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generation.’” or, according to Symmachus: “You will add days to the days of the king, his years, for as long as a generation and a generation; he will dwell forever before God; mercy and truth will hedge him in.” He will attain all these things who was able to say: “From the ends of the earth I have cried out to you, when my heart was in despair.” For of such progress he will receive the worthy fruit, eternal life. And the word, saying, “His years until the day of a generation and a generation,” signifies that David will be remembered not only during the time in which he lived, but also in every generation, or according to two certain generations, the word alluding both to the people of the circumcision and the Church from the Gentiles. For as long as the first generation encounters the divine writings, it holds David in memory; and the second generation, that of the elect from all nations, likewise never ceases to remember David, because it has on its lips the book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David. The word, therefore, alluded to this, saying: “His years until the day of a generation and a generation.” And among men, indeed, he will attain this longevity; but with God himself, it says, he will never perish; and having attained an immortal life that lasts forever, “he will abide forever before God.” But how the nature of man could be able to endure and be co-extended with the life of God, he teaches next, saying: “Who will seek out his mercy and truth?” Which Symmachus interpreted more clearly, saying: “Mercy and truth will hedge him in;” and Aquila similarly, “Mercy and truth will preserve him.” For these will be the causes of his immortality, the mercy and truth of God; partaking of which every God-loving person, as if being salted with salt, will be preserved for eternal life. For he will not live in the same way as God, having the same nature in substance, but being sustained by the mercy of God and by his truth. “So I will sing praise to your name forever and ever, that I may pay my vows day by day.” The Holy Spirit having suggested these things to the soul of David, having learned what was said as from a teacher, he seals the word with faith, crying out and saying: “So I will sing praise to your name forever and ever;” not simply, “I will sing praise,” he says, “to your name forever and ever,” but with the addition of, “So.” But how so? As the Holy Spirit taught beforehand, saying: “Mercy and truth will hedge him in.” For thus, being hedged in and preserved by your mercy and by your truth, I will sing praise to your name forever and 23.585 ever. For I have been emboldened that I will attain eternal life and the immortality that is from you through your mercy and through your truth, but not through my own virtues. “So therefore I will sing praise to your name forever and ever, that I may pay my vows day by day;” or according to Symmachus, “Paying my vows each day.” For I will never fail to pay my promises, as if they were perpetual and saving debts for me. For I will continue to pay these even into the endless age. For I will not be idle and inactive in that eternal life, but I will continue to render to God even there the fitting and obligatory action. And this is the obligatory and fitting perpetual thanksgiving to him. FOR THE END, FOR IDITHUM, A PSALM OF DAVID. 61. “Shall not my soul be subject to God? For from him is my Salvation.” The preceding psalm was indeed spoken by David, but it is set forth with the inscription, “for Idithum;” the word teaching us that David, having composed the psalm for Idithum, handed it over to him to practice, and to use as an incantation for the healing of misfortune

