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to escape, so it is among the impossible things for the dead to live again, if God does not will it. 8. "Make me to hear thy mercy in the morning, for in thee have I hoped." Announce to me thy love for mankind, he says, and may I not miss my hope. For here he called "in the morning" "quickly." "Make known to me, O Lord, the way wherein I shall walk, for I have lifted up my soul to thee." Be my guide, he says, and show me the straight path. For having turned my soul away from all human things, I have brought it to you, O Master. 9. "Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord, to thee have I fled." Fleeing my adversaries, I have you as a place of refuge, and I beseech you to be delivered from their plot. 10. "Teach me to do thy will, for thou art my God." I also beseech this, not only to know what you will, but also to do what you will; since I know you to be my God and Master. "Thy good spirit shall lead me in a straight land." And from this we have been taught the worth of the Spirit. For just as God is good, so also the Spirit has been named good; and just as he besought God to lead him, so also he asks to enjoy the guidance of the Spirit, so that nothing may appear to him steep, nor difficult, but that he may travel a straight way, and smooth, and free from error. 11. "For thy name's sake, O Lord, thou shalt quicken me." You put me forth as king; and I have enjoyed your vote and election, and I fear lest, being overlooked by you, I become a cause of blasphemy to your name. Therefore, do not look upon my worthiness, but for the praise of your name, grant me salvation. "In thy righteousness thou shalt bring my soul out of affliction." For having judged between me and my enemies, you will justly deliver me from the misfortunes brought upon me by them. 12. "And in thy mercy thou wilt destroy my enemies, and wilt destroy all them that afflict my soul, for I am thy servant." This he also said in the 135th psalm, "To him that smote Egypt with their firstborn, for his mercy endureth for ever" And here he said, "In thy mercy thou wilt destroy my enemies." For mercy toward the one who is wronged brings destruction upon the one who does wrong. So also the best farmer cuts out the thorns by the root, but waters and cultivates the plants. 80.1960

INTERPRETATION OF PSALM 143 1. To David. In some of the copies I found added to the inscription,

"Against Goliath." But I found it neither in the Hebrew, nor with the other interpreters, nor yet with the Seventy in the Hexapla. But it has this hypothesis: Of the nations that rose up against the Jews, after the return from Babylon, many of the prophets made mention; but more extensively than the others, the divine Ezekiel. And he says these things among many others: "After many days thou shalt be prepared, and thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, that is gathered out of many people, upon the land of Jerusalem, which has been desolate altogether. And they have come forth out of the nations, and they shall all dwell in peace. And thou shalt go up as a rain, and shalt come as a storm, and as a cloud, to cover the land, and thou shalt fall, and all that are about thee, and many nations with thee." Then after many things he also teaches the manner of death. "And I will call for a fear of the sword against him upon all my mountains, saith Adonai the Lord. A man's sword shall be upon his brother, and I will judge him with death, and with blood, and with an overflowing rain, and with hailstones. And I will rain fire and brimstone upon them, and upon all that are with him, and upon the many nations that are with him." And it is possible for one who wishes to learn these things more accurately to encounter the prophecy. These things this psalm also prophesies; "For bow thy heavens, O Lord, and come down: touch the mountains, and they shall smoke. Cast forth thy lightning, and thou shalt scatter them: send forth thine arrows, and thou shalt confound them." But these things more clearly according to

