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of good things, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. ON THE 126TH PSALM. Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain for you to rise early, you who rise up after you have sat down. 1. This psalm was spoken for the state of affairs after the return. For since, being delivered from the captivity, and having returned from the barbarian land, they found the city a ruin, and the walls with their towers thrown to the ground, they were attempting to raise them, but many from many places attacked them and were hindering the work, envying the prosperity of the Jews, and fearing their success; then while these things were happening, time was being wasted, and so much time was wasted, that more than forty years were spent on the building of the temple; which indeed the Jews also declared, saying: This temple was built in forty-six years; not speaking of 55.363 the former building of Solomon, but of this later one, after the release from the Persians. Since, therefore, much time was being wasted while both the temple and the city and the walls were being built—for the building of the city also consumed much more—the Prophet, instructing them to take refuge in God again, goes through these things, showing that all things happen randomly and in vain, unless they draw upon the inclination from God. For not only being freed from captivity, but also raising a wall after being freed is impossible without the inclination of God. And why do I say the raising of walls and the building of a city? But not even when it is built and completed could one guard it, if destitute of that alliance. And he said these things, through everything persuading them again to take refuge in His inclination, so that they might not become more indolent by the release. For on this account He did not give them the good things all at once, but gently and little by little, so that they might not relapse into their former wickedness by the swiftest deliverance from evils. But also in the very giving of good things He continually reminded them in the assault of their enemies, constantly awakening their indolence. The saying, then, has been spoken universally, but it has taken its beginning from this premise. For it must apply to all things, not so that we ourselves may be indolent, nor so that we may lie on our backs, but so that contributing what is from ourselves, we may cast everything upon God, depending on His hope always in all things. For just as it is not possible, if God does not help, to bring matters to completion; so, if God helps, it is not possible for those who are idle and reclining to attain the end. It is in vain for you to rise early; you rise up after sitting. But another interpreter says, They are slow to sit. Another, They are late in sitting. And what he says is this: even if you keep watch, even if you are roused at dawn, even if you are slow to rest, spending all your time in labor and hardship, if you do not enjoy the inclination from thence, all human things will be gone, and of this diligence there will be no advantage. You who eat the bread of sorrow. He says this, showing that they lived a laborious life, becoming soldiers and builders. For with one hand, he says, they carried a basket or a stone, and with the other a sword, for the purpose of building

