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80.1412 29. "Let them be blotted out from the book of the living; and let them not be written with the righteous." This is similar to the saying, "The ungodly shall not rise in judgment, nor sinners in the council of the righteous." Indeed, Daniel mentions these books. For the judgment, he says, was set, and the books were opened. But what he says is this: May these men not share in those things which you give to those who are dedicated to you; nor may they obtain the calling back which we, he says, shall attain through your love for mankind. 30. "I am poor and in pain; the salvation of your countenance, O God, has helped me." From this point on, he foretells the change of affairs; and the release from slavery, and the return of the captives. For this reason also the psalm is inscribed "To the end, for those who shall be changed." For they received two opposite changes. For having repented in Babylon, they received back their former freedom; but after this, having raged against the Lord, they were condemned to complete slavery. Therefore the present psalm foretells both; and the phrase "I am poor and in pain," signifies this: Seeing me, he says, in poverty and being tried by many pains, you deemed me worthy of your salvation; for this very reason, 31. "I will praise the name of my God with a song, I will magnify him with praise." I will not be ungrateful for the benefits; but I will repay the graces with hymns, showing his greatness to those who do not know it by the narration of his good deeds. 32. "And it will please my God more than a young bull putting forth horns and hoofs." And the sacrifice of praise will be more pleasing to him than a young and fat bull, just now showing its cloven hoofs, just now putting forth its horns. It is worthy to lament the transgression of the Jews, not wanting to perceive the childishness of the legal worship; and this, although the captives in Babylon promised to hymn God after their return, not to offer sacrifices, as hymnody is more pleasing to God. But for the present let us leave aside the accusation of these men; let us proceed to the interpretation. 33. "Let the poor see, and be glad." All those, he says, who fall into similar evils, let them take from us a reason for good hope. "Seek God, and your soul shall live. 80.1413" In addition to this, he exhorts to receive salvation through hope in God and prayer. 34. "For the Lord heard the poor; and he did not despise his own who were in fetters." For he received our prayer, seeing our poverty; and he loosed the bonds of slavery. And he called them 'in fetters', because he himself gave them over to slavery. 35. "Let the heavens and the earth praise him; the sea and all the things that creep in it." I call, he says, all creation into fellowship of hymnody; for the human tongue is not sufficient to recount the divine graces. 