221

the reading of Deuteronomy. 7. "For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. "And he is by nature our Master, and is preeminently our God. For he calls us his own people, and offers care to us as to his own sheep. [And the Lord himself also says after his incomprehensible incarnation: "My sheep hear my voice." And again: "I am the good shepherd, and I lay down my life for the sheep," and what follows.] Then, therefore, they threaten punishment to those who do not obey, frightening them with the memory of their fathers, and through the accusation of them, securing a benefit. 8, 9. "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. As in the provocation." Since the Master overlooked your former impiety because of his own love for mankind, now at least listen to his exhortation, as he offers saving teaching, and do not imitate the endless and stubborn 80.1644 disposition of your fathers. For he has called the contention which often happened in the desert a provocation. Thus also he said in another psalm: "How often they provoked him in the desert, they angered him in a waterless land." And he showed the voluntary nature of the disposition. For he did not simply say, "Do not be hardened," but "Do not harden your hearts," teaching that they themselves are the makers of such a heart. Then he reminds more clearly of the fathers' disobedience. "According to the day of temptation in the desert, where your fathers tempted me, they tested me, and saw my works. [10] Forty years." For since they were not willing to enter the promised land, [but spoke against God who was commanding,] putting forward an irrational fear, and claiming cowardice, saying that they themselves would be destroyed, and their children would become captives of the spear, he caused them to spend a forty-year period in the desert, until they themselves were consumed. "I was grieved with that generation, and I said, 'They always go astray in their heart.'" But Aquila and Symmachus, instead of "I was grieved," have said, "I was displeased;" for this reason, he says, I loathed that generation, seeing the levity and fickleness of their disposition. 11. "But they have not known my ways, so I swore in my wrath: 'If they shall enter into my rest.'" But they were not willing to heed the sworn threats, nor did they wish to undo the threat by repentance. For which reason they did not enjoy the land promised to their fathers. For that land he called his rest, or according to the other interpreters, repose, For since in the desert they made frequent moves while journeying, with the tabernacle leading, in which God was thought to dwell, but in the land of promise, they themselves also ceased from their journeying, and the tabernacle was pitched in the consecrated places, he rightly called the land of the promise a rest. And he called the economies the ways of God. INTERPRETATION OF THE 5TH PSALM. "A song to David, when the house was built after the captivity, untitled among the Hebrews." Neither did the blessed David write this inscription, nor indeed did those who from the beginning interpreted the prophecy; but someone else, as it seems, having perceived the superficial meaning of the psalm, has set this inscription; but the manifestation of the text is also fitting for those who returned from Babylon 80.1645 and built the divine temple; since in them the salvation of all men was foreshadowed. Nevertheless, the prophecy foretells both the first and the second manifestation of our God and Savior, and the coming judgment, and the salvation already provided to the nations. "Sing to the Lord a new song." For new matters also require a new hymnody. "Sing to the Lord, all the earth." How do these things fit the Jews, who are warred against by all men? For those who saw their freedom were not pleased; but on the contrary, they were vexed, and they tried to surround them with all kinds of evils. But the prophetic word, all

