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of man, that you are mindful of him? Have you seen how great the majesty of the nature of God is? Man is like to vanity. But another interpreter said, instead of "to vanity," "to a vapor." And "to vanity" means nothing other than that he is mortal, temporary, brief. Here he exercises the discourse concerning the body. For which reason Abraham also said: But I am earth and ashes; and Isaiah, All flesh is grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. And what is, "He is like to vanity"? To nothing, he says; since of human things nothing is firm, nor stable, but all things pass by and go away. His days pass away like a shadow; that is, not even when they are present do they have any strength, but they also fly away quickly.

3. And consider this regarding the matters themselves, taking into account those in high positions, those on chariots, those in power, those who cast into prison and scourge. For how do these differ from a shadow, not at the time of death, but even before death? For when they are removed from power, all those things are gone and get out of the way; but true matters are after the departure from here; then also are true reckonings and punishments, and good things likewise, and the judge who cannot be deceived. But the things here are like children playing. For he who judges today, stands judged tomorrow, and the changes are frequent, and the transitions are irregular. Lord, bow your heavens, and come down. Touch the mountains, and they shall smoke. Another. When you bowed your heavens, and came down, and touched the mountains, they smoked. And what is this sequence of words? Very much so, and strongly connected to the preceding. For since he has spoken about the insignificance of human nature, and has presented the nothingness of nature, here again he suppresses the arrogance of the inflamed, saying almost this through what he added: They should have understood from themselves the insignificance of their nature, and not have been proud; but since they are not willing, show from your works how far they are removed from humility. Lord, bow your heavens, and come down. He says this, not because God comes down; for how could He who is everywhere present? but so that through these human words he might astonish the duller of his hearers, he speaks of Him in a more human way. Since also the 55.461 of the touch, although it seems to be great, is far inferior to the dignity of God. For God has no need of touch to make the mountains smoke, but rather not even of a nod, but of counsel and will. Having spoken, therefore, about the insignificance of man, he also speaks about the power of God, as far as it is possible for a man to speak; since even these things are far short of that majesty. Flash lightning, and you will scatter them; send forth your arrows, and you will confound them. By lightning here and arrows he means not this lightning, nor these arrows, but he calls punishments thus, persuading the scornful and the indolent from things already known to tremble and fear and submit. For if one could not bear lightning, although it is not sent for punishment, if He should wish to move His punitive power, who will withstand it? And the arrows of God are famines, and plagues, and thunderbolts, and manifold punishments. Send forth your hand from on high; deliver me, and rescue me from many waters, from the hand of strange children. For the power of God is perfected not only for punishing, but also for saving. And here by "hand" he means help, assistance; for which reason he did not say, "Stretch forth," but "Send forth," signifying this; and if somewhere he should also say, "Stretch forth," it again alludes to the same thing. And by "waters" he calls the disorderly, and confused assault of the enemies, borne with great force. For that the discourse is not about waters is clear from what follows; For, he says, "From the hand of strange children."

