The Hidden Danger of the Rich and the Protection of the Poor
He will be Lord over all his enemies. For especially his enemies are those perfect in holiness in whom no one rules. But he rules over only those practicing sin; for it is said, 'Everyone practicing sin is a slave to sin.' And the slave of sin is ruled over by the devil, who has worked sin in him. And according to the insatiable nature of his wickedness, what follows is brought forth: 'For if indeed,' he says, 'I shall never be shaken from generation to generation by evil' (Ps 9:28). The word reveals his arrogance and impudence. By this voice, one having understood will interpret regarding only those humans who have become his enemies, to say that he will rule over all his enemies. For if indeed from generation to generation one has never been shaken in heart by evil, it is evident that the saying refers only to humans having the 'being' in succession. But even this is not entirely true; for he did not rule over the holy patriarchs, prophets, and apostles; rather, they themselves stretched this authority under the feet of Jesus.
He, having fallen away from his holiness, truth, and blessing, leading himself far away, has a mouth full of curses, through which he says, testing, making a punishment and a curse upon those being deceived. And his word has much wickedness along with the harm; therefore, along with the curse and bitterness and deceit, his word is full, being called his mouth. And since he brings forth none of these things to harm and destroy under his tongue, but the word itself is harmful, pain and toil exist; for nothing is gentle or kind, but if he brings in toil and pain, he brings it forth.
Setting before himself harm and destruction through all things, he chooses men appearing to be rich in word (having false knowledge), and sitting with them, he tries to hide so as to remain unknown, to kill the innocent by wounding him with his burning arrows (Ps 9:29-32); for these are things scattering death, striking the one being cast from the life with virtue by the arrows. It is possible to pierce and thus: 'He sits in a seat with...'
Of the rich; with the stichoi we bring forward 'To kill the innocent in secret.' For the 'in secret' part causes doubt, being divided in two ways, as we have previously noted by stichoi: 'He sits in the seat with the rich in secret' (Ps 2:6), followed by 'to kill the innocent.' However, even if he sits in a seat with the aforementioned rich, intending to look and to kill the innocent, it is necessary to oversee that no one of the God-wise may be able to wound one clothed in the panoply of God; for he, obeying the command to turn his eyes toward the poor man, has him captured, the same one acting toward the poor man being scorched by the impiety of the ungodly's pride.
He sits in secret, a fierce lion in his den, to snatch the poor man through deceptive words (and indeed also through deeds), and he will drag him after snatching him into his trap in order to devour him. For he is a fierce beast, rather even a lion. Often indeed, sitting in a seat and seemingly speaking about stewardship, he conceals the matter concerning love of money. As one speaking about temperance, he proposes a manner of intemperance, just as the serpent deceived Eve in the paradise through the transgression of the commandment, setting up equality, and likewise Judas through love of money. The 'looking down' written there shows that, having turned the eye downward, he fell; for how could he not direct his gaze downward, he who rejects Providence, by saying 'God has forgotten' and the following things? (Ps 9:35–37a)
Being able immediately to humble the proud one who tyrannizes those being shaken by his audacity, for what is the use, being able to help them, if you allow them a certain time to be afflicted, during which you understood not only the pain upon him and through him? And this has happened, so that those who have benefited through the timely affliction may willingly deliver themselves into your hands, having a remaining desire to be disciplined and to be ruled by you. To you, then, the poor man is not abandoned; you will manage the things concerning his salvation, so that you may make him rich by providing good things from heaven. So also he helps the orphan, presiding over and rearing him into the rank of a son. An orphan in these things...
