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they, having devised many things concerning me, might prevail, do not abandon me, protecting me in the shadow of your wings and under your mighty hand, from which no one is able to snatch or be arrogantly exalted against me as one captured by him. 1225 Ps 139,12a He seems to be speaking of the talkative, contentious, and reviling man. For none of such men, inasmuch as he is of an earthly disposition, is able to be guided aright, always being perverted from being contentious; for it is characteristic of sinners to rejoice in contentions and insults and revilings. Therefore, it is not possible for such a man to be guided aright by virtue. 1226 Ps 139,12b The one who is wicked in every way is called unjust. Perhaps by destruction he means the worst state, into which evil deeds, performed in many ways, hunt them. That punishment is destruction is shown from the text: To your destruction, O Jerusalem, who will help? And that it is also the worst disposition, from the text: On account of uncleanness it will be utterly destroyed with destruction, as is shown from the text: Evil company corrupts good morals. 1227 Ps 139,13.14 By judgment he means the examination of deeds and intentions, and by justice, the recompense according to what is deserved. But if the same subject is signified by both words in parallel, examine this yourself. The same must be said also concerning ‘poor’ and ‘needy’; for one must take both names as referring to the same person or to different things, such that ‘poor’ is the one who has fallen from great wealth (For the rich have become poor and hungry), and ‘needy’ is the one who has the necessities of life not from abundance but from his labor. The righteous give thanks either because they themselves have been kept from falling into such things, or because those who made war on and greatly ravaged them were subjected to afflictions by the judgment and justice of God. But in addition to the righteous giving thanks, the upright, being other than the righteous, will dwell in the presence of the Lord, to whose name the righteous gave thanks. I said that the upright are other than the righteous not entirely in substance, but sometimes only in concept, the righteous being the one who practices the moral virtues correctly, and the upright, the one who has attained the contemplation of truth. Or perhaps the righteous can be the one who in some way does praiseworthy things, except the one who is practical among the righteous gives thanks to the name of God, while the upright dwells through contemplation in the presence of God, possessing it as a city and a home. The presence of God, however, has been shown to be the character of his substance, since he dwells in this presence of everyone about whom it is said: If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. But if it should be ‘The upright will dwell with your presence,’ it must be explained thus: where your presence is, the upright will also dwell, not going out like Cain from the presence of the Lord God or fleeing it like those about whom it is said: And Adam and his wife fled from the presence of the Lord God. Or thus: as many as are upright, preserving the ‘according to your image and likeness,’ having become conformed to the image of your Son, dwell with him, wherever your Son may be, fulfilling what was said by the Savior concerning such people: I desire that where I am, they also may be with me, that they may behold my glory. The ‘where’ and ‘wherever’ must be understood in a manner befitting God and not locally.

1228 Ps 140,2b This sacrifice he offers who has reached the evening through being perfected, while in the morning he who offers the sensible sacrifices according to the law sacrifices. And at midday after him sacrifices the one who has learned what was said by the Lord: I desire mercy and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than whole burnt offerings. And upon all these must be offered the evening sacrifice, the lifting up of the aforementioned hands. 1229 Ps 140,3.4 It is said somewhere: He who is rash with his lips draws near to ruin, and a talkative man will not be guided aright on the earth. Therefore, that I too may not fall into these things, Set, O Lord, a guard for my mouth and a door of enclosure about my lips. For I have done all that is in my power, having been persuaded by the

