Divine deliverance of the weak

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Being unhindered and undefeated, he suffers 'false knowledge.' But he who turns downward toward the earth is blinded, and having been killed by ignorance, his intellect remains more inferior and more difficult.

'But the powerless one comes out from the hand of the powerful.' These things might be clearly indicated according to the form of the words, so that what is said might be: may the weak chance to find help, as if escaping the hands of the powerful. It is also possible to carry it forth from the narrative, so that it is thus: 'He who does great and unsearchable things, both glorious and wondrous, of which there is no number, he who gives rain upon the earth, who sends water upon those under heaven, who lifts up the lowly, who raises up those stumbling,' (Job 5:9) as it has been said, and the following. This one rescues all, even the powerless, from the hand of the powerful.

We have this in the Kings (1 Samuel 24), for Saul pursued David so fiercely that he had to hide in a cave, in which Saul was delighted. And what is the paradox? For being surrounded by enemies, he was saved by divine power, as if the enemy were given into his hand, even though by the virtue of non-retaliation (1 Samuel 24:10) he surpassed the slaughter against the opponent, not only by not striking down but also by teaching him to turn away from hardship. For having cut off 'the lobe of the ear' (1 Samuel 24:10) of him, he showed him that he was able even to cut off the head. Therefore, he instructs both: the care of God regarding his own servants, and his own non-retaliation, for which he calls upon the enemy to imitate him, teaching him that God rescues the powerless from the powerful and the oppressors.

'May there be hope for the powerless, and may the mouth of the unrighteous be stopped.' And the wording accords with the argument of Providence. If one is powerless, lacking in strength, let him not reject himself, let not every expectation be turned away; for hope is for the powerless. And the mouth of the unrighteous is also stopped when they swell with arrogance.

