Expositions on the Psalms

^A he signifies doctrine, as he himself says: "Upon the seat of Moses." The seat of the pestilent, therefore, is the doctrine of the wicked.

*Day and night.* This signifies intensity; for one must not meditate on the law of the Lord negligently. [But his will is in the law of the Lord, and in his law he will meditate day and night. By "the law," he clearly means the angelic law. It signifies intensity; for one must not meditate on the law of the Lord negligently. For one must not meditate on it at one time and not at another, but one must be fixed upon the divine oracles always and continuously; for this is what "day and night" signifies. The reward of such an achievement is good; for he who occupies himself with the divine law is watered by the streams flowing from it. And Christ also called his own doctrine water, when ^B he said: "If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink." He is compared to a tree planted by the waters, which always flourishes, always abounds with timely fruits. For the athletes of virtue receive the fruits of their labors in the future; yet they are shaded by good hope, appearing like leaves, and they steal away the weight of their labors through such recreation. For such a man everything will prosper. For he will perform nothing contrary to the divine laws, conforming his will to the will of the Law; having first forbidden all forms of wickedness, and having demonstrated the perfection of the divine laws, he thus adds: "All that he does shall prosper."]

His adjicit Dan. Barbarus: By "day" he meditates who progresses in virtues, but by "night," he who, when perturbations arise, preserves the immovable generosity of his soul.

*And he shall be like the tree planted by the outgoings of the waters.* ^C In confession, or rather in parable, Christ is recorded as the tree in the divinely inspired Scripture, according to what is said: "It is a tree of life to all who lay hold of it." He says, therefore, that those who have believed in Christ will be his body; for he will change the body of our humility so that it may be conformed to the body of his glory. He calls the divine Scriptures the outgoings of the waters, in which it is possible everywhere to find Christ being preached. [The tree of life is Christ; the branches are the apostles; the fruit is the blood and water flowing from his side; of which the one is for the image of martyrdom, the other for baptism. The leaves are his words; the fruit of the tree you shall understand to be right faith; its leaves, the fulfillment of the commandments. The fruit also are those who are saved; the root, baptism; the husbandman, the Father.] *He shall give his fruit in his season.* You shall understand the fruit of the tree to be right faith; its leaves, the fulfillment of the commandments. *And its leaf shall not fall off, nor shall it fade. And all things whatsoever he does shall prosper.* For there is no act of those done according to God that is without profit. [The time of giving is the suitability of the recipient.]

*For this reason the ungodly shall not rise in judgment.* ^D For this reason, that they have no root, but are like dust

blown about by the wind of the earth. By the wind, you should understand the threat of God, which says: *Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire.* Those who hear this same voice will justly fall, for they have not stood in Christ, who is the support and foundation of those who believe. For when He says "in judgment," he means it is not for interrogation. ^A *In the council of the just,* he says; for He will separate the just from the sinners.

*6. For the Lord knows the way of the just.* "Knows," here, is used for "honors," according to what was said by God to Moses: *I know you above all,* as if to say: I honor you, and you have found grace before me.

PSALM II: To David; it is without inscription among the Hebrews.

Argument.

After he had in the first psalm called the princes of the Jewish nation ungodly, sinners, and pestilent, in this one he again reviews their deeds, using these same names which are most fitting to them. [Having concluded the first psalm with the memory of the ungodly, he began the second with the mention of these same people, ^B teaching that the end of those ungodly men mentioned above will be received by those who have acted with fury against the Savior.]

*1. Why did the nations boast, etc.* He calls "boasting" a brutish ferocity. But the word "why" is used in common, so that it may be understood as: Why did the peoples meditate on vain things? And who, I ask, would not agree that such meditation was empty for them, inasmuch as they did not receive the Savior of their race? [What, he says, is the cause of such great hatred that nations and peoples concur for the same purpose? For "they boasted" signifies that they were so proud that, with swelling and arrogance, they stirred up crowds and made tumult. ^C This manner of speaking is transferred from the brute impulse of horses, which observes no order—which is what happened to the Jews who rose up against Christ. What is the cause that nations and peoples concur for the same purpose? For he calls the Israelites nations and peoples, or he mentions Herod and Pilate as gentiles, and the Jews as peoples.]

[*The kings of the earth stood.* As if he were saying: The kings, namely Herod and Pontius Pilate, set themselves to this business of their own accord. ^D Thus also the holy apostles interpreted it in the Acts.]

*And the rulers gathered together ^D against the same.* These are the aforementioned ranks: namely, the scribes, the Pharisees, and the lawyers. *Against the Lord and against His Christ.* For the plots prepared against Christ recoil upon the Father Himself. For if the Father is in the Son and the Son is in the Father, how could an insult against them not be one and the same?

Daniel Barbarus adds: For the two prepositions and the two articles introduce two persons as well: namely the Father and the Son, according to that which was said by Christ: *He who receives me, receives Him who sent me; and he who rejects me, rejects both.*

^A *Let us break their bonds asunder.* Something is missing, namely, "saying," so that the sense may be this: They gathered against the Lord and against His Christ, saying: *Let us break their bonds asunder.* For they did not wish to be within the sacred net, of which it is written: *The kingdom of heaven is like a net* (Matt. 13:47). *And let us cast away their yoke from us.* The burden of the Law, concerning which He said: *For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light* (Matt. 11:47). [The yoke of them: For the treachery against Christ recoils also upon the Father Himself. For if the Father is in the Son, and the Son is in the Father, how then would the insult offered to them not be a single one?]

*He who dwells in the heavens shall laugh at them.* As those who counsel foolishly; for He who was nailed to the cross by them and delivered to death, being in the heavens and containing all things, shows their counsels to be empty and vain. And the Father of Him, and Lord of all, shall exact the penalty worthy of this deed. *And the Lord shall deride them.* For He will consign them to nothing, he says, and will hate and turn away from them. [He shall laugh: that is, He will hate and turn away from them. But He who is higher than the conspirators, he says, shall laugh at them, or rather shall declare their conspiracy worthy of laughter, inasmuch as they have laid their hands to a foolish business. For a "derision" (subsannatio) is a breath emitted through the nostrils in contempt of those who make a great clamor. And the fact that these things are spoken with the prepositions adds more intensity to the laughter. And not only this, he says, but they shall also experience wrath.]

*Then He shall speak to them in His wrath.* Then; when, if not when they said: *Let us break their bonds asunder?* But what is it that is spoken by Him in wrath? It is that: *Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees* (Matt. 23:13); and that: *And unto you, O lawyers, woe* (Luke 11:46). [For the Roman army led them into captivity. But furor (fury) differs from ira (wrath), in that fury is as it were wrath boiling and still inflamed, while wrath is the appetite for vengeance. Furor is therefore more imperfect than wrath, and wrath is as it were its completion. And the end of events makes manifest the interpretation of words of this kind. For the Roman army, invading them, devastated the city and burned the temple, and destroyed a great part of them by slaughter; but those who escaped death, being taken, were handed over to slavery. I would wish every faithful man to observe that He mentions two persons in succession; first indeed the Lord Christ; for He says, *against the Lord, and against His Christ*; and then, of Him who dwells in the heavens and is Lord: *He who dwells in the heavens shall laugh at them, and the Lord shall deride them*; and again in like manner He proceeds continuously and consequently.]

*But I have been appointed king by Him upon Sion.* As if the people from Israel had been cast off, ^D the faith that has come to the nations is declared to them by Him; and by Sion is revealed the Church.

^A [The Lord said to me, You are my Son, etc., as if saying: The very nature of the Father declared me to be Son—not that this was accomplished by any command, but that the essence itself showed me forth as the image of the Father’s substance. For it is well added, "you are," to declare the generation before the ages, for He was always Son. But He added that, "Today I have begotten you," so that He might demonstrate the generation according to the flesh; for "today" indicates time, and therefore it is placed in reference to the temporal generation. And consistent with the human, the words that follow, "I have begotten you," are also added. See how the Father makes the generation of the only-begotten Christ according to the flesh His own.] And your possession to the ends of the earth. You shall rule them with a rod of iron. That is, in the cross, the material of which is wood, while its strength is iron. Some, however, indicate the empire of the Romans. ^B Dan. Barbarus adds: A potter breaks a vessel which falls from his hands: not destroying it, but reforming it—no other clay than the old, only adding water, which is what Christ also did.

10. And now, kings, understand. That is, take note; turn to repentance. Be instructed, all you who judge the earth. By the former, "be instructed," He signifies progress; by the latter, "Lay hold of discipline," He signifies perfection. Dan. Barbarus: Concerning the just way, from which those who wander fall from the way.

12. Lay hold of discipline. Of the Gospel, obviously. And lest you perish from the just way. Of Him who said: I am the way.

PSALM of David when he fled from the face of Absalom his son. III. Argumentum. The proposed inscription of the psalm stands thus. For this is what the psalm declares, that the chorus of the prophets is vexed by the Jewish people. For David signifies "the desired one," which in truth befits the chorus of the prophets. ^C As therefore Absalom attempted to stir up rebellion against his own father, that is David, so also the Jews rose up against their fathers, the prophets, not receiving the commandments of God, but indeed resisting them.

O Lord, why are those who afflict me multiplied? That "why" ^D signifies "exceedingly."

3. There is no salvation for him in his God. He says that God will not save him; for they were looking only at the sin which he had committed, being ignorant of his repentance. This makes it manifest that the psalm was spoken concerning David. For "to rise up" is properly said of those who were previously in the condition of subjects, but later stirred up war.

4. But you, O Lord, are my supporter, my glory. Since it has already been said that this psalm is proclaimed from the person of the Lord, it must now be said that his glory is also raised

^A head, which is God, when his divinity is clearly demonstrated to the faithful.

[You, O Lord, are my supporter. This voice is most fitting for the faith of the Prophet, who bore such circumstances with a firm and intrepid spirit, and trusted that he would by no means be abandoned; nay, that not only would help come, but that he would also be raised up and receive the kingdom: for some say this is what "raising the head" signifies. Therefore, God is the glory of the just man, in whom he has placed his hope: and whose glory is God, his head is raised.]

"With my voice I have cried to the Lord." The discourse teaches that in times of trouble one must turn to no one other than God alone.

"With my voice I have cried to the Lord." He first puts forth the prayer, and then, after the *diapsalma*, the thanksgiving, upon having obtained what he asked. But now he turns his face toward us and narrates how, having prayed, he was heard, and says: "With my voice I have cried to the Lord." By "voice" one must understand the prayer of the mind—which is above the intellect—directed to the God of all; for he does not speak of a cry, but of the silent prayer of the mind.

"And he heard me from out of his holy mount." ^B This is said according to the prevailing opinion. For it was thought that he dwelt in the Tabernacle, because from there the oracles were given to the priests. Or by "holy mount," he means "from heaven," as in the verse: "In thy holy mount," and "Approach the eternal mountains." The holy mount of God can be that from which God, his Only-begotten, hears those who pray, concerning whom it is said: "The mount of the Lord shall be conspicuous in the last days." This statement signifies his manifestation, which was to take place at his coming at the consummation of the ages; or "from his holy mount" means from heaven. The holy mount of God is his supernatural knowledge.

The *diapsalma* is used when there is a change of musical melody, or a shifting in the thought and force of the discourse.

"I arose," implies that, having enjoyed the divine change, I became superior to the evils that had befallen me.

"I have slept and taken my rest." He speaks of the sleep of the mind, through which one falls into sin.

[Verse 8. "For you have struck all who are hostile to me." Strike, crush, or you shall strike. He urges God to rise up against his enemies, that is, for his revenge. He has enemies without cause, who gave no matter for hatred. And by the "teeth" of sinners, he means either the power of those sinning against God, or the words spoken against him, or blasphemous remarks. Or else the teeth of sinners are irrational thoughts which occur to us against nature. For ^D our adversaries, using these thoughts as teeth, often approach us to eat our flesh—that is, the things born of the flesh.]

9. *Domini est salus.* Save me, he says, O Lord. I pray also that this may be extended to the whole people. It must be known that the entire psalm has reference to the human race, which, having sinned and for that very reason been delivered to spiritual enemies, cries out in tribulation and is heard by God; and it has obtained salvation because Christ has risen from the dead and struck down our enemies—the demons, that is. For He is the One who has broken the molars of the lions, ^A the Lord. And of Him—or from Him—is salvation.

[*Domini est salus.* There is no hope for me, he says, in man: but I await salvation from Thee, as does Thy people who are attacked in war with me.]

IN FINEM PSALM OF THE ODE FOR DAVID. IV. Argument.

He dedicates this psalm to the victor after the victory has been reported.

[For *in finem*, Aquila and Theodotion interpreted it *to the victor*; Symmachus, however, *Epinicium*, or *song of victory*.]

2. *Cum invocarem exaudivit me Deus justitiae meae.* It is similar to that: *While you are still speaking, He will say: Behold, I am here.* ^B *In tribulatione dilatasti mihi.* Not only, he says, did You free me from the hardships that befell me, but You also prepared me to stand in great breadth and liberty. [Siba and Berzel offered much food and carpets to David, when, fleeing Absalom, he was living in desert places and on the mountains, like the three children in the furnace, and Daniel with the lions. When we understand the reason for tribulations and temptations, then above all we are broadened. There is also another way in which breadth can be explained.] *Miserere mei, et exaudi orationem meam.* Since he had said that he was heard because of his righteousness, for this reason he takes refuge in the mercy of God.

3. *Filii hominum, usquequo gravi corde.* These things are said to those who trusted that, by the help of a great army, the just man could be oppressed. But this hope, he says, is both vain and false.

4. *Et scitote quoniam mirificavit Dominus sanctum suum.* That is, know, you who trust in a multitude, ^C that God has shown him who trusts in Him to be wonderful. *Dominus exaudiet me cum clamavero.* Time is taken for time: for instead of *He has heard*, he said *will hear*.

5. *Irascimini et nolite peccare.* These things he says essentially to his own [people], as well as to all men. *Quae dicitis in cordibus vestris in cubilibus vestris compungimini.* ^D

Daniel Barbarus: Condemn your internal thoughts in the night; for compunction is a certain sense, like a stimulus or goad of the soul, and in the night counsels are purer. ^A

*Sacrifice a sacrifice of righteousness, and hope in the Lord.* He teaches how we shall prevail over our enemies. How shall we prevail? By producing good works, which we offer to God as a sacrifice. *Many say: Who will show us good things?* These are the words of those who neglect ministries pertaining to God. ^B

*The light of thy countenance, O Lord, is marked upon us.* Christ is the light of the world, who has also taught us true goods, through which we have acquired spiritual gladness in mind and heart.

PSALM V

[*For I will pray unto thee.* In the enjoyment, he says, of the intelligible light, I will pray to thee; therefore I also trust that I shall be heard.]

*Give ear to my words, O Lord.* *In the morning I will stand before thee.* A great glory of contention, ^C [a great boasting of purity] is to stand before God from one's very bed and to anticipate the sun in thanksgiving. For so, he says, shall I behold thy divine and holy mysteries which thou hast prepared for those who love thee. *For thou art not a God that wills iniquity.* Therefore, he says, I trust that I shall be heard, because I have had no concern for things of this kind which thou hatest. These indeed are iniquity, and wickedness, and transgression, and falsehood, and envy, and deceit.

*Thou hatest all that work iniquity; thou wilt destroy all that speak falsehood.* He called those who stumble in their conduct workers of iniquity; these God hates. But the heterodox who have fallen from the truth, he termed speakers of falsehood, whom God will destroy. And mark the difference between *Thou hast hated* and *thou wilt destroy*. ^D First, whether *thou wilt destroy* is worse than *thou hast hated*; and second, what the reason is that the former lies in the past tense, while the latter in the future.

[Speaking falsehood, and those calling idols gods, and the demons themselves, who in idols speak lies and devious things and oracles.]

*The Lord abominates the man of blood and the deceitful man.* For God hates such a man and turns away.

^A But I in the multitude of your mercy ^A will enter into your house. He speaks of the heavenly Jerusalem, the mother of the firstborn. *I will worship toward your holy temple in your fear.* The temple is the state of a holy soul, flourishing in virtue, which those who possess act with confidence. Yet Christ, as Son, will rest in his house, of which house we are. For, enjoying your clemency and protected by your right hand, I follow you with constant adoration in the holy temple of your glory, says the holy and pure soul; for since I bear your fear everywhere around me, I shall never suffer to lose it, trusting in your clemency. *Direct my way in your sight because of my enemies.* Namely, the spiritual ones. *Their heart is vain.* That is, the heart of the wise men of this age, or even of the heretics. For they do not know the word of truth. *Their throat is an open sepulchre; they dealt deceitfully with their tongues.* They smooth their tongue, and belch forth deadly dogmas. 12. *Cast them off from their counsels.* For these, he says, are all the counsels they formed against me, being opposed to my progress according to God. [According to the multitude of their impieties cast them out, making them pious. For they who persecute the soul that produces works pleasing to God, exasperate God and openly attack him in war.] 13. *And you will dwell in them.* For he himself will come, and the Father, and they will make their abode with him. 14. *And those who love your name will glory in you, because you will bless the just, O Lord.* For by your blessing and providence granted to your servants, who have committed themselves to the love of your name, they will be magnificently aware of your care for them, which they will declare as your power. Thus also the blessed ^C Paul says: *He who glories, let him glory in the Lord* [1 Cor. X, 17]. *You have crowned us with the shield of your good will.* A crown, he says, you will give for our labors at the end, with which as with a shield you will protect us.

Unto the end, in hymns, for the octave, PSALM of David. VI. Argument.

^D Could the octave be anything else than the day of Christ's resurrection, on which we are to receive the fruits of our labors; with our enemies, of course, driven back with shame and perturbation? He sings this psalm, moreover, as one who had spent a long time in the repentance which he offered for sin. 2. *Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger.* He does not refuse rebuke, but that which is with anger; nor does he refuse correction, but that which is done with wrath. 3. *Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am weak.* For no soul falls into sin before it has lost something of its strength. [He hints at the weakness which arises from despondency and tears.] 4. *And my soul is troubled exceedingly.* The powers of the soul, clearly. *And you, O Lord, how long?* The word of long-term repentance...

^A which arises from despondency and tears. 5. *Convert, O Lord, deliver my soul.* As though He were turned away, clearly, because of sin. *Save me for your mercy’s sake.* For every aspect of our salvation is to be ascribed to the mercy of God. 6. *For in death there is no one who remembers you.* Because the time for repentance is long, he says, I fear lest death anticipate your mercy, where there will be no place for confession. For this reason, I ask that you hasten your mercy. 7. *I laboured in my groaning.* Let us hear what kind of repentance the King demonstrated. He did not simply labour, but he laboured while groaning; he did not simply shed tears, but he washed his bed, and that every night. And he does not look only ^B to what is past, but he even promises the same for time to come throughout his whole life; and even if many people devote time to praise, he devotes this time to confession. *I will wash my bed every night.* Instead of one night, he says, in which I committed the sin, I have spent many nights wetting my couch with tears. 8. *My eye is troubled by anger.* By eye he means the mind, since the mind is the eye of the soul. *I have grown old among all my enemies.* Here he declares the time of his affliction. [Which he also counts in the order of good deeds, because it was long.] 9. *For the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping.* As one who has already been heard, he joins together a long discourse against his enemies. And this is no small path toward virtue: to flee and to repel the company of the wicked. For this is the fruit of repentance and the gain ^C of tears. Or perhaps this was said by ellipsis, so that it may be understood: Grant us to say to the adversaries who rush upon us: "Depart, for I have been heard, for I have been received, I who had been cast out on account of sin."

PSALM OF DAVID, WHICH HE SANG TO THE LORD CONCERNING THE WORDS OF CUSI, THE SON OF IEMINI. VII. Argument.

The closest friend of David was Cusi, who is sent by David to Abessalom so that he might oppose Achitophel, the author of counsels against David. And when he had departed, and was feigning treachery, ^D upon a counsel being requested by Abessalom from Cusi and Achitophel—and with Achitophel giving counsel to pursue David, but Cusi advising otherwise, namely that it was not right, nor would it be to his advantage, to pursue a man skilled in war—by this word he saved David. David, as if saved not by human assistance, offers this canticle to God in thanksgiving, ascribing the whole thing to His grace, and to no man.

2. *O Lord my God, in you I have hoped.* Since, he says, I do not trust in men for salvation, even if the words of Cusi are good, save me also from the present enemies, but most of all from the spiritual lion who lies in wait for my soul.

^A 5. *If I have rendered evil to those who render evil to me.* He sets forth his freedom from resentment, calling upon God through it for mercy. *May I then fall from my enemies empty.* The righteous man, having conquered, departs full and laden with spoils from his enemies; but the wicked man, when he is defeated, falls away from them empty, having no store of provisions.

6. *Let the enemy pursue my soul.* What he says is of this kind: May I fall into the hands of the devil if I have committed any of the things mentioned above; if I have done this or that, may I not be delivered from sin before death. *Arise in the ends of my enemies.* That is, in the strongholds of my enemies; for "ends" signifies the extremities.

7. *And arise, O Lord my God, in the precept which Thou hast commanded.* Clearly, he evangelizes here about the theophany of the Savior. *And a congregation of peoples shall surround Thee.* Clearly, he declares by these present words the faith of the Church in Him.

8. *And for this sake return on high.* That is, for the sake of this congregation. And the "on high" hints either at the precious cross, to which He brought our sins, or at the return to heaven. For He went away to present Himself before the face of the Father for our sake.

9. *Judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness.* He asks again to be rescued from his enemies, ^B provoking mercy from the evils inflicted upon him. Daniel Barbarus: *My righteous help is from the Lord.* Just things are to be requested, so that by the very force and nature of the petition, we may easily incline towards ourselves the impulse of Him who saves the upright in heart.

11. *Who saves the upright in heart.* Since Thou knowest, he says, the thoughts of our heart, for this reason I implore Thy help.

12. *God is a just judge, strong and long-suffering.* Clearly by such words he presents the long-suffering of God, who has a postponement of our punishment, but not a total pardon.

14. *He has fashioned His arrows for those who are burning.* He calls punishment "arrows," and "burning" are those deserving of fire.

15. *Behold, he has travailed with injustice.* The enemy of our life. *He has conceived pain and brought forth lawlessness.* That is, he has both deliberated and brought to effect his schemes.

16. *He has opened a pit and dug it, etc.* Having prepared death against the Savior Christ, he himself is delivered up to death.

PSALM VIII

faithful are called branches. But if the Jew contends that the psalm is spoken of man in a general sense, even so, let it be known that for this reason all things were subjected to him, because he was made to the image of God who was about to assume flesh.]

^A 2. O Lord our Lord, how admirable is thy name in the whole earth! He is struck with wonder at the knowledge of the name of God given to mankind; for God is no longer known only to those who are in Judæa.

3. Out of the mouth of infants and of sucklings thou hast perfected praise. Namely, of those who are infants toward God in terms of malice. This is also clearly recorded in the Gospels to have been said by the Savior, when the Pharisees were silencing the children who were praising Him. Because of thy enemies, that thou mayest destroy the enemy and the avenger. He speaks either of the sensible or the intelligible enemy, or of the Jewish people; for they drove away Christ as an enemy, but pretended that they were doing this with the intention of avenging the Father. For this reason, stripping them of this defense ^B both above and below, He said: He that hateth me, hateth my Father also. By enemy and avenger, He means the devil, who, after having compelled them to accomplish the sin, also inflicts punishment upon those who sin, setting the gravity of the sin before their eyes. Or he means the people of the Jews, an enemy indeed of the truth, but an avenger in that they seemed to be defending the law.

For I shall behold the heavens, the works of thy fingers. Those men are indignant at the infants who are perfecting praise; but I contemplate that which is so great and beautiful, namely the heavens, as a small work of Thy creation. ^C

What is man that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him? Thou hast made him a little less than the angels. Since Paul clearly refers these words to our Savior, it suffices to be satisfied with that explanation.

8. Thou hast subjected all things under his feet. ^D After God said, Let us make man to our image and likeness, He added: And let them have dominion over the fishes of the sea, and He goes through the rest in detail, to which He adds: Increase and multiply and fill the earth, and have dominion over it; for He bestowed the authority over all things upon a rational nature, inasmuch as it was fashioned in the likeness of God. And man, having received the power of the divine image, even as God is king of all, so was he established as prince of all things on earth. But if it is said generally, And thou hast set him over the works of thy hands, and it states in another place, And the heavens are the works of thy hands; it is plain that He has set him over the heavens, and perhaps He secretly signifies the sojourn in the heavens of those who are translated thither from the earth, when they are about to inherit the kingdom of heaven, as it has been promised. Paul also says: heirs of...

^A God, and joint-heirs with Christ. In this way also, the passage, "You have put all things under his feet," is to be understood. Now, indeed, the animals; but because an angelic life is laid up for men in heaven, when he is established there over the works of his hands, he will be a spectator of the heavens and of all things in them. And the blessed Paul applied this also to the Savior as something to come to pass in the age to come. Wherefore the Father says to him: "Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool." "Sheep and all oxen." By these he shadows forth those who have believed out of Israel. "Furthermore, and the beasts of the field." By these he signifies the nations. "The birds of the heaven," those who in their life are lofty and proud, those who think high thoughts, men who are altogether senseless. ^B

10. "O Lord our Lord, how admirable is your name in all the earth!" Repeating it, he doubles the wonder, being struck with astonishment, as I have said, at the knowledge of God that has been given to men.

Unto the end, for the hidden things of the son, a Psalm of David. IX. Argument.

By this psalm he declares the things which were done hiddenly by the Savior. For many were those things done in secret: namely, the birth according to the flesh from the Virgin Mary through the Holy Spirit; the stupendous virtues and those renowned for miracles; death itself and the descent into hell, and finally the resurrection from the dead. For all these things were performed by him in secret. For he hid them even from the princes of this world. On behalf of these hidden things, the Prophet, taking the guise of human nature, enters, giving thanks and saying: "I will confess to you, O Lord." The revelation, moreover, of those hidden things is death ^C and the things which were done in hell: likewise the resurrection and the ascension.

"I will confess to you, O Lord, with my whole heart..." "When my enemy is turned backward," etc. He declares concerning what the confession is. He says that his enemy is death, which is turned backward—that is, into non-existence.

"They shall be weakened and perish from your face." Since, he says, death is turned backward, then indeed shall every opposing power be brought to naught; for if the last enemy of all, death, is destroyed, it is manifest that the opposing powers were destroyed beforehand. ^D

"For you have executed my judgment and my cause," refers to the cause of the thanksgiving; but this, "You sat upon the throne," indicates the inspection of God in judging.

"You have rebuked the heathen, and the wicked one has perished." The intelligible enemies, clearly. "You have wiped out their name for ever." He says the intelligible dragon, who is the devil.

"You have rebuked the heathen, and the wicked one has perished." He speaks of the dragon, or the devil; since rebuke signifies also correction. One might say, corrected by the apostles

^A by the Gentiles, the wicked one has perished, his altar-fumes having been utterly extinguished and brought to an end. For when the nations were rebuked and turned to the Lord, the devil who was working in them, as they were sons of disobedience, perished along with the temples of their idols, which like cities held those who looked toward impiety. And thus they perished, so that not even a trace was left behind. One may take this also as referring to the final judgment; for then, when the sinners are rebuked, the devil, who is truly the wicked one, is caused to vanish. The cities, with the impiety that once lived within them having been destroyed, received the building up of piety.]

7. The swords of the enemy have failed to the end. He calls the opposing powers the "swords" of the devil, by which he was strong. [The "cities" are the opposing powers, which, like strongly fortified cities, took captive and held those who had been deceived by them through error. And what cities does he mean, pray tell, if not those of which it is said elsewhere: "You have reduced strong cities to dust, so that their foundations might fall"? Which, as has been shown, are the opposing powers.] Their memorial has perished with a sound. [So that their destruction became heard everywhere. Or he speaks of their total ruin, or the overwhelming nature of their evils, and the conspicuousness of their destruction.] For their destruction became heard abroad. ^B And the Lord became a refuge for the poor. [He frequently calls himself poor and a beggar, even though he might be in a palace. For he knew that all human things are more fragile than shadows. He calls the time of tribulation an "opportunity"; for we are always in need of help, even in prosperity, but we feel the need for assistance more acutely in tribulations.] He speaks to the beggar, to the spiritual people. A helper in opportunities in tribulations. As it is said: "In an acceptable time I have heard you." ^C

Sing to the Lord who dwells in Sion. To the heavenly Jerusalem, he says. Proclaim among the nations his pursuits. He says these things as to the apostles and the heralds of the Gospels. And he indicates what those pursuits are in what follows.

Since he who requires their blood has remembered. "The blood," he says, "that was poured out for him, he will require, deeming it worthy of vengeance." [He has not forgotten the cry of the poor. Again, he calls those "poor" who are begging for his sake, who are constantly making supplications to him and asking for vengeance for the injustices done against them by the demons.] ^D You who lift me up from the gates of death. For this reason you raise me from the earth of humiliation, so that I may dance in the heavenly Sion. [At the gates of the daughter of Sion. In the heavenly Jerusalem. That expression, "I will declare," you should understand as, "I will sing constantly."]

The Lord is known by doing judgments. For the judgment is truly just, that those who have prepared for man The next page begins with: "death in himself, might be encompassed by it. Perhaps because to those also to whom the judgment comes, they will know that..."

^A a death in it may be caught. Perhaps, because they too who are to be judged will recognize the Judge in the time of judgment.

18. Daniel Barbarus: Let the sinners be turned into hell. That is to say, the demons, and whoever has served them. All nations that forget God. Greeks, heretics, Jews.

20. For "Arise, O Lord, let not man prevail." He prays ^B that the Only-Begotten might shine forth upon those on earth, so that that proud devil, whom he here calls "man," may not lift up his eyebrows any further. "Let the nations be judged in thy sight." He prays, hastening the calling of the nations that has come to pass for their salvation.

21. "Appoint, O Lord, a lawgiver over them." And who is that lawgiver, if not he who brought in the law of the New Testament for us? "Let the nations know that they are men." By the vast delusion of ^C the demons, they had been transformed into the manner of beasts, so that it might be said of them: "He was compared to senseless beasts, and made like unto them."

PSALM X

1. "Why, O Lord, hast thou stood afar off?" He prays for the calling of the nations, which was to take place after a short time, to be accelerated. This is brought about by the pride of the devil.

2. "While the ungodly is proud, the poor is set on fire." The pride, he says, of the wicked becomes a burning to thy poor people. "They are caught in the counsels which they imagine." That is, they shall be caught. For "thou art," he says, "he who catches the wise in their own craftiness."

3. "For the sinner is praised in the desires of his soul." So great, he says, has been his forbearance ^D that, because the impious remained unpunished, eventually their life was accepted and praised among certain more foolish men.

4. "The sinner has provoked the Lord." He has provoked him indeed by mocking his words concerning providence and judgment. For many, when they hear anything of this sort, immediately laugh. But this is added: "According to the multitude of his wrath." So that the whole sentiment stands thus: The sinner, he says, has provoked the Lord, treasuring up for himself a multitude of wrath. For that word "his" must be understood as referring to the one who provokes. Then what is said, "He will not seek," should be read with a pause, so that it may be understood thus: Does that man provoke God, kindling for himself a magnitude of wrath, and will God not seek? It should therefore be read with a pause, that the meaning may be this: Shall God not seek? Shall he not render unto him according to the wrath which he has treasured up for himself in the day of his wrath?

5. "God is not before his eyes." The beginning of every wicked act is not to consider God as a judge. "Thy judgments are taken away from before his face." For he who does not know that God exists, does not know either that he is a judge. "He shall have dominion over all his enemies." Similar is that: "I will grasp the whole world in my hand like a nest." For he said in his heart: "I shall not be shaken," etc.

that is: I shall not be led into error, I shall not be overturned for a generation, I shall not be in evils. The Dan. Barb. edition adds: For whoever is a partaker of vice thinks that he will suffer nothing grave. ^A [Non-existent is God before him.] ^B Having cast out the fear of God from his soul, he persists always in malice. The beginning of every evil action is not to consider God as judge. "Thy judgments are taken away from before his face." He does not want to acknowledge that You are a just judge; for he who does not know that there is a God, neither does he know that there is a judge. "He shall have dominion over all his enemies." Temptations are presented, some to the soul, some to the body, others to things which surround the body. Those which are offered to the soul are called impure thoughts, which generate sins and false dogmas; those which are applied to the body are the causes of blows, tortures, persecutions, imprisonments, and deaths; the temptations which surround the body, moreover, are the loss of money and possessions, and the depriving of children and wives. It is therefore evident from the aforementioned, that Satan in some way has had dominion over all just men by these types of temptations; for Christ alone did not commit sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth. (1 Pet. 2:22) "Whose mouth is full of cursing." He thinks, he says, that he will possess prosperity, and for this reason his mouth is full of bitterness and deceit; and he lies in wait for the poor in order to kill them with his own snares. And as for "with the wealthy," what else could be meant than those who are wealthy in evils? For they, with the devil their father, prepare schemes against the poor. ^C "He sits in ambush with the wealthy." Sitting in gatherings and councils, he prepares certain snares and devices against the innocent. "He will bow down and fall." When the devil says: "I have conquered," then, having fallen, he is put to shame. For he said in his heart: "God has forgotten." The devil says these things not because the matter is so, but wishing to deceive us, that we might be tripped up, thinking that God neglects human affairs. "Arise, O Lord my God." He prays that the patience and kindness of God might be moved; for when the hand of God is not raised against the folly of the impious, they become more insolent. ^D [Let Your hand be lifted up.] Raise Your hand, and teach them that You exercise care for those who are suffering injustice; and as if rising from sleep, show that Your vengeance is superior to their designs. And correct them, but show mercy to the one suffering injustice, being vehemently moved and incited by their outrages and blasphemous words. "Wherefore," he says, "hath the impious provoked God?" For he said in his heart: "He will not search out." This is the cause both of his being exalted and of his fall.

14. You see, for you perceive labor and sorrow. You, he says, O Lord, know all things, and nothing of what is done escapes you, nor even of what comes into the mind and into thought. Moreover, you accurately know the labors of men, and the fury and indignation of those who cause distress. Since you consider the thoughts of all, and you are the one who searches hearts and reins. And seeing these things, you are nevertheless long-suffering, knowing that all are under your hand, and that no one can flee anywhere. To you the poor is left; you have been a helper to the orphan. That is to say, he awaits help from you. ^A

15. Break the arm of the sinner and the evil man. That is, the power of the enemy. His sin will be sought and will not be found. That is to say, on account of the sin itself. The whole sentence is as follows: If you seek, he says, the sin of the evil man, it will not be found; that is, the evil man will perish on account of it.

[Those who obtain salvation from God are found, according to the saying: I have found David my servant, and the lost drachma was found; and if it had not been found, it would have perished. Those who perish will not be found forever; for the Judge remains, and reigns forever in the future and new age.] ^B

16. The Lord shall reign forever. In the future and new age.

Daniel Barbarus. He says these things to show his present and future kingdom. But if the Lord’s kingdom lacks an end, because there is no end to his kingdom, the just who are partakers of it will obtain a perpetual possession of the kingdom.

You shall perish, O nations, from his earth. For in the time of his kingdom they will be cast into the eternal fire. ^C

[He calls the unjust nations, as those who do not live according to the law, but follow a pagan and barbarian ferocity. He asks for them to be eradicated, saying, You shall perish, and threatening them with total destruction; so that both these might have relief, and those might return to a better state of life.]

17. You have heard the desire of the poor, O Lord. For this was their desire, and this passion, to be deemed worthy of the good things to come. Your ear has attended to the preparation of their heart. For to this they were prepared, and were ready in heart to endure all things. ^D

[Preparation of the heart is as it were a promise made by the motions and affections of the soul for rendering obedience to God.]

18. To judge for the orphan and the humble; that he may no more boast, etc. When, he says, he shall take vengeance for the poor, then man shall no more boast.

Unto the end, a PSALM for David. X. Argument.

He sings this psalm also after he had overcome his enemies. It presents a pious sentiment and mind.

^A In the Lord I trust; how say ye to my soul? How say ye to me, he says, to flee into the mountains like a sparrow, although I trust in God? Migrate to the mountains like a sparrow. Transfer yourselves, move, flee to the mountains, that is, to the virtues. For behold the sinners have bent their bow, they have prepared their arrows in the quiver. With these words they incited him to flight, saying that if he did not flee, he would be pierced through by the sinners with arrows. He declares, therefore, that evil thoughts are the weapons of the evil one. That they may shoot in the dark at the upright in heart, as if to say, secretly. For such are the weapons of spiritual enemies. ^B For what thou hast perfected, they have destroyed. The enemy, he says, has cast man down into corruption, although he was fashioned for incorruption. But what did the righteous one do? Even if, he says, the enemies have done such things, yet the Lord, who has heaven as his temple, having made an examination of the righteous and the ungodly, to some He bestows good things, but others He sends into eternal punishments. The Lord is in His holy temple. [For what thou hast perfected, they have destroyed. Instead of: they hasten to destroy thy works through me; for they strive to annul the king whom thou hast anointed, arming themselves against thy decree. And this they do having cast out from themselves the upright thoughts which are according to nature, which He had indeed perfected.] ^C His eyes look upon the poor. This signifies God’s infallible knowledge; and by eyes he means His beneficent inspection. His eyelids examine the sons of men. He calls His eyelids His providential judgment which explores all things.

Unto the end, for the octave, a PSALM for David. XI. Argument. It has been spoken concerning the octave in the sixth psalm. Furthermore, he prays to be delivered from a wicked generation. And this generation would be that which was in the time of our Savior Jesus Christ; concerning which He Himself said: The men of Nineveh shall rise up and shall condemn this generation. Save me, O Lord, for the holy man has failed, for truths have been diminished from the sons of men. ^D He gathers into one the snares prepared against the Savior. For having abandoned the truth, the Jews devised falsehood against Christ. 3. Deceitful lips in the heart. That is, while they were calling Him teacher and good, they were devising other things against Him. 4. The Lord shall destroy all deceitful lips, the tongue that speaketh great things. For how is that tongue not boastful which dared to say to the Savior: By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority? Those who said: We will magnify our tongue.

^A Our lips are our own. Who is our Lord? As if they were reasoning this out, that they have the power to say anything they desire against the Savior. This, "Who is our Lord?" is similar to that saying: "As for this fellow, we know not from whence he is." [6. For the misery of the needy, etc.] He understands the needy and poor according to the spirit, whose groaning he heard, and says: I will arise. I will set him in safety, I will deal boldly in him. That is, I will make the salvation plain to all, which I will also provide to be spoken of everywhere. For it was preached to all the earth. [7. The words of the Lord are pure words, as silver tried in the fire.] True, he says, are the words spoken and promised concerning the Savior, just like silver often put into a crucible. ^B But the term "sevenfold" he uses for "many times," for this is the custom of divine Scripture. [8. Thou, O Lord, shalt keep us.] On this account, he says, you will keep us, because the ungodly surround us, plotting against our salvation. These would be the opposing and wicked powers. [9. According to thy height, thou hast multiplied the sons of men.] By height he means power; by multiplication, he means duration in time. So that this is the meaning: Through your strength and power, you have given us duration of time and eternal life. For after the saving ascension, our life extends into infinite ages. Or he speaks of height because you made men like yourself, as far as their capacity allows; or because you had great care for them.

To the end, A PSALM of David. XII. Argument.

so also the devil is said to be exalted in our destruction. "Lighten mine eyes." He indicates the eyes of the mind. For enlighten yourselves with the light of knowledge.

"But I have hoped in Thy mercy." I am confident, he says, that I shall receive remission of sins, fixing my attention upon Thy mercy, through which Thou hast also given salvation to all men; which salvation will cause my heart, which once grieved by reason of sin, to exult.

To the end, A PSALM of David. XIII. Argument.

He declares explicitly in the present psalm the impiety and iniquity of men in all their pursuits and acts, that he may proclaim the necessity of the coming of Christ.

"The fool hath said in his heart: There is no God." Since, he says, they did not consider that there is a God who looks upon human affairs and judges with righteous judgment, they committed every kind of lawless act. For this very reason the Lord looked down ^B from heaven. For this clearly signifies the Lord's coming to men. "There is none that doeth goodness, there is not even one." When the Lord came, he says, He found not one worker of goodness, but rather every man liable for every wicked deed. "Their throat is an open sepulchre." For the demons held man in their own throat as if he were food, not considering that God cannot ever forget His own creature.

"Shall not all they know that work iniquity?" This is to be read with a pause, and the word "Lord" is to be taken from without; so that the meaning is this: And all, he says, have turned aside, and they have done this. They are not about to know the Lord. "They who devour my people as a morsel of bread, have not called upon the Lord." For they were devouring His people, persuading them to worship the creature rather than the Creator. And these, he says, having become the authors of evils to others, shall not call upon the Lord. For so it must be read, the future instead of the past.

"There they trembled with fear, where there was no fear." The law of Moses, he says, brought punishment; but the fear of Christ is chaste; for it prepared us to fear Him as sons fear a Father. At that time, ^C he says, that is, when the manifestation comes, they shall fear with a fear where there is no fear. Not, clearly, from the threat of the law, but rather with the reverence befitting the free.

"For the Lord is in the generation of the righteous." Of those who are justified through His coming. "The counsel of the poor man is put to shame." This He says to those who persevere in unbelief and persecute those who have believed in Christ.

"Who shall give from Sion the salvation of Israel?" This contains a double prophecy; for he does not only declare the salvation that came to those who were besieged at that time, but also the saving manifestation of our Savior which occurred from thence many ages later. "Jacob shall exult." He understands by this the holy patriarchs and prophets, who shall be exceedingly joyful when

the promises previously made to them have been fulfilled by Christ. These were the ones signifying the salvation of all the nations.

In finem, PSALM of David. XIV.

Argument.

2-5. "Qui incedit sine macula," etc. He teaches by what ways we shall attain that blessed end; first indeed, if we walk the spotless way, which is Christ himself; next, if we work justice; third, if we make our heart a house of truth; fourth, if we do not possess a deceitful tongue; fifth, not to do evil to a neighbor; sixth, not to reproach a neighbor while acting proudly; seventh, not to accept a person; eighth, not to violate the faith of an oath; ninth, not to commit usury; tenth, which is the fulfillment of every good, not to be susceptible to bribes. He who has thoroughly learned the rectitude and merit of these shall obtain a firm and immoveable gift of good things.

Inscription of the title, of David. XV.

Argument.

"Conserva me, Domine, quoniam speravi in te." As if he had assumed the person of the human race, he addresses these words to God the Father. And not for himself alone, but also for us and on our behalf, inasmuch as through the economy and the incarnation he was made one of us. Therefore he calls the Father "Lord," because he was in the form of a servant. He asks to be preserved for the sake of the Church, which is his flesh. For his flesh is the

^A Church; and he asks for it to be preserved. With good reason, therefore, is this preservation referred to his own person.

2. *I said to the Lord, You are my God.* Here again he makes his request according to the form of a servant; at the same time, he manifests justice which is imparted through confession in faith. *For you have no need of my good things.* By "good things," he says, he means the sacrifices offered according to the law; for the word of faith eliminates that, as he says: *Shall I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?*

3. *To the saints who are in his land he has made all his will wonderful in them.* He calls those "saints" who have been sanctified in the Spirit; he calls the Church the land of Christ. "He has made wonderful" stands for "he has taught." "His," that is, the Father's; so that the whole meaning is understood thus: he has made the Father's will known to those sanctified in faith: wherefore he is called the Angel of ^B Great Counsel.

[To the saints in the land God has made his will wonderful. He made known the Father’s will to those sanctified in faith—in them, that is, who were in the land of God, or the Church; or to some who dwell in the holy land; or because the saints, having their citizenship in heaven, dwell on his land, even if they still remain on this earth for now. The wills of God are the virtues of every kind, which God makes wonderful in his saints, who have a greater capacity for exercising virtue than other men. For the fortitude of apostles and martyrs is not the same as that whereby others act manfully in a different way, nor is the continence of Joseph like that of others. And thus, once someone has been made wonderful, he senses his own infirmity, such that he falls far short of divine power and greatness. For when the infirmities of the righteous are multiplied, they approach God moved by repentance.]

*Their infirmities have been multiplied;* when they worshipped idols. *After that they made haste.* Even if they were weak, he says, being previously in sins, yet upon hearing the preaching, they obeyed straightway. For this is what *After that they made haste* signifies, clearly, that they made haste to obey the preaching. *I will not assemble their assemblies of blood.* When I assemble, he says, the synagogues from the nations, I will not assemble them by means of blood, that is, I will not see to it that they approach me through the legal cult, but rather by praise ^D and by the unbloody sacrifice. *Nor will I be mindful of their names with my lips.* They shall no longer be called, he says, idolaters and atheists, but called and elect. Formerly, he says, they were given names worthy of their deeds, called idolaters and polytheists; but now I shall no longer remember those names, calling them instead pious, holy, called, and elect.

^A *Their infirmities were multiplied, when they worshipped idols.* Even if they are multiplied, they do not persist; for they only persisted up to the point of perception and experience, because the righteous are strong through Christ who strengthens them. Or perhaps he seems to be speaking of the apostles and those who believed through them, in whom divine miracles were manifest, as they kept all the divine commandments. But "their infirmities were multiplied," or as it is read in another way, their "labors," with many peoples, orators, generals, and kings rising up against them; having overcome all of these, they finished their course. Or [the verse] implies the shortness and temporary nature of these tribulations in contrast to the infinite age. *I will not assemble their assemblies.* They hastened to obey the preaching; it is necessary that those who are to be gathered by Christ be clean from murders and blood. I will gather, he says, assemblies from the Gentiles; I will not gather them through blood and murders, nor will I prepare for them to approach me through the legal cult, but rather with praises and the unbloody sacrifice.

^B *The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and of my cup, etc.* As if he were speaking more clearly: My Father has gifted the nations to me as my lot and portion, to whom I also became obedient unto death. For the cup signifies death, according to what was said: "Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me."

^C *The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and of my cup.* He calls the kingdom of the nations an inheritance. And of my Church, which is my inheritance, the Lord the Father is the portion; and He is also the portion of my cup, that is to say, of my death. And the Church inherited the Father, having fulfilled His commandments; and my very death inherited the Father, according to the words: "Heirs of God, joint heirs with Christ."

*Lines have fallen to me in the most excellent places; for my inheritance is most excellent to me.* He speaks of the bonds of love which he had toward the Church, which is also most excellent, that is to say, pleasing to him.

*I will bless the Lord who has given me understanding.* The interpretation of this saying lies in the Acts of the Apostles. ^D *Moreover, even until night my reins instructed me.* It is the custom of the God-inspired Scripture to call the hidden and deeply-seated thoughts "reins," and "night" that which is obscure.

*I foresaw the Lord always before me, because He is at my right hand, that I might not be shaken.* Insofar as He is understood to be God, He is the one who strengthens and sustains all things; but insofar as He became man, it is fitting for Him to say that He had the Lord at His right hand, so that he would not be shaken. For everywhere He is fashioned...

according to the measures and limits of human nature, and because of the economy or incarnation, He is not ashamed of those things which pertain to evacuation and humility. See, therefore, how illustrious our nature has become in Christ. We who were cast out through the transgression of Adam have certainly been brought and offered into the presence of the Father, and we have had Him as our defender and patron. ^A

[[A dextris est mihi.]] He clearly refutes the stupidity of the Jews. For Peter, the chief of the apostles, attributes these things to Christ in the Acts. For as far as He is God, He is Himself the one who sustains and holds all things; but as far as He is man, it is fitting for Him to have the Lord standing at His right hand, so that he may not be shaken.

[[Non derelinques animam meam.]] Although He is life and bestows life, He is said to be vivified by the Father because of the economy. ^B [Thou hast made known to me the ways of life,] he who wears the person of humanity, as one having been made according to us, utters words to us rather than to Himself, as far as He is understood as God, they being appropriate.

10. *Delight in thy right hand even to the end.* This signifies that the saints will be in delights and joys after they have returned to life at the time of the resurrection. And they say that this delight and joy, which is incorruption, we are to receive from Christ, who is in us and is the right hand of the Father. And that the word is true is evident from the saying: ^C *Who shall transform the body of our humility, conformed to the body of his glory.*

Prayer of David. XVI. Argument.

1. This psalm is sung in the person of the one who is perfect according to God.

*Hear, O Lord, my justice.* The discourse is full of great confidence; for that he here mentions his own justice, he does not speak thus as one boasting, nor as one declaring himself to be just; but as if he were saying: Hear the one justly imploring Thy help, and asking to be delivered from the injuries brought upon him by the persecuting Saul, and grant what is requested.

*Hearken to my prayer, not with deceitful lips.* ^D For God gives ear not to prayer offered with deceitful lips, but to that offered with a pure tongue and one accustomed to meditating on the divine oracles.

2. *Let my judgment come forth from thy presence.* He clearly prays for the Only-begotten to be appointed as his judge. *Let thy eyes behold inequities.* He asks for the just judgment of the Son, by which He has judged concerning us.

3. *Thou hast tested my heart, thou hast visited it by night, thou hast tried me with fire, and iniquity was not found in me.* Divine Scripture is accustomed to call blasphemy against God "iniquity": *For they have spoken iniquity in the height,* it says.

4. *That my mouth may not speak the works*

of men. He teaches that this, too, must be guarded against, so as to utter nothing mortal or human. *By the words of thy lips I have kept hard ways.* On account of thy commandments, he says, I have entered by the narrow and strait gate.

5. *Order my steps in thy paths,* etc. The Word teaches that one should not rely on oneself, but lean upon God. ^A [The paths of the Lord are the observances of the commandments.]

6. *I cried, because thou hast heard me, O God.* The phrase "hast heard" is used in place of "thou shalt hear." I have not used these words in vain, but I have experience of thy loving-kindness; for thou hast often heard me when I prayed. *Incline thine ear unto me.* God is all ear, inasmuch as he hears all things. [Ego clamavi, etc.] I do not cry in vain, but because thou hast often heard me, I ask that I may be heard now also. And this "cry" is an intense thought directed toward God. [Adipem suum concluserunt.] By "fat" is meant the greatest prosperity of the enemies.

11. *They have set their eyes to decline in the earth.* One goal, he says, has become theirs: as if to bring everything down to earth, and persuade men to think only of things that concern the flesh.

14. *Thy sword from the enemies of thy hand.* Every soul of the just, and especially of those who turn back sinners from impiety to piety, is as it were a sword sharpened against the spirits of wickedness. This sword, therefore, O Master, which thou thyself hast sharpened against thine own enemies, deliver from the enemies of thy hand. But who could be the enemies of the hand of God ^B if not those who stand against the faith in his Only-begotten, who is himself his hand?

*O Lord, from a few from the earth divide them.* He prays that the impious may be separated from the few, which is as if they were to be divided. And who are these "few," if not those of whom it is said: *Many are called, but few are chosen?*

Daniel Barbarus: Prepared for them, he says, is a hidden punishment which will penetrate even to the vitals, according to that which was said of Judas: *And the curse entered like water into his inward parts, and like oil into his bones.*

*And thy hidden things their belly is filled.* They have possessed all precious things, he says, and for that reason they have so kicked against the goads that they have transgressed. ^C Or in another way: *Of thy hidden things,* as if he were to say, the punishments which thou knowest in secret, (and) of which I am ignorant, with these fill their bellies; which is said by periphrasis for "themselves."

*They are satisfied with children, and have left remnants to their little ones.* They have been filled with every iniquity, and have transmitted it even to their children. [And they have left it to the little ones of their children, that is, even unto their great-grandchildren.]

15. *But I shall appear in righteousness in thy sight.*

I shall not be like them, nor shall I be satisfied with the same things as they, he says; but I shall be filled with thy glory through good works.

1. *Unto the end, to the servant of the Lord, David, who spoke unto the Lord the words of this canticle, in the day that the Lord delivered him ^A from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul, and he said. PSALM XVII.*

*Argument.* The psalm contains the irruption of enemies and the imploring of God’s aid; the descent of the Only-begotten, and his assumption; and after the assumption, what was done against the demons, and the casting out of Israel, and the calling of the nations. That phrase, "from the hand of his enemies, and from the hand of Saul," can be referred to spiritual enemies and their prince.

2. *I will love thee, O Lord, my strength; the Lord is my firmament and my refuge.* Perceiving the benefits of God, which is the greatest of all gifts, he offers him his love—the very thing which the Savior placed first among the commandments.

3. *Praising I will call upon the Lord, and I shall be saved from my enemies.* Here we are taught to offer thanks for the blessings we have received, and again to pray for what is lacking. Then he describes the manifold irruptions of his enemies.

5. *The sorrows of death surrounded me.* He says that here he makes mention of no mortal war, but of invisible powers ^B surrounding his soul from within. *And torrents of iniquity troubled me. The sorrows of hell encompassed me; the snares of death prevented me.* The "torrents of iniquity" are evil thoughts; these themselves are called "sorrows" when they persist in us for a long time, and again "snares," because they kill us through actual sin.

8. *And the earth was shaken and trembled.* He recounts what happened then at the descent of the Lord; for all who dwelt upon the earth were moved, and the whole region was filled with the report concerning him. *And the foundations of the mountains were troubled.* The "mountains" are the evil powers that rose up ^C against the glory of God. By their "foundations" he means their deep-seated thoughts. *And they were shaken, because God was angry with them.* Because for a long period of time they deceived those upon the earth through the superstitious worship of many gods.

9. *Smoke went up in his anger.* Being angry, he says, he extinguished their fire by which they once burned men; and he places the smoke as a symbol of this. *And a fire shall be kindled from his face.* For the Son of God works these things secretly against the opposing powers, extinguishing their fire with another, better and more powerful fire. [For the demons, seeing the Lord, burned in his presence from his face.] ^D *Coals were kindled by him.* Those, namely, who have been illuminated by participation in the divine fire.

^A 10. *He bowed the heavens, and came down.* Most clearly he prophesies the descent of the Lord; and this seems to signify: *He humbled himself unto death*. *And gloom was under his feet.* He denotes the hidden character of his coming in the economy, or incarnation, and the invisibility of God, so that we might not be drawn by his words toward thoughts of corporeal things.

11. *He mounted upon the cherubim and flew; he flew upon the wings of the wind.* By these he indicates his assumption. He calls the cloud "cherubim" and "wings of the wind" [which received him: either the swiftness of Christ’s advent is signified, or the speed of his presence and aid]. Concerning which it is written in the Acts: *And when he had said these things, while they looked on, he was raised up, and a cloud received him out of their sight*.

12. *And he set darkness as his hiding-place.* That is, the unseen and hidden sojourn of the Savior with men. *In his circuit is his tabernacle.* By "tabernacle" he signifies the holy Church, in which he promised that he would dwell. *In his circuit*, he says, according to that which was said: *Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them*. *Dark water in the clouds of the air.* He says this because those things which the prophets foretold concerning him lie concealed in obscurity; those prophets who were also called clouds.

13. *From the brightness before him, the clouds passed.* The light, he says, of his epiphany made the prophecies manifest. [But because threats are also contained in the prophetic words, he shadowed these forth through hail and coals. Or in this way: the apostles, passing before his presence by the radiance of his preaching, watered the world like clouds. But hailstones are a kind of punishment, avenging the unbelievers.] *Hail and coals of fire.* By these he signifies things that happened to his enemies after his assumption—to the intelligible ones, I mean. For just as when he was delivering Israel from the Egyptians he rained down hail and fire, so also when he was delivering all nations from the servitude of demons, he rained down hail and coals of fire. And these would be the avenging powers by which he destroyed those intelligible Egyptian powers.

14. *And the fountains of the waters appeared*, etc. After the enemies were removed, the fountains of the waters appeared; that is to say, the saving word of the Gospel, which also became the foundation of the world; for we have been built upon it. Or in this way: understand the holy prophets to be the fountains, inasmuch as they gush forth the saving discourse. For so it is written concerning them: *And you shall draw water with joy from the fountains of the Savior*. And take the "foundations of the world" to be the Scripture of Moses the most wise; for in it we have found the base of faith and divine knowledge laid down first, carrying in a figure the mystery of Christ, along with the prophets. *Appeared*, therefore, as if you were to say, *were manifested*. Or, understand fountains and foundations... (the rest of this page is clipped in the source).

world as the salutary baptism.

From your rebuke, O Lord. One must understand: *the aforementioned enemies have been destroyed*. From the inspiration of the spirit of your wrath. God does not immediately punish those who sin; for if this were done, they would perish entirely. He announces the punishments of his wrath long before he strikes. For he says: *I will instruct them in the wrath of their tribulation*. And this is what it means for Him to breathe the spirit of His wrath.

Daniel Barbarus: *He sent from on high, and took me*. He truly saved the human race, sending down to us the gift of the Holy Spirit from heaven. Theodotion: *He granted me salvation from heaven*.

*He took me from many waters*. By waters he means temptations.

[From many waters. By waters he calls temptations. David says: *He took me*, that is, the human nature; for there were baptized on the day of Pentecost about three thousand souls by the apostles.]

*He will deliver me from my strong enemies, and from those who hate me*. He moves to narrating the things he did on account of sin and repentance. And what he says is of this sort: Already, having heard my confession, the Lord has become a support for me, when I was on the point of turning aside and suffering a great fall, had I, after the sin, fallen into complete apostasy. But he will deliver me entirely, granting forgiveness of sin according to the time of His advent foretold by the prophets. And this the Lord will do, granting me the benefit: *Because He delighted in me*. For if He had not delighted in me, He would not have sent His prophet to me.

*And the Lord will recompense me*. I am persuaded, he says, that at the time of His righteous judgment, not remembering my sins, He will recompense me according to my righteousness. For weighing my other actions performed in righteousness as in a balance ^B and setting them against my sin, He will find them greatly exceeding the sin I committed. And the word teaches that he who has slipped through some weakness is able to raise himself up through subsequent good deeds.

[He calls righteousness the virtue as a whole; the purity of hands, the *practical* activities, the actions having become undefiled, performed from the best habit.]

Daniel Barbarus: Furthermore, he who speaks these things attributes nothing to himself; wherefore they say these things are referred to the Savior, saying that this psalm is dictated from His person: *Tested in all things according to the likeness, apart from sin*. Truly, he calls righteousness the virtuous activity in general; and the purity of hands, the active faculties and actions immune to uncleanness, and proceeding from a best habit. Furthermore, he attributes the causes of his good deeds to God, alien to all boasting. By ways, he understands the commandments. And he does not act impiously who properly and correctly explains the dogmas and assertions of the truth. ^{C D}

^A [For all his judgments, etc. Those who have slipped must raise themselves up through second achievements. Even if his judgments are unsearchable and like an abyss because they are incomprehensible, yet they are all before the eyes of one who loves God.]

23. Daniel Barbarus: For all his judgments are in my sight. He who is a man according to God, having divine fear continually before his eyes, acts before God with confidence and freedom. If the judgments of God are inquired into, they are inscrutable and a deep abyss, because they cannot be comprehended on account of their obscurity. Yet it cannot be that he who has the judgments of God before his eyes should find fault with God’s providence and the belief that all things are ordered by God’s judgment: for it is known from the very name of judgment that a judgment is just, for it renders what is right. Or perhaps he calls it justice, since all judgments which are done without justice are called by that addition, being termed not judgments, but perverted judgments. Therefore it is said, Let a perverted judgment go forth. And his justices I have not pushed away from me. I cling, he says, to the justices of God. For they depart from them who do not embrace them. Justices are called, in this place, those which are established for the sake of justice and by the law of equity, as in the passage: If you buy a Hebrew slave, and the rest; for he had said before: These are the judgments which you shall set before them. But when he names justices together with judgments, these justices can signify the purified and proven words of God. Which words, when they are judged, can neither be refuted nor perverted, and are called judgments. The thoughts of the just, also, being carefully weighed and proven, since they are like a balance, can merit being called judgments.

Daniel Barbarus: And his justifications have not departed from me. By justifications he understands the commandments, and they depart from those who do not accept them.

26. With the holy you will be holy. You have deemed me worthy of your benefits with good reason: for since you are holy, you know how to be sanctified with the holy. For if I had persisted in sin and fallen utterly into ruin, I know that you, being the great Judge, would have pronounced a just judgment regarding my sin. But since I have guarded your ways, for this reason you, who are holy with the holy and innocent with the innocent, have not disposed the matter according to that pernicious state in which I was involved at a certain time, but according to the life that followed thereafter, and the life spent in righteousness, you will grant me the deserved retribution in that tribunal of yours.

28. For you will save the humble people. He sends this to the choir of the apostles. And you will humble the eyes of the proud. This tends toward the Scribes and Pharisees.

29. For you will light my lamp, O Lord. By this he means the mind. My God, you will light my darkness; my ignorance, he says, you will scatter.

30. For in you I will be delivered from temptation, and in my God I will overleap a wall. For my enemies, he says, have surrounded me, that they might enclose me. [He also calls temptation pleasure, and the wall the devil.]

31. My God, his way is blameless, etc. Here, he says, he reproves the ingratitude, perfidy, disobedient mind, and hardness of heart of the ungrateful and wicked Jews. Since they reproached our Savior Christ, as if he were acting against the divine law. For they attacked his sayings, as if they were blasphemous, with reproaches and calumnies, mutually

^B saying: “This man blasphemes: for who can forgive sins?” From an evil conscience and bad logic they thought these things against the Lord and God of all, and reasoned as they reasoned.

[Thy words are refined. And His words pertaining to this matter of which we are speaking, like silver refined by fire, are free from all blame, tested, and proved.]

^C 32. “For who is God, but the Lord? or who is God, besides our God?” For the Word of God is the only true God, and for this reason He is the Only-begotten, because He is God alone as the Father is. But having spoken concerning Christ as God by nature, he now says, “Or who is God?” mentioning only the Father in his own person. For to us there is one God, the Father; for there is no other God, that one might grant a request to this person, and another to that one. Perhaps he also brought forward these two verses in parallel: thus, he says, is He the true God, in whom I trusted, who girded me ^D with power in attaining victory and set for me a path secure for my practical deeds.]

“God who girded me with power.” Similar to what is said: “Until you are clothed with power from on high.” “And He made my path blameless.” That is, through the evangelical commandments He prepared it to be a blameless path for me to run.

“And setting me upon the high places.” That is, He teaches me to think of heavenly things.

[“Who makes my feet like the deer’s.” For the saints also consume poisonous passions; for they have received power against intellectual serpents, and for this reason they are compared to deer; for these also are consumers of ^B visible serpents, even as the deer: for ^C they had received power to tread upon serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy.]

“Teaching my hands for war.” For by extending them in prayer I prevail over my adversaries. “And You have made my arms a bronze bow.” Having prepared the powers of the soul as masculine in the manner of a bronze bow. By the bronze He shows firmness and imperviousness, and by the bow He indicates that the arrows are launched symbolically by our arms.

[“Teaching my hands for war.” Teaching that one must be effective in the fight, and positioning the arms as a bow, as if making them bronze ^D in regard to strength. Or he says that He prepared the powers of the soul in a masculine way like a bronze bow. Bronze is a symbol of practical virtue: “He corrupted your bronze,” says Ezekiel to Jerusalem.]

Daniel Barbarus: My arms. Hands and arms are virtues, which launch arrows at and overcome intellectual foes. But the greatest hand is almsgiving, which makes lovers of the poor stronger than all matter: for the arms of the merciful one are never weakened.

“And You gave me the protection of salvation.” You protected me, he says, through Your salvation. And this signifies the arrival of the economy, or the incarnation.

^A “And Your discipline has trained me.” He refers to the evangelical discipline, or the discipline taught by the Law; as if to say, “In all things, while bestowing benefits upon me, You have also given me laws through which I might be trained as is fitting.” For learning from these that one ought not to commit injustice, I abstained from it. But that I might not be harmed again due to such moderation, You bring sufficient aid and provided a widening, or he calls the discipline the instructive teaching, according to the words, “Take hold of discipline”; or the laborious manner of life, according to the words, “Do not despise the discipline of the Lord.” “And Your right hand has taken hold of me.” The right hand of the Father is the Son. “And Your discipline has trained me to the end.” Clearly [this refers to] the evangelical teaching. “And Your discipline, it shall teach me.” The phrase, “And Your discipline, it shall teach me,” belongs to Theodotion, in place of what the Septuagint has: “And Your discipline has trained me to the end.”

Daniel Barbarus: This, moreover, is the arrival of providence and of the dispensation, by which You raised me up when I had fallen, and showed how great an evil sin is, and made me worthy of salvation. Now, the “Salvation” and the “Saviour” is Christ, whom the Father sent to fight for us.

And Your right hand has taken hold of me. The right hand of the Father is the Son. ^B And Your discipline has trained me to the end. That is to say, the evangelical doctrine. And Your discipline, it shall teach me. The passage, “And Your discipline, it shall teach me,” is from Theodotion; in place of which the Septuagint has: “And Your discipline has trained me to the end.”

37. “You have enlarged my steps,” etc. For You have set my feet upon a rock, which is our faith. And my footsteps have not weakened. For having removed the stumbling blocks and snares which the enemies had prepared, He has fortified our way and our approach.

[“You have enlarged my steps.” He says, having removed the stumbling blocks and snares which the enemies had crafted, You have made the way free and open for me. He calls them “steps” in the sense that one passes from wickedness to virtue, which indeed at the beginning is laborious and harsh for those walking on the narrow way; but in progress, it is enlarged. For because I am about to attain rest after the labors of virtue, it certainly confirms my footprints; for He has set our feet upon the rock.] ^C

38. “I will pursue my enemies.” As one adorned by divine grace for the race, he is confident regarding the victory.

39. “I will crush them, and they shall not be able to stand.” Pathlessness [apatheia] brings about the crushing of the enemies.

40. “And You have girded me with strength.” Again, he attributes the entirety of the victory to the One who gave the strength.

41. “And You have given my enemies their back.” That is, You have put them to flight. For it is characteristic of those fleeing to give their back. And our enemies, the demons, give their back when they are no longer able to cast passionate thoughts into the soul. “And You have destroyed those who hate me.” Saul, Ahithophel, Absalom, and thousands of others. ^D

42. “They cried out, and there was none to save,” etc. He says these things regarding the sensible enemies, as if from the person of the Lord. For neither did the foreigners, calling upon their own gods for help, enjoy their providence and care; nor did Saul and Absalom and Shimei...

^A and the other enemies of the Israelites have God as an ally. And I will beat them small as the dust. They will be vanished, he says, completely, with your grace working with me. Rescue me from the contradictions of the people. The Lord is still turning away his face on account of the disobedience of the Jews, while requesting the nations for his inheritance. You will set me as the head of the nations. But we do not know of David reigning over the nations; therefore, the prophecy is fulfilled through Him who was born of him according to the flesh. For He who was born of David according to the flesh, and who is himself called David according to the divine Ezekiel—I mean the Master, Christ—reigned over all the nations; always as God ruling over all, but after the incarnation and the voluntary submission to the servitude ^B of those who have believed in him. A people whom I have not known served me. [Of Christ himself; for, turning away from the disobedient Jews, he asks for the nations as his inheritance.] This is not to be understood as ignorance, for he knows all things as God; but that those who, throughout various times, did not obtain intimacy with me, would be aliens and foreigners and far removed from my intimacy. Foreign sons have lied to me. He who was called firstborn son, Israel, was called an alien son on account of unbelief. Foreign sons have grown old. Everything that grows old is near to destruction. The Lord lives, and blessed be my God. He cried out, "The Lord lives," at an opportune time. Since he had recalled the contradiction of the people, where they were shouting saying, ^C "Away, away, crucify him." And let the God of my salvation be exalted. Even if he humbled himself, he says, having taken the form of a servant, yet he is high. Similar to what has been said is the [text], "God exalted him, and granted him a name which is above every name." The God who gives me vengeance. From the unbelieving people of the Jews, clearly. And setting peoples under me. The nations, he says, were subjected to Christ. My deliverer from my enemies. Referring to the rulers of the people from Israel. From those who rise up against me. He speaks of Judas. [My deliverer from my angry enemies. From the unbelieving people. The angry enemies are the Jewish people, who were reviling him as that Samaritan. But the unjust man is Judas, or Pilate, who punished him without cause. Therefore, or on account of your benefits toward me, I will give you thanks among all, whether Jews or nations, and with hymns I will sing your name.] Therefore I will confess to you among the nations, O Lord. Since you have brought these things to pass, I, the prophet says, when you yourself, O Lord, call the nations,

could also say, "I will confess to you among them as they sing the hymns I have composed." And not only will this be, but the prophet says, "I will magnify the salvations of their king"—that is, of the nations—the salvation which he wrought in the midst of the earth. "I will magnify," that is, I will proclaim it clearly to all. For since he has also wrought this, he says, "showing mercy to his anointed people," for we have been anointed into a royal priesthood. And in showing mercy to the people, you will grant that the mercy you have shown to me, David, also reaches my seed. For the people from the nations are also the seed of David, since they have become children of him who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh. ^A

To the End, A Psalm of David. XVIII. Argument.

The present psalm contains an introductory teaching from the person of the apostles to the nations. For this reason, it says that the heaven, the sun, and the other elements—which they used to imagine were great gods—praise their Maker. "The heavens declare the glory of God." This is similar to what is said: "For his invisible realities from the creation of the world are seen being understood through the things that have been made, even his eternal power and divinity." ^B

"Day unto day pours out speech, and night..." The day, he says, and the night, by withdrawing their courses to one another in an orderly and harmonious manner, through the things themselves, proclaim their Creator.

"There are no speeches nor words." The reading should be punctuated by a stop. For on the contrary, an interrogative distinguishes the clause; that which is opposed by way of interrogation is this: "And is it not true that they do not speak?" Wherefore he says: "Are there not certain things which, although they emit no voice, proclaim the artisan?" For indeed, the skill of a shipwright is evident from a beautifully adorned ship; and it is the same with other things. Therefore, the aforementioned works proclaim the Maker by their size, beauty, and harmony, so that their proclamation runs throughout the whole world. ^C

"In the sun he set his tabernacle." In the sun, he says, he set his tabernacle, that is, his house. And where did he set it but in the aforementioned heaven and firmament? This house he also called a bridal chamber. Just as day and night proclaim the Creator with that orderly harmony, so also the sun, by performing its course with a certain harmony, shows the power of the one who commands it. ^D

"The law of the Lord is blameless, converting souls." That is to say, the evangelical law. For as those from the nations, having already been instructed by the aforementioned elements that there is one Creator, are then taught the evangelical law, so that the souls of all the nations might be converted to the truth. "The testimony of the Lord is faithful, making wise the simple." This is the testimony which the Only-Begotten bore concerning himself: "I have come as a light into the world"; and, "I came forth from the Father, and have come"; and, "I am the life."

^A [Which gives wisdom to little ones, confirming the apostles; or by "little ones" he means those who have become infants in Christ, and simple-minded, and people devoid of wisdom.]

Daniel Barbarus: This testimony instructs imperfect children and the unrefined, and makes them wise.

