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to be praised with your inheritance. The present psalm also contains praise and hymn to God; for this reason it is inscribed, Alleluia; which is interpreted, Praise the Lord. And beginning immediately, it commands those who set out from sin to approach the therapeutic Son of God as a physician and savior, and to lay bare to him the wounds of the soul, by confessing their own sins. And he who does this genuinely, and weeps for what he has sinned before, so that he may not do this with words only, but with disposition and with the deeds themselves, receives this instruction from the Psalmist. And he eagerly urges confession, by proclaiming, For the Lord is good, for his mercy is for ever. For this reason, he says, confess eagerly, because he himself is ready for loving-kindness, knowing that the affairs of this present age, being mortal and perishable, need mercy. We have sinned with our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedness. Not we alone, he says, have sinned; but if one were to examine from the beginning, from the earliest times, he would find our race to be always and completely sinful. For though so many wonders were performed through Moses, they did not understand, but even having obtained salvation, and having been freed from the servitude 23.1313 under the Egyptians, they did not know that not because of their own righteousness, nor because of being worthy of God's visitation, but because of the multitude of his mercy they obtained these things. Our fathers in Egypt did not understand your wonders, they did not remember the multitude of your mercy. And they provoked him when they went up at the Red Sea. The psalm before this one recounted these things, but it also summarized the wonders in the desert, without accusing the people of anything. But the present one repeats the narrative, and recounts all the impieties of the people. And the whole account is an accusation of the Jewish people. And they provoked him when they went up at the Red Sea. Coming to Moses and saying, Would that we had died in the land of Egypt, or in this desert; and, Is it because there were no graves in Egypt, that you have brought us out to die in the desert? What is this you have done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? Was this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, Leave us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it is better for us to serve the Egyptians, than to die in this desert. And as much as was in their power, they made God bitter to them instead of good. But the good God, rich in mercy and loving-kindness, saved them again for his own name's sake, to make his power known; so that the ungodly might not say, Where is their God? for this reason he provided salvation to them then also, driving them from all sides to their salvation. But they, being overcome, believed his words for a little while, having passed through the Red Sea. And he rebuked the Red Sea, and it was dried up, and he led them through the deep as through a desert. He who rebuked the Red Sea is confessed by all to be God. If therefore Jesus also commands the tossing sea, he is confessed by all to be God, so that from a storm or a surge a calm may come. He who rebuked the Red Sea and dried it up, so that it became passable, was himself God, it being formerly called a sea and an abyss because of the multitude of waters. And he saved them from the hand of him that hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. Water covered those who afflicted them, not one of them was left. One might ask about the mixed multitude of Egyptians, who passed through the sea, and came into the desert with the people. To whom we will say that they were not of those who afflicted Israel. But concerning those who afflicted them it was said, Not one of them was left. But the mixed multitude was Egyptian, but believing the words of Moses,
