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that no one harmed it when it was sent out in this way by foreigners. But it was necessary to understand that the foreigners neither knew the law, nor were priests present to transport it according to the law. And that this is true, the following teaches. For when Uzzah fell, the king, being afraid, did not carry the ark into the royal palace, where he had also prepared the divine tabernacle, but into the house of Obed-Edom. But when he saw that house filled with every kind of blessing in three months, he immediately transferred it to the royal palace, not using a cart, but the priests according to the law. "For, it says, with them were those carrying the ark of the Lord, seven choirs, and a sacrifice of a calf and a lamb; and David played on well-tuned instruments before the Lord; and he himself was clothed in a special stole;" thus he named the varied one. The book of Chronicles taught this more clearly: "For, it says, they carried the ark, as Moses commanded in the word of the Lord God of Israel, on poles, according to the scripture, on their shoulders." 80.613 QUESTION 20. Why did Michal laugh at David? She thought it unbecoming of a king to dance in public; for she did not know the goads of divine longing. Wherefore the king rebuked her more harshly: "For, he says, before the Lord I will dance and I will play; as the Lord lives, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me as ruler over all his people Israel." And the following has the same meaning. Then the history taught that Michal, the daughter of Saul, had no child until the day of her death. But not only for this reason did she remain barren; but also so that no one from that seed should be king. For it was likely that the people would have preferred him who was resplendent with nobility on both sides over the others. QUESTION 21. Since Nathan was a prophet, how did he not know the will of God, and command David to build the divine house? And I have already said that the prophets did not know all things, but only what divine grace revealed to them. Thus Samuel did not know whom it was fitting to anoint; thus Elisha the suffering of the Shunammite woman: "For let her alone, he said, for her soul is in distress, and the Lord has hidden it from me." So also Nathan, having praised the king's purpose, thought it pleased the God of all. Therefore he said: "Go and do all that is in your heart, for God is with you." But the Lord God, appearing by night, said these things to Nathan: "Go and say to my servant David: Thus says the Lord: You shall not build me a house to dwell in, for I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought up the sons of Israel from Egypt until this day." And first, He encouraged him with the address of "servant;" "For say, he says, to David my servant;" and it is the highest honor to be called a servant of God. Then He taught the self-sufficiency