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Jonathan the son of Saul to him, and said to him: Do not be afraid, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you, and you will reign over Israel, and I will be second to you, and Saul my father knows this. And they both made a covenant before the Lord, and David remained, and Jonathan went away to his house; to which he adds in sequence: And the Ziphites went up from the parched land to Saul on the hill, saying: Is not David hidden among us in Mesara in the narrow places, in the new place? When Saul learned this, he turned to the pursuit of David. And now he was close to taking him captive; for it is written: And Saul heard and pursued David into the wilderness of Maon. And Saul and his men go from one side of this mountain; and David was covered, going from the face of Saul; and Saul and his men surrounded David and 23.465 his men, to capture them. And a messenger came to Saul saying: Hurry and come, for foreigners have invaded the land. And Saul turned back from pursuing David, and went to meet the foreigners. These are the things from the history. On account of these things, David, having been saved from the hand of Saul, delivers the present hymn in writing, having noted the time and declared the event through the inscription. Therefore he also urges us to the understanding of what is contained, saying: To the end, in hymns of understanding for David. But according to Aquila: To the one who gives victory, in psalms of the knowledgeable David; but according to Symmachus: A victory song with psalteries, concerning the understanding of David. Since both while fleeing and pursuing through the wilderness, instead of an amulet he brought the instrument of the psaltery, using it and the hymns sent up to God through it; and using odes and spiritual psalms instead of sacrifice, and instead of fragrant incense, performing the spiritual liturgy through prayers. When therefore the Ziphites came and said to Saul: Is not David hidden among us? When David learned this, either from a revelation of the prophetic spirit or from one of those accustomed to deliver such messages, he immediately took the psaltery in his hands, and through it he offers the rational sacrifice to God saying the things that follow, through which he asks to be saved by God, in no other way than through His name; therefore he says: O God, in your name save me; for he knew there is a name which is above every name. For just as there are in incantations against venomous serpents certain words and names, showing such great strength of power as to lull to sleep or even kill the most fearsome of serpents; in the same way he also knew that the name which is above every name is salvific for those worthy of salvation, and expulsive of hostile and contrary powers. He wished, therefore, to be saved in the name of God, and he did not wish it without judgment; but if he should be found worthy of salvation. Therefore he adds: And in your power you will judge me; or according to the other interpreters, you will vindicate me. For first he asks to be judged and vindicated against those who pursue or have slandered him; then, if he should appear to be wronged, to receive vindication from the judge, who pursues the wrongdoers. Having said these things, he adds, saying: O God, hear my prayer, give ear to the words of my mouth; as if making a justification before the one who judges both him and those who wrong him. And so that the points of his justification might be accepted, he sends up the prayer, which he also asks to be heard, saying: O God, hear, and what follows. What the prayer wished, and what justification it had, he presents next, saying: Because strangers have risen up against me, and mighty men have sought my soul, and they have not set God before them. These were the points of the justification. And see how he does not extend his words at great length, but as to God who

