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the transgression becomes a benefit. However, the Gibeonites asked for seven men of Saul's kindred, equal in number to the days in which time revolves; "For we have," they said, "no silver or gold with Saul and with his house; and it is not for us to put any man to death in all Israel. The man who consumed us, and persecuted us, and who plotted to destroy us, we will destroy him so that he may not be established in any border of Israel. And let seven men of his sons be given to us, and we will make atonement with them to the Lord on the hill of Saul, chosen by the Lord." Therefore, the metropolis of the Gibeonites was called Gibeon; and this name, being changed into the Greek language, is called "hill." In that place, therefore, they impaled the men handed over to them, in which place that man 80.656 dared the lawless slaughters. For "they exposed to the sun," Aquila said "they fixed upon a stake." And these were two illegitimate sons of Saul, and five of his grandsons. Afterwards, the pious king deemed these also worthy of burial. When this punishment had taken place, the Master became merciful, and loosed the birth-pangs of the clouds, and commanded the earth to give its fruits as was its custom. And from this we learn that the Master knows no distinction of race, but justly defends the wronged, even if they are foreigners. QUESTION 43. Why was David exhausted when drawn up for battle? He was an old man; but he overcame the weakness of his body by his zeal. And having endured much toil in the engagement (for he was the champion of the phalanx), he was exhausted, not bearing the toil. And being in danger of being slain by the champion of the foreigners, he was saved contrary to expectation, when Abishai defended him and killed that very great enemy. From this, therefore, it is possible to learn that they called those who had larger bodies "giants." For this one was also a descendant of giants, as the historian taught. And the army, having learned of the king's danger, swore no longer to allow him to take part in an engagement. For it is both just and expedient to yield to old age, and sitting within, to command the army. And the historian mentioned other giants, whom the men of that time so named because of their strength and size of body, and not as being impious, as some have said, nor as having lived a long time. After these wars, the divine David composed a hymn of victory to God. It is in harmony with the seventeenth psalm; or rather it is the same, having a few changes of names. But I, having interpreted this one along with the other psalms, considered it superfluous to make a second interpretation. And it also contains a prophecy concerning Christ the Savior: "For you have delivered me," he says, "from the people, you have set me as a light to the nations. A people