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the tribes will recover their former harmony, and will run together to Jerusalem, praising God as was their custom. He called the divine law a testimony, which expressly commands Israel to run together to the place which the Lord God shall choose. εʹ. "For there sat thrones for judgment, thrones upon the house of David." Having prophesied divine things, he also prophesies human things. For since in Jerusalem not only was the divine temple built, but also the royal palace; and there all ran together resolving disputed matters, the prophet of necessity foretold this also; that the ten tribes will not run to Samaria; but just as in the time of David they had that unwavering court of justice, so also after the return all will be gathered there. ʹ. "Ask now for the things that are for the peace of Jerusalem, and prosperity to those who love you." But Symmachus has it thus: Salute Jerusalem, those who love you will be at rest, instead of, Having enjoyed deep peace, salute the habitation of Jerusalem. For those who love her continue in all gladness. ζʹ. "Let peace be in your strength, and prosperity in your towers." But Symmachus has it thus: May there be peace within your perimeter, quiet in your palaces. The divine David prays for good things for her, so that the perimeters, and the palaces, and the houses in her, may enjoy all peace. ηʹ, θʹ. "For the sake of my brethren, and my neighbors I spoke peace concerning you. For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I have sought good things for you." These things, he says, I pray for you, not as one living as a citizen in you; for how could he, having received the end of his life long ago? but longing for his kinsmen to obtain peace, and desiring the house of my God to recover its former glory.
INTERPRETATION OF THE 122ND PSALM. "A Song of Ascents. And this psalm shows the piety of the just of that time. αʹ. "To you I have lifted up my eyes, who dwell in heaven." Having scorned all human help, I await your inclination, O Master, and I am dependent on your providence; for I know you as Master of the heavens. He said that he dwells in heaven, not as being circumscribed by a place, but as being delighted by the invisible powers that inhabit heaven. 80.1884 βʹ. "Behold, as the eyes of servants are on the hands of their masters, as the eyes of a maidservant are on the hands of her mistress, so are our eyes toward the Lord our God." For just as, he says, servants look to the hands of their masters, since they gather the resources of life from there; so we also, Master, await from you to receive the enjoyment of good things. He mentioned the maidservant, however, not tautologically, but to show the intensity of the disposition. For maidservants more than menservants, being with their mistresses in the chambers, are accustomed to attend to them continually, and they long for goodwill from them. "Until he has mercy on us." For we do not limit this hope to a specified time, but we wait until we are deemed worthy of compassion. γʹ. "Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us." The doubling indicates the fervor of the request. "For we are exceedingly filled with contempt. [δʹ] Our soul is exceedingly filled." We ask for mercy, he says, not as being worthy to receive it, but as having become exceedingly reproachful. "The reproach to those who are at ease, and the contempt to the proud." But Symmachus has it thus, Our soul has been sated by the babbling of those who are at ease, by the belittling of the proud. For we are grieved by the arrogant Babylonians mocking us and taunting us. But according to the Seventy it is to be understood thus; "The
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φυλαὶ τὴν προτέραν ὁμόνοιαν ἀπολήψονται, καὶ εἰς τὴν Ἱερου σαλὴμ συνδραμοῦνται, συνήθως τὸν Θεὸν ἀνυμνοῦν τες. Μαρτύριον δὲ τὸν θεῖον ἐκάλεσε νόμον, τὸν διαῤῥήδην κελεύοντα συντρέχειν τὸν Ἰσραὴλ εἰς τὸν τόπον, ὃν ἂν ἐκλέξηται Κύριος ὁ Θεός. εʹ. "Ὅτι ἐκεῖ ἐκάθισαν θρόνοι εἰς κρίσιν, θρόνοι ἐπὶ οἶκον ∆αβίδ." Προθεσπίσας τὰ θεῖα, προθεσπί ζει καὶ τὰ ἀνθρώπεια. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις οὐ μόνον ὁ θεῖος ᾠκοδομήθη νεὼς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ βασίλεια· καὶ ἐκεῖ συνέτρεχον ἅπαντες τὰ ἀμφισβη τούμενα διαλύοντες, ἀναγκαίως καὶ τοῦτο προηγό ρευσεν ὁ προφήτης· ὅτι οὐκ εἰς τὴν Σαμάρειαν αἱ δέκα φυλαὶ δραμοῦνται· ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ ∆αβὶδ ἐκεῖνο εἶχον ἀκλινὲς δικαστήριον, οὕτω καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἐπάνοδον ἐκεῖ ἅπαντες ἀθροισθήσονται. ʹ. "Ἐρωτήσατε δὴ τὰ εἰς εἰρήνην τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καὶ εὐθηνία τοῖς ἀγαπῶσί σε." Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος οὕτως· Ἀσπάσασθε τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ,ἠρεμήσουσιν οἱ ἀγαπῶντές σε, ἀντὶ τοῦ, Εἰρήνης ἀπολαύσαντες βαθείας, ἀσπάσασθε τὴν οἴκησιν τῆς Ἱερουσαλήμ. Ἐν πάσῃ γὰρ θυμηδίᾳ οἱ ταύτην ἀγαπῶντες διατελοῦσι. ζʹ. "Γενέσθω δὲ εἰρήνη ἐν τῇ δυνάμει σου, καὶ εὐθηνία ἐν ταῖς πυργοβάρεσί σου." Ὁ δὲ Σύμ μαχος οὕτως· Εἴη εἰρήνη ἐν τῷ περιβόλῳ σου, ἡσυχία ἐν τοῖς βασιλείοις σου. Ἐπεύχεται δὲ αὐτῇ ὁ θεῖος ∆αβὶδ τὰ ἀγαθὰ, ὥστε καὶ τοὺς περιβό λους, καὶ τὰ βασίλεια, καὶ τὰς ἐν αὐτῇ οἰκίας, πά σης ἀπολαύειν εἰρήνης. ηʹ, θʹ. "Ἕνεκα τῶν ἀδελφῶν μου, καὶ τῶν πλη σίον μου ἐλάλουν δὴ εἰρήνην περὶ σοῦ. Ἕνεκα τοῦ οἴκου Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν, ἐξεζήτησα ἀγαθά σοι." Ταῦτα δὲ, φησὶν, ἐπεύχομαί σοι, οὐκ αὐτὸς ἐν σοὶ πολιτευόμενος· πῶς γὰρ ὅ γε πρὸ πολλοῦ χρόνου τοῦ βίου τὸ πέρας δεξάμενος; ἀλλὰ τοὺς ὁμοφύλους ἱμειρόμενος εἰρήνης τυχεῖν, καὶ τὸν οἶ κον τοῦ Θεοῦ μου τὴν προτέραν περιφάνειαν ἀπο λαβεῖν ἐφιέμενος.
