Homily on Psalm 134 — English

John Chrysostom · PG 55 · cols 387–387 · machine translation (AI, from the page scans)

benedictio, when there is agreement between words and life, and by your works you bring glory to God who created you, as the Gospel intends, saying: "Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 5:16). ^A 3. "May the Lord bless you from Zion, he who made heaven and earth." This is to say: If you do these things, you will also obtain God’s blessing, if you keep vigil, if you pray holily, if you are worthy to stand in the house of the Lord, if you have rendered yourself a suitable temple. Having therefore used the exhortation that was necessary, he concludes his prayer with a benediction. For this is the work of an excellent teacher, both to uplift the listener with counsel and to confirm him with prayers, and to render him robust. What is meant by his saying, "From Zion"? The name was desirable to them, and all the sacred rites were performed there; and therefore he prays that they might recover the former state of religion, and perform those sacred rites, and obtain this blessing. Then, lifting them up to higher doctrines, and teaching that God is everywhere, but that he had commanded the temple to be built on account of their infirmity, and that he ought to be invoked from everywhere, he added, "He who made heaven and earth."

^B Prayers are to be offered everywhere. But they indeed invoked him there at that time, whereas we may do so in every place, in every field, in the house, in the marketplace, in solitude, in a ship, in an inn, and wherever we may be. For prayers are not forbidden by place, provided there are morals that harmonize with the prayers. After we have therefore conducted ourselves rightly in this matter, let us invoke God everywhere, and he will be present, and will help us, and will make whatever is difficult for us easy and expeditious, and will deem us worthy of future blessings: which may it be granted to us all to attain, by the grace and kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and power now and always, and for ever and ever. Amen.

ON PSALM CXXXIV

1. "Praise the name of the Lord, praise, O servants, the Lord." 2. "You who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God." 3. "Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good."

1. Again he exhorts to this sacrifice, which is performed through praises. For this is a sacrifice and offering to God. And therefore he says elsewhere: "I will praise the name of my God with a song, I will magnify him with praise; and it will please God more than a young bull, putting forth horns and hoofs" (Ps. 68:31-32). He makes constant mention of the place and the courts, fixing them to the place and not permitting them to recoil; ^C since, from the beginning, he had also ordered it to be built for this purpose, that all impiety and idols might be taken away, that all might be gathered into one place, and not wander about freely and unrestrainedly, nor usurp groves, fountains, mountains, and hills and turn them into an occasion of impiety, sacrificing there and making libations on high places. Wherefore he also condemns to death him who sacrifices outside the temple, saying: "Who has not offered in the tabernacle, and has sacrificed, blood shall be imputed to him" (Lev. 17:4). For this reason he gathers them from everywhere into one place, so that those listening might conduct themselves modestly and temperately, and abstain from false and erroneous thinking. ^D He 388 commands them, however, to sing, to psalm, and to praise, because the praises of God were an occasion of piety for them, while they contained the ancient narratives, namely, those things which were done in Egypt, which were done in the wilderness, which were done in the land of promise, how the law was given, what things happened on Mount Sinai, and what wars they waged: and at the same time God was honored with praise, and those who sang received an argument of doctrine, which both composed their life and led them to perfect dogmas. "Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good." Another says: "Because he is kind." What is most to be desired by those who hear, this he puts constantly: humanity, mercy, kindness.

The power of the psalms. The election of the Jewish people.

"Sing to his name, for it is sweet." He says this, showing that the thing itself has a certain pleasure of its own, along with utility. Its primary gain is also to say hymns to God, to purge the soul, to lift the thought on high, to learn true and accurate dogmas, to philosophize about things present and future. It has with these, through the melody, much pleasure, some consolation and recreation, and it renders the one who sings venerable. That it makes men such is clear from the fact that one interpreter says, "Because it is comely"; the other, "Because it is sweet." But both speak truthfully. For even if he who sings is a thousand times dissolute, while he reveres the psalm, he lulls the tyranny of his licentiousness; even if he is oppressed by innumerable evils, and is occupied by a sickness of the soul, while he is soothed by the pleasure, he lifts the soul, raises the thought, and exalts the mind on high. 4. "For Jacob the Lord chose for himself, Israel for his possession." He does not speak of benefits which are common to them with others, but what is their own and special. What then was this? That the Lord chose this people, and dedicated it to himself, and showed a certain peculiar benevolence toward them before others. And the prophets do this everywhere, composing their many sayings from the benefits conferred upon them. What is it, however, "For his possession"? For riches, for resources. For even if the people is small, he chose them as if they were riches, attending not to paucity, but to virtue, to which wishing to lead them, he chose them, namely, because other men do not provide him with as many riches as this people, so that this proceeded both from the benevolence of him who chose him, and for their instruction. For Paul also is accustomed to call the salvation of men riches, as when he says, "The same Lord, who is rich to all, and over all who call upon him" (Rom. 10:12). And again, "To his own master he stands, or falls" (Rom. 14:4). You see how he shows God’s benevolence, providence, care, and affection toward them, when he called them his possession. By both these, therefore, he shows an exceptional providence toward them, that he chose them, and that he in