# Eclogae on 1 Kingdoms

- Author: [Origen](https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/authors/origen/)
- Latin title: *Eclogae in primum Regnorum*
- Date: ca. 220-254 (approximate)
- Source: J.-P. Migne, ed., Patrologiae cursus completus, Series Graeca 12 (Paris, 1862), cols. 991-1029 (Greek text: Migne, PG 12 (1862), from library-scan OCR)

- Translation: Claude, from the original text, unless a passage says otherwise; each passage below gives the translator
- Editions and translations: Marguerite Harl, Origene: Philocalie sur les Ecritures (SC 302) (cited only)
- Work page: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-eclogae-regnorum/
- Passages: 3

## Eclogae on 1 Kingdoms, column 991

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-eclogae-regnorum/991/#p-991
- Source: PG 12:992a–992d
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27

Summary: God's “repentance” over Saul, like his hand, foot, and eye, is said by condescension: it means a change of course, not a passion; Saul's mercy to Agag was disobedience.

### Greek text

ι Παρακέκλημαι ὅτι ἐβασίλευσα τὸν Σαοὺλ εις· βασιλέα. Ὠσπερ ἐπʼ ἀνθρώπων μὲν χεὶρ, καὶ ποὺς. καὶ ὀφθαλμὸς, καὶ τʼ ἄλλα ὀνομάζεται· ἐπὶ δὲ Θεοῦ, χεὶρ μὲν, τὸ δημιουργικόν ποὺς, τὸ τῆς παρουσίας· ὀφθαλμὺς δὲ, τὸ ὲποπτικόνο οὕτω καὶ θυμὸς Θεοῦ, ἡ κατὰ πταιόντων παιδεία λέγεταιʼ μεταμέλεια δὲ, ll ἀπὸ πράγματος εἰς πρᾶγμα μετάθεσις. Ἐκ τῶν ιφʼ ἡμῖν, ἔδει συγκαταβατικώτερον ὁμιλεῖν τοὺς προφήτας βαρυτάτοις τὸν νοῦν, ἴνα χωρηθῇ. Καὶ πάλιν εἰ πάντα προεῖδεν ὁ Θεὸς, οὐκ ἀφʼ ὧν προεῖδε θυμοῦται, ἢ μεταμελεῖται. Οὐ πάθος ἐστὶ Θεοῦ Θυμὺς, ἢ μεταμέλεια, ἀλλὰ τοῦ θυμοῦ ἔργον ὴ κόλασις · καὶ τὸ τῆς μεταμελείας, ἀπόστασις μὲν τοῦ προτέρου, μετάθεσις δὲ εἰς ἄλλο. Ἦ οὕτως · ἀνάξιον ἑαυτὸν ἐποίησε Σαοὺλ _ τῆς βασιλείας, ὥστε ει φύσιν εἶχεν μετανοοῦσαν, μετ- 3 éy'vtov ἂν ιτέί αὐτῷ. Ἔδει δὲ αὑτὸν συνιδεῖν, μία σταγὼν τῆς θείας φιλανθρωπίας πᾶσαν τὴν ἀγαθότητα τῶν ἀνθρώπων νικᾷ. '0 δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ κολάσαι κελεύσαντος, ᾤκτειρε. Ub τοσοῦτον μὲν γὰρ αὐτὸν κατέκρινεν ὸ παράνομος ἔλεος τοῦ ’Δγὰγ, ὅσον τῆς

### English translation (Claude)

[1 Sam 15:11] “I repent that I made Saul king.” Just as with human beings a hand and a foot and an eye and the rest are named, but with God the hand means his creative power, the foot his presence, and the eye his oversight, so too God's wrath is the name for the discipline of those who stumble, and repentance for a change from one course to another. Because of what is in our power, the prophets had to speak more condescendingly to those very slow of mind, so that it might be grasped. And again, if God foresaw all things, he is not angered or repentant at what he foresaw. Wrath or repentance is not a passion of God: punishment is the work of wrath, and the work of repentance is departure from the former course and change to another. Or thus: Saul made himself unworthy of the kingdom, so that if God had a nature that repents, he would have repented of him. Saul ought to have perceived that one drop of the divine kindness surpasses all the goodness of human beings. But when God commanded him to punish, he showed pity. Yet his lawless mercy toward Agag condemned him less than

### Scripture references

- 1 Sam 15:11: quotation, high confidence
- 1 Sam 15:35: allusion, medium confidence
- 1 Sam 15:9: allusion, high confidence
- 1 Sam 15:3: allusion, high confidence

### Translation notes

- The Selections on the books of Kingdoms begin here with 1 Sam 15:11 (LXX 1 Kingdoms). No lines from the notes on Judges stand at the head of this column; the interpolated column 991 is consistent with the content. 1 Sam 15:9, 35.