36. "Because God will save Sion, and the cities of Judea shall be built." And I offer this hymn to him, seeing Sion splendid and renowned, and the cities of Judea, now desolate, having recovered their former prosperity. Thus having prophesied the rebuilding of the cities, he also foretells the multitude of inhabitants. "And they shall dwell there, and shall inherit it." Those who are now captives, he says, having obtained their return, will both build their own cities and dwell in them; and not they alone, but also their children and their descendants. For he added this: 37. "And the seed of your servants shall possess it." But since on account of their madness against the Savior they were about to endure complete and utter destruction, he has fittingly added such a conclusion to the psalm. "And those who love your name shall dwell in it." -"For not all [according to the divine Apostle] who are from Israel, are Israel; nor because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children." And the prophetic words also agree with this: 'If the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved.' This also the blessed David said: "And those who love your name shall dwell in it." For after the cross, and

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80.1412 κθʹ. "Ἐξαλειφθήτωσαν ἐκ βίβλου ζώντων· καὶ μετὰ δικαίων μὴ γραφήτωσαν." Τούτοις ἔοικε τὸ, "Οὐκ ἀναστήσονται ἀσεβεῖς ἐν κρίσει, οὐδὲ ἁμαρτωλοὶ ἐν βουλῇ δικαίων." Τούτων μέν τοι τῶν βίβλων μέμνηται ∆ανιήλ. Κριτήριον γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐκάθισε, καὶ βίβλοι ἠνεῴχθησαν. Ὃ δὲ λέγει τοιοῦ τόν ἐστιν· Ὧν τοῖς ἀνακειμένοις σοι δίδως, μὴ μεταλάχοιεν οὗτοι· μηδὲ τύχοιεν ἀνακλήσεως, ἧς ἡμεῖς, φησὶ, διὰ τὴν σὴν φιλανθρωπίαν τευξόμεθα. λʹ. "Πτωχὸς καὶ ἀλγῶν εἰμι ἐγώ· ἡ σωτηρία τοῦ προσώπου σου, ὁ Θεὸς, ἀντελάβετό μου." Ἐντεῦθεν λοιπὸν τὴν ἀλλοίωσιν τῶν πραγμάτων προλέγει· καὶ τὴν τῆς δουλείας λύσιν, καὶ τὴν τῶν δορυαλώτων ἐπάνοδον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ εἰς τὸ τέλος ὁ ψαλμὸς ἐπιγέγραπται τοῖς ἀλλοιωθησομένοις. ∆ύο γὰρ ἐδέξαντο ἐναντίας μεταβολάς. Μεταμελείᾳ γὰρ ἐν Βαβυλῶνι χρησάμενοι τὴν προτέραν ἐλευθε ρίαν ἀπέλαβον· μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα κατὰ τοῦ ∆εσπό του λυττήσαντες, παντελεῖ δουλείᾳ κατεδικάσθη σαν. Ἀμφότερα τοίνυν προλέγει ὁ παρὼν ψαλ μός· τὸ δὲ "πτωχὸς καὶ ἀλγῶν εἰμι," τοῦτο σημαί νει· Ἐν πτωχείᾳ με, φησὶν, ἰδὼν, καὶ ἐν πολλαῖς ὀδύναις ἐξεταζόμενον, τῆς σῆς σωτηρίας ἠξίωσας· τούτου δὴ χάριν, λαʹ. "Αἰνέσω τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Θεοῦ μου μετ' ᾠδῆς, μεγαλυνῶ αὐτὸν ἐν αἰνέσει." Οὐκ ἔσομαι περὶ τὰς εὐεργεσίας ἀγνώμων· ἀλλ' ἀμείψομαι τοῖς ὕμνοις τὰς χάριτας, τῇ διηγήσει τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν τὸ μέγεθος αὐτοῦ τοῖς ἀγνοοῦσι δεικνύς. λβʹ. "Καὶ ἀρέσει τῷ Θεῷ μου, ὑπὲρ μόσχον νέον κέρατα ἐκφέροντα, καὶ ὁπλάς." Θυμηρεστέρα δὲ αὐτῷ ἔσται τῆς αἰνέσεως ἡ θυσία μόσχου νέου καὶ πίονος, ἄρτι μὲν τὰς χηλὰς, ἄρτι δὲ προβαλλομένου τὰ κέρατα. Θρηνῆσαι ἄξιον τὴν Ἰουδαίων παρα νομίαν συνιδεῖν οὐ βουλομένων τῆς νομικῆς λατρείας τὸ νηπιῶδες· καί τοι τῶν ἐν Βαβυλῶνι δορυαλώτων, ὑμνεῖν τὸν Θεὸν μετὰ τὴν ἐπάνοδον ὑπισχνουμένων, οὐ θυσίας ἱερατεύειν, ὡς τῆς ὑμνῳδίας θυμηρε στέρας οὔσης Θεῷ. Ἀλλὰ τὴν μὲν τούτων κατ ηγορίαν ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος ἐάσωμεν· ἐπὶ δὲ τὴν ἑρμη νείαν βαδίσωμεν. λγʹ. "Ἰδέτωσαν πτωχοὶ, καὶ εὐφρανθήτωσαν." Ἅπαντες, φησὶν, οἱ τοῖς ὁμοίοις κακοῖς περιπίπτον τες, ἐλπίδος ἀγαθῆς παρ' ἡμῶν λαβέτωσαν πρόφα σιν. "Ἐκζητήσατε τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ ζήσεται ἡ ψυχὴ 80.1413 ὑμῶν." Πρὸς τούτοις παραινεῖ διὰ τῆς εἰς Θεὸν ἐλπίδος καὶ προσευχῆς τὴν σωτηρίαν λαβεῖν. λδʹ. "Ὅτι εἰσήκουσε τῶν πενήτων ὁ Κύριος· καὶ τοὺς πεπεδημένους αὑτοῦ οὐκ ἐξουδένωσεν." Ἐδέ ξατο γὰρ ἡμῶν τὴν δέησιν, τὴν πενίαν ἰδών· καὶ ἔλυσε τὰ τῆς δουλείας δεσμά. Πεπεδημένους δὲ αὐτοὺς κέκληκεν, ἐπειδὴ αὐτὸς αὐτοὺς εἰς δου λείαν ἐξέδωκεν. λεʹ. "Αἰνεσάτωσαν αὐτὸν οἱ οὐρανοὶ καὶ ἡ γῆ· θάλασσα καὶ πάντα τὰ ἕρποντα ἐν αὐτῇ." Ἅπα σαν, φησὶ, τὴν κτίσιν εἰς κοινωνίαν τῆς ὑμνῳδίας καλῶ· οὐκ ἀπόχρη γὰρ ἡ ἀνθρωπεία γλῶττα τὰς θείας διηγάσασθαι χάριτας. λʹ. "Ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς σώσει τὴν Σιὼν, καὶ οἰκοδομη θήσονται αἱ πόλεις τῆς Ἰουδαίας." Τοῦτον δὲ αὐτῷ προσφέρω τὸν ὕμνον, λαμπρὰν ὁρῶν καὶ περιφανῆ τὴν Σιὼν, καὶ τὰς τῆς Ἰουδαίας πόλεις τὰς νῦν ἐρήμους, τὴν προτέραν εὐημερίαν ἀπολαβούσας. Οὕτω τὴν νεουργίαν τῶν πόλεων προθεσπίσας, προαγορεύει καὶ τῶν οἰκητόρων τὸ πλῆθος. "Καὶ κατοικήσουσιν ἐκεῖ, καὶ κληρονομήσουσιν αὐτήν." Οἱ νῦν, φησὶν, αἰχμάλωτοι, τῆς ἐπανόδου τυχόντες, καὶ τὰς οἰκείας οἰκοδομήσουσι πόλεις, καὶ κατοι κήσουσιν ἐν αὐταῖς· οὐκ αὐτοὶ δὲ μόνοι, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ τούτων παῖδες καὶ οἱ ἔκγονοι. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἐπ ήγαγε· λζʹ. "Καὶ τὸ σπέρμα τῶν δούλων σου καθέξουσιν αὐτήν." Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τῆς κατὰ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἕνεκα μανίας τὴν παντελῆ πανωλεθρίαν ἔμελλον ὑπομέ νειν, εἰκότως τὸ ἀκροτελεύτιον τῷ ψαλμῷ τοιοῦτον ἐπιτέθεικε. "Καὶ οἱ ἀγαπῶντες τὸ ὄνομά σου κατασκηνώσουσιν ἐν αὐτῇ." -"Οὐ γὰρ πάντες [κατὰ τὸν θεῖον Ἀπόστολον] οἱ ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ, οὗτοι Ἰσραήλ·οὐδὲ ὅτι εἰσὶ σπέρμα Ἀβραὰμ, πάντες τέκνα." Συμφωνεῖ δὲ τούτοις καὶ τὰ προφητικὰ ῥήματα· "Ἐὰν ᾖ ὁ ἀριθμὸς τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ, ὡς ἡ ἄμμος τῆς θαλάσσης, τὸ κατάλειμμα σωθήσεται." Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ μακάριος ἔφη ∆αβίδ· "Καί οἱ ἀγαπῶντες τὸ ὄνομά σου κατασκηνώσουσιν ἐν αὐτῇ." Μετὰ γὰρ τὸν σταυρὸν, καὶ