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of Isaiah promised to the worthy by God who says: "While you are still speaking I will say, 'Behold, I am here;'" for while the Prophet was still uttering the words, the Holy Spirit, coming upon him, showed him that he had indeed been heard. Therefore he says: "For you, O God, have heard my vows." And according to the other interpreters the same meaning is present; since according to Aquila it is said: "For you, O God, have heard my vows;" and according to Symmachus: "For you, O God, have heard my prayers." Then 23.581 he adds: "You have given an inheritance to those who fear your name." For you have heard me for now; but I knew, being enlightened by your Spirit, that not to me alone, but also to all who fear your name you will give a fruit worthy of your fear, the inheritance which you promised them. But by saying indefinitely, "to those who fear your name," he extended grace to all people. For the inheritance is not promised to Israel, nor to the nation of the Jews alone, but to all who fear his name. "To the Jew first," says the Apostle, "and also to the Greek." And it has often been shown by us that the Word is accustomed to call all those from the nations who approach God, "those who fear the Lord." To these very ones, therefore, he says, you gave an inheritance; and what sort of inheritance he did not say, but left it for us to seek. For to Israel he promised through Moses the land flowing with milk and honey; but what sort of inheritance he gave to those who fear him, he left to be sought. You will find this in the beatitudes of our Savior, in which it is said: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven;" and again you have the promise of our Savior, through which he says: "And in this age he will receive a hundredfold, and in the age to come he will inherit eternal life." And for the sake of this inheritance the fifth psalm was inscribed, "For the end, for her who inherits;" and in the 15th psalm the same inheritance was shown according to the verse, "The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and of my cup, you are he who restores my inheritance to me. For my inheritance is the best for me." "You will add days to the days of the king; his years to the day of his generation and generation will remain forever before God. Who will seek his mercy and truth?" Having said before, "For you, O God, have heard my vows," by hyperbaton he joined to it, "You will add days to the days of the king." For hear, he says, my vows, you have added days upon days for me. And in the middle was inserted the mention of those who fear the name of the Lord; since to them also the prophecy promised the inheritance. And the inheritance was eternal life, which the word signifies, saying: "You will add days to the days of the king." Therefore, to king David who had prayed for great things, God promised through the Spirit that he would add days to his days, and his years to the day of a generation and a generation. For he promised this inheritance to him; which is also shown in the 20th psalm, in which it is said: "O Lord, in your strength the king will rejoice. You have given him his heart's desire;" and what follows: "He asked life of you, and you gave him length of days for ever and for ever and ever." For since, aspiring to heavenly things, and desiring the good things that are with you, he prayed; you heard him, it says, and having heard, "you gave him his heart's desire, and did not 23.584 deprive him of the request of his lips." And what was his desire, and what was the request of his lips, it teaches in what follows, saying: "He asked life of you, and you gave him length of days for ever and for ever and ever." And in the present instance, therefore, David prayed similarly to those things, and having prayed he was heard; and being heard he received this promise, through which it is said: "You will add days to the days of the king; his years to the day of a generation and