I will provide for the strength of the nations

Greek

ἐπερειδόμενος ἀήττητος ὢν καὶ "τὴν ψευδώνυμον γνῶσιν" πατεῖ. ὁ δὲ κάτω περὶ τὰ γήϊνα στρεφόμενος τυφλώττων καὶ ἀγνοίαι σκοτωθεὶς τὴν διάνοιαν ἧτταν ὑπομένει χαλεπωτάτην. "ἀδύνατος δὲ ἐξέλθοι ἐκ χειρὸς δυνάστου." εἴη μὲν ταῦτα καὶ κατὰ τὸ σχῆμα τῆς λέξεως οὕτω δηλοῦντα εὐκτικά, ἵν' ᾖ τὸ λεγόμενον· γένοιτο τοὺς ἀσθενεῖς τυχεῖν βοηθείας, ὡς διαφυγεῖν τῶν δυνατῶν τὰς χεῖρας. δυνατὸν καὶ ὡς ἀπὸ διηγήσεως αὐτὸ φέρεσθαι, ἵν' ᾖ οὕτως· "ὁ ποιῶν μεγάλα καὶ ἀνεξιχνίαστα, ἔνδοξά τε καὶ εν ἐξαίσια, ὧν οὐκ ἔστιν 128 ἀριθμός, ὁ διδοὺς ὑετὸν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, ὁ ἀποστέλλων ὕδωρ ἐπὶ τὴν ὑπ' οὐρανόν, ὁ ταπεινοὺς ὑψῶν, ὁ ἀπο λωλότας ἐξεγείρων", ὡς εἴρηται, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. πάντας οὗτος καὶ τοὺς ἀδυνάτους ἐκ χειρὸς δυνατῶν ῥύεται. ἔχομεν τοῦτο ἐν ταῖς Βασιλείαις, ὁπηνίκα γὰρ ὁ Σαοὺλ τὸν ∆αυὶδ ἐδίωκεν οὕτως, ὡς εἰς σπήλαιον αὐτὸν ὑποκρύπτεσθαι, ἐν ᾧ καὶ ηὐλίσθη ὁ Σαούλ. καὶ τί τὸ παράδοξον; περιστοιχισθεὶς γὰρ ὑπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν δυνάμει θείᾳ διεσώθη, ὡς καὶ τὸν ἐχθρὸν ὑπὸ χεῖρα αὐτῷ δοθῆναι, εἰ καὶ ἀρετῇ ἀμνησικακίας ὑπερεῖδεν τὴν κατὰ τοῦ ἀντιπάλου σφαγήν, οὐ μόνον μὴ καθελὼν ἀλλὰ καὶ παιδεύων ἀποστῆναι τῆς μοχθηρίας. ἀποτεμὼν γὰρ αὐτοῦ "τὸ πτερύγιον τῆς διπλοΐδος" ἔδειξεν αὐτῷ, ὅτι καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀποτεμεῖν ἐδύνατο. ἀμφότερα οὖν παιδεύει, καὶ τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ περὶ τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ θεράποντας κηδεμονίαν καὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἀνεξικακίαν, ἐφ' ἣν εἰς μίμησιν αὐτοῦ προκαλεῖται τὸν ἐχθρὸν διδάσκων αὐτόν, ὅτι τοὺς ἀδυνάτους ὁ θεὸς ἐξαιρεῖται ἀπὸ τῶν δυνατῶν καὶ ἐπιβούλων. "εἴη δὲ ἀδυνάτῳ ἐλπίς, ἀδίκου δὲ στόμα ἐνφραχθείη." καὶ πρὸς 129 το`̣ν τῆς π̣ρ̣ονοίας λόγον ἁρμόζει ἡ λέξις. εἰ ἀδύνατός ἐστιν λειπόμενος δυνα´̣μεως, μὴ ἀποδοκιμαζέτω ἑαυτόν, μὴ πᾶσαν προσδοκίαν ἀποστρεφέσθω· κ̣α̣ι`̣ τ̣οῖς ἀδυνάτοις γὰρ ἐλπίς ἐστιν. ἐμφράσσεται δὲ καὶ τοῦ ἀδίκου τὸ στόμα, ὅταν ὑπ' ἀλαζονείας ἐπιφυσόμενος̣ κ̣ατ̣α`̣ τῶν ἀδικουμένων θεάσ̣η̣ται αὐτοὺς διαφυγόντας τὴν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ βίαν καὶ πρὸς τοῦτο ἐνδόξους γεγενημένους ·····τα μὲν οὖν ο 15 ··ς̣ κοιναὶ 15 μεμπτὰς ἰδ 12 ἐκ τῶν ἁγίων 16 ι̣λ ·ισαπ 16 ὑπὸ φαι 16 ·σ ·υτ̣ου 16 ων ···ν̣ 16 νον 18 αχως θαρ20–24 υ 18 αντες 18 ἀλλὰ καὶ 18 τοὺς ἰδόν 15 ν δὲ καὶ 20 ε᾿̣κλα18 ··ν̣αι 10 "τὴν ἰσχὺν τῶν ε᾿̣θνῶν προνομεύσω καὶ τῇ σ̣οφι´̣ᾳ τῆς συνέσεως ἀφελῶ ὅρια ἐθνῶν̣, τὴν οἰκουμένην ὅλην καταλήμ130 ψομαι τῇ χειρὶ ὡς νοσσιὰν καὶ ὡς ᾠὰ καταλελειμμένα ἀρῶ", ἅπερ ὑπ' ἀλαζονείας πρ̣άτ̣τ̣εται μονονουχὶ λέγων· ἡ πᾶσα οἰκουμένη ὥσπ̣ερ ···μεα······ λόγον · ων·····εικ····· ·μμεν̣·· πο············ ··πω πτερωθεν 14 ἀλλ' εὐχει̣ρωτ 16 "διαφεύξεται" 15 ἀλλα α᾿̣π 15 τὰς ἐλπίδας 15 διαφυγεῖν κατ 15 του ἐχω· π̣· 16 διὰ τὴν ἀκακίαν 15 ἀσπίδων τ 18 λιου μη· κ̣ 15 "δέδωκεν ἐξουσίαν τοῦ πατεῖν ἐπάνω ὄφεων καὶ σκορπίων καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ ἐχθροῦ." καὶ γὰρ ο·· προ· 18–22 β 20–24 τα αν 14 "καὶ τὴν ἔκβασιν τοῦ 36 δύνασθαι ὑπενεγκεῖν" 20–22 ο·· 20–24 μ· 20–24 χωρη 12–14 λω 3–5 "μὴ δοξασθήσεται ἀξίνη ἄνε̣υ τοῦ κόπτοντος ἐν αὐτῇ;" η̣·η ο·· τ····· ·· μὴ γὰρ σὺ εἶ ὁ κόπτων. προη131 γουμέν̣ως ἀξίνῃ λόγον ἐπέχεις. ὁ τῆς προ̣ν̣οίας λόγος παραδίδωσιν, τίνα ····ται ····ισιν. μὴ ἐπὶ σαυτῷ σ̣··εσο πεποιθώς· ἀξίνη γὰρ ὑπάρχεις. ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ κόπτων ἐν σοί. "μὴ ὑψ̣ωθήσε̣ται πρίων ἄνευ τοῦ ἕλκοντος αὐτόν;" παρεμλημφθ 15 πρίσῃς τὰ μηκ 15 ο̣ντα δένδρα 15 ν. ἐγὼ γάρ εἰμι 15 σ̣εως ἕλκων κ 8 ἐν τῷ ψαλμῷ ˉοˉα λέγει· "ὅτι ἐρρύσατο πτωχὸν ἐκ χειρὸς δυνάστου καὶ πένητα ὧι οὐχ ὑπῆρχεν βοηθός. φείσεται πτωχοῦ καὶ πένητος, ἐκ τόκου καὶ ἐξ ἀδικίας λυτρώσεται τὰς ψυχὰς αὐτῶν" 10 ··ο εἰργάσατο 10 σταυρῷ τόκ 15 ι̣ν οτα·σιδ 15 ησαμεν 14 · χαρισαμεν 14 "ἀδύνατον ἐκ δυνάστου χειρός" ······. ἅπαξ δε`̣ 14 ες σκοπησ·· 14 ουκου ρ̣ουσε̣···μο̣ 10 ἁμαρτάνοντες

About this text

Didymus the Blind on Job.

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Khazarzar scan

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Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)

This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.