of His own nature: "For I have not dwelt, he says, in a house." And the phrase, "From the day I brought up the sons of Israel from Egypt," means, all the time I was with you, both in the desert, and in 80.616 this land. For that he did not have a temple even before this time, the ancient histories teach. Then, showing his infinite power and love for mankind, he added: "And I was walking about in a lodging and in a tent, in all the places I passed through in all Israel." And he added that to none of the judges, who were from different tribes, did he either command to build a temple, or accuse for not having done so. For he said this: "Did I ever speak to one of the tribes of Israel, which I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying: Why have you not built me a house of cedar?" Then, using the name of good will, and addressing him as his servant, he reminded him of his sheep-herding, and of his other poverty; and he showed the height of his kingship, and the generosity of his other care. "For I was, he says, with you in all that you went; and I have destroyed all your enemies from before you, and I have made for you a great name, like the name of the great ones who are on the earth." And these things for the sake of piety

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ἀλλοφύλων οὕτως ἐκπεμφθεῖσαν μηδένα λυμήνασθαι. Ἀλλ' ἐχρῆν συνιδεῖν, ὡς οὔτε τὸν νόμον ᾔδεισαν οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι, καὶ ἱερεῖς οὐ παρῆσαν, ἵνα κατὰ τὸν νόμον αὐτὴν μετενέγκωσιν. Ὅτι δὲ τοῦτο ἀληθὲς, τὰ ἑξῆς διδάσκει. Τοῦ γὰρ Ὀζᾶν πεπτωκό τος, δείσας ὁ βασιλεὺς οὐκ εἰς τὰ βασίλεια τὴν κιβω τὸν ἐξενήνοχεν, ἔνθα καὶ τὴν θείαν κατεσκευάκει σκηνὴν, ἀλλ' εἰς τὸν οἶκον Ἀβεδδαρά. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ εἶδε παντοδαπῆς εὐλογίας ἐν τρισὶ μησὶ τὴν οἰ κίαν πλησθεῖσαν ἐκείνην, εὐθὺς αὐτὴν εἰς τὰ βασί λεια μετεκόμισεν, οὐχ ἁμάξῃ χρησάμενος, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἱερεῦσι κατὰ τὸν νόμον. "Ἦσαν γὰρ, φησὶ, μετ' αὐτῶν οἱ αἴροντες τὴν κιβωτὸν Κυρίου ἑπτὰ χοροὶ, καὶ θῦμα μόσχου καὶ ἀρνός· καὶ ∆αβὶδ ἀν εκρούετο ἐν ὀργάνοις ἡρμοσμένοις ἐνώπιον Κυ ρίου· καὶ αὐτὸς ἐνδεδυμένος στολὴν ἔξαλλον·" οὕτω δὲ τὴν ποικίλην ὠνόμασε. Σαφέστερον δὲ τοῦτο ἐδίδαξεν ἡ βίβλος τῶν Παραλειπομένων· "Ἦραν γὰρ, φησὶ, τὴν κιβωτὸν, ὡς ἐνετείλατο Μωσῆς ἐν λόγῳ Κυρίου Θεοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, ἐπ' ἀναφορεῦσι, κατὰ τὴν γραφὴν, ἐν ὤμοις αὐτῶν." 80.613 ΕΡΩΤ. Κʹ. ∆ιατί κατεγέλασεν ἡ Μελχὼλ τοῦ ∆αβίδ; Ὠήθη βασιλέως ἀλλότριον τὸ δημοσίᾳ χορεύειν· οὐ γὰρ ᾔδει τοῦ θείου πόθου τὰ κέντρα. Ὅθεν ὁ βασι λεὺς σφοδρότερον ἐπετίμησεν αὐτῇ· "Ἐναντίον γὰρ, φησὶ, Κυρίου ὀρχήσομαι καὶ παίξομαι· ζῇ Κύριος, ὃς ἐξελέξατό με ὑπὲρ τὸν πατέρα σου καὶ ὑπὲρ πάντα τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ, τοῦ καταστῆσαί με εἰς ἡγούμενον ἐπὶ πάντα τὸν λαὸν αὑτοῦ τὸν Ἰσραήλ." Καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς δὲ τὴν αὐτὴν