Excerpts on the Psalms

1He prepared his throne in judgment. He judges the world with justice and judges peoples with uprightness. Therefore, one must fear such a judge, flee impious thoughts, and dread terrible things. The world is understood as the Church under the Father and the Son, as he said: I and my Father will come and make a dwelling with him; other peoples remain outside the Church. Sing to the Lord who dwells in Zion. Moreover, in every soul where Zion exists and where there is watchfulness, God dwells. He seeks the blood of the nations that have killed his people and remembers them after raising them. Therefore, their memory has perished with noise and will be lifted upon the swords. Yet he remembers those for whom they became a refuge. Arise, Lord my God; lift up your hand; do not forget your poor ones forever. Grieved by these impious words, the prophet again prays, saying these things, to show God to the trial, as he no longer robs the poor. He also remembered the blasphemy of the wicked, saying: Lord, you have heard the desire of the poor; incline your ear to the readiness of their heart. For they longed to break the arm of the sinner and be freed from his tyranny, and this has indeed come to pass. Desire of a good, active mind is prayer. Having seen the heart-knower, he filled it. For I had a heart ready to be saved and to obtain the promised kingdom. Lord.

From heaven he looked down upon the sons of men, to see if there is one who understands, or who seeks God. All that is said concerning God as incorporeal though appearing bodily must be heard in a heavenly manner. For example, it is said that he dwells in the heavens, as if using a temple for the divine powers, those which are in heaven. They are called homonymously after the places in which they are, just as also humans who name themselves after the earth. As in the passage: All the earth shall worship you, and: All the earth cries out with joy. But in the heavens he dwells and also in humans, being present to those who bear the image of the heavenly. And also as the word of creation and providence attaining in all creation. From the most excellent parts this is shown: in the Lord's Prayer, Our Father who art in heaven. And, God in heaven above. And also a small portion of the divine instruction, the appellation of heaven indicates the intelligible substance, in which especially one draws near to seek God. For the heaven of heavens belongs to the Lord. From this he looks down in turn upon those of the lower state, to see if anyone is understanding, seeking God, so that, having found, he might attain the gifts from him. This comes to pass when wickedness together with impiety holds sway, as it is said: There is no mercy, nor truth, nor knowledge of God upon the earth, and upon these things. Thus, when humanity is harmed, how should not the good one have looked upon the Savior, so that, having found some beginning of understanding, he might increase it, and reveal himself to those who seek him? For he reveals himself to those who do not disbelieve in him. Verse 3. All have turned aside. Together they have become useless. There is none doing good, no, not one. He prophesies the change of the nations toward gentleness and piety. Therefore he asks: Not, of the Lord.

When he comes, they will not abandon the beastly way of life, and they will come to know the Lord; for Isaiah also declares: Those to whom nothing was proclaimed about him will see him, and those who did not hear will gain understanding.

Verse 5, 2. There they were seized by fear, though there was nothing to fear, because the Lord is present in the generation of the righteous. For he says that when those who were foretold come to fear the Lord, it will be among those who previously had no fear.

17.109. Then, in the generation that is to come, a community will be established concerning which a decree has been fixed. Psalm 15, verse 1. An inscription dedicated to David. The others inscribed David’s name.

2They likewise issued the inscription, as it contained prophecy deserving of eternal remembrance. Just as victorious athletes in stadium contests are awarded pillars, and triumphant warriors erect trophies for later remembrance, so too the great trophy of the Savior—erected after he overthrew the holder of death’s power—was established from above through prophetic writings. Peter, recalling this within himself, added: 'Brothers, it is permitted to speak openly with you about the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb remains among us to this day. As a prophet who knew God had sworn an oath to him—that from the fruit of his loins He would raise up according to the flesh the Christ to sit on his throne—having foreseen this, he spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that he was neither abandoned in Hades nor did his flesh see decay. This Jesus God raised up, of whom we all are witnesses.' Psalm 16:10. By the words of your lips, I have kept to hard paths. A model for us, and through these things the Savior gives, so that those needing God’s help do not think only of themselves. The ways of the Lord are the observances of the commandments; yet rather, the virtuous actions, smooth and level, demonstrated by continual treading from those rushing toward their goal, which is blessedness and the fulfillment of promises. Let us therefore act in accordance with them, so that our steps do not falter, if the Lord prepares them in his ways. Concerning this request, the one who gains it says: 'I ran without iniquity and I directed my course.'

I ran in the way of your commandments when you enlarged my heart. Psalm 76, verse 3. The pains of Sheol surrounded me; they anticipated me beforehand, like snares of death. Yet these things will also be fitting for the Savior, who has much familiarity with them. Now my soul is troubled; my soul is exceedingly sorrowful even unto death. Psalm 76, verse 8. And it was shaken, and the earth became terrified. The foundations of the mountains were shaken and trembled, because God was angry with them. This clearly shows the descent of God through the aforementioned—that is, death and the pangs of Hades. From when, however, having descended, according to Aquila, the earth was moved and shaken. For every Hebrew hearing and barbarian was filled with the report about him. He said the earth, those upon the earth. But mountains, of the opposing forces; which by the wandering of the idols they allotted to men, 17.112, being subdued by the knowledge of God. The foundations, and the deep reasonings, perceiving the power of the Lord, were shaken, being burdened. Which, God having been angered, smoke went up as upon a threshing floor; and the fire being extinguished and having ceased, by which they burned men. But this fire was extinguished by its own fire. Because fire consuming has been said to be God beside Moses. And in the Psalms: Fire before him will go forth, and it will flame around his enemies. And again: God will manifestly come, our God, and he will not keep silent. Fire before him will be kindled, and around him a violent tempest. Therefore also the Savior said: Fire I came to cast upon the earth. And what do I wish, if already I have been lifted up? These things he did by bowing and descending, not one heaven only, but all, as many as ever are; to bow.

His humility in stature and the emptying of his deity are revealed. The hidden and concealed aspect of his economy is made known through darkness and mist. Then he was taken up upon the cherub, though not descending with it. As he ascended bodily, the divine contemplative powers that had surrounded him escorted his rise, proclaiming: Lift up your gates, you rulers; be lifted up, eternal gates; so the King of glory may enter. This has come to pass as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, where they witnessed him being taken up and a cloud received him from their sight. Verse 12: He established darkness as his concealment, with his tent encircling him. Who could see the one within the tent without entering inside? Thus, no one can see God unless they enter the veil of incomprehensibility. Moses entered the darkness where God was present. Having stood firm in regard to God’s creation and providence, he came to know that God is contained within these. By slightly opening it, he who bears the image learned from the image itself; and from creation and providence, he came to know the Creator and the Provident One.

