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he has delivered from wars and turmoil not only the city, but also the whole nation; because not on one occasion, and a second, and a third, but continuously he did this; for it did not say, "He who has placed," but, "He who places." And if ever wars also happened, it was not because he was abandoning them, but because they were leaping away; as his work was this continuous thing, to build walls, to make secure, to cause them to be delivered from all turmoil and war. Then, after that, he mentions another good deed, the good seasons and abundance of the fruits of the earth, again here too teaching them not to attribute the whole thing to the earth, nor to the nature of the airs, but to his providence. And what is this? That which he added, saying, "And filling you with the fat of the wheat." See; he did not simply say, "Wheat," but, "The fat of the wheat," indicating the great prosperity. For "fat of the wheat" signifies the richness of the grain. For such are the gifts of God, excellent and flourishing. Therefore, he says here that he fills with the finest wheat, with abundance. For indicating this, he did not say, "Giving," but, "Filling you." "He who sends forth his oracle to the earth." As is his custom to transfer the discourse from particular things to common things, and again from common things to particular things, this he also does here. For since he said, "Praise your God," lest any of the foolish should think he is God of the Jews alone, he shows how he is common to the whole world, and his providence is extended everywhere on earth, leading the discourse and the universal providence from the particular to the common. Wherefore, having said, "He who sends forth his oracle to the earth," he added, "His word will run with speed." And he said this, showing that he cares not only for our part, but for the entire world. And here by "word" he means the command, the providential energy. Then, representing the ease, he represents this not by the name of "word," but also by the term "running." And not even this was enough for him, but he also added "speed." What he says is something like this: Whatever he commands, comes to be with great swiftness. For he commands everywhere in the world. And what does he command? These things which sustain our life, I mean, the things concerning the economy of the airs, and the seasons and the changes. Wherefore he adds, saying: "Who gives his snow like wool; who scatters mist like ashes." Another interpreter has this as, "Frozen dew." And the Hebrew, Chephor cha'epher. "Who casts his ice like morsels." "Before the face of his cold who will stand?" But another says, "Before the face of his heat who will stand?" "He will send out his word, and will melt them; his wind will blow, and the waters will flow." Here he represents to me the invincible and infinite nature of his power, that he both brings forth substances that do not exist, 55.480 and having been made he transfers them, and reshapes them to what he wishes. 