The justifications of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. That is, the justification which came about in our judgment. For when he judged our judgment, he cast out the prince of this world, giving us joy in the heart. The commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes. He means the eyes of the understanding, sending forth its radiance from afar.

Daniel Barbarus: Of the mind, certainly, teaching how God should be served by all.

^B The fear of the Lord is pure, remaining for ever and ever. Compared to the legal fear, it is such as this: for that one was punitive. Our purity is abstention from sins. Therefore the fear is called "pure," because it makes people pure; for by the fear of the Lord, he says, one turns away from evil. And since the fear is eternal, it makes those whom it enters eternal as well.

In the keeping of them there is great reward. For "reward" for keeping them becomes that which eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and which has not ascended into the heart of man. For even thy servant keeps them. ^C The new people initiated into the evangelical law, saying also that they keep the true judgments, sends up a prayer to be found pure in the thoughts of the mind, and similarly to be delivered from external demons.

To the end. A Psalm of David. XIX [XX].

Argument. This psalm is spoken as if from the person of those around David, wishing well to David himself as he offers sacrifice. It is also referred to the person of the apostles, as though it were spoken on the day on which the Lord was fastened to the cross.

May the Lord hear you in the day of tribulation. May he add to you: May he shelter you, may he keep you. May he send you help from heaven, and may he defend you from Sion. These things one might say for the comfort of him who is despondent, whether it be the Word that dwells in the soul, or the Holy Spirit. For he who is afflicted has need of prayer, and of not letting go of his hopes; for thus God becomes ^D favorable.

We will exult in thy salvation. The salvation of the Father in the world is the Son; the salvation of the Son in the world is the cross.

[We will exult in thy salvation. The salvation, he says, which thou hast given to the human race, thou hast made manifest to all through thy resurrection. Thus Daniel Barbarus.]

^A *May the Lord fulfill all thy petitions.* What were the petitions, if not, "Holy Father, keep them from the world"? It is plain that this is spoken of those who believe in him. [Either he speaks of David or Hezekiah; in the time of priests and kings, or because of the economy of the Lord according to the flesh, and because of the resurrection; or because, when we have obtained salvation, he himself is said to obtain salvation, he who will also have care of this, since we are one body. Wherefore he now says: In the present, indeed, we recognize that Christ has obtained salvation, because from there we receive the pledge of our own salvation. *Thou hast saved us by the strength of thy right hand.* He called [his] works, great virtues, and help "the right hand": or he predicts the divine wonders to be brought forth by Christ.] *Now I have known that the Lord has saved his Christ,* being now enlightened by the Holy Spirit regarding those things which pertain to the resurrection. ^B

*In the mighty acts of the salvation of his right hand.* He says that he brought salvation to us by performing great virtues. For here he signifies by "works" the fact that he extends the virtues of the right hand to those who approach. [Those, he says, trusting in these, fell; but we, armed in the name of the Lord, have obtained salvation.] Here also, speaking in a human manner, he calls the divine operation "the right hand."

*These in chariots, and these in horses.* Just as when he rescued Israel from the sensible Egyptians, he cast the chariots of Pharaoh and his power into the sea: so, when he was liberating the whole race of men from the spiritual Egyptians, he crushed the chariots. ^C

*Lord, save the king.* Therefore, having enjoyed such protection, we beseech thee, O Master, that we ourselves and our king may enjoy this continually.

To the end, PSALM of David. XX. Argument.

This psalm also the aforementioned friends of the king offer, as if he himself were already rejoicing that a Savior of the world had arisen from his seed. For this was what he desired with his soul, and what he most fervently supplicated to be given to him. When this was granted, it became for him a kind of crown made of precious stone, with which he might adorn his head. For David is celebrated with praises among all nations along with his Lord and son according to the flesh. ^D Nor was this salvation merely a crown for him; it was also life, and length of days, glory, magnificence, gladness, joy, hope, and mercy that never wavers.

*Lord, in thy strength shall the king rejoice.*

*For thou shalt give him blessing for ever and ever.* In all generations, he says, he shall be famous and widely renowned, having obtained such boldness from thee. For the phrase "with thy countenance," Symmachus renders as "before thy countenance." Therefore, he says, gladness and

^A continuous joy of countenance, that is, obtaining thy benevolence, he shall have. The cause of these things for him has been that he trusted in thee. "Thou shalt make him glad with joy, with thy countenance." The countenance of the Father is the Son. "He who has seen me," he says, "has seen the Father." We, as followers of the bridegroom, are destined to rejoice in heaven with him. "For the king trusteth in the Lord, and in the mercy," etc. He is superior to his enemies, having obtained thy grace. He enjoys this, trusting in no man, but using hope in thee alone. "Let thy hand be found among all thine enemies." This word seems to pertain to the Lord himself, because of the evils inflicted upon him by the Jewish people. [He says that he will hunt down those who have sinned. For if in him who keeps the commandments the love of God is perfected, it is clear that he who does not keep them hates God, and he is said to go to perdition.] "Thou shalt put them as a furnace of fire in the time of thy countenance." Instead of: Thou shalt show them to be partakers of fire. For they have stored this up for themselves for thy second appearing, ^B when thou shalt render to each according to his works. "The Lord in his wrath shall trouble them, and fire shall devour them." By wrath he means the punishment that shall befall them because of the insult offered to him. "Their fruit thou shalt destroy from the earth." The evil words and the thoughts. These are the plots made by them, which have been abolished by the resurrection. [The teachings and ungodly dogmas, which, after their death, God, as being good, hands over to destruction.] "And their seed from the sons of men." It is a benefit to fall away from sins and evil thoughts. For the seed of sin is an evil thought. "For thou shalt put them as a back." ^C But Symmachus interpreted it thus: For thou shalt put them as turned away, that is, backward and as an appendage of the nations. "In thy remnants thou shall prepare their countenance." Thou hast left them, he says, a time of return for repentance. And this is the calling and conversion after the fullness of the nations. [Thou shalt make the unbelieving Jews.] But those whom God turns away, he puts as a back, because they are not able to be a countenance, so that by contemplating the hinder parts through his works they might again be brought back to him. For those who are not able to see the countenance, because they do not have a pure heart, he offers his hinder parts to be contemplated, that is, the works of creation which are after him; so that, by contemplating created things, they may obtain a conception ^D of him, and by approaching their God, may see the countenance of God. The remnants of God are those things which are above created, sensible things. "Be thou exalted, O Lord, in thy strength." Similar to: "Thy kingdom come." But the second...

^A light, he prays that his advent may be accelerated: "We will sing and chant thy powers." For then every soul of the righteous, established in the supernal mansions, performs spiritual worship.]

To the end, for the morning protection, PSALM of David. XXI. Argument.

The present psalm is sung for the morning protection, that is, because the only-begotten Word of God, shining forth from on high as it is written, has delivered us from the night and diabolic darkness. Or, he calls the time of the Savior's resurrection the morning protection. For he rose at early dawn, and paved for the nature of men the way to incorruption. Christ sings this psalm from the person of humanity. He narrates clearly, moreover, those things which were inflicted upon him by the Jews at the time of the cross.

^B 2. "O God, my God, look upon me: why hast thou forsaken me?" He asks for the divine oversight from the Father, transferring our condition to himself, so that he might abolish [for we were those who had been forsaken before, but now have been taken up and saved. He says these things that he might abolish, etc.] the curse, and bring the countenance of the Father toward us. For we are those who had become an object of aversion and abandonment because of the transgression in Adam. "Far from my salvation are the words of my offenses." Observe for me again the person of humanity in Christ, asking to be delivered from lapses or offenses, and from the words pertaining to them. It is clear that each person's appropriate justice is being requested.

[O God, my God. These things the Savior says from the person of humanity, as if to say: My God, my God, in the vocative case, that is.]

3. "O my God, I cry by day, and thou wilt not hear, and by night, and not to my folly." It must be read with a pause. It signifies to us that the fruit of prayer is not useless. For he says: "Not to my folly." That is, I know clearly that while I cry, he himself will hear. Because, dwelling in the saints who have their mind fixed on thee, thou become their praise and glory.

4. "But thou dwellest in the holy place, the praise of Israel." ^C Thou who art praised by Israel; or thou who art the praise itself.

5. "In thee have our fathers hoped, they hoped and thou didst deliver them." By fathers he means his own according to the flesh, the patriarchs and the prophets. He also sets forth the gain of hope.

[In thee have our fathers hoped. But also those who were before me according to the flesh, that is, the prophets, were hoping in thee, awaiting my illumination, and they were not disappointed of their hope; likewise also the patriarchs.]

7. "But I am a worm, and not a man." ^D

^A it teaches one to be humble, and especially those drawing near to God. "A reproach of men, and an outcast of the people." The evangelist clearly recounts that these things were done to Him at the time of the cross, when those passing by wagged their heads and uttered blasphemous words of this sort against Him: "If you are the Son of God, save yourself." ^B 10. "For you are He who drew me out from the womb." He says this because He became man according to the good pleasure of the Father. For, he says, "when the fullness of time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman." Indeed, it is written that He had hope in the Father; and he says this insofar as He is man, because God drew Christ alone out of Mary, whereas other men are not "drawn out" but "come forth." For, he says, "Esau came out, whose skin was hairy." 11. "On You I was cast from the womb," etc. He prays again as if from the person of humanity. For the choir of disciples had abandoned Him. Hence he predicts the types of future calamity. 13. "Many bulls have surrounded Me." He means the rulers of the Jews. 14. "I have been poured out like water, and all My bones have been scattered." He calls the holy initiators of His mysteries His bones; for if the Church is His body, those who administer it might rightly be thought of as the bones. We have heard the evangelist narrating that, when He was seized by the cohort of soldiers, the disciples were scattered. And in another way: the bones of Wisdom are the holy dogmas of the Church, which it was ordained by law for the Jews not to break during the Passover. For it says: "You shall not break a bone of it." ^C "My heart has become like wax melting." The saying is peculiar to grief; for it is written: "He began to be sorrowful and troubled." Christ grieved for the ruin of the nation of the Jews and of the traitor, because they were being seized by perdition on account of their impiety toward Him. [And all My bones have been scattered. They are dispersed, he says, and scattered—those who, in the rank of bones, were fulfilling the order around the Teacher; for having abandoned Him, the disciples fled, mimicking water being poured out upon a plain.] 15. "My strength has dried up like a potsherd, and My tongue has stuck to My throat." By these things He signifies the thirst that occurred to Him upon the precious cross, when, even for one asking to drink, they offered Him vinegar mixed with gall. [Therefore He says: "And My tongue has stuck to My throat."] 16. "And You have brought Me down into the dust of death." For by the grace of God He tasted death on behalf of all. For Christ was not brought down into death, but into the dust of death; for His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. ^D 17. "For many dogs have surrounded Me." Again, He signifies the rulers. "They have pierced My hands and My feet." He says this on account of the nails on the cross.

^A 18. "They have numbered all My bones." ^B By probing, as is likely, His whole body, and measuring out each of the bones, that they might see where to fix the nails. "But they considered and looked upon Me." That is, they mocked Me. This He says on account of the scarlet cloak, the crown of thorns, and the reed given instead of a scepter.

19. "They divided My garments among themselves." This has been clearly explained in the Gospels.

20. "But You, O Lord, do not remove Your help from Me." He changes the discourse into a prayer. [You, He says, assisting and supporting, when I have risen after three days, I will show their plot to be vain.] And there is for us an example, in what way it is necessary to call upon God in temptations, and not to fall into anguish and hopelessness of counsel, nor to be broken by calamities.

21. "Rescue My soul from the sword, O Lord." He signifies by these the malice and insanity of the Jews, through the sword, and the hand of the dog, and the lion, and the horns of the unicorns. "And from the hand of the dog, My only one." He calls those things the hand which were done through this dog; and he calls the dog himself: "For it is not good," He says, "to take the bread of the children and cast it to the dogs."

[But the sword would also be the devil, who always attempts to sting and pierce. And He calls His soul "the only one," because it was left alone, and separated from other souls: for all those indeed knew sin, but that one did not; and because it alone always has union with God the Word according to hypostasis, with the flesh. For Christ is one, consisting of two opposites, perfect God and perfect man. But to those others He comes down at intervals. Perhaps He also calls the Church standing beside Him "the only one," because it has no spot or wrinkle, being completed according to progress by those blameless sixty queens and eighty concubines.]

22. "Save Me from the mouth of the lion, and [from the horns of the unicorns] My humility." "I will declare Your name to My brothers, in the midst of the Church I will praise You." For He taught us Him who is by nature and in truth God, and His consubstantial Father. Again, as man, He is united through the Church.

23. "You who fear the Lord, praise Him; all the seed of Jacob, glorify Him." Since, indeed, the Church consists of both Gentiles and Jews, He rouses both these and those to sing the hymn. The former He calls by their forefather Jacob and Israel, and the latter by the name of virtue, which indeed has the power to adorn men in place of lineage. Thus it was the custom to call Jews those from among the Gentiles who approached the law. And this the history of the Acts teaches us: for when the blessed Apostle was speaking to the people, he said thus: "Men, Israelites, and those among you who fear the Lord."

^A "That He has not despised." The Only-Begotten clearly teaches what He has accomplished for us through Himself. "From Thee is my praise." He calls the glorification 'praise'; and we see this brought about by the Father when the voice was heard from above saying: "And I have glorified, and will glorify again." [Or because, just as I made Thee manifest to men, in the same way Thou wilt procure for Me equal honor; sometimes saying, "This is My Son," sometimes revealing the very same thing to Peter and the others.] "I will render My vows." In divine Scripture, a vow is called a promise. Therefore, the fulfillment of the obedience rendered by the Son to the Father even unto death might likewise be understood, the vow having been rendered by Him to the Father. [A vow is indeed called a promise in divine Scripture; therefore, the fulfillment of obedience which was brought about by the Son to the Father, and this unto the death of the flesh, might likewise be understood as the vow having been rendered by Him to the Father.]

Daniel Barbarus: "My vows." A prayer or vow is the promise of one of those things which are consecrated to religion. Supplication, however, is a humble request for good things from God. The discourse teaches that we should not ask anything from God before we offer a gift for the grace to be received. To pray, that is, to vow, must come before supplication, just as sowing precedes the gathering of fruits. For it is necessary to first cast the seeds of a promise, and thus bear fruit from them.

"The poor shall eat, and shall be filled." The calling of the Gentiles is signified by these words.

^B "And all the families of the Gentiles shall worship before Him." He is said to reign on earth, although He is King of all things insofar as He is God, because He converts the nations from the error of demons to His own faith, and to gratitude and justice.

"For the kingdom is the Lord's, and He is the Master of the Gentiles." For God is not the God of the Jews only, as they think, but the Maker of the entire human nature. The Apostle also says this: "Is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also of the Gentiles? Yes, also of the Gentiles. Since there is one God, who will justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith."

"All the fat ones of the earth have eaten and worshipped." Meaning, the spiritual food. And he calls them "fat" on account of the richness of the divine oracles.

"Before Him shall fall all who go down to the earth." He says this because the faithful are wont to bend their knees to Him. But these were formerly believers. Those who "go down to the earth," that is, those who have fallen into destruction and corruption because they did not know the Lord.

"And my soul lives for Him, and my seed shall serve Him." For holy and blameless was the life of Christ, which He lived in the flesh upon the earth. For He alone did no sin, even though He was made in our likeness, and took upon Himself the flesh which is by itself subject to sin. And they might be understood as the "seed of God" who have been called through Him by faith. "The generation to come shall be announced to the Lord." And He signifies these things also concerning the Gentiles.

PSALM XXII. ARGUMENT.

The Lord shepherds me, and I shall lack nothing. They who are shepherded by Him think magnificently of the Lord.

2. In a place of pasture, there He has made me dwell. He speaks of spiritual grass, in the beauty of the greensward He has caused me to dwell, meaning the intelligible grass. By the water of rest He has nurtured me. The water of rest might be understood as the holy baptism, inasmuch as it effaces the burden of sins. [These things, he says, grant to me, having first cared for my soul, and having turned me from the pathless way, that I may walk the straight path.]

3. He has converted my soul. Turning my soul to Himself from the captivity of the devil, He has led it according to His commandments from death to life. [As one who had formerly failed, neglecting his own soul, and having been recreated by the aforementioned food, turned away and led off from death, he says: He has converted my soul to tracks of justice; he speaks of the evangelical dogmas. If I walk in the midst of the shadow of death, as if addressing the Father. But he calls Christ Himself the rod of power, and the glorious rod, and the rod of majesty. Just as a rod corrects, so also the faculty of acting teaches us how we may bear evils with temperance.] He indicates the evangelical dogmas.

4. Thy rod and thy staff, they have comforted me. He says it is Christ. And that: The Lord shall send forth to thee the rod of power out of Zion. And a glorious rod, and a greatest rod. The rod is the power of teaching; the staff is the support provided in consolation. ^C

5. Thou hast anointed my head with oil. And this is the mystical chrism. And thy cup which inebriates me. Again he speaks of mystical joy. And thy mercy shall follow me all the days. For those who have obtained all the aforementioned things shall be forever in the mercy of God; and indeed they shall dwell in His house. [Thou hast prepared a table before me. He speaks of the mystical table, and by the oil he signifies the mystical chrism, and he mentions the cup in the same place.]

PSALM XXIII. ARGUMENT.

EXPOSITION ON PSALM XXIII

This Psalm ought to have been placed after the twenty-second in sequence; for it was made for the consolation of those who were being led into the Babylonian captivity, whereas the former was addressed to those who were being brought back from it. However (as we said at the beginning), the Psalms are not arranged in order, but as they were found. When, therefore, the blessed David saw them grievously afflicted as they were led off as captives, abandonning their native soil and their own temple, he comforts them at length, saying: Do not take the Babylonian exile amiss; for if you live honestly and with virtue, and diligently seek out good habits of life, you will find God there also, ^A since all things are His, and in His hand are all the ends of the earth.

*Domini est terra et plenitudo ejus.* By these words, he proclaims the kingdom of the only-begotten Word of God over all nations.

*Aὐτός ἐπὶ θαλασσῶν ἐθεμελίωσεν αὐτήν.* Lest any of the adversaries should think that the earth belongs to Satan, and that Christ now reigns over it, he therefore declares Christ to be its Maker, and at the same time shows His power, by which He established so great a mass of earth upon the waters. *Καὶ ἐπὶ ποταμῶν ἡτοίμασεν αὐτήν.* That is, He ordered it. [For then the Church receives stability, when, with billows and storms assailing, she remains unshaken in the faith, *And upon the rivers*; so that even the rivers find their outlets without hindrance, and mountains and forests are allotted to living creatures, and fields and plains are set aside for human dwellings and agriculture.]

*Τίς ἀναβήσεται εἰς τὸ ὄρος τοῦ Κυρίου;* After having set forth the faith, he now explains the doctrine of works, so that as many of us as hear and obey may, through both, attain to the true inheritance.

*Ἀθῶος χερσὶ καὶ καθαρὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ.* Concerning this, it was spoken in the fourteenth Psalm: *Who hath not received his soul in vain.* By "vanity" he means pride. *Καὶ οὐκ ὤμοσεν ἐπὶ δόλῳ τῷ πλησίον αὐτοῦ.*

*Οὗτος λήψεται εὐλογίαν.* He promises that such a man, who has become innocent in hands and pure in heart, and has not sworn in guile, shall receive gifts from God, namely, blessing and mercy.

*Αὕτη ἡ γενεὰ ζητούντων τὸν Κύριον.* That is, the generation which has kept the things previously mentioned.

*Ἄρατε πύλας, οἱ ἄρχοντες, ὑμῶν.* The angels who act as ministers ^C to the Savior on earth, at the time of His ascension, signal to the heavenly powers to open the gates.

[*Κύριος κραταιὸς καὶ δυνατός.* The powers are struck with astonishment when they see Him in the flesh together with an intellectual soul endowed with the power of understanding; which is the reason they ask.]

*Τίς ἐστιν οὗτος ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης;* The powers above ask this, astonished at the paradox of the dispensation. *Κύριος τῶν δυνάμεων αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης.* The angels who ascended with Him enlighten those above regarding the mystery, that He who trampled upon the spiritual ^D enemies is Himself the Lord of powers.

(S) Ambrose adds: It is spoken of these in the fourteenth Psalm.

PSALM XXV.

*To thee, O Lord, have I lifted up my soul.* They speak as those already turned away from idolatry.

*3. Neither let my enemies laugh at me.* That is to say, the intelligible ones, and the devil with the demons and the ungodly men. Perhaps he also foresees the incarnation of the Savior, after which even the mockery of the enemies has ceased. [I have been made among the lawless as a lawless man. For this lawlessness did not occur in vain.]

For *all that wait on thee shall not be ashamed*. From the example of those who have already trusted in God and become illustrious—because he has the confidence of obtaining [what is sought] in prayer—he argues strongly. *Let those who act lawlessly in vain be ashamed.* He says these things concerning those who are still held fast in the worship of idols. [Let those who act lawlessly be ashamed, from the example of those who have already trusted in God and become illustrious, because of having the confidence to obtain what is sought in prayer. Those who act lawlessly persist in vain. These things are said concerning those who are still held fast in the worship of idols.]

*4. Show me thy ways, O Lord.* He means the evangelical dogmas.

*5. Guide me into thy truth.* He says this as one who has not yet arrived at the truth. *And teach me, for thou art God my Saviour.* When the prophet prays in such a way, as if he had not yet known the ways of the Lord, nor learned to walk in his paths, and had not yet been guided to the truth of God, nor taught concerning God as Savior; who would not be apprehensive of that [word]: *Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight?* ^C

*7. Remember not the sins of my youth and my ignorances.* He calls folly youth. And clear folly is the time of their idolatry. Alternatively, he understands by the sins of youth those which were perpetrated in Egypt; for they served idols there also. Therefore, remember not those sins now, but [remember] the philanthropy, through which you showed kindness and had mercy on them even then, when they were ignorant. *For thy goodness' sake, O Lord.* For I do not entreat to obtain this because of my own worthiness, but because of thy philanthropy.

*8. Therefore he will give a law to them that sin in the way.* He will enlighten sinners; he will show them the way.

*10. All the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth.* For those who are continuously nurtured by divine words learn accurately through them that all the dispensations of our Savior Christ, God, are mingled with mercy and truth.

^A For to those who repent of the sins they have committed, He offers mercy and pardon; but He proclaims the undefeated athletes of virtue as victors, crowning them while passing judgment with truth and equity. Indeed, He brings punishments according to the definitions of truth upon those who have lived in transgression and have not availed themselves of repentance.

[13. And his seed shall inherit the earth. The deeds, he says, that become for him the means of inheriting the intelligible earth ^B shall be the seed of good men, by whom he refers to those who are born according to God. Look upon me. For it is not necessary to be lazy and slothful, trusting in the mercy of God, but we must also contribute the labor done through works.]

Daniel Barbarus: His soul shall dwell in goods. Those actions that have acted as mediators for inheriting the intellectual earth shall become the seeds of the earth for those men who will be renewed according to God. His seed, he says, shall inherit the earth; for the blessing, he says, shall reach even unto his descendants.

Firmament is the Lord for those who fear Him; and His covenant shall make them manifest. To wit, the evangelical [covenant], or the way of salvation. For every law of God, he says, looks to this: to cause the good to enjoy what they have chosen. For this is what he says: He shall reveal it to them, in place of, He shall establish them in the enjoyment of what they have chosen.

My heart's afflictions have been multiplied. I am surrounded ^B by many painful things on all sides, he says. Therefore, compare this humiliation and misery of mine with my transgressions, and grant me remission and forgiveness. Deliver me from my necessities, that is, from those that oppress me continuously.

Look upon my humiliation and my labor. For it is not necessary to be lazy and slothful, trusting in the mercy of God; but we must rather contribute the labor done through works.

Look upon my enemies, for they have been multiplied. And from the injustice of his enemies, he invokes God to mercy.

Innocent and upright ones adhered to me. And this is a property of virtue: to flee from the company of the wicked, and to have as intimates and friends those who honor justice and practice uprightness; for the Prophet says that he had done this, inasmuch as he considered that this was serving the Master.

To the end, A PSALM of David, XXV

Argument

Judge me, O Lord, for I have walked in my innocence. He calls "innocence" not participating in the wickedness and the madness of the Jews. And in the Lord...

trusting, I will not be weakened. I will have, he says, a firm standing, having recorded my hopes of salvation in Thee. ^A

9. *Prove me, O Lord, and try me.* If you examine, he says, the depths of my soul, you will find that I rely for all the labor of my mind upon Thy mercy alone. In doing this, I shall be acceptable to Thee, having loved Thy truth.

Daniel Barbarus: *Burn my reins.* As if to say, kindle and examine the innermost thoughts of my mind, and search whether I am as I say. Yet this burning of the Lord, which the Prophet desires, is different from that which is caused by the burning arrows of the wicked. For the Lord consumes the worse things and purges the reins and hearts; but the wicked one stirs up passions and desires; for this reason the fire that was in the bush did not burn, whereas that which is in the judges is said to burn from the bramble.

4. *I have not sat with the council of vanity.* Clearly, before Him who knows how to examine hearts, he denies and rejects the council of the most lawless rulers of the Jewish nation. ^B

6. *I will wash my hands among the innocent.* I will be, he says, pure from their murderous deeds. *And I will encompass Thy altar, O Lord.* Plainly, he proclaims in these words the rational worship.

8. *O Lord, I have loved the beauty of Thy house.* [I desire, he says, to see the divine house, which shines with Thy grace.] The beauty of the house are those who live gracefully and religiously in the Church.

9. *Destroy not my soul with the ungodly.* He prays to be outside the punishment prepared for the Jews. ^C

10. *In whose hands are iniquities, their right hand is filled with gifts.* Either because they themselves perverted justice with gifts, or because with gifts they had bribed the traitor; or because they seized lawlessness, for this reason they filled their right hand with gifts.

1. *A Psalm of David before he was anointed. XXVI.*

Argumentment.

Daniel Barbarus adds: The twenty-sixth, twenty-seventh, twenty-eighth, and twenty-ninth psalms have the same argument. Since they are spoken regarding the Assyrians in the person of the blessed Hezekiah, David foretelling and calling back the person of the Prophet to this argument, so that he may proclaim the same words and show the same affections. Moreover, these psalms have a certain imitation and difference: for the twenty-sixth and twenty-seventh are songs of victory only for the destruction of the Assyrians; but the twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth make mention of the preservation and health of Hezekiah restored.

*The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?* He despises the opposing powers, because he trusts in the illumination of the Lord. By Thee, he says, being illuminated, I despise all my enemies at once. ^D

Daniel Barbarus: *The Lord is the protector of my life.* Who will be so powerful in snares, as God is powerful to bring aid?

^A *When the wicked draw near against me.* They approached, he says, wishing to destroy me, but they have suffered what they hoped to bring upon others. *To dwell in the house of the Lord.* For indeed, the request was holy and proper, and worthy to be granted by God. *That I may see the pleasure of the Lord.* In this, he says, I pray to dwell always, in which I have obtained salvation. *He raised me up on a rock.* Clearly Paul asserts that the rock is Christ. *I will sing and chant to the Lord.* Clearly he proclaims the worship of the "Holy, holy, holy." *Hear, O Lord, my voice.* Instead of, I give you thanks for the past, I will pray for what follows. *Set me a law, O Lord, in your way.* He asks to be made known the evangelical law; for it is itself also the straight path. *And iniquity lied to itself.* That is, the iniquity directed against us grew weak. *I believe to see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.* He means the Jerusalem above.

PSALM of David. XXVII. Argument

^A And the protector of the salvations of Christ. Here he calls the people who have been anointed a royal priesthood, for they have been anointed. He says, therefore, that the Lord Himself protects in order to save the people anointed by Him and for Him.

9. And feed them, and lift them up unto eternity. For He Himself shall feed us, having sent to us in His stead and as Himself the Paraclete. And furthermore He also lifts them up, that is, He reveals them as exalted into the coming and endless ages.

PSALM of David, of the departure of the Tabernacle. XXVIII. Argument.

1, 2. Bring to the Lord, O ye sons of God. He calls the holy apostles "sons of God," for He taught them to say: "Our Father who art in heaven." Bring to the Lord the sons of rams. By "sons of rams" He signifies those called through them from the nation of the Jews to the faith in the Lord; or also those who have believed from the nations, inasmuch as they have been born from irrational fathers. Bring to the Lord glory and honor. Someone brings glory to the Lord by doing ^B good works, according to what was said: "That they may see your good works, and glorify your Father." And honor, again, by practicing good deeds, according to what was said: "Honor the Lord with thy righteous labors."

Adore the Lord in His holy court. By these words He clearly commands us that it is not fitting to adore outside of the Church. He says this on account of the assemblies of the heterodox. [Adoration should not be performed outside the Church, but in that very court of God. Do not, He says, devise for Me your own courts and synagogues; one is the holy court of God.] We can also, with the mind raised on high, understand by the "court" the heavenly dwelling.

3. The voice of the Lord is upon the waters. He calls the multitudes who are saved through these things "waters." The holy ones are waters, because "rivers shall flow out of their belly," that is, spiritual doctrine, by which they irrigate those who hear. The Lord is therefore upon such ^C waters. But as regards history, Elijah, after the drought, heard the voice of many waters. He says this is the voice of the Lord sent forth in the Jordan by God and the Father, saying: "This is my beloved Son," which He also likens to thunder.

5. The voice of the Lord breaking the cedars. By "cedars" in this passage He means the opposing powers. And, "The Lord shall break the cedars of Libanus." He calls the lofty men of the Jewish people the "cedars of Libanus," because Libanus is often called Jerusalem in the divine Scripture.

6. And shall crush them like the calf of Libanus. The "calf" signifies the altar. And the "beloved" as the son of unicorns. The "beloved,"

^A says, has become a son of the unicorns; the unicorns are the holy prophets and patriarchs, whose children are the holy apostles, because they had their horn and strength in God alone.

Voice of the Lord cutting through the flame of fire. This signifies the promise which He made to the saints, saying, "And if you pass through the midst of fire, the fire shall not burn you."

Voice of the Lord shaking the desert. To "shake" here is said again of that which is heard, as in, "When Jesus entered, the whole city was shaken." By "desert," he means the Church of the nations, which was formerly destitute of the knowledge of God. "And the Lord will shake the desert of Cades." Cades is interpreted as "holy." And the Church of Christ is understood as holy.

Voice of the Lord preparing the deer, and He shall uncover the thickets. The deer are the saints; and "preparing" is used for "adorning." For He Himself having adorned the holy apostles, sent them forth, according to the word, "Go, teach all nations." He calls the Church "thickets," because it was formerly the mother of unfruitful trees. ^B

[And in His temple everyone says glory. The Lord, having adorned the holy apostles, sent them forth so that they might drive away the demons and bring the nations into the knowledge of God.]

The Lord will inhabit the flood. By "flood," he means the multitude of those who believe, according to that which was said, that "The whole earth was filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as much water as covers the sea." And "The Lord shall sit as king forever"; similar to the statement, "That to Him every knee shall bow."

The Lord will give strength to His people. Similar to: "I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me." The Lord will bless His people in peace. Similar to: "My peace I give to you, my peace I leave with you." ^C

Daniel Barbarus adds at the end: He will reform the land desolated by the Assyrians and make it habitable.

PSALM of the dedication of the house, for the end, for David. XXIX.

The dedication of the house is either of the Church, or when our outer man is decaying, the inner is renewed.

Argument.

^D He sings this psalm after being delivered from sin, his soul being as if renewed through repentance, or as it was formerly a house of the Holy Spirit. He sings also for the forgiveness granted, offering thanks, and praying that he may remain secure regarding future things, and providing instruction to others that, if ever anything of the sort should happen, they should offer prayers to God.

"I will exalt you, Lord, for you have taken me up..... You saved me from those going down into the pit." He calls hell the pit.

4. *And confess to the memory of his holiness.* It is fitting, he says, to multiply hymns, mindful of God's loving-kindness. 6. *For wrath is in his anger.* This does not result from His own will, but rather each person brings it upon himself through sin. For His will is life. *In the evening weeping will lodge.* The ease with which repentance is achieved is signified by these words. ^A For there is no multitude of sins so great that repentance does not quickly turn it into exultation. 7. *But I said in my prosperity: I shall not be moved forever.* He explains the cause of his fall. Because I waxed great, he says, in prosperity, I have been puffed with pride; for this reason I am disturbed. This has happened to me, not because You thrust me away, but only because You turned away Your face. Since, therefore, we are unable even to stand without Your strength, do You, in fulfilling Your will again, make the beauty of my soul shine forth. ^B This is what Adam also hoped for while living in paradise before he was led into deceit, and what Hezekiah hoped for after he had defeated the Assyrian; and the book of Chronicles clearly teaches this, saying that the heart of King Hezekiah was lifted up. 9. *To you, O Lord, I will cry... 10. What profit is there in my blood, when I descend into corruption?* I pray, he says, to be led up from the pit, because dust will not confess to You. But if I descend into corruption, there will be no profit either for me or for others. For I am deprived of the life obtained from You, and others have in no way ^C attained salvation through me. But when You hear my voice, and turn my mourning into joy, and gird me with gladness, no small profit will accrue to me. For having recovered my former glory, I shall speak to You through it, and not with an evil conscience; for this is what is meant by: *I shall not be stung.* 12. *You have torn my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness.* By sackcloth he means mourning, since it is the custom for those in mourning to use sackcloth. For the sackcloth signifies wickedness and ignorance, since sackcloth is made from the hair of kids, which kids stand on the left, and likewise from the hair of that scapegoat.

To the end, A PSALM of David for ecstasy. XXX. Argument.

The present psalm is sung as if he were still in repentance on account of sin, and asking to be delivered from it. ^D Furthermore, as one already heard, he offers thanksgiving, and also recounts what happened to him during the time of repentance. But the words, "for ecstasy," signify nothing else than sin itself, through which the soul departed from its right mind, as it were; and as one who no longer hoped to be taken up, he clearly said: *But I said in my ecstasy: I am cast away from the presence of your eyes.*

2, 3. *In you, O Lord, I have hoped... Incline your ear to me.* When our cry cannot reach to the height, incline your ear to...

me, by descending toward me.

You will bring me out of this trap which they have hidden for me. For they laid wait for his soul, and caught him. In what? In sin. You have redeemed me, O Lord, God of truth. As though already heard, he says such things.

You have hated those who observe vanities in vain. By "vanities," he means the distractions of this present life; by engaging in which, we labor in vain. "In vain" follows, regarding him who indeed observes vanities.

I will rejoice and be glad. Having trampled down grief and the remaining passions.

And you did not shut me up into the hands of enemies. That is to say, you did not hand me over. You set my feet in a wide place. After you freed me from affliction, you established me in a state of rest and spaciousness.

My eye, my soul, and my belly were troubled in anger. As he calls the mind the eye of the soul, so he calls the memory the belly of the soul; in which, as in a belly, we store up rational nourishment. My soul and my belly. I turned away my eye from the Jewish people in fury and great wrath.

For my life has failed in pain. This indicates a tension of the mind. And my years in groanings. I passed my time, he says, groaning because of the violence of evils. My strength has been weakened in poverty. Having become poor, he says, of the help from you because of sin, I was weakened. And my bones were troubled. By bones, he means the faculties of the soul.

[For my life has failed in pain. The lack of necessary things, he says, wasted away my body, because Siba and Bercellai brought to David wheat and barley, and flour, and beans, and lentils, and honey, and certain other things; and also rugs and coverings; and they offered these to the people along with other foods, because they said that the people were suffering from hunger and had become faint from thirst in the desert.]

I have become a reproach before all my enemies. [A man is dead in heart who is deprived of virtues.] And my enemies, he says, were heaping reproaches upon me, and my acquaintances feared me, and those who saw me fled because of the magnitude of the repentance I was showing; for I was exhausted by sackcloth and ashes, and weeping day and night. Wherefore, as they fled, I was forgotten, and seemed to be dead, so that I was like a ruined vessel. But "above all," he does not mean "more than everyone else," but rather "before all," which is to say, I was loaded with reproach by the enemies. For thus also Aquila has it: *I have become a reproach before all my enemies.*

For I heard the slander of many dwelling round about. By slander, he means the conspiracy. He says that the enemies were circling about and conspiring. They took counsel to take my soul. But I relied on you, O Lord.

For they take the heart through the soul; for through anger and desire they slay the mind.]

^A **16. In your hands are my lots.** Even if the enemies plot, plotting to take my soul, yet my lots are kept in your hands, which you will return to me at the proper time, because I place my hope in you. Therefore I also beseech you to be rescued from my enemies in the present life. Those men, having gathered, weave my death; but I know you, O God, as my judge and protector. Deliver me from the hand of my enemies and from those who pursue me. "Flee from evil," says the Apostle; even if evil pursues, it also pursues—that is, fornication, and greed, and anger, and rage; the rest were lacking.

**17. Make your face shine upon your servant; save me in your mercy.** For when your brightness happens to me, all sad things will immediately vanish. This, he says, is the only way of salvation for me, if you cause your face to shine.

**18. O Lord, let me not be put to shame, for I have called upon you.** From this we learn that there is a great difference between sin and impiety. Therefore, great David requests that he be freed from the shame generated by sin, while those who live in impiety be dismissed to death with shame.

**19. Let lying lips become voiceless.** I pray, he says, that the enemies be made deaf; but this will happen if you show your face.

^B **20. How great is the multitude of your sweetness, O Lord!** Being already enlightened by the Spirit, he offers thanksgiving for things to come. It is the habit of David often to take the word "how," out of admiration, to mean "very much." How great is your sweetness, which you store up and keep for us; for "you have hidden" means "you have kept," as also that: "He hid me in his tabernacle." He uses the word "you have hidden" for "you have kept," because what is hidden is kept. "You have perfected it for those who hope in you." As if to say, you have perfected it at the fitting time.

^C **21. You will hide them in the secret place of your face.** Your face, he says, becomes a shelter for those who hope in you. "From the confusion of men you will shelter them in your tabernacle from the contradiction of tongues." As a shelter, he says, you will shelter them, so that they may not be overcome either by those attempting to harm them with words or by those fighting against them with deeds.

**22. Blessed be the Lord, for he has made his mercy wonderful in a fortified city.** Through me, he says, God was glorified; because, while myriads of enemies stood around me and tried to lay siege to my soul like a great city, my watcher, casting a hedge about me, showed his mercy to be wonderful.

^D **23. But I said in my trance: I am cast out.** When, he says, I humbled myself in my...

affliction, [at the time] when my eye was troubled in wrath, I was wearing myself out as one rejected because of my sin. But I was saying these things, he says, yet you, being kind, did not cast away your servant.

24. Diligite Dominum, omnes sancti ejus. He turns his speech to the exhortation of others, calling upon those by whom he was benefited to confess. And he repays abundantly those who act with pride. For the Lord is longsuffering toward the proud, but toward those who act with pride in excess, he also repays them.

PSALM 31, of David, an instruction

Argument. Setting forth the many sorrows and calamities which David endured in doing penance, he declares blessed those who have obtained forgiveness through the laver of regeneration. But the psalm is inscribed "an instruction," because people are greatly in need of this: for while they indulge their passions beyond what is right, they have become like horses and mules.

1. Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Iniquities are forgiven through baptism, but sins are covered through bitter repentance.

2. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin, nor is there guile in his mouth. For he is truly blessed who approaches holy baptism with his whole heart. [For he who is baptized with guile, besides failing to obtain forgiveness, will also have judgment.] ^C The following part, "for," should be connected with the voice "they waxed old," so that the meaning is: "For my bones waxed old, from my crying all the day." I kept silent, no longer able to utter a voice. And what did he cry, but begging for the forgiveness of sin?

4. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me. You are good, he says, since you chastised me harshly through discipline, in order to lead me to salvation. I was turned into misery while the thorn was fastened in me. He calls sin a thorn. And this is the meaning: Since, he says, sin was fastened into my soul, I was in misery.

5. I made known my iniquity. He indicates the manner of confession. "I said, I will confess against myself my iniquity." A just man is his own accuser at the beginning of his speech. And you, he says, be the first to tell your sins.

6. For this shall every holy one pray unto you. For this sin of mine which has been forgiven, he says, every one of the holy ones shall pray to you. By these words he signifies two things: either that I shall be an example of repentance to all, or, more prophetically, because it would come to pass that all nations in their own times would confess for his sin from the very person of David. (That is, by reciting this psalm.) But in a flood of many waters they shall not come near unto him. A multitude of temptations, he says, shall not overwhelm the one who is repenting.

^A Since he has spoken these things concerning sin, he entreats to be delivered from the evils brought upon him through it. And he does indeed obtain the answer; for the benevolent Lord says to him: "I will instruct you and teach you in this way." To one asking for liberation from enemies, God responds, promising to be his guide in the straight path.

9. "Do not become like horse and mule, which have no understanding." He counsels those who are sinning not to surrender themselves to irrational passions. "With bit and bridle you will constrain their jaws." The address is as though to the Lord. And what he says is this: Those who do not wish to repent, turn them toward yourself with a bridle, as it were.

PSALM of David, which lacks a title among the Hebrews. XXXII. Argument.

In the present psalm, he teaches those who have already believed in Christ to praise their Master, at the same time showing them the excellence of His power; because He is the redeemer of all things, He is Lord, He is the one who brings the wicked to nothing, and He scatters their plans, but saves those who hope in Him.

1. "Exult, you righteous, in the Lord... sing to Him on a ten-stringed psaltery." He calls the body a ten-stringed psaltery, in that it is endowed with five senses, and the soul has five operations; for through each sense, each particular operation is excited.

3. "Sing to Him a new song." He clearly says that the law through Moses has had its end.

4. "For the word of the Lord is upright." That is, the evangelical word. "And all His works are in faith." One must believe, he says, in those things which were accomplished by Him in a manner befitting God.

5. "The Lord loves mercy and judgment." This, he says, He requires of those who believe in Him. "The earth is full of the mercy of the Lord." He begins to show that He Himself is the Creator of all created things, and indeed says first that the earth is filled by His mercy; for it would not have consisted otherwise, unless it were filled with it. And certainly neither would the heavens have ever stood firm, had they not been established by His word, and likewise their powers—namely, the divine and rational ones.

^D [Therefore He loves mercy toward those who repent; but He loves judgment toward those who do not cease to sin. Something of this sort Isaias also says to God: "For Your mercy is according to measure." For he too represents mercy as being with judgment, bestowing it in weight and number according to the merit of each.]

6. "By the word of the Lord the heavens were established." Here too there is a declaration of the holy Trinity. "And by the spirit of His mouth all their power." He calls the Holy Spirit the mouth of God; for the prophets, speaking when He breathed upon them, said: "For the mouth of the Lord has spoken these things."

7. "Gathering as into a wineskin the waters of the sea." Placing them...

^A in the clouds, as he says in another place: "Who calls forth the water of the sea, and pours it out upon the face of all the earth." And again: "Bringing up the clouds from the end of the earth; placing the abysses in storehouses." He seals the abysses, he says, as if in storehouses, lest they gush forth and inundate the dry land.

8. "Let all the earth fear the Lord." Let the earth, he says, no longer offer worship to demons. "From him, let all who inhabit the world be moved." Let the men who inhabit the world, who were previously given to idols, hearing his name, be moved and obey their own Creator.

9. "For he spoke and they were created, he commanded and they were founded." ^B The "becoming" denotes the substantial existence of rational beings; but "creation" implies a change from a worse state to a better one. "For if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation."

10. "The Lord scatters the counsels of nations." Of the intelligible nations, that is. "But he rejects the reasonings of the peoples, and he rejects the counsels of princes." ^C For he rendered the snares of all the Jews ineffective, rising again on the third day. For this is what he wills, and this abides for eternity, the counsel of the Lord.

11. "The counsels of his heart are to generation and generation." The dogmas, he says, which have been decreed, both in the present age and in the future; the counsels of God are the fitting arrangements; the heart is the hidden part of the substance.

12. "Blessed is the nation whose Lord is its God." He calls those who believe in Christ blessed in these words.

[13. "From heaven the Lord looked down." He says, "He looked down," lest anyone think he is ignorant of the things dared by men.]

[14. "From his prepared habitation." That is, prepared and adorned. For heaven is ordained as if it were the dwelling place of God.]

15. "He who fashioned their hearts individually." God alone, he says, knows the hearts of men. Wherefore the Savior said to the Jews: "Why do you think evil in your hearts?"

18. "Behold, the eyes of the Lord are upon those who fear him." The eyes of the Lord are his all-seeing power; ^D or often the Son and the Spirit, so that the Father of lights is in the midst of the two lights.

19. "And to feed them in famine." In the time, he says, of persecution, if spiritual foods are not present, the Lord himself will feed them through the Holy Spirit.

20. "Our soul waits for the Lord." As they have already shown the confidence they have toward him, they now openly declare it.

PSALM of David when he changed his countenance before Abimelech, and he let him go, and he departed. XXXIII.

Argument. When David was fleeing from Saul, he came to Abimelech.

^A and, being asked by him the reason for his departure, he denied the flight, but said he had been sent by Saul to request the sword of Goliath. Since, therefore, he said one thing but thought another, it is written that he "changed his countenance." He sings this psalm, moreover, to the new people, introducing the teaching of spiritual and evangelical worship.

2. *I will bless the Lord at all times... In the Lord my soul shall be praised.* Even if I am worthy of praise because some good is found in my actions, this is to be attributed not to me, but to God: He has both made me illustrious and will make me renowned. *Let the meek hear and rejoice.* Any righteous person who hears of the salvation granted to me by the Lord will rejoice. And because ^B He truly saves those who hope in Him, He does not permit him to utter the hymn alone, but makes those who are partakers of the Lord’s mercy partakers also of the canticle.

3. *Magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.* As if he himself were not enough to proclaim the magnificence of God, he requests the labor and help of others in this matter.

5. *Come to him and be enlightened.* Having received confidence from the gifts he obtained, he invites others also to this.

6. *This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him.* Learn, he says, from the things that have happened to me, to have confidence in the Lord of the universe. For although I was vile and abject and a shepherd of sheep, He deigned to favor me with His own providence ^C and showed me to be superior to those who were fighting against me.

7. *The angel of the Lord shall encamp round about them that fear him, and shall deliver them.* This is in harmony with the words of the Apostle; for about the angels he says: *Are they not all ministering spirits sent to minister for them, who shall receive the inheritance of salvation?* Thus also the blessed Jacob, praying, says: *The angel that delivereth me from all my evils.* In the same way, the patriarch Abraham said to his admirable servant: *The Lord God will send his angel before thy face, and thou shalt take a wife for my son Isaac from thence.* Thus also the blessed Zacharias says: *The angel that spoke in me.*

8. *Taste and see that the Lord is sweet.* Taste, he says, of the true bread, which descended from heaven. *Blessed is the man that hopeth in him*; for he shall obtain the life to come.

10. *The rich have wanted and have suffered hunger.* Clearly, the people of the Jews. *But they that seek the Lord shall not be deprived of any good.* He speaks of the other, the people of the Gentiles.

11. *Come, children, hearken to me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord... and thy lips from speaking guile.* He sets forth a teaching for the nations, of which he says the first is the fear of God: the second is not to speak evil of a brother;

the third, to restrain the lips from every deceitful word; the fourth, to abstain from every evil and to make it one's care to do good in all things. In addition to all these, to pursue peace and to hold fast to it. And the peace is Christ. He says that the diligent practice of these things is life and good days. ^A

*Decline from evil, and do good: seek peace, and pursue it.* That which says, "decline from evil," is taught by fear, but "do good" is taught by love. Wherefore, he who loves is greater than he who fears.

*The eyes of the Lord are upon the just, and his ears unto their prayers.* He gives a great reward for the pursuit of virtue: namely, to have God as one’s inspector and guardian.

*The Lord keepeth all their bones.* By "bones" he means the powers of the soul. These are justice, perseverance, piety, and, so to speak, every virtue. ^B

*The death of sinners is evil.* He speaks of the death of the soul, which will be followed by eternal fire, outer darkness, the undying worm, weeping, and gnashing of teeth. For Gehenna and darkness shall overtake them.

PSALM XXXIV. Argument

*From the person of him who trusts in God and is warred against by the invisible powers are the things set forth spoken, or perhaps from the person of the choir of the apostles. The person of Christ is also introduced, recounting the evils brought upon Him by the Jews at the time of the Passion, for the encouragement of patience and perseverance in those who are warred against for the sake of God.* ^C

*Judge, O Lord, them that wrong me: fight against them that fight against me.* This petition befits the person of the apostles. He refers to the Jews, who, not having peace within themselves, have wars and war against Christ, who is our peace.

*Take hold of arms and shield, and rise up to my help.* "Arms and shield and sword" implies the avenging powers, which are sent forth by the Lord for the succor of the righteous.

*Say to my soul: I am thy salvation.* This, he says, you bid me say to my soul, that you will be her helper. ^D

*Let them be turned backward.* Those who proceed from virtue toward wickedness are benefited if they are turned backward.

*Let the snare come upon him which he knoweth not, and let the trap which he hath hidden catch him, and into the snare let him fall.* For the snare was turned upon the heads of the wicked. For having hunted, they were themselves hunted into death and are delivered to death.

*But my soul shall rejoice in the Lord.* Those, therefore, who have prepared the snare, and have devised the plot of destruction against Christ, the Savior of us all, shall pay the penalties for the outrage against Him, in the ways we have recently described. But

my soul, he says, shall be free from all evil forever; that is, it shall have unending rejoicing in God, and delight exceedingly in His salvation. ^A Daniel Barbarus: All my bones, that is, all men.

10, 11. False witnesses rose up; they asked me of things that I knew not. Hence the person of Christ is introduced, brought falsely before the tribunal of the chief priests.

They rewarded me evil for good, and childlessness for my soul. He says this because they were seen as unworthy to be called sons of God, which he testified to most of all, according to the text: How often would I have gathered thy children!

12. But I, when they were troublesome to me, was clothed in sackcloth. For he grieved for their destruction, so as to be pained, to be vehemently distressed, to weep, and to pray for their sin.

13. And I humbled my soul with fasting. Confirming the incarnation, he did not abstain from fasting. And my prayer shall return into my own bosom. This perhaps implies that they persisted in sin. For, he says, my prayer profited them nothing, which, because of their vast ignorance, they caused to reflect back upon me, as it were.

14. As a neighbor and as our brother, so I pleased them. As a brother, he says, and a friend, so I strove to win them over with benefits, wishing to restore them to health: wherefore I mourned for them.

15. And they rejoiced against me and gathered together. These, he says, were the wages they paid me for the pain I felt on their behalf. Scourges were gathered together against me, and I knew not. For I could find no cause why they should strike me with scourges.

16. They were divided, and were not pricked. For the multitude was divided, as the Evangelist says, some saying He was good, and others that He was evil. And yet, when these things took place, they were not pricked, nor did they understand against whom they were committing such acts. He says this not to accuse, but desiring help to be given to him. When, he says, wilt Thou appear and avenge him who is wronged?

17. Restore my soul from their malignancy. Whatever He suffers or speaks, He does for our salvation, because He Himself, that is, Christ, came down and was incarnate for us. From the lions my only one. He calls the lions either the evil and opposing powers, which all but roared against Christ, or perhaps even the leaders of the Jews themselves. For thus he commemorates them, saying through the voice of Jeremiah: My heritage is become as a lion in the forest; wherefore I have hated it. He calls his own soul his "only one," putting "only one" for "beloved." For there is usually great love for an only-begotten.

^A "They that hate me without a cause and wink with their eyes." That is to say, they devise deceits.

"For they spoke to me peaceable words, but in anger they devised deceits." This refers to their saying, "Good Master," and, "We know that you teach the truth and do not regard the person of man."

"And they opened their mouth wide against me." He says this of the blasphemies that took place upon the cross. They said, "Aha, aha, our eyes have seen it." As if their desire had reached its end, that he should be hung upon the tree. And they do this who also exult in the affliction of the just man.

"You have seen, O Lord, do not be silent; O Lord, do not depart from me." The only-begotten Word of God, having become man, without losing his being God, asks the Father, who has become judge on account of the injustice brought upon us by the demons, to scatter the insolence of the proud. For so, he says, some shall be turned to shame, ^B while others shall exult, offering thanks for their salvation.

*To the end, to the servant of the Lord, David.*

PSALM XXXV

Argument

"The unjust man says that he may sin in himself." He thinks, he says, he who is nurtured in malice, that no one sees the hidden counsels of his soul. For the word "says," he says, is put in the place of "thinks" or "supposes." The cause of such insensibility is not fearing the Master who looks upon all things. "There is no fear of God before his eyes." Once he has purposed, he says, to act lawlessly, he removes the fear of God from before his eyes. For by the fear of the Lord everyone declines from evil.

"For he has dealt deceitfully before Him." He has this ignorance willingly, not wishing to consider the things done, nor to hate what has been committed wickedly. "To find out his iniquity and to hate it." Neither does he consider this, he says, that God finds his sin, and having found it, hates both it and him.

"The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit." Iniquity, because of the insults they brought upon Christ; and deceit, because even while wishing to ensnare Him, they approached with pleasant words. "He would not understand that he might do good." Willingly, he says, he thrust himself away from acting well.

"He has meditated iniquity on his bed; he has set himself in every way not good." Their sleeplessness, he says, signifies their vigilance in preparing schemes against Christ.

"And he has not abhorred malice." That is to say, he has not hated malice. ^B

5. "O Lord, thy mercy is in the heaven." He shows that even heavenly things, that is, the rational powers, consist by his mercy. "And thy truth is even unto the clouds."

6. "Thy righteousness is as the mountains of God." Thou hast shown, he says, that the promises of the prophets are true and firm; for the prophets are clouds. Thou hast shown these to be true, bestowing such a multitude of righteousness that it may be compared to the mountains of God. "Thy judgments are a deep abyss." Having such great truth and righteousness, I am ignorant of the reason why thou art so long-suffering; for thy judgments imitate the invisible depth of an abyss. For just as its depth is invisible to men, so is the understanding of thy judgments inaccessible.

7. "Thou shalt save men and beasts, O Lord." Having spoken concerning the two peoples, the Apostle says: "God has shut up all in unbelief, that he might save all," and added: "How unsearchable are his judgments!" There is a similar point here: for since he was about to narrate the salvation of the two peoples, who are also signified by men and beasts—men, indeed, those from Israel, as being instructed from the Law and understanding excellence; but beasts, as those more irrational, namely those from the nations—for those from the Jews, having been instructed in the mystery through the law and prophets, have fallen away; whereas the others, those from the nations who had never heard it, have been taken in; for this cause he has said beforehand: "Thy judgments are a deep abyss." Again, he calls those who have preserved their rational dignity "men," but "beasts" those who incline downwards to the earth and graze on earthly thoughts. Not only, therefore, did he call the just, but also the sinners, to salvation.

8. "But the children of men shall put their trust in the covert of thy wings." That is, they shall have thee as a protector and helper of the evangelical word, he says.

9, 10. "They shall be inebriated with the fatness of thy house, and thou shalt make them drink of the torrent of thy pleasure," etc. The torrent of pleasure is Christ, according to that which is said: "I will decline toward them as a torrent overflowing the glory of the nations." He is also the fountain of life and light from light.

12. "Let not the foot of pride come to me." He asks to be outside of the passion. "And let not the hand of the sinner move me." That is, let no perverse action move me from standing by thee.

PSALM XXXVI

2. "Be not emulous of evildoers, nor envy..."

those who do iniquity." ^A He exhorts one to flee from wickedness, teaching that its end is a falling away from every good thing.

"And dwell in the land, and thou shalt be fed on its wealth." He calls the divinely inspired Scripture "land," in which the riches of the saints, that is, the promises, are situated. He exhorts us to hold fast to the divine oracles always, led by love for the good things that are laid up in them for the saints.

5. "Reveal thy way unto the Lord, and hope in him, and he shall do it." ^B Thou shalt be, he says, clearly walking in the way that is pleasing to Him.

"And he shall bring forth thy justice as the light." For it is manifest that in the age to come, as the Lord Himself has said, the just shall shine forth as the sun. And the light of justice is knowledge, since justice also is the rule of virtues. "And thy judgment as the noonday." Instead of: He shall judge thee to be worthy of the light.

"And he shall do it." When thou hast hoped in Him, he says, then He also shall do it. And what He shall do he shows by adding: "And he shall bring forth thy justice as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday." Then he shall bring forth, he says, that is, he shall make it manifest and display it as if it were conspicuous, not allowing the beauty and comeliness of a virtuous life to remain hidden. For thy justice shall be manifest to all, shining forth like light, even midday light. Now, the term "noonday" is given to the middle of the day. ^C He not only justifies the one who confesses and confers upon him a judgment of kindness, but he also brings his justice forth into the light; that is, he makes it known to all that he has indeed justified him. Of such a kind was the thief, whose judgment Jesus brought forth in the noonday, that is, in the middle of the day, while hanging on the cross, and brought his justice into the light, that is, into the knowledge of all. For that express voice of His, "Amen, amen, I say to thee, this day thou shalt be with me in paradise," became clear to the world, and indeed a light to the whole earth, and to all who repent and do penance it was a certain exhortation. Not, he says, shall the brightness of his justice be hidden, as it is now, but conspicuous as the sun at noonday, just as the Lord says: "Then the just shall shine as the sun in the kingdom of their Father."

"Be subject to the Lord and entreat him." He himself, he says, shall show you to be worthy of the light in the age to come; but you, be subject here. ^D "Be not emulous of him who prospers in his way." Do not be emulous, he says, of happiness built upon iniquity.

[Do not be amazed if you see an iniquitous man prospering, nor be emulous of happiness acquired through injustice, nor be provoked to do similar things; but even if everything goes for him according to his desire and of its own accord, do not grieve nor bear it with resentment, as though the wicked were not paying the penalty but were living in prosperity, as if no one were exacting retribution or punishment.

"Better is a little to the just"; instead of, greater is...]

the little mercy of the Lord than all the wealth of the world.]]

8. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath. Do not look upon their prosperity, but wait for the end, and you will see destruction. For anger is a desire for vengeance, and vengeance is the retribution for evil. Do not emulate them so that you do evil. Know well that those who have entrusted themselves to divine hope and have chosen a sober life, live in tranquility and peace and pleasure, obtaining a firm purity of conscience; but those who trust in temporary prosperity will meet with a swift change and will be delivered over to utter oblivion.

10. And you will seek his place and will not find it. Similar to this saying: ^B "But the wicked shall perish root and branch."

11. But the meek shall inherit the earth. Those will inherit the earth who have breathed out/cast off the destructive affection of anger. For anger destroys even the prudent, since it hinders them from conducting themselves honestly. For the anger of man does not work the righteousness of God. Furthermore, he is secure from the anger and fury of God who abstains from those things which stir up anger and fury.

And they shall delight in the multitude of peace. The delight of the just man is total peace; it is a kind of soul's imperturbability with the true knowledge of things.

12. The sinner will watch the just man. This can specifically be understood of the devil, and through these things he offers consolation to those who are wronged. For he displays the transgressor as pained and raging against those who have embraced a quiet life, but the just man as a judge mocking his attempt, inasmuch as he clearly foresees his swift end.

13. But the Lord will laugh at him. He laughs, he says, at the traps of the sinner against the just, knowing that He has established a day in which He will render eternal life to the one, but eternal punishment to the other.

14. The sinners have drawn the sword... their sword shall enter into their own hearts. These things, he says, the evil demons have suffered, which they plotted to inflict upon the saints.

18. The Lord knows the ways of the blameless. Instead of: He accepts and honors them. And their inheritance shall be forever. For the rewards of the saints are incorruptible and eternal.

19. They shall not be put to shame in an evil time. In the times of persecutions, he says, when the teachers are failing, the Lord Himself by His own Spirit will nourish those who have believed in Him.

[They shall not be put to shame in an evil time. An evil time is that of the wrath against the impious, in which ^D some shall experience the righteous judgment of God; but the just shall receive glory and honor, and incorruption, and eternal life.]

21. The sinner borrows, and will not pay back. The sinner, he says, does not render thanks for the benefits conferred upon him by God. But the just man has mercy, and gives. He renders mercy in place of repayment, imitating his own Master.

^A "For those who bless Him shall inherit the earth." Similar is that which was said to Abraham: "I will bless those who bless you, and those who curse you I will curse." "The steps of a man are directed by the Lord." He accepts, he says, the practical path which one walks in this life. "When he falls, he shall not be cast down." Even if, he says, it happens that the just man stumbles a little, he shall not be wronged, having God to support him. "Nor his seed seeking bread." He means the intelligible, which are the divine words. "And dwell forever and ever." And you shall inherit, he says, the eternal tabernacles. "But the just shall inherit the earth." In many places he has mentioned the earth being given to the meek, encouraging a desire for it. "The mouth of the just shall meditate wisdom." It is fitting, he says, to carry the divine oracles around, whether in the tongue or in the mind, and to make their study constant; for thus, learning what must be done, the lover of virtue shall remain tranquil and unshaken, prevailing over those who attempt to overthrow him. These things he also said in the first Psalm: "But his will is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he shall meditate day and night," and the rest. "And his tongue shall speak judgment." Not judicial judgment, but that which arises from an unerring and sound tribunal. "The law of God is in his heart, and his steps shall not be tripped." "The sinner watches the just man. But the Lord, etc." He says the same things in different ways, preparing a more stable memory through greater meditation. He says: The Lord will not neglect the just man when he is beset by the snares of the wicked, nor will He cast a vote with those who dare such things; but He will provide that he might leap over their nets. Abraham enjoyed this providence when Sarah was twice snatched away; Isaac, having suffered this very same thing; Jacob, being envied by his brother and his father-in-law; and Joseph, having been warred against by envy and slander. And why is it necessary to recount everything? For it is easy for those who love learning both to collect the things of old and to observe the new. "Nor will He condemn him when he is judged." That is, when sentence is passed upon him. "When sinners have perished, you shall see it." You shall see, he says, the sinners being cut off. "I saw the impious one being exalted, and lifted up like the cedars of Lebanon." According to that which was said: "Our life is a shadow." "And I passed by, and lo, he was not." Having seen, he says, wicked men prospering, I was considering how they had attained this; then, reasoning these things and turning other thoughts over in my mind, I could no longer see them; indeed, I could not even find the place where they seemed to have stood. "Keep innocence, and observe uprightness, for there is..."

^A a remnant for the man of peace." And the punishment, he says, of the wicked, and the remnant—that is, the inheritance of the righteous—let it persuade you to pursue simplicity and innocence.

PSALM XXXVII: A Psalm of David, for a memorial regarding the Sabbath.

Argument

2. *O Lord, rebuke me not in thy fury, nor chastise me in thy wrath.* [Demons, who are deputed for inflicting punishments, and avenging powers, are called the wrath and fury of God. He prays therefore not to be rebuked by malevolent powers, nor to be chastised by the sending of cruel angels, but by salutary words.] The Lord chastises us, leading us to a remembrance of virtue. But the saint does not reject rebuke or correction, but that which is joined with wrath and fury.

3. *For thy arrows are fastened in me.* He calls the avenging powers arrows. *And thou hast fastened thy hand upon me.* Your hand, he says, has touched me, chastising me on account of sin.

4. *There is no health in my flesh from the face of thy wrath.* Through your wrath coming upon me, my flesh has been weakened. *And there is no peace in my bones from the face of my sins.* ^B The strength of my soul, he says, has been weakened; and the cause of the feebleness is sin.

5. *For my iniquities have gone over my head.* The heavy burden of sin, he says, has bowed me down. The stench of those putrid wounds also causes me pain, which I received when, having cast off prudence and having become a slave to folly, I fell into them. On account of which, being deprived of all delight, I am distressed and languish continually, and I find no way of turning aside from my sadness. *As a heavy burden they are become heavy upon me.* He speaks of the heaviness of conscience which pushes one vehemently toward desperation.

6. *My sores have been putrefied and corrupted from the face of my foolishness.* For every sin is foul and putrid; for if the soul does not fall into folly, it would not endure to commit sin. ^C From this we know the nature of sin. What is it? Certainly, sin is nothing but the offspring of our own foolishness.

7. *I walked about sorrowful all the day long.* This must be spoken to those who laugh much and take pleasure.

[I have become miserable, etc. It indicates the heaviness of conscience, which pushes one as it were into desperation. For, he says, I saw my enemies mocking me; he means the intelligible enemies.]

9. *I am afflicted and humbled exceedingly.* From that desire, he says, I have reaped ^D

^A into the earth, and I ceaselessly lament on account of the bitter pains of my heart. For this reason, having changed the operation of that desire, I have established it as a servant of the divine will. For he adds: *I have roared from the groaning of my heart.* By chastising my conscience, I caused my heart to utter groans. 10. *And my groaning is not hidden from Thee.* He says: Let the desire of repentance stand before Thee, the desire with which I have, wishing to be saved. And what is the desire of Christ? To fulfill the Passover for our sake. ^B 11. *My heart was troubled, my strength forsook me.* He calls the rational power of the soul the heart. *And the light of my eyes, even it is not with me.* By light of the eyes he refers to the Spirit shining light upon the eyes of his understanding. 12. *My friends and my neighbors drew near and stood over against me.* In the time when I was stricken, he says, they stood against me. He says these things regarding Absalom and Ahithophel. *And my neighbors stood afar off.* For the angels who were ministering to him abandoned him on account of the sin. Perhaps also the holy powers withdraw in a time of temptation for the testing and trial of the one being tempted, or perhaps for punishment. ^C 13. *And they who were seeking my soul used violence.* With good reason, since the angels had abandoned him, the demons attacked more fiercely. *And they who were seeking my evils spoke vanities.* They were speaking, he says, among themselves, preparing a conspiracy against me. 14. *But I, as a deaf man, did not hear,* and the rest. These things, he says, while they were speaking, I seemed neither to hear nor to speak, my boldness having been taken away through sin. 16. *Because in Thee, O Lord, I have hoped... for I said: Lest my enemies rejoice over me.* Of so many evils occurring, he says, I have one hope of salvation: the help that will come to me from Thee. 17. *And when my feet were shaken, they spoke boastfully against me.* It has given them, he says, great pride against me that sin has shaken my feet. 18. *For I am ready for scourges, and my pain is before me continually.* He says that he gladly receives the chastisement that leads to conversion. 19. *For I will declare my iniquity, and I will be troubled for my sin.* For this very reason I become my own accuser, and I will take every care for my health. 20. *But my enemies live, and are strengthened over me.* Although, he says, I am not without awareness of my sin, but am continually anxious about it, I see my enemies growing stronger. And these enemies, having suffered nothing unjust from me, reproach me for my sin, and making it a pretext for

of war against me, pursuing me and boasting that they are doing so with justice and right. Therefore, I have become as one dead and abominable in their eyes; wherefore I beseech you, O Lord, not to depart from me, but to hasten rather to bring us aid.

21. “*Do not forsake me, O Lord my God*,” etc. Daniel Barbarus says: Men are driven by the poverty of their nature to appease God; they pray for themselves. But Christ, if He has the Father with Him, seeks the salvation of men as His own, and He Himself attributes to Himself this petition, in accordance with the humanity joined to His divinity, as if it were His own. This truly was what was combined with flesh, and was subject to affections, while otherwise He possessed the divinity with Him which would make His petition valid.

PSALM XXXVIII. To the end, an ode of Idithum for David. Argument.

Since the holy singer Idithum was crowned with prophetic grace, he delivers an ode, introducing the person of David himself confessing his sin.

2. “*I said, I will guard my ways*.” A clear proof of a fixed heart. “*I set a guard on my mouth when the sinner stood against me.*” For the spiritual enemies standing by him were reproaching him for his sin.

3. “*I was dumb, and humbled, and held my peace from goods.*” Being reproached, he says, I did not reproach back, seeing that I had fallen from good things. “*And my pain was renewed.*” Instead of speaking to those reproaching me, I reminded myself of my sin. And the memory of my sin became like fire in my heart.

4. “*And in my meditation fire shall be kindled.*” By my remembering the sin, he says, I was burned with fire.

5. “*I spoke with my tongue; make me to know, O Lord, my end.*” “*With my tongue*,” that is, quietly and whispering, and not bringing the word forth to many. But the word was an inquiry concerning the days that remained to him. He was asking, desiring to know if the remainder of his days would be sufficient for him for repentance.

6. “*Behold, you have set my days as measurable, and my substance is as nothing before you.*” If, he says, life extends in length for me, it will be reckoned as nothing before you. For if a thousand years in your eyes are as one day, what would the time of one man be? Symmachus again interpreted this as follows: “*Behold, you have made my days as a span, and my life is as nothing before you.*” For you are without beginning and without end; but our life is measured by certain spans and palms. By this he manifested the short-lived nature of human life.

7. “*Nevertheless, all is vanity, every man living. Yet surely man passes in an image, but he is troubled in vain.*” If, he says, man walks in an image and not in truth, he rightly premised vanity; since we do not live a true life, but in a certain image, nor are we driven by a zeal for true goods, wherefore we are troubled in vain. The life of those who dwell on earth, he says, inasmuch as it is turned about in worldly cares, might rightly be judged vanity. Or thus: All the life

of our days is a vapor ^A in thy sight; for instead of vanity, Symmachus published "vapor." He storeth up, and knoweth not for whom he shall gather them. Since we do not live the true life now, but one as if in an image; nor do we apply our diligence to things that are truly good; therefore we are troubled in vain, being turned about in worldly desires, and gathering treasures of whose heirs we are ignorant.

And now what is my expectation? Is it not the Lord? With reason he says he has his hope set in the Lord, inasmuch as he judges those things in life to be distractions. And my substance is with thee. That is, my expectation, or patience. ^B Thou hast given me up to the reproach of the foolish. Do not give me up, he says, to reproach, because it is thou who art being reviled in me. I was dumb, and I opened not my mouth, because thou hast made it. Being reviled, he says, I was silent, knowing accurately regarding it, that thou art the one who, for the sake of punishment or instruction, has assigned me to be reproached for this very thing.

Remove thy scourges from me. He speaks of the punishments coming to him from the demons, God not permitting them to stay. He says that the punishments coming to him from the demons are from God, as if He permitted him to suffer on account of sin. For I failed by the strength of thy hand. We have already mentioned many times that the punishing power is called the hand of God. When He scourges them strongly, he who is being chastised fails, inasmuch as he is such a one, that is to say, infirm and not able to endure the scourges for long. ^C [Nevertheless, they are troubled in vain. He who lives in iniquity, so as to need such instruction.]

In rebukes thou hast chastened man for iniquity. Rebuke me, he says, for my sin, and thou hast chastened me. Give ear to my prayer. Instead of, Hearken, and forgive the sin before the end. [For this signifies: Because I am a sojourner.] Forgive me, that I may be refreshed. Before my end, he says, grant forgiveness of sins, that I may go to Hades with confidence. And I shall be no more. I shall no longer be such as I might become from the relief granted to me from thee. And the relief of God is the tranquility of the soul with a true knowledge of things that are. ^D

To the end, A PSALM of David. XLIX. Argument.