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γενεᾶς·» ἢ, κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον· «Ἡμέρας ταῖς ἡμέραις τοῦ βασιλέως προσθήσεις, ἔτη αὐτοῦ, ἐφ' ὅσον γενεὰ καὶ γενεά· οἰκήσει αἰωνίως ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ Θεοῦ· ἔλεος καὶ ἀλήθεια περιφράξει αὐτόν.» Τούτων δὲ πάντων τεύξεται ὁ δυνηθεὶς εἰπεῖν· «Ἀπὸ τῶν πτερύγων τῆς γῆς πρὸς σὲ ἐκέκραξα ἐν τῷ ἀκηδιᾶσαι τὴν καρδίαν μου.» Τῆς γὰρ τοιαύτης προκοπῆς καρπὸν ἐπάξιον λήψεται τὴν αἰώνιον ζωήν. Φάσκων δὲ ὁ λόγος, «Τὰ ἔτη αὐτοῦ ἕως ἡμέρας γενεᾶς καὶ γενεᾶς,» σημαίνει, ὡς ἄρα ἔσται ὁ ∆αυῒδ μνημονευόμενος οὐ καθ' ὃν μόνον ἐβίου χρόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ καθ' ἑκάστην γενεὰν, ἢ κατὰ δύο τινὰς γενεὰς, αἰνιττομένου τοῦ λόγου τόν τε ἐκ περιτομῆς λαὸν καὶ τὴν ἐξ ἐθνῶν Ἐκκλησίαν. Ἐφ' ὅσον γοῦν χρόνον ἡ γενεὰ ἡ πρώτη τοῖς θείοις ἐντυγχάνει γράμμασι, φέρει διὰ μνήμης τὸν ∆αυΐδ· καὶ ἡ δευτέρα δὲ γενεὰ ἡ τῆς ἐξ ἁπάντων ἐθνῶν ἐκλογῆς ὡσαύτως τοῦ ∆αυῒδ οὔποτε διαλείπει μνημονεύουσα, διὰ τὸ φέρειν ἀνὰ στόμα τὴν βίβλον τῆς γενέσεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ υἱοῦ ∆αυΐδ. Τοῦτο οὖν ᾐνίξατο φήσας ὁ λόγος· «Τὰ ἔτη αὐτοῦ ἕως ἡμέρας γενεᾶς καὶ γενεᾶς.» Καὶ ἐν μὲν ἀνθρώποις ταύτης τεύξεται τῆς μακρότητος· παρὰ δὲ αὐτῷ τῷ Θεῷ οὔποτε, φησὶν, ἀπολεῖται· ἀθανάτου δὲ καὶ εἰς ἄπειρον διαρκούσης ζωῆς τυχὼν, «διαμενεῖ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ.» Πῶς δὲ διαρκεῖν καὶ τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ ζωῇ συμπαρεκτείνεσθαι ἀνθρώπου φύσις οἵα τε ἂν εἴη, διδάσκει ἑξῆς φάσκων· «Ἔλεος καὶ ἀλήθειαν τίς ἐκζητήσει αὐτοῦ;» Ὅπερ σαφέστερον ἡρμήνευσεν ὁ Σύμμαχος εἰπών· «Ἔλεος καὶ ἀλήθεια περιφράζει αὐτόν·» καὶ ὁ Ἀκύλας ὁμοίως, «Ἔλεος καὶ ἀλήθεια διατηρήσουσιν αὐτόν.» Ταῦτα γὰρ τῆς ἀθανασίας αὐτῷ ἔσται αἴτια, τὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἔλεος καὶ ἀλήθεια· ὧν μεταλαμβάνων πᾶς ὁ θεοφιλὴς, ὥσπερ ἀπὸ ἁλῶν ἁλιζόμενος, φυλαχθήσεται εἰς αἰώνιον ζωήν. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ ὁμοίως τῷ Θεῷ πεφυκὼς τὴν οὐσίαν, ὁμοίως αὐτῷ ζήσεται, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ τοῦ ἐλέους τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς ἀληθείας αὐτοῦ διακρατούμενος. «Οὕτως ψαλῶ τῷ ὀνόματί σου εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος, τοῦ ἀποδοῦναί με τὰς εὐχάς μου ἡμέραν ἐξ ἡμέρας.» Ταῦτα τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος τῇ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ ὑφηγήσαντος ψυχῇ, μαθὼν ὥσπερ παρὰ διδασκάλου τὰ λεχθέντα, ἐπισφραγίζεται τῇ πίστει τὸν λόγον ἀναφωνῶν καὶ λέγων· «Οὕτω ψαλῶ τῷ ὀνόματί σου εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος·» οὐχ ἀπλῶς δὲ, «Ψαλῶ, φησὶ, τῷ ὀνόματί σου εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος,» ἀλλὰ μετὰ προσθήκης τῆς, «Οὕτω.» Πῶς δὲ οὕτω; ἀλλ' ὡς προεδίδαξε τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον φῆσαν· «Ἔλεος καὶ ἀλήθεια περιφράξει αὐτόν.» Οὕτω γὰρ ὑπὸ τοῦ σοῦ ἐλέους καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς σῆς ἀληθείας περιφραττόμενος καὶ διατηρούμενος, ψαλῶ τῷ ὀνόματί σου εἰς τὸν 23.585 αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος. Τεθάρσηκα γὰρ ζωῆς αἰωνίου τεύξεσθαι καὶ ἀθανασίας τῆς παρὰ σοὶ διὰ τὸν σὸν ἔλεον καὶ διὰ τὴν σὴν ἀλήθειαν, ἀλλ' οὐ διὰ τὰς ἐμὰς ἀρετάς «Οὕτως οὖν ψαλῶ τῷ ὀνόματί σου εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος, τοῦ ἀποδοῦναί με τὰς εὐχάς μου ἡμέραν ἐξ ἡμέρας·» ἢ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον, «Ἀποδιδοὺς τὰς εὐχάς μου καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν.» Οὐδεπώποτε γὰρ ἀπολείψομαι τοῦ μὴ ἀποδιδόναι τὰς ἐμὰς ἐπαγγελίας, ὥσπερ ὀφειλὰς διηνεκεῖς καὶ ἐμοὶ σωτηρίους. Ταύτας γὰρ διατελέσω καὶ εἰς τὸν ἄπειρον αἰῶνα ἀποδιδούς. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀργὸς καὶ ἄπρακτος ἔσομαι κατ' ἐκείνην τὴν αἰώνιον ζωὴν, τὴν δὲ πρέπουσαν καὶ ὀφειλομένην ἀποδιδοὺς τῷ Θεῷ κἀκεῖ πρᾶξιν διατελέσω. Αὕτη δέ ἐστιν ἡ ὀφειλομένη καὶ αὐτῷ πρέπουσα διηνεκὴς εὐχαριστία. ΕΙΣ ΤΟ ΤΕΛΟΣ, ΥΠΕΡ Ι∆ΙΘΟΥΜ ΨΑΛΜΟΣ ΤΩ ∆ΑΥΙ∆ ΞΑʹ. «Οὐχὶ τῷ Θεῷ ὑποταγήσεται ἡ ψυχή μου; παρ' αὐτῷ γὰρ τὸ Σωτήριόν μου.» Ὁ μὲν προκείμενος ψαλμὸς εἴρηται μὲν τῷ ∆αυῒδ, πρόκειται δὲ τῇ ἐπιγραφῇ, «ὑπὲρ Ἰδιθούμ·» διδάσκοντος ἡμᾶς τοῦ λόγου, ὡς ἄρα ὁ ∆αυῒδ, ὑπὲρ τοῦ Ἰδιθοὺμ συντάξας τὸν ψαλμὸν, παρέδωκεν αὐτῷ μελετᾷν, καὶ ἀντὶ ἐπῳδῆς χρῆσθαι εἰς θεραπείαν, συμφορᾶς