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God allowed both their wives to be enslaved, and their children? So that, grieving, they might march against the Amalekites, and bring complete destruction upon them according to the divine prophecy; and in addition to these things, also so that having taken very much plunder he might send it to the foreigners, and draw them into greater goodwill. The company *gadour* which the Hebrew calls, which is translated elsewhere as a band of pirates. And so the band of robbers is called. But Aquila says that the two hundred men, having become faint from the journey, had remained; to whom certain wicked men did not wish to allot the proper share. But the most just king not only gave it then, but also established a law, so that the baggage-carriers should share equally with those who fight in battle. It should be known, however, that Aquila, following the Hebrew, did not separate the history of the second of Kings from the first, but made the two into one. 80.597

ON THE SECOND OF KINGS. QUESTION I. Some find fault with David, for having killed the one

who reported the death of Saul? ANSWER. Therefore, one ought to admire, but not to censure, and for this reason it is fitting, the prophet and king. For upon hearing of the slaughter of a hostile man, he mourned; and not only did he mourn, but he also lamented bitterly; but the one who reported it, having been wronged in no way, mocked the death; and this, not only with Saul having fallen, but also Jonathan, who was praiseworthy, and a very large army with them. Then he also added a falsehood to his words, naming himself the slayer of Saul. And in addition to these things, he was also an Amalekite, against whom the Lord of all had long ago passed the sentence of death. And the words of the prophet themselves are admirable; "For how," he says, "were you not afraid to lift your hand to destroy the Lord's anointed? Your blood be upon your head; for your mouth testified against you, saying, 'I have put to death the Lord's anointed.'" QUES. II. What is a *chlidon*? It is a golden ornament, either placed on the arms, or on the wrists. This he has shown here also, both the *chlidon*, that on his arm. Whence Aquila has called it a bracelet. QUES. III. For what reason did the prophet mourn? Many things caused the lamentation. The longing for Jonathan, the affection for the people, the victory of the impious foreigners; and in addition to these, the slaughter of Saul. For the one whom he respected while living, he pitied much more when dead. And history teaches this also; "And they mourned, and wept, and fasted until evening, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, 80.600 and for the people of Judah, and for the house of Israel, because they had been struck down by the sword." QUES. IV. What is the book of the upright, It is clear even from this, that the history of the Kings was composed from many prophetic books. For having spoken about the lament, the author added: "Behold, it is written in the book of the upright." QUES. V. How should one understand, "Take note, Israel, concerning your slain wounded?" Do not suppose, he says, that the blow that has occurred is some small and ordinary thing; but consider who are the fallen, that they are a king, and a king's son, and the best of their kinsmen. That the suffering greatly distressed him, the following things testify; "For do not go, he says, to Gath, nor proclaim the good news in the streets of Ashkelon, so that the daughters of the foreigners may not rejoice, nor the daughters of the uncircumcised exult." QUES. ϛ. Why did he curse the mountains of Gilboa? This also shows the excess of his pain. For just as those who are suffering in some part of the body strike their hands either against the walls or the bed, on account of the pangs of pain; so that divine man

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συνεχώρησεν ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ τὰς γυ ναῖκας αὐτῶν ἐξανδραποδισθῆναι, καὶ τὰ παιδία; Ἵν' ἀλγοῦντες τοῖς Ἀμαληκίταις ἐπιστρατεύ σωσι, καὶ τὴν πανωλεθρίαν αὐτοῖς κατὰ τὴν θείαν ἐπενέγκωσι πρόῤῥησιν· πρὸς δὲ τούτοις, καὶ ἵνα λείαν πλείστην λαβὼν πέμψῃ τοῖς ἀλλοφύλοις, καὶ εἰς εὔνοιαν αὐτοὺς ἀφελκύσηται πλείονα. Τὸ δὲ σύστρεμμα γαδδοὺρ ὃ Ἑβραῖος καλεῖ, ὃ ἑτέρωθι ἑρμηνεύεται πειρατήριον. Καλεῖται δὲ οὕτω τὸ λῃστρικὸν σύστημα. Τοὺς δὲ διακοσίους ἄν δρας, ἀτονήσαντας ἐκ τοῦ δρόμου, μεμενηκέναι φησὶν ὁ Ἀκύλας· οἷς πονηροί τινες οὐκ ἠβου λήθησαν ἀπονεῖμαι τὴν προσήκουσαν μοῖραν. Ἀλλ' ὁ δικαιότατος βασιλεὺς οὐ μόνον τότε δέδωκεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ νόμον τέθεικεν, ὥστε τοὺς σκευοφόρους τῶν ἴσων τοῖς παραταττομένοις μεταλαγχάνειν. Ἰστέον μέντοι, ὡς ὁ Ἀκύλας τῷ Ἑβραίῳ ἑπόμενος οὐ διεῖλεν ἀπὸ τῆς πρώτης τὴν δευτέραν τῶν Βασιλειῶν ἱστορίαν, ἀλλὰ μίαν τὰς δύο πεποίηκεν. 80.597

ΕΙΣ ΤΗΝ ∆ΕΥΤΕΡΑΝ ΤΩΝ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΩΝ. ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ Αʹ. Τινὲς ἐπιμέμφονται τῷ ∆αβὶδ, ὡς πεφονευ κότι τὸν