3For the sake of his name. Even if I walk through the darkest valley, I will not fear harm, for you are beside me. From this point, the speaker directs his words toward God. The one who remains in the place of deadly shadow has established himself there, confirmed in evil, and longs for the light that flows from mercy; but the one who moves forward passes through, and the Lord walks with him. It has been said concerning those who sit in the land and shadow of death: light has dawned upon them. Your rod and your staff have brought me comfort. Both instruments are meant for correction, as declared: If your children abandon my law and refuse to follow my decrees, if they fail to keep my commands, I will punish their wrongdoing with the rod and their sins with the whip. Yet I will not completely withdraw my mercy from them. For divine mercy has not been removed from the one who suffers correction due to sin. The one who does not sin will not be struck, nor does he accept such treatment; rather, he disciplines the son he accepts. Regarding those he does not strike, it is said: My feet have been shaken a little by me; a short time ago, my steps were poured out. There is no end to their death, and there is firmness in their whip. Therefore, pride has seized them; they have wrapped themselves in injustice and impiety of their own making. If a sheep sins, it is struck with the rod; if a person sins, with the staff, as Solomon said: He who withholds the staff hates his own son. These words encourage the one being struck, for it is certain that he disciplines every son he accepts.

And he prepared it beside the rivers. And furthermore, before the plague

Christ known only in Judea was God. But after her, the earth of the Lord. But neither was the fullness before this in all the earth. But it was filled with the greatest wickedness. After her, many of the believing Gentiles would say: From his fullness we all have received. Therefore they would also call it fullness. But not the empty ones of the evangelical polity. And also in the wilderness the sinful one dwells. But the inhabited world, the one dwelling the Church filled with the Holy Trinity. And it is of the Lord. But not the one born of the devil, and having become a part of him. Verse 3. Who shall ascend into the mountain of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place? Or also the mountain of the Lord is the final good and the Word of God. For rare is the one who, toward the summit of him, by progress is able to ascend. For the one who has been perfected, no longer able to go further, stands firm, and names a holy place of God. For following the Lord, going up. The things behind forgetting, but the things before stretching out, having the end to stand with God in a holy place of his. Upon which it is necessary to ascend and stand the one evangelizing to Zion, to whom having arrived, Moses says, God says: But you, stand by me with him. But also he set my feet upon a rock, as they say of another sanctification, the prophets say. Since the rock was Christ. But who is the one obtaining these promises, it has been said completely fulfilled in the fourteen psalm. 17.116 Verse. This generation seeking the Lord, seeking the face of Jacob, God. And yet he said: No one shall see my face and live. For truly no one shall see.

Being human, he did not discard every aspect of humanity, and he underwent a transformation into an angelic and divine state, which is not present in this realm. Regarding the lesser angels within the Church, the Savior affirms that they continually behold the face of the Father, who dwells in heaven.

Verse 7: O princes, lift up your gates; you leaders, raise them up, O eternal doors, so that the King of glory may enter. Verse 8: Who is this King of glory? He is the Lord of hosts, who alone is the King of glory. As a commander of heavenly armies, the divine powers have named him Lord, a title corresponding to the Hebrew term Sabaoth. This interpretation is held by the Septuagint and the title Pantocrator in Scripture. Therefore, what has been stated now reveals the Savior as Pantocrator. Thus declares the Lord Pantocrator: I have been sent forth from behind glory to come to you. For the Father, who is Pantocrator, has sent the Son, who is also Pantocrator. Moreover, John in the Revelation declares, as the faithful and true witness—the one who was, is, and is to come—openly and confessedly speaking about the Savior. However, some do not look toward higher gates, but instead repeat the same things already said twice.

Psalm 77, Verse 1: To you, Lord,

4Therefore do not be zealous toward those.

Yet we must consider rather into what end the living badly will come.

Because I would not say that it is worthy of zeal for those who wish to live honorably the temporary prosperity of the wicked.

as the Savior says.

What then do they possess, those who, having flourished like grass briefly, tomorrow are cast into the oven?

Because all flesh is grass.

Because like grass they flourish briefly, then dry up.

Do not again imitate or show favor to such ones, flourishing as you see them.

he himself was the one who rivalled in wicked deeds against Saul.

Because example: If with David’s understanding the young women sang the hymn, He struck down David in myriads of his.

Or, do not do such things as to take up wicked zeal against you, for it plots against you.

Therefore he says: Do not provoke another who is doing evil to rise up against you.

To be zealous truly is to wish and to exist for oneself, which the one nearby has considered good as present.

They stirred me to zeal, and as if they provoked me to anger, the idolaters.

Therefore do not be zealous toward those.

Yet we must consider rather into what end the living badly will come.

Because I would not say that it is worthy of zeal for those who wish to live honorably the temporary prosperity of the wicked.

as the Savior says.

What then do they possess, those who, having flourished like grass briefly, tomorrow are cast into the oven?

Because all flesh is grass.

Because like grass they flourish briefly, then dry up.

Do not again imitate or show favor to such ones, flourishing as you see them.

he himself was the one who rivalled in wicked deeds against Saul.

Because example: If with David’s understanding the young women sang the hymn, He struck down David in myriads of his.

Or, do not do such things as to take up wicked zeal against you, for it plots against you.

Therefore he says: Do not provoke another who is doing evil to rise up against you.

To be zealous truly is to wish and to exist for oneself, which the one nearby has considered good as present.

They stirred me to zeal, and as if they provoked me to anger, the idolaters.

that is, they stirred up in me.

To be jealous is said to be to provoke and stir up to jealousy, such as: They provoked me to jealousy not toward God.

Because there is a difference between envying and being jealous.

Do not be jealous among the wicked, nor envy those who do iniquity.

All flesh shall see the salvation of God.

Yet what flesh has budded?

Also my flesh has budded.

Because he gives accordingly to contemplate this Creator.

Because the doing of his hands announces the firmament.

Because no one is blameless who does not perceive the works of the Lord.

Because they did not understand the works of the Lord, nor the works of his hands.

Let us not therefore let fall our hands, since we shall be conquered.

but when he let them fall, Amalek prevailed.

as Moses, when he lifted up his hands, the people prevailed.

