Fragments on the Psalms (Greek)

Origen of Alexandria · c. 230–250 AD · PG 12; Fragmenta in Psalmos

Psalm 1:1–2 — blessing is not mere abstinence, but will in the law§1

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

1“Blessed is the man who has not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, and has not stood in the way of sinners, and has not sat on the seat of pestilent ones. But his will is in the law of the Lord, and in his law he will meditate day and night” (Psalm 1:1-2).

Blessed, then, is the one who longs for the things that truly are. But how is the blessing in a taking-away of evils? For abstinence from evils is common also to the soulless and to the irrational. For this reason, then, he added: “But his will is in the law of the Lord.” For this belongs not only to a rational being, but is also the beginning of taking up the good things: the flight from evils. “Turn from evil,” he says, “and do good” (Psalm 34:14). For as on a ladder the first ascent is withdrawal from the earth, so in the progress according to God, the separation from evil.

But also in general every idleness is easier than even a chance action: such as “You shall not commit adultery, you shall not fornicate” (Exodus 20:14) and the rest, which need each person’s idleness and not-moving. But “You shall love your neighbor” (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 22:39), and “Sell your belongings and give to the poor” (Matthew 19:21), and “If anyone conscripts you one mile, go with him two” (Matthew 5:41) are already deeds of a youthful soul and of athletes.

If he had set the perfect things before you at once, you would have shrunk from the undertaking; but now he trains you beforehand with the more easily grasped, so that you may dare the things next. As deeds fitting for athletes, we already need a youthful soul toward the achievement; so wonder at the wisdom of the one who leads us through the easier and more easily grasped toward perfection.

The “way of sinners” can be said to be the devil; the one who has come to be in it must not remain, according to “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). For the one who has not stood in it will come to the Lord, who said “I am the way” (John 14:6); coming to be in it and running according to the mark, he will obtain the prizes. “Ungodly”: those who do not know God. “On a seat”: the working of evils, come about by succession. “But in the law”: the evangelical, clearly. “He will meditate”: by his counsel.

Greek · §1

1.1,2 Μακάριος ἀνὴρ, ο ς οὐκ ἐπορεύθη ἐν βουλῇ ἀσεβῶν, καὶ ἐν ὁδῷ ἁμαρτωλῶν οὐκ ε στη, καὶ ἐπὶ καθέδρᾳ λοιμῶν οὐκ ἐκάθισεν. ̓Αλλ' η ἐν τῷ νόμῳ Κυρίου τὸ θέλημα αὐ τοῦ, καὶ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ αὐτοῦ μελετήσει ἡμέ ρας καὶ νυκτός. Μακάριος ου ν ὁ τὰ ο ντως ο ντα ποθῶν. ̓Αλλὰ πῶς ἐν ἀναιρέσει κακῶν ὁ μακαρισ μός; κοινὸν γὰρ καὶ τῶν ἀψύχων καὶ τῶν ἀλόγων ἡ τῶν κακῶν ἀποχή· διὰ τοῦτο τοίνυν ἐπήγαγεν· ̓Αλλ' η ἐν τῷ νόμῳ Κυ ρίου τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ. Τοῦτο γὰρ οὐ μό νον πέφυκεν λογικοῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς τῶν καλῶν ἀναλήψεως καταρχὴ, τῶν κακῶν ἡ φυγή. Εκκλινον γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀπὸ κακοῦ, καὶ ποίησον ἀγαθόν. ̔Ως γὰρ ἐπὶ τῆς κλίμακος πρώτη ἀνάβασις ἡ τῆς γῆς ἀναχώρησις, ου τως ἐπὶ τῆς κατὰ Θεὸν προκοπῆς, ὁ χω ρισμὸς τοῦ κακοῦ. ̓Αλλὰ καὶ ο λως δὲ πᾶσα ἀργία καὶ τῆς τυχούσης πράξεώς ἐστιν εὐ μαρεστέρα, ο ποιον τό· Οὐ μοιχεύσεις, οὐ πορνεύσεις, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς, ἀργίας ἑκάστου καὶ ἀκινησίας δεῖται. Τὸ δέ· ̓Αγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου, καί· Πώλησόν σου τὰ ὑπάρ χοντα, καὶ δὸς πτωχοῖς, καί· ̓Εάν τίς σε ἀγγαρεύσῃ μίλιον ε ν, υ παγε μετ' αὐτοῦ δύο, ψυχῆς η δη νεανικῆς καὶ ἀθλητῶν ἐνεργή ματα. –Εἰ γὰρ εὐθὺς προέβαλέ σοι τὰ τέλεια, ἀπώκνησας α ν πρὸς τὴν ἐγχείρησιν· νῦν δὲ τοῖς εὐληπτωτέροις σε προεθίζει, ι να κατατολμήσῃς τῶν ἐφεξῆς· ω σπερ ἐνεργή ματά ἐστιν ἀθληταῖς πρέποντα, ψυχῆς η δη νεανικῆς δεόμεθα πρὸς κατόρθωσιν· ω στε θαύμασον τὴν σοφίαν τοῦ διὰ τῶν εὐμα ρεστέρων καὶ εὐληπτοτέρων ἐνάγοντος ἡμᾶς πρὸς τὴν τελείωσιν. – Εστιν ἁμαρτωλῶν ὁδὸν, τὸν διάβολον εἰπεῖν· ἐν ῃ ὁ γενόμενος, μὴ ἐμμενέτω, κατὰ τό· ̓Αντίστητε τῷ δια βόλῳ, καὶ φεύξεται ἀφ' ὑμῶν. ̔Ο γὰρ μὴ στήσας ἐν αὐτῇ, πρὸς Κύριον η ξει, τὸν εἰ πόντα· ̓Εγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδὸς, ἐν ῃ γινόμενος, καὶ κατὰ σκοπὸν δραμὼν, τεύξεται τῶν βραβείων. ̓Ασεβῶν, τῶν τὸν Θεὸν ἀγνοούντων. ̓Επὶ καθέδραν, τὴν κακῶν ἐργασίαν, κατὰ διάδοσιν γενομένην. ̓Αλλ' η ἐν τῷ νόμῳ, τῷ εὐαγγελικῷ δη λονότι. Μελετήσει, τῷ βουλεύματι αὐτοῦ.

Psalm 1:3 — the tree is Christ, transplanted, beside the scriptures§2

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

2“And he will be as the tree planted beside the outlets of the waters, which will give its fruit in its season, and its leaf will not fall away, and everything he may do will prosper” (Psalm 1:3).

A tree, Christ is written in the God-breathed Scripture. Aquila rendered “transplanted”: for rooted in the patriarchs’ roots, he is transplanted so that others also may partake of his image, taken according to the being-transplanted; or it is said of the Savior’s soul transplanted from here into paradise. For he said to the robber: “Today you will be with me in the paradise of God” (Luke 23:43). “Outlets of waters”: the divine scriptures, in which everywhere one can find Christ proclaimed.

The fruit of the tree you will understand as the right faith. Its leaves, the fulfillment of the commandments. And one of the saints used to say that leaves are the ascetics’ humility, covering their fruits and never falling. “It will prosper”: for there is no deed of those done according to God that is useless.

Greek · §2

1.3 Καὶ ε σται ὡς τὸ ξύλον τὸ πεφυ τευμένον παρὰ τὰς διεξόδους τῶν ὑδάτων, ο τὸν καρπὸν αὐτοῦ δώσει ἐν καιρῷ αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὸ φύλλον αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἀποῤῥυήσεται, καὶ πάντα ο σα α ν ποιῇ κατευοδωθήσεται. Ξύλον ὁ Χριστὸς ἀναγέγραπται ἐν τῇ θεοπνεύστῳ γραφῇ. – ̔Ο δὲ ̓Ακύλας τὸ μεταπεφυτευμένον ἐξέδωκε· ἐῤῥιζόμενος γὰρ τῶν πατριαρχῶν ῥίζαις, μεταπεφύτευται εἰς τὸ καὶ α λλους μεταλαβεῖν αὐτοῦ τῆς εἰ κόνος, τῆς κατὰ τὸ μεταφυτεύεσθαι λαμ βανομένης, η καὶ διὰ τὴν ψυχὴν ει ρηται τοῦ Σωτῆρος μεταφυτευθεῖσα ε νθεν εἰς τὸν παράδεισον. Εφη γὰρ τῷ λῃστῇ· Σήμερον μετ' ἐμοῦ ε σῃ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ. ∆ιεξόδους δὲ ὑδάτων, τὰς θείας γραφὰς, ἐν αι ς ἁπανταχοῦ ε στιν εὑρεῖν Χριστὸν κη ρυσσόμενον. Τὸν καρπὸν τοῦ ξύλου νοήσεις τὴν ὀρ θὴν πίστιν. Φύλλα δὲ αὐτοῦ, τὴν πλήρωσιν τῶν ἐν τολῶν. Ελεγε δέ τις τῶν ἁγίων, φύλλα ει ναι τῶν ἀσκητῶν τὴν ταπεινοφροσύνην, σκέ πουσαν αὐτῶν τοὺς καρποὺς, καὶ μηδέποτε πίπτουσαν. – Κατευδωθήσεται· οὐ γὰρ ε στι πρᾶξις τῶν κατὰ Θεὸν γενομένων ἀνωφελής.

Psalm 1:4–6 — the ungodly do not rise into judgment; the way perishes, not the substances§3

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

3“Not so the ungodly, not so” (Psalm 1:4). Some prefix a second “not so”; but neither did the Hebrew double the word, nor did any of those who translated use a repetition of the phrase.

“Therefore the ungodly will not rise in judgment” (Psalm 1:5). Having said the ungodly will not rise, he says “into judgment,” not “into questioning.”

“Because the Lord knows the way of the righteous, and the way of the ungodly will perish” (Psalm 1:6). “Knows” instead of “honors,” according to what was said by God to Moses: “I know you above all, and you have found favor with me” (Exodus 33:17). It is to be noted universally that only the good is known by the Lord; for the way of the righteous is good; but also “the Lord knew those who are his” (2 Timothy 2:19) and the way of the righteous, having said “I am the way” (John 14:6).

The way of the ungodly is the one walked by those who speak evil of the Creator, becoming like chaff thrown from the wind; therefore they are not counted worthy of the resurrection in judgment, as neither are sinners of the counsel of the righteous. For the way of the righteous, being worthy of God’s knowledge, is known by him; but the way of the ungodly will perish, as not being known by the Lord.

And having said that the way of the ungodly perishes, he corrected the suspicions of the heretics who supposed their substances are made to vanish into non-being, from what was said: “but as the chaff which the wind throws from the face of the earth” (Psalm 1:4). For when the way has perished, the ungodliness becomes non-existent, those to whom it happened being left.

Greek · §3

1.4 Οὐχ ου τως οἱ ἀσεβεῖς, οὐχ ου τως. Τίνες προτιθέασιν δεύτερον τὸ οὐχ ου τως· ου τε δὲ τὸ ἑβραϊκὸν ἀνεδίπλωσε τὴν λέξιν, ου τε τις τῶν ἑρμηνευσάντων ἐχρή σατο ἐπαναλήψει τῆς χρήσεως. 1.5 ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἀναστήσονται οἱ ἀσεβεῖς ἐν κρίσει. Εἰπὼν, οὐκ ἀναστήσονται οἱ ἀσεβεῖς, εἰς κρίσιν φησὶν, οὐκ εἰς ἐρώτησιν. 1.6 Οτι γινώσκει Κύριος ὁδὸν δικαίων, καὶ ὁδὸς ἀσεβῶν ἀπολεῖται. Τὸ γινώσκει, ἀντὶ τοῦ τιμᾷ, κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον ὑπὸ Θεοῦ πρὸς Μωϋσῆν· Γινώσκω σὲ παρὰ πάντας, καὶ ηυ ρες χάριν παρ' ἐμοί. –Σημειωτέον καθολικῶς ο τι καλὸν μόνον γινώσκεται ὑπὸ Κυρίου· καλὸν γὰρ ὁδὸς δι καίων· ἀλλὰ καὶ ε γνω Κύριος τοὺς ο ντας αὐτοῦ καὶ ὁδὸν δικαίων, εἰπών· ̓Εγώ εἰμι ὁδός. – ̔Οδὸς δὲ ἀσεβῶν, η ν ὁδεύουσιν οἱ κακολογοῦντες δημιουργὸν, ὁμοιούμενοι χνῷ ἀπὸ ἀνέμου ἐκριπτομένῳ· διὸ τῆς ἐν κρίσει ἀναστάσεως οὐκ ἀξιοῦνται, ὡς οὐδὲ οἱ ἁμαρ τωλοὶ δικαίων βουλῆς. ∆ικαίων μὲν γὰρ ὁδὸς ἀξία γνώσεως ου σα Θεοῦ, γινώσκεται ὑπ' αὐ τοῦ· ὁδὸς δὲ ἀσεβῶν ἀπολεῖται, ὡς οὐ γι νωσκομένη ὑπὸ Κυρίου. –Εἰπὼν δὲ τὴν ὁδὸν τῶν ἀσεβῶν ἀπόλλυσθαι, διωρθώσατο τὰς τῶν αἱρετικῶν ὑπονοίας, οἰηθέντων τὰς οὐσίας αὐτῶν εἰς τὸ μὴ ο ν ἀφανίζεσθαι, ἐκ τοῦ εἰρῆσθαι· ἀλλ' η ὡσεὶ ὁ χνοῦς, ο ν ἐκρίπ τει ὁ α νεμος ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς γῆς· ἀπο λομένης γὰρ τῆς ὁδοῦ, ἀνύπαρκτος ἡ ἀσε βεία γίνεται, τῶν οι ς συμβέβηκε καταλει πομένων.

Psalm 2 hypothesis — the first psalm is almost the title of the second§4

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

4Hypothesis. But since not to be ungodly was set first in the beginning of the blessing, the second word sets out the things that have come to be outside ungodliness, the evangelical mystery spoken beforehand; so that in a way the first psalm is an inscription of the second.

For it speaks the generation through flesh there of Christ who has been begotten “today” for us (and “today” is a part of time), but who always is Son and God from the Father and in the Father; and it speaks the kingdom over those without a king, who because they did not slave for God had been counted among the nations.

Greek · §4

2.π ̔Υπόθεσις. ̓Αλλ' ἐπειδὴ τὸ μὴ δεῖν ἀσεβεῖν ἐν τῇ ἀρχῇ τοῦ μακαρισμοῦ προετάχθη, τὸ δεύτερον ε πος [τὰ] ε ξω τῆς ἀσεβείας γενόμενα ὑποτίθεται, τὸ εὐαγγελικὸν προαναφωνῆσαν μυστήριον· ω στε τρόπον τινὰ ἐπιγραφὴν τοῦ δευτέρου ψαλμοῦ τὸν πρῶτον ει ναι· λέγει γὰρ τὴν διὰ σαρκὸς ἐκεῖ γέννησιν τοῦ σή μερον μὲν γεννηθέντος δι' ἡμᾶς Χριστοῦ (χρόνου δὲ μέρος ἐστὶ τὸ σήμερον), ἀεὶ δὲ ἐκ τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ ἐν τῷ Πατρὶ ο ντος Υἱοῦ καὶ Θεοῦ· τήν τε βασίλειαν [λέγει] ἐπὶ τῶν ἀβασιλεύτων, οἱ διὰ τὸ μὴ δουλεύειν Θεῷ ἐπ' ε θνεσιν η σαν κατειλεγμένοι.

Psalm 2:3–5 — burst their bonds; he who dwells in the heavens will laugh§5

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

5“Let us burst their bonds, and throw off their yoke from us” (Psalm 2:3). For the nations are squeezed by their own sins, not being free; therefore Christ says this, either to the angels who serve him, or to the Father and the Holy Spirit, or to the apostles the servants of the gospel, calling on them to tear their bonds apart.

The peoples, being bodily under the yoke of the law — which contains ordinances that are not good and commandments that are not good — when they are brought through Christ to the spiritual law, which has the good ordinances and commandments, put off the heavy yoke of the letter that kills, the Savior saying to the fellow-workers already named: “Let us throw off their yoke from us,” that is, let us make this from ourselves, not waiting for the request of those who are burdened. Or as he himself also came under the law (for it was written: and he was circumcised, and he followed their sabbaths), that is, from me and from those who are persuaded, or at least counting their yoke our burden because of love toward them, let us throw it off. These things, then, about men, both from the nations and from the people.

“He who dwells in the heavens will laugh at them, and the Lord will mock them” (Psalm 2:4). “He who dwells in the heavens will laugh at them” is toward the kings of the earth, whom the Lord in the heavens will laugh at, as having an earthly mind and not having understood the wisdom about the Savior’s becoming-man. And he will mock the rulers also. And it was fitting for the Son of God to say: even if the nations have cried out and the peoples have meditated empty things, we will burst the bonds of the one and throw off the yoke of the other, since they no longer receive the healing easily. For they did not want to come inside the holy net, about which it is written: “The kingdom of the heavens is like a net thrown into the sea” (Matthew 13:47).

“Then he will speak to them in his anger” (Psalm 2:5). Anger of God is a toilsome chastisement for the benefit of the one who has sinned. But also in the time of the judgment they will taste the anger of God, and all the enemies of the saving Word will be troubled by his wrath. He did not say “he will chastise them,” but “he will speak to them in his anger”; for when they repent he did not chastise, as with the Ninevites. For God threatens toward salvation, he said, and to the Ninevites he sent Jonah.

Greek · §5

2.3 ∆ιαῤῥήξωμεν τοὺς δεσμοὺς αὐτῶν, καὶ ἀποῤῥίψωμεν ἀφ' ἡμῶν τὸν ζυγὸν αὐτῶν. Τὰ γὰρ ε θνη τοῖς ἰδίοις ἁμαρτήμασι πε ρισφίγγεται οὐκ ο ντα ἐλεύθερα· διό φησιν ὁ Χριστὸς, η πρὸς τοὺς αὐτῷ διακονοῦντας ἀγγέλους, η πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ α γιον, η πρὸς τοὺς ἀποστόλους τοὺς ὑπηρέτας τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, ταῦτα παρακα λῶν, αὐτῶν διασπᾶν τοὺς δεσμούς. Οἱ μὲν λαοὶ σωματικῶς τυγχάνοντες ὑπὸ τὸν τοῦ νόμου ζυγὸν, τοῦ δικαιώματα περιέχοντος οὐ καλὰ καὶ προστάγματα οὐ καλὰ, προσα γόμενοι δὲ διὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ τῷ πνευματικῷ νόμῳ, τῷ τὰ καλὰ δικαιώματα ε χοντι καὶ προστάγματα, ἀποτίθενται τὸν βαρὺν τοῦ ἀποκτείνοντος γράμματος ζυγὸν, τοῦ Σω τῆρος λέγοντος πρὸς τοὺς προειρημένους συνεργοὺς τό· ̓Αποῤῥίψωμεν ἀφ' ἡμῶν τὸν ζυγὸν αὐτῶν, η τοι ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν ποιήσωμεν τοῦτον, μὴ περιμείναντες τῶν βαρουμένων τὴν δέησιν. Η ὡς καὶ αὐτὸς ὑπὸ τὸν νό μον γενόμενος (ἐγράφη γάρ· καὶ περιε τμήθη, καὶ τοῖς σάββασιν αὐτῶν ἠκολού θησεν) τουτέστιν, ἀπ' ἐμοῦ καὶ τῶν πειθο μένων, η γουν τὸν ζυγὸν αὐτῶν ἡμέτερον βάρος ἡγούμενοι, διὰ τὴν πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἀγά πην, αὐτὸν ἀποῤῥίψωμεν· ταῦτα μὲν ου ν περὶ ἀνθρώπων, τῶν τε ἀπὸ ἐθνῶν καὶ τοῦ λαοῦ. 2.4 ̔Ο κατοικῶν ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἐκγελάσε ται αὐτοὺς, καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἐκμυκτηριεῖ αὐτούς. Τὸ δέ· ̔Ο κατοικῶν ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἐκγελά σεται αὐτοὺς, πρὸς τοὺς βασιλεῖς τῆς γῆς, ου ς ὁ ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἐκγελάσεται Κύριος, φρό νημα γήϊνον ε χοντας, καὶ μὴ νενομηκότας τὴν περὶ ἐνανθρώπησιν τοῦ Σωτῆρος σο φίαν. ̓Εκμυκτηριεῖ δὲ καὶ τοὺς α ρχοντας. Επρεπε δὲ φῆσαι τῷ Υἱῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ· ὡς εἰ καὶ τὰ ε θνη ἐκρύαξαν, καὶ οἱ λαοὶ ἐμελέ τησαν κενὰ, ἡμεῖς δὲ τῶν μὲν τοὺς δεσμοὺς διαῤῥήξωμεν, τῶν δὲ τὸν ζυγὸν ἀποῤῥίψω μεν, ἐπεὶ μηκέτι δέχονται τὴν θεραπείαν ῥᾳδίως. Οὐ γὰρ ε θελον ει σω τῆς ἱερᾶς σα γήνης γενέσθαι, περὶ η ς γέγραπται· Ομοιός ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν τῇ σαγήνῃ βληθείσῃ εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν. 2.5 Τότε λαλήσει πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐν ὀργῇ αὐτοῦ. ̓Οργή ἐστι Θεοῦ κόλασις ἐπίπονος ἐπὶ τῷ συμφέροντι τοῦ ἡμαρτηκότος. – ̓Αλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ τῆς κρίσεως καιρῷ ὀργὴν Θεοῦ πειραθήσονται, καὶ τῷ θυμῷ αὐτοῦ ταραχ θήσονται πάντες οἱ τοῦ σωτηρίου Λόγου πολέμιοι. Οὐκ ει πε δέ· κολάσει αὐτοὺς, ἀλλὰ λαλήσει πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐν ὀργῇ αὑτοῦ· μετα νοοῦντας γὰρ οὐκ ἐκόλασε, καθάπερ τοὺς Νινευΐτας. ̓Απειλεῖ γὰρ ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ Θεὸς, ε φη, καὶ τοῖς Νινευΐταις ε πεμψεν ̓Ιωνᾶν.

