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man, dwelling on the surface of the earth, is said to dwell only in the things below according to the one who said: “For God is in heaven above, and you are on earth below.” But after the departure from here, the God-loving will have heaven as their dwelling-place, being raised to the higher regions and caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord, and thus they will be always with the Lord; but the impious and sinful will descend into the lowest parts of the earth; of whom the Apostle, making mention, said: “He who descended into the lower parts of the earth is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.” For our Savior and Lord descended even to the lowest parts of the earth, that he might fill all things with his saving power. This the Lord also indicates to Job when he gives his oracle in which he says: “Have you come to the springs of the sea, and walked in the recesses of the abyss? Do the gates of death open to you in fear; and did the gatekeepers of Hades, seeing you, cower?” But he descended even to those places, that he might deem the souls of the saints, long held there, worthy of freedom; but the impious, being carried down to the lowest parts of the earth, will be delivered into the hands of the sword. For there is a certain sword of death, which the Savior mentioned in the 21st psalm, saying: “Deliver my soul from the sword, and my only-begotten from the hand of the dog; save me from the lion’s mouth, and my humiliation from the horns of the unicorns.” All these things were said concerning the opposing powers. Not only will the aforementioned be delivered into the hands of the sword, but they will also be torn apart, dragged here and there by certain dreadful and wicked spirits, whom the present discourse calls foxes, because they have gone down and lurk in the lowest recesses. These foxes, therefore, taking the souls of the impious that fall there as if they were a windfall, tear them apart, dividing them among themselves. And 23.613 the Holy Spirit decrees that such will be the end of the impious. But concerning the righteous one who has accomplished the aforementioned things, it adds, saying: “But the king will rejoice in God; everyone who swears by him will be praised; for the mouth of those who speak unjust things has been stopped.” The name of the king is introduced here very paradoxically; for David is shown fleeing from Saul, and dwelling in the desert of Judea at the times he was saying these things, not yet reigning anywhere; but Saul, ruling the nation, held the kingship. What king, then, will rejoice in God? But someone will say that David himself is signified according to the foreknowledge of the future; for he was about to reign himself as soon as Saul had died. But another says that he was already king even then; since he had been anointed king by Samuel, and was already reckoned a king by God; moreover, he also reigned over the multitude with him, which the history mentions. Since, therefore, the discourse has presented the end of those who were persecuting him, it is fitting that the end of his labors is also prophesied, as of one who had shown great progress. Wherefore it is said: “But the king will rejoice in God.” For as a noble athlete of God, having gone through great contests, and having been deemed worthy of prizes and divine crowns, he will enjoy the gladness that comes from the Judge of the contest himself. For just as his enemies have met an inauspicious end, entering into the lowest parts of the earth, and being delivered into the hands of the sword, and becoming portions for foxes; which indeed was fulfilled literally according to the history, when Saul, fleeing the enemy, hid himself, and seeking help from God, did not find it; nor was he deemed worthy of a divine response; so that for this reason he went to the ventriloquist, and meddled in things forbidden by God. Then, at least, he and those with him truly became portions for foxes. Wherefore, being abandoned by God, by the sword of the enemy

