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to your name." But Aquila has it thus, Bring my soul out of confinement. For it was held as in some prison and jail, with the enemies sitting at the door of the cave. He promises that, having obtained salvation, he will repay the good deeds with hymns. "The righteous shall wait for me, until you reward me." But Symmachus has it thus, The righteous shall crown your name, when you do good to me; for the good deed done to me they will take as a pledge of their own salvation, and they will praise you, the righteous judge.

INTERPRETATION OF PSALM 142. 1. "A Psalm of David, when Absalom his son persecuted him." In

in some copies I found, "When Absalom his son persecuted him." I have not found this addition either in the Hebrew, or with the other interpreters. Yet it holds to the truth. For the psalm has this very subject. "O Lord, hear my prayer, give ear to my supplication in your 80.1956 truth; hear me in your righteousness." The divine David fell into these evils as a penalty for the things in which he had transgressed; yet Absalom was unjust, and lawless, and impious, and a patricide, having desired the slaughter of him who begot him. For this reason indeed the blessed David beseeches God to hear his prayer in truth and righteousness; 2. "And enter not into judgment with your servant, for in your sight no one living shall be justified." In truth, he says, and in righteousness I have besought you with my words, he says, not trusting in my own righteousness, but knowing the lawlessness of my enemies. For I know that it is impossible for anyone to escape your tribunal guiltless. For if you were to compare the rule of the laws laid down by you with the life of men, no one will be seen to have lived according to it; and if you were to bring forth your good deeds, and all the good things you have provided for men, what human righteousness in turn will be made equal to your gifts? 3. "For the enemy has persecuted my soul, he has humbled my life to the ground." I beseech you, therefore, to obtain your truth and righteousness, not with me and you being judged, but with me and my enemies being judged. For I have been cast out of the kingdom by them, I have been driven from my country. History also teaches of this his humiliation. For he walked barefoot, and with his head covered, and weeping. "He has made me to dwell in dark places, as those who have been long dead." For I am no different from a dead man shut up in darkness, driven out and forced to live in desert places. 4. "And my spirit was in anguish within me." For this reason I am filled with much despondency and distress. For here he calls the soul spirit. "My heart within me was troubled." All my thoughts, he says, were filled with confusion and giddiness. 5. "I remembered the days of old, I meditated on all your works, I mused on the works of your hands." I took into my mind, he says, from how many calamities you freed our forefathers, and did not allow them to become an easy prey to their enemies; and I remembered the things concerning Abraham, concerning Isaac, concerning Jacob, concerning Joseph, concerning Moses; and from this I received encouragement. 6. "I stretched forth my hands to you." That is, I made my supplication with all eagerness. "My soul is as a thirsty land to you." So do I thirst for your help, just as the waterless land awaits the rain. 7. "Hear me quickly, O Lord, my spirit fails." Through these words he showed the excess of his despondency; for this suffering is characteristic of those who are greatly distressed. "Turn not your face from 80.1957 me, lest I be like those who go down into the pit." For if you should loathe my supplication on account of my sin, I shall immediately be given over to death. For he called death a pit, figuratively. For just as it is not possible for one who is shut up in a pit without helpers

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τῷ ὀνόματί σου." Ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας οὕτως, Ἐξάγαγε ἐξ ἀποκλεισμοῦ τὴν ψυχήν μου. Ὡς ἐν εἱρκτῇ γάρ τινι καὶ δεσμωτηρίῳ κατ είχετο, τῶν πολεμίων τῇ θύρᾳ τοῦ σπηλαίου προσ καθημένων. Ὑπισχνεῖται δὲ τῆς σωτηρίας τυχὼν ὕμνοις τὰς εὐεργεσίας ἀμείβεσθαι. "Ἐμὲ ὑπο μενοῦσι δίκαιοι, ἕως οὗ ἀνταποδῷς μοι." Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος οὕτως, Τὸ ὄνομά σου στεφανώσονται δίκαιοι, ὅταν εὐεργετήσῃς με· τὴν γὰρ εἰς ἐμὲ γεγενημένην εὐεργεσίαν ἐνέχυρον τῆς εἰς αὐτοὺς λήψονται σωτηρίας, καί σε τὸν δίκαιον κριτὴν ἀνυμνήσουσιν.

ΕΡΜΗΝ. ΤΟΥ ΡΜΒʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΥ. αʹ. "Τῷ ∆αβὶδ ψαλμὸς, ὁπότε κατεδίωκεν αὐ τὸν Ἀβεσαλὼμ ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ." Ἐν