Psalm 2:7–12 — today I have begotten you; take hold of training§6

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

6“I have begotten you today” (Psalm 2:7). “Today” is always being called.

“Ask of me, and I will give you nations, your inheritance” (Psalm 2:8). The devil showed the Savior their kingdoms and the glory in a moment of time.

“Take hold of training” (Psalm 2:12). Training is a measured-suffering of the passions, which is naturally apt to come about from the practical life; and the practical life is a spiritual teaching, cleansing the passionate part of the soul.

Greek · §6

2.7 ̓Εγὼ σήμερον γεγέννηκά σε. ̓Αεὶ τὸ σήμερον καλεῖται. 2.8 Αι τησαι παρ' ἐμοῦ, καὶ δώσω σοι ε θνη, τὴν κληρονομίαν σου. Τούτων τὰς βασιλείας ε δειξεν ὁ διάβολος τῷ Σωτῆρι καὶ τὴν δόξαν ἐν στιγμῇ χρόνου. 2.12 ∆ράξασθε παιδείας. Παιδεία ἐστὶ μετριοπαθεία παθῶν· ο περ συμβαίνειν πέφυκεν ἐκ τῆς πρακτικῆς· η γε πρακτική ἐστι διδασκαλία πνευματικὴ, τὸ παθητικὸν μέρος τῆς ψυχῆς ἐκκαθαίρουσα.

Psalm 3:2–4 — those who progress have many afflicters; the Lord lifts the head§7

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

7“Lord, why have those who afflict me been multiplied?” (Psalm 3:2). Those who are making progress have many who afflict them.

“But you, Lord, are my helper, my glory, and the one who lifts up my head” (Psalm 3:4). Then the mind is lifted up, whenever it applies itself to the manifold wisdom of God (Ephesians 3:10). The glory of the holy one is God. And everyone whose glory is God is lifted up by him.

The head, that is, the rising of the soul. For just as the head of one who has been made large in body is lifted up above the heads of the lesser ones that lie below, so also, when the soul of the blessed has risen, the head is lifted up, God working with it.

Greek · §7

3.2 Κύριε, τί ἐπληθύνθησαν οἱ θλίβον τές με; Οἱ προκόπτοντες πολλοὺς τοὺς θλίβοντας ε χουσι. 3.4 Σὺ δὲ, Κύριε, ἀντιλήπτωρ μου ει , δόξα μου καὶ ὑψῶν τὴν κεφαλήν μου. Τὸ τηνικαῦτα ὑψοῦται νοῦς, ὁπηνίκα α ν ἐπιβάλλῃ τῇ πολυποικίλῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφίᾳ. –Τοῦ ἁγίου δόξα ὁ Θεός. Πᾶς δὲ ου δόξα ἐστὶν ὁ Θεὸς, ὑψοῦται ὑπ' αὐτοῦ. – Τὴν κεφαλὴν, τουτέστιν τῆς ψυχῆς τὸ ε παρμα. Ωσπερ γὰρ ὑψοῦται κεφαλὴ τοῦ κατὰ σῶμα μεμεγεθυσμένου παρὰ τὰς τῶν ὑποδεεστέ ρων κεφαλὰς κάτω κειμένας, ου τως καὶ δια ναστάσης τῆς τοῦ μακαρίου ψυχῆς, ἡ κε φαλὴ ὑψοῦται, Θεοῦ συνεργοῦντος αὐτῇ.

Psalm 3:5 — the holy mountain may be the Only-begotten§8

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

8“And he heard me from his holy mountain” (Psalm 3:5). See whether the holy mountain can be the Only-begotten, from where God will hear.

Greek · §8

3.5 Καὶ ἐπήκουσέν μου ἐξ ο ρους ἁγίου αὐτοῦ. Ορα εἰ δύναται ει ναι ο ρος α γιον ὁ Μο νογενὴς, ο θεν ἐπακούσει ὁ Θεός.

Psalm 3:8 — he arises for some and strikes those hostile in vain§9

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

9“Arise, Lord, save me, my God, because you have struck all who are hostile to me in vain. You have crushed the teeth of sinners” (Psalm 3:8). To each, God has a certain state: those for whom he has arisen, those he also saves; but those who are hostile in vain he strikes.

And of those hostile in vain, such is also this: “they hated me without a cause” (John 15:25). And of what sort are the teeth of sinners crushed by the Lord, such also are these about whom it is said: “there will be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 8:12); and “the teeth of the one who has eaten the unripe grape will be set on edge” (Jeremiah 31:29).

Greek · §9

3.8 ̓Ανάστα, Κύριε, σῶσόν με, ὁ Θεός μου, ο τι σὺ ἐπάταξας πάντας τοὺς ἐχθραί νοντάς μοι ματαίως. ̓Οδόντας ἁμαρτωλῶν συνέτριψας. ̔Εκάστῳ ὁ Θεὸς ε χει τινὰ κατάστασιν· οι ς τισιν ἀνέστη, τοὺς καὶ σώζει· τοὺς δὲ μα ταίως ἐχθραίνοντας πατάσσει. – Ματαίως ἐχθραινόντων τοιοῦτον δὲ τό· ἐμίσησάν με δωρεάν· ὁποῖοι δὲ οἱ συντριβόμενοι ὑπὸ Κυ ρίου τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν ὁδόντες, τοιοῦτοι καὶ ου τοι περὶ ω ν ει ρηται· ἐκεῖ ε σται ὁ κλαυθμὸς καὶ ὁ βρυγμὸς τῶν ὀδόντων· καὶ τοῦ φα γόντος τὸν ο μφακα αἱμωδιάσουσιν οἱ ὀδόν τες αὐτοῦ.

Psalm 4 inscription — Unto the end; the end is to be made alive in Christ§10

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

10“Unto the end, in psalms, a song to David.” Hypothesis. Many psalms having, according to the Seventy, the inscription “Unto the end,” but according to the rest the things corresponding to “Unto the end” that are here rendered, it is worthwhile, as far as power allows, to track out the sense indicated by the wording.

It is to be known that, just as of every art and science there is an end, toward which the one who genuinely pursues the art or the science hastens, so also of the rational nature there must be an end. And this is to be made alive in Christ, according to the things said by Paul the most wise in the first letter to the Corinthians: “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive, but each in his own order” (1 Corinthians 15:22-23).

But as far as saying “in his own order,” he does not sketch one end of all; for it is likely that each will be made alive according to the worth of the things done, either coming to this without torment, or after punishments.

And Christ, having made alive in himself all who die in Adam, reigns over those who have been made alive.

We think, then, that the psalms inscribed “Unto the end” inscribe some sense of the end, and summon those who understand the things said toward that.

And for everyone who contends, the victory also happens to be the end. Many, then, are the victories according to part, and an end, as of Paul when he says: “In all these things we more than conquer through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37), and when: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but to all who have loved his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7-8).

Greek · §10

4.1 Εἰς τὸ τέλος, ἐν ψαλμοῖς, ᾠδὴ τῷ ∆αυίδ. ̔Υπόθεσις. Πολλῶν ψαλμῶν κατὰ μὲν τοὺς Οʹ ἐχόντων ἐπιγραφὴν Εἰς τὸ τέλος, κατὰ δὲ τοὺς λοιποὺς τὰ κατάλληλα τῷ Εἰς τὸ τέλος ἐνθάδε ἀποδιδόμενα, α ξιον, ο ση δύναμις, ἐξιχνεῦσαι τὸν δηλούμενον ὑπὸ τῆς λέξεως νοῦν. ̓Ιστέον δὲ, ο τι, ω σπερ πάσης τέχνης καὶ ἐπιστήμης ἐστὶ τὸ τέλος, ἐφ' ο σπεύδει ὁ γνησίως τὴν τέχνην η τὴν ἐπι στήμην μετιὼν, ου τως καὶ τῆς λογικῆς φύ σεως δεῖ τέλος τυγχάνειν. Τοῦτο δέ ἐστι τὸ ἐν Χριστῷ ζωοποιηθῆναι, κατὰ τὰ εἰρημένα Παύλῳ τῷ σοφωτάτῳ ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ πρὸς Κο ρινθίους ἐπιστολῇ· Ωσπερ γὰρ ἐν τῷ ̓Αδὰμ πάντες ἀποθνήσκουσιν, ου τως καὶ ἐν τῷ Χρι στῷ πάντες ζωοποιηθήσονται, ε καστος δὲ ἐν τῷ ἰδίῳ τάγματι. – Οσον δὲ ἐν τῷ λέγειν· ἐν τῷ ἰδίῳ τάγματι, οὐχ ε ν τέλος ὑπογράφει πάντων· εἰκὸς γὰρ ε καστον κατὰ τὴν ἀξίαν τῶν πεπραγμένων ζωοποιηθήσεσθαι, η τοι χωρὶς βασάνου ἐπὶ τοῦτο ἐρχόμενον, η μετὰ κολάσεις. Ζωοποιήσας δὲ Χριστὸς πάντας ἐν αὑτῷ τοὺς ἐν τῷ ̓Αδὰμ ἀποθνήσκοντας, βασι λεύει τῶν ζωοποιηθέντων. –Νομίζομεν τοί νυν τοὺς Εἰς τὸ τέλος ἐπιγεγραμμένους ψαλ μοὺς, τοῦ τέλους τινὰ ἐπιγράφειν νοῦν, καὶ ἐπ' ἐκεῖνο τοὺς συνιέντας τὰ λεγόμενα παρα καλεῖν. –Παντὶ δὲ ἀγωνιζομένῳ τυγχάνει καὶ ἡ νίκη τέλος. Πολλαὶ μὲν ου ν αἱ τῶν κατὰ μέρος νῖκαι, καὶ τέλος, καθάπερ Παύ λου ο τε μὲν λέγοντος· ̓Εν τούτοις πᾶσιν ὑπερνικῶμεν διὰ τοῦ ἀγαπήσαντος ἡμᾶς, ο τε δέ· Τὸν ἀγῶνα τὸν καλὸν ἠγώνισμαι, τὸν δρόμον τετέλεκα, τὴν πίστιν τετήρηκα· λοιπὸν ἀπόκειταί μοι ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης στέφανος, ο ν ἀποδώσει μοι ὁ Κύριος ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ, ὁ δίκαιος κριτὴς, οὐ μό νον δὲ ἐμοὶ, ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶσιν τοῖς ἠγαπη κόσιν τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν αὐτοῦ.

Psalm 4:2 — he heard me in the calling, and in affliction you widened me§11

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

11“In my calling, the God of my righteousness heard me; in affliction you widened me” (Psalm 4:2).

He did not hear me after the calling, but in the calling. When we come to know the reasons of the afflictions and of the trials, then especially we are widened.

Even if as a man the prophet calls, and because of the calling is heard by the God of his righteousness — I mean the righteousness of the one speaking — and for this reason comes to be in a widening in the times of affliction, still, as toward God, being such, he is below. For the eyes of the Lord are high, and man is low, and he needs to be pitied by God.

Greek · §11

4.2 ̓Εν τῷ ἐπικαλεῖσθαί με εἰσήκουσέν μου ὁ Θεὸς τῆς δικαιοσύνης μου, ἐν θλίψει ἐπλάτυνας μοι. Οὐ μετὰ τὸ ἐπικαλεῖσθαι εἰσήκουσέν με, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ ἐπικαλεῖσθαι. – Οταν τῶν θλίψεων καὶ τῶν πειρασμῶν τοὺς λόγους ἐπιγινώσκομεν, τότε μάλιστα πλατυνόμεθα. –Εἰ καὶ ὡς α νθρωπος ὁ προφήτης ἐπι καλεῖται, καὶ διὰ τὸ ἐπικαλεῖσθαι, εἰσακούε ται ὑπὸ Θεοῦ τῆς δικαιοσύνης αὐτοῦ, λέγω δὲ τῆς δικαιοσύνης τοῦ λέγοντος, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐν πλατυσμῷ κατὰ τοὺς καιροὺς τῆς θλίψεως γίνεται· ἀλλά γε ὡς πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ὁ τοιοῦτος ω ν, κάτω ἐστίν. Οἱ γὰρ ὀφθαλμοὶ Κυρίου ὑψηλοὶ, ὁ δὲ α νθρωπος ταπεινὸς, καὶ δεῖται τοῦ οἰκτειρηθῆναι ὑπὸ Θεοῦ.

Psalm 4:3 — sons of men, how long heavy-hearted; evil is a heavy nature§12

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

12“Sons of men, how long heavy-hearted?” (Psalm 4:3). “Sons of men,” someone will suppose, has been said by periphrasis, as it is also the custom of Greeks to use such a figure, saying “sons of the Achaeans” and the like.

Here we know that evil is of a heavy nature; therefore the Lord, coming into Egypt, is said to sit upon a light cloud. And a light cloud is a rational nature, filled with every virtue and knowledge.

Greek · §12

4.3 Υἱοὶ ἀνθρώπων, ε ως πότε βαρυ κάρδιοι; Τό· υἱοὶ ἀνθρώπων, ὁ μέν τις οἰήσεται περιφραστικῶς εἰρῆσθαι, ὡς καὶ Ελλησιν ε θος τῷ τοιούτῳ χρῆσθαι σχηματισμῷ λέ γουσιν· υι ες ̓Αχαίων, καὶ τὰ ο μοια. – ̓Εν-ταῦθα γινώσκομεν ο τι βαρείας φύσεώς ἐστιν ἡ κακία, διόπερ ὁ ἐρχόμενος εἰς τὴν Αι γυπτον Κύριος, ἐπὶ νεφέλης λέγεται καθέ ζεσθαι κούφης. Νεφέλη δὲ κούφη ἐστὶ φύσις λογικὴ, πάσης ἀρετῆς πληρωμένη καὶ γνώ σεως.

Psalm 4:4 — know that the Lord has made his holy one wonderful; believing is not the same as knowing§13

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

13“And know that the Lord has made his holy one wonderful” (Psalm 4:4).

Know, then, you who have trusted in multitudes, that he has shown as wonderful the one who has trusted in him. David prophesies about Christ in the fifteenth psalm, that he is a true holy one, and the apostles are witnesses about him, having understood: “nor will you give your holy one to see corruption” (Psalm 16:10).

And it is possible also to be taught about every holy one. But to believe and to know are not the same; as neither is it the same to believe the truth and to know the truth, and to believe God and to know God. Therefore to the apostles already having believed the Savior says: “If you remain in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will free you” (John 8:31-32). For as Isaiah says: “If you do not believe, you will not understand” (Isaiah 7:9). And David: “I believed, therefore I spoke” (Psalm 116:10). And “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10) makes clear that knowing differs from believing; for this was not said to the unbelieving.

And it also shows what sort of knowledge it will be necessary to receive, and how the holy ones have been made wonderful by God, having been led to the wonders of the unspeakable mysteries and of the holy contemplations.

Greek · §13

4.4 Καὶ γνῶτε ο τι ἐθαυμάστωσε Κύριος τὸν ο σιον αὐτοῦ. Γνῶτε τοιγαροῦν οἱ πεποιθότες ἐπὶ πλή θη, ὡς θαυμαστὸν ἀπέδειξε τὸν πεποιθότα ἐπ' αὐτόν. –Περὶ Χριστοῦ προφητεύει ∆αυὶδ ἐν τῷ ιεʹ ψαλμῷ, ω ς ἐστιν ἀληθὴς ο σιος, καὶ μάρτυρες οἱ ἀπόστολοι περὶ αὐ τοῦ, νοήσαντες τό· Ου τε δώσεις τὸν ο σιόν σου ἰδεῖν διαφθοράν. ∆υνατὸν δὲ καὶ περὶ παντὸς ὁσίου διδάσκεσθαι, οὐ ταὐτὸ δὲ τὸ πιστεῦσαι καὶ γνῶναι· ὡς οὐδὲ ταὐτὸ ἀληθείᾳ πιστεῦσαι, καὶ γνῶναι τὴν ἀλή θειαν, καὶ πιστεῦσαι Θεῷ καὶ γνῶναι τὸν Θεόν. Τοιγαροῦν τοῖς ἀποστόλοις η δη πε πιστευκόσι φησὶν ὁ Σωτήρ· ̓Εὰν μείνητε ἐν τῷ ἐμῷ λόγῳ, ἀληθῶς μαθηταί μού ἐστε, καὶ γνώσετε τὴν ἀλήθειαν, καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια ἐλευθερώσει ὑμᾶς. ̔Ως γάρ φησιν ̔Ησαΐας· ̓Εὰν μὴ πιστεύσητε, οὐδὲ οὐ μὴ συνῆτε. Καὶ ὁ ∆αυίδ· ̓Επίστευσα, διὸ ἐλάλησα. Καὶ τό· Σχολάσατε δὲ καὶ γνῶτε ο τι ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ Θεὸς, διαφέρειν δηλοῖ τοῦ πιστεύειν τὸ γνῶναι· Τοῦτο γὰρ τοῖς ἀπιστοῦσιν οὐκ ει ρηται· δείκνυσι δὲ καὶ ποίαν δεήσει γνῶσιν ἀπολαβεῖν, [καὶ] ὡς ἐθαυμαστώθησαν ὑπὸ Θεοῦ οἱ ο σιοι, θαύμασι προσαχθέντες τῶν ἀποῤῥήτων μυστηρίων καὶ τῶν ἁγίων θεω ρημάτων.

Psalm 4:5 — be angry and do not sin; do not confirm anger by the deed§14

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

14“Be angry, and do not sin” (Psalm 4:5).

He exhorts not to assent to the appearance, nor to bring on the deed confirming the anger.

Greek · §14

4.5 ̓Οργίζεσθε, καὶ μὴ ἁμαρτάνετε. Παραινεῖ μὴ συγκατατίθεσθαι τῇ φαντα σίᾳ, μηδὲ τὸ ε ργον ἐπάγειν κυροῦν τὴν Θυσία ὀργήν.

Psalm 4:6 — sacrifice a sacrifice of righteousness; hope is expectation of true knowledge§15

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

15“Sacrifice a sacrifice of righteousness, and hope upon the Lord” (Psalm 4:6).

Righteousness is impassibility of a rational soul, offered to God; and hope is a good expectation of true knowledge.

Greek · §15

4.6 Θύσατε θυσίαν δικαιοσύνης, καὶ ἐλπίσατε ἐπὶ Κύριον. δικαιοσύνης ἐστὶν ἀπάθεια ψυχῆς λογικῆς, προσφερομένη Θεῷ· ἐλπὶς δέ ἐστιν ἀγαθὴ προσδοκία γνώσεως ἀληθοῦς.

