The Inheritance of Those Waiting on the Lord
The feet of folly lead those who use it after death into Hades. Those who walk according to folly, using the feet of folly, are brought down into Hades. Just as there are feet of folly, so there are feet of pride.
Therefore, 'let not come to me the feet of pride' (Ps 26:4), meaning let there not be a walking of pride in my soul and in my mind. 'Nor let the hand of sinners shake me' (Ps 145:18). For hand is often said to mean practice, as if saying: 'Thorns grow in the hand of the drunkard,' meaning the shameful desires, the unrestrained pleasures.
13 There the workers of iniquity fell (Ps 1:4). Where the foot of pride and the hand of the sinner are, 'they fell, those working iniquity.' It was not nature that led them into the fall, but the energy and work of iniquity. 13 They were driven out and are not able to stand. For since they themselves brought themselves down to the foot of pride, and are handed over to the hand of the sinner, which they chose to have, and this handing over is called their expulsion. And God, being a benefactor, drives them out so that they may not be able to stand in the evil. It is not, therefore, a nature or some external force casting him out, but his own work being iniquity and wickedness. He drives him out so that he may not remain, so that he may not hold a fixed stand in it.
And it is necessary to clarify the Scriptures more greatly. The truly God-wise man does this. However, if they were not clarified in this way, but more inferiorly, neither their magnitude nor that of the God who gave is shown. The Jews, indeed, taking them according to what is at hand and according to the human, are said 'not to perceive even what they say, nor concerning those things of which they are certain' (John 5:39). 9 That those committing adultery will be destroyed (Rom 1:28)—to be destroyed, but they are being destroyed in the way that they are evil, so that they may no longer be such. And it also signifies the punishment. And the punishment is again an impediment to wickedness. 9 But those who endure
They shall inherit the Lord a land. Those waiting on the Lord inherit the land already interpreted as being in highness, lying in the heaven. And this David said: 'I believe to see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living' (Psalm 27:13). He was a king. And to be a king is to have the good things of one's own land and to rule over it. But no one believes to receive what he already has, but believes to have received.
And this one says: 'I believe to see,' not 'I have seen' those good things, which God gives 'to those asking him,' when they pray sincerely concerning them. 'Those waiting' therefore 'on the Lord shall inherit the land' (Psalm 37:34). Endurance is a greatest contest of virtue: 'the tribulation works out endurance' (Romans 5:3). You see that after tribulation comes endurance. He therefore waits on the Lord as is necessary, having no endurance other than Him. And just as wisdom, righteousness, and sanctification become to some, so also endurance.
This David himself in another psalm says: 'And now what is my endurance? Is it not the Lord?' (Psalm 40:1). This endurance they always strive to have, those contending for virtue and piety. The hymnodist himself again says: 'Waiting, I waited on the Lord' (Psalm 40:1). Not simply 'I waited,' but 'waiting,' as in: 'to pursue the just thing justly.'
The servants of God have an inheritance. And listen to the paradox: to inherit is that of a child, not of servants. Therefore, the excess of the goodness of the thing inherited, as far as it reaches into their own state and nature, leads servants into an inheritance. And they used to say a parable for: 'By grace you are saved through faith, not of works' (Ephesians 2:8). And they used to say that it is impossible entirely to have faith without works: 'it is dead' indeed 'without works' (James 2:17). He says therefore: 'through faith, not of works.' And they used to say such an image: when a philanthropist is, instead of those whom some are working for and whom he is healing, he gives a reward...
