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to keep the testimonies of the mouth of God, which were testified and demonstrated by the Word of God, which He said to be of His mouth. 1118 Ps 118,91a By your ordinance the day endures, so as to revolve in an orderly and smooth manner according to the annual cycles, the day never departing from the ordinance it has towards the night, with respect to both equality and inequality. 1119 Ps 118,93 For just as someone who, from a great illness, has recovered firm and sure health through certain medical aids, through being healthy and well himself does not forget those medical aids by which it followed that he became so healthy with well-being, so this holy man, having been made alive by God in the ordinances which he had from Him, says that he will not forget them for all eternity, giving as the reason that in them God has made him live. 1120 Ps 118,96a Although virtue has one end because it is engendered in every advance, nevertheless each advance also has its immediate limit. He, therefore, who has arrived at the end of virtue through every advance will say, 'I have seen an end of all perfection,' as one who passes on to the perfect good lays down many beginnings and ends; for the limit of the former improvement is the beginning of the next, and its end is an element of the one that follows; whence it has been said, 'When a man has finished, then he begins.' 1121 Ps 118,96b For no one walking in the commandment of God is straightened, becoming great of soul and great of mind from attending to it. 1122 Ps 118,97 1122 The 'How' here does not signify a parable and a likeness but that the law of God is considered beloved truly and prototypically and not for the sake of something else. We can understand 'All the day long it is my study' to mean 'In the whole time of my life'; for in many places the whole lifetime of men is called a day, as in 'And I have waited for you all the day long,' and 'For your sake we are killed all the day long.' 1123 Ps 118,98 The invisible enemies who attack me try with all diligence to lead me to prefer pleasure; through this pleasure it happens that one is ill-disposed toward every labor, so as to refuse even the divine commandment which is achieved with sweat. But he who is made wise by God's commandment becomes superior to pleasure and to the enemies who advocate for it, so that he has it forever, having preferred it to the pleasure that is for a little while and temporary. Therefore, singing praises to God with thanksgiving, he will say, 'You have made me wise through your commandment,' from which I have also become superior to my enemies. 