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flowing under; But he tropically calls thoughts feet and steps. Then he also states the cause. 3. "For I was jealous of the lawless, when I saw the peace of sinners." For I was inflamed, seeing those who live with impiety and lawlessness in peace and great prosperity. [And even now we see some saying similar things against certain persons living in impiety and greed, and oppressing with wealth and glory, as they suppose.] 4. "For there is no refusal in their death." But Aquila thus: There are no afflictions for their death; but Symmachus: They were not concerned about their death. For, he says, not even when tested in dangers did they despair. And refusal signifies despair; for wishing to renounce something, we are accustomed to refusal. "And firmness in their scourge." For a short time, he says, do grievous things approach them. 5. "They are not in the troubles of men, and with men they will not be scourged." Their affairs, he says, flow smoothly, and they are not encompassed by toils and hardships, nor by chastisements similarly to other men. 80.1445 ʹ. "Therefore pride has possessed them completely; they have put on their own injustice and impiety." From this they were lifted up into arrogance and pride, and not having paid the penalty for their former sins, they rushed into greater lawlessness. For "they put on" showed the multitude of injustice, as if surrounding them from all sides. 7. "Their injustice shall come forth as from fatness." Fatness; as we have often said, signifies comfort and prosperity. Therefore, being in such great prosperity, he says, they dared injustice with all impunity. "They have passed into the disposition of the heart. [8, 9] They have thought and spoken in wickedness, they have spoken injustice against the height. They have set their mouth against heaven, and their tongue has passed through the earth." But injustice against men did not suffice them, but they also shot at heaven with words and with thoughts. And through these he alludes to the blasphemies against God, the reproaches against the people, the drunken insults against the divine temple. And this he has said more clearly in the 41st psalm: "My tears have been my bread day and night, while they say to me daily: Where is your God?" 10. "Therefore shall my people return here, and full days shall be found in them." These things the prophetic word has set down as spoken by the God of all, encouraging the disheartened. For, he says, when they used blasphemies against God, and subjected us to hardships, the God of all decreed good things concerning us, promising the return, and the life ordained by nature. And from this it is clear that the psalm is fitting for those who had already returned, and who were narrating the events that happened in Babylon. For it said: "Therefore my people will return here," that is, to Judea. Therefore, living there, they say "here." For to those in Babylon this is in no way suitable. "And 'full days'" he called old age. Instead of, And they will return, and will live until old age. Thus having shown the promise of God, he returned again to the narration of the blasphemy of the Babylonians, and of the turmoil of his thoughts. 