173

nor from the desert mountains. For God is judge." He called the 'departures' the 'east'; and so also the fifth edition. And 'desert mountains' are the northern and southern parts. For these have remained completely uninhabited because of extreme coldness and heat. Therefore, it teaches that it is among the impossible things to escape the judgment of God. For whether one seizes the eastern regions, or the western, whether one tries to run to the south or to the north, one is subject to the divine decree. Then it teaches the changes of life, which happen by the will of God. "This one He humbles, and this one He exalts. [9] For a cup is in the hand of the Lord, of unmixed wine full of mixture, and He poured from this to that." And concerning the cup, the prophecy of the divine Jeremiah also teaches. For he is commanded by the God of all to take this, and to give Jerusalem to drink, and the rulers, and the neighboring nations. And he calls the punishment 'wine,' as it similarly to drunkenness takes away strength, and loosens the harmony of the members. Therefore the prophetic word says that the just judge offers punishment sometimes to us, and sometimes to them; and now he exalts this one, and humbles that one, and again he transfers the height to others, and alternates misfortunes, and changes prosperities. And the captives in Babylon were not taught to say these things simply, but 80.1472 were being prepared both for the slavery of the Babylonians and for their own freedom. For not long after, Cyrus destroyed their power, and restored to these their former freedom. "But its dregs were not emptied out; all the sinners of the earth shall drink." He called the harsher punishment 'dregs'. I, he says, drank the clearer part, that is, I was subjected to lesser evils; but the Babylonians shall drink the very sediment, meaning, they will suffer things harsher than what they did. For I, after serving seventy years, have obtained my return, but they will be handed over to perpetual slavery. 10. "But I will rejoice forever, I will sing praises to the God of Jacob." For just as when we were drinking, they mocked our evils; so we, seeing their punishment, will offer hymnody to God; not gloating over them, but being grateful for the benefits. 11. "And I will break all the horns of the sinners, and the horn of the righteous shall be exalted." And through these words they were taught beforehand that they would also destroy the enemies who marched against them after the return. For this reason indeed he said 'all the horns of the sinners,' since they, having been gathered from different nations, undertook the war against them. And the prophecy of Ezekiel also mentions these things, and indeed that of Micah, and that of Zechariah; and when these were destroyed, they became glorious and renowned, having achieved such a victory. And he called the pious disposition 'the horn of the righteous'. But if anyone should wish to understand Zerubbabel, who is here called righteous, whom God used as a minister to work that victory, he will not err from the truth.

INTERPRETATION OF THE 75TH PSALM. 1. "To the end, in hymns, a psalm of Asaph, a song to the Assyrian." I did not find the addition 'to the Assyrian' in the Hexapla, but in some copies. However, the psalm has this hypothesis: for it prophesies the events concerning Sennacherib, and the punishment inflicted upon his army. 2. "God is known in Judea, in Israel His name is great." For in one night, when so many myriads received the death-bearing 80.1473 plague through an angel, the God of all became manifest to all, greatly providing for Israel, and making His own epiphany in Judea. 3. "And His place was in peace, and His dwelling in Zion." For when the multitude was destroyed, those who were left fled, having become messengers of the divine power. For this reason with the others

