217

by a tempest, and it stood into a breeze, and its waves were silent, and there was a great calm. "Wonderful is the Lord on high." But Aquila thus: The Lord is exceedingly great on high. He has added this very consequently to what has been said, showing the strength of the one who sets things right. For he is exceedingly great, and highest, and Lord, and having power, neither measurable by the tongue, nor comprehensible by the mind. [But he calls "the high places" the great patriarchs and prophets and the holy apostles and all those after them.] 5. "Your testimonies, O Lord, have been made very sure." All these things you foretold from above, and proclaimed through your holy prophets. And by the testimony of the events they have been shown to be true; and the addition of "very" is also good. Instead of, Not even a chance falsehood is there to be seen in the prophecies, but all things now seen were precisely foretold. "Holiness befits your house, O Lord, for length of days." And the greatest and most beautiful of all good things is that the enjoyment of the things given is not temporary, nor limited to certain times, according to the worship of the Jews; but 80.1629 lasting, and permanent, and eternal; for to your new house these things are suitable and fitting. And the divine Paul called the assembly of the faithful the house of God, to which the prophet has said holiness befits. It is therefore fitting for us, according to the apostolic exhortation, to cleanse ourselves from every defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God; so that, having prepared a worthy house of God, we may receive the eternal inhabitant.

INTERPRETATION OF PSALM 93. "A Psalm of David; on the fourth day of the week; uninscribed among the Hebrews." It is clear,

that some others have set the inscription, and neither the prophet, nor those who interpreted it from the beginning. The hypothesis of the psalm is this. Many of the Jews, both rulers and kings, loved transgression, and judging unjustly they passed sentence, and they dared murders, selling for bribes the blood of the innocent. And the blessed Isaiah accused them, saying, "Hear, rulers of Sodom." And again: "Your rulers are disobedient, loving gifts, seeking a reward, not judging for orphans, and not attending to the judgment of widows." Not only did he accuse, but he also exhorted: "Judge for the orphan, and do justice to the widow." The blessed Habakkuk also made this accusation, and offering his prayer to God said: "You will make men as the fish of the sea, and as reptiles having no leader, and the ungodly will devour the righteous." Thus also the wondrous Jeremiah, and indeed the other prophets, continually accused their injustice. The divine David, foreseeing these things from afar with prophetic eyes, wrote this psalm; so that through the melody, which was performed in the divine temple, those of that time might reap the benefit; and he teaches the providence of God, and the consequent punishment of those who live in wickedness. He frames the psalm in the person of those brought up in piety, suffering these things from them. 1. "The Lord is a God of vengeances, the God of vengeances has spoken freely." But instead of "has spoken freely," Aquila has said "appear"; and so also the other interpreters. You, he says, I beseech, the 80.1632 God and Master of all, who governs creation, and brings worthy punishment upon the unjust, to hear, and to receive the supplication. 2. "Lift yourself up, you who judge the earth; render a reward to the proud." Show to all the loftiness of your dominion, and cast down the brow of the arrogant, teaching through experience that you are the judge of the world. 3, 4. "How long, O Lord, shall the sinful, how long shall the sinful boast? They will utter and speak injustice; all who work iniquity will speak." Not destruction

217

καταιγίδι, καὶ ἔστη εἰς αὖραν, καὶ ἐσίγησε τὰ κύματα αὐτῆς, καὶ ἐγένετο γαλήνη με γάλη. "Θαυμαστὸς ἐν ὑψηλοῖς ὁ Κύριος." Ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας οὕτως· Ὑπερμεγέθης ἐν ὕψει Κύριος. Μάλα δὲ ἀκολούθως τοῦτο τοῖς εἰρημένοις προστέθεικε, τοῦ κατορθοῦντος δεικνὺς τὴν ἰσχύν. Ὑπερμεγέθης γάρ ἐστι, καὶ ὕψιστος, καὶ Κύριος, καὶ δύναμιν ἔχων, οὔτε γλώττῃ μετρητὴν, οὔτε διανοίᾳ καταλη πτήν. [Ὑψηλοὺς δὲ καλεῖ τοὺς μεγάλους πα τριάρχας προφήτας τε καὶ τοὺς ἱεροὺς ἀποστόλους καὶ τοὺς κατ' ἐκείνους ἅπαντας.] εʹ. "Τὰ μαρτύριά σου Κύριε, ἐπιστώθησαν σφόδρα." Ταῦτα δὲ ἅπαντα ἄνωθεν προεθέσπισας, καὶ διὰ τῶν ἁγίων σου προφητῶν προεκήρυξας. Τῇ δὲ μαρτυρίᾳ τῶν πραγμάτων δέδεικται ἀληθῆ· καλὴ δὲ καὶ ἡ τοῦ σφόδρα προσθήκη. Ἀντὶ τοῦ, Οὐδὲ τὸ τυχὸν ἐν ταῖς προῤῥήσεσιν ἔνεστι θεω ρῆσαι ψεῦδος, ἀλλ' ἀκριβῶς ἅπαντα τὰ νῦν ὁρώμενα προεῤῥήθη. "Τῷ οἴκῳ σου πρέπει ἁγίασμα, Κύριε, εἰς μακρότητα ἡμερῶν." Τὸ δὲ πάντων μέγιστόν τε καὶ κάλλιστον τῶν ἀγαθῶν, ὅτι οὐ πρόσκαιρος ἡ τῶν δεδωρημένων ἀπόλαυσις, οὐδὲ χρόνοις τισὶ περιωρισμένη, κατὰ τὴν Ἰουδαίων λατρείαν· ἀλλὰ 80.1629 διαρκὴς, καὶ μόνιμος, καὶ αἰώνιος· τῷ νέῳ γάρ σου οἴκῳ ταῦτα πρόσφορά τε καὶ πρέποντα. Οἶκον δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸν τῶν πιστῶν προσηγόρευσε σύλ λογον ὁ θεσπέσιος Παῦλος, ᾧ τὸν ἁγιασμὸν ἐπιπρέ πειν εἴρηκεν ὁ προφήτης. Προσήκει τοίνυν ἡμᾶς, κατὰ τὴν ἀποστολικὴν παραίνεσιν, καθαίρειν μὲν ἑαυτοὺς ἀπὸ παντὸς μολυσμοῦ σαρκὸς καὶ πνεύμα τος, ἐπιτελεῖν δὲ ἁγιωσύνην ἐν φόβῳ Θεοῦ· ἵνα ἄξιον τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Θεοῦ κατασκευάσαντες, τὸν αἰώνιον ἔνοικον εἰσδεξώμεθα.