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Ἰωνάθαν ὁ υἱὸς Σαοὺλ πρὸς αὐτὸν, καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Μὴ φοβοῦ, ὅτι οὐ μὴ εὕρῃ σε ἡ χεὶρ Σαοὺλ τοῦ πατρός μου, καὶ σὺ βασιλεύσεις ἐπὶ Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἐγὼ ἔσομαί σοι εἰς δεύτερον, καὶ Σαοὺλ ὁ πατήρ μου οἶδεν οὕτως. Καὶ συνέθεντο ἀμφότεροι διαθήκην ἐνώπιον Κυρίου, καὶ ∆αυῒδ ἐκάθητο, καὶ Ἰωνάθαν ἀπῆλθεν εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ· οἷς ἑξῆς ἐπιλέγει· Καὶ ἀνέβησαν οἱ Ζιφαῖοι ἐκ τῆς αὐχμώδους πρὸς Σαοὺλ ἐπὶ τὸν βουνὸν, λέγοντες· Οὐκ ἰδοὺ ∆αυῒδ κέκρυπται παρ' ἡμῖν ἐν Μεσαρᾶ ἐν τοῖς στενοῖς, ἐν τῇ καινῇ; Ὃ δὴ μαθὼν Σαοὺλ ἐπὶ δίωξιν ἐτράπη τοῦ ∆αυΐδ. Ἤδη τε λοιπὸν ἐγγὺς ἦν τοῦ λαβεῖν αὐτὸν ὑποχείριον· γέγραπται γάρ· Καὶ ἤκουσε Σαοὺλ καὶ κατεδίωξεν ὀπίσω ∆αυῒδ εἰς τὴν ἔρημον Μαών. Καὶ πορεύονται Σαοὺλ καὶ οἱ ἄνδρες αὐτοῦ ἐκ μέρους τοῦ ὄρους τούτου· καὶ ἐγένετο ∆αυῒδ σκεπαζόμενος πορεύεσθαι ἀπὸ προσώπου Σαούλ· καὶ Σαοὺλ καὶ οἱ ἄνδρες αὐτοῦ παρενέβαλλον ἐπὶ ∆αυῒδ καὶ 23.465 τοὺς ἄνδρας αὐτοῦ, συλλαβεῖν αὐτούς. Καὶ ἄγγελος ἦλθε πρὸς Σαοὺλ λέγων· Σπεῦδε καὶ δεῦρο, ὅτι ἐπέθεντο ἀλλόφυλοι ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν. Καὶ ἀνέστρεψε Σαοὺλ μὴ καταδιώκειν ὀπίσω ∆αυῒδ, καὶ ἐπορεύθη εἰς συνάντησιν τῶν ἀλλοφύλων. Ταῦτα μὲν τὰ ἀπὸ τῆς ἱστορίας. Ἐφ' οἷς τὸν προκείμενον ὕμνον διασωθεὶς ἐκ χειρὸς Σαοὺλ ὁ ∆αυῒδ γραφῇ παραδίδωσιν, ἐπισημηνάμενος τὸν καιρὸν καὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα δηλώσας διὰ τῆς προγραφῆς. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐπὶ σύνεσιν ἡμᾶς παρορμᾷ τῶν ἐμφερομένων, λέγων· Εἰς τὸ τέλος ἐν ὕμνοις συνέσεως τῷ ∆αυΐδ. Κατὰ δὲ τὸν Ἀκύλαν· Τῷ νικοποιῷ ἐν ψαλμοῖς ἐπιστήμονος τοῦ ∆αυΐδ· κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον· Ἐπινίκιον διὰ ψαλτηρίων περὶ συνέσεως τοῦ ∆αυΐδ. Ἐπειδὴ καὶ φεύγων καὶ τὴν ἔρημον μεταδιώκων, ἀντὶ φυλακτηρίου ἐπήγετο τὸ τοῦ ψαλτηρίου ὄργανον, αὐτῷ χρώμενος καὶ τοῖς δι' αὐτοῦ εἰς Θεὸν ἀναπεμπομένοις ὕμνοις· καὶ ᾠδαῖς μὲν καὶ ψαλμοῖς πνευματικοῖς ἀντὶ θυσίας χρώμενος, ἀντὶ δὲ εὐώδους θυμιάματος δι' εὐχῶν τὴν πνευματικὴν ἀποτελῶν λειτουργίαν. Ἐν τῷ ἐλθεῖν τοίνυν τοὺς Ζιφαίους καὶ εἰπεῖν τῷ Σαούλ· Οὐκ ἰδοὺ ∆αυῒδ κέκρυπται παρ' ἡμῖν; Τοῦτο μαθὼν ὁ ∆αυῒδ ἤτοι ἐξ ἀποκαλύψεως τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ προφητικοῦ ἢ ἔκ τινος τῶν τὰς τοιαύτας ἀπαγγελίας διακονεῖν εἰωθότων, τὸ ψαλτήριον μετὰ χεῖρας παραχρῆμα λαβὼν, δι' αὐτοῦ τῷ Θεῷ τὴν λογικὴν ἀναφέρει θυσίαν λέγων τὰ προκείμενα, δι' ὧν ἀξιοῖ σωθῆναι ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ, οὐκ ἄλλως ἢ διὰ τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτοῦ· διό φησιν· Ὁ Θεὸς, ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί σου σῶσόν με· ᾔδει γὰρ εἶναί τι ὄνομα τὸ ὑπὲρ πᾶν ὄνομα. Ὥσπερ γάρ ἐστί τινα ἐν ταῖς ἐπῳδαῖς κατὰ τῶν ἰοβόλων ἑρπετῶν ῥήματα καὶ ὀνόματα, τοσαύτην ἐμφαίνοντα δυνάμεως ἰσχὺν, ὡς κατακοιμίζειν ἢ καὶ νεκροῦν τὰ φοβερώτατα τῶν ἑρπετῶν· τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ τὸ ὄνομα τὸ ὑπὲρ πᾶν ὄνομα ἠπίστατο σωτήριον μὲν τυγχάνειν τῶν σωτηρίας ἀξίων, τῶν δὲ ἐχθρῶν καὶ ἐναντίων δυνάμεων ἀπελατικόν. Ἐβούλετο τοίνυν σωθῆναι ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ οὐκ ἀκρίτως τε ἐβούλετο· ἀλλ' εἰ ἄξιος εὑρίσκοιτο τῆς σωτηρίας. ∆ιὸ ἐπιλέγει· Καὶ ἐν τῇ δυναστείᾳ σου κρινεῖς μοι· ἢ κατὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἑρμηνευτὰς, δικάσεις μοι. Πρότερον γὰρ ἀξιοῖ κρίνεσθαι καὶ δικάζεσθαι πρὸς τοὺς ἐλαύνοντας ἢ καὶ διαβεβληκότας αὐτόν· εἶθ' οὕτως εἰ φάνειε ἀδικούμενος ἐκδικήσεως τυχεῖν τῆς παρὰ τοῦ κριτοῦ, μετερχομένου τοὺς ἀδικοῦντας. Ταῦτ' εἰπὼν, προστίθησι λέγων· Ὁ Θεὸς, εἰσάκουσον τῆς προσευχῆς μου, ἐνώτισαι τὰ ῥήματα τοῦ στόματός μου· ὥσπερ δικαιολογίαν ποιούμενος ἐνώπιον τοῦ κρίνοντος αὐτῷ τε καὶ τοῖς ἀδικοῦσιν αὐτόν. Καὶ ἵνα γε τὰ τῆς δικαιολογίας παραδεχθῇ, τὴν εὐχὴν ἀναπέμπει, ἣν καὶ εἰσακουσθῆναι ἀξιοῖ λέγων· Ὁ Θεὸς, εἰσάκουσον, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Τί δ' ἂν ἐβούλετο ἡ προσευχὴ, καὶ ποίαν δικαιολογίαν εἶχε, ἑξῆς παρίστησι λέγων· Ὅτι ἀλλότριοι ἐπανέστησαν ἐπ' ἐμὲ, καὶ κραταιοὶ ἐζήτησαν τὴν ψυχήν μου, καὶ οὐ προέθεντο τὸν Θεὸν ἐνώπιον αὐτῶν. Ταῦτ' ἦν τὰ τῆς δικαιολογίας. Καὶ ὅρα πῶς οὐ διὰ μακρῶν ἐκτείνει τοὺς λόγους, ἀλλ' ἅτε Θεῷ τῷ