The song is referred to the person of the new people brought back from the pit of misery. Then the person of Christ is introduced, teaching those who give thanks the manner of the economy; then again the person of the believers from Israel is introduced, asking that the sin of their unbelief be forgiven them, and at the same time recounting the evils that befell them because of their unbelief.

With patience I waited for the Lord, and he gave heed to me. Similar to: In your patience possess ye your souls.

^A *And brought me up out of a pit of misery.* And what did he provide for you? Having heard, he said: He brought me out from the depth of sin, and from the pleasure of the muddy body, or from the gates of death, and from the corruption existing therein, or from the distractions of the world. *And from the mire of the clay.* From the depth of sins which, like mire, stain those caught in them. For a pit of misery is malice and ignorance. *And he set my feet upon a rock, and directed my steps.* The apostle Paul says [1 Cor. x, 4] that the rock was Christ; for I have learned to walk the path well-pleasing to God, that is, through active practice and right doctrines. ^B *And he put a new song into my mouth, a hymn to our God.* The evangelical law; for after we are freed from passions, we sing a new song, our house having been renewed. *Many shall see, and shall fear, and shall hope in the Lord.* For the preaching has gone forth into the whole world. *Blessed is the man whose hope is the name of the Lord, and who hath not looked upon vanities and lying frenzies.* He says that only he is blessed who has inscribed his hope in God, not he who is distracted by worldly anxieties, which are both frenzy and lying. ^C [*His hope. Then he also adds by way of exhortation: Blessed, he says, truly, is he who has had God alone as his hope, and has not looked to the anxieties regarding the present life, which are vanities and lying frenzies, and cares admitted in vain. But the wise frenzy is the condition of the present life, on account of which the prophets seemed even to many to be out of their senses, about which the righteous man also boasts and says: I said in my trance [Ps. cxvi, 11].] *Thou hast done many things, O Lord my God, thy wonderful works.* What you have done, he says, in the time of the economy, are many and wonderful; which I have also announced to others. The proclamation, he says, has run through the whole world under heaven, so that those who believed have become more numerous than could be numbered. ^D *Sacrifice and offering thou wouldst not, but a body thou hast fitted to me.* Hence the person of Christ himself, addressing the Father, is introduced. Since, he says, you did not want sacrifice and offering, nor did burnt offerings according to the law please you; I come, having accepted the body which you yourself fitted for me. For the Holy Spirit and the power of the Most High overshadowed the holy Virgin. I come, moreover, that I may do your will. For what was the will of the Father, if not that which the Lord himself explained, saying: *This is the will of him who sent me, that of all that he has given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up in the last day [John vi, 40]?* And the phrase, *in the head of the book*, has this interpretation. The Hebrews call the scroll a "head." But Isaiah [speaks of] the mystery of the incarnation of the Only-begotten...

^A instructed, heard: *Take a new scroll, and write in it with the style of a man.* It happens that the precepts of the new law are described not on stone tablets, but on fleshy ones: just as he says through Jeremiah the prophet: *I will give my laws into their mind, and on their heart I will write them*; meant to declare that it is destined for the Church to receive the new law in the innermost and intelligible receptacles of the heart, and to love the commandments ardently.

*I have proclaimed righteousness in the great Church.* The great Church is every soul that has believed in the Savior through all nations, which is also justified, having Him who justifies the ungodly. *I have not hidden thy righteousness in my heart.* He understands by righteousness that which was preached by Him, which is above the law and the shadow; but *thou hast known*, is instead of, "thou hast made it thine own." *I have declared thy truth and thy salvation.* I have not been silent, he says, nor have I held back thy truth within myself. And he calls the evangelical preaching "truth." Nor did I hide thy salvation, that is, the way of salvation given by thee, or rather the grace which is obtained through faith. By the "great council" (or congregation), he refers to the Church gathered from Israel and the nations. For Christ reveals to the rational nature the words concerning mercy and truth, and the words concerning salvation. And a man will find the words concerning truth in contemplation, but those concerning salvation in action.

^C *But do thou, O Lord, remove not thy mercies from me.* After Christ had taught the mystery of the Economy, he introduces the person of Israel, who remained in disbelief. For just as he who had disobeyed the mercy of God, and because of this was disregarded, and had fallen into every evil, comes to his senses toward repentance and begs to be pitied. It signifies, however, their calling which is to happen at the final time. *Let thy mercy and thy truth always uphold me.* We confess, he says, that thou art the One who formerly saved us and was our protection. And the Church of God, having obtained salvation, asks again for God’s providence and help against the manifold attacks of men and demons, of which he makes mention in what follows. ^D *For evils have encompassed me without number.* He recounts the evils which befell them after their unbelief toward Christ. *They are multiplied above the hairs of my head, and my heart has failed me.* It is like saying: I have become equal to those who have no mind or heart; for the people have become foolish, and not wise.

*Let them be turned backward and be ashamed that desire evils against me.* Either they cry out against the spiritual enemies, or against the Scribes and Pharisees, who were plotting against the salvation of His soul, saying concerning Christ at one time: *He does not cast out demons except by Beelzebul*; and at another time: *Thou hast a demon; who seeks to kill thee?*

^A *But I am poor and needy; the Lord will take thought of me.* That very bold Israel, having turned to repentance, calls himself poor and needy. And moreover, he claims that he has the Lord as his own hope. *Thou art my helper and my protector, O my God; do not delay.* 12 Daniel Barbarus says of this outcome: The Church will have this end, such that she, who was formerly poor and seriously oppressed by want in the world, is at last enriched by Thy power and rendered glorious by Thy aid; and what she asks for is not drawn out for a long time, nor will He delay anything on account of her petition, according to what is said: *Coming he shall come and shall not delay.*

TO THE END. A PSALM OF DAVID. 40.

Argument. (By an uncertain author.)

2. *Blessed is he who understands concerning the needy and the poor.* He calls Christ needy and poor, according to that which was said: *Though He was rich, He became poor for our sakes.* ^B He prefaced the prophecy with moral teaching here, wishing the psalm to be profitable in both regards. And whom does he call blessed? Him who understands concerning the needy and the poor—that is, him who considers that, for the sake of this, Christ, though He was rich, became poor, so that we too might have mercy on the poor as brothers of our Creator and Judge. And what is the gain of love for the poor? *The Lord will deliver him in an evil day.* He indicates the day of judgment, which will bring pains and labors upon sinners. The Lord, who is the light, will deliver the lovers of the poor. For He is a debtor to them for kindness, inasmuch as He Himself has borrowed alms from them; and He spoke through Solomon: *He who has mercy on the poor lends to God* ^C; and with His own mouth: *As long as you did it to one of these least ones, you did it to Me.* *The Lord will deliver him in an evil day.* He calls an evil day the onset of temptations and the persecutions of enemies. But I think He also hints at the day of judgment, which is truly terrible and the avenger of the wicked. He promises the pure knowledge of that poverty, which will deliver him from the evils of that terrible day. ^D [Blessed is that man who thinks as is fitting about the poor; as if to say, "He who is able to understand the poverty which Christ took upon Himself for our sake."]

3. *The Lord keep him and give him life, and make him blessed on the earth, and do not deliver him into the hands of his enemies.* Spiritual enemies, that is to say.

4. *You did turn all his couch in his infirmity.* That is to say, toward better things, He says, and he will have a change toward health...

For it is the custom of divine Scripture to use "turning" instead of "change," as in that passage: *You have turned my mourning into joy for me.* ^A

5. *I said, O Lord, have mercy on me, heal my soul.* And David prays for his own sin, as one who recognizes in himself one of those who "understand over the needy and the poor." Again, He who suffers for men calls the sins of men His own, and for these He asks mercy for us in His own person, dissolving the contempt of those who are ignorant of Him, while manifesting His glory; in Himself indeed by His own power, but in us according to the grace of Christ.

6. *My enemies have said evil things against me.* From this point the person of Christ is introduced, recounting the evils that have been brought upon Him by the Jews. Up to the present verse, one must suppose the prophet has been speaking about the whole Catholic Church, in such a way that it suited every one of the devout rather than the Lord’s own humanity. ^B For he does not, as some have supposed, say what is said of Him and Him alone; for he did not say it with the article: "Blessed is the one who understands [the case of/over] the needy and the poor." But this, said without the article, signifies some particular individual. After these things, he passes from the other members of the Church to that Lord Himself, clearly Christ, who says: *My enemies,* and so forth. *When shall he die, and his name perish? He is grievous to us even to look upon.*

7. *And if he came in to see, he spoke in vain.* He says these things about Judas. But what he says is this: Since he had access to me, because he was established in the number of the disciples, he was double-tongued and a schemer; for he spoke in vain, that is, he was not truthful. *His heart gathered iniquity to itself.* He had decided, he says, to deliver me to those who were envious. *He went out, and spoke to the same purpose*—that is, namely: *What will you give me, and I will deliver him to you?*

8. *All my enemies whispered against me.* He signifies the mockeries of the Jews against Him, the plots of the Jews against Him, and the hidden schemes, indicating the high priests who were in agreement with Judas, who whispered, deciding the price for Jesus in concert with Judas. ^C They whispered—for they did not dare to do these things openly, fearing the multitude.

9. *They laid a wicked word against me.* That is, *Away, away, crucify him.* But that this was wicked is plain from what has been said: *You shall not kill the innocent and the just.* *Shall he who sleeps, not add that he shall rise again?* He mocks the schemes of the Jews as if they imagined that through death they could break Him as one of us. But He says: How do you imagine you can encompass Life with death? For sleep... ^D

is death; necessarily, therefore, resurrection shall follow death. ^A

10. *For even the man of my peace, in whom I hoped, who ate my bread, enlarged his supplantation against me.* He means mockery, treacherous plotting, deceit. He calls Judas a man of peace, because he appeared to be numbered among His well-wishers and friends, and had been chosen as a disciple.

11. *But You, O Lord, have mercy on me, and raise me up, and I will repay them.* He speaks after the manner of men because of His humiliation before His own Father, even though He Himself is the mercy of God and the Father, and the resurrection and the life.

12. *In this I knew that You wished me well.* Again, He speaks as a man, so that He might commend Himself to God and the Father. *That my enemy may not rejoice over me.* If Christ says these things in the person of humanity, the enemy would be understood as he who prepared death for us; but if as from Christ Himself, He means the rulers of the Jews. For that they were grieved is clear from their slandering His resurrection.

13. *But me, because of my innocence, You have upheld.* He says that He who is the defense of all has attained a defense; not that He Himself, in so far as He is understood to be God, is in need of this, but having become man, He speaks on behalf of humanity.

14. *Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from age to age.* Even now He seals the present song in thanksgiving. From the present, He says, unto the future. Therefore, the blessing offered by us to God begins from the present, and is completed in the future; *for we know in part, and we prophesy in part,* and for this reason we bless in part. *But when that which is perfect has come,* says Paul, *that which is in part shall be done away.* For as progress is made toward better things, what is in part ceases. Therefore the Psalmist added, *Let it be, let it be,* and doubles the prayer. It is blessed, ^C indeed, to begin the blessing to God through faith and the fulfillment of other good works from here, and so to crown it in the age to come, whereas the impious and the faithless are not permitted to praise God there. It should be known, however, that some divide this psalm-prophecy into five books, and consider this psalm to be the end of the first, because at the end it possesses a blessing to God as a crown. Hence they likewise divide the subsequent four.

PSALM XLI

^A confessing to Christ through repentance, which they shall perform at the consummation of the ages.

"Just as 14 the hart desires the fountains of waters, so my soul desires You, O God." Rational harts, failing because of sins regarding the intelligible fountain, lamented their own destruction night and day.

"When shall I come and appear before the face of God?" The face of God is the Word. It signifies their intense desire to reach the time when their calling will occur, so that they too might appear before the face of God and the Father. And this is the same as the Son.

"In the voice of exultation and confession ^B of one keeping festival." He brings the good news to himself that he will, in his own time, obtain salvation and life through Christ, and will dwell in the divine courts together with the other saints.

"Why are you sorrowful, my soul, and why do you trouble me?" He rebukes his sorrows, fortified by hope in Christ [14']. If a time is kept, he says, O my soul, in which our calling through faith brings us in with those keeping festival into the tabernacle, why are you sorrowful, and why are you worn down by sorrows?

"Therefore I will remember You from the land of Jordan ^C and Hermoniim from the little mountain." Since my soul was troubled, he says, while I recalled Your wonders—both those You showed us at the Jordan and those at Mount Hermon—I will comfort myself. Or in this way: Having been at the Jordan, he says, that is, having been deemed worthy of holy baptism, I will then remember You through the words of confession. I will also remember Hermoniim; and Hermoniim is interpreted as "way of a lamp," as holy baptism opens the way of illumination to them.

"Deep calls to deep at the voice of Your cataracts." They recall other wonders to themselves. For when the foreigners ^D waged war against them, by a sacrifice offered on their behalf by Samuel, there was brought down upon the enemies such hail that almost all the enemies, with no man fighting against them, fell. He calls therefore the rush of hail "deep calling to deep." And "calls" is put for "invokes." By the voices of the cataracts, you should understand the gushes of hail. But in another place, the prophets of God are called cataracts. "All Your high things and Your waves have passed over me." He reminds himself of another wonder. For they passed through the sea, escaping the wickedness of Pharaoh. And the heights of the waves, he says, seemed...

^A to fall upon them; but they did no harm, for the waters were curdled like a wall.

[Abyss calls to abyss. Abyss is the Father, abyss is the Son. The abyss of sins calls to the abyss of the compassion of God, that he himself might break sin and its authors, and likewise corruption; as if to say, "It is your custom to be moved in spirit toward sinners who beseech you. And why do you look past us as we fall before you?"]

9. *By day the Lord will command his mercy, and by night his song.* He mentions another miracle. For Rabshakeh, having besieged Jerusalem, threatened that not even God could snatch them from the hand of the Assyrians; but God made a promise in these words: *I will protect this city.* ^B And afterwards, fulfilling his promise, in one night he slew one hundred and eighty-five thousand of the Assyrians. And this is what he says: *By day the Lord will command his mercy. A prayer to the God of my life.* As one who has now believed, he brings forth words appropriate for those who believe, ascribing his own life to Him.

11. *I will say to God, You are my protector.* The people who are doing penance renew their supplication, calling upon God more and more for mercy.

PSALM XLII: A Psalm of David, which among the Hebrews lacks an inscription.

*Judge me, O God, and discern,* etc. This psalm ^C is of the same argument as the former. For again the Israelites approach, requesting the salvation brought through Christ. Therefore he says: *Send forth your light and your truth.* For he himself was to lead them into the holy mountain, that is, into heaven and into the supernal mansions—which he names tabernacles—and to the spiritual altar; likewise he was to gladden their youth. He calls joy "youth," which also restores their soul. Therefore they promise to offer confession to him on the harp. We have often advised that by the name of harp we should understand the body.

PSALM XLIII: To the end, for the sons of Korah, for understanding.

Argument.

This psalm also persists in the same argument; it is of men who recount ancient benefits and ask to be accepted because they have established the Lord himself as their hope and make confession in his name. *Our soul is humiliated in the dust.* So speak those who, having been thrust away from the sense of those things which are of Christ, have fallen into a carnal state. ^D

*O God, we have heard with our ears.* *But now you have refused, and put us to shame. And you will not go out, O God, in our powers.* You used to fight along with us, he says, in times past. But now not only do you not go out

^A with us to the battle; but you have also turned us back, so that we have even become a plundering for those who hate us. This the prophetic choir says, taking to itself the calamities of the people.

And those who hate us plundered for themselves. By shoutings, he says, you have delivered us unto dishonor.

And there was no multitude in our shoutings. A "shouting" is a song of victory. The meaning is this: In this way, he says, you have cast us off, so that we are even defeated by a few, and those who shout against us are but a small number.

You have made us a reproach to our neighbors. All that they did against Christ has been repaid to them: they reproached, and were reproached; they mocked, and were mocked in return; they shook their heads at him, and others shook their heads ^B at them.

All the day my dishonor is before me. Long-lasting, he says, and continuous has our shame become.

All these things have come upon us, and we have not forgotten you. We have already said that the prophets are those who offer up the supplication from the person of the people, taking upon themselves the evils that happen because of their own sins.

And you have turned our paths from your way. They say this because, having acted impiously toward Christ, they were thrust away from offering the sacrifice according to the Law.

Because you have humbled us in a place of affliction. He says this because they were no longer able to think on high things; and you have rebuked us, having sinned in the world. And the shadow of death has covered us. He signifies the darkness that has been cast about the hearts ^C of the unbelieving.

If we have forgotten the name of our God. They say this because, after their final fall, they no longer practiced idolatry, or it is again from the person of the prophets.

Because for your sake we are put to death all the day long. Similar to what is said: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, they died by the slaughter of the sword. But just as they take upon themselves the sins of the people, so also do they refer their own good things to the person of the people, as if the whole were one body. Or also in this way: Because of the unbelief that has happened among us toward you, he says, we have come into such great evil that we are like men carrying the sentence of death, and like sheep led ^D to the slaughter.

Arise, why do you sleep, O Lord? They compare the great forbearance of God, which he exercised because of their sins, to sleep. Arise, and do not cast us off forever. Arise, he says, not so that he might change his form—for the divine is without form—but so that he might stir up his own power for our assistance. And do not cast us off forever, neither those who do the evils, nor those who suffer them, so that neither those who suffer, as if abandoned entirely to the temptations, may slip, nor those who bring on the evils for a long time

^A emboldened by the forbearance of the Judge, increase their iniquity. They pray that this grace be granted to them: that Christ may arrive in the last times, so that they may not be deprived of His life.

25. *Our belly is cleaved to the earth.* They say this because, having turned away from the sense and thought of those things which pertain to Christ, they fell into carnal reasoning.

26. *Arise, O Lord, help us.* Bring help, He says, to us, and grant favor and time for conversion to those who confess the true faith in You. ^B

*To the end, for those who shall be changed, to the sons of Core, for understanding, a song for the Beloved. XLIV.*

Argument

2. *My heart has poured forth a good word.* The Father says this concerning the Son; for He is born God from God. *I speak my works to the king.* Insofar as He is king, being God, He is said to have entered upon His reign through the incarnation; just so, those things which He knows naturally as God, He is again said to hear by a certain dispensation on account of his ^C humanity. *My tongue is the pen of a quick-writing scribe.* The word He previously mentioned, He now calls His tongue. And he is called a pen of a quick-writing scribe, because whatever He says and commands is immediately brought to pass, as in that saying: "I will, be clean," and immediately he was cleansed; and, "Young man, I say to you, arise," and immediately he arose. But also that: "A shortened word will the Lord make in all the world."

3. *Beautiful in grace above the sons of men.* It is possible to see the comparison of the good Spirit from those things which John says: *The law was given through Moses; but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.* For the pen of Moses, too, is good; for he wrote for us a law as a pedagogue, ^D but not such a one as also wrote our names in the heavens. *Grace is poured out upon your lips.* For our Lord is sweet-speaking, who says: *I came that they might have life, and might have it more abundantly*; and, *I am the bread which came down from heaven; and, who gives life to the world.*

4. *Gird your sword upon your thigh, O Mighty One.* He stirs up the Only-Begotten to join battle for our sake. Then, since He has given Him a military habit, having mentioned the sword, He further mentions the thigh. For the sword belongs to Him, as being God, nor is it brought from outside; for He is powerful, that is, of the powers

and this befits His nature. He is also beautiful to those who have recognized His advent, and who are able to discern that beauty which surpasses the whole world. He has girt the sword on His thigh to threaten the unbelievers and the phalanxes of the adversaries. Concerning the disobedient, therefore, the psalm says: "If you do not turn, He will whet His sword."

*By Thy comeliness and Thy beauty.* The comeliness and beauty of Him who has gone forth to war is His Godhead, and the excellence by which He surpasses all things. *And bend, and prosper, and reign.* "Bend thy bow," He says; "and prosper," meaning, make those whom You have justified, and over whom You reign after delivering them from the tyrant, to proceed prosperously. He shows that the victory is spiritual, for having mentioned weapons, He also mentions meekness. It is the mark of a meek person to forgive those who wrong Him. *And Thy right hand shall lead Thee wonderfully.* Since He mentioned the sword, it follows consistently that He makes mention of the right hand. His right hand denotes the right counsels, by using which ^B He did not accept the assault of sin.

*Thy arrows are sharpened, O mighty One.* By arrows He means the holy apostles, who have inflicted fatal wounds in the hearts of the enemies of the King of those who reign. These arrows, having pierced the spiritual enemies in the heart, had the power to bring the world under the feet of Christ, and to subject it to the yokes of His kingdom. The verses are to be taken by way of hyperbaton, to read as follows: "Thy arrows are sharpened, O mighty One, in the hearts of the enemies of the King."

*Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever.* Those called through the apostles, confessing the Godhead of the Only-Begotten, say: "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever." *A rod of uprightness is the rod of Thy kingdom.* In divine Scripture, uprightness signifies justice. He says, therefore, that those who are reigned over by Christ should learn to walk in the way of justice.

*Thou hast loved justice, and hated iniquity.* Since human nature, having undergone change, abandoned justice and loved iniquity, for this reason the Only-Begotten became man, ^C correcting in Himself human nature so as to love justice and hate iniquity; and this is the cause of the incarnation. Wherefore He says: "Therefore God, Thy God, has anointed Thee." What is meant by "Therefore"? It is that those who have become participants in You might exult, inasmuch as they have obtained through Your mercy the ability to love justice and hate iniquity. "Therefore God, Thy God, has anointed Thee." Indeed, He says, "God, Thy God, has anointed Thee"; for the word "anointed" is interpreted as "has anointed." The interpretation of this passage is connected back to the words: "Thou hast loved justice."

*Myrrh and stacte and cassia from Thy garments.* The garments of the Only-Begotten may be understood as the ^D virtues, having

become for us a sweet odor ^A of fragrance, and appearing, as it were, in the order of every incense, according to what is said elsewhere: *Thy name is as ointment poured forth*, and: *I will run in the odor of Thy ointments.* Stacte is the most delicate kind of myrrh. For when the spice is crushed, whatever is fluid in it is separated into stacte—or "drop"—while the coarser residue is called myrrh. Cassia, moreover, is a very thin and fragrant bark that covers woody shoots. *From the ivory palaces whereby they have gladdened thee.* By palaces are meant splendid and magnificently constructed houses, that is, temples. He calls them ivory, signifying they are skillfully crafted and most beautiful. By kings, he refers to the holy apostles, who also reign together with Christ. By their daughters, he denotes the souls who, through their labor, have been regenerated to the knowledge of God, and who prepare their own hearts as most beautiful temples, gladdening God for His honor. It is, therefore, as if he were saying: "Thou shalt be gladdened, O Lord, by the ivory palaces which the daughters of kings have adorned for Thy honor." *The queen stood on Thy right hand in gilded clothing.* The queen is the Church, as having been wedded to the great King. Her placement at the right signifies the honor ^B which she will enjoy in the future age. Her precious clothing is faith, hope, and charity. But she has also another, more splendid garment—Christ Himself. *For as many of you as have been baptized unto Christ,* says the Apostle, *have put on Christ.*

11. *Hear, O daughter, and see.* This discourse is again addressed to the Church. *And forget thy people and thy father's house.* For no one approaches the faith of Christ pure, unless he entirely blots out the memory of his past evils. The people of the Church were formerly idolaters. Her father's house are the wise of this age, in whom Satan dwells as in a home. *And the daughter of Tyre with gifts.* By the one nation of the Tyrians, he signifies the calling of the nations. He mentioned the Tyrians because they were, of all, the most hostile to the devout way of life.

13. *The rich of the people shall entreat thy face.* This, the Gospel says, preaching to kings and to those in high places: "Worship the Church, or rather, worship her Lord." *All the glory of the daughter of the king is from within, in golden borders.* By "from within," it signifies piety; for the adornment of the Church is spiritual. By borders, he speaks of virtues manifold in type.

15. *Virgins shall be brought to the king after her.* This is similar to the passage: *We shall be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.* Again, by the virgin he indicates the Church; for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin...

to Christ. ^A *Her neighbors shall be brought unto thee.* For continence is close to virginity. Therefore, as many souls as contain themselves from evil acts, they too shall be led along together. And those who are led along happen to find joy and everlasting exultation. *They shall be brought into the temple of the King.* He means the heavenly one.

*Instead of thy fathers, sons are born to thee.* Since He said to her, "Forget thy father," He says that instead of thy fathers of old, that is, instead of the teachers, sons shall be thine. By sons, He means the holy apostles, according to what was said by the Lord: *By whom do your sons cast them out?* Or also those leaders of the Churches, who have become sons of the Church, and have been appointed by the Lord Jesus as princes over all the earth, according to that which was said: *Go therefore, teach all nations.* Thou shalt make them princes over all the earth; *they shall be mindful of thy name in every generation and generation.* By means of the divine scriptures, clearly; for in the sacred syllables the name of God is commemorated.

*Therefore shall peoples confess to thee for ever.* This is by means of the preaching; and the discourse is as to Christ. Because they themselves commemorate through the Scriptures the wonders of God which He did from ancient generations, and teach the generations to come.

*Unto the end, for the sons of Core, for the hidden things.*

PSALM XLV

Argument

*God is our refuge and strength.* He says these things on account of the persecutions which rose up against them from both spiritual and sensible enemies. *Therefore will we not fear when the earth is troubled.* Because we have Thee, He says, as a helper, we shall despise every commotion rising up against us. ^B For the whole earth was being troubled, as the preaching was beginning, when those who remained in unbelief were rising up against those who had believed in the preaching. *And the mountains shall be transferred into the heart of the seas.* By "heart of the seas," He means the abysses; by "mountains," the opposing powers. ^C Since, therefore, the demons were about to be cast into the abyss, they were stirring up the war against them. But we shall not fear such as these, they say.

*A helper in tribulations.* Because we have Thee, He says, as a helper, we shall despise every commotion rising up against us.

^A He calls the demons mountains, who were once high and conspicuous, and for this reason likened to mountains.

4. *The waters roared and were troubled.* By waters he denotes the multitudes, which the novelty of the proclamation disturbed. *The mountains were troubled by His strength.* The power, he says, of Him who was proclaimed shook the impure demons, who were once high and conspicuous, and for this reason likened to mountains.

5. *The streams of the river make glad the city of God.* He calls the evangelical word a river, which also makes glad the Church. *The Most High has sanctified His tabernacle.* For He is holy, resting in the holy ones, dwelling in the holy ones, that is, in the Church. ^B

6. *God is in the midst of her, and she shall not be shaken,* the Church, that is. *God shall help her when the morning appears.* He says this because the morning declines toward the early hour. But the phrase, *He shall help her*, looks to the person of the Church, whom the apostles here represent, and those who are her leaders by succession, whom He strenuously strengthens so that they may be able to devote themselves to the proclamation.

7. *Nations were troubled, kingdoms were shaken.* The nations, he says, did indeed fight against the Church; but yet their kings were humbled, that is, they were defeated and turned their backs; but at last they themselves also bowed their necks to Christ. For he says, that you shall quickly be built up by those who had torn you down. For they exalted the Church, offering gifts in a most beautiful manner. ^C *The Most High uttered His voice, and the earth was shaken.* Christ, that is, on the cross. By *His voice* he means the evangelical message. For if a rational soul hears the voice of the Lord, it is shaken, passing from wickedness to virtue, and from ignorance to the knowledge of God.

8. *The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our helper.* He attributes the victory won against spiritual enemies to the Lord Himself. And the mention of Jacob is timely, on account of the struggle he had with Him.

9. *Come and see the works of God, which He has made prodigies on the earth.* He signifies the peace brought about by the proclamation, when he says that all war on earth has come to an end. By *prodigies*, however, he means the cessations and suppressions; for He made every war to cease. ^D

10. *He shall break the bow, and shatter the weapon, and burn the shields with fire.* The bow now, and the weapon, and the shield signify a most wretched state, and evil thoughts.

11. *Be still, and know that I am God.* For unless someone casts away every worldly care, he cannot know God. For leisure is necessary to know God. *I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted on the earth.* He promises them the victory of the proclamation against all nations.

^A Our God of Jacob. Those who have believed in Christ double their thanksgivings.

PSALM XLVI.

Argument.

PSALM of a canticle for the sons of Core, on the second day of the Sabbath. XLVII.

Argument.

2. Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised in the city of our God, in his holy mountain. It is no longer, he says, in Judea alone, but in his holy mountain. He calls the Church the mountain here, on account of the sublime doctrine concerning God.

3. It is founded with the exultation of all the earth. He stretched forth, he says, the exultation over all the earth; for the exultation of his manifestation has pervaded all the earth, and he has spread abroad his grace. The mountains of Sion are the sides of the north. Jerusalem is situated to the south, but the nations are in the north. Since the Jews, as the only ones dwelling on Mount Sion, thought highly of themselves, it is shown here that Sion refers to the nations who have accepted the evangelical word. For the foundation of Sion is the region of the north, which region is signified by the sides of the north; for instead of saying the region of the north, he said the sides of the north. And originally, indeed, Paul was of the sides of the north, from whom all evils were fanned into flames throughout the world; but now he has become the mountains of Sion, having within himself the Christ who speaks, who "came out of Sion, and turned away ungodliness from Jacob." ^B The city of the great king. These sides of the north, he says—or the nations—may rightly be called a city, in which God is understood to champion them and rescue them from temptations.

4. God is known in her houses, when he takes her up. The houses are those who are great and more excellent in the city of God.

5-7. For lo, the kings of the earth were assembled. The war waged against the apostles on account of the preaching of Christ, either by the visible kings of the nations, or by the invisible demons who formerly reigned, has been suppressed and taken away. They, seeing this, were amazed. They were struck with ^C stupor, he says, and were astonished, seeing the aid granted by God to the saints. They were troubled, they were moved, trembling took hold of them. For the exceeding greatness of the power of him who prepared salvation for them cast them into admiration and stupor.

8. In a violent spirit you shall shatter the ships of Tharsis. By the ships of Tharsis, as something precious and laden with vast merchandise, he compares the kings. But by the violent spirit, through which he shattered them, you should understand certain powers by which he warred against the enemies of the apostles.

9. As we have heard, so have we seen. The salvation, he says, which you promised to us, O Lord, we have seen through our deeds. In the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God. He signifies the place where they saw the promise fulfilled. ^D And where, if not in the Church,

which is the city of God? ^A God has established it forever. This is similar to the word spoken by the Lord: "Upon this rock I will build my Church."

10. We have received, O God, thy mercy in the midst of thy temple. Meaning, as if to say, we have observed and have waited for the name of God to be glorified throughout the whole earth, conjecturing that because of the mercy of God, those who were outside of Israel would not be despised; but, established in both the place and the temple, we have hoped for thy mercy for the whole world, knowing thy name to be universal and present in all things.

11. According to thy name, O God, so also is thy praise. He says this because He has given grace to all simply and without respect of persons, according to what is said: "In Christ Jesus there is neither bond nor free." ^B

Let Mount Zion rejoice. Mount Zion, that is, the Church. And let the daughters of Judah be glad. He says that the daughters of Judah are the souls of the holy apostles, for they were descended from the Jews. Because of thy judgments, O Lord. Having judged the case of the nations, thou hast driven away the war of the demons excited against them.

Compass Zion, and encompass her. The Holy Spirit commands the apostles to do this, that they might be as a wall for Zion, that is, for the religious polity. Tell of her in her towers. And what could the towers of the Church be but those who lead her at various times, and the just men to whom the apostles relate the great works ^C of God?

[The Holy Spirit speaks to the divine powers which guard the Church and the religious polity, and to the holy angels, saying: Encompass the towers. For those things in the city that are more excellent are committed in number to the guards, so that they may defend them.]

Set your hearts upon her power. The power of the Church, again, are the words that support her, which He commands the holy apostles to urge with all their heart. And distribute her houses. Each one, He says, let him rule over a portion of the nations. For the twelve, He says, divided the world among themselves. That you may tell it to another generation. For the apostles also relate to the generations after them, through whom they have left behind writings concerning Christ.

For this is God our God forever. He declares the cause of the distribution. For this reason, teach and distribute, so that it may be known also to the generations that will follow thereafter, that He who has justly pastured the people (He speaks of the Lord) this is He who is also to pasture them for the coming and ^D unending ages.

To the end, for the sons of Core. Psalm XLVIII. Argument

^A Things pertaining to the divine tribunal are proclaimed to all men in this psalm, as well as that day upon which God shall bring all created things to judgment. Perhaps the sons of Core may represent the person of the apostles, who initiated the world into the mysteries.

2. Hear these things, all nations, ponder them with your ears, all you who inhabit the world. Just as the word calls the whole human race to salvation, in the same manner it summons all men together to the doctrine of the divine judgment.

3. Both the earth-born and the sons of men. He calls the cruder men and barbarians, who live in deserts and are not reared in laws, "earth-born"; but he calls those "sons of men" who pursue a more civilized way of life and are governed by laws.

4. My mouth shall speak wisdom. Just as he divides the listeners into many ranks, so too he divides his doctrine into various modes. ^B The apostolic choir is that which speaks these things, and it holds in its mouth Christ, who is the wisdom of the Father. Since, therefore, they bore Christ in their mouth and were always revolving Him in their mind, they obtained understanding. And their mind was so sharpened and readied for understanding that they could even grasp the parables of the Savior recorded in the Gospels. Wherefore, when Christ said: "Have you understood all these things?" they said to Him: "Yes."

5. I will incline my ear to a parable. I myself, he says, after I have sharpened my own mind to the understanding of the Savior's parables, have been able to attain the meaning contained within them. ^C But for those who are unable to do this on account of their infancy, I will open things that are closed, and I will explain the problems and the parables. And I will do this through my own psalter—that is to say, my body—which rings out like an instrument, and by which my soul is turned to singing a hymn, being moved most skillfully through every sense, and through every limb and part.

6. Why shall I fear in an evil day? From here he begins, having discoursed on the first part of the doctrine as if in a prologue. He begins with a question, so that he may receive an answer. And this is the question: "Why shall I fear?" For one must put a ^D stop at the word "fear," so that the meaning is this: If anyone asks, he says, "Why shall I fear?" wishing to learn from me the cause of the affliction by which I am occupied, let him hear with confidence that there is an evil day, which I, struck with fear, tremble at. I tremble, because in that day the iniquity of my heel shall surround me, that is to say, the deviation from the divine path, which I have made in the course of my life, having transgressed the divine law through the distraction and deceit of this life. This impiety, therefore, he says, shall surround me; as if to say: The evil deeds which I have committed shall stand around me,

and conclude me on every side, and not allow me to escape the punishment. He calls the day of judgment "evil," as it is indeed evil for those being punished. The Apostle also called it "the day of wrath," having said: *Thou treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath.*

7. *They that trust in their power.* He speaks this in common: "Hear these things, all ye that trust in riches and power." But what is it that they ought to hear, if not that which signifies that riches will bring them no benefit in that day? For they will not redeem them from the wrath and vengeance rendered to them on account of sin. Therefore, neither can a brother, so to speak—even if he is religious—nor any other man, redeem anyone in that day. And if a brother cannot, and he a religious one at that, much less will riches be able to do so.

*[Frater non redimit, fratrem religiosum et honorabilem virum dicit.]*

9. *And the price of the redemption of his soul.* After he has taught that riches will be of no profit in the day of judgment, he teaches what will be of profit. And what is this, if not to lead a life full of labors? For these will be found worthy of the promised life in the coming age. He who labors through the practical life shall live unto the end through knowledge; he shall rest for the age, and shall live unto victory. *And he labored for ever, and shall live yet unto the end.*

10. *He shall not see destruction, when he seeth ^C wise men dying.* For they shall be so far removed from the ungodly that they shall not even approach their destruction. But who are these "wise men dying," if not those concerning whom it has been said: *I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will set aside the understanding of the prudent?* For the present Scripture teaches through all this that, in the day of judgment, neither will the rich man redeem himself, nor he who is accounted wise. Only he will attain to eternal life who has mortified himself in the present life. *The fool and the senseless shall likewise perish.* Together, he says, the wise and the fools shall be delivered over to destruction; for they differ in nothing from one another, being equally given over to a form of idolatry. *And they shall leave their riches to others.* For they did not desire to make them their own through deeds of charity towards the needy.

12. *And their sepulchres shall be their houses for ever.* By the sepulchres he signifies the mortality with which they have clothed their souls, in no way thinking ^D anything upright or straight concerning God. *Their tabernacles are from generation to generation.* The tabernacles, he says, in which they lived while they were alive, shall pass from others to others in succession through various generations; for this is what he said above, that they shall leave their riches to others. *They called their names upon the earth.* It was right, he says, through faith and a brilliant conduct, to have ensured that their names were written in the heavens; but they called them upon the earth, when they constructed cities named after themselves.

^A And man being in honor did not understand. He states the cause of their having fallen into thinking highly of themselves: it is the desires of the flesh. This means that they did not understand their own honor, namely that they were made according to the image of God. And in the likeness of the senseless cattle, they chose to inhabit the earth instead of the heavenly tabernacles, and preferred graves to the life granted by God.

14. This is the way of theirs as a stumbling block to them. Divine Scripture is accustomed to call the life of every person, and the time of each one's life, a "way." This way, then, he says, they prepared to be rough and hostile for themselves, since they had not thought anything righteous. But when they were progressing in it, they did not even perceive the stumbling blocks. But later they shall take pleasure ^B in their mouths—that is to say, they shall confess, having repented that they walked in such a path, when there will no longer be a time for repentance.

15. As sheep they are placed in Hades. Since they did not wish to be under the good Shepherd, but having rejected their honor, they were corrupted in body just like cattle; therefore they became the flocks of Hades, so that finally their shepherd will lead them away to his own pastures—some into the eternal fire, others to where there is wailing and gnashing of teeth, and others into the outer darkness.

Daniel Barbarus adds: Moreover, according to Symmachus: This way of theirs is a stumbling block to them, but those who come after them will approve their speech. For it was not enough for the first to walk the way of madness, unless they also left for those who came after them a pernicious example of their action, to arouse a desire for their imitation, so that those who came after might also take pleasure in the way of their customs, and follow them by imitation.

And the righteous shall have dominion over them in the morning. Not ^C anymore, as when they were in this life, do they rise up against the pious; but on the contrary, those who have been deemed worthy of the morning time and of the new light will have dominion over the impious. *And their help shall grow old in Hades*, etc. Every help of theirs, he says, namely the strength which they possessed from glory, shall be dissolved by death. For "shall grow old" is put for "shall be dissolved."

16. But God will redeem my soul from the hand of Hades, when He receives me. As for me, he says, God will redeem the soul of him who says these things, so that it might not be carried off and abandoned with the sheep of Hades.

17. *Do not fear when a man has become rich.* Having learned, he says, what the end of the impious will be, do not call them blessed who are rich and opulent in this life, nor fear as though shut off from all hope, nor be disheartened as though deprived of the great goods of the present life. ^D Know well that redemption from death and eternal life await you; but he who is acclaimed by many for wealth and glory, and for that falsely-named wisdom, will have nothing more; for, stripped of all things, he will be led away from the goods of life.

18. *For when he dies, he shall not take all.* This alone, he says, as a gain from riches, do they seem

to have, ^A that their soul is blessed in this mortal and temporary life. For those who praise them and call them fortunate for the goods they seemed to possess. Nor shall his glory descend with him. Because all things are temporary, he says, such a man will then render thanks to You, the Creator, when You have increased his resources. 19. *He shall enter even unto the generation of his fathers.* He will imitate, he says, the zeal of his fathers, and since he is descended from the wicked, he will succeed to their wickedness. *He shall not see the light for ever.* For all those who think in this way have become blind in their souls, neither being enlightened in this mortal life by the light of knowledge, nor being deemed worthy of the eternal light in the future.

PSALM XLIX (L). Argument

Asaph sings the psalm, introducing the person of the Lawgiver, who overturns the ancient sacrifices and brings in those which pertain to the New Testament, namely, the offerings made through praise. ^B [The first of the Jews, neglecting virtue, thought that religion consisted in reciting and proclaiming the laws and in offering sacrifices. But the reading of the law and the oblation of sacrifices ought to be the fruit of the virtue existing within; and if this is wanting, to perform these alone is like someone who oils himself for the wrestling school but cares nothing for the contests themselves, by which the crown is obtained. Therefore, the blessed David makes a refutation of those who are so disposed, introducing God as upbraiding and declaring that, if virtue is lacking, He abhors the sacrifices, which he also said through Isaiah: *The wicked man who sacrifices a calf to me is as one who strikes a man*, etc. In a likeness, therefore, he characterizes the Word and introduces God coming down from heaven, and taking His seat in judgment, and judging the rulers of the Jews, *God of gods has spoken*. ^C]

*God of gods, the Lord, has spoken, and called the earth.* The holy ones are gods before God: *I have given thee for a god to Pharaoh*; and, *I said, Ye are gods*. When then are they called so by God, if not when He became incarnate and spoke, and called the whole earth? And what did He speak, if not: *Go, disciple all the nations*; and that: *This Gospel must be preached in all the world*?

*Out of Sion is the beauty of His excellence.* For from the Sion above He will also make His second coming.

*Out of Sion is the beauty of His excellence. God shall come manifestly.* The expression *out of Sion* denotes His first coming; but the expression *manifestly* denotes the second. For indeed, at the time of His first coming and His glorious manifestation, He kept silence while being judged by men, and did not show His own divinity clearly; but when He arrives for the second time, He will come manifestly, and will not keep silent, but will refute the sin of the world. For if God is to come manifestly, and Christ is God

^A that has been said, manifestly, then, He declares the flesh.

3. *God shall come manifestly*. For He will not come as in His first advent, unnoticed; but, as He Himself says, like lightning that fills everything from the east to the west. *Our God, and He will not keep silent*. He says He will not be silent towards the ungodly, as He was before, so will it be then. *Fire shall burn in His presence*. Fire, so that He may deliver those who deserve it for their impiety. And similar to this is: "A river of fire was drawn before Him." The blessed Daniel beheld these things very clearly. For he says, "A river of fire was drawn before Him; His throne was a flame of fire; His wheels were burning fire." Now the fire signifies either the light emanating from Him; for spiritual light, the figure of which is the pillar of fire that led Israel by night, precedes the knowledge of Christ; or it indicates that we, who are cold to every kind of sin, are ignited by the Savior toward the pursuit of every good. But that fire, as spiritual, introduces the participation of the Holy Spirit. For He said: "I came to cast fire upon the earth." ^B Indeed, we who have been deemed worthy of such grace have been made living by the Spirit. Wherefore, in every grace of the Spirit, a manifestation of fire is brought in along with it; for we are baptized in Christ, according to the voice of John, in the Holy Spirit and in fire. A certain prophet also said: "He Himself goes forth as a refiner’s fire, and as the herb of fullers; and He will sit refining and purifying as silver and gold." For the power of the Holy Spirit melts away every stain within us. But it profited the Synagogue of the Jews nothing, because they did not accept the grace, concerning whom God says in Jeremiah: "The refiner has failed from the fire, the lead has failed. The silversmith tries the silver in vain; their wickedness has not been melted away."

4. *He shall call the heaven from above.* Formerly, those who dwelt on the earth were portions of foxes, as it is ^C said somewhere in the Psalms, worshipping unclean spirits, and thinking in each place that what appeared was God. But when the Savior appeared, He shone upon us with the light of true knowledge of God, brought back that which had wandered, bound up that which was ailing, and, as the good shepherd, drove the wild beasts away from the fold of the sheep; He sanctified by the Spirit, fortified with angelic powers, and established all those who were on earth as holy initiators of the mysteries. He will therefore call, He says, the angels who are in heaven, and those who have been chosen on earth for the apostolate, so that they may discern His people. For the apostles offered those who obeyed to God, but those who were unbelieving they consigned to Satan, all but saying: ^D Depart, therefore, to the light of your fire and to the flame which you have kindled. To the unbelieving Jews, therefore, they say: "It was necessary that the Word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles." And that angels assist the dispensers of the mysteries and their disciples, Paul declares

^A saying: "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?" This the ladder also revealed, which Jacob saw reaching from earth to heaven, upon which the Lord was firmly established, with angels running up and down. Of this kind also is that: "The angel of the Lord shall encamp round about them that fear him, and deliver them"; by which they work together, and they themselves also judge the people.

"He shall call the heaven from above." The just, he says, who pursue a heavenly way of life, he will gather into the mansions above. "And the earth, to judge his people." He means to gather the sinners, and all who dwell upon the earth, for the purpose of separating the just from those who are not such.

"Gather unto him his holy ones." The word is directed to the angels, according to that which was said by the Lord: "And he shall send his angels, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds of the earth." "Those who have made a covenant with him by sacrifice." By sacrifices he means spiritual sacrifices.

“And the heavens shall declare his righteousness.” The heavens will glorify God, he says, because he has deemed even men worthy of heavenly dwellings. ^B (Corderius.) He desires that the holy men of the former people, before the coming judgment, should put an end to the sacrifice accustomed to be performed through the slaughter of irrational animals, and take up that which is offered according to knowledge and understanding. Concerning these things, the heavenly powers sing praises to the Judge, because he begins from the holy ones, and the heavens declare his righteousness, rejoicing together in their salvation. But the earthly habitation shall be left to the order of those who have not been deemed worthy of the heavenly calling. "For God is judge." Here he manifestly calls Christ God; for the Father has given all judgment to the Son. And if the Father has given all judgment to the Son, and God is judge, then Christ is God.

“Hear, O my people, and I will speak to thee.” Introducing a new legislation, lest anyone should suspect the word to be human, or to proceed from some angelic power, he prefaces: “I am God, thy God.” And this is the meaning: Do not think ^C me to be someone else because I am ordaining other laws today; but I am the very same one who gave the law concerning sacrifices through Moses. I bear witness to you, so that you will not be blamed if you have transgressed the laws that were given through Moses. For I am the same who then ordained those things for my servant for his benefit, and now I testify these things to you, that there is no necessity for you to keep the legal precepts concerning sacrifices. For even if you do not offer them, they are nonetheless offered; for your burnt offerings are in my sight always, even if they are not offered. But if you are entirely anxious to bring these as if they were some precious and necessary ^D things, hear with boldness that I will receive nothing of them from you. Superfluous

indeed are all things to me. Since the animals grazing in the fields, the oxen and the cattle, and the birds of the air, and the beauty of the field, all are mine, and I am in need of nothing. ^A And if there were ever any need of food for me, I am not so needy as to ask for such things from you: For the world is mine. But what sacrifices will you offer that are pleasing to me? Praise, the hymn, and theology. And when you have fulfilled these, then, as if you had fulfilled the divine law, you shall receive as a reward that, when you call upon me, you shall be heard. And showing to what people he is speaking, he added: Israel, and I will testify to you. Then he shows his own lordship: I am God, your God, who delivered you from Egyptian servitude, who gave you the sea as a path, who fed you in the desert, who gave that law to you. For do not think me to be another lawgiver, seeing the difference in the laws. ^B [God, your God. That is, he who from the beginning until now has shown great miracles to your race.]

8. *I will not reprove you for your sacrifices.* I do not accuse you, he says, of negligence in offering sacrifices; for you offer these continually; but I command you not to limit righteousness to these.

16. *But to the sinner God said: Why do you recount my righteousnesses?* In this place he calls the promulgator of the divine Scriptures a sinner. It is similar to the saying: *Praise is not seemly in the mouth of a sinner.* ^C For if he transgresses all the commandments, and is eager for every wickedness, and uses a deceitful tongue, why does he subsequently have the divine Scriptures in his mouth?

21. *You thought wickedly that I would be like you.* Long ago, he says, I was longsuffering, but not so now; for I will bring forward your sins for the purpose of reproving you—sins which you thought no longer existed and would not come into the memory of anyone. But I, as God, will bring them to light, and they shall be set before your face. I will not hide them as you do, nor will I be like you. I will bring them forward, so that, by making them manifest, I may put you to shame. I will reprove you, and set your sins against your face. ^D

22. *Understand these things, you who forget God.* As one who loves mankind, after the reproof he adds an exhortation, giving room for repentance. Understand, that I am not longsuffering because I rejoice in the things done by you, but because I am giving time for repentance. For if not, the lawless one, or rather iniquity, snatches us away, with no one to deliver us. For I deliver those who understand and desist from evils, and say: We have acted unjustly, we have committed iniquity, we have acted impiously. For he who is still occupied in evils cannot confess. *Lest at any time he snatch, and there be none to deliver.* Lest at any time, he says, death should take away the soul, repent; for there is none who delivers those who are shut up in Hades because of their sins.

^A For the soul is snatched away, as having fallen altogether from God.

"Sacrifice of praise shall honor me." He repeats what has been said, commanding that a rational sacrifice be performed. After the heavy and great accusation, he points out the remedy for sin, namely the enjoyment of the mysteries. For that is truly the sacrifice of praise that honors God. Since then we sing praises with the angels and stand with the creation. And there, "the path in which I will show him my salvation." In the sacrifice, he says, of praise is the way to the salvation prepared by God.

To the end, A PSALM of a canticle by David, 50. When Nathan the prophet came to him, when he went in to Bersabee.

Argument

He sings this psalm containing a confession of two crimes: the murder of Uriah and the adultery with Bersabee. ^B [He also points out to all men that repentance is the way of salvation, as a kind of art for attaining constant victory against the enemy. For he who always reflects upon this and successfully practices it constantly becomes a victor against the one who is always wrestling. He also introduces the redemption which is brought about through holy baptism, saying, "Thou shalt sprinkle me." And furthermore he teaches that the gift of prophecy has been preserved for him. For he does not ask as if he were deprived of it, but supplicates that it not be taken away, saying, "Do not take it away."] He also introduces the prophecy of the redemption from all sins which would later take place through holy baptism, and the instruction regarding the worship in the Spirit. Throughout, you will find him pleading for the expiation of the two transgressions.

"Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great mercy." Being fallen into a great crime, he begs to obtain the great mercy of God. "And according to the multitude of thy mercies, blot out my iniquity." For it belongs to the mercies of God alone to wash the hands of murder. [Making the meaning clearer, he says, "Wash me more." Even here he sought an abundance of cleansing, so as to show that the offense was great; or, because he had heard the forgiveness from Nathan, and various calamities were diminishing the power of his sin, he now says: I have need of purifications and washings, so that the filth, now liquefied and dried, may be completely scraped away.]

"Wash me more from my iniquity," he says, that which was done in the murder. "And cleanse me from my sin," that of the adultery. "For I know my iniquity." And this he said concerning the murder. "And my sin is before me always." ^C He turns over the memory of his sin ^D of the adultery, back and forth, as though it were not allowing him to depart, nor leaving him, but was always present with him and troubling him.

^A *Amplius lava me ab iniquitate mea, et a peccato meo munda me.* He calls the adultery "sin." It must be known, however, that sin is a falling away from the good, whereas iniquity is a transgression against the divine law: these are the principles of both. But they meet in this, that the sinner has strayed from the goal which is according to nature and in nature. For this goal is set for human nature: to live according to reason, with those things that are opposed to reason being removed and placed far away. Similarly, he who acts iniquitously transgresses against the law given in nature, conducting himself intemperately. Therefore, it is fitting that the apostle and disciple of Christ, John, joined both into one, saying: "Everyone who commits sin also commits iniquity"; as if he were to say: sin is consistent with iniquity. For whoever acts iniquitously, sins; yet not everyone who sins acts iniquitously. It can also be said from the opposite, namely: "Everyone who commits sin, also commits iniquity."

6. *Against thee only have I sinned, and done this evil before thee.* This is as if to say: "Although by sinning I escaped the eyes of all, I was not hidden from yours alone." Therefore he says: *And done this evil before thee.* Having been affected by you with many good things, I repaid you with the opposites. Nor does he speak thus because he thinks that he did not injure Uriah—for how could that be?—but because the greatest iniquity is turned against God himself, who had elevated him from a shepherd to a king: or because, when he escaped the eyes of all, he did not escape the sight of God, but was reprimanded through the prophet: or as a king he was not subject to the law of men, but as a religious man, he was subject to God alone: or because no one was reprimanding him, but God alone was correcting him. ^B *Against thee, he says, only have I sinned.* *That thou mightest be justified in thy words.* "You have proved me," he says, "to have transgressed through the prophet. And you, indeed, being just, after you always delivered me from my enemies and adorned me with kingship and prophecy; while I am profane and a murderer." *And mightest overcome when thou art judged.* A declaration or confession of sins.

7. *For behold I was conceived in iniquities, and in sins did my mother conceive me.* Since the prior goal of God was that we should not be born through marriage and corruption, but the transgression of the commandment introduced marriage on account of the iniquity of Adam, that is, that he had held in contempt the law given to him by God. Therefore, all who arise from Adam are conceived in iniquities, having collapsed into the condemnation of their forefather. Moreover, that which follows: *And in sins did my mother conceive me,* signifies that Eve, the mother of us all, as if swelling with pleasure, conceived sin. Therefore, we, having fallen into the condemnation of our mother, are said to be conceived in iniquities. ^D He declares in what way from the beginning the nature of men fell under sin due to the transgression of Eve, and that its birth was under a curse. He begins his discourse from a higher point, wishing to show the magnitude of the divine gift.

^A 8. "Behold, Thou hast loved truth: the uncertain and hidden things of Thy wisdom Thou hast made manifest to me." The meaning is this: You, He says, O Lord, who are truth and love truth, wishing us to live in truth, will cleanse us from ancient sin; and thus You will cleanse us with hyssop, so that we may be made whiter than snow. He compares the power of the Holy Spirit to hyssop, as being warm and scouring away all the filth that is in us. [The cleansing shall be performed by hyssop, that is, by the Holy Spirit. For hyssop is a plant endowed with a cleansing power.] The phrase, "The uncertain and hidden things of Thy wisdom Thou hast made manifest to me," indicates that all future things which God set in His own wisdom were revealed to him through the Holy Spirit.

"Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed." Having said that You have given divine laws and ordinances, he says something greater, that You have granted certain cleansings in the law, even by the sprinkling of hyssop; according to this purpose, therefore, do You grant similar things to us now, being Yourself the same God. Or it seems that some mystery is here hinted at. For since Moses in Egypt commanded that the blood of the sheep be sprinkled upon the doorposts with hyssop, we have been redeemed by a more precious blood. Since therefore that blood was a protection and a safeguard, so that those who dwelt in any house would not be harmed by the destroyer, ^B rightly does David, making a secret commemoration of that blood, say, "Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop," and what follows, hinting at the cleansing for all that was to come through the blood of the true lamb, Christ, and desiring to obtain that which alone is able to cleanse perfectly and to make one whiter than snow.

"Thou shalt make me to hear of joy and gladness." That you will cause me to hear, he says, preparing me again through the Spirit for the joy and gladness that will be in the last times. And what could this be but that knowledge concerning the resurrection, which he taught by saying, "The bones that have been humbled shall exult"? When, however, shall our putrefied bones exult, if not at the time of the resurrection, at which, as another prophet says, "Our bones shall sprout like grass"? "The bones that have been humbled shall exult." The strength of my soul shall exult, because it was previously weak under sin.

"Turn Thy face away from my sins." ^D He returns again to confession.

"Create a clean heart in me, O God." Renew, he says, my soul, which has been aged and corrupted by sin. "And renew a right spirit in my inward parts." That is, steadfast; as if he were to say: Strengthen and fortify my mind so that it may no longer be easy to fall into sin.

"And do not take Thy Holy Spirit away from me." (19) He prays again that the prophetic spirit may come to him. For it had left him because of his sin.

^A Rede mihi lætitiam salutaris tui. This refers to the whole human race. By the "joy of salvation," he means the advent of the Lord, according to that which was said by Simeon: "For mine eyes have seen thy salvation." He prays also that he himself might share in it. "And with a princely spirit confirm me." The spirit which he called "upright" above, he here calls "princely."

15. Docebo iniquos vias tuas. Since, he says, you have freed me from sin, immediately grant me your Holy Spirit once again. Then, indeed, I shall teach transgressors to walk in your ways.

16. Libera me de sanguinibus, Deus Deus salutis meæ. He offers this supplication again for the murder of Uriah, so that he might in some way be freed from the pollution of it; or rather, "from bloods," that is, from sacrifices made by blood, as the things that follow in the psalm indicate, where it says: "For if thou hadst desired sacrifice, I would have given it," (20) and the rest. "And my tongue shall exult in thy righteousness." Symmachus interpreted this as follows: "My tongue shall speak of thy mercy"; for I shall by no means keep silent once I have obtained forgiveness, but will continue to praise you and recount your benefits. Since, he says, you have rejected legal sacrifices, for they cannot wash away sins, I have offered to you what you love. Now this is what is offered through repentance and a contrite heart.

20. Benigne fac, Domine, in bona voluntate tua Sion. Sion here denotes the Church. For when it pleased God the Father to restore all things in his Son, then he also promised good things to his Church. "And let the walls of Jerusalem be built." By the walls of Jerusalem, he refers to the holy ministers who fortify his Church.

21. Tunc acceptabis sacrificium justitiæ. When, he says, you treat Sion kindly and the walls of Jerusalem are built, then indeed sacrifices will be brought—not those of blood, but those involving righteousness, that is, of praise. "Oblation and holocausts," he means those of righteousness and of the unbloody sacrifice. "Then they shall offer bullocks upon thine altar." And these (bullocks) are of righteousness, so that everything may be of righteousness—sacrifices, oblations, holocausts, and bullocks of righteousness.

Hic desinit Daniel Barbarus.

In finem, intellectus David. Cum venit Doec Idumæus et nuntiavit Sauli: Venit David in domum Abimelech. LI.

Argumentum. Quando fugit David a facie Saulis in domum Abimelech, ac de panibus sacerdotum comedit, accepitque Goliæ gladium, abscedens quispiam rem nuntiavit Sauli. Erat autem is Doec Syrus qui...

^A so exasperated the mind of Saul that he sent to kill the entire city of priests, and did not even spare the beasts of burden. When David had heard these things, he speaks these words looking to the person of the Syrian. These things are likewise referred to the person of the people of the Jews, and of Judah. It also embraces the promise of future goods, and the constant dwelling of the saints of God in his house, inasmuch as he says: But I am like a fruitful olive tree in the house of God. Wherefore the psalm is also inscribed as to the understanding, and for the end. For there is need of much intelligence, so that the mystery of the economy of him who is David according to the flesh may be known.

EXPOSITION ON PSALM LI

"Why do you glory in malice, you who are mighty?" He directs this speech to the Syrian himself, or to the devil who instigated him.

"You have wrought guile like a sharpened razor." He says this because he, as it were, shaved off and cut down the entire city of priests.

"You have loved malice more than goodness." For he acted unjustly by slandering the priest and all the others with him, and recounting things against him that had not actually happened; for to say that he (Ahimelech) had inquired of God concerning David was a lie, and not true.

"You have loved all words of rushing [sinking/overthrowing], a deceitful tongue." He accomplished everything out of ambush, envy, and [the desire for] the death of the priest and all the others who were slaughtered with him; wherefore the words of "rushing" are called the lies of Doeg. For he cast the entire city of priests down into the deep, as it were, with his words. These things might also be justly said of the rulers of the Jews, and of Judas himself.

"May he root you out and transplant you from your tabernacle." For they were removed from their sacred tabernacle, having become captives on account of the cross against the Lord. "And your root from the land of the living." Similar to that: "Let them be blotted out from the book of the living."

^D[Therefore God shall destroy you in the end. These things may be rightly said of the rulers of the Jews and of Judas himself, because they loved things that were harmful even to the end, that is to say, forever. Therefore he shall destroy you, as one not rightly built, he who overthrows the proud, and as one badly planted, he shall root you out, transplant you, or uproot you, and from your dwelling, that is, from dwelling with him, he shall cast you out.]

"The just shall see, and shall fear." For when the impious are being put to death, the just become fearful. And you, he says, endure these things; but the just, that is, your people, having beheld your destruction, shall be overcome with fear. For the punishment taken from you is sufficient to terrify them, even though [they may be expecting to suffer such things from you, because of your kindness]

^A Behold the man who did not set God as his helper, but trusted in the multitude of his riches. For the traitor preferred to take gold rather than to have Jesus as his helper. And he was strengthened in his vanity; which is to say: He was able to fill his vain heart, and not being led to repentance, he did not put an end to his impiety.

[But he trusted in the multitude of his riches. He rightly called riches and power vanity, according to the true nature of the thing: for they profited neither Doeg, nor the Assyrians, when the coming of one angel destroyed them, and they lay unburied.]

10. But I am like a fruitful olive tree. For the glory of those who believe in Christ is ever-flourishing. [The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, and so forth. Having this fruit in himself, therefore, the holy man said: "But I am like a fruitful olive tree." He compares himself to a fruitful olive, because since mercy dwelt and reigned in him, the other virtues consequently followed. In exactly the same way, they spoke of Job as manly, and Joseph as temperate, and the rest, naming them by the virtue that prevailed in them.] I have trusted in the mercy of God for ever and ever. The divine Scriptures call the Lord the mercy of God, because it is through Him that mercy has been granted to us; for He gathered together in Himself all things, and restored them. ^B

11. And I will wait upon thy name, for it is good in the sight of thy saints. In thy name, he says, I will have confidence, and I will proclaim this in the sight of all thy saints. For that thing will be pleasant and good to me.

Unto the end, for Machalath, a teaching of David. LII. Argument.

He sings this psalm in honor of the choir of the apostles, who also believed in Christ; who were exultant and joyful. ^C Machalath is interpreted as a choir, or dancing. He necessarily speaks of the things that preceded the coming of the Lord, so that he may declare how great is the profit of His coming. It must be noted that the whole thirteenth psalm contains the same meaning, and consists of almost the same words, so that those who seek the interpretation of this one may openly borrow it from that one.

2. The fool has said in his heart: There is no God... God looked down from heaven upon the sons of men. Because they did not think of God as one who watches over human affairs, who judges with just judgment, and who restrains every wicked work, for this reason God looked down from heaven. For this clearly signifies the passage of the Lord to men. ^D

4. They have all gone aside, they have together become unprofitable; there is none that does good, no, not even one. These things have not been said hyperbolically; for nothing in Scripture is said hyperbolically, but rather all things are said with truth. They all

^A have turned aside; all the Jews have turned aside from the way which says: "I am the way." Whence they have also become useless, not wishing to accept it, since no one does what is good. For they all happened to be in ignorance of Him, blinded by the legal letter.

To the end, in hymns, a psalm of instruction by David. When the Ziphites came and said to Saul, "Does not David hide with us?" LIII.

Argument.

"O God, in thy name save me." He asks to be saved by no other thing but by His name. ^C [Since, he says, I call upon your name, in this very thing grant me my salvation. "And in thy power, that is, in your Son, judge me"; as if to say: Do not hand me over to other judges, but to your power for examination.] "And in thy power, judge me." For having judged their case, He handed some over to destruction, but others He saved from the enemies. "O God, hear my prayer." Accept my supplications with favor. "Give ear to the words of my mouth." Similar to that: "And now, Lord, look upon their threats."

To the end, in hymns, a psalm of instruction by David. LIV.

Argument.

offers supplications, asking that they be admitted. Do not despise, he says, me as I supplicate, but look upon me with a benevolent spirit, and extend thy help.

3. *I am grieved in my meditation, and troubled.* For he was filled with helplessness, seeing the iniquity taking place against the Saviour, which he also teaches subsequently, saying: *At the voice of the enemy, and at the tribulation of the sinner.* The whole sense of the statement is this: Look, I pray, how I am grieved, how I am troubled, how I am filled with meditation: and having accepted these things, hearken to me. 4-7. *Because iniquities have declined upon me.* For every event that happened against the Saviour he refers to his own person. [They did these things to me on account of rancour, born of irrational anger. Persistent anger is called wrath. For this reason, I became fearful and troubled, as if death were already standing over me, and such agony and fear came upon me, that I did not even seem to see the ray of light, but was in darkness; and I reckoned that flight was the best of all things, and I prayed that wings might be given to me for the sake of flying away, that I might find rest elsewhere.] ^B *My heart is troubled within me, and the fear of death is fallen upon me.* Behold my heart, he says, has overturned all my inner parts; and moreover, the fear of death is fallen upon me. Doubtless he says this regarding the Saviour's death, for which the Prophet was filled with fear, moved by human reasoning; or concerning the death of souls, which were going to perish because of such crimes. But also fear and trembling fell upon the Prophet as he beheld the beloved (21) of God suffering such things at the hands of the impious, and darkness covered him, as things worthy of darkness were wrought against the Saviour. Then, as if left in the midst of those who were doing these things, and having no way of escape, nor any place to turn aside to be outside of such evils, he prays to be lifted on high, and becoming winged to flee through the air.

*I was expecting God who keeps me, from faintness of spirit and from a storm.* He calls the grief that befell him through the passion a storm.

*Because I saw iniquity and contradiction in the city.* He sets forth the causes for which he also poured forth the prayer.

13-15. *For if an enemy had reviled me, I would have endured it.* These things may justly be referred to the person of the traitor. *But thou, O man of like mind, my guide and my acquaintance.* As if he said: Thou wert appointed a guide by me, Judas, that is to say. *Who didst consume sweet food with me.* It is as if he said: Thou wert often a sharer of the same table. *In the house of God we walked with consent.* This he says because he had often gone into the temple with him. ^C

16. *Let death come upon them, and let them go down alive into hell.* Since they did not wish to receive thee who art the Life, therefore death shall overtake them. And that which is said: *Let them go down alive into hell, because*—namely, knowing—

that you are the heir, they said: *Come, let us kill him*; for they had set ^A knowledge against life.

17. *But I cried unto God, and the Lord heard me. I cried unto God.* And why did he cry? Was it not that his soul might be delivered from those who sought to destroy it? Wherefore also he was heard.

18. *In the evening, and morning, and at noon, I shall declare.* That is, I shall not cease to declare, since you, having heard me, have redeemed my soul.

19. *For there were many with me.* Because the multitude gathered against me, wishing to take away my life.

*For there is no commutation for them.* They shall be humbled, he says, because they have no commutation for their own souls. For once having denied ^B the precious blood of Christ, which was accepted as a commutation for the life of the world, they no longer possess the means of ransom.

*He hath stretched forth his hand in the recompense.* He indeed stretched forth his hand—the hand that distributes good things—so that they might partake of the blessing; but they not only did not receive it, but even defiled the covenant, namely, the evangelical one.

*They have been divided from the anger of his countenance.* Because they were evildoers toward their benefactor, for this reason he scattered them into every wind.

*And their hearts drew near.* Again, he directs his word concerning Judas. *In the heart*, he says, *he accepted the plan of betraying Christ.* And indeed, he brought forth words that were soft and smooth, but they were full of malice. And what words were these, if not the *Hail, Rabbi*, spoken in betrayal? ^C

*Cast thy care upon the Lord, and He shall nourish thee.* Similar to the text: *Be not anxious what you shall eat, or what you shall drink, or with what you shall be clothed.*

*He shall not give stumbling to the just for ever.* That is, He shall draw the just out of every attack of the enemy at all times.

24. *But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction.* Meaning those who rose up and delivered him to the cross. For he calls hell the pit of destruction.

*Men of blood and deceit shall not live out half their days.* He calls those men of blood who killed the Prince of life, who also did not fill out their own span of life, being surrendered to the Roman sword. ^D

To the end, for the people who were far removed from the holy ones, to David for an inscription, when the foreigners held him in Geth. LV.

Argument.

to the person of the Church, which was indeed formerly situated far from the saints, at which time it was given over to idolatry and served demons. But it was snatched from spiritual enemies by Him who came forth from the seed of David according to the flesh, who waged war for us and, as if on a monument, wrote out the victory gained for us. For then the foreigners also deemed Him worthy of honor, that is, those who from the number of the Gentiles believed in Him.

2. Have mercy on me, O God, for man has trampled upon me. David speaks this concerning Saul, or indeed any holy man, on account of the tribulations which they have in this world. But it often happens that our own individual ^B man undergoes this most grievous battle, being attacked all the day long by Satan and trampled by him. For even though the psalm mentions a man, nevertheless it often suggests Satan himself, who is named in Holy Scripture, or some one of those who campaign there. Moreover, it is reasonable that these things should be sung in response by the very people of the Gentiles, who for a long time were deceived and circumvented by Satan, and endured his war through the stratagems of demons, whom he suggests more openly in what follows. They have trampled upon me, my enemies, all the day long. He knew that Saul plotted against him, being goaded by invisible demons. Or it also indicates what is said: We have no wrestling against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. For many are they that war against me from on high. Even if they rise up, he says, I will defeat them all, trusting in Thee. For this hope ^C gave me such strength that I do not in the least fear those who were formerly my enemies.

5. In God will I praise my words. Being attacked by enemies, he says, I arm myself so as to suffer no harm, turning all my words into hymns and offering them to God, and placing my hope in Him; wherefore I cast out the fear of all flesh.

6. All the day long they abhorred my words. I, he says, was offering my words to God all the day long; but they did not cease all the day long to compose their zeal against me for evil. They will dwell and hide themselves, they will watch my heel. The word dwell is put for they shall be gathered together. The meaning is this: Thus, he says, all the day long they were exerting themselves to stir up words against me, and all their thoughts were turned against me, so that they sought to come together to one place and secretly contrive a conspiracy against me; and they did not stop even there, but were even meticulously watching my heel, that is, ^D the conduct of my life, to see if they could overthrow me. And they kept watch on my footsteps, wherever I might walk, so that they might seize me.

^A And these things, indeed, they did against me in vain, pursuing me; but do thou, O Lord, my hope, deliver me from their unjust conspiracy, and, attacking them with thy wrath, throw them into confusion.

"O God, I have declared my life to thee." Speaking with boldness, he says, and not being ashamed of my life, I have declared it all to thee. But thou, accepting it, didst not reject my tears; but thou hast placed them before thine eyes, confirming thy promise which says: "While thou art yet speaking, I will say: Behold, I am here." Wherefore it came to pass, that when I was heard, my enemies turned back; whence I say: "In what day soever I shall call upon thee."

^B "My enemies shall be turned back." By the works themselves, he says, I have grasped and known accurately that my hope is not in vain; but that I have acquired God as my helper.

"In me, O God, are vows, which I will render of praise to thee." Since thou hast counted us worthy of thy dispensation, he says, and hast saved us, what shall we render unto thee, but sacrifices of praise? "Because thou hast delivered my soul from death." From the intelligible death, he says, that is, the ignorance of God. "And my feet from falling." He speaks of sin, for this brings one down to death. "I will be well-pleasing before the Lord in the light of the living." For he who has been delivered from sin and has been made clean, he shall be well-pleasing to the Lord in the age to come in the land of the living. ^C But the fact that we are delivered from death and freed from sin, and have a share in the land of the living, the coming of the Lord has procured for us. Wherefore the title "On the pillar-inscription" is inscribed for David himself for the psalm.

