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But I have stood fast in the study of your law. 71. "It is good for me that you have humbled me, so that I might learn your ordinances." The Prophet gives thanks for the harsher medicines of the physician, having learned the health that came from them. 80.1845 72. "The law of your mouth is good to me, more than thousands of gold and silver." For even if I was driven from the kingdom by my son, yet through chastisement I have recovered your law, which I hold to be more precious than all wealth. 73. "Your hands have made me and fashioned me; give me understanding, and I shall learn your commandments." He reminds the Creator of his tender affection for human nature. For having created all things by a word, he himself is said to have formed the nature of men, not by using hands; for he is without body; but by showing a greater disposition toward this creation. Therefore he beseeches him who formed him to grant understanding to his creation. 74. "Those who fear you shall see me and be glad, because I have hoped in your words;" I shall become, he says, a cause of gladness for the pious, having hoped in you, and having found the end fitting to my hope. 75. "I have known, O Lord, that your judgments are righteousness, and in truth you have humbled me." He says these things especially to show his own gratitude. I know well, he says, that you have judged me rightly and justly, and have encompassed me with all sorts of calamities. 76. "Let your mercy, O Lord, come to comfort me." But now is the time for loving-kindness and for comfort. "According to your word to your servant." For to those who show repentance you have promised your good favor. This he also said through Isaiah: "When you turn and groan, then you shall be saved." And through Jeremiah he cries, "Return to me, and I will return to you." 77. "Let your compassions come to me, and I shall live; for your law is my meditation." He considers himself dead, being deprived of divine good favor; for which reason he entreats to be brought back to life, as it were, through divine loving-kindness. 78. "Let the proud be ashamed because they have transgressed against me unjustly; but I will meditate on your commandments." He does not curse his enemies, but prays for them; for shame works salvation; of which healing he therefore has enjoyed, he deems them worthy to receive it as well. 79. "Let those who fear you turn to me, and those who know your testimonies." As one who has become far from the choir of the righteous on account of sin, and with all of them having turned away from him just as God did, he beseeches to be united to them again, and to enjoy fellowship with them. For Symmachus has indicated this more clearly, *Let those who fear you return to me*. 