11. "And they said: How does God know? and is there knowledge in the Most High?" But Symmachus more clearly: But they said, How did God know? if 80.1448 there is knowledge for the Most High? For God, he says, promised those things; but these men reasoned among themselves, that God neither watches over, nor knows any of the things that happen. Then, having shown their impiety through these things, he brings forth his own thoughts. 12. "Behold, these are sinners, and prospering for ever they have possessed wealth." Living with lawlessness they abundantly enjoy good things, and have unchangeable prosperity; for "for ever" he says according to the present life; for often he also calls the life of man an age; "For our age," he says, "is for the light of your face." 13. "And I said: Have I then in vain justified my heart?" And I, seeing them feasting, and upon

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ὑποῤῥέοντος· πόδας δὲ καὶ διαβήματα τοὺς λογισμοὺς καλεῖ τροπικῶς. Εἶτα καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν λέγει. γʹ. "Ὅτι ἐζήλωσα ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀνόμοις, εἰρήνην ἁμαρτωλῶν θεωρῶν." Ἐπυρπολούμην γὰρ, βλέπων τοὺς δυσσεβείᾳ καὶ παρανομίᾳ συζῶντας ἐν εἰρήνῃ καὶ εὐποτμίᾳ πολλῇ. [Ὁρῶμεν δὲ καὶ νῦν τινας τὰ παραπλήσια ἐκείνοις λέγοντας κατά τινων τῶν ἐν δυσσεβείᾳ καὶ πλεονεξίᾳ συζώντων, καὶ πλούτῳ καὶ δόξῃ, ὡς νομίζουσι, καταδυναστευόν των.] δʹ. "Ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἀνάνευσις ἐν τῷ θανάτῳ αὐ τῶν." Ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας οὕτως· Οὐκ εἰσὶ δυσπάθειαι τῷ θανάτῳ αὐτῶν· ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος· Οὐκ ἐνεθυμοῦντο περὶ θανάτου αὐτῶν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐν κιν δύνοις ἐξεταζόμενοι σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ἀπηγόρευον. Καὶ ἡ ἀνάνευσις δὲ τὴν ἀπαγόρευσιν δηλοῖ· ἀπαγορεύειν γάρ τι βουλόμενοι ἀνάνευσιν εἰώθαμεν. "Καὶ στερέωμα ἐν τῇ μάστιγι αὐτῶν." Πρὸς ὀλίγον αὐτοῖς, φησὶ, πελάζει τὰ λυπηρά. εʹ. "Ἐν κόποις ἀνθρώπων οὐκ εἰσὶ, καὶ μετὰ ἀνθρώπων οὐ μαστιγωθήσονται." Κατὰ ῥοῦν αὐτοῖς, φησὶ, τὰ πράγματα φέρεται, καὶ οὔτε πόνοις καὶ ταλαιπωρίαις, οὔτε παιδείαις περιβάλλονται τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀνθρώποις παραπλησίως. 80.1445 ʹ. "∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐκράτησεν αὐτοὺς ἡ ὑπερηφανία εἰς τέλος· περιεβάλοντο ἀδικίαν καὶ ἀσέβειαν ἑαυτῶν." Ἐντεῦθεν εἰς ἀλαζονείαν καὶ τύφον ἐπήρθησαν, καὶ δίκας ὑπὲρ τῶν προτέρων μὴ δεδω κότες ἁμαρτημάτων, εἰς πλείονα παρανομίαν ἐξ ώκειλαν. Τὸ γὰρ περιεβάλοντο τὸ πλῆθος τῆς ἀδικίας ἐδήλωσεν, ὡς πανταχόθεν αὐτοὺς κυ κλούσης. ζʹ. "Ἐξελεύσεται ὡς ἐκ στέατος ἡ ἀδικία αὐτῶν." Στέαρ· ὡς πολλάκις ἔφαμεν, τὴν εὐπάθειαν καὶ τὴν εὐκληρίαν δηλοῖ. Ὡς ἐν τοσαύτῃ τοίνυν, φησὶν, ὄντες εὐημερίᾳ, μεθ' ἁπάσης ἀδείας τὴν ἀδικίαν ἐτόλμησαν. "∆ιήλθοσαν εἰς διάθεσιν καρδίας. [ηʹ, θ.] ∆ιενοή θησαν καὶ ἐλάλησαν ἐν πονηρίᾳ, ἀδικίαν εἰς τὸ ὕψος ἐλάλησαν. Ἔθεντο εἰς οὐρανὸν τὸ στόμα αὐτῶν, καὶ ἡ γλῶσσα αὐτῶν διῆλθεν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς." Οὐκ ἀπέχρησε δὲ αὐτοῖς ἡ κατὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀδικία. ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν ἐτόξευσαν καὶ λόγοις καὶ λογισμοῖς. Αἰνίττεται δὲ διὰ τούτων τὰς κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ βλασφημίας, τὰς κατὰ τοῦ λαοῦ λοιδορίας, τὰς κατὰ τοῦ νεὼ τοῦ θείου παροινίας. Τοῦτο δὲ σαφέ στερον εἴρηκεν ἐν τῷ μαʹ ψαλμῷ· "Ἐγενήθη τὰ δάκρυά μου ἐμοὶ ἄρτος ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτὸς, ἐν τῷ λέγεσθαί μοι καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν· Ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ Θεός σου;" ιʹ. "∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐπιστρέψει ὁ λαός μου ἐνταῦθα, καὶ ἡμέραι πλήρεις εὑρεθήσονται ἐν αὐτοῖς." Ταῦτα ὡς τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων εἰρηκότος, ὁ προφη τικὸς τέθεικε λόγος, τοὺς ἀθυμοῦντας ψυχαγωγῶν. Ἐκείνων γὰρ, φησὶ, βλασφημίαις κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ χρησαμένων, καὶ κακοπαθείαις ἡμᾶς ὑποβαλόντων, χρηστὰ περὶ ἡμῶν ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς ἐψηφίσατο, τὴν ἐπάνοδον ὑποσχόμενος, καὶ ζωὴν τὴν ὡρισμένην τῇ φύσει. Καὶ ἐντεῦθεν δῆλον, ὡς τοῖς ἐπανελθοῦσιν ἤδη, καὶ τὰ ἐν Βαβυλῶνι συμβεβηκότα διηγουμένοις, ἁρμόδιος ὁ ψαλμός. Ἔφη γάρ· "∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐπιστρέ ψει ὁ λαός μου ἐνταῦθα," τουτέστιν εἰς τὴν Ἰου δαίαν. Ἐκεὶ τοίνυν διάγοντες, τὸ ἐνταῦθα λέγουσι. Τοῖς ἐν Βαβυλῶνι γὰρ οὐδαμῶς τοῦτο κατάλληλον. "Ἡμέρας δὲ πλήρεις" τὸ γῆρας ἐκάλεσεν. Ἀντὶ τοῦ, Καὶ ἐπανήξουσι, καὶ μέχρι γήρως βιώσονται. Οὕτω τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν δείξας, πάλιν εἰς τὴν διήγησιν ἐπανῆλθε τῆς τῶν Βαβυλωνίων βλασφημίας, καὶ τῆς τῶν λογισμῶν ταραχῆς. ιαʹ. "Καὶ εἶπον· Πῶς ἔγνω ὁ Θεός; καὶ εἰ ἔστι γνῶσις ἐν τῷ Ὑψίστῳ;" Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος σαφέστερον· Οἱ δὲ ἔλεγον, Πῶς ἔγνω ὁ Θεός; εἰ 80.1448 ἔστιν ἐπίγνωσις τῷ Ὑψίστῳ; Ὁ μὲν γὰρ Θεὸς, φησὶν, ἐκεῖνα ὑπέσχετο· οὗτοι δὲ παρ' ἑαυτοῖς ἐλο γίζοντο, μήτε ἐφορᾷν τὸν Θεὸν, μήτε τι τῶν γινο μένων εἰδέναι. Εἶτα δείξας διὰ τούτων τὴν ἐκείνων ἀσέβειαν, τοὺς οἰκείους ἐκφέρει λογισμούς. ιβʹ. "Ἰδοὺ οὗτοι ἁμαρτωλοὶ, καὶ εὐθηνοῦντες εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα κατέσχον πλοῦτον." Παρανομίᾳ συ ζῶντες ἀφθόνως ἀπολαύουσι τῶν ἀγαθῶν, καὶ ἄτρε πτον ἔχουσι τὴν εὐκληρίαν· τὸ γὰρ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα κατὰ τὸν παρόντα βίον λέγει· πολλάκις γὰρ καὶ τὴν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ζωὴν αἰῶνα καλεῖ· "Ὁ αἰὼν γὰρ ἡμῶν, φησὶν, εἰς φωτισμὸν τοῦ προσώπου σου." ιγʹ. "Καὶ εἶπα· Ἄρα ματαίως ἐδικαίωσα τὴν καρδίαν μου;" Ἐγὼ δὲ ὁρῶν αὐτοὺς εὐωχουμέ νους, καὶ ἐπὶ