μεμηνυκότα τὸν θάνατον τοῦ Σαούλ; ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Θαυμάζειν οὖν, ἀλλ' οὐ ψέγειν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο προσ ήκει, τὸν προφήτην καὶ βασιλέα. ∆υσμενοῦς γὰρ ἀν δρὸς ἀκούσας σφαγὴν ἐθρήνησεν· καὶ οὐ μόνον ἐθρή νησεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πικρῶς ὠλοφύρατο· ὁ δὲ μεμη νυκὼς οὐδὲν ἠδικημένος ἐπετώθαζε τῷ θανάτῳ· καὶ ταῦτα οὐ μόνον τοῦ Σαοὺλ πεπτωκότος, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ Ἰωνάθαν, ὃς ἀξιέπαινος ἦν, καὶ πλείστου στρα τοῦ σὺν ἐκείνοις. Ἔπειτα καὶ ψεῦδος τοῖς λόγοις προσέθηκεν, ἑαυτὸν σφαγέα τοῦ Σαοὺλ ὀνομάσας. Πρὸς δὲ τούτοις, καὶ Ἀμαληκίτης ἦν, καθ' οὗ ὁ τῶν ὅλων Κύριος πάλαι τοῦ θανάτου τὴν ψῆφον ἐξενη νόχει. Ἀξιάγαστα δὲ καὶ αὐτὰ τοῦ προφήτου τὰ ῥή ματα· "Πῶς γὰρ, φησὶν, οὐκ ἐφοβήθης ἐπενεγκεῖν τὴν χεῖρά σου διαφθεῖραι τὸν χριστὸν Κυρίου; Τὸ αἷμά σου ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλήν σου· ὅτι τὸ στόμα σου ἀπεκρίθη κατὰ σοῦ, λέγον, Ἐγὼ τεθανάτωκα τὸν χριστὸν Κυρίου." ΕΡΩΤ. Βʹ. Τί ἐστι χλιδών; Κόσμος ἐστὶ χρυσοῦς, ἢ τοῖς βραχίοσι περιτιθέ μενος, ἢ τοῖς καρποῖς τῶν χειρῶν. Τοῦτο κἀν ταῦθα δεδήλωκε, καὶ τὸν χλιδόνα, τὸν ἐπὶ τοῦ βρα χίονος αὐτοῦ. Ὅθεν ὁ Ἀκύλας βραχιάλιον αὐτὸ κέκληκεν. ΕΡΩΤ. Γʹ. Τίνος χάριν ὁ προφήτης ἐπένθησεν; Πολλὰ τὸν θρῆνον εἰργάσατο. Τοῦ Ἰωνάθαν ὁ πό θος, ἡ περὶ τὸν λαὸν φιλοστοργία, τῶν δυσσεβῶν ἀλ λοφύλων ἡ νίκη· καὶ πρὸς τούτοις, τοῦ Σαοὺλ ἡ σφαγή. Ὃν γὰρ ᾐδεῖτο ζῶντα, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἠλέει τεθνηκότα. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἡ ἱστορία διδάσκει· "Καὶ ἐκόψαντο, καὶ ἔκλαυσαν, καὶ ἐνήστευσαν ἕως δείλης, ἐπὶ Σαοὺλ, καὶ ἐπὶ Ἰωνάθαν τὸν υἱὸν αὐ 80.600 τοῦ, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν λαὸν Ἰούδα, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον Ἰσραὴλ, ὅτι ἐπλήγησαν ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ." ΕΡΩΤ. ∆ʹ. Ποῖόν ἐστι τὸ βιβλίον τὸ εὐθές, ∆ῆλόν ἐστι κἀντεῦθεν, ὡς ἐκ πολλῶν προφητικῶν βιβλίων ἡ τῶν Βασιλειῶν ἱστορία συνεγράφη. Εἰ πὼν γὰρ ὁ συγγραφεὺς τὰ περὶ τοῦ θρήνου, προσ έθηκεν· "Ἰδοὺ γέγραπται ἐπὶ τοῦ βιβλίου τοῦ εὐ θοῦς." ΕΡΩΤ. Εʹ. Πῶς νοητέον, "Ἀκρίβασαι, Ἰσραὴλ, περὶ τῶν τεθνηκότων σου τραυματιῶν;" Μὴ σμικράν τινα, φησὶ, καὶ τὴν τυχοῦσαν ὑπο λάβῃς εἶναι τὴν γεγενημένην πληγήν· ἀλλὰ λόγισαι τίνες οἱ πεπτωκότες, ὅτι βασιλεὺς, καὶ βασιλέως υἱὸς, καὶ τῶν ὁμοφύλων οἱ ἄριστοι. Ὅτι δὲ σφό δρα αὐτὸν ἠνίᾳ τὸ πάθος, μαρτυρεῖ τὰ ἑξῆς· "Μὴ ἀπέλθετε γὰρ, φησὶν, εἰς Γὲθ, μηδὲ εὐαγγελί σησθε ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς Ἀσκάλωνος, ὅπως μὴ εὐφραν θῶσι θυγατέρες ἀλλοφύλων, μηδὲ γαυριάσωσι θυγα τέρες ἀπεριτμήτων." ΕΡΩΤ. ϛʹ. Τί δήποτε τοῖς ὄρεσιν ἐπηράσατο τοῖς Γελ βουέ; ∆ηλοῖ καὶ τοῦτο τὴν τῆς ὀδύνης ὑπερβολήν. Καθ άπερ γὰρ οἱ μόριόν τι τοῦ σώματος κακῶς διακεί μενοι, ἢ τοῖς τοίχοις, ἢ τῇ κλίνῃ προσαράσσουσι τὰς χεῖρας, διὰ τὰς τῆς ἀλγηδόνος ἀκίδας· οὕτως ὁ θεῖος ἐκεῖνος