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we have made. 80.1925 ιθʹ, κʹ. "Sihon king of the Amorites, for His mercy is forever. And Og king of Bashan, for His mercy is forever." And not simply, having passed over the other kings, did he mention these in particular, but reminding the people of the God-given victory; for these prided themselves on their strength, and power, and size of body. And Og even used an iron bed, because of the size of his body, being nine cubits in length, and five in width. καʹ, κβʹ. "And gave their land as an inheritance, for His mercy is forever. An inheritance to Israel His servant, for His mercy is forever." For having consumed all of them with death, He made Israel master of their land. κγʹ, κδʹ. "For in our humiliation the Lord remembered us, for His mercy is forever. And He rescued us from our enemies, for His mercy is forever." Blessed Moses also remembers these things: "For the sons of Israel," he says, "groaned because of the works, and their cry went up to God. And when they were again made captive, He took pity on them, and brought them back to their fatherland." κεʹ. "Who gives food to all flesh, for His mercy is forever." From particular providence he again moved to the universal, proclaiming God's care for all. For He provides suitable food not only to humans, but also to irrational creatures. Thus also the Lord in the holy Gospels: "Look at the birds of the sky, that they neither sow, nor gather into barns, and your heavenly Father feeds them." κʹ. "Give thanks to the God of heaven, for His mercy is forever." God is God of all; for He is maker of all; but He is properly called God of heaven, being served by the angels who dwell in heaven; for that place is pure from sin.

INTERPRETATION OF PSALM 136. This psalm is without a title among the Hebrews; but some, a rash thing

having dared, wrote as a title, "To David through Jeremiah;" and they added, "Without a title among the Hebrews." And the very fabrication of the title proclaims the folly of those who wrote it. For Jeremiah was not led to Babylon with the captives, but after spending a little time in Jerusalem, being forced by the lawless Jews, he shared their journey to Egypt; how then is it fitting for Jeremiah to say, "By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down 80.1928 and wept?" That it in no way pertains to that prophet is clear from what has been said. Nevertheless, the subject of the psalm is clear. For the captives who were led away, and who have obtained their return, recount the events that happened in Babylon. αʹ. "By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, and wept, when we remembered Zion." Those who are despondent are accustomed to take to more desolate places, and there to bewail their own misfortunes. And so these men, sitting by the banks of the rivers, and considering the desolation of their metropolis, shed many tears, imitating the currents of the rivers. βʹ. "On the willows in its midst we hung our instruments." For they were completely useless to them, since the law prescribes that the liturgy be fulfilled in one place. γʹ. "For there those who had taken us captive asked us for the words of songs; and those who had led us away: Sing us a hymn from the songs of Zion." Mocking us, and treading upon our misfortunes, they ordered us to sing, and to charm them with our songs, not that they might receive some benefit from them, but that they might laugh at our affairs. δʹ. "How shall we sing the Lord's song in a foreign land?" But we, knowing the unlawfulness of what was commanded, did not yield to their orders; and this is a refutation of the lawless Jews, who are zealous to fulfill the law,

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ἐποιησά μεθα. 80.1925 ιθʹ, κʹ. "Τὸν Σηὼν βασιλέα τῶν Ἀμοῤῥαίων, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ. Καὶ τὸν Ὢγ βασιλέα τῆς Βασὰν, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ." Οὐχ ἁπλῶς δὲ, τοὺς ἄλλους παραλιπὼν βασιλέας, τούτων διαφερόντως ἐμνήσθη, ἀλλὰ τὸν λαὸν τῆς θεοσδότου νίκης ἀναμιμνήσκων· ἐπὶ ῥώμῃ γὰρ οὗτοι, καὶ δυ ναστείᾳ, καὶ μεγέθει σώματος ἐσεμνύνοντο. Ὁ δὲ Ὢγ καὶ κλίνῃ ἐκέχρητο σιδηρᾷ, διὰ τὸ τοῦ σώματος μέγεθος ἐννέα μὲν πήχεις τὸ μῆκος, πέντε δὲ τὸ εὖ ρος ἐχούσῃ. καʹ, κβʹ. "Καὶ δόντι τὴν γῆν κληρονομίαν, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ. Κληρονομίαν Ἰσραὴλ δούλῳ αὑτοῦ, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ." Ἅπαντας γὰρ ἐκείνους θανάτῳ καταναλώσας, τὸν Ἰσραὴλ δεσπότην τῆς ἐκείνων ἐπέφηνε γῆς. κγʹ, κδʹ. "Ὅτι ἐν τῇ ταπεινώσει ἡμῶν ἐμνήσθη ἡμῶν ὁ Κύριος, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ἐλυτρώσατο ἡμᾶς ἐκ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἡμῶν, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ." Μέμνηται τούτων καὶ ὁ μακάριος Μωσῆς· "Ἐστέναξαν γὰρ, φησὶν, οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων, καὶ ἀνέβη ἡ βοὴ αὐτῶν πρὸς τὸν Θεόν. Καὶ αἰχμαλώτους δὲ πάλιν γενο μένους ᾤκτειρε, καὶ εἰς τὴν πατρῴαν ἐπανήγαγε γῆν." κεʹ. "Ὁ διδοὺς τροφὴν πάσῃ σαρκὶ, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ." Ἀπὸ τῆς μερικῆς προνοίας πάλιν ἐπὶ τὴν καθόλου μετέβη, τὴν περὶ πάντας τοῦ Θεοῦ κηρύττων κηδεμονίαν. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἀλόγοις τὴν κατάλληλον προσφέρει τροφήν. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς Εὐαγγελίοις· "Ἀποβλέψατε εἰς τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ἃ οὔτε σπείρει, οὔτε συνάγει εἰς ἀποθή κας, καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὁ οὐράνιος τρέφει αὐτά." κʹ. "Ἐξομολογεῖσθε τῷ Θεῷ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ." Πάντων μὲν Θεὸς ὁ Θεός· πάντων γάρ ἐστι ποιητής· οὐρανοῦ δὲ κυρίως χρη ματίζει Θεὸς, ὑπὸ τῶν ἐν οὐρανῷ διαιτωμένων ἀγγέ λων θεραπευόμενος· ἐκεῖνο γὰρ τὸ χωρίον καθαρὸν ἁμαρτίας.