Lifted hands toward holy deeds, treasured up in heaven, by which one conquers the intellectual Amalek.

In the lifting up of my hands toward your holy temple.

Since also Paul, advancing from the lesser things to the greater, says: I urge first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings be made for all.

Yet when I become a friend beyond measure, then I give thanks to God.

Yet when, having perceived God's worthiness, I ask something from God, then I pray.

To those who still lack something, these are the object of supplication.

Hear, Lord, the voice of my supplication when I make supplication to you.

He has sent me to proclaim release to captives and sight to the blind.

Because the Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.

Yet the good God also calls these and gives forgiveness.

Thus those who go down into the pit are sinners and captives.

Until the firstborn of the captivity, that is, those in the pit.

Yet that the sinners are by pits, he says in Exodus: 'God destroyed from the face of Pharaoh, who sits upon the throne,.

and, by the spirit being warmed.

Also, fire came to cast upon the earth.

He who makes his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.

but the divine things, as it seems, are warm.

Therefore every sin is cold.

Because indeed among all living things on earth, the dragon is cold.

there also the people's warlike dragon, which also is called cold, dwells.

Yet God through the prophet threatens those drinking from pits, saying: 'You have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and have dug for yourselves cisterns, broken cisterns.' And those descending into pits are those who surround themselves with cold things of matter.

Also Solomon also commands to drink from wells.

but a well, the one seeking water has dug.

Because indeed we do not know any of the saints having dug a pit.

Yet whoever God keeps silent, becomes like those descending into a pit.

I will cause ascents into his heart.' But we have also another hearing and divine sensation, according to Solomon, words of God being heard, united with him.

Also what God speaks, is not outside, but the holy things, those ascending upon our hearts, according to: 'Blessed is the man whose expectation is from you, Lord.

Also he spoke also through the prophets, when his people were.

Because indeed he spoke to Moses, and Aaron, and Joshua the son of Nun.

Yet God does not keep silent to the saints.

Yet someone cries out upon entering his own storehouse, and having shut the door.

Therefore in the Scriptures the saints have cried out to God.

but if the heavenly things, he cries out and shouts.

If indeed someone earthly asks from God, he uses a brief voice.

my God, do not be silent from me.

I will cry out.

5He says not to accustom yourselves to imitating the loving martyrs, even if they appear to enjoy the present life. Therefore, flee from equality and look to future things, because circumstances will not remain constant in these present conditions. He adds that they will soon wither like grass and quickly fall like vegetation. Verse 3: Hope in the Lord, do good, dwell in the land, and you will be fed with its wealth. This means to love prosperity, desire the possession of holy gifts, and love the things preserved for the holy ones and treasured by God. Also, do good, as if speaking to a farmer: produce this fruit. To you, the hearer of divine lessons, the Word says: give the field, do good, which is one of the fruits of the Spirit. The term 'goodness' here signifies every kind of virtue. Furthermore, dwell upon the land by attending to the care of the soul and practicing agriculture, for whatever a person sows, that they will reap. Perhaps he refers to divinely inspired Scripture as the earth, in which the wealth of the holy ones—namely, the promises—is found. He exhorts always to hold the divine oracles with love for the good things stored within them for the holy ones. He uses 'dwell' instead of 'you will dwell,' and states that the land is the one promised to the gentle ones; having become established there, you will be fed upon its wealth, as he says. However, wealth belongs to the heavenly city, the abundant provision of divine gifts. Perhaps he likens the tent to temporal life and desires that we use it as a passing tent—exercising rule over it, not being ruled by it, and moving toward the ultimate goal.

What is beneficial is not pursued for the sake of indulging in pleasures. Instead, we are guided like sheep by the Good Shepherd when someone possesses the riches of divine teachings and finds nourishment in them, enabling the declaration: The Lord is my shepherd, and I shall lack nothing.

This reflects the fourth verse of a sacred text: Find joy in the Lord, and He will grant the desires of your heart. Scripture often presents two figures to illustrate a truth—namely, that whatever quality or condition the lesser person possesses, the greater one also embodies, often in a fuller or more perfect way.

There is sustenance for the inner person, as declared: Humans do not live by bread alone, but by every utterance that comes from the mouth of God. Likewise, there is spiritual drink, for we draw refreshment from the living rock that accompanies us—symbolizing Christ. There is also spiritual clothing: the sinner clothes himself in condemnation, as if wearing a cursed garment, while the righteous clothes himself in the Lord Jesus, in divine compassion, and in the full armor of God.

One who only listens to his own encouraging words receives only superficial nourishment. But the one who dedicates himself to interpreting the law, recounting the prophecies, resolving the symbolic teachings of the Gospels, and clarifying the messages of the apostles finds true delight in the Lord. Such a person eats not from compulsion, nor merely to satisfy physical hunger, but because his soul is fed.

Thus, we are instructed to find delight in the Lord. For God, from the very beginning, desired that we experience spiritual joy, and so He planted the garden of delight and provided the river of delight as gifts to humanity.

Yet no one can fully delight in both the flesh and the spirit at the same time. If one seeks delight in bodily pleasures, like the wealthy who trust in riches, he will lose the deeper joy enjoyed beyond this life—like the joy Abraham knew in faith. But if one consumes the bread of hardship, as the poor who depend on God, then in that very place he finds true delight and rest.

Furthermore, the Lord embodies righteousness, truth, wisdom, and holiness. Therefore, if you find delight not only in reflecting on wisdom’s truths but also in living out righteous actions, then the promise is fulfilled: you will be completely satisfied.

For in delighting in the wisdom of God and practicing justice, the soul reaches its intended fulfillment—nothing is lacking, and every need is met in Him.

Soften yourself before the Lord. True pleasure lies in harboring within you the indwelling source of all life, the divine Word who is the bread of life; and when you hold him inwardly, you will obtain every request of your heart, not merely superficial petitions but those arising from deep within. You will grasp this truth if you embody each part of your being and observe how, by its very nature, it makes its request. Thus, if the eye could speak, it would say to you: I seek light, I seek colors fit for my vision. The ear would say: I desire a voice that sings melody, pleasant and agreeable. The tongue would say: I long for what is sweet.