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ἐπαινεῖσθαι μετὰ τῆς κληρονομίας σου. Αἶνον καὶ ὕμνον πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν καὶ ὁ παρὼν ψαλμὸς περιέχει· διὸ ἐπιγέγραπται, Ἀλληλούϊα· ὅπερ ἑρμηνεύεται, Αἰνεῖτε τὸν Κύριον. Προστάττει δὲ εὐθὺς ἀρχόμενος τοῖς ἁμαρτημάτων ὁρμωμένοις ὥσπερ ἰατρῷ καὶ σωτῆρι προσιέναι τῷ θεραπευτικῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ Υἱῷ, καὶ τὰ τραύματα τῆς ψυχῆς ἀπογυμνοῦν αὐτῷ, διὰ τὸ ἐξομολογεῖσθαι τὰς οἰκείας ἁμαρτίας. Ὁ δὲ τοῦτο πράττων γνησίως, καὶ ἀποκλαιόμενος ἐφ' οἷς ἥμαρτε πρότερον, ὅτι μὴ λόγοις μόνοις τοῦτο πράξαι, ἀλλὰ τῇ διαθέσει καὶ αὐτοῖς τοῖς πράγμασι, παρὰ τοῦ Ψαλμῳδοῦ κομίζεται τὴν εἰσήγησιν. Προτρέπει δὲ προθύμως ἐπὶ τὴν ἐξομολόγησιν, διὰ τοῦ ἐπαγγέλλεσθαι, Ὅτι χρηστὸς ὁ Κύριος, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ. ∆ιὰ ταῦτα γὰρ, φησὶ, προθύμως ἐξομολογεῖσθε, ὅτι καὶ αὐτὸς ἕτοιμός ἐστιν εἰς φιλανθρωπίαν, εἰδὼς ὅτι ἐλέου δεῖται τὰ τοῦ ἐνεστῶτος αἰῶνος πράγματα θνητὰ ὄντα καὶ ἐπίκηρα. Ἡμάρτομεν μετὰ τῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν, ἠνομήσαμεν, ἠδικήσαμεν. Οὐ μόνοι, φησὶν, ἡμάρτομεν· ἀλλ' εἴ τις ἐξετάσειεν ἄνωθεν ἀπὸ τῶν πρώτων χρόνων, εὕροι ἂν ἀεὶ καὶ ἐκ τοῦ παντὸς ἁμαρτητικὸν τυγχάνον τὸ ἡμέτερον γένος. Τοσούτων γὰρ θαυμασίων διὰ Μωϋσέως ἐπιτελουμένων, οὐ συνῆκαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ σωτηρίας τυχόντες, καὶ τῆς ὑπ' Αἰγυπτίοις δου 23.1313 λείας ἐλευθερωθέντες, οὐκ ἔγνωσαν, ὅτι οὐ διὰ τὰς αὐτῶν δικαιοσύνας, οὔτε διὰ τὸ εἶναι ἐπισκοπῆς Θεοῦ ἀξίους, διὰ δὲ τὸ πλῆθος τοῦ ἐλέους αὐτοῦ τούτων τετυχήκασι. Οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ οὐ συνῆκαν τὰ θαυμάσιά σου, οὐκ ἐμνήσθησαν τοῦ πλήθους τοῦ ἐλέους σου. Καὶ παρεπίκραναν ἀναβαίνοντες ἐν τῇ Ἐρυθρᾷ θαλάσσῃ. Ταῦτα μὲν ὁ πρὸ τούτου διείληφε ψαλμὸς, ἐπετέμνετο δὲ αὐτὸς καὶ τὰς ἐπὶ τῆς ἐρήμου παραδοξοποιίας, μηδὲν κατηγορήσας τοῦ λαοῦ. Ὁ δὲ παρὼν ἐπαναλαμβάνει τὴν διήγησιν, καὶ πάσας τοῦ λαοῦ τὰς δυσσεβείας διέξεισιν. Ἔστι δὲ καὶ ὁ πᾶς λόγος τοῦ Ἰουδαίων λαοῦ κατηγορικός. Καὶ παρεπίκραναν ἀναβαίνοντες ἐν τῇ Ἐρυθρᾷ θαλάσσῃ. Προσελθόντες Μωϋσῇ καὶ φήσαντες, Ὄφελον μὲν ἀπεθάνομεν ἐν γῇ Αἰγύπτῳ, ἢ ἐπὶ τῆς ἐρήμου ταύτης· καὶ, Παρὰ τὸ μὴ εἶναι μνήματα ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ, ἐξήγαγες ἡμᾶς, θανατῶσαι ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ; Τί τοῦτο ἐποίησας ἡμῖν ἐξαγαγὼν ἐξ Αἰγύπτου; Οὐ τοῦτο ἦν τὸ ῥῆμα ὃ ἐλαλήσαμεν πρὸς σὲ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ λέγοντες· Πάρες ἡμᾶς, ὅπως δουλεύσωμεν τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις; Κρεῖσσον γὰρ ἡμᾶς δουλεύειν τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις, ἢ ἀποθανεῖν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ταύτῃ. Καὶ ὅσον μὲν ἐπ' αὐτοῖς πικρὸν αὐτοῖς ἀντὶ χρηστοῦ τὸν Θεὸν κατεστήσαντο. Ὁ δὲ ἀγαθὸς Θεὸς πλουτῶν ἐλέῳ καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ, πάλιν ἔσωζεν αὐτοὺς ἕνεκεν τοῦ ὀνόματος αὑτοῦ, τοῦ γνωρίσαι τὴν δυναστείαν αὑτοῦ· ὅπως μὴ εἴπωσιν οἱ ἀσεβεῖς, Ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς αὐτῶν; διὰ τοῦτο παρεῖχεν αὐτοῖς καὶ τότε τὴν σωτηρίαν, πανταχόθεν αὐτοὺς συνελαύνων ἐπὶ τὴν σωτηρίαν αὐτῶν. Οἱ δὲ νικηθέντες πρὸς μὲν ὀλίγον ἐπίστευσαν τοῖς λόγοις αὐτοῦ, διελθόντες τὴν Ἐρυθρὰν θάλασσαν. Καὶ ἐπετίμησε τῇ Ἐρυθρᾷ θαλάσσῃ, καὶ ἐξηράνθη, καὶ ὡδήγησεν αὐτοὺς ἐν ἀβύσσῳ ὡς ἐν ἐρήμῳ. Ὁ ἐπιτιμήσας τῇ Ἐρυθρᾷ θαλάσσῃ πᾶσι Θεὸς ἀνωμολόγηται. Εἰ οὖν καὶ Ἰησοῦς κλονουμένῃ ἐπιτάσσει τῇ θαλάσσῃ, πᾶσι Θεὸς ἀνωμολόγηται, ἵνα ἐκ τρικυμίας ἢ κλύδωνος γαλήνη γένηται. Θεὸς ὢν αὐτὸς ὁ ἐπιτιμήσας τῇ Ἐρυθρᾷ θαλάσσῃ καὶ ξηραίνων αὐτὴν, ὡς διοδεύσιμον αὐτὴν γενέσθαι, τὴν πάλαι θάλασσαν καὶ ἄβυσσον διὰ τὸ τῶν ὑδάτων πλῆθος οὕτω καλουμένην. Καὶ ἔσωσε αὐτοὺς ἐκ χειρὸς μισοῦντος, καὶ ἐλυτρώσατο αὐτοὺς ἐκ χειρὸς ἐχθροῦ. Ἐκάλυψεν ὕδωρ τοὺς θλίβοντας αὐτοὺς, εἷς ἐξ αὐτῶν οὐχ ὑπελείφθη. Ζητήσῃ τις ἂν περὶ τῶν ἐπιμίκτων Αἰγυπτίων, τῶν διελθόντων τὴν θάλασσαν, καὶ εἰς τὴν ἔρημον ἅμα τῷ λαῷ γενομένων. Πρὸς ὃν ἐροῦμεν, ὅτι μὴ τῶν θλιβόντων ἦσαν τὸν Ἰσραήλ. Περὶ δὲ τῶν θλιβόντων εἴρητο τὸ, Εἷς ἐξ αὐτῶν οὐχ ὑπελείφθη. Ὁ δὲ ἐπίμικτος λαὸς Αἰγύπτιος μὲν ἦν, πιστεύων δὲ ταῖς Μωϋσέως φωναῖς,