1124 Ps 118,101 He indicates the freedom of his choice with 'I have restrained my feet'; for as it was in his power to move his feet to walk and to restrain them, he said the proposed text. This is in harmony with 'Turn from evil and do good'; for he who turns from evil restrains his feet from every evil way, so that by doing good he may keep the words of God. 1125 Ps 118,105 The law is a lamp to those who walk in the night before the rising of the sun of righteousness, the true light not being a lamp but a sun, shining on those for whom the night is far spent, the day having drawn near, on which day it is possible to walk becomingly. 1126 Ps 118,106 To establish here means to determine firmly, and to swear means not to name God but to resolve this unchangeably and to keep it inviolably, performing the work of an oath in effect. 1127 Ps 118,124 He does not bring forward the request again as if he had not obtained it, but as one who has learned the ordinances of God according to a former petition; as was possible, still lingering on them, wishing to contemplate them more greatly than he had known them, he prays and always does this, until he comes to the end of their understanding. 1128 Ps 118,125 But what I said just now about the learning of the ordinances happening in different ways, this I will also say about the knowledge of the testimonies, as a knowledge of them that has always ascended higher according to progress comes to be for the one who lingers on the understanding of them. 1129 Ps 118,127 These things are in harmony with 'The law of your mouth is good for me'

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φυλάσσειν τὰ μαρτύρια τοῦ στόματος τοῦ θεοῦ μαρτυρηθέντα καὶ ἀποδειχθέντα ὑπὸ λόγου τοῦ θεοῦ, ου ειπεν αὐτοῦ στόματος ειναι. 1118 Ps 118,91a Τῇ διατάξει σου διαμένει ἡ ἡμέρα, ὡς τεταγμένως καὶ ὁμαλῶς περικυκλεῖν κατὰ τοὺς ἐτησίους κύκλους, οὐκ ἐξισταμένης τῆς ἡμέρας οὐδεπώποτε ης εχει πρὸς νύκτα διατάξεως κατά τε ἰσότητα καὶ ἀνισότητα. 1119 Ps 118,93 Ωσπερ γὰρ ἐκ μεγάλης νόσου διά τινων ἰατρικῶν βοηθημάτων παγίαν καὶ βέβαιον ἀναλαβὼν ὑγείαν δι' αὐτοῦ τοῦ ὑγιαίνειν καὶ εὐεκτεῖν οὐκ ἐπιλανθάνεται τῶν ἰατρικῶν ἐκείνων οις ἠκολούθησε τὸ ουτως αὐτὸν μετ' εὐεξίας ὑγιαίνειν, ουτως ὁ αγιος ουτος ὑπὸ θεοῦ ζωοποιηθεὶς ἐν οις εσχε παρ' αὐτοῦ δικαιώμασι λέγει παρ' ολον τὸν αἰῶνα μὴ ἐπιλανθάνεσθαι αὐτῶν, ἀποδιδοὺς τὴν αἰτίαν τὸ ἐν αὐτοῖς τὸν θεὸν αὐτὸν ἐζηκέναι. 1120 Ps 118,96a Εἰ καὶ τῆς ἀρετῆς εν τέλος διὰ τὸ ἐπὶ πάσῃ προκοπῇ ἐγγινόμενον, ἀλλ' ουν γε καὶ ἑκάστης προκοπῆς ἐστι τὸ προσεχὲς πέρας. ὁ ουν διὰ πάσης προκοπῆς ἀφιγμένος εἰς τὸ τέλος τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐρεῖ Πάσης συντελείας ειδον πέρας, τοῦ ἐπὶ τὸ τέλειον ἀγαθὸν διαβαίνοντος πολλὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τέλη καταβαλλομένου· ἡ γὰρ τῆς προτέρας βελτιώσεως περιγραφὴ ἀρχὴ τῆς ἐχομένης ἐστὶ καὶ ἐκείνης τέλος στοιχεῖον τῆς ἑπομένης· οθεν ειρηται τὸ Οτε συντελέσει ανθρωπος, τότε αρχεται. 