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80.1704 24. "How magnified are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you have made them all." The Prophet, having considered each of the things spoken, and having understood God's great providence, sent up a hymn in the midst of his narrative; saying that all God's creations are wonderful, and exceedingly worthy of admiration, and full of wisdom. For he found that the night, which is slandered by certain impious men, is extremely useful, and that fruitless trees contribute another use; and that the species of wild beasts are suitable for many things for men. "The earth is filled with your possession." But the other interpreters have put "creation;" instead of, You have filled it with all kinds of good things. From the earth, however, he moves on to the neighboring sea, and says: 25. "This is the sea, great and wide; there are creeping things without number; small animals with great." And this too is proof of divine Providence: that the small species dwell among the large, and are not completely consumed by them. 20. "There the ships pass through." This too is a very great need of men. For through the art of shipbuilding and the science of navigation, we bring from each other what is needed, and we supply to others the fruit that grows among us, and we receive what is produced among them. "This dragon, which you formed to play with it." Through the dragon he indicated the great sea monsters, which delight in the great seas. And the phrase, "to play with it," means, with the sea itself; for the Hebrew and the Syrian call it by a masculine noun. So great, he says, is it, that countless species of fish are contained in it, and the greatest sea monsters swim in it without fear. But if some think to allegorize the dragon, because also in Isaiah it says: "The great, and holy, and strong sword, to go against the dragon; the crooked serpent, that is in the sea;" neither will we refuse such an interpretation; since also in Job we find this creature being sported with by the divine angels. And the Lord gave authority to his disciples to tread on serpents and scorpions, and on all the power of the enemy. 27. "All things look to you, to give them their food in due season." From you, he says, everything receives its need in season. For the irrational creatures seek their food, but are ignorant of the provider; yet they receive it from the Creator. 28. "When you give to them, they will gather." When you provide abundance, each of these reaps what is suitable. "When you open your hand, all things 80.1705 will be filled with goodness." Through these words he has shown the ease of the provision of good things. For just as it is easy to extend fingers that are bent inward, so it is easy for God to bestow the supply of all good things. 