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they were not destroyed. From this the city enjoyed peace, and everyone understood that God was truly pleased to dwell in Sion. Then it teaches how God is known in Judea. 4. "There he broke the power of the bows, the shield, and the sword, and the battle." Before the city walls, he says, by destroying at once the hoplites, and the archers, and the peltasts, he rendered their weapons completely useless. 5. "You shine wondrously from the eternal mountains." But Symmachus thus, You are manifest, exceedingly great from the mountains of the hunt. For in our mountains, by delivering the enemies to the hunt of death, you were shown to be exceedingly great and manifest among all. For by the wonder you enlighten those who are ignorant, and you teach who you are. 6. "All the foolish of heart were troubled; they slept their sleep, and found nothing." For having used greater pride against you, they endured a sudden confusion, on account of the folly of their soul, and supposing they were sleeping without fear, they were cheated of their hope. For death succeeded their sleep. The history also teaches this, that when they arose they found all the bodies dead. "All the men of wealth with their own hands." But Symmachus thus: All the strong men their hands. The strength of their hands, he says, did not help them at all, by which they expected to seize the wealth of all. And teaching why they gained nothing from this, he added: 7. "At your rebuke, O God of Jacob, the riders on horses slumbered." You nodded, he says, and immediately those boasting to know the art of horsemanship fell down. And by "slumbered" he indicated the ease of their death. For just as one who is drowsy sleeps easily when he wishes, so they received a swift end to their life. 8. "You are terrible, and who shall stand against you?" For who is able to stand against you, and to escape the punishment brought by you? "From that time your 80.1476 wrath." Immediately upon hearing the blasphemy, you were able to punish the sinners, but you were long-suffering, awaiting their change. 9. "From heaven you made your judgment heard." From above, he says, you cast the votes against whomever you wish. However, for "you made heard," Symmachus has said, "you will make heard." "The earth feared, and was still, [10] when God arose to judgment, to save all the meek of the earth." They were all filled with fear, he says, and ceased their attack against us, when they saw you like a judge, casting the vote against them, while those who used right reason and proclaimed your help obtained salvation. 11. "For the thought of man shall confess to you, and the remnant of thought shall keep festival to you." Having enjoyed these good things, we dedicate our thoughts to hymnody, not occupying even a small part of them with any other care. 12. "Vow, and pay to the Lord our God." They command one another both to promise gifts and to fulfill their promises. For it is shameful and full of ingratitude, that all the neighbors do this out of fear, while those who have received the benefit are sick with ungratefulness. For he showed this through what follows. "All who are around him shall bring gifts to the terrible one, [13] and to him who takes away the spirits of princes, to the one who is terrible among the kings of the earth." And they will bring the gifts, terrified by the wonders that have occurred, and having learned through the events that this one is truly God, who brings death even to the powerful, and to those who thought they ruled the earth.

INTERPRETATION OF PSALM 76. 1. "For the end, for Idithun, a psalm of Asaph." But Symmachus, through

Idithun. And he himself was entrusted with a choir of those hymning God; Asaph therefore, either having spoken this himself, or ministering to the prophecy of David. For to declare concerning doubtful matters is not without risk. And he foretells of those who would serve in Babylon