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ἄνθρωπος, τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν οἰκῶν τῆς γῆς, τὰ κάτω μόνα οἰκεῖν λέγεται κατὰ τὸν φήσαντα· «Ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ἄνω, καὶ σὺ ἐν τῇ γῇ κάτω.» Μετὰ δὲ τὴν ἐνθένδε ἀπαλλαγὴν, οἱ μὲν θεοφιλεῖς οὐρανὸν ἕξουσιν οἰκητήριον, εἰς τὰ ἀνώτερα μετεωρισθέντες καὶ ἁρπαγησόμενοι ἐν νεφέλαις εἰς ἀπάντησιν τοῦ Κυρίου, οὕτω τε πάντοτε σὺν Κυρίῳ ἐσόμενοι· οἱ δ' ἀσεβεῖς καὶ ἁμαρτωλοὶ εἰς τὰ κατώτατα τῆς γῆς καταβήσονται· ὧν μεμνημένος ὁ Ἀπόστολος ἔλεγεν· «Εἰς τὰ κατώτερα τῆς γῆς ὁ καταβὰς, αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ ἀναβὰς ὑπεράνω πάντων τῶν οὐρανῶν, ἵνα πληρώσῃ τὰ πάντα.» Καὶ μέχρι γὰρ τῶν κατωτάτω τῆς γῆς ὁ Σωτὴρ καὶ Κύριος ἡμῶν καταβέβηκεν, ἵνα πληρώσῃ τὰ πάντα τῆς σωτηρίου δυνάμεως. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ τῷ Ἰὼβ σημαίνει ὁ χρηματίζων Κύριος ἐν οἷς φησιν· «Ἦλθες δὲ ἐπὶ γῆν θαλάσσης, ἐν δὲ ἴχνεσιν ἀβύσσου περιεπάτησας. Ἀνοίγονται δέ σοι φόβῳ πύλαι θανάτου· πυλωροὶ δὲ ᾅδου ἰδόντες σε ἔπτηξαν.» Ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν καὶ μέχρι τῶν ἐκεῖ καταβέβηκεν, ἵνα τὰς πάλαι τῶν ἁγίων αὐτόθι συνεχομένας ψυχὰς ἐλευθερίας ἀξιώσῃ· οἱ δὲ ἀσεβεῖς, εἰς τὰ κατώτατα τῆς γῆς κατενεχθέντες, παραδοθήσονται εἰς χεῖρας ῥομφαίας. Ἔστι γάρ τις ἐκεῖ ῥομφαία θανάτου, ἧς ὁ Σωτὴρ μνημονεύων ἐν καʹ ψαλμῷ ἔλεγε· «Ῥῦσαι ἀπὸ ῥομφαίας τὴν ψυχήν μου, καὶ ἐκ χειρὸς κυνὸς τὴν μονογενῆ μου· σῶσόν με ἐκ στόματος λέοντος, καὶ ἀπὸ κεράτων μονοκερώτων τὴν ταπείνωσίν μου.» Ταῦτα δὲ πάντα περὶ ἀντικειμένων δυνάμεων ἐλέγετο. Οὐ μόνον δὲ εἰς χεῖρας ῥομφαίας παραδοθήσονται οἱ προλεχθέντες, ἀλλὰ καὶ διασπασθήσονται ὧδε κἀκεῖσε περιελκόμενοι ὑπὸ δεινῶν τινων καὶ πανούργων πνευμάτων, οὓς ἀλώπεκας ὀνομάζει ὁ παρὼν λόγος, διὰ τὸ καταδεδυκέναι καὶ τοῖς κατωτάτω μυχοῖς ἐμφωλεύειν. Οὗτοι δ' οὖν οἱ ἀλώπεκες ὥσπερ εὕρεμα τὰς ἐκεῖ καταπιπτούσας ψυχὰς τῶν ἀσεβῶν λαβόντες διαρπάζουσιν, εἰς ἑαυτοὺς αὐτὰς μεριζόμενοι. Καὶ 23.613 τῶν μὲν ἀσεβῶν τοιοῦτον ἔσεσθαι τὸ τέλος τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον θεσπίζει. Περὶ δὲ τοῦ δικαίου τοῦ τὰ προλεχθέντα κατωρθωκότος ἐπιφέρει λέγον· «Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς εὐφρανθήσεται ἐπὶ τῷ Θεῷ· ἐπαινεθήσεται πᾶς ὁ ὀμνύων ἐν αὐτῷ· ὅτι ἐνεφράγη στόμα λαλούντων ἄδικα.» Σφόδρα παραδόξως ἐνταῦθα τὸ τοῦ βασιλέως εἰσῆκται ὄνομα· ∆αυῒδ μὲν γὰρ φεύγων τὸν Σαοὺλ, καὶ τὴν ἔρημον τῆς Ἰουδαίας οἰκῶν καθ' οὓς ταῦτα ἔλεγε χρόνους, δείκνυται, οὐ μὴν ἤδη που βασιλεύων· Σαοὺλ δὲ, κρατῶν τοῦ ἔθνους, τῆς βασιλείας ἡγεῖτο. Ποῖος οὖν βασιλεὺς εὐφρανθήσεται ἐπὶ τῷ Θεῷ; Ἀλλ' ἐρεῖ τις κατὰ πρόγνωσιν τοῦ μέλλοντος αὐτὸν σημαίνεσθαι τὸν ∆αυΐδ· ἤμελλε γὰρ ὅσον οὔπω τελευτήσαντος τοῦ Σαοὺλ βασιλεύειν αὐτός. Ἕτερος δέ φησι καὶ τότ' ἤδη βασιλέα εἶναι αὐτόν· ἐπειδὴ κέχριστο ὑπὸ τοῦ Σαμουὴλ εἰς βασιλέα, καὶ παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ λελόγιστο ἤδη βασιλεύς· οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐβασίλευε τοῦ συνόντος αὐτῷ πλήθους, οὗ μέμνηται ἡ ἱστορία. Ἐπεὶ τοίνυν τὸ τέλος τῶν ἐλαυνόντων αὐτὸν παρέστησεν ὁ λόγος, εἰκότως καὶ αὐτοῦ ὡς ἂν πολλὴν ἐνδειξαμένου προκοπὴν τὰ τέλη τῶν πόνων προφητεύεται. ∆ιὸ λέγεται· «Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς εὐφρανθήσεται ἐπὶ τῷ Θεῷ» Ὡς γὰρ γενναῖος τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀθλητὴς, μεγάλους ἀγῶνας διεξελθὼν, βραβείων τε καὶ θείων στεφάνων κατηξιωμένος, εὐφροσύνης ἀπολαύσει τῆς παρ' αὐτῷ τῷ ἀγωνοθέτῃ. Ὥσπερ γὰρ οἱ ἐχθροὶ αὐτοῦ τέλος οὐκ αἴσιον εἰλήφασιν, εἰς τὰ κατώτατα τῆς γῆς εἰσελθόντες, καὶ παραδοθέντες εἰς χεῖρας ῥομφαίας, μερίδες τε ἀλωπέκων γενόμενοι· ἃ δὴ καὶ ἐπληροῦτο πρὸς λέξιν κατὰ τὴν ἱστορίαν, ὁπηνίκα, φεύγων ὁ Σαοὺλ τοὺς πολεμίους, ἐκρυπτάζετο, ζητῶν τε παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ βοήθειαν, οὐχ εὕρισκεν· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἀποκρίσεως θείας ἠξιοῦτο· ὡς διὰ τοῦτ' ἐλθεῖν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὴν ἐγγαστρίμυθον, καὶ πολυπραγμονεῖν τὰ ἀπηγορευμένα ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Τότε γοῦν ἀληθῶς μερίδες ἀλωπέκων γεγόνασιν αὐτός τε καὶ οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ. ∆ιὸ καὶ καταλειφθέντες ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ, τῇ τῶν πολεμίων ῥομφαίᾳ