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the lawless powers. "My iniquities," therefore, "have overtaken me, and I was not able to see"; for they are harmful to the sight of the mind, they cause blindness to the eye of the inner man. Since therefore they have overtaken me, I am not able to see. And it is possible to take the habits themselves. But the former exegesis took the active powers. And they over289took me, pursuing me they took me captive, and for this reason I am not able to see; for the iniquities are harmful to the sight of the inner man. 13 They are multiplied more than the hairs of my head, and my heart has failed me. If you take this to mean the sins themselves, they overtake, when someone falls into them and sins; for having suffered this, the intellectual part of the soul is harmed. But if you also take the powers that work them, they are often called by the same name as the habit. "and my heart has failed me." Since the iniquities that overtook me and took away my sight "were multiplied more than the hairs of my head," "my heart failed me," I no longer have the heart of a wise man; for the heart of the one saying these things is of flesh. When therefore the fleshly heart fails someone, it becomes stony. 14 Be pleased, Lord, to deliver me. Since the iniquities have overtaken me and I am not able to see and they are multiplied more than the hairs of my head, "Be pleased to deliver me," so that the heart may not remain failed. But if the statement was about the hairs of this head, he has spoken hyperbolically...; if iniquities occur, they cannot exceed the number of the hairs of the head. Therefore it is said hyperbolically. But if not, he says this: for the hairs of my head, that is, the senseless movements not truly befitting the mind, are hairs; for among the senseless things in us are also the hairs that can be touched. Therefore he says this: when my iniquities had overtaken me and I was no longer able to see, the hairs of my head were multiplied, the things thought senselessly, the things considered foolishly. For this reason my heart, the mind itself, has failed me. It is no longer my mind, having been dragged down into sin. 14 Lord, attend to helping me. For I ask you to be pleased to deliver me for no other reason than that you may attend to helping me. And you help me, if you place me outside of the ruling enemies. 15 Let them be ashamed and confounded together who seek my soul to take it away. They said the psalm has a single persona. And if it was a man who was speaking, he sends up a prayer concerning both, concerning the body and the soul. If, therefore, "the son of man," the temple that came forth from Mary, says these things, we will say to those who say that he assumed only a body because it was said: "but a body you have prepared for me," -behold, he also says this, and it is the same person who is speaking. Those who receive knowledge of the truth are confounded and ashamed. 