Deliverance from Lawless Workers
The death of life. He does not rejoice exultantly, but, lest he himself be subject to punishment, he purifies his own deeds, becoming more secure (Ps 57:11a).
When one Saul is pursuing him, he prays to be rescued from many enemies (Ps 58:2-3). He prays not to be rescued from the spear-bearers sleeping with Saul, or from the predatory demons acting against him, saying 'many enemies' to be rescued from them. And he prays to be liberated from these rising up against him, wishing perhaps that the ransom of the one being liberated might be to give his own soul instead of many.
But workers of lawlessness are those doing what the law forbids, and since among the forbidden things is murder, men are men of blood, preferring to kill men because of the coming brutishness. But he who is not bothered by those working lawlessness is rescued, being under the protection of God, and also he who is not handed over into the hands of those willing to shed his blood is saved from murderous men.
And in another way: one is rescued from these; for he who does not work lawlessness but is disposed contrary to those doing it is rescued from the disposition of practical lawless acts, just as he who exists outside of murderous intent is saved, not being associated with murderous men.
The verses are to be interpreted thus: since men commit the work of lawlessness while the devil and his angels are working in men, he prays to be rescued from the devil and those with him who precede in the work of lawlessness. The testimony of this thought is: from the beginning the devil sins. For following that, others fall into sin in whom he works. Having cast betrayal into the heart of Judas, he became a traitor, following the thought of betrayal because of the one who incited him to this.
And also to add 'men' to the murderers; for it is not by chance, but the blood of a man is poured out by one strong and perfect in evils. Regarding the intention and brutishness of Saul and those sent by him to take him from his own people and to kill him (Ps 58:4a), he says, 'They have sought my soul, though by the power of God I shall be saved,' by a paradoxical art.
prone to change
Greek
τῆς ζωῆς τὸν θάνατον. 607a Ps 57,11a Οὐκ ἐπιχαίρων εὐφραίνεται ἀλλ' ο τι μὴ αὐτὸς ὑπόκειται τιμωρίᾳ καὶ καθαίρει τὰς ἑαυτοῦ πράξεις γινόμενος ἀσφαλέστερος. 608 Ps 58,2.3 ̔Ενὸς τοῦ Σαοὺλ διώκοντος, ἐκ πλειόνων ἐχθρῶν ἐξαιρεθῆναι ευ χεται. μήποτ' ου ν τοὺς συμπνέοντας τῷ Σαοὺλ δορυφόρους η τοὺς ἐνεργοῦντας εἰς αὐτὸν ἀλιτηρίους δαίμονας καθ' ἑαυτοῦ πληθυντικῶς ἐχθροὺς εἰπών, ῥυσθῆναι ἐξ αὐτῶν ευ χεται· καὶ λυτρωθῆναι ἐκ τούτων ἐπανισταμένων ἐπ' αὐτὸν παρακαλεῖ, εὐχόμενος τάχα γενέσθαι ἐπιδημίαν τοῦ ἐλευσομένου λύτρον δοῦναι τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν ἀντὶ πολλῶν. ̓Εργάται δὲ ἀνομίας οἱ πράττοντες α ἀπαγορεύει ὁ νόμος, καὶ ἐπεὶ τῶν ἀπηγορευμένων ὁ φόνος ἐστίν, οἱ ἀναιρεῖν ἀνθρώπους προτιθέμενοι διὰ τὴν προσοῦσαν ὠμότητα α νδρες αἱμάτων εἰσίν. ῥύεται δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐργαζομένων τὴν ἀνομίαν ὁ μὴ ἐπηρεαζόμενος ὑπ' αὐτῶν, σκέποντος τοῦ θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ σῴζεται ἀπὸ φονικῶν ἀνδρῶν ὁ μὴ παραδιδόμενος εἰς χεῖρας τῶν ἐκχέαι τὸ αι μα αὐτοῦ ἐθελόντων. καὶ ἑτέρως δέ· ῥύεταί τις ἐκ τούτων· ὁ γὰρ μὴ ἐνεργῶν τὴν ἀνομίαν ἀλλ' ἐναντίως διακείμενος τῶν ποιούντων αὐτὴν ε ρρυσται ἀπὸ διαθέσεως ἀνομημάτων πρακτικῆς, ὡς αυ ὁ ἐκτὸς φονικῆς γνώμης ὑπάρχων σέσωται οὐ συγκαταλεγόμενος ἀνδράσι φονικοῖς. ̔Ερμηνευτέον τοὺς στίχους καὶ ου τως· ἐπεὶ ἐνεργούντων διαβόλου καὶ τῶν ἀγγέλων αὐτοῦ ἐν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὴν τῆς ἀνομίας ποίησιν ἀνομοῦσιν οἱ α νθρωποι, ευ χεται ῥυσθῆναι ἀπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου καὶ τῶν σὺν αὐτῷ προκατερχομένων τῆς ἐργασίας τῆς ἀνομίας. μαρτυρία τῆς νοήσεως ταύτης· ἀπ' ἀρχῆς ὁ διάβολος ἁμαρτάνει. προκατερχομένου γὰρ ἐκείνου ἐφέπονται ου τοι τῷ ἁμαρτάνειν ἐν οι ς ἐνεργεῖ. βαλόντος γὰρ αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ τοῦ ̓Ιούδα προδοσίας 112 ἐνθύμησιν προδότης γέγονεν, ἐπακολουθήσας ῳ ε τρεχεν περὶ προδοσίας λογισμῷ ἐκ τοῦ εἰς τοῦτο παρορμήσαντος. Ευ δὲ καὶ τὸ προσθεῖναι τοῖς φονικοῖς τὸ α νδρες· οὐ γὰρ τοῦ τυχόντος ἀλλ' ἰσχυροῦ καὶ τελείου ἐν κακοῖς τὸ αι μα ἀνθρώπου ἐκχεῖν. 609 Ps 58,4a Οσον εἰς τὴν πρόθεσιν καὶ ὠμότητα τοῦ Σαοὺλ καὶ τῶν πεμφθέντων παρ' αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῷ λαβεῖν αὐτὸν ἐκ τοῦ οι κου τοῦ ἰδίου καὶ θανατῶσαί φησιν ̓Εθήρευσαν τὴν ψυχήν μου, εἰ καὶ θεοῦ δυνάμει ἐσώθη παραδόξῳ τέχνῃ τῆς γαμετῆς. Περὶ ἀοράτων ἐχθρῶν τῶν σπουδὴν ἐχόντων θηρεύειν ψυχὴν ἑρμηνευθείη ὁ στίχος τῶν παρασκευαζόντων τὸν Σαοὺλ φονέα κατὰ τοῦ διὰ πάντων ἀμέμπτου ∆αυὶδ γενομένου πρὸς αὐτόν. 610 Ps 58,4b Κραταίους δὲ τοὺς ἐπιθεμένους αὐτῷ δηλοῖ βασιλέα καὶ τοὺς ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ, ὡς δὲ πρὸς διάνοιαν τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τὰς ἐξουσίας καὶ κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ σκότους τούτου. 611 Ps 58,5a Ευ δὲ καὶ τὸ Εδραμον ει πεν· τελέσαντος γὰρ τὸν δρόμον ἡ φωνή. ὡς γὰρ οὐ ταὐτὸν τὸ πράττειν καὶ πεπραχέναι, ου τως οὐ ταὐτὸν τὸ τρέχειν καὶ τὸ δεδραμηκέναι. Παῦλος τοίνυν ἀμφοτέρων διδάσκαλος· ὁτὲ μὲν λέγει Ου τως τρέχω ὡς οὐκ ἀδήλως, ὁτὲ δὲ Τὸν δρόμον τετέλεκα, τοῦ τὸν δρόμον τελέσαντος οὐκέτι τρέχοντος. ̓Αντερεῖ δέ τις τοῖς εἰρημένοις, φέρων τὴν πρὸς τὴν τοῦ Οὐρίου ἁμαρτίαν ἐξομολόγησιν, ἐπεὶ καὶ ἐξωμολογήσατο τῷ θεῷ φήσας ̓Επὶ πλεῖον πλῦνόν με ἀπὸ τῆς ἀνομίας μου καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας καθάρισόν με. γέγονε δὲ ἡ πρᾶξις περὶ η ς καὶ ἡ ἐξομολόγησις μετὰ τὸν τοῦ Σαοὺλ θάνατον. τούτου γοῦν ἀληθοῦς ο ντος, πῶς ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ ε τι ζῶντος Σαοὺλ διωκόμενος ὡς η δη τελέσας τὸν δρόμον ει πεν Ανευ ἀνομίας ε δραμον καὶ κατεύθυνα; λεκτέον πρὸς τὴν ἀντίρρησιν πρῶτον μὲν ο τι τὴν πρὸς τὸν Σαοὺλ καὶ τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν ὑπηρεσίαν α νευ ἀνομίας κατευθυκέναι φησὶν ὡς μάτην ἐκεῖνον ἐπιβουλεύειν, ει τα καὶ ου τως· εἰς ο τε τότε δραμὼν α νευ ἀνομίας καὶ κατευθύνας η ν πάντα τὰ διανυσθέντα αὐτῷ. ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ τρεπτὸς καθόλου πᾶς γενητὸς α νθρωπος ω ν, μετὰ ταῦτα πταίσας ῥᾷστα μετενόησεν· ἐξ ου καὶ αὐτοῦ δείκνυται ὡς οὐκ ει χε τριβὴν καὶ συνήθειαν πρὸς τὸ ἁμαρτάνειν. 612a Ps 58,5b Τῶν προειρημένων ἐχθρῶν ἐμμενόντων τῇ κατ' ἐμοῦ σπουδῇ, ἐξεγερθεὶς συνάντησον εἰς τὸ βοηθῆσαί μοι μηκέτι μακροθυμῶν ἐπ' αὐτοῖς. παρακαλῶ δὲ ἐξεγερθέντα εἰς συνάντησίν μου ἰδεῖν ὡς οὐ κατ' ἐμὴν πρόφασιν κατ' ἐμοῦ φονῶσιν ἁμαρτόντος εἰς αὐτούς. ου τε γὰρ ἡ ἀνομία μου ου τε ἡ ἁμαρτία μου ἐξεκαλέσατο αὐτοὺς ἀλλὰ τὸ φθονερὸν αὐτῶν πάθος λυπηθέντας ἐπὶ ἐυκλείᾳ ἡμετέρᾳ. 613a Ps 58,6ab Τῇ περὶ αὐτοῦ εὐχῇ συμπαραλαμβάνει τὴν περὶ πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν ἀξίωσιν, φιλάνθρωπος α μα καὶ προφήτης ὑπάρχων. προγνοὺς γὰρ προφητικῶς τὴν τῶν ἐθνῶν κλῆσιν παρακαλεῖ
About this text
Discover how early Christians interpreted the Psalms as divine messages and prophecies about salvation and judgment.
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.