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that had happened to him. And the 38th was also inscribed, "For the end, to Jeduthun, a song of David;" in which he also in like manner delivered instruction from David to Jeduthun for the same situation, I think. For here it has been said: "I shall not be moved any more. How long do you attack a man, all of you murderers?" but in the 38th: "When the sinner stood against me, I was deaf and was humbled, and I kept silent from good things, and my pain was renewed;" and again: "Rescue me from all my iniquities; you have made me a reproach to the foolish." And see in what way he shows through both that he has been tried by some temptation and has suffered terribly; for this reason he received these utterances. And in the psalm at hand, going forward he says: "Surely the sons of men are vain, the sons of men are deceitful in the balances, to do injustice they are of vanity together;" and in that one it is likewise said: "Surely all things are vanity, every man living; and again: "Surely in vain is every man;" which would not differ at all from: "Surely the sons of men are vain, they are of vanity together." Furthermore, in the 38th you would find it said: "Indeed man walks about in an image. Surely they are disquieted in vain. He heaps up treasures, and does not know for whom he will gather them." And in agreement with these would be what is said at hand in these words: "Do not hope in injustice, and do not desire plunder; if riches flow, do not set your heart on them." And you too, at your leisure, by placing the words contained in both of the indicated psalms side by side, would find that they hold to one and the 23.588 same meaning. Therefore David seems to have delivered a therapeutic teaching to Jeduthun who had fallen into some temptation, perhaps even a slip; so that he might take hold of himself, and recover from the stumble that happened to him. At any rate, he was teaching him in the 38th to exhort himself, and to speak to himself and say: "I said: I will guard my ways, so that I do not sin with my tongue. I set a guard to my mouth, while the sinner stood before me. I became deaf, and was humbled, and I kept silent from good things, and my pain was renewed," and the things that follow these. In which there was also this: "Rescue me from all my iniquities; you have made me a reproach to the foolish. I became deaf and did not open my mouth, because you have done it;" and again: "Remove your scourges from me. From the strength of your hand I have fainted." These and such things Jeduthun was taught to say and to send up such prayers to God in that psalm; and in the one at hand likewise David teaches the same man to speak to himself and say: "Shall not my soul be subject to God? For from him is my salvation." It signifies that he has been shaken, and has suffered some disturbance in his soul. Since, therefore, when the tempters attacked him, some weakness came upon him, and he perceived himself not according to the one who said: "My feet were almost moved," but as having been truly moved; he is necessarily taught to say: "I shall not be moved any more;" or according to Aquila: "I shall slip greatly;" and according to the fifth edition it is said: "I shall not be moved any more." And the meaning of the present teaching would be in accord with the prophecy which says: "Woe to those who draw their sins as with a long rope, and their iniquities as with the strap of a heifer's yoke;" and with this: "Does not he who falls rise again, and he who turns away not turn back? Why does he turn away with a shameless turning, says the Lord?" For all these things teach the one who has sinned once not to remain in the sin, nor to despair of himself, nor to give himself over to the current of the temptation. Therefore Jeduthun is necessarily taught to sing to himself, and to say the preceding words; and first to flee to the great Savior and physician of souls; then to subject his own soul, no longer to men, nor to those who frighten; but one only

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τινος ἐπισυμβάσης αὐτῷ. Καὶ ὁ λʹ δὲ καὶ ηʹ ἐπεγέγραπτο, «Εἰς τὸ τέλος, τῷ Ἰδιθοὺμ, ᾠδὴ τοῦ ∆αυΐδ·» ἐν ᾧ καὶ αὐτῷ ὁμοίως διδασκαλίαν παρεδίδου ὁ ∆αυῒδ τῷ Ἰδιθοὺμ διὰ τὴν αὐτὴν, οἶμαι, κατάστασιν. Ἐνταῦθα μὲν γὰρ λέλεκται· «Οὐ μὴ σαλευθῶ ἐπὶ πλεῖον. Ἕως πότε ἐπιτίθεσθε ἐπ' ἄνθρωπον, φονεύεσθε πάντες ὑμεῖς;» ἐν δὲ τῷ ληʹ· «Ἐν τῷ συστῆναι τὸν ἁμαρτωλὸν ἐναντίον μου, ἐκωφώθην καὶ ἐταπεινώθην, καὶ ἐσίγησα ἐξ ἀγαθῶν, καὶ τὸ ἄλγημά μου ἀνεκαινίσθη·» καὶ πάλιν· «Ἀπὸ πασῶν τῶν ἀνομιῶν μου ῥῦσαί με· ὄνειδος ἄφρονι ἔδωκάς με.» Καὶ θέα τίνα τρόπον ἐμφαίνει δι' ἀμφοτέρων ἐν πειρασμῷ τινι ἐξητάσθαι καὶ δεινὰ πεπονθέναι· διὸ ταύτας προσίετο τὰς φωνάς. Καὶ ἐν μὲν τῷ μετὰ χεῖρας ψαλμῷ προϊών φησι· «Πλὴν μάταιοι οἱ υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ψευδεῖς υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐν ζυγοῖς, τοῦ ἀδικῆσαι αὐτοὶ ἐκ ματαιότητος ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό·» καὶ ἐν ἐκείνῳ δὲ ὁμοίως εἴρητο· «Πλὴν τὰ σύμπαντα ματαιότης, πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ζῶν· καὶ πάλιν· «Πλὴν μάτην πᾶς ἄνθρωπος·» ἅπερ οὐδὲν ἂν διαφέροι τοῦ· «Πλὴν μάταιοι οἱ υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, αὐτοὶ ἐκ ματαιότητος ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό.» Ἔτι πρὸς τούτοις ἐν τῷ ληʹ εὕροις ἂν εἰρημένον τό· «Μέντοιγε