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Commentaria in Psalmos

24.9 OF EUSEBIUS OF PAMPHILUS ON THE PSALMS FROM 119 TO 150.

PSALM 119. A song of ascents. Those who have fallen from the good things of God, ascend to these things,

having prepared themselves for the ascent. Therefore, the Psalmist, having sufficiently shown the preparation through the first psalm, introduces the ascent through tribulations. From a deceitful tongue. That is, from all false opinion and deceit; for he who is at the beginning of his progress requires that no one deceive him with persuasive speech. What shall be given to you? etc. The Word, having heard the one who prayed, according to, "While you are yet speaking, behold, I am here," answers him and says: Take courage, O man, knowing that you have a powerful protector and champion, who uses weapons on your behalf against your enemies; for he has both sharpened arrows against them, and has prepared desolating coals for them, he will proceed with punishments against them; what more, then, do you ask to be given to you? Or what do you want to be added to you after such great preparation of the Mighty One against the ungodly? With the tents of Kedar. Kedar can mean frost of a generation and darkness; Therefore, he says, I have dwelt with the tents of darkness, which is the body of death; and my soul itself, he says, has very often sojourned.

24.12 PSALM 120.

I have lifted up my eyes to the mountains. He who from slavery under enemies

having been delivered, and now being on the very road that leads to the city of God, lifts up his eyes here and there to the mountains, considering and inquiring whence help will come to him. And having surveyed all parts of the world and the heights, he finds what he seeks in none of the perceptible things; but having run back with his mind and the eyes of his soul to the maker and creator of all things, there he stops, and sings the second song, saying: My help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. The Lord will keep you. God Himself who does not sleep keeps the one who looks always to God, and he shelters this one's right hand, since he engages in right actions, and drives away his enemies with his own right hand; for the enemies especially try to plot against the right hand of the God-loving; for so it is said: And Jesus was clothed in filthy garments, and the devil stood at his right hand. - But God especially keeps one from evil, even if external things or the body cause pain; for concerning Job he commanded: Only keep his soul safe; but the soul needs protection at the time of its departure from life, and at its entrance into the city of God; for what is the benefit if someone, having fallen in the middle of the road, was destroyed? Therefore do not call a man blessed before his death. By day the sun will not burn you. A bright cloud does not permit those who journey according to God to be burned by the sun; and something analogous to this helps so that they do not even suffer from the luminary of the night.

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Commentaria in Psalmos

24.9 ΕΥΣΕΒΙΟΥ ΤΟΥ ΠΑΜΦΙΛΟΥ ΕΙΣ ΤΟΥΣ ΨΑΛΜΟΥΣ ΑΠΟ ΡΙΘʹ ΕΩΣ ΡΝ.

ΨΑΛΜΟΣ ΡΙΘʹ. Ὠδὴ τῶν ἀναβαθμῶν. Οἱ καταπεσόντες ἀπὸ τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ καλῶν, ἀναβαίνουσιν ἐπὶ ταῦτα,

παρασκευάσαντες εἰς τὴν ἀνάβασιν ἑαυτούς· τὴν οὖν παρασκευὴν ἱκανῶς ἐπιδείξας ὁ Ψαλμῳδὸς διὰ τοῦ πρώτου ψαλμοῦ εἰσάγει τὴν ἀνάβασιν τὴν διὰ τῶν θλίψεων. Ἀπὸ γλώσσης δολίας. Τουτέστιν ἀπὸ πάσης ψευδοδοξίας καὶ ἀπάτης· δεῖται γὰρ ὁ ἐν ἀρχῇ προκοπῆς τυγχάνων ὅπως μηδεὶς αὐτὸν παραλογίζηται ἐν πιθανολογίᾳ. Τί δοθείη σοι; κ.τ.λ. Ἐπακούσας ὁ Λόγος τοῦ προσευξαμένου, κατὰ τὸ, Ἔτι λαλοῦντός σου, ἰδοὺ πάρειμι, ἀποκρίνεται αὐτῷ καί φησι· Θάρσει, ὦ οὗτος, εἰδὼς ὅτι προστάτην καὶ ὑπέρμαχον ἔχεις δυνατὸν, ὅπλοις χρώμενον ὑπὲρ σοῦ κατὰ τῶν σῶν πολεμίων· βέλη τε γὰρ ἠκόνησεν κατ' αὐτῶν, καὶ ἄνθρακας ἡτοίμασεν ἐρημοποιοὺς εἰς αὐτοὺς, μετελεύσεται ἐν ταῖς κατ' αὐτῶν τιμωρίαις· τί οὖν πλέον αἰτεῖς δοθῆναί σοι; ἢ τί θέλῃς προστιθέναι σοι μετὰ τὴν τοσαύτην τοῦ ∆υνατοῦ κατὰ τῶν ἀσεβῶν παρασκευήν; Μετὰ τῶν σκηνωμάτων Κηδάρ. Κηδὰρ πάγος γενεᾶς δύναται καὶ σκοτασμός· Κατεσκήνωσα οὖν, φησὶ, μετὰ τῶν σκηνωμάτων τοῦ σκοτασμοῦ, ὅπερ ἐστὶ τοῦ σώματος τοῦ θανάτου· καὶ ἡ ψυχή μου αὐτὴ, φησὶ, πολλὰ πλεονάκις παρῴκησεν.

