186
he says, he spoke, and having spoken in his holy place, to Gilead and to Manasseh, and to Ephraim, and to Judah, he includes Moab and Idumea and all the rest of the foreigners. For “Moab,” he says, “is the cauldron of my hope;” instead of which Symmachus rendered, “Moab is the cauldron of my security;” but Aquila, “Moab is the cauldron of my washing.” Then concerning Idumea he himself proclaims, saying: “Over Idumea I will stretch out my shoe;” or according to Symmachus, “Upon Idumea I will step with my shoe.” And such things he proclaims to Moab and to Idumea. But concerning the foreigners again the same says: “To me the foreigners were subjected;” or, according to Aquila: “To me Philistia played the harlot;” but according to Theodotion, “To me the foreigners became friends.” These very things are said with the same verbs and the same words also in the 107th psalm, in which it is also prophesied according to the Seventy that the foreigners will be friends to God. For it is written in that one too: “Moab is the cauldron of my hope. Over Idumea I will cast my shoe, to me the foreigners became friends.” And these things he related concerning the foreigners. But after these things the prophecy again proceeds from the person of the Jewish people, saying: “Are you not the God who has rejected us, and will you not go out with our forces?” Which things would be similar to those spoken at the beginning in, “O God, you have rejected us and cast us down;” by which they clearly say that they themselves have been rejected and cast down, and that they do not have God as a helper in their forces; but that all the foreigners in general have become friends to God, and specifically that Moab has become his cauldron of hope, or the cauldron of his washing, or of his security; and that Idumea has been deemed worthy of the shoe of God. David, therefore, enlightened by the divine Spirit, communicates the word as from the person of the whole people and says: “O God, you have rejected us and cast us down;” or, according to Symmachus: “O God, you have cast us off, and cut us off;” clearly indicating their rejection and cutting off. Then he adds: “You were angry, and you had pity on us;” but according to Aquila, “Being wrathful you turned us away;” but according to Symmachus, “You were angry, and you led us around;” but according to the fifth edition, “And you led us around.” The outcome of events demonstrates these things more than the words. 