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he enjoyed it; since he said, "Be exalted, O God, above the heavens," the Lord answers, saying, I will be exalted. Then he also shows the manner. "I will divide Shechem." This is a city given specially to Joseph. But I will also fill the valley that became desolate and received the tents of shepherds with inhabitants from above, and I will prepare it to be distributed to those who return. 9. "Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine, and Ephraim is the strength of my head, Judah is my king." For I will make not only Manasseh my own, but also his land. For Gilead is the name of a place, but Manasseh is the name of a tribe. But I will also restore to Ephraim his former power; and I will make Judah to reign over all the tribes 80.1753, for after the return the tribes remained undivided. And Zerubbabel was the leader of both these and those. But properly and truly the Lord Christ, who sprang from Judah according to the flesh, reigns over all creation. 10. "Moab is the washpot of my hope; upon Idumea I will cast my shoe, to me the foreigners were subjected." I will give so much strength to my people, that they will overcome the foreigners, and take the Moabites and Idumeans as subjects. But we have interpreted these things more accurately in the 50th and 9th psalm. 11, 12. "Who will bring me into the strong city? or who will lead me unto Idumea? Will not you, O God, who has cast us off?" The prophet, filled with pleasure at the prediction of good things, longs to see the destroyed city rebuilt, and the Idumeans serving the Jews. But these things, he says, no other is able to provide, but you alone, who has now cast us off, and commanded us to serve. "And will you not go forth, O God, with our hosts?" But Symmachus has it thus: And not having gone forth, O God, with our armies. For we were never defeated, when you were our general, and leading the phalanx. 3. "Give us help from tribulation, and vain is the salvation of man." Cease therefore the grievous things, and extend your favor. For it is possible to obtain this from nowhere else. For all alliance from men, if you do not cooperate, is vain and useless. 14. "In God we shall do valiantly, and he shall bring our enemies to nothing." For this very reason we call upon your providence; for through this alone will we be able to overcome our enemies.

INTERPRETATION OF PSALM 108. 1. "For the end; a psalm of David." This psalm prophesies the saving passion, and the madness of the Jews, and the betrayal of Judas. The great Peter also leads us to this understanding, speaking publicly, and accusing Judas of his betrayal, and making proof of the prophecy from this. But let no one, hearing the Lord legislating to bless those who persecute, consider the prophecy to be contrary to the lawgiver. For not even here does the prophetic word proceed by cursing, but by foretelling the punishments that will befall both the Jews and Judas. This prophetic utterance has been fashioned in the optative mood, as is for the most part customary everywhere in the divine Scripture. 80.1756 2. "O God, do not be silent about my praise, for the mouth of the sinner, and the mouth of the deceitful one has been opened against me." The Lord Christ says these things in a human manner. For he prays as a man, fulfilling the measures of human nature; but as God, he accepts the prayers of those who pray genuinely. And he calls the passion a hymn. For in the divine Gospels he calls it glory. "For the hour has come," he says, "that the Son of man should be glorified." And he called Judas the mouth of the sinner, and the mouth of the deceitful one; for this one secretly made the agreements for the betrayal with the Jews. 3. "They have spoken against me with a deceitful tongue; and they have compassed me about with words of hatred." From Judas he transferred the word to the whole council of the Jews. For these, being enslaved to envy, the unjust