2. Which another prophet also, declaring, said: "He who makes all things, and refashions them." For even if they are bound by the immovable limits of nature, yet whenever it seems good to him, these limits are loosed. For all things yield and give way to him. And sometimes he changes the substances themselves, and at other times, while they remain, he transfers them to another energy, and allows their own and allotted property to rest, while he displays another, the contrary one; which is what he also did in the case of the furnace. For it was fire, and it did not burn; but those cast in enjoyed a most pleasant dew. There was a sea in the case of the Jews, and the waters did not drown them, but they crossed over more firmly than on rock. There was earth in the case of Dathan and Abiram, and yet it did not support their bodies, but they were swallowed up more easily than by the sea. The rod of Aaron was dry wood, and it brought forth more beautiful fruit than those planted in the earth. There was a donkey, the dullest of all animals, in the case of Balaam, and it made no less a defense to the one beating it than a rational man. There were lions in the case of Daniel, and they showed the gentleness of sheep, not of their nature

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πολέμων ἀπήλλαξε καὶ ταραχῆς οὐχὶ τὴν πόλιν μόνην, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ἔθνος ἅπαν· ὅτι οὐχ ἑνὶ καιρῷ καὶ δευτέρῳ καὶ τρίτῳ, ἀλλὰ διηνεκῶς τοῦτο ἐποίει· οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν, Ὁ θεὶς, ἀλλ', Ὁ τιθείς. Εἰ δέ ποτε καὶ πόλεμοι συνέβαινον, οὐκ αὐτοῦ ἐγκαταλιμπάνοντος, ἀλλ' αὐτῶν ἀποπηδώντων· ὡς τό γε αὐτοῦ ἔργον τοῦτο ἦν διηνεκὲς, τὸ τειχίζειν, τὸ ἀσφαλίζεσθαι, τὸ ποιεῖν ἀπηλλάχθαι πάσης ταραχῆς καὶ πολέμου. Εἶτα καὶ ἑτέραν μετ' ἐκείνης λέγει εὐεργεσίαν, τὴν εὐετηρίαν καὶ εὐθηνίαν τῶν ἀπὸ γῆς καρπῶν, πάλιν καὶ ἐνταῦθα παιδεύων αὐτοὺς μὴ τῇ γῇ, μηδὲ τῇ φύσει τῶν ἀέρων, ἀλλὰ τῇ αὐτοῦ προνοίᾳ τὸ πᾶν λογίζεσθαι. Ποίαν δὲ ταύτην; Ἣν ἐπήγαγε λέγων, Καὶ στέαρ πυροῦ ἐμπιπλῶν σε. Ὅρα· οὐκ εἶπεν ἁπλῶς, Πυρὸν, ἀλλὰ, Στέαρ πυροῦ, πολλὴν ἐνδεικνύμενος τὴν εὐημερίαν. Στέαρ γὰρ πυροῦ τὸ λιπαρὸν τοῦ καρποῦ δηλοῖ. Τοιαῦτα γὰρ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰ δῶρα, δόκιμα καὶ εὐθαλῆ. Τὸν κάλλιστον οὖν πυρὸν ἐνταῦθα λέγει ἐμπιπλᾷν μετὰ δαψιλείας. Τοῦτο γὰρ δηλῶν οὐκ εἶπε, ∆ιδοὺς, ἀλλ', Ἐμπιπλῶν σε. Ὁ ἀποστέλλων τὸ λόγιον αὐτοῦ τῇ γῇ. Ὅπερ αὐτῷ σύνηθές ἐστιν ἀπὸ τῶν ἰδικῶν ἐπὶ τὰ κοινὰ μεταφέρειν τὸν λόγον, καὶ πάλιν ἀπὸ τῶν κοινῶν ἐπὶ τὰ ἰδιάζοντα, τοῦτο καὶ ἐνταῦθα ποιεῖ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶπεν, Αἴνει τὸν Θεόν σου, ἵνα μή τις τῶν ἀνοήτων νομίσῃ τῶν Ἰουδαίων μόνων Θεὸν εἶναι, δείκνυσι πῶς κοινὸς τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐστὶ, καὶ πανταχοῦ τῆς γῆς ἡ πρόνοια αὐτοῦ τέταται, ἀπὸ τῶν ἰδιαζόντων ἐπὶ τὸ κοινὸν ἐξάγων τὸν λόγον καὶ τὴν καθόλου πρόνοιαν. ∆ιὸ καὶ εἰπὼν, Ὁ ἀποστέλλων τὸ λόγιον αὐτοῦ τῇ γῇ, ἐπήγαγεν, Ἕως τάχους δραμεῖται ὁ λόγος αὐτοῦ. Τοῦτο δὲ εἶπε, δεικνὺς ὅτι οὐ μόνον τῆς ἡμετέρας κήδεται, ἀλλὰ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἁπάσης. Λόγον δὲ ἐνταῦθα τὸ πρόσταγμά φησι, τὴν ἐνέργειαν τὴν προνοητικήν. Εἶτα τὴν εὐκολίαν παριστὰς, οὐ τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ λόγου, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῇ προσηγορίᾳ τοῦ δρόμου ταύτην παρίστησι. Καὶ οὐδὲ τοῦτο αὐτῷ ἤρκεσεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ τάχος προσέθηκεν. Ὃ δὲ λέγει τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· Ὅπερ ἂν ἐπιτάξῃ, μετὰ πολλῆς γίνεται τῆς ταχυτῆτος. Ἐπιτάττει γὰρ πανταχοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης. Τί δὲ ἐπιτάττει; Ταῦτα τὰ συνέχοντα τὴν ζωὴν τὴν ἡμετέραν, λέγω δὴ τὰ περὶ τῆς τῶν ἀέρων οἰκονομίας, καὶ τῶν τροπῶν καὶ τῶν μεταβολῶν. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐπάγει λέγων· ∆ιδόντος χιόνα αὐτοῦ ὡσεὶ ἔριον· ὁμίχλην ὡσεὶ σποδὸν πάσσοντος. Τοῦτο ἕτερος ἑρμηνευτὴς, ∆ρόσον πεπηγμένην. Ὁ δὲ Ἑβραῖος, Χεφὸρ χαέφηρ. Βάλλοντος κρύσταλλον αὐτοῦ ὡσεὶ ψωμούς. Κατὰ πρόσωπον ψύχους αὐτοῦ τίς ὑποστήσεται· Ἕτερος δέ φησι, Κατὰ πρόσωπον καύματος αὐτοῦ τίς ὑποστήσεται; Ἐξαποστελεῖ τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ, καὶ τήξει αὐτά· πνεύσει τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ῥυήσεται ὕδατα. Ἐνταῦθά μοι τὸ ἄμαχον καὶ ἀπέραντον αὐτοῦ τῆς δυνάμεως παρίστησιν, ὅτι καὶ οὐκ οὔσας 55.480 παράγει τὰς οὐσίας, καὶ γενομένας μετατίθησι, καὶ πρὸς ὃ βούλεται μεταῤῥυθμίζει. βʹ. Ὅπερ καὶ ἕτερος προφήτης δηλῶν ἔλεγεν· Ὁ ποιῶν πάντα, καὶ μετασκευάζων αὐτά. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ φύσεως ἀκινήτοις ὅροις πεπέδηνται, ἀλλ' ὅταν αὐτῷ δοκῇ, λύονται οὗτοι οἱ ὅροι. Αὐτῷ γὰρ πάντα εἴκει καὶ παραχωρεῖ. Καὶ ποτὲ μὲν αὐτὰς μεταβάλλει τὰς οὐσίας, ποτὲ δὲ μενούσας εἰς ἑτέραν μετατίθησιν ἐνέργειαν, καὶ τὴν μὲν οἰκείαν αὐτῷ καὶ συγκεκληρωμένην ἀφίησιν ἡσυχάζειν, ἑτέραν δὲ τὴν ἐναντίαν ἐπιδείκνυται· ὅπερ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς καμίνου ἐποίησε. Πῦρ γὰρ ἦν, καὶ οὐκ ἔκαιεν· ἀλλὰ δρόσου τινὸς ἡδίστης οἱ ἐμβληθέντες ἀπέλαυον. Πέλαγος ἦν ἐπὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων, καὶ οὐ κατεπόντιζε τὰ ὕδατα, ἀλλὰ πέτρας στεῤῥότερον διεβιβάζοντο. Γῆ ἦν ἐπὶ τοῦ ∆αθὰν καὶ Ἀβειρὼν, καὶ ὅμως οὐκ ἔστεγεν αὐτῶν τὰ σώματα, ἀλλὰ θαλάσσης εὐκολώτερον κατεποντίζοντο. Ξύλον ἦν ξηρὸν ἡ ῥάβδος τοῦ Ἀαρὼν, καὶ τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς πεφυτευμένων ὡραιότερον καρπὸν ἤνεγκεν. Ὄνος ἦν τὸ πάντων νωθέστερον ζῶον ἐπὶ τοῦ Βαλαὰμ, καὶ ἀνθρώπου λογικοῦ οὐκ ἔλαττον ἀπολογίαν εἰς τὸν παίοντα πεποίηκε. Λέοντες ἦσαν ἐπὶ τοῦ ∆ανιὴλ, καὶ προβάτων ἡμερότητα ἐπεδείξαντο, οὐ τῆς φύσεως