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διαφυγεῖν, οὕτως ἀναβιῶναι τὸν τεθνηκότα τῶν ἀδυνάτων, μὴ βουλομένου Θεοῦ. ηʹ. "Ἀκουστὸν ποίησόν μοι τὸ πρωῒ τὸ ἔλεός σου, ὅτι ἐπὶ σοὶ ἤλπισα." Τὴν σήν μοι φιλανθρω πίαν, φησὶ, μήνυσον, καὶ τῆς ἐλπίδος μὴ διαμάρ τοιμι. Πρωῒ γὰρ ἐνταῦθα τὸ ταχέως ἐκάλεσε. "Γνώρισόν μοι, Κύριε, ὁδὸν ἐν ᾗ πορεύσομαι, ὅτι πρὸς σὲ ἦρα τὴν ψυχήν μου." Γενοῦ μοι, φησὶ, ποδηγὸς, καὶ τὴν εὐθεῖαν πορείαν ὑπόδειξον. Πάν των γὰρ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων τὴν ἐμὴν ἀποστήσας ψυχὴν, σοὶ ταύτην προσήγαγον, ∆έσποτα. θʹ. "Ἐξελοῦ με ἐκ τῶν ἐχθρῶν μου, Κύριε, πρὸς σὲ κατέφυγον." Φεύγων τοὺς πολεμίους σὲ κατα φυγῆς τόπον ἔχω, καὶ τῆς ἐκείνων ἐπιβουλῆς ἀπ αλλαγῆναι παρακαλῶ. ιʹ. "∆ίδαξόν με τοῦ ποιεῖν τὸ θέλημά σου, ὅτι σὺ εἶ ὁ Θεός μου." Ἱκετεύω δὲ καὶ τοῦτο, μὴ μόνον εἰδέναι τί θέλεις, ἀλλὰ καὶ πράττειν ἃ θέλεις· ἐπειδὴ σὲ Θεὸν ἐμαυτοῦ καὶ ∆εσπότην ἐπίσταμαι. "Τὸ πνεῦμά σου τὸ ἀγαθὸν ὁδηγήσει με ἐν γῇ εὐθείᾳ." Καὶ ἐντεῦθεν τὴν ἀξίαν τοῦ πνεύματος ἐδιδάχθημεν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς ἀγαθὸς, οὕτω καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα ὠνόμασται ἀγαθόν· καὶ καθάπερ τὸν Θεὸν ὁδηγῆσαι αὐτὸν ἱκέτευσεν, οὕτω καὶ τῆς τοῦ Πνεύ ματος ὁδηγίας ἀπολαῦσαι παρακαλεῖ, ὡς μηδὲν αὐ τῷ φανῆναι πρόσαντες, μηδὲ δυσχερὲς, ἀλλ' εὐθεῖαν τὴν ὁδὸν ὁδεύειν, καὶ λείαν, καὶ πλάνης ἀπηλλα γμένην. ιαʹ. "Ἕνεκεν τοῦ ὀνόματός σου, Κύριε, ζήσεις με." Σύ με προεβάλου βασιλέα· τῆς σῆς δὲ ψήφου καὶ χειροτονίας ἀπήλαυσα, καὶ δέδια μὴ παροφθεὶς ὑπὸ σοῦ βλασφημίας πρόξενος τῷ σῷ ὀνόματι γένωμαι. Μὴ εἰς τὴν ἐμὴν τοίνυν ἀποβλέψῃς ἀξίαν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν τοῦ σοῦ ὀνόματος εὐφημίαν μετάδος μοι τῆς σωτηρίας. "Ἐν τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ σου ἐξάξεις ἐκ θλί ψεως τὴν ψυχήν μου." Ἐμοὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῖς πολε μίοις δικάσας, δικαίως τῶν ὑπ' ἐκείνων ἐπαγομένων ἀπαλλάξεις με συμφορῶν. ιβʹ. "Καὶ ἐν τῷ ἐλέει σου ἐξολοθρεύσεις τοὺς ἐχθρούς μου, καὶ ἀπολεῖς πάντας τοὺς θλίβοντας τὴν ψυχήν μου, ὅτι ἐγὼ δοῦλός σού εἰμι." Τοῦτο καὶ ἐν τῷ ρλεʹ ἔφη ψαλμῷ, "Τῷ πατάξαντι Αἴγυπτον σὺν τοῖς πρωτοτόκοις αὐτοῦ, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ" Καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἔφη, "Ἐν τῷ ἐλέει σου ἐξολοθρεύσεις τοὺς ἐχθρούς μου." Ὁ γὰρ περὶ τὸν ἀδικούμενον ἔλεος ἐπάγει τῷ ἀδικοῦντι τὸν ὄλεθρον. Οὕτω καὶ γεωργὸς ἄριστος προῤῥίζους μὲν τὰς ἀκάνθας ἐκτέμνει, ἄρδει δὲ καὶ γεωργεῖ τὰ φυτά. 80.1960