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ἀπήλαυσεν· ἐπειδὴ εἶπεν· "Ὑψώθητι ἐπὶ τοὺς οὐρανοὺς ὁ Θεὸς," ἀποκρίνεται λέγων ὁ ∆εσπότης, Ὑψωθήσομαι. Εἶτα δείκνυσι καὶ τὸν τρόπον. "∆ιαμεριῶ Σίκιμα." Πόλις δὲ αὕτη κατ' ἐξαίρετον τῷ Ἰωσὴφ δεδομένη. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν κοιλάδα τὴν ἔρημον γενομένην, καὶ ποιμένων δεξαμέ νην σκηνὰς, ἄνωθεν οἰκητόρων πληρώσω, καὶ διανε μηθῆναι τοῖς ἐπανελθοῦσι παρασκευάσω. θʹ. "Ἐμός ἐστι Γαλαὰδ, καὶ ἐμός ἐστι Μανασ σῆς, καὶ Ἐφραῒμ ἀντίληψις τῆς κεφαλῆς μου, Ἰούδας βασιλεύς μου." Οἰκειώσομαι γὰρ οὐ μόνον τὸν Μανασσῆ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ἐκείνου χώραν. Γαλαὰδ γὰρ, ὄνομα τόπου, Μανασσῆς δὲ προσηγορία φυλῆς. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ Ἐφραῒμ τὴν προτέραν ἀποδώσω δύναμιν· τὸν μέν τοι Ἰούδαν πασῶν τῶν φυλῶν 80.1753 βασιλεύειν παρασκευάσω, Μετὰ γὰρ τὴν ἐπάν οδον ἀδιαίρετοι μεμενήκασιν αἱ φυλαί. Ὁ δὲ Ζο ροβάβελ, καὶ τούτων κἀκείνων ἡγεῖτο. Κυρίως δὲ καὶ ἀληθῶς ὁ ∆εσπότης Χριστὸς, ὁ ἐξ Ἰούδα κατὰ σάρκα βλαστήσας, ἁπάσης βασιλεύει τῆς κτίσεως. ιʹ. "Μωὰβ λέβης τῆς ἐλπίδος μου· ἐπὶ τὴν Ἰδουμαίαν ἐπιβαλῶ τὸ ὑπόδημά μου, ἐμοὶ ἀλλό φυλοι ὑπετάγησαν." Τοσαύτην δὲ τῷ ἐμῷ λαῷ παρ έξω ἰσχὺν, ὥστε καὶ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων κρατῆσαι, καὶ Μωαβίτας καὶ Ἰδουμαίους ὑπηκόους λαβεῖν. Ἀκριβέστερον δὲ ταῦτα ἐν τῷ νʹ καὶ θʹ ψαλμῷ ἡρμηνεύ σαμεν. ιαʹ, ιβʹ. "Τίς ἀπάξει με εἰς πόλιν περιοχῆς; ἢ τίς ὁδηγήσει με ἕως τῆς Ἰδουμαίας; Οὐχὶ σὺ, ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ ἀπωσάμενος ἡμᾶς;" Ἡδονῆς ἐμπλησθεὶς ὁ προφήτης τῇ τῶν ἀγαθῶν προῤῥήσει, ἱμείρεται ἰδεῖν καὶ τὴν καταλυθεῖσαν πόλιν οἰκοδομηθεῖσαν, καὶ τοὺς Ἰδουμαίους τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις δουλεύοντας. Ταῦτα δὲ, φησὶν, οὐδεὶς ἕτερος παρασχεῖν ἱκανὸς, ἢ σὺ μόνος, ὁ νῦν ἡμᾶς ἀπωσάμενος, καὶ δουλεύειν κελεύσας. "Καὶ οὐκ ἐξελεύσῃ, ὁ Θεὸς, ἐν ταῖς δυνά μεσιν ἡμῶν." Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος οὕτως· Καὶ μὴ προελθὼν, Θεὲ, ἐν τοῖς στρατεύμασιν ἡμῶν. Οὐ γὰρ ἡττήθημεν πώποτε, σοῦ στρατηγοῦντος, καὶ τῆς φάλαγγος ἡγουμένου. "γʹ. "∆ὸς ἡμῖν βοήθειαν ἐκ θλίψεως, καὶ ματαία σωτηρία ἀνθρώπου." Παῦσον τοίνυν τὰ λυπηρὰ, καὶ τὴν σὴν ῥοπὴν ὄρεξον. Οὐδαμόθεν γὰρ ἄλλοθεν τούτου τυχεῖν δυνατόν. Πᾶσα γὰρ ἡ παρ' ἀνθρώ πων συμμαχία, σοῦ μὴ συνεργοῦντος, ματαία καὶ ἄχρηστος. ιδʹ. "Ἐν τῷ Θεῷ ποιήσομεν δύναμιν, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐξουδενώσει τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἡμῶν." ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο τὴν σὴν ἐπικαλούμεθα πρόνοιαν· διὰ ταύτης γὰρ μόνης περιγενέσθαι τῶν δυσμενῶν δυνησόμεθα.

ΕΡΜΗΝ. ΤΟΥ ΡΗʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΥ. αʹ. "Εἰς τὸ τέλος· ψαλμὸς τῷ ∆αβίδ." Τὸ σωτή ριον πάθος, καὶ τὴν Ἰουδαίων

μανίαν, καὶ τὴν Ἰούδα προδοσίαν, οὗτος ὁ ψαλμὸς προθεσπίζει. Ποδηγεῖ δὲ ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ τήνδε τὴν διάνοιαν καὶ ὁ μέγας Πέτρος δημηγορῶν, καὶ τῆς τοῦ Ἰούδα προδοσίας κατηγο ρῶν, καὶ τῆς προφητείας τὴν ἀπόδειξιν ἐντεῦθεν ποιούμενος. Μηδεὶς δὲ, ἀκούων τοῦ Κυρίου νομοθε τοῦντος εὐλογεῖν τοὺς διώκοντας, ἐναντίαν ἡγείσθω τοῦ νομοθέτου τὴν προφητείαν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐνταῦθα ἐπαρώμενος ὁ προφητικὸς διέξεισι λόγος, ἀλλὰ τὰς ἐσομένας, καὶ Ἰουδαίοις, καὶ τῷ Ἰούδᾳ, τιμωρίας προλέγων. Ἐσχημάτισται δὲ ὡς εὐκτικὸν τὸ προαγορευτικὸν τοῦτο, ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πολὺ σύνηθες πανταχοῦ τῇ θείᾳ Γραφῇ. 80.1756 βʹ. "Ὁ Θεὸς, τὴν αἴνεσίν μου μὴ παρασιωπήσῃς, ὅτι στόμα ἁμαρτωλοῦ, καὶ στόμα δολίου ἐπ' ἐμὲ ἠνοίχθη." Ἀνθρωπίνως ὁ ∆εσπότης ταῦτα λέγει Χριστός. Ὡς ἄνθρωπος γὰρ εὔχεται, τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως τὰ μέτρα πληρῶν· ὡς δὲ Θεὸς, τῶν εὐχομένων γνησίως προσδέχεται τὰς εὐχάς. Ὕμνον δὲ τὸ πάθος καλεῖ. Καὶ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς θείοις Εὐαγγε λίοις δόξαν αὐτὸ προσαγορεύει. "Ἐλήλυθε γὰρ, φησὶν, ἡ ὥρα, ἵνα δοξασθῇ ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου." Στόμα δὲ ἁμαρτωλοῦ, καὶ στόμα δολίου, τὸν Ἰούδαν ὠνόμασεν· οὗτος γὰρ κρύβδην ἐποιήσατο πρὸς Ἰουδαίους τὰς τῆς προδοσίας συνθήκας. γʹ. "Ἐλάλησαν κατ' ἐμοῦ γλώσσῃ δολίᾳ· καὶ λόγοις μίσους ἐκύκλωσάν με." Ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἰούδα μετήνεγκε τὸν λόγον ἐπὶ ὅλον τὸ τῶν Ἰουδαίων συνέδριον. Οὗτοι γὰρ τῷ φθόνῳ δουλεύοντες τὸν ἄδικον