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and he presents his own condition, saying next: I was grieved in my meditation, and I was troubled by the voice of the enemy, and by the oppression of the sinner. For he shows his grief to God and his trouble, and what he calls meditation, and as things worthy of His consideration. Therefore, he says, pay attention to these things, how I was grieved, how I was troubled, how I have been filled with meditation; and having accepted these things, hear me. And the prophet says 23.476 these things by the divine Spirit, seeing the things about to be dared against the Son of God by the Jews as if they were already present; at which, being confused and troubled, and filled with grief and helplessness, which he called meditation, he continued. For he was grieved and troubled, and meditated, being helpless and at a loss at the things being dared, which a little later he will recount, saying: I saw iniquity and strife in the city, and the rest; which, having later come to pass in deeds, the prophet, anticipating by the Holy Spirit, was grieved and troubled and meditated, being filled with despondency at those who dared such things. Therefore, he also exhorts God to become an overseer of his condition, saying: Give ear, O God, to my prayer, and do not despise my supplication; attend to me and hear me. And being in such a condition, he thought it right to say next: Swallow them up, O Lord, and divide their tongues; through which he implored that their conspiracy against the Savior be scattered, and that their boasting and the pride of their arrogance be humbled, so that their evils might not be aggravated and increased. Therefore, asking for reasonable things, through his supplication he thought it right not to be overlooked; but he was also filled with grief and trouble, and meditation, saying: By the voice of the enemy and by the oppression of the sinner, that is, of an enemy and sinful people; for those who dared such things caused oppression to the prophetic spirit. Then he adds next: Because they turned iniquity upon me, and in wrath they were angry with me, making his own the things dared against the Savior. And it can also be said from the person of the Savior, both the other things and this: Because they turned iniquity upon me, and in wrath they were angry with me; or according to Symmachus: Because they inscribed impiety against me, and with wrath they opposed me. My heart was troubled within me, and the terror of death fell upon me, and the rest. The prophet confesses to have suffered all these things, because he had foreseen by the prophetic spirit the city mentioned next being filled with iniquity and strife, and toil, and pain, and injustice; and the one of like soul