ἔχει διάνοιαν. Εἶτα ἐδί δαξεν ἡ ἱστορία, ὅτι τῇ Μελχὼλ θυγατρὶ Σαοὺλ οὐκ ἐγένετο παιδίον, ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας τοῦ ἀποθανεῖν αὐτήν. Ἀλλ' οὐ μόνον διὰ ταύτην τὴν αἰτίαν στεῖρα μεμένηκεν· ἀλλ' ὥστε μηδένα ἐξ ἐκείνου βασι λεῦσαι τοῦ σπέρματος. Εἰκὸς γὰρ ἦν, τὸν λαὸν τὸν ἑκατέρωθεν εὐγενείᾳ λάμποντα προτιμῆσαι τῶν ἄλλων. ΕΡΩΤ. ΚΑʹ. Προφήτης ὢν ὁ Νάθαν πῶς ἠγνόησε τὸ βούλημα τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τῷ ∆αβὶδ οἰκοδομῆσαι τὸν θεῖον οἶκον προσέταξεν; Καὶ ἤδη ἔφην, ὡς οὐκ ᾔδεισαν ἅπαντα οἱ προ φῆται, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἡ θεία χάρις αὐτοῖς ἀπεκά λυπτεν. Οὕτως ὁ Σαμουὴλ ἠγνόει τίνα χρῖσαι προσήκει· οὕτως ὁ Ἑλισσαῖος τὸ τῆς Σωμανίτιδος πάθος· "Ἄφες γὰρ αὐτὴν, ἔφη, ὅτι κατώδυνος ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτῆς, καὶ Κύριος ἀπέκρυψεν ἀπ' ἐμοῦ." Οὕτω καὶ ὁ Νάθαν ἐπαινέσας τὸν τοῦ βασιλέως σκο πὸν, ἐνόμισεν ἀρέσκειν τῷ τῶν ὅλων Θεῷ. Ὅθεν εἶπε· "Πάντα ὅσα ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου βάδιζε καὶ ποίει, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς μετὰ σοῦ." Ἀλλὰ νύκτωρ ἐπιφανεὶς ὁ ∆εσπότης Θεὸς ταῦτα ἔφη πρὸς τὸν Νάθαν· "Πο ρεύου, καὶ εἰπὲ τῷ δούλῳ μου ∆αβίδ· Τάδε λέγει Κύριος· Οὐ σὺ οἰκοδομήσεις οἶκον τοῦ κατοικῆσαί με, ὅτι οὐ κατῴκηκα ἐν οἴκῳ, ἀφ' ἧς ἡμέρας ἀνήγα γον τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραὴλ ἐξ Αἰγύπτου, ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας ταύτης." Καὶ πρῶτον μὲν ἐψυχαγώγησεν αὐ τὸν τῇ τῆς δουλείας προσηγορίᾳ· "Εἰπὲ γὰρ, φησὶ, τῷ ∆αβὶδ τῷ δούλῳ μου·" ἄκρα δὲ τιμὴ τὸ δοῦλον ὀνομασθῆναι Θεοῦ. Ἔπειτα τὸ ἀνενδεὲς τῆς οἰκείας ἐδίδαξε φύσεως· "Οὐ κατῴκηκα γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐν οἴκῳ." Τὸ δὲ, "Ἀφ' ἧς ἡμέρας ἀνήγαγον τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραὴλ ἐξ Αἰγύπτου," ἀντὶ τοῦ, πάντα χρόνον ὃν συνεγενόμην ὑμῖν, ἔν τε τῇ ἐρήμῳ, καὶ ἐν 80.616 ταύτῃ τῇ γῇ. Ὅτι γὰρ οὐδὲ πρὸ τούτου τοῦ χρόνου νεὼν ἔσχεν, αἱ πάλαι διδάσκουσιν ἱστορίαι. Εἶτα τὴν ἄπειρον δύναμιν καὶ φιλανθρωπίαν δεικνὺς, ἐπήγαγε· "Καὶ ἤμην ἐμπεριπατῶν ἐν κατα λύματι, καὶ ἐν σκηνῇ, ἐν πᾶσιν οἷς διῆλθον ἐν παντὶ Ἰσραήλ." Καὶ προστέθεικεν, ὡς οὐδενὶ τῶν κριτῶν, οἳ ἐκ διαφόρων ἦσαν φυλῶν, ἢ προσ έταξεν οἰκοδομῆσαι ναὸν, ἢ ἐνεκάλεσεν ὡς τοῦτο μὴ δεδρακότι. Τοῦτο γὰρ εἶπεν· "Εἰ λαλῶν ἐλάλησα πρὸς μίαν φυλὴν τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, ᾧ ἐνετειλάμην ποιμαίνειν τὸν λαόν μου τὸν Ἰσραὴλ λέγων· Τί ὅτι οὐκ ᾠκοδομήσατέ μοι οἶκον κέδρινον;" Ἔπειτα τῷ τῆς εὐνοίας χρησάμενος ὀνόματι, καὶ δοῦλον αὐτοῦ προσαγορεύσας, ἀνέμνησε τῆς προβα τείας, καὶ τῆς ἄλλης πενίας· ἐπέδειξε δὲ τῆς βασιλείας τὸ ὕψος, καὶ τὴν τῆς ἄλλης κηδεμονίας φιλοτιμίαν. "Ἤμην γὰρ, φησὶ, μετὰ σοῦ ἐν πᾶσιν οἷς ἐπορεύου· καὶ ἐξωλόθρευσα πάντας τοὺς ἐχ θρούς σου ἀπὸ προσώπου σου, καὶ ἐποίησά σοι ὄνο μα μέγα, κατὰ τὸ ὄνομα τῶν μεγάλων τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς." Ταῦτα δὲ εἰς τὴν τῆς εὐσεβείας