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Symmachus, he was of like manner. For what likeness of manner could there be in their lives, which differ so greatly? But Saul was never of like soul to David, nor are they ever recorded to have walked in the house of God in harmony. But Saul is shown to have always been an open enemy of David; therefore he reasonably fled from him, and hid himself, guarding against an open enemy. Nor could one apply the things concerning the said city to the history of David. For in what city did he see, as he says, iniquity and strife, not only by day, but also by night, and toil and trouble, and injustice and usury not ceasing from its streets? For the city of Saul was said to be Ramah, and his dwelling place Gibeah, Jerusalem not yet being under Israel, but still belonging to foreigners. And that David should seem to curse, and to say: "Let death come upon them, and let them go down alive into Hades," what agreement would this have with the praiseworthy account of his celebrated virtue, concerning which it is written that he said: "If I have rendered to those who rendered evil to me, may I then fall empty from my enemies?" For to utter such curses against enemies would not be characteristic of the long-suffering David, who always honored and revered Saul, so as not even to dare to lay hands on him, when at one time he had him 23.473 in his power, as is shown from the history itself. And proceeding, he adds: "His words were smoother than oil, and yet they are darts." Whom then could one show to have done these things to David? From all of which I think that there is no place for the preceding things to be referred to the person of David; but I think they were spoken by prophetic power, and are confirmed as fulfilled only in our Savior and Lord, when, having gathered together at the same time, the rulers of the Jewish nation in Jerusalem, they held a council and deliberation, on how they might destroy him; in which some voted for his death; but others spoke against it, as Nicodemus saying: "Does our law condemn a man, unless it first hears something from him?" Therefore the Holy Spirit prophetically declares these things through the preceding words, saying: "For I have seen iniquity and strife in the city day and night." And the scripture of the Gospel also clearly bears witness to the prophecy, applying to the traitor Judas the words, "If an enemy had reproached me, I would have borne it; and if one who hated me had spoken great things against me, I would have hidden myself from him." "But you, a man of like soul," and the rest. Since, therefore, the context of the words is shown to be fulfilled in no other way than through the things done to the Savior, and the testimony of the evangelical citation refers the aforesaid part of the reading to the traitor; it would be consistent for us also to take the present prophecy as referring to the time of the Savior's passion, and to show that each of the things contained in it met its end at the time of the plot against our Savior. The things of the inscription, therefore, now also stir us to understanding of the contents, and refer to the end, because they were fulfilled by deeds at the consummation of the age. And it is said "in hymns"; or, according to Aquila, "in psalms"; or, according to Symmachus, "by psalters"; since the end of the Savior's passion partook of hymns and psalters and songs, both because of his resurrection and the salvation of those redeemed through it. And such are the things of the inscription. But the things of the prophecy beseech God to give ear to the one speaking, and to grant this to him first; then second, to know the supplication and entreaty sent up through prayer, and not to overlook it; and third, to behold the condition of the one sending up the prayer, and thus to deem him worthy of his hearing; wherefore he adds: "Attend to me and hear me." For as if entreating God, the one sending up the prayer shows himself, and says to God: "Attend to me."

