτῆς, ὅτι ἐσαλεύθη." Πάλιν τὰ γεγενημένα διέξεισι. εʹ. "Ἔδειξας τῷ λαῷ σου σκληρά." Ποῖα ταῦ τα; "Ἐπότισας ἡμᾶς οἶνον κατανύξεως." Τῷ πλήθει, φησὶ, τῶν συμφορῶν, καθάπερ οἴνῳ τινὶ, κά ρον ἡμῖν ἐνεποίησας, καὶ ὀδύνης ἐνέπλησας τὰς ἡμε τέρας ψυχάς. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ ὁ Ἀκύλας ἡρμήνευ σεν· Ἐπότισας ἡμᾶς οἶνον καρώσεως. ʹ. "Ἔδωκας τοῖς φοβουμένοις σε σημείωσιν τοῦ φυγεῖν ἀπὸ προσώπου τόξου." Τοῦτο σαφέστε ρον ὁ μακάριος Ἰεζεκιὴλ ὁ προφήτης διδάσκει. Ἑωρακέναι γὰρ ἄγγελον ἔφη, ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων προστεταγμένον ἅπασαν τὴν πόλιν περινοστῆ σαι, καὶ ἐπιθεῖναι τοῖς μετώποις σημεῖον τῶν κατα στενόντων ἐπὶ ταῖς τοῦ λαοῦ παρανομίαις. Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖ να τύπος τῶν ἡμετέρων· τὸ γὰρ ἀληθὲς σημεῖον ἡμεῖς παρὰ τῆς θείας ἐλάβομεν χάριτος· ᾧ κεχρη μένοι κρείττους τῶν τοῦ δυσμενοῦς γινόμεθα το ξευμάτων. ζʹ. "Ὅπως ἂν ῥυσθῶσιν οἱ ἀγαπητοί σου." Τού τῳ δὲ, φησὶ, τῷ σημείῳ τοὺς ἀνακειμένους σοι διαφυλάττεις, οἳ διὰ τὴν οἰκείαν ἀρετὴν τῆς φιλο στοργίας ἠξίωνται, [ἀπαθανατιζόμενοι διὰ τῆς τοῦ λουτροῦ παλιγγενεσίας. Καλῶς οὖν ἐπήγαγεν ὁ προφήτης·] "Σῶσον τῇ δεξιᾷ σου, καὶ ἐπάκουσόν μου." Μετάβαλλε, φησὶ, τὰς ἐπικειμένας τῷ λαῷ 80.1320 σου συμφοράς· καὶ οἷόν τινι δεξιᾷ, τῇ σῇ κηδε μονίᾳ κειμένους ἀνάστησον [ὅτι δὲ δεξιὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρὸς ὁ μονογενὴς αὐτοῦ Υἱὸς ὀνομάζεται, οὐκ ἀμφιβάλοι τις τῶν πιστευόντων εἰς αὐτόν]. Οὕτω προσενεγκὼν τὴν δέησιν [ὁ προφητικὸς νοῦς,] δέ χεται τὴν ἀπόκρισιν, καὶ ταύτην οὐκ ἀνέχεται κρύ ψαι, ἀλλὰ πάντας διδάσκει. ηʹ. "Ὁ Θεὸς ἐλάλησεν ἐν τῷ ἁγίῳ αὑτοῦ." Τουτ έστι, διὰ τῆς τοῦ παναγίου Πνεύματος χάριτος ὀρ γάνῳ τῇ τοῦ προφήτου χρησαμένης