1121 Ps 118,96b Οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἐν ἐντολῇ θεοῦ περιπατῶν στενοχωρεῖται, μεγαλόψυχος καὶ μεγαλόνους γινόμενος ἐκ τοῦ περιέπειν αὐτήν. 1122 Ps 118,97 1122 Οὐ παραβολὴν δὲ καὶ ὁμοίωσιν ἐνταῦθα σημαίνει τὸ ̔Ως ἀλλὰ τὸ ἀληθῶς καὶ πρωτοτύπως καὶ οὐ δι' ετερόν τι ἀγαπητὸν ἡγεῖσθαι τὸν νόμον τοῦ θεοῦ. ∆υνάμεθα δὲ νοεῖν τὸ Ολην τὴν ἡμέραν μελέτη μού ἐστι ἀντὶ τοῦ ̓Εν ολῳ τῷ τῆς ζωῆς μου χρόνῳ· πολλαχοῦ γὰρ ὁ πᾶς χρόνος τῆς ζωῆς ἀνθρώπων ἡμέρα καλεῖται, ὡς ἐν τῷ Καὶ σὲ ὑπέμεινα ολην τὴν ἡμέραν, καὶ τὸ Ενεκά σου θανατούμεθα ολην τὴν ἡμέραν. 1123 Ps 118,98 Οἱ ἐπικείμενοι ἐχθροὶ ἀόρατοι πειρῶνται διὰ πάσης σπουδῆς εἰς τὸ προτιμᾶν ἡδονὴν ἀγαγεῖν με· δι' ης ἡδονῆς συμβαίνει πρὸς πάντα πόνον δυσχερῶς εχειν, ὡς καὶ τὴν θείαν ἐντολὴν σὺν ἱδρῶτι κατορθουμένην παραιτεῖσθαι. κρείττων δὲ γίνεται τῆς ἡδονῆς καὶ τῶν πρεσβευόντων αὐτὴν ἐχθρῶν ὁ τὴν θεοῦ ἐντολὴν σοφιζόμενος ὑπ' αὐτοῦ, ωστε εἰς αἰῶνα αὐτὴν εχειν, προτιμήσας τῆς πρὸς ὀλίγον ουσης καὶ προσκαίρου ἡδονῆς. διὸ τῷ θεῷ εὐχαριστικῶς ὑμνῶν ἐρεῖ ̓Εσόφισάς με τὴν ἐντολήν σου, ἐξ ου καὶ ὑπὲρ τοὺς ἐχθρούς μου γεγένημαι. 1124 Ps 118,101 ̓Εμφαίνει δὲ τὸ ἐλεύθερον τῆς προαιρέσεως τῷ ̓Εκώλυσα τοὺς πόδας μου· ὡς γὰρ ἐπ' αὐτῷ οντος τοῦ κινεῖν τοὺς πόδας εἰς τὸ βαδίζειν καὶ κωλῦσαι αὐτοὺς τὸ προκείμενον ειπε. τοῦτο συνᾴδει τῷ Εκκλινον ἀπὸ κακοῦ καὶ ποίησον ἀγαθόν· ὁ γὰρ ἐκκλίνων ἀπὸ κακοῦ ἐκ πάσης ὁδοῦ πονηρᾶς κωλύει τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ, ινα ποιήσας τὸ ἀγαθὸν φυλάξῃ τοὺς τοῦ θεοῦ λόγους. 1125 Ps 118,105 Λύχνος ὁ νόμος ἐστὶ τοῖς πρὸ τῆς ἀνατολῆς τοῦ ἡλίου τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἐν νυκτὶ βαδίζουσι, τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ φωτὸς οὐ λύχνου οντος ἀλλ' ἡλίου φωτίζοντος ἐκείνοις, οις προέκοψεν ἡ νὺξ ἐγγισάσης τῆς ἡμέρας, καθ' ην ἡμέραν εὐσχημόνως περιπατεῖν εστιν. 1126 Ps 118,106 Τὸ δὲ στῆσαι ἐνταῦθα τὸ βεβαίως ὁρίσαι δηλοῖ, καὶ τὸ ὀμόσαι οὐ τὸν θεὸν ὀνομάσαι ἀλλὰ τὸ ἀμεταθέτως τοῦτο προθέσθαι καὶ ἀπαράβατον φυλάττειν, τὸ εργον τοῦ ορκου δυνάμει ποιῶν. 1127 Ps 118,124 Οὐχ ὡς μὴ τυχὼν δὲ τῆς αἰτήσεως πάλιν αὐτὴν προσάγει ἀλλ' ὡς μαθὼν τὰ δικαιώματα τοῦ θεοῦ κατὰ προτέραν ἀξίωσιν· ὡς οιόν τε ην ετι ἐπιδιατρίβων αὐτοῖς, μειζόνως η εγνω θεωρῆσαι αὐτὰ βουλόμενος, δέεται καὶ ἀεὶ τοῦτο ποιεῖ, εως ἐπὶ τὸ τέρμα ελθῃ τῆς νοήσεως αὐτῶν. 1128 Ps 118,125 Οπερ δὲ ειπον ἀρτίως περὶ τῆς μαθήσεως τῶν δικαιωμάτων διαφόρως γινομένων, τοῦτ' ἐρῶ καὶ περὶ τῆς γνώσεως τῶν μαρτυρίων, κατὰ προκοπὴν ἀεὶ ὑπεραναβεβηκυίας γνώσεως αὐτῶν γινομένης τῷ προσδιατρίβοντι τῇ κατανοήσει αὐτῶν. 1129 Ps 118,127 Ταῦτα συνᾴδει τῷ ̓Αγαθόν μοι ὁ νόμος τοῦ στόματός σου