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working, which is also testified to have descended upon the Savior in the form of a dove, being gentle and innocent, was driven by Saul when David was being pursued, and being driven did not defend itself, but was like a mute dove being driven far away and pushed back by its pursuers; for this reason according to the other interpreters, it is said, for the dove. But instead of, for an inscription on a pillar, Aquila has, of the humble and perfect; and Symmachus, of the humble-minded and blameless, translated it, indicating the manner in which the Prophet's virtue was deemed worthy by God as if of a pillar and of eternal memory. For the greatest achievement of David was humility and lowliness of mind, in which he displayed perfect virtue, bringing no blame. Therefore, the preceding words, containing examples of exceeding and perfect humility, he sent up to God, saying: Have mercy on me, O God, because man has trodden me down, referring literally to Saul, who had risen up against him, and not for one day, but for many had set upon warring against him; for which reason he adds: All the day long warring he has afflicted me. Then, since by the divine Spirit he perceived that Saul was not so much the cause of such great zeal against him, as certain unseen and intellectual, invisible enemies, that is, powers and wicked spirits, working in and stirring up Saul to the war against him, he reasonably adds: My enemies have trodden me down all the day long; or according to Symmachus: Those who afflict me have worn me down every day. And who are the enemies and those who afflict him, who are working through Saul, he clarifies next, saying: For many are they that war against me from on high. For he was not ignorant that his struggle was not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness, by which Saul, being incited, vainly pursued and warred against him who had never caused him any grief. Then he says next: The day I shall be afraid, but I will hope in you. Which Symmachus clarified, saying: On whatever day I am afraid, I have trusted in you. For although it seems most of all that a man has trodden me down, Saul having become mighty against me, yet my enemies and those who war against me from above, casting their arrows from on high against my soul, are very many. But I have learned to despise all these things because of you, my champion and defender. For trusting in you, if ever fear should fall upon my soul, I beat it back, taking courage in you, my defender. In the Lord I will praise my words, in God I have hoped; I will not fear what flesh can do to me. Instead of, in God I will praise my words, Symmachus has, through God I will hymn his word; and Aquila: in God I will hymn his sayings; and the fifth edition: in God I will praise my word, they have rendered it. If ever, he says, fear from the tumult of those warring against me fell upon me, I beat it back, hoping in you; and instead of an incantation and amulets, 23.496 I went through hymns; for by hymning your word I was helped, so that none of my pursuers turned back. Thus hoping in God, and bearing his words in my mouth, I despised every plot from men, not fearing what flesh could do to me. For what can flesh and blood do against God as a helper? For if God is for us, who can be against us? says the Apostle. And Saul was flesh, minding the things of the flesh; which the Apostle presents when writing to the Corinthians: For where there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not carnal, and do you not walk according to man? And he also called Saul, who was filled with jealousy and strife, and for these reasons was pursuing David, "flesh," saying: I will not fear what flesh can do to me. Then he says: All the day long they detested my words, against me were all their thoughts for evil; which Symmachus interpreted more clearly, saying: Throughout the entire day words concerning

