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manner; “God has spoken, and a second time I have heard: that power belongs to 23.600 God, and to you, Lord, is mercy. For you will render to each man according to his works.” A PSALM OF DAVID, WHEN HE WAS IN THE WILDERNESS OF JUDEA. 62. “O God, my God, to you I rise early.” Fleeing, David comes to Ahimelech the priest; thence to Achish the king of Gath, and from there to Maspha of Moab. But Gad the prophet, being with him, advises him not to spend his time among the foreigners. Therefore, departing from there, he dwells in the wilderness of Judea; at which time Scripture also relates, saying: “And David stayed in the wilderness of Mascheneth in the strongholds; and he stayed in the mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him all the days, but the Lord did not deliver him into his hands.” Being in these circumstances, he composes the present psalm, indicating the time through the superscription. Therefore it is said, “A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judea.” It is reasonable, having come to this point, to note again, that the order of the psalms is not composed according to the sequence of the times of the history; but it differs greatly in its chronology. For instance, the history first contains the narrative in which Saul sent messengers to David's house, to put him to death; for Michal his wife let him down through the window; but the writing of the psalms mentions this event in the 58th. Then, next, the Scripture of the histories teaches, how David comes to Nob to Ahimelech the priest; but the book of Psalms mentions this event in the 33rd psalm. And again, the writing of the Kings says: “And David departed from there, and came, and escaped to the cave of Adullam;” but the book of Psalms mentions this order in the 50th. And again after this, the writing of the Kings mentions Doeg, how he slandered the priest Ahimelech to Saul; but the book of Psalms signifies this time in the 51st. And David, having learned of Doeg's slander, flees and comes into the wilderness of Judea, at which time he also composes the psalm at hand. And the writing of the Kings, after the time of the psalm at hand, I mean, of the 62nd, mentions certain events, how the Ziphites slander David to Saul; but the book of Psalms mentions these things in the 53rd, which is inscribed, “To the end, in hymns, of understanding, for David, when the Ziphites came and said to Saul: Behold, David is hidden among us.” And the 55th is inscribed: “When the foreigners seized him in