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Ἡσαΐου τοῖς ἀξίοις ἐπηγγελμένον ὑπὸ τοῦ λέγοντος Θεοῦ· «Ἔτι λαλοῦντός σου ἐρῶ· Ἰδοὺ πάρειμι·» ἔτι γὰρ φθεγγομένου τοῦ Προφήτου, τὸ Πνεῦμα ἐπιστὰν τὸ ἅγιον ἐδήλου αὐτῷ, ὡς ἄρα εἰσακουσθεὶς εἴη. ∆ιό φησιν· «Ὅτι σὺ, ὁ Θεὸς, εἰσήκουσας τῶν εὐχῶν μου.» Καὶ κατὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς δὲ ἑρμηνευτὰς ἡ αὐτὴ παρίσταται διάνοια· ἐπεὶ κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν εἴρηται· «Ὅτι σὺ, ὦ Θεὲ, ἤκουσας τῶν εὐχῶν μου·» κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον· «Σὺ γὰρ, ὁ Θεὸς, εἰσήκουσας τῶν προσευχῶν μου.» Εἶτ' 23.581 ἐπιλέγει· «Ἔδωκας κληρονομίαν τοῖς φοβουμένοις τὸ ὄνομά σου.» Ἐμοῦ μὲν γὰρ τέως εἰσήκουσας· ἔγνων δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ σοῦ Πνεύματος φωτισθεὶς, ὅτι οὐκ ἐμοὶ μόνῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς φοβουμένοις τὸ ὄνομά σου καρπὸν ἄξιον τοῦ σοῦ φόβου δώσεις, τὴν κληρονομίαν ἣν ἐπηγγείλω αὐτοῖς. Ἀορίστως δὲ εἰπὼν, «τοῖς φοβουμένοις τὸ ὄνομά σου,» ἥπλωσε τὴν χάριν ἐπὶ πάντας ἀνθρώπους. Οὐ γὰρ τῷ Ἰσραὴλ ἐπήγγελται τὴν κληρονομίαν, οὐδὲ τῷ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνει μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς φοβουμένοις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ. «Ἰουδαίῳ τε πρῶτον,» φησὶν ὁ Ἀπόστολος, «καὶ Ἕλληνι.» Πολλάκις δὲ ἡμῖν ἀποδέδεικται, ὡς πάντας τοὺς ἐξ ἐθνῶν τῷ Θεῷ προσιόντας, φοβουμένους τὸν Κύριον καλεῖν εἴωθεν ὁ Λόγος. Τούτοις οὖν αὐτοῖς, φησὶν, ἔδωκας κληρονομίαν· καὶ ποίαν οὐκ εἶπεν, ἡμῖν δὲ καταλέλοιπεν ζητεῖν. Τῷ μὲν οὖν Ἰσραὴλ τὴν ῥέουσαν μέλι καὶ γάλα ἐπήγγελται διὰ Μωϋσέως· τοῖς δὲ φοβουμένοις ὁποίαν ἔδωκε κληρονομίαν, εἴασε ζητεῖσθαι. Εὑρήσεις δὲ ἐν τοῖς τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν μακαρισμοῖς ταύτην, ἐν οἷς εἴρηται· «Μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι, ὅτι αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν·» καὶ πάλιν ἔχεις τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐπαγγελίαν, δι' ἧς φησι· «Καὶ ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ πολυπλασίονα λήψεται, καὶ ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι ζωὴν αἰώνιον κληρονομήσει.» Καὶ ταύτης ἕνεκα τῆς κληρονομίας ὁ πέμπτος ψαλμὸς ἐπεγέγραπτο, «Εἰς τὸ τέλος, ὑπὲρ τῆς κληρονομούσης·» καὶ ἐν τῷ ιεʹ δὲ ψαλμῷ ἡ αὐτὴ κληρονομία ἐδηλοῦτο κατὰ τὸ, «Κύριος ἡ μερὶς τῆς κληρονομίας μου καὶ τοῦ ποτηρίου μου, σὺ εἶ ὁ ἀποκαθιστῶν τὴν κληρονομίαν μου ἐμοί. Καὶ γὰρ ἡ κληρονομία μου κρατίστη μοί ἐστιν.» «Ἡμέρας ἐφ' ἡμέρας βασιλέως προσθήσεις· τὰ ἔτη αὐτοῦ ἕως ἡμέρας γενεᾶς καὶ γενεᾶς αὐτοῦ διαμενεῖ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἔλεος καὶ ἀλήθειαν τίς ἐκζητήσει αὐτοῦ;» Προειπὼν, «Ὅτι σὺ, ὁ Θεὸς, εἰσήκουσας τῶν εὐχῶν μου,» καθ' ὑπερβατὸν συνῆψε τὸ, «Ἡμέρας ἐφ' ἡμέρας βασιλέως προσθήσεις.» Εἰσάκουσον γὰρ, φησὶ, τῶν εὐχῶν μου, ἡμέρας ἐφ' ἡμέρας μοι προσέθηκας. ∆ιὰ μέσου δὲ ἐνεβλήθη ἡ περὶ τῶν φοβουμένων τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Κυρίου μνήμη· ἐπειδὴ καὶ αὐτοῖς ἐπήγγελται τὴν κληρονομίαν ἡ προφητεία. Ἦν δὲ ἡ κληρονομία ἡ αἰώνιος ζωὴ, ἣν ὁ λόγος σημαίνει φάσκων· «Ἡμέρας ἐφ' ἡμέρας βασιλέως προσθήσεις.» Μεγάλα τοίνυν εὐξαμένῳ τῷ βασιλεῖ ∆αυῒδ ἐπήγγελται ὁ Θεὸς διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος ἡμέρας ἐφ' ἡμέρας προσθήσειν, καὶ τὰ ἔτη αὐτοῦ ἕως ἡμέρας γενεᾶς καὶ γενεᾶς. Ταύτην γὰρ αὐτῷ τὴν κληρονομίαν ἐπηγγείλατο· ὃ δὴ καὶ ἐν τῷ κʹ δηλοῦται ψαλμῷ, ἐν ᾧ εἴρηται· «Κύριε, ἐν τῇ δυνάμει σου εὐφρανθήσεται ὁ βασιλεύς. Τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν τῆς καρδίας αὐτοῦ ἔδωκας αὐτῷ·» καὶ ἑξῆς· «Ζωὴν ᾐτήσατό σε, καὶ ἔδωκας αὐτῷ μακρότητα ἡμερῶν εἰς αἰῶνα καὶ εἰς αἰῶνα αἰῶνος.» Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τῶν οὐρανίων ὀριγνώμενος, καὶ τῶν παρὰ σοὶ ἀγαθῶν ἐπιθυμήσας, ηὔξατο· εἰσήκουσας αὐτοῦ, φησὶ, καὶ εἰσακούσας, «τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν τῆς καρδίας αὐτοῦ ἔδωκας αὐτῷ, καὶ τὴν θέλησιν τῶν χειλέων αὐτοῦ οὐκ 23.584 ἐστέρησας αὐτόν.» Τίς δὲ ἦν ἡ ἐπιθυμία αὐτοῦ, καὶ τίς ἡ αἴτησις τῶν χειλέων αὐτοῦ, διδάσκει ἑξῆς λέγων· «Ζωὴν ᾐτήσατό σε, καὶ ἔδωκας αὐτῷ μακρότητα ἡμερῶν εἰς αἰῶνα καὶ εἰς αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος.» Καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος τοίνυν παραπλησίως ἐκείνοις ηὔξατο ∆αυῒδ, καὶ εὐξάμενος εἰσηκούσθη· εἰσακουσθείς τε ταύτης ἔτυχε τῆς ἐπαγγελίας, δι' ἧς εἴρηται· «Ἡμέρας ἐφ' ἡμέρας βασιλέως προσθήσεις· τὰ ἔτη αὐτοῦ ἕως ἡμέρας γενεᾶς καὶ