Psalm 4:7 — the light of your face; angels see the face, men the light§16

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

16“The light of your face has been marked upon us, Lord” (Psalm 4:7).

The angels always see the face of God; but men, the light of his face. For the face of the Lord is a spiritual contemplation of all things that have come to be on earth. And the light of the face is the partial knowledge of these same things, if according to the wise Tekoite: “David was as an angel of God, knowing all things on the earth” (2 Samuel 14:17).

Greek · §16

4.7 ̓Εσημειώθη ἐφ' ἡμᾶς τὸ φῶς τοῦ προσώπου σου, Κύριε. Οἱ μὲν α γγελοι διὰ παντὸς βλέπουσι τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ Θεοῦ· οἱ δὲ α νθρωποι, τὸ φῶς τοῦ προσώπου αὐτοῦ. Πρόσωπον γὰρ Κυρίου ἐστὶ θεωρία πνευματικὴ πάντων τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς γεγονότων. Φῶς δὲ προσώπου ἐστὶν ἡ μερικὴ γνῶσις τούτων αὐτῶν, ει περ κατὰ τὴν σοφὴν Θηκωϊτίδα· Ωσπερ α γγελος Θεοῦ η ν ὁ ∆αυὶδ, πάντα εἰδὼς τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς.

Psalm 4:8 — gladness from wheat, wine, and oil; intelligible, not sensible§17

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

17“You gave gladness into my heart, from fruit of wheat and wine and oil” (Psalm 4:8).

These things are promised in many places of the Scripture to the holy, and the deprivation of them is threatened to sinners — clearly of the intelligible and not of the sensible. Some, thinking them evils because of the smallness of the promise, wanted to worship another God fabricated by them. For when it partakes of the better things, each soul is both sanctified and in good condition toward being able to complete the works that fall to it.

And into the coming age Paul also brought these: “Let no one judge you in food or in drink, or in part of a feast, or new moon, sabbaths, which are a shadow of the things to come” (Colossians 2:16-17). Wheat and wine and oil multiply sinners; but the gladness of God gladdens the righteous.

Greek · §17

4.8 Εδωκας εὐφροσύνην εἰς τὴν καρ δίαν μου, ἀπὸ καρποῦ σίτου καὶ οι νου καὶ ἐλαίου. ̓Επήγγελται δὲ ταῦτα πολλαχοῦ τῆς γρα φῆς τοῖς ἁγίοις, καὶ ἀπειλεῖται τοῖς ἁμαρ τωλοῖς τούτων ἡ στέρησις, δηλαδὴ τῶν νοη τῶν καὶ οὐκ αἰσθητῶν. Κακὰ νομίσαντές τι νες, διὰ τὴν σμικρότητα τῆς ἐπαγγελίας, ἑτέρῳ Θεῷ ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἀναπεπλασμένῳ προσ κύνειν ἠβουλήθησαν· τῶν γὰρ κρειττόνων μεταλαμβάνουσα, ἑκάστη ψυχὴ ἁγιάζεταί τε καὶ εὐεκτεῖ πρὸς τὸ δύνασθαι τὰ ἐπι βάλλοντα αὐτῇ ε ργα ἐπιτελεῖν. Καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα δὲ τὸν μέλλοντα ταῦτα Παῦλος εἰσ ήγαγεν. Μήτις ὑμᾶς κρινέτω ἐν βρώσει η ἐν πόσει, η ἐν μέρει ἑορτῆς, η νουμηνίας σαββάτων, α ἐστι σκιὰ τῶν μελλόντων. – Σῖτος καὶ οι νος καὶ ε λαιον πληθύνει ἁμαρ τωλούς· εὐφροσύνη δὲ Θεοῦ εὐφραίνει δι καίους.

Psalm 5 inscription — Unto the end, concerning the inheriting one; Christ’s inheritance is the rational nature§18

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

18“Unto the end, concerning the inheriting one” (Psalm 5 inscription).

The inheritance of Christ is the rational nature.

Greek · §18

5.1 Εἰς τὸ τέλος ὑπὲρ τῆς κληρονο μούσης. ̔Η κληρονομία τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐστιν ἡ φύ σις ἡ λογική.

Psalm 5:8 — I will worship toward your holy temple in your fear; the temple is Christ§19

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

19“I will worship toward your holy temple in your fear” (Psalm 5:8).

A holy temple of God is Christ, because “God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself” (2 Corinthians 5:19). In the fear of God everyone turns aside from evil (Proverbs 16:6); and in the fear of the Lord he worships the temple, which is Christ: for “Destroy this temple,” he says, “and in three days I will raise it” (John 2:19).

Greek · §19

5.8 Προσκυνήσω πρὸς ναὸν α γιόν σου ἐν φόβῳ σου. Ναὸς α γιός ἐστι τοῦ Θεοῦ ὁ Χριστὸς, διότι ὁ Θεὸς η ν ἐν Χριστῷ κόσμον καταλλάσσων ἑαυτῷ. – ̓Εν τῷ φόβῳ Θεοῦ ἐκκλίνει πᾶς ἀπὸ κακοῦ· ἐν φόβῳ δὲ Κυρίου προσκυνεῖ τὸν ναὸν, ο ς ἐστι Χριστός· Λύσατε γὰρ, φη σὶν, τὸν ναὸν τοῦτον, καὶ ἐν τρισὶν ἡμέραις ἐγερῶ αὐτόν.

Psalm 5:9 — lead me in your righteousness because of my enemies; they are intelligible§20

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

20“Lord, lead me in your righteousness, because of my enemies” (Psalm 5:9).

In the righteousness according to practice, in Christ. — “Of my enemies.” The intelligible ones, clearly; for many are those who plot against the God-loving soul, begrudging its progress according to God.

Greek · §20

5.9 Κύριε, ὁδήγησόν με ἐν τῇ δικαιο σύνῃ σου, ε νεκα τῶν ἐχθρῶν μου. ̓Εν τῇ κατὰ πρακτικὴν δικαιοσύνῃ ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ. –Τῶν ἐχθρῶν. Τῶν νοητῶν δη λονότι· πολλοὶ γὰρ οἱ ἐπιβουλεύοντες τῇ θεοφιλεῖ ψυχῇ, τῇ κατὰ Θεὸν αὐτῆς προ κοπῇ διαβασκαίνοντες.

Psalm 5:10 — no truth in their mouth; their throat an opened tomb filled with dead works§21

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

21“Because there is no truth in their mouth; their heart is vain” (Psalm 5:10). First, there is no truth except Christ; and perhaps the second clause has borne their plot.

“An opened tomb is their throat” (Psalm 5:10). Filled with dead works.

Greek · §21

5.10 Οτι οὐκ ε στιν ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐ τῶν ἀλήθεια, ἡ καρδία αὐτῶν ματαία. Πρότερον, οὐδεμία ἀλήθεια, η ὁ Χριστός· καὶ τάχα τὸ Τάφος ἀνεῳγμένος ὁ λάρυγξ αὐτῶν. δεύτερον, ἠνέγκατο αὐτῶν ἐπι βουλήν. Νεκρῶν ε ργων πεπληρωμένος.

Psalm 5:11 — judge them, God; thrust them out from their counsels§22

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

22“Judge them, God; let them fall from their counsels; according to the multitude of their ungodlinesses thrust them out, because they embittered you, Lord” (Psalm 5:11).

For God does not thrust anyone out from himself; for “those who make themselves far from you,” he says, “will perish” (Psalm 73:27). Of the multitude of their ungodlinesses, then, thrust them out. For these, he says, they were making all the counsels against me, opposing my progress according to God; for those who persecute the soul that does what is dear to God embitter God, clearly fighting against God.

Thrust them out from the ungodliness, having made them pious. Blessedness is to fall out of every counsel.

Greek · §22

5.11 Κρῖνον αὐτοὺς, ὁ Θεός· ἀποπε σάτωσαν ἀπὸ τῶν διαβουλιῶν αὐτῶν· κατὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἀσεβειῶν αὐτῶν ε ξωσον αὐ τοὺς, ο τι παρεπίκρανάν σε, Κύριε. Οὐ γὰρ ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ ὁ Θεὸς ἐξωθεῖ τινα· οἱ γὰρ μακρύνοντες ἑαυτοὺς, φησὶν, ἀπὸ σοῦ, ἀπολοῦνται· τοῦ τοίνυν πλήθους τῶν ἀσεβειῶν αὐτῶν ε ξωσον αὐτούς. Ταῦτα γὰρ, φησὶ, πάντα τὰ διαβούλια κατ' ἐμοῦ ἐποι οῦντο, τῇ κατὰ Θεόν μου προκοπῇ ἐναν τιούμενοι· οἱ γὰρ διώκοντες τὴν φίλα τῷ Θεῷ πράττουσαν ψυχὴν, Θεὸν παραπικραί νουσι, θεομαχοῦντες σαφῶς. – Εξωσον αὐ τοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς ἀσεβείας, εὐσεβεῖς αὐτοὺς ἐρ γασάμενος. –Μακαριότης ἐστὶ, βουλῆς πά σης ἐκπεσεῖν.

Psalm 5:12 — let all who hope on you rejoice; you will tabernacle in them§23

23“And let all who hope on you be glad in you; they will exult forever, and you will tabernacle in them” (Psalm 5:12).

When the plotters have been dissolved, the gladness is of you tabernacling in them forever. And how is it not exultation, for the one to whom God is present, dwelling and walking as in his own temple (2 Corinthians 6:16)? As being far from God, when sin takes captive, is worthy of lamentations. And the end of the good things is to receive an inheritance and to have as a lot God dwelling in one.

Greek · §23

5.12 Καὶ εὐφρανθήτωσαν ἐπὶ σοὶ πάν τες οἱ ἐλπίζοντες ἐπὶ σὲ, εἰς αἰῶνα ἀγαλ λιάσονται, καὶ κατασκηνώσεις ἐν αὐτοῖς. Τῶν ἐπιβούλων καταλυθέντων, ἡ εὐφρο σύνη σοῦ κατασκηνοῦντος ἐν αὐτοῖς εἰς αἰῶ να. Καὶ πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἀγαλλίασις, ῳ Θεὸς πάρεστιν, ὡς ἐν ἰδίῳ ναῷ ἐνοικῶν τε καὶ περιπατῶν; ὡς τὸ μακρύνεσθαι Θεοῦ, τῆς ἁμαρτίας αἰχμαλωτιζούσης, θρήνων ἐπάξιον. Τέλος δὲ τῶν ἀγαθῶν, ἀπολαβεῖν κληρονο μίαν καὶ κλῆρον ε χειν ἐνοικοῦντα Θεόν.

Psalm 5:13 — you crowned us as with a weapon of good pleasure§24

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

24“As with a weapon of good pleasure you crowned us” (Psalm 5:13).

A crown, he says, for us of the labors is grace, which — the end of these — as with a certain weapon fences us.

Greek · §24

5.13 ̔Ως ο πλῳ εὐδοκίας ἐστεφάνωσας ἡμᾶς. Στέφανος, φησὶν, ἡμῖν τῶν πόνων χάρις, ἡ τὸ τέλος τούτῳ, καθάπερ ο πλῳ τινὶ, φράτ τουσα ἡμᾶς.

Psalm 6:2–3 — do not rebuke me in your wrath; I am weak§25

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

25“Lord, do not convict me with your wrath, nor discipline me with your anger; have mercy on me, Lord, because I am weak; heal me, because my bones were troubled” (Psalm 6:2-3).

Wrath is an impulse of desire of a tame soul, pre-eminently of defense. He says then: even if the more outward wrath convicts, and the anger more quickly disciplines, I at least, because of my weakness, need your mercy, and to be convicted and disciplined by another healing, which does not bring on such great labors.

For he wants both not to be convicted by the wrath of God, and not to be disciplined in his anger, and to be shown mercy, being weak, and to be healed from the trouble of his bones and of his soul. — Symmachus: in gall, in unpostponement.

Greek · §25

6.2,3 Κύριε, μὴ τῷ θυμῷ σου ἐλέγξῃς με, μηδὲ τῇ ὀργῇ σου παιδεύσῃς με· ἐλέη σόν με, Κύριε· ο τι ἀσθενής εἰμι, ι ασαί με, ο τι ἐταράχθη τὰ ὀστᾶ μου. Θυμός ἐστιν ὁρμὴ ἐπιθυμίας ἡμέρου ψυ χῆς, κατ' ἐξοχὴν ἀμύνης. Λέγει ου ν· εἰ καὶ ἐξώτερος ὁ θυμὸς ἐλέγχει, καὶ ἡ ὁργὴ τά χιον παιδεύει, ἐγώ γε διὰ τὴν ἀσθένειάν μου δεόμαι τοῦ ἐλέους σου, καὶ δι' α λλης ἐλεγ χθῆναι καὶ παιδευθῆναι θεραπείας, οὐ τηλικούτους προσαγού σης πόνους. Θέλει γὰρ καὶ μὴ θυμῷ Θεοῦ ἐλεγχθῆναι, καὶ μὴ παιδευθῆναι ἐν ὀργῇ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐλεηθῆναι, ἀσθενὴς ω ν, καὶ ἰα θῆναι ἀπὸ τῆς ταραχῆς τῶν ὀστέων καὶ τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ. – Σύμμαχος· ἐν χόλῳ, ἐν ἀνυπερθεσίᾳ.

Psalm 6:6 — in death there is none who remembers you; remembering the Life is not in death§26

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

26“Because there is not in death the one who remembers you” (Psalm 6:6).

Everyone who remembers the Life, who said “I am the life” (John 11:25), is not in death.

Greek · §26

6.6 Οτι οὐκ ε στιν ἐν τῷ θανάτῳ ὁ μνημονεύων σου. Πᾶς ὁ μνημονεύων τῆς ζωῆς, τῆς εἰπού σης· ̓Εγώ εἰμι ἡ ζωὴ, οὐκ ε στιν ἐν θανάτῳ.

Psalm 6:7 — I will wash my bed every night; an exhortation to weep in night prayer§27

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

27“I will wash my bed every night” (Psalm 6:7).

An exhortation toward weeping in the night of one who is praying.

Greek · §27

6.7 Λούσω καθ' ἑκάστην νύκτα τὴν κλίνην μου. Προτρεπτικὸν πρὸς τὸ δακρύειν ἐν νυκτὶ προσευχομένου.

Psalm 6:11 — let my enemies be ashamed; demons always, men not always, angels never§28

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

28“Let all my enemies be ashamed and greatly troubled” (Psalm 6:11).

It belongs to demons to work lawlessness always, to men not always, to angels neither always nor not-always, which is never.

To fall from wicked counsels is not an evil for the one falling, who is not coming to their wicked end; as it is not good not to come to the end of the better things.

Greek · §28

6.11 Αἰσχυνθείησαν καὶ ταραχθείησαν σφόδρα πάντες οἱ ἐχθροί μου. ∆αιμόνων τὸ διὰ παντὸς τὴν ἀνομίαν ἐργάζεσθαι, ἀνθρώπων τὸ μὴ διὰ παντὸς, ἀγγέλων τὸ μηδὲ διὰ παντὸς, μήτε μὴ διὰ παντὸς, ο περ ἐστὶν οὐδέποτε. – ̓Απὸ μοχ θηρῶν διαβουλιῶν ἀποπεσεῖν, οὐ κακὸν τῷ ἀποπίπτοντι, οὐκ ἐρχομένῳ ἐπὶ τὸ μοχθη ρὸν αὐτῶν τέλος, ὡς οὐ καλὸν τῶν κρειτ τόνων μὴ ἐπὶ τέλος ἐλθεῖν.

Psalm 7:5 — if I repaid evil, let me fall empty; empty cannot receive from his fullness§29

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

29“If I repaid those who repay me evils, then let me fall empty from my enemies” (Psalm 7:5).

Empty is the one who cannot say: “From his fullness we all received, and grace for grace” (John 1:16).

Therefore such people are also called reeds, feeding the beasts in themselves, about which it is said: “Rebuke the beasts of the reed” (Psalm 67:31); and: “The devil,” says Job, “sleeps beside trees of every kind, beside papyrus and rush and reed; for this one is king of all those in the waters” (Job 40:21; Job 41:26).

Greek · §29

7.5 Εἰ ἀνταπέδωκα τοῖς ἀνταποδιδοῦσί μοι κακὰ, ἀποπέσοιμι α ρα ἀπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν μου κενός. Κενός ἐστιν ὁ μὴ δυνάμενος λέγειν· ̓Εκ τοῦ πληρώματος αὐτοῦ ἡμεῖς πάντες ἐλά βομεν καὶ χάριν ἀντὶ χάριτος. ∆ιόπερ καὶ οἱ τοιοῦτοι κάλαμοι λέγονται, τρέφοντες ἐν ἑαυτοῖς τὰ θηρία, περὶ ω ν ει ρηται· ̓Επι τίμησον γὰρ, φησὶ, τοῖς θηρίοις τοῦ καλά μου, καί· ̔Ο διάβολος, φησὶν ὁ ̓Ιὼβ, παρὰ παντοδαπὰ δένδρα κοιμᾶται, παρὰ πάπυρον καὶ βούτομον καὶ κάλαμον· ου τος γὰρ βα σιλεύς ἐστι πάντων τῶν ἐν τοῖς υ δασι.

Psalm 7:6 — let the enemy pursue my soul; that I might become earthy instead of heavenly§30

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

30“Let the enemy pursue my soul, and overtake it” (Psalm 7:6).

So that I might become earthy, instead of heavenly (1 Corinthians 15:47-49).

Greek · §30

7.6 Καταδιώξαι α ρα ὁ ἐχθρὸς τὴν ψυ χήν μου, καὶ καταλάβοι. Ινα χοϊκὸς, ἀντὶ ἐπουρανίου, γενοίμην.

Psalm 7:10 — let the wickedness of sinners be completed, and you will direct the righteous§31

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

31“Let the wickedness of sinners be completed, and you will direct the righteous” (Psalm 7:10).

If the wickedness of the sinners is completed, the righteous directs his own way, no longer being warred upon by them.

Greek · §31

7.10 Συντελεσθήτω δὴ πονηρία ἁμαρ τωλῶν, καὶ κατευθυνεῖς δίκαιον. ̓Εὰν συντελεσθῇ ἡ πονηρία τῶν ἁμαρ τωλῶν, ὁ δίκαιος κατευθύνει τὴν ὁδὸν αὑ τοῦ, μηκέτι πολεμούμενος ὑπ' αὐτῶν.

Psalm 7:13 — if you do not turn, he will flash his sword; an intelligible word§32

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

32“If you do not turn, he will make his sword flash” (Psalm 7:13).

The sword is intelligible, a spiritual word separating soul from body, or from vice, or from ignorance.

Greek · §32

7.13 ̓Εὰν μὴ ἐπιστραφῆτε, τὴν ῥομ φαίαν αὐτοῦ στιλβώσει. ̔Ρομφαία ἐστὶ νοητὴ, λόγος πνευματικὸς χωρίζων ψυχὴν ἀπὸ σώματος η κακίας η ἀγνωσίας.

Psalm 7:14 — he prepared instruments of death; his arrows for those who are burning§33

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

33“He prepared instruments of death, his arrows for those who are burning” (Psalm 7:14).

The burning are those who receive the flaming arrows of the devil (Ephesians 6:16).

Greek · §33

7.14 ̔Ητοίμασε σκεύη θανάτου, τὰ βέλη αὐτοῦ τοῖς καιομένοις. Καιόμενοί εἰσιν οἱ τὰ πεπυρωμένα βέλη τοῦ διαβόλου δεχόμενοι.

Psalm 7:17 — his injustice will come down on his crown; the crown is the mind§34

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

34“And on his crown his injustice will come down” (Psalm 7:17).

The crown now signifies the mind, if the crown of grace, according to Solomon, which is wisdom, is bound to the crown (Proverbs 4:9).

Greek · §34

7.17 Καὶ ἐπὶ κορυφὴν αὐτοῦ ἡ ἀδικία αὐτοῦ καταβήσεται. ̔Η κορυφὴ νῦν τὸν νοῦν σημαίνει, ει περ ὁ στέφανος τῆς χάριτος, κατὰ τὸν Σωλο μῶντα, η τις ἡ σοφία, δέδεται τῇ κορυφῇ.

