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a deliverance that had come about through the ineffable love of God for mankind. But since our affairs were foreshadowed in those events, and we also see in this psalm the decrees of our salvation, the greater part of the prophecy is more fitting for us than for them. 1. "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever." Again the prophetic word exhorts us to praise God the benefactor; and it says the cause of the hymnody is His love for mankind. 2. "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he redeemed from the hand of the enemy." And the Jews should have praised him, having been freed from the slavery of the Babylonians; and it is always fitting for us to do this, having been delivered from the tyranny of the devil. 3. "And he gathered them from the lands; from the east, and the west, and the north, and the sea." We have not learned that this happened to the Jews in this way. For they live scattered throughout the whole world. But the Church from the nations He called and gathered together in all parts of the world, eastern and western, southern and northern; and it is possible to see such congregations everywhere on land and sea. For the Jews, however, this happened obscurely; with some returning from Babylon, and a few at that time being gathered from Egypt and the neighboring nations. 80.1737 4. "They wandered in the wilderness in a waterless place." And Babylon is a wilderness and waterless; for it was a wilderness of God; and the multitude of the Jews, being in bondage to it, was deprived of spiritual irrigation; and those from the nations who believed likewise lived in a wilderness and waterless place, having no hope, and being without God, says the divine Apostle. "They did not find the way to a city of habitation." For neither were the Jews able to escape their enslavers and reach their own fatherland; nor did those from the nations who believed, before the incarnation of the Savior, find the way leading to the divine city. Here by city we must understand the pious way of life; 5. "Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them." A famine of divine teaching oppressed both these and those. For the Jews, being enslaved in Babylon, were deprived of priests, and were not able to fulfill the worship according to the law. The nations, on the other hand, had neither received the divine law, nor did they enjoy spiritual teaching, by which souls are naturally nourished. Indeed, God threatened the Jews with this famine: "For I will bring," He said, "a famine upon the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the word of the Lord." 6. "And they cried to the Lord when they were afflicted, and He delivered them from their distress." The more pious of the Jews offered supplication to God; and the prophecy of Daniel also teaches us this. For he himself, and Ananias, and Azarias, and Misael, supplicating on behalf of all, sought the divine mercy. But the nations groaned, wrestling with all kinds of misfortunes, and they used wailings and inconsolable lamentations, not having the hope of the resurrection, nor did they seek from the God of all the release from the terrible things that held them. Nevertheless, the lover of mankind saw them groaning, and extended His mercy. 7. "And He led them into a straight way, to go to a city of habitation." For to the Jews He granted the return through Cyrus the Persian; but the nations He guided through the holy apostles, and showed them the city above, which has its foundations on the holy mountains, of which God is the architect and maker. 8. "Let them give thanks to the Lord for His mercies, and for His wonderful works to the children of men." But Symmachus has it thus: And his portents to the sons of men. However, 80.1740 it is not mercy that offers the hymn of thanksgiving to God, nor His wonders, but those who have enjoyed so many good things. For the freedom of the Jews is wonderful and admirable; but more wonderful and more admirable is the salvation of the world, and the change for the better, and the

