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But I have suffered these things, since indeed I saw a change of the right hand of the Most High. For long ago it worked both many wonders and provided marvelous benefactions to the people; but now there has been a change of the right hand of the Most High. Wherefore birth pangs also seized me; I confess that my soul has been wounded by sickness and weakness of knowledge. And I saw the change of the right hand of God, remembering His ancient works. Therefore he says: I remembered the works of the Lord from the beginning of your wonders. And I will meditate on all your works, and I will discourse on your doings. Instead of which Symmachus interpreted it in this way: I was remembering the thoughts of the Lord, recalling your ancient wonders, and I was meditating on all your deeds, and I was recounting your devices, bringing these things to memory. Then now hearing, that "you will cast off forever," and "your anger was kindled against the sheep of your pasture," I rightly understood that it is a change of the right hand of the Most High. For these are signs of change and of alteration of God's former care for the people. O God, your way is in the sanctuary; what god is great like our God? You are the God who does wonders. Seeing what the change of the right hand of the Most High has wrought; for instead of one nation it became beneficent to all the nations; for no longer did He make His power known to one people, but also to all the nations and to all the peoples; wherefore, being astonished and marveling, I say: O God, your way is in your sanctuary; for the comprehension of your way is beyond mortal nature; so that one might reasonably say: O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out! Therefore it is no longer fitting to be meddle 23.896 some, nor to investigate the secret things; for who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counselor? Therefore, having understood these things in due season, he is exceedingly astonished at the depth of the wisdom of God, and says: O God, your way is in the sanctuary; what god is great like our God? you are the God who does wonders. But what wonders does he explain, saying next: You have made known your power among the peoples; instead of which Symmachus rendered: You made your strength known among the nations. For just as you once long ago redeemed with your arm your people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph, when you freed them from the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, in the same way also now, when there has been a change of the right hand of the Most High, you have made known your power among the peoples, and among the nations your strength. The waters saw you, O God, the waters saw you, and they were afraid, and the deeps were troubled. Having very consistently said before, "You have made known your power among the peoples;" or according to Symmachus, "You made your strength known among the nations," he presents the power of the New Covenant, prophetically decreeing things to come. Therefore he says: The waters saw you, O God, the waters saw you, and they were afraid. For just as once long ago during the journey of the sons of Israel from Egypt, the sea saw, and fled, the Jordan turned back; in the same way also at the coming of Emmanuel, that is, of God with us, when he went to the Jordan river, seeing him, the waters were astonished. Not only that, but also the multitudes of the peoples being gathered in the Churches of God, likened to waters according to the prophetic word which says, The voice of many nations is like many waters; seeing with the eyes of the soul the God who has come among men, they received a saving fear, about which it has been said: The beginning of wisdom is the fear of God. For as long as these waters were blind, they did not see God, nor did they have fear of Him; but now they have been greatly benefited from the sight and the knowledge of the Word who has come to them. And again according to the history, when the Savior compelled the disciples to get into the boat and to go on ahead to the other side; then

