The Famine of the Word and the Vanishing of Sinners
A poor and needy person, even if the heart seems straight, as previously said, like the one being reproved who is wise and the accuser who is righteous of himself; but rather the sword, turned against those who have become blunt, strikes and destroys them; likewise the bow is broken. And it is well to say: 'Let their sword enter into their heart.' This sword, which is harmful, the one of the enemies is not continuoustext gapped and in days of famine they shall be satisfied text gapped of those feeding the soul, those watering it.
In the prophet, indeed, it is said, where it is written: 'I will bring a famine upon the earth, not a famine of bread nor a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the word of the Lord' (Amos 8:11), it is applied: 'Many have fallen in every place, I will cast down silence' (Psalm 142:6). To the fallen, the famine is. To these, however, the silence of the divine word is brought. Thus, 'in days of famine they shall be satisfied.' Because the sinners shall perish.
Twice again we perceive the destruction of the sinners: namely, in the way they are sinners, they perish having experienced the oppressors. The righteous 'are not ashamed in evil time' (2 Timothy 2:15), but the sinners are ashamed. When they are ashamed, knowing how evil they are, and they blush because of sinning, sometimes they despise the sin and become free from it, and thus they perish in such a way that they are no longer sinners.
But the enemies of the Lord, at the same time as they are to be glorified and exalted, having vanished like smoke, they vanished. Sinners are able to be enemies of the Lord. And it is possible also to call sinners those who sin according to ethics, those who transgress the divine commandments, and enemies of the Lord those who think impiously, those outside godliness, those who falsely glorify. These, therefore, are the enemies of the Lord, who at the same time as being to be glorified and exalted immediately vanished like smoke. And behold, always he likens sinners to smoke. And in another psalm it is said: 'As smoke vanishes, so they vanished; as wax melts from before the fire, so the sinners shall perish from before the face of God' (Psalm 68:2).
The word constructs the argument, that the sinners are not of another nature. The smoke is a follower of fire, and the wax of honey. And previously the honey takes origin. Since it does not consist otherwise than in wax, the wax by habit consists. Not because of the wax the honey, but because of the honey the wax, and not because of the smoke the fire, but because of the fire the smoke. The sinners, therefore, according to the smoke, vanish having a following; for sinning itself and enmity toward the Lord...
Greek