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ἀνθρώπου, ὅτι λογίζῃ αὐτόν; Εἶδες πόσον τὸ μεγαλεῖον τῆς φύσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ; Ἄνθρωπος ματαιότητι ὡμοιώθη. Ἕτερος δὲ ἑρμηνευτὴς τὸ, Ματαιότητι, Ἀτμῷ εἶπεν. Οὐκ ἄλλο δὲ τὸ Ματαιότητι δηλοῖ, ἢ ὅτι ἐπίκηρος, πρόσκαιρος, βραχύς. Ἐνταῦθα τὸν περὶ τοῦ σώματος γυμνάζει λόγον. ∆ι' ὃ καὶ Ἀβραὰμ ἔλεγεν· Ἐγὼ δέ εἰμι γῆ καὶ σποδός· ὁ δὲ Ἡσαΐας, Πᾶσα σὰρξ χόρτος, καὶ πᾶσα δόξα ἀνθρώπου ὡς ἄνθος χόρτου. Τί δέ ἐστι, Ματαιότητι ὡμοιώθη; Τῷ μηδενὶ, φησίν· ἐπειδὴ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων οὐδὲν βέβαιον, οὐδὲ στάσιμον, ἀλλὰ πάντα παράγει καὶ παρέρχεται. Αἱ ἡμέραι αὐτοῦ ὡσεὶ σκιὰ παράγουσι· τουτέστιν, οὐδὲ ἡνίκα πάρεισιν, ἰσχύν τινα ἔχουσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ταχέως ἀφίπτανται. γʹ. Καὶ σκόπει τοῦτο ἐπὶ τῶν πραγμάτων αὐτῶν, τοὺς ἐν ἀξιώμασι λογιζόμενος, τοὺς ἐπὶ τῶν ὀχημάτων, τοὺς ἐν ταῖς δυναστείαις, τοὺς εἰς τὸ δεσμωτήριον ἐμβάλλοντας καὶ μαστιγοῦντας. Τί γὰρ σκιᾶς διαφέρουσιν οὗτοι, οὐκ ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς τελευτῆς, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸ τῆς τελευτῆς; Ὅταν γὰρ ἀρχῆς παραλυθῶσι, πάντα ἐκεῖνα οἴχεται καὶ ἐκποδὼν γίνεται· τὰ δὲ ἀληθῆ πράγματα μετὰ τὴν ἐντεῦθεν ἀποδημίαν· τότε καὶ εὐθῦναι καὶ κολάσεις ἀληθεῖς, καὶ τὰ ἀγαθὰ ὁμοίως, καὶ ὁ δικαστὴς ἀνεξαπάτητος. Τὰ δὲ ἐνταῦθα παισὶν ἔοικε παίζουσιν. Ὁ σήμερον γὰρ δικάζων, ἕστηκεν αὔριον δικαζόμενος, καὶ πυκναὶ αἱ μεταβολαὶ, καὶ ἀνώμαλοι αἱ μεταβάσεις. Κύριε, κλῖνον οὐρανούς σου, καὶ κατάβηθι. Ἅψαι τῶν ὀρέων, καὶ καπνισθήσονται. Ἕτερος. Κλίναντός σου οὐρανοὺς, καὶ καταβάντος, καὶ ἁψαμένου τῶν ὀρέων ἐκαπνίσθησαν. Καὶ ποία αὕτη ῥημάτων ἀκολουθία; Πολλὰ μὲν οὖν, καὶ σφόδρα ἐχομένη τῶν προτέρων. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ περὶ τῆς εὐτελείας τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης διελέχθη, καὶ τὸ οὐδαμινὸν τῆς φύσεως παρέστησε, καὶ ἐνταῦθα πάλιν καταστέλλει τῶν φλεγμαινόντων τὴν ἀπόνοιαν, μονονουχὶ τοῦτο δι' ὧν ἐπήγαγε λέγων· Ἔδει μὲν αὐτοὺς οἴκοθεν συνιδεῖν τῆς φύσεως τὸ εὐτελὲς, καὶ μὴ μέγα φρονεῖν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὐ βούλονται, δεῖξον ἀπὸ τῶν σῶν ἔργων ποῦ ταπεινότητός εἰσιν ἀπῳκισμένοι. Κύριε, κλῖνον οὐρανοὺς, καὶ κατάβηθι. Τοῦτο λέγει, οὐκ ἐπειδὴ ὁ Θεὸς καταβαίνει· πῶς γὰρ ὁ πανταχοῦ παρών; ἀλλ' ἵνα διὰ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων τούτων λέξεων τοὺς παχυτέρους ἐκπλήξῃ τῶν ἀκροατῶν, ἀνθρωπινώτερον περὶ αὐτοῦ διαλέγεται. Ἐπεὶ καὶ τὸ 55.461 τῆς ἁφῆς, εἰ καὶ δοκεῖ μέγα εἶναι, ἀλλὰ πολὺ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀξίας καταδεέστερον. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἁφῆς ὁ Θεὸς χρείαν ἔχει, ἵνα καπνίσῃ τὰ ὄρη, μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδὲ νεύματος, ἀλλὰ βουλῆς καὶ θελήσεως. Εἰπὼν τοίνυν περὶ τῆς εὐτελείας τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, λέγει καὶ περὶ τῆς δυνάμεως τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὡς ἀνθρώπῳ δυνατὸν εἰπεῖν· ἐπεὶ καὶ ταῦτα πολὺ ἀποδέοντα τῆς μεγαλωσύνης ἐκείνης. Ἄστραψον ἀστραπὴν, καὶ σκορπιεῖς αὐτούς· ἐξαπόστειλον τὰ βέλη σου, καὶ συνταράξεις αὐτούς. Ἀστραπὴν ἐνταῦθα καὶ βέλη οὐ τὴν ἀστραπὴν ταύτην φησὶν, οὐδὲ ταῦτα τὰ βέλη, ἀλλὰ τὰς τιμωρίας οὕτω καλεῖ, ἀπὸ τῶν ἤδη γνωρίμων τὸν καταφρονητὴν πείθων καὶ τὸν ἀναπεπτωκότα τρέμειν καὶ δεδοικέναι καὶ ὑποκύπτειν. Εἰ γὰρ ἀστραπήν τις οὐκ ἂν ἐνέγκοι, καίτοι οὐκ ἐπὶ κολάσει πεμπομένην, εἰ βουληθείη κινῆσαι τὴν τιμωρητικὴν αὑτοῦ δύναμιν, τίς ὑποστήσεται; Βέλη δὲ Θεοῦ λιμοὶ, καὶ λοιμοὶ, καὶ σκηπτοὶ, καὶ πολυειδεῖς τιμωρίαι. Ἐξαπόστειλον τὴν χεῖρά σου ἐξ ὕψους· ἐξελοῦ με, καὶ ῥῦσαί με ἐξ ὑδάτων πολλῶν, ἐκ χειρὸς υἱῶν ἀλλοτρίων. Οὐ γὰρ πρὸς τὸ κολάζειν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς τὸ σώζειν ἀπηρτισμένη ἡ δύναμις τοῦ Θεοῦ. Χεῖρα δὲ ἐνταῦθα τὴν βοήθειαν, τὴν συμμαχίαν λέγει· διὸ οὐδὲ Ἔκτεινον, εἶπεν, ἀλλ' Ἐξαπόστειλον, τοῦτο δηλῶν· εἰ δέ που καὶ, Ἔκτεινον, λέγοι, τὸ αὐτὸ πάλιν αἰνίττεται. Καὶ ὕδατα δὲ τὴν ἄτακτον τῶν πολεμίων ἔφοδον καλεῖ, καὶ συγκεχυμένην, καὶ πολλῇ τῇ ῥύμῃ φερομένην. Ὅτι γὰρ οὐ περὶ ὑδάτων ὁ λόγος, δῆλον διὰ τῆς ἐπαγωγῆς· Ἐκ χειρὸς γὰρ, φησὶν, υἱῶν ἀλλοτρίων.