24.12 ΨΑΛΜΟΣ ΡΚʹ.

Ἦρα τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς μου εἰς τὰ ὄρη. Ὁ τῆς δουλείας ὑπὸ τοῖς ἐχθροῖς

ἀπαλλαγεὶς, καὶ κατ' αὐτὴν ἤδη γεγονὼς τὴν ὁδὸν τὴν ἄγουσαν ἐπὶ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ πόλιν, ἄνω τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ὧδε κἀκεῖσε εἰς τὰ ὄρη ἐπαίρει, κατανοῶν καὶ πολυπραγμονῶν ποθεν αὐτῷ ἥξει βοήθεια· τὰ μέρη δὲ πάντα τοῦ κόσμου καὶ τὰ ὕψη περιαθρήσας, ἐν οὐδενὶ τῶν αἰσθητῶν εὑρίσκει τὸ ζητούμενον· νῷ δὲ καὶ ψυχῆς ὀφθαλμοῖς ἐπὶ τὸν ποιητὴν καὶ δημιουργὸν τῶν ὅλων ἀναδραμὼν, ἐνταῦθα ἵσταται, καὶ τὴν δευτέραν ᾠδὴν ᾄδει λέγων· Ἡ βοήθειά μου παρὰ Κυρίου τοῦ ποιήσαντος τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν. Κύριος φυλάξει σε. Τὸν διαπαντὸς εἰς τὸν Θεὸν ἀφορῶντα αὐτὸς ὁ ἄϋπνος φυλάττει Θεὸς, καὶ τούτου τὴν δεξιὰν χεῖρα σκέπει, ἅτε δεξιαῖς πράξεσι χρωμένου, καὶ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἐλαύνοντος τῇ ἑαυτοῦ δεξιᾷ· μάλιστα γὰρ τῇ δεξιᾷ τῶν θεοφιλῶν ἐπιβουλεύειν πειρῶνται οἱ ἐχθροί· οὕτω γοῦν εἴρηται· Καὶ Ἰησοῦς ἦν ἐνδεδυμένος ἱμάτια ῥυπαρὰ, καὶ ὁ διάβολος ἑστήκει ἐκ δεξιῶν αὐτοῦ. - Μάλιστα δὲ Θεὸς ἀπὸ κακίας φυλάττει, κἂν τὰ ἐκτὸς ἢ τὸ σῶμα λυπῇ· περὶ γοῦν Ἰὼβ παρήγγειλε· Μόνην τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ διαφύλαξον· δεῖται δὲ φυλακῆς ἡ ψυχὴ κατὰ τὸν τῆς ἐξόδου τοῦ βίου καιρὸν, καὶ κατὰ τὴν εἴσοδον τὴν εἰς τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ πόλιν· τί γὰρ ὄφελος εἰ ἐν μέσῳ τῆς ὁδοῦ πεσών τις ἀπώλετο; διὸ μὴ μακαρίσῃς ἄνθρωπον πρὸ τῆς τελευτῆς αὐτοῦ. Ἡμέρας ὁ ἥλιος οὐ συγκαύσει σε. Νεφέλη φωτεινὴ οὐκ ἐᾷ συγκαίεσθαι ὑπὸ ἡλίου τοὺς κατὰ Θεὸν ὁδεύοντας· καὶ ἀναλογοῦντι ταύτης βοηθεῖ εἰς τὸ μηδὲ ὑπὸ νυκτερινοῦ φωστῆρος παθεῖν αὐτούς.