ἐνίοις ἀντιγράφοις εὗρον, "Ὅτε αὐτὸν ἐδίωκεν Ἀβεσαλὼμ ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ." Οὔτε δὲ παρὰ τῷ Ἑβραίῳ, οὔτε παρὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἑρμηνευταῖς ταύτην εὕρηκα τὴν προσ θήκην. Ἔχεται δὲ ὅμως τῆς ἀληθείας. Αὐτὴν γὰρ ἔχει τὴν ὑπόθεσιν ὁ ψαλμός. "Κύριε, εἰσάκουσον τῆς προσευχῆς μου, ἐνώτισαι τὴν δέησίν μου ἐν τῇ ἀλη 80.1956 θείᾳ σου· εἰσάκουσόν μου ἐν τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ σου. ∆ίκας μὲν τίνων ὁ θεῖος ∆αβὶδ ὧν ἐπλημμέλησεν, ἐκείνοις περιέπεσε τοῖς κακοῖς· ἄδικος δὲ ὅμως, καὶ παράνομος, καὶ δυσσεβὴς, καὶ πατραλοίας ὁ Ἀβε σαλὼμ, τῆς τοῦ γεγεννηκότος ἐπιθυμήσας σφαγῆς. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο τὸν Θεὸν ὁ μακάριος ἱκετεύει ∆αβὶδ ἐν ἀληθείᾳ καὶ δικαιοσύνῃ τῆς προσευχῆς εἰσακοῦσαι· βʹ. "Καὶ μὴ εἰσέλθῃς εἰς κρίσιν μετὰ τοῦ δούλου σου, ὅτι οὐ δικαιωθήσεται ἐνώπιόν σου πᾶς ζῶν." Ἐν ἀληθείᾳ, φησὶ, καὶ δικαιοσύνῃ τοῖς ἐμοῖς σε, φησὶν, ἱκέτευσα λόγοις, οὐ τῇ ἐμαυτοῦ δικαιοσύνῃ θαῤῥῶν, ἀλλὰ τὴν τῶν πολεμίων παρανομίαν εἰδώς. Οἶδα γὰρ ὡς ἀδύνατον ἀθῶόν τινα τὸ σὸν δικαστή ριον ἐκφυγεῖν. Εἰ γὰρ τὸν κανόνα τῶν ὑπὸ σοῦ τε θέντων νόμων τῷ τῶν ἀνθρώπων παραθείης βίῳ, οὐδεὶς ὀφθήσεται κατὰ τοῦτον βεβιωκώς· εἰ δὲ καὶ τὰς σὰς εὐεργεσίας εἰς μέσον ἀγάγοις, καὶ ὅσα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐχορήγησας ἀγαθὰ, ποία πάλιν ἀνθρω πίνη δικαιοσύνη ταῖς σαῖς ἐξισωθήσεται δωρεαῖς; γʹ. "Ὅτι κατεδίωξεν ὁ ἐχθρὸς τὴν ψυχήν μου, ἐταπείνωσεν εἰς γῆν τὴν ζωήν μου." Ἱκετεύω τοί νυν τῆς σῆς ἀληθείας καὶ δικαιοσύνης τυχεῖν, οὐκ ἐμοῦ καὶ σοῦ κρινομένων, ἀλλ' ἐμοῦ καὶ τῶν πολε μίων δικαζομένων. Ἐκβέβλημαι γὰρ ὑπ' ἐκείνων τῆς βασιλείας, ἐλήλαμαι τῆς πατρίδος. Ταύτην αὐ τοῦ τὴν ταπείνωσιν καὶ ἡ ἱστορία διδάσκει. Ἀνυπό δητος γὰρ, καὶ συγκεκαλυμμένος, καὶ δακρύων ἐβά διζεν. "Ἐκάθισέ με ἐν σκοτεινοῖς, ὡς νεκροὺς αἰῶ νος." Οὐδὲν γὰρ διαφέρω νεκροῦ ἐν σκότει καθειρ γμένου, ἐληλαμένος καὶ ἐν ἐρήμοις χωρίοις διάγειν ἠναγκασμένος. δʹ. "Καὶ ἠκηδίασεν ἐπ' ἐμὲ τὸ πνεῦμά μου." Τούτου χάριν ἀθυμίας πολλῆς καὶ ἀχθηδόνος ἐμπέ πλησμαι. Πνεῦμα γὰρ ἐνταῦθα τὴν ψυχὴν καλεῖ. "Ἐν ἐμοὶ ἐταράχθη ἡ καρδία μου." Πάντες, φησὶν, οἱ λογισμοί μου ταραχῆς καὶ ζάλης ἐπλήσθησαν. εʹ. "Ἐμνήσθην ἡμερῶν ἀρχαίων, ἐμελέτησα ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ἔργοις σου, ἐν ποιήμασι τῶν χειρῶν σου ἐμελέτων." Ἔλαβον, φησὶν, εἰς διάνοιαν, ὅσων τοὺς ἡμετέρους προγόνους ἠλευθέρωσας συμφορῶν, καὶ εὐχειρώτους γενέσθαι τοῖς πολεμίοις οὐκ εἴασας· καὶ ἀνεμνήσθην τῶν κατὰ τὸν Ἀβραὰμ, τῶν κατὰ τὸν Ἰσαὰκ, τῶν κατὰ τὸν Ἰακὼβ, τῶν κατὰ τὸν Ἰωσὴφ, τῶν κατὰ τὸν Μωσέα· καὶ ψυχαγωγίαν ἐντεῦθεν ἔλαβον. ʹ. "∆ιεπέτασα πρὸς σὲ τὰς χεῖράς μου." Ἀντὶ τοῦ, Σὺν πάσῃ προθυμίᾳ τὴν ἱκετείαν ἐποιησάμην. "Ἡ ψυχή μου, ὡς γῆ ἄνυδρός σοι." Οὕτω δέ σου διψῶ τὴν βοήθειαν, καθάπερ ἡ ἄνυδρος γῆ προσ μένει τὸν ὑετόν. ζʹ. "Ταχὺ εἰσάκουσόν μου, Κύριε, ἐξέλιπε τὸ πνεῦμά μου." Τὴν ὑπερβολὴν ἀθυμίας διὰ τούτων ἐδήλωσε· τῶν γὰρ λίαν ἀσχαλλόντων ἴδιον τόδε τὸ πάθος. "Μὴ ἀποστρέψῃς τὸ πρόσωπόν σου ἀπ' 80.1957 ἐμοῦ, καὶ ὁμοιωθήσομαι τοῖς καταβαίνουσιν εἰς λάκκον." Εἰ γὰρ βδελύξαιό μου τὴν ἱκετείαν διὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, παραυτίκα τῷ θανάτῳ παραδοθήσο μαι. Τὸν γὰρ θάνατον λάκκον ἐκάλεσε τροπικῶς. Καθάπερ γὰρ τὸν καθειργμένον ἐν λάκκῳ οὐκ ἔστι δίχα τῶν ἐπικουρούντων