ΕΡΜΗΝ. ΤΟΥ ΡΛʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΥ. Οὗτος ὁ ψαλμὸς ἀνεπίγραφος παρ' Ἑβραίοις· θρασὺ δέ τινες πρᾶγμα

τετολμηκότες ἐπέγραψαν, "Τῷ ∆αβὶδ διὰ Ἱερεμίου·" καὶ προσέθεσαν τὸ, "Ἀνεπίγραφος παρ' Ἑβραίοις." Καὶ αὐτὸ δὲ τὸ πλάσμα τῆς ἐπιγραφῆς κηρύττει τῶν ἐπιγεγραφό των τὴν ἄνοιαν. Ἱερεμίας γὰρ οὐκ εἰς Βαβυλῶνα μετὰ τῶν δορυαλώτων ἀπήχθη, ἀλλ' ὀλίγον ἐν τῇ Ἱε ρουσαλὴμ διάγων χρόνον, ὑπὸ τῶν παρανόμων βιασθεὶς Ἰουδαίων, τῆς εἰς Αἴγυπτον αὐτοῖς ὁδοῦ κε κοινώνηκε· πῶς τοίνυν ἁρμόττει τῷ Ἱερεμίᾳ λέγειν, "Ἐπὶ τῶν ποταμῶν Βαβυλῶνος, ἐκεῖ ἐκαθίσαμεν 80.1928 καὶ ἐκλαύσαμεν;" Ὅτι μὲν οὐδαμῶς ἐκείνῳ τῷ προφήτῃ προσήκει, δῆλον ἐκ τῶν εἰρημένων. Σα φὴς δὲ ὅμως τοῦ ψαλμοῦ ἡ ὑπόθεσις. Οἱ γὰρ ἀπ αχθέντες αἰχμάλωτοι, καὶ τῆς ἐπανόδου τετυχηκότες, διηγοῦνται τὰ ἐν Βαβυλῶνι συμβεβηκότα. αʹ. "Ἐπὶ τῶν ποταμῶν Βαβυλῶνος, ἐκεῖ ἐκαθίσα μεν, καὶ ἐκλαύσαμεν, ἐν τῷ μνησθῆναι ἡμᾶς τῆς Σιών." Οἱ ἀθυμοῦντες εἰώθασι τὰ ἐρημότερα κατα λαμβάνειν χωρία, κἀκεῖ τὰς οἰκείας ὀλοφύρεσθαι συμφοράς. Καὶ οὗτοι τοίνυν ταῖς ὄχθαις τῶν ποταμῶν προσκαθήμενοι, καὶ τῆς μητροπόλεως αὐτῶν λογι ζόμενοι τὴν ἐρημίαν, πολλὰ προέχεον δάκρυα, τῶν ποταμῶν μιμούμενοι ῥεύματα. βʹ. "Ἐπὶ ταῖς ἰτέαις ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῆς ἐκρεμάσαμεν τὰ ὄργανα ἡμῶν." Ἄχρηστα γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἦν παντε λῶς, τοῦ νόμου διαγορεύοντος ἐν ἑνὶ τόπῳ τὴν λειτουργίαν πληροῦν. γʹ. "Ὅτι ἐκεῖ ἐπηρώτησαν ἡμᾶς οἱ αἰχμαλωτεύ σαντες ἡμᾶς, λόγους ᾠδῶν· καὶ οἱ ἀπαγαγόντες ἡμᾶς· Ὕμνον ᾄσατε ἡμῖν ἐκ τῶν ᾠδῶν Σιών." Ἐπιτωθάζοντες ἡμῖν, καὶ ταῖς ἡμετέραις ἐπεμβαίνοντες συμφοραῖς, ᾄδειν ἡμῖν ἐκέλευον, καὶ ταῖς ἡμετέ ραις αὐτοὺς καταθέλγειν ᾠδαῖς, οὐχ ἵνα ἐντεῦθέν τινα λάβωσιν ὠφέλειαν, ἀλλ' ἵνα γελάσωσι τὰ ἡμέ τερα. δʹ. "Πῶς ᾄσωμεν τὴν ᾠδὴν Κυρίου ἐπὶ γῆς ἀλλο τρίας;" Ἡμεῖς δὲ τοῦ προστεταγμένου τὸ παράνο μον εἰδότες, οὐκ εἴξαμεν τοῖς κελεύουσιν· ἔλεγχος δὲ ταῦτα Ἰουδαίων τῶν παρανόμων, πληροῦν σπου δαζόντων τὸν νόμον,