Psalm 8 inscription — Unto the end, over the winepresses; the winepresses are the churches§35

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

35“Unto the end, over the winepresses” (Psalm 8 inscription).

Chastening and retributive. — Of Eusebius. Here “unto the end” is said because the things prophesied in the present psalm have come to pass at the completion of the ages; and “over the winepresses” because of the peoples constituted in all the earth, and the churches of God, which the word is accustomed to call winepresses allegorically.

Of old, then, when the people called Israel was one, this people was styled a vineyard. And the temple among them was a tower, and the altar before the temple was a fore-vat, according to the prophecy of Isaiah (Isaiah 5:1-2). But now the word mentions not one winepress but more winepresses, because of the many altars throughout the whole earth constituted through Christ in his churches.

Therefore also in the 83rd psalm, itself inscribed “over the winepresses,” many altars and very many tabernacles and many courts are foretold (Psalm 83); through which the altars founded throughout the whole earth in the churches of God are shown outright; whence it too contains the title “over the winepresses.”

— Origen. And the eightieth is inscribed “unto the end, over the winepresses, of Asaph,” whose beginning is: “Rejoice in our helper” (Psalm 80:2). And in the 83rd psalm you will find the inscription “Over the winepresses.” Toward these let us take the things about Noah planting a vine (Genesis 9:20); and the blessing of Judah from Jacob: “Binding his foal to the vine” (Genesis 49:11); and Issachar, who, seeing that the rest was good and the land fat, put his shoulder to the work and became a farmer (Genesis 49:14-15). And Uzziah was a farmer, having vinedressers in the hill country (2 Chronicles 26:10). And the wife of every righteous man is as a vine flourishing in the sides of his house (Psalm 127:3), for whom there comes wine that gladdens a man’s heart (Psalm 103:15). And Ecclesiastes: “He planted vineyards, he dug a winepress” (Ecclesiastes 2:4). And Solomon says: “And let your winepresses overflow with wine” (Proverbs 3:10).

Greek · §35

8.1 Εἰς τὸ τέλος, ὑπὲρ τῶν ληνῶν. Κολαστικὸν καὶ τιμωρητικόν. Εὐσεβίου. ̓Ενταῦθα εἰς τὸ τέλος ει ρηται, διὰ τὸ ἐπὶ συντελείᾳ τῶν αἰώνων τετυχηκέ ναι τὰ ἐν τῷ παρόντι ψαλμῷ πεπροφητευμέ να· ὑπὲρ δὲ τῶν ληνῶν διὰ τοὺς ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ συστάντας λαοὺς, καὶ τὰς ἐκκλησίας τοῦ Θεοῦ, α σπερ ὁ λόγος ληνοὺς ἀλληγορικῶς ἀποκαλεῖν ει ωθεν· πάλαι μὲν ου ν, ὁπηνίκα ει ς η ν ὁ λαὸς ὁ καλούμενος ̓Ισραὴλ, ἀμ πελὼν ἐχρημάτιζεν ου τος. Καὶ ὁ νεὼς ὁ παρ' αὐτοῖς πύργος, προλήνιόν τε τὸ πρὸ τοῦ νεὼ θυσιαστήριον, κατὰ τὴν τοῦ ̔Ησαΐου προφη τείαν. ̓Αλλὰ νῦν οὐ μιᾶς ληνοῦ, πλειόνων δὲ ληνῶν ὁ λόγος μνημονεύει, διὰ τὰ πολλὰ θυσιαστήρια τὰ καθ' ο λης τῆς γῆς διὰ Χρισ τοῦ ἐν ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις αὐτοῦ συνεστῶτα. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐν πγʹ ψαλμῷ, ὑπὲρ τῶν ληνῶν ἐπι γεγραμμένῳ καὶ αὐτῷ, πολλὰ θυσιαστήρια καὶ πλεῖστα σκηνώματα καὶ αὐλαὶ πολλαὶ θεσπίζονται· δι' ω ν ἀντικρὺς τὰ καθ' ο λης τῆς γῆς ἐν ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις τοῦ Θεοῦ ἱδρυ μένα θυσιαστήρια δηλοῦται· ο θεν καὶ αὐτὸς ὑπὲρ τῶν ληνῶν τὴν προγραφὴν περιέχει. ̓Ωρ. Καὶ ὁ ὀγδοηκοστὸς ἐπιγέγραπται εἰς τὸ τέλος ὑπὲρ τῶν ληνῶν τῷ ̓Ασὰφ, ου ἡ ἀρχή· ̓Αγαλλιᾶσθε τῷ βοηθῷ ἡμῶν. Καὶ ἐν τῷ πγʹ ψαλμῷ τὴν ̔Υπὲρ τῶν ληνῶν εὑ ρήσεις ἐπιγραφήν· πρὸς δὲ ταῦτα λάβωμεν τὰ περὶ Νῶε φυτεύοντος α μπελον· τήν τε περὶ τοῦ ̓Ιούδα παρὰ ̓Ιακὼβ εὐλογίαν· ∆εσμεύων πρὸς α μπελον τὸν πῶλον αὐτοῦ· καὶ τὴν ̓Ισσάχαρ, ο ς ἰδὼν τὴν ἀνάπαυσιν ο τι καλὴ, καὶ τὴν γῆν ο τι πίων, ὑπέθηκε τὸν ω μον εἰς τὸ ποιεῖν καὶ ἐγενήθη ἀνὴρ γεωρ γός. Καὶ μὲν ̓Οζίας γεωργὸς η ν, ἀμπελουρ γοὺς ε χων ἐν τῇ ὀρεινῇ. Καὶ ἡ γύνη δὲ παντὸς δικαίου ὡς α μπελός ἐστιν εὐθηνοῦσα ἐν τοῖς κλίτεσι τῆς οἰκίας αὐτοῦ, ῳ γίνεται οι νος εὐφραίνων καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου. Καὶ ὁ ̓Εκκλησιαστής· ̓Εφύτευσεν ἀμπελῶνας, ω ρυξε ληνόν. Καὶ ὁ Σολομῶν φησιν· Οι νον δὲ αἱ ληνοί σου ἐκβλύζωσιν.

Psalm 8:3 — because of your enemies, to destroy enemy and avenger; Satan both§36

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

36“Because of your enemies, to destroy enemy and avenger” (Psalm 8:3).

Origen. As enemy, Satan forces us to sin; as avenger, he punishes those who are handed over. So Hymenaeus and Alexander, having himself made them blasphemers, he again disciplined, because of the blasphemies against God (1 Timothy 1:20).

Greek · §36

8.3 Ενεκα τῶν ἐχθρῶν σου, τοῦ κα ταλῦσαι ἐχθρὸν καὶ ἐκδικητήν. ̓Ωρ. ̔Ως ἐχθρὸς μὲν ἡμᾶς ὁ Σατανᾶς ἁμαρ τάνειν καταναγκάζει· ὡς δὲ ἐκδικητὴς, πα ραδιδομένους κολάζει, ̔Υμέναιον ου ν καὶ ̓Αλέξανδρον αὐτὸς βλασφήμους ἀπεργασά μενος, πάλιν ἐπαίδευσεν, διὰ τὰς εἰς Θεὸν βλασφημίας.

Psalm 8:6 — you made him a little lower than angels; crowned with glory and honor§37

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

37“You made him a little lower than angels; with glory and honor you crowned him” (Psalm 8:6).

Of Eusebius. How the God of all crowned man with glory and honor, you will understand, because only of man it is written that God said: “Let us make man according to our image and according to likeness”; and God made the man; according to the image of God he made him (Genesis 1:26-27).

And he deemed him worthy of his own appearances, and to one clothed in flesh he imparted divine converse, then through angels, then also himself appearing through himself to the saints and giving oracles; and besides these he showed him a partaker of the Holy Spirit and of heavenly power, so as to foretell the future, and to heal all kinds of diseases, and already even to raise the dead; such things prophets and apostles are recorded to have done.

And if to all that was said you add the incarnate economy of the Only-begotten Son of God, you will see how it is said: “With glory and honor you crowned him,” namely, that you crowned man.

Greek · §37

8.6 ̓Ηλάττωσας αὐτὸν βραχύ τι παρ' ἀγ γέλους, δόξῃ καὶ τιμῇ ἐστεφάνωσας αὐτόν. Εὐσεβίου. Πῶς δόξῃ καὶ τιμῇ τὸν α ν θρωπον ἐστεφάνωσεν ὁ τῶν ο λων Θεός, νοήσεις, ο τι ἐπὶ μόνου τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἀνα γέγραπται εἰρηκὼς ὁ Θεός· Ποιήσωμεν α ν θρωπον κατ' εἰκόνα ἡμετέραν καὶ καθ' ὁ μοίωσιν· καὶ ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν α νθρωπον, κατ' εἰκόνα Θεοῦ ἐποίησεν αὐτόν. Καὶ ἐπι φανειῶν κατηξίωσεν ἑαυτοῦ, καὶ σάρκα πε ριβεβλημένῳ ὁμιλίας θείας μετέδωκεν, τότε μὲν δι' ἀγγέλων, τότε δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς δι' ἑαυ τοῦ τοῖς ἁγίοις ὀφθεὶς καὶ χρηματίσας· καὶ ε τι πρὸς τούτοις θείου Πνεύματος καὶ δυ νάμεως οὐρανίου μέτοχον αὐτὸν ἀνέδειξεν, ὡς τὰ μέλλοντα προαγορεύειν, καὶ νόσους παντοίας θεραπεύειν, η δη δὲ καὶ νεκροὺς ἐγείρειν· ὁποῖα προφῆται καὶ ἀπόστολοι πε ποιηκέναι ἱστοροῦνται· εἰ δὲ α πασιν τοῖς λεχθεῖσιν προσθείης τοῦ Μονογενοῦς Υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ε νσαρκον οἰκονομίαν, ο ψει πῶς ει ρηται· ∆όξῃ καὶ τιμῇ ἐστεφάνωσας αὐτὸν, δηλαδὴ ο τι τὸν α νθρωπον.

Psalm 9:1 — I will confess with my whole heart; the psalm is sung to him, not about him§38

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

38“I will confess to you, Lord, with my whole heart; I will recount all your wonders” (Psalm 9:1).

But others say the present psalm is sung to him, not about him, the prophet confessing on behalf of human nature, saying that it is proper to the perfect to dedicate the whole heart to God: “For you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,” etc. (Deuteronomy 6:5).

And what “with my whole heart” now indicates, and what he does: having foreseen the things to come with prophetic eyes, he recounts them, making the hearers partners of the confession, having as joy the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22), and recounting the wonders of God with lifted-up contemplations.

Greek · §38

9.1 ̓Εξομολογήσομαί σοι, Κύριε, ἐν ο λῃ καρδίᾳ μου, διηγήσομαι πάντα τὰ θαυμά σιά σου. Ετεροι δὲ πρὸς αὐτὸν, οὐ περὶ αὐτοῦ τὸν παρόντα φασὶν ᾳ δεσθαι ψαλμὸν, ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀνθρωπείας ἐξομολογουμένου φύσεως τοῦ προφήτου, τῶν τελείων ι διον λέγοντος τὸ πᾶσαν ἀνατιθέναι τῷ Θεῷ τὴν καρδίαν· ̓Αγαπήσεις γὰρ, φησὶ, τὸν Θεόν σου ἐξ ο λης τῆς καρδίας σου κτλ. Ο δὲ νῦν ἐμφαίνει τό· ἐν ο λῃ καρδίᾳ μου, ο δὲ ποιεῖ, προφητικοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς τὰ ἐσόμενα προιδὼν, καὶ διηγεῖ ται ταῦτα, κοινωνοὺς τῆς ἐξομολογήσεως ποιούμενος τοὺς ἀκροατὰς, χαρὰν ε χων τὸν καρπὸν τοῦ Πνεύματος, ἐπηρμέναις τε θεω ρίαις τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ διηγούμενος θαύματα.

Psalm 9:6 — you rebuked nations, and the ungodly perished; the name wiped out§39

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

39“You rebuked nations, and the ungodly perished; you wiped out their name to the age of the age” (Psalm 9:6).

On behalf of tyrannized human nature you laid so bitter a punishment on him. You rebuked the nations, that is, handing over to them the divine teachings through the apostles and the subsequent teachers; when they received them, the ungodly perished, no longer having those who worship according to error.

Thus also Paul and Barnabas rebuked the Lycaonians who were trying to sacrifice, saying: “Men, why do you do these things? We too are men of like passions with you, turning you from these vain things” (Acts 14:15). And Paul rebuked the Galatians: “O foolish Galatians, who bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was portrayed as crucified among you?” (Galatians 3:1). Thus to the Corinthians: “It is actually reported that there is fornication among you, and such as is not even named among the nations” (1 Corinthians 5:1).

His name, then, was wiped out to the age. For every rite of those now men and ignorant of the mysteries of piety has been quenched, so much also as: “The way of the ungodly will perish” (Psalm 1:6).

Greek · §39

9.6 ̓Επετίμησας ε θνεσι, καὶ ἀπώλετο ὁ ἀσεβής· τὸ ο νομα αὐτῶν ἐξήλειψας εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος. ̔Υπὲρ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης τυραννουμένης φύ σεως ου τω πικρὰν αὐτῷ τὴν τιμωρίαν ἐπέ θηκας. ̓Επετίμησας τοῖς ε θνεσι, τουτέστι τὰ θεῖα διδάγματα διὰ τῶν ἀποστόλων καὶ τῶν ἑξῆς διδασκάλων αὐτοῖς παραδούς· ω ν δεξαμένων, ἀπώλετο [ὁ ἀσεβὴς], τοὺς κατὰ τὴν πλάνην προσκυνοῦντας οὐκ ε χων. Ου τω καὶ Λυκάοσι θῦσαι πειρωμένοις Παῦλος ἐπε τίμα καὶ Βαρνάβας, εἰπόντες· Τί ποιεῖτε, α νδρες; Καὶ ἡμεῖς ὁμοιοπαθεῖς ἐσμεν ὑμῶν α νθρωποι, ἀπὸ τούτων τῶν ματαίων ὑμᾶς ἐπιστρέφοντες. Καὶ Γαλάταις δὲ Παῦλος ἐπε τίμα· Ω ἀνόητοι Γαλάται, τίς ὑμᾶς ἐβάσ κανεν, ἐν οι ς κατ' ὀφθαλμοὺς ̓Ιησοῦς Χρισ τὸς προεγράφη ἐν ὑμῖν ἐσταυρωμένος; Ου τω Κορινθίοις· Ολως ἀκούεται ἐν ὑμῖν πορνεία, καὶ η τις οὐδὲ ἐν τοῖς ε θνεσιν ὀνομάζεται. – ̓Εξηλείφθη τοίνυν αὐτοῦ τὸ ο νομα εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Απασα γὰρ ε σβεσται τελετὴ τῶν νῦν ἀνθρώπων καὶ ἀγνοούντων τὰ τῆς εὐ σεβείας μυστήρια, τοσοῦτον καὶ τό· ̔Οδὸς ἀσεβῶν ἀπολεῖται.

Psalm 9:8 — the Lord remains forever; he prepared his throne in judgment§40

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

40“And the Lord remains forever; he prepared his throne in judgment” (Psalm 9:8).

Not only in the present life did he show his own power, but also in the coming one he will show his fearful tribunal to all men, judging and assigning to each what is according to desert.

Greek · §40

9.8 Καὶ ὁ Κύριος εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα μένει, ἡτοίμασεν ἐν κρίσει τὸν θρόνον αὐτοῦ. Οὐ μόνον κατὰ τὸν παρόντα βίον τὴν οἰκείαν δύναμιν ε δειξεν, ἀλλὰ κα ν τῷ μέλ λοντι τὸ φρικῶδες αὐτοῦ δείξει κριτήριον πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις, δικάζων, καὶ τὰ πρὸς ἀξίαν ἀπονέμων ἑκάστῳ.

Psalm 9:9 — he will judge the inhabited world in righteousness; the inhabited world is the church§41

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

41“And he himself will judge the inhabited world in righteousness; he will judge peoples in uprightness” (Psalm 9:9).

You will understand the inhabited world as the church, inhabited by both Father and Son, according to: “I and my Father will come, and we will make a dwelling with him” (John 14:23). And peoples as the rest besides the church, or those from circumcision. For as many as sinned in the law will be judged through the law, while the lawless who sinned perish lawlessly (Romans 2:12). Therefore those who have blameworthy deeds and an ungodly mind must fear such a judge.

Greek · §41

9.9 Καὶ αὐτὸς κρινεῖ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ, κρινεῖ λαοὺς ἐν εὐθύτητι. Οἰκουμένην μὲν νοήσεις τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, οἰκουμένην ὑπό τε Πατρὸς καὶ Υἱοῦ, κατὰ τό· ̓Εγὼ καὶ ὁ Πατήρ μου ἐλευσόμεθα, καὶ μονὴν παρ' αὐτῷ ποιησόμεθα· λαοὺς δὲ, τοὺς λοιποὺς παρὰ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, η τοὺς ἐκ πε ριτομῆς. Οσοι γὰρ ἐν νόμῳ η μαρτον, διὰ νόμου κριθήσονται, τῶν ἀνόμων ἁμαρτόν των, ἀνόμως ἀπολλυμένων. Φοβητέον α ρα τὸν τοιοῦτον κριτὴν τοὺς ψεκτάς τε πρά ξεις καὶ ἀσεβὲς ε χοντας φρόνημα.

Psalm 9:13 — he did not forget the petition of the poor; the petition is lamentations and dirges§42

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

42“He did not forget the petition of the poor” (Psalm 9:13).

What sort was it? The one that came about through lamentations and dirges, having a kind of request concerning the terrible things that hold them.

Greek · §42

9.13 Οὐκ ἐπελάθετο τῆς δεήσεως τῶν πενήτων. Τοιαύτη τίς η ν; ̔Η διὰ τῶν ὀλοφύρσεων καὶ τῶν θρήνων γενομένη, οι όν τινα αι τησιν ε χουσα περὶ τῶν κατεχόντων δεινῶν.

Psalm 9:14 — the one who lifts me from the gates of death; vices as gates of Hades§43

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

43“The one who lifts me from the gates of death” (Psalm 9:14).

So that the gates of Hades might not prevail against him either, which are the vices that lead down to the bottom of Hades (Matthew 16:18).

Greek · §43

9.14 ̔Ο ὑψῶν με ἐκ τῶν πυλῶν τοῦ θανάτου. Ινα μὴ καὶ πύλαι τοῦ ᾳ δου κατισχύσωσιν αὐτοῦ, αι τινές εἰσιν αἱ κακίαι κατάγουσαι εἰς πυθμένα ᾳ δου.

Psalm 9:16 — nations were stuck in the corruption they made; vice versus incorruption§44

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

44“Nations were stuck in the corruption they made; in this snare which they hid, their foot was caught” (Psalm 9:16).

And indeed, against virtue, which is called incorruption, as in: “Grace be with those who love our Lord in incorruption” (Ephesians 6:24), the vice that is oppositely disposed would reasonably be called corruption and decay. It has been said, then: “If anyone corrupts, God will corrupt this one” (1 Corinthians 3:17). And in the prophet: “Because of uncleanness they have been corrupted with corruption.”

Greek · §44

9.16 ̓Ενεπάγησαν ε θνη ἐν διαφθορᾷ ῃ ἐποίησαν· ἐν παγίδι ταύτῃ ῃ ε κρυψαν, συ νελήφθη ὁ ποὺς αὐτῶν. Καὶ μὴν κατὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς, ἀφθαρσίας λεγομένης, ὡς ἐν τῷ· ̔Η χάρις μετὰ τῶν ἀγαπώντων τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν ἐν ἀφθαρσίᾳ· ἡ ἐναντίως ε χουσα κακία, λέγοιτο α ν εἰκό τως διαφθορὰ καὶ φθορά. Ει ρηται γοῦν· Ει τις φθείρει, φθερεῖ τοῦτον ὁ Θεός. Καὶ παρὰ τῷ προφήτῃ· Ενεκεν ἀκαθαρσίας διεφθά ρηται φθορᾷ.