and acquaintance of our Savior treating him as an enemy and foe. For at these things he shows his compassion to God, and the reasonable trouble which he endured; about which he also said above: I was grieved in my meditation, and I was troubled; and now again: My heart was troubled within me; and according to Aquila, he says, My heart was in pangs within my bowels; and according to Symmachus: My heart was writhing within me. But also the terror of death fell upon him; either of the Savior's death, at which the prophet was filled with terror, being moved by human reasoning, or of the death of the souls of those about to perish because of such bold deeds. But also fear and trembling on account of excessive piety fell upon the prophet, seeing the Beloved of God suffering such things from the impious. And darkness covered him, or, according to Aquila, a whirling; or, according to Symmachus, a shuddering; as if seeing the things done against the Savior as dreadful and truly 23.477 worthy of darkness. And you will understand the things said from the example of what happens to us in dreams; since often when dreaming, and then seeing certain fearful things, either beasts pursuing, or reptiles, or enemies coming against us, we are disturbed in soul and beside ourselves, being filled with trembling and agony, and sweat. For in the same way, I think, also the soul of the prophet of things not yet present, but about to be

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τὴν δὲ ἑαυτοῦ κατάστασιν παρίστησι καὶ ἑξῆς λέγων· Ἐλυπήθην ἐν τῇ ἀδολεσχίᾳ μου, καὶ ἐταράχθην ἀπὸ φωνῆς ἐχθροῦ, καὶ ἀπὸ θλίψεως ἁμαρτωλοῦ. Τὴν γὰρ λύπην ἑαυτοῦ δείκνυσι τῷ Θεῷ καὶ τὴν ταραχὴν, καὶ ἥν φησιν ἀδολεσχίαν, καὶ ὡς ἄξια τῆς ἑαυτοῦ θεωρίας. ∆ιὸ, τούτοις, φησὶν, πρόσχες, ὅπως ἐλυπήθην, ὅπως ἐταράχθην, ὅπως ἀδολεσχίας πεπλήρωμαι· ἀποδεξάμενός τε ταῦτα, ἐπάκουσόν μου. Λέγει δὲ 23.476 ταῦτα Πνεύματι θείῳ ὁ προφήτης, τὰ κατὰ τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ μέλλοντα ὑπὸ Ἰουδαίων τολμᾶσθαι, ὡς ἤδη παρόντα βλέπων· ἐφ' οἷς συγχεόμενος καὶ ταραττόμενος, λύπης τε πληρούμενος καὶ ἀμηχανίας, ἣν ἀδολεσχίαν ὠνόμασε, διετέλει. Ἐλυπεῖτο γοῦν καὶ ἐταράττετο, καὶ ἠδολέσχει ἀμηχανῶν καὶ ἀπορῶν ἐπὶ τοῖς τολμωμένοις, ἃ μικρὸν ὕστερον διέξεισι φάσκων· Εἶδον ἀνομίαν καὶ ἀντιλογίαν ἐν τῇ πόλει, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· ἅπερ, ὕστερόν ποτε δι' ἔργων κεχωρηκότα, προλαβὼν τῷ Πνεύματι τῷ ἁγίῳ ὁ προφήτης, ἐλυπεῖτο καὶ ἐταράττετο καὶ ἠδολέσχει, ἀθυμίας ἐμπιπλάμενος ἐπὶ τοῖς τὰ τοιαῦτα τολμῶσι. ∆ιὸ καὶ τὸν Θεὸν ἐπόπτην τῆς ἑαυτοῦ καταστάσεως γενέσθαι παρακαλεῖ λέγων· Ἐνώτισαι, ὁ Θεὸς, τὴν προσευχήν μου, καὶ μὴ ὑπερίδῃς τὴν δέησίν μου· πρόσχες μοι καὶ εἰσάκουσόν μου. Ἐν τοιαύτῃ δὲ γεγονὼς καταστάσει, ἠξίου λέγων ἑξῆς· Καταπόντισον, Κύριε, καὶ καταδίελε τὰς γλώσσας αὐτῶν· δι' ὧν ἱκέτευε τὴν συμφωνίαν αὐτῶν τὴν κατὰ τοῦ Σωτῆρος διασκεδασθῆναι, τήν τε μεγαλαυχίαν αὐτῶν καὶ τὸ τῆς ἀλαζονείας ἔπαρμα ταπεινωθῆναι, πρὸς τὸ μὴ ἐπιτρίβεσθαι, καὶ αὔξειν αὐτῶν τὰ κακά. Εὔλογα τοίνυν αἰτῶν, διὰ τῆς δεήσεως ἠξίου μὴ ὑπεροραθῆναι· ἀλλὰ καὶ λύπης ἐπληροῦτο καὶ ταραχῆς, καὶ ἀδολεσχίας, φάσκων· Ἀπὸ φωνῆς ἐχθροῦ καὶ ἀπὸ θλίψεως ἁμαρτωλοῦ, ἐχθροῦ δηλαδὴ καὶ ἁμαρτωλοῦ λαοῦ· θλίψιν γὰρ παρεῖχον τῷ πνεύματι τῷ προφητικῷ οἱ τὰ τοιαῦτα τολμῶντες. Εἶτ' ἐπιλέγει ἑξῆς· Ὅτι ἐξέκλιναν ἐπ' ἐμὲ ἀνομίαν, καὶ ἐν ὀργῇ ἐνεκότουν μοι, ἰδιοποιούμενον τὰ κατὰ τοῦ Σωτῆρος τετολμημένα. Καὶ ἐκ προσώπου δὲ τοῦ Σωτῆρος δύναται λέγεσθαι τά τε ἄλλα καὶ τό· Ὅτι ἐξέκλιναν ἐπ' ἐμὲ ἀνομίαν, καὶ ἐν ὀργῇ ἐνεκότουν μοι· ἢ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον· Ὅτι ἐπέγραψαν κατ' ἐμοῦ ἀσέβειαν, καὶ μετ' ὀργῆς ἠναντιώθησάν μοι. Ἡ καρδία μου ἐταράχθη ἐν ἐμοὶ, καὶ δειλία θανάτου ἐπέπεσεν ἐπ' ἐμὲ, καὶ τὰ λοιπά. Πάντα ταῦτα πεπονθέναι ὁ προφήτης ὁμολογεῖ, διὰ τὸ προεωρακέναι τῷ πνεύματι τῷ προφητικῷ τὴν ἑξῆς δηλουμένην πόλιν ἀνομίας πληρουμένην καὶ ἀντιλογίας, καὶ κόπου, καὶ πόνου, καὶ ἀδικίας· καὶ τὸν ἰσόψυχον καὶ γνωστὸν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν τὰ ἐχθρῶν αὐτὸν καὶ πολεμίων διατιθέντα. Ἐπὶ τούτοις γὰρ τὴν συμπάθειαν αὐτοῦ δείκνυσι τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ ἣν ὑπέμεινεν εὔλογον ταραχήν· περὶ ἧς καὶ ἀνωτέρω ἔλεγεν· Ἐλυπήθην ἐν τῇ ἀδολεσχίᾳ μου, καὶ ἐταράχθην· καὶ νῦν πάλιν· Ἡ καρδία μου ἐταράχθη ἐν ἐμοί· κατὰ δὲ τὸν Ἀκύλαν, Ἡ καρδία μου, φησὶν, ὠδίνησεν ἐν ἐγκάτῳ μου· κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον· Ἡ καρδία μου διεστρωφᾶτο ἔνδον μου. Ἀλλὰ καὶ δειλία θανάτου εἰσέπεσεν ἐπ' αὐτόν· ἤτοι τοῦ Σωτηρίου θανάτου, ἐφ' ᾧ δειλίας ὁ προφήτης ἐπληροῦτο, ἀνθρωπίνῳ λογισμῷ κινούμενος, ἢ τοῦ τῶν ψυχῶν θανάτου τῶν ἀπόλλυσθαι μελλόντων διὰ τὰ τοιαῦτα τολμήματα. Ἀλλὰ καὶ φόβος καὶ τρόμος δι' ὑπερβολὴν εὐλαβείας ἐπέπιπτε τῷ προφήτῃ, ὁρῶντι τὸν Ἀγαπητὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ τοιαῦτα ὑπὸ τῶν ἀσεβῶν πάσχοντα. Ἐκάλυπτέ τε αὐτὸν σκότος, ἢ, κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν, εἱλίνδησις· ἢ, κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον, φρίκη· ὡσανεὶ φρικτὰ καὶ σκότους ἀλη 23.477 θῶς ἄξια τὰ κατὰ τοῦ Σωτῆρος δρώμενα θεωροῦντα. Νοήσεις δὲ τὰ λεγόμενα ἐκ παραδείγματος τῶν κατὰ τοὺς ὀνείρους ἡμῖν συμβαινόντων· ἐπεὶ πολλάκις ὀνειρώττοντες, κἄπειτά τινα ὁρῶντες φοβερὰ, ἢ θῆρας διώκοντας, ἢ ἑρπετὰ, ἢ πολεμίους ἐπιόντας ἡμῖν, θορυβούμεθα τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ ἐξιστάμεθα, τρόμου καὶ ἀγωνίας, καὶ ἱδρῶτος ἐμπιπλάμενοι. Κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν γὰρ, οἶμαι, τρόπον καὶ τὴν τοῦ προφήτου ψυχὴν τῶν μηδέπω παρόντων, μελλόντων δὲ