80.1848 80. "Let my heart be blameless in your ordinances, so that I may not be ashamed." He desires to have a heart free from all blame. For such a heart is delivered from shame. For this very reason, indeed, beginning the psalm at once, he blessed the blameless. 81. "My soul faints for your salvation, because I have hoped in your words." Those who greatly desire something, and are deprived of what is desired, are said to faint. So too those who are very thirsty, and lack water. So too those awaiting some acquaintance from a journey, while they are always longing, they are consumed with desire when they miss them. So also those who are wrestling with some misfortunes, and awaiting the divine good favor, faint when they see it postponed. 82. "My eyes have failed for your word, saying, When will you comfort me?" The divine word is called both a promise and the divinely inspired Scripture. Therefore, not only does he faint who awaits the divine promise and expects release from present evils; but also he who reads the divine oracles, and desires to learn their meaning accurately, and considers the discovery a comfort and a consolation. 83. "For I have become like a wineskin in the frost; I have not forgotten your ordinances." A wineskin, when heated, becomes loose, and being inflated, it swells; but in the frost it is hardened and becomes stiff. So also the of the body

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ἐγὼ δὲ τῇ μελέτῃ τοῦ νόμου σου προστέτηκα. οαʹ. "Ἀγαθόν μοι, ὅτι ἐταπείνωσάς με, ὅπως ἂν μάθω τὰ δικαιώματά σου." Χάριν ὁ Προφήτης ὁμο λογεῖ, τοῖς αὐστηροτέροις τοῦ ἰατροῦ φαρμάκοις, τὴν ἐντεῦθεν γενομένην καταμαθὼν ὑγίειαν. 80.1845 οβʹ. "Ἀγαθός μοι ὁ νόμος τοῦ στόματός σου, ὑπὲρ χιλιάδας χρυσίου καὶ ἀργυρίου." Εἰ γὰρ καὶ τῆς βα σιλείας ἀπὸ τοῦ παιδὸς ἐξηλάθην, ἀλλὰ διὰ τῆς παι δείας τὸν σὸν νόμον ἀνεκτησάμην, ὃν τοῦ πλούτου παντὸς τιμιώτερον ἔχω. ογʹ. "Αἱ χεῖρές σου ἐποίησάν με, καὶ ἔπλασάν με· συνέτισόν με, καὶ μαθήσομαι τὰς ἐντολάς σου." Τῆς περὶ τὴν ἀνθρωπείαν φύσιν φιλοστοργίας ἀνα μιμνήσκει τὸν Ποιητήν. Λόγῳ γὰρ ἅπαντα τεκτη νάμενος αὐτὸς λέγεται διαπλᾶσαι τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὴν φύσιν, οὐ χερσὶ χρησάμενος· ἀσώματος γάρ· ἀλλὰ τὴν πλείονα περὶ τόδε τὸ ποίημα διάθεσιν ἐνδειξάμε νος. Ἱκετεύει τοίνυν τὸν διαπλάσαντα χορηγῆσαι τῷ ποιήματι σύνεσιν. οδʹ. "Οἱ φοβούμενοί σε, ὄψονταί με καὶ εὐφρανθή σονται, ὅτι εἰς τοὺς λόγους σου ἐπήλπισα·" Πρό φασις, φησὶν, εὐφροσύνης τοῖς εὐσεβέσι γενήσομαι, ἐλπίσας εἰς σὲ, καὶ κατάλληλον εὑρὼν τῇ ἐλπίδι τὸ τέλος. οεʹ. Ἔγνων, Κύριε, ὅτι δικαιοσύνη τὰ κρίματά σου, καὶ ἀληθείᾳ ἐταπείνωσάς με." Ταῦτα διαφε ρόντως λέγει τὴν οἰκείαν εὐγνωμοσύνην δεικνύς. Οἶδα, φησὶν, ἀκριβῶς, ὡς ὀρθῶς μου καὶ δικαίως