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οὐκ ἀνῃρέθησαν. Ἐντεῦθεν ἡ πόλις τῆς εἰρήνης ἀπήλαυσε, καὶ ὑπέλαβον ἅπαν τες, ὡς ἀληθῶς ἐν τῇ Σιὼν κατοικεῖν ηὐδόκησεν ὁ Θεός. Εἶτα διδάσκει, πῶς γνωστός ἐστιν ἐν τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ ὁ Θεός. δʹ. "Ἐκεῖ συνέτριψε τὰ κράτη τῶν τόξων, ὅπλον, καὶ ῥομφαίαν, καὶ πόλεμον." Πρὸ τῶν τῆς πόλεως, φησὶ, περιβόλων, ὁπλίτας κατὰ ταὐτὸν, καὶ τοξότας, καὶ πελταστὰς ἀνελὼν, ἄχρηστα παν τελῶς τὰ τούτων ἀπέφηνεν ὅπλα. εʹ. "Φωτίζεις σὺ θαυμαστῶς ἀπὸ ὀρέων αἰω νίων." Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος οὕτως, Ἐπιφανὴς εἶ, ὑπερμεγέθης ἀπὸ ὀρέων θήρας. Ἐν γὰρ τοῖς ἡμε τέροις ὄρεσι τῇ θήρᾳ τοῦ θανάτου τοὺς δυσμενεῖς παραδοὺς, ὑπερμεγέθης καὶ ἐπιφανὴς παρὰ πᾶσιν ἀνεδείχθης. Φωτίζεις γὰρ τῷ θαύματι τοὺς ἀγνοοῦν τας, καὶ διδάσκεις ὅστις ὑπάρχεις. ʹ. "Ἐταράχθησαν πάντες οἱ ἀσύνετοι τῇ καρδίᾳ· ὕπνωσαν ὕπνον αὐτῶν, καὶ οὐχ εὗρον οὐδέν." Μείζονι γὰρ φρονήματι χρησάμενοι κατὰ σοῦ, ἀθρόαν ὑπέμειναν ταραχὴν, διὰ τὴν τῆς ψυ χῆς ἀφροσύνην, καὶ ἀδεῶς καθεύδειν ὑπολαβόντες, τῆς ἐλπίδος ἐψεύσθησαν. Τὸν γὰρ ὕπνον θάνατος διεδέξατο. Τοῦτο καὶ ἡ ἱστορία διδάσκει, ὅτι ἀνα στάντες εὗρον ἅπαντα τὰ σώματα νεκρά. "Πάντες οἱ ἄνδρες τοῦ πλούτου ταῖς χερσὶν αὑτῶν." Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος οὕτως· Πάντες οἱ ἄνδρες οἱ ἰσχυροὶ τὰς χεῖρας αὐτῶν. Οὐδὲν αὐτοὺς, φησὶν, ὤνησε τῶν χειρῶν ἡ ῥώμη, δι' ἧς τὸν ἁπάντων ἁρπάσειν προσεδόκησαν πλοῦτον. Καὶ διδάσκων τί δήποτε οὐ δὲν ἐντεῦθεν ἀπώναντο, ἐπήγαγεν· ζʹ. "Ἀπὸ ἐπιτιμήσεώς σου, ὁ Θεὸς Ἰακὼβ, ἐνύσταξαν οἱ ἐπιβεβηκότες τοῖς ἵπποις." Ἔνευσας, φησὶ, καὶ παραχρῆμα κατέπεσον οἱ τὴν ἱππικὴν εἰδέναι ἀλαζονευόμενοι τέχνην. ∆ιὰ δὲ τοῦ ἐνύστα ξαν τὴν τοῦ θανάτου ἐδήλωσεν εὐκολίαν. Καθάπερ γὰρ ὁ νυστάζων ῥᾳδίως ἐθελήσας καθεύδει, οὕτως ἐκεῖνοι σύντομον ἐδέξαντο τοῦ βίου τὸ πέρας. ηʹ. "Σὺ φοβερὸς εἶ, καὶ τίς ἀντιστήσεταί σοι;" Τίς γὰρ ἱκανὸς ἀντιστῆναί σοι, καὶ διαφυγεῖν τὴν ἐπαγομένην παρὰ σοῦ τιμωρίαν; "Ἀπὸ τότε ἡ 80.1476 ὀργή σου." Εὐθὺς τῆς βλασφημίας ἀκούσας, ἠδύ νασο τοὺς ἀλιτηρίους κολάσαι, ἀλλ' ἐμακροθύμησας προσμένων τὴν μεταβολήν. θʹ. "Ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἠκούτισας κρίσιν." Ἄνωθεν, φησὶν, ἐκφέρεις τὰς ψήφους καθ' ὧν ἐθέλεις. Τὸ μέντοι "ἠκούτισας," ἀκουστὴν ποιήσεις ὁ Σύμμαχος εἴρηκεν. "Γῆ ἐφοβήθη, καὶ ἡσύχασεν, [ιʹ] ἐν τῷ ἀναστῆ ναι εἰς κρίσιν τὸν Θεὸν, τοῦ σῶσαι πάντας τοὺς πραεῖς τῆς γῆς." ∆έους, φησὶν, ἐπλήσθησαν ἅπαντες, καὶ τῆς καθ' ἡμῶν ἐπαύσαντο προσβολῆς, θεασάμενοί σε καθάπερ τινὰ δικαστὴν, κατ' ἐκείνων μὲν ἐξενεγκόντα τὴν ψῆφον, τοὺς δὲ ὀρθοῖς λογι σμοῖς χρησαμένους, καὶ τὴν σὴν βοήθειαν ἀπαγγεί λαντας, τῆς σωτηρίας τετυχηκότας. ιαʹ. "Ὅτι ἐνθύμιον ἀνθρώπου ἐξομολογήσεταί σοι, καὶ ἐγκατάλειμμα ἐνθυμίου ἑορτάσει σοι." Τούτων ἀπολαύσαντες τῶν ἀγαθῶν, εἰς ὑμνῳδίαν ἀφιεροῦμεν τοὺς λογισμοὺς, οὐδὲ βραχὺ αὐτῶν μό ριον εἰς ἑτέραν ἀσχολοῦντες φροντίδα. ιβʹ. "Εὔξασθε, καὶ ἀπόδοτε Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν." Ἀλλήλοις ἐγκελεύονται καὶ ὑποσχέσθαι δῶρα, καὶ πληρῶσαι τὰς ὑποσχέσεις. Αἰσχρὸν γὰρ καὶ ἀγνωμοσύνης μεστὸν, τοὺς μὲν ὁμόρους ἅπαν τας τοῦτο δράσαι διὰ τὸ δέος, τοὺς δὲ τῆς εὐεργε σίας τετυχηκότας ἀχαριστίᾳ νοσῆσαι. Τοῦτο γὰρ διὰ τῶν ἐπαγομένων ἐδήλωσε. "Πάντες οἱ κύκλῳ αὐτοῦ οἴσουσι δῶρα τῷ φο βερῷ, [ιγʹ] καὶ ἀφαιρουμένῳ πνεύματα ἀρχόντων, φοβερῷ παρὰ τοῖς βασιλεῦσι τῆς γῆς." Κομιοῦσι δὲ τὰ δῶρα, ὑπὸ τῶν γεγενημένων ἐκδειματωθέν τες θαυμάτων, καὶ διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων μεμαθη κότες, ὡς οὗτος ἀληθῶς ὑπάρχει Θεὸς, ὁ καὶ τοῖς δυναστεύουσι, καὶ τῆς γῆς βασιλεύειν ὑπειληφόσι, θάνατον ἐπάγων.

ΕΡΜΗΝ. ΤΟΥ Οʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΥ. α. "Εἰς τὸ τέλος, ὑπὲρ Ἰδιθοὺμ, ψαλμὸς τῷ Ἀσάφ." Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος, διὰ

Ἰδιθούμ. Χορὸνδὲ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπεπίστευτο τὸν Θεὸν ἀνυμνούντων· τοῦτον τοίνυν ὁ Ἀσὰφ, ἢ αὐτὸς εἰρηκὼς, ἢ τῇ τοῦ ∆αβὶδ ὑπουργῶν προφητείᾳ. Ἀποφήνασθαι γὰρ περὶ τῶν ἀμφιβαλλομένων οὐκ ἀκίνδυνον. Προλέγει δὲ τῶν ἐν Βαβυλῶνι δουλεύειν