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they guided the church of their own king. And it is reasonable, after describing the prophecy concerning those who went down into Egypt in the time of Jeremiah, and after decreeing the return from Babylon and the renewal of Jerusalem, and the future state of the people in the land of Judea, that next and consequently the prophecy concerning Christ should be brought forward, and that he is the one prophesied, and the good things procured by him for all men. For just as he prophesied the descent into Egypt that would happen many years later in the times of Jeremiah the prophet and the return from captivity that happened after these things, so it was not at all wonderful for him to prophesy also things that would happen even longer times later at the coming of Christ, whom it is right to call a righteous king reigning for righteousness according to the other interpreters. Since through his gospel "the righteousness of God has been revealed" so that the knowledge of God is preached not only "to Jews," but also "to Greeks" and to men throughout the whole world, therefore Christ of God reigned for righteousness, this kingdom being of a new kind; for he had not undertaken the kingdom looking to human worth nor to honor and glory from men, but to righteousness; just as, therefore, his rulers also ruled not having been advanced in worldly dignities, but for judgment. Therefore according to the other interpreters it has been said: and rulers shall rule for judgment. But instead of: And the man shall be hiding his words, Symmachus says: And a man shall be as a hiding place from the wind and a shelter from the storm. Who then shall be the man but the one named righteous above? For this one himself will be a man, not being a man by nature, but greater than according to man’s nature; yet he will be a man concealing his divinity. Therefore according to Symmachus it is said, as a hiding place from the wind and a shelter from the storm, but according to Aquila: as one hiding the spirit and a hiding place from a shaking. You see how the word presents the economy of his humanity as hidden, but according to the Seventy, since he speaks "all the things he spoke in parables." For this reason it has been said: hiding his words and he will be hidden as from rushing water; for the multitude of the Jewish people was rushing and perishing water; therefore he also hid himself from them and covered his words from them, but revealed them to his disciples. Therefore he says he will be manifest to his church, adding next and saying: and he will appear in Zion as a river. And who will appear but the righteous king himself? For he himself will appear as a glorious rushing river. And what is this Zion but the one that will manifestly receive him who is hidden from those others? He teaches of a certain great river, saying: as a glorious rushing river in a thirsty land. For the formerly desert and thirsty land, the church from the Gentiles, this is Zion, in which he says they will no longer be trusting in men, instead of which Symmachus interpreted: and the eyes of those who see will not be dimmed, showing that those in the church of God see and understand the river that became manifest to them, that is, the only-begotten Word of God, concerning whom it is said: "the river of God is full of water," and: "the streams of the river make glad the city of God." Therefore the Savior himself also taught, saying: "whoever drinks of the water that I will give him," "rivers of living water will flow from his belly." To these he adds next: and the ears will give heed to hear. And the heart of the weak will attend to hear, instead of which Symmachus says: but the heart of the foolish will understand to know. You see how he promises understanding of the righteous king who hid himself from others to those who were formerly foolish. And stammering tongues, he says, will quickly learn to speak