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τὸν Σύμμαχον, ὁμότροπος ἦν. Ποία γὰρ ὁμοιοτροπία γένοιτ' ἂν ἐν τοῖς ἑκατέρων βίοις πάμπολυ διαλλάττουσιν; Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἰσόψυχος πώποτε γέγονε τῷ ∆αυῒδ ὁ Σαοὺλ, οὐδὲ ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἱστοροῦνται πώποτε πεπορευμένοι ἐν ὁμονοίᾳ. Προφανῶς δ' ἐχθρὸς ὁ Σαοὺλ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ πάντοτε φαίνεται γεγονώς· ἔφευγε δ' οὖν αὐτὸν εἰκότως, καὶ ἐκρύπτετο, ὡς φανερὸν ἐχθρὸν φυλαττόμενος. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τὰ περὶ τῆς εἰρημένης πόλεως ἐφαρμόσαι ἄν τις τῇ κατὰ τὸν ∆αυῒδ ἱστορίᾳ. Ἐν ποίᾳ γὰρ εἶδε πόλει ἥν φησιν ἀνομίαν καὶ ἀντιλογίαν, οὐ μόνον ἡμέρας, ἀλλὰ καὶ νυκτὸς, κόπον τε καὶ πόνον, ἀδικίαν τε καὶ τόκον ἐκ τῶν πλατειῶν αὐτῆς μὴ ἐκλείποντα; Ἡ μὲν γὰρ πόλις τοῦ Σαοὺλ ἐλέγετο εἶναι ἡ Ῥαμὰ, τὸ δ' οἰκητήριον αὐτοῦ ἡ Γαβεὲ, οὔπω τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ ὑπὸ τῷ Ἰσραὴλ γενομένης, ἀλλ' ἔτι ἀλλοφύλων οὔσης. Τὸ δ' ἐπαρᾶσθαι δοκεῖν τὸν ∆αυῒδ, καὶ λέγειν· Ἐλθέτω θάνατος ἐπ' αὐτοὺς, καὶ καταβήτωσαν εἰς ᾅδου ζῶντες, ποίαν ἔχοι συμφωνίαν πρὸς τὸ σεμνολόγημα τῆς ὑμνουμένης αὐτοῦ ἀρετῆς, ἐφ' ἧς λέγων ἀναγέγραπται· Εἰ ἀνταπέδωκα τοῖς ἀνταποδιδοῦσί μοι κακὰ, ἀποπεσείην ἄρα ἀπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν μου κενός; τὸ γὰρ τοιαύτας ἀρὰς κατεύχεσθαι τῶν ἐχθρῶν, οὐκ ἂν εἴη τοῦ ἀνεξικάκου ∆αυῒδ, ὃς πάντοτε τιμῶν καὶ σέβας ἔχων τοῦ Σαοὺλ, ὡς μηδὲ τολμᾷν ἐπιβάλλειν αὐτῷ χεῖρας, ὅτε καί ποτε ὑποχείριον αὐ 23.473 τὸν εἴληφεν, ἐξ αὐτῆς δείκνυται τῆς ἱστορίας. Καὶ προϊὼν δὲ ἐπιλέγει· Ἡπαλύνθησαν οἱ λόγοι αὐτοῦ ὑπὲρ ἔλαιον, καὶ αὐτοί εἰσι βολίδες. Τίνα οὖν ἄν τις ἔχοι δεῖξαι τὸν ταῦτα τῷ ∆αυῒδ πεποιηκότα; Ἐξ ὧν ἁπάντων ἡγοῦμαι μὴ χώραν ἔχειν ἀναφέρεσθαι τὰ προκείμενα ἐπὶ τὸ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ πρόσωπον· προφητικῇ δὲ οἶμαι δυνάμει λελέχθαι αὐτὰ, καὶ ἐπὶ μόνον τὸν Σωτῆρα καὶ Κύριον ἡμῶν συνίστασθαι πεπληρωμένα, ὅτε, κατὰ τὸ αὐτὸ συναχθέντες οἱ τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους ἄρχοντες ἐπὶ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ, συνέδριον ἐποιήσαντο καὶ σκέψιν, ὅπως αὐτὸν ἀπολέσωσιν· ἐν ᾧ οἱ μὲν θάνατον αὐτοῦ κατεψηφίσαντο· ἕτεροι δὲ ἀντέλεγον, ὡς ὁ Νικόδημος λέγων· Μὴ ὁ νόμος ἡμῶν κατακρίνει τὸν ἄνθρωπον, εἰ μή τι ἀκούσῃ παρ' αὐτοῦ; Ταῦτ' οὖν προφητικῶς τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ἀποθεσπίζει διὰ τῶν προκειμένων λέγον· Ὅτι εἶδον ἀνομίαν καὶ ἀντιλογίαν ἐν τῇ πόλει ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτός. Σαφῶς δὲ καὶ ἡ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου γραφὴ μαρτυρεῖ τῇ προφητείᾳ, ἐπὶ τὸν προδότην Ἰούδαν ἐκλαβοῦσα τὸ, Εἰ ὁ ἐχθρὸς ὠνείδισέ με, ὑπήνεγκα ἄν· καὶ εἰ ὁ μισῶν με, ἐπ' ἐμὲ ἐμεγαλοῤῥημόνησεν, ἐκρύβην ἂν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ. Σὺ δὲ, ἄνθρωπε ἰσόψυχε, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Ἐπεὶ τοίνυν καὶ ἡ σύμφρασις τῶν λόγων οὐκ ἄλλως πεπληρῶσθαι ἀποδείκνυται ἢ διὰ τῶν εἰς τὸν Σωτῆρα πεπραγμένων, ἥ τε μαρτυρία τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς παραθέσεως ἐπὶ τὸν προδότην ἀναφέρει τὸ προλεχθὲν μέρος τοῦ ἀναγνώσματος· ἀκόλουθον ἂν εἴη καὶ ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦ Σωτηρίου πάθους τὴν παροῦσαν ἐκλαβεῖν προφητείαν, δεῖξαί τε ἕκαστα τῶν ἐν ταύτῃ φερομένων ἐν καιρῷ τῆς κατὰ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐπιβουλῆς τέλους τετυχηκότα. Τὰ μὲν οὖν τῆς προγραφῆς καὶ νῦν ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ σύνεσιν διεγείρει τῶν ἐμφερομένων, καὶ εἰς τὸ τέλος δὲ παραπέμπει, διὰ τὸ ἐπὶ συντελείᾳ τοῦ αἰῶνος δι' ἔργων αὐτὰ πεπληρῶσθαι. Εἴρηται δὲ καὶ ἐν ὕμνοις· ἢ, κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν, ἐν ψαλμοῖς· ἢ, κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον, διὰ ψαλτηρίων· ἐπειδὴ τὸ τέλος τοῦ πάθους τοῦ Σωτηρίου ὕμνων καὶ ψαλτηρίων, καὶ ᾠδῶν μετεῖχε τῆς τε ἀναστάσεως αὐτοῦ ἕνεκα καὶ τῆς σωτηρίας τῶν δι' αὐτῆς λελυτρωμένων. Καὶ τοιαῦτα μὲν τὰ τῆς προγραφῆς. Τὰ δὲ τῆς προφητείας παρακαλεῖ τὸν Θεὸν ἐνωτίσασθαι τοῦ λέγοντος, καὶ τοῦτ' αὐτῷ πρῶτον παρασχεῖν· εἶτα δεύτερον, γνῶναι τὴν διὰ τῆς προσευχῆς ἀναπεμπομένην δέησιν καὶ ἱκετηρίαν, μὴ ὑπεριδεῖν τε αὐτήν· καὶ τρίτον, τὴν κατάστασιν θεάσασθαι τοῦ τὴν προσευχὴν ἀναπέμποντος, καὶ οὕτως αὐτὸν καταξιῶσαι τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ἀκοῆς· διὸ ἐπιλέγει· Πρόσχες μοι καὶ εἰσάκουσόν μου. Ὥσπερ γὰρ δυσωπεῖ τὸν Θεὸν ἑαυτὸν δεικνὺς ὁ τὴν προσευχὴν ἀναπέμπων, καὶ λέγων τῷ Θεῷ· Πρόσχες μοι·