Greek
δὲ ἀφροσύνης οἱ πόδες κατάγουσιν τοὺς χρωμένους αὐτῇ μετὰ θανάτου εἰς τὸν ᾅδην". ὅσοι κατὰ ἀφροσύνην πορεύονται τοῖς ποσὶν τῆς ἀφροσύνης χ̣ρ̣ώμενοι, εἰς τὸν ᾅδην καταβιβάζονται. ὥσπερ οὖν εἰσιν ἀφροσύνης πόδες, οὕτω καὶ ὑπερηφανίας. "μὴ ἐλθάτω" οὖν "μοι ποὺς ὑπερηφανίας", μὴ πορεία τῆς ὑπερηφανίας ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ μου καὶ τῇ διανοίᾳ. "μηδὲ χεὶρ ἁμαρτωλῶν σαλεύσῃ με". χεὶρ δὲ ἡ πρᾶξις πολλάκις εἴρηται, ὡς ἐὰν λέγῃ· "ἄκανθαι φύονται ἐν χειρὶ τοῦ μεθύσου", αἱ αἰσχραὶ ἐπιθυμία̣ι̣, αἱ ἀκόλαστοι ἡδοναί. 13 ἐκεῖ ἔπεσαν οἱ ἐργαζόμενοι τὴν ἀνομίαν. ἔνθα ὁ ποὺς τῆς ὑπερηφανίας κ̣αὶ ἡ χεὶρ τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ, "ἔπεσαν οἱ τὴν ἀνομίαν ἐργαζόμενοι". οὐ φύσις αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ πτῶμα ἤγαγεν, ἀλλ' ἐνέργεια καὶ ἐργασία ἀνομίας. 13 ἐξώσθησαν καὶ οὐ μὴ δύνωνται στῆναι. ἐπεὶ γὰρ αὐτοὶ ἑαυτοὺς κατεβίβασαν εἰς τὸν πόδα τῆς ὑπερηφανίας, καὶ τῇ χειρὶ τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ παραδίδονται, ἣν εἵλαντο ἔχειν, καὶ ἡ παράδοσις αὕτη ἔξωσις αὐτῶν λέγεται. καὶ εὐεργετῶν ὁ θεὸς ἐξωθεῖ αὐτούς, ἵνα μὴ δυνηθῶσιν στῆναι ἐν τῷ κακῷ. οὐ φύσεως οὖν ἤ τινος βίας ἔξωθεν καταβαλλούσης αὐτόν, ἀλλ' ἡ ἐργασία αὐτοῦ οὖσα ἀνομία καὶ κακία. ἐξωθεῖ οὖν αὐτόν, ἵνα̣ μὴ παραμένῃ, ἵνα μὴ ἀκινήτως ἔχῃ στάσιν ἐν αὐτῇ. καὶ μειζόνως μὲν σαφηνίζειν δεῖ τὰς γραφάς. ποιεῖ δὲ τοῦτο ὁ ἀληθῶς θεόσοφος. ὅμως, εἰ μὴ οὕτως σαφηνίζοιντο, ἀλλ' ὑποδεεστέρως, οὐδὲ αὐτῶν τ̣ὸ μέγεθος δείκνυται οὐδὲ τοῦ δεδωκότος. Ἰουδαῖοι γοῦν κατὰ τὸ πρόχειρον καὶ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον ἐκλαμβάνοντες αὐτὰς λέγονται "μὴ νοεῖν μηδὲ ἃ λέγουσιν μηδὲ περὶ ὧν διαβεβαιοῦνται". 245 9 ὅτι οἱ πονηρευόμενοι ἐξολεθρευθήσονται. –––––––––––––––– ––––––––––– ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– καταστραφῆναι, ἀλλ' ὀλεθρεύονται ᾗ πονηροί εἰσιν, ἵνα μηκέτι ὦσιν̣ τοιοῦτοι. σημαίνει δὲ καὶ τὴν κόλασιν. ἡ κόλασις δὲ 160 πάλιν ἐμποδιστικὴ κακίας ἐστίν. 