Greek
κύριον αὐτὸν Πάντων τῶν ἐχθρῶν αὐτοῦ ει ναι η γενήσεσθαι. μάλιστα γὰρ ἐχθροὶ αὐτοῦ εἰσιν οἱ ἐν ἁγιότητι τέλειοι ω ν οὐδενὸς βασιλεύει. μόνων δὲ τῶν ποιούντων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν κατακυριεύει· ει ρηται γὰρ Πᾶς ὁ ποιῶν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν δοῦλός ἐστιν τῆς ἁμαρτίας. ὁ δὲ δοῦλος τῆς ἁμαρτίας κατακυριεύεται ὑπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου τοῦ ἐνεργήσαντος ἐν αὐτῷ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν. Κατὰ δὲ τὸ ἀκόρεστον τῆς κακίας αὐτοῦ ἐστιν τὸ ἑξῆς ἐπιφερόμενον· Ει πεν γάρ, φησίν, Οὐ μὴ σαλευθῶ ἀπὸ γενεᾶς εἰς γενεὰν α νευ κακοῦ. δηλοῖ τὸ ῥῆμα τῆς ἀλαζονείας αὐτοῦ θράσος ὁμοῦ καὶ ἀναισχυντίαν. Ταύτῃ τῇ φωνῇ ἐπιστήσας τις ἑρμηνεύσει περὶ μόνων τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐχθρῶν αὐτοῦ γεναμένων εἰρῆσθαι Πάντων τῶν ἐχθρῶν αὐτοῦ κατακυριεύσει. εἰ γὰρ ἀπὸ γενεᾶς εἰς γενεὰν ει πεν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ α νευ κακοῦ μηδεπώποτε κεκλονῆσθαι, φανερὸν ὡς περὶ τῶν κατὰ διαδοχὴν ἐχόντων τὸ ει ναι μόνων ἀνθρώπων ει ρηται. πλὴν οὐδὲ τοῦτο πάντως ἀληθές· τῶν γὰρ ἁγίων πατριαρχῶν καὶ προφητῶν καὶ ἀποστόλων οὐκ ἐκυρίευσεν· μᾶλλον γὰρ αὐτοὶ αὐτὸν ὑπὸ πόδας ε σχον τοῦ ̓Ιησοῦ τὴν ἐξουσίαν ταύτην ὀρέξαντος. 67 Ps 9,28 ̔Ο τῆς ἁγιότητος αὐτοῦ ἐκπεσών, τῆς ἀληθείας καὶ εὐλογίας πόρρω ἑαυτὸν ἀπαγαγών, τὸ στόμα πλῆρες ε χει ἀρᾶς δι' ω ν λέγει πειρώμενος ὑπὸ κόλασιν καὶ ἀρὰν ποιεῖν τοὺς ἀπατωμένους. ε χει δὲ αὐτοῦ ὁ λόγος σὺν τῷ δολερῷ πολλὴν δεινότητα· διὸ σὺν τῇ ἀρᾷ καὶ πικρίας καὶ δόλου ὁ λόγος αὐτοῦ πλήρης ἐστίν, στόμα αὐτοῦ καλούμενος. καὶ ἐπεὶ τούτων ε καστον ἐπὶ τὸ βλάψαι καὶ ἀπολέσαι προφέρει ὑπὸ τὴν γλῶσσαν αὐτοῦ, αὐτὴ δὲ ὁ λόγος ὁ δολερός ἐστιν, πόνος καὶ κόπος ὑπάρχει· οὐδὲν γὰρ προσηνὲς η χρηστόν, ἀλλ' ει τι κόπον καὶ πόνον ἐμποιῶν προφέρει. 68 Ps 9,29®32 ∆ιὰ πάντων βλαπτικὸς καὶ ἀπωλείας προθέμενος ει ναι αι τιος, ἐπιλέγεται δοκοῦντας ει ναι πλουσίους ἐν λόγῳ (ψευδώνυμον γνῶσιν ε χοντας) ἀνθρώπους, καὶ σὺν αὐτοῖς καθεζόμενος κεκρυμμένως ἐπὶ τῷ λανθάνειν τίς ἐστιν ἐνεδρεύειν πειρᾶται, ι να ἀθῷον 17 ἀποκτείνῃ, τρώσας αὐτὸν τοῖς πεπυρωμένοις αὐτοῦ βέλεσι· θανάτου γὰρ ποιητικὰ ταῦτα κατασπῶντος ἀπὸ τῆς σὺν ἀρετῇ ζωῆς τὸν ὑπὸ τῶν βελῶν βαλλόμενον. Στίξαι δυνατὸν καὶ ου τως· ̓Εγκάθηται ἐν ἐνέδρᾳ μετὰ πλουσίων· μεθ' ο στίξαντες ἐπιφέρομεν ̓Εν ἀποκρύφοις ἀποκτεῖναι ἀθῷον. τὸ γὰρ ̓Εν ἀποκρύφοις ἀμφιβολίαν ποιοῦν ἑκατέρως διαστέλλεται, ο περ η δη πεποιήκαμεν πρότερον