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How, at the beginning of the psalm, did he say, "When the Lord turned back the captivity of Zion," but here, "Turn back"? As one speaking about the future. For another interpreter especially leads us to this, not saying, "When He turned back," but, "When He shall turn back;" because the matter was then taking its beginning, and the whole was not accomplished in the preliminaries, but there were many goings up for them; for there was a first, and a second, and a third. 2. So one might say this; or that he prays for the deliverance to become complete. For many of the Jews wished to remain in the land of the barbarians; for which reason also, desiring this to happen with intensity, he says: Turn back our captivity, as the streams in the south; that is, with much force, with much vehemence, pushing and urging. For which reason also another interpreter, declaring this same thing, said, As torrents. Another, As channels. Another, As discharges. Those who sow in tears shall reap with rejoicing. This was said concerning the Jews, but it might have a place to be said in many other places as well. For such is virtue; it has glorious rewards for its labors; and we must first toil and suffer hardship, and then seek rest. For one might see this happening everywhere in the affairs of life as well. Indeed, for this reason he also brought his discourse to these things, to sowing, I say, and reaping. For just as the sower needs labor, and hardship, and sweat, and winter, so too does he who pursues virtue. For nothing is so useless as an idle man. Indeed, for this reason God made the way narrow and afflicted. Rather, not only the things of virtue, but also the affairs of life he made 55.362 laborious, and these much more so. For the sower, the builder, the traveler, the woodcutter, the craftsman, every man, if he is to reap anything useful, needs labor and hardship; and just as seeds need rains, so we need tears; and just as the earth has need of being cut and broken up, so also the soul, instead of a two-pronged hoe, needs temptations and tribulations, so that it may not bear evil weeds, so that its hardness may be softened, so that it may not leap up. For even land that is not worked with great care produces nothing healthy. What the Prophet says, then, is this: that we must not only rejoice in the return, but also in the captivity, and for both give thanks to God. For that one is the sowing; but this one is the harvest. Therefore, just as sowers, he says, by toiling enjoy the returns afterwards; so also you, when you were going away, imitated the sowers, suffering hardship, being cut down, afflicted, bearing the winter, the war, the cloudiness, the frost, pouring out tears. For what the rain is to the seeds, that tears are to the afflicted. But behold, he says, you have received the reward for those labors. Therefore, when he says: Going they went and wept, casting their seeds, but coming they shall come with rejoicing, bearing their sheaves; he is not speaking about grain, but about affairs, teaching the hearer not to be distressed in tribulations. For just as the sower is not distressed, even if the burdens are many, looking toward the waving fields of grain; so also the one who is afflicted should not be disheartened, even if the painful things are many, while awaiting the harvest, considering the revenue that comes from tribulation. Therefore, knowing these things, let us also give thanks to the Master both for tribulation and for rest. For even if the things that happen are different, yet each and every one looks to a single end, just like the sowing and the harvest; and let us bear tribulations nobly and with thanksgiving, and rests with praise; so as to obtain the things to come