23.560 At any rate, after the coming of our Savior they have suffered all these things, when wrath came upon them to the uttermost, and they were rejected and cast down and cast off; and they were cut off and led about, having been scattered into all the nations. But also “you have shaken the earth,” he says, “and troubled it,” because of the countless evils that occurred in it; I mean in their land, that is, in Jerusalem, in which the palace, and the holy place, and all the venerable things of the law were accomplished; or also in all their country, or also in their souls, tropologically called earth. All of which things were suddenly shaken and troubled because of their lawless deeds. Nevertheless, the prophet beseeches, saying next: “Heal its breaches, for it has been shaken.” For having been moved and shaken from its proper abode and position, the aforementioned land acquired breaches and fractures. Therefore it is said next: “You have shown your people hard things;” and he gives them to drink the wine of compunction; or, according to Aquila, “the wine of stupefaction;” or, according to Symmachus, “the wine of reeling.” And one might say that the word from the divine Scriptures, being a refutation of their unbelief in the Christ of God, is the wine of compunction, their conscience being pricked and wounded by the prophecies concerning the Savior; and from the very events surrounding them and from the conversion of the nations. For these things, even if they seem to be unaffected, nevertheless wound their conscience, striking them and bringing them to a sense of awareness
186
φησὶν, ἐλάλησε, καὶ λαλήσας ἐν τῷ ἁγίῳ αὐτοῦ τῷ Γαλαὰδ καὶ τῷ Μανασσῇ, καὶ τῷ Ἐφραῒμ, καὶ τῷ Ἰούδᾳ, συμπεριλαμβάνει τὸν Μωὰβ καὶ τὴν Ἰδουμαίαν καὶ πάντας τοὺς λοιποὺς ἀλλοφύλους. «Μωὰβ» γὰρ, φησὶ, «λέβης τῆς ἐλπίδος μου·» ἀνθ' οὗ ὁ Σύμμαχος ἐξέδωκε, «Μωὰβ λέβης ἀμεριμνίας μου·» ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας, «Μωὰβ λέβης λουτροῦ μου.» Εἶτα περὶ τῆς Ἰδουμαίας αὐτὸς ἐπαγγέλλεται λέγων· «Ἐπὶ τὴν Ἰδουμαίαν ἐκτενῶ τὸ ὑπόδημά μου·» ἢ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον, «Ἐπὶ τὴν Ἰδουμαίαν ἐπιβήσομαι τῷ ὑποδήματί μου.» Καὶ τοιαῦτα μὲν ἐπαγγέλλεται τῷ Μωὰβ καὶ τῇ Ἰδουμαίᾳ. Περὶ δὲ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων πάλιν ὁ αὐτὸς ἐπιλέγει· «Ἐμοὶ ἀλλόφυλοι ὑπετάγησαν·» ἢ, κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν· «Ἐπ' ἐμὲ Φυλιστιαία ἡταιρήσατο·» κατὰ δὲ τὸν Θεοδοτίωνα, «Ἐμοὶ ἀλλόφυλοι ἐφιλίασαν.» Αὐτὰ δὲ ταῦτα τοῖς αὐτοῖς ῥήμασι, καὶ αὐταῖς λέξεσι καὶ ἐν τῷ ρζʹ εἴρηται ψαλμῷ, ἐν ᾧ καὶ κατὰ τοὺς Ἑβδομήκοντα φιλιάσειν τῷ Θεῷ οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι θεσπίζονται. Γέγραπται γοῦν καὶ ἐν ἐκείνῳ· «Μωὰβ λέβης τῆς ἐλπίδος μου. Ἐπὶ τὴν Ἰδουμαίαν ἐπιβαλῶ τὸ ὑπόδημά μου, ἐμοὶ ἀλλόφυλοι ἐφιλίασαν.» Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν περὶ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων διῆλθε. Μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ Ἰουδαίων λαοῦ ἡ προφητεία πάλιν ἐπάγει φάσκουσα· «Οὐχὶ σὺ ὁ Θεὸς ὁ ἀπωσάμενος ἡμᾶς, καὶ οὐκ ἐξελεύσῃ ἐν ταῖς δυνάμεσιν ἡμῶν;» Ἃ δὴ ὅμοια γένοιτ' ἂν τοῖς κατὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν λελεγμένοις ἐν τῷ, «Ὁ Θεὸς, ἀπώσω ἡμᾶς καὶ καθεῖλες ἡμᾶς·» δι' ὧν σαφῶς ἑαυτοὺς μὲν ἀπεῶσθαι λέγουσι καὶ καθαιρεῖσθαι, μὴ ἔχειν τε τὸν Θεὸν βοηθὸν ἐν ταῖς ἑαυτῶν δυνάμεσι· τοὺς δὲ ἀλλοφύλους καθόλου μὲν πάντας φίλους γεγονέναι τῷ Θεῷ, ἰδίως δὲ τὸν Μωὰβ λέβητα αὐτοῦ τῆς ἐλπίδος, ἢ λέβητα τοῦ λουτροῦ αὐτοῦ, ἢ τῆς ἀμεριμνίας αὐτοῦ γεγονέναι· τὴν δὲ Ἰδουμαίαν τοῦ ὑποδήματος τοῦ Θεοῦ κατηξιῶσθαι. Ταῦτ' οὖν τῷ Πνεύματι τῷ θείῳ φωτισθεὶς ὁ ∆αυῒδ, κοινοποιεῖ τὸν λόγον ὡς ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ παντὸς λαοῦ καί φησιν· «Ὁ Θεὸς, ἀπώσω ἡμᾶς καὶ καθεῖλες ἡμᾶς·» ἢ, κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον· «Ὁ Θεὸς, ἀπεβάλου ἡμᾶς, καὶ διέκοψας ἡμᾶς·» σαφῶς ἀποβολὴν καὶ ἀποκοπὴν αὐτῶν δηλώσας. Εἶτ' ἐπιλέγει· «Ὠργίσθης, καὶ ᾠκτείρησας ἡμᾶς·» κατὰ δὲ τὸν Ἀκύλαν, «Θυμωθεὶς μετέστρεψας ἡμᾶς·» κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον, «Ὠργίσθης, καὶ περιήγαγες ἡμᾶς·» κατὰ δὲ τὴν πέμπτην ἔκδοσιν, «Καὶ περιήγαγες ἡμᾶς.» Ταῦτα δὲ μᾶλλον τῶν λόγων ἡ τῶν πραγμάτων ἔκβασις παρίστησι. 23.560 Μετὰ γοῦν τὴν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν παρουσίαν πάντα ταῦτα πεπόνθασιν, ὅτε ἔφθασεν ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ὀργὴ εἰς τέλος, ἀπώσθησάν τε καὶ καθῃρέθησαν καὶ ἀπεβλήθησαν· διεκόπησάν τε καὶ περιήχθησαν διασκορπισθέντες εἰς πάντα τὰ ἔθνη. Ἀλλὰ καὶ «συνέσεισας, φησὶ, τὴν γῆν, καὶ συνετάραξας αὐτὴν,» διὰ τὸ μυρία κακὰ ἐν αὐτῇ γίγνεσθαι· λέγω δὲ τῇ αὐτῶν γῇ, ἤτοι τῇ Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ἐν ᾗ καὶ τὸ βασίλειον, καὶ τὸ ἁγίασμα, καὶ πάντα τὰ σεμνὰ τοῦ νόμου συνετελεῖτο· ἢ καὶ πάσῃ αὐτῶν τῇ χώρᾳ, ἢ καὶ ταῖς ψυχαῖς αὐτῶν τροπικῶς γῆν ὠνομασμέναις. Ἃ δὴ πάντα ἀθρόως διὰ τὰς παρανόμους αὐτῶν πράξεις συνεσείσθη καὶ συνεταράχθη. Ὅμως δ' οὖν ἱκετεύει ὁ προφήτης λέγων ἑξῆς· «Ἴασαι τὰ συντρίμματα αὐτῆς, ὅτι ἐκινήθη.» Κινηθεῖσα γὰρ καὶ σαλευθεῖσα τῆς οἰκείας μονῆς καὶ στάσεως ἡ προλεχθεῖσα γῆ, συντρίμματα καὶ κατάγματα ἐκτήσατο. ∆ιόπερ ἑξῆς ἐπιλέγεται· «Ἔδειξας τῷ λαῷ σου σκληρά·» καὶ ποτίζει δὲ αὐτοὺς οἶνον κατανύξεως· ἢ, κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν, «οἶνον καρώσεως·» ἢ, κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον, «οἶνον σάλου.» Καὶ ἔστι γε εἰπεῖν τὸν ἀπὸ τῶν θείων Γραφῶν λόγον, ἐλεγκτικὸν ὄντα αὐτῶν τῆς εἰς τὸν Χριστὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀπιστίας, οἶνον ὑπάρχειν κατανύξεως, νυττομένης αὐτῶν καὶ τιτρωσκομένης τῆς συνειδήσεως ἀπὸ τῶν περὶ τοῦ Σωτῆρος προφητειῶν· ἐξ αὐτῶν τε τῶν περιεχόντων αὐτοὺς πραγμάτων καὶ ἐκ τῆς τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐπιστροφῆς. Ταῦτα γὰρ, κἂν ἀπροσποίητοι εἶναι δοκῶσιν, ὅμως τὴν συνείδησιν αὐτῶν τιτρώσκει, πλήττοντα καὶ εἰς συναίσθησιν αὐτοὺς