9 οἱ δὲ ὑπομένοντες τὸν κύριον αὐτοὶ κληρονομήσου̣σιν γῆν. οἱ ὑπομένοντες τὸν κύριον κληρονομοῦσιν τὴν ἤδη ἑρμηνευ θεῖσαν γῆν τὴν ἐν ὕψει, τῷ οὐρανῷ κειμ̣ένην. καὶ οὗτος ὁ ∆αυὶδ ἔλεγεν· "πιστεύω τοῦ ἰδεῖν τὰ ἀγαθὰ κυρίου ἐν γῇ ζώντων". βασιλεὺς ἦν. βασιλέως δέ ἐστιν τὸ ἔχειν τὰ ἀγαθὰ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ γῆς καὶ τὸ κατακ̣υριεύειν αὐτῆς. οὐδεὶς δὲ πιστεύει λαβεῖν ὃ ἤδη ἔχει, ἀλλὰ πιστεύει εἰληφέναι. οὗτος δὲ λέγει· "πιστεύω τοῦ ἰδεῖν", οὐ "ἑωρακέναι τὰ ἀγαθὰ" ἐκεῖνα, ἃ δίδωσιν ὁ θεὸς "τοῖς αἰτοῦσιν αὐτόν", ὅταν γνησίως εὔχωνται περὶ αὐτῶν. "οἱ ὑπομένοντε̣ς" οὖν "τ̣ὸν κύριον κληρονομήσουσιν τὴν γῆν". ἆθλον μέγιστόν ἐστιν ἀρετῆς ἡ ὑπομονή· "ἡ θλῖψις ὑπομονὴν κατεργάζεται". θεωρεῖς ὅτι μετὰ θλῖψιν η῾̣ ὑπομονή. ἐκεῖνος οὖν ὑπομένει τὸν κύριον ὡς δεῖ ὁ μὴ ἄλλον ἢ αὐτὸν ἔχων ὑπομονήν. καὶ ὥσπερ σοφία γίνεταί τισιν καὶ δικαιοσύνη καὶ ἁγιασμ̣ός, οὕτω καὶ ὑπομονή. αὐτὸς γοῦν οὗτος ὁ ∆αυὶδ ἐν ἄλλῳ ψαλμῷ λέγει· "καὶ νῦν τίς ἡ ὑπομονή μου; οὐχὶ κύριος"; ταύτην τὴν ὑπομονὴν ἀεὶ σπουδάζουσιν ἔχειν οἱ ὑπὲρ ἀρετῆς καὶ εὐσεβείας ἀγωνιζόμενοι. αὐτὸς πάλιν ὁ ὑμνῳδός που λέγει· "ὑπομένων ὑπέμεινα τὸν κύριον". οὐχ ἁπλῶς "ὑπέμεινα", ἀλλ' "ὑπομένων", ὡς τό· "δικαίως τὸ δίκαιον διώκειν". οἱ θεραπευταὶ τοῦ θεοῦ ἔχουσιν κληρονομίαν. καὶ τό γε παράδοξον ἄκουε· τέκνων ἐστὶν τὸ κληρονομεῖν, οὐ θεραπόντων. ἡ ὑπερβολὴ οὖν τῆς ἀγαθότητος τοῦ κλ̣ηρονομουμένου, ὡς ὅσον ἧκεν εἰς τὴν αὐτῶν κατάστασιν καὶ φύσιν, θεράποντας ὄντας εἰς κληρονομίαν ἄγει. καὶ ἔλεγον παράδειγμά ποτε εἰς τό· "τῇ χάριτί ἐστε σεσωσμένοι διὰ τῆς πίστεως, οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων". καὶ ἔλεγον, ὅτι ἀδύνατόν ἐστιν ὅλως πίστιν ἔχειν ἄνευ ἔργων· "νεκρὰ" γάρ "ἐσ̣τιν̣ χωρὶς ἔργων". λέγει οὖν· "διὰ τῆς πίστεως, οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων". καὶ ἔλεγον τοιαύτην εἰκόνα· ὅταν φιλάνθρωπος ᾖν, ἀν̣θ' οὗ ἐργάζονταί τινες καὶ ὃν θεραπεύουσιν, δίδωσιν μισθὸν
About this text
Didymus the Blind on the Psalms.
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Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
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