Psalm 9:17 — the Lord is known as he makes judgments§45

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

45“The Lord is known as he makes judgments” (Psalm 9:17).

There is a time when man, guided also from the judgments, comes to know the Lord.

Greek · §45

9.17 Γινώσκεται Κύριος κρίματα ποιῶν. Εστιν ο τε καὶ ἐκ τῶν κριμάτων ποδη γούμενος ὁ α νθρωπος ἐπιγινώσκει τὸν Κύριον.

Psalm 9:18 — let sinners be turned back into Hades; to see Jesus’ soul descending and ascending§46

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

46“Let sinners be turned back into Hades, all the nations that forget God” (Psalm 9:18).

Sinners are turned back into Hades, so that they might see the soul of Jesus descending and ascending. For those who expected it were looking as it were outside, first the sinners in us, then the nations.

Why did the nations forget the Lord? For forgetfulness is second to knowledge; therefore from this also is clear: “I planted you a fruit-bearing vine, all true; How did you turn into bitterness, the alien vine?” (Jeremiah 2:21).

Greek · §46

9.18 ̓Αποστραφήτωσαν οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ εἰς τὸν ᾳ δην, πάντα τὰ ε θνη τὰ ἐπιλαν θανόμενα τοῦ Θεοῦ. ̓Αποστρέφονται οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ εἰς τὸν ᾳ δην, ι να ι δωσιν τὴν ̓Ιησοῦ ψυχὴν καταβαί νουσαν καὶ ἀναβαίνουσαν. Οἱ γὰρ προσδο κήσαντες αὐτὴν ὡσπερεὶ ε ξω ε βλεπον, πρῶ τον μὲν οἱ ἐν ἡμῖν ἁμαρτωλοὶ, ει τα τὰ ε θνη. –Τί ἐπελάθετο τὰ ε θνη τὸν Κύριον; ἡ γὰρ λήθη δευτέρα γνώσεως· οὐκοῦν ἐντεῦθεν σαφὲς καὶ τό· ̓Εγὼ ἐφύτευσά σε α μπελον καρποφόρον, πᾶσαν ἀληθινήν· Πῶς ἐστρά φης εἰς πικρίαν, ἡ α μπελος ἡ ἀλλοτρία;

Psalm 9:28-29 — his mouth is full of cursing; the sinner sits in ambush§47

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

47“Whose mouth is full of cursing…” (Psalm 9:28).

“He sits in ambush with the rich in secret places” (Psalm 9:29).

The righteous blesses the Lord at every time, but the sinner sits in ambush.

Greek · §47

9.28,29 Ου ἀρᾶς τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ γέ μει ... ̓Εγκάθηται ἐνέδρᾳ μετὰ πλουσίων ἐν ἀποκρύφοις. ̔Ο μὲν δίκαιος εὐλογεῖ τὸν Κύριον ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ, ὁ δὲ ἁμαρτωλὸς ἐγκάθηται ἐνέδρᾳ.

Psalm 9:30-32 — he lies in wait in secret as a lion in his fold; he will stoop and fall§48

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

48“He lies in wait in secret, as a lion in his fold; he lies in wait to seize the poor, to seize the poor in drawing him in his snare; he will humble him, he will stoop, and he will fall in his dominating the poor” (Psalm 9:30-32).

Just as the lion transfers the eye here and there, seeking prey, so night and day he devises a device of seizure and greed; but nevertheless he will stoop, and he will fall. He draws through reasoning, but seizes through sin in act.

Greek · §48

9.30-32 ̓Ενεδρεύει ἐν ἀποκρύφῳ, ὡς λέων ἐν τῇ μάνδρᾳ αὐτοῦ· ἐνεδρεύει τοῦ ἁρ πάσαι πτωχὸν, ἁρπάσαι πτωχὸν ἐν τῷ ἑλ κύσαι αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ παγίδι αὐτοῦ· ταπεινώσει αὐτὸν, κύψει, καὶ πεσεῖται ἐν τῷ αὐτὸν κα τακυριεῦσαι τῶν πενήτων. Καθάπερ ὁ λέων τῇδε κἀκεῖσε μεταφέρει τὸ ο μμα, θήραν ἐπιζητῶν, ου τως νύκτωρ καὶ μεθ' ἡμέραν ἁρπαγῆς καὶ πλεονεξίας ἐπινοεῖ μηχανήν· ἀλλ' ὁμῶς κύψει, καὶ πεσ εῖται. Ελκει μὲν διὰ τοῦ λογισμοῦ, ἁρπάζει δὲ διὰ τῆς κατ' ἐνεργίαν ἁμαρτίας.

Psalm 9:33 — do not forget the poor§49

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

49“Do not forget the poor” (Psalm 9:33).

If the Lord had forgotten the poor, the Lord knew the poor.

Greek · §49

9.33 Μὴ ἐπιλάθῃ τῶν πενήτων. Εἰ ἐπελάθετο τῶν πενήτων ὁ Κύριος, ῃ δει τοὺς πένητας ὁ Κύριος.

Psalm 9:34 — he said in his heart, He will not seek; you see§50

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

50“For he said in his heart: He will not seek” (Psalm 9:34).

But even if he should reason these things ten thousand times, you see; for this is to be understood.

Greek · §50

9.34 Ει πε γὰρ ἐν καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ· Οὐ ζη τήσει. ̓Αλλὰ κα ν μυριακὶς ἐκεῖνος ταῦτα λογί σηται, σὺ βλέπεις· τοῦτο γὰρ νοητέον.

Psalm 9:36 — shatter the arm of the sinner and the wicked; the arm is the soul that worked wickedness§51

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

51“Shatter the arm of the sinner and the wicked” (Psalm 9:36).

A sinner is the one who sins from pleasure-loving and licentiousness; a wicked one is the one who is voluntarily an evildoer. And he said “arm” of the soul that has worked wickedness. The shattering of the arm makes the sins vanish; and to be delivered from sins is a benefit of someone’s arm being shattered; thus I also am persuaded that God punishes.

Greek · §51

9.36 Σύντριψον τὸν βραχίονα τοῦ ἁμαρ τωλοῦ καὶ πονηροῦ. ̔Αμαρτωλός ἐστιν ὁ ἐξ ἡδυπαθείας καὶ ἀκολασίας ἁμαρτάνων· πονηρὸς δὲ ὁ ἑκου σίως κακοποιητικός. –Βραχίονα δὲ ει πε τὴν πονηρὰ κατεργασαμένην ψυχήν. ̔Η συν τριβὴ τοῦ βραχίονος ἀφανίζει τὰς ἁμαρτίας· τὸ δὲ ἀπαλλαγῆναι τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν εὐεργε σία ἐστὶ τοῦ συντριβῆναί τινος βραχίονα· ου τω καὶ ἐγὼ πείθομαι κολάζειν Θεῷ.

Psalm 9:37-38 — the Lord reigns forever; he heard the desire of the poor§52

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

52“The Lord reigns forever and to the age of the age; you nations shall perish from his land. The Lord heard the desire of the poor” (Psalm 9:37-38).

For the Lord must reign through the ages, until the Lord heard the desire of the poor, until he put all the enemies as a footstool of his feet (1 Corinthians 15:25).

For his kingdom is the contemplation of all the ages that have come to be and that will come to be; through which contemplation the enemies also become friends. And the land of the Lord is the contemplation of the ages that have come to be. And the kingdom, we say, is this: the Lord then hearkens to the desire, whenever he grants the desired thing to the soul that has desired.

Greek · §52

9.37,38 Βασιλεύει Κύριος εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος· ἀπολεῖσθε, ε θνη, ἐκ τῆς γῆς αὐτοῦ· τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν τῶν πενήτων εἰσήκουσεν Κύριος. ∆εῖ γὰρ τὸν Κύριον βασιλεύειν διὰ τῶν αἰώνων, α χρις ου ἐπιθυμίαν τῶν πενήτων εἰ σήκουσε Κύριος, α χρις ου θῇ πάντας τοὺς ἐχ θροὺς ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ. ̔Η γὰρ βασιλεία αὐτοῦ ἐστιν ἡ θεωρία πάντων τῶν γεγονότων καὶ γενησομένων αἰώνων· δι' η ς θεωρίας καὶ οἱ ἐχθροὶ φίλοι γίνονται· ἡ δὲ γῆ τοῦ Κυρίου, ἡ θεωρία τῶν γεγονότων αἰώ νων· ἡ δὲ βασιλεία, φαμὲν, τό· τηνικαῦτα ἐπακούει τῆς ἐπιθυμίας ὁ Κύριος, ὁπηνίκα α ν παράσχῃ τὸ ἐπιθυμητὸν τῇ ἐπιθυμη σάσῃ ψυχῇ.

Psalm 10:4 — his eyes look upon the poor; his eyelids examine the sons of men§53

53“His eyes look upon the poor; his eyelids examine the sons of men” (Psalm 10:4).

If the eyes of the Lord look upon the poor, let us become poor, so that the eyes of the Lord may look upon us. And if the rich are not poor, the eyes of the Lord do not look upon the rich.

But when you hear from holy Scripture that God is in the heavens, and sojourns, or is more inward than the veil, do not understand certain limits and local dwellings, and changes, and goings-up, and goings-out; for, our nature being poor-fitting, as it is able to hear, the Holy Spirit converses with it. And witness of the word is the Mosaic writing, containing thick words unworthy of the uncircumscribed God; which Moses did not set out from home, but God through his angels proclaimed these things on Mount Sinai at the tabernacle; whence, as of an angel having spoken these things, Moses did not even set the name at all in the recording of it, as the remaining prophets do in the books of their own prophecies.

And eyelids you will understand as his critical providence, also examining of affairs.

Greek · §53

10.4 Οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν πένητα ἀποβλέπουσι· τὰ βλέφαρα αὐτοῦ ἐξετάζει τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Εἰ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ Κυρίου εἰς πένητας ἀπο βλέπουσι, γενώμεθα πένητες, ι να οἱ ὀφθαλ μοὶ Κυρίου εἰς ἡμᾶς ἐπιβλέπωσιν. Εἰ δὲ οἱ πλούσιοι οὐκ εἰσὶ πένητες, οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ Κυ ρίου εἰς τοὺς πλουσίους οὐκ ἀποβλέπουσι. – Σὺ δὲ ο ταν ἀκούσῃς ἐν οὐρανοῖς ει ναι, καὶ παροικεῖν τὸν Θεὸν, ἐκ τῆς ἱερᾶς γραφῆς, η ἐνδότερον ει ναι τοῦ καταπετάσματος, μὴ περιορισμούς τινας καὶ τοπικὰς οἰκήσεις, καὶ μεταβάσεις, καὶ ἀναβάσεις, καὶ ἐξελεύ σεις νοήσῃς· πτωχοπρεπεῖ γὰρ ου σῃ τῇ ἡμε τέρᾳ φύσει, καθὰ χωρεῖ ἀκοῦσαι, διαλέγεται αὐτῇ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ α γιον. Καὶ μάρτυς τοῦ λόγου ἡ μωσαϊκὴ συγγραφὴ, παχεῖα καὶ ἀνάξια Θεοῦ τοῦ ἀπεριγράπτου περιέχουσα ῥήματα· α τινα οὐ Μωσῆς ἐξέθετο οι κοθεν, ἀλλ' ὁ Θεὸς δι' ἀγγέλων αὐτοῦ ἐν ο ρει τῷ Σιναΐῳ ταῦτα προηγόρευσε ἐπὶ τῆς σκηνῆς· ο θεν ὡς ἀγγέλου ταῦτα λαλήσαντος, οὐδὲ τέθεικεν ο λως τὸ ο νομα ἐν τῇ ἀπογραφῇ αὐτῆς ὁ Μωϋσῆς, καθὼς οἱ λοιποὶ προφῆται βίβλοις τῶν οἰκείων προφητειῶν. –Βλέ φαρα δὲ [νοήσεις] κριτικὴν αὐτοῦ πρόνοιαν καὶ τῶν πραγμάτων ἐξεταστικήν.

Psalm 10:5 — the one who loves injustice hates his own soul§54

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

54“And the one who loves injustice hates his own soul” (Psalm 10:5).

If the one who loves injustice hates his own soul, the one who hates injustice, clearly, loves his own soul.

Greek · §54

10.5 ̔Ο δὲ ἀγαπῶν ἀδικίαν, μισεῖ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχήν. Εἰ ὁ ἀγαπῶν τὴν ἀδικίαν, μισεῖ τὴν ἑαυ τοῦ ψυχὴν, ὁ μισῶν δηλονότι τὴν ἀδικίαν, ἀγαπᾷ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχήν.

Psalm 10:6 — fire and brimstone and a storm-wind; the cup is punishment§55

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

55“Fire and brimstone and a storm-wind, the portion of their cup” (Psalm 10:6).

Cup now names punishment, in which a drink of vice and ignorance has been mixed.

Greek · §55

10.6 Πῦρ καὶ θεῖον καὶ πνεῦμα καται γίδος, ἡ μέρις τοῦ ποτηρίου αὐτῶν. Ποτήριον νῦν τὴν κόλασιν ὀνομάζει, ἐν ῳ κακίας καὶ ἀγνωσίας ἐγκέκραται πόμα.

Psalm 11:1 — save me, Lord, for the holy one has failed; scarcity of the holy caused many heresies§56

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

56“Save me, Lord, because a holy one has failed, because the truths have been diminished from the sons of men” (Psalm 11:1).

Because the gift of the truth is in danger of being extinguished, the holy ones have failed, and the truths have been diminished; the truths are not in the holy ones only, and holiness is also in those who are true.

Or because the holy ones have failed, for this reason the truths have been diminished; and perhaps the scarcity of the holy ones has become the cause of the many heresies.

Greek · §56

11.1 Σῶσόν με, Κύριε, ο τι ἐκλέλοιπεν ο σιος, ο τι ὠλιγώθησαν αἱ ἀλήθειαι ἀπὸ τῶν υἱῶν τῶν ἀνθρώπων. ̓Επειδὴ κινδυνεύει τῆς ἀληθείας ἀπεσ βεσθῆναι τὸ χάρισμα, οἱ μὲν ο σιοι ἐκλελοί πασιν, αἱ δὲ ἀλήθειαι ὠλιγώθησαν· οὐκ ἐν τοῖς ὁσίοις μόνοις αἱ ἀλήθειαι, καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἀληθέσιν ἡ ὁσιότης. Η ἐπειδὴ οἱ ο σιοι ἐκ λελοίπασιν, διὰ τοῦτο ὠλιγώθησαν αἱ ἀλή θειαι· καὶ τάχα ἡ σπάνις τῶν ὁσίων αἰτία γέγονε τῶν πολλῶν αἱρέσεων.

Psalm 11:6 — from the misery of the poor I will now arise, says the Lord§57

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

57“From the misery of the poor, and from the groaning of the needy, I will now arise, says the Lord; I will place in salvation, I will speak freely in him” (Psalm 11:6).

If from the misery of the poor I will now arise, he says, says the Lord, who has not feared the Lord arising? And: “Arise, Lord my God, be exalted”? Let us pray away such an exaltation, and not wish to see a hand being lifted against the disobedient, still more being sent upon the harder ones. And he did not forget the cry of the needy, and the poor will not be forgotten to the end.

Or also thus: the poor through me and having become needy by your spirit, always groan being humbled, attending to my word, and preserving unswerving faith; for whose sake I will arise, and according to what is fitting, by my resurrection I will place salvation for all men.

Greek · §57

11.6 ̓Απὸ τῆς ταλαιπωρίας τῶν πτωχῶν, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ στεναγμοῦ τῶν πενήτων, νῦν ἀναστήσομαι, λέγει Κύριος· θήσομαι ἐν σω τηρίᾳ, παῤῥησιάσομαι ἐν αὐτῷ. ̓Εὰν ἐκ τῆς ταλαιπωρίας τῶν πτωχῶν νῦν ἀναστήσομαι, φησὶ, λέγει Κύριος, τίς ἀνιστάμενον οὐ δέδοικεν Κύριον; Καί· ̓Ανάσ τηθι, Κύριε ὁ Θεός μου, ὑψώθητι; ̓Απευ ξώμεθα τὴν τοιαύτην υ ψωσιν, καὶ μὴ βου ληθῶμεν ἰδεῖν ἐπαιρομένην χεῖρα κατὰ τῶν ἀπειθούντων, ε τι καὶ μᾶλλον ἐπαφιεμένην τοῖς σκληροτέροις. Καὶ οὐκ ἐπελάθετο τῆς κραυγῆς τῶν πενήτων, καὶ οὐκ εἰς τέλος ἐπιληθήσεται ὁ πτωχός. Η καὶ ου τως· οἱ πτωχοὶ δι' ἐμὲ καὶ πένητες γεγονότες τῷ σῷ πνεύματι, στένουσιν ἀεὶ ταπεινούμενοι, προσέχοντές μου τῷ λόγῳ, καὶ πίστιν ἀκ λινῆ διασώζοντες· ω ν ε νεκεν ἀναστήσομαι, καὶ κατὰ τὸ πρέπον, τῇ ἐμῇ ἀναστάσει σωτηρίαν θήσομαι πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις.

Psalm 11:8-9 — you, Lord, will keep us; the ungodly walk in a circle§58

58“You, Lord, will keep us, and you will preserve us … The ungodly walk in a circle” (Psalm 11:8-9).

Since the circle is opposite to the straight according to crookedness and straightness, and the ungodly walk in a circle, the pious then walk a straight path. Therefore he says: You will keep us, because circling around us, the ungodly, plotting against our salvation, and these would be opposing powers.

Greek · §58

11.8,9 Σὺ, Κύριε, φυλάξεις ἡμᾶς, καὶ διατηρήσεις ἡμᾶς ... Κύκλῳ οἱ ἀσεβεῖς πε ριπατοῦσιν. ̓Επειδὴ ὁ κύκλος τῇ εὐθείᾳ ἐναντίος ἐστὶ κατὰ τὴν σκολιότητα καὶ εὐθύτητα, οἱ δὲ ἀσεβεῖς κύκλῳ περιπατοῦσιν, οἱ εὐσεβεῖς α ρα εὐθείαν περιπατοῦσι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησι· Φυ λάξεις ἡμᾶς, ἐπειδὴ κυκλοῦντες κυκλοῦσιν ἡμᾶς οἱ ἀσεβεῖς, ἐπιβουλεύοντες τῇ ἡμῶν σωτηρίᾳ, ου τοι δ' α ν ει εν ἀντικείμεναι δυ νάμεις.

Psalm 12:1 — Unto the end, a psalm of David; the end as fruit of the labors§59

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

59“Unto the end, a psalm to David.” Hypothesis of Eusebius.

Because of the end, the one with God, he contended manfully in all the things before the end; and the end is the fruit of the labors, procuring eternal life and the kingdom of the heavens for those who genuinely contend.

Since then David also was one of these, he sent up the psalm and the ode to God unto the end. But at the beginning, as if still contending, he put forth the first utterances.

Greek · §59

12.1 Εἰς τὸ τέλος, ψαλμὸς τῷ ∆αυίδ. ̔Υπόθεσις Εὐσεβίου. ∆ιὰ τὸ τέλος, τὸ παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ, πάντα τὰ πρὸ τοῦ τέλους ἀνδρικῶς ἠγωνίζετο· τὸ δὲ τέλος καρπὸς ὁ τῶν πό νων, ζωὴν αἰώνιον καὶ βασιλείαν οὐρανῶν τοῖς γνησίως ἀγωνιζομένοις προξενῶν. ̓Επεὶ τοίνυν καὶ ὁ ∆αυὶδ τούτων ει ς η ν, εἰς μὲν τὸ τέλος τῷ Θεῷ τὸν ψαλμὸν καὶ τὴν ᾠδὴν ἀνέπεμπε. Κατὰ δὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν, ὡσανεὶ ε τι ἀγωνιζόμενος, τὰς πρώτας προέφερε φωνάς·

Psalm 12:2 — how long, Lord, will you forget me unto the end§60

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

60“How long, Lord, will you forget me unto the end? How long will you turn your face from me?” (Psalm 12:2).