κατεψηφίσω, καὶ ταῖς παντοδαπαῖς περιέβαλες συμφοραῖς. οʹ. "Γενηθήτω δὲ τὸ ἔλεός σου, Κύριε, τοῦ παρακαλέσαι με." Ἀλλὰ φιλανθρωπίας λοιπὸν καὶ ψυχαγωγίας καιρός. "Κατὰ τὸ λόγιόν σου τῷ δούλῳ σου." Τῇ γὰρ μεταμελείᾳ χρωμένοις τὴν σὴν εὐ μένειαν ἐπηγγείλω. Τοῦτο καὶ διὰ Ἡσαΐου ἔφη· "Ὅταν ἀποστραφῇς καὶ στενάξῃς, τότε σωθή σῃ." Καὶ διὰ τοῦ Ἱερεμίου βοᾷ, "Ἐπιστράφητε πρός με, καὶ ἐπιστραφήσομαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς." οζʹ. "Ἐλθέτωσάν μοι οἱ οἰκτιρμοί σου, καὶ ζήσο μαι· ὅτι ὁ νόμος σου μελέτη μού ἐστιν." Νεκρὸν ἑαυτὸν ἡγεῖται τῆς θείας ἐστερημένον εὐμενείας· οὗ δὴ χάριν ὥσπερ ἀναβιῶναι διὰ τῆς θείας φιλαν θρωπίας παρακαλεῖ. οηʹ. "Αἰσχυνθήτωσαν ὑπερήφανοι ὅτι ἀδίκως ἠνό μησαν εἰς ἐμέ· ἐγὼ δὲ ἀδολεσχήσω ἐν ταῖς ἐντο λαῖς σου." Οὐκ ἐπαρᾶται τοῖς ἐχθροῖς, ἀλλ' ὑπερ εύχεται τούτων· ἡ γὰρ αἰσχύνη σωτηρίαν πραγμα τεύεται· ἧς τοίνυν ἀπήλαυσεν ἰατρείας, κἀκείνους τυχεῖν ἀξιοῖ. οθʹ. "Ἐπιστρεψάτωσάν μοι οἱ φοβούμενοί σε, καὶ οἱ γινώσκοντες τὰ μαρτύριά σου." Ὡς πόῤῥω τοῦ χοροῦ τῶν δικαίων διὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν γενόμενος, καὶ πάντων αὐτῶν τῷ Θεῷ παραπλησίως ἀποστρα φέντων, ἱκετεύει πάλιν αὐτοῖς ἑνωθῆναι, καὶ τὴν πρὸς αὐτοὺς κοινωνίαν ἀπολαβεῖν. Τοῦτο γὰρ ὁ Σύμ μαχος σαφέστερον παρεδήλωσεν, Ἀναστρεψάτω σάν με οἱ φοβούμενοί σε. 80.1848 πʹ. "Γενηθήτω ἡ καρδία μου ἄμωμος ἐν τοῖς δι καιώμασί σου, ὅπως ἂν μὴ αἰσχυνθῶ." Μώμου παντὸς ἐλευθέραν ἔχειν καρδίαν ἐφίεται. Ἡ τοιαύτη γὰρ αἰσχύνης ἀπήλλακται. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο καὶ εὐ θὺς ἀρξάμενος τοῦ ψαλμοῦ τοὺς ἀμώμους ἐμα κάρισεν. παʹ. "Ἐκλείπει εἰς τὸ σωτήριόν σου ἡ ψυχή μου, ὅτι εἰς τοὺς λόγους σου ἐπήλπισα." Οἱ σφόδρα τι ποθοῦντες, καὶ ἐστερημένοι τοῦ ποθουμένου, ἐκλεί πειν φασίν. Οὕτως οἱ ἄγαν διψῶντες, καὶ σπανίζον τες ὕδατος. Οὕτως οἵ τινα τῶν γνωρίμων ἐξ ἀποδη μίας προσμένοντες, ἱμείρονται μὲν ἀεὶ, κατατήκονται δὲ τῷ πόθῳ διαμαρτάνοντες. Οὕτω καὶ οἱ συμφοραῖς τισι προσπαλαιόντες, καὶ τὴν θείαν εὐμένειαν προσ μένοντες, ἀναβαλλομένην ταύτην ὁρῶντες ἐκλεί πουσιν. πβʹ. "Ἐξέλιπον οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου εἰς τὸ λόγιόν σου, λέγοντες, Πότε παρακαλέσεις με;" Λόγιον καὶ ὑπόσχεσις ἡ θεία καλεῖται, καὶ ἡ θεόπνευστος Γρα φή. Ἐκλείπει τοίνυν οὐ μόνον ὁ τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν τὴν θείαν ἀναμένων, καὶ τὴν λύσιν τῶν ἐπικειμένων κα κῶν προσδεχόμενος· ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ τοῖς θείοις ἐντυγχά νων λογίοις, καὶ τὴν τούτων διάνοιαν καταμαθεῖν ἀκριβῶς ἐφιέμενος, καὶ παράκλησιν καὶ ψυχαγωγίαν ὑπολαμβάνει τὴν εὕρεσιν. πγʹ. "Ὅτι ἐγενήθην ὡς ἀσκὸς ἐν πάχνῃ· τὰ δι καιώματά σου οὐκ ἐπελαθόμην." Ὁ ἀσκὸς θερμαι νόμενος χαυνοῦται, καὶ φυσώμενος ἐξογκοῦται· ἐν δὲ τῇ πάχνῃ σκληρύνεται καὶ πήγνυται. Οὕτω καὶ τοῦ σώματος ἡ