Saul's house, Solomon's charge, Elijah's food, Christ's sons
…second and thirty-third of First Kingdoms, and the thirty-seventh, where it says he fought round about all his enemies, and what follows. The saying means: Saul wronged against him, and from Saul's house came the vengeance of that wrong upon Jesus. Yet those who share being with the one at the beginning are not wronged: from where they received being, they also receive non-being; and if through themselves they were worthy of any good, they receive it later.
How did David, having forgiven Shimei, command Solomon to kill him—David the unresentful and gentle—and Joab too, who had shared his labors? Being wise, David knew Solomon would not leave Shimei alive for fear of revolt, since Shimei would fight for the kingdom as from royal dignity; nor Joab, who had set David's son as king outside David's will and had killed Abner, though he had shared many wars and successes with the father. Foreseeing this, David first orders Solomon to do what Solomon would have done anyway, so that when those men die by Solomon's hand, Solomon may have pardon as fulfilling a father's wish rather than moving against them from himself alone.
"And returning, he slept. And the angel of the Lord returned a second time and touched him." Perhaps these were symbols of powers ministering food fit for a prophet—to one withdrawing from human things and worthy of such teaching—so that afterward he might hear "Rise and eat" and find at his head ineffable mysteries, of which the hidden barley cake was a type. A second time, by the angel's command, he partakes, hearing "Rise, eat, for the journey is too great for you."
"In the morning the ravens brought Elijah bread"—akin to the Lord's word to Moses, "In the morning you shall be filled with bread and know that I am the Lord your God"—and meats toward evening, as "toward evening you shall eat meat."
The power of Christ Jesus makes men into sons. Anyone who is a man of power is clearly a son of Christ. Sometimes the powers under Christ cannot make sons; and if they do, they make not men but infants.
"Eunuchs" are eunuchs; he says this of the three youths and Daniel, as from this Hezekiah. Through this ode he also teaches the one who approaches God to set hopes in him alone and boast in him—not to be arrogant but humble-minded. As God he knows all and renders to each according to his practices. He masters death and life. He exhorts us to know the Lord—clearly through good deeds—and so adds doing judgment and righteousness in the midst of the earth. As righteous judge of all the earth, he himself is strength, exaltation, and the horn of salvation for those who love him.
Greek