πτωχὸν καὶ πένητα, κἂν δοκῇ εὐθὴς εἶναι τῇ καρδίᾳ, ὡς προεῖπον, ὡς ὁ ἐλεγχόμενος σοφὸς καὶ ὁ κατηγορῶν ἑαυτοῦ δίκαιος· ἀλλ' οὖν γε ἡ ῥομφαία κατὰ τῶν ἀκονησάντων αὐτῶν στραφεῖσα πλήττει καὶ ἀναιρεῖ αὐτούς· ὡσαύτως καὶ τὸ τόξον συντρίβεται. εὖ δὲ καὶ τὸ φάναι· "ἡ ῥομφαία αὐτῶν εἰσέλθοι εἰς τὴν καρδίαν αὐτῶν". αὕτη ἡ ῥομφαία η῾̣ ἐπιβλαβής, ἡ πολεμίων, οὔκ ἐστιν συνφυὴς ––––––––––– –––––––––––– ̣19 καὶ ἐν ἡμέραις λιμοῦ χορτασθήσονται. ––––––––––––––––––––––––– –––––– ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 250 τῶν τρεφόντων τὴν ψυχήν, τῶν ποτιζόντων ··· αὐτήν. ἐν αὐτῷ γοῦν τῷ προφήτῃ, ἔνθα γέγραπται· "ἐπάξω λιμὸν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, οὐ λιμὸν ἄρτου οὐδὲ δίψαν ὕδατος, ἀλλὰ λιμὸν τοῦ ἀκοῦσαι λόγον κυρίου", ἐπιφέρεται· "πολὺς ὁ πεπτωκὼς ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ, ἐπιρίψω σιωπήν". τοῖς πεπτωκόσιν ὁ λιμός ἐστιν. τούτοις δὲ σιωπ̣ὴ τοῦ θείου λόγου ἐπάγεται. "ἐν ἡμέραις" οὖν "λιμοῦ χορτασθήσονται". 20 ὅτι οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ ἀπολοῦνται. διττῶς πάλιν τη`̣ν̣ α᾿̣πώλειαν τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν ἐκλαμβάνομεν· ἤτοι ᾗ ἁμαρτωλοί εἰσιν, ἀπόλλυνται ἢ πεῖραν λαβόντες τῶν ἐπιπόνων. "οὐ καταισχύνονται" οἱ δίκαιοι "ἐν καιρῷ πονηρῷ", οἱ δὲ ἁμαρτωλοὶ καταισχύνονται. ὅταν αἰσχυνθῶσιν γνόντες οἷ κακω῀̣ν̣ εἰσιν, καὶ ἐρυθριῶσιν διὰ τὸ ἁμαρτάνειν, ἐνίοτε καταφρονοῦσιν τῆς ἁμαρτίας καὶ ἐ´̣ξω αὐτῆς γίνονται καὶ οὕτως ἀπόλλυν̣ται ὡ´̣στε μηκέτι εἶναι ἁμαρτωλοί. 20 οἱ δὲ ἐχθροὶ τοῦ κυρίου ἅμα τῷ δοξασθῆναι αὐτοὺς καὶ ὑψωθῆναι ἐκλιπόντες ὡσεὶ καπνὸς ἐξέλιπον. δύνανται οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ ἐχθροὶ εἶναι τοῦ κυρίου. δυνατὸν δὲ καὶ ἁμαρτωλοὺς εἰπεῖν τοὺς κατὰ τὰ ἠθικὰ ἁμαρτάνοντας, τοὺς παραβάτας τῶν θείων ἐντολῶν, ἐχθροὺς δὲ τοῦ κυρίου τοὺς τὰ ἀσεβῆ φρονοῦντας, τοὺς ἔξω τῆς θεοσεβείας, τοὺς ψευδοδοξο̣ῦντας̣. οὗτοι οὖν οἱ τοῦ κυρίου ἐχθροὶ ἅμα τῷ δοξασθῆναι καὶ ὑψωθῆναι εὐθέως κατὰ τὸν καπνὸν ἐξέλιπον. καὶ ὅρα γε, α᾿̣ε̣ι`̣ τ̣οὺς ἁμαρτωλοὺς τῷ καπνῷ ὁμοιοῖ. καὶ ἐν ἄλλῳ γοῦν ψαλμῷ λέγεται· "ὡς ἐκλείπει καπνός, ἐκλιπέτωσαν· ὡς τήκεται κηρὸς ἀπὸ προσώπου πυρός, οὕτως ἀπολοῦνται οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ ἀπὸ προσώπου θεοῦ". κατασ̣κ̣ευάζει ὁ λόγος, ὅτι οὐχ ἑτέρας εἰσὶν φύσεως οἱ ἁμαρτωλοί. ἐπακολούθημά ἐστιν πυρὸς ὁ καπνός, καὶ μέλιτος ὁ κηρός. προηγο̣υμ̣ένως δὲ τὸ μέλι λαμβάνει γένεσιν. ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἄλλως οὐ συνίσταται ἢ ἐν κηρῷ, κατὰ συμβεβηκὸς ὁ κηρὸς συνίσταται. οὐ διὰ τὸν κηρὸν τὸ μέλι, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ μέλι ὁ κηρός, καὶ οὐ διὰ τὸν καπνὸν τὸ πῦρ, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ πῦρ ὁ καπνός. οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ οὖν κατὰ τὸν καπνὸν ἐκλείπουσιν παρακολούθημα ὄντα· καὶ γὰρ αὐτὸ τὸ ἁμαρτάνειν καὶ τὸ ἐχθρεύειν τῷ
About this text
Didymus the Blind on the Psalms.
Original English Translation — new OET from PG Greek.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.