"Unto the end, destroy not David, for a pillar-inscription, when he fled from the face of Saul into the cave." PSALM LVI.

Argument

David, fleeing from Saul who was pursuing him, came into a cave with four hundred men, when he also cut off the hem of Saul's robe. And then he sang this psalm. ^D It is also referred to the things which Christ accomplished for our sake, when in the last days, having appeared in the flesh upon the earth, he drove away our corruption.

"Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me." From the person of humanity he offered this hymn unto him. "For my soul trusteth in thee, and in the shadow of thy wings I will hope." It is a custom of the divine Scripture to call the watchful power of God "wings," according to that which is said: "How often I would have gathered thy children together as a hen gathers her own chicks under her wings."

In thy aid,

^A *I will cry to God the Most High, to God who has done good to me.* I will confess, he says, and I will offer thanks to you, my benefactor. *He sent from heaven and saved me.* He openly proclaims the coming of the Lord. *He gave over to reproach those who trample upon me.* The intelligible and opposing powers, clearly. [Grant, therefore, the benefit, that it may be mine to say with boldness that you looked down from heaven upon our affairs; and that you have amended our own, but have brought those of the enemies to reproach. Or he speaks of the salvation which he obtained in the cave, when he received his enemy into his power, whom he even spared. Which indeed turned into a reproach for him who escaped the danger, inasmuch as he was plotting against his savior.] *God sent his mercy and his truth.* The mercy and truth of the Father is the Son. *And he rescued my soul from the midst of the lion's whelps.* [Being left, clearly, in the midst of the whelps of the Gittites, that is, of the foreigners. Or, as far as it depended upon me, because of human impiety I slept troubled. But the Most High, having sent his Word, rescued my soul, so that it might be unharmed by the tumult of the lion's whelps. What are these wild beasts? They are the sons of men; whose teeth are weapons and counsels; that is, they are harmful in every way. For just as a sharp sword kills easily, so too a tongue that is whetted and sharp kills by means of calumnies.] Of the spiritual lion's whelps, clearly. *I slept troubled.* Since I was rescued, he says, from the ^B spiritual lion's whelps, for this reason I will also rest, even though I was formerly troubled by them. *Sons of men, their teeth are weapons and arrows.* Expressing by these things what happened to the Lord at the time of the passion, when the Jews were shouting to Pilate against Christ: "Take away, take away, crucify him," and that "if he were not a wrongdoer, we would not have handed him over to you." ^C *Be exalted above the heavens, O God, and let your glory be over all the earth.* Even if you humbled yourself, he says, for the sake of our salvation to a voluntary emptying and became obedient even unto death, yet ascend again to the heavens, because when you have ascended you will fill all the earth with your glory. *They prepared a snare for my feet.* You caused those who were overthrowing me, he says, to fall into the very pit which they had dug by means of their snares. Wherefore, having achieved these things, be exalted above the heavens. *My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready.* He prays that the Holy Spirit might be given to him, whom the Only-Begotten promised, as he was ascending into heaven, that he would send, saying that his own heart was ready to receive him. *Arise, my glory.* He calls the prophetic Spirit his glory. *Arise, psaltery and harp.* By psaltery he means the soul, and he calls the body the harp. ^D *I will arise in the morning.* When, he says, I become aware of the intelligible light, I will arise to sing.

^A *I will confess to you among the peoples, O Lord; I will sing to you among the nations.* He proclaims the conversion of all the nations through these words of confession, since all nations sing hymns to Him. *For your mercy has been magnified even to the heavens.* Similar to this is: *For even the creation itself will be delivered from the corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God.* *And your truth even to the clouds.* By the clouds, he says, you have proven the truths of your voices—that is, those of the prophets—through the events themselves.

[ *Even to the clouds your truth.* By the clouds, he says, you have declared the truth of the prophets, since they have demonstrated their voices through events. *Even to the heavens* is similar to: *For even the creation itself will be delivered from the corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God.* ]

*To the end, do not destroy; a silent inscription for David. PSALM LVII. Argument.*

This psalm has the same theme as the preceding one, or rather, it clearly explains what the end was for those who rose up against the Savior.

^B 2, 3. *If you truly speak justice.* Because they were gathered against the Savior as if to avenge the law, the prophetic spirit rightly commands them that if they have any care for justice and equity, they should judge aright—that is, justly. But they did not judge justly, since they wished to kill the innocent and righteous One. *For you work iniquities in your heart upon the earth.* Even if, he says, their words seem gentle, under the pretext of defending the law, yet their heart is full of bitterness, and their deeds are likewise filled with iniquity.

4, 5. *Sinners are alienated from the womb.* He shows that they have had no cause for salvation at all. [For through the prophet Isaiah, God said to the Jews: *I know that you will wickedly deal wickedly, and you are a transgressor, and will be called wicked from the womb.* By womb, he calls the holy baptism.] *Their fury is according to the likeness of a serpent.* By fury ^C he means the soul, which he says is similar to that serpent who lived in paradise, who, by feigning words of friendship, brought in death. Since, therefore, these men likewise, by saying "Rabbi," and "Master," and "We know that you have come from God," and uttering words of this kind, were plotting the cross, for this reason they are compared to the serpent. *Like the deaf asp that closes its ears.* Not only, he says, could they be compared to the serpent, but also to an asp, having venom in its teeth, which does not wish to hear the charmers in order to settle its fury. He says these things because they, according to the voice of Isaiah, have made their ears heavy, so as not to hear the words of the Lord.

^D *God will crush their teeth in their mouth.* By teeth here he signifies the calumnies which they have devised against the Lord, and especially those concerning the resurrection; or he calls their power teeth.

^A They shall be brought to nothing like water running away. He says they will be held in contempt, similar to water which is scattered and entirely useless. He shall bend his bow until they are weakened. By "bow," he here indicates the sentence which he is about to render in the divine tribunal. Moreover, the word "until" is used instead of "and," so that the meaning is: "and they shall be weakened." Fire fell upon them and they did not see the sun. Having been cast, he says, into the eternal fire, they did not behold the sun of righteousness. Similar to this is that saying: "Let the impious one be taken away, that he may not see the glory of the Lord."

10. Before your thorns perceive the rhamnus. The rhamnus is a thorny plant. He speaks here of the crown of thorns. "Before," he says, "your thorns grow," that is your sins, "and become rhamnus," that is, instead of blossoming and bearing fruit, "divine wrath shall suddenly overtake you."

11, 12. The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance. ^B The righteous, he says, seeing those wicked demons removed from their midst at the time of the just judgment, shall rejoice at the righteous decree of God; for they themselves have been found innocent of the punishment to be inflicted for the crime. For the expression, "he shall wash," must be understood of the innocent, according to the saying: "I will wash my hands among the innocent." Verily there is a God who judges them upon the earth. The word "verily" is used for "truly." "Verily there is a God who judges them." They confess, he says, that the judgment of God brought upon them is truly righteous.

1. In the end, do not destroy, for David, for the inscription ^C of the title, when Saul sent and guarded his house, to put him to death.

PSALM LVIII.

2. Deliver me from my enemies, O God. He prays to be delivered from both sensible and spiritual enemies. For the latter, performing wicked deeds, envied him.

5. Neither my iniquity, nor my sin, O Lord. Similar to that: "Because he did not commit iniquity, nor was guile found in his mouth." ^D

6. Attend to visiting all the nations. He prays that the conversion of the idolaters to faith in Christ may take place, and the casting out of Israel because of their iniquity. Do not show mercy to all who work iniquity. They shall return at evening. He states the cause for which he prays that they not be shown mercy. The cause is that they will form a conspiracy against the Sal-

Savior at that time, when in the last of days He visited the world in the flesh. And they shall suffer famine as a dog; they shall suffer famine indeed because they will not accept the life-giving bread; he calls them dogs on account of the shamelessness of their soul. And the phrase: ^A *They shall circle the city*, means that, having fallen from their fatherland and being restrained from it by imperial decrees, they wander around it from the outside, barely able to behold it from afar.

*Behold, they shall speak with their mouth.* That is to say, they shall blaspheme. *And a sword is in their lips.* That is: "Away with him, away with him, crucify him." *And Thou, O Lord, shalt laugh at them.* They were blaspheming, he says, and even prepared snares right up to the cross, saying that God would not behold their words and deeds. But even if they thought these things, You, O Lord—he says—shall see to it that they become objects of derision. They, indeed, dare these things, but You hear and see, and laugh at their vain rage. *Thou shalt bring to nothing all nations.* Namely, the spiritual ones, which stirred up war against the Lord. ^B Higher up he said: "Attend to visit all nations"; here, however: "Thou shalt bring to nothing all nations," using a very precise order of speech through the things mentioned in between. For by demonstrating that he does not simply ask that they be punished, he first asked God to weigh and examine the things that happened; then he related what manner of things they were doing, thinking there was no one who took thought for human affairs. And then he added the punishment, saying this: that for these reasons You will justly punish them, and by the punishment from You, You will render them as nothing.

*My strength toward Thee I will guard.* They, he says, have committed such acts of impiety against Thee, but I, the prophet who says these things, will keep my spiritual strength and my kingdom guarded ^C through Thee, because You truly take my part, and even before I prayed, You encompassed me with Your mercy, that I might even behold the ruin of my enemies.

*Slay them not, lest they forget Thy law.* He prays that the race of those who rose up against the Lord not be utterly destroyed from among men; he deems it better that they be scattered and live in captivity on account of the sin of their mouth and their pride.

*And they shall be declared in the consummation, out of [their] cursings and falsehood.* Let their consummation be made known, he says, because of the curses with which they curse Thee, slandering Thy glory. By "consummation" he does not mean the total destruction ^D of the nation, but the overthrow of their glory. Their glory is the worship according to the law, the divine temple, the prophets, the high priests, the teachers of the law, the apparition of angels—all of which were consumed at once after the murder of the Lord.

14. *And they shall know that God rules over Jacob and to the ends of the earth.* Stripped of all glory, he says, they shall know by deed that you are the Lord of Jacob, and you who have extended your Church to the ends of the earth. ^A

15. *They shall return at evening.* He repeats what was said before, making the prophecy against them more firm. [Since he said, *In the wrath of consumption, and they shall not be,* lest anyone think the prophet spoke contradictions by saying, *Disperse them in your power,* he rightly employs the tautology, *They shall return*; the verses possess some obscurity in their literal sense. For he wishes to express the example of dogs, which, when gathered at some food, devour one another before they can touch the meal; and so they are often divided, failing to obtain the food.] ^B

16. *They shall be scattered for food; if they are not satisfied, they will murmur.* Let them go about seeking the word of the Lord, and not find it. And if at any time they have grasped some sentence of the divine Scripture, and appear to enjoy it to satiety, even so will they murmur, seeing that they are always murmurers and speak against God.

17. *But I will sing of your power.* These, he says, in that way; but I—that is to say, the people converted from the nations—having recognized your power, will rejoice in your mercy which came in the light and on the day of your resurrection. ^C For through him you became a patron to us and a refuge in tribulation. Therefore, I send up psalms to you, O God, who have had mercy on me. *Because you have become my helper and my refuge.* For I have always enjoyed your assistance, and through your providence I have escaped the calamities that beset me. For which cause I recognize you alone as God, and call you the fountain of mercy and loving-kindness. These things the blessed David, seeing from afar with prophetic eyes, both foretold the calamities of the Jews and promised that he himself would always celebrate the Lord with praises; and he fulfills his promises, offering the song in the person of the pious.

*To the end. For those who are to be changed, unto an inscription,* ^D *for teaching, when he burned Mesopotamia of Syria and Syria of Sobal, and Joab turned back and struck the valley of Salt, twelve thousand.*

PSALM LIX.

*Argument.* Since the history is clear, because it has been accurately recorded in the second book of Kingdoms, we shall state what is useful in it: namely, that the person of David refers to the person of the Lord, who both brought about the change and newness of things in the last times, and struck the alien nations, that is to say, the spiritual ones. For this Scripture narrates for our teaching and instruction. We are taught, therefore, that at the time when he, who is of the seed of David according to the flesh, struck the enemies and made the nations his own, the Jewish people, when they felt the punishment for Christ (put to death), in a certain way and itself

^A became converted, requesting that grace be given to it through Christ. He laments first the ruin brought upon him because of his impiety toward Christ, wherefore he says: 3, 4. God, you have cast us off and destroyed us; you were angry and had pity on us. You took vengeance on us, he says, for the impiety committed against you. But you also had pity on us; for "had pity," he says, instead of "have pity," or in another way, "had pity" means you made us miserable, so that because of the calamities it is now time that mercy should be bestowed upon us. You shook the land and troubled it. He speaks of Jerusalem, because it was besieged and its temple leveled to the ground. Or he also speaks of their spiritual land, which for the aversion which befell them has been shaken. Heal its breaches, for it has been shaken. Again he narrates the things that have happened. 5, 6. You showed your people hard things. By the multitude of calamities, he says, as if by some wine, you have caused a stupor in us, and have filled our souls with grief. ^B You gave us wine of contrition to drink. Thus also Aquila interpreted it: "You gave us the wine of stupor to drink." "Wine of contrition" he calls the punishments mentioned in the divine Scriptures, announced to them beforehand because of their impiety toward Christ. For as they read and through experience learn what was predicted, their conscience is pricked. You gave to those who fear you a sign to flee from the face of the bow. The "sign" is the illumination by which one can have discernment of spirits, and of good and evil. For possessing this knowledge, we flee from things that are worse, keeping far away from an evil work and a wicked spirit. Of the same. We, he says, were punished for the impiety we committed; but those who fear you received a sign (and it is manifest that this is the sign by which we were sealed), so that they might be free from every punishing harassment. The type of this sign was the blood of lambs smeared on the doorposts in Egypt. 8. God has spoken in his holy one. Similar to: "In the last of these days he has spoken to us in his Son" ^C. For he himself is the holy one of God and the Father. What did he speak, and to whom did he speak? Since he had prayed in the preceding psalm saying: "Be exalted above the heavens, O God, and let your glory be over all the earth"; for this reason he replies that he will divide Shechem, that is, the kingdom of Israel; for it was in Shechem. For he has given it to foreign nations who believed in him. And I will measure out the valley of tabernacles. Divine Scripture calls the dwelling-place of all men "a valley." Therefore, he says, I will measure out this whole valley into tabernacles for myself; that is, I will make it most full of churches. Mine is Gilead, and mine is Manasseh. By Gilead and Manasseh he indicates that at his advent he will preach grace first to the Jews. Yea, even

^A Ephraim and Judah, the two royal tribes of Israel, will likewise receive grace. "The strength of my head" is used for "the strength of my principality." For the strength of his principality, that is of Israel, was Ephraim; for from him was the kingdom of Israel. "Moab is the pot of my hope." A pot is a vessel. He says that the Moabites, that is, the nation formerly without God, accept the hope in me. "Into Edom I will stretch out my shoe." I will walk, he says, even in Edom. Edom again was a nation of aliens. By these things it is signified to us that the nations will also accept the faith in him; wherefore he says: "Aliens have been made subject to me."

11, 12. "Who will lead me into the fortified city?" ^B Having heard through the Spirit that the nations would receive grace, the prophet says: "Who will lead me into the fortified city?" By the fortified city he means the Church, which is surrounded by the power of God. The prophet says these things as if from the person of the repenting people of the Jews, desiring to receive the faith in Christ. "Or who will conduct me even to Edom?" He declares what the fortified city is. What, then, is it, if not Edom? For by Edom he signifies all the nations that have received the faith. "Wilt not thou, O God, who hast cast us off?" Who else, he says, would lead us into the fortified city but thou thyself, who also, because of our iniquities, didst cast us out from thy familiarity?

13. "Give us help from tribulation; for vain is the salvation of man." Not through human alliance, he says, do we hope to be delivered from the tribulations coming upon us, but only through thy aid. "And vain is the salvation of man." Whoever hopes for salvation from man proposes a vain hope to himself. Symmachus interpreted more clearly, adding the conjunction and saying: "Give us help from tribulation: for vain is the salvation of man."

14. "In God we will perform might." Help, he says, those who are faring ill. It is possible for thee alone to dissolve calamities. The aids of men, if thou dost not nod assent, are vain. We will therefore invoke his providence and trust in his power. For this alone suffices to dissolve all grievous things and to crush the power of those who war against us. ^D They speak to one another as if with mutual voices, saying that they have placed their hope in God alone. Wherefore he says: "When we shall have hoped to be strengthened by God alone, then we shall find our enemies to be nothing."

To the end, in hymns, of David. Psalm LX. Argument.

2, 3. "Hear, O God, my prayer." Because, looking upon the power and tyranny of the demons, I am filled with anxiety; for this reason I beseech, that having appeared, thou mayest deliver me from the hand of those who oppress me; for I am, O God, from the ends of the earth.

^A The phrase, "From the ends of the earth," signifies that he is offering supplications on behalf of the entire inhabited world. "From the ends of the earth have I cried unto thee." Since Babylon is situated many stages away from Palestine, those who were taken into captivity and ordered to inhabit that land thought they were dwelling at the extremities of the inhabited world. "Thou hast lifted me up upon a rock." He declares that he was heard immediately, in accordance with the saying: "While thou art yet speaking, I will say: Behold, I am here." Moreover, he clearly proclaims through whom salvation comes; for he says he was lifted up upon a rock. For we have become stronger and higher than the opposing demons through Christ, who has been named a rock by blessed Paul.

"Thou hast guided me, because thou hast become my hope." For if He Himself is the Way, and He Himself is the Door, it is clear that He will teach us to walk the good path, having prepared us to hope in Him. "A tower of strength from the face of the enemy." As if he were to say: Thou hast become a tower and a refuge for me, so that I might suffer nothing from those enemies who inflict harm. ^B "I will dwell in thy tabernacle unto the ages." From the good things he has already received, he hopes also for things to come; for having been brought into the tabernacles above, he will always be under His shelter. "Thou hast given an inheritance to those who fear thy name." And what is this inheritance if not the kingdom of heaven? For "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world," and so on; so that they inherit the kingdom of God, and are called Christians upon the earth.

"Thou shalt add days to the days of the king." The discourse signifies that this, too, is a part of the inheritance: eternal life. For this is what it means to add days upon days to the years of the king. It signifies through the days certain times and ages. "He shall abide forever before God; who shall seek out his mercy and truth?" The wording is inverted, so that the meaning is as follows: If anyone seeks out His mercy and His truth, this person abides forever before God. ^C "So will I chant unto thy name unto the ages." So—how? By abiding before thee in the age to come? For having been deemed worthy of that blessed station, I shall unceasingly send up hymns. In this way, and no other, as a man offering glory and praise, he shall not cease unto the age from rendering vows to the Lord. For the faithful do not cease, day after day, from celebrating the divine mysteries.

Unto the end. Of Idithum, A PSALM of David. LXI.

Argument.

^A the economy of the Savior which is to come for the whole human race, and the overthrow of the invisible enemies; and he introduces an exhortation that turns men away from sin, suggesting to them the things regarding the judgment of God.

2, 3. *Shall not my soul be subject to God?* Even if you have been shaken, he says, O my soul, and have fallen from your state of virtue, yet be subject to the Lord. *For He will take hold of you and save you* from being shaken any further. *For He is my God.* And indeed He himself will provide salvation to the one injured by you, and he will completely deliver you from your wickedness.

4. *How long will you set upon a man?* He cries out against the adversarial powers: because they rush against the nature of man, which is prone to evil, and which by its natural infirmity is like a leaning wall and one ready to fall, and like a ruined partition.

5. *Nevertheless they counseled to cast away my honor.* For they barely refrained from depriving us of the very use of reason, forcing us to worship wood and stones, just as it is said of us: ^B *Man, being in honor, did not understand.* *They ran in thirst.* This, he says, is the course the adversarial powers were running, as if thirsty to deprive me of my honor. *With their mouth they were blessing, and in their heart they were cursing.* He says this because, by holding out things that are sweet and pleasant to us, they make us, through them, children of a curse.

7, 8. *Nevertheless, O my soul, be subject to God.* He speaks to his soul again, exhorting it to subjection toward God. He declares the magnitude of the temptations, and says what the Apostle says: *That He will not suffer you to be tempted above what you are able to bear.* *In God is my salvation and my glory.* I have placed the hope of salvation and glory in Him. That is, He Himself will both save me and make me glorious, having made me a victor over them.

[Nevertheless, O my soul, be subject to God. For they nearly deprived us of the very use of reason, when they forced upon us the necessity of worshipping wood and stones, so that it might be said of us: *Man, being in honor, did not understand.* But those ones, O my soul, are of such a kind; you, however, be subject to His servitude. ^C Then he adds: This very thing I hope to receive from Him—namely, that I shall obtain salvation by His patronage; for He will not allow me to be a deserter and a runaway from Him, nor to be transferred to another dominion. For from thence I expect salvation and the help that comes from Him, since I have placed my hope in Him.]

9. *Hope in Him, all the congregation of the peoples.* After he had first prepared in himself the course toward repentance, he exhorts others to the same, and at the same time, in a way more prophetic, he announces the calling of all the nations. *Pour out your hearts before Him.* It is much as if he were saying: Do not approach Him with a double heart; but as it is written: *You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your mind.* ^D

^A *10, 11. Nevertheless, vain are the children of men, etc.* Aware that all would receive the call of the Gospel, he declares those who would not believe to be wretched, especially the teachers of the Jews, who were also liars, inasmuch as they had been repulsed from the truth. They practiced injustice not only with balances and weights, but they also gathered themselves together for vanity; for vain indeed was their conspiracy against the Savior. *Do not hope in injustice, and do not covet plunder.* He says this to them because they conspired against Him for the sake of avarice, hoping to receive from Him the fruits derived from the Law.

*12. Once God has spoken, these two things have I heard: that power belongs to God.* God, he says, has declared a word concerning judgment, from which I have heard these two things: one, that to those who have sought anger through the magnitude of their sins, He will render anger; but to those who have performed works worthy of mercy, He will bestow mercy. For "power" signifies anger and the sternness that comes upon those who are worthy of it.

*To David when he was in the desert of Judea. PSALM LXII.*

Argument

*2, 3. O God, my God, I watch for Thee at dawn.* By this he signifies assiduity. To Thee, he says, rising at dawn, I look, that I may offer Thee hymns and prayers. *My soul has thirsted for Thee.* Not only, he says, is my soul filled with divine love, but my flesh as well. For it behoves us not only to cultivate piety, but also to please God with the body: for instance, through fasting, through constant prayer, through sleeping on the ground, and through the labor of the hands, in order to dispense to those in need. *In a desert and pathless land.* I have perceived no harm from the desert place, he says, but as if I were standing by Thy holy tabernacle, I offer up hymnody. For in saying "in the holy," he speaks of the tabernacle; for the divine temple had not yet been built. *So have I appeared to Thee in the sanctuary.* So—how, if not by thirsting and longing to be joined with Thee, who art holy? And who would that holy One be if not the Only-Begotten? ^D

*4, 5. For Thy mercy is better than lives.* Because those who have approached the mercy of God, that is, Christ, consider the life of this present world as nothing, they utter such a voice as this; saying that the mercy given to them through the Only-Begotten is more excellent than the length of the present life. *So will I bless Thee in my life.* And I shall continue doing this throughout my entire life, chanting hymns with my tongue, extending my hands, and asking for Thy loving-kindness. *In Thy name will I lift up my hands.* No longer, he says, as I did before, shall I extend my hands to a strange god, but to Thee.

and call upon Thy name in my prayers.

6. ^A *As with fat and fatness let my soul be filled.* He shows how great is the gain of those who have chosen to place their hopes in Him alone. *And with lips of exultation shall my mouth praise.* When, he says, I come into remembrance of Thy name, then, truly then, are my lips filled with joy.

7. *If I remembered Thee upon my bed.* "If I remembered" is put for "when I remember," so that the meaning is: when I remembered Thee, he says, I passed sleepless nights, occupied with Thy praises and receiving Thy bright gifts, which Thou bestowest on those who call upon Thee. *For Thou hast become my helper, and in the shelter of Thy wings will I exult.* Since Thou Thyself assistest me with the guard of Thy help, I receive gladness. For he calls the guard of His help the "shelter of wings." Protected, he says, by Thee, I shall rejoice with joy.

9. *My soul hath cleaved behind Thee.* Not even for a short while, he says, can I turn my mind away from the memory of Thee. But, kindled by the incentive of love, I am bound to Thee by longing, as if by some glue of memory. *Thy right hand hath upheld me.* And who would be the right hand of the Father, if not His only-begotten Son?

10. *But they in vain sought my soul.* He cries out at last against the opposing powers, accusing them of the violence offered to him, and praying that they be delivered to eternal punishments. ^C

12. *But the king shall be glad in God.* Having gone through the end of those who acted impiously against Christ, and having shown that the lowest parts of the earth shall be their portion and lot, he turns his discourse to another state and order of men, that is, those who have believed in Christ, who, since they have been deemed worthy of the kingdom of heaven, are rightly called kings, according to that saying of the Apostle: *And would to God ye did reign.* This, then, was the reigning people, who rejoice with the spiritual gladness which God Himself has bestowed upon them. I, he says, who have received the kingdom from Thy help, do not rejoice in the death of those others. *All shall be praised who swear by Him.* Thus, he says, Christ shall be their glory—namely, of those who shall reign—so that they are rightly praised, because they establish Him as the God by whom they swear. For they shall swear by the true God, as it is written: *For the mouth of them that speak iniquities is stopped.* And who are these, but those who dared to say: *Take such an one from the earth, for it is not expedient that he should live?* Therefore, the mouth of these was stopped, after the Lord had trampled upon death and risen on the third day. And the mouth of the opposing powers themselves was also stopped, when sin was taken away by grace, as it is said elsewhere: *And all iniquity shall stop her mouth.* For it is God who justifies, and who is there who condemns?

TO THE END, A PSALM OF DAVID. LXIII.

^A

Argument.

^B *Hear, O God, my prayer when I pray to thee.* Receive, he says, O Lord, my supplication, and strengthen my mind so that I may not fear the attacks of the enemies. *Deliver my soul from the fear of the enemy.* Similar to that: *And now, Lord, look upon their threats, and grant thy servants to speak thy word with confidence.*

*Who have whetted their tongues like a sword.* He says this because those who were blaspheming Him told the apostles: *We strictly charged you not to teach in this name.* — *They have bent their bow, a bitter thing.* He compares the deadly words of their tongue to the missile of a bow. For how could those things not be deadly which strive to persuade men that Jesus ought not to be believed to be God?

^C *Suddenly they will shoot at him, and will not fear.* Lying in wait, he says, they make a sudden attack, not fearing God who oversees them. *They have strengthened for themselves an evil discourse.* That is, asserting: The Lord has not risen from the dead. *They have talked to hide a snare.* Up and down, he says, they were counseling how to kill in secret the heralds of the evangelical doctrines. *They said, who will see them?* These things, he says, they were doing, thinking that God would not exact penalties from them for such great impiety.

*Man shall come, and a deep heart.* The lawless, he says, ceased not from plotting evils against the Lord; for this is what is meant by: *They have searched out iniquity.* But the man of God, who takes counsel with prudence (for this is what "a deep heart" signifies), as one who has accurately understood the mystery, using fitting hymns, will exalt God, according to that which is said elsewhere: *I will exalt thee, O Lord my God, my king.*

^D *The arrows of the simple have become their wounds.* Having spoken of their uprising against the holy heralds, he proceeds to describe their downfall. *And every man feared.* For who would not fear, seeing the visitation from God happening against the impious?

*The just man shall rejoice in the Lord, and shall hope in him.* Especially those who attend to the divine laws, being filled with joy, shall fashion a firm hope in God. *And all the upright in heart shall be praised.* And they shall reap the glory from men, those who are directed toward God and who do not endure to walk outside the path of righteousness.

1. To the end, A PSALM of David. A Canticle of Jeremiah and Ezekiel to the people of the transmigration, when they were about to go forth. LXIV.

Argument

2. To you a hymn is due, O God, in Zion. No longer, he says, do we sing hymns to those whom we formerly deemed gods, knowing that it is not fitting to sing praise to them, since they are wood and stone and demons; but to you alone is such an office most suitable. And to you a vow shall be rendered in ^B Jerusalem. He speaks either of the earthly Jerusalem, which is the Church, or of the heavenly one, to which, when we have arrived, we shall offer our praises.

3. Hear my prayer; to you all flesh shall come. By these words he proclaims the calling of all the Gentiles, according to what was said by Joel 7: "I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh."

4. The words of the wicked have prevailed over us. He calls "the words of the wicked" the wisdom of the wise of this age, by which they were also weakened, having fallen from true knowledge. And you will be propitious to our impieties. They pray to be delivered from the impiety in which they once erred.

5. Blessed is he whom you have chosen and taken. They call blessed those who have been perfected in virtue, and who have attained to the prize of the upward calling. We shall be filled with the good things of your house. He calls the diverse gifts of the Spirit the "good things of the house." For to one, he says 8, is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another, the word of knowledge; and the rest of the gifts. Your temple is holy; either the heavenly one or the earthly one, according to that saying 9: "For the temple of God is holy, which you are."

[You who are full of sanctification (and that temple of yours), he instructs and teaches your justice through your oracles to those who approach.]

6. Hear us, O God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth. Hear us, therefore, and grant these things. In you, he says, the ends of the earth will hope, and those who dwell far from the sea. By these words he signifies the ends of the earth.

7. Preparing the mountains in his strength. By "mountains," he refers to the adversarial powers. And "preparing" implies for punishment; for he has prepared the abyss for them. This you will do, being powerful. You who disturb the depth of the sea. By "sea," he denotes the multitude of unclean spirits, which is disturbed by the coming of Christ. Wherefore, fearing, they said 10: "Have you come before the time to torment us?"

9. The nations shall be troubled, and they that inhabit the ends shall be afraid at your signs. When, he says, the nations, that is...

to say, the ^A hordes of the demons, shall be troubled, then, truly then, those who exist at the ends of the inhabited world shall fear you, having beheld the great signs. By signs he means those that were brought to pass during his presence. "You shall bring delight to the outgoings of the morning and evening." For when those who inhabit the earth have beheld the great signs, they shall fear with a godly fear; then, truly then, both for the morning and evening outgoings—that is to say, at every time—there shall be delight for them, as they exult over the things that your presence has successfully accomplished.

"You have visited the earth and inebriated it." He shows to whom among all the nations the delight belongs. And to whom does it belong? To those deemed worthy for the earth to be visited, and for it to be inebriated ^B by him, clearly with his gifts. "The river of God was filled with waters." By river here, he means the evangelical word; and he says it was filled with waters—with what, if not the divine promises which he promised to those worthy of the kingdom of heaven? These promises would be: "Blessed are the poor in spirit," and the rest of the beatitudes. "You have prepared their food." By food, he refers to spiritual food. And he says it was prepared because the mystery concerning Christ was ordained before the foundation of the world, he who is the bread that descended from heaven and gives life to the world.

"Inebriate its furrows, multiply its produce." By furrows, he means the depths of the hearts, and by produce, the pious thoughts. "In its drops ^C it shall rejoice as it springs up." Even those things that are small, he says, among the divine gifts bestowed upon it, cause it to rejoice and spring forth, clearly bringing forth the intelligible fruit. And you shall understand its drops from what was said concerning Christ: "He shall descend like rain upon a fleece, and as the drop that drips upon the earth."

"You shall bless the crown of the year of your kindness." By year, he means the time of the coming age, and he calls it a crown of kindness because the saints are crowned in it with great kindness. "And your fields shall be filled with fatness." By fields, again, he calls the souls of those who have believed in him. "The beautiful things of the desert shall grow fat." By mountains ^D he means the holy apostles and evangelists, who have become well-nourished with spiritual gifts; and he calls the Church from among the nations the desert, which was once desert of the knowledge of God. "And the hills shall be girded with exultation." By hills he means the presidents of the churches.

"The rams of the sheep have put on robes." By rams of the sheep he means the rulers of the peoples. And what will they put on, if not the garment of incorruptibility and the tunic of gladness? He also names the holy apostles rams of the sheep, as those who are able to charge down and gore their enemies, just as the Lord said: "Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves."

"»

And the valleys shall abound with corn. These, he says, the once most destitute and barren souls of the gentiles, shall be filled with spiritual fruits. They shall cry out; for they shall sing a hymn. Being brought to a better state, he says—the valleys, once filled with spiritual fruits—they shall fervently send up hymns to you. ^A

To the end, a psalm of the Resurrection. 65. Argument.

He signifies the calling of the gentiles through this present psalm, and announces the future resurrection of their souls, according to the saying: "Raising the needy from the earth." He also introduces the person of the apostles, describing how much they suffered for the sake of the evangelical preaching, and into what eternal joys they were brought through such tribulations. Furthermore, the rejection of the Jewish people is signified here. ^B

2-4. Shout to God, all the earth, sing a psalm to his name. A "shout" is a song of victory, which is sung when enemies are defeated. Since, therefore, the princes of this age have been slain by the advent of Christ, all the gentiles are commanded to modulate songs of victory. Say to God: How terrible are your works, O Lord! And what works are these, if not the divine signs, and the fact that the multitudes of unclean demons have been driven away? In the multitude of your power your enemies shall lie to you. He here reproves the stupor of the Jews, which did not allow them to obey the greatness of the miracles. ^C Let all the earth adore you and sing a psalm to you. For, he says, even though the Jews had beheld the great signs brought forth by you, they nevertheless lied to you. But in their place, the multitude of all the gentiles shall adore you.

5. Come and see the works of God. The person of the apostles is introduced here, teaching the gentiles that He who, in his coming according to the flesh, performed divine signs, is the same one who long ago dried up the Red Sea, and who divided the floods of the Jordan, so that the sons of Israel might cross over on foot.

6. Who turns the sea into dry land. And the proof of this is what has already happened, how he changed the sea into dry land. Symmachus says thus: "He changed the sea into dry land; they crossed the river on foot." For this, he says, is God, who granted us the return and gave us salvation: ^D who long ago divided both sea and river, and commanded our forefathers to cross over without danger. There we shall rejoice in him. The word "there" is indicative of time. He says, therefore, that at that time, when he shall reign in the new age, there we shall rejoice with him.

7. His eyes look upon the gentiles. He attends to all, and inspects and examines all that is done.

^A Let them who provoke not be exalted in themselves. And who might those be who provoke, if not those of whom it is said: "Son of man, go to the house that provokes me?" And indeed, "they provoked him in the desert," and again: "Do not harden your hearts as at the provocation." Bless, O nations, God. Having all become in one accord, rather praise and admire him. [9. Who has set my soul to life. I shall rejoice in such wonders, and in their Maker: who, as Lord and inspector of all, discerns and judges of earthly things, and surrounds unworthy men with punishments. He calls the apostles "eyes."] 10. For you have tested us, O God, you have burned us through, etc. The prophetic Spirit foretells the afflictions that are to befall the apostles on account of their preaching; and in their person, it recounts the snares, that is to say the prisons, and signifies the temptations through fire and water. 13. I will enter into your house with burnt offerings. The heavenly one, clearly; for they have dedicated themselves entirely to God in the order of burnt offerings. [With intellectual burnt offerings. But those things which are yours, O Lord, are of this kind; ours, however, are these: to enter into the temple and sacrifice to you thanksgiving—the same also signifies what they have distinguished (my lips) and spoken. These, he says, I have prayed for.] I will pay you my vows. I will pay you, he says, what I vowed while I was in tribulation. I vowed, moreover, that being delivered from the present distress, I would send up praises to you forever. 15. I will offer you fat burnt offerings. Whatever you have commanded to be offered to you, I will offer eagerly. He calls those that are "fat" in the Greek *medullata* (marrow-filled), for so the Law commanded to be offered those that were unblemished and entire. The prophet Malachi also curses those who have such things at hand, yet offer what is maimed. This very thing was also the beginning of those evils for Cain. We, too, are taught to offer to the Divinity the things that are most precious which we possess. I will offer you oxen with goats. All things are spiritual, as I have said, both the burnt offerings and the oxen and the goats, which he promises that he will pay. ^D 16. Come and listen, and I will recount. And what other things is he to recount than those which he has already explained: "For you have tested us, O God," and the rest? 18. If I watched iniquity in my heart, let not the Lord hear me. For I knew that if I were harboring iniquity, God would not tolerate hearing my prayer. Aquila: "Seeing what is useless in my heart, the Lord will not hear." But he wishes to say this: that when I offer petitions to God, I must take care of what is proper and decorous, aware that nothing of benefit will come to me from a petition, unless I do what is right. And another thing...

he offers a form that is outside all iniquity; therefore he trusts that he will be heard.

To the end, in hymns, a PSALM for David. LXVI.

Argument.

Again, here he introduces the person of the apostles, who imbue the nations with doctrine, and ask to be delivered from those who contradict their teaching. ^A [This psalm is consistent with the preceding one; for it deals properly with the blessing of the holy things, and almost the entire prayer lies in the book of Judges. And so, if it were to turn out that this happens, after he has prophesied the return, he proclaims the divine incarnation and advent, and the future salvation of the nations. It is inscribed, "In hymns," because it is for God to be celebrated with hymns, while it is for men to be adorned with praises.]

2. *God be merciful to us and bless us*, etc. We beseech your mercy, he says, O Lord, and ask that you reveal your countenance to us, so that we may be able to preach the way of your holy Gospel to all the nations. For he signifies "salvation" as his advent everywhere.

4. *Let the peoples confess to you, O God*. He prophesies that the confession to Christ will be sent forth by all nations. *Let the nations be glad and exult*. Since the prophetic Spirit is exceedingly delighted by the salvation of the world, he frequently repeats the same things, enjoying joy from the frequent narration.

6. *Let the peoples confess to you, O God, let the peoples all confess to you* (31). Not without cause does he repeat it, ^B but so that he may make his listeners more eager. *The earth gave its fruit*. The spiritual earth, clearly. Its fruits are progress in piety.

[Let the peoples confess to you, O God. Just as he twice stirred the nations to hymn-singing, so he asked for them the blessing twice: since, clearly, they had twice received that blessing. Or because, since those who are from it do not ignore the God who is above all, they offer to him the sweetest fruit of piety: which if we offer to you, that is, the diligent pursuit of virtue, we shall receive a blessing from you.]

[May God bless us. It should be known that humans, when blessing God, offer only words to him, but they are unable to benefit him in deed. But God, when he blesses, confirms his words by his deeds, and bestows a store of all good things upon those whom he blesses. Then he teaches how.]

To the end, a PSALM of the ode, for David. LXVII.

Argument.

In this psalm he signifies the advent of the Lord, and also the expulsion of spiritual enemies ^C and the release from spiritual captivity. Furthermore, he teaches concerning himself

that he is the one who of old led the children of Israel out of Egypt. In addition to this, he promises the gift of the Holy Spirit to those who have accepted the preaching. He also introduces comfort for the apostles, promising that every affliction undertaken on account of the preaching shall be removed—the affliction, clearly, that arose because of the preaching. Moreover, he promises the conversion of many of those who were previously provoking him to anger, and also of those who had fallen into the sea of pleasures. Nevertheless, he also declares the selection of the apostles, and who they were and from where they came. He announces to all the nations the faith toward the Lord. Upon all these things, he clearly teaches the ascension of the Lord into the heavens. It is possible for anyone to observe all these things in detail by attending to the individual verses.

^B 2. *Let God arise, and let his enemies be scattered.* The word signifies the impulse of God to judge the unclean demons. For by his presence they were driven out from the tyranny with which they were oppressing men.

*Prepare the way for him who ascends upon the west.* Be ready, he says, to walk in his ways, for him who appeared in the flesh in the last of the times to those who dwelt on the earth. Or, *for him who ascends upon the west*, for him who had made the descent even as far as Hades. *Let them be troubled from his face.* The multitudes of demons, clearly. *Father of the fatherless and judge of the widows.* He speaks of the fatherless as those who have no protector, and of widows as souls that do not have the Word as a bridegroom. For he is a protector of the weak and of those who do not have human help, such as we are. ^C But who and what kind of one is this?

7. *God in his holy place.* Since he said that he had ascended to the west, that is, as far as the caverns of Hades, he teaches again that upon ascending into the heavens he has come into his own places, although he had never departed from them according to the nature of his divinity. *God causes those of one character to dwell in a house.* He calls those of one character who have dedicated their own life to him alone and have estranged it from every double-mindedness and worldly desire. He promises that these shall also dwell in his house, in the heavenly city. *Who leads out those who are bound with fortitude.* Similar to this is what was said: "To those in bonds, go forth; and to those in darkness, be revealed." He calls the worship of demons bonds and darkness. Similarly, *those who provoke, who dwell in the tombs*. He says this because, having gone even into Hades, he preached also to the spirits dwelling there who were at one time disobedient. For he has placed "who provoke" instead of "who have provoked."

^D 8, 9. *O God, when you went forth before your people, when you passed through the desert.* He shows that he who descended even as far as Hades is the same one who also of old, through Moses, led Israel out of Egypt. He says, therefore, that when you were going before your people who had come out of Egypt, the earth was shaken—that is, throughout the entire...

world the report of his departure has been heard. The earth was shaken; for indeed the heavens also distilled. The heavens distilled—that is, the spiritual food; and he speaks also of the Manna. ^A *From the face of the God of Sinai.* That is, the one who established the law on Mount Sinai. *From the face of the God of Israel.* Israel is a mind seeing God.

10. *You will set aside a voluntary rain, O God, for your inheritance.* By "rain" he means the evangelical word, according to the saying: *He shall descend like rain upon the fleece.* (Ps. LXXI, 6.) But he says "voluntary" to distinguish it from the legal cult. For those [sacrifices] were not voluntary according to this saying: *For who has sought these things from your hands?* (Isa. I, 12.) And that: *Your whole burnt offerings are not acceptable, and your sacrifices have not pleased me.* (Jerem. VI, 20.) *And it was weakened, but you made it perfect.* It was weakened, he says, long ago when it practiced idolatry; but you made it perfect by calling it through the evangelical preaching.

11. *Your living creatures dwell in it.* By "living creatures" here he means those who have tasted the life-giving food. *In it*, in what, if not in his inheritance? *You prepared in your sweetness for the poor, O God.* And what did he prepare, if not what *eye has not seen, nor ear heard*? (1 Cor. II, 9.) And who is the poor, if not those of whom he said: *Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven*? (Matth. V, 3.)

12. ^B *The Lord will give a word to those who preach with great power.* He says that he will give a word to his holy apostles, so that they may be able to preach the Gospel. Similar to this is: *Do not think how or what you are to speak; for it will be given to you in that hour what you are to speak. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of my Father who speaks in you.* (Matth. X, 19, 20.) The phrase *with great power* is referred to the words *the Lord will give a word*, and not to *to those who preach*, as some have supposed. For he wishes to say that God will give the word with great power to those who preach, that is, he himself provides the discourse to those who wish to announce our good things, he who also provided the opportunity for preaching the Gospel.

13. ^C *The King of the virtues of the beloved.* He himself is the Lord who gives the word to those who initiate; for he is the king of the beloved people; and he himself is, in turn, his power. *By the beauty of the house to divide the spoils.* The house is those who have believed in Christ; the beauty of the house is his holy disciples and apostles. He says, therefore, that he will give a word to the beauty of the house—that is, to the evangelists—so that they may divide the spoils, that is, that they may draw the nations to the faith and despoil Satan.

14. ^D *If you sleep in the midst of the lots.* The discourse is directed to the holy apostles. If, he says, the lots receive you. He calls those who have believed from the two peoples "lots." If, therefore, he says, you find rest in them, *there shall be given to them the wings of a dove, having its back parts gilded.* He says that those who have received the apostles will be deemed worthy of the Holy Spirit.

^A, or as the Latin says, the "posteriora dorsi" of the dove, gilded, because he makes the minds (or spirits) of those who have received them precious or wise.

15. *In distributing the heavenly king over it.* He calls the apostles, who became the rulers of his inheritance, kings. *They shall be made white with snow,* that is to say, they shall be cleansed. *In Selmon* is interpreted as "in retribution." He says, therefore, that those who have received the holy apostles will receive from the heavenly king the retributions, that is to say, the rewards of their reception, namely, the cleansing of sins.

16. *The mountain of God is a fat mountain.* He calls the Church a mountain, and "fat" because it makes the souls that dwell in it robust and rich. *Mountain coagulated [craggy], mountain fat; why do you suspect the mountains to be coagulated [craggy?]* Coagulated is full of milk, that is to say, of a simpler discourse, according to that: *I gave you milk to drink, not meat.* He rebukes, therefore, those who imagine the churches of the heretics to be "coagulated." For there is nothing in them that can nourish [the soul] for spiritual habit. ^B Why, then, do you suppose, O you [men], that there are other mountains outside the Church that are "coagulated," and not rather suspect this mountain alone, in which God has taken pleasure to dwell? For that He dwells in the Church is clear from those things which He Himself said: *Here will I dwell, for I have chosen it.*

18, 19. *The chariot of God is ten thousandfold, thousands of them that are glad.* He calls the chariot of God the heavenly and intellectual powers, upon which God is borne. It is similar to what is said: *Thousands of thousands ministered unto Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him.* These are also "those who are glad," inasmuch as they have been freed from sin. ^C He, therefore, who is borne in this chariot is the Lord, who also gave the Law on the holy mountain of Sinai. He is the same one again who ascended on high, that is to say, to the cross, and led captivity captive, that is, he captured back the souls that had been held captive by the devil. For this He Himself promised when He said: *When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all things to myself.* *You have received gifts in men.* And from whom did He receive gifts of men, if not from the Father who said: *Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance?*

And the rebellious, *that he might dwell among them.* These men, He says, whom you have received as gifts, were once rebellious. But even among these, He says, you have dwelt. The meaning, however, is by hyperbaton: *You have received gifts in men,* so that you might dwell in them, clearly in those who are given. ^D But these very ones, He says, whom you have received, were formerly disbelievers. It is clear, however, that [this happened] when they worshipped the creature rather than the Creator.

*Blessed be the Lord God, blessed be the Lord day by day.* For the great achievement, the chorus, which is clearly of the apostles, sends up a hymn to God. *The God of our salvation will give us a prosperous journey.* You, he says, O Master, shall open the gate of the word, for the way of the…

preaching to be successful for us.

^B 21. *Our God, the God of salvation, and of the Lord Lord are the issues of death.* He speaks with confidence, as he will also lead out generously those who have approached even unto death for the sake of the preaching. For he says the *issues of death* are his.

22. *But God shall crush the heads of his enemies;* that is, of the apostolic choir. For he will deliver them, by crushing the heads of the enemies, clearly. The expression is taken from the likeness of serpents, which, when they have risen up against someone, perish when struck upon the head. The discourse also looks to the princes of the Jewish people. *The top of the hair of those who walk about in their transgressions.* By the *top of the hair* he again means the head. He says then that he will crush the heads of these who sin without repentance.

23. *The Lord said: I will return from Basan.* Basan is interpreted as bitterness, or exasperation. He says, therefore, that from the house that exasperates, that is, from Israel, I will return to myself. *I will return in the depths of the sea.* And those who have been carried down into the abyss of pleasures, he says, I will return to myself.

24. *That your foot may be dipped in blood.* He teaches how they will return. And how shall they return, unless the malignant powers are removed from the midst? For they drew their blood down to the earth, according to the voice of Isaiah, so that his foot was stained with blood. These things are described after the manner of history. *The tongue of your dogs from the enemies from him.* He calls the guardians of the spiritual sheepfold dogs, the holy preachers; and their tongue almost tastes the blood of the spiritual enemies. He says, therefore, that the voice of the apostles will be almost the cause of death for the malignant demons.

25. *Your goings, O God, have been seen.* He calls the goings of God the deeds that occurred in the economy: such as the birth through the Virgin, the working of signs, the ascent upon the cross, the death that happened by dispensation, the resurrection from the dead, and the ascension into the heavens. He says that these goings have become manifest: *The goings of my God, of my king who is in the holy place.* See how clearly he says that he who brings about these goings is both his God and his king. And he proclaims him to be the one who is in the holy place, that is, on mount Sinai, according to what was said before: *The Lord is in them, in Sinai, in the holy place.*

26. *Princes went before, joined to those who sing.* By princes he means the holy apostles, concerning whom it has been said: *You shall appoint them princes over all the earth;* and by those who sing, those who send up rational sacrifices through praises. He says, therefore, that the princes have gone before, that is, they began first the worship in spirit

and truth, that is, the evangelical.

^A "In the midst of damsels playing on timbrels." By damsels he means the souls of the faithful that have become strong through the Holy Spirit, who have filled the world under heaven with the sound of the evangelical preaching. In the midst of them were the holy apostles, clearly the leaders of the worship.

"In the churches bless God the Lord from the fountains of Israel." The fountains of Israel would be the blessed prophets, and before them the Law. He says, therefore, that it is not right for us to offer hymns to God drawn from anywhere else than from these very sources. He says this on account of the heterodox writings of the heretics. For it is from the legal and prophetic Scriptures that the Lord is blessed by those who are able to draw with joy the water of the fountain of salvation from them, of which the Savior said: "But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will have in himself a fountain of water springing up into eternal life." Those who divide the Old and New Scripture are to be rebuked, as they cannot bless God in the churches, not having the fountains of Israel, nor their Lord, inasmuch as they dare to divide the Godhead.

^B "There is Benjamin the younger in ecstasy." There, where? Is it not in the midst of those who sing? And who is Benjamin, if not the blessed apostle Paul, who was of the tribe of Benjamin? But "the younger" is said because the Lord appeared to him later than to the other apostles. And he says "in ecstasy" because of the abundance of his revelations, according to what was said by him: "Whether we were beside ourselves for God, or whether we are of sound mind for you." And with good reason he mentioned him before the others, inasmuch as he labored more abundantly than the others.

"Princes of Juda, their leaders." Princes of Juda, their leaders of those who sing, he says, and they were appointed as princes. Both from the tribe of Juda, and from the tribe of Zabulon, and from the tribe of Nephthali. And indeed, from Zabulon and Nephthali were Peter and Andrew and James and John, as the Gospel declares. And from Juda was Levi, that is Matthew, and others of the apostles.

^C "Command, O God, your strength." He calls the Son the strength of the Father, according to that: "Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." The apostolic choir therefore entreats the Father to strengthen in them what He has wrought in them. And what is it that He wrought or perfected in them, if not the body? They ask, therefore, that He who delivered them from corruption should clothe them with incorruption, which the Lord will do when He descends from heaven and the dead shall rise incorruptible.

"From your temple in Jerusalem kings shall bring gifts to you." He calls the Church His temple, and by kings he means those who have believed in Christ, according to what was said to them: "But you are a royal priesthood." He says, therefore, that those who have been called through faith from the earthly temple, that is the Church, will bring gifts to Him into the Jerusalem above; and it is clear that these are spiritual.

^A "Rebuke the wild beasts of the reed." Since many are hostile to the life of the saints according to God, and especially the unclean demons, for this reason He prays that they, being wild beasts, be rebuked by the reed. Now, the "reed" is a place in Palestine through which those who ascended to Jerusalem used to pass. This reed was full of lions lurking by the marsh, which also used to lie in wait for those ascending to Jerusalem. Just as, therefore, lions lay in wait for those going up to Jerusalem, so also do the spiritual lions lie in wait for those going up to the spiritual Jerusalem. "The congregation of bulls among the heifers of the peoples." He indicates others who are opposed to the preaching. Who are these, if not the princes of the Jewish people, who are called "bulls," while the heifers are mentioned as the people? That they are called bulls is clear from this: "Many calves have surrounded me; fat bulls have beset me," which also stirred up the multitude of the people to war against the heralds. "That they may exclude those who have been proved by silver." Silver signifies the divine oracles. He says, therefore: Rebuke both the spiritual and sensible enemies, so that the heralds of the Gospel may not be prevented from preaching any longer. Or also in this way: Rebuke, he says, both these and those, so that the heralds may not be excluded from preaching. "Scatter the nations that desire wars." Clearly the spiritual ones; for "wars" is understood as that which is stirred up against the saints.

"Ambassadors will come from Egypt; Ethiopia shall forestall by stretching out her hand to God." As if the spiritual enemies were scattered and bound, then at last the Egyptians and Ethiopians will run to the preaching. By the Egyptians, he indicates those who are excessively given to the worship of idols and are opposed to the life of Israel, and by the Ethiopians, the ends of the earth. How Ethiopia ran to the preaching, it is possible to see from the Ethiopian eunuch.

"You kingdoms of the earth, sing to God." He declares that all other nations also, along with their own kings, will believe in Christ.

"Sing to the Lord who has ascended above the heaven of heaven." Since he previously proclaimed the passion of Christ and the descent into hell, for this reason he also proclaims His ascent into the heavens. The expression "towards the east" ^D is parabolic. For just as the sun rises from the west towards the east, in the same way the Lord also ascended as if from the recesses of hell above the heaven of heaven. "Lo, He will give to His voice a voice of power." He calls the voice of power that which will awaken all the dead; for at His command they shall arise.

"Give glory to God." Thus also Paul: "Glorify," he says, "God in your body and in your spirit, which are His." For it is just to glorify the benefactor through all things. "His magnificence is over Israel,"

and His power is in the clouds. Wondrous is God in His saints, the God of Israel; He Himself will give power and strength to His people, blessed be God." Since the word makes mention of His second coming, at which time He will raise all the dead, for this reason it teaches us of the honors to be bestowed in various ways upon the saints, and the different orders of the saints. And it signifies the orders through Israel, through the clouds, through the saints, and through the people; and it displays the honors through magnificence, through power, through miracle, and through strength. And over all these things it says that God is blessed. For it is manifest that the saints, having come into those mansions, that is to say the heavenly ones, will incessantly bless God, imitating the order of the powers above.

To the end, for those who shall be changed, by David. PSALM LXVIII.

Argument.

2. "Save me, O God, for the waters have entered even unto my soul." Since He took upon Himself our sins, He suffers for us; and rightly does He pray to be delivered from the temptations which, like a torrent, have surrounded His soul.

5. "I stuck in the mire of the deep, and there is no ^B substance, etc." For human nature suffered these things, having been brought down by sin into death, and into the very place of Hades, which he here calls the "mire of the deep" and the "depth of the sea."

4. "I labored crying, my throat has become hoarse." What it was that He cried, and for what causes, He teaches clearly in what follows, saying: "Deliver me from those who hate me, and from the depths of the waters," and, "Let not the tempest of water submerge me," and the things that follow. He was praying, as I said, for human nature, so that the power of death might be destroyed, with Hades not closing its mouth against it; wherefore he also says: "Neither let the pit shut its mouth upon me."

5. "My enemies who hate me without a cause are multiplied more ^C than the hairs of my head." For many are the demons who plot against human nature, who, having been harmed in no way by us, yet hasten to destroy us. "They have been strengthened..." ^D

^A that is, my enemies, those who pursue me unjustly. He shows how unjustly the sentence against him has been passed.

6. *God, you have known my folly.* By folly he means what is considered foolishness among men, I mean the passion. For, according to the holy Apostle, the cross of the Lord has become a stumbling block to the Jews, but foolishness to the Gentiles. You, therefore, O Father, he says, have known the economy of the cross. He says this because he became obedient to the Father unto death, even death upon a cross. *And my trespasses have not been hidden from you.* This is similar to: "Him who did not know sin, he made sin on our behalf." And this is what is meant by: *From you they have not been hidden.*

7. *Let them not be put to shame concerning me, those who wait for you, O Lord, Lord of hosts.* The phrase "concerning me" is instead of "because of me," or "because of my passion on their behalf." The phrase "Let them not be put to shame" is instead of "let them no longer be put to shame," as they formerly felt shame because of the corruption they endured. And the meaning is this: since, he says, I accepted for their sake to taste of death, the shame which formerly came upon them through death might be done away. For death was indeed a shame, reigning over man who was created in the image of God. He signifies, therefore, that through his resurrection, death will be removed from the midst. Joined to this interpretation, therefore, is the other verse, similar to this one: *And let them not be confounded concerning me, those who seek you.* Well did he say "concerning me" both above and here. For because he himself was the one who encouraged them, had he been defeated, he would have brought shame upon those who obeyed him, as having through deceit and fragility of mind entered into dangers. ^B

8, 9. *Because for your sake I have endured reproach.* I pray, he says, that death be taken away, because I have accepted it, having become obedient to you. *I have become a stranger to my brothers.* He says this because at the time of the passion he was abandoned by everyone.

10. *For the zeal of your house has devoured me.* They denied me, he says, because I rebuked them for being impious regarding your house. John narrates ^C the history clearly, when he drove them out of the temple with a scourge. *And the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen upon me.* Not only did I become a stranger, he says, and an alien, but I was also reproached by those who reproach you because of their wicked deeds. And for no other reason was I suffering such things than for the zeal of your house.

11-13. *And I covered my soul with fasting,* etc. Grieving, he says, because of the future destruction of their souls, I was doing this and that. But those for whose sake I was doing such things, at every time and place, held me in their mouths, reproaching me for the hardships I was enduring on their behalf.

14. *But I [offer] my prayer to you, O Lord.* Even if they, he says, repaid me evils for good, yet I do not cease offering my prayers for them. ^D

And this is evident from what the Evangelist has set before us—that He prayed even while on the Cross for those who were crucifying Him. *[In a] time of good pleasure, O God.* When the fullness of the time had come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, that He might redeem those who were under the law. He who came for this purpose says: ^A "A time of good pleasure, O God."

*Save me from the mire, that I may not be stuck.* These were the things which, when He was praying for humanity, He was crying out, so that He even says: "My throat has become hoarse." But the expression "has become hoarse" signifies the intensity of the prayer.

*Let not the storm of water overwhelm me, nor the abyss swallow me up.* Since a decree and a fearful curse have been set forth—that if even an angel should preach or teach us anything beyond what Paul has taught, let him be anathema—who is there who could be superior to Paul, or rather, to Christ speaking in him? Therefore, he refers this prayer to Himself, as the Apostle testifies in the Epistle to the Hebrews, ^B saying that in the days of His flesh—that is, when He was coming to the Cross—He offered up prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, that is, to the Father, and He was heard because of His reverence; though He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things He suffered. Here Paul, or rather Christ who spoke in him, taught us things that had been passed over in silence by the evangelists, when he said that that prayer, "Father, let this cup pass from me," was sent forth with loud crying and tears—not in hypocrisy, not to bait and deceive Satan, nor to present the will of the world as His own, but Christ, in His own person, by way of dispensation, prays voluntarily with crying, with tears, with sweat and drops of blood, while an angel was strengthening Him, and as it were, comforting and consoling Him, even though He was truly the Son of God. But also, being in an agony, He prayed, ^C as the evangelist says, but also more intensely, and He presents the prayer to the Father twice and thrice. Since Paul, or rather, I say again, Christ who was speaking in Paul himself, refers such a prayer to Himself, who is there that can distort what Christ Himself has testified about Himself?

*Turn not your face away from your servant.* Since God and Father was turning away His face from human nature because of the transgression in Adam, for this reason He beseeches Him again to turn His face back toward it.

*Attend to my soul, and redeem it* from that which has taken hold of it, clearly from death. *Deliver me for the sake of my enemies.* From the injustice we have suffered at the hands of the spiritual enemies, He rouses the Father to show mercy to us.

*For you know my reproach.* This is similar to the saying: "For Your sake I have endured reproach."

^A Reproach my soul has expected. From this point on He recounts to us His passion, which the evangelists have clearly narrated.

23, 24. *Let their table become a snare before them.* By this He signifies the things that were to happen to the Jews after the passion. It is just as if He were to say: "May they suffer things similar to what they caused me to experience." For woe to the wicked man, because evil things according to the works of his hands shall befall him. *Let their eyes be darkened that they may not see.* For how could they not be darkened, since they did not receive the Sun of Justice? *And bow down their back always.* For their captivity was not temporary, as was the Babylonian one. ^B *Let their habitation be made desolate.* He says this because of the destruction that happened to Jerusalem. *And in their tabernacles let there be no one to inhabit.* That is to say, from among them; for none of the Jews inhabit the dwellings in Jerusalem anymore.

27. *For they pursued him whom you struck.* He sets forth the cause for which they shall suffer such things. It is similar to the saying: "I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered." Therefore, He says, they did not accept Him who, according to Your good pleasure, was struck during the passion, and they cast themselves out, far from their own salvation. *And they have added to the pain of my wounds.* He says this because, although He humbled Himself, they gave Him over even to death.

28. *Add iniquity upon their iniquity.* He says this too, because after the cross and the resurrection they slandered Him. ^C *And let them not enter into Your justice.* They will be far removed, He says, from the delight that will be given to the just.

29. *Let them be blotted out from the book of the living.* Although they were written down, He says, inasmuch as the promises belonged to them, yet because they did these very things, they will deservedly be blotted out.

30-32. *I am poor and sorrowful; Your salvation, O God, has received me,* etc. From this point on the evangelical way of life is preached, which was begun by Him who is poor according to God, to whom it was said: "Blessed are the poor in spirit." And this poor chorus enters, giving thanks for the salvation provided for them by the Only-Begotten. For He Himself is the face of the Father. He further promises that He will no longer offer sacrifices through blood, but rather a sacrifice of praise and spiritual song. ^D

33. *Let the poor see and rejoice,* etc. Knowing these things, He says, those who are poor in spirit will greatly rejoice. The apostles say these things for the sake of those who, through their works, have believed in Christ.

34. *For the Lord has heard the poor.* And what prayer, if not the one the Only-Begotten offered on their behalf? And what was He asking for, if not that they be delivered from the bonds of death? Wherefore He says: "And those who are bound..."

^A His own He did not despise." For He shattered all the bonds, saying to those in the bonds, "Come forth," and to those in darkness, "Be revealed." And, "those who are bound ^B His own He did not despise." And He did not loathe us in our calamitous state; rather, He rightly called those who suffered such things "bound."

"Let the heavens and the earth praise Him." If there is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, much more will there be joy when the whole world has been set free. But if heaven rejoices ^C at the salvation of men and praises God for this, much more will those themselves who obtain salvation on earth praise the One who gave the salvation. Wherefore He added: "The sea and all things creeping in them." He says this because the salvation of God was also to be received in the islands. And the phrase, "in them," means in the earth and in the sea.

"For God will save Sion, and the cities of Judea will be built." ^D What does He say Sion is, if not the holy Church, whose cities — clearly the souls of men — have been built? For they had fallen when they were in ignorance of God. But these are they which were raised up through confession. For "Judea" is interpreted as "confession."

"And they shall dwell there, and shall inherit it." Those, He says, who are now captives, having obtained their return, shall build their own cities and dwell in them. And not they alone, but their children and their descendants; for this is what He added: "And the seed of His servants shall possess it, and those who love His name shall dwell in it." His servants are the holy apostles, as Paul, "servant of Jesus Christ"; and their seed are those who through them have believed in Christ.

In the end, PSALM of David, LXIX. For remembrance, that the Lord might save me.

Argumentum.

"Let them be ashamed and confounded." Let them fail, he says, those who desire my slaughter, and let them reap the shame that comes from it.

"Let them be turned backward," etc. And again, in the present verses, he invokes a curse upon those who plot against him and wish him to suffer evil; and he says to them: Those who take pleasure in my evils, may they be turned to flight in shame, seeing my transformation. "Let them be turned back," immediately shamed, those who once rejoiced at my destruction and at the curse of death.

^A *6. But I am poor and needy.* He means, I am deprived of the aforementioned justice, and living in poverty, I lack the wealth of righteousness; therefore I beseech to obtain your aid. You are my helper and my deliverer, O Lord; do not delay. For I have attained your providence. Hear me as quickly as possible, and do not put off granting my request.

*Psalm of David, unto the end, of the sons of Jonadab and the first of those taken captive. It is without inscription among the Hebrews. LXX.*

Argument

*2. In thee, O Lord, have I hoped; let me never be put to shame.* He exhibits great confidence, namely, hope in God. *In thy justice deliver me.* The justice of the Father is the Son, through whom we have been liberated from the sin by which we were held in corruption.

*3. Be thou unto me a God protector.* The apostolic choir, knowing that God Himself has promised to be a wall of fire round about those who believe in Him, asks that this promise be fulfilled in them in deed. *For thou art my firmament and my refuge.* For He is the rock upon which we, having been built, have a foundation; and He Himself is the wall that holds us ^D together, so that we might suffer no injury from the incursion of evils. Deliver me, he says, from these men who hold power, and who lead us into servitude as if by a hand—men full of sins, lawless and unjust.

*4. My God, deliver me out of the hand of the sinner, and out of the hand of him that acteth against the law and the unjust man.* By the name of "sinner" he understands the Jews; for they were both acting against the law and unjust: acting against the law, because they condemned the innocent; and unjust, because they had no reason consistent with fairness against them.

^A For You are my patience, O Lord, O Lord, my hope from my youth. Save me, he says, from this people that transgresses the law, because even for Your sake I endure such things, and for the sake of the hope in You which I received from my beginning and my birth through You, according to what was said: "As many as received Him, to them He gave authority to become children of God." ^B Confirmed upon You I was from the womb. He shows that Christ, for whom He was enduring such things, is the same One who, when they were still being carried in the womb, brought them forth into the light by His own creative providence. From my mother's womb You are my protector. Since, he says, You are Yourself the Lord, and while I was still in the womb of my mother You protected me with Your divine power, and saved me from the lawless people; for this reason I, too, having perceived a benefit so continuous, never cease to send up hymns to You. In You is my hymn-singing always. I continue to hymn and glorify You, and through Your providence I became a spectacle. I have become as a prodigy to many. By prodigy he means something paradoxical and great; what he says is this: Even if I have been lifted on high, he says, and I have become emboldened as someone great and exceptional among many nations, I did not obtain such a good thing by my own power. For You were the One who made me strong and noble through Your own help. ^C Let my mouth be filled with praise, so that I may hymn Your glory. Since, being human, I am unable to render worthy recompense for such benefits that have been bestowed upon me, for this reason I ask that my mouth be filled with praise from Your wisdom; for in this way, even if barely, I shall be able to hymn Your glory. All the day Your magnificence. Since, he says, with my mouth filled with praise, I have begun to hymn Your glory, I will also hymn Your magnificence throughout the entire day. He calls "glory" the economy which He accomplished on earth, by which He filled the earth with His glory. By "magnificence" he denotes the Godhead, through which He accomplished all those things in various ways.

[Let my mouth be filled with praise. It is possible indeed to praise God always, and always to bless, and always to be temperate; but how is it possible to hope always? For he who always hopes never attains that thing which he expects to attain. ^D One man, indeed, says that "always" does not look to the span of the ages, but only to this sensible life; another, however, says that "always" also looks to the span of the ages, so that the end of hope may be the knowledge of the holy Trinity.]

Do not cast me away at the time of old age. By old age here he means infirmity. He says, therefore: Far be it, O Master, that there should be a time when I might be shown to be infirm! He prays, therefore, never to fall away from the hope in Christ. For He Himself is our strength. When my strength has failed

do not abandon me. Even if it should happen that I, being human, fall into sin, do not abandon me on account of this sin, O Lord; but call me back again, as Thou art merciful. ^A 10. For my enemies have said to me. The phrase "For they have said," is put in place of: Lest my enemies should say, "Let us set upon him; for he will be our spoil, if God does not help him." 12. My God, do not distance Thyself from me. Since, therefore, they say these things, do not delay Thy help for a long time. My God, look upon my help. 13. Let those who slander my soul be ashamed and fail. Since, he says, they attack me because they thought I had been abandoned by Thee, if Thou Thyself shouldst help, they will be turned back in shame, having found to be empty the slanders they fabricated against my soul. And what are these slanders, save those which they said: "God has abandoned him"? ^B 14. But I will always hope in Thee. For they do not cease to confess their hope in Christ through their own writings. And I will add to all Thy praise. Through the hymn-singing of those who have obtained salvation through their works. 15. My mouth will announce Thy justice. I do not cease, he says, O Master, to carry Thy justice always upon my mouth. For the justice of the Father is His Only-Begotten. For He was begotten for us as justice from God, according to the holy Apostle. All the day Thy salvation. I will always, he says, be mindful of the dispensation through which Thou hast granted us salvation. Because I have not known literature. By "literature," he signifies either the empty and complicated distractions of life, or the various sacrifices that the law commanded to be offered. When, he says, I have cast all these aside, I shall enter into the heavenly mansions, the Lord providing me with the strength for this task. It is similar to that which was said: "Behold, we have left everything and followed Thee; what then shall we be given?" ^C when, for the sake of this, they received the promise of the kingdom of heaven. 16. I will enter into the powers of the Lord. By Thy power and help I shall attain entry into the land of promise. O Lord, I will be mindful of Thy justice alone. Having dismissed all the things previously mentioned, he says, I will be mindful only of the justice by which Thou hast freed us from sin. 17. My God, what Thou hast taught me from my youth. For from the very first day, so to speak, that He chose them, He delivered to them the things that concern the kingdom of heaven. And until now I will announce Thy wonders. ^D I have not become unmindful, he says, of those things in which I was instructed; but what I myself learned, these things I have also announced to others. 18, 19. And even into old age and gray-headedness. Since Christ Himself, after His resurrection from the dead, promised them, saying: "Behold, I am with you all the days">

until the consummation of the age." For this reason, he asks that this promise be fulfilled for him. ^A *O my God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim Thy arm.* If, He says, Thou dost not forsake me according to Thy promise, O Master, then it will be possible to proclaim Thy arm to the faithful generation which is to be from the nations. But what is this arm? He follows up by saying: *Thy power and Thy righteousness.* He calls it "power" because He bound that strong one and plundered his vessels, and "righteousness" because He redeemed us who were unjustly held in captivity. *O God, even unto the highest.* I will proclaim, he says, that Thou hast redeemed not only earthly things, but also heavenly ones through Thine own blood. This is similar to the saying: *For the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption.* ^B *O God, who is like unto Thee?* He gives thanks because, even though he was long ago rightfully condemned to death on account of sin, he did not remain in death, but was delivered from corruption by the kindness of God through Christ.

20, 21. *How many tribulations, many and grievous, hast Thou shown me? And having turned, Thou didst make me live, and didst bring me up again from the depths of the earth. Thou didst multiply Thy magnificence, and having turned, Thou didst comfort me.* The repetition seems to signify that the repentance for sins committed after baptism is acceptable to Him who, as it has been said, multiplied upon us His goodness and justice. ^C Wherefore, the first part, *Thou didst make me live*, is said as if concerning regeneration; but the second part, *Thou didst comfort me*, is said as if concerning one who labors under the sadness of sins. It is possible, however, to understand the former as the deliverance from Egypt, and to interpret the latter as the coming of the Lord, when full comfort was brought to us. For those who went out from Egypt, even if they were rescued from temporary death, nonetheless fell into eternal death, since the grace of the resurrection had not yet been given.