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ἀπαλλαγὴν διὰ τὴν ἄῤῥητον τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν γεγενημένην. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ ἐν ἐκείνοις ἐσκιογράφηται τὰ ἡμέ τερα, ὁρῶμεν δὲ καὶ ἐν τῷδε τῷ ψαλμῷ τῆς ἡμετέρας σωτηρίας τὰ θεσπίσματα· μᾶλλον ἡμῖν ἢ ἐκείνοις ἁρμόττει τῆς προφητείας τὸ πλεῖστον. αʹ. "Ἐξομολογεῖσθε τῷ Κυρίῳ ὅτι χρηστὸς, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ." Πάλιν ὑμνεῖν ὁ προ φητικὸς παρακελεύεται λόγος τὸν εὐεργέτην Θεόν· αἰτίαν δὲ τῆς ὑμνῳδίας τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν εἶναί φησιν. βʹ. "Εἰπάτωσαν οἱ λελυτρωμένοι ὑπὸ Κυρίου, οὓς ἐλυτρώσατο ἐκ χειρὸς ἐχθροῦ." Καὶ Ἰουδαίους ὑμνεῖν ἔδει τῆς Βαβυλωνίων ἐλευθερωθέντας δου λείας· καὶ ἡμᾶς ἀεὶ προσήκει τοῦτο ποιεῖν, τῆς τοῦ διαβόλου τυραννίδος ἀπαλλαγέντας. γʹ. "Καὶ ἐκ τῶν χωρῶν συνήγαγεν αὐτούς· ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν, καὶ δυσμῶν, καὶ βοῤῥᾶ, καὶ θαλάσσης." Τοῦτο ἐπὶ μὲν Ἰουδαίων οὕτω γεγενημένον οὐ μεμαθήκαμεν. Κατὰ πᾶσαν γὰρ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐσκεδασμένοι διάγουσι. Τὴν δὲ ἐξ ἐθνῶν Ἐκκλη σίαν ἐν ἅπασι τῆς οἰκουμένης τοῖς τμήμασιν, ἑῴοις τε καὶ ἑσπερίοις, νοτίοις τε καὶ ἀρκτῴοις, ἐκάλεσε καὶ συνήθροισε· καὶ τοὺς τοιούτους συλλό γους πανταχοῦ γῆς καὶ θαλάττης ἔστιν ἰδεῖν. Ἐπὶ μέντοι Ἰουδαίων ἀμυδρῶς τοῦτο γεγένηται· τινῶν μὲν ἀπὸ Βαβυλῶνος ἐπανελθόντων, ὀλίγων δέ τινων κατ' ἐκείνου τοῦ καιροῦ συλλεγέντων ἐξ Αἰγύπτου, καὶ τῶν πλησιοχώρων ἐθνῶν. 80.1737 δʹ. "Ἐπλανήθησαν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ἐν ἀνύδρῳ." Καὶ Βαβυλὼν ἔρημος καὶ ἄνυδρος· ἔρημος γὰρ ὑπῆρχε τοῦ Θεοῦ· καὶ τῆς πνευματικῆς ἀρδείας, δουλεῦον ἐκείνῃ, ἐστέρητο τῶν Ἰουδαίων τὸ πλῆθος· καὶ οἱ ἐξ ἐθνῶν πεπιστευκότες ὡσαύτως ἐν ἐρήμῳ καὶ ἀνύδρῳ διῆγον, ἐλπίδα μὴ ἔχοντες, καὶ ἄθεοι ὄντες, φησὶν ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος. "Ὁδὸν πόλεως κατοικητηρίου οὐχ εὗρον." Οὔτε γὰρ Ἰουδαῖοι δια φυγεῖν τοὺς ἀνδραποδίσαντας ἴσχυον, καὶ τὴν οἰκείαν πατρίδα καταλαβεῖν· οὔτε οἱ ἐξ ἐθνῶν πεπιστευκότες, πρὸ τῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἐνανθρωπήσεως τὴν ἐπὶ τὴν θείαν πόλιν ἄγουσαν εὗρον ὁδόν. Πόλιν ἐνταῦθα νοητέον τὴν εὐσεβῆ πολιτείαν· εʹ. "Πεινῶντες καὶ διψῶντες, ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτῶν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐξέλιπεν." Θείας διδασκαλίας λιμὸς καὶ τού τους κἀκείνους ἐπίεζεν. Ἰουδαῖοι μὲν γὰρ ἐν Βαβυ λῶνι δουλεύοντες, καὶ ἱερέων ἐστέρηντο, καὶ τὴν κατὰ νόμον λατρείαν πληροῦν οὐκ ἠδύναντο. Τὰ δὲ ἔθνη πάλιν οὔτε νόμον θεῖον ἐδέδεκτο, οὔτε πνευμα τικῆς διδασκαλίας ἀπήλαυε, δι' ὧν αἱ ψυχαὶ πεφύ κασι τρέφεσθαι. Τοῦτον μέν τοι τὸν λιμὸν Ἰουδαίοις ἠπείλησεν ὁ Θεός· "Ἐπάξω γὰρ, ἔφη, λιμὸν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, οὐ λιμὸν ἄρτου, οὐδὲ δίψαν ὕδατος, ἀλλὰ λιμὸν τοῦ ἀκοῦσαι λόγον Κυρίου." ʹ. "Καὶ ἐκέκραξαν πρὸς Κύριον ἐν τῷ θλίβε σθαι αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἀναγκῶν αὐτῶν ἐῤῥύσατο αὐτούς." Τῶν μὲν Ἰουδαίων οἱ εὐσεβέστεροι τῷ Θεῷ τὴν ἱκετείαν προσήνεγκαν· καὶ τοῦτο ἡμᾶς καὶ ἡ τοῦ ∆ανιὴλ προφητεία διδάσκει. Καὶ αὐτὸς γὰρ, καὶ Ἀνανίας, καὶ Ἀζαρίας, καὶ Μισαὴλ, ὑπὲρ πάντων ποτνιώμενοι, τὸν θεῖον ἐζήτησαν ἔλεον. Τὰ δὲ ἔθνη ἔστενε μὲν ταῖς παντοδαπαῖς προσπαλαίοντα συμφοραῖς, καὶ οἰμωγαῖς, καὶ θρήνοις ἀπαραμυθή τοις ἐκέχρηντο, τῆς ἀναστάσεως οὐκ ἔχοντα τὴν ἐλ πίδα, οὐ μὲν τὴν λύσιν τῶν κατεχόντων δεινῶν ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων ἐζήτησαν. Εἶδε δὲ ὅμως στέ νοντας ὁ φιλάνθρωπος, καὶ τὸν ἔλεον ὤρεξεν. ζʹ. "Καὶ ὡδήγησεν αὐτοὺς εἰς ὁδὸν εὐθεῖαν, τοῦ πορευθῆναι εἰς πόλιν κατοικητηρίου." Ἰουδαίοις μὲν γὰρ διὰ Κύρου τοῦ Πέρσου τὴν ἐπάνοδον ἐδωρή σατο· τὰ δὲ ἔθνη διὰ τῶν ἁγίων ἐποδήγησεν ἀπο στόλων, καὶ τὴν ἄνω πόλιν ὑπέδειξε, τὴν ἐν ὄρεσιν ἁγίοις τοὺς θεμελίους ἔχουσαν, ἧς τεχνίτης καὶ δημιουργὸς ὁ Θεός. ηʹ. "Ἐξομολογησάσθωσαν τῷ Κυρίῳ τὰ ἐλέη αὐ τοῦ, καὶ τὰ θαυμάσια αὐτοῦ τοῖς υἱοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώ πων." Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος οὕτως· Καὶ τὰ τεράστια αὐτοῦ τὰ εἰς τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Τὸν μέν 80.1740 τοι χαριστήριον ὕμνον οὐχ ὁ ἔλεος τῷ Θεῷ προσφέ ρει, οὔτε μὲν τὰ θαυμάσια, ἀλλ' οἱ τῶν τοσούτων ἀγαθῶν ἀπολαύσαντες. Θαυμαστὴ μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἀξι άγαστος καὶ Ἰουδαίων ἐλευθερία· θαυμασιωτέρα δὲ καὶ ἀξιαγαστοτέρα τῆς οἰκουμένης ἡ σωτηρία, καὶ ἡ ἐπὶ τὸ κρεῖττον μεταβολὴ, καὶ τῆς