ΕΡΜΗΝ. ΤΟΥ ΡΜΓʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΥ αʹ. Τῷ ∆αβίδ. Ἐν ἐνίοις τῶν ἀντιγράφων τῇ ἐπιγραφῇ προσκείμενον εὗρον,

"Πρὸς τὸν Γολιάθ." Οὔτε δὲ παρὰ τῷ Ἑβραίῳ, οὔτε παρὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἑρμηνευταῖς, οὔτε μὴν παρὰ τοῖς Ἑβδομήκοντα εὗ ρον ἐν τῷ Ἑξαπλῷ. Ἔχει δὲ ὑπόθεσιν ταύτην· Τῶν ἐπαναστάντων Ἰουδαίοις ἐθνῶν, μετὰ τὴν ἀπὸ Βα βυλῶνος ἐπάνοδον, πολλοὶ τῶν προφητῶν ἐμνημό νευσαν· πλατύτερον δὲ τῶν ἄλλων ὁ θεῖος Ἰεζεκιήλ. Λέγει δὲ καὶ ταῦτα μεθ' ἑτέρων πολλῶν· "Ἀφ' ἡμερῶν πλειόνων ἑτοιμασθήσῃ, καὶ ἥξεις εἰς γῆν τὴν ἀπεστραμμένην ἀπὸ μαχαίρας, ἠθροισμένην ἀπὸ λαῶν πολλῶν, ἐπὶ γῆν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ἣ ἐγένετο ἔρη μος δι' ὅλου. Καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἐξεληλύθασι, καὶ κατοικήσουσιν ἐπὶ εἰρήνης πάντες αὐτοί. Καὶ ἀναβήσῃ ὡς ὑετὸς, καὶ ἥξεις ὡς καταιγὶς, καὶ ὡς νεφέλη, καλύψαι τὴν γῆν, καὶ πέσῃ σὺ, καὶ πάν τες οἱ περὶ σὲ, καὶ ἔθνη πολλὰ μετὰ σοῦ." Εἶτα μετὰ πολλὰ διδάσκει καὶ τοῦ θανάτου τὸν τρόπον. "Καὶ συγκαλέσω ἐπ' αὐτὸν φόβον μαχαίρας εἰς πάντα τὰ ὄρη μου, λέγει Ἀδωναῒ Κύριος. Μάχαιρα ἀνθρώπου ἐπὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ ἔσται, καὶ κρινῶ αὐτὸν ἐν θανάτῳ, καὶ ἐν αἵματι, καὶ ὑετῷ κατα κλύζοντι, καὶ λίθοις χαλάζης. Καὶ πῦρ καὶ θεῖον βρέξω ἐπὶ αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς μετ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐπὶ ἔθνη πολλὰ τὰ μετ' αὐτοῦ." Ἔξεστι δὲ τῷ βουλομένῳ ταῦτα μαθεῖν ἀκριβέστερον ἐντυγχάνοντι τῇ προφητείᾳ. Ταῦτα καὶ οὗτος ὁ ψαλμὸς προθεσπί ζει· "Κλῖνον γὰρ οὐρανοὺς, Κύριε, καὶ κατάβηθι· ἅψαι τῶν ὀρέων, καὶ καπνισθήσονται· ἄστραψον ἀστραπήν σου, καὶ σκορπιεῖς αὐτούς· ἐξαπόστειλον τὰ βέλη σου, καὶ συνταράξεις αὐτούς." Σαφέστερον δὲ ταῦτα ἡ κατὰ