*For I will confess to Thee with vessels of a psalm, Thy truth, O God.* Thus, he says, I will prepare myself through confession to be rendered fit to be called a vessel of hymnology. For if he is called a vessel of election, it is evident that he is also a vessel of hymnology. *I will psalm to Thee on the cithara.* He means with the harmony of the soul. ^D For when the soul neither does nor suffers anything contrary to itself, either in conduct or in doctrine, then indeed it may justly be called an intellectual cithara.

*My lips shall exult when I psalm to Thee.* This is said in contrast to the law; for those commandments were burdensome, being difficult to perform, but these are gracious and light, to the point that they fill those who are deemed worthy of them with pleasure. *And my soul which Thou hast redeemed, from the sin of corruption, from the bondage of Satan, from his death.*

^A And my tongue shall meditate on thy righteousness all the day, when they are put to shame and confusion who seek my hurt. When, he says, my spiritual enemies are taken from the midst, and they who dwell in the abyss are clothed with shame, then, as there will be no one left to hinder me, I shall never cease, O Lord, to celebrate thee with hymns.

To the end, A PSALM of David for Solomon.

LXXI. Argument. The coming of Christ is signified by these things, and likewise the calling of the nations. Moreover, the psalm is inscribed to Solomon. For this is the true Solomon, the peacemaker, because he has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of the partition. ^B

2. Give thy judgment to the king, O God. He says, O Father, may it be granted to thee that thy Only-begotten may illuminate those who are upon the earth. Perform now, therefore, that which was long ago decreed by thee. And thy justice to the son of the king. Although he himself is the justice of the Father, he is said to have received justice because of his human nature. For he himself is Christ the King and the Son of the King. To judge thy people in righteousness. This is the cause of the incarnation, to judge, namely, the arrogance of Satan against us; wherefore, when he was about to be crucified shortly thereafter, he said: Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the prince of this world be cast out.

3. Let the mountains receive peace for the people, and the hills righteousness. ^C Here he calls the evangelical virtues mountains and hills, which formerly, on account of the widespread impiety, did not dwell upon the earth, but are now commanded to reconcile peace with men.

4-6. He shall judge the poor of the people. He calls those poor who were children of idolaters and were destitute of every good, or rather, the whole human race. For all have turned aside, according to the voice of the psalm: He shall humble the calumniator. He means the devil. He shall remain with the sun. In all ages, he says, his kingdom shall extend. And before the moon unto generation and generation. This one, he says, who obtained a kingdom in his coming among things on earth, is himself the creator of all things before the ages. He shall descend as rain upon a fleece. He says, without noise; this he said because of his secret coming. ^D

7. Righteousness shall spring up in his days. For in the time of his coming, every war of the nations is taken away. And abundance of peace until the moon be removed. There shall be such a plethora of peace, he says, in his coming, that it shall extend even unto future times, in which the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light.

8. And he shall have dominion from sea to sea. He says this because all nations have received the faith in Christ: as if he were to say, He shall rule unto the ends of the earth. For because

^A beyond the ends of the earth there are great and vast seas, which some call Atlantic, the Ocean, western and eastern, he rightly describes the empire of the world as encompassed by the surrounding sea; and the following verse explains this more clearly.

9. *And his enemies shall lick the dust.* The enemies shall be so completely subjected that there shall appear to be no battle against him, [using] the metaphor of those who fall to the ground and signal their submission.

12-14. *For he shall deliver the poor from the mighty.* From the ends of the world to the ends, he says, the nations and the kings will worship him, giving thanks that he has delivered them from the tyranny of Satan. *He shall deliver their souls from usury and iniquity.* Blotting out the handwriting written against them, and freely remitting the debt to him who owed five hundred and to him who owed fifty. *And his name shall be honorable before him.* Venerable, he says, and glorious he shall be in the sight of all.

15. *And he shall live, and there shall be given to him of the gold of Arabia.* He says this on account of Herod, who sent to slay the infants. He says, therefore, that he would not be included among the murdered children. The phrase, *And there shall be given to him Arabian gold*, clearly shows the gifts which the Magi offered. *And they shall pray for him always.* Invoking him in their prayers, and asking to be given by the Father through him the gift of good things.

^C 16. *He shall be a foundation in the earth.* Of the Church, he says, and of the world. *On the tops of the mountains*, of the apostles and prophets. *His fruit shall be exalted above Lebanon.* Lebanon is Jerusalem; but his fruit is the evangelical word. He says, therefore, that the evangelical preaching shall be superior to the worship under the Law. *And they shall flourish from the city as the grass of the earth.* By the city he signifies the Church, about which it is written: *Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God.*

*His name shall remain before the sun.* He shows that he who was not killed with the infants is the one who existed with the Father before the foundation of the world.

18. *Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who only does wondrous things.* Having gone through all things that he will accomplish in the economy for those upon the earth, he sends up a hymn to him, saying that he is the God of Israel, who alone could do these wonderful things. And what wonders, if not to destroy the empire of Satan and to deliver those who are beset by the machinations of the tyranny of the demons? ^D Observe, furthermore, that nothing of what is said in the psalm fits Solomon, the son of the wife of Uriah: neither that, *His name shall remain before the sun*, nor that, *All nations shall serve him*, nor that, *Before the moon, to generation and generation.* From all these things, therefore, it is clear that the psalm has been spoken concerning our Lord Jesus Christ.

^A And blessed be the name of his glory. For this reason it is fitting ^B to praise him above all things. For even if we are ignorant of his nature, as being inaccessible, we have been taught his salvific name.

*The hymns of David the son of Jesse have ended.*

PSALM

Argument

*How good is God to Israel, to those who are upright in heart.* ^D Being about to relate the prosperity occurring to men living in impiety, and the bitter punishment laid up for them afterward, he prefaces that God is good to the upright in heart, so that those who choose for themselves the portion of piety might know that God will be good only to those who are upright in heart, but not so to those who sin in the most vile manner. So that, even if they seem to prosper, he says, let no one be troubled, considering with himself how great a punishment awaits them a little later.

[My feet were almost moved. He narrates that such a death happens to pious men, such that if anyone were asked whether he would wish to undergo such a death, he would by no means refuse.]

*For I was jealous of the lawless, seeing the peace of sinners, etc.* He relates the things that caused him confusion of soul. These are, first, that they live in deep peace; second, that they prosper throughout their entire life, so that their prosperity extends even unto death, and the impious undergo such a kind of death that no one would refuse to undergo it if anyone were to ask him whether he would wish to meet such a death; and in addition to this, if any punishing scourge should happen to them for their sin, for the sake of being turned toward conversion, that this is not grievous, but light and endurable; and above all these things, the fact that they do not experience human toils, nor do they need daily labor for the acquisition of necessary food. For this labor of the hands is given to men as if in place of whips and punishment.

*Therefore pride took hold of them, to the end.* Since they enjoy all good things and are affected by no evil, for this reason they practiced pride excessively; which rendered both the unjust and the impious arrogant, and to such a degree that their impieties are fat and, as it were, bloated.

^A *They have passed into the disposition of the heart.* The unlawful prosperity, he says, produced an evil habit in them regarding their soul. And from where is this manifest, if not from the fact that they cogitate and speak iniquity?

*They spoke iniquity on high.* He signifies the augmentation of their iniquity, so that they might even dare to utter blasphemous words against God Himself. *They set their mouth in heaven*, etc. They were uttering, he says, blasphemous words against God, even though they were base and had their tongue fixed upon the earth.

*Therefore shall my people turn.* Therefore, indeed, those who have been exalted shall be cast down. The sense, however, is this: their punishment will bring a certain utility and conversion to my people. For having seen what kind of finish will receive the impious, they would never approach doing anything similar, being aware that God clearly oversees human affairs. *And days full shall be found in them.* When they are, he says, instructed with such a mind, then they will well fulfill the time of their life, according to that saying: *He slept full of days*; that is, all their days have become full of every good.

*And they said, How does God know?* My people, he says, will be benefited from the casting down of the impious. But the aforementioned irreligious and atheists were so impious as to become a scandal to those seeing their life, so that these said in their anxiety and doubt: *Does God truly oversee human affairs?* For that, *How does He know?* is said in place of, How can one say that He acknowledges and manages the things that concern us, and how does He have knowledge of our affairs?

^B *Behold these are sinners, and being prosperous, they obtained wealth in the age.* He declares the cause of the scandal of those who see the impious among the prosperous. This is said because they lead this present life with prosperity. *And I said, Therefore I have justified my heart in vain.* And I, he says, upon seeing these things, was troubled in my thoughts, reflecting with myself lest the labor undertaken for virtue be useless to me. The labor, however, was of this kind: to practice justice, to be pure from any iniquitous work, to scourge oneself in confession for past sins, and for this purpose to rise early from one's bed, to macerate oneself because of sin.

^C *If I said, I will declare thus; behold, I have broken faith with the generation of thy sons.* These things, he says, I was pondering with myself, as if I should declare to others these thoughts that invaded me (and these were: *Therefore I have justified my heart in vain*), I would be a cause of scandal ^D to them. But by doing this, I would transgress the covenants of thy sons, that is, of the just men. These, however, were the covenants of the saints, that they should not be a cause of scandal to one another.

*And I sought to know this; it is labor before me.* Having supposed, he says, that I could know judgments so deep, I cast myself into labor, [inasmuch]

as they are profound and unsearchable. ^A However, I have procured for myself a time for this knowledge: this was the time of the divine tribunal, when you will render to everyone according to his works.

18, 19. *Nevertheless, because of the deceits thou hast provided them with evils,* etc. I, he says, have assigned to myself the future time as being convenient for an accurate knowledge of these things; and by a prophetic spirit, foreseeing future events, I say that the deceitful ways of the most grievous men will be the cause of their punishments. For their exaltation will be for their ruin. And this present wealth of theirs shall be judged by them as the apparitions of dreamers, empty and weaker than any shadow.

20. *And in thy city thou shalt bring their image to nothing.* The city of the Lord is the heavenly Jerusalem, but their image is that of the earthly one. ^B And the thought is as follows: Since they have borne, he says, the image of the earthly one, and not that of the heavenly one, therefore they shall be brought to nothing; for they shall hear at that time: "I do not know you," inasmuch as they do not bear the image of the heavenly one himself.

21-24. *For my heart was inflamed, and my reins were changed, and I was brought to nothing, and I knew not,* etc. Since I was zealous with a zeal for the Lord, ^C so that my heart and reins were filled with the zeal of fire, for this reason I was accounted worthy to be illuminated and to know the things that are done in thy city, and those regarding the image of the impious. But previously I lived as a beast without understanding, not being able to reach the reasons of divine Providence. Yet I was not abandoned by thee, my God, nor did I fall from my hope in thee, but I was always with thee. And this I did not effect by my own power, but by thy grace. For you yourself, out of your benevolence, seizing my right hand, held me fast so that my steps should not slide, nor my feet be shaken from the standing that is with you.

25, 26. *For what is there for me in heaven, and from thee what have I desired upon the earth?* etc. ^D Since, he says, there is nothing for me in heaven except you alone, consequently I did not desire to receive anything of earthly things, seeing that they are all corruptible and temporal. I desire to attain only one thing, in the longing for which I have worn myself out upon the earth: that is, that you alone may be my portion.

28. *For behold, they that distance themselves from thee shall perish,* etc. We are assiduously joined to thee, O Lord, and this rightly and deservedly, knowing indeed that those who exist outside of you will go to ruin in the end. But those who are with you will obtain a good portion. For it will befall them, once they have come to the heavenly Jerusalem, to inherit the beautiful portion. And this is to be always delighted with your sacred hymns.

Intellect of Psalm LXXIII. Argument.

way of salvation. Furthermore, he describes the destruction of the city and of the divine temple.

"Why, O God, hast Thou cast off for ever?" It is similar to that: "The wrath has already reached them for ever." For they shall no longer have rest from evils.

"Remember Thy congregation which Thou hast acquired from the beginning." Through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. "Thou didst redeem with a rod Thy inheritance." Taken in common is that: "Remember Thy inheritance, which Thou didst redeem with a rod," that is, an inheritance prepared for a kingdom, according to what was said to them: "Ye shall be to Me among all nations a chosen people, a royal priesthood." ^A "Mount Sion, in which Thou hast dwelt." Because God appeared in the divine temple.

"Lift up Thy hands against their pride for ever." Of those who waged war against the divine temple.

"And those who hate Thee have boasted in the midst of Thy feast." Since they stirred up the war against the Lord on the feast of the Passover, for this reason they were delivered to their enemies at that very time. For the siege occurred at the Passover when all the Jews were gathered together according to the Law, and justly, at the same time in which they nailed the Savior to the cross.

"They have set up their signs as signs." He speaks of the symbols of war; he means the things called "standards" by the armies, which they placed in the road of the city. ^B And they did not stop at these things; but they also "leaped in," he says, that is, they rushed into the divine temple itself, not knowing that it was God who was handing over the city to them because of the impiety of those who dwelt within. Being ignorant of this, they admired their own power, and judged that the God who was worshipped in the divine temple was weak. Wherefore, proceeding, he says: "How long, O Lord, shall the enemy reproach?" And the fact that he repeats the word, "signs," seems to be that of one wondering how the divine temple had been handed over into the hands of the enemies.

"As in a thicket of wood they cut down its doors," etc. He describes ^C in what is before us the destruction of the city and of the divine temple. Using wood-cutting and carpentry tools, they both tore down the enclosures, and broke to pieces the doors of the buildings, which had been beautifully and skillfully crafted, destroying them as if cutting down a forest.

"They have set on fire Thy sanctuary," etc. Breaking in upon us with great calamity, they had one goal: to abolish the Law given by Thee. For by "feasts" he indicated the legal worship. And these things, he says, they dared to commit because they neither saw the miracles wrought in the time of our ancestors, nor were they rebuked by prophetic grace. ^D For they were suddenly bereft of all these. For of old, even after the return from captivity, they had prophets: Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. And the earlier ones among these

used to foretell to the people and the kings the things that were to come to pass, and they made the entrapments of the enemies manifest. And this is easy to learn from history.

9. ^A We have not seen our signs. Those [ancient ones] used to stir one another up to cease even the festivals of the Lord that were still being observed, and they truly were bringing works to their words; but we, while these things were being done, have not become spectators of those signs of which we have often been eyewitnesses in former wars. Now these signs were a relief from the pressing calamities. Wherefore, ^B as having not become spectators of these things, we say: "Why, O God, hast Thou cast us off unto the end?" There is no longer a prophet, and He will not know us anymore. And this is the chief cause for us to despair of salvation: that we no longer see a prophet in the nation who is able to beseech God on our behalf.

10. "How long, O God, shall the enemy reproach?" Having completed the description of the desolation from the face of the enemies, he calls God to mercy, and asks Him to take note that all these things aim at the contumely of God. For he says, "In the midst of Thy feast," and, "Thy sanctuary," and, "The tabernacle of Thy name," and, "The festivals of the Lord," and, "Thy name unto the end."

11. "Why dost Thou turn away Thy hand?" etc. Why, he says, dost Thou cut off the gift of good things which of old Thou didst bestow upon us, as it were from Thine own bosom?

12. ^C "But God is our King before the ages." Now, he says, Thou art cutting off from us the offering of good things; but of old, when Thou didst deign to be called both our God and our King, Thou didst work for us such salvation that it was hidden from no one upon the earth. "He hath wrought salvation in the midst of the earth." From this, taking occasion, some have opined that Jerusalem is the eye of the earth.

13. "Thou didst strengthen the sea by Thy power; Thou didst break the heads of the dragons upon the waters." He describes by this discourse in what manner He wrought their salvation of old. ^D And first, that the waters of the sea were frozen like a wall, when they went out from Egypt; and this is what is meant by, "Thou didst strengthen the sea." Second, that the head of the Egyptians was broken upon the waters, whom he calls dragons because of the malignity of their tongue; then, together with them, [he also describes the breaking of] the head of the king himself who was commanding them, whom likewise he addresses as a dragon.

[Thou didst strengthen the sea by Thy power. When Thou didst shatter Pharaoh with his trierarchs and chariots as dragon's heads, because of the wickedness of their intent, upon the water; as Thou didst deliver the Egyptians, who were neighbors to the Ethiopians, to them for food, having defeated them and their king from the face of the Ethiopians.]

14. "Thou gavest him to be food for the peoples, the Ethiopians." [He means] Pharaoh himself, and indeed after the military expedition. But by "peoples" here he refers to the flocks of birds that are among the Indians; for these devoured the bodies of the Egyptians, which had been cast up from the sea upon the land.

^A "You broke open the fountains and the torrents." He speaks of the events in the desert, when He gave the people drink from the rock. "You dried up the rivers of Etham." Etham is interpreted as "south," for the Jordan is situated to the south of the territory of the Jews.

"Yours is the day and yours is the night." Not only, he says, have You been our provider in the Red Sea and in the desert, but You have been the source of blessings for the whole human race, creating day and night, sun and moon, summer and spring, and setting boundaries on the earth. He says these things now while calling upon Him for present aid. Therefore he says: "Remember this creation of Yours." If You created the creation for the sake of men, he says, provide aid to those for whose sake the creation was made.

"Remember this, the enemy has reproached You, O Lord." After calling upon God for the compassion of the people through the state of creation, he again calls Him to compassion in another way. This way is the fact that the enemy thinks arrogantly. "And a foolish people has provoked Your name." See again another mode of compassion, because the enemies have provoked His name.

"Do not deliver to the beasts the soul that confesses to You." He extended the mode of compassion, calling the enemies beasts, as those who have sinned have the possibility of forgiveness through confession. He prays that Israel may not perish in the same way as that which happened. For many myriads of those who crucified Christ afterwards believed and were saved.

^B "Look upon Your testament." Another mode of compassion again; for from the fact that He was good towards them by establishing a testament for them, from this they try to draw mercy to themselves. "For those who were darkened have been filled with the houses of iniquities." What he says is of this kind: Even if many houses have been full of darkness because of the iniquities committed by them against You, O Lord, yet do not let the whole people be turned away and delivered to shame. For some had in themselves the hope of salvation, who were also saved through the apostles, and especially through Peter in his first proclamations, so that they reached three thousand and five thousand and myriads.

[21. "The poor and needy shall praise Your name." Having been saved, he says, those who are worthy of salvation, the poor in spirit, that is to say the chorus of the apostles, according to that saying, "Blessed are the poor in spirit," offer up to You the fitting doxologies.]

"Arise, O God, judge Your cause." He awakens God by entreating Him for the punishment of those who deceived the people. "Remember Your reproach." Again, because He Himself was reproached, he calls God to compassion.

^C "To the end, do not destroy, for Asaph. PSALM LXXIV. Argument." In this psalm the person of the apostles is introduced,

^A exhorting men to make an end of impiety, and presenting to them that terrible and divine tribunal.

2, 3. *We will confess to Thee, O God . . . I will tell of all Thy wondrous works.* The apostolic choir, having been delivered from those who persecuted them, promises to tell of the wondrous works of God. *I will judge righteousness.* These things the Saviour says, answering their promise.

4. *The earth was melted and all who dwell in it.* When Thou judgest justly, He says, Thou hast melted the earth—that is, Jerusalem—and all who dwell in it. This can be understood in two ways: in a good sense, that it melted—that is, He showed mercy for their wickedness; and in a bad sense, to declare the punishment taken upon them. *I have confirmed its pillars.* The pillars of Jerusalem are the holy apostles, according to what was said: *The pillar and ground of the truth* 81. [The Apostle says: *And when they knew the grace that was given to me, James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars* 82.]

5. *I said to the transgressors: Do not transgress.* From this point, the person of the apostles is introduced, ^B exhorting men to cease from impiety. [He humbles the Jewish people because of their pride; he exalts the people from the nations because of their humility.]

6. *Do not lift up your horn on high.* For indeed horny animals greatly glory in their horns. But the wicked are commanded not to increase iniquity by arrogance, nor to stir up their tongue against God.

7. *For neither from the outlets, nor from the west, nor from the desert mountains.* By these things He signifies the whole world. By "outlets" He means the east, from which the sun goes out; by "west," the evening parts; and by "desert mountains," the north and the south, which parts are uninhabitable because of the extremes of cold ^C and heat. Do not transgress, then, He says, because no one in the whole world could escape the notice of God if he utters something blasphemous against Him. *This one He humbles, and this one He exalts.* Being a good Judge, He says, He humbles the impious, but exalts those who are humble in heart. Furthermore, these things are to be understood concerning the two peoples—the Jews, that is, and the nations. For the former was humbled because of arrogance, the latter exalted because of humility. For He Himself sets up kings, and casts them down; He raises the needy from the earth, and lifts up the poor from the dunghill. ^D Nay, even after he humbled those who are of the circumcision, He exalted those from the nations.

9. *For a cup is in the hand of the Lord of unmixed wine, full of mixture.* The cup, He says, is in the hand of the Lord, into which, as it were, He presses out the fruits of every man, both the good and the bad, and mixing the good with the bad, He makes it full. Then those whose dregs are not poured out—that is, those in whom sins remain—they shall drink it; that is, they shall be made drunk with their own evils, whereas, on the contrary, the saints shall drink the cup of life in the kingdom of heaven with

the Lord Jesus, according to the Lord’s own word: "until I drink it with you in the kingdom of heaven."

I will rejoice for ever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob. ^A Since, he says, I shall partake of the cup of life, rejoicing shall come to me from it.

And all the horns of the sinners I will break. If, while the saints are humbled, the horn of the sinners is lifted up to a height, then clearly, when the saints are exalted, the horns of the sinners shall be broken. And who would the sinners be, if not the evil demons, who are opposed to the people of God? And the horn of the righteous shall be exalted. By "horn" he means the kingdom, or rather, the power. Since, therefore, he says, the righteous have received strength, with the evil powers clearly having been destroyed, then, at that very time, the wonders of God shall be shown. For this reason, beginning the psalm, he said: "I will tell of all thy wonders, when I receive the time."

To the end, in hymns, A Psalm for Asaph, an ode concerning the Assyrian. LXXV.

Argument.

This psalm also concerns the same subject as the previous one; for it too narrates matters concerning the divine tribunal. ^B

Known in Judah is God, and in Israel his name is great.

And his place has been made in peace, and his dwelling in Zion.

There he broke the powers of the bows.

You illuminate wonderfully from the eternal mountains.

^A 6. *They are troubled, all the foolish in heart.* They who did not receive the illumination which is given through the Spirit shall be in confusion and agitation when the divine tribunal appears. *They have slept their sleep, and have found nothing.* Giving themselves over to negligence and sloth in life, when the time of divine judgment comes they shall find nothing remaining in their hands, they who were once rich in the mortal life: for how could they find things they did not work for? *All the men of riches in their hands.* Symmachus has it thus: *All the men strong in their hands.* Nothing, he says, did the strength of their hands profit them, by which they hoped to seize the riches of all. And teaching why it is that they gained no profit therefrom, he adds:

^B 7. *From thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, they that have mounted the horses have fallen asleep.* The just judgment against them having been brought forth, they are, as it were, handed over to sleep and lethargy; that is to say, they could not rouse themselves. And who are these but those who have mounted the horses? The divine Scripture, according to its custom, calls those horses who have uncontrollably turned aside toward pleasures; according to the text: *They were made as fed horses; every one neighed after his neighbor's wife.*

8. *Thou art terrible, and who shall stand against thee?* For if he shut up against a man, who shall open? according to the word of Isaiah.

9. *Thou hast caused judgment to be heard from heaven.* They will have, he says, no plea when they are punished: for He has announced to them beforehand the things that concern the divine tribunal. *The earth trembled, and was still.* Here he calls the whole nature of men "earth," which will then tremble. For there will be no one at that time who will not be afraid, when that day is instant. [For, he says, being a heavenly God, thou hast judged, and hast made the judgment manifest, having taken vengeance on the enemies of Jerusalem.]

10. *To rise in judgment for God, to save all the meek of the earth.* The divine tribunal, he says, will render salvation to the meek; even as, indeed, it will render punishments to sinners.

11. *For the meditation of man shall confess to thee.* We shall stand before that fearful judgment seat, destined to give an account not only of what we have done, but also of what we have meditated. ^C *And the remnant of the meditation shall keep festival to thee.* The "remnant of the meditation" is the purified thought, according to the "remnant according to the election of grace." Since, therefore, he says, a pure thought shall be found at that time, then, then indeed it shall share in thy festival. [For the meditation of man shall confess to thee. That every tongue, and every thought and meditation shall confess to the Lord in the time of judgment, when even hidden things are brought forth to the light.]

12. *Vow, and render to the Lord your God.* The discourse turns to exhortation. Since, he says,

these things will come to pass in the divine tribunal, for this reason, while you are in the present life, vow to the Lord that you will be diligent in producing good works, and do not delay to pay these vows. They who be brought forth will bring gifts, struck with terror at the miracles performed. ^A 13. *To the terrible one, and to him who takes away the spirit of princes.* Promise, he says, to do good, knowing that when you have arrived in that place, you must offer your actions to God as if they were gifts. And God is so terrible that even from those who once ruled and became wicked, the spirit will be taken away. For in that divine and terrible judgment seat, the spirit given through baptism will be taken away from each of those who have sinned. And this is what the Lord was saying: *His lord will cut the wicked servant in sunder when he comes, and will set his portion with the unbeliever* (Luke XII, 46). ^B

To the end, for Idithum, a PSALM for Asaph. LXXVI.

Argument.

When Idithum heard what was being said concerning the people of the Hebrews—and these things were as follows: *Why, O God, have you rejected us unto the end?*—he grieved exceedingly and was troubled, mourning their total rejection. Then Asaph composes a psalm for his benefit, teaching him that in such matters one must take refuge in God alone and seek consolation from thence; wherefore he begins thus:

*I cried with my voice unto the Lord, with my voice unto the Lord, and he gave ear unto me.* Beginning the psalm, he teaches Idithum that the Lord is near to those who call upon Him. ^C

*In the day of my tribulation I sought God with my hands in the night before him, and I was not deceived.* Such tribulation, he says, overwhelmed my soul that I not only offered supplications by day, but I also spent the very time of night in prayers. But doing these things, I did not run in vain, I did not labor in vain; and this is the meaning of: *I was not deceived.*

*My soul refused to be comforted, I remembered God, and was delighted.* I did not endure, he says, even one of the comforts of men, but the memory of God alone became the joy of my heart. *I meditated, and my spirit was troubled.* When, he says, I used human reasoning—for this is the meaning of *I meditated*—then, even then, I was carried down into despair. ^D

*My eyes occupied the watches, I was troubled and did not speak.* For this, he says, causes one to be troubled, that the enemies have seized the places of our watches; that is, the ramparts of the walls.

*I thought upon the days of old.* Those things, he says, I was considering with myself, and I was troubled, pondering how in the past God helped the people, but now has rejected them. And...

And this kept me in anxiety of soul: lest they should be deserted forever. I remembered those days of old.

^A 11. This change of the right hand of the Most High. Turning over, he says, those thoughts concerning the rejection of the nation, I finally understood, though late, that this change from good to evil which befell the people had happened for no other reason than because of the right hand of the Most High. As if he said more clearly: Because of those things which were done against the Savior Christ, who is the right hand of the Father.

12. Because I will be mindful from the beginning of your wonders. I pondered, he says, how many good things He Himself had shown to them, and what evils they in turn returned to Him.

13. And I will meditate on all your works. For ^B if they acted in such a way, I, however, will recount the benefits which from the beginning you have bestowed upon us, even to the end: that is, I will consign none of the good things bestowed upon us to oblivion.

14. O God, in the holy one is your way. By "holy one" he calls either the sanctified choir of the apostles, among whom He was performing those wondrous divine signs; or that no one can come to the Father except through Christ, who is in truth holy as God. Who is a great God like our God? You excel all, O Lord: for you alone work the miracles that you will.

16. You redeemed with your arm your people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. For to them first he preached the Gospel of the kingdom of heaven. The arm of the Lord, that is to say, is Christ.

17. The waters saw you, O God, and they were afraid. And when did the waters see Him and fear, except when He rebuked the sea and it was silenced?

18. The clouds gave a voice. For ^C your arrows pass through. By "clouds" here he calls the holy apostles, who administer the heavenly and evangelical word. But by "arrows" he calls the operations of the Holy Spirit. It is therefore as if he said: The operations performed in your disciples have been heard throughout the whole world. It should be known, however, that Christ Himself was called a chosen arrow by the prophet Isaiah. The voice of your thunder is in the wheel. By "thunder" he refers to the evangelical word, which has resounded vehemently throughout the whole world. For this reason He called the evangelist ^D the "son of thunder." But by "wheel" he signifies the life of men, as can be learned from Ezekiel. It is therefore as if he said: Your evangelical word has been given to the whole human race. Your lightnings flashed upon the world. And what would the lightnings be, save those which illuminate us with spiritual light, namely the holy apostles and evangelists? To whom the Savior said: You are the light of the world. The earth was moved and trembled. As if to say: The saving preaching has been heard by all inhabiting the world, through which a chaste fear took hold of everyone, according to that word: Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice in him with trembling.

^A "In the sea is your way, and your paths in many waters." He calls the world the sea, and many waters the diverse kinds of men within it. Since, however, Christ commanded the apostles, saying: "Go, teach all nations; and, Behold, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world," and they ran through the world under heaven and preached to all nations, the Lord being invisibly with them according to his truthful promises, for this reason he added: "And your footsteps will not be known," on account of the invisible progress of the Lord with them. But he himself alone, as God, made a path in the sensible sea, as the evangelist says.

"You led your people like sheep." ^B And just as sheep that do not know whither they are going nor where they are walking, so he himself led us, using as ministers for this purpose those around Moses and Aaron. Everything, however, from the words: "I remembered the works of the Lord," he refers back to that: "I remembered God, and was glad." Remembering these things, he says, was my consolation and joy. For when I contemplated how great and what kind of things have come to us through your help, I trusted that it would never come to pass that, after you have done so much for our salvation and for the liberation of those who were once held captive, you would now suffer us to be held in contempt while we exist in slavery, captivity, and calamity. "By the hand of Moses and Aaron." You yourself, he says, O Lord, who are with the holy apostles, did also formerly lead your people out of Egypt through Moses, with Moses and Aaron ^C as leaders.

Intellect of Asaph. PSALM LXXVII. Argument.

Asaph sings this psalm, exhorting the new people to attend to the evangelical law, and accusing that ancient people of the Judeans, because, having received many benefits, they were mindful of none, but rather turned things to the contrary, repaying the benefactor with ingratitude.

"Attend, my people, to my law." And what people does he exhort, if not the one from the nations? And to what law does he command them to attend, if not the evangelical? That the nations are his people, the prophet Zacharias says: "And many nations shall flee to the Lord, and shall be to him for a people." ^D "Incline your ear to the words of my mouth." Alacritously, he says, listen to the things spoken by me.

"I will open my mouth in parables." The evangelist clearly explained that this was fulfilled when the Lord spoke many parables in the Gospels.

"And our fathers have told us." Whatever we have learned, he says, from the fathers by hearing, all these things we have known through his works and his presence.

"It was not hidden from their children to another generation." Not, he says, to another generation, but to the children.

^A all the wondrous works of the Savior have been wrought for them: wherefore they did not cease telling them the praises of the Lord and his mighty acts.

5. *He set a law in Israel.* He gave, he says, a law to their fathers, and the tabernacle of testimony, instructing them so that they might know through the law the Savior who, in due time, appeared to the race of men.

6. *Children who shall be born.* By this he signifies the holy disciples of the Savior, who recount to their children—that is, to those who through them have come to faith—the wonders that Christ has wrought.

7. *And let them not forget the works of God.* They shall narrate these to them, so that from these alone they may be able to fix their hope in God.

8. *Lest they become like their fathers.* The apostles, he says, declare the praises of God to those who are instructed by them, so that they may also seek the commandments of God, and not imitate the perverse temper of their fathers. For that generation, he says, did not have a heart upright towards God, nor did its spirit have faith with God. *A generation that did not direct its heart.* For they did not acquire a firm faith in God, not wishing to walk the straight path, but having a mind opposed to divine laws.

9. *The sons of Ephraim, bending and shooting bows.* By the tribe of Ephraim alone he indicated the whole people of Israel that had been separated and divided from Judah. For these also set up the calves, and departed from the worship according to the law. Having touched upon the wickedness of the fathers, he proceeds to recount all their evil, the abundance of goods granted to them by God, their infidelity towards God, and the destruction that overtook them for these reasons; so that, instructed by these things, they might flee from evil zeal. He says, therefore, that the sons of Ephraim—that is, all Israel—who had been taught to fight against the evil demons, and who were fashioned like a bow for this very purpose, yet at the very time of battle changed their mind, having denied the Master and God, and having inclined themselves to Barabbas, that is, to Satan. ^C

10. *They kept not the covenant of God.* By this he means the new tradition of the Gospel, and that word: *Behold, the days come, and I will establish a new covenant with them.* And the reason is given here: because, not keeping this, which is the new law of God, they turned back in the day of battle. For they did not believe Him when He said: *I proceeded forth from the Father and am come.* For while it was fitting for them to shoot and war against those who were warring against God, they instead waged war against God.

11. *And they forgot His benefits.* Although, he says, they had received many benefits, they cast everything out of their memory. And the proof of this is their delivering Him to Pilate. They forgot how He went about doing good to them—

^A and healing those who were oppressed by the devil.

*Before their fathers He wrought wonders.* ^A Thus, he says, they forgot the benefits and wonders of Christ, just as, indeed, their fathers forgot the events in Egypt when God was setting them free. For the phrase "Before their fathers" implies something of this sort, as if he were saying more clearly: "They have become like their fathers in their evil pursuits; and just as the former forgot God, so too have these."

*He divided the sea, and led them through.* ^B And he says not only this, but that He also parted the sea and brought them all across. From here he begins to recount the wonders of the former liberation. For after the Red Sea was divided into many parts, and the waters were separated and lifted up on each side to a great height, by a certain divine power He enclosed them as if in a wineskin, so that they might not flow together and drown the multitude.

*Therefore the Lord heard and deferred.* ^B This is to say: "He waited a little, and as it were stayed His beneficent hand."

*And He gave them bread of heaven.* ^C Not only, says he, did He feed their bodies with manna, but He also nourished their souls with a certain rational and heavenly power; just as, indeed, He nourishes the angels. This can be seen from the context, in that he adds, as it were, the statement: *And He gave them bread of heaven.* We can learn this no less from the Apostle, who says of them that they ate spiritual food. This was what is here called "bread of angels."

*And as the sand of the seas, winged fowls.* ^C He speaks here of the quail.

*While the food was yet in their mouths.* ^C For the food became a morbid state for them, inasmuch as they had altogether surrendered to the satiety of meat.

*And He remembered that they are flesh, a spirit that passeth away and returneth not.* ^D He had pity on them, he says, even though He saw them completely inclined toward the flesh, instead of minding the things of the flesh and having a spirit that always goes toward fleshly desire and does not turn back to repentance and seek God with all its soul. For no other reason, then, did He pity and save them than for the sake of His own philanthropy alone. Wherefore He had already said: *For He is compassionate and merciful.*

*They remembered not His hand, in the day that He redeemed them from the hand of the oppressor.* ^D Having enumerated the good things given to them in the sea and in the desert, he recounts another kind of benefit. These things are the evils brought upon their enemies: the change of the river into blood, the dog-fly, the frog, the mildew, the locust, the hail, the frost, the fire, the mission of evil angels, and the rest down to the destruction of the firstborn.

^A "He made a way to his anger." Having given, he says, the mystery of the lamb, he gave an exit to the anger, so that it might pass by his own people and not touch those who celebrated his mystery. But while shielding them by giving a path to his anger, he did not spare the lives of others, namely the Egyptians, from death; for he delivered them to the exterminator.

"And he brought them to the mountain of his holiness." By this he means Jerusalem and the temple built in it afterwards. "This mountain which his right hand acquired." For he himself is Christ, the right hand of the Father, who of old went before the people and allotted to them the land of promise. "And he cast out nations from before their face." The Amorite, the Hittite, and those enumerated subsequently. "And he allotted them in the cord of distribution." That is, of the seven nations that had been driven out and destroyed. For they inherited the cities and houses of those who were cast out.

"And they tempted and embittered the most high God." ^B He signifies the idolatry that occurred in the time of the judges and in the time of the kingdoms. "And his testimonies they did not keep."

"And they turned back, and broke covenant, even as their fathers." Just as their fathers, he says, made the calf in the desert, denying the redeemer, so too these again, having dedicated calves, sacrificed to them, abandoning God.

"And they provoked him in their hills." For on every mountain top they sacrificed to unclean demons, as the prophet Hosea says.

"God heard and overlooked, and greatly despised Israel." For they were delivered into various captivities.

"And he rejected the tabernacle of Shiloh." For in Shiloh ^C was the tabernacle formerly, when Eli and Samuel exercised the priesthood. "And he caused his dwelling to tabernacle among men." By "dwelling" he means the ark, which was taken from those men by the five satrapies that seized it.

"And he delivered their strength into captivity, and their beauty." Their strength and also their beauty was the ark, which was handed over into the hands of the Azotians.

"And he shut up his people with the sword." For as they were led off as captives, they died, with no one to assist them, because those who would have helped them had been consumed by fire.

"And their priests fell by the sword." He speaks of the sons of Eli the priest.

"And their widows shall not be lamented." For they perished together in their own destruction, and were joined with the death of the men, not even being deemed worthy of the tears customarily shed for the dead.

"And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts." ^D This he says because he smote the Azotians and Ascalonites in their haunches, until they sent back the ark.

"And he rejected the tabernacle of Joseph." This he says

^A because Shiloh was in the portion of Joseph; and Ephraim was the son of Joseph.

"And he chose the tribe of Judah." For from this he made the kings, of whom the first was David. It is to be noted that he chose tribe for tribe, the tribe of Judah for the tribe of Joseph; and place for place, the mountain of Sion for Shiloh.

"And he built his sanctuary as of a unicorn." By sanctify he means the divine temple built in Jerusalem; and the unicorn is an unconquerable beast, because it carries a sharp horn on its forehead and destroys all beasts with it. He says, therefore, that when that divine temple was built, all the nations appeared inferior to the power contained within it.

"He took him from behind the ewes." By "ewes" he means those that have brought forth and are bearing. ^B Being skilled, he says, in the pastoral art and in knowing how to guard the ewes that had brought forth, he rightly took him and made him a shepherd of rational sheep. "To shepherd Jacob his servant." That is, he became a teacher of excellent ways to them, by which he showed that he had instructed them.

"And he guided them in the understanding of his hands." By understanding of hands he means every action performed at a proper time.

PSALM LXXVIII. TO ASAPH.

Argument.

He sings this psalm on behalf of those who were cruelly slain during the times of Antiochus, asking through his supplication that vengeance might be had for the slaughter occurring among the nation, ^C with the calamities, that is to say, being turned upon those who had brought them about.

"O God, the nations have come into your inheritance." For Antiochus, bringing many nations with him, entered Jerusalem and burned the divine temple. "They have defiled your holy temple." Behold, he says, others have taken hold of your things, and what is yours is held by foreigners. "They have placed Jerusalem as a storehouse for fruit." A place built of stone, where he who guards the fruit has his hut.

"They have placed the dead bodies of your servants as meat for the birds of the heaven." For because of the excess of inhumanity, the enemies did not even allow their own kin to bury the dead. "The flesh of your holy ones to the beasts of the earth." For how are those not holy whose blood was poured out ^D for the observance of the Law, of whose number were the Maccabees?

"Your zeal shall be kindled as fire." Be zealous, he says, for your name which is blasphemed by the enemies.

"May you not remember our ancient iniquities." He calls the sins committed in Egypt ancient sins.

"Lest the nations should say, Where is their God?" Even if, he says, the multitude of our sins is a hindrance to our salvation, yet for your name's sake help us, on account of the reproach which they bring [upon us]

^A for yourself, because of the blood of your servants that has been shed, because of the groaning of those who are bound. 11. According to the greatness of your arm, procure the sons of those who have been put to death. By the power, he says, of your arm, save those who remain from those who have been slaughtered. [1.] To the end, for those who shall be changed, a testimony for Asaph, a PSALM for the Assyrians. LXXIX.

Argument

^A unclean demons, who also feed upon their souls, stripping them of their spiritual fruit.

15. *O God of hosts, turn again.* I therefore entreat you, the mighty Master, to look down from heaven upon the ruin of the vine, and to grant healing for the affliction. For this very providence of yours once gave it its former prosperity.

16, 17. *And perfect it which your right hand has planted.* Since you yourself, he says, planted it, and then it was burned and dug up and perished, after you had rebuked it, now perfect it and prepare it for salvation; and prepare it through the son of man. For the phrase "upon the son of man" signifies "through the son of man." And who is the son of man but the Lord himself, as he says of himself in the Gospels? ^B

18, 19. *Let your hand be upon the man of your right hand.* This, he says, is the operation of the salvation of the people, which is also indicated by the hand; "let it be upon the man of your right hand," that is, through the man who is your right hand. And who is this but the Son of man, who is the right hand of the Father, even if he has become man? But when this has happened, and your right hand—the one who has been named man and Son of man—has saved us, we shall never depart from you, since we have partaken of your life and have been called by your name, that is, Christians.

20. *Lord God of hosts, turn us again.* He offers his supplication with persistence, hastening the manifestation of the Only-begotten, through whom they shall also be saved.

Unto the end, for the winepresses, a Psalm for Asaph. LXXX.

Argument.

2. *Rejoice in God our helper; shout aloud to the God of Jacob.* A shout is a hymn of victory. He therefore exhorts the nations to sing songs of victory to the God who has helped them and delivered them from the power of the demons.

3. *Take a psalm, and give the timbrel.* By "psalm" in these passages he means divine teaching. A timbrel is an instrument made of skins. He says, therefore: Being obedient to the divine oracles, *present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God.* By "psaltery," he again means the body, because of the consensus and harmony of the soul with it, so that the men of God may be perfect, dedicating both their souls and their bodies, not to the world, but to the Lord.

4, 5. *Blow the trumpet in the new moon.* Just as of old ^D

Israel, taking up perceptible trumpets, used to sound them at the new moon—God having given this commandment as a testimony that they had been freed from Egyptian slavery—so too the new people, employing the evangelical trumpet, the sound of which has gone out into all the earth, is commanded to sound the trumpet at the new moons, that is, at the renewal of its own mind; confessing and testifying itself also that He delivered it from the spiritual Egypt, that is, from the power of darkness.

6. *He heard a language which he did not know.* The people, he says, having gone out of Egypt, heard a language which it had not known before. And what was this, if not the voice of God sent forth to the people on the mountain?

7. *He removed his back from burdens.* That is, from the loads. He says, moreover, that He freed them from the burdens which they were carrying while building the cities of Pharaoh. *His hands served in the basket.* He says this because they carried mud and straw in baskets for the work.

8. *You called upon Me in tribulation, and I delivered you.* It is similar to that saying: "Because I have heard their groaning and have heard their voice, and I have come down to deliver them." *I heard you in the secret place of the storm.* As if to say: I delivered you from a great and most violent tribulation. *I proved you at the water of contradiction.* When the thirsty people said to Moses: "Give us water that we may drink," he replied: "Why do you reproach me, and why do you tempt the Lord?"

9-11. *Hear, O my people.* He exhorts the people, that they should be careful to be obedient to Him. For if it does this, it will in no way serve another God, nor will the Lord be a recent God to it. For He Himself is the One who formerly redeemed them from Egypt. *Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.* He promises those who obey Him both carnal and spiritual foods.

12-15. *And my people did not hear my voice, etc.* Because while I was promising these things, they themselves were deaf; therefore I rejected them, and inflicted punishments worthy of their evil deeds.

16. *The enemies of the Lord have lied to Him, and their time shall be for the ages.* As if to say more clearly: Because the people have lied to the Lord, there shall be a time of punishment for them; and this is the time of the world to come.

17. *And He fed them with the fat of wheat.* They, he says, lied to Him; but He, being good, filled them with spiritual food: which is the Lord Himself, the living bread who came down from heaven and gives life to the world. *And He satisfied them with honey from the rock.* The rock is the Lord Himself, and honey is His divine utterances. He says, therefore, that He filled them with His holy utterances.

PSALM LXXX Asaph. Argument

After in the preceding psalm concerning the rejection of the people

congregation of gods.* He called the princes of the Jews gods, who were called sons of God. God stood, therefore, in their midst, when He accomplished His saving presence, that He might judge them, bringing forward a conviction of their deeds.

2, 3. *How long do you judge unrighteously?* He brings into the midst the iniquity which they practiced against the people.

5-7. *Let all the foundations of the earth be shaken.* He calls the princes of this age the foundations of the earth; those who paid the penalty even before the Jewish people, cast out from the tyranny by which they oppressed us, according to that word spoken to us: *Now shall the prince of this world be cast out.* ^B They were shaken from the position they formerly held. For since they were first rendered powerless through His cross, and then the casting out of Israel happened after the Gospel had been preached to all nations, He added: *I said, You are gods. But you shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.* And like which princes, if not those whom he indicated a little before by the shaken foundations of the earth?

CANTICLE OF A PSALM TO ASAPH LXXXIII

2. *O God, who shall be likened to Thee? do not be silent, nor grow faint, O God.* No one, he says, will be like You, who are forgetful of injuries and bear iniquities with equanimity. I, however, pray that You do not remain silent concerning the unjust inroads of the enemies by which they attack us.

3. *For behold, Thine enemies have made a noise.* The iniquity which has been committed by them against us, he says, has become notorious.

9. *They have become a help to the sons of Lot.* They took part, he says, and fought together in the war against us, those before-mentioned to the sons of Lot. The sons of Lot are the Moabites and Ammonites. From this we know ^D that the demons provoke one another to the destruction of the soul, so that they may utterly destroy us and consign the much-famed Israel to oblivion. Then he lists the neighbors by whom, having been summoned, the others also gathered.

10. *Do unto them as to Madian and to Sisara.* Just as once Madian and Sisara, and furthermore Jabin, rising up against Israel, were destroyed—some at the torrent of Cisson, others in Endor—in the same way may those who attack us with Assur meet with the same punishment. Sisara was the leader of the army; Jabin, however, was the king of Chanaan. Those who were put to flight in the torrent of Cisson, which matter is in the book of Judges, through the hand of Barac and the Israelite woman Debbora.

41. *They perished in Endor.* In an unseemly place, for Endor signifies unseemliness. *They became as dung for the earth.* For remaining unburied they decomposed, and like dung they were mingled with the earth. 42. *Make their princes like Oreb.* Send evils upon Oreb and the rest, like those dealt to the Idumaeans, the Ishmaelites, the Moabites, the Agarenes, and their mentioned associates. For these wicked men have perished wickedly.

14-16. *O my God, make them like a wheel.* That is, let them not remain in the same state, but let them be turned in the opposite direction. *As stubble before the face of the wind.* That is, they shall be unstable, just as indeed is the stubble of the ear of corn. *As a fire that burns the forest.* Let them enjoy, he says, the fire which they themselves kindled, and let that same fire consume them, just as sensible fire burns the forest. Similar to this is the saying: ^A *Behold, all you who kindle a fire, walk by the light of your fire and the flame which you have kindled.* *As a flame burning the mountains.* The discourse is parabolic. Just as fire, he says, falling, burns the mountains, so they shall be burned by the punishment inflicted upon them by you, which he likened to a tempest because of its vehemence and intensity.

17. *Fill their faces with ignominy.* For having failed in what they desire, and being filled with shame, they shall recognize your power. *And they shall seek your name, O Lord.* He says this, that they will receive benefit from their punishments. The word "seek" is put for "shall recognize."

1. *Unto the end, for the winepresses, to the sons of Core, PSALM LXXXIII.*

2, 3. *How beloved are your tabernacles, O Lord of hosts!* By tabernacles he means the holy churches of God founded in various places, towards which every God-loving soul hastens. *My heart and my flesh have ^B exulted in the living God.* It is as if he said: With both body and soul I have offered myself to serve the living and true God. Moreover, the phrase "to the living God" is stated in contrast to idols, since those are dead and made from insensate matter.

4. *For the sparrow has found a house for itself, and the turtle dove a nest for itself where it may lay its young. Your altars, O Lord.* The sparrow ^C symbolizes the soul of men, which the spiritual hunter lies in wait to hunt, according to what is said: *Our soul has been delivered like a sparrow from the snare of the hunters.* By the turtle dove he calls the soul that dwells in chastity and temperance. He says, therefore, that every soul will find this refuge, namely, access into the altars. ^D

^A Blessed are those who dwell in thy house; clearly, the heavenly one. Blessed is the man whose help is from thee; he has set in his heart ascensions. As one who has identified thee as his helper, he says, he builds up good thoughts for himself every day, which he has called ascensions for the present, because through them there is, as it were, an ascension from earthly things to heavenly things. Into the valley of weeping. By the valley of weeping, he means the mortal life. He says, therefore: In mortal life thou wilt fill them with good thoughts, building them up every day. Perception has become theirs from thy help.

For the lawgiver will give blessings; they shall go from strength to strength. He says that the lawgiver, who is the one who has given them the law of the New Testament, will give rewards of good thoughts. And what could these blessings be, other than to go from strength to strength? He speaks of going from the way of life here according to God to the Jerusalem above, where, having departed, they will see God as He is. ^B Look upon the face of thy Christ. By Christ here he means the people called to be a royal priesthood.

For better is one day in thy courts than thousands. By one day of the courts of God, that is, of the churches, he signifies the day of the Savior’s resurrection. By thousands, or rather a thousand—for so it is found in the Hebrew Scripture—he speaks of the worship under the Law, which has lasted for a thousand years, having begun from the times of Solomon, from when the divine temple was founded, until the coming of the Savior. He shows, therefore, how much greater the evangelical worship is than the legal worship. I have chosen to be cast aside in the house of my God. It is as if he were saying: I would rather wish to be small and of low standing in the Church than great among a sinful people. These things were profitable to those in Babylon, and they are fitting for us as well. For the grace of the Spirit was teaching them not to despise the desolation of the divine house, and we are instructed to always long for and love the holy places dedicated to God. ^C

The Lord will not withhold good things from those who walk in innocence. For those who have this disposition enjoy all these good things. For mercy springs from the divine places, and from there an abundant supply of truth is afforded. For from there we receive the instruction of sound doctrines, and we draw divine grace from the springs of the most holy Spirit; and indeed we become conspicuous from there, and very illustrious, and to sum it up in a word, we receive the enjoyment of all good things, being delivered from malice and wickedness, choosing to live in simplicity and truth. ^D

Unto the end, to the sons of Kore. PSALM LXXXIV.

Argument.

and the forgiveness granted to them through their conversion to God. Furthermore, he introduces the Jewish people, after the calling of the gentiles, confessing their sins and asking that they too might obtain mercy through Christ.

^A 2. You blessed, O Lord, your land. For indeed, God and Father truly was well-pleased to sum up all things in Christ. You turned back the captivity of Jacob. For by first preaching to the Jews, He has redeemed many from the spiritual captivity that had taken hold of them. The Savior signaled this after the prophecy of Isaiah, which says: *The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me; he has sent me to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind*, saying: *Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your ears*. For He Himself is the One who has ceased our service to the error of many gods and demons, and who has loosed the chains of sins.

Here the prophet foretells both things: the return of the sons of Israel from Babylon and the salvation of the world; and he explains the whole in a twofold manner. As for the meaning: God accepts a good and diligent heart, which is His land, because it receives the seed from Him and brings forth fruit a hundredfold.

^B 3. You forgave the iniquities of your people. This refers to His people who came to be through faith; he speaks of those from the gentiles, according to what was said by the prophet Zechariah: *On that day many nations shall flee to the Lord, and they shall be to Him for a people*.

5. Turn us, O God of our salvation. From this point on, he sends up a supplication on behalf of the people of the Jews, who are asking that they too might obtain the grace.

8-9. Show us, O Lord, your mercy. Since Cyrus the king of the Persians, according to the prophecy of Isaiah, had granted the power of return, they hastened to reach their homeland; and for this reason, they entreat God to grant them swift salvation through His kindness. Most quickly, he says, O Master, show us your goodness, so that we may obtain your salvation and be able to depart from these places. ^C When the prophet has thus offered the supplication as if from their person, he receives the answer of God and says: *I will hear what the Lord God will speak in me*. Having ceased his entreaty, the prophet awaits the answer from the Spirit in silence.

10. Yet His salvation is near those who fear Him. Perceiving the answer that he was about to hear from God concerning his own race, the prophet notes this, that God is ready to be near to all, if only they would embrace His fear; and it will come to pass for those who have embraced it that they shall dwell in glory. That glory may dwell in our land. By this he signifies the ^D economy of the Only-Begotten in the flesh. For He became among us...

^A For there has been brought to us from God the Father justice, peace, mercy, and truth. Having had mercy upon us, He taught us the truth; and indeed He also made us righteous, making peace for all things in Himself, both those in heaven and those on earth.

Mercy and truth have met together. ^B Clearly it proclaims the truth that has risen upon the world through the Theotokos and ever-virgin. For He Himself is the truth, even though He was born of a woman. For justice and truth have kissed, clearly on account of the truth that rose upon the world from the ever-virgin Theotokos. And righteousness has looked down from heaven. 12. Similar is that which was said to the Virgin: The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the rest.

For the Lord will give goodness. When, he says, the Lord, out of excess of goodness, shines upon those on the earth, then we also, being an intellectual earth, will yield the spiritual fruits of righteousness.

Righteousness shall go before Him. Having said that the intellectual earth will yield its fruit, he teaches how it will yield it. And how will it yield it, unless, with righteousness going before it, it directs the steps of the one who does what is good and walks in the way that leads upward?

A prayer of David. PSALM LXXXV. Argument.

^C Being enlightened through the Spirit concerning the coming of the Only-Begotten, the blessed David, and knowing the future remission of sins for all who flee to Him, rightly offers up a prayer, asking that he too might be found among those who are saved through grace.

Incline, O Lord, your ear and hear me. For truly humility is a great resource for one praying that he might be heard. For I am poor and needy. It is the preamble of humility in prayer. ^D For both David and Hezekiah, possessing the riches of righteousness, did not look to these things, but rather looked to the poverty of their nature, and entreated God to have mercy upon this poverty conjoined with need. The phrase, "Incline, O Lord, your ear," is used metaphorically, as if from the infirmity of one who cannot cry out loudly and is forced to make the physician bring his ear close to his mouth.

Keep my soul, for I am holy. He asks to be heard on account of the good works which he has achieved. Save your servant, O my God, who hopes in you. After he declared himself holy, he returns the discourse again to humility, registering himself as a servant of God, and testifying that he places his hope of salvation in Him alone.

3. *Have mercy on me, O Lord, for unto thee I will cry.* We are taught by these words that whoever wishes to receive any good thing from God must be incessant in prayer. 5. *For thou, O Lord, art good and gentle.* He teaches those who approach God not to be weary, even if He delays the gift for a little while. For He will surely hearken to them, inasmuch as He is good and exceedingly rich in mercy. 8. *There is no one like unto thee among the gods, O Lord.* He calls the holy prophets gods, to whom the word of the Lord came. He says, however, that none of the prophets was able to deliver men from sin except the Lord Himself, according to what is said elsewhere: *Not a messenger, nor an angel, but the Lord himself hath saved us.* ^A 11. *Let my heart rejoice that it may fear thy name.* He who has acquired piety toward God embraces the life according to the law. And such a life is the mother of joy. Reasonably, therefore, did the Prophet suspect that his own heart would be made joyful through fear. For so he also says elsewhere: *Let the heart of them that seek the Lord rejoice;* and again: *I remembered God, and was delighted.* 12. *I will confess to thee, O Lord my God, with my whole heart.* Having suddenly changed his prayer into a confession, concerning those things from which he was delivered from Hades, he declares the reason ^B why he sinned, mentioning the snares of many and powerful beings, and thereby implying the invisible powers that do not set God before their eyes. “But thou, O Lord,” he says, “hast granted what they did not expect, delivering my soul from the lowest Hades by thy mercy.” Christ says these things, when the kings of the earth and the rulers were gathered together in one against him. 13. *For thy mercy is great upon me.* As though he had already attained what he had asked in his prayers, he says that he will praise the great mercy of God unto the ages; for He also delivered their souls from the hand of Hades. ^C 14. *O God, transgressors have risen up against me.* He shows by these things that he had fallen into that sin. But how, if not because a certain gathering of evil spirits had risen up and tripped him, lest he should hold to the course of virtue? 15, 16. *But thou, O Lord my God, art compassionate and merciful,* etc. “Even if,” he says, “by the rising of evil spirits against me I was cast down into sin, and through it into the aforementioned lowest Hades; yet thou, O Lord, having poured out thy mercies upon me, didst deliver my soul; wherefore I again ask to be shown mercy.” And mercy will come to me, when thou lookest upon me. ^D 17. *Make with me a sign for good.* As of old in Egypt God gave a sign to the sons of Israel, that they might not be harmed by the destroyer; so he asks that a sign be given to him also, that he might be guarded thereby.

^A

TO THE SONS OF KORE, A PSALM OF AN ODE. LXXXVI. Argument.

*The foundations of it are in the holy mountains.* Of the people, that is, who have been called through faith. He says that the people from the nations have been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets.

*The Lord loves the gates of Sion more than all the tabernacles of Jacob.* By the gates of Sion he designates the introductory and elementary instruction of the Church, and by the tabernacles of Jacob, the worship according to the law. He says, therefore, that the evangelical way of life is judged more desirable before God than the worship according to the law.

*Glorious things have been spoken of thee, O city of God.* The city is the Church. What are the glorious things spoken of her, other than the fact that the Only-begotten dwells within her, according to the saying: *Here will I dwell, for I have chosen it*? ^B

*I will be mindful of Rahab and Babylon.* Of those who turn to me, he says, I will preserve a memory for good; whether of those who have indecently turned toward pleasure, or those who have been deeply addicted to idolatry. For these things he signaled to us through Rahab and Babylon. *And behold, the aliens, and Tyre, and the people of the Ethiopians.* The Word teaches us clearly that the Church is composed of all the nations.

*Mother Sion will say: A man, and a man was born in her.* He says "Mother," and it is manifest that we who believe shall attribute this to Sion, that is, to the Church, in whom "the man" is—or rather, he who founded her. And this is he who for our sake became man, and who promised that he would build the Church upon the rock.

*The Lord will tell in the writing of the peoples and of the princes.* Of the peoples, he says, and of the princes who have come to be in the Church itself, the Lord will narrate the writing. And in what way, he asks, if not because he himself will narrate to them that description which was made in the heavens, saying: *Rejoice, because your names are written in heaven*? ^C

*As of all those who are glad, the dwelling is in thee.* When, he says, the dwelling of all who are in the Church is in thee, then they shall be full of gladness. ^D

AN ODE OF A PSALM TO THE SONS OF KORE. FOR THE END, CONCERNING MAELETH, TO ANSWER, OF UNDERSTANDING, TO ETHAM THE ISRAELITE. LXXXVII. Argument.

had preached in hell, he might grant the resurrection. ^A He also bewails Jerusalem, inasmuch as she had fallen away from the hope in him. Now this Jerusalem, or rather the people, was of old like a certain chorus, in accordance with which it was called his portion and inheritance; and for this reason the psalm is inscribed "for Maheleth," which means "of dancing" or "of a chorus." But since the mystery of Christ is profound, and requires a very subtle and spiritual mind to understand it; on this account it is inscribed "of Understanding." It is said that the psalm is by Heman, composed in Egypt by Moses. Now this Heman was a descendant of Israel, being a grandson of Zerah, who was the son of Judah, the son of Israel.

^B 2. *O Lord, God of my salvation, I have cried out by day.* Being good, and seeing the fall of the people and the destruction of the disciple, he sends up prayers to the Father for them, so that, not becoming partakers in wickedness, they might also obtain salvation through him.

4. *For my soul is filled with evils.* Even though he bore our sins and suffers for us, he rightly says he is filled with evils. *And my life has drawn near to hell.* He says this because by the grace of God he tasted death for the whole world.

5. *I have become as a man without help, free among the dead.* Jesus alone both died for the iniquities of the people, being led to death according to the voice of Isaiah, and though dead, he was alone free; for he did not have sin that would make him subject to death. Wherefore he also said: ^C *I have power to lay down my life, and again I have power to take it up.*

6. *As those who are wounded, sleeping in the tomb.* He says he has become like unto men wounded and lying in graves, who, not having received your help, have not attained resurrection. "But I," he says, "was wounded for the sins of the people, and I was in tombs, but I did not remain there; for even after the wounding and the deposition in the tomb, you remembered me. For I rose again, having trampled down death."

8. *Your wrath is confirmed upon me.* He calls the curse of death brought upon the human race the "wrath of God." ^D Since, therefore, he became a curse for us, for this reason he says that the wrath of God is confirmed upon him.

*And you have brought all your waves upon me.* He calls "waves" or "surges" the intense punishment inflicted upon men on account of transgression. It signifies, likewise, death.

9. *You have put my acquaintances far from me.* He says this because all abandoned him at the time of the passion. *They have set me as an abomination to themselves.* See how even

^A unto this day the Jews loathe the name of Christ. *I was delivered up, and I did not come forth.* He says this because he was confined in the house of the head of the synagogue.

10. *My eyes have grown weak from poverty.* I was weeping, he says, for the people, seeing them fallen from the wealth which is according to God, and brought down to extreme poverty.

11. *I cried out to you, O Lord, all the day.* Grant me, therefore, one way for deliverance from my evils: your providence, O Master. For I am always extending my hands and entreating you. This posture indicates the bitter pain of the soul. For constrained by necessity, anyone entreats more fervently the one who is able to grant it.

12. *Will you work wonders for the dead? Shall physicians raise them up?* He teaches us the causes of his descent to death, saying as it were: Since, he says, it is not possible for wonders to be performed for the dead, nor for physicians to raise them up so that they may confess to you, nor were those who were in destruction able to know your truth; for this reason, O Father, I have been reckoned with those who are in hell, so that those who were raised in the land of oblivion might receive an experience of your wonders, and that those who were once in darkness might declare your truth.

13. *Shall anyone declare your mercy in the grave?* Is it possible, he says, that the dead who have been dissolved into dust, and who dwell in the shadow of death, and have been surrendered to oblivion, should become partakers of your loving-kindness and spectators of your wonders?

14. *Shall your wonders be known in the darkness?* Just as there is no truth among those who have perished, so there are no wonders among those who are in darkness. The "land of oblivion" is the rational soul deprived of the fruits of the Holy Spirit.

15. *Why, O Lord, do you reject my soul, and turn your face away from me?* He indeed was praying for the people, but they, due to their excessive wickedness, show themselves unworthy of salvation, so to speak, rendering the prayer he offered for them useless.

16. *I am poor and in labors from my youth.* Poor, indeed, because he took the form of a servant; in labors from his youth, because from his very swaddling clothes he was assailed by the plots of Herod and those like him. *Exalted, I have been humbled and brought to despair.* By "exaltation" he means the ascent to the cross, according to that which was said by him: *When you have exalted the Son of man* [John viii, 28]. And he speaks of "I have been humbled" with regard to his descent to hell.

17, 18. *Your indignations have passed over me, etc.* You have stirred up, he says, all your wrath against me; and you have troubled me with the most terrible punishments, and with these, as if with waters, you have caused me to be submerged.

19. *You have put friend and neighbor far from me.*

^A By "tribulation," he signifies the time of the passion. He says, therefore, that at the time of the passion, both his friends and his acquaintances abandoned him. Since he became obedient to the Father even unto death, and death upon a cross, and was abandoned on the cross by his disciples, for this reason he says that his Father made his friends and acquaintances stand far off.

PSALM 88: A Psalm of Instruction for Ethan the Israelite.

*Argument.* In the present psalm, he prophesies the birth of Christ from the seed of David and His kingdom, and moreover the saving passion which He endured for our sake. It is inscribed "Of Instruction" because a spiritual mind is especially needed to understand the depth of its mysteries. Regarding Ethan, that he was also a prophet has already been explained in what came before.

2. *I will sing of thy mercies, O Lord, forever.* And what are the mercies of the Lord that He has wrought for us, which we also are bound to sing? Truly, that He took away principalities and powers, and the very empire of the devil, and delivered us from sin and death. *To generation and generation I will announce thy truth with my mouth.* The truth of the Father is the Son, whom the saints bear in their mouths from generation to generation; for the word proceeds as if from an apostolic choir.

3. *For thou hast said: Mercy shall be built up forever.* You have deigned, O Master, he says, to promise that a great and wonderful mercy shall be built up—that is, prepared or raised up—continuously forever. For that which is built is in a way raised and erected. ^B This is the salvation and grace given through Christ. The mercy of God builds up men, but truth prepares the holy virtues. *Thy truth shall be prepared.* Just as the salvation through Christ is called mercy and grace, so also is it called truth, which, he says, has been raised even to the heavens by His blood, whether on earth or in heaven.

4. *I have made a covenant with my elect; I have sworn to David my servant.* To Abraham, he says, and to Jacob; for to them indeed He gave the promises concerning Christ, according to that which was said: *And in thy seed shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed.* And where did He swear? Is it not when He said to him: *And it shall be, when thy days have been completed, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, that another shall arise from thy seed, who shall be from thy belly; and I will prepare his kingdom forever. He shall build a house for my name; and I will establish his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son.* ^C

5. *The heavens shall confess thy wonders.* This he says on account of the Christ who was born, and because the angels proclaimed to the shepherds ^D

^A saying: *For unto us is born this day a Savior, which is Christ the Lord, in the city of David.* And that the multitude of the other heavenly host was seen saying: *Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace.*

7. *For who in the clouds shall be compared unto the Lord?* Even though, he says, the Only-Begotten became man and emptied Himself into a voluntary humiliation, and took the form of a servant; nevertheless, even so, He is incomparable, and excels all the heavenly powers. For they possess a domestic and ministerial order, but the Lord is the Master and Lord of all. Moreover, not even among the sons of God is there anyone like Him. And they themselves bear witness to this, saying: *Of his fullness have all we received.* Consequently, He gives as God, whereas they are enriched by His gifts.

^B 8. *God who is glorified in the counsel of the saints, great and terrible.* Just as the unwise are scandalized seeing Him in the form of a servant, yet hearing Him say: *I am the truth,* and, *Before Abraham was, I am*; so, on the contrary, the saints glorify Him and call Him great and terrible. And this is evident from the fact that Peter, as if from the mouth of all, cries out: *Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God*; and all of them in turn say: *Of a truth thou art the Son of God,* when He rebuked the sea and the winds.

9, 10. *Thou art mighty, O Lord, and thy truth is round about thee. Thou hast dominion over the power of the sea.* The discourse shows that He who is in the form of a servant is the same one who produced the liquid substance from the beginning, and that He is the one who set the sand as a limit ^C for the sea, and said to it: *Hitherto shalt thou come, and shalt not pass.* And He showed this to be true, having rebuked both the sea and the winds when He was sailing with His disciples. *Thou stillest the raging of its waves. Thou hast humbled the proud one as one that is slain.* For He Himself is the One who bound the strong and proud one, and gave His own the power to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy.

*Thine are the heavens, and thine is the earth.* Just as He is Lord of the sea, so too is He the Creator of the heavens and of all the earth. *The world and the fullness thereof, thou hast founded them. The north and the sea, thou hast created them. Tabor and Hermon.* By these words He signifies the four parts of the world: by the north, the northern regions; ^D by the sea, the western; for Scripture calls the west "the sea." By Mount Hermon, the south; and by Mount Tabor, again, the east.

14. *Thy arm with power.* Thy arm, O Master, he says, be shown to all with power. For even if He has become man and appeared like us, yet he became manifest in [His] greatness...

And this is what is meant by: *Let thy hand be strengthened; let thy right hand be exalted.*

16, 17. *Blessed is the people that knoweth jubilation.* Having preached the incarnation of the Only-Begotten, he rightly calls those blessed who have learned this mystery. And this means to sing songs of victory unto Him. For jubilation is a song composed regarding enemies who have been prostrated. For He waged war on our behalf and defeated the opposing powers. *O Lord, in the light of thy countenance shall they walk, and in thy name shall they exult.* He calls His holy apostles blessed, because it was by His name and power that they performed those ^B amazing works.

*And in thy good pleasure shall our horn be exalted.* By "horn" he means glory. He speaks therefore as if addressing the Father: Since it pleased You to send the Only-Begotten, for this reason our glory has been raised up. For we have been glorified, having been raised together with Christ and reigning together with Him.

20. *Then thou spakest in vision to thy sons.* Then, that is, of old, he says, through prophetic visions to your sons—meaning those who were called to the dignity of the adoption of sons—Thou hast spoken. And what did You speak but this: *I have laid help upon one that is mighty?* It is as if one said: I have given, he says, help upon the mighty for ^C those who are weak and oppressed by the tyranny of Satan, that they might take refuge in the mighty one. And the mighty one, whom the Father has given us as our help, is surely Christ; for He is the Lord of hosts. *I have exalted one chosen out of my people; I have found David my servant.* Understand Christ, who is from the seed of David, who is called the chosen one, on account of which God also highly exalted Him. And he calls Him David again, in so far as He was from the seed of David; and also a servant, because He appeared in the form of a servant. *With my holy oil I have anointed him.* When the Word was God, He was born according to the flesh from a woman, and came forth as man while remaining as He was, God; then, having received the judgment through You, He was named Christ. For the Word, being God and King existing before the ages, made our things His own, that we might be rich in those things that were His own.

22. *For my hand shall aid him.* The Savior said: *The works which the Father hath given me that I should do, the same works bear witness of me, that he hath sent me.* And again: *I speak nothing of myself. But the Father who abideth in me, he doeth the works.* And this is what the Father says now concerning Him: *For my hand shall aid him, and my arm shall strengthen him.*

23. *The enemy shall gain no advantage over him.* Even if they have said, *Come, let us kill him and take his inheritance for ourselves,* the plan was useless to Satan and the Jews, and the deed turned out to be futile for them. For the Savior rose again on the third day, after having trampled upon death and despoiled Hades; and He ascended to the Father and God who is in the heavens; and He is at the right hand of the throne of the mag

majesty on high, ruling over all things with his own Begetter. Therefore, that which is said is true: *The enemy shall not profit in him.* ^A

And *I will cut down his enemies from before his face.* For they have been delivered to the Roman army, and have perished utterly.

*And my truth and my mercy shall be with him.* By "truth" he means the worship in spirit and in truth which Christ introduced to us, according to that which was said to the woman in Samaria: *God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.* And God has bestowed his mercy upon us through no other than through his only-begotten Son. For through Him alone we have both learned the worship in spirit and in truth, and have obtained mercy, death being removed and corruption being taken out of the way. ^B *And in my name shall his horn be exalted.* For the Son himself is also adorned with those names that are most especially fitting for the Father; take the following example: the Father is the true God; the Son is this same thing: for He Himself is the truth; and the Father is by nature both and is called life; and so is the Son: for He Himself says: *I am the resurrection and the life.* 59 He spoke this to his own Father: *All mine are thine, and thine are mine.*

*And I will set his hand in the sea.* By the "sea," as we have said before, he means the region in the west; by "rivers" he means the land between the rivers, that is, the East. He says, therefore, that his work shall be extended over the whole inhabited world. *And in the rivers his right hand.* In the sea is placed the hand of Christ, but in the rivers his right hand. Yet if He wills, the sea becomes a river; and again, the river, if it retains the stream flowing from its belly, becomes a sea of living water. ^C

*He shall call upon me: Thou art my Father, my God.* Again, here, the One who was incarnate, following the economy, calls his Father "God," saying: *I go to my Father and your Father, and my God and your God.* For the prophet speaks about Him, when predicting concerning the child to be born, he called Him a strong God, the Father of the age to come.