6I flee from bitter experiences. Regarding touch, I seek what is smooth, soft, and pleasant—not fire, not rough surfaces, not things that sting. Each sense makes its own request in turn, accompanied by a corresponding avoidance: the eye seeks light, the smell seeks sweetness, the ear seeks harmony, and the other senses follow similarly. The heart seeks the thoughts we wish to receive from the Lord, provided we hold nothing foreign to his delight within us. Only then can we reveal our way to him. The God of all observes the pleasing conduct of those who worship him, but turns away from the conduct of those who choose to live improperly. Therefore, he declares: Verse 5. Make known your way to the Lord, place your hope in him, and he will act. Verse. He will cause your righteousness to shine like light and your justice to be as clear as midday. He says: openly walk the way that pleases him, which means living naked and unashamed before God, revealing your conduct; place your hope in him, and he will act. In the coming age, he will clearly establish it, and as it were a public display, he will not allow the beauty of your good life to be taken away. Your righteousness will be evident to all, like light shining forth at noon. 17.124 Moreover, midday is named as the very center of the day. And there he judges you worthy to be light. Since everyone who does base things—for example, the one who commits fornication—hates the light and, to the extent possible, conceals their actions so as not to be exposed, because they wish their fornication to remain unknown, they also conceal the path they have walked. But the one who practices truth, such as the sober person, wishes to make their way evident—not to people, so as not to lose the reward that comes from people, but to God; therefore, through this.

It is stated: Reveal your path before the Lord, meaning, demonstrate your conscientious conduct to Him, and He will restore you from your injuries, and He will purify the impure. Even if He becomes gracious and benevolent, He will exalt you; and because, free from vainglory, you concealed your integrity, He Himself will make it evident, and thus He will manifest, resembling the sun at midday. For then, he declares, the just will radiate like the sun. Verse 7. Yield yourself to the Lord, and beseech Him. Here submission is described as the withdrawal from wicked deeds. For no one who transgresses is subordinate to the Lord. Let it be, he says, that I have already submitted; what then should I do regarding former matters? Beseech Him, saying: Do not recall our ancient transgressions. Hence, it is not required to plead about wrongdoing prior to, or after having submitted to the Lord, that is, having separated oneself from sin. For remaining in transgressions, to seek pardon for sins is entirely futile. Verse 7. Do not begrudge the one who thrives in his course, the individual committing iniquity. Do not emulate, he says, success derived from lawlessness combined; nor incite harm, even if you observe wrongdoing flourishing, you must reflect that this era belongs to those lacking alternative hope. May they flourish therein, and may they hold what is regarded as beneficial. But we direct our gaze toward another epoch of existence; and our hope, succeeding this eternal age, is. It is impossible for blessings to exist in this age and in that; for if someone possesses them here, there he will be heard undergoing punishment. You have obtained your blessings in your life. Nonetheless, it is necessarily appended: In a person committing iniquity. For such individuals, he says, avoiding imitation is essential; and it is advantageous.

They are extremely eager to leave the one who provokes jealousy. For they prosper, either believing they have prosperity in their own affairs, not gaining wealth through votes from above, but by gaining advantage and seizing what belongs to others, sometimes. Therefore, he calls this prosperity, this advancement toward worse things.

Since many who live in righteousness, when they see themselves in toils, and the sinner prospering in all things at the right time, become angry; they abandon righteousness, this being the utmost folly; therefore, the word teaches to be patient, and to receive the fruit of God's righteousness. Verse 8. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath. The example is beneficial, and most becoming to those who are subordinated to God. For he says, one must be gentle, and very well established, and possess orderliness toward the mind, loving continually the prosperity that comes from patience, and to depart from the waves of anger. For among the passions, some do not fall upon many, but those who happen to encounter them cast them off while striking. For this foul passion, anger, burns even those who seem to be wise, and disturbs; not some indeed, others not.

7I risk asserting that all people are flawed except the perfect, should any perfect person be found. Those who endure the Lord will inherit the earth. Having grown accustomed to resisting evil through reverence for divine correction and being sustained by God’s gifts, we live in harmony. Thus, the psalmist reveals the ruin of the wicked and declares that those who endure the Lord—namely, those who attain a good life through patience and perseverance—will inherit the earth. This earth is not the cursed portion where laborers eat in sorrow all their days, but the realm prepared for the holy. Their inheritance is the holy, exalted city, whose giver is God. Just as the Savior embodies wisdom, word, peace, and righteousness, so too does endurance. As it is written: 'And now, what is my hope? Is it not the Lord?' From Him we draw and receive all things affirmed in Scripture concerning Christ. For by sharing in Him we become righteous and wise and dwell in peace; likewise, by sharing in Him we endure. Therefore, let the one who endures remain calm and receive God without being shaken by present circumstances. The meek shall inherit the earth. Those who follow Valentinus and others who claim the Savior spoke things not found in the ancient Scriptures should be refuted by hearing that the meek are blessed, for they shall inherit the earth. This was also declared earlier through David by the same Spirit. Moreover, David more succinctly opposes the ways of the lawless.

The rewards of the holy are subjected to punishments. Through these, he leads them into an impulse of spiritual manliness, by which one would complete every way of virtue. He then says: The gentle will inherit the land, namely the higher land. For if Jerusalem and Mount Zion are in heaven according to Paul, it follows that land should also be understood, which those who have conquered destructive passion—the anger that also destroys prudent people—will inherit. Indeed, acting according to virtue engages them. Moreover, according to measure, they are opposites: gentleness and anger. Where there is anger, there is no gentleness; and where there is gentleness, there is no anger. Verse 12: The sinner watches the just and gnashes his teeth against him. Verse 13: The Lord laughs at him, because he sees beforehand that his day will come. From this we learn that, just as darkness and light naturally exist as opposites, so the sinner exists in relation to the just. Therefore, if you see the just being hated at that time, do not hesitate to speak about the one hating him, for that person is a sinner. For those who focus on earthly things and let their minds be occupied by the turmoil of present life always pay attention to those living a blessed and irreproachable life, and they regard the lover of justice as an enemy. Verse 14: The sinners drew their swords and bent their bows to cast down the poor and needy and to slay the upright by striking them in the heart. Just as there is divine armor, so too there is demonic armor, which the devil’s soldier puts on: the breastplate of injustice, the helmet of destruction, the shield of unbelief, and the sword of the evil spirit, which draws out the sinner whose feet run toward injustice. There is some readiness of the

The gospel provides a readily available instrument for sinning. Those who embrace sin draw their weapons, for they are equipped and eager to act. They conceal the sword of the evil spirit within the embrace of sin itself.