15 Let them be turned back and be put to shame who wish me evil. It is a great thing for wickedness to be turned back; for to drive forward is harmful. "Let them be turned back," therefore, "so that they may not lengthen the way, may not drive on to what is worse. 16 Let them put on their shame immediately who say to me: "Well done, well done." He is praying concerning whom he says "immediately," so that they may not persist in evil, so that they may not say without ceasing: "Well done, well done, well done." It is characteristic of those who rejoice in evil to say "Well done, well done" over those who have suffered something unpleasant. 17 Let all who seek you, Lord, rejoice and be glad in you. Having spoken concerning the adversaries, that they might be ashamed and confounded and turned back while rejoicing in evil, saying "Well done, well done," he says: "Let all who seek you, Lord, rejoice and be glad in you." Then we rejoice and are glad, when having sought you, we find you; for he who seeks something rejoices and is glad when he finds it. Therefore even if laborious, even if other harmful things

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τὰς ἀνομίας δυνάμεις. "κατέλαβόν με" οὖν "αἱ ἀνομίαι μου, καὶ οὐκ ἠδυνήθην τοῦ βλέπειν"· βλαπτικαὶ γάρ εἰσιν τῶν ὄψεων τοῦ νοῦ, ἀβλεψίαν παρέχουσιν τῷ ὄμματι τοῦ ἔσω ἀνθρώπου. ἐπεὶ οὖν κατέλαβόν με, οὐ δύναμαι βλέπειν. καὶ αὐτὰς δὲ τὰς ἕξεις δυνατὸν λαβεῖν. ἡ προτέρα δὲ ἐξήγησις ἔλαβεν τὰς ἐνεργούσας δυνάμεις. καὶ αὐταὶ κατέ289 λαβόν με, διώκουσαι ὑποχείριόν με ἔλαβον, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο οὐ δύναμαι ὁρᾶν· βλαπτικαὶ γὰρ τῶν ὄψεών εἰσιν αἱ ἀνομίαι τοῦ ἔσω ἀνθρώπου. 13 ἐπληθύνθησαν ὑπὲρ τὰς τρίχας τῆς κεφαλῆς μου, καὶ ἡ καρδία μου ἐνκατέλιπέν με. ἐὰν θέλῃς αὐτὰς τὰς ἁμαρτίας, καταλαμβάνουσιν, ὅταν τις ὑποπέσῃ αὐταῖς καὶ ἁμαρτήσῃ· τοῦτο γὰρ παθὼν βλάπτεται τὸ διανοητικὸν τῆς ψυχῆς. ἐὰν δὲ καὶ τὰς ἐνεργούσας αὐτὰς δυνάμεις, ὁμωνύμως καλοῦνται π̣ο̣λλάκις τῷ ὀνόματι τῆς ἕξεως. "καὶ ἡ καρδία μου ἐνκατέλιπέν με". ἐπεὶ αἱ ἀνομίαι αἱ καταλαβοῦσαί με καὶ ἀφελόμεναι τὸ βλέπειν μου "ὑπὲρ τὰς τρίχας τῆς κεφαλῆς μου ἐπληθύνθησαν", "ἐνκατέλειψέν με ἡ καρδία μου", οὐκε´̣τ̣ι ἔχω τὴν ἀνθρώπου καρδίαν τὴν σοφοῦ· ἡ τοῦ γὰρ λέγοντος ταῦτα καρδία σαρκίνη ἐστίν. ὅταν οὖν ἐνκαταλείψῃ τιν̣ὰ η῾̣ σ̣αρκίνη καρδία, λιθίνη γίνεται. 14 εὐδόκησον, κύριε, τοῦ ῥύσασθαί με. ἐπεὶ κατέλαβον αἱ ἀνομίαι καὶ βλέπειν οὐ δυ´̣ναμαι καὶ ἐπληθύνθησαν ὑπὲρ τὰς τρίχας τῆς κεφαλῆς μου, "εὐδόκησον τοῦ ῥύσασθαί με", ἵνα μὴ μείνῃ ἡ καρδία ἐνκαταλελειμμένη. ἐὰν δὲ περὶ τῶν τριχῶν ταύτης τῆς κεφαλῆς ᾐ῀̣ν ὁ λό γος, ὑπερβολικῶς εἴρηκεν ε̣····· · ἐὰν γένωνται ἀνομίαι, οὐ δύνανται ὑπερβαλεῖν τὸ πλῆθος τω῀̣ν τριχῶν τῆς κεφαλῆς. ὑπερβολικῶς οὖν εἴρηται. ἐὰν δὲ μή, τοῦτο λέγει· αἱ γὰρ τρίχες τῆς κεφαλῆς μου, τουτε´̣στιν τὰ ἀναίσθη̣τα κ̣ινήματα τὰ μὴ τῷ ὄντι πρέποντα νῷ, τρίχες εἰσίν· τῶν γὰρ ἐν ἡμῖν ἀναισθήτων καὶ αἱ τρίχες εἰσὶν αἱ ἁπτ̣όμεναι. του῀̣τ̣ο̣ οὖν λέγει· καταλαβουσῶν τῶν ἀνομιῶν μου καὶ βλέπειν μη̣κέτι δυναμε´̣νου, ἐπληθύν̣θησαν αἱ τρίχες τῆς κεφαλῆς μου, τὰ ἀναισθήτως διανοούμενα, τὰ ἀνοήτως ἐνθυμούμεν̣α. διὰ τοῦτο ἡ καρδία μου, αὐτὸς ὁ νοῦς, ἐνκατέλιπέν με. οὐκέτι ἐμὸς νοῦς ἐστιν ὑποσυρεὶς ε̣ἰς ἁμαρτίαν. 14 κύριε, εἰς τὸ βοηθῆσαί μοι πρόσχες. αἰτῶ σε γὰρ εὐδοκῆσαι τοῦ ῥύσασθαι οὐκ ἄλλου χάριν ἢ ἵνα π̣ρόσχῃς τῷ βοηθῆσαί μοι. βοηθεῖς δέ μοι, ἐὰν ἐκτὸς τῶν κρατούντων πολεμίων με ποιήσῃς. 15 καταισχυνθείησαν καὶ ἐντραπείησαν ἅμα οἱ ζητοῦντες τὴν ψυχήν μου τοῦ ἐξᾶραι αὐτήν. ἔλεγον μονοπρόσωπον εἶναι τὸν ψαλμ̣όν. καὶ ἐὰν ἄνθρωπος ᾖν ὁ λέγων, περὶ ἀμφοτέρων δέησιν ἀναπέμπει περί τε τοῦ σώματος καὶ τῆς ψυχῆς. ἐα`̣ν οὖν "ὁ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου υἱός", ὁ ἐκ τῆς Μαρίας προεληλυθὼς ναός, λέγῃ ταῦτα, ἐροῦμεν πρὸς τοὺς λέγοντας σῶμα μόνον ἀνειληφέναι διὰ τοῦ τὸ εἰρῆσθαι· "σῶμα δὲ κατηρτίσω μοι", -ἰδοὺ καὶ τοῦτο λέγει, τὸ αὐτὸ δὲ πρόσωπόν ἐστιν τὸ ἀπ̣αγγέλλον. ἐντρέπονται καὶ αἰσχύνονται οἱ γνω῀̣σιν λαμβάνοντες τῆς ἀληθείας. 15 ἀποστραφείησαν εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω καὶ ἐντραπείησαν οἱ θέλοντές μοι κακά. μέγα πρᾶγμά ἐστιν τὸ τὴν κακίαν εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω ἀποστραφῆναι· τὸ ἔνπροσθεν γὰρ ἐλαύνειν βλαβερόν ἐστιν. "εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω" οὖν "ἀποστραφείησαν" ὡ´̣στε μὴ αὐξῆσαι τὴν ὁδόν, μὴ ἐλάσαι ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον. 16 ἐνδυσάσθωσαν παραχρῆμα αἰσχύνην αὐτῶν οἱ λέγοντές μοι· εὖγε εὖγε. ἐστὶν εὐχόμενος περὶ ὧν λέγει "παραχρῆμα", ἵνα̣ μὴ ἐπιμείνωσιν ἐν τῷ κακῷ, ἵνα̣ μὴ ἀδιαλείπτως λέγωσι̣ν· "εὖγε εὖγε εὖγε". ἐπιχαιρεκάκων ἐστὶν λέγειν "εὖγε εὖγε" ἐπ̣ὶ τ̣οῖς παθοῦσιν α᾿̣νάρεστόν τι. 17 ἀγαλλιάσαιντο καὶ εὐφρανθείησαν ἐπὶ σοὶ πάντες οἱ ζητοῦντές σε, κύριε. εἰπὼν πε̣ρὶ τῶν ἐναντίων, ἵν̣α καὶ αἰσχυνθῶσιν καὶ ἐντραπῶσιν καὶ εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω ἀποστραφῶσιν ἐπιχαιρε̣κ̣άκως λέγοντες "εὖγε εὖγε", λέγει· "ἀγαλλιάσαιντο καὶ εὐφρανθείησαν ἐπὶ σοί, κύριε, οἱ ζητοῦντές σε". τότε ἀγαλλιώμε̣θα καὶ εὐφραιν̣όμ̣εθα, ὅταν ζητήσαντες εὕρωμέν σε· ἀγαλλιᾶται γὰρ καὶ εὐφραίνεται ὁ ζ̣η̣τῶν τι, ὅταν αὐτὸ εὕρ̣ῃ. κἂν οὖν ἐπίπονα, κἂν ἄλλα βλάπτοντα