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of the state of the Prophet possessed by God. But I am not unaware that the other interpreters have not rendered it otherwise. But David exhorts through the words at hand, saying: "Hear, O God, my prayer." For being in need of certain great and divine things, he exhorts to obtain these. Then, as if presenting himself as worthy to be heard, he adds: "Attend to my prayer." For confident that his prayer was filled with great and profound thought, he deemed it worthy for God to look upon it, and to gaze upon the words within it, and to test what was said, as being worthy of His ears. Then he also shows the deed, for the sake of which he was calling God to be a spectator of his prayer; wherefore he adds: "From the ends of the earth I cried to you." And since the other interpreters have rendered it harmoniously, Aquila saying, "From the last of the earth I will call upon you;" and Symmachus, "From the ends of the earth I call upon you;" and the fifth edition, "From the ends of the earth I will cry to you;" who would not reasonably seek out the meaning of the phrase? For how can anyone, having traversed the whole inhabited world, and having gone beyond the Ocean itself, cry out, "From the ends of the earth I cried to you"? But see if ‘the ends of the earth’ might not reasonably be said of every friend of God. For the wicked man, running about marketplaces and assemblies, council chambers and courts, and wholly buried in the pleasures of the body, might fittingly be said to dwell in the depth of the earth; but those who "went about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented," and fleeing the centers of cities, and making their abodes in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground, might reasonably be said to be outside the earth; and if on the one hand they were not completely freed from the body, they would still have been outside of it; but now, since living in it, and using it as an instrument, they were not immersed in the evils of life, but continued touching only superficially upon necessary food and the other needs, they fittingly seemed to be at the extremities and at the ends of the body; such was Paul, saying: "For though we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh;" and, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me;" He, therefore, who is so disposed would reasonably say to God: "Attend to my prayer," having great confidence on account of such a life; nor would he lie in saying: 23.577 "From the ends of the earth I cried to you." And he adds the cause, saying, "When my heart was in despair;" or "When my heart was distressed," according to Symmachus. For every God-loving soul is in despair and distress while it abides in this mortal life; wherefore it would also say, I think: "For my sojourning has been prolonged." And we who are in this tent groan, being burdened. So Paul also groaned, being in despair at the extension of this mortal life; wherefore he also lamented, saying: "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" And he is in despair and distress also because of his love for mankind, seeing the multitude of those who are perishing; since "broad and spacious is the way that leads to destruction;" thus again the same one mourns many, concerning whom he said: "I will mourn many of those who have sinned before and have not repented of the sin and lawlessness and debauchery that they have committed." And the same one, grieving and suffering exceedingly for others, cried out: "Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation?" And likewise also the prophets of old lamented the people, as indeed did David. Wherefore he himself fled the middle parts of the earth, and being at its extremities, he cried out to God; but he lamented, his soul grieving over the destruction of the many and of Saul himself. "You have exalted me on a rock, for you have become my hope, a tower of strength from the face of the enemy;" and the rest, According to the Seventy,

