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Those bearing these spiritual baskets nourish those who are being taught. A storm is often taken for temptation. Since, therefore, God is present with those who are tempted not openly but hiddenly, it is necessary for the one being tempted to call upon him, so that God, hearing him, may deliver him from his present affliction. 834 Ps 80,12 And my people did not hear my voice. To hear does not only mean to perceive a voice but sometimes also to be persuaded by the one speaking, according to "I did not hear the voice of one instructing me," that is, I did not consent to the commands of the instructor. And the voice "to hear" also indicates to understand and to comprehend. For it says, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear," which is equivalent to "He who has understanding, let him understand." And he calls them his people either to arouse them to goodwill or weighing down and intensifying their accusation; as if saying, if it were another nation, they would have pardon for not hearing our voice, being unaccustomed to it, but now they would be punished without excuse—and not only "did my people not hear my voice," but also "did not attend to me," although having a mind capable of seeing me, so that, even if he despises the voice, he might at least be ashamed of me by encountering my authority. It is good to clarify in a timely way an evangelic saying not understood by the heterodox, who moreover divide the divinity, when the Savior said to the Jews concerning the Father, "You have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his form." The heretics, not understanding what was said, claim (since the Jews had heard the voice of the God who made the world and had seen his form) according to the manifestations recorded by them; the Savior, refuting them for never having heard the voice of God nor seen his form, says to attend to another God whose voice they have heard and whose form they have seen. But those of a different opinion were deceived, being ignorant of the multiple meanings of "to hear a voice." For even if the Jews heard God's voice when they received the law from him, by not understanding it nor being persuaded by it, they are reasonably refuted for not having heard his voice. Nor have they seen his form, not having accepted the character of his substance who says, "He who has seen me has seen the Father." Therefore, by what has been said, meaning that they have never heard the voice of God, so also here they are struck by the aforementioned saying and by what will be set forth next, which is as follows. 835 Ps 80,15a "In nothing" might mean that through insignificant things they humbled their enemies, just as against the greatest tyrant of Egypt he armed not strong giants or huge beasts but insignificant and small creatures.

836 Ps 81,2-4 By Hebrew custom, they say, those who are to judge the people

men put forward are called gods, as Moses himself shows, saying, "You shall not revile the gods, nor speak evil of the rulers of your people." For gods, being ranked with a ruler of the people, would be none other than the judges. But since next in this same psalm God said, "I said, 'You are gods, and all of you sons of the Most High'" (these *** having been made, the word of God having come to them), clearly also now "God has stood in the congregation of gods" will be referred to them. For of all those who are thus gods, both men and divine angels happen to be in the same way, among whom God stands, not moving away from them nor abandoning them as long as they are such. For from those who change he withdraws, having abandoned them. Therefore Adam also after the transgression was aware of God who had been standing with him before the sin. and in the prophet it is said, "And the Lord God will go forth in the shaking of his wrath." But God, standing in the congregation of the gods, preserves their divinity, nourishing, or rather increasing, it by the participation by which they partake of him. But also being in their midst he judges them in the aforesaid manner. How long will you judge unjustly and the persons of sinners