Christ is the weapon of the righteous, chosen and appointed. The speech of sinners functions as a weapon, carrying the poison of sin and wounding those lacking the shield of faith. They recognize their inability to overcome someone rich in wisdom and good deeds, so they refrain from attacking such a person. Instead, their entire scheme targets the poor, since a person's wealth serves as their own protection, while the poor lack the means to resist threats.

It is preferable not to possess the sword of sin; but if one does have it, they should not draw it, but rather let it remain inactive. When idle, it does not merely fade or lose its edge—it is entirely destroyed. There is no need for fire to test each person's work, as Peter's work is not touched by flame, though he hears of it; even if he passes through fire, the flame will not consume him. However, the lake of fire does touch sinners, like the Red Sea overwhelmed the Egyptians, though not the Hebrews. Just as...

8Nevertheless the Savior is a chosen dart, and the holy ones pierce with a chosen dart in accordance with the Savior, just as the darts of God correspond to Him; thus I say of the one who is pierced: I am pierced by love; and so the Antichrist is a dart of the evil one, and all sinners are darts of the devil, whom he uses against the righteous as referenced in 17.129. Behold a woman, and they counseled for you. If the dart is not burning, yet it holds fire in the mouth so that it may speak and burn you—in hand, in the whole body, in the whole soul—just as God places a bow in the cloud to cease the storm and prevent a flood, so too, in opposition, the evil one uses a bow to dispel calm from the soul, extinguish peace, raise war, and stir up storm. Perhaps the poor and needy are brothers who are upright in heart, poor in spirit, whom the demons seek to cast down. If you see one scandalized and held under sin, behold that he has been slain and his blood flows, which God seeks; for his vital power has perished, and he seeks it from a brother, from a beast, from a faithful slanderer, from one alien to the faith, and from the hand of the aim. But these things may have been said too subtly. Meanwhile, the one who sings makes clear all that has been said, namely: The sinner observes the righteous, I say. For just as on a tablet one clearly depicting is shown, brought forward alongside, one slaying is exposed, the sword is laid bare, already shooting, and his injustice is made evident. For the sinner's aims are not directed at those who have wronged him, nor at those who have conspired against him, nor at those who have given benevolent pretexts for war to defend themselves; but

the focus shifts to the inner transformation wrought by song, which illuminates the prior declarations, revealing the sinner’s perception of the righteous not as accusation but as invitation to witness, where the act of singing does not erase the preceding imagery of conflict and judgment but rather refracts it through a lens of clarity, making manifest what was implicit: that the sinner’s gaze upon the righteous is not borne of hostility but of a dawning awareness, a recognition that persists even amid the surrounding metaphors of darts, bows, blood, and spiritual warfare, where the sacred and the profane intertwine in the human soul’s struggle, and the singer’s voice becomes the medium through which the hidden symmetry between sin and righteousness is disclosed—not as contradiction, but as fulfillment in tension.

The purpose is to bring low the poor person, meaning the gentle, moderate-minded, and humble in heart, whom the Savior also called poor in spirit and declared worthy of the kingdom of heaven.

What word is there for sinners against the upright in heart and the poor in spirit? None at all.

For they have wronged those people not even by directing their own ways toward righteousness.

I think it also occurs against them, the so-called ones: some empty person, not a gentle envy, but one inflamed from diabolical wickedness within them.

Let their sword enter their hearts; let their bows be broken.

Just as the peace of the just returns to him, so let the sword of the impious enter his heart, if the upright one guards himself in heart.

Better is a little for the just than the abundance of the wicked.

Indeed, the word itself has something useful from the outset for the more innocent, and it also contains something secretly said for those who understand to listen more deeply to Scripture.

Therefore the simple thing is this: the rich and the poor stand together, both just and unjust.

But the former seek only as much as the need, equal to righteousness; either they do not obtain it, or they obtain what is to be acquired without injustice, pursuing acquisition through righteousness.

The latter have wholly turned toward acquisition, seeking to gain many possessions, not considering whether they will acquire well.

Thus two things are set before us: a little amount with righteousness, and a much amount with injustice.

Better is little for the just than the abundance of the wicked.

Let us also consider the withdrawn thing: better is it to be a faithful private person, unable even to open the mouth, than to be rich in spoken word and in learning through wickedness or unbelief.

The arms of sinners will be broken, but the Lord supports the righteous.

When you observe that the strength and power of the wicked have been shattered—so much so that they cannot extend their hand to perform a good deed, since their strength is indeed broken—you will recognize that the prophecy has been fulfilled: the arms of sinners are broken.

The one who breaks them is the devil.

Nevertheless, every human being is weak, and whatever relies solely on oneself collapses; thus, each person requires the one who sustains the fallen and raises up the broken.

9It is good, then, to be an athlete untiring, and in order that I may name him thus from the examples, unimpeded, unyoked.

Yet if after having fallen he remains silent, then he was broken.

Or does the one who turns away not turn back?' say that such a person, having fallen, was not broken.

If you see a person who has been overcome, and after overcoming does not surrender oneself to lasciviousness in all uncleanness of work, having risen and having been reminded of the Scripture: 'Does the one who fell not rise up?

Regarding these, one might speak bodily: He has fallen, not It was broken, certainly, because it is dust after having fallen.

Those who wrestle in the contests and have fallen the first time have conquered the third.

Verse 24: When he falls, he will not be thrown down, for the Lord steadies his hand.

As for the way the Lord does not will, it is not because the crossings belong to humans, but because they belong to a beast, reptile, or cattle.

they veer right and left, not content with mere faith, knowing deeply but not truly.

Yet those who arise from heresies may indeed be in crossings, yet not guided by the Lord, but turned crooked by the evil one.

Whatever pleases God is certainly exalted and full of all praise, for God would not have willed it otherwise.

Just as He regards the ways of the unlawful as unwilling, so He makes the ways of the good-doers willing.

It may be better to understand that the Lord wills the way of the person, meaning He makes it willing and accepts it.

The term is ambiguous, for it may mean either that the Lord wills the way of the one guided by the crossings and accepts the path they make according to law—rejecting impious or crooked ways—or that the one whose crossings are divinely directed wills the Lord’s way, having experienced, in being guided as the crossings are, the sweetness of the way in which they are led by the Lord.

However, when a person’s crossings are directed by the Lord, then that person wills their own way.

One does not create bends in life’s wheels, but proceeds straight in every good matter, teaching and guiding others, just as one might say: You took hold of my right hand, and in your council you led me forward.

Just as a son of one’s own, he says, is taken by the hand of God, and he brings him to a straight way, not letting him go crooked-footing, nor.

and he will desire exceedingly his way.