ΕΡΜΗΝ. ΤΟΥ ΡΚΒʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΥ. "Ὠδὴ τῶν ἀναβαθμῶν. Καὶ οὗτος ὁ ψαλμὸς τῶν τηνικαῦτα δικαίων δείκνυσι
τὴν εὐσέβειαν. αʹ. "Πρὸς σὲ ἦρα τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς μου, τὸν κατ οικοῦντα ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ." Πάσης ἀνθρωπίνης βοη θείας καταφρονήσας, τὴν σὴν, ὦ ∆έσποτα, προσμένω ῥοπὴν, καὶ τῆς σῆς προνοίας ἐξήρτημαι· σὲ γὰρ οἶδα ∆εσπότην τῶν οὐρανῶν. Κατοικεῖν δὲ αὐτὸν ἐν οὐρανῷ ἔφη, οὐχ ὡς τόπῳ περιγραφόμενον, ἀλλ' ὡς τὸν ἀοράτοις δυνάμεσι ταῖς τὸν οὐρανὸν οἰκούσαις ἐπευφραινόμενον. 80.1884 βʹ. "Ἰδοὺ ὡς ὀφθαλμοὶ δούλων εἰς χεῖρας τῶν κυρίων αὐτῶν, ὡς ὀφθαλμοὶ παιδίσκης εἰς χεῖρας τῆς κυρίας αὐτῆς, οὕτως οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἡμῶν πρὸς Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν ἡμῶν." Καθάπερ γὰρ, φησὶν, οἰ κέται εἰς τὰς τῶν δεσποτῶν ἀποβλέπουσι χεῖρας, ἅτε δὴ τὰς ἀφορμὰς ἐκεῖθεν δρεπόμενοι τοῦ βίου· οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς, ∆έσποτα, παρὰ σοῦ προσμένομεν λα βεῖν τῶν ἀγαθῶν τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν. Τῆς μέντοι παιδί σκης οὐ ταυτολογῶν ἐμνημόνευσεν, ἀλλὰ τῆς διαθέ σεως δεικνὺς τὴν ἐπίτασιν. Πλέον γὰρ τῶν παίδων αἱ παιδίσκαι, ἅτε δὴ ταῖς δεσποίναις ἐν τοῖς θαλά μοις συνοῦσαι, διηνεκῶς προσέχειν ταύταις εἰώ θασι, καὶ τὴν παρ' αὐτῶν ποθοῦσιν εὐμένειαν. "Ἕως οὗ οἰκτειρήσαι ἡμᾶς." Οὐ ῥητῷ γὰρ χρόνῳ τήνδε τὴν ἐλπίδα περιορίζομεν, ἀλλὰ προσμένομεν ἕως ἂν ἀξιωθῶμεν φειδοῦς. γʹ. "Ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς, Κύριε, ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς." Ὁ διπλασιασμὸς δηλοῖ τὸ θερμὸν τῆς αἰτήσεως. "Ὅτι ἐπιπολὺ ἐπλήσθημεν ἐξουδενώσεως. [δʹ] Ἐπὶ πλεῖον ἐπλήσθη ἡ ψυχὴ ἡμῶν." Αἰτοῦμεν δὲ, φησὶ, τὸν ἔλεον, οὐχ ὡς ἄξιοι τούτου τυχεῖν, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐπονεί διστοι λίαν γενόμενοι. "Τὸ ὄνειδος τοῖς εὐθηνοῦσι, καὶ ἡ ἐξουδένωσις τοῖς ὑπερηφάνοις." Ὁ δὲ Σύμ μαχος οὕτως, Ἐχορτάσθη ἡ ψυχὴ ἡμῶν ἐπιλα λούντων τῶν εὐθηνούντων, ἐξευτελιζόντων τῶν ὑπερηφάνων. Τῶν γὰρ ἀλαζόνων Βαβυλωνίων ἐπι τωθαζόντων ἡμῖν, καὶ ἐπικερτομούντων, ἡμεῖς ἀνιώ μεθα. Κατὰ δὲ τοὺς Ἑβδομήκοντα οὕτω νοητέον· "Τὸ