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ἐμοῦ πολλὰ διαλογισάμενοι δυνηθῶσι, μὴ ἐγκαταλείψεις με φυλάττων με ἐν σκέπει τῶν πτερύγων σου καὶ ὑπὸ τὴν χεῖρα τὴν κραταιάν σου, ἀφ' ης οὐδεὶς δύναται ἁρπάσαι η ἐπαρθῆναι ἀλαζονικῶς κατ' ἐμοῦ ὡς ἁλόντος ὑπ' αὐτοῦ. 1225 Ps 139,12a Γλωσσώδη τὸν μάχιμον καὶ λοίδορον εοικε λέγειν. οὐδεὶς γὰρ τῶν τοιούτων οσον ἐστὶν ἐν τῇ γεώδει προαιρέσει κατευθυνθῆναι δύναται, ἀεὶ στρεβλούμενος ἐκ τοῦ μάχιμος ειναι· φιλαμαρτημόνων γὰρ τῷ χαίρειν μάχαις καὶ υβρεσι καὶ λοιδορίαις. διὸ καὶ τὸ κατευθύνεσθαι ὑπὸ ἀρετῆς οὐ δυνατὸν εχειν τὸν τοιοῦτον. 1226 Ps 139,12b Αδικος δὲ λέγεται ὁ κατὰ πάντα φαῦλος. διαφθορὰν δὲ τάχα τὴν χειρίστην εξιν λέγει εἰς ην θηρεύουσιν αἱ πολλαχῶς ἐπιτελούμεναι κακαὶ πράξεις. οτι δὲ ἡ τιμωρία διαφθορά, παρίσταται ἐκ τοῦ Τῇ διαφθορᾷ σου, ̔Ιερουσαλήμ, τίς βοηθήσει; οτι δὲ καὶ ἡ χειρίστη διάθεσις, ἐκ τοῦ Ενεκεν ἀκαθαρσίας διαφθαρήσεται φθορᾷ, ὡς δηλοῦται ἐκ τοῦ Φθείρουσιν ηθη χρηστὰ ὁμιλίαι κακαί. 1227 Ps 139,13.14 Κρίσιν δέ φησι τὴν ἐξέτασιν τῶν πράξεων καὶ προθέσεων, δίκην δὲ τὴν ἀνταπόδοσιν τοῦ κατ' ἀξίαν. εἰ δὲ καὶ ἐκ παραλλήλου τὸ αὐτὸ ὑποκείμενον ὑπ' ἀμφοτέρων τῶν λέξεων σημαίνεται, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐξέτασον. τὰ δ' αὐτὰ ῥητέον καὶ περὶ πτωχοῦ καὶ πένητος· ητοι γὰρ κατὰ τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἀμφότερα τὰ ὀνόματα λαβεῖν δεῖ η κατὰ διαφόρων πραγμάτων, ὡς πτωχὸν μὲν ειναι τὸν σφόδρα πλούτου ἀποπεσόντα (Πλούσιοι γὰρ ἐπτώχευσαν καὶ ἐπείνασαν), πένητα δὲ τὸν μήπω ἐκ περιουσίας ἀλλ' ἐκ τοῦ πονεῖν εχοντα τὰ ἀναγκαίως πρὸς τὸ ζῆν συντείνοντα. ̓Εξομολογοῦνται δὲ οἱ δίκαιοι ητοι οτι ἐκτὸς αὐτοὶ τοῦ τοιούτοις ὑποπεσεῖν γεγένηνται η οτι οἱ προσπολεμήσαντες καὶ πολλὰ πορθήσαντες αὐτοὺς ὑπεβλήθησαν τοῖς ἐπιπόνοις κρίσει καὶ δίκῃ θεοῦ. πρὸς δὲ τὸ ἐξομολογεῖσθαι τοὺς δικαίους οἱ εὐθεῖς, αλλοι τῶν δικαίων οντες, κατοικήσουσιν ἐν τῷ προσώπῳ κυρίου, ου τῷ ὀνόματι ἐξομολογήσαντο οἱ δίκαιοι. αλλους δὲ τῶν δικαίων τοὺς εὐθεῖς ειπον οὐ πάντως τῇ ὑποστάσει, ἀλλ' εστιν οτε τῇ ἐπινοίᾳ μόνον, δικαίου μὲν οντος τοῦ κατορθοῦντος τὰς ἠθικὰς ἀρετάς, εὐθοῦς δὲ τοῦ τὴν θεωρίαν τῆς ἀληθείας ἐσχηκότος. η τάχα δίκαιος ειναι δύναται ὁ οπως ποτὲ πράττων τὰ ἐπαινετά, πλὴν ὁ μὲν πρακτικὸς τῶν δικαίων ἐξομολογεῖται τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ θεοῦ, ὁ δὲ εὐθὴς κατοικεῖ διὰ θεωρίας ἐν τῷ προσώπῳ τοῦ θεοῦ πόλιν καὶ οἰκίαν αὐτὸ κεκτημένος. πρόσωπον δὲ θεοῦ ἀποδέδεικται ὁ χαρακτὴρ τῆς ὑποστάσεως, αὐτοῦ κατοικοῦντος ἐν τούτῳ τῷ προσώπῳ παντὸς περὶ ου λέγεται Ει τις ἐν Χριστῷ, καινὴ κτίσις. Εἰ δὲ ειη τὸ Κατοικήσουσιν εὐθεῖς σὺν τῷ προσώπῳ σου, ἐξηγητέον ουτως· ενθα τὸ πρόσωπόν σου οἰκήσουσι καὶ οἱ εὐθεῖς, οὐκ ἐξερχόμενοι κατὰ τὸν Κάϊν ἀπὸ προσώπου κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ η φεύγοντες αὐτὸ κατὰ τοὺς περὶ ων ειρηται Καὶ εφυγεν ο τε ̓Αδὰμ καὶ ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ προσώπου κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ. Η ουτως· οσοι εὐθεῖς τυγχάνουσι σῴζοντες τὸ κατ' εἰκόνα καὶ ὁμοίωσίν σου σύμμορφοι γεγονότες τῆς εἰκόνος τοῦ υἱοῦ σου, σὺν τούτῳ κατοικοῦσιν, ενθα αν ὁ υἱός σου τυγχάνῃ, πληρουμένου τοῦ περὶ τῶν τοιούτων ὑπὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος εἰρημένου Θέλω ινα οπου εἰμὶ ἐγὼ καὶ αὐτοὶ ωσι μετ' ἐμοῦ, ινα θεωρῶσι τὴν δόξαν τὴν ἐμήν. τοῦ δὲ ενθα καὶ οπου θεοπρεπῶς ἀλλ' οὐ τοπικῶς ἀκουστέον.

1228 Ps 140,2b Ταύτην τὴν θυσίαν προσάγει ὁ τῷ τετελειῶσθαι φθάσας ἐπὶ

τὴν ἑσπέραν, τὸ πρωῒ θύοντος τοῦ τὰς αἰσθητὰς προσάγοντος κατὰ νόμον θυσίας. μεσημβρίᾳ δὲ μετὰ τοῦτον θύει ὁ μαθὼν τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ κυρίου λεγόμενον Ελεον θέλω η θυσίαν, ἐπίγνωσιν θεοῦ η ὁλοκαυτώματα. ἐπὶ πᾶσι δὲ προσακτέον ἑσπερινὴν θυσίαν τὴν τῶν προειρημένων χειρῶν επαρσιν. 1229 Ps 140,3.4 Ειρηταί που ̔Ο προπετὴς χείλεσιν ἐγγίζει συντριβῇ, καὶ ̓Ανὴρ γλωσσώδης οὐ κατευθυνθήσεται ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. ιν' ουν κἀγὼ μὴ παραπέσω τούτοις, Θοῦ, κύριε, φυλακὴν τῷ στόματί μου καὶ θύραν περιοχῆς περὶ τὰ χείλη μου. πεποίηκα γὰρ τὰ ἐπ' ἐμοὶ πάντα, πεισθεὶς τῇ