whom I did not know has served me; at the hearing of the ear they obeyed me." And he who became a light to the nations was not David, but he who was from David according to the flesh, who is both lord and son of David. And if David also became a light to the nations, it is clearly by his melody, enlightening those who have believed in Christ the Master. For in all the Churches throughout the world the spiritual hymnody of David illuminates the souls of the pious. But since the Jews do not wish to call him a prophet, 80.657 as one who prophesied all too clearly concerning our Savior and the faith of the nations, let them hear him saying, "Faithful is David the son of Jesse, faithful is the man whom God raised up as the anointed one, the God of Jacob. And beautiful is the psalm of Israel: The Spirit of the Lord has spoken in me, and his word is on my tongue. The God of Jacob has spoken for me to speak." And if the Spirit of the Lord has spoken in him, and the God of Jacob was pleased for him to speak, then he is a prophet, and a very great prophet; since God revealed to him the unseen and hidden things of his wisdom. How much, however, his discipline helped him, the history teaches. For having learned by experience of how many calamities desire is the cause, he longed for cold water, and remembered that which was in Bethlehem. And three of those who were accustomed to be foremost in the battles of the foreigners, having encamped around Bethlehem,

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ὠφέλειαν ἡ παράβασις γίγνηται· Οἱ μέντοι Γαβαωνῖται ἑπτὰ ᾔτησαν ἄνδρας τῆς Σαοὺλ συγγενείας, ἰσαρίθμους ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐν αἷς ὁ χρόνος ἀνακυκλεῖται· "Οὐκ ἔστι γὰρ ἡμῖν, ἔφασαν, ἀργύριον, οὐδὲ χρυσίον μετὰ Σαοὺλ, καὶ μετὰ τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ· καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἡμῖν θανατῶσαι ἄνδρα ἐκ παντὸς Ἰσραήλ. Ὁ ἀνὴρ ὁ συντελέσας ἡμᾶς, καὶ διώξας ἡμᾶς, καὶ ὃς παρελογίσατο ἐξολοθρεῦσαι ἡμᾶς, ἀφανίσομεν αὐτὸν τοῦ μὴ καθίστασθαι αὐτὸν ἐν παντὶ ὁρίῳ Ἰσραήλ. Καὶ δοθήτωσαν ἡμῖν ἑπτὰ ἄνδρες ἐκ τῶν υἱῶν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐξιλασόμεθα ἐν αὐτοῖς τῷ Κυρίῳ ἐν τῷ βουνῷ τοῦ Σαοὺλ ἐκλεκτοὺς τῷ Κυρίῳ." Ἡ οὖν τῶν Γαβαωνιτῶν μητρόπολις Γαβαὼν ἐκα λεῖτο· μεταβαλλόμενον δὲ τοῦτο τὸ ὄνομα εἰς τὴν Ἑλλάδα γλῶσσαν βουνὸς ὀνομάζεται. Ἐν ἐκείνῳ τοίνυν τῷ χωρίῳ τοὺς ἐκδοθέντας αὐτοῖς ἀνεσκολό πισαν ἄνδρας, ἐν ᾧ τὰς παρανόμους ἐτόλμησεν ἐκεῖ 80.656 νος σφαγάς. Τὸ γὰρ "ἐξηλίασαν," ὁ Ἀκύλας ἀν έπηξαν εἶπεν. Οὗτοι δὲ ἦσαν δύο μὲν υἱοὶ τοῦ Σαοὺλ νόθοι, πέντε δὲ υἱωνοὶ αὐτοῦ. Ὕστερον δὲ ταφῆς καὶ τούτους ἠξίωσεν ὁ εὐσεβὴς βασιλεύς. Τῆσδε τῆς τιμωρίας γεγενημένης, ἵλεως ὁ ∆εσπότης ἐγένετο, καὶ τῶν νεφελῶν ἔλυσε τὰς ὠδῖνας, καὶ τῇ γῇ συνήθως δοῦναι προσέταξε τοὺς καρπούς. Ἡμεῖς δὲ διὰ τοῦτο μανθάνομεν, ὡς γένους ὁ ∆ε σπότης οὐκ οἶδε