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τοῦ ἑαυτῶν βασιλέως τῆς ἐκκλησίας αὐτοῦ καθηγήσαντο. καὶ ἔχει λόγον μετὰ τὸ περιγράψαι τὴν προφητείαν τὴν περὶ τῶν εἰς Αἴγυπτον ἐπὶ Ἰερεμίου κατεληλυθότων καὶ μετὰ τὸ θεσπίσαι τὴν ἀπὸ Βαβυλῶνος ἐπάνοδον καὶ τὴν ἀνανέωσιν τῆς Ἰερουσαλήμ, τήν τε κατάστασιν τοῦ λαοῦ τὴν μέλλουσαν ἔσεσθαι ἐπὶ τῆς Ἰουδαίας χώρας, ἑξῆς καὶ ἀκολούθως τὴν περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ προφητείαν ἐπάγεσθαι καὶ αὐτὸν εἶναι τὸν προφητευόμενον καὶ τὰ δι' αὐτοῦ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις προξενηθέντα ἀγαθά. ὥσπερ δὲ προεφήτευε τὴν μετὰ πλεῖστα ἔτη γενησομένην εἰς Αἴγυπτον κάθοδον τῶν κατὰ τοὺς χρόνους Ἰερεμίου τοῦ προφήτου καὶ τὴν μετὰ ταῦτα τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας ἐπάνοδον γεγενημένην, οὕτως οὐδὲν ἦν θαυμαστὸν προφῆσαι αὐτὸν καὶ ἔτι μᾶλλον μακροῖς ὕστερον χρόνοις γενησόμενα ἐπὶ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρουσίας, ὃν βασιλέα δίκαιον καλεῖν εἰς δικαιοσύνην βασιλεύοντα κατὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἑρμηνευτάς. ἐπειδὴ διὰ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου αὐτοῦ «δικαιοσύνη θεοῦ πεφανέρωται» ὡς μὴ μόνον «Ἰουδαίοις», ἀλλὰ καὶ «Ἕλλησι» καὶ τοῖς καθ' ὅλης τῆς οἰκουμένης ἀνθρώποις τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ γνῶσιν κηρύττεσθαι, ἐβασίλευσε τοίνυν εἰς δικαιοσύνην ὁ Χριστὸς τοῦ θεοῦ καινήν τινα ταύτην τὴν βασιλείαν· οὐ γὰρ εἰς ἀνθρωπίνην ἀξίαν ἀποβλέπων οὐδὲ εἰς τιμὴν καὶ δόξαν τὴν παρὰ ἀνθρώποις τὴν βασιλείαν ἐπανῄρητο, ἀλλ' εἰς δικαιοσύνην· ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐν ἀξιώμασι κοσμικοῖς προαχθέντες ἦρχον, ἀλλ' εἰς κρίσιν. διὸ κατὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἑρμηνευτὰς εἴρηται· καὶ ἄρχοντες εἰς κρίμα ἄρξουσιν. ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ· καὶ ἔσται ὁ ἄνθρωπος κρύπτων τοὺς λόγους αὐτοῦ ὁ Σύμμαχος· καὶ ἔσται φησὶν ἀνὴρ ὡς ἀποκρυφὴ ἀπὸ πνεύματος καὶ σκέπη λαίλαπος. ποῖος οὖν ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἔσται ἀλλ' ἢ ὁ ἀνωτέρω δίκαιος ὠνομασμένος; αὐτὸς γὰρ οὗτος ἔσται ἀνήρ, οὐκ ὢν τῇ φύσει ἀνήρ, ἀλλὰ κρείττων ἢ κατὰ ἀνθρώπου φύσιν· πλὴν ἔσται ἄνθρωπος ἐπικρύπτων αὐτοῦ τὴν θεότητα. διὸ κατὰ μὲν τὸν Σύμμαχον ὡς ἀποκρυφὴ ἀπὸ πνεύματος καὶ σκέπη λαίλαπος εἴρηται, κατὰ δὲ τὸν Ἀκύλαν· ὡς κρύπτων πνεῦμα καὶ ἀποκρυφὴ ἐντινάγματος. ὁρᾷς ὡς κρύφιον τὴν οἰκονομίαν τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος αὐτοῦ παρίστησιν ὁ λόγος, κατὰ δὲ τοὺς Ἑβδομήκοντα ἐπειδὴ «πάντα ἃ ἐλάλει ἐν παραβολαῖς» ὁμιλεῖ. διὰ τοῦτο λέλεκται· κρύπτων τοὺς λόγους αὐτοῦ καὶ κρυβήσεται ὡς ἀπὸ ὕδατος φερομένου· ὕδωρ γὰρ φερόμενον ἦν καὶ ἀπολλύμενον τὸ πλῆθος τοῦ Ἰουδαίων λαοῦ· διὸ καὶ ἀπέκρυπτεν αὐτὸν ἐξ αὐτῶν καὶ τοὺς λόγους αὐτοῦ ἀπ' ἐκείνων μὲν ἐκάλυπτε, τοῖς δὲ αὐτοῦ μαθηταῖς ἐφανέρου. διό φησιν ἔσεσθαι αὐτὸν ἐμφανῆ τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ αὐτοῦ ἐπιφέρων ἑξῆς καὶ λέγων· καὶ φανήσεται ἐν Σιὼν ὡς ποταμός. τίς δὲ φανήσεται ἢ αὐτὸς δίκαιος ὁ βασιλεύς; αὐτὸς γὰρ φανήσεται ὡς ποταμὸς φερόμενος ἔνδοξος. τίς δέ ἐστιν ἡ Σιὼν αὕτη ἢ ἡ τὸν ἀπ' ἐκείνων κρυπτόμενον ἐμφανῶς παραδεξομένη; οἷόν τινα μέγαν ποταμὸν διδάσκει λέγων· ὡς ποταμὸς φερόμενος ἔνδοξος ἐν γῇ διψώσῃ. ἡ γὰρ πάλαι ἔρημος καὶ διψῶσα γῆ ἡ ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἐκκλησία αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ Σιών, ἐν ᾗ φησιν οὐκέτι ἔσονται πεποιθότες ἐπ' ἀνθρώποις, ἀνθ' οὗ ὁ Σύμμαχος ἡρμήνευσε· καὶ οὐκ ἀμαυρωθήσονται οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ τῶν ὁρώντων δηλῶν τοὺς ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ τοῦ θεοῦ ὡς βλέπειν καὶ νοεῖν τὸν ἐμφανῆ γενόμενον αὐτοῖς ποταμόν, δηλαδὴ τὸν μονογενῆ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγον, περὶ οὗ εἴρηται· «ὁ ποταμὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπληρώθη ὑδάτων», καί· «τοῦ ποταμοῦ τὰ ὁρμήματα εὐφραίνουσι τὴν πόλιν τοῦ θεοῦ». διὸ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐδίδασκε λέγων ὁ σωτήρ· «ὃς ἂν πίῃ ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος οὗ ἐγὼ δώσω αὐτῷ», «ποταμοὶ ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας αὐτοῦ ῥεύσουσιν ὕδατος ζῶντος». τούτοις ἐπιλέγει ἑξῆς· καὶ τὰ ὦτα ἀκούειν δώσουσι. καὶ ἡ καρδία τῶν ἀσθενούντων προσέξει τοῦ ἀκούειν, ἀνθ' οὗ ὁ Σύμμαχός φησι· καρδία δὲ ἀνοήτων συνήσει γνῶναι. ὁρᾷς ὅπως τοῖς πάλαι ἀνοήτοις τὴν σύνεσιν τοῦ δικαίου βασιλέως τοῦ ἀποκρύψαντος αὐτὸν ἀπὸ ἑτέρων ἐπαγγέλλεται. καὶ γλῶσσαι δέ φησιν αἱ ψελλίζουσαι ταχὺ μαθήσονται λαλεῖν