Of the same. Teaching that forgetfulness has fallen from the memory of God at a certain time (for God makes forgetfulness of those who escape his notice; and everyone who sins escapes his notice); but also since he turns his own face from those who do something shameful, unworthily of his eyes, that is of his contemplative and overseeing power, of those living who think greatly about the judgment of God, and being in agony over what he knew with himself, being struck by conscience, and the soul being distressed by reasonings, he adds:

Greek · §60

12.2 Εως πότε, Κύριε, ἐπιλήσῃ μου εἰς τέλος; ε ως πότε ἀποστρέψεις τὸ πρόσωπόν σου ἀπ' ἐμοῦ; Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. ∆ιδάσκων, τῆς μνήμης τοῦ Θεοῦ καιρῷ τινι ἀποπεπτωκέναι [τὴν λήθην]· (λήθην γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς ποιεῖται τῶν λανθανόν των αὐτοῦ· λανθάνει δὲ αὐτοῦ πᾶς ὁ ἁμαρ τάνων)· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπεὶ ἀποστρέφει τὸ πρόσω πον αὑτοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν αἰσχρόν τι πραττόντων ἀναξίως τῶν αὐτοῦ ὀφθαλμῶν, τουτέστι τῆς θεωρητικῆς καὶ ἐπισκοπικῆς αὐτοῦ δυνά μεως, βιούντων μεγάλως φροντιζόντων περὶ τῆς κρίσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ἀγωνιῶν ἐφ' οι ς ἑαυτῷ συνῄδει, πληττόμενός τε ὑπὸ τοῦ συνειδότος, καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ὑπὸ λογισμῶν ἀνιώμενος, ἐπιλέγει·

Psalm 12:3 — how long shall I set counsels in my soul, pains in my heart day and night§61

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

61“How long shall I set counsels in my soul, pains in my heart day and night?” (Psalm 12:3).

Of the same. Instead of which Symmachus interpreted saying: “Care in my mind by day.” And these things, he says, were written for our admonition, so that we too, with the disposition of the one who has said these things, if there should be need of repentance and confession for some things not rightly done by us, might use the same methods, as it were saving medicines of the soul, timely using the present words of confession.

Greek · §61

12.3 Εως τίνος θήσομαι βουλὰς ἐν ψυχῇ μου, ὀδύνας ἐν καρδίᾳ μου ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτός; Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. ̓Ανθ' ου ὁ Σύμμαχος ἡρμή νευσεν εἰπών· Μέριμναν ἐν τῇ διανοίᾳ μου καθ' ἡμέραν. Ταῦτα δὲ, φησὶν, ἐγράφη εἰς νουθεσίαν ἡμῶν, ο πως καὶ αὐτοὶ, διαθέσει τοῦ ταῦτα εἰρηκότος, εἰ γένοιτο ἡμῖν χρεία μετα νοίας καὶ ἐξομολογήσεως ἐπί τισιν οὐκ ὀρθῶς ἡμῖν πεπραγμένοις, ταῖς αὐταῖς χρησώμεθα μεθόδοις, ω σπερ φαρμάκοις ψυχῆς σωτηρίοις, εὐκαίρως τοῖς παροῦσι λόγοις τῆς ἐξομολο γήσεως χρώμενοι.

Psalm 13:1 — they corrupted and became abominable in their practices§62

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

62“They corrupted, and became abominable in practices” (Psalm 13:1).

Coming, says the Lord, I did not find even one worker of goodness, but liable to every out-of-place deed. If they are corrupted in the practices, then perhaps it is not the worthless thought that corrupts, but the very completion of this thought.

Greek · §62

13.1 ∆ιέφθειραν, καὶ ἐβδελύχθησαν ἐν ἐπιτηδεύμασι. ̓Ελθὼν, φησὶν ὁ Κύριος, οὐδ' ε να ευ ρον χρηστότητος ἐργάτην, ἀλλ' ὑπεύθυνον πάσῃ πράξει ἀτόπῳ. Εἰ ἐν τοῖς ἐπιτηδεύμασι διαφ θείρονται, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ ἡ φαύλη ε ννοια τάχα διαφθείρει, ἀλλ' αὐτὸ ταύτης ἐπιτέλεσμα τῆς ἐννοίας.

Psalm 13:3 — they did not know the way of peace§63

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

63“And they did not know the way of peace; there is no fear of God before their eyes” (Psalm 13:3).

“I am the way,” says the Savior, and he himself is our peace. For by the fear of the Lord everyone turns away from evil.

Greek · §63

13.3 Καὶ ὁδὸν εἰρήνης οὐκ ε γνωσαν, οὐκ ε στι φόβος Θεοῦ ἀπέναντι τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτῶν. ̓Εγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδὸς, φησὶν ὁ Σωτὴρ, καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν εἰρήνη ἡμῶν. –Τῷ γὰρ φόβῳ Κυρίου ἐκκλίνει πᾶς ἀπὸ κακοῦ.

Psalm 13:4 — those who eat my people as a meal of bread§64

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

64“Those who eat my people as a meal of bread” (Psalm 13:4).

In the drawing near upon me of those doing evil to eat my flesh.

Greek · §64

13.4 Οἱ κατεσθίοντες τὸν λαόν μου βρώ σει α ρτου. ̓Εν τῷ ἐγγίζειν ἐπ' ἐμὲ κακοῦντας τοῦ φαγεῖν τὰς σάρκας μου.

Psalm 13:6 — you shamed the counsel of the poor; the Lord is his hope§65

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

65“You shamed the counsel of the poor, because the Lord is his hope” (Psalm 13:6).

For on our account the Lord became poor, being rich, so that we by his poverty might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9).

Greek · §65

13.6 Βουλὴν πτωχοῦ κατῃσχύνατε, ο τι Κύριος ἐλπὶς αὐτοῦ ἐστι. ∆ι' ἡμᾶς γὰρ ἐπτώχευσεν ὁ Κύριος, πλού σιος ω ν, ι ν' ἡμεῖς τῇ ἐκείνου πτωχείᾳ πλου τίσωμεν.

Psalm 14:3 — he did not take reproach against those nearest him§66

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

66“And he did not take reproach against those nearest him” (Psalm 14:3).

The one living blamelessly does not take reproach against those nearest him.

Greek · §66

14.3 Καὶ ὀνειδισμὸν οὐκ ε λαβεν ἐπὶ τοὺς ε γγιστα αὐτοῦ. ̔Ο ἀνεπιλήπτως βιῶν, ὀνειδισμὸν οὐ λαμ βάνει ἐπὶ τοὺς ε γγιστας αὐτοῦ.

Psalm 14:5 — he did not give his money on interest§67

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

67“His silver he did not give on interest” (Psalm 14:5).

This is to be said to the usurers, as something that prevents tabernacling on the holy mountain. “The one who does these things will not be shaken forever.”

Eusebius: The one who has succeeded in all the things previously enumerated together, having become complete, and having kept the whole body of the way of life according to God intact — as also healthy and finished with all good things of words and of deeds — will not be shaken forever.

Greek · §67

14.5 Τὸ ἀργύριον αὐτοῦ οὐκ ε δωκεν τόκῳ. Τοῦτο λεκτέον πρὸς τοὺς τοκιστὰς, ὡς κωλυτικὸν τῆς ἐν ἁγίῳ ο ρει κατασκηνώσεως. ̔Ο ποιῶν ταῦτα, οὐ σαλευθήσεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Εὐσεβίου. Ο γε μὴν ὁμοῦ πάντα προκα τηριθμημένα κατορθώσας, ἀντιτελὴς γενό μενος, καὶ πᾶν τὸ σῶμα τῆς κατὰ Θεὸν πο λιτείας ὁλόκληρον, ω σπερ καὶ ὑγιὲς καὶ πᾶσιν ἀγαθοῖς λόγων τε καὶ ε ργων ἀπηρτισ μένον διατηρήσας, οὐ σαλευθήσεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.

Psalm 15:4 — I will not gather their assemblies from bloods§68

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

68“I will not gather their assemblies from bloods, nor will I remember their names through my lips” (Psalm 15:4).

Gathering, he says, assemblies from the nations, I will not gather them through bloods, nor will I prepare them to come forward to me through the legal worship, but rather through praise and the bloodless sacrifice.

Formerly, he says, they were brought to appellations according to the worth of their deeds, being named idolaters, polytheists; but now I will no longer remember those names, calling them pious and holy, called and elect.

Greek · §68

15.4 Οὐ μὴ συναγάγω τὰς συναγωγὰς αὐτῶν ἐξ αἱμάτων, οὐδὲ μὴ μνησθῶ τῶν ὀνο μάτων αὐτῶν διὰ χειλέων μου. Συνάγων, φησὶ, συναγωγὰς ἐκ τῶν ἐθνῶν, οὐ δι' αἱμάτων αὐτὰ συνάξω, οὐδὲ παρασ κευάσω διὰ τῆς νομικῆς μοι προέρχεσθαι λατρείας, δι' αἰνέσεως δὲ μᾶλλον καὶ τῆς ἀναιμάκτου θυσίας· πάλαι μὲν, φησὶν, ἐπ' ἀ ξίαν τῶν πράξεων ἐπήγοντο προσηγορίας, εἰδωλολάτραι, πολύθεοι ὀνομαζόμενοι· νῦν δὲ οὐκέτι μνησθήσομαι τῶν ὀνομάτων ἐκεί νων· εὐσεβεῖς αὐτοὺς καὶ ἁγίους, κλητούς τε καὶ ἐκλεκτοὺς ὀνομάζων.

Psalm 15:9 — my tongue rejoiced; the tongue is the gift of the Spirit§69

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

69“And my tongue rejoiced” (Psalm 15:9).

By tongue he now means the gift of the Spirit.

Greek · §69

15.9 Καὶ ἠγαλλιάσατο ἡ γλῶσσά μου. Γλῶσσαν νῦν λέγει τὸ χάρισμα τοῦ Πνεύ ματος.

Psalm 16:3 — you tested my heart by night; night is the affliction§70

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

70“You tested my heart; you visited by night” (Psalm 16:3).

If affliction works patience, and patience testing, then affliction works testing. And if the testing ran its course in night, the night here signifies the affliction, in which a stumbling rational soul is darkened.

“Enter through the narrow gate and the afflicted way”: that is, the practical life, which seems at first a bringer of pain and not of joy, but afterward giving back fruits of righteousness to those trained through it.

Greek · §70

16.3 ̓Εδοκίμασας τὴν καρδίαν μου, ἐπεσ κέψω νυκτός. Εἰ ἡ θλῖψις ὑπομονὴν κατεργάζεται, ἡ δὲ ὑπομονὴ δοκιμασίαν, ἡ θλῖψις α ρα δο κιμασίαν κατεργάζεται· εἰ δὲ ἡ δοκιμα σία ἐν νυκτὶ διέδραμεν, ἡ νὺξ ἐνταῦθα τὴν θλῖψιν σημαίνει, ἐν ῃ σκοτοῦται πταιομένη ψυχὴ λογική. –Εἰσέλθετε διὰ τῆς στενῆς πύλης καὶ τεθλιμμένης ὁδοῦ, τουτέστι τῆς πρακτικῆς, η τις δοκεῖ πρῶτον ὀδύνης, καὶ οὐ χαρᾶς πρόξενος, υ στερον μέντοι καρποὺς δικαιοσύνης ἀποδιδοῦσα τοῖς δι' αὐτῆς γε γυμνασμένοις.

Psalm 16:7 — make your mercies wonderful; keep me as the pupil of the eye§71

71“Make wonderful your mercies, you who save those who hope on you; from those who have stood against your right hand, keep me as the pupil of the eye” (Psalm 16:7).

Just as Job calls the power that struck him the hand of God: “Your hand,” he says, “let it not whirl me so much.” And David calls the enemies of the beneficent hand of God the sword of God. And the beneficent hand of God is the angels, through whom the perceptible world is provided for, to whom demons are opposed, the angels wishing all men to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4).

Greek · §71

16.7 Θαυμάστωσον τὰ ἐλέη σου, ὁ σώ ζων τοὺς ἐλπίζοντας ἐπὶ σέ· ἐκ τῶν ἀνθεσ τηκότων τῇ δεξιᾷ σου φύλαξόν με, ὡς κό ρην ὀφθαλμοῦ. Ωσπερ τὴν πλήξασαν αὐτὸν δύναμιν, ὁ ̓Ιὼβ χεῖρα λέγει Θεοῦ· ̔Η χείρ ἐστί σου, φησὶν, μή με στροβῇ τοσούτως. Καὶ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς τῆς εὐεργετικῆς χειρὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ καλεῖ ὁ ∆αυὶδ ῥομφαίαν Θεοῦ. Χεὶρ δὲ εὐερ γετικὴ Θεοῦ οἱ α γγελοί εἰσιν, δι' ω ν προ νοεῖται κόσμου τοῦ αἰσθητοῦ, οι ς ἀντίκειν ται δαίμονες, βουλομένοις πάντας ἀνθρώπους σωθῆναι, καὶ εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας ἐλθεῖν.

Psalm 17:9 — smoke went up in his anger; coals are the chorus of the apostles§72

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

72“Smoke went up in his anger, and fire from his face set ablaze, coals were kindled from him” (Psalm 17:9).

He was angry, he says, and he cast down the fire, through which again he burned the men. Coals: the chorus of the apostles; for having partaken of this fire on the day of Pentecost, and having received fiery tongues upon their heads, they were reasonably called coals, lighting the nations together and purifying; that these things happened, learn from the things brought next:

Greek · §72

17.9 ̓Ανέβη καπνὸς ἐν ὀργῇ αὐτοῦ, καὶ πῦρ ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ κατεφλόγισεν, α νθρακες ἀνήφθησαν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ. ̓Ωργίσθη, φησὶ, καὶ κατέβαλεν τὸ πῦρ, δι' ου πάλιν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους κατέφλεγεν. Ανθρακες, ὁ τῶν ἀποστόλων χορός· τούτου γὰρ τοῦ πυρὸς κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν τῆς Πεν τηκοστῆς μεταλαβόντες, καὶ γλώσσας ἐπὶ τῶν κεφαλῶν πυρίνας δεξάμενοι, α νθρακες εἰκότως ἐχρημάτιζον, φωτίζοντες ὁμοῦ τὰ ε θνη καὶ καθάροντες· ο τι ταῦτα ἐγένετο, τοῖς ἑξῆς ἐπαγομένοις μάνθανε·

Psalm 17:10-11 — he bent heaven and came down; cherubim is knowledge and understanding§73

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

73“And he bent heaven, and came down, and gloom under his feet, and he mounted upon cherubim” (Psalm 17:10-11).

Cherubim is interpreted knowledge and understanding; therefore he speaks unto the righteous.

Greek · §73

17.10,11 Καὶ ε κλινεν οὐρανὸν, καὶ κα τέβη, καὶ γνόφος ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐπέβη ἐπὶ Χερουβείν. Χερουβεὶμ ἑρμηνεύεται γνῶσις καὶ σύνε σις· εἰς τοὺς δικαίους ου ν λέγει.

Psalm 17:12 — he set darkness his hiding-place; bodily gloom between us and God§74

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

74“And he set darkness his hiding-place, around him his tent” (Psalm 17:12).

He set the darkness his hiding-place, having placed it in the middle of himself and us, as Moses of old the veil in the middle of himself and the hardening of Israel, unless a dark nature easily sees — not easily attaining the stored-up beauty, it also easily casts it off, because of the ease of the creation. Therefore in the middle of us and God this bodily gloom stands, as the cloud of old of the Egyptians and the Hebrews; and this is perhaps “he set darkness his hiding-place.” Therefore also Paul says: “Who alone has immortality, and dwells in unapproachable light” (1 Timothy 6:16).

Greek · §74

17.12 Καὶ ε θετο σκότος ἀποκρυφὴν αὐ τοῦ, κύκλῳ αὐτοῦ ἡ σκηνὴ αὐτοῦ. Εθετο τὸ σκότος ἀποκρυφὴν αὐτοῦ, μέσον ἑαυτοῦ τε καὶ ἡμῶν θεὶς, ω σπερ Μωϋσῆς πά λαι τὸ κάλυμμα μέσον ἑαυτοῦ τε καὶ πω ρώσεως ̓Ισραὴλ, εἰ μὴ ῥᾳδίως ει δῃ σκοτεινὴ φύσις, τὸ ἀπόθετον κάλλος μὴ ῥᾳδίως ἐπι τυχοῦσα, ῥᾳδίως καὶ ἀποβάλλει, διὰ τὴν εὐκολίαν τῆς κτίσεως. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο μέσον ἡ μῶν τε καὶ Θεοῦ ὁ σωματικὸς ου τος ι σταται γνόφος, ω σπερ ἡ νεφέλη τὸ πάλαι τῶν Αἰ γυπτίων καὶ τῶν ̔Εβραίων· καὶ τοῦτό ἐστιν ι σως ο ε θετο σκότος ἀποκρυφὴν αὐτοῦ. ∆ιὸ καὶ Παῦλός φησιν· ̔Ο μόνος ε χων ἀθανασίαν, καὶ φῶς οἰκῶν ἀπρόσιτον.

Psalm 17:20 — he will rescue me because he delighted in me§75

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

75“He will rescue me, because he delighted in me” (Psalm 17:20).

Thus I, having been rescued by your providence, hope to prevail over all the hostile, and not to withdraw first, until I make them subject again; for this he also hinted when he said: “They will fall under my feet” (Psalm 17:39).

Greek · §75

17.20 ̔Ρύσεταί με, ο τι ἐθέλησέν με. Ου τως ὁ ὑπὸ τῆς σῆς προνοίας ῥυσθεὶς, ἐλπίζω πάντων περιγενέσθαι τῶν δυσμενῶν, καὶ μὴ πρότερον ἀποστῆναι, ε ως αὐτοὺς αυ θις ὑπηκόους εἰργάσωμαι· τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ παρεδήλωσεν εἰρηκώς· Πεσοῦνται ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας μου.

Psalm 17:36 — your discipline; Theodotion will teach vs Seventy set upright§76

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

76“And your discipline,” and the rest.

The reading “And your discipline itself will teach me” is Theodotion’s, instead of “And your discipline set me upright unto the end,” said by the Seventy.

Greek · §76

17.36 Καὶ ἡ παιδεία σου κτλ. Τό· Καὶ ἡ παιδεία σου αὐτή με διδάξει, Θεοδωτίονός ἐστιν, ἀντὶ τοῦ· Καὶ ἡ παιδεία σου ἀνώρθωσέ με εἰς τέλος, εἰρημένον τοῖς Οʹ.

Psalm 17:40 — you shackled those who rise against me; fulfilled in the one born of David according to the flesh§77

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

77“You shackled all who rise up against me under me” (Psalm 17:40).

And yet we do not know David as having reigned over the enemies; therefore through the one born from him according to the flesh the prophecy is fulfilled.

Greek · §77

17.40 Συνεπόδισας πάντας τοὺς ἐπανισ ταμένους ἐπ' ἐμὲ ὑποκάτω μου. Καὶ μὴν οὐκ ι σμεν τὸν ∆αυὶδ τῶν ἐχθρῶν βασιλεύσαντα· οὐκοῦν διὰ τοῦ ἐξ αὐτοῦ κατὰ σάρκα τεχθέντος ἡ προφητεία πληροῦται.

Psalm 17:41 — you gave me my enemies' back; they fled§78

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

78“And my enemies you gave me the back” (Psalm 17:41).

That is: you turned them to flight. For it is proper to those fleeing to give their backs.

Greek · §78

17.41 Καὶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς μου ε δωκάς μοι νῶτον. ̓Αντὶ τοῦ· εἰς φυγὴν ε τρεψας. Ιδιον γὰρ φευγόντων τὸ διδόναι τὰ νῶτα.

Psalm 17:49 — my deliverer from wrathful enemies; their wrath like the serpent§79

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

79“My deliverer from wrathful enemies” (Psalm 17:49).

In those in whom wrath prevails, in these also is irascibility; and if our enemies are irascible, our enemies then are wrathful; for their wrath, he says, is according to the likeness of the serpent, and in his wrath being angered upon us.

Greek · §79

17.49 ̔Ο ῥύστης μου ἐξ ἐχθρῶν ὀργίλων. ̓Εν οι ς θυμὸς ἐπικρατεῖ, ἐν τούτοις καὶ ὀργιλότης· εἰ δὲ ἐχθροὶ ἡμῶν ο ργιλοί εἰσιν, οἱ ἐχθροὶ ἡμῶν α ρα θυμωδεῖς εἰσιν· θυμὸς γὰρ αὐτῶν, φησὶ, κατὰ τὴν ὁμοίωσιν τοῦ ο φεως, καὶ ἐν τῷ ὀργισθῆναι τὸν θυμὸν αὐτοῦ ἐφ' ἡμᾶς.