The Lord’s steps of a man are directed.

17.133 Verse 23.

but the Jews, blaspheming him, are utterly destroyed in the end.

Christ indeed, therefore, the nations bless him, for which reason they inherit the kingdom.

Yet those who do not know God curse him, and again these things of his glory are at times uttering sounds, toward not even enduring those things in which they have suffered well, to bring to him the thanksgivings.

thus it follows to say: You insulted this one, you insulted me.

Also just as he says: You nourished this one, you nourished me.

Because the Lord says to the righteous: I will be hostile to your enemies, and I will oppose those who oppose you.

Yet danger lies in cursing us to the righteous destruction of the end.

Therefore, if God were the one showing mercy and giving, those who glorify him because of this, that is, those who bless him, will be heirs of the promised land to the saints, and they will receive the good and abundant land, which does not have the reason of center and sign.

Like what was said to Abraham: I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you.

but those who curse him shall be utterly destroyed.

That those who bless him shall inherit the earth.

Verse 22.

Yet if not, it is better not to borrow the beginning, especially the things of the Lord’s treasury, than to lose the king’s money.

It must be repaid with interest from the polity and action the principal.

but the silver of God, the tested, as the one saying says: Or are you seeking proof of the Christ speaking in me?

10He has fallen, rise up. For those who have fallen mourn, and after having sinned they became insensitive, and having delivered themselves over to every sin.

In innocence, among men be crowned. Have you fallen among boys? Contend in the noble contest, and conquer in it. In the womb Jacob supplanted Esau; from childhood Daniel prophesied, and he examined the elders. Are you unable to become such? Become next an athlete, as the righteous one, who, even if he falls while wrestling or running, is not shaken, because the Lord steadies his hand. The word is doubtful: whether for his own, or for the one wrestling and already about to be shaken, in order that he may not at all come face forward, and become lying wholly on the ground. Verse 25. I became younger; and indeed I grew old; and I did not see a righteous one abandoned. But otherwise we know age according to the inner man: child, youth, elder. Therefore before Abraham the longer-lived ones of him are not called elders; but he himself first by virtue was made elder, and by having inactivated the inner man of himself the things of the infant. And hear Jeremiah: Do not say, that I am younger. Such a thing concerns me and also David: He says, I became like a child according to the inner man of me. But having changed from youthful character and instability, in which being made younger I was, I came into old age, having a life unfruitful and a gray mind. And thus proceeding, I did not see a righteous one abandoned. If you hear bodily, it is false. There are two kinds of abandonment: the bodily, which does not harm us at all; and the of the soul, which is destructive. As much therefore as we are enriched by righteous works, by so much more

We support ourselves to avoid being deserted until the end. Therefore, you are not one who has been abandoned, but one who has been left behind. For at the proper time, even the righteous are forsaken, as Job was, so that their righteousness may be made evident. In Psalm 42, verse 14, I cry out to God: My defender, why have you forgotten me? And why, while overwhelmed with grief, do I continue forward, in the act of subduing the foe? Verse 15 describes how, when my bones are broken, my adversaries taunt me daily, asking: Where is your God? Yet we do not all perceive how God extends compassion. Moreover, concerning His merciful actions, which often feel burdensome, we do not receive them with joy, nor do we regard them as true mercy. Hence we ask: Why have you forgotten me? But the one who has understood that all God brings upon us works for our good will not speak this way, recognizing that He is fostering repentance and benefit, actively bringing it about. Nevertheless, those who are coming to know God question why He has forsaken the one who is crushed and sorrowful in this manner. What is the reason for such abandonment? It does not appear to be random. On the contrary, the one who cries, 'Why have you forgotten me?' seems to act with assurance, as if having done nothing that would cause God to forget. Yet this question deeply distresses the righteous, especially when phrased as 'Where?' in relation to God, for it carries significant spatial implication. Indeed, the utmost folly lies in believing that God is confined to a location, since location arises from material extension, whereas the divine is immaterial and free of bulk. Furthermore, these expressions in the prayer align with the experience of the people in Babylon. For, as he states in 17.137, having attained Your providence and now being stripped bare, I remove my garments, not bringing my enemies upon me in blows, bonds, or the crushing of my bones.

They say, 'Where is your God?' attributing my suffering to weakness. More ethically, when our enemies, the demons, break our bones through sin—meaning they destroy the powers of the soul—they deliberately slander God as weak toward us, hoping to strip us of hope in him so they can seize us as captives and slaves. They do this continually, every day. What must we do? We must not fall into despair, but instead hope in God’s mercy, as we will be taught in what follows.

Psalm 51, verse 7: I was brought forth in iniquity—not only in the womb, but because I accepted the deeds of iniquity, including murder and the illicit acts of a bed I violently seized. Verse 8: I have loved truth. This is the understanding: You, Lord, being true and loving truth, desire to lead us into truth through earthly means, and you cleanse us from ancient sin. You will cleanse us until we are whiter than snow; yet this cleansing for us comes through hyssop, and the energy of the Holy Spirit is likened to hyssop—it warms and removes all the filth within us.

11Indeed, having arranged myself to the Satan, you loved. Wisdom of the Father is manifestly the Word, yet the obscure and hidden aspects of the Word—the Word of the incarnation—remain concealed. Having neglected all these things, I grew weak and fell. Thus he says: 'You judge, punishing some and crowning others, because you love the truth.'. Loving the truth and knowing the weakness of human nature, you grant indulgence to those who ask for sustenance. For one who has been trained sophistically in the contemplation of the truth, having come to know its magnitude, holds complete love toward herself. Those who have not trained themselves in falsehoods become more observant and behold the admirable beauty of the truth—such as Moses and Daniel. After engaging with sophistical arguments, they ascended to true wisdom and received divine testimony, being recognized as perfect wise persons. God revealed to them the obscure and hidden things of his wisdom, so that nothing remained obscure or shadowed for them. Even David attains this condition through the preceding means. For I did not merely cause you to dwell among the biotic walls, but also deemed you worthy of prophetic grace, foretold the things shortly to come, made the unspeakable things clear to me—both the incarnation of your Only-begotten and the salvation of the world from that source.

