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to inscribe "for those who will be changed," and to call the words a stelography. For "unto the end" is said because the things prophesied were going to be fulfilled at the consummation of the ages; and "for those who will be changed" is added, necessarily because the state of affairs at that time was about to undergo a change. For when these things were said, Israel ruled over the foreigners and was stronger than its enemies. But it was destined at some time to undergo a change, and to come under its enemies. Therefore the inscription says: "Unto the end, for those who will be changed;" but Symmachus, "Concerning the flowers;" and Aquila, "Upon lilies." For as the lilies of the field and the grass seem to appear beautiful for a short time, but very soon change and perish; so also the affairs of the people, flourishing then, were very soon to change. Therefore the Savior also said in his teachings: "Consider the lilies of the field;" and again: "But if the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven;" and also, "All flesh is grass, and all its glory as the flower of grass. The grass withered, and the flower fell; but the word of the Lord remains forever;" to which the Prophet, according to the other interpreters, adds, saying: "Truly the people is grass; the grass withered, the flower fell," openly indicating the nation of the Jews. Therefore, these very things the Holy Spirit now also testifies through David, proclaiming beforehand the future change and alteration of the people. Therefore, according to Aquila it is said, "Upon lilies of testimony;" but according to Symmachus, "Concerning the flowers, a testimony;" and according to the Seventy, "For those who will be changed, for a stelography," And this would have much consistency with what was said before it. Since that one also indicated the rejection of the nation, saying: "They will return at evening, and will hunger like a dog, and will go around the city," and what follows. To which he subsequently spoke concerning the calling of the nations: "And you, O Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel, attend to visit all the nations." But the stelography, now as also before, Aquila interpreted, "of the humble, perfect David;" and Symmachus, "of the humble-minded and blameless David." For the moderation of so great a king was worthy of a stele. For having prevailed in so many wars, and having subdued those as far as the Middle of the rivers, and having made them tributaries, he remained in his own character, in which he also excelled when he was driven by Saul and dwelt fleeing in the deserts. For both then he was deemed worthy by the divine Scripture of eternal steles as humble and perfect, or humble-minded and blameless; and now, when as king he went out against so many enemies, and gathered the wealth of all, he remained of the same disposition; therefore he was deemed worthy of a stelography, and was deemed worthy of a prophetic spirit. But observe how at this time Israel, while David was king, held sway as far as the Middle of the rivers, and received tribute from the surrounding nations, the promise of God to Abraham being put into effect; through which he promised to give to his seed all the land from the 23.557 river of Egypt to the river Euphrates; which indeed was fulfilled in deeds while David was king; at any rate, the history of the book of Kings set alongside testified to this. But the prophet, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, prophesies the things that will happen in future times. And what these things were, he teaches by saying: "Unto the end, for those who will be changed." Then proceeding in order, he adds: "O God, you have cast us off and destroyed us," and the rest; to which, after other things, he adds: "God has spoken in his sanctuary: I will rejoice, and I will divide Shechem, and I will measure out the valley of the tents," and the rest. And through these things he signifies God's reconciliations with the foreigners. For God,