διαφορὰν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἠδικημένοις, κἂν ἀλλογενεῖς ὦσιν, ἐπαμύνει δικαίως. ΕΡΩΤ. ΜΓʹ. Πόθεν ὁ ∆αβὶδ παραταττόμενος ἐξελύθη; Πρεσβύτης ἦν· ἐνίκα δὲ τῇ προθυμίᾳ τοῦ σώμα τος τὴν ἀσθένειαν. Πολὺν δὲ πόνον ὑπομείνας ἐν τῇ συμπλοκῇ (πρόμαχος γὰρ τῆς φάλαγγος ἦν), διελύθη τὸν πόνον οὐκ ἐνεγκών. Ἀναιρεθῆναι δὲ κινδυνεύ σας ὑπὸ τοῦ προμάχου τῶν ἀλλοφύλων, παρὰ δόξαν ἐσώθη, τοῦ Ἀβεσσὰ προασπίσαντος, καὶ τὸν μέγι στον ἐκεῖνον πολέμιον κτείναντος. Κἀντεῦθεν τοίνυν ἔστι μαθεῖν, ὡς γίγαντας ὠνόμαζον τοὺς μείζονα σώματα ἔχοντας. Καὶ γὰρ οὗτος ἀπόγονος ἦν γιγάν των, ὡς ὁ ἱστοριογράφος ἐδίδαξε. Τοῦ δὲ βασιλέως τὸν κίνδυνον μεμαθηκὼς ὁ στρατὸς, ὤμοσε μηκέτι συγχωρήσειν αὐτῷ, συμπλοκῆς κοινωνήσειν. Καὶ δίκαιον γὰρ καὶ συμφέρον εἶξαι τῷ γήρᾳ, καὶ ἔνδον καθήμενον διατάττειν τὴν στρατιάν. Ὁ δὲ ἱστοριο γράφος καὶ ἄλλων ἐμνήσθη γιγάντων, οὓς διὰ ῥώ μην καὶ μέγεθος σώματος οὕτως οἱ τότε ὠνόμαζον, καὶ οὔτε ὡς δυσσεβεῖς, καθά τινες ἔφασαν, οὔτε ὡς πολὺν βιώσαντας χρόνον. Μετὰ τούτους δὲ τοὺς πολέμους ἐπινίκιον τῷ Θεῷ συντέθεικεν ὕμνον ὁ θεῖος ∆αβίδ. Ἔστι δὲ σύμφωνος τῷ ἑπτακαιδεκάτῳ ψαλμῷ· μᾶλλον δὲ [ὁ] αὐτός ἐστιν, ὀλίγας ἔχων ὀνομά των ἐναλλαγάς. Ἐγὼ δὲ μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων ψαλμῶν καὶ τοῦτον ἑρμηνεύσας, περιττὸν ὑπέλαβον δευτέ ραν ἑρμηνείαν ποιήσασθαι. Ἔχει δὲ καὶ πρόῤῥησιν περὶ τοῦ Σωτῆρος Χριστοῦ· "Ἐξείλω με γὰρ, φη σὶν, ἐκ λαοῦ, ἔθου με εἰς φῶς ἐθνῶν. Λαὸς ὃν οὐκ ἔγνων ἐδούλευσέ μοι· εἰς ἀκοὴν ὠτίου ὑπήκουσέ μου." Εἰς φῶς δὲ ἐθνῶν γέγονεν οὐχ ὁ ∆αβὶδ, ἀλλ' ὁ ἐκ ∆αβὶδ κατὰ σάρκα, ὁ τοῦ ∆αβὶδ καὶ κύριος καὶ υἱός. Εἰ δὲ καὶ ὁ ∆αβὶδ γέγονεν εἰς φῶς ἐθνῶν, δηλονότι τῇ μελῳδίᾳ καταυγάζων τοὺς τῷ ∆εσπότῃ πεπιστευκότας Χριστῷ. Ἁπάσαις γὰρ ταῖς κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην Ἐκκλησίαις ἡ πνευματικὴ τοῦ ∆α βὶδ ὑμνῳδία τὰς τῶν εὐσεβῶν φωτίζει ψυχάς. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ Ἰουδαῖοι προφήτην αὐτὸν ὀνομάζειν 80.657 οὐ βούλονται, ὡς ἐναργῶς ἄγαν τὰ περὶ τοῦ Σω τῆρος ἡμῶν καὶ τῆς τῶν ἐθνῶν προθεσπίσαντα πίστεως, ἀκουσάτωσαν αὐτοῦ λέγοντος, "Πιστὸς ∆αβὶδ ὁ υἱὸς Ἰεσσαὶ, πιστὸς ἀνὴρ, ὃν ἀνέστησεν ὁ Θεὸς χριστὸν, ὁ Θεὸς Ἰακώβ. Καὶ ὡραῖος ὁ ψαλμὸς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ· Πνεῦμα Κυρίου ἐλάλησεν ἐν ἐμοὶ, καὶ ὁ λόγος αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ γλώσσης μου. Εἶπεν ὁ Θεὸς Ἰακὼβ ἐν ἐμοὶ λαλῆσαι." Εἰ δὲ καὶ Πνεῦμα Κυρίου ἐλάλησεν ἐν αὐτῷ, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς Ἰακὼβ εὐδόκησεν ἐν αὐτῷ λαλῆσαι, προφήτης ἄρα ἐστὶ, καὶ προφήτης μέγιστος· ἐπειδὴ τὰ ἄδηλα καὶ τὰ κρύ φια τῆς σοφίας αὐτοῦ ἐδήλωσεν αὐτῷ ὁ Θεός. Ὅσον μέντοι ὤνησεν αὐτὸν ἡ παιδεία, ἡ ἱστορία διδάσκει. Τῇ πείρᾳ γὰρ μαθὼν, ὅσων ἡ ἐπιθυμία πρόξενος συμφορῶν, ὠρέχθη μὲν ὕδατος ψυχροῦ, ἀνεμνήσθη δὲ τοῦ ἐν Βηθλεέμ. Τρεῖς δὲ τῶν ἀριστεύειν εἰωθό των ἐν μάχαις τῶν ἀλλοφύλων, περὶ τὴν Βηθλεὲμ ἐστρατοπεδευκότων,