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τρέφουσι τοὺς μαθητευομένους οἱ βαστάζοντες τοὺς πνευματικοὺς τούτους κοφίνους. Καταιγὶς πολλάκις ἐπὶ πειρασμοῦ λαμβάνεται. ἐπεὶ ουν θεὸς πάρεστι τοῖς πειραζομένοις οὐ φανερῶς ἀλλὰ κεκρυμμένως, δέον ἐπικαλεῖσθαι τὸν πειραζόμενον, οπως ἐπακούσας αὐτοῦ ὁ θεὸς ῥύσηται αὐτὸν ἐκ τῆς παρούσης αὐτοῦ θλίψεως. 834 Ps 80,12 Καὶ οὐκ ηκουσεν ὁ λαός μου τῆς φωνῆς μου. τὸ ἀκοῦσαι οὐ μόνον αἰσθηθῆναι φωνῆς σημαίνει ἀλλ' εσθ' οτε καὶ τὸ πεισθῆναι τῷ λέγοντι κατὰ τὸ Οὐκ ηκουον φωνὴν παιδεύοντός με, τουτέστιν οὐ συγκατετιθέμην ταῖς προστάξεσι τοῦ παιδεύοντος. δηλοῖ δὲ ἡ ἀκούειν φωνὴ καὶ τὸ συνιέναι καὶ νοῆσαι. ̔Ο εχων γάρ φησιν ωτα ἀκούειν ἀκουέτω, ῳ ισόν ἐστιν ̔Ο εχων σύνεσιν συνέτω. λαὸν δὲ αὐτοῦ φησιν αὐτὸν ητοι εἰς ευνοιαν αὐτοὺς διεγείρων η βαρύνων καὶ ἐπιτείνων τὸ εγκλημα αὐτῶν· μονονουχὶ λέγων, εἰ ετερον εθνος ἐτύγχανε, συγγνώμην αν ειχον μὴ ἀκούοντες τῆς ἡμετέρας φωνῆς οντες ἀήθεις, νῦν δὲ ἀσύγγνωστα τιμωρηθείη-οὐ μόνον δὲ Οὐκ ηκουσε τῆς φωνῆς μου ὁ λαός μου ἀλλ' οὐδὲ προσέσχε μοι, καίτοι νοῦν εχων δυνάμενον ὁρᾶν ἐμέ, ινα, εἰ καὶ τῆς φωνῆς καταφρονεῖ, ἀλλά γε καν αἰσχυνθῇ με προσβαλών μου τῇ αὐθεντείᾳ εὐκαίρως εὐαγγελικὴν λέξιν μὴ νοουμένην ὑπὸ τῶν ἑτεροδόξων καὶ ταῦτα διακοπτόντων τὴν θεότητα σαφηνίσαι καλόν, τοῦ σωτῆρος τοῖς ̓Ιουδαίοις λέγοντος περὶ τοῦ πατρὸς Οὐδὲ φωνὴν αὐτοῦ ἀκηκόατε πώποτε ουτε ειδος αὐτοῦ ἑωράκατε. μὴ νοήσαντες οἱ αἱρετικοὶ τὸ λεχθέν φασι (τῶν ̓Ιουδαίων τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν φωνὴν ἀκηκοότων τοῦ τὸν κόσμον πεποιηκότος καὶ τὸ ειδος αὐτοῦ ἑωρακότων) κατὰ τὰς ἀναγραφείσας παρ' αὐτοῖς ἀποφανείας· ἐλέγχων ὁ σωτὴρ μηδέποτε φωνὴν αὐτοὺς ἀκηκοότας θεοῦ μήτε ειδος αὐτοῦ ἑωρακότας αλλῳ προσέχειν θεῷ ου καὶ φωνὴν ηκουσαν καὶ ειδος ἑωράκασιν. ἠπατήθησαν δὲ οἱ ἑτερογνωμονοῦντες τὸ πολύσημον τῆς ἀκούειν φωνῆς ἠγνοηκότες. εἰ γὰρ καὶ ηκουσαν θεοῦ φωνῆς οἱ ̓Ιουδαῖοι νόμον παρ' αὐτοῦ λαβόντες μὴ νοήσαντες αὐτὴν μηδὲ πεισθέντες αὐτῇ, εὐλόγως ἐλέγχονται μὴ ἀκούσαντες φωνὴν αὐτοῦ· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τὸ ειδος αὐτοῦ ἑωράκασι μὴ προσηκάμενοι τὸν χαρακτῆρα τῆς ὑποστάσεως αὐτοῦ λέγοντα ̔Ο ἐμὲ ἑωρακὼς ἑώρακε τὸν πατέρα. Ωι ουν ειρηται σημαινομένῳ μὴ ἀκηκοέναι φωνὴν θεοῦ πώποτε, ουτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα πλήττονται διὰ τῆς εἰρημένης λέξεως καὶ τῆς ἑξῆς ἐκτεθησομένης ουτως ἐχούσης. 835 Ps 80,15a Τὸ ̓Εν τῷ μηδενὶ αν σημαίνει τὸ δι' εὐτελῶν τοὺς ἐχθροὺς αὐτῶν ἐταπείνουν, ωσπερ καὶ τὸν μέγιστον τύραννον τῆς Αἰγύπτου οὐ γίγαντας ἰσχυροὺς ὁπλίσας κατ' αὐτῶν η θηρία μέγιστα ἀλλ' εὐτελῆ καὶ μικρὰ ζῳύφια.

836 Ps 81,2-4 Εθει ̔Εβραϊκῷ φασι τοὺς εἰς τὸ κρίνειν τὸν λαὸν

προβεβλημένους ανδρας θεοὺς ὀνομάζεσθαι, ὡς καὶ αὐτὸς Μωυσῆς παρίστησι λέγων Θεοὺς οὐ κακολογήσεις καὶ αρχοντας τοῦ λαοῦ σου οὐκ ἐρεῖς κακῶς. αρχοντι γὰρ λαοῦ θεοὶ συνταττόμενοι οὐχ ετεροι τῶν κριτῶν ειεν. ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ ἑξῆς ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ ψαλμῷ τούτῳ ὁ θεὸς εφη ̓Εγὼ ειπα Θεοί ἐστε καὶ υἱοὶ ὑψίστου πάντες (ουτοι *** θέντες, γεγονότος πρὸς αὐτοὺς τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου), δηλονότι καὶ νῦν τὸ ̔Ο θεὸς εστη ἐν συναγωγῇ θεῶν ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ἀνενεχθήσεται. πάντων γὰρ τῶν ουτω θεῶν οντων, ανδρες δὲ καὶ αγγελοι θεῖοι τῷ αὐτῷ τρόπῳ τυγχάνουσιν ων ὁ θεὸς ἐν μέσῳ ισταται οὐ μετακινούμενος αὐτῶν οὐδὲ καταλείπων αὐτοὺς οσον εἰσὶ τοιοῦτοι. τῶν γὰρ μεταπιπτόντων ἀφίσταται καταλιπὼν αὐτούς. διὸ καὶ ὁ ̓Αδὰμ μετὰ τὴν παράβασιν ᾐσθήθη θεοῦ ἑστηκότος αὐτῷ πρὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας· καὶ ἐν τῷ προφήτῃ ειρηται Καὶ πορεύσεται κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἐν σάλῳ ὀργῆς αὐτοῦ. ἱστάμενος δὲ ὁ θεὸς ἐν τῇ συναγωγῇ τῶν θεῶν τηρεῖ αὐτῶν τὴν θεότητα, τρέφων μᾶλλον δὲ αυξων αὐτὴν τῇ μετοχῇ ῃ μετέχουσιν αὐτοῦ. ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν τυγχάνων διακρίνει αὐτοὺς τὸν εἰρημένον τρόπον. Εως πότε κρίνετε ἀδικίαν καὶ πρόσωπα ἁμαρτωλῶν