221

ἀνάγνωσιν τοῦ ∆ευτερονομίου προέχεαν. ζʹ. "Ὅτι αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν, καὶ ἡμεῖς λαὸς νομῆς αὐτοῦ, καὶ πρόβατα χειρὸς αὐτοῦ. "Καὶ φύσει ∆εσπότης ἡμῶν ἐστι, καὶ διαφερόντως ἡμῶν ὑπάρχει Θεός. Λαὸν γὰρ ἡμᾶς οἰκεῖον καλεῖ, καὶ ὡς οἰκείοις προβάτοις προσφέρει τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν. [Λέ γει δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Κύριος μετὰ τὴν ἀκατάληπτον αὐτοῦ ἐνανθρώπησιν· "Τὰ πρόβατα τὰ ἐμὰ τῆς φωνῆς μου ἀκούει." Καὶ πάλιν· "Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ποι μὴν ὁ καλὸς, καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν τίθημι ὑπὲρ τῶν προ βάτων," καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς.] Εἶτα λοιπὸν ἀπειλοῦσι τοῖς μὴ πειθομένοις τὴν τιμωρίαν, καὶ τῇ τῶν πατέρων δεδιττόμενοι μνήμῃ, καὶ διὰ τῆς ἐκείνης κατηγο ρίας τὴν ὠφέλειαν πραγματευόμενοι. ηʹ, θʹ. "Σήμερον ἐὰν τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ ἀκούσητε, μὴ σκληρύνητε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν. Ὡς ἐν τῷ παρα πικρασμῷ." Ἐπειδὴ τὴν προτέραν ὑμῶν ἀσέβειαν διὰ τὴν οἰκείαν φιλανθρωπίαν ὁ ∆εσπότης παρεῖδε, νῦν γοῦν αὐτοῦ παραινοῦντος ἀκούσατε, καὶ τὴν σω τήριον διδασκαλίαν προσφέροντος, καὶ μὴ μιμήση σθε τῶν πατέρων τὴν ἀτέρμονα καὶ ἀντίτυπον 80.1644 γνώμην. Παραπικρασμὸν γὰρ κέκληκε τὴν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ πολλάκις γεγενημένην ἀντιλογίαν. Οὕτω καὶ ἐν ἑτέρῳ ἔφη ψαλμῷ· "Ποσάκις παρεπίκραναν αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, παρώργισαν αὐτὸν ἐν γῇ ἀν ύδρῳ." Ἔδειξε δὲ καὶ τὸ τῆς γνώμης αὐθαίρετον. Οὐ γὰρ ἁπλῶς εἶπε· Μὴ σκληρυνθῆτε, ἀλλὰ "Μὴ σκληρύνητε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν," διδάσκων ὡς αὐτοί εἰσι τῆς τοιαύτης καρδίας δημιουργοί· εἶτα σαφέστερον τῆς τῶν πατέρων ἀπειθείας ἀναμιμνή σκει. "Κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν τοῦ πειρασμοῦ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ. οὗ ἐπείρασάν με οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν, ἐδοκίμασάν με, καὶ εἶδον τὰ ἔργα μου. [ιʹ] Τεσσαράκοντα ἔτη." Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἰς τὴν ἐπηγγελμένην εἰσελθεῖν οὐκ ἠβουλήθησαν γῆν, [ἀλλ' ἀντεῖπον κελεύοντι τῷ Θεῷ,] δέος ἄλογον προβαλλόμενοι, καὶ δειλίαν φά σκοντες, ὡς αὐτοὶ μὲν ἀναιρεθήσονται, δορυάλωτα δὲ τὰ παιδία γενηθήσεται, τὸν τεσσαρακοντούτην αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ διαγαγεῖν παρεσκεύασε χρό νον, ἕως αὐτοὶ κατηναλώθησαν. "Προσώχθισα τῇ γενεᾷ ἐκείνῃ, καὶ εἶπον, Ἀεὶ πλανῶνται τῇ καρδίᾳ." Ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας, καὶ ὁ Σύμμαχος, ἀντὶ τοῦ Προσώχθισα, ∆υσηρεστήθην εἰρήκασι· τούτου, φη σὶν, ἕνεκα τὴν γενεὰν ἐκείνην ἐβδελυξάμην, τὸ κοῦ φον αὐτῶν καὶ εὐρίπιστον τῆς γνώμης ἰδών. ιαʹ. "Αὐτοὶ δὲ οὐκ ἔγνωσαν τὰς ὁδούς μου, ὡς ὤμοσα ἐν τῇ ὀργῇ μου· Εἰ εἰσελεύσονται εἰς τὴν κατάπαυσίν μου." Οἱ δὲ ταῖς ὠμοσμέναις ἀπει λαῖς προσέχειν οὐκ ἠθέλησαν, οὐδὲ μεταμελείᾳ λῦσαι τὴν ἀπειλὴν ἠβουλήθησαν. Οὗ δὴ χάριν τῆς τοῖς πατράσιν ἐπηγγελμένης οὐκ ἀπήλαυσαν γῆς. Τὴν γῆν γὰρ ἐκείνην κατάπαυσιν αὐτοῦ προσηγό ρευσεν, ἢ κατὰ τοὺς ἄλλους ἑρμηνευτὰς ἀνάπαυσιν, Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ μεταβάσεις ὁδοιποροῦν τες ἐποιοῦντο συχνὰς, τῆς σκηνῆς ἡγουμένης, ἐν ᾗ κατοικεῖν ὁ Θεὸς ἐνομίζετο, ἐν δὲ τῇ γῇ τῆς ἐπαγ γελίας, καὶ αὐτοὶ τῆς ὁδοιπορίας ἐπαύσαντο, καὶ ἡ σκηνὴ τοῖς ἀφιερωθεῖσιν ἐνεπάγη χωρίοις, εἰκότως κατάπαυσιν ἐκάλεσε τῆς ἐπαγγελίας τὴν γῆν. Ὁδοὺς δὲ Θεοῦ τὰς οἰκονομίας ἐκάλεσεν. ΕΡΜΗΝ. ΤΟΥ Εʹ. ΨΑΛΜΟΥ. "Ὠδὴ τῷ ∆αβὶδ, ὅτε ὁ οἶκος ᾠκοδόμηται μετὰ τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν, ἀνεπίγραφος παρ' Ἑβραίοις." Οὐδὲ ταύτην ὁ μακάριος ∆αβὶδ ἔγραψε τὴν ἐπιγρα φὴν, οὔτε μὴν οἱ ἐξ ἀρχῆς τὴν προφητείαν ἡρμη νευκότες· ἄλλος δέ τις ὡς ἔοικεν τὴν ἐξ ἐπιπολῆς διάνοιαν τοῦ ψαλμοῦ κατιδὼν, ταύτην τέθεικε τὴν ἐπιγραφήν· ἁρμόττει δὲ καὶ τοῖς ἐκ Βαβυλῶνος 80.1645 ἐπανελθοῦσι, καὶ τὸν θεῖον δειμαμένοις νεὼν ἡ τοῦ γράμματος ἐπιφάνεια· ἐπειδήπερ ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐσκια γραφήθη πάντων ἀνθρώπων ἡ σωτηρία. Προθεσπί ζει δὲ ὅμως ἡ προφητεία καὶ τὴν προτέραν, καὶ τὴν δευτέραν τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐπιφάνειαν, καὶ τὴν ἐσομένην κρίσιν, καὶ τὴν παρασχεθεῖσαν ἤδη τοῖς ἔθνεσι σωτηρίαν. "Ἄσατε τῷ Κυρίῳ ᾆσμα καινόν." Ἐπὶ καινοῖς γὰρ πράγμασι, καινῆς χρεία καὶ τῆς ὑμνῳδίας. "Ἄσατε τῷ Κυρίῳ πᾶσα ἡ γῆ." Πῶς ταῦτα Ἰουδαίοις ἁρμόττει παρὰ πάντων πολεμουμένοις ἀνθρώπων; Οὐ γὰρ ἥσθησαν οἱ τὴν ἐκείνων ἰδόντες ἐλευθερίαν· ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον ἠχθέσθησαν, καὶ παντοδαποῖς αὐτοὺς κακοῖς περιβαλεῖν ἐπειράθησαν. Ὁ δὲ προφητικὸς λόγος πᾶσαν