Lecture 19

^2:19^ Coph. Arise, praise God in the night, in the beginning of the watches: pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord: lift up your hands to him for the souls of your little children, that have fainted for hunger at the top of all the streets.

41. Here he teaches how to pray; and concerning this, he does two things.

First, he teaches how to pray as regards the time: arise, from sleep; praise God, by prayer; in the night, when the time is less occupied, and because of the tranquility of the time; in the beginning of the watches. The night watches differed according to the guard of those who guarded the city, as is said in the Song of Songs 3:3: the watchmen who keep the city found me. There were four watches. The first is called, conticinium, when the fire is covered. (Conticinium signifies the first part of the night, when all becomes still; the noun is derived from conticescere, to become still.) The second is called, intempestum, which is around midnight, because that time is unsuitable for doing anything, for indeed, among the ancients, tempestum means “suitable.” The third watch is called, galli cantus, “the crowing of the cock.” The fourth is called, antelucanum, “before dawn.” So he says to arise in the beginning of the watches, that is, either in the first watch or in the beginning of any of the watches. My soul has desired thee in the night: yea, and with my spirit within me in the morning early I will watch to thee (Isa 26:9).

And as regards the devotion of the heart, he says: pour out your heart like water, as if it were melted by love and devotion, as water that had been frozen. These things I remembered, and poured out my soul in me (Ps 41:5).

And as regards the sign of devotion, he says: lift up your hands to him. I will therefore that men pray in every place, lifting up pure hands, without anger and contention (1 Tim 2:8).

Second, he presents the subject of prayer: for the souls, that is, for the separation of souls from bodies, or soul stands for life itself; at the top of the streets, that is, at the crossroads where four roads meet. When the children and the sucklings fainted away in the streets of the city (Lam 2:11).