The Hand and the Right Hand of God
We receive according to the intention. 'Of the Most High' means to bless the rational things, just as also: 'Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace' (Luke 2:14). 'May your hand be found against all your enemies, and may your right hand find all those hating you' (Psalm 86:15). Just as also regarding the body there is a difference between the right and the hand; for the right hand is a hand, but not every hand is a right hand. We also have here a hand and a right named concerning God.
And concerning David the true, of the seed of David, in another psalm it is said: 'And he shall set his hand in the sea and his right in the rivers' (Psalm 146:7). And see that in the sea the hand is simply placed; for the right is not in the sea, but in his rivers. And again: 'Your hand has destroyed the nations' (Psalm 18:44). See: 'hand' is said many times, and also the military power of a king, and the hands of judges are the executioners. And the devil therefore knew that it is a harmful hand; for he did not say: 'Send your right', but 'your hand, and to grasp all that he has'. 'May your hand be found against all your enemies' (Psalm 86:15). Your hand will be revealed, the one punishing your enemies.
Thus also I hear of: 'But the face of the Lord, to those doing evil, to destroy their memorial from the earth' (Psalm 7:9). Those doing evil think that there is no providence, that there is no vengeance against whom they transgress. But when they receive experience of some wrongdoing, sometimes becoming aware, they see the face of God; and the face is thus: they recognized that God is within. And just as 'from the greatness and beauty of the creatures we observe the Creator by analogy', so from the greatness and the complexity of the administration the Judge is perceived. We have found therefore also Pharaoh despising, then being struck, grasping the understanding of God. For he says at one time: 'The Lord is righteous' (Exodus 9:16). He who says before this: 'I do not know the Lord' (Exodus 10:2), now confesses even to know Him and that He is righteous. 'But I...'
Even if the people are ungodly, if the face of God has become one doing evil in Pharaoh, the hand is found; for they must at some time know that He is a judge, even if not in this life, but when the time comes. Therefore it is said: 'May your hand be found.' 'May your right hand find.' But the hand is found against enemies, and the right hand finds those who hate. And those who hate may be slightly less evil than the enemies. Not every hater acts as an enemy, but every enemy hates.
And just as it was said regarding the sea, that the hand of God should be placed to make the surge and the salt-spray cease by driving them back, the right hand is in the rivers of the Savior—and these are those having a life according to the Spirit, 'from whom flow rivers of living water' (John 7:38). 'The rivers, Lord, the rivers have lifted up their voices' (Ps 68:2)—in this way the saving, lifting-up right hand of the Savior is found, according to what was said: 'The right of the Lord, lift me up; the right of the Lord has made strength; I shall not die, but I shall live' (Ps 118:8-9).
You have set them as a furnace of fire for the time of your face. Concerning the enemies alone can it be said of those being handed over to punishment. But if even concerning both, thus interpret what is written: See, those building upon the foundation, the Christ, if they are gold or silver, they are only burned, but they are not annihilated, nor are they consumed even if found by the fire (1 Cor 3:12-15). But if 'wood, hay, or straw,' they are annihilated and laid down like a furnace of fire, for they are like smoke. And the smoke is a follower of the beneficial energy of the fire.
Therefore, when wood and hay and straw are 'for the time of the face' of God—for it will be a time when a judge shall be shown, as it lies—those called wood and hay and straw do not be annihilated so as to no longer exist—and it is impossible to be annihilated in this way—but as they are hay, they are annihilated; for this fire of punishment does not work upon essence, but upon states and qualities. The fire consumes...