### Citation (SBL)

Origen, Eclog. 1 Regn. 991 (PG 12:992a–992d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/origen-eclogae-regnorum/991).

## Eclogae on 1 Kingdoms, column 993

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-eclogae-regnorum/991/#p-993
- Source: PG 12:993a–993c
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27

Summary: Notes on 1–3 Kingdoms: David's ruddiness; the loaves of the presence prefigure the twelve apostles sent two by two; Saul as a type of the evil spirit; David's mercy to the blind and lame; the saint as adamant that the devil's hammer cannot break.

### Greek text

ἀπληστίας καὶ φιλοχρηματίας τὸ πάθος. Τὰ πίονα γὰρ τῶν ποιμνίων περιεποιήσατο ἑαυτῷ. Kal αὐτὸς πυρράκης. '0 μὲν οὖν Ἠσαῦ ι πυρράκης ἦν, ὡσεὶ δορὰν δασύςο ι τὴν ἐξ ἁμαρτίας ἔχων νεκρότητα, καὶ φόνον κατά τοῦ Ἰακώβ. '0 δὲ Δαυὶδ ι stuppeian μετὰ κάλλους ὀφθαλμῶν, καὶ ἀγαθὸς τῇ ὁράσει Κυρίου, s ἵνα τὸ διορατικδν δηλώσῃ τοῦ Δαυίδ. Kal νῦν εί εἰσιν ὑπὸ τὴν χεῖρὰ σου πέντε ἄρτοι. Προὺδήλου δὲ καὶ ὅτι ή βασιλικὴ φυλὴ καὶ ή ἱερατικὴ ἔμελλε συνάπτεσθαι ὲν Χριστῷ τῷ lapsi ὁμοῦ καὶ βασιλεῖ. Οὐκ εἰσὶν ἄρτοι βέβηλοι. Βεβήλους, οὐ τοὺς άκαθάρτους λέγει, ἀλλὰ τοὺς οὐχ ἁγίους ο καὶ, ὼς Ἀκύλας ἐξέδωκε, λαῖκούς· οὐχ ὄτι βέβηλοι οἱ μὴ ἆγιοι, ἀλλʼ ὅτι πρὸς τὸ ἅγιον συγκρινόμενοι. Ἓξ δὲ ἄρτους εἶχεν ἡ τράπεζα ἀεὶ ἀλλασσομὲνους ὑπὲρ τῶν δώδεκα φυλῶν, οὓς ὲνωπίους ἐκάλουν ' ὡς ἕκαστον ὲκ δύο φυλῶν προσφέρεσθαι. Τὸ γὰρ ἐκ τούτου καλεῖν, τὸ τὰς φυλὰς Ἰσραὴλ είς ὁμόνοιαν συνάπτεσθαι. Προεσημαίνετο δὲ καὶ τὸ, ἀνὰ δύο πέμπεσθαι τοὺς μαθητὰς ὑπὸ Χριστοῦ κηρύσσειν ὲν ταῖς φυλαῖς Ἰσραήλʼ εἷναί τε ἅμα τῶν δώδεκα μαθητῶν ἀριθμόν. Καὶ,ἐκεῖ ἦν ἐν τῶν παιδαρίων. Δηλοῖ ὅτι διὰ v6σον, ἢ διʼ ἁμαρτίαν παρέμεινε Δωὴκ 6 Ἰδουμαῖος ἐνώπιον Κυρίου θεραπευόμενος καὶ ἐξομολογούμενοςʼ ἧ δαιμόνων, ὡς ὁ Σαοὺλ, οὗ τὰς ἡμιόνους E60σκεν. Καὶ Σαοὺλ ἐκάθητο ἐν τῷ βουνῷ. 'D Σαοὺλ τοῦ πονηροῦ πνεύματος τύπον φέρει, ἄρξαντος τοῦ ἰσ- νγ ραὴλ, τότε εἰπόντος · t Οὑκ ἔχομεν βασιλέα. ι Καὶ γὰρ ὀ πάλαι λαὸς ἐξουδενώσας τὸν Δαυὶδ βασιλεύοντα αὑτοῦ, ᾔτησε τὸν Σαοὺλ ἄρχοντα αὐτῷ δοθῆναι. Ἕκ τῶν Ὠριγένους sic fin- δευτέραν τῶν Βασι- ειων. Ὀτι ἀντέστησαν οἱ τυφλοὶ καὶ οἱ χωλοί. ἰεβουσαίοι φιλόπτωχον τὸν Δαυὶδ ὑπέβαλον ἀπὸ τοῦ τείο κους ὑβρίζειν αὑτὸν τοὺς χωλοὺς καὶ τυφλούς. '0 δὲ κρατήσας τὴν Ἰερουσαλὴμ, οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἐκάκωσεν αὐτούς · ἀλλʼ ἔννομον ἔθετο τοῖς αὐτοῦ στρατιώταις · ι Et τις ἀνέλοι τυφλὸν Ἰεβουσαῖον, ἢ χωλὸν, ams. σθω ὲν παραξιφίδι · ι ήγουν ι ἀναιρείσθω. ι Ei γὰρ καὶ ἑμίσουν τὴν ψυχὴν Δαυὶδ, ἀλλὰ φειδοῦς ἔτυχον. Ἐκ τῶν Ὤριγένους είς τὴν τρίτην τῶν Βασι- Kal σφύρα καὶ πέλεκυς καὶ πᾶν σκεῦος σιδήρου. οἶκος δὲ ήἘκκλησία τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὲν ᾖ οὐ δεῖ ἀκουσθῆναι σφύραν. Σφύρα δὲ πάσης γῆς, ὁ διάβολος · καὶ ἔστιν ὁ μὴ φροντίζων αὐτῆς, οἱονεί τις ῦλη τυπτομένη παρʼ αὐτῆς καὶ μὴ πάσχουσα. ι Ἰδοὺ γὰρ, φησὶν ’Δμὼς, ἀνὴρ ἑστηκὼς ἐπὶ τείχους ἀδαμαντίνου, καὶ ἑν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ ἀδάμαςθ ι ὃς ἀδάμας ὑπʼ ούδεμίας συντριβήσεται σφύρας. Κᾶν ἐφεστήκει γοῦν ὸ διάβολος σφύρα, καί ὑποκείμενος ὁ δράκων ὥσπερ ἄκμων ἁνήλατος, οὐδὲν ὀ ὲν τῇ χειρὶ Κυρίου καὶ ὑπὸ