*I will keep my mercy for him for ever, and my testament.* To the people, namely, who have believed through Him. He calls "mercy" the remission which is obtained through faith. By "testament," he means the new one, which is also "faithful"—that is, firm, secure, and remaining. ^D For the first testament has ceased because of its weakness and unprofitableness; for the law brought nothing to perfection.

*And I will set his seed for ever and ever.* For the name of Christians shall not cease, nor the power of the evangelical worship; rather, it shall be continuous and unending.

^A *Once have I sworn by my holy one, if I will lie unto David.* This is similar to what is said elsewhere: *The Lord swore truth unto David, and he will not frustrate it.* He says "seed of David" to mean Christ, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh. And He also remains forever. For it is not possible that He who is God and truly the Son of God, should not in every way and altogether be eternal. ^B *And his throne as the sun in my sight.* Understand the Church to be the throne of Christ; for He rests in it. The Church of Christ, he says, will therefore be resplendent and enlightening the world, remaining continuously as the sun and the moon. For this holy passage says thus: *And his throne as the sun in my sight, and as the moon set up for ever, and as a faithful witness in heaven.*

*But thou hast repulsed and despised, thou hast deferred thy Christ.* The blessed prophets declare what happened upon the venerable cross. They speak, therefore, as to the Father and God: "You promised," he says, "that the seed of David would remain forever, and his throne as the sun and the moon; but Thou hast repulsed and despised; Thou hast deferred Thy Christ." But the expression "repulsed and despised" signifies that Thou didst allow Him to be repulsed and despised. For the Father did not repulse and despise His own Son; rather, the Jews did this, yet by the permission of God and the Father. ^C And this is that which is said: *He who spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us.*

*Thou hast overturned the testament of thy servant.* "You have delayed," he says, "to fulfill the promises which concerned Him; for He suffered in the meantime." But how did He delay? He declares it by saying: *Thou hast overturned the testament of Thy servant.* "For You promised," he says, "that he would remain forever; and this very thing—that He would remain—was Your testament concerning Him. But the Jews crucified Him, and He was reckoned among the dead." He has suffered, he says, and has been crucified; therefore "thou hast overturned the testament of thy servant." *Thou hast profaned his sanctuary on the earth.* "You have cast," he says, "his glory to the ground; for when He came to the passion, He was considered a common man by the lawless Jews. But He has not remained dead, He who was free among the dead, according to the voice of the prophet; ^D nor did the passion attach any dishonor to Him, but rather He was glorified all the more by defeating the one who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and by freeing the race of men." Nevertheless, the prophets are announcing the things that then occurred.

*Thou hast pulled down all his hedges.* By "hedges and strongholds" he means the holy apostles, who, having all abandoned Him, fled in terror; and for this reason he says: *Thou hast made his strongholds a terror.* *They have plundered him... Thou hast gladdened all...*

of his enemies. For they rejoiced and shook their ^A heads, seeing him hanging upon the wood.

*Thou hast turned away the help of his sword.* Since He did not immediately take vengeance upon those who were worthy of the ultimate punishment for crucifying the only-begotten Son of God and the Father, because of His great love for mankind, He granted them a time of repentance through baptism; for this reason, He is said to have "turned away the help of his sword." But "thou hast turned away" is taken to mean "thou hast held back."

*Thou hast cast down from his cleansing.* The word "thou hast cast down" is used for "thou hast brought down." You have brought down, he says, or rather, you have prepared them to believe that He is pure. For He was thought to be evil, and was condemned as a sinner, and was reckoned among the lawless. *Thou hast cast down his throne to the ground.* Because He suffered in the flesh, and became free among the dead; the crucifiers, thinking that He had been brought low by His passion, and had ceased to be or to be named at all—on this account the Prophet interprets the notions of those who crucified Him, saying: *Thou hast cast down his throne to the ground.* ^B

*How long, O Lord, wilt thou turn away unto the end, shall thy wrath burn like fire?* That is, until when shall the audacity of the Jews prevail, who are eager for the crucifixion of our Only-Begotten and Savior? Symmachus, however, says: "*How long, O Lord, wilt thou hide thyself unto the end, shall thy fury burn like fire?*" Until when, he says, O Master, do you not wish to behold our pains, nor appear and deliver us from our calamities; but rather, as if with fire, do you kindle your wrath by the memory of our sins? ^C

*Remember what my substance is.* You created man, he says, for incorruption, and formed him in your own image; but he fell into corruption through deception, he says. Therefore, grant him incorruption, so that he may be saved, just as the thing fashioned was formed to be.

*Who is the man that shall live and not see death?* No one, he says, shall be either superior to death, or shall deliver his soul from the hand of hades, unless you, he says, O Master, grant the resurrection.

*Where are thy ancient mercies, O Lord?* He calls the "ancient mercies" of God, he says, that restoral to incorruption which was ordained before the foundation of the world. ^D

*Remember, O Lord, the reproach of thy servants.* Because your enemies have reproached me, O Lord, claiming that the promises given to the Gentiles concerning me were false; these were that they should be saved, and be delivered from death and sin. But they reproached me, looking upon my death, and declared those promises to be vain; for this reason I ask you to remember them; for they have reproached the substitution for your Christ, he says. And let his substitution be His death and His blood, the ransom given

for the salvation of the world. They reproached such a price, suspecting that He was under the dominion of death. But He who is free among the dead did not remain in it; rather, He rose again on the third day. Wherefore the Psalm seals the whole [psalm] by ending with these words: ^B 55. Blessed be the Lord for ever, so be it, so be it. As though He had already risen and ascended into heaven, and were being blessed, that is, celebrated with confession for ever with His own Father.

1. The Prayer of Moses, the Man of God. LXXXIX. Argument.

^A "Their reproaches shall be as years in the morning." As if he were saying more clearly: The years of those who have denied thee, it is evident, shall be in great contempt. For they have become a trampling ground for both men and demons, inasmuch as they have denied Him who would redeem and save them. "In the morning let it flower and pass away." By the morning, they signify the time in which the Lord appeared to them on Mount Sinai. By the grass, he signifies the legal worship, inasmuch as it was destined to wither not long after. "At evening let it fall, let it harden and dry up." By evening he calls the time at the end of the age, in which the Only-Begotten appeared; in which, indeed, the flower of the legal worship passed away, having hardened through the deceit of disobedience.

"For we have failed in thy wrath." They clearly declare the calamities brought upon them because of their own sins. And these things are applicable to the Jews, and also to all men. For the nature of man, paying the penalties of transgression, is subjected to calamities and overwhelmed by wave upon wave of every kind. And the Jews, because of the wickedness of their intent, have fallen from liberty.

"Thou hast set our iniquities before thee." Thou hast not passed over, he says, our iniquities, inasmuch as we ourselves have called them down upon our own heads, due to our having said, "His blood be upon us and upon our children." "Our age is in the illumination of thy countenance." As if he were saying: Our life and the evil deeds within it are seen by thy countenance. For thou art ignorant of nothing that has been done among us from the beginning even to the end.

"For all our days have failed, and in thy wrath we have failed." Sin, he says, stirred up thy wrath against us; and wrath brought about punishment; and punishment brought on pains. For in pains we have spent our short life. "Our years have meditated as a spider." There is nothing firm, he says, nor is there anything stable in human nature; it is easily torn apart like a spider’s web.

"The days of our years among them are seventy years." This resembles what was said by the patriarch Jacob: "My days are few and evil, and they have not reached the days of the years of my fathers." There are indeed some who live for a longer time than that mentioned; but that occurs for few. But he teaches here what is common and what happens in the majority of cases. For just as he did not make mention of those who meet their end by a premature death, so he has passed over those who come to extreme old age, inasmuch as they are very long-lived. Nevertheless, he says, even this short time is filled with pain and labor. "For gentleness has come upon us, and we shall be chastened." Since our life is as if dead and very cheap, and we do not know what shall be for us after this from thy power; for this reason, he says, chasten us gently. For that word, "it has come," is instead of, "it has come ^{B C D} upon...

us to receive chastisement through Christ, who is the right hand of the Father." Wherefore he says:

^B 12, 15. *Thy right hand thus make known to me,* etc. The phrase "make known" is taken in common, so that the sense is: Make known to us thy right hand, that is, Christ; make known to us those who have wisdom in their heart: these would be the holy apostles and evangelists, through whom we have also learned the ways of conversion.

14, 15. *We have been filled in the morning with thy mercy.* They say this as though they had now found the end and goal of the prayer. For the Sun of righteousness will rise for them also at the consummation of this age.

16. *And look upon thy servants, and upon thy works.* That word "look," again, is instead of "thou hast looked upon," that is to say, thou hast visited thy servants and the works of thy hands. Through which visitation, as we behold the splendor and light of our God, and have turned, may it be directed toward those things in which we fulfill the work of conversion.

17. *And let the splendor of the Lord our God be upon us.* The light of the knowledge of God has made us bright and illustrious; and the Jews, after their return, were likewise conspicuous. *And the work of our hands direct thou.* The "works" are of the Law; but the "work" is that which is accomplished in the New Law. For in the Old Law there were various sacrifices; but in the New, only the Son is sacrificed. *And the work of our hands direct thou.* The "works of the hands" are individual actions; but the "work of the hands" is the knowledge which comes from them.

^C *A Psalm-ode of David, without inscription among the Hebrews.* XC. *Argument.* After he declared the turning away of the Jewish people in the eighty-ninth psalm, consequently in this psalm he introduces the person of those who have been perfected through Christ, and through him overcome spiritual enemies: principalities, namely, and powers, and the rulers of the world of this darkness, and spiritual things of wickedness, and the wicked Satan himself—who are signified in the present psalm in various ways. That is to say: the terror by night, and the arrow flying by day, and the business perambulating in darkness, and the ruin and the demon of noonday, and thousands and ten thousands, and the asp, and the basilisk, ^D and the lion, and the dragon. He ascribes the victory over all these unto the man of God.

1. *He that dwelleth in the help of the Most High.* The prophetic Spirit calls a man blessed who has taken [as his] help and succor Christ, who is also the Most High. For how is he not blessed who has been deemed worthy to have the God of heaven as his protector? *He shall lodge in the shelter of the God of heaven.* He who remains in this help is protected and guarded.

2. *He shall say to the Lord: Thou art my protector.* And who is it that says this to the Lord, if not the man who trusts in him, and is leaning upon his salvation?

^A *For he shall deliver thee from the snare of the hunters.* He has instructed us beforehand that the opposing powers are signified by these things.

*He shall overshadow thee with his shoulders.* After the man of God had said that God himself would deliver him from the snare of the hunters and from turbulent words, the prophetic Spirit answers him, giving him confidence and inciting his spiritual fortitude: *He shall overshadow thee with his shoulders*, as if he said more clearly: Under the shadow of his wings he shall protect thee, and indeed he shall also cover thee with a shield. Once this has happened, not one of the opposing powers shall harm thee.

*From the arrow that flieth in the day.* He now calls a certain impure power an arrow. *From ruin and the noonday devil.*... For he says the noonday devil is despondency. ^B

*A thousand shall fall at thy side.* The left side is signified, and rightly so. He says that thousands lie in wait for this side, but ten thousands for those on the right. For the right side of our affairs, and the deeds of the virtues, being stronger and more wonderful, the multitude of evil powers attempts to overthrow.

*But with thine eyes shalt thou consider.* He says that thou shalt suffer no harm from those lying in wait, but it shall happen to thee to see the enemies fallen.

*Thou hast set the Highest as thy refuge.* The prophetic Spirit speaks in turn to the spirit of the man of God, ^C teaching how great is the gain of trusting in God.

*No evil shall come to thee.* For the nature of evil comes from without, whereas virtue has its cause from within. For God created man upright, who, seeking evil thoughts, drew wickedness upon himself from without. *And the scourge shall not come near thy dwelling.* He commands them to take heart and believe that nothing unpleasant will happen to them, inasmuch as one believes that an angel has been sent as a helper to those who believe in God.

*For he shall give his angels charge concerning thee.* He said this also in the thirty-third psalm: *The angel of the Lord shall encamp round about them that fear him, and shall deliver them.* Let us also hear the patriarch Jacob saying: *The angel that delivered me from all my evils.* And the great Abraham, ^D giving confidence to his servant, said: *God will send his angel before thy face, and thou shalt take a wife for my son Isaac from thence.* From every side, therefore, we learn that the God of all things guards those who trust in him through angels. *To keep thee in all thy ways.* He who falters in nothing, he is safeguarded in all his ways.

*Lest thou strike thy foot against a stone.* The foot signifies the soul, and the stone signifies sin.

^A 13. *Thou shalt walk upon the asp and the basilisk.* Not only, he says, shalt thou suffer no evil, O man of God, but thou shalt even see the very multitudes of spirits cast down under thy feet, so that thou mayest tread upon their heads with all boldness.

14. *Because he hath hoped in me, I will deliver him.* He introduces the person of God promising the reward of faith, namely, salvation. These things, then, the God of all things said, teaching what is the fruit of hope. For I will deliver him, he says, from the aforementioned visible and invisible plotters, having protected him with my hope; for this reason I will guard him, and I will hear him when he calls, and I will accept his supplication. *I will protect him, because he hath known my name.* Not only, he says, will I deliver my own from the plotters, but I will also grant them life without end, and I will deem them worthy of my Savior. And may this Savior of ours be Jesus Christ, who also leads us into the new contest and prepares us to reign with him.

15. *He shall cry unto me, and I will hearken unto him.* When he has cried to me with the loud voice of the soul, he will find me hearkening and assenting to him. For I am always present with him, in whatever exigency he may find himself.

16. *With length of days I will satisfy him, and I will show him my salvation.* And this salvation is the Lord himself, our Jesus Christ, who also has led us into the new age and prepares us to reign with him.

1. PSALM of a canticle for the day of the Sabbath. 91.

2. *It is good to confess to the Lord.* He proposes praise, he says, and promises to recount it incessantly day and night for the things the Only-Begotten has done. And what ^C has He done, but prepared for us the resurrection?

3. *To show forth thy mercy in the morning.* To show forth thy mercy at dawn, and thy truth by night.

4. *On a ten-stringed psaltery, with a song upon the harp.* By the ten-stringed psaltery, he means the body, since it has five senses and five operations of the soul; for through each sense, a respective operation of the soul occurs.

5. *For thou hast gladdened me, O Lord, by thy work.* For beholding thy creations and thine ineffable economy, I rejoice and exult, and because of the pleasure of the soul, I move my tongue to sing hymns.

6. *How magnified are thy works, O Lord!* For my part, he says, in celebrating thy works, I marvel exceedingly at the depth of thy thoughts, seeing the things which thou hast wrought in the world. But the senseless do not understand the depth of the mystery.

7. *A senseless man shall not know, etc.* He states this in different ways, because he who is sick in mind and devoid of understanding recognizes none of these things, nor indeed will he hear about them.

^A 8. *When the wicked have sprung up as the grass.* Those who do not understand the mystery, he says, shall be as grass, not having depth, that is to say; and they shall quickly fall and wither.

11. *And my horn shall be exalted as the unicorn.* When, he says, the enemies perish and are scattered, then truly, then shall my horn, that is to say, the kingdom which has been prepared, become manifest. But we who have your own knowledge, having beheld the destruction of your enemies, shall exult in you and shall be high-minded, as those who have been delivered from the error of polytheism, and who worship you, the living God. For he brought in the unicorn here again, so that through the one horn he might signify the One God. For just as that animal received one horn from nature, so the nurslings of piety shall worship one Divinity. *And my old age in rich oil.* After the labors which I endure, he says, then truly I shall use oil as if for a royal priesthood, and this shall be the reward for my long labors.

12. *And my eye has looked upon my enemies.* This shall be for me, among other good things, that I should become a spectator of my enemies, those who plot against my soul, falling.

13, 14. *Planted in the house of the Lord.* These, he says, who have been likened to those cedars, have God as their cultivator, and the divine temple as—their paradise. *They shall flourish in the courts of our God.* In the mansions above, clearly, which he also calls the courts of the Lord.

15. *They shall still be multiplied in a rich old age, and they shall be well-faring.* [The phrase] "well-faring" is instead of "suffering well." For there shall be given to them those things which "eye has not seen, and ear has not heard."

16. *Because the Lord our God is righteous.* Since, being in the mansions above, they enjoy the good things that have been prepared [for them], then truly, then [too] they shall announce this voice, that the Lord is righteous and upright, who caused the lawless and the impious to wither like grass, but planted the righteous and pious like cedars and palms in the tabernacles above. There is no injustice with God, because He is incapable of evil.

^D *For the day before the Sabbath, when the earth was founded, a psalm of praise to David, XCII.*

*Argument.* In the preceding psalm, by these words—"For the day of the Sabbath"—the second coming of the Savior is declared, during which He will reign in the new age with His saints. It is manifest, however, that "before the Sabbath" signifies His first coming, when the earth was inhabited, that is, when the Church was founded in the whole world, the holy apostles and evangelists having clearly proclaimed the word concerning Christ to the world.

^A *The Lord reigns, he is clothed in majesty.* Since the human race, having departed from the kingdom of God, came under the tyranny of Satan, for this reason the Only-Begotten arrived, in order that he might again subject it to his own scepters, which indeed came to pass; and he calls the salvation of the race itself the "majesty" of God. For if he had not been incarnate, having taken our nature apart from sin, clearly salvation would not have come to us. For he must reign until he puts all his enemies under his feet. ^B *The Lord has clothed himself with strength and girded himself.* By these things he signifies to us the victory won over the opposing powers, which he achieved, as though having taken up military armor. For indeed he established the inhabited world, which shall not be shaken. Having first overcome them—namely, the opposing demons—he set the Church upon a rock, against which even the gates of Hades shall not prevail.

*Thy throne is prepared from of old.* He says this because the salvation of the human race, to be achieved through his own salvation, had been foreordained from the foundation of the world. For by "throne" he means the power of judging our enemies, the demons; and by "prepared" he signifies the resurrection of the Only-Begotten. You yourself, therefore, he says, O Master, who now sit as if upon a judicial throne for this purpose—that is, to judge and to avenge us—are the God who is before the ages.

*The rivers have lifted up, O Lord, the rivers have lifted up their voices.* By rivers here he means the holy apostles and evangelists, who also gladdened the Church of God with spiritual streams. For it was said to them: *Rivers shall flow from his belly of living water.*

*Marvelous are the loftinesses of the sea.* Many, he says, are the initiations, and the thoughts of the apostles and evangelists, like streams, have made the loftinesses of the sea marvelous. He calls "sea" the multitude of the nations which have believed, whose loftinesses—that is, the elevations of their mind—have become marvelous. For they no longer think small and humble things about God, but great and marvelous things.

^C *Thy testimonies are become exceedingly trustworthy.* By "testimonies" he means the promises which were made to the nations through the holy prophets, which he also showed to be faithful in the last days, fulfilling the promises by his own presence in deed. *Holiness befits thy house, O Lord.* His house is the Church, and it is fitting for it to be holy, inasmuch as it has him dwelling within it who alone is holy; and when this has come to pass, having obtained it, it will enjoy holiness forever.

PSALM of David, for the fourth day of the week. XCIII. Argument.

^A in the same state, but they shall be changed: for the former, tribulation shall be turned into the eternal enjoyment of good things, and for the latter, after their apparent prosperity, the punishment shall extend into endless ages. It is subscribed "For the fourth ^B day of the Sabbath," because it was in the fourth month (for the day is put for the month) that the beginning of calamities befell the city of God, as the Babylonians besieged it, just as Jeremiah records.

God of vengeances, the Lord; the God of vengeances hath acted freely. Just as there is a God of mercies, and a God of consolations, so also is there a God of vengeances. And again, this is placed in the beginning, producing great consolation for those who are disheartened by ^C tribulations. Moreover, "hath acted freely" signifies the sentence that will later be pronounced at the divine tribunal against the impious, by which He says: Depart from me, ye cursed.

Render a retribution to the proud. He sends up a prayer ^D on behalf of those who are afflicted, asking for them the succor that comes from the one who alone is able to bring help.

How long shall sinners boast? By these words He signifies the intense, longsuffering patience and the exceeding great mercy of God.

They have humbled thy people, O Lord. He stirs up God to zeal against the enemies, saying that the people and inheritance being harassed by the enemies are His own.

They have slain the widow and the orphan. The interpretation of these has been given in the higher verse, yet it shall be told again. He who interprets the divine Scriptures wrongly slays the widowed soul and the stranger mind. And the orphan is the mind deprived of its heavenly Father.

The Lord knows the reasonings of men, that they are vain. For how are those thoughts not full of vanity which endeavor to banish the utility of providence from the word?

Blessed is the man whom thou shalt instruct, O Lord. Those, He says, are wretched and miserable who do not receive your instruction. But blessed are those who are instructed by you, and taught from your law. For these, indeed, becoming more gentle in tribulation, shall be lightened of their grievances, knowing that tribulations shall end by resulting in good. He calls the days of judgment the evil days.

Until a pit be dug for the sinner. Until that time, He says, those who are instructed shall endure tribulations with confidence, until a pit be dug for the sinner, that is, until the sinner shall walk into the punishment prepared for him. And He calls Satan the sinner, or every opposing power.

For the Lord will not cast off his people. This would be the rewarding of that which was said in the higher part: Thy people, O Lord, have they humbled, and thy inheritance have they afflicted. And his inheritance he will not forsake. This part depends upon the preceding verse: Because

does the Lord not repel his people. As if he were saying: He will guard his people throughout the entire time of tribulation. And he will govern and lead them onwards, until the divine tribunal is established. But when justice, that is to say Christ, sits upon this seat, all those who are upright in heart shall draw near to him, according to that word: *For they shall see God*; for this is how the things that follow explain the matter. ^B

15. *Until justice returns unto judgment.* Until Christ judges the world. For he became for us wisdom from God, and justice, and sanctification, and redemption; and the Father has given all judgment to him.

16. *Who shall rise up for me against the evildoers?* This is the voice of those who are afflicted. He says: Who might become an ally for me against those who act wickedly towards me? Then, having quickly received a sense of the helper, he says that his soul would have long since been cast down into Hades, had it not obtained the intervention from God.

18. *If I said: My foot has wavered.* Being afflicted, he says, and seeing myself slipping, I said: When has my foot wavered? That is to say: Shall I fall away from that standing which is in accordance with God? Immediately I sensed your intervention and your mercy as a help to me.

19. *Your consolations have cheered my soul.* You have not left me, he says, without consolation; but as many tribulations as I have had, just as many consolations I received from you. Which changed my sorrows into joy. ^C

20. *Shall the throne of iniquity cling to you, which fashions toil in place of a commandment?* For this reason, he says, you have comforted my heart in the tribulations. Because, therefore, the throne of iniquity shall not be joined to you, that is to say, because you are a just judge as God, and there shall be no iniquity in your judgments; for the throne signifies judgment. Just as indeed it is for the one who fashions toil in place of a commandment; for this would be the opposing demon, who makes the commandments of God, which are light, to be heavy, and provides toils for men in the carrying out of them. He called the devil the throne of iniquity; because the throne of justice is Christ, who is opposed to the devil.

21. *And they will condemn innocent blood.* These, he says, the wicked and opposing demons, will seek in every way to hunt down the soul of the righteous man. ^D But on this account, he says, they shall be condemned. For this is what he signifies: *And they will condemn innocent blood.* He says, in fact, that in exchange for the blood shed by them without cause, they shall be delivered over to judgment and punishment.

22. *And the Lord became my refuge.* But I have enjoyed the providence of the Master, and I have him as a fortified bulwark.

The Praise of a Song of David, having no inscription among the Hebrews. PSALM XCIV.

Argument.

^A *Come, let us exult in the Lord.* They exhort the unbelieving to come as if to a festival, calling them to exultation so that through these things they might persuade them. *Let us make a joyful noise to God our Savior.* It is well said, "let us make a joyful noise," for it means: since we have come, let us sing songs of victory. For a joyful noise is a hymn composed upon the defeat of enemies. By these things He signifies Christ, who, having waged war on our behalf against the opposing powers, has taken them out of the way.

*Let us come before His face with confession.* As if to say: Before He sits for judgment, let us anticipate His face—which is the Son—with confession, and render Him propitious to us. For so it will happen that you shall end in things that are good; for confession has a good end; and that which is in the Psalms indicates this: "Let us make a joyful noise unto Him."

*And a great King over all gods.* That is to say, over those who believe, and who have obtained the name of "gods" as a reward for this, according to the saying: "I have given thee as a god to Pharaoh." If we offer confession, He says, we shall not fail; for He will have pity as on His own people.

^B *For the sea is His.* He shows that, since He is the Creator of all creation, visible and invisible, He would not despise His own work if someone were to fall down before Him through confession.

*Come, let us worship and fall down before Him.* They say that they themselves are of the number of those who worship and weep, so that they may make the hearers more ready for confession.

*Today if you will hear His voice.* Henceforth they are exhorted by the Lord Himself to be obedient, and not to be such as their fathers were shown to be in the wilderness.

*According to the day of temptation in the wilderness, where your fathers tempted Me.* For they tempted God by walking now in one way, then in another, and not in the straight way of the Lord.

*As I swore in My wrath, if they shall enter into My rest.* The word indicates to us three rests: one that is carnal, that of the Sabbath; a second, the entry into the land of promise, in which Joshua ^C son of Nun gave them rest; and a third, the heavenly one, which the word now signifies to us. For it would not have mentioned others here if that truly were the [final] rest.

It is shown, then, that the true rest is the departure from this world, the dwelling in the mansions above. ^B

PSALM XCV. A Canticle of David himself. When the house was built after the captivity. Argument.

In the preceding psalm, having prophesied the rejection of the Jews if they should persist in their unbelief, he introduces in this one the calling of the nations, which occurred after the dissolution of their spiritual captivity, when the Church was founded throughout the whole world.

2, 3. *Sing to the Lord a new song.* The Holy Spirit commands the apostles to expound the new song, that is, the New Testament, to the nations throughout the whole world. *Sing to the Lord, all the earth... Proclaim his salvation from day to day.* For they will not cease until the end of the world to announce to us the mysteries of the New Testament.

4. *For the Lord is great and exceedingly to be praised.* Teach, he says, the nations; for if they hear, they will know the divinity and magnitude of him who is preached; and if they know, they will praise him. *He is terrible over all the gods.* This is the greatest incentive for the nations toward the fear of the Lord, that they have seen their gods, as they called them, consigned to the flames. For they knew that those were not all gods, but demons. But the Lord alone is the creator of the heavenly things.

5. *For all the gods of the nations are demons.* For those who were called gods were found to be evil demons, but our Lord made the heavens.

6. *Holiness and magnificence in his sanctuary.* His sanctuary is the Church, which is both holy and magnificent. For the adornment of the Church is exalted. ^C

7-9. *Bring to the Lord, O families of the nations, etc.* He calls the rulers of the churches families, by which I mean priests and bishops. And it is fitting to glorify God through good works, and for them to honor him with righteous labors, and furthermore to offer him spiritual sacrifices; to offer them, indeed, in his holy courts, that is, in the churches. *Let all the earth be moved at his presence.* For the preaching was about to be heard throughout the whole world, and the earth was as if to be moved from its former state.

10. *For he has established the world which shall not be moved.* For he founded the Church upon the rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. *He will judge the peoples in equity.* For he came and judged our cause, and cast out the wicked tyrants, by which he means the unclean demons. ^D

11. *Let the heavens rejoice and the earth exult.* For at the restoration of the world the heavenly powers said with joy: *Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace*. *Let the sea be moved and the fullness thereof.* Within these, the sea signifies the fullness of the nations, which has been moved,

that is, brought to the reception of the preaching. ^A *The fields shall rejoice, and all that is in them. Then all the trees of the wood shall exult.* By fields and trees he signifies the holy souls who have exulted at the salvation of the world.

PSALM of David, when his land is established. XCV[I]. Argument.

*A cloud and darkness are round about Him.* This signifies His hidden descent to men, when He appeared in the form of a servant. *Righteousness and judgment are the establishment of His throne.* This, he says, was the cause of forgiveness: that He judged our cause justly, the one, that is, which we have against the wicked and opposing powers.

*Fire shall go before Him.* For He has burned with His divine power every wicked and opposing operation.

*His lightnings shone to the world.* He says that His lightnings are the holy apostles and evangelists, who like light have illuminated that which is under heaven. ^C

*The mountains melted like wax at the presence of the Lord.* By mountains he means the opposing powers, which melted like wax, clearly from the aforementioned fire. What the north wind freezes, the south wind melts; wherefore the bride in the Song of Songs rightly says: *Arise, O north, and come, O south, blow upon my garden, and let my fragrances flow.*

*Let all those who worship graven images be ashamed,* seeing clearly those whom they formerly considered gods being dissolved like wax by the Lord. *Worship Him, all you His angels.* Give thanks, he says, for those things which He has excellently accomplished on earth.

*Sion heard and rejoiced.* By Sion, the Church. And what did she hear, but the evangelical preaching, which became the cause of her rejoicing? *And the daughters of Judea exulted.* By daughters of Judea he means the holy souls who are joined to God through confession, who were exulting because of the judgments of God, seeing clearly the tyrants cast out, and those who were held in slavery brought into freedom. ^D

*You who love the Lord, hate evil.* An exhortation is introduced to those who have been redeemed into liberty, teaching them to turn away from every kind of evil. *The Lord preserves the souls of His saints. From the wick...*

^Aed you have turned away, you have become holy. Then it shall surely come to pass for you also to attain the protection of the Lord against the wicked one; for he is, properly speaking, a sinner.

11. *Light has sprung up for the righteous.* Clearly, the evangelical light. *For the righteous*—that is, for this righteous people through faith. *And for the upright in heart, joy.* One should punctuate after “upright in heart” so that joy may spring up for those who have become upright in heart. One must take the word “sprung up” as applying to both clauses.

PSALM CXVII. ARGUMENT

1. *Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done wonderful things.* It is truly wonderful that death has been destroyed and that the human race has come to life again. *His right hand has saved for Him.* For Christ, who is the right hand of the Father, presented the world to His own Father. He needed no human help.

2. *The Lord has made known His salvation.* He signifies His saving advent in the flesh, according to that which was said by Simeon: *For my eyes have seen Your salvation.* *Before the nations He has revealed His justice.* By casting out the prince of this world and justifying us who were formerly under tyranny.

3. *He has remembered His mercy.* To Jacob; for He promised that in his seed all the nations would be blessed. *All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.* For there is no place ^C that does not share in the kingdom of Christ.

5, 6. *Sing to God our Lord on a harp.* By “harp,” He means the harmony and agreement of soul with body. *With ductile trumpets and the voice of a horny trumpet.* He signifies the ardent and intense zeal of the evangelical proclamation by the “ductile trumpets,” and the royal dignity by the “horny” one, because kings used to be anointed with a horn. Not only that, but also because they used horns to make the proclamation of the kingdom.

7. *Let the sea be moved and its fullness.* By “sea” He signifies the present life, on account of the saltness and trouble of the anxieties within it. It has therefore been moved from its former state, that is, from idolatry.

8. *The rivers shall clap their hands together.* He calls the holy initiators of mysteries “rivers,” ^D whose zeal for preaching is indicated by the fact that they clap together. *The mountains shall exult before the Lord, because He comes to judge the earth.* Clearly, the angelic powers. For there is joy over one sinner who repents.

PSALM 98, BY DAVID. ARGUMENT.

1. *The Lord has reigned; let the peoples be enraged.* It is Christ whose kingdom the enraged Jews do not accept. *He who sits upon the cherubim, let the earth be moved.* For He Himself is the one who will reign in the last times on earth, He who is conveyed upon the cherubim, under whom the earth was moved. He says, therefore: You are upon the cherubim, who also changed the evil state of the earth when You became like us. By "state," he refers to that of idolatry.

*The Lord is great in Sion.* Sion is the Church, in which Christ is glorified and exalted, according to that which is said: "I will exalt you, O my God, my king."

3, 4. *Let them confess to Your great name.* Great is His name, "Jesus," for it is interpreted as the "salvation of the people." Great again is the name that is above every name, to which every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

*Because it is terrible and holy.* Terrible against the enraged peoples who have not received His kingdom; but holy to those who believe in Him. *And the honor of the king loves judgment.* Since the honor or glory of the king loves justice, which is interpreted through judgment, therefore to the disobedient His command is terrible, but holy to those who believe in Him. *You have prepared straightness.* For in justice He is about to judge the world.

^A *Exalt the Lord our God.* He who is high as God and has all creation under His feet became man without change. Therefore, he says, exalt Him who became man without change, worshipping Him with one worship along with His own flesh.

*Moses and Aaron among His priests.* This one, he says, who now, in that He has become man, has reigned over those on earth, was the same one whom Moses and Aaron and Samuel formerly called upon. Therefore, having said, "Worship His footstool," and having proclaimed the incarnation and the economy, again, in order to reassure us, he signifies His divinity through the mountain mentioned. For He remained God, even if He took the form of a servant for our salvation.

*Lord our God, You heard them.* Even if they seemed to sin in some way as men, You did not despise them, he says. For Aaron was rebuked for the calf, and Moses for the water of contradiction.

*And worship at His holy mountain.* He speaks either of the earthly or the heavenly Jerusalem; or again, one must understand the mountain as the Only-Begotten, according to that: ^D "A stone was cut from the mountain without hands."

PSALM 99. A PSALM OF CONFESSION.

2. "Make a joyful noise unto God, all the earth." He exhorts the redeemed to sing a song of victory. For the redeemed are the whole race of humanity. By "the earth," he signifies those who dwell upon the earth. "Serve the Lord with gladness." The service of men produces a harmful fear, but the service of the Lord produces a pure fear, from which gladness arises in the soul. "Enter into his presence with singing." Whoever has already received into his mind the gladness of such a joyful noise, he, standing as it were in the presence of Christ, rejoices with joy, and this is "singing." ^B 3. "Know that the Lord himself is our God." This Lord, he says, who redeemed the whole earth with his own blood, is also the Artificer of our frame. For we did not come into existence of our own accord, but we are the work of his hands. Wherefore we are both his people and his sheep; that is to say, those who are more rational are his people, whereas those who hold an irrational rank and have no experience of the divine oracles are his sheep, according to that which was said: "I have gone astray like a lost sheep."

4. "We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture." Some are as his people, namely those who are more excellent; others are as the sheep of his pasture, those who walk in a lower grade. Nevertheless, ^C being the God and Maker of all, he calls all and makes them his own. For God saves both men and beasts; the former as his people, the latter as the sheep of his pasture. "Enter into his gates with confession." He calls the Church that is on earth the gates of the Lord, in which it is necessary to make confession, as we must first declare our sins and then recount the benefits bestowed upon us.

PSALM 100. BY DAVID.

1. "I will sing of mercy and judgment unto thee, O Lord." These things, he says, I carry ever upon my lips—the benefits that I know to have been perfected among us—and judgment shall be given, that is, the righteous judgment. For he has justified our cause ^D against our enemies.

2, 3. "I will sing and understand in a perfect way." By "I will sing a hymn," he says, it is as if he were saying more clearly: I will not cease from singing hymns, and I will keep my way always blameless, awaiting thy coming, O Lord. For it is necessary that we be prepared for the arrival of the Lord. For this wondrous man possessed such great purity, that with confidence he...

could cry out to God: "When wilt thou come unto me?" Instead of saying: "I have prepared a royal and decent dwelling for thee, I long for thy presence, O Lord, I yearn for thy manifestation; but grant that which is longed for." ^A *I walked in the innocence of my heart in the midst of my house.* I had, he says, no unjust thought dwelling within; but I walked altogether in purity for myself. *I hated them that do transgress.* For it is necessary not only to refrain from evil things, but also to turn away from those who do such things. *A froward heart hath not cleaved to me.* The counsels of the devil, inasmuch as they have nothing straight, are froward and twisted, which I never admitted into my heart. *When the wicked person declined from me, I knew him not.* Thus, he says, I considered the wicked in no respect, so that I was ignorant of both their presence and their absence. Therefore, when they were departing, I did not know it, and consequently, I did not know it if they were present. The proof of a mind fixed upon God is to have no regard for earthly things on account of attention to those above. ^B *Whoso privily slandered his neighbor, him I persecuted.* Slanders occurring in secret I did not admit, but rather I drove away those who attempted to do this. *With a proud eye and an insatiable heart, with him I would not eat.* Nor did I make those who were puffed up by arrogance and greed my dinner companions. *My eyes were upon the faithful of the earth, that they might sit with me.* Those adorned with faith and who considered divine things of great importance shared in my counsel and deliberation. But those who were not so disposed, but who held contrary views, I mean pride, injustice, and degradation, I cast far from me, so that I did not even look at them. ^C *In the mornings I did slay all the sinners of the land.* By sinners, he means evil thoughts, which he chastened with morning prayers and by standing in the presence of God. *That I might destroy out of the city of the Lord all that work iniquity.* He calls the soul the city of the Lord, according to that saying: "Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God."

*A prayer for the poor, when he is fainting, and poureth out his supplication before the Lord. CI.*

*Argument.*

^A *For my days have vanished like smoke, and my bones have withered like a firebrand.* The interpretation of these things has been given long ago, but it shall be said again. For all their power, by which the things of the legal worship consisted, was broken and perished. And these were the priesthood, the temple, the sacrifices of herd animals, and the nation’s independence to live by its own laws.

*I have become like a pelican in the wilderness.* He says this on account of the darkness that had overtaken the people; for they were ignorant of God. And what is peculiar to the pelican, except that it cries out at night, for which reason it has obtained this name? Since, therefore, he was spending the whole night in prayer, he necessarily compares himself to the pelican. ^B *I have watched and become like a sparrow alone on the housetop.* I, he says, who was not caught at the time of sin, was left so completely that I am like a single sparrow; for of such myriads of sinners, even if very many obtain salvation, they appear as one when compared to the myriads. *All the day my enemies reproached me.* I became a laughingstock to my ill-wishers; and those who formerly envied me now swear against my calamities, praying that they might not suffer the same. And that which says, *with ashes*, is similar to the eightieth [seventy-ninth] Psalm: *Thou shalt feed us with the bread of tears.* ^C If the time for taking food was full of grief, hardly any other time would be free from evils. *And those who praised me swore against me.* And friends, he says, who formerly praised me, used my calamities for an oath, saying: "May I not suffer the same things as Israel!"

*For I have eaten ashes as bread.* Either he signifies the calamities of the captivity, or the affliction with which they macerated themselves so that the people might obtain mercy.

*For you have lifted me up and cast me down.* For the people of Israel alone of all the nations was high, inasmuch as it alone had the knowledge of the true God. For, as I said, he appropriates everything that pertains to the people. ^D *My days have declined like a shadow.* He speaks of the days of its legal worship, which is also called a shadow of the good things to come. *And I have withered like grass.* The word "I" is instead of "the people," for, as I said, he attributes to himself everything that pertains to the people.

*For your servants took pleasure in its stones, and they shall have pity on its dust.* By "stones" he means those who believed in Christ after the resurrection, and became holy stones, according to the voice of Zechariah; by "servants" he means the holy apostles, through whose works those who believed in Christ were saved. By "dust" he means the peoples who are still living in a more earthly manner, and still do not believe, and he says that they too are worthy of pity. For the remnant is kept until the last day; for they too shall be saved through Elijah the prophet.

^A *And the nations shall fear the name of the Lord.* With good reason, between the account of his taking pleasure in the stones of the former people, he attaches the calling of the nations. *And all the kings of the earth your glory.* He uses "kings" to mean "kingdoms." For there is no kingdom nor nation that does not adore the glory of the Lord.

*Because the Lord shall build up Zion.* That is, the Church.

*He has looked upon the prayer of the humble.* For the prophets, humbling themselves in prayer, were saying, "And you, O Lord God of Israel, attend to visiting all the nations."

*Let this be written for another generation.* The prayer which is poured out in the psalm, and the promise regarding the nations which is prophesied, is given to the Jews as if inscribed on a pillar, so that it might be preserved for the new Israel and the generation according to Christ. *And the people that shall be created shall praise the Lord.*

*Because he has looked down from his holy height.* He sets before us the cause of the calling of the nations. And this is the appearance of our Savior Christ, which he wrought by bowing the heavens.

*To hear the groaning of those in chains.* And who are the shackled, if not those whom the hater of good, the devil, has bound with the chains of sin? *To release the sons of those who have been slaughtered.* The sons of the slaughtered would be those from the nations, since their fathers died in their own sins, still worshiping idols.

*To announce in Zion his name.* And he says this is the cause of the descent, so that the Church might learn to sing praises to his name. For this is Zion. ^B

*In the gathering of the peoples together.* Seeing through the Spirit the gathering of the nations unto the Lord, the prophets themselves prayed that they might be deemed worthy of this blessed vision and of the outcome of these things.

*He answered him in the way of his strength.* The prophetic choir is the one answering—that is, asking of God. He calls the "way of his strength" his advent upon the earth. For he came that he might bind the strong one. *Announce to me the fewness of my days.* Tell me, he says, what our life is. For he was praying to see if his life would reach those days in which the Only-Begotten was about to appear on earth having become man.

*Do not take me away in the midst of my days.* He calls "midst of his days"—that is, of his life—the time that was spent in the contemplation of the appearance. He prayed, therefore, that his full time might be completed, and if it were possible, that his life might be extended, so that he might be deemed worthy of the very outcome of events. For thus his whole life would have been filled. *In generation and generation are your years.* The prophetic choir, knowing through the Spirit that it would not reach the end of these events, says: "As for me, I shall fall asleep, being mortal; but you alone, O Master, even unto those"

generations remain, inasmuch as you yourself are God, having also created the heavens from the beginning. ^A 26, 27. *They shall perish, but you remain.* You alone, he says, O Master, possess eternity, inasmuch as you are God; but the heavens, even if they are a great and distinguished work, will nonetheless be subject to corruption. And this corruption will become for them a renewal: for they shall be rolled up, transformed into a better state. *The children of your servants shall dwell.* For when the heavens are rolled up, and a new creation comes to be, then, truly then, the children of your servants shall dwell in the eternal tabernacles; and these would be those who have believed through your holy apostles. *And their seed shall be directed forever.* The seed of the holy apostles is the evangelical and saving preaching, which remains forever. ^B

PSALM 102. Argument

1. *Bless the Lord, O my soul.* He stirs himself up to the hymn, proposing for himself an excellent remedy for salvation: to bless God. He is praised for his judging justice, in that God was about to have mercy on the people; inasmuch as he would liberate them from corruption and give them the kingdom of heaven; so that the present hymn is fitting for all. *And all that is within me, his holy name.* By "that which is within," he signifies that God must be invoked with all one's heart, with all one's strength, and with all one's mind. ^C

2. *Bless the Lord, O my soul.* He perseveres, exhorting himself to sing hymns, knowing well that this is his duty in return for the great benefits received. For he who remembers divine benefits will never cease singing this hymn. *And do not forget all his rewards.* For in place of our great sins, he has rendered to us kindness, mercy, and compassions. These are what one must not forget.

3, 4. *Who propitiates all your iniquities,* etc. These are the rewards of God conferred upon us: first, that he has made propitiation for our sins; second, that he has healed our infirmities; third, that he has redeemed our life from destruction, having removed sin from the midst; fourth, that, using his own clemency, mercy, and compassions, he has crowned us with the grace of adoption; ^D fifth, that he has filled us with spiritual goods, bestowing himself upon us as the bread of life.

5. *Your youth shall be renewed like the eagle's.* Meaning that God renews our youth like the eagle's through the regeneration. He signifies to us the grace of the resurrection. He compares those who are renewed to the eagle—a bird that is, above all others, the highest flying, the most regal, and the one that alone can steadfastly gaze upon the rays of the sun.

^A *The Lord does works of mercy and judgment for all who suffer injustice.* This Lord, he says, who bestowed upon us out of His own mercy the things aforementioned, is He who also formerly passed a just judgment, and rescued the sons of Israel from Egypt, and gave to Moses and to all the people the knowledge of His commandments.

*The Lord is compassionate and merciful.* For these things were the cause, both formerly and now, of such a benefit, as Moses also said: The Lord is long-suffering, and of great mercy, and true; doing mercy unto thousands. ^B He made known these His powers, therefore, to Moses, which are called ways and virtues whereby He administers all things. *He will not be angry for ever.* Even if He was angry, he says, because of the transgression in Adam, and condemned the race to death, yet He does not extend His wrath for ever; for He shone forth in the last times for the destruction of corruption.

*For He Himself knew our frame.* For as His own frame and the works of His hands, He had compassion on us.

*But the mercy of the Lord is from eternity.* Similar to that: *And doing mercy unto thousands to them that fear me.*

*And His righteousness unto children’s children to them that keep His covenant.* For being holy, He rests in the holy ones, clearly meaning the angelic powers.

*The Lord has prepared His throne in heaven.* He rests, he says, among the spirits above; yet not even things on earth ^C are separated from His kingdom. For He Himself is the one who rules over all as God. *And His kingdom shall have dominion over all.* It is said that He has dominion over all, but does not reign over all, since not all are worthy of His kingdom. Wherefore, to those who perfect the evangelical life, the Savior promised the kingdom of heaven. Yet the Lord also holds sway over those who are worthy.

*Bless the Lord, all ye His angels.* He teaches the people who approach in faith that he who applies himself to the hymn will have the same dignity as the angels. For if this is their ministry, to praise and glorify God, and the soul is commanded to do this very same thing—since it is said to glorify God always—it is manifest that it attains the same dignity. For those who have the same practice, theirs is also the same dignity. ^D

*Bless the Lord, all ye His powers.* Not only angels are called to praise, but also if there is any other heavenly order, whether thrones, or principalities, or powers, or dominions. All these orders He has indicated to us through the powers.

Of David, upon the creation of the world. Without title among the Hebrews. CIII. Argument. After having taught through the preceding psalm the people who acce

accept ^A the faith to offer hymns to God, through the present one he teaches them, and demonstrates how great a matter His providence over all things is. For He provides not only for celestial and aerial things, but indeed also for earthly ones and the very smallest of those therein; so that He neglects not even the most insignificant of animals, but provides for them as well.

*Bless the Lord, O my soul.* He teaches the soul to bless God for His great providence, even as [he taught it] in the preceding [psalm] concerning the deliverance from sins. *O Lord my God, Thou art magnified exceedingly.* Looking toward Thy providence, O Master, we magnify the greatness of Thy providence, being struck with astonishment. For thus does He clothe our confession and comeliness—that is, the praise offered with doxology—as if with a garment. ^B

2. *Covering Thyself with light as with a garment.* From the intelligible light he begins to weave the hymn to Him. And as it is said in another place that He dwells in unapproachable light, here He is said to be clothed with this same light.

3. *Who stretchest out the heaven like a curtain.* This is set forth as the second work of providence, that the heaven should be stretched out like some expanse in the hands of a craftsman. He indicates both the form and the ease of the One who created it. For just as it is easy for a man to stretch out a skin, so it is for God to create the heaven which did not exist. At the same time He also hinted at another sublime thought: that we are journeying toward another life, and that the present things are a shadow of things to come, and that we have not yet arrived at the holy of holies, but are still in a tent ^C in the present life. For the tent is for those who are being dissolved. And after a few words: Thus, when the heaven is changed, there will be another way of life and a lot better than the present one. For the heaven will be new and the earth new. But let us hear what the prophets say about the heaven, so that we may stop the mouths of those who have great confidence in their beards, who, speaking whatever comes into their minds, say that there is even a heaven beneath the earth; against whom the Prophet standing by used to say: *Who stretchest out the heaven like a curtain.* The curtain is not some sphere, as they babble; but it is similar to some hemisphere. Which, therefore, another prophet, explaining, said: *He who set up the heaven as a vault, and stretched it out like a tent to dwell in upon the earth.* And again, that *it is not shaken, but stands fixed.* So says the prophet: *He who fixed the heaven.* And demonstrating its attenuation to the highest degree, he said: *The heaven ^D was established like smoke.* *Who covereth His upper chambers with waters.* He shows that the abundance of waters is not carried about in the air in vain, but that He Himself governs the matter with a certain providence, so that by the harmony and position of the clouds, the parts of the heavens appear to be covered.

4. *Who placest the clouds as His ascent.* As if he were to say more clearly: Who extends His providence even unto the clouds themselves; for he has put "ascent" in place of "providence." *Who walkest upon the wings of the winds.* He declares

^A that the rush of the winds is not borne along at random; rather, He Himself is, as it were, their charioteer, by riding upon their wings. *Who makest His angels spirits.* He says that He makes the angels light and lofty. *And His ministers a flaming fire.* Thus did Moses see the angel speaking to him in the flame of fire. *Who foundest the earth upon its stability.* After showing the providence of the Creator in the heavens, he proceeds to His providence concerning earthly things. This means that, firm and heavy though it is, He founded it upon a moist substance.

*6, 7. Abyss as a garment is His covering.* He speaks here of the earthly element. He says that He clothed the earth with the abyss as with a garment, surrounding it entirely on the outside with water. *Upon the mountains shall the waters stand,* etc. He says that the waters of the abyss rise up like mountains and, as it were, threaten to overwhelm the earth; but at Thy nod and by Thy power, which is manifested also by the thundering, they withdraw. Or perhaps he says that the thunders occur for this reason: so that the waters of the abyss may be seized by a certain fear from what is happening. And if those [inanimate] things endure this, it is much more necessary that we should undergo such a state.

*8, 9. The mountains go up and the plains go down.* He says that the waters, when they are lifted up, might be compared to mountains; but when they are settled again by the fear of Thee, the earth becomes, as it were, a plain and level ground. For ^B Thou hast founded a place for them, which they cannot transcend. And this is that which is said: *Thou hast set a boundary which they shall not pass over.* Therefore, they are not able to inundate the earth. Similar to this is that which was said by the prophet to the sea: *Thus far shalt thou stand, and thou shalt not pass over.* But *thy waves shall break within thyself.*

*10. Through the midst of the mountains the waters shall pass.* ^C He proceeds, praising the providence in its details, and marvels at the goodness combined with wisdom, and at God’s concern for the preservation of irrational animals; for having created them, He also feeds and waters them. Therefore, having cleft the mountains, He fashioned a passage for the waters.

*11. They shall water all the beasts of the field.* He provides for irrational animals, both creeping things and wild beasts, in such a way as to supply even to these what is useful for life. *The wild donkeys shall wait for their thirst.* And this is also a work of Thy providence: that water should be given not only for the sake of the times around the torrents in the ravines and low-lying places, but indeed also through the midst of the mountains, so that the tamer of the wild animals might flee thither and rest in season.

*13. Watering the mountains from His upper rooms.* He waters the mountains and plains not from the fountains that are in the ravines, or from rivers flowing upon the earth, but by granting the sufficient rains from above. ^D

^A From the fruit of your works shall the earth be satisfied. Just as He gave the abundance of waters, so also did He prepare it to be nourished from the earth. 14, 15. Bringing forth grass for the cattle, and herb for the service of men. He calls "service of men" the tame animals, such as the ox, the ass, and the like. That you may bring forth bread out of the earth. Therefore, he says, You took care of the cattle, so that through them as they do the plowing, we might find the necessities for life. For He bestows all those benefits for our sake. 16, 17. The trees of the field shall be satisfied. He declares that the trees which grow in the woods, for example cedars and others, are to be increased by His will. These things were made also for other certain purposes of which we have experience, and for the nests of sparrows. The house of the heron is their leader. He says that the nest of the heron is the leader or guide for the sparrows themselves, because they nest in the highest chosen trees, generally in the firs, which are the most elevated of all trees.

^B The high mountains for the harts. And to the harts, he says, He has given the mountains as a refuge, in order to escape from the fiercer beasts. The rock a refuge for the rabbits. Just as He gave the mountains for the salvation of the harts, so also He gave the recesses of the rocks to the rabbits or conies. Wherefore, having obtained safety, they—as was said above—shall give voices from the midst of the rocks, evidently offering praise to the One who saves them.

He made the moon for seasons. He returns again to the providence that appears in the heavens. He says that the moon was made for no other reason than for the numbering and distinguishing of months and days. The sun has known his going down. Being obedient to His divine command also.

^C You have set darkness and it became night. He says this so that we might not think that there is one creator of the day and another of the night. Man shall go out to his work. Men were prevented from going out along the roads toward the cultivation of the earth, but now they go out at night seeking food from God, since the earth does not produce grass or herb for them.

24, 25. How magnified are your works, O Lord. After he finished the discourse concerning providence, he now turns to celebrate Him who created these things, preparing here a rest for the ears. Then he advances to another part of providence, narrating the transit through the moist nature, which never could have taken place had it not been governed by the providence of God. In wisdom You have made all things. It is a wonderful thing, that He is also the Wisdom through which the Lord made all things; ^D for Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

This dragon which You have formed to play with him. He introduced the mention of the dragon into the discourse concerning the sea; he says it was produced for no other reason than to be played with. And rightly indeed does he mention this in the discourse about the sea, because our whole life is as it were

^A a certain salinity, agitated on all sides and moved by fierce waves.

27, 28. "All things expect from you." For whether humans, or herds of wild beasts, or of cattle, or of reptiles, they could in no way be nourished unless He Himself supplied things necessary for their sustenance.

29. "You will take away their spirit, and they shall fail." He shows through these things that He Himself is the Lord of death and of life.

31. "The Lord shall rejoice in his works." And what is His work? That which He wrought, renewing our nature. For he signifies through these words the knowledge of God that is to be for men, when God will rejoice, not only in being worshipped, but in seeing them having obtained salvation.

32. "He who looks upon the earth and makes it tremble." He subjoins the universal judgment, which will strike terror into all those upon the earth. For there is no one who does not fear that ^B dreadful and divine tribunal. "He who touches the mountains, and they smoke." By mountains he says the opposing powers, which He will burn up at the time of judgment, of which the smoke is the symbol.

34. "May my discourse be pleasing to Him." Discourse, instead of, my choice. And he says what it is that he has chosen, namely, to desire only to hymn God, which is also pleasing to Him who is hymned.

35. "Let sinners fail from the earth." In that time, clearly. For they shall hear: "Depart from me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." "And the lawless, so that they may not exist." Clearly, they shall fail from the portion of those who bless God. "Bless the Lord, O my soul." For He Himself will remove them from the lot of the wicked, and ^C make them worthy to be counted among the holy.

Alleluia. CIV.

Argument

Alleluia signifies: praise to the Invisible One. And it is said that angels praise God with this voice, just as the cherubim [praise Him] with that: “Holy, holy, holy.” And this the holy Fathers have handed down, having been hearers themselves, just as Isaiah heard [it from] the seraphim. But Alleluia is divided thus: *al*, God; *el*, strong; *uia*, robust. ^D

1, 2. "Confess to the Lord and call upon His name, announce among the gentiles His works." In this psalm the Holy Spirit commands the holy apostles to manifest to the people of the gentiles all the wondrous works which the Lord performed during His advent.

3, 4. "Be praised in His holy name." For praise and glory belong to those who recount the virtue of God. "Let the heart of those who seek the Lord rejoice." He teaches what great benefit comes from confession. For if, he says, those who seek...

and teaches. For if you seek Him, he says, there shall come to you both joy of mind, and the strengthening and glorification of our head. ^A

5. *Remember His marvelous works which He has done.* He says "which He has done" in the presence of signs, whether those in the New Testament, or those in the Old Testament through Moses and the holy men before him. For they too performed many miracles through the Son of God. These things He commands their heralds to deliver to the Gentiles, as they are ignorant of them, alongside the things that came to pass through the Savior in the New Testament, and whatever His mouth has decreed through both the Old and the New Scripture. Commands them to keep them as royal laws. *His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth.* "Wonders," that is, the miracles wrought by Him, such as walking upon the sea, raising the dead, and the like; but "judgments of His mouth" are the words He spoke, casting out unclean demons from men, or the commandments of the New Testament. ^B

6. *O seed of Abraham His servants, children of Jacob His chosen ones.* The speech is still directed to the apostles, so that the meaning is: "As being the seed of Abraham and His servants, and children of Jacob and His chosen ones" (for He chose them), "proclaim among the Gentiles that He Himself is the Lord our God."

13. *And they passed from nation to nation.* From the nation of the Babylonians to the Palestinians.

14. *And He rebuked kings for their sakes.* Abimelech, regarding his insolence toward Sarah.

15. *Touch not My anointed.* They are called "anointed," those around Abraham, because they were deemed worthy of the manifestations of the Son of God in visions.

16. *And He called for a famine upon the land.* He economically caused the famine to occur, so that because of it, having gone down into Egypt and having multiplied, they might receive the land of promise. *And He broke all the support of bread.* This is accustomed to happen by the wrath of God during famines, that men, even when eating, are not strengthened by food.

18. *Until His word came.* He refers to the fulfillment of the dreams. He says, therefore, that until this time he suffered these evils and wept his peril of life, until the time of the dreams arrived to fulfill them. ^{C D}

22. *To instruct His princes as Himself.* Similar is the passage: "Is not the explanation of them through God?" For he would not have solved the dreams for Pharaoh, had not God granted him the ability to understand them.

23. *And Israel entered into Egypt, and Jacob dwelt in the land of Cham.* The sons of Noah: Shem, Cham, Japheth. But the son of Cham was Chanaan. And his son Mestraim is interpreted as "Egypt," from whom the region also took its name. When, therefore, Jacob entered into Egypt, it is likely that Cham, being the grandfather of Mestraim, dwelt in Egypt, while Chanaan was living in Palestine. Through

^A Israel and Jacob, who entered into Egypt, his children are also indicated. For the Scripture says that Israel descended into Egypt with seventy souls. And Jacob was a sojourner in the land of Cham. Cham begat Chanaan, and Chanaan begat Mestraim, which is interpreted as Egypt. Wherefore he calls Egypt the land of Cham, as belonging to the offspring of Cham.

And he greatly increased his people. So that Pharao, he who knew not Joseph, said: Behold, now the nation is numerous, and is mightier than we. For they would not have increased and become so powerful had they not obtained the protection of Joseph and the favor of Pharao.

And he turned his heart ^B to hate his people. Because, having been held in honor by the Egyptians, they had fallen into the same idolatry as them, for this reason he caused them to be hated and heavy labors to be laid upon them, that, being afflicted, they might take refuge in God, and that there might be room for the fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham.

He sent Moses his servant, etc. For it was only to those around Moses and Aaron that he revealed by word the sign of the turning of the waters into blood, and the other signs.

He sent darkness and made it dark. Because the Egyptians, having abandoned the Creator, were worshipping the creation, for this reason he punished them by the very creation—by the air, I mean, and fire, and earth, and water.

He turned their waters into blood. For he changed not only the color ^C of the waters, but also the very quality of their taste; so that all the species of fish perished.

Alleluia. CV. Argument.

In this psalm he recounts the sins of the former people, teaching how their rejection came about. These sins are: first, that they provoked him at the Red Sea, saying, "Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou brought us here to destroy us?" (Exod. XIV, 11); second, that they tempted God in the wilderness; third, that they provoked Moses in the camp; fourth, that they made a calf in Choreb; fifth, that they set at naught the desirable land; sixth, that they were initiated into Beelphegor; seventh, that they provoked him at the waters of contradiction; ^D eighth, that they did not destroy the nations which the Lord told them to, but even worshipped idols, so that they brought their children as a sacrifice to them.

Confitemini Domino quoniam bonus... Blessed are they that keep judgment, etc. For these alone are worthy to declare the powers of the Lord, who do those things that are ordained by God in the Scriptures, and perform all things with judgment and reason, and always hold the judgment of God before their eyes. For these are they who

^A in accordance with this, are also workers of righteousness, performing what is just in deed. *Remember us, O Lord, in the good pleasure of thy people.* From this point the person of the Jews is introduced, praying to be permitted to share in the salvation given to the nations.

*The water covered those who afflicted them.* That is, of the persecutors; for the mixed multitude that departed with them was not of the persecutors, but of the believers. 12, 13. *And they believed in his word, and praised his praise.* For because, on account of the kindness of God, the waves were added in the Red Sea, straightway they who believed sang to Him the canticle placed in Exodus. Afterwards, however, they delivered all things to oblivion. *And praised his praise.* When the choral dancers went out with Mary, saying: *Let us sing to the Lord, for he is gloriously magnified* ^B. 14. *And they tempted God in the waterless place.* This, *they tempted God in the waterless place,* signifies that they provoked Him immediately after the crossing of the Red Sea. 20. *And they changed their glory into the likeness of a calf that eateth grass.* God was their glory, whom they abandoned and worshipped the calf. 25. *If Moses his chosen had not stood in the breach.* When he said: *If thou wilt forgive them their sin, forgive; but if not, blot me out of thy book which thou hast written* ^C. 24. *And they set at naught the desirable land.* This is the fifth accusation after the others: concerning the Red Sea, the desert, the provocation against Moses, and the calf in Horeb. For the spies having returned, speaking evil of the land, led the others astray with them, except Jesus the son of Nave and Caleb the son of Jephone. 25. *And they murmured in their tents.* When the spies returning turned aside the mind of the people. 28. *And they were initiated to Beelphegor.* This is an idol of the Ammonites, called Saturn among the Greeks. 30. *And Phinees stood and made atonement.* When he slew the Madianite woman with the one who had committed fornication. The discourse teaches us how much the piety of one man toward God can achieve. 39. *And they committed fornication in their practices.* These things the books ^D of Judges and Kings teach, as they were delivered at different times to different peoples—to Moabites, Ammonites, Amalekites, Madianites, and aliens—being instructed by the tradition. 41. *And they who hated them ruled over them.* Babylonians and Assyrians prevailed over the Israelites because of their lawlessness. 42. *He often delivered them.* But they provoked Him in their counsel. He, indeed, was sweet to them out of philanthropy, but they forced Him to appear harsh to themselves. And again He saved them as a Savior; but they perished, entangling themselves in pernicious deeds, until, having repeated them often, they perished utterly. That is, "often," similar to "How often."

^A have I desired to gather thy children?" But the phrase "And they were humbled in their iniquities," corresponds to "And ye would not." For when He had sent the chastisement, He dealt mercifully with them again, but they rendered evil things in return.

46. And He gave them into the mercies in the sight of all those who had taken them captive. This He says on account of Cyrus, who released them from captivity, and Darius and Artaxerxes, who even gave money for the construction of the Temple.

*Alleluia. CVI.*

1-2. Confess to the Lord, for He is good. After the rejection of the Jewish people, it opportunely declares the calling of the nations accomplished through the apostles. Wherefore He bids them praise God and confess to Him because of His great mercy.

3. From the risings and the settings, and from the north and the sea. And who are those gathered from the four corners of the inhabited world, if not all the nations that were formerly void of piety and religion, not even receiving a divine drop, but afflicted by great thirst?

4. The way of a city of habitation they found not. For they had no righteous way of life, but were in great error.

5. Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them. For they did not have the bread that strengthens a man's heart, nor the living water, concerning which it has been said: "He who drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst ^B forever."

7. And He led them into a straight path. To faith in Himself, that is. For He Himself said: "I am the way." That they might go into a city of habitation. He speaks of the Church, or the heavenly Jerusalem.

8-9. Let them confess to the Lord His mercies... for He satisfied an empty soul. And what is that soul, if not that of those concerning whom it is said: "Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them"? And He satisfied the hungry soul with good things; with the intelligible bread, that is to say.

10. Sitting in darkness and the shadow of death. You would not be wrong if you called the shadow of death idolatry and the deeds done in godlessness; for these are the things that separate us from the true life. In these we were formerly, for we were provoking God and irritating the counsel of the Most High. For it is necessary from the greatness and beauty of created things to contemplate the Maker of all, and to understand His everlasting power and divinity from the creation of the world; but we, as if blind, ^C dwelling in darkness and the shadow of death, and being bound and blinded in the rational powers of the soul, exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of a corruptible man, and of birds and four-footed beasts.

Bound in poverty and iron. By the chains of their own sins each one is tightened, destitute of every good and honest thing.

11. *For they rebelled against the words of God.* ^A Since they did not welcome the divine law at all, but gave themselves up to be instructed by the wise men of this world. *And they provoked the counsel of the Most High.* And what was the counsel of the Most High, save that He himself wills all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth?

12. *They were weakened, and there was none to help.* For no one was able to effect the destruction of sin.

13. *And he saved them out of their distresses.* For what greater distress is there than for one to be a slave to evil spirits in ignorance of God, and in poverty of soul, and in the destitution of wickedness?

14. *And he broke their bonds.* This term "broke" signifies the sudden destruction of sin.

15-16. *Let them confess to the Lord his mercies.* He repeats the same things a second time regarding His benefits. *Because he has broken the gates of bronze.* ^B He signifies the descent of the Saviour to Hades, upon reaching which, He opened the gates of Hades, which had long been closed to all by unbreakable bonds. For there was no power for those who wished to return; but He himself said to those in bonds: "Come forth," and to those in darkness: "Be uncovered."

18. *Their soul abhorred all food.* For there was no word present which could nourish them. But the gates of death are the sins which lead to death.

22. *And let them sacrifice to him a sacrifice of praise.* He ^C turns his speech to the holy apostles; for they are the ones who have delivered the mysteries of the New Testament to us.

33. *He turned rivers into a desert.* He speaks of the stubborn and reprobate race of the Jews. For He settled those who had long been wasting away with famine and lacking spiritual food beside those rivers.

34. *A fruitful land into salt.* He speaks of the synagogue of the Jews. For demons were the inhabitants of that earthly polity, and impiety made it fruitful. But the apostles dried it up with the salt of doctrine, concerning whom it says: "You are the salt of the earth."

35. *He turned a desert into pools of water.* He signifies the people ^D from the Gentiles; for the prophecy is mixed, bringing in the persona of both peoples: the rejection of the one, and the introduction of the other.

36. *And he established cities for habitation.* A good, that is to say, and heavenly polity.

37. *And he sowed fields and planted vineyards.* You will understand the fields from the One who said: "A sower went out to sow his seed"; and the vineyards as the Churches, as it is written: "The vines have blossomed, they have given their fragrance."

38. *And he did not diminish their cattle.* He calls "cattle" those who are more irrational in the Church, according to that which is said: "I became as a beast of burden before you," and, "Men and cattle you will save, O Lord."

^A 59. "And they became few." In the former people, clearly. 40. "Contempt was poured out upon their princes." He refers to the Scribes and Pharisees. "And he made them wander in a pathless place, and not in the way." They wander, he says, because they did not know Him who said, "I am the way." 41. "And he helped the poor in poverty." And who is the poor one, if not he of whom it was said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit"? "And he made families like sheep." He says he accounted as his own the flocks gathered together from all the families. 42. "The upright shall see it and be glad." And who are the upright, if not those of whom it was said, "But blessed are your eyes, because they see"? "And all iniquity shall stop her mouth." God is the one who justifies; who is he who condemns?

I. Canticle of the PSALM to David himself. CVII. Argument.

In this psalm also, the advent of the Lord to the nations is proclaimed. Since all the verses of the present psalm have already been explained in the preceding psalms, it would be superfluous to use the same ones again for the interpretation of those now before us.

2. "My heart is ready, O God." In this psalm, too, the advent of the Lord to the nations is proclaimed. We have already provided the interpretation of these verses in psalm fifty-nine.

5. "Awake, my glory." His glory is the contemplative and practical habit according to which he is inclined toward moral and ministerial virtue. ^B

"For your mercy is great beyond the heavens." So great is your mercy that it transcends the height of heaven, and everywhere the rays of your truth shoot forth, watering the earth through the drops of the prophets, apostles, and teachers.

6. "Be exalted above the heavens, O God." From the beginning until the current expression, this is the same as in the fifty-sixth psalm, and from this point to the end, it is the same as in the fifty-ninth. And what was appropriate has already been said.

8. "I shall be exalted and shall divide Sichem." He promised to divide the excellent and most precious things of the Jews among the nations and to distribute them as an inheritance. For, as a good father, he rejoices in receiving and possessing many sons. ^C He speaks these things figuratively and by means of an enigma and obscurely. For this place, Sichem or Sichima, was situated in the valley of the nations: in which Jacob dwelt with his children when he had come up from Mesopotamia. There, Emor the son of Sichem, having become enamored by the beauty of the maiden Dina, daughter of Jacob, raped and defiled her. The sons of Jacob, having encountered him, slaughtered him with all his people. Thus Sichima, the valley of tents, devolved into the possession of the patriarch. Therefore, when Jacob was dividing the land to his sons, ^D he gave this place to Joseph as a choice lot; because, being young, he had not been a participant in that crime with his brothers. And for this reason he...

promises to divide it, in order that you may understand symbolically that the choice inheritance of the new Joseph, the Christ, is to be divided among the Gentiles. ^A

To the end, A PSALM of David. Argument.

The present psalm signifies the sufferings of Christ, as well as the punishments to be exacted from Judas and the Jewish people themselves. Moreover, whatever is said in this psalm in the optative mood must be understood to have been spoken prophetically. For instance, when he says: *Let the devil stand at his right hand*, it is as if he were saying: He shall stand. For he is not praying that this may come to pass, but he is predicting what is bound to happen because of his own wickedness; and this is to be said in like manner regarding the others. "May they have," he says, "those who slander them, and may they not depart from them." But if they are judged, may they be condemned by them. ^B Indeed, even if they should call upon you, he says, in the time of distress, may it be reckoned to them as sin, with the memory of what they have sinned being recalled. Shorten their days, so that, while they themselves are still living and seeing, another may snatch away the dignity which they never truly possessed. Then also remove them from the midst, so that their calamity may descend to their descendants; so that their sons may be orphans, and their wife may be afflicted with widowhood; and so that their sons, being dragged and seized by force, may pay the penalty for the crimes of their fathers.

2. *O God, do not pass over my praise.* However much the Churches of Christ may be multiplied and arise throughout the world, God praises His Son in them. Christ says, therefore, to the Father: Even if Judas, when he betrayed me, seemed to himself to hinder my praise, yet do you praise me, and bear witness to my divinity, which Judas did not believe, ^C when he betrayed me. *Because the mouth of the sinner and the mouth of the deceitful man have been opened against me.* The "sinner" is the devil; for he is the sinner against the truth: the "deceitful man" is Judas; for both spoke against Christ.

3, 4, 5: *In return for my loving, they slandered me... and they set against me evil for good, etc.* Some words are of love, others of hatred, and others belong to neither. For he was flattering Him as a master, and with deceit he was striving to betray the Master.