They feared destruction or waste, so they cooled themselves with breezes around the camp while meat remained stuck in their teeth, uneaten. The Lord grew angry with the people and struck them with a severe blow, a great plague causing many deaths, as previously stated: he struck down the majority, meaning many. Oh, the lack of understanding! Before they could consume the meat lodged in their teeth, they doubted, having forgotten God’s power. Thus, their desire was fulfilled as a sign of divine providence toward them; yet due to their unbelief and insatiability, they were struck with cholera, by which many perished. This outcome served as a sobering example for them, for observers, and for those looking on, sufficient to promote prudence. Among the more prominent passages, Aquila and Symmachus, in the pious and richer texts, identified the wealthier and strongest individuals of the people by those names. It is plausible they did so because they themselves were prone to insatiable indulgence. According to the Septuagint, among the more, he struck down many—those whom David had chosen and called warriors. These numbered six hundred thousand, five hundred, and fifty, from twenty years old and upward, excluding the younger, the women, and the entire tribe of Levi. God sustained all these to fullness for a long time. For he declared: You shall eat for a month of days, until it comes out of your nostrils. Observing a people desirous and seeking to cleanse them of desire, he saw that mere instruction does not purify, but desire itself, when active, drives forward. For all fullness is,

It is not merely sleep that is at issue, but also the matter of food. Therefore he sent them quail meat for thirty days; yet they, having indulged excessively, were corrupted by a bilious disorder. I find the people having eaten quail meat on two occasions: first, when they had just come out of the land of Egypt; and second, as recorded in the Book of Numbers, when they spoke evil of the bread of God and contemptuously renamed it; at that moment anger rose against them, as if it were poised to fall upon them before they had even sinned. Having endured many trials of divine power, they did not believe the benevolent one could provide them with food; thus he gave them this sustenance and imposed upon them instruction, so that he might be capable of both doing these things and providing good things, as well as imposing punishments. Therefore we must flee gluttony, bulimia, and disordered eating—namely, the excess in food use, the frenzy of the throat, intemperance in eating, and the frenzy of the belly—lest we bury the mind in the mud. It causes no sorrow even to reflect on these histories in their ascent. God continually flows forth for us from the land of Egypt, from the.

12From the iron furnace, which corresponds to sin, he brings us in through many exercises, through many wonders, through heavenly bread, and through water from the rock—the rock being Christ—upon the holy promise. Therefore, it is great for me, if, having perceived the sea of life and its waves, and the bitter and briny surge of earthly things, I might be able, having been benefited by God, to see the intellectual Egyptians submerged and the intellectual Pharaoh; but myself being in the light of day, I might be sheltered by a light cloud and by the illumination of fire.

If ever at some time dark and difficult things arise, and indeed the world has been darkened and all things filled with ignorances, yet I turn toward the spiritual things of wickedness in light, through the true light Christ, through the cloud, in which the standing was not from some vapors according to common nature, but deepened by the vapors of the air through homogeneous composition, and toward himself being filled with the spirits; but something better and higher than human perception, so that, and the warm rays of the sun shining upon, having a partition, shading the underlying, and by fine dew moistening the flaming of the air; and Through the night fire, which burned from evening until morning, guiding the Israelites with its own light.

If in the wilderness of life, where much folly of things prevails, having broken through his most solid reason called rock, abundantly and for satisfaction he might give me to drink, so that the flowing water might be compared to the abyss, and the rivers of the spiritual belly. I however provoke the Most High in some doing, if after the teaching.

I sin again, forgetting the teachings that sustained me and the water that flowed from the rock, which symbolizes Christ. Christ is represented by the rock due to its unyielding and steadfast nature, for the divine and exalted essence finds its rest in inherent goodness. In that same context, as if speaking through Moses, the congregation accused him before Pilate, shouting, "Take him, crucify him!"; they also afflicted him with two wounds, mirroring how Moses struck the rock twice. Having killed the source of life, and noting that he remained among the dead, they sought to convince others of his demise. Yet the rock poured forth its name abundantly and provided drink to the entire assembly, for Christ has inundated the world with holy and life-giving waters. The one who bestows divine water upon the thirsty, who pours water from his side, having united this vein like iron, and who transformed the bitterness of myrrh and the harshness of the punished law into sweetness through the mystery of the cross and its wood—for the written law brings death, but the Spirit and spiritual worship in the gospel grant life. God, in his profound care for humanity, opens heaven to him, provides heavenly nourishment, and guides him personally, becoming light to travelers and leading them along paths unknown to unaided human nature. Indeed, in the evening the quail feeder appears, and at dawn the manna descends, presented to us askew as a sign that the lover is not found in the intelligible light of earthly things; this is symbolized by the quail feeder, which represents God reaching out to those who seek him—not drawing himself into desire, nor yet bestowing the full gift.

To grow young through sufferings is the path described. The manna symbolizes the teachings and grace-gifts that come through Christ, which are heavenly and not of this earth, while earthly things instead produce carnality and abomination. Thus, spiritual nourishment consists of correct and unshakable knowledge found in these heavenly realities, whose provision, as it becomes evident in light and day, draws from the sun of the Lord’s righteousness, sustaining us toward incorruptible life. Whoever receives this divine manna surpasses corruption and is exalted above death. It will be gathered to the tabernacles, and nothing of it will be left until morning. Believers must unite with those of like faith—the inhabitants of the Church’s tent—to be filled with divine words and not cling to the shadow after truth has been revealed. Those who seek justification through the law fall from grace. Yet, having entered through faith into Christ’s Sabbath rest—meaning freedom from sin’s labor—we do not dismiss the law’s earlier training as useless, since it guides us to Christ. For we attain to the realities that come through Christ.

13In the shadows of Moses, we seek the truth contained within them, drawing forth both new and old insights from the treasury of divine wisdom.

If you desire, whatever we gather here in preparation, having rested in that place on the Sabbath, we will discover there and be sustained by it.

Long ago, God provided bread from heaven to His people, a sustenance that never fails, fully sufficient for every delight, responding precisely to what each person desired.

Such is the nature of the word that nourishes the soul: it adapts its form according to the capacity of the one who receives it.

When the law feeds an infant, it becomes milk; when it feeds a weak soul, it becomes vegetables; when it feeds a perfect one, it becomes solid food.

Yet this manna does not come to those who remain idle, but to those who go forth outside the camp—I speak of the body, in which the soul is presently confined.

For the soul must no longer dwell in flesh, but in spirit.

No one who bears the image of the earthly man can partake of heavenly bread, because the natural person does not receive the things of the Spirit.

Regarding this food, you too were taught to pray.