ΕΡΜΗΝ. ΤΟΥ Γʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΥ. "Ψαλμὸς τῷ ∆αβίδ· τετράδι Σαββάτου· ἀνεπί γραφος παρ' Ἑβραίοις." ∆ῆλον,

ὡς τὴν ἐπιγραφὴν ἄλλοι τινὲς τεθείκασι, καὶ οὔτε ὁ προφήτης, οὔτε οἱ τοῦτον ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἑρμηνεύσαντες. Τοῦ δὲ ψαλμοῦ ἡ ὑπόθεσις αὕτη. Πολλοὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων, καὶ ἄρχοντες καὶ βασιλεῖς, τὴν παρανομίαν ἠγάπησαν, καὶ δικά ζοντες ἀδίκως ἐξῆγον τὴν ψῆφον, καὶ μιαιφονίας ἐτόλμων, δώροις ἀπεμπολοῦντες τῶν ἀθώων τὸ αἷμα. Τούτων δὲ καὶ ὁ μακάριος κατηγόρησεν Ἡσαΐας, "Ἀκούσατε, λέγων· ἄρχοντες Σοδόμων." Καὶ πάλιν· "Οἱ ἄρχοντές σου ἀπειθοῦσιν, ἀγαπῶντες δῶρα, διώκοντες ἀνταπόδομα, ὀρφανοῖς οὐ κρίνοντες, καὶ κρίσει χηρῶν οὐ προσέχοντες." Οὐ μόνον δὲ κατηγόρησεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ παρῄνεσε· "Κρίνατε ὀρ φανῷ, καὶ δικαιώσατε χήραν." Ταύτην καὶ ὁ μακάριος Ἀββακοὺμ τὴν κατηγορίαν ἐποιήσατο, καὶ τῷ Θεῷ προσφέρων τὴν ἔντευξιν ἔλεγε· "Ποιήσεις τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, ὡς τοὺς ἰχθύας τῆς θαλάσσης, καὶ ὡσεὶ ἑρπετὰ μὴ ἔχοντα ἡγούμενον, καὶ κατα φάγεται ὁ ἀσεβὴς τὸν δίκαιον." Οὕτω καὶ ὁ θαυ μάσιος Ἱερεμίας, καὶ μέντοι καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι προφῆται, τῆς τούτων ἀδικίας διετέλουν κατηγοροῦντες. Ταῦτα πόῤῥωθεν προφητικοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς προϊδὼν ὁ θεῖος ∆αβὶδ, τοῦτον ἔγραψε τὸν ψαλμόν· ἵνα διὰ τῆς μελῳδίας, τῆς ἐν τῷ θείῳ ναῷ γινομένης, τὴν ὠφέλειαν οἱ τηνικαῦτα καρπώσωνται· διδάσκει δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν πρόνοιαν, καὶ τὴν ἐντεῦθεν τιμω ρίαν τῶν πονηρίᾳ συζώντων. Σχηματίζει δὲ τὸν ψαλμὸν ἐκ προσώπου τῶν εὐσεβείᾳ συντεθραμμένων, ταῦτα παρ' ἐκείνων ὑπομενόντων. αʹ. Θεὸς ἐκδικήσεων Κύριος, Θεὸς ἐκδικήσεων ἐπαῤῥησιάσατο." Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, ἐπαῤῥησιάσατο, ὁ Ἀκύλας ἐπιφάνηθι εἴρηκεν· οὕτω δὲ καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι ἑρμηνευταί. Σὲ, φησὶν, ἱκετεύω τὸν τῶν ἁπάντων 80.1632 Θεὸν καὶ ∆εσπότην, καὶ τὴν κτίσιν ἰθύνοντα, καὶ τὴν ἀξίαν τιμωρίαν τοῖς ἀδίκοις ἐπάγοντα, ἐπακοῦ σαι, καὶ τὴν ἔντευξιν δέξασθαι. βʹ. "Ὑψώθητι, ὁ κρίνων τὴν γῆν, ἀπόδος ἀνταπό δοσιν τοῖς ὑπερηφάνοις." ∆εῖξον ἅπασι τῆς σῆς δεσποτείας τὸ ὑψηλὸν, καὶ κατάλυσον τὴν τῶν ἀλα ζόνων ὀφρὺν, διδάσκων διὰ τῆς πείρας, ὅτι σὺ εἶ τῆς οἰκουμένης κριτής. γʹ, δʹ. "Ἕως πότε ἁμαρτωλοὶ, Κύριε, ἕως πότε ἁμαρτωλοὶ καυχήσονται; Φθέγξονται, καὶ λαλήσου σιν ἀδικίαν, λαλήσουσι πάντες οἱ ἐργαζόμενοι τὴν ἀνομίαν." Οὐκ ὄλεθρον