### English translation (Claude)

the passion of greed and love of money; for he kept the fat of the flocks for himself. [1 Sam 16:12] “And he was ruddy.” Esau was “ruddy, hairy like a hide,” having the deadness that comes from sin, and murder against Jacob. But David was “ruddy, with beauty of eyes, and good in the sight of the Lord,” to show David's discernment. [1 Sam 21:3] “And now, if there are five loaves under your hand.” He foreshowed also that the royal tribe and the priestly were to be united in Christ, priest and king together. [1 Sam 21:4] “There are no profane loaves.” He calls profane not the unclean, but those that are not holy, or, as Aquila rendered it, “lay”: not that what is not holy is profane, but by comparison with the holy. The table had six loaves, always changed, for the twelve tribes, which they called “loaves of the presence,” so that each was offered for two tribes. For calling them so meant that the tribes of Israel were joined in concord. It foreshadowed also that the disciples would be sent two by two by Christ to preach among the tribes of Israel, and that they would be twelve in number. [1 Sam 21:7] “And there was there one of the servants.” It shows that Doeg the Idumean remained before the Lord because of sickness or sin, to be healed and to make confession; or because of demons, like Saul, whose mules he tended. [1 Sam 22:6] “And Saul was sitting on the hill.” Saul bears the type of the evil spirit, who ruled Israel when they said, “We have no king.” For the people of old, despising David who reigned over them, asked that Saul be given them as ruler. [From the works of Origen on the second book of Kingdoms.] [2 Sam 5:6] “That the blind and the lame resisted.” The Jebusites, knowing David to be a lover of the poor, set the lame and the blind on the wall to insult him. But when he had taken Jerusalem, not only did he not harm them, but he made a law for his soldiers: “If anyone kills a blind or lame Jebusite, let him be slain with the dagger,” that is, “let him be put to death.” For even if they hated David's soul, they obtained mercy. [From the works of Origen on the third book of Kingdoms.] [1 Kgs 6:7] “And hammer and axe and every iron tool” was not heard in the house. The house is the church of God, in which no hammer must be heard. The hammer of the whole earth is the devil; and the one who pays no heed to it is like some material that is struck by it and does not suffer. “For behold,” says Amos, “a man standing on a wall of adamant, and in his hand adamant”; and this adamant will be broken by no hammer. Even if the devil stands over it as a hammer, and the dragon lies beneath like an anvil not beaten out, the adamant which is in the hand of the Lord and under