Greek
λαμβάνομεν κατὰ τὴν ἐπίνοιαν. "τοῦ ὑψίστου" ἔστιν τὸ εὐλογεῖν τὰ λογικά, ὥσπερ καὶ τό· "δόξα ἐν ὑψίστοις θεῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς εἰρήνη". 9 εὑρεθείη ἡ χείρ σου πᾶσιν τοῖς ἐχθροῖς σου, ἡ δεξιά σου εὕροι πάντας τοὺς μισοῦντάς σε. οἷόν τε καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ σώματος διαφορὰν ἔχειν τὴν δεξιὰν πρὸς τὴν χεῖρα· ἡ γὰρ δεξιὰ χείρ ἐστιν, οὐ πᾶσα δὲ χεὶρ δεξιά ἐστιν. ἔχομεν καὶ ἐνταῦθα περὶ θεοῦ χεῖρα καὶ δεξιὰν ὠνομασμένην. 13 καὶ περὶ τοῦ ∆αυὶδ τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ τοῦ ἐκ σπέρματος τοῦ ∆αυὶδ ἐν ἄλλῳ ψαλμῷ λέγεται τό· "καὶ θήσει ἐν θαλάσσῃ χεῖρα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐν ποταμοῖς δεξιὰν αὐτοῦ". καὶ ὅρα ὅτι ἐν μὲν τῇ θαλάσσῃ ἡ χεὶρ ἁπλῶς τίθεται· ἡ γὰρ δεξιὰ οὐκ ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ, ἀλλ' ἐν τοῖς ποταμοῖς αὐτοῦ. καὶ ἔτι· "ἡ χείρ σου ἔθνη ἐξωλόθρευσεν". ἴδε· λέγεται χεὶρ πολλάκις καὶ βασιλέως ἡ στρατιωτικὴ δύναμις καὶ τῶν δικαστῶν χεῖρες οἱ δήμιοι. καὶ ὁ διάβολος οὖν ἔγνω ὅτι ἡ βλαπτικὴ χείρ ἐστιν· οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν· "ἀπόστειλον τὴν δεξιάν σου", ἀλλὰ "τὴν χεῖρά σου καὶ ἅψαι πάντων ὧν ἔχει". "εὑρεθείη ἡ χείρ σου πᾶσιν τοῖς ἐχθροῖς σου". φανήσεται ἡ χείρ σου ἡ κολάζουσα τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου. οὕτω δὲ ἀκούω καὶ τοῦ· "πρόσωπον δὲ κυρίου ἐπὶ ποιοῦντας κακὰ τοῦ ἐξολεθρεῦσαι ἐκ γῆς τὸ μνημόσυνον αὐτῶν". ποιοῦντες κακὰ οἴονται μὴ εἶναι πρόνοιαν, μὴ εἶναι ἐκδικίαν καθ' ὧν πλημμελοῦσιν. ὅταν δὲ λάβωσιν πεῖραν ἐπιπόνου τινός, ἐνίοτε ἐν συναισθήσει γινόμενοι ὁρῶσιν τοῦ θεοῦ τὸ πρόσωπον· τὸ πρόσωπον δὲ οὕτως· ἐγνώρισαν ὅτι ἔνι θεός. καὶ ὥσπερ "ἐκ μεγέθους καὶ καλλονῆς τῶν κτισμάτων ἀναλόγως τὸν γενεσιουργὸν θεωροῦμεν", οὕτως ἐκ τοῦ μεγέθους καὶ τῆς πλοκῆς τῶν κατὰ τὴν διοίκησιν ὁ κριτὴς θεωρεῖται. εὑρήκαμεν οὖν καὶ τὸν Φαραὼ καταφρονοῦντα, εἶτα πληττόμενον καταλαμβάνοντα ἔννοιαν θεοῦ. λέγει γοῦν ποτε ὅτι· "ὁ κύριος δίκαιος". ὁ λέγων πρὸ τούτου· "οὐκ οἶδα τὸν κύριον", νῦν καὶ εἰδέναι αὐτὸν ὁμολογεῖ καὶ δίκαιον. "ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ ὁ λαός μου ἀσεβεῖς". εἰ δὲ γέγονεν τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν τῷ Φαραὼ ποιοῦντι κακά, εὑρίσκεται ἡ χείρ· δεῖ γάρ ποτε αὐτοὺς γνῶναι ὅτι ἔνι κριτής, κἂν μὴ ἐν τῷ βίῳ τούτῳ, ἀλλ' ὁτέ· διὸ λέγεται· "εὑρεθείη ἡ χείρ σου". "ἡ δεξιά σου εὕροι". ἡ δὲ χεὶρ τοῖς ἐχθροῖς εὑρίσκεται· ἡ δὲ δεξιὰ εὑρίσκει τοὺς μισοῦντας. καὶ δύνανται ἐλαττόνως κακοὶ εἶναι οἱ μισοῦντες τῶν ἐχθρῶν. οὐ πᾶς μισῶν ἐχθρεύει, πᾶς δὲ ἐχθρεύων μισεῖ. καὶ ὥσπερ ἐλέγετο ἐν θαλάσσῃ τίθεσθαι ἡ χεὶρ τοῦ θεοῦ, ἵνα τὸν σάλον καὶ τὴν ἁλμυρίδα καταπαύσῃ δι' ἐπιπόνων, 21 ἡ δὲ δεξιὰ ἐν ποταμοῖς τοῦ σωτῆρος–οὗτοι δέ εἰσιν οἱ κατὰ πνεῦμα βίον ἔχοντες, "ὧν ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας ῥέουσιν ποταμοὶ ζῶντες". "ἐπῆραν οἱ ποταμοί, κύριε, ἐπῆραν οἱ ποταμοὶ φωνάς"–, οὕτως εὑρίσκεται ἡ δεξιὰ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡ σῴζουσα, ἡ ὑψοῦσα κατὰ τὸ λεχθέν· "δεξιὰ κυρίου ὕψωσέν με, δεξιὰ κυρίου ἐποίησεν δύναμιν, οὐκ ἀποθανοῦμαι, ἀλλὰ ζήσομαι". 1ο ἔθηκας αὐτοὺς ὡς κλίβανον πυρὸς εἰς καιρὸν τοῦ προσώπου σου. περὶ τῶν ἐχθρῶν μόνων δύναται λέγεσθαι τῶν κολάσει παραδιδομένων. εἰ δὲ καὶ περὶ ἀμφοτέρων, οὕτως ἔκδεξαι τὸ γεγραμμένον· ἴδε· οἱ ἐποικοδομούμενοι ἐπὶ τὸν θεμέλιον, τὸν Χριστόν, ἐὰν ὦσιν χρυσός, ἄργυρος, πυροῦνται μόνον, οὐκ ἀφανίζονται δέ, οὐκ ἀναλίσκονται κἂν εὑρέθησαν ὑπὸ τοῦ πυρός. ἐὰν δὲ "ξύλα, χόρτος, καλάμη", ἀφανίζονται καὶ τέθεινται ὡς κλίβανος πυρός, ὡς καπνός εἰσιν λοιπόν. ὁ δὲ καπνὸς ἐπακολούθημά ἐστιν τῆς ἐνεργείας τοῦ πυρὸς τῆς ὠφελητικῆς. ὅταν οὖν ξύλα καὶ χόρτος καὶ καλάμη ὦσιν "εἰς καιρὸν τοῦ προσώπου" τοῦ θεοῦ, ὡς κεῖται–ἔσται γὰρ καιρός, ὅτε κριτὴς δειχθήσεται–, οὐκ ἀφανίζονται οἱ λεγόμενοι ξύλα καὶ χόρτος καὶ καλάμη ὥστε μηκέτι ὑπάρχειν–ἀδύνατον δέ ἐστιν οὕτως ἀφανισθῆναι–, ἀλλὰ ᾗ χόρτος εἰσὶν ἀφανίζονται· καὶ γὰρ τὸ πῦρ τοῦτο τὸ τῆς κολάσεως οὐκ ἐνεργεῖ εἰς οὐσίαν, ἀλλ' εἰς ἕξεις καὶ ποιότητας. ἀναλίσκει τὸ πῦρ
About this text
Didymus the Blind on the Psalms.
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Khazarzar scan
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- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
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