δευτέρῳ καὶ τριακοστῷ τρίτῳ ἀριθμῷ τῆς πρώτης Βασιλείας καὶ τριακοστῷ ἑβδόμῳ, ἔνθα φησίν· «καὶ ἐπολέμει κύκλῳ πάντας τοὺς ἐχθροὺς αὐ τοῦ» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. ὃ δὲ λέγει τὸ ῥητόν, τοῦτό ἐστι· Σαοὺλ ἠδίκησεν κατ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ γεγένηται ἡ ἐκδίκησις τῆς ἀδι κίας ἡ ἐπὶ Ἰησοῦν. Οὐκ ἀδικοῦνται δὲ συναιρούμενοι τῷ ἐν ἀρχῇ οἱ ἐξ ἐκείνου τὸ εἶναι λαχόντες. ὅθεν γὰρ ἔσχον τὸ εἶναι, ἐντεῦθεν τὸ μὴ εἶναι ἔχοντες, εἰ δέ τινος ἀγαθοῦ δι' ἑαυτοὺς ἦσαν ἄξιοι, ὕστερον τοῦτο κομιζόμενοι.} 19 Ζητεῖται πῶς ὁ ∆αβὶδ τῷ Σεμεῒ συγχωρήσας παρακελεύεται τῷ Σολομῶντι ἀνελεῖν αὐτὸν ὁ ἀμνησίκακος καὶ πρᾶος, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν Ἰωὰβ συγκαμόντα αὐτῷ. τί δήποτ' οὖν ταῦτα οὕτως ᾠκονομήθη; σοφὸς ὢν ὁ ∆αβὶδ ἠπίστατο ὅτι οὔτε τὸν Σεμεῒ Σολομῶν ἐάσει ζῆν δέει τῆς ἐπαναστάσεως, ὡς γὰρ ἀπὸ βασιλικοῦ ἀξιώματος μέλλει περὶ τῆς βασιλείας μάχεσθαι τῷ Σολομῶντι, οὔτε τὸν Ἰωάβ, ὡς ἐκτὸς τῆς τοῦ ∆αβὶδ γνώμης εἰς βασιλέα τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ∆αβὶδ καταστή σαντα, ὡς ἀνελόντα τοίνυν καὶ τὸν Ἀβεννήρ , συγκαμόντα δὲ τῷ πατρὶ ἐν πολλοῖς πολέμοις καὶ κατορθώσαντα. ταῦτα προϊδὼν ὁ ∆αβὶδ προλαβὼν διατάττει τῷ Σολομῶντι ποιῆσαι, ἃ καὶ ἀφ' ἑαυ τοῦ Σολομῶν πάντως ἐποίει, ἵν' ὅταν ἀναιρεθῶσιν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ (τουτ έστι τοῦ Σολομῶντος) οἱ προειρημένοι, συγγνώμην σχῇ ὁ Σολομῶν ὡς πατρικὸν βούλημα πληρώσας καὶ οὐκ αὐτὸς ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ κατ' αὐ τῶν κινηθείς. 20 Καὶ ἐπιστρέψας φησὶν ἐκοιμήθη. καὶ ἐπέστρεψεν ὁ ἄγ γελος κυρίου ἐκ δευτέρου καὶ ἥψατο αὐτοῦ . τάχα δυνάμεων σύμβολοι ἦσαν διακονουμένων προφήτῃ πρέπουσαν τροφήν, τῷ ἀνα χωροῦντι ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων καὶ ἀξίῳ τῆς ἀπὸ τῶν τοιούτων διδασκαλίας, ἵνα μετὰ ταῦτα ἀκοῦσαι δυνηθῇ· ἀνάστηθι καὶ φάγε , καὶ εὕρῃ πρὸς κεφαλῆς ἀπόρρητα μυστήρια, ὧν ὀλυρίτης ἐγκρυφίας τύπος ἦν. οὗ καὶ δεύτερον 3 κατὰ τὴν τοῦ ἀγγέλου πρόσταξιν μεταλαμβάνει εἰπόντος· ἀνάστα, φάγε· ὅτι πολλὴ ἀπὸ σοῦ ἡ ὁδός . «ἄρτους» μὲν οὖν «τὸ πρωῒ ἔφερον τῷ Ἠλίᾳ οἱ κόρακες» (ἀνὰ λόγον τοῖς λελαλημένοις ὑπὸ κυρίου πρὸς Μωσῆν, ἐν οἷς ἦν· «τὸ πρωῒ πλησθήσεσθε ἄρτων καὶ γνώσεσθε ὅτι ἐγὼ κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὑμῶν»), «κρέα» δὲ «τὸ δείλης» (παραπλησίως· «τὸ πρὸς ἑσπέ ραν ἔδεσθε κρέα»). 21 Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ δύναμις ἄνδρας υἱοὺς ποιοῦσα. καὶ εἴ τίς ἐστιν ἀνὴρ δυνάμεως , ἐστὶν υἱὸς Χριστοῦ δηλαδή. ποτὲ δὲ υἱοὺς ποιεῖν αἱ ὑπὸ Χριστὸν δυνάμεις οὐ δύνανται· εἰ δὲ καὶ ποιοῦσιν, οὐκ ἄνδρας ποιοῦσιν ἀλλὰ νηπίους. 22 Σπάδοντες εὐνοῦχοί εἰσι· λέγει δὲ τοῦτο περὶ τῶν τριῶν παίδων καὶ ∆ανιήλ, ὡς ἐκ τούτου τοῦ Ἐζεκίου ἦσαν. ∆ιδάσκει καὶ διὰ ταύτης τῆς ᾠδῆς τὸν προσερχόμενον θεῷ εἰς αὐτὸν μόνον ἔχειν τὰς ἐλπίδας καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν καυχᾶσθαι, μὴ μεγαλαυχεῖν ἀλλὰ ταπεινοφρονεῖν. καθότι πάντων ὡς θεὸς ἔχει τὴν γνῶσιν , ἀποδίδωσιν ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα αὐτοῦ. αὐτὸς δὲ καὶ θανάτου καὶ ζωῆς δεσπόζει. παρακελεύεται δὲ γινώσκειν τὸν κύριον , δῆλον δὲ ὅτι διὰ τῶν ἀγαθῶν πράξεων, διὸ ἐπιφέρει τὸ ποιεῖν κρίμα καὶ δικαιοσύνην ἐν μέσῳ τῆς γῆς . καθότι δίκαιός ἐστι κριτὴς πάσης τῆς γῆς , αὐτὸς ἰσχύς , αὐτὸς ὕψωσις , αὐτὸς κέρας σωτηρίας τῶν ἀγαπώντων αὐτόν. 4
About this text
Origen of Alexandria, Fragmenta in librum primum Regnorum (Greek).
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG 12 (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.