### Scripture references

- 1 Sam 15:9: allusion, high confidence
- 1 Sam 16:12: quotation, high confidence
- Gen 25:25: quotation, high confidence
- Gen 27:41: allusion, medium confidence
- 1 Sam 21:3: quotation, high confidence
- 1 Sam 21:4: quotation, high confidence
- Lev 24:5: allusion, medium confidence
- Mark 6:7: allusion, high confidence
- 1 Sam 21:7: quotation, high confidence
- 1 Sam 22:6: quotation, high confidence
- John 19:15: quotation, medium confidence
- 1 Sam 8:7: allusion, medium confidence
- 2 Sam 5:6: quotation, high confidence
- 2 Sam 5:8: allusion, high confidence
- 1 Kgs 6:7: quotation, high confidence
- Jer 50:23 (27:23 LXX): allusion, medium confidence
- Amos 7:7: quotation, high confidence

### Translation notes

- 1 Sam 15:9; Gen 25:25; 1 Sam 16:12 (Septuagint); 1 Sam 21:3–7; 1 Sam 22:6, 9 (Doeg); John 19:15 (“We have no king”); 1 Sam 8:7; Mark 6:7; 2 Sam 5:6–8 (the “law” about the Jebusites is the note's own account); 1 Kgs 6:7; Jer 50:23 (“hammer of the whole earth”); Amos 7:7 (Septuagint, “adamant”). “Six loaves” is as printed (Lev 24:5–6 has twelve in two rows of six). The headings name the books in the Septuagint order (2–3 Kingdoms = 2 Samuel, 1 Kings). A Latin word (“lapsi”) in “priest and king” is read by sense.

### Citation (SBL)

Origen, Eclog. 1 Regn. 993 (PG 12:993a–993c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/origen-eclogae-regnorum/993).

## Eclogae on 1 Kingdoms, column 995

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-eclogae-regnorum/991/#p-995
- Source: PG 12:996a–996d
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27

Summary: The saint, like adamant, is only made brighter by the devil's blows; Christ, the power of God, makes men “sons of power”.

### Greek text

τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν αὑτοῦ ἀδάμας πεσεῖται. Τεῖχος γὰρ ὁ ἅγιος ἀδαμάντινον, καὶ ὲν χειρὶ Κυρίου μένον ἀπα·θὲς. κᾶν μέσος ληφθῇ τῆς τε σφύρας καὶ τοῦ δράκοντος. Ὄσῳ δὲ τύπτεται, λαμπροτέραν αὑτοῦ τὴν ἀριτὴν ἐπιδείκνυσι. '0 γὰρ διάβολος οἷά τις λίθων ἀγνοῶν φύσιν, διὰ πολλῶν δοκιμάζει πληγῶν, τὸν οἷον ἀδάμαντα, Θεοῦ μόνου τὴν τούτου φύσιν εἱδέτος, Ἕκ τῶν Ὠριγένους ετΞὲ ξὴν τετάρτην τῶν Βασι- ιων. ιων. Ἰδοὺ δὲ μετὰ τῶν παίδων σου νʼ ἄνδρες υἱοὶ δυνάμεως. Χριστὸς δύναμις, ἡμέρας υἱοὺς ποιεῖ· καὶ εῐ τις ἐστὶν ἀνὴρ δυνάμεως, ἐστὶν υἱὸς Χριστοῦ. Ποτὲ δὲ υἱοὺς ποιεῖν ai ὑπὸ Χριστὸν δυνάμεις οὺ δύο νανται. Εἰ δὲ καὶ ποιοῦσιν, ἀλλὰ νηπίους.

### English translation (Claude)

his oversight will not fall. For the saint is a wall of adamant, and in the hand of the Lord remains unaffected, even if he is caught between the hammer and the dragon. The more he is struck, the more brilliant he shows his virtue. For the devil, like one ignorant of the nature of stones, tests by many blows the one who is like adamant, since God alone knows its nature. [From the works of Origen on the fourth book of Kingdoms.] [2 Kgs 2:16] “Behold, with your servants are fifty men, sons of power.” Christ, being power, makes us sons; and if anyone is a man of power, he is a son of Christ. Sometimes the powers under Christ cannot make sons; and if they do, they make only infants.

### Scripture references

- 2 Kgs 2:16: quotation, high confidence
- 1 Cor 1:24: allusion, medium confidence

### Translation notes

- 2 Kgs 2:16 (LXX 4 Kingdoms); 1 Cor 1:24 (Christ the power of God). The scan's “ἡμέρας υἱούς” is read as ἡμᾶς υἱούς (“us sons”). The scan passes from col. 995 to col. 1013.

### Citation (SBL)

Origen, Eclog. 1 Regn. 995 (PG 12:996a–996d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/origen-eclogae-regnorum/995).