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ἀλλοιωθησομένοις» ἐπιγράφειν, καὶ στηλογραφίαν τοὺς λόγους ἀποκαλεῖν. «Εἰς» μὲν γὰρ «τὸ τέλος,» διὰ τὸ ἐπὶ συντελείᾳ τῶν αἰώνων μέλλειν πληροῦσθαι τὰ προφητευόμενα, εἴρηται· πρόσκειται δὲ, «τοῖς ἀλλοιωθησομένοις,» ἀναγκαίως διὰ τὴν μέλλουσαν διαλήψεσθαι ἀλλοίωσιν τὴν κατάστασιν τῶν τότε πραγμάτων. Ὅτε μὲν γὰρ ταῦτ' ἐλέγετο, ἐκράτει τῶν ἀλλοφύλων ὁ Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ τῶν πολεμίων κρείττων ἐτύγχανεν. Ἔμελλε δὲ ἄρα καιρῷ τινι ἀλλοίωσιν ὑπομένειν, καὶ ὑπὸ τοῖς ἐχθροῖς γίνεσθαι. ∆ιό φησιν ἡ προγραφή· «Εἰς τὸ τέλος τοῖς ἀλλοιωθησομένοις·» ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος, «Ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀνθῶν·» ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας, «Ἐπὶ κρίνων.» Ὡς γὰρ τὰ κρίνα τοῦ ἀγροῦ καὶ ὁ χόρτος δοκεῖ μέν τινα πρὸς βραχὺ φαίνεσθαι ὡραῖα, ὅσον δὲ οὔπω μεταβάλλει καὶ φθείρεται· οὕτως καὶ τὰ πράγματα τοῦ λαοῦ, ἀνθοῦντα τότε, ἔμελλεν ὅσον οὔπω μεταβάλλειν. ∆ιὸ καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ ἐν ταῖς διδασκαλίαις ἔλεγε· «Καταμάθετε τὰ κρίνα τοῦ ἀγροῦ·» καὶ πάλιν· «Εἰ δὲ τὸν χόρτον τοῦ ἀγροῦ σήμερον ὄντα, καὶ αὔριον εἰς κλίβανον βαλλόμενον·» ἀλλὰ καὶ, «Πᾶσα σὰρξ χόρτος, καὶ πᾶσα δόξα αὐτῆς ὡς ἄνθος χόρτου. Ἐξηράνθη ὁ χόρτος, καὶ τὸ ἄνθος ἐξέπεσε· τὸ δὲ ῥῆμα Κυρίου μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα·» οἷς ὁ Προφήτης κατὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἑρμηνευτὰς προστίθησι λέγων· «Ἀληθῶς χόρτος ὁ λαός· ἐξηράνθη ὁ χόρτος, ἐξέπεσε τὸ ἄνθος,» ἀκαλύπτως τὸ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνος δηλώσας. Αὐτὰ δὴ οὖν ταῦτα καὶ νῦν τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον διὰ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ μαρτύρεται, προαναφωνοῦν τὴν μέλλουσαν ἔσεσθαι τοῦ λαοῦ ἀλλοίωσιν καὶ μεταβολήν. ∆ιὸ κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν εἴρηται, «Ἐπὶ κρίνων μαρτυρίας·» κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον, «Ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀνθῶν μαρτυρία·» κατὰ δὲ τοὺς Ἑβδομήκοντα, «Τοῖς ἀλλοιωθησομένοις εἰς στηλογραφίαν,» Πολλὴν δὲ ἀκολουθίαν ἔχοι ἂν πρὸς τὰ ἐν τῷ πρὸ τούτου λελεγμένα. Ἐπεὶ κἀκεῖνος τὴν τοῦ ἔθνους ἀποβολὴν ἐδήλου λέγων· «Ἐπιστρέψουσιν εἰς ἑσπέραν, καὶ λιμώξουσιν ὡς κύων, καὶ κυκλώσουσι πόλιν,» καὶ τὰ ἐπιφερόμενα. Οἷς ἑξῆς περὶ τῆς κλήσεως τῶν ἐθνῶν ἔφασκε· «Καὶ σὺ, Κύριε ὁ Θεὸς τῶν δυνάμεων, ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσραὴλ, πρόσχες τοῦ ἐπισκέψασθαι πάντα τὰ ἔθνη.» Τὴν δὲ στηλογραφίαν καὶ νῦν ὡς καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν ὁ μὲν Ἀκύλας, «ταπεινοῦ τελείου τοῦ ∆αυΐδ·» ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος, «ταπεινόφρονος τοῦ ∆αυῒδ καὶ ἀμώμου,» ἡρμήνευσαν. Στήλης γὰρ ἦν ἀξία ἡ τοῦ τοσούτου βασιλέως μετριοφροσύνη. Τοσούτων γὰρ πολέμων περιγενόμενος, καὶ τοὺς μέχρι τῆς Μέσης τῶν ποταμῶν ὑποτάξας, ὑποφόρους τε αὐτοὺς καταστησάμενος, ἐν τῷ οἰκείῳ διέμενεν ἤθει, ἐν ᾧ καὶ ὅτε ἠλαύνετο ὑπὸ τοῦ Σαοὺλ, καὶ τὰς ἐρήμους φεύγων κατῴκει, διέπρεπε. Καὶ τότε γὰρ ὑπὸ τῆς θείας Γραφῆς, ὡς ταπεινὸς τέλειος, ἢ ταπεινόφρων καὶ ἄμωμος στηλῶν αἰωνίων ἠξιοῦτο· καὶ νῦν δ' ὅτε βασιλεύων τοσούτοις ἐπεξῄει πολεμίοις, καὶ τὸν ἁπάντων συνῆγε πλοῦτον, ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς διέμενε προαιρέσεως· διὸ στηλογραφίας ἠξιοῦτο, καὶ πνεύματος ἠξιοῦτο προφητικοῦ. Ἐπιτήρει δὲ ὅπως κατὰ τούτου τοῦ χρόνου ὁ Ἰσραὴλ, βασιλεύοντος ∆αυῒδ, μέχρι τῆς Μέσης τῶν ποταμῶν ἐκράτει, καὶ φόρους παρὰ τῶν πέριξ ἐθνῶν ἐλάμβανε, τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπαγγελίας τῆς πρὸς τὸν Ἀβραὰμ εἰς ἔργα χωρούσης· δι' ἧς ἐπηγγέλλετο δώσειν τῷ σπέρματι αὐτοῦ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἀπὸ τοῦ πο 23.557 ταμοῦ Αἰγύπτου, μέχρι τοῦ ποταμοῦ Εὐφράτου· ἃ δὴ βασιλεύοντος τοῦ ∆αυῒδ ἔργοις ἐπληροῦτο· τοῦτο γοῦν καὶ ἡ παρατεθεῖσα ἱστορία τῆς Βασιλειῶν γραφῆς ἐμαρτύρει. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ φωτισθεὶς ὁ προφήτης ὑπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος, θεσπίζει τὰ ἐν τοῖς μέλλουσι χρόνοις συμβησόμενα. Τίνα δὲ ἦν ταῦτα διδάσκει λέγων· «Εἰς τὸ τέλος τοῖς ἀλλοιωθησομένοις.» Εἶθ' ἑξῆς προϊὼν ἐπάγει· «Ὁ Θεὸς, ἀπώσω ἡμᾶς καὶ καθεῖλες ἡμᾶς,» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· οἷς μεθ' ἕτερα ἐπιλέγει· «Ὁ Θεὸς ἐλάλησεν ἐν τῷ ἁγίῳ αὐτοῦ· ἀγαλλιάσομαι καὶ διαμεριῶ Σίκιμα, καὶ τὴν κοιλάδα τῶν σκηνῶν διαμετρήσω,» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Σημαίνει δὲ διὰ τούτων τοῦ Θεοῦ διαλλαγὰς πρὸς τοὺς ἀλλοφύλους. Ὁ Θεὸς γὰρ,