173

οὔτε ἀπὸ ἐρήμων ὀρέων. Ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς κριτής ἐστιν." Ἐξόδους τὰς ἀνατολὰς εἴρηκεν· οὕτω δὲ καὶ ἡ πέμπτη ἔκδοσις· ἔρημα δὲ ὄρη, τὰ βόρεια καὶ τὰ νότια τμήματα. Ταῦτα γὰρ δι' ἄκραν ψυχρότητα καὶ θερμότητα ἀοίκητα μεμένηκε παντελῶς. ∆ιδάσκει τοίνυν, ὅτι τῶν ἀδυνάτων ἐστὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν κρίσιν διαφυγεῖν. Κἂν γὰρ τὰ ἑῷα καταλάβῃ, κἂν τὰ ἑσπέ ρια, κἂν εἰς τὰ νότια, κἂν εἰς τὰ βόρεια πειραθῇ διαδράναι, τῇ θείᾳ ὑπόκειται ψήφῳ. Εἶτα διδάσκει τὰς τοῦ βίου μεταβολὰς, γνώμῃ Θεοῦ γινομένας. "Τοῦτον ταπεινοῖ, καὶ τοῦτον ὑψοῖ. [θʹ] Ὅτι πο τήριον ἐν χειρὶ Κυρίου οἴνου ἀκράτου πλῆρες κεράσματος, καὶ ἔκλινεν ἐκ τούτου εἰς τοῦτο." Περὶ δὲ τοῦ ποτηρίου καὶ ἡ τοῦ θεσπεσίου Ἱερεμίου προφητεία διδάσκει. Κελεύεται γὰρ ὑπὸ τοῦ τῶν ὅλων Θεοῦ τοῦτο λαβεῖν, καὶ ποτίσαι τὴν Ἱερουσα λὴμ, καὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας, καὶ τὰ ὅμορα ἔθνη. Οἶνον δὲ τὴν τιμωρίαν καλεῖ, ὡς τῇ μέθῃ παραπλησίως ἀφαιρουμένην τὴν δύναμιν, καὶ τὰς τῶν μορίων διαλύουσαν ἁρμονίας. Λέγει τοίνυν ὁ προφητικὸς λόγος, ὅτι ποτὲ μὲν ἡμῖν, ποτὲ δὲ ἐκείνοις ὁ δίκαιος κριτὴς προσφέρει τὴν τιμωρίαν· καὶ νῦν μὲν τοῦ τον ὑψοῖ, ἐκεῖνον δὲ ταπεινοῖ, καὶ πάλιν τὸ ὕψος μετατίθησιν εἰς ἑτέρους, καὶ συμφορὰς ἐναλλάττει, καὶ εὐημερίας μεταβάλλει. Ταῦτα δὲ οὐχ ἁπλῶς οἱ ἐν Βαβυλῶνι δορυάλωτοι ἐδιδάσκοντο λέγειν, ἀλλὰ 80.1472 προπαιδευόμενοι καὶ τὴν Βαβυλωνίων δουλείαν, καὶ τὴν οἰκείαν ἐλευθερίαν. Οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν γὰρ ὁ Κῦρος ἐκείνων μὲν τὴν δύναμιν κατέλυσε, τούτοις δὲ τὴν προτέραν ἐλευθερίαν ἀπέδωκε. "Πλὴν ὁ τρυγίας αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐξεκενώθη· πίονται πάντες οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ τῆς γῆς." Τὴν χαλεπωτέραν τιμωρίαν τρυγίαν ἐκάλεσεν. Ἐγὼ μὲν, φησὶ, τὸ διειδέστε ρον ἔπιον, τοῦτ' ἔστιν, ἐλάττοσιν ὑπεβλήθην κακοῖς· αὐτὴν δὲ τὴν ὑποσταθμὴν Βαβυλώνιοι πίονται, ἀντὶ τοῦ, χαλεπώτερα ὧν εἰργάσαντο πείσονται· ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ ἑβδομήκοντα ἔτη δουλεύσας τῆς ἐπανόδου τετύχηκα, ἐκεῖνοι δὲ διηνεκεῖ δουλείᾳ παραδοθή σονται. ιʹ. "Ἐγὼ δὲ ἀγαλλιάσομαι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, ψαλῶ τῷ Θεῷ Ἰακώβ." Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἡμῶν πιόντων ἐκεῖνοι τοῖς ἡμετέροις κακοῖς ἐπετώθαζον· οὕτως ἡμεῖς τὴν ἐκείνων τιμωρίαν ὁρῶντες, τῷ Θεῷ τὴν ὑμνῳδίαν προσοίσομεν· οὐκ ἐκείνοις ἐπεμβαίνοντες, ἀλλ' εὐγνώμονες περὶ τὰς εὐεργεσίας γενόμενοι. ιαʹ. "Καὶ πάντα τὰ κέρατα τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν συν θλάσω, καὶ ὑψωθήσεται τὸ κέρας τοῦ δικαίου." ∆ιὰ τούτων δὲ τῶν λόγων προεδιδάχθησαν, ὡς καὶ τοὺς ἐπιστρατεύσαντας αὐτοῖς μετὰ τὴν ἐπάνοδον καταλύσουσι πολεμίους. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο καὶ "πάντα εἶπε τὰ κέρατα τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν," ἐπειδὴ ἐκ διαφόρων συλλεγέντες τῶν ἐθνῶν, τὸν κατ' αὐτῶν ἀνεδέξαντο πόλεμον. Μέμνηται δὲ τούτων καὶ ἡ τοῦ Ἰεζεκιὴλ προφητεία, καὶ μέντοι καὶ ἡ τοῦ Μι χαίου, καὶ ἡ τοῦ Ζαχαρίου· ὧν καταλυθέντων λαμ προὶ ἐγένοντο καὶ περίβλεπτοι, ἅτε δὴ τοιαύτην κατορθώσαντες νίκην. Κέρας δὲ δικαίου τὸ εὐσεβὲς ἐκάλεσε φρόνημα. Εἰ δέ τις τὸν Ζοροβάβελ νοῆσαι βουληθείη, τὸν ἐνταῦθα καλούμενον δίκαιον, ᾧ χρη σάμενος ὁ Θεὸς ὑπουργῷ τὴν νίκην ἐκείνην εἰργά σατο, τῆς ἀληθείας οὐχ ἁμαρτήσεται.

ΕΡΜΗΝ. ΤΟΥ ΟΕʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΥ. αʹ. "Εἰς τὸ τέλος, ἐν ὕμνοις, ψαλμὸς τῷ Ἀσὰφ, ᾠδὴ πρὸς τὸν Ἀσσύριον." Τὴν

τοῦ Ἀσσυρίου προσθήκην οὐχ εὗρον ἐν τῷ Ἑξαπλῷ, ἀλλ' ἐν ἐνίοις ἀντιγράφοις. Ταύτην μέντοι ἔχει τὴν ὑπόθεσιν ὁ ψαλμός· τὰ γὰρ κατὰ τὸν Σενναχηρεὶμ προθεσπίζει, καὶ τὴν ἐπενεχθεῖσαν τῇ στρατιᾷ τι μωρίαν. βʹ. "Γνωστὸς ἐν τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ ὁ Θεὸς, ἐν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ μέγα τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ." Ἐν μιᾷ γὰρ νυκτὶ τῶν τοσούτων μυριάδων δι' ἀγγέλου τὴν θανατηφόρον 80.1473 δεξαμένων πληγὴν, δῆλος ἐγένετο πᾶσιν ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς, ἄγαν τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ προμηθούμενος, καὶ ἐν τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ τὴν οἰκείαν ποιησάμενος ἐπιφάνειαν. γʹ. "Καὶ ἐγενήθη ἐν εἰρήνῃ ὁ τόπος αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὸ κατοικητήριον αὐτοῦ ἐν Σιών." Τοῦ γὰρ πλήθους ἀναιρεθέντος, οἱ ὑπολειφθέντες διέδρασαν, ἄγγελοι τῆς θείας γεγενημένοι δυνάμεως. Τούτου χάριν σὺν τοῖς ἄλλοις