29. "But when you turn away your face, they will be troubled." And just as you fill with all cheerfulness those who enjoy good things, bestowing these things in benevolence; so when you turn away, all things are filled with turmoil and fear. "You will take away their spirit, and they will fail, and return to their dust." For when you will it, the separation of the soul and the body occurs; after which the body is given over to corruption, and is resolved into its ancestral dust. Here he has called the soul spirit. 30. "You will send forth your spirit, and they will be created, and you will renew the face of the earth." Here he has clearly proclaimed to us the resurrection, and the revival through the all-holy Spirit. So also the great Elias, breathing three times upon the widow's little boy, and bringing back life through the indwelling spiritual grace; so also Elisha brought to life the Shunammite's son, using the spiritual inbreathing, and working out life by the life-giving spirit. Thus having shown this energy of the divine power also, he turns his tongue to hymnody. 31. "Let the glory of the Lord be forever." It is always right, he says, for him to be praised by all. The Lord will rejoice in his works." The future knowledge of God among men through

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80.1704 κδʹ. "Ὡς ἐμεγαλύνθη τὰ ἔργα σου, Κύριε! πάντα ἐν σοφίᾳ ἐποίησας." Ἕκαστον τῶν εἰρημένων λο γισάμενος ὁ Προφήτης, καὶ τὴν πολλὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ κηδεμονίαν καταμαθὼν, ἐν μέσῳ τῆς διηγήσεως τὸν ὕμνον ἀνέπεμψε· θαυμαστὰ, καὶ λίαν ἀξιάγαστα, καὶ σοφίας μεστὰ φήσας εἶναι πάντα τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰ ποιήματα. Εὗρε γὰρ καὶ τὴν ὑπό τινων δυσσεβῶν διαβαλλομένην νύκτα σφόδρα χρησιμωτάτην, καὶ τὰ ἄκαρπα ξύλα χρείαν ἑτέραν εἰσφέροντα· καὶ τῶν θηρίων τὰ γένη εἰς πολλὰ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἁρμόδια. "Ἐπληρώθη ἡ γῆ τῆς κτήσεώς σου." Οἱ δὲ ἄλλοι ἑρμηνευταὶ κτίσεως τεθείκασιν· ἀντὶ τοῦ, Παντο δαπῶν αὐτὴν ἐνέπλησας ἀγαθῶν. Ἀπὸ μέντοι τῆς γῆς, καὶ πρὸς τὴν γείτονα θάλασσαν μεταβαίνει, καί φησιν· κεʹ. "Αὕτη ἡ θάλασσα, ἡ μεγάλη καὶ εὐρύχωρος· ἐκεῖ ἑρπετὰ ὧν οὐκ ἔστιν ἀριθμός· ζῶα μικρὰ μετὰ μεγάλων." Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ τῆς θείας Κηδεμονίας τεκμήριον· τὸ τὰ σμικρὰ γένη τοῖς μεγάλοις ἐνδιαι τᾶσθαι, καὶ μὴ παντελῶς ὑπ' ἐκείνων καταναλί σκεσθαι. κʹ. "Ἐκεῖ πλοῖα διαπορεύονται." Χρεία καὶ αὐτὴ τῶν ἀνθρώπων μεγίστη. ∆ιὰ ναυπηγικῆς γὰρ τέχνης, καὶ κυβερνητικῆς ἐπιστήμης, παρ' ἀλλή λων κομιζόμεθα καὶ τὰ ἐνδέοντα καὶ τὸν παρ' ἡμῖν φυόμενον καρπὸν χορηγοῦμεν ἑτέροις, καὶ δεχόμεθα τὸν παρ' ἐκείνοις γινόμενον. "∆ράκων οὗτος ὃν ἔπλασας ἐμπαίζειν αὐτῷ." ∆ιὰ τοῦ δρά κοντος τὰ μεγάλα παρεδήλωσε κήτη, ἃ τοῖς μεγά λοις πελάγεσιν ἐμφιλοχωρεῖ. Τὸ δὲ, "ἐμπαίζειν αὐτῷ," ἀντὶ τοῦ, αὐτῇ τῇ θαλάσσῃ· ἀῤῥενικῶς γὰρ αὐτὴν ὁ Ἑβραῖος καὶ ὁ Σύρος καλεῖ. Οὕτω, φησὶν, ἐστὶ μεγάλη, ὅτι καὶ τὰ μύρια τῶν ἰχθύων περίκειται γένη, καὶ τὰ μέγιστα κήτη ἀδεῶς ἐν αὐ τῇ νήχεται. Εἰ δέ τισι δοκεῖ καὶ ἀλληγορῆσαι τὸν δράκοντα, διὰ τὸ καὶ ἐν τῷ Ἡσαΐᾳ· "Τὴν μάχαιραν τὴν μεγάλην, καὶ τὴν ἁγίαν, καὶ τὴν ἰσχυρὰν, ἐπὶ τὸν δράκοντα χωρεῖν· τὸν ὄφιν τὸν σκολιὸν, τὸν ἐν τῇ θαλάττῃ·" οὐδὲ ἡμεῖς παραιτησόμεθα τὴν τοιαύτην διάνοιαν· ἐπειδὴ καὶ παρὰ τῷ Ἰὼβ εὑ ρίσκομεν τοῦτο τὸ ζῶον ἀπὸ τῶν θείων ἀγγέλων καταπαιζόμενον. Καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἐξουσίαν ἔδωκε τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ μαθηταῖς, πατεῖν ἐπάνω ὄφεων, καὶ σκορ πίων, καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ ἐχθροῦ. κζʹ. "Πάντα πρὸς σὲ προσδοκῶσι, δοῦναι τὴν τροφὴν αὐτῶν εἰς εὔκαιρον." Παρὰ σοῦ, φησὶν, εἰς καιρὸν ἅπαντα τὴν χρείαν κομίζεται. Τὰ γὰρ ἄλογα ζητεῖ μὲν τὴν τροφήν· ἀγνοεῖ δὲ τὸν χορηγόν· δέ χεται δὲ ὅμως ταύτην παρὰ τοῦ Ποιητοῦ. κηʹ. "∆όντος σου αὐτοῖς, συλλέξουσιν." Σοῦ παρ έχοντος τὴν ἀφθονίαν, τούτων ἕκαστον καρποῦται τὰ πρόσφορα. "Ἀνοίξαντος δέ σου τὴν χεῖρα, τὰ σύμ 80.1705 παντα πλησθήσονται χρηστότητος." Τὴν εὐ κολίαν τῆς τῶν ἀγαθῶν χορηγίας διὰ τούτων ἐδή λωσεν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ εὐπετὲς εἴσω νενευκότας ἐκτεῖ ναι δακτύλους, οὕτω ῥᾴδιον τῷ Θεῷ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἁπάντων δωρήσασθαι τὴν φοράν. κθʹ. "Ἀποστρέψαντος δέ σου τὸ πρόσωπον, τα ραχθήσονται." Καθάπερ δὲ πάσης ἐμφορεῖς θυμη δίας τοὺς τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀπολαύοντας, ἐν εὐμενείᾳ ταῦτα δωρούμενος· οὕτως ἀποστρεφομένου σου, τα ραχῆς ἅπαντα καὶ δέους ἐμπίπλαται. "Ἀντανελεῖς τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐκλείψουσι, καὶ εἰς τὸν χοῦν αὑτῶν ἐπιστρέψουσι." Σοῦ γὰρ βουλομένου, καὶ ὁ τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ ὁ τοῦ σώματος γίνεται χωρισμός· μεθ' ὃν τὸ σῶμα φθορᾷ παραδίδοται, καὶ εἰς τὸν πρόγονον ἀναλύεται χοῦν. Πνεῦμα δὲ ἐνταῦθα τὴν ψυχὴν προσηγόρευσεν. λʹ. "Ἐξαποστελεῖς τὸ πνεῦμά σου, καὶ κτισθή σονται, καὶ ἀνακαινιεῖς τὸ πρόσωπον τῆς γῆς." Ἐνταῦθα σαφῶς ἡμῖν τὴν ἀνάστασιν προεκήρυξε, καὶ τὴν διὰ τοῦ παναγίου Πνεύματος ἀναβίωσιν. Οὕτω δὲ καὶ Ἡλίας ὁ πάνυ τῆς χήρας τρὶς ἐμφυσήσας τῷ παιδαρίῳ, καὶ διὰ τῆς ἐνοικούσης πνευ ματικῆς χάριτος ἐπαναγαγὼν ζωήν· οὕτω καὶ Ἑλισσαῖος τὸν τῆς Σουμανίτιδος ἐζωοποίησε παῖδα, τῷ πνευματικῷ χρησάμενος ἐμφυσήματι, καὶ τῷ ζωοποιῷ πνεύματι πραγματευσάμενος τὴν ζωήν. Οὕτω τῆς θείας δυνάμεως, καὶ τήνδε τὴν ἐνέργειαν δείξας, εἰς ὑμνῳδίαν μεταφέρει τὴν γλῶτταν. λαʹ. "Ἤτω ἡ δόξα Κυρίου εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας." Ἀεὶ, φησὶν, αὐτὸν παρὰ πάντων ὑμνεῖσθαι δίκαιον. Εὐφρανθήσεται Κύριος ἐπὶ τοῖς ἔργοις αὑτοῦ." Τὴν ἐσομένην τῶν ἀνθρώπων θεογνωσίαν διὰ