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Ταῦτα δὲ πέπονθα, ἐπειδήπερ εἶδον ἀλλοίωσιν γενομένην τῆς δεξιᾶς τοῦ Ὑψίστου. Πάλαι μὲν γὰρ αὕτη κατειργάζετο πολλά τε θαύματα καὶ παραδόξους εὐεργεσίας τῷ λαῷ παρέχουσα· νυνὶ δὲ ἀλλοίωσις γεγένηται τῆς δεξιᾶς τοῦ Ὑψίστου. ∆ιὸ καὶ ὠδῖνές με κατέσχον· ὁμολογῶ τετρῶσθαι τὴν ψυχὴν ἀῤῥωστίᾳ καὶ ἀσθενείᾳ γνώσεως. Τὴν δὲ ἀλλοίωσιν τῆς δεξιᾶς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἑώρων, ἀναμιμνησκόμενος τῶν παλαιῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ. ∆ιό φησιν· Ἐμνήσθην τῶν ἔργων Κυρίου ἀπὸ τῆς ἀρχῆς τῶν θαυμασίων σου. Καὶ μελετήσω ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ἔργοις σου, καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἐπιτηδεύμασί σου ἀδολεσχήσω. Ἀνθ' ὧν ὁ Σύμμαχος τοῦτον ἡρμήνευσε τὸν τρόπον· Ἀνεμιμνησκόμην τὰς περινοίας Κυρίου, ἀναπολῶν τὰ ἀρχαῖα τεράστιά σου καὶ διεμελέτων πάσας τὰς πράξεις σου, καὶ τὰ μηχανήματά σου διηγούμην, ταῦτα ἀναφέρων τῇ μνήμῃ. Ἔπειτα νῦν ἀκούων, ὡς εἰς τέλος ἀπώσω, καὶ ὠργίσθη ὁ θυμός σου ἐπὶ πρόβατα νομῆς σου, εἰκότως ἐνενόησα, ὅτι ἀλλοίωσίς ἐστι τῆς δεξιᾶς τοῦ Ὑψίστου. Μεταβολῆς γὰρ ταῦτα σημεῖα καὶ ἀλλοιώσεως τῆς πάλαι τοῦ Θεοῦ περὶ τὸν λαὸν κηδεμονίας. Ὁ Θεὸς, ἐν τῷ ἁγίῳ ἡ ὁδὸς αὐτοῦ· τίς θεὸς μέγας ὡς ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν; Σὺ εἶ ὁ Θεὸς ὁ ποιῶν θαυμάσια. Τὴν ἀλλοίωσιν τῆς δεξιᾶς τοῦ Ὑψίστου συνιδὼν ὁποῖα εἰργάσατο· ἀντὶ γὰρ ἑνὸς ἔθνους πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν εὐεργετικὴ κατέστη· οὐκέτι γὰρ ἑνὶ λαῷ τὴν δύναμιν αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσι καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς λαοῖς ἐγνώρισε· διόπερ ἐκπληττόμενος καὶ ἀποθαυμάζων, φημί· ὁ Θεὸς, ἐν τῷ ἁγίῳ ἡ ὁδός σου· ἐπέκεινα γάρ ἐστι τῆς θνητῆς φύσεως ἡ κατάληψις τῆς ὁδοῦ σου· ὥστ' ἂν εὐλόγως φάναι τό· Ὢ βάθος πλούτου καὶ σοφίας καὶ γνώσεως Θεοῦ, ὡς ἀνεξερεύνητα τὰ κρίματα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀνεξιχνίαστοι αἱ ὁδοὶ αὐτοῦ. Οὐκέτ' οὖν προσήκει πολυπρα 23.896 γμονεῖν, οὐδὲ τὰ ἀπόῤῥητα διερευνᾶσθαι· τίς γὰρ ἔγνω νοῦν Κυρίου, ἢ τίς σύμβουλος αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο; ∆ιὸ κατὰ καιρὸν ταῦτα ἐννοήσας, ὑπερεκπλήττεται τὸ βάθος τῆς σοφίας τοῦ Θεοῦ, καί φησιν· Ὁ Θεὸς, ἐν τῷ ἁγίῳ ἡ ὁδός σου· τίς θεὸς μέγας ὡς ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν; σὺ εἶ ὁ Θεὸς ὁ ποιῶν θαυμάσια. Ποῖα δὲ θαυμάσια διερμηνεύει ἑξῆς εἰπών· Ἐγνώρισας ἐν τοῖς λαοῖς τὴν δύναμίν σου· ἀνθ' οὗ ὁ Σύμμαχος ἐξέδωκε· Γνωστὴν ἐποίησας ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι τὴν ἰσχύν σου. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐλυτρώσω πάλαι ποτὲ ἐν τῷ βραχίονί σου τὸν λαόν σου, τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰακὼβ καὶ Ἰωσὴφ, ὅτ' ἠλευθέρους αὐτοὺς ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου, ἐξ οἴκου δουλείας τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ νῦν, ὅτε γέγονεν ἀλλοίωσις τῆς δεξιᾶς τοῦ Ὑψίστου, ἐγνώρισας ἐν τοῖς λαοῖς τὴν δύναμίν σου, καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι τὴν ἰσχύν σου. Εἴδοσάν σε ὕδατα, ὁ Θεὸς, εἴδοσάν σε ὕδατα, καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν, καὶ ἐταράχθησαν αἱ ἄβυσσοι. Σφόδρα ἀκολούθως προειπὼν, Ἐγνώρισας ἐν τοῖς λαοῖς τὴν δύναμίν σου· ἢ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον, Γνωστὴν ἐποίησας ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι τὴν ἰσχύν σου, παρίστησι τὴν δύναμιν τῆς Καινῆς ∆ιαθήκης προφητικῶς τὰ μέλλοντα θεσπίζων. ∆ιό φησιν· Εἴδοσάν σε ὕδατα, ὁ Θεὸς, εἴδοσάν σε ὕδατα, καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ πάλαι ποτὲ ἐπὶ τῆς ἐξ Αἰγύπτου πορείας τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ, ἡ θάλασσα εἶδε, καὶ ἔφυγεν, ὁ Ἰορδάνης ἐστράφη εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω· τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ κατὰ τὴν παρουσίαν τοῦ Ἐμμανουὴλ, δηλαδὴ τοῦ μεθ' ἡμῶν Θεοῦ, ὁπηνίκα παρῄει ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰορδάνην ποταμὸν, ἰδόντα αὐτὸν τὰ ὕδατα ἐξεπλάγη. Οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ πλήθη τῶν ἐν ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις τοῦ Θεοῦ συγκροτουμένων λαῶν, ὕδασι παρωμοιωμένα κατὰ τὸν φάσκοντα προφητικὸν λόγον, Φωνὴ ἐθνῶν πολλῶν ὁμοία ὑδάτων πολλῶν· ἰδόντα ψυχῆς ὀφθαλμοῖς τὸν εἰς ἀνθρώπους ἐπιδεδημηκότα Θεὸν, φόβον ἀνέλαβον σωτήριον, περὶ οὗ εἴρηται· Ἀρχὴ σοφίας φόβος Θεοῦ. Ἕως μὲν γὰρ τυφλώττοντα ἦν ταῦτα τὰ ὕδατα, οὐχ ἑώρα τὸν Θεὸν, οὐδὲ φόβον εἶχεν αὐτοῦ· νυνὶ δὲ τὰ μεγάλα ὠφέληται ἀπὸ τῆς θέας καὶ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ ἐπιδημήσαντος αὐτοῖς λόγου. Καὶ αὖθις κατὰ τὴν ἱστορίαν, ὁπηνίκα ὁ Σωτὴρ ἠνάγκασε τοὺς μαθητὰς ἀνελθεῖν εἰς τὸ πλοῖον καὶ προάγειν εἰς τὸ πέραν· εἶτα