Psalm 18:3-4 — day to day utters speech; night announces knowledge§80

80“Day to day utters speech, and night to night announces knowledge. There are no speeches, nor words, whose voices are not heard” (Psalm 18:3-4).

Of Eusebius. Night and day, being appointed measures of the seasonal withdrawal, both according to decrease and increase, and keeping the analogy toward one another through all, proclaim through the works the one who distinguished both; for the perpetual and unconfused is not in things according to chance, but a harmony, offspring of wisdom. And the voices of their words are not of those not heard; for everywhere of the inhabited world they are heard through the sight, both of heavens being seen, and of night and day.

And Paul used these sayings upon the apostles; therefore he also spoke indefinitely, but not as he is accustomed on the preceding to say: “Isaiah cries over Israel.” And again: “As Isaiah has said before.” And again: “As it is written.” And again: “For the Scripture says.” And Symmachus rendered more clearly: “And night to night announces knowledge, not with sayings, nor with words, whose voices are not heard, but into all the earth went out a sound.” Or according to Aquila: “Their rule, for they send forth neither word nor voice; but indicating the rule and their own order, they call all earth and sea to the divine hymnody.”

And the day of the resurrection utters speech to the day of the cross, how the one crucified in that day here rose as God, and raised the dead. And the night that happened before the cross announces such knowledge to the night of Christ’s betrayal, how in that night fearing and praying, and later also being handed over, in this day he is master of the elements, so as even to bring on night in the middle of the day, he has been shown.

Greek · §80

18.3,4 ̔Ημέρα τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐρεύγεται ῥῆμα, καὶ νὺξ νυκτὶ ἀναγγέλλει γνῶσιν. Οὐκ εἰσὶ λαλιαὶ, οὐδὲ λόγοι, ω ν οὐχὶ ἀκούονται αἱ φωναὶ αὐτῶν. Εὐσεβίου. Νὺξ καὶ ἡμέρα τεταγμένα μέ τρα τυγχάνοντα τῆς κατὰ καιρὸν ὑποχω ρήσεως, κατά τε μείωσιν καὶ αυ ξησιν, καὶ τὴν πρὸς α λληλα διὰ παντὸς ἀναλογίαν φυ λάττοντα, κηρύττει διὰ τῶν ε ργων τὸν ἀμ φότερα διαστήσαντα· οὐ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς κατὰ τύχην τὸ διηνεκὲς, καὶ ἀσύγχυτον, ἀλλὰ σοφίας ε κγονος ἁρμονία. Αἱ δὲ τῶν λόγων αὐτῶν φωναὶ οὐκ εἰσὶ τῶν μὴ ἀκουομένων· πανταχοῦ γὰρ τῆς οἰκουμένης διὰ τῆς θέας ἀκούονται οὐρανῶν τε βλεπομένων, καὶ νυκ τὸς καὶ ἡμέρας. Προσεχρήσατο δὲ τοῖς ῥη τοῖς τούτοις ἐπὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων ὁ Παῦλος· διὸ καὶ ἀορίστως ε φη, ἀλλ' οὐχ ὡς ει ωθεν ἐπὶ τῶν προηγουμένων λέγειν· ̔Ησαΐας δὲ κράζει ὑπὲρ τοῦ ̓Ισραήλ. Καὶ πάλιν· Καθὼς προείρηκεν ̔Ησαΐας. Καὶ πάλιν· Καθὼς γέ γραπται. Καὶ αυ θις· Λέγει γὰρ ἡ γραφή. Σύμμαχος δὲ σαφέστερον ἐξέδωκεν· Καὶ νὺξ νυκτὶ ἀναγγέλλει γνῶσιν, οὐ ῥήσεσιν, οὐδὲ λόγοις, ω ν οὐκ ἀκούονται φωναὶ, ἀλλ' εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἐξῆλθεν η χος. Η κατὰ τὸν ̓Ακύλαν· ̔Ο κανὼν αὐτῶν, οὐδὲ γὰρ λόγον οὐδὲ φωνὴν ἀφιεῖται· Τὸν κανόνα δὲ καὶ τὴν οἰκείαν τάξιν ὑποδεικνῦσαι, πᾶσαν γῆν καὶ θάλατταν εἰς τὴν θείαν ὑμνῳδίαν καλοῦ σιν. – ̔Ημέρα δὲ τῆς ἀναστάσεως τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ σταυροῦ ἐρεύγεται ῥῆμα, πῶς ὁ ἐν ἐκεί νῃ σταυρωθεὶς, ἐνταῦθα ὡς Θεὸς ἀνέστη, καὶ τοὺς νεκροὺς ἀνέστησεν. Καὶ νὺξ ἡ πρὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ γενομένη τῇ νυκτὶ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ παραδόσεως τοιαύτην ἀναγγέλλει γνῶσιν, πῶς ἐν ἐκείνῃ δειλιῶν καὶ προσευ χόμενος, υ στερον δὲ καὶ παραδοθεὶς, ἐν ταύ τῃ τῶν στοιχείων δεσπότης, ω στε καὶ νύκτα κατὰ τὸ μέσον ἐπαγεῖν τῆς ἡμέρας, ἀποδέ δεικται.

Psalm 18:6 — he set his tent in the sun; bridegroom from the chamber; giant running the way§81

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

81“In the sun he set his tent, and he as a bridegroom going forth from his chamber will exult as a giant to run his way” (Psalm 18:6).

Of Athanasius. He called the chamber the Virgin, from whom the bridegroom Christ went forth, clean of all defilement, coming forth from a clean chamber. And the holy Virgin is the chamber of Christ, since having given birth without a man, she reasonably had as bridegroom the one being born himself, who by invisible power worked the birth.

Giant is interpreted as falling-upon, and is taken for the Lord; for he himself exulted at the time of the economy, accomplishing our salvation, and he fell upon the demonic ranks, putting out of work their domination against us. And understand the way as the Lord’s becoming-man, in which as a giant, because of the strength done in the cross and the death, he was running exulting. Recently he exulted in the gospel because of the finding of the one sheep. For he left the ninety-nine sheep that did not wander, that is the angelic powers, upon the mountains, that is in the heavens, and came upon the wandered sheep, and finding it he exulted; or he ran the way upon the heavens exulting, or from earth into the underworld he ran.

Greek · §81

18.6 ̓Εν τῷ ἡλίῳ ε θετο τὸ σκήνωμα αὐ τοῦ, καὶ αὐτὸς ὡς νυμφίος ἐκπορευόμενος ἐκ παστοῦ αὐτοῦ, ἀγαλλιάσεται ὡς γίγας δραμεῖν ὁδὸν αὐτοῦ. ̓Αθανασίου. Παστὸν τὴν Παρθένον ἐκά λεσεν, ἐξ η ς ὁ νυμφίος Χριστὸς ἐπορεύετο, παντὸς ῥύπου καθαρὸς, ἀπὸ καθαρᾶς παστά δος προερχόμενος. Παστὰς δὲ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἡ ἁγία Παρθένος, ἐπειδὴ χωρὶς ἀνδρὸς τε κοῦσα, νυμφίον ε σχεν εἰκότως τὸν τικτόμε νον αὐτὸν, ἀοράτῳ δυνάμει τὸν τόκον ἐνερ γήσαντα. –Γίγας ἑρμηνεύεται ἐπιπίπτων, λαμβάνεται δὲ εἰς τὸν Κύριον· αὐτὸς γὰρ ἠγαλλιάσατο κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς οἰκονο μίας, τὴν ἡμετέραν σωτηρίαν πραγματευό μενος, καὶ ἐπέπεσε ταῖς δαιμονικαῖς φά λαγξι, καταργήσας αὐτῶν καθ' ἡμῶν δυ ναστείαν. ̔Οδὸν δὲ τὴν τοῦ Κυρίου ἐνανθρώ πησιν νόησον, ἐν ῃ καθάπερ γίγας διὰ τὴν ἰσχὺν τὴν ἐν τῷ σταυρῷ καὶ τῷ θανάτῳ πε πραγμένην ἀγαλλιώμενος ε τρεχεν. ̓Αρτίως ἠγαλλιάσατο ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ διὰ τὴν ευ ρεσιν τοῦ ἑνὸς προβάτου. Ει ασε γὰρ τὰ ἐν νενήκοντα ἐννέα πρόβατα τὰ μὴ πλανη θέντα, τουτέστι τὰς ἀγγελικὰς δυνάμεις, ἐπὶ τὰ ο ρη, τουτέστιν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, καὶ η λ θεν ἐπὶ τὸ πεπλανημένον πρόβατον, καὶ εὑ ρὼν αὐτὸ ἠγαλλιάσατο· η ε δραμε τὴν ἐπ' οὐ ρανοὺς ὁδὸν ἀγαλλιῶν, ει τε ἀπὸ γῆς εἰς τὰ καταχθόνια ε δραμε.

Psalm 18:8 — the law of the Lord is blameless, converting souls§82

82“The law of the Lord is blameless, converting souls” (Psalm 18:8).

Origen. It is to be asked whether it would convert from vice to virtue, or from the perceptible to the intelligible; and perhaps the second; for the former, the commandment is naturally to make a law, namely the evangelical, as those from the nations who have already been taught from the previously mentioned elements, that there is one creator, are taught next also the evangelical law, as it also converted the souls of all the nations into the truth. Because of his boundless love toward us, he passes by neither a fornicator nor a robber, those who have fled his love exceedingly, and have arrived at the extremities of sin.

Greek · §82

18.8 ̔Ο νόμος τοῦ Κυρίου α μωμος, ἐπισ τρέφων ψυχάς. ̓Ωρ. Ζητητέον πότερον ἀπὸ κακίας ἐπι στρέψειεν ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν, η ἀπὸ τῶν αἰσθη τῶν ἐπὶ τὰ νοητά· καὶ τάχα τὸ δεύτερον· τὸ γὰρ πρότερον, ἡ ἐντολὴ πέφυκεν ποιεῖν νό μον, τὸν εὐαγγελικὸν δηλονότι, ὡς η δη δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν προειρημένων στοιχείων παιδαγω γηθέντες οἱ ἐξ ἐθνῶν, ε να ει ναι τὸν δημιουρ γὸν, διδάσκονται λοιπὸν καὶ τὸν εὐαγγελικὸν νόμον, ὡς καὶ ἐπέστρεψε τῶν ἐθνῶν ἁπάντων τὰς ψυχὰς εἰς τὴν ἀλήθειαν. –∆ιὰ τὴν ἐνάπειρον περὶ ἡμᾶς ἀγάπην αὐτοῦ, ου τε πόρνον, ου τε λῃστὴν παρατρέχει, τοὺς α γαν αὐτοῦ φυγόντας τὴν ἀγάπην, καὶ εἰς τὰ ε σχατα τῆς ἁμαρτίας φθάσαντας.

Psalm 18:10 — the judgments of the Lord are true, justified together§83

83“The judgments of the Lord are true, justified together” (Psalm 18:10).

It was necessary that he added the third verse to the two former; for the judgments of God, for those who sin and transgress, have been established as fearful and to-be-sought-out; but for those who work the law of God and keep it they appear more honorable than all wealth, because of the hope of the recompense, and even sweeter than any pleasure.

Greek · §83

18.10 Τὰ κρίματα Κυρίου ἀληθινὰ, δε δικαιωμένα ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό. ̓Αναγκαῖον τοῖς δύο στίχοις τοῖς προτέ ροις τὸν τρίτον προσέθηκε· τὰ γὰρ τοῦ Θεοῦ κρίματα, τοῖς μὲν ἁμαρτάνουσι καὶ παρα βάταις φοβερὰ καὶ ἀποζητητέα καθέστηκεν· τοῖς δὲ ἐργαζομένοις τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸν νόμον καὶ φυλάττουσι παντὸς πλούτου τιμιώτερα, διὰ τὴν ἐλπίδα τῆς ἀμοιβῆς, ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ πάσης ἡδονῆς γλυκύτερα φαίνεται.

Psalm 18:12 — your servant keeps them; who does not keep is not your servant§84

84“For indeed your servant keeps them; in the keeping of them there is much recompense” (Psalm 18:12).

This also has been clearly shown to us in the preceding psalm: they are said to be true and just, justified by the true God and just judge; and “together” is according to the same reason; for because they are true, they also happen to be just. If your servant keeps them, the one who does not keep them is not your servant. And the one who keeps the desirable things of God is the one who desires nothing but them; therefore he has a great recompense of the things that are to come from God.

Greek · §84

18.12 Καὶ γὰρ ὁ δοῦλός σου φυλάσσει αὐτὰ, ἐν τῷ φυλάσσειν αὐτὰ ἀνταπόδοσις πολλή. Σαφῶς ἡμῖν καὶ τοῦτο δεδήλωται ἐν τῷ προλαβόντι ψαλμῷ, ἀληθινὰ καὶ δίκαια παρὰ τοῦ ἀληθοῦς Θεοῦ καὶ δικαιοκρίτου δεδι καιωμένα λέγεται· ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ δέ ἐστιν κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν λόγον· ῳ γὰρ λόγῳ ἐστιν ἀληθῆ, τούτῳ τυγχάνει καὶ δίκαια. –Εἰ ὁ δοῦλός σου φυλάσσει αὐτὰ, ὁ μὴ φυλάσσων, οὐ δοῦ λός σου. Φυλάσσει δὲ τὰ ἐπιθυμητὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὁ ἐπιθυμῶν οὐκ α λλο τι η αὐτά· διὸ ε χει ἀνταπόδοσιν τῶν ἐπὶ Θεοῦ μελλομένων πολλήν.

Psalm 18:13-14 — cleanse me from hidden things; aliens are the proud§85

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

85“Who will understand transgressions? Cleanse me from my hidden things, and spare your servant from aliens” (Psalm 18:13-14).

And Aquila rendered “aliens” as “the proud.” For upon those who succeed, this passion sometimes follows, the mind becoming puffed up at this; and by another way they are again thrown, such as the apostolic saying, “lest being puffed up he fall into the judgment of the devil” (1 Timothy 3:6). Having necessarily said beforehand “For your servant keeps them,” he entreats to be delivered from pride; having been cleansed from this sin, which is great, I will be blameless from pride, at the same time also having been cleansed of the hidden things; for now I do not yet dare.

Greek · §85

18.13,14 Παραπτώματα τίς συνήσει; ἐκ τῶν κρυφίων μου καθάρισόν με, καὶ ἀπὸ ἀλλοτρίων φεῖσαι τοῦ δούλου σου. ̔Ο δὲ ̓Ακύλας τὸ ἀλλοτρίων ὑπερηφάνων ἐξέδωκεν. ̓Επὶ γὰρ τοῖς κατορθοῦσι τὸ πά θος, ἐσθ' ο τε τοῦτο παρέπεται, χαυνουμένης ἐπὶ τοῦτο τῆς διανοίας· καὶ δι' ἑτέρου πάλιν ἐκτραχηλίζονται τρόπου, ὁποῖον τὸ ἀποσ τολικὸν, ι να μὴ τυφωθεὶς εἰς κρίμα ἐμπέσῃ τοῦ διαβόλου, ἀναγκαίως προειπών· Καὶ γὰρ ὁ δοῦλός σου φυλάσσει αὐτὰ, ἱκετεύει ῥυσ θῆναι τῆς ὑπερηφανείας· ἀφ' η ς ἁμαρτίας ου σης μεγάλης καθαρισθεὶς, α μωμος ε σομαι ἐξ ὑπερηφανείας, α μα καὶ τῶν κρυφίων κα θαρισθείς· νῦν γὰρ ου πω θαῤῥῶ.

Psalm 19:3-4 — remember all your sacrifice; the whole-burnt-offering is fattened by the Spirit§86

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

86“May he send you help from the holy place, and from Zion may he support you; may he remember all your sacrifice, and may your whole-burnt-offering be fattened” (Psalm 19:3-4).

You will be delivered, he says, bringing to him thankfully a spiritual sacrifice; “all” indicates multitude, for he does not remember a small one. And a whole-burnt-offering is fattened when it is given over to the whole intelligible fire, the Spirit; and this will be when those who offer happen to be spiritual.

Greek · §86

19.3,4 ̓Εξαποστείλαι σοι βοήθειαν ἐξ ἁγίου, καὶ ἐκ Σιὼν ἀντελάβοιτό σου· μνησ θείη πάσης θυσίας σου, καὶ τὸ ὁλοκαύτωμά σου πιανάτω. ̔Ρυσθήσει, φησὶν, εὐχαριστικῶς αὐτῷ προσάγων θυσίαν πνευματικήν· τὸ πάσης πλῆθος ἐμφαίνει· ὀλίγης γὰρ οὐ μίμνηται. – Πιαίνεται δὲ ὁλοκαύτωμα, ο ταν ο λῳ τῷ νοητῷ πυρὶ παραδοθῇ, τῷ πνεύματι· ε σται δὲ τοῦτο, ο ταν οἱ προσφέροντες πνευματικοὶ τυγχάνωσιν.

Psalm 19:8 — these in chariots and these in horses§87

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

87“These in chariots and these in horses” (Psalm 19:8).

Understand horses also as the skippings of the passions, upon which the demons mount; and chariots as the concerted breathing of the impulsive passions, in which they make ready against us.

Greek · §87

19.8 Ου τοι ἐν α ρμασι καὶ ου τοι ἐν ι πποις. Νόει καί ι ππους τὰ σκιρτήματα τῶν πα θῶν, εἰς [οι ς] ἐπιβαίνουσιν οἱ δαίμονες· α ρ ματα δὲ τὴν σύμπνοιαν τῶν ὁρμητικῶν πα θῶν, ἐν οι ς παρασκευάζονται καθ' ἡμῶν.

Psalm 19:10 — Lord, save your king; for now save David§88

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

88“Lord, save your king, and hear us” (Psalm 19:10).

And now, for the present, save for us the king David.

Greek · §88

19.10 Κύριε, σῶσον τὸν βασιλέα σου, καὶ ἐπάκουσον ἡμῶν. Νῦν δὲ τέως ἡμῖν τὸν βασιλέα σῶσον ∆αυίδ.

Psalm 20:7 — blessing unto age of age; the face of God is the impress of his hypostasis§89

89“For you will give him blessing unto age of age; you will gladden him in joy with your face” (Psalm 20:7).

Saying to him: “Come, you blessed of my Father” (Matthew 25:34). Just as this grace and peace is given from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, so from God and his face; and the face of God is the image of his being, with whom the king is gladdened, putting forward a trial for those expected.

Or because with the God-Word of the image, whose the king having become, he is named his temple, and having become conformed to him, he is gladdened.

Greek · §89

20.7 Οτι δώσεις αὐτῷ εὐλογίαν εἰς αἰῶ να αἰῶνος, εὐφρανεῖς αὐτὸν ἐν χαρᾷ μετὰ τοῦ προσώπου σου. Λέγων πρὸς αὐτόν· ∆εῦρο, εὐλογημένος τοῦ Πατρός μου. Ωσπερ ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ Πα τρὸς καὶ Κυρίου ̓Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ αὐτὴ χάρις καὶ εἰρήνη δίδοται, ου τως ἀπὸ Θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ προσώπου αὐτοῦ· πρόσωπον δὲ Θεοῦ, ὁ χα ρακτὴρ τῆς ὑποστάσεως αὐτοῦ, μεθ' ου ὁ βασιλεὺς εὐφραίνεται, πεῖραν τοῖς προσδο κωμένοις προβάλλων. Η ο τι μετὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγου τῆς εἰκόνος, οὐ γενόμενος ὁ βασιλεὺς, ναὸς αὐτοῦ χρηματίζει, καὶ σύμμορφος αὐ τοῦ γενόμενος, εὐφραίνεται.

Psalm 20:9 — your hand found to enemies is falling out of sins§90

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

90“Let your hand be found to all your enemies; let your right hand find all who hate you” (Psalm 20:9).

It is a benefaction to fall out of sins and wicked thoughts; for a wicked reasoning is a seed of sin.