6. *Appoint a sinner over him.* The "sinner" himself is the inventor of sin, Satan; but the word "appoint" is put for "it shall come to pass that he is appointed." And "over him," over whom if not the traitor Judas? *And let the devil stand at his right hand.* In Zechariah also it is written: *And the Lord showed me Jesus the high priest, standing before the face of the angel of the Lord, and the devil stood at his right hand to oppose him.* And he does not oppose ^D Judas.

7. *When he is judged, let him go forth condemned.* In the future, he says, tribunal he will have no argument of defense. *And let his prayer become sin.* There are some whose very prayer turns into sin, as, for example, that of the Gentiles, who pour forth prayers to idols or to the creature; and of the Jews, who do not pray through Jesus Chri-

Christ; also of ^A heretics who pray to a god who does not truly exist; and those who pray with anger and alien thoughts or a double mind, for their prayer becomes sin.

8. *Let his days be few.* For immediately after the betrayal, he handled himself with a noose and departed, and was seen no more. *And let another take his office.* He speaks concerning Matthias, who was chosen for the rank of the apostles for the sake of justice.

9, 10. *Let his children be fatherless.* His children are his thoughts; for they became fatherless by the grace of Christ. His wife is his soul, for she too became a widow, having fallen away from Christ through her iniquity. *Let his children be vagabonds and beg.* For his thoughts, which we said are his children, having become wanderers from Christ, stretched out their hand to money on account of avarice, like needy ^B and begging people.

14. *Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord.* The iniquity, that is, of his people; for he joins the lawless people to the betrayer. By the iniquity of the fathers, he means that they killed the prophets, according to the word spoken by the Lord: that all the righteous blood shed from Abel unto Zechariah the prophet shall be required of this generation. *And let the sin of his mother not be blotted out.* By the mother of the wicked people, you should understand that evil synagogue, which often provoked God to anger.

15. *Let them be before the Lord continually; and let their memory be cut off from the earth.* Since, he says, God has always watched all his evil deeds, He will in no wise have mercy upon him, just as He will not have mercy upon all those who have not believed. For he is not speaking of Judas alone, since he speaks in the plural, *their memory*. One might say in another way that the fathers of Judas are indicated, those who sired him for the betrayal. These would be they who urged him on through silver. And the first of them is Satan, who cast [thought] into his heart, as well as the princes of this world, endowed with [worldly] wisdom, of whom Paul says: *For if they had known, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory.* ^C *And let their memory be cut off from the earth.* The memory of Judas, that is; or in another way, the memory of those princes who stood together against Christ. For indeed, their seed did not remain for their memory.

16. *Because he did not remember to show mercy.* He did not wish, he says, to receive the mercy which the Father gave to men, and to those very sheep that had perished out of Israel. For he has used *to do* in place of *to receive*.

17. *And he persecuted the man, the poor and the needy.* He says this of the Lord Himself, who became poor though He was rich, that we might become rich by His poverty. *And to slay the broken in heart.* ^D That is, the one who is grieving; for He was grieving for their own destruction. This one, then, who because of his...

grief for them they sought to put to death.

18, 19. *And he loved cursing... and he put on cursing like a garment.* Since, he says, they depart from blessing me and curse me every day; for the children of the Jews do this even to this day; for this reason all the things aforementioned shall come to pass for them. *And it entered like water into his inward parts.* For not only from without do the surrounding evils beset us, but inwardly as well. *And like oil in his bones.* For oil has a stable moisture. He calls it a flood of evils; for water denotes vehemence, while oil denotes stability. With these evils, he says, let him be covered as with a garment, and let him be girded as with a girdle. ^B

20. *This is the work of those who slander me before the Lord, and those who speak evil against my soul.* These fruits they shall receive, those who conceived hatred against me, and the traitor who ministered to them. For since they called Him an adversary of God and a lawbreaker, he rightly says: *Of those who slander me before the Lord.*

21. *And Thou, O Lord, O Lord, do with me for Thy name’s sake.* And these things also the Lord Christ speaks according to His humanity. For He fulfilled all things human, except sin. For He was born according to the law of nature. For to be born of a woman is of human nature; but to be born of a Virgin is above human nature. He admitted swaddling clothes and circumcision, and nourishment from milk; He offered sacrifices, He fasted, He hungered, He thirsted, He was weary; and so it is written that He prayed continually in the holy Gospels. And here too, in human fashion, He calls for divine help.

22. *Deliver me, for I am poor and needy.* This also we find said by Him in the holy Gospels. For when He was about to approach His Passion, He said: *Now is My soul troubled. And what shall I say? Father, save Me from this hour. Abba, for this cause I came to this hour.* ^C

23. *I have been removed like a shadow when it declines.* In a manner similar to a declining shadow, I received the end of my life. But I also lived my life like locusts carried about by the winds, having no city, no village, no house, but wandering hither and thither to other places and to the mountains, and sometimes running into the desert. ^D

25. *They looked at Me and shook their heads.* He says this because when He was on the cross, they shook their heads and said: *Thou that destroyest the temple, save Thyself.*

27. *And let them know that this is Thy hand.* By "hand" here He means the work which He performed in raising Himself from the dead.

28. *Let them curse, and Thou shalt bless; let those who rise up against Me be put to shame.* For all were put to shame, there being for them neither priest, nor

^A altar, nor rationale, according to the Prophet’s voice. *But Thy servant shall be glad.* Nor does this word compel us to take it to another subject, since Paul says: *But He emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant;* and Isaiah: *Thus saith the Lord who formed Me from the womb to be His servant;* and He Himself says in the Gospels: *The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister.*

29. *Let those who defame Me be clothed with shame.* For what kind of shame is there not for the Jews? They see their own holy things razed from the foundations; but the sepulcher of Him who was despised and crucified by them is adored, and His Churches are everywhere in the world growing so much in headcount and in glory. ^B

30. *I will give thanks to the Lord greatly within my mouth.* Confession signifies the thanksgiving which the Son renders through the nations. *And in the midst of many I will praise Him.* For through the Church He praises the Father.

PSALM CIX

1. *The Lord said to my Lord: Sit Thou at My right hand.* By these words He signifies the generation of the Lord according to the flesh, and His evangelical word, which dominates all nations, and His ascension into the heavens, which the psalm describes by saying: *The Lord said to my Lord: Sit Thou at My right hand.*

*Until I make Thine enemies the footstool of Thy feet.* And who the enemies are, the Apostle declares when he cries out: *When He shall have brought to naught all principality and power and the rulers of the world, last of all enemies, death shall be brought to naught.*

2. *The Lord shall send forth the rod of strength to Thee out of Zion.* He refers to the evangelical word that was sent forth, which also mastered all the enemies.

*With Thee is the beginning in the day of Thy strength.* ^C It signifies by these words either the time of judgment, in which by divine power He will judge all, coming with His holy angels; or the time of His birth, which is also called the day of strength. For with Thee is the beginning. For He dominates the universe even though He has become man. *In the splendors of Thy saints.* The phrase, *In the splendors of Thy saints*, signifies nothing other than those choirs of holy angels, crying out on the night in which Christ was born: *Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace.*

*From the womb before the morning star I have begotten Thee.* See how the Father appropriates to Himself the generation of the Only-Begotten according to the flesh. For the Father says to the Son: *Before this visible world and the birth of the radiant light, I have begotten Thee.* Not that God has a womb; but because things that are genuine, and not spurious, are accustomed to spring from the womb of the first-born. ^D

4. *The Lord swore, and He will not repent.* [alt-version omitted]

^A The oath of God is His Word, which renders the hearers certain and gives faith to each one that what He promises and speaks will by all means come to pass. For God does not swear as a man; but His Word serves us instead of an oath for truth, as the Unchangeable One of all things that are to be, according to the promise of the covenant. *You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.* Because Melchizedek was not anointed into the priesthood with oil, as Aaron was, and because he did not offer sacrifices through blood, and because he was a high priest of the nations, and because he blessed Abraham by bread and wine.

5. *The Lord at Your right hand has shattered kings in the day of His wrath.* He calls the time of judgment the day of wrath, in which He will shatter those who formerly reigned over men by the deception of demons, confining them within the abyss.

6. *He shall judge among the nations, He shall fill them with ruins.* He says that in the time of judgment, when He punishes the nations of unclean demons, He will show them to be full of ruins—that is, of the punishments to be inflicted in the lower parts of the earth. *He shall shatter the heads over the land of many.* This is similar to what was said by Him through Isaiah: *And I have cast their blood to the earth.*

7. *He shall drink of the brook in the way.* The Scripture terms the temptation a brook. By "way," He signifies the descent of His journey toward earth, in which He endured the passion, or that He descends through the brook. *Therefore shall He lift up His head.* Therefore, for what reason if not because He suffered in the flesh? Similar also is that which is said: *He humbled Himself, becoming obedient even unto death.*

PSALM CX. Alleluia.

1. *I will confess to You, O Lord, with my whole heart.* This present psalm is introduced in the person of the apostles, who recount how great and what kind of works were performed in the economy of the Savior. These things teach the new people, while at the same time they give thanks for their own salvation; on account of which "Alleluia" is inscribed. ^C *In the counsel of the upright and the congregation.* By the "counsel of the upright," He means the people of the new synagogue in contrast to the people of the old synagogue. For that one was not upright, inasmuch as it had always wandered in its heart.

2. *The works of the Lord are great, sought out for all His wills.* In the congregation of the upright, all the wills of God are sought out. For there is not one of the commandments given by Him that the congregation of the upright does not search out and fulfill, ^D always, of course, striving to fulfill His will.

3. *Confession and magnificence is His work.* He calls the works, which He performed in the economy, "work." Let them be praised, inasmuch as they are magnificent. *And His justice remains to the ages.* He calls the evangelical word "justice," because He set forth salvation equally to all men.

4. *The Lord is merciful and compassionate.* Of old, indeed, He promised through His prophets that in the time of the economy

He would perform wonders; and these same things He willed to fulfill. And what were the things He promised? "Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened," and the rest of the signs. Indeed, not only these, but also the calling of all the nations, which He accomplished both by word and by deed. *He has given food to them that fear Him.* He means the intelligible bread, which descended from heaven. *He shall be mindful forever of His covenant.* [He means] the covenant with Abraham: "In thee shall all the nations be blessed." *The power of His works.* The apostolic chorus, he says, proclaimed to the people called to the faith the power of Christ's works—that is, the very works which He always performs by His own power. Alleluia. Of the return of Haggai and Zechariah.

PSALM CXI

PSALM CXII. ALLELUIA. ARGUMENT

^A has been taken up, and is at the right hand of the Father, nonetheless, in this way too, all the earth is full of Him and enjoys His visitation. 7. *Who raiseth up the needy from the earth.* That is to say, the people of the nations. 9. *Who maketh the barren woman to dwell in a house.* Barren was the multitude of the nations, which also became a spiritual house, inasmuch as it had the Lord as its inhabitant. She became, moreover, a mother of many children with joy. For her children were saved through faith in Christ. There is also, moreover, a distinction between her and the Synagogue, in that the Synagogue did not rejoice over her children, inasmuch as they were delivered over to destruction.

PSALM CXIII. Alleluia.

Argument.

1. *Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory.* It seems to foreshadow the fall of the people from circumcision, and to hand over to them a prayer for confession, as they no longer have the divine power looking over them. He teaches them to say: "We indeed are unworthy of the grace of which every nation has been counted worthy. But for the sake of Thy name which from the beginning was invoked upon us, do this." But [pray] that Thou mayest not give to us a retribution of Thy justice, Thou who truly art God, and not as the idols, wherefore he subjoins:

^A "The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the works of the hands of men." In certain copies, these have the beginning of another psalm, so that this is the one hundred and fourteenth. We, however, following the Hebrew [text], place these as part of the one hundred and thirteenth. For the children are instructed to whom He said: "Praise the Lord, O you children"; that is, the new people. Which Lord is it proper to praise? The very One who brought about such wonders over those from Egypt, after they learned what kind of gods these were of old. For the idols not only had nothing in common with the God who performs miracles, but they were not even equal to the lowest of living beings which share in sensation. For those are works of God, but these are works of human art. And they are taught to say: "May those who make them become like them." Not that they are cursing men [by wishing them evil]. But we learn what the end of idolatry is. For those who give their mind over to idols as if they lacked sensation, differ in nothing from them according to their mind. Such deep harm do the hidden snares of demons cause them.

"May those who make them become like them. They will go to their destruction in this way, as [will] their wealth and those who store it up."

"The house of Israel hoped in the Lord." By these things, the nations say that, just as He saved the believing Israel of old, so too will He now save the nations. For those who fear the Lord—these would be the nations. For if the house of Israel is taken away—that is to say, the whole multitude—along with the house of Aaron and the house of Levi, what others could there be who fear the Lord, if not the people from the nations?

"May the Lord add unto us, unto us and unto our children." For He is the One whose laws we keep. For lest anyone think that the legislation through Moses belongs to another, before the giving of these things, He handed down the things concerning the creation of the world; through which He teaches that there is one God, and the rest were made.

"The dead shall not praise Thee, O Lord." He calls "dead" the worshippers of demons, those who do not have life in them—that is, the knowledge of the only God. ^{B C}

Alleluia. PSALM CXIV. Argument

In this, ^D he signifies the struggle of those who have undertaken the evangelical mode of life, and their victory gained by the will of God, and the crown that shall come for their labors.

"I have loved [the Lord], for the Lord will hear the voice of my supplication." And whom did he love? The Lord God out of all his heart, and out of all his mind, and out of all his strength; and in return for his love he received obedience as a reward from God.

"And in my days I will call." And in what days, if not in the days of the struggle, when his soul was in danger?

"The sorrows of death have compassed me." He indicates the intensity of the afflictions which were brought upon him on account of

piety, which he also calls the sorrows of death and the perils of Hades, and affliction and pain. But, he says, by calling upon God he became higher than these. Therefore he also said in the introduction: "I loved, for the Lord will hear the voice of my prayer." ^B "O Lord, deliver my soul." Singly as above, "And I called upon Him in my days." He teaches what this calling is. And what is this, if not that: "O Lord, deliver my soul"? He said these things, however, being aware that He is merciful and will hear. And our God has mercy. Mercy is a passion arising in those who have been moved by compassion toward those who, having lost their former dignity, have been humbled. Since, therefore, we too have become base from being noble, having lost our dwelling in paradise; seeing what we have become from what we were, God has mercy on us. For it was a voice of mercy that accosted Adam, saying: "Where are you?"—that is to say: whence and to what have you fallen? ^C "The Lord keeps little ones." By little ones he means those reborn in Christ through the Holy Spirit, those who, according to the commandment of Jesus, are little ones, in that they have turned and become as children. These the Lord keeps, not allowing the enemies to attack them, because the time for the struggle has not yet arrived. For he calls those little ones who have been reborn in Christ Jesus through the Holy Spirit. And according to the literal meaning, He himself keeps the infants in the womb: in that place so narrow and full of such moisture, where there is no power to move or breathe, He prevents them from being stifled, and provides movement and food, and prevents them from dying of cold when they pass from the heat of the womb into a place surrounded by air and wind. Or thus: Since I was humbled as a little one, and as an infant received the kingdom of heaven, the Lord who keeps the little ones has saved me. And another way: Those who, according to the commandment of Jesus, have turned and become as children, the Lord Himself keeps, so that, because the time for the struggle has not yet arrived, they may be kept untempted. But me, since I was far stronger than the children, by humbling me through great struggles, He nevertheless kept unconquerable. ^D "Turn, my soul, into your rest." By His rest he means the heavenly mansions, which one will obtain as a reward for struggles. And rest for the soul is, again, abstinence from sins. "For He has delivered my soul from death," etc. From the death of sin, he says, into which, fearing he might fall, he did not cease from weeping, asking that it might be granted him to escape it. Wherefore his feet, that is, the steps of his soul, stood firm before God, free and above every fall. He calls the heavenly Jerusalem the land of the living, in which those who have struggled according to God, as most valiant victors, will hear that word: "Well done, good and faithful servant."

PSALM CXV. Alleluia.

^A "I believed, therefore I have spoken." Having said, "I believed, therefore I have spoken," as one pleasing to the Lord and present in the mansions above, he says that he would never have uttered these things had he not trusted in the promises of God; and these were full of mercy: "Blessed are those who mourn now, for they shall be comforted." If his eyes were full of tears, he will clearly receive joy in those mansions. The Apostle Paul applies this expression to the Corinthians, saying, "Having the same spirit of faith," according to the text, "I believed, therefore I have spoken. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation; and we believe, therefore we also speak." By the "spirit of faith," he means either the habit derived from it, or ^B the spirit given from God to him who has faith. This text, "I believed, therefore I have spoken," also harmonizes with that other: "Unless you believe, you shall not understand." A person first believes, then understands, and after that speaks. "But when," he says, "having believed, I spoke great things, then seeing myself as nothing, I was humbled exceedingly." The utterance of John regarding Jesus is similar: "He must increase, but I must decrease." For he was decreasing, not by losing any of the greatness he possessed, but by comparison with the excellence of Christ's teaching and manner of life. So now, too, "I was humbled" is not said in the sense of a loss of stature, but from a perspective greater than his own.

"I said in my ecstasy: Every man is a liar." Being made, he says, above a man, I considered all human things to be base. For "ecstasy" signifies a transformation. Having said, he says, "I shall please the Lord," then knowing that "every man is a liar"—for the thoughts of men are deceitful—for this reason I humbled myself and afflicted myself with hardships, lest I should fall from such a state.

"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints." Another, he says, is the recompense we shall have for what we have received from God, namely, to endure death for His sake, and by this to imitate their own Master. And this death shall be very precious before God.

"O Lord, I am Your servant and the son of Your handmaid." With confidence ^C he calls himself a servant, according to the Apostle; but a "son of the handmaid," speaking of the former initiation that occurred through the Law.

"You have broken my bonds." And what are the bonds if not those of sin, according to what is said: "Each one is bound by the cords of his own sins"?

"I will sacrifice to You a sacrifice of praise." As one who has arrived at progress, he refuses those offerings consisting of blood, and promises to perform those of praise.

"I will pay my vows to the Lord." By "vows" he means promises. And what did he promise, if not that, having taken the cup of the Lord, he would call upon His name? Which

I shall do so, he says, when I am in the divine halls; that is, in the Church of Christ, or in the heavenly Jerusalem. ^A

*Alleluia. PSALM CXVI.*

1, 2. *Praise the Lord, all nations... for his mercy is confirmed upon us.* The nations, he says, would never have experienced such a transformation if the mercy of God had not been stronger than our sins. *And the truth of the Lord remains forever.* For he gave the salvation which he had promised through his holy prophets. This the blessed Paul also says, beginning his letter to the Romans: *Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the Gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures*. And again: *I say that Christ Jesus became a minister of circumcision for the sake of God's truth, in order to confirm the promises made to the fathers, but that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy*. Since, therefore, the God of all has fulfilled his promises and has given the salvation which he pledged, and has opened the fountains of mercy to all, both you who have come from the Jews and you who have believed from among the Gentiles, mingling concordant hymns, give thanks to the Benefactor. ^B

*Alleluia. PSALM CXVII.*

*Argument.* The new people, composed of Jews and Gentiles, are taught that they should invoke but one single helper, namely the Word of God who assumed human nature, and that from him they should seek all help in time of persecution, namely the aid sent from heaven: and that to him they should render thanks for victory, and seek from him the ways of virtue, and in addition to all these things, confess the Lord who is called the stone: rejected indeed by the builders, but made the head of the corner. ^C

1-4. *Confess to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy is for ever. Let the house of Israel now say.* He bids them make the confession first, inasmuch as they were the first to be called through the evangelical preaching.

5-9. *Out of tribulation I have called upon the Lord, and he heard me in breadth.* This verse teaches two things: that those who come to the faith must expect tribulation, according to the text: *If thou come to serve the Lord, prepare thy soul for temptation*. And that he who is in tribulations ought to invoke no other helper than the Lord himself, who leads our tribulation into great breadth. For in return for small labors we shall receive great rewards. ^D

10-14. *All nations compassed me about... They compassed me about like bees a honeycomb, and in the name of the Lord I have taken vengeance on them.* For the people of God called only upon God, and by invoking his name, took vengeance on the visible and invisible enemies: but men who plot against these...

humans trust only in the principalities and powers of men. ^A Now the phrase, "all nations," is spoken hyperbolically, for all nations surrounded all of Judea. And it is similar to that saying: "In the morning I destroyed all the sinners of the earth," that is, the passionate thoughts brought on by demons, and the deceitful words introduced by them. For these will defeat the nations. It happens at times that one removes them by the invocation of God, cutting off the impulse of the passions and overturning their deceitful words. But the wasps, which are so similar to bees—so that those who do not know them well might easily be deceived—have no sting, nor do they work honey; but since they are larger in body than bees, they eat the work of the bees, which the bees, having united together, destroy. ^B Therefore, the Church is the bee, and the one who prefers the wisdom of God is the worker of honey, whose labors both kings and commoners bring forward for their health, even if it be weak, according to the text: "My preaching is not in the persuasive words of human wisdom." Yet it has a sting in the demonstration of the Spirit and the power of God, since it holds the word of faith; so that it removes heresies, like wasps, from the midst, dissecting them by the argument of truth. One is the bee that has honored the wisdom of God; but many have departed from the wisdom of God—not being bees, but wasps in the likeness of bees. These wasps, when they wish to consume the honey of the one bee, are kindled like fire among thorns; for the heretics kindle a shameful fire of desires, just as Paul says: "For it is shameful even to speak of the things done by them in secret." ^C The Holy Gospel has interpreted thorns as pleasures, the words of which he who calls upon God overturns. For his weapons are not carnal, but mighty in God for pulling down every height that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.

"Voice of exultation and salvation in the tabernacles of the just." Just as the spiritual enemies who had persecuted the people of God at various times have now been removed, quite rightly the voices of exultation are henceforth heard, and nowhere else than in the tabernacles of the just.

"The right hand of the Lord has wrought power." This is the voice of exultation that came to pass in the Church, to confess that it is the power of the Lord alone that saved those who were struggling and ^D showed them to be higher.

"Open to me the gates of justice." By the gates of justice, understand the progress in virtues, which those who have endured times of affliction also traverse. "This is the gate of the Lord; the just shall enter into it." Those who journey through the virtues shall encounter that gate, which leads to the contemplation of the Lord himself. And what is that, if not purity of heart? "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."

^A *The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner.* You yourself, who for our sake became the rejected stone, were indeed rejected by the builders; but after the conversion of the Gentiles, you became the head of another corner. And what is that? He joined the two peoples into one new man. *This is the day which the Lord hath made.* And what should this be, if not the day of the Lord’s resurrection? And what is this day, but that which is salvific for all the Gentiles, through which the rejected stone became the head of the corner? The text signifies the day of the resurrection of our Savior, which is called by His name, namely, the Lord’s day (Dominica).

^B *O Lord, save me; O Lord, give good success: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.* The doxology (that is, the chant in honor of the Trinity) of Jerusalem teaches to whom this is meant to be referred. But as for "We have blessed you out of the house of the Lord," the prophets say this to those who believe in Christ: We proclaim you blessed, they say, because you have become a spiritual house; for the Lord dwells in you. *Appoint a solemn day in the thickets, even unto the horn of the altar.* "Appoint a solemn day." He gives us to understand that those who approach the faith will so fill the divine tabernacle that, because of the multitude, they reach even to the horns of the altar. He calls the Cherubim "thickets," which overshadowed the mercy seat; for that is what "in the thickets" signifies. For to be "thick" is the same as to cover. And the Cherubim covered the mercy seat with their wings.

^C *Thou art my God, and I will confess to thee.* They are taught to refer this voice to the Savior Christ.

Alleluia. CXVIII. Argument

^D 1. *Blessed are the undefiled in the way.* He who in no way sins, he would be undefiled and also blessed.

2. *Blessed are they that search his testimonies: that seek him with their whole heart.* For it is not proper to fulfill the law at one time, and at another to become a transgressor. For what profit will there be if they simply search his testimonies, and do not seek God with their whole heart?

3. *For they that work iniquity have not walked in his ways.* Therefore, he who sins does not know the divine law; for to know it is to carry it out.

^A 4, 5. *You have commanded your commandments to be kept exceedingly.* O that my ways may be directed to keep your justifications! Knowing that without help from above it is impossible for anyone to be a keeper of the law, he obtains this for himself through prayer. That word, "O that," is used for "may it be."

*I will confess to you in uprightness of heart.* After the prayer, he also sets forth the disposition of will. The beginning of salvation, moreover, is confession.

*Do not abandon me even exceedingly.* Again he invokes the help from above.

*In what shall a young man correct his way?* Youth, he says, is full of many scandals. How then can one overcome these, if not by always keeping the memory of the words of God? For the thought of the divine law is entirely both cleansing and protective.

^B *In my whole heart I have sought you.* If the memory of God, he says, prepares one to escape Satanic snares, I for my part have dedicated my whole mind to you, O God; I am worthy not to remain outside your commandments. What he says is: lest any be in despair regarding what we shall say, using the desire for the law, he has given the lack of understanding; or rather, for many, zeal turns into the opposite, and in those things where they think they are doing rightly, they have erred, according to what is said by Solomon: *There is a way that seems to be right unto men, but the ends thereof come to the depths of hell.* Therefore, whoever seeks God with half a heart, wishing to be at leisure now for Him and soon for the world, Him He casts out from His own commandments as an unworthy soldier.

*In my heart I have hidden your words.* For if one does not lock away the commandments of God in his heart as if in a treasury, the evil one comes and snatches them away. He sins against God who is deemed worthy to receive more secret words, and to be hidden from the many, and does not hide them from those from whom he ought. For there is danger not only in speaking falsehoods, but also in speaking truth, when one announces what he ought not. For it is not proper for pearls to be cast before swine, nor to give holy things unto the dogs.

^D *Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your justifications.* Having perceived his own progress, which he had made by *seeking God with his whole heart*, he blesses Him, thanking Him for what he has already been deemed worthy of, and asks to be taught by Him what mind His justifications have.

*With my lips I have declared all the judgments of your mouth.* What it was necessary to hide, he says, I hid; and what it was necessary to declare, I declared; because *we must all stand before your judgement seat; that we may receive according to what we have done.*

*In the way of your testimonies I have been delighted, as in all riches.* He is taught what the riches according to God are; wherefore he says: *Nothing has enticed me in the present*

^A life, not gold, not rank, not power: but instead of all things, your testimonies are my joy and my wealth. 16. *I will meditate on your justifications; I will not forget your words.* That meditation is not merely a matter of words; rather, it makes the one who has understood them to do them. For not the hearers of the justifications of God are righteous before God, but the doers of them. For thus will anyone never forget them. 17. *Reward your servant, give me life.* But what does he wish to be rewarded with for the things he has brought, except that his mind be enlightened, that he might know the wondrous works of God? 18. *Open my eyes, and I will consider wonderful things out of your law.* Vanities, he says, of this life I have not made my own; wherefore I ask to receive the knowledge of divine commandments, of which some are known, and others are unknown. Known indeed are: *You shall not kill*, and what follows; unknown are others, for example, why children are circumcised on the eighth day, and for what cause sacrifices are offered for the newborn. 21. *You have rebuked the proud.* He who resists the proud, the same also rebukes the proud. But the Lord resists the proud; the Lord therefore also rebukes the proud. ^B 22. *Remove from me reproach and contempt.* The impious in the time of persecution, reviling me, will set me at naught. I ask therefore that their reproaches against me become vain. And if at any time, he says, I have thought according to the flesh, yet having returned, I ask to be made alive by the divine words; if I have thus been reduced to extreme straitness, he says, being driven by those who commit iniquity, I ask to be saved according to your promise. 23, 24. *For princes sat and spoke against me*, etc. Therefore, he says, I asked that the reproach be taken away, because they were speaking against me constantly. Nevertheless, while the princes of iniquity are doing these things, the servant of God does not depart from his justifications; having used the words of God, which he calls justifications, in the place of counselors for this matter. Such a man admits no evil counselor. But the princes of this world, just as against Christ, have gathered together in one against the Lord and against his Christ; ^C to whom belongs the wisdom of this world. 25. *My soul has cleaved to the pavement.* I am brought into extreme straitness, he says, being driven by the wicked, and I ask that salvation be granted to me according to your promise, by which you said: *And the torrents shall not enclose you.* 26, 27. *I have declared my ways, and you heard me... Make me to understand the way of your justifications.* For having received understanding of the mysteries in them, as one who has traveled this path, I shall be able to converse and speak about the wonderful things in them. 28. *My soul has slumbered from despondency.* He teaches that the spirit of despondency cannot be cast out in any other way than through the meditation ^D of the divine oracles. Watchfully therefore

and vigilantly must one act, on account of Him who says: ^A *Watch and pray*.

*Turn away my path of iniquity from me, and in your law have mercy on me. I have chosen the way of truth.* The former he asks from God; the latter he confesses that he himself offers.

*Turn away my eyes from seeing vanity.* Vanity is the madness for spectacles, the contemplation of things that are not fitting, and the absurd fantasy in the mind, which Paul also clarifies, saying: *In the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God*. Observe it called the vanity of the mind, when someone possesses a mind and does not use it for the contemplation of truth, but offers it to the binding Satan. Therefore, praying this, he says: *Turn away my eyes from seeing vanity*. For this also is a grace of God. From the same: He calls the things in the body that are beautiful and that seem fair to the eyes of the flesh, vanity.

*Establish thy word unto thy servant in thy fear.* Since the fear of God is necessary like a tutor in all the commandments, for this reason he prays to God to establish it for him. But the expression, *Remove my reproach*, is said after he has established as it were a guardian of the divine laws. And he confesses again the reproaches concerning which he had earlier said he was conscious of himself.

*Establish thy word unto thy servant.* Since I am your servant and I fear you, and I wish to have fear rationally and according to the Word, establish your word in your fear, which is yours—not because you fear, but because I fear you. ^B And that we may have neither fear without the Word, nor the Word without fear, God surely establishes His word in His fear, confirming it through certain proofs to the pious. For just as there are some who have zeal, but *not according to knowledge*, so there are some who have the fear of God, but not according to knowledge. *Remove my reproach which I have suspected.* Having sinned as a man, the Prophet prays and entreats regarding the reproach which he sees will follow after the resurrection at the divine tribunal, and he recites the present verse. But you would not say this, saying: *Remove your reproach.* For when I am reproached for the sake of Christ, that reproach is not mine, but Christ’s; but when I am reproached because of my own sins, and I do not repent, I ought not to say: *Remove my reproach from me, which I have suspected, because your judgments are pleasant.*

*Behold, I have longed for thy commandments, in thy justice quicken me.* He asks for a life that is just and virtuous as a reward, not only because he has kept the commandments, but because he also is affectionately disposed toward ^D them, and performs them not for the sake of other things, but for them and because of them. And since the Son is the justice of the Father, he who wishes to live in the Son says this.

^A 41. *And let thy mercy come upon me, O Lord.* If I obtain thy mercy, he says, and this mercy shall come to me through thy salvation, I shall have confidence against those who heap reproaches upon me and rise up against me.

42. *And I will answer a word to those who reproach me, for I have hoped in thy words.* For I will answer that it is not right that he who holds such dogmas as these—which those impure men, strangers to the faith, mock—should be reproached. But I will show that they are full of prudence and wisdom. I will answer a word, since I have placed my hope in thy words.

43. *And take not the word of truth out of my mouth even unto the end, for I have hoped in thy judgments.* Even unto the last breath, he says. If we live in a manner unworthy of the good things we speak, God will take away the word of truth from our mouth.

44. *And I will keep thy law always.* I shall be a keeper, he says, of thy law, not upright at one time and otherwise at another; but I will perform it both in the present life and in the life to come.

46. *And I spoke of thy testimonies before kings.* Such was Paul, such was Peter, such was the choir of the apostles and the martyrs. This is fitting for the martyr who is led before governors and kings for Christ’s sake; it fits also those who open their mouth before the souls of the royal-minded holy ones. For he is worthy of shame who, having received the word from God, does not use it with great power to proclaim the Gospel. For a virtuous life produces confidence. ^B 47. *And I meditated on thy commandments, which I loved exceedingly. And I lifted up my hands to thy commandments.* By hands he here means the virtues of action. For action is the end of the meditation of the commandments. For after receiving the Word of the commandments, it is worthwhile to lift up the hands to the performance of the commandments; not out of sorrow or necessity, but out of affection. And after this it is proper to meditate frequently upon them and to discourse of them.

49. *Be mindful of thy word to thy servant.* And what word is he asking him to be mindful of, if not that he should be with them according to the promise he gave them, which was also their consolation in persecutions? ^C 50. *This has comforted me in my humiliation.* The Seventy say: *thou shalt quicken me.* What is this hope, which arises for me from thy word, which has comforted me and consoled me, to the effect that if ever trials, or danger, or the expectation of death, or a grievous illness, or the loss of possessions, or any persecution whatsoever, or anything else commonly thought to be grievous, should seize me, my hope in thee was my consolation? *For thy word has quickened me.* Nothing else makes a rational soul live its own proper life as much as the word of God. For as the word of God is increased—being either conceived or understood in the soul of man—so too are increased those things that pertain to life. And these are the ^D

[they] grant to live with virtue here; and after these things, he also grants eternal life. ^A

[51.] "The proud have dealt very wickedly; yet I have not declined from thy law." In it I lived, keeping my governing principle, that there might not become in my heart a forbidden word. For while they were acting most wickedly, I did not transgress thy law even in the slightest.

[52.] "I remembered thy judgments from old, O Lord, and have been comforted." For, mindful of those things which from age to age are to be given to each, the just man is comforted and remains free from sorrow, saying: "The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed in us" (Rom. viii, 18). ^B Or, "I remembered the judgments which thou didst pass of old against those who did injustice to Israel; I was comforted, knowing that neither shall I myself be abandoned in persecutions, and that all things happen to men according to the judgment of God."

[53.] "Weariness has held me for the sinners who forsake thy law." Regarding sinners, some sin lawlessly, not having even had a trial of laws from the beginning; others sin within the law by transgressing it. And after a few words: "If one member suffers anything, all the members suffer with it; and if one member is praised, all the members rejoice together" (cf. 1 Cor. xii, 26). It is right, therefore, to grieve for our brothers who sin, because they are such, and to be so disposed as this holy man was.

[54.] "Thy statutes were melody to me in the place of my pilgrimage." By "place of pilgrimage" he means this present life; according to the text: "Knowing that they were strangers and sojourners on the earth" (Hebr. xi, 13). In which I sang joyfully as I recounted thy statutes; this indeed by contemplating them, and that by doing them.

[59.] "I thought upon thy ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies." Because I have dedicated my whole intent, he says, to thy commandments, for this reason I walked in the way of thy testimonies.

[60.] "I was prepared and was not troubled." Knowing that which is said: "My son, if thou come to serve the Lord, prepare thy soul for temptation" (Eccli. ii, 1); and meditating upon this always, I was not troubled in the incursions of enemies, ^C as I had practiced bearing them bravely.

[61.] "The cords of sinners have entangled me." And what were the cords, if not wicked thoughts, by which they endeavored to topple me from my standing with God?

[62.] "At midnight I rose to give thanks unto thee." For not by day only, but also at night, at the very middle of the night, in which sleep comes upon men with the greatest pleasure, I continued to hymn thee, and I sang praises to thy righteous judgments. This, the divine Apostle also did with Silas, and, with his feet bound, laden with wounds and stripes, he tempered his prayer with the song of hymns, ^D

and reaped the fruit of a noble vigilance. For he enjoyed the divine bounty. ^A

63. *I am a partaker of all them that fear thee.* The perfect man would be a partaker of Christ, according to that saying: *For we have become partakers of Christ.* But the present speaker, as one being initiated, says that he is a partaker of those who fear the Lord; and not simply of those who fear, but of those who, because they fear, keep the commands of God. For the keeping of the commandments is the proof of the fear of God.

64. *Thy mercy, O Lord, is full of the earth. Teach me thy justifications.* He says prophetically what is to come, how all the earth shall be full of those who fear the Lord. And he says that this will come about for no other reason than from thy mercy; for thou thyself doest this mercifully by giving thyself to men as a teacher. ^B

65. *Thou hast done kindness with thy servant, O Lord.* He who is instructed in the divine oracles is taught not to be ungrateful toward God who bestows benefits. For he would not have otherwise been delivered from sin and numbered among the servants of the Lord, if some divine grace had not been the cause of these things for him.

67. *Before I was humbled I did offend.* Because of my former sins that had been committed, he says, I was delivered up and humbled, having suffered this by the just judgment of God. And therefore, having been delivered up for correction, I pray that instruction may be granted me, so that I may know that the humiliation which happened to me came about through goodness and for my correction. ^C

68. *Thou art good, O Lord.* The just man says to God in all things, even if what happens is bitter: *Thou art good.* Such also is that: *I will bless the Lord at all times.* *And in thy goodness teach me thy justifications.* And he asks to be taught by the good God, because the justifications of God are good, being adapted to the merit of each; concerning which it is fitting to say: *Thy judgments have been justified, O God.*

69, 70. *The iniquity of the proud has been multiplied upon me.* To such a degree, he says, did they advance in pride that their heart became as it follows: *Their heart is curdled as milk.* You are handed over to evil and burdensome temptations, by which you will be humbled in life; and they will teach you to chastise your body and bring it into subjection, and not to walk in the broad and spacious way of the proud, but in the narrow and straitened one. For the heart of the saints is thin/lean, ^D but the heart of the proud is fat.

71. *It is good for me that thou hast humbled me.* As if he were saying: I delight in infirmities, in insults, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, as one worthy to see thy justifications, seeking those things which cannot be learned otherwise.

72. *The law of thy mouth is good to me above thousands of gold and silver.* The man being initiated is taught to what honor he has been deemed worthy.

73. *Thy hands have made me.* Another dignity is the...

power of his understanding to be capable and receptive of His contemplation. ^A *Give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments.* Most consequentially, after the thanksgivings for his creation are joined the thanksgivings for the given faculty of thought, which makes one capable of understanding the commandments.

*They that fear thee will see me, and will be glad.* He teaches that he himself shall not alone possess the gift, but it shall reach also to all who fear the Lord. For it is sweet only to the pious, visible as it is both according to the Word and according to the thoughts of the wisdom which it possesses; but to others it is burdensome and visible [only as such]. Because his life is unlike [that of] the others, and his paths are different, for this reason he says: *They will be glad, because I have hoped in thy words.*

75. *I have known, O Lord, that thy judgments are righteousness.* We are taught that God brings all things justly upon us; so that it is necessary that we should not grow weary in our chastisements, but rather fall down [in prayer], and from the keeping of the Law entreat for mercy.

76. *Let now thy mercy be for my comfort.* The mercy of the Father is the Son, who also comforted our hearts which were oppressed by the tyranny of Satan. Or also thus: I beseech thee, according to thy Word, that thy mercy may come to me, thy servant, for comfort and consolation. For many who attain to consolations are deceived, as if they had acquired this from their own prudence. ^B That I may not in like manner be led astray as they, may thy mercy be granted to me, thy servant, according to thy saying.

77. *Let thy tender mercies come to me, and I shall live.* As thou hast promised, he says, so perform the consolation, showing mercy to thy servants.

78. *Let the proud be shamed, for they have committed iniquity against me unjustly.* If I should happen, he says, upon the help from thee, then the wicked—namely, the demons and the men who are enemies of the truth—will be shamed. But I, when they are put to shame, shall not be puffed up, but I will be occupied in thy commandments.

79. *Let those who fear thee turn to me.* May I obtain the teaching from thy servants. This teaching shall be such as knows how to turn souls, because it is rich in the fear of thee.

80. *Let my heart be blameless.* If he had a blameless heart after so many things, he would not say: *Let my heart be blameless.* ^C Similar to this is: *Create a clean heart in me, O God.* For only then shall I not be shamed, when I shall blamelessly keep the commandments of God.

81. *My soul melts for thy salvation, and I have hoped in thy word.* The Prophet teaches us to desire the word, and to have an erotic love toward the salvation of God. And what else would the salvation be but the coming of the Lord? *I have hoped in thy word.* Understand, instead of this: in the promise. The term *saying* is applied also to the divinely-inspired Scripture. Therefore, he faints not only who waits for the divine promise, but also ^D

^A he who encounters the divine oracles, and who eagerly desires to learn their meaning accurately, considers the discovery of it to be both consolation and spiritual joy.

82. *My eyes have fainted for thy saying.* Into our Lord Jesus Christ, he says. For we have him as an advocate with the Father, according to the voice of the apostle; and he himself is the propitiation for our sins. Saying, *When wilt thou comfort me?* When the Word comes to me, then I shall be comforted.

83. *For I have become like a bottle in the frost.* Even while the righteous live, they become as dead because of their hardships, so that they are more similar to bottles than to men, growing cold like frozen frost, having put aside the warmth of the practical life. By the same. A bottle in the frost is one who has withered his own flesh, and leaves in it no heat or concupiscence, but cools it, as it were.

84. *How many are the days of thy servant?* For few are the days of men upon the earth, in which he prays that Satan may be immediately crushed under his feet, so that his soul may be made subject to the divine Word implanted in it.

85. *Transgressors have described to me tales.* By tales he calls either the doctrines of the Jews, or the precepts of men, and the babblings of the wise men of this age.

86. *All thy commandments are truth; they persecuted me unjustly, help me.* Knowing that in the divine tribunal ^C he will receive a reward for the injustices he has suffered, he hastens to see that time.

87. *They had almost made an end of me upon the earth.* They were near to finishing me off with their persecution.

88. *According to thy mercy quicken me, and I will keep the testimonies of thy mouth.* The mouth of God are the prophets who ministered his testimonies, his precepts, and his justifications.

*Forever, O Lord, thy word remaineth in heaven.* He is engaged in progress, and attains higher dogmas, making mention of the eternal Word of the Father, and, one may say, is saying, *In the beginning was the Word*; and he discourses concerning the adornment of the universe, and clearly calls the whole nature of things his servant. ^D

89. *Thy truth is unto generation and generation.* There are two generations that have received the truth of God: the people of the Jews, who possess the law and the prophets, and the Church. Therefore the truth of God is not into generations, but into the first generation and into the second generation. But the other nations are in error. But when that former generation rejected the truth, and said, *Away with, away with such a one from the earth,* the truth passed from that generation to this generation. *Thou hast founded the earth and it abideth.* By this truth the earth is founded. For upon this cornerstone placed as a foundation,

^A all those born of the earth who have attained salvation are built up. Whence the earth also remains, having an unbroken and unshakable base and foundation. Moreover, the Truth itself, by illuminating the earth, has created the day, God sending it forth.

By thy ordinance the day continues, for all things are thy servants. It is not changed, nor does it receive an end, like the illumination which is mentioned in the Old Scripture. Since it was set only until the time of correction. But all these things have been brought into being by God. Since He is the Creator and Provider, all things are his servants.

92. *Had thy law not been my meditation, then I would have perished in my humiliation.* ^B When evil thoughts break in, he says, and opposing powers make war against me, I would have been in danger of perishing, had not thy law become a support to me.

93. *In eternity I will not forget thy justifications, for in them thou hast quickened me.* I will look to thy laws, he says; for in them I shall enjoy life, just as thou thyself hast said to me, that the man who does them shall live in them. Therefore the just man alone lives, even if he seems to be dead; but the unjust are dead, even if they seem to live. For the former have within themselves the constitution of life, namely justice; whereas the latter, not having this, are like inanimate things which do not have life from themselves, but from without.

94. *I am thine, save me.* It is understood: I am thy servant, I am thy son by grace, I am thy minister. ^C

95. *Sinners awaited me to destroy me; I understood thy testimonies.* That is, I meditated, and through such meditation I rendered their snare vain.

96. *I have seen the end of all consummation; thy commandment is exceeding broad.* He calls the snare of the demons a "consummation." I saw the end of this vanish into nothingness when thy commandment became broad for me. But this pertains to him who, through every advancement, has arrived at the end of virtue and has stepped toward the perfect good, who has laid down many beginnings and ends. For the limit of a former advancement is the beginning of the next, according to that saying: *When a man is finished, then he begins.* ^D

97. *How I have loved thy law, O Lord! All the day it is my meditation.* He who both speaks and does everything according to the law meditates on the law of God. In the first Psalm, however, to the meditation of the day he added the night for those who are to be blessed. For we were saying that the life of men is mixed here. Wherefore we now have day and night; but after we have become holy, no night shall follow. Whoever, therefore, makes progress, spends the day living according to the law; but the night [is when] he does not meditate on it with all his heart... Here the text fails.

101. *From every evil way I have restrained my feet.*

For it is to guard the divine law, to fulfill it by works. 102. *I have not declined from Thy judgments.* I have been mindful at all times of the divine tribunal. 103. *How sweet are Thy words to my palate!* ^A Sweet because of the reasonable pleasure placed in them; indeed, sweeter than honey, by which all things sweet among men are signified. 105. *Thy word is a lamp to my feet.* For he who walks in the light of the divine law makes a straight and unhindered course of life. 112. *I was humbled exceedingly.* Either by the incursions of spiritual enemies, or by macerations undertaken out of one’s own will. 113. *I have hated transgressors, but I have loved Thy law.* He speaks of the wise men of this age and the leaders of heretics. 115. *Depart from me, ye wicked.* Either he means evil thoughts, or the aforementioned teachers. 117. *Help me, and I shall be saved.* For even if, he said, Thou art my helper and protector, yet there is need of unceasing help. For as long as we are here, that word, "I shall be saved," is not yet perfect; but when we live with the angels of God, then truly there will be meditation on the justifications face to face, not in shadow, but in truth. 118. *Thou hast brought to nothing all those who depart from Thy judgments.* For this is the end that awaits those who despise the law of God. ^B 119. *I have accounted all the sinners of the earth as transgressors; therefore I loved Thy testimonies.* To wish to trample upon the divine law. 120. *Nail down my flesh with Thy fear.* "Nail down" is used for "fix." Fix, therefore, he says, my flesh in purity. For thus alone could one say to Christ: "I have been crucified with Him"; *for I have feared Thy judgments.* Meaning the divine law. For no one commits sin unless he has first placed himself outside the fear of God. 123. *My eyes have failed for Thy salvation.* For the divine advent, he says, by which he hoped that both he and the whole race of men would attain salvation. *And for the word of Thy righteousness.* ^D Even if some, acting wickedly and having no fear of Thee before their eyes, have removed Thy law from their midst, yet I at all times pursued this one law, because I was perpetually engaged in its meditation. 125. *I am Thy servant; give me understanding, and I will know Thy testimonies.* Let him who is in no way a slave to sin say: "I am Thy servant." But he asks for understanding as the reward of servitude, which is given by God and is stored up with Him as in a treasury. For the Spirit of wisdom and intellectual understanding and the rest are the gifts of good things. For making a distinction between this and other wisdom, he says in Proverbs: "And good understanding gives..."

^A grace." For if all understanding were good, he would not have added "good."

126. "It is time for the Lord to act: they have broken thy law." I indeed have performed judgment and justice; but there shall be a time, O God, for thee also to perform, clearly, judgment and justice against those who have broken thy law.

127. "Therefore I have loved thy commandments above gold and topaz." These things harmonize with the statement: "The law of thy mouth is good to me above thousands of gold and silver," and with the verse: "Receive instruction and not silver, and knowledge above gold that is tested." For wisdom is better than precious stones, and every precious thing is not worthy of it.

128. "Therefore I was guided unto all thy commandments." Therefore—in what sense? By meditating on the law at all times.

130. "And it will give understanding to the simple." By "the simple" you shall understand those who are held in ignorance and are like infants. For your word, he says, fills those who are illuminated by your light with understanding.

131. "I opened my mouth, and drew in the spirit." But the words require an opening. Wherefore the Savior also opened the mind of the disciples to understand the Scriptures. And the deception which is prepared either through pleasure or glory is hindered by the understanding which is given through the words. ^B

132. "Look upon me, and have mercy on me," etc. As you have decided, he says, to look upon and count worthy of great visitation those who love your name, so count me worthy of the same visitation and the same mercy.

133. "Order my steps according to thy word." According to his word, God orders the steps of him who passes from malice and ignorance to virtue and knowledge. For the right word leads such persons; for "they who do not commit sin are not slaves of sin."

134. "Deliver me from the calumny of men." By the calumny of men, he speaks of the teaching of the heretics and of the wise men of this age. Joseph and Susanna encountered this in a literal sense. But tropically, he calls the evil powers "men," from whose calumny it belongs to God alone to deliver one. ^C

"Make thy face to shine upon thy servant." He longs to behold the presence of the Lord. For he is the character of the Father. "And teach me thy justifications." He speaks of the New Testament, through which God and Father has justified those on earth.

136. "My eyes have shed forth rivers of water." I sent forth a multitude of tears, lamenting those who transgress your law.

137, 138. "Righteous art thou, O Lord, and thy judgment is straight." He provides the cause for which he was lamenting those who transgress the law of God: namely, because he has threatened punishment in the divine tribunal for those who transgress it, ^D

^A and he has already testified that these very punishments are about to come.

*Thou hast commanded justice as thy testimonies, etc.* With heaven and earth as witnesses, what other testimonies have you commanded that are justice and most open truth? But you have not hidden them; that is, the rules of your judgments, which signify your justice, are most straight. And so your testimonies are the sacred Scriptures, which are justice according to moral precepts, but truth according to the speculation of the words.

139. *Thy zeal hath made me pine away, because my enemies forgot thy words.* What kind of zeal I took up, if I ever saw anyone forgetful of your words! And not just simply zeal, but such that I would pine away from the zeal of this kind undertaken for your sake, if I saw any who were forgetful of your words. The disciples remembered this zeal, of which it is written in the psalm in the person of the Lord: *For the zeal of thy house hath eaten me up.*

140. *Thy word is exceedingly refined.* The word of God is exceedingly refined, sublime, and above all testing. And if anyone has this refined word, he judges all things and is judged by no one.

141. *I am young and despised.* He is "young" who is initiated into divine words as if into elements, and "despised" because he humbles himself.

142. *Thy justice is justice for ever.* For the justice among men which judges justly provides a decision for a short time, but the justice of God renders judgment for ever.

143. *Tribulation and anguish have found me.* Even in these circumstances, he says, they did not neglect the meditation of your law.

144. *Thy testimonies are justice for ever.* The testimonies you have given me, he says, are not useful for a brief time; they are justice for ever, justifying him who approaches them with affection. ^C *Give me understanding, and I shall live.* For the justice we exercise in the present time is rendered to us, not for a few days, but for ever. But I shall live, he says, if you give me understanding. For the foolish man does not enter into that blessed life. Understanding, therefore, must be requested from Him who gives to all who ask with their whole heart.

145, 146. *I cried with my whole heart.* First: *I cried with my whole heart, hear me, O Lord: I will seek after thy justifications.* Second: *I cried unto thee, save me.* For what I spoke according to the principal part of my soul was nothing else than God. Therefore, calling upon you with a loud voice, with a loud voice I promise that I will keep your precepts.

147. *I prevented the dawning of the day, and cried.* He calls "the dawning of the day" darkness, or the confusion of affairs. ^D Now he says this: Even though the wicked were doing all things in confusion, I, walking in your law, have attained much.

^A 150. *Those who persecute me with iniquity have drawn near.* Those who war against me with iniquity, he says, have drawn near. For no one pursues the just man unless he wishes to be joined to iniquity. *You are near, O Lord.* God says elsewhere: *Am I a God at hand, says the Lord, and not a God far off?* For the power of God is everywhere, according to the principle of creation and providence. *Judge my judgment, and redeem me; for the sake of your word, make me live.* By "word" he means the promise; for He promised that He would come and bring salvation to us.

155. *Salvation is far from sinners.* Which the rulers of this age have coveted. *For they have not sought out your justifications.* This is the cause for persecuting the just man: that they have removed themselves far from the divine law. *Your mercies are many, O Lord.* I have known, he says, that you have testified your commandments to us, that they are firm and immovable. For this is also signified in the verse above: *At the beginning I knew from your testimonies.*

^B *I saw the senseless, and I was consumed.* If I have seen some one not understanding, I was consumed on account of such a one out of zeal for piety. *Behold that I have loved your commandments, O Lord.* For you shall see in me the traces of good works; for I have not simply kept them, but I have loved them, having nothing in me constrained toward them. But nonetheless, I need you, as one who is merciful, to make me live.

^C *The beginning of your words is truth.* This is the first of your commandments given: to be truthful in all things, in deed, in word, and in thought. *Rulers have persecuted me without cause.* Those who were rulers at various times, being enemies of the truth, persecuted me, he says. But I do not fear their afflictions, being one who fears your word. And what is this, but that which says: *Do not fear those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body into hell?*

^D *I will rejoice over your words, as one who finds many spoils.* He says that he has brought the obedience toward the divine words to pass not only through fear, but also through joy, which rejoices greatly over wealth received. And a keeping that occurs in joy is firmer. Now, having mentioned enemies who were pursuing him, he correctly remembered spoils. For, he says, not even if I had killed and despoiled everyone, would I have considered it as much as I do your words. Which words, if not those of which Paul speaks, saying of the Jews: *For we were the first to believe the oracles of God?*

*I have hated iniquity, etc.* For I do not, like them, avenge a dead man and, having taken spoils, loathe them; for it is only useful to loathe iniquity. Therefore, having rightly understood your law, I have loved it, by no means drawing it toward...

^A earthly things. For we, as having been raised together with Christ, seek things above, not things upon the earth.

164. *Seven times in the day I have praised you.* The righteous man, being illuminated throughout his whole life, shall dwell in a perfect day, not interrupted by night; and he praises God seven times, having become supra-mundane, as one who has transcended the world that was created in six days; for indeed, having been placed in the paradise of God, and having contemplated the account of God’s creation and providence, he offers confession concerning the judgments of God’s righteousness; according to which judgments He exercised a manifold providence for each person. By "unceasingly," he says [this]. He says that he was "mindful of your judgments at all times, which you have justly brought," having cast out the rulers who acted haughtily, but having delivered those who were suffering injury. ^B

170. *Let my supplication draw near... Let my dignity enter in your sight, O Lord.* Observe the orderly arrangement of the divine words. For first is placed, "draw near"; then, that which is greater, "let my petition enter in"—for before entering, there must be a drawing near. For when someone draws near to a house, if he is a friend of the householder, he enters. And yet, what he called supplication, he now calls "dignity," [derived] from the word deeming worthy (*dignando*). Perhaps, just as there are worldly dignities, so too are there dignities of the soul? For it is a dignity to be an apostle; likewise, there are ecclesiastical ranks as dignities. But the dignity of the soul is the possession of virtues, or even one of them. He who possesses such a dignity speaks these things. ^C

171. *My lips shall pour forth a hymn.* Pouring forth, for the most part, happens to those who are satisfied. The divine Word, therefore, knows spiritual food. The Word Himself, therefore, says He is bread. "For I am the bread of life which came down from heaven." He also says: "He who eats my flesh has life in himself." When we eat Him, we pour forth a hymn. I pray that such a pouring forth may happen to me. Which cannot come to pass unless you teach me your justifications.

172. *My tongue shall speak of your words.* He prays that what he says may be the word of God, according to that: "Open your mouth for the word of God." But such a man does not speak an idle word. Wherefore Paul says: "For that, 'You shall not kill, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal,' and if there be any other commandment, it is summed up in this word: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" For this is righteousness: "You shall love your neighbor." ^D

173. *Let your hand be to save me.* For it signifies not the generation of His hand in respect of essence, but His state toward those who obtain salvation. Such as that text: "Be to me a protecting God."

174. *I have longed for your salvation, O Lord.* If you wish to ascend to the Word, your salvation is Christ. For Jesus is interpreted as the salvation of God. He was sent to us. It is the work of [the soul] to long for the salvation of God. For many long for that which is according to the flesh. But that which is of God, that which is in Him, is the salvation...

the salvation of God. For many desire things according to the flesh, but that which is of God is to be saved in Him, to rest in Him, and to receive holy things as an inheritance. For this is the salvation of God: eternal life. Moreover, Jesus is also interpreted as the salvation of God, being sent to us for salvation; for His sake, he who wishes to travel will meditate on the law. "My soul shall live, and it shall praise Thee." He speaks of the life to come. For our life is hidden with Christ in God. Then I shall truly praise, then [may You] help me; when Your judgments, which are to be proclaimed, are passed, for the righteous man without torments, but for the one needing [correction] through torments. ^B "I have gone astray like a lost sheep." After having spoken about having accomplished works for Him, he again says that he himself has been wandering, cultivating humility, according to that which was said by the Lord: "When you have done all things, say, 'We are unprofitable servants.'"

Song of Ascents. 119. Argument.

Song of Ascents. 120. Argument.

Jerusalem. And being intercepted between the mountains, ^A he prays that help be extended to him, to whom the prophetic Spirit, listening, replies: The Lord shall preserve thy coming in and thy going out. 1, 2. I have lifted up mine eyes unto the hills . . . my help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Showing God's power, he says: Who made heaven and earth. Let him not suffer thy foot to be moved, and he shall not slumber that keepeth thee. Behold, he shall not slumber, etc. Have this hope, and you shall be saved. But that phrase, he shall not slumber, does not signify the labor of those who guard armies, cities, and sheepfolds, but the impassibility of God; as it is said: He shall not slumber nor sleep who keepeth Israel. He seems, however, to slumber ^B when we are tossed about by the turbulent affairs and snares of this life. 5. The Lord shall preserve thee, the Lord is thy protection, upon thy right hand. The same thing he says in the fifteenth psalm: I foresaw the Lord always before my face, because he is at my right hand, that I might not be moved. And in this place also he says: Having been stationed at thy right hand, He will both protect, and guard, and deem thee worthy of every providence.

Song of Ascents. 121. Argument.

^A just as if the city were adorned with a double crown and diadem. But now there is the ruin of all things, and very few remnants of its former happiness. "Thrones upon the house of David." In this city, he says, that is, in Jerusalem, royal thrones were set up, judging righteous judgment; the first of which David took charge, then those who were of him according to the flesh. For this reason he also calls it the house of David.

"Ask for things which are for the peace of Jerusalem." Having learned, O you people, what Jerusalem once was, pray for its peace, seeking nothing other than what contributes to its peace.

"Let there be peace in thy power, and abundance in thy towers." That is, in your royal palaces. I pray for you, he says, for the good things for those dwelling in you, who are close and brothers. For these are the things the elders of Jerusalem pray for, ^B that there might be peace in its walls. For by the walls he means its power; or according to another line of reasoning, the saints who were in it.

"For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I have sought good things for thee." Since in you, O Jerusalem, is the house of our God, I have sought good things for you, as one returning the favor.

Song of Ascents. 122.

Argument.

"Unto thee have I lifted up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens. Behold as the eyes of servants are unto the hands of their masters." The eyes of those who have the spirit of bondage in fear are unto the hands of the masters and the mistress; but of him who has the spirit of adoption, they are unto the Lord God.

"Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us." The doubling signifies the fervor of the request, not that we ask for mercy as being worthy, but as having become highly subject to reproach.

Song of Ascents. 123.

Argument.

Song of Ascents. 124.

of God, ^A which does not "leave the rod of sinners upon the lot of the just and his saints" [Ps. CXXIV, 3]. Peace upon Israel. For the peace that surpasses all understanding is given only to him who possesses understanding. But even when the enemies had perished, these enjoyed peace.

Song of Degrees. CXXV. Argument.

1. When the Lord turned again the captivity of Sion, we became as those that are comforted. The apostles announce these things concerning themselves and the nations. For in David’s time there was no captivity. Perhaps, however, he speaks of spiritual captivity. For the expression, "they shall say," prophetically signifies the future.

2-4. Then shall they say among the nations: The Lord hath magnified, etc. This signifies that we are to be lamented by all with many tears. For all marvel at the great works of God, that He has delivered us from that bitter slavery; and we ourselves cry out—for we are not devoid of feeling—even if we have not yet recovered the others for whom we supplicate, saying: Turn again, O Lord, our captivity, as a torrent in the south. By this they signify that a great multitude still remains in Babylon, so that their return is likened to the flow of the Egyptian river. For here "south" means the desert.

5, 6. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. Going they went and wept. To those praying for the survivors of the captives, the prophetic Spirit answers and says: If they weep for those who remain in Babylon, return will be granted to them as well.

Song of Degrees of Solomon. CXXVI. Argument.

1. Unless the Lord build the house, in vain have they labored that build it. He says this to the Jews, who think highly of the firmness of their building.

3. When He shall give His beloved sleep, behold the inheritance of the Lord, children. Do not think highly of the temple, he says, as if the inheritance were given to you in it.

^A For it is not so. But when He shall give rest to His beloved from the former people, that is, the prophets, then He will give the inheritance to His children. And who might these be, if not the disciples? For the divine promise and the blessing upon the children has been given as a kind of reward to those who have hoped in Him. "The reward of the fruit of the womb." The fruit of the womb would be the salvation of the spirit, according to that saying: "We have been in pain and have brought forth a spirit of salvation, which we have brought forth upon the earth." The reward of this fruit, as also the inheritance, shall be given, namely, adoption as sons. ^B 4. Like arrows in the hand of a mighty one, so are the sons of those who were cast out. He calls those who were rejected from the former people "cast out," whose sons, that is, the apostles, have become arrows of the Mighty One. By them He has shot at the opposing powers.

5. "Blessed is the man who shall satisfy his desire from them." By "from them" He blesses those who shall receive benefit from the teaching. ^C "They shall not be put to shame when they speak to their enemies in the gates." He clearly indicates the advent of the preaching.

Song of Ascents. 127. Argument.

Song of Ascents. 128. Argument.

Song of Ascents. 129. Argument.

^A Let Thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication. By "ears" in God we understand the angelic powers, through whom our supplications ascend to God.

3. If Thou shouldst mark iniquities, O Lord, Lord, who shall stand? That reduplication of the word, "Lord, Lord," is expressive of one admiring the magnitude of the divine clemency, in whom he says the propitiation exists, and not in our own good works.

4. For Thy name's sake I have waited for Thee, O Lord. These are the words of those who do not approach for the sake of spiritual necessity, but for the sake of the venerable Name itself, and who thus run in patience the proposed contest, and at no time depart from God and from those things which are pleasing to Him.

6. From the morning watch even unto night let Israel hope in the Lord. For it is necessary to wait upon the Lord even in troublesome matters. For not only in the morning watch, when all things are visible, but even until dark affairs and events. But when the true light arises, the discerning mind receives an increase of joyful things and an emptying of sad ones from God; let him hope in Him as in a fountain; for with Him is mercy, who is redemption and propitiation, who by His virtue purges many sins.

Song of Degrees. CXXX.

Argument.

The twelfth canticle teaches him who has been gifted with propitiation not to be exalted ^C by trusting in his own progress, but to think humbly.

Lord, my heart is not exalted... Neither have I walked in great things, nor in wonderful things above me, etc. That one may not be exalted, he says that the contrary virtue is highly useful, which the Savior taught in these words: "Unless you be converted and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." By "weaned children" he refers to children, signifying tribulation. For the infant does not depart from the mother except with tears, grieving that it has been deprived of milk. Thus also I, he says, living in tribulations, always pray to God. But if I were not so affected, I would pay the ultimate penalty.

Song of Degrees. CXXXI.

Argument.

The thirteenth ^D canticle contains a prayer for David. For since propitiation procures the remission of sins for all, the prophetic Spirit, together with the rest who obtain salvation, and with David, necessarily says: "Lord, remember, and according to his meekness reward him." For just as he, being meek, dismissed the injuries brought upon him by Saul, so also do Thou remit his offenses.

1, 2. Remember, O Lord, David and all his meekness. How he swore to the Lord, he made a vow to the God of Jacob, etc. For having learned from the Holy Spirit that the Lord would come among men, and would give

^A forgiveness of many sins, and hoping himself to be saved through this advent, he desires to learn when it will be, and where it will take place, and in what manner he will make his visitation. Desiring to know these things, he subjected himself to such great hardship that he declined all bedding, bade farewell to his house, and lay before God upon the ground, prostrate before the face of the sanctuary, swearing not to rise until he had learned these things. Upon the firmness of this resolve, God, moved by pity, assents; as he who once swore would not prove false. Whence he added: *Lo, we heard of it in Ephratha;* this is Bethlehem. What did he hear, if not the future pilgrimage of the Lord?

*We found it in the plains of the forest.* For the cave in which Christ was born is in the plains, that is, in the fields. ^B

*We will enter into his tabernacles.* He signifies the Churches that were to be in due time. *We will worship in the place where his feet have stood.* He speaks of the Mount of Olives, where everyone who passes by worships.

*Arise, O Lord, into thy rest.* They hasten his ascension into the heavens. *Thou and the ark of thy sanctification.* By the ark of sanctification, he speaks of his holy flesh.

*Thy priests shall be clothed with justice.* Not, he says, with garments according to the law, but with justice itself; and justice is Christ.

*For the sake of David thy servant, turn not away the face of thy Christ.* Along with the benefit bestowed upon all men, remember also ^C David, whom thou didst bring to conversion because of his sin. For a servant is he who, being from him according to the flesh, assumed the form of a servant.

*The Lord swore the truth to David.* And where is that which he swore? In his saying to him: *And it shall be, when thy days shall be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will raise up after thee another from thy seed, who shall be from thy womb: and I will prepare his kingdom for ever. He shall build a house to my name, and I will establish his kingdom for ever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son.*

*If thy sons keep my covenant.* He clearly proclaims the future covenant, which, if the sons of David according to the flesh had kept, they would not have fallen from the prepared kingdom. ^D

*This is my rest for ever.* For if the ancient temple was deserted because of the madness of the Jews, yet there again the places of the cross, and of the resurrection, and of the ascension have been endowed with divine grace.

*Blessing, I will bless her provision.* For each of those such as these, being found a seed of the just, shall not...

be wanting in bread. It is written also: *Her widow*, that is, her who lacks protection; *I will satisfy her poor with bread*, that is, those who are poor according to God, and with spiritual bread.

16. *I will clothe her priests with salvation.* This is Christ again, who is salvation, and who was also called righteousness above.

17. *There will I make a horn to sprout for David.* At that time when salvation shall appear, clearly the glory of David shall arise. *I have prepared a lamp for my Christ.* He says this regarding John, according to the word spoken by the Lord: *He was the burning and shining lamp.*

Song of Degrees. CXXXII. Argument.

The fourteenth song declares the good conferred by the Savior after He shone upon men, saying:

1, 2. *Behold how good and how pleasant. Like ointment upon the head, that runs down upon the beard.* When the Church, he says, has been gathered, and has made a certain harmony, then indeed both the anointing of the Holy Spirit and the priesthood shall be brought, first ^B upon the head of the Church, which is Christ, then upon the beard, which is the adornment of the face of the Church. By this are understood the apostles. Finally, it passed over to the whole body, that is, to all who in the Church have put on Christ.

3. *For there the Lord commanded the blessing, and life for evermore.* There, he says—it is clear that this is among the brothers who dwell in unity—and life, not just any life, but the immortal one. For upon Sion the life-giving dew of the most Holy Spirit was sent down upon the holy apostles, through whom all who believe obtain eternal blessing. For their heart and soul were one.

Song of Degrees. CXXXIII.

1. *Behold now, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord.*

Argument.

The fifteenth song bids those who are still catechumens in the Church ^C to praise God. He calls them servants, inasmuch as they have not yet been deemed worthy of adoption.

2. *In the nights lift up your hands into the holy places.* He says that they still stand in the nights, because they have not yet been gifted with the illumination of the Holy Spirit.

3. *May the Lord bless thee out of Sion.* Out of Sion, he says, because this name was lovely to them, where there was for them the ground of all sanctification. Then he teaches that He is to be invoked from every place, saying: *May he who made heaven and earth [bless thee].*

Alleluia. CXXXIV.

1. *Praise the name of the Lord, praise, O servants of the Lord.* ^D

^A This psalm also is addressed to those who are beginners, exhorting them: *Praise God*. For the term "allelu" is interpreted as "praise," and "ia" as "the Lord." *Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing to his name, for it is good.* He urges those to sing who formerly had been devoted to idolatry in Egypt. These were the descendants of Jacob. They were called to celebrate God with hymns. *Israel for his own possession*—that is to say, "choice," for *Israel* refers to the discerning mind. *For I have known that the Lord is great, and our Lord is above all gods.* By his creative power, he has known him to be the Lord.

*In the seas and in all the deeps. Bringing up the clouds from the ends of the earth.* He says this because the seas encompass the earth from without, from which he raises up the clouds. *He has made lightnings for rain.* This, too, would be a symbol of the divine power, that he mixes the fiery nature of the lightnings with water in the same place. *Who brings forth winds out of his treasuries.* By "treasuries," he declares the nature of the winds to be incomprehensible to men. Similar to this is that which was said by the Lord: *The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its voice, but you do not know from where it comes or where it goes.*

^C *Who struck the firstborn of Egypt from man unto beast.* He puts the last plague first in order, because it was after it that they were granted freedom. He also mentions the beasts, because they were made for man, and are punished on his account, so that through the increase of terror it might be clear that the plague was divinely sent.

*The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the works of men's hands.* After showing the divine providence and praising it, as if still speaking to those from the nations who had recently approached the faith as servants, he brings forward a refutation of the gods they formerly worshipped, following upon what he had said: *For I have known that the Lord is great, and our Lord is above all gods.* For he has performed such great and wondrous works; but those gods of yours from before were only dead and deaf idols, to which those who make them might become similar. ^D For how could those who worship inanimate things not become like stones in their souls? And those whom he called "gods" above, according to custom, he now confutes and calls "idols," reproaching their material and their workmanship.

Alleluia. CXXXV. *Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy is for ever.*

*To him who divided the Red Sea into parts.* Ancient discourse says that the sea was divided into twelve sections, so that one path might be granted to each tribe.

*To him who led his people through the desert.* The miracle in the desert is no less than that of the sea.

^A For many were the things threatening death: famine, drought, thirst, a multitude of wild beasts, and a lack of all necessities. Yet they traversed it, with no one to strike terror into them. And from two most powerful kings, who boasted of their strength, power, and size of body, he delivered them. Of whom Og had nine cubits in length and five in breadth, and used an iron bed.

19. *Sehon, king of the Amorites*, etc. It is not without reason that he omitted others and mentioned these kings, but to recall to the people’s mind the victory granted by God. For they themselves boasted of their strength, power, and the size of their bodies.

23. *For in our humiliation the Lord was mindful of us.* These words: *For in our humiliation the Lord was mindful of us*, are more aptly suited to those who have been freed from spiritual or sensible captivity.

25, 26. *Who gives food to all flesh.* For the kindness of the benevolent God does not care for the pious only, but even for animal brutes, so that he distributes suitable food to each, and extends his providence from the marvels of heaven down to the lowliest things on earth, and from there he proceeds again back to heaven. Therefore, after "to all flesh," he added: *Give thanks to the God of heaven.* For although He is the creator of all, yet by excellence He is called the God of heaven, being worshipped by those who dwell there. Since that place is pure and devoid of sin.