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Πῶς ἀρχόμενος τοῦ ψαλμοῦ, Ἐν τῷ ἐπιστρέψαι Κύριον τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν Σιὼν, εἶπεν· ἐνταῦθα δὲ, Ἐπίστρεψον; Ὡς περὶ μέλλοντος διαλεγόμενος. Μάλιστα γὰρ ὁ ἕτερος ἑρμηνευτὴς εἰς τοῦτο ἡμᾶς προσάγει, οὐκ εἰπὼν, Ἐν τῷ ἐπιστρέψαι· ἀλλ', Ὅταν ἐπιστρέψῃ· ὅτι ἀρχὴν τότε τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐλάμβανεν, καὶ οὐκ ἐν προοιμίοις τὸ πᾶν κατωρθώθη, ἀλλὰ πολλαὶ γεγόνασιν αὐτῶν ἀναβάσεις· καὶ γὰρ πρώτη, καὶ δευτέρα, καὶ τρίτη γέγονε. βʹ. Τοῦτο οὖν ἔστιν εἰπεῖν· ἢ ὅτι εὔχεται ὁλόκληρον γενέσθαι τὴν ἀπαλλαγήν. Καὶ γὰρ πολλοὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐναπομεῖναι ἐβούλοντο τῇ χώρᾳ τῶν βαρβάρων· διὸ καὶ μετ' ἐπιτάσεως τοῦτο γενέσθαι ποθῶν, φησίν· Ἐπίστρεψον τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν ἡμῶν, ὡς χειμάῤῥους ἐν τῷ νότῳ· τουτέστι, μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ῥύμης, μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς σφοδρότητος ὠθῶν καὶ κατεπείγων. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἕτερος ἑρμηνευτὴς τὸ αὐτὸ τοῦτο δηλῶν, Ὡς καταῤῥοίας, εἶπεν. Ἄλλος, Ὡς ὀχετούς.Ἄλλος, Ὡς ἀφέσεις. Οἱ σπείροντες ἐν δάκρυσιν ἐν ἀγαλλιάσει θεριοῦσι. Τοῦτο εἴρηται μὲν περὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων, πολλαχοῦ δ' ἂν ἔχοι χώραν καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ λέγεσθαι. Τοιοῦτον γὰρ ἡ ἀρετή· τῶν πόνων λαμπρὰς ἔχει τὰς ἀμοιβάς· καὶ δεῖ ἡμᾶς πρότερον κάμνειν καὶ ταλαιπωρεῖσθαι, καὶ τότε ζητεῖν ἄνεσιν. Τοῦτο γὰρ πανταχοῦ καὶ ἐν τοῖς βιωτικοῖς συμβαῖνον ἴδοι τις ἄν. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπὶ ταῦτα τὸν λόγον ἤγαγεν, ἐπὶ σπόρον λέγω, καὶ ἀμητόν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ σπείρων πόνου δεῖται, καὶ ταλαιπωρίας, καὶ ἱδρώτων, καὶ χειμῶνος· οὕτως ὁ τὴν ἀρετὴν μετιών. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτω πρὸς ἄνεσιν ἄχρηστον ὡς ἄνθρωπος. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο στενὴν καὶ τεθλιμμένην ἐποίησεν ὁδὸν ὁ Θεός. Μᾶλλον δὲ οὐ τὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ βιωτικὰ πράγματα ἐπίπονα κατεσ 55.362 κεύασε, καὶ αὐτὰ πολλῷ πλέον. Ὅ τε γὰρ σπείρων, ὅ τε οἰκοδομῶν, ὁ ὁδοιπόρος, ὁ δρυοτόμος, ὁ χειροτέχνης, πᾶς ἄνθρωπος, εἰ μέλλοι τι καρποῦσθαι χρήσιμον, πόνου δεῖται καὶ ταλαιπωρίας· καὶ καθάπερ τὰ σπέρματα ὑετῶν δεῖται, οὕτως ἡμεῖς δακρύων· καὶ καθάπερ ἡ γῆ τοῦ τέμνεσθαι χρείαν ἔχει καὶ ἀναῤῥήγνυσθαι, οὕτω καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ ἀντὶ δικέλλης δεῖται πειρασμῶν καὶ θλίψεων, ἵνα μὴ φέρῃ βοτάνας πονηρὰς, ἵνα τὸ σκληρὸν αὐτῆς μαλάττηται, ἵνα μὴ σκιρτᾷ. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ γῆ μὴ ἐργαζομένη μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ἀκριβείας, οὐδὲν ὑγιὲς ἐκφέρει. Ὃ τοίνυν φησὶν ὁ Προφήτης, τοῦτό ἐστιν· ὅτι μὴ δεῖ μόνον ἐπὶ τῇ ἀνόδῳ χαίρειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ αἰχμαλωσίᾳ, καὶ ὑπὲρ ἀμφοτέρων χάριτας τῷ Θεῷ ὁμολογεῖν. Ἐκεῖνο μὲν γὰρ σπόρος· τοῦτο δὲ ἀμητός. Ὥσπερ οὖν οἱ σπείροντες, φησὶ, πονοῦντες ἀπολαύουσι τῶν προσόδων μετὰ ταῦτα· οὕτω καὶ ὑμεῖς, ἡνίκα μὲν ἀπῄειτε, τοὺς σπείροντας ἐμιμεῖσθε, ταλαιπωρούμενοι, κοπτόμενοι, θλιβόμενοι, τὸν χειμῶνα, τὸν πόλεμον φέροντες, τὴν συννέφειαν, τὸν κρυμὸν, δάκρυα ἐκχέοντες. Ὅπερ γάρ ἐστι τοῖς σπέρμασιν ὁ ὑετὸς, τοῦτο τοῖς θλιβομένοις τὰ δάκρυα. Ἀλλ' ἰδοὺ, φησὶ, τῶν πόνων ἐκείνων ἀπελάβετε τὴν ἀμοιβήν. Ὅταν οὖν λέγῃ· Πορευόμενοι ἐπορεύοντο, καὶ ἔκλαιον, βάλλοντες τὰ σπέρματα αὐτῶν, ἐρχόμενοι δὲ ἥξουσιν ἐν ἀγαλλιάσει, αἴροντες τὰ δράγματα αὐτῶν· οὐ περὶ σίτου διαλέγεται, ἀλλὰ περὶ πραγμάτων, παιδεύων τὸν ἀκροατὴν, μὴ ἀλύειν ἐν ταῖς θλίψεσιν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ σπείρων οὐκ ἀλύει, κἂν πολλὰ τὰ φορτικὰ ᾖ, ἀφορῶν πρὸς τὰ λήϊα τὰ κομῶντα· οὕτως οὐδὲ τὸν θλιβόμενον δυσχεραίνειν χρὴ, κἂν πολλὰ ᾖ τὰ λυπηρὰ, τὸν ἀμητὸν ἀναμένοντα, τὴν πρόσοδον τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς θλίψεως γινομένην ἐννοοῦντα. Ταῦτ' οὖν καὶ ἡμεῖς εἰδότες, καὶ ὑπὲρ θλίψεως καὶ ὑπὲρ ἀνέσεως εὐχαριστῶμεν τῷ ∆εσπότῃ. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ διάφορα τὰ γινόμενα, ἀλλὰ πρὸς ἓν ἕκαστον ἅπαν τέλος ὁρᾷ, ὥσπερ ὁ σπόρος καὶ ὁ ἀμητός· καὶ φέρωμεν τὰς θλίψεις γενναίως, καὶ εὐχαρίστως, καὶ τὰς ἀνέσεις μετὰ δοξολογίας· ὥστε καὶ τῶν μελλόντων ἐπιτυχεῖν