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ἀγαθῶν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. ΕΙΣ ΤΟΝ ΡΚʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΝ. Ἐὰν μὴ Κύριος οἰκοδομήσῃ οἶκον, εἰς μάτην ἐκοπίασαν οἱ οἰκοδομοῦντες. Ἐὰν μὴ Κύριος φυλάξῃ πόλιν, εἰς μάτην ἠγρύπνησεν ὁ φυ λάσσων. Εἰς μάτην ὑμῖν ἐστι τὸ ὀρθρίζειν ἐγείρεσθε μετὰ τὸ καθῆσθαι. αʹ. Οὗτος ὁ ψαλμὸς εἰς τὴν κατάστασιν τῶν πραγμάτων τῶν μετὰ τὴν ἐπάνοδον εἴρηται. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας ἀπαλλαγέντες, καὶ ἐκ τῆς βαρβάρου χώρας ἐπανελθόντες, ἐρείπιον δὲ καταλαβόντες τὴν πόλιν, καὶ τὰ τείχη μετὰ τῶν πύργων ἐῤῥιμμένα χαμαὶ ἐπεχείρουν ἐγείρειν, πολλοὶ δὲ πολλαχόθεν ἐπιτιθέμενοι διεκώλυον τὸ ἔργον, φθονοῦντες τῇ τῶν Ἰουδαίων εὐημερίᾳ, καὶ δεδοικότες αὐτῶν τὴν εὐπραγίαν· εἶτα τούτων γινομένων ὁ χρόνος ἐτρίβετο, καὶ τοσοῦτος ἐτρίβη χρόνος, ὡς ὑπὲρ τὰ τεσσαράκοντα ἔτη ἀναλωθῆναι ἐν τῇ τοῦ ναοῦ οἰκοδομῇ· ὅπερ οὖν καὶ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι δηλοῦντες ἔλεγον· Τεσσαράκοντα καὶ ἓξ ἔτεσιν ᾠκοδομήθη ὁ ναὸς οὗτος· οὐ περὶ 55.363 τῆς προτέρας λέγοντες οἰκοδομῆς τῆς τοῦ Σολομῶντος, ἀλλὰ περὶ ταύτης τῆς ὕστερον, τῆς μετὰ τὴν τῶν Περσῶν ἀπαλλαγήν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν πολὺς ἐτρίβετο χρόνος, καὶ τοῦ ναοῦ καὶ τῆς πόλεως καὶ τῶν τειχῶν οἰκοδομουμένων ἡ γὰρ τῆς πόλεως οἰκοδομία καὶ πολλῷ πλείονα ἀνάλωσε, παιδεύων αὐτοὺς πάλιν ἐπὶ τὸν Θεὸν καταφεύγειν ὁ Προφήτης, ταῦτα διεξέρχεται, δεικνὺς ὅτι πάντα εἰκῇ καὶ μάτην γίνεται, ἐὰν μὴ τὴν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ῥοπὴν ἐπισπάσωνται. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ μόνον τὸ αἰχμαλωσίας ἀπαλλαγῆναι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ἀναστῆσαι τεῖχος ἀπαλλαγέντας ἀδύνατον ἄνευ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ῥοπῆς. Καὶ τί λέγω τειχῶν ἀνάστασιν καὶ πόλεως οἰκοδομήν; Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ γενομένην αὐτὴν, καὶ ἀπαρτισθεῖσαν φυλάξαι τις δύναιτ' ἂν, ἐκείνης ἠρημωμένος τῆς συμμαχίας. Ταῦτα δὲ ἔλεγε, διὰ πάντων αὐτοὺς πάλιν ἐπὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ πείθων καταφεύγειν ῥοπὴν, ὥστε μὴ τῇ ἀνέσει γίνεσθαι ῥᾳθυμοτέρους. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο οὐδὲ ἀθρόον ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς τὰ ἀγαθὰ, ἀλλὰ ἠρέμα καὶ κατὰ μικρὸν, ἵνα μὴ πρὸς τὴν προτέραν παλινδρομήσωσι πονηρίαν τῇ ταχίστῃ τῶν κακῶν ἀπαλλαγῇ. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ δόσει τῶν ἀγαθῶν συνεχῶς αὐτοὺς ὑπεμίμνησκεν ἐν τῇ τῶν πολεμίων ἐφόδῳ διηνεκῶς ἀφυπνίζων αὐτῶν τὴν ῥᾳθυμίαν. Εἴρηται μὲν οὖν καθολικῶς ὁ λόγος, τὴν ἀρχὴν δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς ὑποθέσεως ταύτης εἴληφε. ∆εῖ γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐφ' ἅπασιν ἁρμόζειν, οὐχ ἵνα αὐτοὶ ῥᾳθυμῶμεν, οὐδὲ ἵνα ὕπτιοι κείμεθα, ἀλλ' ἵνα τὰ παρ' ἑαυτῶν εἰσφέροντες, τὸ πᾶν ἐπὶ τὸν Θεὸν ῥίπτωμεν, τῆς ἐλπίδος τῆς ἐκείνου διαπαντὸς ἐν ἅπασιν ἐκκρεμάμενοι. Ὥσπερ γὰρ οὐκ ἔνι, τοῦ Θεοῦ μὴ βοηθοῦντος, εἰς τέλος τὰ πράγματα ἀγαγεῖν· οὕτως, ἂν ὁ Θεὸς βοηθῇ, ἀργοῦντας αὐτοὺς καὶ ἀναπεπτωκότας οὐκ ἔνι τοῦ τέλους ἐπιτυχεῖν. Εἰς μάτην ὑμῖν ἐστι τὸ ὀρθρίζειν· ἐγείρεσθε μετὰ τὸ καθῆσθαι. Ἕτερος δὲ ἑρμηνευτής φησι, Βραδύνουσι καθῆσθαι. Ἄλλος, Χρονίζουσι τοῦ καθῆσθαι. Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστι· κἂν ἀγρυπνῆτε, κἂν ὑπὸ τὴν ἕω διεγείρησθε, κἂν βραδύνητε πρὸς τὸ ἀναπαύεσθαι, τὸν πάντα καιρὸν εἰς πόνον καὶ ταλαιπωρίαν δαπανῶντες, ἂν μὴ τῆς ἐκεῖθεν ἀπολαύσητε ῥοπῆς, τὰ ἀνθρώπινα πάντα οἰχήσεται, καὶ τῆς σπουδῆς ταύτης οὐδὲν ἔσται πλέον. Οἱ ἐσθίοντες ἄρτον ὀδύνης. Τοῦτο λέγει, δεικνὺς ὅτι ἐπίπονον ἔζων βίον, ὁπλῖται καὶ οἰκοδόμοι γινόμενοι. Τῇ μιᾷ μὲν γὰρ, φησὶ, χειρὶ κόφινον ἐβάσταζον ἢ λίθον, τῇ δὲ μιᾷ μάχαιραν, εἰς τὸ οἰκοδομεῖν