*To David, by Jeremiah. PSALM CXXXVI.*

1. *By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat and wept.* The account teaches those who would be in Babylon many years later on account of their iniquity to weep and be anxious, desiring to recover their own goods.

5. *If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand be forgotten.* That is, may I not attain the help from above.

6. *Let my tongue cleave to my throat, if I do not remember you.* For what use is an organ designed for speech if it is not moved to its duty? Therefore, blessed men used to have throughout their whole ^D life a care for celebrating hymns, saying: *I will sing to the Lord in my life*. But the city was venerable to them on account of divine worship, as was said before: *For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I have sought good things for you.*

*If I do not set Jerusalem in the beginning of my joy.* I will, he says, prefer your memory to all joy. For thus it happens that all other joys become good. And the Lord also introduces the sacred foods before the bodily ones.

7. *Be mindful, O Lord, of the sons of Edom*, etc. The sons of Edom are the Idumeans from Esau, who, when Jerusalem was captured, cruelly insulted her, until they saw her razed to her foundations.

8. *O miserable daughter of Babylon.* The utterance is prophetic.

^A And that word also of Babylon signifies its destruction. *Blessed is he who shall repay you your repayment.* He, he says, is blessed who shall lead you into captivity.

To David by Zechariah. PSALM CXXXVII. Argument.

The present psalm contains a prophecy of the calling of all the nations, concerning which he gives thanks, because not only was he himself, being a king, deemed worthy of the divine theophany, but he says that many kings of the nations would also be deemed worthy of the same grace—a thing which came to pass only after the advent of the Lord.

1. *I will confess to Thee, O Lord, with my whole heart.* The Savior gave this commandment to the rich man, saying: *You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your strength*. ^B

2. *And before the angels will I sing to Thee, I will worship toward Thy holy temple.* As if the angels were present, and always beholding his victory achieved through the help of God. *And I will confess to Thy name upon Thy mercy and Thy truth.* I will give thanks, he says, because I have been delivered from the shadow and have been deemed worthy of the truth. *Because Thou hast magnified upon all Thy holy name.* He says that he offers his thanks concerning the calling of the nations. I do not give thanks only for the benefits conferred upon me, but also because I behold Thy glory in all things—that of the creator, clearly, the benefactor, the avenger. For there is nothing in the nature of things that does not proclaim Thy greatness.

*Thou shalt multiply me in my soul with Thy power.* He calls "multiplication" long life. But the sense is: By Thy power Thou shalt transform me from corruption into incorruption. ^C

5. *And let them sing in the songs of the Lord, because great is the glory of the Lord.* He described the songs of the Lord, which he foretells must be sung by all those of the nations who believe.

6. *Because the Lord is high and looks upon the lowly.* Do not wonder, he says, if these things shall happen among men; for human affairs are not alienated from the providence of God. *And the high He knows from afar.* For He foreordained from the foundation of the world, according to the divine Apostle, the calling of the nations and the ascent to the heights.

7. *If I walk in the midst of trouble, Thou shalt quicken me.* Similar is the saying: *You shall have tribulation in the world; but take courage, I have overcome the world.* ^D *Thou didst extend Thy hands upon the anger of my enemies.* For the right hand of the Father, that is, the Son, has been brought against them, which also saved us.

8. *The Lord shall repay for me.* For having judged the injustice against us, He cast out the prince of the world.

To the end, to David, PSALM by Zechariah in the dispersion. CXXXVIII. Argument.

The psalm is referred to the person of Zechariah, while the sons of Israel were still in captivity and the Prophet

^A with them. He describes the manner of the divine providence toward us, and that it not only extends to universal things, but also provides for individual matters; so that neither our movements nor our thoughts are neglected by His providence. He admires the depth of the economy, clearly signifies the calling of the Gentiles, and the opposition that occurred against the Savior Christ by the people of Israel. On account of all these things, it is inscribed "Unto the end, to David." We have said repeatedly that the psalms so inscribed are referred to the time of the Lord's coming.

1. *O Lord, you have tested me and known me.* As one trusting that he has a firm faith in Christ, and that he has had no communion with the iniquity of the wicked people, he invokes the Creator of hearts Himself as a witness.

3. *You have understood my thoughts from afar, you have tracked my path and my measuring-line.* Even if God sees the movement of thoughts, He knows much more the course of life. *My path and my measuring-line you have tracked.* ^B A "measuring-line" is a certain given measure of a path. He says, then, that you know every movement of thought; for by "paths" He signifies movements.

4. *For there is no deceit in my tongue.* And this is the greatest of David’s achievements, not to have harmed [anyone] with his tongue, neither by falsehood, nor by perjury, nor by deceit and guile, and every other such path.

5. *Behold, O Lord, you have known all the last and the ancient.* He leaves the middle in silence, because wickedness is situated in the middle. For it was not at the beginning, nor will it be again at the end. *You fashioned me, and you placed your hand upon me.* Even if you fashioned me, he says, you hold and preserve what has been fashioned; for the imposition of the hand of God signifies the gift of the Spirit conferred upon us; just as the apostles, through the laying on of hands, provided the Holy Spirit.

6. *Your knowledge has been made wondrous from me; it has been strengthened, I cannot attain to it.* What he says is of this kind: That there are many other things that have been performed by God upon him, which he is not able to discern. For, he says, ^C it exceeds my power, and the knowledge of these things is far superior to my comprehension, so that I am unable to discover or express them. For as much as I have spoken, they happen to be small and minimal. For the comprehension of the divine power escapes my smallness.

8. *If I ascend into heaven, you are there.* Similar is, *Heaven is my throne.* *If I descend into hades, you are present.* He prophesies the future descent of the Lord into hades.

9. *If I take my wings at dawn, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea.* That is, if I were to take the wings of birds not yet weary; for that is what is signified by "at dawn,"

^A namely, having complete vigor and being full of strength. This is the thought: "You, O Lord, who contain all things, know all things before they come to pass, are present everywhere, and fill all things, being God." Then: "Whither shall I turn if I fall into some sin, and if the necessity of flight befalls me, when you, O Lord, contain all things?"

11. *And I said: Perhaps darkness shall tread me underfoot.* That is, it shall cover and hide me from your eyes. But even this darkness, he says, is in your knowledge just as light itself would be. *As is its darkness, so is its light.* For just as night is dark to me, so is it luminous to you. By "reins," he means those that incite fear. He says that he always feared You, because he constantly had your judgment before his eyes. *You took me up from my mother’s womb.* Rightly, he says, did I possess your fear, since your providence was guarding me while I was yet in the womb.

14. *I will confess to you, for you have been fearfully magnified.* Opportunely after the aforementioned theology does he utter this confession. *Your works are wonderful, and my soul knows it exceedingly.* This power, he says, which is hidden to me, is manifest to you, O God.

*My bone was not hidden from you, which you made in secret.* He says the slip of the woman, whom You created secretly from my bone after having lulled me into a deep sleep, did not escape You; but You know our secrets, You who ^C caused her to come into being secretly. *And my substance is in the lowest parts of the earth.* Even if I should be dissolved, he says, and go into dust, that too is known to You.

*Your eyes saw my unfinished work.* Before I came into being, he says, and before I was formed, the eyes of your foreknowledge gazed upon me and foresaw me—not simply, but as one already fashioned, numbered, and written in your book. *Days shall be formed, and there is no one in them.* In all the days of their life they conducted themselves properly and orderly, so that they did not pass even one day in an unformed or disordered manner.

17, 18. *But to me your friends, O God, have been greatly honored.* Similar to this is that: *He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward.* ^D *I will number them, and they shall be multiplied beyond the sand.* I have hope, he says, in honoring your friends, because in the resurrection I shall stand with them, and for their sake I shall obtain honor from you. Then, he says, let sinners be destroyed—that is, let them pay the deserved penalties.

19. *If you slay the wicked, O God.* Knowing the punishments that are to come upon them, he in a certain way separates them from himself. *Men of blood, depart from me, for you are contentious in your thoughts.*

^A He indicates the cause for which he drives sinners away from him. Therefore, he says, they are driven away, because they speak against God and are contentious toward Him, and in vain are they puffed up and act proudly against the human race.

21, 22. *Do not I hate those who hate you, O Lord?* I loved your friends, he says, and received them into my friendship; but I perfectly hated your enemies. ^B Now the enemies of God are first and properly the impure demons; second, after them, are those who defend idolatry and the leaders of heresies.

Unto the end, a Psalm of David. 139

1. *Rescue me, O Lord, from an evil man.* He cries out to God to take vengeance for the injury inflicted upon human nature by the demons, and to turn the iniquity back upon the head of those who do evil. These things can also be said regarding sensible enemies.

2. *Who have devised iniquity in their heart, all the day they prepared wars.* For they did not only admit evil reasonings, but also added deeds to those thoughts. And that which is said, *all the day*, Symmachus translates as *every day*.

6. *They have set snares for my steps.* All these things, he says, they were doing, so that they might stop his course in his path toward God, entangling his feet in traps, that they might cast him down from the presence of God.

9. *Do not deliver me, O Lord, from my desire to the sinner.* I, he says, O Lord, desire the desire of salvation; do not therefore abandon me, so that, having turned aside from this path, I might be delivered to a sinner, that is, to the devil. *They have devised against me; do not abandon me, lest they be exalted.* He asks to be covered under the shelter of his wings, and under his powerful hand, from which no one can snatch, so that they might not act arrogantly as if in some other matter.

10. *The head of their circuit, labor, etc.* ^C Upon them, he says, let their counsel fall. For this is what *the head of their circuit* signifies. For the head of sinners is thought and sense. Therefore, may the beginning and head of their snares by which they circled me, and indeed also their weariness and labor taken up against me, fall back upon them. To whom it is just that they be delivered to the punishment of fire.

11. *Coals shall fall upon them in fire.* For you will consume them with your wrath as if with some fire. You will cast them down into miseries, and they shall not stand. They shall fall into calamities from which they shall not escape. ^D This, however, happened to Saul in the war against the foreigners. For there, pierced through, he received the end of his life.

12. *A talkative man shall not be directed on the earth.* Eternal fire awaits the impious. And in this life, a talkative man shall not be directed unto the end. For no one who is contentious and slanderous, and who is engaged in some earthly purpose, is directed, for he is perverted by the very fact that he is contentious. For since such men as these are given over to sins, by what reason can they be directed by virtue? *An unjust man will be hunted by evils into destruction.*

^A For just as he is destroyed by his own disease without any external wickedness, paying the fitting penalty; for wickedness is sufficient, in place of any punishment, to destroy the soul that possesses it.

PSALM 140.

1. *Lord, I have cried unto thee, hear me; attend to the voice of my supplication when I cry unto thee.* The "cry" altogether signifies the intensity of the mind. Receive, he says, O Lord, my supplication with benevolence.

2. *Let my prayer be set forth as incense before thee.* He compares things proceeding from the mind to incense, since they are subtle and offered to God alone. *The lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice.* He compares deeds rendered through the hands to a sacrifice, since they are more substantial than the intentions of the mind. He says "evening," because it is necessary to be engaged in good works even until the end.

3. *Set, O Lord, a watch before my mouth, and a door for restraint about my lips.* Because he knows that it is a great thing to perfectly guard the tongue, he asks God to grant him restraint of the tongue.

4. *Incline not my heart to words of malice.* That is, do not permit my mind, which has been once well-constructed, to turn to the contrary; so that, he says, I may not conceive thoughts of iniquity.

5. *The righteous man shall correct me in mercy, and shall reprove me.* I would indeed accept all correction from the righteous, but may I not receive the blessing and the flattery of the sinner, by which they anoint my head like oil. ^C

6. *For still also is my prayer in their pleasures, their judges were swallowed up near the rock.* Near the rock, he says, they will be submerged. He signifies that Christ himself will submerge them into the abyss. *My words shall be heard, for they are sweet.* The event, he says, of the punishment previously foretold against them shall be present; but from this, my words shall receive the pledge of truth and propriety.

7. *As the fatness of the earth is broken up upon the ground.* We have broken up, he says, all our earthly nature, humbling ourselves for thy sake; in such a way that our entire strength was brought down even to Hades. This is similar to that saying: *For thy sake we are killed all the day long.* ^D

8. *For toward thee, O Lord, O Lord, are my eyes.* I trust in no human thing; but I wait for thy help, and I pray that my soul may not be stripped of this. *In thee have I hoped, do not take away my soul.* That is, do not pour out or empty the hope which I have in thee.

10. *Sinners shall fall into their own net.* The sinners, he says, shall fall into their own nets. *I am alone until I pass by.*

net. The sinners, he says, shall fall into their own nets. I am alone until I pass by. ^A

Understanding of David: when he was in the cave, a prayer. CXLI. Argument.

2-3. *With my voice I cried to the Lord; with my voice I made supplication to the Lord.* I will pour out my prayer before him. He has, as it were, dedicated his whole mind to the Lord, he says. *I will declare my affliction before him.* Wrestling for the soul itself in this race, he says, I offer my supplications, praying for my afflictions to be dispersed. You know, he says, that I am suffering persecution unjustly.

4. *When my spirit failed from me.* I was doing this, observing the excessive nature of the evils; for I was dwelling beside death itself. *And you have known my paths.* These words, "And you have known my paths," are those of one confident in his course of life and his works. ^B But seeing the spiritual enemies of the soul arranging for Saul to enter the cave so that David might be caught, he said quite rightly: *They hid a snare for me*, which the present prayer has nullified. For as far as men were concerned, trapped in the cave, he was blocked from all escape, and there was no one to rescue him or seek his life.

*In this way wherein I was walking, they hid a snare for me.* If anyone considers the location of the cave, he will find the things said to be appropriate. *I looked to the right and observed, and there was no one who knew me.* They set appropriate machinations of malice against those practicing the virtues; for example, they hid a snare for one walking toward wisdom—that is, a wisdom not of God—and for one seeking knowledge, they proposed that which is falsely so called. This utterance has some affinity with the one: *Near the path they placed stumbling-blocks for me.* But these snares can also be understood by way of hyperbole, into which he falls who is not on his guard, concerning which he says, *I looked to the right.* For snares are placed to the right for those who are more ambitious. ^C

*Flight has perished from me, and there is no one who seeks my soul.* For there was no way to escape from the cave, being hemmed in from the front by Saul. No one, he says, seeks the salvation of my soul.

6. *I cried to you, O Lord.* For it is fitting to place one's hopes of salvation in him alone.

8. *Bring my soul out of prison.* He says this as if looking toward the place of the cave. But Symmachus says: "Lead my soul out of confinement." *To confess to your name.* When you have released me from such tribulation and from this prison, he says, I will send up hymns of thanksgiving. ^D

^A donec retribuas mihi. If you bring me out of this, he says, as a reward for my good works, the remaining just, having me as an example before their eyes, and considering within themselves from my experiences what concerns them, will offer prayers to you and come running to you.

PSALM of a song of David, when his son Absalom was persecuting him. CXLII. Argument. This psalm has a theme similar to the one preceding it. For he asks to be delivered from those who persecute him, as the Apostle says. Figuratively, however, these things happened to the ancients, and were written for our admonition. We are therefore taught that in critical circumstances we should flee for refuge only to God. It should be known that the prayer is referred to the person of human nature, pursued and afflicted by that arrogant Satan, by whom it asks to be redeemed through the advent of the Only-Begotten.

2. Lord, hear my prayer. Hear me, he says, I ask through your truth. It is as if he were saying: Be obedient to me, having sent your Only-Begotten, who is truth and righteousness. (One folio is missing in the Colbertine codex.)

3. He set me in dark places like the dead of the ages. By darkness he indicates the ignorance in which it was once involved. For I differed nothing, he says, from a dead man. He calls the ancient idolaters the dead of the ages.

7. Quickly hear me, O Lord, my spirit has failed. In the final straits, whenever a person's soul is in danger, it is fitting to say this; yet it is not necessary to use it in human affairs.

8. Make me hear your mercy in the morning. He speaks of the morning resurrection of the Lord; or perhaps he asks for the morning resurrection of Christ to arrive, through which we have received mercy.

Make known to me, O Lord, the way in which I shall walk. He asks to obtain the evangelical teaching.

9. Deliver me from my enemies. From the intelligible ones, clearly. (Some folios are missing here in the Colbertine codex.)

Of David against Goliath. CXLIII. ^D 1. Blessed be the Lord my God. The prelude comes from overflowing joy. Who trains my hands for battle. By hands he means works done in piety toward God, through which we do battle with Satan.

3. Man is made like unto vanity. Each of the men is made like unto this world.

6. Send forth lightning, and you shall scatter them. He calls the evangelical preaching lightning.

7. Send forth your hand from on high; deliver me, and rescue me from many waters, from the hand of strange children. Whose mouth has spoken vanity. He speaks of the thoughts that encompass us from the deceit of the demons. Or perhaps he calls the people of the Jews the waters, who surrounded the apostles, in order to restrain and

destroy them. And these may be the sons that are alienated, who speak vanity. And what is this vanity, if not what they said to Christ: "Why do you, being a man, make yourself God?" ^A

9. *O God, I will sing a new song unto thee.* Namely, the evangelical song. And the word is indeed from the person of David himself. *Upon a psaltery of ten strings will I sing unto thee.* The psaltery of ten strings is the body, seeing that it has five senses and five operations of the soul, with an individual operation belonging to each sense.

10, 11. *Who givest salvation unto our kings.* Namely, the holy apostles, whom Christ appointed as their princes. *Thou hast delivered David thy servant from the hurtful sword; rescue me, and deliver me from the hand of strange children.* Because of your covenants with them, take all our care upon yourself. For he called the fury and ferocity of those who assault us the "hurtful sword." And he calls these same ones "strange children," inasmuch as they are impious. ^B

12. *Whose children are as new plants, established in their youth.* He says, the children of the people who are according to the flesh are flourishing; but those who are according to the spirit are humble. For these are they who say: "Though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed."

*Their daughters are adorned, bedecked as the likeness of a temple.* He speaks of earthly adornment. Wherefore they did not become a temple of God, like the holy souls of believers, but a likeness of a temple; for they pretended to practice life according to the Law. But they did not have the Word within them, but the evil spirit. ^C

13. *Their garners are full, overflowing from one to another.* For they stored up not heavenly, but earthly riches.

14. *Their sheep are prolific, multiplying in their goings out. Their cattle are fat and fruitful. There is no breaking in of wall, nor going out.* They have attained to great prosperity, he says; which, however, will not last unto the end. For he taught this in another psalm, saying: *Thou hast cast them down while they were being exalted.*

15. *They have called the people blessed to whom these things are.* Blessed is the people whose Lord is their God. But those who do not judge rightly, and who even imagine the things of the flesh themselves, consider him who possesses these things in great abundance to be blessed. ^D Yet this is by no means blessedness; rather, it is to invoke the Lord as his God.

A Psalm of Praise of David. CXLIV

1. *I will exalt thee, O God my king.* He does not give exaltation as if He did not have it; but he shows to others that He possesses it. Such as: *Father, glorify thy name in the earth.* For He does not ask to receive that which He does not have, but for that which He already has to be made manifest; as that saying indicates: *Glorify thou me with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.*

EXPOSITION ON PSALM CXLVI.

^A "Each day I will bless thee." Among the Hebrews, the beginning of this present verse is *Beth*. He teaches that no day should be allowed to pass without hymns. Therefore, with the whole soul and mind, one must exalt and bless God, and glorify His name with mortal names and words.

"Generation and generation shall praise thy works." He speaks of the Church gathered together from both peoples, namely, from the circumcision and from the nations. He narrates the works which He performed in His coming; he celebrates them in many ways, speaking of power, magnificence, glory, holiness, and wonders; and again, recounting power, greatness, kindness, justice, and mercies.

(Some leaves are missing at the end in C. 3.)

^B "And they shall speak of the power of thy terrible works." They shall speak in a practical manner and with right judgment. Such as this: "It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God." And that: "Shout to God with a voice of exultation: for the Lord is most high and terrible." For they shall speak of these things precisely because of the fear and reverence one ought to have for God. They shall also tell of His greatness as having no end, not circumscribing it with their knowledge, but as it being incomprehensible; for only the Son knows the Father, and the Father the Son. And even if He reveals the Father to whom He wills, yet it is only insofar as it is possible for created beings to see, according to the proportion of preparation that each man has.

"They shall gush forth the memory of the abundance of thy kindness." To all men, inasmuch as He is a good God, He has imparted kindness, and He pities all His works. But those who wish to enjoy His kindness attain salvation.

PSALM CXLV.

"Praise the Lord, O my soul; I will praise the Lord in my life."

"In that day all his thoughts shall perish." In the time of death, he says, all the things he pondered will vanish, and there shall be nothing of what he imagined on earth.

"Giving food to the hungry." Meaning, spiritual food to those who hunger for every good.

PSALM CXLVI.

"Praise the Lord, for the psalm is good." In the previous one, he was exhorting himself to place his hope in God alone; but in this, he shows the apostolic choir teaching the multitude to praise God for those things with which He has benefited the human race.

^D "The Lord lifteth up the meek." By the meek he means those who have received his faith, those who have imitated Him who said: "I am meek." "But I," he says, "hate sinners," namely, the unclean demons who dwell in the fire.

"And grass for the service of men." By the service of men he means oxen, and mules, and the rest of the beasts of burden.

ADMONITION CONCERNING THE SUBSEQUENT FRAGMENTS.

The following fragments of Athanasius's commentaries on the psalms were previously published by Petrus Felckmannus at the end of the appendix to the Commelinian edition, with the following admonition to the reader prefixed.

PETRUS FELCKMANNUS TO THE READER. "Having already brought the aforementioned appendix to its conclusion, I happened upon the works of Lucifer, Bishop of Cagliari, whose frequent and laudable mention in our Athanasius had long ago been published in Paris by Joannes Titius, Bishop of Mende. While perusing these, I came across three epistles of Athanasius—two to Lucifer and a third to those who study the solitary life—the very existence of which had previously been unknown to us. Since I consider them genuine, based on the similarity of their subject matter to other epistles of Athanasius, as well as their treatment, I have decided they should be subjoined here. And because at the same time I also discovered in the Palatine Library certain fragments of this our holy father’s commentaries on the psalms in the [i]catena[/i] of Nicetas of Heraclea, I have similarly added these—until complete versions appear from elsewhere—having translated them in a hurried work for the pressing of the printers, though perhaps we do not provide everything that Nicetas extracted from them. For the codex which we used was deficient in Psalm LXXVI. And it is not likely that Nicetas omitted the explanations of Athanasius in the remainder of the psalms, which he cites so frequently up to that point. Finally, I have appended a brief sentiment of Athanasius and various readings of certain passages, gathered from a very ancient codex of the Palatine Library, which contained a similar [i]catena[/i] of expositions on Job, compiled by an uncertain author. Do you, kind reader, deign to accept this addendum kindly and look favorably upon our labors." ^A Thus Felckmannus.

As for the epistles of Lucifer and the monks mentioned by Felckmannus, we have edited them above. Regarding these fragments, they are, with very few exceptions, most similar to the expositions of Athanasius edited earlier. However, if some things occasionally occur which do not appear in the [i]Expositions[/i], they are not therefore to be rejected or judged unworthy of Athanasius; for, as it will be useful to observe, they pertain to those verses of the psalms for which an explanation does not exist in the [i]Expositions[/i], as they are not complete and are very often deficient. Furthermore, Nicetas does not record these excerpts word for word, but usually only according to the sense, and not rarely mixed with the commentaries of other Fathers, whose names he himself provides. For when they are completely the same, neither changed nor expanded from the [i]Expositions[/i], we have omitted them, so that the same thing is not uselessly repeated twice.

FRAGMENTS OF THE COMMENTARIES OF ST. ATHANASIUS ON THE PSALMS.

From the [i]catena[/i] of expositions of Nicetas, Metropolitan of Heraclea, or as he himself calls it, a [i]Collection of Expositions collected from Greek Fathers on the Psalms[/i].

Nicetas here in the prologue, explaining the third of five questions which he considered ought to be placed before the rest—namely, "What is the Psalter?"—with the addition of the name of Athanasius, subjoins the following.

The psalter, therefore, is a musical instrument consisting of ten strings, producing sound from the uppermost parts of its frame, and rendering a voice similar to articulate speech through a certain harmonious melody; it is called [i]naula[/i] by the Hebrews, but by the Greeks it is called a [i]cithara[/i]. ^A It is constructed in this way: taking a piece of wood, straight and entirely unbent, ten strings were stretched upon it; and each was fastened individually at the summit of the psalter, while the beginnings of the strings are let down from above. For ten keys or pegs, passing through the neck of the psalter, are turned, which stretch or slacken the strings according as the consonance and proportion of the voices require, and according to the pleasure of the one playing. And this is what the great Basil says, etc.

Fragments of the Commentaries of St. Athanasius

^A Athanasius. What was the cause, then, that Herod the Ascalonite and Pontius Pilate stood by, that is, arrayed themselves and advanced against Christ? And why did the rulers of the Jews, those impious, pestilent, and villainous men—the Scribes, the Pharisees, and the lawyers—gather together in one place, and rage against the Lord—that is, the Father—and against his Christ—that is, his Son? For "he who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father." Perhaps, then, since the things dared by them demonstrated the power of the Lord even more, and their attempts had the opposite result for them, David mocks them, as those who attempted everything in vain; or perhaps he even censures them. For what reason, pray, having found fault, did those who gathered against Christ hang him upon a cross? Is this not he who gave wisdom to the nations, who bestowed power upon kings, who confirmed the authority of rulers, and who wrought the greatest and most famous miracles for the Jews? ^B

And writing on the following verse:

Athanasius. Here is missing the word "saying," so that the sense may be this: "They gathered together against the Lord and against his Christ, saying: Let us break their bonds asunder." Whose? The Father's and the Son's. For they were unwilling to be within the Lord's holy seine. "And let us cast away their yoke," that is, the Evangelical law and the commandment, concerning which it is written: "My yoke is easy." This the Lord himself reproaches them with through Jeremiah, when he says: "You said: I will not serve thee," ^C as if to say: "You have so behaved as to cast off my service." Now, either these things are said in the person of the Jews who refuse to be under the Lord, and who wish to be subject neither to Him nor to the Father; or the Spirit warns the believers and says: "Let us not be made like those who conspired against Christ, nor let us be joined to them in their consensus; but rather let us shake off the heavy yoke of the old law, counting as nothing those types, unless they are understood spiritually." For the shadow is something incomplete and useless, if it does not depict the mystery of Christ.

And on the words: "Then he shall speak to them in his wrath," v. 5.

Athanasius. Then. When, if not when they said: "Let us break their bonds asunder?" And what are those things which were spoken by Him in wrath? These, to wit: "Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, because the kingdom of God shall be taken away from you." And to the lawyers, "Woe." Or perhaps "Then" ^D refers to the time of judgment, when "they shall look on him whom they pierced." For then He will trouble them, saying: "Depart from me, you cursed." But the Jews experienced divine wrath even when the Roman army, coming upon them, burned the city and the temple

^A devastated it, and delivered the greater part of them to death.

On the Inscription of the Third Psalm

^B Of Athanasius and Cyril. The inscription of the third psalm refers us to the history set forth in the second book of Kings. David had several sons by different wives. Among these, Amnon was the firstborn; Absalom and the daughter Tamar, both of them of outstanding beauty, were begotten of another wife. Amnon was seized with love for her, and feigning illness when he was visited by David, he requested of him that he order his sister to be present to nurse him. And so he defiled her; then, having her in hatred, he cast her out of the house. She complained of the injury to her brother Absalom, who, although he was vehemently moved, nevertheless concealed his anger. But some time later he invited Amnon to a banquet and killed him, and fearing his father's wrath, he fled; and after three years he returned, David's anger having already subsided. Not immediately, however, was he admitted into the sight of his father, but only after two years. Then he began to plot against his father, and provided himself with chariots and horsemen, and won over to himself those who approached the king for the sake of judgment, by the guise of benevolence and kindness subjecting the father's subjects to himself, and gathering a huge multitude of deserters in order to lay a snare for his father. At last, he revolted and proclaimed himself king. He took to himself, along with many others, Achitophel, who was one of David's counselors, a crafty and industrious man. Upon hearing this, David fled with those who were about him, barefoot. ^C Then also Semei cursed him. But David, praying that God might render the counsel of Achitophel of no effect, also sent his friend Chusi to contradict that judgment, and to signify all of Absalom's designs to him through the priests Sadoc and Abiathar. Chusi, when he arrived to this parricide and was believed by him to be faithful and well-disposed, was commanded along with Achitophel to deliberate as to how the war should be waged. And Achitophel indeed was the author of the counsel that Absalom, having first lain with his father's concubines, should pursue him from the rear and attack him while unprepared. Chusi, however, gave no counsel concerning the concubines; but he strongly dissuaded Absalom from making an immediate attack upon his father. Do not, he said, fall upon him in the mountains; for if you suffer a reverse, you will lose your army, and you yourself will arrive a captive into your father's hands. When the parricide therefore said: "Better is the counsel of Chusi ^D than that of Achitophel," Achitophel, seized with sorrow, took his own life by a noose. Chusi indicated all things to David through the priests and ordered him to flee still further. Afterwards, when Absalom, having made all preparations and having even previously corrupted his father's concubines and that publicly, pursued his father, David himself did not go out into the line of battle; but having entrusted the army to his commanders, he charged them, saying: "Spare my son Absalom." But when a sharp battle

occurred in the forest of Ephraim, twenty thousand of Absalom’s army fell. He himself, however, having let go of the reins as best he could, was fleeing. But because he had fostered a thick and abundant head of hair, it became entangled in a certain oak tree, and as the mule went out from under him, he remained hanging aloft in the tree, until someone caught sight of him and reported it to Joab. Now one of David’s commanders was this Joab. He, therefore, taking three spears, pierced the heart of Absalom and thus took him out of the midst of the fray. Hearing this, David lamented, saying: "O my son Absalom, my son! Who would grant that I might die in your stead?" Thus, therefore, the tyrant having been destroyed, David is restored once again to his kingdom. But these things are later. The psalm in hand, however, he composed while he was still suffering persecution. For this reason, it also contains lamentations and wailing. But it can also be understood of Christ, ^B that true David. For David, if you render it, signifies "desired" and "ready of hand." For who would be, by nature and in truth, the desired one, if not Christ himself, as he who is "fair in beauty beyond the sons of men"? Or who is as "ready of hand" as the strong Jesus, who by the power of his divinity raised trophies over the entire host of the aliens, that is, the demons? For this one was pursued, like another Absalom, by the perceptible Israel according to the flesh, namely, the Jews. Concerning whom he says through Isaiah: "I have reared and brought up children, but they have rejected me." And Judas conspired towards the pursuit, like a certain Ahithophel; he whom the intelligible David, that is Christ, had as a counselor. For it is said of him in a certain psalm: "But you, O man, of like soul, my guide and my acquaintance." But whereas Judas, in a manner similar to Ahithophel, went away and hanged himself, Christ, in sending out his commanders, his disciples, to wage war against his enemies, commanded them, just as David did, that they should spare Absalom, so also he, that they should not neglect the Israelites. "For you shall be to me," he says, "preachers and witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and to the end of the earth." And just as the mule and the hair delivered Absalom to death, thus also did irrationality and high-mindedness concerning external and bodily things deprive the Jews of true life; and it allowed them to enjoy neither the earth nor heaven. ^C

*That the truths have grown weak*, here he reproves the unbelief of the Jews. Wherefore Moses looked toward them, saying: "Sons of men in whom there is no faith."

*Of Cyril and Athanasius.* This is also true of the Jews: "Each one spoke vanities to his neighbor," gathering together plots against our Savior.

Next follows the argument of the seventh psalm in the name of Athanasius, as held above. Likewise those words of the eleventh psalm, etc., the opinion of Chrysostom having been set forth first, he adds:

But according to that great Athanasius, these words clearly reprove the infidelity of the Jews. Wherefore Moses looked toward them when he said: "Sons of men, in whom there is no faith."

On the following verse of the same psalm, the explanation of Chrysostom having been set forth again:

*Of Cyril and Athanasius.* This is also true of the Jews: "For each one spoke vanities to his neighbor," plotting against our Savior.

^A Furthermore, the poets and orators among the Greeks, having no care at all whether what they said was true, wrote down whatever seemed right to them without any prior examination, having only one goal: to display the elegance of their language.

Item on the inscription of Psalm XIII.

Athanasius. According to the anagoge, however, he opens up in this Psalm and clearly explains the impiety and transgression of the law of mankind in all their endeavors, so that hence he may herald the necessity of the advent of Christ. And thus, indeed, the divine Athanasius: but according to the great Basil, etc.

Similarly on the title of Psalm XIV, the sentence of Theodoret having been premised, he adds:

^B Athanasius and Basil, those great Fathers, say that David sang this Psalm to teach us what that is which prepares a man to obtain that blessed rest. Wherefore, since it was his intention in this Psalm to describe the perfect man—him, I say, who is to be a participant of blessedness—he uses a certain order and method regarding the things that are wont to be viewed in him, having made his beginning from the nearest and primary things. So therefore he begins, "Domine," etc.

Again on Psalm XV, these words, "To the saints who are in the earth," etc., v. 3.

Athanasius says that they are saints here who are sanctified in the Spirit: but Christ’s land is the Church. That word, "thou hast made wonderful," is put for "thou hast declared." Furthermore, he understands the "wills" of the Father himself. So that this may be the sense of the whole: To those who are sanctified in faith, he has made known the will of the Father. You may, however, understand this verse thus: God has made his saints admirable. Why? Because all his wills were in them, and were fulfilled by them. ^C

Furthermore on the inscription of Psalm XVII.

Athanasius. Since David in this place sings, as also in the twenty-second Psalm, of the creation of all things, he reproves those who say that the world came into existence of its own accord and by chance, and that it is ruled by no providence, as well as those who serve the creature rather than the Creator. What then does he say to those who are called from the nations? Sic ibi sensu incompleto.

Item on the words of the same Psalm, "There are no speeches," etc., v. 4.

Furthermore, St. Cyril and that greatest Athanasius read by way of interrogation what is said here: "Are there no speeches, or words, whose voices are not heard?" as if David were to say: Are not the voices of speechless things, whether of objects or works, heard even without speech and tongue? Yes, someone might say. For just as the varied and multi-colored garment proclaims the skill of the weaver; and ^D a ship, in which nothing can be blamed, proclaims its builder; and finally, his work proclaims the craftsman: so and the creation, of which we just made mention, though it be speechless, that is to say, without reason; yet its speech, as it were, is the wonder of it, and

its most beautiful and strictly ordered composition. For the narration of the heavens and the words which the day speaks, although they do not consist of articulated speech, nor do they arise from the ministry of the mouth, yet they become a lesson of divine power to those who know how to hear the speechless voice. Moreover, when David called the creation speechless, he meant that it was neither living nor rational, as the sages of the Greeks suppose. For they claim that the entire universe is a single living creature, and that its parts, of which it consists, are likewise living creatures. ^A

Item in the title of Ps. XIX

In Ps. XXVIII these words, "And He shall shatter the cedars of Lebanon," etc., v. 5. According to the great Athanasius, the cedars of Lebanon are called the most prominent among the Jewish people, because Jerusalem is very often called Lebanon in Holy Scripture. But the "calf" signifies the altar. Therefore, both they themselves and the altar that is among them are shattered unto the end. ^C

In Ps. XXXIV these words, "And my prayer shall return into my bosom," etc., v. 13. According to the divine Athanasius, the fact that Christ’s prayer for the Jews returns into His own bosom signifies that they remain in their sin and are in no way helped by what they do through the excess of their madness, so that the prayers of Christ are, as it were, turned backward. For the Lord, when He beheld the extreme destruction that was about to overtake them, was affected by great sorrow on their behalf; but they themselves acted in such a way that the prayers of Christ for them were in no wise transmitted to the ears of the Father, but, being repelled in a certain way by the magnitude of their impiety, were pulled backward and returned to the Lord. Therefore He said: "And my prayer shall return into my bosom." For if they were to be saved and to turn from their impiety, the prayer of the Savior would have passed through in a straight course, and, impeded by no one, would have reached the Father's ears. ^D

In Ps. XXXVIII the words, "Surely in an image man walks," v. 7. The opinion of the great Athanasius and Cyril is this: Since man walks now not in truth but in an image—for true life will be in the age to come—therefore the Psalmist perhaps called the image vanity. Because, therefore, we do not live the true life here, but such a life as is, as it were, in an image, nor do we occupy ourselves with truly good things, therefore we...

are troubled, revolving around worldly desires, and gathering up treasures whose future heirs we do not know. ^A

On the words of Psalm XLI: “As the hart panteth.”

Now, according to the great Athanasius and Cyril: Since in the immediately preceding psalm these words were spoken from the person of Christ to the Father: "Excite me, and I will recompense them," therefore, here, the person of those who nailed Christ to the cross is introduced, who were laboring intolerably; since it is manifest that they were eventually to be engaged and grafted, as Paul says, into their own olive tree. Israel, therefore, repenting, says these things. ^B

On the words of the following verse: “My soul thirsteth for the Lord.”

Athanasius and Cyril. Since those who had brought Christ to the cross grieve over their own act and repent, therefore they say that they thirst for God, and desire the fountain that is with Him: concerning which it has been said: "For with Thee is the fountain of life." They desire also to approach to God, by affection and sanctification, that is, which is through faith in Christ. And Him whom they had delivered to death and killed, the Prince, I say, of our life, Him they call the living God. 66 But the phrase, "When shall I come?" is that of those who are yearning for the future calling, and desiring to know that time in which they themselves shall stand before the face of God and the Father (which is the same as that of the Son), even if now they are in a state of turning away. "For I will turn away," He says, "My eyes from you." For what reason? "For your hands are full of blood." ^C

Again on the following verse.

Athanasius and Cyril. Because Christ had predicted, saying: "When you shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies"; when that word broke forth into act, the Romans ravaging it, they lamented: first, indeed, because they had in a measure offended against God; then, because they had fallen away from the salvation which is from Him; and thirdly, because their neighbors, invading them and harassing them with taunts, said: "Where is thy God?" [(67)]

On the proem of Psalm XLII [(68)].

To that great Athanasius, it seems that this psalm has the same argument as the preceding one. For the Israelites come again, asking for the salvation which is through Christ. Therefore they speak to the Father: "Send out Thy light and Thy truth." For He Himself was about to lead them into the holy mount: that is, into heaven and those supernal mansions (which he also calls tabernacles) and to the intellectual altar: He Himself was also about to gladden their youth. For he calls "youth" the rejoicing, and the soul renewed itself. Whence they also promise themselves that they on the harp

^A will offer confession. And he taught that by the harp the body is often to be understood.

*Et in ejusdem psalmi verba, “Quia tu es Deus fortitudo mea,” v. 2.*

(69) Athanasius, Cyril, Theodoret. And those from the circumcision who repent, designate God as their bulwark; and those from the Gentiles who have believed set Him as their strength; and those who are captive do not hope to be liberated by another.

*Item in ista verba, “Confitebor tibi in cithara, Deus, Deus meus,” v. 4.*

Athanasius, Cyril. He calls the body a harp, through which the mind is accustomed to be played, as if by strings—the senses—sending up a melody to God. But the harp also signifies the mortification of the body and the harmony of the virtues. For the strings hint at the mortification, and the harmonies at the concordance. He showed the gladness by the addition of the harp, but the love in the address repeated twice. For he says, "God, my God." So that you may learn that this God who is over all, this God, is designated as ^B unique because of the zeal and faith of those from the circumcision who repent, and those from the Gentiles who believe; in whom also the spiritual youth rejoices, having a character opposite to the old man. For only he who is rejuvenated in spirit and mind, becoming akin to the new man and to the newness of the spirit, enters in unto God, who gladdens such youth.

*Et in proœmio psal. XLIII.*

(70) According to the great Athanasius, this psalm also holds the same theme, as the Israelites account for the ancient benefits of God toward them, and as they repent and beseech to be received by Christ, because they place their hope in Him and confess to His name; but according to the golden-tongued Father, etc.

*Item in illa verba ejusdem, “Convertisti nos retrorsum.”*

(71) Athanasius. Formerly, he says, you used to go forth with us to battles; but now you not only do not join us, but you have even turned us back, ^C and set us as the lowest of every enemy, so that we have become a spoil to those who hate us. And the shame which once held our enemies has surrounded us, and we have become lower than those whom we previously ruled, and we have been plundered by those whom we once plundered. These words, according to the great Athanasius, the prophetic choir says, taking upon itself the calamities of the people; but as it pleases others, it is the army of the Maccabees.

*Rursum in verba: “Oblivisceris paupertatis nostræ,” etc., v. 23.*

(73) Athanasius. They compare to sleep ^D the long-lasting...

forbearance which God exercised on account of their sins. They pray that the advent of Christ, which was to take place in the last times, might be granted to them, so that they might not be destitute of the life which is from Him; and they say: "Why dost thou hide thy face, and forget our misery and affliction?" You do indeed, O God, hide and turn away your face, so as not to look upon shameful and unworthy deeds, which are alien to your sight. But since we have some confidence in the aforementioned noble deeds, why do you hide your face? And since we have suffered so many evils for the sake of your piety, why do you forget our affliction or our poverty? For although these things may not be as great before you as they are before us, but are needy, small, and very few; yet, as far as we are concerned, they are great. Therefore, we entreat you, O Lord, not to forget our poverty; but to remember also the affliction which we have endured for your sake. ^B

*Et in versum sequentem 25.*

(74) Athanasius. Furthermore, the Jews also say that their soul is brought low: because, having refused to think the things of Christ, they fell into a carnal state of mind.

*Item in versum ultimum.*

(75) Athanasius. Then these verses indicate that calling and conversion of the Israelites which will happen in the last times. They also say: "Receive us, and be propitious to us." They confess that the time of their conversion is, in truth, faith in you, O God; adding that: "For your name's sake," they expressly confess that they are not worthy to obtain mercy, because they were opposed to Christ. And yet, it is worthy of Him to have mercy and to forgive human failings for His own sake. For He says: "I do not act for your sake, says the Lord, but for my name’s sake."

Then follows the argument to Psalm XLIV in the very same words as it is found above; wherefore it is omitted.

*Et in versum primum, præmissa Basilii, Chrysostomi et Eusebii sententia, subjicit.*

(76) Athanasius and the divine Cyril, as if these things were said in the person of God and the Father, understand them regarding the Word who was in the beginning with the Father; ^D which, they say, He brought forth, as it were, from His heart or His very bowels. Of whom He also says through David: "My heart has brought forth a good word." For He is begotten, as a word from the mind, good from good, God from God. It should be observed, moreover, that the Father speaks of the Son as having become incarnate, when He says: "I speak my works to the king." For He all but promises to teach Him,

^A in order to instruct Him as to what sort of words He ought to use, leading us to perform His works. By the works of God, we mean pious conduct, which has been made manifest to us through the evangelical preaching. Now, when Christ was explaining to the Jews those things that make for salvation, He ascribes them to His Father, saying: "I do nothing of myself;" and again: "The Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He does." ^B The Father also calls Him king for the time being, lest He should seem, through the measure of the Incarnation, to detract at all from the majesty which He possesses by nature. For He remained, even after the economy, none the less king, being born of the Father who is King; and although He is King and God, He is said to be raised to royal dignity on account of the Incarnation. Similarly, whatever He knows naturally as God, the same He is said to hear again according to His humanity, by reason of the dispensation. For Christ is that King to whom the Father recounts His works. And He whom He called the Word, He also calls His tongue, for the reason that He speaks nothing other than what is the Father's will within Him. For in our case, too, the tongue carries ^C the mind's thoughts across to those outside. He is also called the pen of a ready writer, because whatever He speaks, He immediately brings to effect, as in that saying: "Be cleansed, and he was immediately cleansed"; and: "Young man, I say to you, arise, and he immediately arose." And also as a pen He writes swiftly in our hearts the will of the Father. And the will of the Father, He says, is: "That all which He has given to me, I should not lose any of it." Swift is the pen of the Father. For indeed, the Law of Moses obscurely signified what was for the benefit of men through the cycles of the letters; but the common Savior briefly declared the will of the Father. For He is the ^D Angel of great counsel. "And the word," he says, "the Lord will make brief in the whole world."

And in the same psalm these words: "Hear, O daughter, and see," etc., after the explanation of Basil and Chrysostom, who understand this whole passage as referring to the Church, he appends:

Athanasius the Great also refers to the holy Theotokos what is said: "Hear, O daughter," and that: "He is your Lord." To which is similar the saying: "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you." For after David said that Christ is the Word of God, he immediately also set forth His human birth from a virgin. And Gabriel, indeed, simply calls her "full of grace," being a stranger to her as regards their kinship; but David calls her "daughter," because he knew that she was from his own seed.

On the Inscription of Psalm XLVI

Athanasius and Cyril. This psalm signifies the calling of the nations, being sung in the person of the holy apostles, who exhort the Gentiles to leap for joy.

^A by good deeds concerning the victory that occurred over the pernicious demons. It is inscribed, *For the sons of Core*; not as if the ode was made entirely for them, but because they had been appointed to serve in the offering of the ode. It is, as has been said, in the person of the holy apostles, as they had been commanded to make disciples of all nations. And since faith has been the herald of many and great goods to them—for through it they were called into the adoption of God, and into the participation of the Holy Spirit, and have become partakers of the divine nature, and have been enriched with the gifts from heaven, and have been established as sharers in the hope of the holy ones—for this reason, then, not without cause are they commanded to perform public festivals. ^B

*And in the words of the same psalm:* "He has subjected peoples to us," etc., v. 4

The divine Athanasius understands by "peoples and nations" Satan and the malignant powers that are with him; concerning whom the Savior said: "Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions." For He subjected the nations of the demons to the feet of the apostles.

*Item in the prologue to Psalm XLVII,*

Athanasius. This psalm also is sung in ^C the person of the holy apostles, recounting the persecutions they suffered on account of the preaching, and the victories they won during the persecutions. It is inscribed *A Song of the psalm*, because moral philosophy is conjoined in it with theoretical.

*And in his words:* "For behold, the kings of the earth were gathered," etc., v. 5

According to the great Athanasius, there is signified here the war that was waged against the apostles on account of the preaching, both by the visible kings of the nations and by the invisible demons who once held dominion. These were both struck with dread and stood amazed, observing the help given by God to the holy ones. For the exceeding power of the One who saves brought upon them wonder and astonishment. Then they were troubled, ^D as if they had stood against God as enemies, and were as if in labor pains. Moreover, as to what is said next, if you attend, you will understand that the ships of Tharsis were mentioned, which were bringing great wealth to Solomon, just as we have known in the history of the Kings. Wherefore here also, by the "shattered ships of Tharsis," he signified the destruction of the wealth and power of the aforementioned kings. But you should take "violent spirit" for certain intellectual powers, through which he subdued the enemies of the apostles.

*Item, in those words:* "On account of thy judgments, O Lord."

Athanasius. Because, he says, judging the cause of the nations,

you have cast out the demon that assaults them. If you wish, ^A mount Sion [signifies] those to whom supreme theology has been entrusted; the daughters of Judea [are] the Churches throughout the world, established by the apostles who traced their lineage from the Jews. He also exhorts the preachers to rejoice on account of God's just judgments, by using which He has brought about the salvation of the world.

*Item, in Psalm XLIX, these words:* "Out of Sion the beauty of his comeliness," etc., v. 2.

According to the great Athanasius, the Lord will make His second advent from the supernal Sion, that is, the illustrious and glorious [advent], which he has therefore also called the beauty of comeliness.

*In Psalm L, the words:* "Create in me a clean heart, O God," v. 12.

According to that great Athanasius, he called the mind itself "spirit"; and "uprightness," he said, for its stability, as if he had said: "Make my mind firm, ^B so that it may no longer be easy to fall into sin."

*In Psalm LX, the words:* "From the ends of the earth have I cried to thee," etc., v. 3.

Athanasius and Eusebius. Every lover of God is truly anxious and grieves while he dwells in this mortal life; he grieves also because of his love for mankind, seeing the multitude of those who are perishing. Since, therefore, David also, looking upon the power and tyranny of the demons, was filled with anxiety, for this reason he entreats that the Lord, appearing in the flesh, may deliver us from the hand of those who constrain us (85). Furthermore, "from the ends of the earth" signifies that he is offering his prayers for the whole world. Not only this, but he also indicates the great distance between the substance of God and of men, ^C according to that in Ecclesiastes: "God is in heaven above, and you are on earth below." Symmachus, indeed, rendered this passage more clearly: "When I was in pain." But the Seventy have spoken more significantly and openly: "When I was anxious." For "pain" is said even of slight evils, but "anxiety" of great ones only, when, surrounded by a multitude of evils, one gives up hope and as it were despairs, having cast away all the counsels of the mind, as one who is no longer able to bear them.

*And in the following verse:* "Thou hast exalted me on a rock," v. 3.

(86) Athanasius. According to the spiritual sense, we have gained victory over the demons who were assaulting us, through Christ, who is named by blessed Paul as the rock. And to set forth the whole meaning of this psalm, ^D the discourse contains thanksgiving. For he says: these things which I have enumerated have come to pass for me, since you yourself, O God, have exalted me,

and lifted me up on the rock which is with you, that is, on your Word; for the rock was Christ. Since, therefore, you have exalted me by your Word, and have set me on high, so that I no longer dwell in the midst of the earth, but have come to be at its extremities; and since you have already led me, so that I might attain to being near you, and have become my hope, by which hope I shall not be confounded; but also, while many intelligible enemies were pressing upon me, seeking my soul, you alone sufficed against them all, having become a tower of strength for me; reasonably, having obtained all these things, I send up hymns to you, as to one who has become the cause of all good things for me.

*And on the following verse: "You have led me," etc., v. 4*

*Athanasius and Cyril.* Since it is the proper task of leaders of ^B the way to demonstrate which path is safe and which is dangerous and pernicious, it is found that Christ has also done this, while saying: "I am the way and the door." But the expression "tower of strength" is the same as if he had said: "You have become a wall and a protection for me, so that no evil might happen to me, while these enemies cause trouble." For Christ is a firm and unshaken tower.

*And in the following: "I will dwell in your tabernacle," etc. v. 5*

*Athanasius, Cyril.* Regarding the sense: Out of the good things which he had already received from God, he also makes for himself a hope of future things, that surely, having been received into the heavenly tabernacles, he will be under His protection forever. ^C For just as those who are about to celebrate some feast, with it being already near and at the doors, are suffused with a certain pleasure and joy, and see what is not yet present as if it were present: so also the saints, having good hopes regarding the life to come, rejoice in it. He calls the provident powers of God "wings," under which the God-lover is sheltered, never departing from the tabernacle of God, but dwelling in it forever.

*And further on the words: "You have given an inheritance to those who fear your name," etc.*

*Eusebius and Athanasius.* It should be noted, moreover, that these words hold an enigma of that true inheritance. And that is eternal life. But since this is to be given only in the future age, ^D how then does David say, "You have given"? For this reason, surely, because although it is awaited after the resurrection, nevertheless it has been given, because it has already long been prepared for those who are to attain it at the proper time. Observe, however, that the inheritance is given even to those who fear God. If, therefore, it is given to those who are inferior, much more is it given to those who have ascended far higher, that is, to those who love God. But by saying "to those who fear" indefinitely, and by not adding "to the Jews, or to the Greeks," he extended his grace over all mankind; and the Word is accustomed to call especially those who come from the nations, fearing the Lord, by this name. What

else is the inheritance but the kingdom of the heavens, which the Savior celebrated in the Beatitudes?

And in the following: "Diem supra diem regis appones," etc., v. 7. 89 Eusebii, Athanasii, Cyrilli. The spiritual sense is this: these words indicate that this portion of the inheritance is also eternal life. For this is what it means to add days of days to the years of the king. For "days" denote certain times and ages. Do not suppose, however, that these things are said about any one king; rather, know that this is to be understood of all who are called into the kingdom of heaven, whom He also says will remain forever in the presence of God. For those who have become conformed to his sufferings will also reign with him forever. Since the Prophet has premised, saying, "Thou, O God, hast heard my prayers," he added by a certain transposition of words: "Thou shalt add days to the days of the king." For, he says, because you have heard my prayers, you have added days upon days. In between, however, there was inserted the mention of those who fear the name of the Lord, because for them also the prophecy promised the inheritance. And it was eternal life.

And still on the following verse: "Permanebit in sæculum," etc. 90 Athanasius. The phrasing is transposed; for it ought to be: "Whosoever shall seek out his mercy and truth, he shall remain in the presence of God in ages never ending." Symmachus expressed this more clearly, thus: "Mercy and truth shall preserve him." For these will be the causes that he attains immortality: the mercy and truth of God. But according to the Seventy, the sense is this: "Who is able to accurately discern the hidden and just mercy of God? For his judgments are a great abyss."

Then follows the argument of Psalm LXIII, word for word as it is read in the *Expositions*, and therefore we have omitted it. Item on the words: "Qui acuerunt ut gladium," etc., v. 4. 91 Athanasius. In a more secret sense, these things are said against the leaders of the Jews, because, casting blasphemies against Jesus, they said to the apostles: "Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name?" Therefore, he called the calumnious words a "sharpened sword," in order to hint that they are both sharp and easily destroy. And he compared the tongue of the slanderer to an arrow, because it wounds even those who are far away. For the slanderer and the sycophant spares no one, neither present nor absent.

Item on the words of the same psalm: "Conturbati sunt omnes qui vid.," etc., v. 10. 92 Athanasius. All who see, he says, such men...

failing in their designs and missing their mark are filled with confusion and fear, and they marvel at divine providence. For, as they reflect upon this guardianship of God, they fear the divine judgment, and all understand that it was God who rendered their deceit ineffective, because the plans they had devised against me were shown to be futile. So much so that now all proclaim: "This work was yours, O Lord," and they ascribe all things to you. ^A For who would not fear, seeing the visitation of God coming upon the impious, and retribution rendered on behalf of those who are wronged?

Item on the title of Psalm LXIV, with Theodoret's opinion prefixed.

Athanasius. Joined further to the prediction of these things is also the prophecy concerning the salvation of the nations. ^B For David brings in here those from among the nations who have believed in Christ, as though they were contradicting the wise men of this age and praying for the remission of their former impiety. He prays, moreover, for those who were formerly barren and fruitless, but have now become fruitful through faith in Christ. It has been said already before that the psalm denotes practice, while the canticle denotes theory. When, therefore, through both of these some good work is accomplished, with ethical philosophy running concurrently with theory, the psalm becomes a canticle. For the contemplative life, adorned by works, renders a man perfect.

On the words of the same psalm: "Blessed is he whom thou hast chosen," etc., v. 5. After he explained the literal sense from Theodoret, he adds:

Athanasius. Spiritually, however, he adumbrates that new people which has been chosen from among the nations as an inheritance for Christ. ^C By "courts" we must understand the Churches dispersed throughout the regions. In another way, this Prophet also calls him blessed who has been perfected in virtues. For God chooses the man who is fit to struggle and to run the race; but him who has already gained the victory and has brought his life to a noble end, He takes up into heaven, where He also assigns him a tabernacle in His own courts, concerning which it is said: "There are many mansions with the Father." ^D So that it is something more perfect to be taken up by the One who chooses than merely to be chosen. For when he who has been chosen has performed all things according to the will of God, then at last he is taken up with glory into the promised good things, and, his dwelling having been transferred from earthly places, he pitches his tabernacle there, in the palaces, I say, of the One who chose him. Longing for this, someone, while still placed here, said: "My soul fainteth for the courts of the Lord." These words, therefore: "Blessed is he whom thou hast chosen and taken up," are deservedly uttered by those who emulate those removed from this life and pronounce them blessed.

And on the following verse: with the literal explanation from Theodoret again prefixed, there follows:

Athanasius. Their view is this. A good house

of God are the various gifts of the Holy Spirit. But Paul calls the Church itself the house of God. And in this house, that virtue which is called justice is wonderfully fulfilled. He, therefore, who believes and is filled with good works, has the Lord within himself. For it has been said elsewhere that Christ dwells in the inner man through faith, and that He will come with the Father to him who keeps His word, and will make His abode with him. And such a man becomes a temple (according to the words: "Do you not know that you are the temple of God?"), who also performs wonderfully the justice which has its foundation in faith. He is holy, indeed, as one who is pure; but he is wonderful because of his justice. ^A

And in the words of the same psalm: "Who prepares the mountains," etc., v. 7. Similarly, with the opinion of Theodoret prefixed, and with the name of Athanasius subjoined, he says:

At the literal sense: You, he says, are the one who prepares the mountains, that is, the opposing powers, for punishment (for the abyss is prepared for them); and this You will do, because You are powerful. ^B

And to the following verse he subjoins these reflections on Theodoret's explanation:

And still on the following verse, Athanasius and Cyril: These things, moreover, are understood in this way: that it is Christ who disturbs the multitude of the nations like the deep and vast sea, not allowing them to rest in their ancient errors, but rather moving them and leading them to the knowledge of His own power, and stirring up all as if by the roaring of waves to His own praise. Or, by the sea here, he refers to the vast multitude of unclean spirits who are disturbed by the advent of Christ. Whence they also, in their fear, were saying: "Have you come here before the time to torment us?" Or certainly, by the sea, he signifies the multitude of tyrants because of the saltness or bitterness of their idolatry, and by the roar of the waves, the plots and torments inflicted by them upon the holy martyrs. Who would have endured these things, if he had not been strengthened and sustained by the power of Christ? ^C

And he subjoins to Theodoret's explanation:

Athanasius: He also signified at the same time the preaching of the holy apostles, which, because it was unaccustomed, and because it demolished the ancestral worship of the nations and changed their life and conduct, immediately caused troubles and agitations among men, according to the word of the Lord, "setting a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and a son against his father." Yet, afterwards, He calmed those agitations and brought peace to all. When, therefore, he says, the nations—that is, the systems of the demons—are agitated, then at that time they who dwell in the ends of the earth will fear You, seeing the great signs which are brought about at Your advent. ^D

Item on the following verse 9.

Athanasius, Eusebius, and Cyril: And indeed, when those who dwell in the world have seen those great signs

dwelling therein might fear the good fear, then indeed both in the morning and evening exits—that is, at every time—there shall be delight for them, rejoicing in those things which Christ’s advent has repaired. Moreover, of Christ himself there are two exits, or ^A progressions: the one of the morning, made before all ages from the Father, according to that: *His goings forth are from the beginning, from the days of eternity*; the other, of the evening, is that from the Virgin, which occurred at the consummation of the ages. And each is a delight and a rejoicing. Symmachus, however, in rendering: *They sing the praises of the approachings of the morning and evening*, seems to mean this: that both at the beginning and at the ending of the day, those who have abandoned error and have known God by nature will offer to God the praise that is acceptable to Him.

*And on the following verse, according to the literal exposition from Theodoret preceding, v. 10:*

Athanasius. According to the intellect: *You have enriched the whole earth with your goods*, he says; you have filled with spiritual graces all those who dwell under heaven; and us, who were wandering then, being like a dry and waterless land, you have rendered fruitful, and most fecund, and truly sacred.

*Likewise also on the next verse:*

Athanasius. According to the intelligence, the *river of God* is his only-begotten Son. For just as a river flows from a fountain, so also the Son is born from the substance of the begetter, and ^C is consubstantial with Him; who is full of waters, since *the fullness of the Godhead dwells in him*. And *we beheld his glory, full of grace and truth*. One might also understand the Holy Spirit as the river, full of the waters of various gifts. And he says that the spiritual food is prepared, because before the foundations of the world the mystery of Christ was ordained, who is the bread that descended from heaven, and giving life to the world. For he says, *This is that preparation of true food, for you have prepared it*, and not otherwise: as if he were to say, with the highest providence and worthy of divine majesty. For it befits God to prepare such things, those who become participants of which ascend to divine favor through repentance.

*Furthermore on the following verse, with Theodoret’s opinion again premised, v. 11:*

Athanasii and Eusebius. Contemplatively however: *Pause still*, he says, *O Lord*, and water the depths of human hearts as if they were furrows, and inebriate them, and render them fruitful, ^D that the fruits of their righteousness may be multiplied; not only through the river (that is, through the grace of the Holy Spirit), but also through the drops distilling from the teachers, as if from certain clouds: this is, through the knowledge and understanding of the divine Scriptures.

*And on the next annexed verse, v. 12:*

Athanasius. As regards the sense of the words, he called the year of kindness blessed, the year of abundance, naming

^A him who has had prosperous success, just as one who has received a comfortable moderation of the air from God's kindness, and has been filled with every blessing because of the prosperous condition of affairs. And a little later, *Theodoret and Athanasius:* The future age will also be a crown of kindness, because in it the saints will be crowned with great kindness.

*Item on the verse: "And thy fields shall be filled with fatness."*

Having premised Theodoret's literal explanation, he subjoins *Athanasius:* In the spiritual sense, David compares the souls of believers to fields and lands, which God so fattens with spiritual and divine gifts that they are able to bring forth the fruits of piety.

*And on the words: "The beautiful places of the wilderness shall grow fat," etc., v. 13.*

(97) *Athanasius:* According to the intelligence, he calls the holy apostles and evangelists themselves "beautiful," because they have been well-fattened with spiritual gifts. He calls the Church a "wilderness," because it was formerly ^B deserted and empty of the knowledge of God.

*And on the words following, v. 3. These things are subjoined to Theodoret's explanation.*

*Athanasius, Cyril:* As to the understanding: when God’s kindness appears, that which was formerly a wilderness will bring forth fruit, and the hills, which were polluted with the sacrifices of idols, receiving those who embrace the angelic life, will exult. Or certainly he likens to the hills those who, at any time, are the leaders of the holy Churches and preside over the peoples, that is, the shepherds and teachers. For just as mountains and hills exceed all other parts of the earth in height, so also the dignity of the holy teachers is higher than that of other men. And these are girded about with exultation, that is, with the consolation of the Spirit.

*Again on these words: "And the valleys shall abound with corn."*

*Gregory the Theologian and Athanasius:* The earthly valleys, naturally, will pour forth sensible and daily grain; but the souls of those who have been excellently cultivated by the Word will pour forth that spiritual and eternal grain. For the souls of the Gentiles, he says, which were formerly most destitute and unfruitful, will abound with spiritual fruit.

*And after the final words, it is subjoined to Theodoret:*

*Athanasius:* Simply, however: All, he says, those mentioned above will praise God with all eagerness, who has granted ^D such a transformation to the nature of men.

*On the first verse of Psalm LXV, following Theodoret’s explanation:*

*Athanasius:* (98) But according to the higher intelligence, a "shout of joy" is a triumphal hymn sung over enemies who have been struck down. Since, therefore, the rulers of this age have been removed by the appearance of Christ, he therefore commands all nations to offer up the triumphal hymns to God, as to the cause of the victory, and to his name, that is, to the Son. For just as we from his name

are known, so also is the Father known through the Son. ^A

Again, on the following verse 2, Theodoret likewise precedes it.

Cyril, Athanasius. But while the sense of these words is historical, there is, according to the spiritual understanding, much that is formidable in the works of Christ, that is, in his divine signs, and in the fact that he removed the multitudes of unclean demons from our midst. The multitude and abundance of power is his resurrection, which subverts the strength of death and renews the whole human nature to incorruption. But since the Jews, having been spectators of Christ’s miracles, when they ought to have been in awe, slandered the worker of the miracles and called him a deceiver, the Psalmist rebukes them, saying: Desist, and rather say to him: Tremendous are your works. Then, since he saw them not heeding him, turning his discourse away from them, he speaks to Christ, who was beset by slanders, saying: Great is your power, even if your enemies have lied about you, voluntarily closing their eyes to your divine light which has shone upon the world, so much so that not even the excellence of the miracles could move them to obedience. For when our Lord, by a multitude of power, had accomplished his own resurrection from the dead (in that which pertains to human nature), his Hebrew enemies lied about him; that is to say, they slandered his resurrection. ^B

And on the verse closely related to it 4.

Athanasius, Cyril, Gregory of Nyssa. Even if the Jews, he says, shall deny you, nevertheless all the earth will be subject to you and will worship you, that is, the nations inhabiting the earth. For the worship is no longer in Jerusalem, the shadow of the law having ceased, according to the saying: "Each from his own place shall worship him," and the worship now taking place in spirit and in truth, with deeds corresponding to the worship of God being performed, and his name being called upon by them. These things, moreover, are a prediction of the present time, in which the God of all is praised among all nations, and our Lord Jesus Christ is called the Most High by all. ^C

Again on these words: "Come and see the works of God," etc., 5.

Athanasius. He here introduces the person of the apostles, who teach the nations that He who in his presence according to the flesh performed those divine miracles, is the same one who formerly dried up the Red Sea, and also restrained the currents of the Jordan, so that the sons of Israel might cross over on foot. He says, therefore: Apply your mind and understand each of the things done by the good God, how he is incomprehensible in his counsels; and admire his ineffable wisdom, by which the human race ^D

^A is guided toward piety. For he makes use of fearful and wondrous machines for the sake of the salvation of men.

*In the words of the same: “There we shall rejoice,” etc., v. 6.*

Having provided an explanation from Theodoret, there follows (3) [Athanasius]. But as to the meaning: There we shall reign with Christ, when he shall reign in the new age, and we shall rejoice in him. For we rejoice in the One who made difficult things easy.

*Similarly on the following verse 7.*

Athanasius, Eusebius. If these things are understood spiritually, we shall consider the Apostles to be the eyes of God; and the ones who provoke are the Jews, whom the prophets even called a provoking house. For who, says God, is the one who provokes, if not the house of Israel? Therefore, because of the fall of Israel, the Lord looked toward the Gentiles. ^B Whence let the impious not exalt themselves, as if they were able to destroy those who come to the Gospel; nor let the arrogant people—I mean Israel—think great things, nor let them lift their eyebrow loftily against the multitude of the Gentiles. Let them not say to themselves: "I have become the firstborn among the children of God"; but let them rather know that they provoked the Creator. Therefore, he also transferred the oversight away from them.

*In the same way on the following words.*

Athanasius. But as to the meaning, the Apostles say to those from the Gentiles: "When you hear from us in what manner it is fitting to offer praise, then praise with us—not the falsely named gods anymore, but our God, the giver of life." For life was the pleasure of paradise, in which God placed man to work and keep it.

*In the same way on the words: “You have tested us, O God,” etc., v. 10.*

Athanasius, Cyril. (4) But as to the meaning, the Holy Spirit ^C foretells the afflictions that were to come to the Apostles on account of the preaching of the Gospel, enumerating them in their person. For just as silver, when melted by fire, is thoroughly purified, so also the souls of the saints are cleansed of every filth, resisting the inroads of temptations with youthful spirit. And their approval comes through burning, as they are tested by fire. The divine Paul attributes these utterances to the holy martyrs. However, those who pass through the fire and water of boiling anger, and of broad pleasure and desire, and do not remain in these passions, also find refreshment.

*Item on the words: “I will enter into your house,” etc., v. 15.*

Athanasius. But as to the meaning: We shall enter, say the Apostles, into the heavenly house, not with sensible, ^D but with intelligible burnt offerings. For they have dedicated themselves entirely to God in the order of burnt offerings.

^A

Athanasius, Cyril, Basil. But as for the meaning, everything is spiritual: the burnt offerings, and the oxen, and the goats, which he promises to render. And the offering is also made with rams. Rams are the movements and impulses of the soul, excited from its irascible part, or certainly the reasonings of the soul’s governing faculty, attacking and fighting against the passions as if with horns. ^B He sacrifices an ox who offers himself to God as a living sacrifice through virtuous actions. For the ox, being a tiller of the earth, has a certain resemblance to the body formed from the earth. The goats are works of repentance, for they were offered for sin. And incense is the good odor which pure souls exhale.

*And in the words: "Venite, audite," etc., 16.*

Athanasius. The Apostles do not renew the memory of ancient histories; but they marvel at the new works of our Savior, which he has bestowed upon the souls of us all.

*Item in Psalm LXVII, words: "Sicut deficit fumus, deficiant," etc., 3.*

Athanasius. Perhaps the sinners are the demons themselves, the inventors of sin, who also vanish as smoke, driven away and dispersed by the Holy Spirit; and they melt like wax, succumbing to the presence of Christ, who is called a fire consuming wickedness. ^C Furthermore, when the tyranny of the demons is taken away, those who have been justified by faith rejoice.

*Item in the words of the same Psalm: "Parate viam ei, qui," etc., 5.*

Eusebius, Athanasius. Even that Sun of justice, taking the form of a servant and, as it were, drawing in the rays of His own divinity, and descending into the body, or indeed even into death itself, dispelled the darkness spread over the souls of men. And although He came into our poverty, and by His dispensation in a certain way obscured His own glory when He descended to men and began to inhabit the flesh, nevertheless His name is Lord. For even having become man, He did not cease to be God. Therefore, the Word enjoins the holy Apostles to run with jubilation and singing of hymns to the nations, and to prepare the way of their souls for the King of all through the preaching. ^D And the settings, or nights, are perhaps the souls that have fallen away from the Sun of justice; from whom Christ has driven away the darkness of error, dwelling within them through faith.

*Item in Psalm LXXII, words: "Καὶ ὑπέλαβον τοῦ γνῶναι," etc., 16. [And I thought how I might know...]*

But according to the divine Athanasius, David says, when I esteemed that I could know your so deep judgments, I cast myself into tribulations, seeing they are inscrutable. And yet I have acquired for myself a suitable time for knowing them. This, however, was the time of judgment, when You will render to everyone according to his works. For then, accurately, the individuals...

^A who have been of a more remiss spirit will know what sort of thing virtue is, and what sort of thing vice also is.

And on the same Psalm, his words: "For what have I in heaven?" etc., 25.

(7) But according to Saint Athanasius: Since, he says, I have nothing in heaven except You alone, I necessarily did not wish to receive from You any of those things upon the earth, seeing that all things there are corruptible and fleeting; but I prayed to attain one thing only, and in the desire for this I wore myself out upon the earth. This is that You might become my portion, and that alone. ^B "For my heart failed"—seeking what? The dwellings that are above.

So far [are] the fragments from the catena of Nicetas, of which, as I have said, we have obtained at least the first part from the Archipalatine library. But if anyone has the rest, he will be able to add what is desired. The subsequent [fragments], however, are likewise from a very ancient Archipalatine codex, containing a similar collection of explanations on Job composed from the Greek Fathers, by an uncertain author. That man, therefore, whosoever he was, to those words in chapter 41: "Trees of autumn, fruitless, beside the papyrus, and the reed, and the bulrush," submits other explanations beforehand. Thus Felckmannus.

[A fragment of Athanasius on the Psalms is presented as unpublished by Cardinal Angelo Mai in the third volume of the *Bibliotheca Nova Patrum*; it begins: "A third point was proposed to inquire what the Psaltery is," etc. "It is, therefore," etc. It is read above in column 547. Ed.]

(7) These are as above, but fewer.