Gath.” But the writing of the Kings places this later in the history. Do you see how the first things are placed last, and the last things first? so that if it were set according to the sequence of times, the 58th would have been placed first, next to this the 33rd, and third and after these the 50th, and with these, fourth the 51st, then consequently fifth the 62nd, and sixth the 53rd, and after all these the 55th. But after the death of Saul, he first sings the 23.601 59th, when Joab smote the valley of Salt, and took captive 12,000 of Moab. And the 50th; after this, when Nathan the prophet came to him, when he had also gone in to Bathsheba. Then he composes the third, when he fled from the face of Absalom his son; and after this the 7th concerning the words of Cush a Benjamite. Who then would not seek the reason for these things? For it is not reasonable that these things were arranged in this manner, except for some necessary purposes. One person, then, will suppose that the numbers themselves have some power; therefore the meaning of the words contained therein has been fitted appropriately to each number; as, for example, the number 50 the word concerning remission of sins

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τρόπον· «Ἐλάλησεν ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ δεύτερον ἐπήκουσα· ὅτι ἡ ἰσχὺς τοῦ 23.600 Θεοῦ, καὶ σοὶ, ∆έσποτα, τὸ ἔλεος. Σὺ δὲ ἀπόδος κατὰ ἄνδρα ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ.» ΨΑΛΜΟΣ ΤΩ ∆ΑΥΙ∆ ΕΝ ΤΩ ΕΙΝΑΙ ΑΥΤΟΝ ΕΝ ΤΗ ΕΡΗΜΩ ΤΗΣ ΙΟΥ∆ΑΙΑΣ ΞΒʹ «Ὁ Θεὸς ὁ Θεός μου, πρὸς σὲ ὀρθρίζω.» Φεύγων ὁ ∆αυῒδ παραγίνεται πρὸς Ἀχιμέλεχ τὸν ἱερέα· ἔνθεν πρὸς Ἀχοῦς τὸν βασιλέα Γὲθ, κἀκεῖθεν εἰς Μάσσηφα τῆς Μωάβ. Συνὼν δὲ αὐτῷ Γὰδ ὁ προφήτης, παραινεῖ μὴ ποιεῖσθαι παρὰ τοῖς ἀλλοφύλοις τὰς διατριβάς. ∆ιὸ μεταστὰς ἐντεῦθεν, τὴν ἐρημίαν τῆς Ἰουδαίας οἰκεῖ· ὅτε καὶ ἱστορεῖ λέγουσα ἡ Γραφή· «Καὶ ἐκάθισε ∆αυῒδ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ Μασσενὲθ ἐν τοῖς στενοῖς· καὶ ἐκάθητο ἐν τῷ ὄρει ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ Ζείφ. Καὶ ἐζήτει αὐτὸν Σαοὺλ πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας, καὶ οὐ παρέδωκεν αὐτὸν Κύριος εἰς τὰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ.» Ἐν τούτοις ὢν, τὸν προκείμενον ψαλμὸν συντάττει, τὸν καιρὸν διὰ τῆς προγραφῆς σημήνας. ∆ιὸ εἴρηται, «Ψαλμὸς τῷ ∆αυῒδ, ἐν τῷ εἶναι αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ τῆς Ἰουδαίας.» Εὔλογον δὲ ἐνταῦθα γενομένους ἐπισημήνασθαι πάλιν, ὅτι μὴ κατὰ ἀκολουθίαν τῶν τῆς ἱστορίας χρόνων ἡ τῶν ψαλμῶν σύγκειται τάξις· ἐνήλλακται δὲ παρὰ πολὺ τοῖς χρόνοις. Αὐτίκα γοῦν ἡ μὲν ἱστορία πρώτην περιέχει τὴν διήγησιν καθ' ἣν ἀπέστειλε Σαοὺλ ἀγγέλους εἰς τὸν οἶκον ∆αυῒδ, τοῦ θανατῶσαι αὐτόν· ὅτι Μελχὸλ ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ καθῆκεν αὐτὸν διὰ τῆς θυρίδος· ἡ δὲ τῶν ψαλμῶν γραφὴ ἐν τῷ νηʹ ταύτης μέμνηται τῆς πράξεως. Εἶθ' ἑξῆς ἡ μὲν Γραφὴ τῶν ἱστοριῶν διδάσκει, ὡς ἔρχεται ∆αυῒδ εἰς Νοβᾶ πρὸς Ἀχιμέλεχ τὸν ἱερέα· ἡ δὲ βίβλος τῶν Ψαλμῶν ταύτης μέμνηται τῆς. πράξεως ἐν τῷ λγʹ ψαλμῷ. Καὶ πάλιν ἡ μὲν γραφὴ τῶν Βασιλειῶν φησι· «Καὶ ἀπηλλάγη ∆αυῒδ ἐντεῦθεν, καὶ ἔρχεται, καὶ διεσώθη εἰς τὸ σπήλαιον τὸ Ὀδολλάμ·» ἡ δὲ βίβλος τῶν Ψαλμῶν ἐν τῷ νʹ μέμνηται τῆς τάξεως. Καὶ αὖθις μετὰ ταῦτα ἡ μὲν γραφὴ τῶν Βασιλειῶν τοῦ ∆ωὴκ μέμνηται, ὡς διαβέβληκε τῷ Σαοὺλ τὸν ἱερέα Ἀχιμέλεχ· ἡ δὲ βίβλος τῶν Ψαλμῶν ἐν τῷ ναʹ τοῦτον σημαίνει τὸν χρόνον. Γνοὺς δὲ ὁ ∆αυῒδ τὴν τοῦ ∆ωὴκ διαβολὴν, φεύγει καὶ παραγίνεται εἰς τὴν ἔρημον τῆς Ἰουδαίας, ὅτε καὶ συντάττει τὸν μετὰ χεῖρας ψαλμόν. Καὶ ἡ μὲν γραφὴ τῶν Βασιλειῶν μετὰ τὸν χρόνον τοῦ μετὰ χεῖρας ψαλμοῦ, λέγω δὲ τοῦ ξβʹ, πράξεών τινων μέμνηται, ὡς οἱ Ζιφαῖοι διαβάλλουσι τῷ Σαοὺλ τὸν ∆αυΐδ· ἡ δὲ βίβλος τῶν Ψαλμῶν τούτων μέμνηται ἐν τῷ νγʹ, ὃς ἐπιγράφεται, «Εἰς τὸ τέλος ἐν ὕμνοις, συνέσεως τῷ ∆αυῒδ, ἐν τῷ ἐλθεῖν τοὺς Ζιφαίους, καὶ εἰπεῖν τῷ Σαούλ· Ἰδοὺ ∆αυῒδ κέκρυπται παρ' ἡμῖν. «Καὶ ὁ νεʹ ἐπιγέγραπται· «Ὅτε ἐκράτησαν αὐτὸν οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι ἐν Γέθ.» Τοῦτο δὲ ἡ τῶν Βασιλειῶν γραφὴ ἐν ὑστέροις τίθησι τῆς ἱστορίας. Ὁρᾷς ὅπως τὰ πρῶτα ὕστερα, καὶ τὰ ὕστερα πρῶτα τέτακται; ὡς εἰ κατὰ ἀκολουθίαν τῶν χρόνων τέθειτο, πρῶτος ἂν τέτακτο ὁ νηʹ, ἑξῆς τούτῳ ὁ λγʹ, καὶ τρίτος καὶ μετὰ τούτων ὁ νʹ, καὶ τούτοις τέταρτος ὁ ναʹ, εἶτ' ἀκολούθως πέμπτος ὁ ξβʹ, καὶ ἕκτος ὁ νγʹ, καὶ μετὰ πάντας τούτους ὁ νεʹ. Μετὰ δὲ τὸν θάνατον τοῦ Σαοὺλ πρῶτον ψάλλει τὸν 23.601 νθʹ, ἡνίκα ἐπάταξεν Ἰωὰβ τὴν φάραγγα τῶν Ἁλῶν, καὶ ὑποχειρίους εἷλε τοὺς Μωὰβ ιβʹ χιλιάδας. Τὸν δὲ νʹ· μετὰ ταῦτα, ὅτε ἦλθε πρὸς αὐτὸν Ναθὰν ὁ προφήτης, ἡνίκα καὶ εἰσῆλθε πρὸς Βηθσαβεέ. Εἶτα τὸν τρίτον συντάττει, ὅτε ἀπεδίδρασκεν ἀπὸ προσώπου Ἀβεσσαλὼμ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ· καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα τὸν ζʹ ὑπὲρ τῶν λόγων Χουσὶ υἱοῦ Ἰεμινεί. Τίς οὖν οὐκ ἂν τὴν τούτων ζητήσειεν αἰτίαν; Οὐ γὰρ ἔχει λόγον τὸ μὴ διά τινας ἀναγκαίας ὑποθέσεις ταῦτα τοῦτον διατετάχθαι τὸν τρόπον. Ἄλλος μὲν οὖν τοὺς ἀριθμοὺς αὐτοὺς οἰήσεται ἔχειν τινὰ δύναμιν· διὸ καταλλήλως ἑκάστῳ ἀριθμῷ ἐφηρμόσθαι τὴν διάνοιαν τῶν ἐμφερομένων λόγων· οἷον ὡς ἐπὶ παραδείγματος ὁ νʹ ἀριθμὸς τὸν περὶ ἀφέσεως ἁμαρτημάτων λόγον