Prayer with repentance; David, shewbread, Saul's type
…person who petitions for others is not heard unless the one prayed for shows repentance in deed. The righteous person's plea has force when it is energized through the sinner. For the matter to reach its end, both must run together: the righteous one's prayer and the repenting one's work.
Esau was reddish like a hairy hide, carrying deadness from sin and murderous toward Jacob; David was reddish with beauty of eyes, to show his clear sight. How then is the still-shepherding lad called a man, understanding in speech, and a warrior? The speaker did not speak from himself, but foretold what would be as if present, witnessing what David was about to become—except "the Lord is with him" and "good in appearance," which were his from childhood, one by nature and one by grace.
Saul had strength and a crowd helping him wickedly against David, while only Samuel and David were hunted. God's grace makes Saul prophesy not only what cuts against himself but what favors David, and casts him down naked, foresignifying that he will be stripped of the kingdom.
"Profane" here means not the unclean but those who are not holy, set over against the holy loaves of the table. The table held six loaves continually changed for Israel's twelve tribes—called shewbread—so each loaf stood for two tribes and the six for twelve. The good of this was binding the tribes toward concord; the better foresign was the apostles sent two by two by the Savior to preach first among Israel's tribes, so that six pairs make twelve disciples. Lay bread is "profane" only by comparison with the holy, not because the non-holy are unclean as such.
"Today it will be sanctified through the vessels" is said less clearly, but means: my children have been sanctified and kept from a woman yesterday and the day before—that is his claim that the children also are purified. If not, he was sanctified through eating the bread of the Presence. Persuaded, the priest gives David loaves none else ought to eat but priests. This is prophecy through deeds: the royal tribe (Judah) and the priestly (Levi) were about to be joined into one dignity—priestly and royal—in our Savior from David, priest and king together "according to the order of Melchizedek."
Neessar shows either that through sin Doeg the Idumaean remained before the Lord being treated and confessing, or that he was demonized like Saul, whose mules he pastured. Saul bears the type of the evil spirit that once ruled Israel when they said they had no king: the ancient people, despising the Lord who reigned over them, asked that Saul be given as ruler.
No one stands and urinates even toward a wall unless he is at leisure; so he speaks also of the carefree person who expects nothing…
Greek