ἐν εἰκόνι διαπορεύεται ἄνθρωπος. Πλὴν μάτην ταράσσονται. Θησαυρίζει, καὶ οὐ γινώσκει τίνι συνάξει αὐτά.» Σύμφωνα δὲ τούτοις εἴη ἂν καὶ τὰ μετὰ χεῖρας λεγόμενα ἐν τούτοις· «Μὴ ἐλπίζετε ἐπὶ ἀδικίαν, καὶ ἐπὶ ἅρπαγμα μὴ ἐπιποθεῖτε· πλοῦτος ἐὰν ῥέῃ, μὴ προστίθεσθε τῇ καρδίᾳ.» Καὶ σὺ δ' ἂν, ἐπὶ σχολῆς ἐκ παραλλήλου τὰς ἐν ἀμφοτέροις τοῖς δηλωθεῖσι ψαλμοῖς ἐγκειμένας λέξεις παραθεὶς ἀλλήλαις, εὕροις ἂν μιᾶς καὶ τῆς 23.588 αὐτῆς ἐχομένας διανοίας. Ὁ τοίνυν ∆αυῒδ ἔοικε τῷ Ἰδιθοὺμ πειρασμῷ τινι πεπτωκότι, τάχα που καὶ ὀλισθήματι, διδασκαλίαν θεραπευτικὴν παραδεδωκέναι· ὅπως ἂν λάβοι ἑαυτὸν, καὶ ἀνακτήσοιτο τοῦ συμβάντος αὐτῷ πταίσματος. Ἐδίδασκε γοῦν αὐτὸν ἐν μὲν τῷ ληʹ ἑαυτῷ παραινεῖν, καὶ πρὸς ἑαυτὸν διαλέγεσθαι καὶ λέγειν· «Εἶπα· Φυλάξω τὰς ὁδούς μου, τοῦ μὴ ἁμαρτάνειν ἐν γλώσσῃ μου. Ἐθέμην τῷ στόματί μου φυλακὴν, ἐν τῷ συστῆναι τὸν ἁμαρτωλὸν ἐνώπιόν μου. Ἐκωφώθην, καὶ ἐταπεινώθην, καὶ ἐσίγησα ἐξ ἀγαθῶν, καὶ τὸ ἄλγημά μου ἀνεκαινίσθη,» καὶ τὰ τούτοις ἑξῆς. Ἐν οἷς ἦν καὶ τὸ, «Ἀπὸ πασῶν τῶν ἀνομιῶν μου ῥῦσαί με· ὄνειδος ἄφρονι ἔδωκάς με. Ἐκωφώθην καὶ οὐκ ἤνοιξα τὸ στόμα μου, ὅτι σὺ ἐποίησας·» καὶ πάλιν· «Ἀπόστητον ἀπ' ἐμοῦ τὰς μάστιγάς σου. Ἀπὸ τῆς ἰσχύος τῆς χειρός σου ἐγὼ ἐξέλιπον.» Ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐδιδάσκετο λέγειν καὶ τῷ Θεῷ τοιαύτας εὐχὰς ἀναπέμπειν ὁ Ἰδιθοὺμ ἐν ἐκείνῳ· καὶ ἐν τῷ μετὰ χεῖρας δὲ ὡσαύτως τὸν αὐτὸν ἄνδρα ὁ ∆αυῒδ διδάσκει ἑαυτῷ προσδιαλέγεσθαι καὶ λέγειν· «Οὐχὶ τῷ Θεῷ ὑποταγήσεται ἡ ψυχή μου; παρ' αὐτοῦ γὰρ τὸ σωτήριόν μου.» Σημαίνει σεσαλεῦσθαι αὐτὸν, καί τινα ταραχὴν τῇ ψυχῇ πεπονθέναι. Ἐπεὶ τοίνυν, τῶν πειραζόντων ἐπιθεμένων αὐτῷ, γέγονέ τις αὐτῷ ἀτονία, ᾔσθετό τε ἑαυτοῦ οὐ κατὰ τὸν εἰρηκότα· «Ἐμοῦ δὲ παρὰ μικρὸν ἐσαλεύθησαν οἱ πόδες,» ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀληθῶς σαλευθέντος· ἀναγκαίως διδάσκεται λέγειν· «Οὐ μὴ σαλευθῶ ἐπὶ πλεῖον·» ἢ κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν· «Σφαλήσομαι πολλήν·» καὶ κατὰ τὴν πέμπτην δὲ ἔκδοσιν εἴρηται· «Οὐ μὴ σαλευθῶ ἐπὶ πλεῖον.» Σύμφωνος δ' ἂν εἴη ὁ νοῦς τῆς προκειμένης διδασκαλίας τῇ φασκούσῃ προφητείᾳ· «Οὐαὶ οἱ ἐπισπώμενοι τὰς ἁμαρτίας ὡς σχοινίῳ μακρῷ, καὶ ὡς ζυγοῦ ἱμάντι δαμάλεως τὰς ἀνομίας·» καὶ τῷ, «Μὴ ὁ πίπτων οὐκ ἀνίσταται, καὶ ὁ ἀποστρέφων οὐκ ἀναστρέφει; Ἵνα τί ἀποστρέφεται ἀποστροφὴν ἀναιδῆ, λέγει Κύριος;» Πάντα γὰρ ταῦτα διδάσκει τὸν ἅπαξ ἡμαρτηκότα μὴ παραμένειν τῷ ἁμαρτήματι, μηδὲ ἀπογινώσκειν ἑαυτὸν, μηδὲ ἔκδοτον παρέχειν τῷ τοῦ πειρατηρίου ῥεύματι. ∆ιὸ ἀναγκαίως διδάσκεται ὁ Ἰδιθοὺμ ἐπᾴδειν ἑαυτῷ, καὶ τὰ προκείμενα λέγειν· καὶ πρῶτον μὲν ἐπὶ τὸν μέγαν Σωτῆρα καὶ τῶν ψυχῶν ἰατρὸν καταφεύγειν· ἔπειτα ὑποτάττειν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν, μηκέτι ἀνθρώποις, μηδὲ τοῖς ἐκφοβοῦσιν· ἕνα δὲ μόνον