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καταστάσεως θεοληπτούμενον τὸν Προφήτην. Οὐκ ἀγνοῶ δὲ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἑρμηνευτὰς οὐχ ἑτέρως ἐκδεδωκέναι. Παρακαλεῖ δὲ διὰ τῶν μετὰ χεῖρας ὁ ∆αυῒδ λέγων· «Εἰσάκουσον, ὁ Θεὸς, τῆς δεήσεώς μου.» Ἐνδεὴς γὰρ ὢν μεγάλων τινῶν καὶ θείων, τούτων τυγχάνειν παρακαλεῖ. Εἶθ' ὥσπερ ἄξιον ἑαυτὸν τοῦ εἰσακουσθῆναι παραστήσας, ἐπιλέγει· «Πρόσχες τῇ προσευχῇ μου.» Πολλῆς γὰρ καὶ βαθείας διανοίας πεπληρῶσθαι αὐτοῦ τὴν προσευχὴν θαρσῶν, ἠξίου τὸν Θεὸν ἐπιβλέψαι, καὶ τοῖς ἐν αὐτῇ λόγοις ἐνατενίσαι, καὶ δοκιμάσαι τὰ λεγόμενα, ὡς ἂν τῶν αὐτοῦ ἀκοῶν ἄξια. Εἶτα καὶ τὸ ἔργον δείκνυσιν, οὗ χάριν θεωρὸν τὸν Θεὸν τῆς ἑαυτοῦ προσευχῆς ἀνεκαλεῖτο· διὸ ἐπιλέγει· «Ἀπὸ τῶν περάτων τῆς γῆς πρὸς σὲ ἐκέκραξα.» Καὶ ἐπειδήπερ συμφώνως οἱ λοιποὶ ἑρμηνευταὶ ἐκδεδώκασιν, ὁ μὲν Ἀκύλας εἰπὼν, «Ἀπὸ τελευταίου τῆς γῆς πρὸς σὲ ἐπικαλέσομαι·» ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος, «Ἀπὸ περάτων τῆς γῆς σὲ ἐπικαλοῦμαι·» ἡ δὲ πέμπτη ἔκδοσις, «Ἀπὸ περάτων τῆς γῆς πρὸς σὲ κεκράξομαι·» τίς οὐκ ἂν εὐλόγως τὸν νοῦν τῆς λέξεως ἐπιζητήσειε; Πῶς γὰρ ἄν τις δύναται, τὴν σύμπασαν ὑπερβὰς οἰκουμένην, καὶ ὑπὲρ αὐτὸν ἐλθὼν τὸν Ὠκεανὸν, «Ἀπὸ τῶν περάτων τῆς γῆς πρὸς σὲ ἐκέκραξα,» βοᾷν; Ἀλλ' ὅρα εἰ μὴ πᾶς ὁ τῷ Θεῷ φίλος εὐλόγως ἂν τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς ῥηθείη. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ φαῦλος ἀνὴρ, ἀγορὰς καὶ δήμους, βουλευτήριά τε καὶ δικαστήρια περιτρέχων, ὅλως τε ταῖς τοῦ σώματος ἡδυπαθείαις κατορωρυγμένος, ἐν βυθῷ τῆς γῆς οἰκεῖν λέγοιτ' ἂν εἰκότως· οἱ δὲ «περιελθόντες ἐν μηλωταῖς καὶ ἐν αἰγίνοις δέρμασιν, ὑστερούμενοι, θλιβόμενοι, κακουχούμενοι,» φεύγοντές τε τὰ μέσα τῶν πόλεων, καὶ τὰς διατριβὰς ἐν ἐρημίαις ποιούμενοι καὶ ὄρεσι καὶ σπηλαίοις καὶ ταῖς ὀπαῖς τῆς γῆς, εὐλόγως ἂν λεχθεῖεν ἔξω τυγχάνειν τῆς γῆς· καὶ εἰ μὲν μὴ παντελῶς ἦσαν ἀπηλλαγμένοι τοῦ σώματος, κἂν ἐκτὸς ἦσαν αὐτοῦ· νῦν δὲ ἐπειδὴ ἐν αὐτῷ βιοῦντες, ὀργάνῳ τε αὐτῷ χρώμενοι, οὐκ ἐνεβαπτίζοντο τοῖς τοῦ βίου κακοῖς, ἀκροθίνως δὲ αὐτὸ μόνον τῆς ἀναγκαίας τροφῆς, καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν χρειῶν ἐφαπτόμενοι διετέλουν· εἰκότως ἐν ἄκροις ἐδόκουν εἶναι καὶ ἐν τοῖς πέρασι τοῦ σώματος· οἷος ἦν ὁ Παῦλος λέγων· «Ἐν σαρκὶ γὰρ ζῶντες, οὐ κατὰ σάρκα στρατευόμεθα·» καὶ, «Χριστῷ συνεσταύρωμαι· ζῶ δὲ οὐκέτι ἐγὼ, ζῇ δὲ ἐν ἐμοὶ Χριστός·» Ὁ δὴ οὖν οὕτω διακείμενος εὐλόγως ἂν εἴποι τῷ Θεῷ· «Πρόσχες τῇ προσευχῇ μου,» πολλὴν ἄγων παῤῥησίαν ἐπὶ τῇ τοιαύτῃ τοῦ βίου ζωῇ· οὐδ' ἂν ψεύσαιτο φάσκων· 23.577 «Ἀπὸ τῶν περάτων τῆς γῆς πρὸς σὲ ἐκέκραξα.» Προστίθησι δὲ καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν ἐπιλέγων, «Ἐν τῷ ἀκηδιάσαι τὴν καρδίαν μου·» ἢ «Ἐν τῷ ἀδημονεῖν τὴν καρδίαν μου,» κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον. Ἀκηδιᾷ γὰρ, καὶ ἀδημονεῖ πᾶσα θεοφιλὴς ψυχὴ τῷ θνητῷ ἐνδιατρίβουσα βίῳ· διὸ καὶ φήσαι ἂν, οἶμαι· «Ὅτι ἐμακρύνθη ἡ παροικία μου.» Καὶ ἡμεῖς οἱ ὄντες ἐν τῷ σκήνει στενάζομεν βαρούμενοι. Ἔστενεν οὖν καὶ ὁ Παῦλος ἀκηδιῶν ἐπὶ τῇ παρεκτάσει τοῦ θνητοῦ βίου· διὸ καὶ ἀπεκλᾴετο λέγων· «Ταλαίπωρος ἐγὼ ἄνθρωπος, τίς με ῥύσεται ἐκ τοῦ σώματος τοῦ θανάτου τούτου;» Ἀκηδιᾷ δὲ καὶ ἀδημονεῖ καὶ διὰ φιλανθρωπίαν, τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἀπολλυμένων θεωρῶν· ἐπειδὴ «πλατεῖα καὶ εὐρύχωρος ἡ ὁδὸς ἡ ἀπάγουσα εἰς τὴν ἀπώλειαν·» οὕτως πάλιν ὁ αὐτὸς πενθεῖ πολλοὺς, περὶ ὧν ἔλεγε· «Πενθήσω πολλοὺς τῶν προημαρτηκότων, καὶ μὴ μετανοησάντων ἐπὶ τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ καὶ ἀνομίᾳ καὶ ἀσεβείᾳ ᾗ ἔπραξαν.» Ὁ δ' αὐτὸς ὑπεραλγῶν καὶ ὑπερπάσχων ἑτέρων ἐβόα· «Τίς ἀσθενεῖ, καὶ οὐκ ἀσθενῶ; Τίς σκανδαλίζεται, καὶ οὐκ ἐγὼ πυροῦμαι;» Ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ οἱ προφῆται τὸν πάλαι ἀπεκλᾴοντο λαὸν, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ ὁ ∆αυΐδ. ∆ιὸ αὐτὸς μὲν ἔφευγε τὰ μέσα τῆς γῆς, καὶ ἐν ἄκροις αὐτῶν γινόμενος ἐβόα πρὸς τὸν Θεόν· ἐπὶ δὲ τῇ τῶν πολλῶν καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Σαοὺλ ἀπωλείᾳ τὴν ψυχὴν ἀλγῶν ἀπεκλᾴετο. «Ἐν πέτρᾳ ὕψωσάς με, ὅτι ἐγενήθης ἐλπίς μου, πύργος ἰσχύος ἀπὸ προσώπου ἐχθροῦ·» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς, Κατὰ μὲν τοὺς Ἑβδομήκοντα,