Therefore, if you take the daily bread—the one that does not withdraw, does not refuse, but is continually given back into the substance of the soul—when I reflect on God, on Christ, on His divinity, on His indwelling in the human body and soul, I eat the bread of angels, that is, the manna.

Having found it and marveled at it, I will speak wonderfully: 'Manna—what is this?' And this utterance shall become the name of that bread.

Pray that God may send us provision for true satisfaction—not merely to taste, but also to be filled with the words of life, and to be strengthened by them.

Yet the preceding food is this very manna.

While eating the manna, the Hebrews said: 'Nothing, except that our eyes were directed toward the manna.'

We recalled that we had sat down by the meat pots in Egypt, and we accused those people of having sinned at that time, failing to recognize that the very same sins are taking place within ourselves; instead of turning to the spiritual Scripture, we crave to eat foul-smelling greens and onions that damage the soul’s sight, and we long to be filled with the pleasures that come from sinful, stinking indulgences.

And as we yearn for the cleansing of the world and the purification of our bodily nature, we thirst for hard labor, and having stripped away what does not contribute to the soul’s true substance, we desire to partake of cucumbers; furthermore, since we do not want the heavenly bread—of which prophets, heralds, and the righteous are spoken of as clouds due to their lofty stature—we turn instead to these earthly, corrupt desires.

14Their minds are carried away, and because clouds of the intelligible rains are immersed, God sends others to us as meat like dust, until it emerges from our nostrils and until he fills us with sickness and weakness, as the foul-smelling and much-tearing sin seeks.

Those who enjoy worldly things are sick in the soul, therefore they are also in anger and sickness, and in all evils because of their double-mindedness.

Let us become fasting an acceptable fast, not nourishing the mind of the flesh, nor let us become waterless, deprived of spiritual waters, because we do nothing that sweetens the goodness of the Most High.

But the things according to virtue and wisdom, being active and contemplated, sweeten her.

nor let us test him in our hearts—not from the surface, but from the depth of the ruling part concerning the divine power; nor let us ask for foods for our souls—not those according to image, which are nourished from the breads of life, but those changing into flesh, because having suffered with the material, they desire not beneficial and wholesome foods, but pleasant and disease-producing.

But let a table be prepared for us, upon which wisdom puts her own sacrifices and pours her own wine into a bowl.

Nor let anger rise up against us—the spirit of the one exercising power, the deceitful one who proceeds as a witness or scout from the darkness in which we had been hidden, going into the soul through reflection—nor let it become as fire kindled from the burned arrows of the enemy.

But let the gates of heaven be opened for us, the virtues of the intelligible and spiritual things fully displayed, and the evils of Hades and death, which do not prevail.

Those who, according to Peter, ascended to the gates of the daughter of Zion are addressed. The person dwelling in the hidden depths of the heart, made in the image of God, ought to share in the same sustenance as the angels, partaking of the true manna and receiving nourishment from heaven, not from the cursed earth that the sinner consumes in sorrow. Let those who hear these words take on wings, be lifted up, no longer remain in the flesh, but become spiritual beings. For those who hear are the ones

15Those who live in the flesh cannot please God. Therefore, we must turn back to history. Verse γδ'. He turned their waters and their showers into blood so they could not drink. I know by figurative interpretation that many rivers of Egypt are hostile to Christ, the true river, whose waters bring joy to the Church. Yet all the rivers associated with salvation are foreign streams; whenever God wishes to bring someone back, so that having gone out they may drink from the rock—and the rock is Christ—he causes those streams to become blood. For whenever I drink alien water and entertain alien thoughts, if God does not reveal to me that it is blood, I no longer drink, lest I become a participant in bloody showers. Some people speak in small ways but are ruinous. Historically, Egyptians do not have water from above, nor does rain fall in Egypt. Thus, historically speaking, when Moses commanded, all the waters of Egypt were turned into blood—even the fish were transformed into a fleshly thickness of water, leading to corruption—and to the Hebrews drawing blood, there was none. Hence, sorcery too found opportunity in the water among the Hebrews to counterfeit the bloody water. Spiritually, even now, the same reality is unfolding. For those who stand apart from opposing views: to one group, the drinkable water is clear and manifest—the water of faith, which they draw through divine teaching; but to those holding evil suppositions, who Egyptianize, the water becomes corrupt blood. Often, the sophist of deceit attempts, by mixing falsehood with the drink of the Israelites, to turn it into blood—that is, our word—and to show this to us.

not being such a thing as it is able to be. But it would not altogether be useless, even if, by deceit from what is at hand, it should make the appearance red. For the Israelite drinks the true water, not turning back even toward the appearance of deceit. 17.149 PSALM 80. Verse 2. Shout aloud to the God of Jacob. They call God Jacob the Savior, the one in man.

16It appeared in visible form to Jacob as a sign of the incarnation that would come afterward.

They are commanded to shout a victory hymn to him, because he destroyed the one who held the power of death and delivered humanity from the dominion of demons.

Such a shout is indeed a triumphant hymn, and those who were freed from Babylon by the God who granted victory urge one another to sing it.

Furthermore, in a more ethical sense: let those who do good deeds see their fruits brought to the winepresses, and let them hear the call: Rejoice in God; but let the one who sins and seeks repentance and conversion not rejoice, but instead be grieved in accordance with God.

For godly grief produces repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret.

And you, if God has helped you gather the fruits and bring them to the holy winepresses, do not forget God, for he has become your helper.

And if you find yourself at a loss for words worthy to offer to God in thanksgiving, cry out with a meaningful voice, with a heart that cries out, surpassing what can be signified, being at a loss for words, and speaking through that loss in ways that are beyond words.

For if you go beyond spoken expressions, if you surpass what is declared, if the things uttered by mouth can only be hymned by the mind alone, then impose your own movements upon the word for the one who is at a loss, especially since the word within you cannot be sustained by the mind in bearing the ineffable and divine things, and you will cry out to God Jacob as an imitator of the heel-grasping Jacob.

Psalm 150, verse 3: Praise him with the sound of the trumpet. Another says, through the sound of the horn. But this instrument is priestly.

For the priests used trumpets, reminding of the trumpets made at Sinai. Therefore, according to the spiritual discourse concerning the construction of trumpets, let a trumpet be constructed, so that in its sound

Let us praise God. I believe these are the trumpets that are indicated, as it is written: The trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised. There is a festival, the New Moon of the seventh month, which is a memorial of trumpets, since it is stated: In the new moon, with the trumpet.