ἄνθρωπος ὁ ὑπὲρ ἄλλων δεόμενος, οὐκ ἄλλως ἀκούεται, εἰ μὴ ἐκεῖνος ἔργῳ δείξῃ τὴν μετάνοιαν. οὕτω γὰρ ἡ δέησις ἰσχύει τοῦ δικαίου ἐνεργουμένη διὰ τοῦ 1 ἁμαρτήσαντος. ἵνα οὖν εἰς πέρας ἀχθῇ τὸ πρᾶγμα, δεῖ ἀμ φότερα συνδραμεῖν, καὶ τὴν τοῦ δικαίου εὐχὴν καὶ τὸ ἔργον τοῦ μετανοοῦντος.} 6 Ὁ μὲν Ἠσαῦ «πυρράκης ἦν ὡσεὶ δορὰ δασύς», τὴν ἐξ ἁμαρτίας ἔχων νεκρότητα καὶ φονῶν κατὰ τοῦ Ἰακώβ. ὁ δὲ ∆αβὶδ πυρράκης ἦν μετὰ κάλλους ὀφθαλμῶν , ἵνα τὸ διορατικὸν δηλώσῃ τοῦ ∆αβίδ. 7 Πῶς ἀνήρ , καὶ πῶς συνετὸς ἐν λόγῳ , πῶς δὲ καὶ πολε μιστὴς ὁ ἔτι πρόβατα ποιμαίνων; οὐκ ἄρα ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ ἐλάλησεν εἰπών, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἐσόμενα προειπὼν ὡς παρόντα, καὶ μαρτυρεῖ τῷ ∆αβὶδ ἅπερ ἔμελλεν εἶναι, πλὴν τοῦ κύριος μετ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ τε ἀγαθὸς τῷ εἴδει , ἅπερ ἐκ παιδικῆς ἡλικίας προσῆν αὐτῷ καὶ παρέμενε, τὸ μὲν φύσει, τὸ δὲ χάριτι. 8 Ἐπειδὴ δυνατὸς ἦν ὁ Σαοὺλ πλῆθος ἔχων βοηθοῦν αὐτῷ κακῶς κατὰ τοῦ ∆αβίδ, οἱ δὲ δύο μόνοι ἐδιώκοντο ὁ Σαμουὴλ καὶ ὁ ∆αβίδ, ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ χάρις ποιεῖ προφητεύειν τὸν Σαοὺλ οὐ μόνον ὅσα κατ' αὐτοῦ ἦν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ ὑπὲρ τοῦ ∆αβίδ, καὶ ῥίπτει γυμνόν , προσημαίνουσα ὅτι γυμνωθήσεται τῆς βασιλείας. 9 Βεβήλους λέγει νῦν οὐ τοὺς ἀκαθάρτους, ἀλλὰ τοὺς οὐχ ἁγίους, πρὸς ἀντιδιαστολὴν τῶν ἁγίων ἄρτων τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς τραπέζης παρα τιθεμένων. ἓξ γὰρ εἶχεν ἄρτους ἡ τράπεζα διαπαντὸς ἀλλασσομένους ὑπὲρ τῶν δώδεκα φυλῶν τοῦ Ἰσραήλ, οὓς ἐνωπίους ἐκάλουν, ὡς εἶναι ἕκαστον τῶν ἄρτων ὑπὲρ δύο φυλῶν προσφερόμενον, τοὺς δὲ ἓξ ὑπὲρ τῶν δώδεκα φυλῶν. τί οὖν ἐκ τούτου καλὸν ἐγίνετο; τὰς φυλὰς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ πρὸς ὁμόνοιαν συνάπτεσθαι. τί δὲ κρεῖττον προε σημαίνετο; τοὺς μακαρίους ἀποστόλους ἀνὰ δύο δύο πέμπεσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος τὰ πρῶτα κηρύττειν ἐν ταῖς φυλαῖς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ, ὡς εἶναι ἓξ ἅμα τῶν δώδεκα μαθητῶν τὸν ἀριθμόν. {Ἄρτος λαϊκὸς οὐχ ὅτι οἱ μὴ ἅγιοι βέβηλοι, ἀλλ' ὅτι πρὸς τὸ ἅγιον συγκρινόμενοι.} 10 Σήμερον ἁγιασθήσεται διὰ τὰ σκεύη ἀσαφέστερον μὲν εἶπε, σημαίνει δὲ τοῦτο. τὰ μὲν παιδία μου ἡγίασται καὶ ἀπέσχηται γυναικὸς καὶ χθὲς καὶ τρίτην ἡμέραν · τοῦτο γὰρ τὸ φάναι αὐ τὸν καὶ τὰ παιδία ἡγνισμένα . εἰ δὲ οὐκ ἦν, πάντως ἡγιάζετο διὰ τοῦ φαγεῖν τὸν ἄρτον τῆς προθέσεως. πεισθεὶς ὁ ἱερεὺς τοῖς εἰρη μένοις δίδωσι τῷ ∆αβὶδ τῶν ἄρτων, οὓς οὐκ ἐχρῆν ἑτέρους φαγεῖν ἢ μόνους τοὺς ἱερέας. τοῦτο δὲ τῆς προφητείας ἐστὶ τῆς δι' ἔργων δηλούσης, ὅτι μήποτε ἄλλης οὔσης τῆς βασιλικῆς φυλῆς, τουτέστι τῆς Ἰούδα, καὶ ἄλλης τῆς ἱερατικῆς φυλῆς, λέγω δὴ <τῆς> Λευιτικῆς, ἔμελλον συνάπτεσθαι καὶ ἓν ἀποτελεῖσθαι τό τε ἱερατικὸν ἀξίωμα καὶ τὸ <βασιλικὸν> ἐν τῇ παρουσίᾳ τοῦ ἐκ ∆αβὶδ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἱερέως τε ὁμοῦ καὶ βασιλέως, τοῦ «κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδέκ». 11 Τὸν Νεεσσάρ · δηλοῖ ἢ ὅτι δι' ἁμαρτίας παρέμενε ∆ωὴκ ὁ Ἰδουμαῖος ἐνώπιον κυρίου θεραπευόμενος καὶ ἐξομολογούμενος, ἢ δαιμονῶν ὡς ὁ Σαούλ , οὗ τὰς ἡμιόνους ἔβοσκεν. 12 Ὁ Σαοὺλ τοῦ πονηροῦ πνεύματος τύπον φέρει, ἄρξαντος τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ τότε εἰπόντος· οὐκ ἔχομεν βασιλέα. καὶ γὰρ ὁ πάλαι λαὸς ἐξουδενώσας τὸν κύριον βασιλεύοντα αὐτοῦ, ᾔτησε τὸν Σαοὺλ ἄρ χοντα αὐτῷ δοθῆναι. 13 Οὐκ οὐρεῖ τις ἑστὼς καὶ τοῦτο πρὸς τοῖχον , ἐὰν μὴ σχολάζῃ τοῦτο οὖν λέγει καὶ τὸν ἀμέριμνον καὶ μηδὲν προσδοκῶντα
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.