στίξαντες ̓Εγκάθηται ἐν ἐνέδρᾳ μετὰ πλουσίων ἐν ἀποκρύφοις, υ στερον ου τως ἀναγνόντες· ̓Εγκάθηται ἐν ἐνέδρᾳ μετὰ πλουσίων ἐν ἀποκρύφοις ἀποκτεῖναι ἀθῷον. πλὴν εἰ καὶ ̓Ενεδρεύει πλουσίοις τοῖς προειρημένοις συγκαθήμενος ἐπὶ τῷ ἑλεῖν καὶ ἀποκτεῖναι ἀθῷον, ἀλλά γε ἐπιστατέον ὡς οὐδένα τῶν κατὰ θεὸν σοφῶν τρῶσαι δύναται ἐνδεδυμένον τὴν πανοπλίαν τοῦ θεοῦ· ο θεν τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς εἰς τὸν πένητα ε χει πειθόμενος αὐτὸν ε χειν ἁλωτόν, τὸν αὐτὸν ο ντα τῷ ἐμπυριζομένῳ πτωχῷ ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ ἀσεβοῦς ὑπερηφανίᾳ. ̓Ενεδρεύει ἐν ἀποκρύφῳ οι α α γριος λέων ἐν τῇ μάνδρᾳ αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἁρπάσαι πτωχὸν διὰ λόγων ἀπατηλῶν (ε στιν δ' ο τε καὶ διὰ πράξεων), ο ν καὶ ἑλκύσει μετὰ τὸ ἁρπάσαι ἐν τῇ παγίδι αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῷ καταφαγεῖν. θὴρ γὰρ α γριός ἐστιν, μᾶλλον δὲ αὐτὸ τοῦτο λέων. πολλάκις γοῦν ἐνεδρεύων, περὶ οἰκονομίας δῆθεν ὁμιλῶν, ἐγκρύπτει τὸν περὶ φιλαργυρίας λόγον. ὡς αυ περὶ σωφροσύνης φθεγγόμενος τρόπον ἀκολασίας ὑποβάλλει, ου τως τὴν Ευ αν ἠπάτησεν ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ διὰ τῆς παραβάσεως τῆς ἐντολῆς ἰσοθείαν ὑποβαλὼν καὶ τὸν ̓Ιουδὰν διὰ φιλαργυρίας. Τὸ κύψαι κείμενον δηλοῖ, ὡς κάτω στρέψας τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν ε πεσεν· πῶς γὰρ οὐ κάτω τὴν βλέψιν ε χει ὁ ἀθετῶν πρόνοιαν διὰ τοῦ λέγειν ̓Επιλέλησται ὁ θεός, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς; 69 Ps 9,35–37a ∆υνάμενος παραχρῆμα ταπεινώσει τὸν ὑπερήφανον καταδυναστεύοντα τοὺς ταραττομένους ἐπὶ τῇ θρασύτητι αὐτοῦ, διὰ τί χρήσιμον, βοηθῆσαι αὐτοῖς δυνάμενος, ει ασας αὐτοὺς χρόνον τινὰ θλιβῆναι ἐφ' ῳ γινομένῳ ἐγνώσθης οὐ μόνον καὶ τὸν ἐπ' αὐτῷ καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ πόνον κατανοῶν; γέγονε δὲ τοῦτο, ι ν' οἱ ὠφεληθέντες διὰ τῆς προσκαίρου κακώσεως ἑκουσίως ἑαυτοὺς παραδῶσιν εἰς τὰς χεῖράς σου, πόθον λοιπὸν ε χοντες παιδεύεσθαι καὶ α ρχεσθαι ὑπὸ σοῦ. Σοὶ ου ν ἐγκαταλείπεται ὁ πτωχός· σὺ τὰ περὶ τῆς σωτηρίας αὐτοῦ οἰκονομήσεις, ι να πλούσιον αὐτὸν ποιήσῃς ἀγαθὰ οὐρανόθεν παρασχών. ου τω καὶ ὀρφανῷ αὐτὸς βοηθεῖ, προϊστάμενος καὶ ἀνατρέφων αὐτὸν εἰς υἱοῦ τάξιν. ὀρφανὸν ἐν τούτοις
About this text
Discover how early Christians interpreted the Psalms as divine messages and prophecies about salvation and judgment.
Original English Translation — new OET from PG Greek.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.