Greek · §90

20.9 Εὑρεθείη ἡ χείρ σου πᾶσιν τοῖς ἐχ θροῖς σου, ἡ δεξιά σου ευ ροι πάντας τοὺς μισοῦντάς σε. Εὐεργεσία ἐστὶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἐκπεσεῖν καὶ ἐννοιῶν πονηρῶν· σπέρμα γὰρ ἁμαρτίας λο γισμὸς πονηρός.

Psalm 21:4 — you dwell in the holy place; the Lord is self-praise of Israel§91

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

91“But you dwell in the holy place, the praise of Israel” (Psalm 21:4).

From this we learn that the Lord is self-praise and is praised by Israel, or himself being praise.

Greek · §91

21.4 Σὺ δὲ ἐν ἁγίῳ κατοικεῖς, ὁ ε παινος ̓Ισραήλ. ̓Εντεῦθεν μανθάνομεν ο τι αὐτοέπαινός ἐστιν ὁ Κύριος καὶ ἐπαινούμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ ̓Ισραὴλ, η αὐτὸς ε παινος ω ν.

Psalm 21:7 — I am a worm; spoken from the incarnate God according to the flesh§92

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

92“But I am a worm” (Psalm 21:7).

He speaks as from the person of the incarnate God, even if it is not taken according to the Godhead, but according to the appearing and the lowliness of the flesh: “I am the worm.”

Greek · §92

21.7 ̓Εγὼ δέ εἰμι σκώληξ. ̔Ως ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ σαρκωθέντος Θεοῦ λέγει, εἰ καὶ μὴ κατὰ τὴν Θεότητα λαμ βανόμενον, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸ φαινόμενον καὶ τὸ ταπεινὸν τῆς σαρκὸς, τό· ̓Εγώ εἰμι ὁ σκωλήξ.

Psalm 21:19 — they looked upon me, measuring the bones to fix the nails§93

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

93“And they considered, and they looked upon me” (Psalm 21:19).

Feeling, as is likely, his whole body and measuring each of the bones, that they might see where they must fix the nails.

Greek · §93

21.19 Αὐτοὶ δὲ κατενόησαν, καὶ ἐπεῖ δόν με. Ψηλαφῶντες, κατὰ τὸ εἰκὸς, α παν αὐτοῦ τὸ σῶμα καὶ ἀναμετροῦντες ε καστον τῶν ὀστέων, ι να ι δοιεν ου τοὺς η λους πῆξαι χρή.

Psalm 21:21 — rescue my soul from the sword; the only-begotten from the dog§94

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

94“Rescue my soul from the sword” (Psalm 21:21). And to the holy God-bearer Simeon says: “And a sword will pass through your own soul also” (Luke 2:35). “And my only-begotten from the hand of the dog.”

And now in the singular he names, by the race, those whom he called dogs above. And he called his own soul only-begotten, as alone not having known sin; but also because it alone through all had the union of the God-Word.

And perhaps he calls the church that stood beside him only-begotten, not having spot or wrinkle, perfectly completed from the blameless, which according to progress is divided into various ranks: “sixty are queens, and eighty concubines, and maidens of whom there is no number; but above all is a perfect dove, being only-begotten to the mother, the Jerusalem above” (Song of Songs 6:8-9).

Greek · §94

21.21 ̔Ρῦσαι ἀπὸ ῥομφαίας τὴν ψυχήν μου. Καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἁγίαν θεοτόκον ὁ Συμεών φησι· Καὶ σοῦ δὲ αὐτῆς τὴν ψυχὴν διελεύ σεται ῥομφαία. Καὶ ἐκ χειρὸς κυνὸς τὴν μονογενῆ μου. ̔Ενικῶς δὲ νῦν, ου ς ει πεν α νω κύνας, διὰ τὸ γένος καλεῖ. –Μονογενῆ δὲ τὴν ἰδίαν ψυχὴν ει πεν, ὡς μόνην ἁμαρτίαν μὴ γνοῦ σαν· ἀλλὰ καὶ ο τι μόνη διὰ παντὸς ει χε τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγου τὴν ε νωσιν. Τάχα δὲ τὴν παραστᾶσαν ἐκκλησίαν αὐτῷ λέγει μονο γενῆ, μὴ ε χουσαν σπῖλον η ῥυτίδα, ἐκ τῶν ἀμώμων τελείως συμπληρωμένην, ω ν κατὰ προκοπὴν εἰς διάφορα τάγματα διῃ ρημένην· ἑξήκοντα μέν εἰσι βασιλίδες, ὀγ δοήκοντα δὲ παλακαὶ, καὶ νεάνιδες ω ν οὐκ ε στιν ἀριθμός· ὑπὲρ δὲ πάσας ἐστὶ περισ τερὰ τελεία, μονογενὴς ου σα τῇ μητρὶ τῇ α νω ̔Ιερουσαλήμ.

Psalm 22:1-2 — the Lord shepherds me; green grass is ethical teaching, not yet the wine§95

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

95“The Lord shepherds me, and nothing will fail me. Into a place of green grass, there he encamped me; by water of rest he nourished me” (Psalm 22:1-2).

The perfect one, known according to the image of God and likeness, for whom the Lord is inscribed also as king, but not as shepherd; but the one progressing in introduction would be called a sheep of God, and is shepherded by him, and feeds on the gospel, and drinks water of which he who drinks will not thirst; but not yet the wine of the true vine, and he rests through the ransom of regeneration, putting off the burden of sins.

And otherwise, the one who has accomplished the meek and steady of Christ is shepherded by him upon the green grass, which is ethical teaching, in which “he encamped me,” he says, but did not settle me as a house. And elsewhere he says: “he himself shepherds us unto the ages.”

And see and understand the green grass, and its intelligible place, and intelligible water of rest, given to the one still being shepherded, until someone can partake of a rational table and cup. If there is still something that is not a killing letter, that will be green grass; but for those shepherded spiritually, a table prepared, for those who endure the afflictions.

Greek · §95

22.1,2 Κύριος ποιμαίνει με, καὶ οὐδέν με ὑστερήσει. Εἰς τόπον χλόης, ἐκεῖ με κα τεσκήνωσεν, ἐπὶ υ δατος ἀναπαύσεως ἐξέ θρεψέ με. Τέλειος ὁ κατ' εἰκόνα Θεοῦ καὶ ὁμοίω σιν γνωριζόμενος, ῳ καὶ βασιλεὺς, ἀλλ' οὐ ποιμὴν ἐπιγράφεται Κύριος· ὁ δὲ προκόπτων ἐν εἰσαγωγῇ, πρόβατον κληθείη Θεοῦ, καὶ ποιμαίνεται ὑπ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον νέμεται, καὶ πίνει υ δωρ, ου ὁ πιὼν οὐ διψᾷ· ου πω δὲ τῆς ἀληθινῆς ἀμπέλου τὸν οι νον, καὶ ἀναπαύεται διὰ λυτροῦ παλιγγενεσίας, ἀποτιθέμενος τὸ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων φορτίον. Καὶ α λλως δὲ ὁ τὸ πρᾶον καὶ εὐσταθὲς κα τορθώσας Χριστοῦ, ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ποιμαίνεται ἐπὶ τὴν χλόην, η τις ἐστὶν ἠθικὴ διδασκαλία, ἐν ῳ κατεσκήνωσέ με, φησὶν, ἀλλ' οὐ κα τῴκισε. Καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ δὲ, φησίν· αὐτὸς ποι μαίνει ἡμᾶς εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Ορα δὲ καὶ νόει τὴν χλόην, καὶ νοητὸν αὐτῆς τόπον, καὶ νοητὸν ἀναπαύσεως υ δωρ, τῷ ε τι ποι μαινομένῳ διδόμενον, ε ως λογικῆς τραπέζης, καὶ ποτηρίου μεταλαβεῖν τις δυνηθείη. Εἰ ε τι τι μὴ ἀποκτεῖνον γράμμα, ἐκεῖνο ε σται χλόη· ποιμαινομένουσι δὲ πνευματικῶς τρά πεζα ἡτοιμασμένη, τοῖς ὑπομένουσι τὰς θλί ψεις.

Psalm 22:3 — he turned back my soul; paths of righteousness as habit and as the virtues§96

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

96“He turned back my soul; he guided me upon paths of righteousness, for the sake of his name” (Psalm 22:3).

For he mounted as the shepherd, and wore paths beforehand, so that his own sheep might follow in the tracks. Righteousness then is the practical habit of the just, whose paths are according to the activity. And if someone should call righteousness the generic virtue, he will say that its paths are the virtues according to species, upon which he guides the one who inscribes his appellation.

“He turned back my soul,” he says, that had wandered from its own or had fallen down; or the Lord turns back the soul that has fallen out, and restores it after the shepherding, and it is encamped into a place of green grass; then having turned it back he guides upon paths of righteousness and virtue.

Greek · §96

22.3 Τὴν ψυχήν μου ἐπέστρεψεν, ὡδή γησέ με ἐπὶ τρίβους δικαιοσύνης, ε νεκεν τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτοῦ. ̓Επέβη γὰρ ω σπερ ὁ ποιμὴν, καὶ προέ τριψε τρίβους, ὡς ἰδίου αὐτοῦ προβάτου τοῖς ι χνεσιν ἐπακολουθεῖν. ∆ικαιοσύνη μὲν ου ν ἡ πρακτικὴ τῶν δικαίων ε ξις, η ς αἱ κατὰ τὴν ἐνέργειαν τρίβοι. Εἰ δὲ δικαιοσύνην ει ποι τις τὴν γενικὴν ἀρετὴν, τρίβους ἐρεῖ ταύ της τὰς κατ' ει δος ἀρετὰς, ἐφ' α ς ὁδηγεῖ τὸν τὴν αὐτοῦ προσηγορίαν ἐπιγραφόμενον. Τὴν ψυχήν μου, φησὶν, ἐπέστρεψε, πλανη θεῖσαν ἐκ τῶν οἰκείων η καταπεσοῦσαν· η ἐκπεσοῦσαν τὴν ψυχὴν ἐπιστρέφει ὁ Κύριος, καὶ ἀποκαθίστησι μετὰ τὸ ποιμᾶναι, καὶ εἰς τόπον χλόης κατασκηνεῖται· ει τα ἐπισ τρέψας ὁδηγεῖ ἐπὶ τρίβους δικαιοσύνης καὶ ἀρετῆς.

Psalm 22:4 — shadow of death is bodily death, distinct from the soul’s death§97

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

97“For even if I walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will not fear evils” (Psalm 22:4).

You might also say that the shadow of death is the physical and common death, distinguished from the death of the soul; according as it has been said that the soul that sins shall die, as the one who believes in the Son of God will not die unto the age, having passed from death into life; for they do not undergo a shadow of death, or dangers, or dissolution of the body.

Greek · §97

22.4 ̓Εὰν γὰρ καὶ πορευθῶ ἐν μέσῳ σκιᾶς θανάτου, οὐ φοβηθήσομαι κακά. Λέγοις δ' α ν καὶ σκιὰν θανάτου τὸν φυ σικόν τε καὶ κοινὸν θάνατον τῷ τῆς ψυχῆς θανάτῳ διαστελλόμενον· καθὸ λέλεκται ἡ ψυχὴ ἡ ἁμαρτάνουσα ἀποθανεῖν, ὡς ὁ πισ τεύων εἰς τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐ μὴ ἀποθα νεῖται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, μεταβεβηκὼς ἀπὸ τοῦ θανάτου εἰς τὴν ζωήν· σκιὰν γὰρ οὐχ ὑπο μένουσι θανάτου, η κινδύνους, η σώματος λύσιν.

Psalm 22:5 — you prepared a table opposite those who afflict me; each affliction sets a spiritual table§98

98“You prepared a table before me, opposite those who afflict me; you anointed my head with oil, and your cup that makes drunk as strongest” (Psalm 22:5).

What does “opposite those who afflict me” want? It has some unspeakable mystery, that someone may pray to be afflicted. Think for me, just as in the great contests prizes lie upon each contest, so according to each affliction: whenever an afflicting is present, and the afflicting powers, the opposing ones, think for me a spiritual and intelligible table prepared through this affliction. As often, then, as you are afflicted, so often also a spiritual table is set beside you. Only have eyes that see my tables, that giving thanks you may say with the apostle: “And not only so, but also boasting in the afflictions” (Romans 5:3).

And in the beginnings we were saying that the one from progress encamps into a place of green grass; since then the one progressing, even if he should arrive at the end, no longer remaining a sheep, but having been shown rational, has a table of rational foods, made ready by the Lord … And give heed, whether also as long as one lives, seeing the truth through a mirror and a riddle, he is a sheep led under a shepherd; but having passed upon the coming age, gazing face to face at the truth, he applies to a spiritual table, according to: “And I will covenant a covenant to you, to eat and to drink upon the table of the Father in the truth.” Whence also “you prepared” has been said, for from here God prepared the things which the eye has not seen, and so on. And “before me” shows that the table has been manifested to me and known to me, opposite those who afflict me, many wishing to be hostile to me.

And the Lord, wishing me through these who afflict me to rise strongly toward them, prepared a table before me, on which solid food lies, that having been filled with this athletically I may be able to stand against the afflicting nobly. For when we happen upon perfect good things, we have the opposing strong and more, as the apostle says: “For a great door has opened to me, and the opposing are many” (1 Corinthians 16:9).

And the one whose head is anointed with oil from the Lord will say: “Let not the oil of a sinner anoint my head” (Psalm 140:5), as being anointed from God with the oil of gladness, Christ. And I think that also when fasting he is thus anointed on the head, and the face is washed. And since not only a table, and so on.

Greek · §98

22.5 ̔Ητοίμασας ἐνώπιόν μου τράπεζαν, ἐξεναντίας τῶν θλιβόντων με· ἐλίπανας ἐν ἐλαίῳ τὴν κεφαλήν μου, καὶ τὸ ποτήριον σου μεθύσκον ὡς κράτιστον. Τί βούλεται τό· ἐξεναντίας τῶν θλιβόν των με; Εχει τι μυστήριον ἀπόῤῥητον, ι να τις ευ χηται θλίβεσθαι. ̓Επινόει μοι, ω σπερ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀγώνων τῶν μεγάλων α θλους ἐπι κειμένους καθ' ε καστον ἀγώνισμα, ου τως καθ' ἑκάστην θλῖψιν· ἡνίκ' α ν θλῖβον παρῇ, καὶ αἱ θλίβουσαι δυνάμεις, αἱ ἀντικείμεναι, νόει μοι ἡτοιμασμένην τράπεζαν πνευμα τικὴν καὶ νοητὴν, διὰ ταύτην τὴν θλῖψιν. ̔Οσάκις γοῦν ἐὰν θλιβῇς, τοσαυτάκις καὶ τράπεζά σοι παρατίθεται πνευματική. Μό νον ε χε ὀφθαλμοὺς τοὺς βλέποντας τραπέ ζας μου, ι ν' εὐχαριστῶν λέγῃς μετὰ τοῦ ἀποστόλου· Οὐ μόνον δὲ, ἀλλὰ καὶ καυχώ μενοι ἐν ταῖς θλίψεσιν. ̓Εν ἀρχαῖς δὲ ἐφάσ κομεν τὸν ἐκ προκοπῆς ο ντα κατασκηνοῦν εἰς τόπον χλόης· ἐπεὶ ου ν ὁ προκόπτων κα ν ἐπὶ τὸ τέλος φθάσειεν, οὐκέτι μείνας πρό βατον, ἀλλὰ λογικὸς ἀναδειχθεὶς, τράπεζαν ε χει λογικῶν τροφῶν, ηὐτρεπισμένην ὑπὸ Κυρίου ... ̓Επίστησον δὲ, εἰ καὶ ο σον τις ἐστὶν ἐν τῷ βίῳ τούτῳ, δι' ἐσόπτρου καὶ δι' αἰ νίγματος τὴν ἀλήθειαν βλέπων, πρόβατόν ἐστιν ὑπὸ ποι μένι ἀγόμενον· μεταβὰς δὲ ἐπὶ τὸν μέλλοντα αἰῶνα, πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον προσβάλ λων τῇ ἀληθείᾳ, πνευματικῇ προσβάλλει τραπέζῃ, κατὰ τό· Κἀγὼ διαθήσομαι ὑμῖν δια θήκην, ἐσθίειν καὶ πίνειν ἑπὶ τῆς τραπέζης τοῦ Πατρὸς ἐν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ. Οθεν καὶ τό· ἡτοίμασας, ει ρηται, ἀπεντεῦθεν γὰρ ἡτοί μασεν ὁ Θεὸς α ὁ ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ ει δεν κτλ. Καὶ τό· ἐνώπιον δέ μου, δηλοῖ πεφανερῶσθαί μοι καὶ ἐγνῶσθαί μοι τὴν τράπεζαν, ἐξεναν τίας τῶν θλιβόντων με, πολλῶν ἐχθρεύειν μοι βουλομένων. Καὶ διὰ τούτων θλιβόντων με ἀνίστασθαί με ἰσχυρῶς πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὁ Κύ ριος θέλων, ἡτοίμασεν ἐνώπιόν μου τράπε ζαν, ἐν ῃ ἐπίκειται στερεὰ τροφὴ, ι να ταύ της ἀθλητικῶς ἐμφορηθεὶς, ἀντιστῆναι γεν ναίως πρὸς τοὺς θλίβοντας δυνηθῶ. Καὶ γὰρ ο τε ἀγαθῶν τελείων τυγχάνομεν, ἰσχυροὺς καὶ πλείονας ε χομεν τοὺς ἀντικειμένους, ῃ φησιν ὁ ἀπόστολος· Θύρα γάρ μοι ἀνέῳγεν μεγάλη καὶ οἱ ἀντικείμενοι πολλοί. –Ου δὲ ἀπὸ Κυρίου λιπαίνεται ἐν ἐλαίῳ ἡ κε φαλὴ, ἐρεῖ· Ελαιον δὲ ἁμαρτωλοῦ μὴ λι πανάτω τὴν κεφαλήν μου, ὡς ἀπὸ Θεοῦ χριόμενος ἐλαίῳ ἀγαλλιάσεως Χριστός. Οι μαι δὲ ο τι καὶ νηστεύων ου τως ἀλείφεται τὴν κεφαλὴν, καὶ τὸ πρόσωπον νίπτεται. – Καὶ ἐπεὶ μὴ μόνον τράπεζαν κτλ.

Psalm 22:6 — your mercy will pursue me; living mercy is Christ§99

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

99“And your mercy will pursue me all the days of my life, and my dwelling in the house of the Lord unto length of days” (Psalm 22:6).

Who is the mercy that pursues? I learned Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God from the apostle, and that he was born for us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption. He himself says: “I am the way and life and truth” (John 14:6). Learn that he himself is also the mercy that pursues; living mercy pursues you.

Those who flee less it overtakes and holds, and leads them into the church, that he may have mercy and they may dwell in the house of the Lord, unto length of days, and into the holy church in the heavens, and become long-lived.

Greek · §99

22.6 Καὶ τὸ ε λεός σου καταδιώξεταί με πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς μου, καὶ τὸ κατοικεῖν με ἐν οι κῳ Κυρίου εἰς μακρότητα ἡμερῶν. Τίς ἐστιν ὁ καταδιώκων ε λεος; Χριστὸν Θεοῦ δύναμιν ε μαθον καὶ Θεοῦ σοφίαν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀποστόλου, καὶ ο τι ἐγεννήθη ἡμῖν σοφία ἀπὸ Θεοῦ, δικαιοσύνη τε καὶ ἁγιασμὸς καὶ ἀπολύτρωσις. Αὐτὸς λέγει· ̓Εγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδὸς καὶ ζωὴ καὶ ἀλήθεια. Μάθετε ο τι αὐτός ἐστιν καὶ ὁ ε λεος ὁ διώκων· ε μψυχος ε λεος σε διώκει. Τοὺς ε λαττον φεύγοντας κατα λαμβάνει καὶ κρατεῖ, καὶ εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν αὐτοὺς α γει, ι να ἐλεήσῃ καὶ οἰκήσωσιν εἰς τὸν οι κον Κυρίου, εἰς μακρότητα ἡμερῶν, καὶ εἰς τὴν ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἁγίαν ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ μακρήμεροι γένωνται.

Contents