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ἐνεργοῦν, ὃ καὶ ἐν εἴδει περιστερᾶς ἐπὶ τὸν Σωτῆρα κατεληλυθέναι μαρτυρεῖται, τρυφερὸν ὂν καὶ ἄκακον, ἠλαύνετο ὑπὸ τοῦ Σαοὺλ διωκομένου τοῦ ∆αυῒδ, ἐλαυνόμενόν τε οὐκ ἠμύνετο, ἀλλ' ἐῴκει περιστερᾷ ἀλάλῳ μακρυνομένῃ καὶ ἀπωθουμένῃ ὑπὸ τῶν διωκόντων· τούτου χάριν κατὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἑρμηνευτὰς, ὑπὲρ τῆς περιστερᾶς, εἴρηται. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, εἰς στηλογραφίαν, ὁ μὲν Ἀκύλας, ταπεινοῦ τελείου· ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος, τοῦ ταπεινόφρονος καὶ ἀμώμου, ἡρμήνευσεν, τὸν τρόπον δηλοῦντες δι' ὃν ὥσπερ στήλης καὶ αἰωνίας μνήμης ἠξιοῦτο παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ ἡ τοῦ Προφήτου ἀρετή. Τὸ γὰρ μέγιστον τοῦ ∆αυῒδ κατόρθωμα ἡ ταπεινότης ἦν καὶ ἡ ταπεινοφροσύνη, καθ' ἣν τελείαν ἐπεδείκνυτο ἀρετὴν, οὐδένα μῶμον ἐπαγομένην. ∆ιὸ τοὺς προκειμένους λόγους, ὑπερβαλλούσης καὶ τελείας ταπεινοφροσύνης δείγματα περιέχοντας, ἀνέπεμπε τῷ Θεῷ λέγων· Ἐλέησόν με, ὁ Θεὸς, ὅτι κατεπάτησέ με ἄνθρωπος, ὡς πρὸς τὴν λέξιν τὸν Σαοὺλ σημαίνων, ἐπαναβάντα αὐτῷ, καὶ οὐ μίαν ἡμέραν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλὰς ἐπιθέμενον τῷ κατ' αὐτοῦ πολέμῳ· διὸ ἐπιλέγει· Ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν πολεμῶν ἔθλιψέ με. Εἶτ' ἐπειδήπερ τῷ θείῳ Πνεύματι συνεώρα οὐχ οὕτως τὸν Σαοὺλ αἴτιον ὄντα τῆς τοσαύτης κατ' αὐτοῦ σπουδῆς, ὅσον ἀφανεῖς τινας καὶ νοητοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἀοράτους, δηλαδὴ δυνάμεις καὶ πνεύματα πονηρὰ, τὸν Σαοὺλ ἐνεργοῦντα καὶ διεγείροντα ἐπὶ τὸν κατ' αὐτοῦ πόλεμον, εἰκότως ἐπιλέγει· Κατεπάτησάν με οἱ ἐχθροί μου ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν· ἢ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον· Ἐπέτριβον οἱ θλίβοντές με κατὰ πᾶσαν ἡμέραν. Τίνες δὲ οἱ ἐχθροὶ καὶ οἱ θλίβοντες αὐτὸν, οἱ τὸν Σαοὺλ ἐνεργοῦντες, διασαφεῖ ἑξῆς λέγων· Ὅτι πολλοὶ οἱ πολεμοῦντές με ἀπὸ ὕψους. Οὐ γὰρ ἠγνόει, ὡς οὐκ ἦν αὐτῷ ἡ πάλη πρὸς αἷμα καὶ σάρκα, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ ἐξουσίας, πρὸς τοὺς κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ σκότους τούτου, πρὸς τὰ πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας, ὑφ' ὧν ὁ Σαοὺλ ἀκονώμενος, τὸν μηδὲν αὐτῷ λελυπηκότα πώποτε μάτην ἤλαυνε καὶ ἐπολέμει. Εἶθ' ἑξῆς φησιν· Ἡμέρας φοβηθήσομαι, ἐγὼ δὲ ἐλπιῶ ἐπὶ σέ. Ὃ δὴ διεσάφησεν ὁ Σύμμαχος εἰπών· Ἐν ᾗ ἂν ἡμέρᾳ φοβηθῶ, σοὶ πέποιθα. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ τὰ μάλιστα δοκεῖ ἄνθρωπός με καταπεπατηκέναι, πολὺς γενόμενος κατ' ἐμοῦ ὁ Σαοὺλ, ἀλλ' οἱ ἐχθροί μου καὶ οἱ πολεμοῦντές με ἄνωθεν, ἀπὸ ὕψους τὰ ἑαυτῶν βέλη κατὰ τῆς ἐμῆς βάλλοντες ψυχῆς πλεῖστοι τυγχάνουσι. Τούτων δὲ πάντων καταφρονεῖν μεμάθηκα διὰ σὲ τὸν ἐμὸν πρόμαχον καὶ ὑπερασπιστήν. Σοὶ γὰρ πεποιθὼς, εἴποτε ἐμπέσοι φόβος τῇ ἐμῇ ψυχῇ, διακρούομαι τοῦτον, σοὶ τῷ ὑπερασπιστῇ μου θαῤῥῶν. Ἐν τῷ Κυρίῳ ἐπαινέσω τοὺς λόγους μου, ἐπὶ τῷ Θεῷ ἤλπισα· οὐ φοβηθήσομαι τί ποιήσει μοι σάρξ. Ἀντὶ τοῦ, ἐν τῷ Θεῷ ἐπαινέσω τοὺς λόγους μου, ὁ μὲν Σύμμαχος, διὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ὑμνήσω τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ· ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας· ἐν τῷ Θεῷ ὑμνήσω ῥήματα αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἡ πέμπτη ἔκδοσις· ἐν τῷ Θεῷ ἐπαινέσω τὸν λόγον μου, ἐκδεδώκασιν. Εἴ ποτε, φησὶ, φόβος ἐκ τῆς τῶν πολεμούντων με ταραχῆς ἐνέπιπτέ μοι, διεκρουόμην αὐτὸν ἐλπίζων ἐπὶ σέ· καὶ ἀντὶ ἐπῳδῆς καὶ φυλακτηρίων, 23.496 ὕμνους διεξῄειν· ὑμνῶν γὰρ τὸν λόγον σου ἐβοηθούμην, ὡς μηδένα τῶν διωκόντων ἐπιστρέφεσθαι. Οὕτως ἐπὶ τῷ Θεῷ ἐλπίζων, καὶ τοὺς λόγους αὐτοῦ φέρων ἐν τῷ στόματί μου, πάσης τῆς ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἐπιβουλῆς κατεφρόνουν, οὐ φοβούμενος τί ποιήσει μοι σάρξ. Τί γὰρ ἂν καὶ δύναιτο σὰρξ καὶ αἷμα πρὸς Θεὸν βοηθόν; Εἰ γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, τίς καθ' ἡμῶν; φησὶν ὁ Ἀπόστολος. Σὰρξ δὲ ἦν ὁ Σαοὺλ, τὰ τῆς σαρκὸς φρονῶν· ὃ δὴ παρίστησιν ὁ Ἀπόστολος γράφων Κορινθίοις· Ὅπου γὰρ ἐν ὑμῖν ζῆλος καὶ ἔρις, οὐχὶ σάρκινοί ἐστε, καὶ κατὰ ἄνθρωπον περιπατεῖτε; Ὁ δὲ καὶ τὸν Σαοὺλ ζήλου πεπληρωμένον καὶ ἔριδος, καὶ διὰ ταῦτα τὸν ∆αυῒδ ἐλαύνοντα, σάρκα ὠνόμασεν εἰπών· Οὐ φοβηθήσομαι τί ποιήσει μοι σάρξ. Εἶτά φησιν· Ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν τοὺς λόγους μου ἐβδελύσσοντο, κατ' ἐμοῦ πάντες οἱ διαλογισμοὶ αὐτῶν εἰς κακόν· ὃ δὴ σαφέστερον ἡρμήνευσεν ὁ Σύμμαχος εἰπών· ∆ιὰ πάσης ἡμέρας λόγους περὶ